Starting Staff:
Hyun-Jin Ryu A&C-Z with 92 innings is their best. Followed by Chris Sale A-Z 158 IP and then Alex Wood B-Z 152 IP. Charlie Morton B-No Z 167 IP is the # 4 starter with the enigma that is Madison Bumgarner, B-No Z 130 IP, rounding out the rotation. Bumgarner has been a sub .500 pitcher in each of his five seasons in Philly and his 101 career losses are trending toward the ZSABL career leaders in that category, albeit he did notch two playoff victories this past post-season but dropped a decision in the World Series. Jake Arrieta C-No Z 173 IP will be carried on the roster for mop up duties and a possible occasional start with Ryu's light innings.
Minor league depth includes a pair of B-No Z’s in Dan Jennings 64 IP and Diego Castillo 57 IP. Jennings only made one start for real but ZSABL rules do not limit him an anomaly that will be addressed next season. Joining them on the farm is Sonny Gray C-No Z 130 IP and the oft-injured Yu Darvish D-W 40 IP. Also in the farm system is a trio of hurlers without cards in Michael Pineda (No Card) but looking healthy in camp this spring and a tandem of un-carded hopefuls in Sixto Sanchez, just traded to Miami in the Realmuto deal and Brent Honeywell, rebounding from Tommy John surgery.
Division Rank: 2nd
Bullpen:
The closer is Scott Oberg A*-Z 59 IP. Three A*-No Z’s in Raisel Iglesias 72 IP, Ryan Pressly 71 IP and Jose Alvarado 64 IP back him up along with a couple of B*-Z’s in Alex Wilson 62 IP and John Brebbia 51 IP. In the bushes are two more A*-No Z's in Robert Stock 40 IP and Arodys Vizcaino 38 IP along with comeback hopeful Andrew Miller C*-No Z 34 IP.
Division Rank: 4th
Catchers:
The backstop position has been a long time problem for Philly since their inaugural season. This year is may be a strong point, Francisco Cervelli C-8 .809 OPS and Curt Casali C-7 .805 OPS a late draft addition form a solid combination. In the minors is Chance Sisco C-7 .557 OPS who they apparently have not given up on yet despite his “yucky" numbers.
Infield:
At first base there best option is Jose A. Martinez 1B-3 .821 OPS. Across the diamond at third base is Matt Carpenter 3B-3 2B-6 1B-3 .897 OPS, a poor fielder no matter where he plays but his bat justifies his presence in the lineup. Second Base will be manned by the veteran Ben Zobrist 2B-8 OF-2 .817 OPS a 2019 draftee. The shortstop picked up from the scrap heap is Brandon Crawford SS-9 .719 OPS. Supplying the bench reserves are Brock Holt 2B-7 SS-7 OF-2 .774 OPS and Wilmer Flores 1B-3 2B-7 3B-3 .736 OPS. In the minors is Corey Seager SS-8 .744 OPS who should be healthy enough to reclaim his starting position next season. Dustin Pedroia 2B-7 .322 OPS also fits into this category but his health status is more questionable. Another question mark on the farm is Greg Bird 1B-4 .672 OPS who probably is on a short leash to stay in the organization.
Outfield:
Mitch Haniger OF-3 .859 OPS arrived as a MLB star this year. A.J.Pollock OF-3 .800 OPS will flank him on one side. The other spot will be shared by a pair of limited at bats guys due to injuries in David Dahl OF-2 .859 OPS and Yoenis Cespedes OF-2 .821 OPS. Kyle Schwarber OF-1 .823 will be the DH. In the minors is Christin Stewart OF-1 .792 OPS, a puzzling draft selection with his slow rating and not appearing on anyone’s radar but he did show some power in the minor leagues
Line up Rank: 6th
Draft Analysis:
Without a 1st rounder they took their closer Scott Oberg in the 2nd. They added to their bullpen depth in the 3rd with Ryan Pressly and Jose Alvarado. The 4th round netted them Ben Zobrist who was talked about quite frequently pre-draft. They didn’t select again until the 8th with the addition of Uti Brock Holt and P Diego Castillo. Robert Stock arrived in the 9th and then in the 10th they added OF Christin Stewart, who they must have an inside scoop on. Curt Casali was a great pick up in the 11th and when Norfolk released SS Brandon Crawford, they quickly grabbed him to be their starting shortstop with their final pick.
