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PVBL: Washington Sea Dogs
EL Preview
April 12, 1999
Anchorage Abominations
They say they're better. They look better. Are they good enough?
Lineup:
Miguel Cairo leads off; he's got good speed. Garrett Anderson is a solid
#2 hitter, Cirillo is one of the premier #3 hitters in the league.
Greg Vaughn and Karros are a little short on contact, but Vaughn's a
former home run champ. It sorta fizzles a little after Karros; Santangelo
and Alou don't really have good power but they're solid otherwise.
Lieberthal and Grudzielanek end it off well. Not sure why they're not
playing O'Neill, but I'll accept it.
Weiner's rating: B. It's not a bad lineup, but other than Cirillo, no
big power/average guy and no great leadoff man; very solid though.
Weiner's lineup: Grudzielanek, Anderson, Cirillo, Vaughn, Karros,
Santangelo, Lieberthal, Alou, Cairo. The BEST leadoff man is Vizquel, but
we won't get into that.
Rotation:
With continued problems here, they're still some distance away.
Bret Tomko: No problems with Tomko, however. Solid arm, good control,
throws two pitches with excellence.
Mike Bottenfield: Has a great arm, but no great pitch and very little
control. Looks like a solid prospect, but may be a couple years away from
being really good.
Felipe Lira: Goodd ratings, solid fastball, reasonable side pitches.
Very much above-average, but not a star.
Will Vanlandingham: Another solid ratings guy; doesn't have great pitches
though. Also a solid fastball, but that's about all he's got.
Scott Karl: The true #2 starter of the staff, Karl has great control to
go with two solid pitches. His arm is a little weak, but he makes up for
it with good endurance.
Weiner's rating: B-. I can't see any of these guys being worth more than
a #3 starter, save maybe Karl and Tomko. Not bad, however.
Weiner's rotation: Tomko/Karl/Lira/Vanlandingham/Wengert. Wait a year on
Bottenfield.
Bullpen:
It's a little thin the way he's got it, but all the pitchers are quality.
Guardado's a good closer, Holtz and Service are good setup guys. Could
actually benefit from another guy; there's no reason for Bill Costello on
the major-league roster and he's got Telgheder just languishing.
Weiner's rating: B+. A very solid-looking pen that would get higher
ratings with another solid guy.
Weiner's pen: long: Bottenfield, middle: Wagner, Telgheder, setup:
Holtz, Service, closer: Guardado.
Bench/Farm:
Actually a very, very good hitting bench now, with Tettleton and
Disarcina, Alicea and Paul O'Neill. Backups everywhere on the field, good
minor-league hitting bench. The pitching bench is a little scarce, but
Telgheder's a good emergency starter. The farm is miserable, with only
the guys in the majors like Cairo and Garrett Anderson really having a
great deal of promise, but the pitching staff is young.
GM/Player Ops:
This could be worse, it wasn't a great job last year. Added Cirillo,
Grudzielanek, Santangelo, Cairo, Bottenfield, subtracted Lance Johnson,
Vizquel, Sheffield, Colbrunn, Villone, Key. Which is to say that he
dumped a very solid bunch of guys for a seemingly less solid bunch of
guys.
Overall: B. I don't think he has a chance at the playoffs, but I do
think he's improved somewhat by default and aging of the youth. It's a
little unreasonable in his division to expect a .500 record.
=======================================================================
Ann Arbor All-Knighters
Ooooh, very clever. And nice trick on moving that Walker guy up a notch.
Lineup:
Eric Young's still a premier leadoff guy, McCracken's a solid, speedy #2.
Larry Walker is, well, he's maybe the best all-around player in the league
now. Stahoviak is a solid power guy, but the lineup sorta fizzles after
him and Mike MacFarlane, having Will Clark, MacFarlane, Lawton and Shane
Andrews. Desi Relaford's decent at short.
Weiner's rating: B+. I like the front five - if it includes MacFarlane
- but I'm not really big on the back four. If they can pick up another
bat down there, it can really escalate.
Rotation:
A reason for living...a reason for giving...a damn.
Pedro Martinez: Simply one of the top 5 ratings pitchers in the league,
Martinez does it all well. Just incredibly tough.
David Wells: Always puts up solid numbers with solid ratings. A good
lefty with good pitches.
Scott Sanders: Good thing they dragged him out of the pen. Sanders is
one of the premier pitchers in this league, overcoming a lack of endurance
to shine very brightly.
Sterling Hitchock: Not a favorite of mine, but does have four pitches,
one very strong one. Decent ratings, nice starter.
Paul Wilson: Was a good starter until spring training. Still good, but
could be spectacular. Very good ratings, mediocre pitches.
Weiner's rating: A. I don't hand out too many rotation As, but this
fits.
Bullpen:
Somewhat of an achilles heel, the pen isn't really solid in the slightest.
