MVP Dark Horse: Jim Andrews (SCO)
CY Young Favorites: Victor Delgado (SAL), Hipolito Matos (NOR), Julian Belliard (ANA)
Cy Young Dark Horse: Bobby Wunsch (STL)
RoY Favorites: Quilvo Lee (PHI), Otto Barker (MIN), Taylor Vinnie (KC)
RoY Dark Horse: Jared O'Sullivan (MON)
Projected Division Winners
AL North: St. Louis Redbirds
Season 15: 96-66
Season 16 (proj): 88-74
Aquisitions: LF Ramon Wanatabe (free agent signing), CF Alan Bigbie (free agent signing)
Departures: CF Hector Brown (free agent to HON), LF Johnny Radinsky (free agent to IA), RP Jon Pagnozzi (free agent to SCO), RP Mac Stephensen (free agent to SCO), RP Stephen Edwards (free agent to SWB)
The St. Louis Redbirds are on course to win their 12th straight division title. In seasons past, the Redbirds have been an elite team, and always in contention for a WS Title. This year, the Redbirds find themselves in uncharted waters. They should win the division title this season mostly because of the weakness of the other teams in the AL North. The offseason losses that the Redbirds suffered though were simply too much for the team to overcome and remain amongst the elite. Hector Brown, a 6-time All Star and perennial MVP candidate signed a very hefty contract with Honolulu, while 5-time All Star Johnny Radinsky signed with the NL Iowa City Badgers. The bullpen took heavy losses as well. When Pagnozzi and Stephensen both left for Scottsdale, they Redbirds lost 150 quality innings out of the pen. The Redbirds made some quiet, late offseason signings to help fill the gaps left by the losses, but none of the new players are of the ilk of the departing ones. The biggest signing was LF Ramon Wanatabe. Wanatabe (proud possessor of 4 championship rings from his time in Pittsburgh) is a solid player, but isn't the offensive force that Radinsky is. In addition to the offseason departures, the Redbirds have some other holes as well. Mark Wood will be asked to man 2B full time this season. Wood leaves much to be desired as a regular 2B. He doesn't field the position well (14 '-' plays last season) and his career OBP is only .306. He will be a liability offensively and defensively. The unproven Edwin King will round out the bottom of the Redbirds rotation. King pitched fairly well in limited action last season, but will carry a much bigger load in Season 16. King is a hard thrower, with a blistering fastball. He has also had control issues throughout his professional career. If he doesn't let his lack of control get the better of him, he might be a pleasant surprise in St. Louis, otherwise it'll be a long season for King. The Redbirds are not without their stars though. They have three good starting pitchers in Alejandro Garrido, Willie Corey and Bobby Wunsch. The question mark in the top of the rotation is ace Victor Rodriguez who is returning from a major shoulder surgery. Redbird mainstays Homer Duffy and Hick Zerbe will have even more pressure to carry the offensive load. While the Redbirds are certainly a playoff team, Season 16 may mark the first time in a long time that the Redbirds aren't among the elite AL teams.
AL East: Baltimore Revolution
Season 15: 110-52
Season 16 (proj): 104-58
Acquisitions: SP Sammy Aquino (traded from MON)
Departures: P Wesley Washington (traded to MON), SS Christian Shinjo (traded to MON), CF Kevin Wang (free agent to MEM)
Departures: P Wesley Washington (traded to MON), SS Christian Shinjo (traded to MON), CF Kevin Wang (free agent to MEM)
The back-to-back World Series Champions have reasons to be optimistic for the second Three-peat in SPL history (the first was Pittsburgh in Seasons 6-8). They play in one of the toughest divisins in the league, with two other teams that are playoff caliber (Norfolk and Philadelphia) and an up-and-coming Kansas City squad. They added a third solid veteran pitcher in 2-time All Star Sammy Aquino from Monterrey. Aquino will join up with the aging (but still very good) Damaso Solano and Tony Espinosa to form a solid trio at the top of Baltimore's rotation. Season 15's surprise Cy Young candidate Billy Ray Howington will now be one of the league's very best fourth starters. The offense, which was historically good last season, will still be the tops in the league. The team boasts 3 former MVP winners in LF Frank Edwards, 1B Bruce Donovan and the reigning AL MVP and last season's Triple Crown Winner in DH Deivi Borges. The Revolution also have the AL's best hitting C in Alfredo Pimentel, the league's best leadoff man, and speedster supreme, in RF Jung-Lee Martin and a great 2B in Aurelio Diaz. The trading of SS Christian Shinjo did leave a hole. Journeyman IF Jose Uribe will get the shot to earn the lion's share of the innings at SS. He won't provide the base running or the balanced offensive production that Shinjo gave, but he will provide solid defense and occasional power at the bottom of the order. The biggest weakness in the team is in CF. With no obvious choice to assume the starting role from the departed Kevin Wang, a number of players (Edwards Taylor, Woody Sanders and Bernard Westbrook) will all get time at that spot, with the front office hoping that one of the three will stand out and assume the starter's role. Veteran backup/utility man, Woody Sanders, seems to be the early favorite. He'll provide plus defense, even if his bat does leave something to be desired. Don't be surprised if Baltimore makes a mid-season move to upgrade either CF or SS if the opportunity presents itself. Even if the Revolution stand pat though, they are in good position to win yet another championship, and found a dynasty in Baltimore.
