Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Season 21 - Team Previews - Batch 3
Charlotte Tar HeelsPlayers Added: Andrea Nelson (OF) in trade with Huntington.
Players Lost: Two long time Tar Heels, Moe Hermanson and Ronnie Hammill departed, but we recently signed them to ML minmums and they had options available so we assigned them to our rookie team. I'm looking at them as our "Crash Davis Duo" in rookie ball. Both were really important pieces over the last 10 seasons to the Tar Heels run of success.
Rookies: Ralph Booker (2B) is a former first round Tar Heel selection and could get the call this season as a utility player. There are also some young pitchers trying to fill out the staff, but then won't (or shouldn't) make big impacts.
Outlook: Our goal is the same as the last few seasons....win the NL East and earn a first round bye in the playoffs. We haven't had a lot of success in the playoffs considering what we've done in the regular season. The Tar Heels finally made the World Series last season after several seasons in a row of early bow outs and proceeded to blow a 3-1 series lead....which is also GM HopkinsHeel's speciality. It appears as though the NL East will be really tough as all 4 teams have reasons to be excited. Can't wait for the season to start!
Chicago Blue Demons
The Blue Demons added several players in an attempt to be more competitive this year. 2B Paul Richards was added to add some pop to the line up and P Andres Rosario was added via trade. Also signed was P Jeremy Livingstone to shore up the bullpen and promising P Charlie Stevens was picked up via the rule 5 draft. The Blue Demons only significant loss was young P Junior Zurbaran dealt in the Rosario trade in the hopes of reaching the 70 win threshold this year.
Iowa City Hawkeyes
Iowa didn't lose anyone of importance, the only thing I lost were pitchers and my pitching was terrible last season.
With that said here I go trying to get some better pitchers. Tried to make trades and sign free agents unfortunately the only pitcher I landed was Derrick Jerichower. Hopfully he and my sophmores from last season can develop into a strong pitching tandem.
My fielders have not changed so I should be fine with offense if everyone stays healthy.
Jackson Rebels
The Jackson Rebels will be looking to charge into the post season this year after falling short last season.
Leading the way will be RF Lyle Daly, who could reach the 50-50 mark. Supporting Daly with offense will be SS Fernando Segui and 2B Dee Thompson. Andres Martinez and Charles Dickerson are expected to give him some protection in the lineup.
After resigning FA pitcher Yonder Santos (more than I would have liked), the rotation has its number one back in the fold. Management is banking on Santos to have another year like last season's that more or less earned him his big contract. Management is also expecting Jordan Stephens to step up his game to be an exceptional #2 starter. Nash Messmer will once again be the Rebel closer anchoring the bullpen.
Syracuse Orange
Players Lost: Joaquin Bautista (Type A), Theo Franco
Players Added: Saul Manzanillo (Trade), Julio Brito (Trade late in Season 20), Santiago Matos (Promotion)
Players “Bubbling Under:” Buddy Ferguson, Chad Demel, Johnny Ryan (INJURED), Terry Overbeck, Sticky Markakis
Outlook: We expected this to be a year that we expected to make the playoffs. However a 250 day injury to Johnny Ryan during the AAA playoffs have put a dent to that optimism. We still think we’ll be competitive. For the third straight season we ‘think’ we’ve improved our bullpen with the addition of Brito and the promotion of Matos. We’ll see….
Columbus Buckeyes
FA Lost- SS Bob Jacobs, P Darond Mays, P OSwaldo Limon
FA Added- P- Joaquin Batista, P Alberto Rincon, C- Tito Banks, and SS Earl Cradle.
While the Bucks have finished in 2nd place in the division in 4 of 5 seasons under tdfactory's leadership, last year can officially be called a disappointment. 2nd place sounds ok, but the under .500 finish wipes off any potential good feelings. There were a few rays of sunshine in the overall disappointing season, and that is the progress of a few of the "Young Bucks" and continued consistency from team leader 3B Thomas Fogg. A couple of the "Young Bucks", 1B Ryan Meusel, 2B Les Rivera, and C Vin Lopez showed progress and continue to develop.
The team suffered minor losses in Free Agency and while the Bucks targeted a few major acquisitions in FA, the price climbed too high and they struck out. However, the additions in the bullpen and the field were improvements.
Last season saw the trade of Ace Homer Konerko. In return the BUcks got three players that are on the ML roster this season, SP- Sonny White who will be heavily counted on in the front half of the rotation, bullpen help in Al Ortiz, and platooning in CF and adding speed on the basepaths is Al Bristow.
Down on the farm, Season 17's first rounder Hector Narveson is expected to contribute to the bullpen at some point this season, although that is the only expected help coming this season. Season 18's first rounder P- Stephen Harvey continues to develop at AAA, and the last two seasons first rounders SS Bip Oeltjen and CF Fred Urich continue to develop in the lower level minors and are probably season 23 arrivals to the bigs.
In order for the Bucks to be successful, the young talent needs to continue to improve, the team must avoid injuries, and see some positive contribution from the new faces gained through last seasons trade and the offseason. AN above .500 finish and at least a WIld Card entry into the playoffs are where expectations sit, anything less will be a major disappointment.
Anaheim Trojans
Lost: Brad Holt, Dickie Hatcher
Added: Vincente Carreras
Prospects who will be called up this year: Tony Kim,
Hipolito Cora, Livian Andino
Not much movement this offseason as the rebuilding continues in Anaheim. This should be another year of struggling to get to .500. Trading Holt away was a difficult decision as he is a premier player, but we feel like there was good value in Carreras. Also borderline HOF player Dickie Hatcher will not be back. Despite low expectations it should be a fun year as a few rookies will be promoted and the minor leagues are getting stronger every year.
