Warning Track HBD

New World rule starting season 13

2011-06-05T00:19:00.001-07:00

New Rule for season 13 and beyond

Starting in season 13, There will be a 120 win requirement for any 2 consecutive seasons. If a team fails to win 120 games at the ML level in consecutive seasons, then they risk being kicked out of the World. If a team fails to win the 120 games I will pick a panel of 4 veteran Warning Track Owners to judge weather or not they should be kicked out or given a second chance.In case of a tie, I will have the tie breaking vote. If a team comes up for vote twice, then the second time they will be automatically kicked out. This rule applies to me as well as everyone else.

2011-02-28T23:53:00.000-08:00

Colorado Springs Sky Sox World Champs!

Season 11 League Championship Series

2011-02-21T15:51:00.000-08:00

The Warning Track World league championship series are set.

In the American League The Chicago Badasses (101-61) will take on The Honolulu Beach Bums (97-65)

In the National League The Fargo Woodchippers (85-77) will face The Colorado Springs Sky Sox (90-72)

World Series appearances by remaining playoff teams...

Colorado Springs-3
Chicago-2
Louisville-1
Fargo-0

The AL leads the NL 6-4 in World Series wins

All-Stars Season 11

2011-01-23T16:56:00.000-08:00

In an 11-inning pitchers duel, Warning Track's 11th annual All-star game was won by a walk-off homer by Gustavo Servet to give the AL the win 2-1.

The teams' were stacked with mostly usual suspects, as well as a handful of first-timers that we will be seeing on the list for many seasons to come. The Louisville Sluggers brought the most players to the game of any team with 6, while the Atlanta Bravos led the NL with 5 participants.

Season 11 ML - AL All-Stars

	Player	Franchise	Owner
P	Nash Hogg	Badasses	beatinu2 (4th appearance)
P	Jocko Farquhar	Trash Haulers	tmfran (2nd appearance)
P	Moises Gongora	RoughRiders	Fantasy Frea (2nd appearance)
P	Cookie Cameron	Sluggers	farren83 (2nd appearance)
P	Kennie Millwood	Sluggers	farren83 (2nd appearance)
P	Alex Olivares	Hosers	nesman (5th appearance)
P	Esteban Coronado	Badasses	beatinu2 (2nd appearance)
P	Cesar Vallarta	G-Men	danholg (5th appearance)
P	Sid Brower	Trash Haulers	tmfran (2nd appearance)
P	Orber Santos	Hosers	nesman (5th appearance)
P	Bart Jeffcoat	Yankees	lbrooks2 (1st appearance)
P	T.J. Westmoreland	Athletic Legion	ARomano (1st appearance)
P	Miguel Mendoza	Black Birds	mickpb (1st appearance)
C	Wes Newhan	RoughRiders	Fantasy Frea (8th appearance)
C	Tony Kim	Sluggers	farren83 (2nd appearance)
1B	Vic Graffanino	Saltine Warriors	bjc30 (1st appearance)
1B	Lloyd Helms	Badasses	beatinu2 (1st appearance of MANY)
2B	Joe Jameson	Grizzlies	friars_baby (1st appearance)
2B	Ugueth Mesa	Saltine Warriors	bjc30 (2nd appearance)
3B	Nolan Brock	Sluggers	farren83 (5th appearance)
3B	Esteban Lopez	Hosers	nesman (4th appearance)
SS	Glenn Mills	Saltine Warriors	bjc30 (1st appearance)
SS	Nick Barfield	G-Men	danholg (6th appearance)
LF	Jose Montanez	Voodoo Masters	themojoking (1st appearance / Rookie)
LF	Cyrus Howard	Sluggers	farren83 (7th appearance)
CF	Todd Barkett	Sluggers	farren83 (7th appearance)
CF	Doug Fleming	Yankees	lbrooks2 (5th appearance)
RF	Dan Cora	Beach Bums	AZNJ70 (2nd appearance)
RF	Gustavo Servet	Scabs	bodean (3rd appearance)
DH	Julio Cedeno	Hosers	nesman (9th appearance)

Season 11 ML - NL All-Stars

	Player	Franchise	Owner
P	Clay Wells	Fightin' Phils	whiskychaser (1st appearance)
P	Hugh May	Vikings	pic27 (9th appearance)
P	Ty Stottlemyre	Sky Sox	njohnson78 (2nd appearance)
P	Dustin Taft	Lagers	dilo (1st appearance)
P	Kazuo Woo	Packers	Sved (1st appearance)
P	Clarence Jameson	Vikings	pic27 (1st appearance)
P	Herman Wood	Bravos	ryguyrb (3rd appearance)
P	Jumbo Duran	Tedders	rockindock (1st appearance)
P	Pedro Barrios	Skeltons	gratepool (2nd appearance)
P	Larry Roberts	Bulls & Bears	gbbreeden2 (3rd appearance)
P	Vin Martin	Woodchippers	genghisxcon (1st appearance)
P	Miguel Rosales	Bravos	ryguyrb (1st appearance of MANY/ Rookie)
P	Albert Crosby	Bravos	ryguyrb (1st appearance)
P	Ramon Takada	Dutchmen	kennedrj (3rd appearance)
C	Roberto Soto	Vikings	pic27 (2nd appearance)
C	Rabbit Ross	Woodchippers	genghisxcon (2nd appearance)
1B	Andrew Morgan	Sky Sox	njohnson78 (4th appearance)
1B	Phil Sparks	Packers	Sved (1st appearance, despite MVP last season)
2B	Dave Fonville	Yellowfins	offshorebron (2nd appearance)
2B	Dmitri Gil	Packers	Sved (1st appearance)
3B	Olmedo Santana	Bravos	ryguyrb (4th appearance)
3B	Ryan Clancy	Lagers	dilo (1st appearance)
SS	Robert Forest	Dutchmen	kennedrj (1st appearance of MANY/ Rookie)
SS	Al Cueto	Tedders	rockindock (1st appearance)
LF	Esmerling Cervantes	Bulls & Bears	gbbreeden2 (1st appearance / Rookie)
LF	Aaron Black	Mutts	firesign34 (1st appearance)
CF	George Hewitt	Vikings	pic27 (1st appearance)
CF	Fritz Wood	Sky Sox	njohnson78 (4th appearance)
RF	B.C. Matos	Sky Sox	njohnson78 (5th appearance)
RF	P.T. Torres	Bravos	ryguyrb (2nd appearance)

Free agent market in Warning Track world.

2010-12-05T03:21:00.000-08:00

The Baseball Tonight crew discuss the upcoming free agent market in Warning Track world.

Here’s a list of possible free agents in Warning Track broken down by position. There’s still a chance some of these players may sign with their current teams. Theses players will consult with there agents and decide to sign with there current team, bolt to a franchise with a better chance of winning, or sign with any team chasing the big bucks regardless of their chance to win.

C-Kris Pedersen (STL) Career.279 ba and 226 home runs.
C-Tony Kim (LOU) Former Sliver Slugger and All Star
1B-Felipe Nieves (OTT) Won MVP and Sliver Slugger awards. 479 career home runs.
1B-Merv Carter (SLC) MVP, Gold Glove, Sliver Slugger winner and All Star.
1B-Gerald Nakamura (LAA) All Star
2B-Wayne Rivera (LOU) 340 Career home runs, multiple All Star appearances.
2B-Kevin Meng (MIL) Gold Glove
SS-Ivan Saez (DOV) 248 home runs, Silver Slugger and All Star
SS-Rafael Park (OAK) All Star Silver Slugger
3B-Sherry Young (OAK) 325 home runs, Silver Slugger
3B-Olmendo Santana (IA) All Star
LF-Aaron Black (LAA) ROY, Silver Slugger
CF-Fritz Wood (CSP) All Star, All Star MVP, 268 home runs, .294 ba.
CF-Vin Santos (SLC) All Star, Gold Glove
RF-B.C Matos (CSP) 274 home runs, All Star, Silver Slugger
RF-Cecil Flanagan (TEX) 337 home runs, Gold Glove

SP-Solly Wood (OTT) 100 Wins, All Star
SP-Stan Forrest (SLC) 120 Wins, Gold Glove, Silver Slugger
RP-Tim Corino (NAS) ROY, All Star, 507k
RP-Walter Wilkins (NY1) 328sv, All Star

2010-11-26T23:22:00.000-08:00

Warning Track World season ten Gold Glove award winners

AL-

P-Kiko Wall Pittsburgh
C-Charlie Ruffin Trenton
1B-Andre Fitzgerald Scranton
2B-Louie Fernandez (2nd) Helena
3B-Pedro Cabrera (2nd) Indianapolis
SS-Tito Buckley Chicago
LF-Joel Ramirez (2nd) Indianapolis
CF-Todd Barkett (3rd) Louisville
RF-Jamie Riley (2nd) Chicago

NL-

P-Herman Wood Atlanta
C-Charlie King Little Rock
1B-Hector Small (4th) Rochester
2B-Esmailyn Vazquez Philadelphia
3B-Benito Barajas (2nd) Atlanta
SS-Elrod Yates Little Rock
LF-Rex Henderson Rochester
CF-Enrique Contreras Atlanta
RF-Ryan Miles Little Rock

Bravos Blog Conclusion Season 10

2010-11-24T22:20:00.001-08:00

Well, this season was needless to say an extreme disappointment. Despite the 3rd highest payroll in the majors with a whopping 106M budgeted, we failed to even make the playoffs. We did finish above .500 with a 84-78 record, but it was a rollercoaster of a season.

Going into the all-star break, we were approximately 10 games under .500 and sitting in either 3rd or 4th place. Than we made an awesome push, getting a solid record until we collapsed with about 25 games left in the season. We ended up finishing well, but it wasnt enough as both Iowa City and Little Rock had solid seasons of their own.

The main contributor to this season's downfall was the bullpen. It started out with Closer Turner Witasick completely imploding, going 0-5 with 6 blown saves in only 21 opportunities, and earning himself a demotion. Before this season I was ready to declare Witasick as the lowest rated future hall of famer, but how quickly that has gone in the dumps, as now its a question of whether I even want to keep him around.

Apart from Witasick the rest of the bullpen was equally disappointing, blowing 23 saves altogether on the year (good for 2nd worst in the majors), and posting a pretty fat ERA. The starting rotation put up decent numbers though, with our big money investment SP Herman Wood putting up Cy Young numbers, and with a little more run support prolly would have won it.

The offense was decent this year as well, although not near what I expected of it. LF Erubiel Gonzales put together a great year, but sluggers PT Torres and Benito Barajas had really poor power numbers. Torres, after posting 35+ homers in 3 of his first 4 seasons, only hit 24 homers, which clearly showed in his RBI total as well (73?!) Barajas has also taken a power hit, posting only 23 homers/81 RBI after a 38 homer output in season 8.

There was some big trade news this season for us, with 2 seperate trades going down midseason, both of which Im still pretty happy with. The first was with the Fargo Woodchippers sending us 2B Gregory Phillips, RP Billy Buhner, and 2B Prospect Dennis Harper in exchange for CF Chad Rhodes and SS Steven Bunch. Rhodes will be missed, but I believe I have a solid replacement for him at CF, with Enrique Contreras winning the CF Gold Glove this year. Steven Bunch I dont think will be a huge loss for the team despite being our 1st round pick in season 9. Now for what we got back... Gregory Phillips has been stronger than I had expected, posting a .310 average since joining the Bravos, but he will be demanding a pretty large contract in arbitration this offseason. Billy Buhner was a good filler and proved to be an integral part of our next trade, but demanding nearly 5 mill a year may prove to be a little too much for me to spend on a reliever. He did convert 24/25 save ops with the team. Dennis Harper is a very young 2B who is still up in the air for me, as he has a long way to go before he hits the majors. All in all, Phillips was a viable replacement for Rhodes, and Harper should be worth the risk.

In our second trade of the season with the Chicago Badasses, we sent RP William Chen over there in return for SS Henry Brinkley and RP Eduardo Belliard. Chen had been a big part of the team in his first 4+ seasons with the team, eating up huge amounts of setup innings. Unfortunately though Chen never really lived up to the dominance I thought he would show (apart from season 9, great year) . So, with a hefty contract coming to him this offseason and our filler Billy Buhner acquired earlier, we sent Chen packing. Brinkley is a very interesting player to me, as his usefulness depends immensely on anywhere from 2-5 points in one rating category. If he can get them, he should be on my major league squad and hopefully be productive. If he doesnt, he may be a career minor leaguer. Only time will tell! Belliard is also a little strange, hes one of those players I dont really like due to his control, but I decided to take a chance on him. Definitely hasnt worked out so far, as Belliard has posted an abysmal 2-7 record with a 6.55 ERA. Ouch!

Still, the pieces are intact for this team to make a run next season, and with the acquisition of a couple prospects via trade (our draft and IFAs didnt go so well) and AA Cy Young winner Miguel Rosales awaiting his inevitable call-up after posting a... 1.21 ERA in 29 starts. yea, 1.21!

Taking a shot at a couple regular season records.

2010-11-12T23:56:00.000-08:00

With the regular season winding down (9 games to go) two players take aim at a couple Warning Track World regular season records. Joaguian Campos of the Honolulu Beach Bums is currently batting .370 which ties the all time record set by Elston Meyers in Season 1 and then tied by Roy Sheets in Season 8. Will he be able to squeeze out enough hits to break the record?

Iowa City slugger Phil Sparks is a long shot to tie or break the home run record. Sparks currently leads the league with 56 dingers. The record of 70 was set by Kenny Carson in season six.

Review of 10 years of Warning Track # 1 draft picks.

2010-10-12T02:53:00.000-07:00

With the completion of the 10th annual draft in Warning Track World, I thought it would be interesting to do a little where are they now and revisit the # 1 picks throughout the years.

Season 1 Darin Williams was drafted number one by the Toledo franchise and was paid a handsome four million dollar signing bonus. The franchise moved to Milwaukee the following season, in which he made his major league debut at age 19, in 122 games he hit .296 / 22/ 66. He has spent all nine of his major league seasons with Milwaukee as a 1b / cof.

Season 2 top pick B.C. Matos was taken by the Salem. B.C. signed a Warning Track record 6,960,00 signing bonus and made his major league debut in season five as Salems RF belting 37 homeruns. A few short years later his franchise made the move to Colorado Springs posting homerun totals of 48 and 52 in Colorado Springs. He already has 16 dingers in season ten. AT the age of 26 he has collected some nice hardware being selected to 4 all-star teams, one all-star game MVP, 2 silver slugger awards and has a world series ring.

In Season 3 Nash Hogg was the first pitcher selected number one overall by Chicago. He has been impressive ever since his season 7 debut. So far he has won 56 games for the Badasses. He has made two all-star teams as well as winning the Cy Young award twice in his young career.

Salt Lake City had the number one pick in season 4 and selected SP Hideo Chang. Chang had a brief Major league appearance in season six but was roughed up and send back to AAA. The franchise changed ownership in season eight and was moved to Honolulu. At age 24 he has already started 44 games, winning 23 of them. The Beach bums are counting on big things from Chang in the future.

