Fat Cats S54

 Jessica Fletcher - contributing reporter

Fat Cat - noun
/ˈfat ˌkat/ 

1. A player whose contract outweighs their performance. 
2. A Canadian whose downed too many Tim Horton timbits.

Let's see who makes that phat pay check but giving the team diet production. 

• Positions Players
• Catchers
• Norichika Zhou (Pittsburgh Yinzers - 28 yr old) is still young but considering his limited range in the field, lack of quality pitch calling, and season lows across the board; he gets the fat cat label for making $4.8M this year. Compared to other catchers in that same range, he's definitely bottom of the list for production. Assuming he turns the offense around we might not see him on the list next season, the final year of his current contract. But the fact that he's lacking on the defensive and pitching call side stands. 
• First Basemen
• Alex Tarraga (Buffalo Bisons - 36 yr old) still has 2/$13.2M remaining on his contact, now while that isn't an awful contract as the power drops he'll eventually become a role player for the very same Bisons team he used to lead into the playoffs. Another player setting career lows, this one going from a 1.000+ OPS just two seasons ago to a .808 that he currently has this season. Next year that could easily fall below .600 if he's not careful with his offseason regiment. His ratings have held up over the course of the season better than expected. 
• Al Martinez (Chicago Gunslingers - 33 yr old) is a bit pricey for his production this season but as he ages that goes up an additional $1M next year. While I don't expect any drop in ratings, he's definitely not the same 42 HR, 130 RBI hitter he was back in S51. Unless he can improve on that .716 OPS, $8.3M is a lot to pay for that production; not to mention the $9.3M next season. Luckily it's a mutual option that could be decline. 
• Eugene Daniels (Vancouver Canucks - 30 yr old) has the 7th highest salary for a 1B but he's garnered less than 100 ABs this season and not because of injury. This guy BANKED in arbitration, going from $1.5M in Arb1 to $6.3M in Arb2. Last season he had just 151 ABs and hit .185.
• Second Basemen
• Harry Padilla (NY Empire - 35 yr old) is on the final year of a max contract and without much power, as his contact and splits continue to dip; so does his production. He's been a .290 hitter throughout his career but is seeing drastic career lows across the board. Now don't get me wrong, I think part of this season struggles are just a down year, but it doesn't set a strong precedence for the years to come. 
• Shortstops
• Sammy Figureoa (Austin Son's of Odin - 28 yr old) is still owed another $11.2M next year, but even if the price of shortstops has risen in recent years, you'd expect more value out of a top earner in the league. An OPS below .700 and only 2 plus plates, though he's not making errors either. If this was in the $5-6M range it'd likely be more acceptable league wide. 
• Norberto Martinez (Anaheim Diablos - 31 yr old) signed his 3/$20.2M deal just this past offseason while that's not a truly hefty deal for a defensive shortstop, Martinez's OPS is down below .600 in the awful range. But he is 6-1 on plus/negative plays, however his 15 errors puts him towards the top of the list of errors at Shortstops. 
• Third Basemen
• Juancito Uribe (Seoul Bears - 28 yr old) is signed through S56 at $6.8M per and owner foolsgold hopes the extension the previou owner made wasn't a big mistake. In Colorado he was a .300+ AVG / .880+ OPS hitter but moving with the franchise to Seoul his average has dipped below his 181 lb frame and closing in on half the OPS he hit before. 
• Corky Jones (Austin Son's of Odin - 29 yr old) has another year on the books at the same salary as this year, $6.3M; that's a lot to be paying for a bench player whose played in under 40 games with less than 100 ABs. The OPS is under .650 as well. At least there's no expecting ratings drop coming. 
• Rafael Rodriguez (Oklahoma City Barons - 27 yr old) signed a fresh 5/$37.5M deal so this ink is still somewhat fresh. His defense plays just shy of a SS but should be a plus defender at the hot corner. And perhaps he doesn't belong on this list because of the value he provides at 3B but with an OPS that hovers around .670 he's below average at the plate, quickly approaching being poor quality. That's often acceptable for Shortstops but not a great solution at 3B. The positive thing about his new deal is the $7.5M bonus, meaning the deal is really only $4/24M beyond this season. 
• Left Fielders
• Ernest Collins (Milwaukee Metronomes - 32 yr old) is yet another player having a down year, but when a player of his ability starts to have a down year, his OPS starts to drop and it's currently just a hair above .600; and could easily drop to the Awful range with just one cold spell. He's signed through S56 at $6.1M per, so let's hope he turns it around and maybe finds a way to exclude himself from this list next year. 
• Center Fielders
• Yuniesky Tavarez (Santa Fe Riders VIII - 30 yr old) has the ability to play Shortstop where he'd likely have the opportunity for more plus plays, but he's been shifted to Centerfield, and will likely be so for the remainder of this year and next; but he makes this list because of his $9M salary and his below .600 OPS production. 
• Fergie Barbosa (New York Empire - 34 yr old) is in the final year of his deal and has seen a flicker of his ratings begin to fall; his .651 OPS starts to fall between the Poor and Below Average range but still seems to be keeping catchers on their heels a bit with 26 stolen bases this season. 
• Pinky Salazar (Philadelphia Harpers - 28 yr old) was acquired by Philly this season so we assume they know what they were getting; seems to be your average center field defensively but his .601 career OPS mark leaves a lot to be desired; this season it's down below .550. That's 20 ticks below Awful!
• Right Fielders
• None. As an easy position to fill, there's no surprise there aren't any Fat Cats here. 
• Designated Hitters
• Vic Nova (Colorado Springs From My Loins - 34 yr old) is yet another player having a down year and has multiple years left on his contract; signed through S57 but thankfully after this season it drops down to $5M per. Yes, his age 37 season he will be making $5M. There was no indication this was going to be a down year for Nova; but that .609 OPS proves just how poor of a season it's been so far. 
• Pitchers
• Starters - It's understandable that some teams need a body to fill, and there are anywhere from 128-160 starters at a minimum for each team but what exactly is the value of a back of the rotation arm; which is likely where most of these guys fall. 
• Ray Aaron (Boston Baseball Team - 27 yr old) is being paid nearly $6M for his 1.36 WHIP and 4.53 ERA. And the thing is, that's an improvement upon the previous two seasons in Boston. Next year he's Arb3, so we'll see if he's brought back or not. 
• Albert Torrez (Santa Fe Surf Riders VIII - 31 yr old) is nearly the definition of Fat Cat and just might be the fattest of cats with his $6M salary for this season and next. And sure while he plays half his games in homer happy Sante Fe, that bloated 1.69 WHIP and 7.00 ERA over 19 starts is a tough pill to swallow.  
• Jeimer Escobar (Boston Baseball Team - 32 yr old) is the second Boston starter on this list. I stand by my colleague who said if Boston improved their starting pitching, they might very well be in the chase for a wildcard spot. Much better than the 8 games they are behind now. Escobar's 1.43 WHIP and 5.37 ERA isn't helping the situation. 
• Kolten Pujols (Montreal Fighting Poutine Plates - 33 yr old) it would be expect to see some of the rebuilding team's players on this list and Pujols is no exception. He's not had a WHIP below 1.52 or an ERA below 5.28 the last three seasons. We doubt he finds a home anywhere in the majors next season. 
• Roger Walsh (Austin Son's of Odin - 34 yr old) hasn't faired well since coming to Austin. Signed for 5 seasons at $8.3M per; he spent the first year in AAA. Since the promotion back to the major leagues he just hasn't found his groove; this season he's up to a 1.53 WHIP and 4.38 ERA over 19 starts. That not the output you'd expect for someone making that much money. 
• Rougned Pulido (Pittsburgh Yinzers - 34 yr old) is being paid $9.8M this year and next; but thankfully the Yinzers signed two other starters to help lead their rotation as the Pulido experiment didn't quite work out. He's down to a 1.41 WHIP and 4.82 ERA. Not the worst and likely equal for a back of the rotation arm; but he's being paid like a #1; with only 8 pitchers making more money than he is. 
• Onelki Manuel (Dover Hazmats - 35 yr old)'s ratings have been holding tight for his age, but the production dropped off the face of the planet to the tune of a 1.82 WHIP and 7.71 ERA. If those numbers are going to approach his career numbers you better watch out because he will go on an absolute tear during the second half. He's being paid $15M this year and $16M next. You'd have to trade this writer the #1 overall pick from this season for me to take on the contract of Manuel. 
• Relief Pitchers
• Eric Pennington (Dover Hazmats - 40 yr old) has recently shifted into a starting role, but he's made 20 relief appearances this season but not great results; 2.44 WHIP and a 13.12 ERA. He's still owed $6.3M next season as well. Given the drop in his ratings so far this season, you wonder if his comps will be Rookie level players for S55. He might just very well challenge Torrez for fattest cat. 
• Peter McCarthy (Santa Fe Surf Riders VIII - 36 yr old) is having a good year compared to the previous two, but it's still a 1.43 WHIP and 5.07 ERA. He's yet another player who has been transition into a starting role. But luckily this is the final year of his contract. 

