AL EAST - Season #31 Preview

Baltimore Renegades -

The more things change, the more they stay the same in Baltimore.  The Baltimore Renegades have made the playoffs TWELVE straight seasons, but still have not won a World Series Championship.  Last season, the team won an American League high 110 games only to be knocked out in the AL Championship Series to the arch rival Las Vegas Gamblers.  The fans are rabid for a Championship and owner/GM Terry Swayne made a flurry of off-season moves to shake up this team yet again.

HALF of the roster was turned over this off-season.  Popular former players Rickey Atchley , Jon McConnell, Octavio Valenzuela, and Jose Velez were brought back to keep Season Ticket sales high.  The Renegades still have a decent young core of productive ballplayers, but their window of opportunity to win a Championship is 2-3 seasons at best.  Bringing back all of the former (age 30+) players says this team is going for it all this season. 

Baltimore's front loaded contract strategy is out the window this season as the team decided to spend money for this year's team instead of worrying about next year's cap.  Like always, the Renegades are a balanced group with no glaring holes.  This is what you would expect from a team that has went to the playoffs 12 straight years.  Speed was added this off-season and that was the one missing element last year.  The revamped Renegades line-up is still the strength of the team.  
The line-up projects as followed...
(1) Jin Nishioka LF
(2) Derek Tanner CF
(3) Peter Carlson 3B
(4) Artie Bukvich DH
(5) Lyle Beck SS
(6) Jose Velez RF
(7) Mariano Terrero 2B
(8) Al Matos C
(9) Rickey Atchley 1B

The five-man bench is flexible with C-Bernie Rosado, 1B/OF- Brandon Wall, 3B/OF-Johny Henley, 3B/OF- Michael Weiland, and UT-Peter Stowers.

Baltimore's revamped rotation is led by experienced LHP- Henderson Sirotka and returing RHP- Octavio Valenzuela. The rest of the rotation is young but talented.  RHP-Jin Ho Uehara  won 22 games last season and LHP's Henderson Riggs and Pablo Taveras show a lot of promise as well. Juan Duran is the emergency starter and long man and his flexability adds to a very strong starting rotation..

CoCo Reagan will be Baltimore's closer again this season.  The set-up men will be lefties Hal Alexander and Willie Estrada, along with righties Jon McConnell and Albert Ramirez.

Top Rookie- NONE 

Key Players Lost- RHP-Derrik Easley (trade), RHP-Rashun Gonzalez (trade), LHP-Johan Heredia (trade), RHP-Harry Mateo (trade), RHP-Frank Maurer (trade), 1B-Ty Scanlan (trade), 1B/OF-Benji Aquilera (trade), 3B-David Vargas (trade), SS/OF-Banjo Wiltse (trade), SS-Jose Guzman (trade), CF-Clarence Christopher (trade), and MVP LF-Juam Tabata (trade).

Key Players Acquired- RHP-Jon McConnell (trade), RHP-Octavio Valenzuela (trade), LHP-Henderson Riggs, LHP-Henderson Sirotka, LHP-Pablo Tavarez (trade), 1B-Rickey Atchley (trade), 1B/OF-Brandon Wall (FA), 2B-Mariano Terrero (trade), 3B/OF-Johnny Henley (FA), SS-Lyle Beck (trade), LF-Jin Nishioka (trade), and RF-Jose Velez (trade).
 

Key Off-Season Transaction- The trade of MVP Juan Tabata to Philadelphia for three players started a domino effect.  Players acquired were traded in other deals which brought in more talent.  The end result is that Baltimore has the strongest 25 man roster from top-to-bottom that it's ever had.  This is a strong, talented team and the fans hope this is finally the year when the Renegades can win it all.

Burlington Black Bears -




Charlotte Tar Heels -




Hartford #Team Cutters -

   

AL NORTH - Season #31 Preview

Buffalo Wings -

Looks to be mainly a rebuilding year for the Wings, but we've added some quality veteran talent as well. We'll see what happens...



Detroit Wolverines -


 


Milwaukee Blue Ribbons -





Wichita Winners -

AL SOUTH - Season #31 Preview

Houston Wranglers-







Jacksonville Jaguars -





Little Rock Rockabillies -






Montgomery Cornbread On The Brain -

AL WEST - Season #31 Preview

Anaheim Aardvarks -




Las Vegas Gamblers -





Salem Slayers -





Salt Lake City Movers & Shakers -

NL EAST - Season #31 Preview

Philadelphia Phillagers -

1) We're trying to contend

2) Juan Tabata, Harry Mateo, Clarence Christopher from BAL.... Tike Stokes from BOS.... Damaso Mangual from COL... Tony Colome from BAL