Salt Lake City is the only team in warning track history to post back to back number one picks. In season 5 they selected future slugger Dan Cora. Cora just made his big league debut in season ten. He currently has 22 homers and is hitting .284.

Season 6 has Chicago selecting # 1 again. This time they take 1b prospect Lloyd Helms. Recently call up to the big club, Helms has a couple long balls through a hand full of games.

Robert Forest was the number one pick in season 7. Selected by Charlotte, who have moved to Dover, where he now handles the SS duties for the big team just after getting promoted from AAA.

A different city, but same outcome has Honolulu picking # 1 for the 3rd time in Warning Track history. In season 8 the Beach Bums take Louis Potvin with their top pick. Potvin a SP currently pitches for the AA squad looks to make it to the Majors in the next couple seasons and show off his stuff.

Season 9 number one pick is Jerome Gross, selected by Indianapolis. He is currently in AA hitting over .300.

Just selected # 1 in season 10 by Honolulu, SP Ricardo Zapata has already signed and reported to the rookie team. When asked about being the 4th # 1 pick selected by his franchise in the past seven years, he only said he would be his best to make sure they don't pick # 1 again or at least for a long time.

Season 10 draft

2010-10-05T17:53:00.000-07:00

With the Warning Track World season ten draft less than a week away teams should be focusing on the list of prospects. It should be an interesting draft with 34 picks handed out for the supplemental round between the 1st and 2nd rounds.

The Honolulu Beach Bums hold the number one pick and will have a tough decision to make. Do they go with a big stick or that future ace?

A few teams will be rockin 2 first round picks.

Sacramento Scarabs will be picking 2nd and 18th in the first round and also have the # 34 overall pick in the supplemental round.

Texas Roughriders will be picking 4th and 12th in the first round along with the # 53 and #62 picks in the supplemental round.

Rochester Skeltons will be picking 24th and 32nd in the first round.

My team, Trenton Trash Haulers will look to restock the minors in this years draft. We have 7 picks in the top 82. We have the 27, 36, 47, 49, 56, 67, and 82 overall picks. Kinda makes me wish I hadn't signed type A free agent Joe Rizzuto, then I'd also have the 18th overall pick. But then again I may not be where I'm at without him.

Little Rock Mutts Season 10

2010-09-16T21:34:00.000-07:00

The fans are excited following their great season last year. Things could have been better in the playoffs as I wasn't here to guide them and maybe a crucial mistake was made by my rookie stand-in. Another division crown could possibly be in store for us regardless of what the Bravos think. It will be a tougher season for sure, it always is but I think we will be in the thick of it again.

Key Departures: Josh Ryan - An 8 year vet in CF, we tried signing him but he was steadfastly against our deal and opted for FA instead. He wanted a 5 year deal and we just didn't think it was cost effective. Texas on the other hand seemed to think otherwise, hopefully we will get a nice pick in the draft for him.

Key Acquisitions: Chuck Valentine - Picked up late in FA (from Texas no less) as he was asking way to much early on but his $2.9M contract for 3 years seems pretty good and very well could be a GG in CF.
Vinny Gwynn was orginally picked up in FA to fill the CF hole, but with the signing of Valentine moves him to a much needed backup role for SS/CF and just about anywhere else for that matter.

After those two moves, someone had to be left out to dry, unfortunately that was Chris Jameson who could make someone a nice backup or will finish his Mutts career at AAA.

The offense is led by Wilfredo Rodriguez leads the offense coming off his most productive season since season 5. With Charlie King hitting behind him makes a very solid 1-2 punch.

The pitching rotation is anchored by Stu Incaviglia who had Cy Young numbers last year, just not the wins to back it up. With the pen anchored by Darrel McGee (17 wins and 7 saves last year) and Felipe Castro shutting down the opposition late was common place.

I am expecting great things from this team this year. Will it be as good as last year? That will be decided on the field but I think things look pretty good.

Bravos Blog Season 10

2010-09-14T20:59:00.000-07:00

Time for another season of HBD! Season 9 was a slight disappointment for the Bravos, as I really expected nothing less than the NL championship. Than, the big injury came, with Erubiel Gonzales going down for the year. Thankfully we had a few options to replace him, but it was a big hit to overcome. We won 89 games despite down years from a few of our players, with our 4 man rotation working extremely well down the stretch. We ended up exiting in the NLDS to the eventual world champs Vancouver, 3-2.

First and foremost, we took care of business this offseason with our current players. Signing RF PT Torres, Gonzales, Barajas, and Rhodes to long term deals we have locked up our core pretty much through season 14. We also re-signed 1B Bailey Webster at the end of the FA period for 1.6 mill/3 years, which I thought was a pretty damn good bargain price.

Now, we return in season 10 with a new drive to win. We return largely the same roster, with just a few changes. CF Enrique Contreras enters the majors after winning the AA MVP last season and leading the team to a AA crown. Contreras allows Chad Rhodes to move to 2B, and with the return of gold glover 3B Benito Barajas and SS Al Tavarez we should have a great fielding team. The only other addition to the offense is Yeico James who came on last year to take over for Gonzales and should provide us with solid depth.

On to the pitching side, our 4 man rotation all returns with the addition of SP Albert Crosby. Crosby will be on trial status, as he will the 5th starter to start the season, but if he struggles will move back down to the minors until hes ready. We also picked up reliever Kevin Callaway, who returns to the Bravos after being traded away by them in my first season in the league. Callaway helps cement the pen and gives us one of the strongest 6-7-8 inning pitchers in the league (Donovan, Callaway, Chen). The only question mark is closer Turner Witasick. If Witasick can return to his early season form, we may be the team to beat this year.

Season 9 All Stars

2010-07-13T21:42:00.000-07:00

As we pass over the All-star game in season 9, things seem to look fairly normal in the standings. Chicago, New York, Louisville and Helena top the AL divisions, with all 4 teams in the AL North above 50 wins. The opening division series' after the break could very well determine who is the front-runner.

In the NL, things are a little cloudier. Rochester, a surprise Charlotte, Little Rock (finally living up to potential? Or just a fast start!) and Vancouver lead their divisions, with the Bravos and Colorado Springs currently holding wildcards.

In this years all-star game, Ottawa once again had the most representatives in the game with 7. In the NL it was a very diverse team this year, but Vancouver led the pack with 5 reps.

Season 9 ML - AL All-Stars

	Player	Franchise	Owner
P	Cookie Cameron	G-Men	danholg (1st appeance)
P	Albie Santiago	Trash Haulers	tmfran (4th appearance)
P	Bobby Ray Coleman	Badasses	beatinu2 (1st appearance)
P	Alex Olivares	Hosers	nesman (3rd appearance)
P	Solly Wood	Hosers	nesman (2nd appearance)
P	Cesar Vallarta	G-Men	danholg (3rd appearance)
P	Kennie Millwood	Sluggers	farren83 (ast appearance)
P	Nash Hogg	Badasses	beatinu2 (2nd appearance)
P	James Philips	Badasses	beatinu2 (1st appearance)
P	Oscar Liang	Scabs	bodean (1st appearance)
P	Orber Santos	Hosers	nesman (3rd appearance)
P	Willard Burns	Sluggers	farren83 (1st appearance)
P	Fritz Coleman	Sluggers	farren83 (3rd appearance)
C	Wes Newhan	Smashers	Fantasy Frea (7th appearance)
C	Jason Barry	Badasses	beatinu2 (1st appearance)
1B	Cyrus Howard	Sluggers	farren83 (6th appearance)
1B	Felipe Nieves	Hosers	nesman (8th appearance)
2B	Ugueth Mesa	Saltine Warriors	bjc30 (1st appearance)
2B	Tony Bravo	Sluggers	farren83 (1st appearance)
3B	Pasqual Villa	G-Men	danholg (1st appearance)
3B	Esteban Lopez	Hosers	nesman (2nd appearance)
SS	Stewart Tatum	Sluggers	farren83 (4th appearance)
SS	Rafael Park	Athletic Legion	ARomano (2nd appearance)
LF	Andrew Valentin	Badasses	beatinu2 (3rd appearance)
LF	Joe Perez	Hosers	nesman (5th appearance)
CF	Todd Barkett	Sluggers	farren83 (5th appearance)
CF	Joaquin Martin	Scabs	bodean (1st appearance)
RF	Gustavo Servet	Scabs	bodean (1st appearance)
RF	Jamie Riley	Badasses	beatinu2 (3rd appearance)
DH	Julio Cedeno	Hosers	nesman (8th appearance)

Season 9 ML - NL All-Stars

	Player	Franchise	Owner
P	Chris Burnett	Skeltons	gratepool (2nd appearance)
P	George Lindsey	Blizzard	mowbs69 (4th appearance)
P	Birdie Ryan	Bulls & Bears	gbbreeden2 (3rd appearance)
P	Willis Ensberg	Scofflaws	av84aal (5th appearance)
P	Turner Witasick	Bravos	ryguyrb (3rd appearance)
P	Hugh May	Vikings	pic27 (7th appearance)
P	Carlos Rivera	Bravos	ryguyrb (1st appearance)
P	Erubiel Cueto	Packers	Sved (1st appearance)
P	Gail Flynn	Vikings	pic27 (1st appearance)
P	J.R. Karl	Vikings	pic27 (1st appearance)
P	Pedro Barrios	Skeltons	gratepool (1st appearance, rookie)
P	Esteban Puente	Bravos	ryguyrb (1st appearance)
P	Darrel McGee	Mutts	firesign34 (2nd appearance)
P	William Chen	Bravos	ryguyrb (1st appearance)
C	Roberto Soto	Vikings	pic27 (1st appearance)
C	Charles Seaver	Blizzard	mowbs69 (1st appearance)
1B	Andrew Morgan	Sky Sox	njohnson78 (2nd appearance)
1B	Merv Carter	Bulls & Bears	gbbreeden2 (3rd appearance)
2B	Tim Randall	Blizzard	mowbs69 (1st appearance)
2B	Wilfredo Rodriguez	Mutts	firesign34 (6th appearance)
3B	Nick Barfield	Sky Sox	njohnson78 (5th appearance)
3B	Olmedo Santana	Packers	Sved (2nd appearance)
SS	Tom Lansing	Blizzard	mowbs69 (2nd appearance)
SS	Ivan Saez	Knights	kennedrj (3rd appearance)
LF	Elston Meyers	Vikings	pic27 (5th appearance)
LF	Doug Wolf	Woodchippers	genghisxcon (1st appearance)
CF	Matty Rojas	Blizzard	mowbs69 (8th appearance)
CF	Neil Sanders	Snappers	bgkrenz (2nd appearance)
RF	B.C. Matos	Sky Sox	njohnson78 (3rd appearance)
RF	Hugh Reed	Fightin' Phils	whiskychaser (4th appearance)

Draft

2010-07-10T09:54:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone, sorry for the delay in the draft review and keeping the blog updated. Time is limited as the wife and I are planning a very long vacation ( a month or more depending) to the northwest and Texas in the very near future. Grandson is going to take care of my team(s) while we are gone. Don't ask him about trading as he will probably not reply. He knows enough to keep the teams afloat anyway, I hope. Chances of me being back next season is very remote. Anyway on to the draft.

1. Jerome Gross , CF, Indianapolis Grizzlies: A good CF prospect but maybe not all that great in CF. With the bat has outstanding lead off potential especially with his speed. Potential is a big upside. Grade: A+

2. Fernando Montanez, SS, Honolulu Beach Bums: A SS might be a bit much and will probably make a better 3B. Has the potential to be a decent power hitter at the plate and has speed for lots of SB's. Grade: A

3. Donte Ward, P, Texas Smashers: UNK

4. Trot Benjamin, SS, St. Louis Snappers: Has the potential to be a very good SS. Has some speed and could be very destructive with a bat. As far as SS go, this kids potential is the best I have seen in a long time. Grade: A+

5. Doug Pritchett, 2B, Las Vegas Mafia: UNK

6. Victor Cordero, SP, Chicago Blizzard: As far as left handed pitching goes, could be decent. I don't see that great a pitch selection to be no greater than a #3 starter in the rotation though. Grade: A-

7. Willie Lowell, SS, Syracuse Cooper's: Another SS that will make a better 3B than a SS IMO. Unusual hitting arrangement, high splits and middle of the road everywhere else, who knows what might befall him at the plate. Grade A-

8. Luther DiFelice, SP, Iowa City Packers: I see a pitcher with great potential to be a #1 starter. Grade: A+

9. Carl Watten, 1B, Anaheim Scofflaws: UNK

10. Wayne Kroeger, SP, Charlotte Knights: This kid may be better than I am seeing but he is a lefty. I do see the potential of being a #2 starter if things workout better than they appear. Grade: A-

11. Chris Connelly, SS, Milwaukee Lagers: Could be a very good defensive SS but has a somewhat weak arm. Hitting isn't that great but makes contact most of the time. Grade: B+

12. Oscar McDonald, RP, Charleston Yellowfins: Has good stuff but could be a bit dangerous as a closer with the FB rating. Biggest issue is making the potential and his health could be problematic. Grade: B-

13. Mitch Governale, RP, Helena Black Birds: Several things standout, but making the potential could be left short. Health could be an issue. Closer is doubtful IMO and probably wind up as a setup man. Grade: B-

14. Darin Lemaster,2B, Trenton Trash Haulers: 2B is a distinct possibility. Has all the power in the world if he makes contact. Grade: B+

15. Dennis Harper, 2B, Fargo Woodchippers: Has the potential to be a good 2B. A bit awkward at the plate as he has a great eye but problems arise against right handed pitchers and contact suffers from that. grade: B

16. Esteban Granados, LF, Little Rock Mutts: Was looking for a 1B/LF with speed for a lead off spot. Has a decent eye and great contact with the speed but weather it will work is a wait and see proposition. Low makeup has me a bit worried. Grade B-

17. Rudy Swift, RP, New Orleans Voodoo Masters: Has the ability to be a shut down closer everyone seeks. However, his health may not see him to his dream. Grade: B-

18. Steve Robinson, SP, New Orleans Voodoo Masters: Could make a #4 or #5 starter in the rotation. Might make a better reliever IMO. Has good stuff but stamina and durability may not mix well to go deep in games. Grade: B

19. Nicholas Gibson, SP, Pittsburgh G-Men: Slipped this low in the draft because everyone was worried that is potential was over rated and I agree. Has the potential to be a great starter if the potential gets close. I like the potential chance though. Grade: A

20. George Kubinski, 2B, Oakland Athletic Legion: A good potential 2B but everyone shied away due to his durability. Good hitting possibilities. Should make a fine backup at several positions and sometimes starter. Grade: B

21. Jamie Gagne, 2B, Fresno Bulls & Bears: Looks to be a good ML 2B and some CF thrown in if things workout well in development. Hitting doesn't look strong but makes contact most of the time. Grade: B

