Wednesday, October 24, 2012
AL North by byers61
DETROIT
Detroit management decided that it is time to go all in. After getting their first ever taste of postseason play, the Tigers are hungry for more. After failing several times to land the ace starter they coveted via trade, they switched gears and settled for the aging but still talented Willie Diggins as a stopgap until more of the youngsters are ready to contribute.
That relative bargain signing left enough payroll to add native son Douglas James to be the teams new closer.
Then the Tigers landed the big fish of the draft: David Davis who will switch from 2B to CF. The Tigers feel that the addition of Davis to holdover stars Juan Aguilera ,
Henry Crosby, Kane Duncan and Monte Randall will give them as strong a lineup as any team in the AL, and should be enough to overcome some of the question marks in the pitching staff.
Finally, Detroit management is ecstatic over the next wave of young talent ready to move up from AAA at some point this season. Victor Rodriguez will provide another huge power source at DH/1B to complement Aguilera. Ruben Pulido and Edgard Rojas are also expected to make the jump sooner rather than later, and should provide a big lift to the starting rotation.
CHICAGO
After 6 straight seasons of competing for the division title, but not developing a strong enough team to go deep into the playoffs, the White Sox let a number of veterans become free agents. Only 3B Hal Bell earned the White Sox a type B pick. Gone also are power hitters Trevor McEnerney and Gregory Courtney, as well as speedster Henry Costello.
Replacing Bell is SS/3b Delwyn Owen. R.J. Rosado, signed very cheaply, brings a mix of power and speed to the offense. The remaining roster spots will be filled by prospects who have been waiting for their moment in the spotlight. Reigning Rookie of the Year Adrian Barton will lead the youngsters by example. This could be a rebuilding year for the White Sox.
TORONTO
After 3 losing seasons, the last two finishing 4th and 3rd in the division, Toronto must feel they are close enough to competing without any major FA acquisitions. Toronto did sign Hal Bell to replace outgoing Hack Farquhar, and resigned CF Rob Woodson to a $2.4 million dollar contract after his $9.2 contract expired and he found no takers in FA. Toronto signed 2 Rule 5's, 3B Willie Benavente and LR Peter Doerr.
foxspor54: Coming off of a below .500 season Toronto has added free agents : Hal Bell and Woodsen resigned.This Blue Jays team is built on strong fundamentals on defence and quality pitching. Failure to make the playoffs will be unacceptable. The future looks bright for Toronto with Stu Grissom a top prospect in an excellent farm system given a shot a the bullpen job, If the team stay healthy they will contend with the division leaders. The GM wants to restock the farm system add more speed and develop a quality bullpen.
MINNESOTA
Coming off a 59 win season, it appears to be totally rebuilding mode for the Twins. They let SP Nerio Hawkins and RF/2b Ernest Burroughs go to free agency, and were basically a no-show for any significant FA or Rule 5 signings.
OUTLOOK
Detroit is the team to beat. The battle for second place will depend on whether Toronto has correctly judged that their players simply underperformed last year. It should be close between Chicago and Toronto, with Minnesota quietly enduring another rebuilding season.
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Other Previews
Chicago Cubs
Playing in the NL North is always tough and the Cubs were 1 game away from tying for the division last season but went 3-7 down the strech in typical Cub fashion. Bad news is that David Davis has moved on in FA to a different team after taking home the NL MVP for 4 straight seasons with the Cubs during his time in Chicago. Good news is that he went down with an injury early in season 7 so we've proven that we can still stay competitive without him. Not having John Jung to patrol center field and losing him to the Cincinnati Reds will be a blow to the team this season. We've brought in Sawyer Miller to replace Jung, a downgrade both offensively and defensively but really the only option we saw in FA this season, but only inked him to a two year contract so we have some flexibility with him and the CF position. Jeff Carter was brought over to help with the starting rotation and David Rojas was signed to provide relief in the bullpen. Rojas is definately towards the end of his career but should privde some innings to give Cookie Alfonzo some rest. Denny Andrews will held line the starting rotation along with Walker Bryant. Andrews was shopped during the offseason as Cubs management likes to do with their top players (ex. David Davis) but nothing caught their interest. Sam Schwartz, Timo Pinto and Carlos Henriquez will held line the offense once again. Depending on how the season progresses they'll either help win the division in a Cub's uniform or be on the trading block before the deadline. With 2 true 1st round picks, 2 supplemental round picks, and 2 2nd round picks (along with 2 3rd round picks) the Cubs are hoping to stockpile some young talent in this year's draft. The Cubs probably didn't do enough in the offseason to match last season's record but we didn't see much that we liked. Instead we'll try for the wildcard and have a lot of flexibility financial in 2 seasons to make some majors moves again.
