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| Now Douche Free! |
The non "make Scott look like a douche" version.
ML North
Toronto FivT’s - Toronto is off to
another great start despite trading away Julio Julio and some other veterans.
They are poised to win another division which would be the clubs 22nd
consecutive divison win. Currently the team holds the 3rd best AVG in all of
baseball and is 2nd in runs scored. Clearly a long postseason push is the main
goal for the FivT’s and after 50 games they are right on track to do so
again.
Montreal Midget Mafia
It’s been 10 years since Montreal
has made the playoffs but this just might be their year. Last season the Mafia
finished above 500 for the first time in three years and they currently sit
second in the division 9 games above the 500 mark. Unfortunately if the
playoffs started today Montreal would miss by one game, if they are going to
make a serious run at the postseason they will need the Bats go get going. A
team AVG of 268 isn't terrible but they currently only have 1 player hitting
above 300 and he’s only had 30 AB. The Mafia fans are certainly hoping this is
the year to break the playoff drought.
Chicago Wolfpack
The rebuild is still underway in
Chicago, currently sitting in third in the division they could be in a dogfight
with Cincinatti for that spot all year. The pitching has definitely been lousy
to put it mildly with several SP having ERA’s over 5. One of the major bright
spots in the rebuild has to be Stewart Branson, the 22 year old 2B is currently
hitting 321 and providing a little bit of everything for the Wolfpack. Joseph
Koh unfortunately has been providing very little the former much sought after
Catcher is only hitting 250 thus far.
Cincinnati Red Stockings
The Red Stockings are definitely a
franchise in transition. They currently sit last in the division and quite the
age difference in the roster. Prospects like Johnny Reid and Dennis Bailey are
surely pushing the veterans like Maranon, Torres and Jaha. It’s no secret that
Cincy was trying to be a player in the offseason but the asking price might
have been to high for stud reliever Shep Flynn, Cincy should and likely will be
a player at the trade deadline.
ML East
Buffalo Wild Wings
Perhaps the best division in
baseball 1 game currently separates the first to third place team in the
division. The Wild Wings currently sit first. The bats are doing most of the
heavy lifting for the Wild Wings, a top 10 hitting team, the pitching will
definitely have to pick it up. Guys like Cervantes and Sterns will have to
lower their ERA’s of 5 if they are going to keep competing for their 14th
straight division title.
Dover Hi, Im In Delaware
Dover is currently riding a 10 game
winning streak and are hoping this is the year they can knock the Wild Wings
out of first. 3 straight second place finishes to Buffalo has Dover thinking
big this year. The team looks motivated, Prieto, Schoendienst and Garland are
all hitting over 300 and with Jimmie Johnson and Earl Drew are both pitching
lights out, if Dover can stay healthy this could be their year to take over
first. Super Stat or Meaningless Number - Earl Drew has 3 Complete Games
already this season which is more than 28 teams have total.
Augusta Maine Men
Augusta currently holds the final
wild card spot in the AL but it will definitely be a dog fight to the last few
days of the season. Pitching wins championships and it’s certainly the motto in
Augusta right now. Gabe Iannone, Cookie Pena and Leonardo Reese all have ERA’s
under 3 and are looking good for All Star nods. The question is can the team
score enough runs to keep up the wins, currently 7 players in their starting
line up are hitting under 265.
Wichita Gnats
The rebuild is still underway in
Wichita but the team is definitely improving. Currently only 3 games below 500,
seems like quite the stretch after the last time they won 70 games was in
season 21. The Gnats have 7 rookies on their 25 man roster and each of them are
contributing in their own way. Former top 10 pick Mark Sorrento is off to a
slow start but there is no doubt he will a star.
AL South
Little Rock Patriots
The rumour is that the Patriots
might be changing their name to the Little Rock Scoring Patriots. They are
currently leading the league in runs scored and AVG. They currently sit 5 games
ahead of Charlotte for the division lead. Kevin Nolasco is a huge reason for
the Patriots success thus far. The 26 year old is a career 293 hitter but this
year Nolasco is hitting 393 with 10 HR. If they continue to get production like
that out of Nolasco there’s no reason to think they’ll drop out of first.
Charlotte Sugar Babies
The Sugar Babies or as they
sometimes like to be called the Charlotte Diaz and Roth currently sit second in
the division out of a wild card spot. After an 85-77 finish which was good
enough to win the division the Sugar Babies pitching has definitely let them
down thus far. They currently sit near the bottom in team ERA, they are
allowing a whole run more per game then they were last year. While Roth and
Diaz are doing there thing Ezdra Romero is having a career year, the 29 year
old RF is currently hitting 356 to lead the team. If Charlotte is going to make
a playoff push the pitching needs to find it’s form from a year ago.