22. Mike Henderson, SS, Scranton Scabs: Doubtful that he can play SS at the ML level, 3B is a maybe or better yet a strong RF. Has good hitting abilities and speed and a likely candidate for the lead off spot. Grade: B+

23. Christopher Messmer, CF, Tampa Bay Tedders: Has the potential to be a GG CF. Looks great at hitting til you hit the lack contact, may work out in Tampa though. Grade: B

24. Tommy Truby, CF, Louisville Sluggers: CF looks like a stretch, the Sluggers have decided 1B for him, that is too under bearing IMO. I would suggest 2B myself. Hitting while not great has some power and contact that is well suited for the club. Grade: B

25. R.J. Glynn, C, Vancouver Vikings: Has the potential to be a very good bat. Catching however is dismal and would be better suited as a DH. Even worse is his health. All that hitting potential and reaching it is slim. Grade: C-

26. Kelvin Newsome, RP, Syracuse Cooper's: A closer in the making IMO, I know a lefty. However, he has the control, the pitches and GB rating desired, splits aren't bad. Grade: A

27. Ian Nichols, RP, Louisville Sluggers: Take a chance, take a chance on me! Great song, but better than this kid will be I am afraid as I doubt he will make it to the majors, well not in Louisville anyway. Grade: C

28. Babe Aurilia, C, Scranton Scabs: A good defensive catcher that can hit. Unfortunately his hitting ability will have to carry him to the ML as his PC is not good enough IMO combined with his lack of power. Grade: B-

29. Joel Ferrara, CF, Chicago Badasses: I agree with Chicago as his glove may not materialize for CF and 2B is the place to be. Has a good eye and some pop, but putting the bat on the ball could be problematic. Grade: B

30. Max Valdez, C, Texas Smashers: Defense isn't great, PC is good enough for a starter but not late inning work. Hitting is where his potential shines and if he gets close could go a long way. Grade: B

31. Adam Collier, CF, Anaheim Scofflaws: UNK

32. Larry McCarty, 2B, Ottawa Hosers: UNK

33. Louie Joyce, C, Iowa City Packers: Defensively not stellar and neither is the PC, but in Iowa may work out. His big potential is hitting and pitchers may have a hard time keeping the ball in the park. Grade: B+

34. Albie Alfonzo, LF, Tampa Bay Tedders: LF looks like a good place though maybe not as strong as some would like to see. Solid hitter and will probably find himself hitting second in the lineup. Grade: B+

Team Stats

2010-06-28T09:38:00.000-07:00

After 50 Games

Hitting

Avg - Chicago Badasses-.291
Home Runs - Ottawa Hosers - 98
Stolen Bases - Rochester Skeltons - 69
Doubles - Charlotte Knights - 94

Pitching

ERA - Vancouver Vikings - 3.36
OAV - New Orleans Voodoo Masters - .233
Strike Outs - Chicago Badasses - 365
Fewest Home Runs - Ottawa Hosers - 48

Fielding

Errors - Colorado Springs Sky Sox - 15
Plus Plays - Charleston Yellowfins - 35
Caught Stealing - Trenton Trash Haulers - 21
Pick Offs - Chicago Blizzard - 7

Power Rankings #2

2010-06-22T09:35:00.000-07:00

1. Chicago Badasses - Move into the #1 slot with a 24-9 record winning 8 of their last 10.
2. Vancouver Vikings - Moves up with a 5 game win streak and winning 7 of 10.

The next three pull out of no-mans land after dismal starts
3. Louisville Sluggers
4. Vancouver Vikings
5. Colorado Springs Sky Sox

6. Little Rock Mutts- Mutts have had small injury problems since starting 18-2, but it could be reality setting in.
7. Honolulu Beach Bums - Controlling the AL West is tough but inconsistency losses points.
8. Rochester Skeltons - Playing so-so is not winning points either.
9. Trenton Trash Haulers - Leading the AL East has got to count for something.
10. T Charlotte Knights, Philadelphia Fightin' Phils - What can they say, "Eat our dust Charleston!"

Moving out
Charleston Yellowfins
Fresno Bulls & Bears - Injury disaster

Still on the Rise
Pittsburgh G-Men
Scranton Scabs

Power Rankings

2010-06-17T17:41:00.000-07:00

1. Little Rock Mutts - At 18-2 ,what can I or anyone say? I haven't a clue why they are so hot but not looking a gift horse in the mouth. 10-0 in the their division and has taken 2 of 3 from Rochester and Charleston easily puts them in the #1 slot.

2. Chicago Badasses - 14-6 overall and 7-3 in a tough division garners them the 2nd spot easy enough.

3. Honolulu Beach Bums - 13-7 overall and 7-3 in division but it is their winning percentage that captures the 3rd spot.

4. Charleston Yellowfins - 13-7 overall and 7-3 in division with a nice run differential.

5. Rochester Skeltons - 13-7 overall and 6-4 in division but it is their ability to win the 1-run games.

6. Vancouver Vikings, Fresno Bulls & Bears, Pittsburgh G-Men, New York Yankees, Chicago Blizzard, and Trenton Trash Haulers - all of these teams rate in the top ten but in which order so far is a tough call. Maybe they will work themselves out before the next poll.

Max Perez

2010-06-14T05:20:00.000-07:00

Syracuse Cooper's sign IFA Max Perez for $2.6M. Taking a chance on the youngster developing, the Cooper's were more than happy to sign him for such a low price. A good raw talent, he could develop into an above average SS and easily become a quality 2B or 3B. His hitting isn't great or powerful but won't be an easy out either.

Game Of The Day 6-11-10

2010-06-11T13:24:00.000-07:00

The game of the day was in Nashville as the visiting Louisville Sluggers were trying to get their first win of the season. It had been a tough series for the Sluggers, losing the season opener 3-0 and the next two were both 5-4 losses with the last one going extra innings. Even with all the happenings in and around Nashville, capacity crowds filled the stadium.

Jerrod Brown was the starting pitcher for Louisville while Nashville countered with Jay Febles. Brown was a 16 game winner last year while Febles was 7-9.

Sluggers catcher Tony Kim opened the scoring quickly with a lead-off home run down the left field line that was just inches from the outstretched glove of Miguel Hernandez. Ugueth Mesa opened the bottom of the 1st with a lead-off single up the middle for Nashville. Cole Trombley then blooped a single to RF that caught RF Todd Corino playing a little to deep and 2B Tony Bravo breaking for 2nd. Vic Graffanino then grounded the ball into the slot at 2B where Tony Bravo cleanly fielded the ball and threw to SS Stewart Tatum covering 2B, but his relay throw to first base was late for the double play. Brown knew he had to buckle down as the defense was not helping matters with Ted Rivera at the plate and runners at the corner. However, Brown threw a 2-2 changeup that was left high in the strike zone and Rivera slammed the ball into the center filed gap plating Mesa. Browns next pitch was low and outside that got away from Tony Kim and allowed Vic Graffanino to score. That prompted a visit to the mound from pitching coach Courtney Carpenter to try and calm Brown down. That seemed to have an effect as the next batters went quickly by the wayside without further damage.

Brown was still having problems locating pitches in the second as Glenn Mills led off the bottom of the second with a home run to take a 3-1 lead. Bill Roth then pounced with a double that hopped the wall in the right center filed gap. After a walk to Warren Waters, Ugueth Mesa then flied deep to left but this time John Suzuki made circus catch. Cole Trombley then singled to RF scoring Roth from third making the score 4-1. This brought skipper farren83 to the mound but it seemed he was chewing the catcher out more than Brown. Brown then got Vic Graffanino to ground into a double play to end the inning.

In the bottom of the third inning Miguel Hernandez hit a two out homer to RF as did Bill Roth in the sixth inning making the score 6-1 and closing out the scoring. Louisville never threatened as they only managed four more hits after the first inning.

Jay Febles got the win going 7 innings, striking out 5 and walking one. Pedro Rivera came in relief and nailed down the win. Jerrod Brown took the loss giving up 3 home runs and 10 total hits.

Being swept by Nashville doesn't bode well for 5 time consecutive AL South champ Louisville.

Opening Day Season 9

2010-06-10T09:03:00.000-07:00

PLAY BALL!!!!

Our first stop around the opening day horn is in Charleston. The visiting Charlotte Knights ruined the home crowds ego as they posted a 5-2 victory over the Yellowfins. Ivan Almanzar pitched 7 innings for the win scattering 9 hits and giving up 1 run. Jerrod Dillon and Britt Holmes each had a dinger for the offense.

Hugh May allowed 3 hits in 8 innings as the home standing Vancouver Vikings shut out the visiting Fresno Bulls & Bears 4-0. Jim Harrison and Roberto Soto provided the offense as they each hit a dinger.

In cold Fargo, the Woodchippers edged out the Milwaukee Lagers 9-7 to win their home opener despite being outhit 13-10. Fargo led 6-0 after 4 innings but had to hold on as the Lagers bats heated up.

In warm Honolulu, the Oakland Athletic Legion had a short attention span taking in the sights as the Beach Bums rolled up 5 quick runs that led to an 8-3 win.

In rainy Atlanta, the home standing Bravos figured they had it in the bag. The Iowa City Packers had other ideas as they humbled their division rival 5-2 with a 14 hit attack. Erubiel Cueto pitched 8 solid innings for the win.

North of the border in Ottawa, the Hosers took the field to defend their division crown and provided the home town crowd to a pleasing 9-1 beating over the Scranton Scabs. 4 crowd pleasing souvenirs was garnered in the 11 hit attack.

In the Circle City, the Syracuse Cooper's opened their season on the road under new skipper, NY_Amazins. With a 12 hit attack featuring 3 long balls and the 8 shutout innings from Randall Nieman ensured his opening debut a winning one, as they knocked off the Indianapolis Grizzlies 7-0.

In Nashville, the Louisville Sluggers were more engrossed in the CMT Awards show and kept leaving runners in scoring position as the Saltine Warriors opened their season with a 3-0 win. Luis Cerveza stuck out 11 getting out of a couple minor jams early. Louisville had a chance in the 8th with the basses loaded against the pen but strike 3 once again foiled their attempt. All told, Naskville pitchers struck out 14 and only gave up 7 hits.

On tap for later in the day:

Pittsburgh G-Men and Chicago Badasses
In the Windy City the Badasses broke on top early with 4 runs and coasted to an 8-3 win. Jamie Riley was injured and will be out two weeks for Chicago.

New York Yankees and Trenton Trash Haulers
On Broadway the Bronx Bombers eked out two runs that supported Livan Saez 6 hit shutout.

Texas Smashers and New Orleans Voodoo Masters
In Arlington the fans were riding their horses to the stadium for a rodeo but the corral broke down as New Orleans shut the Smashers out 8-0 nothing as Del Nye's went 8 innings giving up 1 hit.

Helena Black Birds and Las Vegas Mafia
In casino land the Mafia held on for a 6-5 win as the Black Birds rally in the 9th falls short. The Black Birds had 13 hits but just couldn't get the big one when needed.

Rochester Skeltons and Chicago Blizzard
Across town in the Windy City, the Blizzard fell to defeat 6-4 after taking a quick 3-0 lead and tied the game 4-4 in the 5th as the Skeltons squeezed two late runs.

Philadelphia Fightin' Phils and Tampa Bay Tedders
In Liberty town, the Fightin' Phils promise of a division title took a turn for the worse as the Tedders throttled the Phils 5-1. Horacio Dali went 7 innings giving up 1 hit that fell over the wall as Ryan Brock hit 2 bombs for the Tedders.

St. Louis Snappers and Little Rock Mutts
In the vapid city of Little Rock, 4 timely doubles and a homer accounted for 5 of the 6 Mutts hits, but plated 6 runs in theie 6-1 win. The Snappers were held to 1 run on 5 hits.

Anaheim Scofflaws and Colorado Springs Sky Sox
In Champ land things were going great with the festive crowd, but the on-field antics looked like a mockery. Anaheim hit at will scoring 16 runs with 7 home runs sending the joyous crowd home early. Willis Ensberg pitched 8 innings giving up two hits and striking out 11.

It Is Time For The First Pitch for Season 9

2010-06-09T16:13:00.000-07:00

Well, before we get to that first pitch business what other news has come across the desk...hmmm. Hall of Fame, well their was quite a list and I actually voted for one, maybe the only vote cast but hey I thought he deserved it. But the Hall remains empty. It is very possible that it could remain empty for ever. It takes 17 votes for someone to get in and that could be a tough thing to actually happen regardless of how good a guy is.

Time for the first pitch to be thrown out. In Little Rock we had a choice and chose the undefeated Little Rock Rockettes High School sofftball team to sing the National Anthem. Jack Wally McMahan was favored to throw out the first pitch.

So does everyone have their lineups ready to go? Has the pitch counts been reset from Spring Training? Minor league rosters in place and ready? Depth charts and all that jazz? Well, if so, Good Luck on the new season everyone!!

Bravos State of the Season Season 9

2010-06-01T21:00:00.001-07:00

Ok so Im pretty excited for this season, so thought Id post a blog similar to njohnsons. In season 8, we were extremely successful in the first half of the season with the best record in the majors, but tapered off in the 2nd half, grabbed a 3 seed and exited in the first round of the players. Id attribute that mostly to the bullpen and an aging starting pitching staff. We also traded for Blaine Rudolph at the end of the transaction deadline, but he wasnt quite able to give us that ace pitcher we needed.

We had a pretty major change this offseason. Rudolph declined his part of the mutual option, but actually wanted to negotiate with me for less money than he would have gotten from his option. After seeing Rudolph was a type B and assuming he'd get signed, I decided against re-signing him and will be going with a rookie instead. We also opted not to re-sign SPs Rich Velandia and Scott Fiore. Velandia is a 2 straight year all-star, and Fiore if he had slightly more durability could have been a Cy Young candidate. Still, both are old and on the decline so we let them go. Also not returning was starting 2B Toby Monroe.

With 3/5 of our starting staff departing, changes will be in store for the season. First, Mel Murray will be reinstated into the starting rotation. Not too thrilled about this, but hes been a workhorse for meand fits into my mentality this season.

Our major move this offseason was signing SP Herman Wood. Overpaid a bit for Wood, but I have the money to spend and I really expect him to thrive in Atlanta. Wood put up unspectacular but good numbers with Texas in a hitters park in the AL, so I expect his new surroundings to suit him well. I absolutely believe Wood makes me a world series contender, something Ive felt I havent been prior to this year.

Last for the staff, we will be inserting rookie SP Cristobal Romero into the rotation. Romero was signed for a pretty penny from the IFA in season 7. He sports a very sexy 95 stam, 32 dura combination which combined with his 98 health and the fact hes only 23, and I will hopefully be seeing Romero through 250+ innings of all-star work every year for the Bravos for the next say, 15 or so seasons =)

Also worthy of note for my staff is the fact that 4/5 of my starters have 80+ stam, and 4/5 of my starters have 30+ dura, and all 5 have 75+ health. Im hoping not to have to use my pen much this season, as it isnt very deep, but I just couldnt justify spending 5+ mil on a good reliever. This flexibility should allow me to run a 4 man rotation whenever I want, if a starter falters.

