Season 31 Offseason Free Agency Tracker

We've rolled on to Season 31 and the Free Agent Frenzy is upon us!  Check back here throughout the signing period to see who went where.  Good luck to all in their Free Agency pursuits!

				Old	New	Contract
Rank	Player	Pos	Age	Team	Team	Amount	Years
1	Vic Park	2B	32	ATL	TEX	$52.5 M	4
	Comments:  Great all-around player who is still going strong at age 32
2	Artie Stone	RP	30	ATL	CSP	$64.0 M	5
	Comments:  Outstanding reliever with virtually no flaws in his ratings makeup
3	Ryan Fisher	SP	33	DET	DOV	$62.0 M	4
	Comments:  In a very weak SP free agent class, he stands out as the most solid
4	Donaldo Javier	2B	31	CLE	PAW	$33.3 M	5
	Comments: An MVP candidate last season, outstanding all around, but limited power
5	Erubiel Perez	3B	31	MNT	LV	$16.5 M	3
	Comments:  Plays a solid 3B and has a good bat that is solid, yet not spectacular
6	Alex Mercedes	LF	30	SLC	ATL	$40.5 M	5
	Comments:  Fantastic splits, great batting eye, nice LF, and can play 2B in a pinch
7	Alex Alfonzo	RP	37	STL	LV	$15.0 M	2
	Comments: A fantastic workhorse RP still, even at age 37, he still brings it
8	Walter Bird	SS	30	SEA	MIL	$24.8 M	4
	Comments: Very nice bat for a great fielding SS, but low durability is a slight concern
9	Steve Sheets	SP	28	BUF	FLA	$35.7 M	5
	Comments: Only 28 and looks solid all around, but prone to giving up flyballs
10	Louis Markakis	SP	34	CHA	LA	$23.0 M	3
	Comments: RH split is mediocre and lacks a dominant pitch, but all else is good
11	Michael Stokes	SS	29	DET	CHA	$16.8 M	3
	Comments: Nice power bat for either a passable SS or Gold Glove 3B
12	Tomas Bernadina	SP	29	VC	SLC	$26.4 M	5
	Comments: Age is a plus and decent enough, middle to end of the rotation type
13	Hideo Sakamoto	3B	32	SF	DOV	$20.8 M	4
	Comments:  Very good fielding 3B, with a very good bat, although low durability
14	Willie Moreno	LF	32	PAW	CHA	$10.4 M	2
	Comments: Speedster with nice hitting skills, although not much power
15	Aurelio Lima	1B	34	TEX	CHA	$10.5 M	3
	Comments: One of the best pure hitters available, but age and durability are a concern
16	Melky Martin	RP	28	VC	PAW	$10.5 M	3
	Comments: Solid workhorse RP with elite control and velocity, but no dominant pitch
17	Ronny Wilson	RP	31	LOU	SEA	$17.6 M	4
	Comments: Another solid RP who can eat innings and rates well across the board
18	Ugueth Guzman	RP	26	TEX	MIL	$10.8 M	3
	Comments: Young reliever with good pitches and velocity, good control, ok splits
19	Yordano Diaz	RF	29	CHR	SAL	$22.0 M	4
	Comments: Solid but not spectacular hitter, should put up some decent stats at the plate
20	Denny Haynes	C	31	MIL	BOS	$0.9 M	1
	Comments: Nice hitter, especially against LHP, defensive is iffy so maybe a DH
21	Douglas Banks	SP	37	CHY	LV	$16.0 M	2
	Comments: 2-time Cy Young winner is still good, but aging and huge injury risk lingers
22	Bob Bonds	SP	27	PAW	BOS	$19.6 M	4
	Comments: He's a decent back end of the rotation guy, splits are mediocre however
23	Brandon Sisk	RP	29	NY2	MNT	$4.6 M	2
	Comments: Tremendous ratings, except for splits, might be a nice closer for some team
24	Felipe Olivares	3B	34	TEX	CHA	$4.4 M	1
	Comments: Pretty good bat and decent in the field, but age-related decline is a concern
25	John Collier	3B	30	STL	BOS	$2.1 M	1
	Comments: Somewhat passable as a 3B, but nice batting eye/speed combo here

Season 30 Wrap Up - Monterrey wins it all!

