You Didn't Draft Diego?

Mid Season - Far East Division

2009-08-26T09:24:00.002-05:00

Kyoto Bushido

Kyoto got off to their annual hot start, but they've managed to maintain first place a lot longer that in previous seasons. Still, the team has been struggling, going from the best record in the WL in June to a slim 2.5 game lead over Taipei for the division lead. The offense is rock solid, 2nd in the league in HR and in the top half in most other categories. There's an outside chance the team finished with four 30+ HR players. The pitching staff is anchored by Jordan Auerbach, but many of the complimentary parts were pulled off the scrap heap, and though they showed some surprising numbers early, their true colors are coming through. The notable exception is Charlie Gibson, who at 6-2, 3.49 has managed to make up for the disappointing rookie season for Tomakazu Kaise.

Taipei Tai Fong

It's been an up and down season for Dylan Goforth's team, with injuries being the main culprit for the inconsistent play. The team is leading the wild card race and is competing for the division, but no single player really stands out when you look over the stat sheet. Some of the starting pitching (Fetter, Myers, Ruettiger) has been good, and the bullpen has been better than most, but no one on this staff will be competing for any awards. Likewise, the offense has no real holes, but no superstars either. Rookie Mook Jockster leads the team in HR and is second in RBI, proving to be a nice compliment to the other young hitters on the team (Kakazu, Iwata). The question moving forward is whether this team has any hope of taking down the Knights in the WLCS....

Chiang-Mai Kwaan

After a terrible start, Kwaan GM Ben Royer decided to put his entire team on the trading block. He unloaded proven commodities like Trevor Bayne, Eddie Degerman and Delmon Young for prospects, and then the funniest thing happened; the team started winning. Now the team sits a game over .500 and 2 games out of the wild card. Did the team turn it around because of the trades or despite them? We'll never know, but what we can be certain of is that Thurman Murman has been an absolute beast this season. The top half of the batting order have all been exceptional, in fact, and the team has crept up to 8th in runs scored. The pitching has been the problem with nine different players getting starts. Chiang-Mai was one of a handful of teams who quickly promoted nearly all of their 2021 draft class in hopes of creating a spark. Blake Korg (2-0, 2.75) has been the most successful of those call-ups.

Osaka Ronin

When you play in a band box, you live and die by the home run. Osaka has always hit a ton, but they also give up a ton. At 7 games under .500 at home, it's safe to say that the team isn't ideally built for Domo-Kun Field. The usual suspects are pounding out the long balls (Brown, Peppers, Parker), but not even career win leader CC Sabathia can conquer the dimensions of SLB's version of Coors Field. Ricardo Romero and rookie Michael Casper have managed to do alright, but the pen is a nightmare. If there's one GM who is counting the days until the reboot, it's Tom Hey....

2021 Mid-Season Reports - Euro

2009-08-25T13:57:00.003-05:00

London Knights

Hot, hot, hot. This team is smoking right now and look completely unstoppable. They've scored the most runs in SLB and are second in team ERA, and they've only looked really good in the past 3 weeks or so. They've screamed past Kyoto for best record in the WL thanks to the ridiculous numbers posted by Diego Clemente, Holden McNeil and Warren McFadden. Six of the lineup's regular batters are hitting over .300, and the team just runs and runs, leading the league in triples and stolen bases. The pitching staff has been extremely healthy, with just five starters getting starts (18 each, as it turns out), and the bullpen has been among the best in the league. No one in the Euro is catching this team.

Scotland Rebels

The Rebels are tied for the fewest runs scored in the league but are in second place. Normally you'd say, "hey, nice work", but in the Euro, second place means you're 18 games back and 14 under .500. Takuya Sakamoto and Darin Ford are the only hitters to really show up this season, while a whopping 20 different pitchers have toed the rubber so far. Some of the starting staff have actually been pretty decent, with a surprisingly good year from perennial punching bag Larry Brush. It's not enough to offset "King" Felix's 1-8 record or a bullpen full of 5.00-9.00 ERA's. OUCH.

Ireland Invaders

The Invaders were the big story all last season, with a lineup full of rookie sluggers dominating the league and breaking records. So what happens when the entire lineup has a sophomore slump? You're seeing it. 2020 league MVP (and RHOY) Kainalu Chmolak "leads" the offense with his 16 HR and 49 RBI, but is batting just .250. Complete power outages for Collett, Izumigawa and Murphy. The four main members of the pitching rotation have been good enough but have suffered from brutal run support, and none of the young farm hands have stepped up to stop the bleeding in the bullpen.

Paris Pimpernels

The winningest team in SLB history is on the brink of finishing in last place for two seasons in a row, a feat that was unthinkable not long ago. Gone is the lineup full of Hall of Famers, gone is a pitching rotation anchored by Jerome Williams. What we're left with are some pretty good hitters surrounded by chaff, and a pitching staff that can't get anyone out. The team has skewed towards heavy hitting, and the Pimps' haven't been able to keep up. There are some decent looking young hitters (Mike Cooley, etc.), but will they be enough to turn this team around for the final season in 2022?

2021 Mid-Season Reports - South

2009-08-25T13:26:00.002-05:00

Atlanta Flyers

The defending SLB champs started off a bit slow, but have started to pull away from a mostly mediocre South Division. GM Jim Masters, who has probably triggered fewer trades than anyone in SLB, took advantage of Chiang-Mai's early season fire sale to land Trevor Bayne, who leads the team in batting and steals. Darren Lemming is having a solid season, and CF Eliot Hayes has come out of nowhere with some ridiculous numbers. Homer Bailey's ERA is over a full run above his career numbers, but the dude just wins (10-1). Eddie Degerman (another part of that trade) has been very good, and Rene Delmas has suddenly stepped up as a front of the rotation starter. The bullpen is a hot mess....

Savannah Sabers

The Sabers have had some hot streaks (they held first place for awhile), but injuries and some untimely losing streaks have sunk them to .500. Some of the best hitters (Johnson, Szucs) can't stay off the DL, and long time staff ace Phillip Humber hasn't been the dominator the team has needed to stop long losing streaks. Overall, the offense has been pretty solid, with contributions from some no-name types like Wally Scott and Conor Hudnall. The problem lies in the pitching, particularly a bullpen that has lost 18 games. Humber has been okay, but rookie Holden Whitley has struggled while Don Allison has been just okay.

San Juan Senadores

The Senadores went from contending for a division title to fighting to stay out of the cellar in a pretty short amount of time. There have been a few injuries, but the truth is that the offense just hasn't played up to it's potential. The lackluster hitting has been exposed further by a pretty terrible pitching staff. The only bright spots have been journeyman veteran Jeff Niemann and rookie reliever JR Boyle. Just about everyone else has been a gigantic pile of FAIL.

Baltimore Panthers

What, you actually thought they'd be perennial playoff contenders after one good season (2019)? That season seemed to prove the saying "a blind squirrel occasionally finds a nut," as the Baltimore slumped to last place in 2020 and is right there again this year. There are still good players here, mostly home grown (Putnam, Cepeda, Jackson), but GM Jose Guttierez has failed to build upon the foundation of youth. The pitching is brutal, and no one on the offense projects to more than 80ish RBI. Diego Clemente already has nearly 100. Oh the irony.

2021 Mid-Season Reports - North

2009-08-25T13:05:00.002-05:00

Halifax Sailors

The Sailors boast the best record in the league and a comfortable 8 game lead in the North Division. The normal formula of good pitching coupled with a solid lineup has put Halifax in line for its 5th straight division title. The team lost Rand McPherson and Andrew Miller in the off-season, but have gotten great contributions from Randall Graves (11-4) and "good enough" pitching from Brazelton and Carroll. The offense is lead by the bats of Archibald and Brezovan, but there has been production from every spot in the lineup this year. It's a team lacking stand out stars, but the team concept has made the Sailors the favorite out of the AL.

Cleveland Dawgs

Despite trailing Halifax by 8 games, the Dawgs lead the wild card race and have a real shot at their 2nd straight post-season appearance. It's a team of thumpers, with 7 players with 10+ homers. This is probably one of the best offensive infields in SLB, combining for 72 HR and 224 RBI. The biggest surprise is Matt Bush, a former #1 overall draftee who has never lived to his potential. Now, at age 31, he's finally showing the production the old Las Vegas Rounders thought they'd be getting 13 seasons ago. The starting rotation is pretty unremarkable here, but the bullpen has done surprisingly well.

Philly Fever

It's been a nice bounce-back season for the Fever, who finished 2020 with the worst record in SLB. Now they're just 1.5 games out of the wild card spot, thanks to an offense that ranks 4th in runs and 2nd in HR in SLB. Jay Bruce is having an MVP caliber season, with over 1/2 of his 140 hits going for extra bases (holy moley). Rookie catcher Calver Alkoa is slugging .764 with double digit HR's, but he can't stay healthy. On the pitching side, former Sailor hurler Rand McPherson is 9-1, 2.76 and squarely in the middle of the Cy Young race. The rest of the staff is not so hot, as the Fever rank 3rd worst in team ERA. Can they acquire another arm or two to push for the playoffs come October?

Bedford Crunch

It's the team that can't hit. Never has. Doesn't matter what stadium you put them in or what players you add to the lineup, but this team seems destined to not hit and not score runs. So it goes in 2021, as the Crunch rank dead last in team batting and are tied with Scotland for the fewest runs. The power has been decent, but team leader Alexander Avila has just 42 RBI to go with his 23 homers. Seems nearly impossible. Luke Hochevar has been good on the mound, as has youngster Si Miller (who leads the team with 9 wins), but too many other members of the staff have been bad.

2021 SLB Amateur Draft Order

2009-08-09T12:07:00.003-05:00

We hit the NCAA Draft in today's sim, so without further ado, here is the 2021 SLB Amateur Draft Order.

As a reminder, 1st round lists are due by 9am EDT Tuesday.

1. Philly
2. Bedford
3. Paris
4. Osaka
5. Taipei
6. Kyoto
7. Baltimore
8. London
9. San Juan
10. Savannah
11. Chiang-Mai
12. Cleveland
13. Atlanta
14. Scotland
15. Halifax
16. Ireland

As you can tell, things held pretty much to form. Congratulations (I guess?) to Philly for snagging the final No. 1 pick in SLB history.

News & Notes - May 2021 Wrap-Up

2009-08-04T10:47:00.002-05:00

Just like that, 2 months in the books.

- Halifax continues to have the best record in SLB, but is fighting off a resurgent Philly Fever team (whose 33-19 record is second best in the league). The power still isn't there for the Sailors, as team leader Brezovan (12 HR) hit just two long balls this month.

- Ireland was best in the WL a month ago, but has slumped to a 26-30 mark, trailing London by 4 games.

- Kyoto is now tops in the WL, and might have the best record in SLB if not for their 1-5 record head-to-head with Halifax. Luke Daughtery and Antonio Mule are #1 and #2 in the league in HR, and five players have 30 or more RBI. Jordan Auerbach (7-1, 2.40) is making a bid for Cy Young, and the bullpen has miraculously kept itself together.

- It's a dog fight in the South, where Savannah and Atlanta are neck and neck for the division lead. Both are fighting through injuries (Lemming, Brown for Atlanta, Johnson for Savannah).

- 11 teams have a team ERA under 5.00 right now, which is a positive trend over last season.

- Rookie watch (hitters): Virgil Johnson (BAL) .244, 5, 18, Simon Shelley (BED) .251, 11, 28, Nikco Clevenger (BED) .291, 7, 20, Jesse O'Byrne (KYO) .303, 8, 33, Calver Alkoa (PHI) .346, 12, 28, Robert Jamieson (PHI) .296, 9, 20, Ray Rice (SAV), .336, 4, 25, Mook Jockster (TAI) .276, 8, 27.

- Rookie watch (pitchers): Andy Topps (ATL) 4-4, 3.17, Chuck Johnson (CHNG) 2-1, 2.48, Tomakazu Kaise (KYO) 4-2, 4.26, Michael Casper (OSKA) 6-2, 3.38, Grady Laro (PAR) 2-4, 3.82, Holden Whitley (SAV) 3-4, 3.05.

News & Notes - May 14, 2021

2009-07-30T10:06:00.003-05:00

Some interesting stuff going on....

- London is the hottest team in the league, winning 10 straight to take a 4 game lead in the Euro Division. The Knights were 5 games under .500 when they started the streak, but now stand at 21-16. There are still huge concerns in the rotations, where Matsuzaka, Pursel and Miller have all been hit hard. London has outscored their opponents 88-38 over the streak.

- Other teams on hot streaks are Philly and Savannah, who've both won 8 of their past 10 games. Philly has passed Cleveland for 2nd place in the North, and Savannah is a game up on Atlanta for the South Division lead.

- On the flip side, Paris is in a death spiral. The Pimps have lost 15 straight to fall to 11-27 (10 1/2 games out of first). They've been outscored 125-67. Paris has a league worst 6.29 team ERA and has given up 72 HR. Team GM Michael Taylor is trying to shuffle things up, sending former MVP Ryne Robinson to AAA and replacing 60% of his rotation (Davis, Laro and Pawelek in, Bray, Kuo and Broadway out).

- Also in a major slump is Ireland, who just broke an 11 game losing streak. The Invaders are still in second place (4 games out), but need to right the ship, and fast.

- Cleveland is the first team to take advantage of Chiang-Mai's advertised fire sale, acquiring RF Delmon Young and pitchers Art Taylor and Curt Wilson from the Kwaan for rookie P Ruben Aderholt and young hitters Matthew Hamman and Dante Bichette, Jr. The Dawgs have rebuilt an outfield that lost Tex Austin and Lum Blomberg early in the season.

- SS Jose Reyes (CHNG) broke the 3000 hit plateau recently, and Miguel Cabrera (PAR) is just 5 hits from the mark.

- RF Will Hunting (PHI) hit his 800th double recently.

News & Notes - April 2021 Wrap-Up

2009-07-27T10:08:00.002-05:00

Let's see how April treated the league....

- Halifax has the best record in the league, but is playing WAY over their heads in terms of luck. Their record stands at 18-9, but their run differential is just +7. Kiko Brezovan is showing impressive power (10 HR), but the next highest total is just 4. Scott Kazmir has been the only truly effective starter, but the bullpen is 8-1.

- After a slow start, Ireland has surged to the best record in the WL. The young offense hasn't missed a beat, with five starters batting well above .300. The pitching has been rock solid as well.

- After a "down" year in 2020, Atlanta's Darren Lemming is back to form, posting a .391/.481/.782 line is his first 110 plate appearances. He's complemented in the outfield by Elliot Hayes, who has shown some unexpected power. Homer Bailey is still stuck at 1-0, despite posting quality starts in 4 of his first 5 appearances.

- Also stuck at 1-0 is Baltimore's Zach Putnam, despite his 1.64 ERA at 5/5 QS.

- Cleveland's Jock Johnson continues to wreak havoc, posting a .500 OBP and 1.350 OPS.

- Kyoto is tied with Atlanta for most HR in the league, lead by Mule (10), Daughtery (9) and Ford (8).

- Osaka has had to weather a pile of injuries, including ace CC Sabathia and three different middle infielders. The team has kept it's head above water, however, thanks to their offense and rookie Michael Casper.

- Jeff Niemann (SJ), who is the career leader in walks, has issued just 3 free passes in 29 innings so far this season.

- Rookie watch (hitters): Virgil Johnson (BAL) .242, 1, 5, Jesse O'Byrne (KYO) .248, 2, 15, Chico Corona (OSKA) .309, 1, 7, Robert Jamieson (PHI) .298, 2, 7, Ray Rice (SAV) .380, 2, 13, Mook Jockster (TAI) .298, 6, 18.

- Rookie watch (pitchers): Andy Topps (ATL) 1-2, 3.60, Len Bartson (CLE) 2-3, 4.98, Tomakazu Kaise (KYO) 2-1, 4.67, Michael Casper (OSKA) 3-1, 2.57, Go Matsumota (PHI) 2-2, 5.86, Holden Whitley (SAV) 1-3, 4.11

News & Notes - April 15, 2021

2009-07-23T09:09:00.002-05:00

Week 2....

- Parity reigns supreme in the early going, as every team has won and lost at least 5 games (the exception being Halifax, who is 9-4).

- Homer Bailey is off to his usual brilliant start (1.35 ERA and 0.85 WHIP in 3 starts), but he's just 1-0 thanks to some shoddy bullpen work. Relief pitching looks to be an issue for just about everyone in the league this season.

- Is Baltimore's Cole DeVries hiding an injury? He has been absolutely destroyed in his first 3 starts, compiling just 14 total innings while giving up 7 HR and 32 total baserunners.

- You can't stop Jock Johnson....you can only hope to contain him. Cleveland's young first baseman isn't exactly having a sophomore slump; how's a .523/.596/.955/1.551 line sound for the first 50ish plate appearances?

- Halifax's Yadel Marti is the latest pitch count victim, throwing 5 innings of perfect ball before being yanked.

- Kyoto (somehow) leads the league both in runs scored and team ERA. Please, please, PLEASE don't remind Charlie Gibson (2-0, 1.00) that he's Charlie Gibson (20-21, 5.46 career).

- Scotland's Neil Walker hit 4 HR in one game (Sunday). He had only hit 1 long ball in his first 13 games.

News & Notes - April 8, 2021

2009-07-21T12:07:00.002-05:00

Opening Week is behind us in the 2021 season. Let's seen what's shaking...

- Osaka has jumped out to a 5-1 record thanks to a team offense that is hitting .323 and has scored 44 runs (that's just under 7.5 runs/game). The pitching staff has a respectable 4.90 ERA early, but the Ronin's plan is to beat other teams senseless.

- Also 5-1 are the Sailors, though their success has come from the mound. The team has a 2.88 ERA early while the offense is more or less middle-of-the-pack.

- Kyoto has already had it's share of bad luck record-wise. The Bushido are #2 in runs scored and #3 in team ERA, but are just 4-3.

- So, is everyone on a pitch count early? First, Halifax's Bill Carroll is pulled after 6 innings of no-hit ball (the team gave up just 1 hit in the 2-0 victory), and then Cleveland's Mark McCormick was pulled after 7 innings of a PERFECT GAME.

- Osaka rookie SS Chico Corona seems to think he's the new Rickey Henderson, as he's swiped 10 bases in his first 6 games.

- Bad news in the first week for Cleveland; first, they learned that All-Star outfielder Tex Austin (who missed most of last season with a herniated disc) has had a set back and won't be ready until after the All Star Break. Then his replacement (Lum Blomberg) injured himself on Opening Day.

- Taipei starter Rudy Ruettiger not only gave up 3 runs and 6 hits in 5 innings this week, but he also wants to show you how to generate wealth.

News & Notes - September 28, 2020

2009-05-18T09:40:00.002-05:00

Just one week left....

- Four of the six playoff spots have been clinched, with only the South Division champ and AL Wildcard up for grabs. Halifax and Chiang-Mai clinched their division this week, while both Ireland and Scotland clinched playoff spots. Atlanta holds a seemingly safe 4.5 game lead with 6 games to go, while Cleveland is up 2.5 over Savannah for the WC spot.

- Osaka is 17 HR shy of the all time team record with 6 games to go. The Ronin have 5 of the top 7 in HR's this year.

- Of the 5 Osaka batters with 40 or more HR, only 2 have 100+ RBI (though the other 3 should get there by season's end).

- 23 batters have 100 or more RBI right now, 5 of which are rookies.

- RHOY is wide open right now, with literally a dozen good candidates for the award. Probably the best hitting rookie class in SLB history.

- RPOY is another story, with most rookie hurlers having rough years. The decision will likely come between a starter (Taipei's Myers) and a closer (Ireland's Sasaki).

- Cy Young seems like a foregone conclusion, as Atlanta's Homer Bailey is 19-1, 2.21, and most of his stats are off the charts.

- MVP is also wide open. Could be the closest vote in years.

News & Notes - September 11, 2020

2009-05-12T10:07:00.002-05:00

Getting close to the end here....

- Despite a pile of injuries, Halifax continues to hold a double digit lead in the North (and the best overall record in the league).

- After months in the last place, Atlanta has put on a successful surge and has passed everyone into first place in the south (albeit by a slim, 2.5 game lead on Savannah).

- The battle for the Euro rages on between Scotland and Ireland, with Ireland holding the narrow lead at the moment. Both teams are all but guaranteed playoff spots, but the winner of the division will get the all important first round bye.

- Chiang Mai seems to have seized control of the Far East. They've won 5 in a row and hold a 5.5 game lead over Kyoto. If they can play well in their remaining head-to-head games with the Bushido, they should be locked in for the playoffs.

- The Cleveland Dawgs hold a game and a half lead in the American Wildcard race. The Dawg offense has been explosive this past week; they scored 38 runs in a 3 game series with Philly, then averaged 8 runs per game against Baltimore. Despite the rush of offense, Cleveland is still just 6th in the league in runs.

- Taipei has played well the last 3 weeks to pull ahead of the floundering Ronin. The Tai Fong's young pitching looks solid heading into 2021.

- Out of nowhere, CHNG's Thurman Murman has stormed to the league RBI lead with 129. Second year Scotland OF Sakamoto is 2nd, despite starting the year on the bench.

- 2B Cap Jackson has nearly lapped the field in the stolen base department; he has 107, compared to Warren McFadden, who is second with 56.

- SS Diego Clemente may break the 9 year old walks record set by A-Rod in 2011 (83).

- 3B Chest Rockwell joined the 500 HR club.

News & Notes - August 21, 2020

2009-05-04T09:15:00.002-05:00

It's been a few weeks.....let's see what's shaking....

- Trade deadline came and went without much fanfare. Halifax made the only move of any significance, snagging SP Yadel Marti from Bedford.

- Despite losing 6 of their last 10, the Atlanta Flyers sit in first place in the South. Every team has a shot at this division, as last place Savannah is just 2 games out (and getting healthy).

- A resurgent Cleveland is back in the wildcard position, holding a 2 game advantage over San Juan. Should the Dawgs have made a move at the deadline to secure their position?

- Across the pond, Scotland and Ireland continue to fight it out in the Euro, though the Rebels have held first place for several weeks. Several of Ireland's hitters are candidates for ROY this year.

- In the Far East, the Kwaan and Bushido have both won 7 of their last 10, and just 1.5 games separate them for the division lead. Neither is above .500 yet.

- Kyoto rookie 2B Luke Daughetry saw an offensive explosion in July and August, and is now 2nd in the league in HR (39) and fourth in RBI (100). Other rookies of note are Ireland's Chmolak (7th in batting average), Paris' Peltz (second in SLG), Ireland's Pointer (first in doubles), and Ireland's Sasaki (first in saves, OpAvg, OpSLG and H/9).

- Prince Fielder (OSKA) now has 50 HR, 11 more than anyone else in the league. Bedford has 137 HR as a team.

- Chiang-Mai has 274 stolen bases, 92 more than London, who has the 2nd most at 182.

- Offense has been the story this year, as 9 of the 16 teams have ERA's over 5.00. Scouts are hoping the talented crop of collegiate pitchers will tip the balance over the next few years.

- Former (or current) Osaka Ronin hitters are the next three in line for 500 career HR. Chest Rockwell is at 498, Dave Peppers at 494, and Tony Montana at 489.

News & Notes - July 23, 2020

2009-04-22T09:50:00.002-05:00

Just over a week before we reach the trade deadline. Who's in it?

- The first wildcard standings went up today, and the difference between the two leagues is night and day. In the AL, every team in the league is within 6 games of the wildcard leading Dawgs, while in the WL, Ireland has a 9 1/2 game lead on 2nd place Kyoto.

- Likewise, the North Division is the only one where the first place team (Halifax) has a substantial lead (13 games). Every other division leader has just a 1/2 game lead on the 2nd place team.

- After being riddled with major injuries earlier in the year, the Savannah Sabers are just a couple of weeks from being full strength again. The Sabers are just 3 games out of first place, and should be getting Boog Johnson, Dontrelle Willis and Miggy Cabrera back over the next two weeks.

- When was the last time Darren Lemming wasn't in the top 10 in SLG in late July? By any other player's standards, Lemming's .328, 21, 72 line would be outstanding, but the future Hall of Famer is usually more dominant.

- Kyoto is 3rd in the league in home runs (167), but just 11th in total runs scored (476).

- Osaka is still in 1st place in the Far East, despite their starting rotation being a combined 3 games under .500.

- 2020's rookie class has hit 366 HR's so far this year.

- Dennis Dennis Jr. has joined the 700 doubles club. He sits at 701, which is 6th all time.

- Brett Myers (SJ) is 2nd among active pitchers in both K's (2814) and BB's (809).

-

News & Notes - July 9, 2020

2009-04-15T09:16:00.003-05:00

Nearing the All-Star Break. How are things shaping up?

- Halifax continues to maintain its comfortable lead, but the rest of the American League is separated by just 9 games. Bedford's hot June (16-10) has them just 1.5 games out of the wildcard spot. The entire South Division is within 1.5 games of each other, and it looks like Atlanta could leap from last to first in one weekend.

- Atlanta's Homer Bailey had a no-hitter against San Juan through 8 1/3 innings, but couldn't complete the game due to a strained triceps muscle. Sports radio callers are calling him "soft" for taking himself out of the game, but how quickly they forget his 11-1, 2.48 mark this season.

- Ireland just can't shake Scotland, as their lead in the Euro stays at 1 game for the umpteenth week in a row. The Invader offense is covering for some deficiencies in the pitching (namely a lack of reliable 5th starter and some brutal middle relief). Can they shore up some of these issues on the trade market?

- Osaka's Prince Fielder has had a bit of a power outage recently, and teammate Ben Parker has almost caught up. Fielder leads the league with 35 round trippers, while Parker is at 32. Both have 78 RBI.

- Speaking of Osaka, they're back to .500. Golf clap.

- With Rookie League in full swing, I thought we'd look at how many rookies are in each organization in SLB. The results may surprise you:

BED - 24
IRE - 23
ATL - 22
SAV - 21
TAI - 21
LON - 19
BAL - 18
PAR - 18
PHI - 17
SJ - 16
CLE - 16
HAL - 15
OSKA - 12
CHNG -9
SCOT - 9
KYO - 7

News & Notes - June 29, 2020

2009-04-09T09:52:00.002-05:00

Nearly 1/2 way through the season, and the Amateur Draft behind us. Lets' see what's shaking...

- The hottest two teams in the league are Bedford and Ireland. The Crunch have won 7 straight (and 8 of 10) to move to a game under .500 and 4 games behind the wildcard leading Dawgs. Ireland has won 5 straight (including a sweep of Kyoto) and hold a one game lead in the Euro.

- Scotland has kept up with Ireland in the Euro division race, but was dealt a serious blow this weekend when staff ace Felix Hernandez was lost for the season. "King" Felix was having arguably his best season since entering the league via the Supplemental Expansion Draft, going 9-2, 3.19 with 101 K's in 101 IP before bicep issues shut down his season.
Lefty Carlos Hernandez should be available in about a week for the Rebels, but expect them to look for starting pitching help before July's trade deadline.

- Chiang-Mai passed both Osaka and Kyoto this weekend in the "tallest midget" race in the Far East. All four teams in the division are at least 3 games under .500. The Kwaan swept Osaka, who has lost 6 straight, while Kyoto lost 3 in a row to Ireland.

- Atlanta ace Homer Bailey is doing his best Steve Carlton impersonation, racking up wins on a last place team. Bailey is 10-1 for the last place Flyers, accounting for nearly 1/3 of the teams' 36 victories.

- 37 pitchers were taken in this year's Amateur Draft, compared to just 9 position players. San Juan was the only team that did not select a pitcher this year.

- Ft. Wayne's Chris Lambert finished his fairytale season by setting the AAA record with 15 victories.

News & Notes - June 15, 2020

2009-03-30T09:44:00.002-05:00

- The Philly Fever released a statement this week essentially throwing in the towel on the 2020 season. Expect to see some Fever players on the move after the Amateur Draft.

- Savannah keeps their tenuous grip on first place despite having to put Dontrelle Willis and Boog Johnson on the DL this week. They joing C Neal Schallock and 3B Miguel Cabrera on the shelf.

- San Juan is right there in the South, but had to put Buzz Bliss on the DL with an inflamed ACL. He's out for the year.

- The Far East continues to flip-flop between Oska and Kyoto, with the Ronin on top this week. Chiang-Mai is closing the gap.

- Atlanta is still in last place, but is just 5 games out in a division full of injuries. When do they make their move?

- Cleveland rookie Mike Wolmers has finally hit the wall; He has lost 3 of his last 4 decisions, and seen his ERA balloon from 1.20 to 4.40.

- Kyoto rookie Luke Daughetry was dropped from 2nd to 7th in the batting order this week. "He's shown good power for us, but he has lost all of the patience he showed in Spring Training," said hitting coach Ichiro. "We can't have a player with a .276 OBP that high in the order." Daughetry's team-leading 11 GIDP's also contributed to the move.

- Taipei lost rookie Derek Ballinger this week, but got Chris Fetter back. Unfortunately for the last place Tai Fong, this seems to be a downgrade.

- And finally, what about the feel good story of 12 year SLB veteran Chris Lambert? The highly touted first round draft pick (2008) never panned out at the major league level; his best season was 2013, when he went 13-10, 4.21 while being traded from Cleveland to Scotland, and again to Kyoto. His career numbers in the majors: 42-70, 5.40 ERA.
But the 33 year old Lambert is having the time of his life in Ft. Wayne this year, posting a 13-1 record with a 2.23 ERA for the Harry Baals. "The pressure is totally off here," said Lambert after his last victory. "The team is loose, we're 2 games out of first, and I'm having a blast." It remains to be seen if he can help the Ronin down the stretch, but for now, he's finally enjoying baseball.

News & Notes - June 8, 2020

2009-03-28T10:38:00.002-05:00

- Amateur Draft should be arriving soon, probably June 17 of the schedule.

- Pythagorean records are amiss again. Bedford, who is nearly even in run differential, is 6 games under, while Kyoto, who is -18 in run diff., is .500.

- Scotland's hot/cold/hot streak is still going strong, as the Rebels have won 6 straight to pass Ireland for first place in the Euro. Ireland has lost 4 straight.

- League pitching continues to improve, as just 3 teams have team ERA's over 5.00. In April, over half of the teams were in the 5.00 range.

- Osaka's Prince Fielder has 30 home runs in 239 At-Bats (1 per 7.9 AB's). That's 30 HR in just 74 hits, meaning just 44 balls have landed safely in fair territory this year. He currently has a 9 HR lead over teammate Ben Parker, and is threatening to lap the field by season's end.

- Someone take the aluminum bat away from Len Thymne.

- 2019's #1 overall draft pick (SP Michael Casper) is just doing okay in his first season in Ft. Wayne. His control has been as good as advertised (just 13 BB's compared to 105 K's in 92 IP), but he's giving up a lot of hits, many of which are leaving the park. He'll be an interesting guy to keep an eye on.

- Quebec's Rick Clay has more triples (25) than doubles (17).

News & Notes - June 1, 2020

2009-03-26T08:38:00.002-05:00

- Scotland went from the hottest team in the league to the coldest. Not long after their 10 game win streak, the Rebels rattled off an 8 game losing streak. Losing Daniel Callahan for the year (PCL) won't help right the ship.

- Halifax has shaken off its slow start, and has now padded their lead over Cleveland to 4 games. The Sailors have a ton of injuries, but the pitching has really carried them through the past few weeks.

- Bedford has played much better in the past couple of weeks, thanks to a revived offense and some good starting pitching. They're making Atlanta regret releasing Al Krieger, as the former Flyer is 2-0 with the Crunch and has lowered his ERA to 4.26. Unfortunately, staff ace Ted Striker (7-3, 3.62) is out 2-3 months with a tricep tendon injury.

- Also staging a comeback of sorts is Chiang Mai, who has won 7 of their last 10 games and stands just 2.5 games out of first in the Far East. With Kyoto and Osaka treading water, now is the time for the Kwaan to make their move. Though their starting pitching has been spotty, Chiang Mai has sported one of the better bullpens in the league. Joe Belinda hitting over .400 doesn't hurt either.

- Slowest team in the league? Kyoto by a landslide. The entire team has just 2 triples and 18 stolen bases.

- Here's a stat you don't see every year: Osaka has more HR (119) than doubles (102).