Also signed in free agency was SS Al Tavarez and 2B Juan Rivera. Taverez gives me an upgrade at the SS position both defensively and offensively, although his bat still isnt very good. Rivera will replace Toby Monroe at 2nd base. Rivera is a different player than Monroe but should fill in admirably.

We more or less have put it out there that its win now for the Bravos, with several multi year contracts out there. Still, the future looks bright in Atlanta. I see 3 sure thing major league starters in the minors, 1 of which should be an ace. I see at least 2 relievers that should make a major league team as well as 1 or 2 others that should make a team at some point, along with a legit .320 hitter, solid ML 2nd baseman, and a future gold glove CF.

Coach Hiring From The Mutts

2010-06-01T09:42:00.000-07:00

It was a weird season for coach hiring. I had to almost replace my entire staff along with a few other teams also.

BC - Junior Guzman: He wanted to return so I kept him.
Pitching - Rogers Oquist: He wasn't my first choice as Rodney Hudler was but was outbid by Fresno. Then came a big fight between me and someone for Orel Lidge but he got too expensive and I think everyone involved backed out as he ended up at AA for the Angels for a big price.
Hitting - Shawn Spencer : There was lots of good hitting coaches available and a couple got turned out to pasture so far.
Fielding - Adam Rhodes: I was expecting a fight for his services but signed quickly to return, I was shocked.
Bull Pen - Tom McKay: Wasn't my first choice but accepted the job because no one wanted him as a pitching coach it seems. Jack Harvey was my first choice but was outbid by Louisville by a mere $100,000. I could have kept going but I didn't see the use really.
Third Base - Wally Thome was a returnee.
First Base - Fonzie Serrano: Found him lurking around in Hi A. He had the attributes I wanted and not much to choose from elsewhere and he quickly accepted the job.

Maybe these guys will stick around for more than a season but it doesn't seem likely.

The Mutts and the FA market.

Originally I was going to hit the FA market hard this season. I could have also but decided in the end to sign Charlie King to a long term deal and resign Orber Saez even though WIS dislikes him. With those two signed it took away about $10M from the FA market.

There wasn't a whole lot available in the FA market from my perspective that I was willing to fight over and give up my first pick for. I have only signed Wilfredo Toca for the pen. I am hoping he can be the closer so I can free up Felipe Castro from that position as he was the only one that worked out there last season.

I was really in need of starting pitching but just nothing available for the money. I also looked at position players but was quickly outbid for Ugueth Mesa. The money for Herman Wood and Erick Hollins must be astronomical as I was easily outbid for either one of them.

Unless something really strange happens, like a starter in Rule V, it looks like my pitching staff will more than likely be supplemented by Tom Beck or Luther Forbes and possibly both.

How did you put it together?

2010-05-19T07:20:00.000-07:00

When I won my first World Series in the John Kruk world (which was called Dream League at the time), I wanted to write something on our blog about how I put together that team, where each guy came from, and whether or not I thought he would be a factor. But I think I was commish of that world at the time, and we had a dozen openings, so I had to focus on filling the world instead of bragging about my squad. I'm not commish here, and I'm trying hard to do no work today, so I'm killing some time this morning doing what I wanted to do over a year ago when I won my first WS.

Nick Barfield has batted lead-off for four seasons now, and came to us in a blockbuster trade back at the start of Season 5, which sent the great Harry Santos, with Pepper Shermann and Bob Thomas to the Woodchippers. If I had known that Santos would resign for less than $10M/yr and would still be striking out 200 batters per year, maybe I wouldn't have made that trade. But at the time, it made sense to bring in the younger CF. Barfield has averaged 140 runs and 40+ HR's during his four seasons with us, and I will be paying him whatever he wants when his contract is up.

Roy Mashore was an original of the franchise, spending a season and a half in the minors before being called up to the ML roster in Season 2. Since then, he has been a consistent producer for the squad, hitting 305 HR's during his ML career, and should easily pass the 500 HR barrier in four or five seasons.

Andrew Morgan is another original, who followed the same career path as Mashore. Winning the AA World Series in Season 1, he spent half of Season 2 in AAA before coming to the Bigs. Since then, his only sub-40 HR season was in Season 7 during the infamous WIS power reduction. With health and durability superior to Mashore's, Morgan might get to 500 HR's first. He already has an MVP award, so hitting that mark would make him a fairly safe bet for the Hall of Fame someday.

Batting fourth has been B.C. Matos, the pride and joy of Maple Ridge, BC. I usually hate Canadiens, but when he showed up in the draft back in Season 2, I swallowed my pride and a bucket of maple syrup, and we took him with the number one overall selection. I vaguely recall him being a dick about it, and eventually requiring a nearly $7M signing bonus and MLB contract. After just three seasons in the minors, and a bit of a learning curve during his first ML season, he is now a big time producer, and should be vying for MVP votes from now on.

Fritz Wood was batting fifth in the final game of the WS, but used to be the lead-off man before Barfield showed up, and sometimes makes a guest appearance in that slot when Barfield is pissing off management, or needs a day off. Wood's power numbers have been down in recent years, and he was moved from CF to 3B last season, so there is the distinct possibility that this original member of the franchise might be on the trading block when Season 9 gets started.

Alex Jung was an IFA who signed for a measly $7.5M way back in Season 1. He spent three and a half seasons in the minors before coming up to the pro's, and has since been a 25 HR threat, while playing decent defense at 2B. This season was by far his best, so we are hoping for even more out of him next season.

York Sisk was a 13th round draft pick in Season 2, and I wasn't sure if he would ever make the ML roster, much less be part of a WS winning team. So of course this season he played in 3/4 of the team's game, batted .325 on the season, and knocked out 26 HR's. Go figure. His tag team partner at catcher was Juan Zapata, who started 62 games at catcher, hit over .280, and is an original member of the franchise.

David Lee was brought in midway through last season via a trade with Philly that sent former first rounder Pat Larson packing. Lee was brought in specifically to bat against LH pitchers, as Ruben Taveras does not do too well against those guys. Only appearing in 120 games didn't stop Ruben from batting .300 while hitting 40 HR's and fielding the SS position at a .984 clip. Another original, Ruben followed a similar time line to Morgan, Mashore, and Wood.

Starting pitchers during the playoffs were Wascar Ramirez, Marty Millwood, and Zoltan Stanton. Ramirez was the key to the team's final surge during the latter part of the regular season, and he went 3-1 with a 2.50 ERA during the post-season. Acquired for a ML pitcher and two prospects, Ramirez went 15-4 with a 2.06 ERA for CS during the regular season. Millwood went 2-1 with a 3.16 ERA during the post-season, and was acquired in a trade during Season 6 for three prospects. Stanton had a great regular season, but struggled in the post-season with a 0-1 record and 8.78 ERA, and would have been the goat if CS hadn't won the Series. He is also an original member of the franchise. Keith Bennett and Tim Corino were integral coming out of the bullpen, as they combined for 16+ innings, 4 saves and a win. Bennett came to us in a multi-player deal in Season 7, and Corino was acquired in the middle of Season 1 from the Wildcats, who are now the Grizzlies.

So of the key contributors to this season's team, 6 were original members of the franchise, 2 were drafted, 6 were acquired via trade, and 1 was an international. A little of this, a little of that.

Season 8 Champ Crowned

2010-05-18T08:16:00.000-07:00

The Colorado Springs Sky Sox crowned Champions under the direction of njohnson78 downed the Chicago Badasses 4 games to 2. It was a very exciting series to be as there was no clear cut choice as to who would win. After the split in Colorado Springs, Chicago clearly had the momentum and pulled out game 3. However, Chicago's inability to win in the playoffs at home continued as the Sky Sox won the next two. Many expected the series to go 7 games as the series moved back to Colorado Springs. Rookie sensation Nash Hogg finally cracked under the pressure and the pen failed to help in the 6th inning blowing a 6-1 lead in game 6. This was njohnson78 second trip to the World Series and first championship in Warning Track.

In other news: beatinu2 was proclaimed Manager of the Year in the AL leading Chicago to its first ever playoff appearance. rockindock was proclaimed Manager of the Year in the NL leading the Tampa Bay Tedders to the playoffs for the first time since season 1. Congrats to these two fine Managers!!!!

The Mutts

2010-05-02T07:30:00.000-07:00

This season has been rather hectic for me and it will only get worse for the summer months. I really haven't spent much time on my team to analyze what is really wrong or went wrong.

Near as I can figure out after seeing a frustrating performance from my starters I benched them all more or less. When I did that the team suddenly went on an 11 game terror and against first place teams and Fargo. Originally I thought it was the move from Houston to Little Rock that was causing the problem. Hitting just wasn't what one would call great, ok downright miserable. I figured that would happen but not to this extent. Pitching was even worse, though they pitched better with the weaker lineup, go figure. Defense had been outstanding all season. What was the problem?

Near as I can guess, the answer is in 1-run games. With near a third of the season locked up in 1-run games and a host of other two run games, the bench didn't get a chance to play all that much. Scoring runs was tough so the bench rarely saw action and didn't perform well when they did. Though it didn't help that only Wilfredo Rodriguez (simmy doesn't like doling out HRs to him) and Orber Saez (simmy dislikes him with a passion) were the only ones doing anything consistent at the plate. Most disappointing was Charlie King and I don't have a clue why. Simmy really does hate some of my teams it seems though.

Basically what happened was the bench was providing a good offensive and defensive start and the so called actual starters were coming in late beating up the pen. Interesting concept, but that is what happened. In most instances the bench had secured the game and the starters made sure of it. I also had to pay very close attention to the opposing starting pitcher to derive a lineup as there is some ifs, ands and buts to that.

I really think I have a playoff capable team but it is one that takes too much time to understand. I am also pretty sure Little Rock is the place to be. I know I said I wouldn't be back next season, but I am on the fence about that. One more season isn't going to hurt though I was planning on dropping two teams because of my hectic schedule. If I do stay, chances of me doing blog work will be very limited.

Season 8 All Stars

2010-04-14T00:01:00.000-07:00

With season 8 now over halfway done, the all-star game has come and gone. The AL pitching dominated this game giving up only 3 runs on 6 hits to the NL studs. The highlight of this game was a 1st inning bloop to right by Felipe Nieves that resulted as a 2 run inside-the-park homer. The AL never relinquished the lead.

The AL team was anchored by Orber Santos, who went 14-2 in the first half of the season with a mere 2.32 ERA. The Ottawa Hosers also brought the most players of any team to the all star game with 7 representatives.

The NL staff was led by Hugh May, who after a disappointing start to the season 7 season has rebounded nicely. May finished the first half of the year with a 12-2 record and a 1.96 ERA. The Atlanta Bravos headed the NL all-stars this year, bringing 6 players including their entire OF to the game. Also worthy of note this year is that the only player to make all 7 previous all-star games, Matty Rojas, failed to make the team this season.

Season 8 ML - AL All-Stars

	Player	Franchise	Owner
P	Orber Santos	Hosers	nesman (2nd appearance)
P	Nash Hogg	Badasses	beatinu2 (1st appearance)
P	Jimmie Westbrook	Scabs	bodean (2nd appearance)
P	Jon Mullin	Hosers	nesman (1st appearance)
P	Walter Wilkins	Yankees	lbrooks2 (5th appearance)
P	Art Rooney	Sluggers	farren83 (3rd appearance)
P	Livan Saez	Yankees	lbrooks2 (2nd appearance)
P	Wallace Garcia	Blazers	jamacanheat (4th appearance)
P	Robert Stern	Voodoo Masters	themojoking (1st appearance)
P	Solly Wood	Hosers	nesman (1st appearance)
P	Vince Benton	Voodoo Masters	themojoking (5th appearance)
P	Albie Santiago	Trash Haulers	tmfran (3rd appearance)
P	Mark Chang	Badasses	beatinu2 (rookie, 1st appearance)
C	Cole Trombley	Saltine Warriors	bjc30 (2nd appearance)
C	Rickey King	Scabs	bodean (3rd appearance)
1B	Felipe Nieves	Hosers	nesman (7th appearance)
1B	Cyrus Howard	Sluggers	farren83 (5th appearance)
2B	Juan Rivera	Saltine Warriors	bjc30 (2nd appearance)
2B	Doug Fleming	Yankees	lbrooks2 (3rd appearance)
3B	Esteban Lopez	Hosers	nesman (rookie, 1st appearance)
3B	Nolan Brock	Sluggers	farren83 (4th appearance)
SS	Ralph McMasters	Hosers	nesman (1st appearance)
SS	Tito Buckley	Badasses	beatinu2 (1st appearance)
LF	Andrew Valentin	Badasses	beatinu2 (2nd appearance)
LF	Dave Jordan	Voodoo Masters	themojoking (2nd appearance)
CF	Todd Barkett	Sluggers	farren83 (4th appearance)
CF	Artie Peters	Yankees	lbrooks2 (1st appearance)
RF	Kory Wright	Saltine Warriors	bjc30 (2nd appearance)
RF	Jamie Riley	Badasses	beatinu2 (2nd appearance)
DH	Julio Cedeno	Hosers	nesman (7th appearance)

Season 8 ML - NL All-Stars

	Player	Franchise	Owner
P	Turner Witasick	Bravos	ryguyrb (2nd appearance)
P	Randy Beam	Fightin' Phils	whiskychaser (1st appearance)
P	Rigo Crespo	Skeltons	gratepool (5th appearance)
P	Hugh May	Vikings	pic27 (6th appearance)
P	Felipe Castro	Mutts	firesign34 (1st appearance)
P	Harry Santos	Woodchippers	genghisxcon (5th appearance)
P	Rich Velandia	Bravos	ryguyrb (2nd appearance)
P	Blaine Rudolph	Vikings	pic27 (3rd appearance)
P	Zoltan Stanton	Sky Sox	njohnson78 (2nd appearance)
P	Bunny Romano	Mutts	firesign34 (1st appearance)
P	Ivan Almanzar	Knights	kennedrj (1st appearance, finally!)
P	Willis Ensberg	Scofflaws	av84aal (4th appearance)
P	Rob Smith	Snappers	bgkrenz (1st appearance)
P	Ramon Takada	Bravos	ryguyrb (2nd appearance)
C	Miguel Unamuno	Scofflaws	av84aal (3rd appearance)
C	Edwards Karl	Fightin' Phils	whiskychaser (1st appearance)
1B	Roy Sheets	Yellowfins	offshorebron (3rd appearance)
1B	Merv Carter	Bulls & Bears	gbbreeden2 (2nd appearance)
2B	Wayne Rivera	Skeltons	gratepool (5th appearance)
2B	Kurt Brett	Bulls & Bears	gbbreeden2 (1st appearance)
3B	Walt Corsi	Fightin' Phils	whiskychaser (1st appearance)
3B	Wilfredo Rodriguez	Mutts	firesign34 (5th appearance)
SS	Stewart Tatum	Tedders	rockindock (3rd appearance)
SS	Tom Lansing	Blizzard	mowbs69 (1st appearance)
LF	Ryan Brock	Tedders	rockindock (1st appearance)
LF	Erubiel Gonzales	Bravos	ryguyrb (1st appearance)
CF	Chad Rhodes	Bravos	ryguyrb (1st appearance)
CF	Neil Sanders	Snappers	bgkrenz (1st appearance)
RF	B.C. Matos	Sky Sox	njohnson78 (2nd appearance)
RF	P.T. Torres	Bravos	ryguyrb (1st appearance)

Season 8 Draft, 23-34

2010-04-05T06:10:00.000-07:00

23. Endy Atchley: Oakland, P - The key will be development once again as to how good he will be. Could be a 5 inning starter or IMO a very good long reliever.

