The Cincinnati Hardball Post

Division Power Rankings

2012-02-08T12:24:00.000-08:00

1. AL West - .555
2. NL South - .554
3. AL North - .512
4. NL East - .508
5. AL South - .504
6. NL West - .496
7. NL North - .453
8. AL East - .418

NL - .503
AL - .497

Trivia Winner

2012-02-08T12:05:00.000-08:00

meece - a quality owner with good taste in movies.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NaQxUEfxt0

Weekly Rankings - Week 3

2012-02-06T07:21:00.000-08:00

I'll get back to the more in-depth rankings soon, work seems to be getting in the way.

1. St. Louis Cardinals (Prev #1)
2. Chicago Black Sox (Prev #2)
3. Fresno Fire (prev #4)
4. Oklahoma City Falcons (prev #5)
5. Detroit Tigers (prev #8)
6. Montreal Garde Imperiale (prev #7)
7. Helena Hustle (prev #9)
8. Memphis Blue's (prev NR)
9. Jacksonville TIMUCUANS (prev NR)
10. New Orleans Causeway Cajuns (prev NR)

Dropped
3. Salem Aggies
6. Cincinnati Redlegs
10. Durham Tar Heels

Just Missed
Houston

Weekly Rankings - Week 2

2012-01-30T07:39:00.000-08:00

1. St. Louis Cardinals (Prev #1)
2. Chicago Black Sox (Prev #2)
3. Salem Aggies (prev NR)
4. Fresno Fire (prev #4)
5. Oklahoma City Falcons (prev NR)
6. Cincinnati Redlegs (prev NR)
7. Montreal Garde Imperiale (prev NR)
8. Detroit Tigers (prev #8)
9. Helena Hustle (prev #7)
10. Durham Tar Heels (prev NR)

Dropped
1. Los Angeles
4. Salt Lake City
6. Montgomery
9. Honolulu
10. Jacksonville

Just Missed
Jacksonville
Houston
Louisville
New Orleans

Weekly Rankings - Week 1

2012-01-23T06:41:00.000-08:00

1. Los Angeles Hollywoods (3)
Record - 14-4 (1)
Exp. % - .709 (1)
Run dif - 34 (1)

2. St. Louis Cardinals (9)
Record - 13-5 (3)
Exp. % - .647 (3)
Run Dif. - 26 (3)

3. Fresno Fire (10)
Record - 12-7 (6)
Exp. % - .659 (2)
Run Dif. - 32 (2)

4. Salt Lake City Mormons (12)
Record - 14-5 (2)
Exp. % - .625 (4)
Run Dif. - 23 (6)

5. Chicago Black Sox (12)
Record - 12-6 (4)
Exp. % - .624 (5)
Run Dif. - 26 (3)

6. Montgomery Burns (21)
Record - 11-7 (7)
Exp. % - .602 (7)
Run Dif. - 21 (7)

7. Helena Hustle (22)
Record - 10-9 (11)
Exp. % - .590 (8)
Run Dif. - 26 (3)

8. Detroit Tigers (23)
Record - 11-8 (9)
Exp. % - .608 (6)
Run Dif. - 19 (8)

9. Honolulu Tropics (24)
Record - 12-6 (4)
Exp. % - .574 (10)
Run Dif. - 12 (10)

10. Jacksonville TIMUCUANS (27)
Record - 11-8 (9)
Exp. % - .584 (9)
Run Dif. - 15 (9)

11. Oklahoma City (29)

NL Summary

2012-01-18T07:24:00.000-08:00

from the previews, my predictions (* indicates playoff team) (blog votes in parenthesis)

North
1. Kansas City* (6)
2. Detroit (4)
3. Pittsburgh (3)
4. Cleveland

East
1. Chicago* (5)
2. Dover* (5)
3. New York (1)
4. Buffalo

South
1. Houston* (5)
2. Louisville* (2)
3. Memphis (5)
4. Montgomery

West
1. Helena* (7)
2. San Francisco
3. Los Angeles (2)
4. Honolulu

MVP - Yusmeiro Durazo
Cy Young - Wascar Franco
ROY - Midre Cervantes

NL Champ - Helena

NL West Preview

2012-01-18T06:40:00.000-08:00

8 out of 8

Season 22 Standings
1. Helena 95-67
2. Los Angeles 84-78
3. Honolulu 79-83
4. San Francisco 77-85

Season 22 Recap
Helena won the division for the second consecutive time. LA missed the playoffs for the first time in 9 seasons and had its worst record since Season 12. Honolulu finished outside of the Top 2 for the first time since season 10. San Fran had its best record since season 13, although it was their 10th consecutive last place finish.

Team Previews

Helena
Owner ncapodagli was very active in the offseason and clearly plans on remaining at the top of a very competetive division.
Additions - Jolbert Armas, Mateo Martinez, Bey Wallace, Ralph Jennings, Philip Colin
Subtractions - Ezdra Mateo, Brendan Watson, Francis Herzog
Net effect - Positive
Prediction - It's difficult to see this team not making the playoffs, although they do have some strong competition for the division title. Only a year removed from a WS title, they appear to be an improved team, with two impact players awaiting a promotion in AAA.

Los Angeles
tytabs stayed out of the FA frenzy and appears to be confident that last season was an aberration.
Additions - Jeff Ruebel
Subtractions - Luis Morales, Tomas Mesa
Net effect - Negative
Prediction - I'm not sure that they have enough firepower to catch Helena. A very good team that should be competeing for a spot in the playoffs.

Honolulu
owner rdierkers was very active in the offseason, but has he done enough to finish in the top 2?
Additions - Bingo O'Donnell,Shea Unroe,Wilfredo Veras, Terry Buford
Subtractions - Connie Stark, Randy Broome, George Weaver
Net effect - Negative
Prediction - A third place finish would be nothing to be ashamed of in a very tough division, although a 4th place finish would be just as likely.

San Francisco
jtracy was very active in the trade market and appears to have made up some ground in the West
Additions - Willie Bennett, Juan Vincente, Julio Rodriguez, Jiggs Hodges,Benji James
Subtractions - Royce Aven, Chan Ho Sugawara
Net effect - Positive
Prediction - jtracy has done some good work here and should be much improved. I think that he will pass Honolulu but not be able to catch Helena. The question is whether or not they have done enough to catch LA? My guess is yes.

MVP Watch - Louie Delgado, Peter O'Connor, Orlando Maduro,
Cy Young Watch - Juan Vincente, Philip Colin, Victor Merrick, Louis Melville
ROY Watch - Zachrey Betancourt, Jackie Franklin

NL South Preview

2012-01-17T07:37:00.000-08:00

7 of 8

Season 22 Standings

1. Memphis 95-67
2. Louisville 86-87
3. Houston 83-79
4. Montgomery 77-85

Season 22 Recap
Memphis won more than 90 games for the third consecutive season. Louisville has improved its win total for four consecutive seasons. Houston looks to regain its form after its only season in 22 out of the top two. Montgomery has missed the playoffs for four consecutive seasons (after making the playoffs for four consecutive seasons).

Team Previews

Memphis
bencap is looking for another title and has laregly stood pat in the offseason
Additions - Randall Scott, Midre Cervantes (promoted)
Subtractions - Midre Robinson
Net effect - Positive
Prediction -Anything less than a Top 2 finish would be a disappointment, although a third place finish in a very difficult division would not be shocking.

Louisville
batgecko is always working to improve his team, but has he done enough to continue to improve his win total?
Additions - Wesley Graves, Bill Reed, Felipe Sivilla, Rafael Soriano, Top Gear's very own Richard Hammond
Subtractions - Jose Ramirez, J.C. Drew, Lou Jenkins
Net effect - Slightly positive
Prediction - Playoffs. I'm not sure if they can win the division, but they can and should make the playoffs.

Houston
pmuehlenkamp had a very disappointing Season 22, and his offseason moves (and AAA talent) show a desire to not let it happen again
Additions - Felipe Mantalban, Jonathan Gload, Adam Tucker
Subtractions - John Baek, Carlos Pena, Eric Shields, Junior Lopez
Net effect - Neutral/Positive
Prediction - There's too much talent here to not have a shot at the playoffs, but someone has to finish third. Will it be Houston? No, they will win the division.

Montgomery
With all the talent here this season, neilg appears content to take his lumps and fight another day
Additions - Steve Bigley, Walt Henry
Subtractions - Junior Montero, Al Vazquez, Wesley Graves
Net effect - Negative
Prediction - Anything other than a last place finish would be a surprise, but primarily due to the strenght of the division and not the weakness of the team

MVP Watch - Jonathan Gload, Ken Daly
Cy Young Watch - Geraldo Mendez, Willis Floyd, Dave Darr, Manny Ramsey, Jeff Woods
ROY Watch - Midre Cervantes, Gary Woodward, Doug Dietz

NL East Preview

2012-01-16T12:12:00.000-08:00

6 out of 8

Season 22 Standings

1. Chicago 96-66
2. New York 93-69
3. Dover 80-82
4. Buffalo 51-111

Season 22 Recap
Chicago won its 4th consecutive division title. New York had its best season since Season 17. Dover finished 3rd for the 5th time in six seasons. Buffalo tied its franchise record for most losses in a year.

Team Previews

Chicago
Owner redlegs remained rather inactive, choosing to go with (largely) the same team that won the division last year. Cleary, anything less than a 1st place finish would be disappointing.
Additions - Charley Davidson, Ezdra Mateo
Subtractions - David Picasso
Net effect - Neutral
Prediction - A well built team that should make the playoffs, regardless of its finish in the division.

New York
chuthus followed Chicago's lead and stayed rather quiet in the offseason, although some nice FA's were signed. An aging team that is built to compete right now.
Additions - Junior Torcato, Douglas Cust,
Subtractions - Ramon Chen, Ahmad Bell
Net effect - Positive, but not by much
Prediction - A Top 2 finish would be nice, but I'm not sure that they can hold off hard-charging Dover.

Dover
SHOTGUN enters another season with his sites set on the playoffs. Will he be able to put a disappointing Season 22 behind him?
Additions - Brendan Watson, Junior Montero, Guillermo Balboa
Subtractions - Henry Green, Bingo O'Donnell
Net effect - Positive
Prediction - This is a talented team a pitcher or two away from a playoff appearance. I think that a Top 2 finish is in the cards, with a playoff appearance to go along with it.

Buffalo
meece is rebuilding, and would have to make a dramatic improvement from Season 22 to finish anywhere but 4th.
Additions - Frank Zhang, Alex Alomar, Heinie Rhodes (all promoted), Curt Hendrick
Subtractions - Cory Clark, Orval Cohen
Net effect - Positive
Prediction - Zhang for Clark is a wash, and there is enough talent here to improve by 20 games, but a 4th place finish is highly likely.

MVP Watch - Gregg Fuller, Harry Silva, Yank Sodowsky, Yorman Molina
Cy Young Watch - Cesar Reyes, Wascar Franco, Frank Zhang
ROY Watch - Frank Zhang, Marino Pujols, Alex Alomar

NL North Preview

2012-01-16T06:24:00.000-08:00

The 5th of 8 previews

Season 22 Standings
1. Kansas City 79-83
2. Cleveland 75-87
3. Detroit 75-87
4. Pittsburgh 66-96

Season 22 Recap
KC had its best record (and only playoff appearance) in eleven seasons. Cleveland had its worst record in nine seasons, Detroit had its best record in three seasons, and Pittsburgh finished last for the second consecutive season.

Team Previews

Kansas City
One of the most active owners this off-season, mwelker is going for broke and has the look of a division champ.
Additions - Mark Wanatabe,Francis Herzog, Sergio Dupler,Felipe Encarnacion, Luis Morales,Andrew Carmona, J.R. Beckett, Junior Ozuna plus expected call-ups Dioner Soriano, Hee Wan, Midre Valentin, and Yamid Bravo
Subtractions - Bey Wallace, Mateo Martinez, Pedro Maduro, Bernard Jacquez, Kevin Yamaguchi, Jose Segui
Net effect - Potitive, although mwelker did give up some quality big league players.
Prediction - There's too much talent here not to finish first. AAA players will contribute big this season, and the dynasty appears to be taking shape.

Cleveland
Looks like another rebuilding year for davidlove, and a bottom half finish appears likely.
Additions - Alex James, Geoff Hall
Subtractions - Andres Ramirez
Net effect - Neutral
Prediction - A third place finish would be an accomplishment. davidlove is clearly in a transition mode and has a plan to compete in a couple of seasons.

Detroit
mtorab was once again very active in the offseason and looks primed for a playoff spot.
Additions - Yusmeiro Durazo, Jonathan Lankford, Bert Throneberry, Randy Broome, Tomas Mesa
Subtractions - Walt Henry
Net effect - Positive, positive, positive!
Prediction - 1st or 2nd and anything less than a playoff appearance would be a disappointment.

Pittsburgh
bboyd is on the upswing, but it might be another season before he can break into the Top 2.
Additions - Willie Wheat
Subtractions - T.J. Torres, Sergio Dupler
Net effect - neutral
Prediction - Third, with an outside chance at second if AAA horses are promoted.

MVP Watch - Yusmeiro Durazo
Cy Young Watch - Alexi Terrero, Randy Broome,Albert Mondesi
ROY Watch - Anthony Mulder, Guy Jones, Eugene Holmes, Dioner Soriano, Hee Wan, Midre Valentin, Timothy Bryant, Wally Lo Duca

AL Summary

2012-01-13T12:04:00.000-08:00

from the previews, my predictions (* indicates playoff team) (blog votes in parenthesis)

North
1. Montreal* (9)
2. Cincinnati* (2)
3. New Britain (1)
4. Salt Lake City

East
1. Philadelphia* (10)
2. Baltimore
3. Durham
4. Boston(1)

South
1. Oklahoma City* (2)
2. Jacksonville* (4)
3. New Orleans
4. San Antonio (1)

West
1. Fresno* (2)
2. Salem (2)
3. St. Louis
4. Vancouver (2)

MVP - Don Chen
Cy Young - Hick Manning
ROY - Joaquin Dominguez

AL Champ - Montreal

AL West Preview

2012-01-13T11:28:00.000-08:00

final AL preview, NL will be on Monday and Tuesday

Season 22 Standings
St. Louis 90-72
Salem 88-74
Fresno 74-88
Vancouver 58-104

Season 22 Recap
St. Louis returned to the top for the first time in four seasons. Salem had its best record and highest finish since taking over in Season 16. Fresno dropped to third after back-to-back division championships. Vancouver took it on the chin with its worst record in franchise history

Team Previews

St. Louis
2000man looks to stay at the top and fend off big spendin' Fresno
Additions - Lou Jenkins, R.J. Escobar, Tuck Winn
Subtractions - Randall Scott, Darren Parkinson
Net effect - Neutral
Prediction - 2nd place. They upgraded their offense with the addition of Escobar, but I'm not sure that the pitching is in place to compete with Fresno.

Salem
A big FA SP signing should bolster their chance, but will it be enough?
Additions - Dallas Singleton
Subtractions - Ivan Pena
Net effect - positive
Prediction - A better record than last season, but a worse finish in 3rd place. A big payroll with players that give them an outside chance returning to the playoffs

Fresno
The highest payroll in 1530 is not going to settle for 2nd place
Additions - Jose Segui, Chan Ho Sugawara, Al Vazquez, Kelly Hinch
Subtractions - Douglas Cust, Juan Vincente, Willie Bennett
Net effect - pitching swapped for hitting, but positive
Prediction - Anything less than a first place finish would be a disappointment. joepatrick did not spend north of 100 million to miss the palyoffs, and he should be able to hold of St. Louis and Salem.

Vancouver
Not much going on in the pacific northwest. A team building for the future.
Additions - Jim Valentine
Subtractions - Javy Tejada, Pedro Espinosa
Net effect - trading spare parts for spare parts
Predicition - Anything better than 4th place would be shocking. frank has a plan, and it does not involve competing in Season 23.

MVP Watch - Trenidad Trajano, R.J. Escobar
Cy Young Watch - Ivy Latham, Hick Manning
ROY Watch - Rod Norton

AL South Preview

2012-01-13T06:13:00.000-08:00

The third in a series

Season 22 Standings
1. Jacksonville 95-67
2. Oklahoma City 84-78
3. New Orleans 78-84
4. San Antonio 64-98

Season 22 Recap
Jacksonville took their thrid consecutive division title. OKC jumped from 48 wins to 84 wins in just two seasons. New Orleans did not finish in the Top2 for the first time in seven seasons. San Antonio had their worst finish in 17 seasons.

Team Previews

Jacksonville
Much like Philadelphia, rbjb just tinkered with what was already a very good squad. Will it be enough to hold off the upstart OKC?
Additions - Tim Wilson, Livan Pascual, Ramon Chen
Subtractions - Wilfredo Veras, Andy Jefferson, Felipe Encarnacion
Net effect = between neutral/negative
Prediction - Will fall just short of a fourth consecutive division title, although the playoffs seem likely

Oklahoma City
A team on the rise with an impressive list of lefty SP acquisitions, OKC is the main challenger to JAX for the division title.
Additions - Pedro Maduro,Kevin Yamaguchi,Bernard Jacquez, Paulie Fox, Boots Munson, Chad Clarke
Subtractions - Hi Girardi, Rafael Pujols, Mark Wanatabe
Net effect - Preposterously positive
Prediction - I am very impressed with what robyoung has done in the off-season. Another man with a plan, his time is now, and he is primed for a very good run. A division title appears to be in the cards, and it would not surprise me if this team made the World Series. Will struggle with teams that hit lefties well.

New Orleans
Signed the best free agent available, but will it be enough to catch two very good teams in OKC and Jacksonville?
Additions - Benji Neill, Orval Cohen
Subtractions - J.R. Beckett, Santo Calderone
Net effect - Positive
Prediction - Another very good team, the South is begining to look like the toughest division in the AL. A top-2 finish would be an accomplishment and, if they can do it, a playoff appearance is likely to follow.

San Antonio
A team in transition, anything other than a 4th place finish would be a success in the most difficult division in the AL.
Additions - Gerald Heffner, Eric Shields
Subtractions - Felipe Mantalban, Brian Donahue, Livan Pascual
Net effect - Neutral/Positive
Prediction - Fourth place in another re-building year.

MVP Watch - Benji Neill, Enrique Vincente, Alex Limon
Cy Young Watch - Phil Pride
ROY Watch - Kirk McInerney, R.J. Albaladejo

AL East Preview

2012-01-12T13:27:00.000-08:00

The second in a series

Season 22 Standings
1. Durham 101-61
2. Philly 98-64
3. Boston 80-82
4. Baltimore 78-84

Season 22 Recap
Durham took the league title for the third time in four seasons. Philly finished second and made the playoffs for the third consecutive season. Boston hqs its worst season since Season 3, Baltimore finished 4th for the 4th straight season.

Team Previews

Durham
Run by yours truly, the Tar Heels are in complete re-building mode. A 2nd place finish will be an accomplishment

Additions - Matty Jennings,Jeromy West, T.J. Torres, Vic Martin, Brian Donahue
Subtractions - Philip Colin, Dallas Singleton, Kenny Evans, Junior Ozuna, Boots Munson, Tyson Lollar, Alex Encarnacion, Aaron Simon, Benji James
Net effect - Negative. The current team is made up by a bunch of FA leftovers
Prediction - A battle with rival Boston for 3rd place. Still has some good players and FA's are solid.

Philadelphia
kyle did some fine tuning in the off-season, nothing too drastic. This is clearly the best team in the division
Additions - Midre Robinson, Angel Siqueiros, Carlos Pena, Lonny Feliz
Subtractions - Willie Wheat, Lonny Feliz,Adam Tucker,Jeff Ruebel
Net effect - neutral
Prediction - Anything less than a first place finish would be surprising. They should win the division by at least 10 games.

Boston
The PARTIERS continue to re-build, abut they will take their lumps for one more season before they re-emerge better than ever.
Additions - Julian Guerrero
Subtractions - Billy Barry, Marc Fielder, Yusmeiro Durazo, Wendell Reed, R.J. Escobar
Net effect - Negative. You can't replace Reed and Durazo with FA fodder
Prediction - This is not a very good team, but it doesn't need to be. cincy has a plan, and is executing it like Walt Jocketty

Baltimore
With two heavyweights out of the way, only Philly stands in the way of a division title.
Additions - Kenny Evans, Jose Ramirez,J.C. Drew
Subtractions - Angel Marquez, Ralph Jennings, Rafael Soriano, Top Gear's Richard Hammond
Net effect - Negative. It's nice to get Soriano's contract off of the books, but more talent went out than came in.
Prediction - There is no reason why this team can't compete for the top half of the division. Pitching is suspect.

MVP Watch - Don Chen
Cy Young Watch - Timothy Crawford
ROY Watch - none

AL North Preview

2012-01-12T07:26:00.000-08:00

The first in a series

Season 22 Standings
1. Cincinnati 109-53
2. Montreal 83-79
3. New Britain 73-89
4. Salt Lake City 48-114

Season 22 Recap - Cincy had the best team, by far, in the majors and was unlucky to not win it all. Montreal had its worst in 17 seasons under nhollan. New Britain showed its third consecutive season of improvement. SLC was the worst team in the league.

