AL WEST
It was a really close race in the AL West last season. Actually, it was the closest in all of Pine Tar. 3 games separated the top 2 teams and the last place team was only 10 games out. Vancouver won the division for the second time in 3 seasons, but they won 6 less games than the previous season. Of the past 3 seasons they've won 83 games twice and won the division each time. The other season they won 89 games but missed the playoffs. It's been a pretty strange stretch for them. Los Angeles made huge strides last season and finished in second place. It was their highest finish since winning the division back in season 16. They improved by 8 games over season 23 and are on an upward trend. Salem finished in third and they improved by 14 games last season. With an improvement like that, the next step will be getting into the playoffs and ending their 4 season skid without a post season appearance. St Louis had quite possibly the most disappointing season in all of Pine Tar last season. They went from winning the World Series in season 23 to finishing with only 73 wins in season 24. They dropped 24 more games last season than the championship season and it was largely the same team.
Vancouver Canucks
Owner- skplayer07
Season 24 record- 83-79(AL West Champ)
Last 5 seasons- 389-421
In the off season, Vancouver was fairly active. Most of the moves involved re signing their own players though. I do think that the addition of Bryant Clayton through free agency is going to help the team this season. A late season promotion of Otis Evans in season 24 will also help this team out this season. This is a pretty young team and most of the talent is younger, but they do have some pretty good veterans as well. They still have a fairly low payroll and are budgeted so that they can sign a solid IFA if one comes along.
Offensively, Vancouver was above average last season. They hit .277 with a .343 obp, which were both slightly above average. They also hit 242 homers and scored 855 runs. This offense is built around young slugger Rickie Halama who hit 34 homers with 87 RBI while hitting at a .275 clip with a .336 obp. Nolan Bourn was called up after 46 minor league games last season and should have a pretty good season. He hit 32 homers with 86 RBI and .272 average with a .331 obp in just 116 games last season. Vicente Feliz is another young slugger that makes the middle of the lineup for the Canucks dangerous. He hit 30 homers with 95 RBI and .264 average with a .326 obp last season. This team has a lot of power and some good hitting. They may have one of the better offenses in the AL this season.
The defense was pretty good last season. They finished with a .985 fielding pct and 74 + plays and 31 - plays. At shortstop, Nolan Bourn has great range, a great arm and solid glove. Match that with his hitting and he's a great shortstop to have. In centerfield is Daryl McEnerney, who's coming off his worst season with 8 errors, but I'd expect him to turn that around because he has a great glove. This is a solid overall defense with some really good defenders at key positions. That puts them in the upper half of the league.
The pitching was above average last season, but not by much. They had a 4.53 ERA with a 1.43 WHIP. The rotation is led by John Rucker who went 14-6 with a 3.54 ERA last season. At 34 years old he's still a solid ace. Youngster Malik Sele is a pretty good #2. He went 12-10 with a 4.68 ERA last season, but I expect him to get that ERA down this season. Brad Porter is a solid middle rotation pitcher and he went 12-7 with a 4.18 ERA last season. The addition of Bryant Clayton is an upgrade to the middle of this rotation and the promotion of Torey Lira will add a back of the rotation starter that is solid. The bullpen is this teams strength though. A full season for Otis Evans should prove that he's a valuable middle reliever. Chico Guerrero is a reliable reliever that has become this teams closer. He saved 30 games in 39 tries last season with a 4.66 ERA and 1.30 WHIP. Phil Linton is the top reliever and he's a great setup man. He had a 3.59 ERA last season in 43 appearances, but he is better than that. I expect a much better season from him. Vancouver has a pretty good pitching staff this season.
Los Angeles Regulators
Owner- bobswagger91
Season 24 record- 80-82
Last 5 seasons- 344-466
Los Angeles is a young team on the rise. Most of the talent on this squad is 27 years old or younger. They have worked their budget to win now and the goal for them is to over take the division lead. The promotion of Wilt Sizemore is going to help the rotation. I also like the free agent signings of Wilkin Ontiveros and Geronimo Osuna. Both are good relievers that should add some good depth to the pitching staff.
Los Angeles had a slightly below average offense last season. They hit .270 with a .343 obp, .406 slugging, 167 homers, 796 runs while stealing a league high 231 bases. This a team built on contact and speed. The top hitter on this team is Bo Long who hit .316 with a .400 obp last season while hitting 29 homers and drove in 96 runs. Yusmeiro Veras provides a great mix of speed and power as he hit 25 homers and stole 51 bases. He also hit a .283 with a .338 obp and drove in 90 runs while scoring 113 of them. This team also has a great veteran hitter in Juan Latos who hit a .329 average with a .446 obp last season between Nashville and LA. He also hit 20 homers with 96 RBI and 96 runs. This is a pretty good offense that could use a real slugger in the middle of the order to get more runs home.
Defensively this team was pretty good last season. They had a .985 fielding pct and 72 + plays with 37 - plays. Most of the minus plays came from shortstop and second base though and that hurts. The shortstop is Ernest Bailey and he's below average at the postion. He lacks the range and his glove is only decent. At second base is Bip Rodgers and he's also below average. Del Broome is a really good centerfielder though. Actually, almost every position on the field is held by players that are above average for the position except 2 of the most important. If this team falters this season, then the blame could go to that. Otherwise this is a pretty solid defense.
This team finished season 24 among the better teams in the AL when it came to pitching. They are led by ace and rookie of the year Tim Daubach. He went 14-4 with a 2.56 ERA and 1.11 WHIP last season and should only improve. Last seasons top pitcher on this staff was Magglio Figureoa as he went 19-8 with a 3.89 ERA and 1.21 WHIP. He's another really good top of the rotation pitcher. Rookie Wilt Sizemore will fit in nicely in the middle of this rotation as well. In the bullpen Todd Washington is a really good setup man. He had a 3.83 ERA and 1.19 WHIP in 52 games last season. Nigel Parrish should rebound from last season when his ERA was 1.25 higher than his career 3.45. Apollo Fletcher was brought over mid season in season 24 from Nashville and he finished with a 3.64 ERA and 1.09 WHIP in 75 games between the 2 teams. He only allowed 8 of 34 inherited runners to score once he came over to LA. This is a pretty good pitching staff overall and should rank among the best in the AL again this season.
Salem Volcanoes
Owner- jkenned
Season 24 record- 77-85
Last 5 seasons- 369-441
This is a really young team here in Salem. They have just 3 players on the roster 30 or older. With a young team is going to come some inconsistency as the team figures out how the players fit. This should be an interesting season for this franchise. In the off season they added a nice hitting catcher in Aurelio Canseco. They also promoted a promising young starter F.P. Huff. In the rule V draft the Volcanoes grabbed Gerald Valentine and Jermaine Getz. Both can fit certain roles and were really nice pickups for this franchise. With a really low payroll and perfect budget for rebuilding, Salem should be able to add a big IFA this season and are positioned in the top half of the draft to get another nice prospect. This team should be able to add some pieces for the future.
Last season Salem ran out a below average offense. They batted a .267 with a .325 obp and .438 slugging. They also hit 226 homers and scored 778 runs. They have a few nice young stars in Rafael Vincente(.268 avg, .325 obp, 36 homers, 101 RBI), Pat Rocker(.264 avg, .331 obp, 29 homers, 85 RBI), and Ben Jacobsen(.273 avg, .327 obp, 31 homers, 81 RBI). They should have some decent power and averge hitting this season, but they are really only an average group.
The defense was pretty average last season. They had a .984 fielding pct with 48 + plays and 34 - plays. Jermaine Getz will add a great glove at shortstop if given the chance to start. Gio Valdez is a good third baseman. Ben Jacobsen is a pretty good secondbaseman. Russ Brown is the starting shortstop right now, but I think he's better suited for centerfield. His glove is just below average. All around though, this team has solid gloves. They should at least be average again this season.
The pitching in Salem was also average last season. They had a 4.71 ERA with a 1.43 WHIP. The rotation is led by second year man Jose Marquez, who went 11-10 with a 4.19 ERA and 1.30 WHIP last season. F.P. Huff should step right in to the #2 spot in the rotation. After those 2 the rotation just isn't very good. The bullpen looks better though. Bob Hill was a solid free agent adition and should help the bullpen out. Omar Colon is a good setup man. He had a 4.74 ERA and 1.42 WHIP in 31 games last season. Alfonso Diaz is the best reliever they have and he had a 3.81 ERA, 1.42 WHIP in 105 games last season. I really like Todd Blair also. He had a 5.02 ERA and 1.45 WHIP last season, but he excelled with runners in scoring position by only allowing 10 of 42 to score. I expect an improvement from him this season. This pitching staff as a whole is slightly below average, but they have potential to be above average due to the bullpen.
St Louis Arch Angels
Owner- Flucie
Season 24 record- 73-89
Last 5 seasons- 402-408
St Louis took a big step backward last season, but I expect them to rebound. They have some really good young talent on the team. In the off season they didn't make any big moves and did promote some players that should help out this season. Signing Rock Randall to an extension was the best move they could've made. Signing Sean Shipley long term as well made for a great off season. This team is budgeted to win now, so they really need to get things going in the right direction this season.
