Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Season 21 NL South Preview

Jackson Juggernauts
Offense 1 Defense 1 Pitching
Category Stat Rank Category Stat Rank Category Stat Rank
Average .277 1 Fielding % .983 10 ERA 3.15 2
Home Runs 235 2 Double Plays 439 1 Opp. Avg. .237 3
Ops. .778 1 + Plays 72 4 Strike Outs 1228 1
Runs 901 1 - Plays 16 2 Saves 45 6
Steals 213 2 1 1 1 1 1 1
Slugging .444 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Season 20 record- 104-58(AL South Champs; NLCS runner up)
Last 5 seasons- 501-309

Jackson put up another impressive regular season wrapping up the #1 overall seed in season 20. Unfortunately for them, a three peat wasn't meant to happen as they lost in the NLCS. They stayed fairly quiet in the off season and chose to stick with what they have to try to make another deep run this season. That's not a bad idea since they had the best offense in the NL last season. This lineup features, Alex Velez,
season 20 MVP Scott Harvey, 6 time all star Jeff Moore, 4 time all star Jared Glynn, and Max Morales. It's a well blended lineup of speed, hitting and power. This offense will likely lead the NL again this season. The defense had a down year, but they are still pretty good. Rule V draftee, Adam McCorley has the tools to be a great shortstop. Not only is Scott Harvey a great hitter, but he's a phenomenal centerfielder as well. The even have good depth on the bench with gloves. Even though the fielding percentage didn't show it last season, this team has one of the best defenses in the league. It just keeps getting better for this team. The pitching staff is pretty well stocked as well. Raymond DeWitt, was signed to a contract extension and for good reason, he's a great starter. The rotation is rounded out by Rube Clark, Dusty Lindsey, and Bobby Ray Ingram who are all top of the line starters. The bullpen also has some pretty solid arms to add to the depth of this staff. The pitching should rank up near the top of the league again. This team is set to make a World Series run again this season. They are the favorite to take this division again and will be tough to knock off.


Texas Outlaws
Offense 1 Defense 1 Pitching
Category Stat Rank Category Stat Rank Category Stat Rank
Average .270 6 Fielding % .983 10 ERA 4.46 11
Home Runs 183 12 Double Plays 384 11 Opp. Avg. .266 10
Ops. .751 8 + Plays 130 1 Strike Outs 1058 12
Runs 794 5 - Plays 7 1 Saves 56 3
Steals 91 8 1 1 1 1 1 1
Slugging .413 8 1 1 1 1 1 1

Season 20 record- 91-71(Wild Card)
Last 5 seasons- 430-380

Texas was a huge surprise to me last season. I didn't see them coming. They improved by 21 games from the previous season and took a wild card spot. They made a few nice off season signings to bolster the team even more. The additions of Cam Stubbs, Carlos Nieto and Aramis Aybar will be good for them. The offense was above average last season, but they didn't hit for much power. 4 time all star and a HR Derby Champ Carl Esposito should be expected to provide more power than he did last season. Hipolito Matos hit a career high 38 homers last season and should hit close to that again. Rex Billingsly doesn't hit for a high average, but he regularly hits 30+ homers a season. Vic Diaz is a great hitter that will get on base for those guys to knock home. Jimmy Booker hit a career high .304 last season, but I doubt he can repeat that. The offense is pretty solid and the addition of Stubbs adds to that. I put them in the above average crowd. The defense was pretty strong when it came to range last season, but the fielding percentage was down. Aybar is the best glove on the team and he won't play much due to his bat. They do have some range, but this team is below average defensively when Aybar is not in the lineup. The pitching was below average last season. The addition of Nieto gives them a real good ace. The depth of the rotation isn't very good though. The bullpen is about the same. Jimmy Griffiths became a top closer in his rookie season and won fireman of the year. He had an amazing season, and should continue to do the same. Besides him the depth just isn't there for them. I really like this teams offense, but the defense and pitching still need some help. They made the post season last season with less though and I obviously am not qualified to predict this teams abilities. I just don't think they can make the post season again.


