NL NORTH PREVIEW

Minnesota(former Philadelphia) is a team that is very interesting. Not only did they move from Philly to Minnesota, but they again made some major moves to get in contention. The last 2 season in Philly, the team flopped at the end to miss the playoffs. The NL North is a division  that has been a coin flip the last 2 seasons. Madison was the Champ 2 seasons ago going 94-68. That season bough t the World Series crown home for them. Last season Madison dropped to 68-94. Milwaukee went from a wild card team at 84-78  to 70-92. Tacoma  went from missing the wild card by 2 games (82-80) to winning the division last season at 83-79. Philly (now Minnesota) went on  losing streaks each of the last 2 seasons at the end...missing the wild card  by 2 games 2 seasons ago (83-79) and losing the division title by 2 games last season (81-81). They are the only team in the division no to taste playoff experience the last 2 seasons. I have a feeling it may change this season. 

MINNESOTA FROZEN TWINKIES

After falling short the last 2 seasons the Minnesota Frozen Twinkies are ready to take it to the next level. They moved the franchise  to the Northern part of the United States. When I tell you why, you will scratch your head and wonder. The last 2 seasons they had a losing streak at the end of the season. I believe the long travel from the Northern Midwest/Northern part of the United States to the East Coast was the issue. Too many miles traveled for the division games. Moving the team to Minnesota  was the answer. Madison, Milwaukee and Tacoma is much closer to Minnesota than to Philadelphia.  Yes I have too much time to think of things like this :)

Minnesota  traded for Below (29 HR 103 RBI'S )  Canseco ( 29 HR 81 RBI'S) Moore ( 39  HR 105 RBI'S) James  (48 HR 154 RBI'S and MVP Honors)  Holland (14 HR 73 RBI'S in AAA) Almanza (26 HRS 64 RBI'S)  Morgan (speedy and defensive wizard) Goodwin (Pitch calling specialist) Enright( who may be the steal of the year) Franco (11-16 last season) Alomar, Rogers (DL all of last season) and Roque were all signed to help the horrible bullpen from last year. They did trade away Power Hitter Wang and future stud closer Ausmus. Sometimes  you have to do things like that to get the franchise going. The move to Minnesota will not hurt the power hitters too much. The addition of starting pitching, experienced bullpen help and much better hitters up and down the line up will put them over the top.

PREDICTION   87-75  FIRST PLACE!

TACOMA TOYOTAS

Tacoma is entering the season as  reigning division champs. They upgraded the rotation by adding Melendez to the staff. He was 10-8 last season with over 180 inning pitched. The newly signed Marmol will help bolster the bullpen. Delhanty was another pitcher signed to help the bullpen. Flaherty is getting more experience and poised to have a break out season as a solid starter. Greer, Pedro Lee and super stud Fausto Johnson anchor the line-up.  I do think Tacoma is certainly on the rise.....The only reason  they do not repeat as division champs is because I think Minnesota got a little more offense for them not to sneak past Tacoma this season. I do believe Tacoma  will be in it to the end . The ball park will make it hard for slugger to hit Homers......425 to CENTER...OUCH!

PREDICTION   85-77   SECOND PLACE!

MILWAUKEE  STURGEON

Milwaukee is coming off a 70-92 season. The season before they finished 84-78 and  made the playoff as a Wild Card. They have  added some good piece to this years team during the off season. They added Elcano(11-12) last season with 177 innings logged)  Rodriguez (7-4 121 innings) is also new to the team.  Cabrera needs to have a bounce back season (5-15 with an ERA of 5.67 last season). That was over 2 runs above his normal. The addition of Fuentes (31 for 34 in saves  2 seasons ago) and Duran (27 for 35 in saves) the bullpen is better as a whole. Okajima was signed as well. He had 33 HR'S and 97 RBI's last season.  He will provide some great power. Alongside Fernandez, Heilman and Ramirez  the line up will be very nice!  Coming off a 70 win season they will improve this season. I think they will be in the race for most of the season. They did lose Roque (31 HRS and 91 RBI'S) and pitcher Wainhouse (9-9 154 innings)

PREDICTION  80-82  THIRD PLACE!