Offense was a real weakness for the Arch Angels last season. They finished near the bottom of the league with a .255 average, .322 obp and .403 slugging. They also hit 191 homers and scored 744 runs. They did steal 150 bases though, but were thrown out a league high 117 times. It's not like they don't have some players that can hit though. Calvin Pecina is a really good one and he hit .306 with a .356 obp while hitting 25 homers and driving in 93 runs. Lou Jefferies is a good hitter as well, but he had an off season hitting .259, with a .324 obp and hit 24 homers while driving 91 runs and scoring 95. He also had 33 steals. I expect Bryan Holmes to hit better than his .236 average and .331 obp. He did hit 26 homers though and drove in 76 runs. This team doesn't really have the best offense though and it's magnified by the park they play in. This is going to be a bottom of the league offense again.
They don't make up for the offense with defense either. This team was a below average defensive team. They had a .984 fielding pct with 41 + plays and 46 - plays. Stephen Salmon will be the shortstop and he should be able to handle it. He has less than ideal range, but a good glove and really good arm. In centerfield is rookie Samuel Johnston. He has good range and a solid glove. Lou Jefferies will play third and he's a pretty solid 3B. The rest of the field could use better gloves, but these guys should help this defense improve. They are at least close to being average now.
The pitching was above average last season. They had a 4.40 ERA and 1.42 WHIP. What this team does have is a great rotation. Led by Randall(9-14, 4.05 ERA and 1.33 WHIP), Sean Shipley(13-9, 3.27, 1.30), Jim Kelly(11-10, 3.42, 1.25), and Vinny Napoli(8-9, 3.61, 1.29). All of them pitched below what they are capable of last season and that could be attributed to the defense. I expect each to rebound this season and form what is one of the best rotations in the AL. Carlos Flores had a terrible season in season 24 with a 6.44 ERA and 1.75 WHIP while saving 36 games out of 45. He is able to do much better, as he has for most of his career. Phillip Crawford should rebound from his 4.58 ERA and 1.67 WHIP. The trend in St Louis last season was that all of their pitchers under performed. The only thing that stands out is the defense had to be the cause. This is a really good pitching staff, pitching in a park that helps them.
Predictions
This is a tough division to predict. I really believe that this is an up and coming division with some really good teams. Vancouver is the reigning champ and they've only improved. They have a well rounded team and should be tough to knock from the top of the division. At worst they should be a wild card team. Los Angeles is on the rise and should put together a pretty good season. They have a couple weaknesses on defense, but overall this is a good team. They should challenge for the division title and if not then they'll be in the wild card hunt. Salem is a tough team to predict. I don't think they have the talent to hang with these other teams, but they aren't a bad team. They have the ability to finish at or above .500. St Louis has more weaknesses than the other teams in this division, but they have the best pitching in the division. The have a championship rotation and good bullpen. You can never count out good pitching.
1. Vancouver
2. Los Angeles
3. St Louis
4. Salem
Monday, October 7, 2013
Friday, October 4, 2013
Season 25 Preview- NL West
NL WEST
Seattle regained control of the West last season after one season of not winning it. It was their 12th division title in the past 16 seasons and gives them 6 of the last 7. The 88 wins was a step back from the 96 from their wild card season in season 23 and it's the second straight season in decline. Colorado Springs ended a 2 season run of making the post season with a disappointing 81 victories. That's after winning 102 the season before and winning this division. Things definitely did not break the Night Watchmen's way last season. Oklahoma City seen their win total decline as well, but only by 2 games as they dropped to 79 victories. It's much better than they were a few seasons ago, but this team just hasn't seemed to get over the hump. It's been a long time since they last made the post season way back in season 10 and that has to be the goal in these next couple of seasons. The Komodo Dragons also had a decline in wins as they dropped back 1 game from the previous season. It's nothing to be alarmed about as this team is in a rebuild. They should be making their way up the division ladder soon enough.
Seattle Strikers
Owner- ghutton9
Season 24 Record- 88-74(NL West Champ)
Last 5 seasons- 477-333
Believe it or not, this team is about to be headed into a rebuild. It is an aging team, but they have the players they plan on building around locked up. Most of the older players are signed short term and will be gone soon and should allow Seattle to kick start the rebuilding process.
Offensively this team was solid last season. They hit .261 with a .333 obp which were both above average. They hit 154 homers and scored 702 runs which were both below average. This team did excel on the bases though and stole 194 of them to pace the NL. They are built around players like Jo-jo Frandsen who hit 29 homers and drove 105 runs while scoring 96 to go with 37 steals and a .301 average and .382 obp. Benny Navaro is a 6 time silver slugger second baseman and he hit .276 with a .363 obp with 41 steals, 43 homers and 96 RBIand 141 runs. Outside of those 2, most of the players are just role players in this offense. They have plenty of speed on the team and some good contact, but the team lacks power. This is an average offense if not slightly below average.
The defense was above average last season. They finished with a .986 fielding pct and 55 + plays to go with 29 - plays. Good numbers, but not great. At this point it looks like the teams best option at shortstop is Erubiel Baez, but he's not a very good option. Benny Navarro is a really good glove at second base, but he lacks good range. J.J. Decker has good range for centerfield and he has a solid glove. If this team can't find a better shortstop then they are not going to be a very good defense this season.
The pitching was pretty good for the Strikers last season, but that's come to be expected in Seattle. They finished with a 3.65 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and .380 opponent slugging. The rotation is led by the old veteran Cyrus Torres. He proved last season that he still has some left in the tank by going 19-7 with a 2.58 ERA and 1.02 WHIP. Darren Banks is a solid number 2 and he went 15-10 with a 3.50 ERA and 1.12 WHIP last season. Willie Cairo will be hard pressed to follow up last seasons 16-4 record and 2.46 ERA with his 1.11 WHIP, but he's a solid mid rotation starter.George Eaton is still one of the better closers in the league and he saved 46 of 49 games last season with a 1.90 ERA and 1.07 WHIP. This is a solid pitching staff and still the strength of this franchise. They should be among the better staffs in the NL.
Colorado Springs Night Watchmen
Owner- toe64
Season 24 Record- 81-81
Last 5 Seasons- 408-402
After taking a step back last season, this team can't be happy. They didn't make any big free agent signings though. I do like the addition of gold glove shortstop Victor Ramsay. They also promoted an offensive threat at catcher in Sean Spence who's got really good power and has actually hit 43 homers in the majors back in season 21 before losing favor with the club and spending the past 2 seasons in the minors.
Offensively this team was above average last season. They hit .260 with a .333 obp and .428 slugging. They also hit 218 homers and scored 729 runs. The offense is going to be centered around reigning rookie of the year Keith Williamson who hit .280 with a .328 obp and 42 homers with 110 RBI and 93 runs last season. Juan Perez is the best all around hitter on the team as he hit .318 last season with a .406 obp. Pedro Reyes is another big bat in the lineup as he hit .277 with a .358 obp and 33 homers with 114 RBI and 89 runs. They are an offense built on good hitting and power. Colorado Springs should have one of the better offenses in the NL this season.
With a .981 fielding pct and 24 + plays with 39 - plays, this team suffered defensively last season. That may have been what brought them down. The addition of Ramsay gives them much needed help at shortstop. They could still use help in centerfield and the lack of range on this team will hurt. This is a better defense this season, but they are still below average.
Even with the fielding woes, this pitching staff finished in the upper half of the league with a 3.82 ERA and 1.32 WHIP and .394 slugging. At the top of the rotation is Orlando Nieves who went 10-13 with a 3.43 ERA and 1.25 WHIP last season. He's a solid top of the rotation starter but he's not an ideal ace. Caleb Einertson is a solid mid rotation starter and he went 13-9 with a 4.03 ERA and 1.28 WHIP last season. Each starter in this rotation is solid, but none are spectacular. The bullpen is the strength of this team. Dock King is still a really good pitcher and fits in the bullpen nicely. He pitched 41 games after being traded last season and had a 2.18 ERA with a 1.12 WHIP. Alberto Blasco can pitch and he saved 25 games in 26 tries last season with a 4.24 ERA. He also only allowed 3 of 20 inherited runners to score. This team has a really good bullpen and average starting pitching. That makes them an above average pitching team.
Oklahoma City Prairie Dogs
Owner- brentcnb
Season 24 Record- 79-83
Last 5 Seasons- 354-456
I would not say that this team is in rebuild mode because they've made some strides the past couple of seasons, but they are still building the team up. Unfortunately for them, they've lost more talent the past couple of seasons than they've brought in. They still have a young team though and they do have talent. This team is in need of something to get them to that next level.
Offensively this team ranked near the bottom of the league last season. They hit a .245, with a .318 obp and .379 slugging. They also hit 157 homers and scored 652 runs. They were fast though as they stole 130 bases. Carlos Zorrilla is the star of the offense as he hit .289 with a .386 obp and 30 homers to go with 91 RBI and 86 runs. Phil Gonzales had a nice season with a .263 average and .337 obp with 25 homers and 77 RBI. John Saitou and Christian Lee are a couple of nice hitters that will help the offense, but the team doesn't have much else after them. This offense has a little power, a few good hitters and some speed, but they lack a real threat and depth. This offense will likely finish in the bottom half of the league again this season.
Defensively the Prairie Dogs were pretty average last season. With a .983 fielding pct, 63 + plays and 37 - plays, they showed range, but were below average with the gloves. Cecil Pratt is an average shortstop that can handle the bat and that makes him valuable. John Saitou is a solid thirdbaseman. Carlos Zorrilla won't make many errors in centerfield, but he lacks the range for the position. I don't think this is a bad defense and should improve over last seasons numbers. This is an above average group.