Louisville ARF ARF ARF ARF's
Offense 1 Defense 1 Pitching
Category Stat Rank Category Stat Rank Category Stat Rank
Average .262 8 Fielding % .987 4 ERA 3.65 5
Home Runs 178 13 Double Plays 418 3 Opp. Avg. .241 4
Ops. .718 12 + Plays 77 2 Strike Outs 1163 3
Runs 718 12 - Plays 19 3 Saves 51 4
Steals 112 6 1 1 1 1 1 1
Slugging .399 13 1 1 1 1 1 1

Season 20- 89-73
Last 5 seasons- 376-434

This team just missed out on making it back to back post season appearances last season. They made a strong push, but fell just short. Over the past couple seasons, this franchise has made steps forward like they never have before. Always a mediocre team for 18 seasons the franchise is coming off the best back to back seasons in their history. They stayed clear of any big free agent signings this season, but did lose a big reliever in Benji Contreras. Resigning Yorvit Diaz was a pretty good move though. They also made a trade to bring in a very good centerfield glove in Horacio Blanco. The offense last season was below average and that's surprising for playing in Louisville. The top hitter Zeke Decker(.306 average) had a solid season. Al Gomez had a good season hitting .295, but even more for his stealing 75 bases and only being caught 3 times. Charley Roosevelt led the team in RBI with 90 and hit a .284. I feel like Andres Andujar didn't perform up to his potential and should have a better season. I like the pop of Ernest Miller, but his durability doesn't allow him to play enough to take full advantage of his bat. The offense is not as bad as they looked last season. At worst they look average to me, but that's only because they lack power. The average should rise this season. They finished near the top of the league defensively last season. I think the best option at shortstop is Victor Ramsay, but he won't start much due to his bat. I'm not a big fan of Polanco at short, but he has a great arm. Blanco is a really good centerfielder and Daryl Bonham can play a great third. With Ramsay in this defense is among the best in the league, but without him I only think they are above average. The pitching was also among the best in the league last season. The addition of youngster Clay Vernon for a full season should add to the rotation. Ariel Mateo is a true ace of this staff. Bret O'Leary is a pretty good starter as well. Al Manto is another really good starter on this staff that could be an ace on other staffs. Roland Sweeney is the highest paid starter on this team and he is the fifth best they have. None of the five starters may be the best in the league, but all five rank among the best in the league. The bullpen is pretty solid as well. This could be the best staff top to bottom in the NL. This team has everything needed to be a top team. This pitching staff is great and the lineup isn't great, but good enough to make them a legitimate threat in the division. If they miss the playoffs this season I'll be shocked.


Charlotte Bad News
Offense 1 Defense 1 Pitching
Category Stat Rank Category Stat Rank Category Stat Rank
Average .263 7 Fielding % .985 5 ERA 3.90 6
Home Runs 221 4 Double Plays 406 4 Opp. Avg. .250 6
Ops. .758 6 + Plays 67 6 Strike Outs 1112 7
Runs 809 3 - Plays 31 9 Saves 40 12
Steals 187 3 1 1 1 1 1 1
Slugging .439 4 1 1 1 1 1 1

Season 20 record- 86-76
Last 5 seasons- 450-360

In a very tough division Charlotte ended up in last place in season 20. 86 wins rarely will get a team last place in the division, but it happened. To make matters worse, they lost a couple key players this off season in Valerio Duran, and Storm Mahoney. The signing of Henry Siddall will help the offense, and Lonny Sojo is still a quality bullpen arm. Max Mateo will help ease the loss of Duran, but won't quite make up for it. Last season this team put up some good offensive numbers. The lineup is pretty stacked with season 20 rookie of the year Elijah Martin as the biggest overall threat. Omar Cornejo puts up power numbers, on base skills and will steal some bases. Yovani Guerrero is a good hitting catcher. Alan Wilson can smash the ball. When you add Siddall to this group then you have a pretty good lineup that ranks up there with the best in the league. The defense was also among the best in the NL. The shortstop situation is very good, but PT Rosa is a very good thirdbaseman. The centerfield position is also a bit of a weakness. This team put up good defensive numbers last season, but I think they rank below average. The pitching staff was above average last season. Oscar Osterbrock is a real good starter and Lee Coveleski give them a nice top 2. Orber Torres is a very good middle of the rotation pitcher. The bullpen is pretty good and the addition of Sojo should give them the ability to lock down close games. This team overall is pretty good and the record last season wasn't bad. They are just in a real tough division. Regardless of that though, I could see them ending up in the post season and even challenging for the division title.


