When to rebuild?

So, here we are everyone. About 50 games to go and the races in each division and league are taking shape. Are you where you thought you would be?

One of the things I both like and dislike about HBD is it's not terribly difficult to predict where teams will end up. We all knew Vancouver was going to be good. And we all knew the teams who said "we'll get em next year". 

A lot of folks I talk to about this game believe there's nothing worse than the 7 seed. I tend to agree...mostly.

If you finish 7th that means you fielded a team in the top half of your league. Likely, you were one or two players away. Maybe your closer had a down year....Or maybe your team wasn't as good as you thought.

I can hardly complain about my strategy since I joined this world. It's paid off (no pun intended) with a couple rings. But now my team feels old. I look at other teams and think I wish I had done at least a little planning for the future. In my entire system not one real ML players exists.

So to my original question, when is it time to rebuild? If I start next season it would take at least 5 years to even field a quality team. I don't have that patience. Or, I could trade away my veterans with everyone knowing it's a fire sale and get 3 nickels for a quarter. Nope, not doing that either.

What to do...

I'll probably stick to my original plan. Sign type A's at a good value and field the best team possible. I just hope to avoid mediocrity year after year.

Good luck to everyone down the stretch. I'm looking forward to the wild card races in each league.

Also, worth note is Jacob Vaughn recovered from his blog mention to win player of the week. Still can't wait to sign him in season 38.

The wonderful world of Jacob Vaughn


The legendary erffdogg was once asked if he had any favorite players in HBD. His answer was that of a reasonable middle aged man who partakes in fun sim game. He answered "no", and he treats the game like a tax return if one enjoyed completing their own tax returns.


Not only do I not complete my own taxes, I also fall deeply in love with individual players. Particularly, players that I've drafted and groomed to be ML level All-Stars.


So I heart Jacob Vaughn. Sure, he's not on my squad. But I still follow his starts for the Tucson Sidewinders.


How can you not heart a guy who put a 141-58 record with a career 2.57 ERA in 7 and half big league seasons? Add that to his 4 Cy Youngs, 3 no hitters, Rookie of the Year, 6 AS appearances, etc.


So in my alternative sim universe Jacob Vaughn is dating Kate Upton AND Katy Perry. Neither one has a problem with it. He spends his off seasons on a private island where the most interesting man in the world looks to Mr. Vaughn for advise.


Maybe the other reason I like him so much is because he's not in my league or my division. If he was, perhaps I wouldn't enjoy his dominance near as much.


Much like the Yankees in real life where "everyone eventually plays for the Yankees" I fully intend for him to be in pinstripes. Sure his velocity will probably be 58 instead of 85. Sure his splits will be well diminished and he'll be a shell of his former Kate Upton dating self. But marks my words, he'll be a Yankee.

The Big 3-0

We're at about thirty games into this season and divisions are starting to take shape. This week let's look at the teams in the basement and their chances of rising through the ranks or "tanking" their way to the number 1 pick.

GASP! Did I just saying "tanking"? Relax everyone, I have never accused someone of tanking and don't plan on starting today. Frankly, I'm just as tired of that conversation after 20 seasons as some of you are after 160.

As most of you know we don't have a minimum win requirement in this league. I've seen and been part of leagues with any all types of systems. In my 8 seasons here I can't recall any issues. That's a great credit to all the owners of this world.

Without further to do your Bad News Bears of Minor Leagues.

NL North - Scranton Yankees (11-18)

Your defending champs have scored as many runs as they've given up. When your Type A FA signing is hitting .169 and your best offensive player missed the first 21 games a slow start was inevitable. As I alluded to in my first blog we're staying the course. Buffalo and Toledo are both improved so moving up in this division will be no small task.

NL East - Dover Dobbins (13-17)

The Dobbins of Dover have actually scored more runs than they've given up but are only 3-8 in 1 run games. I really like Capra and Moose at the top of the rotation. Their exp winning percentage is above .500. If they can improve in the late innings and get some timely hitting I can see them getting out of the cellar.

