AL East Preview (Season 32)
Huntington Fire Blitz
Season 31 in a nutshell: Another great regular season, followed by an improbable playoff collapse. There is no reason to expect anything less than last season's division title, and they are overdue for a trip to the Series. Regardless, they have brought back the cachet of the early years of the franchise.
Who's out? 1B Raymond Lieber, RP Kurt Marte, RF Lewis Gilkey, RP Laynce Nash, RP Sammy Morales, 3B Bobby Michaels.
Who's in? C Jung Lee Wang, 1B Scott Barnes, SP Aramis Romo, RP Alexei Gardel, SP Cristian Remlinger
Season 32: Offensively, losing Gilkey and Michaels is going to hurt. Despite being 38 years old, Gilkey was still terrific and became just the third member of the 3000 hits club. There has been speculation that steelforge may be thinking of trying the C in RF gambit as he has 3 catchers who can hit in Wang, Joaquin Escobar and Aneury Saenz. Michaels was a force with both the glove and the bat., but his best two positions are also played by the best 2 players on the team, 3B Kelvim Hasegawa and 2B B.C. Alfonzo. CF Olmedo Lee is another fine bat, but his play in the field is a little uneven. Swapping him for Alfonzo's extra range might be something to consider. Barnes at 1B and Carlos tatis at DH help round out an excellent offense.
The pitching is not quite the same caliber. Remlinger and Romo join holdovers Vladimir Andujar, Shane Phillips and Lastings Wood in the rotation. All are servicable, but only Phillips stands out as ace material. The pen has a lot of depth, with Gardel joining Mark Martin, Fausto Rodriguez, Boots Snyder and Ismael Zurburan in a bullpen by committee. All in all, an easy pick to repeat.
Durham Dark Monsters
Season 31 in a nutshell: Second place, a game under .500. Are they going up or down? Well, the bullpen added several new faces, and the offense seemed to under perform in general, so I am looking for incremental improvement.
Who's out? No one of note.
Who's in? Relief pitchers Walt Hairston, Jarred Curtis, Yamil Duran and Joey Jones.
Season 32: Four good to very good relievers, with Duran being the best instantly improve the pitching staff. They join John Knight and Devan Lombardozzi in the pen. The rotation consists of two good pitchers in Gorkys Leon and J.T. Webster, and three question marks. tony Duran is a just fair SP, While Bert Brooks has his career off to a nice start, but that 51 vR suggests it is unsustainable. Vic Park.....well....anyone know what the league record for worst ERA is?
Offensively, things look a little brighter. 3B Joshua Monahan, 1B Eddie Harvey and CF Bernard Clifton are studs. Harry Mercado would be an all around good SS if his arm was more accurate. RF Benji Almanzar and DH Vicente Rodriguez are solid. COF Radhames Mendoza looks like fine talent but is possibly being rushed to the majors. There is enough here to score some runs. When all is said and done,look for small improvement. Maybe 3 games over .500 instead of a game under. Of course the greatly improved Indy squad could sabotage things.
Chicago Capones
Season 31 in a nutshell: 78 wins and third place in division. A fairly young veteran team with potential to be better than that record. (Also, a team that made a TON of moves.)
Who's out? RP Bud Bonilla, SP Doug Kaline, RP Enrique Nunez, LF Tex Guerrero, SP John Wheat, Victor Candelaria, RP Quilvio Castro, C Calvin Uribe, SP Kevin Lewis, LF Ajax Williams
Who's in? RP Vasco Gonzalez, 3B Mike Weinhardt, LF Timothy Denham, RP Andy Richmond, SP Charlie Zeile, SP Davey Bolick, Roberto Gonzalez, RP Domingo Hernandez.
Season 32: With all the recent moves, the Capones did get somewhat better, and Nesman does an interesting job of signing players with huge bonuses and low salaries, making players like Weinhardt a real value for the $$. But all the moves didn't net any huge gains. So how does it shake out? You start with the offense with this team, specifically RF Addison Oropesa, 3B Jacob Sheldon and 1B Javier Fernandez. All of them 26 or under and the nucleus of the club. Weinhardt, Denham, 1B Willie Palmeiro and C Vladimir Henriquez are the supporting cast, with Henriquez being the best hitter of the bunch, but questionable defensively. Young SS Charlie Ervin is a great fielder with a little pop.
