February, 2016

2016 Season Preview

Last year's Season Preview was, without a doubt, the greatest failure of my prognosticating career. I predicted the Cleveland Rocks would finish in last place; instead, they won a division title and nearly 100 games. I predicted the Salem Cowtippers would finally win their division; instead, they settled for the wild card. (Again.) I predicted the Blazers would finish in third place; instead, they won 105 games and the division title. I predicted the New York Giants would finally win a division title; instead, they finished five games out of first place with yet another sub-.500 winning percentage.

Given all of that, why on earth would you continue reading this preview? Because, let's face it: you all love proving me wrong far more than you enjoy admitting I'm right.

The 2016 season will feature several exciting teams, but few exciting races. To the surprise of no one, the Los Altos Undertakers are, once again, the early favorites to capture the BDBL championship. Just as they were a year ago, the Undertakers are absolutely loaded with talent at every position. The New Milford Blazers, Granite State Lightning, Ravenswood Infidels, Flagstaff Outlaws, and Kansas City Boulevards all look like competitive ballclubs at this point.

The Eck League features four superteams: Kansas, St. Louis, Chicago, and Cleveland. Each of those four teams looks like a 100-win team on paper, leaving the rest of the league to play out the string from a distance. The disparity between the superteams and the rest of the field has never appeared wider than it does in 2016.

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Los Altos Undertakers

Owner: Jeff Paulson
2015 Record: 116-44 (1st place, BDBL champions)
Projected Rotation: Gerrit Cole, Chris Sale, Chris Archer, Kyle Gibson, Aaron Sanchez
Bullpen: Dellin Betances, Joaquin Benoit, Jose Alvarez, Ken Giles, Eric Goeddel, Jeff Manship, Justin Miller, Carlos Villanueva
Projected Lineup: Joe Panik (2B), Michael Brantley (CF), Anthony Rizzo (1B), Jose Bautista (RF), Nolan Arenado (3B), Jason Heyward (LF), Jose Iglesias/Justin Turner (SS), Stephen Vogt/Josh Phegley (C)

Strengths: Where to begin? As with last year, the Undertakers are stacked in every category. In the starting rotation, Cole (208 IP, 2.66 CERA, .597/.648 splits) should be a Cy Young contender. The fact that Sale (208+, 3.00, .610/.657) may be the #3 starter on this team tells you all you need to know. Archer (212, 2.79, .604/.622) and Gibson (194+, 3.63, .702/.693) round out a rotation that is the best the Ozzie League has to offer.

Of course, they wouldn't be the Los Altos Undertakers if they didn't have a ridiculously overstuffed bullpen filled with closer after closer after closer. This year's bullpen is no exception. Betances (84 IP, 1.94 CERA, .454/.558 splits) is this year's Eric Gagne. Benoit (65+, 1.78, .612/.471) serves as a second closer. And then you also have a bunch of guys you've never heard of who barely pitched in MLB '15, yet posted ridiculous numbers in a small sample. I'm talking about Goeddel (33+, 1.89, .520/.568), Manship (39+, 1.14, .644/.310), and Miller (33+, 1.75, .542/.558).

Then, there is the offense. Against left-handers, Los Altos will field a lineup where every single batter in the lineup has an OPS of greater than .750. Against right-handers, their lineup will include -- get this --  FIVE batters with an OPS over .900. The others will be merely .800 or better.

Next, there is the bench. The least surprising outcome of the entire winter auction/draft process was that Franklin Gutierrez (189 PA, .973/.978 splits) would sign with the Undertakers for $5 million. In addition to Gutierrez, Paulson can also turn to Enrique Hernandez (1.215 OPS vs. LH), Joc Pederson (.784 vs. RH), Justin Ruggiano (.948 vs. LH), and Corey Seager (.926/1.028 splits).

Finally, let's talk about defense. Rizzo (Vg), Arenado (Ex), and Heyward (Vg/Ex/Vg) are all about average in the field, and the rest of the defense is average (depending on alignment.)

Weaknesses: When Paulson failed to win the bid on Zack Greinke, it exposed this team to numerous problems down the road should the league ever switch to a five game per series format. Luckily, that hasn't happened yet.

Outlook: I wrote it last year, and I'll write it again: pack it up, Ozzie League. The OL representative in the BDBL World Series has already been decided. Anything that happens next is merely going through the motions and praying to the Baseball Gods for fortunate random dice rolls in the Tournament of Randomness. A year ago, I predicted on this page that Los Altos would win 115+ games and the BDBL championship. It was one of the only predictions I got right. I'm not willing to predict the same fate this year, but there is no doubt whatsoever that Los Altos is the team to beat in the Ozzie League.

Prediction: 1st place, 110+ wins, and a second straight Ozzie League title.

Flagstaff Outlaws

Owner: Greg Newgard
2015 Record: 84-76 (2nd place)
Projected Rotation: Collin McHugh, Tyson Ross, Alex Wood, John Lackey, Mike Pelfrey
Bullpen: Luke Gregerson, Tony Sipp, Fernando Rodriguez, Oliver Perez, Drew Storen, Justin Wilson
Projected Lineup: Dee Gordon (2B), George Springer (CF), Paul Goldschmidt (1B), Adam Jones (RF), Russell Martin (C), John Jaso/Gerardo Parra (LF), Trevor Plouffe (3B), Nick Ahmed/Eugenio Suarez (SS)

Strengths: Gordon has become one of the better all-around players in the BDBL. He can hit (653 PA, .823/.760 splits) both lefties and righties, he can run like the wind (58 stolen bases), he's a "terror" in the clutch, and he has Ex range at a key position up the middle. How on earth I traded him for Luis Valbuena, I'll never understand.

Goldschmidt (695 PA, 1.104/.978) is another all-around player with an Ex glove, who can even run (21 steals in 26 attempts.) Springer (.936/.767) is yet another all-around athlete with wheels and an average or better glove. I can't think of another team in the BDBL with three better all-around ballplayers than those three.

Weaknesses: The Flagstaff starting rotation lacks a traditional ace. McHugh, Ross, Wood, and Lackey are all solid #2-#3 starters, but there is no clear #1. This won't stop the Outlaws from winning a bunch of games in 2016, but it will stop them from winning a division -- especially this one.

The bullpen also lacks a traditional lights-out closer. Gregerson and Sipp are both very good setup men, but neither is considered "closer-worthy." Likewise, the starting lineup is solid from one to eight, but once you get past Martin (or, against righties, Jones), there really isn't anyone who will strike fear into opposing pitchers.

Outlook: If I were to use one word to describe this team, it would be: "solid". The Outlaws have a solid rotation, a solid bullpen, a solid lineup, and a solid defense. Aside from Goldschmidt and Gordon, no one really blows me away, but in the Ozzie League, having two potential MVP candidates and a solid supporting staff is enough to win a spot in the playoffs.

Prediction: 2nd place. It looks as though it will be a very tight race in the Ozzie League for the wild card (otherwise known as the "Salem Cowtippers Consolation Prize Playoffs Spot.") The race for that final spot will likely be the only real pennant race in the BDBL this season.

Kansas City Boulevards

Owner: Scot Zook
2015 Record: 77-83 (3rd place)
Projected Rotation: Scott Kazmir, JA Happ, Michael Pineda, Lance Lynn, John Danks
Bullpen: Felipe Rivero, Josh Fields, Jason Grilli, Justin Grimm, Chris Hatcher, Shawn Tolleson, Vincent Velasquez
Projected Lineup: Brock Holt (SS), Martin Prado/Jason Rogers (3B), Mike Moustakas (3B), Kendrys Morales (1B), Matt Kemp (RF), Charlie Blackmon/Darrin Ruf (LF), Marcell Ozuna/Alejandro de Aza (CF), Brock Holt (SS), Yadier Molina (C)

Strengths: If you sort all of the teams in the Ozzie League by MLB OPS, the Boulevards rank eleventh out of twelve. However, that stat is a bit misleading, as the total team OPS is dragged down by a few players who won't see much playing time against lefties or righties. Against left-handers, Kansas City can field a lineup that includes six players (Holt, Kemp, Moustakas, Ozuna, Prado, and Ruf) with an .800+ OPS, and one (Morales) with an OPS of .771. Against right-handers, there are five KC batters (Blackmon, de Aza, Morales, Moustakas, and Rogers) with an .800+ OPS.

