You know that you spend too much time playing HBD when you're sitting at a wedding in Texas, and you're thinking less about the bride's tits (which were exquisite, fyi), and more about how your AA team is doing in the BPF world (they won the World Series, in case you were wondering) and how you hope domi's team blows it (which they did, in case you weren't paying attention). And then before you even unpack your bags after getting home, you focus on getting your minor leagues up to par, since they have been neglected for three or four days. I might need an intervention.
After a slight upset of #4 seed KC, Montreal got beat down in their series with New York, 3 games to 1. It did not start well for NY, as their starting pitcher got knocked out in the first game, as the Yanks lost to open the series. But they eventually got their shit together, winning three in a row, with the final two wins coming via some late-inning heroics. Also in the AL, Milwaukee put a hurting on Syracuse in the first two games, outscoring the ITK's 18-2. Syracuse tried to make it interesting with a bottom-of-the-9th win in game 3, but the Ueckers rattled off another 11 runs in game 4, putting a nail in 'Cuse's coffin.
With #1 playing #2, we should get a good series. New York's pitching and defense versus Milwaukee's high powered offense. Or is it Milwaukee's pitching and defense versus New York's high powered offense? I get that mixed up sometimes, since both squads were quite prolific in every facet of the game this season. Number two and number three in team ERA in the AL, numbers one and two in OPS, numbers one and three in HR's and RBI's, and numbers one and three in team fielding %, it's tough to tell these two teams apart. Maybe Milwaukee is a little bit younger. And this is their first playoff appearance, while New York has won their division 8 years in a row, and has two titles to their name. Wow, did that just sway my prediction? It might have. I was hoping to find out that maybe NY swept their season series against Milwaukee, but no, it was a wash, 5-5. I'll probably regret it, but I'm going to pick the kids. The young Milwaukee Uecker's are going to take the series in 6 games for their first ALCS.
Meanwhile, over in the NL, it appears that Jackson manhandled Jacksonville, winning their series 3-0. But it took a bottom-of-the-10th RBI to win game 1, and a 5-spot in the 9th inning to win game 3. Let's not talk about game 2. But the bookends of the series could have gone the other way. On the other side of the bracket was Indy versus Hartford, which turned into one hell of a series. All three of Indy's wins were in extra innings. Ouch. That's a punch in the gut if I've ever seen one.
So just like the AL, we get #1 versus #2. As noted in a previous blog, the NL was super close this season, and therefore the team stats were a bit more spread out. These two teams can't lay claim to the top spots in every category in the NL like their AL counterparts can, because there were a lot of good teams in the NL this season. So statistically, they don't look like the best of the best in the NL, but goddamn if they're not the top two teams in the league, and are going to put together a hell of a series. This is the third NLCS appearance for both Indy and Jackson. And I'm torn on who to pick. Jackson had a slight edge in the season series. Neither team is exceptionally old. Let's keep it consistent and go with the #2 seed over here also. But in seven games. Sorry to jinx you, Mr Gargle.
All the World News that's unfit for print.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Monday, February 22, 2010
First Round Predictions
AL #4 Kansas City vs AL #5 Montreal -- Montreal spent a little more than $21M in payroll this year, while KC spent over $111M, which I believe is more than the entire city of KC is worth. With their age and salaries, KC is the Diane Lane of BPF, while Montreal is Megan Fox. And I'm just now realizing what a horrible analogy this is, because while you want Fox for the long-term, Lane could perform well in a short series. Whatever, I'm taking the hot, young chick. The Montreal Foxes in 4 games.
AL #3 Vancouver vs AL #6 Syracuse -- 103 wins and $62M in payroll got Vancouver the number three seed. That's rough. Vancouver is way too strong for Syracuse, and the series probably won't be that close. But I really hope it goes to a fifth game, where it's tied in the bottom of the 9th, and Vancouver scores the winning run when Spahn commits his 8th error of the series on a routine grounder to short. In reality, I think Vancouver sweeps. And then we get to look forward to domi's annual "I'm not coming back, but I might come back, but it depends...."
NL #4 Iowa City vs NL #5 Jacksonville -- We have a team in Iowa City? Get the fuck out of here. Division winner with a couple of 100+ RBI studs and two or three SP's who could be the difference makers in this short series, don't sleep on Iowa City. Wait. Crap. They're playing Jacksonville, who has been to the NLCS each of the last three seasons, with a WS win in Season 6. And they have some really good pitching. And their hitting ain't bad. Ever heard of Julius Neal? What about the ageless Rick Halama? Sorry Iowa, you're fucked. Jacksonville wins in 4.
NL #3 Oakland vs NL #6 Hartford -- On January 6th, tomhighway said "nobody has enough on their team to get all 5 of my SP's regardless of how crappy they are doing right at this time :) I'll just stick it out.. I will win the division." At the time, he was near the bottom of the division, and I was reeeeeally hoping he would miss out on the playoffs, so I could post that quote in the world chat and rub his face in it. Instead, I'm posting it on the blog to show that he managed to pull it out. In the final ten games of the season, Oakland went 5-5 while Colorado only managed a 3-7 record, giving Oak a one game lead. One of the closest division races BPF has had in a while. Meanwhile, Colorado missed out on a wild card spot to Hartford, as the Insurance Men got the final spot on a tie-breaker. Talk about a hectic final week in the NL, as every division was decided by fewer than five games. For Hartford, I like Lee and Aguilera and Arias. For Oakland, I like Hall and Hornby and Ramirez and Greenberg and Wayne and....how did these guys only win 90 games with their $120M payroll and talent? Gotta take Oakland here, but if one series goes to five games, it might be this one.
AL #3 Vancouver vs AL #6 Syracuse -- 103 wins and $62M in payroll got Vancouver the number three seed. That's rough. Vancouver is way too strong for Syracuse, and the series probably won't be that close. But I really hope it goes to a fifth game, where it's tied in the bottom of the 9th, and Vancouver scores the winning run when Spahn commits his 8th error of the series on a routine grounder to short. In reality, I think Vancouver sweeps. And then we get to look forward to domi's annual "I'm not coming back, but I might come back, but it depends...."
NL #4 Iowa City vs NL #5 Jacksonville -- We have a team in Iowa City? Get the fuck out of here. Division winner with a couple of 100+ RBI studs and two or three SP's who could be the difference makers in this short series, don't sleep on Iowa City. Wait. Crap. They're playing Jacksonville, who has been to the NLCS each of the last three seasons, with a WS win in Season 6. And they have some really good pitching. And their hitting ain't bad. Ever heard of Julius Neal? What about the ageless Rick Halama? Sorry Iowa, you're fucked. Jacksonville wins in 4.
NL #3 Oakland vs NL #6 Hartford -- On January 6th, tomhighway said "nobody has enough on their team to get all 5 of my SP's regardless of how crappy they are doing right at this time :) I'll just stick it out.. I will win the division." At the time, he was near the bottom of the division, and I was reeeeeally hoping he would miss out on the playoffs, so I could post that quote in the world chat and rub his face in it. Instead, I'm posting it on the blog to show that he managed to pull it out. In the final ten games of the season, Oakland went 5-5 while Colorado only managed a 3-7 record, giving Oak a one game lead. One of the closest division races BPF has had in a while. Meanwhile, Colorado missed out on a wild card spot to Hartford, as the Insurance Men got the final spot on a tie-breaker. Talk about a hectic final week in the NL, as every division was decided by fewer than five games. For Hartford, I like Lee and Aguilera and Arias. For Oakland, I like Hall and Hornby and Ramirez and Greenberg and Wayne and....how did these guys only win 90 games with their $120M payroll and talent? Gotta take Oakland here, but if one series goes to five games, it might be this one.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Season 8 Playoff Picture
20 games left in the regular season, and it's pretty obvious who is out of the playoff hunt, but not so obvious who is definitely in it. In the highly superior NL, Buffalo, Minnesota, Durham, Louisville, New Orleans, Las Vegas, and Albuquerque are all pretty much out of it. At the other end of the spectrum, three out of the four divisions are still exceptionally close.
In the North, Cincy has a two game lead on Iowa City, with both teams playing well right now, and the "loser" of the division having a good shot at a Wild Card slot.
In the East, Hartford is only two games behind Indianapolis, and again, both teams have a good shot at making the playoffs. With their monstrous budget, I think Indy is hoping for more than just a WC slot.
Down in the dirty South, Jacksonville needs a minor miracle to overcome Jackson's seven game lead. They have made up four games recently, but pulling out another seven is going to be rough. Whoever wins the division will get a bye and probably the number one seed.
In the NL West, Colorado is holding a slim two game lead over Oakland. If the playoffs started today, Colorado would be the number three seed, and Oakland would be out of the playoffs, one game behind the second WC. Yeah. It's tight in the NL.
The AL is a bit of a different story, as a number of teams have punted, with only a handful still looking at the playoffs. Burlington, Detroit, Trenton, Chicago, Austin, Scottsdale, and San Francisco are basically out of it, and starting to make vacation plans for the fall.
In the North, despite nearly a dozen trades this season, some of which were criticized, Milwaukee has a 12 game lead and is in the hunt for the number two seed and first round bye. Montreal is hoping for a WC slot, and currently has one in their sights.
In the East, New York has been beating down the rest of the division with a 17-4 record right now. Unless they play a bunch of AA/AAA scrubs to finish the season, they should have the number one seed wrapped up. Syracuse has their eyes on a WC spot, and is currently three games behind Montreal, but tied with Honolulu.
The South is the only division that hasn't been decided, as KC has a two game lead over Memphis, and seven games over Richmond. Austin is only nine games out, but that's probably too much at this point in the season. Who comes out of this division is anyone's guess. KC is 7-14 against the division this season, while Memphis and Richmond are both 12-9. If I had to guess.....eh, I'm not going to guess.
Out in the West, Vancouver has things very much in control, currently sitting 13 games ahead of the aforementioned Honolulu, and eyeballing that number two seed. Honolulu is tied with Syracuse for the second WC slot.
In the North, Cincy has a two game lead on Iowa City, with both teams playing well right now, and the "loser" of the division having a good shot at a Wild Card slot.
