It's a new season and a new round of voting for this year's Owner Hall of Fame. All 32 owners in the league are eligible to vote, and as per last year's rules, the votes of current Hall members Starbuckdc and rxw1 will be used to break a tie (with the vote of rxw1, the most recent member, ultimately prevailing in the event that the decision is still deadlocked).
As per last year's post:
"...in order to qualify, an owner must have had his team for at least 5 years (unless no suitable candidates exist with 5 years' experience to round out the 5 nominees). Length of time with the league and amount of success are both factors for nomination-- owners who have taken their team to the playoffs many times, and those who have had success while in the playoffs, will be preferred, although exceptions may be made for owners who have only been to the playoffs a few times but have reached or won the World Series multiple times. Also, an owner must still be with his team at the time of the vote in order to qualify for nomination; bpdelia, for example, is not eligible for nomination even though he brought home 2 championships because he is no longer an active owner in the league."
One other minor change: I added an option for "blank ballot." If that option ends up winning, there will be no inductee into the Owner Hall of Fame that year (so as to not force owners to vote someone in if they feel no one is deserving).
Voting ends on Saturday, March 27 at 8:00 PM, so make sure you think long and hard about your decision and get your votes in by then!
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Season 11 outlook: NL West
San Francisco Giants
This is how you know a team is well-rounded: Bret O'Leary, one of the top young pitchers in the game, and Alex Alou, who was in the midst of a career year, went down with a shoulder aneurysm and elbow tendonitis, respectively, just weeks into the season last year, and the Giants still handily won a fairly challenging division. Alou is back now, but O'Leary will start the season on the DL; if the Giants want another shot at the playoffs this year, they had better find some more tricks up their sleeve. Fortunately, there seems to be no shortage of such tricks in San Francisco, as Brent Beam's callup at the end of last season signaled that the Giants were prepared to replace O'Leary with a young (and capable) arm. Dealing the overpaid Justin Johnson for Diego Rivera and prized prospects Billy Kashmir and Joey Kirk will also give the Giants some financial flexibility without hurting their win totals now or in the future, so I wouldn't be surprised to see San Fran make another move to improve themselves as well. The Giants don't look like a 93-win team on paper, but that's how many games they won last year even with devestating injuries, so it's hard to really fault them. Still, they were carried by Max Campos, a guy I do not see hitting .291/.350/.503 again this year, and Lonny Sojo, a guy whose 3.08 ERA last year was well below his career average of 4.45. They appear to have the heart to succeed, but as far as talent goes, I'd be a bit wary of the Giants' prospects to match their win total from last year, especially with O'Leary riding the pine for the first two months.
Colorado Springs Night Watchmen
The Watchmen didn't lose too many faces this year, but they lost easily their most important one: 29-year old Rob Lee, whose towering bat won back-to-back MVPs in his two seasons in Colorado Springs and garnered 6 All-Star appearances in his still-young career. Although the newspapers put Rob Lee in the headlines this winter, the Night Watchmen also had another, more under-the-radar loss with 3-time All-Star Donnie Wells, another very painful blow to the franchise. The only new face on the team this year is 38-year old Trent Sisler, once a Cy Young winner but now light years removed from his halcyon days. The one bright spot for Colorado Springs is the four first-round and two second-round picks they're left with; these picks should ensure a bright future for the club if used correctly. But with a lack of real pitching depth and a gutting of the lineup, the only thing that will put Colorado Springs into the playoffs is the relatively weak division they play in.
Seattle Strikers
After winning their first division title ever with a 98-64 performance in season 9, Seattle's encore was a 76-86 stinker in season 10 that left them in third place and struggling to pick up the pieces. The Strikers actually had a real strong spot, finishing 7th in the majors with a 4.02 team ERA. But they were third-to-last in the majors with a pathetic .709 team OPS, which surely did them in. For most teams, this would present an obvious solution: go out and get more hitting. So Seattle tried to do just that, offering a $110 million contract to Rob Lee... but when Lee spurned the Strikers to go play in Syracuse, Seattle knew they were done for if they didn't make some moves fast. Greg Tomlinson was a decent pickup for them and is a good batting average/speed guy that Seattle can stick at the top of the lineup. They also made a couple of deals, trading a package of Jimmie Washington and two minor leaguers to Cincinnati for Yuniesky Mercedes, and dealing a pitcher in Hootie Baker for a much-needed slugger in Bryce Hatcher. Lefty killer Jumbo Lugo could prove to be a steal of a waiver wire pickup in a platoon, and a late signing of Russ Barker gives them a nice upgrade defensively and offensively. The failure to nab Lee certainly meant the difference between being a power team this season and being on the cusp of a playoff appearance, but in a weakening division and with a few smart upgrades, Seattle is definitely in a stronger position to end up in the postseason than they were last year.