Those who have ratings, like Jeff Granger and Dan Miceli, generally have
poor pitches. Some of those who don't have ratings don't have pitches
either. It's a pretty ineffective pen.
Weiner's rating: C+. I don't think it's any worse than this, but it'll
cost 'em some games.
Weiner's bullpen: Depends. Is he gonna contend? Then he should bring up
Mike Walker, and; long: Miceli, Robinson, middle: Walker, Veras, setup:
Thornton, closer: Colon.
Bench/Farm:
If he had a pitching bench, he'd have a bullpen. Hitting bench fields,
but it doesn't hit, so he's in real trouble if any injuries strike. No
real prospects to speak of, not very strong there. If he starts to
falter, he's in deep trouble.
GM/Player Ops:
Other than the acquisition of Hitchcock for Michael Tucker, a good move
for both sides, not much happening. His best move wasn't really his -
Walker's improvement.
Weiner's rating: C.
Overall: B+/B. I'm hesistant, despite the good rotation, to put them any
higher than that. If they could get some arms, they'd be in great shape,
but it would have to be at the cost of something. If his pen comes
together all by itself, by magic, he can win the division.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Galena Hamsters
Matt, Matt, he's our man, if he can't do it...some of us will be
relieved. :P
Lineup:
It's not like his lineup took a major hit or anything...he just lost Dave
Nilsson. Lofton is still a premier leadoff guy. The rapidly-improving
Castillo is becoming a very solid player; he's decent now. Bernie
Williams and Chipper Jones isn't quite as potent as Jones and Jefferson
were, but no gripes here. Grieve is a solid #5; Butler's not ready yet
but the rest are solid. Still very fast, very good team.
Weiner's rating: B+. It was an A last year with Nilsson, but no longer.
Weiner's lineup: Sure. I don't see any problems with this.
Rotation:
Part of the team is still magnificent.
Kevin Appier: Still one of the league's best pitchers, Appier is
actually getting better. Very solid ratings combined with some of the
best pitch ratings around.
Darryl Kile: Can't argue with Kile, another guy who's got it all. Very
good pitches adorn an extremely powerful arm and solid control.
Jeremi Gonzalez: Change the name, MAtt...:P Fantastic ratings combined
with very strong pitches make Gonzalez an A-1 pitcher, soon to join the
ranks of the elite.
Carl Pavano: A nice draft-day take, Pavano has good ratings and good
pitches, but isn't great yet.
Louie Morgan: Still doesn't have enough control, pitches or anything else
to be a solid starter, but sill be okay.
Weiner's rating: B+/A-. This is a truly great rating for a staff that
has two completely unproven starters, but I have enough faith in Pavano
that I'm willing to overlook the lack of faith I have in Morgan. This is
an A rotation with Tennessee Jones.
Weiner's rotation: Kile/Appier/Gonzalez/Jones/Pavano
Bullpen:
A slight problem until you consider that Jones is going to be in there.
But he's got literally no pitching bench. Though the guys he has up there
now are pretty spectacular. I still steam about the fact that they didn't
take Tennessee Jones off his hands in the first year.
Weiner's rating: A-. Minus for depth.
Weiner's pen: long: Morgan, middle: Adams, McElroy, setup: Bielecki,
Slocumb, closer: Jackson
Bench/Farm:
He has absolutely no pitching bench to speak of unless you consider Terry
Adams, or Jason Bere to be potential starters. Hitting bench is mediocre
at best; it's defensively sound but offensively nasty. FArm is one of the
best in the majors; I won't even bother listing all the prospects because
it's exhaustive.
GM/Player Ops:
Well, he won the World Series, didn't he?:)
He didn't do much, but I really question letting Jaime Navarro go. Even
if he's got three strong starters, he's still not in great shape
depthwise. Getting Chipper was good; it gives him his first real
mega-power hitter, but the Jefferson deal looks like a potentially large
mistake.
Weiner's rating: B.
Overall: A-. The Empire's taken a serious hit, but it's not like
they can't pick themselves up a little bit anyway. They've got a real
shot at winning the division title again, with perhaps Macon their only
true opponent.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Macon Whoopie
The ride is thrilling, so let the fun begin.
Lineup:
OK, lemme get this straight. On a team that has most of their players in
the 50s in contact, they're leading off 39 contact Luis Melter? Eh?
Gumbert's a sucky #2, Jackson's a lousy #3...did he really make this
lineup? This is just awful.
Weiner's lineup:
Lankford/Bichette/Gilkey/Vaughn/Sprague/Jackson/Hammonds/Johnson/Melter
Weiner's rating of Weiner's lineup: B+. Needed Jeter bigtime.
Note: And NO, it is NOT much better with Gumbert up there.
Rotation:
Dixie Easton? Uh...what's going on here?
