NCAA World

Gene Wise's Story by Sirius07

2012-02-09T20:45:00.000-08:00

It all started when I, sirius07, joined NCAA for the first season. The Ducks were not bad at all, but something was missing. I did not have much experience at that time, but I known that having good pitchers would help in my stadium. So, before the season even starts, I was looking for an ace. I had some prospects to give.

Gene Wise was in the farm system of Las Vegas Runnin' Rebels who would becomes later the Helena Grizzlies. I was looking at him, and I knew that this guy was what I needed. So, the trade was made and it was a huge one.

I gave up David Cordero and Domingo Servet for Gene Wise, Steve Bevil, and Lawrence Hill.

Cordero might join Wise in the HoF with his 563 HR, 1466 RBI and 2057 after 14 seasons in the ML. He is still playing at 36 years old.

Servet is also a good candidate for the HoF. As today, he has 227 wins and an ERA of 3.04. Even with his 36 years old, he is still a great pitcher.

Wise had a great career, and still has the record for the most wins in one season, 24. Also, he has won 20+ games three times. He helped the Ducks all his career.

Bevil and Hill have never done what they were supposed to do. It might be a lack of judgment from me, but I had Wise in my team. If I remember well, the NL teams were happy to see him go to AL.

Seeing those results today make me think that it was not a good trade for me, but Gene Wise gave us some great seasons and this is what I was looking for.

Now, the Ducks are hoping to see him become a coach in the future. While Wise was aging, the Ducks drafted a young pitcher, Gary Frey, that might follow the path of Gene Wise. Only time will tell us.

Season 15 World Series Preview by tk21775

2012-01-19T09:41:00.001-08:00

Thanks to tk for putting this together. I had planned on doing it, but figured it made more sense to get an "unbiased" opinion since I am apart of it.

S15 World Series Preview

Representing the American League this season will be the Anaheim Trojans (84-78). Owner ajwalton is no stranger to the playoffs, having taken his team to postseason play 8 out of his 12 seasons and bringing home the trophy twice. The Trojans will be representing the Cinderella team as they managed to sneak into the playoffs as the 6th seed and final wildcard spot in a very tight race. Seeding means nothing to these guys though as they swept their 1st series with #3 seed Nashville Commodores (2 1-run games), took one game longer against #2 seed Salem Beavers by winning 3 in a row, and then had to go the distance against #5 seed Minnesota Golden Gophers in a tightly contested series. For offense the Trojans are going to have to rely on the homerun ball as they finished 3rd in the majors with balls hit out of the park, while finishing 20th in team batting avg., 12th in RBI, and dead last in stolen bases with 0. They will bring a team that features 4 players with 90+ power, 4 with 80+, and 2 with 70+ so no lead will be safe with this kind crushing bats at the plate. For pitching they’ll rely on the arms of Jake Randolph (post-season era 2.05), Davy Woods (2.89), and Miguel Barcelo (5.089). If Barcelo can get back to his regular season form this is a very solid trio to throw out on the mound.

Representing the National League in the World Series will be the Charlotte Tar Heels and owner hopkinsheel. This team is also no strangers to playing after the regular season, having made it to the playoffs 12 out of the franchises 15 seasons while also taking home the trophy twice. The Tar Heels finished as the #2 seed, receiving a first round bye and having a relative esay time getting through the playoffs. They went 4 games with the #3 seed Richmond Spiders and 5 games with the #4 seed Helena Grizzlies dropping the first game but winning the next 4. Offensively the Tar Heels are a dangerous team. They finished 7th in team batting avg., 5th in home runs, and 3rd in RBI. With a lineup featuring Bryant (8HR/20RBI/.410avg in playoffs), Pong (5/9/.412), Olmedo, and Hermanson there’s not too many easy outs. Finishing 7th in team pitching ERA, they’ll rely on their two young arms: Gimenez (2.08 in playoffs) and Prado (4.58).

Statistically I’d have to say the advantage on paper goes to the Charlotte Tar Heels. In the regular season they were near the top in fielding, pitching, and hitting. In the playoffs they’re still near the top in all categories. I think the Trojans have the pitching advantage in this series as far as starting pitching but will face a very tough lineup. If I were a betting man (CONFIDENTAL: which I am so trade chat your wagers for the series discreetly) I’d make the Tar Heels the favorites and have them pegged to hoist the trophy up after game 6. But since I’m not a very good betting man, take this all with a grain of salt. Both teams had a great season to make it here, so here’s to a good series between them. Good luck to both the Anaheim Trojans and the Charlotte Tar Heels in the S15 NCAA World Series.

Season 15 - Amateur Draft Review by tk21775

2011-12-28T08:15:00.000-08:00

Thanks again to tk for the assist! Please keep in mind that we all see different projections and this is just for fun with honest analysis.

S15 NCAA Amateur Draft ($14M Advanced Scouting Budget)

1). Little Rock Razorbacks – Frieri Santiago – Solid #1 picks with Santiago who looks to play 3B for the Razorbacks; solid defense, 100 health rating, great speed, and a solid bat. Can’t see any weakness with him and it looks like he’ll be ready to play in the majors sooner rather than later.

2). Louisville Cardinals – Richie Wingo – The Cardinals grabbed a SP with their #2 selection who looks like he could pitch in the majors by next season if needed and will only get better. He’s got the stamina and durability to be a starter along with great control and solid splits. Only weakness would be 4 average pitches although that would be nitpicking.

gerald007 - "Wingo's a nice arm, but probably no higher than a 2 or 3 in the future. Like everyone else, I was broken hearted that the SS taken first didn't fall to me with the second pick."

3). Oakland Golden Bears – Nigel Michalak – For the #3 pick I’m not particularly fond of this guy. He’s got a great bat and will be a force against opposing pitchers but his durability looks to keep him on the bench quite often and he’s projected to be slightly below average defensively for a 1B.

4). Memphis Tigers – Chili Carver – Great pickup for the Tigers as they land themselves a solid SP here. High durability/stamina combo will allow him to pitch late into games, nice control and great splits. He’s a groundball pitcher which I personally value and has two great pitches and two above averages pitches in his arsenal. Throw in that he’s a lefty with high health and makeup and I really like this pick for the Tigers.

mh17 - "The Tigers are pleased to select Chili Carver with the 4th overall pick, if he stays true to his projected path he will be a great No. 1 or 2 starter. Very good splits and quality command of his pitches."

5). Iowa City Hawkeyes – Pokey Miller – Hawkeyes might be regretting this pick already as Miller’s low health rating already has him with a 245 day injury at this writing. While he’s still projected to be a very nasty pitcher against left-handed batters and above average against righties, the low health and elbow surgery already look to limit him.

6). Arizona Sun Devils – Bart Gunderson – Gunderson looks to be a decent SP with great control and decent splits although no real dominate pitches.

lpa2a - "Very disappointing. Col scout (18) had him as great and adv scout (10) has downgraded him.We'll see which he lives up to."

7). Buffalo Bulls – Taylor Sellers – Good SP selection here, can pitch late into games, has great control and decent splits along with some nice pitches.

gdfan - "The new philosophy in Buffalo is to build through the draft. Taylor Sellers was the #2 rated player on my draft board. I'm projecting him to be a front of the rotation starter by season 20."

8). Dover Fightin Blue Hens – Jaime Lowry – Don’t like this pick only because he’ll be in my division ;) Great defensive CF or 2B as he throws right-handed; has great speed and a decent bat. Very nice pick at #8 in this draft.

byers61 - "The Fightling Blue Hens drafted CF/2b Jaime Lowry. He brings power and speed to the position, though he almost needs a diamond-in-the-rough type revelation on his baserunning. He has a good batting eye and should be a stellar centerfielder if he develops to his potential."

9). Huntington Thundering Herd – Collin Hartley – Will depend on how he develops defensively to be sure of this pick. His glove has a ways to go but projects right there on the border of SS. If he can handle SS defensively he’ll have a nice bat for that position; if he only turns out to be a 3B he’ll still have a nice bat but below average for that position.

hurricane384 - "Collin Hartley is a tremendously durable player who can give you good defense. This draft had 1 guy at the top in my mind and then a group of guys who all had significant downfalls. It is hard to find a SS who can play defense and hit some, and I think a guy like Hartley will give me an OBP of .350 while playing good defense."

10). New Orleans Bayou Bengals – Sid Betancourt – Nice selection here at #10. He looks like he should handle SS no problem but his glove has a ways to go. He’ll be a force on the bases and has a good bat for the SS position although vR is below average. Still has good eye, power, and eye more than what I see at that position.

coachsimon - "Sid Betancourt has speed to burn and excellent hitting skills for a good defensive SS. If he develops defensively as expected he will safv runs with his glove and create a few extra with his bat and speed. Rated higher than 10 on my board."

11). Philadelphia Owls – Shigetoshi Tabaka – Owls grabbed themselves a left-handed SP with their selection that looks to have great control and vL with above average vR; 1 good pitch with 3 average pitches and a high health rating looks like he’ll be a solid #3 SP in the majors some day.

jeanpaul22 - "We're very pleased with our pick, Tabaka was second on our list and we didn't expect to see him available at our turn. Our scouts like him a lot, he should be very strong against lefties and solid againt righties. He has a great control of his fastball and he should also gives us many quality innings. We very happy to had some talent in our organization."

12). Jackson Rebels – Woody Morris – Another SP taken who will see the majors some day. Morris has great control and good splits, along with two very nice pitches and two below average pitches.

13). Columbus Buckeyes – Les Rivera – While teams were grabbing up SP, Rivera fell down to #13 and the Buckeyes have to be happy. A solid defensive 2B with blazing speed and a great bat, surprised that he fell this low.

weena - "Christmas came early for the Buckeyes. Landing our #1 pick is cause for dancing in the streets of Columbus. Les will be a permanant fixture in our ML lineup for many years."

14). New York Red Storm – Dom Payton – Payton’s overall doesn’t look to enticing but looking at his ratings he looks to be a nice pickup by the Storm. He’ll be able to handle the C position defensively and has a real nice bat with decent durability. Not sure why his overall is lower but just proves to me that overall doesn’t mean that much.

15). Charleston Cougars – Omar Quinones – Like this selection at #15. While he has lower stamina, his high durability should still allow him to be in the starting rotation. He’s got great control along with splits and a great #1 pitch with 3 average pitches. With all the pitching taken a very nice selection at this spot.

dgtrache - "Charleston believes that Omar Quinones will develop into a quality middle of the rotation pitcher. One potential roadblock is his makeup which may slow development."

16). Chicago Blue Demons – Vince Mitchell – Another pitcher taken which makes 9 in the first 16. Mitchell has high durability/stamina along with great splits and above average control with one great pitch and 3 averages ones. His health I’m sure scared a few owners away from selecting him.

17). Minnesota Golden Gophers – Sidney Thompson – Another pitcher although the first one who looks to be working out of the bullpen. Great control and splits along with 2 great pitches and 3 average ones he’s a very nice selection. His durability is low so he won’t be an everyday pitcher but he’ll be a very solid addition to the Gophers pen.

18). Kansas City Wildcats – Aaron Servais – Doesn’t look like Servais will be handle SS duties but can handle just about everything else. With him throwing right-handed he can handle 2B, CF, 3B, and RF positions. He’s got some nice power in his bat although a below average vL but the Wildcats will be able to use him quite often at multiple positions.

llcc - "The Kansas City Wildcats first round pick is Aaron Servais. He is a shortstop who will hit for power steal some bases but will strikeout a lot."

19). Helena Grizzlies – Juan Posada - With all the pitching taken in this draft I’m shocked that Posada was still available at #19. Great control and splits along with 2 great pitches and 3 average pitches, high health and makeup, and groundball pitchers he’s better than some taken above him. The only knock would be the 22 durability but with a 76 stamina I wouldn’t be too concerned. Grizzlies looked to have spent some time preparing for this draft and it paid off nicely for them.

drichar138 - "The Grizzlies were looking to just get the best player available at #19 and landed Juan Posada . He is a raw talent that we hope to develop into a solid starter at the ML level in 4 or 5 seasons."

20). Seattle Huskies – Brad Finley – Huskies grab a LF/1B player with their selection with an above average bat in all areas.

21). Boise Broncos – Einar Lee – Another team that looked to be well prepared for the draft, the Broncos find their 3B of the future. He can handle the position defensively or take over in RF if needed and brings a very nice power bat. The contact I’m sure kept a few teams away but at #21 I love the pick.

abesmem - "I was very happy with picking Einar Lee with the 21st pick. I had him ranked #4 overall on my board. While he was listed as a SS I've already converted him to a 3B/RF. He has better than average power, a good arm and handles LH's and RH's very well. He's starting out in High A ball and should be in the majors in a couple of years."

22). Portland Ducks – Alfonso Gil – The Ducks also grab a LF/1B player with their selection with a very nice bat although average power.

sirius07 - "Alfonso Gil is not a bad choice, but the Ducks were looking for a starting pitcher. Gil is an average player that may end in the left side of the field. We will see in few seasons if he can get a starting spot in the Bigs."

23). Syracuse Orange – Russell Relaford – Can handle the C position defensively and has one of the better bats of the draft but his stamina (56) will keep him off the field for a large chunk of the season.

evil doers - "We at Syracuse are thrilled in the recent signing of Russell Relaford. A catcher that can hit like that with the 23rd pick. Are you kidding me? Sure,we know he won't play 150 games a year, but he'll hit with anyone for his 350-400 or so plate appearances, that's for sure."

24). Little Rock Razorbacks – Rob Blackwell – Another low rating player that I like. His stamina/durability are borderline SP material for me but I’d throw him in the rotation. Average control but very nice splits along with 4 very good pitches, the Razorbacks looked past the overall number and got themselves a very good pitcher in my opinion.

25). Anaheim Trojans – Benito Roque – A very solid SP who looks to have dropped due to health. He’s got great control and splits, two solid pitches and one average pitch but his health rating is only 55. He stays healthy and he’s a steal in the draft.

ajwalton - "Anaheim is pleased to have grabbed Roque at the back end of the first round. There are concerns about his stamina and durability, but he looks like a potential solid #3 if our scouting is accurate...and it might not be."

26). Cincinnati Bearcats – Matthew Cox – Nice selection here by the Bearcats. Cox will be a good closer with the stamina/durability to handle the position nearly everyday with great control and vL with nice vR and two very good pitches.

allright - "Matthew Cox has a chance to make it to the bigs as a second line set-up man. The Bearcats paid the price for being unreasonably tight with the scouting budget. It will take time to right the ship."

27). Richmond Spiders – Emil Battle – Looks very similar to Detroit’s 1st RD pick, nice overall SP until you look at his vL.

28). Arizona Sun Devils – Jaime Reed – Another solid selection this late in the 1st round. Solid defensive 2B with above average bat and some speed.

lpa2a - "Great fielding 2B but only 79 durability. Should hit well and make an ML squad. Very happy given his draft position."

29). Nashville Commodores – Tanyon Allen – Bullpen pitcher with great control and splits, 1 great pitch and 2 solid ones in the arsenal. Very nice pickup here as well this late.

cctigerfan - "Tanyon Allen is projected as a middle of the rotation starter if his stamina develops as expected"

30). Texas Red Raiders – Vin Lopez – 3rd C taken in the 1st RD and he can handle the position defensively as well. Above average bat except for a lower vL.

31). Charlotte Tar Heels – Howie Reddick – Tar Heels keep the C selection with their pick and grab the best defensive C out of the 4 selected so far. Nice contact and power in the bat although low vL and eye.

hopkinsheel - Pretty happy with this pick. We always have a high PC catcher on our roster for backup purposes and late game defensive replacement. Typically this is a Round 3-5 selection for us, but couldn't pass up such a solid hitter with those defensive characteristics.

32). Fargo Bison – Junior Daniels – Bison grab a closer with their selection. Low durability/stamina combo so we’ll see how they use him. Nice control and very good splits with two good pitches.

33). Detroit Wolverines – Eddie Moore – SP who will maybe see long relief role due to his below average vL.

tk21775 - "Time will tell with Eddie, he projected to look better than what I see now but he'll have great control and decent enough vR to pitch although vL is borderline ML material for what I like."

Season 15 - Top 10 Prospects

2011-11-22T08:03:00.000-08:00

Please keep in mind that my advanced scouting is different that yours. Please also keep in mind that I wrote this for fun and to discuss. Please don't take it personally if "your" guy didn't make the top 10. Originally I wanted to make the list only guys that were called up this season, but there were some entries for guys that were "September callups" last season that are eligible rookies this season that I decided to include. Thanks to everyone for sending in entries!

1.

Ronnie Magee
Seattle
Huskies
Age: 25	B/T: S/R
Born: San Rafael, CA
Position(s): C
View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Seattle drafted Magee with the 11th pick in the first round in Season 11. Love Mr. Magee. I also have a crush on power hitting catchers that won't hurt you too bad defensively. They are ridiculously hard to find (and they should be). I bet there are some teams that drafted before Seattle that wish they had chosen (or seen) Magee. Having Magee in the bigs now also allowed Seattle to trade another top Catcher, Hooks Cheney, to Louisville and acquire a couple good prospects.

What I said about him when he was drafted: "Holding out right now"

2.

Neil McCallum
Iowa City
Hawkeyes
Age: 23	B/T: R/R
Born: Glendale, AZ
Position(s): C
View Hardball Dynasty Profile

McCallum was drafted with the 37th pick in Season 11's draft by Iowa City. How in the world did he drop so low??? There have to be a ton of teams that wish they had taken the plunge on McCallum. He is probably the steal of Season 11's draft. He is a great hitting, slightly above average defensive catcher. A really nice piece to the puzzle as the Hawkeyes continue to rise from hitting the cellar under the previous regime.

What I said about him when he was drafted: N/A - Didn't review after first round

3.

John Lewis
Louisville
Cardinals
Age: 25	B/T: R/R
Born: Jackson, NJ
Position(s): P (SP3)
View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Lewis was the 20th pick in Season 12's draft. Lewis is the first of two starting pitchers in the top 10. He isn't quite a top of the rotation type talent, but will be a solid #2. Good splits and pitches will allow him to do very well for the Cardinals. He will definitely help Lousiville as they try to get to 70 wins this season.

What I said about him when he was drafted: "Really like this pick and am surprised he fell to #20. Really good splits especially his vR and solid control with a couple good pitches in his repetoire. Good piece to keep the rebuild project in Louisville going."

4.

Tony Velez
Charlotte
Tar Heels
Age: 21	B/T: L/L
Born: Fantino, DO
Position(s): P (SP5)
View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Velez was acquired by Charlotte as an IFA in Season 12 to the tune of $13.8 Million. The Tar Heels are pretty excited about Velez. Although his splits aren't fantastic, his combination of control with an absolutely dominating first pitch will hopefully lead him to doing some good things for the Heels. He'll slot in with several other young arms in the starting rotation.

What I said about him when he was drafted: N/A - IFA

5.

Brent Bukvich
Chicago
Blue Demons
Age: 25	B/T: L/L
Born: San Antonio, TX
Position(s): P (ClA)
View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Buckvich was the #2 pick in Season 11. I really like Bukvich. He is going to be a great closer for a long time. The STA/DUR combo is really solid and he should be able to be one of those "two inning" closers" on some occasions that are hard to find. His control, splits, and pitches are all top notch.

What I said about him when he was drafted: "Shutdown closer who should be ready sooner than later. There always seems to be a debate on if it makes sense to use such a high pick on a guy that will only pitch 100 - 120 Innings or so, but the Blue Demons got themselves a guy that can closer down the last two innings of a game and its hard to pass that up."

6.

Dustin Lefebvre
Louisville
Cardinals
Age: 22	B/T: S/R
Born: Rockford, IL
Position(s): P (SP5)
View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Lefebvre was the 22nd pick in Season 11. Lefebvre is the second pitcher from the Cardinals to make the top 10. Not quite the prospect that Lewis is, Lefebvre will still do some good things in the middle of the rotation with solid splits and pitches. Personally, I've had up and down luck with 3 pitch starting pitchers which is one of the reasons he slides down a bit in these rankings. That being said, he'll certainly help a ton as gerald does his best to get to 70 wins as he works to continue turning the franchise around.

What I said about him when he was drafted: "Another solid SP prospect goes off the board. The only question mark is sometimes SP's that only use three pitches can struggle from time to time, but there are plenty of examples of it working."

7.

Einar Chavez
Boise
Broncos
Age: 25	B/T: R/R
Born: Donna, TX
Position(s): 2B/1B/LF/DH
View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Chavez was the 9th pick in Season 12. If Chavez was a better defender, than he would be higher on this list. As he currently stands, he is extremely borderline as a 2B, but if Boise tried to move him to the OF, that would really dilute the lineup because his bat isn't that good. Sticky situation. I think abes will "live" with sub par defense at 2B so he can have a "plus" bat for that position.

What I said about him when he was drafted: "Solid selection and will be ready in a season or two. Always nice to find a solid 2B defender with some pop in his bat that can also make some noise on the basepaths."

What abesmem said about him when he was drafted: "Very, very happy with Chavez at number 9. I had him rated as 2 overall. He basically can do it all. He should hit for both avergae and power and can deal with lefties and righties. He should be in the majors within 2 seasons."

8.

Wandy Reynoso
Seattle
Huskies
Age: 22	B/T: L/L
Born: Lynn, MA
Position(s): P (SuA)
View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Reynoso was selected with the 18th pick in Season 12's draft. If his splits were higher, he'd skyrocket up this list, but everything else looks really good to be a great reliever for Seattle. He is a similar prospect to Bukvich, but Buckvich's splits are higher.

What I said about him when he was drafted: "Pretty good relief prospect here. Should be able to eat up a good amount of innings and still be efficient with his projections. Would be a great closer prospect if his second pitch was a bit better."

9.

Chico Melo
Detroit
Wolverines
Age: 24	B/T: R/R
Born: Changuinola, PA
Position(s): 3B
View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Melo was signed as an IFA in Season 9 for $12.7 Million and has spent the last 6 seasons in Detroits farm system. His vR isn't great and will hurt his production at the plate. That being said, he has solid power, his splits aren't awful, and will field the position extremely well.

What I said about him when he was drafted: N/A - IFA

10.

Fred O'Neill
Iowa City
Hawkeyes
Age: 22	B/T: R/R
Born: Cicero, NY
Position(s): RF/1B/LF/DH
View Hardball Dynasty Profile

O"Neill was originally drafted with the 26th pick in Season 11's draft by Huntington, but has since been traded several times. I went back and forth on whether to include him in the top 10, but in the end think he'll make a big enough impact to warrant being included. He has a ton of power, hits righties slightly above average, and a solid batting eye. He won't hit for a good average, but I think his slugging pct and OBP will give him a solid OPS.

What I said about him when he was drafted: "Hmmm...interesting selection. Great contact and power, but an awful lefty split and average righty split, but then a great batting eye. Can't wait to see what happens with him."

Also Receiving Votes:

Luis Martin
Raymond Hausmann
Charles Dickerson
Fernando Segui
Casey Gorecki
Carlos Carrasco
Geraldo Arias
Juan Nieves

Team Previews - AL

2011-11-11T11:44:00.000-08:00

AL North

Fargo Bison

The bison expect and will compete at a high level this season. we will lead the major league in runs scored again and have an above average defense...our pitching will need to be better than last year and frankly, it should be...the talent is much better than the way theyve performed. if we can get out team ERA someone around 4-4.25 then we will win alot of games and make a strong run in the playoffs.

AL East

Philadelphia Owls

Players Added : RP Trent Clark, RP Bo Clark, utility Joe Campbell and C Benito Goya.
Key Players Lost : None.

Key Transactions : None

Rookies expected to contribute: None.

After another season under .500, we tried very hard in the offseason to improve our team on the FA market and in the trading market too but without success, we hope minor adjustments will help Owls coming back in playoff.

New pitching and fielding coaches should help.
Young guys like 3B Danny Smoltz, SP Brandon Gragg and RP Phil Worrell should be better.
No star have been added to the team but C Benito Goya should help the offense and both Clarks should help the bullpen.

For the rest, our 5 starters are back. And all position players are also back except for the new guy behind the plate..

We need their contribution to win:

3B Danny Smoltz, 2B Miller Kotsay, 1B Julio Nunez, SPs Domingo Servet, Daisuke Suzuki and Brandon Gragg and RPs Bo Parker and Howie Grim.

In the minors, 1B Aaron Scelfo, SP Lew Whitaker, C/DH Everth Manzanillo and RP Julio Andrus are preparing to make an impact in a few seasons.

Our goal is to make the playoff.

Charleston Cougars

Charleston made a number of moves this offseason in an effort to build upon last season’s unexpected trip to the ALCS. John Kramer was acquired from Charlotte and will likely fill the #2 slot in the rotation. Charleston gave up highly touted prospect Louis Cortez to acquire Kramer. The bullpen was bolstered by the signing of Michael Sutton. To help the offense, Charleston signed Max Peterson who the team hopes will produce in a new environment. The Cougars will again rely on last season’s Cy Young Award winner Eswalin Sierra to anchor their pitching staff and Odalis Velasquez to lead the offense.

Charleston allowed consistent hitter Damian Chang to depart via Free Agency and released catcher Juan Diaz

AL South

Nashville Commodores

Expectations are high this season in Nashville. The Commodores are coming off a world series appearance with the core of the team still intact.

Youngsters Willie Izturus and Trent Keefe combine with veterans Randy Tyson and Jimmie Jodie to complete a solid rotation. The bullpen is lead by Ronald Berger.

All fielders return this season, with the exception of 3B, where Tomas Navarro takes over looking to improve the position defensively. Vin Horton lead the offensive charge last season with 39 Hr and 87 RBI. Harry Minor contributed a .302 batting average and young catcher Alex Pimentel is a rising superstar.

Additions
3B Tomas Navarro
RP Harry Moya
RP Lyle Nieman

New Orleans Bayou Bengals

The New Orleans Bayou Bengals have had only one winning season in the last ten, going 83-77 in Season 12. So to surpass the breakeven mark will be a challenge for the new ownership who made no major moves in the offseason.

The franchise made a few attempts to upgrade the pitching staff but was unable to secure any help. The staff has some young pitchers that should show some improvement but must be mamaged well. 23 year old Alberto Valentin has the most talent on the staff and veteran Julio Lira will be counted on to hold the starting rotation together. Closer Bart Pellows was traded away and Miguel Montanez is being asked to head the bullpen. The pitching staff will have to hold their own for the team to have any success.

CF James Hernandez was lost in free agency as the franchise apparently did not see the value in him. Former New Orleans minor leager CF Bonk Benard was signed and will be patooned.The remainder of the regulars from last season returns. There is some young talent and veteran 1B Carlos Molina will be asked to lead them. 3B Matty Bohannon will try and prove everyone wrong, New Orleans for trying to trade him and the rest of the league for not dealing for him.

Looks like New Orleans will look to play good defense, be aggressive offensively and hope the pitching staff improves enough to be competitive.

With a core of good young players and a few moves during this season and next offseason New Orleans should be able to compete in the post season hunt soon.

Jackson Rebels

I had no free agent signings or trade acquisitions for this season.

I let 1B Rick Daly go in free agency (actually an arbitration release)...SS Orber Rosado left for free agency..no big loss there.

Half of my "Fab Four" will be making their major league debuts this season. 1B/LF Charles Dickerson, my first round pick from season 11 and SS Fernando Segui (an IFA from season 12) make the jump to the big leagues. Dickerson will occupy first base this season before moving to his normal position in left field to make room for Lyle Daly's big league debut next season. Segui will anchor the infield until his "wonder twin" 2B Dee Thompson arrives next season as well. Segui and Thompson will make a potent 1-2 punch in the lineup with Thompson fulfilling a long time need at the lead-off spot.

Along with veteran mainstays DH Andre Martinez (30 HRs, 141 RBI, .328 avg) and Torey Vallarta (27 HR, 110 RBI, .315 avg), the Rebel lineup should be able to score runs in bunches. With Daly and Thompson joining the mix next season...whew...look out!

The pitching staff will be anchored by starters Yonder Santos, Bret Hutch and Marc Westmoreland with phenom closer Nash Messmer slamming the doors behind them.

Outlook is very bright for the Rebels, especially next season when my "Fab Four" will attempt to bring glory and success to the franchise.

AL West

Salem Beavers

The Beaver Execs have taken the "if it's not broke, don't fix it" or atleast the "if your not sure it's broke, don't fix it" philosophy for season 15. The line-up card will be essently the same as last; hoping for continued producting from their veteran core. Two veterans starters were quietly signed in the shadows of the Nunez sweepstakes. Nunez and Woodson will sure up the rotation filling the primary weakness identified by the new ownership in Salem.

Team Previews - NL

2011-11-10T05:30:00.000-08:00

NL North

Detroit Wolverines

Season 14 went just like we had planned here in Detroit, with the Wolverines hoisting up the trophy at the end of the year. Some owners called us cocky for claiming the title during the offseason but we like to call it being confident. Those same owners might have their revenge this season as Detroit's chances of repeating are about as unlikely as the Colts football team is this year of winning the Super Bowl. We lost three major players that helped bring the title home in Mitch Carter, Erik Haynes, and Nunez. All three decided to take their talents elsewhere after a great run in Detroit which definately changes this team.

3B Chico Melo will get the call up from AAA to take over Haynes spot which was going to happen regardless of Haynes' decision this offseason. However we struck out in bringing in quality players to offset the departure of Carter and Nunez. Gaylord Bonds, Morris Morgan and Don Holt will all be asked to step up and help out the pitching staff that still features Quilvio Lima and Ching-Lung Komatsu.

We've enjoyed 5 consecutive NL North divison champ titles, along with 8 straight trips to the playoffs before capturing our first ever WS title and will try and keep this team together for another season or two to continue those streaks. However if this team starts off slowly you could see the likes of Komatsu, Lima, and Bernie Ortiz on the trade block as the rebuilding begins. Either way management is not declaring anything this season, just enjoying that shiny new trophy.

Dover Fightin' Blue Hens

Speed and Defense. This will be the first team I've constructed in HBD that will try to make a go without much in the way of big bats. Dover signed the following FA's: gold glove SS Jacob Belle, SS/CF Ken Holder, and former ROY Hamlet Darwin, all still younger than 30. Gone are LF Max Peterson, RF Rob Weathers, 1B Mark Starr, and SS Braden Sager, all who showed promising bats but were defensive liabilities.

2nd all-time saves leader Nicky Drew is back to anchor the bullpen. Most of the season 14 pitching staff returns.

Infielders Earl Cradle, Luis Martin, and Javier Mendoza will be the first prospects to get a call in the event of injuries or poor performance by the big leaguers.

Dover still seems to be stuck between total rebuilding and being competitve. Probably around a .500 team once again.

NL East

Charlotte Tar Heels

Key Players Acquired via FA: No one yet

Key Players Lost via FA: Merv Witt, Larry Dixon, Juan Melendez, Buster Wiggins, Philip Larson

Witt is the biggest lost there. He was a very solid bullpen piece that we decided to let go and get a draft pick out of instead of investing in him long term. The other four guys were decent pieces of the puzzle but are all inherently replaceable.

