NL WEST S12 DRAFT RECAP

Colorado Springs Organizational Filler

Needs from the draft: CF, 1B, BEST

Round	Pick	Player	Pos	Age	Back-	Contract	Bonus
					ground			SUMMARY
1	33	Joaquin Sosa	RP	18	HS	---	---	Top flight reliever with 2 ace quality pitches and a solid 3rd option. He has great splits and good control, but lacks everyday durability to be a dependable closer.
1	48	Rolando Urbina	P	19	JC	---	---	Unknown
1	51	Hunter Wilkins	CF	18	HS	---	---	Defensive specialist with a small bat. Hunter is a burner on the base path, but getting a hit might be a challenge.
1	52	Albert Martin	SS	19	JC	---	---	Solid grinder who is not great at anything so he won't amount to any type of star in this league, but he might get some Abs as a 4A player.
2	82	Neifi Escobar	SP	19	JC	---	---	8M a year for 4 plus pitches with excellent splits. He has very poor control and probably no chance of being signed.
3	114	Daniel Borders	RP	22	COL	---	---	1 pitch reliever who struggles versus left handed hitters. Probably destine to burn out at AAA.
4	146	Omar Hernandez	SP	19	JC	---	---	Everything about his shouts major leagues except his subpar splits.
5	178	Scott Sellers	CF	20	JC	---	---	Decent speed but no bat and subpar glove. He is not going to amount to much at this rate.

Summary: The Fillers did get a top line reliever in Sosa although his durability is a question mark he can still be very effective in a relief role. Urbina is still a wildcard to my view and Wilkins has great potential as a defensive and base running option for a NL bench. With the 4 1^st rounders you hope that at least ½ will make some type of everyday impact In the future Right now as they stand I think Sosa is the only sure thing the Filler's got.

Grade: B-

San Diego Surf

Needs from the draft: 2B, C, BEST

Round	Pick	Player	Pos	Age	Back-	Contract	Bonus
					ground			SUMMARY
1	23	Gary Bigbie	SS	19	JC	MILB	$1,940K	Defensively might be a good 3B, but he is still an average hitter with plus speed. He was a huge reach in the 1st round.
2	74	Jude Neal	2B	19	JC	MILB	$550K	Another speedy but average hitter. He again will not amount to much in the Big Leagues.
3	106	David Nunez	SS	19	JC	MILB	$425K	Good speed nothing else worth writing about.
4	138	Benjamin O'Shea	3B	19	JC	MILB	$350K	Solid right fielder with good power and solid batting splits will never be an all-star but could get a few ML Abs down the road.
5	170	Luther Devereaux	CF	20	JC	MILB	$250K	All speed and decent contact, Luther has potential and if he makes his projections might even get an extended ticket in the majors.

Summary: The Surf attacked their needs in this draft, but might have reached a little to far to get them Bigbie is a huge reach, but with the weak positional draft he might have been the best option left for a fielder. O'shea and Devereaux are their best value picks. Picked in the 4^th and 5^th rounds. Both picks have decent Ml potential for late rounders.

Grade: B

Cheyenne Marmots

Needs from the draft: RF, C, BEST

Round	Pick	Player	Pos	Age	Back-	Contract	Bonus
					ground			SUMMARY
1	28	Jimmie Sullivan	SP	19	JC	MILB	$1,470K	Strikeout master, Jimmie has 4 pro level pitches and above average splits, but he struggles to get the ball over the plate every time. Sullivan still should be in a rotation as soon as he's ready.
2	78	Derrek Waters	P	18	HS	---	---	Unknown
3	110	Ronn Glanville	SP	18	HS	MILB	$425K	Glanville projects to be a #5 start on a weak team. Probably not going to crack the Malmot staff, but someone will see value in a pitcher with average splits good stamina and control and 3 plus pitches.
4	142	Archie Grilli	SS	18	HS	MILB	$350K	Good speed and solid fielder, Grille has an average bat with no skill versus righties. Grille should crack into a lineup, but probably never stay.
5	174	Joe Coppolecchia	P	19	JC	MILB	$250K	Poor splits will hold Joe back. He has stamina control, and has 2 solid pitches, he learns to pitch and you have a bona-fide starter.

Summary: Good value picks with Sullivan waters and Glanville, Each have value and strengthen up an already established pitching corp. Marmots going to need to start using some of that pitching depth to poach hitters out of others systems soon though their catcher situation is getting more desperate as the years go on.

