AL
#4 Minnesota Twins (81-81) vs. #5 Anaheim Angels (97-65)
Head to Head Results: Games 6-4 Anaheim, Runs 68-46 Anaheim
Starters:
Minnesota -
#1 Rico Herrera 12-12, 3.96 ERA, 1.38 WHIP
#2 Abraham Bradford 7-2, 3.72 ERA, 1.24 WHIP
#3 Branch Vitiello 12-7, 3.36 ERA, 1.36 WHIP
Anaheim -
#1 Haywood Charles 17-13, 4.13 ERA, 1.27 WHIP
#2 Fernando Dotel 16-6, 3.54 ERA, 1.20 WHIP
#3 Ernest Becker 10-8, 4.30 ERA, 1.37 WHIP
Top Hitters:
Minnesota -
Valerio Guillien 34 HR, 99 RBI, .893 OPS
Sam Kubinski 39 HR, 96 RBI, .866 OPS
Lance Corrino 28 HR, 94 RBI, .801 OPS
Anaheim -
Darryl Whitaker 41 HR, 97 RBI, .313 BA, 1.011 OPS
Arthur Boggs 29 HR, 89 RBI, .316 BA, .925 OPS
Travis Murphy 45 HR, 121 RBI, .922 OPS
#3 Kansas City Royals (94-68) vs. #6 Texas Rangers (93-69)
Head to Head Results: Games Tied 5-5, Runs 58-39 Texas
Starters:
Kansas City -
#1 Patrick Rivera 16-5, 3.08 ERA, 1.18 WHIP
#2 Stephen Fischer 17-7, 3.94 ERA, 1.36 WHIP
#3 Damaso Palacios 15-12, 3.72 ERA, 1.28 WHIP
Texas -
#1 Jeff Bollea 18-5, 3.56 ERA, 1.27 WHIP
#2 Homer Flanagan 13-4, 3.07 ERA, 1.17 WHIP
#3 Davey Molina 13-11, 3.98 ERA, 1.40 WHIP
Top Hitters:
Kansas City -
Danny Alexander 46 HR, 120 RBI, .907 OPS
Al Perez 46 HR 121 RBI, .903 OPS
Hector Joseph 111 Runs, 55 SB, .856 OPS
Texas -
Juan Marrero 58 G, 19 HR, 47 RBI, .982 OPS
Henry Shuey 57 G, 21 HR, 54 RBI, .973 OPS (AL stats)
Tony Contreras 102 Runs, 53 SB, .312 BA, .400 OBP
NL
#4 Atlanta Braves (78-84) vs. #5 Philadelphia Phillies (95-67)
Head to Head Results: Games 6-4 Philadelphia, Runs 58-56 Philadelphia
Starters:
Atlanta -
#1 Tris Breen 14-9, 3.27 ERA, 1.21 WHIP
#2 Alejandro Vazquez 11-11, 2.94 ERA, 1.25 WHIP
#3 Rafael Cortes 7-8, 3.89 ERA, 1.36 WHIP
Philadelphia -
#1 Darren Chance 17-7, 2.04 ERA, 1.13 WHIP
#2 Perry Harvey 11-12, 3.74 ERA, 1.25 WHIP
#3 Frank Feng 9-4, 3.71 ERA, 1.27 WHIP
Top Hitters:
Atlanta -
Dee Dee Hutton 49 HR, 137 RBI, .969 OPS
Eric Roosevelt 35 HR, 106 RBI, .892 OPS
Dan Guerrero 33 HR, 101 RBI, 22 SB
Philadelphia -
Pedro Garrido 46 HR, 127 RBI, .318 BA, 1.032 OPS
Frank Jorgensen 46 HR, 105 RBI, .983 OPS
Del Whilhelm 129 Runs, 33 HR, 104 RBI, 40 SB, .965 OPS
Jose Pichardo 37 HR, 101 RBI, 29 SB, .325 BA, .945 OPS
#3 San Francisco Giants (90-72) vs. #6 Chicago Cubs (89-73)
Head to Head Results: Games 6-4 Chicago, Runs 48-44 Chicago
Starters:
San Francisco -
#1 Carlos Trinidad 15-8, 2.88 ERA, 1.27 WHIP
#2 Zach Millwood 12-12, 3.78 ERA, 1.37 WHIP
#3 Wilton Stark 9-8, 4.41 ERA, 1.26 WHIP
Chicago -
#1 Victor Torres 11-9, 3.13 ERA, 1.18 WHIP
#2 Guy Kirk 10-10, 2.91 ERA, 1.16 WHIP
#3 Carter Kennedy 10-8, 3.62 ERA, 1.28 WHIP
Top Hitters:
San Francisco -
Jolbert Romero 36 HR, 89 RBI, .317 BA, 1.023 OPS
Jake Clapp 38 HR, 126 RBI, 29 SB, .905 OPS
Cristobal Marquez 24 HR, 98 RBI, .852 OPS
Chicago -
Julio Martin 36 HR, 95 RBI, .928 OPS
Tony Masao 47 HR, 108 RBI, .840 OPS
Monday, December 22, 2008
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Season 5 Power Rankings - 4th Edition
1. (2) Portland Beavers, 95-54, Past Weeks 34-14: The Beavers are close to locking up division title #2 and the #1 playoff seed. The Beavers are a deep, talented team but lack any marquee star that is typically found on championship teams.
2. (9) Philadelphia Phillies, 87-62, Past Weeks 33-15: The Phillies have returned to championship form as all the pieces seem to be lining up at the right time. With two aces in Chance and Harvey, this team is going to be a tough playoff opponent.
3. (5) Anaheim Angels, 88-61, Past Weeks 32-16: The Angels have played great but still find themselves losing ground. Dotel and Charles do a lot in making this team the toughest first round opponent in either league.
4. (7) Washington DC Nationals, 87-62, Past Weeks 31-17: With Marquez pitching brilliantly and Swann’s bat having come alive, the Nats are staying with the Phils and will be a tough team to face in the playoffs.
5. (13) New York Yankees, 86-63, 67-54, Past Weeks 33-15: The Yankees have been playing great ball which has led to their clinching their 2nd division title and having the lead for the #2 playoff seed. The arrivals of Ozzie Percival, Raul Lee, and Marco Harper have given the pitching a major boost.
6. (1) Montreal Expos, 85-64, Past Weeks 26-22: Marte seems to be a lock for this season’s MVP with his gaudy batting average along with big-time power numbers, but Montreal is anything but a lock for the division. The fight with the Reds looks like it may be decided on the final day.
7. (6) Kansas City Royals, 85-64, Past Weeks 28-20: Danny Alexander’s big bat continues to provide the biggest boost to this team as they now sit tied for the division.
8. (3) Charlotte Knights, 85-64, Past Weeks 25-23: A poor showing in divisional play has opened up the AL South race as the Royals and Rangers are right on their heels.
9. (17) San Francisco Giants, 84-65, Past Weeks 31-17: With homerun contest winner Jolbert Romero leading the offense despite showing signs of fatigue, the Giants have stood large of late and are on the verge of their first division title.
10. (8) Cincinnati Reds, 85-64, Past Weeks 28-20: Great pitching and big time slugging have the Reds tied with the Expos. Unfortunately, their bullpen weaknesses may be their fatal flaw in both the regular season race and the playoffs.
11. (10) Texas Rangers, 84-65, Past Weeks 28-20: Free agency has been good to the Rangers as Cy Young candidate Jeff Bollea and speedster Tony Contreras are keeping them in the race. Right now they are on the outside as they sit 1 game back in both the division and the #2 wild card races.
12. (15) Seattle Mariners, 81-68, Past Weeks 27-21: The Mariners remain a solid team with excellent pitching, but they are going to need catch a big winning streak if they hope to continue into the postseason.
13. (11) Chicago Cubs, 81-68, Past Weeks 25-23: The Cubs need some masterful pitching during this final week as they stand 4 GB for the division and 2nd wild card with only 13 remaining, because their “anemic” offense just isn’t going to get it done.
14. (4) San Diego Padres, 80-69, Past Weeks 23-25: The Padre’s have slumped and Ralph Levine’s arrival could not pull them out of it. With 4 GB in the division and 13 left to play, the Padres need to pray for a miracle.
15. (14) Arizona Diamondbacks, 79-70, Past Weeks 25-23: The D’backs stranglehold on the NL West is almost over, thanks to an under achieving performance by one of the more talented pitching staffs.
16. (18) Oakland Athletics, 75-74, Past Weeks 22-26: The A’s are the last place team in baseball’s best division but there is a lot of good young talent on this team which gives the fans hope for next season.
17. (12) Detroit Tigers, 75-74, Past Weeks 21-27: Luckily for the Tigers, the Twins have played just as badly and are allowing the Tigers to limp their way to the division title. MVP candidate Damian Chen is having another outstanding season and is excited to play in his first postseason game.
18. (20) New York Mets, 74-75, Past Weeks 24-24: The Mets remain solid and with their well-stocked farm system have the look of a team on the verge for next season.
19. (21) Atlanta Braves, 73-76, Past Weeks 24-24: Despite their mediocre season, the Braves appear headed to repeat as division champs and give Dee Dee another shot at postseason glory.
20. (19) Minnesota Twins, 73-76, Past Weeks 22-26: Ever since the trading deadline passed, the Twins have had a hard time playing with any consistency and their bid for a 3rd division title is at risk.
21. (16) Los Angeles Dodgers, 71-78, Past Weeks 17-31: The Dodger pitching has remained solid but the Dodger bats have fallen silent and have led to the demise of their once promising season.
22. (23) Boston Red Sox, 69-80, Past Weeks 20-28: The Red Sox are a distant 2nd place and are going to need a lot of help on the pitching staff to compete next season.
23. (26) St. Louis Cardinals, 69-80, Past Weeks 24-24: The Cards put together a solid week that found them briefly leading the division. A big finale could still find this team in the postseason.
24. (22) Florida Marlins, 69-80, Past Weeks 20-28: The Marlins had their shot at this division and then sank back down. It appears that another sub .500 division title is not going to happen for them this season.
25. (24) Cleveland Indians, 67-82, Past Weeks 19-29: The Tribe faded fast after their brief stint atop the division. There is great hope for the future with some major prospects in their system.
26. (25) Pittsburgh Pirates, 66-83, Past Weeks 19-29: Redmond and Sherman need more help. We’ll see if the Bucs can find it next season.
27. (30) Baltimore Orioles, 62-87, Past Weeks 25-23: With a respectable week, the O’s climb a few spots and avoid the shame of a 100-loss season.
28. (28) Toronto Blue Jays, 62-87, Past Weeks 17-31: Humpty Dumpty fell off the wall this week in Toronto and by shipping out stud closer Marco Harper for youth, the hope is that he can be put together next season.
29. (27) Houston Astros, 58-91, Past Weeks 16-32: The Astros just couldn’t make it work enough to compete in the sad NL South, but good talent awaits in AAA and below that could lead to a change in their fortunes next season.
30. (29) Tampa Bay Rays, 57-92, Past Weeks 17-31: The Rays still have a shot at avoiding 100 losses, which would be a spectacular accomplishment for this stripped down ball club.
31. (30) Milwaukee Brewers, 51-98, Past Weeks 18-30: Lira, Shuey, and Parrish got to escape for greener pastures. Perhaps their replacements can make a difference next season.
47. (32) Chicago White Sox, 41-108, Past Weeks 14-34: This team would be a long shot for the AAA playoffs.
2. (9) Philadelphia Phillies, 87-62, Past Weeks 33-15: The Phillies have returned to championship form as all the pieces seem to be lining up at the right time. With two aces in Chance and Harvey, this team is going to be a tough playoff opponent.
3. (5) Anaheim Angels, 88-61, Past Weeks 32-16: The Angels have played great but still find themselves losing ground. Dotel and Charles do a lot in making this team the toughest first round opponent in either league.
4. (7) Washington DC Nationals, 87-62, Past Weeks 31-17: With Marquez pitching brilliantly and Swann’s bat having come alive, the Nats are staying with the Phils and will be a tough team to face in the playoffs.
5. (13) New York Yankees, 86-63, 67-54, Past Weeks 33-15: The Yankees have been playing great ball which has led to their clinching their 2nd division title and having the lead for the #2 playoff seed. The arrivals of Ozzie Percival, Raul Lee, and Marco Harper have given the pitching a major boost.
6. (1) Montreal Expos, 85-64, Past Weeks 26-22: Marte seems to be a lock for this season’s MVP with his gaudy batting average along with big-time power numbers, but Montreal is anything but a lock for the division. The fight with the Reds looks like it may be decided on the final day.
7. (6) Kansas City Royals, 85-64, Past Weeks 28-20: Danny Alexander’s big bat continues to provide the biggest boost to this team as they now sit tied for the division.
8. (3) Charlotte Knights, 85-64, Past Weeks 25-23: A poor showing in divisional play has opened up the AL South race as the Royals and Rangers are right on their heels.
9. (17) San Francisco Giants, 84-65, Past Weeks 31-17: With homerun contest winner Jolbert Romero leading the offense despite showing signs of fatigue, the Giants have stood large of late and are on the verge of their first division title.
10. (8) Cincinnati Reds, 85-64, Past Weeks 28-20: Great pitching and big time slugging have the Reds tied with the Expos. Unfortunately, their bullpen weaknesses may be their fatal flaw in both the regular season race and the playoffs.
11. (10) Texas Rangers, 84-65, Past Weeks 28-20: Free agency has been good to the Rangers as Cy Young candidate Jeff Bollea and speedster Tony Contreras are keeping them in the race. Right now they are on the outside as they sit 1 game back in both the division and the #2 wild card races.
12. (15) Seattle Mariners, 81-68, Past Weeks 27-21: The Mariners remain a solid team with excellent pitching, but they are going to need catch a big winning streak if they hope to continue into the postseason.
13. (11) Chicago Cubs, 81-68, Past Weeks 25-23: The Cubs need some masterful pitching during this final week as they stand 4 GB for the division and 2nd wild card with only 13 remaining, because their “anemic” offense just isn’t going to get it done.
14. (4) San Diego Padres, 80-69, Past Weeks 23-25: The Padre’s have slumped and Ralph Levine’s arrival could not pull them out of it. With 4 GB in the division and 13 left to play, the Padres need to pray for a miracle.
15. (14) Arizona Diamondbacks, 79-70, Past Weeks 25-23: The D’backs stranglehold on the NL West is almost over, thanks to an under achieving performance by one of the more talented pitching staffs.
16. (18) Oakland Athletics, 75-74, Past Weeks 22-26: The A’s are the last place team in baseball’s best division but there is a lot of good young talent on this team which gives the fans hope for next season.
17. (12) Detroit Tigers, 75-74, Past Weeks 21-27: Luckily for the Tigers, the Twins have played just as badly and are allowing the Tigers to limp their way to the division title. MVP candidate Damian Chen is having another outstanding season and is excited to play in his first postseason game.
18. (20) New York Mets, 74-75, Past Weeks 24-24: The Mets remain solid and with their well-stocked farm system have the look of a team on the verge for next season.
19. (21) Atlanta Braves, 73-76, Past Weeks 24-24: Despite their mediocre season, the Braves appear headed to repeat as division champs and give Dee Dee another shot at postseason glory.
20. (19) Minnesota Twins, 73-76, Past Weeks 22-26: Ever since the trading deadline passed, the Twins have had a hard time playing with any consistency and their bid for a 3rd division title is at risk.
21. (16) Los Angeles Dodgers, 71-78, Past Weeks 17-31: The Dodger pitching has remained solid but the Dodger bats have fallen silent and have led to the demise of their once promising season.
22. (23) Boston Red Sox, 69-80, Past Weeks 20-28: The Red Sox are a distant 2nd place and are going to need a lot of help on the pitching staff to compete next season.
23. (26) St. Louis Cardinals, 69-80, Past Weeks 24-24: The Cards put together a solid week that found them briefly leading the division. A big finale could still find this team in the postseason.
24. (22) Florida Marlins, 69-80, Past Weeks 20-28: The Marlins had their shot at this division and then sank back down. It appears that another sub .500 division title is not going to happen for them this season.
25. (24) Cleveland Indians, 67-82, Past Weeks 19-29: The Tribe faded fast after their brief stint atop the division. There is great hope for the future with some major prospects in their system.
26. (25) Pittsburgh Pirates, 66-83, Past Weeks 19-29: Redmond and Sherman need more help. We’ll see if the Bucs can find it next season.
27. (30) Baltimore Orioles, 62-87, Past Weeks 25-23: With a respectable week, the O’s climb a few spots and avoid the shame of a 100-loss season.
28. (28) Toronto Blue Jays, 62-87, Past Weeks 17-31: Humpty Dumpty fell off the wall this week in Toronto and by shipping out stud closer Marco Harper for youth, the hope is that he can be put together next season.
29. (27) Houston Astros, 58-91, Past Weeks 16-32: The Astros just couldn’t make it work enough to compete in the sad NL South, but good talent awaits in AAA and below that could lead to a change in their fortunes next season.
30. (29) Tampa Bay Rays, 57-92, Past Weeks 17-31: The Rays still have a shot at avoiding 100 losses, which would be a spectacular accomplishment for this stripped down ball club.
31. (30) Milwaukee Brewers, 51-98, Past Weeks 18-30: Lira, Shuey, and Parrish got to escape for greener pastures. Perhaps their replacements can make a difference next season.
47. (32) Chicago White Sox, 41-108, Past Weeks 14-34: This team would be a long shot for the AAA playoffs.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Season 5 Power Rankings - 3rd Edition
1. (1) Montreal Expos, 59-42, Past Week 8-10: Marte is flirting with .400 and the offense continues to roll. An off week has put this team in the lead of a tight three-team race.
2. (5) Portland Beavers, 61-40, Past Week 13-5: The Beavers were impressive this week as they asserted themselves as the team to beat in the tough AL West.
3. (2) Charlotte Knights, 60-41, Past Week 9-9: A poor showing in divisional play has opened up the AL South race as the Royals and Rangers are right on their heels.
4. (6) San Diego Padres, 57-44, Past Week 9-9: The Padres have not been able to pull away from the others in the strong NL West. Perhaps new arrival Ralph Levine can be the difference maker for this team.
5. (3) Anaheim Angels, 56-45, Past Week 8-10: The Angels did not perform up to expectations this week and are now in danger of missing the playoffs entirely after last season’s ALCS appearance.
6. (11) Kansas City Royals, 57-44, Past Week 13-5: This week the Royals looked like the team that rolled through last season’s AL playoffs to the World Series and are again serious contenders.
7. (13) Washington DC Nationals, 56-45, Past Week 12-6: Estaban Marquez has benefited from the change of scenery and the entire team has gotten a charge from the big trade with NY. If Hayes Swann can figure out what ails him, the Nats will be hard to catch.
8. (7) Cincinnati Reds, 57-44, Past Week 10-8: The Reds gained some ground this week and their superb pitching, power hitting team is knocking on the Expos door.
9. (4) Philadelphia Phillies, 54-47, Past Week 7-11: It was a horrible week in Philly that saw the Phils lose their division lead. With Garrido off the DL, they must right the ship soon or the defending champs will be sitting out this postseason.
10. (16) Texas Rangers, 56-45, Past Week 13-5: The mix of veterans and youngsters are clicking right now for the Rangers and their dominating divisional play has them in a tight three-way AL South race.
11. (14) Chicago Cubs, 56-45, Past Week 10-8: Big time pitching keeps the Cubs in what is now a tight NL North race.
12. (18T) Detroit Tigers, 54-47, Past Week 13-5: The Tigers roared this week against their AL North rivals. This young and talented team appears ready to win their first division title.
13. (21) New York Yankees, 53-48, Past Week 12-6: Divisional play was just what the doctor ordered for the Yanks as they beat up on their rivals to regain the division lead.
14. (24) Arizona Diamondbacks, 54-47, Past Week 14-4: The D’backs found their pitching prowess and took advantage of divisional play with a terrific week to put themselves back in the hunt.
15. (10) Seattle Mariners, 54-47, Past Week 8-10: The Mariners pitching remains strong, but the offense is what makes them only the third best in the tough AL West.
16. (9) Los Angeles Dodgers, 54-47, Past Week 7-11: The Dodgers got roughed up by their division rivals as their lack of a consistent offense is hurting their chances.
17. (12) San Francisco Giants, 53-48, Past Week 8-10: With homerun contest winner Jolbert Romero leading the offense and showing signs of fatigue, can the Giants remain in contention?
18. (8) Oakland Athletics, 53-48, Past Week 5-13: This week, the A’s looked like a young team with the lowest payroll.
19. (18T) Minnesota Twins, 51-50, Past Week 10-8: The Twins lost a tough series with Detroit and have slipped into 2nd place.
20. (15) New York Mets, 50-51, Past Week 6-12: It seems the heat of the playoff race was too much for this young team as divisional play knocked them down a peg or two.
21. (22) Atlanta Braves, 49-52, Past Week 9-9: The Braves remain a disappointing team this season. The week was salvaged by a 4 game sweep of the rival Marlins.