MADISON MUSKELLUNGES

Madison went 68-94 last season. I think the franchise just had an "off" season. The season before they were World Series  champs.  The signed STUD   Jamie Bradley this off season to bolster the lineup. Bradley hit 40 HR'S and Drove in 113 last season for Seattle.  I am far from a genius, but playing 81 home games in Madison (rather than in Seattle) will do nothing but make Bradley a sure MVP candidate this season. Along with Magnante and Ensberg, the line up will score some major runs.  They also added Sanches (8-7 154 innings last season) and Torres (10-6 last season) to the pitching staff. Masato is ready to have a  breakout season as the young stud closer. Diaz is the anchor of the pitching staff. I do think  the team will miss Goodwin( great pitch caller, gold glove  winner) and Marquez (23 HR 73 RBI'S). I wish nothing but the best this season for the team and  for  owner (daddiothree) .  

PREDICTION   80-82  TIED FOR 3RD PLACE!

AL WEST PREVIEW

The AL West  was one of the toughest divisions in Wrigleyville last season. The last place team was 80-82. Well we have some surprising predictions for you this season. The whole division has gained and lost valuable players during the off season. 

SANTA CRUZ WILDCATS

Santa Cruz is fresh off the move from Cheyenne this season. The move and the added players will make this team a favorite to go from worst to first. Santa Cruz was not afraid to spend money in the off season. They acquired starting pitching in Borbon. He was 17-9 last season with 217 innings under his belt.  They also picked up Wilfredo who went 8-7 pitching over 160 innings as well.  Last season Coleman went 13-11 (216 innings) Haney 11-10 (182 innings) Limon 13-11(233 innings) and with the additions of Borbon and Wilfredo  it makes it even better.  The wild card in the bullpen will be Slick Allen. I think he is the sleeper at the end of the bullpen.  The offense got a HUGE boost in the signing of Guerra. Guerra hit 43 HR'S and drove in 116 last season. The team moved to an even friendlier pitchers park. That may hurt some of the offensive stats, but there are 81 games aways as well. With slugging catcher Maduro anchoring the rotation behind the plate (21 homers 68 RBI'S last season) Grover Robinson coming off his rookie season. Grover is a stud prospect with only one way to go (up up up). He hit 21 homers last season....and  would not be surprised to see 40 in a healthy season. Hartley is a defensive wizard to go along with hitting 18 homers and driving in 84 runs. Paulino hit 27 homers and drove in 79 runs as well last season. Jordan 22 homers 91 RBI'S and Ziegler 27 homer and 80 RBI'S round out the  lineup. All I can say is that the team move to Santa Cruz will not only bring joy to the city, but a division title as well.

PREDICTION   92-70  FIRST PLACE

VANCOUVER BLITZ

Vancouver won the division last season with a 94-68 record.  Vancouver is going to slug it out with Santa Cruz this season til the end. The offense is very good in Vancouver. Edwards hit 30 homers drove in 106 last season, Flores 41 homers 120 run batted in, Nakamura 29 homers and 103 runs batted in, Sanchez hit 26 homers drove in 88.  The offense will carry the team. You add Santana 31 homers 82 RBI'S, Sierra 24 homers 82 RBI'S and Webber's 26 homers and 86 RBI'S and you have a very high scoring team. They lost Strickland to free agency 9-9 with 200 innings pitched). They did sign Sojo and Wood to fill his shoes. Combined last season they went 17-16 with about 300 innings between them.   Santiago will again anchor the rotation (20-6 last season). He will have Gibbons, Amaro and Lopez behind him. Patrick was 19 for 23 in saves last season as the closer. I again repeat that it will come down to the last series of the season to decide the division.

PREDICTION  90-72 SECOND PLACE

ARIZONA COBRAS

Arizona finished last season with a 85-77 record. This seasons should be a little better I think. They did trade away 2 good players (Canseco and Below) to Minnesota. Combine they hit 58 homers and drove in 184 runs. They did manage to get Suarez in the deal for them. Suarez hit 38 homers and drove in 125 for Minn/Phl last season. English also hit 26 homers and drove in 107 for them last season. Morris hit 32 homers and Sugawara had 31 and drove in 89 himself.  They have some very good young pitcher on the team. Sierra (16-10) Perez (9-15)  and Wesson (12-12) all pitched well over 200 inning last season. If you add Balboa's 180 and Wood's 182 the bullpen was really  saved from over use. I think  Mariano Rivera  and Tavarez will be the key to the bullpen. They both are very durable and can pitch successive days. If they perform like they are able....Arizona will be tough to beat as well in the division.  

PREDICTION   88-74  THIRD PLACE!

