Meet an Owner - jsapp12

Catherine Trammell - Contributing Reporter

Q: Tell us about jsapp12. What is he like? What does he do in his spare time when not obsessing over your rosters?

A:  In my spare time, I am either spending that with my wife and daughter, or hanging out with friends playing golf/watching football. I have a pretty tight knit group of friends and we get together very often.

Q: You came highly recommended from Alan to come into our league. What do you like best about competing with him? What drew you to our league besides his recommendation?

A: Me and Alan have known each other most of our lives. I think I have been around Hardball longer than him, but he's ventured out into other leagues whereas I'm just a one team one league kind of guy.

I think the biggest thing about your league for me was turnover. I was previously in a great league, but sometimes the turnover was so large that it would take months to fill the league.

Q: What is your favorite part about building a franchise? Do you try to make a lot of trades? Would you rather build through the draft or IFA? Or just buy a team like Steinbrenner used to do?

A: I think I enjoy building through IFA and drafts more than trading. However, as already seen in the league, I am not afraid of pulling off some trades!

Q: Of your current roster, who do you like most? Promise they will never read these articles? What about prospects? Who are you looking forward to the ML team in the next couple of seasons?

A: ML wise I'm looking forward to watching Jimmie Bryant and Earl Hawkins develop, and I really am a fan of the speed I have in Ignacio Estrada, and both of my CF's. From a prospect perspective, I am really looking forward to seeing what Miguel Pena (Who I just traded for) will develop into.

Q: What are your goals for the upcoming season? Are you looking to push for the playoffs? Or do you expect to rebuild for a couple of seasons?

A: This season is kind of up in the air. I think from a position player perspective, I could compete a little bit. My pitching is lacking however. I think I could have a team that might make a push for the playoffs, but just fall a little bit short. I am hoping to re-build the entire organization top to bottom the way I like to build them.

Q: Since you've only been in the league for a few days, this may be tough to answer but what has been your favorite aspect(s) of Cobbfather so far?

A: My favorite aspect about this league is that it seems most everyone is pretty bought in and willing to keep the league going. I love how much time and effort is put into the Hall of Fame.

Q: What advice would you give a new owner in Cobbfather? Besides making sure to ignore most conversations with the Commissioner?

A: Advice I'd give to a new owner is, be ready to look at lots of trades! :)

Q: Any final thoughts going into the Season?

A: Overall, just happy to be in such a great league, and I look forward to building this organization top to bottom and competing with you all for years to come!

S53 Time for the Hall - Part 2

 Eli Cash - contributing reporter

Another refresher for those who missed the Part 1 - particularly the primer for a detailed explanation of the three scoring system we use. As a quick reminder, a sure thing for a hitter is 60/130/500, for a starter its 60/130/420 and for a reliever (who doesn't use the Test Score) is 130/250. 

SP

Jair James - received Eli Cash's vote
This is Jair 'JJ' James' first year on the ballot. Does he have enough to be a first ballot HoF? There will be many who think James was greatly boosted by playing the majority of his 15 year career in the pitcher haven of OKC; but I'd point out his Ks and how he limited HRs and BBs as to why he'd have similar numbers in any home park. It's surprising that he falls 16 Wins short from that milestone but must not have always been on his side. He ties for 3 most all time in number of seasons with 200+ K and second in Cy Young's with 5. For starters, he ranks #2 all-time in WHIP, but depending on how Gregor Lopez finishes his career he might take the #1 spot for starters. James also owns a .705 win %. 

Jimmie Hartman - received Eli Cash's vote
Surpasses the 250 Win mark with a 66% win rate. His 1.09 WHIP and 2.84 career ERA ranks him near the top with other HoF Starting Pitchers. Hartman turned in 12 seasons, winning 15 or more games though only once topped 200 K. He helped his franchises by winning 14 playoff games, secured 2 Cy Young awards and appeared in 7 All-Star games. With 15 votes last season, this writer thinks we should see Hartman in the Hall soon if he doesn't get it this year! 

Juan Galvis
Lots to like about Galvis but given this is his first year on the ballot, I'm holding my vote for him. Surpassed the Wins and Strikeouts milestones. Ended with a .614 win% and just shy of 3500 strike outs. Galvis won 15+ games an amazing 17 times; that's more than any other Hall of Fame starter with 7 seasons with 200+ K and managed 4 Ws in the playoffs and 3 All-Star appearances. The downside of Galvis is the higher than HoF standard in WHIP and ERA. Only Edgar Cortez who was elected during Season 24 has a higher WHIP. His 3.49 ERA would also be 3rd highest among all HoF starters. 

Don Martin, Jeffrey Randall, Lynn Mortensen, Adrian Simon, and Chick Tollberg
These guys will not likely garner any votes and should be happy to be on the ballot. With ERAs above 3.50, WHIPs above 1.25, and K/9 below 7.1 they relied on the position players behind them to help them out of jams. Not a single Cy Young between the group and Don Martin accounts for 5 of the 6 All-Star appearances they had. Randall however did prove useful in the playoffs with 12 W/SVs and nearly 3,000 K. If you are going to vote for any of them, he should be the one. 

RP
Relief pitchers have it tough, I'm not sure how Sammy Felix got in, but maybe it was easier back in the early years when pitching strategies were a little different. Often times in these current times, the best RPs are used for more games and not as the closer but higher leverage situations. 

Jace Sale - received Eli Cash's vote
This guy knew how to close out games. Not only is he the All-Time Saves leader but by nearly 200 saves. He pitched for 18 seasons as a closer and every single one of them he closed out and saved more than 30 games. He owns 5 Fireman of the Year Awards and only missed the All-Star game 3 of the seasons he played. He saved 12 games over the 7 years Boston made the playoffs. His Monitor Score ranks among the top, even for starting pitchers. I surprised to see he only had 8 votes last season, but maybe that's because of the amount of talent on the ballot last season. 

