February, 2018

2018 Season Preview

Welcome to season number TWENTY of the Big Daddy Baseball League! And what a season it promises to be! For the first time in several years, I truly don't know who will win the championship. There is no clear favorite. There are no superteams. Several divisions appear to be tightly-contested. This could very well be the most competitive, exciting, and unpredictable season in BDBL history!

Not only will 2018 provide us with some compelling division races, but we will also be treated to several compelling stories. BDBL legend Jim Doyle has returned from his year-long sabbatical to man the helm of the legendary New Milford Blazers franchise. After seventeen straight losing seasons, Doyle has been gifted with a franchise that has won 100 or more games six years in a row. It's the ultimate rags-to-riches tale!

But wait! It gets even better.

The new owners of Doyle's abandoned franchise, the Myrtle Beach Hitmen, have done such an incredible job of rebuilding their tattered franchise from the ground-up that they are already in a position to compete. Just imagine, for a moment, the possibility of a playoffs match-up between Doyle's Miners and the Hitmen. How amazing would that be?!

In addition to the competitive pennant races and compelling stories, the 2018 season will also feature several teams that are apparently experimenting with unconventional strategies. In St. Louis, Bobby Sylvester has built a team centered around its bullpen, its defense, and a lineup against left-handers that has to be seen to be believed. In Bear Country, Matt Clemm has spent a mind-numbing $15 million on two relief pitchers while piecing together a starting rotation from spare parts. In Cleveland, Mike Stein has apparently committed to building the shittiest team ever assembled, in an effort to break the all-time single-season losses record.

With so much to look forward to, I cannot wait for this season to begin. Best of luck to all of you.

Jump to:
McGowan | Benes | Griffin | Higuera | Person | Hrbek

Flagstaff Outlaws

Owner: Greg Newgard
2017 Record: 83-77 (3rd place)
Projected Rotation: Chris Sale (.603), Zack Greinke (.659), Alex Wood (.735), Michael Wacha (.735), J.C. Ramirez (.761)
Bullpen: Blake Parker (.527), Jake McGee (.624), Sam Tuivailala (.626), Kirby Yates (.698), Ryan Buchter (.642), Pedro Baez (.728), Joe Musgrove (.798)
Projected Lineup: Elvis Andrus (SS, .808), George Springer (CF, .889), Paul Goldschmidt (1B, .966), Aaron Judge (RF, 1.049), Khris Davis (LF, .864), Travis Shaw (3B, .862), Caleb Joseph/Manny Pina (C, .787/.769), Enrique Hernandez/Joe Panik (2B, .946/.768)

Strengths: The best offense in the Ozzie League, hands-down. Only the St. Louis Apostles could argue that their lineup is better. Flagstaff can field a lineup with four 900+ OPS batters against left-handers and three against righties (plus Shaw and Daniel Nava at .890+). Obviously, the centerpiece to this lineup is Judge. But enough about him.

Let's talk about the pitching. The acquisition of Sale was arguably the biggest story of the winter. The one-two punch of Sale and Greinke is difficult to match by any other team in the league.

Salem castaway Andrus not only produces with the bat, but magically added an Ex glove to his resume this year. He joins Goldschmidt (Ex), Judge (Vg), Shaw (Vg), and Springer (Vg) as above-average full-time gloves in the lineup. Another winter acquisition from Salem, Parker, gives this team a legitimate closer. Hmm...what do Judge, Andrus, Shaw, and Parker all have in common?

Weaknesses: Once you get beyond the front two, the starting rotation is lacking in both innings and quality. Wood had a tremendous season, but is limited to about four and a half chapters of usage. Wacha and Ramirez are sub-par pitchers for a contending team.

Outlook: It seems obvious that the Outlaws are the Ozzie League's team to beat in 2018. They have two aces in the rotation, a solid bullpen, and the best offense in the league. Now it's only a question of: can they execute?

Sale, Andrus, and Greinke are all free agents following this season. This very much feels like an all-or-nothing season in Flagstaff. Greg Newgard has scratched and clawed his way toward the playoffs in almost every season since joining the league. Playing in the toughest division in the league, he fell short many times, finishing in second place nine times in fifteen years. Four times he won the wild card. Once, he won the division and took his team all the way to the World Series. Maybe, just maybe, this is his year.

Prediction: 1st place. This just feels like Greg Newgard's year. What the hell. I'll go out on a limb and predict a BDBL championship for the Outlaws.

Bear Country Jamboree

Owner: Matt Clemm
2017 Record: 91-69 (2nd place)
Projected Rotation: Ervin Santana (.678), James Paxton (.602), Erasmo Ramirez (.733), Ty Blach (.766), Brandon McCarthy (.668), Luis Castillo (.638), Jacob Faria (.677)
Bullpen: Andrew Miller (.440), Aroldis Chapman (.584), Brad Hand (.580), Tyler Lyons (.608), Hector Rondon (.724), Trevor Hildenburger (.664)
Projected Lineup: Jon Jay (LF, .749), Daniel Murphy (2B, .928), Willson Contreras (C, .855), Ryan Zimmerman (1B, .930), Delino DeShields/Carlos Gonzalez (RF, .751/.836), Chase Headley (3B, .758), Andrelton Simmons (SS, .752), Kevin Pillar (CF, .704)

Strengths: Bear Country is another BDBL team that is carrying two closers this year. Clemm spent a whopping $15 million on the pair this season, which represents over a quarter of his team's total salary! Assuming the Jamboree squeezes every third of an inning out of the usage for both, their combined 123.2 inning only represent roughly 8.5% of the team's total innings this season. Chew on that for a minute!

Murphy, Contreras, and Zimmerman are about as solid and productive as any trio you'll find in the middle of any lineup. Unlike last year's Jamboree lineup, the quality in hitting doesn't drastically fall once you get past that core, as there are no easy outs at the bottom of the order.

Defensively, it doesn't get any better than Simmons at short. Pillar (Vg), however, was absolutely robbed by the Diamond Mind gurus with their secret and inexplicable range formula.

Weaknesses: Initially, I began writing about the apparent shortage of innings being a major weakness of this team. Faria (86.2), Castillo (89.1 IP), and McCarthy (92.2) are excellent pitchers, but are only available to pitch half a season each. Paxton (136) is arguably the team's best pitcher, but is limited to 20-25 starts. The same is true with Ramirez (131.1). Only Blach (163.2) and Santana (211.1) could be considered full-time starters.

Then I did the math. Guess what? Bear Country has more than enough innings from their starting pitchers to get through an entire season. Go figure!

Outlook: What an interesting experiment this will be in 2018! Instead of building a pitching staff in the traditional way, trading away the future or submitting astronomical eight-digit bids for 200-inning aces, Clemm flipped the script and paid a smaller ransom for a pair of closers. He then loaded up his roster with enough short-usage starters and capable setup men to fill an entire pitching staff. In the end, he spent around $34 million for his pitching staff, which the fifth-highest amount spent on any pitching staff in the league, yet distributed in a completely unconventional manner. I suppose it proves that there is more than one way to skin a cat!

On paper, the Jamboree pitching staff doesn't look all that impressive. In reality, they may be among the best in the BDBL. That, combined with an offense that is at least league-average, should mean that Bear Country will compete for a spot in the playoffs this season. I highly suspect that how far they go will depend on their record in one-run games.

Prediction: 2nd place, and the OL wild card. If any team in the BDBL playoffs pulls off an upset over a heavily-favored opponent, it will be this one.

