AL #2 Florida Tropics (98-64) 1^st WS Appearance
Vs.
NL #1 Ottawa Outlaws (99-63) 3^rd WS Apps, 2 WS Championships (S1 & S11)

Florida (AL Ranks)
Offense

Avg:    .272 (2^nd)

OBP:   .338 (4^th)

Slg:      .455 (1^st)

RS:      874 (2^nd)

HR:     263 (1^st)

Pitching:        

ERA:   3.74 (3^rd)

OAV:  .245 (3^rd)

WHIP: 1.25 (T-1^st)

SO:      1,087 (5^th)

Defense:
F%:      .987 (T-4^th)

Plus:    76 (5^th)

How they got here:

DCS: Defeated #3 Colorado Springs, 3-2
LCS: Defeated #1 Syracuse, 4-2

About them:
7 players hit 24 or more home runs as this team powered their way to winning the AL. Led offensively by LF Pedro Espinosa (.270/.352/.516; 39 HR, 109 RBI), 1B/DH Ahmad Wagner (.284/.349/.461, 28 HR, 86 RBI) and 2B Jesus Andrus (.272/.317/.490, 32 HR, 86 RBI), this team is definitely a dangerous offensive team.

Offense isn’t the only thing this team can do well, as their rotation is very good…6 pitchers won 10+ games this season, including 14 or more by regular rotation members. Paul Bang (11-6, 3.57 ERA, 1.07 WHIP) leads the playoff rotation, followed by Trenidad Tejada (14-7, 2.78 ERA, 1.15 WHIP) and Jerome Adams (15-5, 3.51 ERA, 1.21 WHIP). Their bullpen spreads their dominance around as they had 5 members produce WHIPs of 1.26 or less.

3B Peter Carmona (17 plus plays) and CF Travis Blanks (12 plus plays) anchor a strong defense.

Ottawa Outlaws

Offense

Avg:    .264 (4^th)

OBP:   .333 (3^rd)

Slg:      .424 (4^th)

RS:      843 (1^st)

HR:     219 (3^rd)

Pitching:        

ERA:   3.52 (1^st)

OAV:  .244 (2^nd)

WHIP: 1.21 (1^st)

SO:      1,154 (5^th)

Defense:
F%:      .989 (T-1^st)

Plus:    55 (7^th)

How they got here:

DCS: Defeated #4 Anaheim, 3-1

LCS: Defeated #2 Little Rock, 4-0

About them:

Had 4 players with 24 or more homers and another 5 with 13 or more, this team is built for power. This team is led by perennial MVP candidate and 2-time winner Terry West (.299/.377/.519, 36 HR, 136 RBI) and ROY candidate 2B Alex Blanco (.288/.353/.552, 33 HR, 98 RBI).

Pitching is where this team shines, with 2 Cy Young candidates in RH Erick Stone (19-5, 1.65 ERA, 1.00 WHIP) and LH C.C. Kemp (18-5, 3.13 ERA, 1.16). The rest of the rotation are not slouches either, with Victor Santos (10-10, 4.49 ERA, 1.30 WHIP), Livan Javier (14-10, 3.48 ERA, 1.29 WHIP) and Victor Castillo (14-9, 3.91 ERA, 1.18 WHIP). The bullpen is where you could really make some hay, with the team blowing 26 save opportunities throughout the season. They are still a capable bunch with 3 of them having under 1.11 WHIP for the season.

Defensively anchored by SS Sam Calderon (15 plus plays), 3B Arthur Davenport (13 plus plays) and 1B Terry West (12 plus plays) they will make the easy and the hard plays.