Mike Mussina: Just basically a stud. Mussina combines good arm strength
with great control and excellent pitch ratings, much like...
Bobby Jones: Bobby Jones, who has better raw ratings - if not by much -
and very similar strong pitch ratings. Worse endurance though.
Chuck Nagy: Much less arm strength on Nagy, but good control and
excellent endurance. Decent pitches make him a perfect #3.
Dixie Easton: I can think of about five pitchers on his team I'd rather
see start than the man from Mississippi, but sure. Terrible pitches adorn
good ratings, and if he can't throw it by 'em, he can't win.
Ben Jones: Mediocre endurance, but he's a good arm. Very good pitches
too.
Weiner's rotation: Mussina/Jones/Nagy/Jones/Wasdin. There's no reason a
potential contender should have a guy like Easton in the rotation.
Weiner's rating: A-/B+. The front two are fantastic, the rest are good.
Bullpen:
Well, if you put Easton in the long relief spot, it starts to look like an
OK pen. I don't think Easton's gonna be consistent, but if he's in long
relief with Castillo it may not matter. I'd rather see Bob Wickman up
over Cal Maduro, who's just a one-pitch guy right now.
Weiner's rating: B/B+. I'm not thrilled with this pen, which doesn't
have a lot of good pitchers, if it has a lot of good arms.
Weiner's pen: long: Easton/Roberts; middle: Wickman/Castillo, setup:
Ayala, Radinsky, closer: Beck
Farm/Bench:
Their bench is OK; Marrero's a premier backup catcher, Erstad's starting
now, but for these purposes he's bench. Pitching bench is blegh; a couple
more tools guys down there but not much. Farm is fairly good; Erstad,
Marrero, Booger are all quality, though Luis Melter is starting to look a
little less like an impact player. Ray Heise is a guy who looks like a
pitcher if nothing else.
GM/Player Ops:
Here's one failing grade. If you think about him dealing Konerko and
Jeter for Lankford and Sprague, you've gotta toss a few cookies. He
upgraded his pen a little bit, but that's a franchise-wrecking deal. If
you're going to contend, for Pete's sake, why trade a top three shortstop
and leave Luis Melter there?
Weiner's rating: F. Blew what was an awesome-looking franchise in favor
of an above-average one.
Overall: B+. If he doesn't continue to trade himself out of his players,
and learns something about strategy, he MIGHT have a shot at the division,
even as soon as this year. But as for now...forgetaboutit.
==========================================================================
Truro Bears
It's the Truro Construction Company. Too bad all he's got is groundwork.
Lineup:
Allensworth leading off? Uh, sure. Morandini looks a little better than
last year somehow, Gibson and Dye are both major-league hitters. From
there, no contact until Naehring at the #9 spot - which is way out of
position.
Weiner's rating: C. If you don't believe me, take a look at the rest of
the league.
Weiner's lineup:
Morandini/Allensworth/Gibson/Dye/Brumfield/Naehring/Bubba/Snopek/Haselman
Rotation:
Simply put, Colon's more than a waste in long relief. He's a crying
shame.
Frank Castillo: Remember when he was the Cubs' ace? Castillo combines
solid pitches with good control, but he's not much of an ace.
Armando Reynoso: Bad ratings, great pitches. Can be good or bad, but not
both.
Steve Karsay: The true ace of the staff, Karsay combines good raw ratings
with very good pitches. He might be the most improved on the staff.
Phil Vaughn: Huh??? It's enough that Vaughn's in the majors over Julio
Santana - well, that's an overstatement, but there are better rotation
candidates. Good raw ratings though, pitches fair.
Orel Hersheiser: Solid waste of a major-league roster spot. Poor pitches
adorning bad arm strength and fair endurance and control.
Weiner's rating: F+. The worst rotation I've ever seen.
Weiner's rotation: Karsay/Colon/Noel/Santana/Telemaco. Without bringing
anyone up, you get to see what your youth does against everyone else.
Bullpen:
If I'm confused about what Santana's doing out of the rotation, I'm
baffled what he's doing out of the pen. He's clearly better than, say,
Doug Bochtler. If we use my rotation, the pen looks downright dominating,
by the way...'cause guys like Castillo and Reynoso would make dominating
relievers.
Weiner's rating: B+. That's MY pen, not his.
Weiner's pen: long: Getzien, Johnson; middle: Piscotta, Reynoso;
setup: Castillo, Bochtler; closer: Jacobs/Vaughn
Farm/Bench:
NOW we get to the point. This guy's farm is very strong, with guys like
Derrick Gibson, Jermaine Dye, Tony Birdsall, Angel Kaat, Ryan George...
with one continuing theme. Outfield. He needs to swap some of these guys
for a real shortstop, or convert one. Kevin Rondon isn't a bad 2B
prospect. Pitching side, there's Colon, Noel, Santana, Tom Foutz...and
the guys I've listed on both sides is just scratching the surface.
