Thursday, April 29, 2010

AL WEST Season 16 Preview

ML AL West (Season 15 Projected Standing)


Las Vegas Gamble
59.9M(72M) Estimated Opening Day Payroll
KEY OFFSEASON MOVES: GONE: 3B Vinny Hernandez- oft-injured, but solid ballplayer, RETIRED- SP Lucas Parker- solid backend starter, C Al Mesa- has the mind of a catcher, but nothing else. 1B Brace Miller-15 hits to get 2500 career, doesn't look likely, RP Brian Clarke-solid pen Arm, RP Alex Chang- Long in the tooth. ADDITION: RP Troy Cunningham- Potential is there, 3B Deivi Infante- good defender off the bench. Offense: Del Prieto is a multi-dimensional threat. Add in Everett Rodgers and Clay Cambridge and you get a solid top of the lineup. The bottom drops out pretty quick though as a number of players just aren't at ML levels yet or are career replacement players.Defense: Defense will be key to victory and should keep the games honest on their part. Not too many holes to worry about. Rotation: Preston Walker is closer to his breakout S14 numbers than is dismal s15 effort. Inge, Clark, and Molina round out an above average rotation. The Gamble should get a good effort out of this crew. Bullpen: CL Cookie Espinosa struggles at times as closer, he is still developing and still isn't quite there. He has very little help in the Pen though so he might get overworked very quickly. Predictions: 82-80

Kansas City McCoy's
107.5M (112M) Estimated Opening Day Payroll
KEY OFFSEASON MOVES: GONE: CF Mateo Johnson- no longer capable in CF but could be solid at 2B or somewhere in the outfield for a year.
Offense: Still have one of the better hitting groups in the league in, Freddie Reynolds, David Seanez, and Adrian Cassidy. Injury troubles have plagued Seanez for the past few seasons. If they can get through the season on scathed they should make a stink, but as they have shown the last 3 seasons this offense alone will not produce a division title. Defense: Defense is downgrading each season; they have to find a place to use Seanez without risking him to injury. CF isn't the best match, but they struggle to find any fielder that can play the key defensive positions. Rotation: Rotation is getting up in age and they are going to struggle to get 5 or 6 innings at times. They need to start planning for the future and let some of these veterans move on and see what they can get for them. A lot like Cincinnati 4 seasons ago, this team is old and exp3ensive. Unlike Cincinnati they have not thrown up a winning season in a few years. Bullpen: Jose Jose returns to close games; He is older and might find this season more difficult than last. He has a decent crew around them, but they will get a lot of work. Prediction: 80-82

Vancouver Maple Syrup
106.7M (127M) Estimated Opening Day Payroll
KEY OFFSEASON MOVES: GONE: SP Pedro Espinosa- Still capable of being a top line starter, C Roy Park- backup catcher, SS Russell Thompson- Defensive stopper, 2b Roberto Aparicio- Middle of the road Ml'er.Offense: All stars up on down the lineup by far the most potent lineup in the league. Most teams have 2 maybe 3 potential all-stars this team could have 9. Defense: Let most of their defensive depth walk this season; they will need to get a few guys to bring in late in games to maintain the lead in close games. Rotation: Lost Espinosa, but still have the money and the depth to field a very competitive unit. Alex Wang was a CY Young candidate from start to finish last season. Good chance to do that again this season. Bullpen: Stan Mason takes over for Sizzlers career save artist Matthews, Mason should love his return to the AL being on the Best AL team. The bullpen is very exceptional, they have the setup guys to make the late evenings tough for the opposing teams. Prediction:107-55

