A L NORTH PREVIEW SEASON 23

Fargo Prairie Dogs (AL) aaronwayne View Hardball Dynasty Profile

LAST YEARS RECORD:95-67

LAST YEARS PREVIEW: The P-Dogs backed up last years 93 win season with a 97 win seasons. But even though they won 4 more games they had to settle for a wild card berth. Just like last year they did it with another great defensive team ( 77 errors, .987 FPct) and a great hitting squad (.283 team BA-5th). The pitching is still average with a team 4.78 ERA, good for 20th overall. In the playoffs the P-Dogs lost in the first round to the suprising Sometimes.The P-Dogs lost alot of talent thru free agency and trades. And the replacements are made up of R-5 and low level Free agents. Looks like a step back year for the P-Dogs unless he brings up some of them tasty prospects in AAA. PREDICTION:84-78


OUT: Enrique Pimentel , Bernie MacDougal , Arthur Blackburn , Jose Lee , Enrique Alfonseca

IN: Mike Tewksbury , Marshall Winn , Fausto Castro , Al Pineda , Vic Mercado , Albert Perez

PREVIEW: Nice job Aaronwayne. The P-Dogs lifted their leg and pissed on my 84 win prediction.The P-Dogs won 95 games last year with good hitting (.274 BA-12th) and great pitching (4.24 ERA- 7th). Imagine how good this team would be with a little better fielding? (103 Errors-18th). Still ,Fargo went into the playoffs as the #2 seed, and after a first round bye. The P-dogs ran into the road and were flattened by the #6 seeded Cobras. In the off-season Aaronwayne re-signed Kirby Blair and let Pimentel and MacDougal go to free agency. He released Blackburn and Lee and traded away Alfonseca. With a few spots open Aaron signed free agents Tewksbury, Winn, Castro ,Pineda and picked up Mercado in the R-5. Finally he traded for Perez to complete this years P-Dog roster. Fargo lost some pitching but replaced them with free agents and a trade. He promoted a young infielder who is not ready for SS but can play any other position. This is pretty much the same group of P-Dogs that made a great run last year. Look for them to be the front runner in the A L North but the Bruins are closing the gap. PREDICTION: 93-69

New Britain Bruins (AL) dodgersgale View Hardball Dynasty Profile

LAST YEARS RECORD:86-76

LAST YEARS PREVIEW: Boy did the Bruins play like it. They surpassed my lofty predictions and won the N L North with 101 games. They did it with vey good hitting (279 team BA-8th), Good pitching (4.32 team ERA-12th) and average defense ( 85 errors, .986 FPct). The Bruins had a first round bye in the playoffs, then lost Game 5 in the DCS to the evetual AL Champion Sometimes.Dodger promoted McCartney and Mateo late last year during roster expansions. And as of this writing, he still has 3 open roster spots. But from what I can see , The Bruins will be in the hunt for another division win. They may go deep in the post-season after the roster is filled out.PREDICTION:94-68


OUT: Asdrubal Morales , Stu Elder , Mo Andrelczyk , Cristobal Tarasco , Royce Butler , Francis Belitz , Glenallen Brower , Gorkys Soriano , Sam Strickland

IN: Bernie Richard , Rigo Garces , Adam Hamilton , Ed Corbin , Jorge Fernandez , Louis White

DODGER'S PREVIEW:  Last year the Bruins failed to make the playoffs after a stellar 100 win seasons. Some have said that the expectations were just too high,but really it came down to devastating injuries that plagued the pitching staff. New Britain scored 909 runs, but allowed 844. Had Walter Parker and Koji Martin stayed healthy the team would have been closer to 100 wins than the 86 they achieved.Coming into spring training, the team is completely revamped. Gone are some of the veteran players that helped to remake the Bruins (Asdrubal Morales,Stu Elder, and Mo Andrelczyk). In their place is the next generation. Vic Espinoza (international season 20) and Danny Chapman (first round pick, season 21) lead the way for a team that only has three players 30 or older (Jeremy George,Phillip Rhodes, and Chad Wood). You can’t talk about the Bruins and not talk about the dynamic duo of former MVP Ardolis Guerra and Mark McCartney. The team added two time all-star Jorge Fernandez in a trade with Cincinnati (see ya later,Gorkys Soriano!). This is a team that will easily score 900 runs, but if they gel could score as many as 1000 (the only team to do that has been Salem). The pitching staff has familiar faces.Anchored by three time Cy Young award winner, Miguel Blanco, the Bruins took steps to make sure they didn’t run out of starting arms. They now have seven starters (of which four will start while the other three are mixed and matched).The bullpen is lighter than expected with Soriano leaving, but Cabeza, Hart, and new addition Bernie Richard will be able to hold down the later innings. The weakness of this team comes in three areas.Defense is much too weak at shortstop (George), and third (rookie Vic Espinoza). Second is the fact that there are too many right handed hitters. They will kill lefties, but are nearly human against RHP. Last but not least is the bullpen depth.If someone goes down, it could hurt enough to force the team to trade off prospects. Overall, this is a dangerous team that will make a world series run. They will score about 950 runs, and allow about 790 for a predicted record of 97-65.

Update: traded a SP for a 3B. Should shore up my defense, and leaves in position to have even more bench depth. I wouldn't change the prediction. Still 97 wins.