Cincinnati Reds
After spending a total of $76M in the off-season, the Reds did make some improvements to their team.
Offense
2B John Jung (.328/.381/.497; 22HR, 81RBI) joins a strong returning offensive cast. Talented CF Travis Evans (.287/.338/.425, 32SB) will lead off while RF Raymond Harris (.261/.321/.470; 27HR, 81RBI) looks to bounce back from a subpar season to contribute to the offense. Enigmatic LF Archie Coco (.264/.343/.532; 29HR, 84RBI) looks to have a great contract year. 37-year old 1B Robert Rogers (.285/.367/.430; 20 HR, 73 RBI) will be relied upon as the veteran presence in the lineup. SS Hi Jensen (.252/.310/.380; 13HR, 45RBI; .961 Fldg%) looks to improve both offensively and defensively. New 3B Art Redding (.263/.319/.313; 6 HR, 38 RBI) looks to be a solid contributor. Starting C Frank Hunter (.277/.356/.399; 15HR, 53RBI) returns. C Gary Bonds (.327/.398/.485; 3HR, 8RBI), 3B Steve Gil (.310/.380/.452; 16HR, 73RBI) and LF Merv Dorsey (.319/.368/.509; 18HR, 81RBI) join 1B Larry Browning (.322/.408/.587; 32 HR, 110RBI in AAA) to add some pop and versatility to the bench.
Pitching
Brought in some new pitchers, brought back some new guys. Focused on groundball pitchers in order to limit the exposure of a subpar pitching staff. The best returning pitcher is Brian Wilson (12-8, 3.40ERA, 1.26WHIP, 188.0IP). The rotation will consist of Wilson, Darryle Lowe (5-9, 25S, 5.24ERA, 1.61WHIP, 115.0IP), Wes Hermsen (9-11, 4.28ERA, 1.33WHIP, 157.2IP), Tim Sefcik (6-2, 3.22ERA, 1.31WHIP, 131.1IP), and Scott Brede (2-9, 4.03ERA, 1.30WHIP, 129.2IP). Some notable additions to the bullpen are Fausto Lopez (8-3, 3.28ERA, 1.19WHIP, 118.0IP), Rob Wilkinson, Lew Bridges, Terrence Franklin, and Paulie Singleton. Oscar Heving and Craig Bulger will be the obligatory rookies out of the ‘pen.
Defense
I don’t want to talk about this aspect as we are sacrificing defense for offense in CF, at SS, and 3B.
OVERVIEW
I’m not real sure what to expect out of this team. The offense was 5th in OPS in S7, but scored 671 runs which was good enough for 11th offensively. Adding Jung, Redding, Dorsey, Bonds, and Browning should improve the offense beyond that level. We play in a division with the top 2 run producing offenses in the NL, so whether we improved enough to outslug those guys is a real question. We had the worst pitching staff, who gave up the 2nd most home runs. We made some incremental improvements and our minor leagues are dry, so what we’ve got is what we’ll have. I don’t look for a huge improvement this season, but I do believe .500 is acceptable and achievable.
Los Angeles Dodgers
We decided to not overreact to more postseason failure. Added some different bench players and hope we have the right chemistry. If we do not win it this year the GM and coach will be fired!
Milwaukee Brewers
First off, boy, do we play in one murderers row of a division, so that will be a test just in that.