In the East, Hartford is only two games behind Indianapolis, and again, both teams have a good shot at making the playoffs. With their monstrous budget, I think Indy is hoping for more than just a WC slot.
Down in the dirty South, Jacksonville needs a minor miracle to overcome Jackson's seven game lead. They have made up four games recently, but pulling out another seven is going to be rough. Whoever wins the division will get a bye and probably the number one seed.
In the NL West, Colorado is holding a slim two game lead over Oakland. If the playoffs started today, Colorado would be the number three seed, and Oakland would be out of the playoffs, one game behind the second WC. Yeah. It's tight in the NL.
The AL is a bit of a different story, as a number of teams have punted, with only a handful still looking at the playoffs. Burlington, Detroit, Trenton, Chicago, Austin, Scottsdale, and San Francisco are basically out of it, and starting to make vacation plans for the fall.
In the North, despite nearly a dozen trades this season, some of which were criticized, Milwaukee has a 12 game lead and is in the hunt for the number two seed and first round bye. Montreal is hoping for a WC slot, and currently has one in their sights.
In the East, New York has been beating down the rest of the division with a 17-4 record right now. Unless they play a bunch of AA/AAA scrubs to finish the season, they should have the number one seed wrapped up. Syracuse has their eyes on a WC spot, and is currently three games behind Montreal, but tied with Honolulu.
The South is the only division that hasn't been decided, as KC has a two game lead over Memphis, and seven games over Richmond. Austin is only nine games out, but that's probably too much at this point in the season. Who comes out of this division is anyone's guess. KC is 7-14 against the division this season, while Memphis and Richmond are both 12-9. If I had to guess.....eh, I'm not going to guess.
Out in the West, Vancouver has things very much in control, currently sitting 13 games ahead of the aforementioned Honolulu, and eyeballing that number two seed. Honolulu is tied with Syracuse for the second WC slot.
Monday, February 1, 2010
I Have A Dream
When I first started playing HBD, I joined the Continental League, not a public world. I knew nothing about HBD, and I don't recall whether I was given the password to join that world, or if the world hadn't re-upped its privacy, and was public for a period of time. Either way, there were a number of experienced owners in the world, and it had a couple of seasons under its belt. Today, I wouldn't join that world even if someone gave me a GC (yes domi, that is meant to offend you), but at the time I felt like I was hot shit for joining that world, and I thought it was a big deal. Does anyone feel like that when they join a world anymore? Most worlds are dying to get you to join. You only have five seasons of experience and have never finished a season above a .500 record? Come on in!! You can count on one hand how many worlds are "elite" in the sense that they make a list of owners, and have such low turnover that there really is a waiting list to get in. Wouldn't it be great if every world was like that?
I have a dream, where HBD does not have so many worlds with such high turnover. An HBD where we only have maybe 75 private worlds, with a half dozen public worlds. An HBD where even a "crappy" private world has a list of owners waiting to get in, because the demand is greater than the supply. An HBD where you must spend time cutting your teeth in a public world before anyone will let you join their precious private world. An HBD where nobody with more than 10 seasons is allowed to play in a public world. I have a dream. An HBD where a world's rollover time is based entirely on how long the current members want to spend critiquing the potential new owners. An HBD where worlds can look at an owner's history and say "you've never been in a world for more than two seasons, we don't want you, we have better options." An HBD that forces owners to stay in for the long-haul, or worry about their reputations being tarnished. I have a dream.
I just don't have a way to pull it off.
I have a dream, where HBD does not have so many worlds with such high turnover. An HBD where we only have maybe 75 private worlds, with a half dozen public worlds. An HBD where even a "crappy" private world has a list of owners waiting to get in, because the demand is greater than the supply. An HBD where you must spend time cutting your teeth in a public world before anyone will let you join their precious private world. An HBD where nobody with more than 10 seasons is allowed to play in a public world. I have a dream. An HBD where a world's rollover time is based entirely on how long the current members want to spend critiquing the potential new owners. An HBD where worlds can look at an owner's history and say "you've never been in a world for more than two seasons, we don't want you, we have better options." An HBD that forces owners to stay in for the long-haul, or worry about their reputations being tarnished. I have a dream.
I just don't have a way to pull it off.
Saving Worlds
I'm not sure if it was MikeT23 who came up with the idea of "saving worlds," but I'm sure he would take credit for it no matter whose idea it was originally. And on the surface, the idea is a decent one, where quality owners go into a world that has issues, and try to bring it back to being even. Whether the world has had problems with multiple one-and-done owners, or veteran owners who trade rape new owners, or alias problems, etc etc. The veteran owners who come into the world think that if they spend a couple of seasons in the world, it will be a better place. Maybe they're right, maybe they're wrong, but my question is: who cares?
I currently care about six worlds. The other 100+ worlds? Fuck 'em. When I see a thread in the forums with a title like "New Guys world is corrupt," or "The Death of World Foxx," I so don't care. Why should I care about public worlds that are extremely lopsided, and that have had unfair play for multiple seasons, but are only now getting reported? How does that impact me? The big story in the Foxx world is that one owner has been acquiring the top draft picks from previous seasons, while sending very little back to the other team. If this was happening in S10, why is it only now being reported at the start of S15? And if this guy really has something like 50 of the top 100 prospects in the world.....what are a dozen veteran owners going to do to fix the world? It will take ten seasons to swing the pedulum back to the middle. All so you can "save" a public world? Wouldn't it be easier if they just blew up the world and started from scratch? And with all of the talk about how there are too many worlds to begin with, wouldn't we be better off with some bad worlds either going away or being merged with others?
A quick look at the classifieds section in the forums, and the first ten private worlds that have a clear number of openings in them, I count about 30 slots. 30!! That's an entire world! Wouldn't HBD be better off imploding the Foxx world, or New Guys, and having all of those owners take up teams in the various private worlds that are looking for owners? Yes yes yes, I know WIS has said they won't blow up public worlds. So if that's not going to happen, why don't those dozen veteran owners join quality private worlds, instead of trying to "save" a world like Foxx? Don't you think Happy Jack or Alexander or Robert E McCabe would love to have some of those experienced owners join them?
It's just baffling to me how there can be so much talk about a recession, and nobody has money to spend on this game, and there are quality worlds that take two or three weeks to fill....and then one person says "let's save this world," and a dozen guys raise their hands.
I currently care about six worlds. The other 100+ worlds? Fuck 'em. When I see a thread in the forums with a title like "New Guys world is corrupt," or "The Death of World Foxx," I so don't care. Why should I care about public worlds that are extremely lopsided, and that have had unfair play for multiple seasons, but are only now getting reported? How does that impact me? The big story in the Foxx world is that one owner has been acquiring the top draft picks from previous seasons, while sending very little back to the other team. If this was happening in S10, why is it only now being reported at the start of S15? And if this guy really has something like 50 of the top 100 prospects in the world.....what are a dozen veteran owners going to do to fix the world? It will take ten seasons to swing the pedulum back to the middle. All so you can "save" a public world? Wouldn't it be easier if they just blew up the world and started from scratch? And with all of the talk about how there are too many worlds to begin with, wouldn't we be better off with some bad worlds either going away or being merged with others?
A quick look at the classifieds section in the forums, and the first ten private worlds that have a clear number of openings in them, I count about 30 slots. 30!! That's an entire world! Wouldn't HBD be better off imploding the Foxx world, or New Guys, and having all of those owners take up teams in the various private worlds that are looking for owners? Yes yes yes, I know WIS has said they won't blow up public worlds. So if that's not going to happen, why don't those dozen veteran owners join quality private worlds, instead of trying to "save" a world like Foxx? Don't you think Happy Jack or Alexander or Robert E McCabe would love to have some of those experienced owners join them?
It's just baffling to me how there can be so much talk about a recession, and nobody has money to spend on this game, and there are quality worlds that take two or three weeks to fill....and then one person says "let's save this world," and a dozen guys raise their hands.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
The Rest o' the Draft
Alright fucktards, here's the rest of the first round. If you don't want to read it all, yes, your pick sucked, and I give you an F.
#11 - Brian King (Hartford, SS): I went to college with a guy named Brian King. But he wasn't a black guy from New Mexico. King is going to be a good little short-stop. He's an everyday guy, he'll stay healthy, and he's not going to kill them at the plate. Without too many solid short-stops in the farm system, this was a pretty good pick.
#12 - Peter Bennett (Iowa City, SP): Not great, but not bad. Control will be an issue. Every other rating category could be excellent. But he might not even sign, so screw him.
#13 - Jorge Crespo (Trenton, SP): A decent pick, but not great for this spot in the draft. His splits and health are a bit of a worry. I can see him playing for the Big League team in a few seasons, but I think Trenton could have done better here.
#14 - Napoleon Wilson (Chicago, 3B): He's listed as a 3B, but I think he's more of a corner outfielder. A good bat, good health, and good makeup, he's already beating the crap out of the ball in the rookie league.
#15 - Steve Melton (Honolulu, 2B/CF): With that range and glove, I'd love to put him in CF, but I don't think he quite has the arm for that, so maybe 2B will work better for him. A good hitter with moderate speed, my only concern with him is his health and whether or not he can play 162 games.
#16 - Brady Carlson (Lou-Ville, 2B): Stud. How the fuck did this guy fall to #16? Yes, he's very raw right now and has a long way to go before he reaches his projections. But if he can get near those projections, he's going to be an all-star every year.
#17 - Benny Lewis (Albuquerque, 3B): He'll be a gold glove candidate at 3B, and he has a decent bat. Health is a moderate concern, and his speed makes him worthless on the basepath.
#18 - Yeico Arias (Syracuse, RP): Control will be great, he'll be available to close out games more often than not, and he should stay fairly healthy. Splits aren't great, but he has three really good pitches. Not too shabby, we'll see how he does.
#19 - Johnny Blair (Trenton, RP): Back-to-back closers, eh? A slightly inferior version of Arias, Blair has good control and a cannon for an arm. But his splits are less than exciting, and he only has one really solid pitch.
#20 - Bill Borbon (Montreal, 2B): I like Bill. He's decent on defense, he has some great wheels, and he's not horrible at the plate. But his health could be an issue. And he currently wants to play in the NFL. I'm assuming he's a WR. Good luck with that Bill.
