November, 2008

Hail to the Champions

How do you build a playoffs-caliber ballclub?  Here are eight ways.

Allentown Ridgebacks

The Ridgebacks were expected to dominate in 2008, and despite an unexpected struggle to win their division (a struggle in which they didn't officially capture first place for good until the second week of September), they have done just that.  Allentown finished with 100 wins for the third time in the past seven seasons, and their runs differential of 265 ranks second in the BDBL.

Their 921 runs scored also ranks second among all 24 BDBL teams, and their lineup consists of no fewer than five players who hit 25 or more home runs this season.  Allentown led the BDBL with 221 homers, and ranked #2 in batting average (.288), on-base percentage (.360), slugging (.477) and walks (604).

On the mound, the Ridgebacks ranked #3 in the EL (#5 in the BDBL) in team ERA at 3.74.  Ridgebacks pitchers led the BDBL in strikeouts, and in fewest home runs allowed.  If there is one Achilles heel with this team, it is its defense.  The Ridgebacks owned a .982 fielding percentage this season -- good for 19th in the BDBL -- and committed 108 errors.  They also allowed a .304 batting average on balls in play -- 18th-ranked in the BDBL.  However, since adding Justin Morneau prior to Chapter Four (allowing Ryan Braun to shift to third base), that BIP number dropped to a more respectable .293.

The Ridgebacks went into the free agent auction last winter with a six-man rotation already established, and a star-studded lineup already locked in.  They ranked #1 in the BDBL in VORP (by a wide margin) before the auction began, and yet they had a whopping $39.6 million to spend.  This was made possible, in part, by a pair of trades made by Tom DiStefano during the team's "rebuilding season" in 2007 that netted two extremely valuable impact players, each making minimum wage.

The first trade brought Tim Lincecum (9-12, 4.50 ERA, 156 Ks in 160 IP) to the Ridgebacks as part of an eight-player swap with the Ravenswood Infidels in pre-season '07.  In that deal, DiStefano parted with Frank Thomas, Randy Winn, Jon Lieber and Mike Stanton, and received Lincecum, Cliff Floyd and Mike Napoli in exchange.

The second deal was made during the draft, when Corona GM Ed McGowan evidently suffered a temporary brain aneurism and traded Ryan Braun (.327/.376/.595, 27 HR, 106.5 RC) to the Ridgebacks in exchange for the impish David Eckstein and utilityman Robb Quinlan.

Combined, Lincecum and Braun saved the Ridgebacks perhaps as much as $34 million in market value.  And that allowed DiStefano to throw big money at Jorge Posada (.361/.434/.611, 58 2B, 25 HR, 147.5 RC) and Barry Bonds (.255/.398/.538, 32 HR, 89.4 RC in 400 AB) in this winter's auction.

In addition to Lincecum, the Ridgebacks' rotation also featured three of the league's biggest bargains in Jake Peavy (24-8, 3.12 ERA, 277 Ks in 245 IP), Felix Hernandez (9-11, 5.19 ERA in 149 IP for Allentown) and Oliver Perez (9-6, 4.43 ERA, 184 K in 187 IP.)  Peavy was acquired in DiStefano's first season at the helm of the Ridgebacks, way back in 2002, in a trade with the Southern Cal Slyme in which DiStefano sacrificed young slugger Vernon Wells.  Hernandez was DiStefano's #1 pick in the 2004 farm draft (#18 overall.)  And Perez was a 15th-round flier in the 2007 draft.

Of course, Hernandez has since been flipped to the Salem Cowtippers just minutes before the final trading deadline of the season, in exchange for �berprospect Jay Bruce and Ian Snell (6-2, 2.63 ERA in 68+ IP for the Ridgebacks.)

As if those four pitchers -- all earning far less than market value -- weren't enough, DiStefano had also built up a stockpile of reserves, just for good measure.  Yovani Gallardo (6-5, 3.63 ERA in 101+ IP) was acquired in the Roy Oswalt trade with Chicago in 2007.  And Scott Baker (6-3, 3.82 ERA in 108+ IP) was added in the infamous Clay Buchholz trade of 2006.

