Top Players (Season 9) - CF - by hurricane384

1.

Dave Ramsay Portland Ducks Age: 31 B/T: R/R Born: West Milton, OH Position(s): CF/CIF/2B/OF/DH View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Dave Ramsay is 31 years old. Subpar defensively, has great speed and durability. Will make LHP cry. Should hit for a high average, great power, and a great eye. Is a legitimate candidate for a 40/40 season. RHP could give him fits.

2.

Miguel Concepcion Columbus Buckeyes Age: 22 B/T: L/L Born: Kinder, LA Position(s): CF/1B/LF/DH View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Miguel Concepcion is 22 years old. Average defender with average speed. Really shines in the batter’s box. Won’t get hurt by RHP or LHP, should hit for average with a good amount of power. Won’t walk as much as he lacks an elite eye for the strike zone.

3.

Torey Vizquel Oakland Golden Bears Age: 25 B/T: L/L Born: Amarillo, TX Position(s): CF/2B/RF/DH View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Torey Vizquel is 25 years old. Great defensively with great speed. Below average contact and will get dominated by LHP. Has high quality power and will hit RHP and get on base with his above average eye. Lacks baserunning ability…may not even know where second base is located.

Top Players (Season 9) - LF - by hurricane384

1.

David Sierra Arizona Sun Devils Age: 24 B/T: R/R Born: Fundacion, DO Position(s): LF/1B/DH View Hardball Dynasty Profile

David Sierra is 24 years old. Tremendous eye to go along with exceptional power, good contact, and a dominating ability to hit LHP. Will not hurt his team against RHP either. Tremendous durability. Average speed could lead to some steals.

2.

Marquis Nolan Kansas City Wildcats Age: 25 B/T: S/L Born: Richlands, VA Position(s): LF View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Marquis Nolan is 25 years old. Great eye, great power, dominating against RHP. Will not hurt his team against LHP. Good contact. Lacks any sort of baserunning ability.

3.

Dernell Cameron Nashville Commodores Age: 29 B/T: R/R Born: Knob Noster, MO Position(s): LF View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Dernell Cameron is 29 years old. Dominates RHP. Will hit for a high average, with exceptional power. Won’t be hurt by LHP. Slightly above average eye will lead to a decent amount of walks. An intimate knowledge of baserunning could lead to him stretching singles into doubles.

Top Player's (Season 9) - SS - by hurricane384

1.

Kurt Patrick New York Red Storm Age: 31 B/T: R/R Born: Hillsboro, OR Position(s): SS/3B/2B/OF/DH View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Kurt Patrick is 31 years old. Below average defender with average speed. Makes up for the defense by hitting LHP exceptionally well, walking a lot, and adding some pop to his great ability to make contact. Slight health concern.

2.

Anthony Lombard Little Rock Razorbacks Age: 29 B/T: R/R Born: Gilbert, AZ Position(s): SS/IF/OF/DH View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Anthony Lombard is 29 years old. Below average defender with great speed. Good contact and a good eye, will hit with some power on occasion. Doesn’t struggle against either RHP or LHP. Slight health concern.

3.

Ben Jackson Columbus Buckeyes Age: 24 B/T: L/R Born: Tulsa, OK Position(s): SS/IF/OF/DH View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Ben Jackson is 24 years old. Average defensively. Makes good contact against LHP and RHP. Will walk an average amount. Won’t hit a lot of home runs, but will hit some. Health is a concern.

Top Players (Season 9) - 3B - by hurricane384

3.

Rich Perry Huntington Thundering Herd Age: 30 B/T: S/R Born: Daly City, CA Position(s): 3B View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Rich Perry is 30 years old. A potential gold glove defender. Lacks durability. Will need a lot of time off. Will hit for average, power, and get on base by walking a lot. Should steal a few bases with above average speed.

2.

Bernie Ortiz Arizona Sun Devils Age: 26 B/T: R/R Born: Pueblo Nuevo, DO Position(s): 3B/1B/OF View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Bernie Ortiz is 26 years old. Great defender. Great durability. Great speed. Will make good contact while hitting a lot of home runs. Will walk. Has the potential to be a legit 40/40 guy.


3.

