Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Lifestyles of the Rich & the Famous


Who needs MTV Cribs when we can have our very own show - HBD Cribs!
For the first installment of the show, I'll take a look at all the players who make the most bank ($10 million+ per year) and let you know if they're overpaid, underpaid or paid just right. If you feel I'm in the wrong, let me know!

The $15 Million Dollar Men

J.D. Acosta
Kansas City
Monarchs
Age: 33B/T: R/R
Born: Waller, TX
Position(s): CF/CIF/OF/DH
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J.D. Acosta - $15.1 mil (4 yrs/$60.4 mil) - WAY OVERPAID. Fortunately, J.D. is in the last year of this contract.


J.P. McEnroe
Syracuse
Swingers
Age: 35B/T: R/R
Born: Washingtoin, IL
Position(s): P (SP1)
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J.P. McEnroe - $15.0 mil (4 yrs/$60 mil) - OVERPAID. This contract is in the last year as well. J.P. has received a more reasonable extension (3 yrs/$18 mil), but I still say OVERPAID due to his age (unless it was expected that he'll retire before the end of the contract).


Steve Floyd
Louisville
Beaners
Age: 34B/T: R/R
Born: Garner, NC
Position(s): P (SP2)
View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Steve Floyd - $15.0 mil (2 yrs/$32 mil) - SLIGHTLY OVERPAID. A nice 2-year deal for a guy nearing the end of his career. Won't get nearly as much next year as a free agent.


The $10 Million Dollar Men

Felix Ellis
Portland
Poltergeists
Age: 26B/T: R/R
Born: Chicago, IL
Position(s): SS/IF/OF/DH
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Felix Ellis - $10.5 mil (5 yrs/$52.5 mil) - JUST RIGHT. I would say slightly underpaid, but the batting average and on base percentage need to get higher. Overall, this is a great deal keeping Ellis off the open market until he's 31.


Theo Roa
Louisville
Beaners
Age: 32B/T: L/L
Born: Waverly, NE
Position(s): P (SP1)
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Theo Roa - $10.0 mil (5 yrs/$50 mil) - JUST RIGHT. His performance isn't where I'd like it to be, but based on the ratings, I think this is a solid deal.


Geraldo Rios
Burlington
Blizzard
Age: 29B/T: R/R
Born: Gila Bend, AZ
Position(s): 3B/1B/2B/COF/DH
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Geraldo Rios - $10.0 mil (5 yrs/$46 mil) - JUST RIGHT. The premium on good bats goes way up in a -4's park. I'll put it this way, the record for home runs in a season for the Blizzard is 36. Rios has 34 home runs in only 110 games played. With 41 games left in the season, I'm betting he breaks that record.

Monday, October 20, 2008

Mid Season Recap - A.L. North





Season 9: 1st Place (95-67)
Season 10 Prediction: 1st Place
Season 10 Record/Place: 1st Place (64-34)

Impact Player: Sammy Shumpert - 37 HR, 100 RBI, 70 RS, .327 BA, 1.057 OPS
Impact Pitcher: Rudy Brown - 12-4 W/L, 3.29 ERA, 2 CG, .245 OAV

All Of The Above
The last time the runner-up in this division finished more than 1 game out of 1st place was Season 6. That tells you how competitive it's been in recent years. However, Detroit has a little bit of a cushion right now and if the other teams aren't careful, they might run away with the title. Anyway, I knew this offense was potent when I did my preview and they haven't disappointed (609 RS - 2nd in the A.L.). George Dunham has scored 94 of those runs by himself. Sammy Shumpert is having a terrific year and could be vying for his 3rd MVP trophy when all is said and done. It also looks like Ismael Estrella is back on track after his numbers dipped a bit last season. Now, I noted in the preseason predictions that this pitching staff was getting older, but I didn't say they weren't good. Frankly, they've been awesome (3.95 Team ERA - 2nd in the A.L.). Dustan Connelly, Rudy Brown (noted above) and Raul Santos have combined to post a 35-12 record and all 3 have sub-3.56 ERA's. With Otis Brunette shutting the door in the 9th, the potent offense and the excellent rotation, you can expect to see Detroit in the playoffs for sure.




