Monday, March 29, 2010

NL North Preview

Minnesota Baggies (1st, 114-48)

Additions:
N/A

Departures:
INF Morrie Corrimer (FA, New Orleans)
2B Jarrod Rupe (Trade, New York Knights)
P Andruw Shields (FA)

Key Position Players:

SS Cristobal Mercedes - He's coming off a career year where he won the Silver Slugger award at SS and drove in 122 runs.

1B Fausto Jimenez - Easily the best power hitter on the team. He led in HR's last season with 38.

Key Pitchers:

SP Phil Won - Won came over midseason in a trade last year and won 14 games for the Baggies giving him an astounding 27 wins total last season. He's expecting another big year this season.

SP Stuart Davidson - Davidson is a seasoned veteran who's won two Cy Young awards in his career.

Stock:
Steady


Cleveland Indians (2nd, 79-83)

Additions:
P Carl Kraemer (Trade, New York Knights)
RF Bryant Worthington (Trade, Atlanta)
LF Dante Daniels (FA, Atlanta)

Departures:
P Tori Stevenson (Trade, New York Knights)
CF Louis Johnston (Trade, Atlanta)
1B Tim Mitchell (FA)

Key Position Players:

OF Fergie Sutton - Sutton nearly carried the Indians into the playoffs last season. He finished second in the MVP vote last season and is the leader of this team.

3B Ken Swann - Swann is coming off a bit of a disappointing season where almost all of his numbers dipped. He needs to have a bounce back season for the Indians to improve.

Key Pitchers:

SP Hooks Ball - Ball has been a great pitcher since he came into the league but hasn't had the run support to get the wins he deserves. He hopes to have his best season yet this year.

SP Carl Kraemer - The Indians brought in Kraemer to boost their rotation to attempt to compete with Minnesota. He's switching leagues which could benefit him this year.

Stock:
Up


Wichita Swashbucklers (3rd, 77-85)


Additions:
P Alejandro Valentin (FA, Nashville)
P Kris Greenwood (FA, Tampa Bay)
P Fausto Costilla (FA, Anaheim)

Departures:
P Craig Carpenter (FA)

Key Postition Players:

LF Miguel Valentin - Valentin led the team in HR's (30) and RBI's (84) last season.

1B Doug Campbell - Campbell has been a very consistent player over the years for Wichita. He hopes to have another solid season this year.

Key Pitchers:

SP Andrew Lyons - Lyons has consistently been improving over the past few seasons. However, he's 33 and his best years may be behind him.

RP Vasco Lira - Lira is a dynamite young pitcher who did very well last season as the closer.

Stock:
Steady


Buffalo Crusaders (4th 69-93)

Additions:
P William Evans (FA, Detroit)
P Shaggy Hill (FA, Detroit)
RF Donaldo Cruz (FA, Portland)

Departures:
LF Buddy Judd (Trade, Arizona)
2B Lew Thompson (Trade, Scranton)
SS Olmedo Guzman (FA, Chicago)

Key Position Players:

C Julio Cervantes - The best returning player from last season. He's the leader of a young, rebuilding team this season.

1B James Abe - This 25 year old is hoping to have a breakout season this year.

Key Pitchers:

SP Carlos Guillen - Guillen won 17 games last season including 5 complete games. He's hoping to have a similar season this year.

SP Stretch Durocher - Durocher has been good for Buffalo for the last few seasons but he's hoping to have his best season yet.

Stock:
Steady


Prediction:

Minnesota is still the favorite to win this division again this season but the gap seems to be closing. Cleveland has made improvements this offseason and it should be a closer race this season.

Sunday, March 28, 2010

AL West Preview

Scottsdale Schmohawks (1st, 88-74)

Additions:
SS Gary Stockton (Trade, Arizona)
DH Nick Bonds (FA, Florida)
RF Andre Stanley (FA, Boise)

Departures:
P Vladimir Sosa (FA, New York Knights)
2B Royce Berkman (FA, Trenton)
DH Emil James (FA)

Key Position Players:

DH Nick Bonds - Bonds was brought in to power up Scottsdale's lineup. He's hit over .300 each of the last 3 seasons.