3) Richard Osuna, Henderson Riggs, Jin Nishioka, Jerome Hill, David Herrera, Jorge Andrus, Ricardo Sanchez, Tommie Clark via TRADE... via FA: Benito Marichal, Andres Macias

4) Danny Small

5) Tabta trade procured young, perennial MVP candidate and shed 4 years of a huge contract for good player but not worth that contract (career >340 OBP and .824 OPS... not bad but not $1$79M over 4 years good)



Boston Bulgers -




Richmond Spiders -







Washington D.C. Whalers -

NL NORTH - Season #31 Preview

Cleveland Rockers -


Fargo Sno Balls -



Minnesota Norsemen -



Montreal Bloody Sox -

NL SOUTH - Season #31 Preview

Jackson Jayhawks -
After Season 30 the fans of Jackson finally have something to feel optimistic about going forward. Following six successive 100+ loss seasons the franchise showed that better batting and reasonable pitching can bring rewards; a 76-86 record. Now to maintain the momentum.

Jesus Duran is in his third year as bench coach in the big league and ninth with the franchise.

This year's pitching rotation is lead by veteran starter Tom Cota and he needs to recover some of his former control. Oswaldo Cueto has cemented his place as closer and will want to improve on his 46/54 save/opp achievement in S30.

Leading off the batting is Charlie Little (RF) picked up from FA having spent the last few years in Detroit.. The team captain is Sal Clarke (3B) and his potential has yet to be proven in terms of his stats. Maybe S31 will be his breakout year.

Maintaining the w/l improvement will go along way to keeping the franchise in Jackson.

Roger Brown
Owner


Mexico City Hombres Azul -
The game-plan for season 31 was one of rebuild, and as such the club chose not to re-up several borderline ML players. However, the trade market was quieter than usual, and unable to find a suitable trade partner for Phillip Davis or Lou Hendrickson GM Sneekes changed tack and dove into the free agent market in order to replace those expired contracts.

The Hombres Azul said ”thanks for the memories but enough is enough” to:
SP Drew Ducey
LF Dave Uggla
2B/OF Mickey Reid
C Joshua Fife
2B Horacio Mujica
RP Homer Zornes

They said “welcome to Mexico” to:
2B Delino Silva
3B Benito Marichal
OF D’Angelo Cedeno
CF Stewart Hall
SP Allie Mlicki
RP James Bradford

They also said an initial goodbye, but then an unexpected “Welcome back brother” to:
SP Tomas Blanco
RF Russell Hunter

The Rule 5 Draft brought in:
RP David Ramirez

The upshot is a team that has moved a shade or two away from the “get on base then leg it” tactics of its heyday, with more of a focus on defense, and a little more reliance on the long-ball.

The outlook for Mexico City is a little more positive than it was two years ago, the noisy neighbours from Monterrey are a very real problem, but at least now the ballclub from the capital has managed to a). acquire some free agent talent without paying inflated fees, and b). managed to restock the farm.
That farm system won’t start to bear fruit until Season 32 or 33 - when we might expect to see 1B Kevin Knight and/or SP Paul Lewis. Until that point – Mexico City will probably be fighting KC and one of the NL West clubs for the last Wild Card spot.




Kansas City Googly Mooglies -







Monterrey Border Jumpers -

NL WEST - Season #31 Preview

Colorado Evil Empire -

The Maize 'N Blue are back. Gone is the Evil Empire moniker which should be passed on to the champs in Cleveland..

This team will once again be led by All-World CF Tomas Cairo who brought home his 8th straight MVP in Season 30. Cairo set the Squires record for RBI in a season last year knocking in 206 with a personal best 70 HR's to boot.
Surrounded by stars like Benny Uribe, Julio Osoria, Leo Conner, and Louie Ibanez who incredibly took home the Silver Slugger award despite missing half of the season to injury, offense should never be an issue.
Young phenom Marino Vasquez takes over in RF with the tough decision to trade away stud Teddy Locke for bullpen help and some salary relief. We love Marino's potential if he can just stay healthy.
Offensive prospects aren't quite ready, but youngsters like Rubby Velez, Harry Nieves and the recently signed Luis Lima should help the big club one day.

Pitching staff is once again led by Niko "The Machine" Kirby who took home his 7th Cy Young award and continues to dominate even at the age of 36. Bret Clayton who combined with Kirby to go 41-1 last year returns along with 2-time Cy winner Yuniesky Delgado and Hee Soep Higshioka to form the best pitching tandem iin Squires..
The bullpen continues to hold this team back and trades have tried to address the problem, but so far it appears to have not helped.
Pitching prospects like Alex Sojo, Rio Maduro, John Ono and Yordano Uribe should arrive in a couple of seasons.
As always it's World Series or bust for The Maize 'N Blue..


