While they fell short of some people's expectations (mine included), the Crunch matched it's previous win total of 82 and solidly in second place in the North. The starting pitching was exceptional, with all five starters posting ERA's under 3.70 and pitching at least 200 IP. The bullpen, however, was thin, racking up 22 losses. Bedford was right around the middle of the league in runs scored, thanks to Ortiz and Drew (both of whom retired this off season). Normally reliable bats like Ramon Hernandez and Vernon Wells had down years, and Troy Glaus' decline continued. Rookie Toddy Koovitz ended up with more K's (83) than hits (69).  

It was a rough start to the winter when the team's two top hitters retired. The Crunch were quiet early in the Winter Meetings, passing on the big stars while resigning Bedford lifer Eric Chavez. Later in the auction, they pulled in some relief help with Urbina and Farnsworth, and bolstered the lineup with veterans Matsui and Kotsay. Starters William Bray and Brett Myers signed elsewhere, but no one of significance was signed to take their place. Overall, the team lost more than they gained. 

Bedford has as much of a chance to win this division as anyone, especially if they keep pitching to the same high level as past years. It will be interesting to see how the team adjusts to life without Ortiz and Drew, especially if Chavez continues his recent struggles. I refuse to predict this team to win anymore, as they always burn me, so that said, they'll probably win it all this year.  

Offense:

Take last year's lineup, subtract Ortiz/Drew, add Matsui/Kotsay. Where does that leave you? This is a well constructed lineup with offensive potential from tough spots (Hernandez, Tejada), and Matsui and Kotsay will contribute with their high averages, but the Crunch always seem to have trouble scoring runs. You know the pitching will keep you in games, so maybe a ton of runs isn't necessary. The lineup is among the oldest in the league, so health starts to become a concern. 

Pitching:

Escobar and Willis would be perennial Cy Young contenders if they got the kind of run support that the Flyers pitching staff enjoys. Yadel Marti had a fine rookie year and now gets bumped to #3 starter with the departure of Brett Myers. Last season's Top Pitching Prospect Luke Hochevar makes his major league debut after earning a spot during Spring Training. His success, along with journeyman Luis Martinez at #5, could spell the difference this year. A lack of pitchers on the roster has forced GM Richard Gin to go with a 4 man bullpen (and an 8 man bench) which is going to cause serious trouble mid season. Hope there are plans to fix this.

Man on the Spot:

Troy Glaus is probably a Hall of Famer, but he has been on a sad decline in recent seasons. With Basil Elton-John breathing down his neck in the minors, this seems like his last chance for a big season. You hate to see him go out this way.

The Crunch, predicted by Darin to finish in first and by Tom to finish in third, split the difference and finished in second, eventually landing 12 games behind North Division champ (almost World Series champ) Philadelphia. Bedford got nice seasons out of JD Drew, Eric Chavez and David Ortiz, most notably Ortiz (.930 OPS, tops on the team). When healthy, speedy Rafael Furcal swiped 30 bases, despite only 325 plate appearances. The team dropped over eight million a season on power hitting Troy Glaus, banking on him coming to town and hitting 30 HR. He played in 76 games, hit under .250 and only knocked 13 balls out of the park. Oops. The Crunch got terrific performances out of their starting five, with Willis, Escobar, Bray, Myers and Marti all posting ERA’s under 3.70 while also throwing over 200 innings apiece. Escobar lead the pack, striking out 223 batters in 208 innings, including posting an eye-popping 2.64 ERA. The offense failed him, though, and he finished with a 9-12 record. He’s in his contract year, so look for another strong year out of him.

The Crunch spent a lot of money in the Auction, dropping 25.5 large to keep future Hall of Famer Eric Chavez at third. They followed up by committing six more million to Kevin Youkilis, who plays, you guessed it, third base. With almost 20 million a season being doled out to the guys on the hot corner, the Crunch at least have some depth. Both Youkilis and Glaus can play first base, also. Bedford didn’t only bid on third basemen, attempting to shore up its bullpen with the acquisition of Ugeth Urbina and Kyle Farnsworth. They also signed Hideki Matsui, Mark Kotsay and Darin Erstad, who are all fighting with Vernon Wells for three outfield spots. The team also brought in Ramon Hernandez to give youngster Dominik Petrovich another year or two to mature before finally taking over. William Bray was signed by Chiang-Mai in the off season, so Bedford hopes that Hochevar, who struggled after coming up late last season, can take his spot. Bray had a nice ERA in 2013, but gave up a lot of hits (227 in 204.1 IP), so while Hochevar might not equal his 2013 output, he might equal his 2014.