Salt Lake City Assault
68.1M Estimated Opening Day Payroll
KEY OFFSEASON MOVES: GONE: 1B Roosevelt Hanson- still might get another year somewhere, SS Carlos Zapata- can still field well enough to play every day, RP Juan Ozuna- solid reliever RP J.P. DeJesus- Solid Reliever, SS Fritz Lowe- back a fine season, but has aged a lot, SP Paul Black- spot starter at best now, RP Horacio Soriano- has made a career out of being just good enough, CF Sal Myette- Young enough and talented enough for someone to take a look, RF Joshua Murray- not a dependable hitter, 2B Lorenzo Diaz- solid defensive replacement, SP Damian Carter- Solid starter coming off a bad year, CL Neil Young- showed he was a premier closer in the league last season. ADDITIONS: RF Doyle Twitchell- upgrade over Murray, DH Trey Daniels- can hit, but fielding will be an issue, RP Tarrik McGee- dependable reliever, but can he close? CF Timothy Mabry an upgrade over Sal Myette in the field, but not at the plate. Offense: Scott Clarke was great at first in season 15, and the combination of Minnie Coleman, Twichell and Santiago should produce runs along with Crummack, Offense is looking more major league every season. Defense: young talent at SS and 3B and CF, plus the addition of Mabry might make their defense better than last season. Rotation: Injuries killed the starting pitching last season and frustrated the fans, the rotation greatly under produced and as a result top prospect Damien Carter was dealt. They now need to pick up a pitcher or 2 to fill the holes. Bullpen: Gone is the cornerstone Neil Young and in is Tarrik McGee, McGee is definitely a downgrade over Young, but could be a capable setup man similar to the role he held in Madison. They still need to pick up another good reliever to solidify this pen. Prediction: 79-83

AL North S16 Preview

AL NORTH

Madison Massa's (AL) btkantz

91-71 (3rd Wildcard) 64.9M (86M)
Potential Key Departure:C Carter Lowe- Surprise retirement for the active starter, CF Jason Tankersley-Solid CF never worked out in Madison, 2B Bo Nitkowski starting to slow down, but still capable. SP Pablo Javier- Outside of Season 1 never won less than 10 games, SP Angel Mateo- Top line starter, but 30 and seeking a long term deal, RF Matt Shave- one of the best, CL Jose Chavez already the career saves leader. RP Rich Lloyd-strong 1st half then blew out his arm, SP Hugh Richardson- Traded away, 3B Gil Rhodes- Traded away, LRP Steve McDonald- Traded away, RP Tarrik McGee- Traded Away, RF Doyle Twitchell- Traded away. The New Additions: SP Hideo Tamura, SP Francis Charlton SP Damian Carter, CL Neil Young STARS: 1B Bret Sanders- the standard for HOF first base men. 3B Craig Cooper- still performing well and will be featured again now that the lineup is smaller Summary: Huge trades again to hold on one more time for the Playoffs, Madison bring in a revamp Starting Pitching lineup which include $20M man Charlton and former Massa farmhand Carter. The offense and defense have taken severe beatings from the trade, leaving gaping holes at CF, 2B and C (thanks to Lowes retirement) with the new pitching Madison is hoping for less needs for the big innings. PREDICTION: 94-68

Toledo Holy (AL) factorganize
103-59 (1st AL Champs) 81M (99M)

Potential Key Departure: SP Tino Chang- coming off a career season, DH Bill McGowan- Long time fading star, P Roger Murphy- has shown to be close to spent 2B Jaret Nathan-Struggled as a role player 2B Deivi Blanco-Age has caught up to him in the field, but he still can swing, DH Trey Daniels- late season call up RP Babe Rose- never really reached his potential. STARS: 3B Albert Frazier- Proved his worth and showed S14 was not a fluke in Madison Tim Sutton- Superstar 1B, has all 5 tools. LF Carlos Hernandez- Still can crush the ball and would be the centerpiece to most team's offense. Summary: Represented the AL for good reason in Season 15. They had the most complete package in the league. The Loss of Chang will be the biggest hole for the team to fill. Look for them to go after a premier pitcher to fill the void. PREDICTION: 101-61

New York Bombers (AL) Bernie10025
93-69 (2nd wild card) 76.9M (104M)

