American League
#5 Batimore Revolution (96-66)
vs.
#4 Minnesota Target (77-85)
THE MATCH-UP- For the second time in four seasons Minnesota has won the very weak AL North with a losing record. Since the regression of the St. Louis Redbirds from contender to doormat, this division has been very poor. The Target were a respectable enough team though. They ranked 8th in the AL in runs scored and 10th in fewest runs allowed. Other than up-and-coming Mendy Crawford (10-12, 3.81 ERA), who is poised to have a breakout year in Season 20, the pitching staff is an assembly solid veterans who only the most hardcore of baseball fans would be able to name. While respectable, no single pitcher really stands out. In their lineup, Freddie Blue (.285 AVG, 24 HR, 106 RBI) and Yamid Park (.285 AVG, 21 HR, 95 RBI) both had very solid seasons, its the potential of oft-injured Dewayne Thompson, (.289 AVG, 14 HR, 53 RBI) acquuired from New Orleans this season, that gives the Target any kind of hope at making noise these postseason. When healthy, he is the best hitter on the team, one of the best in the league, and has shown in the past (Season 16 with Milwaukee) he has the potential to get hot enough to carry a team offensively. Despite nagging hamstring problems all season long (2 trips to the DL) he seems to be healthy now and it'll be interesting to see what he can do. Baltimore, as always, is back into the playoffs with one of the top records in the AL. Many are surprised they didn't win the division outright considering Norfolk's fire sale of their Cy Young laded pitching rotation. Still, Baltimore was the most well rounded team in the AL, 2nd in runs scored and fewest runs allowed while ranking 4th in fielding and 1st in steals. They are also probably the most dangerous team. Randy Muelens and Billy Ray Howington combined to throw 418 innings with a 31-13 record and a 3.55 ERA. The Rev boast 4 players with a .300+ AVG and 30+ HR this season (the Target have none): leading MVP candidate Aurelio Diaz (.314 AVG, 39 HR, 116 RBI), Deivi Borges (.305 AVG, 37 HR, 95 RBI), Alex Chen (.315 AVG, 31 HR, 98 RBI) and Alfredo Pimentel (.345 AVG, 31 HR, 80 RBI). The Rev did get a serious blow when Borges suffered a serious knee injury earlier in the season, which he is still on the DL from. Team doctors know he won't be available for a while but there is some hope he might be available for the World Series if Baltimore were to advance that far. Baltimore wins in three.
#6 Philadelphia Stomp (95-67)
vs.
#3 Charlotte Dukies (83-79)
THE MATCH-UP- For the fourth time in the last five season, the Stomp have made it into the post season. Each of those last four, the Stomp have been eliminated in the ALCS. This season they hope to finally... finally get over the hump and into the Fall Classic. They may have the team for it too. The Stomp had the most dominant staff in the AL, allowing the fewer runs than any other team. The departure of Matos to the AL left the honor of most dominant pitcher in the AL vacant. The pitcher most thought would step into that role was Quilvio Lee (18-5, 2.17 ERA). And Lee left no doubt who was the best pitcher in Season 19 in the AL. He is the favorite to win the AL Cy Young and, at age 24, had the best season of his young career. He set career highs in every major category. It wasn't just Lee though. His fellow Dominican, 26-year old Al Francisco (19-8, 3.19 ERA) was dominant as well. These two formed one of the very best tandems in the league this season, and should remain so for many seasons to come. Offensively, the team ranked a respectable 7th in the AL in runs scored. The Stomp boasted plenty of power though, ranking 2nd in HR. Most of that power was provided by MVP candidate Orber Martin (.295 AVG, 56 HR, 120 RBI) and Jim Andrews (.266 AVG, 45 HR, 116 RBI). While the Stomp have consistently been at the top of the AL over the last decade, their opponents from NC have been in the polar opposite place as an organization. And Season 19 will hopefully mark the end of nearly 20 seasons of futility. Since the move to Charlotte, the franchise has been much more stable, and appeared to be heading in the right direction. Last season confirmed that when they posted their first winning record in five seasons. This season marks the franchise's first ever division title, and only their second trip to the post season. They dethroned a New Orleans team that definitely fell short of its lofty preseason expectations. And they did so with a solid, balanced approach. This team wasn't flashy. They were solid. They ranked 10th in runs scored and 7th in fewest runs allowed. They were one of the better fielding teams in the AL ranking 5th in fielding. This team is probably better than it would appear though, and is definitely up-and-coming, with 13 players (including 10 regular starters) on the ML team who are 25 or younger. The franchise is particularly excited about their dynamic young starting pitcher duo of Frank Huang (15-11, 4.04 ERA) and Teddy Valent (15-12, 4.06 ERA). They both threw over 200 innings this season, leading their team in that category. Both had solid seasons, and should be even better in Season 20. If nothing else, Charlotte's front office is happy their young stars will get a taste of postseason play... While the Dukies are a solid squad, and heading in the right direction; they look to be a season or two away from really hitting their stride and making a name for themselves. The Stomp on the other hand are battle-tested and ready to finally win the AL Pennant. This year could very well be their year. Philadelphia wins in four.
National League
#5 San Diego Wiley Coyotes (91-71)
vs.
#4 Iowa City Baders (86-76)
THE MATCH-UP: The Coyotes make the playoffs via the Wild Card for the second straight season. Mostly because of Pepe Sosa (22-9, 2.07 ERA) and his video game like numbers. He's almost a lock to win his fourth Cy Young Award this season, all before the age of 25. Its really too bad that his team has been unable to get him a great #2 pitcher to back him up. If Pepe had a running mate, this squad would be really dangerous. They are still a very good team though, with good balance. They rank 6th in the NL in runs scored and 7th in fewest runs allowed. As for Iowa City, after a terrible start to the regular season, the Badgers finally got their, well, their 'stuff' together. They were preseason pick to win the division after picking up Hipolito Matos (16-11, 2.39 ERA) from the Whiskey Jacks. They did finally clinch the division crown very late in the season, and ended Milwaukee's streak of 8 straight NL North titles. Matos and Damaso Machado (15-10, 3.08 ERA) combined to lead a pitching staff that led the NL in team ERA and fewest runs allowed. Its a good thing they did though, because the offense was very inconsistent, ranking 14th in runs scored... Its what all baseball fans have been waiting for. It may finally be here. If both pitchers stay on their regular rest, then Game 2 of this series will feature Matos vs. Sosa. The top two starting pitchers in the SPL squaring off in the playoffs. It could be the most hardware ever to duel in the playoffs as both pitcher will carry 3 Cy Youngs worth of dominance out to the mound with them. Normally, I'd give the edge in a 5-game series to any team with Sosa. But if there is any pitcher who could conceivably cancel that advantage, its Hipolito Matos. While Machado is a better starter than anybody San Diego would trot out as a #2, the Coyote's offense is much more explosive than the Badgers. The winner of this series, will be the winner of the Matos v. Sosa game if they meet. Also, San Diego's defense has been very shaky at times (4th most errors in the NL) and it wouldn't surprise me to see unearned runs be the difference in an otherwise closely matched series. Iowa City wins in five.
#6 Atlanta Soda Poppers (90-72)
vs.
#3 Pittsburgh Polar Bears (90-72)
THE MATCH-UP: Two teams, two franchises coming from different places and heading in opposite directions. Atlanta is only making their 4th playoff appearence in franchise history and had a winning record for the 1st time in 13 seasons. They are a, mostly, young team (only one player over 30) who is on the rise and finally breaking though to becoming a playoff team. Pittsburgh is the most storied, and winningest franchise in the NL, and probably the entire SPL. Their roster is stocked with aging All Stars who are clamoring for one last stab at World Series glory. The Polar Bears have 13 key players who are north of 30 years of age. While the Bears did manage to take back the NL East from their likewise aging rivals from Chicago, they did it with the team's lowest win total in 14 seasons. Pittsburgh's players know that this season could very well be their last chance with this core of players, many of whom were part of some (or all) of the team's previous 5 championships. Offensively, the Bears were middle of the pack, ranking 7th in runs scored. The glaring weakness though, is the team's lack of power. Only three other NL teams had fewer home runs, and only 2 players (Brian Okajima, .314 AVG, 27 HR, 89 RBI and Eugenio Estrella, .307 AVG, 20 HR, 83 RBI). The team strenght was pitching (5th in the NL in fewest runs allowed) and defense (ranked highest in the NL). Ramon Yamamoto (20-7, 2.73 ERA) at age 35, could have very well won the Cy Young this season if it weren't for Pepe Sosa. He picked up his 250th career win and pitched his 3,000th career inning this season. He continues to defy age and many are starting to wonder if he can get to 300 wins. Despite the team's overall pitching success, Yamamoto remains the clear standout as many formerly great players age around him. Benji Armas (12-6, 3.10 ERA) appears likely to be the 2nd starter behind Yamamoto. Armas is a wiley veteran who had a nice season. He is still an effective pitcher though he can no longer go deep into games. In Atlanta, Phil Chang (15-5, 3.28 ERA) continues to be one of the games great enigmas. Last season, he was terrible, going 5-10 with a 5.30 ERA. This season, he is pitching at an All Star level. If he pitches well, Atlanta might surprise some teams. He compliments staff ace Eduardo Belliard (13-12, 3.35 ERA) and takes some of the pressure off of him. Atlanta was a complete team, ranking 4th in both runs scored and runs allowed; though their fielding was suspect at times, ranking 10th in the NL. Young Roger Bigbie (.309 AVg, 32 HR, 96 RBI) continues to prove he is one of the better hitters in the league, as he gets better and better each season. This is probably the closest of all of the first round matchups. I'll give the advantage to the old-timers and find some postseason magic one last time. Pittsburgh wins in five.