NL South - Jackson Generals (8-21)

Maddyjack apologized early on for his absence. That's one of the reasons for the slow start. The other is this team is clearly in a rebuilding stage. After trying to sign some high dollar FA's when coming into the world maddy has cooled on that approach and begun building from within. What is the price tag on Alex Sanches anyway?

NL West - Las Vegas 51's (11-18)

This team doesn't have a bad roster, just not a lot of star quality either. The guys with power bats don't have the splits and the guys with splits don't put the ball over the fence. This is only aaron's second season so we should see the roster shape up in a year or two. I didn't add up all the W's and L's from the previous 26 seasons but I would bet it's 81-81 on average. It's difficult to improve when you finish middle of the pack or higher year after year.

AL North - Salt Lake City Bees (11-19)

Looking at the roster...this one is confusing. I see a lot of quality players in their primes. I expect this squad to turn it around. They've been outscored by about a full run a game. Only 1 everyday player hitting above .280 and some horrendous bullpen appearances is what I can see. Again, I think this will even out over the season.

AL East - Augusta Green Jackets (12-18)

This is another roster that lacks star power. When you don't have anyone on your roster with a greater than 70 power it's going to be difficult to put runs on the board. Augusta has been outscored by 57 runs this season. It's gators first season so it might take time shaping the roster to what is wanted.

AL South - Mexico City Azul (7-22)

Factorganize makes nobody wonder about his plans. With 22 of the 25 players on the roster 28 or younger this is a rebuild. When you've won 9 titles in 63 seasons you go with what you know. Collect great young talent and then make a run. The turnaround won't even take that long. 3 years maybe.

AL West - Colorado Spring Millionaires (12-17)

This roster has a few studs...but not much after that. The Millionaires have managed to put some runs on the board but it's burn a turnstile on the other side. Av has a history of success so they might be able to tinker and turn this season around.

Have a good weekend everyone.

The first 10 and the temptation to tinker.

We're 10 games into the season so I decided to take a look at the 8 division leaders and their chances of finishing the season in the same spot.

But first, the temptation to tinker. If you've ever seen "The League" on FX you know what I'm talking about. (If you haven't seen it I highly recommend the show. http://www.fxx.com/theleague. You can find it on Netflix if you don't have FXX in your area). One of the shows main characters, Rodney Ruxin, played by the amazing Nick Kroll, loves to tinker with his fantasy lineup and is always picking the wrong week to start similar players.

Of course, every team is different and owners have different "reasons" for tinkering with lineups, rotations, and moving players up and down in their systems.

Personally, I generally don't do a thing until after the All-Star break. At that point I might try an add a bullpen arm or a starting pitcher if a guy is stinking up the joint. My experience has been tinkering is generally a bad idea in this game. I don't know, maybe folks just get board and make moves for the sake of making moves.

Here are your 8 hot starters by division;

NL North - Burlington Lake Monsters, 5% chance

I have the utmost respect for pak, but the division is too tough and his team is a year or 2 away from serious contention. They've been outscored 47-53 but managed an 8-2 start.

NL East - Trenton Thunder, 58.75% chance

I give silent ed and his boys a greater than 50% because they've done it year after year under Mr. Cheeze. Dover is rebuilding, Charleston is up and coming, and Norfolk is the Los Angeles Clippers of minor leagues. In the words of the owner himself, "every f*cking year". In all seriousness, I really like his squad. I wonder if Ruxin will continue to tinker to turn the franchise around.

NL South - Iowa City Cubs, 32.89754% chance

Dodgers has built his squad around pitching and defense. I still like NO and metsny. I suspect it will come down to the wire.

NL West - Vancouver Canadians, 100 billion % chance

I heart Vancouver. A few years ago I said this was one of the best teams I had ever seen. They were well balanced and punished all with great offense, defense, and the best pitching HBD had every seen. They are no longer that. However, still the class of the division in my opinion.

AL North - Madison Hatters, 25% chance

They have an awesome name. They have the producer of Tom and Jerry as the owner. Do they have enough to hold off mj and the rest of the division? This is one team I might be tempted to tinker with down the stretch.

AL East - New Britain Rock Cats, 51.~@#% chance

josepaco is a great owner. I'm glad we don't compete in the same division. Good luck catching this squad.