Synopsis:
After a tantalizing effort to get their name on the “Trophy" last year, losing in the World Series, they have a taste of what success is in the ZSABL. Last season they capitalized on the complete meltdown of the Las Vegas franchise; which eliminated one of the aspiring contenders. Philly still had to qualify for the post season and then capture two series to get to the finals. It may be a tougher hill to climb this year. Brooklyn and a rejuvenated Crazy Horse team are the top two favorites in the East. The “Sox” have arguably the 2nd best rotation but are in the middle of the pack as far as lineups and bullpens go. Light hitting SS Crawford drags the rest of offense down a notch and despite having six A*’s in the pen only one has a “Z". A thin bench is also a liability. All of these factors indicate a middle of the road ball club destined to finish no better than third and no lower than fourth.
Starting Staff:
Three B-Z's at the top of the rotation in Kyle Hendricks 199 IP, Noah Syndergaard 154 IP and Ross Stripling 122 IP anchor the starting staff. Edwin Jackson B-No Z 92 IP and Matt Koch C-Z 87 IP are at the back end. In the minors are “he with the great name” Daniel Ponce de Leon, an A-No Z 33 IP, Johnny Cueto B-Z 53 IP and three C-No-Z's in Jose Quintana 174 IP, Eduardo Rodriguez 130 IP and rookie Joey Lucchesi 120 IP. Luke Weaver D-No Z, hoping to rebound this season, joins them.
Division Rank: 3rd
Bullpen:
Skipper Tarantino, a master at crunching numbers to get the most out of whatever innings limits are thrown at them has an array of relievers at his disposal. Taylor Rogers 68 IP and Tony Watson 66 IP are both A*-Z’s, they will fill the closer role. Setting them up are Taylor Cole A*-No Z 36 IP, Yonny Chirinos B*-Z 90 IP and a very valuable D(C*-ZZ) in Robby Erlin with 109 IP which filled many other ZSABL managers with much chagrin for not selecting him when they had a chance. Down on the farm are Tony Sipp A&C*-No Z 39 IP and a pair of A*-No Z's in Roenis Elias 51 IP and Edubray Ramos 43 IP.
Division Rank: 4th
Catchers:
Gambling on a return to form by Buster Posey C-8 .741 OPS, they traded Giancarlo Stanton for him along with a host of other players/picks including Ross Stripling and Tyler O’Neill. The back up is Willson Contreras C-7, .730 OPS who had a down year. Long time Machine back stopper Russell Martin called by his manager as the “best player in baseball” although he hasn’t hit over .200 in the ZSABL since 2014 was traded to Rochester.
Infield:
Joey Gallo 1B-3 .810 will man first base; there are plenty of other options as first base has always been Sherwood’s favorite position. Ji-Man Choi 1B-2 .862 OPS provides pop off the bench with his 192 at bats and Brandon Belt 1B-5 .756 OPS; who will surely enter contests in the late innings for defense. A dilemna or dilemma one of the most confused spelling of a word in the English language, in fact the Oxford English Dictionary has only one citation for "dilemNa" and that was in 1551, the spell check in this program also refuses to identify "DilemNa" but I digress. The problem that could arise next season is that, Rhys Hoskins currently penciled in as the 2019 DH for the Machine, will probably be asked to throw away all of his outfielder gloves, not that he ever used them, to concentrate his defensive endeavors at first base; creating a potential log jam at that position for the Machine next year. D.J.Lemahieu 2B-9 .749 OPS, a sub-par season for him and the dynamic Trevor Story SS-9 .914 form the keystone combination. At the hot corner, finally getting his chance as an everyday player, is Eugenio Suarez 3B-4 .892 OPS. The reserves are Matt M.Duffy 3B-4 .727 and Cesar Hernandez 2B-7 .718. Riding the minor league busses are four players, all under the age of 30, with varying degrees of APBA usefulness or potential. They are: Jose Iglesias SS-9 .699 OPS who is the type of player who will always have a job somewhere in the ZSABL, Luis Urias 2B-7 .618 OPS, slated to start for the San Diego Padres this year either at 2B or SS. Ryan McMahon 3B-3 2B-6 1B-3 .683 OPS who is in a battle for the starting 2B gig in Colorado and J.P.Crawford SS-7 3B-3 .712 OPS who failed miserably in Philadelphia playing all over the infield but hopes for a fresh start after getting traded to Seattle.