Grade B

24. Kyle Sutton: Charleston, P - Chances are a Long Reliever spot at the ML level. Will have the control but splits and pitches could make him mediocre.

Grade B

25. Jake Barr: Helena, P - Like his predecessor in the draft could be a Long Reliever but much better but not by all that much.

Grade B

26. Everett French: Scranton, P - Unknown. For the asking price he better be real good but me thinks could have priced him out of ever being signed.

27. Tony Gaston: Colorado Springs, P - Could be a very good setup/closer. His downfall is the stamina/durability combo.

Grade B

28. Pete Zavada: Atlanta, P - Could be a very good relief pitcher some day. Chance are slim though as his weak health could very well keep him from that dream.

Grade C

29. Taylor Swisher: Vancouver, CF -
Chances of playing CF is slim but Vancouver will find a position for him to play I would think. Will be slow to develop due to his durability and playing time at the ML level could be a bit limited. His power hitting style is most desired however.

Grade B

30. Rich Clifton: Nashville, RF - Not real bad for a late round pick. Has some power and good contact in the hitting department. However, doesn't have the range or glove to play the outfield and would be delegated to 1B by most teams. With that in mind chances will be he wind up sitting the bench as a backup.

Grade C

31. Ralph Mantei: Rochester, P - In all probability may wind up as a Long Reliever. Control could be lacking though splits are good but pitches while good are lackluster.

Grade B

32. Buck Thurston: Ottawa, RF - Real weak in range and glove for the outfield. Has good contact and hits lefties well. May be slow to develop.

Grade D - I don't see this poor kid making it to the ML level.

33. Eli Mercedes: New York, P - A pure ground ball reliever. Has everything working for him except the pitches which will probably leave him out of a Closers role but one could be fooled.

Grade B

34. Brian D'Arnaud: Louisville, 2B - Could be great at 2B with a little CF thrown in. Another slow developer. Has a good eye and decent righty split and a little pop in the bat, but contact may leave him out in the cold as a defensive bench warmer.

Grade C

Season 8 Draft 1-22

2010-04-02T10:06:00.000-07:00

Grading the draft is a bit complicated. The way I have seen the drafts (4), seems the players are kind of generated towards a new way of thinking. A couple good starters, three or four great position players, a middle reliever or two and a setup/closer or two. Anyway, maybe ten very good players with a couple real good ones in a draft and a bunch of good ML quality players. In a way it kind of takes the guess work out of the top 25 players on a teams board. Draft the best player or team needs first?

So with that in mind the grading system has to change.

A+ - more or less could be a superstar
A - a very good ML player
B - a good ML player
C - Has potential to be a good ML player
D - Career Minor League Player

1. Louis Potvin: Honolulu, P - A great pick and could very well be a #1 starter.

Grade A+

2. Les Parker: Indianapolis, P - Not as good as the #1 pick but still a very good choice.

Grade A

3. Dmitri Gil: Mexico City, 2B - Too weak to play 2B maybe but would look great in RF. A great potential home run king. Biggest disappointment may be keeping him off the DL.

Grade B - Down graded by risk potential

4. Clay Tannehill: Tampa Bay, P - Not outstanding but has good potential.

Grade B

5. Eric Lawrence: Charlotte, P - Not a bad left-handed pitching prospect that has potential.

Grade B

6. Quentin Sutton: Helena, C - Defensively doesn't have the great PC and arm accuracy. Is a hitting behemoth however. Should make a great starting catcher but should be replaced in the late innings. Hopefully his health won't impede development.

Grade A+

7. Wilton Chang: Trenton, SS - Unknown

8. Bernie McClellan: Milwaukee, 2B - A very weak 2B that may look much better in RF. Hitting should be good though not for long balls.

Grade A+

9. James Webster: Philadelphia, SS - Potential is there for a very good defensive SS. Hitting could be another story as he makes contact but not well. His makeup could be a problem.

Grade B

10. Charley Peterman: Fresno, P - Good control, so-so splits, one very good pitch and a couple so-so ones. That describes most pitchers these days. How good will he be depends on development.

Grade B

11. Red McDonald: St. Louis, P - If he develops anywhere near potential he could be a superstar.

Grade A

12. Derek Ramsey: Texas, 2B - Unknown

13. Craig Gordon: Las Vegas, P - Unknown

14. Alfredo Javier: Fresno, CF - Has the range but the glove is weak for CF. Good hitting abilities but not the power kind. Makeup and weak durability will make him a slow mover at first.

Grade B

15. Davey Servet: Chicago Blizzard, P - Has some good skills but control isn't one of them. He could walk more batters than strike outs or hits.

Grade D - Not sure he is ML material

16. Butch Hinch: Buffalo, P - A closer is a possibility. Has a great skill set except for a second pitch and that might be enough to delegate him to a setup job.

Grade A

17. Pat Lim: New Orleans, CF - Unknown

18. Brian Garcia: Chicago Badasses, RF - RF could be a stretch and 1B might be his home. Should be a very good power hitter. Development will be slowed due to his durability.

Grade A

19. Walt Walker: Fargo, P - This kind of reliever doesn't grow on trees. Could be a closer or long setup. Very strong skill sets.

Grade A+

20. Raul Balboa: Little Rock, LF - Drafted as a 2B and not good enough for the position but will make a fine LF. Should be a good non-power hitter.

Grade B

21. Raymond Pressley: Vancouver, P - Could be a 5 inning starter or Long Reliever. May not have the super splits but with the potential control and pitches they are not needed. Should develop well.

Grade A

22. Ted Brown: Anaheim, RF - A little weak in the glove for RF. Good hitting skills but with weak contact. Will be slow to develop early with low durability. A good fit in Anaheim though.

Grade A

IFA Market

2010-03-11T09:35:00.000-08:00

Kosuke Ming became the highest paid IFA in the market place so far this season. He signed a 3 year MLB contract with a $6.6M bonus with Mexico City. Wait was that in Dollars or Pesos? The scouting report dictates that he could be a GG 3B in defense, good eye but might be just average at the plate, he is also very fast, has good development potential but could be slowed a bit for this season with the low durability.

Gio Cruz was signed by Atlanta with a $5.3M bonus and a rookie contract. Scouting reports indicate that he will probably be a good Setup B type pitcher. All the skills are there along with the development growth potential. His durability and skills may dictate that a closer job is not in his future.

The league has seen fit to send GM Gratepool to an emergency eyecare specialist after singing Pedro Pulido to a $1.2M signing bonus. This is the first player I have ever seen that could be "out for the season" for a paper cut.

Thoughts

2010-03-09T14:04:00.000-08:00

Here is the "tweak" and my thoughts on it.

Following the “end of the steroid era” update, the HR/G rate at the big league level continues to drop. At this point, it’s a bit below what we had projected. This update will bump the rate up a bit. Prior to the update, the HR/G for two teams was ~2.80. As of this week, it had fallen to ~2.02. We are striving for ~2.40. And, remember, the drop off is only at the top. Those power hitters that were hitting 80+ homers will come back to Earth a bit (with everyone else falling into place). This HR/G rate can be monitored on the World Snapshot page: http://www.whatifsports.com/hbd/Pages/Main/WorldSnapshot.aspx

I really think something unexpected happened that they didn't think would happen. If you had a guy that had 90+ (85+ even) power but the rest of his hitting ratings were mediocre at best, he could still hit up to 50 home runs a season. If he was a decent enough catcher it would be a big help to any team. Some of them were 1B's that had maybe 35's across in their defensive ratings. Some were even hidden in RF. Even though these guys would average .240 to .260 a season and maybe less, their HR production would produce enough to cover their fielding problems. Think about it, 80 hits a season, half of them or more HR's, some of the rest doubles. Their run production would be near or over 100.

Basically this was taken away in three ways. First they lowered the HR rate for those types of players. Then came the error rate/plus/minus play. Third was a boost in SB's. Suddenly those players had no place in the game. So they were moved to out of the way places, like the minors. To take their places were those good non-power defensive speed hitters who didn't have a place to play because of the power guys. Thinking about everything, it may have put 30 to 40 players or more out of a job.

Some crafty owners realized that the stats they garner for the report look like they are based on neutral parks. So at world rollover, they moved to a more hitter friendly place if the pitching staff could handle it.

Of course the rate of HRs per game is going to drop off drastically after all that, especially owners that saw what was happening quickly. What WIS was searching for in their quest probably was perfect for about 30 or 40 games. After that was an unexpected rate drop that probably had them scratching their heads. So to fix what they wanted to see was to tweak the rate upwards. Maybe leaving it alone would have been a better idea.

So was the "tweak" good enough to put those players back in play? To me I kind of doubt it.

Just In

2010-03-07T09:19:00.000-08:00

The WTBWA has just updated what they think is going to happen now that final preparations have been made. Remember things can change because it is associated with the players and doesn't take ballparks into consideration. Also injuries do happen at the worst possible times and can stop any team dead in their tracks.

AL North

Ottawa look unstoppable at this time in their eyes.
Chicago and Scranton will be fighting it out all season long for second and both have a chance for a playoff spot.
Buffalo will be playing hard but doesn't look to have the talent.

AL East

This one is up for grabs as anyone of the four could grab the top spot. The WTBWA has penciled in the New York Yankees though in the top spot followed very closely by Iowa, Trenton and Indianapolis.

AL South

Louisville, they say, should easily capture the top spot here. With Nashville, New Orleans and Texas all three fighting for second and a possible playoff spot.

AL West

The West is the hardest to predict in their eyes, but have penciled in Oakland as the winner. Helena and Las Vegas will fight it out for second as Honolulu takes more time to rebuild.

1. Ottawa
2. Louisville
3. New York
4. Oakland
5. Chicago
6. Scranton

They don't rule out a wild cards from the East or the South at this time.

NL

The NL is a hotbed of contention with the Writers Assn. 16 teams and all 16 have a very good chance. Their biggest feeling is the best pens will rule the deciding outcome. With that in mind here is how they see it.

NL North

1. Fargo
2. Milwaukee
3. Chicago
4. Rochester

They could be wrong as it was mixed emotions and any team could wind #1 to #4.

NL East

They don't have a clue what to predict as there were equal votes for each team.
The only thing they will say at the end of the season all four could be tied for first and chances are only one will make the playoffs.

NL South

Here a split decision to first place as they like Atlanta and Little Rock but St. Louis and Mexico City are also vastly improved.

1. Atlanta
2. Little Rock
3. St. Louis
4. Mexico City

NL West

For some reason the writers give no love to Vancouver what so ever. It could be that the starting pitching is awesome but it is all downhill from there. They like Fresno to possibly out perform Colorado even.

1. Colorado
2. Fresno
3. Anaheim
4. Vancouver

The final six could look like this or any other possible configuration imaginable.

1. Salem
2. Fargo
3. Philadelphia
4. Little Rock
5. Fresno
6. Chicago

Things Learned-Post Steroid

2010-03-07T04:06:00.000-08:00

Whether the intention was right or wrong it did have some very unwanted effects when the steroid era ended. It left GM's and skippers scrambling to find a more reasonable way to do business. Many probably didn't pay attention to what was happening and left them scratching their heads and asses trying to figure out what to do.

What really happened? All those 80 and 90 power guys that didn't have the matching ratings didn't produce the Home Runs they used to. Those big bat marginal power 1B's actually became a hindrance instead of a help. Many of the 40 and 50 Home Run range saw their production cut in half. The focus became one of defense and pitching or should have.

So what now? How do I fix things? That is entirely up to you and you can take this with a grain of salt. Many teams are left with big contract players that are next to useless to some extent. Who was the big beneficiary? The AL that is who. They have the luxury to get some very good DH's if the money is available and sometimes cheap. However, there is a rumor floating around that in real life this could be the last year of the DH. How big a change would that be to HBD? One could only guess.

Ok, what I have seen throughout my Worlds.

1B - A marginal 1B, one that has ratings below the minimums is actually a hindrance to the rest of the infield. It used to be the thinking that a big power bat at this position would override his deficient fielding ratings. Not anymore as his deficiencies are spreading to the rest of the infield. The 40's across the board as the chart shows is bare minimum and is really very marginal IMO, I would consider 50's minimum myself these days.

To surmise, I had a monster 1B with some less than adequate 1B defense, not all that bad as it was a point or two here and there, nothing really ugly. His fielding stats were not all that bad at first glance, 5 errors, 4 plus plays and 5 minus plays. Not all that bad and nothing I wouldn't have expected. However, the rest of the infield was GG capable and had 39 plus plays and 1 minus play between them, but each averaged 16+ errors. I found the error rate way too high to be by chance. I really didn't have anyone to bring in during the late innings to rest him, another problem. I took my monster RF and put him in at 1B, actually he was barely a RF and his defense showed that also. Viola, infield defense solved, 2 errors by the infield the rest of the season, 33 games btw. It was enough to get us to the playoffs and go to the LCS.

2B/3B/SS - This hasn't really changed much. Though I would highly recommend one that exceeds the minimum in range. You can fudge a little on glove by a couple points but the range better exceed. Under ranged players won't see errors or even minus plays in most instances but can lead to a slew of hits getting by. Arm strength and accuracy is of prime importance especially at SS and 3B.

RF - The minimums are okay not outstanding, but you can't fudge on them anywhere. If you put in a high range/glove, you can get away with a weaker arm without too much consequence. My answer to this is to use a marginal 3B or better at this position especially late in the game. If you think you can hide that marginal 1B here think again. This position has fewer opportunities than before until you try to fudge the position. Like in real life, managers and hitters alike know where the bad defense is and will try to hit to it and it seems the sim knows this.

CF - This one actually becomes a bit complicated. Range and Glove is key here and a good arm is very helpful. However if you run 75 range players at the corners, range can be slightly lower and be adequate. Ones that have 90+ range can have a glove rating up to 10 points lower from minimum and be adequate even, definitely not GG material though.

LF - Definitely can't hide the marginal 1B here anymore either as opportunities are way up. Matter of fact I recommend 60's across the board in defense to start and if you have a weaker CF I would suggest the more range the better. A better arm is helpful also.