Erik Haynes Seattle Huskies Age: 25 B/T: R/R Born: Clintwood, VA Position(s): 3B/SS/COF View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Erik Haynes is
25 years old. Good defender. Average durability. Great speed. Another potential 40/40 guy. Great power, great ability to make contact. Only an average eye.

Top Player's (Season 9) - 2B - by hurricane384

TOP SECOND BASEMEN - No superstar amongst this group, just a collection of solid to good players.

1.

Candy Thomas Minnesota Golden Gophers Age: 30 B/T: S/R Born: Kimberly, ID Position(s): 2B/3B/OF/DH View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Candy Thomas is 30 years old. Good range and glove, below average arm strength and accuracy. Good speed will steal some bases. Great contact, good power, good eye. Will perform well, but not necessarily at an exceptional level.

2.

Ronnie Hamill New York Red Storm Age: 26 B/T: L/R Born: Hull, MA Position(s): 2B/1B/OF/DH View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Ronnie Hamill is 26 years old. Average range and glove, decent arm. Great speed will steal bases almost at will. Will make tons of contact, dominate righties, and work the count exceptionally. Lacks power. Perfect table-setter.

3.

Jack Nicholas Salem Beavers Age: 22 B/T: R/R Born: Houston, TX Position(s): 2B View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Jack Nicholas is 22 years old. Solid defensively. Exceptional speed. Great at making contact. No weakness against righties or lefties. Will work the count real well. Enough power to hit one out occasionally.

Top Player's (Season 9) - 1B - by hurricane384

First Basemen - The deepest positional group in the world with 11 players scoring as stars (>80) and 4 as superstars (>85).

1.

Dante Thompson Huntington Thundering Herd Age: 32 B/T: S/R Born: Omaha, AR Position(s): 1B View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Dante Thompson is 32 years old. Amazing power and an amazing ability to hit for average. Exceptional eye. Will make lefties run in fear. Righties will give him fits…comparatively speaking. (through 27 games, .330/.439/.728, 12HR, 24RBI, 21R)

2.

Michael Seay Syracuse Orange Age: 26 B/T: S/R Born: Paonia, CO Position(s): 1B View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Michael Seay is 26 years old. Exceptional power and great ability to hit for average. Great eye. Will dominate lefties. Won’t struggle against righties. Amazing durability. (through 28 games, .290/.369/.542, 7HR, 19RBI, 13R)

3.

Alex Costilla Buffalo Bulls Age: 25 B/T: R/R Born: Bani, DO Position(s): 1B View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Alex Costilla is 25 years old. Exceptional power. Above average ability to make contact. Won’t strike out much. Will destroy lefties. Great eye. (through 28 games, .271/.407/.542, 8HR, 22RBI, 15R)

Top Player's (Season 9) - C - by hurricane384

*This ranking is based on a purely numerical formula. The weights of each category are determined by hurricane384 are purely opinion.

TOP CATCHERS
- A solid group with plenty of good players, but only a handful of stars.

1.

Juan Nunez Iowa City Hawkeyes Age: 29 B/T: R/R Born: Rancho Viejo, DO Position(s): C View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Juan Nunez is 29 years old. Good arm with good accuracy. Mediocre game caller. Some health concerns. Will destroy lefties. Will hit with exceptional power, plus average. Exceptional eye will lead to lots of walks. Durability a concern. (through 27 games, .312/.435/.710, 12HR, 31RBI, 21R)

2.

Larry Sedlacek Anaheim Trojans Age: 25 B/T: L/R Born: Philadelphia, PA Position(s): C View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Larry Sedlacek is 25 years old. Great arm with good accuracy. Mediocre game caller. Will hit for a high average with great power. Great eye. Righties will give him some issues. Durability a bit of a concern for a catcher. (through 27 games, .299/.349/.521, 7HR, 25RBI, 20R)

3.

