Starting Staff:
As with most of their starting pitching corp, Justin Verlander (A-Z 34 GS 223 IP) was brought into the fold via the trade route. In fact Hyun-Jin Ryu (A-Z 29 GS 183 IP) is the only home grown member of the starting staff on the big league roster. Charlie Morton (B-No Z 33 GS 195 IP) was acquired from Rochester in 2018, as was Chris Sale (C-Z 25 GS 147 IP) from Las Vegas in the same year. Madison Bumgarner (C-Z 34 GS 208 IP) came over from Sherwood in 2014. In Mad-Bum’s nine year ZSABL career, his W-L record has been over .500 just twice. He finished the 2019 campaign with a record of 11-10, the first time in his six years in Philly that he was over the .500 mark. His other .500+ season came back in 2012 when he went 15-9 with Sherwood. So a staff of A-Z,A-Z,B,C-Z and C-Z stacks up pretty well. In the minors are Yu Darvish (C-No Z 31 GS 170 IP), Diego Castillo (B-No Z 6 GS 69 IP), Alex Wood (D-Z 7 GS 36 IP) and Jake Arrieta (D-No Z 24 GS 136 IP).
Division Rank: 2nd
Bullpen:
Control issues could be the bane of the Black Sox’s relief crew. Ryan Pressly (A*-Z) is the solitary "Z" out there. A couple of high graded bull-penners in Ken Giles (A&C* 53 IP) and Brandon Workman (A&C*-W 72 IP) will help out but the latter is saddled with the dreaded "W". Scott Oberg (A* 56 IP) and a pair of B*s in John Brebbia (73 IP) and Francisco Liriano (70 IP) fill out the rest of the relievers. Pressly with the sole “Z” of the group will be the only go-to guy in high leverage situations. In the minors are Evan Marshall (A*-No Z 51 IP), Raisel Iglesias (C*-Z 67 IP) and Andrew Miller (C*-No Z 55 IP). Un-carded Brent Honeywell and Sixto Sanchez await their opportunities.
Division Rank: 4th
Catchers:
The backstop position will predominately be filled by Stephen Vogt C-7 .804 OPS, the 36 year old who has just 255 at bats will be backed up by Chance Sisco C-7 .728 OPS. The latter is also light on at bats, with his 167 but between the two of them and batting in the lower part of the line up, they should suffice.
Infield:
At first base their best option is David Freese 1B-3 1,002 OPS but only 162 at bats, Wilmer Flores 1B-3 .848 OPS will see lots of action there also and if they run into at bat issues they can plug in Mark Canha 1B-3 OF-2 .913 OPS but he will see most of his PT in the outfield. Eric Sogard 2B-8 .810 OPS will form half of the keystone combination, pairing with Corey Seager SS-8 .818 OPS. The hot corner will be manned by J.D.Davis 3B-3 .895 OPS. The only other infield reserve is Kyle Seager 3B-4 .789 OPS. Down on the farm are Matt Carpenter 3B-3 .726 OPS, Orlando Arcia SS-9 .633 OPS and the enigmatic Greg Bird 1B-4 .550 who the Sox refuse to give up on.
Outfield:
Canha, as described in the previous section, is the leader of this group, if he is not needed to play first base, and should see every day duty. A rejuvenated Hunter Pence OF-1 .910 OPS with only 286 at bats, David Dahl OF-2 .877 OPS, Kyle Schwarber OF-1 .870 OPS and Cameron Maybin OF-2 .858 OPS will rotate through the other two outfield slots. Shin Soo Choo OF-1 .826 OPS looks like the regular designated hitter and lead off hitter. The cement gloves of either Pence or Schwarber, I doubt if they would be in the outfield at the same time, will be replaced late in games by A.J.Pollock OF-3 .795 OPS. The farm has Mitch Haniger OF-3 .777 OPS and un-carded Japanese import Shogo Akiyama.
Line up Rank: 4th
Draft Analysis:
The experts were puzzled when Philly traded for Verlander with their woefully weak lineup, in a year of offense especially homeruns and no number one pick. Armed with a lot of picks rounds 2 thru 5, they went for aging veterans, hatchet cards and defensive liabilities. In the 2nd they added Choo and Canha. The bullpen was bolstered with Giles in the 3rd and Marshall in the 4th. Their other 4th rounder solved the catching dilemma with Vogt. The 5th netted them Davis and Workman and with no 6th they grabbed Pence in the 7th and Akiyama in the 8th. Sogard in the 9th was a key acquisition with his versatility. No 10th round pick but the 11th gave them the hatchet man Freese and Maybin still on the board in the 12th was a nice pick up. Liriano arrived in the 13th and their final pick post draft was Arcia when they realized they did not meet the roster requirements at shortstop.
