Rocky Mountain Oysters (85 – 78) Owner: Charles Tinkler
2007: Led by a solid rotation of R. Oswalt (13 wins), B. Penny (20 wins),A. Cook (20wins) and the big bats of A. Dunn(42hr), J. Rollins(28hr), and J. Rivera(20hr), the Oysters cruised into second place 17 games behind the Thunder and 9 games ahead of the Bombers. With 85 wins, they tied the Dodgers (west) for the final play-off spot. After losing the one game play-off (and winning the #1 draft pick) the Oysters set themselves up for this season.
Strengths: R. Oswalt, B. Penny, B. Sheets, A. Wainwright, and rookie Y. Gallardo form the best rotation in the National League. B. Phillips (2B) and J. Rollins (SS) form the best double play combination in the major leagues. Power is provided by M. Teixeira (1B), A. Dunn (LF), R. Braun (3B), and C. Young (CF).This team can beat you with its starting pitching, the homerun, its speed and its defense.
Weaknesses: Very few, if this team has any it may be the bullpen. With B. Wagner (36) and E. Gagne (an old 32), age may catch up with their closers. Overall, the bullpen #s are slightly below league average, (the only part of this team that is not above average). The small ballpark (Arizona) is going to give up a lot of homeruns and that could be a problem for this primarily pitching and defensive team.
2008: For the past couple of years the Oysters have traded and drafted with a goal of building a team that can compete with the powers of the East, (Bombers and Thunder). Well, that goal has been reached. With a top rotation, the best defense in the majors, and an above average offense that has power and speed, this team is built for now and the future. The Oysters should win the East and go to their first World Series. Prediction: 100 Wins
2009: C. Young (24), R Braun (24), E. Encarnacion (25), B. Phillips (27), Y. Gallardo (22), and A. Wainwright (26) are all players who should improve as they mature and gain experience. This is the core of a potential dynasty in the East.
Key Trades:
01/12/08 – G. Soto and #1 (09) to Rhino’s for Y. Gallardo
10/25/07 – T. Bucholz and SoCal #2 to Dodgers for B. Wagner
10/14/07 – J. Beckett to Steamers for M. Teixeira
Los Angeles Bombers (76 - 86) Owner: Carlos Codina
2007: The Bombers featured a solid offense led by D. Wright (35 HR), C. Jones (25HR), and J. Bay (24 HR), but the team ERA of 4.70 and disappointing seasons by J. Smoltz (4.80 ERA) and T. Lilly (6.33 ERA) could not be overcome. After winning 102 games and the NL Championship in 2006 they fell to third place in 2007, 26 games behind rival SoCal.
Strengths: A veteran team led by J. Smoltz (SP), C. Jones (1B), D. Wright (3B), and K. Griffey (RF), the Bombers have a nice balance of pitching and hitting. The rotation also features veteran Lefty T. Lilly as well as youngsters C. James, D. Wills, and M. Owings. The offense adds E. Renteria (SS), J. Bay (LF), A. Ethier (RF), and #3 pick H. Pence (CF), they’ll join Chipper (1b) and D.Wright(3b) to form a solid line-up that can hit lefties as well as righties.
Weaknesses: The bullpen is below average, there’s no dominant closer and the set-up men are pretty mediocre. Having 3 lefties in the rotation could be a potential problem also, especially in their home ballpark (Los Angeles), which can give up the long ball.
2008: This is a roster that is starting to show its age. J. Smoltz (41), C. Jones (36), K. Griffey (38) are all getting to be past their prime. But, the roster also features the next generation of Bombers, D. Wills (26), D. Wright (25), A. Ethier (26), and H. Pence (25). For 2008 this team has the right combination of veterans and youth as well as pitching and hitting to finish ahead of the Thunder in a close race for second place. The Bombers should bounce back and make a return to the post-season. Prediction: 90 Wins
2009: What management decides to do this season could have a big impact on ’09 and beyond. If they make a push for make the play-offs and give up some of their youth it could hurt them in the future when the older players start to fade. If they keep their core of young players together, look for the Bombers to compete for the foreseeable future.
Key Trades:
12.17.07 – B. Molina to Oysters for M. Montero and #5 pick
12.05.07 – J. Cust to Orbits for B. Molina
SoCal Thunder (102 – 60) Owner: Paul Lane
2007: This team was the best in the NL and maybe the majors. The Thunder had the league MVP (R. Howard), Cy Young (T. Saito), batting champ (B. McCann), win leader (C. Zambrano), save leader (T. Saito) and home run leader (R. Howard). Management was also rewarded as GM of the year. But we all know what can happen in the post season, and sure enough the Thunder were knocked out of the postseason in 4 games by the wildcard Dodgers.
Strengths: Bullpen. The relief corps features T. Saito, who no longer looks like a one year wonder and could be even better this season. With a set-up crew of lefties D. Marte and F. Morales, and righties J. Burton, T. Percival, and K. Cameron, this pen will not give up many leads. R. Howard (1B) returns as the big lefty slugger and J. Wilson (SS) and C. Hart (CF) are strong from the right side. The big home field (SF) should also help the pitching staff.
