Leon Jackson - Cobbfather Post Gazette
So, we already know Rochester is the best team in the NL - let's see how the race for #2 is going! Here's the low down on the NL Playoff picture.
Starting Pitching
1. Rochester
2. Memphis
3. Jackson
4. New York
5. Sacramento
6. Cincinnati
Rochester’s staff was simply dominant this year, with all 5 of their starters winning 17+ games. While Jackson may have more talent in their rotation, the Memphis staff performed better in the regular season. New York’s top of the rotation was solid this year, and may be a bit underrated. Sacramento is led by well publicized Cy Young candidate Timo Green who was phenomenal, although it will be tough not to give every award to Rochester this season. After Timo, it gets a little shaky though, compared to what the other teams have. Cincinnati is far behind the others, although their stats are slightly skewed since they player in a hitter’s park.
Bullpen
1. Rochester
2. Jackson
3. Sacramento
4. Memphis
5. Cincinnati
6. New York
Rochester, once again is on top, they had an extremely consistent bullpen, and only blew 14 saves. Jackson’s bullpen was also very consistent, but they blew a few more saves than Rochester did. Sacto may have the most talented bullpen in the league, but we have to downgrade them since Sammy Felix was pretty awful at times this year. Memphis’s Billy Cox may be the best closer here, given Felix’s down year, but some of their other relievers have been hittable this year. New York’s bullpen numbers were a bit better than Cincy, but we’re giving them the edge due to their hitter’s park, we think they have just a bit more talent.
Offense
1. Rochester
2. Memphis
3. Cincinnati
4. Jackson
5. Sacramento
6. New York
Rochester put up mind blowing offensive numbers this year, and are easily the league’s best lineup. The rest of the pack is far behind them. Memphis is the best of the rest, led by slugger Buddy Poole. Cincy will likely be riding the bat of stud 3B Marvin Mays, who in just his 2nd full big league season has established himself amongst the league’s elite. Jackson edges out Sacramento, with just a slightly more deeper and consistent lineup. New York is in last place by a lot here, although Shayne Lemon did pot 47 HR’s and 128 RBI’s, the rest of the lineup didn’t do much.
Overall Rankings
1. Rochester
2. Jackson
3. Memphis
4. Sacramento
5. New York
6. Cincinnati
Projected NLCS: Rochester vs. Memphis
Projected NLCS winner: Rochester
You’d have to be off your rocker to predict anyone but Rochester to win the NL. Let’s face it, something’s wrong with the game engine if they don’t win. It’s really too bad Jackson has to play Rochester in the 2nd round, as we think they have a great shot to beat Memphis. Although, we wouldn’t be completely surprised if Sacramento upset Jackson in the first round either. New York and Cincinnati seem to be a notch below the rest of the teams, it would be surprising to see either upset Memphis. Although, the biggest surprise of all would be if Rochester doesn’t win the NL.
Best of luck to the NL Playoff Teams, except Rochester, don't want to waste luck on a team who doesn't need it!!
Monday, October 26, 2009
Season 6 American League Playoff Preview
Leon Jackson - Cobbfather Post Gazette
It's playoff time in Cobbfather, and we've taken this opportunity to rank the AL Contenders in starting pitching, bullpen, and offense, and have made our prediction for AL Champion. Let's get started!
It's playoff time in Cobbfather, and we've taken this opportunity to rank the AL Contenders in starting pitching, bullpen, and offense, and have made our prediction for AL Champion. Let's get started!
Starting Pitching
1. Atlanta
2. Florida
3. Tampa Bay
4. New York
5. San Francisco
6. Vancouver
Atlanta has a huge edge over everyone else in the playoffs in pitching. The trio of Sosa-Saunders-Pendleton is going to be tough for any team to handle. The next three teams are pretty close, as Florida, Tampa Bay and New York all have excellent rotations. It was a toss up ranking these three. San Francisco and Vancouver lag a little bit behind the pack, but are still good enough to be competitive in the playoffs
Bullpen
1. Florida
2. Atlanta
3. New York
4. Tampa Bay
5. Vancouver
6. San Francisco
The top bullpens are all pretty close here, and we’ll go with Florida at the top here, as closer Luis Gonzales was lights out this year, and the supporting cast was solid as well. Atlanta was solid as well, although their closers’ ERA’s were a bit high, they blew the least saves as a whole out of any AL team in the playoffs. New York had a nice bullpen this year too. We didn’t downgrade them for playoff hopes killer Esteban Terrero, but maybe we should have. Tampa Bay may have the most talent in the pen, but 19 blown saves is a bit of a red flag. Vancouver was a bit shaky in the pen this year, and San Francisco blew 21 saves, more than anyone in the AL playoff picture.
Offense
1. New York
2. Tampa Bay
3. Vancouver
4. Florida
5. Atlanta
6. San Francisco
New York’s lineup, as always, is one of the league’s best, and will be a nightmare for opposing pitching staffs. Tampa Bay isn’t that far behind, they had 4 guys with 39+ HR and 100+ RBI. Vancouver is another team known for their offense, and this year was no exception. Florida is a little more power oriented than in years past, but isn’t quite up to the level as some of their playoff rivals. Atlanta hit a lot of home runs, but not for a very good average. San Francisco looks to be the least impressive out of this group.
Overall Rankings
1. Atlanta
2. Florida
3. New York
4. Tampa Bay
5. Vancouver
6. San Francisco
Projected ALCS: Atlanta vs. Florida
Projected ALCS Winner: Atlanta
Atlanta is so far and away better pitching wise than any other team, we’re jumping on their bandwagon to win the AL playoffs. Pitching is the name of the game in the playoffs, and usually wins out. Losing the first round bye was a bit of a blow, but they should get by San Francisco, and we like them in a tough series vs. New York, and yes, even over Florida. But, anything can happen in a five game series, so they are far from a lock, and really, we’d only be surprised if Vancouver or San Francisco ended up winning, the top 4 are extremely close.