Monterrey Pinxos (NL) POKEYSAN View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Monterrey is your Season 30 Champion!

It was an epic and improbable comeback, but Monterrey managed to come back from down 3-0 against Atlanta to take the Season 30 World Series title.  The comeback was sparked by a Game 4 no-hitter from Doug Lambert, which shifted the momentum in the series.   Although, Lambert didn't fare too well in his Game 7 start, the Monterrey bats saved the day leading them to a 10-9 win in the series clincher.  It seemed everything came together perfectly this postseason for Monterrey, as they got their clutch performances when at the exact time they needed them, despite pretty mediocre total stats for the playoffs (.713 OPS, 4.52 ERA).  The world series title is a particularly impressive feat for POKEYSAN seeing how just three seasons earlier, the team was run by the infamous hotdog.

Congrats to ekoontz on another great postseason run, despite falling just short of another title, this was his 7th Cobbfather World Series appearance!

Thanks to everyone for making it a great Season 30, we'll be back after a hopefully quick rollover for Season 31!

Season 30 Award Winners

With the World Series in full swing, this season's award winners were announced, let's see who took home the trophies!

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
American League - Willie Cerda, Texas - .294 AVG 47 HR 160 RBI
Cerda earns back-to-back MVP's in different leagues, winning last season's NL MVP, and ties the record for most MVP's overall with his 4th win.  Cerda was a key offseason free agency acquisition for Texas, leading the way to a record breaking regular season win total.  He lead the AL in Runs and RBI, won his 6th Silver Slugger Award, and made his 4th All-Star appearance.

National League - Don Sparks, Cleveland - .321 AVG 42 HR 132 RBI
Sparks caps off an outstanding season with his 2nd MVP award, as he also took home the trophy is Season 27.  Sparks lead the NL in Runs, Slugging and OPS, made his 2nd All-Star appearance and won his 2nd Silver Slugger award this season.  Pretty impressive feat for a 24 year-old to already have 2 MVP's in the bag, but it can't be said that it's not well-deserved.

CY YOUNG AWARD
American League - Randall Washington, Texas - 25-5 3.13 ERA 208 K
The AL Cy Young voting was pretty much vote for your favorite Texas pitcher, and in the end it was Washington that took the trophy, his first.  Washington posted the 2nd highest win total in Cobbfather history and made his 4th All-Star appearance this season.  The 29 year-old has had other Cy Young caliber seasons, but faced stiff competition, so good to see him finally bring one home this season.

National League - Red Collins, Florida - 19-6 2.51 ERA 205 K
Collins was a decisive winner in the NL Cy Young voting, giving the 31 year-old Florida hurler his 1st Cy Young trophy.  Collins lead the NL in ERA, WHIP and Strikeouts, and made his 2nd All-Star appearance, earning the win in a close 1-0 battle.  Like Washington, he's also had some amazing seasons where he was just edged out for the Cy Young, and broke the barrier this season.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
American League - Luis Gomez, Atlanta - 13-10 3.67 ERA 116 K
Gomez took the AL Rookie of the Year by a slim one vote margin.  He was thrown right into the fire, joining a stout Atlanta rotation and held his own.  While probably not an ace, Gomez should be capable of putting up some solid seasons, particularly if he's able to stay on teams that are as talented as the Atlanta squad is.

National League - Tony Villanueva, Montgomery - 21-6 3.65 ERA 126 K
The 21 year-old lefty Villanueva takes home the NL Rookie of the Year award with a breakout season that saw him finish 5th in the Cy Young voting.  Villanueva was a late season call-up in Season 29, and got hammered pretty hard.  He clearly put the poor experience behind him and bounced back to lead the NL in wins.  You don't see 21 wins for a rookie too often, it's a truly impressive feat.