The bench is spectacular 'cause the team is so bad.
GM/Player Ops:
Godawful. I see that Scott Erickson and Steve Avery are gone, and what
did he get for 'em? More outfielders. Completely missed the boat
franchise-wise, if not value-wise. Draft picks were good; he's got a real
shot at having a nice team soon. He gets a good pick this year, and,
well...he's gonna be especially happy with his pick next year.
Overall: D. They're the worst team in the entire PVBL the way I see it.
But not the worst franchise, by any means, and they have a future.
Projected records for the Spock:
Galena 97-65
Macon 87-75 (better than this, but ...)
Ann Arbor 76-86
Anchorage 72-90
Truro 55-107
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
McCoy Division
--------------
Deadwood Outlaws
Does it occur to you that the incumbent stands to win the division 80% of
the time? Not in this one.
Lineup:
Just simply one of the best pure hitting lineups in the league. Robby
Alomar's a great leadoff guy, Finley's a very good #2. Caminiti, Palmeiro
and Davis make up an excellent middle - if one out of order. Fryman,
Fullmer, Stanley, and - didn't expect him - Newson finish it off
powerfully.
Weiner's rating: A. And he isn't even using all his weapons.
Rotation:
Skepticism abound - but not about the first three.
Scott Erickson: I said it last year and I'll say it again - he's a guy
I'd build a team around. Just basically one of the three or four best
pitchers around.
Jeff Fassero: Very good ratings, solid pitches. A very, very solid #2.
Alan Benes: Surprised me last year with a solid season. Isn't sneaking
up on anyone this season; good raw ratings adorned with improved pitches.
Jose Rijo: I think Rijo's raw ratings are pretty okay, and if you look at
Armando Reynoso, that should give you an idea of my strategy. Pitches are
a little weak though.
Paul Spoljaric: He said he pitched well, but I just can't see it. Poor
endurance for a starter, equally poor pitches, but solid raws. Good arm.
Weiner's rating: B+. I'm not convinced on Rijo or Spoljaric, but if
they're just okay, this should be a good one.
Weiner's rotation: Erickson/Fassero/Benes/Leiter/Rijo
Bullpen:
This pen leaves something to be desired. Al Leiter can be an OK starter,
but in the pen he's a mess. Lots of mediocre mixed-bag type of arms,
nothing really solid here. Needs arms. If he's willing to forgo a lefty,
Steve Reed is clearly better than Mark Clark.
Weiner's rating: B-.
Weiner's pen: long: Moyer, Leskanic; middle: Spoljaric, Clontz; setup:
Gill, Steve Reed; closer: Taylor
Farm/Bench:
When you have guys like Rich Amaral, Julio Franco, Brad Fullmer and Dave
Segui to fill in, you're in good shape. It's a very strong hitting team.
The pitching bench isn't really great; if it was, the pen would be better.
They have absolutely no farm. None. Benes and Fullmer is about it.
GM/Player Ops:
Screwed with their pitching staff a whole lot last year, dealing Clemens
and Randy Johnson away, and that's not really good...though they do have
an infinitely better pen to show for it. They also had Bartolo Colon...
it's not a great job, honestly, but it's acceptable. I do think they
improved.
Weiner's rating: B.
Overall: B+. It's the same rating, but differently distributed. With a
much better pen this season, they've gotta be a solid candidate to win
the division.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Edmonton Oil Kings
"Oh, see now, I've cut off your arms!"
"'Tis only a scratch."
Lineup:
Sort of a tricky lineup. Cora can lead off, sure. Garciaparra's a great
shortstop, Clark/Samon/Hundley have a lot of power, but not a helluva lot
of contact. Cruz, Guerrero, Floyd and Orie end it off without a bad
hitter among them. Solid lineup, but not spectacular.
Weiner's rating: B+. Lots of power, not lots of contact but just enough
for the plus.
Weiner's lineup: Vlad/Nomar/Clark/Salmon/Hundley/Cruz/Orie/Cora/Floyd
Rotation:
Finley-tuned rotation.
Chuck Finley: Memories...:) His ratings are deceptive, because his
pitches are so good his ratings could be awful. Great endurance.
Pete Schourek: He's better than he's ever actually performed. Schourek
has very solid ratings combined with solid pitches; endurance is a little
weak but not enough to make a serious difference.
Jose Rosado: Rare enough to have three legitimate lefties in a rotation,
these three are really something. Rosado has excellent pitches with good
arm strength and excellent control, and just 21.
Jason Dickson: Looks like a good pitcher. Has good pitches, average AS,
good control, very good endurance. A fine guy to have at #4.
Kevin Foster: Maybe the biggest surprise last year. Foster has pretty
okay pitches to go with subpar arm strength and endurance, but solid
control. Won 13 games last year, somehow.