Season 6 Power Rankings - End of Regular Season
Chuckles McGee - Cobbfather Post Gazette
It's Chuckles here back with the final edition of the power rankings for Season 6. And as we've done all season, we start off with more props for Rochester, who finishes the season at #1, posting the most dominant regular season in Cobbfather history. They didn't take their foot off the gas down the stretch, posting a league best 15-4 record in the final week. Ridiculous.
Florida jumped up to #2 in the final poll with an outstanding 15-5 record down the stretch. Florida seems to have the most momentum of any AL team heading into the playoffs, as they overtook the division lead, and the #1 overall seed in the final week. Memphis drops to #3 in the final poll, only going 9-10 in the final week, although it's likely they were resting guys for the playoffs. New York (AL) and Atlanta round out the final top 5.
San Francisco made a nice jump in the final rankings, climbing 7 spots with a great 14-6 final week to seal up the 2nd AL Wild card spot. Buffalo surged up 10 spots to #12 going 15-5 in the final week to finish above .500, and although they didn't make the playoffs, they finished ahead of three NL teams that did in the final poll.
On the downside, Oakland had a terrible last week going 4-16, and San Juan went 5-14, conceding the final NL playoff spot to New York on the last day of the season.
Here's the five best and five worst over the last week of the season in Cobbfather:
Five Best:
#1 Rochester (15-4)
#2 Florida (15-5)
#12 Buffalo (15-5)
#8 Jackson (14-5)
#9 San Francisco (14-6)
Five Worst:
#23 Oakland (4-16)
#13 San Juan (5-14)
#31 Durham (6-14)
#32 Wichita (6-13)
#16 Burlington (6-13)
And now the Unveiling of this week's edition of the Regular Season Power Rankings!!
That's it for the power rankings for this season, good luck to the playoff teams!
It's Chuckles here back with the final edition of the power rankings for Season 6. And as we've done all season, we start off with more props for Rochester, who finishes the season at #1, posting the most dominant regular season in Cobbfather history. They didn't take their foot off the gas down the stretch, posting a league best 15-4 record in the final week. Ridiculous.
Florida jumped up to #2 in the final poll with an outstanding 15-5 record down the stretch. Florida seems to have the most momentum of any AL team heading into the playoffs, as they overtook the division lead, and the #1 overall seed in the final week. Memphis drops to #3 in the final poll, only going 9-10 in the final week, although it's likely they were resting guys for the playoffs. New York (AL) and Atlanta round out the final top 5.
San Francisco made a nice jump in the final rankings, climbing 7 spots with a great 14-6 final week to seal up the 2nd AL Wild card spot. Buffalo surged up 10 spots to #12 going 15-5 in the final week to finish above .500, and although they didn't make the playoffs, they finished ahead of three NL teams that did in the final poll.
On the downside, Oakland had a terrible last week going 4-16, and San Juan went 5-14, conceding the final NL playoff spot to New York on the last day of the season.
Here's the five best and five worst over the last week of the season in Cobbfather:
Five Best:
#1 Rochester (15-4)
#2 Florida (15-5)
#12 Buffalo (15-5)
#8 Jackson (14-5)
#9 San Francisco (14-6)
Five Worst:
#23 Oakland (4-16)
#13 San Juan (5-14)
#31 Durham (6-14)
#32 Wichita (6-13)
#16 Burlington (6-13)
And now the Unveiling of this week's edition of the Regular Season Power Rankings!!
Rank | Team | Record | Prev |
1 | Rochester | 123-39 | 1 |
2 | Florida | 99-63 | 6 |
3 | Memphis | 100-62 | 2 |
4 | New York (AL) | 98-64 | 3 |
5 | Atlanta | 98-64 | 4 |
6 | Tampa Bay | 98-64 | 5 |
7 | Vancouver | 95-67 | 7 |
8 | Jackson | 90-72 | 9 |
9 | San Francisco | 89-73 | 16 |
10 | Detroit | 87-75 | 8 |
11 | Boston | 88-74 | 12 |
12 | Buffalo | 82-80 | 22 |
13 | San Juan | 83-79 | 10 |
14 | Cincinnati | 84-78 | 11 |
15 | Sacramento | 81-81 | 13 |
16 | Burlington | 81-81 | 14 |
17 | New York (NL) | 83-79 | 15 |
18 | Los Angeles | 80-82 | 17 |
19 | Cheyenne | 75-87 | 20 |
20 | Honolulu | 78-84 | 18 |
21 | Dover | 75-87 | 21 |
22 | Kansas City | 72-90 | 27 |
23 | Oakland | 70-92 | 19 |
24 | Charleston | 69-93 | 29 |
25 | Chicago | 68-94 | 23 |
26 | Little Rock | 68-94 | 24 |
| 27 | Austin | 72-90 | 25 |
28 | Syracuse | 71-91 | 26 |
29 | Ottawa | 67-95 | 28 |
30 | Boise | 61-101 | 30 |
31 | Durham | 57-105 | 31 |
32 | Wichita | 50-112 | 32 |
That's it for the power rankings for this season, good luck to the playoff teams!
Monday, October 19, 2009
Season 6 Power Rankings - Regular Season #8
Chuckles McGee - Cobbfather Post Gazette
It's Chuckles here back with this week's power rankings! Big surprise, Rochester is still #1 with just another ho-hum 15-5 week, bringing them to a ridiculous 108-35 on the regular season. Is there even a need for playoffs this season? Let's see who's playing for 2nd place.
At #2, Memphis rebounded from a poor week, and posted a league best 16-5 this week to reclaim the #2 spot, which they had held most of the season until last week. At #3, it's the surging NY Pride of the Yankees, who posted a great 15-6 mark on the week to jump up 4 spots to #3. Atlanta and Tampa Bay posted respectable weeks, and round out the top 5 at #4 and 5 respectively.
Outside the top 5, the biggest story has been Detroit's big charge to make the playoffs, going 15-6 this week, putting them in a tie for the 2nd wild card spot. They jump up 8 spots in the rankings to #8. Sacramento seems to be pulling away in the NL West race, going 13-6 this week - they're up 2 spots to #13. Cheyenne also jumped 8 spots to #20 with an 11-9 week.