Key Players Acquired via Trade: Haywood Bryant, Luis Cortes (top prospect)

We think Haywood looks phenomenal in Carolina Blue and expect big things out of him this season. 1B was a bit of a hole last season after losing all time Tar Heel HR leader Vin Horton. We have also signed Bryant to a long term deal and look forward to a prosperous relationship. We were also excited to add Cortes to the mix who immediately becomes our top prospect in the farm system.

Key Players Lost via Trade: John Kramer and several prospects.

Kramer was a tough person to move. He has been a rock in the rotation for several seasons. Since we have pretty good depth at SP and some prospects in the minors, we decided to make the move and received Cortes in exchange to bolster our feeder system. It hurt to move several prospects in the deal for Bryant, but also felt it was the right move to make.

Rookies Called up: Timothy Daly P, Juan Aguilera CF, Torey Goya 2B, Gerardo Rijo were all promoted to fill situational roles with the Heels. In the past we have allocated budget to signing "savvy vets" to fill these roles, but decided it was time to supplement our roster with cheaper talent and use that money elsewhere.

Prognosis: Our goal is definitely to win the NL East and compete for a World Championship. I won't say "anything less" will be a disappointment because the playoffs are such a crapshoot. I will say that I hope if we do lose in the playoffs it won't be to our nemesis, the Syracuse Orange.

Syracuse Orange

Key Losses: Luis Villafuerte (rp), Joaquin Ortiz(cf) , Al Cortez (rp), Emmanuel Colome (3b)

Key Additions: Ben Brown(3b, cof), Theo Franco (cf), Matthew Davis (inf, cof)

Call Ups Close: Vicente Berroa(ss) , Matt Aspromonte (cf), Ozzie Lange(rp)

All those losses should actually be referred to as “players departing,” the Orange Administration do not really feel that any of them are key.

The school is happy with the two players that brought in. Theo Franco will be a nice upgrade over Ortiz in center, but the hidden upgrade will be in depth. Last season there was a huge drop off when resting the starters. Brown and especially Matthew Davis will be a very nice upgrade. Phil Yoshi should be mentioned as an upgrade in depth also, he was acquired late last season.

They don’t have any studs coming up soon but they do have some more players that will add to the depth as well. Berroa will probably get the most action based on his strong defensive play. Ozzie Lange is the closer of the future. He heads to AAA and is expected to be on the squad this season.

Much of the Orange’s success will depend on their aging starting staff. If it pitches well they could put some pressure on the Tar heels. I’m guessing about a 95 win season, with a good shot at a wild card but probably not a division title. They also expect good completion from Buffalo and Louisville.

NL South

Texas Red Raiders

When the new ownership group took over the Texas franchise, it took over a team ready to make the step to Championship contender. The team has two bonafide Aces in SP Michael Shumpert and SP Andres Rosario. The lineup was deep, with many players who are base stealing threats. But there was one thing that was needed to make sure everything fell into place: resign future HOFer 1B Adam Seneca. That was the one and only mission of the offesason, and thankfully for Red Raiders fans, $103M later, the mission was accomplished. Now the managment feels the championship recipe is in place. Solid starting pitchers, great defense, a team that will likely lead the NL in stolen bases and a power house hitter. Expectations are indeed high in Arlington.

Huntington Thundering Herd

Key Losses:
C Ron Montgomery, 2B Ben Jackson, LF Clay Lavarnway, CF Tory Vizquel, SP Jose Aybar, SP Julio Johnson, SP Gaylord Bonds, SP Dusty Johnstone, SP Clayton Brunette, RP David Cox

Key Additions:
SP Clyde Jodie, SP Roger Karnuth, RP Darren Caminiti, RP Roy White, RP Gus Martin, RP Al Lopez, 2B Justin Boyd, 3B Kurt Patrick, CF Jolbert Rosado, RF Jerry Seabol

Comments:
This is a transitional year for Huntington as we try to go from the team that spent money on free agents to the team that builds through the draft. We’ve already brought in a solid group of young prospects and with several picks in this season’s draft that number should just go higher. We’re not mailing in this season and management is excited about the team they have put together. We’ve got a solid group of relievers to hopefully pick up the slack that a weaker starting pitching group could cause. Although we lost some talent, management feels that this team is better equipped to compete this season. We have a good bullpen, solid offense, and good defense and improving on last year while building towards the future is not out of the question.

NL West

Boise Broncos

The Boise Broncos hope to continue to build off of last season’s success. The key for remains the pitching staff anchored by Jack Daley and solid defense. The addition of a proven vet like Turner Evans gives our staff even greater depth. One other significant addition was catcher Juan Diaz, who I believe will really help to solidify our catching tandem. This year we will bring up 25 year old Einar Chavez who’s good bat and glove work will make him an asset at a couple of positions. Down at AAA we have several players that could get at shot this year, but LF Everth Sanchez might be the most promising. I’d like to give all of our AAA prospects another year at that level and the strength of our ML roster should make that possible. I hope that even with some tough division rivals, the Broncos can win the division again and make it to the Series. Like with all teams, baring significant injuries, I think the Broncos can go all the way.

Arizona Sun Devils

After years of trying to hold onto former glory the Sun Devil management has finally decided to rebuild. Nunez wasn't resigned with that money being reallocated to prospect budget. The ML team is solid at position players but the pitching just isn't there yet. Another season at the bottom of the division is likely, but once Heathcliff Guerrero and Ismael Martinez develop the Devils will be back.

Helena Grizzlies

Acquisitions – SP Julio Johnson (Trade), RP Hulk Vaughn (Trade), RP Bart Pellow (Trade), 2B Jumbo Jimenez (FA), RP Justin Ward (FA)

Losses – 1B Dante Thompson (waived), UT Hamish Reynolds (FA), RP Walt Evans (FA), SP Royce Sexson (FA)

Impact Rookies – Danny Sheffield

Outlook – We are coming off our first winning season since I took over the franchise. After 7 seasons of losing baseball, it felt good to get above .500. Now the goal is to get into the playoffs. Pitching was the downfall of last seasons team and with that in mind I was focused on making significant upgrades in that area. Julio Johnson was brought in to join our young ace Nakano Efrain at the top of the rotation. In addition I acquired Bart Pellow via trade to help bolster our bullpen. Roosevelt Loux, who was acquired via trade near the end of last season will shift to the bullpen where he has spent most of his career to ensure we have quality depth down there.

Offensively we basically return the same team with a few minor additions. Former first round pick Danny Sheffield will come up and play 1B after the 20 game mark and Jumbo Jimenez signed as a free agent to be our utility wiz. I really like our infield with Gold Glover Marino Gomez and Marc Everhart at 2nd and 3rd, but they both have durability limitations, so Jimenez was brought in to ensure we are able to rest our starters as needed throughout the season so that they are fresh if we do end up making the playoffs. As a side note, look out for youngster Yorman Costilla. He was a mid-season call up last season and it took him a while to get a feel for the major league game.

I am looking for a big improvement out of him this season and his ability to set the table at the top of our line up could be the key to our success.

The Joaquin Nunez Trade: A Look Back

2011-11-07T10:26:00.000-08:00

From Arizona's Perpective...

As you remember the Nunez deal created quite a bit of chatter. Some people were upset. Now that the dust has settled I have compiled a recap for posterity.

ARI - had nunez originally, he wouldn't resign, they weren't wining the WS that season
- traded him to DET for 2 former first rounders (18th and 23rd)

DET - traded two first rounders for nunez
- won a WS ring
- received a sandwich pick and a 5th rounder (50th and 163rd) for type A compensation

LRR - signed nunez to a max deal
- forfeited a later round pick

wrapup: Arizona did well comparing what they got to what DET got ( two first rounders instead of a sandwich and a later rounder). good deal

Detroit won the WS in exchange for two former first rounders
. worth it!

The final point of interest was whether ARI could have gotten more for Nunez. From the shopping I did noone was willing to trade a top prospect for a half season rental on Nunez so I went with the two first rounder offer. I doubt I could have gotten more for him.

From Detroit's Perpective...

Easy trade for us to make given our playoff appearances the past few seasons. We inquired about him and was surprised when they agreed to talk about him. Obviously there was some owners not too happy with the trade but we gave up two 1st round picks for 1/2 season with Nunez. He was a major factor in us winning the world series so yes, I'd do the trade again. Not happy with only receiving a supplemental and later round pick for him but that was the risk of the trade and Arizona should be happy with two 1st rounders now that they see what I'm getting. Win win for both teams after seeing how it all worked out in my opinion.

Season 15 Free Agency Recap (Type A's and B's)

2011-11-04T07:13:00.000-07:00

Below is my analysis of the Season 15 type A and B contracts handed out. I took into account age, stats, ratings, contract, etc. Hope you enjoy!

Memphis

Erik Haynes - $35.8 million over 4 seasons. That is pretty much where I thought he'd end up. Its a great "risk" as Haynes has fantastic makeup so his decline will hopefully be delayed and also gradual. Good fielding 3B with a great bat are difficult to find. Memphis also didn't lose their 1st round pick because its protected.

Little Rock

Mitch Carter - $15 million over 3 seasons. I really like this signing and love the de-escalating contract so the Razorbacks will be paying more early for better production. Also like that the contract ends at 3 seasons because past that he should be in major decline. Nice value.

Dwight Dempster - 11.6 Million over 2 seasons. Mutual option in this contract was key because Dempster is 37 and could fall off the map after this season ratings-wise. He is still a decent SP to throw out there at least or this season.

Joaquin Nunez - $110 million over 5 seasons. The biggest FA signing of the season and I believe the largest in world history. Nunez is the top pitcher in the world and has to rank as one of the top pitchers in HBD. He has very good makeup so hopefully his decline won't happen until late into the contract. Little Rock is remaking their roster big time. The National League is also breathing a sigh of relief...have fun with him AL!

Harry Moya - $13.6 Millions over 3 seasons. Might get a little hairy in the last season of the contract, but should be a solid ROI over the first couple seasons. Another nice bullpen piece for Little Rock. The Razorback fans couldn't be happier looking at their new and improved team.

Alex Rivera - $4.6 Millions over 2 seasons. Decent reliever who will slot in as a setup guy, probably setup B. Mutual option was attached to decline in case he doesn't live up to the contract in the first season. Smart move.

Anaheim

Ron Montgomery - $8 million over 2 seasons. I have a soft place in my heart for Montgomery as I drafted him, developed him, and had some good seasons with him. He has a great bat. Will be interesting to see if ajwalton uses him as a C or DH. AJ should not have a problem getting an ROI on this deal.

Nashville

Tomas Navarro - $23.7 million over 4 seasons. This is the first contract I'm not a huge fan of. His production just doesn't seem to merit this type of deal. However, Nashville made the World Series last year and cctigerfan has been pretty savvy so maybe he sees something I don't. He must have targeted this position as something to get them over the hump.

Salem

Joe Newfield - $13 million over 2 seasons. 2 season contract, I like it. For a 35 year old it would be been very risky to go higher than that. Obviously the new owner in Salem targeted SP as a major need and has moved quickly to fill it with some stop gap FA to keep them in the playoff hunt. Daddiothree will need Newfield to return to form as he was used sparingly last season.

Ebenezer Woodson - $18.75 million over 3 seasons. Another SP to settle down the rotation in Salem. Woodson hasn't been spectacular in his career but could be a decent middle of the rotation piece. But should a "decent middle of the rotation piece" be paid so well. Time will tell...

Louisville

Miguel Concepcion - $58.25 Million over 5 seasons. Concepcion gets paid! Louisville is obviously moving aggressively as the GM has been put on probation by the owners and needs to hit 70 wins to retain his GM role. Good fielding, good hitting CFers are hard to come by so this could be money well spent as long as he is able to play CF. Since he is a lefty, once he starts declining, this contract could become an albatross.

Jumbo Jimenez - $17.4 Million over 3 seasons. His stats definitely are worth the contract, but it seems like he may be playing a bit over his head. At the same time, he has been very consistent so maybe he isn't. Solid pickup.

Detroit

Don Holt - $5.4 Million for 1 season. Holt is clearly just a stopgap for this season to eat some innings. His production has been sub par the last few seasons, but that could change in Detroit's pitcher park. He didn't deserve to be a type B because of production, but his ratings won out.

Texas

Dave Ramsay - $4.2 Million for 1 season. I love this signing, but I am also a sucker for picking up "legends" on the downside of their career who still have a little bit left in the tank and it looks like Ramsay could be a steal here for one season at that price.

Adam Seneca - $103 million over 5 seasons. The second richest contract in HBD history was handed out. Red Raiders fans rejoiced that their star will be in Texas for another 5 seasons. One of the best pure hitters in NCAA, Seneca deserves this contract.

Oakland

Ben Jackson - $27.6 Million over 4 seasons. Seems like a lot to pay for a guy that doesn't hit too much. Might be worth it if he could play SS, but would probably be below average there and definitely will be once he starts declining.

Merv Witt 0 $9.6 Million over 2 seasons. I like this deal a lot more than Jackson for Oakland. Witt was stellar with the Heels in a setup role and may get a chance to close for the Bears.. Very good reliever when utilized correctly.

Ichiro Kwon - $2.9 Million over 1 season. Low risk signing here as Kwon will so a serviceable job at catcher for the Golden Bears. Don't expect anything crazy either.

Iowa City

James Hernandez - $28 million over 4 seasons. Another contract that seems a bit pricey. He is barely going to be acceptable at CF and then will have to be moved to 2B.

Pablo Estrada - $26.4 Million over 4 season. This contract makes me scratch my head a little bit as well. What is his position? He makes a good amount of errors and minus plays at SS so I'm guessing CF or 2B? Does he hit enough for that kind of coin?

Boise

Turner Evans - $31.4 MIllion over 4 seasons. Evans got paid! The Boise GM must have targeted SP as a need behind his two aces. After making the playoffs for the first time in team history, abesmem is capitalizing on the momentum. Still seems like a lot to shell out for Evans, but it looks like other were bidding on him as well.

Philadelphia

Bo Clark - $4.4 million over 1 season. I like this deal. Nice stopgap relieve for one season who gets the job done at a good price. Should fit in well in Philly. If he doesn't, then he'll get batteries thrown at him. No big deal.

Trent Clark - 5.8 Millions over 2 seasons. This contract would make a bit more sense if the Owls could have attached a mutual or team option. Clark should be able to produce enough for the contract to make sense in the first season, but since he is already 35, his decline might be significant by next season. Still, its not a ton of money to be stuck with if that happens.

Charleston

Max Peterson - $8.6 Million over 2 seasons. The Cougars swoop in and sign Peterson after his price drops a good amount because no one was interested. Peterson is an interesting case because his ratings suggest he should have produced more. Maybe a change of scenery is what was needed for him.

Michael Sutton - $50.5 Million over 5 seasons. Very rich contract awarded to Sutton who was head and shoulders above the rest of the relief pitching free agents out there. A long term deal for a 32 year old is always worrisome, but he has unbelievable makeup rating so his decline should be gradual especially considering the Cougars wisely invsted the max in training.

Richmond

Kimera Quinn - $5.8 Million over 2 seasons. Not much to see here. Quinn is a decent player who will fill out a roster at a cheap price. The Spiders negotiated in a mutual option so they can cut bait next season if the contract doesn't make sense anymore. He shold produce enough to live up to the deal.

Huntington

Darren Caminiti - $3.1 Million over 1 season. Nice little contract for a solid reliever to help the Herd stay competitive as they officially enter a rebuilding cycle.

Helena

Justin Ward - $2.5 Million over 1 season. Very similar player and contract to Caminiti although his performance has declined the last couple seasons. Low risk, low reward.

Syracase

Ben Brown - $4.2 Million over 2 seasons. The Orange are on record as being frustrated at not finding a decent player for their last bit of cash and apparently decided to throw some at Brown. The second season is a little perplexing as his decline is already evident. Not a lot of money to be tied up in one player, but doubtful he'll live up to even that amount by next season.

Top 10 Free Agents

2011-10-31T05:09:00.000-07:00

I don't have the time to do a full free agency preview. I am planning to do a free agency recap like I did last season, http://hbd-ncaa.blogspot.com/2011/08/season-14-free-agency-recap-type-as-and.html.

In the meantime, here is a look at the top ten free agents this season (in my eyes).

Joaquin Nunez
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Age: 30	B/T: L/L
Born: Barquisimeto, VE
Position(s): P (SP3)
View Hardball Dynasty Profile

The best pitcher in NCAA history is a free agent. He will almost certainly get a max contract (10 million bonus, 20 million per season for 5 seasons) and will be worth every penny. I don't think I have ever said that about any player in HBD as I typically think its a bad idea to allocate so much of your budget to one player, but he is simply dominant.

Adam Seneca
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Age: 29	B/T: R/R
Born: Pocomoke City, MD
Position(s): 1B/DH
View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Another one of the top players in NCAA over the last ten seasons. He won't approach Nunez's contract but he will get paid handsomely. He is one of the top pure hitters in the world.

Miguel Concepcion
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Age: 28	B/T: L/L
Born: Kinder, LA
Position(s): CF/1B/LF/DH
View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Pretty rare to find a CFer who can play the position competently and also swing a nice bat. Concepcion should be able to anchor CF for a few seasons. The downside is that since he is lefty, if his fielding skills deteriorate much at all then the owner will be stuck having to decide between a sub par defensive CF or a corner OFer that might not have the bat to warrant a place in the lineup.

Erik Haynes
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Age: 31	B/T: R/R
Born: Clintwood, VA
Position(s): 3B/1B/2B/OF/DH
View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Detroits owner, tk21775, has had Erik on the block for the last few seasons, but could never find a taker. Not sure if tk's asking price was too high, because Erik is one of those rare players who can field 3B at a really high level while also bringing a decent amount to the table at the plate as well. Now after having won a world series ring, Erik has decided to take his talents to....?

Michael Sutton
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Age: 32	B/T: S/R
Born: Clark, SD
Position(s): P (P)
View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Sutton is a shutdown reliever who has been using as a middle relief specialist to bridge the gap between the starter and the closer. He can be a two inning relieving gem.

Mitch Carter
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Age: 31	B/T: L/R
Born: Inkster, MI
Position(s): C
View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Don't let the overall rating fool you. Carter will be a great pickup. Great power bat to go along with decent catching skills is a great addition to your squad. One of the infamous "big three" that decided to turn their nose up at Detroit after winning the series.

Joe Newfield
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Age: 35	B/T: L/L
Born: Waverly, OH
Position(s): P (SuB)
View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Joe wasn't utilized very much in Nashville last season and is clearly on the downside of his career, but before last season had put together several impressive seasons. He can be a solid addition to someone's rotation.'

DISCLAIMER: The bottom three guys can be interchangeable with a umber of other options. I think this really should have been a "top 7 list" but I promised 10 so you're getting 10!

Damian Chang
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Age: 30	B/T: R/R
Born: Elmwood, IL
Position(s): DH/1B
View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Chang has a really solid bat who won't break the bank and will fit in nicely in the middle of the lineup being able to hit both lefites and righties at a high clip.

Max Peterson
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Age: 30	B/T: R/R
Born: Eldridge, IA
Position(s): LF/1B/2B/RF/DH
View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Peterson is on this list due to his ratings, not his production. The bottom of this list is pretty weak. It lokos like there are 5 or 6 high end free agents and then its a clear drop off. Peterson "should" have the bat to be a good middle of the lineup guy, but if he hasn't produced in Dover (hitters park) then what is the issue?

Merv Witt
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Age: 29	B/T: R/R
Born: Portland, OR
Position(s): P (SuB)
View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Witt has done a superb job as a setup guy in Charlotte the last 6 seasons. He deserves a chance to close somewhere. Really good ratings across the board backed up with some really good stats.

Season 15 Records Update

2011-10-27T04:54:00.000-07:00

For the first time in the history of NCAA, no single season records were broken in the key statistics we track on the blog. The career records have been updated. Michael Seay is now the career homerun leader with 712. Enrique Sojo takes over the top spot in career batting average with a .335 clip.Alex Pimentel is now the career best at catcher ERA.

Season 14 - Amateur Draft Review by tk21775

2011-10-12T15:01:00.000-07:00

Big thanks again for tk's assist with Season 14's review.

My advance scouting is only 10 with my large payroll, although my high school and college is set at 15 each. I’ll try and put next to each name the number of the scouting.

1). Louisville Cardinals – Carlos Martinez (15) – He was the top pitcher on my draft board and the Cardinals grabbed themselves a top SP with the #1 pick. He’s got the durability and stamina to pitch deep into the game, the control, splits, and pitches to be a true #1 when he steps onto the mound. Most teams drafting at this position hope there’s a guy like this in the draft and the Cardinals lucked out and grabbed their future ace.

2). Charleston Cougars – Craig Parrish (10) – All depends on the ratings with this guy and of course he’s on my list of low advance scouting. Defensively I see him as a 2B but he’ll be forced to play CF as he’s a lefty. He’ll be a terror on the base path with his speed, he’ll hit for power and has great contact and eye along with a solid vR. If my scouting is low on him defensively and he can play CF then I really like this pick.

3). Iowa City Hawkeyes – Earl Hodges (15) – This pick will depend on how Hodges develops. I see his defense more suited for 3B but a case could be made for him at SS which is the position he was drafted. If he can handle SS he’ll bring a nice bat for that position, if he ends up at 3B his bat is just average. Given the players picked after Hodges looks like a reach to me but if he can play SS defensively without too many errors then it’s a solid pick.

4). New York Red Storm – Scott Lord (15) – Another top starting pitching prospect, New York has to love that they we’re able to grab him at #4. His projections are very similar to Martinez who was taken with the #1 pick and he’s also a lefty. These two pitchers could easily be collecting the Cy Young award for their respective leagues in future seasons.

5). Buffalo Bulls – Khalil Drew (15) – The best overall hitter on my draft board, the Bulls found themselves a masher at the #5 spot. Drew has no weakness when he steps into the batter’s box and will be feared by pitchers. This lefty will take over RF for the Bulls when he gets called up and has nice speed. Very solid pick but looks like Drew still hasn’t signed.

6). Memphis Tigers – Lee Golub (15) – CF always seems like a hard position to fill so if you can find a center fielder in the draft it’s always a good bet. Golub looks like he should be able to handle the position alright defensively and he’ll have some speed out there. He won’t be hitting a ton of balls out of the park but his contact and splits are solid enough that he’ll hold his own in the box and have every catcher nervous when he is on the bases. I didn’t see this is a deep draft but the Tigers managed to grab a nice overall player at a tough position to fill.

7). Helana – Paul Walker (15) – I had 3 nice SP on my draft board at Walker was #3. His durability/stamina combination allows him to be a starting pitcher and out of the 3 SP taken he has the best splits overall. I’ve never had a SP with only 3 pitches that I can remember and have heard owners argue whether it makes a difference or not with SP. Will be interesting to see how Walker fares with that but grabbing the #3 SP in the draft with the #7 pick is a no brainer with the lack of position players available.

8). Jackson Rebals – Stuart Schrenk (15) – Schrenk will be able to pitch a ton of innings with his durability and stamina and has outstanding control. His splits are simply average but he should be a solid #3/4 SP given his control and pitches.

9). Hunington Thundering Herd – Al Chavez (10) – Chavez has the control and splits I like to see in a closer with some solid pitches as well. His stamina/durability combination won’t allow him to throw many pitches or he’ll be resting his arm quite often.

10). New Orleans Bayou Bengals – Brandon Galloway (15) – The 2nd SS taken in the top 10, Galloway also looks to be a gold glove at 3B but not quite a SS for me with his glove. His bat isn’t too far off of Hodges taken at #3 so nice value pick at #10. According to my board he was the best player left at this point to take.

11). Philadelphia Owls – Aaron Scelfo (15) – Outside of Kahlil Drew and Yuuta Kata, Scelfo had the best bat that I could see. He’s listed as a DH but could probably handle 1B position and play every inning, every game for the Owls. He doesn’t quite have the power I like at either the DH or 1B position but you can’t argue against the splits, eye, and contact. 3rd best hitter grabbed at with the #11 pick isn’t too bad.

12). Oakland Golden Bears – Jimmy Larkin (15) – Larkin will be a nice reliever, great control and nice splits. I would have went with cousin Bob with this pick instead of Jimmy but it’s still not a bad pick outside the top ten in a weak draft.

13). Columbus Buckeyes – Charlie Post (10) – Low scouting for me but he’s got an outstanding bat and can handle the catcher position. He will definitely contribute when he gets a chance but with his durability that low I just don’t see him having too many chances to swing the lumber to make a difference throughout a season. In the playoffs however he could make himself known.

14). Seattle Huskies – Yuuta Kata (15) – 2nd best bat of the draft on my board. Has great contact, splits, and eye although just like Scelfo, a little less power than I personally like at this position. Low health is a concern but to grab the 2nd best hitter with the 14th pick made this a choice the Huskies could live with given his potential.

15). Chicago Blue Demons – Bob Larkin (15) – Great pick at #15. Larking is a solid reliever that could pitch innings 8 and 9 in a lot of games. He’s got great control and very nice splits along with two good pitches. Great steal at #15 as these types of closers with the stamina/durability make managing a bullpen much easier.

16). Buffalo – Omar Leon (15) – Left handed SP with great control and vL, along with solid vR. Velocity and groundball below average, along with two decent pitches. This lefty will pitch in the majors someday as a #3/4 pitcher.

17). Boise – Jack Webster (15) – Glove is a little weak to play the 2B position but the rest of the defense is there. He’ll have a nice bat at this position if he can keep the errors down.

18). New York – Johnny Thompson (10) – If my projections are close I really, really like this pick. Outstanding control, with good splits and 3 solid pitches out of a closer. Durability/stamina combo isn’t quite there but at #18 this is a very solid pickup for a solid setup/closer type pitcher.

19). Minnesota Golden Gophers – Domingo Ibanez (15) – Power hitting bat, great contact and vR, this guy should hit quite a few homeruns. His defense doesn’t excite anyone although he could possibly play C against a team that doesn’t run much. For an AL team, great hitting draft prospect this late in the draft.

20). Dover Fightin Blue Hens – Bruce Moore – Hasn’t signed

21). Arizona Sun Devils – Matt Reynolds (10) – Decent control and splits, although no solid individual pitch amongst the 4.

22). Portland Ducks – Scott Lloyd (15) – Reliever with great control, nice splits, and two great pitches. Has the durability to be on the mound in the 9th for most games. Solid selection for the Ducks in the late round.

23). Little Rock – Tim Ashby (15) – Has enough defensive to handle center fielder, little power although average splits in the bat.

24). Charleston Cougars – Thom Drew (10) – Average control although decent splits and 3 solid pitches should help. Will be a nice contributor for the pitching staff.

25). Huntington Thundering Herd – Bob Dodd (10) – Looks to have solid defense at the SS position along with some nice speed as well. Has great vR projections with average contact; eye is quite low. Should be a solid defensive contributor if he stays health and gets close to his numbers.

26). LAA – Randy Aurilia (10) - Has the defense to play 2B and some nice speed. Bat has nice contact and vL with some power although eye is pretty low.

27). Richmond Spiders – Miguel Ramirez (10) – Has a great bat that will hit for power, looks to be more suited for DH as he doesn’t have the defense for catcher. If his makeup allows him to develop his bat it will be a nice pickup at this point in the draft.

28). Syracuse Orange – Ivan Luna (10) – My projections have him closer to LF than 2B so will depend on his position. Great contact, vL, and batting eye along with average power and vR. If he can play 2B he’ll have a nice bat for the position, if left field he’ll still have a nice bat.

29). Philadelphia Owls – Derrick Longoria (15) – Has the defensive to be a great catcher, limiting runners from stealing and being able to call a game. Has some nice power in his bat as well, with decent contact although splits are average. He’ll have to share games with another catcher due to his durability.

30). Kansas City Wildcats– Matt Oliver (10) – Love the pick here. Guy has the stamina/durability to be a regular closer; great control, splits, groundball pitcher, with two very good pitches. The makeup is high that he looks to get close to where he should be. Nice job by the Wildcats here.

31). Charlotte Heels – Jason Snider (15) – Nice pickup by the Heels to grab a solid defensive SS who could be a gold glove this deep in the draft. He’ll be able to hit against lefties a little as well.

32). LAA – Renyel Tejeda (15) – Great contact and speed with the defensive to manage RF along with a little pop in his bat but below avg splits, especially for a corner outfielder.

Season 14 Free Agency Recap (Type A's and B's)

2011-08-03T06:40:00.000-07:00

This is my first time reviewing free agency since Season 1. I don't have nearly the time as I used to, but I think this will be a neat segment to give some commentary on how free agency went. You'll notice that I reviewed them by the team that signed them. This is also for fun and based on my biases. Everyone looks at ratings differently, so please don't take anything personally!

New York Red Storm

Adrian Kendall - I like this signing to a point. Pretty economical for the results Kendall has provided. Not sure if it was the best decision to include a no trade clause, but if mamidu is sure he is going to keep him it wouldn't hurt. Something that would have helped here would have been a mutual or team option to protect against Kendall declining significantly by the start of next season.

Gus Martin - I like this signing. Not a lot of money, only for one season, a type B so the Red Storm didn’t surrender a draft pick. Nice complementary piece to the bullpen.

Nashville Commodores

Vin Horton - Damn you Horton! Actually, this is partially my fault as I should have extended him last season, but since his patience rating is over 70, I figured he'd still be open to re-signing after rollover. I was wrong. Horton gives you a ton of production, however...giving him a 5 season contract is a little ambitious as Horton has already started to decline, albeit only a bit. Nashville countered this by giving him a de-escalating contract, but those last couple seasons might be tough. A mutual/team option would have helped.

Ronald Berger - The Commodores continue their spending binge by selling out 45 million over 5 seasons for Berger. I’m not typically a fan of committing so much money to a reliever, but at least Berger can pitching 100+ innings if utilized correctly. I’m also bitter because this signing booted the Horton signing out of Nashville’s first round pick.

Harry Minor - Minor is coming off the worst season of his career, but that didn’t scare away Nashville or a number of other suitors. Nashville upgraded its offense considerably with the additions of Minor and Horton. Although he is already in decline, his makeup is great and there is a good

Texas Horned Frogs

Patrick Lamb - Not a huge fan of this deal. 30 million is a lot to shell out for a career 4.96 ERA and 1.51 WHIP. To get the most value out of this deal, Texas needs to utilize Lamb like Charleston did in Season 11 where he pitched 120+ innings and hope for better production. In my opinion, he is not worth giving up the 24th pick for.

Chicago Blue Demons

Guy McMasters - The Blue Demons are trying to capitalize on their surprising division title last season by shoring up the top of their rotation. It’s a good move since even though they won the title, their record assured them of the 15th pick and could sign a Type A without giving up their first round choice. Two season deal limits their financial risk and even though he doesn’t have great pitches, his other ratings have made up for it. Nice Deal.

Louisville Cardinals

Dan Russell - Interesting case. His stats haven’t seemed to match up with his ratings. Also, how did he only get 23 AB’s last season? It doesn’t look like he was injured or spent anytime in AAA. Either way, its an upgrade for Louisville who is spending some money this season in an effort to get better quickly. However, I don’t think his production deserves approximately 26 million.

Dernell Cameron - Cameron was one of the big targets this offseason and his decision went to the wire. Owner, gerald007 has already admitted he overpaid, but is committed to bringing some more W’s to Louisville and Cameron will certainly help. That last season of the contract might hurt a bit when Cameron is 36.