RF Larry Cambridge - Cambridge may be the Schmohawks best all-around player. He hit 30 HR's and had over 100 RBI's with a BA of .311. He also stole 17 bases last year.

Key Pitchers:

RP Morgan Reboulet - Reboulet may be the best closer in the game. He's coming off one of his best seasons where he saved 43 games out of 45 opportunities.

SP Cedrick Lee - Lee needs to have a good season for the Schmohawks to repeat as division champions. He's a solid ace with a killer sinker.

Stock:
Down (A little bit)


Kansas City Monarchs (2nd 72-90)

Additions:
N/A

Departures:
P Al Alicea (FA, Atlanta)
C Pat Rasmussen (FA, Trenton)
1B Larry Owens (FA)

Key Position Players:

3B Erik Forrest - Forrest is coming off a season where he hit .302 with 21 HR's. His biggest problem (as with most of the team) is that he strikes out a lot.

SS Bob Crawford - Crawford led the team in 2B's last season and also stole 29 bases.

Key Pitchers:

SP Cristobal Lucano - Lucano is one of the bright spots of the team coming off a season where he won a career high 17 games.

RP Brandon Stanley - Stanley has been a consistent closer, saving at least 30 games in each of the last 4 seasons.

Stock:
Down


Sacramento Rivercats (3rd, 57-105)

Additions:
P Gabby Patrick (FA, Pittsburgh)
P Terrance Fontenot (FA, Indianapolis)

Departures:
P Kevin Dykhoff (Trade, New York Rockstars)

Key Positon Players:

1B Harpo D'Amico - Harpo was one of the few bright spots of last season. He led the team in 2B's (35), HR's (26), RBI's (99), and SB (40). He needs to have another season like that this year.

RF Clarence Thompson - Thompson hit .353 last year and the Rivercats are counting on him to hit like that again this season.

Key Pitchers:

SP Tim McCartney - McCartney was the only pitcher last season to have an ERA under 5.00. He's going to be the ace this year and will try and set the standard for the pitching staff this year.

Stock:
Steady


Arizona Rattlers (4th, 42-120)


Additions:
LF Buddy Judd (Trade, Buffalo)
3B Al Hamlin (FA, Scranton)
P Bill Forrester (FA, Scranton)
P Alan O'Rourke (FA, Little Rock)

Departures:
SS Gary Stockton (Trade, Scottsdale)
RF Merv Linebrink (Trade, New York Rockstars)
CF Tino Rubel (FA, New Orleans)

Key Position Players:

LF Buddy Judd - The Rattlers made a big deal for a great power hitter in Buddy Judd. They hope he can bring some much needed power to their lineup.

3B Al Hamlin - Hamlin was brought in to bring a veteran presence to Arizona. He may be 36 but he's still playing at a high level. He hit .301 last season.

Key Pitchers:

SP Bill Forrester - The Rattlers took a gamble on Forrester who never seemed to reach his potential with Scranton. They hope the change of scenery will fix that.

SP Alan O'Rourke - O'Rourke was another veteran brought in to try and change this team's fortunes. He's coming off a season in which he had a ERA of 2.86.

Stock:
Up


Prediction:

This division is easily the worst in the AL. Scottsdale seems to still be the favorite despite not making too many moves this offseason. Arizona is aggresively trying to turn their franchise around but it'll probably be a couple years before they're a serious contender.

Friday, March 26, 2010

AL South Preview

Durham Bull****artists (1st, 103-59)

Additions:
P Heinie Sandberg (Trade, Chicago)

Departures:
C Winston Trujillo (FA, New Orleans)
3B Matthew Franco (FA, Scranton)
P James Baez (FA, Atlanta)

Key Position Players:

1B Lonnie Ellis - Ellis has been a stud since he came into a league a few years ago. He's coming off a stellar year in which he won the AL MVP award and is hoping to repeat this year.

