#5 Norfolk Whiskey Jacks (99-63) vs. #4 New Orleans Jazz (84-74)
NORFOLK- For the first time in 11 seasons, the Norfolk franchise has finished the regular season with a winning record. They did it in fine style as well, finishing with the second best record in the AL, behind only the powerhouse Baltimore Revolution. There were a number of players who played major roles in the ascension of the Whiskey Jacks. The most obvious of these is ace pitcher, Hipolito Matos. Matos has been the best pitcher in the AL all season, and is the front runner for the Cy Young Award. He leads the AL in wins and strikeouts and was second in ERA. Maybe just as important though, was the surprise season of his sidekick, SP Phil Leonard. He went 16-8 with a 3.75 ERA. Those two are a very formidable one-two punch that will be capable of pitching this team deep into the playoffs, not only in this season, but in many seasons to come. The lineup has also come into its own this season. The Jacks ranked 4th in the AL in runs scored. They were also fortunate to find and sign Dominican national Sammy Polonia, who was polished enough to go straight to the big leagues. Maicer Almanza, Patsy Wilkerson and Sheman Campbell have all had very productive seasons in the middle of the Jack's lineup. With their playoff ticket punched for a pretty long time, the Whiskey Jacks should be rested and ready to go for Game 1.
NEW ORLEANS- The Jazz won the AL South by default as all of the other teams were below .500. The Jazz themselves hovered around .500 themselves for most of the season. They did finish strong though, playing their best baseball down the stretch by going 11-6 in their last 17 games. New Orleans now gets the dubious task of facing the young and rising Whiskey Jacks. Don't count out the Jazz though. There are a number of veteran players on this squad. Early season acquisition, SP Rolondo Villareal gives the Jazz a pitcher who is capable of matching up with either Matos or Leonard when he is on. While SP Fernando Dominguez has had an up-and-down career, he seems to have settled down this year and will be a capable #2. Rookie of the Year candidate DH Clarence Barnes provided the Jazz some much needed power, hitting 32 home runs. While there are some capable hitters on this team, it is lacking truly fearsome #3 type hitter for the middle of the order. The Jazz did not have one regular starter that hit .290 or better. CF Carlos Soriano led the team in AVG at .286. That is why they were ranked just below average in the AL in runs scored.
Projected Pitching Matchups:
Game 1: Zephyr Field: NOR: Hipolito Matos (22-6) vs. NO: Rolondo Villareal (11-10)
Game 2: Zephyr Field: NOR: Phil Leonard (16-8) vs. NO: Fernando Dominguez (11-13)
Game 3: Harbor Park: NO: Jair Segui (7-5) vs. NOR: Heath Hewitt (10-10)
Editors' Pick:
The Whiskey Jacks are for real. They have two legitimate, All Star caliber starting pitchers and a deep, high scoring lineup. They also are solid in the field, ranking 1st in the AL in fewest '-' plays this season. Their only real weakness, lack of starting pitching depth, will get minimized during the playoffs. While the Jazz pitching tandem of Villareal and Dominguez may be able to keep up with Matos and Leonard, their offense will struggle mightily to score runs. While I expect all of the games to be pretty close, the Jacks should come away with a quick series victory. Norfolk wins in three.
#6 Philadelphia Stomp (93-69) vs. #3 St. Louis Redbirds (96-66)
ST. LOUIS- The Redbirds cruised to yet another division title, finishing above the 2nd place Seattle Antons by 30 games. With such a huge lead, team officials weren't worried when ace pitcher Victor Rodriguez went down. The medical staff assured the front office that he would make a full recovery and get back in time for the postseason. After a trip to the 60-day DL and extensive rehab, he made his return to the Redbirds late in the season. He pitched well in his return, going 5 scoreless innings. Then, during his second start back, he felt a sharp pain in the same elbow. He was pulled from the game and doctors confirmed the worst. He would need extensive surgery. He would be out for 6-8 months. He might never be the same again. Losing your best pitcher just as the season is winding down usually doesn't lead to success in the postseason. But as big of a loss as Rodriguez is, the Redbirds are one of the few teams in the league that might have the pitching depth to overcome his loss. Despite not having their best pitcher for most of the season, St. Louis still finished tied for the second lowest team ERA at 3.97. The offense was ranked 5th in the AL in runs scored. This team is dangerous without Rodriguez. The question will be one of morale. Losing a player in that manner can tear the heart out of a locker room. The Redbirds are a veteran squad though, and should be equipped to handle the loss of one of their leaders.