Kansas City Boulevards

Owner: Scot Zook
2017 Record: 72-88 (4th place)
Projected Rotation: Dallas Keuchel (.619), Aaron Nola (.679), Zack Godley (.657), Jhoulys Chacin (.693), Patrick Corbin (.792)
Bullpen: Felipe Rivero (.473), Ryan Madson (.491), Alex Claudio (.591), Wade Davis (.600), Joe Kelly (.573), Joe Smith (.601), Dave Mengden (.650)
Projected Lineup: Justin Turner (3B, .945), Eric Hosmer (1B, .882), Avisail Garcia (RF, .885), Marcell Ozuna (CF, .924), Hernan Perez/Robinson Cano (2B, .789/.891), Chris Iannetta (C, 865), Aaron Altherr/Ezequiel Carrera (LF, .830/.825), Alcides Escobar/Chris Owings (SS, .720/.759)

Strengths: Three very strong starting pitchers, a bullpen filled with capable situational/setup men, and a deep lineup. Keuchel is only available for around 160 innings this season, but his acquisition was crucial for this team, as it pushed every other starter down a notch in the rotation where they're a much better fit. Rivero held lefties to an OPS of -- get this -- .255. That's not OBP. That's not SLG. That's OPS! Claudio (.368 vs. LH), Kelly (.509 vs. RH), and Madson (.478 vs. RH) also have some stifling splits.

Offensively, Zook was able to cobble together some very productive-looking platoons. It's hard to believe that Cano (just a .557 OPS vs. LH) is now a platoon player, but that's where we stand in 2018.

Weaknesses: There don't seem to be many glaring issues with this team. Chacin's platoon splits (.789/.602) raise a bit of a red flag, but what do you want from your number four starter? Their starting pitching is about 40 innings short of usage, but plugging that hole doesn't seem like a major show-stopper. In short, this team is ready for Opening Day.

Outlook: Scott Zook returned to the BDBL in the middle of the 2013 season. He took over a franchise that had won the BDBL championship the previous season, but had been so heavily-neglected by former owner John Duel that there was no foundation upon which to build. Not only that, but because Zook returned to the league mid-season, he didn't have any of the advantages (trading, drafting, signing, and releasing) that Duel's temporary replacement, Don Woodworth, had when he took over the franchise. Frankly, the fact that it has only taken four years to rebuild that bare-boned franchise into a competitive team is impressive.

The Boulevards will be competitive in 2018, no doubt. However, they have the poor fortune to be competing in the league's most competitive division. This year, the Outlaws seem to exist in a division of their own. That leaves the other three teams in the division to battle it out for second place -- and, most likely, the wild card. This is a three-man jump ball, where all three men leap at the same height. The deciding factors on who ends up with the ball, then, are timing and luck.

Prediction: 3rd place. After predicting the Outlaws would win this division, I really struggled with how to order the next three teams. If the Boulevards were in the Benes Division, they would win the division by fifteen games. Unfortunately for Zook, he chose to return to the BDBL at the same time that Duel was exiting.

Los Altos Undertakers

Owner: Jeff Paulson
2017 Record: 117-43 (1st place, BDBL champions)
Projected Rotation: Chris Archer (.710), Alex Cobb (.709), Gerrit Cole (.739), Tanner Roark (.729).
Bullpen: Kenley Jansen (.476), Dellin Betances (.538), Sean Doolittel (.517), Josh Fields (.630), Danny Barnes (.646), Michael Lorenzen (.695), Wandy Peralta (.681).
Projected Lineup: Austin Jackson/Joc Pederson (CF, 1.013/.768), Corey Seager (SS, .854), Nolan Arenado (3B, .959), Pat Valaika/Eric Thames (LF, .939/.933), Wilmer Flores/Lucas Duda (1B, .939/.867), Sandy Leon/Alex Avila (C, .732/.876), Logan Forsythe/Jason Kipnis (2B, .870/.744), Shin-Soo Choo (RF, .780)

Strengths: As always, the Los Altos bullpen is so overflowing with talent that some very good relievers who would be put to good use on many other teams (including my own) will be rotting away on the reserve roster on this squad. The Undertakers are one of several teams in the BDBL this season that will feature multiple "closers." Los Altos could easily go with a four-man rotation throughout the season, limit each starter to five innings, and "bullpen" their way to a winning record. Why not? They've done it before.

Offensively, Seager and Arenado are a couple of MVP-caliber bats in the middle of the lineup. Frankenstein Paulson managed to sew together a bunch of impressive platoons yet again, this year at catcher, first base, second base, left field, and center field. The Undertakers probably won't score 900 runs again in 2018, but 800 doesn't seem unreasonable.

Defensively, the Undertakers will have three above-average gloves in their infield when Forsythe is in the lineup (presumably against left-handed pitching.)

Weaknesses: The starting rotation lacks that lights-out ace we're used to seeing in Game One of every series in Los Altos for the past several years. All four starting pitchers are solid, middle-of-the-rotation, inning-eaters who will give the Undertakers offense and bullpen a chance to win more often than not. All four starters are right-handed, and all but Cobb struggle a bit against left-handed hitting. That could become a problem against certain lineups.

Outlook: This is what "rebuilding" looks like when you're the four-time champion, three-time-consecutive defending champion, and all-time wins leader. Any other franchise in the league would be brimming with hope that "this could be the year." In Los Altos, fans yawn over the possibility of merely making it to the postseason as a wild card team.

The Undertakers will almost certainly finish the 2018 season above .500. They will more than likely contend for the OL wild card. They probably won't win their division -- although I would never count them out. In other words, if you thought we'd get a break from all the winning in Los Altos, think again.

Prediction: 4th place. But don't be surprised if they finish third, second, or even first. This is by far the toughest division in the league, and it's an absolute toss-up this season.

Joplin Miners

Owners: The Legendary William James Doyle, Esquire
2017 Record: 120-40 (1st place)
Projected Rotation: Clayton Kershaw (.604), Justin Verlander (.660), Masahiro Tanaka (.771), Charlie Morton (.692)
Bullpen: Craig Kimbrel (.444), Chris Devenski (.588), Chase Whitley (.630), Sergio Romo (.661), John Brebbia (.640), Matt Bowman (.659)
Projected Lineup: Charlie Blackmon (CF, 1.000), Mookie Betts (RF, .803), Buster Posey (C, .861), Carlos Santana (1B, .818), Jed Lowrie/Greg Garcia (2B, .750/.758), Matt Carpenter (3B, .835), Mikie Mahtook/David Peralta (LF, .793/.825), Nick Ahmed/Chad Pinder (SS, 1.078/.753)

Strengths: The first three batters in that lineup are a daunting threat to any opposing pitcher. Kimbrel is a lights-out closer who held right-handers to a ridiculous .335 OPS last season. He's backed by several quality setup men. Kershaw, as always, is a beast, and the addition of Verlander gives this team two legitimate Cy Young contenders.

Weaknesses: For the first time in his career, Kershaw has a weakness. Left-handed batters posted a .734 OPS against him last season, giving teams a fighting chance. Tanaka had a horrible season in which he allowed 35 home runs in only 178+ innings. He should pitch better in Joplin's home park, but how much better?

The mid-draft trade of auction acquisition Cole Hamels not only leaves this team without a legitimate fifth starter, but it created a stockpile behind the plate, which forced Kurt Suzuki and his .887 OPS bat to the bench. James McCann (.928 OPS vs. LH) has become the best third-string catcher in the BDBL.

The bottom of the lineup doesn't look like that of a contending team. Carpenter, in particular, should be a platoon player (.664 OPS vs. LH), but has no platoon partner. Amed posted some silly numbers against lefties, but is limited to just 63 plate appearances against them.

By far the greatest weakness on this team is its home ballpark. Despite all of the success this franchise has had at home, Doyle decided to adopt San Francisco's ballpark model because he thinks the stadium is pretty and he likes the Giants. As a result, newly-acquired Blackmon moves from a ballpark with LH factors of 110/123/228/113 to 99/101/132/51. Santana (hitting left-handed) also suffers, as his MLB park had a LH HR factor of 111. Even Matt Carpenter (102/108/81/99) will suffer in his new home ballpark.

Outlook: Is this an incredible story or what? Doyle quit the league after seventeen consecutive losing seasons. A year later, he returns to inherit a team that has won 100 or more games SIX years in a row. It reminds me of the movie Trading Places, where Eddie Murphy goes from homeless to living in the lap of luxury in a single day. In the movie, Murphy's character finds a way to remain wealthy by out-scheming his schemers. Will Doyle enjoy the same type of happy ending in 2018? It truly is the Story of the Year.