#21 - Vic Rodriguez (San Fran, SP): He's from VA, so he must be good. Decent control and vR split, plus a couple of good pitches. I like Vic, especially this far in the first round.
#22 - Billy Adpenis (Colorado, CF): Good defensively, he'll play everyday, he won't get hurt much, and he's got some speed. But wow, this guy has a short temper. After Buster Olney predicted a top 10 selection for Little Willy, he grew more and more agitated as the top 10 turned into the top 15, and then the top 20, and eventually his 22nd spot. It's reported that he punched out a female MLB intern when he asked if Trenton had selected him at 13, and she told him that a pitcher from Grand Rapids Community College had been taken there.
#23 - Fergie Cambridge (Cincy, SP): Fergie? Seriously? Poor bastard. Fortunately, he's a decent pitcher, and didn't punch out any interns while waiting to be picked. Good control, decent splits, decent pitches, he's.....decent.
#24 - Patrick Miller (Iowa City, SP): Iowa City is just striking out left and right here, forgive the pun. Nobody wants to play in Iowa apparently. Can't imagine why not. But this guy has some decent control, he throws super duper hard, and he has some decent pitches. So he'll be good if he signs. If he signs.
#25 - Roy McKinley (Austin, 1B): The first 1B taken in the draft, he's also a really good pure hitter for this deep in the first round. Good hitting numbers across the board, I'm willing to look past the potential health issues and his ability to play 162 games. With the new sim engine, this guy will be quite valuable.
#26 - Kennie Schrenk (Cincy, RP): What an unfortunate name. But he's a very fortunate pickup for Cincinnati at this point in the draft. Good control, above average splits, and some good pitches, he might be the best closer so far.
#27 - Woodie Bernero (Jackson, SP): The goddamn Generals find another late gem, snagging this guy here. The vL and health are a slight concern, but otherwise the guy is great for this late in the first round. Outstanding control, and a rocket for an arm, I hope he hurts himself. Not really. Maybe a little bit.
#28 - Yovani Rojas (Jacksonville, SP): Who comes up with these fucking names? Yovani? What first struck me is that I see his projected stamina and vL as the same number, while his control and vR are the same number. Weeeiiirrrrd. He has a knuckleball that he throws about as hard as a 9-year-old girl, but he throws it really well. He's a good pitcher. Especially this late in the round. I hope he gets hurt too.
#29 - Aaron Quinlan (Colorado, 1B): Could play LF too, maybe even RF in a pinch. He's not an amazing hitter, especially as a 1B, whose primary job is hitting the ball. I'm not impressed. I hope he does not get injured.
#30 - Chris Lincoln (Kansas City, RP): Four closers in the first round? Or did I miss one somewhere? Good control, good splits, average pitches, he'll be pretty good.
#31 - Gus Monstrous Wang (Buffalo, SS): A good defender. Good health. Average speed. Average bat. Huge cock.
#32 - Glen Roosevelt (Oakland, 2B): Great defender with great intangibles, he's not a horrible bat either. But apparently he wants to play basketball. Dumbass.
#33 - Earl Hodges (Vancouver, C): There were better players to be selected, but maybe the Coastals really needed a catcher here. I dunno. Good health. Decent bat. Not an everyday guy, but not too many catchers are.
I'm not going to do all of the comp picks. Way too much time, and they all suck. Fuck you guys.
#11 - Brian King (Hartford, SS): I went to college with a guy named Brian King. But he wasn't a black guy from New Mexico. King is going to be a good little short-stop. He's an everyday guy, he'll stay healthy, and he's not going to kill them at the plate. Without too many solid short-stops in the farm system, this was a pretty good pick.
#12 - Peter Bennett (Iowa City, SP): Not great, but not bad. Control will be an issue. Every other rating category could be excellent. But he might not even sign, so screw him.
#13 - Jorge Crespo (Trenton, SP): A decent pick, but not great for this spot in the draft. His splits and health are a bit of a worry. I can see him playing for the Big League team in a few seasons, but I think Trenton could have done better here.
#14 - Napoleon Wilson (Chicago, 3B): He's listed as a 3B, but I think he's more of a corner outfielder. A good bat, good health, and good makeup, he's already beating the crap out of the ball in the rookie league.
#15 - Steve Melton (Honolulu, 2B/CF): With that range and glove, I'd love to put him in CF, but I don't think he quite has the arm for that, so maybe 2B will work better for him. A good hitter with moderate speed, my only concern with him is his health and whether or not he can play 162 games.
#16 - Brady Carlson (Lou-Ville, 2B): Stud. How the fuck did this guy fall to #16? Yes, he's very raw right now and has a long way to go before he reaches his projections. But if he can get near those projections, he's going to be an all-star every year.
#17 - Benny Lewis (Albuquerque, 3B): He'll be a gold glove candidate at 3B, and he has a decent bat. Health is a moderate concern, and his speed makes him worthless on the basepath.
#18 - Yeico Arias (Syracuse, RP): Control will be great, he'll be available to close out games more often than not, and he should stay fairly healthy. Splits aren't great, but he has three really good pitches. Not too shabby, we'll see how he does.
#19 - Johnny Blair (Trenton, RP): Back-to-back closers, eh? A slightly inferior version of Arias, Blair has good control and a cannon for an arm. But his splits are less than exciting, and he only has one really solid pitch.
#20 - Bill Borbon (Montreal, 2B): I like Bill. He's decent on defense, he has some great wheels, and he's not horrible at the plate. But his health could be an issue. And he currently wants to play in the NFL. I'm assuming he's a WR. Good luck with that Bill.
#21 - Vic Rodriguez (San Fran, SP): He's from VA, so he must be good. Decent control and vR split, plus a couple of good pitches. I like Vic, especially this far in the first round.
#22 - Billy Adpenis (Colorado, CF): Good defensively, he'll play everyday, he won't get hurt much, and he's got some speed. But wow, this guy has a short temper. After Buster Olney predicted a top 10 selection for Little Willy, he grew more and more agitated as the top 10 turned into the top 15, and then the top 20, and eventually his 22nd spot. It's reported that he punched out a female MLB intern when he asked if Trenton had selected him at 13, and she told him that a pitcher from Grand Rapids Community College had been taken there.
#23 - Fergie Cambridge (Cincy, SP): Fergie? Seriously? Poor bastard. Fortunately, he's a decent pitcher, and didn't punch out any interns while waiting to be picked. Good control, decent splits, decent pitches, he's.....decent.
#24 - Patrick Miller (Iowa City, SP): Iowa City is just striking out left and right here, forgive the pun. Nobody wants to play in Iowa apparently. Can't imagine why not. But this guy has some decent control, he throws super duper hard, and he has some decent pitches. So he'll be good if he signs. If he signs.
#25 - Roy McKinley (Austin, 1B): The first 1B taken in the draft, he's also a really good pure hitter for this deep in the first round. Good hitting numbers across the board, I'm willing to look past the potential health issues and his ability to play 162 games. With the new sim engine, this guy will be quite valuable.
#26 - Kennie Schrenk (Cincy, RP): What an unfortunate name. But he's a very fortunate pickup for Cincinnati at this point in the draft. Good control, above average splits, and some good pitches, he might be the best closer so far.
#27 - Woodie Bernero (Jackson, SP): The goddamn Generals find another late gem, snagging this guy here. The vL and health are a slight concern, but otherwise the guy is great for this late in the first round. Outstanding control, and a rocket for an arm, I hope he hurts himself. Not really. Maybe a little bit.
#28 - Yovani Rojas (Jacksonville, SP): Who comes up with these fucking names? Yovani? What first struck me is that I see his projected stamina and vL as the same number, while his control and vR are the same number. Weeeiiirrrrd. He has a knuckleball that he throws about as hard as a 9-year-old girl, but he throws it really well. He's a good pitcher. Especially this late in the round. I hope he gets hurt too.
#29 - Aaron Quinlan (Colorado, 1B): Could play LF too, maybe even RF in a pinch. He's not an amazing hitter, especially as a 1B, whose primary job is hitting the ball. I'm not impressed. I hope he does not get injured.
#30 - Chris Lincoln (Kansas City, RP): Four closers in the first round? Or did I miss one somewhere? Good control, good splits, average pitches, he'll be pretty good.
#31 - Gus Monstrous Wang (Buffalo, SS): A good defender. Good health. Average speed. Average bat. Huge cock.
#32 - Glen Roosevelt (Oakland, 2B): Great defender with great intangibles, he's not a horrible bat either. But apparently he wants to play basketball. Dumbass.
#33 - Earl Hodges (Vancouver, C): There were better players to be selected, but maybe the Coastals really needed a catcher here. I dunno. Good health. Decent bat. Not an everyday guy, but not too many catchers are.
I'm not going to do all of the comp picks. Way too much time, and they all suck. Fuck you guys.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
The Draft -- Season 8 (First 10 picks)
Another season, another draft. And like every other season, there were winners and losers. I'm going to attempt to break down the first round, spending a fair amount of time with the top 10, and a bit less time with the other 23 picks. I have $20M in both high school and college scouting, so the projections I see for unsigned guys should be fairly accurate. If not, blow me.
1 -- Bud Perez (Durham, RF): Bud has a long ways to go before he hits his projections, being 40 points off of his overall rating. But he's only 18, and has plenty of time to get there, so if he's handled with kid gloves and isn't rushed, he has the potential to be a real superstar at the plate. 90+ in power, vR, and batting eye, with 80 in vL, his only downside is his contact rating, which is a hair below 60. And with durability and health both projecting to 90+, he's going to be a healthy, everyday type guy. What's not to like?
2 -- Joel Matthews (Minnesota, SP): The first of four consecutive pitchers selected, Joel is the rumored cousin of Chris Matthews. Three solid pitches, a cannon for an arm, and outstanding ratings in the control and vR categories, the younger Matthews has the potential to live up to the standards set by his older cousin. Yes, I just changed it from a rumor to a fact. Joel's stamina and durability won't get him to the 9th inning very often, but I will bet that he hands a lead to the bullpen more often than not. A very solid pick.
3 -- Chuck Whitfield (New Orleans, SP): Outstanding stamina, control and velocity, this guy is going to rack up a ton of innings and strikeouts. His win total might be up for debate though, unless New Orleans can right the ship. His splits aren't the greatest, and they might be his downfall, but for now he looks like a great pick in that number three slot.