On the downside, Wichita isn't paying much attention to their team, getting as much out of them as their management is putting in. We haven't paid much attention to them, until now, as we want to acknowledge that they are the worst team in the world by far. They are just awful - and it's disappointing to see their management not really caring about the team. Hopefully there will be a little more effort put into the team next season, so this franchise can start to turn it around.
Here's the five best and five worst over the last week in Cobbfather:
Five Best:
#2 Memphis (16-5)
#1 Rochester (15-5)
#3 New York (AL) (15-6)
#8 Detroit (15-6)
#11 Cincinnati (13-8)
Five Worst:
#32 Wichita (4-17)
#26 Syracuse (4-17)
#31 Durham (5-14)
#25 Austin (6-15)
#28 Ottawa (6-14)
And now the Unveiling of this week's edition of the Regular Season Power Rankings!!
Check back next week for the final edition of the power rankings for Season 6!
It's Chuckles here back with this week's power rankings! Big surprise, Rochester is still #1 with just another ho-hum 15-5 week, bringing them to a ridiculous 108-35 on the regular season. Is there even a need for playoffs this season? Let's see who's playing for 2nd place.
At #2, Memphis rebounded from a poor week, and posted a league best 16-5 this week to reclaim the #2 spot, which they had held most of the season until last week. At #3, it's the surging NY Pride of the Yankees, who posted a great 15-6 mark on the week to jump up 4 spots to #3. Atlanta and Tampa Bay posted respectable weeks, and round out the top 5 at #4 and 5 respectively.
Outside the top 5, the biggest story has been Detroit's big charge to make the playoffs, going 15-6 this week, putting them in a tie for the 2nd wild card spot. They jump up 8 spots in the rankings to #8. Sacramento seems to be pulling away in the NL West race, going 13-6 this week - they're up 2 spots to #13. Cheyenne also jumped 8 spots to #20 with an 11-9 week.
On the downside, Wichita isn't paying much attention to their team, getting as much out of them as their management is putting in. We haven't paid much attention to them, until now, as we want to acknowledge that they are the worst team in the world by far. They are just awful - and it's disappointing to see their management not really caring about the team. Hopefully there will be a little more effort put into the team next season, so this franchise can start to turn it around.
Here's the five best and five worst over the last week in Cobbfather:
Five Best:
#2 Memphis (16-5)
#1 Rochester (15-5)
#3 New York (AL) (15-6)
#8 Detroit (15-6)
#11 Cincinnati (13-8)
Five Worst:
#32 Wichita (4-17)
#26 Syracuse (4-17)
#31 Durham (5-14)
#25 Austin (6-15)
#28 Ottawa (6-14)
And now the Unveiling of this week's edition of the Regular Season Power Rankings!!
Rank | Team | Record | Prev |
1 | Rochester | 108-35 | 1 |
2 | Memphis | 91-52 | 4 |
3 | New York (AL) | 86-57 | 7 |
4 | Atlanta | 86-56 | 2 |
5 | Tampa Bay | 86-57 | 3 |
6 | Florida | 84-58 | 5 |
7 | Vancouver | 83-59 | 6 |
8 | Detroit | 77-66 | 16 |
9 | Jackson | 76-67 | 8 |
10 | San Juan | 78-65 | 9 |
11 | Cincinnati | 77-66 | 11 |
12 | Boston | 77-66 | 10 |
13 | Sacramento | 73-69 | 15 |
14 | Burlington | 75-68 | 12 |
15 | New York (NL) | 74-68 | 13 |
16 | San Francisco | 75-67 | 14 |
17 | Los Angeles | 70-72 | 17 |
18 | Honolulu | 68-74 | 22 |
19 | Oakland | 66-76 | 23 |
20 | Cheyenne | 63-79 | 28 |
21 | Dover | 66-77 | 18 |
22 | Buffalo | 67-75 | 21 |
23 | Chicago | 61-81 | 26 |
24 | Little Rock | 61-82 | 27 |
25 | Austin | 63-80 | 19 |
26 | Syracuse | 64-79 | 20 |
| 27 | Kansas City | 60-82 | 24 |
28 | Ottawa | 58-84 | 25 |
29 | Charleston | 58-84 | 29 |
30 | Boise | 54-89 | 31 |
31 | Durham | 51-91 | 30 |
32 | Wichita | 44-99 | 32 |
Check back next week for the final edition of the power rankings for Season 6!
Monday, October 12, 2009
Season 6 Power Rankings - Regular Season #7
Chuckles McGee - Cobbfather Post Gazette
It's Chuckles here back with this week's power rankings! At the top, it's Rochester, and there really aren't enough superlatives to describe this team, and their dominance of the league this season. They went a league best 17-4 this past week, and now have the best record in the majors by 17.5 games. Unbelievable. There's a new #2 this week, as Atlanta moves up one spot to take #2. Tampa Bay moves up one spot to #3, while Memphis, who struggled this past week, going 7-12, drops 2 spots to #4. Florida holds steady at #5.
Two teams jumped 10 spots in the polls this week. #8 Jackson had an outstanding week going 15-4, with only Rochester having a better record this week, and that was enough for a huge jump in the polls for them. #15 Sacramento also jumped up 10 spots this week. They seem to be digging them self out of the hole they dug themselves early on, and are only one game out of the NL West lead. Their 14-7 record this week allowed them to jump from the bottom quarter of the rankings to the middle of the pack. Props to #24 Kansas City as well on a solid 13-8 week.
Those teams that struggled this week were, as previously mentioned, #4 Memphis, and #20 Syracuse, who dropped 9 spots in the rankings.