Projected Pitching Matchups:
Game 1: Busch Stadium: PHI: Randy Meulens (15-11) vs. STL: Alejandro Garrido (13-12)
Game 2: Busch Stadium: PHI: Gary Scott (15-9) vs. STL: Bobby Wunsch (13-11)
Game 3: Citizens Bank Park: STL: Willie Corey (14-11) vs. PHI: Jared White (15-12)
Editors' Pick:
If any team, other than St. Louis, had lost their best starter, it would almost automatically equate to losing in the playoffs. But this is the Redbirds we're talking about. This series should be a very tight one, that could really go either way. However, when in doubt, we always give the edge to the team with the better starting pitchers. The Stomp's pitching advantage should be just enough to overcome the Redbird's superior offense. Philadelphia wins in five.
National League
#5 Chicago Gray Stockings (91-71) vs. #4 Richmond Rebellion (88-74)
CHICAGO- Despite dealing with a plethora of injuries to key players throughout the season, the Gray Sox were fortunate enough to have everybody healthy, rested and ready to go for the postseason. 1B Russ Charleston had another good season. He finished tied with Pittsburgh's Rafael Cueto for the NL batting title with a .329 AVG. He also hit 28 home runs. Offseason acquisition OF David Cedeno was a very pleasant surprise in Chicago. He was a force in the middle of the lineup, providing much more firepower than it was thought he would, leading the team with 31 home runs. The pitching rotation was a bit of a mash unit at times. Four of the five regular starters were injured at some point during the season, making trips to the DL and missing starts. Ironically, it was the old man of the group, the 'Warhorse', Julio Telemaco, who was the only starting pitcher to make all of his starts, at age 37. The future HoFer was good this season too. He tossed 194 innings with a 3.53 ERA. Despite the instability in the rotation, the bullpen was solid and the Gray Sox were ranked 4th in the NL in team ERA at 3.69. As good as the pitching was, the defense was even better. It was the best defense in the NL with the fewest errors (only 58 for the entire season, 20 less than the team with the second fewest), the fewest '-' plays (only 14) and the fourth most '+' plays with 76. The defense was especially solid up the middle with SS Jose Carrara and CF Butch Ramirez winning Gold Gloves while 2B Paxton Murray finished 2nd in the Gold Glove Award for his position. If the offense can put some runs on the board, the Gray Stockings could be in a very good position to defend the NL Crown.
RICHMOND- The Rebellion have certainly established themselves as one of the top teams in the NL. They have now won the NL South for three consecutive seasons. They have built an intimidating lineup (ranked 3rd in the NL in runs scored) and a solid defense (3rd in the NL in fewest errors). Their pitching has been bit suspect at times, finishing below average in team ERA at 4.47. Thats why future HoFer Julian Castillo was brought in during the offseason. While the 37-year old may not be quite as dominant as he was earlier in his career, he still had a very good season (15-10, 3.10 ERA) and gave the Rebellion exactly what they needed: a reliable force in the starting rotation. Now he will be relied upon heavily to continue to provide that stability into the playoffs. Their other offseason signing was SP Luis Alvarez. That pickup has also worked out well, as Alvarez has pitching pretty consistently all season long with a 15-6 record and a 3.98 ERA. Outside of Alvarez and Castillo, the pitching has been pretty suspect. Those two will be need to pitch well and deep into games for Richmond to contend for a pennant. On the offensive side of the coin, there were a number of players who had good years for the Rebellion. But none of them can hold a candle to LF Ted Westmoreland. Westmoreland may have had the best rookie campaign in SPL history. Despite playing 25 games in AAA before getting called up to the show, he finished the season as the NL leader in home runs (with 50) and 2nd in RBI (with 131). The 23-year old outfielder is already one of the most feared hitters in the NL and one of the favorites for the MVP award. Keep an eye on this guy. He is going to do some special things in his career.