S12 Draft Review

1. RF Cesar Vazquez (LA) - unsigned
   paladn24 says: Simply put, if Cesar Vasquez gives up on his concussed future as an nfl player he can and will be one of the greatest hitters to play the game. that is a big if though, and LAC has done everything they can to convince this future all star baseball is his sport. With supreme ability to hit LHP and RHP as well as a little pop, he has all the makings of a world class talent at the dish as well as the ability to play the corners in the infield.
2. SS Yusmeiro Guzman (MNT) - unsigned
   kelly_mccann says: Montgomery and 2nd overall pick Yusmeiro Guzman are locked up in a fierce game of chicken. Guzman, a slick fielding SS/3B with tons of speed on the base paths and decent pop, declined to sign the contract his agents brought to the Hornets and now his camp have raised their demands. The Hornets front office claims that they have made their best offer to Guzman, and will not budge. Guzman's people, on the other hand, say Yusmeiro will accept a scholarship to play at Florida Gulf Coast University if their demands aren't met.
3. LHP Hulk Davidson (PIT)
   Solid splits. Good control. Good combination of pitches. Doesn't throw hard. Decent at getting GBs. Exceptional STA/DUR.
   hurricane384's take: This guy could start 40+ games while pitching 300 innings. He's not going to be a dominant starter, so the question is going to be whether you want him pitching that much. 
4. CF Jayson Allen (SEA)
   Great defensive CF. Great power. Great contact. Drives the ball better against LHP than RHP. Great eye. Good speed.
   hurricane384's take: Um...#4 overall?! This guy anchors CF for the next 10 seasons and is an all-star, gold glove, silver slugging, MVP candidate. Makes me wonder if I'm seeing the right information.
   jlmeave says: He was at the top of my board, I feel fortunate to land him at #4. There were other low health players that were enticing, but might've been too risky for me. If he meets projections, he'll be a great hitter with big power and decent speed. His vR is a little worrisome, but I'll live with it if his contact and batting eye get there.
5. SS Jorge James (ARI)
   Tremendous defensive SS. Great power and contact. Better against LHP than RHP. Good eye. Good speed.
   hurricane384's take: Wow...back-to-back franchise cornerstones. Already well-developed. If he hits his projections, he'll dominate the league...if he misses the projections, he's still a top-notch 3B who will hit a ton.
6. RHP Bart Wolcott (ROC)
   Iffy stamina and durability. Great job of keeping the ball out of the hitting zone. Throws hard. Lacks ideal pitch combination. Good control. Good GB tendencies.
   hurricane384's take: Won't necessarily dominate since his pitches aren't very good, but he should still be a valuable member of the bullpen for seasons to come.
   z0601 says: The Rochester front office is very happy to have drafted Bart Wolcott with the #6 pick in this years draft. Wolcott should develop to be able to handle hitters on both sides of the plate with good control. While Wolcott won't over power anyone, he should be a nice long reliever and spot starter for us in the seasons to come. Management just hopes to be around long enough to see him hit the bigs.
7. LF Jason Tracy (CHR)
   Tremendous contact ability. Doesn't have much defensive ability. Good power. Dominant against RHP and good against LHP. Very good eye.
   hurricane384's take: Not often you get 3 franchise cornerstones in the first 7 picks of a draft...and that's without seeing the top 2 picks yet. Tracy will be a dominant offensive player for seasons to come. He could be good right now in the Bigs.
   hopkinsheel says: Hasn't signed yet, but willing to pay if/when he increases his demand. We had him ranked 4th on our big board. We're sweating it out right now because he is thinking about going back to college. If he does sign, he should develop into the best hitter the River Dogs have ever had except for possible future Hall of Famer Stephen Risley. Typically shy away from taking COFers/1B this early in the draft, but Tracy is a special talent.
8. RHP Vincenzo Quinn (CH2)
   Great control. Solid splits. Good pitch combination. Leans towards GB. Great stamina/durability. Doesn't throw hard.
   hurricane384's take: Not a dominant SP by any stretch, he's still going to be a good one. His GB tendencies will more than offset the lower RHB split.
   mamidu says: I had Quinn at #5 on my board. I have to say, I really wanted one of my top 4, but I'm not complaining. Top notch stamina+dur with elite control and very good splits. His 3 pitches are ML caliber. He is a college SR, so he is well developed already. I hope he reaches his potentials, because he could be an outstanding SP in the bigs. Welcome to the Black Sox Vincenzo!
9. RHP Luis Cortes (ARI)
   Great STA/DUR. Great control. Does a good job at keeping the ball out of the hitting zone. Great pitch combination. Throws hard. Lacks consistent ability to get GBs.
   hurricane384's take: Could be an ace for years to come. Although we would like to see a better GB rating, that essentially won't matter as much when combined with his other ratings. 
10. SS Jimmie Barrios (NO) - unsigned
    balance71 says: The Zydeco are happy to welcome Jimmie Barrios to the organization. Although he was listed as a SS, he projects to be an outstanding 3B or corner OF. He should have elite bat skills and will be excellent against lefties and righties. He should also be a top shelf baserunner, with great speed and strong baserunning IQ. His only real deficiency is power. With a excellent durability, health, and makeup, he could spend a decade as an all-star level player. On the other hand, he hasn't signed yet. If he doesn't, the owner of the Zydeco will throw his laptop into the alley and run over it repeatedly with his Subaru.
11. SS Hawk Black (JAX) - unsigned
12. P Daniel Herndon (PHI) - unsigned
13. P Les Thurman (LR)
    Solid pitches. Good stamina. Great durability. Great control. Great splits. Lacks arm strength. Good GB tendencies.
    hurricane384's take: His pitches leave something to the imagination, but the rest of his projections should make for a very good pitcher.
    jvig says: Had Les Thurman ranked 8th overall, taken with my 13th overall pick, my projections showed a completely different pitcher (projections showed L/R splits of 78/86 with stamina at 70 with 2 solid pitches, unfortunately these are not the numbers we have on him AFTER the draft but he seems like he could be a decent pitcher down the road.
14. 2B Slick Steenstra (CLE)
    Good glove. Solid range. Decent arm. Good speed. Solid power and contact. Better against LHP than RHP. Decent eye.
    hurricane384's take: He'll be a contributor and can definitely help a team out. Won't be a superstar.
15. 1B Chris Adams (ATL)
    Good defense. Good power. Good contact. Better against LHP. Solid eye. Durable.
    hurricane384's take: This is a solid pick. He's not going to dominate, but definitely can help. His defense at 1B is likely going to be his calling card. 
16. RHP Harry Broome (LAA)
    Good control. Keeps the ball out of the hitting zone against RHB. Struggles against LHB. Gives up a ton of flyballs. Throws hard. Good stamina and durability. Lacks ideal pitch combination.
    hurricane384's take: Due to his pitch combination and inability to keep the ball on the ground, he's going to struggle some. He'd be better off in a BIIIIIIIIIIIG ballpark.
17. RHP Victor Polonia (CHY)
    Great pitch combination. Great stamina/durability. Good splits. Solid control. Doesn't throw hard. Great GB pitcher.
    hurricane384's take: I like this pitcher. He's got the pitches to dominate and should develop the splits to not have that ability off-set. He's a GB pitcher which helps a lot too.
18. LHP Matty Peterman (CSP)
    Good control. Solid stamina/durability. Better against LHB than RHB. Mediocre GB and velocity. Solid pitches.
    hurricane384's take: Hard to get excited about this pick...but that doesn't mean it's disappointing either. Solid middle of the 1st round pick.
    joekendall says: We were happy to pick up a SP with our 18th pick. If he develops well, Matty Peterman will be a #1 or #2. 
19. 2B Earl Barber (ELP)
    Tremendous range. Great speed. Lacks ideal glove or arm. Solid contact. Struggles against RHP. Solid against LHP. Not much power. Good eye.
    hurricane384's take: We've reached the part of the 1st round where role players rule. This is your quintessential platoon player/utility guy who won't excel, but should still be good enough to warrant a spot on the Big League roster.
20. 2B Albert Guillen (NB)
    Great range and glove. Makes good contact. Not much power. Average eye. Better against RHP than LHP. Solid speed.
    hurricane384's take: This is a versatile pick as he could play both 2B or CF and not be overwhelmed offensively.
    mikejuggalo says: Albert Guillen will hopefully be a ML bench player someday....not a pick we are particularly proud of.
21. LHP Bruce Schmidt (JAX)
    Dominant against LHB. Solid against RHB. Great control. Solid durability/stamina. Good pitches. Doesn't throw hard but does get GBs.
    hurricane384's take: First true reliever off the board and he's a good one. Would like to see the vsR and vsL flipped, but still should be solid in the 7th/8th innings. 
22. RHP Mark Cho (CSP)
    Good control. Solid pitches. Struggles against LHP. Good against RHP. Throws hard. GB pitcher. Great stamina/durability combination.
    hurricane384's take: Could be a liability with his vsL, but his pitches are solid and he isn't going to walk many. Could see a ton of innings.
    joekendall says: With the 22nd pick, we chose a RP in Mark Cho. He will be able to pitch many quality innings for us.
23. RHP Will Scott (LV)
    Solid stamina/durability. Good splits. Doesn't throw hard. Mediocre at getting GBs. Some solid pitches. Good control.
    hurricane384's take: Surprising to find a pitcher like this so late in the process, but he's got a lot going for him.
    tk21775 says: We ended up with our 5th player on the board at the #23 spot, while he's lower than what our scouts saw now that he signed, our draft budget should be closer to where he'll perform. Great control, good splits with two solid pitches, the Bookies are very happy to get this type of player this deep in the 1st round. Wish his makeup was a little higher but if that's all I can find to complain about with the 23rd pick I'll take it any day.
24. LHP Lou Lewis (CLB)
    Terrible against RHB. Very good against LHB. Great stamina/durability combo. Great control. 2 dominant pitches and 2 terrible pitches. Doesn't throw hard but is a GB machine.
    hurricane384's take: I am baffled by this guy. He does a lot right, but what he does wrong is a big negative. Nothing wrong with seeing what he can do and how he develops, but I would be surprised if he showed up as a full-time starter in the bigs. Those outstanding pitches and GB rating might be enough to off-set the vsR.
    anml34 says: What more can you ask for with a mid-first round pick. Happy to get a middle of the rotation pitcher with this pick.
25. P Karl Barfield (NY2) - unsigned
    abesmem says: NY will be very happy with pitcher Karl Barfield, assuming we can sign him. He was our 7th ranked player overall and to get him at 25 is pretty lucky. He brings 5 pitches in his repertoire with very good control and the stamina to be a top of the rotation starter. His make-up and health are both real good, so if signed, he should be a solid starter for many seasons.
26. P Jerry Simpson (CHR) - unsigned
    hopkinsheel says: We got this pick after Dean Matthews signed elsewhere as a type A FA. Simpons looks to be a solid SP prospect who probably dropped to 26th because he'll be a tough sign. Currently his heart is torn between baseball and hockey. Hopefully he decides to stick with baseball. He's developed enough he should be good to go within two seasons.
27. 3B Bryan Williams (HON) - unsigned
28. SS Christopher Slusarki (LR)
    Good defensive ratings. Durable. Makes a ton of contact with good power. Lacks dominant splits. Decent eye. Some speed.
    hurricane384's take: Hell of a nice pick with the 28th overall. Offense will make up any defensive deficiencies at SS or he could be a GG/SS 3B as well.
29. C Hub Powell (CIN)
    Good splits. Great eye. Great arm. Can call a decent game. Lacks power. Struggles some with contact.
    hurricane384's take: This is a good solid pick this late in the draft. The C position was really lacking this season, so to get the top ranked C is a coup.
30. RHP Milton Lankford (LOU)
    Dominant against RHB. Solid against LHP. Throws hard and keeps the ball down. Great control. Great durability/stamina combination. Lacks dominant 2nd pitch.
    hopkinsheels take: Always tough pickling at the bottom of the first round, but it appears the Steamboats grabbed a solid, if not spectacular relief prospect with their pick. Should end up as a good setup B and with a decent STA/DUR combo he should be able to throw a good number of innings.
    hurricane384 says: I'm very happy with this pick. He will be a dominant RP. I'm a little worried about the 2nd pitch, but I hope his peripheral ratings will more than off-set that. 
31. RHP Tim Suppan (JAC)
    Great DUR/STA. Great pitches. Throws hard and keeps the ball down. Average splits. Will walk himself into trouble.
    hurricane384's take: Solid pick here. Will struggle with consistency due to his inability to hit the strike zone, but should still perform admirably.
    quackup says: Some potential as a grounder-inducing setup if he can overcome his control issues.
32. LHP Daryl Einertson (CIN)
    Throws hard. Lacks ideal control. Solid pitches. Great stamina. Better against LHB than RHB. Doesn't keep the ball down consistently.
    hurricane384's take: A solid pick, would like to see the vsR & vsL flipped.
33. P Myron Reagan (OTT) - unsigned
    mlhutch says: Picking so low I had to gamble for talent. I took a shot at Myron Reagan who would have a decent #3-4 type SP if he had signed. Sadly, he did not sign.
34. 2B Paul Kuroda (TOR)
    Solid range. Great glove. Solid arm. Great eye. Great speed. Lacks ideal offensive ratings.
    hurricane384's take: He's not going to be an all-star by any means, but definitely is a very useful player who can start and contribute.
35. RHP Del Mays (RIC)
    Doesn't throw hard. Doesn't keep the ball down. Interesting pitch mix. Great control. Keeps the ball out of the hitting zone. Great durability. Good stamina.
    hurricane384's take: This is a solid pick. He isn't going to blow anybody away, but definitely can be a workhorse who will recover quickly and throw some quality innings.
    train says:  I was really excited that my first round pick was #35 overall due to all of the type D picks. Really fantastic; I hope nobody signs their picks this year. I did manage to land a guy that I at least kinda like; decent pitcher who will probably end up in the pen due to stamina issues. He does project to good control and splits, and hey, at 35 that ain't bad.
36. 1B Patrick Helms (OTT)
    Great power. Great eye. Average at making contact. Struggles against RHP, but is good against LHP. Good glove. Durable.
    hurricane384's take: The power and eye should more than off-set his weakness against RHP. He will not make many errors at 1B.
    mlhutch says: My 2nd first round pick Patrick Helms had nice power and eye. He is more of a DH than a 1B so I see him more as a good bench player for the Outlaws. All in all, I gambled for talent and lost in this draft. Oh well, my shiny trophy takes away most of the disappointment :)
37. CF Vince Tomlinson (ROC) - unsigned
    z0601 says: Vince Tomlinson will be a project in the Rochester organization. If Mr. Tomlinson is willing to put in the work, he could be an above average outfielder for us at some point. If Vince decides to be lazy at any point in his career, he will spend that career in the minors.