In the 2007 draft, DiStefano added 11th rounder Ken Griffey, Jr. (.278/.383/.546, 30 HR, 97.4 RC) and 21st-rounder Jeremy Accardo (5-1, 2.55 ERA in 74 IP).  And in Chapter Three of that year, DiStefano plucked Heath Bell (8-6, 2.00 ERA, 31 SV in 81 IP) off of the free agent scrap heap.  This winter, he signed Randy Johnson (1-0, 2.54 ERA in 60+ IP) with the fifth pick of the free agent draft, and then (quite brilliantly) converted him into a reliever.

The very same chapter in which he acquired Bell as a free agent, DiStefano also picked up pitcher Jeremy Guthrie.  Thanks to the extraordinary depth in the Allentown rotation, he was then able to flip Guthrie to the San Antonio Broncs this winter in exchange for Aaron Rowand (.286/.340/.453, 26 HR, 99.2 RC.)  DiStefano continued to add to his arsenal throughout the summer while chasing the Kansas Law Dogs in the division.  In Chapter Four, he made five trades, with the most significant deal being his acquisition of Morneau (.279/.353/.452, 11 HR in 301 AB for Allentown) from the Great Lakes Sphinx in exchange for Chris Young and Napoli.

A GM's job consists of three main tasks: trading, signing free agents and managing the farm.  And perhaps no GM in the BDBL over the past several years has done a better job in all three areas than Tom DiStefano.  The 2008 Ridgebacks are the result of outstanding trading (Lincecum, Braun, Morneau, Rowand), prudent use of free agency (Bonds, Posada, Griffey, Johnson, Accardo, Bell, Guthrie), and excellent farm management (Hernandez, Buchholz, Oswalt.)  It is no coincidence that the Ridgebacks have dominated the BDBL since DiStefano took over in 2002.

Bear Country Jamboree

After nine seasons, the Bear Country Jamboree finally captured the Griffin Division title in season ten, going 91-69 to finish eight games ahead of the Los Altos Undertakers.  The Jamboree outscored their opponents by 141 runs -- third best in the OL.

Offensively, Bear Country ranked third in the entire BDBL (and first in the OL) in runs scored (888) and on-base percentage (.348.)  They ranked #4 in the BDBL in slugging (.456) and eighth in home runs (185.)  On the mound, the Jamboree ranked right in the middle of the pack with a 4.24 team ERA.  And their 110 errors as a team ranks #1 out of the eight playoff teams this season.

For the tenth year in a row, Alex Rodriguez (.274/.404/.545, 43 HR, 142 runs scored, 140.7 RC) led the Bear Country offense -- mostly batting from the leadoff spot in the lineup.  The last remaining remnant of the Bryan Sakolsky Era has just one season remaining in his ten-year, $100 million contract.

Two members of the Bear Country lineup were acquired in 2007: Carlos Guillen (.283/.349/.504, 72 XBH, 103.5 RC), a $9.5 million signing in the auction, and Jose Vidro (.335/.390/.465, 96.3 RC), an 11th-round draft pick.  Corey Hart (.289/.333/.507, 90.2 RC), a mid-season farm free agent acquisition in 2002, completes the top four hitters in the Bear Country lineup.

On the mound, Bear Country's ace, Brandon Webb (18-11, 3.35 ERA, 206 Ks in 249+ IP), was acquired at great cost this past winter, as GM Matt Clemm sacrificed several young stars including John Danks, Josh Willingham and Matt Kemp.  All three were products of the Bear Country farm system (note: Kemp was the #1 overall pick in 2006.)

A.J. Burnett (15-7, 3.72 ERA, 170 Ks in 174 IP) was also acquired in trade last winter, as part of a six-player trade with New Milford.  The key players sacrificed in that deal were also products of the Bear Country farm system: Homer Bailey (Bear Country's second farm free agent pick in 2004) and Jason Hirsch (a 4th-round farm pick in 2004.)