Honolulu Rainbow Warriors -

In their ceaseless quest to finally reach a World Series after years of fruitless division titles, the Rainbow Warriors are relying on speed to get them there. The Warriors have loaded up on fast players like platoon monster Salvador Seneca to complement their racing core, and all Rainbow Warrior baserunners have been given the green light to go at any opportunity.

To further their plan, the Warriors made a blockbuster to bring in centerfielder Richard Osuna, a 93 overall stud who is badly overpaid but speedy, smart, and devastatingly handsome. The Warriors parted with two-time Honolulu standout Ricky Atchley and injured former ace Octavio Valenzuela to get it done, and while the Honolulu Advertiser ripped the deal, the general manger responded with only a pithy "Newspapers are dead, shut it."

With Osuna on board, and a mandate to run their way to victory, the Rainbow Warriors are committed to bring a title to the shores of Waikiki at last!


 



Seattle Somethings -

Season 30 for the Seattle Somethings was considered by many as a resounding success. The long-suffering franchise broke thru with its first playoff appearance under pjfoster13's management, and first playoff appearance overall since season 23 and only third overall in Squires history. Anchored by arguably one of the deepest pitching staffs in the ML and the youngest starting lineup in the ML, the Somethings have every reason to believe that continued success is attainable. The question becomes whether the squad can perform under the newly-discovered weight of expectations.

The Somethings once again have wild-card expectations in S31. The continued development of its young core players Nunez, Parkers, and Oswalt is essential to Seattle's success. Seattle dabbled heavily in the trade market this offseason, subtracting 26-year old starting 2B Ringo Bradley, 24-year old starting/platoon catcher Rodrigo Campos, 29-year old backup RF Sam Patrick, and 25-year old backup 3B Dee Edwards, but adding 25-year old 2B Marc Sears to shore up defense and offense and RHP Wandy Urbina, LHP Denny Stock, and LHP Gerald Burch to shore up the bullpen which was Seattle's greatest concern coming into S31. CF Glen Handworth departed in free agency, but 21-year old dynamic CF prospect Bill Presley (s28 7th overall) is expected to join the team once the service time period expires. Presley may also be joined by upgrades of top prospects 2B/CF Navarre, SP/LRP Hayes, and possibly a bullpen arm or two. C Mota (S29 9th overall), LHP Carreon (S28 27th overall steal), and LHP Quintanilla (S28 35th overall) are all likely to spend an additional season + 30 cycles in the minors for additional development.

The somethings are gifted with youth, pitching, lineup flexibility, and tremendous overall defense, but teeter on the brink of 7th place due to difficult home park conditions affecting its offense. A back-to-back wild-card finish would be welcomed in the highly-competitive National League



Oklahoma City Slickers -

AL EAST - Season #30 Preview

Baltimore Renegades -

The Baltimore Renegades have made the playoffs ELEVEN straight seasons, but still have not won a World Series Championship.  Last season, the team had two 20-game winners in Niko Kirby and Octiavio Valenzulea and that still wasn't enough to even get them to the World Series (let alone win it). This  off-season, Baltimore finally made the decision to start rebuilding.  Kirby, Valenzuela, and Achley are gone (along with their massive contracts).  The Renegades still have a decent core of productive ballplayers, but their window of opportunity closed last year.  The team is still determined to play well and do their best, but without a true staff Ace it will be tough. 

Owner/GM Terry Swayne front loaded many of the team's lomg-term contracts and the team has a lot of "friendly salary cap numbers to work with for the next 4-5 seasons.  The revamped Renegades line-up is still the strength of the team, but it is much younger than in year's past.

The line-up projects as followed...
(1) Derek Tanner CF
(2) Peter Carlson 2B
(3) Juan Tabata LF
(4) Artie Bukvich DH
(5) Benji Aquilera RF
(6) Ty Scanlan 1B
(7) Al Matos C
(8) David Vargas 3B
(9) Juan Guzman SS

The five-man bench is flexible with C-Bernie Rosado, 2B/OF- Stewart Hall, 3B/OF-Michael Weiland, OF- Clarence Christopher, and IF-Jumbo Noesi. 

Baltimore's revamped rotation is led by LHP- Johan Heredia, who was lost early last season to Tommy John surgery.  Newly aquired RHP'S-Harry Mateo and Jin Ho Uehara replace Kiby and Valenzuela in the rotation, while RHP's-Rashun Gonzalez and Juan Duran round out the rotation.

CoCo Reagan was reaquired last season and will be Baltimore's closer again this season.  The set-up men will be lefty Hal Alexander and righties Frank Maurer, Albert Ramirez, and Derrik Easley,  LHP-Willie Estrada will be the emergency starter and long man in the bullpen again this season.