The starting rotation is solid from one through four, with all four pitchers logging more than 160 MLB innings, and with a CERA between 3.41 and 3.83.

Weaknesses: This offense includes several players with drastic platoon splits, which opponents can (and will) exploit. Blackmon, de Aza, Holt, Morales, Molina, Ozuna, Prado, and Ruf all have platoon splits of over 100 points (and Rogers just misses at 99.) Ruf (1.107/.483), Ozuna (.888/.646), Prado (.856/.695), and de Aza (.470/.800) are particularly drastic in that regard, and practically useless against their weaker platoon split.

Molina (.576/.689) is a particularly weak spot in the lineup, although he contributes an Ex glove and arm, defensively. The starting rotation is missing an ace, and the bullpen is missing a closer. Sixth round draft pick Rivero is the closest this team has to a closer based on his splits (.486/.600) and CERA (1.74), but he only threw 48+ MLB innings.

Outlook: In his third full season as the owner of the Boulevards, Scot Zook has made a valiant effort to put a winning team on the field in 2016. KC added eighteen wins from 2014 to 2015. A similar gain this season would make this team a wild card winner. With their platoon issues and absence of a dominant pitcher, I don't see that happening.

Prediction: 3rd place. I predict that Scot will ignore my predictions and continue to add more bats and arms to this team as the year progresses in an effort to win the OL wild card. The end result will be a three-team battle between Flagstaff, Granite State, and KC that will go down to the wire.

Bear Country Jamboree

Owner: Matt Clemm
2015 Record: 61-99 (4th place)
Projected Rotation: Matt Harvey, Chris Young, R.A. Dickey, Chase Anderson, Chris Heston, Mat Latos, Robbie Ray
Bullpen: Carson Smith, A.J. Ramos, Sean Gilmartin, Tyler Clippard
Projected Lineup: Daniel Murphy (3B), Ryan Braun (RF), Brandon Belt (LF), Prince Fielder (1B), Brian Dozier (2B), Didi Gregorius (SS), Kevin Pillar (CF), Wilson Ramos (C)

Strengths: Harvey (189+ IP, 2.44 ERA, .676/.544 splits) and Young (123+, 2.66, .742/.542) form a strong one-two punch that can be employed in select series against the strongest opponents. Smith (70, 2.04, .587/.502), Ramos (70+, 2.21, .602/.529), and Gilmartin (57+, 2.67, .611/.597) form a very strong bullpen capable of holding a lead for several innings.

Weaknesses: The Jamboree rank near the bottom of the Ozzie League in MLB team OPS and ERA. Although Harvey and Young are terrific starting pitchers, they are limited in usage. Offensively, the lineup lacks a capable leadoff hitter, and really falls off a cliff once you get past the cleanup spot. Ramos and Pillar are both excellent defensively, but bring little to the table on offense.

Outlook: The Jamboree franchise has now lost 98 or more games four times in the last six seasons. It's hard to tell what Matt Clemm's master plan is to compete in this brutal division. The 2016 Jamboree are clearly not going to compete for a playoffs spot, which begs the question as to why they aren't in full rebuilding mode. Fielder, Young, and Ramos are all free agents at the end of this season. Why weren't they traded this winter? Why sign two expensive Type H free agents (Braun and Murphy) when the best they will do for the franchise is cost the team a little less in penalty money at the end of the season? Finally, why use a third round draft pick (the sixth overall in that round) to add a 41-year-old pitcher whose greatest asset is filling usage? Why, why, why?

Prediction: 4th place. Expect to see Fielder, Young, and Ramos traded at some point this season. If Harvey pitches another great season in MLB, if Braun reverts to 2012 form, if Murphy hits like he did in the Division Series and NLCS, and if some unknown pitcher (Kendall Graveman? Chase Anderson? Chris Heston?) comes out of nowhere and puts together a Cy Young-caliber season, just as Jacob deGrom, Jake Arrieta, and Dallas Keuchel did this past season, then the Jamboree could have an outside chance of winning in 2017. But that's a lot of "if's."

New Milford Blazers

Owners: Anthony Peburn
2015 Record: 105-55 (1st place)
Projected Rotation: Clayton Kershaw, Masahiro Tanaka, Jose Quintana, Adam Warren, Hisashi Iwakuma
Bullpen: Francisco Rodriguez, Darren O'Day, Matt Thornton, Aaron Barrett
Projected Lineup: Matt Carpenter (2B), Mookie Betts (CF), Troy Tulowitzki (SS), Shin-Soo Choo (RF), David Peralta/Ryan Raburn (LF), Clint Robinson/Steve Pearce (1B), James McCann/Jason Castro (C), Jed Lowrie/Kelly Johnson (3B)

Strengths: Two more years. Two more years (after this one) and Clayton Kershaw (232+ IP, 1.67 CERA, .554/.511 splits) will finally no longer be a Blazer. It can't come soon enough. Having him on this roster makes the Blazers an instant contender every season. He is to the Blazers what Pedro Martinez was to the Akron franchise for so many years. Since his first full season in the BDBL, the Blazers have averaged 104 wins per season. That's no coincidence.

In a short series, Tanaka (154 IP, 2.65 CERA, .697/.654 splits) and Warren (131+, 3.07, .603/.680) give the Blazers three aces. Rodriguez (57, 1.69, .538/.558) is a lights-out closer, and O'Day (65+, 2.09, .627/.493) and Thornton (41+, 2.12, .484/.690) are fantastic setup men from the right and left sides, respectively.

Offensively, the Blazers roster features FIVE batters (Lowrie, McCann, Ryan Raburn, Robinson, and Tulowitzki) with an OPS over .900 against left-handers. Against righties, Carpenter, Choo, and Peralta all sport a .900+ OPS. Betts (.843/.813) hits well against both.

Weaknesses: As with every Blazers lineup in recent memory, the over-reliance on platoons could hurt this team. That is to say: it should. However, history proves otherwise. Regardless of that history, you can safely bet that Jim Doyle will continue to repeat the "cover pitcher" strategy to exploit this weakness once again.

Outlook: Kershaw has won 20 or more games in each of the last four seasons. I see no reason, on paper, why he won't repeat that feat a sixth time. The Blazers have now won five division titles in a row. I see no reason, on paper, why they won't win a sixth this year.

Prediction: 1st place, and another date with the Los Altos Undertakers in the OLCS. Maybe this is the year the Baseball Gods reward Anthony Peburn for all his good behavior.

Granite State Lightning

Owner: Ryan Glander
2015 Record: 76-84 (3rd place)
Projected Rotation: Sonny Gray, Shelby Miller, Gio Gonzalez, Tom Milone, Jon Niese, Ervin Santana
Bullpen: Edwin Jackson, Luis Avilan, Jerad Eickhoff, Bo Schultz, Pat Venditte, Chasen Shreve, Sam Freeman
Projected Lineup: Jose Altuve (2B), Francisco Cervelli (C), Chris Colabello (LF), Edwin Encarnacion (1B), Todd Frazier (3B), Brandon Moss/Jay Bruce (RF), Wilmer Flores/Marwin Gonzalez (SS), Odubel Herrera (CF)

Strengths: This is a very strong lineup from one through five. Altuve (.313/.353/.459, 40 doubles, 15 HR, 38 SB, Vg glove) is one of the best all-around players in the league, and a potential MVP candidate. Frazier (43 doubles, 35 homers) and Encarnacion (39 HR) are two of the league's best power hitters. It's hard to believe that former backup catcher (and not that long ago) Cervelli (.295/.370/.401) is now the best hitting catcher in the Ozzie League, and is more than likely to be the starting catcher in the all-star game.

On the mound, Gray (208 IP, 2.53 CERA, .579/.601 splits) is a true ace, Miller (205+, 3.12, .732/.594) is a capable number two starter, and Gonzalez (175+, 3.92, .641/.732) slots in nicely at number three.

Weaknesses: This bullpen is a mess. I listed Jackson as the closer, although his numbers (55+ IP, 2.75 CERA, .565/.657 splits) aren't typically closer-worthy. Avilan (53+, 3.18, .665/.666) is effective against both lefties and righties. Schultz (43, 2.92, .536/.702) has some funky reverse splits that can be helpful in this league. And Venditte (.419/.876) is the "lefty specialist", even though he also throws righty. This just doesn't look like a playoffs-caliber bullpen to me.