Synopsis:
A pre draft analysis gave the Sox no chance to reach the Promised Land but an astute draft strategy with the mantra of "the future is now" gives them a legitimate shot at the post season. Adding all those veteran players via the draft makes them the oldest club in the East but two A-Z's in the rotation can compensate in a lot of ways. Defensive lapses and a bullpen bereft of control will be their Achilles Heel. It will be a close race in the East with as many as five teams competing for the three post-season spots.
Starting Staff:
Two B-Z's headline the top of the rotation in Kyle Hendricks (30 GS 177 IP), an inning eater the last three seasons in Sherwood and Ross Stripling 15 GS 91 IP. Tony Gonsolin (B-No Z 6 GS 40 IP) and Joey Lucchesi (C-No Z 30 GS 164 IP) will form the Machine's four-man rotation to start the year. Adrian Houser (C-No Z 18 GS 111 IP) looks like he will just gobble up valuable relief innings at least in the early going. The reinforcements who will arrive from the minors in short order are Yonny Chirinos (C-Z 8 GS 133 IP), Luke Weaver (B-Z 12 GS 64 IP), Austin Voth (B-Z 8 GS 43 IP, Daniel Ponce de Leon (Grade B-No Z 8 GS 49 IP and Jose Urquidy (C-Z 7 GS 41 IP). Johnny Cueto (D-W 4 GS 16 IP) is a non-factor in the minors.
Division Rank: 5th
Bullpen:
As stated last year Skipper Tarantino is a master at crunching numbers to get the most out of whatever innings limits are thrown at them. This season however they are armed with a more formidable pen led by Felipe Vazquez (Rivero) (A&C*-Z 60 IP), in what is his probable last year in baseball with his legal troubles. He is backed up by three B*-Z's in Oliver Drake 56 IP, Timothy Hill 40 IP and Ryan Helsley 39 IP. Throw in Josh Tomlin (C-ZZ 1 GS 79 IP) and swingman Alec Mills (A-No-Z 4 GS 36 IP) and you have a very capable relief corp. Down on the farm is Randy Dobnak (A&C-Z 5 GS 28 IP) and Javy Guerra (C*-Z 68 IP)
Division Rank: 2nd
Catchers:
Compensating for the declining performance of the aging Buster Posey C-8 .688 OPS, they optioned him to the minors and claimed Will D. Smith C-7 .907 OPS in the first round to pair with Willson Conteras C-7 .888 OPS to handle all the receiving duties.
Infield:
Comprising the elite left side of the Machine infield is Trevor Story SS-9 .917 OPS and 3B Eugenio Suarez 3B-4 .930 OPS. The right side of the diamond has a considerable drop off. The first baseman is Ryhs Hoskins 1B-3 .818 OPS with the number one overall pick Cavan Biggio 2B-7 .793 OPS occupying the keystone bag. Biggio enamored the Sherwood management with his on base numbers, which include six walks. Because they believe in defense the reserves include Evan Longoria 3B-5 .762 OPS and Brandon Belt 1B-5 .742 OPS. The former has seen a lot of time playing the hot corner pushing Suarez to the DH role. Another key utility man is Ryan McMahon 2B-8 3B-4 1B-3 .779 OPS who has seen action in a variety of spots including late inning defense at second base, DH duties and an occasional start at third base. Filling out the bench is J.P.Crawford SS-8 .684 OPS. In the minors are Ji-Man Choi 1B-3 .822 OPS, Matt M. Duffy 3B-3 .670 OPS who they must still see some potential for him to remain on the roster after a few years of injuries and non-production. Joining them is Luis Urias SS-7 .655 OPS considered one of the top prospects in MLB.
Outfield:
Bryce Harper OF-3 .882 OPS will of course play everyday and Joc Pederson OF-2 .877 OPS will flank him most of the time. The third outfield spot will be filled by the trio of Joey Gallo OF-2 .987 OPS, Mike Tauchman OF-3 .865 OPS and Brandon Nimmo OF-2 .782 OPS. This triad will also be employed at times as the DH. Down on the farm is the speedster Mallex Smith OF-2 .635 OPS and the oft injured Giancarlo Stanton OF-2 .895 OPS but only 59 at bats.
