Starting Staff:
Three B-Z’s make up the core of this staff. The trio consists of Madison Bumgarner, Mark Buehrle and Hyun-Jin Ryu, although the latter has just 152 IP. Sonny Gray comes in at # 4 with a B-No Z. Michael Pineda A&C-ZZ, 76 IP, rounds out the major league rotation. On the farm are a threesome of C-No Z’s in Ian Kennedy, Jarred Cosart and Matt Garza. Joining them are the svelte 305 pound C.C.Sabathia and the perennially un-carded Robert Stephenson. They finally cut ties with another long time un-carded pitcher in A.J.Cole.
Bullpen:
Andrew Miller A&C*-Z should garner most of the save opportunities, although that selection was panned by the Baseball Today and Tomorrow Publication, (Abbreviated to BT & T), for the rest of the analysis. Fernando Abad also shares the A&C*-Z so he too could be in line for some saves. Anthony Varvaro A*-Z along with a duo of A*-No Z’s in J.P.Howell and Evan Marshall will be the set up guys. They elected to carry 12 pitchers so Glen Perkins and Brandon Kintzler, both B*-Z’s, will enjoy the Major League meal money. There are no relievers in the minors the same strategy they employed last year.
Catchers:
C-8 Carlos Ruiz, will be the default starter. He has 381 at bats. Geovany Soto (C-7) will be the back up but with only 80 at bats, the judicious use of this tandem is a necessity.
Infield:
1B-4 Logan Morrison is the starter here along with the declining 37-year-old Chase Utley 2B-7. On the left side is their best hitter among the infielders in Aramis Ramirez 3B-3, although he is retiring after the season and SS-8 Yunel Escobar. Joe Mauer 1B-4 will handle the DH chores. On the bench is the versatile Ramiro Pena 3B-5 2B-7 SS-7, he does not hit as attested by his .651 OPS but satisfies the ZSABL requirement for having a backup at every position. IMHO a very lack luster unit. On the farm looking for bounce back years are Prince Fielder 1B-3 and Mark Teixeira 1B-4. Conor Gillaspie 3B-3, a late draft pick addition, looks to be the heir apparent to Ramirez’s departure next year. Also in the minors are two of the most heralded un-cards in the draft in Corey Seager and Yoan Moncada. Unless these two come through, youth is not on the side of the Philly franchise; in fact they are the oldest team in the East.
Outfield:
Two starters for sure are Hunter Pence OF-2 and Yoenis Cespedes OF-2, the latter was shopped around most of the off-season until management realized the dearth of offense in the draft and decided to keep him. Defensively challenged Matt Holliday OF-1 will probably patrol the other outfield post. They have some depth here in Rajai Davis and Norichika Aoki, both OF-2’s. In the minors is Rusney Castillo OF-2 who was a nice gamble but he only has 36 at bats for this season. It is a crowded outfield situation in Boston but injuries have a way of thinning things out and he should see some regular playing time. He will be joined by OF-1 Alex Guerrero, a bust in his first season in the Bigs. Former Seattle Scout catcher Miguel Olivo, who chomped off a portion of Guerrero’s ear during a minor league game, contributed much of that. Jesse Winker and David Dahl, a pair of un-cards, provide some promise if not youth to improve the Black Sox’s average age. Veteran Andre Ethier OF-2, a late draft acquisition, begins the year down in the bushes also.
Draft Analysis:
They had no 1st round but with their two-second round picks they went un-carded in Seager and Moncada. That was a very concise statement that they were “tanking” this season and looking forward to the next. In the 3rd round they chose Andrew Miller, despite the BT & T publication critical analysis of this selection, a lefty with closer potential bodes well for the future and was a solid choice. Castillo arrived in the 4th, again they seemed to be making a “mission statement”. Abad was taken in the 5th, a little high if you are rebuilding but everybody needs some A’s, that slot could have been filled later unless the Sox had a solid scouting report on him. In the 6th it was OF Winker as they stayed in the re-building mode. The 7th and 8th were more (A) relievers in Varvaro and Marshall, apparently they did not want to lose total control of ball games. The 9th gave them Rajai Davis, a nice 4th fly chaser on any team. The 10th got them Gillaspie because they needed a third baseman to replace Ramirez next year. Matt Garza, their choice in the 11th, is a
come-back candidate of sorts, at least he can eat some innings. Their 12th round pick was Pena and as stated above he is here just to meet the league requirements. They waited until the 15th round for their final selection as Brooklyn cut loose Andre Ethier and the Sox decided he was worth a gamble.
