Jose Gutierrez embarks on his first season as the Gamblers GM, taking over a franchise that has had success but was more or less neglected over the past season and a half. Looking to inject some new life into the team, Gutierrez made several trades and signed several free agents in hopes of putting this team back on top in the North. Despite all the player movement, management has realistic expectations for this year, with the aim to be a championship contender in the near future. Further improvements will have to be made for sure, particularly in the pitching department, before those goals will be met. 

Like any new GM, Gutierrez looked to make his mark early by trying to make a splash on the trade market. The season has yet to start, but he looks to have come out on top in both the Garcia for Willis trade and the Halifax trade that netted the team hot rookie Angel Guzman as well as Nevin, Dye and Mota. The bullpen was bolstered, as was the bench, so the team is certainly better off now than they were at the end of the 2006 campaign.

Offense:

Some new faces were added to try to improve what has been a "middle of the pack" lineup for the last few seasons. Thome and Guerrero continue to anchor the lineup, with the impressive Josh Barfield starting to peak. Nevin and Dye are nice additions, adding more punch and taking some pressure off the franchise guys to hit all the homers. Crawford and Castillo add speed, but it remains to be seen if they can get on base enough to make that speed work for them. With more than enough veterans to fill out the lineup card, the Gamblers have some parts that can be traded to make improvements later on as well. 

Pitching:

Pretty iffy to be honest. It's tough to win consistently with a no-name rotation like this, even with what looks like a lights out trio at the back end of the bullpen. Paul Byrd as your Opening Day starter? What other choice was there, with the inconsistent Dontrelle Willis followed by three pitchers with a combined 400 innings of major league experience. Angel Guzman had a great spring, and should feel confident facing other teams' fifth starters. Pitching in the enormous confines of their home ballpark won't hurt either. The bullpen is real strength, with the addition of Hawkins at closer and Mota in setup. 

Man on the Spot:

Carl Crawford absolutely must get on base for this offense to run, or else there will be a lot of solo jacks this year. Manufacturing runs is key in a big ballpark, and failure to get on consistently will make for too many 1-2-3 innings. 

Ownership volatility usually causes some problems and AC has been beset by indifference then a sale of the franchise leaving the team in a period of shaking things out.  I’m really pessimistic about the team largely due to the new faces, especially in the starting rotation.  I’m not pessimistic about the new owner Jose Gutierrez, I just expect this to be a year the team needs to be given a chance to get their bearings.  Having set the expectations low, however, I wouldn’t call this a weak team.  They still have legit power hitters in Thome and Guerrero plus great production from 2B in Barfield—should they get some overachieving years from their starting pitchers, anything could happen. 

Didn’t have the cash to do much, so settled on picking up LaTroy Hawkins, resigning Matt Morris—who they then traded--and scavenging on the second tier.  The new GM will be more of a player next year.  I like the look of Jose’s trading M.O. here as Willis and Mota are both guys with big upsides who have been temperamental so far.  If they settle down, he made a couple nice moves. 

Offense:

Jim Thome and Vladimir Guerrero are still the engines of the offense and healthy, they should both be good for 35 HRs and 100 RBI.  They get help from Josh Barfield who’s turned out to be an unexpected power threat from the 2B position.  Less clear is how well some of the supporting cast will fare.  Crawford and Castillo should make AC the league’s top team for stolen bases, but they offer very little power production, so they need to have high averages.  Konerko is a career .245 hitter, pretty weak.  Posada can be an above average catcher and the Dye/Erstad CF platoon seems good enough for hitting 8^th.

Pitching:

Having said goodbye to Matt Morris, Jason Schmidt and Freddy Garcia, this is new look bunch.  And they don’t look so good.  Yeah, Dontrelle Willis has seen his stock rise of late, but that’s not to say he’s going to guarantee 18 wins.  Paul Byrd should be fine and Paul Shuey will also carry his load if he gets some run support (he went 8-12 last year despite a fine 2.98 ERA).  Then you’ve got issues with the back end of the rotation and the middle relief which went from bad to worse with the offseason.  Right now a good season rests on Tankersly, Lawrence and Angel Guzman.  And that’s why I’m thinking last place… 

Man on the Spot:

There’s a big difference between a lead-off hitter who bats .300 and one who hits .230.  If Carl Crawford is closer to the former it could be the first case of real difference maker at the top of the order for an SLB team.  If he (and Castillo) both bat below the .250 marker, this team may not score the runs needed to stay out of last place. 

The Crunch are another North Division team looking to rebound from the routine beatings handed to them by Halifax in 2006. The team is confident after a hot spring training. GM Richard Gin pulled out the checkbook and landed some big name free agents, hoping to boost the Crunch to contender status. The net gains this off season are certainly impressive, and maybe the new configuration of New Ebbets Field will shake the squad out of their perennial funk.

Signed five All Star caliber players while losing just one to retirement. That's good work, especially considering that few were budget busting signings. Luring Alfonso Soriano away from Halifax was huge, as it fills a big hole on the team and weakens a division foe in one move. Lohse and Oswalt both look rejuvenated since landing in the Big Apple, so things are looking up for the Crunch. 

Offense:

To this point, this offense has too often relied on second tier players to play key roles in the lineup. Now David Ortiz has some support with the additions of Soriano and Geoff Jenkins, both of whom look to put up big numbers. Maybe the pressure will be off of Chavez, Bradley and Nixon's shoulders now and the whole team can relax and play up to their potentials. Anything Ryan Christianson can give the team is a plus. Ditto Jose Vidro. Bradley is less than ideal at leadoff, but the enough improvements have been made to let that one slide by till next winter. 

Pitching:

If Lohse and Oswalt are really back, this rotation could be quite good. There is not doubting Beckett's abilities, but a reprise of Lohse's 2004 campaign would make this a whole new team. If Lowe and Harden can put up similar numbers to last year, the staff should be solid 1-5. It's a no-name bullpen, but not one without it's solid performers. 

Man on the Spot:

I'll go with Soriano, not because I doubt he will be good, but he is now in the #3 slot in the order, meaning he is being relied upon heavily to drive in runs. He's in the spotlight now in New York...can he handle the transition from the sleepy town of Halifax to the bright lights of the Big Apple? 

I find it hard to constrain my enthusiasm for this team.  In the offseason, they picked up one of the best middle infielders in the league in Soriano and added two arms that could really fit well in Bedford if homers continue to be scarce—Oswalt and Lohse, who’ve sometimes both struggled with the long ball.  If they can get the bullpen to pull together and Josh Beckett finally fires on all cylinders, I think this is a playoff team.  Admittedly, that’s a big dose of optimism that would include overcoming a bullpen that begins and ends with Braden Looper and finding a solution to what has been a lack of power on the road as well as at home, but I just think this is their year.

Arguably the best offseason for any team if they can shape Oswalt and Lohse up and make them into reliable starters.  A big if, I know.  Soriano finally played like a blue chipper last year and will really improve the infield here alongside Vidro.  Didn’t do too well bargain shopping outside of getting Jason Giambi cheap, so they tied up a lot of salary for 3 years on.