22. (23) Florida Marlins, 49-52, Past Week 10-8: The Marlins week started strong, but then went south in divisional play.
23. (20) Boston Red Sox, 49-52, Past Week 8-10: The Red Sox put up another mediocre week but remain in the race with the weak AL East.
24. (17) Cleveland Indians, 48-53, Past Week 5-13: Divisional play has proved costly for the Tribe as they dropped like a rock from first to third in the AL East.
25. (25) Pittsburgh Pirates, 47-54, Past Week 9-9: With a .500 week, the Bucs are running out of time this season.
26. (28) St. Louis Cardinals, 45-56, Past Week 12-6: Their good week finds the Cards in the hunt for the division.
27. (26) Houston Astros, 42-59, Past Week 10-8: With a decent week, the Astros still remain within striking distance of the division title in the weak NL South.
28. (27) Toronto Blue Jays, 45-56, Past Week 10-8: If not for the poor showing against division leaders Detroit and Minnesota, the Jays would have climbed back in the race.
29. (31) Tampa Bay Rays, 40-61, Past Week 10-8: There is some pride in Tampa as the Rays have a respectable week.
30. (29) Baltimore Orioles, 37-64, Past Week 5-13: With Levine and Kapler shipped out, put a fork in them.
31. (30) Milwaukee Brewers, 33-68, Past Week 3-15: Mmmm...beer.
32. (32) Chicago White Sox, 27-74, Past Week 2-16: The scouts are furiously scouring the country to find the future #1 pick.
2. (5) Portland Beavers, 61-40, Past Week 13-5: The Beavers were impressive this week as they asserted themselves as the team to beat in the tough AL West.
3. (2) Charlotte Knights, 60-41, Past Week 9-9: A poor showing in divisional play has opened up the AL South race as the Royals and Rangers are right on their heels.
4. (6) San Diego Padres, 57-44, Past Week 9-9: The Padres have not been able to pull away from the others in the strong NL West. Perhaps new arrival Ralph Levine can be the difference maker for this team.
5. (3) Anaheim Angels, 56-45, Past Week 8-10: The Angels did not perform up to expectations this week and are now in danger of missing the playoffs entirely after last season’s ALCS appearance.
6. (11) Kansas City Royals, 57-44, Past Week 13-5: This week the Royals looked like the team that rolled through last season’s AL playoffs to the World Series and are again serious contenders.
7. (13) Washington DC Nationals, 56-45, Past Week 12-6: Estaban Marquez has benefited from the change of scenery and the entire team has gotten a charge from the big trade with NY. If Hayes Swann can figure out what ails him, the Nats will be hard to catch.
8. (7) Cincinnati Reds, 57-44, Past Week 10-8: The Reds gained some ground this week and their superb pitching, power hitting team is knocking on the Expos door.
9. (4) Philadelphia Phillies, 54-47, Past Week 7-11: It was a horrible week in Philly that saw the Phils lose their division lead. With Garrido off the DL, they must right the ship soon or the defending champs will be sitting out this postseason.
10. (16) Texas Rangers, 56-45, Past Week 13-5: The mix of veterans and youngsters are clicking right now for the Rangers and their dominating divisional play has them in a tight three-way AL South race.
11. (14) Chicago Cubs, 56-45, Past Week 10-8: Big time pitching keeps the Cubs in what is now a tight NL North race.
12. (18T) Detroit Tigers, 54-47, Past Week 13-5: The Tigers roared this week against their AL North rivals. This young and talented team appears ready to win their first division title.
13. (21) New York Yankees, 53-48, Past Week 12-6: Divisional play was just what the doctor ordered for the Yanks as they beat up on their rivals to regain the division lead.
14. (24) Arizona Diamondbacks, 54-47, Past Week 14-4: The D’backs found their pitching prowess and took advantage of divisional play with a terrific week to put themselves back in the hunt.
15. (10) Seattle Mariners, 54-47, Past Week 8-10: The Mariners pitching remains strong, but the offense is what makes them only the third best in the tough AL West.
16. (9) Los Angeles Dodgers, 54-47, Past Week 7-11: The Dodgers got roughed up by their division rivals as their lack of a consistent offense is hurting their chances.
17. (12) San Francisco Giants, 53-48, Past Week 8-10: With homerun contest winner Jolbert Romero leading the offense and showing signs of fatigue, can the Giants remain in contention?
18. (8) Oakland Athletics, 53-48, Past Week 5-13: This week, the A’s looked like a young team with the lowest payroll.
19. (18T) Minnesota Twins, 51-50, Past Week 10-8: The Twins lost a tough series with Detroit and have slipped into 2nd place.
20. (15) New York Mets, 50-51, Past Week 6-12: It seems the heat of the playoff race was too much for this young team as divisional play knocked them down a peg or two.
21. (22) Atlanta Braves, 49-52, Past Week 9-9: The Braves remain a disappointing team this season. The week was salvaged by a 4 game sweep of the rival Marlins.
22. (23) Florida Marlins, 49-52, Past Week 10-8: The Marlins week started strong, but then went south in divisional play.
23. (20) Boston Red Sox, 49-52, Past Week 8-10: The Red Sox put up another mediocre week but remain in the race with the weak AL East.
24. (17) Cleveland Indians, 48-53, Past Week 5-13: Divisional play has proved costly for the Tribe as they dropped like a rock from first to third in the AL East.
25. (25) Pittsburgh Pirates, 47-54, Past Week 9-9: With a .500 week, the Bucs are running out of time this season.
26. (28) St. Louis Cardinals, 45-56, Past Week 12-6: Their good week finds the Cards in the hunt for the division.
27. (26) Houston Astros, 42-59, Past Week 10-8: With a decent week, the Astros still remain within striking distance of the division title in the weak NL South.
28. (27) Toronto Blue Jays, 45-56, Past Week 10-8: If not for the poor showing against division leaders Detroit and Minnesota, the Jays would have climbed back in the race.
29. (31) Tampa Bay Rays, 40-61, Past Week 10-8: There is some pride in Tampa as the Rays have a respectable week.
30. (29) Baltimore Orioles, 37-64, Past Week 5-13: With Levine and Kapler shipped out, put a fork in them.
31. (30) Milwaukee Brewers, 33-68, Past Week 3-15: Mmmm...beer.
32. (32) Chicago White Sox, 27-74, Past Week 2-16: The scouts are furiously scouring the country to find the future #1 pick.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Season 5 Power Rankings - 2nd Edition
1. (1) Montreal Expos, 51-32: Kevin Marte leads the NL's most devastating offensive unit, which is the driving force of this team. Their otherwise average pitching staff has a couple of top flight starters in Andres Cedeno and J. P. Taveras. The Expos hope to erase last season's playoff disappointment by raising more than a divisional banner this season.
2. (18) Charlotte Knights, 51-32: Turner Mordecai continues to be the MVP of this team as their high workload reliever who has pitched a spectacular season. On offense, the usual suspects of Jose Mondesi, Adam Martin, and B.C. Javier send balls out of Knights Castle too often for opposing pitcher's tastes. The Knights appear headed for a repeat division title, but their ultimate goals lie deeper into October.
3. (2) Anaheim Angels, 48-35: The power numbers have been there for the season's Angels, but mysteriously everyone seems to be hitting below their previous averages. Perhaps no longer have master leadoff man Contreras on base disrupting the pitchers has hurt this team more than they imagined? For the pitching staff, their is a new ace in town as Fernando Dotel has clearly emerged as the team's dominant starter and former Cy Young Haywood Charles has slipped a bit. Count on seeing this team making another serious October run.
4. (7) Philadelphia Phillies, 47-36: With Pedro Garrido hitting like an MVP and Darren Chance pitching like a Cy Young winner, the Phillies look like a very tough defending champ. The only possible weakness for this squad is the bullpen with their excessive amount of blown saves (17 in 41 opportunities). The Phillies appear poised for a serious title defense.
5. (10) Portland Beavers, 48-35: One of the most balanced star-free offenses is performing again with 9 players between 10-19 homers. The pitcher friendly confines of PGE Park also helps the Beaver staff with these season's prime beneficiaries being Nelson Stockton and Adam Anderson. This team is in prime shape to take either the division or a wild card.
6. (28) San Diego Padres, 48-35: The Padres has taken full advantage of the pitching friendly confines of Petco Park as they have had the most dominant pitching staff in baseball. Meanwhile the offense has been one of the league's lowest ranked units with free agent pick-up Shea Keefe being the only All-Star in the lineup. The NL West race should be a tight one for the rest of the season as no team appears to be a clear favorite.
7. (11) Cincinnati Reds, 47-36: The Douglas Carpenter era in Cincinnati has begun as he is the team's offensive superstar in a power packed offense. On the mound, Scot Pickford has been mowing them down with extreme regularity. His biggest obstacle to taking Cy Young honors is his lack of run support. This annual playoff participant is most likely looking at another wild card thanks to the Expos.
8. (23) Oakland Athletics, 48-35: With the lowest payroll in baseball, the A's would have to be the biggest surprise of the season. Their offense is full of solid contributors, but not a single All-Star. Their pitching has done well and includes a couple of All-Stars in starter Dave Hayes and closer Craig Evans. Can they hang with their more experienced division rivals or will they fade down the stretch? Either way, there is definitely optimism about the future in Oakland.
9. (12) Los Angeles Dodgers, 47-36: This team is all about the pitching, led by veteran Alex Kubinski, who while healthy has been absolutely brilliant. With young arms Alvin Sasser and Buck Barry, the Dodgers look to have a formidable playoff trio. As long as their collection of low OBP sluggers can keep the balls flying out of the yard, the Dodgers are going to stay in an intense NL West race.
10. (17) Seattle Mariners, 46-37: James Hutton is having a superstar season already saving 33 games in 35 opportunities. The excellent starting pitching keeps the team in every game, despite a mediocre offense with no stars. Thanks to the AL West being the strongest division in baseball, the Mariners currently sit in last place, 2 games out for their division or a wild card.
11. (6) Kansas City Royals, 44-39: The Royals have displayed a well balanced team with Danny Alexander and Al Perez putting up their usual impressive numbers on offense. The pitching has done consistently well, led by perenial Cy Young candidate Patrick Rivera. However, with the Knights in their division, the Royals will likely have to fight with all the AL West teams for a wild card.
12. (14) San Francisco Giants, 45-38: Jake Clapp's leadership has been instrumental in keeping this team in the hunt. With Clapp, Jolbert Romero, Casey O'Donnell, and Cristobal Marquez providing big-time offensively, the middle of the NL pack pitching staff has been able to keep this team successful.
13. (21) Washington DC Nationals, 44-39: The pitching has been brilliant in DC this season and continues to be so with the arrival of Estaban Marquez. If new arrival Hayes Swann can get going and help the weak offense, the Nats will have a shot at catching the Phillies.
14. (20) Chicago Cubs, 46-37: Julio Martin and Tony Masao have been the only standouts in a mediocre lineup, so it has been the solid pitching that has kept this team in the hunt. In a division with the Expos, a repeat wild card bid is the most realistic option.
15. (15) New York Mets, 44-39: Night after night, the Mets starting pitching has been putting them in a good position to win. With Walt Hernandez leading the way, the staff is one of the league's better units and has them nipping at the heels of the mighty Phillies.
16. (13) Texas Rangers, 43-40: After two seasons of big ticket free agent signings and some key trades, the Rangers are once again playoff caliber after their major overhaul in Season 2. Veteran pitchers Bollea and Flannagan are doing well as are big hitters David Zurbaran and Chris Mullens.
17. (32) Cleveland Indians, 43-40: With no major stars, but a collection of solid performers, the Indians have steadily risen from the depths of the AL to take the division lead. With divisional play coming soon, we shall see if the Indians turnaround is ready to take them to their first division title.
18T. (8) Minnesota Twins, 41-42: The addition of former MVP Valerio Guillen has provided a boost to the offense. The Twins issue is that besides Rico Herrera and Branch Vitiello, the pitching has been awful. The Twins have a fight ahead of them to earn their 3rd straight division crown.
18T. (16) Detroit Tigers, 41-42: Led by the premier young centerfielder in the game, Damian Chen, the offense has been strong. Outside of young starter Brian Clemens and veteran closer Earl Patterson, the pitching has not faired nearly as well. The AL North looks to be a tight race to the finish.
20. (22) Boston Red Sox, 41-42: Marlon Swift is crushing the ball and putting up MVP caliber power numbers, but so are opposing hitters when facing Boston pitchers not named Chico Guzman or Juan Machado. But in a weak AL East, the Red Sox are in the middle of a pennant race.
21. (4) New York Yankees, 41-42: Yankee management is scrambling to stop the downward spiral for a team that roared out of the gate 24-10 with the best record in the league and has since gone 17-32. All the stars on this team have been on offense as Sutton, Cunningham, Myers, and Jefferson have been great.
22. (9) Atlanta Braves, 40-43: Dee Dee Hutton and Dan Guerrero have slipped a bit from last season's spectacular performance. However the biggest issue with this team is that outside of the Big Three, there is no one that has provided any offense. Additionally, the pitching staff has not performed up to expectations and is in the lower half of the NL. With all that said, the Braves are in 1st Place. Go NL South!
23. (5) Florida Marlins, 39-44: While he stands on the mound, it doesn't get much better than Victor Lima. Meanwhile Doug Stewart appears headed back to the limelight after his rookie heroics in the World Series as he is on the verge of becoming a major star and thanks to the weakest division in the game, the Marlins are in the heat of a pennant race.
24. (3) Arizona Diamondbacks, 40-43: Pascual Martin and Robinson Jerzembeck have been superb leaders of the offense. Pitching was the dominant strength of this team for their 4 straight division titles and this season as they are on the verge of having that streak ended, pitching has become the weakness of this squad.
25. (26) Pittsburgh Pirates, 38-45: Redmond, McNeil, and Sherman continue to put up impressive offensive numbers. The crop of good young pitchers, led by Orlando Guerrero, give some hope for the future.
26. (30) Houston Astros, 32-51: Campbell and Ortiz have helped put runs on the scoreboard and the starting pitching has done well. Unfortunately, the Astro bullpen has been atrocious.
27. (19) Toronto Blue Jays, 35-48: J.J. Perez, Sammy Rincon, and Rick Melhuse have had another excellent season. However, the main issue is that outside of Martin Kielty and Wade Forster, the Blue Jay pitching has looked like batting practice.
28. (27) St. Louis Cardinals, 33-50: Starter Alvin Hynes has had a great rookie season, but has been surrounded by underperforming teammates.
29. (24) Baltimore Orioles, 32-51: Aging catcher Ralph Levine and young centerfielder Steven Miller have done well, but there hasn't been enough help around them to translate into victories.
30. (29) Milwaukee Brewers, 30-53: Dunn and Vitiello have been a solid 1-2 starting combo, but with little run or bullpen support, Brewer victories have been scarce.
31. (31) Tampa Bay Rays, 30-53: Rule 5 pick-up Dustan Kelly has been a bright spot in an otherwise dismal season in Tampa.
32. (25) Chicago White Sox, 25-58: Todd Winchester has had a great season, but unfortunately no one else on the ML roster has.
2. (18) Charlotte Knights, 51-32: Turner Mordecai continues to be the MVP of this team as their high workload reliever who has pitched a spectacular season. On offense, the usual suspects of Jose Mondesi, Adam Martin, and B.C. Javier send balls out of Knights Castle too often for opposing pitcher's tastes. The Knights appear headed for a repeat division title, but their ultimate goals lie deeper into October.
3. (2) Anaheim Angels, 48-35: The power numbers have been there for the season's Angels, but mysteriously everyone seems to be hitting below their previous averages. Perhaps no longer have master leadoff man Contreras on base disrupting the pitchers has hurt this team more than they imagined? For the pitching staff, their is a new ace in town as Fernando Dotel has clearly emerged as the team's dominant starter and former Cy Young Haywood Charles has slipped a bit. Count on seeing this team making another serious October run.
4. (7) Philadelphia Phillies, 47-36: With Pedro Garrido hitting like an MVP and Darren Chance pitching like a Cy Young winner, the Phillies look like a very tough defending champ. The only possible weakness for this squad is the bullpen with their excessive amount of blown saves (17 in 41 opportunities). The Phillies appear poised for a serious title defense.
5. (10) Portland Beavers, 48-35: One of the most balanced star-free offenses is performing again with 9 players between 10-19 homers. The pitcher friendly confines of PGE Park also helps the Beaver staff with these season's prime beneficiaries being Nelson Stockton and Adam Anderson. This team is in prime shape to take either the division or a wild card.
6. (28) San Diego Padres, 48-35: The Padres has taken full advantage of the pitching friendly confines of Petco Park as they have had the most dominant pitching staff in baseball. Meanwhile the offense has been one of the league's lowest ranked units with free agent pick-up Shea Keefe being the only All-Star in the lineup. The NL West race should be a tight one for the rest of the season as no team appears to be a clear favorite.
7. (11) Cincinnati Reds, 47-36: The Douglas Carpenter era in Cincinnati has begun as he is the team's offensive superstar in a power packed offense. On the mound, Scot Pickford has been mowing them down with extreme regularity. His biggest obstacle to taking Cy Young honors is his lack of run support. This annual playoff participant is most likely looking at another wild card thanks to the Expos.
8. (23) Oakland Athletics, 48-35: With the lowest payroll in baseball, the A's would have to be the biggest surprise of the season. Their offense is full of solid contributors, but not a single All-Star. Their pitching has done well and includes a couple of All-Stars in starter Dave Hayes and closer Craig Evans. Can they hang with their more experienced division rivals or will they fade down the stretch? Either way, there is definitely optimism about the future in Oakland.
9. (12) Los Angeles Dodgers, 47-36: This team is all about the pitching, led by veteran Alex Kubinski, who while healthy has been absolutely brilliant. With young arms Alvin Sasser and Buck Barry, the Dodgers look to have a formidable playoff trio. As long as their collection of low OBP sluggers can keep the balls flying out of the yard, the Dodgers are going to stay in an intense NL West race.
10. (17) Seattle Mariners, 46-37: James Hutton is having a superstar season already saving 33 games in 35 opportunities. The excellent starting pitching keeps the team in every game, despite a mediocre offense with no stars. Thanks to the AL West being the strongest division in baseball, the Mariners currently sit in last place, 2 games out for their division or a wild card.
11. (6) Kansas City Royals, 44-39: The Royals have displayed a well balanced team with Danny Alexander and Al Perez putting up their usual impressive numbers on offense. The pitching has done consistently well, led by perenial Cy Young candidate Patrick Rivera. However, with the Knights in their division, the Royals will likely have to fight with all the AL West teams for a wild card.
12. (14) San Francisco Giants, 45-38: Jake Clapp's leadership has been instrumental in keeping this team in the hunt. With Clapp, Jolbert Romero, Casey O'Donnell, and Cristobal Marquez providing big-time offensively, the middle of the NL pack pitching staff has been able to keep this team successful.
13. (21) Washington DC Nationals, 44-39: The pitching has been brilliant in DC this season and continues to be so with the arrival of Estaban Marquez. If new arrival Hayes Swann can get going and help the weak offense, the Nats will have a shot at catching the Phillies.
14. (20) Chicago Cubs, 46-37: Julio Martin and Tony Masao have been the only standouts in a mediocre lineup, so it has been the solid pitching that has kept this team in the hunt. In a division with the Expos, a repeat wild card bid is the most realistic option.
15. (15) New York Mets, 44-39: Night after night, the Mets starting pitching has been putting them in a good position to win. With Walt Hernandez leading the way, the staff is one of the league's better units and has them nipping at the heels of the mighty Phillies.
16. (13) Texas Rangers, 43-40: After two seasons of big ticket free agent signings and some key trades, the Rangers are once again playoff caliber after their major overhaul in Season 2. Veteran pitchers Bollea and Flannagan are doing well as are big hitters David Zurbaran and Chris Mullens.
17. (32) Cleveland Indians, 43-40: With no major stars, but a collection of solid performers, the Indians have steadily risen from the depths of the AL to take the division lead. With divisional play coming soon, we shall see if the Indians turnaround is ready to take them to their first division title.
18T. (8) Minnesota Twins, 41-42: The addition of former MVP Valerio Guillen has provided a boost to the offense. The Twins issue is that besides Rico Herrera and Branch Vitiello, the pitching has been awful. The Twins have a fight ahead of them to earn their 3rd straight division crown.
18T. (16) Detroit Tigers, 41-42: Led by the premier young centerfielder in the game, Damian Chen, the offense has been strong. Outside of young starter Brian Clemens and veteran closer Earl Patterson, the pitching has not faired nearly as well. The AL North looks to be a tight race to the finish.
20. (22) Boston Red Sox, 41-42: Marlon Swift is crushing the ball and putting up MVP caliber power numbers, but so are opposing hitters when facing Boston pitchers not named Chico Guzman or Juan Machado. But in a weak AL East, the Red Sox are in the middle of a pennant race.