There you have it folks, the Fat Cats of S54!

Testing & Way to early playoff outlook

Catherine Trammell - contributing reporter

In news around the league?

• Fans throughout Cobbfather have been clamoring for more testing in the National League, specifically in Hartford! How does one team already have three players with 30+ home runs at the break. I'll tell you how, Dr James Keggi, MD; the team's physician. His former 'office' is known for their steroid injections to treating inflammation. A quote from the Commissioner's office stated that he "would NEVER approve of drug testing"....or was he talking about the owners? Ah well, you know our commish is too busy drinking coffee and eating timbits at Tim Hortons while watching grown men dance around on ice. Speaking of which, I heard their rinks have curved corners because if they were 90 degrees the ice would melt. I'm no scientist so I don't completely know how that works.  
• Rumors are swirling that Houston Spaceballs Cowboys owner will no longer allow players of the age 30 yrs or older on their team, stating that's already three years past their prime and likes his players young and fresh. Or was he talking about his mistresses? Moving on...
• Down in Atlanta, ekoontz is working a deal to trade himself to Hartford for prospects, but can't seem to get the value he thinks he's worth.  
• After all the bad PR, Vancouver is trying to push the commissioner out and force him to move the team to another city. Word has it, he's considering the Mormon community in Salt Lake City. 
• Some fans have noticed the Santa Fe Surf Rider are at their lowest payroll since S37 as they continue to move money around in an attempt to climb back to the top of the NL South. The potential of a top 5 pick next season would definitely speed up that process. 
• NOOFs fans had hoped for the organization to at last make an attempt to sign first round pick, #33 overall, Irving Benitez but the owner deemed his demands too high for the return of even a Type D pick. 
• Gregor Lopez is rumored to be interested in signing on for one more season if the Bisons do not win the final game of the year. 

With a little less than 70 games remaining, no single team has officially been eliminated from contention but we have a good picture of whose in, whose out, and whose on the cusp. 

• American League
• (1) Atlanta (AL-E) v -bye-
• (4) Helena (AL-W) v (5) New York (WC1)
• (3) Philadelphia (AL-N) v (6) Monterrey (WC2)
• (2) Houston (AL-S) v -bye-
• Just missing out- Minnesota & Colorado Springs.
• National League
• (1) New Orleans (NL-S)
• (4) Oklahoma City v (5) Hartford (WC1)
• (3) Chicago (NL-N) v (6) Buffalo (WC2)
• (2) Pittsburgh (NL-E) v - bye-

Barring injuries, here are our predictions, with winners in bold:

• American League - We don't see much changing in the American League from where they are today. But you guys play hard!
• Play-In
• (1) Atlanta (AL-E) v -bye-
• (4) Helena (AL-W) v (5) New York (WC1)
• (3) Philadelphia (AL-N) v (6) Monterrey (WC2)
• (2) Houston (AL-S) v -bye-
• ALDS
• (1) Atlanta v (5) New York
• (2) Houston v (6) Monterrey
• ALCS
• (1) Atlanta Expos v (2) Houston
• National League - a lot of mix up in the National League. 
• Play-In
• (1) Hartford (NL-S) v - bye-
• (4) Oklahoma City (NL-W) v (5) Chicago (WC1)
• (3) Buffalo (NL-E) v (6) Pittsburg (WC2)
• (2) New Orleans (NL-N) v - bye-
• NLDS
• (1) Hartford v (5) Chicago
• (2) New Orleans v (3) Buffalo
• NLDS
• (1) Hartford v (2) New Orleans
• World Series - A Cobbfather first - Swamp Series
• (2) New Orleans v (2) Houston

All Star Snubs S54

Jack Torrance - contributing reporter

All-star rosters are set, let's take a look at a few players who were snubbed from the game, starting with the American League. Our picks for Season 54 All Stars are in BOLD. All stats are compared to their league only, I didn't note someone leading the entire league. 

Editor note: HBD isn't the best about listing stats by position. It defaults to a player's set main position and doesn't always include where they actually have played. Yovani Bonilla is a perfect example, he's still labeled as a SS on New York's Roster Management; but he's played all but one game at RF. However, when you sort by RF under league leaders; he doesn't appear on the RF list. So while fun to write up, take it with a grain of salt that I didn't overlook someone by accident. 