AL South - Richmond Braves - infinit.infinit% chance

cyclones, a standard by which other great HBD owners can be measured. Again, good luck catching this squad.

AL West - Omaha Storm Chasers - 25.pi% chance

After years of mediocrity this might be pratts year. This is another team I might tinker with as the season goes on. At some point, you have to go all in. We'll see what pratt does.

*All percentages were calculated using the very advanced and technical formula of E=Mc2/pi x infinite.

Hi everyone, and welcome to season 27 of Minor Leagues.

I'm excited I finally have access to the blog and hope to make the league a little bit better by posting on occasion. I love HBD, so my goal will be to post as often as possible. I'm thinking a minimum of at least once a week. I'm not the strongest writer. More of an oral presentation type of guy. If my blogs come through as a stream of consciousness don't hurt me.

Let's start with a little league history for the newer guys.

This league was founded by erffdogg. His HBD profile is here. http://www.whatifsports.com/hbd/pages/popups/userprofile.aspx?uid=336821

As you can tell by his seasons and WS titles the guy was dedicated to the game. Here is an interview of the man about HBD.
http://mlbbhbd.blogspot.com/2008/12/owner-interview-erffdogg.html

Erffdogg is also the reason for the erffdogg memorial league world. I would consider this the big brother to Minor Leagues as many of the owners here also participate. No offense to this world of course (Minors is actually my favorite) but the ownership has been more steady.

wholck established a rule if you were around during erff's time you are not allowed to leave. Obviously, you can do whatever you choose but I can't remember a guy leaving that was around during errf's time.

I didn't know the guy personally. I wish that I did though because we definitely share a passion for this silly baseball sim.

I hope to have a preview or rankings up soon, Maybe this weekend if I have a chance.

Power Rankings 3/12

1.      New Britain

The RockCats have the most wins in the MiLB, and have earned the top spot in the rankings. They have scored the 4^th most runs by hitting the most homeruns in the league. Their pitching has also been great as they have the #3 Whip, and are 3^rd in saves. Keith Carver is leading the way for the offense, but six players already have double digits in homers. Dewey Halter and Delanor Estes are setting the table with .370+ obp. This team is hot right now.

2.      Scranton

The little Yankees really on their excellent pitching staff. The starters are led by Julio Guillen, whom despite his 4-2 record has 64 k’s in 63 innings, only given up 1 homer, and holds a whip of 1.07. Jorge Espinoza has also been solid with a 1.10 whip. The team is 3^rd in runs allowed, and 4^th in WHIP. Their offense is also very good, being 8^th in runs scored. Pedro Montanez has been one of the many valuable Yankees, but perennial all-star Mo Glanville has 15 stolen bases to go with 9 homers, and 40 runs scored.

3.      Syracuse

The Chiefs have the best offense in the entire MilB, and a big part of that is that rate at which they are slapping doubles into the gap. It seems as if they are taking walks or taking two bases. Then they steal bases (64, and only caught 15). They have the #3 overall OPS. James Bates is having an MVP type season with a .325/.409/.651 slash with 17 homers. Ben Mayne has already scored 52 runs despite only a .310 obp, but he has 17 stolen bases. Wow. The pitching staff has given up 266 runs (compared to Louisville who’s number one at 179). They have to make a move before the post season to clear that up.

4.      Vancouver

A lot of people feel Vancouver should be higher being the NL team with the most wins at 33. They have the third ranked offense in the league, 5^th in homeruns, and 4^th in OPS. Speaking of MVP candidates, Bobby Joe Owings is in the discussion with his .336/.407/.768 slash and 15 homers. RJ Lira isn’t far behind with .365/.433/.572 with 10 homers. If anything, they need bullpen help to solidify the pitching staff.

5.      Salem

Another team that could make a case as being the top team, is Salem. Led by MVP candidate Jackson Wagner (I drafted him), who holds a .304/.382/.660 with 19 homers. Salem has the number five OPS, but their pitching has set them apart being 5^th in runs allowed, and 5^th in WHIP. Three of the four starters are on fire…but the other two (Martin and Buchanan) have been garbage. The Volcanoes haven’t blown a save all season.

