We recently sat down with one of Yastrzemski world's original owners, Boston's 13 time division titlist mike45. We chatted about the state and outlook of the Red Sox franchise, some of his all-time favorite players, and sundry others items of interest. Here's what he had to say:
Which of your HBD teams is your favorite and why?
Boston Red Sox (Yastrzemski). It’s where I’ve had the most success, but it’s really the one I work at the most as well. I’ve been here since the very beginning and it’s sort of fun to watch the players come and go as I build an organization, rather than just a team.
The Red Sox have not yet missed the playoffs in 15 completed seasons. Without giving away any secrets, can you explain how you have kept this team so competitive over the years? Do you see the team continuing to be on top for the foreseeable future?
In the first few seasons, I think I figured out quicker than most what ratings were important and which weren’t. Lots of owners focused on overall ratings which weren’t very accurate. For example, they heavily weighted stamina, which doesn’t add nearly as much to a player’s effectiveness as the ratings bump would suggest. So I signed the right players and was able to make good trades. Since then it’s really been a lot of luck.
You have had many elite players on the Red Sox over the years. Name for us your top three, and explain how and why they have been special for you.
Ron Karnuth was just ridiculously good. I’ll give you 14 reasons why I love him the most. .318, .354, .414, .356, .377, .371, .341, .382, .357, .384, .360, .369, .361, .359. Those were his batting averages in Boston. Then you add in 5 World Series rings, a couple of MVPs, 13 all star appearances, 12 silver sluggers, 4 gold gloves…you get the picture.
Alfonso Mercedes (current); 675 homers and really shows no signs of stopping (leads ML with 46 jacks this season)
Herman Parrish: I had him for only 6.5 years, but he had an 1.173 OPS while he was in Boston. That’s just absurd.
Honorable mentions: Terry Davis (current), Miguel Beltran
Without necessarily telling how you voted, do you feel that all time career saves leader (for now) Del Garces deserves a spot in the Hall of Fame? Why or Why not?
I’m not a big proponent of closers being in the Hall, but Garces is a special case. He’s the best this world has seen. 9 time all-star, 6 fireman awards. I think he’s worthy.
Who amongst your current prospects in the minors do you feel will make the biggest contribution at the ML level?
I’m hoping for Moe Stovall (currently .333/.433/.598) at AAA to make a big impact, possibly next season.
In your opinion, which ratings are the most important when it comes to determining how successful a pitcher might be?
I’ll be damned if I know anything about pitching. I quickly realized early on that I knew more about the offensive side of the game so my resources have gravitated to that side of the ball. However, playing half of my games at Fenway, I try to find pitchers with good control, groundball tendencies, and effectiveness against right handed hitters. If this year’s stats are any indication, I should try a new strategy next season.
If you could change one thing about HBD, what would it be and why?
Coach hiring is way too time consuming. We should just be able to allocate resources among levels or coach type.
Season 16 American League Synopsis (pre-season)
AMERICAN LEAGUE SYNOPSIS
A.L. NORTH
Are Dover still playoff caliber Hosers?
Can Syracuse get the pitching they need to win?
Without Marte and Meng, who will lead the Trout?
What will it take for Jacome and the T-Hawks to get some pitching?
The tightest division in baseball became much looser last season, as Ottawa separated itself from the pack. After making the post-season with 98 wins, the franchise (in a baffling move) has packed it’s bags and moved from the Canadian capital to the much smaller city of Dover, Delaware. The newly dubbed Prodigious Assault (seems that the name “the Dover Hosers” didn’t stick for some reason) will rely heavily on the bat of Pedro “Boom Boom” Chavez, who nonchalantly clubbed 44 home runs while knocking in 126 runs last season. His 41/100/.279 counterpart, Miguel Jiminez has moved on to Charlotte after one productive season with the club, and the team is hoping to fill his shoes. They’ve added an experienced veteran in free agent Steve McRae, a twelve year pro who doesn’t exactly put the ball into orbit, but has managed a career batting average of .308. There will be secondary power in spurts from Tony Vega and Vic Esposito, but in order for the offense to excel they’ll need two things:1)Former Rookie of the Year Denny Yeats needs to take a leadership role, shaking off his sophomore season in which he saw his average dip by sixty points while having less success with both base-running and run production. Yeats is realistically a 20 homer guy, not 30, but he should be able to ratchet his average up towards .300 and help his team score a few more runs. 2) Rookie catcher Chad Mulder has crushed minor league pitching to the tune of a .341 average and is behind the plate more for his bat than his defense. He possesses great plate patience and 20+ home run potential. Despite a reputation as the slowest team in the majors (only swiping 14 bases last season) if they get solid contributions from Yeats and Mulder, the “Dover” offense should be competitive if not dominating. If the team is to recapture the division title, the pitching should be their strength. Last season they boasted both the Fireman of the Year Kevin Baek and the Rookie of the Year in pitcher Alex Ortiz. Baek, who has made great progress since his rookie season had a career year in season 15, converting 50 of 53 save opportunities and fine tuning his cutter and change up to keep hitters off-balance. Ortiz finished with a 16-1 record and a 2.91 ERA in 142 innings, mostly as a reliever. It would appear that young Alex is ready to move into the rotation, and all indications are that he should dominate. The rest of the rotation looks solid with Vinny Bryant coming into the rotation from the bullpen and David “the other” Ortiz hoping to shake off his 1-10 season (13-42 over three years!!) to live up to the potential that made him a first round pick. Curve-baller Juan Guzman also won an astonishing 26 games in 200+ relief innings and will be given starting responsibilities this season. The bullpen looks solid and with Baek closing things out, the D.P.A. should not need to lead the league in hitting to challenge for another division title. This has become a competitive squad.
-bourbonmoon
The Syracuse Blue Sox finished with the same record last season as they did the year before. The problem was that in season 14 it was good enough to narrowly win the division and in season 15 it left them on the outside looking in from 18 games behind.
Their problems mostly stemmed from the pitching staff, who were in the bottom third of the league in most categories and were one of five ML teams not to enjoy a complete game. On the flipside, the Syracuse hitters struck out the fewer than any other major league club, while being generally above average in most offensive categories. In his first full season with the team, Tom Borland led the offense in runs, doubles, RBI’s, home runs, stolen bases and represented the team at the mid-season classic. Designated hitter Benji Concepcion contributed career bests in homers, RBI’s and batting average, while outfielder Kevin Cambridge added career highs of 94 runs and 192 hits while not missing a game in his first season with the team. The offense should continue to come naturally to the Blue Sox, who signed former first rounder George Hoover to a cushy five-year deal.
The athletic shortstop is a natural run producer, but would like to see a rise in batting average this season. Hoover has a similar “speed meets power” skill set to veteran Ned Daly who is a long-time team leader on and off the field. Rookie Riku Nomo is a terrific contact hitter who brings speed to the top of the order. There are many tools in the Syracuse lineup to get the job done.
The key will no doubt be pitching, as the Blue Sox will need to find a way to keep runs off the board. The huge potential that burns within 6’4” Connecticut righty Joaquin Fernandez took a backwards slide last season. Fernandez made progress each of the previous three seasons and has been anticipated to break out as the team’s top starter since he came over from Detroit. Hopefully a new multi-year contract will give him the boost he needs to put last year’s 17-loss campaign behind him. Syracuse will also need better things from last season’s two free agent signings. Both Juan Seanez and Art Koskie were mediocre at best and with over 18 million in payroll going between them, fans had reason to grow frustrated. Seanez threw about 40 innings less than his career average and his ERA was over six. Koskie simply isn’t worth his contract if he can only muster seven wins in a season. If he matches that, the B-Sox would be paying him close to 2 million dollars per win!! There is talent at the top of this rotation, and they likely can’t do worse than they did last season. 24 yr-old Ralph Lambert has gracefully evolved into the team’s closer, saving 32 of 37 games last season. Lambert is the team’s only returning pitcher who posted a sub-4 ERA last season, and the more times the ball winds up in his hands, the better!
-bourbonmoon
The departure of A.L. MVP Winston Marte to Pittsburgh will leave a gaping void in Toronto that the Trout will not easily overcome. They’ve simultaneously lost veteran Brian Meng (a first ballot Hall-of-Famer) to retirement, leaving Trout fans wanting for a new team identity. After leading the A.L. in stolen bases, maybe they’ll focus on the basepaths? Are youngsters Horacio Guerrero, Chet Neal and Willis Swift ready to take over the team? Swift hit .306 with 20 homers as a rookie and has the potential to become an All-Star. Neal is a good hitter with 30+ home run potential, but comes with a serious strikeout reputation, while Guerrero (at 24 yrs old) is entering his 4th season with the team as a terror on the bases and a true run scorer. Offensive success for the Trout will largely depend on the progress that they get from these three talented twenty-somethings. They have a dependable power source in the “Great Wall of Sarma”, as 35/110/.250 seems like a reasonable expectation. Journeyman DH Cookie Morgan and young outfielder Javier Lopez have also shown enough pop in their bats to keep Trout fans optimistic that they can recoup some of Marte’s lost offence.
If the offence gets going, the pitching should be effective enough to win games. Starters Matt Boone, Brook Perez, Juan Sosa and David Pressley each won at least 13 games. Boone has had a terrific 15-yr career, but at 37 years old there are questions as to how much he has left in the proverbial tank. Time will tell, but odds are with Boone to post twelve or more wins for Toronto this season. Sosa enjoyed a fine transition from the bullpen to the rotation, finishing with over 200 innings and a dignified 3.80 ERA on his way to a 15 win season. He’s in his prime and should be solid this season. Perez is another aging vet with an impressive resume. With eight 15-win seasons and a Cy Young award to his credit, Mr.Perez is showing signs of slowing down. Over the past three years he’s posted a 38-35 record, which isn’t cause for alarm but might not be worth the 17.6 million that he’ll receive over the next two seasons. Brook certainly isn’t throwing as hard or as late into games as he used to, but if the bullpen is solid he can certainly still do the job. David Pressley on the other hand, is entering his prime and can throw very late into games. Drawing comparisons to the like-mustached Jack Morris, Pressley will rely on 5-6 runs from his offence to win but can certainly rack up the innings. D.P. will continue to frustrate the Trout by surrendering untimely home runs, but he’s tossed 12 complete games in four seasons and could be capable of winning 18-20 games with a hot offence in front of him. The Trout’s big free agent gamble of the off-season was to bring in long time Detroit stalwart “T-Mac” Trevor McCarthy. McCarthy had posted a career record of 134-53 before blowing out his elbow at the beginning of last season. Toronto will watch closely, hoping he fully recovers from his surgery and can give them his solid career average 16-7 season.
-bourbonmoon
For two seasons now the Trenton Terror Hawks have finished fourth in the east. The team hasn’t gotten any worse since they won the division in season 13, but they haven’t improved much either and the competition around them certainly has! The team’s strength is usually a good group of well-balanced batsmen, however despite finishing in the top half of the league offensively, they still had the fourth best offense in their division. To keep pace with Toronto, Syracuse and Dover, the T-Hawks have brought in former Rodeo Clown catcher Marvin Williamson (a career .319 hitter) to augment their offence. Williamson simply murders left handed pitching and should slide nicely into the Trenton lineup to protect the power bats of Justin “the Colossus” Jacome and Felipe Vega. Fan favorite Jacome is coming off a solid 32/126/.328 campaign and is as respected and dangerous as hitters come. Cleanup hitter Vega is a free-swinging masher who smacked 56 round-trippers last season, and is entering the prime of his career. With speedy Benji Shuey at the top of the order swiping bags and scoring runs, and RF Carl Bevil and SS Jeff Bryant still looking to prove themselves as first round draft picks, the Hawks should once again have a competent group of speedy sluggers who can get the job done.
The biggest question in Jersey once again surrounds their pitching staff and whether they can stay consistent enough to win. Former top prospect Brendan O’Neil can’t seem to buy a win, as he consistently gets the worst run support of the Trenton starters. “B.O.” has the stuff to succeed and is ready to take the helm among a solid if unspectacular group of starters. Marshall, Griffith and Mendez should all reach double digit wins, and if any of them has a career season, the team’s fortunes could turn around. Rookie Duane Belinda posted a 40-16 record in the minors and looks to make his mark in the final spot in the T-Hawks rotation. The bullpen has been an adventure over the last two seasons with “Frankie” De La Vega barely hanging on to his closers job with a 4.25 ERA, but if many of Trenton’s games are being decided in the ninth inning, then they’ll probably be in good shape.
-bourbonmoon
Prediction:
1. Syracuse
2. Dover
3. Toronto
4. Trenton
A.L. EAST
How long can the Sox stay on top?
Will the “blue chippers” carry the Crunch?
Can Durham’s pitching get the job done?
Are the Sunbirds on track to make it a four-team race?
Yes, the Red Sox made the playoffs again with one of the top offensive juggernauts in the league. Maybe it’s Fenway Park? Maybe it’s a strong organization that’s been able to keep a steady stream of talented young sluggers at the ready when their veterans decide to move on? Any way you slice it, Boston seems to lose a marquee free agent each season and still haven’t skipped a beat. This time around it’s the living legend Ron Karnuth, (as much a fixture behind the plate as the 37’ green wall is in left field) who at thirty five years of age has ventured out of Boston to sign a three year deal in South Carolina. Not to digress, but Karnuth’s Red Sox accolades are great: 5 World Series rings; 2 American League MVP awards; 13 All-Star game appearances; 12 silver slugger awards; 4 gold glove awards; not to mention numerous batting titles high-lighted by an unheard of record .414 average in season 4. At 35 years of age, Karnuth no longer has the cannon arm behind the plate or thirty home run power, but he’s still (wait for it) a career .363 hitter, and those are hard to replace! But with Blake Robinson hitting .337 and jacking 54 homers last season, and tremendous power throughout the lineup, Boston should still find a way to get it done. Behind Robinson is the intimidating triumvirate of Terry Davis, Hootie Park and “The Great Alfonso” Mercedes. Davis is as solid as they come and has been crushing opposing pitchers in Beantown for the past decade. The late blooming Park has twice flirted with 50 dingers and despite his strikeouts is a force to be reckoned with. “The Great Alfonso” certainly needs no introduction, with 639 home runs to his credit and one of the all-time best power bats in the league. A free agent at season’s end, Mercedes will swing for the fences with a big contract looming. The Sox also welcomed free agent infielder Emil Franco from Detroit. Franco, an 8 time all-star, signed a four-year deal, giving Boston a solid source of speed and power to compliment their big sluggers. Rookie catcher Pablo Uribe is a skilled hitter who will look to fill Karnuthian shoes both behind and at the plate. He leads a solid supporting cast of what should once again be one of the top few offences in baseball.
Pitching is always a secondary concern in Boston, but there are some high hopes for rookie starter Sammy Moya. He joins a rotation that also includes 36 yr old free agent French pitcher Jim Sewell, out to prove that he still has what it takes. Ryan Cash and Ralph Perry should both throw some key innings for the Sox, along with rookie relievers Damaso Guapo and Bruce Denny. Mark Aoki has the closers job for a ninth straight season and looks to improve on a 4.98 ERA if he’s to hold off 19 year old Ben Reed from taking his job a season or two earlier than expected. The pitching staff will try to “hang on” and let the team win games with their bats. Those bats should once again make a serious post-season splash!
-bourbonmoon
The always competitive County Ramblers finished in a statistical tie with the Red Sox, but the tiebreaker left them on the outside of the playoffs looking in. With multiple strong teams in the North and West, the days of two East teams easily making the playoffs appear to be over. Like Boston, Durham is an offensive juggernaut with perpetual question marks in the pitching department. That their home park is a hitter’s paradise doesn’t help, but the road wasn’t much kinder to the Ramblers hurlers. They were still in the bottom echelon in most categories. No nicknames are needed as one glances down the rotation at Buck, Moose and Bravo. Top starter Boomer Buck is a consistent workhorse entering his seventh season with the team. Buck has 13 or more wins in each of his pro seasons and should have a steadying effect on an often-suspect rotation. In Moose English’s first full season with the team he posted a very solid 14-7 record, but upon closer inspection much of his success can be attributed to timely run support. Moose will try to bring the 5.51 ERA back down to respectability. Veteran Kelly Bravo enters his 11th pro season looking to regain the form that won him 18 games in back to back seasons. Bravo has never had ERA trouble and is one of the few Durham pitchers who can keep the ball in the park with regularity. If veterans Frank Hartman and Reginald White or rookie Louis Hill can pick up the back end of the rotation, then the Ramblers should forget about free agent Darrin Patrick’s departure to Scottsdale and once again be in the hunt for a playoff spot. The bullpen can be reliable enough if the rag tag group of middle and setup men can effectively get the ball to former Fireman of the Year closer Phil Fontenot.
The offense is a well balanced machine that produced nine 20+ home run hitters last season. Leading the way was first baseman Vinny Morton with an impressive 46/145/.310 line and outfielder Wayne Grey who has 120+ RBI’s in each of his first six seasons as a pro. Second baseman Sherry Grebeck returned to the All-Star game and won a Silver Slugger award with an excellent season (32/105/.327 with 27 steals and 134 runs scored). Durham brought in fragile speedster Max Felix (in his second go around with the team) to try to fill the hole left by shortstop Abraham Brinkley’s departure to Boston. The Ramblers have a few notable prospects ready at AAA if there are any injuries or problems on the big club, notably 21 yr old CF Joaquin Vega and 22 yr old 2B Chad McDonald. If at some point either gets promoted they should bolster an already solid lineup that will likely be praying for a little bit of pitching to get them over the hump and into the post-season.
-bourbonmoon
The Jacksonville Sunbirds are consistently trying to figure out a way to pull even with the teams at the top of their division. They’ve reached a plateau where they can hit with the better teams in the league, but the pitching always seems stuck in the lower tier. The team’s ace, Jesus Astacio is as reliable as they come, and pitched considerably better than even his respectable 13-8 record would indicate. Beyond “the Jesus”, the Sunbirds aren’t getting much value for their pitching dollar. Douglas Steenstra and Olmedo Martin won 10 games each, which doesn’t equate with the nearly 18 million dollars that they’ll share. Ellis Springer posted a 6-11 relief record, while relinquishing his closer job to Patrick Garcia (whose 3-12 record; 28/37 saves and 5.01ERA all caused headaches for the Jacksonville faithful). Top prospect Emil Woods continued to struggle mightily with a 7.05 ERA and has yet to turn the corner that his obvious potential suggests he should. This season, Woods should receive a decent audition in a starter’s role and the S-Birds have brought in 39 year-old 5 time all-star Randall Wilson to add some experience to the rotation. Decent production from those two would be a great bonus, but the success of this club will fall heavily on Astacio, Steenstra and Martin as well as Springer to get the pen back in order.
Offensively, the Sunbirds have a few gems that form a young and powerful nucleus in the middle of their lineup. After suffering through some serious shoulder problems in season 14, team leader “Benny V” returned to form in season 15 clubbing a team high 45 homers and making his fourth all-star appearance. Fan favorites Matty Hayes and Brandon Spencer both managed 100+ RBI’s and pose serious power threats in the heart of the Jacksonville order. Beyond the top three, the ‘Birds have great depth with Durham, Brock, Arroyo and Dickerson all capable of getting their uniforms dirty and doing the little things to scratch and claw and find a way to succeed. Catching might be a weakness, with Ignacio Estrada getting his first crack as an everyday starter. His offensive potential is moderate and his defense is average at best. He’s backed up by grizzled veteran Walter Wade, while Shawn Young and Ken Glaus are ready at AAA if Estrada has problems. The Jacksonville team might still need a few minor tweaks to compete offensively with Boston and Durham, but until the pitching gets on track it will be very tough to think about the post-season. Top pitching prospects Marc McLaughlin and Dana Wheeler provide bright spots in the not-too-distant future, although the question remains as to when that future will arrive.
-bourbonmoon
After a solid couple of seasons, it’s safe to say that the New York Crunch is back in the mix in the A.L. East. This season should be an exciting one in the Big Apple, with “MigMar” and VictRo” capturing all the headlines. Fans are coming out in droves to watch the two talented Dominican youngsters take the field. Right fielder Miguel “MigMar” Martinez fast tracked through the minors, posting astronomical hitting numbers. An athletic outfielder with a great arm, Martinez has power and pure hitting skill. At 22 yrs old, he should patrol the Crunch outfield for years to come. Victor Rosado is a pitcher with pinpoint control and a dominant fastball. He’ll take over the ninth inning duties in New York and should give the whole team confidence, as New York fans are very happy to have seen the last of Elrod Weston and his 6.03 ERA.