News & Notes - May 25, 2020

2009-03-24T09:40:00.002-05:00

- Kyoto stopped it's slump with a 3 game sweep in Cleveland. The Bushido also handed rookie phenom Mike Wolmers his first loss; the Dawg hurler got thumped for 13 hits and 11 runs in 7 innings. Kyoto is back in a percentage point tie with Osaka for first in the Far East.

- Taipei, on the other hand, continues to plummet, having lost 7 in a row and 9 of their last 10 to fall 15 under .500 and 8 out of the division lead. Injuries and terrible pen work have contributed to the streak.

- Scotland and Ireland continue to duke it out in the Euro Division. The Rebels are still in first place, but by just one game over the Invaders, who have won 8 of 10. If Ireland can nail down a 5th starter, they may be the team to beat (but thus far, Escobar, Stryker and Phillips have failed to hold onto the role).

- Is this the best year ever for rookie hitters? Three rookies are in the top 10 in hitting (Bedford's Don Erickson tops the list, with Ireland's Chmolak and San Juan's Proly in the list), while Proly and Kyoto's Luke Daughetry are in the top 10 in RBI.

- Halifax has suddenly turned into an offensive juggernaut, and no pitcher on the staff has benefited from it more than lefty Michael Tentilucci. He's 6-0 despite an ERA that only just dipped below 5.00, while allowing a .315 OpAvg and a fat WHIP.

- Miguel Caberera's injury last week may have cost him some career milestones this year. The 36 year old third baseman is 104 hits shy of 3000, 14 doubles short of 900, 93 runs short of 1500, and 5 RBI shy of 1500.

- Dontrelle Willis is 2 wins shy of 200.

- How bad is London's AAA team? The Queens pitching staff has 4 of the top 10 leaders in losses, as Mewes and Boswell have 8 losses each, and Amin and Hankins have 7. The team is 10-39 on the year.

News & Notes - May 18, 2020

2009-03-22T21:36:00.002-05:00

Better late than never....

- Scotland had a 10 game winning streak snapped on Sunday when they lost to Homer Bailey and Atlanta. The Rebels' 15-4 home record is the best in the league.

- Savannah has slumped to 3rd place in the South, and will be without All-Star Miguel Cabrera for the next 3-4 months.

- It's a rough year for last season's division champs. With the exception of Halifax, all other 2019 champs are in last place.

- Kyoto has cooled off, losing 7 of its last 10 games, but remains in first thanks to all of the other Far East teams' losing records.

- Chiang Mai has just 28 HR in 41 games. Their team SLG is .404, worst in the league.

- Jake Peavy for Comeback Player of the Year? After a disastrous year in Kyoto, he was traded to Baltimore and then signed by Paris in the off-season. Peavy is 4-1 with a 2.77 ERA in a stadium notorious for high offense.

- Osaka has 5 players with 10 or more home runs. There are 7 teams that don't have any double-digit home run players.

- Rick Clay (AAA Quebec) has 39 extra-base hits compared to just 28 singles.

News & Notes - May 11, 2020

2009-03-20T22:07:00.003-05:00

Off we go....

- Promising Ireland pitching prospect Armando Escobar couldn't get it going in his rookie campaign, and was sent back to Australia after a 1-2, 8.59 start. Escobar was 17-7 in two AAA seasons, and won the Top Pitching Prospect award in 2019. Escobar was replaced in the rotation by Jerry Stryker, who was 5-0 with a 1.01 ERA in 7 starts for the Beerbellies.

- Three different teams attempted to sign Al Krieger, who was released by Atlanta last week. Bedford succeeded, and Krieger has appeared twice out of the pen for AAA Detroit.

- Despite a slew of injuries, Halifax has worked their way into a first place tie with Cleveland in the North. The Sailors are hitting like crazy, leading the league with a .301 team average and 214 runs.

- Speaking of Halifax, did you know that 2B Josh Barfield has 409 career HR and nearly 600 career doubles?

- The pitching has improved as the weather has warmed, with 11 of the 16 teams in the league now sporting a team ERA under 5.00.

- But whose team is worst in the league in pitching? Atlanta.

- Why did no one want Dennis Dennis Jr. last year? He's been resurgent in Cleveland, with a 1.077 OPS and team leading 12 homers.

- Paris' Stu Watwood is batting over .400 after 33 games.

- San Juan has shot past Savannah to take first place in the South. Rookie Charlie Proly is still raking, which is good news for Senadores fans, but bad news for.....

-.....prospect Len Thymne, who, despite hitting .383/.491/.850 for AAA Caracas, is stuck behind Proly on the depth chart. Thymne is averaging a home run every 7.8 at-bats, and an extra base hit every 4.75 at-bats.

- NCAA stats and rosters will be posted this weekend. Stay tuned.

News & Notes - May 3, 2020

2009-03-17T10:31:00.003-05:00

Around the league....

- Panic in Atlanta? After a 9-15 start, the Flyers front office made an unusually large number of roster moves in hopes of shaking the team out of its funk. Rookie starter Al Krieger (1-3) was released, with Fred Bordick getting the call up to fill his rotation spot. Con Brack, who was lost in the Rule 5 draft a few seasons back, was resigned to Charleston, as were longtime Bedford farmhands Bill Claire and Frank Dean. Bordick won his major league debut, allowing 3 ER in 7 1/3 IP despite walking 5.

- Chiang Mai got some much needed help on offense this week, as Trevor Bayne and Joe Belinda rejoined the lineup. Belinda went 5 for 11 with a HR and Bayne went 2 for 12 with a stolen base in the weekend series against Halifax. The Kwaan won 1 of the 3 contests.

- Cleveland and Scotland completed the first trade of the 2020 regular season, swapping a total of 6 pitchers in the deal. Scotland acquired starter Mike Miller, who is 0-2, 5.23 after signing a 3 year, $18 million deal with the Dawgs this winter, as well as relievers Mark Romanczuk and Brandon Durden. In exchange, Cleveland landed starter Ron Mexico, reliever Rudolph Quinonez, and prospect Hank Cole.

- Taipei holds onto 2nd place in the Far East, despite a lineup that won't hit and three rookies in the starting rotation. The Tai Fong are hitting just .240 as a team, with Hickey and Hildenbrand unable to find their groove. Derek Ballinger, the rookie filling in for the injured Chris Fetter, was blasted in his major league debut, but had a nice outing his 2nd time out.

- What happened to Scott Davis? The Baltimore hurler had a great minor league career, and put up a solid rookie season in 2019. Now he's 0-3 with an 11.72 ERA, giving up 40 hits and 9 walks in 25 IP. EDIT: Apparently the Panthers are fed up with Davis, and he has been moved to long relief. Jacob Voorhees was called up to take his rotation spot.

- The success of rookie Don Erickson (1B, BED) has spelled the end for Basil Elton-John, who was demoted to Detroit on Sunday. Basil never lived up to the hype (or the legacy of his father, Nigel, who hit 497 HR for the now defunct Simulated Baseball Association [SimBA]).

- London's Diego Clemente hasn't shown much power this season, but he has 20 walks (compared to 18 strikeouts), for a .397 OBP.

- Early front runners for ROY awards look to be RF Charlie Proly (SJ), who is hitting .358/.419/.600 with 5 HR and 25 RBI, and SP Mike Wolmers (CLE), who is 4-0, 1.24 with 27 K's and a sub-1.00 WHIP.

News & Notes - April 27, 2020

2009-03-15T11:47:00.002-05:00

Around the league this week...

- Darren Lemming finally hit a homer this week....

- ...but Atlanta is in last place in the South (and is tied for worst record in the league) due mostly to the failures of the starting rotation. Bailey has been his usually dominant self, but Krieger, Plantier and Delmas have been beaten around early on.

- Baltimore has roared to an 11-8 record despite it's three young starters having rough starts. Cepeda (5.96), Putnam (8.44) and Davis (11.74) are 3-6 combined, but the team has been bailed out by Romero and DeVries (plus some lights out bullpen work).

- The surprise team of the season so far remains Cleveland, who has cut their team ERA nearly in half from a year ago. Rookie Mark Wolmers continues to dazzle, starting his career 3-0 with a 1.23 ERA. Wolmers has a first round pick of Baltimore in 2019, but traded to Cleveland for Ricardo Romero. Free Agent Mark McCormick has also dominated (2-0, 1.13)

- We knew losing Prior, Verlander and Santana would hurt, but who expected Halifax's team ERA to bloom to 5.21? 2019 holdovers Kazmir, Miller and Graves have been rocked.

- Yes, Ireland has had as many as 6 rookies in their starting lineup, and they've taken the good (Chmolak, Cartee) with the bad (Miskik, Izumigawa) so far. Still, the team is over .500, thanks to Verlander picking up the pace and a revived bullpen (lead by rookie starter-turned-closer Yoshi Sasaki).

- Someone test Augustine Ortiz's urine, STAT.

- Osaka continues to be Bizarro World for pitchers; Sabathia's ERA is 6.00, while Greinke's is 1.93.

- Paris' William Bray (0-3, 10.65) is the early favorite for Goat of the Year.

- Ireland isn't the only team with a lot of rookie hitters; Savannah holds first place in the South thanks to the early contributions of guys like Giggie, Szucs and Hudnal.

- It's been a very different start for Taipei's two rookie starters; Mark Myers has hit the ground running, going 2-1, 2.86 early, while Rudy Ruettiger is getting destroyed (1-2, 12.00).

- Can we just give the Hitting Prospect of the Year award to San Juan's Len Thymne now? All he's done so far is hit .432/.563/.919 with 9 doubles, 9 HR, 29 RBI, and 21 walks in his first 85 PA's. That's Barry Bonds type numbers.

-

News & Notes - April 20, 2020

2009-03-13T15:18:00.002-05:00

Around the league....

- Atlanta superstar Darren Lemming has been held without a home run for the first 2 weeks of the season. Is he hiding an injury? Lemming also has 15 K's compared to just 1 walk.

- Cleveland's SP Mark McCormick has helped the Dawgs surprising start. He's 2-0, 1.06 in his first 3 starts (after going 11-9, 3.44 in Savannah last season).

- The Bedford Crunch have not recorded a single save so far this season.

- There's a power outage in Bedford, Chiang-Mai and London. The teams have hit 9, 8, and 7 home runs respectively. By comparison, Osaka has hit 34.

- On the other hand, there has been some early pitching misery for 50% of the league. 8 of the 16 teams in SLB have a team ERA above 5.00.

- Osaka's Jack Schalk has 9 HR, but only 11 RBI.

- Miguel Cabrera (SAV), Prince Fielder (OSKA), and Hank Blalock (BAL) have joined the 500 HR club.

- CC Sabathia (OSKA) is now the all time leader in K's (3252).

News & Notes - April 13, 2020

2009-03-11T13:27:00.002-05:00

Let's see what's happening in the first week of the 2020 season:

- Kyoto has brought the bats AND the pitching, scoring 42 runs in the first 7 games while the starting rotation has posted 7 quality starts. Les Beltre is 0-1 despite a 0.00 ERA (think unearned runs).
- The London vs. Chiang-Mai series was an injury fest, with five players knocked out between the two teams.
- Speaking of injuries, Halifax center fielder Gary Hamm fractured a bone in his neck sliding head first into 2nd base and is effectively out for the year.
- Have we ever seen a worse start for a pitching staff than this season's Osaka staff? They've given up 26 long balls in 66 IP, and the staff WHIP is nearly 2.00. Unbelievable.
- Halifax ace Scott Kazmir has been rocked in his first 2 outings, putting up a 9.00 ERA while surrendering 18 hits (3 HR) in 10 IP.
- After a promising September (and Spring Training), Ireland's rookie hitters are off to a slow start. The team is 4-3, but could be the break out team of the year if the hitting gets going.
- Rough week for Taipei newcomer Alex Hildenbrand. The former Dawg is just 2 for 25, both singles, for an 0.80/.148/.080 line in the first week.

SLB All-Pro team 2019

2009-01-26T20:14:00.001-06:00

Catcher
Tony Montana, Kyoto — .273/.315/.563 47 HR, 94 RBI
When did Kyoto turn into Osaka II? Three Bushido bruisers bashed more than 40 home runs, including Montana who spanked 47 out of the park. There is a dearth of decent-hitting catchers in the SLB, but Montana was the best of the bunch in 2019.

First Base
Hee Seop Choi, Paris — .335/.389/.684 58 HR, 152 RBI, 217 hits
Choi has long been one of the most feared, if not most underrated, players in the SLB and he put together a career year in 2019.

Second base
James Ewing, Atlanta — .316/.362/.580 35 HR, 113 RBI, 135 R, 51 SB
It was a strong year at the top for second basemen, and in the end Ewing’s combination of power and speed held of Stu Watwood of Paris and Cap Jackson of Chiang-Mai.

Shortstop
Kiko Brezovan, Halifax — .326/.360/.592 33 HR, 106 RBI, 113 R, 40 SB
The league’s best team had the league’s best shortstop in 2019. Brezovan broke out in a big way, and became the Sailor’s go-to-guy on offense.

Third base
Miguel Cabrera, Savannah — .303/.358/.578 43 HR, 112 RBI, 89 R
After a down year in 2018, Cabrera bounced back but also got stiff competition from Osaka rookie Ben Parker. In the end, Cabrera’s overall effort outweighed Parker’s “Osaka-effect” as the league’s best third baseman.

Left field
Matt Musser, San Juan — .340/.369/.626 31 HR, 23 3B, 110 RBI, 118 R, 232 H, 78 SB
San Juan may not have had the season we’ve all come to expect from them, but Musser didn’t disappoint. He had 232 hits — 110 of which went for extra bases. And when he found himself on first base, he just stole second anyway. He can do it all.

Center field
Darren Lemming, Atlanta — .352/.404/.710 48 HR, 19 3B, 150 RBI, 140 R, 40 SB
This was the most hotly-contested race, as it came down to Lemming and Philadelphia’s Jay Bruce. In the end, their production was basically equal, only Bruce had an extra 51 at bats, giving him essentially 11 extra games to reach his totals. As for Lemming, it’s just more of the same. Tons of hits, tons of power, tons of stolen bases and gold-glove defense. What more can you say?

Right field
Tex Austin, Cleveland — .333/.369/.657 51 HR, 138 RBI, 215 H
Austin flat out mashed the ball in 2019, ripping off 51 home runs and finishing third in the league in slugging percentage.

Starting Pitcher
Justin Verlander, Halifax — 20-4, 1.95 ERA, 201 Ks, 23 BBs
All Verlander did in 2019 was lead the SLB in wins and ERA and help Halifax to the league’s best record. What more could you ask for?
Homer Bailey, Atlanta — 20-3, 2.46 ERA, 229 Ks, 31 BBs
Once again, Bailey was his usual self. He piled up Ks and wins like a packrat and helped mitigate just how bad the rest of his rotation-mates were in 2019.
C.C. Sabathia, Osaka — 18-9, 3.30 ERA, 222 Ks, 37 BBs
It a shock to see Osaka dole out the cash for a pitcher in the offseason, but it paid off. Sure, other pitchers might have had slightly better ERAs, but none of them did it in Osaka. Sabathia’s season was a minor miracle.

Relief pitcher
Cliff Gatsby, Baltimore — 3-1, 2.61 ERA, 35 Ks, .174 opp avg.
Baltimore won a franchise-record 88 games in 2019, and Gatsby’s lockdown pitching at the end of games was a huge reason why.

News & Notes - September 20, 2019

2009-01-19T10:22:00.003-06:00

Just a week and a half left, so let's see where we stand:

- Halifax has the division and homefield advantage throughout the playoffs locked up.
- Atlanta and Baltimore both clinched playoff spots this series, but the division has not yet been decided. Atlanta's magic # is 6, and they play Baltimore in 6 of the final 9 games.
- Nothing clinched in the World League yet. London's recent hot streak has put them 2.5 up on Scotland with 9 to play. Scotland and London do not play again this year.
- In the Far East, Taipei is 6.5 up on Osaka, but some tepid September play has delayed the Tai Fong clinching their second straight division title. Scotland leads the Wild Card by three games over Osaka.

- Congratulations to Paris' Hee-Seop Choi, who is the first player in SLB history to hit 500 career home runs. Hank Blalock looked like the man to do it, but he's had a power outage recently, while the red hot Choi zoomed by to grab the honor. Choi leads the league in HR this season as well (52).
- Choi is also the first hitter to reach 1500 RBI.
- Halifax's Johan Santana joined the 200 win club this week. Only Prior (240), Sabathia (224) and Williams (208) have more career victories.
- Cap Jackson has broken his own Stolen Base record with 111 swipes on the year to date. Gregory Burns is on pace to break his record for strikeouts.

- Who is going to win the RHOY award? It's anyone's guess, as the league has seen it's best rookie class in history. Some candidates to consider:

Morton Henrikksen (ATL) - .311, 42 HR, 119 RBI
Matthew Hamman (CLE) - .311, 33 HR, 80 RBI
Stan Ford (KYO) - .275, 34 HR, 77 RBI
Ben Parker (OSKA) - .299, 39 HR, 109 RBI
Truck Chakales (OSKA) - .309, 37 HR, 83 RBI
Shuhei Iwata (TAI) - .303, 26 HR, 89 RBI

- The rookie pitchers aren't as plentiful, but Baltimore's Scott Davis (10-7, 3.87) and San Juan's Anthony Rodriguez (9-9, 4.26) look like the front runners.

- In an exciting battle for 3rd place, KYO and CHNG play 6 more times down the stretch. Who can avoid the cap hit? The league is eagerly anticipating this thrilling race.

News and Notes

2009-01-15T09:29:00.002-06:00

September 2, 2019

- The deadline has passed and we're into September callups.
- The Kyoto Bushido, currently in last place in the Far East, are taking a cue from OSA - a horrible record despite having three 40-HR hitters in their lineup (A Mule, M Hamilton and T Montana).
- HAL clinched a post-season berth with just three 30-HR hitters (S Archibald, K Brezovan and A Mertes).
- IRE, headed for their 3rd straight last-place finish in the Euro, are currently working on a major roster shakeup as they start September. After adding OF D Dennis on waivers last week, Invader GM Tony Blake is dealing with SLB head office to process unconditional releases on 10 players. "We're going young", said Blake. "What else do we have to lose? Even our self-respect vanished just after spring training."
- If BAL can hold off PHI for 25 more games (a 4.5 game lead in the WC), it will be the Panthers first post-season appearance since ..... (searching the archives) .... their inaugural season in 2004. They were then known as Atlantic City under GM R Shelley. 2004 was also their last season with a winning record.
- For the mathmatically challenged, that's 14 seasons between winning records for the Panthers.
- This year's Smoke and Mirrors award goes to: SCO. The Rebels are tied for 1st in the Euro despite being outscored by 44 runs, 627-671.
- The 20 Million Dollar Player (D Lemming of ATL)is handling the pressure of the big contract just fine. A 1.133 OPS with 43 HR and 29 SB and an error-free CF.
- CLE has a 5.94 team ERA with SP M Miller leading(?) the rotation at 5.18. Rookie RP J Green is the only Dawgs pitcher under 5 at 4.91.

2020 Free Agent List

2009-01-06T10:46:00.003-06:00

An incomplete list of Free Agents for the 2020 off season:

Starting Pitchers

Jeremy Affeldt
Homer Bailey +++
Jim Bauers
Josh Beckett
William Bray
Andrew Brown
Larry Brush
Brett Caldwell
Hank Daniels
Jason Davis
Sean Doolittle
Zach Greinke
Angel Guzman
Felix Hernandez
Luke Hochevar
Scott Kazmir
Byung Hyun Kim
Hong Chi Kuo
Rich Mangan
Mark McCormick
Mike Miller
Jake Peavy
Oliver Perez
Paul Phillips
Mark Prior ++++
Jon Rauch
Eric Ridener
Tim Spooneybarger
Justin Verlander
Carlos Zambrano

Relief Pitchers

Andy Abraham
Dick Briscoe
Chad Cordero
Cliff Gatsby
Craig Hansen
Brock Landers
Pedro Liriano
JJ Putz
Huston Street
Michiyo Towaki
Kyle Winters

Catchers

Jeffrey Clement
Earl Hickey
Bill Hitchcock
Kenji Johjima
Brian McCann
Brandon Snyder

First Basemen

Daniel Callahan
Ryan Howard
Boog Johnson
Dick Hare
Brad Miller
Justin Morneau
Ken Ryu

Second Basemen

Hubie Bluege
Marcus Giles
Tomas Hernandez
Paul Matthew

Third Basemen

Joshua Bell
Hank Blalock
Youliesky Gourriel
Edwin Jacobo
Bradley McCann
Jared Sandberg
Ryan Zimmerman

Shortstops

Jose Castillo
Dustin Kelly
Floyd Larkin
Whammy May
Kippy Sunderstrom
Garner Wetzel

Left Fielders

Eric Dalton
Alex Hilldenbrand
Todd Linden
Allen Martinez
Lastings Milledge
Antonio Mule
Laynce Nix
Jim Russell
Buck Swope

Center Fielders

Buzz Bliss
Peter Bourjos
Milton Bradley
Charles Carter
Bob Corcoran
Hunter Dravinger
Joseph Dyches
Darin Ford
Todric Johnson
Andruw Jones
Chris Kolkhorst

Right Fielders

Joe Belinda
Elmer Davie
Will Hunting
Craig Johnson
Brandon Leahy
Delmon Young

Midseason Reports 2019

2008-12-17T16:09:00.003-06:00

NORTH DIVISION

It's already a run away for SLB's best team, Halifax. The good news for Philly is that they're right in the thick of the AL Wildcard race. The bad news for Bedford and Cleveland is that they're about 1000 games out of first place and have no chance to do anything....unless the race for 3rd does something for you. So yeah, this thing is pretty much done.

Halifax has a ridiculous 3.40 team ERA, which is on pace to break the league record. There are three legit Cy Young contenders in the rotation, with Justin Verlander (11-1, 1.52) the favorite to win. The bullpen is bad outside of Gudex, but that hasn't seemed to be a problem so far. The offense is entirely mediocre, but they don't need to do much to win on most days. Philly has a better offense and a worse pitching staff, but stay competitive and are not far behind in the WC race. Evan Longoria is having a career year, while Jay Bruce continues to dominate. Will Hunting was out for a month, hampering the lineup. Bedford is bad on nearly every level, yet remain out of the basement. They're last in team average and runs and have the second worst team ERA. Cleveland has THE worst team ERA, which has been enough to keep them in last place. Some of the hitting has been great as a young nucleus (Austin, Hamman, Hillenbrand) continues to produce in the middle of the order. The pitching is off the charts bad, however, as the youth lag behind the hitters in adapting to the major league game.

SOUTH DIVISION

Not quite as big a blow out as the North, but Atlanta has a comfortable double digit lead in the division. The rest of the South is bunched up, all fighting for the Wild Card (or staying out of last, which aren't too far apart at this point). The offense is great, as Darren Lemming flirts with another Triple Crown and James Ewing puts up some crazy power numbers. The pitching is really hit or miss, with Homer Bailey (12-1, 1.97) a strong contender for Cy Young on the plus side, and Tucker and Krieger (both with ERA's north of 6.00) on the negative. The Flyers have a great bullpen - a rarity in this league. Just 6 games separate the WC leader from last place. Savannah had a great June and have taken the lead, riding the hot hitting of Cabrera/Leahy and the dominant starting rotation, headlined by Humber and Willis. Baltimore continues to build on their farm system, with hitters like Atwood and Vanderwal taking up the reins from Pujols, McPherson and Guerrero. Rookie Mike Wells has been a big surprise offensively. Putnam, Cepeda and DeVries have been good but inconsistent, and the bullpen is pretty spotty. San Juan is still in the hunt, but has suffered from low morale after team leader Floyd Larkin went down early in the year. Swirling rumors about Dennis Dennis Jr.'s future with the team have also served to destabilize a normally dominant lineup. The rotation is solid, with rookie Anthony Rodriguez putting up pretty good numbers.

EURO DIVISION

After London lead for most of the year, Scotland has "lucked" their way into first place at the break. The Rebels have scored just 3 more runs than they have allowed, but have managed to go 10 over .500 to this point. Will their record skew back to the numbers? The team lacks any one player that makes you say "Wow", though Matisse and King Felix have been good. London continues to hit the crap out of the ball, with all 8 regular hitters in double digits in HR and 6 slugging over .500. Free agent pickup Michael Pelfrey is putting up a career year (10-1, 3.07) while Bray and Gaudin continue to pitch well. Paris has disappointed thus far, though injuries to Jerome Williams and Ryne Robinson have taken a pair of All-Star players out of action. The team hits home runs, but outside of MVP candidate Choi, none seem to drive in many runs outside of the long ball. Dennis Tankersly is getting shelled in Paris, and the bullpen is an eyesore. Ireland was looking better there for awhile, but they've recently slumped back to 11 under .500. The starting rotation is really good, but the bullpen is atrocious and there isn't enough thump in the lineup.

FAR EAST DIVISION

For the 87th straight season, this division sucks. Taipei and Osaka are tied for first with .500 records, and a week ago all four teams were under the break even point. Despite all the talent in the division, every team has glaring issues. Osaka's offense is great (shocked?), but it's rookie Ben Parker leading the way. The Ronin have three rookies putting up great numbers, including Rule 5 pick Truck Chakeles. Parker, just one year out college, could be the first player to win ROY and MVP in the same season. While Osaka's pitching is still pretty bad, they have seen positive results from free agent signings Sabathia and Mahara. Taipei is lead by 35 year old Jose Reyes (WUT?) who somehow leads the team in HR and SLG. This is a pretty light hitting team overall, though there are some big bats waiting in AAA. Higuera and Fetter continue to impress, while FA addition Ubardo has lived up to his contract. Mid-season acquisition Scott Kazmir has done everything but win since coming from Bedford. Kyoto has been victim to horrible luck....again. They are +9 in run differential but sit at 9 games under .500. The Bushido seem to excel at winning in blowouts, but their piss poor pen has lost them a league leading 20 one-run games. Rookie Stan Ford leads the league with 30 HR, but he's not in the top 15 in RBI. Drew Stubbs has filled in very well for the injured Cray Boggs, making for an overcrowded OF. Outside of Jake Peavy, the rotation has been very good, but oh that bullpen. Chiang Mai has a good offense but abysmal pitching. Their best starter (Degerman) is hurt, while most of the pen are giving up runs in bunches.

MIDSEASON AWARDS

MVP: Darren Lemming
Cy Young: Justin Verlander
RHOY: Ben Parker
RPOY: Rene Delmas

MIDSEASON PREDICTIONS

NORTH: Halifax
SOUTH: Atlanta
EURO: London
FAR EAST: Osaka
WILDCARDS: Savannah, Scotland
WORLD SERIES: Atlanta over London

Darin's Far East preview

2008-12-03T12:19:00.000-06:00

What happened last year: Major Upgrade: a team with a winning record won the division. That said, the division was completely lame; Taipei outplayed their numbers and everyone else underperformed terribly. Lot's of offense, little pitching. Taipei got some surprising starting pitching (including Roy Higuera and RPOY Chris Fetter) to go with their young hitting. The Tai Fong were just happy to make the playoffs for the first time ever, gracefully bowing out to the far superior Paris team in the WLDS. Kyoto had the best pitching in the division, especially after landing lefty ace CC Sabathia from Ireland in July. It wasn't enough, as the Bushido blew their chance in a weak division. Chiang Mai went trade happy in July, adding Ben Sheets, Daniel Pursel and Chest Rockwell; the team went into an immediate tailspin and finished 9 back. Osaka....woof. Offense was great (Brown and Fielder were crazy good) but the pitching was almost historically bad. The "allow 8 runs but score 10" gameplan proved faulty, and the Ronin finished in dead last.

What happened in the offseason: Taipei took their first division title seriously, adding free agents El Ron Ubardo to the rotation and retaining Maple and Posedel for reasonable contracts. Kyoto lost Gudex and Sabathia to free agency and got outbid on pretty much every pitcher they negotiated with. GM Darin Keesing had to go the trade route, trading 3B prospect Shuhei Iwata to Taipei for a trio of arms, and sending Ed See to Paris for Les Beltre and Youliesky Gourriel. Chiang Mai kept Cap Jackson, and then added some minor parts like Adam Wainwright and Carl Crawford. Osaka had a ton of money to spend, and after failing to land Darren Lemming, spread the cash around to free agents like CC Sabathia, Tosekawa Mahara and their RFA's (Brown/Peppers).

What will happen this year: The top teams didn't get better, so expect another division winner with 80-86 wins. Is Taipei for real, or will they regress to rebuilding status? If the starting pitching holds up, the Tai Fong should be right in the thick of things. Kyoto always looks good on paper, but will they ever live up to their potential? Rookie Stan Ford steps in to the clean up spot in the order, giving the team 4 or 5 legit 30 HR guys. The young bullpen could be their undoing. Chiang Mai has arguably the best offense top to bottom, but the pitching took a hit. It's Krueger, Degerman, then three days of praying. Osaka will put up runs as always, but will the big ticket free agent pitchers get the team back on top? Sabathia and Mahara are a good start, but when your 3-5 are Ojeda, Lambert and Gibson, you're pretty well effed.

Division's 5 best pitchers: 1. Jordan Auerbach (KYO), 2. C.C. Sabathia (OSKA), 3. Jake Peavy (KYO), 4. Chris Fetter (TAI), 5. Eddie Krueger (CHNG)

Division's 5 best batters: 1. LF Rueben Brown (OSKA), 2. 1B Dave Peppers (OSKA), 3. LF Antonio Mule (KYO), 4. RF Joe Belinda (CHNG), 5. CF Tom Maple (TAI)

Division's 5 best prospects: 1. RF Stan Ford (KYO), 2. 3B Ben Parker (OSKA) 3. 3B Shuhei Iwata (TAI), 4. P Derrek Ballinger (TAI), 5. CF Dreshon Murray (CHNG)

Predicted Order of Finish: 1. Kyoto, 2. Taipei, 3. Chiang Mai, 4. Osaka

Darin's Euro preview

2008-12-03T12:17:00.000-06:00

What happened last year: London cruised to 102 wins and the Euro Division crown, but lost the WLCS to Paris. The Pimpernels won 90 games of their own, easily taking the WL Wildcard and pushing Halifax to seven games in the World Series. Scotland showed flashes of brilliance, but ended with a losing record, while Ireland looked completely overmatched all season. The London offense was amazing, with seven regulars hitting over .300. Delmon Young had a career year, smacking 46 HR and driving in 139 runs. Warren McFadden won the Euro MVP with his 91 XBH and 71 steals, and Russell, Clemente and McNulty were all outstanding. Solid starting pitching and a great bullpen gave London their best team in franchise history. For Paris, Choi and Dunn lead the way for an offense that scored less than a typical Pimpernel lineup. Williams and Pavano were good in the rotation, but the rest of the staff was pretty rough. Pretty good power in Scotland's lineup, but the team had trouble putting together big innings. Ireland was young and bad, again, with the super expensive pitchers unable to do enough.

What happened in the offseason: London lost their best two starters to free agency (Volstad to Ireland, Mahara to Osaka), but added Michael Pelfrey and Dante Inferno. Paris added Dennis Tankersly, Theodore Unger and Kendry Morales via free agency, and then acquired 3B Ed See from Kyoto (for Youliesky Gourriel and Les Beltre). Ireland beefed up their rotation, adding Kevin Thompson and Chris Volstad while retaining Bobby Brownlie. Scotland did little more than retain their restricted free agents

What will happen this year: London's offense returns fully intact and should put up huge numbers once again. The question for the Knights will be pitching, with a rotation full of #3 starters. The bullpen should be pretty good. Their main competition will once again be Paris, who has a ton of depth in pitching and the potential for a dynamic offense. Kendry Morales will hit 50 HR...you heard it here first. Scotland might be decent, but they just aren't built to compete with the big boys in the division. Wily Mo Pena is the cleanup hitter. Yikes. Ireland might be interesting if the young hitting ever develops. There are a ton of high draft picks here, but not enough have stepped up as offensive superstars. At least the starting pitching will be better.