Team Previews

Cincinnati
With one of the highest payrolls in the league, Cincinnati appears to be re-building after winning over 100 games in 5 out of the last 7 seasons. Their definition of rebuilding, however, is not the same as most.

Additions - John Baek, Benny Crespo
Subtractions - Terry Buford, Benji Neill, Bernie Pena, Jonathan Gload, Angel Siqueiros
Net effect - Negative. You could win 90 games just with the guys that left the team plus some scrap heap free agents.
Prediction - There is still a bunch of talent here, but this team is clearly one in transition. 2nd Place with a shot at a wild card.

Montreal
Upset at missing his first playoff in 17 seasons. nhollan appears to be building to win, and do it now.
Additions - Cory Clark, Aaron Simon, Alex Encarnacion, Lou Jenkins, Bernie Pena, Tyson Lollar
Substractions - Chad Clarke, Bert Throneberry, Geronimo Lunar,Bill Reed, Lou Jenkins
Net effect - Positive. Some good players lost, but some better ones acquired.
Predicition - A return to the top, 1st place and 1st round bye.

New Britain
A chance at the Top 2 is there, are there more moves to come?
Additions - Wendell Reed, Aurelio Alvarez, Andy Jefferson
Subtractions - Jonathan Lankford, Rafael Telemaco
Net Effect - Positive
Prediction - 3rd place, but just. I would not be surprised to see them finish #2 or make the playoffs.

Salt Lake City
Will they win enough to meet the minimum win rule? Must go at least 62-100 to avoid.
Additions - Norman Carson, Joaquin Dominguez, Jason Weaver, and Vic Cabeza (expected promotions?)
Subtractions - none
Net effect - Positive, if promotions happen
Prediction - The only drama here is whether or not they will run afoul of the win rule. 4th place finish looks to be in the cards.

Most likely to win MVP - Henry Wise (MON)
Most likely to win Cy Young - Sammy Iglesias (MON)
Most likely to win ROY - Joaquin Dominguez (SLC)

Free Agency Day 3

2012-01-09T07:07:00.000-08:00

Happy big money day!

1. Benji Neill , New Orleans, 5 years $86 million with a mutual option
Analysis - Neill is one of the best hitters in the game with a career average of .321 and OPS of .973. He also has a career OBP of .450, which is a staggering number and 2nd all-time in 1530. His contact, eye, vs. left, and make-up are elite, and he can still play an average 2B. A special player with an appropriate contract.

2. Dallas Singleton, Salem, 5 years $36 million with a player option
Analysis - Dallas is one of the more under-rated SPs in the game. His career OPS allowed is .686, and his ERA in homer-happy Durham was under 4.00 for his 3+ years there. He'll start for 2 years, then maybe close for another 2, with his last year most likely being unproductive. Still, a good deal for a "win now" team.

3. Philip Colin, Helena, 3 years $42 million
Analysis - A big contract for a future HOF'r. Colin has gas left in the tank, and will likely produce for the duration of his contract. He has a good chance of winning his 300th game in Helena blue, and maybe winning another WS ring in the process.

4. Bernie Pena, Montreal, 5 years $56 million with mutual option and a no trade clause
Analysis - The #1 SP on the board, Pena moves to division rival Montreal in what appears to be a changing of the guard in the North. While lacking elite stamina, Pena is young enough to hold off the decline that would cause a move to the bullpen by the time the contact reaches its option year. A dominant pitcher that will win plenty of games, as long as he is backed by a good bullpen. I like this deal.

5. Luis Morales, Kansas City, 2 years $7 million
Alanysis - A typical signing this late in FA. His Type A status kept him available for a team punting on the draft to swoop in and steal him. He can be kept or traded and, either way, will bring value much greater than his contract. A good deal.

Free Agency Day 2

2012-01-06T06:13:00.000-08:00

Day 2 is always an odd day in FA. It will have none of the highly contested FA's, but will usually have both some overpays and some steals.

1. Douglas Cust, New York, 3 years $18 million
Analysis - The #9 SP on the market, Cust signed for a very reasonable amount. He does have durability concerns, but this is about right for an SP of his quality.

2. Kenny Evans, Baltimore, 2 years $11.8 million
Analysis - Evans was the 3rd best RF on the market, but the two ahead of him on the st are the #1 and #2 overall position players available. He's a quality player with a career .893 OPS. A move to LF or 1B might be in the cards, but he is a solid #2 or #3 hitter and will perform for the duration of his contract.

3. Junior Ozuna, Kansas City, 2 years $12 million and a no trade
Analaysis - Ozuna is a workhorse. In 4 years in Durham, we went 31-9 with an ERA of 2.92, amazing stats for a Setup guy in a hitters park. A good signing.

4. J.R. Beckett, Kansas City, 3 years $42.6 million
Analysis - The future HOF'r has some gas left in the tank. He is an SP1 type, but his stamina will continue to decline. A steep price to pay, but starting pitching is becoming scarce.

5. Henry Green, Oklahoma City, 2 years $9.6 million
Analysis - Green has been up and down, but he has made 3 all-star appearances in the last 5 seasons. OKC is building a nice team, and Green should be a good contributor.

Free Agency - Day 1

2012-01-05T05:58:00.000-08:00

Day 1 signings are either 1) great deals because no one else is bidding, 2) terrible deals because a team has bid so much more than the others bidding. So which are the following?

1. Chad Clarke, Oklahoma City, 3 years $20.4 million
Summary - Clarke did not appear on the Top SP list, but he compares favoritively to some on the list. He's not a SP1 type, but he will eat innings and has elite stamina, control, and make-up. I think that there are some disappointed teams out there that would have jumped at the chance to sign Clarke to this deal. A good signing.

2. Randy Broome, Detroit, 5 years $34 million
Summary - This one falls into the "wow" category for me, as in "no one else was bidding on this guy?". Broome was #7 on the list and signed for half of what I expected him to sign for. My guess is that mtorab could get a nice prospect if he decided to trade him at any point in this contract, which makes this an excellent deal.

3. Harry Rijo, Oklahoma City, 4 years $23.2 million
Summary - Rijo did not appear on the Top RP list, but is nevertheless a very good, young, durable RP. He has a career ERA of 3.74 and has saved 94 of 123 games. A good signing.

4. Tomas Mesa, Detroit, 4 years $27.2 million
Summary - Mesa was #5 on the RP list and was actually one of my favorite RP's on the market. I'm a big believer in having a stud in the Setup A spot (see Ozuna, Junior), and they don't get much better than Mesa. He will pitch 100 innings and have an ERA under 4, a nice signing.

5. Jose Rodriguez, Fresno, 2 years $10.8 million
Summary - The #1 RP on the board re-signs with the Fire for a modest raise. JoseRod seems to either have an all-star season or go bust, but you can't deny that he has the tools to dominate. A very good signing.

6. Kelly Hinch, Fresno, 4 years $34.4 million
Summary - Fresno throws its hat into the ring for Day 1 winner with this signing. Hinch is a plus 2B and CF defender with a career OPS over .800. He's young and posesses very good make-up, so performing at a high level for the duration of teh contract should not be a problem. Good value.

7. Willie Wheat, Pittsburgh, 1 year $5.6 million
Summary - Wheat appeared at #5 on the preview and, for a one year deal, this is a very good signing. He is still performing at a very high level. Good deal for Pittsburgh.

Free Agency Preview - Position Players

2012-01-04T09:00:00.000-08:00

Top 5 Overall
1. Benji Neill
2. Luis Morales
3. Sergio Dupler
4. Brian Donahue
5. Kelly Hinch

Top 5 Offense
1. Benji Neill
2. Ramon Irabu
3. Sergio Dupler
4. Orlando Calderone
5. Brian Donahue

Top 5 Defense
1. Julio Almanza
2. Al Bianucci
3. Hughie Norton
4. Ivan Pena
5. Gerardo Gomez

Top by Position (as listed in FA Report)
Top Catchers
1. Tuck Winn
2. Felipe Mantalban
3. Clayton Mullin

Top 1B
1. Sergio Dupler
2. Max Marin
3. Pat Day

Top 2B
1. Brian Donahue
2. Kelly Hinch
3. Benj Harang

Top SS
1. Orval Cohen
2. Vic Milton
3. Al Bianucci

Top 3B
1. Andrew Carmona
2. Matty Jennings
3. Jeromy West

Top LF
1. Ed Jones
2. Javy Tejada
3. Lyle Cardona

Top CF
1. George Weaver
2. Pascual Garces
3. Geronimo Lunar

Top RF
1. Benji Neill
2. Luis Morales
3. Kenny Evans

Top DH (Ranked by Offense)
1. Orlando Calderone
2. Hipolito Lopez
3. Wilfredo Perez

Free Agency Preview - RP's

2012-01-04T07:07:00.000-08:00

1. Jose Rodriguez
Rating - 87.53
Age - 35
Pluses - durability, control, velocity, gb/fb, pitches 1 and 2
Minuses - production, stamina
Compensation - Type B
Stats - 250 out of 310 saves, 4.24 ERA and 1.46 WHIP
Awards - 2x all-star
Summary - Should be much better than the stats would indicate. Primed for a big year.
Prediction - 3 years, 5 million per year

2. Al Castilla
Rating - 87.17
Age - 34
Pluses - durability, health, control
Minuses - none, vs left and gb/fb could be a little better
Compensation - Type A
Stats - 226 out of 270 saves, 3.87 ERA and 1.27 WHIP
Awards - 4X all-star
Summary - A great RP. Ideal as an innings eating Setup A type.
Prediction - big money. 4 years at 8 million per year

3. Rafael Pujols
Rating - 84.59
Age - 30
Pluses - health, control, velocity, p1 and p2, age
Minuses - vs. rhb, vs rhb, and vs rhb
Compensation - none
Stats - 118 for 141 in saves, 4.87 ERA and 1.51 WHIP
Awards - None
Summary - A great example why maddie's can't be taken as your bible. Vs. RHB is marginal at best, and it can't be undestimated as an important rating
Prediction - 1 year, 2 million per year

4. Felipe Encarnacion
Rating - 84.09
Age - 38
Pluses - makeup, health, control, vs RHB, pitch 1
Minuses - age, only ok vs. LHB
Compensation - Type A
Stats - 502 out of 605 saves, 3.77 ERA and 1.31 WHIP
Awards - 8x all-star, 2x fireman
Summary - An all time great, but he is old. He has one more all-star season left in him, so someone will pay
Prediction - 2 years, 6 million per year

5. Tomas Mesa
Rating - 83.04
Age - 33
Pluses - stamina, makeup, control, velocity, gb/fb, pitch 1
Minuses - only ok splits, temper
Compensation - Type A
Stats - 85-44 record, 3.36 ERA and 1.24 WHIP
Awards - 1x all-star
Summary - highly rated, relatively young, and productive. He should be in line for a big contract.
Prediction - 4 years, 6 million per year

The rest

6. Junior Ozuna
7. Bert Throneberry
8. Andy Jefferson
9. Albie Torres
10. Livan Pascual

Free Agency Preview - Starting Pitchers

2012-01-03T08:13:00.000-08:00

According to Maddie's Team Management

Starters (stamina > 50)

1. Bernie Pena
Rating - 104.36
Age - 31
Strengths - control, vs. lefties and righties, velocity, gb/fb
Weaknesses - stamina, patience, only 3 pitches
Stats - 99-40, ERA of 3.31 and WHIP of 1.19, OPS allowed of .644
Awards - 2x All-star, 2 WS rings
Compensation - Type A
Summary - Relatively young at 31, with elite vs LHB and vs. RHB. Makeup points to a decline in already suspect stamina. Ideally a tandem starter, but will someone pay him as a starter or closer?
Prediction - 5 years, 15 million per year

2. J.R. Beckett
Rating - 92.86
Age - 36
Strengths - makeup, control , vs lefties and righties
Weaknesses - age, stamina, only two good pitches
Stats - 240-86, 2.98 ERA and 1.11 WHIP, .621 OPS allowed
Awards - 7x All-star, 4x Cy Young, 1 WS ring
Compensation - Type B
Summary - A future HOF'r decimated by a recent injury, Beckett still has enough in the tank to be a top of the rotation sarter for at least 2 seasons. Stamina is declining, but makeup is solid. If signed by team with a good training budget, there is no reason why he can't pitch 3 more years.
Prediction - 3 years, 10 million per year

3. Philip Colin
Rating - 92.26
Age - 38
Strenghts - control, vs. righties, Pitch #1
Weaknesses - patience, only 3 pitches, age
Stats - 278-136, 3.71 ERA and 1.28 WHIP, .684 OPS allowed
Awards - 6 x all-star, 1 Cy Young, 3 WS rings
Compensation - None
Summary - At 38, Colin still remains a very attractive top of the rotation SP. Durham declined his option , so there will be no compensation for signing him. Still has all-star potential, and is really the top SP with good stamina.
Prediction - 3 years, 8 million per year

4. Dallas Singleton
Rating - 90.38
Age - 34
Strengths - control, vs lefties, gb/fb, pitch #1
Weaknesses - health, stamina, patience
Stats - 110-60, 3.64 ERA and 1.27 WHIP, .686 OPS allowed
Awards - 1x all-star, 1 ROY
Compensation - Type B
Summary - A very good lefty with declining stamina, but still young enough to start for three more seasons. Type B compensation, so maybe a little more attractive than others. Could be a steal.
Prediction - 3 years, 7 million per year

5. Willie Wheat
Rating - 89.86
Age - 38
Strengths - control, velocity, vs righties, pitch #1
Weaknesses - age, stamina
Stats - 256-128, 3.76 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, .699 OPS allowed
Awards - 3x all-star, 1 Cy Young, 2 Gold Gloves
Compensation - Type B
Summary - Another very good, aging SP in a market flooded with them. Stamina is still OK and pitching rating live is still very good. RAte of decline is only concern.
Prediction - 2 years, 7 million per year

6. Boots Munson
Rating - 88.33
Age - 35
Strengths - health, patience, control, velocity, gb/fb, pitch #1
Weaknesses - durabilty, vs. lefties, pitches 4 and 5
Stats - 180-125, 4.00 ERA and 1.31 WHIP, .723 OPS allowed
Awards - 2x all-star, 1 WS ring
Compensation - Type A
Summary - A 35 year old SP with a very good pitching line. Stats somewhat skewed by time in Durham, but still a very good SP.
Prediction - 4 years, 7 million per year

7. Randy Broome
Rating - 87.91
Age - 32
Strengths - control, pitch #1, age
Weaknesses - patience, velocity
Stats - 143-75, 3.05 ERA and 1.14 WHIP. .639 OPS allowed
Awards - 3 x all-star, 1 Cy Young
Compensation - Type A
Summary - The 32 year old lefty is primed for a big pay day. He may not be as highly rated as others, but he is what most will look for in an SP. Stats are reflective of playing in Honolulu, but still a very good SP.
Prediction - 5 years, 15 million per year.

8. Junior Lopez
Rating - 85.83
Age - 32
Strengths - control, velocity, health, patience
Weaknesses - durability, durability, and durability
Stats - 52-46, 4.04 ERA and 1.35 WHIP, .716 OPS allowed
Awards - 1x all-star
Compensation - None
Summary - Everything is good except the durability. For that reason, he has only started 19 of his 463 games.
Prediciton - 3 years, 5 million per year

9. Douglas Cust
Rating - 83.76
Age - 33
Strengths - stamina, control, velocity, pitch #1
Weaknesses - durability, gb/fb, only three pitches
Stats - 100-95, 4.35 ERA and 1.28 WHIP, .725 OPS allowed
Awards - 1 all-star, 1 GG, 1 SS
Compensation - Type B
Summary - A 33 year old with excellent stamina, control, and Pitch #1. His durability is questionabl, but otherwise a very good SP.
Prediction - 4 years, 8 million per year

10. Wilfredo Veras
Rating - 83.61
Age - 39
Strengths - stamina, pitch #2, patience
Weaknesses - age, makeup
Stats - 279-102, 3.22 ERA and 1.22 WHIP, .649 OPS allowed
Awards - 7x all-star, 2 x Cy Young, 3 GG, 1 ROY
Compensation - Type A
Summary - Suiters might be deterred by the age and compensation, but he is a future HOF'r with gas left in the the tank.
Prediction - 2 years, 10 million per year

NL DPis Preview

2011-12-15T11:27:00.000-08:00

#4 Kansas City Crusaders (79-83) vs. #5 New York Ramrods (93-69)
Final Rankings - KC Not Ranked, New York #12
Regular Season - New York won 7 out of 10, but KC had a +1 run differential
Probable Pitching Match-ups
Game 1 - Alexi Terrero (15-11) vs. Mitchell Cameron (13-6)
Game 2 - Brian Williams (4-6) vs. Randy Shelley (10-8)
Game 3 - Sandy Ramsey (11-10) vs. Ramon Chen (10-12)

Fun facts - Chen has an ERA over 6 in 15 playoff appearences. Ramsey, Williams, and Chen were all top FA signings in the last 4 seasons.
Prediction - KC has the horses, but they are very tired. However, their pitching is far superior. KC in 5

#3 Helena Hustle (95-67) vs. #6 Louisville Bats (86-76)
Final Rankings - Helena #6, Louisville #8
Regular Season - Split 10 games, run differential even
Probable Pitching Match-ups
Game 1 - Richard Aoki (16-9) vs. Manny Ramsey (10-10)
Game 2 - Cristobal Molina (15-9) vs. Julio Lopez (16-7)
Game 3 - Angel Palmeiro (9-13) vs. Jeff Woods (5-3)
Fun Facts - Helena just won the World Series. Louisville is making its first ever appearance in 22 seasons. Woods and Aoki were two of the top Season 21 free agent signings.
Prediction - Louisville in 5. batgecko is due and Helena could be suffering from a World Series hangover. Additionally, after firing its manager after the Game 1 debacle, the 'Ville is focused and motivated.

AL DPiS Preview

2011-12-15T06:41:00.000-08:00

#4 St. Louis Cardinals (90-72) vs. #5 Philadelphia Bacharach Giants (98-64)

Final Rankings - St. Louis #11, Philly #4
Regular Season - Split 5-5, Philly +13 run differential
Probable Pitching Match-ups
Game 1 - Stevie Waters (11-10) vs. Anthony Patterson (19-9)
Game 2 - Sammy Duran (12-11) vs. Timothy Crawford (16-7)
Game 3 - Marvin Campbell (7-9) vs. Mule Service (9-6)
Fun facts - In Season 18, St. Louis beat Philly in 4 games in the DPiS. Despite evidence to the contrary, Mule Service is his name, not what he does.
Prediction - Philly will be too much for St. Louis, unless Clinton Clifton gets hot. Philly in 4

#3 Jacksonville TIMUCUAN'S (95-67) vs. #6 Salem Aggies (88-74)

Final Rankings - JAX #3, Salem #10
Regular Season - Series split 5-5, JAX +1 run differential
Probable Pitching Match-ups
Game 1 - Phil Pride (15-6) vs. Hick Manning (19-11)
Game 2 - Derrek Peters (15-6) vs. Hub Brooks (14-11)
Game 3 - Chad Long (16-10) vs. Pedro Calvo (12-9)
Fun Facts - All six probable starters were 1st round draft picks. 4 of the 6 were drafted in the top 10.
Prediction - I hate to go with the favorites, but Jacksonville is just too good. Manning vs. Pride might happen twice, but I just don't see Manning winning both of those games. JAX in 4.

Final Rankings

2011-12-15T06:13:00.000-08:00

1. Cincinnati Redlegs (109-53) Pre-season #1 - NL North Champ and AL #1 Seed
2. Durham Tar Heels (101-61) Pre-season #6 - NL East Champ and AL #2 Seed
3. Jacksonville TIMUACAN'S (95-67) Pre-season #5 - NL South Champ and AL #3 Seed
4. Philadelphia Bacharach Giants (98-64) Pre-season #3 - NL Wild Card #1 and AL #5 Seed
5.Chicago Black Sox (96-66) - Pre-season NR - NL East Champ and NL #1 Seed
6 Helena Hustle (95-67) - Pre-season #4 - NL West Champ and NL #3 Seed
7 Memphis Blue's (95-67) - Pre-season NR - NL South Champ and NL #2 Seed
8. Louisville Bats (86-76) - Pre-season NR - NL Wild Card #2 and NL #6 Seed
9. Los Angeles Hollywoods (84-78) - Pre-season #8 - Missed playoffs
10. Salem Aggies (88-74) - Pre-season NR - AL Wild Card #2 and AL #6 Seed

11. St. Louis
12. New York
13. Houston

Updated NL Playoff Picture

2011-12-13T06:57:00.000-08:00

5 games to go!

1. Chicago - NL East Champ (4 game lead) and overall #1 seed (2 game lead)
2. Memphis - clinched NL South Champ and overall #2 seed (1 game lead)
3. Helena - clinched NL West Champ and at least overall #3 seed
4. Kansas City - NL North Champ (2 game lead) and overall #4 seed
5. New York - Clinched at least Wild Card #2
6. Louisville - Wild Card #2 (2 game lead)

Everything is up for grabs! Chicago, Memphis, Helena, and New York are all still alive for the #1 overall seed. KC is being chased by two teams in the do or die North. Louisville is hanging on for dear life and their first playoff berth.

