November, 2010
These Are
the Champions, My Friends
It
has been a crazy, wild, unpredictable and utterly frustrating season.
What better way to cap it all off with another post-season Tournament of
Randomness?
Last year, it was all but preordained
that the Los Altos Undertakers would run away with the BDBL
championship. We all saw it coming before the season even began.
And although the best team rarely wins the Tournament of Randomness, the
Undertakers were so good last year, they actually managed to fulfill
their destiny. (At least, I think they did. Jeff hasn't
finished his book yet, so I'm not sure how it all ended.)
This year, the Undertakers are even
more dominant than last year, if you look at their runs differential.
But this year, they have a little bit of competition. The 2010
season has been notable for the number of dominant teams in the league.
For the first time since 2002 (and only the third time in league
history), there are four 100-win teams in the league. Each team
looks just as unbeatable on paper as their records indicate.
Unlike last season, this year, the BDBL trophy appears to be up for
grabs.
Los
Altos Undertakers
Unlike some past BDBL champions who
sacrificed their farm system for one shot at the title, the Undertakers
were built with a long-range plan in mind. Last year was just the
first year that plan came to fruition, and unfortunately for the rest of
the league there are countless more ahead.
Los Altos won more game this season
(113) than any other team in the BDBL. Their offense ranked #1 in
runs scored (969), home runs (233), walks (693), OBP (.355) and slugging
(.467.) Their pitching staff led the OL in strikeouts (1,415) and
fewest hits allowed (7.2 per nine), and ranked #2 in ERA (3.42.)
And the Los Altos defense led the league in lowest batting average
allowed on balls in play (.266), highest fielding percentage (.990),
fewest errors (60) and lowest stolen base percentage allowed (65%.)In
short, it was a total team effort.
Adrian Gonzalez had a phenomenal year,
hitting .308/.415/.645 overall, with 52 homers, 127 runs scored, 142
RBI's, 111 walks, and 161.3 runs created. If not for the historic
season by Joe Mauer, Gonzalez would likely be the OL MVP. The
Undertakers' catching tandem of Mike Napoli (.335/.402/.601, with 20 HR
in 328 AB) and Matt Wieters (.317/.381/.395 in 309 AB) created 128.9
runs together -- second only to Corona's catching tandem of Mauer
and...well...no one. And Raul Ibanez (.275/.358/.588, 41 HR, 104
R, 110 RBI, 109 RC) also had a tremendous season.
For the most part, the 2010 lineup was
an exact replica of the 2009 championship lineup, with one major
exception. At the Chapter Four deadline, GM Jeff Paulson added
Evan Longoria in a monstrous deal with the St. Louis Apostles.
Longoria hit .267/.365/.543 with 12 homers in 210 AB for the Undertakers
down the stretch, while providing Ex defense at the hot corner.
Luckily for us, Longoria will only be an Undertaker for another...six
years.
Like their lineup, the 2010 Los Altos
pitching staff is almost exactly the same as the 2009 championship team.
Early in October, the Undertakers became the first franchise in BDBL
history to have three 20-game winners on the pitching staff: Jon Lester
(22-5 with a league-leading 2.26 ERA and 251 K's), C.C. Sabathia (21-10,
3.81 ERA and 229 K's) and Matt Garza (20-9, 4.60 ERA and 193 K's.)
But Los Altos has never been known for
their starting pitching. Their calling card, dating all the way
back to Year One, has been their bullpen. And this year has been
no exception, as the Undertakers bullpen features no fewer than five
pitchers who would be closers for almost any other team in the league:
Joaquim Soria (1.59 ERA in 56+ IP, 41 SVs), Mike Adams (0.76 ERA in 35+
IP as an Undertaker), Andrew Bailey (2.08 ERA in 73+ IP), Michael Wuertz
(2.29 ERA in 86+ IP, with 117 K's) and Rafael Soriano (3.43 ERA in 78+
IP, with 115 K's.)
The Undertakers outscored their
opponents this season by a whopping 378 runs -- the greatest runs
differential in Ozzie League history, and the second-highest
differential in league history. Incredibly enough, Los Altos was
actually a bit unlucky this season, as their Pythagorean record (based
on that differential) is 117-43.
Yes, the Undertakers are still the team
to beat in the BDBL.
