2014 Eastern Division Analysis

 

Philadelphia Black Sox

Starting Staff:

Madison Bumgarner (A-No-Z), who they mortgaged the farm for, heads this staff. Hyun-Jin Ryu (B-Z) is a solid # 2 starter. Chris Tillman and A.J.Burnett, both (B-No Z’s) form the back end of the rotation with Sonny Gray (A-No-Z, 64 IP), the occasional # 5 man. Mark Buehrle (C-Z) will probably do most of his work out of the pen. Down on the farm is Jarred Cosart (A-W, 60 IP) teamed up with a trio of (D-No-Z’s) in C.C.Sabathia, Ian Kennedy and Josh Beckett, who the Sox hope are all rebound candidates. Joining them are Michael Pineda who is without a card this year and a pair of un-carded youngsters in A.J.Cole and Robert Stepheson.

 

Bullpen:

Brandon Kintzler or Glen Perkins both (A*-Z’s) will share the closer duties unless the former is favored because he has more innings. Mike Dunn, J.P.Howell and Blake Parker, all (A*- No Z’s) will do the setup honors. Support for this group will be Boone Logan (B*-Z). There are exactly “zero” relievers in their minor league system.

 

Catchers:

A.J. Pierzynski (C-8) will be the primary receiver because of his number of at bats. He will be backed up by Geovany Soto (C-7), who gives them a little more offensive fire power, but has just 163 at bats.

 

Infield:

James Loney, 1B-5, who they almost apologetically drafted, will play first and with his defensive grade and his 55-7, is certainly playable but a little devoid of power at a position that usually dictates a long ball hitter. 2B-7 Scooter Gennett has a nice APBA card but is limited with his 213 at bats so long time Black Sox Chase Utley, (2B-7) will get the call half the time when he is not utilized as the DH. A still productive Aramis Ramirez (3B-3) will man the hot corner but with only 304 at bats he will have to be used judiciously with only Fred Galvis, (3B-4 SS-8 2B-8 OF-2) in reserve. Yunel Escobar, SS-9, who with his non-thrilling OPS of .698, will be the shortstop. Ryan Howard, 1B-3, will be the primary DH with Utley picking up the slack. All defensive substitutions will involve the only reserve infielder, the aforementioned Fred Galvis, who is fine with his glove work but a liability with the bat. On the farm is 1B-4 Logan Morrison, who they have patiently waited for his potential to be fulfilled and 1B-5 Mark Teixeira who is coming off a troublesome wrist injury. Also in the bushes is Cuban Non-Card, Alex Guerrero. The Dodgers were less than enthralled with his glove so he was optioned to the minors although he is deemed MLB ready at the plate.

 

Outfield:

Defensively challenged outfielders Mike Carp, OF-1 1B-3 and Matt Holliday OF-1 will see plenty of action with the former limited by his 216 at bats. Hunter Pence, OF-2, is solid at one of the outfield slots with Craig Gentry, one of the best on-base cards in the draft, in reserve with just 246 at bats. There are a host of fly chasers on the minor league roster. Yoenis Cespedes, Andy Dirks and Ryan Ludwick, all OF-2’s lead the parade with Junior Lake OF-1 and non-carded David Dahl joining them.

 

Draft Analysis:

Sonny Gray, a hot commodity among most ZSABL skippers was chosen in the 1st round. This scribe was not impressed with his minor league stats but watched him pitch very effectively down the stretch on the Major league level. He is an (A) so it can’t hurt. The 2nd round saw them grab Kintzler an (A*-Z), you need one and with Perkins they now have two. They had no 3rd rounder but with their two 4th round picks they added an outfield duo of Mike Carp and Craig Gentry, both solid choices. Loney lasting until the 5th was an easy choice but the Sox skipper could be seen contemplating his decision. Gennett arrived in the 6th and it was rumored he could go as high as the 1st round and probably no later than the 2nd so that was a bonus selection. The 7th,8th and 9th gave Philly three A*-No Z’s in Mike Dunn, J.P.Howell and Blake Parker. They went un-carded in the 10th with Cuban secondbaseman Alex Guerrero who did not make the LA Dodger roster because of his fielding deficiency. (B*-Z) Boone Logan was still there in the 11th, another bonus because of the dearth of B*-Z’s relievers in the draft. Mark Buehrle, a former B-Sox, was taken in the 12th, who is tied for 13th among all ZSABL pitchers with 113 losses, much to the delight of the Commissioner. Un-Carded P Robert Stephenson was taken in the 13th and Junior Lake who was very productive in spring training with the power department was taken in the 14th to round out their draft.