So, the two best races are still the #2 Wild Card and the NL North championship.

NL North Analysis

The Standings
1. Kansas City 75-82
2. Cleveland 73-84
3. Detroit 72-85

The Contenders

Kansas City
So the two teams that KC is chasing have both dealt their stars mid-season. Does anyone want to win this division? Enter mwelker and his, until now, perennial doormat Crusaders. mwelker has his detracters (that will happen with 5 consecutive seasons of losing 100 games or more), but he has a plan and has shown improvement in 3 consecutive seasons. He looks primed to take over for davidlove at the top of the North. The Crusaders are led by the offense of David Wanatabe and the pitching of, well, nobody. His pitching has improved a bit, and they will need it now to hold off the challengers.

Cleveland
davidlove has dominated the North, winning 9 out of 16 division championships. A trade of 8x all-star Louis Spence signaled a rebuilding effort, but the offensive efforts of Quinn Portugal and the pitching of Ken Howington have kept them just 2 games out of the division lead.

Detroit
mtorab has 1 divsion title and 1 world series win in his 21 seasons in 1530 Homer. His Tigers were the off-season champs and looked primed for a run at a World Series title. A mid-season trade of Benji Neill likely ended those dreams, but a division title is still within grasp. MVP favorite (and a very tired) Cristobal Mantalban leads the offense while Gustavo Melo is the best of the SP's. They will need better production out of Benji Pulido if they are to make the playoffs.

Remaining Schedule
Kansas City - 2 vs. Detroit, 3 vs. Pittsburgh
Cleveland - 2 vs. Pittsburgh, 3 vs. Detroit
Detroit - 2 vs. Kansas City, 3 vs. Cleveland

Prediction
I'll still take the experience of davidlove and Cleveland, but they will need the help of Detroit.

Wild Card #2 Analysis

The Standings

1. Louisville (85-72)
1. Los Angeles (83-74)
3. Houston (80-77)

The Contenders

Louisville
batgecko is finally seeing his work pay off after 5 disappointing seasons. Will the WIS gods ever stop punishing him with injuries? Welington Chavez leads a potent offense while Julio Lopez is the most productive on a very good staff. The returns of Antonio Graves and Jeff Woods have improved their chances.

Los Angeles
Is the tytabs era over? He has won 6 of the last 8 division titles, but is having his worst year in 10 seasons. The Hollywoods are led by silky smooth mustachioed Rube Swann and newly re-signed Orval Gonzales. Luis Morales is the key to LA catching Louisville.

Houston
pmuehlenkamp has.......nevermind, look it up for yourself. If you care enough to be reading this you know that he is the most successful owner in 1530 (all due respect, nhollan). The Hangovers are led by the smooth sounds of The Goose and the pitching of future HOF'r Dave Darr. Geraldo Mendez must pick it up if they are to keep from missing the playoffs for the 2nd time in franchise history.

Remaining Schedules
Louisville - 2 vs. Houston, 3 vs. Memphis
Los Angeles - 2 vs. Helena, 3 vs. SF
Houston - 2 VS. Louisville, 3 vs. Montgomery

Prediction
Louisville is in teh driver's seat, but has a brutal remaining schedule. Houston must sweep the remaining games to have a chance, and LA may sneak in if it can sweep SF. My money is still on Louisville.

Updated AL Playoff Picture

2011-12-13T06:37:00.001-08:00

With only 5 games left on the schedule, their is still some drama left. Those in BOLD have clinched playoff berth

1. Cincinnati Redlegs (clinched #1 Seed and AL North Champ)
2. Durham Tar Heels (likely #2 Seed and likely AL East Champ)
3. Jacksonville TIMUCUAN'S (likely #3 Seed and clinched AL South Champ)
4. St. Louis Cardinals (likely #4 seed and likely AL West Champ)
5. Philadelphia Bacharach Giants (at least #5 Seed and at least Wild Card #1)
6. Salem Aggies (#6 Seed and likely Wild Card #2)

Cincinnati has locked up the overall #1 seed. Durham or Philly will be the #2 seed. Jacksonville has clinched the South and has a 5 game lead on St. Louis for the #3 seed. Salem has lost their lead in the South and now trails St. Louis by 2 games, but leads for the Wild Card #2 spot by 3 over Montreal and OKC.

AL West Analysis

The Standings
1. St Louis 87-70
2. Salem 85-72

The Contenders

St. Louis
2000man had won his division in 11 of his 22 1530 Homer seasons. The Cards are led by Archie Herzner on offense and the quasi-albino Blade Fox on the mound. Future HOF'r Clinton Clifton is still in a relative slump, but they have picked up the slack elsewhere.

Salem
The Aggies have finished 3rd of 4th in every one of dubabe's 7 seasons. This year is a new story. Led by Dutch Velarde and Keith Roosevelt on offense and emerging ace Hick Manning, Salem has produced one of the more dramatic turn arounds in 1530 history, but can they make the playoffs?

Remaining schedule
Salem - 2 vs. St. Louis, 3 vs. Vancouver
St. Louis - 2 vs. Salem, 3 vs. Fresno

Prediction
St. Louis has been on fire and there is no reason to believe that they will be slowing down. If Salem can win the next two games vs. St. Louis, then they do have a more favorable remaining schedule. One more win in the series by St. Louis will give them the tie-breaker vs. Salem, which will likely put the division out of reach.

Wild Card #2 Analysis

The Standings
1. Salem 85-72
2. Oklahoma City 82-75
3. Montreal 82-75

The Contenders

Salem
The Aggies have finished 3rd of 4th in every one of dubabe's 7 seasons. This year is a new story. Led by Dutch Velarde and Keith Roosevelt on offense and emerging ace Hick Manning, Salem has produced one of the more dramatic turn arounds in 1530 history.

Oklahoma City
robyoung is attempting to make the playoffs for the first time since season 16. Newcomer Alex Limon leads the offense, while B.C. Vincente leads the pitching staff with his best season yet. Youngster Jesus Bautista must play better

Montreal
nhollan and his perennial powerhouse are seeking their 17th consecutive playoff appearance. They are led by MVP candidate (winner?) Henry Wise on offense and ace Sammy Iglesias. They must get better production out of Bill Reed if they are going to catch the challengers.

Remaining Schedule
Salem - 2 vs. St. Louis, 3 vs. Vancouver
Oklahoma City - 2 vs. Jacksonville, 3 vs. New Orleans
Montreal - 2 vs. SLC, 3 vs. Cincinnati

Prediction
It's hard to bet against Montreal, but making up 3 games with 6 to play is going to be difficult. They do have an easy schedule if Cincy rests their guys for the playoffs. OKC does not have an easy game remaining. My bet is Salem.

Week 7 Rankings

2011-12-05T06:18:00.000-08:00

1. Cincinnati Redlegs (93-41) Prev #1 - The Redlegs were 8-4 for the week vs. Top 10 teams and show no signs of relinquishing the top spot. They are 1st in Batting, 3rd in Pitching, and 2nd to last in Fielding. Run differential +293

2. Durham Tar Heels (86-48) Prev #2 - The Tar Heels were 4-3 for the week vs. Top 10 teams. They are 4th in Batting, 12th in Pitching, and 2nd in Fielding. Run differential +162

3. Chicago Black Sox (82-52) Prev #7 - The Sox had a very good week, although they did not play any Top 10 teams. They are 12th in Batting, 4th in Pitching, and 9th in Fielding. Run differential +127

4. Philadelphia Bacharach Giants (80-54) Prev #4 - The BG's hold steady after a week of 3-1 ball vs. the #1 team. They are 2nd in Batting, 13th in Pitching, and below average in Fielding. Run differential +137

5. Jacksonville TIMUACAN'S (77-57) Prev #3 - JAX drops after losing 13 of their last 18 games (including losing 6 of 7 to the top two teams). They are 6th in Batting, 11th in Pitching, and 4th in Fielding. Run differential +126

6. Memphis Blue's (81-53) Prev #5 - The Blue's were 4-2 for the week vs. Top 10 teams. They are below average in Batting, 1st in Pitching, and 8th in Fielding. Run differential +83

7. Helena Hustle (76-58) prev #6 - The Hustle were 1-2 on the week vs. top 10 teams. They are above average in Batting, 7th in Pitching, and below average in Fielding. Run differential + 107

8. Los Angeles Hollywoods (70-64) Prev #8 - The Hollywoods hold steady after an average week. They are 9-9 in their last 18 games, all against non-Top 10 teams. They are below average in Batting, 2nd in Pitching, and above average in Fielding. Run differential +70

9. St. Louis Cardinals (71-63) Prev NR - The Cards are getting hot at the right time - winning 11 of their last 13 games. They are average in Batting, 9th in Pitching, and 12th in Fielding. Run differential +47

10. New York Ramrods (77-57) Prev NR - The Ramrods debut after winning 12 of their last 18 games. They are below average in Batting, 6th in Pitching, and 7th in Fielding. Run differential +32

Dropped
9. Houston Hangovers
10. Salem Aggies

Just Missed
Salem
Louisville
Houston

NL Playoff Picture

2011-12-02T05:59:00.000-08:00

With only a quarter of the season left, the playoff picture is coming into focus. As of today, the NL playoffs would look like this:

1. Memphis - NL South Champ and overall #1 seed
2. Chicago - NL East Champ and overall #2 seed
3. Helena - NL West Champ and overall #3 seed
4. Detroit - NL North Champ and overall #4 seed
5. New York - Wild Card #1 and #5 seed
6. Los Angeles - Wild Card #2 and #6 seed

The top two seeds will most likely be Memphis and Chicago, with Helena having a chance at a first round bye if they get hot. Memphis is the only division leader that has a commanding lead. New York can slip in to a #1 or #2 seed if they can catch Chicago, with the runner-up likely locked in to the #1 Wild Card spot. Only 11 games are between first and last in the West, with LA the only real threat to Helena's title run.

So, the two best races are for the #2 Wild Card and the NL North championship.

NL North Analysis

The Standings
1. Detroit (61-64)
2. Cleveland (60-65)
3. Kansas City (57-68)

The Contenders

Detroit
mtorab has 1 divsion title and 1 world series win in his 21 seasons in 1530 Homer. His Tigers were the off-season champs and looked primed for a run at a World Series title. A mid-season trade of Benji Neill likely ended those dreams, but a division title is still within grasp. MVP favorite (and a very tired) Cristobal Mantalban leads the offense while Gustavo Melo is the best of the SP's. They will need better production out of Benji Pulido if they are to make any noise in the playoffs.

Cleveland
davidlove has dominated the North, winning 9 out of 16 division championships. A trade of 8x all-star Louis Spence signaled a rebuilding effort, but the offensive efforts of Quinn Portugal and the pitching of Ken Howington have kept them just 1 game out of the division lead.

Kansas City
So the two teams that KC is chasing have both dealt their stars mid-season. Does anyone want to win this division? Enter mwelker and his, until now, perennial doormat Crusaders. mwelker has his detracters (that will happen with 5 consecutive seasons of losing 100 games or more), but he has a plan and has shown improvement in 3 consecutive seasons. He looks primed to take over for davidlove at the top of the North. The Crusaders are led by the offense of David Wanatabe and the pitching of, well, nobody. His entire staff in underperforming, and will need to step it up if mwelker has any chance of reeling in Cleveland and Detroit.

Remaining Schedule
Detroit - 11 games vs teams w/ winning record. 3 vs KC, 3 vs CLE
Cleveland - 13 games vs teams w/ winning record. 3 vs DET, 3 vs KC
Kansas City - 18 games vs teams w/ winning record. 3 vs DET, 3 vs CLE

Prediction
It's hard to pick teams that have both traded away their best player. But KC has shown no momentum and has the most difficult remaining schedule. I'll take the experience of davidlove and Cleveland, but only because DET's Mantalban is wearing down.

Wild Card #2 Analysis

The Standings

1. Los Angeles (66-59)
2. Louisville (66-59)
3. Houston (64-61)

The Contenders

Los Angeles
Is the tytabs era over? He has won 6 of the last 8 division titles, but is having his worst year in 10 seasons and trails by 4 games in his division. The Hollywoods are led by silky smooth mustachioed Rube Swann and newly re-signed Orval Gonzales. Luis Morales is the key to LA holding off the challengers.

Louisville
batgecko is finally seeing his work pay off after 5 disappointing seasons. Will the WIS gods ever stop punishing him with injuries? Welington Chavez leads a potent offense while Julio Lopez is the most productive on a very good staff. The expected returns of Antonio Graves and Jeff Woods will bolster their chances.

Houston
pmuehlenkamp has.......nevermind, look it up for yourself. If you care enough to be reading this you know that he is the most successful owner in 1530 (all due respect, nhollan). The Hangovers are led by the smooth sounds of The Goose and the pitching of future HOF'r Dave Darr. Geraldo Mendez must pick it up if they are to keep from missing the playoffs for the 2nd time in franchise history.

Remaining Schedules
Los Angeles - 14 games vs teams w/ winning record, 4 vs Houston
Louisville - 14 games vs teams w/ winning record, 4 vs Houston
Houston - 16 games vs teams w/ winning record, 4 vs LA, 4 vs LOU

Prediction
LA and HOU are seasoned vets with beefy resumes, and the newcomer from the Lou will be boosted by the return of some solid players off of the DL. LA appears to be the most rested of the three and Houston has the most difficult remaining schedule. My bet is LA, but I wouldn't be surprised if LOU sneaks in.

AL Playoff Picture

2011-12-01T07:03:00.000-08:00

With only a quarter of the season left, the playoff picture is coming into focus. As of today, the AL playoffs would look like this:

1. Cincinnati Redlegs (#1 Seed and AL North Champ)
2. Durham Tar Heels (#2 Seed and AL East Champ)
3. Jacksonville TIMUCUAN'S (#3 Seed and AL South Champ)
4. Salem Aggies (#4 Seed and AL West Champ)
5. Philadelphia Bacharach Giants (#5 Seed and Wild Card #1)
6. Montreal Garde Imperiale (#6 Seed and Wild Card #2)

Cincinnati has all but locked up the overall #1 seed. Durham leads Jacksonville by 4 games for the #2 seed and Philly by 6.5 games in the East. Jacksonville has an 11 game (insurmountable?) lead in the South. Salem is in the most tenuous position of the AL division leaders as they lead St. Louis by 3.5 and Fresno by 6 in the West. Philly has a commanding 8.5 game lead for the Wild Card #1 spot and would seem a lock for the playoffs.

So really, there are two competitively open - the West Division winner and the Wild Card #2 spot. Accordingly.......

AL West Analysis

The Standings
1. Salem 65-58
2. St. Louis 61-61
3. Fresno 59-64
4. Vancouver Otters 42-80

The Contenders

Salem
The Aggies have finished 3rd of 4th in every one of dubabe's 7 seasons. This year is a new story. Led by Dutch Velarde and Keith Roosevelt on offense and emerging ace Hick Manning, Salem has produced one of the more dramatic turn arounds in 1530 history. They have been in teh Top 10 5 of the 6 weeks and show little sign of wearing down.

St. Louis
2000man had won his division in 11 of his 22 1530 Homer seasons. The Cards are led by Archie Herzner on offense and the quasi-albino Blade Fox on the mound. Future HOF'r Clinton Clifton will need to step up if this team has a chance of catching Salem.

Fresno
joepatrick is the elder statesman in the West with his 15 seasons and consecutive division titles. The Fire are led by emerging star Trenidad Trajano on offense and ace Juan Vincente on the mound. Ivy Latham is having a tremendous season but is only 8-9 on teh year. This team has the talent to go deep into the playoffs, but can they make up ground to get there?

Remaining schedule
Salem - 12 games vs. teams w/ winning record, 3 vs. St. Louis, 3 vs. Fresno
St. Louis - 24 games vs. teams w/ winning record, 3 vs. Salem, 3 vs. Fresno
Fresno - 22 games vs. teams w/ winning record, 3 vs. Salem, 3 vs. St. Louis

Prediction
It is hard to see Salem not winning the division with a lead and a favorable schedule. If Fresno can get out of there funk, they have a real chance at catching them. St. Louis may be there at the end, but they have 11 games remaining vs. Phlly and Durham. Salem should win - and be rewarded with a first round match-up with either Philly or Durham.

Wild Card #2 Analysis

The Standings
1. Montreal 63-59
2. Oklahoma City 63-60
3. New Orleans 62-60
4. St. Louis 61-61
5. Boston 60-63

The Contenders

Montreal
nhollan and his perennial powerhouse are seeking their 17th consecutive playoff appearance. They are led by MVP candidate (winner?) Henry Wise on offense and ace Sammy Iglesias. They must get better production out of Bill Reed if they are going to hold off the challengers.

Oklahoma City
robyoung is attempting to make the playoffs for the first time since season 16. Newcomer Alex Limon leads the offense, while B.C. Vincente leads the pitching staff with his best season yet. Youngster Jesus Bautista must play better

New Orleans
cincy111 is aiming for his first Wild Card in his 9 seasons (he does have 2 division titles). Stump Robinson leads the offense and Fritz Lynch is the ace.

St. Louis
2000man has won his division in 11 of his 22 1530 Homer seasons. The Cards are led by Archie Herzner on offense and the quasi-albino Blade Fox on the mound. Future HOF'r Clinton Clifton will need to step up if this team has a chance of catching Montreal

Boston
cincyreds90 is in danger of missing the playoffs for a second consecutive season after makig 18 straight. Yusmeiro Durazo leads a potent offense while journeyman Billy Barry is the best of a mediocre pitching staff.

Remaining Schedule
Montreal - 17 games vs teams w/ winning record, 3 vs. St Louis, 4 vs OKC, 3 vs New Orleans

Oklahoma City - 17 games vs teams w/ winning record, 6 vs. Boston, 4 vs Montreal, 3 vs St. Louis, 3 vs. New Orleans

New Orleans - 23 games vs. teams w/ winning record, 3 vs Montreal, 3 vs OKC, 4 vs St. Louis

St. Louis - 24 games vs. teams w/ winning record, 3 vs Montreal, 3 vs OKC, 4 vs New Orleans

Boston - 19 games vs teams w/ winning record, 6 vs. OKC

Prediction
It's hard to bet against Montreal. If anyone can catch them, it will either be New Orleans or OKC, with OKC the more likely due to a more favorable remaining schedule. Ultimately, Montreal will win the spot, they are aging and will go all out to keep the streak alive for at least one more year.

Week 6 Rankings

2011-11-28T07:44:00.000-08:00

1. Cincinnati Redlegs
2. Durham Tar Heels
3. Jacksonville TIMUACAN'S
4. Philadelphia Bacharach Giants
5. Memphis Blue's
6. Helena Hustle
7. Chicago Black Sox
8. Los Angeles Hollywoods
9. Houston Hangovers
10. Salem Aggies

Dropped
9. St. Louis Cardinals
10. Louisville Bats

Weekly Rankings - Week 5

2011-11-21T06:48:00.000-08:00

1. Cincinnati Redlegs (62-32) Prev #1 - Cincy stays at the top after a 10-7 week. They are 3-0 after the all-star break. Run differential +184

2. Durham Tar Heels (62-32) Prev #2 - Durham holds off a hard charging Jacksonville team with a 12-5 week. They have lost 2 of 3 since the all star break. Run differential +106

3. Jacksonville TIMUACAN'S (58-36) Prev #3 - A league best 13-4 for the week has Jacksonville firmly entrenched in the Top 3. They are 2-1 since the break. Run differential +119

4. Philadelphia Bacharach Giants (55-39) - Prev #4 - The Top 4 stays the same, with Philly 2-1 since the break. They were 107 for the week. Run differential +83

5. Chicago Black Sox (55-39) - Prev #7 - Chicago vaults into the Top 5 after a 10-7 week. They are 3-0 since the break. Run differential +75

6. Helena Hustle (53-41) - Prev #5 - The Hustle drop a spot due to a 7-10 week. They have lost 9 of their last 10 games. Run differential +67

7. Memphis Blue's (54-40) - Prev NR - Les Bleus enter the top 10 on teh strength of a 10-7 week. They are 1-2 since the break. Run differential +47

8. Houston Hangovers (53-41) - Prev #6 - Houston continues its slide with an 8-9 week. They have lost 2 of 3 since the break. Run differential +54

9. St. Louis Cardinals (48-46) - Prev NR - The Cards are in on the back of an 11-6 week. They are 2-1 since the break. Run differential +41

10. Louisville Bats (52-42) - Prev #8 - The Bats hang on for dear life with a 9-8 week. They are 2-1 since the break. Run differential +37

Dropped
9. Baltimore
10 Salem

Just Missed
Baltimore
Salem
New Orleans
Montreal
LA

Weekly Rankings - Week 4

2011-11-14T06:29:00.000-08:00

1. Cincinnati Redlegs (52-25)Prev #1 - Clearly the best team in the league, Cincy owns the best record, expected win percentage, run differential, and record for the week. They swept Houston but lost 2 of 3 to Louisville. They are 1st in batting, 4th in pitching, and 3rd to last in fielding. Run differential +159

2. Durham Tar Heels (50-27) Prev #2 - Durham maintains their spot after an average 9-7 week. They were swept by Helena but have recovered with series wins vs. LA, Honolulu, and New Orleans. They are 5th in batting, above average in pitching, and 1st in fielding. Run differential +86

3. Jacksonville TIMUACAN'S (45-32) - Prev #8 - Jacksonville continues its climb after an 11-4 week, sweeping both KC and Cleveland. They are 6th in batting, above average in pitching, and 4th in fielding. Run differential +79

4. Philadelphia Bacharach Giants (45-32) - Prev #6 - Philly also is climbing the rankings and was 12-4 on the week. They swept Helena and Louisville and split with Fresno. They are 4th in batting, above average in pitching, and below average in fielding. Run differential +78

5. Helena Hustle (46-31) - Prev #4 - The top NL team was 8-7 on the week. They were 8-4 vs. AL East teams, including a sweep of #2 Durham. They are 7th in Batting, 11th in Pitching, and below average in the field. Run differential +75

6. Houston Hangovers (45-32) - Prev #3 - Houston checks in in the second 5 after an average 7-8 week. They were swept by Cincy but took 2 of 3 from Montreal. They are above average in batting, 7th in pitching, and 2nd in fielding. Run differential +66

7. Chicago Black Sox (45-32) - Prev #7 - Chicago holds steady after a 10-6 week that included a sweep of Fresno. They are below average in batting, 1st in pitching, and above average in fielding. Run differential +29

8. Louisville Bats (43-34) - Prev NR - The walking wounded re-enter the Top 10 after an average 8-7 week. They are owner's of the NL's third best expected percentage and run differential. They are 8th in batting, average in pitching, and below average in fielding. Run differential +46

9. Baltimore Elite Giants (41-36) - Prev NR - The one percent'rs re-enter the top 10 on the strength of a 10-6 week. They were 4-8 vs. NL West teams but recovered nicely with a 4 game sweep of Montreal. They are above average in Batting, below average in Pitching, and 3rd in Fielding. Run differential +33

10. Salem Aggies (41-36) - Prev #10 - Salem stays in barely with an 8-8 week. They took 2 of 3 from Chicago but lost 3 of 4 to Cincinnati. They are average in batting, and 9th in both pitching and fielding. Run differential +38

Dropped
5. Montreal Garde Imperiale
9. New Orleans Causeway Cajuns 10. Salem Aggies

Just Missed
11. Montreal
12. Memphis

Weekly Rankings - Week 3

2011-11-08T13:35:00.000-08:00

Without further delay......