A year ago, Clemm took a $7.5 million gamble on Tim Hudson (15-13, 4.30 ERA in 232+ IP) in the 2007 draft, and that gamble paid off, as Hudson became a solid #3 starter for this team.  And Chad Gaudin (14-10, 4.89 ERA in 191+ IP) -- who was acquired in that infamous Sammy Sosa trade of 2004 -- completes the Jamboree's playoffs rotation.

Historically, the Jamboree farm system has ranked near the bottom of the BDBL.  In the nine years I've been writing the annual BDBL farm report, Bear Country has finished in the bottom five a total of six times.  But in those other three years (2005-2007), Bear Country placed in the top twelve, and peaked with a ranking of #3 in 2006.  That year, Bear Country's farm system included Danks, Bailey, Hirsch, Willingham and Kemp -- all of whom were traded this past winter in exchange for players who have carried this team to a division title.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: success in baseball begins and ends with the farm.  The 2008 Jamboree are just another example of that.

Chicago Black Sox

The Chicago Black Sox captured division title #4 this season with a record of 89-71.  They ranked #5 in the BDBL in runs scored (868) and tied at #11 in runs allowed (747.)

If you look at a graph of the history of this franchise in terms of wins, it would look like a perfectly-symmetrical mountain range with two-year peaks and two-year valleys.  John Gill's strategy of rebuilding, dominating, rebuilding and dominating has served him well through the years, and his 2008 team is just the latest data point in that trend.

In 2006-2007, the Black Sox appeared to be in the midst of another rebuilding period, as the team won 154 games during that time.  However, last year can hardly be called a "rebuilding year," as Gill sacrificed several top prospects throughout the year, including Fernando Martinez, Yovani Gallardo, Adam Loewen and Chris Volstad, in an effort to win the division.  In the end, he fell five games short of that goal.

One of the players acquired in 2007 at the expense of some of those prospects was Roy Oswalt (19-4, 3.30 ERA in 232 IP).  Andruw Jones was also added at the same time, and he was later shipped off to Los Altos this past winter (along with Francisco Cordero) in exchange for J.D. Drew (.264/.366/.434, 72 RC.)

Carlos Zambrano (13-18, 3.63 ERA in 235+ IP), acquired during Chicago's true rebuilding year of 2006, and Jeff Francis (18-13, 4.20 ERA in 235+ IP), added in the winter of '07, each contributed greatly to the '08 squad.  And Mark Teixeira (.324/.396/.646, 40 HR, 133.9 RC and a league-leading 135 RBIs), who was also acquired in the winter of '07, was one of the team's top hitters this season.

Teixeira was one of three Chicago hitters this season to post 100+ runs created.  The other two -- Vladimir Guerrero (.334/.404/.558, 52 2B, 28 HR, 135.1 RC) and Placido Polanco (.354/.392/.504, 61 2B, 124 RC) -- were both acquired in the same trade last winter from the St. Louis Apostles.  Gill paid a hefty price for those hitters, as he sacrificed Dustin Pedroia and four others.

Also this winter, Gill signed two players in the auction that contributed to the '08 team's success: closer Joe Nathan (4-7, 16 SVs, 3.95 ERA in 73 IP) and inning-eater Jeff Suppan (13-10, 5.34 ERA in 215+ IP.)  Joe Beimel (3-2, 4.67 ERA in 61+ IP), Juan Pierre (.294/.335/.368, 55 RC) and Melvin Mora (.295/.366/.455, 71.4 RC) were then signed with Chicago's first three picks in the free agent draft.  And in the 2007 draft, Gill took a flier on Manny Delcarmen (4-5, 21 SVs, 4.19 ERA in 43 IP) in the 27th round.

The 2008 Black Sox are almost entirely the product of trading.  Chicago has owned one of the top ten farm systems in the BDBL in six of the past nine years, and for the most part, Gill has used those prospects as trade bait.  With Oswalt, Francis, Zambrano, Nathan and Teixeira all returning to Chicago next season, and rookie Evan Longoria joining the lineup, we could very easily see another two-year peak for this franchise.

Corona Confederates

The Confederates wrapped up the season with a 98-62 record, and outscored their opponents by 186 runs -- the second-highest total in the OL.  In a throwback to the Marazita Era, they were the ultimate road warriors, winning 52 games on the road (an OL-best), while going just 46-34 at home.

