6/29 Power Rankings!

1	Florida Marlins	26-17	Pitching wins championships. Allowing 3 runs per game is outstanding.
2	Arizona Diamondbacks	29-14	It is now okay to believe in the D-Backs. Still a weak schedule, but have played superbly.
3	Oakland Athletics	27-16	Can anyone stop Luis Baez? A’s averaging 5 runs per game.
4	Cleveland Indians	27-16	Imagine if they didn’t have 7 blown saves (11/18). Indians pitching has been excellent otherwise.
5	Montreal Expos	26-17	Ricardo Ordaz is looking like a CY winner early. 86 stolen bases leads Kinsella.
6	Atlanta Braves	26-17	Another team bitten by bullpen bug. 7 blown saves. Team 1.3 whip/3.94 era
7	Toronto Blue Jays	26-17	Offensive explosion. Leading Kinsella in runs scored (247), doubles (83). Doumit having MVP season.
8	Texas Rangers	26-17	Julian Matos has been just awesome as Rangers are 2nd in runs scored in Kinsella.
9	New York Mets	24-19	Surprise! Miracle Mets are the Cinderella of Kinsella. Top pitching staff.
10	Philadelphia Phillies	23-20	4.7 RPG keeping them in the hunt. Mordecai having great year.
11	Baltimore Orioles	24-19	Vance Cora producing. Offense really clicking at 5.3 RPG.
12	Washington Nationals	23-20	Going to need help either offense of pitching to get beyond .500.
13	New York Yankees	23-20	Superior pitching, but no one is hitting. Hear those Bronx cheers?
14	Chicago Cubs	24-19	Another shocker of a team. Averaging 4.8 RPG behind Trayvon Hammond and Ken Reagan.
15	Anaheim Angels	22-21	Sweets gonna need to do some trades. .500 team at this point.
16	Pittsburgh Pirates	23-20	Carlson can’t carry this team, but he’s trying. Tough division.
17	Charlotte Knights	21-22	Offensive powerhouse averaging 5.3 RPG. Santana, McGehee, and Mays raking!
18	San Diego Padres	20-23	WHAT!? Padres hitting atrocious, and pitchers giving up 4.1 rp. Not sermonauthor-like
19	Boston Red Sox	20-23	Jclarkbaker losing his s$%& earlier, but only 3 games away from .500.
20	Minnesota Twins	23-20	Twins in 2nd place, but not scoring runs.
21	Los Angeles Dodgers	23-20	Record is misleading. Due for regression? Excellent pitching so far, but not hitting at all.
22	Detroit Tigers	22-21	Pascual Brito is a one man show at this point. Tigers falling FAR short of what the league expected.
23	Portland Beavers	21-22	Dakar working his magic in the northwest.
24	Chicago White Sox	17-26	Maybe Jnew’s guys really are this bad?
25	St. Louis Cardinals	17-26	Cardinals fans turning on the team. Bat’s are afraid of the ball.
26	Tampa Bay Rays	16-27	Offense is improved, pitching belongs in AAA
27	Houston Astros	19-24	Plan to go for the #1 pick not working out so well.
28	Milwaukee Brewers	15-28	Brewers anemic offense averaging 3.5 rpg.
29	San Francisco Giants	14-29	Only 125 runs scored so far (lowest in the league by 25 runs). Tman Going for the offensive futility record.
30	Kansas City Royals	14-29	Hard to win when the team can’t score runs or stop the other team. 3.9 runs scored vs 5.4 runs allowed = 100 losses.
31	Seattle Mariners	15-28	Pitching staff getting shelled. Giving up 6.3 rpg.
32	Cincinnati Reds	12-31	This is what happens when a team misses the winter meetings and fails to sign any players. Kinsella version of “major leagues”.

Final Predictions

Season 23 Playoff/World Series Prediction

This is the part of the predictions that makes owners cringe. "Please god, don't let it be me...". It's time for the annual dodgersgale "KISS OF DEATH". Enjoy

National League

Pittsburgh Pirates     93-69 (Division Champ)

Florida Marlins         104-58 (Division Champ)

Atlanta Braves         96-66 (Playoff, WC)

Montreal Expos        104-58 (Division Champ)

San Diego Padres     101-61 (Division Champ)

Philadelphia Phillies     84-78 (Playoff, WC)

NLCS

Montreal vs San Diego

Both teams are just too talented and always make noise in the playoffs. Every team has a chance to win this, but odds are the Expos will slug their way in and the Padres will pitch their way in.