Season 9: 2nd Place (94-68)
Season 10 Prediction: 3rd Place
Season 10 Place/Record: 2nd Place (58-40)

Impact Player: Esteban Tejada - 97 RS, 26 HR, 56 RBI, .305 BA, 1.004 OPS
Impact Pitcher: Brent Meche - 12-5 W/L, 2.77 ERA, 2 CG, 1.12 WHIP, .222 OAV

Steady As She Goes
Wichita is always in the thick of things. They've finished in 1st or 2nd place all but once in their history and they even boast a World Series trophy (Season 6). This basically tells me that jonas1102 knows how to keep his team in the hunt. This year isn't any different. Chris Levine who was signed away from Texas in the offseason has been great as the stopper (14-16 SV/SVO, 3.31 ERA) and Brent Meche has been his usual self which is big for the Wranglers . I think he'll get to 200 wins in a few seasons, provided he stays healthy. Carl Simpson is a really nice piece out of the bullpen as he's racked up 7 wins and 2 saves with a 3.31 ERA. The offense is led by Esteban Tejada (above), Desi Ortiz (80 RBI, .333 BA) and future star Apollo Tam (27 HR, 81 RBI). I'm a big fan of Tam's as he's a fellow Connecticutter and he actually went to the community college that's right down the road from where I grew up! Plus, he's got a cool Battlestar Galactica-like name!


Chicago
Chicago Black Sox (AL)
tomq
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Season 9: 3rd Place (88-74)
Season 10 Prediction: 2nd Place
Season 10 Place/Record: Tie-3rd Place (52-46)

Impact Player: Buddy Wagner - 23 HR, 72 RBI, 57 RS, .317 BA, .987 OPS
Impact Pitcher: Horace Gulan - 9-7 W/L, 2.87 ERA, .222 OAV, 1.15 WHIP

What Do I Have To Do?
I feel like this pitching staff should be better than it has shown, but then again, I don't really know what life is like playing in the A.L. North. Louie Gil and Jack Abercrombie have both been great acquisitions as I noted at the beginning of the season, but Joel Baldwin and the rest of the rotation (minus Horace Gulan) haven't pitched all that well. The offense is putting runs on the board (554 RS - 5th in the A.L.) led by Julio Valenzuela (78 Runs Scored) and Derek Taylor (66 RS, .346 BA), but they're going to need a big push to get back into the divisional picture. A wild card spot, however, is not out of the question.




Season 9: 4th Place (71-91)
Season 10 Prediction: 4th Place
Season 10 Place/Record: Tie-3rd Place (52-46)

Impact Player: Dan King - 38 HR, 108 RBI, 75 RS, .619 SLG, .981 OPS
Impact Pitcher: Danys Bravo - 12-5 W/L, 5 CG, 3 SHO, 1.32 WHIP

Move This
Scranton has really been impressive this year. Kudos to tecwrg. I'll admit, I didn't think he would have the Apollos in the wild card hunt this late in the season. It's safe to say that the main reason for the Apollos solid play has been the play last year's Rookie of the Year, Dan King. King is mashing everything in sight in his sophomore year and he's looking to take home more hardware. In addition to King, Charles Mulder and Stew Frazier are boasting some gaudy batting averages at .357 and .353 respectively. While Danys Bravo is having a solid season, the rest of the staff will need to raise their level of play to keep themselves in the wild card race. Olmedo Pujols has been decent, but he doesn't have many decisions to show for his effort. We'll keep an eye on the wild card race and see how the Apollos fare.

Mid Season Report - A.L. East





Season 9: 2nd Place (88-74)
Season 10 Prediction: 2nd Place
Season 10 Place/Record: 1st Place (55-43)

Impact Player: Tom King - 22 HR, 83 RBI, 54 RS, 40 XBH, 12 SB
Impact Pitcher: Peter Pong - 25-26 SV/SVO, 4.19 ERA, 37 K's, 34.1 IP

Welcome To Atlanta
A big 3-game series starts tomorrow when the Blizzard storm into Atlanta. Atlanta currently holds a 1-game division lead over Burlington, but this scene looks all to familiar to both clubs as they battled it out until the last weekend of the season last year. Just like last season, jarazix is getting the most out of his club. The Nutcases are a middle-of-the-pack team on offense with 501 runs scored and a team batting average of .276. While Tom King's the team leader in RBI, Pedro Gonzales and Claude Buckley are both having exceptional seasons as well. On the hill, Dorian Wainhouse has reached the 10-win mark already and Emil Cook is pitching strong too. While Peter Pong's numbers may not look as good as last seasons, he's still putting the nails in the coffin when he gets the ball. Look for Burlington and Atlanta to be duking it out right up to season's end.