SALEM SALMONBELLIES

Salem had a record last season of 89-73 record. I think the loss of some key players will hurt Salem this year. Salem's pitching staff is anchored by Al "Bull Dog" Benitez. Last season Benitez was 15-10 while throwing 212 innings. They also have Donatello who was 15-10 (206 innings) and Mariena who was 13-8(202 innings) as well. They lost Franco in a trade with Minnesota. Franco was 1--16 and threw almost 190 innings for them last season. The biggest loss will be on offense, where they traded away the MVP and Silver Slugging 1b  Ramiro James. James hit 48 homers and drove in 154 last season. That will be hard to replace.  Now we add the fact they lost Hernandez (50 homers 118 runs batted in) and Ozuna (28 homers and 91 runs batted in) as well.  The bullpen took a hit as well, as they lost set-up/closer  stud Soriano to free agency. He was only 8-9 and 15 for 19 in saves. His durability and  ability to eat up some innings will hurt them. I have nothing personal against Salem , but the loss of all that offense will hurt them a bunch. The Salmonbellies hopefully enjoyed their trip  to the playoffs last season. They did make it to the 2nd round, more than many other teams can say.

PREDICTION  80-82  FOURTH PLACE!

AL SOUTH PREVIEW

The AL South  is going to be a very interesting division again this season. Sante Fe looks to return to the World Series again this season. They came up short last season, falling 4 games to 1 to Syracuse.  With a gel of young talent and very solid veterans that could be the case again this season.  I am sure St.Louis, Charleston and Charlotte will not let them just cash in the ticket not just yet!

SANTE FE BLUES

Sante Fe is coming off a 101-61 season where they went to the World Series last season. They have a very nice young core of talent as well as veterans on the team. That being said, they did not lose anyone to free agency that could hurt them. The bad news for the rest of the division is that they signed some free agents to help them out even more. Greenwood hit 25 homers  drove in 87 and had an .399 OBP and .940 OPS last season. Rios hit 15 homers  and had 88 RBI'S  .408 OBP and a .923 OPS last season.  Barfield had 19 homers 85 RBI'S  .387 OBP   and a .907 OPS last season. Broxton had 32 homers  124 RBI'S  .379 OBP  and a .928 OPS.  Loretta 19 homers 85 RBI'S. Harris 21 homers 87 RBI'S   Neal has 19 homers 88 RBI'S  and Moses had 24 homer 82 RBI'S. The law of averages is that when you have men on base all the time they should score some runs. Last season they did, and this will be no different. Now we can not forget to mention the staff either. Gandarilla was 22-4 last season. That is the second 22-4 mark in the last 3 for him. I am sure his Sinker ball will be in rare form again this season. With Estrada and Walter eating up more than 200 innings a piece and Meredith at the end of the game(37 for 44 in saves) . The pen will be very good again this year. They also added Gamel, Burns and Roosevelt to finish out the bullpen. Burns could also be the closer there if they decide to go a different route. Meredith could be the set up man for him.   Anyway they will be top dog again in the AL SOUTH!

PREDICTION    104-58   FIRST PLACE!

ST.LOUIS SPIRITS

St. Louis is coming off a heat breaking season. They finished  87-75 and lost a wild card birth by finishing tied with New Britain. St.Louis made some moves this off season to  help them over come the same  fate this season. They signed Bonilla who is a great pitch caller for the rotation.  Foster, Jordan (19-7) Martin and Ventura all pitched close too or over 200 innings last season. If they repeat the performance it could be a another season where the pen in not over used. Mullen was also signed to the roster(probably for some added power). The only question is will they try a closer by committee as they seemed to do last season. With Stafford and Sorrento leading the offense again this season, they should score some runs . That being said I believe they continue the second place trend.

PREDICTION   85-77  SECOND PLACE!

CHARLESTON TOBACCO FARMERS

Charleston is coming off a season where they just missed the last wild card spot. They finished 86-76 and  just missed the ticket to the playoffs.  Charleston made  some moves in the off season to  make  sure that does not happen this season. They lost Gabriel( 9 homers 63 RBI'S) Rodriguez (7-4) Kipling ( very good defensive player) and Green(trade) from last years roster. They did manage to get Brantley in a trade (68 HR 174 RBI'S last season). Brantley was the NL MVP  last season. They promoted Catching prospect Duffy to the ML. He had 20 HR 86 RBI'S in AAA last season. They signed Guzman  and Wood  to help them out on the defensive side of the field.  They got Barrett (P) in a trade from Minnesota. Barrett was 8-8 last season for Minn/Phl. He has the potential to be a solid starter who eats some innings.... With the addition of Reimold ( who could be really decent if he stays healthy) Charleston is poised to better themselves this season. The problem is they are in the same division as Sante Fe.  I see them fighting for a wild card spot until the end of the season. 

PREDICTION  83-79   THIRD PLACE!