Top Rookie- NONE
 

Key Players Lost- RHP-Octavio Valenzuela (trade), LHP- Niko Kirby (trade), 1B-Emmitt Collins (trade), 2B-Rickey Atchley (trade), SS-Sean Waters (trade), and RF-Cory Thomas (retired).

Key Players Acquired- RHP-Derrik Easley (trade), Harry Mateo (trade), RHP-Jin Ho Uehara (trade), 2B-Jumbo Noesi (FA), 3B-David Vargas (FA), CF-Clarence Christopher (FA), AND LF-Juam Tabata (trade).
 

Key Off-Season Transaction- The trades of veteran players like Niko Kirby, Octavio Valenzuela, Emmitt Collins, and Ricky Atchley were long overdue.  Baltimore was trying to keep playoff hopes alive with big payrolls and aging players.  They finally move in a different direction and hope to rebuild quickly.  

Hartford #Team Cutters - 

It looks like it's time to make a run in Hartford. After 21 games, AAA will look a little bare as almost all prospects make the jump, including spring training IFA Raul Ortiz. Hopefully this will at least result in a playoff appearance.

Charlotte Knights -

Huntington Hitmen -

AL NORTH - Season #30 Preview

Detroit Wolverines -

The Wolverines finished under .500 last season and took a new approach, letting several high to mid- priced players go in Free Agency then demoting a couple of aged veterans to make way for a rookie class and younger players who were backups last season the chance to get some time on the field and see how they perform. The team still features a few vets that can rake including INF Edgar Valdes and LF Johnny Henley. The pitching is not a strength nor a huge weakness. The Starting Pitching is led by veterans Teddy Martin and longtime Wolverine Horacio Sierra. The closer is longtime stalwart Harry Cortes. The Wolverines should be a middle of the road team and depending on how the younger players perform could look to move veterans at the trade deadline or become players to add some veteran talent. 

Key Additions: 1B Darron McConell(Rookie), 2B Enrique Castillo(Rule 5 Draft), SS Joaquin Cordero(Rookie), SP Kirk Brown(FA), SP Elston Springer( FA), RP Welington Vasquez(Rookie), RP Lyle Millwood(FA)

Key Losses: CF Tim Taylor(FA), C Anthony Hiatt(FA), SP Rickey Simms(FA), RP Felipe Martin(FA), SP Angel Martin(FA)



Milwaukee Blue Ribbons -





Rochester Rhinos -





Witchita Winners -

AL SOUTH - Season #30 Preview

Houston Wranglers -







Jacksonville Jaguars -





Little Rock Rockabillies -






Montgomery Cornbread On The Brain -

AL WEST - Season #30 Preview

Anaheim Aardvarks -




Las Vegas Gamblers -





Salem Slayers -





Salt Lake City Movers & Shakers -

NL EAST - Season #30 Preview

Syracuse Orange Crush -

The Syracuse Orange Crunch have a new stadium, new name and are the team of mystery this season. They could have a great year or a disappointing one depending upon how their new 2B Richard Osuna does for them. Does he earn that contract or not?



Florida Dolphins -




Richmond Spiders -





Washington D.C. Whalers -

NL NORTH - Season #30 Preview

Fargo Sno Balls -

A senior laden team, with most in their 30's, an overall ranking of 22 out of 32 teams, and a modest budget, Fargo is rebuilding as evidenced by their AA & HiA teams leading their leagues. So while these major leaguers enjoy eating the "Sno Ball" cupcakes one last time, the future looks younger, slimmer, and much more talented!




Montreal Bloody Sox -

Building off of last years progress with a younger group of players, our organization will be featuring 5 rookies this year. A rule r draft pick in Sammy Gill, 2 international signings Raul Flores and Onelki Viciedo and 2 draft picks in Marc Detwiler and clean up man James Hawkins. We are also very excited that we have been able to lock up closer Wilin Lee for a couple more years and bring back speed daemon Charles Scarsone. With the addition of Kevin Aoki to our pitching rotation we have a young strong front to build off of and hope to be taking the division in the next 2 years.



Cleveland Rockers -




Minnesota Norsemen -

NL SOUTH - Season #30 Preview

Mexico City Hombres Azul -
 The game-plan for season 31 was one of rebuild, and as such the club chose not to re-up several borderline ML players. However, the trade market was quieter than usual, and unable to find a suitable trade partner for Phillip Davis or Lou Hendrickson GM Sneekes changed tack and dove into the free agent market in order to replace those expired contracts.