On paper, this team seems to be a player or two short. As great as Kershaw, Verlander, Blackmon, Betts, and Posey are, their supporting cast is weak. Are those five great players enough to bring a division title to Jim Doyle at last? I cannot WAIT to find out!

Prediction: 1st place. I can't NOT predict the Miners to finish in first place, because how else could I later claim that Doyle defied all expectations and predictions by finishing in second place? I only hope that if this team meets expectations and wins the division that the Miners finish with the best record in the Ozzie League. That way, they would face their old franchise in the Division Series, should Myrtle Beach win their division and finish with the worst record out of all four OL playoff teams. I would actually pay to watch that series!

Salem Cowtippers

Owner: Mike Glander
2017 Record: 99-61 (2nd place, OL wild card -- again)
Projected Rotation: Stephen Strasburg (.581), Jose Quintana (.701), Jon Gray (.716), Mike Leake (.742), Luis Perdomo (.784)
Bullpen: Mike Montgomery (.632), Raisel Iglesias (.576), Pedro Strop (.619), Jonathan Holder (.770), Phil Maton (.778), Matt Grace (.702)
Projected Lineup: Devin Marrero/Trea Turner (SS, .944/.836), Yoenis Cespedes/Andrew Benintendi (.906/.813), Jose Ramirez (2B, .957), Gary Sanchez (C, .876), Eugenio Suarez (3B, .828), Miguel Cabrera/Mitch Moreland (1B, .928/.784), Ichiro Suzuki/Matt Joyce (RF, .796/.855), Odubel Herrera (CF, .778)

Strengths: Inning-for-inning, Strasburg is among the best pitchers in the game. Will the real Stephen Strasburg show up this year? Or will last year's homer-happy version play instead? Montgomery is a beast out of the bullpen, but may need to be handed a spot start here and there. The lineup is solid from one-through-eight, with potential MVP candidates at catcher and second base.

Weaknesses: While the entire baseball universe is going batshit crazy over bullpenning, the Cowtippers have practically abandoned their bullpen entirely. With Gray limited to 121 innings, and Montgomery needed in the bullpen, this team will be forced to use Perdomo (5.00 CERA, .807/.763 splits) more often than they'd like. Even with Montgomery, the bullpen only includes three dependable relievers. There just isn't enough pitching here to get through an entire season.

Offensively, this lineup is very platoon-heavy. Turner, Benintendi, and Joyce can't hit left-handers at all, and Cabrera is absolutely useless against right-handers. Defensively, Cabrera is as useless with a glove as he is with a bat. Both shortstops are below-average defensively as well.

Outlook: This team looks neither great nor lousy. Barring any strange and unexpected dice rolls, we're looking at an 85-90-win team at this point. It would take a major acquisition to push this team over the top. At this point, that doesn't seem likely. With so many great teams competing in the Griffin Division, the only way this team will play November baseball is by winning the division -- something they haven't done since 2008.

Prediction: 2nd place. I will do everything in my power to compete this year -- at least in the beginning. If the Cowtippers are within striking distance of first place after two or three chapters, maybe I'll trade away a piece of the team's future just for the satisfaction of denying Doyle a playoffs appearance for the eighteenth straight season. Or maybe I'll be a nice guy and play it straight. We'll see what happens.

Western Kansas Buffaloes

Owner: Rodney Wilkie
2017 Record: 54-106 (3rd place)
Projected Rotation: Ariel Miranda (.781), Miguel Gonzalez (.792), Jeremy Hellickson (.808), Ian Kennedy (.804), Tim Adelman (.872), Derek Holland (.918)
Bullpen: Brad Brach (.620), Randall Delgado (.696), Justin Wilson (.633), Andrew Triggs (.733)
Projected Lineup: Ian Happ (2B, .842), Michael Conforto (RF, .939), Adam Duvall (LF, .782), Edwin Encarnacion (1B, .881), Scott Schebler (CF, .791), Matt Chapman (3B, .785), Jason Castro/Brian McCann (C, .737/.767), Yolmer Sanchez (SS, .732)

Strengths: The starting lineup is fairly deep, with five players owning .780+ OPS's against left-handers and five against right-handers. Sanchez, Chapman, and Conforto are all above-average defensively.

Weaknesses: Pitching seemed to be an afterthought when this team was put together. When the ace of your pitching staff is Ariel Miranda, something has gone terribly wrong! The horrible starting rotation could possibly be rescued by a stellar bullpen, but this group is far from stellar. The Buffaloes allowed 841 runs a year ago. They could easily top that figure this year.

Outlook: You can't win without pitching. Not only does this team have no pitching in 2018, but there doesn't seem to be any pitching on the way. Of the six pitchers on this roster with 100+ innings in 2017, five of them are over the age of 30. (Miranda is 29.) The others on the active roster are ages 28-32. None of the farm club's pitchers are likely to appear among the top 100 prospects in this year's Farm Report.

This is nothing new for this franchise. The Buffaloes have ranked among the bottom four in the OL in team ERA since 2016. Until they are able to acquire some good, solid, pitching, this franchise will continue to struggle.

Prediction: 3rd place. With a dearth of trade bait, there really isn't much left for Rodney to do but play out the string. The farm club has some decent prospects, and Ben Revere's bloated contract will be off the books at the end of the year, so there is a sliver of hope there somewhere.

Granite State Lightning

Owner: Ryan Glander
2017 Record: 43-117 (4th place)
Projected Rotation: Sonny Gray (.668), Parker Bridwell (.720), Sean Newcomb (.780), Ricky Nolasco (.849), Matt Cain (.846), Jerad Eickhoff (.794), Edinson Volquez (.719)
Bullpen: Scott Alexander (.645), Jorge de la Rosa (.718), Tyler Duffey (.721), Alec Asher (.793)
Projected Lineup: Zack Granite/Jason Heyward (RF, .979/.734), Brian Goodwin (CF, .811), Josh Harrison (2B, .771), Miguel Sano (3B, .859), Alen Hanson/Eddie Rosario (LF, .766/.906), Brandon Moss/Jay Bruce (1B, .812/.883), Yan Gomes (C, .708), Adeiny Hechavarria (SS, .695)

Strengths: Gray is a legitimate ace, and his numbers should benefit by moving from Yankee Stadium to Granite State's neutral ballpark. The top of the lineup isn't bad, I guess.

Weaknesses: The pitching staff is low on innings, which means that Nolasco (5.27 CERA), Cain (5.92), and Eickhoff (5.00) will actually have to pitch at some point this year. They will likely be among the worst pitchers in the league. The bullpen isn't much better than the starting rotation. The de facto "closer" posted numbers that are similar to pitchers that were selected in the 16th round of our free agent draft.

The bottom two spots in the lineup are just plain awful. It's difficult to score runs when one-third of your lineup is absolutely useless with a bat.

Outlook: We are now entering Year Five of Granite State's rebuilding era. Once again, the Lightning have little chance of competing this season. More than likely, they will lose somewhere near 100 games for the second year in a row and third time in the last five years. Ryan is banking heavily on several aging and/or injury-prone veterans (Matt Harvey, Albert Pujols, Jason Heyward) making a comeback. Barring that, this team is well-positioned to enter Year Six of their rebuilding era in 2019.

The best-case scenario is that at least one of those three bounces back, young shortstop Amed Rosario becomes a star in 2018, Jorge Soler finally realizes his vast potential, Newcomb has a breakout season, and one of the team's farm prospects develops enough to become highly-regarded trade bait. A lot has to happen for this team to avoid another rebuilding year.

Prediction: 4th place. That's all I have to say about that.