21. (4) New York Yankees, 41-42: Yankee management is scrambling to stop the downward spiral for a team that roared out of the gate 24-10 with the best record in the league and has since gone 17-32. All the stars on this team have been on offense as Sutton, Cunningham, Myers, and Jefferson have been great.
22. (9) Atlanta Braves, 40-43: Dee Dee Hutton and Dan Guerrero have slipped a bit from last season's spectacular performance. However the biggest issue with this team is that outside of the Big Three, there is no one that has provided any offense. Additionally, the pitching staff has not performed up to expectations and is in the lower half of the NL. With all that said, the Braves are in 1st Place. Go NL South!
23. (5) Florida Marlins, 39-44: While he stands on the mound, it doesn't get much better than Victor Lima. Meanwhile Doug Stewart appears headed back to the limelight after his rookie heroics in the World Series as he is on the verge of becoming a major star and thanks to the weakest division in the game, the Marlins are in the heat of a pennant race.
24. (3) Arizona Diamondbacks, 40-43: Pascual Martin and Robinson Jerzembeck have been superb leaders of the offense. Pitching was the dominant strength of this team for their 4 straight division titles and this season as they are on the verge of having that streak ended, pitching has become the weakness of this squad.
25. (26) Pittsburgh Pirates, 38-45: Redmond, McNeil, and Sherman continue to put up impressive offensive numbers. The crop of good young pitchers, led by Orlando Guerrero, give some hope for the future.
26. (30) Houston Astros, 32-51: Campbell and Ortiz have helped put runs on the scoreboard and the starting pitching has done well. Unfortunately, the Astro bullpen has been atrocious.
27. (19) Toronto Blue Jays, 35-48: J.J. Perez, Sammy Rincon, and Rick Melhuse have had another excellent season. However, the main issue is that outside of Martin Kielty and Wade Forster, the Blue Jay pitching has looked like batting practice.
28. (27) St. Louis Cardinals, 33-50: Starter Alvin Hynes has had a great rookie season, but has been surrounded by underperforming teammates.
29. (24) Baltimore Orioles, 32-51: Aging catcher Ralph Levine and young centerfielder Steven Miller have done well, but there hasn't been enough help around them to translate into victories.
30. (29) Milwaukee Brewers, 30-53: Dunn and Vitiello have been a solid 1-2 starting combo, but with little run or bullpen support, Brewer victories have been scarce.
31. (31) Tampa Bay Rays, 30-53: Rule 5 pick-up Dustan Kelly has been a bright spot in an otherwise dismal season in Tampa.
32. (25) Chicago White Sox, 25-58: Todd Winchester has had a great season, but unfortunately no one else on the ML roster has.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Season 5 Power Rankings - 1st Edition
1. Montreal Expos, 11-3: With an offense this good, who needs pitching? Unfortunately for the NL, they have some pitching, too.
2. Anaheim Angels, 11-3: Their pitching has been dominant, while their offense has been average. They’ll be very scary when Travis Murphy starts hitting.
3. Arizona Diamondbacks, 9-5: Excellent pitching, despite the usual slow start from Tejada, and likely player of the week performance from Pascual Martin have this team on top in likely the toughest division.
4. New York Yankees, 10-4: Spectacular offense and solid pitching have helped the Yankees burst out of the gate, but the jury is still out until they play a winning team.
5. Florida Marlins, 9-5: The offseason was good to this team and the new additions have been performing well, especially on the mound.
6. Kansas City Royals, 8-6: The defending AL champs offense has returned. Unfortunately, Season 4 Cy Young Stephen Fischer doesn’t seem to realize that these games count now.
7. Philadelphia Phillies, 8-6: Jorgensen doesn’t look the same after last season’s injury and the pitching has not been performing as well as expected. But never count this team out.
8. Minnesota Twins, 9-5: The young hitters are tearing it up. If the pitching can find some consistency, the Twins will be tough.
9. Atlanta Braves, 8-6: The Big Three haven’t quite gotten their homer swings in groove yet and the pitching has been hit and miss. Sophomore slump for Dee Dee?
10. Portland Beavers, 7-7: Last season’s AL #1 seed has been slow to get going at the plate. However, their biggest woes have been in the bullpen where they have already blown 5 saves.
11. Cincinnati Reds, 7-7: Jeffries DL stint got the offense off to a slow start, but the pitching is one of the league’s best staffs.
12. Los Angeles Dodgers, 8-6: Sasser and Kubinski have looked like Koufax and Drysdale, but unfortunately the rest of the team has been rather ordinary despite the league’s highest payroll.
13. Texas Rangers, 8-6: The big spenders in free agency have gotten solid contributions from the new arrivals and have the look of a contender.
14. San Francisco Giants, 8-6: Clapp seems to have bounced back from last season and O’Donnell has been pounding the ball. Unfortunately, the pitching has been all over the place.
15. New York Mets, 8-6: Hernandez and Stankiewicz look like the best 1-2 starting combo in baseball and this team appears ready to compete.
16. Detroit Tigers, 8-6: Another team with good young hitting and inconsistent pitching. Danny Diaz has looked like a batting practice pitcher.
17. Seattle Mariners, 7-7: Without base stealing monster Butch Hampton, one of the better pitching staffs would have almost no run support.
18. Charlotte Knights, 6-8: The Knights need Javier and Jorgensen to start hitting or Mordecai’s brilliance will continue to be wasted.
19. Toronto Blue Jays, 7-7: Their offense has provided adequate contributions. Their biggest problem is that Martin Kielty is unable to start every game.
20. Chicago Cubs, 7-7: With very little offense, it’s taken some monumental pitching efforts to get this team to .500.
21. Washington DC Nationals, 6-8: If only this team could score some runs, then these great pitchers would be able to win some games.
22. Boston Red Sox, 6-8: A decent offense combined with a pitching staff with a lot of AAA quality parts will make for a long season in Fenway.
23. Oakland Athletics, 7-7: The A’s have had an anemic offense and a mediocre pitching staff. The .500 start is an anomaly.
24. Baltimore Orioles, 5-9: Last season’s trading central has calmed down this season, but so far all we’ve seen is mediocre offense and pitching, except from Lombardi and McMartin who have been good.
25. Chicago White Sox, 6-8: The stripped down White Sox still have a little pop in their bats, but the starters all look like a collection of bad Rule 5 pick-ups.
26. Pittsburgh Pirates, 5-9: Unfortunately cloning has not been approved for human use and the Pirates will have to settle with having only one Clyde Redmond and Orlando Guerrero.
27. St. Louis Cardinals, 4-10: Losing Padilla to injury didn’t help, but the bats are under performing just as much as the arms.
28. San Diego Padres, 5-9: The Padres look like a team in flux as the new management begins the process of bringing in their type of ballplayers. Wait until next year.
29. Milwaukee Brewers, 5-9: Combine a below average offense with a below average pitching staff and you get the Brewers.
30. Houston Astros, 4-10: The league’s 2nd highest payroll and 4 wins does not look like a sound investment strategy. Sell!
31. Tampa Bay Rays, 4-10: With the trade of Julio, the fire sale is complete. The Rays are prime candidates in the #1 pick derby.
32. Cleveland Indians, 3-11: The offense has fallen flat and the pitching has gotten rocked. Hey Rays! Game on!
2. Anaheim Angels, 11-3: Their pitching has been dominant, while their offense has been average. They’ll be very scary when Travis Murphy starts hitting.
3. Arizona Diamondbacks, 9-5: Excellent pitching, despite the usual slow start from Tejada, and likely player of the week performance from Pascual Martin have this team on top in likely the toughest division.
4. New York Yankees, 10-4: Spectacular offense and solid pitching have helped the Yankees burst out of the gate, but the jury is still out until they play a winning team.
5. Florida Marlins, 9-5: The offseason was good to this team and the new additions have been performing well, especially on the mound.
6. Kansas City Royals, 8-6: The defending AL champs offense has returned. Unfortunately, Season 4 Cy Young Stephen Fischer doesn’t seem to realize that these games count now.
7. Philadelphia Phillies, 8-6: Jorgensen doesn’t look the same after last season’s injury and the pitching has not been performing as well as expected. But never count this team out.
8. Minnesota Twins, 9-5: The young hitters are tearing it up. If the pitching can find some consistency, the Twins will be tough.
9. Atlanta Braves, 8-6: The Big Three haven’t quite gotten their homer swings in groove yet and the pitching has been hit and miss. Sophomore slump for Dee Dee?
10. Portland Beavers, 7-7: Last season’s AL #1 seed has been slow to get going at the plate. However, their biggest woes have been in the bullpen where they have already blown 5 saves.
11. Cincinnati Reds, 7-7: Jeffries DL stint got the offense off to a slow start, but the pitching is one of the league’s best staffs.
12. Los Angeles Dodgers, 8-6: Sasser and Kubinski have looked like Koufax and Drysdale, but unfortunately the rest of the team has been rather ordinary despite the league’s highest payroll.
13. Texas Rangers, 8-6: The big spenders in free agency have gotten solid contributions from the new arrivals and have the look of a contender.
14. San Francisco Giants, 8-6: Clapp seems to have bounced back from last season and O’Donnell has been pounding the ball. Unfortunately, the pitching has been all over the place.
15. New York Mets, 8-6: Hernandez and Stankiewicz look like the best 1-2 starting combo in baseball and this team appears ready to compete.
16. Detroit Tigers, 8-6: Another team with good young hitting and inconsistent pitching. Danny Diaz has looked like a batting practice pitcher.
17. Seattle Mariners, 7-7: Without base stealing monster Butch Hampton, one of the better pitching staffs would have almost no run support.
18. Charlotte Knights, 6-8: The Knights need Javier and Jorgensen to start hitting or Mordecai’s brilliance will continue to be wasted.
19. Toronto Blue Jays, 7-7: Their offense has provided adequate contributions. Their biggest problem is that Martin Kielty is unable to start every game.
20. Chicago Cubs, 7-7: With very little offense, it’s taken some monumental pitching efforts to get this team to .500.
21. Washington DC Nationals, 6-8: If only this team could score some runs, then these great pitchers would be able to win some games.
22. Boston Red Sox, 6-8: A decent offense combined with a pitching staff with a lot of AAA quality parts will make for a long season in Fenway.
23. Oakland Athletics, 7-7: The A’s have had an anemic offense and a mediocre pitching staff. The .500 start is an anomaly.
24. Baltimore Orioles, 5-9: Last season’s trading central has calmed down this season, but so far all we’ve seen is mediocre offense and pitching, except from Lombardi and McMartin who have been good.
25. Chicago White Sox, 6-8: The stripped down White Sox still have a little pop in their bats, but the starters all look like a collection of bad Rule 5 pick-ups.
26. Pittsburgh Pirates, 5-9: Unfortunately cloning has not been approved for human use and the Pirates will have to settle with having only one Clyde Redmond and Orlando Guerrero.
27. St. Louis Cardinals, 4-10: Losing Padilla to injury didn’t help, but the bats are under performing just as much as the arms.
28. San Diego Padres, 5-9: The Padres look like a team in flux as the new management begins the process of bringing in their type of ballplayers. Wait until next year.
29. Milwaukee Brewers, 5-9: Combine a below average offense with a below average pitching staff and you get the Brewers.
30. Houston Astros, 4-10: The league’s 2nd highest payroll and 4 wins does not look like a sound investment strategy. Sell!
31. Tampa Bay Rays, 4-10: With the trade of Julio, the fire sale is complete. The Rays are prime candidates in the #1 pick derby.
32. Cleveland Indians, 3-11: The offense has fallen flat and the pitching has gotten rocked. Hey Rays! Game on!
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Kinsella Member Interview - Lomac
Through our first four seasons, lomac has led the Philadelphia Phillies franchise to be the most successful in all of Kinsella. With their 400 regular season wins and 2 World Series championships, they are the envy of rival GMs. Lomac was kind enough to give his some of his time and answer some questions to let us know the man behind the success. Here he shares with us some of his family info, sporting favorites, and HBD philosophies.
Kinsella Blog (KB): Who is Lomac?
Lomac:
My name is actually Timothy(Tim). I'm one month from my 33rd birthday. I am married with two young sons(one 4 years old the other 3 months) We all live in Aiken,S.C. I use to play under the Tcmac08 user name but a couple of years back I had to go on hiatus from WIS for about a month(cruise and an annual camping/hunting/fishing trip) At the time I had a GD team and a HBD team. The coach that I recruited to babysit my Camp team did not want to babysit my HBD team so I devolped my split personality and let a family friend babysit the HBD team. Lomac is actually derived from my 4-year old's first and last name.
KB: Which WIFs games have you played?
Lomac:
I started out playing Gridiron Dynasty with the hopes of one day earning the chance to coach at the University of South Carolina. My first forray was in Wilkinson world where I struggled mightily while learning the game. After I got the hang of things I moved on to Camp where after a little success I did reach my goal of coaching the Gamecocks. Then HBD came around. I juggled GD and HBD for a few more seasons but soon realized that I was having more fun playing with my fake baseball players than my fake football players so I dropped GD. I have been in three worlds: More Cowbell, Camp and Kinsella. Of the three the only one that I didn't really enjoy was Camp and that was mainly because I didn't really trust some of the owners.
KB: Besides sports, what are some of your other interests and hobbies?
Lomac:
Well I love to fish and spending time with my family. I usually try to go out camping once or twice a year. The family also enjoys going to a local Drive-in once a month to check out the double feature. Also enjoy reading when I find the time.
KB: Who are your favorite players of all-time?
Lomac:
Well some of my favorites have already been named by overeasy but many of them are worth repeating so here goes:
Baseball: Nolan Ryan-in a word unhittable.
Basketball: Magic-he did things with the ball that no man his size should of been able to do. Haven't really watched much NBA since he and Bird left.
College Basketball: Johnny Dawkins-man was fast and quick. A lethal combination
NFL: Tie between Joe Montana and Barry Sanders. If the game is on the line and I had my pick of QBs it would be Joe. (BTW My wife would also say Joe Cool because like overeasy she shares his birthday.) I could watch Barry Sanders highlights all day for 5 days and still come away amazed on the 6th day.
KB: Which are your favorite teams of all-time?
Lomac:
'95 Braves-showed the heart and killer instinct that the previous ones didn't
'84 49ers-made even more magical because I watched the Super Bowl with my uncle,a diehard Dolphin fan. Still point out to him everytime I see him that Marino never made it back
'91-'92 Blue Devils-Didn't make many NBA guys but these boys could play college hoops
KB: What's your favorite sports moment?
Lomac:
Right now I have to say being at Turner Field in '04 when Randy Johnson threw his perfect game. My pregnant wife and I were sitting three rows up from the visitors dugout and got to see Johnson's expression get more and more intense from the sixth inning on. After the game we gave the man a standing ovation. My wife told me that she didn't understand why I was so enthused because the Braves had just lost. I told her that I hate they lost but perfect games just don't happen everyday. She still doesn't understand.That will be my favorite moment until my son hits his first homer or scores his first TD. After that it will be a distant second.
KB: What is the top sports related thing you want to do in life that you have not yet done?
Lomac:
Watch my Gamecocks win the SEC title in Atlanta. Also would love to go parachuting(wife is firmly against this though)
KB: What would you consider your greatest WIFS accomplishment?
Lomac:
Winning the world series as a sixth seed. Thought that was pretty cool.
KB: Do you have any favorite players from any of your HBD teams?
Lomac:
Neil Hill from my Blowfish team in More Cowbell and Del Wilhelm from my Philly team in Kinsella
KB: What is your favorite aspect of HBD?
Lomac: Ultimate fantasy baseball team as you don't have to worry about a player just mailing it in. You can decide how you want to build the team either through the draft, free agency or trading for players. And if you're in a world with good owners the fun factor is increased
KB: What is your least favorite aspect of Hardball Dynasty?
Lomac:
All the clicking to just make one move. It would be much easier and less time consuming to be able to do similar moves with multiple players at the same time.
Coach Hiring. Usually I don't have a problem with it but just got shafted by a coach that I was leading on the whole time. Didn't even get a chance to counter which would of been easy to do as I was only beat out by a few pennies.
Also would like to be able to fire coaches. My bullpen guy would of been gone quick last season
KB: In Hardball Dynasty, how do allocate your budget?
Lomac:
I'll usually cut my international and one of my prospect scouting down to zero. Try to get my advance scouting to the max as soon as possible. Picking towards the end of the first round for the most part I am also able to keep my prospect budget level close to the minimal. Coaches budget is usually set between 12 and 13 million. Also like to get my training and medical fairly high as soon as possible. Player salary is fluid depending on the age of my players.
KB: How do you approach off-season events with players such as arbitration and free agency?
Lomac:
I usually offer about 500,000 to 1 million less than what the player is asking for in arbitraton. So far it's given me about a 50% success rate. In free agency I'm never really a player for the big names as I can't really afford to lose my #1 pick. I usually hang back and go after a few key roll players.
KB: What is your general strategy for hiring/re-hiring coaches?
Lomac:
I'll usually rehire all the coaches that want to return and promote all that want t be promoted if the spot is available. Anything to keep from wading into the coach hiring waters. When hiring I'll send out as many offers as possible and hope they sign quick.
KB: What is your international player/ rule 5/amateur draft strategy?
Lomac:
I rarely play the international game after the first season. Rule 5 in a good world is not going to amount to much. In the player draft I try to rank about 50-60 players by talent. The players I draft rarely make my big league squad as I mainly use them as trade bait to get more major league ready guys.
KB: If you were in HBD, what position would you play? And, what would you be rated?
Lomac:
A CF with decent glove and range.(range85 glove 81 speed 80)I'd lead the league in drag bunts for base hits.(45 0 20 20 78 with a 80 bunt rating) Every now and then I'd put a charge in the ball and line it over the pitcher's head.
KB: Thanks for taking the time to open up with us. Good luck this season defending your title!
Kinsella Blog (KB): Who is Lomac?
Lomac:
My name is actually Timothy(Tim). I'm one month from my 33rd birthday. I am married with two young sons(one 4 years old the other 3 months) We all live in Aiken,S.C. I use to play under the Tcmac08 user name but a couple of years back I had to go on hiatus from WIS for about a month(cruise and an annual camping/hunting/fishing trip) At the time I had a GD team and a HBD team. The coach that I recruited to babysit my Camp team did not want to babysit my HBD team so I devolped my split personality and let a family friend babysit the HBD team. Lomac is actually derived from my 4-year old's first and last name.
KB: Which WIFs games have you played?
Lomac:
I started out playing Gridiron Dynasty with the hopes of one day earning the chance to coach at the University of South Carolina. My first forray was in Wilkinson world where I struggled mightily while learning the game. After I got the hang of things I moved on to Camp where after a little success I did reach my goal of coaching the Gamecocks. Then HBD came around. I juggled GD and HBD for a few more seasons but soon realized that I was having more fun playing with my fake baseball players than my fake football players so I dropped GD. I have been in three worlds: More Cowbell, Camp and Kinsella. Of the three the only one that I didn't really enjoy was Camp and that was mainly because I didn't really trust some of the owners.
KB: Besides sports, what are some of your other interests and hobbies?
Lomac:
Well I love to fish and spending time with my family. I usually try to go out camping once or twice a year. The family also enjoys going to a local Drive-in once a month to check out the double feature. Also enjoy reading when I find the time.
KB: Who are your favorite players of all-time?
Lomac:
Well some of my favorites have already been named by overeasy but many of them are worth repeating so here goes:
Baseball: Nolan Ryan-in a word unhittable.
Basketball: Magic-he did things with the ball that no man his size should of been able to do. Haven't really watched much NBA since he and Bird left.
College Basketball: Johnny Dawkins-man was fast and quick. A lethal combination
NFL: Tie between Joe Montana and Barry Sanders. If the game is on the line and I had my pick of QBs it would be Joe. (BTW My wife would also say Joe Cool because like overeasy she shares his birthday.) I could watch Barry Sanders highlights all day for 5 days and still come away amazed on the 6th day.
KB: Which are your favorite teams of all-time?
Lomac:
'95 Braves-showed the heart and killer instinct that the previous ones didn't
'84 49ers-made even more magical because I watched the Super Bowl with my uncle,a diehard Dolphin fan. Still point out to him everytime I see him that Marino never made it back
'91-'92 Blue Devils-Didn't make many NBA guys but these boys could play college hoops
KB: What's your favorite sports moment?
Lomac:
Right now I have to say being at Turner Field in '04 when Randy Johnson threw his perfect game. My pregnant wife and I were sitting three rows up from the visitors dugout and got to see Johnson's expression get more and more intense from the sixth inning on. After the game we gave the man a standing ovation. My wife told me that she didn't understand why I was so enthused because the Braves had just lost. I told her that I hate they lost but perfect games just don't happen everyday. She still doesn't understand.That will be my favorite moment until my son hits his first homer or scores his first TD. After that it will be a distant second.
KB: What is the top sports related thing you want to do in life that you have not yet done?