6.      Salt Lake City

The Bees are off to a good start this season. They sport the 2^nd best Run scoring team in the MiLB. They got there by being 5^th in doubles, 3^rd in homers, and number ONE overall in OPS. No one member is over 1.0, but nearly everyone with regular playing time is over .800 or better OPS. This is a slugging team (.476 overall) and they hit a ton of homeruns (84, six with 10+, 3^rd in MiLB). They would probably score more runs if they would stop trying to steal (24 sb vs 22 cs). The pitching staff hasn’t been good outside of Del Flier (6-0, 1.02 whip, 2.45 era). The bullpen is a serious strength.

7.      Louisville

Don’t expect the Bats to stay this far down for long. They are 6^th in runs scored, and FIRST in runs allowed with the best WHIP. They also have the third best fielding. They are due for a big run, soon.

8.      New Orleans

New Orleans probably shouldn’t be ranked this high since they have a negative runs scored to runs allowed. But they do lead their division and have a team that can score at will. The only problem is the pitching which has been horrific.

9.      Iowa

My little Cubs from Iowa are exceeding expectations yet again. With the best fielding team in the league, they help a mediocre pitching staff. There has been a lot of turnover trying to find the right balance on this team and they are dangling Esteban Cedeno to get a right handed reliever.

10.  Charleston/Dover

This is kind of a cop out to have a tie, but I just couldn’t leave one out. These teams both have high expectations, and have yet to produce. Dovers pitching has let them down, while the offense has been solid. Charleston is just the reverse having good pitching but struggling on offense. Maybe they should discuss a trade? Just saying…

Honorable mentions:

Wichita 26-25 257/229, #5 RS, #4 sb

Durham 26-25 245/243, #10 RS, 4^th doubles

El Paso 26-25 215/249, #1 sb, #2 fielding

Little Rock 28-23 213/196, #8 RA

Toledo 26-25 200/188 , #4 RA

AL West Previews

Salem was looking to grab one more starter in Free Agency, but whiffed. Now, they have money available to make more moves, which they definitely will at some point. This team has been very good under 40-dog, and he has the players available to make another run in the playoffs. If they can get just a little more help (one or two bats, one or two pitchers) this team could win it all. Look out.

The season just started and Boise knows it's time for big changes. Quite a few players are on the block and ready to be moved. The team can definitely hit the ball and are solid offensively (828 runs scored). But the pitching is Horrible (yes…capital H). The pickup of Roosevelt Watson was a move in the right direction. If Boise can balance out the offense and pitching they might improve more than anyone thinks. We will have to see if anyone is willing to make a move with them in order to do so. (And I can think of a few teams with money and prospects that could trade young pitching for offense. Just sayin.)

Don't be fooled by this teams record last year. They are a team on the upswing, and are focused on young pitching. It won't happen right away, but when you have a young stud like Kurt Pride to build a staff around baseball becomes really fun. Another thing to be aware of is that Omaha has an $81 payroll, but only spent $63. They don't have a lot spent on Intl Scouting and only $10 spent on prospects so it makes you wonder a little bit what they have in store. My guess is they will be buyers and a big deal could come to pass at some point. Omaha made a ton of trades last year. Keep an eye out for category 5 storm...

Owner McAndrews became concerned after hearing talking of teams "tanking". It is a serious charge and one that is not taken lightly. I'll admit, there had been some questionable moves (look at the trades last year, as well as the transactions this year, and draw your own conclusions). The plan is obvious that Oak City is rebuilding. They purged salary, picked up some decent young guys, and came into this season knowing that they gave up 942 runs (which is a LOT). Young guys that should be in the minors are making starts this year, but they are being surrounded by other youngsters a. I'm not going to let Oak City off the hook. Tanking is tanking. If a team is not actively being improved to be competitive in the league, I don't know what else to call it. McAndrews seems like a nice enough guy and seems genuinely worried about being labeled. If this league had a minimum win expectation we would be seeing more of an effort not to allow another 100 loss season.