The pitching doesn't fare quite so well. Eury Galarraga is probably the ace of the rotation, but starts the season on the DL. Bonk Maroth and Roberto Gonzalez, are solid starters, but everyone behind them comes with question marks. Davey Bolick will need a GPS to find home plate he is so wild (712 walks in 852 minor league innings). Charlie Zeile likewise has control issues. Kenshin Masao can't seem to translate his ratings to results and young Manuel Cubillan's weaknes vs righties is likely to get exposed this year. Newcomer Richmond may pulled from the pen sooner rather than later. Speaking of the pen, it starts with closer Pasqual Hernandez, who is quite good. His setup men Albert Guerrero, Vasco Gonzalez, Steve Lohse and Domingo Hernandez don't inspire a lot of confidence. Bottom line; the hitting could pull the team forward or the pitching could hold it back, especially with the low PC rated catchers. Bet on the final results looking a lot like last year, maybe a little worse if Indy goes flying past them.
Indianapolis Mo' Money, Mo' Problems
Who's out? 2B Joe Riggan, RPs Julian Scelfo, Luis Rodriguez, Phil Hughes, Roy Vining and Morgn Davidson, RF Fernando Iglesias, 2B Alfredo Tejeda, C Trevor Banks, SP Willie Perry
Who's in? LF Arthur Wells, SP George Camilli, 1B Yean Carlos Gonzalez, RP Felix Figueroa, C Aaron Delahanty, LF Harry Zorilla
Season 32: It is time for Iain to make his move. With the chaff cleared out, and extra wheat harvested, this will be a team to watch. The big move was the acquisition of young superstar Gonzalez at 1B. He teams with RF Darren Walton for an incredible middle of the order. They will combine with DH Mule Burns, 3B Trenidad Durazo, 2B Edgar Martin C Pablo Rosado and LF Wells for a lot of punch. Other new faces Delahanty and Zorilla add to a deep bench.
Among pitchers, Camilli was the big acquisition to anchor a staff that includes Lariel Vazquez, Phil Newfield and Kenneth Webster. The fifth starter may be an issue as neither Luis Rodriguez, vance Peterson nor Gary Blair look like long term major leaguers. The bullpen is Cory Calixto, Fred Scherzer, Felix Figueroa (closing) and some question marks. RuleV pickup Max Sipp may end up as an important member. So bottom line look for lots of offense (from both teams) when the Mo's play, but more importantly, look for a lot more wins. I foresee that second place in the division may be hard fought, and if one team pulls away from the others it will most likely be Indy.
Wednesday, August 31, 2016
Sunday, August 28, 2016
AL South Preview (season 32)
New Orleans Big Test Icicles
Season 31 in a nutshell: So what happens when you have the world's best offense, best pitching and a very good defense? That's right, you win 115 games, go the the World Series and.....lose.
Who's out? Wil Gray RP, Tomas Adames RP and Matt Hunter 2B.
Who's in? Melvin Chang RP, Zoltan Keppinger C, Virgil Torres SS and Rich Kohn SS.
Season 32: Lets start with the pitching, Blanch uses one of the more unusual theories that you will ever see. The starters are just there to get through 3 innings or so, then hand it off to the amazing bullpen, headed by Sam Stock, who is just stupid-good. Newcomer Chang will fit right in with this group, Jeremi Wilkerson and Albert Gonzalez would be considered incredibly successful if they didn't toil in the shadow of Stock.
The offense is just as good and with the addition of Keppinger's 50 homers and Kohn's all around good hitting, should be even better. Other stars held over are Superstar in Waiting Nick Green, 2B Dante Kawasaki, perenial 50 home run threat Tony Mullen, Cf Miguel Frieri and 1B Hector Cortez. These guys hit the long ball and just flat out hit.
So now, the really bad news for everyone else in the AL South: the core of this team is still very young and very cheap. While I am tempted to say they will win even more games this year, but 115 is a number that is very tough to beat. Look for them to at least approach that.
Nashville Bootleggers
Season 31 in a nutshell: 87 wins, good for second place and a Wild Card.