Season 9: 1st Place (89-73)
Season 10 Prediction: 1st Place
Season 10 Place/Record: 2nd Place (54-44)

Impact Player: Alex Palmeiro - 15 HR, 63 RS, 61 RBI, 45 XBH, 14 SB
Impact Pitcher: Vitas Henley - 9-1 W/L, 2.37 ERA, .205 OAV, 1.12 WHIP

Hunter
An 11-game winning streak going into and coming out of the all-star break had closed the gap on the Nutcases and pulled Burlington within a game of the Nutcases. The Blizzard have their pitching to thank for cutting into Atlanta's lead as their early season struggles seem to have gone away and Julio Armas (9-3, 4.55 ERA) and Paul Ishii (7-10, 4.44 ERA) have been throwing the ball better recently. As can be expected when you play in an extreme pitcher's park, the team ERA (3.90) is the best in the A.L. and the team batting average is 5th from the bottom (.269). Offensively, the team is fairly balanced with 5 regulars hitting in the .270's. All-Star center fielder Gus Zhang is having another fine season and with a good run might surpass the 1,000 hit plateau this season.




Season 9: 3rd Place (69-93)
Season 10 Prediction: 3rd Place
Season 10 Place/Record: 3rd Place (41-57)

Impact Player: Lawrence Brown - 34 HR, 97 RBI, 74 RS, .304 BA, 1.025 OPS
Impact Pitcher: Dean Long - 5-6 W/L, 3.55 ERA, .240 OAV, 1.29 WHIP

Kirby's House

Well, it used to be anyway (Bart Kirby). I think the torch has officially been passed though and it's time the league take notice of Lawrence Brown. Brown has 279 career home runs and this is only his 6th season. He's never driven in or scored less than 100 runs in any season (excluding the 19 games he played in Season 4) and he's never hit less than 40 home runs in a season. But, let's not send off Mr. Kirby just yet. He's going to surpass 40 home runs again this season and earlier in the year, he hit milestone home run number 500 (he's up to 514). Unfortunately, the rest of the offense doesn't provide much pop. The pitching staff has actually done a pretty good job keeping the ball in the park in Durham, but the Team ERA (5.21) is still near the bottom of the A.L. Yamil Castro is having a solid season and looks like he might be an arm the Bulls can count on in the future.




Season 9: 4th Place (59-103)
Season 10 Prediction: 4th Place
Season 10 Place/Record: 4th Place (35-63)

Impact Player: Bruce Payne - 34 HR, 86 RBI, 61 RS, .334 BA, 1.119 OPS
Impact Pitcher: Mike Burnett - 7-7 W/L, 3.70 ERA, 92.1 IP, 71 K's

Raining In Baltimore
The youth movement is on in Baltimore and things are looking up. Bruce Payne is a stud at 23 years old and 25-year old Junior Martin (20 HR, 56 RBI) and 22-year old Mike Clark (43 RS, .286 BA) both look promising. Mike Burnett has great projections and could lead this rotation in a season or two. If reps can move a few more decent veterans and bring in some additional young talent, this franchise will be heading in the right direction.

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Mid Season Report - A.L. South





Season 9: 1st Place (96-66)
Season 10 Prediction: 2nd Place
Season 10 Place/Record: 1st Place (54-42)

Impact Player: Marino Tejera - 18 HR, 56 RBI, 66 RS, .333 BA, 1.004 OPS
Impact Pitcher: Clay Runyan - 12-6 W/L, 3 CG, 144.1 IP, 4.74 ERA

Everything In Its Right Place

Richmond is playing very well on both sides of the ball. They're one of 3 teams in the A.L. with 1,000 hits and the Spiders currently rank 3rd in batting average (.290). The addition of Clay Runyan has been huge for Richmond. His other numbers aren't outstanding, but he's tied for the league lead in wins with 12 which is all that really matters. Andy Scott is up to his usual tricks with 20 saves, 5 wins and a tiny 2.27 ERA. The biggest impact offensively is the addition of Marino Tejera who was called up from Triple A. Tejera will certainly be a Rookie of the Year candidate at season's end if he keeps it up. I expect Richmond and Jacksonville to be battling right down to the last game of the season.