Mitch Carter Detroit Wolverines Age: 25 B/T: L/R Born: Inkster, MI Position(s): C View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Mitch Carter is 25 years old. Average arm. Average game caller. Major health concerns. Will struggle to make consistent contact. Amazing power. Won’t get fooled by righties or lefties. Good eye will see some walks. Above average durability. (through 27 games, .277/.348/.525, 7HR, 19RBI, 14R)

AL East Divisional Preview

Predictions:

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


Off-Season Moves:

Charleston:
Key Players Added: Bob Serrano, Enrique Fuentes

Key Players Lost: Jake Hardy, Kevin Takahashi, Louie Chang, Rico Sierra, Randy Osborne

Key Transactions: Signed Freddie Upshaw and Trace Dwyer to one year deals (Arb).

Rookies: Esteban Cordero earned a spot in the starting rotation. Hector Dupler will provide defensive relief in late innings.

Outlook: Charleston will have to decide quickly whether to fish or cut bait in a difficult division. One of the game’s dominant pitchers, Jared Strickland will lead the rotation and expects to regain his form after injury cut short his Season 8. Steve Meadows should continue to put up excellent numbers, but could be trade bait if the Cougars are not in the running at the All Star break.

Chicago:

Key Players Added:None
Key Players Lost: 1B Turner Roberts

Rookies to watch: P Tony Telemaco; P Raphael Ordonez; P Deivi Lee

The Blue Demons seem to be content to tread water this year and let their trio of SP's in AAA have one more year in the minors. Former 2x MVP D'Angelo Prieto returns for what is most likely his last season. RF Scott Boswell looks to be a year away from breaking out. The only point of interest we may see from the north side of Chicago this year is how many SB's will Jerry Knotts have?


Philadelphia:

Key Players Added: C Darrell Dyer, SS Vasco Mendoza, 1B/DH Haywood Bryant and SP Pat Gibbons.

Key Players Lost: SP Jason Workman

Key Transactions: C Darrell Dyer and SP Pat Gibbons for 2 young SP prospects.

Outlook: After finishing 2nd two season in a row, the Owls finally won the division title in season 8 and this season they made some changes to improve their team. First, the offense should be much better with the addition of C Darrell Dyer, SS Vasco Mendoza and 1B/DH Haywood Bryant, and second, the rotation that was strong last season should be better with the addition of the lefty Pat Gibbons. Of course Cy Young winner Domingo Servet and Fireman of the year Ismael Rios are back and we hope they can repeat.
With the addition of Dyer and Bryant to Duffy Curtis and Miller Kotsay The Owls will show a very solid line up especially in the middle of the order.

New York:

Key Players Added: Big Free Agent signings in New York: SS Kurt Patrick, RF Harry Minor, and SP Matthew Lennon have combined to make 11 All-Star teams, and both hitters have multiple Silver Slugger awards. Aging pitcher Del Barnes was brought back to NY where he enjoyed his best years, as well.

Key Players Lost: Monte Hall and his .687 OPS were not invited back. Crash Becker and Francis Hiljus left via free agency.

Key Transactions: The 3 FA signings mentioned above.

Rookies: Unless the team is devastated by injuries, they do not expect major contributions from their rookies.

Outlook: Keeping their core guys healthy is key, but if they are able to do that, the sky is the limit.

AL South Divisional Preview

Predictions:

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

Off-Season Moves:

Jackson:
Key Players Added: N/A

Key Players Lost: N/A

Key Transactions:

Rookies: J.P. Velazquez, Bert McMillan, Dewey King


Little Rock:

Key Players Added: Added SS Anthony Lombard to fill the void left by Jumbo Jimenez who was traded for SP Red Lofton. Red Lofton immediately becomes the ace of the staff. LF Lewis Hoyt is an improvement in leftfield over Freddy Tatum who was waived and claimed by Charlotte. C Scott Graham will backup starting catcher Sergio Martin and bring experience to the clubhouse. In the bullpen, Willie Sabathia and Nap Hollins join Jerome Leonard and closer Benji Cairo which should make for a strong bullpen.

Key Players Lost: P Al Cortes, P Benito Beltre, OF/IF Stephen Donnels, SS Jumbo Jimenez via trade.

Key Transactions: Acquired LF Lewis Hoyt SP Red Lofton via Trade. Signed SS Anthony Lombard C Scott Graham RP Nap Hollins RP Willie Sabathia via Free Agency.

