Paul’s Travelers were 4th in the league in scoring, and 5th in the league in runs allowed. Their FIP was 7th, while they maintained the 6th highest payroll. So, the big question is…how could they lose in the divisional round. Answer: Memphis. Even though they have the best season ever, it doesn’t mean anything until they beat the RedBirds.
The loss of Larry Sherman is almost crippling. He ended up in Richmond and took his 1.20 WHIP with him. Anthony Koskie is the intended replacement, but he just isn’t up to quality. Parkinson was a nice pick up for the bullpen and should eat up a lot of innings. Overall they won’t have a top 10 pitching staff this year, nor will they have as good a FIP.
The offense remains very strong, but the addition of Fausto Leon from Fargo helps the defense more than the offense. A top ten finish in offense can be expected once again.
The defending champs made a spectacular run from the end of the season and into the playoffs. Their number one goal was to repeat, and knowing that the division was going to get better they had to make moves in the off season. One trade fell through, and the top four free agent targets all chose to go somewhere else. So, that leaves the RedBirds with a tremendous defense and good pitching (although they still struggle with FIP). Scott Franco moved on to Norfolk. Hernandez was a desperation pick up to play CF, and Reed Davis is a roller coaster type player in LF. Losing Mark Maurer really hurt the rotation and he will miss the season. They still have Gil Tunkel (chugging along at 40 years old), Cristobal Lima, and Derrick Baptist. But the rotation just isn’t top tier any longer. The Dude was forced to call up rookies Miguel Mercedes, and Otis Tunkel (Gil’s son???) well before their times. I don’t see Memphis running away with the division, and frankly struggling to get into the playoffs this year.
The rebuild is over for the Z’s and metsny. It’s game time in the Big Easy, and in order to survive in the toughest division in baseball they are coming on strong. The pitching staff has three potential all-stars, and two pitchers that might struggle. The defense is a bit weak, but the offense could lead the league in most major categories. New Orleans is my pick to win the NL this year.
Dodgersgale and the Impossible-Missions had a choice coming in to the season. Compete with Memphis, Nawlins, and the Rock or rebuild. Since too many big contracts still existed on the payroll the only choice was to throw all in. The team got Hector Garces back (they were cruising until he got hurt), dumped Bruce Buckley (couldn’t hit water if he fell out of a boat), and signed premier free agent Raymond Higgens. If the team can live up to their offensive potential, they might actually score more than 700 runs. The starting rotation is decent, anchored by Albert Plata, but not top tier. The bullpen is a mash unit and should cost the team some games.
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