CHARLOTTE SOMETIMES

Charlotte finished last season 72-90. It is not clear what the intentions are this season.  They traded for Almonte  (offensive catcher).  They signed  Wang, Wood, Larish and Nathan for the pitching staff.  They seem to be 'fillers or Journeymen". They still have Hudson anchoring the bullpen(39 for 40 in saves last season).  Glynn, Tolar and Winn all ate  up more than 200 innings last season. I believe this is the reason for the 'fillers' signings. They could help eat the remainder of the innings that LeCroy and Fernandez did last season. Both of them left  for free agency this off season. In the division Charlotte seems like the kid you always want to beat up at school. They don't do anything wrong, but they are just there. I see them finishing at the bottom again this season. Baez and Owen lead an offense where 11 players were in double digits in homers last season. The problem is that with only Owen and Baez driving in over 75, runs will be hard to come by. 

PREDICTION   66-96  FOURTH PLACE!

AL EAST PREVIEW

Rochester dominated the AL EAST last season, and this year should be no different.  The difference between first and second place was 27 games. Although I think it will be a little closer, there is no need for any fear in Rochester this season! Rochester  is offensively anchored by Pineda  (who hit 41 homer runs last season. Pineda was 1 of  6 players who had more than 20 homers for Rochester.  They did lose Richard who was 43 for 50 in saves for them. With D'Amico, Hernandez, Pineda the newly signed Moreland and  young rookie Lopez as a potential stud closer.....Rochester cruises to another division title.  

PREDICTION    91-71   FIRST PLACE!

LOUISVILLE REDTAILS

Louisville had a very active off season this year. They traded injury prone Early to Colorado Springs. They got Scott and Toca in separate trades. They signed  pitchers Pena, Martin, and Mulder. They also signed position players Price, Galvez,  and Kipling. They certainly got better defensively in the infield. With Cornelius, Clark, Uggla and 20 game loser last season Lukasiewicz . I do not think  he will repeat that feat this season. Alvarez and Lee combined for 33 saves in 38 chances last season. If they can keep that up I can see Louisville  gaining ground on Rochester!


PREDICTION   77-85  SECOND PLACE!



CLEVELAND COCONUTS (FORMERLY AUGUSTA)

The Cleveland Coconuts.....formerly known as the Augusta Northmen  are on a mission this season. With a new owner, a new city and new fans....they should be able to build on the 58 wins from last season. We all know "Cleveland Rocks" . Cleveland did not make a ton of moves, but with an experienced owner and  the super pinch hitter/1b Al James   what can go wrong!  James set a record last season for pinch hits in a season for Philadelphia(now Minnesota) with  36. The signing of Roque  31 homers 91 RBI'S will not hurt either. Orr  is a new signing...8-18 last season, but can eat up some innings. The closing duty seems to be given to a rookie, who was 17 for 22 in AAA last season..Mayne.  3 rule 5 players to help on the bench/staff. Webber (if/of)  Tracy (rp)  and Cortazar(p). I see Cleveland  taking over 3rd place this season.!


PREDICTION   69-93  THIRD PLACE!


NEW YORK LIFE MODEL DECOYS

The New York Life Model Decoys will have as many wins as they have letter in their name(just kidding).  They have a couple of nice young players ready to break out this season..Pujols and Ryu(who is a pitcher) . Pujols will be along side  CF stud Amaral, Kennedy (young prospect) and  what looks to be a solid defense with Franco and Medlen patrolling the infield.  Cerda and Segui   are main stays on the pitching staff. If Jesus (James) can get them a few more wins I can see them contending for third place.


PREDICTION   68-94  FOURTH PLACE!

AL NORTH  PREVIEW

Last season Fargo took the A.L. East crown by 4 games over New Britain.   New Britain got a slight  revenge by  making the playoffs as a wild card and lasting longer than Fargo did. This season should be a little  different (but not much) from last season.

FARGO PRAIRIE DOGS

Fargo has done little to help or hinder their reign on first place.  They did lose Galvez to free agency. He had 39 steals and a dozen homers for them last season...I am sure the 100 strikeouts will not be missed though. They re-signed Latos to help their rotation. Latos is coming off a bad season. Rumor has it he found the knuckleball again.  The staff is anchored by Torcato (17-9) Scharein (15-14) and Mercado (13-8) last season. I expect the ERA's of all 3 to be back down to normal this season.  They signed a couple of journeymen (Chang and Lidle) to fill  the roster.  They still have Herbert as the closer, who had 40 saves in 43 chances  with a very good 2.22 ERA.  If he can repeat the performance this season....So can Fargo !  