In season 15, the offense was already on the fringe of joining the elite clubs in the A.L. Miguel Beltran’s presence had a great impact on first baseman Don MacRae, who finally broke out in his fourth pro season, setting personal bests with 100 runs, 117 RBI’s, a .300 batting average and 34 home runs (16 higher than his previous best). Beltran himself failed to reach 100 RBI’s for the first time in twelve seasons, but still had a solid year with 30 round-trippers and 93 RBI’s, while endearing himself to the Crunch fans with his tireless charity work and visits to the children’s hospital. The ever-dangerous Ken Bailey (30/95/.321) continues to shine, while developing a reputation for consistency. A patient and talented hitter, Bailey scored a few more runs than he knocked in last season, while finishing with a sparkling .406 OBP. The solid supporting cast of Pascual, Gabriel, Schmidt and Wright all topped 20 dingers and should bolster an even more formidable lineup with MigMar in town.
The pitching that took them to the playoffs in season 14 wasn’t quite the same without Juan Sosa last year. The team ERA slid from 3.99 to 4.88 and troubled closer Elrod Weston played a significant role in that. With VictRo taking over the shutdown role, and bright spot Max Gardel coming off an encouraging rookie season to bolster the middle relief corps, success should once again (as with most teams) depend on the starting rotation. Returning are Ray Fischer, Moises Vega, Tuck Meacham and Mike Washburn. Orlando Torres came over in a trade from Tacoma to fill out the rotation, and he should take a steady if unspectacular turn in the Crunch pitching mix. Tuck is a career Crunch favorite, and he’s certainly put in his service time in New York. He’ll never be great, however he’s capable of getting the job done, and he’ll need to reassert himself in his role if he’s going to convince the team to resign him as his contract expires at season’s end. It’s a familiar situation to the one Mike Washburn found himself in this off-season. Washburn quickly tested the free agent waters before inking a new two year deal with the Crunch. With only 9 wins last year, Washburn is looking to rediscover the groove that won him 16 games a few seasons back. At 36 years old, Ray Fischer still has the stuff to be the staff workhorse. He’s led the team in innings pitched in each of the past two seasons and hasn’t shown many signs of slowing down. Fischer is a season removed from 17 wins and has previously posted 18 and 19 win seasons while never reaching the 20-win plateau. He’ll likely never get a better chance than this season. Moises Vega is a hard thrower who keeps the ball low and accurate. A 17 game winner as a rookie, and subsequently an all-star in season 14, Vega hasn’t quite fulfilled his promise since then, as he’s failed to improve either his win or inning totals since then. It hasn’t been for the lack of quality pitching, however, as his career ERA still sits at 3.13. Vega has the most upside of any of the Crunch starters and if he can overcome the pressure of playing in New York with a substantial new contract, he could be the difference maker on this team on the cusp.
-bourbonmoon
Prediction:
5. Boston
6. New York*
7. Durham
8. Jacksonville
* denotes wildcard
A.L. SOUTH
Will Charlotte take another step forward in season 16?
Is Florida ready to play .500 ball?
As the youth movement hits Little Rock, will they find some pitching?
Will Estrada and Blair put the Lobsters into the post-season?
Despite a sub .500 record, the Designated Drinkers took home the division title in season 15. They even managed to dispose of the mighty Rodeo Clowns in a tight five game playoff series. Once again, the big ticket is catcher “Mad” Max Cora, who displayed great poise silencing his doubters after his sub-par campaign in season 14. In season 15, Charlotte saw Cora regain his awesome power stroke to the tune of 47 dingers and 113 RBI’s. The offense also relied on the newly dubbed “Wright Brothers”, Tony and Rob, who each hit 20+ homers, with steady run production and decent batting average. The always steady Joshua Meadows may be losing a step, but he only needs 30 steals to catch the legendary Chris Jordan for the all-time stolen base crown! Meadows has yet to take a trip to the disabled list in his illustrious career and will almost certainly overtake Jordan part way through season 16.
After tossing 200+ innings in three straight seasons, it’s time to finally take the “bust” label off of Bryant Linden. Linden has emerged as the steadiest of the D.D.’s pitchers although he’s yet to top 13 wins in a season and succeeds more by guts and guile than by overpowering hitters with his average fastball. The wildcard in Charlotte’s deck is Bruce Wilson, who enters his third pro season with good poise and the ability to keep runs off the board. Wilson led the team last season with a sparkling 1.13 WHIP and may eventually be the go-to guy on a team that will lean on second year man Eugene Darnell and long-time V-Bats vet Edge Ramsey to hold the fort until youngsters like Malachi Wilson, Tike Leonard and Angel Gonzalez are ready to ply their trade at the pro level. The D.D.’s are a competitive squad who will be looking to take the division for the second straight season. In the A.L. South it is certainly a possibility!
-bourbonmoon
The New Orleans VoDoo have moved to Florida and taken a fun “capital” twist by naming the team after the University of Florida Gators, only GATORs. Florida is another team who posted some decent offensive numbers in season 15, but finished with the worst team ERA in the majors. Marino Villa finished with a team-high10 wins, but his 7.11 ERA indicates that he probably had some good run support as he struggled with his mechanics through a forgettable season. Former 18 game winner Hector Mateo led the team in innings pitched, but gave up a career high 43 home runs en route to a 5-16 record.
The brightest spot (by far) was the team’s young reliever Matthew Langerhans, who in his first season as closer earned an all-star nomination on his way to a 1.63 ERA and saves in 34 of the team’s 64 wins. At 23 years old, Langerhans has an un-hittable curveball and should give the team rock solid relief when they’re playing with a lead.
Season 15 saw the emergence of designated hitter Fernando Chavez as a 30 home run hitter, and he should be a solid power source going forward. Outfielder Raffi Rodriguez is coming off his second consecutive 33 HR campaign and has been rewarded with a nice four-year contract. Youngster Alex Keller was called up part way through the season and clubbed 20 homers in a successful rookie audition. These three should lead the offense as the team plans for the future. Highly touted Herb Wilkerson will swing his hot bat at AA this season while pitching sensation ZOLTAN will ply his trade at HiA. These two top prospects (among others) give Florida legitimate hope for the future. The entire A.L. South is heading in the right direction, and this club has been doing the right things to turn their fortunes around. We’re sure to be talking about them a couple of seasons from now.
-bourbonmoon
The Little Rock Razorbacks woes continued in season 15, as they managed only 49 wins, scraping the bottom of the ML barrel. With the second worst team ERA in baseball, Little Rock surrendered more walks than anyone in the majors. They failed to have a pitcher record 10 wins, and Tim Brantley and Harry Spivey floundered in the closers role to the tune of 23 of 36 save chances converted! Let’s do the Razorbacks a favor and leave the past behind. There are many bright lights on the horizon, including the arrival of promising closer Tony Feng, who features a 96 mph slider that should strike him out more than a batter per inning! While the rest of the pitching staff is fairly pedestrian to be sure, Little Rock’s offensive future is growing brighter by the minute! Last season’s blue-chip first round pick Dicky Gleason saw a glimpse of major league pitching and .343 with a .919 OPS in 67 at bats!! Gleason joins former first rounders York Uribe and Morris Rice to give the team a formidable base of talent to build around. Consider that the Razorbacks hold this season’s first overall draft pick and fans in Arkansas are starting to get excited about the future of this lineup. It might take another couple of seasons, but this team will likely never be this bad again! Things are looking up!
-bourbonmoon
The Louisville Lobsters are yet another team who is hungry to field a winning club, but still has a ways to go to achieve their goals. The difference between the Lobsters and most of the other teams with fewer than 70 wins is that Louisville finished near the top of the league in most offensive categories. While not quite at “offensive juggernaut” status, the Lobsters are led by one of the brightest young hitters in the game in Wilt Blair. Blair has increased his home run and RBI output in each of his first four seasons in the league and is still improving. A tidy 44/133/.312 line is what he’ll be looking to improve on this season and he’ll anchor a good young lineup looking to battle their way to the top of a weak division. Blair is supported in the lineup by Walter “The Heart of Hicksville” Taft and shortstop Bert Lee. The volatile Taft has scored 361 runs over the past three seasons and if he doesn’t pull any “Milton Bradley moves” gives the Lobsters an exciting mix of speed and power. Lee is a former first rounder who is a stable defender with some untapped offensive potential. He should develop into a .300 hitter with the ability to knock in or score100+ runs per season. The team has more hitting on the horizon with DH Tony Mendez and RF Santo Figueroa set to join the team over the next season or two. The offense will need to dominate, however, as the pitching has been abysmal to say the least. Another team without a 10 game winner, staff ace Javier “The Arrow” Estrada only started 16 games last season leaving the rest of the rotation in the lurch. “The Arrow” won 16 games the previous season and should be an anchor for the Lobsters if he stays healthy and even scratches the surface of his enormous potential. Louisville will likely be patient with prospects Paul Koh and Russell Workman, and in the mean time would like to see some success from former Vampire Bat Tarrik Grimsley who suffered from some tendonitis after joining the Lobsters last season. The pitching staff is likely a few seasons from overall respectability, however, in the A.L. South it might still be within their reach to pull in a division title!
-bourbonmoon
Prediction:
1. Louisville
2. Charlotte
3. Florida
4. Little Rock
A.L. WEST
Oklahoma is due; can they shake the playoff jinx?
Can powerhouse Vegas repeat as World Series champs?
Can Salt Lake City find a way to keep runs off the board?
How long until Scottsdale starts thinking post-season?
After a disappointing 4th place finish, the Helena Cowboys have moved to Salt Lake City, hoping that a change of scenery will do them good. Despite tying for the league lead with 4 shutouts, the Cowboys pitching was among the league’s worst last season, as no pitcher with 20+ innings pitched had an ERA below 4.13. Juan James is now 25, and with a 16 win season under his belt is now entering his 5th year as a pro. James endured some shoulder problems last season, but he seems recovered and is a hard thrower who should be able to dominate once he finds his groove. Look for a rebound season from starter Josh Shelby who has nasty stuff and can throw late into games. Closer Juan Hernandez should continue to be a stabilizing force late in games if the team can get him enough opportunities to close the door. At some point Japanese youngster Alex Nakamura should get another call to the majors after a disastrous debut last season. Nakamura is tough on lefties and could help out in the pen if needed.
The offense will need to get going without the bat of veteran Eli Izquierdo who signed a four-year deal in Richmond after spending 10 seasons with the team. Izquierdo lead the team with 99 RBI’s last season and brought his batting average back up to .294 after a troubling campaign the year before. Sometimes being in a contract year will do wonders for a player’s swing! S.L.C. did choose to re-sign “El Caballo” Jose Guerrero to an extension, hoping that the slugger can continue his legacy with the Cowboys. Guerrero has over 500 home runs in his 13 seasons with the team and at 32 years old appears to be on a path to Cooperstown (while emphatically denying any allegations of performance enhancing substances in his past). Rookie third baseman Roger Clapp demonstrated his excellent power potential in AAA last season with 52 long balls and a .304 average. Clapp could make an immediate impact, and although he’s not expected to hit .300 as a pro he is a legit home run threat that the Cowboys desperately need. Rosario, Fox, Redding, Baxter and Perez give SLC a well-balanced attack that can hurt teams in several ways. They’ll have their share of exciting offensive battles, but it seems inevitable that they can’t score as much as the pitching will yield. A team on the rise, they’re a few significant pieces short of contention.
-bourbonmoon
World series champs Las Vegas Numa Numa are poised to repeat as division champs, as well as take another good run in the playoffs. With a team stocked full of stars in their prime, and with new talent still being added, this team should be a force to reckon with for many seasons. This offense scored more runs than any other last season, featuring six players who hit twenty four or more HRs, and ten players who hit fourteen or more. C Carlos Cervantes leads the charge, and he has an excellent supporting cast in DH Tom Bailey, CF Gerrit Hughes, SS Mark Kyung, LFs Jose Fernandez and Torey Rosario, IF Nate Coolbaugh, RF Sam Hodges and 2B Tomas Bennett. What a deep lineup! The pitching staff was good enough to win a championship last year, led by Cy Young winner Vasco “Monster” Montanez. The addition of super rookie Ricardo Gonzales is an absolutely scary prospect for the rest of the AL. This pitching staff now has two aces. The next two starters, Emil Pineiro and Brooks Jefferson are no slouches either, and help L.V. challenge for the world’s best SP staff. Edgard Guerrero collected sixteen wins from the bullpen last season, and remains the inning eater of the relief staff. All star closer Felipe Herrera is back as well. This is a team that is capable of defending their championship, and will be on top of their game for a few seasons to come.
-shobob
If there is a team in this world that is “due” to win a championship, the Oklahoma City Rodeo Clowns are that team. They had the third best team ERA in the world last season, and they’ll rely on a talented and deep starting staff to repeat the performance. The team also finished third in team FP and tied for fourth for BA so it’s a good thing that they return most of last season’s lineup intact. It looks like D.T. Rollins will be riding off into the sunset after nine seasons with the club, most notably season 12, when he sported a record of 22-0. World series champion free agent Bobby Joe Post takes Rollins’ place in this deep pitching staff. They will need a way to make up for the loss of closer Victor Canseco through free agency. Manuel Guillen looks to fill the role after two seasons of limited, but effective play. John “The Mailman” Mailman, Eric Simmons and Geraldo Oliva round out what might be the deepest top four starters on any team. The offense is led once again by LF “The Carlos Cruz missile”. He is surely headed for the hall of fame if he can avoid a catastrophic injury before long. Cruz’s supporting cast is impressive as well, including slugger Gary Purcell, and contact hitters SS Cristian Simon and 2B Kirby Martin. The team can count on solid contributions from RF Norm Hutton, SS Luis Lee, and the C platoon of Ricardo Matos and Max Padilla. The outlook for this team is once again good. They are going to have some intense competition for the division title, but a wild card spot should be available for whoever misses out on that. Due to the strength of their pitching staff and offence, anything short of 100 wins and playoff success would be a disappointment for this franchise.
-shobob
The winds of change are blowing in Scottsdale. Long-suffering fans are hoping that the Fightin’ Chokes have made the right moves to take this team into contention. Newfound stability in ownership has a good effect on this franchise’s ability to field a competitive team, and the results should start showing up in the win/loss column soon enough. The big money signings of former fireman of the year Victor Canseco and SP Darrin Patrick add some skill and depth to a starting staff and bullpen in need of good arms. The ‘Chokes pitching staff stuck out fewer batters than any other team in the majors last season and that emphasizes where the team needs to improve. Better numbers can be expected out of SP Jorel Howington, since he now has a full year of ML duty under his belt. Brad Servais, Victor Martin and Harry Tavares were among the more reliable arms on the squad, finishing 1,2,3 on the team in both innings pitched and wins. After two years in the minors, first round pick Shooter Owens looks to make his major league debut and the expectations are pretty high for the 22 yr old to take a place at the top of the rotation.
The Scottsdale bats have been a streaky bunch of late, capable of breaking out in one game and falling silent the next. Second in the majors in doubles, the lineup boasted three 30 home run hitters (Borbon, Douglass and Saenz) and some good quickness as well (4 with 20 steals). They’re hoping for rookie catcher Joaquin Armas to make an impact this season. He joins a very deep lineup, but one that lacks star power. The ‘Chokes are a team on the rise, but they’ll be in over their heads against Vegas and O.C. in one of the toughest divisions in baseball. Give Scottsdale another season or two as things are slowly coming together.
-shobonmoon
Prediction:
1. Las Vegas
2. Oklahoma City *
3. Helena
4. Scottsdale
* denotes wildcard
A.L. NORTH
Are Dover still playoff caliber Hosers?
Can Syracuse get the pitching they need to win?
Without Marte and Meng, who will lead the Trout?
What will it take for Jacome and the T-Hawks to get some pitching?
The tightest division in baseball became much looser last season, as Ottawa separated itself from the pack. After making the post-season with 98 wins, the franchise (in a baffling move) has packed it’s bags and moved from the Canadian capital to the much smaller city of Dover, Delaware. The newly dubbed Prodigious Assault (seems that the name “the Dover Hosers” didn’t stick for some reason) will rely heavily on the bat of Pedro “Boom Boom” Chavez, who nonchalantly clubbed 44 home runs while knocking in 126 runs last season. His 41/100/.279 counterpart, Miguel Jiminez has moved on to Charlotte after one productive season with the club, and the team is hoping to fill his shoes. They’ve added an experienced veteran in free agent Steve McRae, a twelve year pro who doesn’t exactly put the ball into orbit, but has managed a career batting average of .308. There will be secondary power in spurts from Tony Vega and Vic Esposito, but in order for the offense to excel they’ll need two things:1)Former Rookie of the Year Denny Yeats needs to take a leadership role, shaking off his sophomore season in which he saw his average dip by sixty points while having less success with both base-running and run production. Yeats is realistically a 20 homer guy, not 30, but he should be able to ratchet his average up towards .300 and help his team score a few more runs. 2) Rookie catcher Chad Mulder has crushed minor league pitching to the tune of a .341 average and is behind the plate more for his bat than his defense. He possesses great plate patience and 20+ home run potential. Despite a reputation as the slowest team in the majors (only swiping 14 bases last season) if they get solid contributions from Yeats and Mulder, the “Dover” offense should be competitive if not dominating. If the team is to recapture the division title, the pitching should be their strength. Last season they boasted both the Fireman of the Year Kevin Baek and the Rookie of the Year in pitcher Alex Ortiz. Baek, who has made great progress since his rookie season had a career year in season 15, converting 50 of 53 save opportunities and fine tuning his cutter and change up to keep hitters off-balance. Ortiz finished with a 16-1 record and a 2.91 ERA in 142 innings, mostly as a reliever. It would appear that young Alex is ready to move into the rotation, and all indications are that he should dominate. The rest of the rotation looks solid with Vinny Bryant coming into the rotation from the bullpen and David “the other” Ortiz hoping to shake off his 1-10 season (13-42 over three years!!) to live up to the potential that made him a first round pick. Curve-baller Juan Guzman also won an astonishing 26 games in 200+ relief innings and will be given starting responsibilities this season. The bullpen looks solid and with Baek closing things out, the D.P.A. should not need to lead the league in hitting to challenge for another division title. This has become a competitive squad.
-bourbonmoon
The Syracuse Blue Sox finished with the same record last season as they did the year before. The problem was that in season 14 it was good enough to narrowly win the division and in season 15 it left them on the outside looking in from 18 games behind.
Their problems mostly stemmed from the pitching staff, who were in the bottom third of the league in most categories and were one of five ML teams not to enjoy a complete game. On the flipside, the Syracuse hitters struck out the fewer than any other major league club, while being generally above average in most offensive categories. In his first full season with the team, Tom Borland led the offense in runs, doubles, RBI’s, home runs, stolen bases and represented the team at the mid-season classic. Designated hitter Benji Concepcion contributed career bests in homers, RBI’s and batting average, while outfielder Kevin Cambridge added career highs of 94 runs and 192 hits while not missing a game in his first season with the team. The offense should continue to come naturally to the Blue Sox, who signed former first rounder George Hoover to a cushy five-year deal.
The athletic shortstop is a natural run producer, but would like to see a rise in batting average this season. Hoover has a similar “speed meets power” skill set to veteran Ned Daly who is a long-time team leader on and off the field. Rookie Riku Nomo is a terrific contact hitter who brings speed to the top of the order. There are many tools in the Syracuse lineup to get the job done.
The key will no doubt be pitching, as the Blue Sox will need to find a way to keep runs off the board. The huge potential that burns within 6’4” Connecticut righty Joaquin Fernandez took a backwards slide last season. Fernandez made progress each of the previous three seasons and has been anticipated to break out as the team’s top starter since he came over from Detroit. Hopefully a new multi-year contract will give him the boost he needs to put last year’s 17-loss campaign behind him. Syracuse will also need better things from last season’s two free agent signings. Both Juan Seanez and Art Koskie were mediocre at best and with over 18 million in payroll going between them, fans had reason to grow frustrated. Seanez threw about 40 innings less than his career average and his ERA was over six. Koskie simply isn’t worth his contract if he can only muster seven wins in a season. If he matches that, the B-Sox would be paying him close to 2 million dollars per win!! There is talent at the top of this rotation, and they likely can’t do worse than they did last season. 24 yr-old Ralph Lambert has gracefully evolved into the team’s closer, saving 32 of 37 games last season. Lambert is the team’s only returning pitcher who posted a sub-4 ERA last season, and the more times the ball winds up in his hands, the better!
-bourbonmoon
The departure of A.L. MVP Winston Marte to Pittsburgh will leave a gaping void in Toronto that the Trout will not easily overcome. They’ve simultaneously lost veteran Brian Meng (a first ballot Hall-of-Famer) to retirement, leaving Trout fans wanting for a new team identity. After leading the A.L. in stolen bases, maybe they’ll focus on the basepaths? Are youngsters Horacio Guerrero, Chet Neal and Willis Swift ready to take over the team? Swift hit .306 with 20 homers as a rookie and has the potential to become an All-Star. Neal is a good hitter with 30+ home run potential, but comes with a serious strikeout reputation, while Guerrero (at 24 yrs old) is entering his 4th season with the team as a terror on the bases and a true run scorer. Offensive success for the Trout will largely depend on the progress that they get from these three talented twenty-somethings. They have a dependable power source in the “Great Wall of Sarma”, as 35/110/.250 seems like a reasonable expectation. Journeyman DH Cookie Morgan and young outfielder Javier Lopez have also shown enough pop in their bats to keep Trout fans optimistic that they can recoup some of Marte’s lost offence.