Tomo Hayashi
Owns the 4th best ERA of All-Time, depending on how Gregor Lopez finishes his career he could move back into 3rd best. His rates are top tier as well, coming in at 9.1 K/9, 3.8 K/BB, and a 1.08 WHIP. We've discussed that he wasn't given the closer role but his manager preferred to use him for numerous innings out of the bullpen day after day. He tied HoF Felix with 18 saves/wins in the playoffs while taking home 1 Fireman of the Year and 7 All-Star appearances. Eli Cash wants to throw his vote his way and needs to decide between a few names to see who gets his final vote. 

Eduardo Jose
Pretty good numbers across the board, but are they better than the names above and enough to get him into the Hall? His Monitor Score has him above our only HoF relief pitcher, Sammy Felix. 

Artie Stone
How did this guy get on the list? He must have Dizzy's PR team! Of those eligible he has the lowest K/9 and K/BB but the highest WHIP and ERA. Sure he saved 455 games and added 15 more saves/wins in the playoffs. Never won a Fireman of the Year but did happen to appear in 6 All-Star games over the course of his career. I'd enjoy having him on my team, but I wouldn't select him over Sale or Hayashi. 

There you go folks, S53 possible Hall of Famers. Let's see if anyone gets in this year!

VOTE HERE

S53 Time for the Hall - Part 1

Eli Cash - contributing reporter

And finally some names get bounced from the voting ballot. Let's see who remains. We've also started backfilling a few names from team records in order to give a little more comp of the players eligible. And.... VOTE HERE. 

For the new voters out there, be sure to skim past articles; particularly the primer for a detailed explanation of the three scoring system we use. As a quick reminder, a sure thing for a hitter is 60/130/500, for a starter its 60/130/420 and for a reliever (who doesn't use the Test Score) is 130/250. 

We are sticking with the format from the previous year as I liked how it compared similar position players rather than lumping them all together. 

Players grouped by position. If you have a good retired player that I can include, please let me know. 

C

Elston Lloyd - unfortunately he is no longer eligible but I wanted to point him out as he was recently added to the tracker. His 307 Monitor Score comes in as the highest of any retired player. Because he only lasted 14 seasons he wasn't able to reach some of the milestones but as a catcher he won 3 World Series rings, made 9 All-star appearances and was elected league MVP once. He recorded 40+ HRs in half the seasons he played and hit above .300 twice. He averaged 37 HRs, 86 runs, and 99 RBI a season. While those aren't huge numbers overall, it should be considered that he played the majority of his career as a catcher. 

Fritz Butcher
A Butcher who doesn't cut it? Though for those players listed in the spreadsheet, he ties for second most All-Star appearances, in only 11 seasons. Had he played another 4, we would most likely be talking about him in a different light. He averaged nearly 150 hits a season with 22 hr, and pulled down 75 runs/rbi combo. 

1B

Birdie Kydd

Yes he hit over 500 home runs, and managed 8 seasons of 40+ HRs which helped he cross the 100 RBI a season 9 times; but he falls short of the RBI milestone. Compared to other Hall of Fame First Baseman or past eligible ones, does he stack up? One of the lowest OBPs and BB/K rate for any of them. Yes he won 2 Rings but it had a lot to do with the team around him. He was good, don't get me wrong; but does he belong in the Hall? That's for you to decide. And not that I'd hold it against him, but he was 8-48 in stolen base attempts. Maybe his 500 Cash Points and his 40 HR, 93 Run, 113 RBI career average convince you to get him in. 

Benny Romano
Nearly the same amount of home runs as Birdie but in one less season. He was able to cross the 1,500 RBI mark in his final season. His OBP ranks in higher than Kydd but still not at the level of other Hall of Fame 1Bs. Romano had an even worse eye did Birdie but still managed 7 seasons of hitting over .300, had two less seasons of 40 HRs and didn't quite have the team behind him to help carry him to a Ring. Last season he had 3 votes, well short of the 17 required. His career averages are 176 Hits, 37 HR, 94 Runs, and 109 RBI. I'd be more inclined to include Benny than Birdie. 

Lee Schlitter
Not your prototypical First Baseman, Schlitter relied more on his speed and ability to get on base than a power bat. A combo that hasn't done well in HoF voting. Schlitter well surpassed the 2500 Hit milestone as well as the milestones for Runs and Stolen Bases. Ending his career with a .380 OBP and nearly a walk per strikeout. In his 16 seasons he made the All-Star game an amazing 10 times. For 4 seasons he had more than 200 hits, and for an additional 3 he still hit above .300. 13 seasons of scoring more than 100 Runs, 9 seasons with 35+ Doubles and 1 Gold Glove. I love a good 1-2 lead off hitter and that's exactly what you had with him, he averaged 176 Hits, 24 HR, 39 SBs, 114 Runs, and 84 RBI. While I might not be throwing my vote to him this year, he's definitely top of the list for next year. 

2B

Let's address Vic Crowe first, since he seems to come up every year. 70 Test Score, 117 Monitor Score, 443 Cash Points, averaged 32 HR, 91 Runs, and 93 RBI a season for 17 seasons. He reached the milestone markers for HR, R, and RBI within the final season or two of his career. His OBP is higher than the other two Second basemen in the Hall, even though he struck out a bit more than he probably had liked to. In his prime 3 seasons he secured 40+ HR, 100+ R, and 100+ RBI and likely his MVP and only 3 All-Star appearances those years. When compared to other 2Bs, does he belong in the Hall; most likely. Eli Cash seems to think he's a top 5 2B of All-time in Cobbfather. HoFers Trey Padgett and Dennis Gulan, along with Wandy Guillen and Ernie McEnerney. 

Jose Pizzaro
Pizzaro must know some people to get him on the ballot. Averaged 158 Hits, 29 HR, 19 SBs, 84 Runs, and 96 RBI over his 15 seasons. Low Monitor Score with only a .332 OBP. 3 Seasons of .300 hitting with 3 All-Star appearances, an MVP, and 2 Gold Gloves. If Wandy Guillen, Vic Crowe, and Ernie 'I Miss Bert' McEnerney didn't make the Hall, Pizzaro doesn't deserve it either. Simple as that. 