Prediction   92-70 Division Champ!

NEW BRITAIN BRUINS

New Britain is coming off a wild card birth in last season's playoffs. They advanced to the 2nd round, where they were bounced by Rochester 3 games to 1. New Britain will have a tough time  repeating the same feat this season. They lost Super Slugger Guerra to free agency. They will certainly miss his 40+ homers and 115 or more RBI'S.  They also lost Sanches (p) to free agency . He was 8-7 last season.  They managed to pluck 3 rule 5 draft  players  this off season. They  should make up for Sanches  with Cho and  Hosmer (Rule 5 draft pitchers). The other was  Arrojo who is  a player who never played about High A ball as of now!. Carlos Gomez and Javy Ciriaco were signed to replace Guerra. They may platoon as one if left, the other right handed. They may combine for 20 homers 70-75 RBI'S  still a far cry from the numbers Guerra put up.   New Britain remain in second place....but falling farther behind!

Prediction   83-79  Second Place!

HARTFORD INSURANCE

Hartford is coming off a third place 71-91 season. They did little this off season.....but the few moves they made were very solid. They did lose Torres (10-6 last season) and Rogers (injured most of the season). The 2 main players they got to help them this season were Yoshi and Richard. Yoshi is the super closer that was traded to Hartford from Scottsdale during the off season. Yoshi has  been solid to say the least. In the last 3 seasons he has had a total of 12 blown saves......vs 11 homers given up in those 3 seasons.  He was 37 for 39 in saves last season...and in the last 3 seasons he is 138 for 150 in save chances. They also signed Richard, who himself was a closer last season. He saved 43 of 50 games for Rochester last season. He did have a high ERA at 4.56. I think that Hartford has better themselves with those 2 bullpen arms. The offense is anchored by Lopez who hit 46 homers last season...They will struggle against the top 2 teams in the division....3rd place is another  road it looks like they will travel this season!

Prediction     76-86  Third Place!

CHICAGO  BLACK HAWKS

Chicago finished last in their division last season. They just finished 1 game behind Hartford for third place with a 70-92 record. Chicago lost Ruiz, Ciriaco and Duran (P) to free agency.  They made a bold move by signing Jefferies to a 3 year 35 million dollar contract (7.5 was a signing bonus). Jefferies was 7-6 last season  and 5 for 7 in saves. He pitched just over 80 innings, so he  better hope his fast ball and curve ball make it worth while.  The strength in the team is the  offense.  Piper is a stud 59 homers 136 RBI'S .320 average last season. They also have Sheridan who is looking to build on his rookie campaign of  17 homers and 58 RBI'S in 110 games). They will also have  Aldridge back , who had 32 homer and 62 RBI'S before his season ending  injury. He missed 65 games with a nerve injury. The offense  should be the success of the team. The pitching staff is  fairly young and  not that experienced.  They should again contend for third with the offense!

Prediction   75-87  Fourth Place!

SEASON 29 IN WRIGLEYVILLE  IS UPON US

Season 29 in Wrigleyville  is set to start the regular season. As we approach opening day the league is in for a couple changes. Madmuldoon  has a demanding job taking  most of his time now. He has enlisted the help of the commish (Hoop)  and a lolly gagging  owner (gbuck) to help him out in the blog . Madmuldoon still will be cracking the whip to make sure the blog is up to "his" standards. 

This weekend the division by division predictions will be started. According to the crystal ball it should be a very interesting season. We will find out if Syracuse will remain the "top dog" again this season. We also will find out if Sante Fe will get a chance to avenge last season's World Series defeat to Syracuse.  After a few seasons of 110 plus wins, Jackson will also be ready to be in the mix to regain their dominance. 

The grass is getting greener

The snow is melting off the fields

The fans are getting restless and excited

This only means there is one thing left

IT IS TIME TO PLAY BALL IN WRIGLEYVILLE!

HOPE EVERYONE HAS A GREAT SEASON!

BBWINKS WINS THIS YEAR DUROCHER AWARD

  The Votes are in and with 6 votes, BBwinksdaddy edged out Hoopcoach for this years Durocher Award. He really has brought the SEATTLE MARINERS along. They are a true contender and will be a force for years to come. Congrats BBwinks a well deserved award.
  Below is the final tally and thanks to all 16 owners for sending in their votes. It is much appreciated.

   Hoopcoach07- 4 votes
   Tchagnon- 3 votes
   BBwinksdaddy- 6 votes
   Wcrebel- 2 votes

   Abstained- 1 vote