PVBL: Phoenix Gila Monsters
Data Division Division Overview
April 28, 2000

The Data Division has traditionally been dominated by two teams,
Phoenix and Washington. While that is likely to continue this year,
neither Phoenix or Washington are as good or a deep as they have been
in the past, thanks to the free agent plan. The door is opening for
the entrance of new powers in the Data Division, and several teams
are walking toward that door.

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Team Breakdown

Battle Axe Knights

OVERVIEW

The Battle Axe Knights are attempting to bring glory to Colorado. Not
as outspoken as the previous owner, the new Knights are taking care in
their trading and building a good team. They still have a ways to go,
however, especially in terms of pitching.

Lineup:

A good, solid lineup, with lots of power hitting. Never forget that
this lineup also plays half of the year at one mile up. Giles, Klesko,
Edmonds, Sorrento, and Sheffield provide lethal punch to the middle of
the lineup, while Offerman and Friantague should do a reasonable job
setting the table. I wish I had home/road splits for these guys,
because I wonder a little how much of their statistical success is a
result of their home park. The only real problems of this lineup are
the last two hitters, the catcher and second baseman d'jour. Fielding
wise, Sheffield fielding and Klesko's arm present the only problems,
although last year Sheffield's arm made up apparently for his
less-than-soft hands at third.

Bridges's rating: A-

Rotation:

Here's the main problem with this team for this year. While their #1
starter, Ugeth Urbina is an undeniable stud, the rest of the lineup
presents something of a problem.

Ugeth Urbina: The MAN. He puts up a 4.12 ERA while pitching half his
games at one of the biggest hitter's parks in the game. Put him at sea
level and expect < 3 ERAs.  
Mike Baldwin: A respectable pitcher elevated to number-2 status
because he doesn't give up as many fly balls as Hensiek or Bliss, a
useful characteristic of an altitude pitcher. #3-4 on most other teams.
Jay Hensiek:  Old and mediocre, with no outstanding ability to keep the ball 
on the ground. A recipe for disaster in Colorado.
Bob Bliss: Great ratings, but his 43 G/F rating makes him king of the
gopher ball in Colorado. On most any other team, he might be a #3-#4
pitcher. Here, he fills that role because no one else can.
Dave Burba: In theory, Burba should be able to keep the ball on the ground, 
and show some success in Colorado. Despite this, and pretty decent ratings,
he put up a >6 ERA last year.

Bridges's rating:  C. Urbina rescues it from being worse. The rest of the 
pitchers aren't THAT bad, but the park they play in kills them with regularity.
Their only hope is that thier lineup sometimes lets them out-slug their 
opponents.

Bullpen: Ugh. Not much to comment on here except a lot of mediocre
pitchers. Clignman, Jr. is the one outstanding exception, but the rest
of it is pretty poor.
Bridges's rating: C-. Again, one excellent player rescues it from the cellar

Farm/Bench: Not much of note here, either. They have an assortment of
middle infielders and catchers on the bench, but none are that
impressive. Farm-wise, this team could really use a few good drafts as
it's previous owner missed many of the previos ones. With new
manangement, this seems likely.

Overall (in 2000): C. Their good hitting can make up for a lot, but
the pitching is bad enough that it will take a LOT of slugging to keep
this team in the majority of games.

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Coos Bay Chameleons

OVERVIEW

Another rebuilding team in the Data Division with a new owner. This
team is in something of the opposite situation of the Battle
Axe. Their starting pitching looks solid, while their lineup could use
some help.

Lineup: Hmmm. An intersting lineup. It could use a real leadoff
hitter, which is of course scarce in this league, as well as a little
more contact in the middle. At the top, Duncan has a good eye, but his
speed isn't that great, while Clayton has somthing of the opposite
problem. The middle of the lineup has a lot of powerful hitters, but
no real superstars except Rivera, who rightfully this team's hitting
is built around. Defensively, Duncan and Flaherty are the real
question marks.  
Bridges's rating: C