4 -- Randy Matthews (Detroit, RP): NOT the cousin of Christ Matthews, Randy is the next great closer in BPF. Well, maybe. If he doesn't go back for his senior year in college, and if he can hit his projections (he's already 21). Can he get the innings that he needs in order to hit those projections? Maybe. If he gets there, he'll be great, but for now he's something of a question mark.
5 -- Alex Vazquez (Richmond, SP): Above average, but not great, Vazquez has good ratings just about everywhere. And that makes him very boring to write about. His only potential flaws are his lack of quality pitches and his sub-par health. Overall, he's a solid pick. He'll strikeout a ton of guys, he'll win a bunch of games, and he might end up being the best pitcher from this first group.
6 -- Daryl Hawksworth (Scottsdale, IF): I had to list him as "infielder," because I don't know where he'll end up playing. His range makes it tough to play him anywhere up the middle, so I would probably play him at 3B, but that's me, and I'm borderline retarded. As it is, I don't know how this guy slipped to the 6th spot. Great defensive ratings, speed, a huge bat, and he'll be an everyday guy. Did the 60-ish health and batting eye and contact scare everyone away? I love him. I want to have his baby.
7 -- Josh Little (Las Vegas, SP): This is the first pick that really baffled me. Vegas had a ton of money in scouting, and a great slot to pick from, yet they picked an average pitcher, whose demands start around $6.75M, and he's undecided anyway. Did Vegas see something we didn't with this guy? Or are they hoping to just get a pick next year after this guy doesn't sign? Who knows? What I do know is that Little has two amazing pitches, but then everything else is just average. I'll be curious to see how this plays out.
8 -- Sal Rigdon (Milwaukee, 2B): I love this pick for the Ueckers. The team doesn't have a stud 2B anywhere in the system, and Rigdon is the answer. A great defensive player, he will put a ton of balls in play, and already has a bunch of speed. He's gonna be good.
9 -- Randy Capps (Hartford, CF/IF): Listed as a SS, but will probably end up at CF or 3B or 2B. Very good defensively, and has a ton of speed. Durability is a bit of a concern, as is his ability at the plate. But with the way this game is turning into one where defense and speed rules, Capps could end up being very useful.
10 -- Kory Lombard (Burlington, SP): Outstanding stamina and control, Lombard will eat up a ton of innings for Burlington. Above average splits and a couple of solid pitches, Lombard ain't bad for the 10th pick.
The rest will hopefully come later.
1 -- Bud Perez (Durham, RF): Bud has a long ways to go before he hits his projections, being 40 points off of his overall rating. But he's only 18, and has plenty of time to get there, so if he's handled with kid gloves and isn't rushed, he has the potential to be a real superstar at the plate. 90+ in power, vR, and batting eye, with 80 in vL, his only downside is his contact rating, which is a hair below 60. And with durability and health both projecting to 90+, he's going to be a healthy, everyday type guy. What's not to like?
2 -- Joel Matthews (Minnesota, SP): The first of four consecutive pitchers selected, Joel is the rumored cousin of Chris Matthews. Three solid pitches, a cannon for an arm, and outstanding ratings in the control and vR categories, the younger Matthews has the potential to live up to the standards set by his older cousin. Yes, I just changed it from a rumor to a fact. Joel's stamina and durability won't get him to the 9th inning very often, but I will bet that he hands a lead to the bullpen more often than not. A very solid pick.
3 -- Chuck Whitfield (New Orleans, SP): Outstanding stamina, control and velocity, this guy is going to rack up a ton of innings and strikeouts. His win total might be up for debate though, unless New Orleans can right the ship. His splits aren't the greatest, and they might be his downfall, but for now he looks like a great pick in that number three slot.
4 -- Randy Matthews (Detroit, RP): NOT the cousin of Christ Matthews, Randy is the next great closer in BPF. Well, maybe. If he doesn't go back for his senior year in college, and if he can hit his projections (he's already 21). Can he get the innings that he needs in order to hit those projections? Maybe. If he gets there, he'll be great, but for now he's something of a question mark.
5 -- Alex Vazquez (Richmond, SP): Above average, but not great, Vazquez has good ratings just about everywhere. And that makes him very boring to write about. His only potential flaws are his lack of quality pitches and his sub-par health. Overall, he's a solid pick. He'll strikeout a ton of guys, he'll win a bunch of games, and he might end up being the best pitcher from this first group.
6 -- Daryl Hawksworth (Scottsdale, IF): I had to list him as "infielder," because I don't know where he'll end up playing. His range makes it tough to play him anywhere up the middle, so I would probably play him at 3B, but that's me, and I'm borderline retarded. As it is, I don't know how this guy slipped to the 6th spot. Great defensive ratings, speed, a huge bat, and he'll be an everyday guy. Did the 60-ish health and batting eye and contact scare everyone away? I love him. I want to have his baby.
7 -- Josh Little (Las Vegas, SP): This is the first pick that really baffled me. Vegas had a ton of money in scouting, and a great slot to pick from, yet they picked an average pitcher, whose demands start around $6.75M, and he's undecided anyway. Did Vegas see something we didn't with this guy? Or are they hoping to just get a pick next year after this guy doesn't sign? Who knows? What I do know is that Little has two amazing pitches, but then everything else is just average. I'll be curious to see how this plays out.
8 -- Sal Rigdon (Milwaukee, 2B): I love this pick for the Ueckers. The team doesn't have a stud 2B anywhere in the system, and Rigdon is the answer. A great defensive player, he will put a ton of balls in play, and already has a bunch of speed. He's gonna be good.
9 -- Randy Capps (Hartford, CF/IF): Listed as a SS, but will probably end up at CF or 3B or 2B. Very good defensively, and has a ton of speed. Durability is a bit of a concern, as is his ability at the plate. But with the way this game is turning into one where defense and speed rules, Capps could end up being very useful.
10 -- Kory Lombard (Burlington, SP): Outstanding stamina and control, Lombard will eat up a ton of innings for Burlington. Above average splits and a couple of solid pitches, Lombard ain't bad for the 10th pick.
The rest will hopefully come later.
Monday, December 21, 2009
All-BPF Team
Initially I wanted to just put up a poll with maybe 10 guys, and have everyone vote on who they think the top player is (or has been) in our world, just so I could prove to domi that Spahn is a top 5 guy and worth more than a pitching prospect. But when I started looking for guys to put in the poll, I thought it might be more fun to just put together my own list of the top 5 guys to ever play in our world, based on nominations from everyone in the league. Then I quickly realized that a top 5 list would leave off some real studs, so now the idea has morphed into an All-BPF Team, with a player (and alternate) at each position, plus five starting pitchers and one closer.
Trying to find a happy medium between old-timers, and guys in their prime, and guys who are up-and-comers, was probably the toughest part. Do you really want to leave a guy like Ricardo Belliard off the list, simply because he fell off the map after Season 4, and then retired after a couple sub-par seasons when he was well past his prime? The guy won two MVP awards in a row, made three all-star teams, and was the 1B Silver Slugger three years in a row. He hit 74 HR's in Season 1, a feat that has been matched once, and will never be touched by anyone ever again. At the same time, you have guys like Lance Morris, who only has three full ML seasons under his belt, and just signed his first big arbitration deal at the start of this season. He's certainly one of the top players in the world, but the rumor around the league is that he doesn't even have hair on his balls yet. Can we include a guy on our All-BPF Team who has barely hit puberty? That's the line that I'm walking here, and hopefully I don't fall off of it. So without further delay, here is your All-BPF Team.
Catcher: Geronimo Cruz
I thought about this one for a while, and it turns out that we have a slew of top catchers in this world. But in the end, it had to be Cruz. A 5-time All-Star and 4-time Silver Slugger, Cruz has amassed 252 career HR's in the ML, while sporting a lifetime OPS of 1.036, with a good portion of that coming with the Evil Yankees. Essentially traded to NY for Rickey Kidd, the deal worked out for the Yankees, as Kidd has yet to regain the form he had with NY in Season 1, when he posted a 23-5 record on his way to the Cy Young. Meanwhile, Cruz has won two World Series with the Yankees.
Honorable Mention: Julius Neal -- Only in the Big's for three seasons, Neal has already established himself as the next great catcher in the world. With 161 HR's in three seasons with an OPS of 1.006, he is the offensive powerhouse that sagacious predicted he would be when he was drafted second overall in the first season. An everyday guy who calls a great game.
1B: Albert Cairo
Maybe the biggest no-brainer in this entire exercise. Cairo is simply awesome. A 4-time MVP, he has made the All-Star team every single season, he is a 3-time Silver Slugger at 1B, has 2 Gold Gloves, and even won the Home Run Derby in Season 2. Phew. His career totals at the age of 29 look like numbers that the majority of our world can only hope to attain during their entire careers. 413 HR's, 1090 RBI's, 1079 runs, 526 stolen bases, and a 1.042 OPS. My goodness. The only thing that could possibly slow him down would be a major injury, and there is always that potential. But if/when he gets that injury, hopefully it isn't until after he signs a $20M/yr deal after Season 9.
Honorable Mention: Ricardo Belliard who I mentioned earlier. Look at the damage this guy did in the first two seasons of this world, and even the third season. Two-time MVP, three-time All-Star, and three-time Silver Slugger, if he had been five years younger when the world started, he might be pushing Cairo's numbers (minus the SB's).
2B: Rick Halama
A six-time All-Star and five-time Silver Slugger (four at 2B, once at LF), Halama has been a consistent thorn-in-the-side of everyone in BPF. His power and range aren't quite what they were a few seasons ago (hence the move to LF over the last two seasons), but his career .344 batting average and 1.016 OPS were enough to convince Jacksonville to give him a 5-year contract worth $20M/yr.
Honorable Mention/Up-and-Comer: Alejandro Lee Taking a World Series team and barely making the playoffs as a wild card the following season, the only productive thing coonja76 did in Season 3 was sign Lee, and then get out of the way for vector21 to take over. With 3+ seasons at the ML level under his belt, Lee has already shown that he will be one of the all-time greats. Two All-Star games and a Silver Slugger award at the age of 23, only good things await Lee.