PREVIEW: Dodgers Bruins took a step back with only 86 wins ,which was below my lofty 94 win prediction. And they even missed the playoffs. Perhaps it was just an off year or it could have been the poor pitching (4.81 ERA-23rd) . The good hitting (.277 BA-9th) and defense (79 errors, .987 FPct- 6th) kept them in games and it's why they finished above .500. New Britain did add some youngsters to the farm. They picked up Larry McCormick , Howie Sweeney and Vance Murphy in the draft and Kouhei Chang in the IFA market. In the off-season Dodger let Morales, Elder, Andrelczyk and Tarasco go to free agency. He released Butler,Belitz , Brower and traded away Soriano and Strickland. Dodger signed free agent Richard and promoted Garces. He brought in Hamilton, Corbin, Fernandez and White thru various trades to finish his roster. Hitting and defense is still the mantra of the Bruins. Hamilton and Corbin are decent pitchers but not the upgrade the Bruins needed. New Britain will continue to outscore their opponents and could make the playoffs if the pitching shows up. PREDICTION:88-74

Chicago Black Sox (AL) hacker7 View Hardball Dynasty Profile

LAST YEARS RECORD:66-96

LAST YEARS PREVIEW: The Blacksox finished close to my prediction of 79 wins. Last year Chicago had an average hitting squad (.271 team BA-15th) and not very good pitching (4.99 team ERA-25th). Add a terrible defense (130 errors, .979-30th) and you get a sub-500 team.... again.Hacker signed free agent Burks to a big contract. Burks will help out in the pitching department but until the Blacksox do something about the defense............ It will be a long year in Chicago. PREDICTION:81-81


OUT: Yuniesky Duran , Edgar Martinez , Billy Brock , David Martin , Jarrod Barclay , Albert Sandoval , Ollie Greenwood

IN: Flash Reimold , Heath Aldridge , Ernest Spencer , Justin Granger , Russ Porter

PREVIEW: I was very opptimistic on my prediction of 81 wins after I said it would be a long year in Chicago. But it was a very long and disappointing year with only 66 wins. And I know disappointment ,my team won only 67. Surprisingly, Last year the Black Sox had very good hitting (.281 BA-6th) . But the hole in the toe of the Sox was the horrible pitching (5.77 ERA-30th) and defense (124 errors, .979-30th). Hacker did pick up 3 first round draft picks ( Addison Moss , Alex Phillips , Philip Darwin) so it wasn't a unproductive season. In the off-season Hacker released Duran, Martinez, Brock, Martin, Barclay, Sandoval and traded away Greenwood. Hacker signed free agent Reimold and promoted Aldridge, Spencer, Granger and Porter. Here comes the Black Sox...They brought in a solid SP in free agency and promoted some young studs. Three of which will help out the defensive woes . Hackers payroll is 111 million and he still has 14 million in cap space. In a nutshell, Hacker improved his defense and pitching and still has a great offense. This team will win 20 more games than last year and if he picks up a really good pitcher or two during the season..... Who knows how good the Black Sox will be? Right now they are...PREDICTION:86-76

Minnesota Misfits (AL) pbsilver11 View Hardball Dynasty Profile

LAST YEARS RECORD:60-102

LAST YEARS PREVIEW: Pbsilvers Misfits are ....well.... giving him Fits. They won 79 games last year, well below my prediction of 89. Minnesota has a very good hitting team (.282 team BA-6th) but they are getting hammered with poor pitching (5.11 team ERA-25th) and defense (108 errors, .982 FPct-23rd) .With the trades that sent 2 of the best Misfits to other teams. It may signal Pbsilver raising the white flag? This team may be heading for a re-tool.PREDICTION:70-92

OUT: Jackson Dellucci , Tomas Alvarez , Hector Benitez , Ernie Jenkins , Mule Bates , John Lowry , Yank Hill , Pep Handworth , Yuniesky Trevino

IN: Dick Badenhop , Pasqual Perez , Shep Hunt , Bump Tyson , Kirk Tomko , Livan Mercado , Jim Caufield , Rafael Uribe , Thomas Dingman , Chris Grahe , Pedro Javier

PBSILVERS PREVIEW: Still in the rebuilding process. Only 15 players are left from the end of last season and only 12 from the beginning. It will be another long and depressing year for the Misfits, the kings of underachievers!

PREVIEW: Yep....PB's Misfits are in a re-build. So 60 wins was about right and they get the 2nd pick in this years draft. Last year PB picked up Ralph Barrett and Bob Harding in the first round of the draft and signed IFA Eswalin Lee. They should help Minnesota in the future with their Pitching and Defense. Last year the Misfits were expected to have terrible pitching (5.69 ERA-29th) defense (112 errors, .981 FPct-23rd) . But the average hitting was a pleasant suprise (.272 BA-17th). In the off-season Pbsilver re-signed Nick McConnell and let Dellucci, Alvarez, Benitez, Jenkins and Bates go to free agency. He released Lowry and Hill then traded away Handworth and Trevino. PB had many round holes to fill so he signed square pegs Badenhop, Perez, Hunt, Tyson, Tomko, Mercado, Caufield and promoted Uribe and Dingman. He picked up Grahe and Javier in the R-5 draft to complete this years Misfits. They are who they are......Misfits. These loveable collection of players remind me of the Athletics. Can they play like their real life counterparts? It's possible but unlikly in this number generated world. PREDICTION: 65-97