Allentown
Ridgebacks
After taking a year off between
championships, the Ridgebacks dominated the 2010 season as many expected
they would. Allentown led the Eck League in wins (109), and for
the second time in franchise history, they scored at least 300 runs more
than their opponents (316.) But most importantly (on the John Duel
Scale of Performance™),
the Ridgebacks led the BDBL in the ever-important category of home run
differential (+127.)
On the mound, the Ridgebacks led the EL
with a 3.60 team ERA. They also allowed just 123 home runs (fewest
in the league) and saved 52 games (#1 in the EL.) But it wasn't
their pitching that got the Ridgebacks to the post-season.
Allentown scored a whopping 949 runs (tops in the EL, and second only to
the Undertakers in the BDBL), while leading the Eck League in slugging
percentage (.485), doubles (342), home runs (250) and walks (711.)
That home run total is the highest of any team in the BDBL since 2007.
(Believe it or not, the New Hope Badgers hit 254 homers that year.)
Three different Ridgebacks hitters
managed 30+ homers this season: Mark Reynolds (.257/.337/.522 with 37
HR), Ben Zobrist (.302/.401/.569 with 35 HR) and Justin Morneau
(.243/.364/.472 with 32 HR.) Ryan Braun (.324/.400/.537) was next
with 23 homers. Jason Bartlett (.319/.393/.495, 48 2B, 100 R),
Jorge Posada (.289/.410/.510), Ian Kinsler (.273/.369/.477, 17 HR) and
Garrett Jones (.273/.342/.514, 17 HR) also had tremendous seasons.
Jayson Werth (.252/.355/.455) also added 19 homers to that tally.
The Ridgebacks absolutely destroyed
left-handed pitching this season, hitting. 306/.397/.553 against
southpaws. If a single hitter posts a 950 OPS, that's impressive;
when an entire team does it, it's awe-inspiring. This is
certainly bad news for the Fire Ants, whose ace (John Danks) is a lefty.
On the hill, team ace Tim Lincecum came
within one win of matching the all-time BDBL record, set by C.C.
Sabathia last season. In 42 games (38 starts), Lincecum went a
remarkable 28-4 on the season, with a 2.88 ERA in 246+ innings. He
also became the first pitcher since Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling
(Allentown teammates) in 2003 to record 300 strikeouts in a season.
Incredibly, aside from Lincecum, the
rest of the Allentown rotation was merely pedestrian: Scott Baker
(16-10, 3.69 ERA in 219+ IP), Rick Porcello (15-9, 4.30 ERA in 186+ IP),
Randy Wells (11-7, 4.59 ERA in 174+ IP) and Ryan Rowland-Smith (4-8,
4.54 ERA in 101 IP.)
Along with Lincecum, it was the
Allentown bullpen that carried this team throughout the year.
Scott Downs (traded mid-season) didn't allow a single run through 16+
innings. Claudio Vargas posted a 1.26 ERA through 43 innings, and
managed a team-high 29 saves, despite walking 22 batters. Ronald
Belisario (acquired in the Downs trade) posted a 1.40 ERA as a Ridgeback
in 19+ innings. And David Aardsma, Brendon Donnelly and Justin
Outman combined for a 2.08 ERA in 108 innings.
It's no big secret how Allentown
managed to go from 78 wins to 109 in just one season. GM Tom
DiStefano made only a handful of trades this winter. The only two
players he acquired that made an impact on this team were Kinsler and
Vargas (and you could make a very good case that this team would've won
109 games without those two.) And the only really impactful free
agents DiStefano signed this winter was Bartlett. (Note: role
players George Sherrill, Scott Downs and Garrett Jones were also signed
this winter.)
The bulk of this team was formed well
before the 2010 season. Lincecum and Braun were acquired as farm
players, in two of the more notorious trades in league history.
(I'll save you the details, Skizm and Ed.) Zobrist, arguably this
team's offensive MVP, was picked up off of the free agent scrap heap at
the Chapter Five deadline in 2008. Morneau was acquired the
previous chapter in a trade with the Great Lakes Sphinx in exchange for
Chris Young (the outfielder) and Mike Napoli. And Wells was
acquired through one of those cheesy farm-picks-for-draft-pick type of
deals in 2009 (a trade in which the Ridgebacks made the grand sacrifice
of "prospect" Juan Duran.")