Grade: B

Colorado MILE HIGH CLUB

Needs from the draft: 3B, RP, SP

Round	Pick	Player	Pos	Age	Back-	Contract	Bonus
					ground			SUMMARY
1	1	Royce Hurst	SP	22	COL	---	---	Good #1 starter if he makes his projections he has ace quality splits and 4 dominant pitches, he does lack an ace's stamina but he will still give a team a solid 6 innings of work each time and in Colorado that's about all you can ask.
1	41	George Burroughs	CF	20	JC	---	---	Solid but nothing more than a grinder, he has decent power and hits great versus lefties, but he is probably no better than an AAA all star.
2	53	Rickey Lanier	RF	22	COL	---	---	Solid speed and above average hitting Rickey. He has great power but might be struck batting no better than .240 in the majors but he should steal 20+ bases a year.
3	85	Pasqual Valdes	SS	20	JC	---	---	Below average SS, with AAA level hitting. He is a career Minor leaguer.
4	117	Gerald Wang	1B	18	HS	---	---	Looking for 7M but he can hit and plays 1B, He struggles versus Righties. I'm not sure that he's worth the investment.
5	149	Mack Henderson	SP	21	COL	---	---	1 plus pitch and great control and stamina, but matched with AAA level splits, he is not going to make much of a dent in the record books.

Summary: Hurst is an all-star already starting at AA, he has been fast tracked, he seems to be the only sure thing Colorado got this time around, but as a #1 overall pick, you hope you have a star. His poor makeup is his biggest knock. Burroughs and Lanier will get ML time somewhere but are below average everyday options.

Grade: B

AL Power Rankings, Week 2

1. Oklahoma City Chickens

Though they've slipped a bit lately, the Chickens have a frightening pitching rotation that features 3 ace-quality starters. That's a strategy that rarely fails, so I wouldn't expect the Chickens' recent cold streak to continue. Star hitter Matt Shave is only hitting .295, so it seems fair to predict an eventual upswing in the Chickens' run production.

2. Wichita Sizzlers

The Sizzlers are locked in a close battle with the McCoys for control of the AL West. Faced with losing their division lead, the Sizzlers have been annihilating opposing pitching staffs, scoring 49 runs in the past 4 games.

3. Kansas City McCoys

Raucous's McCoys have gone 9-1 in their past 10 games, and are just half a game behind Wichita. Their streak features a sweep of Oklahoma City, which is no easy task.

4. New York Bombers

Well off their pace from last season, the Bombers are hanging on to their division lead by their fingernails, which are already bitten to the cuticles and smell distinctly of Jack Daniels. There's never any peace for whichever team leads the AL North.

5. Toledo Holy

Once imaginatively called the "Grover Cleveland of Ryan," factorganize looks like more of an FDR, in the midst of his third consecutive successful season. Toledo has been built into a serious contender to challenge the longstanding rivalry of Madison and New York, which have controlled the AL North since season 1. This team will continue to improve in the future, particularly because Toledo's payroll is only $55 Million, compared to the 83 and 84 of Madison and New York.

6. Madison Massa's

After starting slowly, Madison has caught fire, going on a 12-1 run. btkantz always finds a way. It wouldn't surprise anybody if he took the division once again.

7. Hartford Ascension

Despite a sub-.500 record, Hartford has a solid 4.5-game lead in the AL east. Hartford also sports a shockingly low payroll of only $14.6 Million. Here, milbredhawk destroys pullmeafredo ($25.6) in the "how low can you go" payroll competition. Fredo saves money by running the Burros like Billy Beane's Oakland A's. Milbredhawk 1-ups him, running Hartford like the Cuban National Team. In all sincerity, any owner that stays competitive with such a low payroll deserves credit and is bound to have an enormous surge in a couple of seasons from compiling a surplus of prospects.

8. San Juan Sixburghs

Steelforge put together a really solid team, but unfortunately, his pitching has underperformed. Jimmy Eusebio, Tino Chang, Vladimir Rodriguez and Vin Delgado all have ERA's in the mid 5's, but this does not nearly reflect their ratings.

9. Las Vegas Gamble

Las Vegas is in a difficult position, stuck 10 games behind the fight between Kansas City and Wichita. The future looks bright at 3B, as Everett Rodgers is having a big breakout season.

10. St. Louis Rustlers

St. Louis has the opposite problem of San Juan; the Rustler batting has been far below its potential. Star SS Albert Frazier is hitting only .236, C Dennis Heiserman is hitting only .259, and RF Gerald Monroe below the Mendoza line.

