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.