Division's 5 best pitchers: 1. Jerome Williams (PAR), 2. Josh Beckett (IRE), 3. Chris Volstad (IRE), 4. Bobbie Brownlie (IRE), 5. Horacio Ramirez (PAR)

Division's 5 best batters: 1. SS Diego Clemente (LON), 2. CF Warren McFadden (LON), 3. CF Ryne Robinson (PAR), 4. LF Jim Russell (LON), 5. RF Pablo Matisse (SCOT)

Division's 5 best prospects: 1. SP Yoshi Sasaki (IRE), 2. C Jack Berry (IRE), 3. 2B Augustine Ortiz (LON), 4. RP Mike Hatcher (SCOT), 5. SS Alex Escavedo (SCOT)

Order of Finish: 1. London, 2. Paris, 3. Scotland, 4. Ireland

News & Notes - May 10, 2019

2008-11-15T14:38:00.002-06:00

Apparently Lars has quit, so I'll do one of these things. Moral: Never trust a Canadian to do an American's job.

Around the League this week:

- The gap between the have's and have-not's widens this season, as just 6 teams (ATL, HAL, BAL, PHI, LON and TAI) have winning records. 6 of the 8 World League teams are under .500.

- SLB's "luckiest" team is at it again; Taipei, who had the greatest positive discrepancy vs. their pythagorean record in 2018, is 15 games over .500 despite a run differential of just +24. The least lucky team? Kyoto, who is 9 games under despite having a +4 run diff.

- A lot of Kyoto's failures have come in one-run games, where they are a league worst 3-10. "We feared this would happen," said pitching coach Kazuhiro Sasaki. "We have a very young bullpen, and they just haven't stepped up in the close games." Atlanta is the league's best team in close games, posting a 10-2 record in one-run affairs.

- Taipei's Scott Kazmir had a perfect game through 6 innings this week, but after throwing just 70 pitches, was pulled. Kazmir, who was just acquired by the Tai Fong in a deal with Bedford, refused to bad mouth his new team. "Coach said he thought the game was well in hand and wanted me to rest up for my next start," said a visibly irritated Kazmir. "I've got to do what I'm told." The bullpen finished out a combined no-hitter and Kazmir won his first decision of the season (after an 0-5 start).

- Matt Porter, a rookie starter who headed to Bedford in the Kazmir deal, pitched 7 innings of 2-hit, shutout ball in his Bedford debut.

- For the first time in forever, we have a heated race for RPOY. The early front-runners for the award include Rene Delmas (ATL, 4-1, 2.98), Anthony Rodriguez (SJ, 3-1, 3.38) and Chico Salazar (SAV, 1-2, 2.88).

- Front-runners for RHOY include Morton Henrikksen (ATL, .350, 9, 28), Mike Wells (BAL, .343, 4, 20), Stan Ford (KYO, .267, 9, 22), and Ben Parker (.282, 14, 31).

- SAV's Miguel Cabrera has extended his league record career hit total past 2700 and doubles total to 834. TAI's Jose Reyes is 45 runs shy of 1500.

- Jerome Williams is the third pitcher in league history to top 200 wins. The Paris hurler stands at 206, with CC Sabathia at 209 and Mark Prior at 229. Prior is just 9 K's short of joining the 3000 strikeout club; he would join Josh Beckett (3094) and Sabathia (3074).

Power Rankings - April 29th, 2019

2008-11-13T06:49:00.000-06:00

1st - London Knights (15-11) – James McNulty .352 / 1.088 – 4th year player. McNulty is having a career year, leading the Knights in Home Runs. Once again, I am not sure why he bats so far down. Rank 1st.
2nd - Atlanta Flyers (18-7) – Justin Morneau .200 / .599 John Twain .286 / .962 - $200,000 veteran and a 4th year player respectively. Morneau’s early struggles have given Twain another shot. If Twain struggles, could we see a midseason call-up, Harnisch maybe? Rank 8th.
3rd - San Juan Senadores (16-10) – JR Lederle .211 / .623 – Rookie. With the injury to Larkin, San Juan shifted the Miller’s around giving Lederle playing time. This could cost them in the long run. RFank 15th.
4th - Taipei Tai Fong (18-8) – Dan Posedel .330 / .892 – Brand new 3 year / $13.5 million contract. Not a huge HR hitter, but can get you that extra base hit when needed. Rank 5th.
5th - Halifax Sailors (16-11) – Allan Mertes (vs. R) .288 / .765 Johnathan Zizzo (vs. L) .192 / .526 – 3rd and 4th year players respectively. Halifax has never been a big spender at 1B, instead relying on the natural depth that exists in the league. The platoon trial is about to come to a screeching halt, as Mertes clearly deserves the playing time ahead of Zizzo. Rank 10th.
6th - Paris Pimpernels (12-15) – Hee Seop Choi .315 / .983 – Perhaps one of the best 1B values at 3.25 million per year, Choi has found a great home in Paris. Still, at age 39, one wonders how many more years (months) Choi actually has. Rank 3rd.
7th - Scotland Rebels (14-14) – Henry Sanchez .186 / .614 – 4th year player. The once pride of the Kyoto farm system has never lived up to potential. Sosa or Gladden should get significant playing time soon. Rank 16th.
8th - Chiang Mai Kwaan (11-15) – Daniel Callahan .317 / .746 - 6th season. Callahan is not having the year he needs to grab that big contract in the off-season. Having zero Home Runs from a 1B position is not what any team is looking for. Rank 11th.
9th - Cleveland Dawgs (14-13) – Matthew Hamman .288 / .813 – Rookie. Considering the lack of depth on this team, Hamman is a nice find. Too bad he is struggling so bad against lefties. Cleveland is trying different combinations to make up for that.
10th - Osaka Ronin (11-16) – Prince Fielder .260 / .766 – To pay a slugger like Fielder $6 million a year, have him travel to Osaka, and then hit worse than normal is just a large insult to management. Rank 9th.
11th - Savannah Sabers (12-13) – Charlie Splittorff .339 / 1.016 – 3rd year player. After a terrible rookie performance, Splittorff has been on fire. Not sure why he’s not batting higher in the line-up. Rank 4th.
12th - Ireland Invaders (12-16) – Nicholas Weglarz .310 / .859 – 3rd year player. Just the opposite of Kyoto, Weglarz is having a career year. Although Nicholas has always had some pop, he has never had a great stroke at the plate. Rank 6th.
13th - Baltimore Panthers (14-10) – John Atwood .341 / 1.048 - 3rd year player. Atwood is picking up the slack for all of the offensive retirements suffered by the Panthers. Throw in a couple of stolen bases as well. If Baltimore is going to rebuild, Atwood could be a corner stone or, frankly, might have great trade value in the SLB this year with so many 1B’s struggling. Rank 2nd.
14th -Philadelphia Fever (11-13) – Ken Ryu (vs. L) .214 / .660 Gregory Golson (vs. R) .185 / .571 – Two veterans are platooning for the Fever. Neither can hit a right-handed pitcher. Maybe we can add their stats together… Rank 14th.
15th - Kyoto Bushido (9-17) – Mark Hamilton .212 / .676 – 4th year player. Kyoto can’t catch a break, as Mark Hamilton is having his worse by far. Someone who has a career .900 OP’s does not normally hit 300 points below. There must be an injury Kyoto is keeping secret. Rank 13th.
16th - Bedford Crunch (6-20) – Basil Elton-John .240 / .722 - 5th year player. Basil has always had a Home Run swing. 1 out of every 5 hits leaves the ballpark. Not quite having the season Bedford was hoping for. Rank 12th.

Hot Stove Heater: American League South (Dylan)

2008-11-02T12:55:00.000-06:00

What happened last year: While Halifax and London won their divisions by double digits, and Taipei won the Far East's battle of attrition, Atlanta and San Juan actually had a competitive, well-played fight to the finish.
In the end, Atlanta finished on top, going 98-62, four games ahead of San Juan's 94-66 mark.
Baltimore? Need you even ask? The Panthers finished 77-83. Savannah ended in last, with a 73-87 record.
The Flyers and the Senadores fought tooth and nail till the final day of the regular season — and then fought some more in the first round of the playoffs. Atlanta knocked out SJ four games to one before bowing out to Halifax in the ALCS.
For the Flyers in the regular season, it was more of the same. Darren Lemming continued his assault on the record books, Curt Smaza (34 home runs) and Justin Morneau (32) cranked out over 30 bombs, the Flyers scored 1004 runs (not a typo), and, oh yeah, Homer Bailey and Carlos Zambrano combined for a 36-13 record.
For the negatives ... Ryan Tucker and Al Krieger, long assumed to be the heirs to the Bailey/Zambrano throne, struggled a bit. Tucker finished with a 4.26 ERA and Krieger went 10-16 with a 5.83 mark. God bless run support, Tucker went 17-5.
San Juan's offense was quite as high-powered as the Flyers' (the Senadores crossed the plate 876 times, good for sixth in SLB) but they scored enough to tide over a pretty fierce staff (4.61 ERA, good for fifth in the league).
Shortstop Floyd Larkin pulled a Diego Clemente and hit 39 home runs with 140 RBIs and 28 stolen bases. And he didn't even lead the team in OPS. Left fielder Matt Musser hit .345 with 25 homers and 27 triples, good for an OPS of 1.001. As if that weren't enough, he stole 62 bases, too.
Jeff Niemann finally lived up to his potential, going 17-6 with a 3.67 ERA and 223 strikeouts and Kevin Thompson, acquired in a trade from Taipei (who acquired him in a trade from CHNG), finished 11-10 but posted a 3.48 ERA.
Oh Baltimore. It has to be hard being the Panthers. They got years out of Frank Vanderwal (.348 average!!!!??), Albert Pujols, Dallas McPherson and John Atwood that the fans had been clamoring for. Dennis Tankersly, Zach Putnam and Ben Cepeda pitched very well, the bullpen was, at worst, average, and yet the Panthers had to wake up every day in the same division with Atlanta and San Juan.
Same for Savannah. They had the same ERA as San Juan (and 0.01 better than Atlanta, too), but scored 108 fewer runs than the Senadores. What does that get you? See: last place.
The Sabres' offense hit just 195 homers, fewer than every team except Taipei (182) and Halifax (187). Ironically, both those teams went to the postseason. Their offense was "led" by Miguel Cabrera (who underperformed) and the two-headed monster of Zach Tobin and Brandon Leahy. Not exactly fearsome.
Phillip Humber (15-7, 3.36 ERA, 199 Ks) was one of the better pitchers in the entire league and Dontrelle Willis made 22 starts and posted a 2.90 ERA.

What happened in the offseason: Not a whole hell of a lot, honestly. Despite a run made by Osaka at Darren Lemming (would he have hit 100 homers for the Ronin?), Atlanta matched an unprecedented $20 million deal. Atlanta also matched on K-Rod, while San Juan matched on Jeff Niemann and watched late-season pick up Kevin Thompson go. Savannah signed John Mayberry, the only move of note that the Sabers (and Baltimore, for that matter) made.

What will happen in 2019: Atlanta will get better pitching from Tucker and Krieger and will again hold off San Juan by just a few games, while Baltimore and Savannah will finish well below the two standard bearers. Lemming will continue his assault on the record books and will finish the season with over 450 home runs.

Top 5 pitchers:
Homer Bailey, Atlanta
Zach Putnam, Baltimore
Phillip Humber, Savannah
Carlos Zambrano, Atlanta
Jeff Niemann, San Juan

Top 5 hitters:
Darren Lemming, Atlanta
Floyd Larkin, San Juan
Matt Musser, San Juan
D2J, San Juan
Miguel Cabrera, Savannah

Top 5 prospects
Josh Rodriguez, Atlanta
Morton Henrikksen, Atlanta
Anthony Rodriguez, San Juan
Charlie Proly, San Juan
Virgil Johnson, Baltimore

Predicted order of finish
Atlanta, San Juan, Savannah, Baltimore

Hot Stove Heater: American League South (Darin)

2008-11-02T12:54:00.000-06:00

What happened last year: San Juan and Atlanta battled in the most hotly contested division race in the league, with the Flyers hanging on in the end and the Senadores snatching the wildcard. Neither won the pennant. Baltimore showed some improvement, posting a winning record on the road (and vs. the WL) but they failed to finish with a winning record for the 13th straight year. Savannah brought up the rear after a down year from several key players. Atlanta superstar Darren Lemming won his 4th MVP award and the league's first ever Triple Crown with his ludicrous .381, 54, 145 line. Homer Bailey had another Cy Young caliber season (17 wins, 251 K's) while Zambrano won 19. Baltimore saw three veterans hang it up after the season; Pujols, Guerrero and McPherson all called it a day, with the latter making the Hall of Fame. Surprisingly good starting pitching on the Panthers kept them respectable. San Juan's young offense clicked all year, with Larkin putting up legit MVP numbers. Five San Juan pitchers eclipsed 10 wins. Savannah's offense was anemic, finishing last in the AL in runs and homers. Phillip Humber was dominating as usual, and reliever Wade Townsand managed to collect 16 decisions in just 80 IP.

What happened in the offseason: The South saw some pitching head overseas. Baltimore veteran Dennis Tankersly signed with Paris, while San Juan hurler Kevin Thompson inked a deal in Ireland. The Panthers signed Jed Lowrie, who put up great numbers in the spring and will replace McPherson. After leaving him unprotected in the Rule 5 draft, Atlanta sent a draft pick to Ireland to reacquire Rene Delmas, who is penciled into their rotation despite getting roughed up this spring. San Juan continued to shop Dennis Dennis around, but has had no takers.

What will happen this year: Looks like more of the same, though San Juan looks the best on paper. Their offense is hitting their prime and the starting pitching is the best top to bottom. Atlanta will have a terrific offense, but the back end of the rotation and bullpen are looking like danger spots. Seeing Guerrero and McPherson retire is probably a blessing in disguise for the Panthers, who have failed to fully commit to a youth movement. We'll see if their young and talented rotation can finally get the team a winning record. Savannah needs a lot of help and will continue to struggle; expect them to be active on the trade market.

Division's 5 best pitchers: 1. Homer Bailey (ATL), 2. Zach Putnam (BAL), 3. Phillip Humber (SAV), 4. Carlos Zambrano (ATL), 5. Alvin Dailey (SJ)

Division's 5 best batters: 1. CF Darren Lemming (ATL), 2. SS Floyd Larkin (SJ), 3. RF Dennis Dennis Jr. (SJ), 4.CF Buzz Bliss (SJ), 5. 2B Curt Smaza (ATL)

Division's 5 best prospects: 1. 3B Josh Rodriguez (ATL), 2. SP Anthony Rodriguez (SJ), 3. SP Chico Salazar (SAV), 4. RF Charlie Proly (SJ), 5. SP Peanuts Plantier (ATL)

Order of Finish: 1. SJ, 2. ATL, 3. BAL, 4. SAV

Hot Stove Heater: American League North (Dylan)

2008-11-02T12:52:00.000-06:00

Dylan

What happened in 2018: Halifax ran away with the division, winning 98 games - second most in SLB - and eventually taking the World Series four games to three over Paris. The Sailors swung a masterful deal in June, dealing, well, not much of anything to Chiang for Mark Prior. The big righty had struggled in the Far East, but righted his ship once he made the move and helped Halifax to its first championship since 2012. The Sailors got strong seasons from basically their entire offense and received fantastic years from Prior (13-10, 3.77 ERA), Cy Young winnerJohan Santana (20-1, 3.34) and El Ron Ubardo (13-8, 3.35).
Bedford and Philly finished with identical 77-83 records and missed the playoffs. The Fever put on an offensive show, Andy Hunter (53 home runs, 143 RBIs, 112 runs) supplied most of the power while Jay Bruce (.349 average, 144 runs, 44 doubles, 30 triples, 36 home runs, 105 RBIs and 36 stolen bases) turned in one of the most complete seasons in SLB history and won the division's MVP award. Where did it go wrong? No pitcher had an ERA under 4.52. When your best ERA is turned in by a guy named Phil Coughty, you know you're in trouble. Rich Harden disappointed with a 5.32 ERA - his worst since 2005. The pitching staff erased any chance of a Fever postseason.
For Bedford, its problems appropriately mirrored Philly's. The offense was solid - though not as spectacular as the Fever's - but the pitching staff fell apart. Luke Hochevar (9-7, 3.32) was great and Ted Striker was solid (12-9, 4.06) but the Crunch failed to get meaningful innings out of any other pitcher until Connors Graham tossed 18.2 innings of 1.93 ERA ball late in the season.
Todric Johnson (.326/.371/.610) mashed and Basil Elton-John smoked 35 home runs in just 477 at bats, but the hitting couldn't overcome the meager pitching.
Where to start for Cleveland? They won just 69 games, worst in the American League. Their offense was middle of the road. Their pitching? In a word, it was miserable. Only Osaka (6.64) had a worse ERA than the Dawgs' 5.72 mark. Mike Miller was the "headliner" with his 13-11, 4.54 performance. Someone named Chas Keohane was allowed to log 110 innings of 7.28 ERA, a number that would make even Osaka wince. More embarrassing than even that woeful mark was the 72.1 innings of 10.58 (TEN FIFTY EIGHT) ERA that Maurice Rodriguez threw up (literally). This staff's performance better have cost someone a job, that's all I can say.
The offense fared much better. Tex Austin (.313/.374/.625, 48-126) had a fantastic season, Alex Hildebrand stole 34 bases and hit .331/.372/.591 with 32 home runs and when healthy, catcher Neil Walker (.342/.405/.578) mashed.
On the flipside, Juan Pierre hit .205 but was somehow allowed to steal 293 at bats. Overall, it was just a disaster for Cleveland.

What happened in the offseason: Halifax, riding high off its championship season, re-signed Justin Upton, grabbed reliever Tim Gudex out of Kyoto and signed Josh Barfield. They did let Ubardo go out east to Taipei, but pitching was not their problem last year and Gudex will help shore up their bullpen.
Philly re-signed third baseman Evan Longoria, whose talent has never matched his production, and in an appropriate move, signed Doug Waechter from Bedford. The Crunch tossed deals at mediocre pitching, apparently hoping to steal the San Juan playbook of "hit a lot and get pitching performances from nobodies" while Cleveland grabbed reliever Reed Rothchild to strengthen the pen and got a potential steal in signing the always-disappointing but apparently renewed Matt Bush for under $2 million a season.

What will happen in 2019: Halifax will again run away with the division. That's it in a nutshell. They won 21 more games than anyone else in the North last year and they should do it again this year. I wouldn't say that they got appreciably better from last season to this season, but they didn't get worse and that should get it done considering that no one else in the division got better, either. Philly and Bedford still can't pitch and neither can Cleveland. Someone tell Sailors' GM Larsen Cain to set his alarm for when the playoffs start. He can nap until then.

Predicted order of finish:
Halifax, Philly, Bedford, Cleveland.

Top 5 pitchers
Mark Prior - Halifax
Johan Santana - Halifax
Luke Hochevar - Bedford
Justin Verlander - Halifax
Rich Harden - Philly

Top 5 Hitters
1. Jay Bruce - Philly
2. Tex Austin - Cleveland
3. Andy Hunter - Philly
4. Justin Upton - Halifax
5. Alex Hildebrand - Cleveland

Top 5 prospects
1. Jason Wilber - Philly
2. Samuel Archibald - Halifax
3. Hunter Johnson - Bedord
4. Dante Bichette Jr. - Cleveland
5. Greg Moore - Halifax

Hot Stove Heater: American League North (Darin)

2008-11-02T12:44:00.003-06:00

Darin

What happened last year: It was a one horse race for most of the season, with World Champion Halifax clearly a cut above the rest. By season's end, the Sailors were
the only team with a winning record (their 98 wins tied with Atlanta for most in the American League) and they lead the division in both runs and team ERA. Halifax's offense was all about spreading the wealth (damn socialists!!!), with no hitter breaking 100 RBI, but five collecting 80+. The story of the pitching staff was Johan Santana, who won the Cy Young and almost went undefeated for the year. The rest of the rotation all won 11 or more games, while the bullpen managed to bend but not break in close games. Notable performances from other North Division players included Cleveland's explosive young right fielder Tex Austin (48 HR, 126 RBI) and the entire Philly outfield; Hunting, Bruce and Hunter combined for 373 runs, 110 HR and 360 RBI. Amazing. Bedford had good team speed as five different hitters had 20 or more steals.

What happened in the offseason: Not a lot of player movement in the North this offseason. Halifax lost El Ron Ubardo to Taipei, but signed lefty Tim Gudex to a rich contract. Cleveland beefed up it's woeful bullpen with the additions of William Buckner, Brandon Durden and Reed Rothchild, while Philly added Doug Waechter and Bedford rolled the dice on some vets.

What will happen this year: On paper, it looks like Halifax's division to lose again. A full year with Prior, Santana and Verlander in the rotation pegs them as easy favorites, and if they can get some good bullpen performances out of their stockpile of young arms, 90 wins should be easy. Cleveland is going to have a tremendous offense, but will their pitching keep them in games? Young guys like Voorhees and Rule 5 pickup Joe Archer need to step it up in a big way. Philly is due for a rebound after a down year. The offense is great, and if the pitching rotation can skew back to their career averages, the Fever could compete for the wildcard (or, with a trade or two, push Halifax for the division). Bedford....what to say about them? It's the team that under performs every single year. What is it about Brooklyn that sucks the life out of almost every player?

Five Best Pitchers:
1 - Mark Prior (HAL)
2 - Johan Santana (HAL)
3 - Luke Hochevar (BED)
4 - Rich Harden (PHI)
5 - Justin Verlander (HAL)

Five Best Hitters:
1 - Jay Bruce (PHI)
2 - Tex Austin (CLE)
3 - Andy Hunter (PHI)
4 - Will Hunting (PHI)
5 - Alex Hildenbrand (CLE)

Five Best Prospects:
1 - Jason Wilber (3B-PHI)
2 - Samuel Archibald (OF-HAL)
3 - Dante Bichette, Jr. (OF-CLE)
4 - Hunter Johnson (SP-BED)
5 - Ernie Fitzgerald (RP-PHI)

Predicted order of finish:
1 - Halifax
2 - Philly
3 - Cleveland
4 - Bedford

Year End Pythagorean Records

2008-09-23T14:28:00.009-05:00

Bill James, famous for his "Baseball Abstract" and advancement of sabermetric baseball statistics, created a formula called Pythagorean Win Expectation. It uses a team's runs scored and runs allowed to calculate how many wins a team "should" have at any given time in a season. The theory is that a team's won-loss record (particularly at year's end) does not necessarily reflect how good or bad that team is.

Comparing a team's actual W-L record to their Pythagorean record can measure how "lucky" or "unlucky" a team is. A great recent example is the 2007 Arizona Diamondbacks, who, despite being outscored by 20 runs by season's end, finished with a record of 90-72 and the NL West Division title. According to their Pythagorean Expecation, they should have finished 79-83, giving them a +11 Luck.

The formula, for those interested, is:

1 / 1 + (Runs Allowed/Runs Scored)^2

This will give you the expected winning %, and, when multiplied by 160 games, will give you the expected # of wins for a team based on their Run Differential (defined as Runs Scored minus Runs Allowed).

Some argue that using a power of 1.81 is more accurate, but for the purpose of this article, we'll keep it simple and use 2.

The following are the final standing for 2018 SLB based on Pythagorean records.

NORTH DIVISION

TEAM               PyW  PyL   RS    RA   DIFF   ActW  ActL  LUCK
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Halifax Sailors     97   63  905   734   +171   98    62    (+)1
Philly Fever        81   79  895   888   +7     77    83    (-)4
Bedford Crunch      77   83  790   823   -33    77    83    EVEN
Cleveland Dawgs     68   92  811   942   -131   69    91    (+)1


SOUTH DIVISION

TEAM               PyW  PyL   RS    RA   DIFF  ActW  ActL   LUCK
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Atlanta Flyers      99   61  1004  785   +219   98    62    (-)1
San Juan Senadores  90   70  876   777   +99    94    66    (+)4
Baltimore Panthers  80   80  787   788   -1     77    83    (-)3
Savannah Sabers     79   81  768   778   -10    73    87    (-)6


EURO DIVISION

TEAM               PyW  PyL   RS    RA   DIFF  ActW  ActL   LUCK
-----------------------------------------------------------------
London Knights     104   56  954   704   +250   102   58    (-)2
Paris Pimpernels    86   74  889   825   +74     90   70    (+)4
Scotland Rebels     70   90  729   833   -104    78   82    (+)8
Ireland Invaders    52  108  649   936   -287    52  108    EVEN


FAR EAST DIVISION

TEAM               PyW  PyL   RS    RA   DIFF  ActW  ActL   LUCK
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Kyoto Bushido       85   75  800   754   +46    79    81    (-)6
Taipei Tai Fong     80   80  758   765   -7     83    77    (+)3
Chiang Mai Kwaan    78   82  852   869   -17    74    86    (-)4
Osaka Ronin         58  102  821  1085   -264   59   101    (+)1

Overall, the software does a good job of keeping teams' records within a reasonable margin to their Pythagorean expectations. Two teams were exactly right, while 4 more were with a win or two of their projected win totals. Impressive.

Only the Far East saw a team "outluck" their way to the playoffs; the actual records between Taipei and Kyoto are 9 games off of what the run differentials say they should be, with Kyoto underperforming their way out of the post season.

News & Notes - August 10, 2018

2008-08-30T22:21:00.002-05:00

It's been awhile since you've had one of these....

- In an act of utter division vs. division dominance this week, the entire South Division swept the entire Far East Division this past series. The net result was no teams gaining or losing any ground in either division.

- Chiang Mai was the busiest team at the deadline, but all the moves have resulted in disaster. The team has lost 16 of 18 games since 7/21, and 7 of 8 since the trade deadline. The Kwaan are now in 3rd place in the division, 3.5 out of first place and 2.5 out of the wildcard.

- Halifax's Johan Santana remains undefeated, winning his 14th straight decision. His numbers are good but not great, but the Sailors have averaged 7.2 runs in each of his wins this year (he also has 10 no-decisions).

- Atlanta's Darren Lemming has a ludicrous .807 Slugging % this year, racking up 73 extra-base hits in just 353 at-bats. In other words, he gets an extra-base hit in 1 out of every 5 AB's. SICK.

- Another Flyer has an odd stat: OF Gregory Burns leads the league in both runs and strikeouts.

- In career number news:

- Longtime career hits leader Jimmy Rollins (PAR) has been surpassed by SAV's Miguel Cabrera. At 2637 hits, Miggy leads Rollins by 31 knocks.

- Looks like we'll have to wait until 2019 for our first 500 HR hitter. Adam Dunn (age 37) leads with 484 career blasts.

- Rollins does lead in career runs (1512) and is the only SLB hitter to ever eclipse the 1500 run mark.

- KYO's C.C. Sabathia joins Mark Prior (HAL) as the 2nd ever player to reach 200 victories.

- Francisco Rodriguez (ATL) is the first player to pass 200 career saves.

- Josh Beckett (IRE) is just 18 strikeouts from reaching 3000 for his career. Sabathia is 52 K's from the milestone.

- Mark Prior is the first SLB pitcher to reach 3000 IP. Sabathia is 2 or 3 starts from joining him.

2018 All Star Game Was a Joke

2008-08-13T14:22:00.003-05:00

While it's no surprise that the All-Star Game usually has a few head-scratchers in the lineup, the 2018 game was full of complete whiffs. SLB has never used fan balloting, stating that their high-powered computer matrix does a better job of picking the teams. Fan voting is prone to homerism and popularity, but the league's system is completely broken.

Let's look at the stats and put together some better starting lineups (hint: this won't be hard to do).

American League

C - Neil Walker (CLE) - The computer got this one right. Walker was hitting .330 and slugging .538 at the break. No other AL catcher was hitting over .300. [CPU - Neil Walker]

1B - Justin Morneau (ATL) - The first of many, many snubs. Morneau had 71 RBI and was slugging .553, both leading all AL first basemen. [CPU - John Atwood (BAL)]

2B - Frank Vanderwal (BAL) - Another pick I can agree with the CPU on. Vanderwal is scalding the ball to the tune of a .361 average and a .609 SLG. [CPU- Frank Vanderwal]

3B - Chest Rockwell (ATL) - Probably the biggest snub on the AL squad. Rockwell hasn't slowed down at all since signing with Atlanta, belting 33 HR and 78 RBI to date. How does he get overlooked? [CPU - Miguel Cabrera (SAV)]

SS - Floyd Larkin (SJ) - Perennial All-Star who did nothing to lose his spot on the team. Nearly a .900 OPS and a team leading 32 BB's. [CPU - Matt Bush (CLE)]

LF - Andy Hunter (PHI) - This was a tough call. The computer took Matt Musser from San Juan, which is a pretty tough guy to argue with. Musser has a better OPS than Hunter, but has just 16 HR, 55 RBI compared to Hunter's 28 HR and 82 RBI. [CPU - Matt Musser (SJ)]

CF - Jay Bruce (PHI) - This is a pretty deep position in the AL. Darren Lemming was the obvious choice, but hit the DL just before the All Star break. Bruce is OPSing 1.021 and just crushing the ball for a ton of extra-base hits. [CPU - Jay Bruce]

RF - Will Hunting (PHI) - Yep, I picked an all-Fever outfield, though you could easily go with all Senadores as well. Hunting is one of the most consistently productive outfielders in recent SLB history. Will he ever win the MVP? [CPU - Will Hunting]

World League

C - Elmer Kennedy (OSKA) - The Ronin rookie has comparable OPS numbers to several other WL catchers, but his run production is better. At 20 HR and 57 RBI, Kennedy has fit right in on the powerful Osaka lineup. [CPU - Al Murphy (IRE)]

1B - Hee-Seop Choi (PAR) - Almost as big a snub as Rockwell in the AL. There are all sorts of great first basemen in the WL (Hamilton, McNulty, Johnson, Posedel) but Choi has been exceptional. [CPU - Mark Hamilton (KYO)]

2B - T.J. Mackey (LON) - Mackey has had an up and down career, but he's been a big part of London's division run so far this year. Gotta love a .561 SLG from a middle infielder. [CPU - Cap Jackson (CHNG)]

3B - Howie Sloat (CHNG) - Where did this guy come from? A .362 average and nearly 80 RBI at the break? How does the CPU bench this guy for Hank frigging Blalock? [CPU - Hank frigging Blalock (SCOT)]

SS - Spaz Dinkman (PAR) - Not much to choose from here. Meh. [CPU - Spaz Dinkman]

LF - Reuben Brown (OSKA) - Finally, the CPU gets something right. Brown has picked up the offensive slack with Montana and Rockwell off on new teams. [CPU - Brown]

CF - Warren McFadden (LON) - This is a legit MVP candidate. His OPS is nearly 1.100. Jesus. [CPU - McFadden]

RF - Joe Belinda (CHNG) - It's a coin flip between Belinda and London's Delmon Young but I took Belinda. So there. [CPU - Delmon Young (LON)]

First opinions - 2018 SLB Draft first round

2008-07-27T14:06:00.003-05:00

Here's an early look at an analysis of the 2018 SLB Draft first round.
Darin covered the first eight picks, I covered the last eight.

Enjoy!

1. TAI – 2B Mook Jockster (Ole Miss) – This is both a great and difficult year to have the #1 overall pick. On the one hand, there is tremendous depth, especially in hitting. On the other, there is no de facto "best" player. You'll get a great player, but you're afraid you'll let a better one slip away. Such was the fate of Dylan Goforth. His pick this year was the switch-hitting second baseman Mook Jockster. It's an interesting pick; it's debatable that Jockster is the best available player (he's probably not even the best at his own school), and he plays a position that isn't one of need in Taipei's system. In fact, the Tai Fong don't have a single 3B in their system, making this pick even more curious, especially considering the depth at that position in this draft. Jockster had a tremendous year, batting .363 and posting a nearly 1:1 BB:K ratio. Jockster will be a very good player (this isn't Damion Douglas #1 overall here) but was he the right pick for the team?

2. PHI – 3B Jason Wilber (Ole Miss) – Back to back Rebels taken to kick off the draft. Wilber is considered by many as the best of a very deep class of third baseman. The NCAA Player of the Year broke the collegiate record for HR in a season and could step right into a starting role next season with Philly. Evan Longoria is currently the only 3B in the Fever system, and he is at the end of his current contract. The 24 year old Wilber has the tools to step right in at the major league level and contribute, so this is a very smart pick.

3. ATL – 3B Josh Rodriguez (Rice) – The Flyers jumped up in the draft lottery this year and swiped "J-Rod", a former All American from the Rice Owls. Though scouts aren't as impressed with his skill set as some of the other third basemen in the draft, the on-field results are tough to argue with. Rodriguez capped his four-year career by batting .401/.459/.738, striking out just 36 times in 344 AB's. J-Rod finished his college play with a career 1.048 OPS, 165 doubles, 96 HR and 314 RBI.