Outfield:
Hopefully the aforementioned Rhys Hoskins 1B-3 OF-1 .850 OPS will be strictly a DH and not set foot in the pastures. If that holds true to form then Joc Pederson OF-2 .843 OPS, Corey Dickerson OF-3 .804 and the newly drafted Mallex Smith OF-2 .773 OPS will make up the fly chaser corps. In reserve is Robby Grossman OF-1 .751 OPS. In the farm system is Tyler O’Neill OF-2 .803 OPS, acquired in the Giancarlo Stanton deal and Scott Schebler OF-2 .777 OPS.
Division Lineup Rank: 7th
Draft Analysis:
They didn’t pick until the 4th round where they selected OF Mallex Smith and P Yonny Chirinos, no 5th rounder but in the 6th they added another bullpen piece in Roenis Elias. The 7th gave them two great sounding names in 1B Ji-Man Choi and P Daniel Ponce de Leon, both should contribute to the Machine season. Three picks in the 8th all will supplement Sherwood’s hope to find the “road to glory” in B-No-Z Edwin Jackson, A*-No Z Edubray Ramos and D(C*-ZZ) Robby Erlin with his 109 IP. The 9th gave them two more pitching options in Matt Koch and Tony SIpp. They passed in the 10th but in the 11th they went for Joey Lucchesi who flashed moments of promise at times during the season and with their final pick they took Taylor Cole.
Synopsis:
Their playoff run was stopped at eight last year; they will be looking to start another streak in 2019. It won’t be easy, two positions, Posey at catcher and Lemahieu at 2B both had below average years. It looks like Las Vegas and Brooklyn are locked into the top two spots in the East but we saw the Crazy Horse “crash and burn” last year so barring that from happening again the Machine is in the same boat as Philly, no higher than third place and no lower than fourth place but to whom the edge goes to is probably too close to call.
Starting Staff:
Walker Buehler A-Z 137 IP and Clay Buchholtz A-Z 98 IP headline a very strong rotation. Following them in the rotation are Patrick Corbin 200 IP and Carlo Carrasco 192 IP, both B-Z’s. C.C. Sabathia B-No Z 133 IP is the # 5 starter. Mike Minor C-Z 157 IP is the swingman. In the minors is another B-No Z 133 IP in Rich Hill along with C-No Z 121 IP Carlos Rodon. Dinelson Lamet no card and A.J.Puk un-carded bide their time on the farm.
Division Rank: 1st
Bullpen:
First round selection Blake Treinen A&B*-Z 80 IP is a stud. Collin McHugh A&C*-No Z 72 IP sets him up. Another “stud” is Seth Lugo B(A*)-Z 101 IP, who could see a start or two down the stretch. A duo of B*-Z's in Kenley Jansen 72 IP and Will Harris 57 IP round out the pen with Pat Neshek A*-Z 24 IP stashed in the minors.
Division Rank: 2nd
Catchers:
J.T.Realmuto C-8 .825 OPS is another Metropolitan “stud” as that word is used freely (and accurately) among the “Met’s” roster. Backing him up is Reese McGuire C-7 .914 OPS but only 31 at bats. Realmuto has just 477 at bats so that situation will have to be monitored. In the minors is LA Dodger farmhand Keibert Ruiz.
Infield:
Speaking of studs lets look at Brooklyn’s third base options. Anthony Rendon 3B-5 .909 OPS will be the starter with Matt Chapman 3B-5 .864 OPS probably looking for at bats off the bench.
The infield stays “studly” at first base where Paul Goldschmidt 1B-5 .922 OPS resides. There is a drop off from the stud label for the middle infield where Ketel Marte 2B-8 SS-8 .768 OPS will probably start at second base. The shortstop will be Nick Ahmed SS-10 .700 OPS, with Jonathan Schoop 2B-8 SS-8 .682 OPS backing them up. A three-headed monster hatchet card will be employed as the DH with Luke Voit 1B-3 1.069, Ryan O’Hearn 1B-2 .950 OPS and Steve Pearce 1B-3 .890 OPS alternating taking their hacks. In the farm system is Gleyber Torres 2B-7 .820 OPS, Franklin Barreto 2B-7 .746 OPS and Orlando Arcia SS-8 .576 OPS. Un-Carded hopefuls are Nick Sentzel, Brendan Rodgers and Evan White.
Outfield:
There are no “studs” in the Metropolitan outfield, which is probably the weakest component of the franchise. Michael Brantley a solid OF-3 .832 OPS falls short of that "stud" label but he is a very capable player. Adam C.Eaton OF-3 .805 OPS, George Springer OF-3 .780 OPS and Jackie Bradley Jr. OF-3 .717 OPS fills out the rest of the fly chasing corps with the latter getting the starting nod due to the fact his APBA card is better than his numbers indicate. In the bushes is Lonnie Chisenhall OF-2 .846 OPS but just 84 at bats as he was beset with injuries as was Jorge Soler OF-1 .820 OPS.