Here's the five best and five worst over the last week in Cobbfather:
Five Best:
#1 Rochester (17-4)
#8 Jackson (15-4)
#15 Sacramento (14-7)
#7 New York (AL) (12-7)
#13 New York (NL), #24 Kansas City (13-8)
Five Worst:
#32 Wichita (6-13)
#20 Syracuse (6-13)
#29 Charleston, #26 Chicago, #25 Ottawa, #22 Honolulu (7-13)
And now the Unveiling of this week's edition of the Regular Season Power Rankings!!
Check back next week for the next installment of the power rankings!
It's Chuckles here back with this week's power rankings! At the top, it's Rochester, and there really aren't enough superlatives to describe this team, and their dominance of the league this season. They went a league best 17-4 this past week, and now have the best record in the majors by 17.5 games. Unbelievable. There's a new #2 this week, as Atlanta moves up one spot to take #2. Tampa Bay moves up one spot to #3, while Memphis, who struggled this past week, going 7-12, drops 2 spots to #4. Florida holds steady at #5.
Two teams jumped 10 spots in the polls this week. #8 Jackson had an outstanding week going 15-4, with only Rochester having a better record this week, and that was enough for a huge jump in the polls for them. #15 Sacramento also jumped up 10 spots this week. They seem to be digging them self out of the hole they dug themselves early on, and are only one game out of the NL West lead. Their 14-7 record this week allowed them to jump from the bottom quarter of the rankings to the middle of the pack. Props to #24 Kansas City as well on a solid 13-8 week.
Those teams that struggled this week were, as previously mentioned, #4 Memphis, and #20 Syracuse, who dropped 9 spots in the rankings.
Here's the five best and five worst over the last week in Cobbfather:
Five Best:
#1 Rochester (17-4)
#8 Jackson (15-4)
#15 Sacramento (14-7)
#7 New York (AL) (12-7)
#13 New York (NL), #24 Kansas City (13-8)
Five Worst:
#32 Wichita (6-13)
#20 Syracuse (6-13)
#29 Charleston, #26 Chicago, #25 Ottawa, #22 Honolulu (7-13)
And now the Unveiling of this week's edition of the Regular Season Power Rankings!!
Rank | Team | Record | Prev |
1 | Rochester | 93-30 | 1 |
2 | Atlanta | 74-49 | 3 |
3 | Tampa Bay | 74-49 | 4 |
4 | Memphis | 75-47 | 2 |
5 | Florida | 72-51 | 5 |
6 | Vancouver | 72-50 | 6 |
7 | New York (AL) | 71-51 | 7 |
8 | Jackson | 64-58 | 18 |
9 | San Juan | 66-57 | 9 |
10 | Boston | 67-26 | 10 |
11 | Cincinnati | 64-58 | 13 |
12 | Burlington | 64-58 | 14 |
13 | New York (NL) | 63-60 | 19 |
14 | San Francisco | 65-57 | 8 |
15 | Sacramento | 60-63 | 25 |
16 | Detroit | 62-60 | 12 |
17 | Los Angeles | 61-62 | 15 |
18 | Dover | 58-65 | 23 |
19 | Austin | 57-65 | 20 |
20 | Syracuse | 60-62 | 11 |
21 | Buffalo | 59-64 | 17 |
22 | Honolulu | 58-64 | 16 |
23 | Oakland | 56-67 | 22 |
24 | Kansas City | 54-69 | 27 |
25 | Ottawa | 52-70 | 21 |
26 | Chicago | 53-69 | 24 |
| 27 | Little Rock | 52-70 | 26 |
28 | Cheyenne | 52-70 | 28 |
29 | Charleston | 50-73 | 29 |
30 | Durham | 46-77 | 30 |
31 | Boise | 46-77 | 31 |
32 | Wichita | 40-82 | 32 |
Check back next week for the next installment of the power rankings!
Season 6 Draft Recap - AL West
Leon Jackson - Cobbfather Post Gazette
And now, the final piece of the draft recaps will cover the AL West Teams. The division has been dominated by the Vancouver Blaze in the standings as of late, but let's see who was on fire in the AL West in the draft!
AL WEST
Kansas City Tweakers
Kansas City had the 2nd pick in the draft, and selected Brutus Henry. Henry is a monster at the plate, wielding a powerful bat and is also a masterful contact hitter. He hits lefties slightly better than righties, and hits both fairly well. His batting eye is also good, and he’s got great speed and baserunning ability. Projecting him as an annual 40/40 candidate isn’t a stretch, he’s a great add to the KC system. 2nd rounder Anthony Crosby is another huge bat, his only weakness being that he struggles against RH pitching a bit. It’s a huge a plus that he’s serviceable defensively as a catcher, and has decent durability. After that, the highlights are that they added a couple of more big power guys who may have a shot at the majors, and a defensive wizard at SS.
Final Synopsis: KC greatly improved the offensive talent in their system this draft.
Grade: A+
Oakland Bruisers
With the 10th pick, Oakland got Wilfredo Chavez, who projects to be a legit major league shortstop with a very nice bat. If he comes close to his fielding projections, Oakland will have a huge advantage over most teams having his bat at shortstop. Oakland’s 2nd rounder, Chad Brohawn, is another very good hitter, and could definitely start in the majors, probably in right field. He’s got very good splits and power, a good batting eye, and some speed. He’s definitely one of the better 2nd round picks in the draft. After that, they landed a flurry of defensive speedsters, and a fairly decent DH vs. RH in the 8th round.
Final Synopsis: A fairly deep draft for Oakland here, we like what they came away with.
Grade: A
San Francisco Hammer’d Leprechauns
Picking 24th, the Hammer’d Leps got Goose Hayes, a speedster with great range and contact hitting ability. His RH split and batting eye projections are a bit of a concern in terms of future Major League success at the plate – which given these factors, means that he probably shouldn’t have gone in the first round. We like their 2nd round choice SS Allen Wall for his elite defensive ability; he should be able to at least be decent at the plate too. There’s not much to write home about after that – they didn’t even sign a lot of their late round picks anyway.
Final Synopsis: We’re not high on Hayes as a first round choice, but we like Wall in the 2nd.
