THE WEEK IN WRIGLEYVILLE SEASON 24 #1

My lawyers Dick Hertz and Dick Tater of the law firm Two Swinging Dicks forced me to add this disclaimer.

All comments on trades and International Free Agents are solely the opinions of Madmuldoon and do not reflect the views of sane and responsible adults. There is no malice or thought in the disparaging sophmoric comments of the said Madmuldoon.


TRADES

The TAMPA BAY STARS traded Gustavo Nunez to the PITTSBURGH PIRATES for Allen Bonham
Pittsburgh gets a speedy centerfielder with some pop. Tampa gets a CF prospect with max speed. One team gets younger and the other fills a need.

The HELENA BARKING MOONBATS traded Randy Rogers and 3 million to the MINNESOTA MISFITS for J.T. Stevenson and Braden Dixon
The Misfits get a good bullpen guy with most of his salary paid. Next year he will be a free agent unless PB signs him. The Barking Moonbats get a good young pitcher and good young infielder that are ready for the bigs.

The RICHMOND REVOLUTIONARIES traded Rogers Dietz to the SALT LAKE CITY UTES for Tony Romero
The Utes pickup a young DH with health issues.Richmond gets a pitcher who was stuck in Salt Lakes Farm system. Now he gets his shot. The Utes were probably going to designate Romero for assignment and would have lost him on the wire. So they got what they could for him....something is better than nothing.

The SAN FRANCISCO KICKAPOOS traded Kevin Owens to the JACKSONVILLE JUGGERNAUTS for Trayvon Thomas
Mark was shopping Owens around after he got him in a trade with Madison. Jacksonville must have had the best offer. Jacksonville gets a nice #1 SP and San Francisco gets a excellent DH that may compete in future HRD's . 

The BUFFALO CHIPS traded J.J. Lansing to the JACKSON BLACK BEARS for Darron Moses , Darron Collins and Elmer Hampton
The Black Bears get a good ML Catcher with Power. The Chips grab 2 nice bullpen prospects and a DH that has a career .313 BA.


The SALT LAKE CITY UTES traded Bo Mercedes to the RICHMOND REVOLUTIONARIES for Louie Rodriguez and 3.3 million
Richmond picks up a career .280 hitter that was riding the pine in Salt Lake. Probably because he doesn't have the range to play 2nd base. The Utes get a great set-up guy with Control, RH split and 2 pitches in the 80's. Overall numbers mean nothing. Salt Lake got the best of this trade plus 3.3 million to boot.


The SALT LAKE CITY UTES traded Diego Sanches to the NEW BRITAIN BRUINS for Sal Glass
Looks to me like after the Utes landed Rodriguez , Sanches was the odd man out. So to make room for the bullpen upgrade they either trade him or lose him on the wire. So New Britain sent a good bullpen prospect for him.


The JACKSON BLACK BEARS traded Jacob Takahashi to the SYRACUSE MOOSE for Gerald O'Neil
Syracuse gets a young prospect that the Black Bears signed for 11.3 million in S-17 IFA. All's it cost the Moose was a player taken in the S-17 draft 16th overall. The Bears get a better defensive 2nd baseman but give up homerun potential. Isn't it nice when Bears and Moose get along!


M L INJURIES
 
Albert Glynn
The Sometimes will have to do without one of their starting pitchers for several weeks. It's the dreaded shoulder inflamation.  

Chun-Lim Yang
Ahhh....Chump-Limp Yang is back on the DL after 6 years. He will probably miss the rest of the year with elbow surgery. Looks like he will limp into free agency next year.


Horacio Benitez
Another Sometimes pitcher goes down for 2 weeks.Sometimes your the Bug, other times your the Winshield.  


Eduardo Duran
No suprise here. With a health rating in the 30's ,Eduardo Duran will miss a month. I am suprised he was injury free last year after pitching 182.2 innings. Must be the Jacksonville wheather.


Derrek O'Brien
Derrek "Hand" O'Brien will miss 2 months with a sprained shoulder. He misses the Jacksonville wheather.


Raul Castro
Raul "Full Body" Castro is back on the DL with a dislocated shoulder. 4th year in a row Full Body Castro has been on the DL. Theres plaster in them thar hills.


Matt Person
Matt "First" Person will miss 3 weeks with shoulder tendinitis. Matt says not to worry about Matt. Matt is tough,tough,tough as nails.


Josh Parker
Josh "Ma" Parker may miss the rest of the season with elbow surgery. Nwsheehy is curled up in a ball sobbiing..."I want my Mommy"


Gary Stern
Gary "Cis" Stern will miss 2 weeks with a bulging disk. Wish is having a hard time holding his water. 


Alex Suarez
Alex " I Swear" Suarez will miss the rest of the year with nerve irritation. It's enough to make a Bear Swear!!


Dan Long
Dan "Going" Long is out for the rest of the season with nerve irritation.Going....Going...... He Gone!!


