dakar
Season 40: 70-92
Season 40 Highlights/Lowlights
The Jayhawks started so slowly that dakar was warning us he could miss the mwr and boot himself out of the league. But they righted the ship and collected 70 wins in their 3rd rebuilding season. Added SP Nicky Glaus at #2 in the draft.
Who's In? Who's Out?
3 very nice additions in C Bo Guerrier via trade and Miguel
Castillo and Guillermo Valdes via Rule V. The 2 players given for Guerrier - SP Benji Franco and IF Turner Fletcher - will be useful but I don't think they'll add up to the value of Guerrier. Dave Waters moved on via trade in what looks mostly like a salary dump.
Preview
After fully committing to rebuilding a few seasons back, KC has relentlessly accumulated young talent. At the ML level C Guerrier, 2B Lenny Mack, 3B Castillo, and SS Chad Wilhelm all look like players who can be LT keepers on a winning team. And the minors are well-stocked with Ruben Pescado, Happy Cepeda, Edgard Mendoza, Harry Estrada, Yem Higashioka and others. It won't happen this year, but KC is nearing the point where they'll have no choice but to contend.
Prediction
The pitching staff will be a limiting factor, but I can see this squad winning 80.
Potential Breakout Player
Watch CF Valdes. He's obviously not going to be a great hitter, but he might reach base enough to create some havoc as a base-stealer. And his defense is the real deal.
Zattack
Season 40: 83-79
Season 40 Highlights/Lowlights
Fell from 112 and 103 wins to 83 and missed the playoffs. Scored 198 fewer runs than Season 39...did a double-take on that one. And it wasn't from retirement/FA losses (with one small exception). Their top 9 (by AB's) hitters all declined in OPS from Season 39 to Season 40 (really, 2 exceptions: part-time C Nash Nieuwenhuis was released after Season 39, and 1B Tanyon Joyner only declined in OPS by .001, so essentially an identical season). Lucky in Season 39 or unlucky in Season 40? Given that they nearly hit 1000 runs in Season 38, I'm going with the unlucky Season 40 story.
Who's In? Who's Out?
Nothing big. Grabbed Rule V'ers Footsie Moore, Yoenis Estrada, and Elmer Brumfield - all 3 will see only minimal action. Setup man Bucky Champion left in FA and I think that one will be felt.
Preview
With the likes of Joyner, Guerrero, Black, Zoltan, Burke and Walton, this lineup will rebound to 900+ runs scored. I don't think #1 SP Pat Jodie has quite lived up to expectations so far. If he does, and posts a CY-worthy season, they could be back to their 90-100 wins of seasons 35-39. The biggest shortcoming I see here is the rest of the staff behind Jodie (other than short RP Gustavo Mercedes) - it could be OK or bad, but a very small chance of being champ-quality.
Prediction
88 wins
Potential Breakout Player
SP Jodie.
wholck
Season 40: 58-104
Season 40 Highlights/Lowlights
Season 39's trades of Bralin Kohn and Yamil Ibanez kicked off a full-scale rebuild that hit home with only 58 wins last year. Still, the ML roster got a lot younger and the farm system got stronger (Last year's #5 Destin Shea looks like a promising power-hitting 3B or OF). Nicholas Wilkins had 40 jacks (.288 OBP), Ervin Payton had 44 (.297 OBP), and Alex Rijo 37 (.304 OBP) as the Erffdoggs went with an all-or-nothing offensive strategy.
Who's In? Who's Out?
Wilkins and SP Cesar Benavente are gone to Florida in a big trade. Not a bad time for a rebuilding team to move Wilkins, as his value is based solely on power and that will start its decline next season. This is Benavente's contract year, so if he's going FA next season this deal looks pretty good for Phil. The best of the 3 the 'dogs got in return is
Nevin Stinnett, a supplemental #1 last year who looks to become a Wilkins starter-kit.
Preview
Philly's ML roster looks like one that's early in the rebuild phase a flirting with the mwr. Chun-Lim Xaio is still on the books for $15MM this season, although if he can hit average form (last year's 5.28 ERA was a career-worst) he'll be worth a few more wins. Knowing they need 62 wins to hit 120 over a 2-year span, the Erffdoggs did a little FA spending; most notably CF Jerrod Rolls and RP Antonio Brea, who may be developing a reputation as a guy who helps rebuilders hit the mwr (career-best 1.98 ERA in 104 IP last year with rebuilding Mexico City - now New Orleans).
Prediction67 wins
Potential Breakout Player
Their good prospects are in the minors, so I'm not expecting any huge breakouts, but SP/LR Nash Hobbes has the stuff to be better than hos first 2 seasons have shown.
jmercer77
Season 40: 102-60, Won Division, lost to Florida in Division Round
Season 40 Highlights/Lowlights
Led the AL in wins but dropped their Division Round series to Florida in a pretty significant upset. As expected they showed up prominently in post-season awards, with Heath Dickerson (.314/54/146) winning his second MVP and the 1B Silver Slugger, and RF Brooks Bell (.312/44/153) also taking the Silver.
Who's In? Who's Out?
Active off-season for the 'rocks as they try to make deeper playoff runs. They got veteran slugger Lou Trammel on a 1-year rental and C J.O. Guerrero, SS Donald Moore, and RP's Ehire Quintana and Dan Eibner in free agency. The big FA loss was CF Paolo Ordonez; it looks like some combination of Phil Crawford and Santiago Olmeda is set to replace him.
Preview
Montreal boasts one of the AL's top offenses (920 runs - 3rd). They hit for power (234 HR's - 4th), they get on base (.348 OBP- 4th), they put the ball in play (927 K's - fewest in AL), and they take extra bases (185 SB's - 2nd). Reigning MVP Health Dickerson (.314/54/146) is the undisputed star, but RF Brooks Bell (153), DH Tim Jeter (119), and 3B Boone Howard (120) all drive in more than 100 runs as well. The #1 and 2 starters, Mark Pettite and Jason Purcell, are plenty good enough to take this team to a championship, especially with Sam Teagarden in the "lockdown middle reliever" role popularized by Stock and Kohn. I'm pretty sure they added short relievers Quintana and Eibner with an eye to making sure they have every playoff inning pitched by a very capable hurler.
Prediction
They're a better team this year so I'll say 105 wins. More importantly, a deeper playoff run.
Potential Breakout Player
Howard was the breakout star in his rookie campaign last year; I'll go with him again to duplicate last year's production.
No comments:
Post a Comment