Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Playoff Preview (Mexico City)

Mexico City Bandejos (NL South Champs, NL #1 seed)
The Bandejos staged a late season rally to claim their 4th straight NL South title. Incidentally, their 3 WS titles all came after wild card seasons. The Bandejos won 29 of 39 late season games before resting some starters in a 10 of 18 finish.

Hitting:
2b Jalal Rivera (.301-44-131) and RF Del Gil (.304-50-138) power an explosive offense. Season 8 MVP Alex Shibata remains a dangerous force but hasn't been the same since his break-up with Japanese pop star Jun Shibata. His .258 average and 42 HR's are career lows for the 2nd straight season. This season's 124 K's are 28 more than he's had in any previous season.

Team BA: .283
Team HR: 285
Team SB: 138

Pitching:
Ozzie Myers (18-6, 3.32 ERA) and Brian Jung (20-7, 3.31 ERA) form a dangerous 1-2 punch in the rotation. Willie Velazquez (13-4, 3.06) is likely to get the #3 spot for the playoffs despite where some pretty lame eye black. Rob Shields appears to have lost the closer role to veteran Benjamin Ardoin. The end of the bullpen might be the only vulnerability in this perenial contendor.

Team ERA: 3.65
Team SV: 41-65
Team HR Allow: 181

Playoff Preview (Cheyenne)

Cheyenne Seminoles (NL West Champs)
Cheyenne won it's 2nd straight division crown and takes on Sioux Falls who they swept in the 2nd round last year.

Hitting:
Sherman Prince (69/73) and Ichiro Kuo (36/37) steal bases with lethal efficiency. They have to, as no hitter amassed even 30 HRs for the Seminoles.

Team BA: .281
Team HR: 170
Team SB: 140

Pitching:
Veteran Moose Gates led the staff with 17 wins but 24-year old Al Moreno is fast becoming the staff ace after a bout with elbow tendinitis earlier this season. 36-year old Adam Edwards was 34-35 closing games with a sparkling 1.77 ERA after struggling last season.

Team ERA: 3.46
Team SV: 61-67
Team HR Allow: 171

Playoff Preview (Scranton)

Scranton Nittany Lions (AL East Winner, #1 AL Seed)
Scranton won 108 games and their first ever division title. A win over defending champion Richmond would net them their first trip to the LCS.

Hitting:
At 24 Bret Davis knocked in 160 runs and took 93 walks while playing excellent defense at 3B. 36 year old Tony Matos posted a career-best .456 OBP and stole 29 bases. This team can score in a lot of ways with five 30+ HR hitters, and 4 legitimate base stealing threats.

Team BA: .309
Team HR: 313
Team SB: 133

Pitching:
Neil Henderson leads the team with 19 wins but Alex Martin (14-7, 4.37) will likely get the ball in game 1. Closer Magglio Merced has 171 saves and is just 24 years old.

Team ERA: 4.84
Team SV: 56-74
Team HR Allow: 261

Playoff Preview (Salem)

Salem Grand Salamies (AL West Champs)
Salem won it's 10th consecutive AL WEst title despite a 10 game drop-off from last season's win total.

Hitting:
Salem may be the least HR-defendant AL playoff team. That's not to say they can't hit the big fly, three Salamies had 30+ and 10 finished in double figures. Tony Baez is a 4-tool talent that hit 31 HRs, stole 82 (in 89 attempts) bases and hit .322 while playing a fine 2B. Keeping him off the bases is key to stopping this balanced attack.

Team BA: .316
Team HR: 254
Team SB: 189

Pitching:
Doc Belle posted a 17-7 mark with a 4.99 ERA in the difficult AL. Juan Velazquez and Greg Jameson are next in the rotation line and Carl Brooks is one of 2nd City's all-time great closers.

Team ERA: 5.59
Team SV: 49-68
Team HR Allow: 252

Playoff Preview (Burlington)

Burlington Bulldogs (NL East Champions)
The dogs won the east with an 84-78 mark after spending much of the year below .500.

Hitting:
It's not that hot in Vermont, but the air conditioning is free at Mustain Stadium where 5 Bulldogs fanned over 100 times. Five players also stole 12 or more bases but four regulars hit under .250 including SS Brad Flaherty and his .195 average.

