Wednesday, September 17, 2008

N.L. West Division Predictions

Oakland
Oakland Polish Hammers (NL)
goodtymes31
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Season 9: 4th Place (82-80)
Season 10 Prediction: 1st Place

The Skinny:
Now, I know why goodtymes was anxious to see my NL West predictions. He probably thinks he has the team to beat in the West this season and, believe it or not, I think he's right. I think the Polish Hammers will go from 4th to 1st Place. It's not as big a shock as some may think. Every team in this division finished above .500 last year so it's gonna be a free-for-all again this season, but I'm going with Oakland.
The Polish Hammers added Dave Sabathia and Micah Turner via free agency, but those guys aren't the big pieces this squad will boast about (although Turner is a nice player). Oakland has the best offense in the division and a couple of these guys (Norm Henry and Marc Wasdin) are still fairly young. There's a reason I desperately tried to acquire Wasdin a few seasons back - the guy's a stud. Combine those guys with Keith Grahe and Steve Burks and this is a pretty potent lineup. The pitching throughout the division is pretty good (well represented by Rex Frederick and Lefty Murphy here in Oakland), but the offense is why I give Oakland the edge in the division.




Season 9: 1st Place (91-71)
Season 10 Prediction: 2nd Place

The Skinny:
If Tacoma's gonna repeat and win the division again, they're going to ride their pitching all the way. Tacoma plays in a pitcher's park and they have the best pitching staff in the division. Harry Mateo is aging like a fine wine. Each year he gets older, his ERA gets even lower to the point where it was under 2.00 last season (1.95). While Mateo's ERA keeps dropping, Harry Holzemer is as steady as they come. His numbers over the last 3 seasons are almost identical. The only one that keeps increasing is wins and that's what makes dalailama12 happy. In addition to the solid starters, ownership went down to the local social security office and pulled Vinny Clement and Darrell Strange out of line. Retirement can wait, these guys still have plenty of innings left. Offensively, the loss of Geraldo Rios may hurt a little. He was the only 100 RBI guy on the Baymen last year, but the Baymen hope Emmanuel Montanez and Haywood Karl will replace some of that offense.


Fresno
Fresno Silver Bullets (NL)
ukwildcats
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Season 9: 2nd Place (90-72)
Season 10 Prediction: 3rd Place

The Skinny:
If Miguel Vazquez and Daniel Womack can stay healthy, this team has a chance to do better than I think. Along with David Santayana, they are the big RBI guys in Fresno and they'll need them all 3 of them to put up big numbers in order to contend this season. The pitching staff added Brian Wakeland from Portland, but they'll rely heavily on Luis Soriano and Ted Chiasson as well. Closer Bono Little is coming off a career year in which he tallied 50 saves.




Season 9: 3rd Place (84-78)
Season 10 Prediction: 4th Place

The Skinny:
I had a really, really tough time putting San Diego here, but someone's got to be here. Hey, maybe they can use it to motivate the players. One guy who doesn't need any motivation is Al Ramirez. Ramirez is coming off a spectacular season in which he went 21-8 with a 2.95 ERA. He could single-handedly keep this team in the race (and make my predictions look even more foolish).Cy Caruso is another solid starter and I find it hard to believe Darrin Roundtree will struggle like he did last season. The offense needs help as no one hit more than 17 home runs last year and they didn't have a 100 RBI guy either. Rookie Rich Mills was recently called up from AAA ball and if he stays in the lineup, he should easily surpass 17 home runs and make a run at 100 RBI's.

N.L. South Division Predictions



Season 9: 1st Place (106-56, World Series Champions)
Season 10 Prediction: 1st Place

The Skinny:
I'll be honest, I haven't even looked to see what the other teams did in the offseason. I don't really need to. 8 division titles in 9 seasons, 6 league championships and 3 World Series titles. Enough said. Florida will win the division again. C'mon, someone prove me wrong.
Florida did add a couple free agents in the offseason in 38-year old Buddy Menechino. At this point, Menechino is just touring the U.S. before he retires as he visits his 10th team in as many seasons. And it seems as if Menechino picked up a touring pal as Mike Etherton follows Menechino from Jacksonville to Miami. The real meat and potatoes of this team though is 2-time MVP Elmer Coleman and 20-game winner Ned McInerney. McInerney had a lot of help last season though as 7 pitchers won at least 10 games for the Lockdown. And Coleman has a nice sidekick in Humberto Lima who drove in 100+ runs last season.