Division Lineup Rank: 3rd
Draft Analysis:
They had three 1st round picks and made the most of them by bolstering their pitching staff. Blake Treinen arrived via the Lottery and Seth Lugo and Clay Buchholtz came later on in the first round. The original Mock Draft correctly identified Buchholtz and Lugo but Manager Turner denied that they were taking those hurlers so they were changed, the Mock Draft Orchestrator will not be duped again by Brooklyn’s shenanigans. Offensive help came in the 2nd with the monster card of Luke Voit and in the 3rd an equally impressive card in Ryan O’Hearn was added. They did not pick again until the 6th and here they had two selections, one was another dynamite hitting card in Steve Pearce and the other was SS-10 Nick Ahmed. No 7th but in the 8th they went un-carded in Evan White and with their final pick they chose C Reese McGuire.
Synopsis:
The best rotation, the 2nd best pen and the 3rd best lineup points to a sure fire playoff team. Winning the Eastern Division pennant though will be a battle with Las Vegas. All signs indicate that these two clubs will distance themselves from the rest of the pack. There is no denying that the three-prong attack of Voit, O’Hearn and Pearce will decide more than a few games with Goldschmidt, Rendon and Chapman deciding a few more. The only perceived weakness maybe the offensive abilities of the keystone combination of Marte and Ahmed but their gloves compensate for it. Although anything can happen as we saw with the disaster of a season suffered by the Las Vegas franchise last year, this Office is giving permission to the Brooklyn management to go ahead and print playoff tickets.
Starting Staff:
Their two best starters have limited innings, Wade Miley A-No Z 81 IP and Jeremy Hellickson B-Z 91 IP. Both of these hurlers open the season on the active roster. They are supplemented by four C-Z’s in Mike Leake 187 IP, Ivan Nova 161 IP, Stephen Strasburg 130 IP and Brent Suter 101 IP. Down on the farm are three more light innings starters in Casey Kelly B-Z 24 IP, Chris Bassitt B-No Z 48 IP and Kohl Stewart B-No Z 37 IP. They also held on to Lucas Giolito D-W 173 IP after entertaining thoughts of cutting him loose, hoping that toiling in the bushes will straighten him out.
Division Rank: 6th
Bullpen:
Chad Green A*-Z 76 IP is the closer, Reyes Moronta A*-W 65 IP will have to be utilized frequently despite his lack of control. Yusmeiro Petit B*-Z 93 IP and Brad Peacock C(B*)-No Z 65 IP fill out the reliever corps. On the minor league side Vidal Nuno A&C*-Z 33 IP and Xavier Cedeno A*-No Z 33 IP are their best options. David Robertson B*-No Z 70 IP provides some depth when he eventually gets the call to help the major league team.
Division Rank: 5th
Catcher:
Behind the dish is a weak spot in the Rocker lineup as Kevan Smith C-7 .728 OPS but only 171 at bats will share time with long time Sherwood Forest Machine back stop Russell Martin C-8 .663 OPS. Tucker Barnhart C-9 .699 OPS is in the minors.
Infield:
Cody Bellinger 1B-5 .814 OPS is at first base, across the diamond in his last season before he retires is Adrian Beltre 3B-5 .763 OPS although Yandy Diaz 3B-3 .797 OPS will also see some playing time at the hot corner. Aledmys Diaz SS-8 .756 OPS will patrol the left side of the double play combination with the right side being held down by the duo of Yairo Munoz 2B-7 .763 OPS and Lourdes Gurriel 2B-7 .755 OPS, both of whom can spell Diaz at shortstop. The other reserve infielders are Matt Adams 1B-3 .786 OPS and Tyler Austin 1B-3 .767 OPS who when either are deployed at first base, will free up Bellinger to move to the outfield. In the minors are Paul DeJong SS-9 .746 OPS, Justin Bour 1B-3 .743 OPS, Starlin Castro 2B-8 .729 OPS and Addison Russell SS-9 .657 OPS.
Outfield:
An All-World Outfield, on paper, when everything clicks has Mike Trout OF-3 1.088 OPS, Bryce Harper OF-2 .889 OPS and Kris Bryant OF-1 .834 OPS. Bryant’s 3B-4 may push him to doing some infield duties or even be used as the DH. Currently the DH is probably Matt Kemp OF-1 .818 OPS. For outfield depth they have Austin Meadows OF-2 .785 OPS. Down on the farm are fly chasers Adam Jones OF-2 .732, Bret Gardner OF-3 .690 OPS and Lancaster,Pa. native Travis Jankowski OF-3 .678 OPS.