Iowa City Hawkeyes

Darrell Dyer - My favorite deal of free agency so far. Dyer is one of the top hitting catchers in NCAA and I am shocked the Hawkeyes were able to grab him for only one season. Part of me thinks the Hawkeyes should have locked him up for a second season since he was a type A and had to give up their second round pick for him.

Jolbert Rosado - The Hawkeyes continue to solidify their lineup with a longtime vet to roam CF. 10 million seems like a lot to pay, but the Hawkeyes need to hit 70 wins this season or the owner will fire the GM so they are not messing around.

Columbus Buckeyes

Bernard Townsend - Another great deal for the NL North. I am surprised that Detroit let him walk. He is still extremely productive even at the tender age of 37. 48 saves last season! No financial risk at all for the Buckeyes in a one season deal. Nice work.

Haywood Young - Has been a pretty solid reliever for the Hawkeyes, but couldn't pass up the large pile of cash the Buckeyes threw at him.

Huntington Thundering Herd

David Cordero - Raise your hand if you are shocked that Huntington signed a big name FA. Cordero was one of the top hitters on the market and actually comes a bit cheap considering some of the other contracts we have seen been thrown around this offseason. The Herd will have to hope that Cordero doesn’t decline too much going into next season, but he should provide a lot of pop in Huntington’s bandbox.

Dusty Johnstone - Quality signing. Still has pretty solid ratings for being 40. Only committed to this season so they can re-evaluate at seasons end depending on his production. He should slot in nicely at the back end of the rotation.

David Cox - Hopefully Cox didn’t sell his home as he makes his third stop in Huntington. He was ran out of town after season 12 where he posted a 2.01 WHIP in 60+ innings, but hurricane loves giving guys second shots…and third shots…and sometimes fourth shots.

Cincinnati Bearcats

Ismael Rios - Rios is coming off his worst season which scared some teams away, but the Bearcats locked him up for one season at 5.2 million which seems fair considering his production if you take away last season. His ratings suggest that he’ll bounce back and the Bearcats don’t need to worry about decline since they aren’t committed to him for next season.

Corey Sheffield - Allright identified the bullpen as a hole and has moved aggressively to fix it. Sheffield is coming off one of his best seasons and parlayed that into a nice payday. The Bearcats will hope he produces closer to last season than other seasons.

Alex Lopez - Yet another bullpen signing for the Bearcats. I am biased as Lopez pitched a bunch of seasons in Charlotte, but I think this is a great deal and better value that several other reliever that were signed this offseason. With his DUR/STA combo, Lopez can pitch 100 quality innings if given the right opportunity.

Syracuse Orange

Vic Redmond - Another nice piece to the puzzle for Syracuse’s bullpen. Like most bullpen guys, his seasons go from one extreme to another, but it’s a nice gamble.

Memphis Tigers

Eddie Sanford - Nothing too exciting to see here. Contract seems to be in line with production although he kind of fell off the map last season in Huntington. Not a big gamble.

Detroit Wolverines

Flip Carter - Aggressive move here. I like the usage of bonus money to keep the per season average down. The major issue here is his range. It has already started to decline slightly and since he is lefty, he can’t be plugged in at 2B. So the Wolverines will have to decide next season or possibly season 3 if they want to live with a sub par range CFer or average bat at a COF position.

Little Rock Razorbacks

Darren Caminiti - Another type B relief pitcher. They grew on trees this off season. Not to mimic what I wrote earlier, but this is another player that will slot in nicely in the bullpen that didn’t require a huge outlay of cash.

Jackson Rebels

Al Johnson - This seems like a lot of cash to guarantee to a 33 year old with 57 makeup. He is coming off two of his best seasons, but that contract may hurt a bit in a couple seasons.

Helena Grizzlies

Hamish Reynolds - I’ve noticed that its not easy to find quality defensive 3B that have some pop and Reynolds fits that mold. He won’t hit a ton, but he plays quality defense at third with enough pop to warrant this deal. Good signing.

Anaheim Trojans

Dan Russ - Another ex Tar Heel. He can be extremely productive if he gets regular playing time. I think he has a great chance to out perform the 10 million over three seasons contract the Trojans awarded him.

Season 14 Record Changes and Notes

2011-08-02T05:22:00.000-07:00

All names are "clickable" to their player profile page.

Single Season Pitching Records

Eswalin Sierra is the new single season strikeout holder with 268. Jack Daley checks in at #4 with 240.

Single Season Hitting Records

Enrique Sojo now holds the #2 slot in the hitting streak category by hitting safely in 33 games last season.

Single Season Fielding

Marty Wayne and Carlos Gonzales now hold the #4/5 slots by notching 624 assists each last season.

Matthew Davis takes his place in the record books with 34 good plays in one season to tie the overall record.

Corky Buckley is now 4th on the record list for catcher ERA bringing in a 3.05 catcher ERA in season 13.

Career Pitching Records

No new leaders, but all numbers have been updated.

Career Hitting Records

Michael Seay is the new RBI's career leader and will make a run at surpassing Thompson for HR's as well this season.

Career Fielding Records

Braden Sager is the new all time assists leader with 4,624.

Matthew Davis is now tied for the all time good plays record with 182.

Bill Forster is the new leader at Catcher ERA with a 3.34 career Catcher ERA.

Season 13 First Round Amateur Draft Review

2011-07-03T05:15:00.000-07:00

As a reminder, I used my ADV Scouting so your projections will differ from mine. Also, all players names are "clickable" to their profiles.

1. Iowa City Hawkeyes - Justin Crosby - One of the top hitting prospects on the draft. Its too bad he doesn't throw right handed or he may have developed into a good enough defender to play third base which would have made this a no brainer. With his combination of hitting ratings and speed, he should be a top performer for the Hawkeyes for many seasons.

tbone66's take: With the first overall pick my scouts said that Justin Crosby was the best player so I trusted in that. I hope he develops quickly because he is needed in the ML fast.

2. Jackson Rebels - Lyle Daly - Right now is playing third base, but I doubt his glove rating will develop enough to play there in the bigs. However, he also combines fantastic hitting ratings and speed and should be a perennial All Star.

3. Oakland Golden Bears - Philip Rigby - It is tough to find quality hitters who can also play a legit 3B so this is a solid pick.

z0601's take: Oakland is very pleased with picking Philip Rigby with the #3 Overall pick in this seasons draft. Pick so high in the draft, it is hard to make a bad pick and we believe that Rigby will help us in numerous ways in rise of this organization. Philip is most likely going to be groomed to be a defensive rock for the Golden Bears at 3B with his great ability to flash the leather at the corner. While Rigby should great improve our defense, he will bring a much need pop to our offense as well with both his power and ability to just get a hit. We are very excited to see Rigby finally choosing to play baseball instead of going to college and get his education.

4. Seattle Huskies - Patrick Pettibone - Signed for big money and deserves it as the top SP prospect in the draft. With his excellent split and 4 above average pitch projection, he will be a top of the rotation ace for the Huskies.

5. Boise Broncos - Lew Whitaker - Hmmmm, not sure about this selection. Everything looks great for Whitaker except for his vL rating which is important. Not as important as vR, but still very important. It will be very interesting to see how he develops and performs with excellent projections except for a below average split.

6. Jackson Rebels (from not signing Santo Borges last season) - Dee Thompson - Thompson looks like the leadoff hitter of the future for the Rebels. With the two hitters the Rebels have picked up in this draft, the future looks bright in Jackson!

7. Chicago Blue Demons - Dickie McDill - I really like this pick. Typically, we have to choose between an good hit, average fielder at SS or a no hit, great defender. McDill brings great power and great defensive ratings. These players are pretty rare.

arte's take: Dickie McDill is a rare true SS with power and a decent bat. May strike out more than average but if he reaches his potential will fill a huge gap in the Blue Demon's lineup.

8. Louisville Cardinals - Travis Jackson - Great selection by the new owner in Louisville. I bet gerald was surprised that Jackson slipped to #8. I wish his control was just a bit higher, but still is a legitimate ace prospect and a steal in the latter half of the top 10.

9. Columbus Buckeyes - Brad Holt - I like this pick except for the health rating. However, if he can avoid the injury bug, then Holt projects to be a fantastic leadoff hitter. With that righty split and eye, he can definitely post multiple seasons over .400 OBP.

10. Memphis Tigers (from not signing Torey James last season) - Welington Velez - I really like this pick as well to round out the top 10. As long as the Tigers can live with average catching skills, then Velez will be one of the top hitting catchers in the world.

mh17's take: Despite dropping a few points after signing, Velez remains a pretty good hitter and should produce at the plate. His pitch calling however will need a lot of work if he is to continue his career behind the plate.

11. Memphis Tigers - John O'Brien - Our first reliever is off the board and he is a doozy. My scouts project him to 100 in both vL and vR and p1 which is unreal. He won't hit that, but will still be a lights out closer. Great pick.

mh17's take: The Tigers got a great future closer in O’Brien. If he lives up to his potential, he could be the greatest pitcher to wear a Tiger uniform. The Tigers are happy about the future of their bullpen.

12. Charleston Cougars - Thumper Russell - Another solid selection as the Cougars find their catcher of the future in Russel. Thumper is a fitting first name and he should develop into a very nice hitter. Catching skills could be better, but still adequate to get the job done with those hitting ratings.

13. Dover Fightin Blue Hens - Graham Lyon - Love this pick. Very similar to Chicago's selection. When you can grab a good hitter who can play a legit SS then you grab him. These prospects are very rare and to see two in one draft is very interesting.

My first round draft pick was Graham Lyon . At first glance, a player with an 82 ovr from the 13th slot does not seem too bad, but the Fighting Hens feel he may be a little overrated, with the minimum defensive skills to play ss and an average ML hitter. He will have a decent blend of power and speed, so we are hoping for a 20-20 guy that brings some intangibles.

14. Little Rock Razorbacks - Nicky Phelps - Hasn't signed yet

15. Buffalo Bulls - Emmett Stevenson - Hasn't signed yet

16. Kansas City Wildcats - Bing Charles - Nice relief prospect. Health rating is a bit worrisome. I've seen mixed results of relievers with 4 pitches so will be interesting to see how Charles performs. With his splits, he does have closer potential.

17. Helena Grizzlies - Danny Sheffield - Should hit for high average and high OBP, but not a ton of power and teams typically try to get some power out of the 1B position.

drichar138's take: 1b was not at the top of my position priority list going into the draft, but I felt like Danny Sheffield was the safest pick of the draft and I am pleased to land him at #17.

18. Minnesota Golden Gophers - Quinton Brooks - Solid pick here. We're at the point where you can't draft for need as much as you should just got for best player on the board. Brooks should develop into a really solid ML hitter.

19. Portland Ducks (from losing type A FA Otis Damon) - Hunter Keough - Not in love with this pick. He doesn't look to hit the ball very well and his glove rating will be too low to be an everyday SS at the ML level. Could be a solid utility player.

sirius07's take: Hunter is a good SS player defensivly, but won't be in the top of the ML lineup. If he reach his projection, he will an average player.

20. New Orleans Bayou Bengals - Greg Lush - Would like this pick better if his vR was higher. Should be a decent hitter, but his vR will hold him back.

21. Arizona Sun Devils - Ismael Martinez - Really like this pick and a bit surprised he lasted this long. With his splits and decent pitch projections, he should be a nice middle of the rotation pitcher. With his DUR/STA combo, he will easily pitch 200 IP and could get closer to 250.

lpa2a's take: I picked up Ismael Martinez with the 21st pick overall. I don't care much about overall rating but he dropped 5 points from draft projection (10 budget) to advanced projection (15 bugdet). Still I think he can start in the middle of the rotation in the majors some day. I was bummed to see that my estimation of his velocity was way off. On the upside he is quite the workhorse with 31 durability and 97 stamina (projected.)

22. Louisville Cardinals (from losing type A FA Davy Woods) - Takashi Yamakazi - The Card's continue to shore up their SP prospects by selecting Yamakazi. His vR will hold him back, but he does have a lights out first pitch. I've also seen mixed results of 3 pitch starting pitchers.

23. Portland Ducks - Heathcliff Guerrero - LOVE this pick. Best value so far. I am shocked he lasted this long. The Ducks make up for their questionable at #19 by getting a steal at #23.

sirius07's take: This is a very nice pitcher. He won't give us many innings, but it will be quality. He has one very good pitch and two average pitches. His control and splits are very good too. An ML pitcher for sure, starter or long reliever.

24. Little Rock Razorbacks (from losing type A FA Clay Lavarnway) - JJ Sikorski - Hasn't signed yet

25. Detroit Wolverines - Al Trammell - Decent closer prospect, but will have to limit him to 15 pitches per outing so he better get the guys he faces out. Fantastic control and pitches with good splits.

tk21775's take: Not much with the 25th pick, got a closer who projects to have great control and nice splits but his stamina was a lot lower than what we were expecting.

26. Nashville Commodores - Perry Stevens - Should be a solid MLer one day and that is pretty much all you can look for this late in the first round. Not sure he has the tools to even play RF though.

27. Philadelphia Owls - Brutus Scott - Hasn't signed yet

28. Richmond Spiders (from not signing Bailey Hunt last season) - Henry Casey - Another solid closer prospect, but with his DUR/STA combo, he will be extremely limited in the number of innings he can pitch.

29. New York Red Storm - Geoff Snyder - If Snyder's glove rating was higher than this pick could be categorized as a steal. He is still a nice CF prospect that should give you equal number of + plays and errors. Another position where its tough to find decent hitting which Snyder does bring.

30. Richmond Spiders - Junior Huskey - I like this pick more than their pick at #28. Huskey is a good power hitting prospect and can definitely contribute everyday on the ML level.

31. Syracuse Orange - Bobby LaPorta - Great value here. his DUR will limit him, but when he does take the rubber, he should be a solid SP. Above average splits with 4 good to great pitches.

32. Fargo Bison - Bum James - Another good value this late in the first round. His splits aren't great, but combined with above average control and pitches, Fargo should be able to find a place in the starting rotation for him.

33. Texas Horned Frogs - Maverick Hemphill - I think the new owner in Texas will be able to find a place in the starting rotation for Hemphill because of his DUR rating although his STA isn't typical. Even if he is relegated to middle relief, he will help out eventually. Texas just has to figure out how to maximize Hemphill's innings.

34. Salem Beavers - Bob Evans - Not much to see here as his contact and vR ratings are below average for a starting 1B. He could be used as a pinch hitter/platoon against lefties.

35. Charlotte Tar Heels - Darrell Haywood - The Heel's rolled the dice on a decent SP prospect although he only has 3 pitches. Hopefully his splits and velocity can make up for it.

Detroit Preview

2011-05-11T11:57:00.000-07:00

Detroit Wolverines

Last season: 89-73, NL North Champs, Lost in 1st Round of Playoffs to Richmond

Management came out yesterday with a bold statement declaring the Detroit Wolverines
S13 champs. We’ve always had a solid club but feel like the moves this off-season
will give us a legitimate chance at going deep into the playoffs and getting that trophy
out of Charlotte.

Key Losses: Setup Pitcher Ronald Berger, 3B Buster Wiggins, SP Julio Johnson, and 1B
Eddie Sanford

Key Additions: 1B Michael Maddux, 2B Julian Cortes, CF Bernie Ortiz, Cl Bernard
Townsend

Big trades were made this offseason, giving up 61 HR and 164 RBI of production from
a team that was barely above average last season in batting, along with a SP who is
1 game shy from totaling up 100 wins. So why does management feel so strongly?
Even though booze flows freely in the offices of Detroit, we managed to add 113 HR
and 337 RBI to our lineup while also giving us flexibility at positions defensively.
We now can put out a lineup that features 4 players hitting 30+ HR with another
2 hitting 20+. Our pitching has always been good (4th last season in ERA in the
majors) so giving up one SP shouldn’t hurt us as we should be greatly improved on
the offensive side. We also managed to talk S12 save leader Bernard Townsend away
from a 4 year deal, which we would have let him walk if he insisted, instead inking
him to a one year deal to close out games again. We did trade away some young
players in an effort to make a strong push for the next few seasons but we feel this is
one of the best teams Detroit has put together.

Iowa City Preview

2011-05-11T10:15:00.001-07:00

Key players added SP Mel Reed, Closer PT Lind, and Setup Justin Ward

Key Players Lost None

Rookies Orel Raines

Preview With management and ownership in question due to too many loses last season Iowa needs to put a halt on losing. Hitting wasn;t a problem last season but holding leads was so we went out and got a new closer in PT Lind and a new setup man in Justin Ward giving us depth at the setup position a new starter in Mel Reed and hopefully this will add up to more wins less loses and an ownership that doesn't get kicked out of the league LOL

Syracuse Preview

2011-05-11T10:14:00.001-07:00

Syracuse Orange

Key Players Lost: Former Cy Young Winner: Charles Carlyle. He was key a few years ago, but not last season.

Key Players Added: None.

The Syracuse Orange is, one again, the Syracuse Orange you know and love. I’ve had so many high salaries and not many draft good draft picks lately. So we’ve been pretty much tied into the guys we’ve had. We have a decent bullpen and more coming. So the biggest change this year is moving Roosevelt Loux back into the rotation. He’s got 143 wins and 168 saves. He’s only at most a 6 inning starter, but we’ll give it a shot. If he does well, the rotation should be nice. We need a bounce back season from Jose Barrios (9-11 4.00). And WIS has a way of doing that it seems. 

We won’t beat Charlotte in the race unless something weird happens. We think we have a strong chance at the wild card,from there we’ll see.

If we completely suck, I might be ready to begin making some moves so stay close people!

Portland Preview

2011-05-11T06:34:00.000-07:00

Portland Ducks

Key Player Added: Ajax Brown has been signed to replace the lost of Damon on the FA market.

Key Player Lost: Otis Damon and Einar Arias

Key Transaction: None

Rookies: We may see Harold Santangelo or Ricardo Mota playing at 1B in the bigs. Also, Earl Levrault could be promote to the ML at the start of the season. If the Ducks need some replacement in his pitching rotation, Gary Frey could be the man. Frey will start the season in the AAA, but who knows.

Outlook: The heart of the team is almost the same, but we could see some young guys making their debuts in the ML this season. The Ducks are in need of a 1B, but no decision has been taken at the moment. Does a young guy will be called up or a free agent will be signed?

The Ducks had to replace Otis Damon because he wanted to try the free agent market. The Ducks decided to not bid on him thinking that it would be a bidding war, but it seems that few teams were interested. Ajax Brown has been signed to take a spot in the rotation.

The Ducks’s rotation should be something like this: Vic Keefe (16-9, 3.08), Alvin Barnes (14-8, 3.72), Ajax Brown (7-5, 4.64), Joe Creek (12-11, 3.96) and Pat Gibbons (9-12, 4.43). Therefore, Clayton Brunette (4-5, 3.23) may be use as starter if someone doesn’t satisfied the team’s owner.

Richard Vanguri will still be the designate closer for the Ducks, unless things are going bad for him.

The Ducks are still looking for a division title, but making the playoffs will be the ultimate goal this season.

Huntington Preview

2011-05-11T06:33:00.001-07:00

Huntington Thundering Herd

After finishing last season with an 87-75 record which was good for 3rd in the South, Huntington’s management once again did not rest on their laurels. 5.0 games out of a playoff spot will do that to a person. The offense was 4th in the NL in runs scored, and the defense was tied for 1st…but it came down to pitching which finished 10th in the NL in ERA.

Key Losses:

3B Bernie Ortiz, 1B Michael Maddux, RF Marc Everhart, 2B Julian Cortes, C Matty Johnson, SPs Artie Hinch, Frank Tamura, Mel Reed, Terry Simmons, RPs Pinky Matheson, David Cox, Allen Guerrero

Key Additions:

RF Clay Lavarnway, C Ron Montgomery, SS Anthony Myers, 2B Rich Perry, LF Eddie Sandford, 3B Buster Wiggins, SPs Julio Johnson, Don Martin, Don Holt, Daniel Mullens, RPs Hector Uribe, Austin Byrne, Ronald Berger, Bartolo Lugo

Outlook:

Enough is enough and management made a huge investment in improving the team pitching this season. 4 pitchers return from last season, while 4 position players return as well. It isn’t often that a team loses 166 HRs from their offense, but actually feels better about their team going into the season. This is due to the fact that the pitching staff went from a collection of #3 and #4 pitchers, to a true staff, with an ace and a group of #2’s. While the team may not be as strong defensively this season, offensively we should not suffer too terribly much. The excitement is building for phenom Jeremy Livingstone’s debut as the full-time closer. For the first time in a long time Huntington presents a true ace in Julio Johnson. This team is still built for power as 10 players topped double-digits in HRs while 9 players knocked in 50+ runs. This is a do-or-die season for this team as only 6 players are signed past this season.

Career Record Changes after Season 12

2011-04-26T09:18:00.001-07:00

Career Records - Pitching

Wins - Hawk Wagner is now the all time leader in wins with 192!

ERA and WHIP - Joaquin Nunez decreases his ridiculous career ERA to 2.27 and career WHIP to 1.01.

Strikeout's - Otis Damon increases his career total to 2,342

Saves - Bernard Townsend gets to 419 saves after a great season.

Career Records - Hitting

Average - Ned French claims the top spot replacing Enrique Sojo.

Home Run's - Dante Thompson increases his total to 661, but it looks like only a matter of time before Michael Seay catches him.

RBI's - Dante Thompson now at 1,732.

Hits - Dante Thompson now at 2,214.

Stolen Bases - Rob Allen increases his total to 707.

Career Records - Fielding

Assists - No Change

Good Plays - No Chance

Catcher ERA - Olmedo Lorenzo is the new career leader with a sterling 3.34 Catcher ERA.

Runners CS % - No Change

Single Season Record Changes after Season 12

2011-04-26T09:18:00.000-07:00

Tables to the right have been updated and all player profiles below and on the tables are clickable to their profile.

Single Season - Pitching

Wins - Hawk Wagner has comes close to knocking off the 24 win record the past two seasons, by notching 23 each season, but Gene Wise still holds the record with 24.

ERA - Joaquin Nunez now holds the top 5 records for single season ERA. Unbelievable!

WHIP - No chance, although Joaquin Nunez now holds the 4th spot along with the top spot.

Strikeouts - Eswalin Sierra enters at #3 of the top 5 with 239 last season.

Saves - Bernard Townsend (50) and Nick Robinson (49) come close to the record, but fall just short. They are now #2 and #3 respectively.

Single Season - Hitting

Average - No change at the top or in the top 5.

Home Runs - No change at the top or in the top 5.

RBI's - No change at the top or in the top 5.

Hits - Ned French is the new record holder with 241 hits last season!

Stolen Bases - No change at the top or in the top 5.

Hitting Streak - No change at the top or in the top 5.

Single Season - Fielding

Assists - No change at the top or in the top 5.

Good Plays - The old record of 34 gets tied as Cristobal Delgado is has 34 good plays last season

Catcher ERA - No change at the top or in the top 5.

Runners CS % - No change at the top or in the top 5.

Season 12 - First Round Amateur Draft Review

2011-03-14T11:14:00.000-07:00

All player names are "clickable" to their profile. Each prospect is reviewed by me, but some owners also submitted their thoughts about their pick.

1. Nashville - Can't go wrong with a top of the rotation ace with the number one pick. The Commodores gambled a bit as Izturis wasn't sold on signing as he was "Undecided" however, he shocked many in not only signing, but he also didn't demand more money. Quite the coup for the new Nashville GM.

cctigerfan - "Number 1 overall pick Willie Izturis is a four pitch finesse pitcher, who has the potential to be a cornerstone of the Commodores rotation for many years to come."

2. Iowa City - Not sure he projects well enough defensively to play SS, but tbone might be able to live with sub par defense with the bat Justice brings to the table. What a great name as well! Really nice player to continue the rebuild process around.

tbone66: "My first round draft pick is who I targeted I figure I need help at a lot of positions why not start at SS. Love the name Buck Justice has good contact numbers can hit the HR ball and ptential great Def numbers. Also has good health ratings. Lacks a little in speed for a SS is probably a 3 to 4 years before ML."

3. Dover - I wish his glove projected a bit higher and then I'd be more onboard with this pick. However that is my bias talking as I prefer to have Gold Glove level SS. Dawkins definitely has the arm to play SS which will lead to some plus plays, but will only be average with the glove. Solid bat to bring to the table at SS though.

byers61 - "The Blue Hens drafted Ollie Dawkins with the #3 pick. Unlike a few of the other shortstops at the top of the board, he has the range, glove and arm to play the position at the ML level. Pretty good blend of power, batting eye, and baserunning skills. This pick looks better if Santo Borges doesn't sign, since Borges (and his $8,000 price tag) was on the board but was passed over because of signability issues."

4. Buffalo - Really like this pick. Gold glove level CF prospect who brings a ton to the plate as well. If his vR was higher, this would be a home run, but still a solid top 5 choice. With his speed, he will have the chance to be a 30-30 hitter plus defender.

5. Jackson - Santo Borges - Didn't sign, he loves the college life at Waukesha County Technical College. Now that is funny.

6. Chicago - Ricardo Sosa - Love love love this pick. It is extremely difficult to find great hitting catchers that can also field the position well. I think this is a steal at #6. He won't be ready for another few seasons, but when he is, watch out!

arte - "The Blue Demons were quite pleased to get Ricardo Sosa with the 6th pick overall. With decent defensive skills and a way above average bat, the Demons really hope their generous signing bonus will sway the kid away from his college dream."

7. Helena - Pedro Santos - Hasn't signed and doesn't look like he will.

8. Memphis - Torey James - Hasn't signed and doesn't look like he will.

mh17: "CF Torey James? Management is at a lose for words yet again. Taken with the 8th overall pick and asking $7.5mil, and with only 1 pick in the first 3 rounds to boot. A huge and costly oversight."

9. Boise - Einar Chavez - Solid selection and will be ready in a season or two. Always nice to find a solid 2B defender with some pop in his bat that can also make some noise on the basepaths.

abesmem - "Very, very happy with Chavez at number 9. I had him rated as 2 overall. He basically can do it all. He should hit for both avergae and power and can deal with lefties and righties. He should be in the majors within 2 seasons."

10. Oakland - Rigo Cerda - Solid choice to round out the top 10. Above average splits with two plus pitches, great control and will induce a ton of ground balls. Should be very solid.

z0601 - "Its not often that you have someone drafted by one ownership group and then signed by another one. With the changes taking place out here in Oakland, we are determined to make sure Rigo Cerda doesn't fall between the cracks and get lost in the system. Having very little time to look at Cerda in action, he appears to have a long future in baseball being such a youthful talent.
As long as Cerda can stay healthy, when he gets to the ML level, he should be a starting pitcher that will be able to eat up some innings and give the bullpen an night off. Cerda lacks a little when it comes to his splits against lefties, but his control and command of his Slider and Fastball should be more than enough to over come those slight short comings. Overall we are excited to have selected Cerda and looking forward to seeing what he can do on the mound for us.""

11. Huntington - Lance Shawler - Pretty nice closer prospect here with great splits, control and solid pitches. His DUR/STA combo should allow a good amount of save opportunities as well.

hurricane384 - "Lance Shawler has the potential to be a very good closer/SuA. I don't like drafting relievers so early, but he was the #2 guy on my board, so it was a no-brainer. Reminds me of Livingstone."

12. New Orleans - Everett Wood - Can be a very good defender at either 2B or 3B, but is probably a reach at SS. Should hit pretty well with a higher OBP with his great batting eye and he'll even steal a few bases. Probably won't be a star, but can be a very nice piece to a ballclub.

kilgore - "The Bayou Bengals were ecstatic when their turn came up at the 12th spot in the first round and SS Everett Wood, a Minnesota native who starred collegiately at UNC-Ashville, was still available. Wood, a plus defender with good speed and excellent baserunning instincts, hits from the left side with power not commonly found in middle infielders. His keen strike zone judgment compensates for the fact that he is vulnerable in some parts of the strike zone, particularly against left-handed pitchers. New Orleans believes that Wood is ready to immediately contribute at the AA level, where he will join prized outfield prospect Thomas Lucano, last year's first round pick. "

13. Cincinnati - Livan Sardinha - Solid, if not spectacular, relief prospect. Great control, above average splits and pitchers so he'll definitely help in the 7th-9th innings.

Allright: Livan Sardinha is certainly no lights out prospect. In light of budget realities,team needs, the liklihood of a quick trip through the minors, he does fit the bill. I like relievers with good control and good vs. R and good endurance/stamina. He won't rank as anybody's first round steal; but, I like him.

14. Kansas City - Arthur Johnstone - As of this posting, he is undecided on whether he is signing or not.

15. Columbus - Thomas Fogg - Very much like Mr. Wood at #12. Solid, but not spectacular 2B prospect. Will be a good piece to the puzzle eventually.

16. New York - Walker Nye - Can definitely be a nice piece to the puzzle to the Red Storm pitching staff, Solid vR with two plus pitches. Can't be a part of a 4 man rotation with his STA/DUR combo, but could be a good piece to a 5 man rotation.

17. Charleston - Donn Rodgers - Really nice pick although not sure he is good enough defensively to play catcher. He will hit the crap out of the ball though.

18. Seattle - Wandy Reynoso - Pretty good relief prospect here. Should be able to eat up a good amount of innings and still be efficient with his projections. Would be a great closer prospect if his second pitch was a bit better.

19. Portland - Denny Wang - Definitely will not/should not be a SS at the major league level, but could slot in nicely as a 3B. It seems tough to find a quality defensive 3B who can also hold his own at the plate and Wang certainly fits the bill there.

sirius07 - "Portland was looking for a starting pitcher, but instead, the have drafted a young shortstop. Therefore, it seems that this guy may end playing in the in-field corner or in the outfield corner. Wang is quick, but his contact is not high enough to make him a lead-off hitter, but maybe second or third in the lineup. He has some power and his good against both lefties and righties. "

20. Louisville - John Lewis - Really like this pick and am surprised he fell to #20. Really good splits especially his vR and solid control with a couple good pitches in his repetoire. Good piece to keep the rebuild project in Louisville going.

21. Minnesota - Yorman Lee - Really like this pick as well, although he is definitely not a SS. As I stated a couple picks ago, its difficult to find a legit defensive 3B with a good bat, but Lee brings the good there. Nice pick as we get into the last third of the draft.

22. New York (From Little Rock for signing Matthew Lennon) - Glen Morgan - High risk/High reward. The only reason he lasted this long was due to the abysmal health rating. Morgan can't seem to walk down the street without turning an ankle. If he is able to stay healthy then he will be a great pick in the latter half of the draft as he is a top 10 talent.

23. Detroit - Wallace Stephenson - Another nice pick. Lots of good power hitting Catchers in this draft. He likes to swing at everything, but most of the time makes really good contact. Nice choice.

tk21775: Had him ranked 10th on my board and got him with the 23rd pick; he's got good enough defense to play the C position for the Wolverines and has a great bat, which is what we were looking for. We found Mitch Carter's replacement and picked up some power.