N L NORTH PREVIEW SEASON 23

Madison Muskellunges (NL) daddiothree View Hardball Dynasty Profile

LAST YEARS RECORD:98-64

LAST YEARS PREVIEW: Like I said in last years preview, The Muskies were the one to beat. they easily won the N L North and went into the playoffs as the #3 seed. They ran into the up and coming Utes and lost 3 games to 1.Last year the Muskies had the 6th best defense (82 errors,.987 FPct) and a very good pitching staff ( 4.09 ERA-8th). The hitting was above average with a  batting average of .271, that was ranked 14th overall.Looks like Daddio is happy with his bunch of Muskellunges and just did a minor tweak on his team. He still has one spot open and may promote either Willie Aquino or Andres Trevino ......or not. Anyways , this team should make it back to the playoffs but it will be harder to win the division with the 3 other teams improving. PREDICTION:95-67


OUT: Dick Badenhop , Jorel Woods , Cyrus Bottalico , Quinn Kingman

IN:

PREVIEW: Just like last year, the Muskeys easily won the division and lost in the first round. Madisons 98 wins were close to my prediction, and they are a very good regular season team. But can they win in the post season? I've had a few teams like that and it can be frustrating.Will Daddio stay the course with his great hitting (.279 BA-8th) and defensive team(78 errors, .987 FPct-5th)? Perhaps improving the average pitching (4.59 ERA-17th) will help in the post season. In the off-season Daddio re-signed Earl Christenson and let Badenhop, Woods, Bottalico and Kingman go to free agency. And thats it........Daddio is standing pat with last years club. If it ain't broke why fix it ,Right! The Muskies are a good all-around team and they should win the division. PREDICTION:95-67

Trenton Toyotas (NL) Sandberg10 View Hardball Dynasty Profile

LAST YEARS RECORD:82-80

LAST YEARS PREVIEW: The Toyotas finshed above .500 last year but missed the playoffs. They had the 5th ranked defense (80 errors,.987 FPct),and very good pitching (4.07 ERA-7th). The offense lagged behind with a .260 batting average ,good for 24th in Wrigleyville.Sandberg signed free agent Mo Miller and promoted Broxton. He aquired Acosta, Megias, Tejeda and Wall, thru trades.Sandberg had a offensive problem and Acosta should help drive in more runs. This team could suprise us. PREDICTION:85-77


OUT: Chad Catalanotto , Harry Megias , Zoltan Dellucci

IN: Yuniesky Trevino , Pep Handworth , Ahmad Forster

PREVIEW: Sandberg finished barely above .500 with 82 wins. The Toyotas are stuck in mediocrity finishing with 80, 83 and 82 wins the last 3 years. Can they take the next step to a playoff contender? Tacoma will have to fix a bad defense (123 errors, .980 FPct-29th) , below average hitting (.267 BA-23rd) and average pitching (4.50 ERA-16th) to make the post season. Sandberg did add Virgil Porter and Quentin Hermansen in last years draft and he also picked up IFA Oswaldo Marrero. They should help out his needs in the future. In the off-season Sandberg re-signed Juan Pena , Jerrod Lomasney , Jimmie Guerrero , Haywood Marshall and let Catalanotto, Megias and Dellucci go to free agency. Sandberg had only a few spots open on his M L roster so he traded for Trevino, Handworth and Forster. Trenton improved the defense with Forster, and Pep will help the bullpen. This is pretty much the same team from last year with a little better D. They may contend for a Wild card berth. PREDICTION:87-75

Chicago Bleacher Bums (NL) hshack View Hardball Dynasty Profile

LAST YEARS RECORD:78-84

LAST YEARS PREVIEW: I was a little optimistic in last years preview and with good reason. This team has plenty of talent ,they just haven't figured it out yet.The Bleacher Bums had a tough time at the plate (.257 Team BA-26th) and the pitching was below average (4.91 team ERA-24th). The defense was in the middle of the pack (102 errors,.983 FPct) .How they won 73 games is beyond me?The Bleacher Bums are making a move with free agents and the promotion of future superstar Bradley. Gabriels bat will help also but his glove is a liability in CF. This team will be above .500.PREDICTION:85-77


OUT: Thom Wright , Edgardo Rivera , Robin Cirillo , Trever Goodwin , Josh Parker , Sal Butcher , Marshall Winn , Steve Garcia

IN: Julio Fernandez , Hick Boucher , Odalis Suarez , Felipe Flores , Pete Penny , Jeffrey Blackley , Santiago Rodriguez , Jackie Randall

PREVIEW: My prediction of a .500 + season fell a tad short. The Bleacher Bums finished with 78 wins and they never really jelled as a team. Last year Hshack's boys had average pitching (4.66 ERA-18th) and bad hitting (.266 BA-25th) and defense (123 errors, .980 FPct-28th). The Bleacher Bums picked up Clarence Clark and Willie Ochoa in the first round of the draft and they will be nice additions to the future M L roster. In the off-season Hshack re-signed Freddie Long and let Wright, Rivera, Cirillo, Goodwin and Parker go to free agency. He released Butcher and Winn and traded away Garcia. With several spots to fill Hshack signed free agents Fernandez, Boucher, Suarez, Flores, Penny,Blackley, Rodriguez and picked up Randall in the R-5. The Bleacher Bums went out and signed 7 free agents for a combined 29.5 million. It was a combination of pitching and infielders and they will improve this team. They could make the playoffs and this team could give Madison and Trenton some trouble. PREDICTION:85-77