Synopsis:
As usual the Philly GM did a great job of addressing their situation. They are however “long in the tooth”, the oldest team in the East. They also have the worst line-up in the division. Astute additions of Seager, Moncada, Winker and Castillo are positive signs. Despite a strong bullpen and a decent staff they are destined for the basement. Pitching is relative this season and most staffs are stronger than Philly’s. Come back seasons by Fielder, Teixeira and Utley among others, along with the emergence of some of their “young-uns” could put them back in contention next year. That is next season, so 2015 will be a long year.
E.N. Since this analysis went to press, Philadelphia played a series and apparently thought better of playing Holliday in the field, he is now the DH. That moves Mauer to 1B and Morrison to the bench. Aoki and Davis pick up the playing time in the outfield.
Starting Staff:
The headliners are a pair of A-Z’s in Johnny Cueto and Henderson Alvarez. To start the season they will go to a four man rotation with Jose Quintana and T.J.House, both B-Z’s filling out the quartet. The latter only has 102 IP but he will be bailed out by farm hand, A-Z Kyle Hendricks. The “pickins” are slim if they need another starting pitcher with just D-No Z John Danks joining Hendricks in the minors.
Bullpen:
The Machine will rely heavily on their pen with A&C*-Z Joe Smith the best of this group. Supporting cast includes A*-Z Dale Thayer and a duo of A&C*-No Z’s in Zach Putnam and Dan Jennings. At the back end are A*-No Z Yoervis Medina and B*-Z Adam Ottavino. Down on the farm are A&C*-No Z Bryan Morris and A*-Z Ryan Pressly.
There are only 14 pitchers on the roster, very light by ZSABL standards. The Machine skipper claims he gets an excruciating headache during the draft. Unless this group repeats their efforts next season, the Excedrin will be out as they try to rebuild a pitching staff.
Catchers:
Russell Martin (C-9), called by his skipper as the “best player in baseball” is the starter with his .832 OPS. His back up will be C-6 1B-3 3B-3 Carlos Santana although he will be regularly employed as the DH. In the minors are C-7 Derek Norris and C-6 Josmil Pinto.
Infield:
SS-9 Troy Tulowitzki is All-World, but handicapped by just 315 at bats, early reports out of the “Forest” indicate he will bat 9th. His double play partner is 2B-8 Neil Walker, no slouch with an OPS of .809. Manning the hot corner is 3B-5 Adrian Beltre, another +.800 OPS infielder. Just under that threshold at .799 is 1B-4 Joey Votto with 220 at bats. Supporting him will be 1B-4 Brandon Belt. Santana as mentioned above is the DH but qualifies at first as well so there is plenty of depth. 2B-7 3B-5 Brett Lawrie is the reserve with SS-9 Ruben Tejada sitting next to him because Sherwood hates not having a Fielding One shortstop when they are forced to give Tulo a break. 2B-7 OF-2 1B-2 3B-4 SS-7 Grant Green makes the squad, I assume because of his all-around versatility despite a .636 OPS and just 99 at bats. In the minors, probably a tough decision by Machine management, are two of their favorites in 3B-4 Evan Longoria and 1B-3 Ike Davis. Other bush leaguers are SS-7 Chris Owings, SS-8 Eugenio Suarez (Who the Forest was elated to draft), No Card Timothy Beckham and 1B-2 Jesus Montero, who they have waited on seemingly forever.