American League

Texas Rangers          88-74 (Division Champ)

Oakland Athletics       96-66 (Division Champ)

Toronto Blue Jays    100-62 (Division Champ)

Cleveland Indians       97-65 (Division Champ)

Baltimore Orioles       96-66 (Playoff, WC)

New York Yankees    94-68 (Playoff, WC)

ALCS

Cleveland vs. New York Yankees

It's been awhile since a six seed snuck in to the ALCS. The Angels are the only 6 seed in the AL to win it all, back in season 6. The Miracle Mariners got to the World Series in season 18. The Beavers (16), Knights (10), and Royals (4) all made it as far as the ALCS. Is there a team that can win it from the back of the playoff pack?

 

World Series

Montreal OVER Cleveland

Rememer when I said God even hates fake Cleveland teams? This will be living proof. In game 7, Montreal will storm back with 8 runs in the bottom of the 9th to steal a championship for ssauve. Can't you just see Lebron sitting behind the Expos bench with DWade with both in old school Expos hats?
Good luck to every team this year.

NL East

NL East

The NL East was once the home of a division champ that didn’t have a winning record. The Pirates have changed that perception, and the Phillies are close on their heels. The Mets and Nationals both seem to be improving, so keep your eyes on this division in the future.

The predicted standings for this season are:

Pittsburgh Pirates      93-69 (Division Champ)

Philadelphia Phillies   84-78

New York Mets            73-89

Washington Nationals  72-90

 

New York Mets (blanch13, 2nd w/Mets, 11 w/Rays)

Last Year: 68-94

Runs Scored/Allowed: 615/754

Players Added: sp – Greg Witt (aaa), 3b – Steven Curtis (ruleV, min), sp – Joe Vaughn (Tex), c – Ernie Upshaw (SEA), sp – Al Declaremen (cin)

Players Lost: sp – Kyle Carlyle (fa), sp – Sherman Coleman (fa), sp – Erik Houston (AZ)

Preview: Blanch built a famous Kinsella team while he was in Tampa Bay, and is now in the Big Apple trying to accomplish the same feat. 3/5^th of the starting rotation has been replaced, and in a few instances it should be an upgrade. Greg Witt starting the year with the big club shows faith that he can take over the innings given to Kyle Carlyle and improve. It won’t be substantial, but they probably won’t give up 750 runs again.

Alex Gabriel, (.292/.345/.571, 5.0 War) was allowed to walk away to San Francisco. For a team that only scored 615 runs letting someone like Gabriel get away usually means something better is taking his place. It appears that Vicente Torres should produce much better than last year (projection: .264/.340/.515, 4.6 war, 94 runs created) and fill the hole left by Gabriel. So, just to reach the same run total, the collection of bench players needs to exceed the production by Torres. It appears that the ruleV helped out a little in the form of Steven Curtis.

Overall: Another long year in Flushing, but it’s getting better. 

Prediction: 73-89

Philadelphia Phillies (dillontt, 6th season)

Last Year: 83-79

Runs Scored/Allowed: 718/701

Players Added: lf – Danny Waters (SD), 3b – Felix Brandt (aaa)

Players Lost: none

Preview: The Phillies snuck into the playoffs for the second time in three years. Dillon has their pitching staff and had just enough hitting to lead them in to October. This season he is sticking with the exact same team, but with one major upgrade. Danny Waters moves back east with his .276/.334/.494 slash line, his 91 runs created, and 3.8 WAR. It will cost Dillon $10.8 million this season.

One burning question is, when will Felix Brandt return to the majors? The youngster only posted a .261/.335/.360 line in 179 ab (for 19 rc). Bryan Mordecai is trying to recover from a long stint on the dl last year. Bono Upshaw should be better this season after leading the Phils’ offense (.260/.329/.500, 4.5 war, 98 rc).

The pitching staff remains largely unchanged, as does the defense.

Overall: This is last years’ team with some moderate player improvement. If Bono Upshaw improves the offense this team could be a force to reckon with.

Prediction: 84-78

Pittsburgh Pirates (rookie30000, 4th season, 3 w/Padres*founding member)

Last Year: 88-74

Runs Scored/Allowed: 703/638

Players Added: ss – Benito Velasquez (t-Fla), sp – Jonathan Plesac (Cha)

Players Lost: sp – Donatello Bollea (CWS), c – Chili Neal (fa), of – Edinson Martinez (MIL), of – Darren Barrett (t-Fla)

Preview: The Pirates have flourished under owner rookie and pulled off an improbable upset over the heavily favored Expos in the playoffs. Their run ended in the NLCS to the Marlins, but this team has confidence going into the new season.