Division Lineup Rank: 5th
Draft Analysis:
They have not had a first round pick since 2015 when they selected OF Drew Stubbs. The 2020 draft presented them with a pair of first round selections. As noted earlier Cavan Biggio was taken with the # 1 overall pick and later in the round they added C Will D. Smith. They did not pick again until the 5th where Mike Tauchman, still surprisingly available and P Jose Urquidy who they are really high on were chosen. In the 6th they got Randy Dobnak and the 7th netted them Austin Voth. More pitching pieces were added in the 8th with Timothy Hill and in the 9th with Alec Mills. The 10th round gave them even more arm depth with Helsley and Gonsolin. Rounds 11 through 14 were more of the same with hurlers Houser, Fedde, Drake and Guerra filling in the missing pitching spots.
Synopsis:
Arguably Sherwood had the best 10 year run in ZSABL history, making the play offs in nine of those years, garnering six pennants and appearing in the World Series five times, albeit all losing efforts. They are off to their typical hot start but the East is a real tough division with perhaps five teams being viable post-season contenders. Their piece-meal method of patching in a starting rotation has worked in the past but this year they are blessed with a much stronger bullpen. Their offense although ranked in the middle of the pack is strong as is nearly every ZSABL franchise. Keeping men off base before the barrage of long balls occur which will undoubtedly happen in the year of the home run in MLB will be paramount. The Machine has an abundance of "Z" pitching which will make this possible. Last year while playing Maine, now Cleveland, in the back at the club, the Maui manager John Heiselman, noting the various charts and graphs employed by the Sherwood skipper was prompted to say "This is the analytic table". A talented roster and mathematical permutations will add another post-season notch to their belt.
Starting Staff:
Walker Buehler (B-Z 30 GS 182 IP) is the ace of the staff followed by Mike Minor 208 IP, Patrick Corbin 202 IP and Marcus Stroman 184 IP each of whom has 32 GS and are B-No Z’s. Max Fried (C-Z 30 GS 166 IP) will be the # 5 man in the rotation. Rich Hill 13 GS 59 IP could be the swingman, employed as a situational reliever and a spot starter. In the bushes are Dinelson Lamet (C-No Z 14 GS 73 IP) and a tandem recovering from injuries and illnesses Carlos Rodon (D-No Z 7 GS 35 IP) and Carlos Carrasco (D-Z 12 GS 80 IP).
Division Rank: 3rd
Bullpen:
A very deep pen includes Will Harris (A&C*-Z 60 IP), Jacob Webb (A&B*-No Z 32 IP), a pair of A*-Z’s in Seth Lugo 80 IP and Aaron Bummer 68 IP, throw in Daniel Hudson (A*-No Z 1 GS 73 IP) and for mop up duty Kenley Jansen (C*-Z 63 IP) and the late innings will be covered nicely by the Metropolitans. In the minors are A.J.Puk (B*-No Z 11 IP) and fire-balling phenom Nate Pearson who is un-carded..
Division Rank: 3rd
Catchers:
J.T.Realmuto C-9 .821 OPS is the real deal. Backing him up is the Reese Mcguire C-7 .872 OPS in 97 at bats. In the minors is LA Dodger farmhand Keibert Ruiz, a 22 year-old wunderkind.
Infield:
Its hard to imagine any team with deeper depth than Brooklyn in the infield. Anthony Rendon 3B-5 1,010 OPS is forced to DH because of Matt Chapman's superior glove 3B-6 and he is also no slouch at the dish with his.848 OPS. Across the diamond at first base is Paul Goldschmidt 1B-5 .822 OPS backed up by Luke Voit 1B-3 .842 OPS. The middle of the infield has breakout star Ketel Marte 2B-8 SS-8 OF-2 .981 OPS and Gleyber Torres SS-8 2B-7 .872 OPS. Nick Ahmed SS-9 .753 OPS is the reserve.. Down on the farm are Jonathan Schoop 2B-8 .777 OPS, Ryan O’Hearn 1B-3 .650 OPS plus hot prospects Brendan Rodgers 2B-6 .522 OPS and Franklin Barreto 2B-6 .401 OPS. Un-Carded Evan White will probably get his chance this season.