Season 9: 2nd Place (78-84)
Season 10 Prediction: 2nd Place

The Skinny:
If someone's going to contend with Florida, I believe Texas has the best chance. They finished 28 games behind the Lockdown last season, but I don't see that happening again this season. The Longhorns have some future stars on the roster. We're mainly talking about 23-year old Carlos Aguilera, 24-year old Gary Blake and 24-year old Gregory Williams. Let's start with Aguilera. In 2 full seasons, he hit 96 home runs and drove in 281 runs. His projections are off the charts too so he's still getting better. Blake, on the other hand, doesn't pack the punch that Aguilera does, but he's a pure hit machine with a total of 360 over the last 2 seasons. I predict Blake reaches the 200-hit mark this season provided he stays healthy. And last but not least, Texas has a great young arm in Williams. Williams has a great changeup and slider and keeps the ball down. He's also equally tough to hit for lefties and righties. Williams should win around 15 games for the Longhorns this season.




Season 9: 4th Place (70-92)
Season 10 Prediction: 3rd Place

The Skinny:

Louisville had a very busy offseason and it should pay off for the Beaners. The biggest acquisition has to be J.R. Barkley who leaves Florida with a World Series ring. Barkley still has great ratings and he's very healthy so we expect he'll have another solid season. Louisville also signed a couple nice bats in Brian Tamura, Michael Cortes and Erik Langston. Of the three, I'm highest on Tamura.
With Barkley and Steve Floyd at the top of the rotation, Louisville has a nice 1-2 combo and should make some strides this season, but they've got some elder statesman so they'll need to remain healthy if they expect to move up in the standings.


Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City Power Failure (NL)
coneheads
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Season 9: 3rd Place (76-86)
Season 10 Prediction: 4th Place

The Skinny:
When Louisville signed J.R. Barkley, that made Mateo Estrada expendable and he headed to division rival Oklahoma City. Barkley is better, but Estrada is a nice pick up. He'll join Nicky Hill, a decent young arm, and Sam Guerrero at the top of the Power Failure's rotation. Oklahoma City needs to find another arm if they want to contend in the division though. The offense is led by one of the best names in the game, Chili Chen. Chen has put up strong numbers over the last 2 seasons and he should continue to do so this season. Chen will get help from Grady MacFarlane who had a nice rookie campaign last season and Kip Sosa who has the ability to be a future star.

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

N.L. East Division Predictions

Kansas City
Kansas City Monarchs (NL)
Neilcor
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Season 9: 1st Place (86-76)
Season 10 Prediction: 1st Place

The Skinny:
This is the best team in the division, period (so what if they've lost 5 in a row at the time I'm writing this). The pitching staff, led by Carmine Holmes and Jim Aurilia is more than solid and Hector Cordero should have a good rookie campaign whether he starts or comes out of the 'pen also. Offensively, All-Star Erick Hatcher is coming off a monster season in which he hit 42 home runs, drove in a whopping 155 runs and batted .343. Wait, who won the MVP last year? Maybe we need a recount. Hatcher will get plenty of offensive help from the likes of Cookie Holt and Charles Hines.




Season 9: 2nd Place (77-85)
Season 10 Prediction: 2nd Place

The Skinny:
On paper, New York looks better than last season and I think they've done enough to get to, and maybe surpass, .500 this season. They won't catch Kansas City, but the addition of Rule 5 selection Charlie Carter should certainly get them closer. I also like the Metros improved defense. They acquired Chick Milligan from Minnesota and Kent Finnessey from Jacksonville which will improve their defense up the middle. Now, if they can bump up the team batting average and provide a little help to Russ Feller, they may be ready to contend in a season or two.