S12 Previews

Charleston River Dogs
The River Dogs are officially deep into the rebuilding cycle. This team is going to stink. Some bright spots with be stalwarts Enrique Canseco and Milton Kramer and young gun Bruce Casanova. Thats about it. The rest of the team is filled with cast offs and hangers on. Stephen Risley is going to retire a River Dog. Our lone bright spot will be our bullpen. If we can get a lead to the last three innings, we should be in decent shape.

We picked up an extra first round pick from Florida after they signed Dean Matthews so we'll be hoping for a deep draft and sign one or two really good internationals.

Cheyenne Gunslingers
The Gunslingers stand at a crossroads. Two seasons ago, a world series appearance. Last season, no playoffs. This season will determine which direction the franchise is headed. In salary cutting moves, the Gunslingers let C Peter Chong and closer Clem Cameron become free agents. C Mel Mays was traded for bullpen helper Charles Janish. On the bright side, rule 5 acquisition 2b Paul Sanders will get significant playing time, as will RF/1b Dusty Redmond, the only free agent the club spent any money on. SP Fred Cecil waits in AAA to replace the first starter to falter. If Cheyenne can promote a closer to replace Cameron, then expect Cheyenne to compete for the division title in the always competitive AL West.

Colorado Springs Sky Sox
Key Additions: Felipe Crespo, Shawn Bergesen

Key Loses: None

Prospects to Watch: Rafael Escuela

Outlook: Last year we finished six games above .500, and we expect with the minor improvements to play for a play-off spot. Management feels we are a year or two away from returning back to the WS.

We also have two first round draft picks. We hope to capitalize on them.

Having Escuela man CF for us is exciting. He was acquired in Season 9 via trade with the Rebels. His contact and speed should add up to exciting play especially in our ballpark.

El Paso Diablos
Well last year everyone thought we were a contender, but in fact we were a pretender. This year we broke it down and tried to finish what we started in the rebuilding before. The ML team will be a patchwork of sorts, but we hope the minor league prospects we got in return continue to mature and we land a pretty good draft during the season.

Jackson Mallards
Virtually the same line up as last season, so we should get virtually identical results... :)

Jacksonville Gators
The Jags are in full on rebuilding mode and signed 22 free agents to 1 year deals in an offseason that reminds you of the Cleveland Indians in the movie Major League. The team has the ultimate flexibility in season 13 with $0 payroll. For season 12, surviving will be the name of the game. Most of the players signed have solid skills and should be able to keep the team competitive.