The pitching staff finished in the upper half of the league last season. They had a 3.88 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and opponent .391 slugging. They also had 65 saves, which ranked second in the league. Miguel Rivera led the rotation, but he only started 20 games out of 45 appearances with an 8-6 record and 2.64 ERA to go with an outstanding 1.04 WHIP. This team uses it's starters differently from most teams though as Yovani Costilla led the team in innings pitched with just 177.2. In the bullpen, Brent Beam was among the best closers in the league last season as he saved 45 games, but that was in 54 tries. Juan Ramirez was really good out of the pen with 66.2 innings pitched and a 2.84 ERA and 1.05 WHIP. This is a really average pitching staff, if not below average, but the way they use their pitchers is obviously beneficial to the team.
Albuquerque Komodo Dragons
Owner- csudak
Season 24 Record- 68-94
Last 5 Seasons- 335-475
The Komodo Dragons didn't really improve last season, but they are a team that appears to be getting better. It's been 8 seasons since they made the playoffs and with 4 of the past 5 seasons finishing last in the division it may be time for them to start moving up. They didn't add anything in free agency, but they did promote Vicente Palmeiro, who should be able to add some pop to the lineup. They may have found a nice rule V draftee in Fausto Galarraga, who isn't going to be a star, but he is a contact hitter with a good eye. They also locked up young slugger Bert Heiserman long term.
Offensively this was one of the best teams in the NL last season. They hit .264 with a .322 obp and .407 slugging while hitting 180 homers, scoring 773 runs and stealing 145 bases. This is a well balanced team that can put up some runs on opponents. Pacing the offense is Nick Cooper who hit .305 with a .354 obp while hitting 19 homers, scoring 98 runs and stealing 27 bases. Bert Heiserman provides the power with 38 homers and 104 RBI while hitting .265 with a .326 obp and .520 slugging. Sam Sanders also had a big season with a .273 average, .319 obp, 32 homers, 103 RBI, and 99 runs. This is a solid offense that when put in a hitters park becomes really good.
The fielding in Albuquerque last season was average to slightly above. They had a .984 fielding pct, but 74 + plays to go with 31 - plays were a good mix. With 17 of those + plays coming from first base it is a deceiving stat though. The team lacks a true shortstop, but gold glove rightfielder Kennie McCracken could play there if it wasn't for throwing accuracy issues. Nobody else has the range or glove that is ideal for the position though. Bronson Baptist played a lot in centerfield last season and he surely has the range for it, but his glove could be better. The depth and gloves at all other positions are really good and keep this from being a bad defensive team. With a true shortstop they could be among the leagues best, but for now they'll have to settle with being average.
Pitching was a weakness for this team. They finished at the bottom in ERA with a 4.94, and near the bottom in WHIP with a 1.47. Edgar Santana is a solid starter, but he's not an ace. He went 14-12 with a 4.27 ERA last season. Michael Quinones is a solid back of the rotation starter, but he'll be asked to be a front end guy. He went 10-16 with a 4.03 ERA last season. In the bullpen, Tommy Callaway got it done last season with 65 appearances and a 3.86 ERA. He only allowed 6 of 29 inherited runners to score as well. The pitching staff really isn't that good though. In this ballpark it's going to be tough to move up the ranks without a very good rotation and shutdown bullpen.
Predictions
Seattle has been the top team in this division for quite some time now. It's hard to pick against them for this reason alone. With an average offense and below average defense they could be in trouble though. The pitching staff is still really good though. While I can't see them challenging for the NL title, I could see them in the post season again. Colorado Springs had an off year last season. I can't see them finishing with that few wins again. They have a really good offense, and good overall pitching. The defense needs work, but they have enough strengths that they should finish in 90 win territory. They should be challenging for the division title and if not then at least a wild card. Oklahoma City still has some building to do. The offense needs help, the defense is good and the pitching isn't good. I think they are still close to an average team and will struggle to get into the post season. Albuquerque isn't quite there yet, but they have a good offense that fits the park well. They also have good defense, but the pitching staff is one of the worst in the league. When they get the pitching straightened out, then they'll be a tough team. Right now they aren't though.
1. Colorado Springs
2. Seattle
3. Albuquerque
4. Oklahoma City
Seattle regained control of the West last season after one season of not winning it. It was their 12th division title in the past 16 seasons and gives them 6 of the last 7. The 88 wins was a step back from the 96 from their wild card season in season 23 and it's the second straight season in decline. Colorado Springs ended a 2 season run of making the post season with a disappointing 81 victories. That's after winning 102 the season before and winning this division. Things definitely did not break the Night Watchmen's way last season. Oklahoma City seen their win total decline as well, but only by 2 games as they dropped to 79 victories. It's much better than they were a few seasons ago, but this team just hasn't seemed to get over the hump. It's been a long time since they last made the post season way back in season 10 and that has to be the goal in these next couple of seasons. The Komodo Dragons also had a decline in wins as they dropped back 1 game from the previous season. It's nothing to be alarmed about as this team is in a rebuild. They should be making their way up the division ladder soon enough.
Seattle Strikers
Owner- ghutton9
Season 24 Record- 88-74(NL West Champ)
Last 5 seasons- 477-333
Believe it or not, this team is about to be headed into a rebuild. It is an aging team, but they have the players they plan on building around locked up. Most of the older players are signed short term and will be gone soon and should allow Seattle to kick start the rebuilding process.
Offensively this team was solid last season. They hit .261 with a .333 obp which were both above average. They hit 154 homers and scored 702 runs which were both below average. This team did excel on the bases though and stole 194 of them to pace the NL. They are built around players like Jo-jo Frandsen who hit 29 homers and drove 105 runs while scoring 96 to go with 37 steals and a .301 average and .382 obp. Benny Navaro is a 6 time silver slugger second baseman and he hit .276 with a .363 obp with 41 steals, 43 homers and 96 RBIand 141 runs. Outside of those 2, most of the players are just role players in this offense. They have plenty of speed on the team and some good contact, but the team lacks power. This is an average offense if not slightly below average.
The defense was above average last season. They finished with a .986 fielding pct and 55 + plays to go with 29 - plays. Good numbers, but not great. At this point it looks like the teams best option at shortstop is Erubiel Baez, but he's not a very good option. Benny Navarro is a really good glove at second base, but he lacks good range. J.J. Decker has good range for centerfield and he has a solid glove. If this team can't find a better shortstop then they are not going to be a very good defense this season.
The pitching was pretty good for the Strikers last season, but that's come to be expected in Seattle. They finished with a 3.65 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and .380 opponent slugging. The rotation is led by the old veteran Cyrus Torres. He proved last season that he still has some left in the tank by going 19-7 with a 2.58 ERA and 1.02 WHIP. Darren Banks is a solid number 2 and he went 15-10 with a 3.50 ERA and 1.12 WHIP last season. Willie Cairo will be hard pressed to follow up last seasons 16-4 record and 2.46 ERA with his 1.11 WHIP, but he's a solid mid rotation starter.George Eaton is still one of the better closers in the league and he saved 46 of 49 games last season with a 1.90 ERA and 1.07 WHIP. This is a solid pitching staff and still the strength of this franchise. They should be among the better staffs in the NL.
Colorado Springs Night Watchmen
Owner- toe64
Season 24 Record- 81-81
Last 5 Seasons- 408-402
After taking a step back last season, this team can't be happy. They didn't make any big free agent signings though. I do like the addition of gold glove shortstop Victor Ramsay. They also promoted an offensive threat at catcher in Sean Spence who's got really good power and has actually hit 43 homers in the majors back in season 21 before losing favor with the club and spending the past 2 seasons in the minors.
Offensively this team was above average last season. They hit .260 with a .333 obp and .428 slugging. They also hit 218 homers and scored 729 runs. The offense is going to be centered around reigning rookie of the year Keith Williamson who hit .280 with a .328 obp and 42 homers with 110 RBI and 93 runs last season. Juan Perez is the best all around hitter on the team as he hit .318 last season with a .406 obp. Pedro Reyes is another big bat in the lineup as he hit .277 with a .358 obp and 33 homers with 114 RBI and 89 runs. They are an offense built on good hitting and power. Colorado Springs should have one of the better offenses in the NL this season.
With a .981 fielding pct and 24 + plays with 39 - plays, this team suffered defensively last season. That may have been what brought them down. The addition of Ramsay gives them much needed help at shortstop. They could still use help in centerfield and the lack of range on this team will hurt. This is a better defense this season, but they are still below average.
Even with the fielding woes, this pitching staff finished in the upper half of the league with a 3.82 ERA and 1.32 WHIP and .394 slugging. At the top of the rotation is Orlando Nieves who went 10-13 with a 3.43 ERA and 1.25 WHIP last season. He's a solid top of the rotation starter but he's not an ideal ace. Caleb Einertson is a solid mid rotation starter and he went 13-9 with a 4.03 ERA and 1.28 WHIP last season. Each starter in this rotation is solid, but none are spectacular. The bullpen is the strength of this team. Dock King is still a really good pitcher and fits in the bullpen nicely. He pitched 41 games after being traded last season and had a 2.18 ERA with a 1.12 WHIP. Alberto Blasco can pitch and he saved 25 games in 26 tries last season with a 4.24 ERA. He also only allowed 3 of 20 inherited runners to score. This team has a really good bullpen and average starting pitching. That makes them an above average pitching team.