Weaknesses: The starting rotation is not as strong as last season and could be prone to giving up the long ball (on the road in small ballparks). The offense has come back to the league average overall and could be a little lacking in the power department. The defense is average at best.
2008: This should be an interesting year for the Thunder, while not as dominant as last year this team still has plenty going for it. With the NL having only one sure play-off team (Oysters), this team could ride the bullpen, R. Howard and a nice assortment of role players into the play-offs, or it could end up with the #1 draft pick for ’09. Prediction: 85 Wins
2009: The Thunder have a competitive young roster built around R. Howard (28), R. Weeks (25), B. McCann (24), C. Hart (26), C. Zambrano (27) and other young pitchers. So Cal will be competitive for the foreseeable future and could easily become dominant again by next season.
Key Trades:
10.29.07 –U. Jiminez and A. Reyes to Rhinos for Rhino’s #3
S. Illinois Miners (57 – 105) Owner: Bob Burnett (Formerly Manila Mudhens)
2007: The Mudhens finish last for the second consecutive season after finishing first in 2005. They hit 210 homeruns, C. Beltran (51), B. Bonds (34), and M. Piazza (29), but it wasn’t enough to overcome a team ERA of 5.64! The rotation featured two 20 game losers, L. Hernandez (21) and Z. Duke (22), and the primary “closer” J. Affeldt, sported a 4.97 ERA.
Strengths: The best hitting team in the NL vs. righties with P. Fielder (1B), K. Johnson (2B), C. Beltran (CF), and B. Bonds (LF), this rteam can bomb right-handers. Its home ballpark (Houston) is a homerun park, as are the Oysters’ and Bombers’ homeparks; this will give this team a chance to just blast away. The new management team is fully expected to give the franchise the attention and focus it needs to get the club moving in the right direction.
Weaknesses: The offense drops off against lefties and this division can throw a lot of them. The starting pitching is slightly below league average and will be giving up some longballs in this park. The bullpen is a disaster and needs to be completely rebuilt.
2008: With an offense that should keep it in most games (and lead the league in runs), and a starting rotation that is solid, the Miners will win their share of games with scores like 8-7. However, no team can win without at least an average relief corps, and this bullpen will have a difficult time protecting any lead. Prediction: 70 Wins
2009: The Miners can build around P. Fielder (24) and they probably can develop a rotation around R. Hill (28), Z. Duke (25), J. Germano (25), J. Hirsh (26), and P. Maholm (26). It may take a year or two of further development for this team to break through and into the top of this very competitive division. New management will surely help straighten out this S. Illinois ball club and send it in the right direction.
Key Trades:
12/04/07 – T. Tulowitzski and C. Billingsly to the Cardinals for P. Fielder and R. Furcal
11/27/07 –Bob Burnett and management team take over (Mudhens become Miners)
Johnstown Pioneers (67 – 95) Owner: Eric Johns
2007: The Pioneers last finished atop this division in 2001 and they have finished around middle of the pack each year since. For the fourth place finish in ’07 the offense can be blamed, as it was a little light on power (127 HRS) and hit only .251 as a team. The pitching was solid with a team ERA of 4.50 and youngster C. Hamels (13 wins) has become the team ace.
Strengths: The bullpen, second best in the NL, has no dominant closer, but instead has tremendous depth; H. Bell, Juan Cruz, J. Beimel, P. Moylan, D. Oliver, and B. Shouse should be able to protect most leads. The offense is about at the league average, led by C. Utley (2B), J. Hermida (RF), K. Greene (SS), and S. Victorino (CF).
Weaknesses: The starting pitching is a little below league average and without a top of the line starter. The hitting vs. lefties is the worst in the league with very little power. The offense against righties is average, but again, a little light in the power department.
2008: The Pioneers bullpen and young lefty starters J. Francis (27) and C. Hamels (24) will help this team win their share of games. The offense led by C. Utley (29), K. Greene (28), J. Hermida (24), and S. Victorino (27) will be solid and should continue to get better. However, for this season the best this team can expect is to again finish around the middle to lower end of the division. Prediction: 70 Wins
2009: The pitching is the team’s strength; the rotation is fairly young and should continue to improve. The bullpen is in their prime and will be a strong point for the immediate future. The offense could use a couple of big boppers in order to play with the big boys in this division.
Key Trades:
11.20.07 – A. Marte to Rhinos for Jose Bautista
1. Rocky Mountain Oysters
2. Los Angeles Bombers
3. SoCal Thunder
4. S. Illinois Miners
5. Johnstown Pioneers
Notes: The Oysters pitching and defense makes them the only NL sure bet to make the play-offs. The Bombers and rival Thunder will once again battle (this season for the second place) and could both possibly make the post-season. The “under new management” Miners and steady Pioneers will look to build toward next season.