Another weakness is Granite State's neutral ballpark model. If they played in a more homer-friendly environment, they could take advantage of the rare power this lineup features. The neutral park will rob Encarnacion and Frazier of twenty percent of their home runs this season.

Outlook: Fortunately for Granite State, a shitty bullpen is the easiest problem to solve in this league, as dominant relievers are easy to acquire during the season. Before I sat down to write this review, I didn't think the Lightning had a shot at the playoffs. I really like the front four in this lineup, though, and the pitching staff is solid enough to compete early in the season. Once the season gets underway, and names begin to appear on the Selling forum, the Lightning could trade their way into contention. They really only need one more arm in the rotation, one dominant arm in the bullpen, and maybe another bat.

Prediction: 2nd place, and the OL wild card.

Western Kansas Buffaloes

Owner: Rodney Wilkie
2015 Record: 71-89 (4th place)
Projected Rotation: Jason Hammel, Tom Koehler, Ian Kennedy, Travis Wood, Wily Peralta
Bullpen: George Kontos, J.J. Hoover, Jonathan Papelbon, Franklin Morales, Mike Morin, Joe Smith, Bryan Shaw
Projected Lineup: Ben Revere (RF), A.J. Pollock (CF), Michael Conforto/Melvin Upton (LF), Mark Teixeira (1B), Chase Headley (3B), Robinson Chirinos/Hank Conger (C), Roughned Odor (2B), Zack Cozart/Freddy Galvis (SS)

Strengths: Pollock has become one of the better all-around players in the game. He's a full-time starter who hits lefties (.881 OPS) and righties (.860) equally well, runs well, steals bases (39 in MLB), and has an Ex glove in center field. At only $1.1 million in salary, he is one of the best bargains in the league, and is likely to be the starting center fielder for the Ozzie League in the all-star game.

In any given series, Western Kansas can field a lineup that includes four batters with an .800+ OPS against left-handers, and six batters with an .800+ OPS against righties. The problem is that nearly every one of those players is part-time in usage, so that trick can only work in a limited number of series.

Weaknesses: On the whole, the Buffaloes are below average in every aspect of the game. They have a below average starting rotation, a below average bullpen, and a below average lineup. In terms of MLB numbers, they rank just ahead of the Salem Cowtippers in both team ERA and team OPS.

Outlook: The problem with the above statement is that the Cowtippers are rebuilding this year, while the mission of the 2016 Buffaloes is less clear. This is the second full season at the managerial helm of this franchise for Rodney Wilkie, but his first full season as general manager. If the Buffaloes are attempting to compete this year, then the decision to not sacrifice their most valuable young assets (such as Conforto and Ian Happ) this winter seems to contradict that goal. If the goal is to compete in the future, then the decision to lock up Revere to a Type H contract, and spend $22 million on free agents who seem to have little future value (Cody Anderson, Kennedy, Koehler, Kontos, and Morales) seems to contradict that goal as well. What we have is a team in BDBL Limbo: too good to throw in the towel, and not good enough to compete.

Prediction: 3rd place. Hammel, Hoover, Teixeira, and Wood are all free agents at the end of this season, and all have trade value. It seems reasonable to expect that all four will be dealt at some point this season. Then it will be a race to the bottom with the Cowtippers to decide which team is the worst in this division.

Salem Cowtippers

Owner: Mike Glander
2015 Record: 96-64 (2nd place, OL wild card - again)
Projected Rotation: Mike Fiers, Stephen Strasburg, Rubby de la Rosa, Matt Shoemaker, Drew Hutchison
Bullpen: Ryan Madson, Huston Street, Mychal Givens, Raisel Iglesias, Zach Duke, Xavier Cedeno, Stephen Matz
Projected Lineup: Neil Walker (2B), Kris Bryant (3B), Justin Upton (LF), Ryan Zimmerman/Travis Shaw (1B), Michael Cuddyer (RF), Travis d'Arnaud (C), Jorge Soler (CF), Starlin Castro (SS)

Strengths: After countless trade offers and temptations, rookie Kris Bryant will finally take his first swing as a Salem Cowtipper this season. Look for him to hit 30 homers and shatter Ryan Howard's BDBL single season strikeouts record (212).

Weaknesses: Too many to list, really. The starting rotation is a hodgepodge of middling arms with drastic and easily-exploitable platoon splits. Of particular note is de la Rosa's .949 OPS against lefties. With the usage issues on this team, he will have to face a ton of left-handed hitters this season -- more than he did in MLB, I'm betting. Hutchison (.906 OPS vs. RH) is in the same boat.

Offensively, aside from Bryant (who will likely underperform in the BDBL compared to his MLB performance), the starting lineup is a complete mess, especially against right-handers. Cuddyer (.698 OPS vs. RH) is going to have to play full-time, as there are no other viable options. There is also no one on this roster, aside from Bryant (who is rated "Pr"), who is rated in center field, which means someone (likely Soler) will be playing out of position.

Outlook: This is going to be ugly, folks. But then, all true rebuilding efforts are. It will be a season-long struggle not only to win games, but to find enough playing time to fill the usage requirements. Hopefully, the end will justify the means.

Prediction: 4th place. The Cowtippers have finished below second place only once before in franchise history, and that was ten years ago. Unless something strange happens, this will be the second last place finish for Salem -- and hopefully the last for the next decade.

Ravenswood Infidels

Owner: Brian Potrafka
2015 Record: 67-93 (3rd place)
Projected Rotation: Max Scherzer, Wei-Yin Chen, Jaime Garcia, Colby Lewis, Chad Bettis, Eduardo Rodriguez
Bullpen: Joaquim Soria, Carter Capps, Arquimedes Caminero, Manny Parra, Dan Jennings, Drew Pomeranz, Pat Corbin
Projected Lineup: Jason Kipnis (2B), Danny Valencia (LF), Adrian Beltre (3B), Dexter Fowler/Curtis Granderson (CF), Andre Ethier/Marlon Byrd (LF), Brian McCann (C), Chris Davis (1B), Brad Miller/Marcus Semien (SS), Brad Miller/Mikie Mahtook (RF)

Strengths: Every spot in this lineup is occupied by either an all-star-caliber bat or a platoon that looks like an all-star when you put the two together. Ranked by MLB team OPS, only the Undertakers (of course) rank higher than the Infidels. Fowler and Granderson combine for a platoon with .865/.892 splits. Ethier and Byrd combine for .820/.900. Miller and Semien combine for .879/.803. Even Miller and Mahtook's combined split is 1.030/.803. Up and down this entire lineup, there is not a single easy out.

On the mound, Scherzer (228+ IP, 2.11 CERA, .657/.538 splits) provides not only dominant ace quality, but valuable innings as well. Garcia (129+, 2.31, .630/.557) would be an ace if he pitched enough innings. He pitched just enough in MLB to qualify for full usage in the playoffs. Chen (191+, 3.80, .576/.815) and Lewis (204+, 3.86, .756/.717) are solid back-end inning-eaters.

In the bullpen, Capps (31, 1.50, .444/.500) would be the best reliever in the league if only he logged a few more innings. Soria (67+, 2.87, .722/.536) shuts down righties, and Pomeranz (86, 3.05, .438/.749) and Corbin (85, 3.82, .574/.788) shut down lefties.

Weaknesses: In a short series, this starting rotation can be very effective, thanks to Scherzer's durability and Garcia's dominance. Over the 160-game season, however, Garcia will only be available for roughly four chapters. Chen and Lewis are decent inning-eaters, but neither will strike fear into opponents' hearts.

Defensively, only Beltre is rated above average in range. Out of the twelve Ozzie League teams, the Infidels rank eleventh in MLB fielding percentage.

Outlook: Ravenswood's rebuilding period was a short one, lasting just one year. Brian Potrafka deserves some consideration for OL GM of the Year given how quickly he was able to turn around this franchise. A year ago, it looked as though Ravenswood fans would have to wait a while to hoist their next division banner. The Infidels should face little resistance winning their seventh title this season.

Prediction: 1st place. At this point, it appears as though a Ravenswood/New Milford matchup in the playoffs is all but inevitable. Start cursing now, Brian.