Jacksonville
Jacksonville Seminoles (AL)
mbooker
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Season 9: 2nd Place (93-69)
Season 10 Prediction: 1st Place
Season 10 Place/Record: 2nd Place (51-45)

Impact Player: Cesar Urbina - 20 HR, 74 RBI, 73 RS, .313 BA, 16 SB
Impact Pitcher: Gene Hayes - 10-3 W/L, 2.91 ERA, .243 OAV, 1.31 WHIP

Take You Down
The top of Jacksonville's rotation is one of the best in the league. I'd hate to play these guy in a short playoff series. Then again, once you get to the bullpen, it's a whole new ballgame. The Seminoles have 11 blown saves and closer Joseph Yoshii has a 6.97 ERA. I have to figure mbooker will get this bullpen stabilized to keep the 'Noles in contention. Offensively, Jacksonville relies on 5 guys to produce runs. I won't list all 5, but Cesar Urbina (noted above), Rafael Estrada and Luther Howard are all having great seasons.


Jackson
Jackson Bootleggers (AL)
rwright
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Season 9: 4th Place (66-96)
Season 10 Prediction: 3rd Place
Season 10 Place/Record: 3rd Place (48-48)

Impact Player: Pablo Ordonez - 78 RS, 48 SB, 65 RBI, .299 BA, .366 OBP
Impact Pitcher: Carmine Byrd - 9-3 W/L, 5.19 ERA, .265 OAV, 1.42 WHIP

We Built This City
rwright has done a masterful job with the Bootleggers this season, in my opinion. First of all, he's got his team in the thick of the race in the A.L. South. That's pretty impressive considering Jackson finished 27 games behind Jacksonville last season. But, that's not all. The Bootleggers have pulled off some great trades this season to make the future of the franchise even brighter. Out, are veterans J.D. Acosta and Charles Costello, as well as the enigmatic Moises Reynoso. In, are future prospects Justin Kotsay, J.C. Sager and Cy McCall as well as power hitter Ringo Anderson. Jackson can definitely look forward to the future, but now is not out of the question either.


Charlotte
Charlotte Moose Hunters (AL)
jmil397
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Season 9: 3rd Place (70-92)
Season 10 Prediction: 4th Place
Season 10 Place/Record: 4th Place (40-56)

Impact Player: Greg White - 25 HR, 60 RBI, 63 RS, .543 SLG
Impact Pitcher: Jim Floyd - 7-6 W/L, 4.50 ERA, 1.46 WHIP, 40 K's, 56 IP

No Submission
I've said it many times and I'll say it again. Charlotte has a ways to go. Poor management in the past has made it difficult for this team to have success. Charlotte hopes to stockpile young guys like Tim Black, Humberto Park and Juan Fernandez to build a foundation for a couple seasons down the road. Although they really need to focus on the future, Bronson Gibson and Abraham Langerhans are both having a very solid season.

Saturday, October 18, 2008

Mid Season Report - A.L. West



Portland
Portland Poltergeists (AL)
selmer
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Season 9: 1st Place (102-60)
Season 10 Prediction: 1st Place
Season 10 Place/Record: 1st Place (51-41)

Impact Player: Kevin Mullins - 32 HR, 81 RBI, 58 RS, .305 BA, 1.008 OPS
Impact Pitcher: Nick Smith - 17-20 SV/SVO, 4-2 W/L, 2.95 ERA, 1.15 WHIP

Thriller
In case you haven't noticed, there's a heck of a pennant race going on in the A.L. West between the Poltergeists and Oles. That's no surprise here. Led by Kevin Mullins (ever here of this guy?), Portland's offense is operating on all cylinders. They rank 2nd in home runs, 3rd in runs scored and 1st in OPS. Helping out Mullins is Lawrence Rhodes who's having his best season in Portland and Felix Ellis who's driven in 329 runs over the last 2 1/2 seasons. Having said that, the reason Portland's only 10 games over .500 is the pitching. No one expected Domingo Pizzaro to repeat last year's performance, but he's struggled a bit with only 8 wins in 19 starts. Picking up some of the slack is Anthony Martin who also has 8 wins, but only 1 loss. With Salem playing well, this race should go down to the wire.