But as a team, we have a solid and well balanced offense. Which will be led by Alex Gomez and supported top to bottom with quality everyday players and significant roleplayers. I feel we have a quality bullpen and a starting staff that, though not having a true "Ace" has what I consider to be 4 good number twos and a qulity 3.
This season is going to be a real test for me as a manager. I've never had a team with this much talent assembled and it is going to be interesting to see if I can fill out lineup cards and manage the nitty gritty well enough to make this team succeed.
And My GM skills will be tested two, with 6 draft picks in the first 54 picks, but limited prospect funds.
All in all, I'm looking forward to a fun and challenging season.
New Orleans Jazz
The new management in New Orleans took over a franchise that has yet to finish above 3rd place in its entire history, and only once has had a winning record. The goal was to change the culture within this franchise. In order to do that our goals were both long term and short term. In the short term, shed large contracts with older players while improving the competitiveness of the team. This team is coming off of 3 straight 100 loss seasons. That's not acceptable. A number of players were brought in to help the team this year, and in the future. Players like Roger Brown, Alex Haney and Kid Rolling. While this year's squad certainly won't be in the playoff hunt, we're confident that the team's record will improve and the team will be in a good spot when the number of prospects that are on the verge of being ML ready begin to make their debuts over the next season or two. Our expectations for this season is 70 wins. We expect our squad to be at .500 in Season 10 and ready to contend in the playoffs in Season 11.
New York Mets
Key players Sellers(c);Candelaria(3B)Fuentes(1B)
Key losses Bush(cp)
Hoping deep pitching staff can keep games close and young bullpen can fill Bush void....key for the future 4 picks in the 1st round this year
Philadelphia Phillies
After a disappointing year last year the Phillies hope that the addition of prospect SP Sam Phelps will bring some depth to the starting rotation. A full season of Heathcliff Haney behind the plate should make for a deeper lineup.The Phillies are still in a bit of a rebuilding mode but will look to make a little noise within their division. The team will once again be relying on Sullivan and Bailey for big years at the plate.
San Francisco
SF finally found respectability last season as new comers Jeff Phelps,Tomas Ortiz, and Max Samuel led us to 84 wins. We had never reached 70 wins previously. I'm hoping to continue the improvement as prospects Neil Foster and Jeff Choo should provide some help.
AL West Preview by mskakunan
The AL West is a juggernaut, producing two WS champs and three AL Champs in seven seasons including the defending champions the Oakland A’s. In every season but one an AL West team has made the LCS and in every season but one at least 2 AL West teams have made the playoffs. In season 6, three AL West teams made the playoffs.
Outlook:
Oakland A’s
The A’s are returning the core of last year’s team including all of the offensive starters and most of the rotation. Last year they were second only to division rival Colorado in runs scored in the AL. Bert Root, Kenny Francis and Jake Rhodes provided the pop last year with 40, 31 and 28 HRs respectively. Shayne Everett stole 35 bases, hit 24 HRs and had a staggering .440 OBP thanks to 100 walks and a .317 BA. Arnold Miller and Luis Ortiz also make critical contributions with OBPs of .382 and .391. Their pitching was sixth in the league but it features 20 game winner Marco Polcovich, one of the best big game pitchers in the game right now. The A’s may have some injury risks in the rotation, so they picked up Delino Guerrero and converted him into a starter to add depth. They also picked up Peaches Moore to strengthen their SS defense. The A’s were targeting a shutdown bullpen arm and a solid starting SS in free agency but were unable to reel in a big fish. They are hoping that these patchwork pieces will suffice as they rely on their booming offense to carry them to another championship.