If the offence gets going, the pitching should be effective enough to win games. Starters Matt Boone, Brook Perez, Juan Sosa and David Pressley each won at least 13 games. Boone has had a terrific 15-yr career, but at 37 years old there are questions as to how much he has left in the proverbial tank. Time will tell, but odds are with Boone to post twelve or more wins for Toronto this season. Sosa enjoyed a fine transition from the bullpen to the rotation, finishing with over 200 innings and a dignified 3.80 ERA on his way to a 15 win season. He’s in his prime and should be solid this season. Perez is another aging vet with an impressive resume. With eight 15-win seasons and a Cy Young award to his credit, Mr.Perez is showing signs of slowing down. Over the past three years he’s posted a 38-35 record, which isn’t cause for alarm but might not be worth the 17.6 million that he’ll receive over the next two seasons. Brook certainly isn’t throwing as hard or as late into games as he used to, but if the bullpen is solid he can certainly still do the job. David Pressley on the other hand, is entering his prime and can throw very late into games. Drawing comparisons to the like-mustached Jack Morris, Pressley will rely on 5-6 runs from his offence to win but can certainly rack up the innings. D.P. will continue to frustrate the Trout by surrendering untimely home runs, but he’s tossed 12 complete games in four seasons and could be capable of winning 18-20 games with a hot offence in front of him. The Trout’s big free agent gamble of the off-season was to bring in long time Detroit stalwart “T-Mac” Trevor McCarthy. McCarthy had posted a career record of 134-53 before blowing out his elbow at the beginning of last season. Toronto will watch closely, hoping he fully recovers from his surgery and can give them his solid career average 16-7 season.
-bourbonmoon
For two seasons now the Trenton Terror Hawks have finished fourth in the east. The team hasn’t gotten any worse since they won the division in season 13, but they haven’t improved much either and the competition around them certainly has! The team’s strength is usually a good group of well-balanced batsmen, however despite finishing in the top half of the league offensively, they still had the fourth best offense in their division. To keep pace with Toronto, Syracuse and Dover, the T-Hawks have brought in former Rodeo Clown catcher Marvin Williamson (a career .319 hitter) to augment their offence. Williamson simply murders left handed pitching and should slide nicely into the Trenton lineup to protect the power bats of Justin “the Colossus” Jacome and Felipe Vega. Fan favorite Jacome is coming off a solid 32/126/.328 campaign and is as respected and dangerous as hitters come. Cleanup hitter Vega is a free-swinging masher who smacked 56 round-trippers last season, and is entering the prime of his career. With speedy Benji Shuey at the top of the order swiping bags and scoring runs, and RF Carl Bevil and SS Jeff Bryant still looking to prove themselves as first round draft picks, the Hawks should once again have a competent group of speedy sluggers who can get the job done.
The biggest question in Jersey once again surrounds their pitching staff and whether they can stay consistent enough to win. Former top prospect Brendan O’Neil can’t seem to buy a win, as he consistently gets the worst run support of the Trenton starters. “B.O.” has the stuff to succeed and is ready to take the helm among a solid if unspectacular group of starters. Marshall, Griffith and Mendez should all reach double digit wins, and if any of them has a career season, the team’s fortunes could turn around. Rookie Duane Belinda posted a 40-16 record in the minors and looks to make his mark in the final spot in the T-Hawks rotation. The bullpen has been an adventure over the last two seasons with “Frankie” De La Vega barely hanging on to his closers job with a 4.25 ERA, but if many of Trenton’s games are being decided in the ninth inning, then they’ll probably be in good shape.
-bourbonmoon
Prediction:
1. Syracuse
2. Dover
3. Toronto
4. Trenton
A.L. EAST
How long can the Sox stay on top?
Will the “blue chippers” carry the Crunch?
Can Durham’s pitching get the job done?
Are the Sunbirds on track to make it a four-team race?
Yes, the Red Sox made the playoffs again with one of the top offensive juggernauts in the league. Maybe it’s Fenway Park? Maybe it’s a strong organization that’s been able to keep a steady stream of talented young sluggers at the ready when their veterans decide to move on? Any way you slice it, Boston seems to lose a marquee free agent each season and still haven’t skipped a beat. This time around it’s the living legend Ron Karnuth, (as much a fixture behind the plate as the 37’ green wall is in left field) who at thirty five years of age has ventured out of Boston to sign a three year deal in South Carolina. Not to digress, but Karnuth’s Red Sox accolades are great: 5 World Series rings; 2 American League MVP awards; 13 All-Star game appearances; 12 silver slugger awards; 4 gold glove awards; not to mention numerous batting titles high-lighted by an unheard of record .414 average in season 4. At 35 years of age, Karnuth no longer has the cannon arm behind the plate or thirty home run power, but he’s still (wait for it) a career .363 hitter, and those are hard to replace! But with Blake Robinson hitting .337 and jacking 54 homers last season, and tremendous power throughout the lineup, Boston should still find a way to get it done. Behind Robinson is the intimidating triumvirate of Terry Davis, Hootie Park and “The Great Alfonso” Mercedes. Davis is as solid as they come and has been crushing opposing pitchers in Beantown for the past decade. The late blooming Park has twice flirted with 50 dingers and despite his strikeouts is a force to be reckoned with. “The Great Alfonso” certainly needs no introduction, with 639 home runs to his credit and one of the all-time best power bats in the league. A free agent at season’s end, Mercedes will swing for the fences with a big contract looming. The Sox also welcomed free agent infielder Emil Franco from Detroit. Franco, an 8 time all-star, signed a four-year deal, giving Boston a solid source of speed and power to compliment their big sluggers. Rookie catcher Pablo Uribe is a skilled hitter who will look to fill Karnuthian shoes both behind and at the plate. He leads a solid supporting cast of what should once again be one of the top few offences in baseball.
Pitching is always a secondary concern in Boston, but there are some high hopes for rookie starter Sammy Moya. He joins a rotation that also includes 36 yr old free agent French pitcher Jim Sewell, out to prove that he still has what it takes. Ryan Cash and Ralph Perry should both throw some key innings for the Sox, along with rookie relievers Damaso Guapo and Bruce Denny. Mark Aoki has the closers job for a ninth straight season and looks to improve on a 4.98 ERA if he’s to hold off 19 year old Ben Reed from taking his job a season or two earlier than expected. The pitching staff will try to “hang on” and let the team win games with their bats. Those bats should once again make a serious post-season splash!
-bourbonmoon
The always competitive County Ramblers finished in a statistical tie with the Red Sox, but the tiebreaker left them on the outside of the playoffs looking in. With multiple strong teams in the North and West, the days of two East teams easily making the playoffs appear to be over. Like Boston, Durham is an offensive juggernaut with perpetual question marks in the pitching department. That their home park is a hitter’s paradise doesn’t help, but the road wasn’t much kinder to the Ramblers hurlers. They were still in the bottom echelon in most categories. No nicknames are needed as one glances down the rotation at Buck, Moose and Bravo. Top starter Boomer Buck is a consistent workhorse entering his seventh season with the team. Buck has 13 or more wins in each of his pro seasons and should have a steadying effect on an often-suspect rotation. In Moose English’s first full season with the team he posted a very solid 14-7 record, but upon closer inspection much of his success can be attributed to timely run support. Moose will try to bring the 5.51 ERA back down to respectability. Veteran Kelly Bravo enters his 11th pro season looking to regain the form that won him 18 games in back to back seasons. Bravo has never had ERA trouble and is one of the few Durham pitchers who can keep the ball in the park with regularity. If veterans Frank Hartman and Reginald White or rookie Louis Hill can pick up the back end of the rotation, then the Ramblers should forget about free agent Darrin Patrick’s departure to Scottsdale and once again be in the hunt for a playoff spot. The bullpen can be reliable enough if the rag tag group of middle and setup men can effectively get the ball to former Fireman of the Year closer Phil Fontenot.
The offense is a well balanced machine that produced nine 20+ home run hitters last season. Leading the way was first baseman Vinny Morton with an impressive 46/145/.310 line and outfielder Wayne Grey who has 120+ RBI’s in each of his first six seasons as a pro. Second baseman Sherry Grebeck returned to the All-Star game and won a Silver Slugger award with an excellent season (32/105/.327 with 27 steals and 134 runs scored). Durham brought in fragile speedster Max Felix (in his second go around with the team) to try to fill the hole left by shortstop Abraham Brinkley’s departure to Boston. The Ramblers have a few notable prospects ready at AAA if there are any injuries or problems on the big club, notably 21 yr old CF Joaquin Vega and 22 yr old 2B Chad McDonald. If at some point either gets promoted they should bolster an already solid lineup that will likely be praying for a little bit of pitching to get them over the hump and into the post-season.
-bourbonmoon
The Jacksonville Sunbirds are consistently trying to figure out a way to pull even with the teams at the top of their division. They’ve reached a plateau where they can hit with the better teams in the league, but the pitching always seems stuck in the lower tier. The team’s ace, Jesus Astacio is as reliable as they come, and pitched considerably better than even his respectable 13-8 record would indicate. Beyond “the Jesus”, the Sunbirds aren’t getting much value for their pitching dollar. Douglas Steenstra and Olmedo Martin won 10 games each, which doesn’t equate with the nearly 18 million dollars that they’ll share. Ellis Springer posted a 6-11 relief record, while relinquishing his closer job to Patrick Garcia (whose 3-12 record; 28/37 saves and 5.01ERA all caused headaches for the Jacksonville faithful). Top prospect Emil Woods continued to struggle mightily with a 7.05 ERA and has yet to turn the corner that his obvious potential suggests he should. This season, Woods should receive a decent audition in a starter’s role and the S-Birds have brought in 39 year-old 5 time all-star Randall Wilson to add some experience to the rotation. Decent production from those two would be a great bonus, but the success of this club will fall heavily on Astacio, Steenstra and Martin as well as Springer to get the pen back in order.
Offensively, the Sunbirds have a few gems that form a young and powerful nucleus in the middle of their lineup. After suffering through some serious shoulder problems in season 14, team leader “Benny V” returned to form in season 15 clubbing a team high 45 homers and making his fourth all-star appearance. Fan favorites Matty Hayes and Brandon Spencer both managed 100+ RBI’s and pose serious power threats in the heart of the Jacksonville order. Beyond the top three, the ‘Birds have great depth with Durham, Brock, Arroyo and Dickerson all capable of getting their uniforms dirty and doing the little things to scratch and claw and find a way to succeed. Catching might be a weakness, with Ignacio Estrada getting his first crack as an everyday starter. His offensive potential is moderate and his defense is average at best. He’s backed up by grizzled veteran Walter Wade, while Shawn Young and Ken Glaus are ready at AAA if Estrada has problems. The Jacksonville team might still need a few minor tweaks to compete offensively with Boston and Durham, but until the pitching gets on track it will be very tough to think about the post-season. Top pitching prospects Marc McLaughlin and Dana Wheeler provide bright spots in the not-too-distant future, although the question remains as to when that future will arrive.
-bourbonmoon
After a solid couple of seasons, it’s safe to say that the New York Crunch is back in the mix in the A.L. East. This season should be an exciting one in the Big Apple, with “MigMar” and VictRo” capturing all the headlines. Fans are coming out in droves to watch the two talented Dominican youngsters take the field. Right fielder Miguel “MigMar” Martinez fast tracked through the minors, posting astronomical hitting numbers. An athletic outfielder with a great arm, Martinez has power and pure hitting skill. At 22 yrs old, he should patrol the Crunch outfield for years to come. Victor Rosado is a pitcher with pinpoint control and a dominant fastball. He’ll take over the ninth inning duties in New York and should give the whole team confidence, as New York fans are very happy to have seen the last of Elrod Weston and his 6.03 ERA.
In season 15, the offense was already on the fringe of joining the elite clubs in the A.L. Miguel Beltran’s presence had a great impact on first baseman Don MacRae, who finally broke out in his fourth pro season, setting personal bests with 100 runs, 117 RBI’s, a .300 batting average and 34 home runs (16 higher than his previous best). Beltran himself failed to reach 100 RBI’s for the first time in twelve seasons, but still had a solid year with 30 round-trippers and 93 RBI’s, while endearing himself to the Crunch fans with his tireless charity work and visits to the children’s hospital. The ever-dangerous Ken Bailey (30/95/.321) continues to shine, while developing a reputation for consistency. A patient and talented hitter, Bailey scored a few more runs than he knocked in last season, while finishing with a sparkling .406 OBP. The solid supporting cast of Pascual, Gabriel, Schmidt and Wright all topped 20 dingers and should bolster an even more formidable lineup with MigMar in town.
The pitching that took them to the playoffs in season 14 wasn’t quite the same without Juan Sosa last year. The team ERA slid from 3.99 to 4.88 and troubled closer Elrod Weston played a significant role in that. With VictRo taking over the shutdown role, and bright spot Max Gardel coming off an encouraging rookie season to bolster the middle relief corps, success should once again (as with most teams) depend on the starting rotation. Returning are Ray Fischer, Moises Vega, Tuck Meacham and Mike Washburn. Orlando Torres came over in a trade from Tacoma to fill out the rotation, and he should take a steady if unspectacular turn in the Crunch pitching mix. Tuck is a career Crunch favorite, and he’s certainly put in his service time in New York. He’ll never be great, however he’s capable of getting the job done, and he’ll need to reassert himself in his role if he’s going to convince the team to resign him as his contract expires at season’s end. It’s a familiar situation to the one Mike Washburn found himself in this off-season. Washburn quickly tested the free agent waters before inking a new two year deal with the Crunch. With only 9 wins last year, Washburn is looking to rediscover the groove that won him 16 games a few seasons back. At 36 years old, Ray Fischer still has the stuff to be the staff workhorse. He’s led the team in innings pitched in each of the past two seasons and hasn’t shown many signs of slowing down. Fischer is a season removed from 17 wins and has previously posted 18 and 19 win seasons while never reaching the 20-win plateau. He’ll likely never get a better chance than this season. Moises Vega is a hard thrower who keeps the ball low and accurate. A 17 game winner as a rookie, and subsequently an all-star in season 14, Vega hasn’t quite fulfilled his promise since then, as he’s failed to improve either his win or inning totals since then. It hasn’t been for the lack of quality pitching, however, as his career ERA still sits at 3.13. Vega has the most upside of any of the Crunch starters and if he can overcome the pressure of playing in New York with a substantial new contract, he could be the difference maker on this team on the cusp.
-bourbonmoon
Prediction:
5. Boston
6. New York*
7. Durham
8. Jacksonville
* denotes wildcard
A.L. SOUTH
Will Charlotte take another step forward in season 16?
Is Florida ready to play .500 ball?
As the youth movement hits Little Rock, will they find some pitching?
Will Estrada and Blair put the Lobsters into the post-season?
Despite a sub .500 record, the Designated Drinkers took home the division title in season 15. They even managed to dispose of the mighty Rodeo Clowns in a tight five game playoff series. Once again, the big ticket is catcher “Mad” Max Cora, who displayed great poise silencing his doubters after his sub-par campaign in season 14. In season 15, Charlotte saw Cora regain his awesome power stroke to the tune of 47 dingers and 113 RBI’s. The offense also relied on the newly dubbed “Wright Brothers”, Tony and Rob, who each hit 20+ homers, with steady run production and decent batting average. The always steady Joshua Meadows may be losing a step, but he only needs 30 steals to catch the legendary Chris Jordan for the all-time stolen base crown! Meadows has yet to take a trip to the disabled list in his illustrious career and will almost certainly overtake Jordan part way through season 16.
After tossing 200+ innings in three straight seasons, it’s time to finally take the “bust” label off of Bryant Linden. Linden has emerged as the steadiest of the D.D.’s pitchers although he’s yet to top 13 wins in a season and succeeds more by guts and guile than by overpowering hitters with his average fastball. The wildcard in Charlotte’s deck is Bruce Wilson, who enters his third pro season with good poise and the ability to keep runs off the board. Wilson led the team last season with a sparkling 1.13 WHIP and may eventually be the go-to guy on a team that will lean on second year man Eugene Darnell and long-time V-Bats vet Edge Ramsey to hold the fort until youngsters like Malachi Wilson, Tike Leonard and Angel Gonzalez are ready to ply their trade at the pro level. The D.D.’s are a competitive squad who will be looking to take the division for the second straight season. In the A.L. South it is certainly a possibility!
-bourbonmoon
The New Orleans VoDoo have moved to Florida and taken a fun “capital” twist by naming the team after the University of Florida Gators, only GATORs. Florida is another team who posted some decent offensive numbers in season 15, but finished with the worst team ERA in the majors. Marino Villa finished with a team-high10 wins, but his 7.11 ERA indicates that he probably had some good run support as he struggled with his mechanics through a forgettable season. Former 18 game winner Hector Mateo led the team in innings pitched, but gave up a career high 43 home runs en route to a 5-16 record.
The brightest spot (by far) was the team’s young reliever Matthew Langerhans, who in his first season as closer earned an all-star nomination on his way to a 1.63 ERA and saves in 34 of the team’s 64 wins. At 23 years old, Langerhans has an un-hittable curveball and should give the team rock solid relief when they’re playing with a lead.
Season 15 saw the emergence of designated hitter Fernando Chavez as a 30 home run hitter, and he should be a solid power source going forward. Outfielder Raffi Rodriguez is coming off his second consecutive 33 HR campaign and has been rewarded with a nice four-year contract. Youngster Alex Keller was called up part way through the season and clubbed 20 homers in a successful rookie audition. These three should lead the offense as the team plans for the future. Highly touted Herb Wilkerson will swing his hot bat at AA this season while pitching sensation ZOLTAN will ply his trade at HiA. These two top prospects (among others) give Florida legitimate hope for the future. The entire A.L. South is heading in the right direction, and this club has been doing the right things to turn their fortunes around. We’re sure to be talking about them a couple of seasons from now.
-bourbonmoon
The Little Rock Razorbacks woes continued in season 15, as they managed only 49 wins, scraping the bottom of the ML barrel. With the second worst team ERA in baseball, Little Rock surrendered more walks than anyone in the majors. They failed to have a pitcher record 10 wins, and Tim Brantley and Harry Spivey floundered in the closers role to the tune of 23 of 36 save chances converted! Let’s do the Razorbacks a favor and leave the past behind. There are many bright lights on the horizon, including the arrival of promising closer Tony Feng, who features a 96 mph slider that should strike him out more than a batter per inning! While the rest of the pitching staff is fairly pedestrian to be sure, Little Rock’s offensive future is growing brighter by the minute! Last season’s blue-chip first round pick Dicky Gleason saw a glimpse of major league pitching and .343 with a .919 OPS in 67 at bats!! Gleason joins former first rounders York Uribe and Morris Rice to give the team a formidable base of talent to build around. Consider that the Razorbacks hold this season’s first overall draft pick and fans in Arkansas are starting to get excited about the future of this lineup. It might take another couple of seasons, but this team will likely never be this bad again! Things are looking up!
-bourbonmoon
The Louisville Lobsters are yet another team who is hungry to field a winning club, but still has a ways to go to achieve their goals. The difference between the Lobsters and most of the other teams with fewer than 70 wins is that Louisville finished near the top of the league in most offensive categories. While not quite at “offensive juggernaut” status, the Lobsters are led by one of the brightest young hitters in the game in Wilt Blair. Blair has increased his home run and RBI output in each of his first four seasons in the league and is still improving. A tidy 44/133/.312 line is what he’ll be looking to improve on this season and he’ll anchor a good young lineup looking to battle their way to the top of a weak division. Blair is supported in the lineup by Walter “The Heart of Hicksville” Taft and shortstop Bert Lee. The volatile Taft has scored 361 runs over the past three seasons and if he doesn’t pull any “Milton Bradley moves” gives the Lobsters an exciting mix of speed and power. Lee is a former first rounder who is a stable defender with some untapped offensive potential. He should develop into a .300 hitter with the ability to knock in or score100+ runs per season. The team has more hitting on the horizon with DH Tony Mendez and RF Santo Figueroa set to join the team over the next season or two. The offense will need to dominate, however, as the pitching has been abysmal to say the least. Another team without a 10 game winner, staff ace Javier “The Arrow” Estrada only started 16 games last season leaving the rest of the rotation in the lurch. “The Arrow” won 16 games the previous season and should be an anchor for the Lobsters if he stays healthy and even scratches the surface of his enormous potential. Louisville will likely be patient with prospects Paul Koh and Russell Workman, and in the mean time would like to see some success from former Vampire Bat Tarrik Grimsley who suffered from some tendonitis after joining the Lobsters last season. The pitching staff is likely a few seasons from overall respectability, however, in the A.L. South it might still be within their reach to pull in a division title!