Predictions
This is a real tough division. Really, the NL is really tough. Jackson is that good though that they should win the division and possibly take the #1 seed again as they challenge for another shot at the World Series. Texas over achieved last season in a really tough division, which tells me that I'm missing something. This team is better than I realize. Louisville looks really tough this season and if they had a better offense then I would say they would be challenging for a World Series shot along with Jackson. Right now though, I think they end up just short of the division title, but take a wild card spot. Charlotte is a really good team and possibly as well rounded as Jackson. They should challenge all season long, but I think they end up challenging and possibly taking another wild card spot.

1. Jackson
2. Louisville
3. Charlotte
4. Texas

Monday, October 8, 2012

Season 21 AL West Preview

Anaheim Annihilation
Offense 1 Defense 1 Pitching
Category Stat Rank Category Stat Rank Category Stat Rank
Average .259 14 Fielding % .981 14 ERA 14.62 7
Home Runs 190 12 Double Plays 393 11 Opp. Avg. .258 3
Ops. .724 14 + Plays 65 4 Strike Outs 1018 11
Runs 720 15 - Plays 53 13 Saves 45 7
Steals 120 10 1 1 1 1 1 1
Slugging .401 13 1 1 1 1 1 1

Season 20 record- 80-82(AL West Champ)
Last 5 seasons- 401-409

Anaheim may have won the division last season, but it was no season to be proud of. The franchise has been hovering around the .500 mark for the past 7 seasons. Last season looked like the season they would win 90 games, but the team shockingly started trading away players that helped them get a big division lead. By the end of the season that division lead was shrunk to only 3 games and they barely made the playoffs. I can understand rebuilding, but not in the middle of a pennant run. Offensively this team wasn't very good last season. Jim Christman, rule v pick Andrew Adams, and Stretch Wilkinson are solid hitters, but the team doesn't have any real threats in the lineup. They do have some speed if those players can get on base enough to use it. The fielding wasn't very good last season either. Pedro Berroa is a good shortstop, but they lack a good centerfielder. They do have solid gloves at other positions though. The defense shouldn't be that bad and look closer to average than where they finished last season. The pitching was average last season. Diego Benitez could be a really good pitcher if he had better durability, but his 120 innings a season just don't cut it.
Lazy Sweeney has been a pretty good pitcher for this team. They could use some pitching help though. The pitching staff looks below average to me. This team is average at best and will struggle to make an impact in the AL this season. They could win the division again, but I don't think the record will improve by much, if at all.


St Louis Arch Angels
Offense 1 Defense 1 Pitching
Category Stat Rank Category Stat Rank Category Stat Rank
Average .246 16 Fielding % .987 1 ERA 4.01 2
Home Runs 209 10 Double Plays 373 14 Opp. Avg. .249 2
Ops. .728 12 + Plays 79 2 Strike Outs 1055 8
Runs 746 13 - Plays 13 1 Saves 45 6
Steals 178 3 1 1 1 1 1 1
Slugging .409 12 1 1 1 1 1 1

Season 20 record- 77-85
Last 5 seasons- 401-409

What a disappointing season it was for this franchise. After 3 straight division titles, they fell off to 77 wins and missed out on post season play. They made some good off season moves, but I really like the promotion of Miller Hunter to help out the offense. I still think they lost more than they gained though. Offensively this team struggled last season, and I don't see much hope of changing that. Lou Jefferies is the best hitter on this team and while he is good, he's not the guy most teams would like to count on to drive the offense. The rest of the lineup is average or below and that means it will be a tough season for this lineup. The defense was number 1 last season. They had range and gloves. Well, sort of. Most of the plus plays came from 1B Neil Roberts who would have been better served using his range at another position. Other than that they were average to below at the key positions. The gloves were still pretty good regadless though and they should be just fine this season. I just think that they are closer to average than they are as the top team. The pitching for this team is great though. The rotation is led by Rock Randall, Jim Kelly, and season 20 rookie of the year Sean Shipley. The bullpen is pretty solid too and the free agent signing of Chico Guerrero bolsters that. The rotation alone should make this team an above 80 win team, but that offense really needs some help. If they even had an above average offense this team would be challenging for the AL title each season.