Salem Beavers
Departures:
• Torey Feliz, CF, 32 (Signed by Cincinnati) – starter in CF, his best asset, defense, is on the downhill slope.
• Tyson Seaver, 2B, 34 (Signed by Helena) – part time 2B, near the end of his career.
• Ben Jackson, 3B, 36 (Signed by Huntington, assigned to AAA) – can no longer play ML 3B
• Seth Hairston, RF, 31 (Unsigned FA) – vL RF platoon, not worth paying more than league min.
• Carlton Anderson, UT, 29 (Unsigned FA) – Could play well anywhere but SS, barely hits.
• Jacob Belle, 3B-UT, 35 (Unsigned FA) – vL 3B platoon, unlikely to ever play another ML game.
• Gregory Cloud, SP, 31 (Signed by Philadelphia) – A league average quality starting pitcher.
• Howie Hawkins, SP, 31 (Signed by Arizona State) – Similar to Cloud.
• Dom Douglas, LR, 33 (Signed by Arizona State) – Another league average guy.
Arrivals:
• Yadier Torres, CF, 32 (2 yrs, $3.8M per) – Brought in for his GG quality defense to play every day.
• Chico Tavarez, RF, 34 (1 yr, $2.0M) – Will be vL RF and backup for 3B.
• Willie Berroa, 3B-2B, 32 (1 yr, $3.6M) – Will be starting 3B, unless I decide to bring up Guerrero from AAA and he will become backup/UT
• Juan Aguilera, 2B, 28 (2 yrs, $3.3M per) – Superb Def, lots of speed, going to start.
• Gus Griffin, 2B, 29 (2 yrs, $1.6M per) – Back-up 2B
• John Kramer, SP, 32 (5 yrs, $72M) – brought in to be a workhorse and join playoff rotation
• Ching-Lung Komatsu, SP, 37 (3 yrs, $42M, w/ 3rd yr option) – Expected to be a part of the playoff rotation for the next two seasons.
• Erubiel Ordaz, SP, 31 (5 yrs, $3.9M per) – Back of the rotation starter who looks like a guy who has underperformed
Trades Made: None
Rookies Coming Up:
• Undecided – Depending on my players perform at 2B and 3B, I may be bringing up Willie Guerrero at Game 21. At this point I am leaning towards having him play a season at AAA and making the call-up one year later.
Season Expectations:
For the position players, I feel like I have acquired equivalent offense relative to those departing from what was one of the top offenses last season. Meanwhile, defensively I have gained significant upgrades at 2B, CF, and platoon RF.
My big spending should pay big dividends on the mound as a large bulk of regular season and playoff innings just got major upgrades. Even Ordaz at his disappointing performance level is equal to what I lost for a #5 SP, so if he makes the gains I am hoping for it will also be a nice boost.
We were actually very fortunate to win 99 games last season, so this time around we may actually slip from that total, but the team will be much stronger for the playoffs with a rotation of Schneider, Kramer, and Komatsu. Additionally, being able to move low stamina/durability ace Clay Hausman to the role of first RP off the bench during the playoffs will be a major benefit. My goals for this season are to win another division title, earn a bye, and make a deep playoff run.
Friday, May 3, 2013
Season 21 - Team Previews - Batch 2
Charleston Cougars
Charleston suffered a big blow this offseason when it was unable to re-sign John Kramer who departed to Salem via free agency. Needing a number 2 starter, Charleston traded for David Rodriguez, sending several good prospects to Fargo. Charleston also signed several key players to contract extension. With 4 top 50 selections in the draft, Charleston hopes to reload its minor league system this year.
Charleston hopes to again contend for a title. Last year’s Cy Young winner Eswalin Sierra will again lead the pitching staff and hopes to come close to his prior performance. Rodriguez will serve as the Number 2 starter, with Fred Keppel the Number 3. Charleston returns a strong lineup anchored by Saul Martin, Odalis Velasquez, Donn Rodgers and Miguel Certa among others.
Seattle Huskies The Seattle huskies offseason plan failed. Hoping to find some talent cheap, we tried the waiting game. We are now left with a few players we are not too thrilled about.
We let donte Hartman walk, preferring to allow that rotation spot to go to Ivan cano. Cano's rise to the big leagues was crushed last season by a devastating injury ( labrum tear) that saw his overall value drop by 9 points. He regained 5 this offseason, and should still fill in nicely.
Letting coco laroche go was in the plans, as we were unhappy with his offense and defense combination. However, with nothing on the market, we will turn to a defense first mentality and go with either Javier Torres (rule 5) or Thomas Bowen ( FA signing).
LF could be a revolving door this season. Look for Brad Finley to take the spot if he can live up to his minor league numbers, and Darnell Myers gets hurt or can't hit.
Kansas City Wildcats
The Kansas City Wildcats resigned 3B Gavin Mills . We brought back Marquis Nolan to play first and signed Thomas Wise as a back up catcher. KC has a good balance of power and speed. The pitching staff will have a rookie starter Nathan McClain . I hope this team will win the division this year after their 64 Philly imitation last year.