Rookies: There are 7 players who will be playing their first full season at the ML level. If the 25-man roster is filled as many expect, that number will increase to 9. SP Clyde Jodie will be interesting to watch after having a fantastic Minor league career winning 23 straight decisions before being promoted to the ML club earlier last season. Jodie finished 9-13 last season but hopes to improve upon that after finishing Spring Training 1-0 throwing 7.2 innings allowing only 3 hits and 0 earned runs. SP Cristobal Cruz is a international signing who finished 12-5 last year in his partial time at the ML level, however, his record was overshadowed by a 4.82 ERA. On offense, DH Grant Dickerson should help the offense with in the power department after hitting 30 HR last season at AAA.

Outlook: The Razorbacks are both young and old. They have the veteran leadership of 1B Bubbles Haynes, 2B Lawrence Turner and SP Red Lofton to go along with all the youth. After rebuilding the last 3 seasons, it finally looks like the Razorbacks have a team able to contend in the AL South. It also doesn't hurt that the Florida Gators franchise which has won every AL South division title since league inception lost a few key members of that team during their relocation to Nashville. Looking at the players waiting on the farm including SP Angel Trevino, SS Ebenezer Zimmerman and RP Bill Perez, you might be witnessing the very beginning of a dynasty. It will be very interesting to see how ownership handles the abundant amount of talent on the tip of being called up into ML action.

Nashville: Not Sent in

New Orleans:

Key Players Added: Veteran OF Brady Newman was signed as a free agent late last season, and the left-handed hitter will add some pop in a platoon role.

Key Players Lost: 1B Eddie Sanford via trade late last season, LH relief pitcher Jose Johnson to free agency. RHP prospect Darren Capra was picked up by The Thundering Herd in the Rule 5 draft, but was unlikely to see any ML time in the near future with the Bayou Bengals.

Key Transactions: Arbitration signings of LHP Julio Lira and C Willie Alvarez.

Rookies: Acquired rookie CF James Hernandez from the Wolverines in a trade for veteran 1B Eddie Sanford shortly before the trade deadline last season. Hernandez put up solid numbers in AAA last season, and the 22 year old followed that up with a strong performance during spring training to solidify a spot on the ML roster. Rookie RH starter Francisco Bournigal also made the major league club, displaying a nasty sinker during a solid spring performance, and is slated for the #2 spot in the rotation.

Outlook: The Bayou Bengals have a core group of players who are just reaching their prime and look to compete for a division title this season. They are encouraged by a 13-5 spring training in which they averaged well over 7 runs per game and had consistently solid pitching and defensive performances.

NL North Divisional Preview

Season 9 NL North Division

Predictions:

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


Off-Season Moves:
Columbus:
Key Players Added: 3B/RF Rock Stinnett (via trade) to backup and occasionally start; RP Louie Lopez to add middle inning relief

Key Players Lost: RP Vinny Shigetoshi via trade; RP Brian Chong and LF Brian Higgenson via demotion

Key Transactions: Resigned our own FAs Harvey Chambers, Freddy Yang, and Frank Cota

Rookies: 3B/RF Rock Stinnett

Outlook: The Buckeyes had the best last place record in the NL last season and finished 1 game out of 3rd place. Last season's rookie trio of Joshua Hall, Miguel Concepcion, and Benito Goya along with Max Peterson and Ben Jackson form a solid core of young hitters well under age 27. Team hitting should be this teams strength this season. Mike Nevin anchors an aging and shaky pitching staff. If these veterans can hold it together, this team should finish above .500 and challenge for a Wild Card spot.

Detroit:
Key additions: Added 2B Jimmie Alicea through a trade this offseason; grabbed SP Julio Johnson and 1B Eddie Sanford late last season.

Lost: C Del Seanez through trade, RF Tex Owens to free-agency

Outlook: Obtaining Julio Johnson late last season gave the Wolverines a 4 man rotation under the age of 30, all with solid control and splits. Having Eddie Sanford’s bat all season, along with adding Jimmie Alicea and having Del Guerrero’s numbers increase should give us a stronger offense.

This is still a very young team that has made the playoffs the last 2 seasons and is expected to start winning a few series. I’m expecting another tight race in the division again this year, since season 4 only once has a team won the division by double digits. A team goal for the Wolverines this year is to get into the 90 win category and to quiet the critics who continued to crack jokes at the Wolverines expense last season.