Offense:

Last year, this team really started to hit, with 6 starters at or near .300, led by David Ortiz, who finally got to parking some balls in the seats and Milton Bradley who had a “who knew?” sort of year.  If they come back in form, you can add almost certain .300 seasons from Chavez, Vidro and Soriano which makes this a pretty nasty team.  A big factor may be which Ramon Hernandez shows up when he finally gets off the DL.  He went from a break out year in 2005 hitting .298/30/95 to an injury plagued catastrophe hitting  .241/1/18 last year.  Team needs Geoff Jenkins to find his groove again and Trot Nixon to put up respectable numbers to be an elite offense, however.

Pitching:

Josh Beckett is the established ace and he’s good for at least 15 wins.  Derek Lowe can do that, too, from past experience.  Rich Harden pitched well last year, but failed to get good run support, still he keeps the ball down (12 HR in 204 innings) and should give them a good QS ratio.  So it’s really up to Oswalt and Lohse.  If they can both add 15 wins a piece, again, as they’ve done before on other teams, this is a great 5 man staff.  Of course, you sort of think that’s not gonna happen, don’t you?  Yeah, I’m not sure either.  And the bullpen is still a problem, though Sullivan, Strickland and Looper all have the capacity to hold the fort down.

Man on the Spot:

He seems to draw this tag every year for somebody, but I’m picking Roy Oswalt—again.  Look, he’s still far from living up to the hype that had him the 6^th pick in the initial draft.  But if he can get his ERA under 4.00 again, he could be the X factor here, much like Javier Vasquez was on Halifax.

After finishing with the worst record in the league a year ago, Cleveland management knew it had to make some serious changes to this roster to get the team back on track. Almost half of the 25 man roster has turned over since 2006, which can only be a good thing. GM Mike McAvoy has bolstered the core of his young offense with some big hitting veterans, and four new starting pitchers means big changes for the fans in Cleveland. The team also opens the year in the brand new Boneyard Field, whose cozier dimensions will help the hitters, but could cause problems for the pitchers. The team did well in the spring, leading one to believe that the team will be improved. Are they playoff contenders? Probably not without some more tweaks, but if this team finishes in last again there are bigger issues to resolve.

Despite a cut in payroll, Cleveland ownership went after some big names in the free agent auction. They devoted about 15% of the budget to Ichiro, a questionable move considering his overall value the past three years. That said, the team was starved for an All Star, and after acquiring the Japanese outfielder, the team traded for Jim Edmonds as well. Johnny Estrada was the other big offensive pickup, as we all know how hard it is to find a good hitting catcher in this league. The big pitching acquisition was Eric Milton, not only because he's a good lefty, but because he comes from division rival Halifax. Fans weren't thrilled seeing Dontrelle Willis head to Atlantic City, especially after a horrid spring by Freddy Garcia.

Offense:

I think you can now rank this lineup in the "formidable" class. The Dawgs should score a lot of runs, with five potential 100 RBI guys in addition to Ichiro and a strong middle infield. Everyone in the lineup is either a lefty or a switch-hitter, making for a balanced lineup vs. lefties, but an all left-handed attack against right-handers. Will Teixiera and Sizemore flourish with some veterans protecting them in the lineup, or will they cave under the pressure of higher expectations?

Pitching:

The lefty trend continues in the pitching staff, as there are four southpaws in the rotation and three in the pen. As stated earlier, Kaz Ishii is the only hold over from last year's rotation, so what will all the turnover bring? Rookie Jeremy Sowers has been handed the ball for opening day, and he gets to face Carlos Zambrano on the road. The kid looked legit in spring training, but it will be interesting to see how he cuts it against the big boys when it counts. I'm not sold on Darrell May or Freddy Garcia, but I've been proven wrong before. Late inning relief looks solid with the additions of Karsay and Julio, but middle innings could be trouble.

Man on the Spot:

Jeremy Sowers is too easy, so I'll say Freddy Garcia. He's the only righty in the rotation, and frankly, hasn't had the best run of it in his SLB career. A 23-34 career record isn't what you want from your #3 starter. 

Darin and I both pegged this team for last in the North last year and they didn’t disappoint (well, you know what I mean).  So now they’ve shelled out big cash for Ichiro, Johnny Estrada and Eric Milton plus they have a phenom in Jeremy Sowers to add to the mix—enough to get out of last?  Probably.  Enough to be playing in October?  No way.  Still, this should be a fun team to watch.  They have the best defensive outfield anybody in this league is likely to ever have with Ichiro and Edmonds out there plus a staff with 4 lefties, including a rookie going on opening day.  Go Dawgs!  

I’m not convinced McAvoy made the right moves.  I like them picking up Estrada, but I’m less impressed with Ichiro or Milton.  Cleveland really paid out the nose for Ichiro, who’s hardly been the guy to build a team around in this league.  That could be the contract that haunts them.   Milton has benefited as much anybody in the league from run support.  McAvoy didn’t want a starting staff of all lefties so he traded Dontrelle Willis for Freddy Garcia, a questionable move as Willis is on the upswing in his career while Garcia’s best days are behind him. 

Offense:

Here’s the plan: Ichiro and Furcal set the table by hitting .290 each, Edmonds and Estrada contribute 30 HRs a piece from the tough CF and C spots and Teixeira and Sizemore have breakout years with one hitting above .330.  There’s your new playoff quality offense.  Maybe.  But at least you can imagine that’s possible and not laugh.  A lot rides on Teixeira who is a career .242 hitter and now needs to be a star in the clean up role.  Hafner has been a .300 hitter but he’s also called on to drive in a lot of runs batting in the 5 hole. 

Pitching:

This is the hardest pitching staff to judge.  Almost every one of these guys has had an up-and-down career, plus Sowers is an unknown as a rookie who’s shown great promise but only against AAA and ST lineups.  A lot rides on whether Ishii’s breakout season last year before his injury was real and whether Milton and Garcia can become winning pitchers on a formerly losing team.  Even with Karsay the new closer,  the bullpen really, really looks bad—so there’s no way I see this team winning the division—yet.

Man on the Spot:

Plenty of good choices.  I’m going with Eric Milton.  By win total, he’s been one of the best lefties in the league the last couple years, but is that because he’s that good or because he was on Halifax?  He gave up a whopping 48 Homers last year.  If he’s a losing pitcher, I don’t think Cleveland has a chance of being above .500 and will have sunk major cash in an overrated pitcher. 

Last year's champs come back reloaded, but are they as good? Some great players (Sheets, Milton, Soriano) are playing in new uniforms this year, but the replacements (Halladay, Morris, Giles) aren't too shabby themselves. But will team chemistry be affected? Only time will tell, as Halifax has to contend with some pretty good teams in their division this year. It's hard not to pick them to at least win the North again, as the Sailors are easily the most complete team in the division, with an offense that is still young and hungry, and a pitching staff that is at least in the top half of the league. 

Had a ton of roster spots to fill, but came through more or less unscathed. The opening day roster features seven new faces, with more in the minors. Such is free agency in SLB, and the good owner will get through it intact. The losses of Sheets and Milton will hurt, especially if Morris and Halladay don't play to their top level. Can't complain about the moves the team made, as they filled all their spots and have money to spare. 