Myrtle Beach Hitmen

Owners: Mitch Gill (GM), Ryne Gill (manager)
2017 Record: 47-113 (4th place)
Projected Rotation: Jake Arrieta (.716), Jordan Montgomery (.684), Andrew Cashner (.692), Drew Pomeranz (.712), John Lackey (.785)
Bullpen: Darren O'Day (.609), Lucas Giolito (.645), Mychal Givens (.617), George Kontos (.709), Paul Sewald (.706), Chasen Shreve (.712)
Projected Lineup: Lonnie Chisenhall (LF, .881), Michael Taylor (CF, .806), Jose Pirela/Tim Beckham (2B, .928/.789), Kendrys Morales/Justin Bour (1B, 1.000/.902), Tim Beckham/Didi Gregorius (SS, .760/.848), Danny Valencia/Jose Pirela (3B, .804/.805), Gerardo Parra/Nick Williams (RF, .806/.838), Jesus Sucre/John Hicks (C, .735/.784)

Strengths: Four of the team's five starters are better than league average. The bullpen has great depth and several pitchers with well-balanced splits that are difficult to exploit. The lineup is filled with .800 OPS's, including a monster hybrid platoon at first base. I'm seeing productive platoons at every position, in fact, except left field and center field.

Weaknesses: Defense could be an issue, depending on how those platoons are managed. If Valencia gets the start at third, and Morales starts at first, there would be Pr gloves at both corners. No bueno.

Outlook: What a difference a year makes, eh? A year ago at this time, the Gill brothers were struggling to find a way to turn this historically-awful franchise into a winner. Today, the Hitmen not only look like winners, but they look like a team that could win this division. Given that this franchise has suffered through EIGHTEEN STRAIGHT YEARS with a sub-.500 record, a winning record alone would be quite an extraordinary accomplishment.

How sweet would it be if Jim Doyle's former franchise won its division and his current franchise didn't?

Prediction: 1st place. Granted, maybe it's only wishful thinking, but I would love to see the Gill brothers demonstrate to Doyle just how easy it would have been to turn his franchise around if only he had held onto it. I can't see this team making it very far in the playoffs, but stranger things have happened in November.

Las Vegas Flamingos

Owner: John Bochicchio
2017 Record: 72-88 (2nd place)
Projected Rotation: Jose Urena (.735), Dan Straily (.783), Ivan Nova (.781), Johnny Cueto (.814), Jharel Cotton (.833)
Bullpen: Steve Cishek (.491), Gregory Infante (.646), Ryan Pressly (.697), Daniel Stumpf (.762)
Projected Lineup: Andrew McCutchen (CF, .849), Francisco Lindor (SS, .842), Trey Mancini (LF, .826), Wellington Castillo/Robinson Chirinos (C, .813/.866), Mark Reynolds (1B, .839), Curtis Granderson (RF, .775), Todd Frazier (3B, .772), Derek Dietrich (2B, .758)

Strengths: Franchise player Lindor continues to be an asset both at the plate and in the field. McCutchen and Chirinos both posted a 1.000+ OPS against lefties last season. He isn't listed above, because there was no logical place to put him, but Scotter Gennett posted a .930 OPS against right-handers and is rated at four different positions. He will be an asset wherever he fills in.

This team, as a whole, hits left-handers and right-handers equally well. They can field a lineup that includes five players with 800+ OPS's against lefties and six players with 800+ OPS's against righties.

Weaknesses: Johnny Bo spent a ton of money to fill in that lineup, but seemed to forget that pitching is half the game. He shelled out a combined $12 million for Nova, Cueto, and Infante. Of the three, only Infante is likely to perform better than average this year.

Outlook: Surprisingly, the Flamingos have, arguably, the best offense in the Benes Division. More than half of this starting lineup was acquired in the auction and draft. This has been the tried-and-true formula for Johnny Bo dating all the way back to 2000. Spend a ton of money in the draft, toss them all away at the end of the year, and repeat again the following winter. In most years, that strategy hasn't worked. This year, it just may be enough. Still, it is difficult to imagine this team as a division winner without any quality pitching.

Prediction: 2nd place. The Flamingos could arguably boast about having the best offense in this division. Still, a team also needs pitching in order to win, and I just don't see it here. It wouldn't take much to push this team to the top. This division is entirely up for grabs.

South Loop Furies

Owner: Bart Chinn
2017 Record: 70-90 (3rd place)
Projected Rotation: Jimmy Nelson (.689), Chase Anderson (.647), R.A. Dickey (.785), Rick Porcello (.826), Hyun-Jin Ryu (.792)
Bullpen: Carl Edwards (.503), Pat Neshek (.536), Luis Garcia (.593), Alex Colome (.636), Jose Ramirez (.678), Andrew Chafin (.699), Wade LeBlanc (.717), Tony Zych (.617)
Projected Lineup: Lorenzo Cain (CF, .803), Aaron Hicks (RF, .847), Starlin Castro (2B, .792), Mike Zunino (C, .840), Nick Castellanos (3B, .811), Eduardo Nunez (SS, .801), Tommy Joseph (1B, .741), Guillermo Heredia/Leury Garcia (LF, .794/.759)

Strengths: The bullpen is chock-full of quality arms. The trio of Edwards, Neshek, and Garcia should shorten many Furies games this season. Cain and Hicks are assets both offensively and defensively. The lineup lacks a glaring weakness at any position. Nelson and Anderson are a solid one-two punch atop the rotation.

Weaknesses: First base is sort of a mess. Joseph is the only full-timer, and he carries Pr range into the field. Greg Bird (170 PA's) and Nicky Delmonico (166) can fill in at times, but not often enough to compensate for Joseph's every day awfulness. When Joseph and Castellanos share the same diamond together, the Furies will have Pr gloves at both corners. In fact, if the Furies started Asdrubal Cabrera at second, and Leury Garcia at short, they could field an entire infield of Pr gloves!

The starting rotation falls off a cliff after the first two. Dickey (190 IP, 4.47 CERA, 720/837 splits) was awful last year, and yet he's the third-best starter on the roster. Porcello followed his MLB Cy Young campaign with a 5.04 CERA and 856/798 splits.

Outlook: South Loop has a fantastic bullpen, but they have to find a way to get to it before they can use it. That shouldn't be an issue whenever Nelson or Anderson is on the mound. They will start fewer than 60 games this season, however. That leaves more than 100 games where Furies fans will need to cross their fingers and hope for the best.

Prediction: 3rd place. As I wrote above, this division is entirely up for grabs. I could easily envision any one of these four teams playing November baseball.

Ravenswood Infidels

Owner: Brian Potrafka
2017 Record: 90-70 (1st place)
Projected Rotation: Jeff Samardzija (.734), Jake Odorizzi (.736), Eduardo Rodriguez (.736), Mike Foltynewicz (.795), Jaime Garcia (.759)
Bullpen: Brandon Kintzler (.638), Ross Stripling (.691), Jake Junis (.762), Richard Bleier (.671), Luis Avilan (.703), Cam Bedrosian (.705)
Projected Lineup: Dexter Fowler (CF, .851), David Freese/Brandon Belt (1B, .839/.879), J.T. Realmuto (C, .783), Howie Kendrick (LF, .844), Kyle Seager (3B, .722), Nick Markakis (RF, .738), Brandon Phillips (2B, .735), Marcus Semien (.722)

Strengths: The top half of the lineup includes a few players who could merit a handful of all-star votes. Belt (Ex) and Seager (Vg) are assets in the field.

Weaknesses: Samardzija had an off year where he allowed a lot of hits and a ton of home runs -- and he's the ace of this staff. Kintzler had a weird season in which he averaged only 4.9 strikeouts per nine (the third-lowest rate in baseball among pitchers with 70+ innings pitched last season) -- and he's the team's closer.

This team doesn't have enough innings to get through an entire season, so eventually they'll be forced to either trade for an inning-eater or pick through the free agent trash bin. Either way, they'll have to make a sacrifice.

Outlook: The preseason trade of Justin Verlander signaled that 2018 would be a rebuilding year for the Infidels. In this wide-open division, however, even a rebuilding team can be competitive. With several decent bats and enough decent-enough arms to keep this team in the game, Ravenswood might surprise themselves by getting off to a hot start. A trade or two could push them into contention. In this division, it wouldn't take much of a push.

Prediction: 4th place. Of the four teams in this division, Ravenswood owns the best trade bait. Would they sacrifice their future to win this division, knowing that it would be an uphill battle throughout the playoffs? Probably not. Or Maybe. Who knows?