Oklahoma City Prairie Dogs
Owner- brentcnb
Season 24 Record- 79-83
Last 5 Seasons- 354-456
I would not say that this team is in rebuild mode because they've made some strides the past couple of seasons, but they are still building the team up. Unfortunately for them, they've lost more talent the past couple of seasons than they've brought in. They still have a young team though and they do have talent. This team is in need of something to get them to that next level.
Offensively this team ranked near the bottom of the league last season. They hit a .245, with a .318 obp and .379 slugging. They also hit 157 homers and scored 652 runs. They were fast though as they stole 130 bases. Carlos Zorrilla is the star of the offense as he hit .289 with a .386 obp and 30 homers to go with 91 RBI and 86 runs. Phil Gonzales had a nice season with a .263 average and .337 obp with 25 homers and 77 RBI. John Saitou and Christian Lee are a couple of nice hitters that will help the offense, but the team doesn't have much else after them. This offense has a little power, a few good hitters and some speed, but they lack a real threat and depth. This offense will likely finish in the bottom half of the league again this season.
Defensively the Prairie Dogs were pretty average last season. With a .983 fielding pct, 63 + plays and 37 - plays, they showed range, but were below average with the gloves. Cecil Pratt is an average shortstop that can handle the bat and that makes him valuable. John Saitou is a solid thirdbaseman. Carlos Zorrilla won't make many errors in centerfield, but he lacks the range for the position. I don't think this is a bad defense and should improve over last seasons numbers. This is an above average group.
The pitching staff finished in the upper half of the league last season. They had a 3.88 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and opponent .391 slugging. They also had 65 saves, which ranked second in the league. Miguel Rivera led the rotation, but he only started 20 games out of 45 appearances with an 8-6 record and 2.64 ERA to go with an outstanding 1.04 WHIP. This team uses it's starters differently from most teams though as Yovani Costilla led the team in innings pitched with just 177.2. In the bullpen, Brent Beam was among the best closers in the league last season as he saved 45 games, but that was in 54 tries. Juan Ramirez was really good out of the pen with 66.2 innings pitched and a 2.84 ERA and 1.05 WHIP. This is a really average pitching staff, if not below average, but the way they use their pitchers is obviously beneficial to the team.
Albuquerque Komodo Dragons
Owner- csudak
Season 24 Record- 68-94
Last 5 Seasons- 335-475
The Komodo Dragons didn't really improve last season, but they are a team that appears to be getting better. It's been 8 seasons since they made the playoffs and with 4 of the past 5 seasons finishing last in the division it may be time for them to start moving up. They didn't add anything in free agency, but they did promote Vicente Palmeiro, who should be able to add some pop to the lineup. They may have found a nice rule V draftee in Fausto Galarraga, who isn't going to be a star, but he is a contact hitter with a good eye. They also locked up young slugger Bert Heiserman long term.
Offensively this was one of the best teams in the NL last season. They hit .264 with a .322 obp and .407 slugging while hitting 180 homers, scoring 773 runs and stealing 145 bases. This is a well balanced team that can put up some runs on opponents. Pacing the offense is Nick Cooper who hit .305 with a .354 obp while hitting 19 homers, scoring 98 runs and stealing 27 bases. Bert Heiserman provides the power with 38 homers and 104 RBI while hitting .265 with a .326 obp and .520 slugging. Sam Sanders also had a big season with a .273 average, .319 obp, 32 homers, 103 RBI, and 99 runs. This is a solid offense that when put in a hitters park becomes really good.
The fielding in Albuquerque last season was average to slightly above. They had a .984 fielding pct, but 74 + plays to go with 31 - plays were a good mix. With 17 of those + plays coming from first base it is a deceiving stat though. The team lacks a true shortstop, but gold glove rightfielder Kennie McCracken could play there if it wasn't for throwing accuracy issues. Nobody else has the range or glove that is ideal for the position though. Bronson Baptist played a lot in centerfield last season and he surely has the range for it, but his glove could be better. The depth and gloves at all other positions are really good and keep this from being a bad defensive team. With a true shortstop they could be among the leagues best, but for now they'll have to settle with being average.
Pitching was a weakness for this team. They finished at the bottom in ERA with a 4.94, and near the bottom in WHIP with a 1.47. Edgar Santana is a solid starter, but he's not an ace. He went 14-12 with a 4.27 ERA last season. Michael Quinones is a solid back of the rotation starter, but he'll be asked to be a front end guy. He went 10-16 with a 4.03 ERA last season. In the bullpen, Tommy Callaway got it done last season with 65 appearances and a 3.86 ERA. He only allowed 6 of 29 inherited runners to score as well. The pitching staff really isn't that good though. In this ballpark it's going to be tough to move up the ranks without a very good rotation and shutdown bullpen.
Predictions
Seattle has been the top team in this division for quite some time now. It's hard to pick against them for this reason alone. With an average offense and below average defense they could be in trouble though. The pitching staff is still really good though. While I can't see them challenging for the NL title, I could see them in the post season again. Colorado Springs had an off year last season. I can't see them finishing with that few wins again. They have a really good offense, and good overall pitching. The defense needs work, but they have enough strengths that they should finish in 90 win territory. They should be challenging for the division title and if not then at least a wild card. Oklahoma City still has some building to do. The offense needs help, the defense is good and the pitching isn't good. I think they are still close to an average team and will struggle to get into the post season. Albuquerque isn't quite there yet, but they have a good offense that fits the park well. They also have good defense, but the pitching staff is one of the worst in the league. When they get the pitching straightened out, then they'll be a tough team. Right now they aren't though.
1. Colorado Springs
2. Seattle
3. Albuquerque
4. Oklahoma City
Thursday, October 3, 2013
Season 25 Preview-NL South
NL South
Home of the reigning Pine Tar world champion Houston Roughnecks. This has been one of the toughest divisions in Pine Tar for quite a while now, and last season gave them 3 World Titles in the past 7 seasons and 4 World Series appearances from the South. Houston won the NL title for a second straight season, but this time they took home the World Championship with a sweep of Durham. With an average of 100 victories and 3 division titles over the past 3 seasons, they are going to be tough to knock from the top of this division. Louisville tied for second in the division, but the tie breaker gave them the #1 wild card spot. It gave them their 4th post season berth in the past 6 seasons and the 6th in franchise history. They are still looking for their second division title and first since season 1. Texas took some steps forward last season and took home the second wild card spot. It ended a 4 season run without a post season berth. Now they will try to end an 11 season run without winning the division title. Jacksonville finished last in the division with a .500 record. That's rough. It was the second time in 3 seasons that they missed the playoffs. This teams days of sitting atop the division appear to be over for now, but they proved that they are still a team to deal with.
Houston Roughnecks
owner- bagwellbuff
Season 24 record- 99-63(World Champ, NL South Champ)
Last 5 seasons- 473-337
Last season was huge for this franchise. It was their 5th World Series appearance and their 2nd title. With 99 wins this team paced the NL. Luckily for the fans in Houston, this ownership group isn't going to be satisfied with just one championship. They are shooting for a dynasty and have budgeted for it. That allowed them to make some signings to further improve the team with Raymond Simmons, and Rube Clark.
Offensively, Houston led the NL in runs scored with 198, was second in homers with 253, was above league average in steals with 122 and second in slugging with .442. That's all while hitting a .255 and having a .318 obp which were below the league average. They look pretty much the same this season. Ruben Pelaez is the top hitter on the team(.297 average, .379obp, 35 hr, 98 rbi). They re signed Barney Taft and brought back his .285 average, .365 obp and 28 homers. Carl Esposito is the man this offense revolves around(.274 average, .370 obp, 41 homers, 111 rbi, and 110 runs). The Roughnecks should once again have a top offense.
The Houston defense was stellar in season 24. They posted a .989 fielding pct, and 123 + plays to go with 12 - plays. They are led by gold glove shorstop Yusmeiro Julio and his 30 + plays. Paleaez is his double play partner at second and he's another great glove. At thirdbase is another gold glove in Julian Prieto. And in centerfield they feature another gold glover with Ugueth Gonzales. I'm going to call it like I see it and say that this team has a great defense. Likely the best in Pine Tar.
The pitching was also pretty good last season and now the additions of Simmons and Clark will add to that. With a team ERA of 3.73 and 1.28 WHIP, this franchise was above average. Alex Martis is a pretty good starter with his 13-6 record and 3.74 ERA, but his 168.2 innings aren't what you'd want from an ace. Diego Benitez went 13-4 with a 2.11 ERA, but he only posted 132.1 innings. The 2 new additions should help with that and really this team is deep enough to roll out a 6 man rotation and not be hurt by it. The feature bullpen arm is reigning Cy Young Juan Sierra who had 52 saves in 54 tries and posted a 1.40 ERA and .95 WHIP. Overall, this is a pretty strong pitching staff and could be among the top 5 in all of Pine Tar.
Louisville ARF ARF ARF ARF's
owner- Arfy
Season 24 record- 89-73
Last 5 seasons- 450-360
After ending their one season absence from the playoffs, the Arf's got back in with the #1 wild card last season. It has been a long time since they've won the division, but this team is surely in the upper class of the NL which has led to 4 post season appearances over the past 6 seasons. Unfortunately for them, they've been playing second fiddle to the division winner too often. Ownership has stated that they missed out on free agency but they've scrambled to make a few nice additions in Frank Buss, Allen Gruber, David Lind, and Enrique Morales. None are impact players, but each can help the team. With a budget set up to sign an impact player that they never got, this team has money to throw around if they need to add a piece or 2 during the season.