Tampa Bay Florida Retirees
The Retirees rebuild is gaining
momentum. The minor league teams are looking strong and over the last 3 years
they teams win total has been rising from 58 - 65 - 70. One of the reasons for
the increasing wins has to be SP Pedro Julio. The former IFA is finally
starting to come into his own. He is currently 6-3 with an ERA of 2.12 and a
dazzling WHIP of .97. The 25 year old is starting to look like the franchise
pitcher the Retirees hoped they were getting.
Memphis Monsters
It would appear that Memphis is in a
rebuild mode, after an 80 win season in year 24 the team has lost 88 and 97
games in the last 2 seasons. Memphis has a lot of interesting trade pieces,
they have many veterans who are playing well. The biggest bright spot of the
season thus far has to be 25 year old C Brian Sherman, the career 245 hitter is
currently hitting 290 with 8 HR, he is on pace for career highs in AVG and
HR.
AL West
Cheyenne McGees
Cheyenne is looking for it’s 5th
straight division title and barring a natural disaster the McGees should take
it again. They are the only team above 500 in the division and are currently 5
games above 500 even though their pitching is near the bottom of the league. 4
of their 5 SP have ERA’s over 5.50. Cheyenne will definitely be in the market
for a quality SP down the stretch. Lefty Menechino a high quality prospect for
Cheyenne made his ML debut earlier this year before being sent back down to
AAA, the 23 year old hit 317 in 104 AB. Cheyenne could look to open up a spot
for Menechino by moving another piece to add a SP which could help solidify a
deep run in the post season.
Los Angeles Animal Style Fries
LA currently sits second in the
division and might have a decision of whether or not to try to push for a wild
card spot this year. The kids in LA will be leading the charge down the
stretch, stud prospect 23 year old R.A. Murray made his ML debut just a few
weeks ago, through 4 starts he is 2-1 with a 3.91 ERA. He was definitely a nice
boost to the pitching staff. The other 23 year old who made his ML debut last
year is Enrique Nunez. After a stellar rookie season in which he hit 318 with
43 stolen bases he is currently hitting 329 and doing a bit of everything for
the Animal Style Fries.
Colorado Crush
Colorado is in a full scale rebuild
mode. With only 17 wins at the moment Colorado is clearly looking years ahead.
They should be a big time player at the trade deadline though. They have
several quality veteran hitters who are playing very well at the moment and
could land them some solid prospects. Tony Villanueva, Dave Newman, Norm
Morehead and Jose Hipolito could all be solid additions to teams looking to
make a playoff push or a deep run in the postseason. Look for Colorado to be a
big time player at the trade deadline.
Fresno Funk Daddy’s
Fresno has been a franchise in
transition for several years now with several owners. This organization knows
that a full scale rebuild is what’s in order. They have roughly 17 million
locked up in 4 players over the age of 35. It means Fresno’s next few years
should be very interesting because they don’t have a lot of money tied up long
term and should have a lot of flexibility moving forward. 2 players to keep an
eye on though would be Felipe Bravo, the 24 year old rookie could be a gold
glover at SS but he is only hitting 230. Warren Bell another 24 year old rookie
has a very bright future ahead of him but is definitely going through his
growing pains. He is currently hitting 193, the former top 15 pick might be
better served seeing some time in AAA.
NL North
Madison Rowengartners
If it ain’t broke don’t fix it seems
to be the motto in Madison as usual. One third through the season and Madison
is right where it usually is, in first place. They are top 10 in both team ERA
and batting AVG. Julio Ruiz just keeps doing what he does, currently hitting 335
with 13 HR.
I think it’s safe to say Madison is
obviously a no brainer to make the playoffs and are looking real solid to win
the division.
Scranton Dundees
Three straight years of finishing
second in the divison have fans in Scranton hoping this is the year they can
top Madison. The pitching in Scranton has been the key reason that the team is
off to a good start and currently in a wild card positon. They are currently
5th in Team ERA but the bats need to get going if Scranton wants to get back
into the playoffs after missing out last year. Philip Marquis really needs to
pick it up a career 291 hitter he is currently hitting only 241.
Rochester Ramblers
Rochester is still in a rebuild
mode, but with a promising draft coming up and prospects on the way things are
definitely looking up. With veterans like Brian Cochrane and Benito Tabaka both
playing very well, they are definitely very interesting pieces to keep an eye
on at the trade deadline.
Kansas City Tornadoes
In the last 10 seasons KC has made
the playoffs once and it doesn't look like that will chance this year. Clearly
KC is looking towards the future and Pinky Lawton is living up to his franchise
player status. The former 4th OVR pick is currently hitting 328 with 16 stolen
bases. KC has a guy to build around, hopefully he can lead them into the
playoffs soon.