Team (Record) - record for the week, expected win percentage, run differential
1. Cincinnati Redlegs (40-22) - 15-9, .680, +122, Prev #1
2. Durham Tar Heels (41-20) - 19-4, .599, +66, Prev NR
3. Houston Hangovers (38-24) - 16-8, .603, +62, Prev NR
4. Helena Hustle (36-25) - 14-9, .605, +67, Prev #8
5. Montreal Garde Imperiale (38-24) - 13-11, .562, +45, Prev #5
6. Philadelphia Bacharach Giants (33-28) - 13-10, .572, +46, Prev #9
7. Chicago Black Sox (35-26) - 10-13, .576, +41, Prev #3
8. Jacksonville TIMUACAN'S (34-28) - 16-8, .552, +33, Prev NR
9. New Orleans Causeway Cajuns (33-29) - 9-15, .574, +51, Prev #2
10. Salem Aggies (33-28) - 11-12, .561, +35, Prev #10

Dropped
4. Louisville Bats
6. Baltimore Elite Giants
7. Detroit Tigers

Just Missed
11. Louisville
12. Kansas City
13. Dover
14. New York

The Tar Heels Are Unstoppable!

2011-11-03T11:27:00.000-07:00

Will they ever lose? 11 in a row and counting.

When reached for comment, smug jmercer77 had this to say "Blog curse? Never! I am the best! I probably won't lose a single remaining game! And my guys will stay healthy for the entire season, no problem! Curse me? Curse you, stupid blog!".

Weekly Rankings - Week 2

2011-10-31T06:45:00.000-07:00

1. Cincinnati Redlegs (25-13) - Prev 4 - Cincy had a very good 13-7 week that included a sweep of Philly. They are 1st in Batting, 10th in Pitching, and 3rd to last in Fielding. Run differential +83

2. New Orleans Causeway Cajuns (24-14) - Prev 3 - New Orleans continued their hot start with another very good week. Their 13-7 campaign included a series split with Salem. They are 3rd in Batting, 6th in Pitching, and 2nd to last in Fielding. Run differential +77

3. Chicago Black Sox (25-13) - Prev NR - Chicago catapults into the top 10 with a league best 14-6 week. They took 2 of 3 from Detroit but lost 2 of 3 to Houston. They are average in Batting, 1st in Pitching, and 13th in Fielding. Run differential +50

4. Louisville Bats (23-15) - Prev 10 - A very good 12-7 week propels the Bats into the Top 5. They took 2 of 3 from Helena and swept Dover. They are 4th in Batting, average in Pitching, and below average in Fielding. Run differential +42

5. Montreal Garde Imperiale (25-13) - Prev 7 - Montreal continued its fast start with a very good 13-6 week. They swept both Durham and Jacksonville. They are 2nd in Batting and far below average in both Pitching and Fielding. Run differential +31

6. Baltimore Elite Giants (21-17) - Prev NR - The E-Gees enter the Top 10 on the strength of a 13-7 week. They swept Salt Lake but lost 2 of 3 to Cincinnati. They are 5th in Batting, below average in Pitching, and 4th in Fielding. Run differential +38

7. Detroit Tigers (22-16) - Prev 6 - The Tigers fall one spot after an average 11-9 week. They lost 2 of 3 to Chicago and spilt with Memphis. They are 7th in Batting, below average in Pitching, and 9th in Fielding. Run differential +33

8. Helena Hustle (22-16) - Prev 5 - The champs drop 3 spots after an 11-9 week. They won 3 of 4 from Houston but lost 2 of 3 to Louisville. They are 9th in both Batting and Pitching, and above average in Fielding. Run differential +31

9. Philadelphia Bacharach Giants (20-18) - Prev 9 - Philly continues its surprisingly average play with another 10-9 week. They did, however, have a brutal schedule with 13 games against Top 5 teams, going 4-9 in those contests. They are 6th in Batting, 11th in Pitching, and average in the field. Run differential +40

10. Salem Aggies (22-16) - Prev 2 - Salem cooled off after its hot start and was 10-10 for the week. They took 4 of 7 from Boston and split with New Orleans. They are average in Batting, 4th in Pitching, and below average in Fielding. Run differential +26

Dropped
1. Houston Hangovers
8. Los Angeles

Just Missed
Houston

Weekly Rankings - Week 1

2011-10-24T06:21:00.000-07:00

1. Houston Hangovers (13-5) - Preseason #2 - The Hangovers are clearly the best team in the league after the first week. They own the best record, expected win percentage, and the second-best run differential. They swept Detroit and took 2 of 3 from Louisville. They are 12th in Batting, 1st in Pitching, and 4th in Fielding. Run differential +41

2. Salem Aggies (12-6) - Preseason NR - Salem is off to a very good start, although they have yet to play a team currently in the Top 10. They own the second best record and expected win percentage, and the third-best run differential. They are 10th in Batting, 2nd in Pitching, and above average in Fielding. Run differential +40

3. New Orleans Causeway Cajuns (11-7) - Preseason NR - New Orleans' fast start includes a series win vs. Cincinnati. They are owners of the best run differential and third-best expected win percentage. They are 6th in Batting, 4th in Pitching, and 2nd-to-last in Fielding. Run differential +42

4. Cincinnati Redlegs (12-6) - Preseason #1 - The pre-season favorites have not disappointed, taking 2 of 3 from rival Montreal in the process. They are 2nd in Batting, 9th in Pitching, and below average in Fielding. Run differential +35

5. Helena Hustle (11-7) - Preseason #4 - The champs are showing no signs of complacency, although they did get swept by LA. They are 5th in Batting, 12th in Pitching, and 14th in Fielding. Run differential +26

6. Detroit Tigers (11-7) - Preseason #9 - The off-season champs didn't let a sweep at the hands of Houston derail their promise. They are 3rd in Batting, below average in Pitching, and 5th in Fielding. Run differential +22

7. Montreal Garde Imperiale (12-7) - Preseason NR - Montreal is off to its tradionally fast start, although they did lose 2 of 3 to rival Cincinnati. They are 1st in Batting, and below average in both Pitching and Fielding. Run differential +21

8. Los Angeles Hollywoods (11-8) - Preseason #8 - LA is as advertised. They shook off a slow start to take 7 of 8 from Top 10 teams Helena and Louisville. They are average in Batting, 5th in Pitching, and 11th in Fielding. Run differential +15

9. Philadelphia Bacharach Giants (10-9) - Preseason #3 - Philly is off to an uneven start. They took 5 of 7 from Boston and Durham, but were swept in 4 games by New Britain. They are 8th in both Batting and Pitching, but below average in the field. Run differential +15

10. Louisville Bats (11-8) - Preseason NR - The 'Ville squeaks in on the strength of an 11-8 start. They did have, however, a difficult time with Top 10 teams Houston and Los Angeles - losing 5 out of 7 games. They are 4th in Batting, and below average in both Pitching and Fielding. Run differential +13

Just Missed
Jacksonville
St. Louis

Preseason Top 10 Not on the List
#5 Jacksonvilel
#6 Durham
#7 Dover
#10 Kansas City

How They Did It - Memphis and Detroit

2011-10-21T07:46:00.000-07:00

These have been popular in the past, so here is a new twist. I asked two owners to contribute, one who made moves in the off-season to win now, and another who made moves to ensure long-term success. Now, mind you, these two strategies are not mutually exclusive, but it is interesting nevertheless. Without further ado -

Memphis Blue's

Program/Owner History
The franchise was run by mtorabdaddy (current owner of Detroit) for 17 of its first 18 seasons and went 1398-1356. He guided the team to 11 stragight winning seasons, 4 playoff berths, and a World Series in Season 12. Bencap took over in Season 17 and the franchise is 269-217 in his 3 seasons.

Previous Two Seasons
A 92-70 record in Season 21 earned the Blue's a 2nd place finish in the AL South and out of the playoffs. In Season 20, Memphis finished 100-62, earning the first division title and playoff berth in franchise history.

Franchise Budget
With a payroll of $125 million, Memphis came into Season 22 with the largest payroll in 1530. A high player budget meant very low prospect, advance scout, HS scout, College Scout, and International Scouting. Medical was average and Training was high.

Transactions
traded Cristobal Mantalban for Midre Cervantes
traded Chad Clarke for Omar Cerda and Pep Hodges
traded Clinton Clifton for Rico Soto and Cody Ott
traded Don Guerrero for Dicky Barnes and Albert Burnett
traded Erv Johnstone and Mateo Martinez for Cyrus Holdridge, Babe Flaherty, and Cesar Rodriguez
traded Oswaldo Pizzaro and Alberto Martinez for Ed Hellickson
traded Sandy Ramsey for Jay Owen
traded Dwight Duncan and Midre Robinson for Robin Jepsen
signed Shayne Lincoln, Greg Payne, Victor Olmeda, Livan Pascual, and Bernie Ozuna in Free Agency
selected Amos Lewis in Rule V Draft
promoted Marquis Moriarty

Bencap's Summary
Going into this season I was fully expecting to compete with pretty much the same team I had last season then i was able to pretty much simaltanously owrk out a trade with Detroit involving Cristobal Mantalban, who I realized was a bad fit for my park,
for Midre Cervantes and another trade with Montreal involving Chad Clarke for Omar Cerda and Pep Hodges . At that point I had put some solid prospects in my system with one to build around in Cervantes. I still had a solid ML squad and then the offers kept pouring in for vetearns from other owners, so I figured I was in the Drivers seat at that point and would only make deals of fair value, THIS WAS NOT A SALARY DUMP,
I added legitmate prospects in a pretty barren system. Money benefit was secondary. In subsequent trades I aquired prospects Dicky Barnes Cody Ott Cesar Rodriguez Ed Hellickson and Jay Owen . I was able to stock my system while I believe keeping a still competitve ML team. I expect the ML squad to compete for a wildcard spot with great defense and solid pitching. If not the talent in the system will be ready to bloom in the next 2-3 seasons. I believe the weak free agent market and the skills of the owners in this league both contributed to this whirlwind of a season for the Memphis Blues!

Blog Summary
This is a real lesson in how to rebuild a team that is aging and expensive. bencap went for it the last couple of seasons, fell short, and adjusted on the fly. In my opinion, based upon the budget, bencap decided to take the course of action after seeing that others were willing to take on his aging, quality vets and their remaining contracts AND offer quality prospects in return. He saw all of that money coming due in the future and had no choice, really, if he were to build for the future. He cleared $71 Million (YES $71 MILLION!) off of his Season 22 budget, $52 million off of his Season 23 budget, $42 Million off of his Season 24 budget, and $4 million off of his Season 25 budget. Amazing work. On the downside, he should have a bad season and spent so little on international scouting that we will have a hard time finding a place to put all of that saved cash. Additionally, he is limited in how he can budget next season as he can only raise his categories by $4 million. Unless, of course, he decides to move cities and re-set his budget. In all, bencap did a very good job in building for the future.

Detroit Tigers

Program/Owner History
mtorabdaddy is the 6th owner of the franchise and is in his 4th season as owner. He has complied a 227-259 record and has made the playoffs once. The franchise has a total of 4 playoff appearances, but has never advanced past the DCS, and is 1571-1831 in 21 seasons.

Previous Two Seasons
A 68-93 record was a disappointment in Season 20 after a Season 19 playoff appearance. Season 21 was a dismal 58-104 campaign.

Budget Summary
mtorab came into the season with a fairly conservative budget. He had 67 million in player salaries, 20 in prospect and medical, and averge numbers in all other categories. It certainly wasn't the budget of someone planning on going for broke. He did transfer $14 million from prospects to players once his strategy materialized.

Transactions
got Cristobal Mantalban for Midre Cervantes
got Rob Park for Neifi Lee
got Benji Neill and Gustavo Melo for Freddy Shelby, Davey Wood, and Octavio Sierra
got Oswaldo Pizzaro and Alberto Martinez for Ed Hellickson
signedBenji Pulido, Yonder Cabrera, and Jim Stone in Free Agency

Mtorabdaddy's Summary
I initially wanted to rebuild my entire organization from the ground up but sometimes plans don't always move forward as you initially want them to. The first piece to the puzzle was acquiring Hardtke after the waiver deadline last season. My offense was awful and he was a much needed boost at the C position. I had been after Mantalban for several seasons and was finally able to land him and sign him to a long term deal so he will be a fixture at 1B for many seasons to come. The Neill/Melo deal got me the high OBP guy I was looking for while I felt a change of scenary would definitely help Melo. I look for Melo to knock on the door for a Cy Young award this season. Pulido fell into my lap at 3B because no one wanted to pay him up front. He should be a big help and was actually someone I had targeted for several seasons prior. The Pizzaro and Martinez deal was tough to move an up and coming arm but Martinez is signed to a long-term deal so I hope he can give my rotation a shot in the arm. Pizzaro was the glove I sought at SS. While I was extremely happy with my acquisitions, I did not budget properly and had to move from my prospect budget to pay for these acquisitions. I am hoping that my #1 will sign and eventually pan out to offset all of the prospects I dealt but I plan on continuing to build through the draft and FA in upcoming seasons.

Blog Summary
Much like Memphis, Detroit did not budget for their eventual strategy, they adjusted on the fly. Once it was clear that they could acquire some major talent, they went for it, with impressive results. Neill in an MVP candidate, Melo is primed for a big season, and the other pieces all fit an area of need. Another thing to note, all of the guys that they acquired are young and have some good years left in them. Neill is unsigned for next season, but will bring a Type A if not retained. Melo is young and should be a #1 SP for Detroit for at least 5 more seasons. I see Detroit competing for a playoff berth this season and for many seasons to come. Very well done.

Overall Summary
Both of these teams are in better shape today than tehy were at the begining of the season. Their definition of success, however, is different. Memphis succeeded in removing an avalanche of cash from their future payroll, while at the same time inject future talent into the system. Detroit took a 60 win team to a team projected to win 90 or so, all while staying within very conservative budget restraints. Both show that if you work hard on trades and adjust when an opportunity presents itself, good things can happen.

Congrats John Fikac

2011-10-19T08:13:00.000-07:00

John Fikac became only the second pitcher to join the Hall, getting 17 votes in the process. He was a very worthy candidate and checked all of the right boxes (multiple all-star, multiple Cy Young, ERA under 4.00, over 200 wins, and under .700 OPS allowed).

Preseason Top 10

2011-10-14T07:24:00.000-07:00

1. Cincinnati Redlegs

Season 21 - 102-60, AL North Champ,#1 Final Ranking, Lost in DCS to Montreal
Additions - None
Subtractions - None
Potential AAA Call-ups - None
Summary - So basically the Season 22 Redlegs are the exact same team as the Season 21 Redlegs, which is a good thing. griffey491 returs his entire #1 ranked offense, as well as his entire pitching staff. There is no reason to believe that this team won't make the playoffs, and no reason to believe that it doesn't have the best chance to win it all.
Prediction - AL North Champ, AL Pennant, World Series Champ

2. Houston Hangovers

Season 21 - 100-62, NL South Champ, #3 Final Ranking, Lost in LCS to Helena
Additions - Sherman Wooten,
Subtractions - Dutch Velarde, J.B. Ryan, Jiggs Hodges, Clay Norman
Potential AAA Call-ups - none
Summary - The #1 team in the NL last season has lost some parts, but not enough to knock them down. They still have the most dominant 1,2,3 SP's in the game, and possess just enough pop to give their 3 aces just enough support. I see a bit of a decline in terms of overall record, but they are still the #1 team in the NL.
Prediction - NL South Champ, NL Pennant, WS Runner-up

3. Philadelphia Bacharach Giants
Season 21 - 98-64, Wild Card #1, #4 Final Ranking, AL Pennant, WS Runner-up
Additions - Darryl Dessens, Warren Hogan, Willie Nunez
Subtractions - Benji Rosa, Eric Ross,
Potential AAA Call-ups - none
Summary - The loss of two veteran SP's is somewhat mitigated by the addition of 3 solid free agents. There is still plenty of talent here, and with the losses at both Durham and Boston, the opportunity is there to win the division.
Prediction - AL East Champ, lose in LCS

4. Helena Hustle
Season 21 - NL West Champ, #5 Final Ranking, NL Pennant, WS Champ
Additions - Clinton Cole
Subtractions - Vic Martin, Harry Guillon
Potential AAA Call-ups - Stan Walker
Summary - The Champ re-signed most of their players from Season 21. Walker could provide some power at a skill position if promoted. I expect another good season, but the division is loaded. Another run is possible, but unlikely
Prediction - NL Wild Card #1

5. Jacksonville TIMUCUAN'S
Season 21 - 101-61, AL South Champ, Lost in DPiS to Montreal
Additions - Enrique Vincente
Subtractions - Brian Williams, Don Iwamura,
Potential AAA Call-ups - Louis Jones
Summary - Jacksonville is always in the mix. They have won the south 3 out of the last 4 seasons and there is little reason to beleieve that that will change. The losses of young SP's Iwamura and Williams will hurt, but Vincente is a difference maker on offense.
Prediction - AL South Champ

6. Durham Tar Heels
Season 21 - 103-59, AL East Champ, #2 Final Ranking, Lost in DCS to Philadelphia
Additions - Orlando Calderone, Matty Jennings
Subtractions - Benji Neill, Gustavo Melo, Darryl Dessens
Potential AAA Call-ups - Max Winn
Summary - The AL East Champ was active in the off-season. Neill will be missed and is irreplacable, Melo never lived up to his promise and call-up Winn is an upgrade. Calderone and Jennings are starters vs. lefties and add depth. Still a very good team, although aging.
Prediction - Wild Card #1

7. Dover Red Stockings
Season 21 - 92-70, NL North runner-up
Additions - Tyrone Moyer, Carmine Ross, Jose Cordero
Subtractions - Roger Ashby
Potential AAA Call-ups - none
Summary - Dover was on the brink of making the playoffs last season, and the blog believes that this is the year that they break through. They are stacked on offense, and should have just enough pitching to make a run at a division title.
Prediction - NL East Champ

8. Los Angeles Hiollywoods
Season 21 - 94-68, Wild Card #2
Additions - Kenji Abe, Pat Day
Subtractions - Steven Starr, Reese Mays
Potential AAA Call-ups - George Hogan
Summary - LA is always competetive and this season should be no different. Day should add some pop to the lineup, and the rotation remains one of the best in the game.
Prediction - NL West Champ

9. Detroit Tigers
Season 21 - 58-104 in NL North
Additions - Benji Pulido, Cristobal Mantalban, Gustavo Melo, Benji Neill, Rob Park, Oswaldo Pizzaro
Subtractions - Juan Alvarez
Potential AAA Call-ups - Glen Stone
Summary - Extreme Makeover: Whatifsports Edition! So how do you from a 50 win season to the Top 10? You have a new starter a virtually very position and a new #1 SP. Neill is arguably the best player in the game, and Mantalban and Park bring much needed power to the lineup. The pitching is still a question mark, but the a playoff appearance is not out of the question for the most improved team in the NL.
Prediction - NL North Champ

10. Kansas City Crusaders
Season 21 - 61-101, 2nd in NL North
Additions - Jiggs Hodges, Kevin Yamaguchi, Mateo Martinez, Erv Johnstone, Sandy Ramsey, Brian Williams
Subtractions - Glenn Franklin, Juan Parra
Potential AAA Call-ups - Alberto Morlan, Al Iglesias, Dioner Soriano, Timothy Bryant, Hee Wan, Midre Valentin, Eduardo Cortez
Summary - KC's time is now, and I expect their patience to start paying off this season. They have a AAA roster that would beat most ML teams, and enough talent at the ML level to challenge for the division title and maybe more. The big question is will they promote their AAA guys this year or next? Either way, the blog is going to have to get used to including them in the rankings for a long time.
Prediction - NL Wild-Card #2

HOF Cheat Sheet - Positional players

2011-10-12T07:43:00.000-07:00

Until Rogers Torrealba (WinShare of 2.26) crashed the party, the HOF was exclusively for players with a win share over 4 (Adam Lansing was lowest at 4.34).