Season 9: 3rd Place (68-94)
Season 10 Prediction: 3rd Place

The Skinny:
Here's another franchise that needs some stability at the ownership level and hopefully the Swingers have found it with dshimoda at the reigns. Syracuse had a pretty active offseason targeting improvements to their bullpen thru free agency. The Swingers came to terms with relief pitchers Guillermo Martinez, Shayne Corsi and the ageless Howie Bryant. The rotation will be led by J.P. McEnroe, but they'll need to find him some additional help before they can become competitive. Ted Hunter is the offensive star here, but they need the Ted Hunter from season 8 to show up, not the one that coasted thru the season last year.




Season 9: 4th Place (59-103)
Season 10 Prediction: 4th Place

The Skinny:
Chicago will join Syracuse in the rebuilding process, but as I blogged about earlier this season, they got off to a great start via the Rule 5 Draft. The Old Style's best chance this season may be to ride the all-or-nothing swings of Bill Kane and Mitchell Killebrew. Add Erv Ryan to the mix and Chicago could see a lot of balls leaving the yard. The pitching staff needs a lot of work, but guys like Brian Brea and D'Angelo Cruz will eat a lot of innings.

N.L. North Division Predictions



Season 9: 1st Place (97-65)
Season 10 Prediction: 1st Place

The Skinny:
I spent more time trying to figure out who was going to win this division than any other division I've predicted so far. It's a close call between Minnesota, Rochester and Trenton, but I'm going with the safe bet picking last year's 1st place finisher.
I think the Mighty Men have the deepest pitching staff out of the 3 teams. Minnesota has a couple guys in the bullpen that can easily step in and start if anyone in the rotation gets injured. Guys like Hector Herrera, Octavio Tavarez and Junior Valentin are all capable starters coming out of the bullpen. That could be a big factor as the season wears on. The offense isn't spectacular, but I expect J.J. Taylor to have a big year now that he has a full season under his belt. Domingo Navarro and Pedro Franco will also carry this team at certain points of the season.




Season 9: 3rd Place (66-96)
Season 10 Prediction: 2nd Place

The Skinny:
The Rockets definitely made an effort to get better this offseason and I think they did. Rochester signed free agentsLyle Quinn, Dann McIntyre and Mark Dong in the offseason. McIntyre's a steady pitcher who will be a positive addition to the rotation. They also promoted Peter Suzuki who was the NL AAA Rookie of the Year last year after going 17-5 with a 3.11 ERA. Suzuki's only 21 so he may struggle out of the gate, but he should also be a great addition to the rotation. Offensively, it may finally be time for Walter Bailey to have his breakout season. It seems like Bailey's spent more time on the trade block than any other player and he hasn't put up numbers like I'd expect, but he still only 24 years old. This could be the campaign when he finally puts it all together.



Season 9: 2nd Place (84-78)
Season 10 Prediction: 3rd Place

The Skinny:

Trenton added Andrew Dye to a bullpen which is already pretty good with relievers Orlando Ordaz and Enrique Lee so opponents will need to score runs early if they expect to win. And that's the main reason I think Trenton will slide down a spot in the standings - the rotation lacks a true ace although I think Cristian Torres could be that guy. However, when you have 2-time MVP Sherm Roberts leading the offense, maybe you don't need as much help from the pitching staff as one might think. Roberts and Cam DeRosa are a pretty impressive tandem and add Woody McPherson (once he comes off the DL) and the Titans should put up a lot of runs to compensate for the rotation.


Sioux Falls
Sioux Falls Canaries (NL)
yoker70
View Hardball Dynasty Profile


Season 9: 4th Place (65-97)
Season 10: Prediction: 4th Place

The Skinny:
Say goodbye to Cleveland (and that horrible name "Mistakes By The Lake") and say hello to the Sioux Falls Canaries. While the team name is much better, the team probably won't be just yet, but it's not for a lack of effort. The Canaries did more in the offseason than any other team in the division and that should make them a little more competitive, but it won't be enough to move up in the standings this season. The Canaries signed Tommy Valdes away from Durham in the offseason and also hit the Rule 5 Draft hard and scoured the Waiver Wire looking for talent. Sioux Falls nabbed Bob Lemon in the draft and grabbed Paul Kim, Felipe Torrealba and Zachrey Sewell of the wire. They also acquired Angel Ordaz from Burlington via trade. Since all these additions are pitchers, it's probably safe to say Sioux Falls will be looking for offensive help as the season progresses.