Division Lineup Rank: 4th
Draft Analysis:
They could not make the draft so they corresponded via text with our draft coordinator Dave “Frenchy” Bauman. The Rochester Management shocked the league at the lack of their draft preparation. Luckily the Frenchman agreed to take on the added responsibilities freeing up the onus of aiding and abetting the Rockers from Hartford and Sherwood. This Office also ruled by precedent that they would be allowed supplemental picks after the draft. Their 1st selection was in the 3rd round and they chose Wade Miley, in the 4th they tabbed Jeremy Hellickson. Lourdes Gurriel became a Rocker in the 5th. They had no 6th but in the 7th Vidal Nuno returned to the team after a one-year hiatus. The 8th saw them grab Yairo Munoz and they added Tyler Austin in the 9th. Reyes Moronta was selected in the 10th and their pick of Yandy Diaz in the 11th was a nice “get”. Kohl Stewart was their final selection in the 12th. At the conclusion of the draft when the league members congregated at the 8th Ward bar to discuss their triumphs and disappointments of draft day 2019, Manager Schall made his appearance to take his supplemental picks. In order they were P Casey Kelly, P Chris Bassitt, C Kevan Smith, OF Matt Kemp, 1B Matt Adams, OF Travis Jankowski, 1B Justin Bour and P Xavier Cedeno.
Synopsis:
After going all-in last season capturing the Eastern Division flag and the Scott L.Fisher Best Record in Baseball Award they met disappointment when they faltered in the East finals to Philadelphia.
Their plethora of marginal innings pitchers, 16 to be exact, out of their 23 pitchers had less than 100 IP, created a vacuum of viable roster spots, which now needed filled. No 1st or 2nd round picks added to their woes. Any team with players like Trout, Harper, Bellinger and Bryant have the nucleus of a post season team but they have to be complemented by productive and reliable fill-ins and that was not the case with the 2019 version of the Rochester Rockers. Missing the draft probably added another year to the rebuild of the franchise even with their four super stars. They will be hard pressed to finish in 5th place in a tough division.
Starting Staff:
There is nothing to dislike here. A formidable staff when everyone is active is made up of Justin Verlander A-Z 214 IP, Adalberto Mejia A-No Z 22 IP, Corey Kluber B-Z 215 IP, Anibal Sanchez B-No Z 137 IP, Andrew Heaney C-Z 180 IP with Chase Anderson C-No Z 158 IP as the swingman. Once Mejia uses up is 22 innings the first call to the minors will go to Clayton Kershaw A-Z 161 IP. Also in the system are un-carded Yusei Kikuchi and Mackenzie Gore with no card Jimmy Nelson rehabbing an injury.
Division Rank: 3rd
Bullpen:
Four A*-Z’s grace the Crazy Horse pen in T.J.McFarland 72 IP, Kirby Yates 63 IP, Victor Arano 59 IP and Corbin Burnes 38 IP. In low leverage situations they can turn to Blake Parker B*-Z 66 IP. Their farm team is also stacked with quality bullpen arms in Victor Alcantara and Tony Barnette, both A*-Z’s with 30 and 26 IP respectively. Brandon Woodruff C(B*)-No Z 42 IP and Zach Britton B*-W 41 IP gives them even more depth.
Division Rank: 1st
Catchers:
The Crazy Horse will start Wilson Ramos C-7 and a .845 OPS behind the dish with Chris Iannetta C-8 .730 OPS as his very capable backup.
Infield:
The infield corners have 1B-5 Freddie Freeman .892 OPS and Manny Machado 3B-5 SS-8 .905 OPS. A very elite pair that maybe only Brooklyn can top. Xander Bogaerts SS-8 .883 OPS is the shortstop and his double play partner will be Joey Wendle 2B-8 .789 OPS, who surprisingly lasted until the 4th round in the draft. The reserves are Kolten Wong 2B-9 .720 OPS and Eric Thames 1B-3 .783 OPS who was reluctantly kept on the roster since they failed to add a back up first baseman.