Mississippi Meatballs

Owner: Nic Weiss
2015 Record: 47-113 (4th place)
Projected Rotation: Noah Syndergaard, Yovani Gallardo, Jeff Samardzija, Alex Colome
Bullpen: Craig Kimbrel, Jake McGee, Michael Blazek, Steve Geltz, Kevin Jepsen, Keone Kela, Mark Lowe
Projected Lineup: Robinson Cano (2B), Jhonny Peralta (SS), Victor Martinez (1B), Colby Rasmus/Kole Calhoun (RF), Nick Castellanos/Alex Guerrero (3B), Jacoby Ellsbury (CF), Aaron Hicks/Dustin Ackley (LF), Mike Zunino (C)

Strengths: The Meatballs bullpen is just ridiculous. Kimbrel (59+ IP, 2.31 CERA, .629/508 splits), Jepsen (69+, 2.48, .653/.449), Geltz (67+, 2.48, .612/.575), Blazek (55+, 2.11, .551/.561) and McGee (37+, 1.92, .607/.513) could each fill the closer role on some BDBL teams.

In the starting rotation, Syndergaard (150, 2.70, .691/.601) is a Nordic god, although he's limited to 165 innings. Gallardo (184+, 4.13, .765/.694) and Samardzija (214, 4.24, .839/.689) are solid in the middle of the rotation. They will be aided by a defense that ranks second in MLB team fielding percentage in the OL.

Weaknesses: Using MLB stats, the Meatballs own the lowest team OPS in the Ozzie League. They have particular difficulty reaching base. Of the eleven batters with more than 200 PA's on the Mississippi roster, not one owns an OBP above .335. It's difficult to score runs when you don't get on base.

Outlook: The Meatballs don't look like a contender in 2016, so let's look ahead. Cano, Ellsbury, Rasmus, and Kimbrel are all free agents at the end of this season. That's over $28 million in salary the team will shed this winter (or sooner, assuming at least one of those players is traded.) The team is stuck paying a whopping $18 million for Gallardo and Samardzija in 2017, unless they can find someone to take those contracts.

If Greg Bird gets enough playing time in MLB this season, and if two or more of Mississippi's high-risk franchised players (Castellanos, Hicks, and Zunino) finally fulfills their potential, this team can be competitive in 2017.

Prediction: 2nd place. The Men of Meat will fall out of the race early in the season, and Cano and Kimbrel will be jettisoned off to one of the superteams, instantly making them even more super.

Las Vegas Flamingos

Owner: John Bochicchio
2015 Record: 81-79 (1st place)
Projected Rotation: Dan Haren, Jeff Locke, Jake Peavy, Taylor Jungmann, Rick Porcello
Bullpen: Cesar Ramos, Jean Machi, Jose Urena
Projected Lineup: Francisco Lindor (SS), Adam Eaton (CF), Gregor Blanco/Carlos Gonzalez (RF), Nick Hundley/Wellington Castillo (C), Steven Souza (RF), Chase Utley (3B), Billy Butler (1B), Howie Kendrick (2B)

Strengths: Lindor was the best shortstop in baseball last year. He did everything well. He hit lefties (.890 OPS) and righties (.804) equally well, he played excellent defense, he was terrific on the bases, and he even bunted well enough to earn an "Ex" rating. For a guy who posted such mediocre numbers throughout his minor league career, to hit the ground running in the majors like that was one of last season's greatest surprises.

The Flamingos have several batters in the lineup who mash right-handed pitching: Gregor Blanco (.792 OPS), Eaton (.847), Gonzalez (.997), Hundley (.832), Lindor (.804), and Kendrick (.753).

Weaknesses: The lineup is much weaker against left-handers. Castillo (.790), Lindor (.890), and part-timer Jonathan Villar (.761) are the only hitters on the roster with a .750+ OPS. Several of the lineup spots are filled with batters who have no business being in a starting lineup.

If it weren't for the New York Giants, the Flamingos would likely own the distinction of having the worst pitching staff in the Ozzie League. Haren (187+ IP, 3.50 CERA, .860/.622 splits) is the de facto "ace" of this staff, and he cost the team a $5 million draft pick. Locke (168+, 4.30, .802/.715) is more of a back-end innings filler than a #2 starter. Peavy (110+, 2.97, .650/.720) is the best starter on this staff, but is barely eligible to pitch half a season. His greatest asset is as trade bait.

As bad as the starting rotation is, the bullpen is even worse. I listed Ramos (52+, 3.78, .662/.707) as the team's closer, which speaks volumes. It only gets worse from there.

Outlook: A "roster filler" is someone a team signs for the sole purpose of filling a roster spot and meeting the usage requirements. A roster filler has no trading value, as he isn't good enough to generate any interest from a contending team. He also has no future value, as he's usually older and on the wrong side of the career/performance arc. Every year, it seems, the Las Vegas roster is filled with roster fillers. And every year, it seems, Johnny Bo spends a great deal of energy adding more of more of these types of players to his roster.

In my mind, there should be only two options for any team at this time of the season: try to compete or rebuild. It should never be the goal of any team to finish somewhere around .500. Roster fillers should be used only when necessary; not as the primary focus of the team's strategy year after year. Las Vegas had very little money to spend on free agents this winter because, in part, they allocated so much salary toward aging, veteran, roster-fillers like Rick Porcello ($7.6MM), Chase Utley ($8.5MM), and Billy Butler ($3MM). They then spent another $10 million in the draft on more roster filler: Haren, Peavy, and Ramos.

The good news for Vegas fans is that Porcello, Utley, and Butler are all free agents at the end of this season. More than $19 million in salary will be stripped from the ledger as a result. If Johnny Bo can formulate a strategy where that money is spent on productive players on the right side of the aging curve, the Flamingos can be a success. Otherwise, they'll just be treading water once again, waiting for the inevitable once-per-decade season when all the other teams in the Benes Division are so horrible that Vegas can sneak through the backdoor into the playoffs.

Prediction: 3rd place. The Flamingos will finish with 65-70 wins, spend a boatload on aging vets next winter, and do it all over again in 2017. Lather, rinse, repeat.

New York Giants

Owner: Jim Doyle
2015 Record: 76-84 (2nd place)
Projected Rotation: Jeremy Hellickson, C.C. Sabathia, Mike Bolsinger, Henderson Alvarez, Alfredo Simon, Tim Hudson, Kyle Lohse
Bullpen: Jeremy Jeffress, Joe Beimel, Alexi Ogando
Projected Lineup: Anthony Gose (RF), Joey Votto (1B), Khris Davis (LF), Adam Lind (3B), Derek Norris (C), Jedd Gyorko (2B), Billy Hamilton (CF), Adeiny Hechavarria (SS)

Strengths: Votto posted some of the best numbers of his career last year, and what he did in the second half of the season (.362/.535/.617) was downright Stevepearcian.

Weaknesses: As of the 26th round of the draft, the Giants' pitching staff included only two pitchers with more than 110 MLB innings (Hellickson at 146, and Sabathia at 167+) and a combined total of 674 MLB innings. Doyle rectified that situation by wasting his last sixteen picks (yes, SIXTEEN $100,000 picks) on crappy pitchers. SMH.

Outlook: Jim Doyle's entire BDBL career consists of one mind-numbing, head-scratching, migraine-inducing decision after another, but his decisions this winter make me believe that it's time to take him out behind the barn and put the old boy down. I mean...I just cannot rationalize a single decision he made this winter.

He began the off-season by dealing Craig Kimbrel and Wil Middlebrooks for Jameson Taillon and Jeremy Hellickson. Not only did he add $400,000 in salary with that deal, but he took on Hellickson's awful contract. Hellickson is signed through 2018, at salaries of $4.6MM, $6.1MM, and $7.6MM. His 4.62 ERA last year was the 18th highest in baseball among MLB pitchers with 140+ innings. He's posted an ERA of 4.50 or higher in each of the last three seasons. It may be the worst contract in the BDBL right now, and Doyle traded the game's best closer to acquire that contract!

Next, he went into the auction with $24.6 million to spend. Given the unusually large number of open roster spots on the Giants' roster (so many, in fact, that Doyle was forced to pay $100K to Munenori Kawasaki to occupy a spot on the inactive roster), the only logical strategy would have been to spread out that money on as many players as possible, and look for possible bargains in the auction and draft that have future value.

Instead, Doyle threw a BDBL-record $12.5 million at a first baseman! Granted, Votto is a great player. No one can argue that. At age 32, and given his recent history and skill set, he will probably be a good player for the duration of his contract. But it makes zero logical sense for any rebuilding team to pay so much for one player -- especially a 32-year-old, injury-prone first baseman!