4. OSKA – 3B Ben Parker (Florida) – This was possibly the most predictable pick in the draft. Chest Rockwell leaving Osaka for Atlanta left a void that needed to be filled, and GM Tom Hey found his man. Parker is a left-handed, fly ball hitting third baseman with gold glove defense (something Rockwell did NOT have). Parker perhaps needs a little more refining than some of the other third base draftees, but Hey isn't known for his patience with prospects, and I expect to see this former Gator in the lineup by year's end. What's not to like about a kid who can hit 35 HR and Slug .741? Good pick.

5. KYO – 3B Shuhei Iwata (Cal St. Fullerton) – The run on third basemen continues. Kyoto is another team with a need at the position, and their scouts loved the Japan native on Cal St. Fullerton. Unlike some of the other hot corner players in the draft, Iwata is more or less a two-tool player. His defense is not good, and he has catcher's speed. He also had a subpar year in college (compared to other draftees), hitting just .272 with 23 HR and 63 RBI. Is Kyoto GM Darin Keesing concerned? "Not at all. We feel he has the same skill set as Albert Pujols, and all that guy has done is hit 455 HR." This will be an interesting prospect to keep an eye on, as we've seen that collegiate play doesn't always equate with pro ball; just look at Diego Clemente's college numbers if you want Exhibit A.

6. BAL – C Calver Alkoa (Arizona) – The incredible depth at third base in this year's draft is offset by an extremely thin crop of catchers. While Baltimore certainly can use a catching prospect, this pick brings up the common debate over first round picks: do you draft for need or do you take the best available player regardless of position? Alkoa is a decent looking prospect, a lefty hitter who had a good power year for the Wildcats, but there are definitely better hitters available at this pick. GM Jose Gutierrez is known for not always making the obvious choice, but recently he has come out on top with his early draft picks. Personally, I think he took the second best catcher in the draft, but history will decide who's right.

7. BED – SS Sheyne Baniaga (Cal St. Fullerton) – Baniaga is the second Titan taken in the first 7 picks. A switch-hitting short stop with elite power and gold glove defensive abilities come around extremely rarely and Bedford is a team starving for offense. Baniaga hit just 16 HR (and 59 in his career), but Crunch scouts think he'll adapt well to the wooden bat. The team has a pair of young SS's on the major league roster, so they have some time to groom Baniaga before thrusting him into the limelight.

8. CLE – 1B Matthew Hamman (Wichita St.) – The Dawgs looked to add another piece to their home-grown offense, choosing to upgrade at first base. Hamman is a switch-hitter with a good eye at the plate and developing power. He led his team with 28 HR while batting .350. He picked the right time to peak, having hit just 48 HR in his previous 3 years. Cleveland has done an impressive job drafting hitters, and first base was an obvious area to upgrade, as Al Allen and Al Siever just haven't risen above bench player status.

- By Darin Keesing

9. IRE – 3B Kainalu Chmolak (LSU)
You know Ireland was thinking catcher here after drafting one seemingly every year, but Baltimore took Alokoa with the sixth pick. Chmolak is no booby prize, however. He’s a switch hitter with just ridiculous power, but scouts say he has a hole in his swing that SLB pitchers can exploit. He’s a career .320 hitter in college, though, so the truth may be that the juice in his bat hides any deficiencies. Ireland isn’t too enamored with current third baseman Barry Rosen, so Chmolak might get the call sooner rather than later.

10. BAL – 2B Luke Daughetry (BAY)
With their second pick of the first round, Baltimore settled on Daughetry. He compares well to Jockster, who went first overall. Like Taipei’s new second sacker, Daughetry is a switch hitter with power to spare – even more so in fact – but he isn’t quite the contact hitter that Jockster is. The Panthers currently have Frank Vanderwall and his .380 average sitting at second base, so they can afford to groom Daughetry for the future.

11. CHNG – CF Dreshon Murray (WICH)
It’s rare to find a centerfielder with the kind of power that Murray displays. In fact, there’s not one in the entire SLB that can match Murray punch-for-punch. The only problem that scouts see with Murray is that he spent so much time in the weight room at Wichita State that he lost some flexibility and as a result, his swing doesn’t generate the same amount of lift that most power hitters do. Right now, the Kwaan have their outfield set, but if Trevor Bayne continues his struggles, Murray may end up in the big leagues soon.

12. SAV – SP Holden Whitley (MIA)
In an offense laden draft, it took until the twelfth pick to see a pitcher come off the board. Whitley has all kinds of measurables, he throws hard (with room for improvement), he has good control, good endurance and he’s great at holding runners. He’s got projectable fastball that’s already good enough for the SLB, but his secondary pitches are lacking. His slider looks like it could be a big league pitch one day, but his curveball looks like it will never be anything more than a last resort. Whitley has a career 21-21 record with a 4.46 ERA, but he really put things together his senior year, going 7-2 and lowering his ERA to 3.27.

13. LON – 2B Augustine Ortiz (WICH)
Like it was for the hot corner, this draft was thick in second baseman. The sweet-swinging lefty makes tons of contact (A career .360 hitter) and uses his speed and quick bat to pound balls into the gaps for extra bases (178 career doubles). The first two second basemen drafted were more of the thick-necked variety, but Ortiz is no slouch, either. London is currently enjoying a rebirth of sorts from T.J. Mackey, so don’t expect to see Ortiz in the bigs for a while.

14. SJ - 2B Jonathan Stephens (MIA)
Stephens is the fourth second baseman taken in the first round, and he’s more like Ortiz than Jockster or Daughetry. His bat will play just a step below Ortiz’, but Stephens is the fastest of the second basemen drafted in the first round. Stephens hit .335 last year, but continued to struggle versus lefthanded pitching, batting just .242 against them, lower than his .266 career mark. The Senadores are currently just three games behind Atlanta, but with Baltimore hot on their tails, it might be hard for Gluvna to leave Stephens down for too long.

15. HAL - (R) Jerry Bennett (ARZ)
Guess what, another second baseman. Again, Bennett has more of a prototypical second baseman’s bat - if not a shortstop’s, truthfully. He has a quick bat and great speed, but he’s never going to be a home run hitter. Scouts say that his swing is tailor made to dominate lefties. It’s just never happened. Bennett hit just .269 against them last year and is just a .277 hitter against them in his career. Things like that tend to get overlooked when you smash righthanded pitching the way he has, you just have to wonder how his those skills and numbers will translate against more advanced pitching. Halifax has Jed Lowrie in the last year of his contract currently playing second base, so we may see Bennett up in the bigs by 2019.

16. PAR - 2B Bucky Covington (ND)
Of course the draft ends with another second baseman. This sweet swinging lefty is also a sweet singing lefty… he almost turned down his scholarship offer to Notre Dame to pursue a music career. In the end the Golden Domers won out, and Covington responded by hitting .323 in 314 career games. He’s not overly powerful or overly fast, but he projects to potentially add speed and strength which could push him into the realm of the elite second basemen.

- By Dylan Goforth

Amateur Draft Analysis - 2016

2008-07-23T13:19:00.003-05:00

Moving on to 2016....

2016 - After the 2015 draft, the SLB front office voted to restrict eligibility to seniors only. As a result, the 2016 class was predictably weak. Most of the impact juniors were drafted the year before, leaving the senior class pretty thin (The All-American Team had just three seniors, only one of whom was drafted). As a result, 2016 was arguably one of (if not the) weakest drafts in league history. Did anyone find a diamond in the rough?

1) CLE - SS Damion Douglas (KENT) - Even considering the weak draft class, this pick had most GM's scratching their heads. Douglas had an extremely average skill set, and didn't even project as a major league bench player to many scouts. He did nothing to create any buzz during his first minor league year, batting .287 with 8 HR and 27 RBI. Despite the weak showing, he got called up to the majors, accumulating 334 AB's. His final line was .243/.285/.455, 16 HR, 43 RBI.

That was the extent of Douglas' minor league stay. He has been on the Cleveland bench this year, going just .220 with 3 HR in 50 AB's. Think the Dawgs regret this one?

2) TAI - P Roy Higuera (CSF) - Taipei had the misfortune of having a high pick in a bad draft. They decided to take a shot at Cal State Fullerton's Roy Higuera, a hard throwing starter with just a fastball and a change up. Last year's draft showed mixed results with two-pitch starters, but Higuera had a much stronger arm than any of those draftees. The gamble looked like a bad one after 2017's AAA season ended, as Higuera went 4-2, 6.58 with a 1.63 WHIP.

After such pitiful pitching, the natural thing to do was stick him in your big league rotation, right? Well someone must have seen something in the kid, as he has sparkled as a major league rookie. In 13 starts, he has 10 QS, going 5-6, 2.86 and a WHIP just over 1.00. The question is, which Higuera is the real one? Did the kid suddenly "get it", or is he doomed to regress next season?

3) IRE - P Al Snodgrass (KENT) - Another two-pitch starter. Seems to be a trend, eh? Snodgrass wasn't as strong as Higuera, and featured a curve rather than a change up. Unfortunately for Ireland, his numbers have been the reverse of Higuera's as well. Snodgrass excelled in 2017, posting a 2.66 ERA in Melbourne allowing just 7 HR in 118 IP. He came up to Ireland in September, but threw just 2 2/3 scoreless innings.

Snodgrass was inserted into the major league rotation in 2018, but it was too soon. The kid had a 2.00 WHIP and a 10.05 ERA in 3 starts. On April 20th, he was sent back to the Beer Bellies. Since his return to AAA, he has gone 5-4, 3.17. Best to give him more inning in the minors and ease him back to the majors.

4) SJ - RF Charlie Proly (MICH) - Hindsight being 20/20, Proly should have been the #1 overall pick. Cleveland had just drafted Tex Austin the year before, but Proly was the cream of the offensive crop. His first year in Caracas saw a .330 average with 18 HR and 67 RBI.

After adding about 15 pounds of muscle in the off season, Proly returned to Caracas on a mission. The 25 year old has pounded 30 HR this year without losing his great average. So what's his future with San Juan? The Senadores already have three All-Star caliber outfielders, all under 30 years old. Is it time a for a position change, or can you work him as the key man in a big trade?

5) BED - P Alex Pocoroba (AUB) - Pocoroba was the first (and only) All-American drafted in 2016. He was dominant in Auburn's bullpen, posting a 1.72 ERA while saving 10 games. His fastball and slider were both plus pitches and he had above average arm strength. For some reason, he only pitched 4 2/3 innings for AAA Detroit in 2017, posting a 15.43 ERA. The sample size was far too small to make any judgments on.

Pocoroba was traded to Chiang Mai in April of 2018 as part of a 4 player swap. He has seen more regular work in Springfield's pen, with 37 IP. His ERA has been a decent 4.34, but his overall performance has to vastly improve before he sees any significant playing time in a major league bullpen.

6) HAL - P Randall Graves (NWU) - What's this? A starter with more than two pitches? Perish the thought! Graves Featured a 93 mph fastball along with a slider and curve at Northwestern. In his first season with Vancouver, he went 9-5, 3.07. More impressive, his WHIP was under 1.00.

Graves has spent all of 2018 in AAA. He has pitched 13 QS in 17 games started with a 3.59 ERA. It's tough to imagine that he's too far away from the major league rotation; perhaps not this year, but he'll be strongly considered for 2019.

7) BAL - RF Mike Wells (OSU) - Baltimore had far less pressure on them in 2016, picking mid-round in a draft devoid of sure stars. Gutierrez picked up a useful OF in left-handed batting Mike Wells. With Guerrero retiring soon (or so we keep assuming), the team has time to groom his replacement. His 2017 season was solid: an .873 OPS and 50 XBH.

Wells has really turned it up a notch or two this year in Miami. His OPS is up to 1.040 and he leads his team with 67 RBI. Though his power isn't likely to ever match Vladdy's, this former Buckeye looks like a cheap 20 HR bat in the near future.

8) PAR - Skipped - You know the draft is bad when a GM thinks no one in it is better than a single person on his current roster. Moving on....

9) OSKA - C Elmer Kennedy (LSU) - The Ronin always need pitching, but this clearly wasn't the draft to improve that side of the ball. With the impending free agency of Tony Montana, Osaka was smart to invest a pick into a potential replacement. Kennedy had decent power and above average defense, and was a rare switch-hitting catcher. His 2017 line in Ft. Wayne finished at .288 with 17 HR and 49 RBI.

Montana did end up walking after 2017, thrusting Kennedy into the starting position behind the dish for the Ronin. He has responded well offensively, hitting 14 HR and driving in 38 to date. His defense has been shaky; 9 errors in 68 games behind the dish is pretty rough. It would be easy to criticize his handling of the pitching staff, but I don't think Ivan Rodriguez could get much out of this sorry group.

10) SCOT - LF Bill Ranford (RICE) - Ranford was a potential 5-tool outfielder out of Rice. Scouts loved his blend of eye, power and speed to go with good defense. But before he could take a minor league at-bat for Stockholm, he was traded to Halifax as part of the Kenji Johjima deal. He was a bench player in Vancouver, getting just 102 AB's.

Injury issues in Halifax have forced Ranford into some playing time, and he has done better than expected. .316/.356/.553 with 6 HR in 152 AB's. Can't ask for much more from a kid his age.

11) PHI - LF Truck Chakales (ARZ) - Truck is a big thumper out of Arizona who has put up good power numbers for the Senators over the past 2 seasons. He slugged .629 with 23 big flys in 2017, leading his team in both categories.

His numbers in 2018 have been nearly identical. The 23 year old might have to wait a while before getting his shot in the bigs, however, as he's staring up at the outfield of Hunter/Bruce/Hunting in Phily.

12) P Kyle Carr (MINN) - Slim pickings already, so Kyoto takes Golden Gopher closer Kyle Carr. Carr had a good fastball and curve, but nothing that topped about 90 mph. He had a pretty good debut season, posting a 3.49 ERA and 9 saves as Flint's closer.

It's been rougher sailing for Carr in 2018. His ERA has been hovering in the mid-5's with a high WHIP. He as just traded to Ireland as part of the C.C. Sabathia deal.

13) ATL - SS Jimmy Hess (OSU) - Atlanta turned to Ohio State for a speedy short stop. Hess has great speed and a good eye, but not much defense. Stuck behind Orlie King on the depth chart, he went hitless in just 7 AB's for Charleston in 2017 .

Hess slotted over to 2B this year and has fared very poorly. His OPS is a paltry .642 and he leads his team with 72 K's (in 356 AB's). It seems unlikely that he sees time on the Flyers roster any time soon (if ever).

14) LON - P Ben Jenzen (MICH) - Jenzen came out of Michigan with three pitches, one of which was a very hittable curveball. He hasn't improved it much. He went 0-6, 5.68 in 2017, walking more (22) than he struck out (20). Ouch.

He remains winless as a pro, now 0-6 in 2018. He has pitched exclusively out of the pen, improving his ERA to 4.15 and his BB/K ratio to 14/44. Don't look too hard at the record, as Queens is a terrible, terrible team. At any rate, this guy is not ready for prime time.

15) SAV - 3B Lew Little (AUB) - Little has about the same skill set as Damion Douglas, he just went at a far more appropriate place in the draft. He played to his skills, OPSing about .770 and hitting 11 HR for Tampa in 2017.

It's a lot worse this year. His OPS is down to .661 (to go with a .249 average) and he has just 5 HR. The kid doesn't look to be cut out for pro ball. Tough break.

16) P Tyler Oakes (MINN) - Oakes was an interesting prospect out of the Big 10. His fastball topped out in the high 80's, but he had a plus curveball with pinpoint control. His first summer in Queens was a disaster, allowing 34 baserunners in just 13 innings (.409 OpAvg).

But Oakes didn't get discouraged and entered 2018 with a bright outlook. After posting a 1.79 ERA in 7 IP at Queens, Tyler got the call up to the bigs. He is now a fixture in the first place London's pen, and he has shined. He is 2-1 with a dazzling 0.66 ERA in 13 2/3 innings, allowing just 9 baserunners and fanning 11. Coupled with Craig Hansen, he's part of the most intimidating duo in any SLB bullpen.

Amateur Draft Analysis - 2015

2008-07-22T11:56:00.006-05:00

Over the days leading up to this year's draft, I'll be looking back at the past few drafts for some analysis. What better year to start than 2015, the draft for which this blog was named? Let's dive right in.

2015 - In the third year of SLB's official draft affiliation with the NCAA, the players who were freshmen at the start became draft eligible. The most talked about player in the collegiate ranks was USC shortstop Diego Clemente, a 5-tool player who was being called the next Alex Rodriguez before he ever took a swing. For 3 seasons, it was assumed he would go #1 overall. The only thing that stopped that from happening was Baltimore GM Jose Gutierrez; Panther fans were hoping he'd make up for what they considered a draft day gaffe the year before (taking LHP Zach Putnam #1 overall ahead of sluggers like Al Murphy, Alex Hildenbrand and Antonio Mule). The blue and black Diego Clemente jerseys were being made and ready to ship to every team shop in the greater Baltimore area, but Gutierrez threw another curveball, selecting Auburn starter Ben Cepeda instead, leaving Panther fans on suicide watch and London GM Sean O'Hallaran giddy with disbelief.

Now, looking back, can we still say that Gutierrez's selection was as bad as the critics believed? Let's take a look at the entire first round and see how they have (or haven't) contributed to their teams.

1) BAL - P Ben Cepeda (AUB) - Saddled as the most notorious #1 overall pick since the Texans took Mario Williams over Reggie Bush, Cepeda headed to Miami to prove the critics wrong. His 2016 line was very good for a first year pro: 9-4, 3.88, 123 H, 128 K and only 17 BB in 123 IP. His performance was overshadowed by teammate Zach Putnam, who was shutting his own critics down with a 12-1, 1.59 (and Pitching Prospect of the Year Award) performance of his own.

Cepeda's second season exceeded his first, as the Miami ace finished with a 12-2, 3.15 line. Most impressive was his K rate, as he struck out 137 batters in 117 IP (10.5 K/9IP).

The Baltimore front office was satisfied with Cepeda's progress and inserted him into their major league rotation (along side Putnam) and have seen great results. His run support has been bad, but you can't complain about a 4-5, 2.85 line with a K/IP from a rookie. If Cepeda wins the RPOY award this year, will he finally be able to silence his critics? Does Jose get any credit for making the unpopular choice?

2) LON - SS Diego Clemente (USC) - After an All-American Team selection as a junior, Clemente was snatched up by London. He never spent a day in the minor leagues. After a quick Rookie League warm up, Clemente jumped straight into the Knights' lineup in 2016 (playing 3B) and ran away with the Rookie Hitter of the Year honors. His rookie line: .312/.352/.570, 44 2B, 42 HR, 109 RBI, 44 SB. This is the way to live up to your billing!

There was some drop off of Clemente's numbers in 2017 as pitchers adjusted, but he still raked. .269/.316/.506, 43 2B, 39 HR, 108 RBI, 31 SB.

Injuries have hampered Clemente in 2018, limiting him to just 29 games so far this season. He's hitting a paltry .252 with just 7 HR and 21 RBI. London has managed to stay in first place despite his injuries and hope he comes back strong (he's expected back in 2-4 weeks).

3) CHNG - RF Morton Henrikksen (RICE) - The big slugger from the Owls has been putting up huge power numbers in the minors since being drafted 3rd overall. The Kwaan selected him despite the fact he shared the same position as MVP Joe Belinda. His debut season in Springfield saw him put up a .297/.354/.528, 16 HR, 51 RBI line.

On the day before Opening Day 2017, Henrikksen was shipped to Atlanta as part of an 8 player deal featuring Mark Prior and Barry Zito. The Mighty Swede has excelled in the excellent Charleston system. His 2017 line was a robust .321/.380/.659, 26 HR, 72 RBI.

With two weeks to go in the 2018 campaign, Henrikksen shows no signs of slowing: .331/.390/.686, 27 HR, 73 RBI. The question with an Atlanta prospect is always "when will he get the call?" The Flyers' recent shopping of Joshua Brady may be an indication that they are ready to see what Henrikksen can do, but it's unlikely we see him until 2019.

4) CLE - RF Tex Austin (TEX) - The Dawgs were thrilled that the 2015 National Player of the Year fell to them at #4. After batting .377 with 23 HR and 84 RBI for the Longhorns, Austin looked to jumpstart a struggling Cleveland offense. His first year for Hawaii saw a fine .317/.398/.587, 25 HR, 71 RBI line. No slowing down for this young stud.

Austin jumped to the majors in 2017, putting up a rookie OPS of .916 with 30 HR and 93 RBI. In many years, that would get him RHOY honors, but he came in second to Al Murphy (40 HR, 121 RBI).

Cleveland still struggles, but don't blame Tex. His 2018 line has been great, with an OPS near 1.000 to go with 19 HR and 50 RBI over the first 64 games.

5) TAI - P Chris Fetter (MICH) - Taipei had taken hitters in their first two amateur drafts (Maple in '13 and Mule in '14), but with glaring weaknesses at pitcher throughout the organization, adding arms was the priority of the day. Chris Fetter would get the honor of being the first pitcher taken in 2015. His first season in Lander was pretty mediocre, going 4-5, 4.76 in 115 innings. Coaches were encouraged, however, by his 133 K's over that span.

2017 saw the K rate go down but the ERA drop. On a terrible Lander team he went 2-9, 3.81 with 98 K's.

The Tai Fong plugged Fetter into the rotation this year for lack of anything better to throw out there. He's done a pretty good job thus far, going 7-4, 4.00 with 74 K's in 83 IP to date. He's prone to the long ball, but he's put up 8 quality starts in 13 tries and has helped Taipei stay in first place so far.

6) IRE - SS Jackie Pointer (FLA) - The 2014 All-American was usurped by Clemente in 2015, but still showed strongly enough to be a Top 10 pick. His 2016 debut was decent, posting a .792 OPS with 17 HR and 52 RBI. He was prone to losing concentration in the field, booting 8 balls for a .976 fielding %.

Pointer showed a little improvement in 2017, but as much as the scouts would have liked to see. A .834 OPS with 16 HR and 54 RBI was about the same as the season before, though his defense improved.

Pointer got a cup of coffee in September in both '16 and '17, hitting 6 HR and 19 RBI in about 150 combined AB's. 2018 has seen an improved eye at the plate, as he has posted a .317/.361/.514 line with 11 HR and 42 RBI so far. Overall, you'd have to label Pointer a disappointment, if only for his draft position. If you got these numbers from a 2nd rounder, you'd probably be satisfied, but at this point he's not much more than a useful bench player.

7) SAV - P Bill Bartleman (UVA) - The Sabers rolled the dice on this hard-throwing lefty despite the fact that he only has two pitches. He was nearly unhittable in his first minor league season, holding opponents to a .203 average (.190 vs.L) and posting a 3.47 ERA while striking out 133 in 114 IP. Pretty mean.

That confidence building season translated big time in 2017 where Bartleman dominated. His 10-1, 1.81 line dominated AAA and he won the Pitching Prospect of the Year Award. Bartleman held opponents to a .189 average and allowed just 4 HR in 114 IP. A brief 14 inning call up in September might have rattled his confidence a bit, as he gave up 19 hits and 7 walks.

Bartleman has been good this year, but not nearly as dominating as a year ago. In 14 starts he has gone 6-3, 3.58 and his OpAvg has risen to .249. He is still getting a great K rate. The question for the Saber organization is whether his future is as a starter or, perhaps, a shut down closer.

8) KYO - P Jordan Auerbach (IOWA) - Kyoto was thrilled that Auerbach fell to their spot at #8, though they knew they had a project on their hands. Scouts marvelled at his arm strength as he regularly hit the high 90's during workouts, but his pitches were raw and unrefined. His first season was good but unremarkable: 5-6, 3.51, 111 K's in 125 IP.

After a very good Rookie League, the Bushido front office decided to put Auerbach's feet to the fire and inserted him into the major league lineup. The former Hawkeye responded, going 13-9, 2.86 in his rookie season, holding opponents to a .224 average. He came in second in RPOY voting.

Though inconsistent at times, Auerbach continues to pitch well in Kyoto. His second season has seen him go 7-4, 2.99 in his first 13 starts. As the pitches improve, Auerbach will continue to be a very productive (and cheap) option in the rotation. Overall, a steal at #8.

9) PHI - P Dante Hicks (UCI) - Philly selected the junior southpaw All-American from UC Irvine with the #9 pick. Hicks landed in a good spot, pitching for the always formidable Washington D.C. squad. The winning tradition rubbed off as he went 10-5, 3.44 with 126 K's and only 17 BB's in 2016.

2017 was a slight drop off for Hicks. He matched his 10-5 record, but his ERA (3.76) and walks (25) increased. He still struck out a batter per inning and lead his team with 11 quality starts.

Hicks started the 2018 season in the Fever rotation, but was sent back to AAA on May 11th after going 2-2, 7.40 with 9 HR allowed in 46 IP. Since returning to D.C., he has regained his confidence, posting a 5-0, 3.22 line. While his FB and SI are rated as "plus" pitches, his SL is just average and needs improving.

10) BED - P Connor Graham (MIOH) - Graham came out of college with three good pitches and a decent arm. His first year in Detroit was decent (6-9, 4.18, 12 QS) but nothing to jump up and down about.

Lack of run support seemed to weigh Graham down in 2017. Despite getting better than a K/IP, he won just 3 games (vs. 10 losses) and allowed 165 baserunners in 119 IP. A brief September call up didn't help the confidence, as he allowed 34 baserunners in 20 IP and lost 2 games in his 14 appearances out of the pen.

Unfortunately, Graham hasn't showed much improvement. His ERA is hovering dangerously close to 5.00 in Detroit and his OpAvg is up to .283. The 25 year old lefty has good stuff, but at what point does it all come together for him?

11) HAL - SS Kiko Brezovan (MINN) - After a very promising debut season, Brezovan was fast-tracked to the majors. He posted a .978 OPS with 19 HR and 67 RBI for Vancouver in 2016, and that was all the time he has spent in the minors.

In 2017, Brezovan made the Sailor roster as a bench player out of Spring Training. He appeared in 48 games as a backup SS and 2B, OPSing 1.005 with 12 HR and 36 RBI in just 185 AB's.

Brezovan now bats cleanup and 5th for the Sailors. He leads the team in AB's and has put up an .854 OPS with 10 HR, 32 RBI and 21 doubles to date.

12) SJ - P Charlie Bosio (TEN) - Bosio might have been a stretch as a first round pick. The tall left-hander has a plus FB and CU, but no third pitch. His fastball tops out around 91. In his first season with Caracas he gave up 18 HR in 108 IP and posted a 4.99 ERA.

It got worse in 2017, as he allowed a .508 OpSlg and a 5.56 ERA. 171 baserunners in 115 IP is really bad.

Though the ERA has improved some (4.52) this season, Bosio still allows baserunners to reach at an alarming rate. With just two pitches, management might consider a move to the bullpen, but you can't have a setup man or closer post a 1.50 WHIP. So far, this is the first clear bust of the first round.

13) OSKA - 3B Wally Scott (SMSU) - The Ronin picked up Scott late in the first round, probably happy to have an All-American third baseman fall in their laps. Scott followed up his 19 HR, 73 RBI season at Southern Miss with a 14 HR, 52 RBI stint in Ft. Wayne.

2017 was a big year for Scott. He posted a 1.000 OPS with 22 dingers and 37 doubles. He was traded at the deadline to Savannah in exchange for reliever Brock Landers. The Sabers called on him right away, and in 58 games, Scott hit .355 with 8 HR and 38 RBI.

So far this year, Scott has been limited to bench duty for the Sabers. He has managed just 50 AB's, but has hit .320 with 5 HR and a .700 SLG. He's unlikely to get any regular playing time as long as Miguel Cabrera is on the roster.

14) SCOT - P Jim Autry (SMSU) - Autry went 10-2, 2.99 in his junior year at Southern Miss, making the All-American team. Like Charlie Bosio, he was a starter with just two pitches and an average-at-best arm. His first summer in Stockholm resulted in a 4.59 ERA and an alarming 165 baserunners in 104 IP.

Season two was an improvement. He lowered his ERA to 3.95 and his WHIP to 1.35. During the 2018 Winter Meetings, Autry was shipped to Chiang-Mai in an 8 player deal.

Autry has served as a middle reliever for the Kwaan in 2018. In 22 IP, he has gone 2-3, 4.03 and has allowed just one HR. This seems to be a better role for Autry.

15) PAR - 1B Angel Peltz (AUB) - Peltz put up big power numbers at Auburn and has done nothing but obliterate minor league pitching in his short career. His debut season in Quebec saw him bat .335 with a .975 OPS, launching 21 HR and 80 RBI.

It got scarier in 2017. How about this line: .370/.410/.707, 25 HR, 85 RBI, 44 2B. Holy christ! The only reason he didn't win the Hitting Prospect of the Year award was because teammate Stu Watwood knocked in 102. Rude.

Peltz has showed no sign of slowing down with the bat, though the power is down a bit this season. He has hit .377 so far with 15 HR and 52 RBI. The kid is built for Paris' high-powered offense, and few have any doubt he could hit 25+ HR a year for the Pimps. Great pickup at the end of Round 1.

16) P Dante Yeohe (GT) - Same pitcher, different name. Like Bosio/Autry, he has just the two pitches. What Yeohe has benefited from so far is a superior coaching staff in Charleston. His first season went very well as Yeohe posted a 2.94 ERA and K'd 137 in 118 IP.

Yeohe's ERA rose to 3.22 in 2017, but he K'd 141 in 112 IP.

Atlanta move Yeohe out of the rotation at Charleston this year and he hasn't responded well. He has appeared in 36 games (56 IP) and has a 4.34 ERA. His K/9 is almost down to 1:1. Is he just made to be a starter? The bullpen is a better role for him, but his confidence seems to have taken a hit.

And now for the picks that got away...

Round 2

LON - CF Warren McFadden - Career: .316, 121 2B, 41 3B, 59 HR, 186 RBI
CLE - 2B James Ewing (now with ATL) - Career: .314, 82 2B, 24 3B, 56 HR, 166 RBI

Round 5

CLE - 1B Al Siever - Career: .281, 24 HR, 78 RBI in 654 AB's

2018 SLB draft lottery show

2008-07-20T16:13:00.000-05:00

Power Rankings (May 21, 2018)

2008-07-14T17:58:00.002-05:00

"Title Contenders"
1. Philly (33-13) - 16-8 at home, wow, what a start. Oh wait, they’re even better on the road (17-5). Jay Bruce for MVP?
2. London (30-17) - Winners of nine straight, the Knights dominate left-handed pitching (12-3 record, .301 average against lefties).
3. Savannah (27-18) - Same record as the Flyers, but Atlanta swooning while Sabers are rising (five straight wins).
4 Baltimore (26-20) - Offense is uninspiring, but pitching staff is the real deal.
5. Atlanta (27-18) - Dropped five in a row, but slide shouldn’t last for too long.
6. San Juan (26-21) - Five games over .500, and in last place. Would have second best record if they were in the World League.

"We really want that playoff bonus"
7. Paris (25-24) - Pimps are 15-8 on the road but only 10-16 at home, a number that should even out as the season moves on.
8. Halifax (25-23) - Sort of a disappointing start. Boring offense — no one has more than eight home runs — and underachieving pitching has no one excited.
9. Taipei (26-21) - Not buying the start, but the Far East is so weak, someone has to win it.

"Maybe next year"
10. Scotland (22-26) - Not pretty — outside of Hamilton (.337, 18, 40) — but probably the best of the rest so far.
11. Cleveland (20-28) - Offense is a snoozer, and 80 percent of the pitching staff have been awful.
12. Kyoto (21-26) - Slumbering offense being somewhat carried by pretty decent pitching (get Affeldt out of there).
13. Chiang-Mai (21-26) - Carbon copy of Kyoto, just with worse pitching.

"Let's go ahead and just call it a day"
14. Bedford (16-31) - What a disaster. Gets placed ahead of Ireland and Osaka just based on being in the American League. Good news is that the offense (194 runs, second lowest in league) shouldn’t be this bad forever. Bad news is that the pitching will be.
15. Ireland (15-33) - Almost $40 million tied up in three starters, and the Invaders have a 4.92 ERA. THAT’S GOTTA HURT.
16. Osaka (17-32) - Only one team in SLB history has finished a season with an ERA above 6.00 — the 125-loss Tennessee Thunder, who came in at 6.79. Osaka’s ERA right now is 6.72, so at least they’re not Tennessee-bad.

