NLCS Prediction: Little Rock Mockingbirds defeat Iowa City Badgers
World Series Prediction: Little Rock Mockingbirds defeat St. Louis Redbirds
North:
Iowa City Badgers
Before Season 19 the Badgers acquired Hipolito Matos. He was (and still is) one of the top five starting pitchers in the league. Since then, the Badgers have won at least 86 games and have won the NL North for five consecutive seasons and have always been in the conversation in the NL Playoff picture. They even made a trip to the NLCS in Season 21. The team has seemed to be stuck on the step right before championship contender though, and fans and the front office are desperate to take that next step before the window of opportunity closes. That window will close soon too. Matos is still going strong, but he is 33 years old and nearing the end of his prime. Also, though probably not quite there yet, New York and especially Milwaukee are improving and will be in the hunt for the division very soon. With this in mind, the Badgers were pretty active in the FA market. They signed former AL All Star Alex Chen to play 2B and the veteran Juilo Javier to play C. Javier replaces (and is an upgrade over) the departed Hipolito Moreno, who signed in Salem. Frankie Simpson, who had a very disappointing season last year, was allowed to walk away and signed with Honolulu. Those signings were shrewd ones, as they addressed the only needs the team really needed. The Badgers boast solid depth throughout the field, and are probably the third best overall roster in the NL. Luke Randall and Davey Quixote provide a good anchor for the middle of the rotation. Damaso Machado plays an excellent Robin to Mato's Batman. The bullpen is very good as well. If this team were to have a weakness or area to improve, it would be at the 5th spot in the pitching rotation, or defense at SS. Its not likely for the team to make a move at SS though. Campos is a very good hitter, for a SS, and even though he is below average defensively, all of the other spots on the diamond have solidified starters leaving Campos no where to move to if the team were to land a new SS. The team will just have to 'deal' with Campos at SS (a good problem to have).
SPN Prediction: 96-66
East:
Cleveland Lake Shores
The NL East should be a two team race between Cleveland and Washington. It should go down to the wire leaving the historic NL East powers of Pittsburgh and Chicago very far behind as those two franchises continue to rebuild. Cleveland's veteran core, and bevy of experience will give them the edge... this season. Washington, with their young core of up-and-coming players, will likely be the team to beat in the NL East for many seasons to come. The Lake Shores didn't do anything in the trade market, but did make some moves with free agents. Veteran starters Damaso Peron and Alfredo Tejada signed away from Cleveland. To take their spots, the Lake Shores signed Pedro Franco and Jim Olson. The end result will likely be a wash. Thus the team should be comparable to last season's squad, though with key players Matt Wolf and Oswaldo Canseco have one more year's worth of gray hairs. Wolf, in particular, will start becoming a liability. Though he is still an excellent hitter, he doesn't have the arm to play behind the plate anymore. As an NL team though, the options for him are limited. The pitching staff is very deep, even if it lacks a true ace. Moves to look for in Cleveland if the front office decides to try and improve the team's talent are CF and RF and possibly the starting pitching. The team does actually have a couple of trades chips to dangle, specifically a couple of ML ready catchers currently in AAA if the GM does decide to try and make a move.
SPN Prediction: 83-79
South:
Little Rock Mockingbirds
The NL South is the deepest division in the NL. The Mockinbirds have the best roster in the NL, and will likely win the division by 10 games or so, leaving the other three teams to duke it out in the Wild Card. The roster is a great mix of youth and experience. The franchise has won back-to-back NL Pennants, both years the team has settled into Little Rock. The team has also been heartbroken twice. This seasons, the front office pulled out all the stops, and launched an all out assault on free agents. The team only lost Mike Boone and Jair Segui, neither of which were major pieces. They opened the checkbook and signed the best FA pitcher on the market in Lonny Sanchez and another former All Star in veteran Alfredo Moya. Felix Wang was brought in from Honolulu, where he had been that team's best reliever for the last few seasons. This roster is stacked, top to bottom. The starting rotation is the deepest in the NL, and the only one in the league to rival Philadelphia's stable of horses. The bullpen is excellent, and all of the positions on the diamond are manned by veteran players. The lineup is deep, and defensively sound throughout. There are 16 players on the ML roster have have been to at least one All Star game. They also have two of the best young players around in Phil Brea and JP Romano. In the NL, its the Mockingbirds and everyone else.
