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FROM THE DESK OF THE COMMISH |
January 22, 2000
2000 BDBL Season Preview
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HIGUERA DIVISION
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA SLYME
1999 Finish: 105-55 (1st place, EL
champs)
Projected Rotation: Bartolo Colon, Garrett Stephenson, Ramiro Mendoza,
Octavio Dotel, Steve Traschel and Randy Wolf.
Bullpen: Bill Simas, Felix Rodriguez, Gregg Olson, Rodney Myers, Albie
Lopez and Mike Williams.
Projected Lineup: 1. Darryl Hamilton, 2. Chipper Jones, 3. Luis Gonzalez,
4. Greg Vaughn/Troy O'Leary, 5. Mo Vaughn, 6. Javy Lopez/Kelly Stinnett, 7. Jose
Vidro/Miguel Cairo, 8. Deivi Cruz.
Strengths: Colon is a bona-fide ace capable to winning 20 games. The lineup from one-to-seven is very solid and capable of scoring 800 or more runs. This team is so deep, either Hamilton, Greg Vaughn or O'Leary sits on the bench every game. Vidro or Cairo could start for most teams, but are platoon players here. Mike Difelice, who hit .307 in 179 at-bats in the big leagues last season, is the number-three catcher on this team. Chipper Jones, the reigning NL MVP, bats second.
Weaknesses: Beyond Colon, the starting rotation is horrendous. This team won last season due to its pitching. This year, they don't have it. I had trouble even determining who the number two pitcher is on this squad. The biggest question, though, is where reigning EL GM of the Year Bob Sylvester will find the innings on this staff. Only two pitchers on the entire staff tossed more than 125 innings last season, and only four pitched more than 86. Overall, they have enough innings, but the Slyme will be running that shuttle between the active and reserve rosters all season long. Aside from the starters, the bullpen is below average. With Tom Gordon gone, the Slyme turn to Simas to close out their games, and a setup committee of Olson, Rodriguez and assorted other spare parts.
Outlook: This is not the same team that won a BDBL-record 105 games, obviously. Glavine, Wells and Gordon are history. They have a vastly improved offense over last season, but the pitching is well below par. Luckily for Slyme fans, the competition is thin in the Higuera Division once again this year, so the Slyme have a very good shot at making the playoffs for the second year in a row. Sylvester pulled a lot of rabbits out of his hat last season at the trade table. Perhaps he can do it again.
Prediction: 1st place. The senior Sylvester is humbled by his own flesh and blood in the opening round of the playoffs, as the Slyme are swept out of town without a prayer. Bob, Sr. promptly sends Bob, Jr. to his room without supper.
BOISE BASTARDS
1999 Finish: 90-70 (2nd place, Butler
Division)
Projected Rotation: Russ Ortiz, Andy Pettitte, Justin Thompson, Kirk
Reuter and Joe Nathan.
Bullpen: John Johnstone, Bob Wickman, Alvin Morman, Greg Hansell, Billy
Taylor and Jerry Spradlin.
Projected Lineup: 1. Mark McLemore, 2. Derek Jeter, 3. John Jaha, 4.
Brian Jordan, 5. Jason Kendall/Tom Lampkin/Todd Pratt, 6. Wil Cordero/Bubba Trammell, 7.
Russ Davis/Wade Boggs/Eric Chavez, 8. John Vanderwal/Jose Guillen.
Strengths: A very strong lineup from one-to-eight. McLemore and Jeter are very capable setup men. Jaha, Jordan and the rest of the crew should be able to knock in a ton of runs. The bullpen is solid, with a good balance of lefties and righties. Jaha was a major steal last season, acquired for Charlie Hayes and Jason Grilli. Losing Kendall for more than half the season was a devastating loss for this team.
Weaknesses: The starting rotation is a little shaky. Ortiz was brilliant at times, but walked 125 in 208 innings. Pettitte had an awful, erratic season. Rueter was a big disappointment, finishing with a 5.41 ERA. And Thompson allowed more hits than innings and struck out only 83 batters in 143 innings during an injury-plagued season. Defensively, the Bastards are weak at the corners. Jaha, Boggs and Davis all have poor range and the middle infielders are merely average.