Projected Pitching Matchups:
Game 1: The Diamond: CHI: Wayne Spence (12-10) vs. RIC: Julian Castillo (15-10)
Game 2: The Diamond: CHI: Carter Maybin (11-11) vs. RIC: Luis Alvarez (15-6)
Game 3: US Cellular Field: RIC: Phil Chang (10-12) vs. CHI: Julio Telemaco (11-9)
Editors' Pick:
This is a rematch of the first round of the playoffs in Season 13 when the Rebellion defeated Chicago 3-1. This will definitely be on the minds of Chicago's players. This is another classic clash of styles: pitching and defense versus hitting. In the playoffs, is usually the pitching that will win out. This series will be a good one, and I wouldn't be surprised to see either team come out on top. But Chicago's veteran pitching staff gives them a slight edge. Chicago wins in five.
#6 Cleveland Lake Shores (88-74) vs. #3 Milwaukee Titans (98-64)
CLEVELAND- The Lake Shores once again become the third team into the postseason dance from the deepest division in the NL. For the second season in a row, they will have to defeat the Milwaukee Titans to advance. Last season, they were able to defeat the Titans and advance to the NLCS. This season, with a key addition, they hope to take the next step and get o the Fall Classic. Although they seemed to have the Wild Card in hand, they had to survive some late season stumbles and a surge from Helena, only finishing two games ahead of the Bighorns. This season's Lake Shores didn't really excel at any single aspect of the game, but were solid at all, finishing in the middle of the NL pack in both offense and pitching. The storyline of the season for Cleveland though, was the 'Randall-fever' that seemed to take over the city. Super-rookie LF Randall Bryant had an incredible season. And if it weren't for his super-rookie contemporary in Richmond, he would be a sure bet for the Rookie of the Year Award. He played so well, he is also in the discussion for MVP. He hit .279 with 28 home runs, 36 doubles, 79 RBI and 69 stolen bases (which was 2nd in the NL). But his stellar play didn't stop at the plate. He was durable, and a regular contributor to ESPN's Web Gems. He started all 162 games in LF for Cleveland. He only made 2 errors and had 17 '+' plays which earned him a Gold Glove for his troubles. Bryant has proven he is a 5-tool players, and maybe the most well rounded LF in the entire league. His team mate, 1B Oswaldo Canseco also had an MVP caliber season, hitting .291 with 46 home runs and 112 RBI.
MILWAUKEE- The Titans find themselves in unfamiliar surroundings... the first round of he playoffs. Its been four seasons since Milwaukee has had to play in the Wild Card round. Their draw against the Lake Shores isn't an easy one either. The Titans, as usual, have a very good squad. They excelled both offensively this season (ranked 4th in runs scored) and with their pitching (rank 6th in team ERA at 3.74). Mitch Shaw had the best season of his career, going 19-4 with a 2.24 ERA. He was the front runner for the NL Cy Young for most of the season. Alberto Lima was probably the best player offensively this season (.277 AVG, 35 HR, 105 RBI) but a number of players had solid seasons. Lonny Sanchez missed some starts this season due to injuries, but he has fully recovered and the reports out of Milwaukee is that he will start in Game 1.
Projected Pitching Matchups:
Game 1: Miller Park: CLE: Clinton Charles (14-7) vs. MIL: Lonny Sanchez (11-7)
Game 2: Miller Park: CLE: Marc Allen (15-6) vs. MIL: Rodney Lambert (11-8)
Game 3: Jacobs Field: MIL: Mitch Shaw (19-4) vs. CLE: Arlie Kingland (12-8)
Editors' Pick:
This should be the closest, most tightly fought series in the Wild Card Round. Both teams know each other well, and have had playoff success. Milwaukee is a better team than their record would indicate however, and their superior pitching should win out. Milwaukee wins in five.