Dover:
Key Players Added: Signed FA P Omar Perez to try to offset the loss of #2 and #4 starters. Signed FA Sam Belitz to move from 3B back to his natural SS position.

Key Players Lost: P Matthew Lennon, P Willie Sabathia, and P Shane Cyr to free agency. Did not re-sign infielders Charles Bong and Eric Thompson.

Key Transactions: Allowed Lennon and Sabathia to become free agents in order to infuse some talent into the franchise at the lower levels. Dover will draft 5 players in the first two rounds of the amateur draft. Exercised options on closer Nicky Drew and setup man Randy Gabriel to return one of the stronger bullpens in the majors.

Rookies: The franchise has no superior talent at the upper levels. 1B Mark Starr will likely make his debut early in the season. P Brandon Matthews is ready to provide some bullpen help when he gets the call.

Outlook: After winning the NL North in his first full season as manager, byers61 will be hard pressed to repeat. This was a team that relied on 4 strong starters to win the division, and two of those are now gone. Can a team rebuild while remaining competitive? Doubtful. Projected finish: 3rd

Iowa City:

Key Players Added: SS Stephan Donnels to replace the departing SS Anthony Lombard

Key Players Lost: SS Anthony Lombard, LF Barry Mathews, RF Bing Brown, P Roger Karnuth

Key Transactions: None

Rookies: C Del Olivares will come in to rest stud catcher Juan Nunez, LF Rick Uribe, SP's Benny Baez and Wilkin Sanchez will be the future leaders of the Hawkeyes' pitching staff.

Outlook: The rebuilding project in Iowa City looks to continue this year as the team still looks to be stuck in transition. Lot of quality arms in the system but too many not quite ready youngsters mixed in with too many aging vets will make this season tough. Iowa City looks to be several years away from having any shot at the postseason.

NL South Divisional Preview

Huntington Thundering Herd

Key Players Added: Added 1B Dante Thompson and 2B Rich Perry to solidify the offense. C Stephen Wynn provides depth at that position. P Roger Karnuth and J.J. Burns bring a groundball mentality to the middle of the rotation. Added via trade, P Eddie Bellhorn and Vinny Shigetoshi for depth in the middle innings, P Buster Gordon to compete for the 5th spot in the rotation and 1B Wilson Borbon to provide pop off the bench.

Key Players Lost: P Terry Simmons, SS Cristobal Delgado, CF Joshua Becker, and OF Rob Allen via trades.

Key Transactions: P David Cox and Daniel Mullins arbitration signings.

Rookies: Rule 5 draftee UT Marty Wayne will shore up the defense in the late innings while 1B/PH Wilson Borbon looks to provide an added dimension to late inning pinch hit situations. Rule 5 draftee P Darren Capra and fellow rookie P Eddie Bellhorn should solidify the middle innings.

Outlook: After a 4th straight losing season, ownership said enough is enough and opened up the purse strings. 12 players are going to be playing their first season as a member of the Thundering Herd and failure to finish first in the NL South will be looked upon as a failure.

Texas Mustangs

Key Players Added: The future is here...this season sees the promotion of future superstar 1B Adam Seneca and P Michael Shumpert, two of the most high impact promotions in the entire league. Once settled in, Seneca should crank out 35 HRs and 100+ RBIs for the foreseeable future and Shumpert will go straight to the top of the rotation. Vladimir Polonia was signed via free agency to add another quality starter to the rotation.

Key Players Lost: 1B Darrin Williams' option was declined to make room for Seneca and P Shawn King was released for the Polonia signing.

Key Transactions: P Vladimir Polonia signing. Jerry Jackson, Arthur Patel, Bernie Hornsby and Ned French were all resigned in arbitration.

Rookies: In addition to Seneca and Shumpert, Houston Hart was promoted to the CF spot to save some cash. He is just keeping the seat warm for another top prospect, Felix Bernero, who should arrive with the big club in the next season or so.