Outlook: The team that entertained us all through the draft looks to be the favorite to unseat the defending division champs. With a high-powered offense and a capable bullpen, the Bastards will be the greatest asset to the city of Boise since sliced potatoes.
Prediction: 2nd place. The Bastards become the toast of Idaho, appearing regularly on Boise's own mid-day sports talk show "Earl and the Mad Spud." Boise's mascot, Mr. Potato Head, sparks an instant national craze and becomes the hottest selling toy of the 2000 Christmas season when he releases his very own set of trading cards. His Saturday morning cartoon features crude, rock-bottom animation and story lines, and occasionally causes seizures in young children, but becomes an instant ratings winner.
PHOENIX PREDATORS
1999 Finish: 62-98 (4th place)
Projected Rotation: Pedro Astacio, Jeff Suppan, Kevin Appier, Chan Ho
Park and Roy Halladay.
Bullpen: Keith Foulke, Scott Sullivan, Troy Percival, Dennys Reyes and
Braden Looper.
Projected Lineup: 1. Rickey Henderson, 2. Pokey Reese, 3. Sean Casey, 4.
Ed Sprague, 5. Chris Singleton, 6. Miguel Tejada, 7. Michael Barrett, 8. Trot Nixon.
Strengths: An outstanding bullpen. Foulke is the best reliever in either league, hands-down. With Sullivan, Percival, Reyes and Looper setting up, Predators opponents are going to play a lot of six inning games this year. The rotation is average by 1999 standards, and Henderson and Casey are offensive forces. Defensively, Reese, Tejada and Singleton have tremendous range up the middle.
Weaknesses: The supporting cast surrounding Henderson and Casey is weak. Reese is better suited to the bottom of the lineup, and Sprague and Singleton provide little protection for Casey. Unless the Predators get him some protection, I wouldn't be surprised to see Casey break the BDBL record for intentional walks this season.
Outlook: The GM Who Dared to Trade Nomar, Scot Zook, has done a nice job with this team, and should begin reaping the benefits next season when Barrett, Nixon, Tejada, J.D. Drew, Adam Kennedy and Halladay mature. This season, the Predators could threaten .500 thanks to their bullpen, but I wouldn't expect much more than that.
Prediction: 3rd place. Angry mobs storm the Phoenix front office when it is learned that Sean Casey was mistakenly given only a one-year contract. Luckily, Phoenix GM Scot Zook has more than enough provisions to live on in the bomb shelter he built in anticipation of the Y2K disaster that never happened. He waits out the storm, trades for the first $5 million pick in the 2001 draft, and reacquires Casey with that pick. All is forgiven in Phoenix.
KANSAS LAW DOGS
1999 Finish: 77-83 (3rd-place)
Projected Rotation: Greg Maddux, Jason Schmidt, Scott Erickson, Carl
Pavano, Jose Jiminez and Latroy Hawkins.
Bullpen: Paul Shuey, John Frascatore, Wayne Gomes and Mike Stanton.
Projected Lineup: 1. Carlos Beltran, 2. Todd Walker, 3. Manny Ramirez, 4.
Jermaine Dye, 5. Lee Stevens, 6. Troy Glaus, 7. John Flaherty/Eli Marrero, 8. Rey Ordonez.
Strengths: Ramirez and Dye in the middle of the lineup. They are both legitimate forces to be reckoned with. Stevens provides decent protection in the fifth spot. Ordonez is a vacuum up the middle (and, unfortunately, at the plate.)
Weaknesses: Beltran and Walker are suited more for the back end of the lineup rather than the front end, but they are the best leadoff candidates available. If teams can pitch around Ramirez and Dye, the rest of the lineup can be easily handled. The pitching staff is slightly below average, but these guys should get hammered in The Fields of Tombstone, a ballpark modeled after Coors Field. As a whole, the pitching staff allowed 1,758 hits in 1,623 innings. How many hits does that translate to at high altitude? The one advantage this staff has is that the majority of them (Maddux, Shuey, Jiminez, Gomes, Erickson, etc.) are severe ground-ball pitchers. But aside from Ordonez, the Law Dogs infield is below average. So a lot of those grounders will scoot right into the outfield.