3B: Aaron Spahn
A four-time All-Star, three-time Silver Slugger, and a Gold Glove to his name, not to mention his World Series title from Season 2 that everyone forgets about, Spahn is one of the most complete players in the world. His statistics are somewhat skewed from his 2 1/2 seasons in the not-so-friendly confines of Petco Field in San Diego, but his career numbers are still quite phenomenal as a hitter, base runner, and fielder. He's one of those once-in-a-lifetime guys, and yet he has already been traded four time in his short career.
Honorable Mention: Roosevelt Brower No All-Star games and only a single Silver Slugger award to his name, but Brower is a force of nature. Just shy of 350 HR's for his career, he is second on the all-time list behind Cairo. Four consecutive 50+ HR seasons, his power has slowly tapered off the last two or three seasons, but he is still a threat for 40/125, and is hoping to rejuvenate his career with a move to Buffalo. Being paid $20M/yr until the end of Season 10, Buffalo is hoping he rejuvenates his career too.
SS: Domingo DeRojas
Another player who falls into the category of "what could have been." I have a few issues putting DeRojas in here as a SS, since I don't think he has had the defensive ratings of a SS since Season 3 or 4. But since he has logged over 1000 games at the position, with only 20 at any other position, he gets on the list. A four-time All-Star and three-time Silver Slugger, DeRojas has 267 career HR's and nearly 700 RBI's, while also scoring 714 runs and stealing 211 bases.
Honorable Mention: Tony Tejada I was somewhat surprised at how many people nominated this guy. Then I went back and looked at his numbers. A five-time All-Star, two-time Silver Slugger(!!) and four Gold Gloves at the SS position, his career fielding percentage at SS is .990, which ain't too bad. Before the wheels came off, he was also a base stealing machine, with 413 for his career, which puts him third on the all-time list.
LF: Hootie Flanagan
Who the hell is Hootie Flanagan? Maybe it's because he plays in the AL and I don't pay attention to much that goes on over there, but I had honestly never heard of this guy until I started doing this research. Did you know that he has been to the All-Star game five times, and was the MVP of the game in Season 3? Or that he has won four Silver Slugger awards? Or that he has two Gold Gloves to his name? And with a name like Hootie, how the F did I miss this guy all of these seasons? His performance has started to fall off a bit over the last couple of seasons, as he only hit 24 HR's last season and only managed 23 SB's, but he is still the best LF this world has seen so far.
Honorable Mention: Alexander Starr One of the few guys left from the Season 2 World Series team, Starr leads the franchise in virtually every major hitting category for his career, and should continue adding to those numbers until he retires, as he is most likely an Insurance Man for life.
CF: Kent Rivera
Do you know how hard it is to find a competent CF? Do a search for CF's at the ML level, I dare you. After you sort through the guys who are listed as a CF but are sporting a 70 glove, you'll find Rivera and his lifetime .985 fielding percentage in CF, along with his four All-Star appearances and three Silver Slugger awards. An outstanding lead-off guy (drew, why are you not using him as a lead-off guy?), Rivera has 804 career runs, 264 SB's, and a .373 OBP.
Honorable Mention: Willie Strickland Honestly, these guys were 1a and 1b, and they easily could have flip-flopped. Rivera got the nod because of his extra ML experience, but Strickland could certainly move past him in the coming years. He hits for power and average at the same time, while also fielding in CF at a .989 clip, which has helped earn him two Gold Gloves already to go with his four All-Star games and two Silver Slugger awards.
RF: Delino Hall
Wow, this one was tough. Do you know how many studs are playing RF in our world? My "short list" for this position was longer than any other position, and even then I felt like there were three or four guys who were still getting left off the list. In the end, Hall rose to the top with his two MVP awards, five All-Star teams, and five Silver Slugger awards. I hesitated for a moment, because the majority of his playing career has been at 2B. But recently he was moved to RF, and that seems to be where he will continue playing. What is amazing is how many times this fantastic player has been traded in his short career.
Honorable Mention: Rob Dickerson and Delino Ryan I couldn't pick just one of these guys, and either could have been the overall winner in this category. If Ryan hadn't been injured last season, we might have him in the same breath as Hall, and if Dickerson hadn't gotten so old so fast, he might have killed both of the Delino's in this position. Despite all of that, Dickerson still has three MVP awards, six All-Star appearances, and three Silver Sluggers on his mantle, so he doesn't care if he is on the inactive list of the KC Triple-A squad. "If those guys want to pay me $4.4M to act as the unofficial hitting coach down here, I don't give a shit." Meanwhile, Ryan won an MVP award in Season 6, is a three-time All-Star, and has two Silver Sluggers to his name. Drafted number 18 overall by Baltimore, then traded to Oakland, and now traded to Montreal, he is hoping to regain his form.
Starting Pitchers, in no particular order:
Jumbo Long -- Two Cy Young awards, five All-Star appearances, 120 wins with a 2.98 ERA...and he's only 30 years old. I can almost guarantee that he will demand a max contract when his current deal runs out at the end of this season, and even at 31, he'll deserve it.
Oscar Dunham -- Two Cy Young awards, four All-Star appearances, 107 wins, 1300 strikeouts (third all-time) and a 3.42 ERA. His fastball isn't what it was a few seasons ago, and he's 37 years old now, but he is still one of the all-time greats.
Chris Matthews -- Five All-Star appearances and a Cy Young to compliment his 119 wins (59 of which he did entirely on his own) and 2.75 ERA, Matthews is on his second(!) max contract, which will take him to the ripe age of 38yo. If Indy treats him right, he should still be winning double-digit games by the time his contract runs out, with some of those wins still being CG's.
Dummy Wayne -- Three All-Star teams, ROY in Season 2, and 85 wins in 186 starts, Wayne has really benefited from Oakland's recent rise in offense. Only 7-16 during his first full season with the franchise, Wayne has since posted a 60-27 record, and a sub 3.00 ERA during each of those four seasons.
Rico Rivera -- "Only" a single Cy Young award to his name, Rivera has a record of 62-30 for his career, and is top 3 in the world's history when it comes to OAV, OBP, SLG, WHIP and ERA.
Closer: Danny Erickson -- Another "what if" guy, Erickson was used mostly as a setup pitcher during the first few seasons, and wasn't turned into a closer until he came to Memphis in Season 4. Since then, he has made the All-Star team every season, and won the Fireman of the Year award in Season 5. He has 208 saves in 230 opportunities, while posting a 1.72 ERA and .183 OAV, with OBP and SLG at .250 or lower. Even at the age of 38, this guy could step into any clubhouse and be the best closer in the building. His fastball is way down from where it was a few years ago, but he isn't a one-pitch kind of guy, he can get it done a number of ways.
Phew. Well that was fun. I hope you learned something.
-nj
Trying to find a happy medium between old-timers, and guys in their prime, and guys who are up-and-comers, was probably the toughest part. Do you really want to leave a guy like Ricardo Belliard off the list, simply because he fell off the map after Season 4, and then retired after a couple sub-par seasons when he was well past his prime? The guy won two MVP awards in a row, made three all-star teams, and was the 1B Silver Slugger three years in a row. He hit 74 HR's in Season 1, a feat that has been matched once, and will never be touched by anyone ever again. At the same time, you have guys like Lance Morris, who only has three full ML seasons under his belt, and just signed his first big arbitration deal at the start of this season. He's certainly one of the top players in the world, but the rumor around the league is that he doesn't even have hair on his balls yet. Can we include a guy on our All-BPF Team who has barely hit puberty? That's the line that I'm walking here, and hopefully I don't fall off of it. So without further delay, here is your All-BPF Team.
Catcher: Geronimo Cruz
I thought about this one for a while, and it turns out that we have a slew of top catchers in this world. But in the end, it had to be Cruz. A 5-time All-Star and 4-time Silver Slugger, Cruz has amassed 252 career HR's in the ML, while sporting a lifetime OPS of 1.036, with a good portion of that coming with the Evil Yankees. Essentially traded to NY for Rickey Kidd, the deal worked out for the Yankees, as Kidd has yet to regain the form he had with NY in Season 1, when he posted a 23-5 record on his way to the Cy Young. Meanwhile, Cruz has won two World Series with the Yankees.
Honorable Mention: Julius Neal -- Only in the Big's for three seasons, Neal has already established himself as the next great catcher in the world. With 161 HR's in three seasons with an OPS of 1.006, he is the offensive powerhouse that sagacious predicted he would be when he was drafted second overall in the first season. An everyday guy who calls a great game.
1B: Albert Cairo
Maybe the biggest no-brainer in this entire exercise. Cairo is simply awesome. A 4-time MVP, he has made the All-Star team every single season, he is a 3-time Silver Slugger at 1B, has 2 Gold Gloves, and even won the Home Run Derby in Season 2. Phew. His career totals at the age of 29 look like numbers that the majority of our world can only hope to attain during their entire careers. 413 HR's, 1090 RBI's, 1079 runs, 526 stolen bases, and a 1.042 OPS. My goodness. The only thing that could possibly slow him down would be a major injury, and there is always that potential. But if/when he gets that injury, hopefully it isn't until after he signs a $20M/yr deal after Season 9.
Honorable Mention: Ricardo Belliard who I mentioned earlier. Look at the damage this guy did in the first two seasons of this world, and even the third season. Two-time MVP, three-time All-Star, and three-time Silver Slugger, if he had been five years younger when the world started, he might be pushing Cairo's numbers (minus the SB's).
2B: Rick Halama
A six-time All-Star and five-time Silver Slugger (four at 2B, once at LF), Halama has been a consistent thorn-in-the-side of everyone in BPF. His power and range aren't quite what they were a few seasons ago (hence the move to LF over the last two seasons), but his career .344 batting average and 1.016 OPS were enough to convince Jacksonville to give him a 5-year contract worth $20M/yr.
Honorable Mention/Up-and-Comer: Alejandro Lee Taking a World Series team and barely making the playoffs as a wild card the following season, the only productive thing coonja76 did in Season 3 was sign Lee, and then get out of the way for vector21 to take over. With 3+ seasons at the ML level under his belt, Lee has already shown that he will be one of the all-time greats. Two All-Star games and a Silver Slugger award at the age of 23, only good things await Lee.