SS

Terrance Ricarrdi
There are no Shortstops in the Cobbfather Hall of Fame, but surely a few are deserving, but is Ricarrdi the right one to start with? 2 Gold Gloves, a .307 OBP, though he did have 2 of his 13 seasons with 40+ HR. He averaged 120 hits, 34 home runs, with 80 runs and 85 rbi a season, and 9 All-Star appearances. Still digging through the archives, but I have not seen another Shortstop with more appearances than Ricarrdi. With only two +/- more seasons he would have gotten to 500 home runs. On the downside, his .317 OBP is quite low for a HoF hopeful; even for a SS. 

3B

Cookie Rodriguez
Cookie has the highest monitor score of all eligible 3Bs this season, and he rounded all four bases 544 times in his 15 year career, but to the tune of a .335 OBP and a .43 B/K rate. For 3Bs his numbers feel soft in comparison to those already in the Hall; but he did receive a single vote last season. 

Cap Rivera
If you had to pick one of the three eligible Third basemen, Cap would be the one...no cap. 10 seasons scoring over 100 runs, but very limited ability to get on base; though still above HoF Sean Gosling just no power to match SG. One of his previous owners continue to vote for him in hopes to see his bust in the Hall, and I'd expect that owner to continue voting for him until he's no longer on the ballot. He averaged 16 HR, 34 SB, 95 Runs, and 74 RBI over his 16 seasons. It's been proved that you need more than Steals, Doubles, and Runs to get you in the Hall. 

RF

Wiki Unamuno

I must admit, Eli likes Wiki "Leaks" Unamuno when he first appeared on the ballot and I still do, but if Edinson Hernandez falls short, then so will Wiki. He has a solid .376 OBP, scored more than 100 runs in 11 of his 13 seasons, 7 with 100+ RBI, 9 with 35+ Doubles, and 8 with an average north of .300. He turned in 1 MVP and 6 All-Star appearances. His season average was 26 HR, 36 SBs, 118 Runs, and 99 RBI. If Cash has an extra vote left over, expect Wiki to receive it. 

LF

Ubaldo Alvarez - received Eli Cash's vote

Looking for a guy who has more than 2,500 hits, 500 home runs, 1,500 runs, 1,500 rbis, and over 1,000 extra base hits? He's your man. The only other player to do so and not be in the Hall of Fame is Kendry Lunar (editors note: I'm not familiar wit this guy, he was before my time). Produced 11 seasons of .300+ ball, where he helped leads his team to 4 World Series Rings, and 7 All-Star appearances. S51 he was but a vote short of his election to the Hall; but seemed to have dropped a vote last season. Let's see if S53 will be his year for the Hall. 

Omar Berroa - received Eli Cash's vote

Yet another typical power hitter, 12 seasons of 40+ HR with 13 seasons of 100+ RBI. he ranks up there at the top of Left Fielders, but how does he fair with so many other deserving names, I don't know. he also crossed the 1500 RBI career mark by 9 RBI. 12 of his 13 seasons saw him hit more than 40 HR and surprisingly he was able to score 100+ RBI in every full season he played with 6 seasons above .300. In a tough year to vote, he still managed 6 votes; and Eli Cash will be throwing his vote his way this year. 

Yohan Mairena

Yohan falls below HoF Andres Candelaria on the Monitor Score and failed to cross any of the major barriers over the course of his 15 seasons; though he owns a .382 OBP; above both of the current LF HoF members and below players like Swann and Taylor who were not elected to the Hall. But he is also one of few years with 2+ MVPs - that's 4% of Cobbfather history. But does his Hall of Chance depend on those two great years he had when he was the league MVP, perhaps so. 

Gregory Treinen

I sometimes feel like a broken record, yet another typical power hitter. This one failing to cross any other milestones and struggled to get on base, and while I think he deserves a look, there are plenty of names who fall in the season averages of 154 Hits, 44 HR, 87 Runs, and 106 RBI a season with a .261 average. He dropped from 3 votes to 2 votes last season, we'll see if he's able to keep those two or improve upon them. 

Bryan Foster
Gregory Treinen-lite. Make use of your vote elsewhere. 

CF

Larry Brown
Brown definitely had his uses, winning 3 World Series rings and making 8 All-Star appearances, but not the best glove or bat. Are the Rings enough to get him in? The voters have proved that stolen bases alone won't help. He averaged 12 HR, 28 SBs, 81 Runs and only 52 RBIs. J.T. Constanza ranks lower by every ranking system but he has 5 Gold Gloves to show for himself as well. 

DH
None
No prime DHs this year on the ballot.

VOTE HERE

Part Two coming later for pitchers...

Meet an Owner - dakar

Catherine Trammell - Contributing Reporter

Q: Tell us about dakar. What is he like? What does he do in his spare time when not obsessing over your rosters?

A: He is a guy who likes to pretend that he is middle-aged, when in actuality, he is retiring in a few months yet acts like a juvenile, Sort of averages out. Currently engaged in several home improvement projects that should have been made long ago in order to downsize and get the hell out of the town we live in. Also just joined a fantasy football league after a several year hiatus.

Q: Rumor has it that the Commissioner strong armed into joining our league because he beat you in one playoff game. Not a series, but a game. Is this true? Or is the Commissioner just talking crap like normal?

A: TRUE! Not only that , but I hear he has a contract out on the star pitcher of the team I am facing in the Series so that he can say he was the only team to beat me.

Q: You have a great pedigree with your 18 World Series championships, but what is your favorite part about building a franchise? Do you try to make a lot of trades? Would you rather build through the draft or IFA? Or just buy a team like Steinbrenner used to do?

A: Favorite part is definitely building through the draft and IFA, I like that even better than the winning with them in all honesty. Probably a little below average on making trades. Too hard to find other owners who appropriately value the turd....er.....superstars I am offering them.

Q: Of your current roster, who do you like most? Promise they will never read these articles? What about prospects? Who are you looking forward to the ML team in the next couple of seasons?

A: No one that I am in love with, but Allan Wright at C is a good combination of defense and power hitting, In the minors, reliever Carl Jackson is the best of a sorry bunch.

Q: What are your goals for the upcoming season? Are you looking to push for the playoffs? Or do you expect to rebuild for a couple of seasons?

A: Hold down salary, and make the best of what I hope will be a lot of draft picks and pick off an IFA or two. I try not to ever fall below 100 losses in the ML level during a rebuild.