Season 9: 2nd Place (88-74)
Season 10 Prediction: 2nd Place
Season 10 Place/Record: 2nd Place (50-42)

Impact Player: Carlos Gonzalez - 27 HR, 78 RBI, 57 RS, 1.019 OPS, 13 SB
Impact Pitcher: Jack Fleming - 9-2 W/L, 3.25 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, .254 OAV

Hanginaround
I think the Oles hitters didn't appreciate my preseason "snub" when I said I liked the Mile High Marines offense better. Salem's offense has performed quite well to date as they rank in the Top 4-5 in most offensive categories. Carlos Gonzalez is tearing it up to lead the club, but the Oles have 4 other hitters with over 50 RBI and they're all hitting over .300 as well. The pitching has kept them in games, but Walter Lewis hasn't been the same since coming off the disabled list (0 wins in 4 post-DL starts). He'll need to get it together and the bullpen will need to step up and get some guys out in order to keep pace with Portland.


Colorado Springs
Colorado Springs Mile High Marines (AL)
brendanjod
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Season 9: 3rd Place (85-77)
Season 10 Prediction: 3rd Place
Season 10 Place/Record: 3rd Place (41-51)

Impact Player: Howie Curtis - 29 HR, 60 RBI, 57 RS, .922 OPS
Impact Pitcher: Midre Bonilla - 16-17 SV/SVO, 3-0 W/L, 0.84 ERA, 0.81 WHIP, .168 OAV

Something Is Not Right With Me
There are a lot of balls leaving the park, but it seems like most of 'em are with the bases empty. The Marines are 1st in the A.L. in home runs (194), but 2nd to last in on-base percentage (.328) and 3rd to last in team batting average (.259). How does that happen? Here's your answer: every starter for Colorado Springs has at least 15 home runs, but not a single starter is hitting over .284. How is David Franco batting .207? On the other side of the ball, it's a shame Midre Bonilla can't pitch every inning of every game because he's simply unhittable. Paulie Kolb and Dante Lansing will need to pick it up if the Marines want to make a run.




Season 9: 4th Place (60-102)
Season 10 Prediction: 4th Place
Season 10 Place/Record: 4th Place (37-55)

Impact Player: It's Colorado, they all look good! Julio Frias - 21 HR, 77 RBI, 62 RS, .323 ba
Impact Pitcher: It's Colorado, they all look bad! Scott Everett - 7-7 W/L, 5.70 ERA, 2 CG, .280 OAV

Patience
The Ligers just need to keep on keepin' on. They also need to find a huge, huge bat. I'm talking about a guy with 70+ contact, 90+ power and great splits, a guy who's going to hit 60+ home runs year in and year out. Julio Frias and Stephen Ford share the team home run lead with 21 apiece. This is Colorado - someone should have at least 35 by now! I don't even really want to mention pitching, but Irv Graffanino went 7 innings and gave up 2 runs in his first start in Colorado since being traded from Florida where he was in AA. Give this guy an award!

Mid Season Report - N.L. North





Season 9: 3rd Place (66-96)
Season 10 Prediction: 2nd Place
Season 10 Place/Record: 1st Place (45-47)

Impact Player: Bruce Kile - 28 HR, 74 RBI, 50 RS, .910 OPS
Impact Pitcher: Patrick Crosby - 8-4 W/L, 3.10 ERA, .248 OAV, 1.30 WHIP

You Oughta Know
No team is above .500 in this division which is shocking considering Minnesota won 97 games last season. Taking advantage of the division mediocrity are the Rochester Rockets. Their pitching has been pretty good as they're 6th in the N.L. in Team ERA (led by Patrick Crosby, Peter Suzuki and Edge Thomas), but what you oughta know is that the hitting is tops in the N.L. in batting average (3 starters above .324). While Walter Bailey is having a better season as I predicted, it's really been guys like Raymond Wright and Bobby Ray Palmer who are setting the table for the RBI guys Bruce Kile and Fernando Sanchez.




Season 9: 2nd Place (84-78)
Season 10 Prediction: 3rd Place
Season 10 Place/Record: 2nd Place (42-50)

Impact Player: Cam DeRosa - 19 HR, 75 RBI, 58 RS, .294 BA
Impact Pitcher: Cristian Torres - 8-3 W/L, 4.70 ERA, 99.2 IP, 81 K's, 1.38 WHIP

Not Ready Yet
Trenton's offense is good enough to be 5th in the N.L. in hitting, but their pitching has been a major detriment (last in the N.L. in ERA at 5.93). Christian Torres is having a decent season with an 8-3 record, but even his ERA is much higher than last season (3.95 in season 9). Orlando Ordaz and Enrique Lee are living up to my preseason hype, but Trenton will need to find an ace in order to contend. Cam DeRosa and Sherm Roberts continue to pace the offense, but can they outpace the lack of pitching? Only time will tell.