Weiner's rating: B+. BIG improvement over last season.
Weiner's rotation: Same. If it's Foster or Kenny Rogers, then who cares?
Bullpen:
If they're lucky, their pen will be great. Else, it's good. I'd REALLY
like to see Jay Powell up over Mitch Williams or at least Tim Wakefield.
Helps a little that they have a top-3 closer in Wohlers too, who never
goes bad in this league.
Weiner's rating: A-. I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt.
Weiner's pen: long: Blair; middle: Powell, Cordova; setup: Fetters,
Rogers; closer: Wohlers
Farm/Bench:
The farm is the big reason why this is very likely the team of the future
in this division. Most of the players in their lineup along with Gene
Erickson are very solid-looking prospects, though their minor-league
system is a little weak. Pitching prospects...well, most of their
pitchers are older or past prospect status, but Rich Garces and Jose
Rosado have the potential to turn into two of the best pitchers in
baseball.
Bench is solid, and they should really have Barnowski up over Frascatore
or something. Pitching bench is actually pretty good, but if the starters
go down there's a real problem.
GM/Player Ops:
He subtracted Mickey Kelly and Mike Baldwin for Chuck Finley and, though I
don't know how, added Pete Schourek. Which looks to me like an extremely
good job, since he sured up his pitching despite the obviously high cost
of Mickey Kelly.
Weiner's rating: A. He filled his holes.
Overall: B+. A solid team on all counts, Edmonton has to be considered a
contender in the McCoy again. In a couple years, they could really take
control of the division.
========================================================================
Hartford Whalers
Two words: Hartford's back.
Lineup:
Socks and Kendall make a nice 1-2, though I think they're backwards.
Reggie Sanders always plays better than his ratings. Williams and Buhner
provide a solid 4-5. Riggs, Abbott and Hoiles provide power from the
bottom of the order, and Stynes is a decent speed guy at the bottom.
Weiner's rating: B+. Not speedy, but powerful. See my lineup for the
plus.
Weiner's lineup:
Kendall/Socks/Reggie/Williams/McGriff+/Buhner/Hoiles/Riggs/Abbott
Rotation:
THIS is why Hartford's back.
Ken Hill: A solid #1 starter. Nothing blows you away, but his ratings
and his pitches are good and his endurance makes him a workhorse #1.
Ramon Martinez: One of those unusual cases, Ramon has two excellent
pitches to go with spectacular ratings. Charity cases are frowned upon.
Hideki Irabu: Irabu's got excellent ratings to go with above-average
pitches. Looks a lot like a more effective, less durable Ken Hill.
Tom Gordon: An excellent #4, Gordon has two solid pitches and should be
effective.
Kevin Millwood: Not my guy, but his. Millwood's a one-pitch pitcher,
great arm, decent control, mediocre endurance. Will be okay+a good #5.
Weiner's rating: A-. Irabu's not officially tested and neither is Ramon,
but the whole staff is good 1-5. Very right-handed.
Weiner's rotation: Hill/Martinez/Irabu/Gordon/Yoshii.
Bullpen:
You think the addition of Troy Percival helped a bit? The irony of this
pen is that it's made up of rotation rejects, which means that it's a very
nice pen. Percival, however, gives it flavor - the closer last year was
Will Cunnane. At least he did it right, if you swap Millwood with Yoshii.
Weiner's rating: A. It's a solid bullpen, with no apparent holes.
Farm/Bench:
Everyone on his hitting bench can both hit and field, though none are as
good as the starters. Other than Kendall, Riggs and Byrne, not much
prospect-wise on the hitting side. Has about a half-dozen pitching
prospects, which means that he's in great shape over there. Pitching
bench is excellent, since everyone in the majors - save Percival - can
start.
GM/Player Ops:
He played Trader Vic last year - anything, any price - but oh, man, did
he do a great job. It helped that he got both Yoshii and Irabu in the
draft - helped a LOT - but he did a great job dealing for youth,
recreating a pitching staff, and basically just rocked the league.
Weiner's rating: A+.
Overall: A-. A scary rating to see on the board for a 95-loss team, but
it's accurate. He's got a real chance of not just winning the division,
but making some noise in the EL Playoffs.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Montreal Royals
And now, to the always-expected "somebody's gotta lose the games" segment.
Lineup:
By adding Rondell White, this team gained a lot more respectability in the
lineup. Bonilla's too slow for #2, Greer is a magnificent #3. Then,
Morris/Tartabull/Gaetti/Reese/Fletcher/Lansing - get through that quick.
Weiner's rating: C+. Two good hitters but a big yawn afterward.
Weiner's lineup:
Lansing/White/Greer/Bonilla/Morris/Tartabull/Gaetti/Fletcher/Reese
Rotation:
Losing Randy Johnson...