Kansas Law Dogs

Owner: Chris Luhning
2017 Record: 91-69 (2nd place, EL wild card, EL champions)
Projected Rotation: Corey Kluber (.556), Luis Severino (.603), Gio Gonzalez (.642), J.A. Happ (.700)
Bullpen: David Robertson (.488), Joaquin Soria (.592), Addison Reed (.656), Wei-Yin Chen (.612), Bryan Shaw (.653), Matt Belisle (.662), Hunter Strickland (.702)
Projected Lineup: Christian Yelich (CF, .807), Cody Bellinger (LF, .933), Justin Smoak (1B, .883), Mike Moustakas (3B, .835), Wilson Ramos (C, .737), Whit Merrifield/Dee Gordon (2B, .800/.744), Yangervis Solarte (SS, .731), Ben Zobrist (RF, .693)

Strengths: The front four in this starting rotation are arguably the best in the BDBL. Certainly, the combination of Kluber and Severino at the top of the rotation can't be matched by any other team. The bullpen is stacked, and led by a legitimate closer, Robertson.

The rookie Bellinger gives the Law Dogs an MVP-caliber bat in the heart of the lineup. He is surrounded by several impact bats. The lineup is well-balanced against both lefties and righties, with four batters owning an .800+ OPS against each.

Weaknesses: Only four pitchers on the Kansas roster are rated as a starting pitcher. A team needs at least 960 innings from their starting pitchers, and right now, Kansas has only 817. They need to pick up another 143 innings at some point this season.

The offense feels incomplete at this point as well. Neither Ramos (224 PA's, .809/.708 splits) nor Tony Wolters (266, .496/.661) is a championship-caliber catcher. The only players rated at shortstop are two "Pr's" and one "Fr" -- and none of them can hit. I listed Zobrist in right field because no one else really makes sense. Yet, Zobrist racked up only 496 PA's, and posted a .553 OPS against lefties.

Outlook: You have to believe that this starting rotation, combined with the top half of this lineup, is enough to carry this team to the playoffs. There are still some major holes to fill, but Luhning has proven adept at filling holes in his roster through the years.

Prediction: 1st place. Luhning almost has no choice but to trade. Too many holes exist otherwise. Even with those gaps, this team is too good not to win this division.

Saskatoon Sasquatch

Owner: Kyle Robinson
2017 Record: 77-83 (4th place)
Projected Rotation: Carlos Carrasco (.674), Yu Darvish (.689), Lance McCullers (.696), Kenta Maeda (.714), Kyle Freeland (.792)
Bullpen: Roberto Osuna (.507), Sam Freeman (.592), Dominic Leone (.625), Matt Barnes (.655), Corey Gearrin (.645), Bud Norris (.693)
Projected Lineup: Joe Mauer (1B, .801), Carlos Correa (SS, .941), Nelson Cruz (RF, .924), Jose Reyes/Jake Lamb (3B, .843/.938), Evan Gattis (C, .767), Stephen Piscotty/Michael Brantley (LF, .723/.857), Brandon Drury (2B, .764), Billy Hamilton (CF, .634)

Strengths: Carrasco is a legitimate #1 starter, Osuna is a lights-out closer, and Correa should be an MVP candidate. Those three, alone, could carry a team to contention in some years. The rest of the starting rotation and bullpen are solid, although the rotation is about 85 innings short. Wheeler (86 IP, .858/804) could fit that missing piece of the puzzle, but let's hope it doesn't come to that.

Defensively, Mauer, Correa, and Hamilton are all above-average. Offensively, this lineup is especially tough against right-handers, with three players sporting a .900+ OPS against righties, and two more with an .800+ OPS.

Weaknesses: Against left-handed pitching, only Cruz, Reyes, and Correa top the .800 OPS mark. Hamilton (.537), Drury (.738), and Gattis (.728) are particularly bad, but don't appear to have platoon partners.

Outlook: Robinson spent a whopping $19.5 million on two players in this year's auction. Spending that type of coin normally means that the owner feels he is only two players away from fielding a playoffs-caliber team. I'm not sure that I share Robinson's optimism. The top of the rotation is nice, the bullpen is solid, and the top of the lineup is pretty good, but I just don't see a playoffs-caliber team here. After SIX straight years of last-place finishes for this franchise, however, it's no wonder that Sasquatch fans are running out of patience.

Prediction: 2nd place. The 'Squatch are probably a player or two away from a division title. They have the trade bait to bring those two players to Saskatoon. The question is whether or not Robinson is willing to sacrifice a bit of his franchise's future in exchange for an instant reward.

Great Lakes Sphinx

Owner: Scott Romonosky
2017 Record: 98-62 (1st place)
Projected Rotation: C.C. Sabathia (.715), Brad Peacock (.615), Trevor Bauer (.774), Martin Perez (.812), Michael Fiers (.827)
Bullpen: Yusmeiro Petit (.571), Kyle Barraclough (.638), Cody Allen (.649), David Hernandez (.611), Kyle Crick (.596), Joaquin Benoit (.717)
Projected Lineup: D.J. LeMahieu (2B, .783), Manny Machado (3B, .782), Josh Donaldson (SS, .944), Giancarlo Stanton (RF, 1.007), Matt Holliday/Hanley Ramirez (1B, .843/.769), Josh Reddick (CF, .847), Kole Calhoun (LF, .725), Matt Wieters (C, .632)

Strengths: Petit, oh-so-quietly, had a phenomenal season. Not only did he hold right-handers to a meager .186/.205/.309 batting line, but he also held his own against lefties (.237/.307/.338), averaged only 1.8 walks per nine, struck out an average of 10.0 per nine, AND pitched more than 91 innings. He is backed in the bullpen by a number of quality setup men, giving Great Lakes (arguably) the strongest bullpen in the Eck League. Peacock (132 IP, 2.83 CERA) absolutely stifled righties to the tune of a .501 OPS. He is either this team's best starting pitcher or second-best reliever.

The one-two punch of Donaldson and Stanton in the heart of the lineup can't be matched by many teams outside of Flagstaff. Those two MVP candidates are surrounded by several quality hitters, including Machado, who had a strange year that included his career-lowest OBP.

Weaknesses: Donaldson is a Pr glove at shortstop, but since the only other rated shortstop on the roster is Freddy Galvis (.638/.714 splits), it's probably a safe bet that Donaldson will play shortstop more often than not. He could be joined in the infield with another Pr glove at first with Matt Holliday. Of the four Sphinx players rated at first base, Holliday is the only one with an OPS against lefties above .700.

The catching position is a black hole in this lineup. Wieters (.687/.619 splits), Stephen Vogt (.509/.732), and Miguel Montero (.582/.668) are all awful at the plate. In left field, neither Calhoun (.687 vs. LH), Jose Bautista (.629), Alex Gordon (.602), or Marte (.404) can hit left-handers. Finding a platoon partner for one of them should be a priority.

I write this every year, but every year it doesn't seem to matter: Great Lakes doesn't have enough quality starting pitching to be a contending team. Take Peacock (who is limited to 145 innings) out of the equation and the rest of the rotation is below-average.

Outlook: Great Lakes proves me wrong every single year, to the point where it seems pointless for me to predict how poorly or how well they will do this year. Even in retrospect, I can't figure out how this team wins so many games every year. This does not look like a division-winning pitching staff, nor is the offense as strong as it has been in the past. Yet, somehow, some way, I have no doubt that the Sphinx will find a way to compete.

Prediction: 3rd place, yet I'm sure they will somehow win 100 games and the division title.

Buckingham Sovereigns

Owners: Tony Badger
2017 Record: 85-75 (3rd place)
Projected Rotation: Lance Lynn (.707), Jon Lester (.750), Marco Estrada (.785), Tyler Chatwood (.788), Joe Biagini (.752), Doug Fister (.726)
Bullpen: Chris Rusin (.645), Brock Stewart (.678), Zach McAllister (.670), Matt Andriese (.795), Matt Bush (.750), Michael Dunn (.730)
Projected Lineup: Marwin Gonzalez (SS, .907), Mike Trout (CF, 1.071), Logan Morrison (1B, .868), Evan Longoria (3B, .737), Neil Walker (2B, .801), Tucker Barnhart (C, .750), Cameron Maybin (LF, .683), Rajai Davis (RF, .641)

Strengths: Year in and year out, for the sixth year in a row, Trout is the greatest asset this team has had. Once again, he enjoyed an MVP-caliber year at the plate, with a .900+ OPS against both left-handers and right-handers. It's hard to believe he's only 26 years old. Oddly enough, though, the DMB gods gave him a range rating of only Fr in center field. That, combined with the fact that he'll need to miss almost two chapters this season due to injury, means he's less of an asset than he has been in the past.

