The Official Pine Tar League Blog

Season 45 All-Star Blog

2019-04-04T14:26:00.002-04:00

Season 45 Midseason Classic

Seven seasons have passed since I posted the what used to be the annual Pine Tar All-Star blog. The all-star blog highlights all-stars by team and division, first time all-stars, youngest all-stars, veteran all-stars, highest paid all-stars, and "diamond in the rough" all-stars. I didn't have much time for analysis, so I made some points below.

-The National League jumped on the AL early and never looked back, as they won by the score of 10-2. Click here to view the box score.
-Seattle Strikers' 2B Juan Carlos Guzman was awarded the Most Valuable Player award in his first all-star appearance. The 25-year old Guzman hit a 3-run bomb in the 3rd inning to break the game open.
-The Homerun Derby champ was also making his first all-star appearance. Syracuse Nationals 1B Henderson Rolls, who only has a power rating of 79, scored an upset win over Durham's Cleatus Wallace in the finals.
-The Durham Doormats and Seattle Strikers led Pine Tar with 6 all-star selections apiece. These two clubs also lead their respective leagues in wins.
-The AL East and NL South tied for the most all-stars by division. These divisions would earn both wildcard berths for their respective leagues if the season ended at the all-star break (Syracuse and Boston for the AL East, Louisville and Little Rock for the NL South).
-Over 50 percent (31 out of 60) of the all-star rosters were made up of first-time all-stars. The last time that this blog was posted, in Season 38, only 35% of the rosters were making their first appearance. It is nice to see young talent flourishing!
-El Paso Walkers' veteran reliever Alex James made his 12th all-star appearance. The 36-year old James has 519 career saves and 6 Fireman-of-the-Year awards.
-Jackson Juggernauts pitcher Benny Caminiti is trying to prove that Diamond-in-the-Rough players aren't exactly worthless. Caminiti made his 3rd all-star appearance and pitched two innings of shutout ball for the National League.

Teams with the most All-Star selections:

Durham Doormats - 6
Seattle Strikers - 6
El Paso Walkers - 4
Honolulu Kamehamehas - 4
Iowa City Hawkeyes - 4
Little Rock Riddlers - 4
Houston Hot Dogs - 4
Syracuse Nationals - 3

All-Stars by Division
AL East - 11
NL South - 11
NL West - 10
AL South - 8
AL West - 8
NL North - 7
AL North - 3
NL East - 2

First Time All-Stars – American League

P - Francisco Tavarez (Doormats)
P - David Hudson (Nationals)
P - Max Almanza (Walkers)
P - Dave Weiss (Kamehamehas)
P - Gabriel Moreno (Screaming Babies)
P - Stan Smith (Walkers)
P - Kenshin Martin (Magnitude)
C - Theodore Sheldon (Rogues)
C - J.O. Valenzuela (Volcanoes)
1B - Dillon Osbourne (Doormats)
1B - Henderson Rolls (Nationals)
2B - Alex Valentin (Volcanoes)
SS - Vic Torcato (Nationals)
SS - Torey Flores (Waiver Claims)
CF - Robert Payton (Oracles)
RF - Tom Burch (Oracles)
DH - Mark Payton (Kamehamehas)

First Time All-Stars – National League

P - Macbeth Raines (Hot Dogs)
P - Rusney Alvarez (Riddlers)
P - Rob Taylor (Strikers)
P - Miguel Ibarra (Phillies)
P - Rondell Maday (Hot Dogs)
P - Arismendy Rijo (Sound Puget)
P - Danny Brede (Hot Dogs)
P - Tony Lecuona (Strikers)
P - Don Cheung (Tornadoes)
C - Danry Polanco (Hawkeyes)
1B - Nick Simmons (Hawkeyes)
2B - Juan Carlos Guzman (Strikers)
2B - Reymond Aparicio (Sound Puget)
SS - Al Javier (Komodo Dragons)

All-Stars Making Their 5th Appearance or Greater
P - Alex James (Walkers) - 12th Appearance
P - Dillon Abbott (Strikers) - 9th Appearance
RF - Roy Wilson (Juice) - 9th Appearance
3B - Jairo Cedeno (Hawkeyes) - 8th Appearance
2B - Naoki Martin (Corduroy) - 7th Appearance
C - Nash Cone (Tornadoes) - 7th Appearance
P - Omar Mercedes (Strikers) - 6th Appearance
3B - Julian Santana (Riddlers) - 6th Appearance
RF - John Rivera (Riddlers) - 6th Appearance
P - Bert Jordan (Thunder) - 5th Appearance
CF - Del Doyle (Kamehamehas) - 5th Appearance
LF - Abraham Logan (Nice for What) - 5th Appearance

All-Stars Who Are 24 Years Old or Younger
RF - Tom Burch (Oracles) - 21 Years Old
2B - Alex Valentin (Volcanoes) - 22
P - Arismendy Rijo (Sounds Puget) - 22
P - Kenshin Martin (Magnitude) - 23
SS - Torey Flores (Waiver Claims) - 23
P - Macbeth Raines (Hot Dogs) - 23
P - Rondell Maday (Hot Dogs) - 23
2B - Reymond Aparicio (Sounds Puget) - 23
P - Max Almanza (Walkers) - 24
P - Don Cheung (Tornadoes) - 24
C - Danry Polanco (Hawkeyes) - 24

Highest Paid All-Stars
3B - Jairo Cedeno (Hawkeyes) - $30,000,000
P - Gabriel Moreno (Screaming Babies) - $22,250,000
P - Omar Mercedes (Strikers) - $20,000,000
P - Greg Lamb (Hawkeyes) - $15,800,000
RF - Roy Wilson (Juice) - $15,500,000
P - Cleatus Lundquist (Blizzard) - $10,750,000

"Diamond in the Rough" All-Stars
P - Benny Caminiti (Jaggernauts) - 3rd Appearance
P - David Hudson (Nationals)
P - Dave Weiss (Kamehamehas)

S38 DS Playoff Capsules

2017-04-23T23:51:00.000-04:00

#1 Kansas City Yardbirds (93-69) vs. #4 Florida Freaks (84-78)
Season Series: Kansas City Won 6-4

Kansas City		Florida
Owner: holleybard		Owner: flyairbourne

Recent Playoff Appearances		Recent Playoff Appearances
S37: no appearance		S37: lost in AL Play-In (as Nashville)
S36: lost in World Series		S36: lost in ALCS (as Nashville)

AL Team Rankings		AL Team Rankings
Runs Scored: 813 (5th)		Runs Scored: 850 (4th)
Team ERA: 4.45 (9th)		Team ERA: 4.28 (5th)
Fielding %: .985 (9th)		Fielding %: .981 (15th)

Award Nominees & All-Stars		Award Nominees & All-Stars
LF - Felipe Osoria: MVP Finalist, Silver Slugger, All-Star		P - Alex James: FOY Nominee, All-Star
P - Marcus Ledee: All-Star		SS - Cristobal Izquierdo: Silver Slugger
P - Noel Lima: All-Star		CF - Sidney Zagone: Silver Slugger
1B - Rickie Halama: All-Star		LF - Daryle Swann: Gold Glove, ROY Finalist
3B - Hugh Patterson: All-Star		RF - Eduardo Aguilar: ROY Finalist

#2 Omaha Oracles (90-72) vs. #6 Milwaukee Magnitude (87-75)
Season Series: Tied 5-5

Omaha		Milwaukee
Owner: npbed		Owner: horvie78

Recent Playoff Appearances		Recent Playoff Appearances
S37: no appearance		S37: lost in ALCS
S36: no appearance		S36: lost in ALDS

AL Team Rankings		AL Team Rankings
Runs Scored: 732 (12th)		Runs Scored: 781 (10th)
Team ERA: 3.59 (1st)		Team ERA: 4.07 (3rd)
Fielding %: .987 (3rd)		Fielding %: .986 (8th)

Award Nominees & All-Stars		Award Nominees & All-Stars
P - Rondell Collins: All-Star		P - Yoshinori Zhou: Cy Young Finalist, All-Star
P - Dillon Abbott: All-Star, FOY Finalist		DH - Vince Tollberg: Silver Slugger
P - Renyel Gonzalez: All-Star		LF - Cookie Tapia: Impact Player
P - Joely Hiller: ROY Finalist		RF - Michael Chong: Impact Player
1B - Francisco Cervantes: Impact Player		P - Alex Espinosa: Impact Player

#1 Louisville ARF ARF ARF ARF's (102-60) vs. #4 Albuquerque Komodo Dragons (75-87)
Season Series: Louisville Won 6-4

Louisville		Albuquerque
Owner: Arfy		Owner: csudak

Recent Playoff Appearances		Recent Playoff Appearances
S37: lost in NLDS		S37: lost in NLDS
S36: no appearance		S36: lost in NLCS

NL Team Rankings		NL Team Rankings
Runs Scored: 769 (1st)		Runs Scored: 675 (8th)
Team ERA: 3.33 (3rd)		Team ERA: 3.97 (10th)
Fielding %: .989 (1st)		Fielding %: .986 (8th)

Award Nominees & All-Stars		Award Nominees & All-Stars
P - Randall Hundley: All-Star		RF - Harry Pizzaro: All-Star
P - Edgmer Bournigal: All-Star, ROY Finalist		P - Rey Prior: Impact Player
C - Louie Seanez: All-Star, Silver Slugger		P - Wilt Sizemore: Impact Player
2B - Jairo Cedeno: All-Star		SS - Andres Oliva: Impact Player
P - Pasqual Feliz: ROY Finalist		LF - Vicente Palmeiro: Impact Player

#2 Cincinnati Firestorm (99-63) vs. #3 Iowa City Hawkeyes (96-66)
Season Series: Iowa City Won 6-4

Cincinnati		Iowa City
Owner: jbburner		Owner: tk21775

Recent Playoff Appearances		Recent Playoff Appearances
S37: lost in NL Play-In		S37: no appearance
S36: lost in NL Play-In		S36: no appearance

NL Team Rankings		NL Team Rankings
Runs Scored: 763 (2nd)		Runs Scored: 657 (10th)
Team ERA: 3.65 (5th)		Team ERA: 3.02 (1st)
Fielding %: .983 (13th)		Fielding %: .988 (2nd)

Award Nominees & All-Stars		Award Nominees & All-Stars
3B - Sherm Springer: All-Star, Gold Glove		3B - Santo Herrera: MVP Finalist
C - Tomas Urena: All-Star		P - Travis Morris: Cy Young Finalist, All-Star, SS
P - Rickey Percival: Impact Player		1B - Billy Long: ROY Finalist
P - Charles Punto: Impact Player		LF - Stan Stroud: All-Star
1B - Harley Rose: Impact Player		P - Omar Mercedes: Impact Player

Season 38 All-Star Blog

2017-04-06T12:19:00.000-04:00

Season 38 Midseason Classic
The Pine-Tar Season 38 All-Star Game took place a few weeks ago, where the American League was victorious over the National League by a score of 6-2. 23 year-old Ralph Rekar (Boston) earned the MVP honors thanks to his 2-run homer in the 2nd inning, which helped to give Boise pitcher Eddie Plant the win. In other All-Star weekend festivities, Atlanta youngster Roy Wilson defeated Cincinnati's Sherm Springer in the finals of the Home Run Derby, and last season's highest paid International Free Agent Albert Ayala (San Francisco) was MVP of the Futures Game.

There was plenty of talent on show from the Midwest, as Kansas City and St. Louis tied for producing the most all-stars at 5 apiece. The lists below highlight first time all-stars, youngest all-stars, veteran all-stars, highest paid all-stars, and the four "diamond in the rough" all-stars.

Teams with the most All-Star selections:

Kansas City Yardbirds - 5
St. Louis Miracles - 5
Syracuse Orange - 4
New York Sultans of Swat - 4
Philadelphia Moneymakers - 4
Louisville ARF ARF ARF ARF's - 4
Dover Dinklebergs - 3
Boston Screaming Babies - 3
Omaha Oracles - 3
Pawtucket Patriots - 3
Atlanta Apaches - 3

Teams with zero All-Star selections:

Chicago Black Sox
Tampa Bay Thunder
El Paso Walkers
Wichita Tornadoes
Houston Hot Dogs
Seattle Strikers

All-Stars by Division
AL East - 12
NL North - 10
NL East - 10
AL North - 9
AL West - 7
NL South - 6
NL West - 4
AL South - 2

*Links are posted - click on an individual player's name to open their HBD profile
First Time All-Stars – American League

P - Noel Lima (Yardbirds)
P - Michel Lopez (Sultans of Swat)
P - Tim Darnell (Sultans of Swat)
P - Renyel Gonzalez (Oracles)
C - Xander Merced (Orange)
C - Dee Dee Kelly (Iron Horseman)
1B - Joe Montgomery (Dinklebergs)
3B - Bartolo James (Screaming Babies)
SS - Sam Bryant (Blues)
CF - Julio Fuentes (Dinklebergs)
RF - Andy Matzek (Doormats)
DH - Phillip Braun (Orange)

First Time All-Stars – National League

P - Cole Hudson (Miracles)
P - Ji-Man Saitou (Apaches)
P - Eric Bradley (Patriots)
P - Edgmer Bournigal (ARF ARF ARF ARF's)
P - Andrew Allen (Flying Squirrels)
P - Darron Stewart (Prairie Dogs)
C - Tomas Urena (Firestorm)
LF - Stan Stroud (Hawkeyes)
CF - Ewell Tenbrink (Miracles)

All-Stars Making Their 5th Appearance or Greater
RF - Eugenio Canseco (Screaming Babies) - 10th Appearance
P - Yoshinori Zhou (Magnitude) - 9th
3B - Bartolo Ortiz (Journey) - 9th
P - Alex James (Freaks) - 8th
LF - Roger Byrne (Sultans of Swat) - 8th
SS - Lefty Twitchell (Volcanoes) - 7th
P - Moises Olmedo (Apaches) - 7th
CF - Fernando Espinosa (Orange) - 6th
P - Richard Huang (Sultans of Swat) - 5th
P - Benny Villano (Dinklebergs) - 5th
3B - Hugh Patterson (Yardbirds) - 5th
RF - Harry Pizzaro (Komodo Dragons) - 5th

All-Stars Who Are 24 Years Old or Younger
P - Noel Lima (Yardbirds) - 23
P - Renyel Gonzalez (Oracles) - 22
P - Ralph Wood (Moneymakers) - 22
P - Edgmer Bournigal (ARF ARF ARF ARF's) - 24
P - Andrew Allen (Flying Squirrels) - 23
1B - Victor Cortes (Moneymakers) - 24
2B - Ralph Rekar (Screaming Babies) - 23
2B - John Rivera (Orange) - 24
2B - Jairo Cedeno (ARF ARF ARF ARF's) - 23
3B - Bartolo James (Screaming Babies) - 22
LF - Roy Wilson (Apaches) - 24

Highest Paid All-Stars
RF - Eugenio Canseco (Screaming Babies) - $30,000,000
P - Yoshinori Zhou (Magnitude) - $20,000,000
P - Rondell Collins (Oracles) - $20,000,000
1B - Joe Montgomery (Dinklebergs) - $20,000,000
P - Randall Hundley (ARF ARF ARF ARF's) - $15,000,000
CF - Julio Fuentes (Dinklebergs) - $14,000,000
2B - Ricardo Sosa (Moneymakers) - $12,000,000
LF - Felipe Osoria (Yardbirds) - $10,000,000

"Diamond in the Rough" All-Stars
P - Tim Darnell (Sultans of Swat)
P - Stewart Cradle (Miracles)
C - Xander Merced (Orange)
C - Tomas Urena (Firestorm)

American League All-Youth Team - Season 37

2016-11-23T13:14:00.000-05:00

Below is my top team of 30 American League players currently on MLB rosters who are 25 years-old or younger. These are based on my opinion. Some positions were more competitive than others. I tried to put players in the position where they played the most games last season, but did move a few players around. Although statistics are listed, ratings were a major factor in determining the team. If you think somebody got snubbed, feel free to discuss on the message board.