Offense:

With the exception of Soriano, the offense returns intact. Choi has proven himself to be a monster in this league, and at just 28 years old, will be a pain to everyone else for years. Griffey, Lopez, Jones and the Cabrera's all look to repeat their terrific '06 numbers, meaning the team will score more than it's share of runs this year. With Soriano gone, it's up to Jiminez and Giles to take up the slack. Jiminez is more of a pure leadoff guy, but he's platooned, leaving Jay Gibbons to leadoff against righties (strange indeed). 

Pitching:

As stated earlier, if Halladay and Morris do well, the pitching staff should be in fine shape. Burnett, Vazquez and Wolf all return from good seasons, and the bullpen sees the addition of Mariano Rivera and Ben Weber to bolster it's ranks. Halladay and Morris combined for a 14-23 record last year, but on subpar teams. Can they get away with ERA's in the mid-4's with this offense behind them? We'll soon find out. I may be worrying about nothing, but then again...

Man on the Spot:

Flip a coin between the two new starters. Heads....it's Halladay. He has gone 11-12, 8-14, and 7-13 the last three years, so a winning record would be his first. 

Like Philly and Las Vegas, following their championship season, you’d expect Halifax to be the team to beat based on the players they carry over into the next year.  But both those teams were hit hard by the free agent losses and cap shenanigans needed to play for the title, which eventually knocked them back to being .500 ballclubs.  Will it be the same for the Sailors?  I’m persuaded it will be.  Does losing Sheets, Milton and Soriano mean this team is 2^nd tier?  Maybe not, but given the pitching on Philly and the impressive gains of Bedford and Cleveland, I’m not willing to predict Halifax can come back and smoke the North again.  Of course, it won’t exactly shock me to be proven wrong on this call. 

Had to mail in bids for the live draft, which hampered their ability to throw the World Series cash around.  Still did a pretty good job of keeping most of the team together despite an unbelievable number of FA while picking up Roy Halladay and some bullpen help in Mariano Rivera and Ben Weber.  Whether Halladay can replace Sheets/Milton and whether Marcus Giles can fill in for Alfonso Soriano probably are the keys to determining whether they did well or not.

Offense:

Any offense with Hee Seop Choi and the Cabrerra brothers is not going to have to scratch to put runs together.  Choi should win MVP this year if he gets a full season of AB.  Add one of the few power threats at C with Javy Lopez and a platoon (!) of Griffey Jr. and Andruw Jones and it’s pretty stacked.  I’m not sold on the Jimenez/Gibbons lead-off platoon, which could be a sore spot, nor is it likely that Jimenez/Giles makes up for the loss of Soriano, but that’s just pointing out the obvious.  It’s pretty doubtful, in my opinion, these lineups hold for too long anyway as there are lots of guys for GM Larsen Cain to shuffle around here.

Pitching:

All it took for this team last year was 5 solid starters and a respectable bullpen, and that’s what they’ve got this year again, but I sense an odor of doom here, don’t you?  AJ Burnett is the only guy who’s had a very consistent career and Waechter, Brazelton and Wunsch (great law firm) all could blow some serious games out of the pen.  Of course, Mariano Rivera and Ben Weber along with converted starter Brandon Webb probably give this team their best bullpen to date, so I might be jumping the gun.  But, if things start off on the wrong foot, there are plenty of pitchers here who could have their careers go South in a heartbeat.

Man on the Spot:

Roy Halladay has seemed to find a niche as the “last star pitcher left” a couple times in the auction, landing him some fat contracts.  Oddly, he’s never pitched like he’s worthy of those deals.  So, Halifax had cash to burn and took him late in the auction and now he needs to take up the slack from either Sheets or Milton.  Can Halifax do for him what they did for Vasquez? 

The Phynatics were the mystery team on 2006. Any team with this pitching staff has no business finishing below .500 (not to mention 25 games out of first place). With the amount of money invested in this rotation, anything less than a playoff berth will look like money spent foolishly. An underachieving offense and leaky bullpen were the culprits last year, but has enough been done to fix them? If not, this team could easily fall as far as fourth place in the worst case scenario.

Spent more big bucks to retain Kerry Wood, bringing the price tag of this pitching rotation to about $46.5 million (and that's with Joe Mays making just $200k this year!) That leaves and average of less than $1 million per player to fill the other 35 spots on the roster. Somehow GM Eric Etrain got it done, but the team is in bad shape to take on any more payroll, and they have no chance to move those 8 figure contracts. 

Offense:

Juan Pierre was the only off season addition to this lineup, hopefully adding true leadoff speed to a pretty good hitting combo. The Phynatics lead the league in average last year, but were middle of the pack in runs scored, showing that a good year from Pierre could make a huge difference. Big hole at catcher now that Piazza is gone, and Val Pasucci has to get it done at 2nd or that's three easy outs at the tail end of the order. 

Pitching:

If they were a music act, they would be called "Joe and the 4 Aces." Think Joe Mays has and inferiority complex pitching behind these guys? Wood, Martinez and Colon could all be considered Cy Young candidates, especially Wood, who seems to have found new life since leaving Cuba. The late addition of Francisco "K-Rod" Rodriguez last year could show big dividends in '07, as it moves the hit-or-miss Takatsu out of the closer role. Osuna and rookie Dante Inferno try to hold down the middle innings in this thin bullpen.

Man on the Spot:

Juan Pierre, for the reasons stated above. 

I can never get this team right.  For two years I underestimate them, then last year I pick them to win and they fall to mediocrity.  Sheesh.  So this year, based on the “pitching wins championships” formula, I’m picking them to be our first 2 time champs.  Not that I think it’s going to be easy, since I don’t even think they’ll win the division, but any time you can get Pedro, Colon, and Wood to the post season, you can walk away with the trophy.  A lot rides on whether they can get the bullpen to gel or trade to improve what looks like a potential graveyard for 1 run games.  Check that column in the standings for a real gauge on this team.

Quality rather than quantity as they won the bid for Kerry Wood and got Shawn Green inked up again then were pretty boxed in.  Picked up Osuna, which can only help this bullpen and some useful B teamers like Hidalgo and Rowand cheap.  Decided to take one more shot with Sean Casey—good luck there.

Offense:

I sniffed at old man Larry Walker being asked to lead off last year and what’s he do?  .332 with 125 runs scored and an astonishing 115 extra base hits.  Showed me.  But Philly decided he was too valuable to lead off, so they acquired a more orthodox lead off guy in Juan Pierre.  If he can hit .275 or above, this team is as good as anybody 1-6 in the order with Jeter a prototype 2 hitter, then Walker, Shawn Green—ever the menace so long as the High Holidays don’t get in the way—Helton and the ageless Vinny Castilla who led the team with 44 HR last year.  Pasucci and Molina have the names and stats of a couple of Sicilians the “union” demanded be given a job and let stand around.  They are easy outs.

