Season 19 Playoff Predictions

Since it got mentioned on the boards, I figured I'd take a stab. Before I get into this, I'd like to mention how little research I've done here. I mean, almost nothing. So, you know, don't feel slighted.

NL Playoff Teams

NL North: Iowa City Bees
NL East: Toledo Muddy Webfoots
NL South: Monterrey Victorious Secrets
NL West: Wichita Wastrels
Wild Cards: Kansas City Kings, Portland Timbers

NL Champion: Monterrey Victorious Secrets

Additional Analysis: The NL East is the toughest to call, as Kansas City is still very good. If Toledo doesn't take the division this season, they will in the next few. Both teams are one or two stars away from competing with Monterrey right now (or, I should say, Monterrey once Vic Spehr comes back). Wichita dominated the NL West all last season before Portland (that's my team) barely overtook them at the end, but they're on the rise and the Timbers are fading, though still dangerous. The NL North is pretty wide open, but I think Iowa City and Pittsburgh have the best shots (though Pittsburgh is OLD).

AL Playoff Teams

AL North: Cleveland Cans of Corn
AL East: Washington D.C. Nationals
AL South: Charlotte Sturgeon
AL West: San Francisco Seals
Wild Cards: Columbus Clippers, Syracuse Excuse

AL Champion: Charlotte Sturgeon

Additional Analysis: The NL North is probably Feller's best division right now, with two WS contenders in Columbus and Cleveland, but Tacoma and Seattle aren't bad either, and would probably be playoff teams in the National League. Washington DC is as good as ever, and Syracuse doesn't have the offense to win the East right now, even if they're very good. Charlotte has started slow, but they're easily the best team in the South. San Francisco's young talent puts them on top of the weak AL West, but both LA and Helena stand a fair shot. I gave Charlotte the AL Champ nod because I think they're due, but there's too much talent in the AL to make a clear call.

Primary World Series Contenders: Charlotte, Washington D.C., Cleveland, Columbus
Longshot Contenders: Monterrey, Toledo, Syracuse, Kansas City
Best Pitching Staffs: Charlotte, Washington D.C., Monterrey
Best Lineups: Charlotte, Cleveland, Washington D.C. (I really just threw these out there.)
Up and Coming Teams: Toledo, Wichita, Philadelphia
Teams on the Decline: Pittsburgh, Portland, Columbus (sorry, job, they're aging.)

Charlotte Season 4 Preview

richhill115

Watchout for the Hillbillys from North Carolina .IN season 3 they lost over 100 games.with new owership they improved with 20 more wins in season 3 and already they are 3-0 .Still the Hillbillys top 2 young prospects are playing in AAA and might be called up in the first month .They should be a .500 team this year and maybe make the playoffs.

Minnesota Season Preview

Minnesota Power Loons

A review and preview of things to come

The defending division champion Power Loons seek to repeat in season 4. It by no means was a runaway, and judging by my competition, it won’t be this year either. Three different division winners in three seasons has proven that.

Montreal has been restocking through trades and the FA market. At 84-78 last season, (256-230 in three seasons) they have been in either 1^st or 2^nd each year. Judging by the talent they added they will be at or near the top again.

Pittsburgh is only 1 season removed from their 104 win season. They finished last season at 80-82 (276-210) and spent last season re-tooling after losing out retaining their top pitcher who bolted for Vegas. Considering that that was their worst season, they will again challenge for the top spot.

Dover is running with its’ 5^th owner. After finishing 33-129 (173-313) last season, there is hope the new ownership can provide some stability and get them back on track. In season 1 they challenged for the top spot at 86-76 and have since lost 100+ the last 2. Good luck and welcome to the NL North sccrplyr16!

The Loons have made the long climb from the bottom of this division to take the crown last season. Using primarily players developed from within, finished 86-76 (235-251) and then were promptly swept by the aforementioned Vegas in the 1^st round. Aquiring Alberto Cruz in the offseason from Little Rock has given the Loons a clear #1 pitcher to lead this young group back to the playoffs.