Here are the top candidates and their win share:

Jorge Ortiz - 5.02
Gary Thornton - 4.71
Alex Johnson - 4.64
George Bowie - 4.32
Thom Martin - 3.11
Juan Beltre- 2.96
Sparky McNamara - 2.93
Donne Vina - 2.52
Sidney Allen - 2.05

HOF Cheat Sheet - SP's

2011-10-10T07:18:00.000-07:00

I like OPS allowed as a stat to compare pitchers. It is the stat that they have the most control over. I took the candidates, compared them to the average pitcher that played in their league in their year for every year that they pitched, and came up with an "OPS Allowed Under Avereage Pitcher OPS Allowed". Here are the results:

SP's in the HOF
Rob Branson

OPS Allowed Under Average - .154
Wins - 202
Win Percentage - .743
Strikeouts - 2366
ERA - 3.09
WHIP - 1.18

Candidates (rank amongst other candidates in parenthesis)

John Fikac

OPS Allowed Under Average - .095 (1)
Wins - 239 (1)
Win Percentage - .664 (2)
Strikeouts - 2530 (2)
ERA - 3.64 (1)
WHIP - 1.23 (T-1)

Tim Mench

OPS Allowed Under Average - .091 (2)
Wins - 164 (4)
Win Percentage - .631 (3)
Strikeouts - 1661 (4)
ERA - 3.73 (3)
WHIP - 1.28 (3)

Karl Greenberg

OPS Allowed Under Average - .090 (3)
Wins - 175 (3)
Win Percentage - .706 (1)
Strikeouts - 1728 (3)
ERA - 3.65 (2)
WHIP - 1.29 (4)

Stephen Schourek

OPS Allowed Under Average - .082 (4)
Wins - 221 (2)
Win Percentage - .577 (4)
Strikeouts - 3062 (1)
ERA - 3.78 (4)
WHIP - 1.23 (T-1)

Free Agency Day 3

2011-10-10T06:47:00.000-07:00

1. Dutch Velarde, CF, Salem, 4 years $25.8 million

Analysis - Dutch has been a regular for Houston for the previous 6 ML seasons. He has an excellent glove, very good power, and can hit righties, but his eye is suspect. His career OPS of .828 is very good for a skill position - a good signing.

2. Brian Williams, SP/RP, Kansas City, 5 years $63 million

Analysis - The biggest contract given in the off-season goes to Williams, and he is clearly being paid starter money. He's a very good pitcher that is somewhat limited by his so-so stamina (for a starter, anyways). He has a career ERA of 3.92 and WHIP of 1.29. His OPS allowed is .703. All good numbers for an SP, and at 30 years old, he is likely to see out his contract as long as his stamina holds out.

3. Benji Rosa - SP, Salem, 3 years $18 million

Analysis - A top 5 available SP, Rosa is still going strong at 36 years old. Hopefully, he will have more success in Salem this time around as he was 11-40 in his last two years as an Aggie. Career numbers are skewed by those years, but he is an effective SP that will produce for at least two years.

4. Jose Cordero, SS, Dover, 2 years $7.8 million

Analysis - Dover picks up the top true (glove, range, arm ac, arm str all over 80) SS on the market. Cordero is a career .970 fielder at SS wih 0 negative plays. At the dish, he is a career .253 hitter with an OPS of .668 - acceptable numbers for a plus defender at the most important defensive position.

5. Francis Herzog, CF, Helena 3 years $19 million

Analysis - A shrewd signing for what is proving to be one of the top teams in the game. Signed to a contract front-loaded in the first two years, Herzog will be a nice addition to the WS champ. He is a career .284 batter with a .974 OPS. While not an ideal CF, his range and glove will allow him to play multiple positions. A very good signing.

Free Agency Day 2

2011-10-07T06:35:00.000-07:00

Here are some of the top deals for Day 2:

1. Kevin Yamaguchi, RP, Kansas City, 5 yrs $27.1 million

Analysis - Kansas City is clearly a team on the rise and only a few pieces away from being complete. This move helps solidify KC's bullpen, and the front-loaded contract keeps KC's options open. The Gooch has a career 4.06 ERA and .739 OPS allowed

2. Todd Frey, RF, San Francisco, 4 years $30 million

Analysis - Another talented RF signed this offseason. Not as good as Owen, but still plays at a very high level. Career OPS of .885 with over 300 homers and 1000 runs and RBI's. Low make-up might lead to earlier than expected decline, but still a very good player.

3. Jiggs Hodges, RP, Kansas City, 3 years $16.8 million

Analysis - Signed yesterday, Jiggs fills another hole for up and coming KC. Career ERA of 4.86 and OPS allowed of .751, largely inflated by his time playing in homer-friendly Durham. Another front loaded contract and Jiggs' excellent make-up should see him contribute for all 3 years.

4. Rondell May, 3B, Baltimore, 4 years $25.6 million

Analysis - A defensive specialist with a slightly above average bat, May should fit nicley into Baltimore's starting line-up. A career .267 batter with an OPS of .722. He is a gold glove candidate at every position but SS or C.

5. Eric Ross, SP, Oklahoma City, 2 years $11.2 million

Analysis - A 38 year old lefty, Ross is 155-148 with a career ERA of 4.55 and a career OPS allowed of .766. Elite make-up should see him finish out his contract and be a productive middle of the rotation guy.

Free Agency - Day 1

2011-10-06T12:44:00.000-07:00

Here are today's top signings

1. Esteban Owen, RF, Montgomery, 2 years, $11.6 million

Analysis - Owen is former MVP and 5 time all-star. He has a career average of .308 and an OPS of .991. At 34, he is losing some power, but will still be a good bet to bat over .300 and produce an OPS over .900. Very good value here.

2. Billy Ray Simpkins, 3B, St. Louis, 2 years, $12.2 million

Analysis - Simpkins is a career .268 hitter with a .783 OPS. He is better suited to play RF at this point in his career, but will still kill lefties. Career .353 OBP due to very good eye. Another good signing.

3. Benji Pulido, SS, Detroit 4 years, $31.6 million

Analysis - Detroit has improved their ML team more than any other this offseason (with St. Louis a close 2nd). They have added Benji Neill, Cristobal Mantalban,and Gustavo Melo through trades, and now a very good player in Pulido. Better suited for 3B, he has plenty of power and speed. Should be a good addition to a potential playoff team.

4. Brendan Watson, 1B, Helena, 2 years, $10 million

Analysis - One of those under the radar deals that makes a team a contender (or in this case, a WS champ). A little suspect at 1B, Watson more than makes up for it at the dish with a career OPS of .927. His power has faded a bit, but he is still a candidate to hit 40 HRs.

5. Paulie Fox, SP, Baltimore, 4 years, $26 million

Analysis - Thought by many to be the top SP on the market, Fox signed a relatively tame contract which indicates that there wasn't much interest in him. he is 62-63 with an ERA of 4.66, and an OPS allowed of .764. He is coming off of a very good year in Boston, and a repeat performance is not out of the question. A good pickup for Baltimore.

Season 10 Draft Review - Picks 1-5

2011-10-05T06:39:00.000-07:00

1. Benji Neill, 2B, Chicago (now Detroit)

Owner - Drafted by tzentmeyer
Overall Rating - 62 at time of draft, currently 89
Current Age - 30
Current Team - Detroit
Transactions - Traded to Durham in Season 20, Traded to Detroit in Season 22
DL - 15-day in Season 16
Contract Status - In the last year of a 4 year deal, unknown status for Season 23
Awards - 7x all-star, 3x Silver Slugger LF, 1 Gold Glove LF, voted all-decade LF
Stats - .324 BA, .927 OPS, 191 HR's, 745 RBI's
Summary - Any all-decade selection was a great pick. He is consistent and worth every penny. Perennial MVP candidate, although ability to play 2B is declining.

2. Keith Lanning, SS, Los Angeles (now St. Louis)

Owner - buckeye2280
Overall Rating - 61 at draft, 85 current
Current Age - 30
Current Team - Philadelphia
Transactions - Traded to Philadelphia in Season 17
DL - 15-day and 60-day stints in Season 20
Contract Status - Signed through Season 23 on his 2nd ML deal
Awards - 2x all-star, 2x silver slugger SS
Stats - .279BA, .859 OPS, 313 HR's, 913 RBI's
Summary - An amazing glove (and temper), with plus power for any position. He's a very good player and an acceptable defensive SS. One of the best all-around SS's in the game.

3. Cory Clark, SP

Owner - meece
Overall Rating - 75 at draft, 84 currently
Current Age - 32
Current Team - Buffalo
Transactions - 2 contract extensions, never traded
DL - never on DL
Contract Status - In the last year of his second ML contract. Unknown if re-signable
Awards - 6x all-star
Stats - 152-100, with a 3.30 ERA AND 1.18 WHIP. OPS allowed of .656
Summary - Great value for meece. He's never been on the DL and has produced for 10 ML seasons. A durable, dependale, inning eating #1.

4. Reese Mays, SP, Florida (now Oklahoma City)
Owner - robyoung81
Overall Rating - 59 at draft, 73 currently
Current Age - 33
Current Team - LA
Transactions - traded to Houston in Season 11, traded to Atlanta in Season 15, traded to Jacksonville in Season 20, released in Season 21, signed by LA in Season 21
DL - 5 stints, with 2 in the majors (one a 60-day trip)
Contract Status - under last year of a 2-year deal, scheduled to be a Free Agent
Awards - 1x All-star
Stats - 53-51 with a 4.89 ERA and 1.42 WHIP. OPS allowed of .781
Summary - Full of promise but derailed by injury. Not a bad pick, OKC did get many productive years from Tomas Martinez, who they received in a trade for Mays. A career long reliever.

5. Luis Morales, SS, Atlanta (now Chicago)
Owner - bbeane
Overall Rating - 72 at draft, 88 at peak, 85 at the moment
Current Age - 32
Current Team - Los Angeles
Transactions - Traded to LA in Season 12
DL - 1 15-day visit in Season 18
Contract Status - In the last year of 1st ML deal. Scheduled to be a free agent in Season 22
Awards - 3x All-star, 1 Silver Slugger at 2B, 1 Gold Glove at RF
Stats - .268 BA, .789 OPS, 268 HR's, 804 RBI's
Summary - Inexplicably declining (elite makeup and almost maxed out Training/Medical budgets), he has never reached his SS potential, but can play every other position except CF and C. Very good offensive ratings, but stats hurt by spacious LA ballpark.

Maddie's Top Free Agents

2011-10-04T06:32:00.000-07:00

Position Players

Overall
1. Francis Herzog - 109.74
2. Esteban Owen - 100.86
3. Billy Ray Simpkins - 100.60
4. Benji Pulido - 98.82
5. Omar Flores - 97.41
Offensive
1. Francis Herzog - 81.18
2. Brant Balfour - 76.63
3. Esteban Owen - 74.60
4. Brendan Watson - 74.59
5. Orlando Calderone - 73.50
Defensive
1.Ivan Pena - 38.31
2. Danys Rivas - 36.51
3. Marvin Holloway - 36.42
4. Jose Cordero - 36.04
5.Rondell May - 35.60

Starting Pitchers (Stamina > 60)
1. Paulie Fox - 82.80
2. Marvin Campbell - 77.97
3. Benji Rosa - 77.44
4. Wade Redmond - 77.04
5. Eric Ross - 76.51
RP's (stamina < 60)
1. Brian Williams - 100.49
2. Roger Ashby - 87.49
3. Kevin Yamaguchi - 86.48
4. Jiggs Hodges - 84.36
5. Tom Mitchell - 83.75

New Design

2011-10-03T08:15:00.001-07:00

I was bored and switched up the design. Now, all polls will be on the right, and all other info (records, etc.) on the left. I'm not sure that I like it or not, so have your say in the poll.

Congrats Helena!

2011-09-28T07:25:00.000-07:00

The Helena Hustle defeated the Philadelphia Bacharach Giants to claim their first World Series title. Josias Pulido went 7-16 in the series, with 2 HR's and 6 RBI's. Angel Palmeiro won the first and last games, going 14 innings and giving up 4 runs.

World Series Preview

2011-09-26T06:53:00.000-07:00

Philadelphia Bacharach Giants (98-64) vs. Helena Hustle (97-65)

Overview
Helena owner ncapodagli has, in 3 seasons, gone from 63 wins to the World Series. It is the first appearance for the franchise in the WS, and would be the first WS win for ncapodagli. Philly owner kylepeak72 has built his team into a powerhouse, but this is their first (as well as his first) appearance in a WS. In any event, we will have a new World Series winner for the first time since Season 17.

Regular Season/Playoffs
Helena won their first NL West title since Season 13 with their best record since Season 12. They beat LA in 4 games, Chicago in 5, and came back from a 3-1 deficit to beat Houston in 7. Philadelphia claimed the first Wild Card spot with a 98-64 record. They swept Scottsdale, beat Durham in 5, and defeated Montreal in 6.

Likely Match-ups

Game 1 - Timothy Crawford (16-7) vs. Angel Palmeiro (12-9)

Game 2 - Willie Wheat (19-6) vs. Tommy Hardy (13-3)

Game 3 - Anthony Patterson (11-8) vs. Richard Aoki (17-9)

Prediction

Both teams produced runs during the season. Helena had the better pitching staff, and Philly the better fielding unit. Helena could be a team of destiny, but I think that it is finally Philly's time. Philly in 6.

Average OPS

2011-09-23T11:32:00.000-07:00

I saw this on Lance's blog and thought it would be a good thing to do for our world. Here is the average OPS for each league and each position. I used either the top 25 players for each position or those that played over 100 games for the data, whichever was less.

AL

C - .730
1B - .839
2B - .754
3B - .769
SS - .687
LF - .788
CF - .723
RF - .793
DH - .815

NL

C - .762
1B - .805
2B - .767
3B - .752
SS - .674
LF - .777
CF - .751
RF - .803

LCS Preview

2011-09-22T06:07:00.000-07:00

AL

#6 Montreal Garde Imperiale (91-71) vs. #5 Philadelphia Bacharach Giants (98-64)

Overview
So the two Wild-cards in the AL will meet for a ticket to the World Series. Defending Champ Montreal dispatched Jacksonville 3-1 in teh first round, then proceeded to do the same to division rival Cincinnati, also 3-1. Philly swept Scottsdale before taking care of division rival Durham, 3-1.

Regular Season
The series was split, with Philly at a +7 run differential

Pitching match-ups
Game 1 - Fritz Lynch (14-12) vs. Timothy Crawford (16-7)
Game 2 - Willie Wheat (19-6)vs. Sammy Iglesias (17-5)
Game 3 - Anthony Patterson (11-8) vs. Preston Forster (9-8)

Prediction - Many were writing off Montreal, and to be fair, they certainly didn't appear to be the Montreal of old until the end of the season. Philly is due, and my bet is that they take it in 6 games.

NL

#3 Helena Hustle (97-65) vs. #1 Houston Hangovers (100-62)

Overview
Houston won the WS in Season 19, disappeared in Season 20, and is back in form in Season 21. They swept Honolulu to reach this stage. Helena won a very cometitive NL West, then proceeded to eliminate West rival LA in 4 games, and Chicago in 5.

Regular Season
They spit 10 games, with Helena at a +2 run differential

Pitching Match-ups
Game 1 - Angel Palmeiro (12-9) vs. Willis Floyd (19-7)
Game 2 - Richard Aoki (17-9) vs. Dave Darr (19-6)
Game 3 - Tommy Hardy (13-3) vs. Geraldo Mendez (12-4)

Prediction

As much as I would like to go with the underdog, Houston's starting pitching is too good to bet against. My guees is that Helena steals a game, but Houston wins in 5 to reach another World Series.

Cy Young Analysis

2011-09-20T06:27:00.000-07:00

Here's a look at the OPS Allowed for the candidates. The argument is that the only things that a pitcher can truly control are how many people he allows on base, and the slugging percentage of those players that he faces.

The number represents the difference between the average pitcher's OPS allowed, and the candidate's OPS allowed.

For reference, Season 19 AL Cy Young winner J.R. Beckett was .224 better than the average AL pitcher, NL winner Miguel Vazquez was .184 better than the average NL pitcher, Season 20 AL Cy Young Jeff Woods was .120 better, and S21 NL Cy Young Art Wingo was .121 better.

AL candidates

The average AL pitcher had an OPS allowed of .765. Here are the candidates and how much they were better than the average pitcher.

1. Sammy Iglesias - .181
2. Willie Wheat - .179
3. Rocky Hinch - .139
4. Derrek Peters - .125
5. Alexi Terrero - .94

The average NL pitcher had an OPS allowed of .737. Here are the candidates and how much they were better than the average NL pitcher.

1.Dave Darr - 1.34
2.Randy Broome - 1.11
3.Willis Floyd - .83
4.Cesar Reyes - .58
5.Ramon Chen - .12

MVP Analysis

2011-09-19T09:14:00.000-07:00

AL

Last season's AL MVP Wendell Reed won it with a 4.51 Win Share. Runner-up Benji Neill came in at an AL best 4.91. Here are the candidates:

1. Wendell Reed - 4.60
2. Henry Wise - 4.28
3. Luis Lopez - 3.83
4. Alfredo Nieves - 3.63
5. Don Chen - 2.92

NL

Last season's NL MVP Ken Daly had a win share of 3.54. Runner-up Mack Shields was at an NL best 3.63. Here are the candidates:

1. Mack Shields - 5.07
2. Louis Spence - 4.24
3. Peter O'Connor - 3.84
4. Omar Flores - 2.73
5. Harry Silva - 2.66

Next Season's Free Agent Class

2011-09-13T11:26:00.000-07:00

After a record spending year in Season 21, next year's class is just as formidable. As of this post, the following are scheduled to be free agents

Position Players

Francis Herzog - All-decade CF will be 34 at the start of FA. Career .973 OPS.

Louis Spence - Considered for all-decade LF, Spence will be just 32. Career OBP of .427 and OPS of .959.

Esteban Owen - All-decade RF will turn 34 over the off-season. He is a career .307 batter with a .991 OPS.

Todd Frey - Another former Wahoo, RF Frey has 1000 career runs and RBI's and a career .886 OPS.

Benji Pulido - Only 30 years old, SS/3B Benji is a plus defender with plenty of power at the plate

Pitchers

Dave Darr - Surely he won't hit the market? A member of both all-decade teams and the best pitcher that the game has ever seen, Darr still has a couple of good season left in the tank.

Brian Williams - Just 30 years old, Williams has questionable stamina, but is still a very good pitcher.

Paulie Fox - A 29 year old lefty, Fox has had a very good season since being traded to Boston.

Playoff Races - NL

2011-09-12T09:13:00.000-07:00

Here are two races to keep an eye on.......

1. NL West Race - Helena/Honolulu/Los Angeles

A 3-way battle for the division title, with the two losers in the lead for both wildcard positions (but not by much)

Records - Honolulu (91-61) 1-up on both Helena and LA (both at 90-62)

Tiebreakers - Helena is up 5-2 on Honolulu and 4-3 on LA. Honolulu is up 7-3 on LA. Helena is 15-9 in the division, Honolulu is 14-10, and LA is 8-16.

Remaining Schedule Strength -
Helena (.502) - 4 vs. Detroit (55-97), 3 vs. LA (90-62), 3 vs. Honolulu (91-61)
Honolulu (.544) - 4 vs. Chicago (90-62), 3 vs. San Fran (63-89), 3 vs. Helena (90-62)
LA - (.531) - 4 vs. Memphis (87-65), 3 vs. Helena (90-62), 3 vs. San Fran (63-89)

The stakes - LA has won the division for 5 straight seasons. Helena has not finished better than 3rd since Season 13. Honolulu has not won the division since Season 15.

2. Wild Card #2 - NL West/Dover/Memphis/Hartford

A full-on scramble for the last 2 spots in the play-offs will likely go to one NL West team, leaving one spot for 4 deserving teams. Since the NL West teams are explored above, let's take a look at Dover, Memphis, and Hartford

Records - Dover (88-64) leads Memphis (87-65) by 1 game and Hartford (85-67) by 3.