Scottsdale Scorpions
The Scorpions felt the sting of another 100-loss season last year (their fourth straight), and ownership was so outraged with the direction of the team that they replaced their GM midway through spring training. As such, the team's crippling failure to improve shouldn't be shouldered upon their new fearless leader, but it is impossible to deny that Scottsdale will be going nowhere this year. The Scorpions did manage to nab Toby Thompson, which serves to offset the losses of Joshua Park, Charles Chang, Humberto Azocar, and Albert O'Malley, but none of those players were much of a help anyway. I would be shocked if the Scorpions lose fewer than 95 games this year, and to be honest, it looks like another long year for this franchise as a fifth consecutive 100-loss season seems likely to be on the horizon.
PREDICTION
1. Seattle
2. San Francisco
3. Colorado Springs
4. Scottsdale
Hey, I couldn't go this whole offseason without making at least one bold prediction. I think Seattle has what it takes to compete this year-- they won 76 games last year with one of the worst offensive units in the majors, but they have improved enough to convince me that their team OPS will see a spark this year. And when you win that many games with an offense that bad, it means the winning potential of each additional OPS point is magnified tremendously. I don't know if they'll definitely win the division, but I do think it will at least be close. Meanwhile, San Francisco looks to regress while it deals with a key injury and players that probably won't repeat the successes of last year. Colorado Springs was gutted this offseason and will easily finish 3rd, though they'll still be miles ahead of the woeful Scorpions.
This is how you know a team is well-rounded: Bret O'Leary, one of the top young pitchers in the game, and Alex Alou, who was in the midst of a career year, went down with a shoulder aneurysm and elbow tendonitis, respectively, just weeks into the season last year, and the Giants still handily won a fairly challenging division. Alou is back now, but O'Leary will start the season on the DL; if the Giants want another shot at the playoffs this year, they had better find some more tricks up their sleeve. Fortunately, there seems to be no shortage of such tricks in San Francisco, as Brent Beam's callup at the end of last season signaled that the Giants were prepared to replace O'Leary with a young (and capable) arm. Dealing the overpaid Justin Johnson for Diego Rivera and prized prospects Billy Kashmir and Joey Kirk will also give the Giants some financial flexibility without hurting their win totals now or in the future, so I wouldn't be surprised to see San Fran make another move to improve themselves as well. The Giants don't look like a 93-win team on paper, but that's how many games they won last year even with devestating injuries, so it's hard to really fault them. Still, they were carried by Max Campos, a guy I do not see hitting .291/.350/.503 again this year, and Lonny Sojo, a guy whose 3.08 ERA last year was well below his career average of 4.45. They appear to have the heart to succeed, but as far as talent goes, I'd be a bit wary of the Giants' prospects to match their win total from last year, especially with O'Leary riding the pine for the first two months.
Colorado Springs Night Watchmen
The Watchmen didn't lose too many faces this year, but they lost easily their most important one: 29-year old Rob Lee, whose towering bat won back-to-back MVPs in his two seasons in Colorado Springs and garnered 6 All-Star appearances in his still-young career. Although the newspapers put Rob Lee in the headlines this winter, the Night Watchmen also had another, more under-the-radar loss with 3-time All-Star Donnie Wells, another very painful blow to the franchise. The only new face on the team this year is 38-year old Trent Sisler, once a Cy Young winner but now light years removed from his halcyon days. The one bright spot for Colorado Springs is the four first-round and two second-round picks they're left with; these picks should ensure a bright future for the club if used correctly. But with a lack of real pitching depth and a gutting of the lineup, the only thing that will put Colorado Springs into the playoffs is the relatively weak division they play in.