Not too bright. Cleveland spent a lot of money to shore up its pitching, Halifax has to be better than it was a year ago and Philly is still the team to beat, which means it looks like a season at the bottom for Bedford.

Offense:

Wasn’t too hot in 2013 and while it might be a little improved this year, it still isn’t anywhere near a top unit. Chavez is probably the best hitter, and Koovitz, if he can ever hit above .250 might be a decent option as well. We all know he can hit for power, at least. 

Pitching:

Willis and Escobar are in the top tier as far as one-two punches go. Losing Bray hurts, but hopefully Hochevar can make up for the loss.

Man on the Spot:

I’m going with Hochevar. He really struggled in his call up last season, but he looked much improved during the spring. Either way, they’re going to need him. 

2013 Recap:

What can you say? The Dawgs sucked in 2013. They were bottom 5 in runs scored, second worst in team ERA...it's a season Cleveland fans would rather forget. There were some decent performances offensively, with Sizemore and Betemit producing, but until Walt Coon came over via trade, the team lacked a star. Alex Gordon was injured part of the year, so no one has seen him fulfill expectations yet. The rookie pitching was pretty awful, with the exception being reliever Reed Rothchild. There were a few positives, including the unexpected production of rookie Sterling Ritter and a solid (if not spectacular) season from Daniel Pursel.

When your team is broken, you can't fix it all at once. GM Mike McAvoy chose to concentrate his money into starting pitching, trading for Barry Zito before the auction, then spending big bucks on Justin Verlander and Scott Kazmir during the meetings. That's it fellas....an unusually quiet off season from one of our most active GM's. With little lost, you have to say the team is improved. 

This is a really tough season to predict for the Dawgs. On the one hand, you have a revamped pitching staff with established, successful front-end starters being inked to big contracts, and on the other, a very young offensive lineup that has yet to prove itself. Is it a formula for quick success, or is this just part one of a return to prominence for Cleveland? One would think that the new arms would be enough to see an improvement in the team's record, but whether or not they alone are enough to put the team into contention remains to be seen. 

Offense:

As I stated above, this lineup is very young, so what can we expect from them? We know that Walt Coon is going to produce; he's probably the least talked about slugger in SLB, averaging 103 RBI in his 5 full seasons. We know that Grady Sizemore is going to hit for a high average and make things happen on the base paths. But that's about all we know, as the rest of the lineup is filled with the likes of Ryan Braun, Neil Walker and Sean Boatright. Sterling Ritter had a great rookie year in 2013, but has found himself benched in favor of rookie Cesar Nicolas. Interesting. We'll see how much patience McAvoy has with these guys before he goes and trades for a veteran bat.

Pitching:

Expensive, but infinitely better than last year. Verlander, Zito and Kazmir should give you 30-45 wins if healthy. Daniel Pursel was league average, but lead the team in innings pitched in 2013, and is probably the #3 just to break up the lefties. Rookie Mike Miller won the fifth starter job over Y'Barra and Frey, and you'd have to predict that he can't do much worse than either of those guys. The late inning pen arms are solid, and K-Rod could be lights out if given enough leads. Blake Maxwell has never taken advantage of his cannon arm, and nobody knows what to expect of "Mo-Rod" in middle relief.

Man on the Spot:

Alex Gordon showed promise in 2012, but couldn't stay healthy in 2013. He was decent when he played, but a .760 OPS is less than you'd like to see from your #3 hitter. With two seasons under his belt, it's time for Gordon to step up and shine. 