As if that weren't bad enough, for reasons only Doyle can explain, he also threw a $5.5 million bid at yet another 32-year-old first baseman, Adam Lind. That bid made even less sense than the Votto bid! Not only do the Giants have nowhere to put Lind (forcing Doyle to play him out of position), but he can't even be traded due to his Type H status. Even if he could, a first baseman who can't hit lefties (.553 OPS) doesn't have a lot of trade value, anyway. More than likely, Doyle will have to pay someone to take that contract off his hands as well.

On the auction's very first day, Doyle inflicted so much damage to his franchise that it'll take years to recover. But he wasn't through. He still had $6.6 million to spend. Now, given that he still had NO pitching staff whatsoever, and given that BDBL rules dictate that you must have a pitching staff in order to play in this league, it would have made some sense if he spread out that $6.6 million in the $1 million and $500,000 rounds, alternating picks with future value and pitchers with present-day usage.

Instead, Doyle blew nearly half of it on someone named Mike Bolsinger (109+ IP, 3.87 CERA), and another $2 million on 35-year-old C.C. Sabathia (167+ IP, 5.01 CERA.) That left him with sixteen -- SIXTEEN! -- draft picks in the $100,000 rounds.

SMH.

Prediction: 4th place, for the eighth time in franchise history. If there has ever been a franchise in worse shape than the 2016 Giants, I am hard-pressed to think of it. John Duel left the Padawans franchise in better shape than the current Giants. Barack Obama will leave the US in better shape when he leaves office than Jim Doyle has left the Giants. You get the point.

Kansas Law Dogs

Owner: Chris Luhning
2015 Record: 93-67 (1st place)
Projected Rotation: Jake Arrieta, Dallas Keuchel, Carlos Carrasco, Francisco Liriano, Yordano Ventura
Bullpen: Wade Davis, Jeurys Familia, Will Harris, Hunter Strickland, Andrew Chafin
Projected Lineup: Lorenzo Cain (CF), Ben Zobrist (2B), Eric Hosmer (1B), Nelson Cruz (RF), A.J. Ellis/Sal Perez (C), Yangervis Solarte (3B), Christian Yelich (LF), Asdrubal Cabrera (SS)

Strengths: The last time a BDBL team included both MLB Cy Young award winners was...well, that's never happened. The 2002 Ridgebacks came close, with Johnson (the NL CY) and Schilling (#2 in the NL voting.) I seem to recall that they had a pretty successful season that year. Are Arrieta (229 IP, 1.53 CERA, .449/.557 splits) and Keuchel (232, 2.26, .461/.606) the greatest one-two pitching combo in the history of the BDBL? We're about to find out.

Carrasco (183+, 2.72, .639/.651) would be an ace for most teams in the BDBL. Having Liriano (186+, 3.04, .599/.639) and Ventura (163+, 3.71, .734/.658) serve as the #4 and #5 starters on this team only adds to the absurdity of it all.

Then, there is the bullpen. Why have merely one closer with 50+ innings, a sub-2.30 CERA, and sub-.630/.630 splits when you can have FIVE of them? Kansas has that with Davis (67+, 1.16, .453/.449), Familia (78, 2.19, .616/.531), Harris (71, 1.79, .455/.586), Strickland (51+, 1.72, .509/.562), and Chafin (75, 2.30, .524/.631).

Let's talk offense. Against portsiders, the Law Dogs offer FOUR batters with a .900+ OPS. Against normal throwers, the Kansas lineup includes three batters with an .800+ OPS, and six more with a .750+ OPS.

Lastly, on defense, the Kansas outfield includes an Ex-ranged fielder in left and center field, and the second-highest fielding percentage (based on MLB numbers) in the Eck League.

Weaknesses: I'm at a loss.

Outlook: The costly addition of Arrieta transformed the Law Dogs from a surefire division winner to a ridiculously over-stacked superteam. Kansas has topped 100 wins in four different seasons, with a high of 106 in 2012. I predict they will shatter that record in 2016. The new team ERA record that Los Altos broke last season could also be in jeopardy. This pitching staff has the potential of becoming the greatest the league has ever seen, and this offense is capable of scoring 750 runs. Put the two together, and you have a team that will likely run away with this division before the end of the second chapter.

Prediction: 1st place, and the BDBL championship. On paper, the only team that can stop the Los Altos Undertakers from winning back-to-back BDBL championships is the Law Dogs. I'm putting my money on Kansas.

Great Lakes Sphinx

Owner: Scott Romonosky
2015 Record: 67-93 (3rd place)
Projected Rotation: Trevor Bauer, Nate Eovaldi, Hector Santiago, Clay Buchholz, Scott Feldman, Ryan Vogelsong
Bullpen: Kelvin Herrera, Blaine Boyer, John Axford, Jason Motte, Corey Knebel
Projected Lineup: Dustin Pedroia (2B), Manny Machado (SS), Josh Donaldson (3B), Alex Gordon (LF), Albert Pujols (1B), Starling Marte (CF), Josh Reddick/Yasmany Tomas (RF), Caleb Joseph/A.J. Pierzynski (C)

Strengths: GM Scott Romonosky seemed to go all-in this winter, loading up this team's lineup at the trading table and through free agency. The greatest addition was Donaldson (711 PA, 1.024/.919 splits), the AL MVP who came at a hefty price (Colin McHugh, George Springer, and Jung-Ho Kang.) Gordon (422, .817/.805) and Pierzynski (436, .655/.799) were then added via free agency at the combined cost of $13.5 million.

Donaldson, Gordon, and Pierzynski join a lineup that was already stacked with Machado (713, .763/.894), Marte (633, .717/.798), Pedroia (425, .834/.785), and Pujols (661, .761/.796). I couldn't even find a spot in the lineup for Carlos Santana (666, .755/.750) or Josh Reddick (582, .654/.826).

Weaknesses: With all the emphasis on building the offense, it seemed as though Romonosky forgot about building a pitching staff. He added Bauer (176 IP, 3.86 CERA, .705/.721 splits) and Buchholz (113+, 3.23, .610/.725) in trade, but neither is likely to make much of an impact, especially given their usage limitations. The rest of the starting rotation looks below-average on paper (although I've been wrong about the quality of Great Lakes rotations in the past.)

Beyond Herrera (69+, 2.53, .470/.677), none of the bullpen arms stand out as above-average. Boyer (.823 vs. RH) and Motte (.828 vs. LH) have platoon problems, and Axford (55+, 4.45, .671/.731) is mediocre at best.

Outlook: The Sphinx have an impressive lineup, but I don't see how a team can compete on offense alone. Of course, I wrote the same thing about this team two years ago (minus the compliment of their offense), and they went out and won a wild card. So what do I know?

Prediction: 2nd place. It could be a tight battle for the wild card between two very different teams. The Sphinx have a killer offense and no pitching, and the Cleveland Rocks have a killer pitching staff and no offense. The age-old baseball question of whether offense or defense is more important to the game of baseball is about to be answered.

Buckingham Sovereigns

Owners: Tony Badger
2015 Record: 84-76 (2nd place)
Projected Rotation: Jon Lester, Marco Estrada, C.J. Wilson, Miguel Gonzalez
Bullpen: Andrew Miller, Tony Watson, Liam Hendricks, Logan Verrett, Steven Wright
Projected Lineup: Seth Smith/Brandon Guyer (LF), Mike Trout (CF), Giancarlo Stanton (RF), David Ortiz (1B), Jarrod Saltalamacchia/Tucker Barnhart (C), Josh Harrison (3B), Andres Blanco (2B), Elvis Andrus (SS)

Strengths: Once again, the obvious strength of this team is having Trout and Stanton in the middle of the lineup and in the field. Trout (682 PA, 1.025/.980 splits) enjoyed yet another MVP-caliber season on his way toward Cooperstown, and played a Vg center field. Stanton (318, 1.172/.893) had an injury-shortened campaign, and played a Vg right field.

The bullpen includes two lights-out left-handers in Miller (61+ IP, 1.61 CERA, .602/.444 splits) and Watson (75+, 1.92, .493/.536). Lester (205, 2.88, .658/.662) and Estrada (181, 2.64, .638/.626) make a nice one-two combo in the starting rotation.

Weaknesses: The back end of the Buckingham rotation doesn't appear strong enough to allow this team to contend over the course of a 160-game season. Wilson and Gonzalez are both below-average arms, and the dearth of available innings translates into spot starts for even more undesirable arms off of the free agent scrap heap (assuming Badger doesn't trade for one.)