The Hombres Azul said ”thanks for the memories but enough is enough” to:
SP Drew Ducey
LF Dave Uggla
2B/OF Mickey Reid
C Joshua Fife
2B Horacio Mujica
RP Homer Zornes

They said “welcome to Mexico” to:
2B Delino Silva
3B Benito Marichal
OF D’Angelo Cedeno
CF Stewart Hall
SP Allie Mlicki
RP James Bradford

They also said an initial goodbye, but then an unexpected “Welcome back brother” to:
SP Tomas Blanco
RF Russell Hunter

The Rule 5 Draft brought in:
RP David Ramirez

The upshot is a team that has moved a shade or two away from the “get on base then leg it” tactics of its heyday, with more of a focus on defense, and a little more reliance on the long-ball.

The outlook for Mexico City is a little more positive than it was two years ago, the noisy neighbours from Monterrey are a very real problem, but at least now the ballclub from the capital has managed to a). acquire some free agent talent without paying inflated fees, and b). managed to restock the farm.
That farm system won’t start to bear fruit until Season 32 or 33 - when we might expect to see 1B Kevin Knight and/or SP Paul Lewis. Until that point – Mexico City will probably be fighting KC and one of the NL West clubs for the last Wild Card spot.



Jackson Jayhawks -

After Season 30 the fans of Jackson finally have something to feel optimistic about going forward. Following six successive 100+ loss seasons the franchise showed that better batting and reasonable pitching can bring rewards; a 76-86 record. Now to maintain the momentum.

Jesus Duran is in his third year as bench coach in the big league and ninth with the franchise.

This year's pitching rotation is lead by veteran starter Tom Cota and he needs to recover some of his former control. Oswaldo Cueto has cemented his place as closer and will want to improve on his 46/54 save/opp achievement in S30.

Leading off the batting is Charlie Little (RF) picked up from FA having spent the last few years in Detroit.. The team captain is Sal Clarke (3B) and his potential has yet to be proven in terms of his stats. Maybe S31 will be his breakout year.

Maintaining the w/l improvement will go along way to keeping the franchise in Jackson.

Roger Brown
Owner



Kansas City Googly Mooglies -







Monterrey Border Jumpers -

NL WEST - Season #30 Preview

Honolulu Rainbow Warriors -

The Honolulu Rainbow Warriors felt great about their chances this season after eating Ricky Atchley's terrible contract in order to acquire ace Octavio Valenzuela.

Then Valenzuela blew out his elbow. Now we have no faith in anything.

The end.



Seattle Somethings -

S30 marks the 4th season that Seattle is under pjfoster13 leadership, and rumors of ownership's unrest persist. While the Mariners are experiencing the tease of rebirth midway thru 2014, the Somethings have yet to taste that type of contention. However, GM Foster points to the overall strength of the depth chart and organizational control as signs of substantial progress.

Management expects a slew of ML-caliber prospects to hit the majors within the next 2 seasons. The ML roster is finally turning over with some of the fruits of its patient development labor. Two first year players and two solid rookies with legitimate expectations start the season in the bigs, and another three major pieces from a AAA team that won 105+ games are scheduled to arrive about two dozen cycles into the season.

External roster moves have been kept to a minimum since mid-S29 blockbuster with Omaha, although some insiders believe the winds of pre-season trade rumors continue to hover over Safeco like springtime clouds coming in off the Pacific.

After buying into the hype of expectations that were set way too high in S29, Seattle's jaded yet restless diehard fanbase appears prepared for another postseason-less campaign, but serial optimists will point to the depth of the starting rotation and the quantity & quality of incoming prospects to argue that Seattle could, in theory, approach 80-85 wins if given the right combination of roster adjustments, player development, and luck. Recent history shows that the 6th and final playoff spot is within range of this win target.

Outlook: In transition

Acquisitions: Rule 5 COF Kevin Martin (former 1st round pick with great speed, good defense, and servicable bat)
Subtractions: LHRP Valerio Prieto (FA)
top ML players: Starting rotation. 2B Ringo Bradley. C Rodrigo Campos, 1B Vicente Ciriaco
top rookies: RHRP Reggie Page, SS Mateo Nunez (AAA), RF Lenny Parkers (AAA), LF Marc Oswalt (AAA)

Colorado Evil Empire -



Omaha Thunderbirds -

AL EAST - Season #29 Preview

Baltimore Renegades -
The AL East gets tougher and tougher every year.  Last season, the Baltimore Renegades finished second in the AL East with 92 wins and barely clinched the last AL Wild Card spot.  The Renegades have made the playoffs TEN straight seasons, but despite that REGULAR SEASON success, they still have not won a World Series Championship. This off-season, Baltimore made an effort to bolster their starting rotation and upgrade an aging line-up that was unproductive and "flat" in the playoffs. 