DH Del Lee - Lee had a solid season last year hitting .326 with 31 2B's.

Key Pitchers:

SP Heinie Sandberg - Sandberg was brought in to fix the rotation's woes of last season that cost them in the playoffs. He's coming off one of his best seasons yet in which he posted a sub-4.00 ERA.

RP Mark Cepeda - Cepeda's first two seasons in the majors were great and he's hoping for a third one. He's key to Durham's bullpen success.

Stock:
Steady


Nashville Music Death Row (2nd, 90-72)

Additions:
P Alan Coppolecchia (FA, Jacksonville)
CF Bud Haynes (FA, Anaheim)

Departures:
LF Ned Broussard (FA, New York Knights)
3B Cesar Figureoa (FA, Richmond)
P Bret Tremie (FA, Tampa Bay)

Key Position Players:

1B Pete Pall - Was one of 3 players who had over 100 RBI's last season. They're going to need another performance like that out of him this season.

C/DH Davy Forbes - Forbes is a great hitter that had over 100 RBI's last season. The goal for Nashville is to keep him in the lineup just about every day.

Key Pitchers:

SP Heinie Campbell - Campbell is coming off a career year where he won 17 games and had a sub-4.00 ERA. He hopes to have another great season this year.

RP Ryan Lewis - He's coming off a great rookie season. He's the key to Nashville's bullpen.

Stock:
Down


Florida fish (3rd, 89-73)

Additions:
N/A

Departures:
P Joel Coles (FA, New Orleans)
P Leo Eaton (FA, Arizona)
DH Nick Bonds (FA, Scottsdale)

Key Position Players:

C Del Valenzuela - Valenzuela is a good hitter who brings a veteran prescence to this team. The question is whether his numbers will slip or not. He's 33 and his best years may be behind him.

SS Marshall Ramsey - He hit .380 with over 100 RBI's last season and the fish are counting him to have another great season this year.

Key Pitchers:

RP Bart Gross - Gross is top pitcher returning to the bullpen for the fish. They need him to have a good season.

SP Reggie Throneberry - The diminutive Throneberry (he's only 5'9) hopes to have another big year. He won 17 games last season and he'd like to up that to 20.

Stock:
Down


Charlotte North Carolinans (4th, 79-83)

Additions:
P Tony Lucano (FA, Atlanta)
P Einar Marichal (FA, Richmond)
P Albert Cook (FA, Richmond)
P Albie Seanez (FA, Tampa Bay)
P Henry Brock (FA, Atlanta)

Departures:
P Rick Bonham (FA)
C Abraham Bolling (FA)
CF Mac Wang (FA)

Key Postition Players:

RF Tony Sardinha - In his first full season last year he hit 30 2B's and HR's. He hopes to have an even better year this season.

SS Phillip Gonzales - He's a dynamic player that hit 7 3B's and stole 28 bases last season.

Key Pitchers:

SP Einar Marichal - Charlotte completely retooled their rotation for this season and Marichal was one of the key FA signings they made. Although he didn't have his best season last year, he's a seasoned veteran that could have a big impact this season.

RP Albert Cook - Another FA signing from the offseason. Cook was brought in to be the closer this season and is coming off a year in which he had 26 saves.

Stock:
Up


Prediction:

Durham will probably roll to another division crown this season as they have a powerful lineup. The rest of the division could be close and someone like Charlotte could steal a wild card spot. As a side note, does anyone else think it's funny that there are two pitchers in this division named Heinie?

AL East Preview

Richmond Whack-A-Moles (1st, 98-64)

Additions:
P Pat Martin (FA, Los Angeles)
P Edgardo Colon (FA, Atlanta)
3B Cesar Figureoa (FA, Nashville)

Departures:
3B David Eckstein (FA, Boise)
P Ray Cannon (FA, Arizona)
P Einar Marichal (FA, Charlotte)

Key Position Players:

LF Raul Rodriguez - Raul has been one of the best players in the league for some time now and he's key to Richmond's chances of winning the World Series for the third consecutive season.