NL West Preview

Vancouver has had a long run of success, and that will not change this year. Although some of the stars are starting to age, there is a nice pipeline of younger players entering their primes to pick up the slack. The Canadians are a powerful offensive team, but rely just as much on a strong and adept pitching staff. Overall, I can easily see this team winning another World Series this season and will be surprised if they don't at least get close again.

The Las Vegas franchise changed owners, and changed names, but stayed in place. Aaronbrown is a relatively new owner (10 seasons), but looks to be a good addition to the world. It looks like he will be a player in the Intl market by leaving $20 mil in player payroll, and having a max prospect budget. Vegas did allow one starter, and several key bullpen arms to bolt. They made a couple key trades, one of which replaced the starter and another to bring a solid defensive catcher into the fold. Great young players were promoted and will contribute as they grow into their roles. Overall, I'm excited to see how much this team can accomplish this year. They won't challenge Vancouver for the division, but should be the top wild card team.

 Last year was a rough one for Fresno. The pitching staff was in shambles, but the rebuilding process is starting to take shape. Somehow they snagged super reliever William Masato off Rule V (I guess Richmond couldn't use him?). Brad Park and Pep Kim have been promoted and start to help. The defense won't help very much (Sisler is a far below avg SS). The offense should be a little better, but not much. Overall, Fresno should be marginally better than my prediction as cazanski rebuilds.

The Isotopes struggled horribly at the plate last season, only scoring 572 runs. The pitching was mediocre, but should have been better due to the talent available. The Topes budgeted $95 but only spent $54. They have already dabbled in the Intl market picking up a relief pitcher. Could they be planning something bigger? The starting staff didn't get any better as they relegated Tabaka to the pen and Mujica was allowed to walk. The bullpen is mostly castaways. Overall, I can't help but think this team could be better if it had spent the money to upgrade. Instead, they will just continue to lose and get the draft picks/internationals. It is what it is.

AL South Preview

The AL South is the home of the Richmond Braves, the defending Wold Series Champions. The Braves have been the most consistent franchise in the entire MiLB. This year they lost starting pitcher Woody Buchanan and reliever Andrew Buchanan (no relation). They added Adrian Bowen for $6.7 million, but that was an iffy acquisition. What helps their subpar pitching is the excellent defense. But the team is getting ready to go into another transition. They are ageing, and starting to lose a little skill. Richmond is still great, but now more vulnerable than they have been in awhile. Although their will not be competition from anyone in this division any time soon.

Memphis moved to El Paso when the new owner (zsiegri) took over. Z brings a wealth of experience to the MiLB with 126 season, 29 division titles, 104 playoffs, and 10 world series titles. That's impressive and it will be fun to watch him and cyclone go head to head year in and year out. To start, the Sun Kings turned over their pitching staff. Out of 14 pitchers, only four returned, and only 1 of those was a starter. This was a team that allowed 676 runs, which is very good. But it didn't stop there. Out of the players that had 400 PA's or more (9) only 3 remain on the team. Tex Varitek, Johan Sellers, and Max Ordaz had WAR's ranging from 4 to 5.8...all gone. 527 Runs created...gone. The players obtained in all trades, are a mix of AAA, AA, and High A stars. A good haul, but none will be ready for a few years or more. SO, who does El Paso have playing baseball for them? It's the scrap heap all-stars. After FA ended, they offered contracts to players that had dropped their prices and were able to put together a team. They spent $61 of their $89, so they will probably be transferring to go after a big international or swooping in on deadline deals. Overall, this team is hard to figure out. All I can do is guess. My guess is they do better than I think, which isn't much.

The Suns had the opportunity to improve their pitching, but must have whiffed in the FA market. They didn't make ANY moves to improve. Out of the $98 million, they have only used $79. They could be waiting for an international to drop to them, or some deadline deals. But right now it's wasted money. You would think with young players more money would be spent on coaches, scouting, and training to get the young guys to improve faster. But there was no changes made. I honestly have to wonder how invested Jacksonville is in their club and if owner mytitan is even interested.