Pitching:

At $46.5mil this rotation should do everything but slice your bread for you.  Kerry Wood shows every sign of becoming a dominant pitcher here and Pedro and Colon are guys you can take to the bank.  Now, Barry Zito is another matter as he got branded the “Goat” last year for leading the league in losses despite his fat contract.  He’s the guy who needs to turn it around.  Joe Mays is gravy if he can be anywhere near a .500 pitcher.  The pen is  better, with K-Rod and Osuna there from opening day, but is it good?  That’s to be seen.  And it’s short handed, so if the guys logging innings are busy or subpar, look out.

Man on the Spot:

The rebuild continues down in Georgia as GM Jim Masters tries to find the right combination of players to get something going. Some really good players were added to the mix this year, but ultimately, you have to ask "is it enough yet?" The worst thing that happened to this team was Savannah getting two great pitchers, as the balance of power may have shifted north in the state.

The team had to add pitching, and Brad Penny was probably a worthwhile gamble. He had a fantastic season in '05, followed by a total collapse in '06. For the money, it was worth trying him out and hoping he could regain the magic. Corey Patterson and Chipper Jones are two really good outfielders that bolster an offense that should do pretty well for itself. Overall, a productive off season considering the limited funds. 

Offense:

Constantly improving, with the younger players finding their comfort level and the new veterans beefing up the middle of the lineup. Patterson finally got his shot in Tennessee last year, and proved that he should be starting. He gets his shot in Atlanta, leading off for a lineup that has the potential to score some runs. If Berroa, Morneau and Kearns continue their growth, this team should be in pretty good shape. 

Pitching:

Always the bane of Master's existence, but getting there. Penny and Pettitte are a good start to a rotation, and Ponson might not be bad. Neil Cotts looked pretty darn good this spring, and could be a nice surprise. It will be another year before David Bailey is ready to be this team's Baseball Messiah, so for the time being, fans have to hope the offense will score a lot. The bullpen is the real problem here, as they have the potential of wasting a lot of good starts by the rotation.

Man on the Spot:

Sidney Ponson gets slotted in as the #2 starter, an unenviable position for a team that is trying like crazy not to finish last. 

“Not-so-hot”-lanta is hoping the latest personnel additions and the momentum of a season finishing only tied for last place are enough to carry them into their first year of winning baseball.  I wish I could agree as I almost feel embarrassed to pick this team last again—don’t take it personally, Flyers.  Jim Masters has added respectable, if somewhat unreliable, starters to the rotation and beefed up what is looking like an offense on par with the rest of the division.  Much rides on whether Penny and Ponson can have the sort of career resurrections that Javier Vasquez did last year on Halifax.  Still, there’s too much to turn around after 3 miserable seasons to put this team too high just on optimism, and it is still Atlanta—so they have to earn confidence they can be anything other that a last place team.

Masters had a little more luck than last year, prying Chipper Jones and C-Pat off their teams and signing Ponson, Penny, and Meche as a trio of rehab starters.  Those 3 probably make or break the season as they all could be reliable starters but assuming a trip to Atlanta will right their careers is a big gamble.

Offense:

There’s nothing half-assed about this offense any more. Corey Patterson started playing well last year and comes in hungry with his first chance to play every day.  Alomar and Angel Berroa are as good a middle infield as any team in the league has on offense or defense, then you’ve got budding stars in Morneau, who had a .319/32/100 year last season and Kearns who flirted with chasing the HR crown for a time.  Chipper adds some veteran leadership and a valuable trade option.  Ensberg and Fick are nobody’s idea of superstars, but who doesn’t have a scrub batting 7/8 these days?

Pitching:

Here’s where the proverbial rubber meets the road.  The starting rotation includes 4 big name guys—Penny, Ponson, Pettite and El Duque—who’ve had great years in the past in SLB but who all lost their mojo last year.  Can they do a “one for all and all for one?”  They’d better.  But you don’t really believe a change of address to Atlanta is the cure do ya?  Neal Cotts’ 3.64 spring ERA earns him the 5^th starter slot.  Then there’s the bullpen, which, on paper at least, is shit-tay.  Journell as your closer?  Meche?  Westbrook?  Oh,  man. Even if the Flyers have a 10 run lead in the 7^th, don’t head for the parking lot.

Man on the Spot:

The Castro family made a few small moves this off season, more or less returning the same team that won the South last year. There have been upgrades to the bullpen and overall team speed, but two new faces in the rotation could spell the difference between back to back division titles or a middle of the pack performance. But in a division populated by teams with big question marks on their rosters, the Diablos feel confident that they can make the post season again in 2007. "We didn't need a significant overhaul this year," said GM Darin Keesing. "With the tweaks we've made to the roster, we feel we can build on last year's success, hopefully winning it all."

Keesing's goals in the free agent auction were to replace Greg Maddux and upgrade the bullpen. Jose Jiminez and Bob Wickman were signed to fulfill the latter, but management came up short in the starting pitching market. The team took a flyer on Ryan Jensen (who has been selling insurance since being passed over 3 seasons ago in the initial auction), and has been forced to promote rookie Bobby Brownlie to round out the rotation. Re-signed Mike Piazza for a song considering his production and position. Jim Edmonds was shopped around, eventually being sent to Cleveland for two younger, speedier outfielders.

Offense:

This lineup looks to be built more to manufacture runs than knock balls out of the park. Alex Sanchez returns to Havana after leading the league in steals for Cleveland a year ago, giving the team the true leadoff man they lacked in 2006. Cesar Izturis was signed on the cheap and won the second base job from Ray Durham in spring training, adding a valuable switch-hitting bat at the #2 spot in the order. The usual suspects return in the middle, with the ever improving Jeremy Reed, South Division MVP Mike Piazza, Erubiel Durazo, Mike Lowell and Jason Lane looking to drive in the runs. Adam Everett slots down to #8 after a rough spring, but could end up leading off if Sanchez struggles or gets injured. Not an offense that's going to score at the pace of Ellas or Tennessee, but should do some damage.

Pitching:

More than anything, this team needs one guy to step up and win 18+ games. Last year saw a group of guys all do just enough to win the division, but with Greg Maddux playing golf instead of baseball this summer, the team can't rely on a retooled rotation to give them consistent win totals one through five. The most likely candidate for the Ace title is Byung-Hyun Kim, a pitcher who always has had great ERA and OpAvg numbers but just hasn't gotten the wins. Johan Santana has never been consistent enough to be considered a stopper, and Oliver Perez's confidence (and ERA) took a hit after joining the Diablos last July. Ryan Jensen could be the story of the year if he can keep the ball on the ground like he did in spring training, and Bobby Brownlie joins an impressive rookie class of pitchers all looking to make a fast impression on the league. The bullpen looks solid with the potential for spectacular if everything falls into place. Sure, Jose Jiminez looks like a really unwise investment after getting beaten to death this spring, but Wickman, Patterson, Stone and Percival are all lights out from the right side. The mercurial Tom Martin is ready for his second tour of duty in Cuba, and hopefully he matches his earlier success.

