Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Minnesota Playoff Review

3 and out.

That was the Loons' fate for my first playoff series. All three games were close, but a loss is a loss. The team to take me out (Las Vegas) appears on their way to the WS as the NL rep. They need to beat Salem first, but the question that bothers the Loons is this;

Where would we be if we had just outbid Vegas for the services of Steve Cameron. 3Yrs-$50 min for a 35 yr old pitcher still seems too much, but he is in the NLCS and I'm not.

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Minnesota Season 3 Review

Season 3 end of year update!!!!!!!!!!!

The Loons are in!!

My first Division title came down to the last series of the season. Montreal put up a huge comeback, but a win in game 2 clinched. Here is some Loon info from the season;

Finished the season 86-76, 2 games up.

Three of the top 5 hitters (Avg.) in the NL were from the Loons.

Vic Cummings (CF, 27yrs) - .329 / 123runs / 18hrs / 89rbi
Also led the team with 36 steals. Vic won the batting crown. He has been a do-it-all player. Made his 1st ML All-Star appearance and is a finalist for league MVP.

Tony Soto (3B, 27yrs) - .327 / 93 / 30 / 131
Tony had an impressive rookie season. As a finalist for ROY (Cummings did it in Season 2) Tony homered twice in the division clinching game. Is deserving of the GG with 3 errors (.988 fielding) but appears to have been snubbed.

Pablo Guzman (RF, 25yrs) - .320 / 113 / 28 / 110
Pablo had a great 2nd season raising his BA from .268 and almost doubling his HR output. He did most of his damage from the lead-off spot. Had 18 steals.

Greg Cobb (2B, 26yrs) - .302 / 82 / 3 / 49
Greg resurrected his career by taking over the 2B spot early in the season. Originally a CF (Season 1), Greg was a backup in season 2. The loss of Gryboski to another ST injury forced the Loons to look for his replacement. Greg also stole 27 bases and did all this from the #9 spot behind the pitcher.

Thomas Cannon (Util, 31yrs) - .298 / 70 / 36 / 87
Thomas, as Cobb, had a change of position this season. Primarily playing 3B in season 2, he played 1B, 2B, 3B, LF and RF in Season 3. Lead team with a career high 36 HR's on just 363 AB's. Resigned for season 4 with the hopes that this can continue.

Patrick Stockton (C, 24yrs) - .290 / 69 / 16 / 79
A rule 5 pick taken from the Montreal franchise proved his worth. Patrick provided some consistancy and power from a position the Loons had struggled with. Hope to see more from him next season.

Mark Freeman (SS, 24 yrs)
Also a rule 5 pick from Pittsburgh(divisional foe), he played well in a limited role hitting .281 while filling in all over. Looks to replace Gibbons at SS in season 4

Pasqual Guillen (1B, 26yrs) - .277 / 73 / 32 / 96
Finished strong after a slow start cost him his job. Ended up finishing 2nd on the team in HR's and 3rd in RBI's. Would love to see him explode next season.

Robert McGee (LF, 22 yrs) - .271 / 93 / 28 / 92
Robert had a good rookie season and could really make a good splash next season. has power to all fields, but K's can be a problem (led team with 121)

Saturday, January 5, 2008

Minnesota In Season Update

Power Loon update;

At 60-53, the Loons are still holding the 1st spot in the North. That spot is closely challenged by Montreal and unless my pitching improves, they'll take it right back.

The starters are 34-35 with a .263 OBA

The Long Relief is 15-9 @.271

The Set-up is 11-9 @.276

Thank god for the trade for Timothy White. He is 14-14 in save opprotunities since coming to the Loons. His new nickname is "Its' Over" because that is what it is when he comes in.

Year 3 Standings Update

Standing update;

In the AL, Columbus has regained the top spot in the North. At 68-45 (8 gm up), the Clippers are looking to take their show back to the playoffs. Pitching and defense are driving them this season, while getting just enough offense to do the trick.

The East has been a revolving door at the top. Currently the DC Nationals have the honors @ 66-47 (6 games up). Second in the league in runs scored and 5th in ERA, the nationals have a very balanced attack.

Texas is again leading the South. After climbing out of the cellar in season 1 to a division championship in season 2, the Armadillos (59-54) are 2 games up. Leading the league in fielding and 3rd in hitting has helped overcome the 11th rated pitching staff.

San Francisco is leading the West by 11 games @ 71-42. 2nd in batting and 1st in pitching has put the seals in a great spot late into the season. This is a step up from last season, where the Seals were hovering the bottom of the division.

The NL doesn't have as much of the volitivity of the AL;

The East is again dominated by New Britain. For the 3rd year in a row, the Nexus @ 64-49, are in a commanding position. This team hits well (2nd in NL) and scores runs. They are 7 games up on the Monkey's from Buffalo.

Little Rock is running away with the South. This team has won this division each of the 1st 2 years and at 76-37 (20 games up) looks to have no trouble again this year. 1st in pitching, 4th in batting and 5th in fielding Makes the Rebels the favorite this season.

Salem has made a good run out of the West. At 69-44 (7 games up), they ar pitching well (2nd in NL) and hit just well enough to drive you nuts. They are 5-5 against Little Rock this season and could be the David that could upset Goliath.

Last and probably least is the NL North. The Power loons are 60-53 (4 games up) on a division that took until the 76th game for anyone to be above .500. The Loons are 14th in pitching, 5th in fielding and 1st in hitting. If there is anything I can be happy with, it's the fact we are in contention this season (2.5 years in the making).