The Gamblers are one of those teams that you can't quite put your finger on. Some good looking names on the roster, but somehow you just aren't convinced. Guerrero is an easy sell to the fans, but after him, there just aren't the type of players who would bring a lot of fans to the ballpark. Can a team without a roster of superstars win in such a small league? Still, this division is anyone's for the taking, so why not Atlantic City? The team has good enough pitching and if Johnny Damon can carry the load at the top, should be in good shape. Still, winning the North is like being the tallest midget...

Offense:

I agree with Tom here....there is a distinct lack of power at 2 of the 4 power "corner" positions. Guerrero should be a lock to succeed, and Klesko has power potential, but Alfonzo and Crawford? Hitting catchers are a nice luxury, but not at the expense of solid hitting elsewhere. If Renteria can get his stuff together, the team may be better than expected. Hopefully some of these platoon situations will be settled in a few months, because a guy like Jorge Posada may not be too happy with only half of the playing time. 

Pitching:

I have more confidence in the rotation than the pen, but that said, this staff is definitely in the upper half in the league. The key could be Jason Schmidt, who suffered through some hard times in spring training. If he can turn it around, the rotation could be quite good. Hudson and Morris are real mean, and a last hurrah from Al Leiter would go a long way. Guillermo Mota could be the least frightening closer in the league. Then again, he may not have many save opportunities of Seo can't get him the ball with the lead. Some serious questions need to be answered here.

Man on the Spot:

Jason Schmidt for sure. Scouts still believe he should be a top of the rotation starter, and he needs to prove them right. A solid season from Schmidt could make the difference in the division.

Although they have some worrisome holes in the line up—like the Ryan Klesko/Mark Texeira two headed monster at 1B—I think that pitching will carry this team to the top of the North Division.  I also think the North looks like the weakest division, so picking AC for the playoffs is more a matter of “somebody has to win this thing” than a vote of confidence for this team to do much more than get to the postseason to get quickly eliminated.  The good thing for the Gamblers is that they can more easily fix the problems they seem to have than other teams.  With good starting pitching and a hitting catcher, they could trade for some better production at the power positions (LF, 1B, 3B) or scarf up an FA or two. 

Offense:

If Johnny Damon is for real, this team has plenty of table setter options with Damon, Crawford, Mike Young, and Edgar Renteria, it’s really who to drive them in that is the big question.  Atlantic City was hoping to have Klesko/Texeira and Vladdy do the brunt of that lifting, but all three were lethargic in the spring.  Edgardo Alfonzo doesn’t look like he’ll be much help either, meaning AC may have to cut him if he fails to show up in the regular season.  The brightest spot for the offense has to be having not one, but two catchers who have shown an ability to hit in Jorge Posada and Ramon Hernandez, meaning that the Gamblers will be able to dangle a very tradeable commodity if they want to upgrade at the corners or get another arm in the pen.

Pitching:

The Gamblers went after young guns Tim Hudson and Jason Schmidt early in the draft and then fleshed out the rotation with solid vets Al Leiter, Paul Byrd and Matt Morris, who stuck around far longer than he should have.  This rotation is second to none, even though some teams have some more marquee value in the name dept. these guys will be up there at the top when the quality starts are tallied up at the end of the year.  We’re not so enamored of the bullpen, though, where Guillermo Mota and Arthur Rhodes would be good set up men, but have to fight for closer role in what looks to be a bullpen by committee.  Taylor, Garland and Moreno all got thumped in spring training, giving an indication this team may have some serious issues with middle relief to address.  Certainly, if this team wants to do much in the post season, assuming they get there, the bullpen is going to have to be upgraded via some crafty trading.

Man on the Spot:

You’ve got Jorge Posada on your team and he’s only platooning against lefties?  Wow.  I’ll pick Ramon Hernandez then.  He either needs to prove he deserves to keep Posada riding the pine most of the time or some trade has to be worked out, you’d think. 

When the draft started, Richard Gin's draft strategy seemed clear: load up on talented, young and cheap starting pitching and build around that. Somewhere along the way something changed, as the offense ended up with mostly veterans at the key positions. This is by far the best offense in the division, but can it make up for the inexperience of the starting staff? If so, look for the Crunch to win the North. If not (and I'd tend to say this is the more likely case), expect Bedford to hang around the middle of the division. Gin's team may be the division favorite as early as next year if the pitching gels, but for now, fans may have to witness some on the field training while the wrinkles are ironed out.

Offense:

Damn good, really. If Cintron can set the table, the team will score in bunches. Sosa, Griffey, Ortiz and Juan-Gone are a lethal combo, especially with the short dimensions down the lines at home. Vidro is better suited for the #2 spot, and may find more success there if the lineup gets a little tinkering. I think Varitek will eventually outplay Charles Johnson, relegating Chuck to the bench. The corner infield positions may be the key here; great years out of Ortiz and Chavez could put this team over the top offensively, but struggles from either (or both) could be this team's undoing. I can't imagine that Juan Gonzalez is very happy being platooned (and hitting eigth on top of that).

Pitching:

The best rotation in the league!*  (*=in 3 years). Packed with potential, this rotation could gel very quickly. They better, or else you'll see some football scores in Brooklyn. Add in a so-so bullpen, and a short start from a youngster could mean a long game. It is very likely that this starting staff could lead the league in walks, but they also look to keep the ball in the park, so groundballs are the key to their success. With all that potential could come quick results, and a collective push to exceed expectations could result in a competitive team. 

Man on the Spot:

I'll go with Rich Harden. If he fails, that leaves the team with just 2 viable starters, which will get them nowhere. Compared to other #3 starters in the league, Harden might have a tough time measuring up, but a breakout season from the youngster could go a long way towards solidifying this rotation and giving the entire team confidence. 

Richard Gin’s strategy was pretty clear in the draft, the tried and true plan to get your starting rotation filled with young fireballers and hope you can put enough offense together to grow around them.  It seems to have worked better than we thought it would after some eyebrows were raised after his first 5 picks or so.  We’re not sure that the kids can compete with the Gambler rotation this season, but this team should be contending soon.  What we didn’t see coming was that Gin could so easily put together an offense to take advantage of New Ebbets field with late round draft picks.  Bedford loaded up with dead pull hitters in Sosa, Juan Gone, Ortiz and Griffey, which seems ideal for the funky dimensions of NEF.  The challenge may be getting these guys not to over swing as they seemed to do in spring training.  Eric Chavez has been especially happy with his role on this team and could garner some MVP votes if he keeps up his progress.  Jason Varitek had a horrendous spring, but we don’t believe that’s going to carry over into the season.  If Varitek and Vidro improve, Bedford could have one of the more solid line ups 1-8, as well.