Matt Gibbons
Matt "Leeza" Gibbons will miss 2 weeks with a stiff groin. Leeza will give you a stiffy if you don't watch out. 



INTERNATIONALS

Willie Gonzales Trenton Toyotas Age: 18 B/T: L/L Born: Nigua, DO Position(s): P (SuB) View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Willie is a good gamble at 690K.

Adalberto Guzman Salt Lake City Utes Age: 18 B/T: S/R Born: Caracas, VE Position(s): 3B View Hardball Dynasty Profile

A good signing for 2.7 mil and a S/T invite. He will hit well but boot a few grounders.

Yunel Suarez Helena Barking Moonbats Age: 19 B/T: L/L Born: Tacubaya, MX Position(s): P (ClA) View Hardball Dynasty Profile

1.6 million for this bullpen prospect. He looks good but his RH split is low. It may just be my low AS budget .

Jose De La Rosa Colorado Springs Bandits Age: 19 B/T: L/L Born: Zulia, VE Position(s): P (P) View Hardball Dynasty Profile

A good minor league innings eater.

Luis Manto Tampa Bay Stars Age: 21 B/T: L/L Born: Las Matas Cotui, DO Position(s): P (SuB) View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Wow!! a very nice IFA bullpen signing. He's a steal at 1.3 and a S/T invite.

Jeurys Pena San Francisco Kickapoos Age: 18 B/T: R/R Born: Yamasa, DO Position(s): C View Hardball Dynasty Profile

A very good defensive catcher.

Esmailyn Campos Jackson Black Bears Age: 18 B/T: L/L Born: Nizao de Bani, DO Position(s): RF View Hardball Dynasty Profile

One of the best RF IFA I've seen for awhile. 20 million may turn out to be a bargain.

John Jang Jacksonville Juggernauts Age: 18 B/T: R/R Born: Hyogo, JP Position(s): 2B View Hardball Dynasty Profile

If  he stays healthy he could be a solid ML 2nd baseman. 1.6 million is worth the gamble.

John Chang Colorado Springs Bandits Age: 18 B/T: L/L Born: Otsuki, JP Position(s): 1B View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Minor league help.

Luis Lee Tampa Bay Stars Age: 19 B/T: L/L Born: Mazatlan, MX Position(s): 1B View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Some minor league power never hurts.

Chin-Hui Pan Salt Lake City Utes Age: 18 B/T: L/L Born: Sendai City, JP Position(s): 1B View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Will make a good DH or may get to play 1st base with a few errors here and there.

Marcell Matos San Francisco Kickapoos Age: 18 B/T: R/R Born: San Juan De La Maguana, DO Position(s): SS View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Holy Crap Batman!!!! The Kickapoos got their Shortstop of the future. he went for 21 million and was worth every penny. Marks building another dynasty team folks.

Domingo Brito Trenton Toyotas Age: 19 B/T: L/L Born: Villa Altagracia, DO Position(s): P (P) View Hardball Dynasty Profile

400K and a S/T invite landed this good bullpen prospect.

N L EAST PREVIEW SEASON 24

Burlington Coat Factory (NL) ehull11 View Hardball Dynasty Profile

LAST YEARS RECORD:103-59 (WORLD SERIES CHAMP)

LAST YEARS PREVIEW:  I had good reasons for ranking Ehulls Coat Factories as favorite to win the Series. And really, it was a easy peasy call. Burlington still had most of the bunch back that won the Series in S-21. They went into the post season with the #2 ranked pitching staff in Wrigleyville (3.41 ERA-2nd) and the 7th ranked defensive club (79 errors, .987 FPct-7th). The only concern was the anemic Offense (.256 BA-28th) .They only hit .250 in the playoffs with a S-22 playoff worst 105 strikeouts. But what propelled them to the Championship was the long ball. Ehulls "hit it far or miss guys" smacked 73 homers ,second to only the Salmonbellies. Looks like great pitching and homeruns are the recipe to World Series Championships.Burlington swapped players Karnuth and Torres with me. Time will tell who got the best of the exchange. But picking up a player with Championship DNA in Guthrie may help the Coat Factories 3-peat. This team is still intact with a few good replacements. Ehulls Dreadnought Coat Factories are still the Favotite to win this years Series. PREDICTION:105-57


OUT:  Marc Lawrence , Juan Guerrero , Jackie Guthrie , Fonzie Bittle

IN:  Esmailyn Silva , Louis Rekar , Don Lim , Torey Acosta

PREVIEW:  The Burlington Coat Factories have done what no other team in Wrigleyville has done. Ehulls bunch went Back to Back to Back. Congrats to Ehull, he has built a dynasty and should be proud of this accomplishment. Last year they had the best pitching (3.11 ERA, 1.17 WHIP-1st) and defense (59 errors,.990 FPct-1st) in the league. Burlington only needed a average offensive team (.264 BA-16th) to win 103 games and win the Series. In the off-season Ehull re-signed Esmailyn Silva and let Lawrence, Guerrero, Guthrie and Bittle go to free agency. He signed free agents Silva , Rekar, Lim and Acosta. When you win a World Series let alone 3 in a row. Your players want to get paid and there are many teams who are willing to pay them. So Ehull had to let several key players go to free agency and pick up some replacements that wouldn't break the bank. When you lose as much talent as Burlington did, it's hard to overcome. The Coat Factories will be competative...but.... I think they will fall short of 4 in a row. PREDICTION: 95-67