Q: Since you've only been in the league for a few days, this may be tough to answer but what has been your favorite aspect(s) of Cobbfather so far?

A: Looks like a good collection of owners (and topoftheworl, too). A lot of familiar faces....well, not faces of course, but you know what I mean,

Q: What advice would you give a new owner in Cobbfather? Besides making sure to ignore most conversations with the Commissioner?

A: The same as most every vet would give: if you are not sure how something works, ASK!

Q: Any final thoughts going into the Season?

Just interested to see if my team will be at all competitive. I actually feel kind of good about it, despite holding down salary to play for the future.

The Future

Gabrielle O. Alvarez-Tillman - Contributing Reporter

Past & Present meet the Future

Who do you think has been the best position player and pitcher the last two decades in Cobbfather? There are a few you could argue but one of the easy debates would be for two who have spent their entire careers on the same team together, having played at the Major league level for the last 14 seasons. That's the Buffalo Bisons' own Alex Tarraga (1B/RF) and Gregory Lopez (SP). Let's take a look at them separately before looking ahead to the next two decades in Cobbfather. 

• Tarraga is has close to a no-brainer as you can get. He got the call up S38 and hasn't looked back, taking the first of his AMAZING 9 MVP awards in just his second season. Only two other players have 3 or more and both are currently enjoying having their bust in the Hall of Fame but neither has more than 6. He currently ranks #2 All-time on the career HR list and with just 23 HRs next season he'll soon own the record for himself. Only his rookie year has he been held to less than 40 HR in a season, though he still hit 18 in 50 games. He was a S36 International Free Agent signing with a bonus of $24.3M who is still hitting above .300. With his recent 4/$26.4M extension, he'll be a Bison through S56. More then enough to pick up a few more records, like most career RBIs which should take him only two more seasons to reach. As long as he can keep up that average and with the right bats behind him, he has a solid chance to have the most career runs by the time that contract expires as well.  If he's not your #1 pick for any time peroid, much less the last 20 seasons, I don't know who would be. 
• The best pitcher the last two decades might be a little more debatable, but I think it comes down to Chick Munson or Gregor Lopez. but let's take a look at Lopez's numbers. He has a Cobbfather best, 6 Cy Youngs (tied with HoF James Haselman) and is well within reach of the all time Wins record, needing just 23 more to tie. At the age of 38 with scouts feeling he's dropped a few ratings this season, and a contract that expires after his age 39 seasons, we'll see if he has enough gas left to get there. Chick Munson's strike out record is likely just out of reach given his age, but he has already made it top 5 and will likely end up being #2 or 3 on the list when he's done. But he's currently sitting on the best all time WHIP by 0.02, so we'll see how he finishes out his career. He's also sitting at #2 all time in ERA, though first definitely feels out of reach. Lopez was a S32 International Free Agent signing with a $27M signing bonus.

You can't argue the success these two have brought to the city of Buffalo even if the LCS has proved difficult for the duo. They did bring Buffalo two World Series titles, seasons 39 & 49. If that's the past and present, who can we look to for the future of Cobbfather? As we all know it's hard to predict how prospects will pan out, but I think you can look at another two players that just so happen to be on the same team. Only time will tell if their owner can keep them around for as long as bjc30 has done with Buffalo or if he's able to have better success winning the last game of the season. 

• Wei-Yin Wan (1B) is the one everyone has their eye on and rightfully so. He was an 18 yr old International Free Agent who signed just last season and has moved his way quickly through the minors; ending this season in AAA. That $49.1M signing bonus had everyone talking! His bat could easily hit at the ML level now and he's only 19. Depending on how long cwiddoes holds him back, will depend on what Cobbfather records this guy ends up holding. Tarraga will surely be watching from his lawn chair while telling kids to get off his lawn. 
• Roger Simon now has 4 games under his belt at the age of 22 that saw him go 2-0 with a 2.45 ERA in 22 innings and a 1.00 WHIP. Sim was the #1 overall pick in S49. It's going to be hard for anyone to match his control and ability to throw against both lefties and righties. But will the lack of keeping the ball down and a quality second pitch be enough to be the #1 ace of the league for many seasons?

Only father time knows if it will indeed be these two or if another who will show up, taking the title as best duo of the decade. The bigger question is, will these two lead Huntington to more than the two World Series championships that Tarraga and Lopez were able to secure. 

For Sale By Owners

Catherine Trammell - Contributing Reporter

The El Paso Jabbering Jabronis are officially on the market. 

• El Paso (AL - South)
• After taking over a team with awful contracts and no farm system SeniorPloppie has decided to put the team up for sale. He's done what he could but a 5th straight finish just wasn't cutting it for his standards. 
• The new owner will be able to look forward to Monterrey who won our Season 50 World Series and continually looks to make another appearance. A Huntington looking to come out of a rebuild after 4 straight seasons of 100+ losses. And a Houston team loaded with prospects. 
• Last season Records
• ML: 84-78
• AAA: 88-56
• AA: 91-53
• A+: 107-37
• A-: 103-41
• R: 56-20
• Last year's payroll came in at $54M with $13.7 spent on coaching, and $12M budgeted for prospects. Appears to have $39.2M coming off the books after this upcoming season with only $14.9M guaranteed between three players in S53. 
• Guaranteed Salary beyond S53
• S54: $5.6M
• S55: $0M
• S56: $0M
• Arbitration Class
• Allan Wright (C) - Arb1
• Emmanuel Ramirez (2B) - Arb2
• Brent Belinda (3B) - Arb1
• Ronn O'Toole (LF) - Arb2
• Groucho Woodall (SP5) - Arb1
• Reggie Galloway (Mop) - Arb1
• Hoss Pritchett (LRA) - Arb1
• Ross Romero (SuA) - Arb2
• Sam Cantwell (SuA) - Arb1
• Ted Torres (SuA) - Arb2
• S52 All-star and AL Fireman of the Year
• Contract Renewals
• Eric Mashore (C)
• Turner Pryor (1B)
• S52 1st Runner up to Rookie of the Year
• Al Rojas (SS)
• Bart McDade (SS)
• Starling Telemaco (LF)
• AL Cumpton (CF)
• Hipolito Maradona (RF)
• S51 1st Runner up to Rookie of the Year
• Randal Foster (SP1)
• Ronald Yearwood (SP2)
• Kid Wood (LRA)
• Dummy Everett (SuA)
• Roger Helling (SuB)
• Existing Contracts (listed by length of contract)
• Mike Wallace (SP4) - expires after S53 - 1/$4M remains
• Birdie James (SP3) - expires after S53 - 1/$5.4M remains
• Al Rosario (3B) - expires after S54 - 2/$11.2M remains
• Prospect to watch
• Lonnie Baines (1B) - AAA - S49 Draft pick #84
• Jerry Spencer (2B) - AA - S49 Draft pick #54
• Taylor Towers (2B) - A+ - S50 Draft pick #49
• Renato Alvarez (2B) - AAA - S47 Draft pick #40
• Radhames Baez (2B) - A+ - S49 IFA $40k bonus
• Dwight Philips (LF) - A- - S51 Draft pick #57
• Jon Schwartz (RF) - AA - S51 Draft pick #12
• Carl Jackson (ClA) - A- - S52 Draft pick #11
• Ugueth Jaime (LF) - Rookie - S52 Draft pick #135