• AMERICAN LEAGUE
• Catcher
• Chuck Herndon (Atl) - Herndon has filled in nicely for the injured who seems to still have over 100 days left in recovery. His slugging may be down, but that OPS is still riding right around his career norms. He has to be one reason Atlanta is still the top record in Cobbfather. 
• Jordan Taylor (Dov) vs Geoffery Sewell (Minn) - This one is tough, Lee Wood (Dov) has taken a few starts away from Taylor have been playing well though Wood has taken starts away from Taylor. Taylor is slightly better defensively and his power makes up for the slight difference in hits with their batting averages a wash. 
• First Base
• Wei-Yin Wan (Hun) - Get used to seeing this name, this time last season (S53) he was the Futures Game MVP; get ready to see him in many more All Star games to come. He leads the AL in hits and HRs, and 2nd in runs. He'd likely be much higher in RBI if the team around him got on base more often. 
• Vin Prieto (NY) vs Chuck Brinson (Bos) - We have to go Brinson has a SNUB here. His average is higher, has more RBIs and walks. What he lacks in comparison is every chick's favorite, the long ball. Even has less strike outs than Prieto; but Prieto has Brinson in the field, with more plus plays and a higher Ranger Factor; both of which seem to carry a good bit of weight in the all-star balloting. SNUBBED.
• Second Base
• Matty Moss (Atl) - No surprise here, Moss is routinely in the MVP voting at season's end and he continues to produce. Above .300 batting average, over 70 stolen bases and leagues the AL in runs. He's near the top in BB+HBP in the AL too, but given his stolen base total it's crazy to think pitchers are giving him a free base. 
• Al Cervantes (Phi) vs Carlos Soto (Hou) - Cervantes is another player routinely in the MVP voting but a lot of that has been carried by his .330+ batting average which seems to be down this season. None the less it's still above .300 and he seems to be walking more often. Soto on the other hand has similar with more HR, RBIs, and SBs. Cervantes wins in Plus Plays, but Soto in Range Factor. I'll give the nod to the older of the two since he's served at 2B more often and hasn't split time at 1B/LF. Should be a good fight for top AL 2B between these three for the next few years. 
• Shortstop
• Dayan Flores (Mty) - One of the top defensive players in the AL, but not the top. What he does offer above those above him is a batting above higher than his weight. 
• Efren Solis (Hunt) vs Yohan Nova (Hou) vs Jimmie Navarro (Atl) - Solis and Navarro are having very similar seasons though I'd give Solis the edge since he's better defensively. His +/- is +7 compared to -2 for Navarro, with fewer errors as well.  But this is where it gets tricky because Nova has split time around the diamond, playing the majority of games at SS. Given the difference at the plate and they aren't heads and shoulders above him on the field, I'd likely give Nova the nod here and might actually prefer him to start as well. SNUBBED.
• Alan Harris (Ana) - Harris unfortunately gets lost in the shuffle of being traded from the NL to the AL ~30 games ago, and Anaheim has shifted him to 3B. 
• Third Base
• Vince Saarloos (Atl) vs Woodie Yarnall (Bos) vs Chan Ho Jiang (NY) vs Benito Posada (Min) - Posada is the only one who doesn't have 100+ hits but leads them all in HRs and Ks. His OPS falls in line with Jiang but short of the other two. Saarloos appears the best of the bunch with the most XBH so we give him the first nod. The second likely goes with Yarnall with the slightly higher average and home runs over Jiang. 
• Left Field
• Yoervis Colome (NY) - Having a stellar season for the Empire and helping keep them within striking distance of the Expos. He's #2 in HR for AL LF and third in SBs; though perhaps his manager should slow him down a bit as he's been caught 50% of the time. He's number 1 in Runs but that's more about the team around him. 
• Domonic Malone (Dov) vs TJ Christenson (Atl) - The Atlanta police have been on the look out for Christenson for some time now, but nobody seems to know where he went. Sure he's near the top in HR, H, and SBs; but that .242 average hurts. His OPS is only average for AL LFers. Malone on the other hand, who had a down year for New Orleans last year as a role palyer, struggling in every category across the board has tried his best to redeem himself; setting career highs across the board. What a tale of two seasons. We'll gladly give him the nod. Some in Helena are calling for Bronson James but only his HR total stands out, outside of his high K/BB rate. 
• Center Field
• Livan Pascual (Bos) - Speedster of the AL, #3 in SBs with just over 40 and a .285ish batting average. He also has 12 plus plays on the season, so he's providing a ton of value out in the field as well. Seems the obvious lock for the All-star game. 
• Cyrus Sisk (Hun) vs Adam West (Atl) vs Anibal Castillo (Hou) - Sisk is another .280ish hitter with just over 10 HRs, his K/BB rate is slightly unfavorable but he does walk a ton compared to his counterparts. Defensively he's pretty solid and will give Pascual a run for the AL CF Gold Glove. West on the other end, strikes out a tick less but walks about half as much and provides a much lower batting average without providing much more in terms of power. With Castillo, as with every other Corgis that was traded, appears to miss out on the All-Star game; like his former teammate Harris, Castillo also switched leagues which doesn't help his cause. It's a close call but we'll go with Sisk who has been in the AL all season and provides a solid glove for anything hit to deep center. 
• Right Field
• Johnnie Daniels (Atl) - Often overshadowed by his teammates Crain and Moss, Daniels belongs at the top of many batting discussions and surely deserves this spot on the All-star team. 
• Paco Garces (Mty) vs Pedro Alberro (Hel) vs Reymond Balboa (Phi) - Many good names for the backup option in the American League. You could go for speed and average with Alberro or power with Balboa or a combination of power/speed with Paco Garces. Defensively Alberro is likely the best of the bunch but not in enough way to make a big difference. We'd likely go with Garces' SBs and AVG over the additional HR Balboa provides but think we might prefer Alberro's AVG and SBs over Garces' HRs. SNUBBED.
• Designated Hitter
• David Andrus (Mty) - Some might try to use Andrus as a catcher, but he's DH'd nearly 85% of his games played so we'll keep him here. 
• Starting Pitchers
• Arismendy Costilla (CSP) + Zephyr Gross (Atl) + Damaso Ethier (Atl) + Norm Cunningham (Hou) + Joaquin Owen (Phi) + Quilvio Infante (Atl) + Santiago Cora (Mty) - No surprise to see the three Atlanta pitchers on the list, they've had a quality rotation for a few years now. And Costilla is having a fantastic season, hard to believe he's only 32 and been pitching season Season 42, and making anywhere from 37-40 starts a season. Cora is another whose typically on this list, and he's been a little unlucky this season considering his lower OAV and WHIP. Cunningham has been superb for Houston this year, he's currently 9-0 with 12 of 15 quality starts a 2.16 ERA. Any one of these guys would make a great ace to any pitching staff. 
• SNUBBED. - None. Hard to argue with Carlos Concepcion (CSP) but he's been hit harder than the other All-Stars even though he has an AL leading 2.09 ERA. Luckily those walks and hits just haven't turned into runs. Mitch Dillard (Hou) is another, but I wouldn't be surprised to see him on this list next year. Tony Lim (CSP) has turned out quality start after quality start, actually I'd probably take him over Quilvio Infante. 
• Relief Pitchers
• Whit Benoit (Hel) + Darby Hatcher (Hou) + Stephen Ramirez (Atl) + Bruce Saunders (Seo) + Max Blankenship (Mty) + Fautino Salas (Atl) - Ramirez, Saunders, Hatcher and Benoit are all top of the saves list. Blakenship continues to produce, saving 9/10 with a 1.49 ERA, deserting 26 runners on base. Salas could be saving games on just about any other team in the league. 
• SNUBBED. - None, it appears there might be a lack of quality relief pitchers in the American league.