When you consider that the core of this
team (which has won more games than any other team in the league)
consists of guys who were acquired in exchange for David Eckstein, Frank
Thomas, Chris Young (the outfielder), Mike Napoli and Juan Duran, and
another guy who was a Chapter Five free agent pickup, it should lift the
spirits of every team out there that finds itself mired in a seemingly
insurmountable quagmire.
Ravenswood
Infidels
The Infidels shattered their previous
franchise-high in wins, and were one of three teams in the BDBL to
out-score their competition this season by more than 300 runs.
Ravenswood established a new BDBL record for team ERA, and held
opponents to just 548 runs -- also an all-time record. The
Infidels staff also held opposing hitters to just 117 home runs this
season -- an average of 0.7 per nine.
By now, everyone knows that the
Infidels are the second team in BDBL history (missing the honor of being
the first by just a few hours) to have three 20-game winners in their
starting rotation: Wandy Rodriguez (23-7, 2.91 ERA, 218 K), Javier
Vazquez (22-6, 3.15 ERA, 260 K) and Mark Buehrle (21-8, 3.36 ERA, 129
K.) What do all three have in common? They were all signed
as free agents during the winter auction. Buehrle was signed in
2008 at a salary of $10.5 million, Rodriguez in 2009 at $7 million, and
Vazquez last winter at $10 million. One of the best rotations in
BDBL history came at a total cost of $27.5 million. If you add #4
starter John Lackey's $17 million salary to the equation, that's $44.5
million worth of pitching. Who says money can't buy happiness?
Of course, the Infidels bullpen also
contributed to that record ERA. Four different Ravenswood
relievers posted an ERA below 2.00: Tyler Clippard (0.93 ERA in 48+ IP),
Ramon Troncoso (1.78 ERA in 81 IP), Brandon League (1.78 ERA in 70+ IP)
and Alfredo Aceves (1.95 ERA in 92+ IP.) Brian Potrafka spread the
love around, allowing seven different relievers to record a save this
season.
But enough about the pitching.
Ravenswood also ranked third in the OL in runs scored and OPS (.786).
But the two stats that stick out like a sore thumb when you look at the
stats sheet are Ravenswood's 980 strikeouts (the only team in the OL to
strike out fewer than 1,000 times) and steal just 12 bases (in 19
attempts.)
The offense was led by the one-two
punch of Adam Lind (.332/.401/.596, 52 2B, 34 HR, 103 R, 139 RBI, 139.2
RC) and Pablo Sandoval (.328/.394/.548, 51 2B, 24 HR, 118 R, 113 RBI,
132.2 RC.) Lind was acquired in the infamous Roy Halladay trade of
last season. And Sandoval is a product of the Ravenswood farm
system -- the most productive farm system in league history.
Another product of that system, Robinson Cano, hit .290/.341/.438 with
43 doubles, 15 homers and 97 RBI's.
Potrafka took a gamble this winter by
signing injury-prone 35-year-old third baseman Scott Rolen at a salary
of $5.5 million. Not only has Rolen paid huge dividends this
season (.329/.408/.485, 42 2B, 101.8 RC, with Ex defense), but he'll be
an asset in 2011 as well.
The Infidels aren't blessed with a lot
of speed (explaining their 12 stolen bases in 19 attempts.) They
also don't strike out a lot as a team, and put a ton of balls in play
(4,555 -- tops in the OL.) Add it all up, and you have a recipe
for grounding into double plays -- something the Infidels did 170 times
this year (27 more than the next-highest total.) They also don't
hit a lot of home runs (149, ranked 7th out of 12 OL teams), though they
do hit a fair share of doubles and triples. Basically, the
Infidels wear out opposing pitching by drawing walks, putting balls in
play, inflating pitch counts, and then beating up on opposing teams'
bullpens.
Speaking of "beating up," Ravenswood
completely beat upon the poor New Hope Badgers and Las Vegas Flamingos
this season, going an incredible 26-2 against those two teams.
They also went 10-2 against the San Antonio Broncs. Against Salem,
Corona and Los Altos, they were a much more modest 17-19. And that
is why the Tournament of Randomness often appears so random. It is
literally a coin flip.
Southern
Cal Slyme
The Slyme weren't supposed to be this
good. (A phrase that has practically become an annual tradition
around these parts.) In my pre-season preview, I wrote: "The
rotation lacks a true ace, the bullpen lacks a stopper, and the lineup
lacks a hitter who can be a major threat against both lefties and
righties." Yet, here we are nine months later, and the SoCal Slyme
own the second best record in the Eck League (103-57) and won their
division by a comfortable five games. How on earth did this
happen?