It's always fun to look back...below are links to previous All-Youth teams:

Season 32 - American League

Season 32 - National League

Season 29 - American League

Season 29 - National League

Season 37 American League All-Youth Team

Captains:

William Nakano (3B): This 25 year-old Chicago third baseman has a unique combination of speed and power, as he hit 34 homeruns and swiped 50 bases last season. His outstanding performance during the past seasons earned him two All-Star selections and three Silver Slugger awards. In the field, Nakano’s 91 glove rating makes it extremely difficult for groundballs to get past him. He was acquired as an international free agent for the bargain price of $13 million by owner skuff730 during season 31.

Cookie Tapia (LF/1B): At 25 years-old, Tapia has become the top offensive weapon in the Milwaukee lineup. His exceptional blend of hitting and power have allowed him to bat .300 with at-least 40 homeruns and 110 RBIs in each of the past two seasons. Tapia’s performance helped lead Milwaukee to an AL North division title and first-round bye last season. He was originally signed as an IFA by Wichita for $14.7 million in season 33 and dealt to Milwaukee for Ben Boyer and a prospect during the following season.

Richard Huang (Closer): This 24 year-old New York closer has already established himself as one of the best in the league. His 138 saves over three seasons have earned him three All-Star appearances, two Fireman of the Year awards, and a share of the Pine Tar single season saves record (54). Huang’s velocity, control, and great splits helped him dominate opposing hitters last season, as he allowed them to bat only .169 while he registered a 0.84 WHIP. He has helped lead New York and owner bluenoser44 to three consecutive AL East division titles. Huang was also acquired as a season 31 IFA for the price of $21.1 million.

The Team:

(Click on a player’s name to view their HBD profile)

Yunel Brito (Omaha): .333 OBP, 14 HR, 45 RBI, 39% CS%

Diego Tocci (Colorado Springs): .286 OBP, 17 HR, 57 RBI, 80+ Arm & PC

C/DH- Akinori Kawakami (New York): .376 OBP, 17 HR, 62 RBI, 4.27 cERA

1B:

Alen Moore (Colorado Springs): .326 OBP, 35 HR, 117 RBI

Juan Caminero (Salem): .378 OBP, 15 HR, 58 RBI

2B:

Victor Lee (Omaha): .374 OBP, 13 HR, 88 RBI, 28 SB, .982 FP

Tyler Hood (Charlotte): .331 OBP, 24 HR, 73 RBI, .977 FP

SS:

Dustan Fletcher (El Paso): .296 OBP, 20 HR, 73 RBI, 21 Plus Plays, .976 FP

Karim Quintana (Milwaukee): .340 OBP, 12 HR, 73 RBI, .972 FP

3B:

*William Nakano (Chicago): .347 OBP, 34 HR, 96 RBI, 50 SB, 91 Glove

Ralph Rekar (Boston): .373 OBP, 11 HR, 54 RBI, 9 Plus Plays

CF:

Naoki Martin (Tampa Bay): Rookie - 95 Range, 90 Speed, 79 Contact, 71 Eye

Norman Sanford (Boston): .320 OBP, 22 HR, 70 RBI

LF:

*Cookie Tapia (Milwaukee): .380 OBP, 44 HR, 120 RBI

John Rivera (Syracuse): .337 OBP, 7 HR, 15 RBI, 18 SB (in 40 Games)

Rafael Valdes (Tampa Bay): Rookie – 79 Contact, 88 vR, 79 Eye, 92 Speed

RF:

Nolan Thompson (El Paso): .362 OBP, 20 HR, 82 RBI, 13 Plus Plays

Benny Reyes (Boise): .348 OBP, 38 HR, 103 RBI

DH:

Miguel Uribe (Chicago): .354 OBP, 45 HR, 116 RBI

Michael Seung (Tampa Bay): .407 OBP, 17 HR, 54 RBI, S36 ROY

Starting Pitchers:

Dale Gaudin (Dover): 13-13, 3.48 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, .312 oOBP, 3 CG

Hub Winkler (Boston): 12-8, 3.51 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, .324 oOBP, 99 GB/FB

Esmerling Crespo (El Paso): 10-15, 3.27 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, .296 oOBP, 3 CG

Barry Rivers (Omaha): 7-8, 3.52 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, .299 oOBP

B.C. Nunez (Charlotte): Rookie – 87 Stamina, 84 vR, 75 GB/FB, 77 P1/P2

Omar Franco (Kansas City): 10-7, 4.25 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, .340 oOBP, S35 ROY

Jerry Corino (New York): 7-10, 4.42 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, .314 oOBP

Relief Pitchers:

*Richard Huang (New York): 44 Saves, 2.75 ERA, .234 oOBP, 0.84 WHIP

Tomas Cora (Omaha): 73 Appearances, 6-3, 2.89 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, .274 oOBP

John Carter (Milwaukee): 43 Appearances, 3.96 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, .326 oOBP

* = captain

Honorable Mention:

C Adrian Grace (Salem), C Deven Beltre (Syracuse), 1B Ramon Inouoe (New York), 2B Wilking Peralta (Colorado Springs), 3B Daniel Mulholland (Milwaukee), 3B Leury Amador (Tampa Bay), SS Daniel Ratliff (Chicago), DH Rob Thomas (Durham), P Chone Waltman (Colorado Springs)

The rich history of Pinetar - Season 37

2016-11-13T18:08:00.000-05:00

One of the best parts of Pinetar has been it's long time owners. Entering season 37, we still have 4 owners that have been around since season 1. And three of those owners are all in the same division-The NL EAST. So let's look at the history of the NL EAST and how many DIV titles and WS titles each team has:

Team DIV WS
Jacksonville Juice(Greygoose123) 18 1
Cincinnati Firestorm(jbburner) 5 0
Philadelphia Moneymakers(phillies26) 5 0
Other franchise(currently Atlanta/6 coaches) 8 1

Coaches with most tenure
greygoose123 36
jbburner 36
Phillies26 36
rxw1 36
ghutton9 30
alogman1 27
bobbyj7 24
brentcnb 24
tk21775 21
Arfy 21
tmfran 19
skplayer07 18
csudak 17
skuff730 17
jkenned 14
erichanville 12
horvie78 11
Pinetaar 10
holleybard 10

Over 36 seasons, Pinetar has had 25 different coaches win World Series titles. Only 2 coaches, Jkenned and prezuiwf have won 3 titles. 9 coaches have won 2 titles. Only one team in the history of Pinetar has ever won back to back WS titles. You have to go way back to season 16 and 17 when the Syracuse Snow Pirates(prezuiwf) accomplished that feat. In fact, that is the last time the AL has won back to back titles as well. The National League leads in World Series titles 19-17, against AL teams.

Season 36 All-Star Blog

2016-09-18T15:26:00.000-04:00

Midseason Classic
The Pine-Tar Season 36 All-Star Game took place last week, where the American League edged out a 5-4 victory over the National League. Boise LF Willie Tarasco was awarded the Most Valuable Player after his 2-run double in the 8th inning put the AL ahead for good, giving 23 year-old P Richard Huang (Sultans of Swat) the win. Durham closer Juan Guerrero struck-out two in the 9th inning to earn the save. Jacksonville 3B Julian Santana (2-run double) and Cincinnati 2B Greg Borland (homerun) put forth a strong effort for the NL in their first career all-star appearance. In other All-Star weekend festivities, Seattle's Keith Williamson defeated Wichita's Zach Wathan in the finals of the Home Run Derby, and Season 33's #2 draft pick Jamey Mullaney (Tampa Bay) was MVP of the Futures Game.

The All-Star pitching staffs for both leagues were filled with plenty of new faces, as 74% of all pitchers were making their 1st or 2nd career appearance. Also, the number of All-Star selections per team and per division were not as spread out as in years past. The NL East division generated the most All-Star selections with 11 (they had 15 last season). Oklahoma City and Omaha were atop the list of individual teams with the most All-Star selections, even though neither has been to the playoffs in the past 4 seasons. More information on this season's All-Star rosters is below:

Teams with the most All-Star selections:

Oklahoma City Prairie Dogs - 5

Omaha Oracles - 4

Atlanta Apaches - 4

Jacksonville Juice - 4

Kansas City Yardbirds - 3

New York Sultans of Swat - 3

Syracuse Orange - 3

Nashville Merchants - 3

Salem Volcanoes - 3

Teams with zero All-Star selections:

Dover Dinklebergs

New Orleans Jazz

Colorado Springs Iron Horses

Texas Galveston Wave

San Francisco Journey

All-Stars by Division
NL East - 11

AL East - 9

AL West - 9

NL North - 8

NL West - 8

AL North - 7

AL South - 5

NL South - 3

*Links are posted - click on an individual player's name to open their HBD profile
First Time All-Stars – American League

P - Esteban Mujica (Sultans of Swat)

P - Juan Guerrero (Doormats)

P - David Chantres (Orange)

P - Jumbo Brito (Oracles)

P - Augie Kim (Magnitude)

C - Wallace Duffy (Coursers)

1B - Jose Lopez (Walkers)

3B - Bunny Barber (Orange)

RF - Masao Saitou (Screaming Babies)

DH - Miguel Uribe (Black Sox)

First Time All-Stars – National League

P - Clayton Webster (Juice)

P - Felix Nomo (Tornadoes)

P - Piper Webster (Prairie Dogs)

P - Malcolm Olshan (Juggernauts)

P - Kevin Leonard (Hawkeyes)

P - Doug Castillo (Miracles)

P - Erik Zaun (Prairie Dogs)

P - Yannick Truby (Moneymakers)

2B - Greg Borland (Firestorm)

3B - Julian Santana (Juice)

SS - Brooks Larish (Heaters)

SS - Mark DaVanon (Miracles)

LF - Pat Bryant (Prairie Dogs)

RF - Russell Rucker (Prairie Dogs)

All-Stars Making Their 5th Appearance or Greater
2B - Eugenio Canseco (Patriots) - 8th Appearance
P - Alex James (Merchants) - 7th
P - Yoshinori Zhou (Magnitude) - 7th
SS - Wendell Werth (Merchants) - 7th
P - Wilt Sizemore (Komodo Dragons) - 7th
3B - Keith Williamson (Strikers) - 7th
LF - Vicente Palmeiro (Komodo Dragons) - 7th
RF - Bartolo Ortiz (Apaches) - 7th
SS - Lefty Twitchell (Volcanoes) - 6th
P - Moises Olmedo (Apaches) - 6th
C - Dion Pagnozzi (Thunder) - 5th
2B - Rubby Prieto (Volcanoes) - 5th

All-Stars Who Are 25 Years Old or Younger
P - Richard Huang (Sultans of Swat) - 23
1B - William Nakano (Black Sox) - 24
DH - Miguel Uribe (Black Sox) - 22
P - Felix Nomo (Tornadoes) - 24
P - Malcolm Olshan (Juggernauts) - 23
P - Doug Castillo (Miracles) - 23
C - Zack Wathan (Tornadoes) - 23
3B - Julian Santana (Juice) - 25
SS - Mark DaVanon (Miracles) - 25
CF - Jack Westbrook (ARF ARF ARF ARFs) - 25

Highest Paid All-Stars
P - Yoshinori Zhou (Magnitude) - $20,000,000
P - Rondell Collins (Oracles) - $20,000,000
P - Wilt Sizemore (Komodo Dragons) - $20,000,000
LF - Willie Tarasco (Coursers) - $17,000,000
3B - Keith Williamson (Strikers) - $15,000,000
P - Kevin Leonard (Hawkeyes) - $14,250,000

AL North Season 36 Preview

2016-08-17T11:31:00.000-04:00

AL North
Kansas City Yardbirds(Owner holleybard-10th season)
Season 35/ 99-63(Division Champ, ALCS runner up)

Owners thoughts-My prediction is that I'll be fighting once again with Milwaukee for the AL North title. I think my team is better than last season's, although that doesn't necessarily mean 99 wins again. It's at least a 90 win squad though. We'll hit well. I traded for Boyer because I didn't have a dominant number one. I added 2 bullpen arms that should help too. My hope is that I can win the division again. After that, wow, it's going to take something special to stop jkenned. I ran the numbers and he's averaging 109 wins per in the last 8 seasons. He's won 4 of the last 6 pennants. So my goal is the same as any contender in the AL, try to wrestle the pennant away from him.

ghutton9's take-The Yardbirds feature an above average offense. They have some good hitters with good batting eyes and have some power. Eric Miller is a great 3 or 4 hitter to build a lineup around. They also have some speed, but I don't expect a lot of stealing to be going on with them. The defense is average and that's only because they lack a real shortstop. Louie Nieto can play the position but his lack of range will allow too many balls to get through that would otherwise be outs. Besides that, the defense is pretty solid at most positions on the field. The rotation is about average. Boyer is an ace type pitcher but his stamina isn't very good. The rest of the staff is made up of mid rotation type starters with a couple of guys pitching at the back end of the rotation that fit perfectly. Sean Shipley and Ricardo Johnson are the best pitchers in an otherwise below average bullpen. They'll bring this teams pen closer to average than they would be. I think this team is a contender for the division title, but I think the bullpen and lack of a shortstop with range will hurt them. I could see them around 90 wins and maybe upper 80's.

