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 1^st 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 (1^st 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 (4^th) 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 1^st 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