Vancouver Canucks
Offense 1 Defense 1 Pitching
Category Stat Rank Category Stat Rank Category Stat Rank
Average .265 11 Fielding % .982 11 ERA 6.25 16
Home Runs 232 7 Double Plays 376 13 Opp. Avg. .290 16
Ops. .763 11 + Plays 18 16 Strike Outs 958 15
Runs 782 10 - Plays 76 15 Saves 31 15
Steals 112 11 1 1 1 1 1 1
Slugging .436 10 1 1 1 1 1 1

Season 20 record- 59-103
Last 5 seasons- 303-507

Now here's a team that has been in full rebuild mode for a while now. Last season was the franchise's fourth straight 100 loss season. They are now starting to get some of the good young players up to the majors and should start making some strides forward. Offensively this team was just below average last season. The promotion of Jo-jo Frandsen should help and he should make a rookie of the year push. Veteran Charles Torres adds good power to the lineup. The have a solid lineup throughout, but they aren't quite above average yet. Defensively the team was bad last season. The free agent addition of Oswaldo Estrada to play shortstop will help a lot. Daryl McEnerney won't cover a lot of ground, but he rarely makes errors in centerfield. The defense looks above average to me, but not great. The pitching for Vancouver was really bad last season. Edgar Santana is a step up for this team at the top of the rotation. Brad Porter is a solid mid rotation pitcher. Season 19, number 2 overall pick Phil Linton makes his major league debut this season and should be a solid reliever with room to grow. The pitching staff looks improved, but they are still a bit below average. The team is more well rounded than the previous 2 teams in this division preview, but they don't have an area of the team that is dominant. This team will likely improve to around 70 wins this season.

Los Angeles Regulators
Offense 1 Defense 1 Pitching
Category Stat Rank Category Stat Rank Category Stat Rank
Average .262 12 Fielding % .983 9 ERA 5.48 15
Home Runs 166 14 Double Plays 368 15 Opp. Avg. .278 12
Ops. .719 15 + Plays 50 9 Strike Outs 930 16
Runs 748 12 - Plays 50 11 Saves 24 16
Steals 221 2 1 1 1 1 1 1
Slugging .390 15 1 1 1 1 1 1

Season 20 record- 58-104
Last 5 seasons- 348-462

Here's a team that has been rebuilding for the past 4 seasons now. At least that's how many seasons in a row they've missed the post season. They have seen their record decline in all but one season in the past 5 seasons and that one season was an exact same record in seasons 18 and 19 of 65 wins. With the third pick in the draft this season they should be able to add another quality young piece for the future. They must be getting close to finishing though as they promoted some young players this season and have a fairly young team mixed with some low priced over the hill veterans. Offensively the team wasn't very good last season, ranking in the bottom of the league in all but steals. Andrew Overbay can still hit and should add a good average to this lineup. Youngster Edwin Reese has real good speed, but lacks the on base ability of a leadoff guy. Yusmeiro Veras, was acquired in a trade last season and should hit better than he has up to this point in his career. Bret Richardson should end up as the best overall hitter on this team. His .430 on base and .309 average last season were great for a rookie as he brought home the silver slugger award for catcher. Bip Rodgers is a rookie that should help the offense and he also has the most power on the team, which isn't saying much. Defensively this team was pretty average last season. They lack a real shortstop and centerfielder, but are solid at other positions. This team looks a bit below average on defense. The pitching was really bad last season. The rotation isn't very good at all. Steven Hernandez is solid, but they don't have much else. The bullpen is good though. Courtney Cashman, and Bernard Hoffman are pretty good. I don't think the bullpen is deep enough to bail out the starting pitching for a full season so this pitching staff is below average. It will likely be another long season for LA, but they aren't too far off from challenging in this division again.