Corona ranked #4 in the BDBL in runs scored (868), despite hitting just 158 home runs (16th in the BDBL.)  They managed to do this by hitting an astounding .313/.382/.498 with runners in scoring position.

The Corona pitching staff ranked 7th in the BDBL in ERA (3.91), and the Corona defense allowed a balls-in-play average of .282 -- fourth-best in the BDBL.  They also turned 177 double plays -- second-best in the BDBL.  And, led by Mauer, the Confederates gunned down over 52% of would-be base stealers.  Opponents stole just 31 bases in just 65 attempts.

The biggest hitter (in more ways than one) in the Confederates lineup arrived in the winter of 2006 through a trade with the Chicago Black Sox.  In that deal, Corona GM Ed McGowan swapped an established, big-money superstar (Manny Ramirez) and a first base prospect (Conor Jackson) in exchange for an established, big-money superstar (Vladimir Guerrero) and a first base prospect (Prince Fielder.)  Fielder (.315/.417/.661, 52 HR, 154 RBIs, 161.9 RC) has since grown (in more ways than one) to become a true BDBL superstar himself, and has carried the Corona offense this season.  He led the OL this season in slugging and RBIs, and ranked #2 in on-base percentage and home runs.

In 2007, McGowan famously "went for it" by signing free agent Johan Santana to a record salary in the auction.  But roughly two months later, he had a change of heart, and traded Santana in an 11-player trade with Kansas that netted 2008 ace Aaron Harang (14-15, 4.44 ERA in 247+ IP.)  He then used the $21 million he saved by signing Kenny Lofton (.283/.367/.442, 73.3 RC), Paul Konerko, Chone Figgins (.338/.409/.459, 94.8 RC) and Jake Westbrook (11-6, 3.94 ERA in 164+ IP) in this year's auction.  He also signed Aaron Cook (15-6, 3.98 ERA in 183+ IP) in the auction as well.  Cook was actually re-acquired, as he was traded by the Confederates halfway through the 2007 season in exchange for Shawn Hill (10-3, 1.87 ERA in 106 IP) and three others.

Way back in 2006, McGowan took a 16th-round gamble on third baseman Mike Lowell (.325/.363/.488, 22 HR, 110.1 RC), and that gamble has certainly paid dividends.  Roughly a year earlier, McGowan had inherited a team that included a farm prospect by the name of Joe Mauer (.299/.393/.431, 73.6 RC).  Today, Mauer is one of the few remaining artifacts from the Marazita Era.

At the Chapter Four deadline this season, McGowan acquired shortstop Edgar Renteria (.316/.383/.393 in 206 AB) to replace the elfin David Eckstein, sacrificing Max Scherzer to do so.  Corona also received Jeff Francoeuer (.245/.286/.325 in 286 AB) and Kevin Correia (7-3, 3.97 ERA in 59 IP) in that deal.

When a consistently successful franchise undergoes a rebuilding year, it often immediately results in a winning season the following year.  That pattern seems to have repeated itself here with the Corona franchise.  However, unlike most patterns from the past, Corona did not benefit greatly from their rebuilding year in terms of players received in trade or free agents signed with the benefit of a high draft pick.  Aside from Harang and Hill, the Confederates did not receive any players in trade in 2007 that have made an enormous impact in 2008.

Instead, Corona has benefitted greatly from spreading around their money at the auction instead of spending it all in one place.  They also benefitted from the maturation of Prince Fielder, and the return to usefulness of Mike Lowell.  Sometimes, everything just seems to click, and the stars align in a certain team's favor.  And that has certainly been the pattern with this franchise.

Salem Cowtippers

The Cowtippers finished the season with a record of 103-57, but went just 13-15 down the stretch, and once again find themselves limping into the post-season.  Overall, Salem's run differential of 258 ranks third in the BDBL behind the SoCal Slyme and Allentown Ridgebacks.  And their 830 runs scored ranks sixth in the BDBL.  Since the all-star break, however, the Cowtippers have scored just 403 runs -- 9th best in the BDBL -- and they hit just .257/.336/.435 as a team in Chapter Six.