Seattle Strikers
After winning their first division title ever with a 98-64 performance in season 9, Seattle's encore was a 76-86 stinker in season 10 that left them in third place and struggling to pick up the pieces. The Strikers actually had a real strong spot, finishing 7th in the majors with a 4.02 team ERA. But they were third-to-last in the majors with a pathetic .709 team OPS, which surely did them in. For most teams, this would present an obvious solution: go out and get more hitting. So Seattle tried to do just that, offering a $110 million contract to Rob Lee... but when Lee spurned the Strikers to go play in Syracuse, Seattle knew they were done for if they didn't make some moves fast. Greg Tomlinson was a decent pickup for them and is a good batting average/speed guy that Seattle can stick at the top of the lineup. They also made a couple of deals, trading a package of Jimmie Washington and two minor leaguers to Cincinnati for Yuniesky Mercedes, and dealing a pitcher in Hootie Baker for a much-needed slugger in Bryce Hatcher. Lefty killer Jumbo Lugo could prove to be a steal of a waiver wire pickup in a platoon, and a late signing of Russ Barker gives them a nice upgrade defensively and offensively. The failure to nab Lee certainly meant the difference between being a power team this season and being on the cusp of a playoff appearance, but in a weakening division and with a few smart upgrades, Seattle is definitely in a stronger position to end up in the postseason than they were last year.
Scottsdale Scorpions
The Scorpions felt the sting of another 100-loss season last year (their fourth straight), and ownership was so outraged with the direction of the team that they replaced their GM midway through spring training. As such, the team's crippling failure to improve shouldn't be shouldered upon their new fearless leader, but it is impossible to deny that Scottsdale will be going nowhere this year. The Scorpions did manage to nab Toby Thompson, which serves to offset the losses of Joshua Park, Charles Chang, Humberto Azocar, and Albert O'Malley, but none of those players were much of a help anyway. I would be shocked if the Scorpions lose fewer than 95 games this year, and to be honest, it looks like another long year for this franchise as a fifth consecutive 100-loss season seems likely to be on the horizon.
PREDICTION
1. Seattle
2. San Francisco
3. Colorado Springs
4. Scottsdale
Hey, I couldn't go this whole offseason without making at least one bold prediction. I think Seattle has what it takes to compete this year-- they won 76 games last year with one of the worst offensive units in the majors, but they have improved enough to convince me that their team OPS will see a spark this year. And when you win that many games with an offense that bad, it means the winning potential of each additional OPS point is magnified tremendously. I don't know if they'll definitely win the division, but I do think it will at least be close. Meanwhile, San Francisco looks to regress while it deals with a key injury and players that probably won't repeat the successes of last year. Colorado Springs was gutted this offseason and will easily finish 3rd, though they'll still be miles ahead of the woeful Scorpions.
Season 11 outlook: NL South
Charleston Riverdogs
The Riverdogs have quietly been one of baseball's best teams over the past 5 years; they've only failed to win fewer than 90 games once, made the playoffs 5 years in a row, made the World Series back in season 8, and managed to make it to the NLCS 3 straight times coming into this year. Everyone has come to expect that Charleston will be a competitive team each year, but I believe few realize just how rock-solid the franchise is. Consider their savy offseason moves: they've had six departures this offseason (Kevin Xaio, Casey Nielsen, Walter Miceli, B.C. Nunez, Willie DeLeon, and Denny Wang) but only one of those players (Nunez) was any sort of an asset for them last season. That's efficiency. Now take a look at their only two major league acquisitions this year: Jonathan Grebeck (a pitcher still so freakishly good at age 36 that they're likely reserving his parking spot in Cooperstown as we speak) and Bobby Donahue (a reliever with a 3.32 ERA over the past 3 seasons). So this franchise, which has been built to win for the past 5 seasons and won 101 games last year complete with a trip to the NLCS, has shedded 5 useless players, replaced a decent reliever with an even better one, and added arguably the best pitcher on Earth this offseason. Is there any question whatsoever that this team is a favorite to at least reach their 4th consecutive league championship series? Not in my mind.