The Renegades have a decent core of productive ballplayers, but their window of opportunity is quickly closing.  Owner/GM Terry Swayne has done an excellent job of front-loading many of the team's long-term contracts.  Financially, Baltimore is in great shape for many seasons to come, but with no minor league talent in the pipeline, this team has three seasons maximum to win a World Series.

The revamped Renegades line-up is still the strength of the team. The line-up projects as followed...
(1) Rickey Atchley LF
(2) Wiki Rivas        RF
(3) Peter Carlson    3B
(4) Artie Bukvich   DH
(5) Emmitt Collins  1B
(6) Al Matos            C 
(7) Mark Lee          CF 
(8) Vin Ellsbury     2B
(9) Sean Waters      SS
The five-man bench is flexible with C-Bernie Rosado, 1B-Craig Cook, 1B/LF-Cory Thomas, 2B/CF-Terry Ramirez, and UT-Jose Guzman.  
 

Baltimore's strong rotation is anchored by 4 potential Hall Of Famers.  RHP- Octavio Valezuela and LHP-Ben Bolton return to anchor the Baltimore rotaion along with newly acquired LHP's- Niko Kirby and Willie Estrada to give the Renegades the best starting rotation they have ever had.  Rounding out the last spot of the rotation is RHP-Rashun Gonzalez.  Unfortunately, LHP- Johan Heredia will be lost for the entire season after having Tommy John Surgery today.  The 24 year old showed great promise last season and this will be a major blow. 

Darrin Roth lost his closer role last season and will set-up fellow lefty Hal Alexander this season.  The other set up men are righties Frank Maurer, Charles Okajima, and Herb Leary.  Roth and rookie Ozzie Hasegawa are the lefties in the pen this season. 

Top Rookie- None
 

Key Players Lost- RHP-Hector Carroll (FA), RHP-Milt Gagne (FA), RHP-JT LeCure (trade), LHP-Tim Leiter (trade), LHP- DJ Webster (trade), 1B-Scott Simontacchi (FA), AND 3B/OF-Derrek Henderson (trade).
 

Key Players Acquired- RHP-Herb Leary (FA), LHP-Willie Estrada (FA), LHP-Ozzie Hasegawa (trade), LHP- Niko Kirby (trade), 2B- Vin Ellsbury (FA),  SS-Sean Waters (FA), 2B/LF-Ricky Atchley (trade), and DH-Artie Bukvich.

Key Off-Season Transaction- Acquiring Niko Kirby and Ricky Atchley adds the veteran leadership that has been sorely lacking these last few seasons.  Ricky Atchlety's $20M per year price tag may look horrible in a season or two, but the goal in Baltimore is to win now.

Hartford #Team Cutters  -

The outlook for the Hartford #TeamCutters is somewhere between bad and poor. After finishing out the season 51-11 with a GM coaching change during the middle of last season, the team is hoping to best that record because it can’t get much worse.  Or could it? 
 

With key acquisitions numbering zero, the team has not put forward much effort at the major league level. There are still some starting pitching signings that need to happen before the end of spring training.  Luckily, there was not much to lose from last year and the only contributor lost was Otis Reese, who will get to apply his craft in Cincinnati while Hartford added a couple of prospects for their trouble.


The minor leagues are brimming with talent and that talent should be making the move to the majors next season. SS Brad Craig and SP Paul Brow lead a star-studded AAA team that is looking to repeat their regular season division win from a season ago. So, at the end of the day, the short term future is not looking that bright, but starting next year, the team should be able to put together a very competitive team with eyes towards a division championship, if not more, at the major league level.

 

 

 

 

Charlotte Knights -

 

 

 

Huntington Hitmen -

AL NORTH - Season #29 Preview

Witchita Winners - 

I think My lineup this year if we can stay healthy will be a above average scoring bunch , Got alot of solid hitters up and down the lineup with a good mix of speed and power, the right guys have the durability to play the majority of the year so should see some excellent seasons from af ew guys....My Starting staff is gonna be my downfall, not alot of depth, only 2-3 Deep with ... Have my controversial 21 year old Future major league SP on the back burner Fernando alomar who ideally i can bring up next year after a lil jump in ratings...Ivan Nunez future stud closer in High A, david hayes in AAA , along with rudy hernandez future well rounded SS and sammy Melian future starting ML 3b are all exciting up and comers....I predict a 70-75 win season for my future year in this world, If my staff can somehow piece it together cause i am confident in my bullpen arms, Stud arm im turning into a closer Juan duran, ideally a 2 inning closer as well...i think i can squeek 80 wins in...well see! Good luck to you this year as well!