• NATIONAL LEAGUE
• Catcher
• Braulio Guardado (Buf) - Alex Tarraga passed the HR torch to Guardado last season and he hasn't looked back. Hard to argue with a .310+ avg and 30+ HRs at the break. 
• Gregorio Cordero (NO) vs Will Roth (OK) - I'm a little to surprised to see Cordero still on the ballot, especially since he's been on bedrest for the last 10 or so games. Sure he's having a great catching season but Roth is having his own great season in Oklahoma City. Roth actually leads all NL catchers in AVG, H, and RBI. SNUBBED.
• First Base
• Sticky Baez (SJ) vs Yusmeiro Troncoso (Aus) vs Keith Halter (NO) vs Omar Gonzales (Har) - Lots to unpack here and seems the moves from Columbus to New Orleans and Tokyo to Hartford have hurt both Halter and Gonzales in the All-star voting. Baez lags behind both in OPS and SBs. Troncoso's value is purely based on his defensive contributions, bringing in 12 plus plays with 0 errors but he's still 40 points in average to Halter. I'd probably go Halter over O-Zo as the starter give the average and SB difference. DOUBLE SNUBBED.
• Second Base
• Javier Quevedo (NO) vs Shea Crowe (Chi) - Just like last year, Q and Crowe battled it out for the starter gig in the All-Star game; they have separated themselves from the NL pack; no questions they belong. I think the fans got the starter correct as well. 
• Shortstop
• Bruce Sager (Har) - Talk about your night and day difference in Shortstops after the Hartford team moved away from Garabez Belliard and his strikeout records. Sager is having a career year, hitting a tick above .300; well above his previous career high of .268. Many experts will be watching to see what he does in the second half. If he can continue, the Rising Stars will be in a good position. But nobody can question that he belongs in the All-star game this year. Sager has also offered plus defense for the Rising Stars.
• J.O. Avila (Buf) vs Sal Thompson (SFE) - Thompson known around the league for his defense, has a leading 14 plus plays and Fld% at Short. Avila isn't known for his defense, but he's not a liability either. Avila offers the higher average; for the All-Star game I'll take the plus defense coming off the bench over the extra 30 points in average. SNUBBED. 
• Third Base
• Jhonny Rijo (Chi) vs Rip Bromberg (Pit) vs Leonel Martinez (Har) - Rijo and Bromberg are the two you'd expect to see, but Martinez continues to have a stellar season for the Rising Stars. Rip leads the NL in batting average and has improved his game, hitting more XBH than he typically has in the past. Rijo has Martinez in average and OPS but walks less and I'll give him the nod as well; though I expect to see Martinez squeeze from time to time.
• Left Field
• Juancito Martin (NO) - Reigning NL MVP having a down year but he ranks as top left fielder in OPS. If only he got caught less times trying to steal. Even in a down year I think he's proven enough to gain the appearance. 
• Bernie Molina (Har) vs Leury Barcelo (Was) vs Shannon Bunch (Tok) - Molina hasn't been far behind Martin and seems to find a way to increase his batting average each of the last 4 seasons. What Molina does at the top of the order, Barcelo does better middle of the order providing the additional home runs and RBIs. His average might be slightly lower but he tops Molina in OPS. Bunch while I think he belongs in the discussion has been a notch below the other three. We'll go with Barcelo, SNUBBED.
• Center Field
• Bonk Burnett (Har) - Bonk is the clear top center fielder in the NL, hands down. He doesn't strike out much, he brings the power along with a high average. I'll take one of each please. 
• Bey Combs (SJ) vs Francis Jefferson (Buf) - This one is eerily close across the board but we are going with San Juan's bright spot in the season, Combs whose been on the field for more games and slightly 
• Right Field
• Douglas Laxton (NO) vs Brace Lansing (OK) vs Charley Rhymes (VC) vs Geovany Rios (Mon) - Two Americans vs Two Not Americans. Easiest choice I've ever had to write about. It helps that both Laxton and Lansing are by far the better two players but the two Canadians are trying! As far as what they've done so far this season, I'd give the start to Lansing for the similar HR but higher SB total. 
• Starting Pitchers
• Nigel White (Har) + Bennie Swann (NO) + Louis Combs (NO) + Doc Cortes (Pit) + Mike Karsay (Was) + Alton Drew (Chi) + William Thompson (NO) + Rico Bonilla (NO) - Not to surprised to see all 4 of the New Orleans pitchers here as the team leads the NL in ERA, Ws, and Quality Starts. No doubt White will be on the Cy Young list again by the end of the season, and Cortes was a fantastic signing by Pittsburgh. Drew is a usual on this list and having another quality season. Mike Karsay having a great season and is 10-4 with 12 QS. 
• SNUBBED - Gregor Lopez (Buf) is hard to overlook, especially the way he's been pitching since being moved back into the rotation. 9-1 with a 2.16 ERA. Brian Fukudome (Pit) with Pittsburgh was another solid signing and bringing exactly what their owner needed with 16 of 20 quality starts; NL leading. I'd likely take either one over Rico Bonilla of New Orleans who seems to be having a bit of a down year compared to his recent ones at least. 
• Relief Pitchers
• Ronnie Andrews (NO) + Jeff Jones (Por) + Wilmer James (VC) + Seth Buford (Chi) + William Corcoran (Pit) + Dilson Melendez (Chi) - A bunch of the usual saves leaders in Jones, James and Andrews; while Jones has the most I tend to lean towards Andrews more with the lower OAV, WHIP, and ERA the other two. Bufurd is turning out quite a good season for Chicago but he's blown the most saves of them all. At first I question Corcoran, as he doesn't even appear to be a main setup man for his franchise, but looking deeper a 1.03 WHIP, .208 OAV, and he's held 18 inherited runners on base; near top of the NL. 
• SNUBBED - None, I see a few names like Nate Washington (Tok) who is similar to Corcoran, by holding runners but I just can't see myself removing any of the names above. Joe Madson is another but he's not quite above the other relief pitchers playing in the All Star game. Actually I'd likely take Yao-Hsun Higahioka (NO) over Melendez giving his current status as one of the elite setup men who could be saving games elsewhere. 

Draft Recap S54

Gabrielle  O. Alvarez-Tillman - Contributing Reporter.

Yet another draft season in Cobbfather, so let's round up the Rule 4 draft. Most seemed in agreement that it was a great draft year, which helps because it seems to currently be a down IFA season. But we'll see who gets scouted over the next 100 games. Let's dig into it! We'll do the same as last season and add in current ML comps to most players - maybe not all. As a reminder comps are match their projections as closely as possible and not what they may end up like. 

1. Tacoma - Domingo Rodriguez (SP) - After missing out on Donnie Wilson (P) last season the franchise grabs Rodriguez this year with the top overall pick. As an 18 yr old, he'll have a few years before getting to Tacoma, but he's very promising. Potential to have 3 pitches, his 4-seam, Curveball, and Change Up to be rated 75+ and the 4-seam near 90. 70 grade control, velocity, and splits; with them favoring lefties. His only weak point is his inability to keep the ball down, but thankfully playing Tacoma limits triples (-4) and home runs to either field (-2). Tacoma is where he needed to land and he did! As for comps, he's a flyball Radhames Machado as a starter. 

2.  Boston - Octavio Salas (RF) - After selected SP Bubba Kennedy last season at the #3 pick, Boston picks up a solid bat. The two should make a fun cornerstone to watch in Boston as they continue to build back up. He's got power and only bench coaches with a strategy of 2 or less will pitch lefties against him. That said, don't count him out against righties either. He'll strike out about 115 times a season but I could see him joining the 40 HR / 40 SB club, depending on the year and how well his contact develops. His contact will be key! The glove will likely keep him at 1B but could see him as a weak glove option in RF. His comps aren't great but I'd say Chuck Herndon with a slightly worse eye but MUCH better speed and base running. Assuming he can stay healthy and on the field. Let's hope he doesn't have Carlos Correa's doctor on call. 

3. Mexico City - Aneury Polanco (SP) - dakar came in with a purpose last season and he's reaping some of those rewards this draft. Solid control, great versus righties, and a fantastic 4-seasm FB with an ML quality curveball. Pretty solid velocity and should keep the ball on the ground more often than not. Considering his two comps, I suggest a certain owner will make a play for them next season in a trade. I'm getting a Steve Etherton or Damaso Ethier comp here; probably more Ethier than Etherton. 

4. Montreal - Lester Querecuto (SP) - The third starting pitcher off the board early, this one with high stamina and could pitch well into games to give the bullpen a rest if he's really on or make some quick starters to give other starters some rest. He will definitely keep the ball on the ground, Lester hopes he'll have the defense behind him in Canada. Might be the only defense Canada has! There are high schools kids in American who throw faster than Querecuto but it's all about LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION with him. His baseline ML comp this season is Albert Calderone but I expect better things from LQ considering his better control, ability to keep the ball down, and pitch quality.  His ceiling ML comp might be S54 All-Star Louis Combs who has slightly less pitch quality but better splits. 