• Wichita (AL - East) - SOLD
• The team is improving and doesn't have much guaranteed money, leaving the new owner their choice in going all in or starting fresh. The 81-81 record was the previous owner's best record in 8 seasons but they had two players on the AL MVP ballot this year. They do however play in a tough division with New York having won the division 11 straight years before being topped the last three by Atlanta. Though everyone here at the blog seems to think New York is ready for a rebuild any season now. With Boston being the 4th team in the division having just recently changed ownership themselves and working on a rebuild; a wildcard is definitely within sight. Topping Atlanta might be a tough task, but a quality owner should be up for it. 
• Last season Records
• ML: 81-81
• AAA: 91-53
• AA: 102-42
• A+: 83-61
• A-: 101-43
• R: 50-26
• Last year's payroll came in at $69M with $9.5 spent on coaching, and $20M budgeted for prospects. Appears to have $33M coming off the books after this upcoming season with $36.1M guaranteed in S53.
• Guaranteed Salary beyond S53
• S54: $28.3M
• S55: $8M
• S56: $0M
• Arbitration Class
• Jumbo Contreras (C) - Arb2
• Brace Lansing (1B) - Arb2
• S52 Player of the Week (W2), MVP Candidate, 1B GG
• Hector Park (2B) - Arb2
• Sammy Figureoa (SS) - Arb3
• Thumper Treinen (SS) - Arb1
• Pinky Salazar (CF) - Arb3
• Tyrone Greer (CF) - Arb1
• Luis Espinosa (RF) - Arb1
• Ignacio Estrada (RF) - Arb1
• Alexander Edgin (SP2) - Arb3
• Ben Breen (SP3) - Arb2
• Torey James (SuA) - Arb2
• Tsubasa Suzki (SuB) - Arb2
• Contract Renewals
• Wil Johnston (2B)
• Jimmie Bryant (3B)
• Yunisky Herrera (SP1)
• Mark Abbott (SuA)
• Sherm Vernon (SuB)
• Alex Kuo (SuB)
• Existing Contracts (listed by length of contract)
• Pedro Volquez (SuA) - expires after S53 - 1/$5.5M remains
• TJ Christenson (LF) - expires after S54 - 2/$20.5M remains
• S52 MVP Candidate
• Pierce Denorfia (SP4) - expires after S54 - 2/$8.8M remains
• Manuel Megias (SP5) - expires after S54 - 2/$9.6M remains
• Cody Ramsey (3B) - expires after S55 - 3/$20.5M remains
• Prospect to watch
• Harry Jose (C) - AAA - S49 $12M bonus
• Cliff Calderon (C) - AAA - S47 Draft pick #54
• Earl Hawkins (1B) - AAA - S50 Draft pick #14

S52 Record Books

 Jack Torrance - Contributing Reporter

Winner Winner....Chicken Dinner 

After two eventual LCS's that both went 7 games, we found ourselves with the Philadelphia Harpers making their first ever World Series appearance facing the top of the NL, Chicago Gunslingers who hadn't made an appearance since their 4 straight appearances from Seasons 9-12 that saw them winning 3 of them. But Philly wasn't playing around and ended up sweeping the series. Congrats to them on their franchise first!

Congrats again and let's get ready for the start of Season 53!

Major League

All-Star Weekend

American League shut out the National League, 2-0.
All Star Game MVP - Leo Wood (Dover)
Home Run Derby Champ - Al Perez (Dover) - 30 total HRs (16 - 6 - 8)
Longest HR - 528' - Kyle Crain

American League 

Division Titles
AL North: Philadelphia Harpers (3rd straight)
AL East: Atlanta Expos (3rd straight)
AL South: Monterrey Stoics (3rd straight)
AL West:  Colorado Cab Blast (2nd straight)
Wildcards: New York Empire & Minnesota North Stars

League Leaders
Batting
Hits: Al Cervantes (Phi Harpers) - 228
Average: Al Cervantes (Phi Harpers) - .340
Home Runs: Kyle Crain (Atl Expos) - 62
Runs: Matt Turner (Col Cab Blast) - 128
Runs Batted In: Kyle Crain (Atl Expos) / Alex Perez (Mty Stoics) - 156
Stolen Bases: Al Munson (Min North Stars) - 86
Longest Hit Streak: Josias Albaladejo (Mty Stoics) - 23

Pitching
Wins: J.C. Wall (Atl Expos) | William Thompson (Atl Expos) - 23
Quality Starts: J.C. Wall (Atl Expos) - 26
Saves: Ted Torres (EP Jabbering Jabronis) - 45
ERA: Nigel White (Dov Hazmats) - 2.31
Strikeout: Zephyr Gross (Atl Expos) - 185
OAV: Nigel White (Dov Hazmats) - .199
WHIP: Nigel White (Dov Hazmats) / William Thompson (Atl Expos) - 1.00