Man on the Spot:

Ryan Jensen hasn't played professional baseball in 3 years and is now the 4th starter on a playoff contender. The spring looked very promising, but the scout that picked him up is either getting a big bonus or pink slip.  

Havana finally got the monkey off their backs and played a full year of good baseball, even making it to the World Series where, alas, they got pwn3d by Halifax.  Still, the Diablos are masters of their domain here in the South—the only strong team in a weak division beset by instability and teams that have yet to put up a winning season.  Don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched, though, because Perez, Jensen and Brownlie are hardly franchise players and an injury to Kim or Santana could put this team anywhere from 1^st to 5^th.

Off Season Analysis:

Had some real tough choices and went with keeping Piazza and Percival and letting Kerry Wood go.  May turn out to be a bad call if Wood’s ST numbers are for real since signing Piazza makes Pudge Rodriguez a really expensive back up catcher for now.  Bulked up the pen with Wickman and Jimenez, which was a necessity.  Real gem could be this Ryan Jensen who they found deep in the scouting pool and may be making into a star.

Offense:

Joining a league trend, the Diablos have 2 real burners now at the front of the line up in Alex Sanchez and Cesar Izturis, who both need good OBA to make this offense fire.  Piazza, who should have been the MVP last year, will have plenty of RBI opportunities and could put up some gaudy numbers.  Durazo and Lowelll are your guys from central casting for corner infielders, they quetly put up 35-40 HR a year and don’t get the recognition they deserve in this league.  Much again rests on Lane and Reed who are young and talented but may not be on the star level needed from OF in this league to be a championship team.  The Diablos have a fierce bench that will help in late innings and make injuries less crucial.

Pitching:

In any other division, this would be trouble.  Kim and Santana went 26-18 last year and both seem good for sub 4.00 ERAs again.  Perez is a good lefty for this league, but he can have a bad start, as his OSLG of .526 shows, then you have Brownlie and Jensen who are unknowns.  The pen looks much better even if you can’t count on Danny Patterson’s 12-3 1.78 ERA year to be more than a one shot deal.  Tom Martin is the only lefty, but with Percival, Wickman and Ligtenberg around, it should be fine. 

Man on the Spot:

Here's a riddle: What do you get when you take a 74-88 team and add nothing to it? Answer: The Las Vegas Rounders! Sure, this team underachieved last year, especially considering the caliber of its offense, but hitting won't get you there every day, and a weak pitching staff killed any chances for contention. The once proud Rounders need to find that championship form again, but it's up to a mostly hands-off owner in Doug Hoepker to rebuild the league's inaugural champs. 

Really didn't do much of anything. In fact, I think someone might want to alert the authorities as GM Hoepker has been missing in action all winter.

Offense:

Up there with the best. This team creamed the ball last year, and returns the exact same starting eight for 2007. The outfield of Abreu/Drew/Giles is arguably the best in baseball...so good that a former Division MVP (Matsui) can't even move off the bench. The infield ain't too shabby either, so you can live with a weak catcher batting eighth. Plenty of roster depth in Vegas as well, meaning injuries should be handled pretty well without much drop off in talent.

Pitching:

Here's where things get dicey. Tim Hudson has never quite played like you want him to, and then the rest of the rotation is question mark city. Guys like Radke and Leiber have bounced around the league like pin balls, and which Matt Clement will show up each year (or each day for that matter) is anyone's guess. The middle relief is as green as they come, with three rookies looking to hold down the 6th and 7th. The back end of the pen has potential, but they are closer to Social Security checks than you'd like.

Man on the Spot:

Tom says Clement, so I'll go with Radke. Assuming that Hudson and Clement are serviceable, Radke then becomes the X factor for whether this team is good or mediocre. No team is going to win in the playoffs with just two good starting pitchers. 

The Gamblers stuck to form last year and gave the fans another year of 4 hour ballgames where the Vegas offense tried to score enough runs to outpace their pitchers’ malfeasance.  There’s not much reason to expect anything different.  The team didn’t get any better in the offseason and lost Kyle Lohse, who was their top pitcher in their championship season but has been inexplicably misused since.  Unless Matt Clement really is going to have a Comeback year or they make a big trade, this team is pretty locked in a 72-75 wins.

Off Season Analysis:

Still on a hangover from their post championship spending bender they had little to do but sign Tejada up again and give Garrett Anderson an undeserved salary juice.  Next year is when all those contracts come off the books… 

Offense:

While they weren’t the best last year, Paris scored more runs and Ellas led the league in HR, they are certainly up there. Mostly healthy last year, they put up some ill numbers.  Tejada is probably an even better SS than A-Rod as he went .336/35/111, Blalock was in the zone, cranking out 48 HR and leading the team in RBI.  Thanks to the Rounders never being in playoff contention, Brian Giles quietly hit 52 HR.  That surprised even me when I reviewed the stats.  Then there’s Bobby Abreu, the most talented player in the league—always an MVP threat if healthy.  Even Bobby Crosby had a great year.  Only thing they could use is a better C. 

Pitching:

Same story as last year, it’s Tim Hudson vs. the world.  OK, maybe Matt Clement will help him this year if you go by Spring numbers.  But then who?  Lieber?  Lidle (bring your gloves if you are in the OF bleachers)?  Towers?  Brad (yes, he really does suck this bad) Radke?  No where to turn.  And the bullpen?  Fuhgeddaboudit.  Nen and Guardado are, in theory, closer types, but they’ve never been reliable in SLB.  Of course, management could trade a Bobby Abreu or Hideki Matsui (who wasn’t even a starter last year) for some arms, but that would make too much sense, wouldn’t it?

Man on the Spot:

Last year at this time, I reported about how despondent the Savannah faithful were that their team was not spending the necessary cash to improve a woeful team. Fans saw great pitchers like Kim, Mulder, Miller and Escobar depart, with the rookie callups floundering and failing. Well in a rare act in sports history, management actually listened, and the team is better for it. With some big name free agents looking to pull this team out of the ashes, Saber fans should be much happier with the faces in the program in 2007. Is the team a contender? Not likely. But a .500 record isn't out of the question.

Landed two big fish in the Free Agent Auction in Jason Schmidt and Carl Pavano. Both pitchers immediately improve this team, taking some pressure off the other starters and giving the players a feeling they can win on any given day. The team also improved its depth, backing up it's starters with quality players who shouldn't degrade the quality of the lineup if injury should strike. A much better effort, with money well spent. 

Offense:

Not terrible, but still not great. Adam Dunn hopes to have a real good year, and if he plays like an All Star, the rest of the lineup should fall into place. Kotsay is a solid hitter at the top, Burroughs is finding his stroke at third, and Berkman is capable of big numbers (if healthy). Middle infield and catcher could be weak spots, but this isn't the only team with that problem. Like many other clubs, this team has a ton of outfielders under contract, so if a guy like Nady doesn't work out, Salmon, Nix, or any others could fill in. 

Pitching:

The threesome of Schmidt, Hampton and Pavano is probably the best in the division. High praise, though the problem is that you still have to have pitch the other two. Not that Chris Carpenter is bad (he had a great spring). Horacio Ramirez could be great, or could be awful. Not as crucial when he's not your #2 starter. The bullpen is a crapshoot. Sauerbeck is a proven addition, but Riske as closer is shaky, and Farnsworth needs a big rebound to give this team a chance.