The Sovereigns rank near the top of the Eck League in MLB team OPS, but that number is highly-skewed by Trout and Stanton. Once you get past Ortiz in the lineup, it's smooth sailing, with the exception of Salty's .979 OPS against lefties. Even there, however, he is limited to around 60 PA's.

Outlook: Tony Badger inherited a difficult and challenging legacy. There were barely enough keepers on this roster to reach the minimum requirement on Cutdown Day. He worked with what he had, and did what he could at the trading table this winter to make his own mark on this roster. The additions of Lester and Estrada were bold and risky moves for a team that should have been in rebuilding mode, given the circumstances. Those signings could either pave the way for a contending season in 2017 or contribute to the franchise's demise over the next two years.

Prediction: 3rd place. On his way to a bowling tournament, Tony Badger makes a pit stop in Allentown, Pennsylvania, where he encounters the ghost of Tom DiStefano. DiStefano provides Badger with some helpful, Obi-Wan-style advice, and the Sovereigns finish the season with a surprising sprint to the finish.

Big River Beavers

Owner: Kyle Robinson
2015 Record: 64-96 (4th place)
Projected Rotation: James Shields, Lance McCullers, David Phelps, Aaron Harang, Joe Kelly, Nick Martinez, Doug Fister
Bullpen: David Robertson, Brian Matusz, Glen Perkins, Randall Delgado, Brandon Finnegan, Jarred Cosart, Trevor Cahill
Projected Lineup: Brett Gardner (CF), D.J. LeMahieu (2B), Carlos Correa (SS), David Murphy/Stephen Piscotty (RF), Evan Gattis (LF), Matt Duffy/Christian Colon (3B), Pedro Alvarez (1B), Wilin Rosario/Carlos Perez (C)

Strengths: Correa is one of several exciting young rookies in the BDBL this season. He has every tool you'd ever want to see in a young player: power, speed, defense, and a discerning eye at the plate. He will be a perennial all-star and MVP candidate in this league for many years to come.

Weaknesses: Both the starting rotation and lineup are below average. Shields (202+ IP, 4.34 CERA, .890/.660 splits) isn't much of an ace, and will get pounded by left-handed hitters (especially in Big River's home park.) Inning for inning, McCullers (125+, 3.02 .590/.729) is the best starting pitcher on this roster. Unfortunately for Beavers fans, he's only available to pitch a little more than half the season.

Likewise, aside from Correa, Piscotty (256 PA, .887/.841 splits) is the best hitter on this roster, but only has enough usage to play half a season. That leaves guys like Murphy (391, .795/.735), Gardner (656, .761/.734), and Gattis (604, .719/.763) to pick up the slack. Big River scored only 540 runs last season (the third lowest total in the BDBL), and it will be a challenge for them to top that total in 2016.

Outlook: The Beavers are clearly not ready to compete just yet -- especially in this tough division -- but their future is bright. Correa and Piscotty give this team a solid foundation to build upon. On the pitching side, McCullers and Aaron Nola both give Beavers fans a reason to be optimistic. Big River has far too much of their 2017 budget tied up with nonproductive players, however. Believe it or not, they are committed to spending a whopping $40.8 MILLION on Shields, Robertson, Fister, Cahill, Alvarez, and Austin Jackson. NO team can compete when so much of their budget it tied to such mediocre (to put it nicely) production.

The good news: all of those players will be off the books after next season. The bad news: Beavers fans will have to endure two more long and painful seasons before they can even begin to imagine a competitive Big River ballclub.

Prediction: 4th place. At some point during the season, Robinson convinces Jim Doyle to take Shields, Robertson, Fister, Cahill, Alvarez, and Austin Jackson off his hands. The Beavers become instant favorites to win it all in 2017.

St. Louis Apostles

Owner: Bobby Sylvester, Jr.
2015 Record: 64-96 (3rd place)
Projected Rotation: Michael Wacha, Carlos Martinez, Jake Odorizzi, Carlos Rodon, Jimmy Nelson, Kevin Gausman
Bullpen: Aroldis Chapman, Hector Rondon, Trevor Rosenthal, Greg Holland, Kevin Quackenbush
Projected Lineup: Andrew McCutchen (CF), Buster Posey (C), Yasiel Puig/Yoenis Cespedes (LF), J.D. Martinez (RF), Freddie Freeman/Logan Forsythe (1B), Jung-Ho Kang (SS), Anthony Rendon/Chris Coghlan (2B), Luis Valbuena (3B)

Strengths: There aren't many lineups in the BDBL that can match the Apostles. Cespedes (676 PA, .736/.909 splits) and Puig (311, .924/.704) form a ridiculous platoon in the middle of the lineup. The expensive addition of Posey (623, .854/.847) has filled this lineup with a productive hitter in every spot from one through eight. He, McCutchen (685, .918/.881), and Martinez (657, .915/.870) are the early season favorites to win the EL MVP award.

On the mound, the Apostles own six quality starters and a bullpen filled with dominant arms, and headed by the lights-out Chapman (66+ IP, 2.45 CERA, .451/.554 splits.) Defensively, Valbuena (Vg at 1B), Puig (Vg in RF), Freeman (Vg at 1B), and Cespedes (Ex in LF) are all above average.

Weaknesses: No starting pitcher on the Apostles roster owns OPS splits below .700/.700. Gausman (.843), Odorizzi (.745), Wacha (.714), and Rodon (.799) have trouble against righties. Martinez (.756) and Nelson (.876) have trouble against lefties. That is something that probably won't affect this team to a great extent during the regular season, but could hurt them in the postseason.

Outlook: Bobby Sylvester's relentless stockpiling of prospects is finally paying dividends. Although none of this team's important hitters are products of the St. Louis farm club, practically the entire pitching staff comes from that source: Martinez, Nelson, Odorizzi, Rodon, Rosenthal, and Wacha. Trader Bobby used many of his other prospects to build his offense through trade, adding impact bats such as Cespedes, Coghlan, Freeman, McCutchen, Puig, and Valbuena. After three years of spastic wheeling and dealing, the St. Louis Apostles are finally ready to compete for a division title.

Prediction: 1st place. There are only three certainties in life: death, taxes, and Bobby Sylvester making a shitload of trades. The team listed above will more than likely not be the team that plays in the postseason this year. This team's fate depends on which new faces appear among that crowd as the season progresses.

Niagara Locks

Owner: Mike Ranney
2015 Record: 80-80 (2nd place)
Projected Rotation: David Price, Johnny Cueto, Garrett Richards, Chris Tillman, Jorge de la Rosa
Bullpen: Chris Bassitt, Neal Cotts, Jose Fernandez, Chad Qualls, Juan Nicasio, Al Albuquerque
Projected Lineup: Xander Bogaerts (SS), Brandon Crawford (3B), Lucas Duda (1B), Jonathan Schoop/Juan Uribe (2B), Juan Ligares/Carlos Gomez (CF), Domingo Santana (LF), Byron Buxton/Logan Morrison (RF), Cameron Rupp (C)

Strengths: The starting rotation is beyond impressive. Price (220+ IP, 2.54 CERA, .661/.608 splits) should be a Cy Young candidate. He is backed by a pair of aces: Cueto (212, 3.06, .598/.743) and Richards (207+, 3.32, .628/.707). With those three horses, the Locks won't have to worry about usage.

Weaknesses: I had a difficult time filling out that lineup card. Both Bogaerts (561 PA, .716/.808 splits) and Crawford (561, .716/.808) are rated only at shortstop, but they both need to be in the lineup, so I listed Crawford out of position at third. It seems like a waste to use his Ex range out of position, but it makes the most sense. It seems there aren't enough at-bats to fill an outfield, so I put Buxton (138, .318/704) together with Morrison (511, .500/.767) in right field. As I write, the only catcher on the roster is Rupp (299, .915/.597), who doesn't have enough usage, and couldn't hit righties if his life depended on it.

From the pitching standpoint, this team has no bullpen. I have no idea who will close for this team, so I put Bassitt (86 IP, 3.55 CERA, .650/.732) at the front of the line. Ranney could use Fernandez (64+, 2.95, .860/.446) out of the bullpen again, but he would only be useful in a ROOGY role. The other relievers on this roster are suboptimal (to put it kindly.)