Outfield:
Last year they carried 11 outfielders, not counting Eric Thames who saw action mostly at 1B and DH, they cut it back to 10 this season although Thames still has an outfield rating. The fly chasers are led by J.D.Martinez OF-2 1.031 OPS with rookie sensation and the number one overall draft pick Juan Soto OF-2 .923 OPS joining him. The third spot gets a little tricky as the options are Jesse Winker .836 OPS, Nick Castellanos .854 OPS or Thames, all OF-1. One of these three will be the DH and if Skipper Bell decides not to use a OF-1 his choices are limited to defensive stalwarts Kevin Kiermaier .653 OPS and Carlos Gomes .634 OPS, both OF-3. In the minors are Nick Martini OF-2 .811 OPS, Domingo Santana OF-2 .740 OPS, Kyle Tucker OF-2 .439 and the much bally-hooed un-carded Alex Kirilloff.
Division Lineup Rank: 1st
Draft Analysis:
They coveted OF Juan Soto and were willing to trade up at any price to get him but the APBA gods were on their side as they garnered the # 1 pick in the Lottery. With their other # 1 selection they took T.J.McFarland. Armed with two picks in the 2nd they fortified their pen with Victor Arano and Kirby Yates, the latter they are extremely high on. In the 3rd they added another pitcher they were targeting in Corbin Burnes. Joey Wendle amazingly lasted until the 4th and that is where Las Vegas made him a Crazy Horse. Three 5th rounders also netted them Jeff McNeil who really fell off the board after the Mock Draft predicted him as a 1st round selection, Andrew Heaney and Anibal Sanchez, a surprise Grade B pitcher lasting so late in the day. Adalberto Mejia arrived in the 6th. A pair of 7th round choices gave them Garrett Hampson, which disappointed the Sherwood franchise and OF Nick Martini. They went un-carded in the 8th with Yusei Kikuchi, Victor Alcantara in the 9th and back to the "cookie jar" with Alex Kirilloff in the 10th. In the 11th they added Tony Barnette and their final pick was Brandon Woodruff in the 12th, whom Las Vegas said they were very impressed with in last year's MLB playoffs.
Synopsis:
As they tried to put the nightmarish 2018 season behind them they wheeled and dealed to place themselves into the enviable position of being one of the “top dogs” in the East. They are not however a prohibitive favorite to take home the Eastern flag because they have to contend with the Brooklyn Metropolitans. Last year this Office predicted that they were a “Mortal Lock” for the post season, which put this prognosticating team on a par with the Lancaster meteorologists who routinely forecast the arrival of the “Mother of all snow storms" on a regular basis. Next season however we can look back and see how exactly prescient the methodology used in this analysis can be. They won’t collapse two years in a row.
Starting Staff:
Brad Keller B-No Z 140 IP and John Gant B-No Z 114 IP assume the two top spots in the rotation. Tyson Ross C-No Z 150 IP and Junior Guerra C-No Z 141 IP follow them. Lance Lynn C-W 157 IP is the fifth starter. In the minors are Michael Wacha B-No Z 84 IP and a pair of D-No Z’s in Michael Fulmer and Danny Duffy. Danny Salazar (No Card) and un-carded Jason Groome complete the starting staff. Control will be the main issue with this group as nary a one has the "Z" rating.
Division Rank: 7th
Bullpen:
Edwin Diaz A&C*-Z 73 IP is the closer with Craig Stammen A*-Z 79 IP and Adam Ottavino A*-No Z 78 IP in set up roles. Adding some depth to this group is Ryan Tepera B*-No Z 65 IP and A.J.Minter B*-No Z 61 IP. Mop up duties will fall to Jordan Hicks B*-W 78 IP and Joe Kelly C*-No Z 66 IP. On the farm they have Tim Mayza B*-No Z 36 IP and Dominic Leone C*-Z 24 IP. The new management in Maine will have to learn to resist the temptation of “going to the well” too early and too often given the weakness of the rotation.
Division Rank: 6th
Catchers:
Martin Maldonado C-9 .627 OPS wins the catcher’s job by default as his back up Alex Avila C-8 .603 OPS provides even less batting skills. Riding the bush league busses are Jason Castro C-8 .495 OPS and Carson Kelly C-7 .319 who now has escaped the shadows of Yadier Molina and will strive to live up to the potential predicted for him in his new digs in Arizona.