11. Louisville Loud Mouths

Louisville has had a rough season, and most of rdorrian's acquisitions have not worked out. Roosevelt Hanson, Charles Coles and Freddie Reynolds have not hit. SP Roy Robinson has been a disappointment.

12. Fargo Fevola's

Fargo is in a very unfortunate position, stuck behind the Bombers, Holy and Massas. Last year, magicman conned the Bombers out of Wade Hammonds, who has become a very valuable relief pitcher and part of a solid bullpen, the strongpoint of this team.

13. Durham Bulls

Durham's hitting has been fine, and four Bulls have BA's over .315. Unfortunately, their pitching has been terrible. The best ERA in their rotation is 4.80, and their team ERA is a whopping 6.94.

14. Burlington Ice Storm

Burlington has several impressive hitters, such as former Burros Johnny Stroud and Pedro Osuna. Unfortunately, the Ice Storm's pitching isn't nearly as effective. Closer R.A. Bellinger in particular has had a bad year and hurt Burlington.

15. Salem Lites

Anytime a team has a $92 Million payroll and isn't winning, something is amiss. Salem has a team ERA of 5.59 and is near the bottom of the league in runs scored. A firesale is the only solution.

16. Washington D.C. old school warriors

Washington is rebuilding, last in the AL in ERA. Superstar SS Craig Cooper could easily fetch 3 blue-chip prospects at the deadline.

NL Power Rankings Week 2

NL RANKINGS

1(1) Cincinnati Bowties 31-16 (13-12)
P Ralph Ainsworth hasn't been an all starin many years he gives up alot of hits walks to many guys and doesn't strikeout to many, but hell if he's not having a great season

2(4) Chicago Ballbusters 35-11 (19-5)

#1 in HR and RBI attributed to 1B Clarence Thompson's swift bat. I Still remember when he was traded in season 9 and the contreservy that surrounded it. lets compare those players now.

3(3) New York Burros 30-17(16-9)

the last time NY didn't lead the league in pitching was season 6. Currently they sport a team ERA of 3.30. They still look to have difficulties at Closer blowing 9 saves (14-25)

4(6) San Diego Surf 27-19 (15-9)

Deon Dunn's shoulder injury might explain his difficulties with hitters this season. As a result the Surf will shut him down for 21 days. The Team should be able to hold their ground without him for the time.

5(2) Santa Fe Blaze 26-20 (8-16)

only NL team with a team batting average over .300 (.314) so obviously thats not the issue in Santa Fe.

6(5) Colorado Springs Organizational Filler 24-23 (12-13)
OF Jesse Walton has adjusted his swing reducing his power numbers, but is batting .388 on the season. He is still of pace for 35 dingers and 110 RBI

7(12) Cheyenne Marmots 29-18 (21-4)

Biggest leap up the rankings this week. Cheyenne ran 12 in a row in the span including sweeps of Sante Fe(twice) Florida, and Phildelphia.

8(7) Milwaukee Blue Stockings 24-22 (12-12)

Miller park is reporting the team is saving almost 20% on cooling costs this season with all the swings and misses in Milwaukee. Averaging over 8 wiffs a game. Ouch.

9(9) Atlanta Braves 24-23 (13-12)
SS Albert Gonzalez is having a career year batting over .300 with a 18 Hr and 33 sb pace. All career highs

10(8) Richmond Revolution 22-24 (10-14)

Jamie Martin's elbow injury will take some wind out the revolution. He has been a workhorse in Richmond for the past few seasons.

11(13) Florida Sting Ray 21-26 (12-13)

with RF Tony Lopez slated to return this week, Florida rises in the power ranking.

12(10) Philadelphia Balboas 21-25 (11-13)

Only 3 1 run games this season means nothing has been close for Philly, neither the wins or the losses.

13(11) San Antonio Alamos 18-29 (9-16)

the Team is playing over 100 points lower than their expected Win percentage. This is a pretty good sign of a turn around. You would hope.

14(15) Iowa City KAMIKAZES 19-27 (14-10) Along with CF Brad Finnessey's injury IC has to deal with the often injured Vinny Hernandez, Defense is going to be soft the next few days for the Kamikazes. This week should be a tough one for Iowa.

15(14) Colorado Mile High Club 13-33 (6-18)

the loss of P Ronnie Leach is costing Colorado their best pitcher for the week. pitching does not get any easier in Colorado for the Mile High.

16 (16) Detroit Lucky 8-39 (5-20)

new owner should be able to turn around a franchise with solid talent and make them more competitive. They might want to evaluate the fielding issues to start.