Seattle Mariners
The M’s are always solid contenders. Their 94 wins last season matched their best finish and they have only been under .500 once in their seven seasons in the league. As you would expect from a team that calls Safeco Field home, the M’s led the AL in WHIP and ERA last year. They return all of their starters (Melky Diaz, Aurelia Uribe, Fritz Gray and Rex Howard) from last year except spot starter Jeff Carter. However, their bullpen is gutted. The M’s are counting on newcomer Delanor Prince to bolster a bullpen that features Hughie Perkins, Bud Jarvis and Kendry Cornejo. Despite their ballpark, Matt Texeira, Frank Terrell, Trent Rivera and Rich Coco all hit 30 or more homers last year and all return to the lineup this year. Hats off to the M’s for the big pick-up in the division this year in Karl Hamill. A 40 HR, .400+ OBP monster, he gives them a lineup that can rival Oakland’s. For 6 million per year for 5 years, he is also one of the game’s great bargains. The addition of Pepper Morris gives them speed to boot. This team is going to be fun to watch and perhaps, after so many years of post season disappointments, the M’s may be ready to make a run.
Anaheim Angels
The Angels finally slipped out of last place last year with a 3rd place finish. This snapped a streak of 5 straight last place finishes. They continue to focus on developing young players and bringing them to the bigs one or two at a time. Two years ago Tito Mays won the Rookie-of-the-Year hitting over .350 and he followed it up with a . 317, 31 HR season. Last year Alex Guerrero came in and smacked 25 HRs in only 379 ABs. This year they hope that Alejandro Bennett becomes the solid leadoff man they have never had and Trevor Crawford gives them a true ace. Last year the Angels were third to last in the league in runs scored and slightly below average in ERA. Theo Matthews delivered a solid .415 OBP but he, Mays and Guerrero had very little help. To win Peter Condrey, Jerome O’Shea, Peter Thurman and Alex Dodsen have to play to their highest potential. New C Francisco Mendoza and new SS Bryan Thomas will do the job defensively but will provide little to no offensive help. The Angels did nothing to bolster their offense in the offseason. They did make a trade to bolster the pitching staff picking up Matty Martinez and they added set-up man rule 5er Roberto Bonillo. They also decided to transition Vic Sanchez to the bullpen to strengthen one of last year’s brutal weaknesses. Khalil Vining is terrific and with Sanchez setting him up, the Angels may suddenly have best bullpen in the division. Martinez and Crawford are huge question marks for this season but could make a great mark on the league in the future. That defines this team generally. If their young players continue to improve, the Angels could keep climbing. Otherwise, “wait till next year” will continue to be the Angels refrain.
Colorado Rockies
One of the league’s storied franchises, the Rockies won 109 games two years in a row including a World Series Championship. But last year they dropped all the way to last place despite leading the league in offense as they always do. Dutch Badenhop is one the game’s greatest players, and he hit over 50 HR’s last season. Hipilito Iglesias had an “off-year” hitting only .344 with just 34 HR’s. Another awesome star. Jeremy Schumaker and Albert Stevens both had more than 40 HR’s and 2 guys named Throneberry both hit more than 30. Danys Romero stole over 80 bases. These guys are all back. So the question is, how do the Rockies ever lose? How about a team WHIP of 1.70 and an ERA that was almost a full run higher than the next worst team? The fans get their money’s worth every day at Coors. Masao Kuo, Santiago Guillon and Jose Ramirez have been brought in to improve the starting staff. The bullpen does not look improved. It is hard to imagine this year’s Rockies being as bad as last year’s given the improvements to the rotation and the fact that many of their offensive studs are quite young. Look for the Rockies to be resurgent. Bottom line: the AL West has at least two teams that will compete for a championship, the A’s and the Mariners.
Monday, October 22, 2012
AL East Preview by hopkinsheel
Baltimore Orioles
Key FA Lost: Sawyer Miller – Starting CFer the last few seasons, but his defense declined past the point where I was comfortable playing him their so I declined his option. He signed with the Cubbies.
Key FA Signed: N/A
Trades: We made a couple of trades in a very quiet trade market. Shipped Art Redding to the Reds who disappointed the last couple seasons. We have a young 3B we are bringing up to take his place. We were able to get a really solid hitter back in Braden Kubel who will spot start in the OF and be a great hitter off the bench. The other trade we made was a prospect swap we were brought in promising SP prospect Frank Rando.