-bourbonmoon
Prediction:
1. Louisville
2. Charlotte
3. Florida
4. Little Rock
A.L. WEST
Oklahoma is due; can they shake the playoff jinx?
Can powerhouse Vegas repeat as World Series champs?
Can Salt Lake City find a way to keep runs off the board?
How long until Scottsdale starts thinking post-season?
After a disappointing 4th place finish, the Helena Cowboys have moved to Salt Lake City, hoping that a change of scenery will do them good. Despite tying for the league lead with 4 shutouts, the Cowboys pitching was among the league’s worst last season, as no pitcher with 20+ innings pitched had an ERA below 4.13. Juan James is now 25, and with a 16 win season under his belt is now entering his 5th year as a pro. James endured some shoulder problems last season, but he seems recovered and is a hard thrower who should be able to dominate once he finds his groove. Look for a rebound season from starter Josh Shelby who has nasty stuff and can throw late into games. Closer Juan Hernandez should continue to be a stabilizing force late in games if the team can get him enough opportunities to close the door. At some point Japanese youngster Alex Nakamura should get another call to the majors after a disastrous debut last season. Nakamura is tough on lefties and could help out in the pen if needed.
The offense will need to get going without the bat of veteran Eli Izquierdo who signed a four-year deal in Richmond after spending 10 seasons with the team. Izquierdo lead the team with 99 RBI’s last season and brought his batting average back up to .294 after a troubling campaign the year before. Sometimes being in a contract year will do wonders for a player’s swing! S.L.C. did choose to re-sign “El Caballo” Jose Guerrero to an extension, hoping that the slugger can continue his legacy with the Cowboys. Guerrero has over 500 home runs in his 13 seasons with the team and at 32 years old appears to be on a path to Cooperstown (while emphatically denying any allegations of performance enhancing substances in his past). Rookie third baseman Roger Clapp demonstrated his excellent power potential in AAA last season with 52 long balls and a .304 average. Clapp could make an immediate impact, and although he’s not expected to hit .300 as a pro he is a legit home run threat that the Cowboys desperately need. Rosario, Fox, Redding, Baxter and Perez give SLC a well-balanced attack that can hurt teams in several ways. They’ll have their share of exciting offensive battles, but it seems inevitable that they can’t score as much as the pitching will yield. A team on the rise, they’re a few significant pieces short of contention.
-bourbonmoon
World series champs Las Vegas Numa Numa are poised to repeat as division champs, as well as take another good run in the playoffs. With a team stocked full of stars in their prime, and with new talent still being added, this team should be a force to reckon with for many seasons. This offense scored more runs than any other last season, featuring six players who hit twenty four or more HRs, and ten players who hit fourteen or more. C Carlos Cervantes leads the charge, and he has an excellent supporting cast in DH Tom Bailey, CF Gerrit Hughes, SS Mark Kyung, LFs Jose Fernandez and Torey Rosario, IF Nate Coolbaugh, RF Sam Hodges and 2B Tomas Bennett. What a deep lineup! The pitching staff was good enough to win a championship last year, led by Cy Young winner Vasco “Monster” Montanez. The addition of super rookie Ricardo Gonzales is an absolutely scary prospect for the rest of the AL. This pitching staff now has two aces. The next two starters, Emil Pineiro and Brooks Jefferson are no slouches either, and help L.V. challenge for the world’s best SP staff. Edgard Guerrero collected sixteen wins from the bullpen last season, and remains the inning eater of the relief staff. All star closer Felipe Herrera is back as well. This is a team that is capable of defending their championship, and will be on top of their game for a few seasons to come.
-shobob
If there is a team in this world that is “due” to win a championship, the Oklahoma City Rodeo Clowns are that team. They had the third best team ERA in the world last season, and they’ll rely on a talented and deep starting staff to repeat the performance. The team also finished third in team FP and tied for fourth for BA so it’s a good thing that they return most of last season’s lineup intact. It looks like D.T. Rollins will be riding off into the sunset after nine seasons with the club, most notably season 12, when he sported a record of 22-0. World series champion free agent Bobby Joe Post takes Rollins’ place in this deep pitching staff. They will need a way to make up for the loss of closer Victor Canseco through free agency. Manuel Guillen looks to fill the role after two seasons of limited, but effective play. John “The Mailman” Mailman, Eric Simmons and Geraldo Oliva round out what might be the deepest top four starters on any team. The offense is led once again by LF “The Carlos Cruz missile”. He is surely headed for the hall of fame if he can avoid a catastrophic injury before long. Cruz’s supporting cast is impressive as well, including slugger Gary Purcell, and contact hitters SS Cristian Simon and 2B Kirby Martin. The team can count on solid contributions from RF Norm Hutton, SS Luis Lee, and the C platoon of Ricardo Matos and Max Padilla. The outlook for this team is once again good. They are going to have some intense competition for the division title, but a wild card spot should be available for whoever misses out on that. Due to the strength of their pitching staff and offence, anything short of 100 wins and playoff success would be a disappointment for this franchise.
-shobob
The winds of change are blowing in Scottsdale. Long-suffering fans are hoping that the Fightin’ Chokes have made the right moves to take this team into contention. Newfound stability in ownership has a good effect on this franchise’s ability to field a competitive team, and the results should start showing up in the win/loss column soon enough. The big money signings of former fireman of the year Victor Canseco and SP Darrin Patrick add some skill and depth to a starting staff and bullpen in need of good arms. The ‘Chokes pitching staff stuck out fewer batters than any other team in the majors last season and that emphasizes where the team needs to improve. Better numbers can be expected out of SP Jorel Howington, since he now has a full year of ML duty under his belt. Brad Servais, Victor Martin and Harry Tavares were among the more reliable arms on the squad, finishing 1,2,3 on the team in both innings pitched and wins. After two years in the minors, first round pick Shooter Owens looks to make his major league debut and the expectations are pretty high for the 22 yr old to take a place at the top of the rotation.
The Scottsdale bats have been a streaky bunch of late, capable of breaking out in one game and falling silent the next. Second in the majors in doubles, the lineup boasted three 30 home run hitters (Borbon, Douglass and Saenz) and some good quickness as well (4 with 20 steals). They’re hoping for rookie catcher Joaquin Armas to make an impact this season. He joins a very deep lineup, but one that lacks star power. The ‘Chokes are a team on the rise, but they’ll be in over their heads against Vegas and O.C. in one of the toughest divisions in baseball. Give Scottsdale another season or two as things are slowly coming together.
-shobonmoon
Prediction:
1. Las Vegas
2. Oklahoma City *
3. Helena
4. Scottsdale
* denotes wildcard
Season 15 Draft Recap
DRAFT ANALYSIS
A.L. North
Ottawa Hosers
Ottawa looks to have scored a solid pitcher with the 18th overall pick. Ebenezer “Wild Thing” House has a cannon for an arm and if he can learn even a modest amount of control, he could be a solid mid-tier starting pitcher. Second rounder Brian Ruth also represents decent value. Ruth might strikeout a little much to be a top hitter, but has enough skill to be an everyday player both defensively and offensively. Grade: A
Syracuse Blue Sox
With first round pick Joshua Zimmerman, Syracuse has a bonafide major league starter. Zimmerman has ace material, though there is some concern that he lacks a “go to” pitch in his arsenal. He appears to be the draft pick of significance in a draft that saw the Blue Sox select pitchers with their first five choices. Supplemental pick Jacob Sinclair has a chance to make the pros with some luck. Grade: B
Toronto Trout
First round pick Sammy Hall has some skill in certain areas, but looks to be a long-shot to be a productive major league hitter. As a centerfielder Hall’s defense certainly needs work, and if he can’t cover more territory in the outfield he may wind up in left. Hall has trouble hitting righties and despite a decent eye at the plate, doesn’t have tremendous power or bat control skills. The next three picks for the Trout all look to have some upside at the plate. There might be some major league skill among the group, although time will tell if any of them will have significant impact. Grade: B-
Trenton Terror Hawks
At #9 overall, the Terror Hawks selected shortstop Charlie Tolar, a very solid if unspectacular player in most areas. Tolar is a steady defender who can handle the duties at shortstop, but might really excel if moved to third base. He has average power and speed, but is a great pure hitter in the Stephen Garciaparra mold. At pick #33, Trenton landed the fastest player in the draft in second baseman Ronn Rooney. A decent fielder and a good contact hitter, Rooney will need to learn plate patience if he’s to become a leadoff hitter. Trenton also selected catcher Ron Grimsley, a power bat loaded with offensive potential, but considered a liability behind the plate. Maybe a future DH? Shane Worth should prove his worth as a useful bullpen arm at pick #97. Grade: A
A.L. East
Boston Red Sox
The Red Sox had three draft picks between #27 and 36. Top choice Benjamin Reed is a great all-around pitcher with an active fastball-curveball combination. He projects to the a short reliever, with some slight concerns about facing lefties. Not a bad grab as a late first rounder, but it’s hard to get truly excited about short relief. Derrick Perkins is a tremendous shortstop with a cannon arm. He won’t scare too many pitchers with his bat, but he possesses one of the best infield arms in recent memory. His defense should certainly prove his worth. Boston also chose another shortstop in Elvis Kerr, who won’t hold a candle to Perkins in the field but shows a little more life in his bat. The 5’6” Kerr is a good contact hitter who might be better suited to third base if indeed he chooses to sign a contract with the Sox instead of opting for college. Grade: C+
Durham County Ramblers
With the 24th selection, Durham landed starting pitcher Anthony Keats. Keats shows a great arm with excellent stamina and control. He has the makeup of a great pitcher if he can work to improve his curveball and prevent deep flies. Keats is a solid late round pick.
Second round pick Dann Tomlinson should also be an effective pro arm for Durham in the late innings. Grade: A
Jacksonville Sunbirds
With only one pick in the top 100, the Sunbirds took a flyer on 20 yr old Michigan native Vinny Scott. A good all-around athlete, Scott has an interesting skill set that could see him turn into a solid outfielder for the Sunbirds. A good defender who is quick on the bases and absolutely kills right handed pitching, Scott doesn’t have a great eye at the plate and will likely never have more than modest power. Not a bad pick, it will be interesting to see how Scott does as he develops. Grade: B-
New York Crunch
Losing Juan Sosa, Brook Perez and Patrick Garcia netted the Crunch a hefty pile of first and second round compensation picks. None of their selections are without a caveat however, and it might take a season or two to see who could develop into a pro. The Crunch are very adamant that their draft choices pass a rigorous physical, so none of these guys are likely to have any injury problems. First baseman John Crane has a great eye and should hit for average, but he doesn’t have great power and his offensive ceiling is fairly low. Shortstop Dave Thomson is a great fielder and good contact hitter, but he can’t hit lefties, or really righties either. Third baseman Samuel Butler might be the best hitter that the Crunch drafted, but he doesn’t boast great power and he’ll really need to work on his plate discipline. The three pitchers are Cameron Walsh, who has the stuff to be a fantastic starting pitcher, save for his pathetic fastball; Scott White, a starter with great control who has tons of trouble against righties; and Clark Parker, likely the best of the three who may forego the start of his ball career to stay in college. The Crunch would love to sign Parker, but aren’t holding their breath. Grade: B-
A.L. South
Charlotte Designated Drinkers
At the 17th spot in the draft, the D.D’s opted for starting pitcher Angel Gonzalez. Gonzalez doesn’t have overpowering stuff, but should nonetheless compete to join the Charlotte team in a few seasons. In the second and third rounds, the Drinkers managed to land a couple of single-faceted hitters who could turn into productive hitters at any level. Giovany Silva would make a great designated hitter if not for durability concerns. He should still be a productive part of the team coming off the bench. Eugene Brett is another promising slugger who would best be served as a DH. Brett could also handle part time duties behind the plate, although his defense is average and like Silva, he’ll have a tough time playing a full season. Grade: B-
Little Rock Razorbacks
With the #2 selection in the draft, the Razorbacks were shocked to see shortstop Dicky Gleason fall in their lap. A complete package of offense and defense, Gleason is fundamentally sound in all areas and has “future star” written all over him. The 22 yr old has a sweet swing that should land him in the majors before long. He might take a couple of seasons to hone his defensive instincts… but first the Razorbacks are desperately trying to get Gleason signed to a contract. Second round selection Brandon Feliciano looks to be a welcome addition to any pitching staff. Likely a reliever, Feliciano has above average command, but could work on his fastball. Third rounder Albert Cuyler has the defense and the wheels, but may not be able to contribute with his bat.
Grade: B+ (higher if Gleason signs)
Louisville Lobsters
The Lobsters top three picks were 19, 72 and 107. They managed to come away with a boom or bust relief prospect in Ivan Mendoza, a superb defensive catcher in Vinny Yang and another decent bullpen prospect in Zeke “Smokin” Tabaka. Although they could have done much worse, none of their picks is terribly exciting. Catcher Yang’s presence behind the plate could certainly turn into the most valuable commodity to come out of the draft for the Lobsters. Yang has a terrific arm and an uncanny ability to manage pitchers. He may warrant a spot in the lineup despite his weak bat. Mendoza and Tabaka should both progress steadily for Louisville, but neither of the two short relievers is very good against lefties, which may prove to be a setback. Mendoza has the better control of the two, while Tabaka is an extremely hard thrower with a great fastball. Grade: C
New Orleans VoDoo
The selection of knuckle-baller Walter Zoltan with the third overall pick is something that New Orleans should be pretty confident about. Arguably the top pitcher in the draft, Zoltan has five pitches, no glaring weaknesses, and the VoDoo envision him as a #1 starter in a few seasons. New Orleans also drafted fielding whiz SS Gary Mulder with the 56th pick and a potential back of the rotation starter in Marvin Buford with pick 91. Grade: A
A.L. West
Helena Cowboys
With three first round picks, the Cowboys had reason to be excited about this season’s amateur draft. Top selection Jon Ardoin is a three pitch short reliever, possibly a closer one day, although he lacks the stuff to truly dominate. Antonio McLemore is a workhorse rightfielder, and a true power hitter. It remains to be seen if the other aspects of his hitting mechanics will translate well as he develops. Expect him to kill minor league pitching! Dan Ferguson is a steady hitter with some skill that could develop, but he’s not flashy and doesn’t have high upside. Second round selection Howie Robbins is a versatile fielder with good power, but little else. The Cowboys have some assets here, but nothing to get overly excited about. Grade: C+
Las Vegas Numa Numa
The Numa Numa opted for a relief pitcher with their first round pick and they can’t be too confident in lefty Sal Hamilton. Hamilton has great control and pitches especially well against righties, but he has no zip on his mediocre forkball which figures to be his prime pitch (if only he would throw that fastball a little more!). With low stamina and a difficult time throwing over 90 mph, Hamilton is definitely a work in progress. Vegas didn’t really land anyone else of much more than AAA potential. Grade: D-
Oklahoma City Rodeo Clowns
Oklahoma City selected pitchers with their first six picks. Three first rounders turned into Max Tarasco, Vic Reynoso and Macbeth Pierce. Tarasco is a groundball pitcher with a great fastball, a tricky curveball and a wild streak a mile wide. He certainly has raw potential and the Clowns may have a steal at pick #29. If Tarasco can keep the walks to a minimum, he could be an excellent addition. Reynoso is a bullpen arm with great control, but really doesn’t have the stuff that Pierce does. Still weighing the college option, Macbeth doesn’t have great stamina, but could give the clowns a “lights out” ninth with his slider/changeup combo. The real tragedy would be if he decides not to sign.
Grade: B+
Scottsdale Fighting Chokes
With the 20th selection in the first round, the Fighting Chokes were pleased to select second baseman Walt Reid. Already assigned to Scottsdale’s AA affiliate, Reid has a serious can’t miss power and speed combination. At 22 years old, Reid shouldn’t take long to take his game to a higher level. To become a complete player, Walt will need to learn to hit righties, as well as cut down on strikouts and boneheaded base-running mistakes. He might drive managers crazy at times, but he’s a gifted athlete and a steal with pick 20. Beyond Reid, Scottsdale didn’t land any other ML prospects. Perhaps catcher Grover Wyatt will prove to be part of a useful backstop tandem? Grade: A-
N.L. North
Chicago Crushers
With the first overall pick, the Crushers raised some eyebrows with the selection of shortstop Julio Pascual. The slick fielder was a consensus top ten pick, but the Crushers must have seen something special in Pascual to choose him above some of the other top talents. Pascual shouldn’t take long to reach the majors, with strong fielding, decent hitting and good intangibles. He’ll be counted on to be a focal point in Chicago’s rebuilding plan. He’s the only blue-chipper in Chicago’s draft this season. Grade: B
Detroit Tiger Sharks
Without a pick until #87 in the second round, Detroit should be fairly happy with their selection of Mac Denham, a workmanlike starting pitcher who could potentially fill a major league role. To give them high marks for top 40 value at the 87 spot, or low marks for not really having a high end draft choice? Well, they have Hunter Wilkinson to show for it, so I guess a generous Grade: C
Madison Moon Dogs
Taking pitcher Tom Messmer with the 11th pick in the draft looks like a great move for the Moon Dogs. With four solid pitches and an amazing ability to work the strike zone, Messmer has all the tools to be a star. He doesn’t blow hitters away, but should prove crafty enough to dominate. “Mess” also doesn’t have the stamina to go deep into ballgames, but the Moon Dogs love what they see and would be happy if he went a strong 6 or 7 each time out. 45th pick first baseman Pedro Duran has a solid bat and should give the M-Dogs some good clout. With the 64th they landed center fielder Josh Becker, who has excellent speed and could one day be a gold glove outfielder. Becker is a fantastic contact hitter, but the knock on him is that he’s “light’s out” against lefties but can’t hit righties. Maybe a platoon is in his future? After Becker, Madison went on to take a short reliever with some untapped potential in Arthur Thomas and a couple of fairly solid catchers in Shooter Foster and Derek Owens. Grade: A+
Montreal Maroons
While there’s still some debate as to whether Joshua Allen will be a better outfielder or a cornerback, everybody knows he’s leaning towards a football career. An outstanding athlete in the mold of Deion Sanders and Bo Jackson, Allen can write his own ticket and to spend a first round pick on a guy who won’t commit to your sport is a risky business. At pick 32, the Maroons felt that Allen was worth the risk. It would certainly be a coup if they were to convince him to sign. Montreal followed up the Allen pick with Woodie Musial, a quick contact hitter who could one day contribute. They also drafted some tiny infielders in Elroy Parker and Stan Matos, both of whom can hit well against lefties and demonstrate good patience at the plate. Parker in particular is a defensive gem, but he’ll need to cut down on his strikeouts to be an effective hitter. The Maroons have found some decent value if Allen doesn’t sign; outstanding value if he does. Grade: B
N.L. East
Burlington Barons
First rounder Skeeter Young has good speed and some decent bat skill. He has the makings of a solid if unspectacular outfielder, who could hit for decent average while swiping 30-40 bases per season, perhaps in a leadoff role. There’s some power here, but Young isn’t a natural slugger. Supplemental pick Al Robertson might do well to switch from shortstop to third base, and he could eventually find his way onto a major league squad. Phil Adkins and Sparky Acosta add more speed and some good skills and intangibles that could contribute down the road, however, neither should be a major league regular. Grade: B+
Pittsburgh Grindermen
With the selection of Fred Guerrero 25th overall, Pittsburgh found a solid arm with excellent control and a good changeup/curveball combo. Guerrero could wind up in the rotation or in the bullpen depending on how the Grindermen plan to use him. An undersized pitcher at 5’9”, he should be a competitive major league pitcher before long.
Grade: A-
Tampa Bay Terrific Balls
Picking much earlier than they’re used to, the T-Balls were happy to land a very good pitching prospect in Julio Martis. The 18 yr old is raw, but is a hard thrower with great potential. He’ll likely take at least three or four years to develop, but he should be worth the wait with terrific control and two terrific pitches. With their supplemental pick, Tampa chose Pascual Martin, an outstanding infielder who will likely never be a great hitter, but may be good enough to fit in somewhere. Second rounder Pedro Fernandez has a little more potential with the bat, although his eye at the plate leaves something to be desired. Martin and Fernandez won’t be stars, but Martis could be if he has the stamina to start. Grade: A-
Washington Swamp Cats
The Swamp Cats had the fifth overall pick and pinned all of their hopes on speedy power hitter Raymond Fisher. Fisher played center field in college, but could switch to the infield if and when he decides to sign with Washington. He likely will never hit for average, but scouts think that he should easily become a regular 20/20 guy. He’s patient at the plate and potentially could show even more power than that. It’s vital for the Swamp Cats to reach a deal with Fisher, as they didn’t unearth any other significant pieces to the puzzle in this year’s draft. Grade: C+
N.L. South
Charleston Southerners
Charleston has to be reasonably happy with their top two picks. Max Palacios slipped to them in the 8th spot, and scouts have been raving about the left fielder. He’s a serious power hitter who simply murders left handed pitching. Palacios will be a great everyday player at the heart of the order for the Southerners, the question remains as to whether he’ll be an all-star or just a solid player. Closer Vin Biddle is also worth the gamble for Charleston as he demonstrates pinpoint control, a nasty sinker, throws over 100 mph and knows how to generate ground balls. Time will tell if he can translate those tools to the pro level, but it was certainly worth the 61st pick to find out. Grade: A
Iowa City Bearcats
The Bearcats signed talented reliever Perry Campbell to fill their vacant closing role, and as a result didn’t have a pick in the draft until pick #78. The only choice of minor significance here was third baseman Edwards Holmes, who can hit for power but really lacks what it takes to make an overall impact. Campbell is a talented reliever and should continue to hold things together for the Bearcats. That’s the only reason that I’m not giving them an F in this season’s draft.