In season 24 the ARF's hit .262, with a .330 obp and a .385 slg. While they hit good, they didn't provide much power which led to them finish in the bottom half of the league in runs scored with 681. Gruber and Lind should help fix that problem. Adding them to Vic Rijo(.333 average, .402 obp, 35 homers, 101 RBI) and Jared Glynn(.268 average, .349 obp, 28 homers, 107 RBI) should add some extra run production. Omar Carrasco is the young star of the offense as he hit 34 homers, drove in 95 runs, stole 21 bases, while hitting a .290 with a .366 obp. This team has a good offense and I'd think they have to improve over last season. This is at the least a top 8 NL offense.
The defense was pretty solid last season as they finished with a .986 fielding pct and 69 + plays an 18 - plays. Those are above average numbers. They did lose their shortstop in the off season, but they have Alex Lyons, who should provide gold glove defense, but he doesn't hit very well. Victor Osoria is a slightly better hitter with a pretty good glove. Bernie Wolf is likely the best option at short, but his glove isn't as good as those two. That's not to say he can't play the position though. The team has quite a few good gloves around the diamond and should be as good as last season.
Their pitching was up among the best in the league last season. They finished with a 3.50 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and .378 opponent slugging. Each were pretty great numbers. The rotation is led by young star Geronimo Estrada, with his 14-7 record and 2.02 ERA and .99 WHIP in 240.1 innings. Those are Cy Young type numbers. Clay Vernon is a good top to mid rotation starter that's coming off of a season that seen him go 13-9 with a 3.86 ERA and 1.26 WHIP. Ariel Mateo and Al Manto round out a pretty good rotation in Louisville. The bullpen was led by Ed Rhodes and his 85 games pitched, 21 saves, 2.92 ERA and 1.12 WHIP. J.J. Brinkley is another good arm for them in the pen and he pitched 51 games with a 2.38 ERA and 1.12 WHIP. This overall is a really good pitching staff and should finish near the top of the league again this season.
Texas GalvestonWave
owner- erichanville
Season 24 record- 89-73
Last 5 seasons- 418-391
It's truly amazing that this team made the playoffs last season. They went through an ownership change midway through the season and are now on their 4th owner in 4 seasons. Even through that, they've seen their win total increase in each of the past 3 seasons. That trend will be tough to continue, but the new owner has budgeted well to try. The biggest thing they did in the off season was signing extensions with P.T. Rosa and Felipe Ramos. Both are key pieces to the teams success. The also brought in Rheal Beck, Jesus Amezaga, and Felipe Lee through free agency. It sure looks like they are loading up for another post season run.
This team had a very average offense last season. They batted .255, with a .326 obp, .403 slg and 195 homers while scoring 677 runs. The only number far from league average was the runs scored, which were 29 runs below average. The loss of Rico Tatis does not help these numbers. They still have Alexander Williamson(.288 average, .358 obp, 36 homers, 77 RBI and 109 runs), and Alan Wilson(.287 average, .380 obp, 26 homers, 82 RBI, and 81 runs) to drive this offense though. The addition of Beck will at least ease the loss of Tatis a little. The offense isn't very deep though and they won't hit for a high average as a team. They do have some good power and guys that will draw some walks. Right now this team appears to be a little below average though.
The defense for this team was pretty good last season. They had a .986 fielding pct to go with 66 + plays and 19 - plays. They did lack a good shortstop though, which makes those numbers very surprising. Alejandro Flores could handle the full time job if asked, but he isn't much of a hitter. George Hocking is the returning shortstop and he won't hurt the team in the field, but he's not the ideal fielder though he is a better hitter than Flores. Birdie McNamara could play a really good centerfield for this team. Eddie Burns played a great centerfield last season though, but he could play shortstop or second base. Overall this team does have the gloves to be among the better defensive teams in the league, but the drop off on offense may be too much for them.
The pitching was right near the top of the NL last season. They had a 3.63 ERA, .380 opponent slugging and 1.26 WHIP. While the rotation isn't great, they do have a good group of pitchers. Charles Hayashi is a solid ace and he went 14-3 with a 2.41 ERA last season. Karim Ontiveros (12-11, 3.44) makes for a really good number 2. Felipe Ramos went 9-7 with a 3.30 ERA last season. Harry Guerrero and Billy Lloyd are really nice back of the rotation starters. The addition of Amezaga brings in a really good bullpen arm with his 286 career saves and 3.24 ERA. I expect Esteban Avila to bounce back from his disappointing last season. All around this is a pretty good pitching staff that should finish near the top of the league again.
Jackson Juggernauts
owner- bobbyj7
Season 24 record- 81-81
Last 5 seasons- 448-362
The days of this team ruling the division appear to be over, but that doesn't mean that this team should be taken lightly. They still finished at .500 last season and are only 1 season removed from a post season berth. They appear to be lowering payroll while raising the scouting budgets which usually means rebuild time. They did however add 2 solid free agents this off season in Phil North and Miguel Mesa.
The Juggernauts offense was below average last season as they hit .252, with a .314 obp and .386 slg to go with 172 homers and 672 runs. Second year man Vic Romero may be the most lethal hitter the team has as he hit 16 homers and batted a .278 in only 255 at bats last season. Scott Harvey at age 32 is still a pretty good hitter as well as he hit 30 homers and a .271 average last season. The additions of Mesa and North will help them out as well. This team has some solid hitting and decent power to go with it. I could see them moving up offensively this season, but they don't rank among the best in the league.
Defensively this team was above average last season with a .985 fielding pct and 75 + plays to go with 26 - plays. They are led by one time gold glove shortstop Adam McCorley, who has the abilities to win another gold glove with great range and arm strength. Scott Harvey is a really good centerfielder with good range and glove as he's pulled in 3 gold gloves out there. They are solid at other positions, but this team will take a step back defensive after the loss of Alex Colome in the off season.
The pitching was below average last season. They had a 4.06 ERA with a 1.32 WHIP. The loss of ace Rube Clark is going to hurt this team. Dusty Lindsey still makes for a good ace though and he went 13-8 with a 3.39 ERA and 1.24 WHIP last season. Bobby Ray Ingram is still a good top of the rotation starter after going 14-12 with a 3.81 ERA last season. After those 2 the team has a bunch of average to below average pitchers. Nobody in the bullpen really stands out to me. This pitching staff appears that it will sink lower this season even with the 2 aces at the top of the rotation.
Predictions
This is an extremely tough division. All 4 teams are usually really competitive and they've turned this into the best division in Pine Tar. At the top is Houston and they seem to have a stranglehold on the rest of the teams. They are the reigning world champs and the off season seen them improve. I think that makes them the favorite to win this division, if not another World title. Louisville just can't seem to get over the hump and take this division. They have a well rounded team that could put them right next to Houston atop the NL. They should at least make it interesting in this division. Texas has the pitching and defense to succeed and in any other division would look pretty good to win it. Not around here though. The offense just isn't up to par with the top teams and will likely hold them back from contending for the division title. I wouldn't be surprised to see them take a wild card spot though. Jackson has good hitting and good defense, but the overall pitching staff is going to be too tough to over come. It may be time that they go into full rebuild mode and start looking to the future.
1. Houston
2. Louisville
3. Texas
4. Jackson
Home of the reigning Pine Tar world champion Houston Roughnecks. This has been one of the toughest divisions in Pine Tar for quite a while now, and last season gave them 3 World Titles in the past 7 seasons and 4 World Series appearances from the South. Houston won the NL title for a second straight season, but this time they took home the World Championship with a sweep of Durham. With an average of 100 victories and 3 division titles over the past 3 seasons, they are going to be tough to knock from the top of this division. Louisville tied for second in the division, but the tie breaker gave them the #1 wild card spot. It gave them their 4th post season berth in the past 6 seasons and the 6th in franchise history. They are still looking for their second division title and first since season 1. Texas took some steps forward last season and took home the second wild card spot. It ended a 4 season run without a post season berth. Now they will try to end an 11 season run without winning the division title. Jacksonville finished last in the division with a .500 record. That's rough. It was the second time in 3 seasons that they missed the playoffs. This teams days of sitting atop the division appear to be over for now, but they proved that they are still a team to deal with.
Houston Roughnecks
owner- bagwellbuff
Season 24 record- 99-63(World Champ, NL South Champ)
Last 5 seasons- 473-337
Last season was huge for this franchise. It was their 5th World Series appearance and their 2nd title. With 99 wins this team paced the NL. Luckily for the fans in Houston, this ownership group isn't going to be satisfied with just one championship. They are shooting for a dynasty and have budgeted for it. That allowed them to make some signings to further improve the team with Raymond Simmons, and Rube Clark.
Offensively, Houston led the NL in runs scored with 198, was second in homers with 253, was above league average in steals with 122 and second in slugging with .442. That's all while hitting a .255 and having a .318 obp which were below the league average. They look pretty much the same this season. Ruben Pelaez is the top hitter on the team(.297 average, .379obp, 35 hr, 98 rbi). They re signed Barney Taft and brought back his .285 average, .365 obp and 28 homers. Carl Esposito is the man this offense revolves around(.274 average, .370 obp, 41 homers, 111 rbi, and 110 runs). The Roughnecks should once again have a top offense.