Well, for starters, this team indeed had a
"team ace," only no one could have ever predicted his name would be
Craig Stammen. Stammen, an 18th round pick in last winter's
draft, posted a stunning 10-2 record in 16 starts this season, with a
mind-reeling ERA of 2.51. Josh Beckett (18-7, 3.30 ERA in 226+ IP)
was the team's workhorse, costing the team only a short-usage reliever
and some salary. GM Bob Sylvester also patched together 28 starts
(nearly a full season) out of low-cost options Kevin Correia and Jordan
Zimmerman. Combined, the two went 12-3 with a 3.14 ERA in 163+
innings, with 151 strikeouts. Former ace James Shields (11-12,
4.52 ERA in 195+ IP), Chris Jakubauskas (5-4, 4.80 ERA in 80+ IP) and
Joe Blanton (10-7, 5.53 ERA in 151+ IP) then filled out the back end of
the rotation. Put it all together, and you somehow have a team
that ranked #2 in the EL in ERA at 3.71, #3 in strikeouts, and #1 in
WHIP.
As for the "lack of a bullpen stopper,"
Heath Bell (2.34 ERA in 65+ IP, 30 SVs, 17/72 BB/K ratio) and Brian
Fuentes (1.94 ERA in 51 IP) begged to differ.
And that lineup that, according to my
pre-season preview, "lacked a hitter who could be a major threat against
both lefties and righties?" Oddly enough, that lineup managed to
score 821 runs (3rd in the EL), hit .287 as a team (tops in the EL),
post a .779 OPS (also 3rd in the EL) and post a nicely-balanced split
OPS of 767/784.
The tiny, speedy little duo of Scott
Podsednik (.332/.394/.455, 101 runs scored, 23 SB) and Jacoby Ellsbury
(.310/.361/.411, 123 R, 82 SB) led the way. They set the table for
Hanley Ramirez (.305/.362/.474, 39 2B, 23 HR, 114 RBI, 23 SB) and Aaron
Hill (.302/.357/.494, 40 2B, 26 HR, 98 RBI.) Ryan Zimmerman also
contributed with a .275/.349/.485 average, 39 doubles, 29 homers and 113
RBI's.
As for those lopsided splits, they didn't
seem to bother much. Ramirez posted only a 670 OPS against
lefties, but led the team in runs created. Hill undershot his MLB
OPS vs. righties by just a dozen points, but overshot his LH split by a
whopping 143 points! Zimmerman missed his RH OPS by 78 points, but
overcompensated by out-performing his LH OPS by 94 points!
The Sylvester family have a long tradition
of finding players who outperform their MLB numbers by a longshot.
Remember Jon Lieber in 2003? Or Zimmerman in 2009? Or Aubrey
Huff in '09? (I could name 1,000 other examples.) Whatever
magic formula the Sylvesters have discovered to outwit the DMB game,
they are smart to keep it in the family.
Corona
Confederates
As long as we're on the topic of
horrendous predictions made by me in the pre-season preview, we may as
well cover the most egregious of them all. Here are just some of
the unkind things I said about Corona back in January:
"[Joe Mauer] could become the the
first player in BDBL history to win an MVP award for a last-place
team."
"This starting rotation is just
horrendous. When Scott Feldman is the ace of your staff, you
know you've got issues."
"Unfortunately for Ed McGowan, the
bullpen doesn't look much better."
"The Confederates franchise is in
trouble."
Boy, is my face red.
When the Confederates leapt out to a
21-7 start to the season, it was reported as if it were nothing but an
amusing aberration. When they followed that up with a 17-11
showing in Chapter Two, I wrote in my "Top Ten Stories of 2010" article,
"[the Confederates] will fall fack to earth in a hurry."
When Corona went just 12-12 in the
third chapter, I thought, "Aha! The demise of the Confederates has
finally begun!" And from that point on, Corona proceeded to post a
.575 winning percentage.
How this team has exceeded my
expectations has been very well-documented to this point.
Offensively, the Confederates managed to hit .341 on balls in play.
The next best average on BIP was .319, and the league average was just
.298!