Grade: D-
Kansas City World Police
Orlando Jose dropped a little bit later in the first round than anticipated. Once considered a top ten prospect, the World Police did well to grab the flashy infielder with the 22nd overall selection. Jose has an outstanding arm, a steady glove, and is capable of playing any infield position or even making the transition to the outfield. A natural shortstop, he’ll likely find a home on the left side of the infield. Jose is a pure contact hitter with good plate instincts, and although he likely won’t display much power he definitely seems like a complete package. Second baseman Dioner Duran has average skill across the board and with good coaches could become a player. Second rounder Bryce Collier has much more upside both at the dish and in the field, but it might prove tricky to get him signed. Grade: B
Santa Fe Thunderbirds
As of yet, the Thunderbirds haven’t signed ANY of their top 7 draft choices. They didn’t have an excellent go of things, with only two picks in the top 100. First rounder Harry Elster is a capable third baseman with a good contact swing. He might struggle to keep his batting average healthy, but has enough clout to merit a spot at the heart of the order. Starting pitcher Irv Mays has a five pitch arsenal, but has some glaring control issues. Third baseman Stewart Trammell might be better suited to right field. He’s a power bat with little other upside. It won’t matter if Santa Fe can’t get them signed. Hopefully they can at least work something out with Elster. Grade: D+
N.L. West
Cheyenne Alpini
Johnny Manship has a good skill set on the field and off. He won’t wow anyone with his power or speed, but could turn into a good well-rounded player. He’s a contact hitter with good patience at the plate and reasonable defensive ability. Drafted as a second baseman, Manship will start getting some outfield experience with Cheyenne. Pitchers Stan Lee and Rudy Brand both have some good qualities, but it would be surprising to see either of them have a significant impact. Catcher Terry Quinn has some potential, but his bat isn’t strong enough to be a DH and his pitch calling isn’t good enough to be a regular behind the plate. Cheyenne is still hoping that they can agree on a deal with injury prone outfielder Todd Guerrero. Guerrero has great wheels and would be an ideal platoon vs. lefties at the top of the batting order, while playing great defense in center field. Grade: C
L.A. Dead Bunnies
6th overall pick Max Johnson is a sure thing and should be a star for the Bunnies. The 20 yr old left fielder shouldn’t take too long to reach the majors, and he has a good bat and good speed. 2nd rounder Walter Gonzalez has some good qualities and could develop into a solid fielder and a decent contact hitter. Really a one player draft for L.A. but they should be pleased with their top choice. Grade: B+
Tacoma Phantom der Nacht
First rounder Armando Soto is a classic boom or bust pick. Possibly the best pure hitter in the draft, Soto has many health concerns including a rebuilt spine and metal screws in his wrists. Tacoma sees him as a potential 1st baseman, although if he were a DH in the American League it may reduce his injury opportunity. If Soto can stay healthy, his bat has the potential to be among the league’s best. Time will tell. Grade: B
Vancouver Vampire Bats
In Matt Jensen, the V-Bats have another great pitcher with no stamina. It’s the second year in a row that Vancouver has addressed bullpen needs in the first round and they’ve found another late inning gem. That being said, Jensen appears to be a one-inning pitcher at best. Second rounder Pep Hubbard has some pop, but likely won’t be a ML contributor. Grade: C
A.L. North
Ottawa Hosers
Ottawa looks to have scored a solid pitcher with the 18th overall pick. Ebenezer “Wild Thing” House has a cannon for an arm and if he can learn even a modest amount of control, he could be a solid mid-tier starting pitcher. Second rounder Brian Ruth also represents decent value. Ruth might strikeout a little much to be a top hitter, but has enough skill to be an everyday player both defensively and offensively. Grade: A
Syracuse Blue Sox
With first round pick Joshua Zimmerman, Syracuse has a bonafide major league starter. Zimmerman has ace material, though there is some concern that he lacks a “go to” pitch in his arsenal. He appears to be the draft pick of significance in a draft that saw the Blue Sox select pitchers with their first five choices. Supplemental pick Jacob Sinclair has a chance to make the pros with some luck. Grade: B
Toronto Trout
First round pick Sammy Hall has some skill in certain areas, but looks to be a long-shot to be a productive major league hitter. As a centerfielder Hall’s defense certainly needs work, and if he can’t cover more territory in the outfield he may wind up in left. Hall has trouble hitting righties and despite a decent eye at the plate, doesn’t have tremendous power or bat control skills. The next three picks for the Trout all look to have some upside at the plate. There might be some major league skill among the group, although time will tell if any of them will have significant impact. Grade: B-
Trenton Terror Hawks
At #9 overall, the Terror Hawks selected shortstop Charlie Tolar, a very solid if unspectacular player in most areas. Tolar is a steady defender who can handle the duties at shortstop, but might really excel if moved to third base. He has average power and speed, but is a great pure hitter in the Stephen Garciaparra mold. At pick #33, Trenton landed the fastest player in the draft in second baseman Ronn Rooney. A decent fielder and a good contact hitter, Rooney will need to learn plate patience if he’s to become a leadoff hitter. Trenton also selected catcher Ron Grimsley, a power bat loaded with offensive potential, but considered a liability behind the plate. Maybe a future DH? Shane Worth should prove his worth as a useful bullpen arm at pick #97. Grade: A
A.L. East
Boston Red Sox
The Red Sox had three draft picks between #27 and 36. Top choice Benjamin Reed is a great all-around pitcher with an active fastball-curveball combination. He projects to the a short reliever, with some slight concerns about facing lefties. Not a bad grab as a late first rounder, but it’s hard to get truly excited about short relief. Derrick Perkins is a tremendous shortstop with a cannon arm. He won’t scare too many pitchers with his bat, but he possesses one of the best infield arms in recent memory. His defense should certainly prove his worth. Boston also chose another shortstop in Elvis Kerr, who won’t hold a candle to Perkins in the field but shows a little more life in his bat. The 5’6” Kerr is a good contact hitter who might be better suited to third base if indeed he chooses to sign a contract with the Sox instead of opting for college. Grade: C+
Durham County Ramblers
With the 24th selection, Durham landed starting pitcher Anthony Keats. Keats shows a great arm with excellent stamina and control. He has the makeup of a great pitcher if he can work to improve his curveball and prevent deep flies. Keats is a solid late round pick.
Second round pick Dann Tomlinson should also be an effective pro arm for Durham in the late innings. Grade: A
Jacksonville Sunbirds
With only one pick in the top 100, the Sunbirds took a flyer on 20 yr old Michigan native Vinny Scott. A good all-around athlete, Scott has an interesting skill set that could see him turn into a solid outfielder for the Sunbirds. A good defender who is quick on the bases and absolutely kills right handed pitching, Scott doesn’t have a great eye at the plate and will likely never have more than modest power. Not a bad pick, it will be interesting to see how Scott does as he develops. Grade: B-
New York Crunch
Losing Juan Sosa, Brook Perez and Patrick Garcia netted the Crunch a hefty pile of first and second round compensation picks. None of their selections are without a caveat however, and it might take a season or two to see who could develop into a pro. The Crunch are very adamant that their draft choices pass a rigorous physical, so none of these guys are likely to have any injury problems. First baseman John Crane has a great eye and should hit for average, but he doesn’t have great power and his offensive ceiling is fairly low. Shortstop Dave Thomson is a great fielder and good contact hitter, but he can’t hit lefties, or really righties either. Third baseman Samuel Butler might be the best hitter that the Crunch drafted, but he doesn’t boast great power and he’ll really need to work on his plate discipline. The three pitchers are Cameron Walsh, who has the stuff to be a fantastic starting pitcher, save for his pathetic fastball; Scott White, a starter with great control who has tons of trouble against righties; and Clark Parker, likely the best of the three who may forego the start of his ball career to stay in college. The Crunch would love to sign Parker, but aren’t holding their breath. Grade: B-
A.L. South
Charlotte Designated Drinkers
At the 17th spot in the draft, the D.D’s opted for starting pitcher Angel Gonzalez. Gonzalez doesn’t have overpowering stuff, but should nonetheless compete to join the Charlotte team in a few seasons. In the second and third rounds, the Drinkers managed to land a couple of single-faceted hitters who could turn into productive hitters at any level. Giovany Silva would make a great designated hitter if not for durability concerns. He should still be a productive part of the team coming off the bench. Eugene Brett is another promising slugger who would best be served as a DH. Brett could also handle part time duties behind the plate, although his defense is average and like Silva, he’ll have a tough time playing a full season. Grade: B-
Little Rock Razorbacks
With the #2 selection in the draft, the Razorbacks were shocked to see shortstop Dicky Gleason fall in their lap. A complete package of offense and defense, Gleason is fundamentally sound in all areas and has “future star” written all over him. The 22 yr old has a sweet swing that should land him in the majors before long. He might take a couple of seasons to hone his defensive instincts… but first the Razorbacks are desperately trying to get Gleason signed to a contract. Second round selection Brandon Feliciano looks to be a welcome addition to any pitching staff. Likely a reliever, Feliciano has above average command, but could work on his fastball. Third rounder Albert Cuyler has the defense and the wheels, but may not be able to contribute with his bat.
Grade: B+ (higher if Gleason signs)
Louisville Lobsters
The Lobsters top three picks were 19, 72 and 107. They managed to come away with a boom or bust relief prospect in Ivan Mendoza, a superb defensive catcher in Vinny Yang and another decent bullpen prospect in Zeke “Smokin” Tabaka. Although they could have done much worse, none of their picks is terribly exciting. Catcher Yang’s presence behind the plate could certainly turn into the most valuable commodity to come out of the draft for the Lobsters. Yang has a terrific arm and an uncanny ability to manage pitchers. He may warrant a spot in the lineup despite his weak bat. Mendoza and Tabaka should both progress steadily for Louisville, but neither of the two short relievers is very good against lefties, which may prove to be a setback. Mendoza has the better control of the two, while Tabaka is an extremely hard thrower with a great fastball. Grade: C
New Orleans VoDoo
The selection of knuckle-baller Walter Zoltan with the third overall pick is something that New Orleans should be pretty confident about. Arguably the top pitcher in the draft, Zoltan has five pitches, no glaring weaknesses, and the VoDoo envision him as a #1 starter in a few seasons. New Orleans also drafted fielding whiz SS Gary Mulder with the 56th pick and a potential back of the rotation starter in Marvin Buford with pick 91. Grade: A
A.L. West
Helena Cowboys
With three first round picks, the Cowboys had reason to be excited about this season’s amateur draft. Top selection Jon Ardoin is a three pitch short reliever, possibly a closer one day, although he lacks the stuff to truly dominate. Antonio McLemore is a workhorse rightfielder, and a true power hitter. It remains to be seen if the other aspects of his hitting mechanics will translate well as he develops. Expect him to kill minor league pitching! Dan Ferguson is a steady hitter with some skill that could develop, but he’s not flashy and doesn’t have high upside. Second round selection Howie Robbins is a versatile fielder with good power, but little else. The Cowboys have some assets here, but nothing to get overly excited about. Grade: C+
Las Vegas Numa Numa
The Numa Numa opted for a relief pitcher with their first round pick and they can’t be too confident in lefty Sal Hamilton. Hamilton has great control and pitches especially well against righties, but he has no zip on his mediocre forkball which figures to be his prime pitch (if only he would throw that fastball a little more!). With low stamina and a difficult time throwing over 90 mph, Hamilton is definitely a work in progress. Vegas didn’t really land anyone else of much more than AAA potential. Grade: D-
Oklahoma City Rodeo Clowns
Oklahoma City selected pitchers with their first six picks. Three first rounders turned into Max Tarasco, Vic Reynoso and Macbeth Pierce. Tarasco is a groundball pitcher with a great fastball, a tricky curveball and a wild streak a mile wide. He certainly has raw potential and the Clowns may have a steal at pick #29. If Tarasco can keep the walks to a minimum, he could be an excellent addition. Reynoso is a bullpen arm with great control, but really doesn’t have the stuff that Pierce does. Still weighing the college option, Macbeth doesn’t have great stamina, but could give the clowns a “lights out” ninth with his slider/changeup combo. The real tragedy would be if he decides not to sign.
Grade: B+
Scottsdale Fighting Chokes
With the 20th selection in the first round, the Fighting Chokes were pleased to select second baseman Walt Reid. Already assigned to Scottsdale’s AA affiliate, Reid has a serious can’t miss power and speed combination. At 22 years old, Reid shouldn’t take long to take his game to a higher level. To become a complete player, Walt will need to learn to hit righties, as well as cut down on strikouts and boneheaded base-running mistakes. He might drive managers crazy at times, but he’s a gifted athlete and a steal with pick 20. Beyond Reid, Scottsdale didn’t land any other ML prospects. Perhaps catcher Grover Wyatt will prove to be part of a useful backstop tandem? Grade: A-
N.L. North
Chicago Crushers
With the first overall pick, the Crushers raised some eyebrows with the selection of shortstop Julio Pascual. The slick fielder was a consensus top ten pick, but the Crushers must have seen something special in Pascual to choose him above some of the other top talents. Pascual shouldn’t take long to reach the majors, with strong fielding, decent hitting and good intangibles. He’ll be counted on to be a focal point in Chicago’s rebuilding plan. He’s the only blue-chipper in Chicago’s draft this season. Grade: B
Detroit Tiger Sharks
Without a pick until #87 in the second round, Detroit should be fairly happy with their selection of Mac Denham, a workmanlike starting pitcher who could potentially fill a major league role. To give them high marks for top 40 value at the 87 spot, or low marks for not really having a high end draft choice? Well, they have Hunter Wilkinson to show for it, so I guess a generous Grade: C
Madison Moon Dogs
Taking pitcher Tom Messmer with the 11th pick in the draft looks like a great move for the Moon Dogs. With four solid pitches and an amazing ability to work the strike zone, Messmer has all the tools to be a star. He doesn’t blow hitters away, but should prove crafty enough to dominate. “Mess” also doesn’t have the stamina to go deep into ballgames, but the Moon Dogs love what they see and would be happy if he went a strong 6 or 7 each time out. 45th pick first baseman Pedro Duran has a solid bat and should give the M-Dogs some good clout. With the 64th they landed center fielder Josh Becker, who has excellent speed and could one day be a gold glove outfielder. Becker is a fantastic contact hitter, but the knock on him is that he’s “light’s out” against lefties but can’t hit righties. Maybe a platoon is in his future? After Becker, Madison went on to take a short reliever with some untapped potential in Arthur Thomas and a couple of fairly solid catchers in Shooter Foster and Derek Owens. Grade: A+
Montreal Maroons
While there’s still some debate as to whether Joshua Allen will be a better outfielder or a cornerback, everybody knows he’s leaning towards a football career. An outstanding athlete in the mold of Deion Sanders and Bo Jackson, Allen can write his own ticket and to spend a first round pick on a guy who won’t commit to your sport is a risky business. At pick 32, the Maroons felt that Allen was worth the risk. It would certainly be a coup if they were to convince him to sign. Montreal followed up the Allen pick with Woodie Musial, a quick contact hitter who could one day contribute. They also drafted some tiny infielders in Elroy Parker and Stan Matos, both of whom can hit well against lefties and demonstrate good patience at the plate. Parker in particular is a defensive gem, but he’ll need to cut down on his strikeouts to be an effective hitter. The Maroons have found some decent value if Allen doesn’t sign; outstanding value if he does. Grade: B
N.L. East
Burlington Barons
First rounder Skeeter Young has good speed and some decent bat skill. He has the makings of a solid if unspectacular outfielder, who could hit for decent average while swiping 30-40 bases per season, perhaps in a leadoff role. There’s some power here, but Young isn’t a natural slugger. Supplemental pick Al Robertson might do well to switch from shortstop to third base, and he could eventually find his way onto a major league squad. Phil Adkins and Sparky Acosta add more speed and some good skills and intangibles that could contribute down the road, however, neither should be a major league regular. Grade: B+
Pittsburgh Grindermen
With the selection of Fred Guerrero 25th overall, Pittsburgh found a solid arm with excellent control and a good changeup/curveball combo. Guerrero could wind up in the rotation or in the bullpen depending on how the Grindermen plan to use him. An undersized pitcher at 5’9”, he should be a competitive major league pitcher before long.
Grade: A-
Tampa Bay Terrific Balls
Picking much earlier than they’re used to, the T-Balls were happy to land a very good pitching prospect in Julio Martis. The 18 yr old is raw, but is a hard thrower with great potential. He’ll likely take at least three or four years to develop, but he should be worth the wait with terrific control and two terrific pitches. With their supplemental pick, Tampa chose Pascual Martin, an outstanding infielder who will likely never be a great hitter, but may be good enough to fit in somewhere. Second rounder Pedro Fernandez has a little more potential with the bat, although his eye at the plate leaves something to be desired. Martin and Fernandez won’t be stars, but Martis could be if he has the stamina to start. Grade: A-
Washington Swamp Cats
The Swamp Cats had the fifth overall pick and pinned all of their hopes on speedy power hitter Raymond Fisher. Fisher played center field in college, but could switch to the infield if and when he decides to sign with Washington. He likely will never hit for average, but scouts think that he should easily become a regular 20/20 guy. He’s patient at the plate and potentially could show even more power than that. It’s vital for the Swamp Cats to reach a deal with Fisher, as they didn’t unearth any other significant pieces to the puzzle in this year’s draft. Grade: C+
N.L. South
Charleston Southerners
Charleston has to be reasonably happy with their top two picks. Max Palacios slipped to them in the 8th spot, and scouts have been raving about the left fielder. He’s a serious power hitter who simply murders left handed pitching. Palacios will be a great everyday player at the heart of the order for the Southerners, the question remains as to whether he’ll be an all-star or just a solid player. Closer Vin Biddle is also worth the gamble for Charleston as he demonstrates pinpoint control, a nasty sinker, throws over 100 mph and knows how to generate ground balls. Time will tell if he can translate those tools to the pro level, but it was certainly worth the 61st pick to find out. Grade: A
Iowa City Bearcats
The Bearcats signed talented reliever Perry Campbell to fill their vacant closing role, and as a result didn’t have a pick in the draft until pick #78. The only choice of minor significance here was third baseman Edwards Holmes, who can hit for power but really lacks what it takes to make an overall impact. Campbell is a talented reliever and should continue to hold things together for the Bearcats. That’s the only reason that I’m not giving them an F in this season’s draft.