Not sure if I'm missing something, but I could find no record of a minor league team with the nickname Azul. So…I did the best I could with the logo. This team was just plain awful last year, and firesign saw the writing on the wall and bailed. The new owner, factorganize, has a good track record, but has taken on three new teams all starting about the same time. At this point the pitching staff has been completely turned over. By attacking the Rule V draft, and waiver wire the Azul found replacements (if you can call them that).  One oddity was the amount of players signed and then released back on the market. Maybe a trick I'm not aware of to increase salary for the next few years? Not sure. But it's happening. Overall, this team will be worse than last year and may actually be the most futile offensive team in the MiLB. In all of my time doing previews on various blogs I've never seen a team like this. Only $31 in salaries with a $61 player payroll means international buyer. This team is tanking big time which is something I personally do not enjoy seeing.

NL South Preview

New Orleans barely held on to win the South despite having the most potent offense in the National League. With an extravagant payroll, they had to allow LF Angel Molina walk (he got a max deal from Buffalo). His 153 runs created will be hard to replace which is why I predict a drop off in overall runs scored. Defensively, the Zephyrs are better, and with a strong core of pitchers returning we should see them get better in that department. Cory Dodd is now the starter at 2b full time, and he was stellar in a platoon role (12 + plays, 3 errors). Overall, New Orleans is still a top tier team and should do better than the 89 wins predicted.

The Cubs made a surprise run into the playoffs as the wild-card and gave the Zephyrs a scare. The Cubs made a big move last year to grab Pedro Fernandez to play their weakest spot (3b), and he led the team in runs created (116), and won plenty of awards (all-star, silver slugger, gold glove). Tony Wells was a surprise and produced well above expectations. This year Esteban Cedeno finds himself on the bench as Alex Velazquez takes over at first. Mel Knowles takes over at catcher (how much will his pitch calling hurt him and the staff?), and Bill Malone solidifies left field. Overall, the Cubs are a terrific defensive team with a mediocre pitching staff and can hit a little bit. Don't expect a similar run due to the youth, but you never know when this team will go on a 10 or 15 game winning streak. The commissioner of the league (SLC's MJ) said that it was pure luck. The numbers say otherwise. They were good in one run games (that could be lucky), but most importantly they had the best defense in all of the MiLB and play in a pitchers park.

The Generals had an interesting season. Despite having a negative runs scored to runs allowed, they managed to win 89 games. How? First off 33-16 in one run games helps a LOT. But their defense wasn't good, the offense was poor, and it's simply baffling how maddyjack pulled it off. With no real solid additions (except the perplexing Melky Bonilla and Matty Jimenez), the Generals might have to face reality this season. But don't bet against them. They did it once, and can probably do it again despite what the numbers say. I think they win more than 72 games.

The Travelers had a solid season, and were just stuck in a division that placed the three other teams in the playoffs. With a solid group of young core players, the Travelers look like a good team on paper. They didn't lose anyone on offense so production should improve. Their downfall might be that their pitching staff was gutted. 2/5 of the rotation is gone (Izzy Cammack, Alex Gong), and they are short a contributor from the pen (Jumbo Romano). The replacements are okay, but won't help much. Overall, Little Rock should have an easier time with the South, but not enough to win the division or make a playoff run.

AL East

New Britain has a definite formula for success. Starters that are replaceable, but do their job. A super bullpen (as seen by the best 3 pitchers section), and a team that hits well enough to get ahead so that the bullpen can get the win. This year William Baek and JJ Spoljaric were dropped from the team. Delanor Estes was an excellent pick up if he can rebound from last season (and at age 36 that's questionable), while John Jang can be a decent utility fielder. Dewey Halter has held off father time, and Vin Romero had a great season. This team is solid, and definitely one to keep an eye on.

Dover continues to spend big money in hopes of overtaking the Rock Cats. Chad has missed his chance the last two years and this year will be just as tough. The pitching staff is solid enough to compete, and the addition of Luis Martin ($9.5 mil), and Mike Coco ($5 mil) will certainly bolster the bullpen. The Senators stole former Rock Cat slugger William Baek to fill to the DH spot and he is a huge addition to an already potent offense. A "did you know" question...did you know the Senators didn't have a single player with a negative WAR? Ya...crazy.  Chong is the reigning MVP (check out the stats...wow), while Hermanson, Frias, and Cabeza provided an excellent "supporting" cast. This might be the year that we have two teams from the same division win over 100 games.