Grade: C
Vancouver Blaze
Vancouver selected RP Clinton Seaton with the 29th overall pick. Seaton’s LH split is outstanding, he keeps the ball down, and sports a wicked slurve in his arsenal. His RH split is also very good. His control is mediocre in terms of major league potential, but with outstanding ratings elsewhere, he should be able to overcome his control issues to be a success in the bigs. Their supp round pick RP Trevor McQuillan we actually like better than Seaton – he projects to have closer-type stuff. A nice grab for the Blaze for sure. They continued to go pitching after their top 2 picks – nothing really great, maybe one of the guys gets a cup of coffee in the majors.
Final Synopsis: They landed 2 nice relief prospects here, given the thin draft class, we’d say they did pretty good.
Grade: B-
That concludes this season’s draft recap. We hope you enjoyed the coverage. Good luck to all teams with their new prospects!
And now, the final piece of the draft recaps will cover the AL West Teams. The division has been dominated by the Vancouver Blaze in the standings as of late, but let's see who was on fire in the AL West in the draft!
AL WEST
Kansas City Tweakers
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Kansas City had the 2nd pick in the draft, and selected Brutus Henry. Henry is a monster at the plate, wielding a powerful bat and is also a masterful contact hitter. He hits lefties slightly better than righties, and hits both fairly well. His batting eye is also good, and he’s got great speed and baserunning ability. Projecting him as an annual 40/40 candidate isn’t a stretch, he’s a great add to the KC system. 2nd rounder Anthony Crosby is another huge bat, his only weakness being that he struggles against RH pitching a bit. It’s a huge a plus that he’s serviceable defensively as a catcher, and has decent durability. After that, the highlights are that they added a couple of more big power guys who may have a shot at the majors, and a defensive wizard at SS.
Final Synopsis: KC greatly improved the offensive talent in their system this draft.
Grade: A+
Oakland Bruisers
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With the 10th pick, Oakland got Wilfredo Chavez, who projects to be a legit major league shortstop with a very nice bat. If he comes close to his fielding projections, Oakland will have a huge advantage over most teams having his bat at shortstop. Oakland’s 2nd rounder, Chad Brohawn, is another very good hitter, and could definitely start in the majors, probably in right field. He’s got very good splits and power, a good batting eye, and some speed. He’s definitely one of the better 2nd round picks in the draft. After that, they landed a flurry of defensive speedsters, and a fairly decent DH vs. RH in the 8th round.
Final Synopsis: A fairly deep draft for Oakland here, we like what they came away with.
Grade: A
San Francisco Hammer’d Leprechauns
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Picking 24th, the Hammer’d Leps got Goose Hayes, a speedster with great range and contact hitting ability. His RH split and batting eye projections are a bit of a concern in terms of future Major League success at the plate – which given these factors, means that he probably shouldn’t have gone in the first round. We like their 2nd round choice SS Allen Wall for his elite defensive ability; he should be able to at least be decent at the plate too. There’s not much to write home about after that – they didn’t even sign a lot of their late round picks anyway.
Final Synopsis: We’re not high on Hayes as a first round choice, but we like Wall in the 2nd.
Grade: C
Vancouver Blaze
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Vancouver selected RP Clinton Seaton with the 29th overall pick. Seaton’s LH split is outstanding, he keeps the ball down, and sports a wicked slurve in his arsenal. His RH split is also very good. His control is mediocre in terms of major league potential, but with outstanding ratings elsewhere, he should be able to overcome his control issues to be a success in the bigs. Their supp round pick RP Trevor McQuillan we actually like better than Seaton – he projects to have closer-type stuff. A nice grab for the Blaze for sure. They continued to go pitching after their top 2 picks – nothing really great, maybe one of the guys gets a cup of coffee in the majors.
Final Synopsis: They landed 2 nice relief prospects here, given the thin draft class, we’d say they did pretty good.
Grade: B-
That concludes this season’s draft recap. We hope you enjoyed the coverage. Good luck to all teams with their new prospects!
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Award Races
NL Cy Young
The Contenders:
Why he should win:
ERA - 2.25 (T-1)
W - 12 (T-6)
BAA - 2.04 (2)
WHIP - 1.03 (2)
K - 147 (4)
Why he should win:
W - 18 (1)
ERA - 2.66 (3)
K - 135 (5)
BAA - .178 (1)
WHIP - 0.92 (1)
Why he should win:
W - 12 (T-6)
ERA - 2.25 (T-1)
BAA - .221 (3)
WHIP - 1.11 (5)
Why he should win:
W - 17 (3)
ERA - 2.96 (6)
K - 131 (6)
WHIP - 1.09 (4)
The lowdown: In a very deep class in the NL, Barry Carew shines above the rest. He has both thr traditional measure (wins) and the peripherals (BAA/WHIP), all while posting a dominant ERA.
The Contenders:
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Why he should win:
ERA - 2.25 (T-1)
W - 12 (T-6)
BAA - 2.04 (2)
WHIP - 1.03 (2)
K - 147 (4)
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Why he should win:
W - 18 (1)
ERA - 2.66 (3)
K - 135 (5)
BAA - .178 (1)
WHIP - 0.92 (1)
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Why he should win:
W - 12 (T-6)
ERA - 2.25 (T-1)
BAA - .221 (3)
WHIP - 1.11 (5)
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Why he should win:
W - 17 (3)
ERA - 2.96 (6)
K - 131 (6)
WHIP - 1.09 (4)
The lowdown: In a very deep class in the NL, Barry Carew shines above the rest. He has both thr traditional measure (wins) and the peripherals (BAA/WHIP), all while posting a dominant ERA.
Award Races
AL Cy Young
The Contenders:
Why he should win:
W - 15 (3)
ERA - 1.68 (1)
BAA - .172 (1)
WHIP - 0.87 (1)
K - 165 (2)
The lowdown: This is it. Carl Sosa has been dominant. He is your AL Cy Young.