Las Vegas Bookies
Once again the Bookies took the NL South but we failed to make it out of the 1st Round of the playoffs once again. In the offseason we had a lot of cash to play around with and ended up adding both Willie Olivia and Zachery Hogan to our pitching staff. With Sogard Hoffman, Juan Astacio and Tyler Betancourt with feel like we have the best pitching staff in the majors this season. It might be an older pitching staff but these guys give us a chance to win not only the division but playoff series. We also aquired Shawn Grieve in a trade who will upgrade us at 2B. Houston Reese is coming off back to back 40+ HR, 100+ RBI seasons and Carlos Beaz is coming off 25+ HR, 100+ RBI seasons. We're expecting them once again to carry our offense. Instead of continuing with getting younger like we have the last couple seasons, we saw an opportunity to put together an A+ pitching staff although we only have a 3 year window to see if it was worth it.

Little Rock Rollers

Still in the middle of a rebuild.
Since our division was won with a sub .500 record last season we picked up a few veteran free agents to fill some holes as we're shooting to improve by perhaps +5 to 10 games, but not breaking the bank to accomplish those goals, we at least want to put a competitive team on the field.


Los Angeles Capitalists
The Capitalists will look to keep GM paladn24's head out of the guillotine and come up with their first 70 win season under the new management team. Hopes are high in LA though with after a busy offseason which yielded a revamped offense led by two new veteran additions, including the owner of the world's 4th highest hit total for his career in Canseco. The Caps also added two veteran starting pitchers to solidify the rotation in the hopes of shoring up what was a worn down, defeated unit at the end of last season. Whispers of some young talent from the farm system making it to the show by the end of the season may add some extra kick to an already zesty team. Paladn24 and the rest of La La land are hoping all this adds up to a 70 win season, and dare we say a playoff push.

Louisville Steamboats
This season began with a goal of repeating as NL East champions after a long stretch of relative futility. The way to do this, I thought, was to improve my 5th ranked pitching staff…and just ride out my 4th ranked offense while I did this…long story short, plans change. A couple trades made it almost impossible to make any free agent additions.

The pitching staff is virtually unchanged, the only new names being a return of Curtis Roberts to the bullpen, and rule 5 pickup Nick Sveum. Ace #1 Al Castro (19-12, 262.0 IP, 3.81 ERA, 1.11 WHIP) and Ace #2 Hiram Sanders (205.1 IP, 14-6, 3.07 ERA, 1.10 WHIP) anchor a very good staff as J.D. Dixon (184.2 IP, 12-5, 3.75 ERA, 1.22 WHIP) and Willie Carlyle (162.0 IP, 8-12, 4.72 ERA, 1.34 WHIP). Management is unsure whether Jake O’Leary or Alfredo Izquierdo will be the 5th starter, but when that is your only real concern, that’s not much of a concern.

Offensively, this team should be much much improved. 2B Chris Torres (.307/.361/.494; 22HR 78RBI) had one great season, but will give way to Marino Bautista (.265/.345/.450; 26 HR, 93 RBI). Dan Mercedes returns as the starting C, but will split time with Clem Charleston. 1B should be strong as Ron Milner and Bret Maas compete for playing time there. Jorge Marichal and Matt McKnight will compete at 3B. Future HOF Domingo Soto (.307/.364/.550; 39HR, 113RBI) will push to hit his 500th HR in a Steamboat uniform while at the other COF slot, Steamboat for life Kevin Zhang (.285/.356/.551; 32HR, 85RBI) looks to increase his consecutive season streak of 25+ HRs to 6. SS Brian Painter takes over for Alexei Bonifacio who will slide to the backup IF slot. Ismael Lopez looks to spell Zhang and Soto in the OF. The only real question mark offensively is CF where rookie Al Baez makes his debut. He brings outstanding defense and solid contact and eye and should be a good addition to the bottom of the order.

Montgomery Hornets
The message in Montgomery is simple this season. “Win or get out”. The Hornet’s ownership group has made it clear to GM Kelly McCann, that he’s had 3 full seasons to turn things around, and if he doesn’t win at least 70 games this season, he will be replaced. 2-time All Star at 3B Bey Perez was acquired in an off season trade, and McCann is hoping that escaping the pitching friendly Colorado Springs park and coming to the Hornet’s Nest will help Perez reach his potential as a hitter. Veteran Hal Thompson could approach 500 career HRs this season, surprising Hod Morgan is coming off his second straight 40 HR season, and with former #6 overall pick Darrin Rossy coming off his best season as a big leaguer, the outfield appears to be set in Montgomery. Former #1 overall pick Dennis Bohanon appears to be ready for a big league call up at any time. For the 2nd time in 2 straight off seasons, the Hornets spent big on a free agent pitcher, signing veteran knuckle-baller Todd Scmidt to a 5 year, $53 million deal. Montgomery fans can only hope that Scmidt fares better than last year’s big money free agent acquisition, Darrell Taylor, who won only nine games, while getting lit up for a 5.23 ERA in his first season in the Nest. Veteran reliever, Jay Kinney was also brought in to solidify a shaky bullpen. The Hornets have a pretty good offensive team, but the pitching absolutely killed them last year. In order for McCann to keep his job, and perhaps keep the Hornets franchise alive, the pitching staff will have to so marked improvement, and show it quickly.

New Orleans Zydeco
The Zydeco is still suffering the effects of the "win now" strategy of seasons past. After winning five straight division titles and six straight playoff appearances, the Zydeco have been at or near the bottom of the division for three straight seasons. Expect this season to make it four. There is some reason for hope, though. There is some talent in the system, including a bevy of young role players. The Zydeco has too many needs, though, to seriously contend this season. It's still 2-3 seasons away.

New York Highlanders
The Highlanders are hoping to improve off of a very solid season last year. A very solid pitching staff has been strengthened by the addition of FA RP Ethan Rocker and a full year with starter Carlton Nelson. Other retuning veterans such as Carlson Coggin and Feldman should make our staff a team strength. Tommy Or has been promoted from AAA to share the catching duties and we’ve added CF Kent Moseley thru Rule 5 and utility guys Ronnie Jefferson and Brad Fitzgerald to provide depth and flexibility up the middle. Babe Swann, also added thru Rule 5 will get a chance at 1B, probably as part of a platoon with Fausto Guzman. Finally, Matt Reynolds, with one more year of experience in LF, should provide on half of a very solid corner OF duo with Enrigue Ordonez in RF. The Highlanders should compete for the top spot in the NL East.

