Friday, May 25, 2012

The Who Cares NL Preview

With a grand total of five championship in the world history, the NL has been the abortion that got away. With that said, here is your NL preview.

NL North

The NL North is stacked with top end starting pitching. Also for the first time in 10 season, they are bringing in a new owner.

New York Midtowners are going for their third straight North title. The team is aging some and it is starting to show on the ratings. Last season they were a top five hitting team and they should be around there again this season. With just a little better OBP% they could add a bunch of runs. The pitching last season was top three in the NL. The rotation is headed by five time All Star Angel Cueto. The fielding was just awful last season. Poor fielding % and upside down on the +/-. If Alex Aguilar gets everyday work at SS that should help out a ton.

Key Players

Wins 89-93

Montreal Otters just missed the post season last year and are on the cusp to break into it this season. This squad is also getting old quick and the window with the current group is getting tight. The pitching is not as good as the others in the North but holds its own NL wide sitting around average. Fielding is good to go and in the top five. Hitting was in the top three.

Key Player

Wins 86-90

Buffalo Freeze has one of the best starting rotations in baseball headed by the best current pitcher, "Rowdy" Russell Reitz. The line-up is solid but last season didn't show it. The fielding is below average.

Key players

Wins 78-82

Toledo LittleGREENmen were not firing well last season. Pitching was not were it has been the last few seasons finishing in the bottom half of the NL. Defense is below average. Hitting was about middle of the pack. They do lack a pop in the line up.

Key Players

Wins 75-79

NL East

Columbus Chocolate Homunculi has a nice mix of hitting, pitching and fielding. Last seasons hitting numbers were above average but I think that will be right about there again this season. Pitching numbers showed up in the top five. Fielding plays well enough.

Key Players

Wins 89-93

Atlanta Braves were last seasons sacrifice to the AL. Offense was good enough last season and pushed runs across the plate. Pitching was outstanding and placing in the top three with out any high end studs thanks to the great defense.

Key players

Wins 89-93

Philadelphia Phillies have had issues because of the weakness of the free agency market. The good news is Hector Merced is back. Fielding was best in the NL last season.Pitching was also very strong last year. Hitting was below average to bad. They are really fighting age here.

Key Players

Wins 87-91

Washington D.C. Black Bears are still a season or two away from pushing for the post season. This is a team with some outstanding prospects but lacking ML talent. Bottom three in both hitting and pitching but fielded very well.

Key players

Wins 68-72

NL South

With two of the top 3 picks in the upcoming draft the south has some work to do.

Houston Grandes will go for their 8th straight South title. A terrible fielding team. They were in the top half in pitching and were the best hitting and run score team. Floyd "The Hit Man" Mullen is sucking up a large chunk of payroll but comes off the books at season end.

Key players

Wins 99-103

Charleston Ashley Coopers are your average team. Middle of the pack in both pitching and hitting. Fielding  though is in the bottom tier. Not a whole lot going on this off season for our world traveler. Some interesting guy in AAA could see ml action at some point this season.

Key Players

Wins 80-84

Charlotte Shock have been restocking the minors for the last few season and might still be a season or two away from really pushing for more wins. Last season was brutal in the field. Not any better in the mound. Hitting was also below average. Tim Herndon was brought in to help on the mound.

Key player

Wins 65-69

Wichita Waves is in an all out rebuilding mode. Billhowell75 is taking his 274+ season of experience to work on the overhaul. Right now though, I have them pegged for the top pick in next years draft.

Key players

Wins 58-62

NL West

Sacramento Renegades are the cream of the NL. They hoovered around the middle of the pack in hitting. They were top five in both pitching and fielding though. Busy in free agent spending this off season adding Gus West to the rotation.

Key Players
Davey Fick
Luther Hutton
Matt Burns

Wins 100-104

Salem EliteDucks will be right on the heels of the Renegades this season.Passable with the gloves but nothing special. Pitching was pretty good and hitting was top five. High end players make this team go but the gap between the top guys and bottom guys is rather large.

Key Players
Big Dick Randall
Jordan Weiss
Andy Hunter

Wins 97-101

Vancouver Whitecaps are back on the up swing but still maybe a season away from making too much noise. They were in the bottom five in pitching and hitting but both should come closer to the middle of the pack this season. Field was middle of the pack.

Key Players
Patrick Bundy
Marcus Washington
Lorenzo Sierra

Wins 78-81

FINALLLY

Las Vegas Blue Demons field really well second best in the NL. Hitting was dead last and pitching was just about middle of the pack.

Key players
Jordy "The Juicer" Hobbs
Matty Guerrero
Juan Gomez

Wins 70-74



Post Season Spots
  1. Sacramento Renegades
  2. Houston Grandes
  3. Columbus Chocolate Homunculi
  4. New York Midtowners
  5. Salem EliteDucks
  6. Florida Phantoms
The top two teams show well in the post season and do battle with another Cloud vs Bernie World Series Match up.