Outfield:
OF-2 Corey Dickerson with an OPS of .931 is the stud of this group. OF-2 Drew Stubbs, who fell into their lap on draft day will also start. OF-2 Jon Jay will probably be the other starter but expect OF-3 Jayson Heyward to see plenty of action, simply because of the bromance between skipper Tarantino and him. OF-2 Kirk Nieuwenhuis, 112 at bats but 44-0, will be the main pinch hitter. Organizational depth on the farm are OF-2 Shin-Soo Choo, OF-1 Carlos Quentin and OF-2 Joc Pederson, a super prospect in Dodger land.
Draft Analysis:
Stubbs in the 1st was a no-brainer with the lack of offense in the draft. Hendricks in the 2nd will complement their next pick, which wasn’t until the 5th. That selection was T.J.House so the two of them would fill in one slot in the rotation. Three six round picks netted them Tejada, Thayer and Nieuwenhuis, which was a pretty nice haul. They had no 7th but in the 8th,9th ,10th and 11th they added depth to the bullpen in Morris, Putnam, Jennings and Molina. The 12th saw them get Suarez, exclaiming, “I can’t believe he is still here”. Their final pick in round 14 was another reliever in Pressly.
Synopsis:
Hitting the ball is the name of the game. Sherwood trails only Brooklyn in offensive prowess. That is the same opening two sentences that were in last year’s synopsis. Sherwood’s streak of four consecutive ZSABL World Series appearances was snapped this past season. Will they start another? The East is very top heavy with four bona-fide powerhouses in Brooklyn, Amsterdam, Las Vegas and Sherwood. Only three can make the playoffs. If the Machine’s bullpen can pick up the slack of limited innings for one of their rotation spots the offense might be enough. One thing that can hurt them is that the “Z” is not as prevalent in the bullpen as it has been in the past.
Starting Staff:
The staff has seven starting pitchers, five of whom are A-Z’s, along with a tandem of B-Z’s, making this a unique staff. How they will be employed is anybody’s guess. The A’s are Collin McHugh (154 IP), Masahiro Tanaka (136 IP), Carlos Carrasco (134 IP), Gavin Floyd (54 IP) and Jose Fernandez (51 IP). Stephen Strasburg (B-Z, 215 IP) might be the only hurler to see a regular turn. B-Z Mat Latos (102 IP) is the other member of the starters. In the minors is B-No Z, Zach Wheeler, the only non-control pitcher in this lot. Un-Carded Carlos Rodon completes this group.
Bullpen:
Mariano Rivera retired so the closer duties will pass to one of these three; A*-Z’s Scott Atchison, T.J.McFarland (also a B-Z starting pitcher) or B*-ZZ Chad Qualls. They are not household names but the Metropolitans must have confidence in them. They are the only bullpen options being carried by the Mets to start the season. I assume skipper Turner will let all his starters go deep into games. There is plenty of relief help on the farm but all with very light innings. They are Tom Layne (A&B*-No Z, 19 IP), Kyle Crockett (A&C*-Z, 30 IP), Matt Thornton (A&C*-Z, 36 IP) and Chad Jenkins (A*-Z, 31 IP)
Catchers:
Yasmani Grandal (C-7) will get most of the playing time here with hatchet carded Mike McKenry C-7, .910 OPS, 168 at bats, being utilized at the right moments. Down on the farm is C-7 Wilin Rosario and C-6 J.T. Realmuto, an 11th round draft pick.
Infield:
A virtual powerhouse exists here. The corners are 1B-4 Paul Goldschmidt and 3B-3 Miguel Cabrera, .974 and .895 OPS’s respectively. If they want to distain defense they could opt to go at shortstop with .897 OPS Justin Turner. He is only a SS-7 and has 288 at bats but he also qualifies at 2B-6 and 3B-3 so he can be plugged in anywhere. 2B-8 3B-4 Anthony Rendon will be the keystone man. If Turner does not start at short the choices get little weaker on the offensive side of the ledger. SS-8’s Alcides Escobar and Brad Miller are two options. On the bench is 2B-6 but a .800+ OPS in Rickie Weeks and 3B-3 1B-2 Lonnie Chisenhall. 1B-2, .974 OPS Victor Martinez is the DH. In the minors are 2B-8 Jonathan Schoop and three un-carded “phenoms” in Hector Olivera, Daniel Robertson and Addison Russell. This trio has all gotten tremendous hype.