Who's out? Vern Buckley SP, Yamil Ozuna RP, Kevin Hillenbrand 1B, Storm Mays CF
Who's In? Peter Sonnanstine RP, Geronimo Rosario LF, William Chang LF
Season 32: The rotation is anchored by Jason Haywood, who rebounded from a terrible start to post a pretty good season. He is joined by Nelson Jordan, Trevor Tanner, Thomas Kingman and Benny Rosario who some how manages to be a decent pitcher despite really struggling against righties. Taking a page from the New Orleans playbook, Nashville has really stocked up on relievers. Sonnanstine joins an already deep pen featuring Felipe Garza, Chad Reid, Pablo Mendez, Happy Brock and Wilkin Rios.
The offense is a collection of decent to good hitters, with no real stars. 3B Oswaldo Alberro and C David Simmons had probably the best seasons last year and are supported by RF Bert Thompson, DH Eswalin Sanchez and a couple of intriguing rookies in Rosario and Chang.
This looks like a carbon copy of last season, as Nashville and Jackson battle for second and a possible wild card. Look for Nashville to again edge out the Mudslide.
Jackson Mudslide
Season 31 in a nutshell: 84 wins and a third place finish,falling out of the playoffs after 5 seasons of post season play.
Who's out? Dillon Mays SP, Les Haynes RP, Michael Palmer LF, Orlando Julio C, Yonder Rosado 1B
Who's in? Al Troncoso RP, Jackie Blackwell RF and Kevin Hillenbrand 1B
Season 32: One of the AL's better offensive teams just got a little better. Newcomers Hillenbrand and Blackwell are upgrades from Rosado and Palmer. They should go well with Chick Ross SS, Gary Person RF, GG Dillon Hull at CF and Buck Ward C. LF Edward Bianchi looks poised to take over in left field.
The outlook for the pitching is murkier. Troncoso is a nice addition to the pen to go with Alfredo Butler and Hong-Jin Baek. Sammy Ethier was brought back to fill the rotation. Possibly the best SP would be young John Punto if he is able to make the step up from the bullpen. Right now he is a better option than Trever Springer, who at 39, no longer has the stamina to be more than a spot starter. Andres Santiago has been pretty successful despite control issues.
So how do they shape up for this year? They made some upgrades, but this is an aging team. I think .500 sounds about right.
Louisville Hot Brown
Season 31 in a nutshell: Last place with 69 wins. This has been one possibly the most futile team in Hobbs history, with only two playoff appearances and no division titles. Here is hoping that medeiran is the guy to finally bring this franchise some success.
Who's out? Esteban Romero RF, Yeico Ortiz RP, Jerome Donahue SP, Rich Sinclair RP, Olmedo Tapies SS
Who's in? Ajax Williams LF, William Mather SP, Esteban Romano RF, Nate Lary RP
Season 32: Look for more of the same this year. Retooling for the future looks to be the order of the day in Louisville. The FAs brought in are mostly stopgaps, although Williams looks like an intriguing platoon LF. The bright spots offensively are mostly found in the IF. Charles Forrest is still a power bat at age 36, and youth rules the rest of it. Julio Mercado and Pablo Valbuena are 2 of the better young players at 2B and 3B, while Kazuhiro Lui is a great fielder at SS. Hopefully, rookie C Paul Kent can hit enough to move star hitter Raul Villa to being primarily a DH. The pitchers will thank him.
Speaking of pitching, well....it would be kinder not to. The rotation has some decent arms with Mather joining Oswaldo Sardinhia, George Hernandez and Wily Osoria. The pen is sort of the anti-Test Icicles. Barry Tobin is the best of a bad lot.
New Orleans Big Test Icicles
Season 31 in a nutshell: So what happens when you have the world's best offense, best pitching and a very good defense? That's right, you win 115 games, go the the World Series and.....lose.
Who's out? Wil Gray RP, Tomas Adames RP and Matt Hunter 2B.
Who's in? Melvin Chang RP, Zoltan Keppinger C, Virgil Torres SS and Rich Kohn SS.
Season 32: Lets start with the pitching, Blanch uses one of the more unusual theories that you will ever see. The starters are just there to get through 3 innings or so, then hand it off to the amazing bullpen, headed by Sam Stock, who is just stupid-good. Newcomer Chang will fit right in with this group, Jeremi Wilkerson and Albert Gonzalez would be considered incredibly successful if they didn't toil in the shadow of Stock.