Team BA: .235
Team HR: 214
Team SB: 134

Pitching:
Pedro DeRojas is the staff ace and has won 75 games before his 25th birthday. His 2.52 ERA was a career best. Ivan Saenz performed admirably in the closer role after being claimed from Vancouver on the waiver wire.

Team ERA: 3.65
Team SV: 50-74
Team HR Allow: 183

Playoff Preview (San Juan)

San Juan Crownrificos (Wild Card #1)
Fans remain in an uproar over the white-flag deal, but the Rificos somehow held off the Las Vegas Double Downs to the capture the wild card.

Hitting:
A balanced attack saw 12 hitters in double digist HRs. The squad is prone to the strikeout as 3 topped the century mark led by Bob LaRocca's 128. They almost never run, with only Dan Garcia's 28 swipes in double digits.

Team BA: .282
Team HR: 274
Team SB: 46

Pitching:
Nobody won 15 games for the 'Rificos, but the staff has depth in tboth the rotation and bullpen.
Franchise legend Lenny Ohman leads the rotation and Willis Gordon remains a top closer.

Team ERA: 3.93
Team SV: 40-58
Team HR Allow: 225

Playoff Preview (Sioux Falls)

Sioux Falls Dakota (NL North Champions)

Hitting:
Only Joaquin Medrano knocked in 100 runs for the Dakota but #2 hitter Winston Powell makes the offense go with his .440 OBP. Three other hitters finished with 90+ RBIs so the middle of the order is dangerous at times.

Team BA: .266
Team HR: 228
Team SB: 88

Pitching:
Ace Bartolo Gonzalez strained his elbow with about 40 games to go and the Dakota staff hasn't been the same since. Paul Rhodes is still a star and the pen seems improved over past years.

Team ERA: 3.72
Team SV: 46-63
Team HR Allow: 163

Playoff Preview (Nashville Harmonies)

Nashville Harmonies (Wild Card #2)

Hitting:
Nashville won 91 games without a 100 RBI man and with only Manny Hemingway scoring 100 (he knocked himself in 43 times with HRs). They hit with occasional power (4 other hitters over 20 HRs) and run very little.

Team BA: .268
Team HR: 231
Team SB: 67

Pitching:
The Harmonies pitching staff makes the team go. Ace Chad Rollins went 18-8 with a 3.19 ERA. The bottom of the rotation struggled, but the 2nd and 3rd starters both performed well. Alex Cruz is a solid closer, but the rest of the bullpen had its struggles throughout the year.

Team ERA: 4.09
Team SV: 59-71
Team HR Allow: 197

Home Sweet ... WTF?

Home field advantage isn't in the NL. In both first round series, the wild card teams went on the road and took 2 games from the division champs. Both Nashville and San Juan returned home needing to win just once to close out Sioux Falls and Burlington respectively. Neither did. That makes the home teams 0-8 in the first round of the NL this year.

Game 5 takes place this cycle with Rosario Rosado starting for Nashville in Sioux Falls against Sean Moore.

Rafael Rosado
Nashville
Harmonies
Age: 25B/T: R/R
Born: Colon, PA
Position(s): P (SP2)
View Hardball Dynasty Profile


Sean Moore
Sioux Falls
Dakota
Age: 28B/T: R/R
Born: Ennis, MT
Position(s): P (SP2)
View Hardball Dynasty Profile


In San Juan, Burlington will send ace Pedro DeRojas against Crownrifico ace Ronn Thomas.

Pedro DeRojas
Burlington
Bulldogs
Age: 24B/T: S/L
Born: Chinandega, NI
Position(s): P (SP5)
View Hardball Dynasty Profile


Ronn Thomas
San Juan
Crownrificos
Age: 29B/T: S/R
Born: Tustin, CA
Position(s): P (SP1)
View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Monday, December 29, 2008

Playoff Preview (Otttawa Automatons)

Otttawa Automatons (AL North Champs)
The franchise makes its 7th straight playoff appearance after a 2nd straight 85 win campaign.