The PawSox season was dashed upon the rocks when the injury bug struck the pitching staff spring training. Sam Tucker was lost for the year, and Brian Yammamoto went down for 3 weeks. Anytime you lose two starters things get a little dicey. Especially when the team wasn't great to begin with. The only good news is that payroll was already low, and there was no chance to compete with New Britain and Dover anyway. The PawSox made good signings and built a team that would have competed without breaking the bank. Which leads me to the question will Brad D'Amico and Eugene Robertson be made available?

Durham gave up 971 runs last season and so the first order of business was to fix that problem. They spent a LOT of money on aging, but very good, veteran pitchers in Everett and Benes. Valenzuela also gets his chance in the bigs at age 21. This should easily help the team become more respectable, but how much? There will be no drop off in offensive production so any help that they get from their pitchers will make them a better team. This team probably won't be a playoff team, but will make it interesting.

NL East Preview

Charleston won the AL East by default last season. It's a rare feat to win the division with a losing record. The team was offensively challenged, and the pitching was middle of the road. #1 starter Mike Young was allowed to walk, as was Garry Scelfo and Adrian Bowen whose options were declined to save money. That left two starter spots to fill. RJ Baez, and Louis Pena are those replacements. Both are downgrades. The bullpen is decent, but can the starters hold their own? No changes were made to the offense that only scored 654 runs. Unless everyone else sucks in the division the Dogs are up the River without a paddle.

Louisville should have won the division except they were 13-23 in 1-run games. Ouch. The starting rotation added injury prone DT Gehrig as the number five and considering other pitchers also have health concerns things could conceivably go south in a hurry. The offense is solid, although there were guys last years getting more plate appearances than they deserved (looking at you Osvaldo Guillen with 647 PA, and Andy Young with 561 PA). Overall, I think the Bats are a solid ball club that should win the division. But if the pitching staff gets hit with injury bug (hopefully the $20 in health helps), and if the bullpen blows it AGAIN...forget it.

The Tides traded out their 4 and 5 starters for new guys in the same roles, but it shouldn't help much. The biggest change that will help is rookie sensation Pepper Dillard in the bullpen as the main setup man. Combined with Carlos Quixote and Fausto Melo, Norfolk has a formidable group if they can get a lead. And that's the big question. Can the Tides score runs? Barney Enders isn't the answer. Rookie centerfielder Bobby Lackey COULD be, but he isn't durable enough to contribute more than 65-70 runs. Bottenfield has never lived up to expectations and Estrada should be more productive than he has been. This is a team that just doesn't seem destined to improve much beyond what they did last year.

The Augusta franchise fled for Charlotte after new owner gregor199 took over. They are now the Hornets. One question I have is if gregor has time for this team. With fifteen other franchises how can anyone keep up with every single team? He is a braver man than I, especially being new to HBD. The apparent strategy is to throw money around. Butch Terry, a decent but not superior setup guy, got $13.6 million to sign. Notice he isn't in the top pitchers section? The Vegas defense made him look better than he is. Alexei Santos joins the Hornets for $5.4 mil...and brings his stellar .314 obp with him. Vic Ashburn comes over to play third for $5.2 million...he played in AAA for Syracuse. Lastly Mike McCormick was brought up to play SS, and while he will provide some pop he isn't a shortstop in the sense that he can't play the position defensively. If you thought the Hornets were bad last year just wait. Things are going from bad to worse for this franchise. I'm not sure how they plan to hold onto guys like Goodwin in the future when making horrible signings. Hope gregor has a game plan going forward and that his time management skills are stellar.

AL North Preview

Looking at the AL North I noticed an oddity rarely seen in any HBD world. We have four teams with one of the largest geographical areas ever. Stretching from upstate New York (Syracuse) to the midwest (Wichita, Kansas and Fargo-Moorhead, North Dakota) and across the Rocky Mountains down to Salt Lake City, Utah. Geez...these teams might go broke playing inter-division games. Now to the preview (with a major surprise prediction).