Tiebreakers - Dover leads Memphis 8-2 and Hartford 5-2. Memphis leads Hartford 6-4. Dover is 17-7 in the division, Memphis is 16-8, and Hartford is 13-11

Remaining Schedule Strength -
Dover (.550) - 4 vs. Houston (95-57), 3 vs. Hartford (85-67), 3 vs. Buffalo (67-85)
Memphis (.503) - 4 vs. LA (90-62), 3 vs. Montgomery (67-85), 3 vs. Louisville (68-84)
Hartford (.532) - 4 vs. Montgomery (67-85), 3 vs. Dover (88-64), 3 vs. Chicago (92-60)

The stakes -

For Dover, it would be the 1st playoff appearance since season 11 and only the second ever. For Memphis, is would be a 2nd straight appearance for bencap. For Hartford, it would be a return to the palyoffs after a 3 year absence.

Playoff Races - AL

2011-09-12T08:48:00.000-07:00

We're coming down to the wire, with some spots still up for grabs. Here are the best races -

1. AL Wildcard #2 / Montreal vs. Boston

Two heavyweights are battling for the last spot in the AL Playoffs. Here is what you need to know:

Records - Boston leads by 1 game with a record of 86-66. Montreal is 85-67

Tiebreaker - The series was split 5-5. Montreal owns the next tiebreaker with a 18-6 division record to Boston's 11-13

Remaining schedule strength -

Boston (.540) - 4 vs. New Orleans (76-76), 3 vs. Baltimore (76-76), 3 vs. Durham (96-56)
Montreal (.543) - 4 vs. Durham (96-56), 3 vs. Salt Lake (52-100), 3 vs. Cincy (95-57)

The stakes -

Boston has made 17 straight playoff appearances and Montreal has made 15 straight. This is likely to be the first season since Season 5 that the playoffs will not include both of these teams.

2. AL East Champion / Durham vs. Philadelphia

A surging Philadelphia squad tries to reel in the fading Tar Heels.

Records - Durham leads by three games with a record of 96-56. Philly stands at 92-59

Tiebreaker - Durham leads 4-3 with 3 head-to-head games remaining. Durham is 15-9 in the division and Philly is 14-10.

Remaining Schedule strength

Durham (.577) - 4 vs. Montreal, 3 vs. Philly, 3 vs. Boston
Philly (.526) - 4 vs. Vancouver, 3 vs. Durham, 3 vs. Baltimore

The stakes

A division title and a possible 1st round bye. Not to mention bragging rights in the toughest division in the league. For Philly, it would only be the 2nd division title in franchise history.

Week 8 Rankings

2011-09-12T06:37:00.000-07:00

1. Cincinnati Redlegs (94-57) Prev #1 - 1st in run differential, expected win percentage, 3rd in overall record, and 8th in wins for the week.

2. Durham Tar Heels (95-56) Prev #2 - 1st in overall record, 2nd in both expected win percentage and run differential, 13th in wins for the week.

3. Houston Hangovers (95-56) Prev #5 - 1st in overall record and wins for the week, 4th in expected win percentage, and 5th in run differential.

4. Philadelphia Bacharach Giants (92-59) Prev #4 - 3rd in wins for the week, expected win percentage, and run differential. 5th in overall record.

5. Helena Hustle (89-62) prev #9 - 3rd in record for the week, 4th in expected win percentage and run differential, 9th in overall record

6. Jacksonville TIMUCUAN'S (94-57) Prev #7 - 3rd in overall record and wins for the week, 9th in run differential, and 10th in expected win percentage

7. Chicago Black Sox (91-60) Prev #6 - 6th in overall record, 7th in run differential, and 8th in wins for the week and expected win percentage

8. Los Angeles Hollywoods (90-61) Prev #3 - 7th in expected win percentage and overall record, 8th in run differential, and 13th in wins for the week

9. Dover Red Stockings (87-64) - Prev NR - 1st in wins for the week, 9th in run differential, 10th in overall record, 11th in expected win percentage

10. Boston TEA PARTIERS (86-65) Prev #8 - 5th in run differential, 6th in expected win percentage, 12th in overall record and wins for the week

11. Memphis
12. Hartford
13. Montreal
14. Honolulu

All-Decade Closer

2011-09-09T08:30:00.000-07:00

The candidates:

Andy Jefferson

Awards - 5x Fireman, 7x All-star
Stats - 432 saves, 3.19 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 89% save percentage

Leonardo Inge

Awards - 2x Fireman, 5x All-star, 1 Cy Young
Stats - 365 Saves, 2.44 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 91% save percentage

Mateo Martinez

Awards - 2x Fireman, 5x All-star, 1 WS Ring
Stats - 243 saves, 3.11 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 88% save percentage

All-decade SP Results

2011-09-07T08:51:00.001-07:00

SP1 - J.R. Beckett (16 votes)

SP2 - Dave Darr (15 votes)

SP3 - Wilfredo Veras (10 votes)

SP4 - Jeff Woods (7 votes)

SP5 - Heinie Conigliaro (8 of 11 votes in run-off with P. Colin)

Week 7 Rankings

2011-09-06T05:57:00.000-07:00

1. Cincinnati Redlegs (84-50) Prev #1 - The Redlegs were 17-6 for the week, splitting with Boston, taking 3 of 4 from Jacksonville, but losing 2 of 3 to Durham. They are 1st in batting, 12th in pitching, and 13th in fielding. Run differential +254

2. Durham Tar Heels (87-47) Prev #3 - The Tar Heels make a strong case for #1 with a league-best 19-4 record for the week. They took 2 of 3 from both Jacksonville and Cincinnati. They are 2nd in batting, 13th in pitching, and 3rd in fielding. Run differential +231

3. Los Angeles Hollywoods (82-52) prev #4 - LA holds strong after a 13-10 week. They lost 2 of 3 to Houston and Dover. They are below average in batting, 1st in pitching, and 8th in fielding. Run differential +131

4. Philadelphia Bacharach Giants (80-54) Prev #5 - The BeeGees had a very good 14-9 week, although they have lost 4 in a row, including 2 straight to Cincinnati. They are 3rd in batting, below average in pitching, and 9th in fielding. Run differential +170

5. Houston Hangovers (81-53) Prev #2 - The Hangovers had a very disappointing 11-12 week, with series losses to Helena and Pittsburgh. They are 12th in batting, 5th in pitching, and 1st in fielding. Run differential +131

6. Chicago Black Sox (81-52) Prev #6 - Chicago holds their ground with a very good 14-9 week. They won series vs. Louisville, Pittsburgh, and Cleveland. They are 7th in batting, 8th in pitching, and 7th in fielding. Run differential +128

7. Jacksonville TIMUCUAN'S (82-52) Prev #8 - Jacksonville continues their very good season with a 14-9 week. They took 2 of 3 from Boston ans swept Scottsdale. They are average in batting, 4th in pitching, and 6th in fielding. Run differential +88

8. Boston TEA PARTIERS (77-57) Prev NR - Boston re-enters the top 10 after an outstanding 16-7 week. They did lose 2 of 3 to both Montreal and Jacksonville, however. They are 4th in batting, 14th in pitching, and 12th in fielding. Run differential +139

9. Helena Hustle (77-57) prev #7 - Helena drops 2 spots after an average 12-11 week. They took 2 of 3 from Houston and split with Memphis. They are 6th in batting, 7th in pitching, and below average in fielding. Run differential +141

10. Memphis Blue's (76-58) prev NR - Memphis enters the top 10 on teh strength of a very good 15-8 week. They took 5 of 7 games from Honolulu. They are below average in batting, 3rd in pitching, and 2nd in fielding. Run differential +118

Dropped
9. Honolulu Tropics
10. Dover Red Stockings

Just Missed
Honolulu
Montreal

All-Decade - Right Field

2011-08-29T13:19:00.000-07:00

The team so far -

C - Clinton Clifton (19 of 19 votes)

1B - Ken Daly (19 of 23 votes)

2B - Milton Simmons (13 OF 22 votes)

SS - Danys Rivas (12 out of 19 votes)

3B - Wesley Graves (9 out of 19 votes)

LF - Benji Neill (6 out of 13 votes)

CF - Francis Herzog (9 out of 16 votes)

RF Candidates

Kenny Evans

Awards - 4x all-star, 3x silver slugger, 1 gold glove, 1 WS ring
Stats - 213 HR's, 853 RBI's, .300 BA, .905 OPS, .975 f%, 9 plus and 20 minus plays

Pat Day

Awards - 5x all-star, 1 gold glove, 2 WS rings
Stats - 321 HR's, 1026 RBI's, .305 BA, .902 OPS,.994 F%, 15 plus and 4 minus plays

Esteban Owen

Awards - 4x all-star, 2x silver slugger, 1 WS Ring
Stats - 441 HR's, 1196 RBI's, .306 BA, .995 OPS, .987 F%, 12 plus and 19 minus plays

Kurt Clemens

Awards - 4x all-star, 1 silver slugger
Stats - 156 HR's, 843 RBI's, .314 BA, .843 OPS, .984 F%, 8 plus and 22 minus plays

Steve Townsend

Awards - 2x all-star, 1 silver slugger
Stats - 233 HR's, 897 RBI's, .288 BA, .884 OPS, .967 F%, 12 plus and 32 minus plays

Week 6 Rankings

2011-08-29T06:46:00.000-07:00

1. Cincinnati Redlegs (67-44) Prev #1 - The Redlegs were 7-4 for the week, taking 2 of 3 from each of Philly and Jacksonville. They are 2nd in batting, above average in pitching, and 6th in fielding. Run differential +199

2. Houston Hangovers (70-41) Prev #3 - The Hangovers climb a spot thanks to a 9-2 week that saw them take 2 of 3 from both Memphis and Honolulu. They are 11th in batting, 3rd in pitching, and 1st in fielding. Run differential +133

3. Durham Tar Heels (68-43) Prev #2 - The Tar Heels drop a spot after a 7-4 week. They took 2 of 3 from both St. Louis and Oklahoma City. They are 1st in batting, below average in pitching, and 4th in fielding. Run differential +167

4. Los Angeles Hollywoods (69-42) prev #10 - LA rockets into the top 5 on the back of a 10-1 week, with their only loss at the hands of Honolulu. They are below average in batting, 1st in pitching, and 10th in fielding. Run differential +116

5. Philadelphia Bacharach Giants (66-45) Prev #4 - The BeeGees drop a spot with a 7-4 week. They took 2 of 3 from Boston and lost 2 of 3 to Cincinnati. They are 3rd in batting, below average in pitching, and 10th in fielding. Run differential +141

6. Chicago Black Sox (67-44) Prev #5 - Chicago was 6-5 for the week, losing 2 of 3 to both Helena and Dover. They are 8th in batting, 9th in pitching, and 6th in fielding. Run differential +106

7. Helena Hustle (65-46) prev #8 - Helena jumps up a spot with a 7-4 week, taking 2 of 3 from Chicago in the process. They are 6th in batting and pitching, and below average in the field. Run differential +124

8. Jacksonville TIMUCUAN'S (68-43) Prev #8 - Jacksonville holds their ground after a 6-5 week. They took 2 of 3 from Montreal but lost 2 of 3 to Cincinnati. They are average in batting, 4th in pitching, and 11th in fielding. Run differetial +88

9. Honolulu Tropics (70-41) prev #9 - Honolulu was 5-6 for the week, losing 2 of 3 to Hartford and Houston. They are below average in batting, 2nd in pitching, and 8th in fielding. Run differential +44

10. Dover Red Stockings (63-48) Prev #7 - Dover continues its fall and must right the ship to remain in the top 10. They are 7th in batting, 8th in pitching, and 9th in fielding. Run differential +102

Dropped
none

Just Missed
11. Memphis
12. Boston

Weekly Rankings - Week 5

2011-08-23T06:38:00.000-07:00

1. Cincinnati Redlegs (60-40) Prev #1 - The Redlegs barely hold on to the top spot after a very average 11-9 week. They have lost 6 of their last 7 games, including 3 of 4 to a resurgent Montreal. They are 2nd in Batting, above average in Pitching, and 8th in Fielding. Run differential +169

2. Durham Tar Heels (61-39) Prev #2 - The Tar Heels were 13-8 for the week, having split with Philly and taken 3 of 4 from Boston. They are 1st in batting, average in pitching, and 5th in fielding. Run differential + 160

3. Houston Hangovers (61-39) Prev #5 - The Hangovers climb on the strength of a 13-8 week. They have lost 3 in a row after a 4 game sweep of Louisville. They are 10th in Batting, 3rd in Pitching, and 1st in Fielding. Run differential +116

4. Philadelphia Bacharach Giants (59-41) Prev #10 - The BeeGees continue their climb with a league's best 15-6 week. They split with Durham and swept Baltimore. They are 3rd in batting, average in pitching, and 4th in fielding. Run differential +116

5. Chicago Black Sox (61-39) Prev #4 - Chicago was 13-8 for the week but still lost a spot in the rankings. They won series vs. Cleveland, Buffalo, and Pittsburgh. They are 6th in Batting, 8th in Pitching, and 10th in Fielding. Run differential +113

6. Jacksonville TIMUCUAN'S (62-38) Prev #6 - Jacksonville holds their ground after a very good 14-7 week, sweeping Baltimore, Salem, and San Antonio in the process. They are average in Batting, 5th in Pitching, and average in Fielding. Run differential +87

7. Dover Red Stockings (59-41) Prev #3 - Dover had a very disappointing 9-12 week, losing 3 of 4 to Helena and getting swept by Honolulu. They have, however, rebounded and have won 6 out of their last 9 games. They are 7th in Batting and Pitching and are above average in Fielding. Run differential +101

8. Helena Hustle (59-41) prev #8 - Helena solidifies its position in the top 10 with a 14-7 week. They took 3 of 4 from Dover, but lost 3 of 4 to LA. They are 8th in Batting, 6th in Pitching, and average in Fielding. Run differential +92

9. Honolulu Tropics (65-35) prev #9 - Honolulu continues to win games and has the best record in 1530. They don't, however, have a very good expected win percentage or run differential, and the ranking is reflective of its play. They are below average in Batting, 2nd in Pitching, and 6th in Fielding. Run differential +46

10. Los Angeles Hollywoods (59-41) prev #7 - LA drops 3 spots after an average 11-9 week. They have lost 6 out of their last 7. They are below average in Batting, 1st in Pitching, and 9th in Fielding. Run differential + 85

Dropped
none

Just Missed
11. Boston
12. Memphis

All-Decade Seasons 11-20 - Center Field

2011-08-18T06:24:00.000-07:00

The team so far -

C - Clinton Clifton (19 of 19 votes)

1B - Ken Daly (19 of 23 votes)

2B - Milton Simmons (13 OF 22 votes)

SS - Danys Rivas (12 out of 19 votes)

3B - Wesley Graves (9 out of 19 votes)

LF - Benji Neill (6 out of 13 votes)

CF Candidates

Francis Herzog

Awards - 7x all-star, 8x silver slugger
Stats - 399 HR's, 1117 RBI's, .284 BA, .978 OPS, .969 F%, 57 plus and 13 minus plays

Jonathan Gload

Awards - 4x all-star, 4x silver slugger, 2 WS rings
Stats - 165 HR's, 506 RBI's, .310 BA, .926 OPS, .972 F%, 1 plus and 75 minus plays

Louie Delgado

Awards - 5x all-star, 1x silver slugger, 2 MVP's, 2 WS rings, 1 ROY
Stats - 474 HR's, 1272 RBI's, .297 BA, .989 OPS, .964 F%, 2 plus and 35 minus plays

Brendan Truby

Awards - 6x all-star, 2x silver slugger, 1 WS ring
Stats - 257 HR's, 878 RBI's, .285 BA, .861 OPS, .970 F%, 66 plus and 10 minus plays

Edgar Lugo

Awards - 2x all star, 1 ROY, 1 WS ring, 1 gold glove
Stats - 112 HR's, 550 RBI's, .263 BA, .746 OPS, .982F%, 72 plus and 3 minus plays

All Decade S11-20 Left Field

2011-08-16T07:25:00.000-07:00

The team so far -

C - Clinton Clifton (19 of 19 votes)

1B - Ken Daly (19 of 23 votes)

2B - Milton Simmons (13 OF 22 votes)

SS - Danys Rivas (12 out of 19 votes)

3B - Wesley Graves (9 out of 19 votes)

LF Candidates

Louis Spence

Awards - 8x All-star, 4x silver slugger
Stats - 210 HRs, 725 RBIs, .320 BA, .950 OPS, .987 F% with 26 plus and 15 minus plays

Benji Neill

Awards - 6x All-star, 3x silver slugger, 1 gold glove
Stats - 170 HRs, 660 RBIs, .327 BA, .994 OPS, .983 F% with 75 plus and 0 minus plays

Juan Johnson

Awards - 6x All-star, 2x silver slugger, 1 WS ring
Stats - 298 HRs, 1084 RBIs, .309 BA, .891 OPS, .984 F%, 22 plus and 9 minus plays

Sergio Dupler

Awards - 5x all-star, 4x silver slugger, 2 WS rings, 1 gold glove, 1 MVP
Stats - 381 HRs, 1073 RBIs, .291 BA, .964 OPS, .986 F%, 47 plus and 2 minus plays

Jesus Pineda

Awards - 2x all-star, 1 silver slugger, 2 WS rings, 1 MVP
Stats - 223 HRs, 620 RBIs, .283 BA, .883 F%, .987 F%, 33 plus and 3 minus plays

Weekly Rankings Week 4

2011-08-15T07:44:00.000-07:00

1. Cincinnati Redlegs (Prev 1) - 49-31 OVL, 12-8 Week, .648 exp win %, 131 differential

2. Durham Tar Heels (Prev 3) - 48-31 OVL, 14-4 Week, .641 exp win %, 130 run differential

3. Dover Red Stockings (Prev 2) - 50-29 OVL, 13-6 Week, .640 exp win %, 118 run differential

4. Chicago Black Sox (Prev NR) - 48-31 OVL, 14-4 Week, .605 exp win %, 87 run differential

5. Houston Hangovers (Prev 5) - 48-31 OVL, 11-7 Week, .606 exp win %, 83 run differential

6. Jacksonville TIMUCUAN'S (Prev 9) - 48-31 OVL, 13-6 Week, .597 exp win %,77 run differential

7. Los Angeles Hollywoods (Prev 6) - 48-32 OVL, 13-7 Week, .599 exp win %, 81 run differential

8. Helena Hustle (Prev 7) - 45-34 OVL, 11-9 Week, .598 exp win %, 80 run differential

9. Honolulu Tropics (Prev 8) - 50-29 OVL, 10-9 Week, .521 exp win %, 15 run differential

10. Philadelphia Bacharach Giants (Prev NR) - 44-35 OVL, 13-7 Week, .585 exp win %, 76 run differential

Dropped
4. Memphis Blue's
10. Boston Tea Partiers

Just Missed
11. Boston
12. Memphis

Weekly Rankings - Week 3

2011-08-08T07:21:00.000-07:00

1. Cincinnati Redlegs (37-23) Prev #6 - The Redlegs own the best expected win percentage and run differential in the world. They are 4th in batting, above average in pitching, and 7th in fielding. Run differential +105

2. Dover Red Stockings (37-23) Prev NR - The Red Stockings own the best run differential in the NL. They are 29-11 over the past two weeks. They are 5th in batting, 4th in pitching, and 7th in fielding. Run diffeential +81

3. Durham Tar Heels (34-27) Prev NR - The Tar Heels own the 2nd best run differential and 4th best expected win percentage in the world. They are 1st in batting, below average in pitching, and above average in fielding. Run differential +86

4. Memphis Blue's (35-26) Prev #1 - Memphis has cooled off after an amazing start. They were 17-23 for the week, but still own the second best expected win percentage in the world. They are 8th in batting, 3rd in pitching, and above average in fielding. Run differential +79

5. Houston Hangovers (37-24) Prev #9 - Houston is tied with Dover and Cincy for the 2nd best record in the world. They are 9th in batting, 10th in pitching, and avover average in fielding. Run differential +61

6. Los Angeles Hollywoods (35-25) Prev NR - The Hollywoods were a second best 27-13 for the week and should continue to climb the rankings. They are below average in batting, 1st in pitching, and 3rd in fielding. Run differential +45

7. Helena Hustle (15-6) Prev #5 - Helena drops two spots after a very average 20-19 campaign. The do own the 5th best expected win percentage in the league, so maybe they will gain a couple of spots in the week ahead. They are a complete team: 7th in batting, 5th in pitching, and 10th in fielding. Run differential +63

8. Honolulu Tropics (40-20) Prev #7 - So how exactly does the team with the best record end up at #7? Well, they have been lucky. Over the past two weeks, the Tropics have gone 24-15, but have been outscored by 9 runs. Either thier luck will run out or they will start clobbering teams, not sure which one will be the case. Run differential +11

9. Jacksonville TIMUCUAN'S (35-25) Prev NR - Jacksonville had a very respectable 24-16 two weeks. They own the 10th best expected win percentage and run differential, as well as the 2nd best record in the AL. Run differential +31

10. Boston Tea Partiers (33-28) Prev #10 - Boston was 22-18 for the week and has started to show some of their old winning ways. They do own the 5th best run differential in the world so it would seem that they are due for a run. Run differential +67