Lomac:
Watch my Gamecocks win the SEC title in Atlanta. Also would love to go parachuting(wife is firmly against this though)
KB: What would you consider your greatest WIFS accomplishment?
Lomac:
Winning the world series as a sixth seed. Thought that was pretty cool.
KB: Do you have any favorite players from any of your HBD teams?
Lomac:
Neil Hill from my Blowfish team in More Cowbell and Del Wilhelm from my Philly team in Kinsella
KB: What is your favorite aspect of HBD?
Lomac: Ultimate fantasy baseball team as you don't have to worry about a player just mailing it in. You can decide how you want to build the team either through the draft, free agency or trading for players. And if you're in a world with good owners the fun factor is increased
KB: What is your least favorite aspect of Hardball Dynasty?
Lomac:
All the clicking to just make one move. It would be much easier and less time consuming to be able to do similar moves with multiple players at the same time.
Coach Hiring. Usually I don't have a problem with it but just got shafted by a coach that I was leading on the whole time. Didn't even get a chance to counter which would of been easy to do as I was only beat out by a few pennies.
Also would like to be able to fire coaches. My bullpen guy would of been gone quick last season
KB: In Hardball Dynasty, how do allocate your budget?
Lomac:
I'll usually cut my international and one of my prospect scouting down to zero. Try to get my advance scouting to the max as soon as possible. Picking towards the end of the first round for the most part I am also able to keep my prospect budget level close to the minimal. Coaches budget is usually set between 12 and 13 million. Also like to get my training and medical fairly high as soon as possible. Player salary is fluid depending on the age of my players.
KB: How do you approach off-season events with players such as arbitration and free agency?
Lomac:
I usually offer about 500,000 to 1 million less than what the player is asking for in arbitraton. So far it's given me about a 50% success rate. In free agency I'm never really a player for the big names as I can't really afford to lose my #1 pick. I usually hang back and go after a few key roll players.
KB: What is your general strategy for hiring/re-hiring coaches?
Lomac:
I'll usually rehire all the coaches that want to return and promote all that want t be promoted if the spot is available. Anything to keep from wading into the coach hiring waters. When hiring I'll send out as many offers as possible and hope they sign quick.
KB: What is your international player/ rule 5/amateur draft strategy?
Lomac:
I rarely play the international game after the first season. Rule 5 in a good world is not going to amount to much. In the player draft I try to rank about 50-60 players by talent. The players I draft rarely make my big league squad as I mainly use them as trade bait to get more major league ready guys.
KB: If you were in HBD, what position would you play? And, what would you be rated?
Lomac:
A CF with decent glove and range.(range85 glove 81 speed 80)I'd lead the league in drag bunts for base hits.(45 0 20 20 78 with a 80 bunt rating) Every now and then I'd put a charge in the ball and line it over the pitcher's head.
KB: Thanks for taking the time to open up with us. Good luck this season defending your title!
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Bi-weekly Power Rankings - Season 4 Finale
Here is the final tally for the last power ranking vote of the season.
Current Rank (Previous Rank)
1. (2) Portland Beavers: Season 92-51, Points: 47, Ballots 10/10.
2. (1) Montreal Expos: Season 92-52, Points: 32, Ballots 9/10.
3. (T9) Arizona Diamondbacks: Season 86-57, Points: 25, Ballots 8/10.
4. (4) Charlotte Knights: Season 84-60, Points 18, Ballots 7/9
5. (3) Atlanta Braves: Season 84-60, Points 9, Ballots 6/9
6. (6) Cincinnati Reds: Season 85-58, Points 7, Ballots 3/10
7. (NR) Anaheim Angels: Season 80-63, Points 5, Ballots 3/9
8. (T9) New York Yankees: Season 77-66, Points: 4, Ballots 1/9
9. (5) Philadelphia Phillies: Season 82-62, Points: 2, Ballots 2/9
10. (NR) Toronto Blue Jays: Season 71-73, Points: 1, Ballots 1/9
Others Receiving Votes: None
Current Rank (Previous Rank)
1. (2) Portland Beavers: Season 92-51, Points: 47, Ballots 10/10.
2. (1) Montreal Expos: Season 92-52, Points: 32, Ballots 9/10.
3. (T9) Arizona Diamondbacks: Season 86-57, Points: 25, Ballots 8/10.
4. (4) Charlotte Knights: Season 84-60, Points 18, Ballots 7/9
5. (3) Atlanta Braves: Season 84-60, Points 9, Ballots 6/9
6. (6) Cincinnati Reds: Season 85-58, Points 7, Ballots 3/10
7. (NR) Anaheim Angels: Season 80-63, Points 5, Ballots 3/9
8. (T9) New York Yankees: Season 77-66, Points: 4, Ballots 1/9
9. (5) Philadelphia Phillies: Season 82-62, Points: 2, Ballots 2/9
10. (NR) Toronto Blue Jays: Season 71-73, Points: 1, Ballots 1/9
Others Receiving Votes: None
Franchise Highlights - Washington Nationals
by 13killers
Majors:
The season has been somewhat of a disappointment in Washington. They are presently in 2nd place in the division, but that is a country mile out of the wild card. Despite posting poor win-loss totals, the pitching staff has been solid. Matthew Crosby has been as good as any closer in the league, but saves opportunities have been few and far between. Set-up man Derrek Carpenter, who was acquired from Texas, has been a pleasant surprise. The offensive attack or lack there of, has been the problem in Washington. Although Bing Miles is posting a career year, Ralph Levine has had his worst year as a National. The Washington Nationals are headed for a shake up, after already dealing a few veterans before the dead line.
Minors:
AAA: Relief pitchers Cristian Simmons, Ralph Mays and Willie Green are all expected to make the move to the majors next season. They will be joined by power hitting Les Graham, Oswaldo Cela, Walt Washington and Harold Stokes.
AA: Aaron Benson and Julio Romero had MVP type seasons, but newly acquired CF-Damion Stock will get first crack in the show. Sam Franklin and Greg Tomlinson are future major league relievers.
HI A: The best talent in the franchise plays at HI A: Infielders Ralph Earley, Gabe Barrett and Allie White are all future Major Leaguers…joined by Sluggers Brett Stuart, Jackie Brohawn and Ted Lombardi, the nationals offensive woes could be over in the near future. Throw in defensive aces Walter Hutch, Jose Tavarez and lefty Stuart Wilson, the national have a large talent pool coming.
Low A: The can’t miss player here has to be Julio Toca. His .309 avg 53 hr and 164 rbi have vaulted him to hot prospect status…and the kid can play defense. Eric Hunter, Andres Ortiz, Deivi Fuentes, Matt Swann and Vance Morgan round out a solid group of position players. Lefty Will Sanders should make a middle rotation starter as well.
Rookie: The Nationals are waiting to see how well Brad Jackson and P.J. Robinson recover from injury. Davey Weston, Cozy Russell and Randall Johnson round out a thin group in Rookie ball for the Nationals.
Majors:
The season has been somewhat of a disappointment in Washington. They are presently in 2nd place in the division, but that is a country mile out of the wild card. Despite posting poor win-loss totals, the pitching staff has been solid. Matthew Crosby has been as good as any closer in the league, but saves opportunities have been few and far between. Set-up man Derrek Carpenter, who was acquired from Texas, has been a pleasant surprise. The offensive attack or lack there of, has been the problem in Washington. Although Bing Miles is posting a career year, Ralph Levine has had his worst year as a National. The Washington Nationals are headed for a shake up, after already dealing a few veterans before the dead line.
Minors:
AAA: Relief pitchers Cristian Simmons, Ralph Mays and Willie Green are all expected to make the move to the majors next season. They will be joined by power hitting Les Graham, Oswaldo Cela, Walt Washington and Harold Stokes.
AA: Aaron Benson and Julio Romero had MVP type seasons, but newly acquired CF-Damion Stock will get first crack in the show. Sam Franklin and Greg Tomlinson are future major league relievers.
HI A: The best talent in the franchise plays at HI A: Infielders Ralph Earley, Gabe Barrett and Allie White are all future Major Leaguers…joined by Sluggers Brett Stuart, Jackie Brohawn and Ted Lombardi, the nationals offensive woes could be over in the near future. Throw in defensive aces Walter Hutch, Jose Tavarez and lefty Stuart Wilson, the national have a large talent pool coming.
Low A: The can’t miss player here has to be Julio Toca. His .309 avg 53 hr and 164 rbi have vaulted him to hot prospect status…and the kid can play defense. Eric Hunter, Andres Ortiz, Deivi Fuentes, Matt Swann and Vance Morgan round out a solid group of position players. Lefty Will Sanders should make a middle rotation starter as well.
Rookie: The Nationals are waiting to see how well Brad Jackson and P.J. Robinson recover from injury. Davey Weston, Cozy Russell and Randall Johnson round out a thin group in Rookie ball for the Nationals.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Franchise Highlights - New York Mets
Front Office
The Mets are run by General Manager dherz_263. He is the second manager of the franchise and took control following the conclusion of the Season 2 regular season. While the Mets are yet to find any success with the big club, they are putting together some fine young talent and things look promising in the future.
Majors
The brightest stars of the entire organization are a pair of young lefty aces, former #1 pick Walt Hernandez and lifelong Mets fan from upstate NY Tony Stankiewicz. Hernandez looks to be developing into one of the most skilled pitchers in the NL while Stankiewicz two best pitches, a fastball and a slider, are being used to confound many a NL hitter.
Minors
At AA, the Mets have a good hitting shortstop in the making in 21 year old Juan Padilla. However in High A, they have a future superstar shortstop in the making in 20 year old Luis Franco. He will be a very valuable major leaguer as he is one of those rare talents that can have great success in the field at shortstop as well as at the plate. The Mets will someday have quite the double play combo as 19 year old second baseman Pablo Mendoza is also having great success for the High A Mets.
On the mound, 21 year old Sonny Spooneybarger has gotten a bit roughed up thus far in the minor leagues (currently High A), but scouts believe he has the talent to become the #3 man in a possible Met playoff rotation. Additionally, recent international signing 18 year old Yamid Medrano looks to blossom into a quality major league setup man.
The Mets are run by General Manager dherz_263. He is the second manager of the franchise and took control following the conclusion of the Season 2 regular season. While the Mets are yet to find any success with the big club, they are putting together some fine young talent and things look promising in the future.
Majors
The brightest stars of the entire organization are a pair of young lefty aces, former #1 pick Walt Hernandez and lifelong Mets fan from upstate NY Tony Stankiewicz. Hernandez looks to be developing into one of the most skilled pitchers in the NL while Stankiewicz two best pitches, a fastball and a slider, are being used to confound many a NL hitter.
Minors
At AA, the Mets have a good hitting shortstop in the making in 21 year old Juan Padilla. However in High A, they have a future superstar shortstop in the making in 20 year old Luis Franco. He will be a very valuable major leaguer as he is one of those rare talents that can have great success in the field at shortstop as well as at the plate. The Mets will someday have quite the double play combo as 19 year old second baseman Pablo Mendoza is also having great success for the High A Mets.
On the mound, 21 year old Sonny Spooneybarger has gotten a bit roughed up thus far in the minor leagues (currently High A), but scouts believe he has the talent to become the #3 man in a possible Met playoff rotation. Additionally, recent international signing 18 year old Yamid Medrano looks to blossom into a quality major league setup man.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Bi-weekly Power Rankings - Five Favorites
This week the members of Kinsella (15 of us) had a very clear view on what five teams belonged at the top of these rankings. The "Power 5" were named on 67 of a possible 72 ballots.
Current Rank (Previous Rank)
1. (1) Montreal Expos: Season 69-37, Points: 61, Ballots 15/15
The Expos continue to roll with the best record in baseball and Kevin Marte continues to be one of the most feared hitters. With one of the best offenses and an upper third pitching staff, the Expos appear destined to wrestle away the Reds stranglehold on the NL North and make a serious title run.
2. (2) Portland Beavers: Season 67-39, Points: 45, Ballots 14/15
The Beavers continue to play solid baseball, with their only recent blemish being a 3-1 series loss to the New York Yankees. Harry Reid has been a great addition for this team which looks superior to the team that was an eyelash away from a championship. With the Mariners on the decline, the Beavers appear headed for their first AL West title.
3. (T5) Atlanta Braves: Season 65-41, Points: 41, Ballots 13/14
Dee Dee is having a rookie season for the ages and fellow all-star sluggers Eric Roosevelt and Dan Guerrero are having stellar seasons as well. This fearsome trio has already combined for 115 home runs and 311 runs batted in and we still have 56 games left in the season. The only questions left for the Braves this season are by how many games will they win the division and will Dee Dee break the single season home run record?
4. (4) Charlotte Knights: Season 65-41, Points 35, Ballots 14/14
The Knights have taken command of the AL South this season by having the highest scoring team in baseball. Adam Martin, Jose Mondesi, Earl Jorgensen, and BC Javier are the most potent quartet of hitters in the AL and have helped this team rise one place in the standings each season with this season's first AL South Division title seemingly a lock.
5. (T5) Philadelphia Phillies: Season 63-43, Points: 26, Ballots 11/14
Flying high now! The arrival of Rocky Balboa seems to have lifted this team's spirits and their bullpen woes have gotten under control. Although they still lead the majors in blown saves (16), the margin has shrunk as the frequency has decreased. With the division title already appearing to be a foregone conclusion, the arrival of ace Darren Chance makes the Phillies and even stronger title threat.
6. (7) Cincinnati Reds: Season 61-45, Points 6, Ballots 3/14
With a surprising shake-up in the front office, the Reds performance on the field appears to be unaffected. The Reds are a team of sluggers with 5 players with 20 or more homers (and their GG caliber SS with 19) and with one of the worst team on base percentages, they score many of their runs by means of solo homers. Fortunately, their pitching staff is top notch and makes them a tough team to face in the playoffs, this season as a wild card entry.
7. (3) Seattle Mariners: Season 60-46, Points: 5, Ballots 2/15
The Mariners continue to have one of the best pitching staffs in the game. However, their offense is not keeping pace and providing those great pitchers with the run support they need. Luis Reynoso, Brandon Curtis, and Richard Ishii have all slid downward from their early season performances. If someone does not step up soon, the Mariners may find themselves out of the playoffs.
8. (N/A) Minnesota Twins: Season 54-52, Points: 4, Ballots 1/15
The young Twins emerged late last season as a strong bet to become an annual fixture on this list. This season they find themselves in a dogfight for the AL North with the also young and talented Detroit Tigers. Led by young sluggers Pat Decker and Sam Kubinski, the Twins offense has carried this team through some inconsistent pitching performances, especially in the bullpen. This division is still completely up for grabs, so who is going to grab it?
T9. (8) Arizona Diamondbacks: Season 62-44, Points: 1, Ballots 1/14
With a well balanced offense and a superb pitching staff, the Diamondbacks continue to stay on top of the NL West, despite the Dodgers best efforts. The NL West race looks like it will go down to the wire and the strong veteran presence on this squad seems determined to raise a fourth straight NL West championship banner.
T9. (N/A) New York Yankees: Season 60-46, Points: 1, Ballots 1/14
The Yankees appear to be on the rise with their improved offensive performance and the recent addition of second baseman Randy Hodges. Despite their top level pitching staff performance, the Yankees lack a dominant starter and appear to be at risk for an early playoff exit.
Others Receiving Votes: None
Current Rank (Previous Rank)
1. (1) Montreal Expos: Season 69-37, Points: 61, Ballots 15/15
The Expos continue to roll with the best record in baseball and Kevin Marte continues to be one of the most feared hitters. With one of the best offenses and an upper third pitching staff, the Expos appear destined to wrestle away the Reds stranglehold on the NL North and make a serious title run.
2. (2) Portland Beavers: Season 67-39, Points: 45, Ballots 14/15
The Beavers continue to play solid baseball, with their only recent blemish being a 3-1 series loss to the New York Yankees. Harry Reid has been a great addition for this team which looks superior to the team that was an eyelash away from a championship. With the Mariners on the decline, the Beavers appear headed for their first AL West title.
3. (T5) Atlanta Braves: Season 65-41, Points: 41, Ballots 13/14
Dee Dee is having a rookie season for the ages and fellow all-star sluggers Eric Roosevelt and Dan Guerrero are having stellar seasons as well. This fearsome trio has already combined for 115 home runs and 311 runs batted in and we still have 56 games left in the season. The only questions left for the Braves this season are by how many games will they win the division and will Dee Dee break the single season home run record?
4. (4) Charlotte Knights: Season 65-41, Points 35, Ballots 14/14
The Knights have taken command of the AL South this season by having the highest scoring team in baseball. Adam Martin, Jose Mondesi, Earl Jorgensen, and BC Javier are the most potent quartet of hitters in the AL and have helped this team rise one place in the standings each season with this season's first AL South Division title seemingly a lock.
5. (T5) Philadelphia Phillies: Season 63-43, Points: 26, Ballots 11/14
Flying high now! The arrival of Rocky Balboa seems to have lifted this team's spirits and their bullpen woes have gotten under control. Although they still lead the majors in blown saves (16), the margin has shrunk as the frequency has decreased. With the division title already appearing to be a foregone conclusion, the arrival of ace Darren Chance makes the Phillies and even stronger title threat.
6. (7) Cincinnati Reds: Season 61-45, Points 6, Ballots 3/14
With a surprising shake-up in the front office, the Reds performance on the field appears to be unaffected. The Reds are a team of sluggers with 5 players with 20 or more homers (and their GG caliber SS with 19) and with one of the worst team on base percentages, they score many of their runs by means of solo homers. Fortunately, their pitching staff is top notch and makes them a tough team to face in the playoffs, this season as a wild card entry.
7. (3) Seattle Mariners: Season 60-46, Points: 5, Ballots 2/15
The Mariners continue to have one of the best pitching staffs in the game. However, their offense is not keeping pace and providing those great pitchers with the run support they need. Luis Reynoso, Brandon Curtis, and Richard Ishii have all slid downward from their early season performances. If someone does not step up soon, the Mariners may find themselves out of the playoffs.
8. (N/A) Minnesota Twins: Season 54-52, Points: 4, Ballots 1/15
The young Twins emerged late last season as a strong bet to become an annual fixture on this list. This season they find themselves in a dogfight for the AL North with the also young and talented Detroit Tigers. Led by young sluggers Pat Decker and Sam Kubinski, the Twins offense has carried this team through some inconsistent pitching performances, especially in the bullpen. This division is still completely up for grabs, so who is going to grab it?
T9. (8) Arizona Diamondbacks: Season 62-44, Points: 1, Ballots 1/14
With a well balanced offense and a superb pitching staff, the Diamondbacks continue to stay on top of the NL West, despite the Dodgers best efforts. The NL West race looks like it will go down to the wire and the strong veteran presence on this squad seems determined to raise a fourth straight NL West championship banner.
T9. (N/A) New York Yankees: Season 60-46, Points: 1, Ballots 1/14
The Yankees appear to be on the rise with their improved offensive performance and the recent addition of second baseman Randy Hodges. Despite their top level pitching staff performance, the Yankees lack a dominant starter and appear to be at risk for an early playoff exit.
Others Receiving Votes: None
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Weekly Power Rankings - #1 Goes North of the Border
Once again, the members of Kinsella have spoken (15 of us this time) and the Montreal Expos are the new #1 team in the rankings. The biggest chart riser of the week were the Charlotte Knights who rose from off the list all the way to #4. This week's "Tom Petty Free Fallin" Award goes to the Chicago White Sox who went from #5 to drop off the chart.
Current Rank (Previous Rank)
1. (T2) Montreal Expos: Season 47-25, Points: 60, 14/14 ballots
The Expos have become Kevin Marte's team this season and his stellar performance has lifted them to the top spot in these rankings. At this point, Marte's massive ego might be causing a bit of turmoil in the clubhouse, but it has yet to effect their on the field results.
2. (7) Portland Beavers: Season 47-25, Points: 46, Ballots 11/14
The Beavers were on fire and were baseball's best over the past week and rose 5 spots to take the #2 ranking as well as the division lead in the tough AL West. The Pacific Northwest has become the hotbed of AL baseball and this race looks to stay hot well into fall.
3. (1) Seattle Mariners: Season 45-27, Points: 38, 11/15 ballots
The Mariners drop two spots with an average performance over the last week. While their pitching continues to be stellar, their biggest question mark lies in whether or not the offense can consistently deliver enough run support.
4. (N/A) Charlotte Knights: Season 44-28, Points 28, Ballots 11/14
The second hottest team in baseball were these Knights who make their season debut in the rankings. Their combination of great offense and an unconventional, yet effective pitching staff will take this team far.
T5. (4) Philadelphia Phillies: Season 40-32, Points: 14, Ballots 6/14
This team is still continuing to perform at a very high level, with one exception. If the bullpen can stop pulling Jerrod Baxters all the time as they lead the league in blown saves, then the Phils will once again be a top 3 team. Perhaps they can find inspiration in their new mascot, Rocky Balboa.