Season Preview - Atlanta Flyers

2008-06-24T19:21:00.003-05:00

2017 Record: 76-84
Key Additions: 3B Chest Rockwell
Key Losses: Barry Zito
2018 Prediction: 85-75

2017 was a season that Flyers fans would rather forget. The team started slow and never got on track, finishing with their worst record since 2009. The once youth-rich Atlanta club has started seeing their home-grown players take the money and run, and the well has dried up a bit in Charleston. In addition, the rest of the division has caught up a bit to the Flyers, with San Juan mimicking their model to a tee. At this point, this isn't a 90 win team, and the team philosophy has started to crack; despite the most rookies on any 40-man roster in the league, Atlanta has over $78 million (of their $82.5 million payroll) tied into five players. With exactly $0 of wiggle room under his cap, GM Jim Masters has the stress of hoping his big stars do well, but not so well that they win a post-season award and destroy his carefully planned finances.

Batting Order

CF Gregory Burns
2B Curt Smaza
SS James Ewing
LF Darren Lemming
3B Chest Rockwell
1B Justin Morneau
C Jeffrey Clement
RF Josh Brady

While Darren Lemming and Chest Rockwell is about the scariest 1-2 punch you can think of in the middle of a batting order, the chance of their being a lot of guys on base in front of them seems slim. Burns is getting his first shot at full-time work after collecting about 400 PA's in his rookie year, and #3 hitter James Ewing struck out 136 times in 690 AB's. Jeff Clement is a scary good catcher, but he can't seem to stay healthy. Justin Morneau is certainly serviceable, but the aging veteran's good numbers only serve to hide the fact that John Twain isn't developing the way the team would like.

Pitching Rotation: Homer Bailey, Carlos Zambrano, Ryan Tucker, Al Krieger, Corey Wade
Closer: Francisco "K-Rod" Rodriguez

There's no doubt that Bailey will be a Cy Young contender if healthy. Zambrano is always a coin flip (9-16 last year is not what they need again). Tucker is an underrated young arm, Corey Wade is just not good. Rookie Al Krieger (1st Round Pick out of U. of Miami, 2013) was 9-4, 3.01 last year in AAA (and 42-15 overall in 4 minor league seasons) and hopes to make up for the recent losses of Prior and Zito. The bullpen is not a team strength (outside of closer K-Rod).

This seems to be a "litmus test" type season in Atlanta; let's see what this team is made of and if another run of Atlanta dominance is on the horizon.

Season Preview: Taipei Tai Fong

2008-06-23T20:26:00.003-05:00

2017 Record: 48-112
Key Additions: SS Jose Reyes, C Kenji Johjima
Key Losses: just respect
2018 Prediction: 69-91

Rudy Ruettinger (2nd overall in 2017) and Theodore Unger (3-12, 5.23 for TAI)are what GM Dylan Goforth has to show for his trading of Roy Oswalt and Antonio Mule. Ruettinger has a ton of pressure on him, not just to live up to the hype of being a #2 pick but to equal or better the performance of Mule, who starts for division rival Kyoto. Are poor personnel decisions the thing of the past for Taipei? Or are the signings of a 34 year-old catcher and a 33 year-old shortstop supposed to be signs of a commitment to winning now? Last year's debacle has left the Tai Fong at the 60M cap mark, fans are disinterested, players are frustrated, yet remarkably, noone was fired for incompetence.
Let's review: 48 wins, the fewest in SLB - every other team had at least 72. Last in runs scored with 591, last in HR, last in OBP - and yet they still managed to hit into 107 double-plays - and last in slugging. They were the worst hitting team versus both LHP and RHP. Maybe the Far East was worse than we thought, as having this Triple A team in your division had to pad those win totals. On the mound, Goforth's team had the second worst ERA, struck out the fewest number of batters, walked the most batters and had the fewest quality starts. Congratulations, you have nowhere to go but up, right?

Batting Order v RHP
SS Jose Reyes
2B Larry Kargel
CF Tom Maple
RF Walt Coon
1B Dan Posedel
C Kenji Johjima
LF Eric Dalton
3B Troy Tulowitzki

On the bench you'll find household names like C Gene Alten, SS George Fair, SS Patrick Greene, CF Jordan Parraz and RF Eric Valent. Opposing managers are trembling with fear thinking about the possible late game heroics about to come from those guys. But hey, they're supposed to be young, right? Building a franchise from bottom up? Well the pressure is on - right now. Because if this team doesn't start winning games right now, they won't be able to afford some of their young talent. Case in point, CF Tom Maple. He's 27, runs, hits, hits for power and can catch everything in the outfield and he's in his walk year. A last place finish means either Goforth lets him walk, and starts yet another rebuild, or Taipei resigns him for big money and hamstrings their budget for the future. Great work so far.

Pitching Rotation: Ron Mexico, Eric Ridener, Chris Fetter, Roy Higuera, Theodore Unger
Closer: Kevin Whelan

Rookie pitchers Chris Fetter and Roy Higuera will get a shot in the rotation this season and they'll probably be 2 of Taipei's best pitchers. Ron Mexico kept his ERA under 4 last season so he's considered an ace. Closer Kevin Whelan throws real hard and is in his walk year. Unger will be a free agent after the season as well.

Six seasons in, Taipei still looks like a first year expansion team. Time to quit making excuses and win some games.

Season Preview - Baltimore

2008-06-23T15:00:00.003-05:00

2017 Record: 75-85, last in South
Key Losses: None
Key Additions: Don Drysden
2018 Prediction: 77-83

After a strong start got the fans in Baltimore excited, the Panthers did what they do best: disappoint. Jose Guttierez' squad couldn't even take advantage of the surprisingly poor year by Atlanta, and finished the year in last place. For the record, this was the 6th Last Place finish for Guttierez since taking over as GM in 2007 (to go with three 4th place and one 2nd place finish and zero playoff appearances). If you ever wondered the answer to "What happens when a rich dude from Miami buys a baseball team and installs his son as the GM?".....

The front office's cure for all of Baltimore's woes? SIGN DON DRYSDEN! That's it. Pay a middle reliever with a 4.89 career ERA nearly $5 million a year. Problem solved! First place here we come! But seriously, that's the only player move of any significance in the entire off season.

Batting Order (vs.RHP)
SS Billy Frill
2B Frank Vanderwal
1B Dallas McPherson
RF Vladimir Guerrero
LF Kieron Pope
CF Noah Lankford
3B Teddy Gammel
C Jon Poterson
pitcher

I'm too lazy to type out the vs.LHP lineup, which is pretty much 100% different. It's a crazy number of platoons, and I'm not sure it's that useful to keep them all going. Once some guys show they are better, expect them to get the bulk of the playing time. Baltimore keeps trotting out Guerrero and McPherson, refusing to trade these fan favorites at the expense of a true rebuild. Granted, McPherson defied his age by bashing 41 HR's and driving in 135, so he's hardly been a detriment. Gammel, Pope and Vanderwal all showed 20+ HR power, putting the Panthers right in the middle of the pack offensively. A pair of injured catchers has the team in the hole early depth-wise.

Pitching Rotation: Dennis Tankersly, Zach Putnam, Cole DeVries, Ben Cepeda, Oliver Perez
Closer: Don Drysden

A pair of veterans sandwich three young arms in a rotation that is trying to improve on their 14th place team ERA (4.98) in 2017. 'Tank' suffered from bad run support, going 7-10 last season despite a 3.05 ERA, where Perez went 12-8 with a 5.00+ mark. DeVries and Putnam gave the team innings (over 300 combined) and rookie Cepeda looks to make a splash after going 12-2, 3.15 in AAA Miami last season. The bullpen.....just shield your eyes and move on.

The Panthers are off to another quick start, but they probably won't benefit from another down year from the Flyers. The team can't get any lower in payroll, and fan expectations are so low that scientists can no longer measure them. Maybe the 17 people left in the ballpark will enjoy a few good games. Or not.

Season Preview: Osaka Ronin

2008-06-23T07:00:00.003-05:00

2017 Record: 72-88, 3rd in Far East
Key Additions: 1B Prince Fielder
Key Losses: SP Roy Halladay, SP Johan Santana, C Tony Montana, 3B Chest Rockwell
2018 Prediction: 70-90

The Ronin were absolutely one of the worst teams in SLB for the first half of last season before a surge made things uncomfortable for the Kwaan and Bushido. With some major losses to the pitching staff and lineup, it remains to be seen if GM Tom Hey can capitalize on the second-half success of 2017 and snare a playoff spot. Osaka has had three straight 3rd place finishes - nothing to brag about when you have Taipei in your division.
Last season saw the typical Ronin squad - power hitting, ridiculous in their home park, and equally silly pitching numbers. That 5.77 ERA was the worst in SLB and their 352 bombs were tops. Same old story. So will this years team be any different? Or will it be more of the same - no fun to play against but your team, if decent, will take the series? Gone are pitchers Halladay and Santana, who led the Ronin with the only ERA's under 5 and they're replaced with rookie Bobby Ojeda Jr. and a Rule 5 pick, Carlton Smith. This doesn't look promising, as even long-time Hey favourite Ben Sheets had a 6.15 mark and is now 38 years old.
All of those homeruns didn't even give Osaka the run scoring lead last season, they were in the group (everyone was behind Paris) with San Juan, London and Halifax. Winning homerun derby's doesn't translate to wins and now Rockwell and his 54 bombs, as well as Montana and his 69 shots, have left for greener pastures. What's the Ronin's answer? Prince Fielder. And I'm not mocking it, as Fielder has long wanted to move to Osaka where his skills are perfectly suited. As Fielder himself noted, "I didn't lose weight, I didn't change anything this offseason. They didn't sign me to pinch-run, they signed me to jog around the bases. I'm hitting 75 this year no doubt. I wish I played my whole career here."

Batting Order v RHP
3B Paul Matthew
RF Rueben Brown
1B Prince Fielder
LF Dave Peppers
C Elmer Kennedy
CF Jack Schalk
2B Juan Thomas
SS Mike Henderson

There's some speed on the bench with CF J Kimm and LF J Kemp, and more power with C R Doumit, veteran IF C Utley and CF K Lipton. Matthew can't hit enough to leadoff however, and the Ronin will be relying on solo shots to win games. If they're going to follow this philosophy, why not get a 3B that can jack them out too?

Pitching Rotation: Ben Sheets, Bobby Ojeda Jr, Carlton Smith, Christopher Lambert, Ryan Anderson
Closer: Brock Landers

I guess if you're not committed to putting a winning team out there, at least make it entertaining. It doesn't even look like Tom Hey cares at this point, as that's the sorriest excuse for a pitching staff I've seen - counting expansion teams as well. Run totals for Osaka and their opposition will be high this year, homerun records might fall (with the usual, "yeah but he did that in Osaka" caveat) and while they might make things difficult, they won't be in the playoffs. Hey left about 30M on the table, so maybe he'll show enough interest to trade for a big-ticket pitcher or three.

Season Preview: London Knights

2008-06-19T20:32:00.004-05:00

2017 Record: 86-74, 2nd in Euro
Key Losses: SP Daisuke Matsuzaka, SS Jose Reyes
Key Additions: 3B Alex Gordon
2018 Prediction: 84-76

Thanks to the woeful Far East last season, GM Sean O'Hallaran saw his Knights make it to the playoff round. But rather than patting himself on the back, the Knights GM has to be worried about what went wrong after finishing with 11 fewer victories than in 2016. This team, infused with great young talent and draft day steals, was supposed to be the next big thing. What happened? Well, the pitching didn't cut it at all. Despite the effort of Daisuke Matsuzaka, London finished with a whopping 4.86 ERA, better only than Baltimore and Osaka. Yikes. Jered Weaver got 32 starts and rewarded Manager Davey Johnson with a 5.41 ERA. And after Dice-K's 3.23, the next lowest ERA on the team was closer Craig Hansen at 4.26. Even the awesome Knight offense couldn't make up for this mess.

So the exciting offense, with a wicked combination of speed and power and players in their prime, remains intact save for Jose Reyes signing with Taipei. (Who's his agent? Sheesh.) Alex Gordon, formerly of Cleveland, will take his spot in the lineup. O'Hallaran resigned 2B T Mackey, who is as solid a #7 hitter you'll find. There are three 30/30 players for opponents to deal with, in McFadden, Clemente and Russell. So did the Knights improve their pitching this offseason? Did they replace the dearly departed Dice-K? Negative. It looks like London will snatch defeat from the jaws of victory with this pitching staff. Oh, they resigned RP Michael Zagurski. Good job, you can't replace a 6.72 ERA easily. And he signed left-hander Sean Burnett for the 5th spot. Burnett posted a 6.71 ERA last year, and that miniscule advantage in suckiness means he's a starter while Zagurski is a middle reliever, I guess. Paris is going to clobber this pitching staff, no?

Batting Order v RHP
CF Warren McFadden
3B Alex Gordon
SS Diego Clemente
LF Delmon Young
RF Jim Russell
1B Jimmy McNulty
2B TJ Mackey
C Billy Wilson

Platoons - shmatoons. What you see is what you get and why not? The 8-hitter, entering his third season, hit .301 with 22 bombs and 15 steals. This lineup will hurt you.

Pitching Rotation: William Bray, Jered Weaver, Christopher Volstad, Tosekawa Mahara, Sean Burnett
Closer: Craig Hansen

Can the closer Hansen get over 20 saves? And if that rotation underwhelms you, hold your nose when you check out the 'pen. A lot of pressure on Weaver to have a great season - he's due isn't he? Good thing London fans are familiar with blitzes and heading for cover, they can show it off when the opposing team comes to bat.

The Paris strategy of great offense/pitching- that-will-hold-you-in-there only works, you know, if you actually have pitching that will hold you in there. The Knights will be fighting tooth-and-nail for the Wildcard spot this year.

Season Preview: Ireland Invaders

2008-06-14T19:35:00.003-05:00

2017 Record: 80-80, last in Euro
Key Losses: SP Tadeshi Kawabata, RF Austin Kearns, P Chien-Ming Wang, P Brian Lawrence, RP Julio Mateo
Key Additions: Travis Blackley
2018 Prediction: 77-83

Mediocre on the field, the Invaders were punished severely. Taking a cap hit for .500 ball despite improving by 10 games, the Invaders are sitting at 60M for the 2018 season. That doesn't leave Ireland much room for error. Homegrown talent is going to have to improve last season's disappointing offense (14th in runs scored, 9th in HR) while ace CC Sabathia will be carrying the load once again for the pitching staff. Last season, Sabathia finished with a 3.42 ERA while being a workhorse at 234 IP. Fellow 36 year-old Josh Beckett returns and will have to better his 4.53 ERA. With the departure of Tadeshi Kawabata, will Ireland have the arms to improve the team ERA of 4.65? That puts them right at the middle of the pack again, and mediocrity on either side of the ball is going to get you hurt in the Euro.

So Kawabata leaves, and who does GM Tony Blake spend his dollars (excuse me, pennies) on? Pitchers Travis Blackley and John Lackey (uh oh) and 3B Barry Rosen (who the heck is Barry Rosen? I hear you asking.) When Beckett and Sabathia eat up 30.25M of a possible 60M payroll, your options are limited. Lackey won't even make the team and Blackley will be showing off his career 5.49 ERA in long relief. But the upside is that by 6 straight seasons of finishing last or 3rd, the Invaders have some serious young talent to put on the field. They'll need to step up now or Blake won't be able to afford them in a few years.

Batting Order
CF Andre Howard
SS Whammy May
RF Jerry "Turtle" Ferrara
C Al Murphy
LF Ad Collins
1B Nicholas Weglarz
2B Geoff Orr
3B Sean Burroughs
pitcher

That's against RHP, which means Boog Johnson is sitting most of the time. Is that a good use of your resources? Holy cow! Weglarz can hit too but with GM Blake also training yet another stud, C Jack Berry to play 1B, does this mean Johnson is trade bait? And catcher Earl Hickey doesn't get a sniff of playing time? Ohmigosh. With a boatload of talent at C/1B, some weaker spots on this squad have to be shored up, no? (Outfield, I'm looking at you. Marcus Giles and Geoff Orr, you too. Bullpen, I'd be renting if I were you. Like anyone trusts Orber Moreno's 3.61 ERA last year, as if.) Hickey, Murphy, Johnson, Weglarz, Collins, Howard and Ferrara are all 26 or younger, and Jack Berry looks ready. Ireland seems to have an unbalanced box of talent, something Blake will have to rectify to compete in the Euro.

Pitching Rotation: CC Sabathia, Josh Beckett, Bobby Brownlie, Steve Earle, Al Snodgrass
Closer: Orber Moreno

Rookies Steve Earle (2nd round, 2015) and Al Snodgrass (3rd overall in 2016) will get an opportunity after having great springs. Yoshi Sasaki, a 2nd rounder in 2015, got beat around in spring training and will start for Aussie but is knocking at the door. Brownlie and Beckett have to get those ERA's under 4 to earn their paycheques and keep the dreadful bullpen off the field. Moreno shocked everyone in the league with his 3.61 ERA which is well above his career 5.19 total.

Predicting the season mark for Ireland this season is difficult. It depends on GM Tony Blake pulling the trigger on some trades and shipping out a great young player or two, and if Beckett and Brownlie show that last year was a hiccup and not a sign of old age. If everything goes right, anywhere up to 2nd place is possible. The Euro isn't easy so Blake will have to be on his toes.

Season Preview: Kyoto Bushido

2008-06-13T11:59:00.003-05:00

2017 Record: 75-85, 2nd in Far East
Key Additions: RP Hack Bubser, SP Daisuke Matsuzaka, OF Grady Sizemore, C Tony Montana
Key Losses: P's Roy Oswalt, Jason Jennings, Runelvys Hernandez, CF Josh Hamilton
2018 Prediction: 87-73

Last year's Bushido scored a woeful 635 runs, second fewest in SLB. Finishing just a game out of the playoffs, you'd expect that the Kyoto pitching staff dominated, right? You'd be correct, with GM Darin Keesing's squad putting up a nice 4.13 mark. But instead of grabbing just speed or thunder for the lineup, Keesing appears to be upgrading a strength, signing ace Matsuzaka for 11.25M per season and then picking up some cheap, run-of-the-mill arms to fill out the bullpen and provided depth at AAA. But unless Dice-K can really swing the bat, this team still has obvious flaws. For a team that didn't hit for enough power (second worst slugging percentage), hit into the 4th most double plays, didn't show enough speed (9th in stolen bases, 2nd fewest triples), will Montana, Sizemore and a rookie be enough to improve the offense?

New CF Sizemore (career .299) is the writing on the wall for veteran Andruw Jones, who may not make another appearance in SLB. Sizemore is 34, doesn't handle CF too well anymore and has lost a step or two but is still considered an upgrade. Rookie Dave Meijas, who charmed Keesing in spring with his .302 average, is being handed the starting 2B spot and will bat leadoff. If Meijas can handle the pressure and show some baserunning smarts, that may help make up for the mediocrity of RF Jeremy Reed and SS Bobby Crosby in the bottom of the order. Manager Bobby Valentine had to like what he saw out of 22 year-old LF Cray Boggs this spring, who hit .302 with some power and speed. If Keesing can find a taker for the 8M mistake Jeremy Reed, look for Boggs to get called up. The key to the offense will be Montana, who hit 69 bombs last year in Osaka but now has to the same in Kyoto, where good catchers go to die.

Batting Order
2B D Meijas
CF G Sizemore
LF A Mule
C T Montana
1B M Hamilton
RF J Reed
3B E See
SS B Crosby

With a bench of C K Thibault, 1B R Howard, 3B B Hawpe, OF S Smitherman and CF A Murphy, there are some excellent pinch-hitting options and short-term injury fill-ins. Noone Valentine will want to play for a long period of time but his GM still has plenty of cash to spend when and if a serious injury occurs.

Pitching Rotation: Jordan Auerbach, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Jake Peavy, Hank Daniels, Jeremy Affeldt
Closer: Tim Gudex

Matsuzaka makes any rotation look good, doesn't he? The 24 year-old Auerbach gets the Opening Day nod though. 35 year-old Jake Peavy shows no sign of slowing down and Daniels was league average. That's a nice 1-4. Affeldt in the 5th spot? He hasn't pitched in SLB in two years and I can't see him making it through the first month of the season, unless Valentine hides him on the bench going with a 4-man rotation. Look for some tweaks to the pitching staff with Affeldt and Rule 5 pickup Bubser vanishing. Tim Gudex, only 26, dominated last year and if he repeats his success should be looking at a huge payday after the season. Kyoto should be able to afford it, because with the additions of Matsuzaka and Montana, they'll be in the playoffs this fall.

Season Preview: Chiang-Mai Kwaan

2008-06-12T19:38:00.003-05:00

2017 Record: 76-84, 1st in Far East
Key Additions: 3B David Wright, SS Adrian Cardenas, SP E Krueger
Key Losses: SP Michael Pelfrey, 1B Ken Ryu, SP Mark Prior, LF Walt Coon
2018 Prediction: 75-86

Blech. After finishing 12 games under .500, the lucky Kwaan team managed to backdoor their way into a playoff appearance and put some more money in their coffers. They should have refused that cash infusion from the league just on principle. How embarrassing. The Kwaan finished 14th in the league in runs scored despite a "where have you been?" performance from 2B Cap Jackson, who hit .311 with 110 steals. Outfielder Walt Coon is taking his power to division rival Taipei, leaving just power-hitting catcher Thurman Murman and RF Joe Belinda from a short list of last seasons contributors.
The Kwaan didn't score much last year and the pitching staff delivered just a 10th best ERA ranking (4.71). Gone from last year's staff is Mark Prior to Scotland, and Michael Pelfrey to Philly, leaving a rotation that is suspect with the retirement of Dan Haren.
With Taipei in his division, GM Ben Royer is obviously unconcerned with finishing last and taking the cap hit. It appears he's attempting to stay competitive while adding some picks and prospects for a serious run at a title down the road. Pelfrey went as a rental to Philly for a nice bounty, SS A Cardenas, who will be groomed in the minors for a season or two. It isn't necessarily a bad plan, with no Far East team making you say, "wow!" So if things go right and luck is on his side, Royer could repeat last year's playoff appearance. Or he could finish third, resign Jackson after the season, and hope that CF T Bayne, 2B C Jackson, RF J Belinda and Cardenas are his foundation for the future.

Batting Order
2B C Jackson
SS B Willemburg
RF J Belinda
C T Murman
3B D Wright
1B D Callahan
LF N Swisher
pitcher
CF T Bayne

Yeah, it looks like Royer wants to get tricky and bat his pitcher 8th. We'll see how that goes. Can David Wright show anything for the 4M per Royer's paying him? 1B Callahan had a serious case of "teh suck" last season and you can't ever have first base being a black hole in your lineup. Chiang-Mai has never been shy about making a move so we'll be patient.
Bench spots go to C J Egan, who has some pop but can't seem to see the ball, LF O Lord, 3B H Sloat, LF B Swope (who must have Egan as his hitting coach) and hey, a Rocco Baldelli sighting!

Pitching: Eddie Krueger, Eddie Degerman, Mark Rogers, Dan Brauer, Curt Wilson.
Closer: Cole St. Clair.

Kwaan fans won't see a lot of sock from their guys, but when the other team bats - lookout! Degerman had an ERA over 4 while in pitcher's mecca Scotland, Dan Brauer was just under 6 in Scotland and Rogers is mediocre. That leaves the unproven Wilson (4 appearances last season) and Krueger to hopefully lead the way. I can't see a dominating arm in the bunch just yet but they are young. The underwhelming Cole St. Clair will attempt to be the shutdown guy in the 9th, he'll need a ton of luck to be and average closer.
I can't see this team making the playoffs this season and if they do, Osaka and Kyoto should do serious jail time. There isn't enough power or depth, and the pitching staff is short on experience. The Kwaan are tough to play against, pinning their ears back and scampering around the bases, but unless Nick Swisher and David Wright go off, Chiang-Mai will be coming up short more often then not.

Spring TrainingTrade

2008-06-09T14:43:00.002-05:00

(AP) Thursday, April 25, 2018
Fatigued and over-caffeinated, GM's Ben Royer and Bri Boitano? finally agreed to a multi-player swap during spring training. "I've never spent that long on the phone in my life," said Royer. "What a battle. I think we both get what we want and we're glad it is finally over with."
SP Michael Pelfrey, who had been told he was involved in trade talks last week, was relieved to finally get it over with. "I've had my bags packed for a week. I've passed 2 physicals. I've had my agent looking for apartments for me, then stop, then start again. I am looking forward to pitching this season in Philly, however. I'm used to the hot and muggy stuff and I heard Philly and Thailand have the same climate in the summer."
Also moving to Philly are 1B K Ryu, SS A Cannizaro and RP R Quinonez and $5M US. Fever GM Bri B sent 25 year-old P P Connick, 24 year-old P R Delmas, 37 year-old LF N Jackson and SS Adrian Cardenas, Philly's 1st round pick last season out of Auburn. "We didn't want to part with this guy at all," said Bri B. "But we want to take a shot at the North this year. We dragged our heels a little bit I guess, but we like to be certain. There's the physicals, private detectives, Department of Homeland Security investigation, and we even like to speak to a possible new player's grade school teachers - it helps us out with our character assessment."
Noted GM B Royer, "I dealt with the delivery of our new child, sold our house, bought a new house and moved during the time it took to do this trade. It had better pay off."
A few things that don't take as long as a CHNG-Royer/PHI-BriB trade discussion:
A 7 player game of Risk.
Summits between world superpowers.
Winter.
Presidential primaries, nominations and elections.

News and Notes: Friday, September 29 2017

2008-04-10T13:46:00.003-05:00

Around SLB this week:

- There are still some important matchups as SLB finishes up the 2017 Regular Season Schedule. In the South, SAV has clinched a playoff spot with the collapse of BED. BAL has won 6 straight, including a big sweep of the Flyers and has moved into a tie with ATL for 3rd place. The Panthers host SAV for 3, the Flyers travel to Philly.
- PHI still has a shot at 3rd in the North. Only 2 games back of BED, Philly aims for a sweep of ATL while BED hosts HAL.
- CLE's experiment of throwing players into the fire has paid off as they find themselves in 2nd place. Will the Dawgs go with RP M Towaki in a setup or closer role next season? Towaki, signed for another two seasons at 6M, is 4-4, 7.03.
- The surging Dawgs will fly to SJ for their final three games. The Senadores could score a first round pass with a successful series against CLE, who just finished up a sweep v BED.
- Either LON or SCO will come out of the weekend with a playoff spot. The Rebels have to fly to France to take on 98 game winning Pimpernels, while the Knights host lowly TAI, winners of 48 games so far. Despite TAI's best effort, CHNG/TEN will still hold the mark of most losses in a season, 125 in 2011.

News and Notes: Friday, September 22, 2017

2008-04-08T14:36:00.002-05:00

Around SLB this week:

- The Far East chase can't get any tighter. CHNG has moved back into the lead with a narrow lead over KYO and OSA. If the Kwaan win all 9 of their remaining games, they could finish at .500 for the season. CHNG goes on the road to face KYO and TAI, and return home to host KYO for their final three.
- The banged up KYO squad split 2 games with LON this week. Just a game back of CHNG, the Bushido host CHNG before travelling to LON for three and then to Thailand for their final three.
- OSA split 4 games with SCO to remain 1.5 back of the Far East lead. The first three contests were tight but Ronin game 4 starter B Sheets gave up 9 R/8 ER in 3 IP in a must win game. Rebel starter J Sowers dominated the Ronin as well, giving up just 1 hit in his 8 innings of work. OSA finishes up their schedule with 8 games versus the Euro division, going to IRE before hosting SCO and IRE.
- The North American League playoff teams look decided. Both HAL and SJ have clinched spots, while SAV has a 7 game lead for the Wildcard.
- Bedford totally folded in Crunch time. 3-7 in their last 10, BED is now under .500 for the season and is tied for 2nd in the North with CLE. "We can't hit the big bombs to win us a game," complained Manager Tommy LaSorda. "We're missing that one big hitter. If I've told management once, I've told them a thousand times. You go and spend 12 million on Kazmir but you can't get me a bat?" BED has the fourth lowest HR total in SLB, LHP S Kazmir is 9-13, 4.24.
- After a disastrous start, ATL has taken control of 3rd in the South, 4.5 games ahead of cellar dwelling BAL. At 71-79, the Flyers have a record better than any team in the Far East.
- HAL took 3 of 4 from SJ in a possible playoff preview. "That's great," said Manager Tim Raines, "but it means absolutely nothing come playoff time." SS J Upton went 9-19 with 3 doubles, 2 home runs and a stolen base in the series.

News and Notes: Friday, September 8, 2017

2008-04-04T09:45:00.003-05:00

Around SLB this week:

- KYO had a heck of a double header on Thursday. After dropping the first two games to division rival OSA, the Bushido beat the Ronin Thursday afternoon and then made their way to the private jet for the flight to Dublin where they defeated IRE 3-2. RHP J Peavy, who left Japan a few days earlier, was the victor and kept the Bushido within 2 games of OSA (65-74).
- SCO dropped 2 of 3 crucial games to LON and remains 2 back in the World League wildcard race. Even with RHP Jered Weaver on the mound for the Knights in game 3, the Rebels again fell short in their quest for a playoff spot. Weaver, getting good run support once again, is 11-11, 5.44 with 231 baserunners in 167 IP.
- 20/20 players so far: ATL's 2B J Ewing and CF D Lemming, BAL 2B F Vanderwal, BED CF T Johnson, CLE's LF A Hildenbrand and 2B J Mercer, LON's CF W McFadden, LF J Russell and 3B D Clemente, OSA CF J Schalk, PAR's SS S Dinkman and CF R Robinson, PHI CF J Bruce, SJ's LF M Musser and SS F Larkin, and SAV CF Z Tobin.
- BED dropped all three games to SAV, leaving the Crunch at .500 and 19 games back in the North. The Crunch, who led the North for much of the season, are now in danger of being passed by CLE who are just 3 games back of BED. The Crunch and Dawgs have 7 games left against each other this season.
- After losing 7 straight to BAL (seriously?), HAL rebounded with 2 wins (and 1 run against) in a short series in Maryland. The two losses drop the Panthers to 32-43 at home and into the basement of the South.
- TAI's longest winning streak so far in 2017? 4 games in June (1 win v PAR followed by a sweep of OSA). Longest losing streak for TAI? 11 games in May v CLE, SCO, IRE, HAL, OSA and PAR.
- OSA is once again dealing with injury problems. SJ has LHP A Dailey on the DL, SAV 1B H Choi is on the DL for the 3rd time this season (playing in 90 of 140 games so far), SCO has lost CF D Ford for a few weeks and TAI's 2B L Kargel is out for 3-4 months (quite a blow to their chances of 3rd pla ... oh nevermind). HAL SS K Brezovan is about 10 days away from returning, which will most likely knock the suddenly hot hitting J Minner to the bench or AAA.

News and Notes: Thursday, August 24, 2017

2008-03-31T10:29:00.002-05:00

Around SLB this week:

- PAR outscored SJ 22-4 in a three game sweep in Puerto Rico. The slumping Senadores are 3-7 in their last 10 but still have a comfortable 8 game lead in the South. Ace right-hander J Niemann took another drubbing, giving up 5 ER while lasting just 3 innings in game 3. Niemann's ERA (4.20) is now above his career ERA mark of 4.09.
- PHI and CLE continue their battle to give the Fever the cap hit in the North. The Fever dropped 3 to LON while the Dawgs lost all 3 to SCO to remain a half game back of PHI. CLE's salary cap is 60M (meaning the franchise can't go any lower) while PHI's is 76M.
- ATL got the gift of TAI (aka Washington Generals) visiting this week, and the 3 game sweep puts them just a game back of third place BAL in the South. ATL's salary cap is 80.5M, the Panthers are at the minimum.
- OSA travelled to New York to face BED and dropped all three games. 2-8 in their last 10, the Ronin now have just a 1 game lead on the suddenly surging KYO squad. Of course, surging in the Far Least division means a 5-5 record in their last 10. The Bushido lost their second best slugger, 1B M Hamilton, for up to 2 weeks.
- HAL is looking for some good news, finally, on the injury front. With LHP A Miller, CF C Gillespie and SS K Brezovan all suffering debilitating long-term injuries this season, it looks like the rookie shortstop might make it back on the field by the end of the season. Brezovan, who hit .355 in the first 32 games, has shown a great work ethic in his daily rehab.
- SCO has fallen to 3 back in the wildcard chase, with the once cellar-dwelling London Knights now in second place in the Euro. SCO leads SLB with 104 GIDP's, featuring 1B H Sanchez with a whopping 24 GIDP's so far this season.
- PAR hosts KYO in a 4 game set this week. Scheduled to see their ERA's balloon for the Bushido are R Hernandez, J Auerbach, R Oswalt and J Peavy.