Outlook: This team shows a lot of promise in the future, but I can foresee them struggling in 2000. The 'Dogs home park requires a ton of offense, a ton of range in the outfield, and pitchers who can keep the ball off the bat. This team doesn't have that combination - yet.
Prediction: 4th place. Like most players traded by Salem GM Mike Glander, Greg Maddux returns with a vengeance. He easily wins the 2000 NL Cy Young by unanimous vote, allowing only 95 hits and 10 walks through 263 innings while striking out an even 300. The same angry Salem fans who called for Maddux's head at the end of the 1999 season phone the sports radio station once again to call for Glander's head.
PERSON DIVISION
KENTUCKY FOX
1999 Finish: 62-98 (4th place in Butler
Division)
Projected Rotation: Omar Daal, Tim Hudson, Dave Burba, Aaron Sele, Chris
Holt and Esteban Loaiza.
Bullpen: Doug Brocail, Robb Nen, Eddie Guardado, Mark Petkovsek, Al Reyes
and Alan Mills.
Projected Lineup: 1. Jose Offerman, 2. Ronnie Belliard, 3. Bernie
Williams, 4. Mike Sweeney, 5. Joe Randa, 6. Paul Konerko, 7. Richie Sexson, 8. Matt
Lawton/Alex Ochoa/Eric Owens.
Strengths: Wow. Ever so quietly, Bobby Sylvester, Jr. has assembled a powerhouse team. The Fox's rotation is very solid, with one bona-fide ace in Daal who can match up with any other ace in the league and four other good arms. The bullpen is deep and just as solid as the starting rotation, with Brocail heading the pen as a legitimate closer. The offense is outstanding from one-to-six, and when your number seven hitter has 31 homers under his belt, you know you've got something special.
Weaknesses: The one glaring weakness I see on this team is defense. In fact, the only word I can think of to describe this defense is "putrid." In order to fit all those bats in the lineup, the Fox will have to make sacrifices in the field. Therefore, Sweeney, who should be a DH, moves behind the plate where he is surprisingly average. With steal-of-the-draft Konerko (who has just fair range himself) at first, Offerman moves to second. And as any Red Sox fan knows, that's not a good thing. And with Offerman at second, Belliard moves to short where he is merely fair. Fair-ranged Joe Randa completes an infield where the only player not below average in range is the catcher. Onto the outfield, where Sexon (Pr) patrols either one of the outfield corners. Thankfully, Williams, Ochoa, Lawton and Owens are all average or above.
Outlook: I like this team a lot. In fact, I'm willing to go out on a limb and say you're looking at the new Eck League champions of 2000. Wouldn't it be sweet to see the young Sylvester beat up on his dad all year long? And wouldn't it be even sweeter to see the big bad bully of the BDBL, Paul Marazita, lose his first championship at the hands of an 11-year-old? Maybe if we all cross our fingers and wish out loud really hard, it will become true.
Prediction: 1st place. Bobby Sylvester becomes the "feel good story of the 2000 season." Not only does he win his division and defeat his dad in the ELDS, but Sylvester also manages to do the impossible: beat the evil Zoots and win the 2000 BDBL World Series. And thus, the younger Sylvester accomplishes what his old man could not. If I were making a movie, that's how I'd script it.
QUEENSBORO KINGS
1999 Finish: 69-91 (4th place)
Projected Rotation: Brad Radke, Kris Benson, Hideo Nomo, Pat Hentgen and
Shawn Estes.
Bullpen: Mike Jackson, Todd Jones, Terry Adams, Dennis Cook and Allen
Watson.
Projected Lineup: 1. Ray Durham, 2. Dave Nilsson/Phil Nevin, 3. Alex
Rodriguez, 4. Jim Thome, 5. Fernando Tatis, 6. Rondell White, 7. Jose Cruz, 8. Stan
Javier.
Strengths: Think the Plattsburgh Champs with better pitching and you've got the Queensboro Kings. The Kings' lineup is second only to the Champs with all-star hitters taking up the first six spots in the batting order. Radke and Benson are a formidable pair at the top of the rotation and Nomo is a capable number three.
Weaknesses: The rest of the rotation beyond the front three is somewhat scary. The Kings will be giving those games away unless they can score a ton of runs (which, of course, they can.) The bullpen features good, solid pitchers, but no one who could be classified as "dominating."