5. Helena - Bobby "Bull" Durham (SS) - This is a very simple game. You throw the ball, you catch the ball, you hit the ball.  Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, sometime it rains. First Shortstop off the board, and most scouts are not worried about him; those that are have some concerns about the throw across the diamond. Nothing this writer would be too concerned with over the course of a long season. His power is limited (40 grade), but aren't most at his position? With the right coaching his speed should be just enough for 25-30 SBs a season, and maybe 20ish HRs. That comp puts him right around Bernie Molina, S54 All-Star at 2B. He might finish his career at another position, but I'm sure every team would take that production up the middle. 

6. Tacoma - Ernest Page (1B) - Type D pick for Donnie Wilson (P) - What a pairing with SP Rodriguez who went #1 overall. His power is 80, with 75 grade contact and 80 grade versus righties, though he'll struggle greatly against lefties. But what an inning to watch with the game on the line, bottom of the 9th, lefty closer on the mount and Page up to bat. His healthy and durability should keep him on the field with a little rest here and there. The make-up is fantastic, and being 21 he'll be close to ML ready; in fact owner mcandrews has both players at High A already. Should be fun to watch them develop together. My initial thought was an Alex Tarraga comp with the splits switched, but looking a little deeper Johnnie Daniels is likely an easier comp to think about. But Page offers the potential for higher contact, more power, but less skill versus lefties, and will strike out less. 40ish HRs, on a .285-.290 average with less than 60 strike outs in a season. That average might take a hit given his base running ability; I've seen squirrels on skis have better control. Tacoma, hire the best base coach you can!!

7. Austin - Isaac Monroe (CF) - Always fun to see talent come from Hawaii, but considering his defensive ratings, we'll likely see him shifted off CF before long. The makeup isn't great, but hopefully he can still progress to match his projections. Decent power, splits versus righties, and speed, but subpar contact, versus lefties and eye. I believe his comp is 3B DITR Osvaldo Tavarez; who hasn't quite received full time playing time yet for OKC. My bet hedges on Monroe becoming trade fodder within the next two seasons as Austin looks to improve with experienced ML talent. 

8. Anaheim - D.T. "F." Keppel (1B) - Keppel was selected out of High School where he was not only the prom King but dated every popular girl in Mondovi, WI. Speaking of Alex Tarraga earlier, I'd likely use what he's doing this season as his comp. Unfortunately what A.T. was doing two season ago, or even last season would be a bit above D.T.F.'s head. The pessimist might look at Carlos Soto instead and that's not awful; just make slight adjustments in how he handles the splits and imagine Soto with an ankle injury, slowing him WAY down. 

9. Tokyo - Bob McDade (3B) - McDade finally signs with Tokyo and costing them 1.24B Yen. To spend that much money must be a sin! McDade is to mashing lefties as eggs are to hens. He might be one of the slowest players to make it to the majors, can I get an amen?!? A comp has McDade and Jumbo Sakamoto in the same playpen. Given the pricetag and comps, I wonder if Tokyo would make this selection this again? Or rather snag a pitcher for their bullpen.

10. Portland - Domonic Carpenter (SS) - Dom's glove might be a light weak to stick to Shortstop but Portland probably hopes his arm strength and accuracy make up for it. His health should be fine, but he'll tire and need some rest throughout the season, might be a little more than just a defensive replacement late in games. If he meets projections the Carpenter has Vince Saarloos comps all over him, but I don't mean what he's projected to be; I mean what he is today. Still very solid for a shortstop in the league. 

11. Montreal - Albert "Bartho" Clement - Type D pick for Rick Wilkins (CF) - Montreal is challenging Clement right out the gate, throwing him into one of the toughest defensive positions even though he doesn't project to stay there; though he might shift to third one day. Speaking of 3Bs, ABC's comp is Jhonny 'My Parent's Can't Spell' Rijo, but slightly and I mean slightly; and only by a hair better against the splits. 28ish HR with an average all over the place. For those who scouting Ricky 'The Steamboat' Wilkins, you gotta wonder if this ends up being the better pick. 

12. Western Montreal - Eugene Marshall (2B) - EUGENE! He'll be a weak defensive measure at second base but relatively healthy and durability to play an 180 game season. He shouldn't steal much, but then again you wouldn't expect that from a Eugene, especially one that plays in Western Montreal. Definitely the type of guy who picks up your yard after his dog's mess. Let's be done talking about Canada, that's two straight picks. His comp is Vance DeSclafani 'Hani'. 

13. Milwaukee - Orel Acosta (SS) - Took a little extra to sign him (value above the #4 pick), but he signed! It's been a few seasons since we've seen such talent this late into the protected picks. Acosta doesn't stay at Short, and but does he shift to Second? His below average power is not what most see over at 3B. Many scouts will be keeping a close eye on Acosta and Carpenter (#10 pick) as they project very similar, though rightfully so; Carpenter is the better of the two prospects. We'll go with the Vince Saarloos comp with the exception that good ole Orel is a tick below in power and splits, but has a leg up with a better eye. 

14. San Juan - Ralph "Rolls Royce" Ripken (P) - Considering the shift in budgets, San Juan has no interest in signing Ralph "Roy and won't even receive a Type D selection. San Juan can't be happy about that considering the amount of talent in this season's draft; especially when division rival Austin signed their prospect. 

15. Augusta - Greg Sheffield (P) - While Sheffield has enjoyed his visit to the Augusta greens, the same can't be said about Cobb Park. It's pitcher friendly enough, so I'm surprised he didn't want to sign. Or maybe the college education actually means something to Gregory Leonard Sheffield III.

16. Colorado Springs - Chul Shin (1B) - I'd love to have been a fly on the wall when the scouting department sold ownership on Shin. I've seen Rookie ball players who handle righties better than he does or ever will. From time to time you'll see a quality defensive shortstop that still makes the majors; but Chul would be lucky to successfully field a slow roller to first base. His best chance at getting on base is a walk, since he has a decent eye. At best he's Trevor Torres with more power and a better eye. Somehow Torres is on his 4th ML team in just as many years; though in S52 he managed 347 ABs for Helena while they were rebuilding. Torres at least offers an 84 rating in pitch calling. 

Recap: 5 pitchers, 3 first basemen, 1 second baseman, 3 shortstops, 1 third baseman, 2 center fielders, a right fielder. Nice all around, and surprised there wasn't a catcher drafted early. 

As a bonus, let's take a look at a few others who might have some interest:

• #19 Columbus - Rubi Pujols (SP) - A few years ago this guy would have gone within the top 10 easy, the curse has to be broken! With his 70 grade 4-seam FB he handles righties beautifully. He's basically a starting Whit Benoit. Just a few seasons ago, Benoit went #8 overall. Will be fun to look back in 10 seasons to see just how Pujols compares to some of those drafted above him. 
• #23 Huntington - Raimel "Duran" Duran (SP) - Interesting pick from the a club getting close making a solid turn. If managed correctly he could start, but others might put him in the pen. Both have their value, but some Tropic faithful can already imagine Roger Simon starting Game 7 of the World Series, and then Duran Duran finishing out the final few innings. The velocity is lacking, but should make up for it with the quality Curveball and 4-seam that both rate above 80s. 
• #32 Buffalo - Endrys Morris (C) - Our final pick to include and just barely made the initial first round. Buffalo had back to back picks, but this is the better of the two. At 19 yrs old, I imagine by the time he's ready to be called up, Buffalo will let Braulio Guardado walk or trade him away for upgrades elsewhere as they are very similar plays. Morris might never match BG's power, but he'll handle righties MUCH better, in fact likely already handles righties better and has a better eye. Not many good comps, so we'll stick to his potential teammate. 