Hitting
Three big sluggers (David Padilla, Rudy Greer, and Mac Ventura) lead the attack with 51, 45, and 45 dingers each. This team will run too, but it's offense may not be up to par with some of its competition.

Team BA: .284
Team HR: 287
Team SB: 168

Pitching
The rotation is something of a mess for a playoff team. No starter finished more than 3 games over .500 and only youngster Jim Howard had an ERA under 5.00. The pen wasn't a ton better.

Team ERA: 5.47
Team SV: 42-63
Team HR Allow: 262

Playoff Profile: Richmond Confederates

Richmond Confederates (AL Wild Card #1)
Last year's WS champs didn't win a tough division, but did win 102 games and will be a tough out in Season 10.

Hitting:
The 'Feds sport a more balanced attack that gets on base with impunity but doesn't rely on any one slugger. Six regulars his 30 or more HRs but only Julio Nunez (43) surpassed 40. They run like crazy though with over 250 swipes as a team.

Team BA: .295
Team HR: 295
Team SB: 254

Pitching
3-time Cy Young Award winner Charles Kubinski was imported from Mexico City and he has not disappointed (20-3, 3.75). The rest of the rotation is solid if unspectacular, but the bullpen could be a questions with Peter Hoiles and his 5.70 ERA in the closer role.

Team ERA: 4.42
Team SV: 52-75
Team HR Allow: 239

Playoff Profile: Texas Riders

Texas Riders (AL South Champions)

Hitting:
This will become a theme with the AL teams, but the Rider O gallops on the power of sluggers. Antonio Chapman (69 HRs, 154 RBI) and Kelvim Roa (59, 139) hit a ton of homers in a park that likes to give them up.

Team BA: .280
Team HR: 366
Team SB: 119

Pitching:
Texas is NOT a fun place to throw the ball for a living. No pitcher won over 14 games, and only 1 starter (Vin Sheets) had an ERA under 5.00. Closer B.C. Juarez was electric though, saving 40 of 47 while posting a 1.91 ERA. If the Riders can get him the ball, he'll be tough to beat.

Team ERA: 4.99
Team SV: 46-61
Team HR allow: 218

Playoff Team Preview

Baltimore Dead Homies (AL #2 Wild Card):
Hitting
Baltimore brings some big sticks to the playoffs with 5 regulars with 30+ HRs including Vin Guapo with a team-leading 56 to go along with his 45 stolen bases in 52 attempts. 8 players hit 20 or more homers for a team that is not afraid to score runs.

Team BA: .292
Team HR: 307
Team SB: 239

Pitching
Rico Lecuona is the staff ace with a 18-4 record and 3.84 ERA. Pablo Saez brings the 2nd big gun 16-7, 3.78. But, the bullpen has had it's issues and probably #3 starter Claude Rakers sports an ERA over 5. Neither closer distinguished himself.

Team ERA: 4.89
Team SV: 45-61
HR allow: 237

Friday, December 19, 2008

Crownrifico fans protest White Flag Deal






Hiram Bothorn Stadium in the 1st inning(left)

Same stadium in the top of the 3rd (right)






The San Juan Crownrificos fan club has declared a white out. They plan to show up in all white for their next game, stay through the 1st inning and then leave en masse. The vitriol of this response comes as a shockto 'rifico owner wang35.

San Juan dealt staff ace Phil Martin, a 4-time All-star, 20-game winner last season all while just 2 games out of the division lead and with a clear lead in the wild card race. As outrageous as this action sounds, the fans might have lived with it. After all, the 'rificos got back two major league ready players with high upsides in Pedro Zurbaran and Dennis Wan. But, to move a player of Phil Martin's caliber to chief rival, three-time world series champ, Mexico City, who sat just behind the 'rificos is inexcusable to the fandom.

"BENEDICT ARNOLD!", proclaimed the sign from one fan who pledged never to return to Hiram Birthorn Stadium as long as wang35 controlled the team. wang stuck to his guns. "Listen, we've had injury problems and there was no way we were going to win with Phil. I'd rather get two top players that risk losing him in free agency and get draft picks or worse back for him. " Still, fans could think only of the fabeled White Flag trade made by the Chicago White Sox. Nobody remembers that Keith Foulke turned into a great closer (that Mike Caruso smoked WAY too much weed), or the Wilson Alvarez never really did much after that season. They only remember an owner giving up on a team that had a chance. Chances don't come around all that often and these fans will not soon forget.