The Houston defense was stellar in season 24. They posted a .989 fielding pct, and 123 + plays to go with 12 - plays. They are led by gold glove shorstop Yusmeiro Julio and his 30 + plays. Paleaez is his double play partner at second and he's another great glove. At thirdbase is another gold glove in Julian Prieto. And in centerfield they feature another gold glover with Ugueth Gonzales. I'm going to call it like I see it and say that this team has a great defense. Likely the best in Pine Tar.
The pitching was also pretty good last season and now the additions of Simmons and Clark will add to that. With a team ERA of 3.73 and 1.28 WHIP, this franchise was above average. Alex Martis is a pretty good starter with his 13-6 record and 3.74 ERA, but his 168.2 innings aren't what you'd want from an ace. Diego Benitez went 13-4 with a 2.11 ERA, but he only posted 132.1 innings. The 2 new additions should help with that and really this team is deep enough to roll out a 6 man rotation and not be hurt by it. The feature bullpen arm is reigning Cy Young Juan Sierra who had 52 saves in 54 tries and posted a 1.40 ERA and .95 WHIP. Overall, this is a pretty strong pitching staff and could be among the top 5 in all of Pine Tar.
Louisville ARF ARF ARF ARF's
owner- Arfy
Season 24 record- 89-73
Last 5 seasons- 450-360
After ending their one season absence from the playoffs, the Arf's got back in with the #1 wild card last season. It has been a long time since they've won the division, but this team is surely in the upper class of the NL which has led to 4 post season appearances over the past 6 seasons. Unfortunately for them, they've been playing second fiddle to the division winner too often. Ownership has stated that they missed out on free agency but they've scrambled to make a few nice additions in Frank Buss, Allen Gruber, David Lind, and Enrique Morales. None are impact players, but each can help the team. With a budget set up to sign an impact player that they never got, this team has money to throw around if they need to add a piece or 2 during the season.
In season 24 the ARF's hit .262, with a .330 obp and a .385 slg. While they hit good, they didn't provide much power which led to them finish in the bottom half of the league in runs scored with 681. Gruber and Lind should help fix that problem. Adding them to Vic Rijo(.333 average, .402 obp, 35 homers, 101 RBI) and Jared Glynn(.268 average, .349 obp, 28 homers, 107 RBI) should add some extra run production. Omar Carrasco is the young star of the offense as he hit 34 homers, drove in 95 runs, stole 21 bases, while hitting a .290 with a .366 obp. This team has a good offense and I'd think they have to improve over last season. This is at the least a top 8 NL offense.
The defense was pretty solid last season as they finished with a .986 fielding pct and 69 + plays an 18 - plays. Those are above average numbers. They did lose their shortstop in the off season, but they have Alex Lyons, who should provide gold glove defense, but he doesn't hit very well. Victor Osoria is a slightly better hitter with a pretty good glove. Bernie Wolf is likely the best option at short, but his glove isn't as good as those two. That's not to say he can't play the position though. The team has quite a few good gloves around the diamond and should be as good as last season.
Their pitching was up among the best in the league last season. They finished with a 3.50 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and .378 opponent slugging. Each were pretty great numbers. The rotation is led by young star Geronimo Estrada, with his 14-7 record and 2.02 ERA and .99 WHIP in 240.1 innings. Those are Cy Young type numbers. Clay Vernon is a good top to mid rotation starter that's coming off of a season that seen him go 13-9 with a 3.86 ERA and 1.26 WHIP. Ariel Mateo and Al Manto round out a pretty good rotation in Louisville. The bullpen was led by Ed Rhodes and his 85 games pitched, 21 saves, 2.92 ERA and 1.12 WHIP. J.J. Brinkley is another good arm for them in the pen and he pitched 51 games with a 2.38 ERA and 1.12 WHIP. This overall is a really good pitching staff and should finish near the top of the league again this season.
Texas GalvestonWave
owner- erichanville
Season 24 record- 89-73
Last 5 seasons- 418-391
It's truly amazing that this team made the playoffs last season. They went through an ownership change midway through the season and are now on their 4th owner in 4 seasons. Even through that, they've seen their win total increase in each of the past 3 seasons. That trend will be tough to continue, but the new owner has budgeted well to try. The biggest thing they did in the off season was signing extensions with P.T. Rosa and Felipe Ramos. Both are key pieces to the teams success. The also brought in Rheal Beck, Jesus Amezaga, and Felipe Lee through free agency. It sure looks like they are loading up for another post season run.
This team had a very average offense last season. They batted .255, with a .326 obp, .403 slg and 195 homers while scoring 677 runs. The only number far from league average was the runs scored, which were 29 runs below average. The loss of Rico Tatis does not help these numbers. They still have Alexander Williamson(.288 average, .358 obp, 36 homers, 77 RBI and 109 runs), and Alan Wilson(.287 average, .380 obp, 26 homers, 82 RBI, and 81 runs) to drive this offense though. The addition of Beck will at least ease the loss of Tatis a little. The offense isn't very deep though and they won't hit for a high average as a team. They do have some good power and guys that will draw some walks. Right now this team appears to be a little below average though.
The defense for this team was pretty good last season. They had a .986 fielding pct to go with 66 + plays and 19 - plays. They did lack a good shortstop though, which makes those numbers very surprising. Alejandro Flores could handle the full time job if asked, but he isn't much of a hitter. George Hocking is the returning shortstop and he won't hurt the team in the field, but he's not the ideal fielder though he is a better hitter than Flores. Birdie McNamara could play a really good centerfield for this team. Eddie Burns played a great centerfield last season though, but he could play shortstop or second base. Overall this team does have the gloves to be among the better defensive teams in the league, but the drop off on offense may be too much for them.
The pitching was right near the top of the NL last season. They had a 3.63 ERA, .380 opponent slugging and 1.26 WHIP. While the rotation isn't great, they do have a good group of pitchers. Charles Hayashi is a solid ace and he went 14-3 with a 2.41 ERA last season. Karim Ontiveros (12-11, 3.44) makes for a really good number 2. Felipe Ramos went 9-7 with a 3.30 ERA last season. Harry Guerrero and Billy Lloyd are really nice back of the rotation starters. The addition of Amezaga brings in a really good bullpen arm with his 286 career saves and 3.24 ERA. I expect Esteban Avila to bounce back from his disappointing last season. All around this is a pretty good pitching staff that should finish near the top of the league again.
Jackson Juggernauts
owner- bobbyj7
Season 24 record- 81-81
Last 5 seasons- 448-362
The days of this team ruling the division appear to be over, but that doesn't mean that this team should be taken lightly. They still finished at .500 last season and are only 1 season removed from a post season berth. They appear to be lowering payroll while raising the scouting budgets which usually means rebuild time. They did however add 2 solid free agents this off season in Phil North and Miguel Mesa.
The Juggernauts offense was below average last season as they hit .252, with a .314 obp and .386 slg to go with 172 homers and 672 runs. Second year man Vic Romero may be the most lethal hitter the team has as he hit 16 homers and batted a .278 in only 255 at bats last season. Scott Harvey at age 32 is still a pretty good hitter as well as he hit 30 homers and a .271 average last season. The additions of Mesa and North will help them out as well. This team has some solid hitting and decent power to go with it. I could see them moving up offensively this season, but they don't rank among the best in the league.
Defensively this team was above average last season with a .985 fielding pct and 75 + plays to go with 26 - plays. They are led by one time gold glove shortstop Adam McCorley, who has the abilities to win another gold glove with great range and arm strength. Scott Harvey is a really good centerfielder with good range and glove as he's pulled in 3 gold gloves out there. They are solid at other positions, but this team will take a step back defensive after the loss of Alex Colome in the off season.
The pitching was below average last season. They had a 4.06 ERA with a 1.32 WHIP. The loss of ace Rube Clark is going to hurt this team. Dusty Lindsey still makes for a good ace though and he went 13-8 with a 3.39 ERA and 1.24 WHIP last season. Bobby Ray Ingram is still a good top of the rotation starter after going 14-12 with a 3.81 ERA last season. After those 2 the team has a bunch of average to below average pitchers. Nobody in the bullpen really stands out to me. This pitching staff appears that it will sink lower this season even with the 2 aces at the top of the rotation.
Predictions
This is an extremely tough division. All 4 teams are usually really competitive and they've turned this into the best division in Pine Tar. At the top is Houston and they seem to have a stranglehold on the rest of the teams. They are the reigning world champs and the off season seen them improve. I think that makes them the favorite to win this division, if not another World title. Louisville just can't seem to get over the hump and take this division. They have a well rounded team that could put them right next to Houston atop the NL. They should at least make it interesting in this division. Texas has the pitching and defense to succeed and in any other division would look pretty good to win it. Not around here though. The offense just isn't up to par with the top teams and will likely hold them back from contending for the division title. I wouldn't be surprised to see them take a wild card spot though. Jackson has good hitting and good defense, but the overall pitching staff is going to be too tough to over come. It may be time that they go into full rebuild mode and start looking to the future.
1. Houston
2. Louisville
3. Texas
4. Jackson
Tuesday, October 1, 2013
Season 25 Preview-NL East
NL East
In season 24, Jacksonville worked their way back to the top of this division. It was the 16th time that they've won the division crown and 17th post season trip. After a couple of down seasons that seen them win 82 games and 70 games, the team jumped up to 92 victories last season and led second place Cincinnati by 11 games. The Firestorm finished the season at .500 and missed out on the playoffs. They improved their win total by 6 games, but in season 23 they won the division title with 75 victories. Philadelphia finished third and seen their win total drop for a third straight season. Since winning the division title back in season 20, this team has missed the playoffs. The 67 victories they had last season were a worst in franchise history. Wichita got a new owner last season and they were clearly a rebuilding team. They have finished 4th in the division in 7 of the past 8 seasons. The 57 wins for them were an all time franchise low.