Milwaukee Sturgeon (NL) pat007ohmss View Hardball Dynasty Profile

LAST YEARS RECORD:70-92

A L WEST PREVIEW SEASON 23

Salem Salmonbellies (AL) mdymond View Hardball Dynasty Profile

LAST YEARS RECORD:112-50  A.L. Champs

LAST YEARS PREVIEW: When the dust cleared it was the Salmonbellies on top of the A L west last year. They won 102 games with the #2 offensive team in Wrigleyville (.286 Batting average).They also had the #3 defense (73 errors ,.988 FPct) and a decent pitching staff (4.27 team ERA-9th). Mdymonds team enjoyed the first round bye then dispatched the Cobras in 4 and lost a heatrbreaking game 7 in the ALCS.With several holes to fill Mdymond signed "old" Vinny Goldman and thats it! This is normal for Mdymond, He always starts with a incomplete roster, and hey! it works. He has a ton of really nice players at AAA just waiting for the call-up. Look for this team to compete for the division and they should make the playoffs.PREDICTION:99-63


OUT: Buddy Day , Albert Mendoza , Gail Phillips , Vinny Goldman , Bernie Richard

IN:

PREVIEW: Mdymond is on to something folks! Start with enough players to meet the Minimum requirment, then wait and see what players in AAA are playing well. Bring them up and..Wallah!! Best team in the regular season with 112 wins. Well done Mdymond. The Salmonbellies bucked their way as the #1 seed in the playoffs and just about won the Series. It came down to game 7 against last years champion Burlington Coat Factories. Salem lost a heartbreaker but I'm sure they will be heard from next year. Last year the Salmonbellies had great hitting (.282 BA-5th)  pitching (3.86 ERA-3rd) and fielding. In the off-season Mdymond let Day, Mendoza, Phillips, Goldman and Richard go to free agency. And thats it ...so far. Salem is a young team with the average age of 28.3 and they only have one spot open. Mdymond still has 3 or 4 players at the AAA level waiting for the phone to ring. So this team is one of the best in Wrigleyville and has depth in the minors.......Big Trouble for us!!!The Salmonbellies play in the rough tough A L West and it is always tough to win the division. They will be in the Playoffs....that is certain. PREDICTION: 100-62

Helena Barking Moonbats (AL) sordie View Hardball Dynasty Profile

LAST YEARS RECORD:101-61

LAST YEARS PREVIEW: After my fever ran its course the Moonbats went out and won 91 games. But it wasn't enough for a wild card berth and Helena missed the playoff for the second year in a row. Last year the Moonbats had the 3rd best hitting squad with a team batting average of .284.They also belted 304 homers, second only to the Salmonbellies. The pitching was average (4.69 team ERA-18th) ,but they had a good defensive squad (86 errors,.986 FPct) backing them up.As of this writing Sordie still has 4 roster spots open. But from what I see so far this team got better with the addition of GG 3rd baseman Shave. I think the Moonbats are here to stay and should make the playoffs.PREDICTION:95-67


OUT: Al Pineda , Livan Bonilla , Keith Walker , Jose Pena , Louis White

IN: Jeff Burnett , Walt Lieberthal , Matt Kreuter , Sam Strickland

SORDIE'S PREVIEW: It’s Season 23 and the Moonbats are a-barkin’ once again. After wheeling and dealing and taking on a more youthful visage in Season 22, the Bats found a combination that works and scored a 100+ win season.I’ve tried to improve on that and push towards a return to true championship contention. The Bats are poised to have one of the most potent offenses in club history headlined by Todd Flores,Paxton Wells, aging slugger Matt Abbey and a bevy of big stick-swinging mashers. The nine starters have an average power rating of 78 and should be able to improve on last season’s 311 dingers and .499 slugging % (both second in world behind the division rival Salmontestes). The off-season focus was on improving an already decent pitching staff. Long relievers/spot starters Matt Kreuter and Walt Lieberthal were added through free agency,Sam Strickland was added via trade, and Season 16’s ill-fated Louis White for Jeff Burnett trade was rectified with White shipped out in the Strickland deal and Burnett signed in free agency.Defense is an afterthought with the Moonbats, but there are capable fielders at the skill positions.


PREVIEW: Yep Sordie is a late callup guy also and his Barking Moonbats won 101 games. If playoff seeds were handed out by winning records, Helena would be the #2 seed. But they had to settle for a #5 wildcard berth.In the playoffs they got a second crack at the division winning Salem Salmonbellies in the DCS, but lost 3 games to 1. Last season Sordies Moonbats had fantastic hitting (.288 BA-3rd) great pitching (4.39 ERA-10th) and great fielding (91 errors, .985 FPct-10th). In the off-season Sordie re-signed Victor Paulino , Fernando Urbina , Buster O'Connor and let Pineda and Bonilla go to free agency. He released Walker and traded away Pena and White. Sordie signed free agents Burnett, Lieberthal, Kreuter and traded for Strickland. Starting pitchers Pineda and Bonilla got old and were not re-signed . Sordie grabbed the best available pitching for the price and sacraficed White to bring in a young SP with a bright future. The Moonbats still can hit with the best of them but can the new pitchers keep them in the game. Regardless the Moonbats will be in the playoffs and they will battle the Salmonbellies and Cobras for the division. PREDICTION: 90-72

