Season 44 NL East Preview

Jacksonville Fake ID's
topoftheworl
SEA 43:  108-54

The Good:  Coming off of 325 wins over the past 3 years and being in the top 3 in all phases of the game, J'ville should just keep motoring along.  1B Carlos Valdivia, 3B Alex Kennedy, RF Omar DeLeon, CF Vic Campos and LF Tanner Mlicki lead the offense.  SP Esmerling Martin and RPs Bralin Kohn and Alex Vargas are the stalwarts on the mound.  Interestingly, top managed to get topnotch stats out of a lot of pitchers that do not really stand out ratings-wise.  If there is an area that could drop off, it would be the pitching.

The Bad: Hmmm.  I want to say the manager, but he is actually pretty damn good as much as it pains me to admit it.  As mentioned, they are good in all aspects of the game and the key players are in their prime.  Only RP Ernest Carey (38) is over 34 and only 4 players are over 30.  

The Ugly:  Ah, here is where I can slam top.  Having seen his acting debut, I can say that he is definitely ugly....at least his backside is.

Predicted Record: A couple of his pitchers surely have to show some regression.  102-60

Columbus Buckeyes
rdierkers
SEA 43: 98-64

The Good:  Pitching.  The Columbus staff was excellent last year.  It seems like Pat Rapp has been racking up AllStar appearances and CYs forever.  Hard to believe the Buckeyes ace is just 30.  Along with Lawrence Morey and Al Viciedo, they have a very good rotation.  Their bullpen is even better with Malachi Carver, Andrew Lane and mid season acquisition Aurelio Duran as the main men.  The offense was upgraded this season with the acquisition of Louie Almonte to go along with holdovers Destin Harang, Keith Jones and Yamil Ibanez. 

The Bad: Age is going to catch up to these hitters soon.  Too many guys in or approaching the mid thirties when numbers start to decline.  Guys like Vic Guerrieri who saw a huge slip last year in Colorado and Ibanez are already at the point where year to year performance is unpredictable.  Maybe not yet fair to add this under bad, but the solid defense from last year will go quickly with those ratings declines.  While Keith Jones is a great young hitter, the .950 fielding % and 8 minus plays in RF are pretty certain to get worse.

The Ugly:  Right now being a very good team in the same division as a great team.  For the future, the payroll and ages both going up is a bad combination.

Predicted Record:  90-72

Pawtuckett Paladins
mlhutch
SEA 43: 92-70

The Good: Offense.  If you could combine their hitters with rdierkers pitchers, you would have a team that would easily outclass Jacksonville.  (As a team.  Both rdierkers and mlhutch easily outclass top as owners.)  Pawtucket quietly had 5 hitters surpass 30 homers last year on the way to leading the league.  Led by the apparently ageless Jean Carlos Gonzalez who has to be a future first ballot HOFer, they can throw one good hitter after another at you.

The Bad:  It is probably not fair to call the entire pitching staff bad.  Ace Willie Matos and closer Luther Dodd are quite good, but the staff as a whole is underwhelming.  Just hard to really call them bad when the  hitting can easily make up for their dificiencies.   

The Ugly:  Exactly like Pawtucket.  Growing payroll and growing old.  Still a good team for at least another season or two.

Predicted Record:  91-71

Cleveland Vikings
klown61455
Season 43:  62-100

The Good: This may take a little digging, as the former Baltimore franchise is in full-on rebuild mode.  Last year the pitchers outperformed the hitters, and they do have Dave Waters who suddenly seems to have put it together.  However he is 33 and on the trade block.  The next best pitcher left is probably Vladimir Pescado, but he is already getting expensive.  Still, to actually find a silver lining, best to look at the minors SS Jose Benitez, 2B Larry Cumpton, SP Polin Uribe and SP Jim Koplove headline a nice wave of future talent.    Best of all, by the time they are ready to bring back a competitive roster, Pawtucket and Columbus will be looking to rebuild, and Jacksonville may be starting to decline.

The Bad:  Right now, the major league roster is going to struggle finding wins.  Dallas Sever at 1B is a good hitter on a cheap contract, but for every one like him there is a Malcolm Cornelius trying to get by with an eye rating of 'one'.

The Ugly:  Working around the new MWR.  Rebuilding is now fraught with peril.  Tearing down a team to the foundation will be a real trick and everyone knows that klowns are not magicians.

Predicted Record: 58-104