Milwaukee Magnitude(Owner horvie78-11th season)
Season 35/ 90-72(Wild Card)

Owners thoughts-We are going for it all this season. Yoshinori Zhou on a playoff rotation is enough to give us a decent chance. Also have some cap room to make a move mid season. I think we will win around 95 games. We improved the bullpen by adding Coleman and Blair. I'm hoping that our starting pitching stays strong. Three of them are above 35 years old, which worries me. Was hoping to add a stud bat in free agency, but was excited to settle for Gus Justice, who will be added to a lineup with Michael Chong, Vince Tollberg and Cookie Tapia. Our defense could struggle as SS Quintana is average at best and the corner outfielders lack range.

ghutton9's take-The Milwaukee offense is looking pretty strong this season. They have some really good hitters that can hit for average and draw some walks. They have some good power as well as some good speed. This is looking like a top 5 offense in the AL. The defense looks good to me. I think the shortstop position is average, but they have great to solid gloves at other positions. They definitely rank in the upper half of the league. The rotation looks pretty good as well. They have a couple pitchers that could be an ace on most teams. Then they have mid rotation guys filling out the other spots. The bullpen is looking above average. If anything the team might have some control issues, but the pitching staff is pretty good overall. I think Milwaukee looks like the favorite in this division and should win 95 to 100 games. I think they could challenge for the AL title this season.

Dover Dinklebergs(Owner tmfran-19th season)
Season 35/ 74-88

ghutton9's take-The Dover offense isn't looking very good this season. They won't hit for a good average and their batting eyes aren't very good either. The team has some power, but without guys on base it won't help much. They could rank near the bottom of the AL. The defense though is really good. They have multiple options at shortstop and they have good gloves to fill almost every position. This could be one of the best defenses in the AL this season. The rotation looks like they are going to struggle. They have serious control issues and the rotation is made up of back end type starters. The bullpen has the same issues. The defense could help out the pitching, but not enough to keep them from ranking near the bottom of the AL. I think Dover will drop down below 70 wins this season.

Chicago Black Sox(Owner skuff730-17th season)
Season 35/ 64-98

ghutton9's take-The offense in Chicago is looking about average. They have decent hitting and some solid contact and power. The batting eyes are a little low though and that could hurt. They have some really good gloves on defense though and even have a few options at shortstop. This could be one of the better defensive teams in the AL this season. The rotation is below average. They lack a top end starter. The staff is made up of middle tier starters and a couple back end guys. The bullpen is below average as well. The team will likely end up closer to average than it looks thanks to the defense. I think Chicago will move up in win total this season and I'd be surprised if they finished below 70 wins again.

Prediction
Milwaukee
Kansas City
Chicago
Dover

AL South Season 36 Preview

2016-08-15T14:26:00.001-04:00

AL South
Nashville Merchants(Owner editor21-2nd season)
Season 35/ 99-63(Division Champ)

Owners thoughts-The Merchants have been the league's top offense for the past 4 years. During that span the Merchants have averaged 108 wins per season. That offense has generated an average of more than 6 runs a game which covers the 4 runs a game the pitching staff allows. They had 11 players put up double digit homeruns last season led by Wendell Worths 41. All of those players return so the lineup should continue to lead the way. This team went with a 6 man rotation in season 35. That took pressure off the aces and reduced the innings needed from the bullpen. The key to success this season could well be the performance of the bullpen. AAA stars Danny Smolinski and Kraig Webster could fill two of the vacancies in the pen. The team likely needs to add another reliever or two to hope to equal last seasons 99 wins. Prediction:If the offense doesn't sputter the Merchants should be able to churn out 90 plus wins and be in contention for their 8th straight AL South division title. The questionable status of the bullpen could be the dampener that keeps the team from winning over 100 games.

ghutton9's take-I can't say this is the best offense I've ever seen, but it surely is a good offense. The have some good hitters and guys that have good batting eyes. They also have a little speed. This team may hit a lot of homers, but they don't have that one guy that can hit enough to be a true threat. Werth is pretty close though and he's a guy that really makes this offense great. The defense is below average. Mainly because they lack a true shortstop or centerfielder. They do have solid gloves at other positions and that's what keeps them from being at the bottom of the league. The rotation is decent. They don't really have a true ace on the staff, but they have plenty of mid rotation type starters. The bullpen looks solid with Alex James as the best arm. He's one of the better relievers in the league. This team is looking like a contender again this season. They should be tough to knock out of the top spot of the division, but even then they should still get a wild card spot. This is a 90+ win team

Tampa Bay Thunder(Owner rxw1-36th season)
Season 35/ 84-78

Owners thoughts-The young Thunder team continues to grow. Despite missing the playoffs, they still won 84 games behind a starting rotation that includes #1 pick Bert Jordan. Ownership will view anything short of 90+ wins and a playoff berth as a disappointment. The off season was fairly quiet as this roster only has 6 players over 30. The key will be whether the bullpen can hold the lead. The talent is there- the lack of execution was the main reason they missed the playoffs.

ghutton9's take-The Thunder offense is looking pretty good this season. The have a lineup that should hit for a good average and get on base a lot. They have decent power up and down the lineup. I think they could be a top 5 offense this season. The defense is average. Jesus Esposito is a solid shortstop, but they don't have anyone else that can play it decently enough. Max Liriano is a great centerfielder. The problem they have is depth and good gloves at other positions. I think they are average but they could be above average depending on the rest of the AL. This team has a really good rotation. It ranks among the best in the league as there is no real weak spot. The bullpen might be even better. I think this may be the best pitching staff in the AL. I'm really thinking Tampa Bay might be ready to take back the top spot in this division for the first time in nine seasons. They may even challenge for the AL title.

El Paso Walkers(Owner sudburry1111-3rd season)
Season 35/ 74-88

Owners thoughts-As the Walkers continue to turn over their pitching staff there are no indications that there will be a significant change from last year's above average hitting team with below average pitching and fielding. Hopefully the addition of Vasquez to Rios and Fletcher in the infield combined with the promotion of a couple of pitching upgrades to the big league squad will net a few more wins. My prediction is 78 wins.

ghutton9's take-This team has an average offense and maybe a little below average. They have some solid hitters, but they lack good power and guys that can get on base through walks. They do have some solid speed. On defense I like shortstop Dustan Fletchers range and arm, but his glove is a bit below average. The team has quite a few solid gloves at other spots, but they lack a true centerfielder. I think they are average. The rotation is not looking very good. They have filled it with mid to back end type starters. The bullpen looks better as it is built around Mitch Mota, a great reliever, and Louis Post who is pretty good as well. I think the pitching staff is just below average. This team is very average at best. I think they will end up close to last seasons win total.

New Orleans Jazz(Owner adlpest-3rd season)
Season 35/ 47-115

ghutton9's take-This has by far been the worst team in the league the past 2 seasons. That needs to change this season. The offense still doesn't look very good. They have a couple decent bats but for the most part the aren't close to average. The defense looks good though. Sam Bryant is a really good shortstop with a great glove and arm, but his range isn't the best. They also have some solid gloves at other positions. I think they are above average. The rotation is made up of minor league talent. This is by far the worst staff in the league. I can find better pitchers in free agency right now. A team that is on probation due to not reach the league win minimum should've been spending in free agency for some better pitching. I understand a rebuild, but I've put together 70 win teams with cheap free agents. Please try to fix this team so I don't have to kick you out after this season.

Prediction
1. Tampa Bay
2. Nashville
3. El Paso

4. New Orleans

NL West Season 36 Previews

2016-08-15T11:13:00.006-04:00

NL WEST
Seattle Strikers(Owner ghutton9-30th season)
Season 35/ 83-79(Division Champ)

ghutton9's take-The offense in Seattle is below average as usual. They have some good contact hitters and decent batting eyes, but not much power outside of Keith Williamson. The team will hit for a low average which is usually the case in Seattle, but this season will be worse. The defense is the strength of the team. Buckley is a more than serviceable shortstop and Henley will be a great 2b. Glen Witt has amazing range in center but a below average glove. This is a top 5 defense and maybe top 2. The rotation is below average. They lack an ace and it is made up of mid to bottom rotation starters. The bullpen is about average. This team is not looking like a contender and isn't planning on it either. Last season was a bit of luck and I don't see them competing again for a few seasons. 70 wins is the likely total for the Strikers.

Albuquerque Komodo Dragons(Owner csudak-17th season)
Season 35/ 76-86

Owners thoughts-Predicting 83 wins. I think the hitting will be slightly above average. Losing Hartzell hurts, but I think I'll still score a good amount of runs. Pitching will be average to slightly below average. I have a few good arms but not enough depth. I'm stuck in between right now, but hoping to get lucky.

ghutton9's take-I disagree with Casey's take on the hitting. I see a well below average offense. They won't hit very well and the batting eyes aren't good enough for a solid obp. Pizzaro is a good hitter with power but they don't have much else and they really lack power. They do have good speed though. The thing is that this team plays in a very hitter friendly park and will likely end up closer to league average than what they appear. They do have a great fielding team though. Albert Rodriguez and Andres Oliva are really good options at shortstop. They have a gold glove caliber centerfielder with Scooter Dickerson. I think they could be a top 5 defense. The rotation looks solid. Sizemore is the ace and he works well in that role. Ernesto Ozuna is another top starter for them, but he lacks good stamina. The have good mid to back rotation starters as well. The bullpen hurts them though. They lack good late inning guys to close the door. I think it's a below average pitching staff altogether. This team should challenge for the division title this season. It's not a strong division and they could win it with 85 wins.

Oklahoma City Prairie Dogs(Owner brentcnb-24th season)
Season 35/ 74-88

ghutton9's take-In what seems to be the calling card of the division, OKC also has a below average offense. They lack guys that can get on base enough and they don't have much power. Jin-Chi Yamamoto is their top offensive player and he'll hit for power and a decent obp, but he's all they have. The defense is below average. Pete O'Brien is a below average shortstop but he won't hurt them too bad. The thing is that they lack a real centerfielder and other positions are missing good gloves as well. The rotation is weak and it amazes me that their best starter is used as a setup man. Erik Zaun has much more value as a starter getting 160 innings a season than a reliever getting 130. I guess with the rotation made up of mid to back end starters they prefer to have someone pitching every other game to bail them out. Geraldo Molina is another reliver that fits that role. Those 2 turn the below average bullpen into an above average group. The pitching staff together is below average though. I don't really see this team contending this season. I think they'll end up closer to 65 wins.

San Francisco Journey(Owner downboy-1st season)
Season 35/ 69-93

ghutton9's take-The Journey also have a below average offense. The lineup is built around Blaine Moore, who is a good hitter, but they don't have much else. The could join the other 3 NL West teams near the bottom of the league rankings in offense. The defense doesn't look very good either. They don't have a good glove at shortstop or centerfield. The rotation is made up of back end starters. The are likely to struggle this season. The bullpen isn't much better but they do have a couple good arms there. It's a bottom of the league pitching staff when you figure the defense into the equation. This team is rebuilding and likely expect to finish at the bottom of the division.

Prediction
1. Albuquerque
2. Seattle
3. Oklahoma City
4. San Francisco

NL South Season 36 Previews

2016-08-12T09:48:00.001-04:00

NL SOUTH
Houston Heaters(Owner az99-1st season)
Season 35/ 89-73(Division Champ)

ghutton9's take-Offensively this team won't hit for a high average and won't get on base a lot. They do have some good power in the lineup though and a couple speedsters. I'm not sure enough guys will be on in front of the power hitters to make much difference. I think this is an average offense. The defense is a different story though. With shortstop Brooks Larish the team has gold glove potential. They do lack a centerfielder with good range though. The gloves look good on this team and I'd say they are in the upper half of the NL. The rotation is good. Rodrigo Andujar and Albert Olivo could be an ace on almost any team in the league. The also have some solid mid rotation guys to fill out the starting staff. The bullpen is fairly strong as well. I really like this pitching staff and think they'll be in the top 3 or 4 of the NL. Houston's season will depend on how well they can score runs. They might not even have to do much of that with the defense and pitching they have. This looks like a 90+ win team that will challenge for the division title again.

Jackson Juggernauts(Owner bobbyj7-24th season)
Season 35/ 83-79

ghutton9's take-This team has a pretty average offense and maybe a bit above that. They have real good speed, some good power hitters and a few guys that can get on base. The weakness is going to be batting average. They don't have a lot of guys that can hit for a higher average. The defense doesn't look very good to me. They have some solid gloves at a few positions but they lack a true shortstop and centerfielder. I think this is a bottom half of the league defense. The rotation isn't very strong. They lack pitchers that can get deep into games and the staff is made up of mid to bottom rotation starters at best. The bullpen is pretty solid though. DT Cromer is a good reliever to build a bullpen around. There are some good options in the pen for this team. Overall, I'm thinking this team will finish close to the win total they had last season.

Texas Galveston Wave(Owner erichanville-12th season)
Season 35/ 73-89

ghutton9's take-I'm not liking the look of this offense. They lack contact hitters and good batting eyes. While they have good power, I'm just not sure they'll hit enough to make a difference. This looks like an offense that'll be near the bottom of the league. The defense is quite a bit better than the offense. Quinton Rooney has great range and arm for shortstop but only an average glove. The team has options though and have a few strong gloves at key positions and average gloves elsewhere. This could be an average to slightly above average defense. The rotation is a mess. The best starter they have is FP Huff but he's been in the bullpen for them. All of the starters are back end types. The bullpen is good main thanks to Huff, but Derrick Jacquez is pretty good too. They have solid depth in the pen also. This is a below average staff only due to the starters. This team appears to be in a rebuild phase that will continue this season. 70 wins is likely but I could see them winning less than that.

Louisville ARF ARF ARF ARF's(Owner Arfy-21st season)
Season 35/ 66-96

Owners thoughts-Louisville is still going to suck this season. Although we are hoping to not suck as much. Realistic goal would be to win 72-75 games. We have promoted stud prospect 3B Jairo Cedeno this season. He should give the offense a good spark. We also added 32 yr old Dante Pong. Not expecting much from him as players like him don't typically play well in Louisville. I'd project him to hit .240 and close to 20 homers. Our rotation still sucks. We got a nice surprise last season from 30 yr old rookie Stephen Webster. He led the team with 12 wins. I doubt he'll repeat that performance. We added 36 yr old reliever Juan Sierra. We gave him a nice bonus($3 mil) up front so he'll make near league minimum for the next 2 seasons. Quite a bargain from what he has made previous seasons. We only had to give up a second round pick to get him. He should be a nice addition for this season and with our top notch class 1 training facility in Louisville he should be a great valued contributor for next season as well.

ghutton9's take-The offense in Louisville is shaping up to be pretty solid this season. They should hit for a decent enough average and guys like Jair Cedeno and Louie Seanez are going to be really good in this lineup. They have a little bit of speed, but what I like is the team has players that can get on base. I think this is an average lineup and maybe above average. On defense the team has a couple good options at shortstop, but Jhonny Rijo is a gold glover. They also have a good centerfielder in Jack Westbrook. This is an upper half of the league defense. The rotation does suck. Led by Domingo Aguilar, who is a mid rotation type starter and it's filled out with guys that are #5 starters at best. The bullpen is solid though. They have decent depth and a couple top end relievers that can close out a game. I think Louisville takes a step forward this season and shouldn't be far off from competing again. If the rotation was a bit better then I could see them over 80 wins, but as is I'll put them around 70 and maybe with things going right they could get 75.