The Contenders:
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Why he should win:
W - 15 (3)
ERA - 1.68 (1)
BAA - .172 (1)
WHIP - 0.87 (1)
K - 165 (2)
The lowdown: This is it. Carl Sosa has been dominant. He is your AL Cy Young.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Award Races
NL Rookie of the Year
The Contenders:
Why he should win:
Wins - 12 (1)
ERA - 2.25 (1)
WHIP - 1.03 (1)
K - 147 (1)
BAA - .204 (1)
Why he should win:
HR - 30 (1)
RBI - 86 (1)
R - 64 (4)
H - 137 (1)
AVG - .317 (1)
OBP - .398 (1)
SLG - .566 (1)
OPS - .964 (1)
The lowdown: With all due respect to Kurt Munoz, Jim Lee, and Trenidad Pujols, this is a two-horse race. This is almost too close to call because both players have excellent numbers and play different positions, but the incredibly slight nod goes to Beltre because of his insane WHIP/ERA combo that are second to only Carl Sosa in all of baseball.
The Contenders:
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Why he should win:
Wins - 12 (1)
ERA - 2.25 (1)
WHIP - 1.03 (1)
K - 147 (1)
BAA - .204 (1)
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Why he should win:
HR - 30 (1)
RBI - 86 (1)
R - 64 (4)
H - 137 (1)
AVG - .317 (1)
OBP - .398 (1)
SLG - .566 (1)
OPS - .964 (1)
The lowdown: With all due respect to Kurt Munoz, Jim Lee, and Trenidad Pujols, this is a two-horse race. This is almost too close to call because both players have excellent numbers and play different positions, but the incredibly slight nod goes to Beltre because of his insane WHIP/ERA combo that are second to only Carl Sosa in all of baseball.
Award Races
AL Rookie of the Year
The Contenders (all stats are league-specific and only among qualified rookies):
Why he should win:
HR - 23 (T-3)
RBI - 62 (3)
R - 75 (1)
H - 111 (T-4)
3B - 5 (1)
SB - 20 (T-5)
AVG - .279 (7)
OBP - .351 (4)
SLG - .520 (1)
OPS - .871 (1)
Why he should win:
HR - 31 (1)
RBI - 89 (1)
R - 70 (2)
AVG - .244 (10)
OBP - .315 (10)
SLG - .484 (2)
OPS - .800 (2)
Why he should win:
AVG - .327 (1)
OBP - .415 (1)
OPS - .799 (3)
SB - 44 (1)
R - 65 (4)
H - 111 (T-4)
Why he should win:
HR - 24 (2)
RBI - 67 (2)
H - 120 (2)
AVG - .261 (7)
SLG - .461 (3)
OPS - .784 (4)
The lowdown: A very deep rookie class (also could have included Donaldo Flores, Tommy Jordan, and Torey Ontiveros) is highlighted by the above four. The choice appears to be Amezaga because of the massive SLG, but it's tough to overlook Russell's huge power numbers. In the end, Amezaga just has had too good of a power/speed year, and he is my choice.
The Contenders (all stats are league-specific and only among qualified rookies):
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Why he should win:
HR - 23 (T-3)
RBI - 62 (3)
R - 75 (1)
H - 111 (T-4)
3B - 5 (1)
SB - 20 (T-5)
AVG - .279 (7)
OBP - .351 (4)
SLG - .520 (1)
OPS - .871 (1)
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Why he should win:
HR - 31 (1)
RBI - 89 (1)
R - 70 (2)
AVG - .244 (10)
OBP - .315 (10)
SLG - .484 (2)
OPS - .800 (2)
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Why he should win:
AVG - .327 (1)
OBP - .415 (1)
OPS - .799 (3)
SB - 44 (1)
R - 65 (4)
H - 111 (T-4)
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Why he should win:
HR - 24 (2)
RBI - 67 (2)
H - 120 (2)
AVG - .261 (7)
SLG - .461 (3)
OPS - .784 (4)
The lowdown: A very deep rookie class (also could have included Donaldo Flores, Tommy Jordan, and Torey Ontiveros) is highlighted by the above four. The choice appears to be Amezaga because of the massive SLG, but it's tough to overlook Russell's huge power numbers. In the end, Amezaga just has had too good of a power/speed year, and he is my choice.
Award Races
NL Fireman of the Year
The Contenders:
The Contenders:
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Why he should win:
Saves - 31 (1)
BAA - .252 (4)
WHIP - 1.29 (3)
ERA - 3.57 (3)
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Why he should win:
Saves - 28 (2)
ERA - 2.93 (2)
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Why he should win:
Saves - 21 (6)
Save % - 91.3% (2)
BAA - .239 (1)
WHIP - 1.16 (1)
ERA - 2.67 (1)
The lowdown: Bonds has the peripherals. He has been the best all-around closer in the NL this season. In the spirit of the award, however, you would generally want a guy with more saves. Kerr has the second most saves and second-best ERA among qualified closers. It really comes down to how you view the award, but my vote is for Wilson Bonds.
Award Races
As we close in on the end of the season, I will be updating the blog on the performances of the candidates for the major awards.
AL Fireman of the Year
The Contenders:
Why he should win:
Saves - 31 (T-1)
BAA - .222 (3)
WHIP - 1.09 (T-2)
ERA - 2.65 (2)
Why he should win:
Saves - 30 (3)
Save % - 96.8% (1)
BAA - .210 (2)
WHIP - 1.08 (1)
ERA - 2.13 (1)
Why he should win:
Saves - 28 (4)
Strikeouts - 61 (1)
BAA - .248 (T-5)
WHIP - 1.28 (6)
ERA - 3.23 (3)
The lowdown: Gonzales seems to be the obvious pick. When he comes in, the game is over. Alvarez has good numbers, but he has blown four saves, three more than Gonzales. Welsh is going to need both of those guys to collapse to have a shot.