Buffalo Bulls
The Buffalo Bulls made it past the wildcard round last season on the strength of their young pitching but that is as far as they advanced. With bigger goals in sight during the off-season the #1 priority was upgrading the offense and that is just what management did. The team added SS Eddie Padden, and OF Al Ayala in trades, and picked up former player Frank Jenkins to help out at 1B with young Vladimir Volquez still getting his footing.With these additions Volquez and SS Montanez will now be relegated to the pine, both were 20hr 70rbi guys last season which in turn stabilizes Buffalos bench which was pretty weak one year ago.The Bulls also added to the end of their rotation with the signings of Ramon Higashioka, and Darrell Haywood. Big things could be on the horizon for the Bulls ,4 out of 5 of their top RBI guys are back (2) 14 game winners and a 12 game winner return to the rotation, with these additions it looks as if they are after top dog in the division, Charlotte beware. !!! :)
Memphis Tigers
Key Acquisitions: Hugh Bell Lf
Key Players Lost: Jimmie Jodie SP
Excitement in Tiger Town is at an all-time high . Despite being the worst hitting team in the league last season , the Tigers return with virtually the same roster that made their magical run to the NL Championship last year. Opting not to engage in any bidding wars during the offseason, Management decided only to bring Hugh Bell back to the Den to spark what was truly a lethargic offense last year . A pitching staff that led the way and kept the Tigers in games throughout the year remains intact, with the only key loss being that of Jodie who spent a potion of the year on the DL. The Tigers will be looking to rookie Vic Bonilla to earn his spot in the rotation. The Tigers enter the season fully expecting the pitching to hold true and the offense to perform to its expectations and make another run to the playoffs.
Texas Tech Red Raiders
Texas Tech may have taken a step backward this season. Losing Myette within the division was a big loss, and lessens the depth of the starting rotation. Vasco Jose always provided a productive bat with some power in the #5 hole was also lost to Huntington. As the team is handicapped with a high payroll still, big FA signings were out of the question. Douglas Walker will be asked to fill in for Jose. Incumbent SS Elvis Fox will move to 2B or 3B, as his range has declined too much to put him at SS regularly. Former Red Storm SS Ted Guerrero was signed to take over at SS. A couple of veteran, journeyman relievers were brought in to bolster a bullpen that struggles at times last season. The key players are still in place though. And the Shumpert/Senaca led team still expects to contend after a heartbreaking early playoff exit last year. The window is closing though, as the future HoF tandem are 34 and 35 years old. After next season, there will be some tough decisions to be made. Until then, this team will be trying to get a championship for the players who have meant so much to these fans.
Boise Broncos
The Bronco’s are looking to have a breakout year this season with a combination of veteran stars and some young talent that should be hitting their prime. Our pitching staff, long an issue for the team, sis anchored by a strong starting rotation led by veterans Marc Westmorland and Chris Dawkins. Carlos Jose in his second full year and Max Chavez a late season call up, should prove to be dominant young arms. Equally as important however is a much improved bullpen. Karim Garces will still be closing behind setup man Victor Diaz, but the additions of Jeff Giavotella from AAA and FA Tom Obermueller will help bridge the gap to the 8th and 9th innings. A young but improved outfield will be anchored by Jose Ortiz in CF who looks ready to fill the role of a dynamic lead-off hitter. Einar Lee will continue to a force at 3b while the Broncos are very excited to have Red Driefort back for his first full season at 1B. Dreifort shows all the signs of being a dominant offensive threat for many years. All in all, Boise hopes to be a factor in the NL West this season.
Nashville Commodores
After reaching the playoffs for the 8th time in 9 years last season, the Nashville Commodores were content with minor changes this off season. The biggest edition to the roster was Cy Saturria, aquired in a trade with Fargo. Saturria will add a little firepower to a lineup which lacked consistency last season. Slick fielding SS Jason Jenner was added via free agency to solidify the infield. An above average pitching staff returns all 11 members, and should once again be the strength of the team. Once again this season it it playoffs or bust in Nashville.
Little Rock Razorbacks
Key Additions: Coco Laroche
Key Losses: None
Prospects to Watch: Neftali Lucano, Kory Silva
Outlook: Last season, Little Rock finished 80-82. We look to improve with the solid pitching we have established. We intend to battle for a playoff spot this season. Go Razerbacks!
New York Red Storm
FA Lost: Cole Mitchell, Hugh Bell, Einar Chavez
FA Added: Bobby Reese
FA Retained: Buzz Beirne
Rule 5 Draftee: Richie Haren
Trade: Acquired Junior Zurbaran for Andres Rosario & Esmil Posada
Rookies: Felix Dunston, Al Park, Guy Forster
Outlook: While I lost some FAs, none were high priorities to bring back and I fetched some nice comp picks to replenish the farm system. The core of the team is locked up long term, in ARB or just starting their ML careers. Super excited to bring up the 3 stud rookies. I hope for a very competitive team, and for the young guys to get their feet wet, with an eye on next year to really make some noise.
Charleston suffered a big blow this offseason when it was unable to re-sign John Kramer who departed to Salem via free agency. Needing a number 2 starter, Charleston traded for David Rodriguez, sending several good prospects to Fargo. Charleston also signed several key players to contract extension. With 4 top 50 selections in the draft, Charleston hopes to reload its minor league system this year.
Charleston hopes to again contend for a title. Last year’s Cy Young winner Eswalin Sierra will again lead the pitching staff and hopes to come close to his prior performance. Rodriguez will serve as the Number 2 starter, with Fred Keppel the Number 3. Charleston returns a strong lineup anchored by Saul Martin, Odalis Velasquez, Donn Rodgers and Miguel Certa among others.
Seattle Huskies The Seattle huskies offseason plan failed. Hoping to find some talent cheap, we tried the waiting game. We are now left with a few players we are not too thrilled about.