Pitching

Starting Pitching

The average age of this rotation is 26 years old, but don’t let that fool you. There is only 1 starter over that age. Although not flashy, the expectation is to keep the opponents down enough to allow our top offense to overpower the opponent.

Alberto Cruz 20-7 / 237.2 IP / OAV-.276 / Whip-1.33 / ERA-4.13

As a key FA acquisition, Alberto will be counted on to be the stopper this rotation needs. Won 50 games with his first three seasons in Little Rock. At 33 he is still young enough to play another 3-4 effective seasons.

Douglas Ducey 13-9 / 193.0 IP / OAV-.258 / Whip-1.38 / ERA-4.10

Douglas had made all 35 starts last season and proved to be effective. Tied for the team lead with 13 wins, he did a good job keeping the team in every game.

Tony Rosado 5-7 / 95.2 IP / OAV-.269 / Whip-1.41 / ERA-5.08

Tony won his first 5 starts as a late season call-up last season. Although he struggled late last year, he has the right stuff to be at this level. Lets’ just hope he can do it for an entire season.

Pablo Manzanillo 13-8 / 180.1 IP / OVA-.264 / Whip-1.40 / ERA-4.24

Pablo was the co-leader in wins last season. He has been steady since coming to the ML. Would like to see a breakout year from him.

Russ Adkinson 11-13 / 184.0 IP / OVA-.262 / Whip-1.42 / ERA-4.79

Russ came storming back last season after a season ending injury ended his year 2. Making 36 starts showed his durability. He was the only starter last season to record a CG.

Relief Pitching

Group 22-13 / 47 of 57 saves / 432.2 IP / OVA-.265 / Whip-1.38 / ERA-4.58

A couple years ago this was the achillies heel of the team. Adding Tim White to the team has produced amazing results. Guys like James Kim, Torey Alcantara and Billy Ray Sanders have solidified the group.

Position Players

Catcher

Rule 5 selection Patrick Stockton performed well last season (.290-16-79) and has earned a spot in the lineup. But Billy Rivers (.318-21-78 @ AAA) is demanding playing time and claims the job is his. Looks like a platoon for the start of the season.

1^st Base

Pasqual Guillen finished strong last season (.277-32-96) and finished 2^nd in HR’s. As well as he performed, others could split time here if he starts slow like last season.

2^nd Base

Greg Cobb had a great comeback season (.302-3-49 w/27 SB). The move to 2^nd base proved a good fit for Cobb and expectations are that he should flourish again.

3^rd Base

After the season Thomas Cannon (.298-36-87) had as a utility player. He is being asked to play fulltime at 3^rd to get his bat in the lineup more ofton. The fact that he led the team with .973 OPS and only had 363 AB’s shows what he can do with a bat in his hands.

Shortstop

Tony Soto was steller at 3^rd base last season and SHOULD have been awarded a Gold Glove. That said, he has the skills to be a SS and his move helps with the Cannon arrangement. After the great rookie season (.327-30-121) he had, this year comes with higher expectations.

Leftfield

Robert McGee (.271-28-92) had a good year and it is hoped he will build on it this season. A fine athlete with all the tools, Robert is expected to be a big part of this teams future. A late season call-up, Flash Lane (.299-5-16 in 24 games) has also earned a spot with the big club. His ability to play multiple roles will prove valuable.

Centerfield

Since season 2, when Vic Cummings (.329-18-89) took over for Cobb in centerfield, we have not had more steady play from any other position. The All-Star, Gold Glove and reighning NL batting champ will be patroling CF again for the Loons and his bat is just as valuable as his glove.

Rightfield

After a Gold Glove in season 2 and the All-Star MVP in season 3, Pablo Guzman has shown his ability to be another All-Star performer for the Loons. He became the first Loon player to amass 200+ hits in a season. He credits his and his teamates success at the plate last year to their new hitting coach.

San Fran Seals Preview

bradydt

There is a little buzz in San Francisco this spring, as the Seals return their entire starting lineup from their 100 win campaign in Season 3. However, the real buzz involves the offseason acquisition of Season 3 AL Cy Young Award winner, Hades Reynolds.