Grade: D-
Kansas City World Police
Orlando Jose dropped a little bit later in the first round than anticipated. Once considered a top ten prospect, the World Police did well to grab the flashy infielder with the 22nd overall selection. Jose has an outstanding arm, a steady glove, and is capable of playing any infield position or even making the transition to the outfield. A natural shortstop, he’ll likely find a home on the left side of the infield. Jose is a pure contact hitter with good plate instincts, and although he likely won’t display much power he definitely seems like a complete package. Second baseman Dioner Duran has average skill across the board and with good coaches could become a player. Second rounder Bryce Collier has much more upside both at the dish and in the field, but it might prove tricky to get him signed. Grade: B
Santa Fe Thunderbirds
As of yet, the Thunderbirds haven’t signed ANY of their top 7 draft choices. They didn’t have an excellent go of things, with only two picks in the top 100. First rounder Harry Elster is a capable third baseman with a good contact swing. He might struggle to keep his batting average healthy, but has enough clout to merit a spot at the heart of the order. Starting pitcher Irv Mays has a five pitch arsenal, but has some glaring control issues. Third baseman Stewart Trammell might be better suited to right field. He’s a power bat with little other upside. It won’t matter if Santa Fe can’t get them signed. Hopefully they can at least work something out with Elster. Grade: D+
N.L. West
Cheyenne Alpini
Johnny Manship has a good skill set on the field and off. He won’t wow anyone with his power or speed, but could turn into a good well-rounded player. He’s a contact hitter with good patience at the plate and reasonable defensive ability. Drafted as a second baseman, Manship will start getting some outfield experience with Cheyenne. Pitchers Stan Lee and Rudy Brand both have some good qualities, but it would be surprising to see either of them have a significant impact. Catcher Terry Quinn has some potential, but his bat isn’t strong enough to be a DH and his pitch calling isn’t good enough to be a regular behind the plate. Cheyenne is still hoping that they can agree on a deal with injury prone outfielder Todd Guerrero. Guerrero has great wheels and would be an ideal platoon vs. lefties at the top of the batting order, while playing great defense in center field. Grade: C
L.A. Dead Bunnies
6th overall pick Max Johnson is a sure thing and should be a star for the Bunnies. The 20 yr old left fielder shouldn’t take too long to reach the majors, and he has a good bat and good speed. 2nd rounder Walter Gonzalez has some good qualities and could develop into a solid fielder and a decent contact hitter. Really a one player draft for L.A. but they should be pleased with their top choice. Grade: B+
Tacoma Phantom der Nacht
First rounder Armando Soto is a classic boom or bust pick. Possibly the best pure hitter in the draft, Soto has many health concerns including a rebuilt spine and metal screws in his wrists. Tacoma sees him as a potential 1st baseman, although if he were a DH in the American League it may reduce his injury opportunity. If Soto can stay healthy, his bat has the potential to be among the league’s best. Time will tell. Grade: B
Vancouver Vampire Bats
In Matt Jensen, the V-Bats have another great pitcher with no stamina. It’s the second year in a row that Vancouver has addressed bullpen needs in the first round and they’ve found another late inning gem. That being said, Jensen appears to be a one-inning pitcher at best. Second rounder Pep Hubbard has some pop, but likely won’t be a ML contributor. Grade: C
Season 15 Synopsis
AMERICAN LEAGUE SYNOPSIS
A.L. NORTH
Can Syracuse find a way to stay on top?
Do Marte and company have the pitching to succeed in Toronto?
Are the Hosers finally a playoff team?
Can the Terror Hawks rebound?
The Ottawa Hosers are a team that has made great strides towards competitiveness in the past couple of seasons. Management is hoping that with a few off-season acquisitions, the team can put itself over the top into the division title or at least a wildcard spot. It has been nine seasons since this franchise made the playoffs, and it looks like GM greeny9 is trying to put together a roster that can change that. The team made a blockbuster trade in the off-season that brings in all-star and world champion outfielders Miguel Jimenez and Odalis De La Vega from Montreal. They should bolster an already strong offensive attack featuring rookie of the year SS Denny Yeats, a talented athlete who should challenge for the silver slugger at shortstop yearly. Also returning is 2B Vic Esposito, a power threat from a skill position is nice. 1B Pedro “Boom Boom” Chavez should be good for 40 homeruns and 100 rbis. What fans in Ottawa are really buzzing about is the young starting pitching staff featured on this team. The staff is led by second year MLer Juan Guzman, with a good contribution from veteran Butch Bowen. Youngsters Vinny Bryant and David Ortiz should improve with age and experience. On the horizon is Alex Ortiz, a dominant force in the making. Kevin Baek is a solid option at closer, but the rest of the bullpen is somewhat suspect. This team made some moves to improve itself, and the young players have yet to hit their primes. This team should finish above .500 this season, and management hopes it’s enough for the division title or a WC spot.
-shobob
The Syracuse Blue Sox surprised many (but not themselves) when they took the AL’s Northern division title last season by a hair (albeit with a sub .500 record). Once again this division looks to be up for grabs, and most likely it will again be a team that gets hot at the right time that takes the title. This team made some free agent splashes in the off-season, with the signing of World Series champ SP Juan Seanez topping the bill. They also signed 2B/OF Kevin Cambridge to a three year deal, and inked a pair of catchers to one-year deals to platoon behind the plate. Offensive leaders CF Raul Vazquez, 2B/LF Tom Borland and 3B/IF Ned Daly return, so the team should finish near the middle of the offensive pack again. The starting pitching staff should be slightly better with Seanez taking the place of Mitchell Griffin. The bullpen gets a big shot in the arm with the promotion of wunderkind closer Ralph Lambert looking to challenge for the ROY award and FOY awards into the future. This team looks like it’s capable of finishing above .500, which has been good enough to take this division in the recent past, but other teams in this division have improved as well, so it will be a tight race.
-shobob
Toronto Trout management was quite active in the free agent market, netting themselves two high-priced ace pitchers in the process. The additions of both Brook Perez and Juan Sosa from New York should bolster the Trout’s pitching immensely. After re-signing four-time all-start closer Tony Bautista to a new two-year deal, the Trout surprised many by inking Sosa to a big contract. Toronto will try Sosa in the starting rotation and hope that he can make a seamless transition. He certainly has the stuff, with a great sinker-curveball combo, but he’ll need to focus on his stamina. Brook Perez is 35, but is fresh off yet another 200+ inning season with a 3.77 ERA. In 14 pro seasons, Brook has posted a sub-4 ERA nine times, has notched 12 or more wins in 12 of the last 13 seasons and has a Cy Young award on his mantle. Toronto’s 4.98 ERA ranked 28th in the majors last season, so they’ll be counting on the new arms to turn things around. Matt Boone and Shane Knoblauch are seasoned veterans out to prove that they haven’t lost their edge, with Boone likely having more gas left in the tank out of the two. David Pressley enters his prime with a 16-win season under his belt and a dizzying propensity to allowing the long ball (48 home runs allowed last season). Pressley isn’t really a fly ball pitcher, so the Trout are hoping that he can reverse the trend. The pitching will need to get better if Toronto is going to compete for a division title, and the new faces should make a difference. The hitting last season was much more effective, as the Trout posted a .282 average that tied for 3rd in the majors. Led by Winston Marte’s sickeningly well-rounded stat sheet (162 games played, 126 runs, 225 hits, 24 HRs, 115 RBIs, 42 steals and .341 avg) and Robert O’Donnell’s breakout season (career highs in runs, doubles, homers, RBI’s, stolen bases and batting average) the Toronto offense has a wide range of contributors and a good mix of power and speed. Trout fans are excited about the addition of youngsters Chet Neal and “whatchoo-talkin-bout” Willis Swift and veteran catchers Scott Meacham and Walter Wade to help manage pitching staff and hopefully contribute a little with their bats. Senior citizen Brian Meng returns for a 15th season with the club, although pundits are not quite sure why. With an entirely depleted skill-set, one would assume that his clubhouse presence is something to behold! “Just having Meng around is inspirational for teammates and fans alike!” says infielder Harry Rodriguez, “Brian does things that the rest of us can only dream about!” This is a team with some upside, but they’ll need to fight tooth and nail to grind their way to the top of the North.
-bourbonmoon
The Terror Hawks came out on top of the tight A.L. North race in season 13, but weren’t as fortunate last season as being 5 games behind Syracuse left Trenton in last place in their division. In what should once again be a fairly even race, each team will need to figure out how to separate themselves from the pack. In the off-season, Trenton addressed their starting pitching depth by adding former first round pick Dwayne Marshall, who joins his fifth franchise after spending five seasons in Tampa Bay. Marshall has had his share of accolades, including three World Series championships (2 with Boston, 1 with Helena). He had great stuff in his first two seasons with the T-Balls, before injuries to both his knee and pitching elbow shook his confidence and he hasn’t quite been the same. Marshall needs to stay healthy to get back on track, but adds an experienced arm to a rotation that lacked veteran leadership. Ahmad Griffith and Desi Mendez each had mixed success in their first season’s with the team, but lacked consistency. Second year man Brendan O’Neil was probably the team’s best pitcher, but was left scratching his head as to why the bats fell dead every time he started. In his rookie season O’Neill finished a respectable 14-10, however despite a very similar stat line, he only managed a 6-14 record last season. He is almost certain to improve this year, but if the team is to come out on top, they’ll need dramatic improvement from their bullpen as well. Closer “Frankie” De La Vega finished with an awful 5-10 win-loss record and a 6.14 ERA while successfully closing out only 17 of his 32 save opportunities. What has been attributed to bad off-season conditioning, was the difference between making the playoffs and a last place finish last season. D.L.V will return as the closer this season, but expect him to be on a very short leash if he doesn’t correct his mechanics. The offense will once again rely upon the trio of Justin “The Colossus” Jacome, Felipe Vega and Carl Bevil to knock in runs. All three are capable of 30 home runs and 100 RBIs if they hit their stride. Benji Shuey will look to top 80 steals once again, but doesn’t get on base enough for a leadoff hitter and saw a dramatic drop-off in runs scored last season. New free-agent additions Manny Rolls and Joe Owen bring veteran experience to a well-balanced lineup. If anyone falters, Eswalin Mendoza and Miguel Johnson are swinging major league ready bats at AAA. There is also some decent pitching in the future should any Terror Hawks hurlers succumb to injury. There aren’t any glaring weaknesses on a solid Trenton team, but they’ll need to take it to the next level to stay in the playoff hunt.
-bourbonmoon
Prediction:
1. Toronto
2. Syracuse
3. Ottawa
4. Trenton
A.L. EAST
Can Boston keep winning without Beltran?
Can the Crunch keep pace with the Sox?
Will Durham return to the post-season?
Does Jacksonville have playoff-caliber talent?
The Boston Red Sox went to the World Series for the first time in five seasons, but fell short, losing in 5 games to a hot Montreal team. Always a favorite to return to the post-season, the Sox will need to do it without 8-time all-star Miguel Beltran. Beltran, after smacking 565 home run balls and helping to bring 4 World Series titles to Beantown, will take his act to the division rival New York Crunch. Boston has repeatedly demonstrated the ability to lose an all-world slugger to free agency and not miss a beat. The season before, Jimmie Lopez and Tom Borland left town and the Sox responded with a trip to the finals. There is still plenty of power left in a lineup that features the mighty Alfonso Mercedes. “The Great Alfonso” is a perennial home run king and leads a stellar crew of batsmen that also includes batting average champ Ron Karnuth, entering his 14th season with Boston with only two sub .350 campaigns in his career (a truly astounding feat!). Terry Davis, Chad Valentine, Hootie Park and Blake Robinson all have the power to rock the confines of Fenway Park and will try to help the Sox lead the majors in batting average for the third straight season and in home runs for a jaw dropping seventh straight season. The pitching has been another story. Despite another trip to the World Series, the Red Sox had the third worst ERA in baseball and failed to have a 12 game winner among their staff. Look for a rebound from Ramon Li, who reached a career high in losses, ERA and walks allowed and will likely revert closer to his career norms. Ryan Cash pitched very well after he came over from Syracuse in the Borland deal and could finally reach his vast potential in his fourth pro season. They’re joined by free agent acquisitions, Dweezil Stone and Robert Rowan, both savvy veterans who can help get the ball to closer Mark Aoki. There are some questions about the pitching staff, but in Fenway it’s usually the bats that win games and there are still plenty of big ones here, even with the departure of Beltran. The Red Sox should once again be a strong playoff presence as has become their habit. -bourbonmoon
The Durham County Ramblers late season playoff push fell short in season 14. A mid-season trade for Moose English from the Tiger Sharks had a positive impact on the team as English went 14-8 once joining the Ramblers, making him their winningest pitcher last year. Boomer Buck (career low in wins), Kelly Bravo (lowest win total in six seasons; career high in walks allowed) and Reginald White (career low in wins/career) all had their share of struggles in what Durham fans will call a season to forget. There is reason to believe that each of them should rebound closer to their career averages and that Durham can win a few more games this season. Free agent signing Frank Hartman will round out the rotation, donning the ninth different uniform of his career. A sinker-baller, Hartman is a workhorse who can pitch deep into games (16 career complete games), but has often struggled to find wins, and allowed a career high 266 hits last season. The bullpen will rely heavily on closer Philip Fontenot to return to his award-winning season 13 form. If the rotation struggles, the bullpen could prove to be an Achilles heel on a team that has long relied on its’ bats to win. Among those bats are former Rookie of the Year Wayne Grey, heavy hitting first bagger Vinny Morton and designated hitter Tomas Arias. Grey and Morton are constant power threats, while Arias is coming off a season in which he hit .341 and has never hit below .300 in his career. The only significant departure is third baseman Manny Rolls who takes his 23/88/.298 line to Trenton, leaving multi-tooled talents Sherry Grebeck and Sergei Kydd to pick up the slack. If the pitching can keep the Ramblers in the game, the hitting looks good enough to be in the hunt for a playoff spot by season’s end. On a side note, the long-time “Kirby Puckett-shaped” Durham slugger Jorel Kaufman earned a spot in the Hall of Fame on it’s inaugural ballot. Congratulations Jorel! -bourbonmoon
It’s always been a tough task to compete in the challenging A.L. East and for a few seasons now, Jacksonville has appeared to be on the brink of challenging for a playoff berth. The potential is there, but the Sunbirds keep struggling against their divisional rivals. While their offense displays decent power, some clutch bats and some promising young players, they’re simply average in too many offensive categories to cash in with consistency. For example, despite being among the top teams in the league in home runs, they were second to last in the A.L. last season in walks drawn and on-base percentage. A team needs to be able to set the table if those dingers are going to make a difference. The ‘Birds also strike out a little too much (with 7 hitters over 100 strikeouts maybe it’s a lot too much) and hit only .263 as a team in season 14. Things aren’t too bleak though, and there are several reasons for optimism in Jacksonville this season. Rookie of the Year runner-up “Marvelous” Marv Durham had a sick rookie season, displaying power, speed, durability and a natural feel for the game. The 22 yr old Durham is one of the best young second basemen in the game and should only get better. After a severe shoulder problem hampered “Benny V” last season, he’s healthy and looking for a rebound season. Still only 27 yrs old, Villafuerte has four 50 homer campaigns under his belt and is one of the game’s serious power threats despite last season’s 16/45/.214 aberration. Young Sam Dickerson signed a 28 million dollar four year deal in the off-season and will be trying to prove that he’s worth his paycheck. A solid season should see the 25 yr old approaching a .300 batting average with great run production capabilities. He should be a lock for 20/20. Brandon Spencer and Matty Hayes are fan favorites with great power and could each knock in 100 runs if there are enough base-runners when they manage to go deep. On the pitching front, the Sunbirds need to prove that they aren’t just a two-trick pony, with ace Jesus Astacio coming off his second 19 win season, and closer Ellis Springer remaining one of the more reliable door-slammers in the league. To compete this season they’ll need former Red Sox ace Douglas Steenstra to rebound from his worst career win-loss record, and 11.5 million man Olmedo Martin to notch at least 14-15 wins. Free agent signing Patrick Garcia should challenge Springer for save opportunities and Jacksonville could certainly use the extra bullpen depth. There are some great players in Sunbird gray, but they’ll need to find some great chemistry to challenge for the division title. The nucleus is certainly there.
-bourbonmoon
The New York Crunch continue to improve each season, and to finish tied with 92 wins atop the A.L. East was more than they could have hoped for in season 14. Losing the divisional tie-breaker to Boston and their subsequent playoff series to Syracuse were not the end that the Crunch were looking for, but the pieces are certainly in place to take it a little further. With a bright future on the horizon with Dominican stars slugging outfielder Miguel “MigMar” Martinez and bullpen ace Victor “VictRo” Rosado, the Crunch have elected not to rush their young talent, instead luring long time divisional rival Miguel Beltran away from Boston. Beltran should give New York the proven power bat and clean-up hitter that they’ve been missing. With his talents (#3 all-time in home runs) at the heart of the order, pitchers will be forced to try to throw more to perennial 100 RBI man Ken Bailey as well as New York’s other offensive weapons, such as catcher Trevor Schmidt and towering first baseman Eddie Gabriel. There is more room for offensive improvement from fourth year man Don MacRae who has the potential to hit .300 with moderate power and fellow 26 yr old F.P. Jones who stole 39 bases last season and brings hustle and energy to the top of the lineup. Pitching was a strong part of last year’s return to the post season. Moises Vega, Ray Fischer and Tuck Meacham were steady through most of the season and almost always keep the Crunch in the game. Mike Washburn needs to avoid the long-ball if he’s going to achieve similar success, but he’s one season removed from a 16-win campaign and hopes to keep the ball in the yard this season. The biggest challenge for New York will be replacing Juan Sosa, the team’s closer for the past four seasons. Sosa made his first all-star appearance last season on his way to an impressive 46/50 in save opportunities and the Fireman of the Year award. He signed a lucrative 5 year deal in Toronto, leaving the Crunch a big hole in the bullpen. After five seasons in Burlington, Elrod Weston will get the first chance at the closer role, however he boasts a career ERA of 5.51 and may raise a few Bronx blood pressures with his history of blown saves. Victro may get the call sooner than expected! The Crunch’s success this season should fall on the shoulders of Beltran and the extra offense that he brings. Look for the Crunch to be in the playoff hunt. -bourbonmoon
Prediction:
1. Boston
2. Durham *
3. New York
4. Jacksonville
* denotes wildcard
A.L. SOUTH
The Lobsters look for a repeat
Can Mad Max get the D.D’s back atop the division?
The Vodoo keep looking for some magic
The Razorbacks need a rebuilding strategy
Hardball fans in Charlotte were dismayed to learn that their perennially contending NL squad was packing up and leaving for Santa Fe, but their anguish was short-lived, as the Florida’s Designated Drinkers took up residence in the Knight’s Castle immediately thereafter. The debate immediately fired up in radio call in shows, chat boards, blogs and office water coolers all across North Carolina about if they are better off now than they were before the switch. At this point it looks like it might be a toss up, since the departing team probably has better big league talent, but is aging and doesn’t have many good prospects for the near future, while the arriving team looks to have a better near future, but might not have the same level of ML talent. The only way to settle the argument will be to see how each team performs over this season and for seasons to come. Expect a bounce-back season from “Mad” Max Cora. He should get back to his normal 30-plus home runs and 100-plus runs batted in. The offence should again be led by all star 3B Al Guerrero, and stud 2B Joshua Meadows. Abraham Velarde should be able to pick up the slack from the departure of 1B Eric Chambers. The starting pitching staff will be led by young left handers Bruce Wilson and Bryant Linden, both of whom are capable of winning 20 games under the right circumstances. Felix Forbes returns as the team’s closer, he has done a decent enough job in the ninth. It looks like this team should be one of the better fielding teams again. They should finish somewhere around .500 this season, which should put them in contention for the division lead again.
-shobob
The Little Rock Razorbacks should be battling it out to stay out of the division’s basement with New Orleans. This team has finished above .500 only once in it’s history, and by the looks of things, it’s going to be at least one more season of sub .500 baseball in Little Rock. They’ll have trouble scoring runs, with 2B Daisuke Miyakazi, RF Gerald Christensen and LF Aaron Lidge leading the offensive charge. They are decent enough players, but are better suited to be supporting cast rather than leading role. 1B Fausto Posada could be the dark horse on this team. He’s capable of 20 homeruns, 100 rbis and can hit for a good batting average. The pitching staff should finish near the bottom of the statistical barrel again, as the team’s ace, Albie Bocachica has trouble hitting the broad side of a barn. Marty Stockton has some good stuff, but is particularly weak against LHB. The remainder of the roster is mainly AAAA material. The Razorbacks have a good opportunity to pick up a good prospect in the draft this season, as they pick second overall. Unfortunately, this team projects to fetch prime drafting position next season as well.
After missing the playoffs for seven straight years, the Louisville Lobsters won the division title in season fourteen. The AL South is the weakest division in the world, but solid and stable ownership has all four teams steadily improving. It might take more than just a .500 record to win this division in seasons to come. This team’s heyday was in the first few seasons of the world, winning over ninety games five times out of the first six seasons. GM cslonaker is looking to get his franchise back into a dominant position, and things seem to be trending that way. This team has made some good moves recently to build up the talent level in the system, such as the signing of international prospect DH Tony Mendez and the drafting of SP Russell Workman, who is starting the year on the DL, but has plenty of development time to recover his abilities. The ML squad features some good young talent, such as 1B Wilt Blair, who’s dominating bat skills aren’t finished developing, 22 year old SP Javier “The Arrow” Estrada, who should be racking up double digit wins for many seasons to come, and gold glove infielder Bert Lee. Star veteran players such as all-star SP Tony Silva and Silver Slugging 2B “The Heart of Hicksville” Walter Taft aren’t old by any means, and can show the youngsters how to be effective big league ballplayers. With the competition in the AL South stiffening up, Its hard to say if this young squad will repeat as division champs, but they have as good a shot at it as Charlotte.
The growing pains will continue this season for the New Orleans VoDoo. The last .500 plus season for this franchise was 13 seasons ago. GM wyatatanka has cleared the franchise of many of the bad contracts from previous ownership, and now he looks to put his own stamp on the team. There are some decent enough pieces on this team to build upon. Firstly, the team returns young stud LF Rafael Rodriguez. He should be many times a member of the 30/30 club before his career is over. RF Andrew Pride and 2B Norm Lee are some usable young players. The pitching staff doesn’t feature much depth, and the team has been let down by the contributions of Jim Sewell and Hector Mateo. It would help the team if management could find a way to get these two guys to perform at the level that is expected of them. Marv Blake has performed well as a back of the rotation guy. If the team’s starters could carry any leads into the sixth or seventh inning, free agent signee setup man Jung Lee is a quality arm that should be able to hold it down long enough to give the ball to young stud closer Matthew Langerhans, who will nail down many a save. Although it might be another painful season for New Orleans hardball fans, there is hope in sight, as the current management team has committed to build a winner out of this club. To that end, there are a few good prospects in the system, and there is some financial flexibility going forward.