Jacksonville Juice
Owner- greygoose123
Season 24 record- 92-70(NL East Champ)
Last 5 seasons- 408-402
Jacksonville found themselves back on top of the division once again last season. This is a team that is in win now mode. They have the budget set up to afford what they need to contend. While they have some good youth on the team, most of the better talent has crossed age 30. This team will need to replace those guys soon, but they should be able to help the team win now.
This team struggled a bit offensively last season. They batted a .257, with an obp of .327 and slugging pct of .411. Those were both better than the league average though. They also hit 184 homers and stole 140 bases while scoring 777 runs. While some numbers look like they struggled, the runs show otherwise. They were 3rd in the league in the stat that matters most. This team has 2 table setters with Ramiro Contreras and Rich Pierce, who both stole over 40 bases and batted over .280 with 100 + runs. Young slugger, Hipolito Arredondo was the beneficiary of that as he drove home 129 runs to go with his 37 homers. Chris Young may be this teams best overall hitter though as he came over from Nashville last season and went on to hit .325 in 87 games for the Juice. This offense isn't great, but they do have some really good talent that helps put them in the upper half of the league.
Defensively this team is just not very good. They had a .980 fielding pct and 45 + plays to go with 79 - plays last season. Those just aren't good numbers. Chris Young is the shortstop, but he lacks even decent range and arm strength to go with the position. This team doesn't look to have many options either. Jacksonville will likely finish near the bottom defensively again this season.
They did get some solid pitching last season. They ended with a 3.85 ERA and an opponent .256 average. Rick Owens led the staff with a 17-9 record and 2.91 ERA with a 1.20 WHIP. The rest of the rotation is pretty solid, but Owens is a step above the rest of them. The bullpen also will feature some pretty solid arms and are led by 37 year old vet Omar Gabriel. In 61 games last season, he had a 4.36 ERA and WHIP of 1.21. Sherman Stevens is the closer and he saved 38 games in 44 tries with a 3.00 ERA and 1.28 WHIP. Andres Jacquez came over mid season and he pitched in 30 games with a 2.83 ERA and only allowed 1 of 13 inherited runners to score. This should be a pretty good pitching staff. The rotation after Owens isn't great, but the bullpen has enough help to bail them out.
Cincinnati Firestorm
Owner- jbburner
Season 24 record- 81-81
Last 5 seasons- 394-416
With an 89.6 million dollar payroll, the Firestorm look like they want to win now. The team has been really close to being an average team for the past 8 seasons and actually finished at .500 last season. I really like the signing of Lee Coveleski this off season. That should be a boost for them. The promotion of reliever Manuel Rodriguez is going to help as well.
The team was pretty average offensively last season. They hit .259 with a .322 obp, .416 slugging pct, 215 homers, and 756 runs. The offense was led by Fergie Hill who hit 50 homers, drove in 125 runs and batted a .288 with a .350 obp. Andres Andujar had a pretty good season as well with 31 homers, 99 rbi, .279 average and .348 obp. Rafael Unamuno hit 29 homers, with 76 RBI, and a .254 average and .337 obp. That was a down season for him and I expect him to rebound this season. The Firestorm have a solid offense, but I think they are just average and that's thanks to a hitters park.
Defensively, this team isn't very good. Stewart Lee is the teams best option at shortstop, but he's been a backup for them. While they have some solid gloves, the lack of a shortstop or centerfielder has a domino effect and forces players to play positions that are tougher than what they are suited for. This team will finish near the bottom again this season.
The pitching staff was near the bottom of the league last season. The addition of Coveleski brings much needed help to the top of the rotation. After him though, Timo Pan is just solid, but he'll eat up innings with 3 straight 200 + seasons. He went 11-10 last season with a 3.63 ERA. Paxton Weiland is solid and he went 5-2 with a 3.50 ERA after coming over from Salem last season. The bullpen is below average but I like Mitchell Hayes as he pitched in 58 games with a 4.86 ERA, but he only allowed 4 of his 38 inherited runners to score last season. The Firestorm pitching should be better this season, but they aren't very much better. This is still a below average squad.
Philadelphia Moneymakers
Owner- Phillies26
Season 24 record- 67-95
Last 5 seasons- 389-421
This team has been heading down for the past 3 seasons after reaching 87 wins back in season 21. They look like a team that has budgeted to win now though. I do like the additions in the off season and Raul Santiago and Fausto Gandarilla should help them. I would think the team would need more than that to make a difference over last season. If things go south this season then it may be time to go into rebuild mode.
Offense was a real weakness for this team last season. A .239 average and .299 obp are not very good. Their 568 runs were worst in the league as well. Gandarilla will add some much need hitting to this team. At 29 years old, he's a career .313 hitter with a .393 obp. Those numbers should give this team a boost for sure. Angel Martinez is a good contact hitter and he should improve over last seasons .250 average and .322 obp, both which were well below his career averages. Mariano Gonzales is a player that could do better than his 23 homers and .263 average and .321 obp. This offense should make it's way out of the basement of the NL this season, but they don't look like they'll even be an average offense still.
Defensively this team was slightly below average last season. They had a .983 fielding pct and 41 + plays and 39 - plays. Glenn Cole is the shorstop and he's got the range to get it done. Omar Cano plays a decent centerfield, but his range holds him back. Teddy McKnight is the secondbaseman and he is pretty solid as well. This defense looks pretty much the same as last season and that isn't a bad thing. They are at least close to average.
Pitching is where this team has a solid strength. With a 3.91 ERA and .255 opponent average this team was slightly above average. They did have 3.53 walks per 9 last season which was .52 worse than the league average. If they could get that down then they'd be dangerous. The rotation is led by Napoleon Hallman and he finished 6-13 with a 3.74 ERA and 1.24 WHIP last season. He's a much better pitcher than that and should bounce back. Matty Andujar went 11-12 with a 3.39 ERA and 1.31 WHIP. Glenn Hafner led the staff as he was 10-7 with a 2.87 ERA and 1.30 WHIP. Those are 3 good starters at the top of this rotation. Coming out of the bullpen is David Ortiz, and he saved 47 games in 51 tries with a 1.71 ERA and .95 WHIP. He's one of the best in the league. The addition of Santiago brings in a good setup man to go with him. This is an above average pitching staff and could lead this team back into the division race.
Wichita DwArf'y Mojados
Owner- jibe
Season 24 record- 57-105
Last 5 seasons- 349-461
Wichita is a team that is rebuilding and they have been for quite some time. Hopefully with a solid owner this team can start to get things turned around. They are still budgeted to rebuild this season and have the cash on hand to make a couple of nice IFA additions. The Mojados do have a really young team and should get better as these guys progress.
The Mojados were one of the worst offensive teams in the league last season. They hit .243 with a .300 obp and 151 homers to go with 584 runs. It was a dismal season for the bats. The offensive star was Monte Randolph as he hit .280 with a .333 obp and 25 homers with 66 RBI. Andrew Adams is a player that I'd expect more out of this season. He hit .261 with a .313 obp, 21 homers and 61 RBI last season. The offense still doesn't look very good this season. A few players should bounce back from bad seasons, but that won't be enough to bring this team up much.
The defense was pretty bad last season. They had a .980 fielding pct to go with 27 + plays and 119 - plays. The minus plays were made worse with Randolph playing firstbase, as he had 35 of them. The addition of Fritz Dydalewicz at least adds a really good glove to the team. He lacks range for shortstop, but he won't make many errors. Hank Jacquez is a solid centerfielder, but he lacks the range for that spot. This defense should be better than last season, but they are a below average defense.
The pitching was also among the worst in the league last season. They finished with a 4.73 ERA and 1.49 WHIP. The addition of Randy Sanders gives them a solid starter in the rotation. That's about it though. He's more suited for the back of the rotation and none of the other starters are really that. The bullpen is better than that though. Benito Pizzaro is a good young reliever and he had a 3.94 ERA in 50 games last season. Geraldo Molina should have been better than the 5.18 ERA and 1.63 WHIP in 44 games. I could see him improving. This team is a ways off from having a good pitching staff. They will likely finish at the bottom this season.
Predictions
Jacksonville has been the team to beat in this division for a long time. Every time it looks like another team may step up, the Juice then turn around and come right back to the top. They have the most well rounded team in this division this season and I see no reason they shouldn't take the top spot for a 17th time. Cincinnati has been an average team for a while now and they look the part again this season. The offense has some stars, but the defense and pitching really hold them back. I could see this team winning 85 games or 75 games. They fall somewhere in that range. Philadelphia has the defense and pitching to be a solid team, but the offense is an area that needs to step up. I like the additions and think the offense will improve, but not enough to make them a contender. I do think they can improve from last season and should be close to a .500 team. Wichita is a team in rebuild mode and will continue that this season. I'd imagine they aren't too far off though and should be making improvements over the next few seasons.