Gonzalez came out of absolutely nowhere last season and posted a .907 OPS overall, and a .946 OPS against righties. Not only that, but he is rated at every position on the diamond except for catcher and center field.

Weaknesses: The pitching staff lacks an ace, and the bullpen is missing a closer. The front four of this rotation are all fine pitchers, but they fit better toward the back end of the rotation than the top. Almost every reliever on this staff has a platoon split of 100 points or more. That can cause major problems, especially if Badger is forced to go to the 'pen early.

Offensively, this team feels incomplete. Walker (.610 OPS vs. LH) needs a platoon partner. Gonzalez could fill that spot, but then it would open up another hole at shortstop. Barnhart (.668 vs. LH), Longoria (.678 vs. LH), and Morrison (.761 vs. LH) also needs platoon mates. As a whole, this team posted an OPS of just .707 against left-handers, which is more than 100 points below the team's OPS against righties. Opponents would be smart to throw nothing but lefties against this team.

Another oddity about this lineup is that two of the three outfield positions weren't filled until Rounds 16 and 27 of the draft. Neither Maybin (.640/.701 splits) nor Davis (.677/.622) should be starting in anyone's outfield, but I don't see any other options there.

Outlook: Since winning their BDBL-record fifth championship in 2014, this franchise has become rather ordinary. After three straight years of winning 100+ games, they have since won 84, 93, and 85 games in the past three seasons. That's very good, but it's not what we're used to seeing from this franchise.

I think the Sovereigns will fall well short of 85 wins this season. More likely, they will suffer their first losing season since 2011. Former GM Tom DiStefano blew up his team that year and finished with only 55 wins. He then went on to win 100+ games in each of the next three seasons, including yet another league championship. Can Tony Badger repeat that trick? It seems unlikely, given the composition of this roster.

The Sovereigns will shed the salaries of Lester ($12.5 million) and Estrada ($8.5M) at the end of this season, but they're now on the hook for Lance Lynn's $6.5 million (plus $14 million over the next two years.) He will need to pitch much better than he did last year to be worthy of all that money. A change of scenery could help Tyler Chatwood blossom into a #2-type starter, but aside from him, there isn't much reason for optimism on the pitching side.

Offensively, Longoria and Walker are free agents after this season. Morrison and Gonzalez are 30 and 29 years old, respectively, so you'd think they are as good as they will ever be. There isn't a lot of young hitting talent on the reserve or farm roster that shows any promise for the 2019 BDBL season.

That leaves Trout as the sole cause for optimism among Sovereigns fans. Which begs the question: is this franchise better off trading Mike Trout?

Prediction: 4th place. Longoria, Walker, Lester, and Estrada are all free agents at the end of this season. If this team falls out of contention early enough, all four will likely be traded. As for Trout, if he is traded, he is almost guaranteed to become the newest Apostle or Undertaker.

St. Louis Apostles

Owner: Bobby Sylvester, Jr.
2017 Record: 103-57 (1st place)
Projected Rotation: Jacob deGrom (.682), Rich Hill (.639), Dinelson Lamet (.707), Kevin Gausman (.808), Rafael Montero (.832), David Price (.652), Carlos Rodon (.770)
Bullpen: Chad Green (.454), Brandon Morrow (.454) Keone Kela (.479), Matt Albers (.520), Trevor Rosenthal (.572), Jose Leclerc (.585), Edwin Diaz (.619), Arodys Vizcaino (.627), Danny Farquhar (.643)
Projected Lineup: Anthony Rendon (3B, .937), Zack Cozart (SS, .933), J.D. Martinez (RF, 1.066), Brian Dozier (2B, .856), Jose Martinez/Yonder Alonso (1B, 1.340/.900), Ryan Hanigan/Yasmani Grandal (C, 1.248/.790), Yasiel Puig (RF, .833), Kevin Kiermaier (CF, .692)

Strengths: Yes, the St. Louis Apostles really do have NINE relief pitchers with an opponents' OPS below .700. That doesn't even count Noah Syndergaard (.573), who must be used in relief since he pitched only 30.1 innings last year.

Has any team in BDBL history ever included three players with a 1.000+ OPS against either left-handers or right-handers? Well, don't worry. The Apostles don't have three. No, they have SEVEN. No, seriously. Look it up. Dozier (1.057), Rendon (1.131), Trevor Story (1.034), Cozart (1.059), J.D. Martinez (1.356), Jose Martinez (1.340), and Ryan Hanigan (1.248) all absolutely MURDER left-handed pitching. Bottom line: whatever you do, DON'T THROW ANY LEFTIES AGAINST ST. LOUIS!! In fact, it will be interesting to see just how few plate appearances against lefties the Apostles actually see this year.

Don't get me wrong. It's not like right-handers will have a field day, either. Rendon (.887), Puig (.909), Alonso (.900), Cozart (.896), J.D. Martinez (.985), and Kiermaier (.851) all mash against righties. Still, it isn't the same nightmarish lineup that lefties would face.

Then there is the St. Louis defense. Rendon, Puig, and Kiermaier are all rated Ex in the field. Story and Cozart are a pair of Vg-gloved shortstops.

Weaknesses: In order to get through an entire season, the Apostles will have to start Gausman (186+ IP, 5.24 CERA, 807/808 splits) full-time, as well as Montero (119 IP, 6.01 CERA, 805/860 splits.) Yuck. Of course, that is only true if Trader Bobby doesn't acquire another starting pitcher at some point this season -- which we all know he will. If I had to guess, Max Scherzer will be an Apostle before this season is finished.

Offensively, Puig (.592 OPS vs. LH) doesn't seem to have a platoon partner. Neither does Kiermaier (.682). The only two options are Bradley Zimmer, who also can't hit lefties, and Jose Martinez, who is needed to be Alonso's (.679 vs. LH) platoon partner at first base. It seems like a strange oversight.

Outlook: We all know that Bobby Sylvester enjoys unconventional strategies. He was bullpenning long before Terry Francona made it a trend. His stockpiling of ten relievers may reveal his latest whacky strategy for the coming season. It seems more than likely that Gausman and Montero won't start a single game this season. Instead, deGrom, Hill, Lamet, Price, and perhaps Rodon will start every game, pitch three or four innings, and then hand the game over to an endless parade of closers. It's the only logical explanation for why he hasn't traded one of those relievers to plug some of the holes on this roster.

The other whacky strategy is loading up his lineup with so many lefty-bashers. Think of all the pitchers in the Eck League that should not pitch against the Apostles because they throw with their left hand: Dallas Keuchel, Danny Duffy, C.C. Sabathia, Madison Bumgarner, Gio Gonzalez, Jon Lester, Cole Hamels. The Apostles have basically turned each and every one of them into a replacement-level pitcher.

Combine that ridiculous bullpen with his lefty-mashers and the three Ex gloves saving somewhere around 60 runs this season, and you have an incredibly interesting team. That team will only get more interesting when Bobby inevitably adds two or three more impact players to this roster during the season.

Prediction: 1st place, and the Eck League title. If Bobby does end up adding Scherzer and/or Mike Trout this summer, then just lock in that BDBL trophy. As it stands, I'm wagering on a St. Louis/Flagstaff World Series, with Flagstaff getting the upper hand.