Outfield:
The starting outfield trio are George Springer OF-3 .974 OPS, Adam C.Eaton OF-3 .793 OPS and Michael Brantley OF-3 .875 OPS but Marte, as described above, has been used in the pastures instead of the latter in the early goings. Jorge Soler OF-1 .923 OPS will be the usual DH with some occasional stints in the outfield. Sam Hilliard OF-2 1.005 OPS with his 77 at bats provides some explosiveness off the bench. Unable to crack the roster is Jackie Bradley Jr. OF-3 .738 OPS who will languish in the minors along with un-carded 17 year-old Jasson Dominguez and 20 year-old Julio Rodriguez.
Division Lineup Rank: 2nd
Draft Analysis:
Not really needing much in the draft they were very evasive when it came time for the Mock-Draft. They went the safe route and took Fried in the 1st round. They had no 2nd round pick but in the 3rd they grabbed relievers Aaron Bummer and Dan Hudson. Another bull-penner was added in the 4th in Jacob Webb before they went un-carded in the 5th with Nate Pearson. Their two 6th rounders were young un-carded outfielders Jasson Dominguez and Julio Rodriguez. Their final selection in the 7th was the hatchet card of Sam Hilliard.
Synopsis:
A strong, deep lineup, and a solid bullpen can only be held back from post-season aspirations by their starting staff's lack of control. Their offense can probably bail them out of potential holes if the three B-No Z starters give up a couple of crooked number innings due to bases on balls and dingers. It is a tough division and whoever is left standing will earn it.
Starting Staff:
Gerrit Cole (A-Z 33 GS 212 IP) and Stephen Strasburg (B-Z 33 GS 209 IP) are the workhorses of this rotation. John Means (B-Z 27 GS 155 IP) is the # 3. A couple of C-Z's will be counted on to contribute heavily at the back end in Mike Leake (32 GS 197 IP) and Ivan Nova (34 GS 187 IP). Chad Green (C-Z 15 GS 69 IP) will slot in the rotation a few times as will Tyler Clippard (B-Z 3 GS 62 IP) who after his three starts will be exiled to the pen for the rest of the year.
Division Rank: 1st
Bullpen:
There are a Lot of options here, with Yusmeiro Petit (A*-Z 83 IP), Giovanny Gallegos (A*-Z 74 IP) and Kevin Ginkel (A&C*-No Z 24 IP) among them. Then you have the double Z's, Brent Suter (A&B*-ZZ 18 IP) and Chris Martin (B*-ZZ 56 IP). Throw in Anthony Bass (B*-No Z 48 IP) who has been un-hittable in the early part of the season and you have a lot of resources at your disposal. Down in the minors are Luke Farrell (A-Z 1 GS 13 IP), Eric Yardley (A*-Z 12 IP), Rowan Wick (A*-No Z 33 IP) and Keone Kela (A*-No Z 39 IP).
Division Rank: 1st
Catcher:
If there is a weak spot on the Rocker squad it is here behind the dish. James McCann C-8 .788 OPS will start with Wilson Ramos C-7 .767 OPS backing him up. In the minors is Tucker Barnhart C-9 .708 OPS.
Infield:
Cody Bellinger 1B-5 1.035 OPS is at first base, Howie Kendrick 2B-7 .967 OPS, acquired from Cleveland, is at the keystone position but with only 334 at bats he will have to be monitored. They opted, at least to start the year, to go with the glove at shortstop in Paul Dejong SS-9 .762 OPS. If that doesn’t work out they can plug Manny Machado SS-8 3B-5 .796 OPS into that spot.
They have a lot of choices. D.J. Lemahieu 2B-9 3B-4 1B-4 .893 will play somewhere, probably starting a game at third base before moving to second base in the late innings/. On days Kendrick is benched either Machado or Kris Bryant 3B-3 OF-1 .903 OPS will play third with Lemahieu shifting over to second. Bryant’s defensive shortcomings however make him more suited for the DH spot. Out of these six infielders, Bellinger and Lemahieu will play everyday with the other four playing according to skipper Schall’s whims. Down on the farm are the hatchet cards of Brad Miller 3B-3 .894 OPS 154 at bats and Derek Dietrich 2B-7 .790 OPS but with a terrific on base card. They are joined by the Diaz boys, Aledmys 1B-4 2B-8 .823 OPS and Yandy 3B-3 .816 OPS. There is more depth with Hanser Alberto 3B-4 .751 OPS, Starlin Castro 2B-7 3B-4 .736 OPS, Addison Russell 2B-9 SS-8 .699 OPS and Yairo Munoz 3B-4 SS-8 .653 OPS waiting for the call to the majors.
Outfield:
All-World Outfielder Mike Trout OF-3 1.083 OPS will be penciled in everyday but his position in the batting order will be influenced by how they use his 470 at bats. Austin Meadows OF-2 .922 OPS will also see everyday duty. The third fly chaser spot looks like some sort of platoon with Jordan Luplow OF-2 .916 OPS 225 at bats and Corey Dickerson OF-2 .905 OPS 260 at bats. Bret Gardner OF-3 .828 will also see considerable action. In the minors is Matt Joyce OF-2 .858 OPS, who with his six walks would probably start for another ball club.
Division Lineup Rank: 1st
Draft Analysis:
They had a huge roster turnover as they made 16 selections. In the first they grabbed John Means, The 2nd and 3rd they addressed the bullpen with Gallegos and Martin. Luplow came in the 4th with catcher James McCann selected in the 5th. The on-base machine Dietrich arrived in the 6th. They had no 7th but in the 8th they chose Clippard. The 9th and 10th were more bullpen pieces in Kela and Wick. The 11th netted them Alberto and in the 12th they got Brad Miller. The 13th through the 16th was more of the same, pitching, as Ginkel, Farrell, Yardley and Bass were added in that order. Their final pick in the 17th was Matt Joyce.
Synopsis:
On paper they are class of the division if not the entire ZSABL It would be hard to envision them not making the playoffs. They are very deep in every department. It will be difficult for the Rockers to exhaust the at bats for all their hatchet cards like Miller and Dietrich because their line up is so strong. Just average performances from their C-Z starters should give them enough to capture the Eastern Division flag.
Starting Staff:
Sitting at the top of the rotation are Clayton Kershaw (B-Z 28 GS 178 IP) and Max Scherzer (B-Z 27 GS 172 IP). Both are getting a little “long in the tooth”. Brandon Woodruff (B-Z 22 GS 122 IP) is their # 3. At the back end of the starting corp are Daniel Norris (C-Z 28 GS 144 IP) and Anibal Sanchez (C-No Z 166 IP). Chase Anderson (C-No Z 27 GS 138 IP) will be used to eat up the garbage innings as will Jordan Yamamoto (C-No Z 15 GS 79 IP). The latter started the ZSABL season in the minors but was quickly summoned to help out the big league club. On the farm are Andrew Heaney (D-No Z 18 GS 95 IP), Framber Valdez (D-W 8 GS 71 IP, Corey Kluber (D-No Z 7 GS 36 IP), hoping to return to form after an injury plagued campaign and Austin Pruitt (C-Z 2 GS 47 IP who started on the active roster before he was replaced by Yamamoto. Jimmy Nelson (D-W 3 GS 22 IP) continues his perennial rehab program. Un-carded Mackenzie Gore should soon make his debut.
Division Rank: 6th
Bullpen:
Kirby Yates (A&B*-Z 61 IP) is the closer, set up by Tyler Duffey (A*-Z 58 IP). Matt Shoemaker (A&C-No Z 5 GS 29 IP) looks like he will be used exclusively out of the pen. Zach Britton (A&C-W 61 IP) and Kyle Ryan (B*-No Z 61 IP) fill out the rest of the pen.
Division Rank: 4th
Catchers:
The Crazy Horse will start Roberto Perez C-9 .773 OPS, he has a lot of pop, barely missing getting double ones, He just has to make contact. His backup is Dustin Garneau C-7 .757 OPS with just 86 at bats.
Infield:
The infield quartet of Freddie Freeman 1B-5 .938 OPS, Xander Bogaerts SS-8 .939 OPS, Justin Turner 3B-4 .882 OPS and Jeff McNeil 2B-7 3B-4 OF-1 .915 OPS is among the best in the ZSABL They did lose some versatility with McNeill only getting a OF-1. The infield reserves are Nick Solak 3B-3 .884, who will see duty as a DH and occasionally spell Turner at third although he has been used heavily in the early going and has just 116 at bats, Dan Vogelbach 1B-2 .780 with his on base card should shoulder a lot of the designated hitter responsibility, Travis Shaw 3B-5 .551 OPS. His fielding one at the hot corner is his only saving grace as his abysmal hitting numbers suggest. Joey Wendle 2B-8 SS-8 .633 OPS is also in reserve. In the minors are Mike Ford 1B-2 .909 OPS, who will undoubtedly see action before the year is out, Jon Berti SS-8 3B-4 OF-2 who will prove to be a valuable asset going forward with his batting and fielding skills and Garret Hampson 2B-7 SS-7 OF-2 .687 OPS who looks like he was putting it all together at the end of MLB last year. In the minors are the un-carded hot shots Royce Lewis and Bobby Witt Jr.
Outfield:
Last year's # 1 overall pick, Juan Soto OF-2 .949 OPS, leads the way with this group. J.D.Martinez OF-1 .940 OPS has to carry his sub-par defensive work into the outfield, getting an occasional breather at the DH spot when Kevin Kiermaier OF-3 .675 OPS is inserted in the lineup. The third outfield post goes to Tommy Pham OF-3 .819 OPS. Down on the farm is Jesse Winker OF-2 .830 OPS, Domingo Santana OF-1 .770 OPS and Trent Grisham OF-2 .738
Division Lineup Rank: 3rd
Draft Analysis:
They had no pick in the first but in the 2nd they grabbed Tyler Duffey to be their set up man, two picks in the 3rd netted them Norris and Solak, the latter was a much sought after commodity by the Vegas brass. Roberto Perez arrived in the 4th and then in the 5th one of top un-carded prospects, Bobby Witt Jr. was selected. Up next was Vogelbach in the 6th and Berti in the 7th and they both should see plenty of action in Las Vegas this season. No 8th rounder but they had a pair in the 9th and took Shoemaker and Mike Ford. The 10th gave them Grisham and the 11th got them Garneau. Rounds 12 through 14 were all pitchers, Yamamota, Ryan and Pruitt.
Synopsis:
Probably not enough “horses" for the Crazy Horse to take the Eastern flag but there may be enough to make a play off run. As usual they are off to their typical horrendous start. It’s a very deep hole from which they may not recover especially with such an ensemble of talented teams in the East. They can “hit” just like every other team in the ZSABL, their pitching is the question mark as well as some defensive concerns. They will probably recover from their poor start but ultimately will fall short in a playoff bid.
Starting Staff:
They selected Chris Paddack (B-Z 26 GS 141 IP) with their first pick and he arguably was the top rated starting pitcher in the draft. A couple of B-No Z's follow him in Lance Lynn (33 GS 208 IP) and Jake Odorizzi (30 GS 159 IP). The #4 starter is Bret Anderson (C-Z 31 GS 176 IP). Brad Keller (C-No Z 28 GS 165 IP) complete the rotation. Luis Perdomo (C-Z 1 GS 72 IP) has been used as the long man out of the pen. In the minors are Trevor Richards (C-No Z 23 GS 135 IP) and Cam Bedrosian (B-No Z 7 GS 61 IP). Un-carded Jason Groome and Non-carded Michael Fulmer complete the cast.
Division Rank: 4th
Bullpen:
Adam Ottovuno (A&C*-W 66 IP) will assume the closing duties but he is bound to get into trouble with his “W”. Craig Stammen (B*-Z 82 IP) and Ian Kennedy (B*-Z 63 IP) will be there to hopefully bail him out. Supporting this trio are B*-No Z’s, Junior Guerra 84 IP and John Gant 66 IP. Tim Mayza (C*-No Z 51 IP) will perform the mop up duties. The farm hands are Jeff Wendelken (B*-Z 33 IP), Joe Kelly (C*-No Z 51 IP) and Dominic Leone (C*-No Z 41 IP). There is no true closer in the lot so nailing down victories will pose a problem.
Division Rank: 6th
Catchers:
Carson Kelly C-7 .826 OPS and Alex Avila C-8 .774 OPS will share the catching duties but it appears that the latter is getting more PT here in the early part of the season. In the minors are Jason Castro C-8 .767 OPS and the veteran Brian McCann C-7 .735 whom the Cleveland brain trust mistook for C James McCann. Given the option of releasing Brian they declined perceiving a lack of depth among their catching corp.