Monday, September 15, 2008

A.L. West Division Predictions

Portland
Portland Poltergeists (AL)
selmer
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Season 9: 1st Place (102-60)
Season 10 Prediction: 1st Place

The Skinny:
The Poltergeists are simply loaded. There's no reason to believe anyone else in the division has done enough in the offseason to compete for 1st place. The offense is led by 5-time Most Valuable Player, Kevin Mullins. Not only has Mullins won the MVP 5 times, but he's won it the last 5 seasons while averaging 61 HR's, 164 RBI's and 125 runs scored a season during his MVP stretch! Now that's incredible! Oh, and he's not alone. Felix Ellis, Greg Wolf, Damaso Rojas and Lawrence Rhodes all drove in over 90 runs last season. Now, while I believe there are better pitching staffs in the league as a whole, the combination of offense and pitching in Portland is as good as anyone else's. Proof positive is 2-time Cy Young winner Domingo Pizzaro who went 24-2 last year which could be the best record by a pitcher we've ever seen in Mantle World. I could go on and talk about closer Nick Smith or 14-game winner Anthony Martin, but I'm frankly tired of talking about Portland.




Season 9: 2nd Place (88-74)
Season 10 Prediction: 2nd Place

The Skinny:
I'd love to see a Battle Royale between the top 3 teams in the A.L. West and the top 3 teams in the A.L. North. Any one of the six could come out the winner on any given day. I'm sticking with Salem in the number 2 spot here simply because I give their pitching an edge over Colorado Springs. Offensively, I give the Marines an edge, but as they say, pitching wins championships. Malcolm Reese returns to lead this staff and Harry Cruz was a nice addition from the Rule 5 Draft, but I think the key to this team's postseason chances could be the performance of Walter Lewis. Lewis has won at least 10 games in each of the last 6 seasons, but he hasn't had a breakout season and has even been relegated to the bullpen at times. I think this could be the year for Lewis to win 15-16 games and get this team to 90 wins. The offense has a good mix of veterans and youth, but pretty soon Salem we'll need to see more youth like Rich Bagley and less veterans such as 35-year old Quentin Keller.


Colorado Springs
Colorado Springs Mile High Marines (AL)
brendanjod
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Season 9: 3rd Place (85-77)
Season 10 Prediction: 3rd Place

The Skinny:
The Mile High Marines are one of those teams that's on the verge of greatness. There's a lot of young talent on this roster so while I'm predicting 3rd place this season, Salem and Portland better watch their backs. If some of these arbitration guys like Alfredo Valentin, John Blake Joey McClain and Midre Bonilla get locked up to long-term deals, Colorado Springs could have a bright future in this division. Howie Curtis and Lucas Nelson just hope they're still around to enjoy it.




Season 9: 4th Place (60-102)
Season 10 Prediction: 4th Place

The Skinny:
Much like the Charlotte franchise, this team needs a little TLC and some more of what I like to call "pieces parts". The Ligers will once again rely on Jesse Haney and Michael Nathan to carry the offense, and I also like the addition of veteran free agent Alan Crosby who still swings the bat very well. From a pitching perspective, Scott Everett is the ace of the staff and Miguel Mateo is a steady arm out of the bullpen. Colorado just needs to be patient and accumulate as many high draft picks as possible and be on the lookout for any international talent that may help get the ship righted.

A.L. South Division Predictions

Jacksonville
Jacksonville Seminoles (AL)
mbooker
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Season 9: 2nd Place (93-69)
Season 10 Prediction: 1st Place

The Skinny:
It's gonna be a tight race to the end between Richmond and Jacksonville again this year, but I'm gonna go with Jacksonville. I think Jacksonville's youth and top of the rotation will carry them past Richmond by a few games to win the division.
Not too many additions for the Seminoles, but they did bring in the veteran bat of Luther Taylor, perhaps to be a leader to the young hitters like Cesar Urbina and Alex Maradona. The Seminoles also called up catcher Russell Wilson from AAA and he will platoon with Alex Contreras behind the plate. Both catchers are excellent defensively and will make Vance Collier, Ahmed Sanford and crew that much better. Sanford, by the way, will surpass 100 career wins early this season.