Prediction
Houston
Jackson
Louisville
Texas

NL East Season 36 preview

2016-08-11T14:20:00.001-04:00

NL EAST
Atlanta Atlanta Apaches(Owner Rattlers-2nd season)
Season 35/ 97-65(Division Champ, NL Champ)

ghutton9's take-With 5 straight division titles and back to back World Series appearances this team will find it tough to remain as the best team in the NL. Offensively this team is going to hit and hit for power. They have some great power hitters. If they have any weakness it'll be that they aren't a team with players that will draw a lot of walks. I'm not sure that matters though. They'll be a top 3 offense for sure. On defense Sam Halter is their only true shortstop and they have nobody else that can play the position that won't hurt them. They also lack a true centerfielder. I'm not really feeling this defense and think they could rank in the bottom half of the league. The rotation is looking pretty solid. They have an ace that could shut down opponents on any night in Jesus Dali. They have options on who to start, but the rest are mid rotation types. The bullpen has the potential to be great this season. They are deep and even have a few pitchers that could start in the pen for extra depth. I think this is a top 5 pitching staff. Atlanta is going to be tough this season. The offense and the pitching more than make up for the defense. I think they could challenge for another NL title.

Jacksonville Juice(Owner greygoose123-36 seasons)
Season 35/ 95-67(Wild Card)

ghutton9's take-This team was so close last season to taking the top spot. Over the past few seasons the rebuild has started to pay off. The have an offense that is a little on the below average side of things though. Julio Melendez and Doug Mitchell are going to crush the ball, but the team is lacking much around them. They don't appear to be a team that can hit for a high average and the batting eyes for them aren't enough to offset that. The power is above average but the team just seems to be a bat or two short of ranking near the top of the league. Vic Bennett is a solid shortstop but they have no depth at the position. They also lack a true centerfielder. This defense looks like they'll finish near the bottom this season as they lack good gloves at most spots. The rotation is a bit above average but not by much. Hipolito Owen is a real good starter but he lacks stamina to be truly dominant. The rest of the staff are solid mid rotation types. The bullpen should be good. They have 3 guys that can shut the door late in games. Depth may be their only issue. To be hones, I think this team may take a step back this season. I think they are an average team, but this team is always a team that surprises me so we will see.

Cincinnati Firestorm(Owner jbburner-36 seasons)
Season 35/ 92-70(Wild Card)

Owners thoughts-It's pretty much the same team as last season. I think that the Firestorm should be able to win 85-90 games. It seems the team is always in between rebuilding and going for it all. Both the hitting and the pitching will be average this season. I believe it will take a trade or two to make this team good enough to make a run in the playoffs if they were to make it there.

ghutton9's take-Looking at the Cincy offense, I'm just not sure I see much I like. They'll likely hit for a lower team average and they lack much power. I don't really see players that can work the count and draw walks either. The look like a bottom half of the league offense, but the park can move them closer to average. They have solid gloves at most spots on defense, but they lack a shortstop. Nolan Bourn has regressed quite a bit and isn't much of an option at the most important position in the field. I think they can be an average defense, but they'd be a good defense if they had a real shortstop. The rotation is below average. The lack an ace and none of their starters are top 2 material. They are made up of mid to bottom rotation starters. The bullpen has 2 dominant relievers and a few other solid arms. This may be the strength of this team. I think Cincinnati will have close to average team this season. I think 90 games would be a stretch but I could see them winning 85 games with some things going right.

Philadelphia Moneymakers(Owner Phillies26-36 seasons)
Season 35/ 74-88

Owners thoughts-My team can go in many different directions. I believe I have a good defensive team. However, I'm concerned about the pitching. This has been a challenge for me. Trying to develop a pitching staff that can match the offensive team we've put together. So, what I'm trying to say is if the pitching can hold up, we can compete. However, I don't see that happening. I would say that we're still within our rebuild, but excited about the future.

ghutton9's take-After 8 seasons without the post season things should be looking up for this squad. While the offense isn't going to be great, I do see some solid potential for them. It's still slightly below average due to lack of power, but it's not a team that finish near the bottom of the NL. The do have solid gloves for most positions in the field. The shortstop position has a couple of options but neither are great, just better than average. I could see this team as an defense in the upper half of the league. The rotation is below average. A lack of control seems to be their biggest issue. I might actually rank them near the bottom of the league. The bullpen is better with a couple really nice options, but depth is their issue. I think this staff will rank near the bottom of the league this season. Things are surely looking better in Philadelphia these days, but it doesn't look like this is the year they'll turn the corner.

Prediction
Atlanta
Jacksonville
Cincinnati
Philadelphia

NL North Season 36 Previews

2016-08-11T11:32:00.001-04:00

NL TEAM PREVIEWS
Last season the NL was won by the Atlanta franchise for the second straight season. That set up a first in Pine Tar history with a World Series rematch against Salem. The results were flipped this time though and Atlanta ended up on the losing end. Another rare thing also happened last season. For just the second time in Pine Tar history, there was not a 100 game winner. The last time that happened was way back in season 3. With the league trending towards more parity you would think it was even less likely to have a repeat World Series. 3 of the 4 division champs in the NL repeated last season. The only change at the top was in the West with Seattle taking the top spot from previous champion Albuquerque. The worst team in the NL was Louisville, taking that spot from the Philadelphia who was the season 34 basement dweller. Now onto the previews.

NL NORTH
Pawtucket Patriots(Owner HCal11-1st season)
Season 35/ 93-69(Division Champ, NLCS runner up)

ghutton 9's take-This team has won 8 straight division titles and are hoping to make it 9. The offense looks really good. They have some great hitters and should have great obp's. The power on the team comes from 2 players and that may be the only weakness they have on offense, if you can even call it that. This team should have one of the best offenses in the league this season. The team isn't among the best defensively, but they aren't bad. The shortstop situation isn't great but they'll get by. I think they'll be a bottom half of the league defense, but barely. The rotation isn't strong, but it's above average. They don't have a shutdown ace, but they do have about 4 starters that are good. The bullpen is real good though and has some depth. The pitching staff as a whole is good. I think Pawtucket will once again battle for the top spot in this division. If they don't get it then they should take one of the wild cards. This is a pretty good team.

Iowa City Hawkeyes(Owner tk21775-21st season)
Season 35/ 87-75

ghutton 9's take-The offense is looking pretty good for this team. They have good power, good hitting and guys that can get on base. I think they could finish in the top 5 of the NL. The defense is also looking pretty good. They have a really good shortstop and solid gloves all around. The rotation is led by Omar Mercedes and should be among the best in the league. They have 3 top end starters and even a few mid rotation starters that could be aces on a weaker team. The bullpen looks pretty good as well. This might be the best pitching staff in the NL. I think Iowa City could make a real push for the NL title this season. It is a well rounded group that should be tough to beat and has a chance to bring home a World Championship.

St Louis Miracles(Owner ranscott64-7th season)
Season 35/ 78-84

Owner outlook- I took this franchise over in season 31(despite what the history says). When I took over, the minors were the absolute worst I've ever seen and the ML roster was aging and not good. I set out to retool the minors(which I've done, every minor league team in the system made the playoffs last season). Unfortunately, I can't seem to get the ML club over the hump. I've looked at team like Pawtucket. How do you get 3 players on your team rated 90+? Maybe a part of my problem is my team never really bottomed out. Had a few 78 win seasons but maybe that's not good enough to truly embark on a rebuilding program. In any case, I anticipate an 81-81 season and third place. If I luck out, I may win 85 or 86 and sneak in as a wild card.

ghutton9's take-To start, I must say that I've proved that a team dosen't have to bottom out to win a championship. It's hard to do, but surely possible. Timing is everything. When to sell, when to buy and when to overpay for players. When you are a piece or two short then it might cost you to make that jump for those final pieces, but the payoff is worth it. Onto the preview. The offense looks solid. They have some really good contact type players and a few guys with above average power. They also have some players with good batting eyes. They also have some really good speed. The one thing I see that they are missing is a 3 or 4 hitter that can get on base and hit for power. Besides that this is a fairly average offense. I could see them making a move that could change that though and put them in the upper half of the league. The defense is solid, but they have one player that can handle shortstop and it looks like he's not really a full time player for them. They could also use a true centerfielder that has a better glove than what they have currently. They have good gloves in other spots, but due to the weakness up the middle I see them as just about average. The rotation is solid. They lack a top end starter, but they have at least 4 middle rotation type guys. The bullpen is anchored by Kelvim Redmond and not much else. I'd rate this as a below average pitching staff that could move into the upper half of the league due to the park. I wouldn't be surprised to see this team win 85 games. Then again I also wouldn't be surprised to see them win 75 games. A move or two could really change the look of this team as I think they are only a few pieces away from being a division title contender.

Wichita Tornadoes(Owner pinetaar-10th season)
Season 35/ 72-90

Owner outlook- This will be another rebuilding season. Didn't sign any big free agents, and got a little luck in the rule 5 draft with a couple players that will make the roster. There has been some bad luck and poor choices with draft picks and IFA's after the changes in scouting were made to the game. The prediction is a 70 win season and near the bottom of the division. The offense will be near the bottom in homers and slugging, but has some good speed. The pitching will be worse after the departure of last seasons Cy Young Ben Boyer. The ballpark will help the pitching out.

ghutton9's take-Outside of Zack Wathan this offense has little to offer. He's a good piece to build around, but the team needs more guys that can get on base if they are going to use speed as a ways to win. Dee Dee Kelly is coming off of an awful season and should get on a lot more than last season, but there really isn't much offense on the team. The make up for it a little with defense. They have good gloves at most positions but they lack a true shortstop with good range, glove and arm. That makes this a middle of the league defense. The starting rotation is on the weaker side, but I really like the bullpen. I see 4 to 5 pitchers in the pen that will give them good depth later in games. I think the pitching will be closer to the middle of the league due to that and the ballpark. Overall this is a below average team that has a few nice pieces to build around. I could see them winning 70 games this season but with some luck they could push that number up into the higher 70's.

Prediction
Iowa City
Pawtucket
St Louis
Wichita

NL EAST
Atlanta Atlanta Apaches(Owner Rattlers-2nd season)
Season 35/ 97-65(Division Champ, NL Champ)

Jacksonville Juice(Owner greygoose123-36 seasons)
Season 35/ 95-67(Wild Card)

Cincinnati Firestorm(Owner jbburner-36 seasons)
Season 35/ 92-70(Wild Card)

Philadelphia Moneymakers(Owner Phillies26-36 seasons)
Season 35/ 74-88

NL SOUTH
Houston Heaters(Owner az99-1st season)
Season 35/ 89-73(Division Champ)

Jackson Juggernauts(Owner bobbyj7-24th season)
Season 35/ 83-79

Texas Galveston Wave(Owner erichanville-12th season)
Season 35/ 73-89

Louisville ARF ARF ARF ARF's(Owner Arfy-21st season)
Season 35/ 66-96

NL WEST
Seattle Strikers(Owner ghutton9-30th season)
Season 35/ 83-79(Division Champ)

Albuquerque Komodo Dragons(Owner csudak-17th season)
Season 35/ 76-86

Oklahoma City Prairie Dogs(Owner brentcnb-24th season)
Season 35/ 74-88

San Francisco Journey(Owner downboy-1st season)
Season 35/ 69-93

S35 Mid-Season Blog

2016-06-03T18:48:00.000-04:00

Midseason Classic
Season 35 All-Star Game: National League 6, American League 2
HR Derby Winner: Willie Tarasco (Strikers)
All-Star Game MVP: Neifi Gil (Jibaros)
Winning Pitcher: Jesus Dali (Apaches)
Homeruns: Gil, Doug Mitchell (Juice), Dion Pagnozzi (Thunder)

Teams with the most All-Star selections:

Atlanta Apaches (Rattlers) - 8
Kansas City Yardbirds (holleybard) - 5
Salem Volanoes (jkenned) - 5
Boise Coursers (godao) - 5
Jacksonville Juice (greygoose123) - 3
Cincinnati Firestorm (jbburner) - 3
Albuquerque Komodo Dragons (csudak) - 3
Syracuse Orange (joekendall) - 3
New York Sultans of Swat (bluenoser44) - 3

Teams with zero All-Star selections:

Chicago Black Sox
Boston Screaming Babies
El Paso Walkers
New Orleans Jazz
Colorado Springs Iron Horseman
Iowa City Hawkeyes
Texas Galveston Wave
Louisville ARF ARF ARF ARF's
Oklahoma City Prairie Dogs

All-Stars by Division
NL East - 15
AL West - 11
AL North - 8
AL East - 7
NL West - 7
NL North - 5
AL South - 4
NL South - 3

*Links are posted - click on an individual player's name to open their HBD profile
First Time All-Stars – American League

P - Ernesto Ozuna (Orange)
P - Omar Colon (Dinklebergs)
P - Andres Navarro (Coursers)
P - Alberto Rivas (Thunder)
P - Alberto Blasco (Yardbirds)
P - John Carter (Magnitude)
2B - Victor Lee (Oracles)
3B - Alex Moreno (Coursers)
CF - Willie Johnson (Sultans of Swat)
DH - Eric Miller (Yardbirds)

First Time All-Stars – National League

P - Rigo Jimenez (Moneymakers)
P - Ben Boyer (Tornadoes)
P - Jesus Dali (Apaches)
P - Carlton Trachsel (Firestorm)
P - Javier Beltran (Apaches)
C - Zack Wathan (Tornadoes)
1B - Willie Tarasco (Strikers)
2B - Jeimer Parra (Apaches)
LF - Darrin Phelps (Miracles)
CF - Scooter Dickerson (Komodo Dragons)
RF - Doug Mitchell (Juice)

All-Stars Making Their 5th Appearance or Greater
C - Bengie Trajano (Doormats) - 9th Appearance
P - Juan Sierra (Apaches) - 9th
P - Geronimo Estrada (Apaches) - 8th
RF - Roger Byrne (Sultans of Swat) - 7th
2B - Eugenio Canseco (Monkeybutlers) - 7th
P - Lonny Gonzalez (Volcanoes) - 6th
P - Yoshinori Zhou (Magnitude) - 6th
SS - Wendell Werth (Merchants) - 6th
P - Hades Phillips (Firestorm) - 6th
SS - Bartolo Ortiz (Apaches) - 6th
LF - Vicente Palmeiro (Komodo Dragons) - 6th
P - Aurelio Ozuna (Volcanoes) - 5th
SS - Lefty Twitchell (Volcanoes) - 5th
LF - Michel Pena (Volcanoes) - 5th
P - Moises Olmedo (Apaches) - 5th
3B - Neal Hartzell (Komodo Dragons) - 5th

Record Breakers
Listed below are the Pine Tar Season 35 league leaders in various statistical catagories, their projected total after the remaining 61 games, and the Pine Tar all-time record holders for those categories. Players who have an opportunity to tie or break a record have been noted with bold font.
*Links are posted - click on an individual player's name to open their HBD profile

Category - Player	League Leader - S35 Total	Projected Total	Pine Tar Record Holder - Total
Batting Average	Valerio Martinez (BOI) - .352	.352	Randy Podsednik - .398
Homeruns	Michael Chong (MIL) - 42	67	Jim Blair - 69
Runs Batted In	Michael Chong (MIL) - 97	156	Bob Wood - 203
Stolen Bases	Fernando Espinosa (SYR) - 56	90	Brandon Kline - 166
Runs Scored	Wesley McDonald (DUR) - 86	138	Ronald Clyburn - 169
OPS %	Valerio Martinez (BOI) - 1.093	1.093	Frank Martin - 1.240
Pitching Wins	Aurelio Ozuna (SAL) - 14	22	Rich Meyers, Rock Randall - 25
Earned Run Avr	Ben Boyer (WIC) - 1.94	1.94	John Rucker - 1.79
WHIP	Lonny Gonzalez (SAL) - 0.88	0.88	Tim Daubach - 0.87
OAV	Lonny Gonzalez (SAL) - .176	.176	Tim Daubach - .177
Saves	Richard Huang (NY1) - 33	53	3 Tied - 54
Pitching Strikeouts	Yoshinori Zhou (MIL) - 137	220	Warren Hargrave - 273
Complete Games	David Chantres (SYR) - 5	8	D.Shipley, W.Sizemore - 15
IF Plus Plays	Lefty Twitchell (SAL) - 20	32	Travis Fiore - 40
OF Plus Plays	Vitas Witt (DOV) - 16	26	Hank Truman - 37
OF Assists	3 Tied - 9	14	Ariel Villano - 27
Caught Stealing %	Cesar Durazo (OK) - .44	.44	Justin Carson - .612
Catcher ERA	Tomas Urena (CIN) - 3.12	3.12	Nolan McClellan - 2.34

S34 Mid-Season Blog

2016-02-23T12:50:00.000-05:00

Midseason Classic

Season 34 Pine Tar All-Star Game: American League defeats the National League 7-2
HR Derby Winner: Neifi Gil (Roughnecks)
All-Star Game MVP: Phillip Bruske (Yardbirds)
Winning Pitcher: Lonny Gonzalez (Volcanoes)
Homeruns: Bruske, Santo Herrera (Black Sox), Neal Hartzell (Komodo Dragons)

Teams with the most All-Star selections:

Houston Roughnecks (bagwellbuff) - 6
Salem Volcanoes (jkenned) - 5
Nashville Merchants (blapo21) - 5
Kansas City Yardbirds (holleybard) - 4
Scranton Red Barons (reggie988) - 4
Jacksonville Juice (greygoose123) - 4
Syracuse Orange (joekendall) - 3
San Juan Marichals (sermonauthor) - 3

Teams with zero All-Star selections:

Boise Coursers
Colorado Springs Iron Horseman
Philadelphia Moneymakers

All-Stars by Division
**This is much closer than the past few years
AL North - 9
NL South - 9
AL South - 8
NL North - 8
NL East - 8
AL East - 7
AL West - 6
NL West - 5

*Links are posted - click on an individual player's name to open their HBD profile
First Time All-Stars – American League

P - Richard Huang (Sultans of Swat)
P - Marcus Ledee (Yardbirds)
P - Bert Jordan (Thunder)
P - Alfonso Diaz (Orange)
P - Tomas Cora (Oracles)
P - Quilvio Benitez (Screaming Babies)
C - Mac Braden (Magnitude)
1B - Santo Herrera (Black Sox)
3B - William Nakano (Black Sox)
3B - Scott Craig (Dinklebergs)

First Time All-Stars – National League

P - Rick Cooper (Jaggernauts)
P - Graham Hausmann (Tornadoes)
P - Travis Morris (Hawkeyes)
P - Rondell Collins (Marichals)
P - Norberto Barajas (Prairie Dogs)
P - Earl Magill (Galveston Wave)
C - Alex Chong (Miracles)
1B - David Uribe (Red Barons)
SS - Wilfredo Zapata (Red Barons)
CF - Samuel Johnston (Roughnecks)
CF - Jack Westbrook (ARF ARF ARF ARF's)

All-Stars Making Their 5th Appearance or Greater
P - Sticky Farquhar (Juice): 11th Appearance
P - Geronimo Estrada (Marichals): 7th Appearance
LF - Gus Justice (Juice): 7th Appearance
P - Alex James (Merchants): 6th Appearance
RF - Roger Byrne (Sultans of Swat): 6th Appearance
P - Wilt Sizemore (Roughnecks): 6th Appearance
2B - Eugenio Canseco (Red Barons): 6th Appearance
3B - Jim Hawpe (Wildcats): 6th Appearance
P - Yoshinori Zhou (Volcanoes): 5th Appearance
P - Lonny Gonzalez (Volcanoes): 5th Appearance
SS - Wendell Werth (Merchants): 5th Appearance
SS - Bartolo Ortiz (Marichals): 5th Appearance

Playoff Tidbits

-Nine Pine Tar clubs are looking to end playoff droughts as they are within striking distance of a postseason berth at the midway point:
Chicago: 16 seasons
Kansas City: 11 seasons
Jackson: 10 seasons
St. Louis: 8 seasons
Tampa Bay: 6 seasons
Wichita: 6 seasons
Dover: 5 seasons
Iowa City: 4 seasons
Cincinnati: 3 seasons

-Five division leaders are looking to extend their current streak of consecutive division titles:
Salem: 6 consecutive AL West titles
Scranton: 6 consecutive NL North titles
Nashville: 5 consecutive AL South titles
Milwaukee: 5 consecutive AL North titles
San Juan: 3 consecutive NL East titles

-Seattle has a 6-game lead in the NL West with a surprisingly low payroll of $48 million. Of the remaining seven division leaders, Scranton's payroll is $71 million, while everybody else is greater than $90 million. On the other side, Boston is 6 games below .500 with a payroll of $116 million and Texas is 8 games below on a $101 million player budget.

-The AL North is looking for their first playoff wildcard berth since Season 22. You heard that correctly...11 seasons of only sending 1 team to the postseason. Kansas City is currently in the second wildcard position, while Chicago is 3 games behind.

-Some of the American League teams feel comfortable in seeing that league powerhouse Salem is ONLY on pace to win 106 games this season, while Nashville is on pace to win less than 100. These two teams have put up win totals of 110 or greater SIX times in recent Pine Tar seasons. Although nobody really knows what to expect come playoff-time after an 83-win Boise team advanced to the World Series last season.

Early Trade-Deadline Moves
-Seattle added power to its lineup by trading for 1B Willie Tarasco, who has already hit 12 homeruns in 39 games with the Strikers. Seattle leads the NL West by 6 games.
-Cincinnati, who are currently sitting 1 game out of the NL East lead, strengthened its bullpen by acquiring Hades Phillips (5 time all-star, 414 career saves).
-Wichita ranks 15th in the NL in runs scored, but made a move to improve its offense by adding all-star 3B Jim Hawpe, who has a .383 on-base percentage and 55 RBIs this season. The Tornadoes are below .500, but only 6 games behind division-leading Scranton.
-St. Louis looks to be dealing as the trade deadline draws closer. They have sent SS Jhonny Castro to Nashville and RP Andy Ganzel to New York in the hopes of building for the future. St. Louis is 5 games out of first place in the NL North.

Around The League 2-12-16

2016-02-12T10:59:00.003-05:00

PROMOTIONS
Cookie Tapia-Milwaukee Magnitude
Tapia is a 1b/lf with some great hitting abilities. He could put up MVP type numbers offensively. He can hit for a high average, get on base and he will hit a lot of homers. I wouldn't be surprised to see him win multiple MVP awards and he has a good chance to win the AL rookie of the year this season.

Phillip Braun-Boise Coursers
Braun is strictly a DH. Offensively he has good contact and a good batting eye. He will hit some homers, but he's about average with his power. He should hit well and get on base enough to make him a good play as a DH.

Jesus Dali-San Juan Marichals
This is a nice call up for the Marichals. Dali is going to be a really good starting pitcher in the league for quite a while. He has good control and really good splits. His top 2 pitches are above average. His stamina is a little low, but he has good durability. With room to grow a little still, Dali should become a top end of the rotation starter.

Other notable callups-
Benito Rodriguez-El Paso Walkers
Vic Dickerson-Jacksonville Juice
Hub Winkler-Boston Screaming Babies

KEY INJURIES
Mo Lee-Houston Roughnecks
Tim Daubach-Boston Screaming Babies
Dick Kohlmeier-Nashville Merchants
Gio Esposito-Tampa Bay Thunder
Delanor Guthrie-Kansas City Yardbirds

Waiver Claims
Kameron Moore-Omaha Oracles
Jose Lopez-El Paso Walkers

INTERNATIONAL SIGNINGS
Saul Pescado-Durham Doormats
This guy is a 20 year old leftfield/firstbaseman type IFA. He looks like he will have average pop(15-20 hr), and the ability to get on base at a decent clip. He's not an allstar caliber player, but he could put up decent enough numbers to make it on an allstar team or two. Especially in a hitters park like Durham

Edgmer Bournigal-Louisville ARF ARF ARF ARF's
Bournigal projects as a decent mid rotation starter. He should have good control with solid splits. He should pitch enough groundballs to be effective in Louisville, but his pitches are not very good. At worst he will pitch at the back end of the rotation in a few years.

Harry Alou-Louisville ARF ARF ARF ARF's
Another pitching prospect signed by Louisville in the past couple weeks. I see a trend. This guy has some concerns with the possiblity of injuries. His durability looks lower and will hold him back some. He projects to have good control with decent splits. He also has good velocity with a couple of average pitches. Alou could end up pitching at the back end of a rotation or in a long reliever type role. He does have big league potential though.

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE
The league has seen 4 players hit for the cycle this season. Boone Brow of Syracuse, Rich Miller of Boise, Buddy Berry of Milwaukee and Stan Stroud of Nashville have accomplished the feat.

Jim Hawpe-Colorado Wildcats is hitting a .350 with a .411 obp. He also has 11 steals and 12 homers.

Williams Nakano-Chicago Black Sox leads the league in triples with 6 and also has 17 doubles and 14 homers. His 56 runs scored are second in the league, and he ranks 7th in steals with 22.

The longest hitting streak this season belongs to Maikel Martinez with 27 games in a row.

3 pitchers have 9 wins at this point and they are Yoshinori Zhou, Rymer Tavarez and Kendry Martin.

Rodrigo Andujar-Houston Roughnecks is the first pitcher to 20 saves. He has 20 in 21 opportunities and also has a .84 ERA.

Ben Boyer-Wichita Tornadoes has just a .90 WHIP through 13 starts and a 1.39 ERA.

Julio Fuentes-Colorado Springs has 7 minus plays at second base. This is because he's left handed. He has great range and glove, but a lefty can't play the position.

AROUND THE LEAGUE 1-29-16

2016-01-29T13:21:00.001-05:00

We are a little over a week into the season now and I want to take a look at some things around the league that may be of interest. Usually this is the time of the season that teams will promote their future stars to the big leagues. After game 20 teams save a year of arbitration so this is the perfect time to do it. I'll list some key promotions that have taken place, some key injuries and also some notes about stats.

PROMOTIONS
Pedro Contreras- Jacksonville Juice
Contreras is a left fielder/1b type player that has solid power and a great batting eye. He will hit good against left handed pitchers, but is likely to struggle against righties. He was drafted by Jacksonville with the 17th pick overall in the season 31 draft. He still has some room to grow, but he's close to reaching his potential at this point.

Karim Ontiveros- Jacksonville Juice
Ontiveros is a centerfielder with decent range and glove. At the plate he make good contact and has good power. His batting eye and ability to hit are not very good. He won't have a high batting average or OBP, put he should be able to put the ball in play and provide some pop. Ontiveros was signed as an IFA by Jacksonville in season 29. He has likely reached his potential.

Santo Baez-Louisville ARF ARF ARF ARF's
Santo is a left fielder with a good bat. He won't put up great numbers, but Baez should be a nice addition to the lineup. With decent contact, power and batting eye, he should provide some good numbers. He was signed as an IFA by Louisville in season 29 and probably will not grow much more.

Jarrod Henley-Seattle Strikers
Henley is a shortstop/2b/centerfielder. He has great range and great arm strength for any position. He has a solid glove for shortstop, but he'd be a great 2B. Offensively he has great contact and average power. His batting eye is bad and he won't hit for even a decent average. Henley was a 2nd round 63rd overall selection by Wichita in the season 28 draft. He has pretty much reached his potential.

Other notable callups-
Dustan Fletcher-El Paso Walkers
Tyrone Milligan-Colorado Wildcats
Paulie Sparks-Seattle Strikers
Vin Gray-Oklahoma City Prairie Dogs
Slick Maurer-Durham Doormats

KEY INJURIES
Pedro Sanchez-Colorado Wildcats
Dave Coleman-San Juan Marichals

CONTRACT EXTENSIONS
Aurelio Ozuna-Salem Volcanoes
Hades Phillips-El Paso Walkers
Willie Fisher-El Paso Walkers

INTERNATIONAL SIGNINGS
Naoki Martin-Tampa Bay Thunder
Martin has been the highest paid IFA so far. He projects to be a centerfielder with great range and really good glove and a solid bat with speed. I think he's a bit overpaid, but the market decides that and so far he's one of the best to come through.

Pedro Mota-St Louis Miracles
Mota projects as a good starting pitcher. I think he was a steal in the IFA market for the Miracles. His potential to me looks like a 3 starter and possibly a 2. He has good split projections, decent control and 3 average pitches.

Vic Torcato-Colorado Springs Iron Horseman
This was a nice signing, but not great. The value was good, but he's not a future star. He should have average power, decent splits, but his batting eye worries me a bit. He has a great glove, but his range doesn't project very high. With a solid arm I think he will end up as a third baseman or right fielder.

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE
Dante Pong-Durham Doormats
Through 25 games, Pong has hit 13 homers to lead the league and is hitting for a .302 average, .343 obp and .750 slugging.

Michael Pena-Salem Volcanoes
Pena is on fire, hitting a .389 to lead Pine Tar, and has a .436 obp and .741 slugging. He's also added 12 doubles, 8 homers, and 13 steals.

Benny Villano-El Paso Walkers
Villano leads the league in opponent average with a .124, is second in ERA with a 1.36 and leads in WHIP with a .73 while adding 3 wins in 6 starts.

Apollo Fletcher-Seattle Strikers
Fletcher leads the league in saves with 10 in 10 tries and has a .90 WHIP, and 1.80 ERA in 10 games.

Chan Won-Houston Roughnecks
Won leads the league in pinch hits with 13 already and has done that in 21 at bats while also hitting 3 pinch hit homeruns.

Season 34 Introduction

2016-01-14T11:57:00.005-05:00

Sorry that the previews won't be as in depth as in the past. My schedule has been extremely full lately and I'm just hoping to be able to get through all of the divisions. I know that the previews are fun and add flavor to one of the best leagues in HBD and I really wish I could devote more time to them. My plan is to have a summary for each team and a grade for Offense, Defense and Pitching as usual, but I'm not really going to dive too much into why I graded them as such. I hope that doesn't take away from the quality very much. At least it will be something. I'll also do my division predictions.

Over the last few seasons it seems like we have had a higher turnover than in the past. I'm not sure if it's the changes that WIS made or if it's more that people are losing interest in the game. I must admit, my interest isn't what it used to be, but after dropping down to 1 team about a year ago, I did start to gain some interest again. To me, the fun has always been in rebuilding and seeing how that plan paid off. A big problem with that is when the plan pays off poorly and then you have to start over. Many people hate the initial stages of rebuilding and it is a pain. Trades rarely net a good return when you are trying to rebuild. Prospects are too tough to come by. That is what I see as the biggest problem with the game. Quality is always better than quantity because too often you know how a player is going to end up. That is why I like the new system of hidden growth and advanced scouting meaning more. It gives you a reason to trade for quantity and hope that what you got has a better shot at turning out. The big problem with that is the team you are trading with has the advantage since they know how that player has progressed. If HBD is going to ever get past that point then they need a new progression system rather than hidden ratings. Hiding the rating progression is just a lazy way of fixing a greater problem. Hopefully they get that figured out since it does seem like they are putting a little bit of time into the game lately. I'd like to hear some others opinions on this and the reason we've lost people.

Finally, as many know, we had an owner terribly miss the win minimum last season. This is the second season in a row that it has happened to an owner and both seasons the majority league response was to give a probation to the owner. This season skuff, is on a probation and required to reach 70 wins. I know that 70 wins will leave skuff short of the win minimum again, but it is a realistic number to reach. Last season was really bad, and it was a rarity for this owner. While not acceptable, I do believe that one really bad season is not enough to make a difference for a team. He didn't have a really low payroll and spend on big IFA's. The only real benefit is the 1st pick this season and that is it. One player will not start a dynasty. skuff is a long time coach in the league that has had a competitive team for the previous 10 seasons. I believe this is fair. If any others have a problem with it then tc me and we will discuss it.

Thanks for being such a great league and a great group of owners.

Pine Tar's Top-20 Playoff Upsets

2015-12-20T14:47:00.004-05:00

With the top 4 teams in regular season record (Salem, Nashville, Houston, Milwaukee) all being eliminated before the league championship series, I thought it would be interesting to look at Pine Tar's playoff upset history. Below is a list of the top-20 playoff upsets in Pine Tar's 33-season history. The list is ordered by win differential (WD) between the underdog and the favorite. Upsets with a win differential greater than 16 games made the top-20 list. In the event of a tie, the favorite with the higher regular season win total was considered a bigger upset. Some commentary is posted after the top-20 list.

**Click here to view playoff brackets**

#20. Scottsdale (79-83, vector21) over Charleston (95-67, bjohara1), 16 WD – Season 17 NLPI

#19. Wichita (86-76, jibe) over Seattle (102-60, ghutton9), 16 WD – Season 29 NLDS

#18. Helena (90-72, moosedrool) over Fargo (107-55, starbuckdc), 17 WD – Season 8 NLDS

#17. Hartford (91-71, bpdelia) over Philadelphia (108-54, domiisgod), 17 WD – Season 6 ALCS

#16. Milwaukee (83-79, jquick1) over Pittsburgh (101-61, blues_bros), 18 WD – Season 18 ALPI

#15. Fresno (85-77, dlmose) over Nashville (104-58, blapo21), 19 WD – Season 30 ALDS

#14. Tampa Bay (89-73, rxw1) over Fargo (108-54, starbuckdc), 19 WD – Season 11 World Series

#13. Durham (79-83, alogman1) over Milwaukee (99-63, jquick1), 20 WD – Season 13 ALPI

#12. Milwaukee (83-79, jquick1) over Dover (103-59, tmfran), 20 WD – Season 18 ALDS

#11. Dover (87-75, tmfran) over Boston (107-55, kjmulli), 20 WD – Season 27 ALDS

#10. Jacksonville (88-74, greygoose123) over Colorado Springs (108-54, toe64), 20 WD – Season 2 NLDS

#9. Jacksonville (85-77, greygoose123) over Houston (106-56, bagwellbuff), 21 WD – Season 25 NLDS

#8. Milwaukee (88-74, jquick1) over Syracuse (109-53, prezuiwf), 21 WD – Season 15 ALDS

#7. Scottsdale (79-83, vector21) over Jackson (102-60, bobbyj7), 23 WD – Season 17 NLDS

#6. St. Louis (84-78, flucie) over Nashville (107-55, bnags), 23 WD – Season 19 ALDS

#5. Oakland (78-84, jayesnb) over Ottawa (104-58, ewd330), 26 WD – Season 11 ALPI

#4. Scottsdale (88-74, vector21) over Syracuse (115-47, prezuiwf), 27 WD – Season 14 World Series

#3. Syracuse (90-72, joekendall) over Salem (119-43, jkenned), 29 WD – Season 33 ALDS

#2. Boise (83-79, godao) over Nashville (113-49, blapo21), 30 WD – Season 33 ALDS

#1. Tampa Bay (89-73, rxw1) over Syracuse (121-41, prezuiwf), 32 WD – Season 11 ALCS

This season's upsets of Salem and Nashville ranked second and third all-time in Pine Tar history. Overall, season 33 has had four upsets with a win differential of at least 13 games (Nashville 30, Salem 29, Milwaukee 14, and Houston 13). First-year owner godao was responsible for two of those upsets with his 83-79 Boise team. This gives season 33 the most shocking playoff results since season 11. In season 11, there were five upsets with a win differential of at least 15 games. Owner rxw1 pulled three of those upsets, including the #1 upset of all time, as his 89-73 Tampa Bay team caught fire in the playoffs and defeated 104-58 Milwaukee in the ALDS, 121-41 Syracuse in the ALCS, and 108-54 Fargo in the World Series. Additional upsets in season 11 included the #5 upset of all time (Oakland over Ottawa) and a 15-win differential upset of Monterrey over Charleston, which just missed the top-20 list.
Milwaukee and Scottsdale caused fits for owners that had outstanding regular season records during seasons 14-18. In season 17, a 79-83 Scottsdale team coached by vector21, advanced to the ALCS by scoring the #6 and #19 upsets of all time. The following season, jquick1's #6-seeded Milwaukee team also advanced to the league championship series by earning the #10 and #16 upsets in Pine Tar history, over Dover and Pittsburgh. Beginning in season 14, powerhouse Syracuse (with 115 and 109 wins) was upset in consecutive seasons by Scottsdale and Milwaukee. The Scottsdale upset occurred in the World Series, giving them the title with an 88-74 record.

Season 29 had the wildest postseason in recent history. Owner skplayer07's 91-71 Vancouver team made an improbable run to the World Series, where they fell one game short of winning the title. In the process, they pulled 15-game win differential upsets over Boston and Salem, who both had a 106-56 record. In the round before being upset by Vancouver, Salem needed all 5 games to defeat an 82-80 Milwaukee team. Meanwhile in the National League, Wichita upset 102-win Seattle, which ranks #19 in Pine Tar history. In addition, #2-seed Louisville fell in the NLDS to eventual World Series champs Scranton.

Out of the top-20 all-time Pine Tar upsets, 60% (12) occurred in a league division series, 4 occurred in a play-in series, 2 in a championship series, and 2 in the World Series. 13 of the 20 upsets were earned by American League teams, while 7 of the upsets were pulled by National League teams.

S33 All-Star Blog

2015-11-21T12:20:00.000-05:00

Pine Tar's Season 33 All-Star Game game took place this past week with a young National League squad, consisting of 15 first-time all-stars, defeating the American League by the score of 8-2. Jacksonville's catcher, Tanyon Graves, was named the Most-Valuable Player in his first all-star appearance, as his two 2-RBI doubles broke the game open for the NL. Brandon Taylor (San Juan) was the winning pitcher in his 10th career all-star appearance, while Lariel Osuna (Nashville) took the loss for the AL. Homeruns were hit by Scott Duncan (Iowa City) and Wendell Werth (Nashville). Season 31 NL MVP Eli Cruz (San Juan) won the Homerun Derby, while Season 31 #11 amateur draft pick Daniel Mulholland (Scranton) was the Future's Game MVP.

Teams with the most All-Star selections:

Nashville Merchants (blapo21) - 7
Salem Volcanoes (jkenned) - 7
San Juan Dw'Arfy Mojados (jibe) - 5
Jacksonville Juice (greygoose123) - 5
Chicago Thugs (wyvern737) - 4
Scranton Red Barons (reggie988) - 3
Houston Roughnecks (bagwellbuff) - 3
Albuquerque Komodo Dragons (csudak) - 3
Syracuse Orange (joekendall) - 3

Teams with zero All-Star selections:

Dover Dinklebergs
Milwaukee Magnitude
New York Damage Controllers
Boston Pilgrims
Huntington Drunkin' BArfys
Tampa Bay Thunder
Wichita Tornadoes
Texas Galveston Wave
Seattle Strikers
Colorado Springs Sky Sox

All-Stars by Division
NL East - 13
AL West - 12
AL East - 8
AL South - 8
NL North - 7
NL South - 6
NL West - 4
AL North - 2

*Links are posted - click on an individual player's name to open their HBD profile

First Time All-Stars – American League

P - Pedro Ontiveros (Coursers)
P - Lariel Osuna (Merchants)
P - Dillon Abbott (Oracles)
P - Ismael Amaro (Doble)
P - Charles Punto (Volcanoes)
P - Domingo Mendoza (Skywalkers)
1B - Brian Hume (Orange)
1B - Felipe Osoria (Yardbirds)
2B - Trinidad Ross (Orange)
CF - Louis Fitzgerald (Oracles)
RF - Hugh Patterson (Yardbirds)

First Time All-Stars – National League

P - Rodrigo Andujar (Roughnecks)
P - Vasco Tejeda (Prairie Dogs)
P - Miguel Siqueiros (Firestorm)
P - Omar Mercedes (Hawkeyes)
P - Ivan DeRojas (Juggernauts)
P - Stewart Hall (Roughnecks)
P - Andy Ganzel (Miracles)
C - Tanyon Graves (Juice)
C - Louie Seanez (ARF ARF ARF ARF's)
2B - Scott Duncan (Hawkeyes)
3B - Sherm Springer (Firestorm)
3B - Neifi Gil (Roughnecks)
LF - Joakim Vizcaino (Moneymakers)
CF - Marcell Escobar (Juice)
RF - Luis Cruz (Red Barons)

All-Stars Making Their 5th Appearance or Greater
P - Sticky Farquhar (Merchants) - 10
P - Brendan Taylor (Dw'Arfy Mojados) - 10
C - Bengie Trajano (Doormats) - 8
1B - Tony Caballero (Dw'Arfy Mojados) - 7
P - John McNamara (Thugs) - 6
P - Geronimo Estrada (Dw'Arfy Mojados) - 6
P - Alex James (Merchants) - 5
3B - Cristobal Izquierdo (Volcanoes) - 5
RF - Roger Byrne (Thugs) - 5
2B - Eugenio Canseco (Red Barons) - 5

Season 33 Preview AL West

2015-10-26T14:47:00.001-04:00

AL West

Season 32 Standings
Salem Volcanoes 112-50
Anaheim Skywalkers 91-71(Wild Card)
St Louis Arch Angels 77-85
Omaha Oracles 67-95

Once again this was Salems division last season. It was their fifth straight 100+ win season and division title. That is now the longest streak in franchise history. It was also the 13th division title for them. Anaheim continued a playoff streak for this franchise having made 4 in a row now and 9 of the past 11 seasons. Unfortunately, only 3 of those have been division titles. The franchise in St Louis, has now moved to Boise and they missed the post season for the fourth straight time. It's hard to believe, but it has now been 10 seasons since they won the World Series. Omaha finished in last for the second consecutive season. It has now been 17 seasons since they last won the division title.

Salem Volcanoes
owner-jkenned(11th season)
Last 5 seasons- 555-255

Goals
107 wins

My take
We are now well into the season so this isn't really a preview. Salem is looking like they are well on their way to 107 wins. This team has a solid offense, great pitching and phenomenal defense. All of the makings of another 100+ win season.

OFFENSE- B
DEFENSE- C
PITCHING- A

Anaheim Skywalkers
owner-mysticrain(2nd season)
Last 5 seasons- 446-364

My take
Offensively this team is average or just below average. They have players that will get on base, but outside of Willie Tarasco they don't have much of a power threat. I really like the rotation and the bullpen. This team won't give up a lot of runs this season which will help keep them in games. The defense is going to hurt them though. I really don't like the defense and I think it will hurt the great pitching they have.

OFFENSE- C
DEFENSE- D
PITCHING- A

Boise Coursers
owner-godao(1st season)
Last 5 seasons- 403-407

Goals
1-Play at least close to .500 ball
2-Make the most out of my 1st round picks(#18, #24 and a top 50 comp pick so far) despite the budget limitations of the 1st season
3-Finding a useful IFA or two

My take
1-At the time of this writing they are playing close to 500 ball. They look like a really average team and will likely stay close to that this season. They lack depth and an injury could hurt those chances.
2-I hate the 1st season budget limits. Especially with the changes they've made to the game. This is unrealistic and should be changed. Actually, you should be able to set your budget however you want every season. I've still seen teams make good picks with the limitations, but I've also seen teams get screwed over by it.
3-This ties in with the budget problems. Especially with the changes. The wide range of ratings we are now seeing is going to really hurt teams in IFA signings. Maybe people won't overspend knowing that they aren't likely seeing the player correctly. Doubt it.

What to look for
1-How much the change from a pitchers park to a hitters park will affect the team's power-hitter and how far can they carry the team.
2-Can the bullpen overcome the loss of closer Phil Linton
3-Can the rotation at least keep the team in games

My take
1-This team does have some solid power. While Boise is a hitters park, it's not a big time hitters park. I think the team is more geared toward this kind of park and should excel with it.
2-Losing Linton is big. The bullpen doesn't have much else. While it's not a bad bullpen, it's also not one of the better pens in the league. This is a big loss.
3-The rotation really lacks an ace and they are below average at best. I think this is a weakness.

Differences from last season
1-The owner and the ballpark
2-The main losses are closer Phil Linton, CF Enny Tejera and LF Miller Hunter
3-The main additions are Tomas Osoria, Eugene Harvey and 2B Victor Callaspo

My take
1-A new owner will give this franchise a fresh start. The previous owner was a good one, but I don't think he had the patience to wait for the team to make it back to the top.
2-These are some big losses, but the team wasn't a threat with them, so they won't miss them too much.
3-These aren't huge additions but I do like Harvey. He's some nice offense for them.

OFFENSE- B
DEFENSE- B-
PITCHING- C-

Omaha Oracles
owner-npbed(2nd season)
Last 5 seasons- 404-406

My take
Offensively this team has a little bit of power and some players that can get on base. They aren't great hitters though and could use more contact. The starting rotation isn't very good and is going to hurt them this season. The bullpen is better and they have a really good reliever in Dillon Abbott. The bullpen is a strength for them. The defense is solid with decent depth. They could use more range, but the gloves will keep them from giving up extra runs.

OFFENSE- C+
DEFENSE- B
PITCHING- C-

Predictions
Salem is the clear favorite. I don't see a way they are beat out in this division. They are a possible favorite for the AL title as well. Anaheim has the pitching, but not much else. In a division that will be tight from 2-4 their weaknesses may hurt them. Boise looks like the best of the bottom 3. They are an above average team that doesn't excel at anything. They do have a weakness in pitching though. The same could be said about Omaha.

1. Salem
2. Boise
3. Anaheim
4. Omaha

Season 33 AL North Preview

2015-10-21T13:34:00.002-04:00

AL North

Season 32 Standings
Milwaukee Magnitude 102-60
Kansas City Yardbirds 71-91
Dover Dinklebergs 70-92
New York Damage Controllers 68-94

The Magnitude won their 4th straight division title last season, which was also just the 4th title in franchise history. In each of the past 5 seasons they have increased their win total as well. The Yardbirds finished in a distant second place and have now missed the playoffs for the past 10 seasons. Dover finished third and improved by 9 games from the previous season while missing the playoffs for the 4th time in a row. That comes after winning the division 7 straight seasons. New York finished last and they have now gone 15 seasons without a post season berth. They have gone the longest of any team in this division since their last division title all the way back in season 10.

Milwaukee Magnitude
owner-horvie78(8th season)
Last 5 seasons- 441-369

Goals
95+ wins
Winning another division title
Getting hot in the post season

My take
95 wins are within reach for this team. They have the hitting and pitching to get that done. Winning the division should be a possibility with that many wins since all of the other teams were well behind them last season. A big part of the getting hot in the post season has to do with having a few dominant starting pitchers. This team has 3 pitchers that can start and be dominant, but all 3 of them lack really good stamina. That means the bullpen has to be really good. The team has a really solid bullpen so I don't think that will be a problem.

What to look for
Lack of range in the infield being a problem
Players that had outstanding seasons not being able to repeat those outputs

My take
Pellow has the glove and arm to play shortstop, but his range is not very good. The have the same problem with Zip Sullivan at 2B. I like a lot more range at 2B than what he has to offer. That will allow a lot of balls to get through that otherwise wouldn't. This could really hurt them this season.

The player that sticks out as having an over achieving season was Buddy Berry. I just don't see how it's possible for him to repeat his output from last season.

Differences from last season
Josh Kirkland replaces Tomas Osoria in CF
Ignacio Torres and Darren Banks replace Bucky Simpson and Jed Carter on the pitching staff

My take
Kirkland adds more defense over Osoria but he's not going to hit as well. I prefer defense in centerfield so this is an upgrade.

Torres is a solid starter and Banks is good but lacks stamina. The big problem here is that Jed Carter was a great bullpen arm and neither of those pitchers will replace what he gave the team.

OFFENSE- B
DEFENSE- B-
PITCHING- B+

Kansas City Yardbirds
owner-holleybard(7th season)
Last 5 seasons- 366-444

My take
This team is close to competing. They have the defense and offense to get it done. On offense they have a nice mix of power and getting on base. The defense is solid all around. The pitching staff is rough though. The bullpen has a couple decent arms, but the rotation is not very good. The only thing bringing them up to a D+ is that the pitching staff is loaded with pitchers that have good control. Less walks will be a plus for this staff.

OFFENSE- B
DEFENSE- A
PITCHING- D+

Dover Dinklebergs
owner-tmfran(16th season)
Last 5 seasons- 350-460

My take
Dover is a bit below average offensively. Joakim Valbuena is a great hitter, but this team doesn't have a whole lot of talent. On defense they have a gold glove caliber shortstop in Cam House. The team is really loaded with the gloves. The pitching staff isn't very strong. The rotation lacks top end starters, but they do have quite a few mid to back end talent. The bullpen isn't very good. The staff control is also something to be concerned with.

OFFENSE- C-
DEFENSE- A
PITCHING- D+

New York Damage Controllers
owner-skuff730(14th season)
Last 5 seasons- 377-433

My take
This team is going to struggle this season. They have very little talent in all 3 areas of the game. The good thing for this team is that they have some solid prospects in the minors and could be competing again in the near future. It just doesn't look like that will be this season. I think they might be a favorite to get the first pick in next seasons draft.

OFFENSE- C-
DEFENSE- D
PITCHING- C-

Predictions
I think this will be Milwaukee's division to lose again this season. None of the other teams are comparable in talent. Kansas City might give them a run and make things interesting, but in the end they won't have enough pitching to even make the playoffs. Dover looks like they might be even farther back from the top than KC. I'm not sure they can win 70 games this season. New York is a team rebuilding and are looking like they will be pretty bad this season.

1. Milwaukee

2. Kansas City

3. Dover

4. New York

Season 33 NL North Previews

2015-10-20T09:10:00.001-04:00

NL North

Season 32 Standings
Scranton Red Barons 97-65
Iowa City Hawkeyes 80-82
New York Highlanders 77-85
Wichita Tornadoes 49-113

The Red Barons took this division title for the 5th season in a row. Before reggie988 took over, the franchise had only won 4 division titles ever. That's a nice turnaround for them. Iowa City finished second and missed the playoffs for the third straight season. Things are looking up for them after they improved by 8 wins last season. New York left for St Louis after another season missing the playoffs. It was their 7th straight season without a post season berth. They are one season from matching the longest run in franchise history without making the playoffs. Wichita finished at the bottom of the division for the third consecutive season and missed the playoff for the 5th straight season. There is nowhere to go but up for them.

Scranton Red Barons
owner-reggie988(11th season)
Last 5 seasons- 479-331

My take
This team has a great offense. 2 time and reigning MVP Eugenio Canseco is the man that the offense centers around. He's as good as they get when it comes to power, getting on base and hitting for average. The team has a great mix of power, batting eye, and just all around hitters. They will be tough to stop. The starting rotation is solid, but not great. The bullpen will be pretty good and the addition of Todd Blair will help. The defense is solid, but the lack a true shortstop. That brings the grade down a little. This team should end up battling it out for another division title this season or at least a wild card spot.

OFFENSE- A+
DEFENSE- B
PITCHING- B-

Iowa City Hawkeyes
owner-tk21775(18th season)
Last 5 seasons- 372-438

What to look for
Free agent signings added depth to the bench

My take
I think Frandsen is more than just bench depth. The guy can still hit among the best in the league. Chisenhall has a great glove and can fill in just about anywhere on the field. Everth Benitez will add some nice depth to the bullpen though.

Differences from last season
Added Nate Bush to the rotation

My take
The addition of Bush to the rotation adds a solid arm, but he's not a difference maker. At 22 years old, he still has room to improve and should become a solid pitcher in the future.

OFFENSE- C-
DEFENSE- B+
PITCHING- B+

St Louis Miracles
owner-ranscott64(4th season)
Last 5 seasons- 388-422

Goals
81 wins
Year 3 of 5 seasons rebuild

My take
Looking at this team, I'm struggling to see how they can win 81 games. It's a nice goal, but it may be out of reach. The team is admittedly in rebuild mode and it looks that way. My guess would be 65 wins this season based on what they have on the ML squad right now. The depth just isn't very deep.

What to look for
Rookies starting at 3B(Melky Ramirez) and 2B(Mathew Clontz)
Rookies on the pitching staff(Cy Upton, Tomas Pena and Jesus Nieves)

My take
Defensively, Ramirez will fill in nicely. Offensively, he's just not that good. He's just below average. Clontz is not ideal at 2B as he lacks great range and solid glove abilities. He looks more like a rightfielder to me. He does have good power, but he won't hit for average and will not get on base at a high enough clip to validate playing inferior defense at that position. The rookie pitchers aren't difference makers. Pena is the best of the group and I think he's solid.

OFFENSE- D
DEFENSE- B-
PITCHING- C+

Wichita Tornadoes
owner-pinetaar(7th season)
Last 5 seasons- 337-473

What to look for
Bullpen returns intact and should be strength of the team
Rookie and 2nd year players performance on offense

My take
The bullpen is solid on this team. Graham Hausmann was a really nice Rule 5 selection and may end up being the best of the bunch though. Felix Nomo got promoted to the majors and I really like him as a setup man.

The offense is a bit below average, but there are a few young players I like. Dee Dee Kelly has really nice potential with his decent pop and great batting eye. Maikel Martinez won't hit for a high average but he will get on base. That is one thing I really like about this team, they have good batting eyes and will draw some walks.

Differences from last season
Upgraded starting pitching
Defensive upgrades in the outfield
Offensive upgrades at C & LF

My take
The starting pitching is upgraded. Bucky Simpson was a nice signing for them. He's not an ace, but he should be average. Cutter Garcia is a good pitcher, but his lower stamina keeps him from being really good. Mike Keefe is solid as well. All 3 are upgrades over what this team had.

Ed Darnell really is an upgrade in centerfield. He's got good range, but a below average glove. That is still better than what they had. That is the only defensive upgrade I see though.

As I said before, Dee Dee Kelly is a good hitter and he's the upgrade at catcher for this team. Donaldo Ortiz is a solid hitter in leftfield as well. The team really did make some solid upgrades at these positions.

OFFENSE- C
DEFENSE- C
PITCHING- C

Predictions

Scranton is looking tough again this season. I think it's going to be tough for any of these teams to knock them from the top of the division. They could even make a nice run in the post season. Iowa City is solid and should have a winning record this season. I just don't think they have enough fire power on offense to be a serious threat. St Louis is in the midst of a rebuild and don't look like they are likely to win enough games to even be in the wild card discussion. I think it'll be tough for them this season. Wichita is a much improved team, but they are still a ways off from competing for a playoff spot.

1. Scranton
2. Iowa City
3. Wichita
4. St.Louis

Season 33 NL East Preview

2015-10-19T10:10:00.001-04:00

NL East

Season 32 Standings
San Juan Dw'Arfy Mojados 106-56(NL Champ)
Jacksonville Juice 84-78
Cincinnati Firestorm 69-93
Philadelphia Moneymakers 66-96

It was finally time for a breakthrough in San Juan. Not only did they win the division for the 3rd time in the past 4 seasons, but this time they went on to win the National League title. They fell short of the ultimate goal, but it was a season of success as it was the first NL title for the franchise. The division title was also only the fourth for this franchise. Jacksonville finished second in the division and missed the post season for the sixth straight season. It has been a tough road for a franchise that had been to the playoffs 19 times and all of those were in the first 26 seasons. They did end a run of five straight seasons with a losing record. Cincinnati missed the playoffs for the second straight season and finished in third. Philadelphia finished in last place for just the fourth time in team history. The 66 wins were the second fewest ever for them.

San Juan Dw'Arfy Mojados
owner-jibe(10th season;11th season overall)
Last 5 seasons- 426-384

Goals
1. Win the division
2. To make it back to the World Series

My take
1. San Juan should be tough again this season. Winning the division will only be a problem if another team made significant enough improvement to challenge them.
2. Making it back to the World Series should be a goal for San Juan. They have a great offense and a bunch of really good pitchers. I'd be surprised if they flop in the post season.

What to look for
Homeruns galore
1-4 tandem rotation
Strong bullpen

My take
This team should put up some really good power numbers this season. They have 5 players with elite power in Willie Guerrero, Rickie Halama, Eli Cruz, Tony Caballero, and Humberto Ortiz. Any of those guys are a homerun threat every at bat. The power doesn't end there either. They still have plenty of pop at other spots in the lineup as well.

The tandem rotation is something I've never been a fan of. This team seems to pull it off nicely though. They have the perfect pitching staff to do it also. They have really good pitchers with long relief/ starter stamina. San Juan should have one of the better pitching staffs in the NL this season.

The bullpen is also pretty strong. Juan Sierra is one of the best closers this league has had. Brendan Taylor should be a future Hall of Famer as he has been dominant for a long time and he's not a usual reliever. He puts up a lot of innings and can do it game in and game out.

Differences from last season
Traded away a gold glove type shortstop

My take
They traded away Rafael Santana, who is a really good shortstop. The team still has Sam Halter that can play the position. It doesn't seem that they value defense over offense though as he won't be the starter.

OFFENSE- A+
DEFENSE- C-
PITCHING- A

Jacksonville Juice
owner-greygoose123(33rd season)
Last 5 seasons- 342-468

Goals
90+ Wins
Playoffs

My take
The Juice have the look of a team that can put together a pretty good season. 90 wins is not a stretch for them, but it will take some things going right to get there. They don't have much room for error or injuries though. Most of this teams talent is on the top end and the bench has little talent. The NL has quite a few good teams this season. Making the playoffs will be a real battle and Jacksonville will be one of those teams in the mix.

What to look for
Additions Gus Justice and Alex Espinoza
The young players

My take
I really like these additions the club made this season. They added an MVP candidate in Gus Justice to anchor the offense and then added an innings eater that will help keep the bullpen fresh. On offense, Justice can hit for power, and average while also stealing some bases. Throw him into a lineup with youngsters Raul Quintero, Tanyon Graves, Marcell Escobar and Doug Mitchell, and then this team has a really good offense. Each of the players mentioned are young and will continue to get better. I think Jacksonville has a really nice future outlook offensively.