We let donte Hartman walk, preferring to allow that rotation spot to go to Ivan cano. Cano's rise to the big leagues was crushed last season by a devastating injury ( labrum tear) that saw his overall value drop by 9 points. He regained 5 this offseason, and should still fill in nicely.
Letting coco laroche go was in the plans, as we were unhappy with his offense and defense combination. However, with nothing on the market, we will turn to a defense first mentality and go with either Javier Torres (rule 5) or Thomas Bowen ( FA signing).
LF could be a revolving door this season. Look for Brad Finley to take the spot if he can live up to his minor league numbers, and Darnell Myers gets hurt or can't hit.
Kansas City Wildcats
The Kansas City Wildcats resigned 3B Gavin Mills . We brought back Marquis Nolan to play first and signed Thomas Wise as a back up catcher. KC has a good balance of power and speed. The pitching staff will have a rookie starter Nathan McClain . I hope this team will win the division this year after their 64 Philly imitation last year.
Buffalo Bulls
The Buffalo Bulls made it past the wildcard round last season on the strength of their young pitching but that is as far as they advanced. With bigger goals in sight during the off-season the #1 priority was upgrading the offense and that is just what management did. The team added SS Eddie Padden, and OF Al Ayala in trades, and picked up former player Frank Jenkins to help out at 1B with young Vladimir Volquez still getting his footing.With these additions Volquez and SS Montanez will now be relegated to the pine, both were 20hr 70rbi guys last season which in turn stabilizes Buffalos bench which was pretty weak one year ago.The Bulls also added to the end of their rotation with the signings of Ramon Higashioka, and Darrell Haywood. Big things could be on the horizon for the Bulls ,4 out of 5 of their top RBI guys are back (2) 14 game winners and a 12 game winner return to the rotation, with these additions it looks as if they are after top dog in the division, Charlotte beware. !!! :)
Memphis Tigers
Key Acquisitions: Hugh Bell Lf
Key Players Lost: Jimmie Jodie SP
Excitement in Tiger Town is at an all-time high . Despite being the worst hitting team in the league last season , the Tigers return with virtually the same roster that made their magical run to the NL Championship last year. Opting not to engage in any bidding wars during the offseason, Management decided only to bring Hugh Bell back to the Den to spark what was truly a lethargic offense last year . A pitching staff that led the way and kept the Tigers in games throughout the year remains intact, with the only key loss being that of Jodie who spent a potion of the year on the DL. The Tigers will be looking to rookie Vic Bonilla to earn his spot in the rotation. The Tigers enter the season fully expecting the pitching to hold true and the offense to perform to its expectations and make another run to the playoffs.
Texas Tech Red Raiders
Texas Tech may have taken a step backward this season. Losing Myette within the division was a big loss, and lessens the depth of the starting rotation. Vasco Jose always provided a productive bat with some power in the #5 hole was also lost to Huntington. As the team is handicapped with a high payroll still, big FA signings were out of the question. Douglas Walker will be asked to fill in for Jose. Incumbent SS Elvis Fox will move to 2B or 3B, as his range has declined too much to put him at SS regularly. Former Red Storm SS Ted Guerrero was signed to take over at SS. A couple of veteran, journeyman relievers were brought in to bolster a bullpen that struggles at times last season. The key players are still in place though. And the Shumpert/Senaca led team still expects to contend after a heartbreaking early playoff exit last year. The window is closing though, as the future HoF tandem are 34 and 35 years old. After next season, there will be some tough decisions to be made. Until then, this team will be trying to get a championship for the players who have meant so much to these fans.
Boise Broncos
The Bronco’s are looking to have a breakout year this season with a combination of veteran stars and some young talent that should be hitting their prime. Our pitching staff, long an issue for the team, sis anchored by a strong starting rotation led by veterans Marc Westmorland and Chris Dawkins. Carlos Jose in his second full year and Max Chavez a late season call up, should prove to be dominant young arms. Equally as important however is a much improved bullpen. Karim Garces will still be closing behind setup man Victor Diaz, but the additions of Jeff Giavotella from AAA and FA Tom Obermueller will help bridge the gap to the 8th and 9th innings. A young but improved outfield will be anchored by Jose Ortiz in CF who looks ready to fill the role of a dynamic lead-off hitter. Einar Lee will continue to a force at 3b while the Broncos are very excited to have Red Driefort back for his first full season at 1B. Dreifort shows all the signs of being a dominant offensive threat for many years. All in all, Boise hopes to be a factor in the NL West this season.
Nashville Commodores
After reaching the playoffs for the 8th time in 9 years last season, the Nashville Commodores were content with minor changes this off season. The biggest edition to the roster was Cy Saturria, aquired in a trade with Fargo. Saturria will add a little firepower to a lineup which lacked consistency last season. Slick fielding SS Jason Jenner was added via free agency to solidify the infield. An above average pitching staff returns all 11 members, and should once again be the strength of the team. Once again this season it it playoffs or bust in Nashville.
Little Rock Razorbacks
Key Additions: Coco Laroche
Key Losses: None
Prospects to Watch: Neftali Lucano, Kory Silva
Outlook: Last season, Little Rock finished 80-82. We look to improve with the solid pitching we have established. We intend to battle for a playoff spot this season. Go Razerbacks!