DH Kordell Morandini - Kordell is one of the best hitters in the league. He had an OPS of 1.030 last season.

Key Pitchers:

SP Walt Jackson - Jackson has been a very consistent ace over the years. He's coming off another solid season and hopes to get back to 20 wins this season.

SP Hideo Zhang - He's the apparent heir to Jackson's throne. In his first full season last year he posted 13 wins and a 3.01 ERA. And he's just 22 years old.

Stock:
Steady


New York Rockstars (2nd, 98-64)

Additions:
1B Brooks Powell (Trade, Boise)
LF Danny Wagner (FA, Buffalo)
P Russell Jones (FA, Buffalo)

Departures:
P Carl Kraemer (Trade, Cleveland)
P Bret Wall (Trade, Pittsburgh)
P Craig Howard (Trade, Tampa Bay)

Key Position Players:

SS Russell Bieser - He's played every single game the last two seasons and is coming off his best year yet. He hit 27 HR's and led the team with 114 RBI's

LF Julio Limon - Was hoping to have a huge impact this year but suffered a major injury at the end of Spring Training. He's going to miss the first 3 months of the season with a bulging disk in his back.

Key Pitchers:

RP Wilfredo Gonzalez - Solid closer who saved 43 games last season and had an ERA of 3.62. He needs to have another good year for the Rockstars.

SP Andres Valdes - He's consistently got better year after year. Last season he won 19 games and the Rockstars are hoping for an even better year this season.

Stock:
Down (A little bit)


Jacksonville Tequila Drinkin' Barflies (3rd, 89-73)

Additions:
LF Brooks Nelson (Trade, Pittsburgh)
P Pete Munro (Trade, Pittsburgh)

Departures:
P Alan Coppolecchia (FA, Nashville)
2B Todd Michaels (FA)
3B Phil Lennon (Trade, Pittsburgh)

Key Position Players:

OF Danny Vernon - He's the team's best hitter. Last season he led the team in RBI's (106) and OPS (.904).

1B Wally Andrews - Powerful hitter who crushed 37 HR's last season.

Key Pitchers:

SP Cesar Johnson - Jacksonville's ace that needs to have a great season for the Barflies to catch New York and Richmond.

RP Roy Schilling - Schilling has been a great closer for years now, however last season wasn't his best. He was able to save 50 games but had an ERA of 6.30. He's looking to have a better year this season.

Stock:
Steady


Chicago Dogs (4th, 84-78)

Additions:
SS Olmedo Guzman (FA, Buffalo)
P Mark Hamilton (FA, Colorado Springs)
P Patrick Henry (FA, Richmond)

Departures:
P Heinie Sandberg (Trade, Durham)
P Al Perez (FA)
2B Jeff Holbert (FA, New York Knights)

Key Position Players:

LF Christy Brownson - Hit 40 HR's last season. The Dogs are counting on him to carry this lineup.

SS Olmedo Guzman - Guzman was the big FA signing this year for the Dogs and they need him to have a good year for the Dogs to catch the top teams in the league.

Key Pitchers:

SP Jose Torres - Torres will be getting the ball on Opening Day for Chicago. He's been consistent over the years. In each of his 8 seasons, he's won 10 games and only once had an ERA over 4.00

SP Jerome Tracy - Led the team with 15 wins last year. He's looking to have a breakout season in his third year in the league.

Stock:
Down


Prediction:

It should be another great race this season in the AL East. It could come down to the last game of the season again this year. I think Richmond will again edge out New York and Jacksonville for the division crown, but all 3 teams could be in the playoffs this year.

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Season Preview Year 9

For this year's season preview we'll be going division by division looking at what each team has done during the offseason and what we might expect from the season. We'll be starting with the AL North.