Outlook: This team looks like a fantasy baseball version of Edward Scissorhands, with Ranney playing the role of Vincent Price. He began to put together an amazing, competitive, baseball team and then...croaked or something. I mean, any team with a starting rotation that includes three aces like Price, Richards, and Cueto should be a division winner. Instead, we have a team with three aces, no bullpen, no catcher, no right fielder, and a shortstop playing third base. It's hard to believe that this is all that $58 million can buy!

Prediction: 2nd place. Price is a free agent at the end of this season, and could very well be the top trading commodity of this season if/when the Locks fall out of contention.

Southern Cal Slyme

Owner: Bob Sylvester, Sr.
2015 Record: 106-54 (1st place)
Projected Rotation: Felix Hernandez, Mark Buehrle, Ubaldo Jimenez, Andrew Cashner
Bullpen: Arodlys Vizcaino, Brad Boxberger, Daniel Hudson, James Paxton
Projected Lineup: Kyle Seager (3B), Nick Markakis (RF), Jose Abreu (1B), Mike Napoli/Matt Holliday (LF), Ian Desmond (SS), Chris Stewart/Alex Avila (C), Cesar Hernandez (2B), Kevin Kiermaier (CF)

Strengths: King Felix (201+ IP, 3.37 CERA, .699/.665 splits) returns for his sixth season as a member of the Slyme, having signed a relatively modest $10 million deal this winter. He has been among the most consistent pitchers in the BDBL over his last five seasons, winning 13-18 games per year, and posting an ERA between 2.65-3.37. Last year was a career year in terms of his BDBL ERA. At age 30, he likely has a few more good years left in him.

Weaknesses: Following Hernandez in the rotation are three aging veteran arms of middling quality. 37-year-old Buehrle (198+, 3.79, .788/.737) is the best of the lot, and he's a back-end-of-the-rotation type of pitcher at this point in his career. Based on MLB team ERA, the Slyme rank dead last in the Eck League.

Offensively, the team has a few weapons against left-handers; namely Seager (.835 OPS) and David Wright (1.023), but Wright is limited in usage and blocked at third by Seager. Against right-handers, only Holliday (.807) and Abreu (.910) are exceptional, and Holliday has limited usage as well.

Outlook: Take a look at Bob Sylvester's free agent acquisitions this winter: Ian Desmond, Alex Avila, Matt Holliday, Mike Napoli, Pablo Sandoval, David Wright, Mark Buehrle, Matt Cain, Andrew Cashner, Felix Hernandez, Tim Lincecum, and Adam Wainwright. Notice a common theme? If this were 2014, the Slyme would have a hell of a team! Unfortunately for SoCal fans, it's 2016, and all of those names just mentioned are on the downward slope of their career arcs. Every investment company warns its investors that past performance is not an indicator of future performance. That holds for ballplayers as well. SoCal fans can only hope that a few of those old dogs can recapture their past greatness for one more year.

Prediction: 3rd place.

South Carolina Sea Cats

Owner: Tony DeCastro
2015 Record: 57-103 (4th place)
Projected Rotation: A.J. Burnett, Taijuan Walker, Jesse Chavez, Bartolo Colon, Phil Hughes
Bullpen: Shawn Kelley, Josh Tomlin, Adam Conley, Casey Fien, Trevor Gott, Blaine Hardy
Projected Lineup: Denard Span/Cameron Maybin (LF), Ender Inciarte/Delino DeShields (CF), Maikel Franco (3B), Justin Smoak/C.J. Cron (1B), Mark Trumbo/Gregory Polanco (RF), Blake Swihart/Tyler Flowers (C), Devon Travis (2B), Eduardo Escobar (SS)

Strengths: Unusual depth. There are more than 8,500 MLB plate appearances on this roster. This team has two full-time shortstops, six first basemen with more than 300 PA's, four full-time second basemen, and enough outfield at-bats to fill three teams. There are more than enough bullpen arms for any team to possibly employ as well, and Kelley and Tomlin are good enough to have some trade value.

Weaknesses: The worst pitching staff in the Eck League, and the worst offense. 'Nuff said.

Outlook: Take a look at what I wrote for the Las Vegas Flamingos, and just substitute the word "Sea Cats" for "Flamingos." These two teams seem to be in similar positions every year. DeCastro fills his roster with "roster filler" type of players, he wins 65-75 games, and then repeats the same exercise the following season.

DeCastro had a whopping $34 million to spend on free agents this winter. He splurged $15.5 million on three starting pitchers: A.J. Burnett (164 IP, 4.10 CERA, .699/.728), Jesse Chavez (157, 4.08, .825/.616), and Bartolo Colon (194+, 3.84, .735/.748). Burnett (who, believe it or not, is the highest-paid player on the Sea Cats at just $5.5MM) is not only 39 years old, but retired last year, so he has no future value. As a Type H free agent, he cannot be traded, either. He is the dictionary definition of a "roster filler." Chavez is 32 years old, and owns a career ERA of 4.55. He will probably not be a keeper at $5 million, and has little trade value, so he's merely a one-year roster-filler rental. The same applies to Colon, who is 43 years old, was also signed for $5 million, and will more than likely be released next Cutdown Day.

At age 30, Hughes could be roster filler as well (at least, he is in terms of this season.) He was signed to a $2 million salary, bringing the grand total to $17.5 million to purchase a sub-mediocre starting rotation.

Next, DeCastro filled his bullpen with mediocre arms Conley, Blanton, Fien, Gott, and Hardy. The grand total for those five was $12 million. That's $29.5 million spent on players who: a) have little or no trade value, b) have little or no future value, and c) have little or no present value, aside from filling usage requirements.

The Sea Cats have one advantage, however, over Las Vegas: Tony DeCastro has been an absolute master when it comes to building a farm system. With the exception of the Los Altos farm (of course), the Sea Cats have had the highest-ranked farm club in BDBL history. They have averaged a rank of 7.1 in our annual Farm Report, and have ranked among the top ten farms in the league eleven times. This gives Sea Cats fans some hope for the future.

With Franco, Polanco, Swihart, Walker, and Travis continuing to develop in the big leagues for another year, and with Blake Snell and Julio Urias waiting in the wings, the Sea Cats could be a contender in the near future if they use their vast resources (which will likely be more than $30 million once again next year) to sign players with some actual value, present or future.

Prediction: 4th place. Another lost season for the 'Cats, but the future is bright.

Chicago Black Sox

Owner: John Gill
2015 Record: 90-70 (2nd place, EL wild card, EL champions)
Projected Rotation: Madison Bumgarner, Jordan Zimmerman, Cole Hamels, Mike Leake, Charlie Morton
Bullpen: Brad Ziegler, Brett Cecil, Antonio Bastardo, Tom Wilhelmsen, Koji Uehara
Projected Lineup: Ian Kinsler (2B), Bryce Harper (CF), Miguel Sano (3B), Evan Longoria/Alex Rodriguez (3B), Carlos Beltran (RF), Yasmani Grandal (C), Jarrod Dyson/Kyle Schwarber (LF), Andrelton Simmons (SS)

Strengths: Harper (654 PA, .986/1.160 splits) had a career year (so far), and will undoubtedly show up at the top of the MVP balloting at the end of this season. He is surrounded in the lineup by several impressive bats: Kinsler (675, .798/.763), Beltran (531, .752/.831), Grandal (426, .794/.749), Longoria (670, .960/.695), Sano (335, .881/.929), Schwarber (273, .481/.953), and Rodriguez (620, .926/.806).

Bumgarner (218+ IP, 2.43 CERA, .539/.627) is a true ace and a workhorse. The same can be said of Hamels (212+, 3.28, .646/.675) and Zimmerman (201+, 3.63, .776/.617). With those three getting starts in practically every series this season, it will be a long year for Black Sox opponents.

The Chicago bullpen is equally loaded with four relievers with CERA's of 2.50 or lower: Ziegler (68, 1.74, .621/.430), Uehara (40+, 1.67, .507/.614), Bastardo (57+, 2.50, .448/.626), and Cecil (54+, 1.95, .539/.576).

Weaknesses: Aside from Simmons (an Ex at shortstop, naturally), Kinsler (Ex at 2B), Dyson (Vg at the corner OF), and Longoria (Vg at third), the Black Sox have some scary defensive players out there. Beltran is a "Pr" in right field, A-Rod is "Pr" at both first and third base, and Schwarber is so poor, he's poor at three different positions! In theory, the above-average gloves should negate the below-average ones, but that remains to be seen.