Fielding
Plus Plays: D'Angelo Estrada (Hel Hot Dogs) - 26
CS%: Cyrus Simmons (Bos Baseball Team) - .350
C ERA: Chuck Herndon (Atl Expos) - 3.08

Awards
MVP: Kyle Crain (Atl Expos) - 17 votes
Cy Young: William Thompson (Atl Expos) - 17 votes
Rookie of the Year: Carlos Soto (Hou Space Cowboys) - 17 votes
Fireman of the Year: Ted Torres (EP Jabbering Jabronis)

National League

Division Titles
NL North: Chicago Gunslingers (3rd straight)
NL East: Columbus Corgis (4th straight)
NL South: New Orleans Old Fashioneds (2nd straight)
NL West: Vancouver Canucks
Wildcards: Buffalo Bisons & Hartford Rising Stars

League Leaders
Batting
Hits: Bey Combs (SJ Fudds) - 204
Average: Leury Barcelo (Wash DC Nations) - .323
Home Runs: Omar Gonzales (Tuc Tubas) - 52
Runs: Omar Gonzales (Tuc Tubas) - 129
Runs Batted In: Shea Crowe (Chi Gunslingers) - 135
Stolen Bases: Corky Jones (Aus Son's of Odin) - 47
Longest Hit Streak: Bernie Mendez (Buf Bisions) - 23

Pitching
Wins: Bennie Swann (NO Old Fashioneds) - 20
Quality Starts: Rico Bonilla (NO Old Fashioneds) - 28
Saves: Rafael Amaro (Aus Son's of Odin) - 41
ERA: Louis Combs (NO Old Fashioneds) - 2.57
Strikeout: Rico Bonilla (NO Old Fashioneds) - 233
OAV: Rico Bonilla (NO Old Fashioneds) - 2.08
WHIP: Rico Bonilla (NO Old Fashioneds) - 1.02

Fielding
Plus Plays: Bruce Sager (Aus Son's of Odin) - 26
CS%: Braulio Guardado (Buf Bisons) / Gregorio Cordero (NO Old Fashioneds) - .400
C ERA: Gregorio Cordero (NO Old Fashioneds) - 3.35

Awards
MVP: Alex Tarraga (Buf Bisons) - 15 votes - 9th career
Cy Young: Rico Bonilla (NO Old Fashioneds) - 16 votes
Rookie of the Year: Francis Jefferson (Buf Bisons) - 17 votes
Fireman of the Year: Jayson Roof (Buf Bisons)

Trivia

Retired pitcher and Hall of Fame hopeful Jair James is the only pitcher with 300+ strikeouts in a single season, doing so S41 with 314.  He is also #4 highest with 274; yet he is not a top 5 for his (15 year) career. 

There have been (9) nine #1 picks to be inducted into our Hall of Fame. On the flip side, the latest pick to be selected is Johnny Sherman (S1), Douglas Banks (S14), and Howard Greer (S9) at pick #10. In the International market, Tony Lopez received the lowest bonus money and still be inducted at $3.3M in Season 10. Props to opie5 for such a good find. Surprisingly it wasn't to late into the season either; though overall it w as a cheap IFA season with only 3 players going for above $15M and one above $20M. $22M Albert Pineda won 4 World Series rings and likely belongs in the Hall of Fame as a Shortstop but for some reason he was passed over. Makes it even stranger when you realize he has the power bat many HoF voters drool over, so what kept him out?

Minor League

AAA: 

Vancouver tops Huntington 4-2 in a monster of a game 7 that lasted 14 innings. 

MVP: Earl Hawkins (AL - Wic, 22) & Ned Geer (NL - SJ, 23 - Back to Back)

Cy Young: Ricky Berkman (AL - Col, 24) & Ryan Cassidy (NL - SJ, 21)

AA: 

New Orleans over El Paso 4-2; back to back AA titles. 

MVP: Marty Romero (AL - Wic, 26 - Back to Back) & Ronald Wilson (NL - Wash DC, 22)

Cy Young: Earl Brenly (AL - Hel, 21) & Larry Barker (NL - NO, 23)

A+: 

El Paso wins again, this time sweeping Tacoma, 4-0 for his 3rd 2nd straight A+ title.

MVP: Joaquin Prieto (AL - Hel, 24) & Tony Lee (NL - Chi, 24)

Cy Young: Cesar Miro (AL - EP, 23) & Kyeong Aoki (NL - NO, 22 - Last year's A- Cy Young)

A-: 

Boston sweeps Vancouver. 4-0; lead by first year pro and the #179th pick in this year's draft, Quinton Kell with his .410 post season average, 3 HR and 5 stolen bases. 

MVP: Jeff Stein (AL - Ana, 29) & Ralph Rolle (NL - Austin, 25)

Cy Young: Aneury Amarista (AL - EP, 25) & Ruben Melendz (NL - Phi, 22 - Last year's Rookie Cy Young))

Rookie: 

San Jose has the most expensive Rookie team this writer has EVER seen. Nearly $5M in salary that saw the majority of it's roster with 6+ years of Pro experience.  This Rookie team cost more money than the S48 ML Wildcard Atlanta team, now that's something! They were pitted against a run of the mill Rookie team with many fresh faces. But ultimately 32 yr old, 13 year pro, 'rookie' Sal Scalici saw his team over power Boston,, 4-1 thanks to his .408 AVG and 8 post season HRs. 

MVP: Bruce Latham (AL - Ana, 29 - S42 Pick #13) & Charley Osbourne (NL - SJ, 26 - S44 Pick #128)

Cy Young: Ernie Gaetti (AL - Bos, 21 - S52 Pick #13) & Josh Henry (NL - NO, 20 - S52 Pick #45)

We see a mix bag of new teams in the minor league finals this seasons, looking forward to see each franchise build from there.  

Record Books

Look at the single season records, here is anybody who placed within the top 5 of a category. 