Some of you may recall that the Seals were promptly bounced in a 5 game series by eventual champ, Columbus Clippers, losing game 5 by a score of 15-0, after 4 close fought games. Realizing their weakness was having no true ace, Seals' management moved quickly, and feels this may be the city's last chance to bring home a champion-- especially because D.C. team looks like a juggernaut in the making...

Don't fret, though, the Seals will remove $34 mil. from the books in the offseason, meaning they will have enough dough to stay competitve...

Little Rock Preview

GuerillaZen1

Big, big changes in Little Rock this season. After winning 308 games in the first three seasons (and never falling below 101 or rising above 105 wins) the tides MIGHT be turning for Rebels. The team is getting much older and has already began to clean house and make room for the next batch of minor leaguers.

Staff stalwart and winner of 50 career games (3 seasons) has been dealt to intra-league rival Minnesota for two young arms.

Sliver slugger winner and All-star Darwin Cook has been dealt for a defensive minded shortstop prospect.

Youngster Wayne Banks will be inserted from opening day to help sure-up the offense and 27 year old, 56 game winner, and 2-time NL CY YOUNG champion Rico Perez has been awarded the richest and longest contract in team history, which should keep the rotation near the middle of the pack.

The Rebels will not win 105 games this season and will fight for their playoff life, but they do expect to be competitive in the National League South, where the competition is slowly getting much, much stronger.

Little Rock Preview

GuerillaZen1:

After consecutive World Series losses in the first two seasons of Feller, the Little Rock Souther Rebels are in the process of getting younger over the next two seasons -- having let two key offensive cogs hit the FA market and three more will do the same following season 3.

There is young talent waiting in the wings and following a 102 win Season 1 and 101 win season two, Little Rock still feels as though it controls the National League's Southern division, but has reservations about its ability to win a third National League Pennant.

Rookie Omar Candalaria has big shoes to fill following the inevitable departure of NL homerun king Joseph Chang. Last season, Candalaria batted .352/.439/.479 in limited duty during his late season call up.

Pepper Bailey looks to build on a stellar rookie season in which he hit .306/.434/.655 with 46 homeruns in 435 at bats. The phenom comes into his sophomore season with a chip on his shoulder after being ROBBED of the National Leagues Rookie of Year award. When asked about losing the award to a relief pitch, Bailey responded with a simple "No comment."

The pitching looks to be better than ever in Little Rock as three rookies who pitched well during season 2's second half look to sure up the back end of the rotation behind stalwarts Alberto Cruz and Rico Perez. Cruz has gone a combined 30-13 during the first two seasons of Feller and Perez is an equally impressive 36-15.

The bullpen remains exactly the same as last season and hopes to maintain an impressive level in excellence.

All in all, things are looking bright in Little Rock. The team continues to infuse young talent with its veteran stars while building its farm system through the draft. The teams frugile owner still refuses to dip into the International FA market and his pos. has not hurt the team thus far.

PLAY BALL!!!

Minnesota Season Preview

ST is over and let the new year begin..............

This spring was a little easier than last. I knew what was coming and was able to try new faces in new places in my pen.

I'm toying with using just 4 starters this year, but my gut tells me they won't hold up. So I am stuck looking for that 5th arm.

Lidle, Gentry, Ducey and Robertson have solidified their starting roles, although Robertsons 13 walks in 18 innings is cause for concern.

I think the team of Sosa and Wilkins will close games, but Sosa has definately had the better spring.

I'll have to see some real action to detirmine if the middle relief is as good as advertised.


Most position races finished where I expected, but they got there in Odd ways. Yanick Gryboski is injured and out for 3 weeks. Wiggington can and will fill in, but this is a large defensive loss.

Victor Lira has done well at 1st and has the job, but I hope the bat comes thru.

Cummings is a star in the making. His bat (.392-8-22 plus 6 SB) have done nicely in the cleanup spot. Can't wait to see his total year numbers.