Man on the Spot:

If Sean Burroughs can get on base consistently, this team should score some runs. You don't want Dunn and Berkman to hit all solo homers.

Darin and I both let the Sabres and their ownership have it in the Heaters last year for failing to use the salary cap wisely and putting a scrub team on the field and that was pretty much a fair criticism—Savannah sank to a tie for last with Atlanta.  But, it won’t be the same this year as Rich Vohs got the hint and went out big game hunting for arms in the offseason—bagging Jason Schmidt, Mike Hampton and Carl Pavano.  Those guys were 40-23 combined in 2006.  Things are going to be different this year.  Worst to first is probably asking too much, but I see this team as at least in 3^rd, maybe as high as 2^nd if Tennessee’s starting pitching really tanks. 

Off Season Analysis:

Seemed determined not to make the same mistake twice and this year spent and kept on spending.  Locked in Pavano, Hampton and Schmidt as the new stars of the staff and picked up Darren Driefort on the cheap for good measure.  Adam Dunn is a possible star if he can match his numbers of last year and Mark Kotsay was another frugal addition.  This is how to do it if you are a last place team looking to turn it around.

Offense:

They were a middle of the pack offense last year with 818 runs scored, but this year they look to be in the bottom 2 or 3.  6-9 slots here are pretty much easy outs and Mark Kotsay, while a good player, isn’t exactly your prototype lead off man.  Must we say it again?—a healthy year from Sean Burroughs would be a big difference maker.  The man to watch might be Tim Salmon, who has the ability to hit 35+ HR and drive in over 100 but hasn’t been consistent.   Batting 5^th, they need him to be productive.

Pitching:

Last year the Sabers had the league’s worst ERA, a hair over ATL’s with a collective 5.77.  This year won’t be the same.  There are some question marks, though.  Mike Hampton might have won the Cy Young last year had he not lost a month due to injury—he still finished 16-4 with a 3.17 ERA.  Thing is—he’s never been anywhere near that good.  Can he do it again?  Chris Carpenter seems to look solid to so many teams only to choke when he gets slotted into the starting rotation.  Jason Schmidt has a great career ERA but he’s basically a .500 pitcher because he’s never gotten good run support.  Is Savannah the team to change that?  And Pavano is also a guy who went off the charts in his free agent year but could that be a mirage?  The bullpen was a problem last year despite some marquee names.  Now it’s got guys like Dreifort and Riske going along with Farnsworth, who’s a total mystery, and Sauerbeck, who’s usually won’t hurt you.  As I say below, I’m big time worried about Riske.

Man on the Spot:

Let's just get this out of the way: this is probably the best offense in the league. It's a pretty damn impressive set of hitters, and they are going to score a ton of runs. The big question is can the pitching hold up? The bullpen is looking awfully good, but after Mark Prior, who do you trust? The offense says that this team should contend, but perhaps some of these guys should be marketed for some more starters. Royer is a trade-crazy freak, so anything I say here will be irrelevant in the first week of the season anyways. 

The single biggest improvement to the team was the bullpen. The auction landed Tennessee John Smoltz, Armando Benitez, Damaso Marte and Ugueth Urbina. All four could probably close for any team in the league. I'm not sure why the team signed more outfielders, as they now have 17 under contract.

Offense:

As stated before, they are just awesome. Pujols, Rolen, Renteria, Ordonez, Hamilton, and now Vernon Wells, make up easily the best offense in the division. A good year from Jose Reyes would really make this offense mean, and then anything you get from Joe Mauer is gravy. It will be damn near impossible to keep this group together, so everything should be done to win it all this year.

Pitching:

Mark Prior seemed to find his groove again in Knoxville. He had a rough go in Athens and Cleveland. Prior is the ace by default, as the rest of the rotation is full of question marks. Jason Marquis is adequate, but certainly not a #2 starter. Rookie Adam Wainwright finally gets his chance after seemingly playing for every minor league team in the league. Danny Haren had a good spring and looks to make Havana wish they hadn't traded him. As I said before, the bullpen is great late. Long relief is iffy, but that's a small problem.

Man on the Spot:

Jason Marquis needs to have a career year or else this offense is all for nothing. 

Ben Royer’s hyperactive trading caused a lot of grumbling, but it still got the team 2^nd place and if anybody is going to unseat the Diablos in the South, it’s probably the Thunder.  That said, I’m not convinced this offense is all that and Ben Royer’s lackadaisical attitude about the starting pitching is likely to bite him.  On the other hand, this team has an amazing bullpen and for years that has made London a contender despite some glaring holes in their lineup.  I wouldn’t shock me to see this team scrape 90 wins together, but if they don’t the finger pointing is already starting.

Off Season Analysis:

Seemed to go in on a mission to get the bullpen in shape with Smoltz, Urbina, Marte, Stewart and Benitez all getting contracts.  Whether that’s a good idea or not depends on what the starters do, given that money that went to the pen didn’t go to signing the most coveted FA arms.  Not much news on offense unless you are a Brad Fullmer fan.  Pujols is back, no shock there and underachieving Carlos Beltran and Magglio Ordonez join him in the OF.

Offense:

Despite Darin’s hype, this offense, last year, scored only 728 runs, 3^rd worst behind AC and Cleveland.  Does Vernon Wells or Josh Hamilton change that?  I doubt it.  Reyes is starting to look like a solid lead off guy, but Renteria keeps plugging away at .250 and he’s low on power.  Joe Mauer is a career .226 hitter and his contribution is suspect.  OK, there’s Pujols and Rolen and, well, Pujols, but one guy doesn’t mean you have the league’s best offense.  Looks like Darin and I really don’t see eye to eye on this one.

Pitching:

Big question A is whether Mark Prior the 2004 Cy Young winner shows up or whether the guy who’s been just an above average starter the last two years shows up.  Then everybody else in the starting rotation is their own big question mark.  Wainwright, as a rookie has the obvious unknown qualities and then you have Haren, Marquis and Thompson who are all almost the same guy—near .500 career record with an ERA between 4.50 and 5.00.  Those kind of numbers could spell winning ball with a good offense and good bullpen.  Tennessee has the latter for sure and the offense is at least capable.  You can’t say enough about the bullpen as you’ve got 5 guys who are just nails—Marte, Stewart, Urbina, Benitez and closer John Smoltz—all ready to mix-and-match for late inning strategy.  If they don’t make any trades, that’s the team’s clear strength relative to the rest of the league.

Man on the Spot:

The players of Ellas are feeling confident about their chances this season. After losing in the first round of the playoffs last year, the Evzones feel they are stronger and ready to win it all. The pitching is better, the offense still looks strong, and a good year from the pen could spell the difference.   

Lost two key outfielders in Chipper and Jones, but landed Ben Sheets. The rotation now looks much more solid, taking the pressure off the lineup to score a ton of runs. The rest of the signings were minor. 