AL South: New Orleans Jazz
Season 15: 84-78
Season 16 (proj): 87-75
Acquisitions: SP Victor Tavaras (free agent signing), RP Joaquin Trinidad (free agent signing), C Pedro Nieves (claimed from ATL), RP Vince Moore (free agent signing), RP Orlando Palmeiro (free agent signing), LF Phil Brinson (traded from CHI), SP Joel Sutton (traded from JAX)
Departures: RP Bob Power (free agent to NOR), COF Carlos Soriano (free agent), P Jamie Ellis (optioned to minors), SP Howard Howell (free agent to HEL), SP Jeremi Wainhouse (free agent), RP JB Wright (free agent to KC)
The Jazz were one of the most active teams during the offseason. They are trying to win the AL South title for the fifth time in the last six seasons. Although they have been in the playoffs fairly consistently during recent seasons, last season marked the only time that they have managed to get out of the first round. Then they had the misfortune of getting in the way of Baltimore on their way to their 11-0 Championship run. This season's offseason moves were clearly intended to improve the pitching staff. The Jazz have a solid 1-2 tandem to anchor their starting pitching in Rolando Villareal and Fernando Dominguez. While not spectacular, the rest of the rotation is reliable with the addition of veterans Tavaras and Sutton. The bullpen will probably be the strength of this team. Although they don't have a bullpen ace, every pitcher that will come out of the pen is a capable pitcher, who will be able to give quality innings and make it tough for the opposition to score. With that bullpen depth, the Jazz relief corps could be among the best in the AL. And they will need all of the solid pitching they can get. The Jazz will struggle at the plate. Last season, the Jazz .319 OBP was the second worst in the AL, and they didn't really add any offense. The defense was pretty good last season, finishing about league average in fielding percentage, but with one of the top +/- play ratios in the AL, 72'+' plays compared to only 23 '-' plays. The AL South is one of the weakest of the SPL and, barring a collapse, the Jazz should win the division easily enough. But to make some noise in the playoffs, the offense will need to get hot at just the right time, with the pitching and the defense staying solid. Otherwise New Orleans lacks the firepower to advance in the playoffs.
AL West: Anaheim Hitmen
Season 15: 99-63
Season 16 (proj): 103-59
Acquisitions: SP Joey Serrano (free agent signing), RP Vladimir Infante (free agent signing)
Departures: RP Victor Beltran (free agent to MIL), LF Dennys Dong (free agent to SCO)
Anaheim was fairly quiet this offseason, and with good reason. They have been amongst the elite teams in the SPL for many seasons, and will be once again this season. They are consistently among the most powerful teams in the SPL, always in the mix to lead the SPL in home runs and SLG. Last season, they had more home runs than any other team, and also led the AL in team ERA. This season the pitching should be just as good. Julian Belliard is one of the very best pitchers in the AL, and Tomas Valentin is a very good #2 pitcher, while Alan Owen, who has developed into a very reliable reliever, anchors the bullpen. They're offense should be much of the same as well. They have some speed, but are mostly a station-to-station lineup, waiting on the powerful hitters to drive one out of the park. As usual, the offense will be paced by such sluggers as Brian Okajima, Cristobal Roque, Orber Martin and Ryan Bradford. The defense, which has been a bit of an Achilles heal in the past, was much improved last season. Coaches hope that trend will continue into this season. Even with their previous defensive woes, the Hitmen are always one of the favorites to win the AL. And the same is true this season, as the Hitmen may be the team that stands the best chance to de-throne the Revolution.