Jason Schmidt: Good ratings, mediocre pitches. I can't see him being
super-effective this year, but he's really young.
Salomon Torres: The true ace of the staff, Torres is a very fine young
pitcher. Good fastball with two decent side pitches and excellent
ratings.
Rheal Cormier: Mediocre endurance, but his raw ratings are good and his
pitches are excellent. Should be effective.
Mike Grace: One of the reasons this staff is any good, Grace is a true
weak-armed ace. Great control to go with excellent pitches.
Luis Andujar: Don't like him much; he's got solid control and okay arm
strength but not much else. Good fastball, shouldn't be horrific.
Weiner's rating: B/B+. Not enough endurance nor development yet.
Weiner's rotation: Grace/Torres/Cormier/Schmidt/Reuter
Bullpen:
Just say no to Terry Mullholland. Just say no. Quite a few guys in AAA
who should be there...he really mystifies me.
Weiner's rating: A-. A couple members that aren't spectacular, but very
solid.
Weiner's pen: long: Andujar, middle: Collins, Hetrick, setup: Simas,
Acre, closer: Mesa
Farm/Bench:
Very nice defensive hitting bench, decent bats too. Pitching bench
is all right, with a decent backup starter in Santo Skinner and reasonable
amounts of pen guys. Farm on both sides is weak, at best.
GM/Player Ops:
They're a little deeper this year, and their pitching is a little better
because of the Robby Alomar/Randy Johnson deal that led to other deals,
but I see them as having moved a little ahead but mostly sideways. They
still need a farm, badly.
Overall: B. That doesn't look so bad, but again, somebody's gotta lose
the games. They've done a smart thing by having a good bullpen, and that
might bring some equilibrium to the division. It's gonna be a fascinating
year in the McCoy.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Projected McCoy records:
Hartford 94-68
Deadwood 87-75
Edmonton 81-81
Montreal 70-92
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Kirk Division
-------------
Medina Mustangs
First in the previews, first in the car choice, last in the division.
Lineup:
Jacob Cruz is a nice prospect. Ochoa's a solid #2, Ivan Rodriguez is
turning into one of the league's best hitters. Mike Cameron has power,
then Mueller/Huskey/Wojick is an extremely mediocre 5-7. Ledesma and
Sandberg round out the team reasonably well.
Weiner's rating: C-. Not enough power or speed.
Weiner's lineup:
Mueller/Cruz/Rodriguez/Cameron/Ochoa/Huskey/Sandberg/Wojick/Ledesma
Rotation:
A course in how to look solid but not be solid.
Alex Fernandez: However, they have the headmaster teaching it. Fernandez
might simply be the best pitcher in either league. Excellent pitches,
excellent ratings. Situational ratings are great too.
Rick Helling: Average arm strength, but does have good pitches and
control. A good #3, a fair #2.
Arthur Rhodes: Should be thankful for a big arm, 'cause that's what he's
got. Great fastball, fair #2 pitch, good control.
David Hess: Another average arm strength pitcher, Hess's pitches are good
but nothing to write home about.
Bob Peterman: Decent looking pitcher, Peterman's got reasonably good
pitches to go with moderately good ratings. Young yet.
Weiner's rating: B+. This could be a really good one, but I'm still the
skeptic here.
Weiner's rotation: Fernandez/Helling/Harnisch/Hess/Peterman
Bullpen:
If you take Rhodes from the rotation, he becomes a dominant reliever.
Another ratings-without-pitches guy; only two players have a 70 pitch in
the pen.
Weiner's rating: B+.
Weiner's pen: long: Jarvis, Wilkins, middle: Rhodes, Dreifort, setup:
Pennyfeather, Conolly, closer: Nen
Farm/Bench:
As he likes to point out, his whole team is the same age - 24. So in
three-four years, we're going to see just how good he is. The farm
looks excellent, with players like Cedeno and Coker in LOW, Cruz, Ochoa,
et al in the majors. Pitching prospects are weak.
In the meantime, his bench is all right, with a good offense/defense mix.
His pitching bench is good, since he has Harnisch and Jarvis on the bench
and a couple arms in the minors. Juan Segui got a lot more endurance.
GM/Player Ops:
Anyone who can add Alex Fernandez to a ballclub can GM for me. Subtracted
old guys like Berroa, Buhner, Ventura, Gooden et al, but also subtracted
young guys like Newfield and Hallony. I'm gonna pass him, but I don't
know - it looks like he moved sideways too.
Weiner's rating: B.
Overall: C+. I think he could be better than this, but remember, I'm
comparing him to the rest of the league. I might even need to adjust for
the league, for that matter.
=========================================================================
Motor City Madmen
Power of #1 is a curious thing...makes one man weep, another man sing.
