Welcome Strat fans to the 2008 Left Coast Strato-Matic Baseball League Preview! We here at the LCSB Times have worked feverishly over the past few weeks to compile for you a snapshot of the 2008 LCSB to be. Presented one division at a time, the 2008 Preview contains a brief team history, a look at each team’s strength and weaknesses, their projected outcome for 2008, key transactions, 2009 outlook and playoff predictions. First up we have the NL West, next week will be the NL East, then AL West, AL East, and finally a comprehensive playoff prediction issue. Hope you enjoy what we’ve come up with and don’t forget to check out next week’s NL East!
NATIONAL LEAGUE WEST
Phoenix Dodgers of Cerritos (86-77) Owner: Scott Bobic
2007: After just barely sneaking into the playoffs by winning their 163rd game of the year, the Dodgers came within one run of reaching the World Series for what would have been the first time in team history. The path to the NLCS included the Dodgers pulling off an improbable feat in the first round where they quickly dismantled the favored SoCal Thunder, 3 games to 1. Allowing a heartbreaking 9th inning homerun in the 7th game of the NLCS put an end to their hopes for an ’07 championship and the Dodgers were sent home wondering what could have been. Now, they look to take the team one step further in 2008 by winning the NL West and representing the National League in the World Series.
STRENGTHS: Matt Holliday, Miguel Cabrera, and Brad Hawpe make for an intimidating middle of the order presence and the line-up as a whole has great on-base and flexibility. The pitching staff is led by one of the NL’s best, Brandon Webb, whose no diamond/double-play filled card will prove formidable. Webb is backed-up by Greg Maddux and John Maine, both of whom are definitely a cut above league average.
WEAKNESSES: The 2008 Dodger defense will be held together by more 3’s and 4’s than 1’s and 2’s and will let their share of balls fall for hits. The bullpen is a tad thin and closing games with Alan Embree will end up being pretty painful every now and again.
2008: This Dodger team is a little rough around the edges, but the big bats combined with a true ace, Brandon Webb, will launch this team into the playoffs. We here at the Times are betting that the Dodgers see this team’s possibilities and end up adding a few major pieces before it’s all said and done. Dodger management has never been shy about making the big trade and this division is ripe for the taking. That being said, we’d also not be surprised to see the team sell everything but their uniforms. With all the RBI opportunities in this line-up, Matt Holliday is a preseason favorite for the NL MVP award, though he could very well end up battling Miguel Cabrera for the honor. PREDICTION: 95 Wins
2009: Joey Votto and Stephen Drew are two of the young, promising bats that have been brought in over the past two seasons. Holliday and Cabrera are just now going into their prime so the team’s offensive core looks to be intact for at least a few more years. Other parts of the roster though look like the remnants of the 2001 All Star game: Randy Johnson, Greg Maddux, Jason Schmidt, Mark Mulder, Richie Sexson, Jose Vidro, Moises Alou….stay tuned to see in which direction management decides to go.
KEY TRADES:
10/25/2007 - The Dodgers trade Billy Wagner to the Oysters for SoCal #2 and Taylor Buchholz
9/2/2007 - The Steamers trade Randy Johnson to the Dodgers for Eric Gagne.
6/30/2007 - The Phoenix Dodgers send Eric Byrnes to the Boston Braves for Matt Morris.
5/29/2007 - Dodgers trade their #1 pick to the Bombers for Joe Nathan.
Los Alamitos Cardinals (96-66) Owner: Bill Crissman
2007: Led by the big-time bats of Albert Pujols and Lance Berkman, the Cardinals soared to their first ever National League crown and World Series appearance. The Cardinals put up 96 wins during the regular season which was 2nd most in the division and third most in the National League. Much like Jack Clark’s home run in the 1985 LCS, an Albert Pujols bomb to centerfield lifted the Cardinals past the Dodgers in game 7 of the NLCS and launched them into the World Series for the first time in franchise history.
Strengths: The 2008 team won’t have the same pop in the line-up as the 2007 team, but this Cardinal team is probably better in every other phase of the game. Matt Cain and Dan Haren lead a rotation loaded with quality arms and the bullpen is up there with the best in the National League. The acquisition of Troy Tulowitzki adds to what was already a good infield defense which will do much to support the Cardinal pitching staff in ’08.
Weaknesses: An off year by Lance Berkman, a below average year by Albert Pujols, and a lot of one-sided offensive cards equal the weak link to the 2008 Cardinals. The outfield situation is a little shaky as well, as is the 2B situation.
2008: In a division with no truly dominant team, the Cardinals are as good a bet as any. The starting pitching staff is up there with the league’s best and the bullpen is just lights out: Broxton-Marmol-Corpas = Wam-Bam-Thank You Ma’am. Though not great, the offense is definitely good enough to get the job done. You can count on the Cardinals making the moves they need to at the deadline and putting together a strong run at defending their NL crown. PREDICTION: 90 Wins
2009: This whole team is young and they’re going to be in the playoff mix in 2009 and beyond. Not only do the Cardinals have one potential future ace in their rotation but they have three: Matt Cain, Chad Billingsley and Tim Lincecum. With an infield of Tulowitzki, Zimmerman and Pujols to go with the pitching, the Cards will be in the mix. The big question marks are whether Carlos Quentin is going to put it together or not and what kind of year Lance Berkman is going to come back with. Regardless of how that works out though, expect the Cardinals to bring a contender year-in and year-out.
Key Trades:
12/14/2007 - Cardinals trade R. Furcal & P. Fielder to the Miners for T. Tulowitzki & C. Billingsly
1/15/2007 - The Pioneers get Andy Marte & Morgan Ensberg from the Cardinals for Bronson Arroyo & Johnstown's #1 pick.
San Antonio Coyotes (99-63) Owner: Scott Curtis
2007: A ferocious pack of dogs they were; the 2007 San Antonio Coyotes won the NL West by slugging their way to the top behind the power bats of Andruw Jones (44 hr’s) and Aramis Ramirez (43 hr’s). San Antonio’s grip on the division was never seriously threatened throughout the year. Despite this regular season success, these dogs were sent howlin’ home early in what was the first ever netplay playoff series. The Coyotes were by no means a one-year wonder and they’ll be looking to defend their division crown in 2008.
Strengths: His name is Jake Peavy and he is just plain filthy. Peavy + Petco = NL Cy Young favorite. The offense is not quite as strong as last season but the great years turned in by Russell Martin and James Loney will help pick up the slack. The 1-Guns, Andruw 1(-3), Francouer 1(-4), and Martin 1(-3), lead a very good defense and Petco’s stifling dimensions will make it tough for the opposition to get much going.
Weaknesses: The pitching staff is all around solid but the 4th and 5th spots are going to have quite a few nights where they just get tattooed. Andruw’s down year hurts the team and hitting in Petco is going to really put a dent in his homerun dependent production.
2008: The Coyotes will likely find themselves nipping at the heels of the division leaders, stubbornly trying to defend their division title. Having the best pitcher in the NL starting 20-25% of the time will be the crux of this team’s ability to win. The offense is league average, maybe even a tad below, and playing in Petco will clamp them down even more. The Coyotes will benefit from the new league format as much as anyone and will make the moves to win if they are close. PREDICTION: 85 Wins
2009: Well, getting Russell Martin, Matt Kemp and James Loney in consecutive rounds of the 2007 draft kind of worked just a little. It’ll be interesting to see what kind of years Andruw Jones and Chris Carpenter come back with and how the recently drafted Josh Hamilton performs in Texas. The core of this team is neither very young nor old, and if the pitching can hold up we can expect to once again see the Coyotes on the prowl in the NL West, trying to scratch out another division crown.
Key Trades:
8/1/2007 - The Coyotes get J. Kent, & J. Grabow from the Rhino's for D. Baez & the Coyotes #2.
7/23/07 - The San Antonio Coyotes trade Brian Bannister, Jason Bergman, and their #3 to the Pioneers for Chris Carpenter
1/2/2007 - The Coyotes trade their #2 to the Oysters for Conor Jackson
California Rhinos (77-85) Owner: Larry Dahlia
2007: The Rhinos 2007 season might be best described as the year that stood still. The 2007 team had a playoff caliber line-up featuring Todd Helton, Jose Reyes and Garret Atkins and a rotation that was headed by Aaron Harang and Kevin Millwood. Unfortunately, the support players just weren’t there and acquiring enough of them would have been expensive. California management knew that if they paid the price to compete in ’07 there were no guarantees except that a long and painful rebuild would await the team in 2008 and beyond. Rather than risk it on a long-shot chance, the Rhinos held back and committed to the team’s long term health.