Rookies expected to make their debut: Quinton Valdes will be our starting 3B once we get into the season a bit to get an extra season of before arb will kick in. Collin Meyers is slated to come up as another OF and speed off the bench. Pauley Hogan looks to round out the bullpen as a long reliever and spot starter. Possibly Jaoquin nunez as well, but we don’t have room in the bullpen right now. Hogan and Meyers are original draft picks, Nunez was signed as an International FA last season while Valdes came in via trade a few seasons ago.
Outlook: We expect to win the division. However, it is getting tougher as the Yankees and Red Sox continue to improve and challenge us. We hope to avoid a slot start which has gotten us into trouble the last couple seasons. We were lucky enough to battle back each season, but can’t keep digging that hole constantly.
Boston Red Sox
While the Boston Red Sox had the 5th best offense in all of baseball last season, a 26th ranking in team ERA and a poor lackluster defense who committed 111 errors making them the 2nd worst fielding unit in the Majors last season. New GM Bob Cimorelli takes over reign in Beantown and has wasted no time in revamping the pitching staff and retooling the defense to live up to the athletic talent present on the Major League Squad.
The core of the offense stays the same, but with some key defensive of position moves allows Boston to field a lineup that will keep pitcher's up at night. Newly appointed Rightfielder Carlos Rivera will be counted on to bring his speed (33SBs) and consistent ability to get on base (.290 Avg; .375 OBP) to set the table for the explosive squad. Many experts believe that he may actually have his best season yet this year as new GM has taken the SS responsibilities off his mind and move the well-rounded athlete to right field where he can show off his athleticism and strong arm. Travis Brownson will take over everyday duties at SS and with 500 ABs could return to his 20 HR form while providing solid defense. The heart of the order will consist of big bopper newly appointed second baseman Carl Clayton who recently signed a 5 year extension with the club and sweet swinging third baseman Phil Gao. If those two rakers were not enough, the Red Sox expect the return of powerhouse DH within the 1st month of the season after tearing his ACL last season. If he can regain his .300 BA and 35+ HR capability, Boston make actually improve on the offense they displayed last season. The rest of the offense will be filled with LF Scot Dickey CF Stevie Keppel and newly acquired first baseman free agent Gerald Bong. Behind the plate, Catcher's Micah Mitchell and Burt Washington will share duties and should combine for a productive season. The Red Sox will be dangerous throughout their entire lineup 1 through 9.
To address the pitching situation, the Red Sox wasted no time in picking up veteran free agents Ted Blair and Emil Romero who have pitched consistently in their careers posting ERA's in the 3.00's. Closer Artie Blackburn will look to continuing the success he had last year in the bullpen. The farm system may also produce some live arms to bolster the bullpen, one player to watch may Al Campos who is a ground-ball specialist. Another prospect quickly rising through the organization is speedy CF Benjamin Nunnally.
In all the new GM has added the right pieces and lubed the engine of this high potential team on paper. Only time will tell if the moves on defense and addition of veteran starting pitching will lead to success in this tough division.
Cleveland Indians
Coming off 2 down years in a row, Cleveland is looking for a strong bounce back season this year. We have a solid young catching duo that should be getting even better this year and the foundation of the team lies in our two young stars at 3b and LF, Wells and barrios as well as the solid veteran presence of Cy Larson at 1B. 24 year old CF Babe Coggin should improve off of a steady rookie year. We have a rookie double play combination in Anderson and Sizemore who both seem ready for the show. As always, pitching will be the key and I think we have a solid if not stellar staff anchored by an improving Nolan McGowan and the veteran presence of Max Osoria. Making the jump to the majors will be the dynamic Harpo Drabek and how well he adjusts to the majors will have a great deal to do with where the Indians will finish. Hopefully in the hunt, but realistically a year away from serious contention.
New York Yankees
The outlook for this years Bronx Bombers is upbeat.
Many high draft picks are hitting the Major League team and the Yankees turned the corner fighting to the last series of the year fighting to get into the playoffs. The concerns for the Yankees remains the r starting rotation.