Syracuse Moose (NL) rugby1 View Hardball Dynasty Profile

LAST YEARS RECORD:94-68

LAST YEARS PREVIEW:  The Moose weren't the most improved as predicted but they did improve 13 games from S-21. They won 75 games with good pitching (4.42 ERA-12th) . But like last year the hitting (.251 BA-31st) and defense (142 errors, .977 FPct-31st) was nearly the worst in Wrigleyville. The addition of 1st round draft pick Charles Yamamoto and IFA Pedro Olmedo  will help Rugby fix these deficiencies in the future.The Moose are still a young team with 28.6 avg age and only 3.7 avg ML years. With some very nice prospects in AAA this team should be competative soon .Is this that year? let me see what my Magic 8-ball says. "Concentrate and ask again"........ well that didn't help me. PREDICTION:84-78


OUT:  Ivan Henriquez , Wayne Snyder , Eric Howell , Mo Hubbard

IN:

PREVIEW:  It was a breakout year for the Moose with 94 wins. They beat my Magic 8-Ball prediction of 84 wins and won a wildcard spot.In the post-season Syracuse got swept by the Utes,but the Moose are Loose again and thats trouble for us .Last year Rugbys Alces's had good pitching (4.00 ERA,1.33 WHIP-7th), but the hitting (.261 BA-25th) was poor and defense (99 errors, .984 FPct-20th) was average. In the off-season Rugby let Henriquez go to free agency and released Howell, Hubbard and Snyder. We are 11 games into the season and the Moose still have 5 roster spots open. I looked at the AAA players and there are many tasty prospects waiting for the call-up. I think Rugby will bring them up soon and the Moose will give the Coat Factories a run fer their money. They have a great chance of winning the division.PREDICTION:95-67

Cincinnati Red Light District (NL) jeff2106 View Hardball Dynasty Profile

LAST YEARS RECORD:93-69

LAST YEARS PREVIEW:  Jeff's Red Light Districts took a slight step back last year, but it was still good enough for the #6 seed in the playoffs. Cincinnati shocked the up and coming Madison Muskellunges in the first round. But then they really didn't have enough to beat the defending champs in the DCS. Last season the Jeffs guys had great pitching (4.13 ERA-5th), good hitting (.274 BA-11th) and defense( 91 errors, .985 FPct-11th). The trades brought in Earley, Weston, Baez and Soriano. Cincinatti let or traded some talent but the trades brought in some really nice players. Can the Red Light Districts return to glory? You have to trust Jeff's track record and couple that with the tough division in projecting this team. It's a tough call but this team will be in the wild-card hunt.PREDICTION:89-73

OUT:  Tomas Herrera , Phillip Maloney , Rafael Pimentel , Jae Kojima , Miguel Baez , Javier Manzanillo

IN:  Bert McKnight , Joaquin Pena , Hooks Giovanola , Clinton Goodwin , Slick Allen

Jeff2106's PREVIEW:  This season will come down to 1 thing, staying healthy. Last season starts out going pretty good then an injury to Yannick Earley changes the whole offense.Yannick was off to an MVP type season and his 34 injury caught up to him. The Reds hung right with Burlington for most of the season the the offense started to plummet,the pitching was so so and that started a big slide. Before the trade deadline we traded Howard Allen for Mike Karnuth to try and get the offense going again.As the post season got closer and the wild card was getting crazier we were just able to sneak in on the last day. But the damage was done as Cy Young winner Gene Weston got hurt 4 days before the playoffs.The Reds won the 1 st round against Madison and then got swept by Burlington. The Reds had almost the entire offense coming back so we traded under performing Miguel Baez for Hooks Giovanola to clear some payroll.Needing a catcher to platoon against LH pitching we traded for Clinton Goodwin . We added Slick Allen through trade to help the bullpen.Needing a SP I went after Bert McKnight whoi thought was the best bang for the buck, he was no where near the price the other FA went for and is a good addition to a rotation that was 3rd in the league in ERA last season.Resigned 2 bullpen arms Grant LaRocca and Dion O'Donnell then added to finish out the pitching.Getting back to staying healthy, I think if that happens we can compete with Burlington for the east with Alex, Gene and Bert who all could win 20 games 90+ wins should be no problem and if everything goes perfect we could win 100.