The Bees are absolutely loaded again this season. They have a fine collection of young talent that hits and plays defense. One burning question is…why did this team only score 785 with this kind of talent??? Another question is how much help Greg Menechino will provide. The "Timeless One" has been around forever, and it appears that age has caught up with him. He produced over 100 runs last year, but will be hard pressed to get to 80 this year. Will the young guys step up in Salt Lake City? The late addition of Orlando Canseco didn't help them win in the playoffs...can he lead them to World Series Title for mjpals?

The Trenton franchise was purchased by new ownership, and moved cross country to become the Wichita Wingnuts. A good move, because I've heard Trenton is not exactly baseball heaven. The new owner is freddyquimby, a brand new addition to HBD. The previous owner made an interesting move with division rival SLC. Orlando Canseco, their best player, was traded for a decent minor league shortstop/3b, a solid pitcher, and RF Al Bolivar. They saved money in the long run and got a lot of production from Bolivar and the pitcher, Buddy Minor. Minor became the best pitcher on the club and almost helped them get to the playoffs. Can the new ownership get this club back to the playoffs after a 3 year hiatus? This year, it doesn't look likely. The pitching staff really isn't very good outside of Minor, and losing Jumbo Delgado's 46 saves leaves the bullpen in terrible shape.

The first thing that became immediately apparent when looking at the Redhawks was the lack of offensive production. So, I was curious to know why. Three things stood out: 1) no one walks 2) everyone is slow 3) lack of base-running skills. That's a poor recipe for success because no one likes clogged base paths. Fargo was last in the league in doubles, and the bottom half in every statistical category in the AL. Not good. When a guy like Monte Wright (.309 obp) leads your team in plate appearances (584) it's going to be tough to be taken seriously. Hector Jose and other minor league players are on the way. Until then this team will have to keep relying on pitching and defense to keep them competitive.

Syracuse is one of the most stacked offensive teams in the MiLB. They scored 842 runs, which seems like a low number considering the talent. Sjpratt has built an admirable run scoring team. To begin fixing the pitching staff, Barney Enders (79 RC) was traded to Norfolk for Arodys Gonzalez. Then they traded minor league talent to El Paso for ace Will Waters (six time all star). If Paul King can live up to expectations as a closer, and not have 11 blown saves, this team will be a championship contender. As matter of fact, I'm going on record. The Chiefs will go from last to first in this division. With a very good shot at the World Series. Surprised?

NL North Preview

Since Brian took over the Yankees, the Yankees have experienced unprecedented success. Although Scranton has only won one World Series title in his tenure, the team has been transformed into a juggernaut. Don't expect anything different going forward. Glanville and Montanez are in decline, but the pitching staff is still rock solid.The boys in pinstripes are serious contenders in the MiLB this year and for many years to come.

Toledo should probably have taken a playoff spot, but faded in the final month. The Mud Hens are an ultra talented team that might be one or two years away from being a legit championship contender. From here on out, you can expect them to be a playoff front runner at the least. The loss of Lance Wilson was cancelled out by the signing of Mike Young. The offense remains mostly unchanged with the young guys getting marginally better and the vets not falling off too much. It looks like the defense off the bench will be super at helping to hold leads for the bullpen guys like Schourek. But, will they be able to get a big AB late in games?

 The Monsters are in rebuilding mode, but remain competitive. There isn't a lot of talent on this team (as you can see from their top 8 players), but Burlington features a solid (not extraordinary) defense, and capable pitchers. Pak knows what he is doing so don't bet against them at any point. No matter what the predictions are for the Monsters, they always find a way to exceed expectations.

 It's not often that the reigning MVP leaves his successful team for a last place team, but that is exactly what Angel Molina did in the off-season. At 28, he has some very good years left. When Molina's playing days are done he will have lasting fame…and now a huge fortune. Matched up with Kenny Sullivan and Carlos Romano, the Bisons won't be in the cellar again this year. The pitching staff had about equal losses and gains, even stealing from division rival Toledo (welcome to Buffalo, Jhonny Martin!). Buffalo is substantially improved and poised to make a playoff run. Be weary, National League.