Outfield:
1B-4 OF-1 .930 OPS Steve Pearce, a former Brooklyn farm hand was re-drafted and will be employed as a fly chaser despite his defensive short comings. OF-3 Michael Brantley is a solid starter with his .891 OPS. OF-2 George Springer and OF-2 Dexter Fowler will form some sort of platoon for the last spot and also compensate for Pearce’s light at bats and defensive short comings. Down on the farm are OF 2 Wil Myers, promising OF-1 Steven Moya and un-carded Austin Meadows.
Draft Analysis:
A draft day trade of Kris Bryant to USMC for two # 1’s gave them four of the first eleven picks of the draft. They split them on offense and pitching, bolstering the line up was Pearce and Turner while Carrasco and McHugh deepened their rotation. The 2nd saw McKenry join the ball club, adding another bat to the lineup, in the 3rd Atchison was grabbed to perhaps become the erstwhile closer, in the 4th Floyd gave them yet another A-Z starter. They had no 5th but in the 6th, McFarland a B(A*)-Z was added to the mix. A pair of 7th’s netted them Olivera and Crockett. In the 8th and 9th, more bullpen in Layne and Thornton arrived. Un-Carded SS Daniel Robertson was their 10th round selection and as mentioned earlier, Realmuto came in the 11th. Their final pick, Steven Moya. was in the 12th round. They avoided all temptations of un-carded players from the various community colleges in and around the Los Angeles area as well as can’t miss prospects from the Lancaster Barnstormers and York Revolution.
Synopsis:
Offensively the Metropolitans are the best in the East. Five A-Z starters, despite innings issues, make them even stronger. On paper they look like the team to beat in the East. The editor-in-chief of the BT & T publication, after perusing their roster said, “It looks like they may set some ZSABL records”. This Office runs simulations prior to the release of their analysis. Brooklyn did not fare well in these. The simulator could not handle a seven-man rotation and only three arms in the pen. Using the old “eye ball” instead of technology, I see them hoisting the pennant over the Metropolitan stadium. There is too much firepower here to be hampered by a few glitches of limited at bats/innings. Their only appearance in the Championship series was Bill Clinton’s 2nd year in Office in 1994. It is a strong division and barring a playoff upset they should be the favorite in the ZSABL Title Game but we know how the APBA-gods roll.
Starting Staff:
In the year of the pitcher here in the ZSABL, the Rockers probably have the weakest starting rotation in the league. Their mission was to re-build with an eye to the future while still remaining somewhat competitive. It’s a mixed review if that was accomplished. B-Z Yovani Gallardo will be the # 1 guy. Following him are four B-No Z’s in Jered Weaver, Aaron Harang, Edinson Volquez and Yu Darvish. A&C-ZZ Derek Holland with his 37 innings will start the season with the big league club. C-Z Nathan Eovaldi will do the garbage innings. In the farm system are C-No Z Trevor Bauer, No Carded Patrick Corbin and Un-Carded Kyle Crick, Lucas Giolito and Henry Owens.
Bullpen:
The worst possible scenario is having the weakest starting staff coupled with probably the worst bullpen in the league. A*-Z Kenley Jansen will be the closer and he will be getting little help from the likes of A*-No Z, Jason Frasor, C(B*)-No Z Carlos Torres, B*-No Z David Robertson and C*-Z Ross Detwiler. Pitching is very dominant this season and the Rockers simply do not match up Grade wise or Control wise with the rest of the league.
Catcher:
Salvador Perez C-9 and Matt Wieters C-9 make up an above average receiving corp. The former wore down as the season progressed while the latter hit well but has just 104 at bats. Un-Carded Blake Swihart was a great pick. The Phillies insisted on him if they were to deal Hamels to the Bosox but the “Bean Eaters” resisted.