PREVIEW:  The Red Light Districts did grab the final wildcard berth with 93 wins. They went into the first round as a underdog and swept the Muskellunges. For that they got to face their division foe, Burlington. The Coat Factories swept Jeff's Miscreants in the DCS and went on to win the series. No shame in that Jeff. Last year Cincinatti had the 3rd best pitching club (3.31 ERA, 1.21 WHIP-3rd). The defense (91 errors,.985 FPct-15th) and hitting (.265 BA-14th) is pretty close to average. In the off-season Jeff let re-signed Grant LaRocca and Dion O'Donnell and let Herrera, Maloney, Pimentel and Kojima go to free agency. He traded away Baez and Manzanillo. Jeff signed free agents McKnight and Pena and traded for Giovanola, Goodwin and Allen. It's all about pitching in Cincinatti and Jeff brought in some good free agents and traded for another good pitcher. He also landed a young Hooks Giovanola who may get off the pine if the Red Light Districts have a injury. Jeff always puts together a good team and this year is no different. The RLD's should at least get a wild-card and may win the division with the decline of Burlington.PREDICTION:95-67

San Juan Santurce Crabbers (NL) rbedwell View Hardball Dynasty Profile

LAST YEARS RECORD:55-107

LAST YEARS PREVIEW:  Ralphs Crabs won 74 games....and thats respectable for a re-build. The Temporary Santurce Crabbers had below average hitting (.270 BA-22nd) pitching (5.09 ERA-26th) and defense (11 errors, .982 FPct-21st) . San Juan did add 1st round pick Kyle Stevens to the farm system and picked up B.C. Gonzales amongst many others in the IFA. I'm watching Ralph closely and learning how to build a winner.This is a Re-build and Ralph is just plugging in temporary players to get him through the season. He has lots and lots of money to spend on his High School draft picks and tasty IFA's. PREDICTION:70-92

OUT: Pascual Marichal , Ben Borland , Jose Bonilla , Mo Andrelczyk , Nicholas Bevil , Esteban Campos , Alfredo Baker , Tyrone Handworth , Duane Belinda , David Bocachica , Wandy Corpas , Miguel Martinez

IN:  Carlos Tatis , Saul Valbuena , Miguel Piedra , Sting Jackson , Junichi Masato , Luis Gil , Bernie MacDougal , Bum Moran

PREVIEW:  I predicted 70 wins for the Santurce Crabbers because of last years suprise 74 win season. That proved to be a optimistic prediction for the re-build of Ralphs team. They only won 55 games and I will not waste our time on last years stats, but I will point out some of the great young prospects he picked up for the future. San Juan picked up Logan Allensworth and Gaby Ramirez in the draft. Don Itou and Carlos Urena were added from the International Free Agent Market. The Future looks bright on Fantasy Island. In the off-season Ralph re-signed Jack Stewart and let Marichal, Borland, Bonilla, Andrelczyk and Bevil go to free agency. He released Campos, Baker, Handworth, Belinda, Bocachica, Corpas and Martinez. Ralph claimed Tatis, Valbuena, Piedra, Jackson and Masato off the wire. He signed free agents Gil and MacDougal and promoted Moran. No secret here folks. The Crabbers are in a re-build and this years M L squad is made up of old free agents and young waiver wire pick-ups. Maybe some will prove good enough as trade chips. But regardless, San Juan will be picking up IFA's a good draft prospects for the future.PREDICTION 60-100

A L EAST PREVIEW SEASON 24

Louisville Redtails (AL) jmuhtoff View Hardball Dynasty Profile

LAST YEARS RECORD:86-76

LAST YEARS PREVIEW:  Jmuhtoffs Howlers did make a run for the division but finished 4 games out. Jmuhtoff decided it was time to re-brand his team and the new Louisville Redtail T-shirts and Accessories went on sale last week. Last year this 80 win team was ...er...average. The Hitting (.271 BA-18th), Pitching (4.46 ERA-14th) and Fielding (101 errors, .983 FPct-18th) was near the middle of the pack. Jmuhtoff did add Trent Steinbach and Donaldo Balboa in last years draft and could be in the bigs in 2-3 years.Weston will be missed in the rotation but Louisville picked up 2 sluggers for him. Jmuhtoff was able bring in a really good CF'er and this may help out the weaken rotation in the long run. The new and improved Redtails may break .500 this year. PREDICTION:83-79


OUT:  Jackson Reed , Dean Hayes , Billy Brock , Junior Okajima , Don Lim , Philip Schultz , Gerardo Bonilla , Houston Alexander

IN:  Mule Bates , Jake Alston , Asdrubal Morales , Cory LaRocca , Edgar Guzman , Woody Sullivan , Jim Sheldon , Lonny Black