Offense:

No matter what league he plays in, Tom Hey has always managed to get the most from no-name players. He hopes to do the same in 2007, as players like Scott Spiezio, Craig Brazell, Rob Mackowiak and Chase Utley fill the lineup card. Preston Wilson and Carl Everett will be given more RBI opportunities now, and a good year from Bagwell will go a long way. Not quite the offensive powerhouse of a year ago, but should be good enough.

Pitching:

Finally, a spring training where there weren't auditions for 2 rotation spots. Surprisingly, Hey thought the ro' was set until Ed Yarnall totally outplayed Chris Bootcheck. Bootcheck could get his shot, however, if Kevin Millwood doesn't get his act together. A full year of Eric Gagne is huge, and if the other no-namers can get him the ball, this staff could be lights out.

Man on the Spot:

Rob Mackowiak has looked like a monster in limited playing time, but now with the right field job handed to him, will he show that 40HR, 120 RBI potential to be more than fool's gold? 

The Evzones weathered a slate of injuries last year to squeak into the playoffs, where they looked set to go to the Series before a colossal choke, blowing 3 straight to Halifax.  They lost a couple major offensive weapons, Sosa and Chipper Jones, but beefed up the rotation with Ben Sheets and by moving Ed Yarnall there and out of relief.  For the first time since 2004, the Evzones starting pitching isn’t beset by open competition for jobs and that should spell success if they can milk runs out of a cheap offense.

Off Season Analysis:

Didn’t have a lot of key FA’s on the block, so chose to only re-sign Rob Mackowiak.  Let Chipper Jones go in favor of much cheaper Scott Spiezio and spent most of their available cash on Ben Sheets. 

Offense:

This offense definitely reflects the influence of hitting coach Pete Incaviglia.  They all just head up there and let it rip.  The Evzones were 1^st in HRs and last in steals in 2006 and it’d be a real shocker if they don’t repeat both of those distinctions.  Chase Utley isn’t a classic lead off guy, but he was one of only a handful of guys with 100 extra base hits last year and should have no trouble scoring 100 runs even without base stealing speed.  Preston Wilson, Carl Everett and Nomar are the teams “big name” stars and they are expected to carry the load and play in the All-Star game again.  Nomar had problems with his avg. last year, but if he’d have been healthy he might have approached 45 HR.  The season rests on whether Mackowiak, Brazell and Spiezio can add much to the mix.  Each could hit 35+ HRs and if they all do that, this team should roll.  But if they scruff along at .220 with weak production numbers, Hey is going to have to make some trades or shuffle in Bagwell and Jacque Jones, who both can make a case they deserve to be starting.  Team badly, I mean badly needs Mike Rivera to stay healthy and contribute 30 HRs.

Pitching:

Could be the best staff in the league?  That’s a stretch, but Miller was runner up for Cy Young, Mulder had a good year, though not enough to justify his $14mil salary, Sheets was on the Cy Young track in Halifax before he got taken out for the season and Millwood is another guy who’d be a 1 or 2 starter on many teams.  Ed Yarnall is a gamble, but he was lights out in spring training—if that’s for real, whoa.  The pen is impressive with Gagne a lock in the 9^th and Erasmo, Drysden, Luis Vizcaino and Joe Kennedy all solid if not spectacular relievers.  Kennedy could play a big role as he’s a converted starter who could help eat up innings.

Man on the Spot:

To win 89 games and come in last place has to be demoralizing. What else can you do? Ireland was in good position to win the division last year (and I admit that I predicted they would), having spent a ton of cash on high priced free agents. But a rash of injuries coupled with some great play by the rest of the league lead to the biggest heartbreak in SLB history. Can the team rebound mentally from last year and put the pieces back together? 

The team had to buy out some contracts just to get cap space, meaning they lost more than they gained. Not a ton to report, actually, as the additions were pretty minor. 

Offense:

This lineup should do some damage. Most of the starters got the spring off, so don't let those results fool you. Ramirez, Delgado, Mondesi, Hodges and Koskie all return, and now David Kelton looks ready for prime time. A lot of long balls will be hit by the Invaders, and despite a weak catcher and shortstop, should be plenty to win a lot of games. Hodges has to stay healthy; two trips to the DL last year didn't look great after a great rookie campaign. He isn't an ideal leadoff man, but injured he is of no use at all. 

Pitching:

A very good bullpen, two very good starters, but some question marks in the back end of the rotation. Rookie Jeff Niemann is the guy to watch, as a quality year from him could make a huge difference in how this season turns out for Ireland. Blackley and Piniero both have bad career ERA's, but they hope to be helped by a pen that has great stats up and down. The ability to hold leads should be a big plus for this squad.

Man on the Spot:

Niemann. Perhaps it's unfair to the rookie, but the difference between a team having two great starters and three could mean 10+ victories. 

The luck of the Irish it wasn’t as this team headed into last September looking playoff bound only to have everything that could go wrong go wrong, Ellas heated up and the Invaders ended the season getting swept by Paris which found them in last place for the 2^nd year in a row when the dust settled.  To add insult to injury, Manny Ramirez still won the MVP on a last place team meaning, in effect, the Invaders took a $6mil hit.  Oof.  But, all that’s water under the bridge and this team is still very competitive.  They have the same mean offense and 2 of the game’s best starters.  It all hangs on the back end of their starting rotation, but if Blackley, Piniero and Niemann can be winning pitchers, this team could be back in the black and playing in October.

Off Season Analysis:

Another year in last put this team in a financial crisis.  They could re-sign Sabathia but after that could only give some minimum contracts to scrubs.  Another salary cap hit and this team could be looking at long term bottom feeder status.

Offense:

They lack a true lead off hitter and they have a big hole at catcher, unless Tony Montana busts out in a big way, but those are true for a lot of teams.  What they have that others don’t is Manny Ramirez, last year’s MVP and Raul Mondesi, who’d have been MVP as well a couple years back if it weren’t for that Bonds guy.  Scott Hodges is part of new crew of young power hitting 2B, along with Josh Barfield and Chase Utley, then you’ve got Delgado and Koskie who rather routinely bang out about 40 HRs with 100 RBI.  So, this is a gold star offense no matter what Rios, Kelton, Polanco or the catcher scrubs add. 

Pitching:

You won’t get much argument from me that Kaz Sasaki is the best pitcher in this game.  After his Cy Young year, he went 17-4 while striking out a mind boggling 223 batters in 182 innings.  No other starter comes close to that.  You also won’t get much argument from me that Sabathia is the best lefty in the league.  Where we do have an argument is whether any of this teams other starters deserve to be in the majors…  The bullpen is automatic from the 7^th on with Felix Rodriguez, Arthur Rhodes and Billy (please do not ask me to be a starting pitcher) Wagner.  Long relief is Tim (please do not ask me to be a starting pitcher, either) Worrell and Kevin Appier, who is 80 some years old.  Villafuerte did really well last year so even the middle relief is probably sound.