Infield:
Not one in this group have an OPS of over .800. Albert Pujols 1B-4 comes closest at .790. He probably will do the DH honors. SS-9 Jhonny Peralta will be the starter at shortstop. Brandon Phillips 2B-8 or Josh Rutledge 2B-6 will start at second base. The latter brings a better bat to the field but the former is a better glove. 1B-5 James Loney, not your pro-typical first baseman with a OPS of .716, will start with no other in-house options. 3B-3 Casey McGehee will start at the hot corner, this selection was panned by the BT & T, and McGehee’s 33-7 and no glove supports this assumption. 3B-5 Chase Headley will nudge some PT away from him with his better glove work. The reserve is Emilio Bonifacio 2B-7 OF-2 3B-3 SS-7. In the minors are the No-Carded injury jinxed Jurickson Profar and the Un-Carded Cuban Yasmany Tomas (Who probably will end up in the OF). Joining them are hopefuls with APBA cards in 3B-3 David Freese, 1B-3 Jonathan Singleton, 3B-3 Mike Olt and 2B-7 SS-7 Nick Franklin.
Outfield:
When you have the best player in the world, like they do in OF-3 Mike Trout, competitiveness is right around the corner. OF-3 Adam Jones, although he had a little down year, is another building block. The tragic death of Oscar Taveras and OF-3 Josh Hamilton’s relapse have left a void in this once potent cast although the latter will flank Trout and Jones for the most part of this season. OF-3 Juan Lagares has a high upside and he will be on the major league roster as the extra outfielder. In the minors are OF-2 Alejandro De Aza who has shown flashes of potential and OF-3 Sam Fuld, known chiefly for his defense. Bonifacio listed with the infielders also qualifies in the “pastures”.
Draft Analysis:
When in re-building mode go un-carded and the Rockers did just that, they had no 1st but with their two 2nd round selections they went for Tomas and Swihart. They are both solid choices especially with Swihart being a catcher. The 3rd netted them Juan Lagares, not a bad gamble, a solid defender who could blossom offensively. In the 4th and 5th two un-carded pitchers were added in Owens and Giolito. Again it was a nice rebuilding effort. In the 6th they sort of detoured from their mission and went for 33 yr old Casey McGehee. No 7th or 8th but in the 9th they grabbed Phillips hoping he can return to form. Fuld arrived in the 10th, most critics believe he adds nothing to a ball club. Nice picks in the 11th and 12th in B-No Z starting pitchers in Harang and Volquez. The 13th saw them grab De Aza and then with the draft winding down they scooped up David Robertson after he was released by Norfolk. He is well worth the risk.
Synopsis:
This analysis hated to be so critical of Rochester’s mindset. They announced they were in a quasi-rebuild mode. They did follow that somewhat. Some moves were perplexing others were right on target. I have underestimated Rochester’s play the last two years; in fact they received some of my MOY votes both seasons. Offensively they only are ahead of Philadelphia but pitching is where they really are deficient. While everyone else has A-Z or B-Z starters and A*-Z+ in the pen, the “Rock Men” only have Gallardo a B-Z SP and Jansen a A*-Z reliever. The lineup is devoid of power for the most part. They have gotten uncanny production from scrap yard relievers in the past. They are not a contender, they may hold off Philly to escape the confines of the basement in the East. Any sort of success this season will swing some of my MOY votes this way.
Starting Staff:
There is nothing to dislike here. They have four A-Z starters in Chris Sale, Corey Kluber, Jon Lester and Andrew Cashner although he only has 123 IP. The 5th arm in the rotation is B-Z Marcus Stroman. C-No-Z Danny Salazar is also being kept on the major league roster for some mop up duties. On the farm is B-No Z Yordano Ventura, A-No Z, 10 IP Matt Moore, C-No Z Drew Hutchison, D-Z Jimmy Nelson and D-No Z Clay Buchholtz. Joining them are No-Carded Dylan Bundy and Un-Carded Archie Bradley.
Bullpen:
A&B*-Z Huston Street will do the closing gig. He will be supported by another A&B*-Z in Ken Giles. Setting them up are A&C*-Z Joaquin Benoit and A*-Z Jon Papelbon. Adding some depth is Jeurys Familia A*-No Z. They have no relievers in the minors.