Arizona Cobras (AL) swishnev23 View Hardball Dynasty Profile

LAST YEARS RECORD:97-65

LAST YEARS PREVIEW: My regular season prediction of 98 wins was spot on. That may be due to the Blind Squirrel effect. The Cobras had the best hitting team in Wrigleyville (.287 team BA). Add the 5th best pitching staff (3.92 team ERA) and the 2nd best fielding team (68 errors,.989 FPct) , well you can see why they are tough to beat. They went into the playoffs as a wild card in name only .But couldn't get past their division nemisis Salem in the DCS.The signing of the big time bats of Pineiro and Cogan will keep the Cobras one of the best hitting teams. And the trade that brought in Johnson will help soften the loss of Stewart and Satou. This is one of the toughest divisions and the Cobras should make the playoffs.PREDICTION:95-67


OUT: Charles Fetters , Gus Grossman , Craig Serrano , Ignacio Sosa , Ed Corbin , Julio Johnson

IN: Placido Telemaco , Chad Catalanotto , George Cordova , Joe Wesson , Jose Pena

SWISH'S PREVIEW:  After failing to reach the World Series again, the Cobras hit the free agent market hard again in picking up SP Placido Telemaco in the hopes that a stronger pitching staff will take them to the promised land.On the offensive side.....Harry Padilla continues to win batting titles, Johnny Stone continues to hit homers and Polin Pineiro continues to add to his HOF resume but,once again, Alexi Rios and Phillip Pryce will be the keys to how good the offense is this season. If they stay healthy then the Cobras should be a force but if they are struggling with injuries then this could be a long season.


PREVIEW: Tough division and Swish's Cobras were up to the task. Arizona won 97 games and went into the post-season as the #6 seed where they slithered all the way to the ALCS. They met up with the division champ Salem Salmonbellies and were swept in 4 games. It seems the Salmonbellies have a little Mongoose in them. Last season Swish's- Naja naja's- had the #1 ranked hitting squad (.291 BA) and the #1 ranked fielding team (60 errors, .990 FPct) in Wrigleyville.  With a decent pitching staff (4.49 ERA-15th) , I'm not suprised that they went far into the playoffs. In the off-season Swish re-signed Billy Tenbrink and let Fetters, Grossman, Serrano, Sosa go to free agency, and traded away Corbin and Johnson. The Cobras had a couple roster spots open and signed Free agents Telemaco, Catalanotto, Cordova, and traded for Wesson and Pena. Swish brought in a couple really good pitchers and still has a good hitting and fielding club. Arizona may have enough to take the division. If not, they should make the playoffs. PREDICTION:95-67

Cheyenne Bagwell Bashers (AL) sonneboy2000 View Hardball Dynasty Profile

LAST YEARS RECORD:67-95

LAST YEARS PREVIEW: Coach 34 was here 9 seasons and he had some success winning the Series in season 17. It's rumored that he went to live in North Korea. After his good friend Dennis Rodman came back with a glowing endorsement. New owner and chief bottle washer Groger bought the team for five 50lb bags of rice and 250 gallons of heating oil (N Korean Currency). Groger moved the Shock Squad from Scottsdale to Cheyenne and changed the name to the Grizzlies. Last season this team had good hitting (.276 team BA), Average pitching (4.39 team ERA) and average defense (94 errors, .985 FPct).Good Lord! Talk about blowing up a team. Perhaps Groger is really Jeffrey Loria in disguise?? PREDICTION:60-100

OUT: Bump Tyson , Don Hyzdu , Zach Goodwin , Ruben Reyes , Bennie Davis , Don Nunnally , Tony Quantrill , Bailey Gil , Rodrigo Merced , Miguel Maradona

IN: Roosevelt Rapp , Max Prieto , Tony LeCroy , Wandy Corpas , Orlando Lee , Bernie MacDougal , David Terry , Stu Elder , Corey Rodgers , Jamie Yang , Logan Lorraine

PREVIEW: I'm not going to revisit the Groger scandal of last season. But I would like to welcome back Sonneboy to the toughest division in Wrigleyville. Your gonna need alot of Pepto and some patience , but with your experience, I'm sure you will have Cheyenne back to respectability. Last year the Bagwell Bashers had average hitting (.272 BA-16th) and fielding (110 errors, .982 FPct-20th). The problem with Cheyenne was the pitching (5.22 ERA-28th), and pitching aint cheap in Wrigleyvilles free agent market. In the off-season Sonneboy re-signed Vasco Morales , Scott May , Felix Gao , Leo Charles and let Tyson, Hydzu, Goodwin, Reyes, Davis, Nunnaliy, Quantrill, Gil and Merced go to free agency. He released Maradona to complete the purge! Now Sonneboy had no team left so he claimed Rapp, Prieto, LeCroy, Corpas and signed free agents Lee, MacDougal, Terry and Elder. He promoted Rodgers and picked up Yang and Lorraine in the R-5. Whew!! these changing of the guard teams are alot of work. When a team has such a large turnover. I have to go to the Franchise Ranking page to make my prediction. It looks like the pitching will be decent but the lack of defense and hitting will keep this team in the basement. PREDICTION: 60-100