Offense:

Seem designed to shoot for the Green (or is it Blue) Monster in left field, but have a decent lead of hitter in Cintron and a good line up up and down.  Eric Chavez has been especially happy with his role on this team and could garner some MVP votes if he keeps up his progress.  Jason Varitek had a horrendous spring, but we don’t believe that’s going to carry over into the season.  If Varitek and Vidro improve, Bedford could have one of the more solid line ups 1-8, as well.

Pitching:

The Crunch took phenom Josh Beckett with their top pick and then went right on with the program taking Brandon Webb, Rich Harden, Kris Benson and Joe Nathan—a virtual who’s who of future Cy Young candidates.  There’s some question as to whether they can be competitive as a unit this year with the other superstar staffs some teams have, but they’ve proven so far that they aren’t going to need much on the job training to go face to face with anybody.  Lack of lefties could be a problem.  Brandon Webb didn’t have his A game in the spring, which also is a bit worrisome.  The bullpen was much less well thought out by the front office.  The Crunch rotated a small army in and out of the pen in spring training and about the only thing that we can say at this point is that Sauerbeck and Wendell should do fine in middle relief, beyond that, it’s chaos.

Man on the Spot:

Brandon Webb had a rough spring.  In the long run, he’s going to be a major star on this staff, but if he starts out shaky, he may go back to AAA for a bit more seasoning. 

This is, to put it bluntly, a middle of the pack team. More likely, a last place team. Halifax may have something to say about that, but team chemistry seems to be sorely lacking in Ohio. The fact that they have some big names isn't enough to make up for shortcomings elsewhere, and ultimately this team is unlikely to make the playoffs without some conscientious trading. Big bats abound in the lineup, and there are some real ringers in the rotation, but the players who are filling out the roster are sub par and could pull the team down. Mike McAvoy knows what he needs to do.

Offense:

Spring Training did nothing to encourage Dawg fans that the inaugural season will be one to cheer about. Perhaps Joe Carter wasn't the wisest decision as a hitting coach, because proven superstars like Chipper Jones and Magglio Ordonez really struggled through training camp. Everyone in this lineup needs to step it up about 3 notches to keep up with the division. Jason Giambi was the only slugger to take spring seriously, and when Victor Martinez (who?) is outhitting the big salary guys, something has to change. Juan Uribe's unexpected spring power is offset by his miserable OBP. Homers are nice, but you want your leadoff man on base a little longer than a lap around the diamond.

Pitching:

It seems highly unlikely that Mike Mussina will go winless in the regular season. But whatever was affecting his pitching needs to be addressed very quickly. Eddie Murray has been dedicated to his veteran starter, granting him the opening day start over a much more deserving Mark Prior. In fact, Prior was the only Cleveland starter who had a good spring at all. The bullpen, on the other hand, was fantastic. If these starters can shed a bad spring, the team could surprise. If not, it's going to be a long, painful year for Dawg faithful.

Man on the Spot:

Juan Uribe looks like he should be a perfect leadoff candidate, but he needs to really shorten his swing and bunt for hits. Who knows why he thought he should be an RBI guy this spring, but someone needs to beat that idea out of him and get him with the program. If Uribe can't get on base on a regular basis, expect a lot of solo homers from the middle of the order guys. 

Team has to keep telling themselves, “Spring Training means nothing,” because if they play the same as they did this spring, it’s gonna be a long year.  They got pasted and not because they let the kids try out.  This is likely to be one of those “Mets-ish” teams where you know the names of everybody but you can’t figure out why they still suck with that many stars.  Then again, Mussina, Appier, Man-Ram and Giambi might all have had Montezuma’s Revenge in the spring and will show up when they head north to Cleveland.  We’ll see, but right now, we see this team well out of playoff contention.

Offense:

Better at hitting the long ball than putting the rally together.  Maggs, Manny, Chipper, Giambi—all can go yard and probably will, but who’s gonna be on base?  Not much point in playing for the team HR crown if it’s all solo donks.  ‘Course if the middle infielders start hitting, it’s a different story.  Victor Martinez has shown some nice swings and could turn out to be one of the better budget picks in the draft if hc can hit .300 for real.

Pitching:

Few doubt that #2 overall pick Mark Prior will have a good year, but after that, this rotation begins to make you uneasy.  Mike Mussina should be money in the bank, but he got spanked like a German banker all spring and if that keeps up, this team is pretty much toast.  Kevin Appier and Randy Wolf are both vets who may have seen their best years some time ago and who need to be more than mediocre to compete in this league.  Victor Zambrano is promising but still unknown, basically.  Eric Gagne is, of course, a machine in the 9^th inning, but the question is whether the Dawgs can get him the ball.  Everyday Eddie Guardado has been shaky and the rest of the pen is hit or miss (Tom Martin, so far a hit, Darren Holmes a big miss). 

Man on the Spot:

It’s awfully hard to win consistently without a top shelf lead off guy to motor the offense.  Uribe doesn’t strike me as that guy.  If he hits .250 or less, Darin’s last place prediction looks about right.

When GM Larsen Cain first started drafting, you would think that he had some sort of self-imposed salary cap that was, oh, about 1/3 of the league standard. Maybe season ticket sales were sluggish up in Halifax, or maybe Cain just over-worried himself with the financial aspects of the game, but come the later rounds, he had so much money that he was picking veterans left and right. Many of those vets won the starting jobs (not surprisingly), and the ultimately may keep this team out of the basement. The question, then, is what is the ultimate plan with the team?

Offense:

A little too light-hitting to make it far I think, but that could be a spring training smoke screen. Soriano looks like the man, but rarely is it good to have your best hitter play second base. Miguel Cabrera was a big disappointment, as was Hee Seop Choi to some extent. Still, the team is pretty young, and with their long contracts, could really come together over the next few years. Is Cain patient enough to let the chemistry happen? This is probably one of the best defensive lineups in the league as well. If SLB gave out Gold Gloves, this team might garner a bunch. But it doesn't. Oh well.

