With 14 playoff appearances, 3 WS wins, and another appearance in a WS, this is one of the more successful divisions in BPF. And with two owners who have been here since the start, it is one of the most consistent as well.
New Orleans won 83 games last season, the most in franchise history, as they also garnered their first division title. Should we get excited about this? Maybe. Management seems focused on improving even more this year, as they traded away a young prospect for some more ML talent, and last year's players are yet another year more mature. The roster is a pretty even mix of young guns and older veterans. Picking up Yearwood was smart. Signing Hendricksen was....interesting. If there's a flaw here, it'll be in the pitching staff.
Batting - B
Pitching - C
Fielding - B
Prediction - 78 wins, 3rd in the division
After finishing below .500 for the first time in franchise history, Jackson's GM was found by police in the pool behind his mansion, drunk and high on bourbon and cocaine, firing his shotgun at various awards and trophies that his butler threw into the air. "I used to be the king," he shouted as police put cuffs on him and hauled him away. There was a seven year stretch where the franchise made the playoffs six times, including five division titles. But after missing the playoffs in S9, and the embarassing S10 results, management clearly wants to make one more run before blowing up the entire system and starting from scratch. Signing free agents like Diaz, Chavez, Stahl, and Gorecki, the team's payroll is nearly $100M again. It looks like they have the horses, it's just a matter of their owner not putting them down with his shotgun if they stumble.
Batting - B
Pitching - B-
Fielding - C-
Prediction - 82 wins, second in the division
El Paso had one of the best turnarounds in world history last year, as they improved 20 games from S9 to S10. But considering the S9 record was the worst in franchise history, we can't help but wonder if the record was more a reflection of the new ownership that season than the quality of the team. Either way, they got their shit together last year, finishing second in the division. This offseason, they went out and made a huge signing with Delino Ryan, while also bringing in Travis Shea's big bat. The offense is certainly there, with a half dozen guys who are capable of 40 HR's. Pitching is the big question mark, like it is for so many other teams.
Batting - B+
Pitching - C+
Fielding - B
Prediction - 85 wins, first in the division
After a hiccup in S3, Jacksonville played .500+ ball for six seasons, before S10's 77 wins ended that streak. What was management's response to this issue? Standing pat. The roster is very similar to last year, with Neal and White and Valenzuela leading the way. I'm generally a fan of the idea that teams who stand still will get passed, but in this case, I think last season might have been a one-time deal.
Batting - B
Pitching - B
Fielding - C
Prediction - 75 wins, 4th in the division
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