N L WEST PREVIEW SEASON 23

San Francisco Kickapoos (NL) mark3313 View Hardball Dynasty Profile

LAST YEARS RECORD:108-54

LAST YEARS PREVIEW: I keep waiting for Marks Kickapoos to rebuild, But that wasn't last year for sure. San Francisco won 101 games and took the division crown for the 18th consecutive season. Aaarrgh! They were powered by their great pitching ( 3.50 team ERA-3rd)and good defense (82 errors, .982 FPct-7th). The only glint of decline was the hitting (.269 team BA-18th). In the playoffs, Marks team had a first round bye, cruised by the Utes in the DCS. Then lost game 7 in the NLCS to the eventual World Champs.Sure Mark has lost some talent to free agency but he went out and filled the roster spots with good solid players. Right now Marks Kickapoos are the team to beat in the N L West. I think he's shooting for 19-20 consecutive division wins. PREDICTION:93-69


OUT: Joaquin Morlan , Joseph Hyun , Nolan Glauber , Jeffrey Blackley , Neifi Ordaz , Placido Telemaco , Davey Wise , Robb Holder , Damaso Gonzalez , Derrek O'Brien , Edinson Trinidad , R.J. Lima

IN: Felipe Ramirez , Ed Quantrill , Dan Long , Domingo Santana , Charlie Forster , Slick Henry , Mariano Lee

PREVIEW: 19 and counting.....Could Mark win his 20th N L West division pennant? Marks Kickapoos won 108 games last season so this team is still rolling. They went into the playoffs as the #1 seed in the N L and lost in the NLCS to the World Series Champion Burlington Coat Factories. Last season the Kickapoos boasted the #1 pitching staff (2.74 ERA- 1st) and the #2 defense (66 errors, .989 FPct).  Add a good hitting team (.274 BA-10th)  and you can see why they were the best in the NL during the regular season. In the off-season Mark re-signed Rodney White , Miguel Piedra and  Felipe Pujols and let Morlan, Hyun, Glauber, Blackley, Ordaz, Telemaco and Wise go to free agency. He traded away Holder, Gonzalez, O'Brien, Trinidad and Lima to complete the house cleaning. Mark now finds himself in unfamilar territory.....He needs to fill half his roster. He claimed Ramirez and Quantrill off the wire and picked up Long, Santana, Forster and Henry in the R-5. Finally he traded for Lee to finish out this years roster. This is the End!!.....of a great run for the Kickapoos. They are now in re-build mode and there will be no 20th consecutive division win. Kickapoos will go thru the motions and get a high draft pick next year while picking up some tasty IFA's . PREDICTION:65-95

Salt Lake City Utes (NL) hoopcoach07 View Hardball Dynasty Profile

LAST YEARS RECORD:84-78

LAST YEARS PREVIEW: Yep, The Utes are for real folks. Hoopcoach's guys won 21 more games than last season and made the post-season for only the second time, Ever. They did it with pitching (3.97 team ERA-6th) . But the hitting (.261 team BA-23rd) and defense (111 errors, .982 FPct-24th) could use some work.In the playoffs Salt Lake City took out a good Madison team in the first round. But were swept by the experiencd Kickapoos in the DCS.This is the same team with a better catcher and more experience. The youngsters really played well last year and if anyone has a chance to beat Mark for the division crown. It's Hoopcoach and his Utes. This team should make the post season .PREDICTION:91-71


OUT: Livan Mercado , Jack Stewart , Jae Kojima . Jumbo Xaio , Benj Collins

IN: Harry Megias , Joseph Hyun , Diego Sanches , Ignacio Flores , Naoki Kim

PREVIEW: The Utes are young and talented and they won 84 games. They did make the playoffs as the #5 seed and beat the under .500 Tampa Bay Stars in the first round but lost to their division nemesis Kickapoos in the DCS. Hoopcoach's team had excellent pitching (4.06 ERA-4th) and good fielding (89 errors, .985 FPct-9th) last year. If Salt Lake City can improve a average offense (.271 BA-19th) then this team will have a breakout year. In the off-season Hoopcoach let Mercado, Stewart, Kojima, Xaio go to free agency and released Collins. He signed free agents Megias , Hyun and promoted Sanches and Flores. He picked up Kim in the R-5 to complete the roster. The Utes are young with a 3.0 average ML years and 7.7 average pro years. They will have ups and downs but they have the talent to win this division. And with San Fransisco out of the way they are the favorites to win it. PREDICTION:94-68

Colorado Springs Bandits (NL) ressda View Hardball Dynasty Profile

LAST YEARS RECORD:73-89

LAST YEARS PREVIEW: Last year the bandits won 4 more games than the year before. So this team is heading in the right direction. They added Carlos Alomar from the IFA market and drafted well with the addition of Tori Miller and Ross Steele . Last year the Pitching was good (4.35 team ERA-13th) with average defense (99 errors, .984 FPct) and below average offense (.265 team BA-20th).By signing several good free agents, the Bandits are making their move. This division just got a little tougher and we may have 4 teams above 500. PREDICTION:83-79

OUT: David Pineda , Carlos Alvarez , Al Vincente , Ernie Cannon , Shin-Soo Wan , Randy Palmer