24. Charleston (from Texas for signing Freddie Upshaw) - Mark Komatsu - The Cougars clearly wanted a Catcher in this draft, but if this was a "live" draft I'm not sure this pick would have happened after they chose Rodgers at #17. Worst case is they can dangle one of the catchers as trade bait to fill in holes elsewhere. I actually like Komatsu better because he is better defensively.

25. Richmond - Asked for too much money so cm decided to walk and take the pick next season.

cmthieme: "He's OK, nothing exciting really. I'm not sure if he'll sign, and I'm not sure if I even want him to. I'd be satisfied rolling the pick to next season."

26. Charlotte - Rob Bryant - Would be a better selection if his vR was better. Still a good prospect as a back of the rotation starter, however this isn't really what the Tar Heels needed as they have a huge stable of young arms. Might be trade bait in the offseason.

27. Los Angeles - Wilt Tabaka - Long Reliever at best with his stamina and won't blow the doors off the hinges if he gets to the bigs as he sports barely above average splits and only one plus pitch.

ajwalton - "We're happy to get Tabaka at 27. Our scouting dept. believes that he can eventually become an effective back of the rotation ML starter...but then again, our scouting dept. sucks. Time will tell."

28. Fargo - Alex Carter - Has a solid bat for a catcher which helps and he should be pretty good defensively although he doesn't project to call the greatest pitches which will hurt.

mikejuggalo: He is ok, best i could come up with at that pick. im satisfied

29. Arizona - Harold Taguchi - not sure he is worth a first round pick, but Taguchi can definitely be a huge help defensively at SS for the Sun Devils. Won't contribute much offensively, but could be a gold glover defensively.

lpa2a - "What can I say, i'm really bad at drafting. My scouting was 10/10 so I really can't blame that for the disaster of a first round pick. At least I proved you can win without good drafting ;-)"

30. Oakland (From Philadelphia for signing Howie Grim )- Jim Lee - Probably won't sign.

31. Fargo (type D after the first round pick from last season didn't sign) - Charles Robbins - Doesn't look like Robbins projects to much of a big leaguer. Doubtful he can play 2B or 3B with a mediocre glove and his bat doesn't project to make it efficient for him to play a Corner OF/1B/DH position.

mikejuggalo - "he will be a career minor leaguer im sure"

32. Syracuse - Evan Randolph - With his splits, he projects to be at best a long reliever/mop up guy and maybe just maybe a spot starter b/c he doesn't have some good pitches.

evil doers: "When you're drafting 32nd you get what you get. We think Evan Randolph can be a contributing major league starter. He has great control and while not showing a killer number one pitch, he makes up for it by not having any really bad pitches. For a 32nd pick we're happy with him."

33. Charleston (From Salem for signing Jared Strickland) -

Season 12 - AL West Divisional Preview

2011-02-09T16:56:00.000-08:00

My Take: Salem and Anaheim are the class of the AL and I don't see that changing this season. Very similar to the NL east with Syracuse and Charlotte, there is a chance these two teams could have the top two records in the AL, but only one will get a bye. Seattle embarked on "tear it completely down" rebuild project last season and that continues this season and probably for a couple more. Oakland is under new management as the former Iowa City owner takes over and will hopefully get this franchise going in the right direction after several different owners the last few seasons.

1. Salem Beavers
2. Anaheim Trojans
3. Seattle Huskies
4. Oakland Golden Bears

Seattle Huskies

Seattle raised some eyebrows in season 11 by changing the face of the franchise and trading four all-star mainstays for nine, very young prospects who are already providing visible returns.

Division foes, the LA Angels, cemented their World Series claim for season 11 by obtaining future Cy Young winner Miguel Barcelo (17-9) for ROY Carlos Soriano (20-10, 2.82, 1.13), spot starter Angel Trevino (9-1, 3.06, 1.23) and future setup man Al Bonilla. 2B Tyson Seaver also debuted and showed that he belongs on the big club.

Making the ML squad for opening day is the much sought after C Bill Saipe with 1B Homer Bush, 3B Achilles Harper and SP Howie Hawkins likely midseason call-ups. IF Coco Laroche is on the radar for future seasons.

The Huskies gave up a great deal of mature talent but filled a lot of holes for many seasons to come.

Salem Beavers

Reluctantly sent down Kid Torre to try and get more ABs for Chip Leonard. Hoping to bring up Olmedo Acosta. Lost Octavio Rivera , Shawn Walker and Wes Thomas. Added FA Jared Strickland , Doc Hyers and Vinny Shigetoshi

Anaheim Trojans

None Submitted

Oakland Golden Bears

None Submitted

Season 12 - AL East Divisional Preview

2011-02-09T06:32:00.000-08:00

My Take: The Owls have to be a huge favorite here to not only repeat the division championship, but also win it by 15+ games. They upgraded their team significantly offensively. They will definitely compete for the AL crown. The rest of the division resembles the AL South as it doesn't look like any of them will have the horses to compete for a wild card spot. New York has a new owner who took over from a long term owner who never committed to rebuilding once they were passed by the Owls. Charleston continues their rebuilding efforts by stockpiling draft picks and looking to sign some Intl Free Agents. Chicago has actually moved from the Southside to the Northside of Chicago and is hoping that jumpstarts the franchise.

1. Philadelphia Owls
2. New York Red Storm
3. Charleston Cougars
4. Chicago Blue Demons

Philadelphia Owls

Key Players Added : LF Dave Ramsay, DH Dante Thompson and RP Howie Grim.
Key Players Lost : C Gaylord Burke, RP Ismael Rios, RP Enrique Guzman and SP Pat Gibbons.

Key Transactions : Only one trade but a blockbuster one. LF Dave Ramsay and young SP Nolan Boone came from Portland for C Gaylord Burke, SP Pat Gibbons and another young SP Anthony Mecir.

Rookies expected to contribute: SP Nolan Boone .

Their future is near: LF/2B B.C. Polanco, SS Danny Smoltz, RP Phil Worrell and RP Julio Brito.

Another great season for the Owls but another bad finish.
During off-season we tried to found what is the problem with our team and we came to conclusion that we need a little help on the offence, a better leadoff hitter and a real good DH and in the bullpen too..
We think we found them in Ramsey, Thompson and Grim.

Here's what our top of the order should look like.

Ramsey in the left, Kotsay at second base followed by Thompson the DH and two times MVP Bryant at first.

On the mound, 3 times Cy young award winner Domingo Servet, Daisuke Suzuki and Otis Damon will lead the rotation.
The bullpen should be strong enough with the addition of Grim and Orber Pierre.

Our goal is still to represent the AL in the World Series.

Of course all that will be possible if everyone stays healthy.

New York Red Storm

Added: Ismael Rios

Lost: Matthew Lennon, Ronnie Hamill (trade)

Rookies: Milton Hermanson, Javier Sanchez

Outlook: Hoping to contend for a WC spot, but most likely going to be a seller come the trade deadline.

Charleston Cougars

Charleston continues its rebuilding efforts this year. The team currently holds 5 of the top 60 picks in the draft after losing Jared Strickland and Freddie Upshaw to free agency. The team also figures to be active in pursuit of international free agents. The Cougars picked up Miguel Rodriguez and Gabe Randolph in the Rule 5 Draft, and promoted Al Morris and Omar Holmes to the Major League Roster. The pitching staff will be anchored by Gregg Padden who comes off of a 13-9 season and Eswalin Sierra who pitched a team high 271 innings last season. 3B Odaliz Velazquez enters his second season as the Cougar’s top offensive threat.

Chicago Blue Demons

None Submitted

Season 12 - AL South Divisional Preview

2011-02-09T06:16:00.000-08:00

My Take: As of now, one of the weaker divisions in the world. It looks like this may have been the season for one of the other teams to step up to make a run at Little Rock as they lost some pieces, but it doesn't look like any of the other teams made enough changes to do so. Nashville has a ton of work to do to salvage what the previous owner did to that franchise and to his credit is trying to win now and not ripping it all apart. Jackson and New Orleans are sticking to their rebuilding plan by building from within. I'm projecting Little Rock as the division winner and sole playoff participant and a good turnaround for Nashville as I believe they under performed last season with an MIA owner.

1. Little Rock Razorbacks
2. Nashville Commodores
3. New Orleans Bayou Bengals
4. Jackson Rebels

Nashville Commodores

Added thru FA
C Corky Buckley
C Ted Brock
1B Will Cook
2B Anthony Lombard
3B Crash Becker
3B Ben Brown
SS Mark Shaw
CF Joaquin Andujar
RP Adrian Kendall

Promoted
RP Kane Fordyce
RP Kip Jennings

Losses
C Von Field
3B Ron Davis
LF Raul Aquino
SS Davey Jackson
RP David Costilla
RP Mac Douglas
1B Bubbles Haynes
LF Roger Valentine
C Jeff Cameron
C Roberto Puente

Basically a complete offensive overhaul in Nashville.
Outlook depends on pitching staff bouncing back from a terrible year.
The expectations are to flirt with .500

Little Rock Razorbacks

The Razorbacks biggest offseason signing was that of 39-year old Matthew Lennon. Lennon should fill the void left by Clinton Carr who became a free-agent over the offseason. Also added the Razorbacks pitching staff is Austin Byrne. Austin is making the short drive from Texas to Arkansas where he was the closer for the Mustangs the previous 9 seasons. Austin brings his experience along with a career 238 Saves to the Razorbacks where he'll help mentor young fireballer Bill Perez. The Razorbacks also added Luis Santana to the pitching staff in a trade from Anaheim. Luis is slated to be the #4 or #5 starter in the rotation out of Spring Training. Luis won 13 games for the Trojans last season and the Razorbacks are hoping for similar results from him this season.

On offense, the Razorbacks added Derek Cashman in a trade from Huntington. As of right now Derek projects to play 3rd base for the Razorbacks. Derek struggles at times with making contact but should fill in nicely towards in the bottom half of the lineup. The Razorbacks also added Marcus Perez from Huntington. Marcus should fill in nicely at the DH spot and in the field when needed. Marcus brings an average to an above average bat to the middle part of the Razorbacks lineup. Finally, the Razorbacks added Walter Goodwin as the backup Catcher. Walter does an excellent job of managing the pitch calling while bringing an average bat to the plate. He will fill in nicely when starter C Welington Calderone needs a day off.

Key Players Lost

The Razorbacks lost a slew of players to free-agency including SS/3B Anthony Lombard, 2B Oscar Purcell, 1B Martin Davis, C Chico Duran, CF James Lee, RP Quinton Hamilton and SP Clinton Carr. They lost DH Grant Dickerson to trade this offseason and lost RP Benji Cairo to trade late last season.

Rookies

There are 2 players on the radar right now for making the Big League club out of Spring Training. The first is RP McKay Benes, the Razorbacks 1st-round pick from Season 10. Most believe he'll start the year in AAA and wait the minimum 20 games to allow the club to gain an extra year before Arbitration begins. There has also been some conversation about ugueth Santos, the powerful 28-year old who has spent his entire career in the minor leagues. The Razorbacks could really use a big hitting DH and if Santos can have a good spring, he may find himself on the ML roster opening day.

Outlook and Expectations

The Razorbacks lost a lot of key components to last years Division Championship team, especially on the offensive side of the ball. The pitching staff is better with the additions of Lennon and Bryne. Red Lofton won 17 games last season and the Razorbacks are hoping for another good year from him. Bill Perez will be the Closer from Day 1 and the Razorbacks and fans alike are very interested to see how he performs this year. On offense, the Razorbacks are looking for someone to step up this year. It will be interesting to see if the improvement in the pitching staff can outweigh the possible offense lost. Owner miggyt4 has promised the Razorback fan base another year competing for the division title. The next step for the Razorbacks would be to advance past the opening round of the playoffs. Owner miggyt4 hopes the upgrade in the pitching staff will help with that. On the offensive side of the ball, I think it will all depend on some of the younger players stepping up and playing a bigger role for this team.

New Orleans Bayou Bengals

Key Losses: FA pitchers Allen Guerrero and Vic Calles, FA outfielder Hawk Tyner, 3B Josh Foulke (traded late last season)

Key Additions: 3B Matty Bohannon (acquired via trade late last season), Rule 5 draftee P Jose Andujar, rookie P Michael Comer

counting on strong seasons from several players in their prime - 1B Carlos Molina, 2B Jolbert Lopez, SS Carlos Gonzalez, 3B Matty Bohannon, LHS Julio Lira, LHRP Julio Rincon, and solid contributions from young players CF James Hernandez, RHS Francisco Bournigal, LHS Michael Comer and CL Bart Pellow

expected finish: somewhere between 82 and 86 wins and hopes of at least a wild card berth

Jackson Rebels

Key Players Added: P Carl Rossy, free agent signing to absorb the losses of Borges and Padilla

Key Players Lost: P David Borges (started hot last season, but tapered off), P Carlos Padilla (3-16 record last season does not serve him justice)

Possible Rookie Call-ups: SP Yander Santos and RP Nash Messmer. One or both could be called up but probably not likely. I would like to give them a full season of AAA seasoning before actually bringing them up for next season.

Outlook & Expectations: I am basically bringing back the same squad with Rossy the only major addition. The Rebels played above expectations for most of the season until a double digit losing streak late in the year brought them back to earth with a thunderous thud. Hopefully, my rookies from last year will avoid the dreaded sophomore slump and produce in the ways I expect them to. Torey Vallarata and Andres Martinez (both with 33 HR & 98 rbi) should continue to produce at a high level and be the clubhouse leaders that I expect them to be.
If the team can avoid any prolonged slumps, the Rebels SHOULD see a plus .500 season in their future.

Season 12 - NL West Divisional Preview

2011-02-08T07:23:00.000-08:00

My Take: I think this division will be tight, but with Arizona pulling away. I'd be shocked if they even come close to winning the division by as huge a margin as they did last season. They lost Bernie Ortiz which is a significant blow to the lineup and the other three teams in the division got better. Boise boasts two pitchers that could both be termed "Aces." KC needs to bounce back from their second half collapse last season. Picking the Grizzlies in last is another testament to how tight this division is teams 2-4, because they have a solid squad.

1. Arizona Sun Devils
2. Boise Broncos
3. Kansas City Wildcats
4. Helena Grizzlies

Boise Bronces

For the first time, I am very optimistic about the season ahead. With Elvis Fox and Terry Powell up to the majors and the rule 5 addition of Parra at 1B our starting 8 are vastly improved. While I think our catching situation needs improvement I think it’s good enough to compete. Our pitching staff is just getting better as it matures. Daly will hopefully be lights out and the bullpen is solid. With Wall and Cairo just a short while away in AAA, the pitching will only get better. If (always the big if) we stay away from major injuries, I think we’ll be in the running at the end of the season. I know there are some good teams in my division, but I think we match up pretty well right now.

Helena Grizzlies

KEY PLAYERS ADDED - SS Glendon Reichert, P Willie Sabathia and P Daniel Mullens. The Grizzlies added Sabathia and Mullens as veteran free agent pitchers to stabilize the pitching staff. Mullins is expected to be the 5th starter in the rotation. Glendon Reichert was a rule 5 draftee and is considered the teams franchise SS. Reichert is a solid defensive SS with the potential to hit 20 home runs.

KEY PLAYERS LOST – LF Oswaldo Diaz (.271 avg, 22 HR, 78 RBI)

POSSIBLE ROOKIE CALL UPS – Alfredo Guzman and Benito Valbuena. Guzman was the 44th pick of the season 8 draft. Alfredo is a solid hitter and a plus base runner that is expected to win the RF job out of spring training. Benito Valbuena is the feel good story of the spring for the Grizzlies. He is a former 8th round pick of the season 8 draft and is expected to get the majority of the at bats behind the plate this season. Valbuena is a plus hitter who is still working to develop his defensive skills.

OUTLOOK – The Grizzlies return their core of young players led by pitchers Jose Mendoza and Victor Valdes. Both hurlers turned in solid rookie campaigns and the expectations are that they continue to develop and improve in their sophomore seasons. Helena will hope to generate runs with a balanced offense with little starts. Last season Dorian Griffin was called up late in the year and generated some excitement with this raw speed. He will be the opening day starter this season at 2b.

EXPECTATIONS - Grizzly fans have suffered through 5 consecutive losing seasons and are hopeful this is the season they can at least threaten to finish above .500. If last years rookies improve on their first year performances, the team should take a step forward in their quest for a winning season.

Kansas City Wildcats

The Kansas City Wildcats finished 2nd last year in the NL West after a second half collapse. KC did not sign any free agents or lose any key players. Five players signed contract extensions and four more were arbitration signings. I do not foresee any players from the minor leagues making it to the majors this year. KC has a good bullpen and enough offense. The key is the starting pitching has to get better this year for any chance at winning the division and getting into the post season.

Arizona Sun Devils
None submitted.

Season 12 - NL North Divisional Preview

2011-02-08T07:14:00.000-08:00

My Take: I think the surprise team here could be the Buckeyes. They've done a good job assembling some young arms and have built their team solidly. They are my pick to "surprise" in Season 12 in the NL and challenge for the division and a wild card spot. Detroit will again lead the NL in pitching which is a combination of solid arms with that pitchers park. Dover continues their rebuild project that started last season. Iowa City is under new management and is tasked with turning the losing around in Iowa City, but that will take a few seasons.

1. Detroit Wolverines
2. Columbus Buckeyes
3. Dover Fightin' Blue Hens
4. Iowa City Hawkeyes

Detroit Wolverines

S11 Record: 90 – 72 (1st in NL North); Lost in 1st Round

Free Agency: No signings; Lost Herm Thompson

Trades: Lost Artie Hinch & Alex Franco

We ended up losing 3 pitchers that threw for the ML squad in S11 but we were beginning to pile up young arms in AAA and thought it was time to give them a chance on the mound. Detroit picked up a Type B pick and two young power bats that will be swinging in the majors some day for us as a result of losing our pitching.
Erik Haynes was traded for late in S11 and will be wearing a Wolverines uniform for the entire season in S12. We’ll be watching him as he makes a move to CF to make room for Lynn Prior, another player called up late from AAA last season who will be taking over 3B. 7 players hit double digit HR last season to build upon, and with the core pieces of our pitching staff back in place (2nd straight season leading ML in era, 3rd time in 4 seasons), we feel very confident about winning the division for the 3rd straight season and making our 6th straight playoff appearance. The goal now is to not just make the playoffs but find a way to advance.

Iowa City Hawkeyes

Outlook and Expectaions I hope to get the team to .500 anything above that would be gravy

Possible rookie call -ups Gabe Price David Rodriguez

Key Players Lost : None

Key Players Added Quinton Hamilton Billy Rivers Buddy Daniels

Columbus Buckeyes

Key Players Added: The Buckeyes made no trades during the off-season and the only FA we signed was our own.

Key Players Lost: 3B Ben Brown left via FA and RP Louie Chang was released.

Key Transactions: Avoided arbitration by signing C Benito Goya and 1B Joshua Hall to contract extensions. Went to arbitration with RP Brian Messmer, RF Rock Stinnett, and SS Harry Turner.

Rookies: SP Dallas Parrott and LF Jack Torre

Outlook: Losing Type A 3B Ben Brown was a blow but hopefully the additional draft choice we get for.him will turn out to be the next Michael Seay. Other than that we stayed pat this off-season. The additions of rookie SP Dallas Parrott and LF Jack Torre are as good as any trade or FA we could sign. They both should be major contributors this season and hopefully will push us over the hump in the elusive chase for .500. I really believe this could be the breakout season for the Buckeyes and my prediction is 2nd place in our division behind Detroit and a serious challange for a wild card spot.

Dover Fightin’ Blue Hens

Key Players Added: FA Braden Sager was brought in to play shortstop. FA Jeff Cameron will compete for the starting catcher position. Rule 5 pitcher Orlando Galvez is one of the better rule 5's I've landed. 4 players acquired in last season's trades will all make an impact this year.

Key Players Lost: SP Otis Damon and 2b/3b Charlie Spencer were traded during last season. SS Sam Belitz and C Hawk Matthews were let go in the off season.

Rookies: 2b Albie Tejada is here to stay and should be a bright spot. CF Torey Feliz will also be given a major league spot unless he flounders. 2b/Herm O'Shea and SP Albert Crespo will be amoung the first callups.

Outlook: The Blue Hens traded several veterans last season and began a full-fledged rebuilding project that will continue this season. The Hens will try to avoid 200 losses in 2 seasons and then begin the upward climb next season. Projection: 3rd or 4th in division.

Season 12 - AL North Divisional Preview

2011-02-08T07:09:00.000-08:00

My Take: Fargo and Minnesota both went through rebuilding periods several seasons ago and did a good job building their teams for the long haul. Cincinnati turned over a good portion of their roster and Portland made a huge move in trading away start player Dave Ramsey, but got back several nice players. Best guess is that this division will continue to produce two playoff teams, but a third will be difficult since the AL West will almost definitely produce two as well.

1. Fargo Bison
2. Minnesota Golden Gophers
3. Portland Ducks
4. Cincinnati Bearcats

Cincinnati Bearcats

Key Losses: Rosa, 1b (waived), DaSilva,p (FA), Santiago,p (FA),Smith,ss (FA), Leon,lf (FA). Rosa and Smith will be missed. Roster crunch caused the Bearcats to gamble that Rosa would be overlooked on the waiver wire, he wasn't.

Key Additions: Shawn Tremie, 1b (FA), Oscar Purcell, 2b, (FA). Tremie was signed as a lf and moved to 1b to replace Rosa and make room for the rookie Bradford. Purcell brings some defensive versatility and much need patience at the plate.

Key Rookies: Lloyd Roberts, SP, Philip Stearns, RP, Kirk Bradford, LF. Roberts and Stearns are not frontline prospects; but, they are an improvement over those they will be replacing on the staff. Bradford is a can't miss stick and should step in as a middle of the order type for years to come.

Outlook: The Bearcats improved last season and are expected to accent the trend this season. Four rookies contributed last season, three more should do likewise this season. Stretch Bailey was expected to anchor the staff last season. The FA signee was felled by a season-ending injury in spring traing. He is back at a somewhat reduced effectiveness. However, his addition, the improvement of last year's rookie Brandon Gragg, an improved offense, and maturation of the young players bodes well for Cincinnati. Oddsmakers would suggest that the Bearcats improvement will not be dramatic enough to out-compete Minnesota, Portland, or Fargo for a playoff spot.

Portland Ducks

Key Player Added: Gaylord Burke, Pat Gibbons and Joe Creek

Key Player Lost: Dave Ramsey and Nolan Boone

Key Transaction: Dave Ramsey and Nolan Boone have been traded to Philadelphia in return of Gaylord Burke, Pat Gibbons and Anthony Mecir.

Rookies: None

Outlook: The Ducks decided to trade Dave Ramsay who never played like he should have for his 18 millions per year contract. When Philadelphia’s owner contacts us about the possibility to trade Ramsey, we were not sure. Ramsey was about to become free agent and didn’t want to sign another contract with the Ducks. So, we started the negotiations, and it ended by bringing us Gaylord Burke, a young catcher with power, and also Pat Gibbons, an experienced starting pitcher. We also got an almost ready prospect in Anthony Mecir.

Our team has not change very much, but we are hoping more from Bingo Speier, Omar Encarnacion and Boots Lundquist. If those guys could produce more, the Ducks would be on the run for a playoffs spot. Gaylord Burke and Frank Landrum will be the power hitter of the team.

Also, in our pitching staff, we have some interesting young guys that should be better this year. I’m talking about Alvin Barnes, Vic Keefe and Clayton Brunette. Pat Gibbons will add some deep to our pitching staff since Gene Wise is decreasing and would probably ended in a bullpen duty for the rest of his career. Richard Vanguri should be back in his closer spot, but Bob Serrano and Vic Redmond are both ready if we need them.

If all players are aiming the same goal, we will be in the playoffs, at least we hope so. Only time will give us the answer.

Fargo Bison

key additions:none

key losses: hector guerrero and david cox

i will be calling up erubiel ordaz to take the 5th spot in the rotation this year, hoping he will do alright in his rookie season, also mark glover will be in the rotation this season as well in the 4th spot....we expect him to do very well.

im looking for this team to once again bring home the division in a tight race as usual and compete for the AL pennant. we should be stronger than last season and should win about 100-105 games

Minnesota Golden Gophers

Key Additions: None

Key Losses: Chad Gold

Key Rookies: Jay Rhodes

Outlook: This team is pretty much identical to last year's Wild Card team. However, that far from ensures success this year. Last year's team finished well behind the top teams in the AL and the Golden Gophers also enjoyed near perfect health. That being said there is some reason for optimism as Minnesota is still a rather young team. Best case scenario is probably 90 wins which should keep them in the Wild Card hunt most of the season, although the division would appear out of reach. If they fall out of contention early look for the Golden Gophers to deal off the few remaining veteran pieces as they continue to build a deep farm system. Whether or not they make the playoffs this year, the future looks bright in Minnesota.

Season 12 - NL East Divisional Preview

2011-02-07T07:14:00.000-08:00

My Take: This division boasts two of the top teams in the NL with Syracuse coming out on top the last couple seasons as they've now won the NL East for five straight seasons. As you can see below, the Tar Heels made some significant moves to bolster the top of their lineup to try to get more scoring opportunities for the middle of their order. The Orange made some slight tweaks, but nothing earth shattering. Why fix what isn't broken? Louisville looks to finish third in the division, but they weren't too far away from earning the second wild card spot and if things break right, they could do so. Buffalo continues with their rebuilding project.

1. Syracuse Orange
2. Charlotte Tar Heels
3. Louisville Cardinals
4. Buffalo Bulls

Charlotte Tar Heels

Expectations: Our main goals this season are to finally take the NL East divisional crown away from Syracuse and earn a bye in the playoffs. We were in it until the last game in Season 11 and we are hoping with the acquisitions this season that it will put us over the top. This season will be a disappointment if we do not make the playoffs.

Free Agents Added: Bubbles Haynes as a nice hitter off the bench

Free Agents Lost: Mel Reed back to the Thundering Herd after we traded for him for him at the deadline last season. At least we’ll get a couple draft picks for our trouble.

Players Added Via Trade: Our biggest acquisition is Ronnie Hamill who has absolutely torn it up in his career with New York in the AL. We were in desperate need for a top flight lineup guy which allows us to move some of our bigger bats back in the order. He is also great with the glove and will be able to take over 2B as Rich Perry moves to 3B and Moe Hermansen to RF which will make one of the top defenses in NCAA even better. Travis Hermansen and Eric Jacquez were both brought back in from Huntington to shore up the pitching staff. We also brought back Alex Lopez who will strengthen our end of the game options.

Players Lost Via Trade: Buddy Daniels has been a Heel his whole career, but with the our pitching staff getting younger, we decided to market Daniels and were able to secure a nice, young SP prospect from Iowa City in Hank Waltman. We wish the best of luck to Daniels. Scot Hunt has been a solid defensive replacement the last few seasons, but we have a couple younger guys we wanted to give that spot to so we moved him to Huntington. Also lost Javier Sanchez in the Hamill deal and our starting CFer, Felipe Rincon the past two seasons to Huntingon as we needed to shore up our pitching staff.

Rookies Promoted: Bobby Reese will take over Scot Hunt’s defensive replacement duties. Fausto Mercardo, who was claimed off the waiver wire at the end of last season, was promoted to be a defensive replacement, pinch runner, who also has a decent contact bat. He also went to Charlotte GM’s alma mater, Johns Hopkins.

Possible Rookie Promotion: As of now, there are no plans to promote anyone, but injuries or other circumstances could change that.

Syracuse Orange

‘Losses’ (No Key loses) only loses are pitchers Joe Creek and Rafael Osuna

‘Additions’ (No Key Additions) only addition is reliever Bernard Rucker.

The Syracuse Orange are playing this season with nearly the same class that they had in season 11. They’re expecting to contend again for the tough NL East crown.

As mentioned above, there are no key additions to the team. Mitchell Spencer appears fully healed from his game World Series Game five injury. Lead off platoon youngsters Raymond Nixon and Gustavo Sivilla look ready to take another step forward.

In the last four seasons we’ve
4 ago) Won the Wild Card Series
3 ago) Won the Divisonal Series
2 ago) Won 1 World Series Game
Last) Won 2 World Series Games.

Hopefully the trend will continue!

Louisville Cardinals

Key Players Added: Alex Franco via Trade to shore up the bullpen

Key Players Lost: Raymond Snow 3B and Will Cook 1B via Free Agency

Key Callups: Pedro Aviles, Stewart George and Santos Siqueiros

Outlook: Truthfully, our division looks like it will be a two horse race between the Heels and the Orange. We hope to finish above .500 again and take a wildcard spot.

Whatever happens, we are positioned now to improve year after year.

Buffalo Bulls

Key Players Added

Shawn Walker (L) LF
Vladimir Polonia (L) SP

Key Players Lost

None

Possible Rookie Call ups

We will hope a big surprise at spring training camp.

Expectations

No big expectation for this season. By the fact that the other teams are very strong. Don't finishing last in our division will be a good achievement.

Season 12 - NL South Divisional Preview

2011-02-07T06:26:00.001-08:00

My Take: Well I was way off last season as I predicted the Spiders would finish third in the division and they ended up winning it and that Huntington would battle for the wild card and they had a hugely disappointing season which led them to make wholesale changes for the second season in a row. Just to mimic exactly what I wrote last season, I have no idea what is going to happen with this division. Richmond and Texas made minor changes to their Season 11 playoff teams while Huntington made huge changes, but I believe they did a much better job this season than they did last season. I think Huntington will be better this season, but will it be enough to overtake Richmond and Texas? I think this race will go down to the wire with Memphis bringing up the rear as they continue their rebuild job. I do believe that this division will once again produce two wild card teams and both the divisional crown and wild card could come down to tiebreakers.

1. Texas Mustangs
2. Richmond Spiders
3. Huntington Thundering Herd
4. Memphis Tigers

Huntington Thundering Herd

Key Additions
Free Agency: P Mel Reed, P Terry Simmons, P Allen Guerrero, P Pinky Matheson, P David Cox, P Enrique Guzman, 3B Bernie Ortiz, LF Roger Valentin
Trades: CF Felipe Rincon, SS Scot Hunt, 1B Jung-Lee Woo, P Artie Hinch, OF/IF Craig Henley, OF Lonny Offerman, 1B/C Paul Evans, P Billy North,

Key Losses
Free Agency: P Timo Brinkley, P Edgard Melendez, P J.J. Burns, P Haywood Thomson, P Juan Almanza, P Aramis Marichal, 2B Mel Brock, LF Tracy Nen, CF Joshua Becker, 1B Rex Allen
Trades: P Travis Hermansen, IF/OF Derrek Cashman, RF Billy Rivers, LF Marcus Perez, P Nate Forster

Summary:
The Thundering Herd had budget room to throw around, and throw it around they did. Signing a total of 10 free agents and adding up to 8 big-league players via trade, this management team is out to prove that last season was a fluke. Gone are some key contributors who were shipped out in order to provide an upgrade in talent for the farm system or other positions. The hope is that this team, as it is presently constructed, can provide consistently great offense and allow its pitching staff to be good, but not great. The pitching staff was upgraded significantly, with 3 new starters and 4 new relievers toeing the rubber. This should be the best staff in the history of the franchise.

Richmond Spiders

It was a quiet offseason in Richmond for multiple reasons:

1. We liked our team from last season and didn't see immdeiate areas that needed upgrades. The primary emphasis was keeping the team intact by re-signing our own free agents.

