Saturday, March 1, 2014

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.

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