Monterrey Jacks
The good news last year was that Monterrey finished with their best record in seven seasons. The bad news was that that record was 78-84, good for a .481 winning percentage. Toss in the fact that they're unfortunate enough to share a division with Charleston and it's easy to see why this franchise's fans have some gloomy prospects for this season's playoff chances. But all hope is not lost for the Jacks this year; last season was a major improvement, and it's important to remember that this is a very young team with some very bright prospects in the pipeline. The departures of Bob Howard and Carmen Franco through free agency saw two positively mediocre pitchers walk away from Monterrey, but the Jacks weren't done. Billy Ray Diaz, Cristian Governale, Rich Sheets, and David Bako were among the mediocre players handed their outright release this winter by a franchise desperate to prove it's ready to take the next step in finally becoming a contender. The Jacks' free agent signings, Johan Martin and B.C. Nunez, are a sure step in the right direction, but Monterrey is clearly relying on its young talent to get the job done this year. Dock King, Oscar Osterbrock, Miguel Mesa, and Robert Tannehill are just a few of the players age 24 and under who Monterrey is expecting big things from this season. One wonders if the Jacks have prevented these players from truly reaching their full potential by throwing them to the wolves so quickly, but Monterrey should find out this season whether these young players are the answer or it's time to start the rebuilding process yet again.
Texas Beavers
We all knew the state of Texas was feeling the heat of the recession, but apparantly, the Beavers aren't immune to economic problems either, as they laid off a grand total of 31 players this offseason, young and old, some of whom were major leaguers. Max Padilla walked away on his own for free agency as well. To fill all those holes, the Beavers made a bottom-scraping free agent signing (Vicente Ayala) and then promoted 6 players to the majors, some of whom actually belong there. Alex Ordonez looks poised to be an outstanding 1-inning closer, even if he's had a rough go of it in the majors in previous tries. Matty Coco and Vic Diaz are both patient righty smashers who will give opposing pitchers absolute fits. And Don Li has a shot to be a good ML starter, even though his minor league handling never allowed him to reach his true potential. They also promoted Tomas Martinez (who has issued 100 or more walks 3 of his last 4 minor league seasons) and Pete Valentin (a below-average fielder who has, I admit, hit well in the minors), but I don't expect either of these players to be huge contributors. Still, no one they promoted is awful, and most of the players they released are, so it's hard for me to believe this team won't improve markedly from last year. Many of their best players (like Jorge Rincon, Peter Mullin, and Lorenzo Guerrero) are 27 or younger, and in fact their current ML roster contains only 3 players older than 28. Given the youth and continued development of this roster, while I don't think Texas quite yet has what it takes to be a playoff contender, I believe they may be the most improved team in the NL when all is said and done.
Iowa City Crystal Innseekers
In their one season in Mexico City during season 9, this franchise surprised most pundits when they finished 2nd in the division with a 73-89 record, improving upon their previous season by 16 wins. However, instead of continuing their upward trend, this team backslid horribly last season, decreasing their win total by 14 and finishing dead last in the NL South for the first time since season 4. Sadly, Iowa City doesn't look like they'll be much of a surprise team this season, though a few positive offseason moves could have given them hope to avoid another 100-loss season. The Innseekers lost Ron Forbes to free agency and will attempt to replace him with Trevor Hitchcock, whose 6-year minor league career has yielded a 5.31 ERA. They also signed Wilson Thornton, owner of a 9.15 career ERA, though his "stuff" shows he can bring that number way down with hard work. It seems Iowa City is biding their time while they wait for recent draftees like Jeff Moore and Bryant Clayton to develop, but until reinforcements arrive, this is still a bottom-dwelling franchise.
PREDICTION
1. Charleston
2. Monterrey
3. Texas
4. Iowa City
No surprises here; it looks like everything will be in its place from last season. Charleston comes back stonger than ever, while Monterrey and Texas have made moves designed to improve themselves but not become dominant just yet. Monterrey has an outside shot at a wild card slot, but more likely the only team going to the playoffs from this division (and the only truly playoff-caliber team of the bunch) is Charleston.
The Riverdogs have quietly been one of baseball's best teams over the past 5 years; they've only failed to win fewer than 90 games once, made the playoffs 5 years in a row, made the World Series back in season 8, and managed to make it to the NLCS 3 straight times coming into this year. Everyone has come to expect that Charleston will be a competitive team each year, but I believe few realize just how rock-solid the franchise is. Consider their savy offseason moves: they've had six departures this offseason (Kevin Xaio, Casey Nielsen, Walter Miceli, B.C. Nunez, Willie DeLeon, and Denny Wang) but only one of those players (Nunez) was any sort of an asset for them last season. That's efficiency. Now take a look at their only two major league acquisitions this year: Jonathan Grebeck (a pitcher still so freakishly good at age 36 that they're likely reserving his parking spot in Cooperstown as we speak) and Bobby Donahue (a reliever with a 3.32 ERA over the past 3 seasons). So this franchise, which has been built to win for the past 5 seasons and won 101 games last year complete with a trip to the NLCS, has shedded 5 useless players, replaced a decent reliever with an even better one, and added arguably the best pitcher on Earth this offseason. Is there any question whatsoever that this team is a favorite to at least reach their 4th consecutive league championship series? Not in my mind.
Monterrey Jacks
The good news last year was that Monterrey finished with their best record in seven seasons. The bad news was that that record was 78-84, good for a .481 winning percentage. Toss in the fact that they're unfortunate enough to share a division with Charleston and it's easy to see why this franchise's fans have some gloomy prospects for this season's playoff chances. But all hope is not lost for the Jacks this year; last season was a major improvement, and it's important to remember that this is a very young team with some very bright prospects in the pipeline. The departures of Bob Howard and Carmen Franco through free agency saw two positively mediocre pitchers walk away from Monterrey, but the Jacks weren't done. Billy Ray Diaz, Cristian Governale, Rich Sheets, and David Bako were among the mediocre players handed their outright release this winter by a franchise desperate to prove it's ready to take the next step in finally becoming a contender. The Jacks' free agent signings, Johan Martin and B.C. Nunez, are a sure step in the right direction, but Monterrey is clearly relying on its young talent to get the job done this year. Dock King, Oscar Osterbrock, Miguel Mesa, and Robert Tannehill are just a few of the players age 24 and under who Monterrey is expecting big things from this season. One wonders if the Jacks have prevented these players from truly reaching their full potential by throwing them to the wolves so quickly, but Monterrey should find out this season whether these young players are the answer or it's time to start the rebuilding process yet again.
Texas Beavers
We all knew the state of Texas was feeling the heat of the recession, but apparantly, the Beavers aren't immune to economic problems either, as they laid off a grand total of 31 players this offseason, young and old, some of whom were major leaguers. Max Padilla walked away on his own for free agency as well. To fill all those holes, the Beavers made a bottom-scraping free agent signing (Vicente Ayala) and then promoted 6 players to the majors, some of whom actually belong there. Alex Ordonez looks poised to be an outstanding 1-inning closer, even if he's had a rough go of it in the majors in previous tries. Matty Coco and Vic Diaz are both patient righty smashers who will give opposing pitchers absolute fits. And Don Li has a shot to be a good ML starter, even though his minor league handling never allowed him to reach his true potential. They also promoted Tomas Martinez (who has issued 100 or more walks 3 of his last 4 minor league seasons) and Pete Valentin (a below-average fielder who has, I admit, hit well in the minors), but I don't expect either of these players to be huge contributors. Still, no one they promoted is awful, and most of the players they released are, so it's hard for me to believe this team won't improve markedly from last year. Many of their best players (like Jorge Rincon, Peter Mullin, and Lorenzo Guerrero) are 27 or younger, and in fact their current ML roster contains only 3 players older than 28. Given the youth and continued development of this roster, while I don't think Texas quite yet has what it takes to be a playoff contender, I believe they may be the most improved team in the NL when all is said and done.
Iowa City Crystal Innseekers
In their one season in Mexico City during season 9, this franchise surprised most pundits when they finished 2nd in the division with a 73-89 record, improving upon their previous season by 16 wins. However, instead of continuing their upward trend, this team backslid horribly last season, decreasing their win total by 14 and finishing dead last in the NL South for the first time since season 4. Sadly, Iowa City doesn't look like they'll be much of a surprise team this season, though a few positive offseason moves could have given them hope to avoid another 100-loss season. The Innseekers lost Ron Forbes to free agency and will attempt to replace him with Trevor Hitchcock, whose 6-year minor league career has yielded a 5.31 ERA. They also signed Wilson Thornton, owner of a 9.15 career ERA, though his "stuff" shows he can bring that number way down with hard work. It seems Iowa City is biding their time while they wait for recent draftees like Jeff Moore and Bryant Clayton to develop, but until reinforcements arrive, this is still a bottom-dwelling franchise.