C - If you have a good starting pitching staff I wouldn't go below 45 in pitch calling for a starting catcher. A solid or monster hitting starting catcher is not a bad idea. His defense can be a little less than minimal..errr in some cases a lot less, I am not saying horrific btw. Stolen Bases are way up, see what I mean. However, when it becomes late in the game, 7th inning, you better have that defensive PC catcher ready to come in. I really mean ones that don't allow the passed balls, stop the SB's and the PC should be 80+ and the higher the better. Normally the pen is not as good as the starters so every advantage is helpful.

Basically the defense has got to be much better to succeed these days especially late in games. Most games are still won or lost in the last 3 innings. Can those marginal defensive players still be viable? IMO, yes, but I would highly recommend getting them out of the lineup from the 7th inning on, no matter what. I find that those marginal and lousy hitters that play good defense have a tendency to get that all important hit to win games which makes it a viable trade off.

The pitching has changed also. Did anyone notice? I doubt it in most instaces. There can be more emphasis put on control and pitches than splits. This is where a very good defensive PC catcher comes into play. I am not saying the Cy Young pitchers will suffer any harm, but marginal pitchers will enjoy a better life. Pitchers that have an 85 or better control with two pitches in the 80's or 90's/70's with a third decent pitch, can have splits in the low 50's and sometimes lower and be very successful now. Actually a pitcher with 75 plus control and good pitches can be very good if the splits aren't too bad.

I had a problem with a team where my PC catcher was coming in like he was suppose to but the pitchers weren't responding. Is it the pitchers or the catcher? This actually takes some time to figure out. Believe it or not, it could be the role of the pitcher. If the catchers defense is there, stopping the SB's, not committing errors and passed balls, then change the pitchers role first. Why some pitchers don't pitch to their ratings is beyond me in most instances. Some pitchers have an intrinsic value somewhere that says they are good for neutral, plus, or negative parks, figuring it out takes time but I think the answer may lie in velocity and role combination somehow. A pen pitcher might be better in the middle innings as opposed to the late innings or vice-versa. This can be inherent to any pitcher btw, even starters.

One last thing, when was the last time you read the HELP screens? There is good info in there but you have to put 2 and 2 together and read between the lines sometimes.

Coaches - I have run into an anomaly dealing with a 1B coach. Had one with good strategy, base running in the 60's with pitching skills in the 50's and 40's hitting skills. Before you ask, he asked to be the Bench coach the next season, go figure. What I thought originally was happening was a failed hit and run attempt as runners kept getting thrown out with 75 speed and below. I finally caught on when a 55 speed guy got thrown out with a low contact hitter at the plate. Yes I had SB's set to average with Hit and Run to aggressive. I had to change the SB setting to infrequent and Hit and Run to average and Base Running to aggressive to counter.

Other things I have finally determined about coaches: Major rating at their skill of course and a high loyalty helps if you want to keep them for more than two seasons is a good idea but not always a guarantee. But discipline and patience is dependent on your team chemistry. A younger team you will want a higher patience. A more mature team needs a higher discipline. Of course it always helps to get all three or four but seldom is the case. A high patience works well in the instructional leagues while more discipline needs to be added in the minors. I have heard that one will override the other but I don't see that happening. I still think a bench coach is the most useless thing at the ML level but I could be wrong. I have had good ones and bad ones recently in terms of ratings and in all reality after the season was over you couldn't tell the difference by the way the team played or progressed.

Instructional leagues are High A and below while the minors is actually AAA and AA. I have heard the pros and cons of how to advance a player and have done it in several ways. None of those had any bearing on how a player advanced in all reality. Should the 1st round draft picks skip the Rookie League and go to Low A instead? My answer to this is a bit varied. I still think any ML caliber player should have at least a year and half at the instructional level at a minimum. This becomes dependent on which team has the best chance to make the playoffs IMO. It actually helps ANY player to be on a playoff team, even the career minor league player. They tend to perform better at the next level even if it is their last stop. Low A and High A doesn't have a chance for the playoffs, then Rookie ball is probably the best solution. If he over performs in the Rookie league and out of contention for a playoff spot then I would advance him to Low A for the rest of the season. Then have him play a full year at High A the following season. Sometimes I don't advance my players to AAA and may leave them at AA for for a season and half or two seasons. This is usually dependent on park configurations, as I like them to have more playing time that most resembles the ML park.

An Odd Sesson In the Works?

2010-03-05T07:37:00.000-08:00

Ok, lets take a look at how I think things could go. Here is how the early pundits see it happening of course there could be a bunch of surprises along the way. To top it off, some of the votes were lost in the mail or the WTBWA failed to vote.
Name of the team followed by votes.

AL

Not all writers have submitted their votes so it very difficult and maybe too early to make a judgment call! Doesn't the mail run anymore, the fax messed up or what?
So far it looks like Ottawa is the odds on favorite but it doesn't look comfy looking in the rear view mirror.

Ottawa Hosers: 16
Scranton Scabs: 15
Chicago Badasses: 13
New York Yankees: 12
Texas Smashers: 11
Louisville Sluggers: 11
Trenton Trash Haulers: 9
Oakland Athletic Legion: 8
Indianapolis Grizzlies: 7
Buffalo Blazers: 7
Las Vegas Mafia: 6
Iowa City FORCE: 5
Nashville Saltine Warriors: 4
New Orleans Voodoo Masters: 3
Honolulu Beach Bums: 0
Helena Black Birds: 0

NL

Not so in the NL, though the writers for Colorado spilled coffee all over there ballots and it was too hard to read. Last years champ, Vancouver, is getting absolutely no love from the WTBWA at all.

Chicago Blizzard: 19
Fresno Bulls & Bears: 17
Little Rock Mutts: 17
Colorado Springs Sky Sox: 16
Milwaukee Lagers: 13
Fargo Woodchippers: 13
Anaheim Scofflaws: 12
Rochester Skeltons: 11
Charlotte Knights: 11
St. Louis Snappers: 10
Charleston Yellowfins: 10
Philadelphia Fightin' Phils: 10
Tampa Bay Tedders: 10
Vancouver Vikings: 8
Atlanta Bravos: 7
Mexico City Jalapeños: 5

Rule 5 Analysis

2010-02-28T19:26:00.000-08:00

Wow, it was an interesting Draft to say the least. Though I don't call myself an expert at this, I will put in my two cents worth of thinking. I was looking for a backup or starting SS at the beginning of the season, I never dreamed there would be a couple players in Rule 5 that could have filled the bill. What I was looking for in a pitcher wasn't here of course but that is another story. I did have five top picks though and got one of them. I lost three players to the draft, though I am not sure they were worthy of a ML uniform. 27 were drafted and 6 has hit the old WW trash bin already. So who were my top 5 picks? Well it really should be dependent on needs really but here goes with my thoughts.

1. Harvey Rowan: He was hidden down the board a bit and not in plain site. I liked his control, pitches and GB abilities. Velocity might actually cause him trouble with those splits but worth giving him a shot and he could get better before seasons end. I had him ranked first because the others I knew wouldn't be there.

2. Domingo Guerrero: Wasn't the best fielding SS available but no sleaze either and has some power. His contact leaves a little to be desired but a MVP hitting SS is probably the toughest player to come by period.

3. Louie Fernandez: If you needed a CF or 2B, this was the one to go after. Maybe not so hot at the plate but his field work should more than make up for it.

4. Ricardo Flores: I liked his control and GB ratings. Everything else could get him into hot water quickly, but he could fool ya.

5. Rex Barrett: So he was taken with the first pick, I did like his control, splits and GB capabilities. His first two pitches are not dominate but adequate, the remaining ones however could spell disaster.

I was surprised that no one needed a backup catcher as there was a couple good ones available in Jay Purcell and Reagan Waters. I really thought about snagging one of them.

Off Season Strangeness

2010-02-27T06:08:00.000-08:00

To me it was a very strange off-season from the start. Okay, so I moved to Little Rock to start things off, that seemed to portend the future of the season. We had two holes to fill via FA if at all possible, so the budget was setup to accommodate. Coach hiring wasn't going to much of a problem this season as the necessary pieces was available for rehire. I like to hire coaches from within the organization from the previous season if at all possible to fill vacancies, wasn't exactly the case this year.

Coach hiring is the remaining concept that I don't like but have come to accept it though and figured out how to make it relatively easy. How should it be done? I am not exactly sure but I tend to like this concept better. I think each organization should actually have a crack at signing each of their previous coaches first in the rehire phase. The "Want to stay" or "Want to Stay at a new position or level" is fine. That shows willingness and initiative on their part. The ones that want to go "FA" should at least be "Willing to listen to offers" first before making that decision. Also there are times that you may want to promote a coach within the organization that doesn't ask for it and I think we should be given that opportunity. A previous FI above a 50 Glove rating with a better strategy at the ML level should not automatically want to be a Bench coach.

Back to the Ball Game, we got Jumbo Gonzalez for the hole in the pitching staff, maybe we paid a little much for the 3 year deal after his quick signing. We were in a heated affair for the services of Giomar Ramirez but finally caved in. To fill the hole we found Chris Jameson. He may not hit as well, but we were looking for a position player that could play anywhere. He also came with a much cheaper contract at $3.4M for 3 years.

The FA market looks a little depressed as many found arbitration rejects to spend their money on. So far, only 3 Type A's have been signed and 9 type B's. Buffalo has been trying to replenish their team to be competitive and has been very active in the FA market. Will the market turn bear before the end of the season as the contracts become real cheap?

So we are in the Rule 5 draft proceedings. There is a lot of talent available by my books, not great but some definite hole fillers. Possibly, it will be a buyers market but will have to wait and see.

Welcome to Season 8

2010-02-19T09:36:00.000-08:00

Another great season is in store for Warning Track!! Is this the year my team finally flexes its muscle and make it to the playoffs instead of falling short again? Tired of that falling short business! Last season may have been their year but it wasn't mine. 2 months and 7 doctors later I am fine again...I think. Not much in the way news actually but here is what we have.

NL

Chicago is where the big news is as mowbs69 took over the Chicago franchise and nicknamed them the Blizzard, his only request. I really think he is a DQ fanatic at heart but that is my point of view. Though I heard a rumor and not from the Good Humor man that 35 Blizzard stands are being setup all through Wriggley field and a special one in the home teams dug out.

In the middle of the night moving vans showed up at Salem's Volcano stadium and moved the team to Colorado Springs and became the Sky Sox so no one would recognize them. Salem is pretty upset about their missing team and the secrecy behind it all.

The Houston franchise up and moved to Little Rock with little fanfare. The players actually requested the move on account of the unpredictable weather. Evidently they couldn't take the repeating forecasts: hot, wet, humid with a windy storm or two. Now it is off to the cool fresh air of piggy salvation.

AL

In the AL North the old Poet franchise (I miss that team) did some fanatical ownership changes. First they were moved to Montreal last season then taken over at the end by AZNJ70. However after hearing of his WS exploits in McCabe, he was lured away by a shifty owner out west. So the team winds up in Buffalo with jamacanheat at the helm.

Out West in the ole town of Scottsdale, the dry heat got hotter as mickpb loaded up the truck and moved to Helena...Montana that is. Where never is heard a discouraging word...other than the singing of Black Birds. Now they will be pushing the snow off the field in the spring thaw and hopefully the farmer wont get too mad if his wheat field gets trampled.

Still out West where the baby sitter got trampled by the players in Salt Lake, the shady owner of the franchise lured AZNJ70 away from Montreal with sand, surf and bikini babes. So after all that, the team winds up in Honolulu and called the Beach Bums. The owner has a couple private jets, so travel ends up as a tax write-off. The bikini babes, err team groupies, err flight attendants get a job and again another business expense to write-off.

Down the home stretch - playoffs and season surprises

2010-01-22T00:54:00.000-08:00

Well, with 30 games to go and rosters due to expand shortly, many things are still to be decided in both leagues.

In the NL, 5 playoff teams are all but locked up, but how those seeds end up is still up in the air. The Rochester Skeltons and Salem Avalanche are both tied for the best record in the NL at 80-54. Both have struggled somewhat lately, which have allowed hot streaks by both the Atlanta Bravos and the Charleston Yellowfins to creep back into the hunt, down by only 3 games. Add to that race an Anaheim Scofflaws team that has been beat up all year but persisted through, also only 3 games out from the best record. By glancing at the schedules it looks as though Charleston has by far the easiest remaining schedule, but anything can happen. All 5 of these teams have fairly comfortable leads in both their divisions and the wildcard race, with the closest team 6 games back. Not a sure thing by any means, though.

The 6th playoff spot in the NL is up in the air as well, as Fargo has collapsed as of late, allowing a plethora of other teams within striking distance. Fargo currently holds a 1 game advantage over over a surging Vancouver Vikings team, just 2 seasons removed from their world series title. Also in the mix are Houston (5 back, rootin for ya) and even Chicago is in the mix (7 back).

There have also been a few surprise teams this year in the NL, although the top teams have gone as I thought. Anaheim has rebounded from a down year (at least for them), and I always think that if this team makes the playoffs theyre the team to look out for the most. The Fargo Woodchippers have come from the NL North basement last season to currently hold a playoff spot. Not sure what the huge difference in Fargo has been, but Im sure having SP Harry Santos pitching a full season helps out a lot. Fargos division mate the Chicago Casualties have been a bit of a disappointment this season. This was probably the team hit the hardest by the steroid era ending as Chicago thrived on their power last season. Chicago still clings to hope, though. The Vancouver Vikings have also dipped a bit this year with a down season from a number of their players, but those numbers seem to be coming back up a little now.

Over in the AL, things dont get much clearer. The Louisville Sluggers, despite a large amount of turnover, hold the best record in the majors, currently sitting at 85-49. A nice job revamping the team by coach farren83. The AL North, as expected, has been the powerhouse division this season. Ottawa leads the way as they overtake 6 time division winning Montreal (formerly Pawtucket), led by triple crown front-runner Julio Cedeno . Someone please correct me if Im wrong, but if Cedeno keeps it up Im pretty sure he will be the first triple crown winner, and likely the only triple crown winner, possibly ever. Ottawa is tied for the 2 seed with the New York Yanks, and Oakland represents the final division leader. All 4 division leaders as well as the surprising Nashville Saltine Warriors are within 7 games of the top spot.

The 6 spot in the AL is held by another surprising team this year, the Scranton Scabs. The Scabs hold a 3 game lead right now over the New Orleans Voodoo Masters and the Iowa City Force, but there are a number of teams still in the hunt above .500 (thanks to Salt Lake). The Montreal Canadians (5 back) have taken a tremendous hit since the all-star break but still find themselves in the hunt, as well as the Las Vegas Mafia (6 back) and Chicago Badasses (8 back).

The AL boasts as many as 6 or 7 coach of the year candidates in my eyes this season. This league really appears as though the power is beginning to shift. If the standings hold up we will have a newcomer in the playoffs, as Scranton would appear in their first playoff series in Warning Track. Theres really too many surprise teams to list, so Ill just say that Scranton takes the cake this year.