Catchers:
Jonathan Lucroy C-9 will start with his .838 OPS. C-8 Francisco Cervelli, .802 is more than a capable back up with his 146 at bats. In the minors is un-carded Jorge Alforo who they traded in the off-season then picked him up again when USMC cut him loose.
Infield:
A solid quartet of starting infielders with Freddie Freeman 1B-4, Dustin Pedroia 2B-9, Pablo Sandoval 3B-4 and SS-8 Starlin Castro. 1B-3 Edwin Encarnacion will be the DH. SS-7 3B-3 OF-1 2B-6 <1B-2 Brock Holt, who can play anywhere but behind the plate, will back up all the positions. On the farm is a triad of first base men in 1B-2 Billy Butler, 1B-4 Justin Smoak and 1B-4 Yonder Alonzo. 2B-7 Jedd Gyorko is also down here hoping to work himself back up. Un-Carded J.P.Crawford will also bide his time in the system until the Phillies call.
Outfield:
First round pick J.D.Martinez makes up for his OF-1 with a .912 OPS. A pair of OF-3’s in Alex Gordon and Denard Span completes the outfield alignment. OF-3 Billy Hamilton will be the first one to get the call off the bench. Harper OF-2 with his 33-7 and OF-2 Dalton Pompey are in reserve. In the minors are OF-2 Steven Souza and un-carded Albert Almora.
Draft Analysis:
They chose Martinez in the 1st round, no one can argue his potent bat despite his OF-1. In the 2nd they added Stroman, who unfortunately went down during spring training with an ACL tear. Two 3rd round picks got them Holt, who was coveted by a host of teams for his versatility and Kenny Giles, much to the chagrin of the Phillie fans in the league. Pompey arrived in the 4th, he gets a lot of fan fare, now he has to produce. Two nice 5th round selections got them Cervelli and Crawford as the Phillie fans in the league again let out a collective groan. Sousa was taken in the 6th with the jury still out on him. They had no 7th but with their two 8th round picks they grabbed Familia and re-took Alforo. They took a gamble on young Jimmy Nelson in the 9th. Dylan Bundy another No-Carded reclamation project, again let go by USMC, was selected in the 10th. Their final pick in the 12th was P Drew Hutchison.
Synopsis:
They are a contender, perhaps not for the pennant, but who knows with those A-Z starters. Their lineup and Amsterdam’s are almost equal. They do trail both Sherwood and Brooklyn on the offensive side. Pitching is relative throughout the division among the contending top four. Deep bullpens with A-Z’s cancel out rotations with A-Z’s. So does it come down to offense, they asked rhetorically? Of course it does. It’s a dogfight, despite Sherwood’s 2nd best lineup in the East; they can be overtaken by Las Vegas or Amsterdam. The Crazy Horse definitely has the starting pitchers and bullpen to make up for a perceived drop off in offense between the top ball clubs. So where do they finish? in the top four for sure. I think they can make a strong run for second but just not enough to take the pennant.
Starting Staff:
Anchoring this rotation is A-Z Jeff Samardzija. (A-No Z) Danny Duffy is the # 2 guy with 149 IP. A pair of B-Z’s with limited innings is next with Matt Shoemaker (136 IP) and Vance Worley (110 IP). The duo of Bud Norris and Gio Gonzalez, both B-No Z’s fill out the rest of the rotation. Not a bad staff but in this year of the pitcher it is only average. In the farm system is B-No Z Michael Wacha, C- No Z Wade Miley and D No Z Travis Wood.
Bullpen:
They have perhaps the most impact closer in the ZSABL this season in A&C*-ZZ Pat Neshek who has 67 IP. Two A&C*-No Z’s Zach Britton and Neftali Feliz (but only 31 IP) will help to bridge the gap to Neshek along with A*-ZZ Dan Otero, who with his 81 IP gives them 148 of ZZ relief, very impressive. B(A*)-Z Blake Treinen rounds out the major league relief corp. In the minors is Jeanmar Gomez B*-Z and Ryan Cook B*-No Z.