Defensively, Salem famously came within .001 points of breaking the BDBL's all-time single-season record for team ERA.  Their 3.26 team ERA is 27 points better than the next-best team in the BDBL.  And their 1,341 strikeouts ranks #2 behind only the Ridgebacks.  Cowtipper pitchers also allowed just 134 home runs this season -- the fourth lowest total in the BDBL.

The seeds of the current Salem starting rotation were sewn during Salem's rebuilding season in 2006.  During that season, Salem spent $21.5 million to sign free agent starting pitchers Randy Johnson and Kevin Millwood, with the intent to eventually trade them for future considerations.  For Johnson, Salem received Erik Bedard (20-7, 2.83 ERA, 243 Ks in 200 IP.)  For Millwood, Salem received pitcher Jon Lester (among many others), who was (foolishly) traded this past winter in exchange for the team's current closer, Francisco Cordero (6-2, 1.57 ERA, 22 SVs in 68+ IP.)

That same year, Salem took a $5 million gamble on injured reliever Kelvim Escobar, hoping that he would eventually move back into the starting rotation and remain healthy.  Fortunately for Salem, the stars aligned and the Baseball Gods allowed that to happen for one season.  Escobar (18-7, 3.01 ERA, 192 Ks in 215 IP) has been effective all season, and as consistent as any starter could ever be.

Also in 2006, Salem added starter Ian Snell in a Chapter Five trade with the Corona Confederates.  While Snell's BDBL numbers for Salem (10-10, 4.96 ERA) failed to approach his stellar MLB numbers, the acquisition of Snell allowed Salem the flexibility to trade ace starter Brandon Webb this past winter.  Webb's trade filled several holes in the outfield, including Matt Kemp (.318/.344/.485 in 233 AB), Josh Willingham (.280/.364/.498, 74.8 RC) and (via another foolish trade of John Danks) Mike Cameron (.321/.404/.522 in 224 AB.)

Last season, Salem took a gamble on struggling starter Dustin McGowan (17-8, 3.46 ERA in 182+ IP), and that gamble also paid off big-time for the Cowtippers.  Salem entered the 2008 season with a very strong starting rotation of Bedard, Escobar, Snell and McGowan.  Their intention was to add an innings-eater for the #5 spot in the rotation, and spend $12-$14 million on a big bat in the auction.  But when they lost the bidding for all of those big bats, including primary target Barry Bonds, the team was forced to go with "Plan B" and spend $17 million (and a guaranteed $51M over three years) on Josh Beckett.  Beckett (13-13, 3.14 ERA, 222 Ks in 220+ IP) immediately stepped into the #1 starter role in the rotation, and reduced Snell and/or Escobar to trade fodder.

Offensively, the team was built mostly through recent trades, with the exceptions of farm product Kenji Johjima (.320/.373/.462, 82.5 RC) and Cowtippers mainstay Lance Berkman (.266/.372/.457, 23 HR, 101.3 RC), playing in his final season in a spotted cap.  Derek Jeter (.322/.393/.444, 41 2B, 110.8 RC) was added in a 2006 trade involving top prospect Ian Stewart, Miguel Cabrera (.300/.360/.585, 46 HR, 130.1 RC) was acquired mid-way through the 2007 season in a classic deal involving B.J. Upton, and Alex Rios (.277/.326/.472, 24 HR, 89.5 RC) was added this past winter in a straight-up swap for former franchise pitcher Jeremy Bonderman.  Free agent Orlando Hudson (.258/.321/.365, 61.7 RC) completed the starting lineup at the no-commitment-required salary of $5M.

During the 2008 season, the Cowtippers beefed up their lineup by trading former #1 draft pick Luke Hochevar in exchange for Hideki Matsui (.256/.352/.431 in 371 AB.)  And the bullpen was bolstered through trade by the additions of Alan Embree (1-1, 3.31 ERA, 3 SVs in 49 IP), Matt Guerrier (1-1, 2 SVs, 2.31 ERA in 46+ IP) and Joel Zumaya (3.38 ERA in 10+ IP.)  They joined Manny Corpas (7-0, 8 SVs, 3.17 ERA in 82+ IP), a late-round draft pick in 2007, and Aki Otsuka (2-2, 7 SVs, 2.57 ERA in 35 IP), a trade acquisition in mid-2007.