Wild Card: Norfolk Whiskey Jacks
Season 15: 99-63
Season 16 (proj): 101-61
Aquisitions: RP Ken Hooper (free agent signing), SP Leo Nady (free agent signing), RP Bob Power (free agent signing), C Rich Whitehill (traded from MEM)
Departures: CF Gorkys Gonzalez (free agent), SP Rico Gomez (free agent)
Last season was a breakout season for Norfolk. They improved upon their previous season's win total by 31 wins, and finished with the second best record in the AL. During the offseason, the Whiskey Jacks made some moves to improve the depth of an already young and talented roster. Offensive C Rich Whitehill was acquired from Memphis to upgrade that position. With Whitehill's addition to the lineup, there won't be an easy out anywhere in the top eight spots in the order. Veteran relievers Bob Power and Ken Hooper were savvy pickups that will give the bullpen plenty of depth. The Whiskey Jacks possess the reigning Cy Young Award winner and (arguably) the best pitcher in the AL in Hipolito Matos. Along with budding young SP Phil Leonard, Matos is part of the best young pitching duo in the SPL. The lineup is loaded with young talent. Six of the nine positional starters are less than 27 years old. Youngsters Sammy Polonia, Patsy Wilkerson, Sherman Campbell and Maicer Almanza in particular, are the cornerstone players around which the front office is hoping to build a perennial playoff contender. Last season, the Jacks proved to be an up-and-coming talented team on the cusp of greatness. This season, they hope to prove that they are one of the truly elite teams in the league, and will be for many seasons to come. Perhaps the biggest question mark will be SP Heath Hewitt. The veteran Hewitt was signed at the start of last season, after two promising seasons to rebuild his career in Chicago, to provide stability and quality starts in the middle of the starting rotation. Needless to say, he was disappointing. If Hewitt can rebound and have the kind of year the Jack's front office was hoping he would have, then the Norfolk faithful could be in for a special season. Players and coaches haven't been shy in the media about "their" division and their intention of knocking the defending champion Revolution out of the top of the AL East. If this team stays healthy, and the young players continue to impress, Baltimore may find itself in a race for the division crown until the very end of the season.
Wild Card: Honolulu Rainbow Warriors
Season 15: 92-70
Season 16 (proj): 94-68
Acquisitions: CF Hector Brown (free agent signing)
Departures: SP Jimmie Lankford (free agent), SP Leo Nady (free agent to NOR), 1B Rabbit Rizzuto (free agent to HEL), SP Joey Serrano (free agent to ANA)
After a deep playoff run in Season 14, the Rainbow Warriors missed the post season dance in Season 16 by a mere one game. The front office decided that the biggest area of deficit for the Warriors was in CF and leadoff hitter. They targeted future HoFer Hector Brown. They convinced him to move to the Aloha state by giving him a 5-year, $79.5M contract. Fans in St. Louis were devastated. Fans in Hawaii were thrilled. The Warriors had landed the biggest fish in the free agent market. They are returning mostly the same team, except their biggest loss of Joey Serrano. Serrano signed with division rival Anaheim. He led the team in innings pitched last season (205) and was one of the most effective pitchers on the roster, with an ERA of 3.82. Young Gary Wilson will be asked to pick up some of the slack from Serrano's departure with continued improvement in his second big league season. Rookie RP Felix Wang will be asked to pitch high leverage innings out of the pen. He is big league ready, and should be able to make a solid contribution right away. The Warriors will be in the playoff hunt all season long. If they get hot at the right time could even be a sleeper team in the playoffs.
Teams to Watch
Philadelphia Stomp
Season 15: 93-69
Season 16 (proj): 92-68
Acquisitions: none
Departures: RP James Tanaka (free agent to SWB), SP Theodore McInerney (traded to SWB)
Last offseason, the Stomp were one of the busiest teams in the league. They were really active in the free agent market, signing a number of veteran players. This offseason, the front office felt that there weren't too many holes to fill. The ones that the team did have, they were capable of filling from within the system. SP Quilvo Lee is a highly touted rookie who will be asked to step right into the starting rotation. Lee showed scouts and coaches with his dominance in the minors (a MILB ERA of 2.87) that he was ready for the big times. The 21-year old southpaw has all of the tools. He throws hard with nasty stuff and should be very effective at the BL level. The only question about Lee will be his durability. He doesn't have a rubber arm. He certainly isn't a workhorse kind of pitcher, and probably won't ever pitch 200 innings in any season of his career. Still, he should be capable of tossing 170-180 very good innings each season. Rookie IF Sammy Camacho is going to get the chance to play everyday at SS. He'll be ok at the plate, but many scouts wonder if his defense is big league caliber. The Stomp possess a veteran pitching staff with an up-and-coming stud pitcher in Lee. This team will be one of the more difficult squads to score on. The strong staff will keep them in the playoff hunt until the very last games of the season.