2. We didn't have the prospects available to make impact trades and really need to spend the next few seasons restocking talent rather than dealing it away. As such, we also did not consider any Type A free agents this season.

3. The GM scheduled a vacation during the offseason and time/access was limited.

As such, most of the team remains intact. Pete Young was added to the bullpen to replace a departing Willie Sabathia, which we think is a slight upgrade. The primary upgrades though are a full season from Andrea Nelson (acquired mid-season last year) and the signing of Clinton Carr, who is still recovering from a major injury. When he returns later in the season, he should really upgrade the starting rotation.

I think the offense actually underperformed last season despite decent results, and we should be pretty strong there. The pitching should be solid even though we lack the true stud present on many of the other contenders.

We won the division last season via tie-breaker and made a good run in the playoffs. I expect to compete for the top spot in the division once again.

Memphis Tigers

Key Players Added: Octavio Rivera SP, Gary McBride RP
Key Players Lost: None
Key Transactions: Signed Paul Richard to a 4yr/$35M contract
Rookies to watch for: Phil Rapp SP, Hugh Bell 1B/OF

Outlook: Tigers Management shelled out big bucks this offseason in an effort to upgrade their pitching staff. After missing out on several top pitchers the past few seasons, Memphis signed Octavio Rivera to a hefty 4yr/$57M contract to anchor the rotation. Gary McBride (2yr/$9.6M) joins a bullpen that is arguably the Tigers biggest Achilles heel in effort to help keep late game leads. Rookie Hugh Bell looks to be the opening day leftfielder, while Phil Rapp projects to earn the #2 spot in the rotation.
Expectations in Tiger Town are still modest this season, but they expect to improve on their 69 win season from a year ago. While some around town may feel management overpaid for Rivera’s services, the team feels Rivera along with McBride should be significant upgrades from last years pitching staff. Also, Memphis expects Rapp , competing in his first full season at the major league level, to continue maturing while providing solid innings on the mound. Offensively, the Tigers will count on Richard and rookie Bell to power an offense that often became stagnant in season 11.

Texas Mustangs

The Mustangs did some roster fine tuning this season, but usually try to avoid the complete roster overhauls that are popular at some of the other schools within the division.

This year it will be a couple of promotions (Mariano Cedeno and Vincente Parra) filling the gaps of Vladamir Polonia and Austin Byrne on the mound.

In the field, two big free agent signings will cause some movement around the diamond. Freddie Upshaw was signed to play SS and Chico Tavarez will move into CF. Houston Hart moved on to a new opportunity at another institution. Wes Thomas was also signed to play in LF and should improve OF defense and add more speed on the base paths.

NCAA Record Changes

2011-01-24T07:46:00.000-08:00

We had several records fall, change hands, increase, and decrease now that we have completed Season 11. All of the changes have been updated in the records on the right of the blog. Here is a list of what happened...

Michael Shumpert is the new single season strikeout leader with 252 K's last season. Nick Robinson now is the sole holder of the saves record by saving 51 games last season.

Capitalizing on his triple crown, Michael Seay is now the single season batting average (.363) and hits (239) holder.

Otis Damon, Gene Wise, and Hawk Wagner now share the Career Wins record with 169 apiece.

Enrique Sojo is now the sole holder of the career batting average record at .338 as Ned French falls off.

Dante Thompson is now the career record holder for Hits with 2,027.

Check out the full list of records to the right of the blog!

Rule Change

2011-01-23T11:34:00.000-08:00

First let me say that a lot of thought was put into this decision. There were many conversations with the committee and then with the rest of the world. I really appreciate everyone who let me know their thoughts. The final result was only 2 people were against teams never being allowed to change cities and I completely understand where they are coming from. There was a groundswell of support for there to be very limited opportunities for an owner to switch a city, but for there to be an increased penalty and limiting it to one move per season. Also there has to be a legitimate reason to wanting to move.

The bottom line is that we DO NOT want people switching cities. In a perfect world, this rule will not have to be used ever except when we need a new owner. When owners stay in their cities it promotes rivalries (I hate Syracuse....it just wouldn't be the same if next season they were in Baltimore and then 3 seasons later in New York, etc) and it is also much better for the "player cards" and history of the world. However, the rule below will provide us with flexibility when needed. Below is the revised rule.

Rule #10 has been changed to this:

"Teams may change their city/stadiums under two circumstances. One, after a current owner (season 11 or prior) has completed 10 seasons as an NCAA member in their current city. Two, a new owner to the world can switch to a new city as long as that city has not changed in the last 5 seasons. Teams wishing to switch must apply for approval and there must be a legitimate reason to switch. Moving forward, a stadium switch is only allowed once per owner whether its a veteran owner moving or a new owner coming in and only one veteran move allowed per season. An owner that petitions the committee to move must wait one full season before the move can be made. The "penalty" which is to be looked at as a "new stadium fee" is 10 million in minor league contracts the first season and 5 million the second season which will mimic the cost involved in building a new stadium. Only owners that have shown great loyalty to NCAA and are willing to fully commit many more seasons will be considered. The competition committee reserves the right to deny a city/stadium switch for any reason."

Example: In the middle of Season 12 I petition the committee to move to Baltimore. The move is approved. At the beginning of season 13, I sign a low level minor league FA to a one season, 10 million dollar deal. I move my team at rollover of season 14 and then sign another low level minor league FA to a one season, 5 million dollar deal. I can never petition the committee to move again and am willing to commit long term to NCAA.

Arte will be staying in Chicago and moving from Wrigley to Cellular Field while keeping the Blue Demons name. Arte will sign a player for this season at 10 mil and next season at 5 mil to make good on the rule change. Arte's reasoning behind the move is that he has spent the last 11 seasons losing in Wrigley and needed a change. It got to the point where Arte was ready to give up the team in which case a new owner quite possibly would have changed the city anyway. This is Arte's one relocation and has committed long term to NCAA.

Owner Update

2011-01-11T07:48:00.000-08:00

NCAA owners, I wanted to provide a quick owner updated. Meteu40 had over 202 losses the last two seasons and on several occasions lets his minors go into disrepair and did not correct immediately. Therefore he came up for review. He was notified several times throughout the season where he was trending and still missed the mark. I notified him 8 days ago to submit a defense and plan on how he will turn around the franchise to the competition committee. He has not submitted anything in 8 days and it is time for us to move on. I informed meteu40 today that it would be in everyone's best interests to part ways.

Also, an update on the Kansas City franchise. I am hoping that llcc recovers and comes back before rollover. If you missed my world chat post, he is ill and is MIA from WIS. I currently have a classified up to have a replacement in place if needed, but hoping that llcc is ok and comes back.

Please send me a trade chat/sitemail if you have any further questions.

Thanks,

Chris

TRIPLE CROWN!

2011-01-08T02:18:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to the Syracuse Orange and Micheal Seay for winning the Triple Crown with a .363 batting average, 65 HR's and 175 RBI's!

Michael Seay
Syracuse
Orange
Age: 28	B/T: S/R
Born: Paonia, CO
Position(s): 1B
View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Season 11 International Free-Agents ----- The Year of the C - by tk21775

2011-01-02T12:21:00.000-08:00

As of this writeup there were 9 international free agents that inked a deal to play ball in NCAA for over $10M. Three of those players will be crouching behind the plate when they get to the bigs, two of them the top money makers. It was such a good year for C that we even had one owner who admitted to having a man crush and not only signed up for his fan club but was thrilled that he would be receiving a signed picture of the C in his jock strap! Enough about man crushes and jock straps though, on to the recap.

The top signer thus far is 18 year old C Ramon Pong who was snatched up by the Charlotte Tar Heels (and the man crush). Pong was signed for $20.3M, the only player to receive over $20M in a signing bonus this season, and immediately sent to rookie ball. In 27 games so far he’s hitting for a .374 avg. with 13 HR and 35 rbi. Pong projects to have great accuracy when throwing players out at the plate with pitch calling but his bat is absolutely amazing. He can hit for contact, power, against lefties, and has an outstanding eye. He has no weakness with his bat at all and has the stamina to play nearly every game. He will be an absolute force when he makes it to the big leagues.

18 year old Carlos Carrasco comes in 2nd on the top paid list with a signing of $17.6M with the Fargo Bison. Carrasco is calling games for the Bison in Rookie league this season where he’s played 37 games, hitting for .318 avg with 3 HR and 25 rbi. He’s not going to hit for power but he will be hard to keep off the bases with his bat and will have the defense to be behind the plate for the Bison.

Luis Martin becomes the 1st non-catcher to get paid the big money, inking a deal for $13.9M with the Dover Figthin Blue Hens. He’s listed as a SS but Dover has him playing CF in Rookie league for them this season where he’s hitting .325 with 4 HR and 18 RBI in 29 games. It will interesting to see where they play him in the bigs as he looks to be able to play CF, 2B, or 3B. He’s got a great eye and contact with below avg. splits. He’ll be a guy to watch when he gets called up to see how he performs.

18 year old Bernie Flores becomes the top P prospect on the money list, signing a $13.5M contract with the Salem Beavers. The Beavers have him in Low A where he’s pitched 3.0 innings for a 3.00 era allowing 3 hits, 1 ER, 1 BB and 3 SO in his short time on the mound. Flores will be a setup pitcher with outstanding control.

One of the oldest Int’l to sign this year, 22 year old Pedro Guerrero gets a $12.5M contract from the Louisville Cardinals. He immediately started in AAA where he’s started 10 games for 70.2 innings of work with a 4.46 era. He’s got the stamina to be a SP in the majors with nice splits and above avg. control with 3 solid pitches. Guerrero looks to be a nice addition to the rotation for the Cardinals and a nice bargain at what he was signed for.

Louisville wasn’t done with just Guerrero, also signing 19 year old P Victor Diaz to a $12.1M contract. He gets sent to Low A ball where he’s pitched in 23 games, saving 13 out of 14 opportunities with a 1.84 ERA. He’s control is pinpoint and he’ll be a force against righties with no liability against left-handed batters too much. Add 3 solid pitches and the Cardinals look to have their future closer in their farm system this season.

Pedro James rounds out the C’s signed, inking a $10.8M bonus with the Minnesota Golden Gophers. James begins his future with the Gophers in Low A ball where he’s yet to see any action. He’s got the arm and pitch calling ability to be behind the plate and can definitely hit the long ball. His stamina should have him playing all 162 games when he gets to the majors.

19 year old Edgard Polonia becomes the 2nd highest paid SS on the list, agreeing on a $10.5M bonus with the Helena Grizzlies. Polonia gets sent to Rookie league where he looks to develop more into a 3B possibly. He’s got speed along with a decent bat to be a nice pickup for the Grizzlies. In 5 games he’s hitting .400 with 1 HR and 6 RBI.

The last to crack the $10M list in 22 year old SS Vic Cruz with the Cincinnati Bearcats. Cruz signed for exactly $10M and gets to start at the High A level. He’s been in 118 games, hitting .299 with 22 HR and 109 RBI. The Bearcats have him playing the SS position where he’s fielding .948 as he develops although his glove might not get to where it needs to be for that position. He’s bat might be enough to make up for him playing there though where he’ll keep hitting them out of the park no matter what league he plays in.

Moving Cities/Stadiums

2011-01-01T07:04:00.000-08:00

I'm putting this up for a world discussion. One of our rules has been to not allow owners to move cities/stadiums once they are in the world. The reasons for this were they don't do that in the real world, we wanted to avoid owners playing hop a skotch with their teams every couple seasons to tailor to their personnel, and we didn't want the player cards to look ridiculous (ie - players playing for only one or two teams throughout their careers, but it looking like they played for a bunch).

We've had several owners over the last 11 seasons ask to move and its always been declined. The competition committee has discussed this issue and we want to further the debate to the entire world.

What does everyone think about adding this to the moving cities rules...

- Once an owner has completed 10 straight seasons in a city, they are eligible to move cities. This can only be done once every ten seasons.
- Owners wishing to move must apply to the competition committee.
- Max of 2 moves per season
- Penalty fee assessed of 5 million (could be construed as building a new stadium in the new city) This would take affect by the owner signing a career minor leaguer to a one season, 5 million dollar contract.

All of the stipulations are up for discussion. If there is a huge backlash by the world, then we'll shut this idea down.

The reasoning behind having to wait for ten seasons is that at that point, an owner has shown great loyalty to this world and if they are increasingly frustrated by losing in a city then we should at least discuss this idea.

Please send me a trade chat or sitemail or we can discuss on the world chat. I didn't want to wait til after the World Series as there may be an owner or two that wants to take advantage of this rule.

Thanks!

Owner Update

2010-12-31T18:55:00.000-08:00

I wanted to provide an update regarding an owner situation that the competition committee has come to a decision on. Unfortunately cnsmuck will not get to the 70 win level that was required of him due to being on probation after eclipsing 200 losses over two seasons. That being said, cn kept up a steady stream of communication about how he was trying to improve his team over the past three seasons, unfortunately he fell short. The competition committee felt he did his best and cn let us know how much he enjoyed NCAA World and if there was ever an opportunity to come back, he'd like to be considered. Shortly thereafter, Oakland's current owner, jlipp993 let me know he wouldn't be returning. After consulting with the committee, we decided to offer cnsmuck that team. We believe this is a fair deal all around. CN doesn't get to "take advantage" of several losing seasons in a row with high draft picks, etc and NCAA doesn't lose a good, quality owner who has been with this world since the beginning. Le me be clear, each member of the committee researched the moved cn has made over the last few seasons and none of believe cn came anywhere close to "tanking." However, rules are rules, and we weren't prepared to make an exception or anything like that, nor did cn has for one. We have a great owner, tbone66, who will be taking over the Iowa City franchise.

Please send me a trade chat if you have any questions and/or concerns. Thanks for your time!

Season 11 - AL Power Rankings (All Star Break)

2010-12-14T10:58:00.000-08:00

AL Power Rankings to represent the NL in the World Series.

-Rankings are based on expected win pct (run differential), standings, and stats.

-Some owners submitted recaps of their teams, I will point that out when applicable.

Please, please, pleaseeeeeee don’t take this seriously. This is purely for fun and is just to make this blog better. This is strictly for entertainment value and to promote discussion and debate.

Contenders

1. Philadelphia Owls – jeanpaul: For the fourth season in a row, the Owls should win their division title. Second in the AL right now, they are first in HR, second in RBIs, Runs and third in batting average. On the mound, they are first in WHIP and second in ERA. After losing to Fargo last season, they hope that the addition of Otis Damon and Daisuke Suzuki will give them what they missed last season in the playoff. Key players to watch: Haywood Bryant and Domingo Servet.

2. Salem Beavers - jarazix: The season is going as planned. Currently leading the division with the AL's best record, most runs scored, 2nd in ERA. Jack Nicholas continues to develop with last years acquisition Wes Cyr alread at 104 RBI. He and Bill Morton may compete for the MVP.

On the pitching end Al Vadez is 15-2 and should compete for the Cy Young, 3 other pitchers have 7+ wins as well.

If injuries hit Chip Leonard is primed to take his spot in the big leagues.

The team will finish likely in the top 2 in scoring and record. We'll see how the playoffs go.

3. Fargo Bison - Certainly won't go out on the limb of calling the Bison a pretender like I did last season. The defending champs are leading the AL North and look poised to do some damage in the playoffs, but doesn't look like they'll achieve a bye.

4. Anaheim Trojans - Anaheim/Salem is like Charlotte/Syracuse. One team could have a fantastic season and still be stuck in the opening round of the playoffs. This team is very well rounded.

Pretenders

5. Minnesota Golden Gophers - Might be able to go on a run to win the title, but the smart money is on winning a wild card spot. Probably still a season or two away from doing a ton of damage unless they go on a "Fargo" esqe run.

6. Little Rock Razorbacks - The AL South doesn't have a team with an expected win pct above .470, but someone has to win the division.

7. Jackson Rebels - The Rebels have been bolstered by their success in one run games which has them playing well over their heads. Will battle the Razorbacks for the division title, but neither team will go far in the playoffs.

8. Cincinnati Bearcats - Treading water in the tough AL North. They have some nice prospects making debuts this season or shortly over the horizon. The future is bright in Cincy and will continue to make the AL North a tough division.

9. New York Red Storm - Almost put them in the "Is it next season" yet category, but they have been extremely unlucky this season. There is an outside chance of going on a serious streak and making a run at a wild card spot.

Is it next season yet?

10. Seattle Huskies - The Seattle Mariners have been a work in progress with four key veterans departing and nine newcomers taking their places. Two of the prospects added in the Miguel Barcello deal are already paying dividends. 23-year-old Carlos Soriano has forged a 13-4 record at the All-Star break with a 2.99ERA and 1.21WHIP. 23-year-old Angel Trevino has become the primary set-up man with a 2-0 W-L, 3.86ERA and 1.31WHIP. Tyson Seaver (2B) obtained in the Eric Haynes trade takes over at 2B and prized rookie Kevin Xiao fills Haynes' spot at 3B. C Hooks Cheney continues to impress in his second full season with .296/.362/.584 with 29 HR at the break, while Rule 5 SP Deion Moreno and veteran FA SP Al Cortes have been pleasant surprises. Hovering around the .500 mark most of the season, the Mariners find themselves having a realistic shot at the playoffs if they can keep improving as the season progresses. This would be a first for the franchise after ten seasons of mediocrity.

11. Oakland Golden Bears - All 4 teams in the AL West have expected winning pcts above .500 which is unusual. Management in Oakland didn't expect much this season so this team seems to be playing above expectations.

12. Portland Ducks – sirius07 - Honestly, I thought that the Ducks would be better this season, but it seems that something is missing in the team to make it works. If the season would end now, it would be their first 4th place in the AL North division.

We still have time to move up since the division is not very strong, but it will be hard. To be in the series, the Ducks need to finish 1st because there is better team in the wild card race.

13. New Orleans Bayou Bengals - The negative here is another rebuilding season in New Orleans, but the positive is it doesn't look like it will take much to take the AL South next season.

14. Charleston Cougars - Surprised no one has made a run at Jared Strickland as he could definitely help a contender while helping the Cougars along in their rebuilding efforts.

15. Nashville Commodores - Spending a ton of cash in Free Agency hasn't seemed to make the magic happen in Nashville. Owner meteu is a savvy veteran so could he have a trick or two up his sleeve?

16. Chicago Blue Demons - Rebuilding project continues.

Season 11 - NL Power Rankings (All Star Break)

2010-12-13T09:47:00.000-08:00

NL Power Rankings to represent the NL in the World Series.

-Rankings are based on expected win pct (run differential), standings, and stats.

-Some owners submitted recaps of their teams, I will post the owners name before the blurb to show that they are the author.

Please, please, pleaseeeeeee don’t take this seriously. This is purely for fun and is just to make this blog better. This is strictly for entertainment value and to promote discussion and debate.

Contenders – small number of contenders in the NL as there is a huge clump of mediocracy.

1. Charlotte Tar Heels – Leading the NL in record, winning pct, and expected winning pct while leading the league in pitching, second in fielding, and top 5 in hitting makes them the team to beat so far. However, the Orange are breathing down their neck in the NL East. Unfortunately for both teams, it looks like they have sizeable leads in the standing dept, but one will get stuck without a playoff bye for the second season in a row which is huge.

2. Syracuse Orange – Evil Doers: The Syracuse Orange are obviously a contender. We have the fourth best record with a very strong chance to make the playoffs for the seventh straight season. Winning their fifth straight NL East title may be a different story as we continue to trail the tough Charlotte Tar Heels.

Season 11 is actually going about as planned. Michael Seay continues to bash. Free agent pitcher has been as good as expected with a 10-4 3.49 at the break.

Two rookies are platooning at the top of the order, Raymond Nixon and Gustavo Savillia. Both were number one picks. They’ve been doing a fine job. Nixon has the edge with a nice .392 ob%.

Staying healthy and getting some breaks in the playoffs are what matters now.

3. Arizona Sun Devils – Welcome back to the Sun Devils who had a disappointing Season 10. I was tempted to place them in the pretender pile, just because Charlotte and Syracuse are in a class of their own, however they are leading for the second playoff bye which would be a tremendous boost to their chances. They also boast a top 5 pitching staff and lineup, but their fielding could use a boost.

Pretenders

4. Richmond Spiders – cmthieme: My performance has been in-line with expectations as I thought we had a fighting chance at the division, though I hope to pick up the pace in the 2nd half. The pitching has been acceptable and has likely been helped quite a bit by good defense. The offense has been good but inconsistent, with Enrique Sojo carrying quite a load for the team. The addition of Andrea Nelson via trade should really help bolster the offense, as should a healthy Graham Wilson, who has had 2 stints with injuries thus far, neither of which the team has played very well during.

I don't expect any more major moves as I used my main bullet in the minors to acquire Nelson. I like my chances to win the division, but I'll need to stay healthy and hope no one else in the division gets hot.

5. Kansas City Wildcats – llcc: My starting pitching has been very weak the first half of the season. I hope to win my division but my starting pitchers have got to pitch better in the second half .

6. Detroit Wolverines – tk21775: 1st half of the season has pretty much gone just like last season went. The Detroit Wolverines find themselves at the top of the NL North by six games but only one game above .500. Our pitching is outstanding once again, keeping us in most games but our offense is letting us down. Management went back to the trade block this week and continued talks that were haulted at the beginning of the season, this time making a deal to bring Erik Haynes to the team. We gave up three nice prospects to get him, although held onto Arrojo. We're hoping that by putting Haynes in the lineup along with Arrojo and the season that Wiggins and Carter are having will jump start the offensive production we have been lacking. Sanford will be off the DL in 24 days and he should give us some need power as well. The Wolverines young pitching should keep us contending for the next several seasons, now it's just up to the offense to see how far the team can go.

7. Texas Mustangs – Still has a great shot at the division, but doubtful they could make a ton of noise in the playoffs. Could use an upgrade on the pitching staff to help get them over the hump.

8. Louisville Cardinals – Treading water in the really tough NL East. Possibly could make some moves to go after a wild card or could just as easily be a seller to re-tool for next season.

9. Columbus Buckeyes – weena: So far, this has been a season of woulda, shoulda, coulda but sometimes did for the Buckeyes. We are currently in 2nd place in the NL North with a 38-49 record. We are 5 GB and 6 GA of 3rd place. On the negative side, we are tied for the league lead in 1-run losses with 18 and are 1-7 in extra inning games. A major reason for this is our bullpen's 14 blown saves.

Our pitching staff is 22 hits below average in Hits Allowed but above average in SLG. This means that the hits we do allow are more of the extra base variety. It is not too surprising then that we are above average in HR Allowed unfortunately in a home park that is near balanced. On the hitting side, we are slightly above average in OBP but near the bottom of the league in HR and 2B. We get 'em on but we can't get 'em in.

Management and coaches have discussed ways to correct some of the weaknesses in this team. Some options include trades and/or promotions/demotions in the pitching staff, adjusting aggressiveness levels in certain hitting/base running areas, and lineup changes to find the optimum spots for our hitters. Another issue that was discussed is the fact that this team is playing at a .437 pace but their Expected Percentage is .483. Hopefully, that means that we are due for some breaks and things will start to fall our way a little more.

The Bottom Line is this team should be able to hold on to 2nd place but is an unlikely candidate for a .500 season or a playoff spot.

10. Helena Grizzlies – drichar: The Grizzlies spent most of the first half surprising the NL West by contending for a top spot in the division. The team jumped off to a quick 26-23 start. Since then, the Grizzlies have fallen back going just 13-23 since their hot start. Most of the team's early success can be attributed to their rookies and free agents. Helena was lucky to bag 1 year deals with free agents SS Hamish Reynolds (.312/.406/.510) and CF Lawrence Turner (.309/.342/.546). They are leading the offense along with Rookie standout Gill Grace. Grace, a former 7th round draft pick, is near the top of the NL batting leader board with his .326 average. Free agents and rookies are the story on the mound for the Griz as well. Free Agent veteran Pete Young has been the best arm in the bullpen (3.83 ERA, 1.00 WHIP) while Rookie Victor Valdes has 19 saves. Finally rookie Jose Mendoza has the fans in Helena the most giddy about his future. The hard-throwing 23 year old is off to a 4-3 start with a 3.14 ERA and 1.23 WHIP. The Grizzlies are probably at least a season or two away from being a division contender.

Is it next season yet?

11. Huntington Thundering Herd – hurricane384: Despite turning over the roster by more than 50%, the Thundering Herd has endured a very disappointing season. The offense has put up some solid numbers but is struggling reaching base and has been let down by the bullpen and, to an extent, the starting pitching.

12. Buffalo Bulls

13. Dover Fightin’ Blue Hens: Nearing the all-star break it became clear that Dover could not contend, even in a weak division. 2 of the Rule 5 pitchers suffered injuries requiring extended stays on the 60 day DL. Management made the decision to trade a couple of veterans, Otis Damon and Charlie Spencer, to stock up on younger prospects. LF Max Peterson and SP Tom Hawkins will get a chance to show their stuff in the majors right away. LF Davy Walker and prized catching prosepct Clarence Christensen will work on their game in the minors and should play a part in about 2 seasons. Dover will continue to examine young talent in the 2nd half while trying to reach a goal of 65 wins.

14. Memphis Tigers – mh17: At the midpoint of the season, the Tigers had hoped to be a tick better than what they have shown thus far this season. The offense hasn’t produced like it did last season, but the questionable bullpen, unable to hold many leads, has once again been Memphis’s biggest downfall. The fantasy of Esteban Cedeno providing anything in the closer role has turned into a nightmare.
Memphis stands 11 games back at the break. With some luck and a couple good stretches they could find themselves back in the thick of things. But unless something is done about the inept bullpen, specifically in the later innings of games, the rest of the season could prove long and frustrating.

15. Boise Bronces – abesmem: well, it looks like we're pretenders again, disappointingly. Two big reason for our failures - Aside from Craig martin, no one is hitting up to expectations. Secondly, Hod Farrel has been quite poor in the closer role. The starting pitching has been OK, so if the bats heat up our goal is to play at or better than .500 in the second half

16. Iowa City Hawkeyes – Just had a great draft and also made some trades to win now to get over the 70 win mark. Everyone is rooting for them to do so, but either way, they are looking to next season.

Season 11 - NL West Prospect Report

2010-12-08T05:52:00.000-08:00

All 4 owners submitted their prospect reports, thanks guys! As always, all player names are "clickable" to their player card.

Arizona Sun Devils

1. Saul Garrido - acquired via trade in season 10 Saul is an exciting player with good balance. Look for him in the majors in season 13 or so.

2. Rafael Guerrero - A strong find by my scouts in the DO, This southpaw has a blazing fastball sure to be striking out hitters at the ML level by season 13.

3. Was Achilles Harper but has since been traded to Seattle.

4. Jose Samuel - Another prospect from the DO. Signed in season 8. I don't need to tell you that lpa2a has had great success with overseas talent. But I should tell you that he just doesn't fit with the organizations plan. He's on the block and available so who knows when he'll hit the majors.

5. Was Howie Hawkins but has since been traded to Seattle.

Helena Grizzlies

1. Jose Mendoza - Mendoza was the Grizzlies first in the season 9 draft. Jose is a hard thrower that can neutralize both lefties and righties. He has 4 good pitches and could have an accelerated path to the show if the major league club needs some help to avoid the loss limit this season.

2. Devon Browning - Browning is a pure power hitter. He is soft vs. left handing pitcher and his is far from being a plus Right fielder, but Browning has 40 HR potential and that hides a lot of weaknesses.

3. Dorian Griffin - Griffin is considered by most within the organization as a major bust. He was the sixth overall pick of the season 8 draft and was deemed the centerfielder of the future. As it turns out, the scouting projections might have failed ownership. Griffin does not have the skills to play CF and his bat has not developed like they hoped it would. He may end up being a solid ML player, as he does have tremendous speed, but he will never be the savior that franchise hoped he would be.

4. Alfredo Guzman - Guzman is a former supplemental pick who has developed into a nice prospect. He has a plus arm in RF and is a heady base runner. He won't strike fear into the hearts of any ML pitchers, but expect him to have a shot at making the ML team out of spring training next season.

5. Mel Boyer - The talent level falls off after the top 4. And Boyer gets the nod over a group of AAAA guys that could fit in this spot. Boyer has developed nicely in his first year in the organization and could end up being a capable 3B. At this point I would say he has an outside change at making a contribution at the ML level in 2-3 seasons.

Boise Broncos

1. Elvis Fox - really ready now, but will be up no later than next spring. Just working on pitch selection right now

2. Terry Powell

3. Bill Crosby - just drafted and is in HiA.

4. Kenneth Wall - great curveball-control pitcher at AAA. He should be in the rotation next year.

5. Juan Rosado - solid lefty bat at AAA. He has a bit of a pitch selection problem that may never resolve itself, but his numbers have been consistently good. Hopefully he’ll contribute at the ML level next year.

Kansas City Wildcats

1. Ian Joseph - #1 pick season 9.He looks to be a great fielder will steal a few bases hit for a little power but will strikeout a lot and have a low avg.Could make majors by season 13.

2. Damaso Mota - #1 pick season 8.Having a great year in AAA I think he will be a OK #5 starter or work out of the bullpen his 1& 2 pitches are not great. Major league debut season 11 or 12.

3. Sammy Santiago - He should hit in the 270 range with 15 to 20 homers and steal a few bases. Major league debut season 13.

4. Louie Martinez - Pretty good pitcher with great control and #2 pitch but low stamina. Should be a good spot starter and work out of the bullpen. Major league debut season 13 or 14.

5. Emmett Brow - #1 pick season 7. Nice power but will hit for low AVG. Major league debut season 12.

Season 11 - Amateur Draft - First Round Review

2010-12-07T07:15:00.000-08:00

These evaluations are based off of my 14 million in Advanced Scouting so there is clearly some error. This is done for fun so please don't take it personally. As always, the names are "clickable" to their player profile.

1. Nashville - Trent Keefe - Unfortunately just got hit with a debilitating injury that will keep him out for this season and a good part of season 12. Luckily he is young and has a good shot to rebound, but he lost 7 OVR points and won't be able to gain any back until a full season from now. Unbelievable split and two plus pitch projections will make him a great pitcher if he can rebound. Questionable STA/DUR ratio is a concern.

2. Chicago - Brent Bukvich - Shutdown closer who should be ready sooner than later. There always seems to be a debate on if it makes sense to use such a high pick on a guy that will only pitch 100 - 120 Innings or so, but the Blue Demons got themselves a guy that can closer down the last two innings of a game and its hard to pass that up.

3. Iowa City - David Rodriguez - Love this pick. Can easily be a #1 starter. Great control, splits, and pitches, what is not to like? Also will be ready sooner than later as he is already 22. Downside is he probably won't hit those projections, but hopefully will come close.

4. Richmond - Eddie Padden - I think cm will keep Padden at SS even though he only projects to be average defensively there. He has a solid bat that it can make sense to deal with some errors. On the flip side, he could be a gold glover at 3B.

5. Helena - Efrain Nakano - Nice pick and I bet the Grizzlies were ecstatic to see Nakano available here as he projects to a top of the rotation type pitcher. An argument could be made that since he is only 20, he is the top pitcher taken so far.