Pitching:

I thought the "4-lefty rotation" was copy written by Sean O'Hallaran! Whatever works, as they say, and there are some pretty talented guys here. If the spring is to be believed, Eric Milton could be a real monster. David Wells was drafted fairly late and has been handed the ball for opening day, but is he the personality you want to tutor the younger arms? It's a hit or miss bullpen, but most are, right? It doesn't seem likely that this team is ready to compete yet, but don't be surprised for them to leave a team or two in their rear view mirror.

Man on the Spot:

A couple of really good choices on this team, but I'll go with Tim Worrell. Not at all a prototypical closer, and potentially a disaster in the making if he can't get 3 outs. But I don't know if this team really plans to compete this year or not. Maybe he's just a place holder for a year before the team gears up to bid high for a guy like Gagne. Or maybe he's just the best they have. 

Halifax stands to benefit from the phenomenon of “exceeding low expectations” as the pundits have framed it.  They drew the last pick in the draft and then started putting together what looked like a youth league baseball team.  I was highly skeptical about this team’s chances after about 20 rounds.  But spring and a weak division has made a believer out of me, or at least a believer they can stay out of the basement, which is where I thought they were headed.  Halifax more than any other team seems geared toward a 2-3 year plan rather than intending to compete right away, so we’ll have to hold off on a full evaluation of Larsen Cain’s GM skills for a couple seasons.

Offense:

Probably the most athletic lineup in the league, the Sailors are full of five tool future stars.  How far in the future is the question, though.  It remains to be seen whether this team will be able to put up a 30 HR guy, which is usually a necessity for a playoff run. 

Pitching:

Until David Wells was added to baby sit, the staff looked much like the rest of the team—long on promise, short on experience.  As it is, we’re really starting to get fond of this rotation.  Carlos Hernandez and Eric Milton impressed the most in the spring and if you add in Odalis Perez, this team has 3 of the handful of young lefties that you’d  consider ace material.  Tack on Boomer and the ro’ could feature an amazing 4 lefties.  That puts the Canucks in a real catbird seat for trading as those young lefties will have high market value if Cain is the wheeler dealer type as GM.  I’m a big fan of Runelvys Hernandez, if for name value alone.  He looks like he’ll hold down a spot and he’s got many years left to pitch in this league.  The bullpen is “Braden Looper and a bunch of other guys.”  Which is not at all a good situation.  We don’t know what this team’s year is going to be like, but if they surprise everyone and end up in contention at, say, the all star break, it may be time to go beef up the pen if this team wants a real shot.

Man on the Spot:

I’m going to call the 1B platoon of Edgar Martinez and John Olerud one “man” and make it that.  For one thing, it’s odd to have your 1B hitting 2^nd in the lineup, for another, nobody wanted either of these guys and thirdly, Halifax really can’t afford to have 1B be a half assed position. 

GM Eric Etrain is never happier than when he's in his hometown of Philly, and now that SLB could give him a franchise in the City of Brotherly Love, I looked forward to what he could do with the team. Etrain has put some marquis players on the roster, and with key players in key roles, could make a real run at this division. The team seems to have enough depth to overcome injuries too, which is key to any playoff run. Tom and I couldn't disagree more on this team! 

Offense:

The dictionary definition of the "well-made lineup". Speed at leadoff, high OBP at #2, followed by a mixture of righty and lefty sluggers through the middle. Round it out with Konerko and Durham, and you have some pretty darn good hitters for the lower 1/3 of the order. Hitting coach Larry Bowa has these guys at midseason form already, which could mean a fast start and early division lead. I like this lineup, and I think it could get them far.

Pitching:

Pedro Martinez deserves to win a championship one of these days. After being slighted for a half dozen or so younger players in the draft, Philly happily scooped him up and built a staff around him. Seems like Mike Hampton could upstage him by season's end, however, if spring numbers are to be believed. Ryan Dempster was the only guy who did badly this spring, and Scott Sullivan could be a big surprise. The bullpen could be the Achilles heel of this team and it's playoff hopes, however, as middle and long relief look thin at best. Dotel and Sasaki better hope the starters average 7 innings...

Man on the Spot:

Ryan Dempster needs to shake off a terrible spring and have a solid year. There is no doubting that he has the talent to succeed in this league, he just needs to put it all together. Early failure might mean a guy like Padilla ends up in the rotation, and that certainly hurts the playoff hopes of the Phynatics. 

Somehow, Pedro always seems to end up on a team that I think is unworthy of his talents and that’s basically how I feel here with Philly.  He leads a rotation that includes Astacio, Hampton, Dempster—something like that.  Yawn.  Octavio Dotel is amazing but the rest of the Phynatics’ bullpen is godawful.  The line up is full of perennial mediocrities Aaron Boone, Larry Walker, Ray Durham and Mo Vaughn.  They could have career years, but do you really believe it?  In theory, I should pick this team to finish above Halifax at least, but, in all honesty, I’ll be rooting for the Sailors and their youthful exuberance—I can’t cheer too loudly for the likes of Mo Vaughn and Todd Van Poppel—sorry.

Offense:

I should be careful about dogging this offense since they could turn out to be top shelf and make me look stupid.  After all, Derek Jeter spent the spring boozing it up on Etrain’s Amex or something and has yet to be full time in the offense.  It’s really more a matter of wondering which version of several guys shows up this season in Philly—do we get the Larry Walker who hits .300 with 30 homers of the Coors era or the one who hits .250; do we get the Mo Vaughn who belts 40 dingers or the one who spend the season mired in injuries and slumps; do we get the Ray Durham who bats .300 and scores 100 runs or do we get the one who looks like an expensive Pokey Reese?  You get the picture.  If they “gel” this team can chase the pennant, if they don’t it’s going to mean a lot of sniping about Eric Etrain’s draft strategy and potential Goat awards aplenty.

Pitching:

We wish we could say Pedro means 20 wins in the bank, but he had a rough spring and that seems in jeopardy.  That’s not nearly as troubling as the spankings that Ryan Dempster and Pedro Astacio got, though.  Really, only Mike Hampton and Scott Sullivan have looked solid so far and even at that not dominating.  The bullpen is even more upsetting as the starters can feel safe if they go 8 innings and Dotel gets to save it, but if they get into the rest of the pen, all bets are off.  This really isn’t a team that I think can afford to blow 20 games out of the pen, so that could be a huge issue.

Man on the Spot:

Pedro.  It’s not like he’s going to lose his job, but he should be a pretty good barometer of this team.  If he wins the Cy Young, it probably means this team is in the playoffs somewhere, if he’s below .500, the team will be, too.