 

Synopsis:

As usual the Philly GM did a great job of addressing their needs. They are however “long in the tooth”, the oldest team in the East. They only have the 4th best lineup in the division, a single percentage point ahead of the 5th, with a glaring hole at short although Escobar’s SS-9 may compensate for it. Limited at bats for Ramirez and Gennett will make it difficult with only Galvis as a reserve infielder as Utley will be needed to occupy the DH spot. The outfield depth on the active roster is currently non-existent although there is some help in the minors. There are a bunch of “hands of stone” throughout the defensive alignment. Ramirez 3B-3, Utley, Gennett both 2B-7 and OF-1 in Carp and Holliday. Galvis can only plug one of those holes at a time. Just one (Z) in the rotation and a porous defense will relegate them to fourth place, not so much because of the Black Sox roster but because of three “weaker brothers” in the division.

 

 

Sherwood Forest Machine

Starting Staff:

Two rock solid 190+ IP B-Z’s in Hiroki Kuroda and Mike Leake headline this rotation. Jose Quintana (B-No Z), part of the package in the off-season Bumgarner trade, will be the # 3 guy. Johnny Cueto (B-No-Z 60 IP) will start the season as # 4. Obviously with his 60 IP, the call to the minors will summon one from a group of three (B) pitchers down there. Henderson Alvarez (B-No-Z), has the most IP at 102, Ervin Santana has a (B-Z) but just 62 IP or Jaime Garcia (B-No-Z 55 IP). The Machine will utilize the trio at some point during the season, as has been their usual Method of Operation the last few seasons. Offering no help whatsoever are farmhands (D-Z) John Danks and (D-No-Z) Erasmo Ramirez. It is not inconceivable that the pair will be forced to log some innings near the end of the year.

 

Bullpen:

The Machine will rely on their pen, which contains almost all the letters of the alphabet except the dreaded (W), to bail then out of trouble. They have a stud in Edward Mujica (A*-ZZ). Supporting him are Louis Coleman (A&B*-Z), Javier Lopez (A&C*-Z), Tanner Scheppers (A&C*-No Z) and Joe Smith (A*-No-Z). Added bullpen depth comes in the form of two (B*-Z’s) in Rafael Soriano and James Russell. None-Carded and injury prone Casey Kelly rounds out the staff.

 

Catchers:

Russell Martin (C-8), called by his skipper as the “best player in baseball” is the starter even though Derek Norris  (C-7) provides a little more pop with a .050 boost in OPS.  In the minors is Jesus Montero (C-7) who continues to be an enigma even as he came over to Sherwood from Norfolk..

 

Infield:

Three fourths of the Infield are World Class in 1B-5 Joey Votto, 3B-5 Evan Longoria and SS-9 Troy Tulowitzski. Neil Walker 2B-8, no slouch in his own right, completes this dynamic group. The reserves include 1B-2 OF-1 Lucas Duda who maybe employed as the full time DH and the returning, after a two year hiatus, Jonathan Herrera SS-8 2B-7 3B-4 OF-1. Down on the farm there is plenty of help although with such a star-studded cast they probably will not be needed. They include Chris Owings SS-7, who they hope can be another “Tulo”, 1B-4 Daric Barton who the Machine would like to evolve into another “Nick Johnson”, former “Star of the Future” Ike Davis 1B-3, Matt Dominguez 3B-4 whose potential is fast being realized, Grant Green 2B-7, still waiting to fulfill his and Timothy Beckham 2B-7 whose season was curtailed by injury.