6. Memphis (type D from Season 10) - Carter Stern - Currently pitching in rookie ball where he should dominate as he is probably ready for a spot a couple leagues higher. His righty split projection is a bit of a concern, but the rest of his ratings should make up for it and be a solid starter for a long time. Sooner than later as well.

7. Columbus - Carlos Encarnacion - Health is a concern, but another nice SP selection. This draft seems to have been pretty deep in SP prospects as we'll see them pop up throughout the first round. The Buckeyes are hoping he'll be ready sooner than later as he is coming out of a full stint in college.

8. Cincinnati - Joaquin Bautista - Should be a good to very good reliever once he matures. Awesome control and a dominating Sinker will have to make up for above average splits.

9. Boise - Bill Crosby - Could be a gold glove CFer eventually. Also has the ratings to be a prototypical leadoff guy. Should steal a bunch of bases.

10. Minnesota - Darrell Alexander - Really nice value here to round out the top ten. Great control, splits, and three above average pitches are a nice find ten picks deep in the draft.

11. Seattle - Ronnie Magee - Holding out right now

12. Charleston - Fred Keppel - Should be a solid pitcher for a long time with his nice splits and pitches including a powerful fastball. He should be able to rack up a lot of innings with his STA/DUR combo.

13. New Orleans - Tomas Lucano - Definitely won't be/should not be a CFer in the bigs, but he could be an average fielding second baseman and with that bat, it could be worth it. Worst case, Lucano has a great bat to play a corner outfield position. Should hit for good average and OBP with pop.

14. Charleston (type D from Season 10) - Aurelio Navarro - After going with a SP two picks earlier, the Cougars decide to shore up their bullpen by selecting Navarro. He should be able to pitch a good amount of innings out of the bullpen and really help close out games.

15. Jackson - Charles Dickerson - Holding out right now

16. Memphis - Vladimir Quinones - Quinones doesn't get me too terribly excited due to his sub par glove. He is probably a corner outfielder and only have an average to slightly above average bat.

17. Dover - Joaquin Aceves - Not sure what to think about this pick either. He has a fantastic contact rating, but that is teamed with average power, righty split, and eye. Pretty interested to see how he develops.

18. Detroit - Keith Reese - Would be a really nice pick if his glove was a few points higher. Another interesting decision will have to be made with Reese. Do you deal with his below average fielding at SS to get his ok bat or do you move him to 3B or 2B?

19. Buffalo - Bill Johnson - I really like this selection which is a shame since the Bulls play in the NL East. Johnson projects to have very solid splits and average to above average pitches with good control which should translate into a productive pitcher one day.

20. Arizona - Thomas Obermueller - Love this selection as the Sun Devils get a very nice reliever as we enter the lbottom third of the draft. Could have gone higher and I wouldn't have been surprised.

21. Oakland - Chili Milton - I wish his batting eye was higher, but other owners have had success with below average batting eyes. His splits could make up for it rather nicely.

22. Louisville - Dustin Lefebvre - Another solid SP prospect goes off the board. The only question mark is sometimes SP's that only use three pitches can struggle from time to time, but there are plenty of examples of it working.

23. New York - Elmer Hodges - He should hit for a great batting average with his contact/splits combo. Unfortunately is a bit of a liability in the field and will have to play 1B/LF/DH, but that is one of the reasons he lasted this long.

24. Texas - Giomar Franco - Would be more excited about this pick if his control was higher as sometimes that can prove to be troublesome, but once you get this low in the first round, you have to start rolling the dice.

25. Kansas City - Tomas Ramirez - With his glove rating, almost certainly won't be an infielder and will have to be moved to the OF, but the Wildcats are giving him a shot there. Should be a decent hitter.

26. Huntington - Fred O'Neill - Hmmm...interesting selection. Great contact and power, but an awful lefty split and average righty split, but then a great batting eye. Can't wait to see what happens with him.

27. Portland - Rodney Hines - Hasn't signed and I didn't scout

28. Charlotte - Mateo Miro - (re-posted from Tar Heel Examiner) We were very pleased that Miro dropped to us at #28. Although his splits fell a little bit once he signed, we still have high hopes considering our high school scouting budget is so high. Projects to great control with 4 plus pitches will certainly help get the job done. Miro joins a deep stable of pitching prospects for the Heels.

29. Chicago - Francisco Cordero - Doubtful that his glove is good enough to play the 3B, but should be able to provide some pop from the corner OF/1B/DH positions.

30. Fargo - Rusty Stahl - Hasn't signed and I didn't scout

31. Iowa City (compensation from Little Rock for Mark Matthews ) - Hank Waltman - Quite possibly my favorite pick of the draft because it happened so late. How did Waltman not go earlier? Did the Hawkeyes scouts work a bit harder? They have to be really happy to grab Waltman after losing Matthews to the Razorbacks. Waltman should be a #2 start if he progresses well.

32. Anaheim - Don Hodges - Intriguing selection. Hopefully his glove will be good enough to play a legit 2B and if that happens and the Trojans can get a guy who plays 2B with an OBP close to or over .400 (with his awesome batting eyes) and steal some bases than Hodges is a steal.

33. Buffalo (compensation from Syracuse for Jose Barrios ) - Sammy Santana - Not too sure how great of a future Santana will have with average splits and only one good pitch. Maybe a decent innings eater.

Season 11 - AL South Prospect Report

2010-12-06T06:45:00.000-08:00

Fargo, Minnesota, and Cincinnati were written by their respective owners. I did Portand's report so those players/reviews do not reflect his thoughts.

All of the player names are "clickable" to their player profile.

Fargo

1. Doug Sullivan - He was a gamble when drafted, his signability was definately in question. he should be an absolute monster at the plate and hopefully a perennial MVP candidate. he was probably the steal of season 10 draft at pick 11. he has elite power and batting eye, very good splits, and high contact. he will be an average RF defensively. he is expected to make his ML debut at the end of season 12 or possibly the start of season 13.

2. Albert Garza - Signed as an international FA in season 10, he should be a very good hitter and below average defensive 2b or well above average LF. he has a very good eye, good speed, great baserunning, good power and high contact. he is expected to make his ML debut in season 13.

3. Mark Glover - Signed as an international FA in season 8. he should be a nice LH SP with 4 good pitches, with good control and very tough on lefties. he is expected to make his ML debut at the end of season 11 or start of season 12.

4. Erubiel Ordaz - Traded for in season 11 offseason. he will be a slightly above average LH SP with good control, above average splits, and good durability. he is expected to make his debut at the start of season 12, however he is ML ready now and could be called up in case of injuries or ineffectiveness.

5. Shairon Houston - Drafted in the second round in season 8. he should be a very nice addition to the Fargo bullpen next season, and if needed he could come up this season to help if we run into some problems.

Minnesota

1. Jay Rhodes, RP (s9, draft #5, AAA): Rhodes doesn't have the profile of a typical stud reliever. His greatest skill is his ability to pitch nearly everyday. Should pretty easily be able to pitch 150+ innings per year. He projects to have elite control and splits (especially vR), but the rest of his profile leaves a lot to be desired. The lack of velocity, groundball ability, and pitches will probably hold him back, but worse case scenario right now seems to be a 4.00 ERA. A pitcher that can appear in 100 games and pitch 150 innings while posting a 4.00 ERA is still plenty valuable and there is a great deal of hope in Minnesota that Rhodes will be able to best all of those numbers.

Projected Debut: This season if the team remains competitive and the need arises, otherwise s12 at the latest.

2. Bucky Arnold, SP (s10, draft #13, AA): Arnold is similar to Rhodes in that he lacks the elite pitches to make him a true ace. However, also like Rhodes his control and splits combined with his ability to pitch a lot of innings (approx 220) makes him a valuable commodity. Arnold might be better suited for a bigger park than Minnesota, since he is an extreme flyball pitcher. Despite all the flaws, Arnold still projects to be at worst a #4 starter with the possibility he grows all the way into a #2 with maybe even an All-Star appearance or two.

Projected Debut: Looks like s13, although if everything falls right s12 isn't out of the question.

3. Augie Suzuki, SP (s10, IFA $12M, HiA): Similar type pitcher to Arnold, with perhaps a little more upside (due to his elite vR rating), but with more question marks. His lack of durability will most likely prevent him from pitching more than 200 innings. Slightly more likely than Arnold to become a #2, but also has a greater probability of stalling out at a #4. Golden Gopher fans remain cautiously optimistic.

Projected Debut: s13.

4. Robert Frederick, IF (s10, draft #19, HiA): Frederick will definitely make the majors in some capacity, but his role is as of yet undefined. Best case scenario would be a slightly below average defensive SS, who could compete for the Silver Slugger at that position. More likely though, he will settle in as a 3B or 2B due to defensive limitations, but this would hurt his value substantially as his bat isn't really good enough to be All-Star quality at those positions. Worst case scenario, he ends up as a super-utility type player. His best offensive skills will be his ability to get on base (aprroximately .360 OBP) and should be a plus on the basepaths. The type of player every team needs, but not a cornerstone build your franchise around.

Projected Debut: Since glove seems to take longer to develop than other skills he most likely doesn't see the majors until s14, but s13 is certainly still a possibility.

5. Mateo Guzman, RP (s9, draft #126, AA): With a clear dropoff between 4 and 5, Guzman was in close competition for this spot without about a half a dozen others who could all be role/platoon players on a contending team. What separates Guzman from those guys is his upside. A former DITR, Guzman has made big gains in his ratings since last year's All-Star break. He will never be a control pitcher, but his splits and pitches could end up good enough for him to settle into a SetupB role. Ideally his stamina would be greater, but when it comes to DITRs beggars can't be choosers and the fact he has a chance to make the majors is in and of itself a huge bonus.

Projected Debut: No sooner than s13, however it will likely depend on need and this team has a bunch of young relievers, so could easily be pushed back to s14 or even s15.

Cincinnati

1. Omar Andujar - 21 yr old catching prospect with 3 years' minor league experience. Above avg. defensively with way above avg. offense for a catcher. High marks in health/attitude, not so high in durability. Will go to the dance this season.

2. Brent Stankiewicz - 22 yr old middle infielder with 4 yrs. in the minors. Aove avg. defensively with good middle infielder offense. Will debut this season at second.

3. Brandon Gragg - 20 yr. old pitcher beginning his 3rd minor lg. season. Control, splits, and velocity are outstanding. Pitch rating could be better. Great health and attitude, expected to debut in season 19.

4. Phil Yoshii - 19 yr old lf/1b with all-around offense potential. No skills jump-out at you; but, when you look at the whole picture his all-around abilities are obvious. May not ever be an all-star; but, will be a solid long time major leaguer. Will probably debut in season 20 or 21.

5. Marino Terrero - The Bearcats best prospect is the real 5 tool player. His defense could be better, but is good enough to play a solid right field. His offense will be superb, all-star, MVP type. The 19 yr. old will make it to the big time sooner than most because of excellent health/attitude ratings, most likely in season 20.\

Portland

1. Gary Frey - Top of the rotation prospect. Great control, splits, and pitches. he should be ready in the next couple seasons.

2. Earl Levrault - Probably doesn't have the range to be an everyday CFer, but could be a gold glover at 2B. Also should be ready by next season.

3. Felipe Concepcion - Definitely does not have the glove to play SS at the major league level, but could be a nice 3B or 2B. Decent bat, but nothing special. Should be in the bigs next season.

4. Giovanni Reese - Not too much to get super excited about here, but could be a decent bat in LF/1B/DH. Should be ready by next season.

5. Todd Morris - Not sure why he hasn't been promoted past Low A as he has the ratings to contribute sooner than later on the big stage. His righty split and eye ratings are good enough now to help out.

Season 11 - NL South Prospect Report

2010-11-17T07:47:00.000-08:00

All of the reports were submitted by team owners. Thanks guys!

All names are "clickable" to their player profile.

Richmond Spiders

As best as I can tell, I didn't inherit much in the way of prospects so this will be short and easy.

1. Bill Saipe

He's the only legitimate top prospect I have. Projects to be a very good bat at C. Not great defensively but should develop enough to stick behind the plate. Should debut in Season 12 or 13 depending if/when a spot opens.

There are no other legitimate top prospects as far as I can tell. These guys probably have a future of some kind in the big leagues, though it is undetermined when::

2. Jumbo Tejera - really good hitter but probably a DH, which means he won't help me in the NL. While he'll hit for great AVG and OBP, he has limited power, which is troublesome for a DH. Still, on the right team, he would fit in.

3. Brian Smith - If his defense develops properly he could be a decent starter at 2B. If not, he'll be a decent utility guy with speed at the least.

4. Brace Koch - It's unlikely his glove develops enough to stick at SS, which really limits his value. He's got enough versatility and power to eventually be on a big-league roster though.

This season's #4 overall draft pick will almost assuredly immediately become the top guy in the system. This franchise needs a few season to rebuild some depth.

Huntington Thundering Herd

Huntington's talent well within the system has dried up. The plethora of moves during the season saw to that.

1. Jeremy Livingstone - The crown jewel of the system, Livingstone is in line to be the closer on opening day of next season. He has the talent to be a premier closer. He will serve in the tandem rotation at AA to begin the season.

2. Clayton Carson - Lacks the greatest control, but Carson has the stuff to be a dominant pitcher at times. He had a shot at the closer job this season, but struggled in spring training. He could be a top-notch setup man for Livingstone next season. He starts the year in AAA.

3. Steve D'Amico - A very talented hitter, he does not have a set position. Doesn't have the range or glove to play OF, and he will struggle at 1st. Not good at calling pitches, so C is out. We will have to find someplace for him in 2 seasons or risk wasting his talent. D'Amico will ply his trade in AA this season.

4. Aramis Marichal - A 6-year FA signing, Marichal has talent, the question is whether there is enough time for him to develop that talent. He's got 3 "plus" pitches which makes a very intriguing talent. He'll begin at AA this season.

5. Eric Quinn - Lacks great control, but has good velocity and good pitches, so he has the potential to be a very good pitcher in the Bigs. He's got the potential to be a quality setup guy. Should have no problem cracking the bigs sometime this season. Will pitch at AAA.

Memphis Tigers

1. Hugh Bell
• Though some may question his heart and desire, Hugh is the Tigers best prospect. He shows promise with his ability to hit anything within 2 feet of the plate and hitting for average.
• Barring injuries, look for Bell to be called up at the end of the season and to be competing for a starting spot in season 12.

2. Phil Rapp
• The Tigers best pitching prospect, Phil possess a great attitude and work ethic. A groundball pitcher, Phil sports a good fastball and adequate off-speed pitches to keep hitters on their heels.
• Rapp looks to make a handful of starts in AAA before making his ML debut in the early part of this season.

3. Derrick Jerchower
• There is concern with Derrick’s makeup and ability to locate pitches, but he should develop into an effective groundball pitcher with two good and two decent pitches. Though not going to be an ace of the staff, Derrick could potentially contribute in the mid to bottom portion of a rotation.
• Jerchower is young and has a lot of maturing to do, he’s still 3-4 years or more away from walking in big boy shoes.

4. Rob Ojala
• Rob is an excellent base runner with good speed. He has the ability to make contact and lay down a bunt in a pinch. Despite obvious flaws, Rob is also very durable and a capable glove at several positions, making him valuable off bench .
• Ojala could find his way into the big leagues in a couple of years.

5. Esteban Sanchez
• Esteban, while not destined to be a ML starter, could make his way on to the ML roster as a long reliever. With his makeup, Esteban may have just enough in his arsenal to deliver a couple of innings.
• With the current state of the Tigers pitching staff, Sanchez could get a chance within the next couple of years.

Little Rock Razorbacks

1. Bill Perez - Bill was the 3rd overall pick in the Season 8 draft. He is a shutdown closer with great splits and good velocity. Owner miggty4 loves Bill because he's your typical fastball - change up pitcher. He switches speeds very well and keeps the batter off balance. He also has a slider that he will thrown on occasion. Owner miggyt4 expects Bill to be promoted to the ML club as soon as today. In his 4 seasons in the minor leagues so far, Bill has pitched 198 innings posting a 2.41 ERA with 231 Ks and 50 saves.

2. McKay Benes - McKay was the 14th overall pick in the Season 10 draft. McKay should make his ML debut sometime next season. At the age of 23, owner miggyt4 doesn't seem him progressing much more in the minor leagues. McKay has great control and is very good against right-handed batters. He also has above average velocity with 4 pretty good pitches. However, McKays' downside is that he isn't very durable and was injured often in college. Owner miggyt4 projects McKay to be more of a setup man for Perez in the near future.

3. Ignacio Peralta - Ignacio was the 57th overall pick in the Season 8 draft. Iganico has great speed to go along with a high contact rate. He has performed very well in the minor leagues so far posting a .335 batting average in 1183 ABs. Along with that, Ignacio has a career .435 OBP and 71 SBs. While owner miggyt4 doesn't project Ignaico as a starter at the ML level, he does see Iganico making the ML club in the next few seasons as a role player.

4. Russell Ward - Russell was the 95th overall pick in the Season 7 draft. Russell has awesome splits however his control is less than desired. During his 5 seasons in the minor leagues, Russell has posted a 4.91 ERA in 231 innings with 184 Ks. However, Russell also has 134 BBs. Owner miggyt4 says Russell is an interesting prospect because he is so good against batters on both side of the plate. However, his control gets him in trouble. Russell will definitely get a shot at the ML level, most likely next season.

5. Bobby Greer - Bobby was the 287th overall pick in the Season 7 draft. Bobby has put up good numbers in the minor leagues including 62 HRs, 335 RBIs and a .309 BA. In season 9 at the Low A level, Bobby hit 29 HRs and drove in 150. Bobby probably won't see the ML level for a few seasons due to the talent level of the ML team. However, he does have an outside chance of perhaps becoming a role player in the next few seasons.

Season 11 - NL North Prospect Report

2010-11-16T06:33:00.000-08:00

Detroit, Columbus, and Iowa City were written by their respective owners. I did Dover's so they do not reflect his thoughts.

All of the player names are "clickable" to their player profile.

Detroit Wolverines

1. Eliezer Arrojo – Arrojo was obtained as an S8 International free-agent for $17.5M. He was a part of many trade proposals the last two seasons but I’ve been waiting to see what this guy can do in the majors. He’s got speed on the bases and what I hope will be the big bat the Wolverines have been searching for. Arrojo will be called up to the majors this season after the 20+ games to avoid going to arb sooner.

2. Harry Medrano – Medrano was drafted 23rd in S7 and might be called up this season if a few pitchers get traded yet. He’s an interesting pitcher as I’m pretty high on this guy with his great control and solid splits along with 1 great pitch and 3 avg. pitches but other owners have expressed that he’s not that great when involved in trade situations.

3. Tyson Seaver – Seaver was the Wolverines 1st round draft pick (20) in S5. He has spent the last two seasons at AAA and will probably spend this season as well down there. Eventually the Wolverines are looking at making him their CF at the big league level.

4. Chico Melo – Melo signed for $12.7M on the international market in S9. I don’t see him being ready for 3 more seasons but have him penciled in as my long-term SS once he gets there. Defensively he’s better than what I have but brings a bat to the position and has power.

5. Lynn Prior – Prior was the 44th pick in the 2nd round of S5 draft. Buster Wiggins is currently holding down the 3B position but when management gave him a contract extension this season they did so knowing that he’d be moving to RF to finish out his career. Prior will then take over for us at 3B where he’ll fit defensively for us.

Columbus Buckeyes

1. Chris Dawkins - Chris is going to be in the Buckeye rotation for a long time once he is ready. He projects to an 81 Overall. With a projected Stamina of 97, Control of 90, GB/FB of 82, good splits and 4 good pitches he has all. He completely dominated at High A last season and should zoom through AA to AAA this season. He could possible be a September call-up but will be on the ML roster for certain next season.

2. Jack Torre - Jack would be on the ML roster right now if there was a spot for him. He projects to an 85 Overall with a projected Contact of 73 and a Batting Eye of 97. He has decent but not exceptional power and high 60's splits. As a bonus he also has a Range of 81. He should hit close to .300 with a .400+ OBP and .800+ OPS. He is ready now and is just waiting for his chance.

3. Johnny Keagle -
Johnny is the power hitting catcher the big league team has been waiting for. He projects to a 70 Overall with a projected Contact of 76 and Power of 73. He has 60's splits and Batting Eye. He should be a 30+ HR, 30+ doubles hitter with a solid BA and OBP. His defensive skills are relatively weak but compared to many current ML catchers he should do fine. He is making the jump from Low A to AAA this season and may need part of another season to get ready. He will be on the roster sometime next season for sure.

4. Ivan Bonilla - Ivan has a great glove and arm but will likely be moved to 3B due to his range. He projects to an 84 Overall with slightly above average Contact, Power, and Eye. His splits are mid 70's. He will likely become a 20+ HR/40+ doubles hitter with a BA close to .300 and an OBP of 375+. Ivan still needs a couple seasons of growing and probably won't see the majors for about 3 years.

5. Julio Armas - Julio is already a 2-time All-Star and 2-time Silver Slugger in his young career. He projects to a 77 Overall with solid defensive skills and a strong bat. Last season in High A he hit for an impressive 1.027 OPS highlighted by 53 doubles. He could move through AA to AAA this season and be ready for the big show next season.

Iowa City Hawkeyes

1. Danny Smoltz - Projected ML debut- Season 13. Smoltz's defensive numbers might be a little low for a shortstop (84/82/79) if he reaches them, so he may end up being a Gold Glove 3B. Projected to have tremendous power and a great Batting Eye.

2. Gabe Price - Projected ML Debut- Season 12. Price has great COntact and power rankings, as wel as above average L/R splits. Should be a long time starter with a great Health Rating and Makeup.

3. Laynce Whiteside - Projected ML Debut- Season 13. Originally drafted as a starter, it doesnt look like Whiteside will have enough Stamina to be effective in that role. Should make for a dominant reliever with great L/R splits (65/73). If he can improve his control (currently 31) he has the pitches (95/75/81/73) to be dominant out of the pen.

4. Timothy White - Season 13. Has great splits and tremendous velocity (90), if he can stay healthy (56) he has the pitches (95/66/72) to be an effective closer.

5. Frankie Good - Season 12. Good has Awesome splits (76/84) to go with 2 plus pitches, Average Control (55) and low Velocity (51) keepo him from being a dominant closer.

Dover Fightin' Blue Hens

1. Albie Tejeda - Solid Prospect. Might be getting ready to be brought up in a few days as he looks ready. Won't be the best defensive 2B in the league, but should hit for a solid clip.

2. Earl Cradle - I wish his arms strength was a bit higher and then he'd be a really nice defensive SS who can hit a bit which isn't easy to find. His bat will stay make up for his glove enough to play him regularly. He certainly won't be a liability in the field. I'm guessing Season 13 as his debut.

3. Herm O'Shea - Wherever Herm ends up, he will make a ton of plus plays. It might be worth it to stick him in CF because his range may outweigh the errors he'll produce with his glove. Prototypical leadoff guy with great contact and speed.

4. Albert Crespo - Another guy that could be ready this season. Worst case next season. Two plus pitches in his 5 pitch repotoire to go along with his nice velocity will make him a solid middle inning reliever.

5. Dale Murphy - Not to be confused with the old Braves slugger. Currently on the inactive roster (avoiding the injury bug so he can get brought up in a couple days?), he should be a nice piece to the big league pitching staff sooner than later.

Season 11 - AL East Divisional Preview

2010-11-07T12:20:00.000-08:00

My Take: Its never easy playing in the same division with a team that boasted one of the top records in NCAA last season and played slightly under their expected winning pct. Philadelphia looks to add onto their 3 straight divisional titles (tied in season 8). Charleston and Chicago are both very excited about some rookies that will be added to the mix, but they probably still need some more time to develop a nucleus to challenge for a wild card spot, let alone the division. The Red Storm's record has declined each of the last 3 seasons so the decision has to be made soon to tear it down or is management confident they'll reverse the trend?

Prediction

1. Philadelphia Owls
2. New York Red Storm
3. Charleston Cougars
4. Chicago Blue Demons

Philadelphia Owls

Key Players Added : SP Daisuke Suzuki and C Antonio Gilbert.
Key Players Lost : C Darrell Dyer, SP Don Bong, LF Stuffy Sabathia, 3B Endy Kwon and RP Hack Malloy.

Key Transactions : Only one trade to make space on my payroll and also to fit with our new philosophy of catching.
C Darrell Dyer for young 2B B.C. Polanco.

Rookies expected to contribute: Willie Berroa.

After another great season, Owls are expecting to repeat this season and hopefully do much better in playoffs.

With the return of 2 times MVP award winner Haywood Bryant at first base, RBI machine Miller Kotsay at second, Candy Thomas in the left and All-Star Joe Campbell in the right, scoring runs should not be a problem again this season for the Owls.
The lost of Dyer should be compensated by DH Aaron Little who hit 39 HR in season 8.

On the mound, 3 times Cy young award winner Domingo Servet will not be alone as Jose Aybar and Pat Gibbons are back while Daisuke Suzuki will replace Bong. Even with those great arms, the Owls have decide to change their approach as far as catching is concern. That's why they trade Dyer who is a fantastic hitter but an average catcher. They will replace him by Clarence Peters and new comer Antonio Gilbert.

Our goal is the represent the AL in the World Series.

Of course all that will be possible if everyone stay healthy.

Charleston Cougars

Charleston was not active in free agency, opting instead to promote young talent and obtain new talent via the Rule 5 draft. The Cougars preserved much of their talent base through arbitration signings, including D.J. Carroll, Freddie Upshaw and Patrick Lamb. The pitching staff will again be led by Jared Strickland, who at age 38 is more than 10 years older than any other member of the staff, yet continues to put up great numbers. Rookie David Saito, who signed last year as an International Free Agent is expected to contribute immediately. In addition, the Cougars expect Greg Padden and Eswalin Sierra to continue developing into top level pitchers. Several rookies also expect to compete for starting positions on offense. Juan Diaz looks to take over at catcher and Lefty Griffin will likely take over at one of the infield positions. Look for Odalis Velazquez to make his much anticipated debut at SS shortly after game number 20.

Chicago Blue Demons

The Blue Demons are hoping to improve significantly over last season's dismal 64-98 campaign by adding sluggers Juan Melendez and Marquis Nolan to an offense that finished 27th in runs scored last season. The pitching staff continues to mature and young starters Tony Telemaco, Al Zurbaran, and Matty Canseco are expected to show some of the flash predicted by team scouts. The loss of closer Esteban Cedeno is a major concern. People close to the team question whether Napoleon Shannon will be able to fill those shoes. Overall, the Blue Demons should be vastly improved over last year but taking it to the next level falls sqarely on the performance of the young pitching staff.

FA additions:
Juan Melendez 1B
Marquis Nolan LF
Jose Sosa P

FA losses:
Esteban Cedeno P
Hong-Chih Meng DH

New York Red Storm

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Season 11 - AL South Divisional Preview

2010-11-07T04:44:00.000-08:00

My Take: The Razorbacks dominated the South last season and look to continue their run in Season 11. They went 22-8 in the division and 31-21 in one run games. Not sure those gaudy numbers will be repeated, but they are still the heavy favorites to win the division. Jackson, New Orleans, and Nashville will be fighting for second place in the division, but will have an uphill climb to grab a wild card spot because the AL is so loaded. Nashville had the worst record in NCAA and can't repeat the 100 loss season or Nashville fans will demand new management. They were very aggressive in free agency and add a good amount of talent to the squad. I think that the South only sends the division winner to the playoffs this season so the pressure is on from the first pitch!

Prediction:

1. Little Rock Razorbacks
2. New Orleans Bayou Bengals
3. Nashville Commodores
4. Jackson Rebels

Little Rock Razorbacks

Key Players Added: Added James Lee to replace Lawrence Turner in CF. Added Stuffy Sabathia whom will most likely start in RF. Added Mark Mathews who will start at 3B. Added Chico Duran and Tommy Hansen for depth

Key Players Lost: 1B/DH Michael Maddux, CF Lawrence Turner, C Sergio Martin, RP Jerome Leonard, RP Pepe Lee

Key Transactions: Acquired CF James Lee, C Chico Duran, RP Tommy Hansen via Trade. Acquired 3B Mark Mathews, RF/1B Stuffy Sabathia via Free-Agency.

Rookies: As of right now, you're probably only going to see 2 rookies at the major league level this year. The first is RP Billy North. Billy has had good success in the minors and at the age of 24, he's ready to make the jump to the big league club. He'll most likely start the season as a setup B type pitcher. The other and more noticeable rookie that will most likely make the big league club this season is 3rd overall pick from the season 8 draft Bill Perez. Owner miggyt4 will most likely wait until the 2nd month of the season to bring Perez up to save an option year, however once he's at the ML level, he won't be going back to the minors. Perez has dominated the minors posting a 2.45 ERA with 225 Ks over 190.2 innings. The only issue that owner miggyt4 has right now is whether Perez is developed enough to make the jump. The other question is when does he take over the role as closer? I'm sure Cairo will be on a short leash considering the talent Perez has.

Outlook: After 9 straight seasons, someone other than the current Nashville franchise won the AL South. That team was the Razorbacks. The biggest concern that owner miggyt4 has for this season is if he has enough pitching to compete in the very tough AL. Clinton Carr will definitely need to return to his 18 game winner form and Red Lofton and Anthony Jenkins need to continue with the form they showed last year winning a combined 23 games. The season may depend on the arms of Clyde Jodie and Morris Morgan. Jodie won a team high 15 games last season however it will be interesting to see if he keeps that form or returns to the sub-500 level he showed in seasons 8 and 9. Morris Morgan won a team high 10 games in Season 9 however he struggled a bit in season 10 and was demoted to the bullpen. With the depature of Mel Reed, Morgan is now the #5 starter. On Offense, owner miggyt4 went out and signed 2 more offensive players to add to an offense that looks to be very strong. They lose 1B/DH Michael Maddux who was tied for 2nd on the team last year with 33 HRs and led the team with 109 RBIs. However, the Razorbacks acquired Stuffy Sabathia who hit .273 last season with a OBP of .348, 42 SBs, 15 HRs and 80 RBIs. Stuffy can do a little bit of everything at the plate and on the bases and the Razorbacks are very happy to have him in the lineup. Also, they added Mark Matthews who hit .265 last season with 20 HRs and 75 RBIs. Due to this acquistion, last years starting 3B Anthony Lombard will move back to SS and Matthews will start at 3B. This moves last years starting SS Davey Sojo into a utility player role which he is more suited for. The Razorbacks also added CF James Lee to replace Lawrence Turner in CF. Lee is an upgrade defensively and will provide the same amount of offense that Turner produced last season. Finally, the Razorbacks added C Chico Duran to the roster. Chico will start at DH most of the time and provide rest to starting catcher Welington Calderone. Chico hit .279 last season with 20 HRs and 60 RBIs to go along with a .345 OBP.

The question is whether the Razorbacks did enough offensively to counter act a pitching staff that does not appear to be as strong as last years. Owner miggyt4 says once Perez arrives, I feel our staff will be even stronger than last years. You've heard of the Big Red Machine, well they're not calling us Little Rock anymore, we're Big Rock!