Ottawa Outlaws
Even after winning the WS last season, we were pretty restless this off-season in trying to maintain a very good ML team while lining up some future pieces to continue the success over the long-term. Our big changes on offense was losing Clarence Canseco, after we declined his $18M option, and trading away Farmer Brand . These two departures could result in our offense taking a slight step back this season. However, we used the money saved on Canseco to lock up studs like Arthur Davenport and flipped Brand along with two prospects for future ace Al Owen so overall we feel good about the moves long-term. Offensively, we hope to make up some of that loss with the call-ups of super-stud prospect Alex Blanco and solid backup catcher Billy Gates. To replace Brand in the OF, we will use a platoon of speedy Vic Chavez and power bats Lenny Elliott and Malik Richard. Of course, the lineup will continue to be anchored by back-to-back MVP Terry West and OBP machine Don Cintron. In terms of pitching, we used the off-season to shore up an already solid bullpen with the additions of stud setup guy Skip Hatteberg and a potential one-inning closer type in Terry McConnell . We will return everyone from one of the finest rotations in the league last season. In terms of our future, we did lose some depth in the off-season trades but will still anxiously await the arrivals of the aforementioned Al Owen as well as future CF Darren Simmons and power bat COF Alex Zhang . Overall, we hope to compete for the title this year and remain a threat to win it all for the foreseeable future. However, given the overall competition in the NL North, I also wouldn't be surprised to win 90 games and finish in 4th place in the division and out of the playoffs.

Philadelphia Freedom
After a horrific owner mistake with the first pick in the draft in Season 10, my first in this world, the rebuilding process is underway, albeit set back by one season. (By the way, that’s the first and only time in my HBD experience I have ever had a draft pick who “probably won’t sign” actually sign the initial offer without raising demands or outright rejecting).With no star talent on the roster or in the minors when I took over, with the possible exception of former top-5 draft pick Sherm Larson, it looks to be a long road to recovery. Kory Matthews, the first pick in Season 11’s draft looks like a future true ace and IFA pickup from Season 11, Del Kondou looks to be a solid SS – probably not quite an all-star caliber player, but certainly will help when his time comes. For Season 12, the Freedom picked up some veterans to keep the ship afloat – no stars, but adequate major league players. I’m expecting anywhere from 75-85 wins. If we top out, there’s a chance we can sneak into the playoffs. Since I’m not a big believer in hoarding top-10 draft picks, the Freedom stand a good chance to spend the next few seasons in that general area while the rebuild continues.

Richmond Rebels

Season 12 should be another competitive one for Richmond, though we are starting to show are age and rebuilding may soon be on the horizon.

Recent history has shown this team to be almost good enough, but not quite. 7 straight playoff appearances, five of those resulting in ALCS bids, and three WS appearances. Yet the title still eludes us. They (and I'm including me in "they") always say the playoffs are a crapshoot and once you get there anyone can win. So far, that hasn't proved true for Richmond; here's hoping that season 12 reverses that trend.

Last year saw my #1, #2, and #4 SP go down with significant injuries; all missed time in the playoffs. Two of them are back, and the third should return after about 40 more games. At that point, I'm hoping to be at full strength and ready to make a run. Most of last year's core returns and we did only a little tweaking to the back end of the roster, so assuming nothing catastrophic occurs, we should be competitive again this year.

Rochester Redbirds
Additions: Josh Singleton, Mark Rando,

Departures: Not enough to improve our win total

Preview: Not a lot of optamism here in Rochester as we start season 12. Valerio Nunez and Jamie Pierre are still sucking us dry for $28 million this season with about $5 million worth of production combined. We resigned Lewis Spence! Some will ask why that is such a bright spot for the organization. Well it isn't. We had no choice once we got beat out in Free Agency for better pitchers because of cap concerns with money being tied up in two players. Speaking of being sucked dry, our farm system is dry as a martini, but we hope to turn that around in the coming drafts. That is if we don't continue to screw those up like last season. One of the few players in the system that was actually worth something is Duke Hernandez who will make his ML debut this season. Maybe he will be the spark to keep us under the 200 loss limit!


Seattle Redhooks
We're hoping for the best, expecting the worst in Seattle this season. Five rookies will make their debut, including top prospects Robert Miller and Carl Ripken. Coupled with free agent signings of SP Jesus Alarcon and RP Bob Howard, we're thinking we can win around 80-85 games and possibly make a run at the division title. But we have a lot riding on rookies, so we'll see what happens.

Syracuse Orange
As usual, MVP candidate Gill Williams Jr. staying healthy is a big key for me offensively. I love my team: extremely deep bullpen with the offseason additions of Javier Herrera, Caleb Duran , and Nick Offerman. Will add rookie Raul Espinosa to the rotation after day 21. Might be a starter short but counting on the bullpen to shorten games for me. Offensively I have a very fast team that plays good defense, might be a quality hitter short but could add that later in season if need be. Looking forward to getting back to the ALCS and beyond.

S11 Preview

Charleston River Dogs
This season should be titled, "A Season in Transition." 5 big contributors from last season's 98 win squad are gone via free agency which ganrered the River Dogs multiple draft picks in return.

The starting lineup still slooks formidable behind Enrique Canseco (All Star C), Milton Kramer (All Star 1B), and one of the top players in the league in 2B Bruce "I'm a Lover, not a Fighter" Casanova. The bullpen is deep and very talented and will be one of the tops in the league. However, the Pitching Rotation has taken a mighty beating and will indoubtedly go through many changes throughout the season as River Dogs management tries to bandaid over the situation and hope for the best.

The only reason for some optimism is the NL East is relatively weak. As weird as it sounds...this is the start of a rebuilding process, but we still have hopes to take the division.

Chicago Black Sox
So, we lost some key FAs in the off-season in Eddie Lloyd & Doug Robinson, but we were able to upgrade to Brian Ma & Alfredo Candelaria, so I am quite happy.

We also were able to select Rabbit Richard (love the name) in the Rule 5 to help out as a late inning defensive replacement and someone who can spell my starting ss when he needs some rest without falling off too far defensively.

Overall, I hope we can build on our trend upward as we improved by 13 games the year before and we have a young nucleus that is ready to contribute now.

Columbus Aeros
1 season early. That was the story from last season as I was building for this season but with the performance early on the aeros made a couple of late season trades to get into the playoffs. This year bill Buckner is ready to take over at 2nd base and lead off at the top of the line up and Sean stearns will start in rf to provide some more power to the heart of the line up. With the addition of Alex rios I feel the aeros have a 1,2,3 punch that will rival any staff in the league and with 1-2 short five game series I like the chances of estalella, rios, calvo, estalella, rios. Also this season will be the debut of my best ever diamond in the rough curt Murray. I am excited about the aeros chances and anything less than a league championship series exit at the end of the season will be a disappointment.

Las Vegas Bookies
Last season we were fortunate to be in the NL West division which saw us taking the division with an under .500 record. We made some improvements with our pitching, hiring Tyler Betancourt, Flash Hamil, Donald Cheng, and Tomas Ozuna but lost out on some of the bigger name pitchers as management decided an out of town wedding was more important the last 2 days of free agency (the GM is under investigation and may be possibly fired if this leads to another losing record). The good news is we are in the middle of a youth movement so to make the playoffs while getting younger shows we have some potential. Last season's NL Rookie Houston Reese is expected to carry the offense along with Carlos Baez. We have a lot of money left over so may be looking to make some moves yet later on in the season depending on where we see the team headed.