Power rankings WEEK 1

NL RANKINGS Rank	Team	Record	Notes:
1	Cincinnati Bowties	18-4	outscoring opponents by 86 runs after 22 games
2	Santa Fe Blaze	18-4	Leads the league with a team .329 BA, Pitching has been equally as sharp to start the season.
3	New York Burros	14-8	Ryan Perry is obviously pissed that you all didn't vote him for Cy Young in S11 after winning 22; he's 5-0 with a .199 BAA and leads the NL in punch outs.
4	Chicago Ballbusters	16-6	With Yannick Fonville pitching lately fans are now saying Francis Charlton Who?
5	Colorado Springs Organizational Filler	12-10	should get a big boost next week with the return of Santiago Frias who should take over closing duties
6	San Diego Surf	12-10	I think it's safe to assume Roosevelt Murphy has underperformed in San Diego every season.
7	Milwaukee Blue Stockings	12-10	Hideo Tamura is an early front runner for ROY in 5 starts he has a paltry .144 BAA.
8	Richmond Revolution	12-10	What use does an Nl team have with Aaron Stone anyway? (I believe he has a Disney show as well!)
9	Atlanta Braves	11-11	ATL demoted team veteran Carmona as a high they are going younger.
10	Philadelphia Balboas	10-12	Still reeling after the loss of CF Walter Lawrence in the Preseason.
11	San Antonio Alamos	9-13	The Alamos are showing no patience with Struggling Starter John Cho, after 4 starts he will get to work on his mechanics at AAA
12	Cheyenne Marmots	8-14	Chris Durbin is on a pace for 144 stolen bases in s12.
13	Florida Sting Ray	9-13	CF Candy Zoltan is struggling to adjust to BL Pitching.
14	Colorado Mile High Club	7-15	Late inning whoas leave Colorado 2-9 in Save situations
15	Iowa City KAMIKAZES	5-17	Preston Ward is not seeing the ball all that well averaging a Strikeout a game while batting sub-Mendoza
16	Detroit Lucky	3-19	should be no surprise the lucky are the worst hitting(.221) Fielding .956) and pitching (9.14) team in the NL
	AL RANKINGS
1	Oklahoma City Chickens	22-6	Hitting an AL leading .311, OC has negated any thoughts that Wichita's fearsome twosome will dominate them in the post-season. The Chickens are so besting Wichita by .10 in ERA
2	New York Bombers	18-9	AL leading pitching staff has carried an Offense that is not striking on all cylinders just yet. I would expect the hitting to pick up a little more then watch out!
3	Wichita Sizzlers	19-8	The HOF rotation is doing their thing, but the bullpen might be a chink in the armor blowing 6 saves already this season.
4	Toledo Holy	17-10	Surprisingly 2nd in the Al in Strikeouts. With a virtual no name pitching staff, Where's the 10+ M men on this staff?
5	Madison Massa's	16-11	A team that has been in the top 3 in hitting for the past 11 years now resides in the bottom 5, pretty telling that the end of an era is near.
6	Kansas City McCoys	14-13	SP and Ace D'Angelo Guevara is being lit like a cheap cigar. Look for him to settle down and return to form in the coming weeks.
7	Hartford Ascension	16-12	Cristobal Jacquez is averaging close to a homerun every 6.8 ABs
8	San Juan Sixburghs	14-13	San Juan catchers have cut down 50% of the potential base stealers
9	Louisville Loud Mouths	13-14	One good thing about Fausto Guzman going on the DL, at least he won't boot another ball at the corner
10	Fargo Fevola's	12-16	Kevin Hatchers return from the DL this week should give Fargo a lift in a tough division.
11	Durham Bulls	14-13	When a Team's pitchers has an OBA over .300 you don't stay above .500 for long. Durham also has only 1 quality start this season
12	St. Louis Rustlers	11-16	no power and the bottom of the AL in hitting, St Louis has still managed to stay near .500 for the season and with SP Don Witte coming off the DL things should start to look up
13	Las Vegas Gamble	11-16	SP and rule 5 pick Jon Donahue could be on his way out in LV. With an eleven+ era that's probably a good thing.
14	Salem Lites	8-20	RF Johnny McNeil has already tied his career high in Homeruns at 2. Check this guy for HGH.
15	Burlington Ice Storm	7-21	batting a lowly .210 at home, not giving the home crowd much to cheer about
16	Washington D.C. old school warriors	6-21	pitchers are featuring a whopping 7.51 ERA, ouch the ball gets spanked in DC