Finally, the Cowtippers shocked the BDBL establishment by making an 11th-hour deal with the Sith lord himself at the final trading deadline of the season, adding Felix Hernandez (4-4, 4.95 ERA in 60 IP) in exchange for top prospects Jay Bruce and Rick Porcello.  It is unlikely, however, that Hernandez will play a very big role in the post-season, as Salem's four-man rotation of Beckett, Bedard, Escobar and McGowan is rock-solid.

This year's Salem club is centered around its extraordinary starting rotation -- a rotation that was built primarily by taking several calculated gambles on established young pitchers.  Like countless other successful teams of the past, this team was forged during a rebuilding year.  This ballclub demonstrates that by making the right decisions at the right times, and taking a few calculated risks, non-contending teams have the ability to turn their fortunes upside down and compete in a relatively short amount of time.

Ravenswood Infidels

The Infidels set a new franchise record by winning 99 games in 2008.  They ranked in the middle of the pack (10th in the BDBL) in runs scored, despite hitting just 140 home runs (19th in the BDBL) as a team.  And they ranked #4 in the BDBL in ERA at 3.73, while allowing fewer walks than any other team in the BDBL -- by a large margin.  Defensively, the Infidels ranked 5th in the BDBL in fewest errors, with only 88.

Most of this 2008 division championship team was carried over from the 2007 division-winning team.  Roy Halladay (14-11, 3.46 ERA in 244+ IP), J.J. Putz (7-5, 2.41 ERA, 27 SVs in 71 IP), Edwin Encarnacion (.306/.365/.419, 67.5 RC), Robinson Cano (.292/.327/.498, 81 XBH, 102 RC) and Bobby Abreu (.280/.360/.456, 92.2 RC) were all instrumental in carrying the Infidels into the OLCS last November.  Of that group, Encarnacion and Cano emerged from the Ravenswood farm system, while the rest were acquired via trade in exchange for prospects.

Brian Potrafka's all-time favorite player, pitcher Fausto Carmona (17-11, 3.92 ERA in 236+ IP), was acquired in a 2006 trade with the Nashville Funkadelic, in which the Infidels acquired both Carmona and Jamie Moyer in exchange for Jae Seo.  Moyer was then re-acquired by Potrafka this past winter during the free agent auction, and later traded.  Also picked up in that auction were Mark Buehrle (12-10, 4.20 ERA in 216+ IP), Orlando Cabrera (.286/.341/.370, 55.2 RC) and Bobby Howry (9-1, 2.71 ERA in 83 IP).

This past winter, Potraka traded Frank Thomas to the Sylmar Padawans, getting Derek Lee (.333/.411/.472, 121.9 RC) in exchange.  He also added catcher Jason Varitek (.253/.359/.420, 74.7 RC) from Salem, at the expensive cost of Jon Lester.

Throughout the course of this season, Potrafka added to his stockpile by picking up Rodrigo Lopez (9-4, 2.60 ERA in 86+ IP), Scott Downs (3-1, 2.70 ERA in 50 IP), Greg Maddux (8-4, 4.30 ERA in 96+ IP) and Matt Stairs (.302/.370/.544 in 215 AB).  The cost was relatively cheap: Darrell Rasner, Kerry Wood, Chris Denorfia, Rick Vandenhurk, Jose Bautista, Jaime Garcia, Eduardo Morlan, Scott Olsen and Jarrod Parker.

