What a difference a half-season makes

That breeze you have been feeling outside the Teamworks store down the first base line at RAP this year could be one of two things: the Caledonia Express wind pattern that whips through the park most nights, or perhaps it's the revolving door inside the Seals clubhouse...

After a fairly quiet inaugural season, Seals fans have been witness to a huge amount of change in personnel in 2010. With the signing of outfielder Tim Rodriguez this week, it's worth a look at the Seals current roster, in comparison to the team that took the field against Maui that chilly opening day back in May...

Seals opening day roster against Maui on May 21st

Now lets have a look at the current batch of Seals:

Seals second-half roster as of July 16th

Players in red indicate new additions, or at least changes in position from opening day - and the graphic doesn't show the mid-season additions that were brought in a subsequently removed from play (Mooney, Martin).

From management staff, through the starting rotation, through positional players, changes have been fast and furious this season (interestingly, the bullpen has remained relatively consistent).

A credit to the management team, I think everyone would agree that the Seals are a better team starting the second half than they were the first. A solid, anchored rotation, an outfield full of pop, and an infield with speed makes this team a strong second-half contender. We are still seeing a few too many fielding errors (58 in 46 games so far, ranking them 7th out of 10 teams), but this lineup should be able to post some better offensive numbers while giving up fewer earned runs. That should equate to more wins, and a shot at the North division title.

Time will tell if the current squad stays together, or if the clubhouse door continues to swing. While the Seals remain in the hunt for the pennant, look to see a bit more consistency over the next couple of months.