Season 9: 1st Place (97-65)
Season 10 Prediction: 1st Place
Season 10 Place/Record: Tie - 3rd Place (40-52)

Impact Player: Willis Bonilla - 16 HR, 51 RBI, 50 RS, 10 SB
Impact Pitcher: B.C. Tatis - 10-5 W/L, 4.59 ERA, 3.11 OBP, 1.27 WHIP

The Kids Aren't Alright
Was last season as good as it gets for the Mighty Men? It's certainly looking that way right now. To match last year's record Minnesota would have to win 57 out of their last 70 games - that's not gonna happen. The pitching is middle of the road (4.61 Team ERA) and the hitting is below average (5th worst team BA at .262). I thought J.J. Taylor would bust out this season, but that hasn't happened. J.D. Shermann is way off the mark compared to last year's stellar numbers, Pedro Franco is hitting almost 100 points less than he did last season and Domingo Navarro who drove in 91 runs last year isn't even in the lineup every day due to his struggles. These guys need a Diet Pepsi Max - "Wake up people!"

Sioux Falls
Sioux Falls Canaries (NL)
yoker70
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Season 9: 4th Place (65-97)
Season 10 Prediction: 4th Place
Season 10 Place/Record: Tie - 3rd Place (40-52)

Impact Player: Tim Bell - 18 HR, 60 RBI, 51 RS, 10 SB
Impact Pitcher: Angel Ordaz - 22-23 SVs, 3-1 W/L, 3.03 ERA, .189 OAV, .98 WHIP.

Maybe Tomorrow
Not a bad start at all for the Canaries, but I really need to go off on a tangent here when I look at former Blizzard relief pitcher Angel Ordaz's stats. This guy played in Burlington, a -4's stadium, and could muster an ERA under 5.27 once in the last 4 seasons. Twice in those 4 seasons his ERA was over 7. I trade him to Sioux Falls and now he decides to get his groove on. Thanks for nothing Mr. Ordaz. Anyway, back to Sioux Falls. They've still got a ways to go to become a really good club, but with the way the division is playing out right now, they're a couple moves away from winning it this year. Find a bat to help Tim Bell and Omar Rivas. These are crazy times in the N.L. North!

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Mid Season Report - N.L. East



Kansas City
Kansas City Monarchs (NL)
Neilcor
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Season 9: 1st Place (86-76)
Season 10 Prediction: 1st Place
Season 10 Place/Record: 1st Place (48-39)

Impact Player: Erick Hatcher - 23 HR, 90 RBI, 59 RS, .326 BA, 46 XBH (Extra Base Hits)
Impact Pitcher: Carmine Holmes - 11-3 W/L, 2.71 ERA, 129 WHIP, 100 K's

Hella Good
After a slow start, the Monarchs have turned up the heat (just like I promised in my preseason predictions). Erick Hatcher is tearing the cover off the ball and he's far from alone. Cookie Holt and Julio Park are both hitting over .340 - that's scorching! On the mound, Carmine Holmes is having a career year and the team ERA is a mere 3.98, 2nd best in the N.L. All is right in Kansas City.




Season 9: 2nd Place (77-85)
Season 10 Prediction: 2nd Place
Season 10 Place/Record: 2nd Place (43-44)

Impact Player: Steven Bonds - 29 HR, 76 RBI, 60 RS, .296 BA
Impact Pitcher: Victor Rizzuto - 6-4 W/L, 3.25 ERA, 99.2 IP, 88 K's, 1.36 WHIP

Two Sides Of The Coin
Okay, so maybe Russ Feller should be noted as the Impact Player. He is having an MVP year (.347 BA, .728 SLG, 1.177 OPS), but we've come to expect that from Mr. Feller. In fact, hitting has never been a problem for the Metros and this year is no different (3rd in Runs Scored in the N.L.). The achilles heel has always been the pitching (4.85 team ERA - 3rd worst in the N.L.). There's no big-time ace in New York. Victor Rizzuto and Dennys Franco are the closest to it, but 13 wins in 34 starts combined is not getting it done. However, this is not news to jmaese and he's actively looking for starting pitching help. Who's gonna answer the call?




