A.L. South Division Predictions

Jacksonville Seminoles (AL) mbooker View Hardball Dynasty Profile

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.

Richmond Generals (AL) dgtrache View Hardball Dynasty Profile

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 Bootleggers (AL) rwright View Hardball Dynasty Profile

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 Moose Hunters (AL) jmil397 View Hardball Dynasty Profile

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.

A.L. East Division Predictions

Burlington Blizzard (AL) sir_slamalot View Hardball Dynasty Profile

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.

Atlanta Nutcases (AL) jarazix View Hardball Dynasty Profile

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.

Durham Bulls (AL) bertrand93 View Hardball Dynasty Profile

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.

Baltimore Blast (AL) Reps View Hardball Dynasty Profile

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.

A.L. North Division Predictions

Detroit Bad Seeds (AL) the Benders View Hardball Dynasty Profile

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 Black Sox (AL) tomq View Hardball Dynasty Profile

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.

Wichita Wranglers (AL) jonas1102 View Hardball Dynasty Profile

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.

Scranton Apollos (AL) tecwrg View Hardball Dynasty Profile

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.

Rule 5 Draft Winners

Baltimore Blast (AL) Reps View Hardball Dynasty Profile

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.

Chicago Old Style (NL) alogman1 View Hardball Dynasty Profile

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.

I Am Iron Man

Hardball Dynasty's

Bart Kirby

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: 37 B/T: L/R Born: Edo Lara, DO Position(s): LF/1B/DH View Hardball Dynasty Profile

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: 32 B/T: L/L Born: Baltimore, MD Position(s): LF/RF View Hardball Dynasty Profile

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: 38 B/T: S/L Born: Phoenix, AZ Position(s): P (P) View Hardball Dynasty Profile

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: 29 B/T: R/R Born: Loma de Cabrera, DO Position(s): P (SuB) View Hardball Dynasty Profile

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.

Season 9 Recap

With Season 10 around the corner, we'll take one last look at Season 9.

The National League's Florida Lockdown pulled off a remarkable World Series Championship winning 4 straight games after dropping the first 3 to the Jacksonville Seminoles.

National League slugger, Sherm Roberts of the Trenton Titans won his 2nd MVP award after hitting .373 with 46 home runs and driving in 145 runs.

In the American League, Kevin Mullins of the Portland Poltergeists won his 5th straight MVP award! The scary thing is, he's only 27 years old! Mullins batted .321 with 59 home runs and 138 rbi.

The National League Cy Young Award went to Harry Mateo of the Tacoma Baymen. This was his 2nd straight award. Mateo went 18-7 with 207 strikeouts, a 1.95 ERA and 9 complete games.

Domingo Pizzaro of the Poltergeists was the American League's Cy Young Award winner. This was Pizzaro's 2nd Cy Young Award. He won his first award back in his rookie campaign when he was also named Rookie of the Year. Pizzaro was 24-2 with 193 strikeouts and a 3.14 ERA.

Additional Award Winners:

N.L. Rookie of the Year - J.D. Shermann, Minnesota Mighty Men
N.L. Fireman of the Year - Bono Little, Fresno Silver Bullets

A.L. Rookie of the Year - Dan King, Scranton Apollos
A.L. Fireman of the Year - Andy Scott, Richmond Generals