-shobob
Prediction:
1. Louisville
2. Charlotte
3. New Orleans
4. Little Rock
A.L. WEST
Oklahoma still looking to make their mark
Can Vegas continue to dominate?
Can Helena keep pace with the top two?
Can Scottsdale start moving in the right direction?
The Helena Cowboys ended season 14 in the basement of the A.L. West, however new GM beerbellys has the team moving in the right direction. Despite a 4th place finish, the Cowboys tied for the 3rd best team batting average in baseball and have a well-rounded lineup as good as almost any in the league. Led by gritty MVP candidate Bruce Sellars, who captured his third straight Silver Slugger award and third straight All-Star appearance while turning in stellar third base defense. This season, the Cowboys will try Sellars at shortstop, hoping that he has the range to handle the switch to the middle of the infield. He certainly has a cannon for an arm, and great athleticism both at the plate and on the bases. As usual, Bruce will be protected in the lineup by the mighty swing of “El Caballo” Jose Guerrero! Guerrero has hit 40 or more dingers in eight of the last nine seasons and the Pennsylvania native should enjoy another fine campaign in which he should reach the 500 HR milestone. At 33, the diminutive Jim Fox should once again effortlessly produce 20+ round-trippers with decent run production. While his legs aren’t what they used to be on the bases or in the outfield, his strong veteran leadership and hustle provide a great mentor for the younger players. Ten years his junior, Mexican outfielder Pablo Rosario hit 28 home runs and knocked in an impressive 103 runs in his first full season with the team and should only continue to develop. The main concern with the Cowboys will once again be pitching, as they lack a true #1 ace, and questions remain regarding the reliability of the bullpen. Juan James and Josh Shelby are both former first round picks who have developed into dependable top of the rotation starters. James is coming off his first successful season as a pro, finishing with a 16-7 record including 6 complete games, but doesn’t really have the stuff to overpower hitters. Shelby has proven that he can go the distance and boasts a daunting fastball/slider combo, but has lost as many games as he has won over his six seasons. Russell Tice had a surprising rookie year with the Cowboys last season, but the league has had a second look at his sinker and things won’t be as easy for Tice in year two. There could be some serious problems with the back end of the rotation. In the bullpen, the departure of dependable Perry Campbell to Iowa City leaves a hole in the set-up department. The pressure is on former closer Jolbert Saenz to prove that he’s worth his 5.8 million dollars, and rookie Joe Delahanty who is pressed into a full time role getting the ball to closer Juan Hernandez. Hernandez is coming off a decent season, but has been streaky over the years and needs to keep his pitch count down. Saenz and Delahanty will need to be good to get Hernandez the ball, and possibly to share his closer role if his arm can’t hold up to the rigors of a full season. 22 yr old Japanese rookie Alex Nakamura will get a chance to prove himself in a long relief role. Helena can beat the best teams in the league when they’re clicking, but over the course of a long season they’ll need to find a way to consistently keep runs off the board. They’re in tough against the Rodeo Clowns and the Numa Numa.
-bourbonmoon
The Las Vegas Numa Numa are used to making the playoffs. They’re used to winning games and they’re used to an elite team full of high-level talent and a strong farm team loaded with future stars. They’re also used to early playoff exits and wondering what went wrong against the other elite teams in the post-season. It’s hard to find flaws in the Vegas machine. They arguably boast the best young battery in the A.L. between pitching phenom Vasco Montanez and catcher C.C. Cervantes. Montanez is still only 24 yrs old but has three All-Star appearances and a Cy Young award under his belt. Cervantes is coming off a rookie season in which the 23 yr old Cuban hit .303 while swatting 24 home runs and doing a bang-up job behind the plate. Behind Vasco in the rotation is an aging but dependable B.J. Post and former first rounder Emil Pineiro. Post is a three-time All-star who at 36 yrs old has lost some of his zip, but still has great stuff and should give the team a good chance to win every time out. Pineiro had his struggles in his rookie year, finishing 6-12 with a 5.57 ERA, but has terrific control and a good fastball. Look for a significant improvement in his sophomore year. With Butch Bowen going to Ottawa last season, the rotation doesn’t have the depth that it used to. There are high hopes for free agent signing Davey Delgado and for Spanish-Canadian Carlos Torrealba to make the transition from bullpen to rotation. The bullpen will rely heavily on the veteran duo of Felipe Herrera and Victor Nieves. They certainly could provide Vegas with some headaches, but front end pitching strength and rock solid hitting usually means fewer stressful late-inning situations. The Numa Numa have an always dangerous lineup, led last season by the 33/99/.313 line from designated hitter Tom Bailey. Rookie Gerrit Hughes burst onto the scene in center field, hitting 27 home runs and stealing 29 bases. Infielder Nate Coolbaugh also reached the 20/20 mark in his first full season while splitting his time between second, short and third. Mark “The Kobra” Kyung put together another solid year with a .301 average, 91 runs scored and 37 steals at the top of the order. Yet to be mentioned are the team’s long-time offensive leaders Torey “Rosie” Rosario and Jose “el Halcon” Fernandez. “El Halcon” is only 27 years old and his track record speaks for itself. For most players a season with 29 homers and 98 RBIs wouldn’t be a disappointment, but Fernandez is capable of more and is a threat to post a 40/120/.300 season if he gets back on track. For the past twelve seasons “Rosie” has been the offensive juggernaut of the Vegas ball-club through thick and thin. He’s started showing signs that he might be running out of gas, but that isn’t to say that there’s nothing left. The wheels aren’t turning as quickly, and the power might not be league leading, but look for Rosario to bounce back from last season’s 19 home runs and career low .243 avg. The real issue that “Rosie” needs to address is his .204 career post-season batting average. That’s when the Numa Numa will need him to lead the way.
-bourbonmoon
The Oklahoma City Rodeo Clowns are among the top ML teams in most offensive and defensive categories. Boasting the best team ERA in the American League as well as the season 14 A.L. MVP Gary Purcell, the Clowns finished as the #1 seed before losing to Boston in the ALCS. Oklahoma has made the playoffs for 7 straight seasons and there’s no reason to think that things will be different this year. MVP Purcell set personal bests in most offensive categories, including 50 homers and 142 RBIs. He’s in the prime of his career, as is team leader the Carlos Cruz “Missile”. Cruz, a two-time MVP and one of the game’s true superstars is a career .330 hitter and has knocked in over 100 runs in every season that he’s played. His long time “partner in slug” Big Jim Donatello has packed his bags for Kansas City, leaving the likes of catcher Ricardo Matos and infielder Cristian Simon to provide supporting offense. The pitching in O.C. remains top notch with a great overall improvement last season. It seems that the torch has been passed from “The Mailman” to “GO”, as long-time ace John Mailman has looked almost human over the past two seasons, while Geraldo Oliva has made the All-Star game two years running and looks like the team’s top starter. Make no mistake though, The Mailman is only 32 years old and wants to prove that he hasn’t lost his zip. The vertically challenged, but otherwise solid rotation is rounded out by Eric Simmons, Willie “The Pitcher” Acosta and 38 yr-old veteran D.T. Rollins. Simmons is 45-24 over the past three seasons; the always-competitive Rollins is a crafty knuckle-baller; and Acosta (the only Clown starter over six feet tall) posted a career-best 3.11 ERA last season. Missing is long-time closer Hunter Wilkinson, who signed a four year deal in Detroit. His departure clears the way for Victor Canseco to finally take over the full time closing duties after five years battling Wilkinson for save opportunities. Youngster Manuel Guillen will be counted on to fill Canseco’s old shoes as bullpen support. The Clowns shouldn’t have much trouble finding the playoffs for an impressive 8th straight.
-bourbonmoon
The fans in Scottsdale finally have something to cheer for! After a tumultuous five seasons stuck in the basement with five ownership changes and never more than 67 victories, mytitan stepped in and did the unthinkable: a winning season!!! An 82-80 record wouldn’t be significant for most teams, but here it’s a reason to celebrate. With only two playoff appearances in franchise history, there is finally an atmosphere of optimism around the Fightin’ Chokes! Last season’s big signing, Sparky Page, had a noteworthy rookie season hitting .315 with 25 home runs after leaving Pittsburgh as a free agent before his first major league at bat. First baseman Jake Douglass also enjoyed success in his first pro season, with 115 runs scored, 44 doubles, 10 triples, 26 HRs, 104 RBIs, 24 steals and a .289 average. Rookie number three was Clyde DePaula, who also notched a 20/20 season while topping 100 runs and 100 RBIs. Page, Douglass and DePaula are the nucleus to build around, but there’s still a fair distance to go. They’ll get some offense from catcher Julio Matos, left fielder Fernando Saenz and free agent signing Darren Carillo, but they’re still a couple of big bats short of competing with the upper echelon. Nor is the offensive prospect cupboard well stocked, as the franchise hasn’t drafted a hitter in the first round since season 8. There’s also quite a bit of work to do with the pitching staff. Victor Martin enjoyed a dream season after coming over from Tampa last year. V-Mart won a glorious 20 games with a tidy 2.82 ERA and made his first All-Star appearance on the way to capturing the A.L. Cy Young award. The #2 starter is veteran righty screwballer Brad Servais, a clubhouse prankster who can usually be counted on for 12-15 wins. The rest of the rotation is iffy at best, and the bullpen is hoping that the tandem of last year’s closer Paxton Radinsky and rookie Max Gonzalez will be lights out in the late innings. Radinsky saved 36 of 40 games and finished with a spiffy 2.27 ERA, while Gonzalez has scouts talking about his live fastball and pinpoint control of the strike zone. The ‘Chokes will also test the mettle of top draft pick Jorel Howington, hoping that he’s ready to start his pro career at 21, while they wait for their other two live arms (starter Shoooooooter Owens and relief man Cesar Beltre) to earn major league roster spots. It would be a huge surprise to see Scottsdale improve on last year’s win total. It’s still going to take a well managed re-tooling of the organization to turn them into a contender, but at least they’ve become a fun team to watch!! -bourbonmoon
Prediction:
1. Las Vegas
2. Oklahoma City *
3. Helena
4. Scottsdale
* denotes wildcard
NATIONAL LEAGUE SYNOPSIS
N.L. NORTH
Montreal’s World Series team is mostly intact and at the top of their game!
Are Detroit’s bats good enough to compete with Montreal atop the division?
Could Madison be the best 3rd place team in baseball?
Chicago starts scouting for the future…
Ouch is all you can say about Chicago’s season last year. Dropping from 60 wins in 13 to 47 in 14. We have to turn that around eh man! Chicago is starting to turn his philosophy of HBD as he has added the max amount to his college, high school and int’l scouting. That can only mean good things for his minors, and eventually to his BL club. Chicago has nowhere to go but up in virtually everyway in his team stats. Here is looking forward to better years in Chi-town! RF Willie Mateo is an excellent base stealer. Stealing 37 of em, and getting caught only 9 times. Willie Maduro had a decent year with 83 RBIs and 18 HRs and a .304 ave. Dave Brock had an ok year too with 23 HRs and 78 RBIs. SP Paul Handworth had a good year with his OAV of .243 1.50 WHIP and 4.08 ERA, too bad he only got 9 wins, but he could easily break that all important 2nd digit this year! SP Clay Nitkowski had a respectable year too with his OAV of .272 1.36 WHIP and 3.99 ERA. Chicago has some great prospects though with 1B Sean Gwynn looking to be an all star. SS Fred Modina a 21 year old future phenom. And SU dude Santiago Mercedes looks to be a serious contributor. Chicago has some work to do to become a serious contender. Those two mega teams to the East of them must scare the be-jesus out of them, and I cant say I blame them. -greeny
The only question for Detroit is if they are going to be a wild card or division winner. And that will be for the foreseeable future too. This team is as stacked as stacked can be. The only other team in the league that comes close is their division mate Montreal. Detroit has made it to the playoffs the last 10 years and 12 of 14 years in total. Recording nine 1st place finishes in their division. Can anybody match that? Nope. Surprisingly enough Detroit only had 3 players reach 100 RBIs last year! Though Huang hit 94, pretty much close enough eh? They hit a lot of homers but with no real standouts there, they had 8 players hit in the double digits there. 2 players hit over .300 (and just barely). How is it that this team destroyed the way that they did? The offense doesn’t look that daunting? Maybe it is the pitching? That is what it was! With a team ERA of 2.83! they had 3 Ps with ERAs under 2! And 4 more under 3! They didn’t have a single P with an ERA above 4.50! talk about dominating in every way! Man with this pitching I have no choice but to use so many exclamation points!!! J They had one P have a OAV of under .200 and everybody else was between that and .285. They didn’t have one average P in the whole team! Wow. Felipe Villa was dominating as to be expected with 20 wins 249 IP an OAV of .206 and WHIP of 1.02. What else can be said about this pitching besides OMG I don’t like facing these guys! The future of Detroit surely can’t be too bright can it? Well they certainly have 1 awesome SP in Ron Hitchcock, with a possible 99 control 90 velocity and a bunch of great looking pitches. SP Clayton Cooper looks good too but not dominating. RP Aaron Leskanic looks to be a pretty dominating SU guy his stamina looks to be the one thing that will hold him back. Detroit made a splash in FA this season too by picking up SU Hunter Wilkinson, this guy has the stuff! So look for Detroits already vaunted pitching staff to become even more vaunted. In closing Detroit is as tough now as it ever has been and it is going to take a super-human team to knock them off, which brings me to… -greeny
Madison had an impressive 10 game improvement over season 13, lets see if they can do it again this year. To be honest in this reporters eyes it might be a little tough to pull that off. This team is still in rebuilding mode, Max has a bit of work to do with this team before he can seriously contend for a playoff spot especially considering the two power houses in his division. Last year Madisons pitching was generally very average, though they did finish 6th in SOs. Madisons batters were very good at not getting struck out too being 3rd in the league, and middle of the pack everywhere else. Their defense was good though being 5th in the league in pct, and 3rd in assists. Madison surprise player is 1B Lewis Carillo this guy was drafted in the 8th round! And hit 33 homers and brought in 95 RBIs last season, and was the AAA MVP! LF Wilton Rosen was the AA MVP and has serious potential for 100 RBIs. CL Herb Wilhelm had an awesome year converting 40 of 42 save opps, an oav of .222 1.11 WHIP and 2.91 ERA, and he is only 27 yrs old. Madisons future is looking pretty solid with a good mix of good looking prospects starting with C Ben Rossy he looks to have an awesome bat, though with a terrible PC. 2B Orber Terrero might end up with 100 contact and should run the bases like the wind,, his defense projects to be under average though. SP Curt Beltran should end up being a quite good #2 SP. SP Slick Sheffield projects to be the same as Curt. And their best prospect as far as I can tell looks to be a CL by the name of Earl Jakubauskas he is only 19 yrs onld, but it looks like he is going to be a monster. To summarize Madison has a couple seasons of really building up their prospects and can then start looking toward competing for the playoffs. -greeny
Well Montreal really has been all over the map since Shobob took the team over back in season 7 the team had a % of .309 then .327. But then 9 saw them hit .562 and hasn’t looked back since. Never dropping below .500 and the last two seasons has seen amazing strides with a .630 then a .698. What an accent! Making the playoffs 5 of the last 6 seasons and winning the big prize twice! The insane thing is the NL N is the only division to have won the WS the last 5 years! What is in their water? Shobob pulled of a big trade with Greeny9 giving Greeny two of Montreals better bats from last year in De La Vega and Jimenez. Only because those two players weren’t needed anymore with Montreals group of amazing rookies coming up. More on that later… Detroits offense is something else those two big bats Rios and Guerrero are unstoppable hitting 59 and 43 homers, bringing in 154 and 131 RBIs. Even scoring 129 and 119 runs. You aren’t going to find a better 1-2 punch then those two. Montreal had 4 guys hitting north of .300. 1 guy having an OPS of 1.000! and 2 others over .900. Very impressive batting, whats their pitching like? Second only to Detroit with a team ERA of 3.42 despite the fact that they had only 1 P under 3 ERA. That means that Shobobs Ps were overall very good with no bad ones in the bunch. Surprisingly they didn’t have one 20 game winner, though 1 18 winner 2 17 winners and 1 16 winner is pretty awesome. Somehow their amazing CL D’Angelo Lopez who finished with 46 saves in 54 opportunities finished with 13 wins! Lopez also had an OAV of .198 a WHIP of 1.00 and ERA of 3.17. No wonder he was the fireman of the year in 14, and was in 10 as well! This guy is in the hall of fame already! Lets not forget about Montreals other fireman in Michael Stieb with his accomplishment in season 11. Oh then there is season 14s ROY Troy Sewell , what a great season 16 wins with a 3.12 ERA. Do you think they have an awesome team already? How about their future? 1B Enrique Valdez has and will have an awesome bat, he has been an MVP in the minors and has a 1.188 OPS. SP Edgard Garces looks to be a monster with amazing control splits and pitches, he looks to be a future #1 with a bang. SP Vic Lopez is ready for the BL club and is a serious threat for ROY this year too. LF Bailey Dykstra and incredible looking LF is coming up this year at the 20 game mark and he is another serious threat for ROY too (that is if he can keep his temper under control). Montreals future players look about as good as Washingtons with the only real difference being the quantity, Washington has more, but they might not quite be as good as Montreal group of future superstars. Its looking like Shobob has a dynasty to stand the test of time. –greeny
Prediction:
1. Montreal
2. Detroit *
3. Madison
4. Chicago
* denotes wildcard
N.L. EAST
Montreal’s World Series team is mostly intact and at the top of their game!
Are Detroit’s bats good enough to compete with Montreal atop the division?
Could Madison be the best 3rd place team in baseball?