 

Outfield:

Shin-Soo Chin OF-2 is the best of this lot with Jayson Heyward OF-3 seemingly on the cusp of stardom, one of the other starters. The third slot will be filled by the likes of Corey Dickerson OF-2 and Austin Jackson OF-3 with OF-1 Carlos Quentin, when he is not DH-ing. Jon Jay OF-2 provides some depth. In the bushes are un-carded Joc Pederson, a rare foray into the “cookie jar” by Sherwood and OF-3 B.J.Upton coming off of a disastrous campaign.

 

Draft Analysis:

They did not pick until the 3rd round, and there they selected the young Arizona SS Chris Owings. In the 4th they got Corey Dickerson, who many had predicted would go earlier. A pair of 5th rounder’s netted them Tanner Scheppers, who looks like he will be in the Texas Ranger rotation and Henderson Alvarez who pitched well for Florida/Miami last year. Their next pick was in the 8th and they chose Javier Lopez an A&C*-Z 39 IP, who was still on the board. A rare un-carded selection in Pederson arrived in the 9th. Herrera in the 10th provides backup at every infield position and their last pick in the 11th was Louis Coleman, a A&B*-Z, albeit with limited IP.

 

Synopsis:

Hitting the ball is the name of the game. Sherwood trails only Brooklyn in offensive prowess. Juggling the back end of a rotation with limited IP is “old hat” to the Sherwood management. A well-stocked bullpen with a rally killer like Mujica with the (Double Z) only adds to the staff’s effectiveness. The outfield although seems a little short in firepower. Even with the “best player in baseball” they might not get enough hitting from their catching corps.  I do not see the Machine hoisting their 5th consecutive pennant to the rafters of Nottingham Stadium but a near miss is in the cards. Division runner-ups still make the playoffs and they will get the opportunity to play in their 5th straight ZSABL World Series.

 

Brooklyn Metropolitans

Starting Staff:

Grade A starter Jose Fernandez followed by Grade B starters Mat Latos, Homer Bailey and Stephen Strasburg are the Big Four, they all share the same trait, none of them have a (Z). At the back end of the rotation are two B-W’s in Tony Cingrani and Zack Wheeler along with C-Z Matt Garza who may be used just in mop-up roles. In the minors are Erik Johnson (B-No-Z 27 IP), Tim Lincecum (C-No-Z) and (D-No-Z) Tyler Skaggs.

 

Bullpen:

Mariano Rivera (A&C*-Z), in his final season, will do the closing honors. Two (A*-Z’s) in Jim Johnson and Chad Qualls will set him up. Aroldis Chapman (A*-W) will bridge the gap in between. Down on the farm is Chad Jenkins B(A*)-Z with 33 innings. Un-Carded Carlos Rodon completes the staff.

 

Catchers:

Wilin Rosario (C-6),who has some pop as evident by his 39 homers last year in the ZSABL, will play almost everyday with Yasmani Grandal (C-7), plagued by injuries and PED suspensions. as the back-up.

 

Infield:

The corner positions are more than ably filled with Paul Goldschmidt (1B-5) and Manny Machado (3B-6). Miguel Cabrera will be the DH with his 1.078 OPS. The Captain, Derek Jeter, was jettisoned during the draft paving the way for Stephen Drew SS-8 who they acquired over the winter for Adrian Beltre. A pair of 2B-7 in Brad Miller and Anthony Rendon will vie for playing time at the keystone position. On the bench is Victor Martinez 1B-2 and a tandem of shortstops in Jonathan Villar SS-7 and Alcides Escobar SS-8. On the farm is Lonnie Chisenhall 3B-4, Rickie Weeks 2B-6 along with 2B-6 Jonathan Schoop. Non-Carded Addison Russell and Cub prospect Kris Bryant will join them.

 

Outfield:

If there is a weak spot in Brooklyn it is here in the outfield, Will Myers OF-2 is the best but it drops off dramatically from there. Andre Ethier and Dexter Fowler, both OF-2’s are the next ones in line to start. Michael Brantley OF-3 will see his fair share of playing time. In the bushes are Alejandro De Aza OF-2 and Peter Bourjos OF-3. Un-Carded Austin Meadows and George Springer bide their time with the latter looking like a “can’t miss prospect”.

 

Draft Analysis:

They selected Brad Miller in the 1st and with Jeter’s retirement and the way he performed in spring training it was a nice selection. Un-Carded Bryant in the 2nd may have been a tad too high as it looks like he is being converted to the outfield but there is no disputing his power. Addison Russell, in the 3rd, , was being projected as an earlier pick so the Metropolitans got a break there. Qualls in the 4th was a nice solid pick, an A*-Z with innings that late is always a bonus. Rodon, a NC State Junior arrived in the 5th, rumors that the “Met”s have been watching him since Junior High School are unfounded. Chad Jenkins in the 6th added some depth with his B(A*)-Z. Jonathan Schoop was a great 7th round pick IMHO. Un-Carded Meadows was chosen in the 8th. Erik Johnson was taken in the 9th and their final pick in the 10th was Jonathan Villar. Budget restraints continue to hinder the Brooklyn scouting system from taking a good look at any of the up and coming stars from the United Arab Emirates or the Octorara Area school district.

 

Synopsis:

Offensively the Metropolitans are the best in the East. The methodology used to arrive at that maybe skewed with the high OPS’s of Miggy and Goldschmidt but the fact is you still have to face them. No Z’s in the rotation is always a hindrance but their strong pen can offset that. The weak link in the outfield may pose a problem but it can be overcome with Skipper Turner’s straightforward approach to APBA baseball. All in all they are definitely a playoff team and without the “Curse of the Tarantino” to plague them they may make it to the World Series for the 2nd time in Franchise history. Their only appearance in the Championship series was Bill Clinton’s 2nd year in Office in 1994.

 

Rochester Rockers

Starting Staff:

The Rockers have an ace in Yu Darvish (A-No Z), 209 IP. Following him are Jered Weaver (B-Z 154 IP) and a trio of (B-No-Z’s) in Derek Holland, Patrick Corbin, both of whom have 200+ IP and Nathan Eovaldi with 106 IP. They must be planning on stretching them out because (C-Z’s) Eric Stults and Ross Detwiler will begin the year in the minors. Yovani Gallardo (C-No Z) and Trevor Bauer (D-W) join them. They also have Jenrry Mejia an (A-Z) starter with just 27 IP waiting for just the right opportunity. Its sort of puzzling with Stults, Detwiler and Gallardo starting the season in the bushes because the Rockers employed the strategy of pitching C’s in relief with great results enroute to their playoff run a year ago.

 

Bullpen:

Unlike last year the “Rock-Men” actually have some control artists in their pen. Kenly Jansen and Caleb Thielbar, both (A&C*-Z’s), although the latter has just 46 IP, will perform the closer duties. They are supported by (A*-No Z) Jim Henderson and the ancient Bruce Chen C(B*)-Z with his 121 IP and who offers a direct challenge to San Diego’s stranglehold on the league’s Games Pitched leader. Un-Carded Kyle Crick on the verge of making his MLB debut fills out the staff.

 

Catcher:

Salvador Perez C-8 and Matt Wieters C-9 make up an above average receiving corp.

 

Infield:

SS-8 Hanley Ramirez had a monster year with an OPS of 1.040 but has just 304 at bats. Josh Rutledge SS-8 2B-7, who suffered through a sophomore jinx year, will have to caddy for him. Adrian Gonzalez 1B-5, who had sort of a down year for him, will start at first base. Albert “Whose Star has Faded” Pujols 1B-3 will do the DH-ing. Michael Young 3B-3 has to start at the hot corner by default with Mark Ellis 2B-9 playing most of the time at second base. 2B-7 3B-3 Miguel Tejada who was inexplicably drafted will back up both 2B and 3B. Even more inexplicable was the addition of Paul Janish 3B-5 2B-8 SS-9, ostensibly to help out defensively, he with a .442 OPS. (Sorry Sammy). In the minors are David Freese 3B-3, Jurickson Profar 2B-7 3B-3 SS-7, Emilio Bonifacio 2B-7 OF-2 3B-3 SS-7 and Jordan Pacheco 1B-3 C-6  OF-1. Un-carded hopefuls include Mike Olt and Jon Singleton.

 

Outfield:

The outfield has a real stud in Mike Trout (OF-3) and Adam Jones (OF-3) will flank him, who is a stud in his own right and OF-2 Josh Hamilton, who they hope will return to form, round out the starting group.  Backing up that trio are Gerardo Parra OF-3 and Carl Crawford OF-2. In the minor league system are Jackie Bradley Jr. OF-2 and Cardinal phenom Oscar Taveras who is still un-carded.

 

Draft Analysis:

With their 1st round  pick they selected Patrick Corbin, who despite his Tommy John surgery sidelining him for this season, gives then a 200+ IP (B-No Z) starter with a nice upside although it will be year away before he can pitch again. They had no 2nd round but in the 3rd they took Bruce Chen, a 121 inning B-Z Reliever, almost like getting two for the price of one. Thielbar arrived in the 4th, an A*-Z is always a welcome addition. Their next pick was in the 7th and here they bolstered the pen with Jim Henderson (A*-No Z). No 8th but in the 9th they added Carlos Torres, a B-Z starter with 86 IP, unbelievably still available, although he is 32 years old.. A real head scratcher in the 11th when they announced Miguel Tejada, who has already announced his own retirement as well as having a mediocre APBA card. In the 12th, they made a nice choice in Jenrry Mejia, a A-Z with 27 IP. Their final pick was another confusing one as they picked Paul Janish, who indeed carries a nice glove but provides a big “zero” at the plate and has just 41 atbats.

 

Synopsis:

They have enough starting pitching and the back end of the bullpen is fine. Asking Bruce Chen to bridge the gap between the two every day might not be in his grasp. They will have to recall one or two of the C starters that are in the minors and I don’t know if they can catch “lightning in a bottle” two consecutive years living on that precarious edge of Grade C pitching in the ZSABL. Too many holes in the lineup with no bench support are a recipe for disaster. Like I said last year my Manager of the Year vote will go here if they earn a berth in the post season, which I did. Fifth place is my best prediction.

 

Las Vegas Crazy Horse

Starting Staff:

Joe Kelly (A-No Z 124 IP) is one starter. Chris Sale (B-Z) is the #2 man. Jon Lester and Andrew Cashner both (B-No Z’s) bring up the rear of the rotation. In the minors are Clay Buchholtz (A&C-No Z), Matt Moore (B-W), Corey Kluber (C-Z) and Yordano Ventura (B-No Z). All the farm hands will see action at some point in the season.

 

Bullpen:

A closer will be chosen from the group of Joaquin Benoit (A&C*-No Z) and a pair of  (A*-Z’s) in Drew Smyly and Huston Street. Jon Papelbon and Troy Patton, a tandem of (B*-Z’s) will pitch middle relief. Tyson Ross, C(B*-No-Z 125 IP) will get plenty of work. Addison Reed (B*-No-Z) will bide his time in the minors along with un-carded Archie Bradley.

 

Catchers:

Carlos Santana (C-7 1B-3) will start with .832 OPS, Chris Iannetta C-8 will back him up with un-carded Jorge Alforo in the bushes.

 

Infield:

Jean Segura SS-9, who they stole from Rochester last year will start at shortstop and his double-play partner will be Jedd Gyorko 2B-7 3B-3. Nolan Arenado 3B-5 will man the hot corner and across the diamond at first base will be Yonder Alonzo 1B-4. Billy Butler 1B-2 will be the DH. The reserves will be Nick Franklin 2B-7 SS-7 and Danny Descalso 2B-8 3B-4 SS-8. On the farm will be Justin Smoak 1B-3, Starlin Castro SS-8 and Dee Gordon SS-7 2B-6. Rougned Odor, an un-carded player, will join them. All in all a pretty good collection of infielders as the “Horsemen” will wait for them all to jell.

 

Outfield:

Bryce Harper OF-2 and Jacoby Ellsbury OF-3 will start for sure. Alex Gordon OF-3 should fill the third slot but Denard Span OF-3 and Jarrod Dyson OF-2 will see some PT there also. Josh Willingham OF-1, taken off the scrap heap from Hartford, hopefully will not have to set foot in the field and be content to pinch-hit and occasionally DH. In the minors is speedster Billy Hamilton OF-2 and David Murphy OF-3, along with un-carded Albert Almora and Bubba Starling.