PREVIEW: The Redtails did break the .500 mark and also won the division crown. Jmuhtoff has been in this league for awhile and is one of the nicest owners we have. It's good to see him back in the playoffs . Last years Louisville team had good hitting (.272 BA-10th) and defense (90 errors,.985 FPct-13th). The pitching (4.81 ERA,1.42 WHIP-22nd) was below average and might be the reason they didn't finish better. But hey! they made the playoffs and went in as the #4 seed .They were considered underdogs when they faced a 99 win Salem team. The Redtails won in 5 games and shocked the Wrigleyville community. In the DCS they faced the #1 seeded Cobras and lost in 4 games. Still a very nice showing Jmuhtoff. In the off-season Jmuhtoff let Reed, Hayes, Brock, Okajima, Lim and Schulltz go to free agency . He then released Bonilla and Alexander. Jmuhtoff signed free agents Bates, Alson, Morales, Larocca, Guzman, Sullivan and Sheldon. Finally he traded for Black. Louisville plays in a weak division and it is a good thing they do. Jmuhtoff brought in some veteran M L players and they will not disappoint him.PREDICTION:88-74

Augusta Northmen (AL) avantrael View Hardball Dynasty Profile

LAST YEARS RECORD:78-84

LAST YEARS PREVIEW:  Boston finished close to my prediction but it was an improvement on S-21. Last season Avantrael's Knights had the 2nd best offense in Wrigleyville (.289 BA-2nd) but the 2nd worst pitching (6.14 ERA-31st). The defense (119 errors, .980 FPct-25th) did improve a little but still has a ways to go. They did pick up R.A. Bowie with the 5th pick in the draft and he will help out the defense in 3-4 years.The only upgrade on the pitching problem was Alvarez and he won't be enough to get this team above .500. Maybe the added firepower of Perez will overcome the lack of pitching. Avantrael has the lowest budget for players in the league and has maxed out his draft scouting.It looks like a long  Dark Night for Avantrael , but he will pick up some quality prospects in the draft.PREDICTION:70-92

OUT:  Tomas Alvarez , Vicente Prieto , Royce Jennings , Quentin Crabtree , Mule Bennett , Derrek O'Brien , Lonny Black , Art Desmond , Jimmie Nieves

IN:  Trent Wise , Randy Palmer , Marc Mayne , Roger Montana , Larry Gentry , Jerrod Gagne , Omar Guerrero

PREVIEW:  The Knights did finish below .500 ,but they did beat my prediction. Avantrael's guys had good hitting (.280 BA-7th) but was lower than the previous year. The rust in the Armour was the piching (4.82 ERA,1.47 WHIP-24th) and defense (108 errors, .982 FPct-26th)......yet again. In fact things got pretty dicey at the end of last season. When several Southy's cornered Avantrael and told him to pack his bags or try to walk without knees. So he moved the team to beautiful Augusta Maine where the people are more docile. In the off-season Avantrael let Alvarez, Prieto and Jennings go to free agency. He released Crabtree and Bennett, then traded away O'Brien, Black, Desmond and Nieves. Avantrael signed free agent pitchers Wise and Palmer then picked up Mayne in the R-5. He traded for Montana, Gentry, Gagne and Guerrero. Augusta will try to fix the pitching problem with a couple free agents and a R-5 player. They improved the offense in the trades. Nothing was done for the 26th ranked defense. It will be a 70'ish season for the first year in Maine. PREDICTION:77-85

Pittsburgh Pirates (AL) ardthomp View Hardball Dynasty Profile

LAST YEARS RECORD:78-84

LAST YEARS PREVIEW:  Boy!! I blew this prediction. 90 wins?? The Pirates sprung a leak in their Ship and floundered to a 78 win season. Back in port Ard looked at last season and saw that his Defense was stellar, Ranked #4 with 77 errors and a FPct of .987. This helped the average pitching staff compete (4.70 ERA-19th) but the offense (.263 BA-27th) marooned the Pirates. Pittsburgh did add a ton of talent in the draft by picking up five first round picks (Ryan Lee, Ozzie D'Amico , Edgar Carrasco , Lyle Alexander , Lou Gamel ). So last season was not..... for not!With the addition of High Dollar James, and others, this team has improved the pitching. But the hitting still needs help. Maybe Good pitching and defense will overcome and playing in this weak division will help. Look for the Pirates to make trouble for Louisville and Washington. PREDICTION:81-81


OUT:  Larry Walker , Jake Alston , Luis Rodriguez , Trent Green , Jorge Molina

IN:  Patrick Miller , Jimmie James , Carlos Estrada , Rick Surkamp , Charles Fujiwara , Gustavo Nunez