Season 9: 3rd Place (68-94)
Season 10 Prediction: 3rd Place
Season 10 Place/Record: 3rd Place (41-46)

Impact Player: Nolan Anderson - 66 RS, 18 HR, 58 RBI, 15 SB
Impact Pitcher: J.P. McEnroe - 7-3 W/L, 5 CG, 3.88 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, .221 OAV

The Other Side
If I was a mad scientist, I'd take the Metros hitters and the Swingers pitchers and put them in a test tube and create the greatest franchise ever! Okay, maybe that's a stretch, but numbers don't lie. The Swingers have the opposite problem of the Metros. Syracuse has solid pitching (4th in team ERA in the N.L. at 4.26), but poor hitting (in the bottom 4 in just about every offensive category). Hmmm, is an inter-division trade in the future? Speaking of trades, the Swingers traded Ted Hunter which certainly took away some of the offense, but I do like the prospects Syracuse received in return so it was a smart trade for both parties.




Season 9: 4th Place (59-103)
Season 10 Prediction: 4th Place
Season 10 Place/Record: 4th Place (32-55)

Impact Player: Bill Kane - 25 HR, 62 RBI, 48 RS, .865 OPS
Impact Pitcher: Bruce Gulan - 8-4 W/L, 3.98 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, .255 OAV

Things Can Only Get Better
This is no suprise. Chicago's got a lot of work to do, but they can build around Tony Rodriguez and Cookie Veras. The Old Style will just need to continue to work the drafts, the waiver wire and grab some international free agents.

Mid Season Report - N.L. South





Season 9: 2nd Place (78-84)
Season 10 Prediction: 2nd Place
Season 10 Place/Record: 1st Place (53-33)

Impact Player: Carlos Aguilera - 36 HR, 92 RBI, 78 RS, 1.105 OPS
Impact Pitcher: Gregory Williams - 9-4 W/L, 3.51 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, .252 OAV

Baby Hold On
In my preseason predictions, I noted Texas would contend with Florida, but I definitely didn't envision them having an 8-game lead at the midway point of the season. Aguilera and Gary Blake (.382 BA, 70 RBI, 1.050 OPS) have been sizzling. The team ranks 3rd in batting average and 3rd in ERA making it easy to see why the Long Horns are 20 games over .500. If they can hold off the Lockdown, it'll be a pretty big accomplishment.




Season 9: 1st Place (106-56, World Series Champions)
Season 10 Prediction: 1st Place
Season 10 Place/Record: 2nd Place (45-41)

Impact Player: Orlando Marin - .321 BA, 71 RS, 67 RBI, 24 HR, 18 SB
Impact Pitcher: Ned McInerney - 11-6 W/L, 3.21 ERA, 108 K's, 126.1 IP, .221 OAV

The Distance
The Long Horns 8-game lead is nice, but is it safe? Not when the World Series champions are lingering behind you. The Lockdown are right there with the Long Horns in just about every offensive and pitching category, but Texas has really strong numbers across the board. If the Lockdown are going to close the gap on Texas, they will need to cut down on their strikeouts (599 total, 4th highest in the N.L.) and figure out how to get on base at a higher clip (.333 OBP, 10th in the N.L.).




Season 9: 4th Place (70-92)
Season 10 Prediction: 3rd Place
Season 10 Place/Record: 3rd Place (43-43)

Impact Player: Michael Cortes - 21 HR, 67 RBI, 60 RS, .931 OPS
Impact Pitcher: Theo Roa - 9-4 W/L, 3 CG, 4.49 ERA, 1.41 WHIP

In Pieces
Louisville is getting there. The Beaners are playing inspired baseball and they'll surpass last year's win total, but they've got tough competition in front of them. J.R. Barkley has very good numbers, but it's not reflected in the won-loss record; Cortes and Erik Langston have stepped up like I expected, but Brian Tamura continues to disappoint. If Louisville can grab a few more pieces, they could make things interesting next season. And hey, they aren't too far off this season.


Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City Power Failure (NL)
coneheads
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Season 9: 3rd Place (76-86)
Season 10 Prediction: 4th Place
Season 10 Place/Record: 4th Place (40-46)

Impact Player: Chili Chen - .353 BA, 25 HR, .641 SLG, 1.066 OPS
Impact Pitcher: Cesar Rivas - 7-3 W/L, 5 SV, 3.78 ERA, 1.33 WHIP

Fight The Power
The pitching staff is really struggling as a whole and those that are pitching well (Mateo Estrada) aren't getting much support. Chili Chen is having a terrific season, but if Oklahoma City wants to make some noise, guys like Kip Sosa, Jason Benes and Chico Pulido are going to have to pick up their game.

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.