Catchers:
The starter will be Devin Mesoraco (C-8), with his double ones. C-8 Jason Castro backs him up coming off a down year offensively. In the minor league system is C-8 Christian Vazquez, who might be holding the fort down in Boston only until Blake Swihart arrives..
Infield:
1B-5 Adam LaRoche, who lasted late in the draft and was too valuable to pass up, will start. Starting across the diamond from him is 3B-4 Todd Frazier coming off a nice season. With the addition of LaRoche it pushes 1B-4 Matt Adams into the DH slot. 2B-7 Howie Kendrick will play the keystone bag with SS-8 Jed Lowrie as his double play partner. SS-8 2B-7 Jose Ramirez is one reserve while all-purpose Don Kelly 2B-5 1B-3 OF-3 <2B-6 is the other. In the minors is D.J.Lemahieu 2B-9<1B-2 3B-4 SS-7 and sophomore jinx victim Jean Segura SS-8 along with Will Middlebrooks 3B-4. Three un-carded players grace the bush league roster in Miguel Sano, who lost last year to TJ surgery, but is about ready to help the Minnesota Twins. Inf Jung-Ho Kang who is making a good impression with the Pirates and Sean Coyle.
Outfield:
Matt Kemp OF-2 who had a solid .852 OPS will be one starter. Travis Snider OF-2 should be another. Highly touted Mookie Betts OF-2 only has 189 at bats but will see some part time duty along with OF-3 Austin Jackson. Mark Trumbo OF-1 1B-3 will also get some PT as a fly chaser. Down on the farm is Jay Bruce OF-3, Will Venable OF-2 and OF-1 1B-3 Allen Craig hoping to bounce back after a miserable season.
Draft Analysis:
Their 1st round pick was Betts. If Hartford had the #1 overall pick it would have been him also. The 2nd round produced Shoemaker and Neshek, making three very strong choices. In the 3rd they took Kang and it looks like this a great call. LaRoche could not be passed up in the 4th. Zach Britton was selected in the 5th. They had no 6th but with two 7th rounders they grabbed Vazquez and Blake Treinen. Un-carded Coyle came in the 8th and Jose Ramirez in the 9th was a nice pick. The 10th, because everybody needs one, Don Kelly brought his supply of baseball gloves to cover all the positions on the diamond for the Maui’s.
Synopsis:
A strong draft non-withstanding, Maine gets put into the untenable position of “middle of the road”. Not quite strong enough to contend with the Big Boys and nowhere close to the weak sisters of the division. They are a pair of starting pitchers and one more big bat away from being a major player in the East. Their starting pitchers are just too light on innings and control so the burden will be placed on their strong pen. The lineup also lacks some pop at 2B and SS. All of these factors point to just missing the post season.
Starting Staff:
It is a formidable rotation to say the least. Led by A&C-Z King Felix Hernandez with A-Z Zach Greinke as the # 2 guy, there is no drop off in # 3 with B-ZZ Hishasi Iwakuma either. # 4 and # 5 are both B-Z’s in David Price and Jon Niese. In the minors is yet another (B) albeit sans the (Z) in Max Scherzer. Joining him will be (D-Z) Andrew Heaney and D-W Daniel Norris.
Bullpen:
The closer is Tony Watson A&C*-Z. There are five set up men to choose from; A&C*-No Z’s Greg Holland and Craig Kimbrell and A*-Z’s Bryan Shaw, Kevin Quackenbush and Justin DeFratus. On the farm is B*-Z David Carpenter along with a tandem of un-carded hurlers in Jonathan Gray and Julio Urias.
Catchers:
Yadier Molina C-9, had an off year for him, just a .719 OPS, backing him up will be Robinson Chirinos C-7. This is by far the weakest link in the Bulldog lineup. In the minors are un-carded Austin Hedges whose bat has lagged far behind his glove and Travis D’Arnaud C-7.
Infield:
The infield does not have a lot of punch up the middle but are strong at the corners. Kyle Seager 3B-5, will patrol third base and Anthony Rizzo 1B-4, starts across the diamond.