SPN Prediction: 108-54
West:
San Diego Wiley Coyotes
Season 27 looked to be a year of destiny for San Diego. They had a franchise best 107 wins and boasted the best record in the league. I think its now safe to call Pepe Sosa the best starting pitcher in the history of Satchel Paige. Pepe, by the way, will get his 200th career win this season, at the ripe old age of 29. Season 27 was the best single season, in Pepe's career thus far. The Coyotes seemed pre-ordained for a heavy weight battle in the NLCS versus the Mockingbirds. It was the match up that baseball fans everyone were anxious to see. Instead, the Coyotes were upset, at home, in a deciding Game 5 by Atlanta in the NLDS. The loss was devastating to fans and players alike. During the offseason, no significant moves were made. The loss of Michael Delgado will be a major blow to the offense. In what looked to be a salary dump, All Star reliever JB Romano was traded to St. Louis for a backup outfielder. Now, just as the Stomp will be doing with Quilvio Lee, players an management alike will have to answer questions about the contract status of one Pepe Sosa, who will be a free agent next season. Though both the team and Sosa's circle have been quiet, the lack of an extension leads many to draw the conclusion that Sosa will, in fact, hit the free agent market. He will, of course, garner multiple max offers. Its hard to see him not staying in San Diego though, just as its hard to see the Coyotes being unwilling to give him any contract he wants. The hangover of last season's bitter end, and the looming saga of Sosa's contract will lead to a down season in San Diego. The roster is still very good though, and Pepe is still pitching for the Coyotes. They will be good, and the best in the NL West. There are some holes though. The team could use an upgrade at C, 1B and 2B.
SPN Prediction: 94-68
Wild Card:
Richmond Rebellion
The Rebellion had a very disappointing Season 23. After 6 straight seasons off 95+ wins, the team finished sub .500. To be sure, a big part of that was the crushing loss of fan favorite slugger, Ted Westmoreland who signed a very lucrative deal to move to the nation's capital. Despite the record, talent-wise, this is not a sub .500 squad. Luis Delgado has assumed the role of team leader, face of the franchise and the team's best player with Westmoreland gone. He is a very, very good player. The front office hopes that Julio Borbon will take a step forward in his second season assuming the starting duties in RF. The same could be said of Freddie Lorraine. At 24 years old, in his 3rd seasons, Lorraine steadily improved during his first two seasons. He needs to be a force in the lineup for the Rebellion to get back into the playoffs. The bullpen is excellent led by veteran Scooter Simmons who gives 130+ innings every season in relief. The starting rotation is pretty shallow though, and the area that could use the most improvement. The team could also make upgrades at 3B, LF and SS. Like most seasons, the Wild Card will be very tough and the Rebellion will be right in the middle of it.
SPN Prediction: 94-68
Wild Card:
Oakland Athletics
Finally! Finally! After one of the most prolonged playoffs droughts in SP history, the As made the playoffs in Season 23. During the previous 15 seasons, the A's hadn't had a taste of postseason action. In 13 of those seasons, the team finished below with a losing record. The team didn't make much noise duirng the playoffs, maybe they had a case of the 'just happy to be theres' and lost to Iowa City in the Wild Card round. They didn't make much noise during the offseason either. They made no impactful signings, or lost any significant players. The only trade they made was a very minor deal with Washington. The As possess a very solid trio of starting pitchers in Enos Hayes, Evan King and John Peters. The pen is solid as well, particularly Alexei Matos. In the field, the A's are a very good defensive squad, led by wiz SS Bobby Hall. He's gonna pick up a couple of Gold Gloves during his career. Stynes and Cairncross provide the pop in the lineup. Nobody else really is a force for the offense, and the injury to Moran is a big one. Luckily he should be back before the end of the season, but in the meantime the team doesn't have much at catcher. If the team makes a move to upgrade, expect it to be at starting pitcher or CF.
SPN Prediction: 92-70
In the Hunt:
Washington Generals
The Generals got off to a terrible start last season. Some mid-season roster shuffling got the team back on track, and playing more in line with their talent level. But it was too late, and the Generals too far back. The Gray Sox won the division with a mediocre 77-85 record, one game ahead of Washington. The front office must have felt pretty good about their chances this season, because they didn't make much noise in the way of offseason moves. The only trade was a very minor one with Oakland that netted some fringy prospects now playing in the minors. They signed no major free agents, and only lost Tony Espinosa, who was only with the team for the second half of last season. There are no impact rookies for Washington either. The team does boast a young roster, with a number of developing players. There are only 3 players on the ML roster who are 30 or over. Juan Arencibia, Vernon Roberts and Oliver Richardson are all second year players, playing in their first full ML season as starters. All three are have the potential to be All Stars, and form a solid core of position players to build around. SP Jason Riggan is also in his second season, his first full season, and is being asked to be the team's #1 pitcher. While a very solid pitcher, who will get even better, some scouts don't think he has the potential to be a #1 on a championship contender; that he is more of a #2. After Riggan, the rest of the pitching staff is pretty uninspiring. The starting rotation is the area that could use an upgrade the most, and the place most likely to get an improvement if the team makes in midseason move. The bullpen is solid though, and should take some of the pressure off of the back end of the starting rotation. The Generals are the team on the rise in the NL East, but SPN thinks they are one season away, and will fall just short in Season 24.