1. Jacksonville
2. Philadelphia
3. Cincinnati
4. Wichita
In season 24, Jacksonville worked their way back to the top of this division. It was the 16th time that they've won the division crown and 17th post season trip. After a couple of down seasons that seen them win 82 games and 70 games, the team jumped up to 92 victories last season and led second place Cincinnati by 11 games. The Firestorm finished the season at .500 and missed out on the playoffs. They improved their win total by 6 games, but in season 23 they won the division title with 75 victories. Philadelphia finished third and seen their win total drop for a third straight season. Since winning the division title back in season 20, this team has missed the playoffs. The 67 victories they had last season were a worst in franchise history. Wichita got a new owner last season and they were clearly a rebuilding team. They have finished 4th in the division in 7 of the past 8 seasons. The 57 wins for them were an all time franchise low.
Jacksonville Juice
Owner- greygoose123
Season 24 record- 92-70(NL East Champ)
Last 5 seasons- 408-402
Jacksonville found themselves back on top of the division once again last season. This is a team that is in win now mode. They have the budget set up to afford what they need to contend. While they have some good youth on the team, most of the better talent has crossed age 30. This team will need to replace those guys soon, but they should be able to help the team win now.
This team struggled a bit offensively last season. They batted a .257, with an obp of .327 and slugging pct of .411. Those were both better than the league average though. They also hit 184 homers and stole 140 bases while scoring 777 runs. While some numbers look like they struggled, the runs show otherwise. They were 3rd in the league in the stat that matters most. This team has 2 table setters with Ramiro Contreras and Rich Pierce, who both stole over 40 bases and batted over .280 with 100 + runs. Young slugger, Hipolito Arredondo was the beneficiary of that as he drove home 129 runs to go with his 37 homers. Chris Young may be this teams best overall hitter though as he came over from Nashville last season and went on to hit .325 in 87 games for the Juice. This offense isn't great, but they do have some really good talent that helps put them in the upper half of the league.
Defensively this team is just not very good. They had a .980 fielding pct and 45 + plays to go with 79 - plays last season. Those just aren't good numbers. Chris Young is the shortstop, but he lacks even decent range and arm strength to go with the position. This team doesn't look to have many options either. Jacksonville will likely finish near the bottom defensively again this season.
They did get some solid pitching last season. They ended with a 3.85 ERA and an opponent .256 average. Rick Owens led the staff with a 17-9 record and 2.91 ERA with a 1.20 WHIP. The rest of the rotation is pretty solid, but Owens is a step above the rest of them. The bullpen also will feature some pretty solid arms and are led by 37 year old vet Omar Gabriel. In 61 games last season, he had a 4.36 ERA and WHIP of 1.21. Sherman Stevens is the closer and he saved 38 games in 44 tries with a 3.00 ERA and 1.28 WHIP. Andres Jacquez came over mid season and he pitched in 30 games with a 2.83 ERA and only allowed 1 of 13 inherited runners to score. This should be a pretty good pitching staff. The rotation after Owens isn't great, but the bullpen has enough help to bail them out.
Cincinnati Firestorm
Owner- jbburner
Season 24 record- 81-81
Last 5 seasons- 394-416
With an 89.6 million dollar payroll, the Firestorm look like they want to win now. The team has been really close to being an average team for the past 8 seasons and actually finished at .500 last season. I really like the signing of Lee Coveleski this off season. That should be a boost for them. The promotion of reliever Manuel Rodriguez is going to help as well.
The team was pretty average offensively last season. They hit .259 with a .322 obp, .416 slugging pct, 215 homers, and 756 runs. The offense was led by Fergie Hill who hit 50 homers, drove in 125 runs and batted a .288 with a .350 obp. Andres Andujar had a pretty good season as well with 31 homers, 99 rbi, .279 average and .348 obp. Rafael Unamuno hit 29 homers, with 76 RBI, and a .254 average and .337 obp. That was a down season for him and I expect him to rebound this season. The Firestorm have a solid offense, but I think they are just average and that's thanks to a hitters park.
Defensively, this team isn't very good. Stewart Lee is the teams best option at shortstop, but he's been a backup for them. While they have some solid gloves, the lack of a shortstop or centerfielder has a domino effect and forces players to play positions that are tougher than what they are suited for. This team will finish near the bottom again this season.
The pitching staff was near the bottom of the league last season. The addition of Coveleski brings much needed help to the top of the rotation. After him though, Timo Pan is just solid, but he'll eat up innings with 3 straight 200 + seasons. He went 11-10 last season with a 3.63 ERA. Paxton Weiland is solid and he went 5-2 with a 3.50 ERA after coming over from Salem last season. The bullpen is below average but I like Mitchell Hayes as he pitched in 58 games with a 4.86 ERA, but he only allowed 4 of his 38 inherited runners to score last season. The Firestorm pitching should be better this season, but they aren't very much better. This is still a below average squad.
Philadelphia Moneymakers
Owner- Phillies26
Season 24 record- 67-95
Last 5 seasons- 389-421
This team has been heading down for the past 3 seasons after reaching 87 wins back in season 21. They look like a team that has budgeted to win now though. I do like the additions in the off season and Raul Santiago and Fausto Gandarilla should help them. I would think the team would need more than that to make a difference over last season. If things go south this season then it may be time to go into rebuild mode.
Offense was a real weakness for this team last season. A .239 average and .299 obp are not very good. Their 568 runs were worst in the league as well. Gandarilla will add some much need hitting to this team. At 29 years old, he's a career .313 hitter with a .393 obp. Those numbers should give this team a boost for sure. Angel Martinez is a good contact hitter and he should improve over last seasons .250 average and .322 obp, both which were well below his career averages. Mariano Gonzales is a player that could do better than his 23 homers and .263 average and .321 obp. This offense should make it's way out of the basement of the NL this season, but they don't look like they'll even be an average offense still.
Defensively this team was slightly below average last season. They had a .983 fielding pct and 41 + plays and 39 - plays. Glenn Cole is the shorstop and he's got the range to get it done. Omar Cano plays a decent centerfield, but his range holds him back. Teddy McKnight is the secondbaseman and he is pretty solid as well. This defense looks pretty much the same as last season and that isn't a bad thing. They are at least close to average.
Pitching is where this team has a solid strength. With a 3.91 ERA and .255 opponent average this team was slightly above average. They did have 3.53 walks per 9 last season which was .52 worse than the league average. If they could get that down then they'd be dangerous. The rotation is led by Napoleon Hallman and he finished 6-13 with a 3.74 ERA and 1.24 WHIP last season. He's a much better pitcher than that and should bounce back. Matty Andujar went 11-12 with a 3.39 ERA and 1.31 WHIP. Glenn Hafner led the staff as he was 10-7 with a 2.87 ERA and 1.30 WHIP. Those are 3 good starters at the top of this rotation. Coming out of the bullpen is David Ortiz, and he saved 47 games in 51 tries with a 1.71 ERA and .95 WHIP. He's one of the best in the league. The addition of Santiago brings in a good setup man to go with him. This is an above average pitching staff and could lead this team back into the division race.
Wichita DwArf'y Mojados
Owner- jibe
Season 24 record- 57-105
Last 5 seasons- 349-461
Wichita is a team that is rebuilding and they have been for quite some time. Hopefully with a solid owner this team can start to get things turned around. They are still budgeted to rebuild this season and have the cash on hand to make a couple of nice IFA additions. The Mojados do have a really young team and should get better as these guys progress.
The Mojados were one of the worst offensive teams in the league last season. They hit .243 with a .300 obp and 151 homers to go with 584 runs. It was a dismal season for the bats. The offensive star was Monte Randolph as he hit .280 with a .333 obp and 25 homers with 66 RBI. Andrew Adams is a player that I'd expect more out of this season. He hit .261 with a .313 obp, 21 homers and 61 RBI last season. The offense still doesn't look very good this season. A few players should bounce back from bad seasons, but that won't be enough to bring this team up much.
The defense was pretty bad last season. They had a .980 fielding pct to go with 27 + plays and 119 - plays. The minus plays were made worse with Randolph playing firstbase, as he had 35 of them. The addition of Fritz Dydalewicz at least adds a really good glove to the team. He lacks range for shortstop, but he won't make many errors. Hank Jacquez is a solid centerfielder, but he lacks the range for that spot. This defense should be better than last season, but they are a below average defense.
The pitching was also among the worst in the league last season. They finished with a 4.73 ERA and 1.49 WHIP. The addition of Randy Sanders gives them a solid starter in the rotation. That's about it though. He's more suited for the back of the rotation and none of the other starters are really that. The bullpen is better than that though. Benito Pizzaro is a good young reliever and he had a 3.94 ERA in 50 games last season. Geraldo Molina should have been better than the 5.18 ERA and 1.63 WHIP in 44 games. I could see him improving. This team is a ways off from having a good pitching staff. They will likely finish at the bottom this season.
Predictions
Jacksonville has been the team to beat in this division for a long time. Every time it looks like another team may step up, the Juice then turn around and come right back to the top. They have the most well rounded team in this division this season and I see no reason they shouldn't take the top spot for a 17th time. Cincinnati has been an average team for a while now and they look the part again this season. The offense has some stars, but the defense and pitching really hold them back. I could see this team winning 85 games or 75 games. They fall somewhere in that range. Philadelphia has the defense and pitching to be a solid team, but the offense is an area that needs to step up. I like the additions and think the offense will improve, but not enough to make them a contender. I do think they can improve from last season and should be close to a .500 team. Wichita is a team in rebuild mode and will continue that this season. I'd imagine they aren't too far off though and should be making improvements over the next few seasons.
1. Jacksonville
2. Philadelphia
3. Cincinnati
4. Wichita
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