South Carolina Sea Cats

Owner: Tony DeCastro
2017 Record: 64-96 (4th place)
Projected Rotation: Max Scherzer (.566), Taijuan Walker (.732), Blake Snell (.707), Jason Vargas (.766), German Marquez (.806), Antonio Senzatela (.756)
Bullpen: Tommy Kahnle (.606), Juan Nicasio (.610), Ryan Tepera (.633), Peter Moylan (.576), Jerry Blevins (.652), Nick Vincent (.643)
Projected Lineup: Tyler Flowers (C, .823), Jean Segura (SS, .776), Paul DeJong (2B, .857), C.J. Cron/Adam Lind (1B, .790/.898), Jake Marisnick/Jacoby Ellsbury (CF, .817/.795), Melky Cabrera/Gregory Polanco (LF, .785/.730), Jorge Bonifacio (RF, .752), Maikel Franco (3B, .690)

Strengths: Scherzer is an absolute beast at the top of this rotation. His 1.98 CERA is bested only by Corey Kluber among pitchers with 150+ innings. He also trails only Kluber in WHIP (0.90) and OPS (.566). He allowed the fewest hits in baseball among starting pitchers, struck out an average of 12 batters per nine (third in baseball).

Also on the pitching side, South Carolina has a very deep bullpen.

Weaknesses: Unfortunately for Sea Cats fans, there isn't much cause for excitement aside from Scherzer. He is backed by a thoroughly-mediocre group of pitchers in the starting rotation. The offense is equally uninspiring. The recently-signed DeJong (for $6.5 million) has the closest resemblance to an impact bat, with .952/.835 splits.) However, he posted an OBP of just .318 against right-handers, and struck out a whopping 124 times in only 417 at-bats.

Another winter signing, Flowers, has excellent splits (.829/.821), but is limited to 407 plate appearances. Third base is a wasteland, with Franco (.657/.701) and (oddly) Russell Martin (.581/.772) being the only two full-time options unless DeCastro plays someone out of position.

Outlook: The Sea Cats have become the Eck League's version of the New York Giants. They have now finished below .500 six years in a row, and ten out of the last eleven years (with only one 80-80 season breaking that streak.) They have finished in last place a whopping ten times in the league's 19-year history. 2018 looks to be more of the same.

Prediction: 2nd place, but with another sub-.500 finish. If Scherzer is placed on the block, then drop this prediction down to third or fourth. Whoever finishes in second place in this division will finish at least twenty games behind St. Louis.

Niagara Locks

Owner: Mike Ranney
2017 Record: 76-84 (2nd place)
Projected Rotation: Jason Hammel (.773), Matt Moore (.835), Clayton Richard (.842), Kyle Gibson (.826), Matt Boyd (.826)
Bullpen: Mike Minor (.585), Archie Bradley (.567), Miguel Castro (.682), Eddie Butler (.715), Francis Martes (.765)
Projected Lineup: Domingo Santana (RF, .875), Joey Votto (1B, 1.032), Jonathan Schoop (2B, .841), Joey Gallo (3B, .869), Xander Bogaerts (SS, .746), Byron Buxton (CF, .728), Wilmer Difo/Brett Gardner (LF, .848/.840), Cameron Rupp (C, .716)

Strengths: The Locks have so many full-time players, I don't know where to put them all. Not listed above are Brandon Crawford (570 PA's, Vg glove), Martin Maldonado (471 PA's, Vg arm), Carlos Gomez (426 PA's, .852 OPS vs. RH), and Max Kepler (568 PA's, .828 OPS vs. RH, Vg glove.)

Votto (.988 OPS), Schoop (.955), and Santana (.892) crush left-handers. Votto (1.048), Santana (.870), and Gallo (.878) crush righties.

Weaknesses: It would have helped the team's cause if Ranney had been able to trade some of those excess plate appearances for some pitching. Four out of the five starters on this staff own CERA's above 5.00. The other, Hammel, owns a 4.85 CERA and .775/.771 splits. Left-handers crush Moore to the tune of a 1.047 OPS! The Myrtle Beach Hitmen allowed 980 runs last season with a starting rotation better than this one.

Outlook: It is clear that the Locks will not be competitive in 2018, which means we look ahead to 2019. Of the 50 players on the Niagara roster, only Crawford ($7 million) is locked in at a salary of more than $5 million next season. Votto ($12.5M this season) and Gardner ($4.5M) are off the books at the end of the year. This team will have a TON of money to spend on a very deep draft class.

It seems a given that both Votto and Gardner will be traded at some point this season. Votto should fetch a premium. Bogaerts, Santana, Kepler, and Buxton are all age 25 or younger, and all are entering the prime of their careers. The Locks also have a ton of talent in their farm, including Vladimir Guerrero, Jr., who is likely to be a top-five prospect when next month's BDBL Farm Report is released.

On the pitching side, however, there is little cause for optimism. Bradley is the only pitcher signed for the 2019 season. Tyler Glasnow has a bright future, but proved he wasn't ready for prime time last year. Skaggs has some promise, but has yet to put it all together. Aside from those two, no pitcher on this staff appears to be on the verge of a breakout. Until this team can acquire quality pitching, they will continue to play second fiddle to the Apostles.

Prediction: 3rd place. It's difficult to find a landing place for Votto, as every contending team already has a quality first baseman. Aside from that possible deal, it doesn't look like an exciting year for Niagara fans.

Southern Cal Slyme

Owner: Bob Sylvester, Sr.
2017 Record: 66-94 (3rd place)
Projected Rotation: Sean Manaea (.763), Jameson Taillon (.789), Kendall Graveman (.780), Adam Wainwright (.794), Michael Pineda (.769), Mark Leiter (.785), Felix Hernandez (.791)
Bullpen: A.J. Ramos (.694), Hector Neris (.689), James Pazos (.723), Kelvin Herrera (.786), Trevor Cahill (.850)
Projected Lineup: Cesar Hernandez (2B, .793), Jose Abreu (1B, .906), Steven Souza (RF, .810), Rhys Hoskins/Nomar Mazara (LF, 1.006/.786), Yadier Molina (C, .751), Adam Jones (CF, .787), Yulieski Gurriel (3B, .817), Ketel Marte (SS, .740)

Strengths: Hoskins (1.006/1.016 splits) is a force to be reckoned with when he's in the lineup. Unfortunately, he's limited to just 232 plate appearances. Likewise, Matt Olson (216 PA's, 1.081 OPS vs. RH) is an extremely valuable part-time player.

Weaknesses: Let's do some math. The fifteen pitchers on the SoCal roster have a total of 1,241 innings combined. Add an extra ten percent, and that gets us to 1,365. 160 games, times nine innings per game, is 1,440. We're a little short! Suffice it to say, whoever fills those 75+ missing innings will likely not be a stud.

Those fifteen pitchers include Cahill (5.97 CERA, .767/915 splits), Jake Thompson (6.06, .666/.965), and Marco Gonzales (7.40, .835/.954). Manaea leads the starting rotation in CERA (4.51) and innings (158.2). This pitching staff is a disaster.

Outlook: After three straight 100-win seasons, the Slyme have now lost 90+ games two years in a row. 2018 is looking like the third. SoCal has a ton of great young hitters and pitchers. Mazara, Marte, Yoan Moncada, Olson, Hoskins, Manaea, and Taillon are all 26 years old or younger. But they're not ready yet. Maybe in another year, the Slyme can finally break that trend line and battle back to that 100-win plateau.

Prediction: 4th place. 2018 is yet another placeholder season while Sylvester waits for all his raw young talent to ripen. When they do, this will be a helluva team. That may not happen, though, for another year or two.

Charlotte Mustangs

Owner: Tony Chamra
2017 Record: 92-68 (1st place)
Projected Rotation: Michael Fulmer (.644), Jose Berrios (.693), Kyle Hendricks (.670), Julio Teheran (.772), Josh Tomlin (.807)
Bullpen: Ken Giles (.566), Corey Knebel (.568), Anthony Swarzak (.595), Shane Greene (.631), Greg Holland (.623), Will Harris (.613)
Projected Lineup: Jose Altuve (2B, .957), Anthony Rizzo (1B, .899), Adrian Beltre (3B, .915), Corey Dickerson (LF, .815), Austin Barnes (C, .895), Hunter Renfroe/Jarrod Dyson (RF, 1.077/.730), Addison Russell/Alex Bregman (SS, .821/.776), Manny Margot/Mitch Haniger (CF, .833/.877)

Strengths: This bullpen is so deep, I excluded a few names that would fit into most bullpens around the league. Any one of the six names I mentioned could conceivably close for some teams.