A guy named Joe Mauer led the way,
becoming the first player in BDBL history to hit .400 (.409/.498/.654),
racking up 227 hits, 50 doubles and 28 homers, scoring 134 runs, driving
in 116, and creating a league-best 184.4. It was the greatest
season by a catcher in league history, and it is arguably the best
offensive season ever by any player in BDBL history not named "Bonds."
But Mauer was hardly alone in
terrorizing Ozzie League pitchers all season. Teammates Shin-Soo
Choo (.346/.456/.586, 47 2B, 24 HR, 125 R, 109 RBI, 157.7 RC), Kendry
Morales (.327/.368/.598, 54 2B, 37 HR, 106 R, 149 RBI, 129.6 RC) and
Chone Figgins (.304/.415/.420, 39 2B, 136 R, 119 BB, 38 SB, 124.8 RC)
also had phenomenal seasons.
Incredibly enough, two of those players
(Mauer and Choo) are relics of the ancient Marazita Era. Morales
was acquired in trade this winter for Kevin Correia and James Loney.
(How's that for a bargain?) And Figgins was a free agent signing
way back in 2008.
The Corona pitching staff also
benefited from a stellar balls-in-play average, as they ranked third in
the BDBL with an average of .269. (And again, the league average
was .298.) Corona ranked just seventh in the OL in ERA at 4.07,
and were the only team in the OL to strike out fewer than 1,000 batters
(926.) Corona's average of 5.8 K's/9 was by far the lowest in
either league. Because so many balls were put into play, that gave
Corona's defense plenty of opportunities to turn double plays -- which
they did a league-leading 162 times.
The ace of the Corona staff throughout
most of the season was Aaron Cook, who finished 13-5 with a 3.03 ERA (a
full run lower than his MLB ERA) in 157+ innings. At the final
deadline of the season, McGowan added JA Happ to the rotation in a deal
with the hapless Great Lake Sphinx. Happ went 5-4 over the final
two chapters for Corona, with a 3.03 ERA in 77+ innings, and tossed a
no-hitter as well. Jeremy Sowers (8-5, 3.34 ERA in 86+ IP) posted
an ERA for Corona that was nearly TWO runs lower than his MLB ERA.
Zach Duke (16-8, 4.20 ERA in 212+ IP) led the staff in wins and innings.
Joel Pineiro (13-5, 4.35 ERA in 167+ IP) led the team with an astounding
30 double plays, and Feldman (whom I described as the "staff ace"
in my pre-season preview) ended up with just a 9-5 record and 4.59 ERA
in 164+ innings.
2010 was an incredible ride for
McGowan, who certainly deserved a little good fortune in an otherwise
difficult year. He'll have a steep hill to climb in the Division
Series, as Mark Buehrle and Wandy Rodriguez will have Corona's lefties
tied in knots all series. But no matter what happens, you have to
consider this season to be an incredible success.
St.
Louis Apostles
In pre-season polling, the Apostles
were picked to win the Eck League, and drew more votes to win the BDBL
championship than any team aside from Los Altos. And yet, St.
Louis failed to even win their division this season, settling for the EL
wild card instead.
As expected, the Apostles offense
absolutely punished the opposition this season, scoring 920 runs (third
in the BDBL) while hitting .281/.359/.475 as a team. Their 235
home runs ranked #2 in the Eck League, as did their 1,578 hits.
For the ninth year in a row, Albert
Pujols (.313/.406/.683, 47 2B, 58 HR, 141 R, 166 RBI, 164.8 RC) was a
force to be reckoned with in the St. Louis lineup. (Yawn...just
another typical, boring year of dominance.) And as usual, Pujols
was flanked in the lineup by a host of players who all performed far
better than they did in MLB (a Sylvester family trait.) Justin
Upton, acquired in the ginormous Evan Longoria trade earlier this year,
hit a mind-bending .366/.444/.704, with 19 homers and 53 RBI's in just
56 games (213 at-bats) in just two chapters as an Apostle.
(Amazing how quickly that Sylvester magic works.)
Magglio Ordonez hit .335/.409/.436 in
337 AB. Jeff Francoeur (Jeff Francoeur!!) hit .332/.369/.563, with
15 homers in just 325 AB. Kevin Youkilis (also acquired in that
ginormous Longoria deal) hit .302/.402/.566, with 12 homers in 189 AB
(downright reasonable!) Brian McCann hit .293/.363/.480 with 44
doubles and 17 HR. Nick Markakis added a .293/.370/.481 average,
with 21 homers. The list goes on and on and on. Neifi Perez
in his prime would have posted Hall of Fame numbers if only he had
played for the Apostles!