Scottsdale Camels
Season 15: 81-81
Season 16 (proj): 92-68
Acquisitions: 3B Boots Knotts (free agent signing), CF Spud Hewson (free agent signing), LF Dennys Dong (free agent signing), RP Jon Pagnozzi (free agent signing), RP Mac Stephensen (free agent signing), P Joaquin Padilla (free agent signing)
Departures: CF Dann Wulf (free agent to MAD), LF Oscar Stanley (free agent to HON), 3B Ozzie Thompson (free agent to MAD), RF Buddy Benes (free agent to NO), SP George Ebert (free agent to JAX), SP Paul Austin (free agent)
Going into Season 15, the Camels were coming off of four consecutive seasons in which the team won at least 94 games. They also made a run to the ALCS in that time. They were one of the top teams in the AL. Then in Season 16, something happened. The entire team seemed to get old simultaneously. The team struggles throughout the regular season and finished at an even .500. The sports talk radio and the papers throughout Arizona were saying that it was time to blow up the roster and start over. Much to the surprise of many, the general manager went the other direction. With the Oakland franchise relocating to the Camels' backyard, they couldn't afford to lose any momentum in the standings or any fans in Arizona. Scottsdale loaded up on veterans to bolster their roster, and make one more run. While the free agent signings will make them competitive, it didn't make the squad any younger. The 25-man roster only has 8 players who are under 30 years old. The offense is no longer built around Clay Beirne. He is still a solid hitter (he hit .306 with 14 HR last season) but he is no longer physically able to play full time. He'll probably get 250-300 ABs this season. The offense will rely heavily upon the couple of young hitters that the team has: Pete Bradshaw and Jim Andrews. Those two will combine for somewhere between 70 and 80 home runs this season. Veteran 3B Boots Knotts will add some punch to the lineup and Hewson will be competent at the plate and supply solid defense in CF. The bullpen will be bolstered by the two former Redbirds that were signed, Pagnozzi and Stephensen. The Camels are a threat to make the playoffs, if their old timers manage to stay off the DL. This team will be solid for another couple of seasons before the front office will be forced to make another round of decisions about what to do with their aging roster.
Salem Mighty Ducks
Season 15: 77-85
Season 16 (proj): 83-79
Acquisitions: SP Jesus Palacios (free agent signing)
Departures: none
The Salem franchise has been mired in a bit of a funk since the Blues ownership group sold the team after Season 12. There have been two ownership changes since that time, and the team has seemed to underachieve and fly under the radar of its more successful division rivals. It doesn't help that the AL West is probably the toughest division in the SPL and has been for a pretty long while. The Ducks possess one of the very best pitchers in the league in Victor Delgado. Delgado is one of those truly unique arms who, if he gets hot at the right time, can pitch a team deep into the postseason nearly on his own. Of course for him to do that, they will need to get into the postseason. The teams two best position players are RF Bernie Pineda and 2B Vasco Terrero. For this season, Pineda and Terrero need to have career years for Salem to sneak into the playoffs. For the future, Delgado, Pineda and Terrero are all under 30. They form a very good foundation. If those three guys are surrounded with some more weapons, the Ducks could become a serious contender.
Kansas City Krazies
Season 15: 81-81
Season 16 (proj): 83-79
Season 16 (proj): 83-79
Acquisitions: none
Departures: none
Season 15 was a banner year for Kansas City. A .500 record may not seem like much, but its the first time this franchise hasn't had a losing record since Season 6. Since the very early days of the SPL, this franchise has been plagued by instability and a lack of direction. The ownership that took over after Season 13 and moved the team from Boston though, seems to finally have it on the right track. In just 2 seasons, this team has gone from a league worst 45 wins, to 81 wins last season. And more good things seem to be on the horizon. The ML roster may be the youngest in the league with only 4 players 30 or older. There are a number of solid young players on the roster, and a slew of prospects on the verge of breaking into the bigs. Keep an eye on Kansas City over the next couple of seasons. With the right moves and player development, this team will be a perennial playoff team in the near future.