 

 

Draft Analysis:

They targeted two pitchers in the first and traded up to get them and they did. Andrew Cashner and Drew Smyly are both superb selections. With their third # 1 pick they took un-carded Archie Bradley, another astute choice. In the 2nd they took Yorvano Ventura and then sat back and waited for their next pick which wasn’t until the 6th round. There they grabbed Nick Franklin, with the jury still out on him until the Mariners deal him and he can get a fresh start. In the 7th they added Tyson Ross with 125 IP of B* relief. The 8th round saw the Horsemen go un-carded twice in Almora and Odor. The VO started kicking in by the 9th round as they took Dee Gordon, maybe not a real bad pick but it is highly doubtful he will ever have a useable APBA card. Claiming they were desperate, they chose Josh Willingham in the 10th but sobriety set in near the end of that round as they grabbed Corey Kluber, a nice selection. In the 11th they picked Addison Reed, another clear-headed choice. In the 12th they took a chance on Jarrod Dyson, who has the asset that cannot be taught, which is speed and they ended their picks with un-carded catcher Jorge Alforo.

 

Synopsis:

They came in last place in the East in 2013 and it looks like deja vu in 2014. Their bullpen is solid and the starting rotation is respectable but they are going to have a hard time scoring runs. The nucleus is there however to make a long run at Playoff contention. Another nice draft like they had in the first half of this year’s will push them to the perennial contender mode. They are young, especially the infield and the starting rotation. So if they stay away from the VO and the ilk of the Josh Willingham’s they will be printing playoff tickets soon.

 

Maine Mauis

Starting Staff:

The Maui’s will send out three (B-No-Z’s) followed by a (B-W) as they will employ a four man rotation. Wade Miley, Travis Wood and Jhoulys Chacin, all 197+ IP without the (Z) will go first followed by (B-W) Gio Gonzalez. Down on the farm is 2014 overall # 1 pick Michael Wacha (A-No Z 64 IP and Danny Duffy (A&C-W 24 IP). Joining them are a pair of (C-No-Z’s) in Jeff Samardzija and Bud Norris. A couple of (D-Z’s) who somehow escaped the Axe-man in Scott Diamond and Vance Worley along with (D-W) Matt Harrison.

 

Bullpen:

Dan Otero (A&B*-Z) will close with his 39 IP. Luis Avilan (A&C*-No Z) will set him up. Three (A*-No Z’s) form the mid-game pen and they are Ryan Cook, Paco Rodriguez and Scott Downs. Jeanmar Gomez C(B*)-No Z provides 80 more innings. In the minors are Neftali Feliz (A&B*-W) with only four innings, Jordan Walden (B*-Z), Aaron Crowe (B*-No Z) and Ronald Belisario (C*-No Z), another lucky Maui who is still drawing a paycheck.

 

Catchers:

The starter will be Jason Castro (C-8) who is a very solid back-stopper, Devin Mesoraco (C-8) will be in line for an occasional start with Castro’s 435 at bats. In the minor league system is Erik Kratz C-7.

 

Infield:

Matt Adams 1B-3 with his 296 at bats will be the firstbaseman. Jed Lowrie SS-7 2B-7 will start at shortstop with his DP partner being 2B-7 Howie Kendrick. Mark Trumbo 1B-3 OF-1 will spell Adams at first and DH the other games. Todd Frazier 3B-4 will be across the diamond at third base. The reserves are Will Middlebrooks 3B-3, D.J.Lemahieu 2B-9 3B-4 and Zack Cozart SS-9. In the minors is hard luck Miguel Sano who is under going TJ surgery and will have to wait until next year to unleash his power stroke for the Twins.

 

Outfield:

Allen Craig OF-2 is one starter with another OF-2 in Will Venable manning another outfield post. Nate Schierholtz OF-2 is probably the third with Dayan Viciedo OF-1 performing the DH duties when Adams is forced to sit for Trumbo. Matt “how the mighty have fallen” Kemp OF-2 is on the bench. In the minors are Travis Snider OF-2 and the oft-injured Corey Hart who is without a card.