I've seen a lot of teams that GM Jim Masters has sent onto the field, and I've come to one conclusion: He and I just think about baseball differently. This is in no way a team that I would put together, but does that make them bad? Of course not. Masters is keen on youth, multi-tool players, and above all, team solidarity. It's no surprise that the roster is riddled with long term contracts. Maybe that core can get better over the years, but in the competitive South Division, it seems unlikely that this team can compete right away. 

Offense:

The lineup is clearly built around a few principles: high OBP, a good lefty/righty mix, and high defensive skills. What the lineup lacks is the "big bopper"...the guy who can turn the tide of a game with one swing of the bat. This lineup can succeed if it sticks to it's strength, which is playing methodical, station to station baseball and putting together long innings. Just don't look for a 40 HR, 120 RBI player here.

Pitching:

Let's be honest. I'm just not impressed. The rotation has some great #2 or #3 starters, but the lack of an ace (in a league dense with talent) is worrisome. Loiaza or Millwood could step it up and become that player, but as of right now, it looks like a rotation without focus. I think Masters was hoping that Dreifort and Mays would be better than they have been, and without an improvement from one (or both) of these players, the team could be in a bit of trouble. The bullpen has the potential to be very good, but ironically the two biggest names (Benitez and Urbina) are the guys who got shelled the hardest in spring training.

Man on the Spot:

Carlos Beltran. Not because he is on the hot seat at his position, but because he needs to justify being taken in the first round. A first round pick indicates a franchise quality player, and I'm not sure that any other team would have taken Beltran before round 4 or 5. 

One of the easier picks for me was slotting Atlanta last in the South.  I could be eating my words next spring, but I can’t see this team doing anything other than taking its lumps this year.  Jim Masters’ two top picks going to center fielders had us rolling in the aisles and by the end of the draft I was wondering just how ugly this season could get for this team.  Again, if they exceed expectations, Jim will be validated as the master of the front office and I’ll have to take my licks from the other side of the Heaters, but I think 100 losses from this team is well within the range of the possible.

Offense:

The “fast and the furious?”  “Young dumb and full of…”  Team awaits a nickname and a clean up hitter.  One thing is for sure, if they prove they can hit, any one of these guys will be in Atlanta on opening day for years to come.  But, for the time being, this really seems to be a team destined to leave tons of guys on base and may start misfiring on all cylinders when guys who aren’t built to drive in runs try to win games with one swing.  Could be last in the league in homers, which almost never leads to playing in October.

Pitching:

While Masters went for the lockdown plan by drafting near rookie hitters, he didn’t go the same direction on the staff, meaning more veteran arms.  Not that it has helped much.  The most reliable starter looks to be Kevin Millwood who watched a couple hundred guys go ahead of him in the draft as he simmered in the green room.  He’ll have a chip on his shoulder this season, and that spells trouble.  Darren Dreifort couldn’t find the strike zone with a  map in spring training and could be in for a nightmare year.  Radke and Mays, young and promising, both got hit like piñatas.  So 3 of the starting rotation are big question marks.  Not good.  The bullpen looks good on paper, but Urbina, Spooneybarger and Benitez all got hit hard in the spring.  If that was just rust, they should be a strength of this team, but if they are all putting up 5.00 ERAs, my 100 loss prediction seems assured of coming true.

Man on the Spot:

After the spring, you could pick anybody in the rotation and say, if X doesn’t cut the ERA below 5.00, it’s lights out, but for one guy, I’ll actually go with Carlos Beltran.  The Flyers wanted him so bad they spent their top pick on him and he’s the #3 hitter.  If he can’t hit .300 or come close to it, expect some second guessing about that #1 pick. 

Tough to analyze my own team, but I'll try to give an honest assessment. I think these guys can compete for the division, but are in no way clear cut favorites to even make the playoffs, much less win it all. The lineup looks like it can be productive, but is somehow underwhelming on paper. The staff is solid and the no-name pen could surprise. If 88-90 wins is enough to win the division, you might be able to pencil the Diablos in for the playoffs....just make sure that pencil has a good eraser on it.

Offense:

A pretty ideal lineup from the player skill sets perspective. Podsednik is a flat-out speed burner at the top, Ichiro is the ultimate #2 guy, and then I-Rod is one of the best hitting catchers in the clutch in baseball. The question will be whether Thomas, Lowell and Giles are a threesome to be feared or simply pitched around. Roberto Alomar had a phenomenal spring, but he's really just keeping second base warm for Esteban German next year. Jose Reyes is a project, but Havana doesn't really have a better option at short.

Pitching:

Kerry Wood was a tough pick in the first round. Will he be dominating or will his poor control make him mediocre? Hopefully spring training answered that question in the positive. Burnett is another guy with a gun for an arm, and that's always a good thing. Buerhle got hit like, well, a soft-throwing lefty. Derek Lowe could be a big surprise. John Patterson beat out Juan Cruz for the long relief job after outplaying him in Arizona, and the no-name pen looks to be a team strength.

Man on the Spot:

Brian Giles is the lone lefty power bat, so if he fails, it's a pretty easy lineup to matchup against in late innings. I drafted Giles thinking he would be a cleanup quality hitter, but he didn't exactly dazzle in spring training.

Former professional baseball player Fidel Castro is thrilled to finally have a professional franchise.  “If the Diablos no win the pennant, I shave my beard!”  he’s been heard to say.  We aren’t quite so optimistic, but we do think that the Diablos will be above .500 and that if they are in the race, GM Darin Keesing will be working the trade wires to take a crack at the inaugural SimLeague championship. 

Offense:

This team won’t lead the league in homers, but they’ve got a chance to lead it in batting average.  Havana has the luxury of a good hitting catcher in Pudge Rodriguez and a potentially very productive infield in Alomar and Reyes.  Alomar lit it up in the spring and Reyes outperformed expectations, so that has to please Keesing.  The same can’t be said for Thomas and Giles, who may leave too many runners on base for this team to overcome.  It will be interesting to see whether Ichiro can be productive enough to justify the high pick Havana expended on him and the lack of a power bat in RF in a league stacked with home run hitters.

Pitching:

Kerry Wood was the Diablos top pick and will be the ace.  No problem there.  Burnett and Lowe both looked good in the spring and hope to produce a lot of ground balls for the slick fielding Diablo infield to suck up.  Buehrle may not be among the top lefties in the league, but Havana has little choice but to try him out unless they want to go all righty in the rotation.  The bullpen may not have the flash of some pens, but seem to be reliable, especially if they can get to Mantei and Percival bringing the triple digits in the late innings.

