Season 33 NL South Preview

NL South

Season 32 Standings
Texas Galveston Wave 98-64
Houston Roghnecks 95-67(Wild Card)
Louisville ARF ARF ARF ARF's 79-83
Jackson Juggernauts 76-86

For the second season in a row, Texas took this division title. It was the 8th division title in franchise history. They've also now made the playoffs in 4 of the past 6 seasons. Last seasons run ended in the NLCS against San Juan. Houston finished in second and took the first Wild Card spot. It was their first trip to the post season since season 25, which was also the last time they won the division title. Louisville finished third and missed the playoffs in back to back seasons. That was the first time they've missed consecutive playoff appearances since the drought they had from seasons 9 through 18. It was their first losing record since season 27. Jackson finished in last place for the third straight season. They've missed the playoffs for the past 9 seasons now. That matches the worst streak in franchise history that was last done between seasons 6 and 14.



Texas Galveston Wave
owner-erichanville(14th season)
Last 5 seasons- 461-349

Goals
Making it back to the playoffs.

My take
Texas has the look of a playoff team. They have good power on offense, some solid hitting and even some speed. The defense is really good and have a couple of shortstop options. The starting rotation is suspect, but they have a really good bullpen. I think they should at least make a run at the post season.


What to look for
The issue with the team is starting pitching.

My take
This is a big issue for them. The rotation looks really weak and they don't even have a pitcher I'd consider a 1 or 2 starter.

Differences from last season
Lost some good players in the bullpen but added some good talent.

My take
Nash Casanova is a really nice addition. He's underperformed the past couple seasons, but he should bounce back. Jed Carter has been a really good setup man the past couple of seasons and should also be a really good reliever for Texas this season.

OFFENSE- B
DEFENSE- A-
PITCHING- B-


Houston Roughnecks
owner-bagwellbuff(12th season)
Last 5 seasons- 395-415

Goals
To win 90-plus games and push farther in the playoffs.

My take
This team has a solid offense a really good defense and some great pitching. If they don't win 90+ games this season then I don't know what a good team is. I think they have a real shot at 100 wins. They also should make a post season push. The top of the rotation is looking really good this season and everyone knows that you only need 3 great starters to advance in the playoffs.

What to look for
The addition of Samuel Johnston should strengthen the defense.

My take
Their plan is to put Johnston in centerfield and move Mark Millwood to second base. The only thing I don't like about this is that I like more range out of second base. Realistically though, both players have good gloves for the positions and the team will get good defense from this move.

Differences from last season




OFFENSE- B-
DEFENSE- A-
PITCHING- A



Louisville ARF ARF ARF ARF's
owner-Arfy(18th season)
Last 5 seasons- 415-395

Goals
Rebuilding, but still putting a competitive team on the field. A successful season would be the .500 mark.

My take
The team is looking solid. Nothing great, but reaching the .500 mark should be doable. They have some real good young players already in the majors. Brooks Larish(24) is a pretty good shortstop, Louie Sanez(23) is going to kill the ball and he's a solid catcher,  and Domingo Aguilar(23) is a pretty good starter with some room to get better. The rebuild is already showing some signs of success with those guys.

What to look for
Will the starting pitching be able to go deep enough in games to keep from overusing a bullpen that isn't very durable.

My take
An often overlooked asset for a pitcher to get deep into games in control. A lot of people look at stamina only and pay little attention to the fact that high control keeps pitch counts low. I like Aguilar for this reason. He's a guy that can pitch 7 to 8 innings with good control and stamina. He's good enough that he should throw some complete games as well. I feel the same about Ralph Young. I think the other starters might tire out the pen but at least when those two pitch the pen will get some rest.

Differences from last season
Lost backup catcher Bartolo Duran, 1B Russell Powell and a couple pitchers who had poor seasons. Added 1B Hipolito Arrendondo from Salem, 2B Rafael Avila from Seattle, RP Ringo Thomas from San Juan, SP Dany's Talemaco from Omaha, and SP Ralph Young from Jackson.

My take
Russell Powell is a huge loss. Offense like that is rare. Arredondo is good offensively and will help fill the void, but he's no comparison to Powell. Thomas is a solid reliever and Young and Telemaco are solid starters. The team is rebuilding so not much is expected. I still think they will be an average team though.

OFFENSE- C+
DEFENSE- A
PITCHING- C+



Jackson Juggernauts
owner-bobbyj7(21st season)
Last 5 seasons- 358-452

Goals
Better pitching from the starters and better power in the middle of the order.

My take
I'll start with the offense. Joe Montgomery should put up better numbers this season. He has 40+ homer potential even with his low stamina. Vic Romero should hit plenty of homers again. That's about all of the power this team has. I'm not sure that equates to better power in the middle of the order for them though. As for the rotation. It isn't a particularly strong rotation. They lack a true ace. Truly, all of the starters appear to be just average and fit better as mid rotation guys.


What to look for


My take


Differences from last season
Not much is changed.

My take
They really didn't change much. I do see the addition of Stretch Rivera through the Rule V draft. That could end up being a nice addition as a long reliever. His control and splits are a little below average, but his velocity and pitches are pretty good.

OFFENSE- B-
DEFENSE- C-
PITCHING- C


Predictions

This division is a two team race. Houston and Texas will battle it out for the top spot. It's possible that one of them could end up in the World Series. I'm going with pitching and defense in this decision and taking Houston. With that said, Texas should easily take a Wild Card spot. Louisville should be at least competitive this season while they rebuild. I can't see them winning less that 75 games unless they start to unload players. Jackson still has a ways to go to return to the top of the division, but they aren't a bad team. 70 wins is realistic for them.

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