Scooter Gennett 2B-7 and Eduardo Escobar SS-8 form the DP tandem. V.Chris Carter 1B-2 will be used as the DH. The reserves are Sean Rodriguez 2B-7 1B-3 OF-2 <SS-7 3B-3 and Asdrubal Cabrera 2B-9 SS-8. Riding on the long bush league bus trips are Elvis Andrus SS-8, Charlie Culberson 3B-4 SS-8 2B-7 <1B-3 and Jason Kipnis 2B-7. No-Carded Jose Iglesias who missed last season with shin splints will spend the season in re-hab. Joining him will be Un-Carded 3B Kyle Kubitza who will wait for his first big league call.
Outfield:
Andrew McCutchen OF-3 is the star of this group. Justin Upton OF-3 is solid in another outfield post. Melky Cabrera OF-2 completes the ensemble. The bench is a little weak here as Darin Ruf OF-1 1B-3 and Jarrod Dyson OF-3 are the only reserves. In the minors for another year is un-Carded Clint Frazier and surprisingly OF-3 Bret Gardner.
Draft Analysis:
They did not pick until the 3rd round and as World Champs they went last, so at pick # 42 they tabbed un-carded P Julio Urias. In the 4th they got their starting SS in Eduardo Escobar. In the 5th and 6th they addressed the bullpen with DeFratus and Quackenbush. In the 7th Un-Carded C Hedges was selected. Daniel Norris arrived in the 8th, his van was spotted in the Millersville University parking lot. Culberson was their 9th round selection and Chirinos came in the 10th. Kubitza was a nice flier in the 11th and they ended their draft with All-Purpose Sean Rodriguez in the 12th.
Synopsis:
A superb starting staff, an A&C-Z, A-Z, B-ZZ and 2 B-Z’s will take you pretty far. Six A+ relievers, four with Z’s will take you further. The lineup is solid, defense is Fielding One, all of these ingredients sounds like the World Champs are due to repeat, or at least get to the Series. Not so fast, there are two high-powered offensive line-ups ahead of them in Brooklyn and Sherwood. The Machine cannot match the Bulldogs pitching but their firepower at the plate is far superior. Brooklyn even puts more distance between the gaps in offense. Does that make Amsterdam a 3rd place club? No, we cannot forget about Las Vegas who can match the “B-Dogs” with their lineup and their staffs are somewhat similar. The East is very competitive. Somebody will lose out. When things get too close to call we used to say get out the “proverbial blanket”, I think we may need that this year.
It looks like a four team race in the East, Brooklyn, Sherwood, Las Vegas and Amsterdam. Maine is on the fringe of the post season but appears to be just a little short despite a strong draft. Their opponents just “bulked” up with trades/draft picks to reach the upper echelons of the division. Brooklyn by far has the best lineup and who knows how their seven man starting pitching will pan out. Not to mention their under-manned bullpen. They have a strong bench and enough relievers in the minors I believe to capture the East pennant. The final order of the standings between Sherwood, Amsterdam and Las Vegas is problematic in that if the old adage good pitching stops good hitting then Amsterdam and Las Vegas will come in 2nd and 3rd. The flip side is that Sherwood’s lineup is vastly superior to the other two and their pitching is not that far behind the Crazy Horse and the Bulldogs.
I have to go with the offense, meaning Sherwood will come in 2nd. The Machine’s lineup and the use of statistical graphs and charts will trump the pitching prowess of the other two. So who takes the last playoff slot? I am going with Las Vegas, the two A&B-Z’s in the pen and the four A starters are enough to give them the edge over Amsterdam. That leaves 4th place to the Bulldogs although they will not miss the play offs by much. Maine comes in 5th, they are going in the right direction but come up a little short this season. 6th and 7th should be a dogfight between Rochester and Philadelphia. Both squads are in a re-building phase. Neither is far from contending in the future. Parity has reached the ZSABL. The amount of research is evident by the lack of talent in the free agent draft each year. Dynasties are virtually non-existent. Amsterdam’s Carl Swift got his name engraved on the trophy for the first time. Will Dave Turner follow suit with his unorthodox (IMHO) style of refurbishing the Brooklyn franchise?
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.