New Orleans Bayou Bengals

Lost free agents RP Juan Almanza, C Willie Alvarez

key additions: none

looking for continued improvement from several starters now in the prime of their careers - 1B Carlos Molina, 3B Josh Foulke, 2B Jolbert Lopez, SS Carlos Gonzalez, as well as from starting pitchers Julio Lira, Francisco Bournigal and relievers Julio Rincon and Bart Pellow.

Outlook: season goal is to win 88 games or more and qualify either through winning the division or wild card.

Jackson Rebels

Key Players added: Octavio Moreno, signed as a free agent, should be a solid back-up for the corner OF spots and 1B..and be a suitable bat off the bench.

Key Players lost: Released 1B Micah MItchell (leading HR and RBI man from last season), Mendy Sasaki and P Jeff Donovan (his inconsistencies cost him a spot on my roster).

Rookies expected to contribute: Where to begin...SP Marc Westmoreland should help solidify the starting rotation..he has had a history of starting slow, but gets stronger as the season progresses. DH Andres Martinez will add some much needed power to the line-up as he will fill the cleanup spot nicely. C Doug Beckett will take over the pitch calling duties and staff managament, although he can't hit righties, his other attributes should override that weakness. Rick Daly will fit in nicely as he takes over for Mitchell at first base..solid offense numbers.

Outlook: Disappointed with last year's W-L record..starting off slow didn't help things at all. Trying to get younger with the pitching staff and Westmoreland is a start. I'm expecting the offense to be production, with Torey Vallarta remaining as the team leader and anchor. All in all, the Rebels will probably experience some growing pains as I will have four rookies in the line-up. Once again looking at a .500 season..next season should be a little different as there will be a Rebel uprising.

Nashville Commodores

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Season 11 - AL North Divisional Preview

2010-11-06T16:06:00.000-07:00

My Take: Another solid division with a lot of good talent. Season 10 NCAA champion, Fargo, resides in this division and looks to take home the division again. Portland looks to lays a couple of small building blocks on top of the big step forward they made last season. Minnesota made several big time FA acquisitions and trades to try and compete now while not leveraging the future. The Bearcats are in the able bodied hands of veteran allright who continues to put that team on the right track. This should be a very competitive division right out of the gate. I see the Bison taking home the divisional crown although I'll be surprised if they get to 102 wins as mikejuggalo expects, there are just too many good teams in the AL. Portland and Minnesota should be battling for a WC spot the whole season as Cincy continues to rebuild.

Prediction:

1. Fargo
2. Portland
3. Minnesota
4. Cincinnati

Portland Ducks

Key Player Added: Vic Redmond and Bill Meacham. Not sure if we can say that they are key players, but they may help my pitching staff this season.

Key Player Lost: None.

Key Transaction: No huge trades, but Omar Urbina and Darrell Guerrero have been acquired to add some deep to Portland’s farm system.

Rookies: Vic Keefe may start the season why the big team.

Outlook: The AL North division did better last season, and Portland has improved his records to 89-73, playing over .500 for the first time since the sixth season. The Ducks will try to do as well as last season.

To reach that goal, they count on guys like, Dave Ramsay, Bingo Speier, Ernie Helton and Boots Lundquist who are the heart of Portland’s lineup. Ramsay has still a lot to do to worth his salary, but has a huge potential. Bingo Speier should do better than last season. We are hoping to see Ernie Helton and Boots Lunquist continue to run on the bases.

If we look at the pitching staff, Einar Arias and Alvin Barnes already have their spot in the rotation. Therefore, Chris Knight and Gene Wise may be sent to bullpen. Also, a young arm in Vic Keefe may join the Arias and Barnes in the rotation. Portland was hoping to get an ace from the free agency, but was not able to sign the guy they were looking for in Don Bong. We may look later in the season for a pitching ace.

Richard Vanguri is still the closer for the season. He has proven that he can do the job. Bob Serrano and Vic Redmond may replace him if needed.

Fargo Bison

Departures: Wendell Justice(Demotion), Edgar Eusabio(FA), Phillip Larson(FA), Phil Nomura(Trade), and Britt Glynn(Demotion).

Additions: Corky Buckley(waivers), Mitch Huckaby(Rookie), Ralph Mora(Rookie), David Cox(Trade)

The Fargo Bison should be stronger this season than we were last year. We played very well down the stretch and in the playoffs. The addition of Cox to our bullpen and Mora to the rotation should both help upgrade the pitching here in Fargo. The hot corner should be much stronger defensively with Huckaby taking over and that allows us to move Everhart to RF and that should strengthen that position defensively compared to last year.

We have an extremely young team, and even with the deep run in the playoffs last year, they are relatively inexperienced at the ML level. We are hoping that with another year of experience they will continue to improve their skills as individuals and that will lead to an improved team.

Expectation: I expect this team to win the division and hopefully be a #1-2 seed in the AL.

Prediction: 102-60

Cincinnati Bearcats

Cincinnati is poised to continue the next step in improving what had been a sinking franchise. Last season's second half improvement was the first step. FA signings Stretch Bailey (P), Hector Jimenez (P), Wolf Langerhans (P), and Carl Riggan (OF), added to the trade asquisition of Tomas Navarro should help the Bearcats take one more step up the ladder. If top rookie catching prospect, Omar Andujar, can make significant contributions, maybe another rung up the ladder is possible. The team still needs a real ace on the staff and more pop in the lineup to be a top contender; but, moving to the middle of the pack should be no problem

UPDATE: Stretch Bailey , FA signee counted on to bolster the pitching staff suffered a season ending spring training injury, leaving the Cincinnati team with a huge starting pitching void. Bailey's loss suggests that the Bearcats climb toward mediocrity suddenly becomes less likely. TTWIG.

Minnesota Golden Gophers

Key Additions: SPs Adrian Cora and Roger Karnuth, RP Nap Hollins, OF Jerry Seabol, and 3B R.J. Vargas

Key Losses: 3B Chuck Andrews and RP Pete Young

Rookies: RP Jay Rhodes (former #5 draft pick), DH Jorge Cordero, CF Theo Franco, OF Davey Albaladejo could all make their debut this season.

Outlook: This should be a very interesting year for the Golden Gophers. Despite a run to the World Series in season 9, that team was far from becoming perennial contender. After a down year in season 10, the Gophers were aggressive in the free agent market this year in an attempt to compete for a playoff spot at the ML level this year, while maintaining the financial flexibility to continue to add talent to the minors. It remains to be seen whether this balancing act can be pulled off. Worst case scenario is that the Gophers hover around .500, while at the same time lack the prospect payroll to sign impact IFAs. On the flip side, the short term FA signings could pay off with a playoff birth while simultaneously bridging the gap between the present and homegrown future.

Season 11 - AL West Divisional Preview

2010-11-06T06:27:00.000-07:00

My Take: This division features two teams (Anaheim and Salem) that I will be shocked if they don't both make the playoffs. With the other two teams in rebuild mode, the divisional race will come down to those two. Anaheim was one of the busiest teams in the offseason and Salem still brings back most of the team that had the best record in NCAA last season. Its really a coinflip between the two, but with Salem winning the division the last two seasons, we're going to give the nod to the Beavers. Just like in the NL East, "to be the man, you have to beat the man." Both teams will make the playoffs and Seattle/Oakland will continue to re-tool.

Prediction:

1. Salem Beavers
2. Anaheim Trojans
3. Oakland Golden Bears
4. Seattle Huskies

Anaheim Trojans

FA Losses: Groucho Duncan (1B), Paul Fujiwara (SP), Victor Melo (3B), Ivan Montanez (RP), Valerio James (SP)
FA Additions: N/A
Non-Tenders: Mel Brock (SS), Stretch Griffey (C)

Trade Losses: Ben Brown (3B), Julian Cortes (CF), Harry Turner (SS), Angel Trevino (SP)
Trade Additions: Dante Thompson (1B), Miguel Barcelo (SP), Ben Jackson (SS),

Rookies: Ebenezer Zimmerman (3B), Tomas Lira (C), Jorge Tavarez (CF)

C: 3-time All-Star slugger Larry Sedlacek remains the starter. Tomas Lira figures to be better both offensively and defensively over Stretch Griffey as a backup. Slight upgrade.

1B: 6-time MVP/10-time All- Star Dante Thompson takes over for Groucho Duncan at first. Darrin Williams adds depth. Significant upgrade.

2B: 3-time All-Star Justin Boyd returns to play second and bat leadoff. No change.

SS: Silver Slugger Ben Jackson takes over at SS replacing solid defender Harry Turner. Significant upgrade.

3B: Top Prospect Ebenezer Zimmerman takes over at 3B for Ben Brown. Slight upgrade.

LF: 2-time All-Star David Cordero returns following a career year. No change.

CF: Rookie Jorge Tavarez steps in for Julian Cortes and will provide a defensive upgrade. It will be interesting to see if Tavarez can match Cortes' disappointing numbers. Slight downgrade.

RF: Allie Plesac and Darrin Williams look to split time in RF this season. Slight upgrade.

SP: Miguel Barcelo immediately becomes the ace of the staff and becomes the dominant starter Anaheim has been lacking. All-Stars Jake Randolph, Dick Bailey, and Turner Evans return. Luis Santana steps in as the 5th starter. Staff upgraded and more suited for post-season.

Bullpen: All-Star closer David Moreno returns along with former Fireman of the Year Adrian Kendall, All-Star Miguel Sanchez, and lefty Lawrence Wilson. Several spots up for grabs.

Outlook: Anything less than a WS run will be a disappointment in Anaheim this year. The everyday lineup has improved quite a bit, and the rotation has been transformed and is better suited for post-season success. There are some question marks in the bullpen, and depth could be an issue if the injury bug strikes. High expectations in Anaheim this season.

Seattle Huskies

After 10 seasons of futility, the Mariners have taken a step forward from "bordering on mediocre" to "solidly mediocre." Despite high draft choices almost every season, Seattle had a remarkably thin farm system going into Season 11. The decision was made to trade any marketable Major League talent and go back to the drawing board.

In a calculated gamble, Seattle traded now and future stud Miguel Barcelo to division rival Anaheim. In return, the Mariners received two 23-year-old SP's and a 22-yar-old reliever. All three should help in the long run.

Still on the market are five tool All-Star Erik Haynes, All-Star and former ROY SP Larry Miller, All-Star SP Roberto Johnson and LF Andrea Nelson - 1.017 OPS in 520+ plate appearances in Season 9.

It promises to be another long season in Seattle (is there any other kind?) and the Mariners first fan promotion will be "Paper Bag Night" in anticipation of the season ahead.

Oakland Golden Bears

Not too much changed with the team. Shed some payroll and only made a couple aquisitions. Signed Phillip Larson and John Liang. Claimed Marty Wayne off waivers. And drafted Stephen Parrish and Pascual Alarcon from the rule 5 draft but will probably end up dropping them.

Salem Beavers

A powerful lineup should continue to produce. The order will be anchored by top leadoff man Jack Nicholas 2B who had a breakout season ( 22HR 64SB 143RS ) . Bill Morton RF knocked 53 and should continue to produce with Ivan Martis DH(32HR) and Wes Cyr (43HR 37 SB ) protecting him in the lineup. Hopes in Salem are that Kid Torre 1B can cover most of the offence lost by Carl Riggan and his 130RBI

The staff is still strong but not as young as it once was. The starters are strong with Vic Escobar SP ( 16-6 3.43ERA ) ,Gene Schneider SP ( 18-6 ) ,Al Valdes ( 19-5 3.5ERA ) and Octavio Rivera SP(14-5 3.4ERA ). Beyond closer Jose Sierra RP ( 46 Saves 2.81 ERA ) the bullpen is full of questions and could be the teams Achilles heel

The Beavers were once again treated to an early playoff exit. They were a regular season powerhouse, and that should continue into this year. The win totals will be lower due to the notable improvments to Anaheim's lineup and the teams should compete for the division and best record in the AL. The team has never won a playoff series though at some point by probability they will and perhaps that is this year.

Key Additions: Kid Torre 1B ( 30HR 96RBI 22SB )

Key Losses: Kiki Vazquez RP (3.31 career ERA ), Diego Nieto RP ( Career 4.03 ERA ), Carl Riggan RF ( 108 RS 36HR 130RBI .312 Ave .974 OPS )

Potential Impact Rookies: Ken Pfeffer RP ( 3.54ERA in AAA ), Chip Leonard LF ( 32HR .320BA 1.042 OPS in AAA )

Season 11 - NL South Divisional Preview

2010-11-05T15:41:00.001-07:00

My Take: The NL South went down to the wire last season and it was a battle throughout. Huntington, Memphis, and Texas were all close the whole season. Huntington won the division and took the #2 seed in the playoffs due to Charlotte being in the same division as Syracuse. They were disappointed with their playoff loss and vowed to make changes and boy did they. It seems like they practically turned their whole roster over and has vowed to go farther in the playoffs this season. The big wildcard in this division is the Richmond squad under new management with cmtheime who is one of the top owners in HBD. (he paid me to write that). I’ve tried to figure out how to predict this division and I really have no idea. I can’t wait to see how it plays out. My best guess…I think Texas wins this division behind Adam Seneca’s hitting and Michael Shumpert’s pitching, but Huntington will be right there the whole season and contend for a wild card spot. Richmond will be better, but fall short. Memphis continues to tread water and wait for prospects to develop.

1. Texas Mustangs
2. Hunting Thundering Herd
3. Richmond Spiders
4. Memphis Tigers

Richmond Spiders

Key Losses: Chico Duran (trade)

Key Adds: Jerome Leonard (trade), Darrell Dyer (trade), Norman Borders (FA), Johan Ramsey (FA)

Rookies: Nothing of impact

Overall thoughts: This team has too good of a core with some really nice position players in place to be as bad as they were last season. Some money invested in the bullpen and some better "fill-in" type players acquired though waivers and FA should really turn them around. We'll see how things go but I plan to compete in my division.

Huntington Thundering Herd

Added: C Matty Johnson, C Ted Brock, 1B Michael Maddux, 2B Julian Cortes, 3B Felipe Cedeno, SS Jose Borbon, RF Billy Rivers, RHP Nate Forster, RHP Mel Reed, RHP Frank Tamura, RHP Edgard Melendez, RHP Travis Hermansen
Key Losses: C Victor Infante, C Roberto Puente, 1B Dante Thompson, 2B Rich Perry, RF Jerry Seabol, RHP Javier Sanchez, RHP Peter Ryan, LHP Stuart Anderson

Last season was a solid season for the Herd, unfortunately it was not greatness personified as management was looking for. 12 new players headline this season for the Herd, including 5 new pitchers. While we said goodbye to 2 potential Hall of Famers in Perry and Thompson, the offense was improved overall. There should no longer be any “dead spots” in the lineup which will make this offense even more potent. The addition of Reed gives Huntington something that they haven’t had since season 4…an Ace. The overall improvement of the pitching staff as well as some strengthening of the defense should help the team improve overall. The goal last season was a division championship and the NLCS…goal 1 was accomplished, although Huntington flamed out in the playoffs. It’s the NLCS or bust this season, as management feels like they finally have the right pieces in place and right balance to provide some high-quality, successful baseball to the city of Huntington.

Memphis Tigers

Key Players Added: Esteban Cedeno RP
Key Players Lost: John Rodgers RP
Key Transactions: N/A
Rookies to watch for: Phil Rapp SP

Outlook: During the off-season, Tigers Management attempted to acquire one of the top Free Agent pitchers available, only to lose out on the furious bidding wars. Thus, the Tigers were unable to make any real major signings this off-season. Esteban Cedeno was brought-in in an effort to bring stability as closer to the bullpen, while Jonathan Lieberthal was acquired through the Rule 5 Draft for speed and defense off the bench.
Memphis appears most likely to start the season with virtually the same team as Season 10. The same team that helped Memphis finish one spot up from fourth in the division for the first time in two seasons. These Tigers also remained in playoff contention until a disastrous nine game losing streak ended their season and playoff hopes. But this season, expectations in Tiger Town are modest at best, the likely hood of Memphis contending will hinge on the offense once again carrying the team and outperforming expectations. Look for Phil Rapp, Memphis’ best pitching prospect, to make his major league debut sooner than later this season.

Texas

Getting married, no time to write preview (understandable and congrats!)

Season 11 - NL East Divisional Preview

2010-11-05T05:40:00.000-07:00

My take: The NL East is very tough and arguably the toughest in NCAA. The division sported the top two records in the NL while a third was over .500 and the fourth barely missed .500. No other division last season came too close to that combined record. You have to give Syracuse the nod as the favorite until they finally are toppled. Evil doers has admitted that the Orange are “in their window” so they are going all out as evidenced by their big FA signing to replace Jodie. The Tar Heel’s looked to have gotten better with their acquisitions. Louisville and Buffalo also have high expectations. All 4 teams goals are the playoffs so some will be disappointed. Should once again be one of the toughest divisions.

Prediction:

1. Syracuse
2. Charlotte
3. Louisville
4. Buffalo

Syracuse

PLAYERS ADDED:
Free Agents Added: Signed Lefty Starting Pitcher Jose Barrios to a multi-year long term deal.

Rookies Promoted: Raymond Nixon. The former first round pick will make the team and play against all left handed starters and some right handed starters.

Possible Rookie Promotion: Gustavo Sivilla. Another first round pick, ‘Gus’ would make a great platoon partner with Nixon. He will probably start season in minors to be promoted early in the season.

Possible Rookie Promotions: Long time minor league relief standouts Art Roberts and Augie Halter will battle for one possible bullpen opening.

Players Added Via Trade: None

PLAYERS LOST:
Free Agents Lost: SP Jaime Jodie. (Signed Long term deal with Nashville Commodores)
R.J. Vargas (Signed two year contract with Minnesota Golden Gophers)

Players Lost Via Trade: None

The Orange expect to fight for an NL East Division crown and hope to advance deep into the playoffs. They should be a contender for the championship.

Charlotte

Expectations: We were really happy with how last season went. We had originally targeted Season 11 as our season to start contending again, but we got there a season early. Now with the additions to the team, we expect to challenge Syracuse for the division. At the very least we expect to make the playoffs and do some damage.

Free Agents Added: Added Jake Hardy to shore up the pitching staff and Otto Crosby as a nice bat off the bench.

Free Agents Lost: None

Players Added Via Trade: Rich Perry was the big haul and will hopefully solidify the middle of the lineup. Phil Nomura will be a solid bench guy for us and play multiple positions and hopefully steal some bases. Not sure where Javier Sanchez will start the season, either in the rotation or as a top bullpen guy. He is pretty much taking over Travis Hermansens role.

Players Lost Via Trade: Matty Johnson was a backup catcher and will get a shot starting for Huntington. Travis Hermansen will also get a shot at more PT with the Herd. Billy Rivers was also traded in the Perry deal as the Herd needed a young replacement for Perry. Chance Austin was the odd man out in the rotation and was moved for a prospect.

Rookies Promoted: Went in a different direction with our backup catcher and promoted Bill Forster who will bring a great defensive presence and pitch calling to the end of games.

Possible Rookie Promotion: Still trying to decide if Fausto Jiminez gets his promotion this season or next. He is an awesome talent who we expect big things out of.

Louisville Cardinals

I look forward to competing for the division this year. Most of the team is intact from last year.

Key Free Agents Lost: Hamish Reynolds SS/IF/OF

Key Free Agents Signed: None

Rule 5 Pick(s): Rip Kirby 2B

Possible Prospect Promotion(s): Orval Coscarart 2B, Hamlet Darwin RF

Buffalo Bulls

Key Players Added: Acquired SP Mike Lloyd and 3B Will Hendricksen (R)

Key Players Lost: SP Jose Barrios

Rookies: RP Albert Nippert. He will be THE CIA of the league.

Outlook: The lost of SP Jose Barrios will be hard to take for the team and will put a lot of pressure on the young SP Guillen. But, we are confident that our pitching staff will be able to give tough time to their opponents. Add to the recipe a bunch of solid hitter and a bit of chances. That will bring us to the playoffs for sure.

Season 11 - NL North Divisional Preview

2010-11-04T17:35:00.000-07:00

My Take: This division has something to prove after a team under .500 won the division. Although Detroit ended up winning a series and taking NL Pennant Winner Syracuse to the brink before falling. Detroit looks like the clear cut favorite to take the division and it would probably be an upset if the second place team won a wild card spot. I think that Dover will take a step back this season as they re-tool with Columbus jumping a spot. Lots of pressur eon the Hawkeyes as they need to hit 70 wins or the franchise will be looking for new management.

Prediction:

1. Detroit
2. Columbus
3. Dover
4. Iowa City

Detroit

S10 Record: 80-82 (1st in NL North); Lost in NLDS

Free-Agency: No major losses or pickups

Trades: Lost SS/3B Tomas Navarro
The Wolverines would still like to move a pitcher or two to add another powerful bat into the lineup but most teams wanted Arrojo included in the trades and we just didn’t see how trading a young power hitter along with pitching was going to help us.

Rookies: Johnny Fossum, Don Creek, and Rico Rivera were all called up late last season and look to remain on the ML roster this season to help lock down the best era pitching staff from last season. After turning down multiple trade offers, LF Eliezer Arrojo, will be called up after the 20 game mark to help produce some offense for the team. P Harry Medrano and 3B/RF Lynn Prior will probably be called up at some point as well although it will depend on how the team is performing.

Outlook: The Detroit Wolverines will once again look to battle for the NL North division (either 1st or 2nd last 6 seasons) and make their way into the playoffs for the 5th straight season. While not a lot of changes were made, owner tk21775 felt this team underachieved last season and not a lot of moves needed to be made. The Wolverines had the ML best era staff last season at 3.90 and only got stronger with some call-ups. Out of the 13 pitchers on the roster, 9 are 28 or younger and we still have some young arms to call up. We will rely heavily on Arrojo to produce some big offensive numbers as he’ll find himself in the lineup with 1B Eddie Sanford (37 HR, 85 rbi, .287 avg.), Buster Wiggins (17 HR, 67 rbi, .274 avg.) and Mitch Carter (27 HR 74 rbi and .232 avg.). The goal this season is to find a way past Syracuse and compete for the NL title as well as the WS.

Columbus

Key Players Added: Acquired 3B Ben Brown and SS Harry Turner via trade, Promoted former ML players Util Ezdra Nunez and RP Louie Chang from AAA

Key Players Lost: SS Ben Jackson via trade, C Jamie Martin, RF Harvey Chambers, 3B Joaquin Alamanzar, RP Freddy Yang, RP Larry Graham, SP Pascual Calles, and RP Louie Lopez

Key Transactions: Accepted the Option on RP Frank Cota, Arbitrated with 1B Joshua Hall and RP Louie Chang, Avoided Arbitration by signing LF Max Peterson, CF Miguel Concepcion, RP Briam Messmer, Util Ringo Pennington, and C Benito Goya

Rookies: SP Luis Pineda, RP Cecil Riske

Outlook: A full season of SP Homer Konerko should be a major bright spot for this team. The addition of 3B Ben Brown and a big shakeup in the pitching staff could help this team finally turn the corner. If LF/1B Rudy Sutton follows up on his breakout season and CF Miguel Concepcion puts together another MVP type season this team should continue to do well at the plate. This team should hold on to 3rd in the division but there is always hope.

Dover

Key Players Added: FA SPs Don Bong and Pepe Lee were signed to replace Adrian Cora and Eddie Randall. Two Rule 5's were drafted and another claimed off waivers.

Key Players Lost: SPs Adrian Cora & Eddie Randall, 1b Juan Melendez, LF Roger Valentin, 2b/3b Ed Martin, RP Tim Stein

Key Transactions: Allowed Cora, Randall, Melendez, and Martin to become free agents in order to add more high draft picks. 1B Mark Starr was a little overmatched in his first full year, but he has been given the starting job with the departure of Juan Melendez.

Rookies: Brandon Matthews will be given every chance to become a trusted arm in the bullpen. C/DH Ray King, Hurricane's season 10 #4 top hitting prospect, will get a shot at the ML roster. Three Rule 5's will also get a try: SP Ben Loiza and RPs Chris George and Daniel Willingham.

Outlook: The Blue Hens narrowly lost the division to Detroit in the last two games of the year. This offseason has seen a departure of some veteran fixtures as Dover looks to rebuild from within. A small drop-off would not be unexpected while the young guys pay their dues. This team needs to add (or develop) a few bats in order to contend again.

Iowa City

FA Pick Ups- Short Relievers Lou York and Diego Nieto, CF Jung-Lee Koh, SS Melvin Brock

Brock and Koh were brought in to help shore up the Defense up the middle, York and Nieto will do wonders for the bullpen allowing more save chances for Haywood Young, or it could allow Young to go back to Long relief.

FA Losses- Pitchers Paul O'Connor, Lyle Nieman, and Orber Pierre

Nieman's 59IP's and 3.17 ERA will be missed, but hopefully Yourk and Nieto can pick up the slack.

FA Losses- SS Mark Matthews and CF Giomar Uribe

Both bats will be missed, but there below average D in important positions will not. Matthews had 20 HR's and 75RBI, but only hit .265. Uribe hit a paltry .256 last season so it was time for a change.

Rookies- Starting Pitchers Jay Berg, Hank Gordon, Lyle Hughes, and Kevin Ramsey will all be battling for a rotation spot on the ML club this season.

Season Outlook: Got to find a way to get to 70 wins this year, the lineup has some good sticks to it and we need to avoid too many "bad" hitting seasons, like we had last year (2B Quinn hitting .218, he has a 67 contact rating and a 90 Batting Eye). COnfidant in the pitching staff, no real dominant Ace but all are tough outs, we also have a lot of good young arms that could be used to bring in a solid bat for the middle of our line up (HINT HINT).

Season 11 - NL West Divisional Preview

2010-11-04T12:16:00.000-07:00

My take: The biggest question for this division is whether or not Season 10 was an aberration for the Sun Devil's or was it the start of a decline after being one of, if not the top team in NCAA the first 9 seasons. Kansas City was barely able to hold off Arizona after squandering a big divisional lead and they had to run their team into the ground fatigue wise to get it done. As you can see below, Boise's goal is to make the playoffs. I think they are still a couple of pieces short. Helena will continue to rebuild.

Prediction: I think Arizona will win the division, but that Kansas City will give them a run and contend for a wild card spot.

1. Arizona
2. Kansas City
3. Boise
4. Helena

Helena

I am hopeful that this will be a bounce back year for the Grizzlies. Season 10 was marred with injuries that kept the team from being competitive for most of the season. Offensively we've added free agents Hamish Reynolds and Lawrence Turner. Reynolds in particular will be a real key to our season as we are going to ask him to play SS, a position he has not played in a few years. Both Reynolds and Turner (who will start in center) are upgrades at thier respective positions offensively. The key is whether they can be at least adequate defensively. Overall I expect a mild improvement in our run production.

The Pitching staff should be improved thanks to a few prospects that will get their chance to play at the major league level. Victor Valdes should make an instant impact in the bullpen while Julio Sanchez and Jose Mendoza will get a shot at a rotation spot as we head into spring training. We also brought in veteran Free agent Pete Young to add some depth to the bullpen.

When I took over this franchise mid-season in season 7, my objectives where to lower the payroll and build from within via the draft and international free agency. We will finally start to see some of the fruits of that labor in season 11. The payroll will remain low over the next couple of seasons, so that we can continue to build our farm system. I am optimistic this team can compete and improve on last seasons 93 loss performance.

Arizona

The sun devils feel they were robbed by the sim engine last season but cannot complain b/c 5 ws trips in a row and 3 wins require a bit of luck and they were paying back the debt. it doesn't mean they have to like it . We lost a post in that technical difficulty lost to type A FA: Jung-Lee Koh and Nap Hollins. The rotation is the same and we're hoping to avoid the rediculous pile of injuries that happened last season. hopefully the leadoff man won't hit 40 points below his career average this year either.

Boise

Well, last year was a major dissappointment as we didn't take the step up I projected. Tis year's free agent efforts all came up short as I couldn't land a solid SP. That said, I still like the Broncos as a contender for a playoff spot. Jack Daley should emerge as a Cy Young candidate and our bullpen is very strong. A couple of trades in the off season gave us depth in some critical spots. Our young players are now at a point where they should produce. We need some luck at the SP position, but if just one or two starters pitch up to potential, we'll be fine.

Kansas City

Not submitted due to real life priorities.

Season 11 - Trade Analysis Part One by tk21775

2010-11-02T10:24:00.000-07:00

Note: All names are "clickable" to player profile.

Trade #1

Anaheim Receives: Dante Thompson

Huntington Receives: Julian Cortes, Darrell Guerrero, and Oswaldo Limon

Analysis: S11 in NCAA began a few days ago and it didn’t take long for the trading to begin. Some big names moved around and once again the most active team was the Huntington Thundering Herd. Owner hurricane384 pulled the trigger and sent 6 time MVP 1B Dante Thompson to the Anaheim Trojans in exchange for 19 year old P Oswaldo Limon, 23 year old P Darrell Guerrero, and 28 year old 2B Julian Cortes. Cortes will take over 2B at the majors for the Thundering Herd where he’s a lifetime .266 batting avg. and .977 fielding % at that position. Limon will begin at Low A to develop his splits and 2 solid pitches although control will be a factor for him at times. Guerrero was beginning to settle in at the High A level but recent reports has him jumping on a plane to a new destination. Anaheim will welcome Mr. Thompson and his 582 career HR’s, of which he has hit 43+ in each of this 10 seasons while driving in no less than 115 rbi’s as well. He’s under contract just for this season so we’ll have to wait to see if he is only a 1 yr. rental for the Trojans or if they’ll have a chance to resign him sometime this season.

Owner hurricane384 on why he traded a 6 time MVP: “It was damn near impossible to give up Thompson and his bat, but we were able to get 2 young pitching prospects that we really like, and Cortes who really helps to solidify the team defense without hurting too badly offensively. We took the money saved from trading Dante and used it to help sign Michael Maddux, so we won't experience too much of an offensive drop.”

Owner ajwalton on getting the 6 time MVP: “The Trojans are extremely excited to welcome perennial MVP candidate Dante Thompson. We gave up a good player in Cortes and a couple nice pitching prospects, but we believe Thompson's bat in the middle of the order improves a lineup that won 99 games last year.”

Trade #2

Huntington Receives: Mel Reed

Little Rock Receives: James Lee and Ray Hansen

Analysis: Little Rock becomes the next trading partner for the Huntington Thundering Herd, sending over 33 year old P Mel Reed in exchange for 34 year old CF James Lee and 28 year old P Ray Hansen. Hansen will join the Razorbacks bullpen where he has worked relief and closer positions. He brings a career 4.88 era to the mound and is only in his 1st year of arb. Lee looks to lock down the CF position for at least this season ($6.2m contract) with a lifetime .982 fielding % and hit for a solid .321 avg. last season while driving in 78 runs. Mel Reed will look to strengthen the Herd’s starting rotation as he went 11-8 with a 3.58 era last season for Austin and Little Rock.

Hurricane384 on his side of the trade: “Lee suffered a decline in range over the off-season which made him expendable as a CF. Reed will immediately become the ace of the staff and all the other rotation members to fit into their proper positions.”