Potential Key Departure: SP Rudy Atchley- Lost a little off his pitches, but still might prove to be a good stopgap starter, RP Jeromy Jefferies- aging Reliever, 1B Lee Adkins-still a potent bat in the right situation, RP Luther Matthews-lost a lot since his days as an elite closer, LF Marquis Ashley- never really fulfilled his role with NY, SP Angel Beltre- still could fill a role with a team.
STARS: RF Sergio Cud dyer- team leader in offense, 3B Max Mills- consistent in the field and at the plate. Summary: The Bombers surprised everyone with their abilities; they brought in Bob Mann who will be asked to step up in the rotation in Atchley's place this season. The team still needs a full-time CF. and could look to bring Jason Tankersley back or even go after a bigger bat for the lineup. With their budget surplus they have a lot of flexibility. PREDICTION: 88-74

Minnesota Wobegon's (AL) job314

71-91 (4th) 52.2M (54M)
Potential Key Departure: RP Luis Carrasco- Showed he could still pitch outside of Durham, 3B Vic Gil- didn't get 40+ for the 1st time in 8 seasons, RP Joey Hermanson-rough season still a solid reliever, C Dennis Heiserman- might be a better DH at this point, P Benito Lee-could be a spot starter still, DH Mariano Lee-poor man's DH, RP Calvin O'Donnell- career might be over, SP Willis Daniels- still good enough to get a contract, SP Gary Whiteside- solid Starter still, LF Wil Merrick- still has wheels, maybe not a batter though, RP Artie Luebbers- flawed but talented someone will give him a fat contract, Sp Osvaldo Tatis- better off in AAA probably.
The New Additions: DH Slim Edwards- All hitter, but no where to put him in the field, 1B Lee Adkins- Solid hitter and fielder, RP Brian Clarke- fills a need, CL Walter Gentry- coming off a down season, needs to be monitored for success, SP Roy Robinson- not the ace he use to be, but an upgrade non-the-less. STARS: 1B Albert Oquist- the guy who is the power of the lineup CL Wade Hammonds- one of the top tier closer in the AL. Summary- The lineup is pretty low on batters who will drive in runs, they will need to lean heavily on a rebuilt pitching staff, the pitching isn't bad though and the pen is turning slowly into strength. The Wobegon's brought in a number of hitters, but without many fielders in the bunch it might be tough to give them all at-bats. PREDICTION: 73-89

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

NL South S16 Preview

Project Season 16 Standings

Team

Owner

W-L

Summary

Memphis Amon-Ra

holer *

95-67

Lost the face of the organization, Nipsy Diaz, for the last few seasons to Free Agency, but Kell is the one they need to replace. Look for a down season.

Florida Sting Ray

shanmeg

84-78

Up and coming as they Rays mature. They still have to many faults to count in this season, but look for them to still push for the Wild Card. The lack of Cap space further limits their chances.

Austin BUTCHERS

bartkowski

80-82

Without a Catcher and without a 1st or second tier option in Free Agency The pitching will struggle. They have the Cap space to make a few HUGE moves.

Monterrey Metros

Midmets

77-85

To many holes to count in, they need a few more key clogs for this machine to work.


Austin BUTCHERS
80.7M Current Payroll Estimated Opening Day Payroll remaining 30.3M
KEY LOSSES IN THE OFF SEASON:
LF Bill Sodowsky C Craig Winn RP Edwin Wagner SP John Cho Offense: Still one of the fastest overall lineups, they can also hit one out of the park when they need to. The Butchers should be able to hold their own at the plate behind their talented Veteran 2B Edgardo Almanzar. Shaggy Pride will better serve the team in RF/LF allowing the team to bring in a cheap slugger for 1B. Defense: Rookie Earl Kennedy gets the call to cover Short, but don't think he will let too many balls by. He is going to be a solid contributor in Austin. The Butcher's still need to fill defensive holes in CF where Parrish isn't quite par for the course. They also need to find themselves a catcher, at this point any catcher. Rotation: Calvin Coco and crew should give Austin a consistent 6+ innings. There will be a healthy competition for the 5th rotation spot between Wes Harvey, Brad Robertson, Livan Bravo, Clayton Mills and Will Gonzales. The losers should fill out the bullpen or might be dealt for defensive help or a catcher. Bullpen: Albert Rincon pitched in less than 40 games in S15, a sign of his age. He is still a capable closer, but with only 1 true reliever around him in the Pen (Benny Miller) they might struggle pitches a lot of back to back games. If this pen gets overused they will be easy picking.