Infield:
Justin Smoak 1B-5 .808 at first base and Jed Lowrie 2B-8 .801 OPS give them some quality on the right side of the diamond. Jose Ramirez 3B-5 .939 OPS provides perennial All-Star caliber status at the hot corner. Jean Segura SS-8 .755 is adequate enough to round out the infield. Fred Galvis SS-9 .680 and Howie Kendrick 2B-7 .805 are reserves on the bench although the latter could press Lowrie for some playing time at second base. The DH is Max Muncy coming off a monster year, .973 OPS and he is rated at 1B-2B-3B so he qualifies as the back up at all those positions. In the minors is Miguel Sano 3B-3 .679 OPS and Logan Forsythe 2B-8 .604 OPS. They also will hopefully see the rapid development of the juvenile phenom, the un-carded Wander Franco as he learns the ropes down on the farm.
Outfield:
Occupying one outfield spot is Mookie Betts OF-3 1.078 who is a franchise player that you run out of superlatives describing him. Michael Conforto OF-2 .797 OPS who may be on the cusp of breaking out in a big way will also start in the pastures. The third outfield slot is a little murky, Mark Trumbo OF-1 .764 is one option or if they decide to go with speed and defense there is Billy Hamilton OF-3 .626 OPS. In the minors they have Alex Verdugo OF-2 .706 OPS, Jon Jay OF-3 .678 OPS and un-carded Taylor Trammell the # 3 prospect for Cincinnati
Division Lineup Rank: 2nd
Draft Analysis:
Picking # 3 in the draft they knew they were either going to get Miles Mikolas or Max Muncy with most members trending toward Mikolas which was fine with the Maine management since Brian, one half of the front office, is a St.Louis Cardinal fan. Seattle of course picking # 2 took Mikolas proving the fickleness of trying to predict anything ZSABL related (This Analysis and the Mock Draft not included). So they grabbed Muncy making their lineup one of the strongest in the league. Having less than a week to prepare for the draft all they knew is that they needed “arms" so Brad Keller in the 2nd and Adam Ottavino in the 3rd became Maui's. They astutely traded their # 4 to Las Vegas for a # 2 next year and in the 5th they added another starting pitcher in John Gant. In the 6th they took A.J.Minter, a little too early IMHO, but this is a learning process, next year they will be better in establishing values for cards/grades. In the 7th they selected their first non-pitcher in Alex Verdugo and in the 8th back to pitching they went in Jordan Hicks with his 100+ mph heater. Tim Mayza arrived in the 9th. Un-carded Wander Franco concluded their draft. This Office upon reviewing Maine’s roster saw that they had some Grade D pitchers in their rotation. This whole ZSABL process was overwhelming for Tim and Brian who had very little APBA experience and had less than a week to prepare so citing the precedent of the Supplemental Draft they were allowed to add two Grade C-No Z's in Tyson Ross and Junior Guerra to give them a “fighting chance".
Synopsis:
This is probably going to be a long season for the Maui’s although they should have some fun scoring runs by rolling for Muncy, Betts and Ramirez but their pitching likely will give back more than they score. I am sure the pre-draft discussion about the “40” seemed like Greek or advanced Calculus to the Markley’s but I am confident they will pick up all our nuances we have added to the game. They have the offense they just need to tweak their pitching next year to join the competitive ranks in the East. We hope they do not have to ask Norfolk for directions to Chiques Rock.
Starting Staff:
Zoo’s, Zebra’s, Zimbabwe, Zephyr, Amsterdam must have an aversion to the letter “Z” because 7 of their 8 starting pitchers on their active roster all lack the control letter. Trevor Bauer A 175 IP, Mike Foltynewicz B 183 IP, Zach Wheeler B 182 IP, Carlos E.Martinez B 119 IP, Mike Lorenzen B 81 IP, Shohei Ohtani B 52 IP, Lance McCuller Jr. C 128 IP are “Z-Less" only James Paxton C-Z 160 IP has the ability to find the plate. Their minor leaguers show the same traits with Jonathan Gray and Chris Archer, both C-No Z's and Marcus Stroman with his D No-Z. Michael Kopech is a D-Z but with only 14 IP. Un-carded Hunter Greene waits for his opportunity.
Division Rank: 5th
Bullpen:
Control doesn’t get any better in the pen as the closer is Craig Kimbrel A*-No Z 62 IP. Just when you think it can’t get any worse when you don't have a "Z", the dreaded "W" appears in the set up man Carl Edwards Jr. A*-W 52 IP. Only Blaine Hardy C(B*)-Z show some semblance of the strike zone. Corey Knebel B*-No Z 55 IP rounds out the relief corps. In the minors is Pedro Baez B*-No Z 56 IP and the aberration on the Bulldog staff Julio Urias A&B*-ZZ but only 4 IP.