PREVIEW:  Last years Pirates didn't scare anyone with 78 wins. The Scurvy Dogs had terrible hitting (.258 BA-28th) and defense (105 errors,.983 FPct-26th). The only thing that they could hang their sails on was the average pitching (4.36 ERA, 1.38 WHIP-16th). The worm in the pirates biscuit was the drop off of the defense. It went from one of the best to one of the worst ARRRGGGHHH!  In the off-season Ard let Walker, Alston, Rodriguez, Green go to free agency and released Molina. He signed free agents Miller, James, Estrada, Surkamp and promoted Fujiwara. Then he traded for a young CF'er in  Nunez. The Pirates improved the defense and swapped hitters with Arizona in free agency. Will Estrada be better than Walker??? Average ..yes...Homers ...No. Ard brought in some pitching including a very good closer. My guess he wasn't happy with the one run game record of 15-17. This division is his for the taking if the Pirates play like...the real Pittsburgh Pirates. I think this team will be in the mix for the division crown.PREDICTION:86-76

Richmond Revolutionaries (AL) ihateunc View Hardball Dynasty Profile

LAST YEARS RECORD:73-89

LAST YEARS PREVIEW:  I was happy that Goldenbaer won the division. I thought they would do it in S-21 but better late than never. And yes, this is a weak division but a division winner they are.  Washington did improve the hitting (.284 BA-4th) last year and held ground with the pitching staff (4.45 ERA-13th). But the biggest improvment was the defense they went from dead last to a respectble 13th (93 errors, .985 FPct-13th).The new and improved Wingdings went into the post-season and drew a 101 win wildcard team,bad luck!The only addition was Brush who was brought in through a trade with Little Rock. Goldenbaer fixed his defensive woes last year and he added a good hitting and fielding 3rd baseman. So this team right now may win about 85-90 games. Goldenbaer will again probably make some trades this season if his team underpreforms. Goldenbaer will have to win the division to make the playoffs and he is the favorite in this weak division.PREDICTION:88-74


OUT:  Wayne Zerbe , Magglio Rodriguez , William Wieters , Curt Jamison , Joaquin Pena , James Wainhouse , William Resop , Hooks Giovanola , Louie Rodriguez

IN:  Perry Franco , Wilkin Segui , Bruce Peterson , Glen Harris , Miguel Baez , Bump Tyson , Jimmie Nieves , Tony Romero , Bo Mercedes

PREVIEW:  How depressing. I had Goldenbaer pegged to win this division and unfortunatly so did he. He stripped off all his clothes and painted himself Purple, then ran thru the the streets like a WingDing-a-Ling. Goldenbaer was carted off in a strait-jacket to the Betty Ford Clinic. He may want to consider a drinking addiction like myself......better to look at life thru Bourbon shaded glasses,thats my coping mechanism.Last year Washington had bad hitting (.262 BA-21st), pitching (4.82 ERA, 1.43 WHIP-23rd) and defense (126 errors, .979 FPct-31st). Ihateunc took over this once proud frnachise and moved them down the road to Ricmond. Probably to get closer to his nemesis the University of North Carolina. In the off-season Ihateunc let Zerbe, Rodriguez  go to free agency and released Wieters, Jamison and Pena. He traded away Wainhouse, Resop, Giovanola and Rodriguez. IhateUNC promoted Franco and Segui and traded for Peterson, Harris, Baez, Tyson, Nieves, Romero and Mercedes. The story here is that Richmond went out and traded for most of the new guys on this team. Ihateunc has a idea of players that he prefers over the last owner. Right now the Revolutionaries still will be one of the worst defensive teams in the AL, but they will be very much improved at the dish. The rotation is average and the bullpen is a little better. If Richmonds hitting can overcome the defense the Revolutionaries will finish above .500. They will have to prove it to me before I go out on the limb and buck the satus quo. PREDICTION: 78-84

N L WEST PREVIEW SEASON 24

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

LAST YEARS RECORD:92-70

LAST YEARS 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.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


OUT:  Harry Ontiveros , Joseph Hyun , Bo Mercedes , Diego Sanches

IN:  Gerardo Bonilla , Flip Clark , Wayne Barclay

PREVIEW:  When I was writing last years preview on the Utes I could see this team had a ton of talent. With the re-build going on in San Francisco it was a easy call to pick them as division winners.They won 92 games with good defense (77 errors,.987 FPct-6th) and pitching (4.08 ERA, 1.33 WHIP-9th) and average hitting (.271 BA-12th). The Youthful Utes went into the playoffs and had some success getting by the Moose in the first round. But they ran into a young and hungry Black Bear team in the DCS, there they got mauled and buried in 3 games. In the off-season the Utes re-signed Alex Black and let Ontiveros and Hyun go to free agency. He then traded away Mercedes and Sanches. Hoopcoach signed free agent Bonilla and picked up Clark and Barclay in the R-5. The Utes are a year older and very good. They should win this division and last years playoff experience may take em all the way.PREDICTION:96-66

Colorado Springs Bandits (NL) ressda View Hardball Dynasty Profile

LAST YEARS RECORD:79-83

LAST YEARS 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.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


OUT: Joe Valdes , Tim Powell , Kimera Oliver , Ryan Olshan , Rick Surkamp , Pat Clark , Tarrik Erving , Ricardo Johnson , Pat Shelley , Josh Stuart