Infield:
Miguel Sano 3B-3 .922 OPS will be the DH. Justin Smoak 1B-5 .748 OPS, who they were talked out of releasing during the draft, will start at first base. Max Muncy 2B-7 3B-3 1B-3 .889 OPS will be the second baseman. Jose Ramirez 3B-5 .806 OPS who had a disappointing year after last season’s breakout will man the hot corner. Kevin Newman SS-8 .799 OPS, a second round draft pick will be the starting shortstop. Freddie Galvis SS-9 2B-8 .734 OPS is the only reserve. Riding the minor league bus circuits are Jean Segura SS-8 .743 OPS and Jake Bauers 1B-3 .683 OPS. Probably receiving preferential treatment and not forced to ride the bush league busses is Wander Franco, the number one prospect in all of baseball.
Outfield:
Occupying one outfield spot is Mookie Betts OF-3 .915 OPS. Michael Conforto OF-2 .857 OPS is assured of another starting gig. The final outfield post seems to be a revolving door, the defensively challenged Willie Calhoun OF-1 .847 OPS has split time with the likes of Alex Verdugo OF-2 .817 OPS, Oscar Mercado OF-2 .781 and Harold Castro OF-2 .689 with the latter being used more regularly of late. In the minors are Raimel Tapia OF-2 .724 and un-carded Taylor Trammell.
Division Lineup Rank: 6th
Draft Analysis:
With their lottery pick they took Paddack to which everyone agreed was the right choice. They had three second rounders and here they got Newman who they needed to fill their shortstop hole, Willie Calhoun who they said they had targeted all along and then Anderson to stabilize their rotation. In the 3rd round Odorizzi was still on the board which was a pleasant surprise. Tapia came in the 4th, way to early IMHO. Ian Kennedy in the 5th and then Richards in the 6th were their next selections. Bullpen needs were filled in the 7th and 8th with Wendleken and Bedrosian. The 9th was a nice gamble with Mercado. The 10th saw the McCann mix-up. In the 11th it was Perdomo and their final pick in the 12th was Harold Castro.
Synopsis:
The Cleveland skipper lamented “If I had last year’s hitting cards for Ramirez and Betts", of course it doesn’t work that way. The pitching staff is much improved over last season with a drop-off on offense. The East is a tough division, they will avoid another last place finish but they will not make the post season.
Starting Staff:
In a rebuilding year the rotation will be bearing the brunt of the transition. Zach Wheeler (C-Z 31 GS 195 IP) is the anointed "ace". No one else on the starting staff is remotely close to that title. They are all C-No Z's. Trevor Bauer (34 GS 213 IP), James Paxton (29 GS 1451 IP), Jonathan Gray (25 GS 150 IP) and Eric Lauer (29 GS 150 IP) will all trudge to the mound every fifth day. Some of these trials and tribulations could be avoided if management would decide on how best to utilize Alex Young (B-Z 15 GS 83 IP). In their only series played so far this season he was used in relief so it is unknown where he fits in their plans moving forward. They have three C-No Z’s in the minors Mike Foltynewicz (21 GS 117 IP), Griffin Canning (17 GS 90 IP) and Zach Plesac (21 GS 116 IP). Joining them on the farm are un-carded Michael Kopech and Hunter Greene.
Division Rank: 7th
Bullpen:
Julio Urias (A-No Z 8 GS 80 IP) appears to be the closer. Mike Lorenzen (B*-Z 83 IP) and Nick Anderson (B*-Z 65 IP) will try to offer what help they can. Pedro Baez (B*-No Z 70 IP) and Carlos E. Martinez (B*-No Z 48 IP) round out the bullpen crew,
Division Rank: 7th
Catchers:
Omar Narvaez C-7 .813 OPS will start with Tony Wolters C-8 .667 OPS backing him up. Down on the farm, Jorge Alfaro C-7 .737 is left puzzled on how he did not make the team. The selction of Wolters is no surprise as the franchise has drafted a non-impacful receiver in each of the last 15 years since they struck gold with Yadier Molina in 2005. Rarely did these picks last more than a year although in some cases they may have even been productive for an ephemeral period of time. The list includes Kevin Plawecki last year and going back wards, Austin Barnes, Sandy Leon, Curt Casali, Austin Hedges, Gerald Laird, Martin Maldonado, Henry Blanco, Nick Hundley, Kelly Shoppach, Jamie Burke, David Ross and Damian Miller before Molina arrived.