• HITTING
• GIDP: #2 - 48 - Lew Landrum (Was)
• Hits: TIED #4 - 228 - Al Cervantes (Phi)
• Pitch Hits: TIED #2 - 40 - Albert Purcel (Chi)
• Strikeouts (worst): NEW RECORD #1 - 262 - Garabez Belliard (Har)
• "Beat" his record from last season.
• Triples: TIED #4 - 13 - Shea Crowe (Chi)
• PITCHING
• Batters Hit By Pitch: TIED #4 - 19 - Yuniesky Herrea (Wic)
• FIELDING
• Stone Base Attempts Against: NEW RECORD #1 - 206 - Leo Wood (Dov)
• Plus Plays (LF): TIED #2 - 22 - Dane Castilla (Mty) / Juan Acosta (Bos)
• Minus Plays (P): TIED #4 - 8 - Koyie Ward (Chi)
• Minus Plays (LF): TIED #3 - 24 - Chuck Brinson (Tuc)
• Minus Plays (1B): #4 - 32 - Olmedo Nunez (Was)
• Assists (3B): #4 - 447 - Rip Bromberg (Pit)

Moving on to team records.

• HITTING
• None
• PITCHING
• None
• FIELDING
• None

Career Records

• Batting
• Batting Average: Al Samuel - .334
• Home Runs: Albert Cruz - 771
• RBI: Albert Cruz - 2,032
• Hits: Yoenis Portillo - 3,245
• Runs: Yoenis Portillo - 2,061
• Stolen Bases: William Katou - 957
• Hit Streak - Jose Pizzaro - 42
• Pitching
• Wins: Chick Munson - 334
• Saves: Jace Sale - 758
• Strikeouts: Chick Munson - 4,190
• Quality Starts: Chick Munson - 462
• Complete Games: Chick Munson - 105
• ERA: Yeico Miranda - 2.21
• WHIP: Gregor Lopez - 1.01
• OAV: Yeico Miranda - .194

Award Winners
(* indicates Hall of Famer member)