There was some turnover, but also some key additions. Bollea for Plesac is the most visible and is a minor downgrade for the Bucs. Bollea sported a 3.85 fip/1.42 whip in 196 innings, and Plesac brings a 4.64 fip/1.38 whip in 185 innings. Velasquez was a replacement level hitter at shortstop but a well above average fielder. Which will help a pitching staff full of players with great FIPs. The better the fielding, the less runs they will allow.

Overall: Another one of the premier teams in the NL. The Pirates seemed to come out of nowhere to make a playoff run and then to knock off the Expos. They should make some noise again this season, and everyone will see them coming.

Prediction: 93-69

Washington Nationals (rigbystarr, 9th season)

Last Year: 62-100

Runs Scored/Allowed: 641/829

Players Added: c – Jose Ortiz (aaa), lf – Raul Brogna (aaa), 3b – Edgar Lee (aaa),

Players Lost: c – Juan Tejera (fa), of – Jolbert Lopez (fa)

Preview: The Nationals and rigby had a good run in a very weak division. They even snuck into the playoffs with only 70 wins a few seasons ago. The bottom dropped out and it’s back to the drawing board in the nation’s capital.

Rookie catcher Jose Ortiz will try to fill the shoes of Juan Tejera (.275/.338/.387, 1.2 War). Jolbert Lopez is also gone with his .277/.340/.400, 1.3 War). Vic Villafuerte didn’t really improve in the offseason, but is still the most deadly hitter on the team (119 RC, 5.7 War).

Tessmer was solid in his 76 innings last year. He converted 28 of 31 saves, but did LOSE 8 games. Apparently, it was time for a change in the back end of the bullpen.

Overall: This team has an offense that will score more than 641 runs. Unfortunately, their pitching will be their downfall. They will still be improved and won’t lose 100 games.

Prediction: 72-90

AL South

AL South

Last but not least, the AL South. At one point, the dirty south was rich with talent and strong teams. But the division has fallen on hard times. Texas has ruled this division for the past five seasons, and has seven consecutive years as a playoff team. Only Charlotte has made a playoff appearance during the Rangers reign of terror. That doesn’t appear to be changing anytime soon.

The predicted standings for this season are:

Texas Rangers          88-74 (Division Champ)

Tampa Bay Rays         81-81

Charlotte Knights    80-82

Kansas City Royals    68-94

Texas Rangers (akgsports, *22nd season Founding Member)

Last Year: 99-63

Runs Scored/Allowed: 833/655

Players Added: cf – Les Carter (tb), c – Chili Neal (pit), 1b – Andres Nieves (Mon), cf – Luis Rodriguez (mon), sp – Clint Brocail

Players Lost: cf – Sam Morris (fa), 1b- Trevor Lewis (Tor), lf – Milt Howard (NYY), sp – Eugene McMillon (LAD), sp – Joe Vaughn (fa), Cf – Joe Hoffman (mon)

Preview: Texas has always been a force under owner AKG. The owner, who has founding member status being with Kinsella since season 2, has been one of the more consistent teams in the world and a two time World Series champ. The AL South went from one of the tougher divisions to a wasteland in recent years with the other three teams struggling to hit .500. Much of that has to do with the dominance of Texas and the team they bring to the ballpark every day.

The Rangers lost a ton of production this season. Gone are Sam Morris (65 rc), Trevor Lewis (94 rc), Milt Howard (62 rc), and Joe Hoffman (54 rc). Some players will obviously step up to fill those holes. But the biggest is Lewis, but since Lewis really outperformed his scouting someone else should be able to step into that role with similar production.

The pitching staff is good, but not great. And once again, they lost two key members. Gone are Eugene McMillon and Joe Vaughn have moved off leaving holes in the rotation. Clint Brocail was picked up for very cheap and should fill the back of the rotation.

Overall: The Rangers don’t look like much of a sure thing anymore. They have lost productive key pieces to the offense, and have to replace some of their starters. For the first time in years, the Rangers are vulnerable.