Dropped
2. Montreal Garde Imperiale
3. Cleveland Wahoos
4. New Orleans Causeway Cajuns
8. Baltimore Elite Giants

Just Missed

11. Philadelphia
12. Baltimore
13. Chicago
14. Hartford

All-decade Seasons 11-20 - Third Base

2011-07-27T10:07:00.000-07:00

The team so far -

C - Clinton Clifton (19 of 19 votes)

1B - Ken Daly (19 of 23 votes)

2B - Milton Simmons (13 OF 22 votes)

SS - Danys Rivas (9 out of 16 votes)

3B Candidates

Zach Page

Awards - 7x all-star, 2 gold gloves, 1 silver slugger
Stats - 146 HR's, 628 RBI's, .289 BA, .800 OPS, .983F%, 102 Plus and 2 Minus plays

Wesley Graves

Awards - 6 x all-star, 3 time silver slugger, 1 gold glove, 1 MVP, 1 WS Ring
Stats - 414 HR's, 1159 RBI's,.290 BA,.945 OPS, .973 F%, 60 Plus and 4 Minus plays

Brent Sabel

Awards - 4x all star, 4x silver slugger, 1 gold glove
Stats - 270 HR's, 909 RBI'S, .281 BA, .851 OPS, .971F%, 94 Plus and 6 Minus plays

Jose Segui

Awards - 2x all star, 2x silver slugger, 1 gold glove
Stats - 169 HR's, 634 RBI's, .283 BA, .850 OPS, .984F%, 91 Plus and 2 Minus plays

Pat Day

Awards - 5x all star, 1 silver slugger
Stats - 321 HR's, 1026 RBI's, .306 BA,.904 OPS, .955 F%, 25 Plus and 5 Minus plays

All-Decade Season 11-20 - Shortstop

2011-07-25T08:51:00.000-07:00

C - Clinton Clifton (19 of 19 votes)

1B - Ken Daly (19 of 23 votes)

2B - Milton Simmons (13 OF 22 votes)

Shortstop Candidates

Ahmad Bell

Awards - 3x all-star, 4x silver slugger
Stats - 348 HR's, 1027 RBI's, .271 BA, .867 OPS, .963 F%, 3 Plus and 89 Minus plays

Danys Rivas

Awards - 5x all-star, 4x gold glove, one WS ring
Stats - 54 HR's, 454 RBI's, .252 BA, .649 OPS, .981 F%, 136 Plus and 4 minus

T.J. Torres

Awards - 4x all-star and 2x silver slugger
Stats - 136 HR's, 532 HR's, .268 BA, .780 OPS, .963 F%, 12 Plus and 44 Minus plays

Lou Jenkins

Awards - 3x all-star, 1 silver slugger
Stats - 144 HR's, 666 RBI's, .283 BA, .771 OPS, .934 F%, 7 Plus and 34 Minus plays

Benji Pulido

Awards - 2x all-star, 1 silver slugger
Stats - 250 HR's, 724 RBI's, .253 BA, .790 OPS, .968 F%, 5 Plus and 55 Minus plays

Minimum Win Requirement

2011-07-25T08:37:00.000-07:00

So, here is what we will vote on so far -

Minimum win requirement of 110 wins over a 2 season period
New owners (to the game, not HBD) will be given a 2 year grace period
Violators will be put to a vote
No other rules at this time

2 more things that need to be decided (please vote to the right):

Who votes on violators? league-wide or a group of 10 or so dedicated owners nominated by the world?
In addition to a 2 year minimum win total, should there be a 1 season minimum win? In other words, you can't win 30 and 80 to get to 110.

Weekly Rankings - Week 1

2011-07-25T07:19:00.000-07:00

1. Memphis Blue's (18-3) - Memphis are owners of the best record, expected win percentage, and run differential in the world. They won 17 of their first 18 sweeping Houson in the process. The NL is on notice. They are 4th in Batting, 1st in Pitching, and average in the field. Run differential +63

2. Montreal Garde Imperiale (14-7) - The WS Champs are off to another good start. They did lose 2 of 3 to both New Orleans and Cincinnati, however. They are 2nd in Batting, 10th in Pitching, and 6th in Fielding. Run differential +48

3. Cleveland Wahoos (15-6) - The Wahoos are back after a week that saw them sweep LA and take 2 of 3 from Houston. They are 8th in Batting, 9th in Pitching, and average in the field. Run differential +36

4. New Orleans Causeway Cajuns (15-6) - The Cajuns started off hot, winning their first 7 games. They took 2 of 3 from Montreal and lost 2 of 3 to Cincinnati. They are average at the plate, 2nd on the mound, and 8th in the field. Run differential +31

5. Helena Hustle (15-6) - I may be mistaken, but this is the highest that Helena has ever been in the Top 10. They swept LA, took 2 of 3 from Honolulu, but lost 3 of 4 to Houston. They are 8th in Batting, 9th in Pitching, and 11th in Fielding. Run differential +34

6. Cincinnati Redlegs (13-8) - The Redlegs are back after a disappointing Season 20 campaign. They took 2 of 3 from both Montreal and New Orleans. They are 5th in Batting and below average in both Fielding and Pitching. Run differential +26

7. Honolulu Tropics (16-5) - Owners of the second best record, the Tropics slide a little due to a relatively weak expected win percentage and run differential. They have won 9 straight, so they are regaining their Season 20 form. They are below average at the plate, 3rd on the mound, and 12th in the field. Run differential +19

8. Baltimore Elite Giants (13-8) - The whipping boy of the AL East is exacting some revenge as they make their first appearance in the top 10. They went 4-6 vs. their AL East rivals, however, and must improve to remain at the top of the standings. They are average at the plate, 6th on the mound, and average in the field. Run differential +21

9. Houston Hangovers (13-8) - The third team from the NL South to make the list, the Hangovers are aslo coming off of a sub-par season. They were swept by Memphis but did take 3 of 4 from Helena. They are below average in Batting, 5th in Pitching, and 2nd in Fielding. Run differential +19

10. Boston Tea Partiers (11-10) - A much better team than the record would indicate, Boston is 7-3 vs. the AL East. They have lost 2 straight to a very tough Montreal squad. They are 1st in batting but below average in both pitching and fielding. Run differential +26

Just Missed

11. Vancouver
12. Scottsdale
13. Hartford

Rules, cont.

2011-07-22T08:41:00.000-07:00

Currently, here is how it is shaping up. Please keep this discussion off of the world chat. If you have a comment, TC me and I will post it here

We will put the requirment to a vote via TC, and it will be the following -

- minimun win requirement over a 2 year period
- effective next season (Season 22)

Details to be ironed out (please vote to the right)

- grace period for newbies - 1 year or two years?
- minimum wins over 2 year period (130,120,110,or 100)?
- violators put to vote or automatic removal?

Comments:

from rbjb - "put to vote, min 120 wins and 1 yr grace period. although I would have like to see at least 1 60 win season every 2 yrs. instead of over 120 wins in 2 yrs."

1530 World Rules

2011-07-21T06:35:00.000-07:00

Everyone's favorite topic - rules! The goal here is to make the game more enjoyable for all participants. I am in 3 other worlds, and they all have private rules. All they really do is set expectations for owners. Once you know the expectations, there is no controversy whatsoever, which I think that we can all agree is a good thing.

1530 is unique beacase Lance has always tried to find owners that are local and new to the game. Since this is such a complicated game at first, it is important to give newbies some slack. With that in mind, here are some options:

Minimum Win Requirement

The idea here is that if you win more than the minimum then you have the right to run your team however you best see fit. You can spend 10 million on players and 40 million on prospects if you win games (read: field a competitive squad). Here are some of the rules taht I have seen:

- Over the course of two seasons a team must maintain at least a .350 win percentage or they will be removed from the league.

- There is a two season win minimum of 120 games

- All owners that are present for two consecutive full seasons must win at least 120 games at the Major League level, and all owners that are present for a full season must win at least 50 games at the Major League level.

- Another idea is a grace period for newbies. They have one year before the rules apply to them.

Potential Other Rules

I only have one league where there is more than a minimum win rule. But here are some options

- Minimum roster sizes (must have more than 25 on each minor league squad)
- Maximum prospect budget (can't spend more than 30 million on prospects in any given year)
- Minimum payroll (must spend at least 30 million on players in any given year)

There are others, but these are the ones that I have seen. So now, please vote to your right and let's be done with this. Once I have a mandate from the vote on the blog, I will put it to a vote on Trade Chat. A rule must be approved by the majority of all owners (17 or more) and not > 50% of those that vote.

All-decade Season 11-20 - Second Base

2011-07-20T06:08:00.000-07:00

So far -

C - Clinton Clifton (19 of 19 votes)

1B - Ken Daly (19 of 23 votes)

On to 2B, the candidates are, in no particular order -

Orlando Maduro

Awards - 5x all star, 2x gold glove, 1 silver slugger
Stats - 240 HRs, 948 RBI's, .286 BA,.852 OPS, .987 F% with 51 plus plays

Kelly Hinch

Awards - 3x all star, 4x gold glove
Stats - 136 HRs, 461 RBI's, .276 BA, .804 OPS, .981 F% with 111 plus plays

Allen Nichols

Awards - 2x all star, 2x silver slugger
Stats - 289 HR's, 982 RBI's, .277 BA, .863 OPS, .973 F% with 7 plus plays

Javy Tejada

Awards - 3x all star, 1 silver slugger
Stats - 269 HR's, 894 RBI's, .281 BA, .847 OPS, .975 F% with 3 plus plays

Milton Simmons

Awards - 8x all star, 3x MVP, 3X Silver Slugger
Stats - 356 HR's, 1210 RBI's, .308 BA, .969 OPS, .980 F% with 19 plus plays

Hall of Fame Results

2011-07-19T12:22:00.001-07:00

Rogers Torrealba 17
Donne Vina 10
Karl Greenberg 8
George Bowie 8
Sidney Allen 8
Stephen Schourek 7
Randy Valentin 7
Osvaldo Roque 4
Jorge Ortiz 4
Sparky McNamara 4
Juan Beltre 4
Chris Graham 3
Ignacio Cruz 3
Gary Thornton 3
Hal Weiss 3
Jimmie Aquino 3
Fred Sparks 2
Thom Martin 2
Hamlet Wheeler 2
Alex Johnson 2
Jimmy Price 1
Scott Stevenson 1
Del Hamelin 1
Dan Carr 1
Fernando Toca 1
Glenallen Roosevelt 1
Tim Mench 1
Gerald Gload 1

The All-Available Free Agent Team

2011-07-18T08:31:00.000-07:00

(By position listed, not where they are likely to play)

1B - Ozzie Mori
2B - Allen Nichols
3B - Warren Simon
SS - Stew Stearns
LF - Rafael Oliva
CF - Richard Curtis
RF - Art Tracy
DH - Jody Tanner

Bench Power - Juan Alvarez
Bench Speed - Cy Hatteberg
Bench Glove - Luther Cox

SP1 - Vic Mangual
SP2 - Livan Pineiro
SP3 - Skip Sellers
SP4 - B.J. Murphy
SP5 - Ramon Pong
LRA - Daisuke Choi
LRB - Felipe Valdivia
SuA - Bobby Rupe
SuB - Mike Robinson
CL - Jimmie Vogelsong

All Decade Seasons 11-20 - First Base

2011-07-18T07:08:00.001-07:00

So far,

C - Clinton Clifton (19 of 19 votes)

The candidates, in no particular order.

Ken Daly

Awards - 10x All-Star, 10x Silver Slugger, 4x MVP,
Stats - .320 BA, 1.049 OPS, 569 HR's, 1431 RBI's, .997 f%

Henry Wise

Awards - 6x All-star, 6x Silver Slugger, 1 Gold Glove, 1 ROY, 2 WS Rings
Stats - .320 BA, 1.059 OPS, 366 HR's, 1075 RBI's, .999 f%

Brant Balfour

Awards - 3x All-star, 2 WS Rings
Stats - .300 BA, .949 OPS, 252 HR's, 770 RBI's, .998 F%

Brendan Watson

Awards - 2x All-star
Stats - .290 BA, .929 OPS, 454 HR's, 1329 RBI's, .998 F%

Eddie Reese

Awards - 4x All-Star, 1 MVP, 1 Gold Glove
Stats - .294 BA, .962 OPS, 353 HR's, 965 RBI's, .998 F%

All-Decade Seasons 11-20 - Catcher

2011-07-15T06:25:00.000-07:00

So begins the second all-decade team. I will give 5 options for each position. If you would like to participate, please TC me with your candidate(s) and why they should be considered. First up - Catcher, in no particular order.

NOTE: Stats and Awards are only for Seasons 11-20

Phil Iwazaki

Awards - 2x All-Star, 3x Silver Slugger, 1 WS Ring
Stats - .275 BA, .843 OPS, 356 HR's and 1022 RBI's, .204 CS%

Clayton Mullin

Awards - 4x All-Star, 3x Silver Slugger
Stats - .305 BA, .881 OPS, 148 HR's and 571 RBI's, .235 CS%

Clinton Clifton

Awards - 10x All-Star, 10x Silver Slugger, 1 Gold Glove, 5x MVP
Stats - .306 BA, 1.049 OPS, 484 HR's, 1382 RBI's, .370 CS%

Tomas Lee

Awards - 2x All-Star, 1 Silver Slugger, 1 WS Ring
Stats - .298 BA, .902 OPS, 345 HR's 1018 RBI's, .257 CS%

Stew Sanders

Awards - 1 All-star, 3x Gold Glove
Stats - .240 BA and .699 OPS, 180 HR's, 603 RBI's, .359 CS%

Hall of Fame - Pitchers

2011-07-12T09:51:00.001-07:00

I like OPS allowed as a stat to compare pitchers. It is the stat that they have the most control over. I took the candidates, compared them to the average pitcher that played in their league in their year for every year that they pitched, and came up with an "OPS Allowed Under Avereage Pitcher OPS Allowed". Here are the results.

SP's in the HOF
Rob Branson

OPS Allowed Under Average - .154

Candidates

Tim Mench

OPS Allowed Under Average - .091

Karl Greenberg

OPS Allowed Under Average - .090

Stephen Schourek

OPS Allowed Under Average - .082

I'm not sure that any belong, but if I had to vote for one, it would be Greenberg. He is by far the most decorated of the three. Additionally, there are so many pitchers better than tehse guys taht are just a couple of seasons from being eligible. I say keep the standards high.

HOF Position Players Cheat Sheet

2011-07-12T08:41:00.001-07:00

Ranked by win shares

Jorge Ortiz - 5.02

Gary Thornton - 4.71

Alex Johnson - 4.64

George Bowie - 4.32

Thom Martin - 3.11

Juan Beltre - 2.96

Sparky McNamara - 2.93

Donne Vina - 2.52

Rogers Torrealba - 2.26

Sidney Allen - 2.05

Hall Of Fame - Position Players Part 2

2011-07-12T07:15:00.000-07:00

So far we have -

Gary Thornton - 4.71

Rogers Torrealba - 2.26

Sparky McNamara - 2.93

Jorge Ortiz - 5.02

George Bowie - 4.32

Here are some more candidates mentioned in the world chat -

Sidney Allen

Win Shares Per Season - 2.05

A surprisingly low number for a big name. If you look at his ratings, though, he really wasn't elite. He's Harold Spradlin with better stamina and inferior vs. rhp. That being said, 600+ homers is hard to ignore.

Juan Beltre

Win Shares Per Season - 2.96

As a DH, Beltre may never get in. He batted an amazing .450 in season 7, a record that will never be broken. Still, he has two strikes against him - he's a DH and 2.96 may not be good enough

Donne Vina

Win Shares Per Season - 2.52

A good candidate but hurt by poor defense at SS.

Thom Martin

Win Shares Per Season - 3.11

A very good candidate that has no love in the vote. If the Hall lowers the WS threshhold to 3, he's got a chance.

Alex Johnson

Win Shares Per Season - 4.64

Johnson had a very good career at Catcher. He was average defensively, but outstanding at the plate with a career 1.030 OPS.

And, just for fun, 3 guys that have been talked about as sure-fire HOF'rs

Juan Johnson

Win Shares Per Season - 2.78

Wow! Juan is really hurt by the normalization. Can the hit king really be kept out?

Milton Simmons

Win Shares Per Season - 5.22

Sounds about right. Milton has been an amazing player for a long time. A lock for the HOF

Brent Sabel

Win Shares Per Season - 2.60

Another surprising number for a very good player. Hard to ignore all those awards.

Hall of Fame - Positional Players Win Shares

2011-07-11T11:13:00.000-07:00

Win Shares - Part 1

I'm not a numbers geek, but the concept is fairly straighforward. How many wins is a guy worth over the average player? To find out, you take the average statistical performance for a particular league in a particular season.

So for Sir Charles, for instance, I took the average player's stats from Seasons 1-9 and 13-16 from the NL, and 10-12 from the AL. Because that is exactly where and when he played.

This average player hit .272, hit doubles on .157 of at bats, triples on .024 of at bats, homers on .138 of at bats, and walks on .086 of at bats. I do this because now you are comparing Charles to a player from his league from his season. Each player is compared this way. Then you correct for positons (I just took the position that the player played the most)

One thing I added (and I'm not sure it is right to do so but it made sense to me) is to normalize the statistics to account for a "wins per season" metric. Should Charles' 214 at bats in season 17 count as a season? To account for this, I converted plate appearances to seasons. So, Sir Charles had 9,708 plate appearances. To convert this into seasons, I divided it by 648 (4 appearances per game x 162 games/year) to get how many "seasons" he played. I liked this beacuase a "win per plate appearance" sounds boring.

Thanks to WIS, plate appearances aren't readily available. I only got Sir Charles' because he is on teh all-time leaders list. Thankfully, so is Sir Eddie. I averaged their HBP/SF/SH and came up with the guess that each player will have .0175 more plate appearances than AB's plus BB's. Are we clear? Good.

Now to the good stuff.

First a look at who is in -

1. Sir Charles Lawrence

Sir Charles is the gold standard. He played 17 seasons and won 8 MVP's

Win Shares Per Season - 6.38

2. Rollie Walker

The catcher by which all others are measured (at least until Clifton makes it in)

Win Shares Per Season - 4.51

3. Eddie Reese

Ah, the good old days with Eddie batting clean-up for yours truly.

Win Shares Per Season - 4.48

4. Adam Lansing

The original Hangover and, some may say, the one that started the dynasty.

Win Shares Per Season - 4.34

OK, so you can see that, aside from Sir Freak, all HOF'rs are worth around 4.3-4.5 wins per season. This, I believe, is the barrier to entry for the Hall.

Now, to the Candidates

Gary Thornton

Win Shares Per Season - 4.71

Wow! Who would have thunk it? Take one look at his season 1 ratings - he was a special player. But he only played the equivalent of 6 ML seasons.

Rogers Torrealba

Win Shares Per Season - 2.26

He had a lot of support last season, and he is an 8-time all-star and one time MVP. If you belive in win shares, Torreabla is not HOF worthy.

Sparky McNamara

Win Shares Per Season - 2.93

Sparky was a plus defender that was integral to the Hangover dynasty. He has two rings to show for his trouble.

Jorge Ortiz

Win Shares Per Season - 5.02

Ortiz is in the same boat as Thornton - should someone with just the equivalent of just 7 seasons played be in the HOF? Win shares says yes, league has said a resounding "no" so far.

George Bowie

Win Shares Per Season - 4.97

Bowie appeared in only 3 all-star games, which seems to indicate that he doesn't have much of a chance for the Hall. However, win shares really likes him, and he is HOF-worthy.

Free Agency Analysis

2011-07-11T06:37:00.000-07:00

What a week. Here are the top contracts for SP's.

1. Jeff Woods, 5 yrs $91 million

2. Luis Azocar, 5 years $80 million

3. Bill Elster, 5 yrs $79 million

4. Richard Aoki, 5 yrs $54 million

5. Otto Podsednik, 5 yrs $30 million

And here are the top ones for position players

1. Zach Page 5 yrs, $103 million

2. Rafael Soriano 5 yrs, $100 million

3. Clinton Clifton 4 yrs, $62 million

4. Keith Roosevelt 5 yrs, $60 million

5. Bingo O'Donnell 5 yrs, $30 million

These are all very good players, but some signings are better than others. The ones I like, in order - Clifton, Elster, O'Donnell. However, these were not the only good moves. Here are some more:

Victor Pichardo 4 yrs, $20 million

Bob Blum 3 yrs, $22 million

Carl Peterman 3 yrs, $15 million

Daniel Reitsma 3 yrs, $15 million

In the end, it's a very subjective and incomplete list. Subjective because I value qualities others may not, and incomplete becuase some of the best moves are yet to happen. This is the time when the best teams get tremendous value as salary demands plummet. With that said, here are my top off-season movers and why I like what they did -

1. Dover

SHOTGUN signed 7 guys this offseason - 2 SP's, 3 RP's, and a LF, RF, and SS. All three position players should start, with Bingo O'Donnell a major upgrade. On the pitching side, Otto Podsednik was good value in a very expensive SP market. Henry Green should replace Peterman as his Closer.