New York Red Storm
FA Lost: Cole Mitchell, Hugh Bell, Einar Chavez
FA Added: Bobby Reese
FA Retained: Buzz Beirne
Rule 5 Draftee: Richie Haren
Trade: Acquired Junior Zurbaran for Andres Rosario & Esmil Posada
Rookies: Felix Dunston, Al Park, Guy Forster
Outlook: While I lost some FAs, none were high priorities to bring back and I fetched some nice comp picks to replenish the farm system. The core of the team is locked up long term, in ARB or just starting their ML careers. Super excited to bring up the 3 stud rookies. I hope for a very competitive team, and for the young guys to get their feet wet, with an eye on next year to really make some noise.
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Season 21 - Team Previews - Batch 1
Detroit Wolverines
S20: 70-92 (3rd in NL North)
Lost in FA:
SP Clyde Jodie (7-11, 4.06 era, 137.1 innings)
SP Hod Ferrell (4-9, 3.5 era, 126.0 innings)
LF Eliezer Arrojo (.303 avg, 27 HR, 77 RBI)
Added in FA:
SP Donte Hartman (11-8, 3.48 era, 178.2 innings)
SP Jimmie Jodie (3-7, 3.51 era, 112.2 innings)
Last season the rebuild continued in Detroit as we posted another below .500 season record. Management has decided they’re tired of losing and decided this is the year that we begin to see the youth movement in the ML. Keith Petersen will be slotted to play right field, Douglas Lawrie will man third base, and Marshall Washington will take over in left field. While losing Arrojo hurt, we expect these three kids to take over the offense for us while still allowing us a strong defensive team. We didn’t get any younger on pitching like we would have liked to, but by adding Hartman and Jodie we think we did get a little better. Also are younger bullpen pitchers such as Caballero, Price, and Chavez all have a year’s experience under their belt now. Turner Shannon may also be called up to help out the starting rotation depending on how the season begins. We still have last year’s draft picks Brutus Olmos and Albert Perry working their way up the minors to go along with this season’s 7th overall pick and a full prospect budget to try and sign an international player. While we’re not expecting to win the world series this season, we do expect this group to be our core that will get us back to the playoffs in the next couple of seasons and keep us there for awhile.
Philadelphia Owls Players Lost : B.C. Polanco LF/2B and Ivan Bonilla RF.
New players: CF Al Petit and 2 SP Gregory Cloud and Einar Santos.
Rookies expected to contribute: Francisco Soto RP, Derek Randolph LF, Terry Lee C .
This season again Owls are rebuilding. Offensively, the team is not bad with third baseman Frieri Santiago, CF Carlton Brooks platooning with Al Petit, veteran second baseman Miller Kotsay, 1B Julio Nunez, rookie C Terry Lee and DH Everth Manzanillo. The rotation lead by young Carlos Martinez should be better with the addition of the 2 newcomers Gregory Cloud and Einar Santos. In the bullpen, Francisco Soto should help.
The future though, looks brighter with 2B Terrell Kelly(1 year away),SS Juan Dali(1 year away), LF Benji Guzman, SP Brad Cunningham, SP Marino Megias and DH Dusty Malone.
Don't be desperate Owls fans, we will send a better team on the field very, very soon.
Arizona State Sun Devils Low expectations paid off for the Sun Devils in Season 20, when they accidentally ended up winning the NL West for the first time in 8 seasons. Expectations are even lower in Season 21, with another division win seeming even less likely. As part of its long-term rebuilding project, the Sun Devils traded away All-Star veteran SS Eddie Padden for what will hopefully be the leadoff hitter of Season 24-ish, Gail Flair, accompanied by borderline pitching prospect Bruce Perry, a working man who used to load his Econoline van. And 38-year-old Sun Devil lifer Nick Wilson, who won 13 games last year with a 3.35 ERA, finally left the team via free-agency. Rather than spend a lot of money to replace the output of Padden & Wilson, the Sun Devils have used free agents and callups to spackle over holes in the starting rotation and bench -- nothing flashy or expensive -- and hope the kids can carry the team. The future is probably not now -- although accidents have been known to happen.
Cincinnati Bearcats
The Bearcats lost LHP Higashioka to FA and picked up role players Gonzales (ss) and Feliz (cf). No trades so far this season. Rookies on the roster this season will be catchers Baez and Barrios and pitchers Gibson, Beltre, Calderone, and Lee. None are expected to be game changers though it is expected that Lee will develop into a top-notch set up man.
Last year's dramatic drop off was hard to figure. The best guess was that rotten attitudes put the team in a season long funk. The players with the bad attitudes were sent packing so we will see if the guess was correct. The team lost 102 games last season and does not expect to do much better this season.The hope is that the team can hold out until outstanding minor league talent can become major league ready. Richmond Spiders Key Losses: None
Key Free Agents: Albert Nippert
Addition via Trade: Brad Holt
Key Rookies: Matthew Crawford, John Won
Offseason Summary: We tried to address our 2 key weaknesses from last season, pitching and OBP. Brad Holt was added via trade, and he should really help by getting on base in front of our sluggers in the middle of the lineup. This was a key priority and was accomplished. The pending promotion of John Won should also help in this area. The second priority was to improve the bullpen and add an impact starter. The addition of Albert Nippert was our big free agent signing, and should definitely improve our bullpen. On the surface, we overpaid for a relief pitcher. The market dictated more than what I would normally spend on a relief pitcher. However, there were a few special circumstances that made me pull the trigger here. First, despite how he has been used previously, Nippert has the stamina/durability to give 100+ innings out of the bullpen. This is how he will be used and thus he’s not your typical “closer” with a somewhat limited impact. Second, we front-loaded the contract at a time when there is ample budget available. The money given to Nippert this season would only be worth 50% if transferred, so you can almost discount the large sum given this season by 50% in real money that could be used elsewhere. With those factors, I’m comfortable with the contract given the impact we hope he will have on the bullpen.