Infield:
The legacy boys Bo Bichette SS-8 .929 OPS and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. 3B-3 772 are on the left side of the infield, the former only has 196 at bats so Willy Adames SS-9 .735 OPS will see quite a bit of action at short. Adam Frazier 2B-9 .753 and Anthony Rizzo 1B-5 .925 OPS will anchor the right side of the infield. David Fletcher 2B-8 SS-8 3B-5 OF-2, a jack-of-all trades, supplies the back ups. Tommy Edman 3B-4 2B-7 OF-2 .850 OPS can also lend a hand at third base but probably will be deployed in the outfield. Austin Nola 1B-3 2B-6 .796 OPS rounds out the bench. In the minors are Michael Chavis 1B-3 2B-6 .766 OPS, Enrique Hernandez 2B-8 OF-2 SS-8 .715 OPS and Andrelton Simmons SS-9 .673 OPS. Also down there is the highly rated un-carded prospect Nick Madrigal
Outfield:
Another legacy, Mike Yastrzemski OF-2 .852 OPS is their best fly chaser. Shohei Ohtani OF-1 .848 OPS will perform DH duties. Two players with injury shortened seasons Andrew McCutchen OF-2 .835 OPS and Aaron Hicks OF-3 .768 OPS will probably platoon in one of the other outfield slots with the aforementioned Edman seeing a lot of PT in the pastures also. Nick Senzel OF-2 .742 OPS rounds out the active roster. Down on the farm are Clint Frazier OF-2 .806 OPS, Yasiel Puig OF-3 .785 OPS and a pair of defensive OF-3 stalwarts Lorenzo Cain .697 OPS and Harrison Bader .680 OPS.
Division Lineup Rank: 7th
Draft Analysis:
They traded their first round pick but they grabbed Edman in the 2nd. They also had no 3rd rounder but they did have three picks in the 4th and here they selected Alex Young, Nick Anderson and Madrigal. Two picks in the 5th netted them Plesac and Wolters. Two more in the 6th got them Yastrzemski and Canning. Chavis arrived in the 7th with Nola coming on board in the 8th. Their final pick in the 9th was Eric Lauer.
Synopsis:
Wth their lineup, starting rotation and bullpen all rated at the bottom of the division the rebuild is in full swing. The youth bodes well for the future in Bichette, Madrigal and Guerro. The Bulldogs draft strategy is anything but orthodox with the likes of Wolters and Nola. They are not far from contending if McCutchen, Puig and Cain return to form. Add in a healthy two-way season from Ohtani and the continued development of Bichette and Guerro with a few pitching breaks they maybe a contender next year.
1st Place: Rochester is the Crème de la Crème of the division. They have it all starting pitching, bullpen, lineup, hatchet cards and bench strength. The only thing that can hold them back from making the Eastern race a run away is their C-Z starters not performing up to minimum standards like a 4.75 ERA. If they get any kind of decent efforts from these C-Z’s they could make shambles of the division.
2nd Place: Brooklyn can flat out hit. The bullpen is par excellence. Despite the fact that three of their B starters do not have a “Z”, their offense can recover any lost leads and the pen can slam the door. The lack of control by those three is what keeps the Metropolitans from challenging Rochester for the pennant but there is more than enough for them to garner second place.
3rd & 4th Place: Philadelphia and Sherwood. This is a tough one to call Philadelphia has the two A-Z's at the top of the rotation to give them a significant edge over the Machine. They are about
equal lineup wise. Sherwood has a fairly large advantage in the bullpen. It could come down to skipper Tarantino’s analytics versus Manager Abrams rotating lineups. By rule if they end up tied for 3rd place there is a one game playoff and if Philly plays their cards right they could have either Verlander or Ryu throwing in that one.
5th Place: Las Vegas had another terrible start. Its a big hole to dig out of. They have an offense but that is a relative term considering how much hitting there was in MLB last year. Their rotation will hold them back from making a playoff push if they can even dig themselves out of their current situation.
6th Place: Cleveland in a normal year might have had enough with this squad to make a play off run. However this is not a normal year they cannot match the firepower of the offensive dynamos in the division. Without a shut-down closer some games will get away from them late.
7th Place: Amsterdam knows that rebuilding is a
tedious process. They have youth that projects stardom in Bichette and
Guerrero. Grade C pitching does not translate into a post season bid. They will
also count on rebound years from some of their injured stars. They should be
fine looking ahead in the coming years.
Final Prediction
1-Rochester
2-Brooklyn
3-Philadelphia (Tied)
Sherwood (Tied)
5-Las Vegas
6-Cleveland
7-Amsterdam
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.