News & Notes - August 14, 2017

2008-03-28T12:40:00.004-05:00

- Paris CF Ryne Robinson is in prime position to be the league's first ever Triple Crown winner. He leads in batting average by 8 points (over SJ catcher Brian McCann) and is just 2 HR and 1 RBI in back of the league leader (teammate Adam Dunn). Will Pimps' management bench Dunn in September to give Robinson the crown?
- The laughable Far East Division has created the most exciting race. Though every team is still under .500, division leader Osaka has won 8 of 10 and still lost two games to the red hot
Bushido, winners of 10 straight. Kyoto won just 6 games in the entire month of May (and weren't too hot in June or July either), but have woken up to the tune of an 11-1 record midway through August. Manager Bobby Valentine credits the team getting healthy along with the resurgent pitching of Jake Peavy for the turn around.
- Paris, Halifax and San Juan continue to breath rarified air in SLB this year. The three division leaders all sport 72 or more wins, while no other team in the league has more than 62. All three also boast double digit leads in their respective divisions. Paris is in the best shape, with zero competition for the first-round bye in the WL Playoffs, while Halifax and San Juan will be battling for that much needed October rest all the way down the stretch.
- Bedford, who leads the AL WC race, lost two players in one game. 3B Ken Woodward and RF Milton Bradley left the game with very different injuries; Woodward has an inflamed abdomen while Bradley has a broken foot.
- Paris is on pace to score 1002 runs, just 16 shy of their own record. Their current run total (733) is 122 higher than second place San Juan.
- Halifax, on the other hand, sports a 3.45 ERA, which is 3 points lower than the league record of 3.48, set by Savannah in 2015. That mark may rise, however, as the team has lost Andrew Miller to injury and has inserted El Ron Ubardo (and his 5.47 ERA) in his place.
- Taipei is on pace for their worst season ever. Their current .319 winning % would shatter their franchise worst .356 season (2016)

News and Notes: Friday, August 4, 2017

2008-03-25T09:58:00.003-05:00

Around SLB this week:

- There wasn't much trade activity in the league during the days leading up to the deadline as several teams still believe they're in contention for a wildcard spot, if not a division title. RP Huston Street was shipped out of Kyoto to Scotland, where the Rebels lead the World wildcard chase. 3B Miguel Cabrera left Philly to go to his original team, Halifax, who lead the North by 9.5 games. The Sailors also sprung for disappointing pitcher Elron Ubardo from Baltimore to give them some depth in their rotation. Osaka, now a half game back in the Far East and 7.5 back in the wildcard, picked up RP's Brock Landers and Robert Rohrbaugh. Baltimore continued to pick up prospects and draft picks with their second trade, shipping RP Erasmo Ramirez to Euro division leader Paris.
- OSA did themselves no favours this week, dropping 2 games to SCO and managing a split in their 2 games with PAR. The Ronin bullpen threw 19 IP, giving up 13 R in 4 games. The Ronin are hoping for a sweep in their next series, 3 games v IRE.
- SJ, idle at the deadline and content with their roster, has a huge 13 game lead over second place SAV. The Senadores did drop 2 of 4 to HAL and BED this week, with staff ace (and former Sailor) J Niemann taking a pounding in game 2 v HAL, giving up 13 hits and 10 ER in 6.2 IP.
- Remember when ATL used to be good? The Flyers are now the 3rd worst team in SLB. "We're not as bad as our record," said Manager Tony LaRussa. "We've had some horrible luck and I've done a poor job ... in letting my coaches make some decisions. We'll be back next year for sure. We're hoping Zito comes back next season as well to provide some veteran leadership."
- BAL has won 4 straight, defeating division rival ATL and then PHI for another 2 wins. "We've got the Sabers in our sights and a second place finish would be a huge morale boost to these young guys", said 40 year-old RF V Guerrero. "And we're not losing too many guys this winter so I like our chances for next year too."
- Various media reports out of New York have hinted at an unhappy clubhouse in Bedford. After leading the North for most of the season, the Crunch have fallen back but still lead the wildcard chase. "They can't blame it on injuries", said a division rival scout. "So they're pointing the finger at one another and it isn't pretty. But when you keep Milton Bradley on your team like they have, you're asking for trouble."
- IRE has won 7 straight and is now tied for last in the Euro basement with LON. Over the cap of 64M, the Invaders can't afford another cap hit with a last place finish. 1B B Johnson, hitting .315 with an .881 OPS so far this season, will likely not make in back on the field until next spring. He ruptured his achilles tendon getting out of the batters box in the top of the 1st v PAR on Monday.

Mid Season - Far East Division

2008-03-19T14:35:00.002-05:00

Well, who saw this coming? Osaka leads the Far Least by a game and a half? With a losing record? Kyoto is closer to last than first? It's been a wacky half-season so far on the other side of the world.
The Tai Fong are in familiar territory, holding onto their precious spot in the basement. That .310 winning percentage looks especially horrid this year - Tennessee's .228 in 2011 must be some kind of mark GM Dylan Goforth is aiming for - and we've seen Taipei's expansion plan take them from .406, .438, .413 to .356 last season. Memo to Goforth: You're doing this wrong! Start going with your second instinct. I guess the lone bright spot - and I do mean lone - would be ..... Ron Mexico pitching decently with a 3.44 ERA. Sure he's 5-8 but his ERA's two runs better than the rest of the staff. And he'll walk after this season so Taipei can then rush LHP Rudy Ruettiger to the Show. Things are going swell.
Is Kyoto the most underperforming team in SLB? What a train wreck of a season. The Bushido have scored the second fewest runs in SLB (yep, Taipei is the worst. Go ahead and check) thanks to some horrendous performances by veterans BB BooYa (.248) and Chase Utley (.232) but they share the responsiblity for this debacle with everyone but Antonio Mule. The strategy of "we don't hit for power but at least we're slow" doesn't seem to be paying off for GM Darin Keesing. Let's see how much of his roster he blows up before the deadline.
GM Ben Royer thought he'd be contending this season and Chiang-Mai is only 1.5 games out. But that sub .500 record has a stench to it as well. The days of the Kwaan scoring runs in bunches are over and the bullpen can't hold onto leads - 4 relievers have ERA's greater than 6.13. Look at those guys if you dare. You're not going to win with that 'pen. But Cap Jackson has returned from his life-threatening neck injury to finally live up to his promise, hitting .304 with 60 SB. Nice, that didn't take long. Just another season and a half before he's up for free agency after a lot of on-the-job-training in Thailand.
Osaka finds themselves in first after weather some big-time injuries and can still put up a lot of crooked numbers. Reuben Brown is hitting .297 with 8 HR in 29 games and may have time to join Chest Rockwell, Dave Peppers, John Thomas and Tony Montana in the Ronin 30 HR club. Yup, that pitching staff is getting lit up but doing just enough. With the second most runs scored on offense and the second worst ERA, watch for the Ronin club to petition the commissioner to allow a keg placed out at second base for home games.
There you have it. Quite a down year for this division but with a few surprises. How does OSA's Tim Spooneybarger manage a sub 4.00 ERA for another season? Johan Santana can't do that in Osaka. Did TAI's 1B Dan Posedel completely forget how to hit? Lifetime he's .281. This season .213 (and batting in the second spot.) The surprise out of Chiang-Mai has already been mentioned (Cap Jackson). Biggest disappoinment in SLB? Kyoto's entire roster. Maybe that's a little harsh, there might be 4 players ....
Mid Season picks: Cy Young - Homer Bailey, Atlanta. MVP - Ryne Robinson, Paris. Rookie Hitter of the Year - Kiki Brezovan, Halifax. Rookie Pitcher of the Year - Chaz Roe, Cleveland.

Mid Season - North Division

2008-03-18T12:44:00.002-05:00

Halifax, Bedford, Philly and Cleveland. In that order. Yeah, sounds about right.
The Sailors are playing well despite the loss of Kiko Brezovan - still out for over two more months with a ruptured disc in his back - and a host of other players. The offense, led by a rejuvenated D2J, is hitting well enough and the pitching, top to bottom, has been fantastic. Horacio Ramirez leads the staff with 11 wins despite the worst ERA in the rotation (3.97). Justin Verlander is just 8-5 but has a terrific 2.51 ERA and has struck out 133 batters.

Bedford's hitting has been probably a little better than expected - Todric Johnson has been ridiculous. 17 home runs, 17 triples, a 1.001 OPS and 28 steals? Damn. - and Milton Bradley, Paddy Farr and Josh Barfield have contributed. The pitching staff has been a relative disappointment, in comparison. Ted Striker (3.29 ERA) has been great, but Scott Kazmir (4.39 ERA, but team-best 126 strikeouts) has struggled at times.

Andy Hunter, wherefore art thou? The Philly outfielder hit .318 with 41 HRs a year ago, and while the power is still there (18 homers), the average is not (.214). Miguel Cabrera isn't hitting as well as he did a year ago, though a lot of that probably has to do with the struggles around him. Jay Bruce is still a stud, his .337 average is good for third in the league. Outside of Rich Harden (2.93 ERA), the pitching staff has hit the skids. Three starters have given up over 20 HRs, led (???) by Neal Cotts with 24.

In Cleveland, Tex Austin and Drew Stubbs were supposed to team up with Alex Hildebrand to lead the Dawgs back to the post-season. Not so fast, my friend. Both have struggled with the bat - Tex is hitting .274 and has picked it up as of late, but Stubbs .776 OPS is not what was expected - and the pair has struggled with injuries, neither appearing in 50 games, yet. But hey, Hildebrand is hitting! The pitching, as expected, has been forgettable, though the Dawgs are getting another nice season out of Daniel Pursel (9-8, 3.81 ERA).

Biggest Surprise: Todric Johnson was a second round pick by the Crunch way back in 2013, and boy is that one paying off. The speedy outfielder struggled against lefties his first two years in the league, hitting .196 and .169 against them his first two years. He hit .358 (!) against them a year ago and while no one expected him to keep it up in 2017, he's doing it again. He's going to top his 2016 numbers in basically every category and that deep 2013 draft keeps paying off.

Biggest Disappointment: Andy Hunter's struggles have already been talked about a bit, but seriously, what the hell is going on? He mashed last year and the year before that, but it's like he slipped out of the gate at the beginning of the season and just can't right the ship. Frustrating for a Philly team that is fighting for a first place division finish.

Division MVP: Todric Johnson, without a doubt.

Division Cy Young: Justin Verlander.

Mid Season - Euro Division

2008-03-17T14:58:00.003-05:00

The Euro Division is neck and neck with the North in the race for the strongest division in the league. Paris and Scotland would be in the playoffs if they started today, while London and Ireland are just under .500. Paris has been strong from the start, with Scotland hot on their heels. London has only recently climbed out of the cellar, but still must make a quick decision over the next 2 weeks about their chances. Ireland continues to groom the young hitters, but the big bucks invested into a few select players has hurt their depth.

Paris is giving us a blast from the past, pouring on the offense to the tune of 5.9 runs/game. To absolutely no one's surprise, Adam Dunn (age 36) is having a monster year, while Ryne Robinson is challenging for league MVP honors with his .708 SLG. Six players (!!!) are slugging above .500. Scotland has (at least for this season) solved the offense problems, getting huge years out of Bristow, Johjima and Darin Ford. London is playing catch up, with Jim Russell leading an offense that is finally turning it on. Diego Clemente is having a tough year, barely OPSing over .800. Ireland is getting good years from rookie Al Murphy and vet CC Sabathia, but a short bullpen is killing the club.

Biggest Surprise: Darin Ford with a .600 SLG? FTH?

Biggest Disappointment: Oh look, Jered Weaver sucks....again. 6.51 ERA...wow.

Division MVP: Ryne Robinson (PAR) is probably league MVP for me right now.

Mid Season - South Division

2008-03-17T12:02:00.004-05:00

The South Division is a bit turned on its head this season, with last year's division champs (ATL) falling the basement and every other team slotting up a spot. San Juan has been amazing, hitting the All Star Break with the best record in the league. Savannah has done extremely well considering they can't keep either Choi or Pujols off the DL. Baltimore has been, well, Baltimore, and Atlanta's bullpen has really cost them in the standings.

The Senadores' lineups is almost entirely homegrown, with 6 of the 8 position players drafted by GM Bill Gluvna. Coupled with some unexpected pitching lines from the likes of Niemann and Meche and you have the makings of a division champ. Can the pitching hold up in the post season? Savannah has battled through health issues and an off year by Phillip Humber, but are still just 6.5 games back and lead the wildcard race. Baltimore has gotten good play from rookies Vanderwal and Atwood and some nice "last hurrah's" from the ancient Guerrero and McPherson. The starting pitching has been decent (though have given up a lot of hits) but the bullpen has been brutal. Atlanta has typically brilliant seasons from Bailey and Lemming, plus great years from Ewing, Morneau and Brady, but have also had health issues. Their runs scored/allowed are just one run apart, meaning they should be at least 5 games better in the standings.

Biggest Surprise: I'll go with Jeff Niemann from San Juan. He's cut a full run off of his ERA and represented the Sendores in the All Star Game. He's a big reason they are out fron right now.

Biggest Disappointment: El Ron Ubardo has regressed to a 5.00 ERA pitcher for Baltimore, a team that just can't seem to build on anything year to year.

Division MVP: Brian McCann (SJ). Floyd Larkin is the star on this team, but a near 1.000 OPS from your catcher? Wow.

News and Notes: Wednesday, June 14, 2017

2008-01-28T19:59:00.000-06:00

Around SLB this week:

- SJ, having stretched their lead in the South to 5 games, got two 1st round picks in the 2017 amateur draft. They grabbed LHP Anthony Rodriguez (AUB) first overall and with the 10th pick took 3B Tyler Diggins (ND). Said a rival GM anonymously, "Rodgriguez was a solid pick. He looks like he could be at worst, a #3 guy. Maybe a solid #1. I'm shocked though, at the Diggins pick. Did they really need a third baseman that badly? We didn't have him in our top 30 - thought he was a good college player, not a great one and we didn't see much there in room for growth."
- TAI, up to #2 with the trade of LF A Mule to KYO, took LHP R Ruettigger (ND). "He throws hard, has good stuff but mentally he just loses focus. If things start badly, be it a game, series or even a season, it gets to him and it all falls apart," said a Tai Fong scout. "I argued against it, I thought we needed a high-ceiling, no risk pick and he seems a little risky to me." The 12th pick had TAI selecting reliever Dave Calvo (UCI). "We really like this guy," said GM Dylan Goforth. "He's going to be part of our 'pen for a long, long time. He just goes out and gets the job done."
- CLE, 1-9 in their last 10, also grabbed a left-handed starter, Dellin Betances (MIA). According to the Tai Fong scout, "Betances can't get right-handed batters out, and he could get by in college but that won't happen at the big league level. Cleveland got a 5th starter with the 3rd pick. He didn't fool us."
- SCO, falling off the pace in the Euro is now in a struggle to maintain wildcard position. With the 4th pick, the Rebels landed RF Pablo Mattisse (UNC). "We're delighted. We can't believe this guy fell to us, we were watching the draft board and when the National Player of the Year lands in your lap ... outstanding. He holds the record for RBI's in the NCAA and we've got a run producer," said the already celebrating SCO GM Carmelo Guarneri.
- IRE, losers are 4 straight and trying to push LON into the Euro basement, selected C J Berry (CONN). Berry, who never hit like scouts expected, are obviously still high on the sweet swinging right-handed hitting catcher. "I don't know why he didn't put up big numbers but he was too good to pass up. A rifle of an arm too," said IRE GM Tony Blake. "We'll find a spot for him, somehow." The Invaders have catchers Al Murphy and Earl Hickey on their roster right now and may be forced to trade one of the three.
- OSA, first place in the Far East, took a CF out of ND with their pick. "Andy Bokelman? Really?", said the Tai Fong scout. "He doesn't really seem like a Ronin type of hitter, in fact, I'm not sure why any team would take this guy with their first rounder. Sometimes, a team has a thing or a bias for a certain school. Certainly seems to be the case here."
- BED, picking 7th, chose yet another left-handed starter, Hunter Johnson (TUL). A World GM noted that they had Johnson ranked 1st on their board. "You really have to get lucky sometimes. This guy should've been number 1 and a couple teams really screwed up to let him go to Bedford."
- HAL, in a North dogfight with CLE and BED, went with LF Sam Archibald (HOU)with the 8th pick. GM Lars Cain said, "He's a real fun player to watch, a guy that gives his all out there and we're happy to get him. He's been an All-American three years running."
- SAV, who has been creeping up on SJ all month, selected 2B Dom Giggie (CMU) 10th. "Well, that's not quite as bad as Bokelman to Osaka," laughed a South GM. "But the Sabers have middle infield issues and he'll probably get a shot by next season."
- PAR, far ahead of the pack in the World League, took RF Shoo Sasaki (LSU) 11th overall. "You knew someone was going to give this guy a shot, right?" said a Euro scout. "They can afford to gamble. You can totally knock a wood bat out of this kids hands but his eye-hand coordination is incredible right now. He's a bit of a project but I like the risky move."
- PHI, picking 13th, had SS Adrian Cardenas (AUB) fall hard and land square on their draft table. "We needed a little boost right now," said a Fever scout. "What a break! We just got our shortstop for the next 10 years and that really helps our rebuilding project. We weren't sure anyone good would be left this late."
- The 15th and 16th picks to end the first round both went to HAL. CF Gary Hamm (MICH) "was an All-American last season and has more of the all-around talent we saw in Archibald. We may have to move him out of centre because of his arm but we think he'll be a heckuva player," said HAL GM Lars Cain. RP Greg Moore (HOU) will be "more of a project. If he can get a second pitch off his fastball, he'll be set," sent the Tai Fong scout.

2017 AMATEUR DRAFT, ROUND 1

2008-01-28T13:42:00.001-06:00

The long awaited Amateur Draft show is here! Have fun!

VIDEO TEST

2008-01-27T14:48:00.000-06:00

Just testing video embedding. Nothing to see here.

News and Notes: Friday, June 9, 2017

2008-01-25T13:09:00.000-06:00

Around SLB this week:

- The 2017 Amateur Draft should be coming up in the next couple of days. Get your lists ready. Three rounds of 16 - the sooner your lists are in, the quicker games can resume.
- OSA fell a little closer to the pack in the Far East, dropping all 3 games to SJ. The Senadores scored 39 runs and gave up 18. Fourteen HR were hit by SJ and GM Bill Gluvna is now lobbying ownership and the league to consider moving the franchise to Japan.
- Just curious: After having their AAA team in Mexico City in 2004-05, HAL was asked to move their AAA franchise because supposedly, the high average (.324 in 2004) and high HR totals (243 in 2005) skewed stats and damaged the integrity of the league. 1B P Fielder of Mexico still holds the minor league record with 43 bombs. Yet the team record for SLB homeruns has been set by OSA (374 in 2014), the individual record by an OSA player (72 in 2014) and the Ronin have led the league in homeruns by 47 (2016), 61 (2015), 142 (2014), and 77 (2013). They are the only team to hit over 300 HR in a season and have done so 4 seasons in a row. The individual HR leader has been from OSA the past 4 seasons as well. Where is the outrage now?
- There are two teams with remarkably low slugging percentages: TAI is at .380, KYO at .393. The Tai Fong's leader in slugging is LF E Dalton (and former Bushido) at .521. LF A Mule of KYO leads his team with his .533 mark.
- KYO took 2 of 3 from ATL , another blow to the Flyers season. ATL is 3.5 games back of third place BAL in the South. "We really spanked Zambrano in the second game," said Manager Bobby Valentine. "I thought we came out a little flat in game three, the guys knew they had the series won and relaxed against Zito. You just can't do that. Savannah comes here next and even though its only June, every game is important."
- Despite getting shutout in 10 innings in Game 1 v LON, BAL took the next two games and are 7-3 in their last 10. The Knights had RHP J Weaver on the mound for Game 2 and saw his typical performance: 7 innings, 13 hits, 2 walks and 7 ER. Weaver has given up 15 HR in 13 starts (68 IP).
- CHNG took 2 of 3 from PHI, the two wins both taking place in extra innings and decided by one run. The Kwaan lost the fina game 9-7 but are just 4 back of OSA. The Fever's loser in both extra inning games was LHP M Buehrle, totalling 2 IP, 5 hits and 2 ER. Buehrle's corpse is now 0-6, 8.62.
- Despite SCO taking 2 of 3 from HAL, PAR is on the verge of running away and hiding with their 7-game winning streak. The Pimpernels swept BED behind CF R Robinson's 8-12, 4 HR, 2 doubles and a stolen base.

News and Notes: Friday, June 2, 2017

2008-01-22T14:41:00.000-06:00

Around SLB this week:

- BED is unstoppable and has the best record in (has that ever been written before? ed.) SLB after 56 games. The Crunch swept SCO, giving up a total of 4 runs in three games, and RF M Bradley went 6-12 with 4 doubles. Game 2 saw Bradley have yet another run in with the firstbase umpire after being called out on the back end of a double play and came very close to ejection.
- KYO's lack of team speed again this season is apparent to most rival scouts. The Bushido have hit into 44 DP's (3rd most) and have just 5 triples (fewest in SLB). Making matters worse is the total lack of respect for C K Thibault's arm - opposing teams have stolen 72 SB off KYO, second most in the league. SS B BooYa has managed to steal 17 bases despite his .270 OBP.
- "Hey, we're slow too!" BAL has managed just 15 steals as a team(!) and has 39 GIDP. There are 11 players in SLB with at least 16 stolen bases.
- Meet the Slowskys: KYO C Kiel Thibault has 10 GIDP, PAR 3B Yuliesky Gourriel has 11 GIDP and SCO 1B Henry Sanchez has 12 GIDP.
- IRE didn't lie down for SJ, taking 2 of 3 from the streaking Senadores in Puerto Rico. Back-to-back gems by right-hander J Beckett and T Kawabata totaled 15K in 12.2 IP. The Invaders are tied with LON for 3rd (or last), 7 back of PAR.
- Last season, PHI LF Andy Hunter hit .318 with 41 HR and a 1.001 OPS. This season, the 28 year-old Fever player is hitting .182 with 11 HR and a .604 OPS. Last seasons World Series finalists are 24-34, 14 games out and in 4th in the North.
- BAL SP D Tankersley is making just 7M for this season and next. Brought back to the Panthers to help guide their young pitchers, Tankersley has done all of that and more. He leads the league in IP (92) and has a sparkling 2.35 ERA.

News and Notes: Friday, May 26, 2017

2008-01-20T13:49:00.000-06:00

Around SLB this week:

- PAR is the hottest team in SLB right now (8-2 in their last 10) with 5 wins in a row. They moved to 2 games up on SCO in the Euro with 2 wins each over TAI and KYO, allowing just 5 runs in the four games. 3B S Dinkman went 9-18 with 2 doubles and a triple and is now hitting .352 on the season.
- Moving in the opposite direction is the former Far East leading KYO. The Bushido have fallen to third place and are now closer to last than first. The Bushido have the 4th lowest ERA (4.03) but can't hit - .230 is the lowest team batting average in SLB by 16 points.
- OSA has crushed its way to a 10 game lead and gets LF R Brown back in under a month. Brown hit 50 HR last season but had just 3 AB's in 2017. Despite being a hitters mecca, 7 teams have a worse ERA than OSA (4.64).
- CHNG 2B Cap Jackson rehabbed successfully from a broken neck and is playing the best baseball of his career. Jackson is at .281 (career .254) with 27 SB. But the Kwaan continue to struggle with LF J Belinda 58 points under his career average and only 4 HR and the 4th worst ERA in SLB (4.88).
- Is ATL finally making their move? The Flyers have played .500 their past 10 and are now just a half game back of third place BAL. "If you're going to play lousy baseball it's better to do it now then in September," said hitting coach Dennis Dennis Sr. "San Juan hasn't been able to run away and hide yet. We'll be there at the end of the year, mark my words."
- SJ's RP Edwin Jackson is up to his old tricks. He's once again the league leader in saves (12) with a 2.35 ERA. "Our guys think he's back to doctoring the ball," said ATL hitting coach Dennis Dennis Sr. "We just faced him on Tuesday and he's pitching like he was last year - not like he was doing earlier in the year. We'll catch him, don't worry. He'll get his comeuppance, if you will."
- CLE split a 2-game series with PHI and then followed HAL's lead by mistreating BAL. The Dawgs are a surprising 29-20 and just 2.5 out of first in the North. CF D Stubbs has been a total bust in Cleveland and has been sent to work on his game and mindset in AAA. "We knew he was a .300 hitter," said Manager Joe Torre. "We just didn't think it would be in Triple-A."

Is Retirement Next?

2008-01-18T13:03:00.000-06:00

Osaka (AP) During Wednesday nights game between the Osaka Ronin and the visiting Kyoto Bushido, centerfielder Andruw Jones was injured on a catch of a sinking line drive off the bat of slugger Chest Rockwell.
"I just twisted my knee at the last second," said an obviously distraught Jones. "Just another thing that went wrong this year."
The 39 year-old Jones, who signed for just over the minimum salary this offseason, has struggled at the plate this season, hitting just .193 with 2 HR and no stolen bases in 109 at-bats. That's quite a dropoff from 2016 with Savannah, where as a platoon player and defensive replacement Jones hit .267 with 15 HR and 21 stolen bases.
"I don't think I've lost bat speed at all," Jones continued. "I've think I've got something left in the tank. I don't have to prove anything. I just don't know if I want to bother with all of the rehab just to come back for next spring training and just be a pinch-hitter or emergency outfielder. It's been a good career if this is it."
The injury to Jones, an inflamed medial collateral ligament, is expected to keep him out for over 6 months. He was a member of the SLB champion Halifax Sailors in 2009 and SLB champion Savannah Sabers in 2015, a three-time All-Star and two-time division MVP.

News and Notes: Monday, May 15, 2017

2008-01-17T20:02:00.000-06:00

Around SLB this week:

- BAL was 18-7 early this season. That seems so long ago, as the Panthers dropped 15 straight before winning their final game v PAR Sunday night. BAL has scored the 7th most runs but have the 5th worst ERA (4.94), in which most of the embarrassing performances are coming from the bullpen. Among the starters though, LHP Oliver Perez has just 2 QS in 8 opportunities.
- TAI continued their strategy of "Winning? Not interested, thanks" after dealing RP F Rodney (3.27 ERA)to ATL in a multi-player swap. After the trade was announced, SP R Mexico went ballistic in the dressing room. "Let's face it, we're a farm team. We'll draft guys and when they develop, trade them to a real team. I know I'll be out of here too - if they don't trade me I'll walk at the end of the year. We should change our team colors to all-white 'cause from management on down, we just @#*%ing surrender."
- The Nick Swisher experiment has ended in BED. After going 2-7 with a double and HR in three games v CHNG, GM Rich Gin traded their big free-agent signing to SCO for AAA 3B R Zimmerman. Zimmerman was hitting .312 in Stockholm while Swisher was hitting .250 with 5 HR for the Crunch.
- At 15-25, ATL is 12.5 back of red hot SJ. SJ is 17-2 in their last 19 buy GM J Masters of the Flyers isn't backing down. Sources inside the Flyers head office say Masters is going ahead with plans to print tickets for not just the playoffs but the World Series as well. "We think it's premature but he's confident in his team. He's dug himself a hole ... but with Zambrano getting his ERA down (4.11 ed) he thinks we're a lock. If we disagree with him in private or in public, he sacks us."
- In HAL's 2 game sweep of ATL before sweeping doormat TAI, the Sailors lost 2B (and RHOY favourite) for 4-6 months. Reporters couldn't get GM Lars Cain to comment but did hear constant sobbing coming from the GM's office.
- KYO's 2 big free agent signings aren't faring too well. RF J Reed (8M per) is hitting just .234 with a .649 OPS on a team that needs him desperately to provide offense. And 35 year-old SP J Peavy has a 5.80 ERA with 74 baserunners in 50 IP.
- Preseason favourite LON was the latest victim of SJ and has now lost 5 straight. After winning 97 games last year and adding RF D Young, the Knights are now last in the Euro, 6 games back of SCO.

News and Notes: Friday, May 5, 2017

2008-01-14T10:31:00.001-06:00

Around SLB this week:

- Although LON's SS J Reyes was struggling to start the season, the Knights certainly didn't want to be without him for any length of time. But in Wednesday's win against PAR, Reyes fractured his hip sliding safely into second base (his 3rd double of the game). Reyes, a career .302 hitter with 496 SB's, is out for 2-3 months. "Not what the team needed right now," said Reyes. "And I'm a free agent after this season and really wanted to put up some numbers to help the team win." Look for Knights GM Sean O'Hallaran to explore the trade market rather than go with 24 year-old T Hernandez, a career .218 hitter with a .267 slugging percentage.
- TAI has the second worst team ERA (5.49) due to horrible, and not entirely unexpected, showings by pitchers T Unger, T Redding, J Palm, P Tsamis, J Davis and T Johnson, all of whom have ERA's 5.40 or greater. "That makes it tough to win ballgames," said Manager Billy Heywood. "But when you get shutout twice in the last four games, that doesn't help either." The Tai Fong scored a total of 6 runs in their past 4 games.
- TAI has hit 25 HR as a team. OSA's C Rockwell and T Montana have hit a combined 24. The Ronin, 6-4 in their last 10, are just a half game back of KYO in the Far East.
- As expected, KYO's LF A Mule is raking for the Bushido (.328, 8 HR) but he can't make up for the miserable performances by SS B BooYa (.234), 3B E See (.225) and RF J Reed (.246). The bench players aren't providing any help either, and KYO is 14th in runs scored.
- BAL's slide (6 straight losses) has coincided with SJ's hot streak (8-2 in their last 10). SJ is now a game up in the South. The Senadores have a huge lead in the SB department, with 69. CHNG and LON are tied for 2nd with 39 apiece.
- Despite a whopping 5.82 ERA, PAR is tied for 1st in the Euro. The Pimpernels have scored the most runs in SLB (188) and are second to OSA in HR with 51.
- Last in runs scored so far is .... ATL (111)? The 9-21 Flyers (last in the South) are getting a monster season out of CF D Lemming (1.137 OPS) who may still be a candidate for MVP even if the Flyers continue to flounder.
- BED continues to mash (46 HR and 4th in RS)and now has a 1.5 game lead in the North. CF T Johnson is the only player to appear on both the HR leader list (T-3rd) and SB leader list (T-7th). In fact, the only categories where Johnson doesn't appear are: doubles, RBI's, walks and strikeouts.