Rotation:
A good, young rotation which will carry this improving team into the
coming seasons with good success.
Wilson Alvarez: A former pitcher of mine taken this past season in the FA 
plan. I like him, although he didn't perform as well as expected last year.
Still, good pitches, a fine arm, and great control. Perhaps he suffers from 
the same curse that many of the lefties in the PVBL seem to have at times. More 
of a #2 pitcher than an ace, but on this staff, perhaps #1 is the best place 
for him.
Matt Morris: A truly fine #2 pitcher for most any staff. Morris is an another 
excellent, young pitcher.
Gary Niles: He could use a good second pitch, but arm and fastball are good enough
to make him a fine #3 pitcher.
Robert Person: A historically great ERA. We'll see if the hitting this year can put
some wins on the board for him. His three >60 pitches are what make him effective, 
along with fine control. Great at #4
Dennis Reyes: A fresh FA draft pick. His ratings indicate are those of a fine #5 
pitcher, and he could be much better than that as he develops.
Bridges's rating:  A-. Could use an real ace, but aside from that, how can you 
complain?

Bullpen: Some decent pitchers, but nothing to write home
about. Brantley has put up good numbers in the past, but he's due for
a drop-off. The rest of the pitchers are floating in the mid-4 ERA or
higher range. He might consider balancing lefties and righties between
long relief and middle relief, but that's a tough call.
Bridges's rating: C


Farm/Bench: Not much here either. Again, this team should benefit from
having a new active owner to guide it through the draft. The pitching
prospects are better than the hitting ones, but none are the
super-prospects you might hope for.
Bridges's rating: D

Overall (in 2000): C-, but improving. The pitching should hold this
team together. Another up-and-comer in the Data division.  This team
should draft hitters in the early rounds of the coming draft, and
middle relievers. Next year's FA plan should help as well.

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Moncton Moose

OVERVIEW

The most up-and-coming of the up-and-comers in the Data division. A
pretty good balance between solid hitting and solid pitching make this
a well-balanced team, and the team with the best near-term prospects
for the future.

Lineup: A solid lineup at the top, with a bit of a dropoff after
number 5. A good, solid leadoff hitter in the number one position,
Guillen is solid at number two, and Green, Gonzalez, and Orie are
great 3-4-5 hitters. The remaining hitters are good, if not great.
Bridges's rating:  B

Rotation: Again, a reasonably well-balanced rotation.  Torres is a
great ace. The remaining pitchers have under-performed in the past,
but have pretty good ratings. The Moose obviously expects more, and
this seems very reasonable.
Bridges's rating:  B-

Bullpen: Again, a solid bullpen. Lots of good arms, several of which
could use a better second pitch, but nothing really to complain about.
Bridges's rating: B

Farm/Bench: The bench has some decent players, if nothing special. The
hitting farm system seems a bit thin, but the pitching prospects are
pretty good. Glendon Rusch should be good eventually, Milt Flynn could
be a very good pitcher if he ever develops any pitches, and several
other pitchers could be good as well.
Bridges's rating: B (we sensing a theme here?)

Overall (in 2000): B 

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Phoenix Gila Monsters
Owner--Patrick Bridges

OVERVIEW 

The favorite in the division for this year. Phoenix (my team :) has a
powerful lineup, with good speed and defense, a good rotation, and
good bullpen. Unfortunately, they had to trade away almost all of
their prospects and backups to get there. One bad injury could be
fatal.

Lineup: The trading away of Galaragga in the offseason surely lowers
the potency of the lineup some, but the off-season improvements were
good, and it's still an impressive. Hunter is the new leadoff hitter,
with more speed but a worse eye than Jeter. That could change if
Hunter doesn't perform. Derek Jeter, who's contact is up to 96, bats
number two, while Mondesi, Pudge, and David Justice give a potent
3-4-5 punch. Konerko and Davis are the big-hitting but slow-running 6
and 7 hitters, if Konerko can live up to expectations, and Alex
Gonzalez and Shannon Stewart rekey the offense at the 8 and 9 spots. A
potent lineup no matter where you start. Defensively, the lowest fielding 
average is Mondesi's 53 FA in right field. 
Bridges's rating:  A+. A++ if Galaragga was still around, but it's hard 
to complain about this lineup

Rotation: A solid rotation, as good or better than last year. Watson
replaces Alvarez who was lost to free agency, and Chan Ho Park's
control continues to improve. The staff could use another ace, but it's 
still a great rotation.

Shane Reynolds: Staff ace, former Cy Young winner, and 2-time 20-game
winner.  A control pitcher who's ratings scare some but who continues
to pitch well year after year.
Pedro Astacio: Had a great season last year that earned him the #2 spot 
this year. Continues to pitch well. Again, somewhat odd ratings, with 
no fastball, but great other pitches and good control.
Allen Watson: A very good pitcher, who steps in to fill the shoes of Wilson 
Alvarez. Good ratings, a good fastball, and a great curveball.
Steve Avery: The ever-unpredictable Steve Avery. Great ratings, but he's 
never seemed to quite put it together. Off to a good start this year, 
and if he keeps it together, this could be a great staff.
Chan Ho Park: The Weiner-Roaster. Aaron hates this guy. I like him. His 
control continues to improve, a great arm, a great fastball, and a good 
curveball. He keeps the ball on the ground, and the resulting double plays 
ususally erase the walks his poor control leads to.
Bridges's rating:  A

Bullpen: Here's where things are interesting. Nen is a *great* closer, and 
Daal an excellent setup pitcher. Swindell has been an excellent long relief
pitcher. Holmes and Jones have been excellent in the past, and Nelson, 
although he had an off-year last year, is also a good pitcher.
Bridges's rating: A-. Holmes, Jones, and Nelson are the questions here.

Farm/Bench: The weakness of the team. The loss of Mark Whiten in the 
off-season makes the lineup vulnerable to injuries. Ziele backs up most 
hitting positions, with Jose Hernandez backing up SS. The farm was 
decimated to build the lineup, and the only remaining good prospect is 
recent free-agent draftee David Ortiz, who will probably step in when
Chili Davis retires. Swindell is the backup starter, but the backup 
relievers are all pretty poor.

Bridges's rating: C

Overall (in 2000): A+, barring injuries. Each injury will knock that 
down about half-a-letter-grade.

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Washington Sea Dogs
Owner--Aaron Weiner

OVERVIEW
Wow, what a bad start. This team *should* be #2 in the division, but
the loss of Lance Johnson to free agency, and the injury of Mackenzee
Leefenhaufenhaus have hurt this team badly. A team built around speed
and contact that lost it's best contact hitter and speedster. Still, a 
solid rotation and good hitters like Knoblauch, Larkin and Walker should 
carry this team to #2 in the division by the end of the year.

Lineup: Knoblauch is a great leadoff hitter, Mickey Kelly is great at #2,
Larkin, Walker, and Williams are excellent 3-4-5 hitters. The rest of the 
lineup is weaker but not too bad.
Bridges's rating:  A-/B+. The top is *so* good, that the slight weakness 
at the bottom is not too much of a problem.

Rotation: Again, a quite excellent rotation, perhaps a little worse than
last year. Estes, McDonald, and Fernandez are studs, Burkett is a good pitcher, 
and Irubu is pretty good too. When Leefenhaufenhaus returns, this will
be a top-flight rotation.

Ben McDonald: Not the best pitcher on this staff, but very good. Strange to 
see him as the ace, but there's no telling. More of a #2 pitcher
John Burkett: Again, a strange #2 starter. His weak arm worries me, but he 
has excellent control and pitches. Should be #4 or #5 on this staff.
Shawn Estes: A stud. No question. A *great* pitcher, the staff ace, who
for some reason is at #3.
Alex Fernandez: The #2 or #3 starter on this staff, strangely at #4. A 
*very* good starter.
Hideki Irabu: A legitimate #5 starter. Good arm, good control, and one 
good pitch.

INJURY: Mackenzee Leefenhaufenhaus, the normal #2 starter is another stud. When
he returns, this will be probably the best rotation in the league.
Bridges's rating: At it stands, A/A-, when Leefenhaufenhaus returns A+/A++

Bullpen: A solid bullpen. The loss of Clingman, Jr. hurts, but a solid bullpen,
with a few strange pitchers. 
Bridges's rating: A/A-

Farm/Bench: Better than Phoenix, certainly. It has its problems, but is not 
bad. A few good hitting prospects.
Bridges's rating: B

Overall (in 2000): A. If Leefenhaufenhaus is healthy, this team contends
well with an uninjured Phoenix for the division. With Mack's injury, this
team should still finish at least #2 in the division

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How will it all end up? Here's a guess.

Phoenix: 102-60
Washington: 92-70
Moncton: 80-82
Battle Axe: 77-85
Coos Bay: 65-97


--written by Patrick Bridges