3B: Aaron Spahn
A four-time All-Star, three-time Silver Slugger, and a Gold Glove to his name, not to mention his World Series title from Season 2 that everyone forgets about, Spahn is one of the most complete players in the world. His statistics are somewhat skewed from his 2 1/2 seasons in the not-so-friendly confines of Petco Field in San Diego, but his career numbers are still quite phenomenal as a hitter, base runner, and fielder. He's one of those once-in-a-lifetime guys, and yet he has already been traded four time in his short career.
Honorable Mention: Roosevelt Brower No All-Star games and only a single Silver Slugger award to his name, but Brower is a force of nature. Just shy of 350 HR's for his career, he is second on the all-time list behind Cairo. Four consecutive 50+ HR seasons, his power has slowly tapered off the last two or three seasons, but he is still a threat for 40/125, and is hoping to rejuvenate his career with a move to Buffalo. Being paid $20M/yr until the end of Season 10, Buffalo is hoping he rejuvenates his career too.
SS: Domingo DeRojas
Another player who falls into the category of "what could have been." I have a few issues putting DeRojas in here as a SS, since I don't think he has had the defensive ratings of a SS since Season 3 or 4. But since he has logged over 1000 games at the position, with only 20 at any other position, he gets on the list. A four-time All-Star and three-time Silver Slugger, DeRojas has 267 career HR's and nearly 700 RBI's, while also scoring 714 runs and stealing 211 bases.
Honorable Mention: Tony Tejada I was somewhat surprised at how many people nominated this guy. Then I went back and looked at his numbers. A five-time All-Star, two-time Silver Slugger(!!) and four Gold Gloves at the SS position, his career fielding percentage at SS is .990, which ain't too bad. Before the wheels came off, he was also a base stealing machine, with 413 for his career, which puts him third on the all-time list.
LF: Hootie Flanagan
Who the hell is Hootie Flanagan? Maybe it's because he plays in the AL and I don't pay attention to much that goes on over there, but I had honestly never heard of this guy until I started doing this research. Did you know that he has been to the All-Star game five times, and was the MVP of the game in Season 3? Or that he has won four Silver Slugger awards? Or that he has two Gold Gloves to his name? And with a name like Hootie, how the F did I miss this guy all of these seasons? His performance has started to fall off a bit over the last couple of seasons, as he only hit 24 HR's last season and only managed 23 SB's, but he is still the best LF this world has seen so far.
Honorable Mention: Alexander Starr One of the few guys left from the Season 2 World Series team, Starr leads the franchise in virtually every major hitting category for his career, and should continue adding to those numbers until he retires, as he is most likely an Insurance Man for life.
CF: Kent Rivera
Do you know how hard it is to find a competent CF? Do a search for CF's at the ML level, I dare you. After you sort through the guys who are listed as a CF but are sporting a 70 glove, you'll find Rivera and his lifetime .985 fielding percentage in CF, along with his four All-Star appearances and three Silver Slugger awards. An outstanding lead-off guy (drew, why are you not using him as a lead-off guy?), Rivera has 804 career runs, 264 SB's, and a .373 OBP.
Honorable Mention: Willie Strickland Honestly, these guys were 1a and 1b, and they easily could have flip-flopped. Rivera got the nod because of his extra ML experience, but Strickland could certainly move past him in the coming years. He hits for power and average at the same time, while also fielding in CF at a .989 clip, which has helped earn him two Gold Gloves already to go with his four All-Star games and two Silver Slugger awards.
RF: Delino Hall
Wow, this one was tough. Do you know how many studs are playing RF in our world? My "short list" for this position was longer than any other position, and even then I felt like there were three or four guys who were still getting left off the list. In the end, Hall rose to the top with his two MVP awards, five All-Star teams, and five Silver Slugger awards. I hesitated for a moment, because the majority of his playing career has been at 2B. But recently he was moved to RF, and that seems to be where he will continue playing. What is amazing is how many times this fantastic player has been traded in his short career.
Honorable Mention: Rob Dickerson and Delino Ryan I couldn't pick just one of these guys, and either could have been the overall winner in this category. If Ryan hadn't been injured last season, we might have him in the same breath as Hall, and if Dickerson hadn't gotten so old so fast, he might have killed both of the Delino's in this position. Despite all of that, Dickerson still has three MVP awards, six All-Star appearances, and three Silver Sluggers on his mantle, so he doesn't care if he is on the inactive list of the KC Triple-A squad. "If those guys want to pay me $4.4M to act as the unofficial hitting coach down here, I don't give a shit." Meanwhile, Ryan won an MVP award in Season 6, is a three-time All-Star, and has two Silver Sluggers to his name. Drafted number 18 overall by Baltimore, then traded to Oakland, and now traded to Montreal, he is hoping to regain his form.
Starting Pitchers, in no particular order:
Jumbo Long -- Two Cy Young awards, five All-Star appearances, 120 wins with a 2.98 ERA...and he's only 30 years old. I can almost guarantee that he will demand a max contract when his current deal runs out at the end of this season, and even at 31, he'll deserve it.
Oscar Dunham -- Two Cy Young awards, four All-Star appearances, 107 wins, 1300 strikeouts (third all-time) and a 3.42 ERA. His fastball isn't what it was a few seasons ago, and he's 37 years old now, but he is still one of the all-time greats.
Chris Matthews -- Five All-Star appearances and a Cy Young to compliment his 119 wins (59 of which he did entirely on his own) and 2.75 ERA, Matthews is on his second(!) max contract, which will take him to the ripe age of 38yo. If Indy treats him right, he should still be winning double-digit games by the time his contract runs out, with some of those wins still being CG's.
Dummy Wayne -- Three All-Star teams, ROY in Season 2, and 85 wins in 186 starts, Wayne has really benefited from Oakland's recent rise in offense. Only 7-16 during his first full season with the franchise, Wayne has since posted a 60-27 record, and a sub 3.00 ERA during each of those four seasons.
Rico Rivera -- "Only" a single Cy Young award to his name, Rivera has a record of 62-30 for his career, and is top 3 in the world's history when it comes to OAV, OBP, SLG, WHIP and ERA.
Closer: Danny Erickson -- Another "what if" guy, Erickson was used mostly as a setup pitcher during the first few seasons, and wasn't turned into a closer until he came to Memphis in Season 4. Since then, he has made the All-Star team every season, and won the Fireman of the Year award in Season 5. He has 208 saves in 230 opportunities, while posting a 1.72 ERA and .183 OAV, with OBP and SLG at .250 or lower. Even at the age of 38, this guy could step into any clubhouse and be the best closer in the building. His fastball is way down from where it was a few years ago, but he isn't a one-pitch kind of guy, he can get it done a number of ways.
Phew. Well that was fun. I hope you learned something.
-nj
Friday, December 18, 2009
Season 8: This Time It's Personal
Well here we go kids. We've made the majority of our moves (or in foolsgold's case 0.000057439% of them). Most teams are set, it's time for the reviews, previews, analysis', grades, and predictions. I'll shake things up and start in the NL. So first up is:
NL North
Buffalo Wooden Nickle (bbmogul: 130 seasons, career win %: 484, WS: 1)
Last season's record: 98-64 1st/predicted record 90-72
Payroll: $104 mil.
Hitting: C+
Pitching:B-
Fielding:C
Overall: C+
Looking to follow up on an impressive season 7. Several personnel changes will make things interesting. Very good Cfer and a superior lead-off man in LFer Jon Porter. Not very good gloves around the horn. Pitching is fairly strong, but no Cy Young candidates with Chris Matthews being traded.
Season 8 forecast: 91-71
Iowa City Cornish Hens(hshack: 30 seasons, career win %: .476, WS 1)
Last Season's record: 75-87/season7 prediction 89-73
Payroll: $80.9 mil
Offense: C
Pitching: C+
Defense: C-
Overall: C
Lack of solid gloves and power bats will hinder progress in Iowa. Very fast on the basepaths.
Season 8 forecast: 80-82
Cincinnati Red Thumpers(statman527: 21 seasons, career win %: .453)
Last Season's record: 92-70/ season7 prediction: 91-71
Payroll: 55.7 mil
Offense: C
Pitching: C
Defense: C
Overall: C
Cincy might be taking a step back this season. Stars Flash Bass and Art Walker will shine, but depth will be an issue.
Season 8 forecast: 84-78
Minnesota Salvation(chadtv: 3 seasons, career win %: .387)
Last Seasons record: 56-106/ season 7 prediction 62-100
Payroll: 57.4 mil
Offense: D+
Pitching: C-
Defense: D+
Overall: D+
Where did last seasons gloves go? It looks to be a long season under the dome.
Season 8 forecast: 56-106
NL East
Hartford Insurance Men(vector21: 19 seasons, career win %: .487)
Last Seasons record: 73-89/ season 7 prediction: 82-80
Payroll: 90.6 mil
Offense: B+
Pitching: B
Defense: C
Overall: B-
A loaded line-up with premier top end talent and very capable pitching should see insure against a losing record this season. Definite playoff potential if not the division title.
Season 8 forecast: 94-68
St Louis Busch Whackers(josh33: 20 seasons, career win%: .475)
Last seasons record: 81-81/ prediction 70-92
Payroll: 98.2 mil
Offense: C+
Pitching: B-
Defense: B-
Overall: B-
On paper this looks like a pretty good team. Low v/R splits on the hitters is made up by high contact, and the pitchers lowish control is mitigated by high v/R splits. Still solid D up the middle. NL East is going to be a tough division this year.
Season 8 forecast: 92-70
Durham Bulls(kscott2421: 2 seasons, career win%: .340)
Last Seasons record: 53-109/ predicted: 65-97
Payroll: 57.8 mil
Offense: C+
Pitching: C+
Defense: C
Overall: C+
Looks to be greatly improved since last season. A fairly balanced offense, and some capable hurlers will make .500 a realistic target, but it'll be tough.
Season 8 forecast: 78-84
Indianapolis Indians(rootgargle: 32 seasons, career win% .523)
Last season record: 95-67/predicted: 86-76
Payroll: 119 mil
Offense: A-
Pitching: A-
Defense: B+
Overall: B+
Indy's line up is going to devastate lefties as well as causing righties fits. Just nothing more to say than this is a formidable squad.