T5. (T9) Atlanta Braves: Season 42-30, Points: 14, Ballots 7/14
Dee Dee and the boys are pounding the ball with a fury as this fearsome slugging trio is putting up some massive numbers. With Vazquez now performing like the ace he has always supposed to have become, the Braves look like a permanent fixture on this list.
7. (N/A) Cincinnati Reds: Season 42-30, Points 7, Ballots 4/15
The Reds have turned on the jets earlier this season and the Expos should beware. With young Cliff Rivers and others punishing NL pitchers, the Reds are a team on the rise. Expect the Expos-Reds to be the NL version of Beavers-Mariners, with two top level teams in the same division.
8. (T2) Arizona Diamondbacks: Season 41-31, Points: 6, Ballots 4/15
The D'backs slipped a bit this week as interleague play against the tough AL West was a bit rough on them. With their inconsistent play, their reign over the NL West is looking very fragile.
9. (N/A) Kansas City Royals: Season 41-31, Points 5, Ballots 2/14
After missing the list last week, the Royals are back in the limelight behind strong pitching and hitting from their usual stars. Will this team fade down the stretch as they did last season or will they remain strong?
10. (T9) Los Angeles Dodgers: Season 42-30, Points 4, Ballots 3/15
With the former Marlin GM at the helm, this team is looking more and more like Florida Marlins Championship Part II. All the signings and wheeling and dealing has now put this team in driver seat in the NL West.
Others Receiving Votes:
(N/A) Toronto Blue Jays: Season 29-43, Points 3, Ballots 1/15
(6) New York Yankees: Season 37-35, Points: 2, Ballots 2/14
Current Rank (Previous Rank)
1. (T2) Montreal Expos: Season 47-25, Points: 60, 14/14 ballots
The Expos have become Kevin Marte's team this season and his stellar performance has lifted them to the top spot in these rankings. At this point, Marte's massive ego might be causing a bit of turmoil in the clubhouse, but it has yet to effect their on the field results.
2. (7) Portland Beavers: Season 47-25, Points: 46, Ballots 11/14
The Beavers were on fire and were baseball's best over the past week and rose 5 spots to take the #2 ranking as well as the division lead in the tough AL West. The Pacific Northwest has become the hotbed of AL baseball and this race looks to stay hot well into fall.
3. (1) Seattle Mariners: Season 45-27, Points: 38, 11/15 ballots
The Mariners drop two spots with an average performance over the last week. While their pitching continues to be stellar, their biggest question mark lies in whether or not the offense can consistently deliver enough run support.
4. (N/A) Charlotte Knights: Season 44-28, Points 28, Ballots 11/14
The second hottest team in baseball were these Knights who make their season debut in the rankings. Their combination of great offense and an unconventional, yet effective pitching staff will take this team far.
T5. (4) Philadelphia Phillies: Season 40-32, Points: 14, Ballots 6/14
This team is still continuing to perform at a very high level, with one exception. If the bullpen can stop pulling Jerrod Baxters all the time as they lead the league in blown saves, then the Phils will once again be a top 3 team. Perhaps they can find inspiration in their new mascot, Rocky Balboa.
T5. (T9) Atlanta Braves: Season 42-30, Points: 14, Ballots 7/14
Dee Dee and the boys are pounding the ball with a fury as this fearsome slugging trio is putting up some massive numbers. With Vazquez now performing like the ace he has always supposed to have become, the Braves look like a permanent fixture on this list.
7. (N/A) Cincinnati Reds: Season 42-30, Points 7, Ballots 4/15
The Reds have turned on the jets earlier this season and the Expos should beware. With young Cliff Rivers and others punishing NL pitchers, the Reds are a team on the rise. Expect the Expos-Reds to be the NL version of Beavers-Mariners, with two top level teams in the same division.
8. (T2) Arizona Diamondbacks: Season 41-31, Points: 6, Ballots 4/15
The D'backs slipped a bit this week as interleague play against the tough AL West was a bit rough on them. With their inconsistent play, their reign over the NL West is looking very fragile.
9. (N/A) Kansas City Royals: Season 41-31, Points 5, Ballots 2/14
After missing the list last week, the Royals are back in the limelight behind strong pitching and hitting from their usual stars. Will this team fade down the stretch as they did last season or will they remain strong?
10. (T9) Los Angeles Dodgers: Season 42-30, Points 4, Ballots 3/15
With the former Marlin GM at the helm, this team is looking more and more like Florida Marlins Championship Part II. All the signings and wheeling and dealing has now put this team in driver seat in the NL West.
Others Receiving Votes:
(N/A) Toronto Blue Jays: Season 29-43, Points 3, Ballots 1/15
(6) New York Yankees: Season 37-35, Points: 2, Ballots 2/14
Monday, August 4, 2008
Weekly Power Rankings - Mariners #1
The members of Kinsella have spoken (at least 13 of us) and by a landslide, the Seattle Mariners have been voted as the #1 team thus far, not suprising since they also own the best record. While Montreal and Arizona tie for 2nd and are the other two teams that most agree on as being one of the best with each named on 10 ballots.
Points have been calculated with 5 pts for 1st, 4 pts for 2nd, 3 pts for 3rd, 2 pts for 4th and 1 pt for 5th. I'm also indicating the number of ballots on which each team appeared, regardless of rank.
1. (T9) Seattle Mariners: Season 33-17, Points: 51, 11/13 ballots
The power of this team is in the pitching. The trio of Kordell Becker, Freddie Alston, and Rob Tolberg have been outstanding. Larry Houston has been dominant out of the bullpen setting up for the excellent James Hutton. On offense, last season's team MVP Karl Turner has been a bit inconsistent, but picking up for him have been Luis Reynoso and Brandon Curtis who have both been outstanding. The AL West is the toughest division in the AL but the M's are on the right track to dethrone the Angels.
T2. (8) Montreal Expos: Season 31-19, Points: 33, 10/13 ballots
The Expos have become an offensive juggernaut this season. With a team batting average over .300 and an OPS of almost .900, this is the closest thing out there to last season's Philly squad. Besides stars Kevin Marte and Bernard Springer who are expected to perform, they are also getting significant contributions from Trenidad Woodward, Marcus Kipling, and Miguel Pena. With a pitching staff that lacks any major standouts, the Expo pitching has been very thankful for all of that run support. It will be interesting to see if the Expos can hold off the Reds second half surge that we have now come to expect and take their first NL North title.
T2. (4) Arizona Diamondbacks: Season 29-21, Points: 33, Ballots 10/13
Similar to last season, what should be the strength of this team, their excellent pitching has been inconsistent and its their offense that has carried them so far. With Al Diaz and Bernie Delgado pitching well and the other starters not pitching to their abilities, the D'back bats have kept this team on top of what appears to be the toughest division in baseball. Significant contributions have come from annual batting title competitor Pascual Martin, Mark Wanatabe, Alan Lidge, Artie Wall, and Ivan Tolberg. Can they make it 4 division titles in a row? We shall see.
4. (1) Philadelphia Phillies: Season 28-22, Points: 16, Ballots 6/13
One of the biggest stories of this season has to be the trade of 3-time MVP Jake Clapp. It definitely took some of the luster off this team, but with as many weapons as this team still possesses they are still a force to be reckoned with. Jose Roque, who came over in the Clapp trade, has taken up quite a bit of the offensive load. Combined with Pedro Garrido, Magglio Molina, and Del Wilhelm, this team still has one of the league's better offenses. Leading the stellar pitching staff, Perry Harvey is making a strong bid to repeat as Cy Young winner. Throw in new arrival Sam Gruber and Frank Feng and the Phils have an excellent playoff rotation. While these Phillies are not quite the dominant sort from last season, expect them to repeat as division champs and make some noise in October.
5. (N/A) Chicago White Sox: Season 31-19, Points: 14, Ballots 6/13
After a one year hiatus from the power rankings, the Sox are back. The pitching is still there with Vinny Satou, Wascar Martinez, and Darren Chance, who is having a down year for him. But this season, the offense has put it together this season. With Robinson Jerzembeck, Mark Moore, and Todd Winchester putting up All-Star caliber numbers, the Sox pitching has been getting excellent run support. The Sox look like the team to beat in the tough AL North with the Tigers and Twins right on their heels.
6. (N/A) New York Yankees: Season 29-21, Points: 11, Ballots 7/13
The Yankees first appearance on the power rankings comes in large part to the arrival of the twenty million dollar man, Hayes Swann. His presence has lifted a mediocre offense into one of the better units in the AL. However, it is pitching that has kept this team competitive. While the starting corp has performed decently, the true stars have been in the bullpen. The lefty setup trio of Larry Scharein, Julio Romero, and John McCall have been instrumental for this team since the average start has only lasted 6 innings. The Yankees are aiming for their first division crown but have to contend with the bigtime slugging Orioles right on their tail.
7. (T9) Portland Beavers: Season 30-20, Points: 8, Ballots 3/13
Last season's AL Champs are back with every major contributor from last season's squad as well as new addition, Harry Reid. Along with Reid, Bobby Dawkins, Rico Ayala, and Bono Mullen have done alot in helping make the Beavers one of the better offensive teams in the AL. While the offense has risen, inconsistent pitching has been the reason the Beavers are not higher in this list. With Josias Rosado and Pepper Stearns being the only consistent starters, a bigger burden has been place on the bullpen. Leading the way has been setup man Johnny Riggs, who is having a near perfect season. The Beavers would love to defend their AL crown and they seem to be on track to have a shot at it, whether it be as division winner or a wild card, like last season.
8. (N/A) Detroit Tigers: Season 26-24, Points: 6, Ballots 2/13
Another new arrival to the power rankings, the Tigers arrive on the list courtesy of their big hitting. With Damian Chen leading off and wrecking havoc on the base paths, sluggers Lewis Forsch and Eric Brumfield have been making the most of their plentiful RBI opportunities. While the starters have been a bit shaky, Earl Patterson is having one of the best season's of any closer in the league with a perfect 14 out of 14 in save attempts. The Tigers have the talent to remain in the hunt for one of the precious playoff spots.
T9. (N/A) Atlanta Braves: Season 30-20, Points: 5, Ballots 2/13
Dee Dee Hutton's arrival to the majors has been accompanied with enough fanfare, you'd think that the Braves were celebrating a World Series victory. Unfortunately, the crown currently sits farther south in Florida, but what the Braves do have is the most fearsome trio of sluggers in the game with Hutton, Eric Roosevelt, and Dan Guerrero. The three will likely combine for over 120 homers and 360 RBI on an annual basis. Combine that with some excellent pitching, led by Alejandro Vasquez, and you have the makings of one of the new contenders for a title. The Braves look like a lock to take the weak NL South so Dee Dee should get the chance to perform on the big October stage. Will he live up to the hype?
T9. (N/A) Los Angeles Dodgers: Season 28-22, Points 5, Ballots 2/13
Another team that took a one season hiatus from the list is the LA Dodgers. Without having a single offensive player worthy of the All-Star team, this team is all about pitching. The Dodgers currently have the top performing starters in the majors in Buck Barry, Roland Covelski, Alvin Sasser, and free agent pick-up Alex Kubinski. In addition, setup man Kelvim Bennett and closer Gary Meadows have been outstanding at preserving Dodger victories. LA has a difficult road coming out of the fierce NL West, but they have the horses to win this playoff race.
Others Receiving Votes:
(7) Charlotte Knights: Season 29-21, Points 4, Ballots 2/13
(N/A) Chicago Cubs: Season 30-20, Points 3, Ballots 2/13
(N/A) Baltimore Orioles: Season 27-23, Points 3, Ballots 1/13
(N/A) San Francisco Giants: Season 28-22, Points 3, Ballots 1/13
Monday, July 28, 2008
Season 4 AL West Preview
ANAHEIM ANGELS
Season 1: 98-64; 1st Place; Lost in ALCS
Season 2: 91-71; 1st Place; Lost in DCS
Season 3: 97-65; 1st Place; Lost in DCS
The Angels have been the kings of the AL West but just can’t put all of the pieces together in the playoffs.
Hitting
Despite losing the big bat of Darryl Whitaker for the entire season, the Angels once again prevailed in the AL West, thanks to the fearsome tandem of MVP runner-up Arthur Boggs and ROY Travis Murphy. With Whitaker’s return to his DH role, the only question is which big-time slugger will trot out there and pretend to be a leftfielder? This trio of hitters is one of the best in baseball and with Aaron Holliday, Tony Contreras, and DaRond Wagner, they should be one of the AL’s best.
Pitching
The true MVP of this team last season had to have been Cy Young winner Haywood Charles. He was the ultimate workhorse ace for this team, pitching a ML leading 282 innings and winning 22 games. Since Rabbit Tracy was the only other starter providing a consistently positive contribution, depth of starting pitching is the biggest weakness of this team. With Graham Brown and Alex Sanchez providing quality setup work for one of the best closers in the game in Leon Owens, the Angels will once again have one of the better bullpens around.
Season 4 Forecast
With one of the best offenses in the league, Haywood Charles pitching every fourth game, and one of the better bullpens, the Angels once again are the favorites to raise a fourth consecutive divisional banner. If Fernando Dotel can step up and provide them with someone else for the playoff rotation, the Angels may end their playoff woes.
Season 4 Prediction: 100-62; 1st Place
PORTLAND BEAVERS
Season 1: 65-97; 4th Place
Season 2: 79-83; 2nd Place
Season 3: 93-69; 2nd Place; Wildcard; Lost in WS
The Beavers have been able to improve each season and with last season’s World Series appearance, the Beaver faithful, hungry for a hometown title since the Blazers in 1977, ended last season with a huge party in Pioneer Square.
Hitting
What was a solid group and one of the finer all-around lineups in the AL just got a huge boost. The arrival of Harry Reid in a trade from Cleveland sends a big message to the fans, “We are not content to simply make the World Series. We want to win it now!” With Reid joining MVP candidate Robert Durham as well as excellent hitters in Bobby Dawkins, Tommy Blackley, Rico Ayala, Jarrod Costello, the Beavers have a stacked lineup that will provide the pitching staff with excellent run support that will keep pace with the Angel lineup mentioned above.
Pitching
The talented young arms of this staff was able to successfully navigate this team through the AL playoffs and nearly to a championship. The rotation is getting crowded this season as joining righthanders Nelson Stockton and Dick Cook and southpaws Pepper Stearns, Parker Parris, and Josias Rosado will be joined by young righthander Buck Hoover. This group provides a lot of solid innings and quality starts and this season with the improved offense, they’ll probably be racking up more wins.The setup tandem of Preston McMillan and Johnny Riggs is one of the best in the business as they provided over 200 innings of superb relief work last season. This paves the way for stud closer Ignacio Benitez who had a fine season and was outstanding during the playoff run. With this trio, any lead going into the 7th inning is going to be well preserved.
Season 4 Forecast
The addition of Reid and the continued maturation of their young starters bodes well for this team which will be a very serious challenger to Anaheim’s division reign. Expect a third consecutive season of regular season improvement in Portland and another playoff appearance.
Season 4 Prediction: 98-64; 2nd Place
SEATTLE MARINERS
Season 1: 81-81; 2nd Place
Season 2: 65-97; 4th Place
Season 3: 92-70; 3rd Place; Wildcard; Lost in DCS
The Mariners have had a yo-yo history thus far and with no acquisitions or departures, while many other teams in the league have retooled, the trend looks to continue.
Hitting
Lacking any consistent offensive threats other than first baseman Karl Turner, the Mariners are going to have an average offense at best. While Butch Hampton was a tear on the base paths with his record shattering 157 stolen bases, he doesn’t reach base nearly often enough (.309 OBP) to be considered a success. Without any new additions, the Mariners are going to need improved contributions from Brandon Curtis, Richard Ishii, and Luis Reynoso if they are going to once again make the playoffs.
Pitching
The starting staff is definitely the strength of the team, as all five starters had quality seasons with Freddie Alston and Fred Rolle leading the way with 15 wins each. With the offensive production being somewhat limited and the starters keeping games close, the bullpen will once again be key in the success of this team. Providing the bulk of the innings will be two workhorse relievers in setup man Larry Houston and closer James Hutton. Both pitchers perform superbly last season in helping the Mariners into the postseason and their performance this season may once again be the difference between playing baseball or golf in October.
Season 4 Forecast
The Mariners were a bit of a surprise last season. But with no new help, it looks like they will fall back a bit this season with the offense being their Achilles heal.
Season 4 Prediction: 82-80; 3rd Place
OAKLAND ATHLETICS
Season 1: 73-89; 3rd Place
Season 2: 76-86; 3rd Place
Season 3: 73-89; 4th Place
The Athletics have been a stagnant team at the ML level with near identical records and with no help nearby, it will likely get worse before it gets better.
Hitting
The Athletics had a surprisingly potent offense last season with a star less collection of players in which six different players had 20 or more homers. The departure of free agent Danys Puente takes away some of that production and it is hard to imagine this group scoring as many runs this season.
Pitching
Unfortunately, the top component of this pitching staff is pitcher friendly Network Associates Coliseum. However, there is a new young ace taking the mound every fifth day in young right-hander Ivan Mota. With Kelvim Ming still a couple of seasons from being ready, Mota will likely be the only quality starter on this staff for the next few seasons.The only bright spots in the bullpen are closer Craig Evans and setup man Bernie Pascual. The rest of this group puts up stats almost like they are throwing batting practice. There are going to be a lot of runs scored against the A’s this season.
Season 4 Forecast
With the pitching issues on this team, look for the Athletics to be serious competitors for next season’s #1 pick.
Season 4 Prediction: 68-94; 4th Place
Season 1: 98-64; 1st Place; Lost in ALCS
Season 2: 91-71; 1st Place; Lost in DCS
Season 3: 97-65; 1st Place; Lost in DCS
The Angels have been the kings of the AL West but just can’t put all of the pieces together in the playoffs.
Hitting
Despite losing the big bat of Darryl Whitaker for the entire season, the Angels once again prevailed in the AL West, thanks to the fearsome tandem of MVP runner-up Arthur Boggs and ROY Travis Murphy. With Whitaker’s return to his DH role, the only question is which big-time slugger will trot out there and pretend to be a leftfielder? This trio of hitters is one of the best in baseball and with Aaron Holliday, Tony Contreras, and DaRond Wagner, they should be one of the AL’s best.
Pitching
The true MVP of this team last season had to have been Cy Young winner Haywood Charles. He was the ultimate workhorse ace for this team, pitching a ML leading 282 innings and winning 22 games. Since Rabbit Tracy was the only other starter providing a consistently positive contribution, depth of starting pitching is the biggest weakness of this team. With Graham Brown and Alex Sanchez providing quality setup work for one of the best closers in the game in Leon Owens, the Angels will once again have one of the better bullpens around.
Season 4 Forecast
With one of the best offenses in the league, Haywood Charles pitching every fourth game, and one of the better bullpens, the Angels once again are the favorites to raise a fourth consecutive divisional banner. If Fernando Dotel can step up and provide them with someone else for the playoff rotation, the Angels may end their playoff woes.
Season 4 Prediction: 100-62; 1st Place
PORTLAND BEAVERS
Season 1: 65-97; 4th Place
Season 2: 79-83; 2nd Place
Season 3: 93-69; 2nd Place; Wildcard; Lost in WS
The Beavers have been able to improve each season and with last season’s World Series appearance, the Beaver faithful, hungry for a hometown title since the Blazers in 1977, ended last season with a huge party in Pioneer Square.
Hitting
What was a solid group and one of the finer all-around lineups in the AL just got a huge boost. The arrival of Harry Reid in a trade from Cleveland sends a big message to the fans, “We are not content to simply make the World Series. We want to win it now!” With Reid joining MVP candidate Robert Durham as well as excellent hitters in Bobby Dawkins, Tommy Blackley, Rico Ayala, Jarrod Costello, the Beavers have a stacked lineup that will provide the pitching staff with excellent run support that will keep pace with the Angel lineup mentioned above.
Pitching
The talented young arms of this staff was able to successfully navigate this team through the AL playoffs and nearly to a championship. The rotation is getting crowded this season as joining righthanders Nelson Stockton and Dick Cook and southpaws Pepper Stearns, Parker Parris, and Josias Rosado will be joined by young righthander Buck Hoover. This group provides a lot of solid innings and quality starts and this season with the improved offense, they’ll probably be racking up more wins.The setup tandem of Preston McMillan and Johnny Riggs is one of the best in the business as they provided over 200 innings of superb relief work last season. This paves the way for stud closer Ignacio Benitez who had a fine season and was outstanding during the playoff run. With this trio, any lead going into the 7th inning is going to be well preserved.
Season 4 Forecast
The addition of Reid and the continued maturation of their young starters bodes well for this team which will be a very serious challenger to Anaheim’s division reign. Expect a third consecutive season of regular season improvement in Portland and another playoff appearance.
Season 4 Prediction: 98-64; 2nd Place
SEATTLE MARINERS
Season 1: 81-81; 2nd Place
Season 2: 65-97; 4th Place
Season 3: 92-70; 3rd Place; Wildcard; Lost in DCS
The Mariners have had a yo-yo history thus far and with no acquisitions or departures, while many other teams in the league have retooled, the trend looks to continue.