Outlook: John Gill's recent decision to sign Mike Leake to a $7.5 million, guaranteed three-year, $23.5 million contract tells you all you need to know about whether or not the Black Sox are going for broke this year. After getting their third taste of the BDBL World Series last year, they're doing everything possible to go for a fourth. They have some stiff competition with the Cleveland Rocks, but Chicago's more balanced approach seems to be a winner more often than not.

Prediction: 1st place, unless the Black Sox tank in Chapter One yet again, and Gill loads his dump truck with all of his star players and ships them off to Los Altos.

Cleveland Rocks

Owner: Mike Stein
2015 Record: 97-63 (1st place)
Projected Rotation: Zack Greinke, Jacob deGrom, Corey Kluber, Danny Salazar, Nathan Karns
Bullpen: Mark Melancon, Kenley Jansen, Kevin Siegrist, Javier Lopez, Cody Allen, Pedro Baez, Zach Britton, Yimi Garcia
Projected Lineup: Chris Young/Aaron Altherr (CF), Melky Cabrera/Cole Gillespie (LF), Mitch Moreland/Chris Carter (1B), Miguel Montero (C), Chris Denorfia/Tommy Pham (RF), Brandon Phillips (2B), Jose Reyes (SS), Yunel Escobar (3B)

Strengths: An obscene amount of dominant pitching. If it weren't for Kansas, the one-two-three punch of Greinke (222+ IP, 1.56 CERA, .535/.482 splits), deGrom (191, 2.13, .663/.475), and Kluber (222, 2.74, .740/.549) would be the greatest three pitchers in any rotation in the league -- and possibly the greatest of all-time. One could argue that Kluber is a better #3 starter than Carlos Carrasco, which gives Cleveland the edge over Kansas, but the difference is negligible either way. Salazar (185, 3.10, .724/.628) would be the ace for most teams in the BDBL. On this team, he's the #4 starter. Karns (147, 3.77, .690/.708) is the best #5 starter in the league, without question.

Like the starting rotation, the Rocks bullpen is completely overflowing with dominant arms. Melancon (76+, 1.82, .380/.673) absolutely dominated left-handers last year. Jansen (52+, 1.58, .566/.459) dominated everyone, as usual. Lopez (39+, 1.26, .323/.734) and Britton (65+, 2.02, .325/.636) give Cleveland two more lights-out closers against lefties. And Allen (69+, 2.51, .512/.676), Baez (51, 2.87, .735/.678), and Garcia (56+, 2.40, .584/.599) serve as mopup men, I suppose. Why any team needs this many quality bullpen arms, I'll never know. Unless Stein plans to carry fourteen pitchers on his active roster, at least one of these guys will be rotting away on the reserve roster.

Weaknesses: Once again, just as I pointed out last year, the Rocks seem to have forgotten that offense is half the game. Stein put so much effort into building his pitching staff that he completely neglected the other half of the scoreboard. I couldn't even figure out how to build that lineup above, as there is no clear-cut leadoff hitter, no one to fill the middle of the order, and the bottom third of the lineup is so horrible, I figured I had to be missing something.

The Rocks somehow managed to score 662 runs last season with an offense that may have been better than this year's version. I don't know how on earth they did that, and I'm sure I will be scratching my head again this season when Cleveland scores a ton of runs with a lineup that looks like it belongs in Triple-A.

Outlook: Can a team win with pitching alone? You would think not, but this team proved it can be done a year ago. Can they repeat that trick, or was it a Daffy Duck one-time-only miracle? We're about to get an answer to that question. With Chicago sporting a much better all-around team, the Rocks look like they'll have to settle for a wild card.

Prediction: 2nd place, and the EL wild card. As I peer into my crystal ball, I see a first round date with the Kansas Law Dogs in Mike Stein's future. If any team has a fighting chance against Kansas, it's the Rocks.

Akron Rÿche

Owner: D.J. Shepard
2015 Record: 77-83 (4th place)
Projected Rotation: Edinson Volquez, Justin Verlander, Erasmo Ramirez, Danny Duffy, Andrew Heaney
Bullpen: Sam Dyson, Pedro Strop, Chi Chi Gonzalez, Jesse Hahn, Drew Smyly, Brad Brach, Zach Davies, Tyler Duffy
Projected Lineup: Kolton Wong/Danny Espinoza (2B), Randal Grichuk (CF), Adrian Gonzalez (1B), David Freese (3B), Abraham Almonte/Rajai Davis (LF), Will Venable/Jayson Werth (RF), Roberto Perez/Jonathan Lucroy (C), Jordy Mercer (SS)

Strengths: If you're wondering why your team has so little depth in the bullpen, you can thank guys like D.J. for that. Why does any team need EIGHT quality relievers? It's not like D.J. will use them for trade bait! Dyson, Strop, Gonzalez, and Hahn all have 65+ MLB innings and a CERA of 3.00 or below.

Weaknesses: This is an ugly, patchwork starting lineup, filled with a mixture of aging vets (Gonzalez, Freese, Davis, Venable, Werth) and semi-productive mid-to-late-20-somethings (Wong, Tejada, Espinoza, Grichuk.) Mediocrity oozes from the lineup card.

The starting rotation doesn't look much better. Volquez (200+ IP, 3.66 CERA, .694/.690) is the de facto ace. Verlander (133+, 2.75, .620/.650) is the best pitcher on this roster, but is limited to four chapters or so. Ramirez (163+, 3.11, .567/.753) has some funky splits that can be useful against certain teams, but is also limited in usage.

Outlook: On paper, the Ryche look like another one of those teams that is flying in a holding pattern, waiting for the season to end so they can compete once again. Akron appears to be in good position to compete in 2017. If Verlander can continue his second half performance into this season, and if Marcus Stroman is healthy for a full season, the Ryche will have a solid foundation to build upon. All they'll need is an offense.

Prediction: 3rd place. Yawn.

 Charlotte Mustangs

Owner: Tony Chamra
2015 Record: 84-76 (3rd place)
Projected Rotation: Kyle Hendricks, Anthony DeSclafani, Wade Miley, Julio Teheran, Anibal Sanchez
Bullpen: Brandon Maurer, Hansel Robles, Joe Ross, Jeanmar Gomez, Jake Diekman, Adam Liberatore, Zach Putnam, Addison Reed
Projected Lineup: Jackie Bradley (CF), Eddie Rosario/Hunter Pence (RF), Miguel Cabrera (1B), Corey Dickerson (LF), Brett Lawrie (3B), Omar Infante (2B), Addison Russell (SS), Kurt Suzuki (C)

Strengths: Tuffy Gosewich. Without a doubt, it's Tuffy Gosewich. Without Tuffy Gosewich, the 2016 Charlotte Mustangs wouldn't have a fighting chance. With him manning that spot on the end of the bench each game, they can't lose.

Weaknesses: The entire team except Miguel Cabrera. DeSclafani (184+ IP, 4.00 CERA, .783/.697), Hendricks (180, 3.18, .797/.580), Miley (193+, 4.01, .674/.760), Teheran (200+, 4.07, .893/.583), and Sanchez (157, 4.14, .681/.866) are all perfectly capable mid-to-end-rotation starting pitchers, but you wouldn't confuse any of them with an ace, an all-star, or even a #2 starter.

The bullpen is filled with similar inning-filling arms of various shades of mediocrity. And the lineup -- with that one glaring exception -- is filled with the type of replacement-level bats you can find on the free agent scrap heap at any point during the year. In terms of MLB ERA, the Mustangs rank second to last in the EL. In terms of OPS, they rank dead-last.

Outlook: Not all is bleak in Charlotte. Bradley, Dickerson, Lawrie, Rosario, Russell, DeSclafani, Hendricks, and Teheran are all age 27 or younger. Any one of them -- or all of them -- could turn the corner this coming MLB season and blossom into an all-star. The same can be said of Eddie Butler, Matt Adams, and Oswaldo Arcia, who were considered top prospects not long ago. Alex Bregman could move quickly up the ladder and provide another quality bat to the lineup. Hanley Ramirez could get his act together and return to his former MVP form, and Anibal Sanchez could return to form as well. If a few of those things happen over the next year, Charlotte could contend. More than anything else, however, they will need Tuffy Gosewich's veteran presence on that bench.

Prediction: 4th place. As the season comes to a close, Chamra makes the decision to retire Gosewich's number long before he retires himself. The Legend of Tuffy Gosewich shall live forever.