Chicago starts scouting for the future…
Burlington again this year has a bit of a hill to climb for a good chance of success. This franchise has some quality in the BL, but not enough to make any kind of push. That being said they definitely have some good guys in the minors pushing their way up. They have made a couple very nice free agent pickups in Castro and Jones, but they have lost 12 that’s right 12 players to free agency. How many of those where good, I don’t know. But that seems like a lot of players to lose! Here are the notable players in their BL club: SU Harry Castro had an awesome year in 14 with a .233 ave 1.15 whip 3.21 ERA and 103 IP. LR Rich Jones also awesome previous season with a .200 ave 0.97 whip and 1.85 ERA. LR Jimmie Shannon’s rookie season was great with a .233 ave 1.21 whip and 2.50 ERA. LR Dann Kelly another very nice season with .274 ave, 1.26 whip and a 3.51 ERA. And 2B Stan Jones with his great 48 SB and only 6 CS. Some very nice Ps in the bigs though maybe too many LRs, hopefully some of them can put up SP innings. As for prospects this is where Burlington has some promise, they have several guys that look to be making the big club in time. I cant say if any of them are quite good enough to make a real contribution this year, so Burlington is really still a season or two away from making any real strides in this department. I can say that they have some great coaches! Their ML HC has a 97 rating, PC with a 87 and fielding with 79. This team has some work to do to catch up to the other three clubs, but with their solid minor league prospects it might not take too long for them to contend for a spot in the playoffs. --greeny
Pittsburgh after having the division the last two years have a bit of a battle this year for sure. Washington will absolutely give them a real run. I have to feel a bit for Pittsburgh they were battling with Tampa Bay for quite some time to win the division, and right when TB is on a bit of a possible lull Washington is now ready to stick it to them. No rest for Shelley! You have to go all the way back to season 8 that they weren’t 1st or 2nd, so nobody is going to call Shelley inconsistent that’s for sure. Pittsburgh is very well rounded with mostly quality players in every position, and very nice SPs to throw in too. If there is any weakness on this team it might be with their RPs. In their coaching ranks if they have any holes it is certainly with their rookie fielding instructor. Unsurprisingly Pittsburgh was in the top 5 in batting average, RBIs, 2bs, 3bs and OBP last year. Very impressive offensive prowess for sure! Their team pitching wasn’t quite as good although they were the 3rd best in SOs. Pretty much in the middle for everything else. 1B Rob Ledee had 114 RBIs and a .337 ave very nice year, we need to keep that up. 2B Al Guzman might have a nice future if you can believe his minor league exploits having won the MVP in AAA and was an all star and silver slugger every year! 3B Cal Brumfield has a .300 career has 2 all stars and consistently hits over 100 RBIs. LF Harold Gonzalez is already a 3 time all star despite only being 27 yrs old. CF Glen Montgomery the last 4 seasons has driven in 109 to 141 RBIs and has taken home 4 silver sluggers. SP Pedro Lunar had a career year last year at 32 yrs old with a OAV of .220, 1.05 whip, 2.24 ERA and 15 wins. SP Rolando Armas has been to the all star game 3 times. In terms of future stars the cupboard is a little on the light side, I don’t really see any of any great import. That being said this team is built for today, and they really have a solid chance of going all the way and with no real needs. Some tinkering here and there will likely be all is needed to make a big splash this season. –greeny
Tampa Bay is in the process of a 4 year slide in winning percentage not so much because they have gotten worse but because Pittsburgh and Washington have gotten better. And ofcourse their biggest players are mostly getting older. It seems as though all of their best players are all in their 30s some closer to 40 then 30, not a good sign! This team still has the ability to go all the way, albeit with some good luck, and some great free agent signings. Id have to say this team is really at the point where they have to go all the way for one final stab at winning it all (which they never have) or having a major fire sale and rebuild. Either way is very possible, but in this reporters opinion they really cant stand pat. Ric Nic is coming off a (for him) bad season only batting in 86 runners compared to 13 where he belted in 155! This guy is as good as it gets (possibly still too) he has a .347 career ave, a 1.171 ops, 10 all stars, 8 MVPs, 9 Silver sluggers and the ROY! LF Barney Webster still has it with his amazing power last season was down with 94 RBIs but 151 2 seasons before, he still has it I think though. TB still has a potent pitching staff with Ishii still putting up good numbers along with his career 4 all star appearances Cy Young year, consistent 18 to 22 wins a year .245 ave 1.23 whip and 3.74 ERA. SP Jerry Rhodes had an awesome year winning the Cy Young with 20 wins, .239 ave, 1.18 whip and 2.30 ERA. SU Derrek Borowski had a great year after an off one, he got 23 saves along with a .250 ave, 1.24 whip and a paltry 2.09 ERA. The future doesn’t appear to have a whole lot of good showing up apart from SS Jerome Leskanic with an AS and 2 SS’s, bringing in 124 RBIs one year. Then there is CL Freddie Anderson his stats have been very mediocre despite having very decent ratings. In this reporters opinion TB has to do something sooner then later. -greeny
Nobody is going to be saying that Washington fans are long suffering anymore, it looks to me like they have one of the most exciting lineups in the NL, and have an exciting group of prospects in the minors that will keep the BL club well stocked for many years to come. True last year you could say that they had under-performed according to their talent level and compared to their division mates(finishing last in their division) But this year I would be surprised if they finished less then 2nd place, and wouldn’t be surprised if they finished first. Steeplechasr has done a wonderful job of turning this franchise around, they have the goods to be in the hunt for the foreseeable future. C Lonnie Tobin has an awesome bat with ok defense. 1B Sandy Hale is a monster batting in 96 to 121 RBIs the last 3 years and with a AS to show for it. 2B Vicente Perez might break out having had 2 AS appearances in the minors to go with his .303 ave in the bigs. RF Tomas Bennett had an off year with only 79 RBIs but the year before brought in 117, so he is capable, along with 30 HRs this kid is good. Washington also has some standout pitchers including DJ Gragg’s career .243 ave 1.29 whip and 3.23 ERA, one problem with Gragg is he seems to get injured too often. LR Rick Gaillard had a great year posting a .237 ave 1.23 whip and 3.15 ERA, can he do it again? And CL Angel Tarasco brings his 2 all star appearances to the table along with 33 and 36 save seasons. This team has pitching and batting. As for their future Washington is as strong as any team in Yastrzemski. RF Swann 20 yrs old was a RL AS, and sports a career .360 ave. SP Cord Epstein looks to be a super duper #1 SP and is 22 yrs old, he could be ready for the BL very soon. SP FP Webster looks like an above average #2 man in the rotation and he is 21 yrs old. Yet another SP in Cookie Mesa who might be one of the best #3 SPs in the league is 22 yrs old. 3 very strong SPs looking to break into the big club any day now. LR Peter Hayes looks very promising and is 24. CL Wilfredo Torcato an amazing looking stopper that might be a couple seasons away, but look out Tarasco, your days are numbered! 2 SU guys in Frank Williams and Elroy Bowles at 23 and 21 both look to be quality ML studs. And finally LR Esmailyn Lopez looks to be a solid contributor too. See what I mean? This team is set for many years to come (at least on the pitching front). If this team doesn’t make a big run this year, surely next year. -greeny
Prediction:
1. Pittsburgh
2. Washington
3. Tampa Bay
4. Burlington
N.L. South
Another year of change and toil in Charleston.
Can the Bear Cats make it back to the playoffs this seasons?
The core returns for the World Police.
Sanchez needs to be a leader on and off the field for Penguin glory.
Baseball returned to Charleston this season with the move of the Little Mac Sluggers from St. Louis to South Carolina. The Southerners eagerly await the arrival of their first overall selection from season 13, 3B Scot McGowan, whose defensive prowess will probably see him shift over to SS at some point. Still, McGowan is probably a few years away and will likely start the year in High A ball this year or be used as trade bait for some more immediate help. Charleston is on the long road back to respectability after finishing with 100 losses in 4 of the past 6 seasons. Adding insult to injury is the fact that the franchise hasn’t drafted particularly well despite their high picks. A bright spot on the team this season will be the debut of, 5th overall pick from season 12, rookie SP Todd Kennedy. Young Kennedy will be the ace of a spotty staff which will include returnees Caesar Maduro and Eugene Witasick, FA grab Rafael Belliard and off season trade acquisition Miguel Cruz. Bullpen duties will be handed out to a young group who will be lead by closer and elder statesmen Fred Malloy, who at 30 years of age will be the eldest pitcher on the team. Handling this young staff will be 24-year-old C Jude Edwards, though look for Mark Hunter to get some starts should the rookie, Edwards, tire. Defensively, the infield will be lead by the phenomenal defensive abilities of SS Haywood Gibson who holds notoriety for turning the most double plays of any Alaskan born player in league history. Defensively, 2B Gabe Blackwell nearly equals the ability of Gibson, though both leave much to be desired at the dish. At first, and likely Charleston’s cleanup hitter, will be Jose Sanchez who knocked out 26 HR’s a year ago in just 446 AB’s. Fresh faces will fill the outfield this season for the Southerners. FA acquisitions Houston Tatum and Ruben Mercedes will join waiver claims Victor Ontiveros and Joe Craddock. A year of change and a year of growth will benefit the club, so long as some sort of semblance of stability comes to the franchise. -troutis
Iowa City had its fair share of first last season. In addition to posting their first .500 season since season 6, the Bearcats won appeared in their first post-season last year by winning their first division title. Though they were eliminated in the first round by the sweeping power of Detroit, they managed to take the series to max and nearly pulled off the most unlikely playoff upset seen in years. The biggest off-season acquisition was the $43 million, 4-year contract awarded to reliever Perry Campbell who will slide into the closing role this season. Campbell has the potential to be an All-Star this year and in seasons to come, provided he stays healthy and happy. Jon Gonzales returns to anchor a solid rotation. JonGon’s miniscule 2.77 era last season justified his $13 million dollar contract, but he needs to continue making the perfect pitch for Iowa to remain tops. 3 time All-Star Ivan Armas will bring his fantastic blend of power, contact and defense back to Iowa. Though his .356 average from two years ago may not be attainable again this season, Armas is the real deal and is definitely a top tier second basemen. At 30 years old, RF Butch ‘one foot out the door’ Adams is playing in his 13th season with the club despite his numerous additions to the trading block. He took over the franchise lead in career HR’s last season and looks to impress this season as he heads into a contract year. After being drafted 4th overall by the Iowa franchise way back in season 2, Larry Franklin owns his share of almost every individual record in franchise history. Significant drops in power and average, following a herniated disk in his neck in season 12, will likely see Franklin depart after his contract is up at the end of this year. Still, his leadership and loyalty in the clubhouse will make him sorely missed. 10th overall selection from a year ago, Otis ‘don’t call me Otis’ Davis looks to be the real deal and will likely take over Franklin’s role in the near future. Rookie SS Storm Patterson is considered to be a favourite for the ROY award this year though his range and glove may prove a liability to the Bearcats defense. At 3B, Andres Alonso needs to show he was such a highly touted IFA back in season 7. Though he is a whiz in the field, time is running out for him to jump to the ranks of star. -troutis
Following division titles in season’s 11 and 12, Kansas City played bridesmaid to the recently relocated Charlotte franchise in season 13 and finished one game back of Iowa City last season. Still, General Manager casanelly refused to blow up the World Police. The veteran core of Brad Street and Orlando Vega will continue to mind the middle of the infield boasting a combination of power, contact and leadership. Joining them in the infield will be a couple of off-season free agent grabs in veteran 3B Jose ‘the Terrible’ Torrealba and the power hitting ex-Rodeo Clown 1B Jim Donatello who, at 31, will likely get the chance to start everyday for the first time in his career. Donatello has the potential to reach the 40 HR mark, though the deep fences in KC may limit him to the 30-35 range. Veteran Steven Smith and rookie Darwin Rigney will likely provide rest to the infield and make spot starts throughout the season. The outfield will be comprised of Juan Aguilera, Javier Pena and rookie Edgardo Seguignol. What these 3 lack in power they will make up for contact, on-base-percentage and sheer nastiness. They are the type of guys who will spit on your mother! Behind the plate watch for Scott Parker to get the nod versus right-handers and Neil Campbell versus lefties. They may be two of the best pitch-calling catchers in the NL. On the mound, and returning in their entirety, will be Karim James, Randy Bradford, Gabe Miller, Louie Bautista and Neifi Valdes. This may be the strength of the KC roster this year as the World Police look to improve upon their 3.95 team ERA from a year ago. Though it is unlikely that any of the starters, other than Karim James, will be able to pitch over 200 innings, the ball will be handed over to a competent bullpen anchored by sophomore phenom Walter Milton. Milton will, without doubt, get his fair share of opportunities to close out some tight, low scoring games in Kansas this year. -troutis
Following 11 seasons and 9 playoff appearances, the Charlotte Spinners packed their bags and headed to the Holy Faith of Santa Fe. After years of moderate success, the Penguins find themselves stuck in the predicament of having a solid team to field – though not good enough to advance come playoff time in the tough NL – and without too much on the prospect front. ROY candidate 1B Juan Rodriguez and 25 year old C Eduardo Sanchez will likely be the core of this team for years to come. Complemented up the middle by the very capable SS Rickey O’Brien and CF Jimmie Lopez, Santa Fe may need some career years from vets like RF Joe Reid and 2B Chance Pennington to create enough runs to stay competitive in the NL South. O’Brien hasn’t delivered since getting the big money a couple years back, though his durability is tops among shortstops. Last season late acquisition of LF Napoleon Hughes could help out as well provided he improves upon his rookie totals from a year ago. The starting rotation looks strong enough with the return of veterans Chuck Russell, Nicholas Ford and Mac Lee. Willie Astacio looks to take his game to the next level this season to provide a strong fourth for the team. The weak link in the rotation will be Alex Valdes who will likely pitch more innings than he should. Setting up games this year will be the Davis’, lefty Ricky and righty Lonnie, who hope to hold leads for veteran Jayson Levine to close out. 35-year-old Levine hasn’t held the role of closer since season 8. WIS Field in Santa Fe is most definitely a hitter’s park, so the hurlers will certainly be in tough this season compared to the neutral field of Charlotte’s Knights Castle. -troutis
Prediction:
1. Iowa City
2. Kansas City*
3. Santa Fe
4. Charleston
* denotes wildcard
N.L. West
Will 13 years of bad luck continue for the Alpini?
Can Ivan ‘the Terrible’ carry a decent staff into post-season contention?
Who will drive in runs in Tacoma?
Can the V-Bats reach 100 and challenge the big 2 for NL dominance?
It’s unlikely that 13 years of futility will end this season in Cheyenne. 13 years of playoff less baseball and only 1 plus .500 season over the past 10 years has resulted in stagnation for the Alpini. The upside is the arrival of former first round picks SS Del Guerrero and 3B Omar Fernandez. Both rookies provide a good glove, decent speed and the potential for a good average and will be given every chance to succeed this season. Joining them on the infield will be the recently traded 2B Hector Moya, who had trouble breaking into the everyday lineup in Las Vegas. Moya brings a suitable amount of power to second base, but his glove is a bit of a liability. Veteran 1B Tom Sellers moves in from the outfield this season. Sellers is entering his 7th season as an Alpini and is the undisputed leader both on and off the field. Catching duties will be split between the capable Jolbert Cruz and Keith Bunch. After posting 7 consecutive seasons of 30 plus HR’s and 100 plus RBI, LF Chuck Westbrook tailed off in his first year in Cheyenne last season hitting only 22 while knocking in a mere 66. He can only improve those numbers and his pitiful .226 average. If he can’t, rookie Al Martinez will be given the opportunity to grab some of his at bats. CF Tris Lefebvre also saw his numbers decline last season, though hopes remain high for this former 1st round draft pick after the big money deal he signed in the off season. The speedy Brit, Todd ‘Da Daft’ Douglas, will likely regain his role as the starter in right field. The rotation offers a set of problems in Cheyenne as no undisputed number 1 starter has emerged. Julio Galarraga has shown flashes of brilliance over his tenure with Cheyenne, but has been too streaky and inconsistent to label as a number 1. Achilles Houston has been capable since his conversion from a reliever to starter, but is better suited as a number 3 or 4 guy than anything else. Robb Christenson provided may have been the best of the 3 while pitching in Washington last season before his season ending shoulder injury. The FA acquisition looks to regain his form, though don’t expect many innings from him. Barney Stevenson and Alex Satou are decent hurlers but, at 35 years of age, are stopgap solutions more than anything else. Kennie Broome is likely to crack the starting rotation this year providing youthful energy to an aging rotation. Anthony Epstein regains his role as closer this year following his first All-Star appearance. At 28 years, he is one of the youngest relievers in Cheyenne. The staff, as a whole, looks to be a sore spot in Cheyenne this season - especially considering their division rivals have appeared to build from the mound out. Another tough season in Cheyenne looks eminent unless they get career years from their flock of vets and smashing starts from their rookies. -troutis
After a division title in season 12, Los Angeles fell to 4th place the following 2 seasons, dropping 89 and 92 games respectively. The Dead Bunnies batted a miserable .247 as a team last season, scoring a major league low 610 runs in the tough confines of Dodger Stadium. Leading the charge on offence this season will be 2B Josh Moore and 3B/LF Parker Leiter and 1B Ed Towers. Though all touted as potential stars, all three have had a tough start to their respective careers. Moore’s power, though good for 20 plus HR’s in every one of his 5 seasons, has seen numbers decline from his career high of 39 in season 11. His average has also dropped, finding him hitting below .250 over his past 2 seasons. Following 26 HR’s and a .290 average in season 12, Leiter has struggled to keep his starting job over the past 2 years. First round draft pick Towers has had a difficult time breaking into the lineup as well, getting only 264 and 293 at bats in each of his first 2 seasons. Towers will benefit from consistent playing time and a higher spot in the lineup. The fantastic defensively minded SS Jose Lopez will round out the infield after missing most of his rookie campaign following shoulder surgery. Expect a decent average, but no power from the Cuban born Lopez. Rookie CF Yoo-Nah Martin will join RF Glen Ennis and LF Santiago Alomar in a mediocre outfield. Veteran utility man Ron Fox will get most of his starts at 3B providing a capable bat and leadership to a team full of inexperience. Ivan ‘the Terrible’ Gonzales will be the undisputed ace of the staff again this season. Gonzales, the most tough luck starter in the bigs, will bring his miniscule career era of 3.15 into this season looking to surpass his career high 13 win season. Joining ‘the Terrible’ in the starting rotation will be Mark Koehlert and Mike Taylor who are adequately capable of keeping the Bunnies in games. The 4 and 5 spots will go to Adam Latham and Norberto Diaz who, despite showing flashes of promise earlier in their career, are relegated to back-end starters at this point. Look for Warren Peterson or Kenny Wirth to sneak in should either Latham or Diaz falter. 22-year-old Rookie Ebenezer Caruso will be handed the ball in all closing situations. LA has been eagerly waiting his arrival, and now that the time has come, watch for great things for years to come from this power pitcher. Paulie Sheffield, Dale Ramsay and Larry ‘the Bird’ Robinson close out an excellent pen. Despite a certain amount of strength from the mound, expect another tough year in California. -troutis
After finishing 2nd in 4 of the past 5 seasons and missing the playoffs in 13 straight seasons, Tacoma hopes to take the next step in their development this season. Lead by the best pitching staff outside of Detroit and Montreal from last year, the Phantom der Nacht employ a staff that is built to win now. Former closer Eric Klassen will get the ball on opening day and look to build on his stellar era of 2.44 from last season. He has appeared to have mentally made the unlikely switch from closer to starter, but physical limitations wont see him pitch 200 innings this year. Look for innings to come from Bobby Courtney this season. Courtney’s stellar rookie campaign from season 11 was surpassed last season and everyone in Tacoma is expecting the development of the former 1st round pick to continue into this season. Veteran Donaldo Trinidad continues to turn heads in his 11th season. Trinidad is a perfect number 3 pitcher, offering innings, strikeouts and a respectable opponents batting average. Orlando Torres and former rule 5 grab Nipsey Warden will occupy the 4 and 5 starts providing an adequate mix of power and finesse. The volatile Bono Mathewson will be given the opportunity to close out games in Tacoma. Look for Willy Ginter to step in should he prove to be too much of a risk in that role. First round selection 3B Ralf Goodwin provides the best defense of any third basemen in the NL and, at 24 years of age, will be coming into his own as a hitter. His 98 RBI from a year ago weren’t an aberration. Joining him on the infield will be 3 time World Series champ SS Pasqual Beltre who brings a capable glove and decent bat to the lineup. Highly touted IFA, 2B Alfredo Lee, saw his numbers drop from 31 HR’s 2 seasons ago to 13 last year. He’ll need to regain his swing to improve the ML low 112 team HR’s posted by Tacoma a year ago. 1B Buck Weems offers consistency offering 21 and 23 HR’s and .263 and .262 average over the past 2 seasons respectively. Lenny Bennett, Bud Hunter, Julio Gomez and Delino Gomez offer a speedy and defensive outfield for Tacoma, while C Mark Yamamato brings a capable, but not spectacular bat to the lineup. Tacoma will need stellar seasons from every spot in their lineup if they wish to catch Vancouver this season. -troutis
The best ‘other’ team in the NL (Montreal and Detroit exempt) is located in Vancouver and will likely to be so for some time to come. 97 wins and an appearance in the League Championship Series would be fantastic for any other team, but fans of the Vampire Bats are demanding they to take their game to the next level and prospects look good to do so this season. After signing a massive deal last off-season, Bruce ‘the Bandit’ Schoendienst looks to prove he is deserving of the 12.5 million he’ll be earning this year. The Bandit has proven to be a workhorse, logging 230 or more innings pitched in 7 of his first 8 years in the league. Joining The Bandit in the rotation will be a couple of solid front end starters in Logan Harper and Ralf Rocker, both of who the V-Bats were able to wrestle away from other clubs in fantastic deals over the past few seasons. Alex Darling will be expected to continue his fantastic young career that has seen him post a sub 4.00 era in each of his first 3 seasons. Though not a power pitcher, Darling is fast gaining the reputation crafty hurler who can get the job done. The number 5 starter will be Edge “Achtung’ Ramsay who, at age 35, has crafted out for himself a reputation as a dependable and consistent, if not unlikely, starter. If this is the year Ramsay steps back, expect either Tarrik Grimsley or Frank ‘the Laser’ Lunsford to grab the spot. While starting pitching is definitely the strength of this club, Vancouver’s bullpen wont be squandering too many leads. Led by the 397 career saves of Jimmy Parker, the V-Bats boast a colourful bunch of relievers who are known as much for their shut down abilities as they are for their rock n’ roll lifestyles away from the field. Schenectady New York’s Erick Redman looks to improve on a fantastic rookie year behind the plate. Though Redman is strong behind the plate, he also possesses a strong bat which is a huge asset at his position. 1B Dan Stanly and 3B Bart Stewart will provide the power from the corner infield positions, but it is the emergence of the young 2B Matty Medrano that Vancouver looks most forward to. Medrano fantastic defensive abilities have been rewarded with back-to-back gold gloves and his speed has resulted in 50 plus sb’s in his first 3 seasons. Look for a platoon of a couple of defensive minded guys in Dave Williams and Steve Restovich at shortstop. In the outfield, power-hitting veteran RF Francis Yearwood will be joined by CF Bruce Lamb and rookie LF Del Cavo. The power hitters in Vancouver are now all over 30, so the Bats will be needing to make the most of their at bats this season. -troutis
Prediction:
1. Vancouver
2. Tacoma
3. Los Angeles
4. Cheyenne
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