Hitting
Lacking any consistent offensive threats other than first baseman Karl Turner, the Mariners are going to have an average offense at best. While Butch Hampton was a tear on the base paths with his record shattering 157 stolen bases, he doesn’t reach base nearly often enough (.309 OBP) to be considered a success. Without any new additions, the Mariners are going to need improved contributions from Brandon Curtis, Richard Ishii, and Luis Reynoso if they are going to once again make the playoffs.
Pitching
The starting staff is definitely the strength of the team, as all five starters had quality seasons with Freddie Alston and Fred Rolle leading the way with 15 wins each. With the offensive production being somewhat limited and the starters keeping games close, the bullpen will once again be key in the success of this team. Providing the bulk of the innings will be two workhorse relievers in setup man Larry Houston and closer James Hutton. Both pitchers perform superbly last season in helping the Mariners into the postseason and their performance this season may once again be the difference between playing baseball or golf in October.
Season 4 Forecast
The Mariners were a bit of a surprise last season. But with no new help, it looks like they will fall back a bit this season with the offense being their Achilles heal.
Season 4 Prediction: 82-80; 3rd Place
OAKLAND ATHLETICS
Season 1: 73-89; 3rd Place
Season 2: 76-86; 3rd Place
Season 3: 73-89; 4th Place
The Athletics have been a stagnant team at the ML level with near identical records and with no help nearby, it will likely get worse before it gets better.
Hitting
The Athletics had a surprisingly potent offense last season with a star less collection of players in which six different players had 20 or more homers. The departure of free agent Danys Puente takes away some of that production and it is hard to imagine this group scoring as many runs this season.
Pitching
Unfortunately, the top component of this pitching staff is pitcher friendly Network Associates Coliseum. However, there is a new young ace taking the mound every fifth day in young right-hander Ivan Mota. With Kelvim Ming still a couple of seasons from being ready, Mota will likely be the only quality starter on this staff for the next few seasons.The only bright spots in the bullpen are closer Craig Evans and setup man Bernie Pascual. The rest of this group puts up stats almost like they are throwing batting practice. There are going to be a lot of runs scored against the A’s this season.
Season 4 Forecast
With the pitching issues on this team, look for the Athletics to be serious competitors for next season’s #1 pick.
Season 4 Prediction: 68-94; 4th Place
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Season 4 AL South Preview
By louiecards
Kansas City Royals (felix817)
Season 1: 93-69, 2nd Place, Lost in DPS
Season 2: 92-70, 2nd Place, Lost in DPS
Season 3: 94-68, 1st Place, Lost in DPS
Can they get over the hump? After three very solid seasons the Royals are looking to do away with their playoff struggles and lift some hardware.
Offense
Led by 2-time All-Star and former Home Run Derby champ Danny Alexander the Royals will put up a good amount of runs this season. With the addition of Gold Glover Curtis Leiter to the team, Alexander will most likely make the move to 3B. Let us not forget Hector Joseph and Sandy Valentin both All-Stars at their respective positions. The Royals led the AL in Runs scored last year and there is no reason to believe they will not be among the leaders again this year.
Pitching
With a 20 game winner at the front of the rotation the Royals pitching staff remains very good bringing back all 5 starters. The management is looking for Eli Batista to make a comeback from an off year in which he posted a 7.08 era. Finishing games won’t be a problem for this team. Vic Castillo converted 37 of 40 chances last year while posting a .97 whip and 1.87 era. The staff had the 6th fewest runs allowed last year and will likely do the same this season if they can stay healthy.
Outlook
This team is a legit contender in the AL. The Royals should win the AL South as long as the pitchers pitch and the hitters hit.
Prediction
97-65,1st Place
Charlotte Knights (bux_express)
Season 1: 88-74, 4th Place, did not make playoffs
Season 2: 88-74, 3rd Place, did not make playoffs
Season 3: 90-72, 2nd Place, did not make playoffs
The pattern this team has started would say they will win the South. The roster tells us they will contend but fall short again.
Offense
If Chicks dig the long ball then they might want to move to Charlotte. The Knights have Adam Martin, Jose Mondesi, and B.C. Javier all who hit over 40 HRs and Earl Jorgensen who hit 35 HRs last season. The key players in the lineup are all back to give it their best shot. One notable addition is Johnny Davis. The rookie CF should hold his own in the field and at the plate. Overall this will be a big offensive year for the Knights.
Pitching
With not a single pitcher getting 15 wins last season it is clear what the weakness is for this squad. One bright spot in the rotation is Warren Justice the young right hander is looking to break out in his 3rd season at the big league level. Unless they have some tricks up their sleeve pitching will be the Achilles heal for Charlotte.
Outlook
Even with the pitching woes Charlotte should post a good record and possibly make it to the postseason with the Wild Card.
Prediction
89-73,2nd Place
Texas Rangers (akgsports)
Season 1: 88-74, 3rd Place, Lost in DPS
Season 2: 66-96, 4th Place, did not make playoffs
Season 3: 52-110, 4th Place, did not make playoffs
Is this the surprise team of season 4? The Rangers are looking to get out of the basement and make a run.
Offense
The offense will be led by first baseman Geronimo Santos who is expecting to hit 35HRs and have over 100 RBI. Santos has a little support behind him in veteran Benji Palmer who is looking to turn it around after seeing his average dip to .225 while hitting 32 dingers and driving in 78. Texas is still a short a couple really solid hitters and is filled with high strikeout players. This will be a streaky hitting team that when hot could light up the scoreboard.
Pitching
Offseason moves have been made and they are brought in 2 top notch pitchers. Homer Flanagan will be the opening day starter for the Rangers this year after signing a 3 year 39 million dollar deal with his old club. While his W/L record is not overly impressive his career .233 OAV and 3.39 era do jump out at you. The other key addition is Jorge Guapo who will fill the closer role nicely. The staff is not a complete staff by any stretch but is heading in the right direction if the aging vets can hold on for another year or two.
Outlook
The Rangers should be improved over last season. How much improved will depend largely on how well the team does scoring runs. Most likely this team is still another year or two away.
Prediction
77-85,3rd Place
Tampa Bay (Devil) Rays (bpdelia)
Season 1: 94-68, 1st Place, lost in DPS
Season 2: 95-67, 1st Place, lost in WS
Season 3: 82-80, 3rd Place, did not make playoffs
The fans in Tampa are left wondering what happened this offseason. The GM has traded a few really solid players with no stud prospects to show for it.
Offense
Jose Pichardo and Orber Julio are the real deal and ready to carry the load for a team that will undoubtedly struggle this season. Jerry Kaline wil give it a go in the bigs after being promoted immediately from High A after his trade from Atlanta. Kaline might struggle early on in his ML career due to lack of experience. Overall the (Devil) Rays will not score enough runs to win this season.
Pitching
The lone bright spot is Rob Kennedy who converted 41 of 46 chances with a .238 OAV and 3.14 era last season. The problem is he might not get the chance to save very many games this season. The rotation will be filled with young unproven players that will mostly likely struggle b/c none possess lights out stuff.
Outlook
This will be a long season for the Rays. They will be fighting for the 1st pick in next year’s amateur draft without a doubt.
Prediction
55-107, 4th Place
Kansas City Royals (felix817)
Season 1: 93-69, 2nd Place, Lost in DPS
Season 2: 92-70, 2nd Place, Lost in DPS
Season 3: 94-68, 1st Place, Lost in DPS
Can they get over the hump? After three very solid seasons the Royals are looking to do away with their playoff struggles and lift some hardware.
Offense
Led by 2-time All-Star and former Home Run Derby champ Danny Alexander the Royals will put up a good amount of runs this season. With the addition of Gold Glover Curtis Leiter to the team, Alexander will most likely make the move to 3B. Let us not forget Hector Joseph and Sandy Valentin both All-Stars at their respective positions. The Royals led the AL in Runs scored last year and there is no reason to believe they will not be among the leaders again this year.
Pitching
With a 20 game winner at the front of the rotation the Royals pitching staff remains very good bringing back all 5 starters. The management is looking for Eli Batista to make a comeback from an off year in which he posted a 7.08 era. Finishing games won’t be a problem for this team. Vic Castillo converted 37 of 40 chances last year while posting a .97 whip and 1.87 era. The staff had the 6th fewest runs allowed last year and will likely do the same this season if they can stay healthy.
Outlook
This team is a legit contender in the AL. The Royals should win the AL South as long as the pitchers pitch and the hitters hit.
Prediction
97-65,1st Place
Charlotte Knights (bux_express)
Season 1: 88-74, 4th Place, did not make playoffs
Season 2: 88-74, 3rd Place, did not make playoffs
Season 3: 90-72, 2nd Place, did not make playoffs
The pattern this team has started would say they will win the South. The roster tells us they will contend but fall short again.
Offense
If Chicks dig the long ball then they might want to move to Charlotte. The Knights have Adam Martin, Jose Mondesi, and B.C. Javier all who hit over 40 HRs and Earl Jorgensen who hit 35 HRs last season. The key players in the lineup are all back to give it their best shot. One notable addition is Johnny Davis. The rookie CF should hold his own in the field and at the plate. Overall this will be a big offensive year for the Knights.
Pitching
With not a single pitcher getting 15 wins last season it is clear what the weakness is for this squad. One bright spot in the rotation is Warren Justice the young right hander is looking to break out in his 3rd season at the big league level. Unless they have some tricks up their sleeve pitching will be the Achilles heal for Charlotte.
Outlook
Even with the pitching woes Charlotte should post a good record and possibly make it to the postseason with the Wild Card.
Prediction
89-73,2nd Place
Texas Rangers (akgsports)
Season 1: 88-74, 3rd Place, Lost in DPS
Season 2: 66-96, 4th Place, did not make playoffs
Season 3: 52-110, 4th Place, did not make playoffs
Is this the surprise team of season 4? The Rangers are looking to get out of the basement and make a run.
Offense
The offense will be led by first baseman Geronimo Santos who is expecting to hit 35HRs and have over 100 RBI. Santos has a little support behind him in veteran Benji Palmer who is looking to turn it around after seeing his average dip to .225 while hitting 32 dingers and driving in 78. Texas is still a short a couple really solid hitters and is filled with high strikeout players. This will be a streaky hitting team that when hot could light up the scoreboard.
Pitching
Offseason moves have been made and they are brought in 2 top notch pitchers. Homer Flanagan will be the opening day starter for the Rangers this year after signing a 3 year 39 million dollar deal with his old club. While his W/L record is not overly impressive his career .233 OAV and 3.39 era do jump out at you. The other key addition is Jorge Guapo who will fill the closer role nicely. The staff is not a complete staff by any stretch but is heading in the right direction if the aging vets can hold on for another year or two.
Outlook
The Rangers should be improved over last season. How much improved will depend largely on how well the team does scoring runs. Most likely this team is still another year or two away.
Prediction
77-85,3rd Place
Tampa Bay (Devil) Rays (bpdelia)
Season 1: 94-68, 1st Place, lost in DPS
Season 2: 95-67, 1st Place, lost in WS
Season 3: 82-80, 3rd Place, did not make playoffs
The fans in Tampa are left wondering what happened this offseason. The GM has traded a few really solid players with no stud prospects to show for it.
Offense
Jose Pichardo and Orber Julio are the real deal and ready to carry the load for a team that will undoubtedly struggle this season. Jerry Kaline wil give it a go in the bigs after being promoted immediately from High A after his trade from Atlanta. Kaline might struggle early on in his ML career due to lack of experience. Overall the (Devil) Rays will not score enough runs to win this season.
Pitching
The lone bright spot is Rob Kennedy who converted 41 of 46 chances with a .238 OAV and 3.14 era last season. The problem is he might not get the chance to save very many games this season. The rotation will be filled with young unproven players that will mostly likely struggle b/c none possess lights out stuff.
Outlook
This will be a long season for the Rays. They will be fighting for the 1st pick in next year’s amateur draft without a doubt.
Prediction
55-107, 4th Place
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Season 4 NL East Preview
By 13killers
From the New York Post- Spike Ewing
The New York Mets will be coming off a 2nd straight season of steady improvement under 3rd year owner DHERZ. While the new stadium is being completed in the parking lot, the franchise is starting to take shape in Old Shea. Rookie manager Seth Borders gets his shot as a major league manager, despite being 52 games under .500 with the White Sox triple-A team. That shape starts with the starting rotation. The Mets have one of the best young staff in all of baseball. The staff features 3 young lefties that can get it done. Tony Stankiewicz is entering his 3rd season, and brings a 95 mph fastball and a plus slider to the mound. Justin Leonard is a good looking young lefty, who just needs to command his 3 plus pitches a little better. The 3rd young lefty is Walt Hernandez. Hernandez was the number 1 overall pick in the season 2 draft. He has steam rolled through the minor leagues, and is will be one of the early favorites for the rookie of the year. Walt still has a lot of improving to do, but his mid 90’s fastball should allow him to keep batters at bay. Boomer Paige is the veteran leader of this staff, and along with Philip Lindsey brings Right Hand balance to the rotation. Raul Astacio was great as the closer, after being acquired from Boston. Set-up man, Pat Michaels looks to bounce back from a disappointing season 3. The Mets defense is also very good, sporting 2 Gold Glove winners in SS- Tony Azocar and CF- Wade Baker. The infield is rounded out by solid glove men 2B- Coco Rodgers, a rule-5 guy, and Veteran Kid Washington. Even though the pitching and defense are really strong, the line-up is a major question. Wolf Douglas is coming off a career year, but he lacks ideal power for a top run producer. Middle of the order help will come from Eugene Ball and Graham Powell, both of which are strikeout prone. All in all, the Mets have made great strides in the last couple of years. But, in a division that features the Phillies, Pirates and Nationals, it may be another year or two before the Mets are…well amazing.
From the Philadelphia Times Union- Donavan Balboa
Can a team win 112 games in a season, and still be considered a failure? If the team is from the city of brotherly love they can. The Phillies had one of the best regular seasons in baseball history. But, falling short of a World Series Title nearly caused another crack in the bell. Bruce Parnell, former Nationals AAA skipper, enters his 2nd season as the head Philly. Parnell’s lineup has plenty of STUDS in the barn. The Phillies lineup returns most of the bats that made them the leagues most feared offensive force. 3 time all-star Del Wilhelm leads it off, and has complied unbelievable numbers in the leadoff spot. CF & 2 time all-star Frank Jorgensen and 1B & former Rookie of the year Pedro Garrido return to set the table in front of Jake Clapp. Clapp has had a pretty solid career, seeing how he is the only MVP the national league has crowned for the last 3 seasons. The RBI slots are man by Albert Gonzalez, a Jeff like 2B and Magglio Molina, one of the best young catchers in the game. Two newcomers finish out the order as Jeff Jones and Max Salinas come to join the Phillies. Jones is coming over from division rival Washington, and is looking to bounce back from an injury riddle season. Salinas brings a weak bat, but a much need defensive ace to man the SS position for Philly. The rotation is headed by season 3 Cy Young winner Perry Harvey and young 17 game winner Hi White. Buddy Kapler adds solid veteran leadership to the pitching staff. While, Frank Feng and Donn Sisler look to prove that they belong in the starting mix. The bullpen is almost as impressive as the line up. All-Star closer Ken Upshaw is coming off of his best season. Also setup men Alex Ozuna, Merv Christopher and Walter Gwynn form what could be the best bridge to the closer in the national league. The Phillies starting rotation lacks a little to be desired. But if the bullpen can’t help mask the average rotation…the new version of murders row can. Even though they had a disappointing finish to season 3, the road to the World Series appears to go through the city of brotherly love.
From the Pittsburgh Sun- Mario Clemente
Harry Bravo moves into his new office with one thing in mind…getting the Pittsburgh Pirates back into the playoffs. The Pirates are October regulars under famed skipper Jim Leyland, but have only made the playoffs once sine. Will this group make you forget about the “KILLER B’s” of the 90’s? No. However, Shep McNeil, Clyde Redmond and James Sherman help to form one of the leagues best trios. McNeil will start in Left Field, and has averaged over .300 35HR 110RBI over the last three seasons. 2B- Clyde Redmond, and season 3 All-Star, is a legit treat to join the 30-30 club this season. James Sherman, who is looking for a long term contract, has been one of the premier power hitter in the National League for years. Throw in: steady SS- Daryle Lloyd, Thumper Ivan Izuiendo and a steady catching duo, the Bucos have a nice veteran line-up. Marc Cash, rookie CF, is the only real question mark in the order. The pitching rotation is a little more of an iffy situation. The staff is headed by 17 game winner, Robert Knotts. Knotts is one of the leagues bright young stars. After Knotts, a group of unproven young hurlers are left to fill out the rotation. Rookie Left hander, Orlando Guerreo, appears to be posed to step right into the 2nd slot in the rotation. Rookie lefty, Fonzie Robinson, will have to command his pitches better, if he wants to be a consistent major leaguer. The rotation is filled out by rookie right handers Omar Delado and Miguel Perez. Delado has good control and touches the low 90’s, While Perez has pinpoint control and a great sinking fastball. Closer, Fernando James, has been one of the better closers in terms of save situations. Like many closer, Fernando had a hard time in non-save situations last season. If Jimmy Houck can bounce back, and Buster Norton and Andres Jimenez can hold down set-up roles, the pen can be solid. We all know that the lineup is going to be impressive. The real question mark centers around a pitching staff that runs out 4 rookies. If the baby Bucs pitch well, Pittsburgh may be playoff bound, if they don’t…PNC park may once again be empty come October.
From the Washington Post- Barack O’Bush
Last season was supposed to be a big year for the Washington Nationals. The club had made the playoffs 2 years in a row, winning the division once. The front office made a number of trades to beef up a lineup that had been lacking in certain areas. The pitching staff was returning intact, and even added a few pieces to help for the playoffs. And then, season 2 Cy Young Runner and staff Ace, Ozzie Percival’s season was cut short. Coming off of a 24 Win season, then 24 year-old Percival pitched 7 games before being shutdown for the year, and the Nationals season went with him. Ozzie is once again healthy, and ready to lead the young staff once again in Season 4. Also, looking to bounce back, is Raul Lee. After winning 15 games in Season 1 and Season, the 25 year-old had a tough Season campaign. Finishing out the all right handed rotation is Tom Durham, Rusty Little and Juan Delgado. Durham had a good rookie season, and sports an upper 90s fastball. Little and Delgado also bring good velicity and high strikeout totals to the mound. Once again, the bullpen is headed by Matthew Crosby. Crosby has had 2 straight seasons with a whip under 1.00. The set up roles are a question for the Nationals. Veterans Albert Howell and Alfredo Morales are back in Washington, after being traded the STL for a playoff run. The rest of the bullpen will be filled out by: RHP- Harry Romero, RHP- Derrek Carpenter and LHP- Grant Snavely. When you talk about hitting in Washington, you have to start with the name Ralph Levine. After being acquired from the Yankees in the spring of Season 1, Levine has posted an average of over 45HR, 120RBI, 125walks and 1.042 OPS. Those numbers have placed him in the top 5 of the MVP voting the last three years. Also back joining Levine is Bing Miles, Antonio Uchida and Paul Gong. Miles is one of the league’s most skilled young hitters, while 2B/3B-Uchida and SS-Gong should provide power from there positions. Washington added a number of free agent position players including: Danys Puente, Bey Brinkley, Damaso Andujar, Jimmy Dunn, Dean Henry, Mark Irabu and Thom Stewart. The additions are all veterans and should help fill out the National lineup. There are questions in the nation’s capitol this year: Who is will be in the White House…Will the Nats make the playoffs…? Well, maybe the Nats can save the city from going down the drain.
Predictions: This division has a shot to get 3 teams in the playoffs in Season 4…or maybe just one
1. Philadelphia
2. Washington/Pittsburgh (tie)
4. New York
From the New York Post- Spike Ewing
The New York Mets will be coming off a 2nd straight season of steady improvement under 3rd year owner DHERZ. While the new stadium is being completed in the parking lot, the franchise is starting to take shape in Old Shea. Rookie manager Seth Borders gets his shot as a major league manager, despite being 52 games under .500 with the White Sox triple-A team. That shape starts with the starting rotation. The Mets have one of the best young staff in all of baseball. The staff features 3 young lefties that can get it done. Tony Stankiewicz is entering his 3rd season, and brings a 95 mph fastball and a plus slider to the mound. Justin Leonard is a good looking young lefty, who just needs to command his 3 plus pitches a little better. The 3rd young lefty is Walt Hernandez. Hernandez was the number 1 overall pick in the season 2 draft. He has steam rolled through the minor leagues, and is will be one of the early favorites for the rookie of the year. Walt still has a lot of improving to do, but his mid 90’s fastball should allow him to keep batters at bay. Boomer Paige is the veteran leader of this staff, and along with Philip Lindsey brings Right Hand balance to the rotation. Raul Astacio was great as the closer, after being acquired from Boston. Set-up man, Pat Michaels looks to bounce back from a disappointing season 3. The Mets defense is also very good, sporting 2 Gold Glove winners in SS- Tony Azocar and CF- Wade Baker. The infield is rounded out by solid glove men 2B- Coco Rodgers, a rule-5 guy, and Veteran Kid Washington. Even though the pitching and defense are really strong, the line-up is a major question. Wolf Douglas is coming off a career year, but he lacks ideal power for a top run producer. Middle of the order help will come from Eugene Ball and Graham Powell, both of which are strikeout prone. All in all, the Mets have made great strides in the last couple of years. But, in a division that features the Phillies, Pirates and Nationals, it may be another year or two before the Mets are…well amazing.