FIREMAN OF THE YEAR
American League - Carlos Prieto, Texas - 3.32 ERA, 49 SV - 1st win
National League - Rodrigo Ontiveros, Las Vegas - 3.29 ERA 48 SV - 3rd win

SILVER SLUGGER AWARDS

American League
DH	Benny Franco	Cheyenne	4th
C	Daisuke Masato	Chicago	1st
1B	Willie Cerda	Texas	6th
2B	Crash Cepeda	San Francisco	3rd
3B	Marshall Leach	Atlanta	1st
SS	Jaret Miller	Atlanta	2nd
LF	Michael Henn	Pawtucket	1st
CF	Paul Francoeur	Texas	1st
RF	Ryan Martin	Pawtucket	1st
National League
P	Steve Sheets	Buffalo	1st
C	Felix Yosida	Florida	1st
1B	Donaldo Javier	Cleveland	1st
2B	Ernie McEnerney	Cleveland	1st
3B	Brett Yarbrough	Cleveland	1st
SS	Willie Esposito	Louisville	1st
LF	Ken DuBose	Los Angeles	1st
CF	James Dillard	Las Vegas	8th
RF	Don Sparks	Cleveland	2nd
GOLD GLOVE AWARDS
American League
P	Yeico Oliva	Atlanta	1st
C	Felipe Zumaya	Charleston	2nd
1B	Vic Park	Atlanta	5th
2B	Terrell Titan	Colorado Springs	1st
3B	Alving Palmeiro	Colorado Springs	4th
SS	Ubaldo Trevino	Chicago	2nd
LF	Freddy Chang	Colorado Springs	1st
CF	Jose Ortiz	New York	3rd
RF	Ryan Martin	Pawtucket	6th
National League
P	Thomas Lyon	Buffalo	3rd
C	Cory Arnold	Buffalo	1st
1B	Stan Ford	Las Vegas	1st
2B	Ching-Lung Suzuki	Louisville	3rd
3B	Francisco Cerda	Salt Lake City	1st
SS	Wilfredo Javier	Las Vegas	6th
LF	Darren Mann	Buffalo	1st
CF	Alex Carrasco	Dover	1st
RF	Albert Pineda	Florida	2nd

Season 30 League Leaders

Let's take a look at the Season 30 League Leaders!

All Time Top 5 Performances in Season 30
Wins - Randall Washington, Texas - 25 - Tied for 2nd All-Time
Quality Starts - Francisco Aramboles, Atlanta - 30 - Tied for 2nd All-Time
Complete Games - Stefen Seanez, St. Louis - 10 - Tied for 2nd All-Time
Shutouts - Dante O'Connor, Montgomery - 4 - Tied for 4th All-Time

Multiple Category Leaders
Benny Franco, Cheyenne (AL) - 4 - AVG, OBP, SLG, OPS
Don Sparks, Cleveland (NL) - 3 - Runs, SLG, OPS
Donaldo Javier, Cleveland (NL) - 3 - AVG, Hits, OBP
Red Collins, Florida (NL) - 3 -ERA, Strikeouts, WHIP
Willie Cerda, Texas (AL) - 2 - RBI, Runs
Edinson Hernandez, Montgomery (NL) - 2 - SB, Runs
Randall Washington, Texas (AL) - 2 - Wins, Shutouts
Francisco Aramboles, Atlanta (AL) - 2 - WHIP, Quality Starts
Dizzy Leonard, Colorado Springs (AL) - 2 - IP, Shutouts
Dante O'Connor, Montgomery (NL) - 2 - CG, Shutouts

Complete League Leaders
OFFENSE

American League
Batting Average	Benny Franco	Cheyenne	.332
Home Runs	Norman Berry	Iowa City	55
RBI	Willie Cerda	Texas	160
Stolen Bases	Dennis Brock	Charleston	91
Hits	Kenta Jang	San Francisco	189
Runs	Willie Cerda	Texas	131
OBP	Benny Franco	Cheyenne	.409
SLG	Benny Franco	Cheyenne	.625
OPS	Benny Franco	Cheyenne	1.033
National League
Batting Average	Donaldo Javier	Cleveland	.338
Home Runs	J.T. Constanza	Trenton	46
RBI	Don Sparks	Cleveland	132
Stolen Bases	Edinson Hernandez	Montgomery	55
Hits	Donaldo Javier	Cleveland	209
Runs	Edinson Hernandez	Montgomery	140
OBP	Donaldo Javier	Cleveland	.422
SLG	Don Sparks	Cleveland	.593
OPS	Don Sparks	Cleveland	.976
PITCHING
American League
ERA	Braeden Abercrombie	San Francisco	2.39
Wins	Randall Washington	Texas	25
Strikeouts	Yeico Oliva	Atlanta	244
Saves	Carlos Prieto	Texas	49
WHIP	Francisco Aramboles	Atlanta	1.02
Innings Pitched	Dizzy Leonard	Colorado Springs	271.1
Quality Starts	Francisco Aramboles	Atlanta	30
Complete Games	Stefen Seanez	St. Louis	10
Shutouts	Randall Washington	Texas	2
	Dizzy Leonard	Colorado Springs	2
	Oscar Patterson	Colorado Springs	2
National League
ERA	Red Collins	Florida	2.51
Wins	Tony Villanueva	Montgomery	21
Strikeouts	Red Collins	Florida	205
Saves	Rodrigo Ontiveros	Las Vegas	48
WHIP	Red Collins	Florida	1.03
Innings Pitched	Hugh Sexton	Houston	236.2
Quality Starts	Don Monahan	Las Vegas	28
Complete Games	Dante O'Connor	Montgomery	6
Shutouts	Dante O'Connor	Montgomery	4