The offense is just as good and with the addition of Keppinger's 50 homers and Kohn's all around good hitting, should be even better. Other stars held over are Superstar in Waiting Nick Green, 2B Dante Kawasaki, perenial 50 home run threat Tony Mullen, Cf Miguel Frieri and 1B Hector Cortez. These guys hit the long ball and just flat out hit.
So now, the really bad news for everyone else in the AL South: the core of this team is still very young and very cheap. While I am tempted to say they will win even more games this year, but 115 is a number that is very tough to beat. Look for them to at least approach that.
Nashville Bootleggers
Season 31 in a nutshell: 87 wins, good for second place and a Wild Card.
Who's out? Vern Buckley SP, Yamil Ozuna RP, Kevin Hillenbrand 1B, Storm Mays CF
Who's In? Peter Sonnanstine RP, Geronimo Rosario LF, William Chang LF
Season 32: The rotation is anchored by Jason Haywood, who rebounded from a terrible start to post a pretty good season. He is joined by Nelson Jordan, Trevor Tanner, Thomas Kingman and Benny Rosario who some how manages to be a decent pitcher despite really struggling against righties. Taking a page from the New Orleans playbook, Nashville has really stocked up on relievers. Sonnanstine joins an already deep pen featuring Felipe Garza, Chad Reid, Pablo Mendez, Happy Brock and Wilkin Rios.
The offense is a collection of decent to good hitters, with no real stars. 3B Oswaldo Alberro and C David Simmons had probably the best seasons last year and are supported by RF Bert Thompson, DH Eswalin Sanchez and a couple of intriguing rookies in Rosario and Chang.
This looks like a carbon copy of last season, as Nashville and Jackson battle for second and a possible wild card. Look for Nashville to again edge out the Mudslide.
Jackson Mudslide
Season 31 in a nutshell: 84 wins and a third place finish,falling out of the playoffs after 5 seasons of post season play.
Who's out? Dillon Mays SP, Les Haynes RP, Michael Palmer LF, Orlando Julio C, Yonder Rosado 1B
Who's in? Al Troncoso RP, Jackie Blackwell RF and Kevin Hillenbrand 1B
Season 32: One of the AL's better offensive teams just got a little better. Newcomers Hillenbrand and Blackwell are upgrades from Rosado and Palmer. They should go well with Chick Ross SS, Gary Person RF, GG Dillon Hull at CF and Buck Ward C. LF Edward Bianchi looks poised to take over in left field.
The outlook for the pitching is murkier. Troncoso is a nice addition to the pen to go with Alfredo Butler and Hong-Jin Baek. Sammy Ethier was brought back to fill the rotation. Possibly the best SP would be young John Punto if he is able to make the step up from the bullpen. Right now he is a better option than Trever Springer, who at 39, no longer has the stamina to be more than a spot starter. Andres Santiago has been pretty successful despite control issues.
So how do they shape up for this year? They made some upgrades, but this is an aging team. I think .500 sounds about right.
Louisville Hot Brown
Season 31 in a nutshell: Last place with 69 wins. This has been one possibly the most futile team in Hobbs history, with only two playoff appearances and no division titles. Here is hoping that medeiran is the guy to finally bring this franchise some success.
Who's out? Esteban Romero RF, Yeico Ortiz RP, Jerome Donahue SP, Rich Sinclair RP, Olmedo Tapies SS
Who's in? Ajax Williams LF, William Mather SP, Esteban Romano RF, Nate Lary RP
Season 32: Look for more of the same this year. Retooling for the future looks to be the order of the day in Louisville. The FAs brought in are mostly stopgaps, although Williams looks like an intriguing platoon LF. The bright spots offensively are mostly found in the IF. Charles Forrest is still a power bat at age 36, and youth rules the rest of it. Julio Mercado and Pablo Valbuena are 2 of the better young players at 2B and 3B, while Kazuhiro Lui is a great fielder at SS. Hopefully, rookie C Paul Kent can hit enough to move star hitter Raul Villa to being primarily a DH. The pitchers will thank him.
Speaking of pitching, well....it would be kinder not to. The rotation has some decent arms with Mather joining Oswaldo Sardinhia, George Hernandez and Wily Osoria. The pen is sort of the anti-Test Icicles. Barry Tobin is the best of a bad lot.
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