Outlook: With a potent offense, three serviceable pitchers and a decent pen, the Kings should compete for a wild card this season. They have some stiff competition in their own division, however, so it won't be easy. Perhaps a trade or two would push them over the edge.
Prediction: 2nd place (EL wild card.) Following the lead of Kings teammate Dave Nilsson, free agent Alex Rodriguez decides to try his hand at Japanese baseball as well, snubbing all American suitors. "I've always wanted to visit the Orient," says a laid-back Rodriguez, who will rake in a cool $50 million per year from the Yakult Swallows.
SOUTH CAROLINA SEA CATS
1999 Finish: 73-87 (3rd place)
Projected Rotation: Freddy Garcia, Kent Bottenfield, Gil Heredia, Dustin
Hermanson and Miguel Batista.
Bullpen: Billy Koch, Travis Miller, Rich Garces, Sean Lowe, Paul
Quantrill, Jose Santiago and Steve Schrenk.
Projected Lineup: 1. Barry Larkin, 2. Warren Morris, 3. Ray Lankford, 4.
Henry Rodriguez, 5. Jim Edmonds/Bruce Aven, 6. Chris Widger/Tony Eusebio, 7. David Segui,
8. Ron Coomer.
Strengths: A very nice starting rotation, a solid bullpen and a deep lineup. Garcia went from a second-round farm draft pick to a number-one starter in one year. How often does something like that happen? Garcia has the stuff of a staff ace already, and he is flanked this year in the Sea Cats rotation by three very capable pitchers, forming one of the better staffs in the Eck League. Koch is a true closer, and the rest of the pen should do a good job setting up for him. The lineup from one-to-four is outstanding, and the bottom of the order isn't filled with easy outs.
Weaknesses: The lineup is somewhat lefty-heavy. Four of the best hitters on the team - Morris, Lankford, Rodriguez and Edmonds - are all left-handed. Although traditionally a left-hand hitter's park, Gillette's model ballpark, Yankee Stadium, actually played surprisingly like a right hander's park last season. Other than that, this team's only disadvantage is playing in a tough division.
Outlook: This is a very well-balanced team in terms of pitching and offense. For that reason, I think the Sea Cats will go far this season in a league that tends to be very unbalanced. I think this team will contend for a wild card. They can send out all the bloodhounds in the world, however, but I don't think they'll be able to catch the Fox. And playing in a tough division, they'll be hard-pressed to earn a wild card berth, either. This team could win 90 games and walk away with nothing to show for it.
Prediction: 3rd place. At the end of the season, Los Altos reliever John Rocker demands a trade to South Carolina so he can fly his confederate flag with pride. Sea Cats GM Tony DeCastro smartly declines.
MASSILLON TIGERSTRIKES
1999 Finish: 86-74 (1st place)
Projected Rotation: Shane Reynolds, Roger Clemens, Brian Moehler, Pete
Schourek, Chad Ogea and Brian Meadows.
Bullpen: Mariano Rivera, Steve Reed, Ricardo Rincon, Rich Rodriguez and
Brian Williams.
Projected Lineup: 1. Tony Womack, 2. Jay Bell, 3. Jason Giambi, 4. Shawn
Green, 5. Dante Bichette, 6. Jose Hernandez, 7. Andy Fox/Lenny Harris, 8. Henry
Blanco/Einar Diaz.
Strengths: Rivera, and the heart of the batting order. "Mo", as his teammates call him, is more than dominating. He's inhuman. If the Tigerstrikes have a lead heading into the ninth, you can pretty much guarantee they'll leave with one. Giambi and Green are monsters in the middle of the lineup. Womack has outstanding speed if he can get on base to utilize it, and Bell brings rare power numbers to the number two spot. Bichette provides decent protection for Green.
Weaknesses: Aside from Reynolds, the rotation is a major problem. Clemens, as every Yankee fan knows, was not himself last year, and the staff only gets worse as you move down further into the rotation. Rivera's setup men are also lacking in the skills department as several of them (Rodriguez and Rincon, mainly) had severe off-years. Defensively, Massillon is below average at most positions (with the exception of Green.)