All star studs, duds, and should haves

2010-01-06T22:42:00.000-08:00

The all star teams have been officially announced, and the all-star game has taken place. Congrats to the NL, BC Matos of the Salem Avalanche for player of the game honors, and the Salem Avalanche for being the big winner with 7 all-stars.

First off, the studs. SP Orber Santos of the Ottawa Hosers was this years all-star game starter. Santos was signed as a free agent in season 5 despite a lot of criticism for a max contract. Santos has posted an amazing 1.73 ERA with a 13-1 record in the AL this season.

SP Carlos Feliz of the Salem Avalanche was the NL starter. Feliz is playing well beyond his ratings and has posted a 2.29 ERA with a 13-2 record thus far.

LF Hugh Reed of the Philly Fightin Phils has been hands down the best position player in the NL. Despite the steroids era being over, Reed has posted .320/.378/.666 with 36 homers and 78 RBI.

1B Julio Cedeno of the Ottawa Hosers has far and away been the best player in all the majors. He leads the majors with a .379 batting average, leads the AL with 33 homers, and is 2nd in the majors in RBIs with 90. Triple crown anyone?

The duds (of the all-star teams):
Not really any true duds in the AL, but 2B Doug Fleming of the New York Yankees is somewhat pedestrian, batting .278 with 7 homers and 45 RBI.

Theres a few candidates in the NL for the dud award. C Les Oliver of the Atlanta Bravos has posted pedestrian numbers despite having a .300 average, with only 6 homers and 37 RBI. RF John Dykhoff of the Charleston Yellowfins snuck on to the all-star team on the back of his OBP. Dykhoff has posted thus far a .256 average with 5 homers and only 26 RBI, but does have a .377 OBP. RP Turner Witasick, also of the Bravos, has posted an all-star worst 5.20 ERA. Witasick was carried by his saves total, with 26 saves in 30 chances. Witasick has been a roller coaster ride all season and did show he deserves the bid early on in the season, but lately has fallen apart at the seams.

Looked over:
1B Orber Saez of the Houston Water Dragons.
2B Wilfredo Rodriguez of the Houston Water Dragons.
SP Hamlet Tatum of the New York Yankees.
C Duffy Grieve of the Charleston Yellowfins (how in the world?)
LF Duke Silva of the Charlotte Knights.
RF Blake Waters of the Los Angeles Angels.
1B Merv Kirkland of the Trenton Trash Haulers.
2B Nolan Brock of the Louisville Sluggers.
2B Ricky Hamil of the Oakland Athletic Legion.
Too many AL 3B to list.

All-star Rosters:
AL:

Player	Franchise	Owner
P	Walter Wilkins	Yankees	lbrooks2 - 4th appearance
P	Alex Olivares	Hosers	nesman- 2nd appearance
P	Orber Santos	Hosers	nesman - 1st appearance
P	Vince Benton	Voodoo Masters	themojoking - 5th appearance
P	Jimmie Westbrook	Scabs	bodean - 2nd appearance
P	Randall Nieman	FORCE	ZEKE1109 - 1st appearance
P	Harry Lowe	Sluggers	farren83 - 1st appearance (rookie)
P	Stephen Riedling	Badasses	beatinu2 - 2nd apperance
P	Cesar Vallarta	Canadians	hartjh14 - 2nd apperance
P	Luis Cerveza	Saltine Warriors	bjc30 - 4th appearance
P	Malachi Figueroa	Scabs	bodean - 1st appearance
P	Pep Suzuki	Athletic Legion	ARomano - 2nd appearance
P	Ismael Molina	Yankees	lbrooks2 - 1st appearance
C	Rickey King	Scabs	bodean - 2nd appearance
C	Wes Newhan	Smashers	Fantasy Frea - 6th appearance
1B	Ted Rivera	Saltine Warriors	bjc30 - 2nd appearance
1B	Cecil Flanagan	Smashers	Fantasy Frea - 1st appearance
2B	Juan Rivera	Saltine Warriors	bjc30 - 1st appearance
2B	Doug Fleming	Yankees	lbrooks2 - 2nd appearance
3B	Joe Perez	Hosers	nesman - 4th appearance
3B	Bing Forster	FORCE	ZEKE1109 - 1st appearance
SS	Stewart Tatum	Canadians	hartjh14 - 2nd appearance
SS	Damian Carr	Scabs	bodean - 1st appearance
LF	Felipe Nieves	Hosers	nesman - 6th appearance
LF	Miguel Hernandez	Saltine Warriors	bjc30 - 3rd appearance
CF	Todd Barkett	Sluggers	farren83 - 3rd appearance
CF	Jerry Santangelo	Smashers	Fantasy Frea - 2nd appearance
RF	Kory Wright	Saltine Warriors	bjc30 - 1st appearance (rookie)
RF	Jamie Riley	Badasses	beatinu2 - 1st appearance
DH	Julio Cedeno	Hosers	nesman - 6th appearance

NL:

P	Birdie Ryan	Bulls & Bears	gbbreeden2 - 2nd appearance
P	George Lindsey	Casualties	bigphatsmits - 3rd appearance
P	Rigo Crespo	Skeltons	gratepool - 4th appearance
P	Carlos Feliz	Avalanche	njohnson78 - 2nd appearance
P	Turner Witasick	Bravos	ryguyrb - 1st appearance (rookie)
P	Willis Ensberg	Scofflaws	av84aal - 3rd appearance (only? wow)
P	Billy Buhner	Woodchippers	genghisxcon - 3rd appearance
P	Alex Miro	Fightin' Phils	whiskychaser - 1st appearance
P	Marty Millwood	Avalanche	njohnson78 - 1st appearance
P	Abdullah Strickland	Skeltons	gratepool - 1st appearance
P	Nicholas Cunnane	Bulls & Bears	gbbreeden2 - 2nd appearance
P	Darrel McGee	Yellowfins	offshorebron - 1st appearance
P	Juan Sanchez	Water Dragons	firesign34 - 1st appearance
P	Ramon Takada	Bravos	ryguyrb - 1st appearance
C	Miguel Unamuno	Scofflaws	av84aal - 2nd appearance
C	Les Oliver	Bravos	ryguyrb - 2nd appearance
1B	Merv Carter	Bulls & Bears	gbbreeden2 - 1st appearance
1B	Roy Sheets	Yellowfins	offshorebron - 2nd appearance
2B	Wayne Rivera	Skeltons	gratepool - 4th appearance
2B	Mark Goldberg	Yellowfins	offshorebron - 2nd appearance
3B	Juan Sosa	Skeltons	gratepool - 2nd appearance
3B	Fritz Wood	Avalanche	njohnson78 - 2nd appearance
SS	Horace Corey	Woodchippers	genghisxcon - 1st appearance
SS	Ruben Taveras	Avalanche	njohnson78 - 1st appearance
LF	Hugh Reed	Fightin' Phils	whiskychaser - 3rd appearance
LF	Roy Mashore	Avalanche	njohnson78 - 3rd appearance
CF	Matty Rojas	Skeltons	gratepool - 7th appearance (only player to make all 7)
CF	Nick Barfield	Avalanche	njohnson78 - 4th appearance
RF	B.C. Matos	Avalanche	njohnson78 - 1st appearance
RF	John Dykhoff	Yellowfins	offshorebron - 1st appearance

Bravos Blog Season 7 halfway mark

2010-01-04T19:58:00.000-08:00

Its time for the Bravos blog update. We started the season strong but have run into a couple longish losing streaks that have kept us honest. I said at the beginning of the season I wouldnt be happy with anything less than the 2nd best NL record, and right now were sitting at 4th. Despite some major holes, including an awfully unexpected one, we still sport a 47-40 record and sit atop the NL south by 7 games.

The major roadblock this year has been the offense. Surprisingly, this season we are a simply average offense, despite improving on the 4th best run-scoring team from last season by adding a rookie of the year candidate as well as another .300 hitter. The main culprits of the lack of offense are the guys in the middle, with Bailey Webster, PT Torres, and Erubiel Gonzales all struggling mightily and posting (hopefully they dont get worse) career lows across the board.

The pen is also once again an issue. Although I was able to add a setup man in the offseason and have shored up my #4 starter issue from last season, the pen has still just been terrible. I cant figure out why for the life of me William Chen continues to struggle so much, but if it doesnt change soon he may see a role change. It seems to have done wonders for last years #5 starter Ramon Takada after switching to long relief this season, as Takada is currently in the running for a spot on the all star team with 4 games to go.

Our other current all-star this year is C Les Oliver. Oliver has actually had a down season thus far, but with his average hovering right around .300 and apparently a lack of studs at the catcher position in the NL, Oliver currently holds the spot. Pitchers Carlos Rivera, Rich Velandia, and CF Chad Rhodes are also right on the fringe, but if the teams played today would be left off the team. I feel pretty bad for Rhodes as he was snubbed both by last years all star team and rookie of the year, and now this years all-star team as well. Lets get this man an award!

Also definitely worthy of note, we have made another huge international free agent signing this year (the aforementioned Erubiel Gonzales in season 5, starter Benito Barajas in season 4) by signing SP Cristobal Romero. He cost me pretty much all the money I had to spare, but Romero should be a true ace of the ML staff for a long time to come. In fact, Romero is already ML ready, there just isnt a hole deep enough in the starting rotation to pull the trigger on his service time.

We had the 19th pick in the draft this year as well, and were able to add both another SP and a reliever. Pitching was clearly the focus for us this season, and I think we succeeded in cementing some solid pitching prospects into the organization. We signed Cameron Lawrence in the first round, and picked up reliever Benji Houston in the 2nd. Both have a long way to go until theyre ready, but can both be contributers down the road.

Rookie Batting Leaders

2009-12-29T11:09:00.000-08:00

Here is a quick look at the Rookie Batting Leaders after 69 games this season.

National League

Avg. - .319 - Benito Barajas (ATL)
RBI - 43 - Benito Barajas (ATL) and Danny Meacham (CHA)
HR - 9 - Joe Murray (FRE)
SB - 21 - Milt O'Neil (MIL)

American League

Avg. - .297 - Tony Bravo (LOU)
RBI - 49 - Todd Corino (LOU)
HR - 12 - Todd Corino (LOU) and Enos Breen (SCO)
SB - 22 - Earl Lawrence (SCO)

Your Name is What?!

2009-12-28T11:13:00.001-08:00

Not much happening on the Warning Track Blog this season so I thought I would try and help out. I am in no way a writer so please excuse the most likely boring nature of my writing. I thought it might be fun to put together a little "Best Names of the Draft". I am sure I missed a few but here are some that caught my eye.

Round 1 Pick 14 by Houston was SS Nipsey Flanagan With a name of Nipsey......enough said.

Round 1 Pick 25 by Oakland was P Scott Hall If he is anything like former WWF/WCW wrestling star Scott Hall then this man will be a walking pharmacy and will be in the Leagues substance abuse program very soon if he isn't there already.

Round 2 pick 57 by Indianapolis was P Rabbit Whitehill So is this really Eminem?

Round 3 Pick 86 by St. Louis was SS Moose Saarloos Don't know what to say about this guys name but wow.

Round 6 Pick 194 by New Orleans was SS Bunny Broadhurst We had a Rabbit and a Moose and now we have a Bunny. This draft is turning into a petting zoo.

Round 9 Pick 302 by Vancouver was P Nipsey Span Really?!..........another Nipsey.

Round 14 pick 445 by Fargo was P Dummy Borbon I wonder if this guys parents know something the scouts didn't?

Round 18 Pick 573 by Fargo was P Pinky Morgan I am hoping this is just a nickname a disgruntled groupie gave him and not his real name.

I know this was most likely pretty bad on my part but hopefully I can improve as time goes on.

Bravos blog season 7

2009-12-03T18:24:00.000-08:00

With the predictions posted and the regular season merely 1 cycle away, its time for the Bravos blog. Expectations have never been higher in Atlanta, as they return 19/25 players from their LCS run a season ago. The 6 exceptions are actually upgrades rather than losing players to free agency/decline.

The new:
We didnt quite get the quality that I was looking for this offseason, but I just wasnt willing to pay top notch money for slightly above average pitching. But, I did achieve a couple goals I had in upgrading my #4 pitcher and improving the depth of the team, as our team durability is pretty low.

LF Howard Byrne joins the Bravos on the tail end of his career. Byrne has the 2nd highest career BA in Warning Track History, but his stats are on the decline and he definitely wont put up those numbers again. Still, Byrne replaces last years spot starter Louis kelly and should provide a spark against lefties as well as pinch hitting.

3B Benito Barajas joins the major league squad this season after progressing through the minors the previous 3 seasons. barajas was signed out of the international market as a SS, but his fielding stats just arent there yet. If the sim hadnt changed to where defense now means more I might consider starting him at short, but none the less Barajas should be a .300 hitter with 20+ HRs and 90+ RBI. It also enables us to put Torey Malloy in as a utility player.

SP Scott Fiore is an interesting signing for me. he wasnt in my top 5 pitching prospect, but I was forced after losing bids on every other pitcher to resort to Fiore. Fiore has solid ratings, but could impact the pitching staff negatively with his extremely low durability. Im used to being able to run a 4 man rotation with an off day, and now that isnt even remotely a possibility. never-the-less, Fiore will fill in as the #4 starter and on days he can pitch should prove to be a huge upgrade over last years nearly 6 ERA #4 starter.

SP Miguel Bennett has bounced in and out of the majors for us the last couple seasons, but is being given the opportunity to be the teams #5 starter. hes on a *very* short leash, so we'll see how he does.

RP Joel Donovan was brought in in the offseason to improve a bad bullpen. He wont be our go-to guy as previous 1st-rounder William Chen will again be given that role, but he should provide a spark to the bullpen.

RP Turner Witasick is another guy who will be promoted internally. We got Witasick in a trade with Fargo back in season 4 that, looking back at it as it was my first season in HBD, appeared to be trade rape. Witasick and Kevin Callaway are now the only 2 players with the team they were traded too. Witasick doesnt have the ratings to be great, with poor control and a poorer leftie split. But Witasick has been awesome in the minors, posting a 2.73 ERA, converting 76/85 save opportunities, winning fireman of the year in AA last season, and even making an all-star team... as a setup man. Witasick will be thrust into the closer role immediately due to his previous success, and has a full slate of options if he struggles.

The team is also able to add a whole bunch of quality depth as we look to improve upon a 84-78 season. We have 3 players who I feel could be starters on most teams coming off the bench and providing rest/covering injuries. We also still have a lot of returning starters who have improved significantly over the course of last season, so the future is bright in Atlanta!

NL Predictions season 7

2009-12-03T11:42:00.000-08:00

The NL looks to remain pretty much the same, and quite frankly there were no major free agent signings from the NL teams. World Series champ Charleston had a pretty decent amount of turnover, but replaced their exiting players with players that are just as good, if not better. Charleston goes into the season as the favorite to repeat, in my opinion.

The Salem Avalanche return mostly the same team, and the Atlanta Bravos should be a force as well as they only get stronger after their NLCS loss last season. The NL North could be a bit more open than usual, as the Lagers continue to grow their young team, Fargo gets healthier, and Rochester ages just a bit.