 

Draft Analysis:

They had the first two picks in the draft and no one could argue their choices of Michael Wacha and Matt Adams. They had another Lottery Pick and selected Travis Wood another great pick. With no 2nd round pick they went for D.J.Lemahieu in the 3rd, a decent enough selection but we have to see how his career pans out. They had no 4th so in the 5th they grabbed Otero, an A&B*-Z closer with 39 innings. In the 6th they added Avilan, a very good choice IMHO. They had no 7th but in the 8th they had two picks and they chose Jeanmar Gomez and Paco Rodriguez, both young hurlers with good APBA cards. Overall it was a very strong draft for the Maui’s.

 

Synopsis:

Scoring runs will still be Maine’s bug-a-boo. No (Z’s) in the rotation has to always hurt. The bullpen is decent but still lacking in the control department. They need Middlebrooks or Frazier to step up and take control of third base by the horns until Sano arrives. The keystone combo is weak defensively unless Lemahieu gets employed there but then he doesn’t bring to the table as much offense as Lowrie and Kendrick. A return of Matt Kemp as a force would be a dynamic addition to the lineup. Worley, Diamond and Belisario should have been axed during the draft and replaced with some other spare parts in my opinion. The nucleus of a starting rotation is there, relievers can always be added via the draft. A return by Kemp, Hart and Sano would enable them to make some noise next year. That however is next season, this year I see them coming in 6th barely ahead of Las Vegas.

 

 

Amsterdam Bulldogs

Starting Staff:

Three A starters and two B-Z’s make a formidable rotation. Hishasi Iwakuma (A-Z) and a pair of (A-No Z’s) in Zach Greinke and Max Scherzer are the front end of the starting staff. Anchoring the back end are (B-Z’s) are Felix Hernandez and David Price. In the minors is yet another (B) albeit sans the (Z) in Charlie Morton. He will be joined by (C-No-Z) Jon Niese.

 

Bullpen:

The pen is stacked with a lot of pitchers with fancy “APBA Letters” but the (Z) is not one of them. Greg Holland is an (A&B*-No-Z), Craig Kimbrell (A&C*-No-Z), David Carpenter (A&C*-No-Z), Rex Brothers (A&C*-W) and finally Tony Watson (A*-Z), the only one of the group with that coveted letter. In the minors is Dane De La Rosa (A*-No-Z), Tyler Thornburg B(A*)-No-Z and (B*-No Z) Bryan Shaw. On the farm are un-carded Andrew Heaney and Jonathan Gray.

 

Catchers:

A big off-season trade netted then perhaps the premier catcher in all of baseball, in Yadier Molina C-9. Gerald Laird C-8 will be the back up. The Bulldog skipper really likes his on-base card despite the fact in five ZSABL seasons he has never hit above .194. In the minors are J.P.Arencibia C-7 and young Travis D’Arnaud C-7, who they hope will improve their offensive numbers this year.

 

Infield:

The infield does not have a lot of punch. The best is probably Jason Kipnis 2B-7, the starter at second base. Kyle Seager 3B-4, better than average, will patrol third base. Anthony Rizzo 1B-4, seemingly ready for a breakout year will be at first base. Jose Iglesias SS-9 3B-5 brings his fine glove to the shortstop position but will have to be monitored with his 350 at bats. The DH spot might be shared by “hatchet carded” Danny Valencia 3B-3 and/or Josh Satin 1B-3 3B-3. The reserves include Ramiro Pena 3B-5 SS-8 2B-8, Dustin Ackley 2B-8 OF-2 and Elvis Andrus SS-8. In the minors are the versatile Logan Forsythe 2B-7 3B-4 SS-7 OF-1 and V.Chris Carter 1B-3 OF-1 whose power should translate into an early season re-call.