Little Rock Rollers
It appears as though season 11 will be a rebuilding season for this Little Rock team.
I took over the team last season with approximately 60 games left, the arbitration period had already passed and unfortunately lost 2 quality starting pitchers due to them being taken to arb. for a third and final time....
Some of the positives in losing Jesse Blowers, Alex Rios, JT Miles and Chris Torres has been receiving compensation picks (6 total first round picks, and 9 through the first 88) and the other positive is having very little money tied up in contracts. Advanced scouting was set lower than I like as it was only set at $2 million last season so therefore this season I could only raise it to $6 mill. so I'm hoping I will be able to make some good decisions in the upcoming draft to benefit from all the picks.


Los Angeles Capitalists
This season should be the start of a long, uphill battle for the Capitalists. After finishing last season in a tie for last place, it became apparent that the team as it stood could not compete for a title, and would need to retool and rebuild in the off-season. That ushered in a transition that saw the club's top two starting pitchers get traded away for prospects, kicking off the rebuilding era. Los Angeles will hope to win at least 60 games this season, with added emphasis on maintaining a high enough level of play to avoid the anti-tanking regulations.

Louisville Steamboats
Franchise leader in home runs, LF Kevin Zhang (133) looks to anchor this rebuilt offense. Even though the Steamboats hit a lot of home runs last season, runs were still at a premium due to a lack of people getting on-base. Several players were jettisoned in an attempt to make this team (10 new position players, 7 new pitchers) more competitive on a game in and game out basis. 3B Jorge Marichal, 2B Chris Torres, 1B Tommie Farley, CF Josh Singleton, RF Ismael Lopez, and C Dan Mercedes round out the offense that looks to put guys on base and put the ball in play. We brought in some new pitchers as ace Al Castro comes in from Charleston in a big-time trade which saw us move last season’s draft to add a quality pitcher. Stalwars Fonzie Becker, Hiram Sanders, and Rich Bonds combine with J.D. Dixon to form a vastly improved rotation. The bullpen should be better with Yamil Zorrilla being the primary long man and Logan Putnam and Willie Dunston joining Curtis Newson to work the 7-8-9 innings and hopefully bring home some wins.

Montgomery Hornets
The Montgomery Hornets continue to try and rebuild their historically horrific franchise for the future while remaining competitive at the major league level. Montgomery has never finished with a record above .500, and their 72 wins last season were the 3rd highest win total in franchise history.
Season 10 All Star, Hal Thompson, who hit .317 with 40 HRs, 108 RBIs with an OPS of .989 will continue to pace the offense. Former #6 overall pick Darrin Rossy hopes to improve upon his sophomore big league season in which he hit 20 HRs and stole 20 bases. The newly acquired Maximo Collier will replace the aging Ed Kelly at 2B and last season’s Rule 5 pick-up Terry Rivers has some big shoes to fill, as he’ll take over DH duties from Victor Santana.
The Hornets spent $29.5 million to land free-agent pitcher Darrell Taylor who has 119 wins, a 1.19 WHIP and a 3.56 ERA in 292 big league starts. Taylor will anchor the rotation with 24 year old Victor Alomar, entering his third full season in the majors and last year’s surprising Rich Lawrence who had a 1.39 WHIP and 3.92 ERA in 32 starts. Montgomery is hoping the 35 year old free agent pitcher Jimmie Roth will provide some stability to a very shaky bullpen.
The Hornets are looking to improve on last season’s 72 wins, but any hopes of a wild card spot are very far-fetched.

New Orleans Zydeco
The Zydeco are in the early stages of rebuilding and likely won't challenge for a division title this season. They chose not to sign their departing free agent position players Bingo Jepsen and Ismael Lopez, and will fill those gaps with young, untested prospects. Their rotation remains decent with Jesus Diaz, Wayne Roosevelt, and Zachrey Hogan. Their bullpen has some good young talent. But there isn't enough firepower in the lineup to make a serious run this season. They're still a few seasons away.

New York Highlanders
The Highlanders should regain their competitive edge this year primarily based upon a pitching staff that is now deeper than last year’s solid group. The addition of FA, veteran starter, Sherman Feldman gives the rotation needed depth, while the bullpen remains strong both in all respects. Last year’s issue of anemic bats was addressed by trading for veteran 3B, Al Chantres and the young, dynamic CF, Renyel Cortes. In addition, hard hitting Matt Reynolds will see his first full season in LF. By adding these new faces to an excellent middle infield, veterans Enrique Ordonez (RF) and Scott Gorecki (1B), together with a solid defensive catching tandem NY, now has all we need to be a contender this year. On the farm, young catcher Tommy Orr, 2B Jamie Pote and pitchers Tony Greene and Benny Gregg are almost ready for prime time.

Seattle Pilots
It's rebuilding time in Seattle. Last year was a year of great pitching and absolutely no offense. Ownership wanted to rebuild to have a more balanced team. So we shipped off our two stud pitchers, Victor Castillo and Erik Stone, for fomer #2 overall pick CF Carl Ripken and SS Cesar Olivo. The long term salary relief will go a long way towards rebuilding. In the mean time, we've signed Jesse Blowers in Free Agency. He and JP Diaz will hold down the fort until the prospects arrive. There are more moves to be made, so we'll wait to see where this team is at the end of the year.

S10 World Series Preview

AL – Cheyenne Gunslingers

The Gunslingers are making their first World Series appearance after finishing second in their division and winning a wild card berth for the second straight season.

The Road to the Series

Defeated #4 Texas, 3-1

Defeated #1 Florida, 3-0

Defeated #6 Richmond, 4-3

2^nd in Runs Scored
Cheyenne is led by three 30+ home run hitters in LF Geraldo Olivares (34HR, 120RBI, .305/.381/.560), DH/1B Pedro Johnson (34HR, 108RBI, .289/.382/.502), and C Mel Mays (30HR, 92RBI, .315/.393/.555). They were 180/248 in stolen bases, led by RF Donatello Burkett with 43.

3^rd in ERA

Led by 17-game winner, Shep Blanks (17-5, 197.0IP, 2.42ERA, 1.08WHIP), the pitching staff is strong. They’re not going to strike out a lot of guys, but they will get you out. They boast 4 double digit winners. They allowed the second fewest home runs in the AL.

3^rd in Fielding Percentage

SS Rickie Burgess was the defensive catalyst for the team, recording 33  “plus” plays and participating in 104 double plays. The team as a whole managed a .986 fielding percentage with 82 good plays and 27 bad plays.

NL - #2 Cincinnati Battlin’ Redlegs

Cincinnati won their 2^nd straight division championship (5^th overall in 10 seasons) en route to their 3^rd World Series appearance. The good news for Battlin’ Redleg fans…their previous 2 trips ended with the team hoisting the trophy over their heads.

The Road to the Series

Defeated #6 Columbus, 3-1

Defeated #1 Charleston, 4-0

#2 in Runs Scored

Boasting an incredible 5 players with .300+ batting averages (over 350 AB), Cincinnati is not so much led by any one player, as they are a team that gets things done. 10 players finished with double-digit taters. If you’re going to pick one player to single out above the rest, it’s young RF Al Mondesi (26HR, 113RBI, .317/.376/.521).