After Dicky Jensen the staff is average. Despite the concerns, the Yankees Bleecher Creatures expect to see playoff baseball this season. The Yankees welcome Santiago Durazo and Albert Sosa to their rotation,
both FA signings. They also expect to rely on rookies Anthony Blackburn Joaquin Polanco Brett Welsh Louis Griffiths
Key FA Lost: Sawyer Miller – Starting CFer the last few seasons, but his defense declined past the point where I was comfortable playing him their so I declined his option. He signed with the Cubbies.
Key FA Signed: N/A
Trades: We made a couple of trades in a very quiet trade market. Shipped Art Redding to the Reds who disappointed the last couple seasons. We have a young 3B we are bringing up to take his place. We were able to get a really solid hitter back in Braden Kubel who will spot start in the OF and be a great hitter off the bench. The other trade we made was a prospect swap we were brought in promising SP prospect Frank Rando.
Rookies expected to make their debut: Quinton Valdes will be our starting 3B once we get into the season a bit to get an extra season of before arb will kick in. Collin Meyers is slated to come up as another OF and speed off the bench. Pauley Hogan looks to round out the bullpen as a long reliever and spot starter. Possibly Jaoquin nunez as well, but we don’t have room in the bullpen right now. Hogan and Meyers are original draft picks, Nunez was signed as an International FA last season while Valdes came in via trade a few seasons ago.
Outlook: We expect to win the division. However, it is getting tougher as the Yankees and Red Sox continue to improve and challenge us. We hope to avoid a slot start which has gotten us into trouble the last couple seasons. We were lucky enough to battle back each season, but can’t keep digging that hole constantly.
Boston Red Sox
While the Boston Red Sox had the 5th best offense in all of baseball last season, a 26th ranking in team ERA and a poor lackluster defense who committed 111 errors making them the 2nd worst fielding unit in the Majors last season. New GM Bob Cimorelli takes over reign in Beantown and has wasted no time in revamping the pitching staff and retooling the defense to live up to the athletic talent present on the Major League Squad.
The core of the offense stays the same, but with some key defensive of position moves allows Boston to field a lineup that will keep pitcher's up at night. Newly appointed Rightfielder Carlos Rivera will be counted on to bring his speed (33SBs) and consistent ability to get on base (.290 Avg; .375 OBP) to set the table for the explosive squad. Many experts believe that he may actually have his best season yet this year as new GM has taken the SS responsibilities off his mind and move the well-rounded athlete to right field where he can show off his athleticism and strong arm. Travis Brownson will take over everyday duties at SS and with 500 ABs could return to his 20 HR form while providing solid defense. The heart of the order will consist of big bopper newly appointed second baseman Carl Clayton who recently signed a 5 year extension with the club and sweet swinging third baseman Phil Gao. If those two rakers were not enough, the Red Sox expect the return of powerhouse DH within the 1st month of the season after tearing his ACL last season. If he can regain his .300 BA and 35+ HR capability, Boston make actually improve on the offense they displayed last season. The rest of the offense will be filled with LF Scot Dickey CF Stevie Keppel and newly acquired first baseman free agent Gerald Bong. Behind the plate, Catcher's Micah Mitchell and Burt Washington will share duties and should combine for a productive season. The Red Sox will be dangerous throughout their entire lineup 1 through 9.
To address the pitching situation, the Red Sox wasted no time in picking up veteran free agents Ted Blair and Emil Romero who have pitched consistently in their careers posting ERA's in the 3.00's. Closer Artie Blackburn will look to continuing the success he had last year in the bullpen. The farm system may also produce some live arms to bolster the bullpen, one player to watch may Al Campos who is a ground-ball specialist. Another prospect quickly rising through the organization is speedy CF Benjamin Nunnally.
In all the new GM has added the right pieces and lubed the engine of this high potential team on paper. Only time will tell if the moves on defense and addition of veteran starting pitching will lead to success in this tough division.