Predictions
Anaheim is solid and they are the defending division champs. The division just isn't very good as a whole and Anaheim looks like the team that has the least amount of holes. I'm going to stick with them to take the division this season. St Louis has the pitching and defense, but that offense is just not good. They should challenge for the division title and could even pull it out. Right now I pick them number 2 though. Vancouver is making steps forward, but they just aren't there yet. This season should see an improvement for them, but not enough to win this division or get a wild card spot. LA is still rebuilding, but they aren't too far off as they've brought up some prospects and should soon start making a push in the division.

1. Anaheim
2. St Louis
3. Vancouver
4. Los Angeles

Friday, October 5, 2012

Season 21 NL West Preview

Seattle Strikers
Offense 1 Defense 1 Pitching
Category Stat Rank Category Stat Rank Category Stat Rank
Average .255 13 Fielding % .988 3 ERA 3.22 3
Home Runs 155 14 Double Plays 335 16 Opp. Avg. .288 1
Ops. .699 15 + Plays 60 8 Strike Outs 1139 5
Runs 706 10 - Plays 23 5 Saves 45 8
Steals 137 4 1 1 1 1 1 1
Slugging .376 15 1 1 1 1 1 1

Season 20 Record: 93-69
Last 5 Seasons: 435-375 (NL West Champs)

The Seattle Strikers continued there dominance of the NL West in season 20. Silver Slugger Winner, Benny Navarro continues to be a centerpiece of the offense and a great player with the glove.  Management made some big moves last year picking up Corky Whitehead and Henry Siddall. Siddall had a great season for the Strikers but left during free agency. Ghutton added Catcher Felipe Reynoso in the off season to help ease the lose of Siddall. One of the strengths of this team is their defense. Asdrubal Alcantara claimed his fifth Gold Glove at shortstop last season and continues to be a premier defensive player in the league. This team has an above average defense with little room for improvement. Seattle has excellent pitching. Ratings wise this is the best rotation in the NL and maybe all of Pine Tar. Management made a huge trade with San Juan to acquired SP Diego Valbuena and Darren Banks. These are two top of the rotation type of players who are likely Seattle's 3 and 4 starters. John Rucker had as close to a perfect year as I've ever seen. Rucker went 22-3, and had an ERA of 1.79. Not to mention he won his second Cy Young. Alex Guerrero had a solid season finishing 13-9. He is finally performing how he should be but has room for improvement. Rookie Willie Ciaro has been a nice surprise for the Strikers. Cairo is the 5 starter and tossed a no-hitter last year, yeah this rotation is that good. Ghutton is all in for season 21 and will win this division once again. I think anything under 100+ wins or a NL title is a disappointment for this team.


Colorado Springs Night Watchmen
Offense 1 Defense 1 Pitching
Category Stat Rank Category Stat Rank Category Stat Rank
Average .258 12 Fielding % .983 1 ERA 4.82 13
Home Runs 229 3 Double Plays 435 4 Opp. Avg. .280 13
Ops. .753 7 + Plays 32 15 Strike Outs 1029 15
Runs 812 2 - Plays 39 11 Saves 40 13
Steals 68 11 1 1 1 1 1 1
Slugging .427 5 1 1 1 1 1 1

Season 20 Record: 72-90
Last 5 Seasons: 352-458

Season 20 was a productive season for the Nights Watchmen. This team is in rebuild mode but managed to stay competitive winning 72 games. Offensively Colorado Springs was a good club. Rafael Chavez had a great season batting .281 with 21 homers and 86 RBIs. The loss of Juan Perez to injury was a big blow to the future of this club. It'll be interesting to see how he performs in season 21. Management added several good young players this off season. King Ashburn is a great player who should be a ROY contender. Arlie Leon is another solid player who will make an impact. The big weakness for this team last season was pitching. They ranked toward the bottom in every category. The addition of Patrick Wilson will be a big help but I don't think he's enough to push this club over the top. Other then Wilson this team doesn't have much in the rotation. The bullpen does have some good arms. Alberto Blasco and Willis Phillips are two young players who are nice pieces to build around in the future. The biggest bright spot for the Night Watchmen is their defense. This team was ranked first in fielding percentage last year and it looks like they might be in the top five again in season 21. Rafael Chavez has a great glove and will continue to be a key to this defense.
Colorado Springs will continue to rebuild this season but i wouldn't sleep on them. This team has a lot of young talent and might make some noise if they can pick up some pitching.