IN: Don Hyzdu , Chris Scott , Albert Bernadina , Octavio Iglesias

PREVIEW: The Bandits win totals are stuck in the mid-70's. I predicted they would finish above .500 last year but that didn't happen. I still believe this team is on a upswing and the addition of Wascar Almonte in last years draft should pay dividends in the near future. And last years average offense (.270 BA-21st) can use him, but Ressda's team will have to look somewhere else to shore up a average defense (97 errors, .984 FPct-14th) . Pitching (4.35 ERA-8th) was the star last year and it is a great foundation to build on. In the off-season Ressda re-signed Jacob Kwon , Darrell Fryman and let Pineda, Alvarez and Vincente test the free agent market. He released Cannon, Wan and Palmer outright. Ressda signed free agent Hyzdu and promoted Scott, Bernadina and Iglesias to fill his roster. The signing of Hydzu along with the promotions will help the offense . If the defense can hold and the pitching can repeat last years great run.....well....the Bandits may make a run for a wildcard. I think they have a shot with San Francisco in a re-build. PREDICTION: 86-76

Scottsdale Schizoids (NL) madmuldoon View Hardball Dynasty Profile

LAST YEARS RECORD:67-95

LAST YEARS PREVIEW: I'm shuttered in my survival bunker, waiting for the unruly Totem fans to disperse. I promised a 90 win season last year and we finished below .500. My problem is obvious ..Lack of timely hitting (.262 team BA-21st). I  brought in some bats but none have panned out. Last year the Totems had average defense (90 errors, .985 FPct-16th) with good pitching (4.31 team ERA-11th). Shhhh, *whisper* The barbarians are at the gates*.I have a just a couple more years with my core group of players under contract. I hope they start to play well. 500 just isn't gonna get it and the natives are restless. It may be time to reinforce the gates or dig an escape tunnel. PREDICTION:81-81


OUT: Willie Martinez , Albert Torres , Julio Fernandez , Jeff Burnett

IN: Neifi Ordaz , Ignacio Sosa , Mike Karnuth , Vicente Fuentes

PREVIEW: My team sucked so bad that the Vancouver city fathers handed me my hat and showed me the door. Thats fine with me the wet cold climate of the north pacific coast was bad for my lungs . If it wasn't for my Blantons *ahem* Cough Medicine I might be six feet under. So I moved my team to the sunny dry climate of Arizona and It brought forward my sunny side. The dark and gloomy Mad has gone away but still lurks in the recesses of my fractured brain. This is why I named my team the Schizoids ,and knowing you are crazy is the first step to sanity. Last year my team had good pitching (4.42 ERA-11th) and average defense (100 errors, .984 FPct-17th). My woeful offensive (.254 BA-29th) was really bad last year ...Egadds! In the off-season I re-signed Raul Castillo and Sam Gray and let Martinez, Torres, Fernandez and Burnett go to free agency. I signed free agents Ordaz, Sosa and Karnuth and promoted Fuentes. I found myself with several Type-A and B players wanting new contracts. So I let them go and signed several free agent bats to go with my hitter friendly park. My pitching took a hit but we will see if my new and improved offense can out-score my opponents. Oh, I also picked up 4- top 40 picks in this years draft to go with my # 6 pick. I have flexability if my team falters and I have a firesale. PREDICTION:82-80  

A L SOUTH PREVIEW SEASON 23

Charlotte Sometimes (AL) hatton98 View Hardball Dynasty Profile

LAST YEARS RECORD:92-70

LAST YEARS PREVIEW: The Sometimes played up to their talent and won the division.It took Hatton eight long seasons ,but finally he's a division champ. Charlotte won 86 games with the 4th best hitting team (.283 team BA) and good defense (85 errors, .980 FPct). The pitching needs some work though, 4.86 team ERA ranked 21st in Wrigleyville.Hatton dished out big signing bonuses for Olsen and Rapp. Hope they play like it. Even if they don't this team is favored to win the division and could make it back to the Series. PREDICTION:90-72


OUT: Santiago Rodriguez , Kirk Tomko , Grant LaRocca , Felipe Ramirez

IN: Ernie Cannon , Horacio Benitez , Louis Little , Steve Garcia



PREVIEW: The Sometimes played like Everytimes. They won the A L South with 92 wins, which was a 6 game improvment from season 21. This was good enough for the #3 seed in the playoffs and they gave a tough Cobra team all they could handle, but lost a tough game 5. Hattons boys were solid last year with good hitting (.278 BA-7th) , pitching (4.36 ERA-9th) and defense (85 errors, .986 FPct-8th). Top ten in all 3 catagories makes Charlotte a serious threat in Wrigleyville. In the off-season Hatton re-signed Ross Griffin and let Rodriguez , Tomko and LaRocca go to free agency and released Ramirez outright. With only a few spots open, Hatton signed free agents Cannon and Benitez, promoted Little and traded for Garcia. Charlotte is a fairly young team with an average age of 28.4 years. This makes them a tad unpredictable and Hatton has everybody signed to long term contracts with the highest average (2.3 avg contract years) in Wrigleyville. Looks like Charlotte is here to stay for the long haul and are the favorites to win this division. PREDICTION:95-67

Charleston Tobacco Farmers (AL) nwsheehy007 View Hardball Dynasty Profile

LAST YEARS RECORD:78-84

LAST YEARS PREVIEW: Uh.....well.......My prediction of 85 wins was.......terrible. Musta been smokin that Wacky Tabacky. Charleston only won 58 games and will get the 2nd pick in this years draft. Nwsheehy's boys had good defense (84 errors, .986 FPct-12th) ,average hitting (.265 team BA-19th) and terrible pitching (5.91 team ERA-31st). Olivers a stud pitcher and Matos will help get the pitching staff get out of the cellar. But this team still needs some help with their smoking problem. Put down the Pipe!!! PREDICTION: 75-87