Memphis Amon-Ra
68.2M Current Payroll Estimated Opening Day Payroll remaining 10.2M
KEY LOSSES IN THE OFF SEASON:
SP Elvis Borland SS Aubrey Kell RF Nipsey Diaz

Offense: The Offense has been scaled back from last season with the loss of Diaz and Kell. Both provided solid offensive numbers. Their bats will need to be replaced. Or more importantly Kell's Glove will need to be replaced. Defense: The Loss of Kell buts a huge hole at SS, They also have downgraded defense around the diamond. This pitching staff can control the game, but once in a great while a hitter is going to knock one in their direction. The question remains will they are ready? Rotation: Osvaldo Azocar showed he can pitch in the Ml last season and should return even stronger. Sp Mike Fitzgerald along with Pitchers Powell and Martin are coming off strong S15 Campaigns. The Loss of Elis Borland is tempered with the development of Wilson Dolan. If he succeeds they will be saying ELVIS who in Memphis and that would be a pretty big deal. Bullpen: Benito Hernandez still closes out the games with the best of the league. The Bullpen on the whole is one of the better in the league. They won't give opponents much to work with once they come on.

Monterrey Metros
61.5M Current Payroll Estimated Opening Day Payroll remaining 14.5M
KEY LOSSES IN THE OFF SEASON: RP Hector Almanza SP Brandon Roosevelt RP Alfredo Feliz UTIL Seop Wan 2B Ruben Fernandez. Offense: Julio Rios threw down an awesome rookie campaign and didn't get the Rookie of the Year; HE should enter this season mad and could throw this team on his back at times to get the "W". The Metros have only 1 sure hole on the offense and that's at 1B. A cheap free Agent there would be a good upgrade for an already good hitting team. Defense: Bob Shaw and Will Dorsey is not the tandem you want behind the dish. The defense has a few weak spots, but overall should perform average enough to keep the game honest, but had enough to frustrate the fans. Rotation: The rotation will be able to hold its own, but it does get a little spotty in the 4th and 5th rotation spots. Salinas and Yarnell are young and very capable. They will be joined by Rookie Ugueth Ortiz and try to give the Metro's a chance. They might pursue a top tier candidate from Free Agency to solidify the Rotation as the strength, If not they will have to hope the Offense can keep shooting out runs. Bullpen: Butch Hamilton did well as the closer, but he is really the whole bullpen The Metros need to invest in 1 more Type a reliever to balance the pen and allow Hamilton to properly rest and close games.


Florida Sting Ray
78.2M Current Payroll Estimated Opening Day Payroll remaining 1.8M
KEY LOSSES IN THE OFF SEASON:
RP Archie Clinton UTIL Jumbo Guerrero
Offense: Florida returns the heart of their lineup in Candy Zoltan, Footsie Long, and Tom Randolph. Each is a multi-dimensional threat and a challenge to pitch to. Tony Lopez still offers a consistent bat in Right Field. The 2 biggest holes are LF and a Solid hitting Catcher. With Limited Budget I'm not sure Florida has the resource to go out and land a top tier Free Agent like Matt Shave or Thomas Campbell. Defense: Defense is up and coming and for the most part is team strength. Rotation: SP Albert Maurer had a career year, I don't think he can repeat it, but I do think he is a capable starter, teaming him with Veteran Lucas Neagle, and wildcard Darron Walker and you have the making of a sold staff, They will allow Florida to allow the offense to keep the games close. Bullpen: Pedro Escobar returns as the closer after another mixed season. He is truly the rollercoaster of the Rays. I'm not sure if he blows another 11 games you can keep him in that role. Carver and Evans add the only other stability to a very shaky unit. They need to find a premier guy to add to the mix as priority #1.