Most expensive signing: #9 overall to Tokyo- Bob McDade- $9.48M

Let's go prospects, it's nearly your time to shine!!

S54 Midseason Rankings

Richard Castle - contributing reporter

Here we are with another Skynet update. Atlanta's pitching seems to have come around over the last 40 games and notches them ahead of the NOOFs in the power rankings. Houston, who Skynet used to hate; has really hit their stride. I wouldn't be surprised to see them challenge Atlanta and New Orleans for the top spot come the Game 120 ranking updates. Hartford stands firm in their ratings, even though they made quite a few adds to their ML roster and slips a spot to #4. OKC takes a bit of a hit, going from 65/70 ratings to 50/60 this update. If Portland could add some bats, they just might pick up on that 2 game lead OKC has over them. 

On the other side of the rankings, Montreal moves off the bottom and is replaced by Milwaukee. 

By record of the current playoff picture as of this writing:

• 58-22 Atlanta (AL-E)
• 56-24 New Orleans (NL-S)
• 53-27 Houston (AL-S)
• 50-31 Pittsburgh (NL-E)
• 49-31 New York (AL Wildcard 1)
• 49-32 Monterrey (AL Wildcard 2)
• 48-33 Hartford (NL-N)
• 45-35 Chicago & Buffalo (NL Wildcard 1 & 2)
• 43-37 Philadelphia (AL-N)
• 42-39 Oklahoma City (NL-W)
• 41-40 Helena (AL-W)

This writer would love to see a Bayou World Series - Houston v New Orleans.

Good luck the rest of the way!

Meet the Writer(s)

 minihouston - Editor

Thought it was a time for a Meet the Writer(s), I'm sure most don't pay attention to who "writes" these articles but their names all have some sort of reference; most to another fictional writer. 

• Amy Amanda 'Triple A' Allen - Doesn't write often, but often covers the minor leagues. 
• Gabrielle O. Alvarez-Tillman - Covers scouting and mostly known for her Draft Recap posts, but the name is in reference to the Goat curse that owner minihouston brought upon the league the day he joined.  
• Eli Cash - Focuses on the Cobbfather Hall of Fame and is a reference to Owen Wilson's character on The Royal Tenenbaums.
• He is often joined by Jill Bames, who is a reference to Bill James, the baseball writer, historian, and statistician. 
• Jack Torrance - Covers the league's records and is a History Buff, is also in reference to Jack Nicholson's character in The Shining. 
• Jessica Fletcher - Not active as of late, but covers Free Agency and Budgets. She is a reference to Angela Lansbury's character in Murder, She Wrote.
• Richard Castle - Works a lot with Skynet as he covers our power rankings, references Nathan Fillion's character in the TV show Castle. 
• Catherine Trammell - Is our final writer who covers rumors, Meet an Owner, and when teams go on sale. She is a reference to Sharon Stone's character in Pulp Fiction. 

But enough about them, what about behind the scenes? As some may have read, I covered my introduction to HBD and Cobbfather a few seasons ago in a long write-up, recapping my rebuild of the franchise. This now makes my 11th season and have actually enjoyed writing about fictional players and stats as much as, if not more than owning/building a team. Baseball is a random sport, but at times it feels HBD is a bit too random for my likings. There are also a few owners that I chat with routinely about the on goings of Cobbfather, sometimes just to brag about who beat who or to remind some (ahem the commish) how awesome DIAMONDS in the rough are! 

Sidenote: Be sure to message him about your diamonds when you have a chance, and feel free to send him trade offers for them. He's a collector! If I didn't know better, I'd say diamonds are a commish's best friend. 

In between early season losses, and being the nerd that I am; I created a spreadsheet to help me sort through players since I wasn't happy with what the website had to offer. I was also curious if I can find a system to determine the type of players I wanted to build from and what ratings might carry more value. Being fresh to the game I had no clue how speed varied from base running ability or if a player had high contact but low splits what kind of hitter would he be. I also got interested in the history of the league...yes I'm aware how nerdy I am, and no I do not care...and more than just the awards that showed up like MVP or Hall of Fame. And then I noticed the blog and thought I'd contribute with more factual information than funny; leaving that to FW_Kekionga's articles. 

Pulling a few questions from the Commish's article of Meet an Owner, in my free time when I'm not working my real life job in architecture or with my family I'm typically defending the Houston Astros World Series titles against our commish and the Pittsburgh owner and his Chicago Cubs. I also have a big interest in film and board games. Just played Dead of Winter for the first time a few weekends ago and really enjoyed it. 

I've stuck around with Cobbfather because of my friends whom are in it, but also because of all the owners. Overall it's a great group without a ton of drama, minus a few occasions here and there but no world is perfect. And I appreciate that owners tend to stick around from what I've noticed on the forum and other leagues. I think most years, if we lose anybody, it's typically just a single owner; making rollover easy.

My favorite part about building a franchise is the trade market, though I wish HBD made it easier to have conversations; which is one reason why we created the discord though it's rarely active. A lot of the activity is really connecting people together for personal DMs. I'm a big believer that I don't have to "win" every trade; but overall I need to improve the future of my franchise. 1B/LF/RF/DH are tough positions to trade, because they are so easy to fill because the market is typically flooded with both FA and trade options. I think HBD could make some tweaks to how the IFA and Rule 4 draft work; but beggars can't be choosers. 

Of my current roster, I think Juancito Martin is my favorite; partially because of how he fell to me in the draft. I thought for sure he'd go #1 overall to Washington DC, though William Martin is a close second considering how little I paid for him in IFA and how useful he's been in my pen the last few seasons. Pitching aside, the team is still relatively young so I'm interested to see what they do in the next 3-5 seasons. 

The best advice I've heard in Cobbfather is...

5.  Know when to hold ‘em. 

4   Know when to fold ‘em.

3.  Know when to walk away.

2.  Know when to run.

1.  You never know what $132M will buy you when you’re bidding on free agents. There’ll be time enough for trading when Spring Training comes.

That's about it, I'm looking forward to the All-Star game and wrapping up S54. Hoping to get a few more articles out before the season ends. Perhaps one day I'll retire just end up writing the blog. Ha!

S54 Needs

Jack Torrance - contributing reporter

We've brought a new article idea to take a look near mid-season at what each team needs, whether it gets address this season, next, or never is completely up to the owner. Or perhaps the current owner values an Adam Dunn type over Ichiro Suzuki and will put up with the extra easy outs a game. Let's dive into it!

