AMERICAN LEAGUE
#4 Anaheim Pepper Pickers (90-72)
Pitching: B+ (5th)
Offense: B+ (5th)
Fielding: A (2nd)
Speed: A- (4th)
Power: C (10th)
W.G.: B (6th)
vs.
#1 Philadelphia Stomp (99-63)
Pitching: A (2nd)
Offense: A (1st)
Fielding: C (10th)
Speed: C- (12th)
Power: A (1st)
W.G.: B (7th)
Likely Pitching Matchups:
Quilvio Lee (PHI) vs. Benny Bonilla (ANA)
Andres Hernandez (PHI) vs. Sandy Carver (ANA)
Dante Kobayashi (PHI) vs. Johnny Lukasiewicz (ANA)
Keys to the Series:
This is a matchup of two teams at different stages of contention. The faithful in Anaheim are hoping that this season is a start of a Renaissance for the team to return to its glory days (seasons 9-17) of perennial playoff contention (that included an AL Pennant). The sweep of AL powerhouse Norfolk in the Division Play in Series was a surprise, and a welcome one. On the other side is Philadelphia. The squad that has won 2 of the last 4 AL Pennants and has been knocking on the door of a championship for the better part of the last ten seasons. This year could be the year. The Stomp are the class of the AL, with the best all around team. Anaheim will be the underdog. In order for the Pepper Pickers to pull off another upset, they will need veteran (and 2-time World Series winner) Benny Bonilla to out-pitch Quilvio Lee in at least one game, or at least pitch him to a stand-still. That will turn the series into a best of three affair in which Lee won't play a part. If the Stomp win both of Lee's starts, the series is pretty much over. The other X Factor is Anaheim's team speed. Nearly every regular starter is a threat on the bases with 7 players who stole 15 or more bases during the regular season. There will be a lot of pressure on C Rick Jamison to keep that under wraps. He threw out a very respectable 35% during this season. Because the Pickers rely so heavily on the steal, and especially with a stingy Stomp pitching staff, Jamison's success in throwing runners out may be the biggest single factor in the series. Unless, of course, Philly's pitchers simply don't allow baserunners...
Prediction... Philadelphia wins in four.
#3 Charlotte Dukies (97-65)
Pitching: A- (3rd)
Offense: B (7th)
Fielding: A- (3rd)
Speed: D+ (13th)
Power: A- (4th)
W.G.: B+ (5th)
vs.
#2 St. Louis Redbirds (98-64)
Pitching: A (1st)
Offense: B- (8th)
Fielding: D (14th)
Speed: C (11th)
Power: B+ (5th)
W.G.: C- (12th)
Likely Pitching Matchups:
Phil Leonard (STL) vs. Frank Huang (CHA)Carter Maybin (STL) vs. Harold Paquette (CHA)
Lonny Sanchez (STL) vs. Teddy Valent (CHA)
Keys to the Series:
This is the best series in the DCS. These two teams are very evenly matched, and very similar in capabilities and style. Both teams possess excellent, and deep pitching rotations. Both teams possess above average offenses, that rely on power over speed. The main difference is with the leather. While the Redbirds are very unimpressive in the field, the Dukies are an very good fielding team. When you consider the team's apparent weakness in defense, the fact that the St. Louis pitching staff was the highest rated in the AL is even more impressive. The Redbirds do have a slight (very slight) advantage in the starting rotation, and the home field for three of the five games. If the Redbirds don't commit errors in key situations, they should have a slight edge. This one is a toss up though, and really could go either way.
Prediction... St Louis wins in five.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
# 5 Atlanta Soda Poppers (98-64)
Pitching: A- (3rd)
Offense: B- (8th)
Fielding: B (6th)
Speed: A (2nd)
Power: C (11th)
W.G.: C+ (9th)
vs.
#1 San Diego Wiley Coyotes (107-55)
Pitching: A (1st)
Offense: A- (4th)
Fielding: B- (8th)
Speed: A (2nd)
Power: C (11th)
W.G.: B (7th)
Likely Pitching Matchups:
Pepe Sosa (SD) vs. Thurman Olerud (ATL)
Tony Amarista (SD) vs. Eduardo Belliard (ATL)
Victor Moreno (SD) vs. Benito Feliz (ATL)
Keys to the Series:
How can you knock Pepe Sosa, the guy who is going to win career game #200 before he is 30? What can you say about a player who, at the age of 28, is on the verge of winning his 7th Cy Young Award and is likely already the best pitcher in the history of the league? You can say, 'Has he done it in the playoffs? Has he won a World Series? The answer is, not really, and no. In his 3 trips to the playoffs, Pepe has been good, but not what you've come to expect from him, and he only boasts a 3-3 record. Its the only thing he has yet to accomplish in his storied career. If he can win more than one WS, his legacy will be cemented as the 'Greatest There Ever Was.' In season's past, you could say that he didn't have the supporting cast around him and that Vancouver was the dominant force in the division making it very tough for the Coyotes to get into the playoffs. Not this season. This season, the Coyotes have other stars. They have the best record in SP, and have been the best team in the NL from Opening Day (along with Little Rock). And they have Pepe on a mission. This season was the best of his career, which is scary. Atlanta did have some red flags pop up in their series against a poor Chicago squad. In the four game series, they didn't score a run on the Gray Sox's elderly starting pitching. Not one. The difference between Chicago's starting rotation and San Diego's is night and day. Atlanta will need to do three things if they are to pull off the upset. First, they have to take one game off of Pepe. If the Coyotes win both of his starts, the series is over. Two, they have to score runs early. The Coyotes starting rotation is strong, as is the back of their bullpen. But their middle relief is soft. If they can force San Diego's second line of relief pitching into action, they stand a much better chance of scoring runs. Three, the Soda Poppers must run! They won't get on base much, and were a good base stealing team this season. The Achilles heel of the Coyotes is the stolen base. They threw out an NL worst 19% of base stealers. Atlanta needs to maximize every base runner and get some timely hitting.
Prediction... San Diego wins in three.
#3 Iowa City Badgers (89-73)
Pitching: B (6th)
Offense: B+ (5th)
Fielding: C (10th)
Speed: D (16th)
Power: A (2nd)
W.G.: D (14th)
vs.
#2 Little Rock Mockingbirds (106-56)
Pitching: A (2nd)
Offense: A (1st)
Fielding: A (2nd)
Speed: A- (3rd)
Power: A- (3rd)
W.G.: A (1st)
Likely Pitching Matchups:
Pedro Castillo (LR) vs. Damaso Machado (IA)
Julian Belliard (LR) vs. Hipolito Matos (IA)
Pedro Lecuona (LR) vs. Juan Seneca (IA)
Keys to the Series:
On paper, the Mockingbirds are the best team in the league. They excel in every facet of the game: pitching, hitting and fielding. They have speed and power and are capable of scoring in many different ways. This team doesn't really have a weakness. Don't sleep on Iowa City though. They have hovered under the radar this season, and were quietly the best of the NL teams not from Little Rock or San Diego. They also boast the likely 2nd best pitcher in the NL in Hipolito Matos. The Badgers are the definition of a station-to-station team. Last in the NL in stolen bases, but the team boasts good power. The key to this series is Game 1. If the Badgers can steal that 1st game, they would then give their ace, Matos, a chance to put his team up 2-0. And that would likely happen, as Matos has earned himself a reputation as a big game pitcher with a 10-5 postseason record and a 3.05 ERA. Still, the Badgers have a huge task ahead of them. And the baseball gods seemed to have put the Mockingbirds and the Coyotes on a collision course for the NLCS.
Prediction... Little Rock wins in five.