NL WEST SEASON 16 Preview

NL WEST SEASON 16 Projected Standings

Team

Owner

W-L

Summary

Colorado Springs Organizational Filler

voteforlou

96-66

Underestimated the team last season, I will not be so far off this year

Cheyenne Marmots

djgaffer

88-74

Unless they make a big offseason move they are going to get passed.

Colorado Mile High Club

Fregoe

86-76

Predicted their rise 1 year to soon, this will challenge for the wild card this season

Salem Slammers

liamsar

83-79

Age is starting to show and this is not the team it was 5 seasons ago.

Salem Slammers

58.3M Current Payroll Estimated Opening Day Payroll remaining 23.7M
KEY OFF SEASON LOSSES: 2B Dale Hill 3B Tony Salinas, SP Michael Foster, 1B Thomas Campbell, CF Merv Cooper Offense: Lost the 1-2 punch of Campbell and Salinas, the team will not seem the same without Campbell in the middle of the lineup. With his loss the team will lean heavily on Roosevelt Murphy and look for Chin-Feng Meng and Ted Barkley to build on solid years. Without another top bat, runs are going to be scarce. Defense: Showing some exposure in CF and aging at SS, For the most part they will still be able to get by on their defense, but they need to start patching the holes that are cracking in the Mortar of this team. Ruben Lee could be one of the better catchers in the game if he had the stamina to play more than half time. Rotation: Michael Foster is gone leaving a hole in the rotation, the rest of the rotation over performed last season. Look for them to crash a little this season and struggle to go deep enough to protect the bullpen from exposure. Money is there to pursue an Ace. Bullpen: Felipe Liriano proved me wrong last season and proved he could close 2 years in a row, but I'm still far from in love with him as the closer. Outside of his arm Otis Trammell might be the only other highly qualified arm in the pen. They need to pursue at least one more solid inning eating arm.

Colorado Springs Organizational Filler

KEY OFF SEASON LOSSES: SP Hi Telgheder C Phil Baek LF Enrique Chantres RP Stretch Olshan RP James Hasegawa SP Jim Powell 75.1M Current Payroll Estimated Opening Day Payroll remaining 7.9M Offense: Pedro Cela is the man in Colorado Springs, but he is far from alone Glenn Gibson is one of the better Offensive catchers in the NL right now, Tony Bravo should see an increased role in the offense and don't look past slugger Walt Harris and Sam Brinkley. This team will bring game each day. Watch for Kurt Tanner to compete for Rookie of the year honors. Defense: The unit is solid but not going to save many balls that require acrobatics. They are the classic hit the ball to me and we will field it team. Rotation: The Loss of Telgheder hurts, they don't have enough in cap space to challenge for him to return leaving CSP with a huge hole to fill, there is still plenty of talent in this rotation so I would still expect the Filler's to throw up a tough match up day in and day out. Bullpen: Closer York Bradford showed he could close effectively with his killer pitches, but he will still have my doubts that he can perform at an elite level every day. The Bullpen around him will allow CSP the luxury of resting their pen and not worrying about a weak pitcher taking the mound. The Pen will be strength in S16.

Colorado Mile High Club
47.0M Current Payroll Estimated Opening Day

KEY OFF SEASON LOSSES: RP J.J. Greenwood RP Willie Feliz RP Stevie Walker RP Mitch Matthews Offense: They could be an offensive juggernaut this season. Years in the Gutter have allowed Colorado to build a young and powerful team. Watch out for a hard hitting lineup lead by 2B Lucas Martin. They still need to upgrade their Catcher position and maybe find a better option than the aging Steve Smart at Short. Defense: Should hold up, but they have holes and age at SS and CF might wear on as the season progresses. Rotation: Vincente, O'Malley and Hurst could be the best pitching backbone in the NL, If and when they get there. They aren't too far off and should all improve on last season's effort. The Rest of the rotation should hold their own especially when the offense is capable of throwing up 5+ runs each night.
Bullpen: The whole Pen has turned over from last season. Holdovers Paul Bell and Andres Osuna are going to be asked to do a lot more. It is pretty late in their careers to expect a whole lot out of them, but if they can get the ball in the park they should be okay. Colorado's heel is in the Pen and this will need to be addressed with free Agency if the team hopes to compete.