Awards
The Alex Silva(NL MVP): Davey Fick
The Hector Merced(NL Cy Young): Big Dick Randall
Enrique Olivares (ROY): Max Valentin
Fireman Matt Burns

Monday, May 21, 2012

Season 24 AL Preview

AL NORTH

The Best division in baseball has slipped a bit but still has the title because I say so.


Seattle Grunge brought ferg63 his first division title last season with a 96 wins. They have not really added much so we will see basically the same team that was a top five hitting, pitching and fielding team. If you can be top five in all parts of the game it can lead to a nice season. They still lack top end pitching but park factors and great defense has worked well in the past for them and I don't think it will change now.

Key players
Jake Jennings
David Bolivar
Tony Tavarez

Wins 89-93


Pawtucket Juggernauts always seem to be in the mix for the post season hunt. Last season they ran off 92 wins. They signed Sean Hafner to help replace the injured Geraldo Belliard in the bullpen. Not a highlight reel fielding club but they make the plays they are suppose to. They hit about middle of the pack last season and they should be about right in that area again this season. The starting are one of the best groups in the AL.

Key players
Shane Kraemer
Anthony Rivera
Jarrod Walton

Wins 87-91

Minnesota Millers had an off season last year. They didn't hit very well and pitching should have been better. They were about average in the field. The addition of Eduardo Palacios should help out some in center field. Russell Young is also added in with hopes that he still has something left in his bat. Trevor Wilkins what given a large contract to fill in as a number four starter.

Key players
Bryce McMillon
Roger Jamison
Lyle Moran

Wins 85-89

Detroit Miracles are still feeling the pains of losing two of the best pitchers in the world. They are also about average in the field of slightly below. They were a bottom half pitching team and also bottom half hitting club. Adrian Donovan was signed as a free agent and they traded for Alex Thomas and Herbert Pride and added Jack Cecil via rule V.

Key players
Keith Haad
Adrian Donovan
Herbert Pride

Wins
81-85



AL East


Baltimore Baybirds are coming off of a heart breaking post season loss. the top hitting and pitching team in the AL. They are a crisp fielding team with too. The rotation is great the pen is strong the line-up is stacked.

Key players
The whole roster is what I meant.

Wins 105-109


Cincinnati Red Legs won 96 games in season 22 and dropped down to 66 wins last season with out much roster change. Last season they were a bottom 5 hitting team and a below average pitching team. Also the fielding was below average. The AAA team is stacked with plenty of players ready to head to the ML at some point this season.

Key Players
Dave Barnes
Scott Wallace

Wins 82-86 if AAA players are promoted after twenty games

Indianapolis Devils are the traditional bridesmaids in the East. Last season they had the most errors in the AL and were about even in the +/-. They were a bottom five pitching team and let up a league leading 244 home runs. Hitting was just below average. It was a busy off season adding Gerald Zhang in a trade and free agent signings of Billy Neill, Vitas Sutton, and Damaso Roque. In AAA they have a couple of players that could help them get some wins this season too.

Key Players

Wins 79-83


Chicago White Sox ended last season on an 11 game losing streak. They were the bottom hitting team in the AL. The pitching was below average. The Fielding was very near the bottom as well. They added Aaron Abbott and Magglio Jose to help fill in some needs. The starting rotation in young and has huge upside. Pitching should be much better. Hitting is still terrible but the fielding should be improved a little bit.

Key Players

Wins 68-72

AL South Home of the World Champs



El Paso Silverbacks kept the championship in the AL were it belongs. They were a top two hitting and pitching team and also fielded above average. This off season was about keeping the core together. There is not reason they should not be pushing for another title this season.

Key Players

Wins 104-108


Jackson  Rebels are a team base on defense with an impressive +/- ratio. Last season they were a bit below average in hitting. Adding David Gomez should help get a few more runs across the plate this season. Pitching was above average though they lack top end starting pitching. The pen is in good shape and should hold leads well enough.

Key Players

Wins 78-81

Memphis Packers have a long history of winning in Kaline. The last few season have needed some roster turning but they have enough players to win some games. They were a bottom tiered pitching staff last season and add Edgard Segui to help out with that. Pitching might still struggle some this season. Offense was about middle of the road. Defense was awful and looks to be about the same this season.

Key Players

Wins 70-74

Durham Spitoons is a fairly deep team. They were a top three defensive team last season. Hitting was in the top half last season and should improve some this year. Pitching was also about middle of the pack. There is a bit of a face lift on the pitching staff as they added Hector Bautista and Aurelio Seanez. Overall I see an improved team.

Key players

Wins 84-88

AL West
The west had to be delayed a day because I just don't know how it is going to bounce. Not like I know how anything is going to bounce but the top three teams are so close.

Helena Troy was historically terrible in the field last season being only one of two teams in the AL upside down in +/- plays. They also pitched terrible. They were a top five hitting club though. infamy has a great winning track record and I believe the team is finally ready to push.