Outlook: The defending champs of the Person Division, Massillon will find much more competition in the division this season. Last year, it seemed almost as if no one wanted to win this division. This year, there are three teams that have a legitimate shot at it - and the defending champs aren't one of them.
Prediction: 4th place. Massillon loses the division, but wins the equally-important "Battle of Ohio," celebrated with a post-season Pepsi shower.
HRBEK DIVISION
CHICAGO BLACK SOX
1999 Finish: 59-101 (4th place)
Projected Rotation: Todd Ritchie, Andy Benes, Ryan Dempster, Kelvim
Escobar and James Baldwin.
Bullpen: Kevin McGlinchy, Turk Wendell, Jeff Wallace, Rick Ankiel and
Steve Kline.
Projected Lineup: 1. Roger Cedeno, 2. Randy Velarde, 3. Nomar
Garciaparra, 4. Carlos Delgado, 5. Scott Rolen/Cal Ripken, 6. Andruw Jones, 7. Raul
Mondesi, 8. Benito Santiago/Sandy Alomar/Todd Hundley.
Strengths: Yes, you read that right. Raul Mondesi (according to my lineup at least) is the SEVENTH-PLACED hitter on this team. Chicago GM John Gill's maneuvers this off-season have been well-documented and this lineup serves as a reminder of all his hard work. Cedeno and Velarde are arguably the best one-two punch in the league at the top of the order (although the Zoots' Vizquel and Alfonzo could put up a good argument.) Nomar, Delgado, Rolen, Jones and Mondesi in the next five spots?? As my pal Paulie Bagadonuts would say: "Fuggetaboutit."
Weaknesses: Like many teams in the BDBL, the Black Sox have built their offense at the expense of their pitching. I'm not so sure any team in baseball history has ever won without pitching, but several teams in the BDBL like to try anyway. Ankiel is obviously a future superstar, but he's another year away. In the meantime, the Black Sox are looking at Todd Ritchie, a guy who slipped through the free agent wire not once but twice last season, as their ace. Andy Benes, who sports a 4.81 ERA, is the likely #2 pitcher. The rest of the ERA's aren't much prettier: Dempster (4.71), Escobar (5.69) and Baldwin (5.10). The bullpen isn't much more impressive, although a little better.
Outlook: If the Black Sox score 1,000 runs this season (which they likely could), expect them to win this division. If not, expect a different approach next season.
Prediction: 1st place. Encouraged by his success, Chicago GM John Gill says, "what the hell" and picks up three more $10 million players. The Black Sox head into the 2001 BDBL season with $60 million tied up in six players and twenty-nine $100,000 players. In other news, in order to get a leg up on the competition, Gill selects a fetus from Texas as his first pick in the farm draft.
CLEVELAND ROCKS
1999 Finish: 86-75 (3rd place)
Projected Rotation: Juan Guzman, Chris Carpenter, Sidney Ponson, Mike
Thurman and Bobby Witt.
Bullpen: Bobby Howry, Antonio Alfonseca, Mike Magnante, Heathcliff
Slocumb and Gabe White.
Projected Lineup: 1. Roberto Alomar, 2. Ivan Rodriguez, 3. Vladimir
Guerrero, 4. Frank Thomas, 5. Ryan Klesko, 6. Adrian Beltre, 7. Ben Grieve/Ron Gant, 8.
Neifi Perez.
Strengths: Power. When the first two hitters in your lineup combine for 59 home runs, you know your team is going to put up some big-time power numbers. I wouldn't be surprised to see this team beat the BDBL team record of 266 by the time everything is said and done. In addition to power, this lineup also has speed. Seven players stole more than 10 bases last year in the major leagues. Although with power like they've got, who needs speed?
Weaknesses: The team that cut Matt Mantei is left without much of a bullpen. Howry is the de facto closer, although he's probably better suited for middle relief. The rotation is very thin in both innings and talent. As with Plattsburgh and Chicago, the plan here is for the offense to score so many runs that pitching becomes irrelevant.
Outlook: Rocks GM Mike Stein inherited a very good, very young team with a ton of talent. This team may be another year away, though, before it truly becomes an undeniable force in the division.