Outlook: The Mustangs have been quietly adding wins over the past three seasons and last season finished in a tie for second place with Huntington . While every team in the league can make a claim to improving their team, no one else in the NL South has added the quality that Texas has while keeping their payroll the lowest in the NL. With several more stars on the way and plenty of salary room to add free agents in the future, the arrow for the Mustangs points up, way up.

Austin Longhorns

Key Players Added: No major additions. The new owner will use this first season to evaluate what we have and what we need, and perhaps be more active next offseason.

Key Losses: 3B Francisco Sierra

Key Transactions: SP Jose Javier, LF Graham Wilson and 3B Kaz Woo as Arbitration Signings

Rookies: SS Jacob Belle, 3B Victor McDowell, 2B Bump Sheets, RF Tim Lawton . Most will provide support off the bench

Outlook: Coming off of three straight division titles, but new ownership has arrived. They are feeling things out right now, but will these open the door for someone else to take the division crown?

Memphis Tigers

Key Players Added: Acquired C Willie Baez via trade to provide a more consistent bat. While health might be a concern he figures to mix in a few spot starts at first while upgrading the defense at the catcher position. Signed P Mac Douglas through free agency to provide additional relief against right-handers out of the bullpen.

Key Players Lost: SS Kurt Patrick to free agency, P Del Barnes via declined option, P Pedro Ramirez via trade.

Key Transactions: 2B Dan Russell arbitration, RF Marshall Antonelli and P Gaylord Bonds contract extension.

Rookies: Rookie Paul Richard is slated to get the nod in LF and should provide a lively bat in the lineup. Also, Thomas Bowen looks to get a shot at the starting SS position due to Patrick’s departure even though his defensive skills have yet to peak. Rule draftee P Brady Duncan should deepen the middle relief while receiving an occasional spot start, if not winning the #5 SP spot outright. International signee Harry Piedra looks to start the season in AAA, but could find himself quickly back on the big ball club.

Outlook: A disastrous year last season saw the Tigers finish dead last in hitting with virtually zero run support. While not being active in the off-season, the Tigers are hanging their hat on rookie Paul Richard to provide a spark, all the while hoping Dan Russell and new multi-millionaire Marshall Antonelli step up to the plate and have break-out years. With a relative young pitching staff and no true ace, the Tigers will need a more productive offensive year, or MH could find himself selling parking spaces.

NL East Divisional Preview

Predictions:

1. Syracuse Orange
2. Scranton Nittany Lions
3. Charlotte Tar Heels
4. Buffalo Bulls

Individuals
Best Starting Pitcher: Pasqual Navarre (Syracuse Orange)

Best Hitter: Michael Seay (Syracuse Orange)

Rookie to make an impact: Kevin Ryu (Scranton) and Roger Herndon (Charlotte)

Team
Starting Rotation: Syracuse Orange

Bullpen: Charlotte Tar Heels, Syracuse Orange, Scranton Nittany Lions (tie)

Lineup: Syracuse Orange

Defense: Syracuse Orange

Buffalo:
Key Players Added:

Key Players Lost:

Key Transactions – re-signed Brian Inouoe who is one of the top defensive catchers in the game.

Rookies: The top prospect Harry Guillen(P) will begin the season in the big league. The AAA young catcher Pasqual Castillo and the AA Oswaldo Tejada (S) have an amazing spring traning camp. We will not surprise to see them with big team next year.

Charlotte:
Key Players Added: Added Pedro Ramirez to take the Gibbons place in the Starting Rotation. Also added Joshua Becker to upgrade at CF and Cristobal Delgado to platoon at SS.

Key Players Lost: The Heels traded away two key players in Pat Gibbons and Darrel Dyer in their continued quest to rebuild the team. It was a classic case of short term pain for long term gain as The heels acquired two very good SP prospects.

Key Transactions: Signed Vin Horton and Manny Bedard to long term deals.

Rookies: Matty Johnson and Ron Montgomery have already been promoted to platoon at Catcher. Abraham Fox looks to upgrade the defense big time at 3B which was a huge liability last season. Roger Herndon looks to be promoted this season to take over the 2B and leadoff spot.

Outlook: .500 is the goal for this season after falling just short last season. The Heels could possibly do better if they weren’t in an extremely tough division.