The lineup is just ridiculous. There is an .800 OPS hitter at nearly every position. Six Mustangs (not including bench player Albert Almora) own an OPS of .800+ against left-handers. "Only" four top .870+ against righties.

Defensively, this may be the strongest team in the league. Beltre and Russell are both Ex's in the field, and Rizzo, Bregman (at third base), Dickerson, Haniger, Dyson, and Margot are all Vg's.

Weaknesses: Barnes is limited to just 288 plate appearances, and his two backups, Austin Hedges (.600/.684 splits) and Jeff Bandy (.980/.570), pretty much suck. The same usage issues exist in the starting rotation. The team's best starters (Fulmer, Hendricks, and Berrios) are all limited to fewer than thirty starts.

Outlook: Chamra shelled out $22.5 million to sign Rizzo and Altuve this winter, with the hope that it would push this team over the top and into a position to defend their surprising division title last year. I happen to think he did just that. This is a very strong ballclub that will score a ton of runs and keep their opponents off the board with their incredible defense. It would not surprise me if Charlotte outscores their opponents by more than 100 runs this year.

Prediction: 1st place. This club is better built for a short series than a long season, so they should do well in the postseason should they make it that far. It wouldn't surprise me to see Charlotte in the BDBL World Series.

Chicago Black Sox

Owner: John Gill
2017 Record: 88-72 (2nd place)
Projected Rotation: Carlos Martinez (.694), Cole Hamels (.693), Madison Bumgarner (.704), Seth Lugo (.770), Chad Kuhl (.793)
Bullpen: Adam Warren (.491), Fernando Rodney (.582), Taylor Rogers (.693), Enny Romero (.736), Justin Grimm (.760)
Projected Lineup: Kris Bryant (3B, .946), Freddie Freeman (1B, .989), Bryce Harper (RF, .1.008), Salvador Perez (C, .792), Javier Baez (2B, .796), A.J. Pollock/Ender Inciarte (CF, .854/.773), Tim Anderson/Eduardo Escobar (SS, .811/.773), Kyle Schwarber (LF, .782)

Strengths: This lineup is absolutely stacked. It is the only lineup in the BDBL that features three batters with an OBP above .400 (Bryant, Freeman, and Harper.) Bryant (.956), Freeman (.880), Baez (.934), and Pollock (.854) all crush left-handers. Bench player Dustin Pedroia (.929 vs. LH) also crushes lefties, but has nowhere to play. Against right-handers, Bryant (.943), Freeman (1.032), and Harper (1.087) are enough to cause nightmares.

Defensively, Chicago may be the only team in league history to feature an all-Ex platoon in center field.

Weaknesses: Once you get past Warren and Rodney, the rest of the bullpen is plagued with platoon issues. Romero, Ramos, Hughes, and Grimm can't get lefties out. Rogers and Morgan suck against righties. Two of the team's three best starting pitchers are limited in usage. Hamels can throw only 162 innings. Bumgarner is limited to just 122. (And neither should be used against the St. Louis Apostles!) Other than Martinez, every starting pitcher on the roster is limited in usage.

Defensively, left field will likely be manned by either Schwarber or Kemp. The problem is that neither of them can hit left-handers (.648 OPS for Schwarber, .684 for Kemp), and both are rated with Pr range. Perhaps Bryant could slide over into left, and Baez could slide to third, paving the way for Pedroia? Problem solved!

Outlook: This team is one quality starting pitcher away from becoming a surefire, guaranteed, division-winner. As it stands, it looks like a very tight race between the Black Sox and Mustangs.

Prediction: 2nd place, and the EL wild card. I predict that Chicago will get off to an awful start, Gill will put his entire team on the trading block, and then the Black Sox will miraculously surge in the second half of the season and nearly win the division. (Easiest prediction ever.)

Akron Rÿche

Owner: D.J. Shepard
2017 Record: 62-98 (3rd place)
Projected Rotation: Marcus Stroman (.715), Robbie Ray (.646), Danny Duffy (.709), Mike Clevinger (.667), Dylan Bundy (.721), Trevor Williams (.715)
Bullpen: Josh Hader (.554), Jacob Barnes (.664), Luke Weaver (.699), Chris Stratton (.738)
Projected Lineup: Kolten Wong (2B, .788), Jedd Gyorko (3B, .813), Chris Taylor (SS/RF, .850), Josh Bell (1B, .800), Ryan Braun (LF, .823), Roberto Perez/Jonathan Lucroy (C, .807/.741), Keon Broxton/Randal Grichuk (CF, .772/.788), Hunter Pence/Orlando Arcia (RF/SS, .776/.763)

Strengths: The Ryche's greatest strength is that they have no glaring weaknesses. The starting rotation is unspectacular, but solid. The same holds true for the bullpen and lineup. There are a few Vg's and Ex's sprinkled throughout the diamond. And there is more than enough usage available to get through the season (which is a major challenge for a disturbing number of teams this year.)

Weaknesses: There isn't any one player on this roster who stands out from the others. Even Stroman's numbers look rather ordinary in comparison with his past performance. No one in the lineup is sporting a 1.000+ OPS against lefties or righties. In the Year of the Home Run, not one Ryche batter topped 30 home runs. In the Year of the Strikeout, Ray (12.1 K/9) is the only starting pitcher who really stands out as exceptional in that regard.

Outlook: The Akron Ryche win the "Meh" award for the 2018 season. I look at this roster from top to bottom and that is my gut reaction: meh. It is neither a good nor bad team. They will likely win somewhere around 80 games. Maybe a few more. After four straight losing seasons, an above-.500 finish would be a step in the right direction.

Prediction: 3rd place. Meh.

Cleveland Rocks

Owner: Mike Stein
2017 Record: 60-100 (4th place)
Projected Rotation: Danny Salazar (.721), Adam Conley (.852), Daniel Gossett (.906), Austin Pruitt (.827), Tom Koehler (.885)
Bullpen: Tommy Hunter (.588), Dan Otero (.693), Nathan Karns (.743), Reynaldo Lopez (.741)
Projected Lineup: Tommy Pham (CF, .931), Justin Upton (LF, .901), Ian Kinsler (2B, .725), Steve Pearce (1B, .757), Cory Spangenberg (3B, .723), Derek Norris/Chris Herrmann (C, .741/.645), Yandy Diaz/Ben Gamel (RF, .727/.746), Giovanny Urshela (SS, .551)

Strengths: Pham and Upton are pretty good.

Weaknesses: This is what not giving a fuck looks like. Did Stein forget that he needs a pitching staff? In total, the Rocks have 952.2 innings, which equates to 1,048 innings of usage. They need at least 1,440 just to field a team. Salazar LEADS this pitching staff with 103 innings. But innings are hardly the only problem with this pitching staff. Conley and Pruitt are sporting CERA's well over 5.00, and Gossett, Koehler, and Nicolino are well above 6.00!

Likewise, Stein seemed to forget to fill the catcher and shortstop positions until the last minute. Norris and Herrmann weren't drafted until the 26th and 30th rounds, respectively, and Urshela wasn't drafted until Round 27.

After Upton and Pham, the next-highest OPS on this roster is bench player Boog Powell's meager .760 OPS. Pearce clocks in at .757, followed by Gamel at .735.

Outlook: Seriously, what is this supposed to be? A joke? A "rebuilding" period without any players to build upon? Not only does this team lack any foundational players, but they're locked into some monstrously horrible contracts next year. They owe $10 million to Upton, and $10.5 million to Jonathan Villar (who is so useless I haven't even mentioned him until now.) They will owe $9 million to the injury-prone Salazar in 2019, and $8.5 million to Zach Britton, who is already scheduled to miss half the season.

It's hard to believe the Rocks won 96 games two years ago. It may be a decade before we see them finish above .500 again.

Prediction: 4th place, with a BDBL-record number of losses.