On the hill, St. Louis ranked fifth in
the EL in ERA at 4.45 (an average that would rank 8th in the OL.)
The Apostles' staff served up 188 homers -- tops in the EL -- and
allowed more hits (1,467) than innings pitched (1,453.2). They
also led the league in GIDP -- a function of both the number of balls
they allowed in play and the Ex defense of the St. Louis infield.
Adam Wainwright (19-7, 3.96 ERA in 240+
IP, 214 K) led the team in wins, innings and strikeouts. Chris
Carpenter (14-9, 4.06 ERA in 199+ IP) and the newly-acquired Roy Oswalt
(8-2, 3.87 ERA in 88+ IP as an Apostle) filled out the top of the
rotation. It's unclear who would be St. Louis' #4 starter in the
playoffs, but Braden Looper (8-5, 4.74 ERA in 142+ IP) had the best
numbers of the rest.
Bobby Sylvester went with a "bullpen by
committee" this season, as eleven different relievers earned saves for
the Apostles. Kerry Wood (4-8, 3.79 ERA, 26 SV's in 59+ IP) led
the way. And Hideki Okajima (10-1, 3.21 ERA in 53+ IP) was the
team's designated vulture. But late acquisition Brian Wilson (3.51
ERA in 41 IP, 9 SVs) is likely the team's closer in the playoffs, as he
led the team in saves over the final two chapters.
The Apostles went 10-6 against the
SoCal Slyme this season, and they are supremely confident that they will
roll over them en route to the ELCS. The last time these two
franchises went head-to-head in the playoffs, it was all the way back in
2000, when Bill Clinton was still president, and Bobby Sylvester was
just 12 years old. These teams are overdue for a rematch, and the
old man would love nothing better than to get revenge for that ELDS
sweep he suffered at Bobby's hands all those years ago.
Salem
Cowtippers
With all due respect to the 1999
Massillon Tigerstrikes, the 2010 Salem Cowtippers are the greatest
comeback story in league history. Down by seven games in the wild
card race, with just 20 games remaining on the schedule, the Cowtippers
managed to overtake the New Milford Blazers in the final four weeks of
the season in hugely dramatic fashion. To accomplish such a feat
would be dramatic enough, but to do it against our hated rivals was
simply too delicious.
Just how good are the 2010 Cowtippers?
It depends on what timeframe you use to look at them. Overall,
Salem finished with a 95-65 record, which is only the fourth-best record
in the OL. They outscored their opposition by 204 runs, which
represents the third-best total in the OL -- but 100 runs less than the
#2 team.
However, if you look at Salem's
performance since the all-star break, they are 55-26 -- a .675 winning
percentage that ranks #2 in the OL, and #3 in the BDBL. Their runs
differential since the break is 142 -- second only to the Undertakers in
the OL, and #3 in the BDBL.
The Salem offense ranked #4 in runs
scored (835) and #3 in home runs (173). Off-season free agent
signing Matt Holliday (.311/.409/.540, 42 2B, 31 HR, 116 R, 114 RBI,
133.3 RC) was far and away the team's MVP, and the team's only
consistent performer from Chapters One through Six. Mark Teixeira
(.266/.366/.491, 31 HR, 133 RBI), Brian Roberts (.257/.358/.412, 55 2B,
14 HR, 106 R), Josh Willingham (.268/.364/.518, 45 2B, 24 HR), Matt Kemp
(.270/.335/.451, 26 2B, 11 3B, 17 HR, 79 RBI, 23 SB) and Kurt Suzuki
(.287/.327/.439, 39 2B, 12 HR, 81 RBI) also had decent, though mostly
disappointing, seasons offensively.
On the mound, the Cowtippers ranked 3rd
in the OL in ERA (3.74) and #2 in strikeouts (1,354). It was a
Jekyl-and-Hyde type of season for Felix Hernandez. Through the
first two chapters, Hernandez posted a 4.81 ERA, with 13 HR allowed in
91+ innings. Through the final four chapters, Hernandez went 17-3
with a 2.45 ERA, and only 7 HR allowed in 168+ innings. Dan Haren
also got off to an atrocious start, allowing an obscene amount of home
runs. But unlike Hernandez, Haren never quite overcame that early
slump. He ended the season with a mediocre 12-13 record, a 4.26
ERA, and an astounding 44 home runs allowed in 251+ innings. Zack
Greinke then came to the team in a blockbuster BDBL Weekend deal, and
after a rocky start, finished with a 4-1 record and a 2.98 ERA in nine
starts as a Cowtipper.