#1 in ERA
Led by Cy Young Finalist Julian Tejeda (19-8, 221.1IP, 3.42ERA, 1.17 WHIP) Cincy boasted five 10-game winners, and a closer who was nearly lights out in Dario Keefe (50G, 33/37SV, 49.2IP, 1.99ERA, 0.95WHIP). This staff boasted the second fewest walks in the NL.

T-#2 in Fielding Percentage
Cincinnati was a solid fielding team, won’t give you many outs and won’t take many outs. They’ll make you earn your runs the old-fashioned way.

Outlook:

What we’ve got is a staff in Cincinnati that will give up home runs and a team that can hit them in Cheyenne. On the flip side, Cincinnati can hit home runs, but Cheyenne is stingy with the long ball. Although there doesn’t appear to be many scenarios that end in Cheyenne winning, I’ve got a feeling and am picking Cheyenne in 7.

New Rule

After a lot of thought I've decided to add a new rule to the worlds I run. It does not affect gameplay at all so I am not putting it up for discussion or a vote. I spend a lot of time and effort to run these HBD worlds. I feel like I do a really good job and anyone can see, most HBD worlds are not run well AND take a lot time to fill during rollover. I've had some bad experiences lately with a couple owners who took over midseason from another owner who chose to leave and then refused to do the same when they did not want to stick around. 

All HBD worlds have to deal with the churn of owner. I recently dropped the one world I was in where I did not commish because of time constraints. After 40+ seasons of running worlds, I've found that it EASILY is the most beneficial to the world for a replacement owner to be found immediately once someone decides they are moving on. Inevitably the team is not taken as well care of and/or long term decisions are made by the outgoing owner which the incoming owner has to deal with.

The veteran owners whom I like to attract to these worlds almost uniformly prefer to take over the current budget instead of starting from the standard neutral budget.

Moving forward, if you choose to not come back next season, then you are open to transferring your team early. Preferably I would like that to happen immediately once the roll call is taken, however I understand each of us pays for a full season and if you demand to stick it out through the 162 game regular season then perfectly understandable. Furthermore, NO LONG TERM decisions are to be made by the outgoing owner without prior approval from the commissioner. This primarily is targeted at re-signing outgoing free agents, but trades will not be allowed either. 

Very very rarely does an owner from a playoff squad leave one of my worlds. However, in those cases the incoming owner will send a gift certificate to make up for the credits you will be missing out on by transferring your team. 

To sum up...the positives are huge for when a new owner comes in before rollover. They get to take their time and analyze their team, they get to promote/demote minor leagues, they get to make free agent decisions, and they get to inherit the current budget. This also helps the other owners in the world as it is MUCH easier to recruit a new owner when they have this option and we don't have to wait for someone to enter the world after rollover.

Sorry for the essay, but I wanted everyone to see I have thought long and hard about this. This rule will make the worlds better and make my job easier.

Season 10 Draft Review

1.       P Henderson Davenport (PHI)
Owner Comments:
I was shooting for next year's #2. It backfired. The guy I got won't make the big leagues…well he might for me because my team stinks so bad, but you know what I mean. If I would have picked the the best player on my board it would have been the guy at #24.
hurricane384’s take:
Solid closer, might be a little early for a closer, especially one that won't put up that many innings and won't be dominant.

2.       P Peter Gray (ARI)
Owner Comments:
With the second overall pick of the draft, the Arizona Firebirds selected a dynamic 18 year old, right-handed pitcher, Peter Gray out of Oak Park High School in the surburb of Chicago. At times during his senior year, Gray was ranked as high as #1 on Baseball America’s 2012 mid-season list.However, rumors of him committing to multiple D-I schools such as Pepperdine, UCLA, and Arizona, caused him to start slipping down in the 1st round of the professional draft. The Firebirds saw him still sitting there at the No.2 overall pick and did not waste time scooping him up and making Arizona his permanent new home. Gray possesses outstanding control and 4 pitches in his arsenal including a very well developed 4-seam fastball,a nasty 12-6 curve which he can throw equally effective to hitters on either side of the plate as well as a developing changeup. While he does not throw heat, some scouts say that with his mechanics and ways he studies hitters as a young pitcher,he has top of the rotation potential. He could even challenge last season's 1st Rounder (5th overall) Al Owen as the top prospect in the Arizona farm system.
hurricane384’s take:
Good pick who should be able to anchor a staff for seasons to come.

3.       P Alex Suzuki (LA)
Owner Comments:
He was #1 on my draft board and so we felt very fortunate to be able to land him at 3. As far as I can see he's got it all, stamina/durability, control, splits, and velocity. If he comes anywhere near where his projections are he will be a bona fide ace for seasons to come.
hurricane384’s take:
Although he won't be able to get real deep into games, he has the potential to be a star.

4.       2B Denny Spencer (MNT)
Owner Comments:
The Hornets are extremely pleased to get Denny Spencer at #4,he was actually the #1 rated player on our board going into the draft. Since he's arrived in camp, we've tempered our expectations on his range & glove growth, but he looks like he can handle right handed pitching better than we expected,so we'll take that trade off. His contact, power & batting eye are exceptional, and as long as he approaches his defensive projections we won't have a problem playing him at 2B.He should hit around .300 with 30-40 HRs and have an OBP above .400 every season. Best case scenario he is a perenial all-star at 2B, worst case is he's a gold glove left fielder. In either case he will surely smash the **** out of the ball.
hurricane384’s take:
He's not likely to be a superstar, but still should be a good COF for the Hornets.

5.       SS Alan Lombard (ELP)
Owner Comments:
Lombard has a chance to be a .280 hitter with 20/20 as a possibility at SS. He has to stay healthy, which is a huge concern, but if he does, will be the starting SS in about 3 years.
hurricane384’s take:
If he progresses to his projections, he's going to be a silver slugger, gold glove, all-star SS…a steal.

6.       SS Gregg Hill (LAA)
Owner Comments:
A shortstop who will probably play another position in the majors. He has the potential to be a good, though not great, all around offensive producer. He does project to have the ability to play solid defense. I expected to gain more from my draft position; but, Hill will be solid.
hurricane384’s take:
He doesn't have the range to be a SS, but he can be a solid 3B who can hit some.

7.       SS Germany Fleming (CH2)
Owner Comments:
hurricane384’s take:
Quite possibly the steal of the draft, if Fleming develops properly, he'll compete with Lombard for the silver slugger and be a consistent all-star.

8.       P Bryan Dunham (CH2)
Owner Comments:
hurricane384’s take:
Chicago got a legit SS and a very good closer with back-to-back picks.

9.       SS Phillip Latham (LR)
Owner Comments:
Latham is a player capable of playing a great SS, who has the ratings to be a #2 hitter. He lacks power, but his contact and speed will make him a good OBP player,and could do some damage on the basepaths. Was he worthy of the #9 pick? Probably not. However, my scouting was extremely bad for both HS and College pitching, so I am happy to get him. I had him as my #2 player.
hurricane384’s take:
Continuing a dangerous run of SS, this guy should be very good as well. Should be an all-star.