Cleveland Indians
Coming off 2 down years in a row, Cleveland is looking for a strong bounce back season this year. We have a solid young catching duo that should be getting even better this year and the foundation of the team lies in our two young stars at 3b and LF, Wells and barrios as well as the solid veteran presence of Cy Larson at 1B. 24 year old CF Babe Coggin should improve off of a steady rookie year. We have a rookie double play combination in Anderson and Sizemore who both seem ready for the show. As always, pitching will be the key and I think we have a solid if not stellar staff anchored by an improving Nolan McGowan and the veteran presence of Max Osoria. Making the jump to the majors will be the dynamic Harpo Drabek and how well he adjusts to the majors will have a great deal to do with where the Indians will finish. Hopefully in the hunt, but realistically a year away from serious contention.
New York Yankees
The outlook for this years Bronx Bombers is upbeat.
Many high draft picks are hitting the Major League team and the Yankees turned the corner fighting to the last series of the year fighting to get into the playoffs. The concerns for the Yankees remains the r starting rotation.
After Dicky Jensen the staff is average. Despite the concerns, the Yankees Bleecher Creatures expect to see playoff baseball this season. The Yankees welcome Santiago Durazo and Albert Sosa to their rotation,
both FA signings. They also expect to rely on rookies Anthony Blackburn Joaquin Polanco Brett Welsh Louis Griffiths
NL South Preview by drichar138
1st Place – Atlanta Braves
The Braves 3 year reign as division champs came to an end in season 7 as the teams win total fell from 93 to 79 as the club limped to a third place finish and the their first season below .500 in team history. Don’t count on them being down for long. The Braves have the most balanced team in the division and should return to their place atop the division. Alex Cheng, Alex Tarraga and Dario York lead an offense that has very few holes. If you wanted to nit pick, you could say the corner outfield spots are not great offensively, but they certainly do the job on defense. The Braves pitching is just as balanced as their offense. Harold Daily leads a bullpen that can be down right dominating if Tomas Fernandez can live up to the hype and expectations that people had for him heading into his rookie year. Nobody in this rotation dominates, but they can consistently go out and keep their team in the game and that is all that is needed for this line up and bullpen.
2nd place – St. Louis Cardinals
The Cardinals did not step backwards this season, I actually think they can replicate the 85 wins the achieved in season 7. I just don’t think that will be enough to win the division this season. The Cardinals probably have the best offense in the division, although they are not the most balanced (See Atlanta). Bucky Stults and Ariel Mateo are very strong in the corner outfield spots. In addition Claudio Gray will finally get his chance to prove he can play at the ML level after 4 years at AAA and many feel like he may be the division’s best kept secret. Bonk Stein is the veteran behind the plate that holds it all together and if he can repeat his numbers from last year, this team should be able to make people forget that Merv Dorsey is no longer in this line up. Corey Griffin and Johan Springer lead the rotation, but may be hard pressed to repeat the success they had last season. Hee Sop Nakamura was untouchable in season 7 coming out of the pen, but after two seasons of dominating NL hitters, you have to wonder if the guy with the career ERA over 4.00 in his first 5 major league seasons is going to show up at some point.
3rd place – Florida Marlins
There is a lot to like about this Marlins team, but there is a lot that worries fans as well. Gerald Martin is a great hitter when he is in the lineup, probably is, he is almost never in the lineup due to durability issues. Carl Marte is probably the best defensive SS in the division, but the rest of the teams defense leaves a bit to be desired. Cliff Drew is coming off a fantastic rookie year where he hit 34 home runs and drove in 100 runs, but scouts seem to think he is in store for a sophomore slump considering his inability to make contact in key situations and the fact that he sometimes struggles to hit right handed pitching. It seems like there is a “but” to say in every situation where the Marlins have something to get excited about. One thing nobody can dispute is that Seth Wall is a pure stud starting pitcher. Combine Wall with Ronnie Brooks and you’ve got two guys that can hide a lot of weaknesses. The fact that Seth Wall is only 23 means that even though they may not be in line for a rise in the division this season, it is not out of the conversation that some day he will have this team in position to shine in the post season.