PREDICTION
1. Charleston
2. Monterrey
3. Texas
4. Iowa City
No surprises here; it looks like everything will be in its place from last season. Charleston comes back stonger than ever, while Monterrey and Texas have made moves designed to improve themselves but not become dominant just yet. Monterrey has an outside shot at a wild card slot, but more likely the only team going to the playoffs from this division (and the only truly playoff-caliber team of the bunch) is Charleston.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Season 11 outlook: NL East
Jacksonville Juice
Jacksonville won the East in style last year, going 102-60 and nearly breaking the franchise's all-time wins mark of 104. After making it all the way to the World Series (only to lose to juggernaut and favorite Ottawa), the Juice GM said this offseason, "Because we came so close to the title last year, we felt like we would bring the same group back for another run at it. But we also felt the one glaring need we had was in our starting rotation. This was never more apparent then in the World Series, when our top starters were severely gassed." As such, Jacksonville went out and nabbed two excellent starting pitchers in Russell Wheeler and Carlos Soto out of free agency this winter, making the Juice even more dominant than before. Those pitchers replace the vastly inferior Wesley Quinn and Placido Fernandez, both of whom left for free agency this offseason. 1B T.J. Harding is also gone, but he constitutes a relatively minor loss. On the whole, this Jacksonville team has been fine-tuned and improved in all the right areas to be considered a serious contender for a World Series run this year and a formidable foil for all opponents in the NL.
Kansas City Kardinals
When Kansas City dumped pitcher Phil Shaw this offseason, they had some wondering whether the Kardinals now lacked the chops to get back into the playoffs after a big 91-71 season last year. Those fears were quickly put to rest when they gave a 5-year, $100 million contract to 26-year old Alex Guerrero this winter, a surefire Cy Young Candidate who brings 2 Gold Gloves to Kansas City as well. There are some concerns about his health (he tore his labrum twice in the minors), but as long as he doesn't get injured, Kansas City has quietly got one of the most well-put together teams in the league. They have a few nice standbys in the batting order (Ichiro Pong, Kirby Page, Rafael Encarnacion) along with some solid starting pitchers (Robinson Maddux, Darron Herndon, Gregg Thomas) that give them a chance to win every night. And with the most durable starting lineup in the majors, they'll get more starts out of their best players than any other team in the league. That will go far for them down the stretch and around playoff time, and the Kardinals could be a big surprise this year.
New York Moneymaker
After an 88-win Season 10, New York has been busy this offseason... but it's mostly with contract extensions and arbitration hearings. Veteran Trent Sisler was a key loss for them, but at age 38, he wouldn't have much to keep, either. They replaced him with 36-year old free agent John Becker, whose upside is similar to Sisler's this year. Bruce Jodie and Milt Matthews were both scrap heap pickups this year, but other than that, New York has been sitting pretty. And after 2 straight playoff appearances, it might not be such a bad plan. New York management feels the pieces are in place to make the playoffs yet again this year, and it's hard to disagree with them. Sluggers Jorge Johnson, Lonny Infante (who just got a brand new deal), and Vicente Gonzalez only look to improve this year, and the Moneymaker were already 2nd in the NL last year with a .791 OPS. Their 4.47 ERA should have prompted them to pick up some more pitching, but that will be the make-or-break aspect of their season this year; if starters like Rob Murray and Ronald Leon can deliver this year, New York might just find themselves in 100-win territory. But with opponents OPSing .746 against New York pitchers last season, one has to wonder whether their pitchers can even reproduce last year's mediocrity this season.
Cincinnati Firestorm
After having losing seasons 4 out of the last 5 years, Cincinnati has decided that it's time to rebuild. Their biggest moves were losing Harry Lofton, Doc Daniels, and Jo-jo Loiselle, and their only major league trade was dealing for defensive catcher Jimmie Washington (which cost them the offensively superior Yuniesky Mercedes). Cincinnati looks like they will decline a bit this season as they try to rebuild for the future, though good pitchers like Pedro Baez and Felipe Lira may keep them afloat this season. But the fact that their leading home run hitter last year had 16 should tell you that Cincinnati won't be a serious threat this year.
PREDICTION
1. Jacksonville
2. Kansas City
3. New York
4. Cincinnati
Jacksonville's offseason acquisitions are just too good to ignore, even in a fairly crowded division. They take the East again. Kansas City will finish second again this year but should easily take a wild card spot-- although they have some excellent team aspects that warrant great consideration, I just don't think they'll quite overtake Jacksonville this season. I wouldn't put a first-place finish past them, though; it's within reach. New York feels they have the pieces in place to make a real run this year, and while a wild card berth isn't out of the question, they haven't given me much reason to believe this team will be significantly improved from the Season 10 edition. Cincinnati is a non-factor as they haven't made any attempt to get immediately better this offseason.