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

All-Star update

My how imaginary time flies when you're having fun. The 1st half of season 10 is in the books. WCM pauses to take a look at some of the surprises and disappointments of the 1st half.

SURPRISES
NL Team - With apologies to the Seminoles (59-13), the surprise NL team is the Nashville Harmonies, leading the always cut-throat NL South at 56-35. The Harmonies have a 3 game lead on San Juan despite scoring 42 fewer runs and allowing 15 more. Still, when your division opponents have accounted for 7 pennants and 6 world series titlets, any lead is one worth savoring this far in.

NL Player - Chris Benes of DC hit just .240 with 17 HRs last season but he's hitting .260 and already has 23 dingers this year while stealing 18 or 20 bags.

NL Pitcher - Stu Duffy of Cheyene went 11-13 last year with a 4.44 ERA. The 30-year old has taken the league by storm this year, posting a 12-3 mark with a 2.39 ERA.

NL Rookie - Nashville catcher Kennie Rekar is 6th in the league in hitting at .339 with 21 HRs as the everyday catcher for the division-leading Harmonies.

NL Rookie Pitcher - Dominican starter Rafael Aguilera has been lights out at 11-3 with a 1.61 ERA.

AL Team - The Texas Riders have never won the division, but they lead the Conquistadors by 2 games heading into the break.

AL Player - Scranton's Tony Matos is 36 years old but his .352 average is 50 points above his areer average. He's also stole 21-24 bases.

AL Pitcher - Rich Harris has managed to go 10-0 for the Monterrey Conquistadors out of the bullpen!

AL Rookie - Sante Fe Rule 5 pick, Bobby Duran has hit 29 homers since the Fire Hawks took him off the Texas Riders hands. His performance in the field has been equally shocking as the the player that wa a below average defensive 3b throughout his minor league career was handed the everyday SS job. his 59 errors and 13 minus plays put him on pace to challenge the league record of 87 errors by Memphis' Phil Powell last season.

AL Rookie Pitcher - Vancouver's Winston Silvestri is 7-6 with a 4.16 ERA as a 26-year old rookie.

A little something extra: Cheyenne's 3.20 team ERA is 0.43 better than the next best team ERA in the league (Burlington).

DISAPPOINTMENTS -
NL Team - The Mexico City Bandejos coming off 3 straight division titles and a league pennant currently sit in 3rd place in the NL south and are on pace for their worst record in 6 seasons.

NL Player - Burlington's [URL=http://www.whatifsports.com/hbd/Pages/Popups/PlayerProfile.aspx?pid=976962]Luis Astacio[/URL] has seen his average fall by 60 points from last year (.219 from .279) and is slugging just .344 after posting an impressive .520 in season 9.

NL Pitcher - Phenom Randall Kinkade of Washington may have been rushed to the big leagues. His 4-10 record and 5.40 ERA are not the stuff of legends predicted for the swashbuckling Texan teenager when he was drafted #3 overall in season 8.

AL Team - The Cincinnati Great Americans won 96 games and a division title. They bring back a $98 million payroll but are 43 games under .500, already having lost 1 game more than they did last year.

AL Player - The Hellraisers' Jerry Turner is struggling badly with more strikeouts (85) than hits (77) after a season that saw him hit .287 with 21 HRs and 42 stolen bases. He's already been thrown out stealing 7 times after being caught just 5 times last year.

AL Pitcher - Cincinnatti's Max Molina who was so impressive posting a 2.79 ERA in three playoff starts last year after a 13-6 regular season (3.10 ERA) is out for the year after tearing up his elbow. He was probably hurt long before he stopped pitching as his 12.89 ERA in 81 innings indicate.

A little something extra: The Burlington Bulldogs lead the NL East and would go to the playoffs if the seasone ended today despite their 44-47 record, which would place them ahead of only one NL team not in their division.