AL Fireman of the Year
The Contenders:
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Why he should win:
Saves - 31 (T-1)
BAA - .222 (3)
WHIP - 1.09 (T-2)
ERA - 2.65 (2)
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Why he should win:
Saves - 30 (3)
Save % - 96.8% (1)
BAA - .210 (2)
WHIP - 1.08 (1)
ERA - 2.13 (1)
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Why he should win:
Saves - 28 (4)
Strikeouts - 61 (1)
BAA - .248 (T-5)
WHIP - 1.28 (6)
ERA - 3.23 (3)
The lowdown: Gonzales seems to be the obvious pick. When he comes in, the game is over. Alvarez has good numbers, but he has blown four saves, three more than Gonzales. Welsh is going to need both of those guys to collapse to have a shot.
Season 6 Draft Recap - NL West
Leon Jackson - Cobbfather Post Gazette
Next up in the draft recap is the NL West - a division that is much closer this season than it has been in past years. Let's see who close the race for the top draft in the NL West is!
NL WEST
Cheyenne Chiefs
With the #7 pick, Cheyenne landed Denny Morton, a workhorse righty SP. He’s got superb control and a very nice RH split, to go with a respectable LH split, and good pitches. We rate him as one of the top SP’s in the draft, and has upside to be a top of the rotation starter. 2nd rounder Khoury Waters is a nice relief prospect, who could excel in a long relief or setup role in the majors one day. 3rd rounder Quinn Pryce is an excellent defensive catcher, with a decent bat. After that, they landed a few more decent arms, one or two of which could reach the bigs.
Final Synopsis: A deep draft for Cheyenne, and they landed a potential top of the rotation starter in Morton.
Grade: A
Honolulu Haoles
With the 22nd pick, the Haoles got 1B Stevie Stanley. Although he doesn’t offer much defensively, Stanley can flat out hit, with great contact and power and stellar splits and batting eye. He’ll be a great add to the lineup once he hits the majors. 2nd rounder Mac Breen was a great value pick, the only concern being injuries, given that he’s already landed on the DL with an elbow strain. 5th rounder Doc O’Neill stands out as a good value pick for where he has taken.
Final Synopsis: Stanley will be a stud, and so will Breen if he can stay healthy.
Grade: A-
Los Angeles Lunatics
L.A. had the first pick in the draft, and selected lefty SP Alex Andrus, and it was a number one pick well used. Andrus looks to be a sure fire staff ace – and he should put up fantastic numbers in a pitcher’s park like L.A. 2nd rounder Darron Wolf looks to have tremendous fielding skills and a solid bat to boot, and definitely looks to have a future as a major leaguer. After that, they got a couple of more decent bats.
Final Synopsis: Andrus alone is enough for a high grade, and they also utilized their later picks well, which is another boost for their grade.
Grade: A+
Sacramento Fighting Cornish Hens
At #30, the Cornish Hens grabbed lefty workhorse SP Amos Duffy. He’s got very good splits, a killer 4-seam fastball, 2 other nice pitches, and can eat up a ton of innings. He’ll have to get as close as possible to his projections in the aforementioned categories to make up for mediocre control. As mentioned previously, it was a thin draft class, so he was about as good as it got when pick 30 rolled around. Infield prospect Luke Sizemore was a good value pick for a late 2nd rounder, and could be a major league backup. After that, they landed some decent fringe major league type sticks.
Final Synopsis: Not a spectacular class, but Sacto did about as well as could be expected from where they were picking.
Grade: B-
UP NEXT: AL WEST
Next up in the draft recap is the NL West - a division that is much closer this season than it has been in past years. Let's see who close the race for the top draft in the NL West is!
NL WEST
Cheyenne Chiefs
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With the #7 pick, Cheyenne landed Denny Morton, a workhorse righty SP. He’s got superb control and a very nice RH split, to go with a respectable LH split, and good pitches. We rate him as one of the top SP’s in the draft, and has upside to be a top of the rotation starter. 2nd rounder Khoury Waters is a nice relief prospect, who could excel in a long relief or setup role in the majors one day. 3rd rounder Quinn Pryce is an excellent defensive catcher, with a decent bat. After that, they landed a few more decent arms, one or two of which could reach the bigs.
Final Synopsis: A deep draft for Cheyenne, and they landed a potential top of the rotation starter in Morton.
Grade: A
Honolulu Haoles
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With the 22nd pick, the Haoles got 1B Stevie Stanley. Although he doesn’t offer much defensively, Stanley can flat out hit, with great contact and power and stellar splits and batting eye. He’ll be a great add to the lineup once he hits the majors. 2nd rounder Mac Breen was a great value pick, the only concern being injuries, given that he’s already landed on the DL with an elbow strain. 5th rounder Doc O’Neill stands out as a good value pick for where he has taken.
Final Synopsis: Stanley will be a stud, and so will Breen if he can stay healthy.
Grade: A-
Los Angeles Lunatics
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L.A. had the first pick in the draft, and selected lefty SP Alex Andrus, and it was a number one pick well used. Andrus looks to be a sure fire staff ace – and he should put up fantastic numbers in a pitcher’s park like L.A. 2nd rounder Darron Wolf looks to have tremendous fielding skills and a solid bat to boot, and definitely looks to have a future as a major leaguer. After that, they got a couple of more decent bats.
Final Synopsis: Andrus alone is enough for a high grade, and they also utilized their later picks well, which is another boost for their grade.
Grade: A+
Sacramento Fighting Cornish Hens
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At #30, the Cornish Hens grabbed lefty workhorse SP Amos Duffy. He’s got very good splits, a killer 4-seam fastball, 2 other nice pitches, and can eat up a ton of innings. He’ll have to get as close as possible to his projections in the aforementioned categories to make up for mediocre control. As mentioned previously, it was a thin draft class, so he was about as good as it got when pick 30 rolled around. Infield prospect Luke Sizemore was a good value pick for a late 2nd rounder, and could be a major league backup. After that, they landed some decent fringe major league type sticks.
Final Synopsis: Not a spectacular class, but Sacto did about as well as could be expected from where they were picking.