The Salem bullpen also did a good job
pulling their weight this season. Three different Salem relievers
posted ERA's under 2.00: Trevor Hoffman (1.37 ERA in 59 IP), mid-season
pick-up Joe Nathan (1.60 ERA in 33+ IP as a Cowtipper) and winter free
agent signing Darren Oliver (1.72 ERA in 83+ IP.) Frank Francisco
(2.72 ERA in 53 IP) and Darren O'Day (3.55 ERA in 63+ IP) also did a
decent job.
The Cowtippers have been a great story
this season, but it's a story that could very well come to a swift
conclusion in the OLDS. With the Undertakers throwing two dominant
left-handed starters at the Cowtippers in a short series, it will be
crucial for Mark Teixeira (who hit just .250/.317/.385 against lefties
this season), Chipper Jones (.211/.313/.438 vs. LH), Kurt Suzuki
(.228/.287/.354) and Omar Infante (.180/.329/.213) to step up, or it
will be a very short series.
Atlanta
Fire Ants
For one miserable nine year stretch,
the Fire Ants managed to finish out of last place exactly once -- in
2005. In 2006, they went back to last place, losing 94 games.
Then 102 the next year. Then, a BDBL record 118 losses in 2008.
Finally, in 2009, the streak came to an end, and Atlanta captured the
Hrbek Division with a 94-66 record.
Atlanta upset the #1 seed in the EL
bracket in the Division Series, taking the series in just five games
over the St. Louis Apostles. Although they then lost the ELCS to
the SoCal Slyme, it was of little consequence. No one was going to
beat the Undertakers in 2009, anyway.
This season, the Fire Ants missed their
franchise-best wins total by one, finishing at 93-67 -- 10 games ahead
of the Cleveland Rocks. Once again, it was pitching and defense
that led the way for Atlanta, as only the Ridgebacks and Slyme allowed
fewer runs among Eck League teams this season. The Fire Ants
ranked #3 in the EL in ERA (3.88), #2 in fewest hits allowed (8.2 per
nine), and #2 in BIP average (.278).
John Danks (a gift from the Cowtippers
organization three years ago) led the Atlanta rotation with a 3.11 ERA
in 219+ innings. Jair Jurrjens (a product of the Atlanta farm
system) led the team in wins (18-11), and posted a 3.51 ERA in 223+
innings. And Kevin Millwood (a 9th round draft pick last year)
went 17-7 with a 3.39 ERA in 217+ innings. If Atlanta decides to
go with a #4 starter in the playoffs, that honor will likely go to
rookie Clay Buchholz (5-5, 5.21 ERA in 95 IP.)
The Atlanta bullpen is also chock-full
of goodness, led by mid-season pick-up Jon Papelbon (1-2, 14 SVs, 3.10
ERA in 20+ IP as a Fire Ant.) Papelbon took over closer duties
from Chad Qualls (2.65 ERA in 51 IP.) Sergio Romo (2.97 ERA in 33+
IP) and Jeremy Affeldt (3.52 ERA in 15+ IP as a Fire Ant) back-fill the
bullpen.
Offensively, Atlanta ranked 4th in the
EL in runs scored (813), hit .262/.346/.424 as a team (nearly identical
to the league average of .265/.337/.421), and smoked left-handed
pitching to the tune of .295/.371/.490. Atlanta's big free agent
pick-up, Lance Berkman, led the team in runs created (116), home runs
(32) and walks (105), while hitting .305/.440/.586 overall. Denard
Span -- one of Atlanta's many first-round pick-ups in the 2009 free
agent draft -- hit .292/.389/.398, with 118 runs scored, 94 walks, and
20 stolen bases. And Mike Cameron hit a robust .256/.355/.462,
with a team-leading 41 doubles and 96 RBI's, plus 23 homers and 83 walks
thrown in for good measure.
For the most part, this Atlanta team is
very similar to the one that won the division in 2009. While they
have a very tough opponent in the Division Series, they have proven --
both in 2009 and in 2005 -- that they aren't bothered by being the
underdog. |