Differences from last season

My take

OFFENSE- B
DEFENSE- B-
PITCHING- B

Cincinnati Firestorm
owner-jbburner(33rd season)
Last 5 seasons- 378-432

Goals
At least a .500 season

My take
This is a fairly average team. Getting to .500 might still be a stretch for them though. With a tough NL this season this team may end up closer to 75 wins than 81. The good news is that they will be competitive and then anything can happen.

What to look for
Can the catchers improve the pitching
How this team is built for the ballpark

My take
I'll start with the first thing. The catchers can make the pitchers better. I'm not sure by how much though. The pitching staff isn't bad, but in Cincinnati a good pitching staff could look bad. That brings me to the next point. I just don't see enough pitchers that can force groundballs. They aren't loaded with flyball pitchers, but they only have a couple of pitchers that can routinely get groundballs. The only thing that can offset that in a hitters park is velocity and pitches. Cincinnati has some pitchers with really good pitches, but the velocity numbers just aren't very high. I feel like this will end up being an average pitching staff at best. The offense is built a little more for the park with some power hitters, but the 3 big hitters they have are not very good at making contact, hitting for average or taking bad pitches. That will negate their power abilities. They do have plenty of solid power hitters that could hit 20+ homers. I see a team that can hit plenty of homers, but they won't have many guys on in front of them to drive home. Another thing about hitters parks that I like to see is good gloves on defense. This team is average with the gloves. They have some players with really good range, which is nice for second base and shortstop but not a necessity in the outfield.

Differences from last season
Tried to improve the hitting and defense.

My take
They have done both of these with the acquisitions of Nolan Bourn and Jorge Santana. Travis Fiore will be a good defensive addition and Pedro Reyes can still hit. The team should see a slight improvement in both of these areas of play.

OFFENSE- C+
DEFENSE- B-
PITCHING- C

Philadelphia Moneymakers
owner-Phillies26(33rd season)
Last 5 seasons- 353-457

My take
Offensively this team is pretty solid this season. They don't have much power, but they do have guys that can hit for average and steal some bases. The defense is looking decent as well, but they lack depth. What this team really needs is some better starting pitching. They added Miguel Zumaya, who can eat innings, but he's not very good. The rest of the rotation isn't as good as he is. The bullpen is better than the rotation, but even they aren't great. Yannick Truby is a really good reliever. They have a few other above average relievers, but if the rotation isn't good then these guys are going to be gassed early and often.

OFFENSE- B-
DEFENSE- C+
PITCHING- C-

Predictions

I'm not sure any team in the division can give San Juan a real run for the title this season. They are a team that should make a run at a World title again. Jacksonville is a good team and should battle for a wild card spot, but they aren't going to give San Juan a good enough battle for the division title. Cincinnati is an average team, but average isn't good in this league. I don't think they have much of a shot at the post season. Philadelphia is not a bad offensive or defensive team, but the rotation keeps them from having any shot at a winning record.

1. San Juan
2. Jacksonville
3. Cincinnati
4. Philadelphia

Season 33 NL South Preview

2015-10-15T14:54:00.002-04:00

NL South

Season 32 Standings
Texas Galveston Wave 98-64
Houston Roghnecks 95-67(Wild Card)
Louisville ARF ARF ARF ARF's 79-83
Jackson Juggernauts 76-86

For the second season in a row, Texas took this division title. It was the 8th division title in franchise history. They've also now made the playoffs in 4 of the past 6 seasons. Last seasons run ended in the NLCS against San Juan. Houston finished in second and took the first Wild Card spot. It was their first trip to the post season since season 25, which was also the last time they won the division title. Louisville finished third and missed the playoffs in back to back seasons. That was the first time they've missed consecutive playoff appearances since the drought they had from seasons 9 through 18. It was their first losing record since season 27. Jackson finished in last place for the third straight season. They've missed the playoffs for the past 9 seasons now. That matches the worst streak in franchise history that was last done between seasons 6 and 14.

Texas Galveston Wave
owner-erichanville(14th season)
Last 5 seasons- 461-349

Goals
Making it back to the playoffs.

My take
Texas has the look of a playoff team. They have good power on offense, some solid hitting and even some speed. The defense is really good and have a couple of shortstop options. The starting rotation is suspect, but they have a really good bullpen. I think they should at least make a run at the post season.

What to look for
The issue with the team is starting pitching.

My take
This is a big issue for them. The rotation looks really weak and they don't even have a pitcher I'd consider a 1 or 2 starter.

Differences from last season
Lost some good players in the bullpen but added some good talent.

My take
Nash Casanova is a really nice addition. He's underperformed the past couple seasons, but he should bounce back. Jed Carter has been a really good setup man the past couple of seasons and should also be a really good reliever for Texas this season.

OFFENSE- B
DEFENSE- A-
PITCHING- B-

Houston Roughnecks
owner-bagwellbuff(12th season)
Last 5 seasons- 395-415

Goals
To win 90-plus games and push farther in the playoffs.

My take
This team has a solid offense a really good defense and some great pitching. If they don't win 90+ games this season then I don't know what a good team is. I think they have a real shot at 100 wins. They also should make a post season push. The top of the rotation is looking really good this season and everyone knows that you only need 3 great starters to advance in the playoffs.

What to look for
The addition of Samuel Johnston should strengthen the defense.

My take
Their plan is to put Johnston in centerfield and move Mark Millwood to second base. The only thing I don't like about this is that I like more range out of second base. Realistically though, both players have good gloves for the positions and the team will get good defense from this move.

Differences from last season

OFFENSE- B-
DEFENSE- A-
PITCHING- A

Louisville ARF ARF ARF ARF's
owner-Arfy(18th season)
Last 5 seasons- 415-395

Goals
Rebuilding, but still putting a competitive team on the field. A successful season would be the .500 mark.

My take
The team is looking solid. Nothing great, but reaching the .500 mark should be doable. They have some real good young players already in the majors. Brooks Larish(24) is a pretty good shortstop, Louie Sanez(23) is going to kill the ball and he's a solid catcher, and Domingo Aguilar(23) is a pretty good starter with some room to get better. The rebuild is already showing some signs of success with those guys.

What to look for
Will the starting pitching be able to go deep enough in games to keep from overusing a bullpen that isn't very durable.

My take
An often overlooked asset for a pitcher to get deep into games in control. A lot of people look at stamina only and pay little attention to the fact that high control keeps pitch counts low. I like Aguilar for this reason. He's a guy that can pitch 7 to 8 innings with good control and stamina. He's good enough that he should throw some complete games as well. I feel the same about Ralph Young. I think the other starters might tire out the pen but at least when those two pitch the pen will get some rest.

Differences from last season
Lost backup catcher Bartolo Duran, 1B Russell Powell and a couple pitchers who had poor seasons. Added 1B Hipolito Arrendondo from Salem, 2B Rafael Avila from Seattle, RP Ringo Thomas from San Juan, SP Dany's Talemaco from Omaha, and SP Ralph Young from Jackson.

My take
Russell Powell is a huge loss. Offense like that is rare. Arredondo is good offensively and will help fill the void, but he's no comparison to Powell. Thomas is a solid reliever and Young and Telemaco are solid starters. The team is rebuilding so not much is expected. I still think they will be an average team though.

OFFENSE- C+
DEFENSE- A
PITCHING- C+

Jackson Juggernauts
owner-bobbyj7(21st season)
Last 5 seasons- 358-452

Goals
Better pitching from the starters and better power in the middle of the order.

My take
I'll start with the offense. Joe Montgomery should put up better numbers this season. He has 40+ homer potential even with his low stamina. Vic Romero should hit plenty of homers again. That's about all of the power this team has. I'm not sure that equates to better power in the middle of the order for them though. As for the rotation. It isn't a particularly strong rotation. They lack a true ace. Truly, all of the starters appear to be just average and fit better as mid rotation guys.

What to look for

My take

Differences from last season
Not much is changed.

My take
They really didn't change much. I do see the addition of Stretch Rivera through the Rule V draft. That could end up being a nice addition as a long reliever. His control and splits are a little below average, but his velocity and pitches are pretty good.

OFFENSE- B-
DEFENSE- C-
PITCHING- C

Predictions

This division is a two team race. Houston and Texas will battle it out for the top spot. It's possible that one of them could end up in the World Series. I'm going with pitching and defense in this decision and taking Houston. With that said, Texas should easily take a Wild Card spot. Louisville should be at least competitive this season while they rebuild. I can't see them winning less that 75 games unless they start to unload players. Jackson still has a ways to go to return to the top of the division, but they aren't a bad team. 70 wins is realistic for them.

1. Houston
2. Texas
3. Louisville
4. Jackson

Season 33 NL West Preview

2015-10-13T11:44:00.000-04:00

NL West

Season 32 Standings
Albuquerque Komodo Dragons 85-77
Seattle Strikers 85-77(Wild Card)
Oklahoma City Prairie Dogs 83-79
Colorado Springs Sky Sox 70-92

Albuquerque won the division for the first time since season 17. They have now made the post season in 3 straight seasons. That is the first time in franchise history that they have accomplished that feat. Seattle ended a run of 4 straight division titles, but still took a wild card spot. It was just the third time that the team has earned a wild card compared with 16 division titles. Oklahoma City missed the playoffs after making it a season ago. They still finished with a winning record. Colorado Springs missed the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season while finishing last in the West.

Albuquerque Komodo Dragons
owner-csudak(14th season)
Last 5 seasons- 415-395

Goals
1. Don't get off to a slow start like last season
2. Win division again
3. Try to not give up the most runs in the NL

My take
1. Albuquerque is in a division that isn't as tough as it was a few seasons ago. I believe a fast start is in the cards for this team.
2. I think it's going to be another close race this season in the West. This time it will be a battle between Oklahoma City and Albuquerque though. The division title is within reach for them.
3. This team does not have awful pitching, but they play in a hitters park. That will leave them in the bottom half of the league at least. The only way to avoid that would be to load up on great pitching, which is not something they have.

What to look for
1. How is Terry Holmes seemingly getting better the last 3 years when he should be on the downside and will it continue.
2. Will Ed Paul actually put a season together that matches his ratings.

My take
1. At age 33, Terry Holmes, is on the back 9 of his career, but I don't think he's quite done yet. He has the ratings to continue to hit and playing half of his games in Albuquerque will allow him to put up similar numbers to last season. He may drop off a bit, but not much.
2. Ed Paul has some really good ratings, but he's weak against right handers. There are more hitters batting from that side of the plate than the left side. His velocity and first pitch should make up for his weakness though. My guess is that his very low rated 4th and 5th pitch get used too often thanks in part to throwing to a catcher with low pitch calling. That can kill a pitcher that has a couple bad pitches.

Differences from last season
1. Offensively nothing changed.
2. Let go of some high priced pitchers that never met expectations.
3. Invested in a few bullpen arms including a new closer.
4. Trying to lower starting pitcher pitch counts. Using higher stamina relievers.

My take
1. Why change anything on offense? They scored the second most runs in the NL last season. I wouldn't either.
2. This team really needed to make changes in pitching. They ranked near the bottom of the league last season.
3. Phil Linton was a really nice addition for this team. He should upgrade the bullpen.
4. This team has a lot of pitchers with good stamina. This will work for them, but only if the pitchers are good enough to take advantage of it. I still see some lower control pitchers that will run up their pitch counts.

OFFENSE- A
DEFENSE- C
PITCHING- C+

Seattle Strikers
owner-ghutton9(27th season)
Last 5 seasons- 495-315

Goals
1. Stay close to .500 ball this season.
2. Sign an IFA or two that can help in the near future.
3. Get back to what helped me sustain success for so long(defense, and speed).

My take
1. I should be able to keep this team close to .500. The speed and contact hitting the team has should help score enough runs to do that. The pitching is nowhere close to last season, but is solid enough to stay competitive. I got rid of the power hitters and brought in more contact and speed.
2. This remains to be seen. I've found some solid cheap additions in the past through IFA's, but the way the game has changed makes it all about luck. We will see how this goes.
3. There is a lot more speed on the team this season. The question will be if those guys get on base enough to take advantage of it. The defense looks pretty good, but without a true shortstop we'll have to cross our fingers and hope it is where we want it to be.

What to look for
1. Is Bert Anderson a long term answer at 1B and batting leadoff.
2. Can the rotation hold up without a true ace.
3. Will the bullpen struggle?

My take
1. He got the chance last season and did quite well. The batting average isn't great but his OBP and stealing ability make him a nice leadoff hitter. Most teams prefer power at 1B, but playing in a pitchers park changes that.
2. Gerald Foster is quite good, but not a true ace. He makes a really good #2 starter. Putting him as an ace means that other starters are moved up in the rotation as well. The rotation is going to be rough this season.
3. The bullpen is solid. I really like the pen, but with a weaker rotation it's going to put a lot of stress on them.

Differences from last season
1. Everything.

My take
1. This team has been overhauled. It started last season and we still made the playoffs. There are a lot of solid young players mixed with some good veterans. I think we can still be competitive, but no way we can win the division. This is the start of a rebuild.

OFFENSE- C-
DEFENSE- B-
PITCHING- B-

Oklahoma City Prairie Dogs
owner-brentcnb(21st season)
Last 5 seasons- 402-408

Outlook
My guess would be that this team has the goal of making the post season. They were close last season, but fell short. I really like the offense and pitching this season for them. They made some solid signings in Free Agency and the promotion of prospect starting pitcher Hugh Perez will push this team near the top of the division. They should battle it out with Albuquerque for the title this season.

OFFENSE- B
DEFENSE- D+
PITCHING- B-

Colorado Springs Sky Sox
owner-Fantasy Frea(3rd season, 12th overall)
Last 5 seasons- 391-419

Outlook
This is a team in rebuild mode for the past 4 seasons. They must feel they are close to competing this season. They made some nice Free Agent signings to help boost their win totals. The addition of JA Stanley adds some much needed power. I like the signing of Jim Hawpe as well. The pitching staff got an upgrade with the signings of Jamie Saito, and Pat Chen. The promotion of young starter Ellie Coleman is a decent addition for them in the rotation. This team may finish close to .500 this season and out of the basement.

OFFENSE- C-
DEFENSE- B-
PITCHING- C-

Predictions

Albuquerque has a great offense and solid pitching with decent enough defense. This team is the favorite to win the division again, but it won't be easy for them. Oklahoma City should make things tough. I really like what they have on offense and the pitching is pretty decent too. The defense is going to struggle though. That is the one thing that holds me back from picking them to win the division. Seattle is a team in rebuild mode and will probably make more moves to further that this season. I don't figure them to be in the race for a playoff spot. Colorado Springs must feel like they are closer after some free agent signings this season. I'll be interested to see if they can make some moves to make a push this season. Right now I think Albuquerque and Oklahoma City should make the post season or at least be in the race for the wild card spot.

1. Albuquerque
2. Oklahoma City
3. Colorado Springs
4. Seattle