SPN Prediction: 91-71
In the Hunt:
Atlanta Soda Poppers
The Soda Poppers are coming off of the best season in franchise history. The team's 98-64 regular season record is a franchise best. It was also the franchise's 1st appearance in the NLCS, where they were defeated by the back-to-back NL Champion Mockingbirds. Like many teams this offseason, the Poppers were pretty quiet. 2B Mateo Mercedes left Atlanta, signing a 2 year deal in the Big Easy. Underated LF Tony Campos signed a very team friendly two year contract. Campos has been a part time player the last few seasons. The only two seasons he has had 500 or more ABs, Campos had 20-20 seasons. He is one of the fastest players in the league, with plus power and a career OPS of .800+. It was a great signing for Atlanta. Thurman Olerud, is the team's best player and staff ace. He might be the most underrated/overlooked pitchers in the league. He is likely one of the 10 best starters in the league, a 3-time All Star with a career ERA of 2.89. One of the keys to this year's success is going to be Danny Piersoll. The team can't quite decide what role they would like him in. He has bounced between the rotation and the bullpen. Whether he ends up settling in as a short starter, or a workhorse reliever, the highly touted young pitcher will give this squad a big boost if he can put up a solid season. Overall the the team's pitching staff is solid, and deep. Other than Olerud, the staff consists of solid, blue collar veterans who don't have much in the way of name recognition. The areas this squad need the most help are the holes at 1B and at RF. A solid #2 starter to backup Olerud wouldn't be a bad idea either, but the other two spots are much more glaring needs. Coming off of a great season last year, SPN thinks the team will regress a bit at the squad had everything go perfectly last season, and overachieved a bit. Keep an eye on Atlanta in the Wild Card mix.
SPN Prediction: 91-71
In the Hunt:
Durham Swamp Hogs
Durham has been stuck in the middle of the NL for the last four seasons or so. They have only made the playoffs once in team history, and that was two seasons ago. They've been stuck between 78 and 83 wins for the last four seasons, and haven't been able to take the next step forward. They'll likely be stuck there again this season, with a competitive squad that will likely miss the playoffs, again. The team lost their best pitcher, Matty Romano, who signed a 5-year, $55.7M contract with Minnesota. This will be a big blow for Durham. The team made a couple of FA signings in journeymen Paul Thurham and Mike Boone. Both are solid, capable players. Neither is a household name though, or what you would call an impact player. The team is very excited about rookie 3B Herb Bauer. He is very polished, and ML ready and will certainly be one of the front runners for the NL Rookie of the Year. The team's strength is the bullpen, which is solid top-to-bottom. In the field, there is a hole in RF that could be adresses, and SS could use an upgrade as well. The team is adequate at starting pitcher, but could really use a top starter or two. Without a roster upgrade, the team will once again be solid, and likely finish above .500 but not good enough to get into the playoffs.
SPN Prediction: 88-74
In the Hunt:
Milwaukee Titans
Along with Pittsburgh and Chicago, Milwaukee is one of the NL's traditional powers. Like Pittsburgh and Chicago, the team has fallen on hard times in recent seasons, and has been retooling the farm system to get back to the promised land once again. Its been 5 seasons since this team was in the playoffs and 4 straight seasons with a losing record, both franchise records. While the team still has some holes, notably at 2B, CF and RF. The squad could also use an upgrade in the pitching rotation. The Titans are trending in the right direction now though. It'll be a slow and steady build up, as the team has made it pretty obvious that they will be slowly building from within, rather than on the FA market, at least for now. The big boost for this season's team will be rookie 3B Howie Becker. He was likely ML ready one, or even two seasons ago, but the front office decided to take a very conservative approach in his development. He is the definite favorite to win the NL Rookie of the Year, and a superstar in the making. This squad isn't ready to take back the NL yet, but it will be within two to three seasons likely, as Milwaukee's farm is loaded with talent and the ML squad will be getting regular reinforcements over the next few seasons.
SPN Prediction: 82-80
