dbreez
SEA 43 Start: 25-21
It wasn't a terrible surprise that Helena only won 68 last year after the preseason sell-off, and it's not a surprise either that they've rebounded in only 1 season. CF Lorenzo Rosario has picked up right where he left off after winning the Season 42 ROY - he's leading the NL with 18 homers. Fergie Schmidt (OPS .880) and Dario Chong (OPS .858) are paying big dividends. Given their up-and-coming status, the Pascual Castillo trade was a surprise; although the rotation looks a bit unsettled the staff is hanging in - the team ERA of 4.03 is right at the NL average (and the 2nd piece of the Castillo trade - Gerald Gillheeney - is lurling in AAA should management feel the staff needs a boost.
I like where this team is headed, especially if they can deal a little more and get a bell-cow pitcher.
Predicted Record: 90-72
cretins
SEA 42: 61-101
Predicted Record: 67-95
Looks like the 2nd year of rebuilding in Chicago after a string of 70-something win seasons.
They picked up a decent IF (Dann Tipton) in last year's tough draft, and will pick #3 in this year's MUCH richer pool.
They're ahead of their mwr pace and with Hong-Chih Park healthy and blasting homers again the mwr probably won't be a concern. Matter of fact, Park might be a nice deadline trade asset. I doubt the pitching can stay as bad as it's been (5.08 ERA - last in the NL)...I doubt Wladimir Mercado will ever earn what they're paying him, but he's likely to improve from here. And they have other quality arms in Garces, Jaime (8 innings pitched?) and Coste.
Predicted Record: 70-92
bluebaran
SEA 42: 60-102
New owner bluebaran pulled off one of the offseason's biggest trades as he seeks to improve on last year's rebuild - he got young 1B Phillip Kennedy for IF prospect Benji Lopez and Kennedy has responded with a .907 OPS so far. He could use a little help as the lineup has lagged with only 183 runs so far (13th), but I don't expect a huge jump in production as the season goes on.
The staff has gotten good starts from Pep Kawakami and Chris Houston, but 4 and 5 Izquierdo (4.82 ERA) and Flores (5.98) have really struggled. I'd expect both to improve, so I'm optimistic they'll pick up their .435 win pace. But they could use another trade like the one that brought Kennedy.
Predicted Record: 75-87
rbedwell
SEA 43 Start: 24-22
The long rebuild has finally pushed a bunch of prospects into the Bigs, and the W-L shows it. Yao-Lin Chen has a claim to be the best of a new generation of superstar 3B's. Junior Burawa is the rare good-field + good-hit SS. At 25, RF Ralph Clancy is the old hand of the brat-pack Giants, and with a cool .360 BA, could be in the MVP hunt. The #1 and 2 starters, Clinton Waters and Myron Hobbes, both have ERA's under 3.00, and the #3, Gerald Seaver, is at 3.33.
It's not a completely-formed championship roster yet, but it's close and there are more top prospects still in the minors. I don't know if they have the pitchers in the system to win a WS, but they have the assets to get them.
Predicted Record: 89-73
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