NL North:
1) Rochester Skeltons - Rochester wont win the division easily this year, as there are 2 other teams with the capability to win this division. But, I do see them squeaking out with the division.
2) Milwaukee Lagers - The Lagers begin to make their move to dominance this year, but arent *quite* there yet.
3) Chicago Casualties - MVP Lawrence Shumpert returns, but there just isnt enough quality pitching on this team.
4) Fargo Woodchippers - Fargo is hurting a bit right now, and I cant see them putting together much this season.

NL East:
1) Charleston Yellowfins - Charleston runs away with the division again this season, as theyve managed to better their world series team.
2) Philadelphia Fightin Phils - Philly had a down year last year and should improve, but I just cant see them taking over Charleston.
3) Charlotte Knights - Ive always thought Charlotte had a better team than they played, and all those high draft picks have to pay off sometime!
4) Tampa Bay Tedders - Under new ownership but not ready to make a run yet.

NL South:
1) Atlanta Bravos - Improved after last seasons cinderella LCS run. Anything less than a 2 seed is a disappointment for us.
2) Houston Water Dragons - Houston seems to be pretty content with their team, but I dont think they have the juice to overtake the Bravos.
3) Mexico City Jalapenos - Mexico City should post another 3rd place finish, and are building for the future.
4) St Louis Snappers - St Louis is starting to reap the consequences from a couple real bad owners early on, and will need to rebuild.

NL West:
1) Salem Avalanche - Salem keeps their NL-best record team intact, and should have similar success this season.
2) Vancouver Vikings - Vancouver loses a little firepower this year, but should still be a formidable opponent.
3) Anaheim Scofflaws - Another underachiever, Anaheim will be pissed after last season's tiebreak didnt go their way. This team lives and dies with Willis Ensberg.
4) Fresno Bulls and Bears - Not a typical last place team, but the unfortunate beneficiary of a great division.

Season 7 AL predictions

2009-12-03T10:50:00.000-08:00

As we approach the beginning of season 7, not a whole lot has changed with the rosters. We may see a changing of the guard in the AL, with the former Pawtucket franchise losing a handful of major players, the team owner splitting (perhaps because he knew he wasnt going to be the powerhouse he has been?) and the rest of the teams getting stronger.

Louisville also had a ton of turnover, but were able to replace most of the exiting players, and recruit a few stars too. It will definitely be interesting to see how the AL turns out this year

Ry's predictions:
AL North:
1) Ottawa Hosers - This is the year their huge payroll may finally pay off and overtake the AL north.
2) Montreal Canadians - Montreal still is a good team and could very well grab a playoff spot
3) Chicago Badasses - Chicago should improve on their record from last year, but is still a couple years off from contending.
4) Scranton Scabs - Scranton also looks better than last year with a handful of big money FAs, but bring up the rear of what I see as the best division in all of Warning Track.

AL East:
1) Trenton Trash Haulers - Trenton adds a couple stud free agents to a team that won the East last year.
2) New York Yankees - The Yanks look to make a charge and return to season 4 form when they won the WS.
3) Iowa City Force - Iowa doesnt appear to make a whole lot of changes to a team that is on the borderline of greatness.
4) Indianapolis Grizzlies - Indy is looking to rebuild and build internally, but that puts them at the bottom this season.

AL South:
1) Louisville Sluggers - Despite the massive turnover, Louisville should still buy their way atop the South, ala real life Yanks style.
2) New Orleans Hoodoo Masters - should be close with Nashville, but New Orleans seems to have maintained their current roster moreso.
3) Nashville Saltine Warriors - Should post a respectable season, if they are bringing up anyone from the farm could take 2nd.
4) Texas Smashers - Continue to rebuild.

AL West:
1) Las Vegas Mafia - Las Vegas has always been a team Ive felt has underachieved, and this year I see them taking the west, by default.
2) Oakland Athletic Legion - Oakland has been a strange team, going from a 102 loss season in season 5 to winning the West last year.
3) Salt Lake City Saints - The Saints add a couple pieces which should give them enough to get out of the west basement.
4) Scotsdale Sidewinders - Another team looking to rebuild, I dont think they expect to win this season.

The Season 6 World Series

2009-11-09T08:09:00.000-08:00

Pawtucket Poets vs Charleston Yellowfins: An interesting series as Charleston downed Pawtucket 4-2 as the two heavyweights faced off. Cesar Vallarta was the series MVP even though he was on the losing side as his two pitching performances totally shut down the Charleston offense. With Miguel Moya on the DL, the Poets pitching staff made a valient effort to keep it close, but the offense didn't help their cause in the last two games as they went down 3-1 in both contests.

This was Charleston's first World Series title and their second appearance. For Pawtucket, this was their third appearance and first loss. This was the NL's second straight World Series win as the previous four was owned by the AL.

AL and NL Manager of the Year!

2009-11-09T08:01:00.000-08:00

ARomano was the overwhelming favorite in the AL capturing 16 votes. bigphatsmits won the NL in a close one over njohnson78. Congrats to the winners.

AL and NL Manager Of The Year

2009-10-30T05:09:00.000-07:00

The candidates are in and here is a list of some of their accomplishments.

AL

ewd330-6th straight North title
nesman-5th straight 2nd place North finish but gives the Poets all they can handle
tmfran-2nd East title and 4th playoff appearance
ZEKE1109-Rookie owner that proved Iowa was not an accident last season, although lost out on the playoffs to the Yankees in a tie-breaker.
farren83-3rd straight South title and took the #1 seed away from the Poets.
ARomano-1st West title and worst to first winner
lbrooks2-3rd playoff appearance

NL

gratepool-4th North title
bigphatsmits-1st playoff appearance in a tough North division
offshorebron-3rd straight East title
ryguyrb-2nd South title
njohnson78-2nd West title
pic27-5th playoff appearance

Bravos Blog 20 to go

2009-10-19T17:29:00.000-07:00

Well here we are again. With only 20 games to go, the Bravos are looking to close out the season strong and rest up some starters for the playoffs. After a horrid, horrid stretch where we went 6-17 (including 10 1-run losses, a 7 game losing streak, and a complete breakdown by the bullpen) and went from 7 games up to 1 game up, we have squared up and fought back. Since that stretch we've gone 6-2 and thanks in large part to Houston's struggles have increased our division lead back to 6 games.

The season surprises:
I am beginning to love rookie CF Chad Rhodes. Rhodes hits for a ton of extra base hits. Hes second on the team with 57 extra base hits, 1st in steals with 24, and adds some pop with 24 homeruns. He has an outside shot at a 30/30 season, and is also 2nd in the NL in CF Outfield assists with 12. A true complete player, although his average has tapered off into the .270 range. Vote for Rhodes for Rookie of the Year!

To stick with the Rookie of the year theme, LF Erubiel Gonzales has also put up some impressive numbers. Gonzales is a solid anchor for the team, with 25 homers and 91 RBI through 142 games. Gonzales's numbers should only get better as his career lengthens, as long as he can stay healthy.

RF PT Torres has filled his role as run producer pretty well. His average has struggled, and I do notice he still leaves a lot of guys on base, but Torres has knocked in 112 men so far this year, placing him 13th in the majors in that category. Hes also belted 32 homeruns, and like Gonzales will only get better.

SP Rich Velandia was all but done this offseason after a terrible Season 5 and not resigning with Oakland. I gave him a shot, and am very glad I did so. Velandia has been the ace for my staff, making the all-star team and has won 15 games with 4 or 5 starts left. Velandia was also in the Cy Young picture until recently after a couple of bad outings, but still sports a 3.04 ERA with over 200 innings thrown.

The bullpen I thought was going to get better, hasnt. Theyve actually gotten worse. Changes will be made in the offseason, but for now I have to stick with the guys I have. If the pen was better we would be among the best records in the league.

Home Stretch

2009-10-16T05:38:00.000-07:00

Wit 31 games to go the races heat up. Everyone is looking to make up ground or thinking about lineup moves that may be more viable. Many are looking at their affiliates in preparation for roster expansion or should be. So who is in and who still has a good chance?

NL
North
Rochester leads by 5 games over Chicago and 6 games over Milwaukee. Chicago has taken a dive recently and allowed Rochester to get a firmer grip on the division but seem to be back on track. Milwaukee is beside themselves trying to figure out their home field woes but keep on pace to be a factor. Meanwhile, Fargo continues to struggle.

East
Charleston has firm control of the division with a 14 game lead and barring a sudden meltdown looks to wrap the division in a few more games. At the beginning of the season this was projected to be a three team race but the bottom suddenly fell without warning for both Philadelphia and Charlotte. Norfolk has been showing some bite recently but too little way too late.

South
Atlanta took control before All-Star break thanks to a big month long injury in Houston. But their current 7 game slide has hurt. Houston hoped to take advantage of the Atlanta woes but can't seem to buy a victory to help their cause but has struggled to close to within 1 game. St. Louis and Mexico City have been a formidable foe to many of those in the hunt.

West
Salem has entrenched themselves as the team to beat and have a 5 game lead over Vancouver. Don't count Vancouver out just yet as they have a pretty good lead on the wild card front but their eyes are settled on that division title and will give Salem a run. Anaheim and Fresno was keeping the pack close but just haven't been able to stay close as of late.

Wild Card
Vancouver has the first spot in hand at the moment with a 6 game lead over Chicago who currently owns the second spot. However things could change dramatically at any time with the last wild card spot as six other teams are knocking on their door.

Probably out of the race: Fargo, Charlotte, Norfolk, St. Louis, Mexico City

AL
North
Pawtucket is in first, who would have thought? But could it be their worst season ever? Ottawa has retooled and are only 7 games back this season. Can Ottawa make a run at the title? Scranton may have taken a step back this year while Chicago is showing signs of improvement with their youngsters. As predicted this division keeps getting tougher.

East
New York has the lead today but Trenton and Iowa City may have something to say before it is all said and done as only 2 games separate the three. Indianapolis, who many thought wouldn't have much of an impact has turned into a big spoiler and are not out of contention yet at 10 back.

South
Louisville has all but mathematically wrapped up the division already as their magic number is 10. Both New Orleans and Nashville whom I thought had the potential to become big factors in the race just never got it going. Texas plays great on their home turf which is actually surprising but on the road they are horrible which is more surprising than anything else.

West
Oakland has awoken and has a 6 game grip on the division and could be the surprise worst to first this year. Las Vegas is keeping a close watch but do they have what it takes to make a run? Scottsdale is regrouping for the future while Salt Lake continues to get better.

Wild Card
Ottawa leads the wannbe pack with a 5 game lead. The trio of Trenton, Iowa City and Las Vegas head up a pack of wild dogs that are fighting for the last spot. Scottsdale and New Orleans look on in disgust but could become a factor if the trio falters. Other than Texas (sorry for that mention), a big hot streak by any of the remaining teams could throw havoc into the last spot for the wild card race.

Probably out of the race: Texas

The effects of the big talked about trade: Cyrus Howard has 6 homers and 16 RBI's in 16 games with a batting average of .262 and is playing tuckered in Poet land. Ronnie Gagne has been dismally unhelpful in Scottsdale though he did get a victory over his old club.

Big Trade

2009-10-09T08:19:00.000-07:00

The trade between Scottsdale and Pawtucket may have allowed Pawtucket to help secure a playoff run this year. Was the trade that bad? Well maybe then again maybe not. I didn't vote against the trade though I looked it over for a long time because of future ramifications.

Yes, Cyrus Howard is a big power hitter but can only play 1B and a weak COF. He is a FA at the end of the season and will command a big salary. Will he try to stay in Pawtucket or will he test the FA market? Either way, he will command a huge salary that neither team may have been able to afford next season. In the FA market he will command a sandwich pick and a 1st round pick depending or for sure a 2nd round pick.

Ronnie Gagne is a proven quality pitcher with a big salary. His salary might be a little over the top for his ability though. Will he do well as a stater in Davis Ballpark remains to be seen.

As I looked over Scottsdale's pitching staff I can understand the trade. Many of their pitchers are entering their twilight years. With Gagne having another two years on his contract and his age guarantees a little stability. It also avoids having to find a FA pitcher next year as the pitching talent is not great in the minors and there is enough talent in the minors to easily replace Howard.

If the the draft isn't any better next year than it was this year, it may not help Pawtucket all that much unless a 1st round pick is garnered. Could have a better trade been made? Probably, but was anybody else willing to give up a quality pitcher or two good ML prospects at a minimum? Picking up another fringe ML prospect in the deal would have been keen and kept the board quiet I suppose.

If your wondering why I haven't been posting as much. I have been doing some house remodeling and garage cleanup and about half way done.

Bravos Blog 1/2 way mark

2009-09-28T07:54:00.000-07:00

Since our last update, the team has taken a pretty dramatic batting average drop. We've dropped from a collective .298 to a merely average .275. PT Torres, Chad Rhodes, Erubiel Gonzales, and Bailey Webster have all dropped 40+ points in batting average in a mere 27 games.

Despite that, the Bravos have actually put together somewhat of a hot stretch. Since the last update we've gone 18-10, with the pitching being a huge success. Rich Velandia surprisingly has a shot at being the all-star starter and even Ernest Bale has come out of nowhere to currently hold a spot on the all-star roster. We now sit atop the NL south with a 46-36 record.

The amateur draft has since passed as well. We had the #6 pick, but lost our 2nd rounder with the signing of Velandia in the offseason. Im pretty happy with the draft as we drafted our #1 choice P Albert Crosby. Crosbys projections were a bit lower in key areas than I had seen (mainly RH split), but with his stam/dura/health combos he should be able to throw a ton of good innings. We also managed to draft a LF with potential in the 3rd round, landing Yeico James. He should be an excellent platoon player against righties.

Interleague Play

2009-09-24T14:23:00.000-07:00

Interleague play wrapped up last night, thought Id do a recap.

The matchups this season were:
NL South vs AL north - NL wins 25-23
NL West vs AL East - Split 24-24
NL East vs AL West - AL wins 26-22
NL North vs AL South - NL wins 27-21

The overall interleague title this season went to the NL with a record of 98-94.

Very close interleague matchups... Las Vegas represented the AL well with a 9-3 record against the NL East. On the other side, 4 different teams in the NL went 8-4. Anaheim, Atlanta, Charleston, and Rochester all put up 8-4 records. Salt Lake struggled with a 2-10 record for the AL, and both Vancouver and Norfolk went 4-8 for the NL.

In the NL Home parks, both leagues came out even, posting 48-48 records evenly.
In the AL Home parks, the NL apparently has the better DHs, going 50-46.

Injury Sidelines Houston

2009-09-24T11:21:00.000-07:00

Wilfredo Rodriguez went down with an injury for 34 days. The heart and soul of the team seemed to have been ripped apart as the team has not responded and no one has stepped up. The organization is in upheaval as there is no replacement ready that isn't injured and the minor league players just aren't ready. Could Houston's season be over?