News and Notes: Monday, May 1, 2017

2008-01-11T11:10:00.000-06:00

Around SLB this week:

- Picked in the preseason to be, at a minimum, a Series contender, ATL has given GM Jim Masters fits this spring. The Flyers sit at 8-18 and in the South cellar. The team is 100% healthy and with excuses being offered up by players, management and media alike, rumors of fingerpointing and clubhouse dissension abound. Has Manager Tony LaRussa lost his players? Who's responsible for 1B John Twain's inability to recognize a pitch at the plate? Twain is hitting .161 with 1 HR after hitting.294 with 25 bombs last year. Is SP Carlos Zambrano being shopped around? The 13M he's making doesn't match up too well with his 1-4, 5.19 line so far. A division rival scout, wishing to remain anonymous says, "His fastball has really straightened out the past couple of seasons. And I'd want to check his birth certificate. There's no way he's only 34."
- Taking the high road since being ripped in the papers by ATL GM Jim Masters, BAL GM Jose Gutierrez sees his team on top of the South. Since busting out of the gate, the Panthers are 5-5 in their last 10 and have pitching coach Joe Nathan giving extra time to RP Erasmo Ramirez (8.58 ERA), SP Oliver Perez (5.72) and SP El Ron Ubardo (4.89). "We need all of those guys to turn it around or pick it up a notch", said Nathan. "We've got a shot at this thing if they perform."
- CHNG SP Mark Prior is just 2-2 this season but those wins have him 1st among active and retired pitchers. Prior's record is 201-96, IRE's CC Sabathia is second at 183 wins.
- SAV 1B Hee Seop Choi is on pace for just 19 HR this season but his 3 HR have put him over the 400 career HR mark.
- More distressing to GM Rich Vohs (Choi is hitting .355) is the performance of ace RH Phillip Humber. Humber is just 2-2, 4.50 and also in the last year of his contract. Humber currently makes 10.25M per season.
- Nine active players currently have over 1000 RBI's (PAR's LF A Dunn just joining the club). Four of them have reached 1000 RBI's with under 400 HR - BAL's D McPherson and V Guerrero, KYO's J Hamilton and BED's J Barfield.

- Did anyone pick BED's Doug Waechter for this seasons Cy Young award? No? The 35 year-old RH picked up his 4th win of the season, going 7.1 IP with 1 hit and 7 K v KYO and is now 4-0, 2.34.

Awards Predictions - Lars Edition

2008-01-11T09:10:00.000-06:00

MVP - Antonio Mule, KYO
Cy Young - Roy Oswalt, KYO
RHOY - Kiko Brezovan, HAL
RPOY - Jordan Auerbach, KYO

News and Notes: Monday, April 24, 2017

2008-01-09T09:55:00.000-06:00

Around SLB this week:

- SCO pasted BAL in a 3 game series putting up 31 runs in the Panther Dome. 2B K Bristow hit his 7th HR already - his career high is 14 (HAL 2014). Bristow also leads SLB in runs scored. The sweep of the Panthers puts SCO up 1 game in the Euro and diminishes BAL's lead to just a half game in the South.
- CF Rocco Baldelli continues to work out in Arizona and practice with ASU while his agent desperately works the phones. Baldelli, a former Goat of the Year (LON 2005), hit just .228 in spot duty for TAI last season. "I may be 34 but I'm in the best shape of my life", said Baldelli. "I'm not looking for a multi-year deal, just an opportunity somewhere. I can't even get a job in Triple A right now? Come on."
- BED has scored the 5th most runs in SLB so far (110). Leadoff hitter and CF T Johnson has as many HR (5) as SB.
- After making 5 deals and revamping his roster, GM B Royer now sees his CHNG team in 3rd place, just one game up on TAI. The Kwaan have the second worst ERA (5.53) despite SP M Prior's 1.90 in 38 IP. Will Royer be able to turn this team around again? His head is on the chopping block according to league sources, with ownership upset that last year's 101-win team was remade instead of tinkered with.
- CLE LHP C Y'Barra (1-1, 7.18) outdueled CHNG RHP M Prior in the rubbermatch of their series to give the Dawgs 3rd place in the North. The game gave Prior his first loss and Dawg Closer M Towaki his 3rd save.
- IRE rookie CF J Ferrera might want to reconsider buying new plasma Hi-Def big screens and the new Apple - that Rookie of the Year bonus money might not be in his future. The Invader CF is hitting (using that term loosely, I know) .198 with 2 HR while batting 2nd in the lineup.
- KYO LF A Mule went 0-8 with 3K in the first two games v SJ (both losses) before rebounding in game three - 4-4 with 2 HR. The young Bushido outfielder is playing hurt but is being counted on to carry the team with both 1B M Hamilton and CF J Hamilton out 4-6 weeks.
- Will KYO's injury issues allow the other Far East teams to shrink the Bushido's 3.5 game lead? KYO doesn't play a Far East opponent for 9 more series.

- What is going on with LON SP Jered Weaver? After going 17-4, 3.80 in 213 IP in 2016, Weaver has been rocked in all 4 starts for the Knights in 2017. Zero quality starts, an ERA of 23.14 and 34 baserunners in 9.1 IP. (Not a typo: 4 GS totalling 9.1 IP). One theory coming out of the Euro division is that Weaver is spending too much time being "mentored" by such upstanding citizens as Knight's hitting coach Darryl Strawberry and pitching coach Dwight Gooden.

Awards Predictions - Darin Edition

2008-01-05T14:35:00.000-06:00

MVP - Diego Clemente (LON)
Cy Young - Homer Bailey (ATL)
RHOY - Kiko Brezovan (HAL)
RPOY - Jordan Auerbach (KYO)

News and Notes: Friday, April 14, 2017

2008-01-04T09:24:00.000-06:00

Around SLB this week:

- BAL flew out of the gate this season with a 7-3 mark. That matches KYO for the best record in the league. 26 year-old 3B T Gammell is hitting .400 with 5 HR. "That's up there in Rockwell territory," said Gammell. "I plan on doing this all year long."
- Last year's champion PAR has limped out to just a 6-5 record so far, dropping their last 3. Pimpernel pitchers have been grooving pitches at an alarming rate; B Kim has given up 4 HR in 9.2 IP, H Kuo 4 HR in 8 IP, and D Arizmendi 4 HR in 6 IP.
- CLE waived LHP T Lare in order to send the 29 year-old to Hawaii. Manager Joe Torre, bundled up in his winter parka, was misty-eyed after informing Lare of the decision. "It's not that I feel bad for the kid," said Torre. "I just wish I could go with him. Instead I have to stay here, freezing, and watch Towaki pitch. You know what that does to me?" RHP M Towaki, the highest paid Dawg at 3/18M, has a 6.75 ERA so far.
- SCO CF Darin Ford is providing some pop in the Rebel lineup. Ford has a 1.061 OPS with 5 HR in 11 games with the Rebels in front of LON, PAR and IRE. How long Manager Rollie Fingers continues to give RHP E Degerman chances is anyone's guess - Degerman has a 7.62 ERA with 5 HR in his 2 starts.
- OSA lost RP C Sadler (2-4 weeks) and LF R Brown (6-8 weeks) in the first game of the season. And on Tuesday, 2B P Matthew left the game early with a strained back and is out 4-6 weeks. Manager Sadaharu Oh, known for his tough practice schedule, refuses to lighten the workload despite the constant injuries to his players. "They are not in shape and show no discipline. When they accept my methods the team will perform better. I will show no mercy to weak players."
- BED LF N Swisher is struggling with his new team - not that it has hurt the Crunch so far - batting just .214 with 0 HR and a league-worst 15 K's. LHP S Kazmir has shown an affinity for pitching in Bedford, however, with a 2.25 ERA and 10 K in 12 IP.
- SJ's bullpen has been putting gas on the fire early this season. Last year's surprise of a reliever, Edwin Jackson, has a 6.75 ERA (4.74 career). Setup man J Colome has a 7.50 ERA with 11 baserunners in 6 IP.
- LON is behind SCO by a game and has lost LF J Russell for up to 2 weeks. The Knights won't be getting much help from their AAA affiliate in Queens, as they can't even compete at that level. Queens is 0-11, hitting 6 HR so far as a team and allowing 15.
- IRE is 3-8 and last in the Euro, which isn't surprising. What is surprising are the weak performances by pitchers C Sabathia (1-2, 4.12), J Beckett (0-1, 7.71) and FA signee T Kawabata (0-1, 5.25). Look for pitching coach Roger Clemens to be shown the door if this continues.
- New KYO SS B BooYa (acquired from PHI) leads SLB in batting avg (.441) and had a 1.031 OPS with 5 SB. "Right now, he's making up for Jeremy Reed," says Manager Bobby Valentine, trying to bite his tongue. "Reed has .... has not .... lived up to expectations, frankly. My sister can hit better." RF J Reed is at .189 so far while making 8M per season. Says one rival GM, still bitter over the Oswalt/Mule trade to the Bushido, "Maybe they can send Reed to their Triple-A team - that's Taipei, right?"

Taipei Keeps Pace With Atlanta in Week 1

2008-01-03T12:51:00.000-06:00

The Tai Fong are neck and neck with the Atlanta Flyers early in this 2017 season, matching them win for win. "We're thrilled to be at the same level as a defending division champion," manager Billy Heywood told reporters. "Who would have thought that Ron Mexico would have as many wins as Homer Bailey, Larry Kargel the same number of homers as John Twain, and Kevin Whelan the same number of saves as K-Rod?

"We're right where we want to be, competing day in and day out and matching the mighty Flyers win for win."

Ronin GM on Suicide Watch as Star Slugger Goes Down Opening Day

2008-01-02T09:09:00.000-06:00

PARIS - The optimism of another Opening Day was replaced with dread for Ronin fans as All-Star left fielder Ruben Brown left the game today. The diagnosis: bone spurs in the feet.

Brown raked this spring, leading the league in homers. Osaka faithful felt that the team had a good chance at competing for the post season if (woops) Brown, Rockwell and Peppers stayed healthy all year. Now, just one series into the season, the Ronin are a man down.

Team doctors say Brown will need 6-8 weeks to recover. When asked why these bone spurs were not diagnosed this spring, team doctors suddenly lost all ability to speak English.

HSH: Philly Fever

2007-12-31T15:52:00.001-06:00

Projected Record: 86-74

Key Additions: Prince Fielder

Key Losses: BB Boo-Ya, Jimmy Tubular, Tom Radical, Jack Psyche! (I’m running out of 90s catchphrases)

Eighty-eight wins was good enough for second place in every division in 2016. Every division except the North, that is. That was good for Philly, because the Fever won 88 games and won their division for the third time.

A lot went right for Philly last season. Its offense was outstanding, finishing first overall in most offensive categories. Miguel Cabrera finally had the year that everyone has been waiting for. And while he was the headliner of the SLB’s best offensive unit, he was hardly alone. Will Hunting was quite good, as well. His .348 batting average actually bested Cabrera’s mark (.346) and he hit 29 homeruns, his highest total since 2011. Jay Bruce (.317, 29 HR) continued his ascension as did Andy Hunter, who hit 49 homers despite playing in just 114 games. Overall the offense was incredibly balanced. So why just 88 wins?

In a word, thepitchingstaff. The top three (Wade Miller, Rich Harden and Tadeshi Kawabata) did well, all posting ERAs of 3.60 or lower. It was everyone else that dragged them down. A bullpen is the hardest aspect of a team to build, as evidenced by the dregs that came on in relief for the Fever last year. The unit was “led” by Robert Rohrbaugh, whoever that is, who threw 40.2 innings of 3.54 ERA ball. Everyone else was terrible, Mark Romanczuk was allowed to throw 62.1 innings despite his 7.80 (not a typo) ERA, and Josh Hancock pitched like he was dead, allowing 18 homeruns in 94.1 innings pitched. Just terrible.

But that offense, ooooohhhhh that offense. It was good last year and it should be again in 2017. B.B. Boo-Ya took his wheels to Kyoto in a trade for big Prince Fielder. Subtract speed and on-base ability and add more power. The only question is, which Prince will show up? The 2014 Fielder that won the North MVP for Halifax or just about any other version that’s fat and sucks?

Philly is looking for its third North title in as many years, and they’re in what is shaping up to be an odd division. Cleveland and Bedford really don’t have a shot, unless you could combine their rosters, which means that it’s between the ever-confusing Halifax Sailors and the Fever.

Philly has a better offense. Halifax added Justin Verlander, while Halifax lost Tadeshi Kawabata. The Sailors have a better bullpen. What does all this mean? I’m not sure, but I still think that I’m picking Philly to win the division. No wait, Halifax. Errr, Philly.

It’s really a toss-up, but in the end, I value offense over limited bullpen innings, so I’m picking the Fever! It’s probably telling that as soon as I typed out that last sentence, I immediately felt like retracting it and picking Halifax. Truth be told, who knows what’s going to happen? Just shut up and watch them mash the ball.

Note: I just typed out Philly’s projected rotation, and I changed my pick to Halifax.

Projected lineup

2B Harrison, Guy

LF Hunter, Andy

3B Cabrera, Miguel

RF Hunting, Will

CF Bruce, Jay

1B Fielder, Prince

C Buhner, Frank

SS Miller, Ed

Projected Rotation

R Harden, Rich

R Miller, Wade

R Wainwright, Adam

L Buehrle, Mark

R Hancock, Josh

Closer

L Rohrbaugh, Robert

HSH: San Juan

2007-12-31T15:47:00.000-06:00

Projected record: 85-75

Key Additions: Carlos Beltran, Jon Garland, Oscar Villarreal, Gil Meche (lol)

Key Losses: About a million brain cells, thanks to all the Bud Ice or whatever cheap beer it is that Gluvna drinks.

On first appearance, the 2016 Senadores look rather, well, boring. They featured a middle of the pack offense (seventh in the league with 804 runs scored) and an average pitching staff (seventh in the league with a 4.41 ERA), no one hit 30 home runs and none of the starters posted a ridiculously low ERA. Still, they managed to win 87 games and just barely missed the playoffs.

The lineup should bump up into the upper tier of the league this season. A full season of at-bats from Brad Miller, who hit .307 with 16 homeruns in just 352 at-bats, combined with another go ‘round from Matt Musser, Floyd Larkin and Buzz Bliss should strike plenty of fear into opposing managers. Musser and Bliss blistered the base-paths for a combined total of 59 triples and 127 stolen bases. No pair of teammates hit more triples in 2016, and only the combination of BB Boo-Ya and Jay Bruce (128 swipes) had more steals. Guess what? They’re still kids, so expect them to terrorize opponents for years to come.

Things don’t seem to be as rosy on the pitching side of things. Jeff Niemann headlines the group, and while he’s definitely solid, his career 4.08 ERA doesn’t blow you away. It’s not like he leads an unheralded group, either. Well, they’re unheralded, but it’s for a reason. Brett Myers, Gil Meche, Dewon Brazelton? Please, somebody stop me. No really, stop me. He made a run at Jake Peavy in the offseason, but Kyoto pulled out all the stops for the veteran right hander.

The bullpen was average, too, outside of strong performances from Alvin Dailey and Edwin Jackson. I was tempted to rate them below average, but seriously, look around at bullpens around the league. There are basically a handful of reliable relievers and then a combination of rookies and journeymen.

Speaking of journeymen, Senadores general manager Bill Gluvna pulled another rabbit out of his hat with Jackson. Who’s the guy with two thumbs and a 4.73 career ERA? Who’s the guy with two thumbs, 23 saves and a 2.93 ERA last year? I’ll give you a hint, the guys name starts with an “E” and ends with a “dwin Jackson”. The year before Jackson it was Carlos Hernandez, in 2014 it was damn near the entire pitching staff, the year before that it was Andrew Brown.

Who will be this year’s candidate for the Annual San Juan Scrap Heap award? I’ll say Oscar Villarreal. What excites you more, the 5.05 career ERA or the .288 career average against? Maybe the fact that he’ll probably best his career averages in every category. Whatever Gluvna is feeding these guys, spread it around, buddy.

All of this leads us into 2017. Atlanta is good (duh), while Savannah and Baltimore are just…boring. Not that any staff that throws out Carlos Hernandez, Gil Meche and Jon Garland is necessarily sexy, but compare the lineups from the Panthers, Sabres and Senadores. Wouldn’t you think San Juan has the edge there?

Anyway, it looks like you can take a four-team race between Atlanta, San Juan, Philly and Halifax to the bank this year. The American League is going to get three playoff teams and my money says all three are coming out of this group.

Projected lineup

1. Bliss, Buzz

2. Musser, Matt

3. Larkin, Floyd

4. Teixeira, Mark / Miller, Brad

5. Wright, David/ John Miller

6. Crawford, Carl

7. McCann, Brian

8. Boarman, Anthony

Projected Rotation

1. Niemann, Jeff

2. Myers, Brett

3. Hernandez, Carlos

4. Meche, Gil

5. Garland, Jon / Brazelton, Dewon

Closer

1. Jackson, Edwin

Beer

1. Ice, Bud

Savannah Sabers

2007-12-31T13:10:00.000-06:00

2016 Record: 81-79
Projected Record: 78-82
Key Additions: Mark McCormick (free agent), Zack Greinke (free agent), Brock Landers (free agent), Pedro Liriano (free agent), Hubie Bluege
Key Losses: Andruw Jones (free agent), Val Pasucci (ret), Carlos Beltran (free agent), Kyle Lohse (ret)

After winning 2 of the last 4 SLB World Series titles the league is seeing some decline. Last season, the Sabers fell to 81-79 and may have a harder time avoiding the basement this year. Hey, that's the price of success and flags fly forever, right? The paint is chipping, there's rust showing .... and Baltimore can't be counted on for 4th anymore. Is Savannah GM Rich Vohs up to the challenge?

Ace right-hander Phillip Humber and slugging 1B Hee Seop Choi are still Sabers, and with that in mind Savannah might be thinking they'll have one more kick at the can this season. That's justifiable - and with some cash to spend this winter Vohs signed former Saber property Mark McCormick to a 3-year deal. McCormick was dealt to Halifax in 2013 in a move that netted Savannah Sean Burroughs and a title. Zack Greinke was added this winter as was RP Brock Landers, who appeared in 50 games for Paris last season. He'll challenge Shane Mungitt for the closer spot, as Mungitt put up a 6.08 ERA with his 13 saves in 2016. Pedro Liriano jumped from Taipei to join the Sabers bullpen as well, giving Manager Lou Brown plenty of options this season.

Offensively, Vohs is hoping that new 2B Hubie Bluege can replicate his .301 batting average and 22 SB's he put up with Baltimore last year. Lastings Milledge was added to the outfield mix but he has been sprinkled with some Hee Seop Choi World Series Pixie Dusttm, he'll be no more than a pinch-runner. That's all Vohs added this winter, which seems light until you notice that Savannah quietly scored the 3rd most runs last year, featuring solid performances up and down their lineup. Choi led all Sabers with 42 HR but 10 others had at least 10 to 29 dingers. Will this year's version do as well without Carlos Beltran (.303, 29 HR) and Andruw Jones (.267, 15)? He'll need a much better season out of Albert Pujols, who makes 7M per season. A repeat of an .822 OPS with 18 bombs is unacceptable, and he'll have to provide better protection for Choi in the lineup than that.

Projected Lineup
RF Brandon Leahy
2B Mike Karros
1B Hee Seop Choi
3B Albert Pujols
LF Wily Mo Pena
SS Hubie Bluege
C Frank Coogan
CF Zach Tobin

A solid bench, which he'll need if the starters show that last year was their "career year". No horrible players here though but might be short on elite talent. GM Vohs has assembled a solid roster and wisely has over 5M left in the bank, so if the right opportunity comes along he can add an impact bat.

Projected Rotation
Phillip Humber
Mark McCormick
Zack Greinke
Lance Broadway
Don Allison

Closer
Shane Mungitt

"Dear Mr. Humber,
Please don't get hurt or this team is toast.
Sincerely, desperately,
GM Rich Vohs"
Rookie Allison had a nice enough spring to earn a spot on the big team this year. Maybe all that extra cash is going to be used in a trade for a starting pitcher? The South is going to be more bunched up in 2017 and Savannah might be a few horses short.

All-time Standings

2007-12-29T10:54:00.000-06:00

As we head into our 14th season, I thought it would be interesting to see where we all fit in the big scheme of things. Here's the records and streaks - the amount of winning or losing seasons in a row. Expansion teams denoted by the world-famous asterisk.

PAR 1178-921 (.561) 3W
OSA 1128-971 (.537) 1L
HAL 1118-982 (.532) 1W
KYO 1115-985 (.531) 2W
IRE 1069-1029 (.510) 5L
*SJ 325-316 (.507) 1W
SAV 1057-1041 (.504) 2W
BED 1056-1042 (.503) 2L
ATL 1051-1047 (.501) 7W
PHI 1045-1055 (.498) 4W
CHNG 1043-1055 (.497) 2W
SCO 993-1095 (.473) 1L
LON 891-1048 (.460) 2W
CLE 953-1135 (.454) 5L
BAL 944-1154 (.450) 1L
*TAI 258-382 (.403) 4L

Something that may jump out at you is that OSA, led by GM Tom Hey, has no titles despite having the second best winning percentage. That's got to be depressing. And for all of Atlanta's GM Jim Masters chirping and criticism in the press of other teams, he has barely won 50% of his teams games.
Four teams have one SLB World Series trophy: LV (now Scotland), PHI, HAV, ATL and SJ.
Multiple Series winners: PAR, SAV, HAL.

Brown not dead, still pitching for Taipei

2007-12-28T17:37:00.000-06:00

TAIPEI, TAIWAN – Andrew Brown, thought to have died during a tumultuous 2016, is actually alive and pitching for the Far East’s Taipei Tai-Fong.

Coaches, teammates and even some family members were shocked to find that Brown, a nine-year veteran, was not only still alive, but had in fact never gone missing.

“I really thought that he was dead,” said Chris Fetter, a pitcher for the Lander Calrissians, Taipei’s AAA affiliate. “I’m pretty sure that I went to his funeral. If it wasn’t his then I don’t know whose it was.”

Despite the now incontrovertible evidence that Brown is in fact, not deceased, Taipei pitching coach Henry Rowengartner remains unconvinced.

“I’ve seen no evidence that would convince me that he is still alive,” he said while looking through a stack of team photos taken last season, some of which include shots of he and Brown standing next to each other. “I remain unconvinced.”

Brown, who claims to not have died last season, just to have “not pitched well for most of the year”, is in fact slated to be the Tai-Fong’s No. 4 starter, news that came as a surprise to teammate Ron Mexico. Mexico had been working under the impression that Brown died during a game last August.

“When he died, it was such a shock and a loss to all of us,” said Mexico, who shares a locker with Brown. “His death was felt up and down the organization, from the owner all the way down to our AAA guys. It was devastating.”

“Did you hear the news,” he later said to a passing Brown, who he had confused for a locker room attendant. "Brown is still alive.”

When reached for comment, Taipei General Manager Dylan Goforth was quoted by a local television station as saying that team would first have to verify that he was still alive, and that if he was, he would be “virtually assured a spot on the 40-man roster, unless something unfortunate were to happen.” He then twirled his mustache manically, before whisking a black cape over his face and disappearing into dark alley.

“This makes no sense,” said Brown in an interview with the Associated Press. “Didn’t they re-sign me just this offseason?”

Sources inside Taipei management that are close to the situation confirm that the $4.5 million committed to Brown last winter was assumed to be for funeral costs. “We thought it was an exchange rate issue,” one source said. “To be honest, we’re still not really sure about how the money works out here.”

Taipei committed $17 million to free-agents during the recent Auction period.

HSH - Paris

2007-12-28T13:25:00.000-06:00

HSH - Paris

2016 Record - 87-74 (World Champs)
Projected Record - 93-67
Key Additions - Adam Dunn (free agent), Danys Baez (free agent), Hong Chi Kuo (free agent), Chris Kolkhorst (free agent)
Key Losses - Brock Landers (free agent), B.J. Ryan (free agent), Justin Morneau (free agent)

It took a one-game playoff with Kyoto to even get into the playoffs, but once the post season started, Paris rolled, going 12-2 to wipe out London, Chiang-Mai and Philly. The momentum should get Paris off to a faster start in 2017, and if the spring training numbers can be believed, this Pimpernel squad is primed and ready to go.

The normally potent Paris offense was decidedly average in 2016, scoring just 804 runs (good for 7th in the league) despite finishing 4th in homeruns. The batting averages of most of the starters were very good, but only Rivera and Robinson eclipsed the 100 RBI mark. Free agent pick-up Adam Dunn is exactly the kind of player who goes nuts on the Pimpernels, so I expect nothing short of 45 HR and 120 RBI from the old man. Cuban import Youliesky Gourriel seems to have fallen out of favor with management after an injury riddled '16 season; the power hitting third baseman is batting 8th. Ryne Robinson has been slotted down to 3rd, taking advantage of his run production capabilities. Expect this to be a top 5 offense this year.

Average offense, average pitching. The Pimps were 8th in the league in team ERA (4.42) but all five starters had winning records. Willis and Williams get the big bucks, but BH Kim and Les Beltre led the team with 15 wins each. The bullpen was a sore spot, losing 30 games combined despite pretty good years from Jonathan Papelbon and Kyle Farnsworth. Danys Baez should provide a reliable fourth option in the bullpen (along with Scott Williamson). The spring numbers these guys put up were very impressive; could Les Beltre be the most underrated starter in the league?

No more taking the division by surprise this year. It's going to be a dog fight with London all season long, and as long as the team stays healthy, 90 wins is well within reach. It's nice to see some young blood finally being injected into the roster, but it seems that cagey old vets can always get a deal in ol' Paris (Rollins, i'm looking at you). Whatever works.

PROJECTED LINEUP

SS Spaz Dinkman
2B Stu Watwood
CF Ryne Robinson
RF Juan Rivera
LF Adam Dunn
1B Nick Johnson
C Troy Paris
3B Youliesky Gourriel

SP Jerome Williams
SP Dontrelle Willis
SP Les Beltre
SP Carl Pavano
SP Byung-Hyun Kim

CL Jonathan Papelbon

Scotland Rebels

2007-12-28T10:59:00.000-06:00

2016 Record: 61-99
Projected Record: 81-79
Key Additions: Kenji Johjima (trade), Jed Lowrie (trade), Jeremy Sowers (trade), Ricardo Romero (trade), Hank Blalock (free agent), Felix Hernandez (free agent)
Key Losses: Dennis Tankersley (trade), Ryan Howard (free agent)

GM Carmelo Guarneri has a trade record that rivals Cleveland's Mike McAvoy. This winter Scotland made 6 trades and may have more cooking by the end of Opening Day. He added a couple of solid pieces in the auction and should be set .... but if the phone rings, Guarneri's listening.

Last year's Rebels left fans and ownership disgusted but all of the winter moves have been like a breath of fresh air. There's quality young players at almost every position. But is there enough star quality to win the Euro? At catcher Scotland added former All-Star Kenji Johjima. Nice work. And he has two 23 year-olds to back him up and rest those tired old knees. At 1B, Ryan Howard took his .215 batting average to Kyoto (addition by subtraction?) and will be replaced by Billy Gladden (25) and Henry Sanchez (23). Definitely an upgrade there. Second base could have a platoon as newcomer Jed Lowrie (27), stolen from Atlanta, and Kevin Bristow (25) who batted .336 this spring, are both capable starters at worst. Shortstop could also have a platoon of 23 year-old Wilson Finney and Andy Cannizaro (25) who hit .309 last season, one of the few bright spots for the Rebels in 2016. Hank Blalock signed for three seasons to play 3B which bumps Howie Sloat (26 HR in 2016), who's only 25, to the bench. Nice, right? Not much power though so it will have to be provided by the outfield of Drew Stubbs, Walt Coon and Rob Walsh with Grady Sizemore and Dale Parks able to step right in. Coon led all Rebels with 29 HR last season.

Will Scotland have enough power to survive in the Euro? They may lack the big bopper but are counting on several 20 HR type threats to do the job. They were one of seven teams to hit fewer than 200 bombs last season and just one of those teams made the playoffs.

One might argue that the cold temperatures and regular rainfall depress the offensive numbers. That's fine. But then why the heck did Scotland put up a 4.81 ERA last season? That's truly horrible and improvements have to be made. 11th in ERA isn't going to cut it this year and pitching coach Bob Gibson had better figure out how to knock almost a run off that mark or he'll be canned in a hurry. Guarneri dumped the aging Dennis Tankersley on Baltimore and picked up last year's Comeback Player of the Year Ricardo Romero. He'll be the third starter behind the returning Brandon Webb and underachieving Jeremy Sowers, who was so bad last season (6-15, 4.95) he got bumped to Baltimore's 'pen. (If that's not living in exile, I don't know what is.) Frustrating Felix Hernandez joins this year's team and sophomore Eddie Degerman had a helluva spring, enough to win the 5th spot. To recap, that's Aging, Underachieving, Comeback, Frustrating and Sophomore as your Rebel rotation. A lot of things will have to go right for Scotland to beat out either Paris or London for a playoff spot.

What about the bullpen, you ask? Well, it isn't Osaka bad .... but it's close. Dallas Buck (6.20 in 2016) will have a role if he doesn't grab the 5th starter spot. Dan Brauer (6.71), Lee Dedaux (9 freakin' 58!), Eddie Krueger (5.26, phew!) and anyone else with an arm and a pulse lead to Closer Jorge Julio (3.38) and new setup man Chad Cordero (4.71).

Projected Lineup
2B Kevin Bristow
SS Andy Cannizaro
3B Hank Blalock
LF Walt Coon
C Kenji Johjima
CF Drew Stubbs
RF Rob Walsh
1B Dan Gladden

Look for a lot of platoons. Drew Stubbs blew goats last season (.214 12 HR) and stubbornly stayed with his approach at the plate this spring (.220 4 HR). That's unacceptable from a starting CF. Has the league figured him out? Stubbs averaged .286 with 21 HR and 49 SB's his first two seasons but apparently has fallen of a cliff - the cliff of sucktitude. How long before he's on the trading block? We're talking minutes, not days.

Rotation
Brandon Webb
Jeremy Sowers
Ricardo Romero
Felix Hernandez
Eddie Degerman

Closer
Jorge Julio

There's a huge dropoff in talent from the rotation to relief. GM Guarneri has improved his roster a great deal but not enough to take out the big boys. Manager Rollie Fingers has to be hoping his starters can go 6 and that the skies open up. If there's an inordinate amount of games getting called early, you know Fingers has been working the umps. They could be in for trouble on the road with that strategy though.

HSH: Chiang-Mai

2007-12-27T17:15:00.000-06:00

Key additions: JJ Putz (match), Zach Day.

Key losses: Scott Kazmir, Vernon Wells, probably some other guys.

Projected Record: 91-69

Last year, the Kwaan became the first team since the 2012-2013 Atlanta Flyers to win 100 games two years in a row. Chiang-Mai won 100 games in 2015 and then added a single win to that total in 2016, going a league-best 101-59. This year, they’re looking to break the 100 win barrier for the third year in a row, a feat only accomplished by Paris (2007-2009).

That win total is the good news. Unfortunately for Kwaan fans, the bad news is that neither lofty regular season win total has translated into a Championship. A third season of 100 wins will look nice in the record books – a few years down the road. But right now, it’s title or bust.

Since expansion in 2013, no Far East team has won an SLB title. Chiang-Mai got close in 2015, falling to Savannah four games to two. Could this be the year a Far East team finally gets over the hump?

After lighting the SLB world on fire offensively in 2015, the Kwaan took a step back on offense last year, though it’s hard to complain about their overall production. Still, it was a young team that hit haughty heights and was expected to continue to ascend. It didn’t, and the Kwaan didn’t win a title. End result: An upset fan base that expected more.

Chiang-Mai hopes to satisfy that desire this year, and the brunt of those expectations will fall on the shoulders of outfielder Dennis Dennis Jr. D2J, as he is affectionately referred to, is in the final year of the 3-year, $30.75 million dollar contract he originally signed. After an astounding 2015 for the Kwaan, a year that had dreams of championships and multiple MVPs dancing in the dreams of General Manager Ben Royer, Dennis was one of multiple hitters that took a step back last season. His home runs were up (from 12 in 2015 to 18 last year), but his average, on-base plus slugging percentage and RBIs were all down. His doubles total fell from 71 to 48.

He wasn’t the only one, either. Outfielders Trevor Bayne and Joe Belinda burst into world prominence in 2015, but neither enjoyed the kind of success last season that they did in the one previous.

But still, the win total rose, and it was on the backs of Chiang-Mai’s starting pitching that it did so. All five starters, led by Michael Pelfrey with 17, won over 10 games. Danny Haren led the team with a 2.94 ERA, while Pelfrey (201 Ks) and Zito (216) led the team in strikeouts. The Kwaan’s 3.75 team ERA was easily the league’s best, a full quarter of a run better than the next closest competitor (Kyoto’s staff was second with a 4.04 ERA).

Which brings us to 2017, the quest for another 100-win season and an SLB title. Chiang-Mai, with the majority of its payroll tied up in players that will spend 2017 in the final years of their respective contracts, played it quiet in the offseason, matching a 3-year, $3 million dollar offer to reliever JJ Putz and signing Zach Day, cut by Taipei in the offseason, to a 3-year deal worth just over $1 million per season.