Key Players
Robinson Lanier
Miguel Guillen
Vladimir Fernandez

Wins 82-86

Los Angeles Scandals have a nice fitting name due to last seasons issues. With that mostly behind us I continue. Some new owner mistakes by letting Ubaldo Maduro unprotected before the rule V draft after making a trade. If the owner of the team was asked I bet he would be willing to make things right. It was a busy off season here with lots of movement. They pitched well last season and that should repeat. Hitting was terrible but that should be improved. Fielding was impressive with a +/- difference over 100.


Key Players
Erubiel Delgado
Charlie Ohman
Benito Tejera

Wins 82-86

Scottsdale Slam are going to make a strong push for their sixth AL West title. The away pitching proves that they are a solid pitching staff. The hitters have no issues crossing the plate and they added Brutus Girardi and Stephen Smalley to keep them scoring. Defense was about average. Leon Blasingame was added and he should be able to get about 15-20 innings. They should think about signing Howard Black.

Key Players
Vic Bishop
Morgan Coles
Ramiro Cabrera

Wins 82-86

Honolulu Hoplites are in season six of the rebuild. They were the bottom pitching team in the world. A bottom five hitting team in the world and the bottom in the AL. Fielding was below average. It is a young team with a fine crop of minor league talent. Still might be a year away from pushing too mush though.

Key Players
Hector Jenkins
Victor Marmol
Timo Benard

Wins 64-68









Post Season Placement




  1. Baltimore Baybirds
  2. El Paso Silverbacks
  3. Seattle Grunge
  4. Helena Troy
  5. Pawtucket Juggernauts
  6. Cincinnati Red Legs
And Baltimore goes onto the World Series after a tough six game series against The Red Legs

Awards

The Chris Ray(MVP): Jerry Leonard
The Floyd Mullen(Cy Young): Armando Ramirez
The Gary Seavers(ROY): Graham Romero
The Tony Ontiveros(Fireman): Benji Lira

Friday, May 11, 2012

Pitcher VS Pitcher and Free Agentcy War Chests

Pitcher ,1 30 years old Type "A" Free agent

Pitcher 2, 31 years old Type "B" Free agent
Career Numbers


(1) OPS against .720 WHIP 1.33 K/BB 2.5/1
(2) OPS Against .722 WHIP 1.36 K/BB 1.9/1
 
Key Ratings
(1) Durability 33 Health 92 ST 70 Control 86 L 69 R 73 1st 83 2nd 79 3rd 53 4th 62 5th 42
(2) Durability 30 Health 68 ST 69 Control 79 L 72 R 77 !st 86 2nd 68 3rd 67 4th 56 5th N/A
 
How much more money would you be willing to pay Gus West over Trevor Wilkins? West will cost you a draft pick plus will put you in a bidding war for most of the of season. Wilkins doesn't cost a pick and is just about as good. I for one will be offering tons of cash to West because I am just not that smart.

Spending Money*

(*quick glance)
(**Not yet Completed Arbitration)
((Cheater) means the guy is a Known Cheater inside the game)
Means can offer max deal after Arb.

That gives 11 team right now at a chance for a max deal. Of those 11 though six still have to run arbitration and after that 7 maybe 8 teams able to offer a max deal.





Friday, May 4, 2012

Season 24 Scary Arbitration Numbers

The World Champs  El Paso Silverbacks, will find them selves in a bit of a jam with Alfredo Espinosa asking for 11.4 million, Jose Cortez asking for 8.2 and Del Figureoa asking for 4.8. They already have about 76 million in contracts out for 19 players.
The Trible Bs  also will see some large Arb numbers head up by Armando Ramirez asking for about 11 million.
Pete Stein is crazy to ask for 9.1 from Durham.

Donovan Willis is shooting for 8.3 from The Slam.

Free Agency at a glance Posistion

If it is a power hitter you want then you need not look into free agency this season. Stephen Smalley has a bit left in the tank but his power is going quick.
Need a back up catcher/DH? Vasco Martinez  should get on base at a nice pace still though he never was a true catcher. Alex Rios can play the poor mans Martinez. Abdul Murray  has a little stick left and can catch if needed. Eugene Lewis is younger but will cost you a draft pick. Glenallen Hatfield should be cheap and could keep a spot warm.
Firstbasemen... Yuck. David Gomez can still hit a bit and should add to his 530 career homeruns. That is about it.
Secondbase: Andres Pujols will ask for a large contract but is not really worth it. Sean Giles is young and an ok player.
Thirdbase: Russell Young could give you a bit of offense but his days at third are all but gone. Tony Benjamin is made of glass and also cant field too well there anymore. Cal Harris needs to see the eye doctor.
Short Stop: Mike Lowery can hit some but but not enough to overcome below average fielding. Kris Tate is your best option for glove first type.
Left Field: Damaso Roque is ok and can play everyday. I don't think he is worth losing a pick for though.
Center Field: Vitas Sutton is an alright player and can hold his own at the plate as well as in the field. Nolan Snow would not be terrible to have on a team but NOT in center. Those days are long gone if they were every there.
Right Field: A bunch junk!