• MVP
• 9 Time
• Alex Tarraga (NL - S39, 41, 42, 43, 45, 46, 47, 50, 52)
• 8 Time
• None
• 7 Time
• None
• 6 Time
• *Willie Cerda (AL - S23, 25, 30, 31, 32. NL - S29)
• 5 Time
• None
• 4 Time
• *Albert Cruz (AL - S22, 23, 24, 27)
• 3 Time
• Don Sparks (NL - S27, 30, 31)
• Omar Berroa (AL - S39, 41, 43)
• Yoervis Colome (AL - S44, 47, 50)
• Omar Gonzales (NL - S48, S49, S51)
• 2 Time
• Brian Taylor (NL - S1, 2)
• Moises Terrero (AL - S1. NL - S3)
• Jordan Abernathy (AL - S2, 4)
• *Rafael Benitez (AL - S6, 10)
• *Dan Carter (NL - S7. AL - S11)
• *Bill Everhart (NL - S6, 13)
• *Johnny Sherman (AL - S9, 14)
• *Brutus Henry (AL - S12, 16)
• Morgan Cerda (AL - S18, 19)
• Dustan Jackson (AL - S20, 21)
• Ray Rudolph (NL - S19, 24)
• *Sean Gosling (AL - S35, 36)
• *Raul Galvez (AL - S34, 37)
• Haywood Swann (NL - S36, 37)
• *Yoenis Portillo (NL - S34, 38)
• Yohan Mairena (NL - S38, 40)
• 1 Time
• Stuart Paulson (AL - S1)
• Ed Morris (AL - S3)
• Buddy Poole (NL - S4)
• Hector Ball (AL - S5)
• Martin McCarty (NL - S5)
• Charlie Dickinson (AL - S7)
• Zach Charles (AL - S8)
• Marvin Mays (NL - S8)
• Dennis Jefferies (NL - S9)
• Jose Rijo (NL - S10)
• Stevie Stanley (NL - S11)
• Chico Villarreal (AL - S12)
• Fred McNamara (NL - S12)
• Clarence Loney (AL - S13)
• Al Samuel (NL - S14)
• *Mendy Kondou (AL - S15)
• Ollie Brock (NL - S15)
• Jose Pizzaro (NL - S16)
• Elston Lloyd (Al - S17)
• *Andres Candelaria (NL - S17)
• Howard Greer (NL - S18)
• *Eugene Brantley (AL - S21)
• Pascual Hernandez (NL - S21)
• Felipe James (NL - S22)
• Vic Park (AL - S25)
• Vic Crowe (AL - S26)
• *Ahmed Ratliff (NL - S26)
• Vladimir Troncoso (AL - S28)
• Dorian Whitaker (NL - S28)
• Timothy Steinbach (AL - S29)
• Jared Gonzales (NL - S32)
• Francis King (AL - S33)
• Julian Barber (NL - S33)
• Yasmany Cubillan (NL - S34)
• Edinson Hernandez (NL - S35)
• Greg James (AL - S38)
• Gregory Treinen (AL - S40)
• Carl Rossy (AL - S42)
• Geronimo Nunez (NL - S44)
• Andres Estrada (AL - S45)
• Birdie Kydd (AL - S46)
• Bonk Burnett (AL - S48)
• Felipe Benitez (AL - S49)
• Al Cervantes (AL - S51)
• Kyle Crain (AL - S52)
• Cy Young
• 6 Time
• *James Haselman (AL - S13, 14, 18, 19, 20, 22)
• Gregor Lopez (NL - S36, 39, 41, 45, 50, 51)
• 5 Time
• *Norman LaPorta (NL - S13, 14, 21, 25, 26)
• Jair James (NL - S38, 40, 44, 46, 47)
• 4 Time
• *Carl Sosa (AL - S5, 6, 8, 10)
• *Don Monahan (NL - S20, 23, 27, 28)
• J.C. Wall (AL - S45, 49, 50, 51)
• 3 Time
• *Chris Pendleton (AL - S7, 12. NL - S17)
• *Thomas Hutchinson (AL - S21, 24, 26
• *Francisco Aramboles (AL - S25, 27, 28)
• *Chick Munson (AL - S31, 36, 38)
• Magglio Exposito (AL - S40, 42, 47)
• Gerald Kojima (AL - S41, 44. NL - 48)
• 2 Time
• Francis Munoz (AL - S1, S2)
• Justin Powell (NL - S5, 8)
• Vasco Serra (NL - S7, 8)
• *Barry Carew (NL - S6, 9)
• *Alberto Beltre (NL - S11. AL - S16)
• *Harry Mieses (NL - S15, 16)
• Lewis Peterson (NL - S18, 22)
• *Douglas Banks (NL - S19, 24)
• *Red Collins (NL - S30, 33)
• Sherman Berkman (NL - S37, 38)
• Carlos Colome (AL - S33, 39)
• *Bob Graves (AL - S34, 42)
• Jimmie Hartman (AL - S35, 43)
• Louis Conley (AL - S43, 46)
• 1 Time
• Calvin Pong (NL - S1)
• Harry Farr (NL - S2)
• Tony Saunders (AL - S3)
• Octavio Solano (NL - S3)
• *Ken Evans (AL - S4)
• Billy Cox (NL - S4)
• was also Fireman of Year - S4
• *Sammy Felix (NL - S5)
• was also Fireman of Year - S5
• Timo Green (NL - S6)
• Emmett Rhodes (AL - S9)
• Julio Rodriguez (NL - S10)
• *Edgar Cortez (AL - S11)
• Alex Andrus (NL - S12)
• Emmanuel Cora (AL - S15)
• Carlos Pena (NL - 15)
• was also Fireman of Year - S15
• *Victor Almanzar (AL - S17)
• Ron Gross (AL - S23)
• *Yeico Oliva (AL - S29)
• Josh Stark (NL - S29)
• Randall Washington (AL - S30)
• Quilvio Odor (NL - S31)
• Felipe Sosa (AL - S32)
• Erubiel Morales (NL - S32)
• Ryan Fisher (AL - S34)
• Monte Daley (NL - S35)
• Olmedo Valdez (AL - S36)
• Ned Morris (NL - S36)
• Arismendy Costilla (AL - S48)
• Alan Street (NL - S49)
• William Thompson (AL - S52)
• Rico Bonilla (NL - S52)
• Fireman of the Year
• 5 Time
• Al Balentien (NL - S34, 35, 39, 40, 41)
• Jace Sale (AL - S35, 37, 40, 42, 48)
• 4 Time
• Arthur Camilli (AL - S11, 13, 14, 20)
• 3 Time
• *Sammy Felix (NL - S2, 3, 5)
• Billy Cox (NL - S4, 6, 7)
• Anthony Gordon (AL - S2, 7, 10)
• Allen Cox (AL - S16, 18, 19)
• Rodrigo Ontiveros (NL - S24, 25, 30)
• 2 Time
• Leon Meyer (NL - S9, 12)
• Jung Hasegawa (NL - S17, 19)
• Marvin Walsh (NL - S16, 20)
• Homer Butler (NL - S18, 21)
• Gus Masaoka (AL - S23, 24)
• Walt White (AL - S22, 27)
• Antonio Ishida (AL - S26, 28)
• Jhoulys Olmedo (AL - S29, 32)
• Troy Hudek (AL - S33, 34)
• Eduardo Jose (NL - S37, 38)
• Yeico Miranda (AL - S38, 39)
• Abdul Melton (NL - S45, 46)
• Christopher Romero (AL - S46, 47)
• Ron Steenstra (NL - S48, S50)
• Ronnie Andrews (NL - S49, S51)
• Steve Etherton (AL - S50, S51)
• 1 Time
• Julio Perez (NL - S1)
• Valerio Rodriguez (AL - S1)
• Paul Watson (AL - S3)
• Jeremi Welsh (AL - S4)
• Pat Smith (AL - S5)
• Yamil Alvarez (AL - S6)
• Luis Gonzales (AL - S8)
• Del Campos (NL - S8)
• Pat Smith (Al - S9)
• Wilson Bonds (NL - S10)
• Thurman Sandford (NL - S11)
• Felix Tamura (AL - S12)
• Mark Ogawa (NL - S13)
• Carlos Pena (NL - S14, 15)
• Roger Hermida (AL - S15)
• Edwin Radlosky (AL - S17)
• Jayson Klesko (AL - S21)
• Manuel Estrada (NL - S22)
• Will Ogden (NL - S23)
• Carlos Pena (AL - S25)
• Dock Kramer (NL - S26)
• Tomo Hayashi (NL - S27)
• Chris Rivera (NL - S28)
• Will Morris (NL - S29)
• Carlos Prieto (AL - S30)
• Bob Berg (AL - S31)
• Juan Belliard (NL - S31)
• Jiggs Cuddyer (AL - S32)
• Andre Harper (NL - S33)
• Braeden Abercrombie (AL - S37)
• Larry Maday (AL - S41)
• David Gabriel (NL - S42)
• Deivi Perez (AL - S43)
• Felipe Barrios (NL - S43)
• Alfredo De Aza (AL - S44)
• Eric Pride (NL - S44)
• Roger Franco (AL - S45)
• Tony Espinosa (AL - S47)
• Bobby Davis (AL - S49)
• Ted Torres (AL - S52)
• Jayson Roof (NL - S52)

Franchise Titles
(bold is recent winner)

• 6 Titles
• Atlanta (S3, 10, 26, 27, 29, 51)
• 5 Titles
• Houston (S4, 7, 8, 28, 33)
• 4 Titles
• Anaheim (S15, 18, 19, 32)
• El Paso (S36, 41, 43, 44)
• Oklahoma City (S40, 42, 45, 47)
• Pittsburgh (S2, 21, 22, 23)
• 3 Titles
• Chicago (S9, 11, 12)
• Buffalo (S24, 39, 49)
• Monterrey (S17, 37,50)
• 2 Titles
• New Orleans (S31, 35)
• Santa Fe (S1, 30)
• Washington DC (S6, 14)
• Colorado Springs (S20, 48)
• 1 Title
• Austin (S16)
• Boston (S38)
• Los Angeles (S13)
• Helena (S46)
• Milwaukee (S5)
• Colorado (S34)
• Vancouver (S25)
• Philadelphia (S52)
• 0 Titles
• Minnesota
• Columbus
• Dover
• Montreal
• New York (AL)
• Hartford
• Tucson
• San Juan
• Scranton
• Wichita