Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Mid Season Report - N.L. West


Oakland
Oakland Polish Hammers (NL)
goodtymes31
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Season 9: 4th Place (82-80)
Season 10 Prediction: 1st Place
Season 10 Place/Record: 1st Place (53-33)

Impact Player: Steve Burks - 22 HR's, 91 RBI, 49 RS, .290 BA
Impact Pitcher: Rex Frederick - 111 IP, 11-3 W/L, 3.40 ERA, 1.14 WHIP

Hammer Time!
I predicted a 1st place finish for the Polish Hammers and with a 9-game divisional lead, they're well on their way. What I didn't expect is that their pitching would be leading the way. Now, I knew the staff was good, but I really thought the bats would be carrying Oakland (they are the Hammers, right?). Instead, Oakland's staff leads the N.L. in ERA, WHIP, OAV, RS (Runs Scored) and just about every other important category. The bizarre thing is, they don't have a single complete game or shutout!




Season 9: 3rd Place (84-78)
Season 10 Prediction: 4th Place
Season 10 Place/Record: 2nd Place (44-42)

Impact Player: Jeffrey Sellers - 63 RBI, 30 RS, 20 Doubles, .279 BA
Impact Pitcher: Geraldo Feliz - 8-4 W/L, 3.07 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, .222 OAV

Such Great Heights
You have to be impressed with the way San Diego is playing. 21-game winner Al Ramirez is struggling (6 wins in 18 starts), they have the lowest number of HR's in both leagues and their team ERA is in the bottom 3rd of the entire league. What does that get you? 2nd place. Will they stay there? Who knows, but buc_express has done a really nice job with the Padres to this point of the season.




Season 9: 1st Place (91-71)
Season 10 Prediction: 2nd Place
Season 10 Place/Record: 3rd Place (40-46)

Impact Player: Emmanuel Montanez - 54 RS, 39 RBI, 13 HR, 55 SB
Impact Pitcher: Harry Mateo - 8-7 W/L, 2.83 ERA, 127.1 IP, 95 K's

Where Have All The Good Times Gone?
As I noted in my preseason predictions, the loss of Geraldo Rios has hurt the Baymen offense. They currently rank near the bottom of the N.L. in batting average, on-base %, OPS and a few other categories. The Baymen could still make a run, but the offensive production will have to pick up. Their top 3 RBI guys are all hitting under .250 which is not a good sign. The good news is their best player, Emmanuel Montanez, is only 24 years old and he's going to be a 30/30 guy (HRs/SBs) for many years to come.


Fresno
Fresno Silver Bullets (NL)
ukwildcats
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Season 9: 2nd Place (90-72)
Season 10 Prediction: 3rd Place
Season 10 Place/Record: 4th Place (39-47)

Impact Player: Miguel Vazquez - 20 HR, 52 RBI, 46 RS, .289 BA
Impact Pitcher: Bono Little - 22-24 SV/SVO, 3.76 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, .235 OAV

Catch Me Now I'm Falling
The biggest disappointment in Fresno has to be Brian Wakeland. 11 losses in 17 starts with a 6.30 ERA is not at all what the Silver Bullets had hoped for. Outside of Vazquez and David Santayana, the offensive run production hasn't been there either. Some tweaks may be necessary to get this team into contention or Fresno may want to move some veterans for youth if instead they look to rebuild.

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