Prediction: 2nd place. After realizing he released Matt Mantei, Stein fires himself as GM. He then administers a public caning to himself in the middle of Rocks Park on Opening Day.
AKRON RYCHE
1999 Finish: 82-78 (3rd place in Benes
Division)
Projected Rotation: Pedro Martinez, Livan Hernandez, Ken Hill, Charles
Nagy, Todd Stottlemyre and Jeff Weaver.
Bullpen: Ugueth Urbina, Scott Sauerbeck, David Lee, Jason Christianson,
Mike Trombley and Anthony Telford.
Projected Lineup: 1. Homer Bush, 2. Damian Easley, 3. Mike Lieberthal, 4.
Robin Ventura, 5. Kevin Young, 6. Harold Baines, 7. Devon White, 8. Adrian Brown/Darin
Erstad/Thomas Howard.
Strengths: I considered listing Pedro as the only pitcher next to "Projected Rotation." He is so dominant, I'd be shocked if he loses one game this year. Of course, last year, he lost twice as many (16) as he won (8). But that won't be the case this year, as he should have well more than enough run support. The Akron lineup this year is very strong from one-to-six. Bush and Easley are good table-setters, and Lieberthal, Ventura, Young and Baines are very good at clearing the table. The bullpen, led by Urbina, is very good and very deep.
Weaknesses: Once you get past Martinez, there isn't much left in the Akron rotation to write home about. It took a while for me to choose a #2 pitcher simply because the rest of the starters are all equally bad. Where once Kenny Rogers and Rick Reed dominated, and Weaver showed great promise, the Ryche are left with a shell of a rotation. If not for Martinez, they'd be scraping the bottom of the division. Defensively, the Ryche are excellent in the infield, but will have to hide Baines in the outfield to get his bat in the lineup.
Outlook: Pedro will win 25 games en route to the EL Cy Young Award and the Ryche will finish in the middle of the pack. Think the Boston Red Sox without Bret Saberhagen or Pat Rapp and you get the picture.
Prediction: 3rd place. After half a season of frustration, Akron GM D.J. Shepard tries a new strategy by pitching Martinez two innings every game. The experiment is short-lived.
BOARDWALK VULGARIANS
1999 Finish: 88-72 (1st place, loser of
ELCS)
Projected Rotation: Mike Hampton, Matt Clement, Dave Mlicki and Darryl
Kile.
Bullpen: John Franco, Steve Montgomery, Alan Embree, Jerry DiPoto and
John Wasdin.
Projected Lineup: 1. Chuck Knoblauch, 2. Todd Zeile, 3. Ken Griffey, 4.
Tony Clark, 5. B.J. Surhoff, 6. Kirt Manwaring/Paul Bako, 7. Alex Gonzalez, 8. Tom
Goodwin/Dave Martinez.
Strengths: Hampton and Junior. Hampton was a little erratic last season (101 walks in 239 innings), but is a true ace, and should be one of the better pitchers in the Eck League this season. Griffey, an EL MVP candidate last season, should have another fine year. Knoblauch is a legitimate leadoff hitter who gets on base, has some speed and even hits for power.
Weaknesses: The lineup is solid from one-to-five, but the bottom third of the order is very weak. The bullpen lacks a true closer, but is solid overall and fairly deep. The rotation beyond Hampton is unexciting, but serviceable. The up-the-middle defense of Gonzalez and Knoblauch is below average, as is third baseman Zeile.
Outlook: This is a very different team than the one that won the Griffin Division last season. Kirt Manwaring and Paul Bako replace Javy Lopez and his 47 home runs. Tom Goodwin and Dave Martinez patrol the outfield that was once inhabited by MVP candidate Ray Lankford and Raul Mondesi. Alex Gonzalez takes over for Edgar Renteria. And brilliant Cy Young candidate Chuck McElroy has been replaced in the closer's role by John Franco. This is also a very different Griffin Division than last year. The Chicago Black Sox aren't pushovers anymore, the Cleveland Rocks' high-powered offense is even more dangerous this year, and Pedro Martinez has moved into the neighborhood. What a difference a year makes.
Prediction: 4th place. The Vulgarians are forced to move their ballpark off the boardwalk when Pete Rose keeps showing up in front of the stadium, pestering fans to buy his autograph.