 

Outfield:

Andrew McCutchen OF-3 is the star of this group. Justin Upton OF-3 is solid in another outfield post. Brett Gardner OF-3 and Darin Ruf OF-1 1B-3 might share the third spot although the latter may see some duty at the DH slot. On the farm is Raul Ibanez OF-1, who, after some late night pondering, was relegated to the minors on the eve of their opener. Joining him are Melky Cabrera OF-2 and Jake Marisnick OF-2, who the Bulldog brass were incredulous that the Miami/Florida franchise sent him down. Un-Carded Clint Frazier bides his time.

 

Draft Analysis:

They had a big roster turnover as they went to the draft well 15 times. They did not pick until the 3rd round where they had two selections, with the first they grabbed Watson, their only (Z) in the pen and with the other they went un-carded in Jonathan Gray. They had no 4th but took Carpenter in the 5th and with their twin picks in the 6th went for Valencia and Thornburg. Double picks in the 7th brought them Satin and De La Rosa. Marisnick arrived in the 8th and in the 9th, again with two selections, went for Ramiro Pena and un-carded Andrew Heaney. The “cookie jar” called again in the 10th as Clint Frazier was added. Gerald Laird was taken in the 11th, Raul Ibanez in the 12th and Rex Brothers in the 13th. Their final choice in the 14th was Charlie Morton, a B starter still on the board.

 

Synopsis:

A superb starting staff, an A-Z, two A’s and 2 B-Z’s as long as they go deep into games will lessen the sting of having just one Z in the pen. An A&B*, two A&C*’s and an A&C*-W seem impressive but the onus of crunch time will fall on their only A*-Z Tony Watson. McCutchen will have to carry the load offensively and the Amsterdam front office has indicated they will lead him off. That will put the pressure on Molina, Upton and Kipnis to pick up the key RBI’s. Carter and Ibanez, both long ball producers, start the year in the minors, if the lineup stalls look for one or both to be hastily re-called. The starting pitching non-with standing, I don’t think they have enough to take the division flag, they are definitely playoff bound however.

 

 

Division Wrap Up

It looks like a three team race in the East, Brooklyn, Sherwood and Amsterdam. Philadelphia looks a little short so they should finish on the outside looking in. Rochester is in the same boat as the Black Sox although I went against them last year and they surprised a lot of people. Maine just doesn’t have enough pitching or offense to really contend and Las Vegas will struggle to score runs. So working from the bottom up, it looks like the Crazy Horse will finish in the basement, they have the worse offense in the East and even with a strong pen it will not be enough to compensate. Maine will give Las Vegas a good run for their money to become the “cellar dweller” in the division. There will be a battle for the 4th and 5th spots in the standings. I give a slight edge to Philly although both will be plagued by defensive problems, Philly in the outfield and the Rockers at third base. The “Rock-Men’s” lack of pop from their infield will drag them down below the Sox. I will go on record again if Rochester makes the post season, my vote for Manager of the Year will go there.

Now we go the “Elite Three”, Amsterdam has more than enough to advance to the play-offs but they are a perennial under-achiever. Only one Z in the pen is just not enough IMHO despite their star-studded rotation to capture the pennant. I see them third, possible second if one of the other two falters. Sherwood has parlayed a strong bullpen and limited innings starting pitchers into four straight pennants. ¾ of their infield are in another strata in Votto, Tulowitzki and Longoria. Add an on-base guy like Choo and it seems like a lock for another title but the supporting players are not as strong as years past. They will fall a little short in their bid for a 5th consecutive flag. Brooklyn is my choice for the Eastern Division pennant winner. It remains to be seen if Cabrera and Goldschmidt over-inflate their total offensive prowess because after Wil Myers and Rosario the rest of the lineup is not that strong. No Z’s in the rotation are a detriment but Skipper Turner’s methodical, if not unorthodox approach, should work. Perhaps this is the year that the Brooklyn franchise finally catches that elusive engraving on the ZSABL Championship Trophy after 35 years.

 

Disclaimer:

This journalistic endeavor is just an opinion. Please, if you disagree with it, post your own predictions. I do take a lot of time analyzing the rosters etc. If you must comment, make it to the entire league, sort of like a Letter to the Editor. In the past I have been wrong and sometimes right on the money just like the Weathermen.