Detroit Wolverines -




Milwaukee Blue Ribbons -





Rochester Rhinos -

AL SOUTH - Season #29 Preview

Little Rock Rockabillies -

The Rockabillies are looking to make a significant improvement in their record this season having added some veterans and bringing up some young pitching prospects. The team added slugger Wilson Wise through free agency and traded young pitching for B.C. Brito. Most of the key players are returning including a healthy Gene Cassidy, Walter Rogers, and ROY Mickey Dydalewicz. Javier Lee was the long top prospect in the system who is coming off a bit of a disapointing rookie campaign but big things are expected this year. Also added is top pitching prospect Aneury Bonifacio who will slide right into the rotation and hopefully become the ace of the young staff.



Houston Wranglers -








Jacksonville Jaguars -






Montgomery Cornbread On The Brain -

AL WEST - Season #29 Preview

Anaheim Aardvarks -




Las Vegas Gamblers -





Salem Slayers -





Salt Lake City Movers & Shakers -

NL EAST - Season #29 Preview

Durham Natty Knights -





Richmond Spiders -









San Juan Sea Turtles -






Washington D.C. Whalers -

NL NORTH - Season #29 Preview

Montreal Bloody Sox -

The Montreal Bloody Sox had a great bounce back campaign last year just missing the playoffs. The organization is making a statement to its fans this year by making one of the largest trades in franchise history trading two top prospects (SP - Jin Ho Uehara and SS - harry Nieves) for all star RF - Cesar Molina and former MVP 1B - Willis Livingstone. They needed to fill the gap, losing some power to FA this off season but feels they came out younger and stronger. The team also added bullpen help by promoting set up man Luis Garces and signing future hall of famer Milt Gagne to come in in long relief. After watching the team through the preseason, they look to be in good contention for the division. With solid players in their farm system to keep reloading and moving to solidify a spot in the playoffs.



Cincinnati Royals -





Cleveland Rockers-





Trenton Waves -

NL SOUTH - Season #29 Preview

Jackson Jayhawks -
It's good to be back for an eighth season of Jayhawk baseball and I know the fans of this great club are looking forward to seeing how the off-season acquisitions perform in their new surroundings.

Certainly been a busy time since S28 concluded with the fourth successive year of low-50 wins. Jesus Duran returns for a second term as ML bench coach and he's joined by Magglio Bonilla who takes responsibility for hitting. The top office have been trawling the FA market and making several offers on the waiver wire.

The line up certainly will need a bit of getting used to for the die-hard 'hawk followers. Let's see who has arrived:

Jose Flores (RF) a big hitting free agent (last at Kansas)
Rich Moreno (2B) another big hitter / FA (last at Columbia)
Bart Harp (1B) with potential / FA (last at Dover)
Roy Paton (RF) with good OBP / WW from New Orleans
Sal Clarke (2B) taken as RuleV with huge potential for OBP
...along with Davey Jimenez (SS), Ralph Mathewson (C) and Trevor Gray (CF)

On the mound there are a couple of new guys to watch out for: starter Woody Finley claimed from the ww (Vancouver) and closing Coco Reagan, a very experienced player from the FA market.

It has been said before and it will be said again. This is the start of the upward trend in terms of results. Time to leave the division basement and taste life from the top end. A new era has arrived and the owner wants success....please.





Mexico City Hombres Azul -

The pressure is on GM Sneekes after the Hombres Azul missed the playoffs for a second season running, finishing 82-80, their worst year since S16.

There is opportunity though in that a lot of money came off the books including the $20m paid to OF Vincenzo Strickland; the club also said goodbye to RP Coco Reagan, RF Ronnie Romero and Hombres legend Alan Graham. That money was put to good use recruiting a frontline starter in Angel Estrella, adding power and patience in the outfield with RF Russell Hunter and LF Dave Uggla, and value 2B Hack Brock.
The price of this largesse was disinvestment in scouting, which may prove foolish as Mexico City have three 1st round picks and two supplementary picks.


 


Kansas City Googly Mooglies -





Monterrey Border Jumpers-

NL WEST - Season #29 Preview

Fresno Maize 'N Blue -

Outlook - Looking to win 3rd straight WS trophy and should be considered the favorites if the team stays healthy.

Top Additions - Bret Clayton, Teddy Locke, Louie Ibanez, Jin Ho Uehara, and gold glove SS-Bartolo Padilla late last season.

Top Losses - Craig Jackson, Kurt Giambi, John McConnell, Cesar Molina, Marvin Brow, Fernando Alomar, Chun Lim, Tate Yama, and the 20m in payroll wasted on NNelson.

Top Prospects - Marino Vazquez, Leo Conner, Rio Maduro, Byung-Hyun Gang, and Harry Nieves. Time to add another one or two this year !!!