Owner miggyt4 on the trade: “Little Rock needed a CF so they went out and got one via trade. Little Rock owner Miggyt4 said he was okay giving up Mel Reed who seems to have the potential to be a #1 or #2, but didn't really produce during his stay in Little Rock. Therefore, I was willing to give up Reed who is in the last year of his contract for Lee who although 34 is also in the last year of his contract. As an added bonus, we added another arm to our bullpen that provides depth to a strong group of arms that include Benji Cairo, Quinton Hamilton and Alex Lopez.”

Trade #3

Huntington Receives: Billy Rivers, Erubiel Ordaz, Matty Johnson

Charlotte Receives: Rich Perry, Javier Sanchez, and 5 million cash

Analysis:
Owner hopkinsheel and the Charlotte Tar Heels not only inked one deal but two with active manager hurricane384. The first deal sent $5.0M cash, 32 year old 2B Rich Perry and 24 year old P Javier Sanchez to Charlotte while 29 year old C Matty Johnson, 21 year old P Erubiel Ordaz and 24 year old RF Billy Rivers packed their bags for Huntington. Rivers will join the majors and provide a solid bat for the Herd while he’s still developing and Johnson will join him having spent the last 2 seasons for the Heels at the ML level. Ordaz will start out in AA to develop into a nice SP someday for the Herd. Perry brought his $11.4 contract with him, signed for S12 for $9.4M, and looks to bring power as well for the Heels. He’s hit 30+ the last 3 seasons and hit for a great .337 avg last season for Huntington. Sanchez will join him at the majors, looking to help at the back of the rotation or in the long relief role. He went 12-5 with a .341 era last season and won’t be arb eligible until S14.

Owner hopkinsheel on his move: “We’ve been trying to acquire Rich Perry since last season and was pleasantly surprised when Huntington told us he was officially on the market. It was not easy giving up Rivers or our bonus baby international Erubiel Ordaz , but that pain was alleviated some in also getting Sanchez who will help either in the rotation or as a 2-3 inning reliever to bridge the gap to our closer.”

Hurricane384 on this thoughts to the trade: “It became necessary to move Perry so that we could have financial flexibility for the next couple seasons and with the acquisition of Reed, Sanchez was expendable. We pick up a young power hitter in Rivers who can play either COF slot or slide into 2B. Ordaz is going to be a very good pitcher someday, and Johnson becomes the only catcher on the roster at this point.”

Trade #4

Charlotte Receives: Tommie Osbourne

Huntington Receives: Travis Hermansen

Analysis: The 2nd move by the same two ball clubs saw 2 1st round draft picks changing teams: 27 year old P Travis Hermansen getting dealt to Huntington while 19 year old P Tommie Osbourne starts in Charlotte. Hermansen was S3 22nd pick in the 1st round and has pitched the last 4 seasons at the majors for the Heels, compiling a 27-31 record with a 3.66 era. Osbourne was last year’s 17th pick in the 1st round and will start his tar Heels career at Low A where owner hopkinsheel hopes he develops pinpoint control with nice splits.

Owner hurricane384: “Hermanson gives us a pitcher who could be a starter, long reliever, or setup man and do any of those jobs without struggling at all. We hated to give up on Osbourne, but with the disappointment of making the playoffs only to be eliminated immediately, moves to make the pitching staff better had to be made.”

Owner hopkinsheel: “Travis was a first round pick for us several seasons ago and his career has somewhat been derailed by fluke injuries. He still has been pretty successful though, we just needed to make room for some younger guys. Getting Osbourne back was key as I was in talks with several teams for Hermansen, but I really wanted a decent SP prospect back.”

Trade #5

Fargo Receives: Dutch Burns

Charlotte Receives: Phil Nomura and $500k

Analysis: While waiting in line to speak with owner hurricane384 on the trading, owners mikejuggalo and hopkinsheel ended up striking a deal between their two teams. Fargo sends $0.5M cash and 26 year old CF Phil Nomura to Charlotte and gets 22 year old P Dutch Burns. Burns will start out in High A to develop his great control and vL although right handed batters will give him trouble. Speedy Nomura will make the Heel’s big league roster where he’ll be a threat on the bases and has solid splits but a low eye and contact.

Owner mikejuggalo on his deal: “The bison had to make room for some new blood, so whether Nomura was released or traded he was getting squeezed out. We were very happy to acquire Dutch Burns in return, he will be a decent pitcher someday in the ML...we hope.”

Hopkinsheel on why the move was made: “Not a huge deal, but one I believe will pay off. Nomura has a ring from last season and will bring some added veteran leadership to our young squad. I needed to find a top pinch runner who also wouldn’t be awful when the need came to spot start.”

Trade #6

Fargo Receives: David Cox

Huntington Receives: Nate Forster

Analysis:
Owner mikejuggalo finally got his turn with Huntington after Fargo and Charlotte signed on the dotted line, and Fargo received 31 year old P David Cox in exchange for 27 year old P Nate Forster. Forster will make the majors for the Herd, who have made many moves to help with their pitching. He’s got 3 solid, solid pitches to go along with avg. control and splits. He saw limited action for Fargo last year, going 2-2 in 4 starts with a 6.75 era in 26.2 innings. Cox will help with the Bison’s bullpen at the majors this season.

Owner hurricane384, whose arm looks visibly shaky from inking so many deals and writing quotes: “We were not happy with Cox’s performance last season. In addition to that, we needed starting pitching, and Forster will compete for a spot in the rotation while giving us the flexibility to have a staff that we can slide in and out as needed.”

Mikejaggalo on the move: “I needed another bullpen arm and he was just what we were lacking. He should fit in nicely here in Fargo.”

Trade #7

Richmond Receives: Jerome Leonard

Little Rock Receives: Chico Duran

Analysis:
The Little Rock Razorbacks sent 26 year old P Jerome Leonard to the Richmond Spiders to obtain 35 year old C Chico Duran. Duran comes with a 2 yr. $5M contract and a nice bat although he’s at the age where he’s starting to decline. Leonard will help out in the pen for the Spiders where he has tremendous splits against both lefties and righties with avg. control. He had a respectable 3.66 era in 64 innings of work last season.

Owner cmthieme on his side of the trade: “Chico needs to be in the AL as I just didn't feel comfortable putting his noodle arm behind the plate, and I needed bullpen help. This seems like a good fit for both teams.”

Miggyt4 speaks on the trade: “This was an easy decision for owner Miggyt4. He was not planning on bringing back Jerome after giving the Razorbacks 4 years of so-so pitching. Also, the Razorbacks were not planning on bringing back catcher Sergio Martin either so there was a hole at catcher that needed to be filled. Miggyt4 said he plans on using Chico more as a DH than a C. Welington Calderone will handle most of the catching duties due to his increased defensive abilities. Chico will bat DH and provide a day off to Calderone when it's needed. The only downside to this approach is in the case that Calderone is injured; Duran cannot take over catching duties for the remainder of the game. Miggyt4 said that's a risk we're willing to take.”

Trade #8

Philadelphia Receives: B.C. Polanco

Richmond Receives: Darrell Dyer

Analysis: To compensate for trading away Duran, the Richmond Spiders struck a deal with the Philadelphia Owls. The Spiders receive 31 year old C Darrell Dyer for 21 year old 2B B.C. Polanco. Polanco will start out in High A and looks to be a matter of time before he’s a recognized name in the majors for the Owls. Dyer is locked in for a 2 year, $5.2M paycheck where the Spiders are hoping for him to help out offensively as he’s hit 29 and 36 Hr’s in his last 2 seasons while driving in 80 and 121.

Owner cmthieme: "I needed a C and Dyer can mash. He's not great defensively but acceptable for me. I hate trading from an already barren minor league system but this was a chance to add a big bat at C that I couldn't pass up"

Owner jeanpaul22 on why the deal was made: “We're very happy with that trade, we like Dyer as a hitter but we have decide to change our approach as far as catching is concerned, we want a very good defensive catcher and Dyer is just average.
Polanco should be a very good defensive 2B with a good bat in a few seasons. Of course without that trade, Daisuke Suzuki wouldn't be in Philadelphia.”

Season 11 - Free Agent Preview by hurricane384

2010-10-28T13:08:00.000-07:00

Note: All names are "clickable to player profile"

Catchers (17)
This position is slightly stronger than last season, without the superstar being available.
1. Willie Baez (R) – MEM
.286/.389/.392 (9 HR, 48 RBI)
2. Mike Moran (L) – CH1
.299/.392/.447 (11 HR, 29 RBI)
3. Craig Martin (R) – BOI
.238/.300/.337 (8 HR, 65 RBI)

First Basemen (9)
There is more overall talent and more top-end talent with 3 potential stars being available on the market this season.
1. Juan Melendez (R) - DOV
.307/.386/.563 (38 HR, 86 RBI)
2. Michael Maddux (R) – LR
.281/.362/.524 (33 HR, 109 RBI)
3. Charlie Mashore (R) – OAK
.297/.410/.491 (14 HR, 41 RBI)

Second Basemen (7)
A smaller, slightly more talented group than season 10, Nen and Diaz make their return to the market.
1. Tracy Nen (R) – SEA
.267/.330/.524 (39 HR, 88 RBI)
2. Oswaldo Diaz (S) – HEL
.308/.370/.518 (27 HR, 82 RBI)
3. Alvin Herrera (R) – MIN
.317/.406/.407 (7 HR, 59 RBI)

Third Basemen (6)
A smaller, much less talented crop than last season, this is not the time to be relying on the free agent market to fix your hot corner woes.
1. Frank Landrum (R) – POR
.239/.301/.408 (18 HR, 61 RBI)
2. Endy Kwon (R) – PHI
.240/.301/.385 (18 HR, 70 RBI)
3. Victor Melo (R) – AUS
.254/.319/.406 (8 HR, 24 RBI)

Shortstops (5)
This group is smaller than last season, but it is stronger. You aren’t going to fix your SS position’s defense this off-season though.
1. Mark Matthews (R) – IA
.265/.319/.459 (20 HR, 75 RBI)
2. Crash Becker (R) – HEL
.265/.324/.384 (6 HR, 34 RBI)
3. Rico Benitez (R) – HEL
.275/.362/.442 (12 HR, 49 RBI)

Left Fielder (10)
Not as deep as last season but Nolan is definitely one of the top 3 hitters heading towards free agency this off-season.
1. Marquis Nolan (S) – KC
.294/.371/.563 (47 HR, 152 RBI)
2. Roger Valentin (L) – DOV
.310/.404/.496 (20 HR, 57 RBI)
3. Napoleon Saunders (L) – NY2
.272/.357/.405 (7 HR, 51 RBI)

Center Fielder (8)
Not exactly a strong group, there is some talent to be had though, you aren’t going to find a middle of the order bat here.
1. Jung-Lee Koh (L) – ARI
.264/.346/.332 (5 HR, 40 RBI)
2. Lawrence Turner (R) – LR
.263/.317/.409 (17 HR, 63 RBI)
3. Giomar Uribe (L) – IA
.256/.328/.342 (5 HR, 43 RBI)

Right Fielder (8)
The talent is slightly less than last season, but the top-end talent is there and could really help a team out.
1. Cal Riggan (L) – SAL
.312/.391/.583 (36 HR, 130 RBI)
2. Hamish Reynolds (R) – LOU
.268/.354/.468 (16 HR, 64 RBI)
3. R.J. Vargas (R) – SYR
.281/.354/.397 (6 HR, 23 RBI)

Designated Hitter (2)
Not much to say here, Sabathia could definitely help a team out at more than DH and Meng could play catcher as well.
1. Hong-Chih Meng (R) – CH1
.300/.370/.533 (5 HR, 10 RBI)
2. Stuffy Sabathia (L) – PHI
.273/.348/.384 (15 HR, 80 RBI)

Starting Pitcher (46)
IP/ERA/WHIP (W-L, GS, CG)
The top 10 is slightly more talented than last season, but the bottom group is worse than last season. Help can be had here though.

1. Jimmie Jodie (R) – SYR
184.0/4.45/1.22 (13-7, 31, 0)
2. Frank Tamura
3. Jose Barrios

Relief Pitcher (48)
IP/ERA/WHIP (W-L, SV/SVO, G)
There’s more top-end talent to choose from as this season is slightly better than last season’s group of free agents.
1. Johan Ramsay (R) – NY2
47.1/0.95/0.82 (3-0, 1/1, 50)
2. Esteban Cedeno (R) – CH1
26.1/6.30/1.50 (0-2, 12/17, 38)
3. Edgar Eusebio (L) – FAR
47.1/4.56/1.42 (4-0, 1/3, 52)

Overview
If you are looking to solidify and improve throughout the diamond, you have to bid big or risk getting left out in the cold. There’s mid-level starting pitching available, but no big-time ace. Looking to fix your bullpen? You’re in luck; all kinds of different pitchers are available to work out of the bullpen for your team next season.

Top 5 Free Agent Hitters
1. 1B Juan Melendez (R) – DOV
2. LF Marquis Nolan (S) – KC
3. 1B Michael Maddux (R) – LR
4. 1B Charlie Mashore (R) – OAK
5. RF Cal Riggan (L) – SAL

Where are they Now? A look back at #1 Draft Picks...

2010-10-27T06:22:00.000-07:00

Since we officially have 10 seasons in the books in NCAA, I thought it made sense to look back on the 10 #1 draft picks we've had. Analysis is weighted more towards stats for the first 6 picks and ratings for the last 4. For run, I also did a "mock draft" with these ten players.

Season 1

Michael Seay
Syracuse
Orange
Age: 28	B/T: S/R
Born: Paonia, CO
Position(s): 1B
View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Seay is a beast. He is also a cheap beast as evil was able to lock him up to another long term deal. He is on pace to destroy most of the slugging records in the world. I remember when a new owner took over in season 2 and I made a comment along the lines of, "how nice is that first pick from season 1 that you inherited." And his reply was "meh, I wouldn't waste a #1 pick on a 1B." Seay is not your typical power hitting 1B. He is an absolute monster.

Season 2

Vic Escobar
Salem
Beavers
Age: 27	B/T: R/R
Born: Brookfield, MO
Position(s): P (SP1)
View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Escobar has not been as successful as others that were drafted after him in Season 2's first round. 3 significant shoulder injuries have hurt him throughout his career. He is coming off his best season in season 10 maybe things are on the uptick, however a career 76-58 record with a good, but not great career ERA and WHIP isn't what you hope for with a top pick.

Season 3

Mitchell Spencer
Syracuse
Orange
Age: 26	B/T: R/R
Born: Sullivan, MO
Position(s): 3B/IF/OF/DH
View Hardball Dynasty Profile

How nice for evil doers to have two #1 picks from the first 3 seasons on his squad. This pick would be even better if Spencer's defensive ratings were a smidge higher to allow him to play an average shortstop. However, still a very solid pick as Spencer has won a gold glove while being a really nice hitter with a good OPS and even stealing a few bases.

Season 4

Miguel Barcelo
Seattle
Huskies
Age: 25	B/T: S/L
Born: Kosciusko, MS
Position(s): P (SP1)
View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Barcelo is a really nice talent. If he was on a more successful team, his win loss record would be much better. Since lefty has decided to rebuild, there is a good chance Barcelo can go to team looking to win now. He has been absolute workhorse for Seattle while keeping them in a ton of games. Although I'm sure pitching in Safeco has helped, he is still a top young pitcher in the world.

Season 5

Jack Nicholas
Salem
Beavers
Age: 24	B/T: R/R
Born: Houston, TX
Position(s): 2B
View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Oh Mr. Nicholas, you have been the source of several conversations on the world chat. His OVR rating is off the charts, but that his helped a ton by his ridiculous "yellow" ratings. Statistically, he has only been above average, although he is coming off his best season, so maybe he is ready to blast off. He split time between 2B and CF last season, but looks to be more of a 2B and could be a top defender there. Not sure his statistics will ever back up the crazy contracts he is going to start requesting in a couple seasons due to his OVR.

Season 6

Wes Cyr
Salem
Beavers
Age: 24	B/T: R/R
Born: Cahokia, IL
Position(s): 3B
View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Cyr has been a really nice slugger. Once he was moved to 3B from his disastrous time spent at SS, things have gotten better. Really nice player to have anchoring 3B. Not sure Salem will be able to afford both Nicholas and Cyr as their OVR ratings are so high. Should be a slugger to fear for a long time.

Season 7

Ralph Mora
Fargo
Bison
Age: 22	B/T: R/R
Born: Evening Shade, AR
Position(s): P (SP3)
View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Mora made his ML debut at the end of last season and it looks like the rich just get richer. Current defending world champs will add this nice young gun to their rotation for season 11. Love the control and righty split. Two plus pitches are nice. Should be a good #1 or great #2 for awhile.

Season 8

Jack Daley
Boise
Broncos
Age: 22	B/T: R/R
Born: Mancos, CO
Position(s): P (SP6)
View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Daley was a very advanced collegiate coming out of the draft and actually made his ML debut in Season 9. Absolute CY Young Candidate for many seasons once Boise gets on the winning track and Daley can get some more W's. Control and both splits are excellent and Daley boasts 4 above average pitches. Should be able to pitch a ton of innings as well with the STA/DUR ratio. Great pick.

Season 9

Vic Keefe
Portland
Ducks
Age: 23	B/T: L/L
Born: Lees Summit, MO
Position(s): P (SP4)
View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Poor Vic has spent both seasons at AA and wants a change of scenery! He should be a nice starter once he develops which will be sooner than later. Probably will be a staple in Portlands rotation by next season at the latest. Keefe doesn't look like a shutdown #1 and there were a couple other pitchers in this draft that are rated higher by scouts. Still, he is nothing to sneeze at and should be a good, solid pitcher for a long time.

Season 10

Danny Smoltz
Iowa City
Hawkeyes
Age: 19	B/T: R/R
Born: Irving, TX
Position(s): SS
View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Smoltz should definitely be moved to 3B. But once he gets there and develops, he can be a top fielding, power hitting third basemen like Cyr and Spencer. He absolutely demolished Rookie League pitching and looks to do the same at Low A. And hey, if he ever needs to pitch, his fastball porjects to an 84!

Mock Draft

All ten of these guys are premium players to one degree or another. This is NOT to be seen as a slight against any of these guys. I took into account, stats, ratings, projections, and possible or current contract demands vs production. If I had to pick from these guys, here is how my mock draft would go...

1. Michael Seay
2. Jack Daley
3. Mitchell Spencer
4. Miguel Barcelo
5. Wes Cyr
6. Danny Smoltz
7. Ralph Mora
8. Vic Keefe
9. Jack Nicholas
10. Vic Escobar

Updated Records - Through Season 10

2010-10-26T06:23:00.000-07:00

On the right of the blog you'll see the updated Single Season and Career Leaders. A good amount of change and some cool stats to discuss, lets dive in! (All Players Names are "clickable" to their player cards)

Single Season - Pitching

Joaquin Nunez continues to dominate NCAA and stake his case as the best pitcher ever in NCAA. He crushed his old ERA record and the new one stands at 1.54! He also defeated his Strikeouts record and the new record is 245 k's in one season. He is also the new record holder for single season WHIP with a blistering .86.

Single Season - Hitting

Ned French and Haywood Bryant came SO close to overcoming the league record batting average of .366 currently held by D'Angelo Prieto from season 1. French clocked in at .361 and Haywood at .355 while the record stands at .362.

Michael Seay only finished 10 RBI's off the record, but fell just short.

The single season hits record also came very close to being toppled. The current record is held by D'Angelo Prieto at 225, again from season 1. Ned French finished with 223 and Adam Seneca finished with 218.

Career - Pitching

Otis Damon is only 25 k's away from hitting the career 2,000 strikeout mark.

Career - Hitting

Ned French is now tied with Enrique Sojo with a career .336 average.

Rob Allen is the new stolen bases career leader with 620.

Season 11 - World Rules Refresher

2010-10-25T07:09:00.001-07:00

World Rules
Here are the rules that all of NCAA World members have agreed to by playing in this world. If they are not followed, then the owner will be replaced.

Competition Committee
There is a five person competition committee consisting of myself, bighead34, evil doers, tk21775, and mikejuggalo. This committee exists to provide checks and balances on the commissioner (myself) so that I can not make changes unilaterally. The committee will review any rules violations and then vote and majority rules.

Anti Tanking Rules

1. More than 200 losses over a two year period and the owner will be asked to state their case as to why they should be allowed to stay. If allowed to stay the owner must reach 70 wins or be replaced.

2. Extended losing streaks or trends at the end of the season will be reviewed above and beyond the 200-win requirement. Teams are expected to maintain a level of competitiveness throughout the entire season. It is not acceptable to lose towards the end of the season to secure a higher draft slot.

Gameplay Rules

3. Owners must keep their minor league teams intact. This includes having enough pitchers to avoid fatigued pitchers and also covering all of the positions. (Not enough money in the budget is not an excuse as budgeting is an important part of the game...you'll need to make some moves to free up payroll).

4. Using tandem pitchers for the specific reason of telling the AI who you want to be the first pitcher out of the bullpen is perfectly fine. However, it is NOT ok to deceive the other owner to gain a platoon advantage. Starting Pitchers should have their target pitch count set to at least 60. If you choose to not to use a target pitch count, then the max pitch count should be set to at least 60. (exceptions may apply in extreme circumstances)

5. If cash is included in a trade then the cash can NOT exceed the player salary going with it. (Example is player A makes 2 million...you can NOT trade 5 million and the player)

6. You must protect your players for the 40 man roster! Plenty of time to do so once budgets are set to protect your players for the Rule V Draft. There will be no "I had something come up, please take pity on me and trade me my player back."

7. If a team signs a "Type A" or "Type B" player than that player can NOT be traded until after the amateur draft.

8. When a trade is completed, any major league player involved is immediately to be moved to "Rest" and any minor league player involved is to be put on the inactive roster. This is to prevent fatigue and/or injury. If a starting pitcher (ML) is traded and is scheduled as next starter (therefore can not be rested), his pitch count should be set at minimum and then he should be placed on "rest" immediately thereafter.

Other Rules

9. Trade chats and proposals must be responded to in 48 hours...even if it is to say "hey, i saw your chat/proposal, but I'm busy, give me some time to get back to you." Please send me a private trade chat if this rule is not being observed.

10. Cities/Stadiums are not to be moved once you are in the world. All team names must look and sound professional.

11. The world chat is to be used for discussion and debate, however you must keep it civil. Personal attacks will not be acceptable.

12. I reserve the right to add to these rules. Usually I'll put a matter up for a vote and we'll see what everyone thinks.

Season 10 World Series Games 4 and 5 Recap by hurricane384

2010-10-22T06:08:00.001-07:00

Game 4

Syracuse 2

Fargo 13

WP: Edgardo Bonilla (2-1)

LP: Charles Carlyle (1-1)

SV: Tony Meyers (1)

Game Summary:

Falling behind 2-1 was supposed to be a mere blip on the radar of Syracuse’s trip to the promised land…yet once again their pitching failed to keep them in the game and their offense failed to provide any spark as they fell to Fargo 13-2. Charles Carlyle (3.2 IP, 6 H, 7 ER, 3 BB, 3 K) was awful. He sandwiched a flyout between two walks in the bottom of the 2nd and 1B Al Navarro (5-6, 2B, HR, 3 R, 3 RBI) doubled home RF Marc Everhart (1-3, HR, R, RBI, 3 BB) to begin the scoring in that inning. 3B Marino Gomez (4-5, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI) followed that with a 3-run wall scraper to make the score 4-0. DH Cy Santurria (1-4, HR, R, 3 RBI) hit a 3-run home run in the bottom of the 4th to chase Carlyle from the game. The change in pitching didn’t slow down the Bison though, as Al Johnson (3.1 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, BB, 6 K) did not pitch that well despite gaudy strikeout totals. Syracuse finally got on the board against Edgardo Bonilla (6.0 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K) in the 5th. C Lawrence Lamb (1-3, 2B, R) doubled, DH Chris Saarloos (1-3, BB) and CF Joaquin Ortiz (1-2, 2 BB) walked to load the bases. RF Rob Allen (0-5, RBI) knocked in the run by grounding into a 3-6 fielder’s choice. That didn’t faze the Bison as Everhart hit a solo home run to center, Deivi Franco walked, followed by Navarro homering down the left field line. Despite being the MVP, 1B Michael Seay (1-4, HR, R, RBI) has been virtually non-existent this series, but he did score the 2nd run of the game for the Orange by hitting a solo shot in the 6th to make the score 10-2. Fargo isn’t done though as two singles and a walk in the 8th load the bases for Franco whose sacrifice fly knocked in 2B Rafael Liriano (2-5, R). C Orval Becker (1-4, R, 2 RBI, BB) lined a single to left-center field to score LF Britt Glynn (1-1, R) and Everhart to put an emphatic end to the scoring. Tony Meyers (3.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 3 K) gave up a single in the ninth, but recorded the save by pitching the final 3 innings. Fargo wins, 13-2. Fargo leads the series 3-1.

POG: Al Navarro (5-6, 2B, HR, 3 R, 3 RBI)

Game 5

Syracuse 6

Fargo 7

WP: Tony Meyers (1-0)

LP: Luis Villafuerte (0-1)

SV: Brian Yang (3)

Game Summary

Needing a win to take this series back home, Syracuse gave it all they had. 3B Mitchell Spencer (3-5, 2B, HR, 3 R, RBI) homered in the 1st to give the Orange a 1-0 lead. Scoring resumed in the 3rd with a 3-run home run by 1B Michael Seay (3-5, 2 HR, 2 R, 5 RBI) who finally performed as one would expect the MVP to perform. The Bison get on the board with 2B Rafael Liriano (1-3, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI) hitting a 2-run home run that just barely cleared the LCF wall. Seay chased Bison starter Philip Larson (4.1 IP, 8 H, 6 ER, 3 K) with a 2-run homer in the 5th to make it a 6-2 game in favor of Syracuse. From there though, Tony Meyers (3.2 IP, H, 4 K) holds off the offensive attack of Syracuse. The Orange look to be in command, thanks in part to the strong pitching of Pasqual Navarre (7.0 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K) and they bring in Luis Villafuerte (0.1, 3 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 1 BB) who, unfortunately for Syracuse fans everywhere, continued a recurring theme of these playoffs for him. An error on the SS to open the 8th doesn’t help matters, but then he gives up a walk to RF Britt Glynn (0-0, R, BB) and a single to 3B Marino Gomez (1-4, R) to load the bases. What happens next is the dashing of the dream. A single by DH Cy Santurria (1-4, R, RBI) scores Liriano, CF Flip Carter (1-3, 2B, RBI) flies out to score Glynn, and RF Marc Everhart (1-3, 2B, 2 RBI) doubles to RF to score Gomez and Santurria. A groundout by 1B Esteban Galvez (1-4) moves Everhart to 3rd. What happens next is a shame as defensive whiz, C Lawrence Lamb (1-4), is charged with a passed ball which scores the winning run. Brian Yang (1.0 IP, 2 H, K) enters the game and makes it interesting, loading the bases with one out before getting a strike out and a fly out to end the game…and the celebration is on! Fargo wins, 7-6. FARGO WINS THE WORLD SERIES! CONGRATULATIONS!

POG: Rafael Liriano (1-3, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI)

SERIES MVP: Marino Gomez (.450/.521/.850, 2 2B, 2 HR, 7 R, 6 RBI)

Season 10 World Series Game 3 Recap by hurricane384

2010-10-21T11:06:00.001-07:00

Game 3

Syracuse 1

Fargo 7

WP: Ajax Brown (1-1)

LP: Mule Wells (0-3)

Game Summary:

Syracuse jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead in the top of the 1st with 3B Mitchell Spencer (0-4, R) reaching on an error, stealing second base, and scoring when 1B Michael Seay (1-3, 3B, RBI, BB) tripled. The Bison didn’t let that lead stay for long, as they scored 3 in the bottom half of the inning. SS Deivi Franco (1-5, R) singled, 3B Marino Gomez (2-4, 2B, 2 R, RBI, BB) knocked him in with bloop double, and DH Cy Saturria (1-3, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB) wrapped up the scoring with a homer to LCF. It’s safe to say that the Orange’s Mule Wells (6.0 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 4 BB, 2 K) did not come off the bus ready to pitch. Fargo struck again in the bottom of the 3rd when CF Flip Carter (2-4, 2B, R) doubled to lead off, followed by one of RF Marc Everhart’s 3 walks on the night. 1B Esteban Galvez forces Everhart at 2nd, but beats the throw to put runners at the corner. LF Hector Guerrero singles to CF, scoring Carter, but Galvez is thrown out at the plate by CF Joaquin Ortiz, one of only a couple bright spots for the Orange this game. Meanwhile, Bison Ajax Brown (8.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 2 K) is just cruising along against this potent offense of Syracuse. Bennie Diaz replaces Wells in the bottom of the 7th and proceeds to give up 2 hits and 2 walks to load the bases and walk a run in. Luis Villafuerte comes in with men on the corners and no out, gives up a single by Galvez which scored Saturria, but Carter is thrown out at home by RF Raymond Nixon (1-4) and Villafuerte escapes the inning. Villafuerte remains in the game for the bottom of the 8th and gives up a lead-off homer to 2B Rafael Liriano (2-3, HR, R, RBI, BB) to left field. Ajax Goldstein wrapped it up for the Bison in the 9th giving up a hit and striking out 1. Fargo wins, 7-1. Fargo takes a 2-1 lead in the series.

POG: Ajax Brown (8.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 2 K)

Season 10 World Series Game 2 Recap by hurricane384

2010-10-21T05:33:00.001-07:00

Game 2
Fargo 5
Syracuse 2

WP: Andres Rosario (3-0)
LP: Jimmie Jodie (2-1)
SV: Brian Yang (2)

Game Summary:
After an awful pitching performance from their ace in game 1, Fargo needed Rosario to step, and step up he did, pitching 6.0 innings, scattering 6 hits and 2 walks while striking out 5…even better, giving up just 1 run. Syracuse’s Jodie (7.0 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 6 K) went toe to toe with Rosario until 2B Marino Gomez (1-2, HR, R, RBI, 2 BB) opened the 4th with a walk. After a fielder’s choice, CF Flip Carter (2-4, HR, R, 2 RBI) took him deep to give the Bison a 2-0 lead. It would stay that way until the top of the 6th when Gomez took the 13-game winner deep to LCF. The Orange struck back as 3 straight 2-out singles by C Chris Saarloos (2-3, R, RBI), 2B Garrett Parris (2-3, BB), and LF Frank Jenkins (1-4, RBI) in the bottom of the 6th led to the first run of the game for the Orange. In the bottom of the 8th, 3B Mitchell Spencer (1-4, R) doubled to lead the inning off and came around to score on back-to-back sac flies by 1B Michael Seay (1-4) and Saarloos. Luis Villafuerte (1.0, 3 H, 2 ER) entered to prevent the Bison from playing add-on in the top of the 9th and could not get the job done as 3B Marc Everhart (1-4, R, RBI, HR) homered, RF Rafael Liriano (1-1, R) and LF Hector Guerrero (1-4) singled, and C Wendell Justice (0-0, RBI) hit a sac fly to knock Liriano across. Brian Yang enters in the bottom of the inning and gets 3 straight outs against the bottom of the order to preserve the victory and tie the series for the Bison. Fargo wins, 5-2. Series tied 1-1.

POG: P Andres Rosario (6.0 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K)