Strengths: Jose Reyes and Todd Helton will team up for some solid run production with Dan Uggla, Pat Burrell and Garret Akins contributing from the right side of the plate. Aaron Harang put together a good season and the California bullpen will positively be an asset.
Weaknesses: The team may want to consider investing in whiplash insurance for the starting pitchers because they’re going to have some rough starts out there. The offense is solid but the starting pitching will more often than not leave it battling for games that have long ago been decided.
2008: Unfortunately for California, this doesn’t look to be their year. The dearth of starting pitching will allow far too many games to slip away in the early innings and won’t allow the strong bullpen to make its presence felt. Look for California to stick to the game plan and move some of the remaining veteran players during the year in route to completing their roster overhaul. PREDICTION: 75 Wins
2009: Quite a few young players have been brought in who the Rhinos are hoping they can count on in the upcoming years. Players like Andy Marte, Chase Headley, Shawn Hill, Ubaldo Jimenez, Anthony Reyes and Geovany Soto will do much to determine whether this rebuild process succeeds or not. With Jose Reyes, Garret Atkins, and Aaron Harang providing the framework, a few rookie breakout seasons could bring the Rhinos right back into contention. California does already have an additional 1st round pick for the upcoming 2009 draft and will be looking for opportunities add depth to the roster and compete next year.
Key Trades:
1-12-2008 - Rocky Mountain trades G. Soto & their #1 (2009) to the Rhino's for Y. Gallardo
11-20-2007 - Pioneers send A. Marte to the Rhino's for Jose Bautista
10/29/2007 - The Rhinos trade their #3 pick to the Thunder for Ubaldo Jimenez & Anthony Reyes
8/1/2007 - The Coyotes get J. Kent & J. Grabow from the Rhino's for D. Baez & the Coyotes #2.
Boston Braves (59-103) Owner: Greg Hamburg
2007: After yet another below par season, the Braves brought in a new management team and relocated to Bear Valley with plans for getting the club back on track in ‘08. The 2007 highlight for the Braves had to once again be having the league leader in stolen bases, Juan Pierre, who blew away the competition with 83 bases total steals in 2007 (teammate Dave Roberts came in second with 57). The Braves have already put a fresh face on the organization and are looking to 2008 to establish the club as a force in the NL West.
Strengths: Derek Lee returned to form after an injury marred season and will provide a much needed big-time bat in the middle of the Braves line-up. Lee should have plenty of RBI opportunities with the speedsters Pierre and Eric Byrnes hitting in front of him. The Braves rotation is better than most and should play well in Pro Player Stadium. Jason Isringhausen leads a very good bullpen that’ll be tough to beat in the later stages of the game.
Weaknesses: Outside of Derek Lee and Eric Byrnes, the offense is pretty average and the team may find themselves struggling to score consistently. The Braves defense took a big blow with Adam Everett’s off year, and Pierre’s difficulty throwing runners out makes him a tough play in CF.
2008: The veteran starting pitching and the strong bullpen should definitely add up to a rebound year for the Braves. While making the playoffs is probably a stretch, getting close to .500 isn’t and that would be a massive improvement over what this team has produced over the past few seasons. PREDICTION: 70 Wins
2009: Management had to be ecstatic to have Justin Upton fall all the way to 5th in the 2008 draft. Upton’s lack of immediate card value apparently overruled his elite prospect status and the Braves were handed a gift they can build on. By landing Andy LaRoche and Ian Stewart in following rounds, the Braves have signaled the start of a rebuild and with any luck they should find themselves fighting for a playoff spot in the not too distant future.
Key Trades:
6/30/2007 - The Phoenix Dodgers send Eric Byrnes to the Boston Braves for Matt Morris.
Official 2008 NL West Prediction:
1. Phoenix Dodgers
2. St. Louis Cardinals
3. San Antonio Coyotes
4. California Rhinos
5. Boston Braves
Notes: The Miguel Cabrera and Matt Holliday combo is just too good to not lead this team to the playoffs. The Boston Braves are the hardest to predict because there is no track record for the management team. Judging by their draft picks, we expect the Braves to take their lumps and hunker down for the 2009/2010 battles. The Rhinos will be hurt by the starting pitching and could fall into the cellar if they dump their veterans during the course of the year. The Coyotes and Cardinals are neck in neck but the Cardinal pitching and defense wins out.