Tough Luck Club - OF- Juan Tabata (40HR's, 111 RBI's .327 avg with an insane .405 obp in only 114 gms) and SP- Harry Mateo (22-2 with a stellar 2.87 ERA and 1.11 h/w ratio) both had awards (ROY and CY) taken from them by their teammate Yuniesky Delgado's amazing performance last year. A 2014 Porsche Panamera for each compliments of Yu-Del erased any hard feelings that might have existed.

Notes: Tomas Cairo has won 6 straight MVP's (thanks to all who voted for him) in only 7 ML seasons and is only 2 HR's shy of 400 in his brief career.
Long time pitching coach Jerome Elarton was unexpectedly given his walking papers. We have it on good authority that the guy is a genius when it comes to pitching IQ, but an idiot when it comes to "ho-n-blow" management.
We hope he gets things turned around in Hartford.

*** Please join us on Memorial Day 5/26 as we are giving away Free "Maize 'N Blue Evil Empire" T-shirts to everyone in attendance as we play host to the talented Rainbow Warriors of Honolulu in a key NL West Division match-up.






Honolulu Rainbow Warriors -

Frontline starting pitching. That’s the new plan for finally getting the Honolulu Rainbow Warriors over the playoff hump. So Warrior management splurged on 33-year-old lefty Kevin Lawrence, who may struggle to give the Warriors more than 150 innings a year, but who should be good for two excellent starts behind ace Raul Bautista twice a playoff series.

The high-speed Warrior offense, which led the league in steals last year, returns with first baseman/left fielder Pat Shannon leading the way and primed for a bounceback season. Lefty-killer Elmer Reagan arrives on a frontloaded deal, allowing the team to move franchise player Derek Tanner to first base. And Mike Squires legend Stephen Rivera was will provide thump on a part-time basis, helping add power to a lineup that lost stalwart Turk O’Leary to free agency.
The Rainbow Warriors are expecting to hit 100 wins yet again. But their ambitions are higher – to surpass fresno, and earn that elusive ring.







Seattle Somethings -

Optimism lines the air in Seattle as year 3 of the pjfoster era begins. Last season saw the squad improve from 59 wins to 69, and another 10-win improvement to the cusp of .500 would be considered a success. Management continues to be patient while developing its wealth of farm-system talent and has wisely avoided poor long-term player investments.

Since the beginning of last season, the Somethings have acquired SP Walt Osborne for disappointing infielder Ted Van Hekken, and in the offseason snagged former Bloody Sox lynchpin CF Glen Handworth on a cheeky two-year contract late in free agency. Handworth will provide a nice combination of defense and speed that fits in with Seattle's evolving philosophy.

The Somethings saw 2B Vin Ellsbury depart to Baltimore in free agency and also lost veteran SS Rodgers and C/RF Darwin but the club has promoted former top 15 pick Ringo Bradley and platoon RF Rodrigo Ramirez from AAA and free-agent defensive C Robbins to compensate. Some would argue those swaps are actually an improvement both offensively and defensively.

With CF Handworth, 2B (minor-league SS) Bradley, and SS Tim O'Malley, Seattle expects to have one of the best, if not the very best, up-the-middle defensive combinations in the whole of Mike Squires, especially considering that they play their home games in an extremely-favorable pitching environment.

Seattle finds itself with a number of top prospects on the cusp of MLB service time. SS Mateo Nunez projects to platoon with O'Malley and can legitimately play all 7 fielding positions as needed. RF Lenny Parkers projects as the fastest player in the ML with ++ contact and he utterly rakes LHP. Despite his ripe age of 21, he is ready for ML duty, but the Somethings have an adequate ML platoon allowing for full development and appropriate service time considerations. 21-year-old LF Marc Oswalt projects to 1B in the majors, and is also knocking at the door in AAA. He projects as a 25-25 hitter with many-a-100 RBI season in his major league future. S28 top 10 pick CF Bill Presley and S28 IFA CF Miguel Navarre, both 19, make their way to HiA, where each is expected to dominate offensively and defensively and subsequently overlap into AA by mid-season. Presley has incredible range and on-base ability, while Navarre is more of a contact/speed combo and projects to 2B in the majors. If all goes well, C Rodrigo Campos, acquired for former Something 1B Emmitt Collins, may finally make his Somethings debut at some point mid-season. AA LF J. Velazquez pounded ML-pitching in spring training and is expected to play in the ML someday. For pitchers, sandwich duo LHP A. Sparks and RHP D. Hayes (both AA) appear destined for the majors. S28 comp 1st-rounder LHP T. Carreon (highA) looks to have a ML future as well. Seattle also boasts a glut of young, cheap bullpen talent in the minors.

If all goes well, Seattle overtakes the former Vancouver franchise and challenges .500 in S29, and the minor league teams go all bananas and win their respective regular season and playoff titles.  



Omaha Thunderbirds -