Cheyenne Marmots
64.8M Current Payroll Estimated Opening Day Payroll remaining 6.2M
KEY OFF SEASON LOSSES: RP Luis Fuentes P Craig Dellaero
Offense: Returning basically the same squad as S15. They showed they could hit almost anyone. Chris Durbin returns to keep running up with Career stolen base title. The Bats showed they can hit and compete day in and day out. Defense: The Marmots make their money in the field, Chris Durbin is defensively there weakest hole at 2B and he's not going to make a lot of errors. Rotation: Pitching is starting to show signs of wear, but they will hold their own better than many current rotations. They will need to start looking for Soto's eventual retirement, but hell ride that horse till it falls over. Bullpen: The Pen performed well over my expectations last season, this season it is going to be a little tougher to do that with reduced stamina in the rotation, they might start feeling the pinch of exhaustion this season.

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Milestones for Season 16


 


 

BATTING:

2500 Hit Club

Bob Shaw

MONT

33

2496

Brace Miller

LV

38

2486

Freddie Reynolds

KC

33

2470


 

2000 Hit Club

Brent Sheets

TOR

33

1958

Edgardo Almanzar

AUS

31

1923

Kevin Chiasson

NOR

32

1902

David Seanez

KC

32

1898

Craig Cooper

MAD

33

1895

Vinny Hernandez

LV

34

1880

Willie Torrealba

MNT

35

1859

Mateo Johnson

KC

34

1854


 

1500 Career RBI

Brace Miller

LV

38

1480

Del Prieto

LV

32

1463

Hal Taylor

BUR

36

1454

Roosevelt Hanson

SLC

35

1452

Craig Cooper

MAD

33

1379


 

100 Career RBI

Aubrey Kell

MEM

33

972

Lee Adkins

NY1

32

952

Edgardo Lima

CHY

30

942


 

2000 Career Runs

Casey Kaline

MAD

35

1933


 

1500 Career Runs

Thomas Campbell

SAL

34

1467

Albert Frazier

TOL

31

1406


 

500 Career Homeruns

Vic Gil

MIN

32

488

Donnie DuBose

MNT

33

474

Hal Taylor

BUR

36

449

Craig Cooper

MAD

33

449


 

500 Career 2B

Edgardo Almanzar

AUS

31

476

Brace Miller

LV

38

469

Harry Vosberg

MNT

34

456


 

500 Career Stolen Bases

Vicente Arias

WIC

30

484

Dennis Lockwood

PHIL

27

483

Trevor Jackson

TEX

30

445

Marcus Thompson

MAD

26

396


 

Pitching:


 

3000 Strikeouts

Alex Wang

WIC

34

2987


 

2000 Career Strikeouts

Michael Foster

SAL

35

1898

Sherm Taylor

CBUS

35

1892

Gary Whiteside

MIN

36

1873

Vladimir Rodriguez

CBUS

34

1848

Graham Green

DUR

37

1840

Albert Telford

TOL

32

1838


 

250 Career Wins

Alex Wang

WIC

34

232


 

200 Career Wins

Greg Arnold

ATL

37

199

Albert Telford

TOL

32

197

Michael Foster

SAL

35

190

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

League Championship Season 15


#1 Wichita Sizzlers (113-49) Versus #2 Toledo Holy (103-59)
HISTORY LESSON: Toledo took the regular season series 7-3 Wichita has 7 playoff appearances and has won one World Series. Toledo has made 8 playoff appearances and has been in one World Series.
Injury Report: WIC: TOL:
Why Wichita Should Win: The hitting has to drive wichita, so far they have had no issue with that. As a team they batting .325 against New York in the Conference finals and New York's pitching is far from shabby. Don't discount Wichita's Speed they can put a man in scoring position very quickly.
Why Wichita Should Lose: Toeldo has the edge on pitching. Outside of matching against Alex Wang, Toledo has the deeper staff. Wichita's Bullpen did not have a great opening series against New York, but the hitting powered their way through the series. Toledo's pitching might be able to slow the hitting down and JP Santago might keep the runners in enough check to limit opportunity and give Toledo the edge. This is a very tough match up for Wichita