IN:  Curt Jamison , Rob Stults , Efrain Redmond , Matty Guerrero , Zachrey Coleman , Jose Lugo , Thumper Smart , Hipolito Maduro , Danny Chapman

PREVIEW:  The Bandits almost made it to the elusive 80 win mark...so close! They won 79 games with average pitching (4.35 ERA,1.33 WHIP-15th) and good defense (85 errors,.986 FPct-9th). The hitting (.260 BA-26th) was the culprit and was the main reason Ressda's guys fell short. In the off-season Ressda re-signed Art Stewart and let Valdes, Powell, Oliver, Olshan, Surkamp and Clark go to free agency. He released Erving, Johnson and Shelly and traded away Stuart. Ressda signed free agents Jamison, Stults, Redmond and Guerrero. He promoted Coleman, Lugo and Smart, then traded for Maduro and Chapman. The big story here is the trade that sent Stuart to New Britain and brought in Maduro and Chapman. The Bandits have a offensive problem and this trade helps fix that. I think Colorado Springs will give Salt Lake City all they've got and then some. Ressda has done a great job with this team.PREDICTION:88-74

Scottsdale Schizoids (NL) madmuldoon View Hardball Dynasty Profile

LAST YEARS RECORD:78-84

LAST YEARS 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!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

OUT: Dan Walker , Santo Prieto , Rob McNamara , Raul Castillo , Sting Hansen , Sam Gray , Sonny McIntosh

IN:  Chad Krause , Marc Lawrence , Louie Yoon , Al Martin , Torey Olivares

PREVIEW:  Things didn't go as planned last season for my Zoids. I improved this team in every catagory but they still finished below .500. We won 78 games with Great defense (73 errors,.988 FPct-3rd) good pitching (4.23 ERA, 1.43 WHIP-11th) and average hitting (.271 BA-11th). My team seemed to be good in all 3 parts of this game, maybe it's the fact we only scored 735 runs. In the off-season I re-signed Diego Cervelli and let Walker, Prieto, McNamara, Castillo, Hansen, Gray and McIntosh go to free agency. I signed free agents Krause and Lawrence. Promoted Yoon and Martin and I picked up Oliveras in the R-5. I never thought I'd pay 20 million for a player .....but I did. I let several long time Ziod pitchers go to free agency and decided to replace them with 1 really good one and promote Rob Warner  from the farm after 25 games. I also lost my catching corp and replaced them with a DITR and a R-5 pick-up. If the 20 million dollar man...Lawrence works out and Warner has a good rookie season....maybe the Zoids give the Utes and Bandits a run for their money. Big IF's .PREDICTION: 84-78

San Francisco Kickapoos (NL) mark3313 View Hardball Dynasty Profile

LAST YEARS RECORD:61-101

LAST YEARS 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. 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


OUT: Randy Palmer , Johnnie Hurst , Edgar Guzman , Cesar Morales , Rico Mateo , Felix Wang , Roger Montana , Esmerling Sanchez , Mariano Lee , Khalil McNamara , Kevin Owens

IN:  Kenny Bennett , Jose Martin , Jose Ethier , Ignacio Sosa , Jae Kojima , Gus Grossman , Wandy Corpas

PREVIEW:  I won't spend any time on last years stats because Mark's team is in a re-build. But I will point out some tasty prospects he picked up. He grabbed Yamil Amaro in the IFA market and drafted Humberto Arroyo , Allan Hampton and Cristian Waters in first round of the draft. Not sure if they will still be there or traded away to other teams, but they are nice tasty prospects for the future. In the off-season Mark re-signed Arthur Blackburn and let Palmer, Hurst, Guzman, Morales and Mateo go to free agency. He released Wang and traded away Sanchez, Montana, Lee, McNamara and Owens. Mark signed free agents Martin, Ethier, Sosa, Kojima, Grossman, Corpas and claimed Bennett off the wire. It's really wierd looking at the Kickapoos in re-build mode. They were a force in this division for so long. And it was cool that mark signed Sosa to a contract so that he can go out as a Kickapoo. Look for Mark to be a player in the IFA market. Better bring your checkbook...he has alot of money to spend! PREDICTION: 60-100 

A L WEST PREVIEW SEASON 24

Arizona Cobras (AL) swishnev23 View Hardball Dynasty Profile

LAST YEARS RECORD:104-58 (American League Champion)

LAST YEARS 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.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


OUT:  Carlos Estrada , Jarrod Mann , Gus Grossman , Tony Wood , John Suzuki , William Mateo , Jumbo MacFarlane , Tommy Peterman , Brad Cogan , Slick Allen , Alexi Rios , Harry Padilla , Jose Pena

IN:  Rafael Pimentel , Bernie Richard , Cesar Morales , Larry Walker , Juan Marmol , David Bocachica , Eduardo Delgado , Clint Conway , Scott Cookson , Ed Corbin , Christian Shin , Mule Crawford , Louis Little