We tried to also add an impact starter, but our main target (Kramer) decided he wanted to take less than the market would have dictated by signing overnight the first day of free agency. We need to look into the recruiting tactics in Salem. They must have better “escort services” versus Richmond. We were involved with other starting pitcher free agents, but the bidding went higher than we were comfortable with. Improvement this season will have to come from the promotion of Crawford alone.
Outlook: I’m tired of rebuilding/losing, so hopefully it stops now. I thought this club would be better last season with the first real influx of talent since we started rebuilding, but they never seemed to click the way I thought they would. Further additions this season should really push us over the top and into winning territory again. We have a good pipeline of talent developing over the next couple seasons and enough budget to continue to add prospects, so hopefully we’ve used these last couple seasons to set the foundation for a run of success.
Huntington Thundering Herd
Key Additions: C Marshall Damon, RF Vasco Jose, OF Juan Johnson, SP Ralph Myette, SP Cole Mitchell, RP Benjamin Bowker, RP Bastardo Owen, RP Steven Donovan
Key Losses: C Juan Molina, SP McKay Benes, RP Pat Howington, OF Andrea Nelson
To be blunt this offseason was boring. There just didn’t seem to be many deals to be made and the free agent class, outside of pitching, was weak. We added some components, but didn’t do the complete about-face that usually faces a team run by this management group.
Perfectly content to remain where we were offensively with the #2 team last season in the NL in runs scored, we made 2 major moves to get younger in the lineup. Returning 6 starters is a rarity in this franchise, so hopefully we don’t come to regret being passive this offseason. 1B Shane Meadows will anchor the team offensively, while we look for a breakout season from 2nd year man, Markus Crosby. Robert Frederick and Herm O’Shea will continue to platoon at 2B and will leadoff this season. Hopefully LF Gabe Price and 3B Mitchell Spencer can pick up the slack offensively for the departed offensive players. New RF Vasco Jose has large shoes to fill as he replaces fan favorite Andrea Nelson. C Marshall Damon gets his shot at the big-time as he makes his big-league debut.
Pitching was a struggle last season, so changes were made. Currently Ralph Myette will start on Opening Day. Cole Mitchell, Dallas Parrott, and J.P. Valdez are 2-4…the 5th spot is a battle between Kevin Ryu and Ricardo Crespo. Management loves Crespo’s pitches and GB tendencies, while Ryu keeps the ball out of the hitting zone for the most part. The bullpen should be strong, but may undergo some growing pains due to the youth of several key members.
Defensively this team should be very strong up the middle. SS Jumbo Cortazar is always a good defender who has some pop offensively. O’Shea and Frederick are good defenders, although Frederick is the stronger of the 2. Crosby may not be ideal for CF, but he’s solid. Hopefully the defense is a moot point with upgraded pitching and a solid offense.
Louisville Cardinals Last year was a bit of a nightmare for the Louisville Cardinal. After losing Homer Bush, Danny Smoltz, and Miguel Concepcion to free agency, season 20 was an
ugly year for the Cardinals’ offense as the team OPS dropped to an anemic .708 and only 2 guys hitting more than 20HR. We did lose one of them, Al Ayala (.266 28hr 76rbi), who was traded to the Bulls for a young pitching prospect, but as a whole fans should see a much better product on the field this season.
The biggest offseason signing has to be Tomas Lucano who should hold down one of the corner outfield spots for years to come. We also added a couple of speedy/high OBP infielders in Don Hodges (.363obp 41sb last season) and Dennis Beard (.361obp 21HR, 41sb in season 19), as well as Norberto Fernandez (26hr 107rbi 17sb last season) and veteran Jumbo Jimenez (career .792 ops) to fill in around the infield. The pitching staff looks a lot like last year’s which posted a 4.35 ERA good for 3rd worst in the NL, but management feels the staff should rebound and perform closer to S19’s respectable 3.82 ERA. There were a couple changes in the bullpen and the Cards happily welcome Harry Moya to the team. A solid vet, Moya made 63 appearances for the HEL last year and posted a 2.73 era. He’ll be a setup guy again in Louisville this year.
There’s a lot of excitement in Louisville this year, as fans hope the Card can rebound from an off year and get back to the playoffs (as a wildcard of course, as the Tar Heels continue to dominate the NL East). Best of luck to all!
Helena Grizzlies Key Adds: C – Juan Molina, LF Tyson Seaver, CF Ian Joseph, CF Theo Franco, P Rico Martinez, P Pat Howington, P Kevin Telford, P Merv Witt
Key Losses: LF Bernie Ortiz, C Matt James, 3B Jumbo Jimenez, 2B Rafael Liriano, C Larry Sedlacek, P Karim Ramirez, P Corey Sheffield, P Jeremy Livingstone
Outlook: The Grizzlies begin year two of what could end up being a long rebuilding project. 74 wins last season was quite a drop off from the back to back World Series appearances the team had experienced in season 18 and 19. Core stars such as Efrain Nakano, Miguel Barcelo, Paul Walker, Danny Sheffield and Yorman Costilla are all back, but there is not enough depth to win games on a consistent level. If the team can get through the All Star break with a decent record, some of those stars could go on the trade block.