Lineup:
Fernando Vina's a solid leadoff man. Pride/Burks/Griffey/Sosa is the
league's best 2-5. Willie Greene and Terry Steinbach are powerful,
Guillen's the best he can do at shortstop, and Bernard just plain sucks.
Weiner's rating: A+. 'Cause MY lineup puts Charlie O'Brien in the 8
spot.
Weiner's lineup: Same, but with O'Brien 8th and Guillen ninth. The best
lineup in the league.
Rotation:
Maybe the most frightening thing is how this team could lose Gary Niles
and still have a good rotation.
John Smoltz: If it's not Alex Fernandez, it could easily be John Smoltz.
Smoltz is actually better on most counts than Fernandez, meaning I might
hedge my bet a little.
James Baldwin: Survived very nicely last year without Baldwin; he's back
now. Average arm strength, but great control and very solid pitches.
Osvaldo Fernandez: Solid ratings, solid pitches, good #3 starter.
Bob Wells: Excellent pitches, moderate ratings. Good enough for a #4,
but not great.
Walter Bigbee: The endless enigma - how does Walt Bigbee do so well? It
would be illogical for it to catch up with him now; he combines good
control with fair - at best - pitch ratings and average arm strength.
Weiner's rating: B. That's how I rate it, that's not how it's gonna
finish. Only the rating is my fault.
Bullpen:
It's nice to see Chucky Rothrock get some playing time; he would have
never done that on my team but can pitch. He's not missing anyone; he
doesn't have much depth. Olivares was a pretty good closer a couple years
ago; what happened?
Weiner's rating: B.
Weiner's pen: long: Wolf, Hurtado, middle: Olivares, Rothrock, setup:
Crabtree, closer: Crouch
Farm/Bench:
His bench is fair, with lots of speed but very little hitting.
Pitching bench is awful. His farm is nonexistent, and with the loss of
Gary Niles, he doesn't seem to care either.
GM/Player Ops:
Mark Grace is gone, along with Gary Niles, Luis Castillo, Brian McRae and
Paul Spoljaric. Added? James Baldwin and Ken Griffey. Niles went through
free-agency, which is in my opinion a huge mistake, but it was him or
Sosa.
Weiner's rating: B.
Overall: B+. That might not be good enough this year, as Niles was a big
part of the team. But their lineup is so good, their rotation can be a
little down.
===========================================================================
New Diggens Budweiser Frogs
How many of you DIDN'T expect this?
Fin....ishin...third...fin...ishin...third...
By the way, I wrote this last year, and I thought I'd repeat it:
"No offense, but can we fry the frogs already? We're due for another year
of Lenny and the frogs, and it just makes me wanna take an owl to the
swamp and wipe 'em out.
"(I can just see the commercial: Look, pair of nice hooters at
10:00...wait, not SO NICE HOOTERS!! *chomp*...Owl opens his mouth, says,
Burp. Weis. Er. And spits out the bones. :))"
Lineup:
Glanville and Vizquel make a super 1-2. Obviously a Cubs fan...Grace 3rd?
Bonds/Delgado/Sheffield a superb 4-6. Al Martin, Vizcaino and Taubensee
finish off beautifully. A great lineup.
Weiner's rating: A+/A. Just bordering on the fantastic.
Weiner's lineup:
Glanville/Vizquel/Bonds/Sheffield/Delgado/Martin/Grace/Vizcaino/Taubensee;
speed at the top, power in the middle, contact at the bottom.
Rotation:
Honestly...they're still in third.
John Smiley: Top five lefthander, Smiley combines good ratings with great
pitches. No problems here.
Jaime Navarro: I've griped about him every year. Here's the year I stop.
Good ratings with pretty okay pitches make him a solid starter.
Reggie Jose: Jose's endurance is picking up, and that's all he needs to
be a superstar. Jose has great raw ratings with good pitch ratings.
Allen Watson: See Reggie Jose, but with endurance. Less arm strength.
Matt Wagner: I like his raws, but his pitches aren't really developed for
a three-pitch guy.
Weiner's rating: A-. Based on pure ratings, this is a killer rotation.
Bullpen:
And it's a good thing, too, 'cause this is a lousy pen. Jim Jordan and
Bob Torres definitely have to be in the majors; Roselli as closer? If a
few small adjustments are made, this can actually be a productive, if not
spectacular pen.
Weiner's rating (of my pen): B.
Weiner's pen: long: Schiraldi, middle: Embree, Jordan, setup: Franco
Torres, closer: Borbon
Farm/Bench:
I see absolutely nothing wrong with his bench; people on it can run, hit
and - well, field a little. Pitching bench stinks; those guys who aren't
in the majors anymore (shouldn't be) aren't really much good. If Neil
Hood develops, he's the only prospect outside the majors. Maybe Jordan
and Clise Clooney.