Division Rank: 7th
Catchers:
Omar Narvaez C-7 .794 OPS will share time with Kevin Plawlecki C-8 .685 OPS. While Yan Gomes C-8 .762 OPS languishes in the minors.
Infield:
The corner infield posts are well stacked with Anthony Rizzo 1B-5 .846 OPS although they frequently complain that they can't roll for him and across the diamond at third base with Travis Shaw 3B-5 .825. Andrelton Simmons SS-10 .754 OPS is at shortstop. Second base could be a revolving door with Adam Frazier 2B-7 .798 getting most of the playing time with Enrique Hernandez 2B-7 .806 OPS also seeing some action there. David Fletcher is the utility man 2B-8 3B-4 .678 OPS. Miguel Cabrera 1B-3 .843 OPS makes the squad as a pinch-hitter and occasional DH. Down on the farm is Chad Pinder OF-2 2B-7 3B-3 .769 OPS, Willie Adames SS-7 .754 OPS, Jeimer Candelario 3B-4 .710 OPS and un-carded super prospects Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Shohei Ohtani .925 OPS will DH probably every other game.
Outfield:
Four good outfielders here but they will have to see one sit so Ohtani’s bat can get into the lineup at DH. The early casualty there looks like Yasiel Puig OF-3 .820. Aaron Hicks OF-3 .833 OPS, Lorenzo Cain OF-3 .813 OPS and Andrew McCutchen OF-2 .792 OPS all played in their early series when Ohtani was at DH. A set rotation of who plays when has not been established. Its a very deep outfield crew. In the minors is Harrison Bader OF-3 .756 OPS and Clint Frazier OF-2 .743 OPS.
Division Lineup Rank: 5th
Draft Analysis:
With their two lottery picks they selected a pair of B starters in Mike Foltynewicz and Zach Wheeler. Harrison Bader was chosen in the 2nd, they had no 3rd but with a pair of 4th rounders they grabbed Blaine Hardy and Kevin Plawecki. Mike Lorenzen arrived in the 5th and David Fletcher in the 6th. Their final pick came in the 8th with utility man Chad Pinder. They must be content with their roster because it seems they cut their draft awful quick.
Synopsis:
The dearth of “Z” pitching has to hurt especially in the pen. A strong outfield and an “A” and three “B’s" in the rotation all without the "Z" doesn't add up to enough to match the teams ahead of them in a strong division. The soon to be debuts of Guerrero Jr and Bo Bichette bode well for the future. They are probably not a contender this year but look out next season.
1st Place: Brooklyn has it all, pitching both starting and relieving, “studs" everywhere in the lineup and hatchet cards galore. Plus they have the post-season experience with their name engraved on the Trophy. Maybe a weak spot at the double play combination but defense wins games too. They are also very deep except for maybe the outfield. They will hold off Las Vegas for the Eastern Division pennant.
2nd Place : Las Vegas despite their disaster last year, on paper they are a bono-fide contender again. Of course they have NEVER won a playoff series so maybe this is the year to break the jinx. Their offense is off the charts and six A*-Z relievers are tough to beat.
3rd & 4th Place: This is a tough one to call Philadelphia and Sherwood rank at the bottom of the Division for offensive fire power. Philly has a slight edge in starting pitching and the Machine have a slight advantage in the pen. The Black Sox got a taste of the post season and they are hungry for more while Sherwood is an old hand at post-season success. Skipper Tarantino is a guru at mathematical calculations while Skipper Abrams relies more on “rote” lineups decided on in pre-season. Taking the easy way out, they end up in a dead heat for 3rd place decided by a one game playoff of which any thing can happen.
5th Place: Rochester another tough call but any team with Trout, Harper and Bryant are going to be competitive. Innings are the Achilles Heel for the Rockers but Amsterdam’s total lack of “Z” pitching will doom them enabling the Rockers to finish above them.
6th Place: Amsterdam as much as you like the names on the roster not having any control either starting or the pen can not lead to success in the ZSABL. The methodology used in this analysis actually has Maine finishing ahead of the Bulldogs but inexperience will send the Maui’s to last place.
7th Place: Maine despite having probably the 2nd
best lineup in the East with Muncy, Betts and Jose Ramirez there is just
not enough pitching depth to make a run at a post season within a very strong
division. Expect some mistakes playing the game with all of the ZSABL rules
leading to some losses but after getting a season under their belt they should
be fine.
Final Prediction
1-Brooklyn
2-Las Vegas
3-Philadelphia (Tied)
Sherwood (Tied)
5-Rochester
6-Amsterdam
7-Maine
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.