Dover Fighting Blue Hens
Dover stuck to the game plan of building via the minors. Gone are ss Earl Cradle, SP Robinzon Calderone, and a backup catcher. Brought up to replace them are C Diego Oropesa, Rule 5 utility player Stuart Cohen, and whichever prospect busts out in spring training. Dover won the division last year and should be maturing to an even better record. 4 spots in the rotation are solid and the bullpen is very good. Prediction: Division title and a longer run in the playoffs.
S20: 70-92 (3rd in NL North)
Lost in FA:
SP Clyde Jodie (7-11, 4.06 era, 137.1 innings)
SP Hod Ferrell (4-9, 3.5 era, 126.0 innings)
LF Eliezer Arrojo (.303 avg, 27 HR, 77 RBI)
Added in FA:
SP Donte Hartman (11-8, 3.48 era, 178.2 innings)
SP Jimmie Jodie (3-7, 3.51 era, 112.2 innings)
Last season the rebuild continued in Detroit as we posted another below .500 season record. Management has decided they’re tired of losing and decided this is the year that we begin to see the youth movement in the ML. Keith Petersen will be slotted to play right field, Douglas Lawrie will man third base, and Marshall Washington will take over in left field. While losing Arrojo hurt, we expect these three kids to take over the offense for us while still allowing us a strong defensive team. We didn’t get any younger on pitching like we would have liked to, but by adding Hartman and Jodie we think we did get a little better. Also are younger bullpen pitchers such as Caballero, Price, and Chavez all have a year’s experience under their belt now. Turner Shannon may also be called up to help out the starting rotation depending on how the season begins. We still have last year’s draft picks Brutus Olmos and Albert Perry working their way up the minors to go along with this season’s 7th overall pick and a full prospect budget to try and sign an international player. While we’re not expecting to win the world series this season, we do expect this group to be our core that will get us back to the playoffs in the next couple of seasons and keep us there for awhile.
Philadelphia Owls Players Lost : B.C. Polanco LF/2B and Ivan Bonilla RF.
New players: CF Al Petit and 2 SP Gregory Cloud and Einar Santos.
Rookies expected to contribute: Francisco Soto RP, Derek Randolph LF, Terry Lee C .
This season again Owls are rebuilding. Offensively, the team is not bad with third baseman Frieri Santiago, CF Carlton Brooks platooning with Al Petit, veteran second baseman Miller Kotsay, 1B Julio Nunez, rookie C Terry Lee and DH Everth Manzanillo. The rotation lead by young Carlos Martinez should be better with the addition of the 2 newcomers Gregory Cloud and Einar Santos. In the bullpen, Francisco Soto should help.
The future though, looks brighter with 2B Terrell Kelly(1 year away),SS Juan Dali(1 year away), LF Benji Guzman, SP Brad Cunningham, SP Marino Megias and DH Dusty Malone.
Don't be desperate Owls fans, we will send a better team on the field very, very soon.
Arizona State Sun Devils Low expectations paid off for the Sun Devils in Season 20, when they accidentally ended up winning the NL West for the first time in 8 seasons. Expectations are even lower in Season 21, with another division win seeming even less likely. As part of its long-term rebuilding project, the Sun Devils traded away All-Star veteran SS Eddie Padden for what will hopefully be the leadoff hitter of Season 24-ish, Gail Flair, accompanied by borderline pitching prospect Bruce Perry, a working man who used to load his Econoline van. And 38-year-old Sun Devil lifer Nick Wilson, who won 13 games last year with a 3.35 ERA, finally left the team via free-agency. Rather than spend a lot of money to replace the output of Padden & Wilson, the Sun Devils have used free agents and callups to spackle over holes in the starting rotation and bench -- nothing flashy or expensive -- and hope the kids can carry the team. The future is probably not now -- although accidents have been known to happen.
Cincinnati Bearcats
The Bearcats lost LHP Higashioka to FA and picked up role players Gonzales (ss) and Feliz (cf). No trades so far this season. Rookies on the roster this season will be catchers Baez and Barrios and pitchers Gibson, Beltre, Calderone, and Lee. None are expected to be game changers though it is expected that Lee will develop into a top-notch set up man.
Last year's dramatic drop off was hard to figure. The best guess was that rotten attitudes put the team in a season long funk. The players with the bad attitudes were sent packing so we will see if the guess was correct. The team lost 102 games last season and does not expect to do much better this season.The hope is that the team can hold out until outstanding minor league talent can become major league ready. Richmond Spiders Key Losses: None
Key Free Agents: Albert Nippert
Addition via Trade: Brad Holt
Key Rookies: Matthew Crawford, John Won
Offseason Summary: We tried to address our 2 key weaknesses from last season, pitching and OBP. Brad Holt was added via trade, and he should really help by getting on base in front of our sluggers in the middle of the lineup. This was a key priority and was accomplished. The pending promotion of John Won should also help in this area. The second priority was to improve the bullpen and add an impact starter. The addition of Albert Nippert was our big free agent signing, and should definitely improve our bullpen. On the surface, we overpaid for a relief pitcher. The market dictated more than what I would normally spend on a relief pitcher. However, there were a few special circumstances that made me pull the trigger here. First, despite how he has been used previously, Nippert has the stamina/durability to give 100+ innings out of the bullpen. This is how he will be used and thus he’s not your typical “closer” with a somewhat limited impact. Second, we front-loaded the contract at a time when there is ample budget available. The money given to Nippert this season would only be worth 50% if transferred, so you can almost discount the large sum given this season by 50% in real money that could be used elsewhere. With those factors, I’m comfortable with the contract given the impact we hope he will have on the bullpen.