This Infidels team was constructed almost entirely through shrewd trading, which is a testament to Potrafka's skills as a GM.  Although Brian often complains about the amount of talent he has had to sacrifice over the years, he now owns four division titles in five seasons, plus a BDBL championship.  So it seems the reward has justified the sacrifice.  And in building this particular division-winner, Potrafka's sacrifices were hardly worth losing any sleep.  Over the past two years, Potrafka has added Carmona, Putz, Abreu, Halladay, Luke Scott, Maddux, Stairs and Lee in trade.  And what did he sacrifice in return for this bounty of impact players?  Jae Seo, Casey Janssen, Ron Flores, Chris Carter, Randy Winn, Freddie Lewis, Damian Easley, Brandon Phillips, Cesar Carillo, Darrell Rasner, Kerry Wood, Chris Denorfia, Rick Vandenhurk, Jose Bautista, Jaime Garcia, Eduardo Morlan and Frank Thomas.  Don't cry for Brian Potrafka.

Southern Cal Slyme

The most dominant team in BDBL history?  No, but certainly the winningest team in league history.  The Slyme began the season on fire and never cooled off.  They went 24-4 in Chapter One, 23-5 in Chapter Six, and won 69 games in between to finish with 116 wins -- a new BDBL single-season record.  The Slyme outscored their opponents by 344 runs -- a league best.  They won 64 games on the road -- also best in the league.  And they scored 954 runs -- another league-best figure.

They hit an incredible .303/.365/.483 as a team, topping the BDBL in all three "triple-slash" categories.  SoCal pitchers posted a 3.61 team ERA -- third-best in the BDBL.  And the Slyme defense committed just 73 errors (second lowest in the league) and posted a .988 fielding percentage.

The two biggest hitters in the SoCal lineup were acquired in two completely different ways.  Magglio Ordonez (.374/.454/.618, 48 2B, 34 HR, 169 RC) was purchased for huge money ($14 million in 2008, and a guaranteed $28 million over the next two years) in the free agent auction last winter, and proved to be worth every penny.  Ordonez was the #1 free agent available, and Bob Sylvester had both the cash and the stomach to fork over that amount to add an impact bat to his lineup.

The other big hitter in the SoCal lineup, Hanley Ramirez (.349/.405/.565, 62 2B, 24 HR, 34 SB, 151.9 RC), was added all the way back in the winter of 2003, in a trade with the Marlboro Hammerheads.  At the time, Ramirez was just a 19-year-old kid kicking around in A-ball.  He was acquired along with Ichiro Suzuki in exchange for Roy Halladay, and at the time he was considered a "throw-in" by many.  But today, he's become one of the most valuable commodities in the BDBL.

Thanks to his infamous white-flag trades of 2007, Sylvester had a ton of cash to spend in the auction.  Aside from Ordonez, he also purchased free agents Curt Schilling (16-3, 3.30 ERA in 160+ IP) and Raul Ibanez (.333/.393/.600, 25 HR, 99.3 RC) -- both of whom have made bigger-than-expected impacts on the SoCal team this season.  Roger Clemens (8-3, 3.77 ERA in 90+ IP) was also picked up in that auction, and should play a bigger role in the playoffs than he has during the regular season.

Also added in those white-flag trades last summer were Reggie Willits (.322/.437/.391 in 289 AB), Brad Lidge (3-0, 3.39 ERA in 61 IP), James Shields (17-9, 3.19 ERA in 223 IP) and Ted Lilly (23-4, 3.27 ERA in 222+ IP) -- all major contributors to the '08 campaign.

In the bullpen, closer Jose Valverde (4-3, 41 SVs, 1.63 ERA in 66+ IP) was acquired this past winter at great cost to the club's future.  Sylvester first traded Ervin Santana and Joey Devine to Atlanta for Jesse Litsch, then flipped Litsch to his son, Bobby, in exchange for Valverde and Ben Broussard.  Later in the year, Sylvester added two more big-impact arms to his bullpen in Hideki Okajima (2-0, 1.02 ERA in 17+ IP) and Damaso Marte (2.92 ERA in 12+ IP).  That deal cost him only two inning-eating starters for 2009, Jason Marquis and David Bush.

Waving the white flag in the middle of a pennant race -- in a season where he eventually won the EL wild card, no less -- only cost Bob Sylvester a little ribbing on the message board.  But the reward has far outweighed the punishment.  Waving the white flag allowed SoCal to add several impact players via trade, and freed up several million in spending money to acquire big-impact free agents.  Many, many teams throughout BDBL history have deliberately torpedoed a successful ballclub in order to stockpile talent for the following year, and nearly every one of those teams has been richly rewarded.  Like it or not, the 2008 Slyme are just another data point validating this strategy.