While the offseason gains, outside of whatever growth the young offensive players go through, was minimal, the loss of starting pitcher Scott Kazmir will certainly be felt. Kazmir won 16 games with a 3.30 ERA in 2016, a year strong enough that Bedford, who is building a nice rotation itself, wooed him away. Going into the spring, it looked like the competition for the departed spot in the rotation would be between Mark Rogers, Jim Bauers, Derek Thompson or even Zach Day. However, 25-year old Charlie Gipson has had a strong showing so far, and might earn the spot. If it’s not him, it looks like Bauers and Thompson are the favorites.

With the turnaround complete in Chiang-Mai, from a 66-win team in 2014 to a potential third consecutive season as a title contender in 2017, this could be the year that a Far East team breaks through and wins that elusive first title.

Royer and the excitable Chiang-Mai fans just hope that it’s the Kwaan that does it.

Projected lineup

CF Bayne, T.

3B Zalusky, L.

RF Dennis Jr., D.

C Murman, T.

LF Belinda, J.

1B Callahan, D.

SS Willemburg, B.

2B Jackson, C.

Projected Rotation

L Zito, B.

R Haren, D.

R Thompson, K.

R Pelfry, M.

R Bauers, J.

Closer

Putz, JJ

Osaka Ronin

2007-12-27T14:40:00.000-06:00

2016 Record: 73-87
Projected Record: 66-94
Key Additions: Tim Spooneybarger (free agent)
Key Losses: Rafael Furcal (retired), John Webb (retired)

Consecutive 3rd place finishes for the Ronin have Osaka fans clamoring for change. The powerhouse that was Ellas promised great things when bargaining for a new home in Domukun Field but GM Tom Hey hasn't been up to the task. Two playoff appearances followed by two dogshit performances is going to result in a lot of fans dressed up as empty seats - that's going to look horrible on TV as the place seats more than 57,000.

Last season saw more of the same - lazy fly balls floating over the short porches in left and right - inflating Ronin batting numbers and stretching games over the four hour mark. Great place to play if you're going to be a free agent hitter. Seriously, if you can't slug .500 in Osaka you belong in the minors. Four players hit more than 44 homers last season and the team hit 315 - 47 ahead of second place Philly (268). Those league-leading bombs resulted in just a 4th best total in runs scored however. Time to reevaluate, right?

How warped is this squad? Their 13M pitcher, Johan Santana, put up a sparkling 4.71 ERA. Roy Halladay has to be frustrated as well, he's stuck pitching there for two more seasons and had a 5.17 ERA last season. They were one of 3 teams with an ERA over 5 last year - none of them had a winning season. So what's been done this winter? Well, Rick Ankiel is back for 3 more seasons. Phew. A career 5.88 ERA is just what the doctor ordered. What else? Let's see .... 2B Paul Matthew anyone? Okay, a pinch runner is a good pickup, right? Jon Rauch? Larry Pappas? Oh, look! Tim Spooneybarger is back. He dominated in 61 innings last season with a 3.54 ERA. They'll be turning his middle relieving shoulder into hamburger if Hey doesn't fix this team immediately. Is this squad going to contend in the Far East? Not with Kyoto and Chiang Mai around. Buddha help us.

The Ronin are up against the cap but instead of blowing it up, realizing they're not contending, they're using hope, faith, band aids and praying to statues of Benten (oh just look it up!) that everything will break right for them this year. It's doubtful the fans will buy it this year. No more excuses will pacify this crowd, not injuries, not accounting errors. Let's see this franchise return to what it once was, okay?

Projected Lineup
CF Jerry Kimm
SS Mike Henderson
1B Dave Peppers
3B Chest Rockwell
LF Reuben Brown
C Tony Montana
2B John Thomas
RF Hideki Matsui

Alright, if octogenarian Matsui is starting anywhere, you have problems. There's some nice pieces here to work with - he's not one of them. GM Hey should be on the phones early and often to straighten this roster out. Will Thomas get the nod over Hey favorite Alfonso Soriano? I'm being optimistic here.

Projected Rotation
Johan Santana
Roy Halladay
Ben Sheets
Carl Sadler
Brandon Lyon

Closer
Dwight Schrute

Uh-oh. These guys have to be begging for the fences to be moved back. The 'pen features most of last year's "meat into the grinder" that was part of this debacle. Will rookies Sean Morgan or Bobby Ojeda Jr. get a shot this season? They have to be hoping they don't.

HSH - Taipei

2007-12-27T14:23:00.001-06:00

HSH - Taipei

2016 Record - 57-103
Projected Record - 60-100
Key Additions - Justin Morneau (free agent), Fernando Rodney (free agent), Scott Hodges (free agent), Eric Dalton (free agent), Eric Valent (free agent), Theodore Unger (trade)
Key Losses - Roy Oswalt (trade), Antonio Mule (trade), Nick Swisher (free agent)

It's a tough time to be down in the World League. With the heavily unbalanced schedule, a team has to face high-powered offenses like Chiang-Mai, Kyoto, Osaka, London and Paris over and over again, and when your pitching is as bad as the Tai Fong.....let's just say that it's like being the Baltimore Orioles in the AL East.

As Taipei enters it's 5th year in the league, what has it accomplished? One third place finish and a bunch of pain. Now we hear they are going to rebuild again, but start by trading stud 24-year old Antonio Mule to division rival Kyoto (along with ace Roy Oswalt). Sure, they cleared a lot of cap space and nabbed the #2 pick in the draft, but is this the way to go? A lot of high draft picks haven't resulted in a ton of major leaguers (outside of Mule, their most productive draft was 2013). So what can we expect?

The offense scored a measly 628 runs (dead last in the league) and OPS'ed .739. Now, without Mule, might it be worse? A lot of new faces here, including former all-star hitters like Morneau, Dalton and Hodges, but will they succeed here? A rebound from Dalton (remember when he was hitting 50+ HR?) coupled with further development by Maple/Posedel/Alten would go a long way, as this offense HAS to score runs to be successful.

Why? Because this pitching is rough. Roy Oswalt was an interesting experiment, and despite losing 18 games (thanks, offense!) he posted a 3.64 ERA with 248 K's. With him out of the picture (and off the books), it looks like it's Ron Mexico and the boys in 2017. Mexico has skills, but he's a hot head who can't keep his mouth shut and the fans are tiring of his antics. Tim Redding and Jason Davis? Old and busted. Apparently none of the minor league arms are ready to step up. Rodney was a very good pickup for the bullpen, but he's clearly not enough to get the team ERA below 5.00.

So, barring some sort of baseball miracle, the Tai Fong are doomed for last place again. Their pitching is terrible and the offense won't be able to make up the difference. Can GM Dylan Goforth make this draft picks count this year?

PROJECTED LINEUP

3B Scott Hodges
CF Tom Maple
1B Dan Posedel
LF Eric Dalton
RF Eric Valent
2B Larry kargel
C Gene Alten
SS Troy Tulowitzki

SP Andrew Brown
SP Ron Mexico
SP Eric Ridener
SP Tim Redding
SP Jason Davis

CL Fernando Rodney

HSH - Halifax

2007-12-27T11:43:00.001-06:00

HSH - Halifax

2016 Record - 88-74 (AL Wildcard)
Projected Record - 85-75
Key Additions - Justin Verlander (free agent),
Key Losses - Delmon Young (trade), Scott Hodges (free agent), Kenji Johjima (trade), Craig Hansen (free agent), Mark McCormick, (free agent), Mark Mulder (retirement)

Another puzzling off season from GM Larsen Cain up in the Great White North. After winning not one, but TWO one-game playoffs last season, the Sailors earned a spot in the post-season for third time in the past five seasons. So, Cain will build on this success for 2017, right? Well, sorta. He made the initial splash of the off season, signing Justin Verlander away from division rival Cleveland, and then snagged Delmon Young back at well below market value. Then it gets weird, as Young is shipped to London for beans, Craig Hansen is just let go (along with Mark McCormick and Scott Hodges), leaving fans with a ton of questions about what this lineup will look like heading into the new season.

Halifax ranked #2 in the league in runs scored last season (859) and #2 in walks (384), but that was with Delmon Young (who contributed 100 of those runs and 65 walks). Now, without the big guy, who steps up as the leader of the offense? A return to form by Kendry Morales would help, or maybe a full season for John Mayberry would give you something. Justin Upton is a great complimentary option, but can he lead an offense? Ken Ryu was scooped off the scrap heap...can he put up a .900+ OPS if given a full season? Who catches? SO many questions.

The pitching seems to be more stable. Mulder is out, Verlander is in; an upgrade by most measures. The rest of the rotation will likely fall out like last year, with Ramirez, Miller and McPherson. McCormick's departure leaves an empty spot in the rotation, and there has been fierce competition in spring training. Lambert, Carroll, Graves, and the previously unknown Montero have all put in major claims for that spot. It's anyone's guess who will make the team out of camp. Rule 5 pickup Matt Porter will have to be hidden in the bullpen somewhere, and Inferno or Gatsby will now have to step up to fill Hansen's spot. Kyle Winters looks to have nailed down a spot as well.

Looking ahead, it's tough to predict this team. The entire American League is down (in comparison to the WL), with a good 5 or 6 teams in the mix for three playoff spots. Halifax is certainly in that mix, but there is no guarantee that they can/will win the North. The team has done well to accumulate extra draft picks (6 total) in what looks to be a very talent-rich crop of college seniors, and the pitching depth is growing. It might not be their year in 2017, but the window is wide open.

PROJECTED LINEUP

CF Cole Gillespie
3B Justin Upton
LF Kendry Morales
1B Ken Ryu
RF John Mayberry
SS Kiko Brezovan
2B Craig Scott
C Ryan Christenson

SP Justin Verlander
SP Horacio Ramirez
SP Rand McPherson
SP Andrew Miller
SP Bill Carroll

CL Dante Inferno

Kyoto Busido

2007-12-27T10:51:00.000-06:00

2016 Record: 86-75
Projected Record: 97-73
Key Additions: BB BooYa (trade), Roy Oswalt (trade), Antonio Mule (trade), Jeremy Reed (free agent)
Key Losses: Theodore Unger (trade), Ed Miller (trade), Hank Blalock (free agent), Kelvim Escobar (ret)

GM Darin Keesing let opportunity slip away last season as the Bushido underachieved and missed the wildcard by one game. Instead of making an impact move at the deadline, Keesing stood pat and saw the eventual wildcard winner take the Series. Yes, Keesing, that could've been your team. Apparently ownership called him on the carpet after the season and the Bushido were active all offseason - plenty of swings and misses during the winter auction and lots of trade talk as well. Might've been a hiccup signing Jeremy Reed for 8M per season but Kyoto did have the money to throw around. It was a good time for Reed to be one of the few free agent bats.

RHP Jake Peavy returns to Kyoto as their number two starter. This time he'll be second on the hill to newly acquired Roy Oswalt, who replaces Hall of Famer Kelvim Escobar. Jordan Auerbach, who's impressed management this spring, looks to take a spot in the rotation as well. The 23 year-old will likely be sandwiched between oldtimer Jason Jennings and 27 year-old Hank Daniels. That rotation will do nicely as long as they put up their career averages and Auerbach doesn't implode when the pressure of the regular season starts.

Offensively, the Bushido have added the big bat they needed when they acquired LF Antonio Mule from division rival (excuse me, doormat) Taipei. Mule should be raking in Kyoto for the next 10 seasons as he seems to be comfortable in the Bushido lineup, hitting 14 HR in 25 spring training games. This team seems ready to put more than a scare into Chiang Mai this season if Mule will (seriously, Taipei traded Mule in a rebuilding move? Mule is 24! Isn't that what you rebuild with? Sheesh.) keep this up and expect the kid to be the face of the Bushido for years to come. Keesing also added a new catcher (doesn't he do that every season?) in Bill Hitchcock and a couple of decent bench pieces in Ryan Howard, Andruw Jones and Aramis Ramirez. New SS BB BooYa hit over .300 last season and stole 90 bases, giving Kyoto the speed they've been dearly lacking. This team looks totally revamped and rejuvenated this spring. Look the heck out, East.

Projected Lineup
SS BB BooYa
3B Ed See
CF Josh Hamilton
LF Antonio Mule
RF Jeremy Reed
1B Mark Hamilton
C Kiel Thibault
2B Chase Utley

Remember when Utley was good? He still slugged .506 last season. Mule and Josh Hamilton will battle for the team HR lead. Is Reed's contract going to be a burden this season or next? The 30 year-old BooYa better still have his wheels because he'll have to scamper around the bases with these bats behind him.

Projected Rotation
Roy Oswalt
Jake Peavy
Hank Daniels
Jordan Auerbach
Jason Jennings

Closer
Huston Street

Street returns to use his 9th inning post. He'll grab plenty of saves. If Auerbach falters, there's Runelvys Hernandez and Jeremy Guthrie ready to grab some starts - they don't have to be great. Just hold the fort until the offense starts firing. They'll miss Unger in the 'pen but have plenty of time to figure out how to replace his innings.

HSH: Ireland Invaders

2007-12-26T22:07:00.000-06:00

2016 Record: 70-90 2017 Projected Record: 75-85 Key Additions: Josh Beckett (match), Sean Burroughs, Tadeshi Kawabata

Since winning 91 games and reaching the postseason in 2011, the Invaders have done neither since. Not only have they not reached the 90-win plateau in the last five years, they haven’t posted a winning record in that span, never winning more than 75 games.

How does Ireland intend to reverse this trend in 2017? With three words; Pitching, pitching and, oh yeah, pitching.

The Invaders entered spring training with a payroll of $62 million dollars. How much of that do you think will be spent on their offense (a unit that finished with a league-low .718 OPS last year, mind you)?

The answer? Less than $9 million. Granted, the Invader offense is headlined by guys still playing under their rookie contracts, but that is an amazingly low number, no matter how you slice it. The “big name” on offense is Sean Burroughs, resigned for the low, low price of just $200k a year in a deft auction-week move by General Manager Tony Blake. Burroughs is a career .309 hitter and likely a Hall of Famer, but you know what they say about those HoF guys – It’s better to have them at the beginning of their career than at the end. Burroughs is 35 years old and entering his 15^th year in the league. He also played in just 70 games last year and hit just .229 with four home runs.

First baseman Boog Johnson, shortstop Whammy May and catcher Earl Hickey all came from the Invaders’ 2013 draft and each has the potential to be a star. Johnson has had the most success so far, while Hickey, the second overall pick in 2013, has struggled at times but comes packaged with a tantalizing blend of power and contact. Backing him up is Al Murphy, who is a mirror image of Hickey with the bat, but is a much better athlete. Expect one of two to be eventually moved to the outfield.

Which brings us to the strength of the team, the pitching staff. Josh Beckett, Bobby Brownlie, Tadeshi Kawabata and of course, C.C. Sabathia head what is without a doubt one of the deepest rotations in the league. They also combine to make nearly $50 million a season. Pitching comes with a price, however, and good pitching comes with a hefty one.

Sabathia won a Cy Young award last year and Beckett set a new record with 260 strikeouts. Brownlie is on the backside of his career, but is a durable innings eater and a quality pitcher. Kawabata is the new guy, sliding over from Philly after posting a 3.08 ERA in 2016, his second in a row in the low 3s (career-best 3.00 in 2015). He had been merely average at best and downright bad at worst in the six years previous, so dedicating nearly $30 million to him when your offense needs help is a risky move. Of course, outside of Delmon Young, there weren’t a lot of top of the line hitting options available in the auction, so with the money burning a hole in his pocket, Blake spent it on another pitcher. We all saw what San Juan did with an unstoppable rotation in 2014, so I won’t condemn the move. Eventually Ireland is going to have to add a bat, though.

Of course, maybe it already has. Hickey has spent the spring pinch-hitting as he recovers from offseason knee-surgery. All Murphy has done is knock the cover off of the ball, hitting .434 with eight homeruns and 10 doubles through 20 games. Darren Lemming, Antonio Mule and Reuben Brown have been getting all the headlines during the spring, but it’s Murphy who leads the league in runs created. Either way, Ireland has to figure out a way to get both of them in the lineup. The Invaders finished ahead of just two teams in runs scored in 2016, and it would be an epic waste to leave one of these guys on the bench for 150+ games.

Of course, hope springs eternal in these early months, and it’s hard to tell much of anything with teams running out rosters full of 20-year olds and GMs get one last look at their young talent. One thing’s for sure, though, Murphy is incredibly talented – perhaps the most talented catcher in the league from a purely physical standpoint – and if he never becomes the player he was projected to be, it will be an upset on a Cap Jackson level.

So what does all this spell for 2017? Probably not a Euro division title, that looks like it’s headed to London once again, but also probably not a last place finish, thought it could be a dogfight with Scotland to stay out of the cellar.

Basically, the season hinges on the growth of those young players on offense. The pitching will be there –at least in innings one-through-six, your guess is as good as mine on the bullpen. If the hitters hit, Ireland has a shot, albeit an outside one, of making the playoffs. And with that rotation, there’s no telling what can happen in a short series.

Well, maybe there is, just ask Bill Gluvna.

Projected Lineup

1. May, Whammy -SS

2. Kearns, Austin - RF

3. Johnson, Boog – 1B

4. Murphy, Al / Hickey, Earl – C

5. Collins, Ad - LF

6. Burroughs, Sean – 3B

7. Nix, Laynce – CF

8. Orr, Geoff – 2B

Projected Rotation

1. C.C. Sabathia

2. Josh Beckett

3. Bobby Brownlie

4. Tadeshi Kawabata

5. Yoshi Sasaki

Bedford Crunch

2007-12-24T15:03:00.000-06:00

2016 Record: 74-86 (3rd in North)
2017 Projected Record: 76-84
Key Additions: Scott Kazmir (free agent), Nick Swisher (free agent)
Key Losses: none

The history of the Crunch is one of award winning players, an all-time winning record and 4 Hall of Famers. Yet this squad has barely sniffed post-season action - their lone appearance coming in 2008 as a Wildcard team. So what has been the problem here? Ownership has been consistent and left the decisions to GM Rich Gin. Gin has been active but not reactionary, leaving some NY media types begging for the bold move. And Manager Tommy Lasorda has been with Bedford since the beginning: maybe a change might light a fire under some of these players. A 90 year-old manager may have a little trouble relating to the younger players and let's face it - at this point they're all younger. So after yet another 3rd place finish, did Gin go ahead and reinvent this team?
Last season the Crunch scored a measly 652 runs, good for 13th in SLB. What did Gin do to help his offense this season? He signed 36 year-old LF Nick Swisher (everybody together: ooooh, aaahhhh) to a 3 year deal. He also signed .... wait, that's it? Swisher's the answer? He had a .791 OPS with 18 bombs last season and will be roaming the outfield with 37 year-old bag of hammers Milton Bradley and 25 year-old stud CF Todric Johnson (Gin snagged him in the 2nd round back in 2013). GM Gin is also counting on disappointing 1B Basil Elton-John and future Hall of Fame 2B Josh Barfield to give this team some sock. The 33 year-old Barfield led all Crunch hitters with 21 home runs in 2016. This team had better pitch ....

.... which leads us to Gin's work at the auction. Bedford had a 4.14 team ERA last year, 3rd best in the league. Gin obviously thought pitching was still a problem and went and signed LHP Scott Kazmir to a 3 year/36.75M contract and he'll be the Crunch's ace. Reliever Dick Briscoe agreed to return to the Crunch and the pitching staff looks great but did Gin spend his money wisely? Will dominant pitching get this team to the postseason or will not signing or trading for a big bat be a huge error? Perhaps Bedford is just biding time, attempting to avoid last place, and waiting for their young position prospects (SS Paddy Farr, 2B James Gordon, 3B Ken Woodward and the aforementioned Elton-John) to develop before they make a serious run at the title. That's a risky move and could result in a ticked-off fan base and a lower salary cap.

Projected Lineup
CF Todric Johnson
3B Ken Woodward
2B Josh Barfield
RF Nick Swisher
1B Basil Elton-John
LF Milton Bradley
C Pat Jordan
SS Paddy Farr

The starting nine has a nice balance and should be fine against LHP or RHP. Where's the power? Maybe Crunch fans have a good thing going - low scoring games that finish quickly and get them back home to the suburbs before they get beaten or robbed.

Projected Rotation
Scott Kazmir
Ted Striker
Yadel Marti
Luke Hochevar
Luis Martinez

Closer
Jason Ray

Lasorda will mix and match to find a better mix in the 'pen this season. There's more quantity than quality right now. Will Ray be able to handle the closer job? He had a 4.44 ERA last season and that was much better than both Rafael Soriano (5.23) and Don Drysden (5.51). The Crunch won't be pushovers with this rotation but aren't going to be in contention with this 'pen come fall. Look for another season of treading water, in which case heads should roll.

2007-12-23T12:08:00.000-06:00

HSH - Cleveland Dawgs

2016 Record - 66-94 (Last Place)
Projected Record - 70-90 (Last Place)
Key Pickups - P Michiyo Towaki (free agent)
Key Losses - P Justin Verlander (free agent)

After two seasons of nothing from GM Kevin Parks, former GM Mike McAvoy is back on board with the Dawgs, hoping to rekindle the building plan he had in place during his first tenure. Much to McAvoy's surprise, most of his prospects and young players are still on the roster, so he won't have to start over from scratch. The bad news is that those players managed just 66 wins last season and the pitching depth is paper thin. Can McAvoy work the phones and get the team back on the right track again?

The Dawgs were 8th in the league in HR a year ago, but just 12th in runs scored. Alex Hildenbrand continued to show that he's the future for this lineup, and Neil Walker continues to be one of the most underrated hitters in the game. Alex Gordon looks like he has plateaued as an 80 RBI guy, which is fine if some of the fantastic OF prospects (Horner, Austin) can step up as all-star caliber sluggers. Another year from Matt Bush equals more disappointment; will he ever live up to his potential? There are holes in the middle infield and the bench will be rough, but Dawgs fans are hoping that the offense can move up to at least league average in 2017.

The pitching is the real problem in Cleveland, and there doesn't seem to be an easy fix here. The team posted a league-worst (by a big margin) 5.88 team ERA, and that was WITH Justin Verlander (who ran as fast as he could to division rival Halifax). Mike Miller had a good season, and might be the de facto staff ace with Verlander's departure. The rest of the staff put up ERA's ranging from 5.38 to 9.30. Pretty awful. It's a good bet that you'll see at least one (if not three) rookies in the starting staff, and every draft pick this June should go towards new arms.

So the Dawgs are what they are: a team that was rebuilding in 2014, were left to stagnate under bad management for two years, and are now a few seasons behind in getting better. Anything above last place will be a miracle.

PROJECTED LINEUP

2B John Mercer
SS Rian Luiz
LF Alex Hildenbrand
C Neil Walker
RF Tex Austin
1B Al Allen
3B Alex Gordon
CF Darin Ford

SP Mike Miller
SP Calvin Y'Barra
SP Daniel Pursel
SP Joel Piniero
SP James Howell

CL Michiyo Towaki

Baltimore Panthers

2007-12-21T19:53:00.001-06:00

2016 Record: 78-82 (last in South)
2017 Projected Record: 84-76
Key Pickups: Cliff Gatsby (free agent), Oliver Perez (free agent), Dennis Tankersley (trade)
Key Losses: Prince Fielder (trade), Ricardo Romero (trade), Hubie Bluege (free agent)

Despite almost reaching .500 last season, the Panthers once again finished in the South's cellar. What does finishing no higher than 2nd two times in the last 10 seasons get you? A salary cap of 61 million dollars, for one. With that 61M, GM Jose Gutierrez has a roster that isn't going to roll over and die for anyone. It features 2 trophy winners from last season (Rolaids Reliever and Top Pitching Prospect) and last year's leader in Wins (El Ron Ubardo). Baltimore also managed to sign Closer Cliff Gatsby during the winter auction and resign IF Dallas McPherson and SP Joel Hanrahan. RF Vladimir Guerrero is 39 and the longtime Panther is probably done after this season but will provide some veteran leadership to Baltimore's bounty of young talent.

Baltimore currently has 26 pitchers as Panther property but none of the vets, save Gatsby, are the story here. Ubardo, Zach Putnam, Cole St. Clair, Broderick Blaemire, Cole DeVries, Doug Weston and Ben Cepeda are a solid foundation for Baltimore's future pitching staff and we may see several of them in big roles this season. Panthers fans have seen plenty of mediocre vets throughout previous versions of the club but look for more of them to be pushed aside this spring. Eulogio De La Cruz was the best reliever in SLB last season, and he may get bumped to setup new closer Gatsby. When was the last time Baltimore could have that kind of competition on their own team?

Offense was a problem last season and may not be much improved heading into 2017. Last season the Panthers scored just 762 runs, 10th in SLB. They struggled to hit the long ball (13th) and just like last year, their offense is reliant on Guerrero (39 years old) and McPherson (35). Vladdy hit just 25 bombs last season and is showing his age on the bases with just 4 SB and 14 GIDP - this from a former 30/30 player. McPherson can play anywhere on the infield for Baltimore which is an asset, but in order for this squad to threaten division foes Atlanta and San Juan, players like 25 year-olds Teddy Gammell and Allan Martinez along with 24 year-old Kieron Pope will have to continue to improve.

Projected Lineup
CF Kieron Pope
2B Frank Vanderwal
RF Vladimir Guerrero
SS Dallas McPherson
3B Teddy Gammell
LF Allan Martinez
C Bobby Dean
1B John Atwood

Outlook

Some young guys who can actually hit on Baltimore this season. If McPherson and Guerrero decline as expected, will two rookies (Atwood and Vanderwal) come through when counted on? Newly acquired IF Kippy Sunderstrom is a capable backup. Are Pope and Martinez the real deal? Is there enough speed there to manufacture runs if there's a power outage? They'll scrap for runs but should be fun to watch.

Projected Rotation
El Ron Ubardo
Dennis Tankersley
Zach Putnam
Oliver Perez
Joel Hanrahan

Closer
Cliff Gatsby

Outlook
Will Putnam make this squad out of spring training? Or will Kyle Newby get another opportunity to showoff his 5+ ERA? This team may have some holes in Long or Middle Relief but what team doesn't have the same problem? At least Gutierrez has options this spring and may have the next good, young team in SLB.

HSH: Atlanta Flyers

2007-12-21T19:27:00.000-06:00

Atlanta Flyers

Atlanta ended the 2016 regular season with an 89-71 record, good for first place in the south, but just two games ahead of second place San Juan and only eleven games ahead of last place Baltimore. The way things are in the South, that’s more of a statement about the strength of the division than an indictment of the Flyers. The South had three teams finish with winning records last year, the only division that can make that claim.

What does that mean for Atlanta? Well, first off it meant that general manager Jim Masters had his work cut out for him in the offseason. In what might be the League’s most cutthroat division, Masters had to find a way to stay under budget and resign Homer Bailey, Mark Prior and Carlos Zambrano. That trio promised to pull in a sum that would just about equal, for instance, Taipei’s entire payroll. Surely the Flyers would have to kiss one of the big three good bye, right? Especially after Prior’s name had been bandied about in trade talks in the months leading up to the auction.

Not so fast, my friend. Bailey was resigned first, at $15 million a year. Next up was Zambrano, who Masters locked up for $13 million a season. Finally it was Prior, whom Masters matched on a three-year, $45 million dollar contract. That’s a lot of skrilla, but it’s also a lot of W’s (a combined 110-60 over the last three years). Match them up with Darren Lemming and you’ve got over $60 million committed to four players. For comparison’s sake, Taipei is currently rocking a payroll of $40 million…for its entire roster. Granted, that explains why Atlanta is a perennial favorite and Taipei is, well, Taipei.

So anyway, regardless of the results in Atlanta, that is a lot of money to entrust to 10 percent of your 40-man roster. But take a closer look and you’ll see where it makes sense. Masters only has one guy (Lemming) that he needs to resign before Prior, Zambrano and Bailey are up for auction again, and by that time, Prior and Zambrano will be nearing 40 years old, meaning he can leave one (or both) unprotected in order to restrict catcher Jeff Clement. With young guns Al Krieger and Ryan Tucker waiting in the wings, Atlanta’s rotation will be a strength for the next three years, if not longer.

As for the offense, there’s talent there, but it’s not overflowing. A few years back, this team looked like an unstoppable force. They fell more towards the middle of the pack in 2016, but any lineup with Lemming isn’t one to sneeze at. Clement is poised for a breakout season and we all got a taste of what Gregory Golson can do (42 homeruns last year). Outside of that, there’s a lot of questions. Atlanta’s not running castoffs out there or anything, but there’s a definite drop off in talent once you get past Lemming, Clement and Golson. The good news is that Masters has a lot of middle-infield and outfield options, so if something’s not working, he shouldn’t have to stick with it for too long.

So what does that mean for 2017 (that was a dope rhyme, by the way)? Well, they aren’t going to win 100 games or anything, but the Flyers’ offense is as good as any in the division and its pitching is potentially as good as there is in the league. Expect anywhere from 85-to-95 wins and another playoff berth.

Projected lineup

1. Smaza, Curt R 2B

2. Javery, Kevin R SS

3. Lemming, Darren L CF

4. Golson, Gregory R LF

5. Clement, Jeff L C

6. Brady, Josh R RF

7. Twain, John S 1B

8. Jacobo, Edwin R 3B

Outlook

Two rookies (Smaza and Javery) at the top of the lineup? It’s what I would do. Berroa might have earned another year at short stop after hitting 28 home runs last year, but historically he’s been pretty bad. The middle of the lineup is fearsome, so if the front and back ends produce, this team could score in bushels.

Projected Rotation

1. Bailey, Homer R

2. Prior, Mark R

3. Zambrano, Carlos R

4. Tucker, Ryan R

5. Krieger, Al R

Outlook

Extremely right handed, but talent is talent and you can’t argue with this group. Zambrano and Prior embark on what might be their final contracts while Bailey, who just signed his first big deal, leads the youth brigade. Krieger could be the favorite for Rookie Pitcher of the Year. Basically, there isn’t a weakness here, no matter how hard you look.

HSH: London Knights

2007-12-21T14:37:00.000-06:00

London Knights Have Eye on the Prize

2016 Record: 97-63 (1st in Euro, Lost 4-1 in the first round)
2017 Projected Record: 95-65 (1st in Euro)
Key Pickups: Delmon Young (trade), Craig Hansen (free agent)
Key Losses: Jeremy Reed (free agent)

London enters 2017 riding the wave of three Euro Division titles in four years. Last season's squad won 97 games, the most in franchise history, thanks to a trio of amazing rookies and a solid pitching rotation. With another year under their belts (plus some key off season additions), the Knights look like the team to beat not only in the Euro Division, but in the entire World League.

The '16 Knights scored 819 runs, good for 4th best in SLB,
and have added super slugger Delmon Young. Young gives them a fifth hitter who had a .500+ SLG last year, so 900+ runs is easy to imagine this year. Overall, the team ranked 3rd in OBP and 2nd in SLG in 2016. The weakest hitter is Joe Mauer (batting 8th). Scary. Despite a rather underwhelming college career, Diego Clemente lit up the SLB, winning RHOY and living up to his "The Next A-Rod" hype. Strong hitting up the middle and plenty of team speed makes this the best lineup in the division. While Clemente got a lot of the attention, Jim Russell was even better, out OPSing his rookie teammate.

On the pitching side of things, the Knights were about league average, but with a Top 3 offense, that should be plenty good for another 90+ wins in 2017. While the team lacks a true "ace", the top three of Dice-K, Weaver and Bray were all good for mid 3.00 ERA's and double digit wins. Bray had an extremely impressive 166:17 K/B ratio and Weaver managed a respectable 3.80 ERA despite giving up 40 homers. Mahara was a disaster, surrendering 260 hits (43 of them long balls) in 205 innings. The bullpen was a mixed bag, but the addition of Hansen really strengthens the late innings.

Despite sharing the division with the defending WS Champs, London projects to win the Euro again. The team lacks depth and has exactly $0 to work with under the cap, but a healthy offense should run over just about everyone in their paths.

PROJECTED LINEUP:

SS Jose Reyes
CF Warren McFadden
3B Diego Clemente
RF Delmon Young
LF Jim Russell
1B James McNulty
2B TJ Mackey
C Joe Mauer

SP Daisuke Matsuzaka
SP Jered Weaver
SP William Bray
SP Christopher Volstad
SP Jon Switzer

CL Craig Hansen