Season 30 Final Power Rankings

The regular season is over, and as the start of the playoffs looms, it's time to check in with the final Power Rankings of Season 30.  #1 is Texas, of course, who capped off the season for the ages with an incredible 127 wins.  What a season indeed.  However, the best record over the last 40 games belongs to #2 Montgomery who posted a stellar 32-8 record down the stretch.  Atlanta comes in at #3 while Cheyenne and Salem round out the top 5.  Now for the biggest climbers and biggest falls since the last rankings!

Biggest Climbers: #14 Colorado Springs (+13), #12 Buffalo (+6), #13 Salt Lake City (+6), #11 Louisville (+4)

Biggest Falls: #20 San Francisco (-8), #18 Las Vegas (-7), #19 St. Louis (-5), #30 Iowa City (-4)

Good luck to all of the playoff teams, will Texas continue their stampede over the league or will one of the very good contenders knock them off and steal the crown?  It will be interesting to see.  Here are the complete rankings!

					Pitching		Offense		LAST 40
	Team	W	L	PREV	Rank	Chg	Rank	Chg	W	L
1	Texas	127	35	1	1	0	1	0	31	9
2	Montgomery	110	52	4	2	0	2	11	32	8
3	Atlanta	100	62	2	3	0	3	-1	23	17
4	Cheyenne	101	61	5	5	0	10	-2	24	16
5	Salem	96	66	7	7	3	11	0	25	15
6	Florida	89	73	3	4	0	9	-2	19	21
7	Pawtucket	98	64	6	11	1	17	-2	25	15
8	Cleveland	86	76	9	9	-1	12	2	23	17
9	Monterrey	89	73	10	16	-3	6	0	20	20
10	New York (NL)	88	74	8	8	-2	14	-5	18	22
11	Louisville	83	79	15	19	1	13	-1	22	18
12	Buffalo	84	78	18	17	4	14	3	22	18
13	Salt Lake City	80	82	19	13	2	17	-1	23	17
14	Colorado Springs	81	81	27	20	9	21	0	22	18
15	Hartford	77	85	13	22	-3	4	6	20	20
16	Los Angeles	79	83	16	12	-1	19	-1	20	20
17	New York (AL)	80	82	17	6	1	30	0	21	19
18	Las Vegas	84	78	11	10	-1	24	-1	18	22
19	St. Louis	80	82	14	14	0	25	-1	19	21
20	San Francisco	75	87	12	22	-1	8	-5	16	24
21	Vancouver	73	89	21	24	0	16	3	20	20
22	Boston	69	93	20	26	1	6	-1	16	24
23	Seattle	72	90	24	18	0	22	-1	18	22
24	Chicago	69	93	22	29	-1	4	0	17	23
25	Dover	72	90	23	21	-4	29	2	19	21
26	Detroit	71	91	28	15	0	31	1	18	22
27	Charleston	70	92	25	25	0	23	-3	14	26
28	Milwaukee	68	94	29	27	3	27	2	20	20
29	Trenton	65	97	30	32	0	20	5	18	22
30	Iowa City	70	92	26	30	-4	28	-1	14	26
31	Charlotte	52	110	32	28	3	26	2	15	25
32	Houston	54	108	31	31	-8	32	-6	8	32