St. Louis Apostles

The Apostles eked into the post-season during the final hours of the 2008 season, winning 98 games to finish two ahead of the Kansas Law Dogs in the EL wild card race.  Those 98 wins represent a new high for this franchise -- eight wins greater than their previous high.  Like several Eck League teams, the Apostles performed better on the road (56-24) than at home (42-38.)

Offensively, St. Louis ranked 7th in the BDBL in runs scored (805), 6th in slugging (.440) and 4th in stolen bases (130.)  Defensively, they ranked #6 in ERA (3.82) and #2 in saves (53.)  And, oddly enough, they also ranked #1 in the BDBL in walks allowed (609.)  Apostles pitchers averaged 3.7 walks per nine, and struck out just 6.0 per nine on average.  They also ranked dead-last in the BDBL in throwing out base stealers, at just 17%.

In terms of how this team was built, the foundation of this team for the past seven seasons was acquired in the now-famous farm draft of 2001, when Bobby Sylvester selected a relatively obscure A-ball hitter by the name of Albert Pujols with the 18th pick of the draft.  Pujols (.314/.401/.539, 34 HR, 127.5 RC) enjoyed yet another big season for the Apostles this season.

Another product of the St. Louis farm system is Matt Holliday (.321/.378/.575, 44 2B, 35 HR, 125 RBIs, 136.2 RC), who was acquired as a free agent in Chapter Four of the 2004 season, back when he was a relatively obscure 25-year-old minor league veteran with a career OPS of 776.

Sylvester was a busy dude this past winter, making nine trades in an effort to keep up with his father in the Person Division race.  One of those trades netted Melky Cabrera (.274/.330/.408, 65.7 RC) in exchange for Miguel Tejada and Chad Cordero.  Another trade netted second baseman Dustin Pedroia (.291/.363/.447, 85.3 RC) in exchange for Vladimir Guerrero and Placido Polanco.  While both Guerrero and Polanco enjoyed MVP-caliber seasons for the Chicago Black Sox, the Apostles gained a cheap franchise player with that trade.

In addition to Pedroia, Sylvester also acquired closer Jose Valverde in that same deal.  He then flipped Valverde to his father in exchange for Jesse Litsch (13-5, 3.40 ERA in 119 IP.)

At this winter's free agent auction, Sylvester added Adrian Beltre (.264/.311/.468, 26 HR, 83.3 RC), Miguel Batista (12-11, 4.27 ERA in 206+ IP), Tim Wakefield (16-8, 3.73 ERA in 207+ IP) and Rafael Furcal (.245/.298/.313, 46.5 RC.)  Then, in the draft, Sylvester selected Kyle Kendrick (8-5, 3.40 ERA in 132+ IP) with his first pick in the third round.

Sylvester made just one trade after Opening Day, but it was a big one.  At the final trading deadline of the season, he picked up Jimmy Rollins (.303/.339/.581, 37 XBH in 234 AB) from the San Antonio Broncs.  And all it cost him was Andrew Miller, Mitch Boggs, Shawn Chacon and Jamie Walker.

In my Pre-season Preview, I wrote that the Apostles' starting rotation "may be the worst in the Eck League."  I predicted that this team would not go far in 2008 with such a mediocre pitching staff, and picked them to finish in third place in their division.  Well...color me embarrassed.  Bobby Sylvester has created a wild-card-winning pitching staff on a shoestring budget.  The combined salaries of all the Apostles starting pitchers this season is $15.9 million -- or, $1.1 million less than what I spent for Josh Beckett alone.

Meanwhile, Sylvester's lineup was built around two once-in-a-lifetime farm picks: Pujols and Holliday.  One was chosen with the 18th pick of the farm draft, and the other was picked up off the free agent scrap heap in August.  This team represents the epitome of bargain shopping, and no one has done it better than Bobby Sylvester.