Trenton Undertakers (1st, 95-67)

Additions:
2B Royce Berkman (FA, Scottsdale)
P Felipe Brogna (FA, Atlanta)
C Pat Rasmussen (FA, Kansas City)

Departures:
OF Sammy Perez (FA, Los Angeles)
C Fernando Pena (FA)
SS John Terry (FA)

Key Position Players:

OF Neifi Hernandez - Last year he led the team in HR with 45. Defensively he'll probably be moving to LF with the departure of Sammy Perez.

DH Santos Osuna - Osuna is coming off a season in which he had a career high BA of .367 but also a career low HR total with just 29.

Key Pitchers:

SP Gerardo Torres - Last season he won the AL Rookie of the Year with a record of 18-8 and a 3.23 ERA.

SP Coco Garcia - Led the team with a 2.62 ERA last season.

Stock:
Steady


Scranton Office (2nd, 92-70)

Additions:
3B Matthew Franco (FA, Durham)
P Ismael Prieto (Trade, New York Knights)
2B Lew Thompson (Trade, Buffalo)

Departures:
P Kordell Moss (Retirement)
3B Al Hamlin (FA, Arizona)
CF Julian Jimenez (FA, Tampa Bay)

Key Position Players:

2B Lew Thompson - In one of the big trades of the offseason, the Office acquired dynamic 2B Thompson from Buffalo. He's a 2 time All Star and has won 3 Silver Slugger awards, and he's just 26 years old.

3B Matthew Franco - Another offseason acquisition that should have a big impact this season. Coming off a year where he had a .314 BA and hit 20 HR's.

Key Pitchers:

RP Ivan Romano - Romano is one of the best closers in the game and is coming off a season where he won the Cy Young and saved 54 games.

SP Ismael Prieto - Prieto has had a sub-4.0 ERA each of the last six seasons but fell short of 10 wins the last two years. He hopes to have a career year with his new team.

Stock:
Up


Detroit Wolverines (3rd, 82-80)

Additions:
P Aubrey Wilhelm (FA, Little Rock)
P Lenny McClellan (FA, Kansas City)

Departures:
P William Evans (FA, Buffalo)
3B Guy Baker (FA, New Orleans)
P Shaggy Hill (FA, Buffalo)

Key Position Players:

1B Teddy Kiner - He hit .356 last season with 29 HR's. However he's 34 and his power numbers have been dropping over the last couple of seasons.

LF James Hinchcliffe - He led the team last season with a .385 OBP.

Key Pitchers:

SP Marvin Millwood - Millwood is coming off an All Star year where he posted a 2.37 ERA. Millwood will need another season like that to move the Wolverines up in the division.

SP Britt O'Brien - Britt led the team with 16 wins last season and is looking to have an even better year this season.

Stock:
Steady



Portland Sea Dawgs (4th, 35-127)

Additions:
P Floyd Hill (Trade, New Orleans)
1B O.T. Valentine (Trade, New Orleans)
3B Rob Milliard (Trade, New Orleans)

Departures:
P Stretch Hausmann (FA)
RF Donaldo Cruz (FA)
P Omar Marquez (FA)

Key Position Players:

1B Shawn Sosa - Impressive young hitter that played in every game last season and posted the the team's best BA (.282)

SS Joaquin Diaz - Good defensive player that can also hit for power. Led the team last season with 28 HR's.

Key Pitchers:

RP Floyd Hill - The only veteran addition the Sea Dawgs added to what was a horrible pitching staff last season. They hope he can be a big help for the bullpen.

SP Matt Guerrero - Matt was selected in this season's Rule 5 draft. He's a former Supplemental 1st Round pick and he'll be making his ML debut for the Sea Dawgs this season.

Stock:
Steady


My prediction for the league is that Scranton will edge out Trenton for the pennant in a close battle. Both teams will have a good chance of making the playoffs again. Detroit will hover around .500 again, while Portland will be a non-factor again this season.