• Anaheim - Relief Pitching. They have one of the better young rated relief pitchers in game, but as a unit this bullpen has blown a league leading amount of save opportunities. If you brought that down to just league average this team would be sitting within a game of first in their division. 
• Atlanta - Budget plan. With 9 players entering their Arb2 years, Atlanta will have some decisions to make if they want to remain mid budget with contributions to IFA or start spending money and keep their current talent. 
• Augusta - Get On Base. The team ranks second to last in OBP, between their low batting average and limited walks it's hard to score runs and win games. Adding some power is a close second need for the team
• Austin - Defense. The team ranks lowest in the league in DER (Defense Efficiency Ratio), meaning they are not making the most use out of balls put in play. It doesn't help that they are top 5 in minus plays. 
• Boston - Front Line Starter. Overall the pitching has been slightly above average, adding that ace or front line starter could be huge. As it stands today, they are playing for that Wildcard #2 slot and only a few games behind Monterrey. 
• Buffalo - Anti-aging pills. Jefferson and Guardado have really stepped it up, but Bison lifers are sad to see the decreases both Alex Tarraga and Gregor Lopez have seen thus far this season. Luckily the rest of the team is relatively young. A close second is resolving their current closer issues as we've seen S52 Fireman of the Year, Jayson Roof struggling; saving only 9 of his 16 chances, and taking 6 Ls this season. 
• Chicago - Fielding Coach. I don't know much about Wayne Weaver, and truth be told I believe he's an average ML fielding coach, but why did he move 3x Gold Glove (S51-53) Shawn Long who has above average ratings everywhere defensively, off Shortstop in favor of Ed Watanabe who falls short of average in glove, arm strength, and his accuracy? Each are still getting regular at-bats so it's not a playing time issue. Or perhaps there were a lot of balls hit to right field and Weaver wanted the best defensive player there. 
• Colorado Springs - Hitting. This team leads the AL West but Skynet has their bats rated at the bottom of the league. Second last in OPS, but least amount of walks and home runs will do that to you. The recent trade was intended to help that, but will it be enough to hold off Helena in the chase for the division title. 
• Columbus - Offseason. After shedding so much money within just days from each other this team just needs the offseason to get here so they can put Step 2 into place in their rebuild/retooling. 
• Dover - Pitching. This team is only 5 games out of first in their division, the entire staff has an ERA 1.65 above league average. Even if they were 0.50 above league average, they'd likely be tied or in the division lead. 
• Hartford - Unearned Runs / Inherited Runners. Call it small sample size, but after acquiring RPs Bonilla and Owen from Columbus, Hartford's IRS% has actually gone up; which still leads the league. They are leading the league in Unearned Runs, come on boys make 'em earn 'em!
• Helena - Patience. Waiting for their right pitch, it's not that their bats have a strikeout problem but could they walk a little more. The team is right there at the top of the AL West, but perhaps with a little more patience at the plate they'd have a little bit of wiggle room ahead of Colorado Springs. 
• Houston - Experience. While the owner has all the experience in the world, the team is fairly young. 18 players on their current Major league roster have a year or less of experience with 9 of them being younger than 25 yrs old. This team definitely has some growth left in them as well. 
• Huntington - Pitching. According to the latest Skynet power rankings their bats can keep up with many of the top teams but they fall short in pitching, specifically their bullpen whose team ERA is 6.17 compared to their starters 4.23. If you fall behind early against them, don't give up hope; there's a good chance you'll come from behind. 
• Mexico City - Better Base Coaches. It's hard to track how many times a player might have been thrown out trying to stretch an extra base, but the Mexico City base coaches must be drinking cervezas on the field. The team has stolen 35 bases and been caught 37 times. You think the 3rd base coach would stop giving his team the steal side. Or is the sign to steal the same as drinking a cerveza. That would make complete sense!
• Milwaukee - Baseball Players. Spoiler alert, but Skynet currently has this Milwaukee team as the lowest rated team in the league. But we suspect long-time owner jbburner knows what he's doing and it's all part of the (evil) plan. 
• Minnesota - Extra Base Hits. This Minnesota team is one of the top in the league in hits, but appears they just can't do so with runners in scoring position as they rank below average in runs. They lead the league and all strippers in the Minnesota area in singles, by nearly 50!
• Montreal - Stop Giving Away Free Outs. This Montreal team leads the league in Strikeouts, doing so an average of 8.2 times a game. Stop swinging at everything thrown your way. And it's not like they have an issue taking walks, they are near league average in that category. 
• New Orleans - Miracle. After losing Cortes in the off-season, the NOOFs replaced him with aging 2x AL Cy Young William Thompson and added high average / power bat Keith Halter at 1B; yet Atlanta is still favored over them. With the Hartford additions, this writer wouldn't be surprised if Hartford is favored as well in a playoff series even if they don't end up finishing with a better record than the NOOFs. Season records don't mean anything in the playoffs. 
• New York - More Injuries to Atlanta. After 11 straight Division Titles, they seem to be on another streak of second place finishes, if it happens again this year that will be 5. Considering Radhames Machado's 5/$78.2M deal, they have no plans to pause and rebuild. 
• Oklahoma City - Quality Starts. Considering the history of the Barons franchise this is a surprise, but they need starting pitchers to give their team a better chance to win. They come in by a large margin with the fewest number of quality starts from their starting rotation which has been spread through 7 players, lead by Jessie Fields who has 2 quality starts in 16 tries. But not bad for a team leading their division.
• Philadelphia - A break. It's seems just yesterday this was a young team who had recently come out of their rebuild, finishing with no less than 98 wins each of the last 4 seasons but this year the are below .500. The all-star break can't come soon enough for Philly. 
• Pittsburgh - Rip Bromberg to stay Healthy. This team is hitting well decently well but if Rip goes down with an injury, he takes the Yinzer's season with him. As a team is top 10, hitting .271 but without Rip the team is exactly league average, .259. They better start carrying Rip every he goes, can't have him stubbing a toe!
• Portland - Hitting. Any kind of hitting will do. Singles, Doubles, Home Runs, I'd probably even take a few extra foul balls down the line. The team has one player hitting above .260 and that's CF Dicky Chang; he's a career .273 hitter, hitting .292 this season. 
• San Juan - Road Fans. Puerto Rico is a really nice place to visit but apparently their fans do not travel well as the team is 17-22 on the road this season. Not the worst in the league, but could easily put them at .500 and within reach of the second wild card slot. They currently stand quite a few games behind the NOOFs in the NL South but still another 90+ games to play this season, anything can happen. The NOOFs are well reminded of blowing a 2-0 lead in a best of 5 series just a few seasons ago against this San Juan club. 
• Santa Fe - Defensive Catcher. You can't fault Santa Fe pitchers for giving up HRs, after all that is what their home field is designed for; but their catcher on the other hand is letting a lot more of those singles stretch out to another base by only catching .197% of base stealers. Now this isn't worst in the league, but when you add in how teams appear to be running A LOT more against Santa Fe than the other teams nearly the bottom of CS% it makes a big difference. Allowing 5 SBs every 4 games on average. Playing in such a hitter's park, you definitely don't want to be allowing so many runners to easily get into scoring position; especially late in the game. 
• Seoul - Hitting. Who needs hitting more than Portland, Seoul. League worst, .233 average. They went from league best last season to worst, but I guess that's what happens when you move out of Colorado and start a rebuild. Was bound to happen. 
• Tacoma - IFA scouts in Afghanistan. The Tacoma team continues to rebuild, signing first round pick and #6 overall Ernest Page along with 7 IFAs, hoping one might turn into a diamond in the rough. Their hope is that Jeff Jose Bazos Bazardo can eventually match what SP Pedro Bazardo is doing for the major league club this season (7-3 through 14 starts with a 1.02 WHIP and 2.26 ERA).
• Tokyo - This AL East visit to end. The team did not travel well, and have 1 game remaining on their stretch to the AL East, going 3-8 over that time period. The Nomo fans sure are missing Omar Gonzales. The team is now 10-16 without him. Luckily they had a stretch in there against Montreal, otherwise it's easily 7-15.
• Vancouver - This one's easy, move out of Canada. Oh and walk more / strike out less. The team leads the league in K/BB and in Free Outs, where they average 8 CS+K a game which means they basically limit themselves to 6 innings a game. Git Gud Canada!
• Washington DC - Good Scouting. After one season above .500 the Country's capital missed being within the top 10 picks during the Rule 4 draft, if the season ended today they'd be the #11 pick next year. Perhaps a few more key moves and they get that top 10 pick after all. 