Prediction: 88-74

Tampa Bay Rays (dodgersgale, 6th season)

Last Year: 74-88

Runs Scored/Allowed: 650/758

Players Added: 1b – Jolbert Ortiz (mon), ss – Warren Parker (ATL), of – Michael Nix (CWS)

Players Lost: sp – Justin Spencer (fa), sp – Duke Duvall (fa), sp – Mendy Mathews (CHA), rp – Ramon Wang (fa), Al Soto (fa)

Preview: Every year the Rays say they are “rebuilding” only to make a few last minute signings and trades. This year is a little different. Payroll was slashed thanks to young players coming into their own, and the loss of several overpriced veterans. The team picked up superstar Jolbert Ortiz from Montreal, and shortstop Warren Parker from Atlanta. Four former first round picks will now be starting for the Rays; pitchers Brett Dixon (season 21, 3^rd pick), Clarence Kirby (season 20, 18^th pick), catcher Dennis Drese (last year 15^th pick), and Harold Spencer (season 18, 43^rd pick). Add in internationals Al Guerrero and Yunel Park and suddenly the Rays have a team built to make a playoff push.

Overall: Young guys always seem to struggle in their first year. With so much youth on this team, it’s impossible to say exactly how they will perform. Dixon and Kirby are the keys to a pitching staff that allowed 758. Improved defense at short, and moving Rincoln to right field will help. But not enough.

Prediction: 81-81

Kansas City Royals (somtom, 2nd year)

Last Year: 75-87

Runs Scored/Allowed: 688/818

Players Added: of – Prince Bates (ruleV, Phi), C – Ronnie Wilkens (ruleV)

Players Lost: sp – Stewart Daniels (fa), rp – Carlos Redondo (fa), rf – Tom Miller (fa), ss – Ralph Lowell (fa)

Preview: At least they didn’t finish last. It was a tough year in KC as their offense only produced 688 runs. Owner somtom is finding his way in Kinsella, and if there is a division where you could make some headway it’s this one, this year.

A lot of young players are coming up to help out. They have some TRUE ROYALTY in Prince (Bates), and a King (Bittle). King Bittle is only 23 and if he gets playing time he could be quite handy (predicted 75 rc w/500 ab). But the rest of the group has two things in common 1. Not particularly fast 2. No power. This is a team that might struggle to improve their offense over last season.

Carlos Redondo was a huge loss for the bullpen. While Al Saenz and Buddy Caufield are solid, those 89 innings will be hard to make up.

Overall: The Royals are a team I really want to like. But without a masher it all comes down to pitching and defense. The Defense helps, but only if you have high FIP pitchers. Which the Royals are lacking.

Prediction: 68-94

Charlotte Knights (bignr37, 12th season)

Last Year: 78-84

Runs Scored/Allowed: 759/840

Players Added: sp – Mendy Mathews (TB), rf – JP Cabrera (t-Oak), rf – Wilt McGehee (aaa), sp – Ajax Wulf (ruleV, min)

Players Lost: sp – Jonathan Plesac (PIT), rf – Perry Adams (t-Oak), rf – Sammy Conception (fa), 1b – Jose Lopez (fa)

 

Preview: Things were a little rough in the Deep South as the Knights pitching staff got rocked to the tune of 840 runs. Despite a poor pitching staff, they still managed to win 78 games. With a little help on the bump, the Knights could make some noise.

The Knights’ first move was to go after young pitching, and they got it from Oakland in the form of Alberto Martinez who projects into a solid #2 or #3 starter with imminent risk of injury (due to his 58 health rating). They also dealt away outfielder Perry Adams (647 pa, -0.9 WAR) and got JP Cabrera (566 pa, 0.3 war) in return with rookie Wilt McGehee (former first round pick) competing for the job.

The pitching and defense are solid. Omar Bonilla (.279/.365/.576, 6.6 war, 114 rc) is the best hitting catcher in the league. Two time MVP Placido Santana returns and looks to build on his amazing season (.310/.370/.565, 7.0 war, 117 rc). Pedro Santiago might hit 40 or more homeruns. Cory Fogg (5.4 war) is the quiet leader of this team and a threat to steal 40 more bases this year. With all of this star power the Knights should break the 800 run mark.

Pitching was the Achilles heel. 840 is a lot of runs to give up. Their best pitcher (Plesac) is replaced by a similar good pitcher (Mendy Mathews). But overall, the team struggles in FIP, especially the innings eaters.

Overall: The Knights will have to slug their way out of poor pitching. But it won’t be enough to fetch a division crown or playoff spot.

Prediction: 80-82