PREVIEW:  Swish's Cobras beat my prediction easily with 104 wins. They did this with the #1 ranked hitting team (.290 BA), the #2 defensive squad (69 errors,.989 FPct) and the 4th ranked pitching team (3.46 ERA, 1.22 WHIP). This is why they had the best record in the American League and why they won the A L league Championship. In the Series they met up with the Coat Factories and lost in 5 games. In the off-season Swish re-signed Corey O'Brien and let Estrada, Mann, Grossman and Wood leave for free agency. Then he released Suzuki and traded away Mateo, MacFarlane, Peterman, Cogan, Allen, Rios, Padilla and Pena. With a bunch of holes to fill Swish signed free agents Pimental, Richard, Morales, Walker, Marmol, Bocachia, Delgado, Conway, Cookson and Corbin. He promoted Shin and traded for Crawford and Little. Swish kept a core of key players and got rid of the rest. With a bunch of Shrewed trades, Swish re-loaded the farm system with tasty prospects. He had some cash and signed several bargain players to keep the Cobras in the mix. I think Arizona took a little step back in talent but set themselves up for the future. PREDICTION:96-66

Salem Salmonbellies (AL) mdymond View Hardball Dynasty Profile

LAST YEARS RECORD:99-63

LAST YEARS 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


OUT:  Torey Acosta , Bert McKnight , Albert Mendoza , Lawrence Taylor , Corey Quinn

IN: Al Flores

PREVIEW:  Mdymonds Salmonbellies finished with the best record in season 23. But they they lost a little ground last year with 99 wins. I wish my team had that problem.....LOL. Last year Salem still had great hitting (.281 BA-5th) , pitching (3.97 ERA, 1.31 WHIP-6th) and defense (79 errors, .987 FPct-5th). The Salmonbellies scored more runs (1,011) and hit more homers (320) than any team last year. They went into the playoffs as the 1st wildcard team and lost in 5 to the up-and-coming Redtails. In the off-season Mdymond let Acosta, Mcknight and Mendoza file for free agency and released Taylor. Then he traded Qiunn. The only player added was Flores. He was promoted from AAA. Salem doesn't have good contact hitter but they have power.Defensively the Salmonbellies are solid and won't embarass. The pitching rotation has the best splits in the AL but the bullpen is much weaker. This means the Salmon bellies will be a strong team and may give up some leads late. PREDICTION:97-65

Helena Barking Moonbats (AL) sordie View Hardball Dynasty Profile

LAST YEARS RECORD:98-64

LAST YEARS 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 sacrificed 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


OUT:  Scott Cookson , Randy Rogers

IN:  Bob Hines , J.T. Stevenson

PREVIEW:  Yep...it was a three team race and the Moonbats won 98 games with #2 offense in Wrigleyville (.286 BA). Sordies Mashers were second only to Salem with 308 homers. Helena had good pitching (4.16 ERA, 1.38 WHIP-10th) and average defense (93 errors, .985FPct-14th) last year. The sum total gave them the 2nd wildcard spot and they wnet all the way to the DCS. There they lost a tough 5th game to the Bruins. In the off-season Sordie let Cookson file for free agency and traded away Rodgers. He signed free agent Hines and traded for Stevenson. This is the same Sordies mashers with a couple tweaks. And Sordie Knows Tweakers. The Barking Monnbats wil hit the ball very well and Win at least a wildcard berth.PREDICTION:95-67

Cheyenne Bagwell Bashers (AL) sonneboy2000 View Hardball Dynasty Profile

LAST YEARS RECORD:64-98

LAST YEARS 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.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

OUT: Vasco Morales , Aurelio Mercado , Stu Elder , Sal Obermueller , Corey Rodgers , Felix Gao , Orlando Lee , David Terry , Bernie MacDougal , Leo Charles , Toby Rogers ,

IN:  Dante Swindell , Wiki Serra , James Gonzales , Harry Vega , Mark Davis , Rico Mateo , Tori Ramsey , Ed Carlson

PREVIEW:  Groger totally dismantled this team then disappeared into the Wyoming wilderness. There has been an occasional sighting of a man deep in the Wind River Range. One Dubois resident said that he came upon a dirty hairy man dressed in animal hides chewing on a rotting elk carcass. The witness also stated that the man ran away screaming.."Coach hiring...coach hiring bad!!!"  Whether or not it's Groger hasn't been established but it sounds like the mysterious person was exposed to some of the seedier sides of What If sports. Sonneboy was good enough to come back to Wrigleyville and pick up the pieces of the Bagwell Bashers. Sorry about what I wrote when you left Sonneboy. Good to have you back. In the off-season Sonneboy re-signed Ricky Mann , Thom Gates the rest of the departures were free agents. All the additions were low level free agents and waiver wire pick-ups. The promotion of  Ramsey is the only addition of note. The Bagwell Bashers are looking to the draft and IFA  to re-build this team. PREDICTION: 60-100