Forecast: 100-62
NL South
New Orleans Posse(dennisdee: 114 seasons, .482, 1 WS)
last season: 57-105/predicted: 68-94
Payroll: 89.5 mil
Offense: C-
Pitching: C
Defense: C+
Overall: C
Will have another tough go this season. Not a strong line-up to help out the pitching.
Forecast: 62-100
Jackson Generals(playboy33: 21 seasons, .515)
Last Season: 93-69/ predicted: 90-72
Payroll: 94.1 mil
Offense: B+
Pitching: C+
Defense: B
Overall: B
A bit more top end pitching and this team is one of the best in BPF. Great contact and power ratings, and the weakish pitching is bolstered by a solid D.
Forecast: 92-70
Louisville Madness(psanders84: 52 seasons, .502)
Last Season: 80-82/ predicted: 94-68
Payroll: 81.9 mil
Offense: C+
Pitching: C+
Defense: B+
Overall: B-
psanders, parachuting in to takeover from jubalado, finds himself with a very capable squad with help on the farm. Could challenge for a wildcard spot, but there appear to be a few teams in the hunt for those two spots.
Forecast: 93-69
Jacksonville Jimmies(bnags: 14 seasons, .452, 1 WS)
Last Season: 95-67/ predicted: 104-58
Payroll: 64.7 mil
Offense: C+
Pitching: C
Defense: B-
Overall: C+
Two seasons removed from the WS and jacksonville is starting to see hard times. The pitching is not deep, the offense lacks some pop, though they won't whiff much.
Forecast: 84-78
NL West
Colorado Swingers(bbwinksdaddy: 8 seasons, .470)
Last season: 87-75/ predicted: 82-80
Payroll: 73.9
Offense: C
Pitching C+
Defense: B
Overall: C+
Seems the strategy is power and patience through the line-up, but that might not be enough to cover weak splits. The groundball pitching staff, should help keep the opposition from going yard, but won't challenge for the ERA crown.
Forecast: 83-79
Albuquerque Sandias(njohnson78: 36 seasons, .495, 1 WS)
Last season: 81-81/ predicted: 74-88
Payroll: 68 mil
Offense: C+
Pitching: C+
Defense: C+
Overall: C+
It'll be interesting to see how the move to Alb. will work out. Low splits for the hitters might get a boost in Isotopes park, the pitching, though, will see rough times at home.
Forecast: 82-80
Oakland Ownage(tomhighway: 31 seasons, .528)
Last season: 109-53/ predicted: 112-50
Payroll: 116.8 mil
Offense: A
Pitching: A
Defense: B
Overall: A-
Doesn't seem to be quite as menacing a team as season 7, but still the NL World Series favourite. No real weakness.
Forecast: 104-58
Las Vegas Bandits(shynent: 28 seasons, .480)
Last season: 72-90/ predicted: 70-92
Payroll: 72 mil
Offense: C+
Pitching: C+
Defense: B
Overall: B-
If the pitchers were a tad less wild, and one or two more effective hitters, this could be a dynamite squad. Power and eye abound through the line-up but the splits are a sore point.
Forecast: 86-76
AL North
Burlington Northerns(drew124: 7 seasons, .508)
Last season: 74-88/predicted: 69-93
Payroll: 95.3 mil
Offense: C+
Pitching: D
Defense: C-
Overall: C-
Line-up boasts fairly good splits, but lacks punch.
Forecast: 70-92
Montreal Maroons(21mira21: 10 seasons, .570)
Last season: 83-79/ predicted: 84-78
Payroll: 20.7 mil
Offense: B
Pitching: C+
Defense: B
Overall: B-
Power packed line-up with very good up the middle D. Pitching is solid, though will finish higher in the world in walks.
Forecast: 90-72
Milwaukee Ueckers(foolsgold79: 10 seasons, .565)
Last season: 73-89/ predicted: 65-97
Payroll: 63 mil
Offense: B
Pitching: B
Defense: B-
Overall: B
Huge top end batting talent and pop through the line-up, but not necessarily deep. Solid pitching and D up the middle. Excellent reclamation project by foolsgold.
Forecast: 92-70
Detroit Drive(MB Bengals: 9 seasons, .416)
last season: 58-104/ predicted 76-86
Payroll: 92.6 mil
Offense: C+
Pitching: C-
Defense: B
Overall: C
Improved batting should pull Detroit back under the 100 loss mark, but I've overestimated this team twice before.
Forecast: 66-96
AL East
Chicago Black Holes(alogman1: 59 seasons, .466)
last season: 77-85/ predicted: 76-86
Payroll: 49.5 mil
Offense: C
Pitching: C
Defense: C
Overall: C
Middle of the pack team right through the roster. Might take a step back from the growth of the past couple seasons.
Forecast: 70-92
New York Yankees(devonjain: 46 seasons, .511, 2 WS)
DEFENDING CHAMPS
last season: 89-73/ predicted: 100-62
Payroll: 102.6 mil
Offense: B+
Pitching: A-
Defense: C+
Overall: B+
Not quite the offensive force as seasons past but still more than capable of scoring. Defense is solid but lacking at SS and in glove depth. But none of that matters.
Forecast: 96-66
Trenton Enforcers(HAWKEYEONE, 28 seasons, .471)
Last Season: 76-86/ predicted: 92-70
Payroll: 98.7
Offense: C
Pitching: C
Defense: B
Overall: C
Hard team to figure, but I think it might be a step back from the last couple seasons. Offense lacks depth, as does the pitching, but many capable fielders.
Forecast: 73-89
Syracuse Spedie Sandwiches(domiisgod: 74 seasons, .539, 1 WS)
Last season: 81-81/ predicted: 92-70
Payroll: 79.4
Offense: B+
Pitching: B
Defense: C+
Overall: B
Looks to be a fairly dangerous team that should give the dreaded Yankees a good scare for the division title.
Forecast: 94-68
AL South
Austin Argonauts(kemosabe11: 28 seasons, .526, 1 WS)
Last season: 91-71/ predicted: 95-67
Payroll; 68.1
Offense: C+
Pitching: C
Defense: B+
Overall: C+
A misleading C+, it might be a bit of a struggle deep in the heart of Texas. .500 might be the city limits for Austin.
Forecast: 81-81
Memphis MAD DOGS(sved: 75 seasons, .542, 3 WS)
last season: 90-72/ predicted: 98-64
Payroll: 102
Offense: B+
Pitching: C+
Defense: B
Overall: B
Pitching appears to have fallen off from the heady WS days. Still a threat, but more in the wild card mix.
Forecast: 91-71
Richmond Informers(jcarver67: 18 seasons, .448)
Last season: 66-96/ predicted: 78-84
Payroll: 61.6
Offense: C
Pitching: C
Defense: B+
Overall: C+
Great range to get to the balls that the pitchers are going to give up. Not much offenseive help. Keep building jcarver.
Forecast: 68-94
Kansas City Faggots(sergei91: 43 seasons, .508, 2 WS)
Last season: 95-67/ predicted: 96-56
Payroll: 111
Offense: B+
Pitching: B
Defense: B-
Overall: B
This team won't just bend over and take it. Not the most power packed line-up but very capable of putting up runs.
Fielding depth but no GG types.
Forecast: 94-68
AL West
(warning: you're not going to like this...)
Vancouver Coastals(camden68: 25 seasons, .491)
last season: 110-52/ predicted: 101-61
Payroll: 60.5
Offense: A
Pitching: A+
Fielding: A
Overall: A
I don't want to brag, but find a weakness. OK could be stronger hitting against righties, but that'd just be greedy.
Forecast: 108-54
(...told you.)
Honolulu Harpoon(shiish: 19 seasons, .503, 1 WS)
Last season: 79-83/ predicted: 86-76
Payroll: 73.9
Offense: C-
Pitching: C+
Defense: B
Overall: C+
Runs will be hard to come by, but the pitching and fieldwork will keep the Harpoon in the game.
Forecast: 73-89
San Francisco Summer Of Love(themehl: 39 seasons, .532, 3 WS)
last season: 86-76/ predicted: 97-65
Payroll: 67.6
Offense: A
Pitching: B+
Fielding: B+
Overall: B++
An elite team, that will score, and defend. Not quite the depth of Vancouver, but some exceptional top end talent.
Forecast: 103-59
Scottsdale Swarm(10 seasons, .419)
last season: 67-95/ predicted: 83-79
Payroll: 62.7
Offense: C+
Pitching: C-
Defense: B+
The fielders will be busy, but the line-up will give the team a chance.
Forecast: 71-91
NL North
Buffalo Wooden Nickle (bbmogul: 130 seasons, career win %: 484, WS: 1)
Last season's record: 98-64 1st/predicted record 90-72
Payroll: $104 mil.
Hitting: C+
Pitching:B-
Fielding:C
Overall: C+
Looking to follow up on an impressive season 7. Several personnel changes will make things interesting. Very good Cfer and a superior lead-off man in LFer Jon Porter. Not very good gloves around the horn. Pitching is fairly strong, but no Cy Young candidates with Chris Matthews being traded.
Season 8 forecast: 91-71
Iowa City Cornish Hens(hshack: 30 seasons, career win %: .476, WS 1)
Last Season's record: 75-87/season7 prediction 89-73
Payroll: $80.9 mil
Offense: C
Pitching: C+
Defense: C-
Overall: C
Lack of solid gloves and power bats will hinder progress in Iowa. Very fast on the basepaths.
Season 8 forecast: 80-82
Cincinnati Red Thumpers(statman527: 21 seasons, career win %: .453)
Last Season's record: 92-70/ season7 prediction: 91-71
Payroll: 55.7 mil
Offense: C
Pitching: C
Defense: C
Overall: C
Cincy might be taking a step back this season. Stars Flash Bass and Art Walker will shine, but depth will be an issue.
Season 8 forecast: 84-78
Minnesota Salvation(chadtv: 3 seasons, career win %: .387)
Last Seasons record: 56-106/ season 7 prediction 62-100
Payroll: 57.4 mil
Offense: D+
Pitching: C-
Defense: D+
Overall: D+
Where did last seasons gloves go? It looks to be a long season under the dome.