Jacksonville won the East in style last year, going 102-60 and nearly breaking the franchise's all-time wins mark of 104. After making it all the way to the World Series (only to lose to juggernaut and favorite Ottawa), the Juice GM said this offseason, "Because we came so close to the title last year, we felt like we would bring the same group back for another run at it. But we also felt the one glaring need we had was in our starting rotation. This was never more apparent then in the World Series, when our top starters were severely gassed." As such, Jacksonville went out and nabbed two excellent starting pitchers in Russell Wheeler and Carlos Soto out of free agency this winter, making the Juice even more dominant than before. Those pitchers replace the vastly inferior Wesley Quinn and Placido Fernandez, both of whom left for free agency this offseason. 1B T.J. Harding is also gone, but he constitutes a relatively minor loss. On the whole, this Jacksonville team has been fine-tuned and improved in all the right areas to be considered a serious contender for a World Series run this year and a formidable foil for all opponents in the NL.
Kansas City Kardinals
When Kansas City dumped pitcher Phil Shaw this offseason, they had some wondering whether the Kardinals now lacked the chops to get back into the playoffs after a big 91-71 season last year. Those fears were quickly put to rest when they gave a 5-year, $100 million contract to 26-year old Alex Guerrero this winter, a surefire Cy Young Candidate who brings 2 Gold Gloves to Kansas City as well. There are some concerns about his health (he tore his labrum twice in the minors), but as long as he doesn't get injured, Kansas City has quietly got one of the most well-put together teams in the league. They have a few nice standbys in the batting order (Ichiro Pong, Kirby Page, Rafael Encarnacion) along with some solid starting pitchers (Robinson Maddux, Darron Herndon, Gregg Thomas) that give them a chance to win every night. And with the most durable starting lineup in the majors, they'll get more starts out of their best players than any other team in the league. That will go far for them down the stretch and around playoff time, and the Kardinals could be a big surprise this year.
New York Moneymaker
After an 88-win Season 10, New York has been busy this offseason... but it's mostly with contract extensions and arbitration hearings. Veteran Trent Sisler was a key loss for them, but at age 38, he wouldn't have much to keep, either. They replaced him with 36-year old free agent John Becker, whose upside is similar to Sisler's this year. Bruce Jodie and Milt Matthews were both scrap heap pickups this year, but other than that, New York has been sitting pretty. And after 2 straight playoff appearances, it might not be such a bad plan. New York management feels the pieces are in place to make the playoffs yet again this year, and it's hard to disagree with them. Sluggers Jorge Johnson, Lonny Infante (who just got a brand new deal), and Vicente Gonzalez only look to improve this year, and the Moneymaker were already 2nd in the NL last year with a .791 OPS. Their 4.47 ERA should have prompted them to pick up some more pitching, but that will be the make-or-break aspect of their season this year; if starters like Rob Murray and Ronald Leon can deliver this year, New York might just find themselves in 100-win territory. But with opponents OPSing .746 against New York pitchers last season, one has to wonder whether their pitchers can even reproduce last year's mediocrity this season.
Cincinnati Firestorm
After having losing seasons 4 out of the last 5 years, Cincinnati has decided that it's time to rebuild. Their biggest moves were losing Harry Lofton, Doc Daniels, and Jo-jo Loiselle, and their only major league trade was dealing for defensive catcher Jimmie Washington (which cost them the offensively superior Yuniesky Mercedes). Cincinnati looks like they will decline a bit this season as they try to rebuild for the future, though good pitchers like Pedro Baez and Felipe Lira may keep them afloat this season. But the fact that their leading home run hitter last year had 16 should tell you that Cincinnati won't be a serious threat this year.
PREDICTION
1. Jacksonville
2. Kansas City
3. New York
4. Cincinnati
Jacksonville's offseason acquisitions are just too good to ignore, even in a fairly crowded division. They take the East again. Kansas City will finish second again this year but should easily take a wild card spot-- although they have some excellent team aspects that warrant great consideration, I just don't think they'll quite overtake Jacksonville this season. I wouldn't put a first-place finish past them, though; it's within reach. New York feels they have the pieces in place to make a real run this year, and while a wild card berth isn't out of the question, they haven't given me much reason to believe this team will be significantly improved from the Season 10 edition. Cincinnati is a non-factor as they haven't made any attempt to get immediately better this offseason.
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