4th Place – Houston Astros
Someday, this team may climb out of their yearly 3rd or 4th place ranking in the division, but it won't be season 8. The team has never finished above 3rd and has never even finished above .500. Last season’s 79 wins, was the 2nd best mark in team history. Moises Gonzalez is the best player on the team and pulled an Andre Dawson by winning the NL MVP last season on a team that was never in contention. Nobody else in the lineup will strike fear into the hearts of NL pitchers. The Astros have a couple of nice starting pitchers in Rob Tipton and Ignacio Polanco, but lack depth in the back end of their rotation. The bullpen is young, unproven and lacks the presence of a lock down closer. While the near future isn’t so bright, there are some decent prospects in the organization that could eventually lead this team to the dream of a .500 season. Until then, they will be taking their place in the NL South cellar.
Sunday, October 14, 2012
New Rule
After a lot of thought I've decided to add a new rule to the worlds I run. It does not affect gameplay at all so I am not putting it up for discussion or a vote. I spend a lot of time and effort to run these HBD worlds. I feel like I do a really good job and anyone can see, most HBD worlds are not run well AND take a lot time to fill during rollover. I've had some bad experiences lately with a couple owners who took over midseason from another owner who chose to leave and then refused to do the same when they did not want to stick around.
All HBD worlds have to deal with the churn of owner. I recently dropped the one world I was in where I did not commish because of time constraints. After 40+ seasons of running worlds, I've found that it EASILY is the most beneficial to the world for a replacement owner to be found immediately once someone decides they are moving on. Inevitably the team is not taken as well care of and/or long term decisions are made by the outgoing owner which the incoming owner has to deal with.
The veteran owners whom I like to attract to these worlds almost uniformly prefer to take over the current budget instead of starting from the standard neutral budget.
Moving forward, if you choose to not come back next season, then you are open to transferring your team early. Preferably I would like that to happen immediately once the roll call is taken, however I understand each of us pays for a full season and if you demand to stick it out through the 162 game regular season then perfectly understandable. Furthermore, NO LONG TERM decisions are to be made by the outgoing owner without prior approval from the commissioner. This primarily is targeted at re-signing outgoing free agents, but trades will not be allowed either.
Very very rarely does an owner from a playoff squad leave one of my worlds. However, in those cases the incoming owner will send a gift certificate to make up for the credits you will be missing out on by transferring your team.
To sum up...the positives are huge for when a new owner comes in before rollover. They get to take their time and analyze their team, they get to promote/demote minor leagues, they get to make free agent decisions, and they get to inherit the current budget. This also helps the other owners in the world as it is MUCH easier to recruit a new owner when they have this option and we don't have to wait for someone to enter the world after rollover.
Sorry for the essay, but I wanted everyone to see I have thought long and hard about this. This rule will make the worlds better and make my job easier.
All HBD worlds have to deal with the churn of owner. I recently dropped the one world I was in where I did not commish because of time constraints. After 40+ seasons of running worlds, I've found that it EASILY is the most beneficial to the world for a replacement owner to be found immediately once someone decides they are moving on. Inevitably the team is not taken as well care of and/or long term decisions are made by the outgoing owner which the incoming owner has to deal with.
The veteran owners whom I like to attract to these worlds almost uniformly prefer to take over the current budget instead of starting from the standard neutral budget.
Moving forward, if you choose to not come back next season, then you are open to transferring your team early. Preferably I would like that to happen immediately once the roll call is taken, however I understand each of us pays for a full season and if you demand to stick it out through the 162 game regular season then perfectly understandable. Furthermore, NO LONG TERM decisions are to be made by the outgoing owner without prior approval from the commissioner. This primarily is targeted at re-signing outgoing free agents, but trades will not be allowed either.
Very very rarely does an owner from a playoff squad leave one of my worlds. However, in those cases the incoming owner will send a gift certificate to make up for the credits you will be missing out on by transferring your team.
To sum up...the positives are huge for when a new owner comes in before rollover. They get to take their time and analyze their team, they get to promote/demote minor leagues, they get to make free agent decisions, and they get to inherit the current budget. This also helps the other owners in the world as it is MUCH easier to recruit a new owner when they have this option and we don't have to wait for someone to enter the world after rollover.
Sorry for the essay, but I wanted everyone to see I have thought long and hard about this. This rule will make the worlds better and make my job easier.
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