We tried to also add an impact starter, but our main target (Kramer) decided he wanted to take less than the market would have dictated by signing overnight the first day of free agency. We need to look into the recruiting tactics in Salem. They must have better “escort services” versus Richmond. We were involved with other starting pitcher free agents, but the bidding went higher than we were comfortable with. Improvement this season will have to come from the promotion of Crawford alone.
Outlook: I’m tired of rebuilding/losing, so hopefully it stops now. I thought this club would be better last season with the first real influx of talent since we started rebuilding, but they never seemed to click the way I thought they would. Further additions this season should really push us over the top and into winning territory again. We have a good pipeline of talent developing over the next couple seasons and enough budget to continue to add prospects, so hopefully we’ve used these last couple seasons to set the foundation for a run of success.
Huntington Thundering Herd
Key Additions: C Marshall Damon, RF Vasco Jose, OF Juan Johnson, SP Ralph Myette, SP Cole Mitchell, RP Benjamin Bowker, RP Bastardo Owen, RP Steven Donovan
Key Losses: C Juan Molina, SP McKay Benes, RP Pat Howington, OF Andrea Nelson
To be blunt this offseason was boring. There just didn’t seem to be many deals to be made and the free agent class, outside of pitching, was weak. We added some components, but didn’t do the complete about-face that usually faces a team run by this management group.
Perfectly content to remain where we were offensively with the #2 team last season in the NL in runs scored, we made 2 major moves to get younger in the lineup. Returning 6 starters is a rarity in this franchise, so hopefully we don’t come to regret being passive this offseason. 1B Shane Meadows will anchor the team offensively, while we look for a breakout season from 2nd year man, Markus Crosby. Robert Frederick and Herm O’Shea will continue to platoon at 2B and will leadoff this season. Hopefully LF Gabe Price and 3B Mitchell Spencer can pick up the slack offensively for the departed offensive players. New RF Vasco Jose has large shoes to fill as he replaces fan favorite Andrea Nelson. C Marshall Damon gets his shot at the big-time as he makes his big-league debut.
Pitching was a struggle last season, so changes were made. Currently Ralph Myette will start on Opening Day. Cole Mitchell, Dallas Parrott, and J.P. Valdez are 2-4…the 5th spot is a battle between Kevin Ryu and Ricardo Crespo. Management loves Crespo’s pitches and GB tendencies, while Ryu keeps the ball out of the hitting zone for the most part. The bullpen should be strong, but may undergo some growing pains due to the youth of several key members.
Defensively this team should be very strong up the middle. SS Jumbo Cortazar is always a good defender who has some pop offensively. O’Shea and Frederick are good defenders, although Frederick is the stronger of the 2. Crosby may not be ideal for CF, but he’s solid. Hopefully the defense is a moot point with upgraded pitching and a solid offense.
Louisville Cardinals Last year was a bit of a nightmare for the Louisville Cardinal. After losing Homer Bush, Danny Smoltz, and Miguel Concepcion to free agency, season 20 was an
ugly year for the Cardinals’ offense as the team OPS dropped to an anemic .708 and only 2 guys hitting more than 20HR. We did lose one of them, Al Ayala (.266 28hr 76rbi), who was traded to the Bulls for a young pitching prospect, but as a whole fans should see a much better product on the field this season.
The biggest offseason signing has to be Tomas Lucano who should hold down one of the corner outfield spots for years to come. We also added a couple of speedy/high OBP infielders in Don Hodges (.363obp 41sb last season) and Dennis Beard (.361obp 21HR, 41sb in season 19), as well as Norberto Fernandez (26hr 107rbi 17sb last season) and veteran Jumbo Jimenez (career .792 ops) to fill in around the infield. The pitching staff looks a lot like last year’s which posted a 4.35 ERA good for 3rd worst in the NL, but management feels the staff should rebound and perform closer to S19’s respectable 3.82 ERA. There were a couple changes in the bullpen and the Cards happily welcome Harry Moya to the team. A solid vet, Moya made 63 appearances for the HEL last year and posted a 2.73 era. He’ll be a setup guy again in Louisville this year.
There’s a lot of excitement in Louisville this year, as fans hope the Card can rebound from an off year and get back to the playoffs (as a wildcard of course, as the Tar Heels continue to dominate the NL East). Best of luck to all!
Helena Grizzlies Key Adds: C – Juan Molina, LF Tyson Seaver, CF Ian Joseph, CF Theo Franco, P Rico Martinez, P Pat Howington, P Kevin Telford, P Merv Witt
Key Losses: LF Bernie Ortiz, C Matt James, 3B Jumbo Jimenez, 2B Rafael Liriano, C Larry Sedlacek, P Karim Ramirez, P Corey Sheffield, P Jeremy Livingstone
Outlook: The Grizzlies begin year two of what could end up being a long rebuilding project. 74 wins last season was quite a drop off from the back to back World Series appearances the team had experienced in season 18 and 19. Core stars such as Efrain Nakano, Miguel Barcelo, Paul Walker, Danny Sheffield and Yorman Costilla are all back, but there is not enough depth to win games on a consistent level. If the team can get through the All Star break with a decent record, some of those stars could go on the trade block.
Dover Fighting Blue Hens
Dover stuck to the game plan of building via the minors. Gone are ss Earl Cradle, SP Robinzon Calderone, and a backup catcher. Brought up to replace them are C Diego Oropesa, Rule 5 utility player Stuart Cohen, and whichever prospect busts out in spring training. Dover won the division last year and should be maturing to an even better record. 4 spots in the rotation are solid and the bullpen is very good. Prediction: Division title and a longer run in the playoffs.
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