GM/Player Ops:
Who would YOU rather have 1-2 - Deion Sanders and Carlos Garcia, or
Glanville and Vizquel? I thought so. Baldwin was replaced by Navarro, so
no real change there. Didn't upgrade the pen, and needs to.
Weiner's rating: B.
Overall: A-. This is an improved team over a year ago, and I don't see
any reason they can't beat out Motor City. Except for their pen. I'd
like to see them trade a little of that hitting bench depth for a couple
good arms.
==========================================================================
Thunder Bay Storm
They were like the dematerialized matter in the transport beam last year.
Now, they're re-emerged on the surface.
You wanna give me a better one? :)
Lineup:
Now THEY have Carlos Garcia as the leadoff, but they could have Mickey
Mouse up there. Why? Try Nilsson/Jefferson/Ramirez/Galarraga.
Frightening as hell. Palmer, Gwynn and Tyler Houston, and the league has
a problem.
Weiner's rating: A+.
Rotation:
Kevin Brown: He's not of the caliber of a Fernandez or Smoltz, but just
below. He's got it all.
Rolando Arrojo: The #1 FA pick, to nobody's surprise. Arrojo, as a
rookie, may be one of the top 10 pitchers in the league. Has great
pitches, great ratings. The Rookie of the Year.
Denny Neagle: A quality lefty, Neagle combines good pitches with great
control. Has below-average arm strength, but is about as good as Mike
Grace.
Lee Sosa: Fantastic arm strength, good endurance, average control. Has
good pitches including, strangely, a knuckler.
Ariel Prieto: A solid starter, with good raw ratings and good pitches.
Maybe the best rotation 1-5 in the league.
Weiner's rating: A/A-. Great, if unproven. Thus the uncertain rating.
Bullpen:
Considering what they have to work with, five guys in the pen isn't so
bad. BUT, they'd be better of dealing for some. Mostly weak arms, but
they've got a lot of pitches in there. Another starter reject pen.
Weiner's rating: B. I'm not enthralled, and they've got no depth.
Farm/Bench:
As previously noted, a terrible pitching bench. Starters aren't the
problem, since they've got lots of pitchers in the pen who can start, but
the relief is. Hitting bench is very solid on hitting, but they need
backup outfielders. Farm isn't bad either, with Santo Blade, Charlie
Blasingame and Happy Pelouze all looking like major-leaguers.
GM/Player Ops:
Simply put, he dealt his prospects for players. And did a good job, as he
now has a good rotation and a similarly good lineup. Still a bit of work
to do.
Weiner's rating: B+.
Overall: A-. Another contender. Wow...Tucson's got their work cut out
for 'em.
=====================================================================
Tucson Border Patrol
Which reminds me...:)
Lineup:
Hollandsworth leads off because that's what he feels like doing; about 5
guys could. Durham/Becker/Higginson is really potent. Sweeney's a very
good catcher. Mark Johnson hits a whallop every year. Grove/O'Neill and
Jackson round it off well. An extremely potent lineup.
Weiner's rating: B+/A-. I could see this being magnificent.
Weiner's lineup:
Jackson/Durham/Becker/Higginson/Sweeney/Hollandsworth/Johnson/O'Neill/Grove
Rotation:
Houston, we have a solution.
Randy Johnson: They finally got an ace. Johnson's the best ratings lefty
in the game, and a massive pitcher. Cost 'em Rondell, but that's a
bargain.
Andy Benes: Solid pitches, strong ratings, good arm.
Andy Pettite: And the years go by, and Pettite gets better and better.
Great ratings, very good pitch ratings.
Jaret Wright: Big arm, good pitches, good control and endurance. A very
good #4 starter.
Mike Morgan: Mike Morgan? He didn't feel comfy with D'Amico? Morgan's
got fair ratings and fairly good pitches, but...
Weiner's rating: A. With D'Amico.
Weiner's rotation: See above commentary.
Bullpen:
He's carrying 13 pitchers? *gasp* He's got about 20 he could use, so it's
not that bad. As for the pen, picking up Ternasky makes his pen
excellent. He could afford to bring up Mark Kotsay from LOW, drop Ernie
Richter by the side of the road and carry less, as I see it.
Weiner's rating: A.
Weiner's pen: long: Ovitz, Morgan, middle: Allison, Mossor, setup:
Bradford, Bonner, closer: Ternasky, deal Pichardo or something.
Farm/Bench:
His bench is great just as long as he has guys to play right field.
Pitching bench is magnificent. Farm is great. Maybe the best all-around
organization in this league.
Overall: A-. Assuming he picks up another bat - no tall task,
considering his prospects - he's gonna win the division for sure. I'm not
sure he's not already; he's shown all signs he is.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Projected records for the Kirk:
Tucson 102-60
Thunder Bay 89-73
New Diggens 86-76
Motor City 81-81
Medina 63-99
--written by Aaron Weiner