Man on the Spot:

Also knows as the “Che Guevara win or die trying award”--Frank Thomas got on this team mostly because the Diablos could afford him, not necessarily that they wanted him.  As it is, he’s their biggest bat and they need him to provide 35+ HRs and 100+ RBIs.  He was outplayed in ST by Ken Harvey (who?) which might put his job on the line if Havana tanks early in the year.  He could go from “Big Hurt” to “Fat Gringo” real quick if he doesn’t produce.

GM Andy McDonald could be the luckiest guy in the draft room, as he saw star player after star player fall into his lap. The most often heard shout from the Las Vegas war room was "Holy Sh!t, that guy is still there?" How else do you end up with Greg Maddux in round 11? Or end up with three bonafide closers in your pen? The team will take that luck to Vegas where their fans will take the short odds on the team to win the division this year. They will get plenty of competition from the Diablos and Thunder, but it looks like the Rounders' division to lose.

Offense:

This lineup looks to be in great shape assuming that the hot hitting in the latter part of the spring carries over. Pujols started out ice cold, but pulled it together late and ended with a respectable average. Matsui and Blalock are probably the best $500,000 hitters in the league, and they are on the same team. In fact, this entire infield looks fantastic, with Tejada cranking it at shortstop and a farewell tour from Biggio. Looks to do some damage for sure.

Pitching:

Pretty darn good. Maddux, Halladay and Brown were shamed by the younger Kyle Lohse, who went a cool 5-0 this spring. Farnsworth and Nen setting up Smoltz? That's just not right. Especially when you see Rodriguez and Guthrie setting up Farnsy and Nen... A good bullpen is key in the postseason. 

Man on the Spot:

Pujols was drafted to be an MVP candidate, but he didn't fair well in spring training. He needs to be the team leader, both on the field and in the clubhouse, in order for this team to succeed. 

I’d probably pick this team to win the division just on name valueif I didn’t have ST data to look at .  But we’ve seen this team play and it wasn’t inspiring.  Maybe Maddux, Halladay, Pujols and others felt they didn’t have anything to prove and took an f-it attitude into spring training, but then again, this team may have some big time chemistry problems.  Of course, they actually did WIN a lot of their ST games, they just didn’t look good doing it.  I guess what I’m saying is, if this team “clicks” they have the talent, if they don’t, it’s easy to imagine the Lohse, Peavey, Matsui choices looking bad in relfection.  Yeah, I know, profound—ask for your money back.

Offense:

All around pretty solid with no obvious holes it seems.  Not anybody you expect to win a base stealing crown, a batting title or an MVP award, but the Rounders are hoping for team play not individual stats.  Pujols is the natural leader but Blalock and Tejada have outplayed him so far.  Biggio and Bagwell are in the twilight of their careers, but Las Vegas hopes good living gets a couple more good seasons off them.  This is probably as good a place as any to note this team is defensively suspect with lots of guys playing their secondary positions.  Will it be a factor?  Check the errors column at the end of the season. 

Pitching:

Kevin Brown and Greg Maddux, in theory, are as good a 1-2 tandem as Clemens and Johnson, for instance, but both have been off their stuff so far.  Roy Halladay is a former Cy Young winner—really, I’m not kidding.  But, seriously, those three would seem safe to at least keep the Rounders in the games they pitch.  The 4-5^th starters are less well known.  Kyle Lohse had a great spring, Jake Peavey, uh, did not.  The bullpen, basically, looks respectable although Smoltzy blew a save in ST and Brian Anderson and Chad Fox got shelled.  But, there’s no cause for panic about the relievers just yet.

Man on the Spot:

I’m going with Pujols.  About half the owners in the league had him one or two on their draft lists, so he seems like a money pick for the Rounders first choice.  Then he goes into spring training and plays like a bush leaguer.  If he has a bad year, it could drag the whole team down with him.

The Sabers were another team that started off with a clear "youth movement" draft strategy, but ultimately ended up with some pricey vets in the opening day lineups. I'm all for it, actually, as I like seeing everyone in the league trying to win at once. But I'm not sold on this team having enough talent to win in this saturated league of ours, and since someone has to finish last, I pick Savannah. Maybe once the team actually hires a coaching staff then more cohesive decisions can be made. But until then, you'll probably want to stop by Tim Salmon's locker for the day's lineup card.

Offense:

The lineups are the clearest example of a draft strategy that took a sharp turn about half way through. Xavier Nady, Junior Spivey and Shea Hillenbrand were products of the "youth plan", while Bernie Williams, Phil Nevin and Benito Santiago ended up getting added in later rounds. Quite a bit of platooning going on here, meaning it's unlikely that anyone will get enough at-bats to merit post season awards. There are four first basemen on the roster?

Pitching:

This pitching staff has the potential to be very good. Miller and Mulder are the kind of young but talented pitchers you can build a staff around. Kim and Escobar might also be good, but without any empirical data to base my analysis on, it's tough to say. The AAA groundlings got the lion's share of the playing time, giving me little to say about this prospect of the starting staff. Spring training definitely taught Vohs who NOT to start. 

Man on the Spot:

I'll go with Byung-Hyun Kim. The former closer has recently converted to a starter, and a great year from him gives the Sabers three very good pitchers in the rotation. Could go a long way towards quick improvement.  

I have no iron clad reason to pick this team fourth instead of, say, second, it’s just that they fail to inspire me to think they will do much better than hang about.  They’ll have a record within 10 games of .500, I’m just not sure what side of that .500 they’ll be on.  The team screwed around a lot in spring training, so it’s damn hard to know what the real starters will do.  Did they learn a lot from the ST try outs?  Hard to say, but if I get the prediction wrong on this team, I’m blaming it on lack of real information to go on.

Offense:

There’s a lot riding on what guys like Aurillia, Nevin, and Bernie end up doing and it’s hard to know what they are capable of.  Especially Nevin who’s got the power to be a 40 HR type but then again may just whiff a bunch.  Savannah lacks a base stealing threat, which we know can be a problem.  On the other hand they have lots of guys who can hit doubles and triples—Burroughs, Bernie, Kotsay, Spivey, etc.  Let’s put it this way, if the pitching exceeds expectations, there’s enough offense there to make this a winning team, if the pitching struggles, this offense can’t really carry them.

Pitching:

If you go by spring training, it looks grim, but you can’t since Escobar, Kim, Mulder and Miller all took the spring off.  You’d expect them to be excellent, but there’s also more than a good chance one or two of them prove to have some unexpected ugly surprises coming.  What played of the bullpen wasn’t encouraging, but that didn’t include Hasegawa and Rivera.  If they are reliable, the pen should be fine, but if not, we know the depth isn’t there to fix the pen with AAA call ups.

Man on the Spot:

“BK” Kim.  As Jim Rome might say, he’s a class act all around.  I wouldn’t have let the high strung Kim sit out all of ST without seeing if he’s got his sidearm stuff ready for the starting rotation.  If he gets shelled, Vohs is going to hear it for not putting some innings on this guy to test drive him before buying. 

I wasn't encouraged by the Thunder's early returns in the draft, but as it shapes up, Tennessee might leave Vegas and Havana in the dust. The team performed very well in spring training, and if they hit the ground running, could make this a 3-team race. The offense can't be questioned, and if the pitching can hold up it's end of the bargain, GM Doug Maines may have a winner.

Offense:

The stars look to carry the team, and what more can you ask for? Nomar, Rolen, Lopez and Palmeiro all did very well this spring, and with some hits at the top, can drive in a ton of runs. Giles is only leading off against righties right now, but expect him to shove Brad Wilkerson to the bottom of the order after a few games. You can live with Edmonds lack of contact if he leads the team in RBI. Bobby Abreu went nuts, and could be the true definition of the 5-tool player. MVP?

Pitching:

The "Killer Z's" top off this impressive rotation. Zambrano had a magnificent camp, and Zito turned it around after starting slow. Those two guys are the key, as 15+ wins from both means less pressure on Garcia. Wakefield and Jennings are less inspiring, but one trade could fix that. The bullpen was solid up and down this spring, which is always something I look for. 

Man on the Spot:

Tim Wakefield has to shake the "knuckleballers can't win" stereotype, because frankly, the team doesn't have a lot of other options. Major league quality starting pitching isn't in abundance in Tennessee, so if Wakefield sucks it up, it's time for either a 4-man rotation or a desperation FA signing. 

High tech-computer aided drafting seems to have put this team in the driver’s seat (OK, I’m being a bit facetious).  But, seriously, it may have been good for Tennessee to have no tendency to try to go cheap in the early rounds, which has loaded this team up with veteran talent.  Because they have no real holes in the batting order and have a stacked bullpen, I’m calling this team the pre-season favorite for the division title.  However, there are some problems to be addressed and whether GM Doug Maines gets on that before or after Keesing starts sorting out his roster may decide who takes home the first title.  No reason this team can’t win it all with this bullpen if Zito and Zambrano can carry them into the playoffs.

Offense:

Thanks to Javy Lopez, Scott Rolen and Nomah, this team has no real obvious position where they are just giving up an out.  Oddly, the outfield is the most shaky part of the lineup as Edmonds, who is at least a defensive god if he doesn’t hit, and Brad Wilkerson (who?) are not doing much to help out.  Bobby Abreu, on the other hand is a potential all star in RF.  Tennessee can more easily fix its OF issues than anybody else can fix theirs, though as there are still guys like looking for jobs.

Pitching:

Assuming that Barry Zito’s 4.86 ERA in the spring was a fluke, which I do, you have a very respectable 1-3 of Zito, Garcia, Carlos Zambrano.  Then you’ve got some iffy 4-5 with Jennings and Wakefield.  Knuckeballers seem cursed in this league, but maybe Wakefield can benefit from the low pressure of being a 4^th starter.  If not, Tennessee may need to go hit the trade market.  The bullpen is awesome.  Hard to find a collection of harder throwing guys.  Trevor Hoffman, as expected, will be the closer but he’s got Osuna, Matt Anderson, Izzy, LaTroy Hawkins and Danny Patterson all lined up to get the ball to him.  Manager Pete Rose will be able to play a lot of situational ball from the 6^th inning on.

Man on the Spot:

Timmy Wakefield, of course.  Until you can prove a knuckleball can succeed in this league, you are suspect.  I actually will be rooting hard for the guy, but if it’s the same old story, he should be cut free before he can lose too many games for this team. 

If you had to sum up Tom Hey's draft in one sentence, it would have to be "better than we had hoped for." The team was happy with Roy Oswalt as their ace, but they ended up with Schilling as well. Bonds and Kent were great, but Thome is a big plus. There were a few surprises this spring, but overall, this is the squad that Hey had in mind all along. While the team looks like it can put up a ton of runs, and while the pitching seems solid enough, I just don't seem them keeping up with the Invaders. There is no way the team will make it through the year injury free, and with less than impressive backups, a long term injury to a stud can really put this team into a tailspin.

Offense:

Plenty of pull hitters to take advantage of the short porch in right field, which makes this team a huge threat at home. Kenny Lofton ended up beating out preseason favorite Corey Patterson for CF, which bumps the dangerous Rafael Furcal to the #2 spot. Bonds got plenty of rest in the spring, only coming in for an occasional pinch home run. The success of this team will be on Stairs, Pellow and Rivera, three guys who many other owners wouldn't think to sit on their bench much less start. Will Hey have the last laugh? He better, because outscoring the likes of Ireland is a tough task. If Bonds is the MVP AND Thome, Kent and Furcal play to expectations, the team will do better than I predicted.

Pitching:

Schilling/Oswalt/Moyer is as solid as any top three in the league. Woody Williams looked like a luxury as a #4 guy until he showed some weaknesses in the spring. Brandon Lyon won the fifth starter job by outplaying Ishii and Reed. The bullpen could be really good or really bad, and with no lights out closer, the team could see some leads slip away in the late innings. Might be a good idea to find one of those teams with 3 closers and see if a deal can be struck. Lyon really needs to prove that he is for real, or the team could really be in trouble.

Man on the Spot:

I'll pick someone different than Tom here. I'll go with Matt Stairs. Tom coveted him because he is a dead pull hitter, but there is a reason that he has generally been a bench player in most of his previous major league stints. He certainly isn't being counted on to provide the bulk of the power in Ellas, and with Jeromy Burnitz chomping at the bit in Ft. Wayne, Stairs needs to keep one eye over his shoulder at all times. 

I actually agree with Darin that Ireland is the better team, but to keep our picks from canceling out, I’ll predict that Ellas can find a way to edge out Ireland for the division, though I see both in the playoffs.  It would be typical of one of my teams to have the best regular season record and choke in the playoffs, anyway.  You can make the case, as I do in the Predictions, that the Greeks have the best hitter (Bonds) and the best pitcher (Schilling) in the league, but to afford those guys and have some guys for the future, Ellas ended up with a less balanced team than some others.  Of course, in a league packed with talent, being willing to go the extra mile for a guy like Bonds may prove to have been wise.  The Evzones are probably the most vulnerable team in the league to “the big injury” and have to hope certain guys (who I won’t jinx by name) don’t blow anything out.

Offense:

They can hurt you bad when everybody comes to play.  Giving Barry Bonds a short porch in right field to tee off at in the Malakadome is a close to a home field advantage as you’ll see in baseball.  He’s probably your MVP unless he gets hurt.  The potential the Evzones have to get 40+ HR and 100 RBI from Kent at 2B is pretty devastating in a league where 2B is usually a slap hitter or an automatic out.  Assuming Lofton and Furcal can score 100 runs each, a relatively safe assumption, the biggest question marks are what the 6-7-8 hitters can add to the party.  Matt Stairs is basically a dead pull hitter on the team to try to drill some people in the right field stands.  He has a lot of young guys in Fort Wayne eyeing his job, though.  Pellow and Rivera are youthful experiments for the Greeks, but they really don’t need them to do much more than hit .250 with 20-25 HRs each to make this line up solid all the way through.

Pitching:

While Ellas took Roy Oswalt with their top pick, they really hadn’t planned on pitching being a team strength; however, as guys like Schilling and Moyer kept falling in the draft, the Evzones stocked up on veteran arms and are pretty much loaded for bear, at least until retirements and free agency take their toll.  Woody Williams’ crappy spring has pitching coach on edge a bit, but the Evzones have some back up in AAA if he’s roughed up more.  Brandon Lyon won the audition for 5^th starter, which, on a Tom Hey team is usually the kiss of death.  The bullpen isn’t top shelf, but they seem to be able to handle what they are asked to do, which ain’t much when Oswalt, Schilling or Moyer take the hill.  Somebody forgot to tell Ed Yarnall he sucks in spring training, we await final verdict on what that was all about.

Man on the Spot:

Though Mike Rivera is a rookie in a lineup of proven hitters, he’s really done his job already by making this team more affordable.  Kenny Lofton, on the other hand didn’t have a job until a lousy spring by Corey Patterson forced Milt Pappas to track Lofton down playing for the Hiroshima Carp.  If he hits .300 or steals 100 bases, lots of owners will be chagrined for letting him go undrafted, but if he stinks, Ellas will give Patterson his job back or call Jeromy Burnitz up from his comeback attempt in Fort Wayne and let this team fulfill its Ron Kittle destiny. 

Early rounds in the draft had everyone thinking that Tony Blake was a madman. Did he forget there was a salary cap? Wreck less spending looked like a surefire recipe for disaster when the coffers dried up around the middle of the draft, but our madman may prove to be the genius of the draft. Right now Ireland is the prohibitive favorite to win it all, as the lineup is full of All-Stars and the rotation is full of Hall of Famers. Age isn't on their side, however, so it seems like the initial window for the Invaders is very small. It's all or nothing in 2004.

Offense:

Unbelievable really. How did we let this happen? Good hitting, run production, and solid defense from every spot in the lineup means this team should easily lead the league in runs. They could set some records that will never be broken for team runs, homers and RBI. The lack of a true leadoff hitter is of little consequence here, as Vernon Wells is as likely to hit 30 homers from the #1 spot as he is to steal 30 bases. Good hitting from hard to fill positions like 2B (Boone) and C (Piazza) is really what puts this team ahead of the pack.

Pitching:

Let me get this straight. The guy I'm picking to win the Cy Young is the #4 starter on this team? That's the definition of "unfair." If this rotation stays healthy it's going to be real tough to compete with this team. Granted, two of these guys are likely to hang it up after this season, but the pub denizens should enjoy it while it lasts. Doesn't hurt that three of the relievers posted sub-2.00 ERA's this spring either. 

Man on the Spot:

I'll go with Sabathia. Not only is he the least experienced guy in the rotation, but he's pitching ahead of Clemens and needs to prove that he's worthy to do so. Plus, he's the only pitcher in this rotation who will still be in Ireland in 3 years, so he needs to establish himself for manager John Madden.

Tony Blake’s “bonsai!” approach to initial drafting has created a monster in Ireland.  Yeah, they aren’t very deep and there’ll be hell to pay in the off season, but for right now, this is the team to beat.  In one of the other two divisions, you’d have little reason to doubt this team runs away with the division title, but in the Euro division, Ireland has the Evzones to deal with, who are similarly built to win now and London and Paris are run by two GMs that don’t like to lose, so even with this squad of future Hall of Famers, nothing is a given.  Ireland starts off with the high expectations, and sometimes that’s a curse more than a blessing. 

Offense:

Nothing but the best.  With Piazza at C and Bret Boone at 2B, the Invaders have a thunder stick at every hole and this team could really do some rockin’.  You might want somebody other than Barry fortysomething Larkin leading off, but after that, it’s non-stop grief for opposing pitchers.  Preston Wilson sat around way too long on draft day and took his anger out on the league in the spring.  Hope he got it out of his system.  Helton and Shef are as nasty a right/left combo as anybody can put in the line up.  There’s really not much else to say but look out.   

Pitching:

The aged wonders The Rocket, The Big Unit, and El Duque were supposed to run this show, but the 600 lbs. Combo of Sabathia and Colon stole the thunder in spring training.  However you stack it up, though, this is a fierce starting rotation.  Are they better than Schilling/Oswalt/Moyer and the Evzones?  Time will tell, but if not the best, this staff is up there.  The bullpen is awesome, especially the Foulke/Wagner tandem to end games.  Wickman, Julio and Hammond are all solid, so really the only question mark is Vizcaino.  It’s hard to figure how this team put this bullpen together on top of the rest of the squad, but they did and it could be the deciding factor in the Euro division.

Man on the Spot:

Not that there’s anybody who looks like a weak link.  I’ll say Mike Piazza, just ‘cause for some reason being named “Mike Piazza” seems to curse you in this game.  Why?  Who knows, but won’t it be ironic if Piazza sucks again?  Won’t take this offense down by himself, but it will sure annoy Tony Blake a bunch. 

For one reason or another I really thought this was going to be the team to beat early in the draft. As it turns out, they may only be mediocre. The pitching is going to be very good, but it seems that cost cutting measures have put some unqualified bodies in key roles in the lineups. For a team with the league's highest payroll, it doesn't seem that the money was as well spent as on some other teams. Sean O'Hallaran hates to lose, so don't expect the team to stay down too long if they start slow.

Offense:

A-Rod, Delgado and Berkman is a solid core, but the rest of the lineup doesn't inspire awe. In a league where the talent would be more spread out, this is probably a good lineups, but with just 14 teams, it doesn't look to stack up. Spring training results don't give me any reason to change my stance on that. Better hope that Baldelli and House don't hit less than their weight.

Pitching:

This is certainly the strength of the team. Pettitte and Penny will cause big headaches every time they start. Graves was a big surprise this spring. A bigger surprise may be that Ponson got the #5 starter spot when Brett Myers and Tony Armas clearly outplayed him. My guess is that Sid is on a short leash. The ancient John Franco may be on an even shorter one in the closer role. Johan Santana is a better than average middle reliever, but he's just biding his time before he takes over a spot in the rotation.

Man on the Spot:

I'll go with the two-headed second baseman, Bo Eckstein. Or is it David Hart? Neither are terribly impressive, and the platoon is expected to bat 2nd in this lineup. That won't last long if they struggle early, so expect to see these guys in the 8 hole sooner rather than later. 

The Knights got the top pick in the draft and took A-Rod.  They kept right on spending and adding heavy talent right up to where they are bursting at the seams of the cap.  All that and I think they come in third?  Welcome to the Euro Division, Brits! 

Offense:

The offense is going to center around Delgado, Drew, A-Rod and Berkman, but there are real questions about who will get on base for them to drive in.  The Knights have tried Baldelli, Eckstein, Tyner and Hart with no real clear choices coming out of those experiments.  Add to that some problems at catcher and third base and you’ve got a team that will have trouble competing with its division mates.  Of course, the team could gel and get cranking, but they’d better not take their sweet time finding a line up that works.  Delgado actually didn’t look to sharp in the spring, which would be a very serious problem.

Pitching:

Pettitte and Penny look like the crème de la crème at the top of the rotation then it gets murky from there.  Johan Santana looks sharp but that puts into question what to do with Livan Hernandez, Jason Davis, Tony Armas, Sidney Ponson and Brett Myers.  As long as a couple pan out, I guess it’s all good.  The bullpen was a mess in the spring and, frankly, that’s probably not going to be proven a fluke.  Maybe Baez and Graves will save this pen, but if not, they could cost the team some games.  It comes back to the division again.  Some uncertainties going into opening day usually wouldn’t seem fatal, but in the Euro division, you may not be able to give up a few games in April or May while you sort it out.

Man on the Spot:

John Franco.  No way that guy is still the closer on this team by the end of the season.  I mean no way.

You hate to pick a Michael Taylor team to finish last, as that sort of prediction will always come back and bite you in the ass. But like the London team, Paris would be in much better shape in the North division than the Euro. This is a typical Taylor team, with speed and contact hitting valued over power, and the typical veteran pitching staff is also on hand. The team is older than most Taylor squads, which may lead to some trades for younger bodies if the team goes south quickly.

Offense:

Potentially, this team can hit the ball and run all day. Even the middle lineup guys (like Erstad and Lee) have above average speed for their position, so look for this team to be near the top of the league in steals and extra base hits. Geoff Jenkins couldn't be stopped this spring, and if that power is for real, you could have a real MVP candidate on your hands. 

Pitching:

I'm positive that this isn't the rotation that Taylor envisioned when he started drafting. #1 pick Dontrelle Willis played himself into long relief this spring, leaving the top of the rotation to more capable veterans. This is likely Glavine's swan song, so he'd like to go out with a bang, and the always underrated Jon Lieber should worry the Euro division rivals. Trouble is a-brewin' in the pen, which could really cost this team any chance to compete.

Man on the Spot:

Brian Roberts leads off, meaning he's the table setter. Yogi Berra is sending him out there instead of Jimmy Rollins, so he better show some good returns. For a lineup that is going to rely on OBP and baserunning, bad things will happen if the top of the order doesn't fit that bill. 

The Pimpin’ Biatches of the Champs Elysee will have their work cut out for them in this division.  GM Michael Taylor is more known for trading his way to championships than his drafting prowess, so maybe we should hold off on judging the Frenchies for now.  While we see them pulling up the rear in the Euro division, don’t be surprised if this team of burners gives the rest of the league headaches.  If they can make games about manufacturing runs rather than slugfests, they may have the last laugh since they should be at an advantage in close games.  But our prediction is that for this season at least—The French Surrender!

Offense:

Built on the classic model of the mid 1980’s St. Louis Cardinals teams, the Pimpernels are hoping to slap it over the infielders’ heads and run like hell.  Except for Geoff Jenkins, that is, who went on an unholy rampage in spring training.  If he’s half that in the season, he’ll be shooting at that Hack Wilson RBI record.  Derrek Lee is a freak of nature with lead off speed in a 1B’s body, but he’s been overswinging trying to be the RBI guy in the middle of the line up.  He needs to calm down and let the hits come to him or the Frogs might go with Scott Spezio in a platoon system.  Taylor has a knack for having one or two goofball players overachieve in the offense—look for Spezio or Brian Roberts to take up this mantle.  Everybody’s favorite ass clown Raul Mondesi seems to be playing like he cares in Paris—for real?  We’ll see.

Pitching:

Pimps spent their top two picks on young stud pitchers, Dontrelle Willis and Javier Vazquez, and fat lot of good it did them up to this point.  Undrafted Kirk Rueter was the star of spring training—cute, but not reassuring.  Glavine is probably going to do about what you expect and win 14 games.  Which means the whole Contreras/Willis/Pavano/Lieber thing needs to get sorted out ASAP or this team is going into the season clueless as to what their pitching rotation is all about.  Joe Borowski is the kind of guy who might not look so sharp in spring training because he’s still sleeping off the hangover from the strip club, or at least that what the Pimps are counting on lest this be a long year when the call goes to the pen as Ray King was less than stellar, either.  Riske and Stewart seem to eat up middle inning relief innings with ease, which is good since they may be doing a lot of that.

Man on the Spot:

I must take my annual swipe at Raul Mondesi.  He looked good in the spring, but Paris probably would like to move Derrek Lee up in the order if he hits well.  And if Mondesi plays badly I can call him a jackass in next year’s Heaters, so I’m trying to give myself an assist.