Season 9: 1st Place (96-66)
Season 10 Prediction: 2nd Place

The Skinny:
This division is really a coin flip. The front of Richmond's pitching staff should be able to match Jacksonville's top 2 with Gerald Krause who's good for double digit wins every season and the newly acquired Clay Runyan who makes his way to Richmond via Florida. And of course, we can't talk about Richmond without mentioning former Cy Young award winner and 3 time Fireman of the Year winner Andy Scott. If you're losing to Richmond and the game gets to teh 9th inning, it's probably time to start the bus. Offensively, the Generals will be led by veteran leaders, Albert Lecuona, Odalis Lopez and Andrew Post.


Jackson
Jackson Bootleggers (AL)
rwright
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Season 9: 4th Place (66-96)
Season 10 Prediction: 3rd Place

The Skinny:
Like the top 2 teams in the division, the bottom 2 were only separated by a few games as well. I think Jackson is going to fair a little better this year, especially since Pablo Ordonez got the contract he was looking for this offseason. Ordonez is a 5-tool guy and I suspect he's going to have a big year. In addition to Ordonez, the Bootleggers have some other very good young bats including Goose Michalak and Moises Reynoso. Reynoso has been a bit of a disappointment thus far in his career and has been shopped around so we'll see what his future holds as the season progresses. The rotation is very young, but if they all stay healthy, Jackson could have quite a squad in a few years led by Max Guerrero and Carmine Byrd.


Charlotte
Charlotte Moose Hunters (AL)
jmil397
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Season 9: 3rd Place (70-92)
Season 10 Prediction: 4th Place

The Skinny:
The Moose Hunters did add a couple names in the offseason, but they're in the middle of a rebuild having been through 7 owners in 10 seasons. In fact, jmil just needs 1 more season in Charlotte to be the longest tenured owner in their history at 3 seasons! The lineup will include Philip Lowry who makes his way to Charlotte from Scranton and Bronson Gibson who needs to start swinging the bat like he did when the team was located in St. Louis. Charlotte also has a couple nice arms in Louis Hennessey and Trenidad Guerrero, but I think things will get worse before they get better. Nothing that can't be corrected with a little steady ownership.

Sunday, September 14, 2008

A.L. East Division Predictions



Season 9: 1st Place (89-73)
Season 10 Prediction: 1st Place

The Skinny:
Yeah, I feel like a homer picking me to win my division, but I honestly think I've got enough talent to win it again this year. I will say this though, the Nutcases are assembling a very good, young squad. I think they may still be a year away though, even after coming so close last season.
As for the Blizzard, there were a couple big free agent signings led by Geraldo Rios. Rios has a great bat and will see most of his time at 3rd base or in right field, however, if Pascual Seneca struggles at 2B, he'll see some time there as well. Other big additions include free agents Tony Risley, Davey Aguilar, Brian Davidson and AAA call-up Sven Palmer.




Season 9: 2nd Place (88-74)
Season 10 Prediction: 2nd Place

The Skinny:
As I mentioned above, the Nutcases have youth on their side. When I looked at the Nutcases offseason moves, I noticed one thing: a lack of them. The obvious reason for that is the team's youth. Atlanta doesn't need to make a lot of moves - they just need their player's to grow and develop into their projected ratings.
The starting rotation, full of talent, will be led by 24-year old Damaso Lopez and the anchor of the bullpen is all-star and best name candidate Peter Pong. In between, the Nutcases have plenty of arms to keep them in contention. Although currently out with a broken toe, we expect to see 21-year old Tony Mendoza in the middle of the lineup to lead the offense.




Season 9: 3rd Place (69-93)
Season 10 Prediction: 3rd Place

The Skinny:
Four straight 3rd place finishes and we think Durham's headed for a fifth consecutive 3rd place finish. The top of the rotation looks pretty good with Johan McInerney and former Blizzard starter Charlie Rogers, but the staff isn't as deep as Atlanta's or Burlington's. The Bulls also signed free agent Wilson Finnessey and Jumbo DaSilva to improve the bullpen. The offense is led by Lawrence Brown who's good for 40 HR's and 100+ RBI's every season and future hall-of-famer, Bart Kirby. We also expect to see Charlie Medina in his rightful place at the top of the lineup as well.




Season 9: 4th Place (59-103)
Season 10 Prediction: 4th Place

The Skinny:
The Blast are in the middle of a major rebuild. They've finished everywhere from 1st to 4th in the division, but have fallen on hard times as of late with back-to-back last place finishes. The Blast will most likely be there again this season, but they're starting to assemble some quality pieces. They had a great Rule 5 Draft (noted previously) and we'll get our first look at rookie pitching sensation Jeff Murphy. Offensively, the Blast added some great contact hitters in Herbert Benjamin, Virgil Benjamin and Mikey Meacham who could be plugged in at the top or bottom of the lineup. Driving in those guys will be superstar Bruce Payne who could be one of the all-time greats in Mantle World.

Friday, September 12, 2008

A.L. North Division Predictions



Season 9: 1st Place (95-67)
Season 10 Prediction: 1st Place

The Skinny:
This team is really, really good. Offensively, they can slug it out with anyone and the addition of Bucky McDonald further enhances that point. The only area of concern for Bad Seed fans would have to be the starting rotation which is getting a bit older. However, while the offense is putting up 7, 8, 9 runs a game, there will be plenty of time to solidify the pitching staff.


Chicago
Chicago Black Sox (AL)
tomq
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Season 9: 3rd Place (88-74)
Season 10 Prediction: 2nd Place

The Skinny:
We really like what Chicago has done with their bullpen this offseason led by the promotion of Jack Abercrombie and the acquisition of Louie Gil. Mix in the offensive pop of free agent signing, Pinky Lockwood and we think the Black Sox have done enough to move up a spot the division.




Season 9: 2nd Place (94-68)
Season 10 Prediction: 3rd Place

The Skinny:
After 94 wins last season, what changes really need to be made? The answer is 'not many'. The Wranglers did make one significant move in the offseason, acquiring Chris Levine from Texas. We're not sure how Levine will be used just yet, but we do expect he'll be coming out of the bullpen, possibly in a setup role. While we've got Wichita finishing 3rd, don't be surprised to see both wild card teams come out of the A.L. North, the toughest division in Mantle World.




Season 9: 4th Place (71-91)
Season 10 Prediction: 4th Place

The Skinny:
This division is brutal. Just ask the Apollos. We expect this to be their 6th straight year in the basement. At some point, the tide has to turn for this club, but it's not going to happen this season. The Apollos add 35-year old DH Charles Mulder from Jacksonville who should bring some more pop to the lineup and there are some other nice pieces (like Pat Masao), but they need more in order to contend in this division.

Sunday, September 7, 2008

Rule 5 Draft Winners



Even though Reps is a division rival, I have to give him credit when it's due. I really like what he was able to do for his Baltimore Blast club in the Rule 5 draft.
With the 1st overall pick, he lands Monte High who should be a great relief pitcher in a few years. His ratings aren't quite there yet, but his ability to throw groundballs should make him somewhat effective in this coming season. I also really like his 3rd round selection, Herbert Benjamin. Benjamin is a speedy contact hitter with a pretty good batter's eye. Benjamin's moving up from High A so he'll probably struggle at first, but I think he'll be solid if the Blast stick with him. Baltimore also picked up 2 pretty good players in Mike Clark and power-hitter R.J. Jacquez. Overall, I'd say it was a pretty good day for a Baltimore team that has struggled in recent seasons.



While I don't think they did as well as Baltimore, the Chicago Old Style also had a solid Rule 5 Draft led by the very last pick in the draft, Erv Ryan. My blog yesterday was about Durham's iron man, Bart Kirby. Take a look at Ryan's ratings and you'll notice they're pretty similar to Mr. Kirby's. Ryan is already 26 so he won't have the sustained career that Kirby has enjoyed, but he could provide some pop in the middle of Chicago's lineup for the next several years. While these guys aren't superstars, Horace Patterson, Todd Davis, Vin Gonzalez and Ismael Santana have potential to show some future promise for the Old Style.

Now obviously, both teams I mentioned above had a handful of picks which helped them become Rule 5 draft day winners, but there were others with less picks that I thought did themselves well. Here's a quick rundown of the other draft day pickups that should have an impact:

Virgil Benjamin - Colorado Ligers. The glove and range projections will be a HUGE help when playing at Coors Field. He has a decent bat and a good batter's eye as well.

Javier Alicea - Detroit Bad Seeds. Alicea possesses an exceptional forkball which should lead to a lot of ground ball outs. The other great thing about Alicea is you can call on him just about every day.

Harry Cruz - Salem Oles. If he lives up to his potential, watch out. Cruz possesses 3 excellent pitches and precision control. He could be a stud in a few seasons.

Willie Iglesias - Colorado Springs Mile High Marines. At 6'4", 195 pounds, Iglesias is a big-time power hitter with an above-average batter's eye. Iglesias's ratings make him ideal for right field or 3rd base.

Charlie Carter - New York Metros. Did this guy really stick around to the 13th pick of the draft? That's a steal! He may be 30 years old, but he's major league ready and, with a 91 health rating, he's got plenty left in the tank. His ratings might even improve over the next season or two. Additionally, he's heading to a -1's ballpark where his ERA will certainly drop and his groundball/flyball ratio will probably increase as it frequently does as players get older.

Saturday, September 6, 2008

I Am Iron Man



Bart Kirby of the Durham Bulls is Mantle World's all-time iron man. Kirby has played in 1,442 games out of a possible 1,458. That's all but 16 games, folks. Check out these impressive numbers as well. Kirby has never had less than 600 at bats in a season, he's never hit less than 40 home runs in a season and he's never driven in less than 100 runs. In fact, Kirby is the league's all-time home run leader (481) and RBI man (1190) and he still has a lot of juice left in the tank. He's done all of this with a mere contact rating of 5! It's also a good thing Kirby gets to jog around the bases so frequently as his speed rating is 0 and he's 0-21 in stolen base attempts. Kirby should be a first ballot hall-of-famer when the Mantle World Hall of Fame is built.

Last Minute Key Free Agent Signings

Domingo Navarro
Minnesota
Mighty Men
Age: 37B/T: L/R
Born: Edo Lara, DO
Position(s): LF/1B/DH
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37-year old Domingo Navarro returns to the only team he's ever known, the Minnesota Mighty Men. Navarro has a career batting average of .322 and OPS of 1.004 although the OPS dipped to a career low .862 last season. Navarro still has great offensive ratings and his durability is not too bad for the seasoned veteran.

Brad Moyer
Wichita
Wranglers
Age: 32B/T: L/L
Born: Baltimore, MD
Position(s): LF/RF
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2-time All-Star Brad Moyer returns to Wichita for his 10th season with the Wranglers. The lefty from Baltimore will likely see most of his playing time in left field this season. Moyer hit over .300 last year for the first time since Season 2. He's an excellent contact hitter with an exceptional batter's eye rating (93).

Buddy Menechino
Florida
Lockdown
Age: 38B/T: S/L
Born: Phoenix, AZ
Position(s): P (P)
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38-year old Buddy Menechino continues to live out of his suitcase. Menechino heads to his 10th city in as many seasons, although this time it's a quick trip from Jacksonville to Miami. Menechino had the best season of his career last year as he posted a 3.53 era and a 1.14 whip as a setup man for the Seminoles. The Lockdown are hoping for similar results as he heads to the pitcher friendly confines of Florida's Pro Player Stadium.

Louie Gil
Chicago
Black Sox
Age: 29B/T: R/R
Born: Loma de Cabrera, DO
Position(s): P (SuB)
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Lastly,Louie Gil joins the Chicago Black Sox after playing with the Kansas City Monarchs for the last 4 seasons. Gil struggled last season for the Monarchs, but his troubles weren't limited to the playing field. Gil was also caught on several occassions using the bullpen phone to place long-distance calls to his home town of Loma de Cabrera in the Dominican Republic. There's no word yet on who paid the phone bill.