Season 8 forecast: 56-106
NL East
Hartford Insurance Men(vector21: 19 seasons, career win %: .487)
Last Seasons record: 73-89/ season 7 prediction: 82-80
Payroll: 90.6 mil
Offense: B+
Pitching: B
Defense: C
Overall: B-
A loaded line-up with premier top end talent and very capable pitching should see insure against a losing record this season. Definite playoff potential if not the division title.
Season 8 forecast: 94-68
St Louis Busch Whackers(josh33: 20 seasons, career win%: .475)
Last seasons record: 81-81/ prediction 70-92
Payroll: 98.2 mil
Offense: C+
Pitching: B-
Defense: B-
Overall: B-
On paper this looks like a pretty good team. Low v/R splits on the hitters is made up by high contact, and the pitchers lowish control is mitigated by high v/R splits. Still solid D up the middle. NL East is going to be a tough division this year.
Season 8 forecast: 92-70
Durham Bulls(kscott2421: 2 seasons, career win%: .340)
Last Seasons record: 53-109/ predicted: 65-97
Payroll: 57.8 mil
Offense: C+
Pitching: C+
Defense: C
Overall: C+
Looks to be greatly improved since last season. A fairly balanced offense, and some capable hurlers will make .500 a realistic target, but it'll be tough.
Season 8 forecast: 78-84
Indianapolis Indians(rootgargle: 32 seasons, career win% .523)
Last season record: 95-67/predicted: 86-76
Payroll: 119 mil
Offense: A-
Pitching: A-
Defense: B+
Overall: B+
Indy's line up is going to devastate lefties as well as causing righties fits. Just nothing more to say than this is a formidable squad.
Forecast: 100-62
NL South
New Orleans Posse(dennisdee: 114 seasons, .482, 1 WS)
last season: 57-105/predicted: 68-94
Payroll: 89.5 mil
Offense: C-
Pitching: C
Defense: C+
Overall: C
Will have another tough go this season. Not a strong line-up to help out the pitching.
Forecast: 62-100
Jackson Generals(playboy33: 21 seasons, .515)
Last Season: 93-69/ predicted: 90-72
Payroll: 94.1 mil
Offense: B+
Pitching: C+
Defense: B
Overall: B
A bit more top end pitching and this team is one of the best in BPF. Great contact and power ratings, and the weakish pitching is bolstered by a solid D.
Forecast: 92-70
Louisville Madness(psanders84: 52 seasons, .502)
Last Season: 80-82/ predicted: 94-68
Payroll: 81.9 mil
Offense: C+
Pitching: C+
Defense: B+
Overall: B-
psanders, parachuting in to takeover from jubalado, finds himself with a very capable squad with help on the farm. Could challenge for a wildcard spot, but there appear to be a few teams in the hunt for those two spots.
Forecast: 93-69
Jacksonville Jimmies(bnags: 14 seasons, .452, 1 WS)
Last Season: 95-67/ predicted: 104-58
Payroll: 64.7 mil
Offense: C+
Pitching: C
Defense: B-
Overall: C+
Two seasons removed from the WS and jacksonville is starting to see hard times. The pitching is not deep, the offense lacks some pop, though they won't whiff much.
Forecast: 84-78
NL West
Colorado Swingers(bbwinksdaddy: 8 seasons, .470)
Last season: 87-75/ predicted: 82-80
Payroll: 73.9
Offense: C
Pitching C+
Defense: B
Overall: C+
Seems the strategy is power and patience through the line-up, but that might not be enough to cover weak splits. The groundball pitching staff, should help keep the opposition from going yard, but won't challenge for the ERA crown.
Forecast: 83-79
Albuquerque Sandias(njohnson78: 36 seasons, .495, 1 WS)
Last season: 81-81/ predicted: 74-88
Payroll: 68 mil
Offense: C+
Pitching: C+
Defense: C+
Overall: C+
It'll be interesting to see how the move to Alb. will work out. Low splits for the hitters might get a boost in Isotopes park, the pitching, though, will see rough times at home.
Forecast: 82-80
Oakland Ownage(tomhighway: 31 seasons, .528)
Last season: 109-53/ predicted: 112-50
Payroll: 116.8 mil
Offense: A
Pitching: A
Defense: B
Overall: A-
Doesn't seem to be quite as menacing a team as season 7, but still the NL World Series favourite. No real weakness.
Forecast: 104-58
Las Vegas Bandits(shynent: 28 seasons, .480)
Last season: 72-90/ predicted: 70-92
Payroll: 72 mil
Offense: C+
Pitching: C+
Defense: B
Overall: B-
If the pitchers were a tad less wild, and one or two more effective hitters, this could be a dynamite squad. Power and eye abound through the line-up but the splits are a sore point.
Forecast: 86-76
AL North
Burlington Northerns(drew124: 7 seasons, .508)
Last season: 74-88/predicted: 69-93
Payroll: 95.3 mil
Offense: C+
Pitching: D
Defense: C-
Overall: C-
Line-up boasts fairly good splits, but lacks punch.
Forecast: 70-92
Montreal Maroons(21mira21: 10 seasons, .570)
Last season: 83-79/ predicted: 84-78
Payroll: 20.7 mil
Offense: B
Pitching: C+
Defense: B
Overall: B-
Power packed line-up with very good up the middle D. Pitching is solid, though will finish higher in the world in walks.
Forecast: 90-72
Milwaukee Ueckers(foolsgold79: 10 seasons, .565)
Last season: 73-89/ predicted: 65-97
Payroll: 63 mil
Offense: B
Pitching: B
Defense: B-
Overall: B
Huge top end batting talent and pop through the line-up, but not necessarily deep. Solid pitching and D up the middle. Excellent reclamation project by foolsgold.
Forecast: 92-70
Detroit Drive(MB Bengals: 9 seasons, .416)
last season: 58-104/ predicted 76-86
Payroll: 92.6 mil
Offense: C+
Pitching: C-
Defense: B
Overall: C
Improved batting should pull Detroit back under the 100 loss mark, but I've overestimated this team twice before.
Forecast: 66-96
AL East
Chicago Black Holes(alogman1: 59 seasons, .466)
last season: 77-85/ predicted: 76-86
Payroll: 49.5 mil
Offense: C
Pitching: C
Defense: C
Overall: C
Middle of the pack team right through the roster. Might take a step back from the growth of the past couple seasons.
Forecast: 70-92
New York Yankees(devonjain: 46 seasons, .511, 2 WS)
DEFENDING CHAMPS
last season: 89-73/ predicted: 100-62
Payroll: 102.6 mil
Offense: B+
Pitching: A-
Defense: C+
Overall: B+
Not quite the offensive force as seasons past but still more than capable of scoring. Defense is solid but lacking at SS and in glove depth. But none of that matters.
Forecast: 96-66
Trenton Enforcers(HAWKEYEONE, 28 seasons, .471)
Last Season: 76-86/ predicted: 92-70
Payroll: 98.7
Offense: C
Pitching: C
Defense: B
Overall: C
Hard team to figure, but I think it might be a step back from the last couple seasons. Offense lacks depth, as does the pitching, but many capable fielders.
Forecast: 73-89
Syracuse Spedie Sandwiches(domiisgod: 74 seasons, .539, 1 WS)
Last season: 81-81/ predicted: 92-70
Payroll: 79.4
Offense: B+
Pitching: B
Defense: C+
Overall: B
Looks to be a fairly dangerous team that should give the dreaded Yankees a good scare for the division title.
Forecast: 94-68
AL South
Austin Argonauts(kemosabe11: 28 seasons, .526, 1 WS)
Last season: 91-71/ predicted: 95-67
Payroll; 68.1
Offense: C+
Pitching: C
Defense: B+
Overall: C+
A misleading C+, it might be a bit of a struggle deep in the heart of Texas. .500 might be the city limits for Austin.
Forecast: 81-81
Memphis MAD DOGS(sved: 75 seasons, .542, 3 WS)
last season: 90-72/ predicted: 98-64
Payroll: 102
Offense: B+
Pitching: C+
Defense: B
Overall: B
Pitching appears to have fallen off from the heady WS days. Still a threat, but more in the wild card mix.
Forecast: 91-71
Richmond Informers(jcarver67: 18 seasons, .448)
Last season: 66-96/ predicted: 78-84
Payroll: 61.6
Offense: C
Pitching: C
Defense: B+
Overall: C+
Great range to get to the balls that the pitchers are going to give up. Not much offenseive help. Keep building jcarver.
Forecast: 68-94
Kansas City Faggots(sergei91: 43 seasons, .508, 2 WS)
Last season: 95-67/ predicted: 96-56
Payroll: 111
Offense: B+
Pitching: B
Defense: B-
Overall: B
This team won't just bend over and take it. Not the most power packed line-up but very capable of putting up runs.
Fielding depth but no GG types.
Forecast: 94-68
AL West
(warning: you're not going to like this...)
Vancouver Coastals(camden68: 25 seasons, .491)
last season: 110-52/ predicted: 101-61
Payroll: 60.5
Offense: A
Pitching: A+
Fielding: A
Overall: A
I don't want to brag, but find a weakness. OK could be stronger hitting against righties, but that'd just be greedy.
Forecast: 108-54
(...told you.)
Honolulu Harpoon(shiish: 19 seasons, .503, 1 WS)
Last season: 79-83/ predicted: 86-76
Payroll: 73.9
Offense: C-
Pitching: C+
Defense: B
Overall: C+
Runs will be hard to come by, but the pitching and fieldwork will keep the Harpoon in the game.
Forecast: 73-89
San Francisco Summer Of Love(themehl: 39 seasons, .532, 3 WS)
last season: 86-76/ predicted: 97-65
Payroll: 67.6
Offense: A
Pitching: B+
Fielding: B+
Overall: B++
An elite team, that will score, and defend. Not quite the depth of Vancouver, but some exceptional top end talent.
Forecast: 103-59
Scottsdale Swarm(10 seasons, .419)
last season: 67-95/ predicted: 83-79
Payroll: 62.7
Offense: C+
Pitching: C-
Defense: B+
The fielders will be busy, but the line-up will give the team a chance.
Forecast: 71-91
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