Why Toledo Should Win: Buchanan and Chang were both in the running for the Al Cy Young, along with Angel Duran this staff is going to be tough on Wichita. Frazier seems to have been a great pick up for Toledo power a very high powered attck. If Toledo can get the middle of their lineup rolling they will put up good numbers and will win this series.
Why Toledo Should Lose: Wichita has the leaner meaner lineup through and through, While Toledo has guys that can drive in runs and get hits they don't have the lineup Wichita does. Wichita has many multi-dimensional players, someone Toledo doesn't have as much of.
Prediction: Toledo 4-3
Winner Plays winner of the NL League Championship


#1 New York Burros (110-52) Versus #3 Colorado Springs Organizational Fillers(97-65)

HISTORY LESSON: Split the regular season series 5-5. New York has been in the playoffs all 15 seasons, winning 4 World Series and 14 division titles both league bests. CSP has 7 playoff appearances.
Injury Report: CSP: David Itou(rp) OUT Ismael Perez(SP) OUT NY: NONE
Why New York Should Win: Pitching controled the 1st series, New York knows how to pitch and proved that they can set their rotation and control a game when the game is tight. This might be the most clutch team in the league. Don't discount clutch this time of year.

Why New York Should Lose: Hitting didn't show up in the Conference series, Springer did launch 2 bombs though but regulars Shayne Owens and Britt Sager struggled seeing pitches and provided nothing in the series. If CSP can get their hitting going in the tune of 4 or 5 runs New York might be in trouble to keep pace.

Why Colorado Springs Should Win: Pitching is on par with New York if not slightly better. They come off a series where they got to watch New York Go through a 5 games series. Those 2 days off might be the difference needed to get up the pitching staff to Colorado Springs advantage. They keep the Burros hitting in check and they could easily dominate the Burros. Kncoking around the starters is going to be tough making them work for their outs and pushing the pitch counts to get to better match ups might be the key to victory.

Why Colorado Springs Should Lose: Defense still has not shown to be the issue and in fact it has been a stregth, Hitting has been a rough go. One of these teams is going to break the slump and put on a hitting exihibition. CSP needs their bats to have this wakeup call eary if they can take the 1st game in NY they should roll to victory, Lose it and NY will have their pitching staff setup to counter and they might be in trouble deep.
Prediction: CSP 4-2

Winner Faces the Winner of the AL Championship Series



Sunday, April 11, 2010

Season 15 Round 2 Playoff Primer

#2 Toledo Holy (103-59) Versus #6 Madison Massa's (91-71)
HISTORY LESSON: Toledo leads the Season Series 7-3. Madison is the S14 World Series Champs. Toledo has been to the Playoffs 8 times in the past 15 seasons and appeared in the season 13 World SeriesInjury Report: TOL: MAD: Craig Cooper (3B) 1 game Rich Lloyd (RP) OUT
Why Toledo Should Win: better defense, better offense, better pitching. better record against. On paper they should easily win.Why Toledo Should Lose: Madison must play the match ups, they will have to find their opportunities and cash in. If the middle of madison's lineup can get going they could cause problems.
Why Madison should Win: They can hit and in their home park they are hard on opposing pitching. Matt Shave Brett Sanders and Craig Cooper should provide the offense to drive in alot of runs on Toledo's pitching half of you played part of their careers in Madison. Madison might be pretty farmilar with Telford, Buchannon, Cruz, and Miller.
Why Madison Should Lose: Madison might scale back their starting pitching and throw one of them into relief to cover for the glaring holes in the Pen. Jose Chavez has been solid, but far from shutdown as the closer, Tarrick McGee has been hit and miss this season. Toledo's hitting has crushed those guys this season.
Prediction: Toledo 3-1Winner Plays Winner of New York vs Wichita