Grade: B-
UP NEXT: AL WEST
Friday, October 9, 2009
Season 6 Draft Recap - AL East
Leon Jackson - Cobbfather Post Gazette
Next up in the draft recap is the AL East - Atlanta is on top, Burlington and Boston are catching up and Durham is rebuilding. Will this season's draft affect the hierarchy in the AL East? Let's find out!
AL EAST
Atlanta Expos
Atlanta selected lefty hurler Murray Perry with the 27th pick. Perry is a workhouse with exemplary control, and a nice 4 seam fastball. On the downside, he doesn’t keep the ball down, his splits are mediocre and he doesn’t have a 4th pitch, which may allow hitters to catch on to him as a starter. Still, he’s pretty good for the 27th pick, given what was available. Supplemental round pick Randall Blackley is a nice hitting prospect with major league potential. From there, they got 3 more solid pitching prospects, and a nice hitting DH type in the fourth.
Final Synopsis: A very deep draft for Atlanta – it’s hard to imagine them doing any better given where they were picking.
Grade: A
Boston Massacre
With the 16th pick, Boston got hard throwing lefty SP Pedro Saenz. Saenz has outstanding control, nice splits, and good pitches. He doesn’t keep the ball down well, which has been a problem for some pitchers in Boston. Still, he projects to a solid #3 starter with some upside from there. 2nd rounder Doug Wilkins is a decent hitting prospect, who could probably be a major league backup. They got some good values in the later rounds with a few decent pitching prospects.
Final Synopsis: A good draft for Boston, but not outstanding.
Grade: B
Burlington Huskies
Burlington nabbed Endy Price with the #25 overall pick. Price is a reliever who has the durability to put 100 innings per season. He has excellent control, and 2 very good pitches, plus a third not-so-great pitch. His splits are good, but not spectacular. We see him as a great setup guy, although he could close as well. Supplemental round choice 2B Trevor Jordan is a good contact hitting prospect, with some speed and great range. Not sure if he’s a major league starter, but is at minimal a nice big league backup. Supp pick RF Roscoe Johnson is a power hitter who looks like a platoon guy vs. righties. And yet another supp pick Miguel Miranda has power, but will hit for a low average in the bigs – and is a nice fielder that can contend for a gold glove anywhere but SS. Burlington continued to rack up hitters from there, a few which may have a shot at the majors.
Final Synopsis: They added a lot of depth, but after Price, we think they could have done a bit better with their 3 other supp picks. Still their draft has to be considered a success.
Grade: B+
Durham Radicals
Durham has yet to sign their top 2 picks, SS’s Pep Yang and Rick White. It looks like White definitely won’t sign, but there may be hope for Yang, at least, which would be a big boost for them, as he looks like a legit SS who can hit. Their top signed pick is 3rd rounder Davey Dyer, a lefty SP with good pitches and control and only ok splits – still he’s a nice value for the 3rd rounder. 4th rounder RP Tsubasa Yang is a nice value as well, as he has some major league potential as possibly a setup guy.
Final Synopsis: They actually didn’t do that bad, since their 3rd and 4th rounders are pretty good, but Yang signing would help a lot.
Grade: B-
UP NEXT: NL WEST
Next up in the draft recap is the AL East - Atlanta is on top, Burlington and Boston are catching up and Durham is rebuilding. Will this season's draft affect the hierarchy in the AL East? Let's find out!
AL EAST
Atlanta Expos
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Atlanta selected lefty hurler Murray Perry with the 27th pick. Perry is a workhouse with exemplary control, and a nice 4 seam fastball. On the downside, he doesn’t keep the ball down, his splits are mediocre and he doesn’t have a 4th pitch, which may allow hitters to catch on to him as a starter. Still, he’s pretty good for the 27th pick, given what was available. Supplemental round pick Randall Blackley is a nice hitting prospect with major league potential. From there, they got 3 more solid pitching prospects, and a nice hitting DH type in the fourth.
Final Synopsis: A very deep draft for Atlanta – it’s hard to imagine them doing any better given where they were picking.
Grade: A
Boston Massacre
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With the 16th pick, Boston got hard throwing lefty SP Pedro Saenz. Saenz has outstanding control, nice splits, and good pitches. He doesn’t keep the ball down well, which has been a problem for some pitchers in Boston. Still, he projects to a solid #3 starter with some upside from there. 2nd rounder Doug Wilkins is a decent hitting prospect, who could probably be a major league backup. They got some good values in the later rounds with a few decent pitching prospects.
Final Synopsis: A good draft for Boston, but not outstanding.
Grade: B
Burlington Huskies
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Burlington nabbed Endy Price with the #25 overall pick. Price is a reliever who has the durability to put 100 innings per season. He has excellent control, and 2 very good pitches, plus a third not-so-great pitch. His splits are good, but not spectacular. We see him as a great setup guy, although he could close as well. Supplemental round choice 2B Trevor Jordan is a good contact hitting prospect, with some speed and great range. Not sure if he’s a major league starter, but is at minimal a nice big league backup. Supp pick RF Roscoe Johnson is a power hitter who looks like a platoon guy vs. righties. And yet another supp pick Miguel Miranda has power, but will hit for a low average in the bigs – and is a nice fielder that can contend for a gold glove anywhere but SS. Burlington continued to rack up hitters from there, a few which may have a shot at the majors.
Final Synopsis: They added a lot of depth, but after Price, we think they could have done a bit better with their 3 other supp picks. Still their draft has to be considered a success.
Grade: B+
Durham Radicals
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Durham has yet to sign their top 2 picks, SS’s Pep Yang and Rick White. It looks like White definitely won’t sign, but there may be hope for Yang, at least, which would be a big boost for them, as he looks like a legit SS who can hit. Their top signed pick is 3rd rounder Davey Dyer, a lefty SP with good pitches and control and only ok splits – still he’s a nice value for the 3rd rounder. 4th rounder RP Tsubasa Yang is a nice value as well, as he has some major league potential as possibly a setup guy.
Final Synopsis: They actually didn’t do that bad, since their 3rd and 4th rounders are pretty good, but Yang signing would help a lot.
Grade: B-
UP NEXT: NL WEST
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