From the Philadelphia Times Union- Donavan Balboa
Can a team win 112 games in a season, and still be considered a failure? If the team is from the city of brotherly love they can. The Phillies had one of the best regular seasons in baseball history. But, falling short of a World Series Title nearly caused another crack in the bell. Bruce Parnell, former Nationals AAA skipper, enters his 2nd season as the head Philly. Parnell’s lineup has plenty of STUDS in the barn. The Phillies lineup returns most of the bats that made them the leagues most feared offensive force. 3 time all-star Del Wilhelm leads it off, and has complied unbelievable numbers in the leadoff spot. CF & 2 time all-star Frank Jorgensen and 1B & former Rookie of the year Pedro Garrido return to set the table in front of Jake Clapp. Clapp has had a pretty solid career, seeing how he is the only MVP the national league has crowned for the last 3 seasons. The RBI slots are man by Albert Gonzalez, a Jeff like 2B and Magglio Molina, one of the best young catchers in the game. Two newcomers finish out the order as Jeff Jones and Max Salinas come to join the Phillies. Jones is coming over from division rival Washington, and is looking to bounce back from an injury riddle season. Salinas brings a weak bat, but a much need defensive ace to man the SS position for Philly. The rotation is headed by season 3 Cy Young winner Perry Harvey and young 17 game winner Hi White. Buddy Kapler adds solid veteran leadership to the pitching staff. While, Frank Feng and Donn Sisler look to prove that they belong in the starting mix. The bullpen is almost as impressive as the line up. All-Star closer Ken Upshaw is coming off of his best season. Also setup men Alex Ozuna, Merv Christopher and Walter Gwynn form what could be the best bridge to the closer in the national league. The Phillies starting rotation lacks a little to be desired. But if the bullpen can’t help mask the average rotation…the new version of murders row can. Even though they had a disappointing finish to season 3, the road to the World Series appears to go through the city of brotherly love.
From the Pittsburgh Sun- Mario Clemente
Harry Bravo moves into his new office with one thing in mind…getting the Pittsburgh Pirates back into the playoffs. The Pirates are October regulars under famed skipper Jim Leyland, but have only made the playoffs once sine. Will this group make you forget about the “KILLER B’s” of the 90’s? No. However, Shep McNeil, Clyde Redmond and James Sherman help to form one of the leagues best trios. McNeil will start in Left Field, and has averaged over .300 35HR 110RBI over the last three seasons. 2B- Clyde Redmond, and season 3 All-Star, is a legit treat to join the 30-30 club this season. James Sherman, who is looking for a long term contract, has been one of the premier power hitter in the National League for years. Throw in: steady SS- Daryle Lloyd, Thumper Ivan Izuiendo and a steady catching duo, the Bucos have a nice veteran line-up. Marc Cash, rookie CF, is the only real question mark in the order. The pitching rotation is a little more of an iffy situation. The staff is headed by 17 game winner, Robert Knotts. Knotts is one of the leagues bright young stars. After Knotts, a group of unproven young hurlers are left to fill out the rotation. Rookie Left hander, Orlando Guerreo, appears to be posed to step right into the 2nd slot in the rotation. Rookie lefty, Fonzie Robinson, will have to command his pitches better, if he wants to be a consistent major leaguer. The rotation is filled out by rookie right handers Omar Delado and Miguel Perez. Delado has good control and touches the low 90’s, While Perez has pinpoint control and a great sinking fastball. Closer, Fernando James, has been one of the better closers in terms of save situations. Like many closer, Fernando had a hard time in non-save situations last season. If Jimmy Houck can bounce back, and Buster Norton and Andres Jimenez can hold down set-up roles, the pen can be solid. We all know that the lineup is going to be impressive. The real question mark centers around a pitching staff that runs out 4 rookies. If the baby Bucs pitch well, Pittsburgh may be playoff bound, if they don’t…PNC park may once again be empty come October.
From the Washington Post- Barack O’Bush
Last season was supposed to be a big year for the Washington Nationals. The club had made the playoffs 2 years in a row, winning the division once. The front office made a number of trades to beef up a lineup that had been lacking in certain areas. The pitching staff was returning intact, and even added a few pieces to help for the playoffs. And then, season 2 Cy Young Runner and staff Ace, Ozzie Percival’s season was cut short. Coming off of a 24 Win season, then 24 year-old Percival pitched 7 games before being shutdown for the year, and the Nationals season went with him. Ozzie is once again healthy, and ready to lead the young staff once again in Season 4. Also, looking to bounce back, is Raul Lee. After winning 15 games in Season 1 and Season, the 25 year-old had a tough Season campaign. Finishing out the all right handed rotation is Tom Durham, Rusty Little and Juan Delgado. Durham had a good rookie season, and sports an upper 90s fastball. Little and Delgado also bring good velicity and high strikeout totals to the mound. Once again, the bullpen is headed by Matthew Crosby. Crosby has had 2 straight seasons with a whip under 1.00. The set up roles are a question for the Nationals. Veterans Albert Howell and Alfredo Morales are back in Washington, after being traded the STL for a playoff run. The rest of the bullpen will be filled out by: RHP- Harry Romero, RHP- Derrek Carpenter and LHP- Grant Snavely. When you talk about hitting in Washington, you have to start with the name Ralph Levine. After being acquired from the Yankees in the spring of Season 1, Levine has posted an average of over 45HR, 120RBI, 125walks and 1.042 OPS. Those numbers have placed him in the top 5 of the MVP voting the last three years. Also back joining Levine is Bing Miles, Antonio Uchida and Paul Gong. Miles is one of the league’s most skilled young hitters, while 2B/3B-Uchida and SS-Gong should provide power from there positions. Washington added a number of free agent position players including: Danys Puente, Bey Brinkley, Damaso Andujar, Jimmy Dunn, Dean Henry, Mark Irabu and Thom Stewart. The additions are all veterans and should help fill out the National lineup. There are questions in the nation’s capitol this year: Who is will be in the White House…Will the Nats make the playoffs…? Well, maybe the Nats can save the city from going down the drain.
Predictions: This division has a shot to get 3 teams in the playoffs in Season 4…or maybe just one
1. Philadelphia
2. Washington/Pittsburgh (tie)
4. New York
Season 4 NL South Preview
By akgsports
ATLANTA BRAVES
Are we all just living in Dee Dee Hutton’s world? sparrow31 would have us all believe that, and we’ll all soon find out.
HITTNG
Offensively, the Braves’ lineup will change very little, expect of course for one major addition, Dee Dee Hutton. Much is expected of Hutton, and he will need a great season just to improve on departed 1B Ralph Owens’ numbers from last year. sparrow31 is banking that his potential alone will be enough to turn around last season’s 9th highest scoring NL team. The rest of the lineup remains largely intact, so any other offensive improvement will need to come from improvement of the existing cast. A turnaround season from LF Dan Guerrero could boost production. He led the Braves with 44 HRs and 116 RBIs, but his .244 average was 30 points off previous seasons. Slugging RF Eric Roosevelt hit 35 HRs and a .885 OPS in his first full season but is 24 years young, and his numbers may improve.
PITCHING
Even if Dee Dee lives up to hype, he can’t repair the pitching staff. Thankfully of all the NL South combatants, the Braves were the most aggressive and busy this offseason, in hopes of improving the NL’s 3rd worst pitching staff last season. To start, management replaced 3/5 of the starting rotation. Gone are Daniel Burns, whose 4.45 pedestrian ERA led the starting staff, Lonny Saenz, and Louie Wayne. Welcome Tris Breen, Rafael Cortes, and superstar Ramiro Diaz. In addition, Victor Silva and Alejandro Vazquez will be expected to improve on last season’s solid seasons.
OUTLOOK
Even with Hutton’s addition, the offensive will likely remain average. Hutton could boost Atlanta into the top 6 in NL offense, but it is hard to imagine that he could by himself bridge the nearly 100 run gap that existed last season between Atlanta and the NL’s top 5 offenses. With then a likely average offense, the key to improvement will lie with the pitching staff. Much then is expected of the three import starters. Their additions should propel the Braves to at least an average NL ERA.
PREDICTION 83-79, 1st place
FLORIDA MARLINS
Last season’s surprising championship run was keyed by the NL’s 2nd best pitching staff. However under new manangement, three of last season’s starters are gone. This may be a season in transition.
HITTING
The Marlins boasted a solid .741 team OPS, yet only managed a paltry 721 runs. As the lineup returns intact, improvement here must also be internal. Thankfully Florida boasts two up-and-comers in Doug Stewart and Nerio Arnold who combined for only 660 ABs last season. Presumably larger roles this seasons should improve the offense. Twenty year old Doug Stewart is especially intriguing as scouts has rated him potentially a 97 overall on a 100 point scale.
PITCHING
Gone are Homer Flanagan, Alex Kubinski, and Eugene Hardy, replaced by Jackson Parker, Louis Donahue, Furio Ferrell, and Ignacio Pena. It is difficult to imagine these four new additions matching their predecessors, so much is expected of returning starters Frank Montgomery and Kevin Yamaguchi. Montgomery was outstanding with a 3.56 ERA last season. Super prospect Yamaguchi however struggled in his debut and finished his season 1-10. Much is expected from him, if the Marlins are to stay competitive. At least the bullpen appears to be strong where long reliever Victor Lima and closer Carlos Solano return.
OUTLOOK
While new management was conservative and did not add to the offense, offense improvement is expected. The pitching will certainly worsen, the question is by how much. It is hard to imagine that the Marlins can easily replace departing starters who last seasons combined for 660 IPs with an approximate 3.50 ERA. If the 3 new starters combine for a 5.00 ERA, the team’s ERA would expect to balloon to close to 4.90, placing the Marlins in the bottom 5 of the NL.
FORECAST 70-92, 4th place
HOUSTON ASTROS
Last season Houston’s pitching staff put up a 5.00 ERA, so there is much room for improvement. However after some key offseason defections, it is likely the Astros will still be looking to out hit opponents.
HITTING
The Astros played small ball last season and finished with the NL’s 6th best offense. Houston hit only 166 team HRs, but instead they stole 160 bases and walks over 600 times. This season Houston replaces speedsters Geraldo Siqueros, Cal Melusky, and David Tartabull with power from Robinson Turner and prospect Gil Lowe. Only 3 players hit 25 or more HRs last season so the Astros are desperate for additional muscle.
PITCHING
The Astros posted the NL’s 2nd worst ERA last season, and improvement will be difficult with the loss of 3 of the team’s top 4 ERA leaders last season. Gone are Jorge Guapo, Michael Perez, and Cliff Kaline. Much then is expected from returning Del Peron and Benji Vazquez. Vazquez surprised last season with a team leading 3.28 ERA after coming from the A’s where he had lost 22 games the season previous. A repeat season from Vazquez will be critical if Houston is to move up the standings. Additions Roland Carey and Daniel Burns will also be counted on heavily.
OUTLOOK
The losses of Guapo and Perez will definitely hurt. And if Vazquez fails to match his previous season’s numbers, the Astros’ ERA may fall still. Daniel Burns and Roland Carey are talented, so their arrivals are much needed. But they are being counted on producing sub-4.00 ERAs. The offense will be better, but it looks like more of the same, at least for this season, in Houston.
PREDICTION 72-90, 3rd place
ST. LOUIS CARDINALS
The Cardinals last season combined below average hitting with below average pitching to finish 10 games under .500, but they did hit 220 HRs to suggest a potentially potent offense.
HITTING
1B Dee Bolling and RF Chad Seabol are the backbone of the offense, having combined for 291 HRs in the last 3 seasons. Prospect Santiago Molina matches them with powerpotential but struggles against RHP have prevented him from quite reaching their level. Still he has the potential to deliver 40+ HRs, which would be a boost to the Cardinals offense. The rest of lineup largely returns so improvement will have to come from within the organization.
PITCHING
The Cardinals staff is not lacking for stars as Pedro Cabrera converted 45 of 48 save opportunities last season and Miguel Padilla appears to be blossoming into one of the NL top young pitchers. The entire starting staff returns, and with Jordan Barrett and Lou Pearce posting the highest ERAs of the starters at respectable 4.91 and 5.04, respectively, the SPs appear to be solid. Middle relief appears to the staff’s Achilles heal as only Enrique DeJesus posted an ERA of better than 4.35.
OUTLOOK
Despite boasting two of the league’s top young power hitters, the Cardinals haven’t won more than 76 games in the last three seasons. With no additions to the ML roster, the last season’s Cardinals must play better this season to contend. With questions surrounding the Marlins, an improvement of only a few games could land the Cardinals in the postseason. But there is no reason to think that with no significant additions, that the Cardinals will be anything different than the 71-76 win team they’ve been the last 3 years.
PREDICTION 76-86, 2nd place
ATLANTA BRAVES
Are we all just living in Dee Dee Hutton’s world? sparrow31 would have us all believe that, and we’ll all soon find out.
HITTNG
Offensively, the Braves’ lineup will change very little, expect of course for one major addition, Dee Dee Hutton. Much is expected of Hutton, and he will need a great season just to improve on departed 1B Ralph Owens’ numbers from last year. sparrow31 is banking that his potential alone will be enough to turn around last season’s 9th highest scoring NL team. The rest of the lineup remains largely intact, so any other offensive improvement will need to come from improvement of the existing cast. A turnaround season from LF Dan Guerrero could boost production. He led the Braves with 44 HRs and 116 RBIs, but his .244 average was 30 points off previous seasons. Slugging RF Eric Roosevelt hit 35 HRs and a .885 OPS in his first full season but is 24 years young, and his numbers may improve.
PITCHING
Even if Dee Dee lives up to hype, he can’t repair the pitching staff. Thankfully of all the NL South combatants, the Braves were the most aggressive and busy this offseason, in hopes of improving the NL’s 3rd worst pitching staff last season. To start, management replaced 3/5 of the starting rotation. Gone are Daniel Burns, whose 4.45 pedestrian ERA led the starting staff, Lonny Saenz, and Louie Wayne. Welcome Tris Breen, Rafael Cortes, and superstar Ramiro Diaz. In addition, Victor Silva and Alejandro Vazquez will be expected to improve on last season’s solid seasons.
OUTLOOK
Even with Hutton’s addition, the offensive will likely remain average. Hutton could boost Atlanta into the top 6 in NL offense, but it is hard to imagine that he could by himself bridge the nearly 100 run gap that existed last season between Atlanta and the NL’s top 5 offenses. With then a likely average offense, the key to improvement will lie with the pitching staff. Much then is expected of the three import starters. Their additions should propel the Braves to at least an average NL ERA.
PREDICTION 83-79, 1st place
FLORIDA MARLINS
Last season’s surprising championship run was keyed by the NL’s 2nd best pitching staff. However under new manangement, three of last season’s starters are gone. This may be a season in transition.
HITTING
The Marlins boasted a solid .741 team OPS, yet only managed a paltry 721 runs. As the lineup returns intact, improvement here must also be internal. Thankfully Florida boasts two up-and-comers in Doug Stewart and Nerio Arnold who combined for only 660 ABs last season. Presumably larger roles this seasons should improve the offense. Twenty year old Doug Stewart is especially intriguing as scouts has rated him potentially a 97 overall on a 100 point scale.
PITCHING
Gone are Homer Flanagan, Alex Kubinski, and Eugene Hardy, replaced by Jackson Parker, Louis Donahue, Furio Ferrell, and Ignacio Pena. It is difficult to imagine these four new additions matching their predecessors, so much is expected of returning starters Frank Montgomery and Kevin Yamaguchi. Montgomery was outstanding with a 3.56 ERA last season. Super prospect Yamaguchi however struggled in his debut and finished his season 1-10. Much is expected from him, if the Marlins are to stay competitive. At least the bullpen appears to be strong where long reliever Victor Lima and closer Carlos Solano return.
OUTLOOK
While new management was conservative and did not add to the offense, offense improvement is expected. The pitching will certainly worsen, the question is by how much. It is hard to imagine that the Marlins can easily replace departing starters who last seasons combined for 660 IPs with an approximate 3.50 ERA. If the 3 new starters combine for a 5.00 ERA, the team’s ERA would expect to balloon to close to 4.90, placing the Marlins in the bottom 5 of the NL.
FORECAST 70-92, 4th place
HOUSTON ASTROS
Last season Houston’s pitching staff put up a 5.00 ERA, so there is much room for improvement. However after some key offseason defections, it is likely the Astros will still be looking to out hit opponents.
HITTING
The Astros played small ball last season and finished with the NL’s 6th best offense. Houston hit only 166 team HRs, but instead they stole 160 bases and walks over 600 times. This season Houston replaces speedsters Geraldo Siqueros, Cal Melusky, and David Tartabull with power from Robinson Turner and prospect Gil Lowe. Only 3 players hit 25 or more HRs last season so the Astros are desperate for additional muscle.
PITCHING
The Astros posted the NL’s 2nd worst ERA last season, and improvement will be difficult with the loss of 3 of the team’s top 4 ERA leaders last season. Gone are Jorge Guapo, Michael Perez, and Cliff Kaline. Much then is expected from returning Del Peron and Benji Vazquez. Vazquez surprised last season with a team leading 3.28 ERA after coming from the A’s where he had lost 22 games the season previous. A repeat season from Vazquez will be critical if Houston is to move up the standings. Additions Roland Carey and Daniel Burns will also be counted on heavily.
OUTLOOK
The losses of Guapo and Perez will definitely hurt. And if Vazquez fails to match his previous season’s numbers, the Astros’ ERA may fall still. Daniel Burns and Roland Carey are talented, so their arrivals are much needed. But they are being counted on producing sub-4.00 ERAs. The offense will be better, but it looks like more of the same, at least for this season, in Houston.
PREDICTION 72-90, 3rd place
ST. LOUIS CARDINALS
The Cardinals last season combined below average hitting with below average pitching to finish 10 games under .500, but they did hit 220 HRs to suggest a potentially potent offense.
HITTING
1B Dee Bolling and RF Chad Seabol are the backbone of the offense, having combined for 291 HRs in the last 3 seasons. Prospect Santiago Molina matches them with powerpotential but struggles against RHP have prevented him from quite reaching their level. Still he has the potential to deliver 40+ HRs, which would be a boost to the Cardinals offense. The rest of lineup largely returns so improvement will have to come from within the organization.
PITCHING
The Cardinals staff is not lacking for stars as Pedro Cabrera converted 45 of 48 save opportunities last season and Miguel Padilla appears to be blossoming into one of the NL top young pitchers. The entire starting staff returns, and with Jordan Barrett and Lou Pearce posting the highest ERAs of the starters at respectable 4.91 and 5.04, respectively, the SPs appear to be solid. Middle relief appears to the staff’s Achilles heal as only Enrique DeJesus posted an ERA of better than 4.35.
OUTLOOK
Despite boasting two of the league’s top young power hitters, the Cardinals haven’t won more than 76 games in the last three seasons. With no additions to the ML roster, the last season’s Cardinals must play better this season to contend. With questions surrounding the Marlins, an improvement of only a few games could land the Cardinals in the postseason. But there is no reason to think that with no significant additions, that the Cardinals will be anything different than the 71-76 win team they’ve been the last 3 years.
PREDICTION 76-86, 2nd place
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Getting To Know Your League Members - Overeasy, aka "The Commish"
In the first installment of what I hope to make as a regular feature, we’ll be getting to know our fellow league members. For this first interview, I thought it would be easiest if I simply interviewed myself, so here is your chance to get to know your league commissioner, Overeasy, as he reflects on Hardball Dynasty, baseball cards, and fried eggs.
Kinsella Blog
Who is Overeasy?
Overeasy
John Coffman, a 34 year old electrical engineer living in Hillsboro, Oregon, a suburb of Portland, with his wife and two young sons, 2 years and 3 months old. My username is simply how I order my eggs.
Kinsella Blog
Which WIFs games have you played?
Overeasy
I actually joined up with WIFs back in December of 2001. For years, all I ever did was free spring training sessions of SLB as often as the system would permit. It wasn’t until Hoops Dynasty came along that I was actually ready to pay to play a game. After twenty seasons of successful coaching, my excitement for HD was waning and I accepted the invitation of a fellow HD competitor to join his new Hardball Dynasty league. It didn’t take long to realize that this would be the only game I would be playing long term.
Kinsella Blog
Besides sports, what are some of your other interests and hobbies?