2. Memphis

It is hard to ignore the major moves of bencap. He signed a future HOF'r in Clifton, a solid top of the rotation guy in Azocar, and a nice bullpen piece in Acosta. Did he spend too much? Yes, but his budget is huge so who cares? He had a strategy and executed it.

3. San Antonio

While others were going nuts on the 79+ rated SP's, teacherjt quitely signed three solid 2,3,4 SP's in Junior Lopez, Jonathan Eiland, and Wilkin Santana. Maddie's really likes Lopez. Well done.

Finally, if I may, I will describe my Free Agent odyssey. Every year, the day before Free Agency begins, I plug the top 150 players and the top 150 pitchers into Maddie's Team Management. While not perfect, Maddie's helps me make sense of the enormous volume of guys on the market. It gives me an overall rating, an offensive rating, and a defensive rating for players, and a pitching rating for pitchers. It also allows for me to sort quicker than the free agency page. Most of all, it allows for me to track when players salaries drop, which indicates that a player has no offers on the table.

I was set for the season on the pitching side, but needed a catcher, 1B, and LF. I had budgeted enough money for a run at one of the top guys, and I quickly targeted Page and Roosevelt. Both of these guys are plus hitters, and I could have made myself much better defensively with their addition. I first offered Roosevelt, and led for much of the time. I think that once one of the top SP's signed, Salem moved on to him and I couldn't compete. At that point, I offered Page and quickly realized that I didn't have the firepower.

So I went to Plan B. Maddie's really liked two guys that were not being pursued by anyone - Aurelio Alvarez and Max Marin. I offered their demands and they both accepted.

Then, I went back to my board and watched. I had my eye on 4 players: Victor Pichardo, Ramiro Colon, Clayton Mullin, and a pleyer that is still a FA and won't be named - in that order. I lost out on Pichardo because I didn't give him another year, and in hindsight I would have signed him for the same contract that he ended up signing with Montreal. I offered Colon and Mullin once Pichardo signed and they immediately accepted. Mullin will start at Catcher and Colon will start vs. lefties and backup 2B, 1B, DH, LF, and RF. Plus, I took him from division rival Boston.

If I could do it all over, I would have not signed Alvarez and Marin so early. One good strategy is to set your targets before FA starts and not check in until Day 3. This keeps you fron overspending. If I had done this, I would have likely signed Pichardo, Mullin, and Bingo O'Donnell, a player that had no interest despite being an MVP candidate (I remember voting with him on the list at least twice). Interestingly, his demands didn't drop until recently, which is unusual.

So there you have it. There are still some very good deals out there for those sitting on the sidelines.

Free Agency Day 3

2011-07-08T12:41:00.000-07:00

Some big signings

1. Zach Page, Salem, 5 yrs $103 million with a no trade clause

Analysis - Wow, what a contract. Page is a gold glove 3B, multiple all-star, ace top of the order bat, and durable enough for 650 at bats every year. He will continue to do as much for another 3 seasons, at least. The question on this contract is whether or not he will hold up in years 4 and 5. He is a career .289 hitter with 146 homers and 628 runs batted in.

2. Keith Roosevelt, Salem, 5 yrs, $60 million

Analysis - Much better bang for the buck than Page. Roosevelt is an average defensive CF, but would be an elite LF, RF, 1B. He has batted .278 with 165 homers and 586 runs batted in. He has very good contact and power, and just average splits. He is only 29 so should produce for all 5 seasons of the contract.

3. Luis Azocar, Memphis, 5 yrs $70 million

Analysis - Azocar is a 31 year old SP with a career record of 108-63 and a career ERA of 3.94. He has very good stamina, control, velocity, and pitches. He is a pure grounball pitcher, but only has average splits. A good fit in Memphis.

4. Jeff Woods, Louisville, $91 million with a player option

Analysis - Woods was the premier SP on the market, and he will bring good value in the first two years of the contract. He is 221-113 with an ERA of 3.83. He is an older version of Azocar with better splits. He does possess elite makeup, so it isn't out of the question that he will finish out his contract in Louisville if the owner prioritizes his medical and training budget.

5. B.C. Vincente, Oklahoma City, 4 year $23 million

Analysis - A good pick-up for OKC, Vincente is 107-84 with an ERA of 4.52. He makes up for average spits with amazing control and a good variety of quality pitches. Not a bad signing considering all of the money being throws at SP's.

6. Victor Pichardo, Montreal, 4 years $20 million.

Analysis - Victor meet Henry, Henry, Victor. An on base machine, Pichardo will score plenty of runs in the high-powered Montreal offense. He is durable, but is only limited to 1B and DH. Those wanting to improve their team take notes on this deal. This is the best offensive player on this list, and it isn't close.

Free Agency Day 2

2011-07-07T06:31:00.000-07:00

Some starting pitching goes off of the board.......

1. Bill Elster, New Britain, 5 yrs. $79 million

Analysis - Many though that Elster was the top pitcher on the board. He's a 30 yr old lefty with elite stamina, vs left, and velocity. He has great control and a good variety of quality pitches. The only knock on him is that he struggles vs righties, but he is still a lock as a #1 SP. He is 112-91 with an ERA of 3.83.

2. Richard Aoki, Helena, 4 yrs $64 million

Analysis - Father Time Aoki just signed his 6th post-arbitration contract. He leads (or is likely to lead) almost every career "volume" category: strikeouts, games started, complete games, innings, and losses. He's a durable, dependable top of the rotation guy, the question remains for how long. He is 234-197 with an ERA of 3.89

3. Otto Podsednik, Dover, 5 yrs $30 million

Analysis - Podesednik is a #2 or #3 SP with very good stamina, sontrol, vs lefties, and velocity. he will struggle at times with righties, but should produce for all 5 seasons due to his elite makeup. He is 34-32 with a 4.52 ERA.

4. Daniel Reitsma, Buffalo, 3 yrs, $15 million

Analysis - Reitsma is a very good closer, with great splits and pitches. He gets in troune at times with his control, and has 185 career saves. A good pickup by the always crafty meece.

Free Agency Day 1

2011-07-06T05:49:00.000-07:00

Day One is where one of two things happens - a guy has his contract demands met and no other suiters, or there are multiple bids on the table and one is far superior. Some big signings, let's get to it

1. Rafael Soriano, Baltimore, 5 yrs $100 million with a player option in year 5 and a no trade clause

Analysis - Baltimore came strong and got their man. Soriano is a highly rated player that is only 28 years old. He has 80's accross the board defensively and above averge offensive numbers. He is good for 162 games with excellent durability and health. He'll be an averge SS and an elite 3B for the Elite Giants. Amazingly, he has never won an awards, but that should change with a move to the AL and a better batter's park.

2. Clinton Clifton, Memphis, 4 yrs $64 million

Analysis - Memphis also came on strong and got their #1 target. Clifton is one of the most decorated players in the game and a likely first ballot HOF'r. He has begun his power decline, and it will accelerate with his average makeup, but he should be good for MVP consideration. The move to the NL is also a surprise as he can only play catcher for 1 or 2 more seasons. Additionally, AutoZone park presents to challenges for power hitters. In any event, with this signing, Memphis believes that its time is now while Houston regroups.

3. Bob Blum, Buffalo, 3 yrs $22.5 million

Analysis - With some of the big signings, Blum flew under the radar and is a very good signing for the Bisons. With good power and speed, Blum is a good defensive 2B that is a threat for 30/30. Only 29, Blum should start and produce for all 3 seasons.

4. Aurelio Alvarez, Durham, 4 yrs $24 million

Analysis - Alvarez will benefit mightily with a move from cavernous Aloha Stadium to the launching pad of Durham Bulls Park. His career OPS of .816 is likely to increase by .100 points and he should have plenty of runs to knock in. Only 29, Alvarez has above 80 power and contact, and above 60 splits and eye.

5. Angel Bonilla, Helena, 2 yrs $15 million

Analysis - The vagabond's career continues with his 4th post-arbitration contract. At this point in his career, he is a better LF or 2B than CF, but his glove is elite. He's also good for 25 homers/year. He'll be good this year and average next, but Helena sees a window and he will certainly help.

Season 20 Free Agency Review

2011-07-05T07:36:00.001-07:00

Here were the big signings last season and how they panned out. Is Elster better than Ramsey? Is Soriano better than Delgado?

1. Sandy Ramsey 5 yrs, 81 million

Ramsey went 11-11, with an ERA of 3.72 and a WHIP of 1.22 for a playoff team.

2. Louie Delgado 5 yrs, 102 million

Delgado was an all-star and silver slugger in season 20. He batted .273, with 37 homers and 116 RBI's.

Maddies Top Free Agents - Pitchers

2011-07-04T07:44:00.000-07:00

Starting Pitchers

1.Bill Elster - 94.34
2.Jeff Woods - 89.66
3. Richard Aoki - 87.53
4. Junior Lopez - 86.37
5. Luis Azocar - 85.67

Relief Pitchers
1. Carl Peterman - 93.20
2.Daniel Reitsma - 92.97
3. Troy Whitehill - 91.61
4. Nicholas Mathews - 89.66
5. Albie Torres - 78.13

Maddie's Top Free Agents - Position Players

2011-07-04T07:34:00.000-07:00

Top Overall
1. Zach Page - 106.31
2. Rafael Soriano - 105.12
3. Keith Roosevelt - 102.55
4. Clinton Clifton - 100.89
5. Allen Nichols - 100.07

Top Offensive
1. Clinton Clifton - 77.19
2. Max Marin - 74.51
3. Allen Nichols - 74.49
4. Bingo O'Donnell - 73.03
5. Zach Page - 72.34

Top Defensive
1. Ivan Pena - 40.07
2. Luther Cox - 38.42
3. Antone Helton - 37.98
4. Frank Lewis - 37.78
5. Pedro Flores - 37.44

Season 21 WS Champ Montreal - How They Did It, Budget

2011-07-01T07:20:00.000-07:00

If you want to win in this game, learn from the best, and there is little argument that nhollan is one of the two most successful owners in our league. Let's take a look at his Season 20 Budget

Players
83 million was spent on players, 7 more than the league average. No transfers were made to/from this budget, which indicates good planning, execution, and restraint.

Prospects
Season 21 will likely be the 6th straight year that nhollan has spent "0" on international prospects and just enough to sign his draft picks (6). The league averages for these categories were 10 and 17 respectively. On these two categories alone, he saved 21 million vs. the rest of the league.

This was/is a very wise strategy as it takes an incredible amount of money alloted to both prospects and international scouts, not to mention player salary transfers, in order to secure a top international prospect. Even then, there is no guarantee that you will even see the elite prospects. It takes a commitment, however, as you can only decrease/increase so much per year.

To make up for a lack of international prospects, nhollan counted on the draft. He spent 15 million on high school scouts (league average is 13) and 16 million on college scouts (league average of 13). He also used trades to build his system through an advance scouting budget of 15, which was right at the league average.

Coaches
He used most of his 10 million (league average is 11) in coaches on 90+ hitting and pitching coaches. The rest of his ML coaches were 750k or less. What's interesting is that he has basically punted on his bench coach for multiple seasons in a row, so it is clearly a strategy to not spend money on a bench coach.

Training/Medical
nhollan is also a believer in spending on training and medical, hitting the max for 6straight seasons. His medical budget was 5 million higher than average, and his training was 4 higher. This is a very good strategy for older/WS contending teams, as you can hold ratings much longer in veterans, and still improve your younger guys. Additionally, injuries aren't as devastating on ratings and recoveries are better.

10 Season Club

2011-07-01T07:14:00.000-07:00

1530 welcomes the following to the 10 or more club:

kylepeak72 - 703-755, 1 division title, 3 playoff appearances
kevmax 100 - 664-794

Season 21 Begins

2011-07-01T06:54:00.000-07:00

Welcome to frank510us! He takes over his former team and is our only new owner this season. Frank made the playoffs in 5 of his 7 seasons, winning the Season 14 WS.

Congrats to Montreal!

2011-06-28T10:23:00.000-07:00

Montreal defeats Honolulu in 7. This is his 4th WS championship and 3rd since Season 13. Will he be able to repeat without Woods and/or Clifton?

Cy Young Analysis - OPS Allowed/WAR

2011-06-23T11:02:00.000-07:00

Here's a look at the OPS Allowed for the candidates. The argument is that the only things that a pitcher can truly control are how many people he allows on base, and the slugging percventage of those players that he faces.

The number represents the difference between the average pitcher's OPS allowed, and the candidate's OPS allowec.

For refeencve, Season 19 AL Cy Young winner J.R. Beckett was .224 better than the average AL pitcher, and NL winner Miguel Vazquez was .184 better than the average NL pitcher.

AL

1. Adam Tucker - .236*

2. Jeff Woods - .120

3. Richard Aoki - .081

4. Alexi Terrero - .075

5. Wade Redmond - .069

*Tucker is a reliever, so some may have a problem with how he compares here. But if you are not opposed to voting a releiver as Cy Young, then he would not be a bad choice.

NL

1. Randy Broome - .150

2. Victor Merrick - .124

3. Art Wingo - .121

4. Lorenzo Ordaz - .082

5. Wilson Simas - .040

WAR

AL

1. Tarerro - 7.2
2. Aoki - 5.6
3. Redmond - 5.5
4. Woods - 5.4
5. Tucker - 4.6

NL

1. Broome - 6.2
2. Simas - 4.7
3. Merrick - 4.5
4. Ordaz - 3.8
5. Wingo - 2.7

MVP Analysis

2011-06-21T10:57:00.000-07:00

AL

Win Shares

1.Benji Neill - 4.91
2. Wendell Reed - 4.51
3. Henry Wise - 4.43
4. Sergio Dupler - 3.30
5. Kenny Evans - 2.78

Wins Above Replacement
1. Benji Neill - 9.5
2. Wendell Reed - 8-9
3. Henry Wise - 7.9
4. Sergio Dupler - 6.5
5. Kenny Evans - 4.8

NL

Win Shares
1. Mack Shields - 3.63
2. Ken Daly - 3.54
3. Orlando Maduro - 3.41
4. Bingo O'Donnell - 2.63
5. Luis Morales - 2.55

Wins Above Replacement
1.Ken Daly - 6.4
2-T. Bingo O'Donnell - 5.8
2-T. Mack Shields - 5.8
4. Luis Morales - 4.5
5. Orlando Maduro - 4.0

Season 21 Top Free Agents (Starting Pitchers)

2011-06-21T07:18:00.001-07:00

According to Maddies Team Management and the Season 21 Free Agent Board

1. Bill Elster
Overall Rating - 84
Season 21 Age - 30
W-L - 112-91, 3.83 ERA
Awards - 1-time all star

2. Jeff Woods
Overall Rating - 83
Season 21 Age - 34
W-L - 221-113, 3.83 ERA
Awards - 7-time all star, 1-time gold glove

3. Junior Lopez
Overall Rating - 71
Season 21 Age - 30
W-L - 45-31, 3.98 ERA
Awards - 1-time all star

4. Luis Azocar
Overall Rating - 79
Season 21 Age - 31
W-L - 108-63, 3.94 ERA
Awards - 1-time all star

5. B.C. Vincente
Overall Rating - 75
Season 21 Age - 30
W-L - 107-84, 4.52 ERA
Awards - 3-time all star

Season 21 Top Free Agents (Position Players)

2011-06-21T07:00:00.000-07:00

According to Maddies Team Management anf the Season 21 Free Agent Report

1. Zach Page - 106.68 OVL, 72.71 OFF, 33.97 DEF
Overall Rating - 89
Season 21 Age - 30
Position - 3B
Awards - 6-time all star, 2-time gold glove

2. Orlando Maduro - 106.48 OVL, 73.40 OFF, 33.08 DEF
Overall Rating - 83
Season 21 Age - 32
Position - 2B
Awards - 3-time all star, 3-time silver slugger, 1-time gold glove

3. Rafael Soriano - 105.43 OVL, 69.91, 35.52 DEF
Overall Rating - 90
Season 21 Age - 28
Position - SS
Awards - None

4. Keith Roosevelt - 102.74 OVL, 72.20 OFF, 30.54 DEF
Overall Rating - 83
Season 21 Age - 29
Position - CF
Awards - 1-time all-star, 1-time gold glove

5. Clinton Clifton - 101.97 OVL, 78.14 OFF, 23.83 DEF
Overall Rating - 84
Season 21 Age - 33
Position - C
Awards - 10-time all star, 5-time MVP, 10-time silver slugger, 2-time gold glove

LCS Preview

2011-06-21T05:41:00.000-07:00

AL

#1 Boston vs. #2 Montreal

Path to the LCS - Boston beat Scottsdale in 5, Montreal beat Philadelphia in 5.

Top 10 - Boston finished at #1, Montreal at #2

Regular Season - Series split 5-5, Montreal +10 Run Differential

Pitching Matchups -

Game 1 - Preston Forster vs. Alexi Terrero

Game 2 - Jeff Woods vs. Victor Sierra

Game 3 - Sammy Iglesias vs. Wade Redmond

Game 4 - TBD
Game 5 - TBD
Game 6 - TBD
Game 7 - TBD

Prediction - This one should go the distance. Boston has the advantage offensivly, but Montreal has the better pitching staff. This may come down to Boston's players being more rested, and something tells me it's time for the Tea Partiers to gat back to the WS - Boston in 7

NL

#5 Honolulu vs. #2 Chicago

Path to the LCS - Honolulu beat Cleveland in 4 and Memphis in 4. Chicago beat Helena in 5.

Top 10 - Honolulu finished as the top ranked NL team at #5, Chicago was second at #6.

Regular Season - Honolulu won 6 of 10 games, with a +15 Run differential

Pitching Matchups

Game 1 - Randy Broome vs. Wascar Franco

Game 2 - Art Wingo vs. Cesar Reyes

Game 3 - Marvin Wilkinson vs. Spud Hughes
Game 4 - TBD
Game 5 - TBD
Game 6 - TBD
Game 7 - TBD

Prediction - This one is also going the distance. Both pitching staffs rely on two aces, and they should be able top cancel each other out. It will come down to offense, and Chicago has the advantage. If Honolulu steals one early, they would be the favorite to sweep in their pitching freindly home field. Honolulu in 7

DPS Game 5

2011-06-20T05:53:00.000-07:00

Three series going the distance to see who will join Honolulu.

AL

1. Montreal Garde Imperiale vs. Philadelphia Bacharach Giants

Series Summary - Philly got off to a 1-0 lead and saved their playoff lives by coming from 4 runs down to win game 4.

Pitching Matchups - Sammy Iglesias vs. Benji Rosa

Prediction - Rosa got the win in game 1 but has not had a very good postseason otherwise. Iglesias got the win in Game 2, giving up 3 runs in the process. Offensively, Henry Wise has been a terror with 12 RBI's and an OPS over 2.000. For Philly, Ryan Blake has stood out, but he is now on the DL. I'm taking Montreal in a squeaker, with Wise taking player of the game.

2. Boston Tea Partiers vs. Scottsdale Sidewinders

Series Summary - Boston was on the ropes after games 1 and 3 but has fought back with wins on both occasions.

Pitching matchups - Victor Sierra vs. Sal Clarkson

Prediction - There is no question that the pitching matchup favors Boston. Sierra has been very good and Clarkson has been a disaster. However, the SIM can do crazy things and a gem from Sal is not out of the question. Offensivley, Kelly Hinch has carried the Sidewinders and was 3-4 in Game 2 vs. Sierra. For Boston, Wendell Reed is the key - he has been slumping but had a very good day against Clarkson. My guess is Boston in a shutout with Sierra taking player of the game.

NL

1. Helena Hustle vs. Chicago Black Sox

Series Summary - Chicago got out to a 1-0 lead with an extra innings win and then lost games 2 and 3 before shutting out Helena in game 4.

Pitching Matchups - Ezdra Mateo vs. Cesar Reyes

Prediction - Mateo has yet to face Chicago in the playoffs but got hammered by LA. Reyes got the start in game 2 and went 8 giving up only 3. Offensively, Mack Shields has been very good for Chicago, batting .353. For Helena, Francis Herzog is the key, and they will need him in order to have a chance in this one. I'm taking Helena, with Herzog taking advantage of Reyes' struggles vs. lefties and claiming player of the game.

Final Rankings

2011-06-15T07:09:00.000-07:00

1. Boston Tea Partiers (106-56) - AL East Champion and #1 Seed in AL Playoffs

2. Montreal Garde Imperiale (99-63) - AL North Champion and #2 Seed in AL Playoffs

3. Durham Tar Heels (102-60) - Wild Card #1 and #5 Seed in AL Playoffs

4. Philadelphia Bacharach Giants (100-62) - Wild Card #2 and #6 Seed in AL Playoffs

5. Honolulu Tropics (96-66) - Wild Card #1 and #5 Seed in NL Playoffs

6. Chicago Black Sox (97-65) - NL East Champion and #2 Seed in NL Playoffs

7. Los Angeles Hollywoods (97-65) - NL West Champion and #3 Seed in NL Playoffs

8. Memphis Blue's (100-62) - NL South Champion and #1 Seed in the NL Playoffs

9. Jacksonville Timucuan's (95-67) - AL South Champion and #3 Seed in the AL Playoffs

10. Cleveland Wahoos (86-76) - NL North Champion and #4 Seed in the NL Playoffs