OUT: Horacio Mesa , Shep Hunt , Miguel Martis , Mike Tewksbury , Andre Scanlan , Mac Patrick , Justin Wallace

IN: Josh Parker , Willie Martinez , Louie Elcano , Alex Serra , Woody Kipling , Juan Vazquez

PREVIEW: The Tabaky Farmers were one of the most improved teams last year. Nwsheehy won 20 more games than season 21 to finish with a respectable 78 win season. Charleston did this with improved hitting (.273 BA-13th) and pitching (4.78 ERA-22nd). The only slide was the defense play (100 errors, .984 FPct-16th), they took a slight step back from the year before. Nwsheehy did draft well with the addition of Taylor Allen and Doyle Barnes to the farm system. In the off-season Nwsheehy re-signed Mo Coleman , Benny Benitez and let Mesa, Hunt, Martis, Tewksbury, Scanlan and Patrick go to free agency. He released Wallace outright. And now had some holes to fill, Nwsheehy signed free agents Parker, Martinez, Elcano and picked up Serra, Kipling and Vazquez in the R-5. The Tabaky Farmers lost several of their bullpen guys and infielders. He replaced them with inexpensive Free agents and R-5 players. This gives Charlotte plenty of cap room for later moves if the pick-ups  don't pan out. Right now this team looks like a .500 team at best....PREDICTION:80-82

Little Rock Moonshiners (AL) dmann2158 View Hardball Dynasty Profile

LAST YEARS RECORD:73-89

LAST YEARS PREVIEW: The Posse rode hard but in the end they came up short. The 76 wins was Little Rocks best showing since season 14.....Giddy-up! Last year Illicits team had very good hitting (.280 team ERA-7th), poor pitching (5.12 team ERA-27th) and defense (125 errors, .979 FPct-28th).Illicit went out and added some very nice pitchers thru free agency and promotions. This should help the pitching numbers but he still needs some defensive help. PREDICTION:81-81


OUT: Alfredo Acosta , Julio Colon , George Cordova , Miguel Baez , Albert Perez , Ted Brush

IN: Kendry Pena , Malcolm Ashley , Angel Baerga , Quinton Womack , Yorvit Diaz , Alex Outman , Claudio Schmidt , Enrique Alfonseca

PREVIEW: Last year the Posse had another sub .500 season and long time owner Illicit, threw his arms up and cried, "Uncle". He sold the team to Dmann2158 for a collection of Box Car Willy 8 track tapes and toy train set. Heck, Dmann even threw in a conductors hat and whistle to sweeten the pot. We will miss illicit but he will be busy in his garage happily playing Railroad Tycoon. Dmann will have his work cut out for him after last season. Little Rock had the worst defense (150 errors, .976 FPct-32nd). The pitching (4.83 ERA-24th) and hitting (.267 BA-24th) wasn't much better...how did this team win 73 games??  Illicit did add Marc Dean in the draft so Dmann has something to work with. In the off-season Dmann let Acosta, Colon, Cordova go to free agency and traded away Baez, Perez and Brush. With a couple holes to fill, Dmann claimed Pena off the wire and promoted Ashley, Baerga and Womack. He picked up Diaz in the R-5 and brought in Outman, Schmidt and Alfonseca with the earlier trades. This team needed alot of help and it looks like Dmann has them on the right track. It may take a few more years before they will contend. But they will improve over last years record.PREDICTION:79-83

Santa Fe Blues (AL) tchagnon View Hardball Dynasty Profile

LAST YEARS RECORD:58-104

LAST YEARS PREVIEW: Santa Fe wins the draft pick derby with 109 losses. It was expected Tchagnons guys would mail it in, seeing how its another re-build season.The blues did pick up Shawn Barfield in last years draft .So it wasn't a completely unproductive season.Holy crap!! talk about blowing a team up! Tchagnon left no doubt that this is a re-build. Gonna be alot of crying Blues Fans.PREDICTION:60-102

OUT: Placido Sanchez , Junior Maeda , Jim Caufield , Rico Mateo , Emmanuel Caseres , Felix Ramirez , James Lee , Andres Ferrer , Odalis Suarez , Tuck Damon

IN: Randy Palmer , Gus Grossman , Don Nelson , Kris Karros , Enrique Pimentel , Eswalin Canseco , Rex Maxwell

PREVIEW: Santa Fe finished right where we thought they would...at the bottom. Tchagnon will get the first pick in the draft and add to his stout farm system. I'm not gonna waste time on hitting, pitching and defensive rankings because it was a throw-away season. The Blues did add #1 overall pick Pete George in the draft and Julio Juarez in the IFA market. In the off-season Tchagnon let Sanchez, Maeda, Caufield, Mateo, Caseres and Ramirez go to free agency and released Lee, Ferrer, Suarez, Damon outright. Now with many roster spots open ,Tchagnon claimed Palmer off the wire and signed free agents Grossman, Nelson, Karros, Pimentel, Canseco and Maxwell. Holy Crap...deja vu!! Tchagnon pulled out his checkbook and spent 42 million on free agents. He picked up most of the bluechip pitchers in free agency and a catcher. Can Money buy you a championship?? maybe ...when I first looked at this team I thought yea he really bought himself a good pitching staff....but....The offense was lacking. Then I looked at the AAA squad and saw some talent almost ready to be called up. The Blues should be the most improved and will be above .500. They could give Charlotte a run for the division, But its a 2 team race. PREDICTION:84-78