Overeasy
Spending time with my family and recreational no limit hold’em poker tournaments. I’m also a bottomless pit of useless pop culture and sports trivia information.
Kinsella Blog
Who are your favorite players of all-time?
Overeasy
Baseball: Dale Murphy; This was an odd choice for a kid growing up in northern CA, but thanks to my first two little league teams being named the Braves and Ted Turner’s Superstation WTBS showing every game I became a Giants hater and a Braves fan.
Basketball: Magic Johnson; Any player wearing his color jersey was a better player with him on the court.
Football: Joe Montana; I always got such a kick out of sharing my birthday (June 11) with the greatest.
Kinsella Blog
Which are your favorite teams of all-time?
Overeasy
’95 Atlanta Braves – We got one!!! The Buffalo Bills comparisons can now cease.
’84 San Francisco 49ers – A magical season in which I believed that as long as I remembered to drink from my 49er glass during the game, that they would win. (I was 10 years old and the one loss of the season occurred when we went out of town.)
96-97 Pacific Tigers Basketball – My last year of college happened to coincide with a special basketball season in which a no-star team full of juniors and seniors won the conference regular season and went on to win the Big West tourney, earning their first NCAA birth since 1979.
Kinsella Blog
Did you play sports growing up?
Overeasy
I grew up playing little league baseball and city league basketball. In baseball, I was a poor hitting, decent fielding second baseman. In basketball, I was a slow-footed guard with a decent outside shot, but I took the most pride in playing good defense and doing the little things, like blocking out the other team’s good rebounder. In high school, I played on the freshman basketball team. When my lack of natural gifts was too much to overcome and I failed to make the JV team, I took up the game of tennis. I went into tennis full bore and thanks to the excellent climate of northern CA, over my last 2 years of high school I played over 300 of the 365 days each year. After having barely touched a racket as a sophomore, I finished high school as the fifth best player on the varsity team.
Kinsella Blog
What is the top sports related thing you want to do in life that you have not yet done?
Overeasy
There are many places I would love to visit: The Field of Dreams film set, some of the classic ballparks (Wrigley, Fenway, unfortunately Yankee Stadium will be gone), Cooperstown. Additionally, not that some consider it a sport, but I would love to someday waste $10k playing in the main event of the World Series of Poker.
Kinsella Blog
What would you consider your greatest WIFS accomplishment?
Overeasy
I think that my greatest WIFS accomplishment was the creation and sustaining of this league. For an individual moment, it was pretty special that in my final season of HD I took my alma mater, Pacific, to the National Championship game.
Kinsella Blog
Do you have any favorite players from any of your HBD teams?
Overeasy
I don’t know that I would exactly call him a favorite, but he was certainly memorable. He was only a part of the Yankee organization a short time, but the Jerrod Baxter taint will certainly be felt for years to come. For example, Brandon Sutton has recently stated that he is happy to have reached his arbitration seasons so it’ll be easier to afford going to Scores all of the time. Thanks Jerrod! I’m sure he worked wonders for the Angels Rookie pitching last season.
Kinsella Blog
What is your favorite aspect of HBD?
Overeasy
There are too many to name. You are talking to someone who started simulating baseball seasons and tracking statistics in notebooks from the moment I had collected enough baseball cards to form the teams at 8 years old. I kept up a steady pace and completed about 30 seasons in the 10 years until I went away for college. So HBD is the ultimate simulation experience for this hardcore stat geek.
Kinsella Blog
What is your least favorite aspect of Hardball Dynasty?
Overeasy
To me the coaching carousel just seems wrong. Do coaches really bounce around between ML organizations in any way close to what they do in HBD?
Other than that, my only problem is with the number of steps required to perform roster moves and setting changes. Our home connection is pretty slow and it makes it very time consuming to do anything.
Kinsella Blog
If you were in HBD, what position would you play? And, what would you be rated?
Overeasy
If we are talking my absolute physical peaks, I would have been a second baseman rated 65 Range, 85 Glove, 50 Arm Strength/Accuracy and with career Rookie level hitting attributes. My only shot at getting drafted would be by someone who went cheap with scouting.
Kinsella Blog
Who is Overeasy?
Overeasy
John Coffman, a 34 year old electrical engineer living in Hillsboro, Oregon, a suburb of Portland, with his wife and two young sons, 2 years and 3 months old. My username is simply how I order my eggs.
Kinsella Blog
Which WIFs games have you played?
Overeasy
I actually joined up with WIFs back in December of 2001. For years, all I ever did was free spring training sessions of SLB as often as the system would permit. It wasn’t until Hoops Dynasty came along that I was actually ready to pay to play a game. After twenty seasons of successful coaching, my excitement for HD was waning and I accepted the invitation of a fellow HD competitor to join his new Hardball Dynasty league. It didn’t take long to realize that this would be the only game I would be playing long term.
Kinsella Blog
Besides sports, what are some of your other interests and hobbies?
Overeasy
Spending time with my family and recreational no limit hold’em poker tournaments. I’m also a bottomless pit of useless pop culture and sports trivia information.
Kinsella Blog
Who are your favorite players of all-time?
Overeasy
Baseball: Dale Murphy; This was an odd choice for a kid growing up in northern CA, but thanks to my first two little league teams being named the Braves and Ted Turner’s Superstation WTBS showing every game I became a Giants hater and a Braves fan.
Basketball: Magic Johnson; Any player wearing his color jersey was a better player with him on the court.
Football: Joe Montana; I always got such a kick out of sharing my birthday (June 11) with the greatest.
Kinsella Blog
Which are your favorite teams of all-time?
Overeasy
’95 Atlanta Braves – We got one!!! The Buffalo Bills comparisons can now cease.
’84 San Francisco 49ers – A magical season in which I believed that as long as I remembered to drink from my 49er glass during the game, that they would win. (I was 10 years old and the one loss of the season occurred when we went out of town.)
96-97 Pacific Tigers Basketball – My last year of college happened to coincide with a special basketball season in which a no-star team full of juniors and seniors won the conference regular season and went on to win the Big West tourney, earning their first NCAA birth since 1979.
Kinsella Blog
Did you play sports growing up?
Overeasy
I grew up playing little league baseball and city league basketball. In baseball, I was a poor hitting, decent fielding second baseman. In basketball, I was a slow-footed guard with a decent outside shot, but I took the most pride in playing good defense and doing the little things, like blocking out the other team’s good rebounder. In high school, I played on the freshman basketball team. When my lack of natural gifts was too much to overcome and I failed to make the JV team, I took up the game of tennis. I went into tennis full bore and thanks to the excellent climate of northern CA, over my last 2 years of high school I played over 300 of the 365 days each year. After having barely touched a racket as a sophomore, I finished high school as the fifth best player on the varsity team.
Kinsella Blog
What is the top sports related thing you want to do in life that you have not yet done?
Overeasy
There are many places I would love to visit: The Field of Dreams film set, some of the classic ballparks (Wrigley, Fenway, unfortunately Yankee Stadium will be gone), Cooperstown. Additionally, not that some consider it a sport, but I would love to someday waste $10k playing in the main event of the World Series of Poker.
Kinsella Blog
What would you consider your greatest WIFS accomplishment?
Overeasy
I think that my greatest WIFS accomplishment was the creation and sustaining of this league. For an individual moment, it was pretty special that in my final season of HD I took my alma mater, Pacific, to the National Championship game.
Kinsella Blog
Do you have any favorite players from any of your HBD teams?
Overeasy
I don’t know that I would exactly call him a favorite, but he was certainly memorable. He was only a part of the Yankee organization a short time, but the Jerrod Baxter taint will certainly be felt for years to come. For example, Brandon Sutton has recently stated that he is happy to have reached his arbitration seasons so it’ll be easier to afford going to Scores all of the time. Thanks Jerrod! I’m sure he worked wonders for the Angels Rookie pitching last season.
Kinsella Blog
What is your favorite aspect of HBD?
Overeasy
There are too many to name. You are talking to someone who started simulating baseball seasons and tracking statistics in notebooks from the moment I had collected enough baseball cards to form the teams at 8 years old. I kept up a steady pace and completed about 30 seasons in the 10 years until I went away for college. So HBD is the ultimate simulation experience for this hardcore stat geek.
Kinsella Blog
What is your least favorite aspect of Hardball Dynasty?
Overeasy
To me the coaching carousel just seems wrong. Do coaches really bounce around between ML organizations in any way close to what they do in HBD?
Other than that, my only problem is with the number of steps required to perform roster moves and setting changes. Our home connection is pretty slow and it makes it very time consuming to do anything.
Kinsella Blog
If you were in HBD, what position would you play? And, what would you be rated?
Overeasy
If we are talking my absolute physical peaks, I would have been a second baseman rated 65 Range, 85 Glove, 50 Arm Strength/Accuracy and with career Rookie level hitting attributes. My only shot at getting drafted would be by someone who went cheap with scouting.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Florida Marlins are World Champs!
The most improbable of playoff runs has concluded with a world championship. Despite finishing the regular season with a losing record (80-82), the Florida Marlins are now the World Champs after defeating the Portland Beavers in a terrific seven game series. The Marlins have also set a record that can only be tied by playing the maximum number of playoff games possible as every series was extended to its limit.
The first four games of the series were intense one-run victories, with the first two going to Portland and the next two going to Florida. In Game 5, the Portland pitching shutdown the Marlins in route to a 6-2 victory, putting them on the verge of the title. When the series went back to Florida for the final two games, the Marlins bats came alive with full force as both the final two games were blowout victories, including a masterfully pitched Game 7 shutout by Alex Kubinski, who looks to once again cash in big on the free agent market. While his bat was relatively quiet in the previous rounds, 19 year old rookie Doug Stewart saved his best for the biggest stage. He crushed the ball throughout the series with a .400 avg, 5 hrs, and 13 RBIs and was named the series MVP.
The first four games of the series were intense one-run victories, with the first two going to Portland and the next two going to Florida. In Game 5, the Portland pitching shutdown the Marlins in route to a 6-2 victory, putting them on the verge of the title. When the series went back to Florida for the final two games, the Marlins bats came alive with full force as both the final two games were blowout victories, including a masterfully pitched Game 7 shutout by Alex Kubinski, who looks to once again cash in big on the free agent market. While his bat was relatively quiet in the previous rounds, 19 year old rookie Doug Stewart saved his best for the biggest stage. He crushed the ball throughout the series with a .400 avg, 5 hrs, and 13 RBIs and was named the series MVP.
Friday, June 27, 2008
Season 3 NL Playoff Recap
Division Play-in Series –
#3 Arizona Diamondbacks vs. #6 San Francisco Giants
This series was a match-up of NL West rivals, the three-time division champion Diamondbacks against the up and coming Giants, making their first playoff appearance. The Diamondbacks had a great second half as their pitching, which looked rather ordinary in the first half, led the way down the stretch and made this team look very potent for a potential playoff run. Meanwhile, the Giants came out strong out of the gate but took a bit of a tumble in the second half and were able to hang on to the final playoff spot despite a late season surge by the Pirates. Clearly, the Diamondbacks looked to be the favorites going into the series.
The Diamondbacks did not disappoint. Despite a rough game 1 start by Felipe Tejada (by his standards) in which he was out dueled by rookie sensation George Bush, the D’back bullpen saved the day by holding the Giants and allowing Pascual Martin to hit a walk-off sacrifice fly in the bottom of the ninth to win the game. They didn’t look back from there as they swept the Giants in 3 games with two excellent team pitching performances. Pascual Martin was named the series MVP as he hit .417 with 2 home runs and 5 runs batted in.
#4 Florida Marlins vs. #5 Montreal Expos
The Florida Marlins entered the playoffs as the only playoff team with a losing record as they won the weak AL South for a second consecutive season. Meanwhile, the Montreal Expos had a fine season earning their first playoff spot as they played very consistent throughout the season and lost their division purely on how red hot the Reds were in the second half. This looked to be a fairly even series as both teams came in well rested and ready to go.
It was a tight series that went the full five games with the Marlins taking the decisive game 5. The Marlins pitching was the difference as they held the Expos to 3 runs or less in four of the five games, including a shutout in game 5. Leading the way on offense was Marlin lead-off man and series MVP Bob McMahon who hit .317 with 2 homers and 5 runs batted in.
Division Championship Series –
#1 Philadelphia Phillies vs. #4 Florida Marlins
Did this series even need to be played? We are talking about the winningest franchise in league history, the Phillies, having just completed a record 112-win season. And their opponent, the 80-82 Florida Marlins who just narrowly escaped the first round would surely be outmatched in this series. The only intriguing factor was that 8 of the 80 Marlin regular season victories were against these Phillies as they had the best record of any team against them. But this was merely a fluke, and the dominant team with an entire starting lineup who hit 20+ homers would certainly prevail. Right?
The first two games held true to form as the Phillies escaped a near bullpen collapse in game 1 and had a dominant offensive performance in game 2. Up 2-0 in a best of 5 series, it was definitely over now, right? "David took a stone from the bag and slung it... knocking the Philistine to the ground." With 5 runs in the bottom of the ninth of game 3, punctuated by a walk-off grand slam by Nerio Arnold, the Marlins refused to go down without a fight. The Marlins pitching put the clamps on the Phillies high powered offense for the final two games, winning them by the narrow combined margin of 8-4. Despite only 7 plate appearances and not even playing in game 5, Nerio Arnold was named the series MVP for two of the biggest hits of his young career, the pinch hit grand slam to win game 3 and a pinch hit 2 run homer in the bottom of the eighth to win game 4.
#2 Cincinnati Reds vs. #3 Arizona Diamondbacks
The defending world champs were the hottest team in all of baseball in the second half as they seemed to put all of the pieces together following their big trade with the Orioles that brought Cliff Rivers. The D’backs looked to be almost as hot coming off a sweep of the Giants and an excellent second half performance that saw their pitching return to dominant form. This series could easily go either way as both teams possessed the weapons to win a title.
The series did not disappoint as it was pitching that ruled the day as both sides performed brilliantly, with the lone exception being a rough start by Arizona’s Bernie Delgado in game 3. In the decisive game 5, four pitchers for the Reds combined to shutout the D’backs and send them to their third straight NLCS. The Reds’ Bartolo Lopez was named series MVP after hitting .474 with 2 home runs.
League Championship Series
#2 Cincinnati Reds vs. #4 Florida Marlins
Were the Reds destined to repeat as champs? Or could the Marlins do the unthinkable and beat another 100-win team and become the first World Series team with a losing record? While the Reds look like the team to beat, any team that can win three elimination games in a row against the mighty Phillies is hard to ignore. This series was going to be interesting.The series had everything: pitching duels, blowouts, and dramatic come from behind heroics. It was a series for the ages and arguably the most dramatic in league history with a classic game 7 finale. It was the top of the 9th, 2 outs, and the Reds had their closer Phil Boyer on the mound. In a surprise managerial move, the Marlins pinch hit for their lead off man and first round playoff series MVP Bob McMahon to bring in slugger Phil McCarthy. In the hole 0-2, McCarthy made great contact against Boyer’s best pitch, a nasty slider, and drove the ball down the leftfield line. The ball hit the foul pole and the game was sent to extra innings. In the bottom of the 10th, the Reds loaded the bases with only one out and their 2-3 hitters due up. Marlin closer Carlos Solano bared down and got the next two outs by strikeout and popout. In the bottom of the 11th, the Reds had runners at first and third with two out and the next batter flied out to CF. Then in the top of the 13th, two solo homers were the difference as Vic Kolb completed the most important three innings of scoreless work in his life to send the Marlins to the World Series. For his 14 scoreless innings and wins in games 1 and 4, Homer Flanagan was named series MVP. The Marlins appear to be a team of destiny that can never be counted out. We’ll see if a World Championship is a part of that destiny.
#3 Arizona Diamondbacks vs. #6 San Francisco Giants
This series was a match-up of NL West rivals, the three-time division champion Diamondbacks against the up and coming Giants, making their first playoff appearance. The Diamondbacks had a great second half as their pitching, which looked rather ordinary in the first half, led the way down the stretch and made this team look very potent for a potential playoff run. Meanwhile, the Giants came out strong out of the gate but took a bit of a tumble in the second half and were able to hang on to the final playoff spot despite a late season surge by the Pirates. Clearly, the Diamondbacks looked to be the favorites going into the series.
The Diamondbacks did not disappoint. Despite a rough game 1 start by Felipe Tejada (by his standards) in which he was out dueled by rookie sensation George Bush, the D’back bullpen saved the day by holding the Giants and allowing Pascual Martin to hit a walk-off sacrifice fly in the bottom of the ninth to win the game. They didn’t look back from there as they swept the Giants in 3 games with two excellent team pitching performances. Pascual Martin was named the series MVP as he hit .417 with 2 home runs and 5 runs batted in.
#4 Florida Marlins vs. #5 Montreal Expos
The Florida Marlins entered the playoffs as the only playoff team with a losing record as they won the weak AL South for a second consecutive season. Meanwhile, the Montreal Expos had a fine season earning their first playoff spot as they played very consistent throughout the season and lost their division purely on how red hot the Reds were in the second half. This looked to be a fairly even series as both teams came in well rested and ready to go.
It was a tight series that went the full five games with the Marlins taking the decisive game 5. The Marlins pitching was the difference as they held the Expos to 3 runs or less in four of the five games, including a shutout in game 5. Leading the way on offense was Marlin lead-off man and series MVP Bob McMahon who hit .317 with 2 homers and 5 runs batted in.
Division Championship Series –
#1 Philadelphia Phillies vs. #4 Florida Marlins
Did this series even need to be played? We are talking about the winningest franchise in league history, the Phillies, having just completed a record 112-win season. And their opponent, the 80-82 Florida Marlins who just narrowly escaped the first round would surely be outmatched in this series. The only intriguing factor was that 8 of the 80 Marlin regular season victories were against these Phillies as they had the best record of any team against them. But this was merely a fluke, and the dominant team with an entire starting lineup who hit 20+ homers would certainly prevail. Right?
The first two games held true to form as the Phillies escaped a near bullpen collapse in game 1 and had a dominant offensive performance in game 2. Up 2-0 in a best of 5 series, it was definitely over now, right? "David took a stone from the bag and slung it... knocking the Philistine to the ground." With 5 runs in the bottom of the ninth of game 3, punctuated by a walk-off grand slam by Nerio Arnold, the Marlins refused to go down without a fight. The Marlins pitching put the clamps on the Phillies high powered offense for the final two games, winning them by the narrow combined margin of 8-4. Despite only 7 plate appearances and not even playing in game 5, Nerio Arnold was named the series MVP for two of the biggest hits of his young career, the pinch hit grand slam to win game 3 and a pinch hit 2 run homer in the bottom of the eighth to win game 4.
#2 Cincinnati Reds vs. #3 Arizona Diamondbacks
The defending world champs were the hottest team in all of baseball in the second half as they seemed to put all of the pieces together following their big trade with the Orioles that brought Cliff Rivers. The D’backs looked to be almost as hot coming off a sweep of the Giants and an excellent second half performance that saw their pitching return to dominant form. This series could easily go either way as both teams possessed the weapons to win a title.
The series did not disappoint as it was pitching that ruled the day as both sides performed brilliantly, with the lone exception being a rough start by Arizona’s Bernie Delgado in game 3. In the decisive game 5, four pitchers for the Reds combined to shutout the D’backs and send them to their third straight NLCS. The Reds’ Bartolo Lopez was named series MVP after hitting .474 with 2 home runs.
League Championship Series
#2 Cincinnati Reds vs. #4 Florida Marlins
Were the Reds destined to repeat as champs? Or could the Marlins do the unthinkable and beat another 100-win team and become the first World Series team with a losing record? While the Reds look like the team to beat, any team that can win three elimination games in a row against the mighty Phillies is hard to ignore. This series was going to be interesting.The series had everything: pitching duels, blowouts, and dramatic come from behind heroics. It was a series for the ages and arguably the most dramatic in league history with a classic game 7 finale. It was the top of the 9th, 2 outs, and the Reds had their closer Phil Boyer on the mound. In a surprise managerial move, the Marlins pinch hit for their lead off man and first round playoff series MVP Bob McMahon to bring in slugger Phil McCarthy. In the hole 0-2, McCarthy made great contact against Boyer’s best pitch, a nasty slider, and drove the ball down the leftfield line. The ball hit the foul pole and the game was sent to extra innings. In the bottom of the 10th, the Reds loaded the bases with only one out and their 2-3 hitters due up. Marlin closer Carlos Solano bared down and got the next two outs by strikeout and popout. In the bottom of the 11th, the Reds had runners at first and third with two out and the next batter flied out to CF. Then in the top of the 13th, two solo homers were the difference as Vic Kolb completed the most important three innings of scoreless work in his life to send the Marlins to the World Series. For his 14 scoreless innings and wins in games 1 and 4, Homer Flanagan was named series MVP. The Marlins appear to be a team of destiny that can never be counted out. We’ll see if a World Championship is a part of that destiny.
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