S54 Expected Wins Standings

 Jack Torrance - contributing reporter

Not something many people take a look at, but here are the overall standings by Expected Win Percentage. Blue are NL teams and red are AL teams. Bold are current division leads. 

• .738 - New Orleans Old Fashioneds
• .690 - Atlanta Expos
• .629 - New York Empire
• .613 - Chicago Gunslingers
• .612 - Monterrey Stoics
• .600 - Hartford Rising Stars
• .590 - Pittsburgh Yinzers
• .585 - Boston Baseball Team
• .583 - Houston Space Cowboys
• .582 - Buffalo Bisons
• .550 - Colorado Springs From My Lions
• .535 - Huntington Tropics
• .532 - Oklahoma City Barons
• .531 - Portland Messiah's
• .482 - Minnesota North Stars
• .479 - Philadelphia Harpers
• .466 - Seoul Bears
• .458 - Anaheim Diablos
• .457 - San Juan Fudds
• .452 - Santa Fe Riders VIII
• .445 - Vancouver Canucks
• .438 - Columbus Corgis
• .432 - Helena Hot Dogs
• .422 - Augusta Alcoholics
• .408 - Dover Hazmats
• .406 - Tacoma Aroma
• .398 - Mexico City Staring Frogs
• .394 - Washington D.C. Nations
• .385 - Tokyo Nomo
• .375 - Austin Son's of Odin
• .372 - Milwaukee Metronomes
• .360 - Montreal Fighting Poutine Plates

How They Were Built! - Hartford Rising Stars S54

  Jessica Fletcher - contributing reporter

This series seems to be a little few and far between due to the time it takes to put it together but always fun to take a look at how a team was built. With the recent acquisitions this season, let's take a look at one of the NL contenders coming out of the NL North, the Hartford Rising Stars...who at some point will likely become aging stars, but not this season. After beating Pittsburgh in the NL Wild Card round, they lost the NLDS to Buffalo who would eventually go on to win the S53 NL Pennant; so they were close but not quite at the top of their game. It is year 6 of jverrier85's ownership with the team. And the franchise fans are thankful for that as prior to him taking over the team had only finished above 3rd place in the division just once in the 14 years prior and 4 other owners - with the one he bought the franchise from being a one and done.

The team currently leads the league in HR, BB, AVG, and OPS; and own an 85 run differential over the first 62 games of the season. 

• Finances - They come in as the 9th highest payroll in the league this year, but thankfully they've received quite a bit of money in trades from Columbus and Tokyo. They are also have a slightly above average coaching payroll.   
• The Good (starters as of writing) 
•  Bernie Molina (2B) - Trade S49 - Sent veterans Doug Cornelius, Brooks Bonilla, +$1M to the Columbus Corgis for rookie Bernie Molina and RF prospect Neo Lecuona. Well worth it for Columbus has this was the start of 4 straight division titles and a huge part of the rebuild for Hartford. 
• Tom Hines (LF) - Trade S50 - Sent prospects Charley Roberts, Jody Guthrie, and Rolando DeRojas to the Anaheim Diablos for Bonk Burnett and prospect Tom Hines. Probably not quite the return Anaheim had hoped for, this deal looks great for Hartford. 
• Omar Gonzales (1B) - Trade S54 - Tokyo put Gonzales on the market early in the pre-season and many offers were sent from all the playoff contenders around the league but he held firm to his high demands. In the end, out of nowhere Tokyo ends up selling Omar plus $3M to Hartford for a lesser version of himself in Spud Campbell. Solid deal for Hartford again, not quite sure about Tokyo's side of the deal. 
• Bonk Burnett (CF) - Trade S50 - Acquired with Tom Hines, see above.
• Jermile Frandsen (RF) vL - Rule 4 S50 - Picked up with the #72 pick overall in the second round. Fantastic platoon pick, 41 contact, 100 power, 91 vL, and 87 eye. 
• Noe Lecuona (RF) vR - Trade S49 - Acquired with Bernie Molina, see above.
• Shane Malone (C) vL - Rule 4 S45 - Supplemental pick in Round 1 at pick #53 after losing Kenny Mann, a player they had picked up earlier that season in hopes for another playoff run (from the New Orleans franchise). 
• Marvin Johnson (C) vR - Trade S49 - Prospect flip with Buffalo for closer prospect Jayson Roof, who won S52 NL Fireman of the Year.
• Leonel Martinez (3B) - IFA S51 $24.9M - In the middle of a great sophomore season.
• Bruce Sager (SS) - FA S54 3/$19.5M - Rumor has it, it wasn't until after reading some of the advanced sabermetrics articles of the blog that the Hartford owner moved on from strike out king, Garabez Belliard - who owns the top 3 most Ks in a season and decided to grab someone with a MUCH better eye.
• The Bad (bench)
•  Warren Cobb (2B) - Rule 4 S51 with the 4th overall pick
• Jose Ontiveros (CF) - Rule 4 S49 with the 39th overall pick after losing Cutter Brantley to Santa Fe that previous off-season. 
• Albert Barcelo (SS) - IFA S51 S1.8M
• The Ugly (injuries)
• Trey Scharein (SP) - Rule 4 DITR S39 with the #426 overall pick in the 13th round.
• The Mound
•  Nigel White (SP1) - FA S53 - max deal - 5/$110M
• Avisail Mujica (SP2) - Trade S49 - Sending prospects Rocky Steenstra (who they had acquired from DC just a year prior) and Harold Eiland (who like Steenstra had been acquired from Montreal the year prior). Solid quick turn around for Hartford on this one. 
• Max Abreu (SP3) - FA S54 - 2/$14M
• Joe Madson (SP4)  - Trade S48 - With the Atlanta Expos, sending Gabby Lunsford and Bruce Latham. As expected both players were flipped by the Expos in other trades. 
• Victor Ortega (SP5) - Trade S54 - Sending prospect Omar Villano to the New Orleans franchise, who later flipped him to the Expos for their own SP upgrade. 
• Brooks Bonilla (SuA) - Trade S54 - After trading him in S49, he was reacquired in the Corgis fire sell this season, send Alberto Lopez and Boots Blake for the setup man. This literally came down to whoever sent the Corgis the first offer for them to clear future salary. 
• Marcos Owen (SuA) - Trade S54 - Made the same time as the Bonilla deal, and like the that one it was likely first come first serve for the Corgis bullpen. This one had Felipe Teheran and prospect Kendrys Espinoza heading back to Columbus. $5M was also sent to Hartford to cover Owen's contract for this season. 
• Gabriel Quixote (LRA) - Trade S53 - Another deal with the other top team in the NL, the New Orleans Old Fashioneds; this one saw Hartford sending 2B Domonic Malone (would later become a FA) for Quixote and Rafael Ciriaco.
• Gabe Brown (LRB) - Rule 4 S49 #56 pick after losing __ to the __ in FA.
• Ichiro Suzuki (SuB) - Rule 4 S48 #49 pick after losing Vladimir Gonzalez to the Washington DC in FA. 
• Pat Johjima (SuB) - IFA S42 $7.2M
• Rafael Ciriaco (SuB) - Trade53 - Acquired with Gabriel Quixote, see above.

Running total - for this purpose we will note how the player was first acquired by the team. List does not list current prospects, only the ML roster. 

• 3 players acquired via Free Agency
• 7 players acquired via Rule 4 Draft
• 0 players acquired via Rule 5 Draft
• 3 players acquired via International Free Agency
• 13 players acquired via Trade. 
• 0 players claimed of Waivers

Good luck Hartford!