10.   P Lance Gardner (NO)
Owner Comments:
hurricane384’s take:
Should develop into a #3 starter with #1/#2 potential.

11.   P Stuart Gorgen (CLE)
Owner Comments:
While Gorgen was picked by the previous GM, he is currently viewed as a hard worker with great control, good velocity, with a number of out pitches, should be a solid #2 starter and depending on his development could push for #1.
hurricane384’s take:
Will struggle against RHB, but should still be a good pitcher.

12.   2B Ed Hall (SEA)
Owner Comments:
He was my #4 overall, I didnt see many studs. Great range, below average glove. sold hitter.
hurricane384’s take:
Hall has good power, and will be good offensively. Not much of a defender.

13.   SS Shawn Roth (CSP)
Owner Comments:
The organization felt that we needed another top notch bat. As long as his glove develops, Shawn Roth will be a very good hitter at a premium position. You can't ask for more based on our draft position.
hurricane384’s take:
Good offensive player with good splits. He might be able to hold down SS if his offense develops.

14.   SS Nick Snow (ROC)
Owner Comments:
The Rochester front office will continue to undergo changes as the new owners look to clean up this organization.These changes will now carryover to our scouts and draft day personal after the selection of Nick Snow in the first round. Snow might make the ML roster someday as a defensive player but that is about it.We were hoping to land Stuart Gorgen or Ed Hall who were taken just a few picks earlier. The selection of Snow most certainly delayed the already slow turnaround here in Rochester.
hurricane384’s take:
Projects to be a solid 2B but definitely won't be playing SS.

15.   CF Francis Hutton (JAC)
Owner Comments:
Excellent speed, okay splits - it all comes down to how well he'll meet his projections...
hurricane384’s take:
Lacks the range for CF, but he's fast and solid offensively.

16.   SS Jack Jurrjens (FLA)
Owner Comments:
hurricane384’s take:
Good defensively, although he lacks a bit in glove. He's going to be a very good offensive SS.

17.   P Brent Harding (CLB)
Owner Comments:
I got the guy number five on my board. Best available impact player I could get and see. I am very happy to have my closer of the future…today.
hurricane384’s take:
Lacks great stamina, but should be able to come in and throw quite a few good innings.

18.   CF Bernie Shermann (NO)
Owner Comments:
hurricane384’s take:
Solid range with tremendous power and a good eye. Good speed. Interesting player.

19.   P Nathan May (LOU)
Owner Comments:
The #6 player on my board, I am excited to add May. He might not develop into an ace, but should definitely be a good pitcher for years to come. He will get lots of ground balls and limit walks, and that's all you can ask for in Louisville.
tk’s take:May has great control and above average splits which will be helped out by two great pitches.

20.   P Charlie Woods (LOU)
Owner Comments:
The #10 player on my board, he actually might turn out to be better than May. He'll be able to throw lots of innings. His vsR worries me some as well as the fact that he only has 3 pitches, but those pitches are good, so we shall see.
tk’s take:Woods is nearly similiar as he has great control and his first two pitches are excellent. He'll be more dominant against lefties than May perhaps.

21.   2B Amos Willis (TOR)
Owner Comments:
hurricane384’s take:
Projects to be a very good lead-off hitter who should be able to hold down 2B.

22.   P Heath Barney (NY2)
Owner Comments:
Well, at 22 I was pretty happy to get Heath Barney. While he does not project to have overpowering splits,they will be above average. When ready, he will throw 5 pitches with great control. His health and makeup are as good as it gets. He’s already pitching well at High A and I think he’ll be a good middle to back of the rotation guy at the ML level.
hurricane384’s take:
Lacks great splits, but definitely could make up for that by not walking many and having a couple very good pitches.

23.   P O.T. Gardner (PIT)
Owner Comments:
O.T. Gardner his stam and contol should be good along w/his splits. His pitches show some concern with only 1 good pitch. Hoping he can be a #3 starter.
hurricane384’s take:
Should be a good pitcher. Throws relatively hard and induces quite a few groundballs.

24.   2B Mitchell Franco (LV)
Owner Comments:
I hope he doesn't sign; still holding out asking $7M and that's all I have left. Risking him signing so that I can pick up a comp pick next season and use the money to sign the next two draft picks and maybe pick up a Int'l yet.
hurricane384’s take:
Should be a solid option at 2B while holding down the lead-off spot for seasons to come.

25.   P Alex Peters (ATL)
Owner Comments:
hurricane384’s take:
Not much of a pick here as my suspicion is that Atlanta is going for a compensatory pick next season.

26.   P Pat MacDougal (NB)
Owner Comments:
hurricane384’s take:
May go onto college, but if he doesn't New Britain may have found themselves an anchor for their bullpen.

27.   C Ken Melancon (CHR)
Owner Comments:
Relatively happy considering the weakness of the draft combined with choosing so late in the first round. Should be a good hitting catcher…hopefully his PC progresses enough to warrant a shot behind the plate as we believe a great bat back there can overcome defensive inefficiencies
hurricane384’s take:
Although he doesn't have great durability, he should be a solid platoon option as well as a good play-off C.

28.   P Bryce Pierre (CHY)
Owner Comments:
With the 28th pick, the Gunslingers selected Bryce Pierre ,a reliever that will be able to eat some innings and should be almost impervious to injury. Our scouts see him as an 80 OVR rating with excellent control and 2 good pitches, which should suffice for bullpen work.
hurricane384’s take:
His splits aren't great, but he definitely should make for a solid option out of the pen.

29.   P Otis Walker (ATL)
Owner Comments:
hurricane384’s take:
Lacks great splits, but has the durability and stamina to be a real workhorse for a bullpen.

30.   CF Darren Simmons (OTT)
Owner Comments:
In an extremely weak draft, I was very happy to land Simmons whom I had ranked 9th overall in the draft. He is projected to be a gold glove CF with 90+ range andglove. Also, he has great speed and basestealing ability. His bat is rather pedestrian, but his defense and speed more than compensate. I think he will be a mainstay in CF for many years.
hurricane384’s take:
Solid defensive CF. Has tremendous speed and should be good enough offensively to make a difference.

31.   LF Lonny Tice (HON)
Owner Comments:
Really happy to get him that late in the first round…doesn't project to be a star, but should be at least an average regular on a playoff contender.
hurricane384’s take:
Solid offensively, he won't be a star, but definitely can contribute.

32.   P Domingo Lee (LR)
Owner Comments:
hurricane384’s take:
Doesn't have great splits, but won't walk many and should keep the ball in the park. Could be a workhorse.

33.   P Hal Tanner (JAC)
Owner Comments:
hurricane384’s take:
Terrible vsR but has a couple good pitches and won't walk many people.

34.   LF Rich Swift (CIN)
Owner Comments:
hurricane384’s take:
Tremendous get here…He's got solid offensive numbers including a great CON. Should be good.