Man on the Spot:

The Knights had the best record in spring training, but somehow I'm not convinced. Maybe because London played their regulars all spring and the rest of the division didn't. Maybe because the career numbers tell a different story. Either way, London may have another hard luck ending this year, with a decent/good record and nothing to show for it. This team would do really well in the other divisions, but we've hear that every year, don't we? 

This team was totally strapped for cash this off season so they could make very few moves. Just a few minor league additions and that's it. Their hands were tied. 

Offense:

This is a pretty good lineup, particularly in the power department. A-Rod, Sexson and Hinske are going to put up some big numbers, and if Kendall or Huff do well, the runs should come in bunches. Wilson Betemit is a big key, as the rookie has to leadoff for a team that needs a lot of runs to stay competitive. Sledge and Byrd are iffy in the outfield, but I've been surprised before. 

Pitching:

Zambrano is probably one of the top 5 pitchers in the league. The rest is a crap shoot. Mussina has been at times brilliant, at other terrible. Davis is serviceable, Graves decent, but Myers is a wreck. He is 20 games under .500 for his career. Expect Joel Hanrahan to crack the rotation before too long. The bullpen has some bright spots, particularly Dotel and "Izzy". 

Man on the Spot:

Brett Myers just can't be as bad as his career stats or this team is screwed. 

Every year I look over this team’s roster and conclude they can’t compete in the Euro division and the last 2 years, they end up tied for 2^nd with Ellas (yeah, my team).  I’m not about learning from my mistakes, though, since I still think this team is destined for last.  We’ll see.  London’s strength has always been pitching and while they have potentially strong starting pitching, this team’s dominant bullpen suffered major losses in Hawkins and White leaving.  Plus Pavano is gone and the offense is still second rate.  They’ll find a way, though, won’t they? 

Off Season Analysis:

Financially up against a wall, the Knights couldn’t do anything this year.  Rumors are the team is trying to get the House of Lords to approve a new Stadium deal…

Offense:

It looks like A-Rod and a AAA squad with, admittedly, Sexson and Kendall being a notch above AAA—though Kendall has hardly been carrying the team.  Somehow they got it done last year, credit Huff for hitting .312 and Hinske for leading the team in HR and RBI with 37/109.  This team easily has the weakest OF in SLB with Sledge, Byrd and Huff—with all the surplus OF on other teams, you’d assume a trade at some point this year and a push to add a megastar with any offseason cash.

Pitching:

This was the only team to keep their ERA under 4.00 last year, so they are doing something right.  Still, after Zambrano, who could win a Cy Young any year, and Mussina who’s a career 42-29, where’s this coming from?  Jason Davis?  Brett Myers?  Graves converted from the bullpen?  It’s a mystery to me.  The pen still sports Isringhausen to close the show and Dotel, who would be the closer on most teams, but now you’ve got Ramiro Mendoza,  BJ Ryan (who blew a few big games last year), and Rule V Luis Martinez in the mix.  Not exactly the best in the league, right?  I’m saying right now this team isn’t going to lead the league in ERA yet again.

Man on the Spot:

Last year's division champ is back with a strong team, but not like last year. Paris lost a few key players that could cost the team a few wins, enough to close the gap in the division and possibly cost the team a playoff spot. There was some concern about the pitching in spring training, but one should never put too much weight on those stats. 

Re-signed Derrek Lee for a song. A total mistake by the rest of the league to let him go for so cheap. I think losing Johnny Estrada was the biggest blow for the Pimps. He was a solid hitting catcher, a switch-hitter, and generally a hard guy to replace. The team also lost it's closer, which is never easy. Johnny Damon is a nice upgrade in the outfield, and Gabe White should be good, but the team definitely lost more than it gained. 

Offense:

Still terrific. Lee and Glaus are back to join future MVP Dallas McPherson. Cliff Floyd, Jimmy Rollins, and Johnny Damon are all high caliber hitters, and should all do well. The two question marks are Eric Valent and the catching platoon. But it's hard to count out any Paris hitter, as the hitting seems to be contagious in the land of stinky cheese.

Pitching:

A lot of new faces on this staff. Is that good or bad? The holdovers are all pretty good, especially Cy Young winner Jerome Williams. Odalis Perez had a real bad spring, leading to concerns about health problems. Joe Nathan looks to straighten his career out with, what, his 27th team in the past 2 years? A lot of new relievers are here to set up for Brad Lidge. Smoltz left big shoes to fill...does Lidge measure up?

Man on the Spot:

Joe Nathan needs to regain his '04 form or else this team potentially has three weak arms in the starting rotation. Could be disasterous. 

The Pimpernels emerged from the pack in the Euro after midseason and established themselves as the best team after solidifying their pitching and adding Valent and Floyd in the outfield.  It’s a good thing they won, since GM Michael Taylor made one of the league’s most ill fated trades shipping Richie Sexson and Carl Pavano off for Brad Penny and Brad Lidge who promptly wrecked the team’s W/L record and salary cap which had some Frenchies calling for his head in June.  They recovered, though, and Taylor has them poised for another division title if he can smack Joe Nathan into shape, hold the pen together and weather a big drop in catcher production.  They clearly have a better offense than Ellas, so I’m picking them to win, but if Nathan and Perez get shelled or an injury comes along, all bets are off. 

Off Season Analysis:

Paris really had their hands full with their own guys going FA.  Victims of their own success they had to pay big to keep Rollins, Glaus and Lee and had to eventually give up on Estrada and Smoltz. They bring in Johnny Damon, who should thrive here in a big way, Joe Nathan who’s been the league’s most erratic starter and bagged some solid bullpen help in White and Riedling.

Offense:

They were the best in the league last year and I doubt that changes, though it may be easy to underestimate the loss of Estrada to this team as his 38 HR and 94 RBI aren’t going to be replaced by Hillenbrand and Rule V reclamation Hal Kelly.  Rollins, Damon and Floyd are all great hitters with speed which means Derrek Lee is going to be your MVP if he stays healthy.  Troy Glaus had a rough spring, but he always starts slow and he still managed to lead this team in RBI last year despite 3 weeks on the DL.  Eric Valent put up a .971 OPS last year and he’s a major factor if can do that again.  Rich Aurillia has to be pissed like nobody’s business that he’s on the bench after having an obscene year last season with an OPS above .900 for a SS.  There is absolutely no justice that Graham Koonce is not starting in this league.  What does he have to do—the guy has murdered pitching at every level and has to be demanding a trade.

Pitching:

Never this team’s strength, they are trying again to find the right mix.  Jerome Williams shocked everyone by winning the Cy Young last year, so he’s clearly the ace.  Kelvim Escobar pitches well enough to be an ace, as he was 13-5 last year with a 3.77 ERA.  Odalis Perez actually was 2^nd on the team in wins with 14, but this despite giving up a league high 57 Homers.  Zach Day has looked impressive, but not while in a Pimps uni.  Then you’ve got Joe Nathan who got ran out of Atlanta on a rail last year and is certainly poised to be the Comeback player this year if nothing else because his fall last season was epic.  The bullpen relies on Lidge to close, and he had his rough spots last year.  The rest look like your basic middle reliever chaff, but they could be fine if all they have to do is hold leads.

Man on the Spot: