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LAST YEARS RECORD:80-82
LAST YEARS PREVIEW: Neligs Stars are the division champs, and it took 6 seasons to get this team back atop the division. I know this is a weak division but this team is improving every season. They won 83 games with great pitching (3.70 team ERA-4th) and average defense (88 errors, .986 FPct-14th). The hitting wasn't very good (.257 team BA-27th) and may need some help next year.Nelig lost some pitching to free agency but went out and signed some good replacements like Suarez. Nothing was done about the lack of offense but the pitching may overcome that deficiency.PREDICTION:85-77
OUT: Joey Ohlendorf , Kris Karros , Javier Veras , Robin King
IN: Javier Flores , Kevin Jang , Albert Espinoza , Tim Towers , Christian Sipp
PREVIEW: Big fish in a small pond here. Neligs Stars won the division with a sub .500 record. They took their 80 win season into the playoffs as the #4 seed. And fell to the upstart Salt Lake City Utes in the first round. Tampa Bay had decent hitting (.272 BA-15th) but again the pitching (4.96 ERA-25th) and defense (121 errors, .980 FPct-27th) came up very short. In the off-season, Nelig re-signed Matty Guerrero and let Ohlendorf, Karros, Veras and King go to free agency. To plug the holes he signed free agents Flores , Jang , Espinoza and promoted Towers. Finally Nelig picked up Sipp in the R-5 draft. The best player picked up in the off-season was the R-5 guy and that isn't good. The Stars will be lucky to reach the .500 mark especially with the improved Black Bears. PREDICTION:72-90
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LAST YEARS RECORD:78-84
LAST YEARS PREVIEW: Haven't looked yet wheather Olemiss called up his prospects. Regardless, the Blackbears never made it to my 85 win prediction. Jackson won 71 games with Cub like hitting (..249 team BA-30th) and defense (113 errors, .981 FPct-25th). The pitching was about average (4.46 team ERA-17th),so all isn't lost.Ahhh the Black Bears have awoken from a long hibernation. With the call-up of some very good prospects this team will improve . The future looks bright for Olemiss and the Black Bears. They are my Darkhorse pick this year. They may win this division.PREDICTION:90-72
OUT: Louie Elcano , Fritz Reddick , Al Pelaez , Apollo McNamara , Pete Penny , Joe Wesson , Carlos Wilfredo
IN: Jae Yamaguchi , Horacio Mesa , Asdrubal Morales , Mac Patrick , Bruce Montgomery , Robb Holder , Damaso Gonzalez , Darron Moses , R.J. Lima
OLMISS's PREVIEW: Didn't land the frontline SP I wanted in FA, but added good arms via trade and one FA in the bullpen. Mac Patrick, Joe Yamaguchi, and Horacio Mesa via FA, and Robb Holder and Damaso Gonzalez via trade. Also will be calling Michael Suzuki up after the 25th game. Bats will be weak the first 25 games, then Moe Proctor. Cesar Mateo, and Alex Suarez will be called up. Going to give Javier Lopez and Michael Green one more year on the far before calling them up, then have Dave Moore, Ryota Sugawara, Richard Kyung, and Cesar Gutierrez coming the following season. Look to make a run at the playoffs this year, with next year being the first real year we are a WS contender.
PREVIEW: There was a dark cloud over my Darkhorse pick. Olemiss called up many of the killer prospects he had stashed in AAA and I thought they were going to make a run. Even though they only won 78 games I still think they will have a break out year soon..too much talent not to.The Black Bears kept stocking up on IFA's with the addition of Cesar Gutierrez , Richard Kyung and Ryota Sugawara to the farm system. Jackson will have many options to aquire M L ready players this year. Last year Oemiss's Black Bears had the worst hitting team in Wrigleyville (.240 BA-32nd) . but they did have great pitching (4.18 ERA-6th) and solid defense (91 errors, .985 FPct-12th). In the off-season Olemiss let Elcano go to free agency and released Reddick, Pelaez, McNamara and Penny. He traded away Wesson and Wifredo to other teams. To fill the empty roster spots Olemiss signed free agents Yamaguchi, Mesa, Morales, Patrick and promoted Montgomery. Holder, Gonzalez, Moses and Lima were brought aboard with the earlier mentioned trades. I still believe that Jackson is the cream of the crop in the N L South. Olemiss brought in some proven winners in the trades and he still has several very good prospects in AAA ready to get the call-up. I'm afraid we have awoken a sleeping giant BEAR. PREDICTION:92-70
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LAST YEARS RECORD:76-86
LAST YEARS PREVIEW: INCOMING!! another Anvil just hit Wylie on the skull. Like I said last year ,I hope this team plays well. But the City Limits could only win 61 games. Last season Austin had below average hitting (.258 team BA-25th) , terrible pitching (5.16 team ERA-28th) and terrible defense (129 errors, .979 FPct).Wylie improved his middle defense with Knight, and Mills will be good in LF, but Arias's weak glove in CF will be a problem.The bat of Byrne will help score more runs but he's a DH playing on a NL team. On the upside , the pitching will be better. PREDICTION:68-94
OUT: Fernando Calvo , Eswalin Canseco , Felix Guerrero , Eduardo Duran , Ed Quantrill , Roosevelt Rapp
IN: Jose Lee , Sergei Rasmussen , B.C. Alomar , Morgan Hebert , Rob Stults
WYLIE'S PREVIEW: here's my preview: the City Limits will underperform as usual. Although if it is as usual, maybe they are not underperforming, I'm overrating them.
PREVIEW: Wylies Austin City Limits are headed in the right direction. He just needs to look out for the pitfalls. The City limits surpassed my prediction by winning 76 games last year. They did this with an average offensive club (.270 BA-20th) and average pitching (4.74 ERA-21). They are still held back by poor defense (117 errors, .981 FPct-24th) ,but it was an improvment over season 21. Wylie continues at add tasty prospects with the addition of Benji Machado to the farm system. Players like that will help out the pitching in the future. In the off-season Wylie let Calvo, Canseco, Guerrero go to free agency and traded away Duran. He then put Quantrill and Rapp on the waiver wire and they were claimed. Wylie signed free agent Lee and promoted Rasmussen, Alomar , Hebert, and Stults was brought in thru a trade. The addition of Stults will help out the offense but hurt the defense. But Herbert will be a solid defensive fielder and the bullpen will be helped by the addition of Lee and Aomar. All in all Austin is heading in the right direction but still has a way to go. Should finish in the middle of the pack. PREDICTION: 81-81
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LAST YEARS RECORD:69-93
LAST YEARS PREVIEW: The Bullshippers lost the race for the worst record and the first pick in the draft. But picking 3rd is pretty good. Last year Wishlists guys had below average pitching (4.91 team ERA-23rd) . Durham also had terrible hitting (.249 team BA-29th) and defense (118 errors, .980 FPct).Durham has alot of talent at the ML level. They will not be in the basement if they play up to there ability. Look for this team to make a great turn around this year.PREDICTION:75-87
OUT: Del Lopez , Rick Reagan , Walt Lieberthal , Virgil Guerrero , Johnnie Hurst , Rob Stults
IN: Diory Noesi , James Lee , Dernell Bartee , Johnny Myers , Derrek O'Brien , Edinson Trinidad , Eduardo Duran
PREVIEW: Wish got the hell out of Durham just ahead of the angry mob. It's partly my fault when I predicted the Bullshippers would have a great turn around year. Thus now this team is The Jacksonville Juggernauts. Will they be more Jugger than Naught remains to be seen. But Wish will have to fix last years Hitting (.264 BA-26th) and Defense (121 errors, .980 FPct-26th). The pitching (4.74 ERA-20th) was slightly improved, so not all was Naught. Benito Torres was added to the farm and he should be a real Jugger. In the off-season Wishlist let Lopez, Reagan, Lieberthal and Guerrero. He released Hurst outright and traded away Stults. Wish claimed Noesi off the wire and signed free agent Lee. He promoted Bartee and Myers and traded for O'Brien, Trinidad and Duran. Jacksonville pitching will be better with the trades and the promotion of Bartee. Lee will help shore up the middle D and Myers will knock some homers. All in all the Juggernauts will be a better ballclub but may need more work to make the post-season.PREDICTION: 83-79
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