Oklahoma City Prairie Dogs
Offense 1 Defense 1 Pitching
Category Stat Rank Category Stat Rank Category Stat Rank
Average .253 14 Fielding % .979 15 ERA 4.15 8
Home Runs 128 16 Double Plays 403 5 Opp. Avg. .280 13
Ops. .677 16 + Plays 33 14 Strike Outs 1054 13
Runs 636 15 - Plays 52 13 Saves 44 10
Steals 73 10 1 1 1 1 1 1
Slugging .363 16 1 1 1 1 1 1

Season 20 Record: 69-93
Last 5 Seasons: 353-457

This team continued to struggle last year finishing with a 69-93 record. Three out of the last four have been under 70 wins for the Oklahoma City Prairie Dogs. The offense has been below average for OKC for the last few seasons but they might be finally rounding the corner. Third overall pick back in season 18, Carlos Zorrilla has been added the major league roster. Zorrilla is a good player with solid defense and a solid bat, plus he can steal some bags. I would expect him to hit around a .280 to .290. Vic Rijos continues to be a force in this line up by batting .297, 34 homers and 115 RBI's. The pitching for the Prairie Dogs was decent in season 20. Juan Ramirez had a solid rookie season. He tossed 93 innings and had a ERA of 4.15. Rick Owens continues to be a mystery to me and has been under achieving every season since joining the majors. Owens consistently posts good ERA's but doesn't win very many games. This team had a below average defense last season also. Cecil Pratt is a great middle infielder who can also swing the bat. He had an impressive rookie season. Billy Kashmir is a solid veteran who will continue to play good defense. Overall Oklahoma City is a average team but should improve this season. This team has added a few good players and I expect this team to win over 70 games.


Albuquerque Komodo Dragons
Offense 1 Defense 1 Pitching
Category Stat Rank Category Stat Rank Category Stat Rank
Average .260 10 Fielding % .981 10 ERA 5.05 14
Home Runs 185 10 Double Plays 389 13 Opp. Avg. .283 14
Ops. .733 11 + Plays 71 5 Strike Outs 1062 10
Runs 675 13 - Plays 54 14 Saves 35 14
Steals 63 13 1 1 1 1 1 1
Slugging .401 11 1 1 1 1 1 1

Season 20 Record: 
Last 5 Seasons:

Season 20 was a rough one for the Komodo Dragons. They finished last in the division with 67 wins. Its going to be hard to guess why they did so bad since overall they had solid pitching, offense and defense. Lets start with the offense.  This team didn't really have any one great offensive player but they made some good ones. Glen Fedroff had a good season batting .287. Jorge Renteria had a good year hitting .285 with 79 RBI's. Management didn't add much in the form of offense but they did improve the defense. Kennie McCraken is a former supplemental pick that has been brought to the Majors. McCraken is a great fielder who will be a nice addition. Ernie Borders and Daryl Robertson are both solid players with good gloves. This defense is improved but they still have some weakness to fix in the future. The off season wasn't good for the Komodo Dragons when it comes to pitching. They lost starter Patsy Ainsworth and Ace Raymond Simmons. The lose of Simmons is a significant blow to this clubs rotation that is going to be a lot to over come. Marvin Bere had a rough rookie season as the closer posting a 4.55 ERA. If Bere can perform close to his ratings he will be a good closer for this team. Overall the Albuquerque Komodo Dragons are in for a long season of rebuilding and don't look like there going to get out of the basement in this division.


Predictions
One of the more predictable divisions in Pine Tar. This looks like Seattle's division to lose. Seattle has won 9 of the last 12 division titles and it looks like that will continue this season. Anything under 100 wins or a NL title for the Strikers will be disappointing  Colorado Springs is an improved team but they will miss the playoffs once again unless they pick up some pitching. They have the offense and defense to be a contender but they need pitching to be a championship team. Oklahoma city and Albuquerque should continue the rebuilding process and i don't expect much out of either team in season 21.

1. Seattle Strikers
2. Colorado Springs Night Watchmen
3. Albuquerque Komodo Dragons
4. Oklahoma City Prairie Dogs