#1 Wichita Sizzlers (113-49) Versus #5 New York Bombers (94-68)
HISTORY LESSON: Wichita took the Regular season series 8-2. New York has missed the playoffs twice in 15 seasons and has made to World Series appearances. Wichita has 7 playoff appearances and won one World Series.
Injury Report: WIC: NY: Angel Beltre(RP) OUT Yorvit Castillo (C ) OUT
Why Wichita Should Win: Alex Wang is a monster he will pitch when he can and most likely continue to be unhittable. Outside of that they had 3 MVP candidates this season. Tarraga almost made the 50/50 club . They can out hit you out pitch you and thats why they won 113 games.
Why Wichita Should Lose: Beat on Wichita's other starts is New Yorks bets chance. The others have been hittable, but Wichita has been able to outhit almost everyone. a good left handed pitcher might contain them enough, this might be Bob Mann's job to do.
Why New York Should Win: The hitting should be up to the challenge, although they are outclassed they still have enough firepower. Setting the pitching staff might be the key. They need limit the starters and play the match ups so they can get some wins.
Why New York Should Lose: They aren't going to be able to deal with Wichita's speed on the basepaths, so they need to work on eliminating the baserunners. If the starting pitching gets knocked around they are sunk.Prediction: Wichita 3-1
Winner Plays winner of Madison vs Toledo

#2 Memphis Amon-Ra(104-58) Versus #3 Colorado Springs Organizational Fillers(97-65)

HISTORY LESSON: Colorado Springs leads the season series 6-4 CSP has 7 playoff appearances. This is Memphis's 2nd playoff appearance.
Injury Report: CSP: David Itou(rp) OUT Dennys Leonard(ss) OUT Ismael Perez(SP) OUT MEM: Elvis Borland (SP) OUT
Why Colorado Springs Should Win: Glen Gibson shouod keep Memphis in check on the bases. CSP's starting pitchers are better skilled then memphis and if they can go deep Memphis will be in trouble.Why Colorado Springs Should Lose: Defense hasn't a problem in round one, but It might show up here where Memphis's hitting is more skilled and seasoned. Memphis is also more aggresive on the bases which might cause the Fillers to rush throws and make mistakes.
Why Memphis Should Win: 100 wins doesn't lie, Memphis is legitimate. They have the superior defense. The Amon-Ra's pitching is almost elite and they can mash the ball. Their Bullpen might be their best strength behind Benito Hernendez.
Why Memphis Should Lose: Similar to Salem that they steal alot of bases, but aren't the best on the basepaths they can't afford to give away baserunners and CSP's starting catcher Gibson is better than average at exploiting mistakes. Memphis also can go through streaks at the plate against good pitching, They can ill afford Cyrs and Kell to struggle these next 3 games. The pitching is also very young and might be to raw for the playoff pressure.
Prediction: CSP 3-2

Winner Plays Winner of New York vs. Cheyenne



#1 New York Burros(110-52) Versus #5 Cheyenne Marmots(94-68)
HISTORY LESSON: New York won the regular season series 8-2. New York has been in the playoffs all 15 seasons, winning 4 World Series and 14 division titles both league bests. Cheyenne has made 7 world series appearances never making it out of the 2nd round.
Injury Report: CHEY: Julio Amezaga(SS) OUT Michael Martin(RP) OUT NY: NONE
Why New York Should Win: Pitching has always been the key in New York this season is no exception, but maybe the pitching isn't quite as great as it has been in the past. Still runs will not be easy.Why New York Should Lose: If the hitting struggles aginst te starters look for Cheyenne to be able to control the game.
Why Cheyenne Should Win: The pitching is almost on par with New York and could out duel them on any given day. Cheyenne might also have the better overall hitting team . If they can get to the starts early they might be able to pile on the runs. Durbin should so be able to run pretty freely on New York.
Why Cheyenne Should Lose: If the starts struggle it will leave it up to a weak bullpen who posted an almost 9 era in the series versus Columbus

Prediction: NEW YORK 3-1
Winner Plays Winner of Memphis vs Colorado Springs