Scranton:
Key Players Added: C Bonk McCartney, SS Tony Paniagua, LF Steven Foster, CF Jumbo Jimenez

Key Players Lost: 3B Terrance Washington, SP Red Lofton, SP Dusty Johnstone

Rookies: RP John MacDougal, RP Cristobol Guerrero, RP Andrea Clark, RP Albert Bautista, RP Albert Amezaga, SP Al Flores, SP Kevin Ryu

Outlook from Owner ea162: While becoming a fixture in the playoffs the last 3 seasons, this year the Nittany Lions look to grab a division title with the defensive improvements made at SS and CF. Flexibility in the lineup will be key as 3B Carl Harris and 2B Steve Pulsipher recover from injuries early on, but with new addition Steven Foster providing a solid bat off the bench there should be no worries about the trading away of 3B Terrance Washington. The Nittany Lions also traded away 2 SP’s to make for up and comers Al Flores and Kevin Ryu, which helped provide financial flexibility while also bringing back some prospects in off-season trades which should position Scranton for continued success beyond this season.

Syracuse:
Key Players Added: Added RF Leadoff Man Rob Allen. Looking for a better OBP at top of order. Allen will lead off Vs Righties.
Added CF: Joaquin Ortiz. Ortiz was a late season call up that actually made the post season roster and played well. He was a Gold Glove minor league CFer and will lead off vs Lefties.

Key Players Lost: Backups Matt Wilson, Robert Gallagher and Jack Scanlan. RF backup R. J, Vargas hurt during early spring training. Expected back at about the 1/3 mark.

Key Transactions: Signed 2b Garrett Parris to long term deal.

Rookies: The previously mentioned Joaquin Ortiz CF. Still deciding on another OFer until Vargas returns (either Trinidad Rios or Doug Kerr.) Mule Wells is trying to win a long reliever role in spring training.

Other: The Orange are also toying with the idea of moving Roosevelt Loux to closer. No decision has been made here.

Outlook from Owner evil doers: The Orange will be good.

AL North Divisional Preview by tk21775

Season 8 saw the division as mediocre, with the Fargo Bison claiming the division title with a sub .500 record at 80-82. Portland fell 4 games short at 76-86, Minnesota stayed in the race at 7 games back with a record of 73-89 and Cincinnati brought up the rear with a record of 58-104. Fargo had the biggest improvement as they climbed out of the cellar where they were at for the last 3 seasons all the way to 1st place and the title.

Individuals
Best Starting Pitcher: Gene Wise (Portland Ducks)

Best Hitter: Candy Thomas (Minnesota Golden Gophers)

Rookie to make an impact: Cy Saturria (Fargo Bison)

Team
Starting Rotation: Portland Ducks

Bullpen: Fargo Bison

Batting: Minnesota Golden Gophers

Cincinnati
Acquired:
Trades: Kirk Randa (LF), Del Seanez (C),
Free Agency: None

Lost:
Trades: Jimmie Alicea (2B), Valerio James (LR)
Free Agency: Benito Pujols (Setup), Roberto Puente (C), Billy Barker (CF),
Gus Martin (Cl), Pedro Cruz (LF), Pascual Estrada (SP)

Fargo
Acquired:
Trades: None
Free Agency: None

Lost:
Trades: None
Free Agency: Randy Frye (SS), Mac Douglas (Cl),

Minnesota
Acquired:
Trades: None
Free Agency: None

Lost:
Trades None
Free Agency: Bernie Tresh (SP), Rico Olmeda (1B), Hake Mathews (C)

Portland
Acquired:
Trades: None
Free Agency: Ernie Helton (CF), Mark Tanaka (P)

Lost:
Trades: Jeff Nicholson (1B)
Free Agency: Mark Stewart (RF), Richard Fielder (SP), Ted Simpkins (P)

Predictions
Last season saw 1-2-3 separated by only 7 games although no team finished above .500. This season I’m calling for the Fargo Bison to finish above .500 and win the division behind a balanced team of pitching and batting. Portland’s starting pitching keeps them in the race all season but they fall short and take 2nd. Minnesota will also compete for the division throughout the entire season but fall 1 game behind Portland to take 3rd place and Cincinnati will finish 4th.