NL East
Pawtucket Patriot Ale
Nine years in a row Pawtucket has
won the NL East and it doesn't look like Washington has enough to top them this
year. The Pitching is currently top spot in the league with a current ERA of
3.10. Barring injuries Pawtucket should win the division again for the 10th
straight year but Washington definitely has other plans.
Washington DC Senators
The Senators got off to a real slow
start, but have been playing some really good ball as of late. They were in
fourth after the first 3 weeks of the season and have jumped to second in a
matter of days. Currently only a few games behind Pawtucket Washington is
looking good. Big offseason FA signing Teddy Gosling is earning the 17 million
this year currently despite the 0-4 record he has an ERA of 3.12.
Philadelphia Fighting Quakers
The Fighting Quakers were off to a
great start but unfortunately have come back down to earth and currently sit in
third. Rookie Roger Walker is definitely a bright spot for Philadelphia, the 23
yr old is currently hitting 253 with an impressive 13 HR in 186 AB. Hopefully
Walker can keep it up and lead the Fighting Quakers into a wild card
spot.
New York 67’s
The team is clearly still
rebuilding, clearly the excitement is over top prospects Dillion Borders,
Casper Cortes and Patrick McDougal. The lone bright spot at the ML level is
definitely Magglio Puente, after a pathetic season last year in which he hit
only 260 with a 291 OBP he has bounced back nicely and is currently hitting 309
with 12 HR and an OBP of 343.
NL South
Monterrey Jack Cheese
Monterrey has arrived. The Youth
movement has paid off and they are firing on all cylinders. The NL South is
theirs to lose at this point. Super Rookies Melky Sanchez and Alfredo Castilla
are doing it all for the Jack Cheese. Sanchez and Castilla are both hitting
over 300 and at 25 and 23 years old respectively the Jack Cheese look to have 2
solid MLBers for years to come
Atlanta Rustlers
Atlanta is having a nice bounce back
year. After last season and only 62 wins Atlanta is bouncing back nicely, they
are currently 500 and definitely have an outside chance at a wild card spot.
Thanks to the deep pitching Atlanta has and Ken Tracy have a great year Atlanta
might be looking to add a bat and make a push for a wild card spot because
Monterrey definitely looks to have the divison wrapped up.
Montgomery Mockingbirds
After a second place finish in the
divison last year Montgomery looks destined to finish 3rd or 4th this season.
Montgomery is clearly a team in transition and might be looking to sell at the
deadline. One of the bright spots has to be Jae Yamomoto, the career 270 hitter
is enjoying the best start in his career. The 29 year old is hitting 317 with
13 HRs.
Texas Instruments
Clearly a full scale rebuild is
going on in Texas. After last seasons 57 wins fans were hoping a bounce back
year but it would appear Texas is on pace to finish last again this year.
However there is a major bright spot for the Instruments. 26 yr old RF Dorian
Butcher is absolutely raking it for the Instruments. He’s hitting 358 with 18
HRs, the former top 10 pick is definitely living up to the hype.
NL West
Helena Handbaskets
Currently sitting in 1st place in
the NL West Helena has its work cut out for them. Definitely the tightest
division in the league 3 games separates 1st to 3rd this division will be a dog
fight to the bitter end. Looking for a 5th straight division title in the West
Helena’s best players will definitely have play well to repeat history. 26 year
old Kyle Hampton and his 349 AVG are a main reason that Helena has a good
chance for that 5 peat.
St Louis Browns
The Browns are having a solid start
to the year. After 8 years of missing the playoffs the Browns currently sit 2nd
in the division and have a solid chance to obtain a wild card. Guys like
Sparkey Bell are having nice bounce back seasons. He is currently hitting 325
with 15 HRs with a super impressive 415 OBP. If St Louis is going to compete
for a wild card it will definitely need Bell to keep up his All Star
pace.
Sacramento Mad Monks
The Mad Monks were definately the
biggest surprise of the league last year. A second place finish in the division
and a lengthly playoff run had the Mad Monk fans thinking World Series this
year. With Helena and St Louis both playing well Sacramento might have a tough
time making the playoffs again this year, FA Grant LaPorta has to be one of the
biggest disappointments in the leauge thus far. Signing a 3 yr deal for 4.25
per he is currently hitting 203. If the Mad Monks are going back to the
playoffs LaPorta and others will have to return to last seasons form.
Arizona Prickly Pears
The Prickly Pears are currently in a
rebuild, they currently sit last in the division. Arizona might have made one
of the sneakiest moves of the offseason as well acquiring SS Walker VandenHurk
from the 67’s. VandenHurk hit 244 in his rookie season for New York and the
67’s moved him to Arizona for a long reliever. They might be regretting that as
VandenHurk is currently hitting 393. That’s right 393. If Arizona can make more
trades like that the rebuild will be a lot quicker than usual
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