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

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

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

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

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.

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.