PVBL: Montreal Royals
EL Wild Card Analysis
August 5, 1999
McCoy Division          W   L   Pct.    GB
Motor City Madmen      63  45   .583    .0
New Diggens Bud Frogs  63  45   .583    .0
Mississauga MapleDogs  60  47   .561   2.5
Montreal Royals        61  48   .560   2.5
Ann Arbor AllKnighers  59  48   .551   3.5


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ANN ARBOR: The offense and pitching is each having its own problems in Ann Arbor. Two consecutive 2-1 losses to the Kamloops Bears has killed much of the optimism in this young team.

The AllKnighters do not matchup to the depth of teams such as Montreal, Mississauga and Deadwood, but their advantage is that they play in a weak division. Tony Phillips has been a great addition to the team since coming over from the Montreal Royals, but GM Kennedy will have to address the matter of depth further. Rumour has it the AllKnighters are looking to deal Mike Balwin or Dario Veras.

Kennedy is hoping the rotation of Martinez, Sanders, Wells, Wilson and Perez can carry his team. Fortunately, the team has not suffered any serious injuries, but a key injury could but them out of the race.

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MOTOR CITY: After a sluggish start to the season, Motor City is now neck-and-neck with New Diggens. With a lineup consisting of 5 players who have more than 20 home runs, we all knew it was only a matter of time before they would be in the middle of the pennant race.

Other than John Smoltz, Bill Crouch has been the most important member of the pitching staff. While his ERA is unimpressive, he has come out big in the save situations. Their rotation has been reasonably solid all year long, but the franchise is in desperate need a solid middle reliever. The Madmen cannot on the bench for offense, either.

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MISSISSAUGA: Clearly the Maple Dogs are a strong team, but are probably the underdogs in the Kirk Division simply because they haven't found the winning touch yet.

Edgar Martinez has been the most important addition to this team, joining the dynamic duo of Manny Raminez and Reggie Jefferson. All three Kirk division teams have excellent outfields, so the big test may be to see which one comes out on top.

With the injury Dave Nilsson, though, the Maple Dogs do not have a solid catcher. GM Gouldson has put together a surprisingly resilient bullpen, headed by Eric Plunk, Dan Plesac and the 40-year old Dave Stieb. The performance of Steve Traschel, Kevin Brown and Curt Schilling down the stretch will determine the team's success in the pennant race.
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NEW DIGGENS: Barry Bonds and Barry Bonds. Right now, Bonds is surely the top MVP candidate. Gary Schilling and Omar Vizquel were obviously key additions to this team, but New Diggens wouldn't be in this race without Barry Bonds.

The Frogs' offense isn't terribly strong, but it is very well-rounded: speed, power and hitting for average. While the loss of Vizcaino could hurt them in the long run, they have a high-quality bench in David Segui, Al Martin and Mickey Tettleton. The team's strength, of course, is its starting rotation, right now probably the best of the Wild Card teams. There is no ace, but every pitcher is a quality starter. John Smiley and Reggie Jose are the real surprises. I see no holes in this team, and is the top candidate to come out on top in the Kirk Division.
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DEADWOOD: The Outlaws were favourites at the beginning of the year, but no longer. They have a talented team, but no real leader. GM Philip Raisor has tried to shuffle up the team through trades, but so far the team hasn't been shaken up yet.

Power isn't a concern for the Outlaws, who have 7 players en route to a 20-home run season. Not only that, but 4 regulars are hitting over .300. But pitching has plagued Deadwood all year long. Raisor has used more than 20 different pitchers over the course of the season. The additions of Todd Stottlemyre and Randy Myers were crucial, but there are problems in this pitching staff that can't be solved with a few trades.

If Deadwood is to maintain its lead in the McCoy division, Greg Maddux will have to show his Cy Young form and the other pitching veterans will have to step up a notch.

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MONTREAL: The trade for Armando Reynoso may finally be the last piece to the puzzle. The Royals are clearly the most well-rounded team in the Wild Card race. The relief is very thin, and will be a concern if Bill Simas tires out. Jose Mesa has yet to prove he can come up big in key appearances.

The rotation is very much a-la-New Diggens: a mix of young and old, and some key overachievers: Rheal Cormier and Kirk Rueter.

The addition of Frank Thomas was important for the power the Royals sorely lacked. Thomas's home run production has dropped since coming to Montreal, but instead he has caused the rest of the team to pick up the home run hitting. Reese, Greer, White and Gaetti have been driving the past the fenses over the past 2 weeks.

If Gary Gaetti and Danny Tartabull can continue to stay hot, the Outlaws will have much to fear.

--written by Peter Carbonetto