2013 Recap:

The Dawgs had a rough year in 2013, their 66 wins only putting them ahead of Baltimore (of course) and expansion Taipei. Sizemore had a nice season for them (26 HR, .878 OPS), but other than him the offense was a mess. They made a nice move in July, acquiring Walt Coon from Osaka for Jason Jennings. Coon bashed 43 homers last year, but it remains to be seen what the move to Cleveland will do to his power numbers. They spent big money (8.25 million) on KRod last year, and he responded by only pitching 33 innings. The starting pitching was a mess, both Daniel Pursel and Calvin Y’Barra both gave up 40 homers. A piece. Ouch. They acquired Jake Peavy early in the year and he finished with a 4.29 ERA and only 129 strikeouts. One of the players involved in the trade, SP Chris Lambert, finished 2013 in Kyoto, posting superior numbers to Peavy basically all around.

Peavy is gone, off to Kyoto, making the Lambert trade even more of a head scratcher. Replacing him, though, is Justin Verlander, who starred in 2013 in Chiang-Mai, striking out 205 batters and posting a 2.73 ERA, notching 14 wins. They also added Scott Kazmir (10-11, 3.86 ERA), giving him nine million a year to make his way over to Cleveland from San Juan. Other than those two, they added only a backup catcher and back up third baseman during the auction. 

Well, the Dawgs spent a lot of money to improve themselves, but the offense still looks a little underwhelming. The pitching might be good enough to put them over the top, but there are too many question marks to say for sure. 

Offense:

Sizemore had a great spring and should be good once again. Coon came over from Osaka and if he can keep hitting in Cleveland, that would be a big help to a rather soft unit. Dawg fans are hoping that Alex Gordon is finally ready. 

Pitching:

Verlander, Kazmir and Zito are a really strong one-two-three. KRod and Rothchild are nice options in the pen, as well. Pursel, Gant and Y’Barra are young and will get a chance to throw a lot of innings in 2014.

Man on the Spot:

Alex Gordon. He hasn’t been awful, but he certainly hasn’t lived up to the hype. He needs a big year to quiet some of his doubters.

2013 Recap:

To quote Fred Willard in A Mighty Wind, "Wha' Happened?" How does a team go from World Champions to last place in one season, especially when the team remained almost entirely intact? Well, mistakes were made. C.C. Sabathia was exposed in the expansion draft, Sean Burroughs was lured away by Savannah, Paul Phillips was expected to repeat his 2012 numbers, etc. Prince Fielder came to spring training overweight. Hitters figured out Towaki's quirky delivery. On the bright side, closer Craig Hansen was damn near unhittable, Delmon Young put up solid power numbers, and Kenji Johjima continues to be a solid hitter at a key position. 

Despite a lot going wrong in 2013, GM Lars Cain didn't overreact during the off season. He added just one starting pitcher, bringing former Sailor Eric Ridener back into the fold. Brad Hawpe was signed to replace retired first baseman Graham Koonce, while Alexis Rios cashed in on his career year to land a spot in Halifax's starting lineup. With Rios on board, Cain traded Andruw Jones to Savannah for prospect Rand McPherson, a move he hopes will pay off down the road. 

While I expect a rebound year from the Sailors, it's tough to project them too far past a first round series in the playoffs. The offense could be very good, especially with Rios and Hawpe in the fold, but the pitching doesn't scream "contender" to me. This team is used to winning, so I don't expect them to lay down and die here, and there isn't another team in the division that is obviously better. 84 wins may take the North this year, and Halifax can certainly reach that. 

Offense:

I've always like the Sailor lineup...on paper. Fielder and Young can really rake...when they feel like it. Great offense up the middle with Johjima, Bristow, Mackey and Rios....when they're healthy. But have we ever seen this lineup match it's potential? Demon Young cashed in with a big contract even though he's only had 100 RBI twice and has never played in 150 games. Fielder is averaging 35 HR a year, but has broken 100 RBI just once (and has never hit .290). Is this just as good as they get? 

Pitching:

It's a rotation full of #3 starters. Jeff Niemann is not an ace, though his career record is pretty good, while Mark McCormick has yet to show any sort of consistency. Eric Ridener returns after a year in Singapore, but he's just another mid-four ERA guy. This entire rotation could go 10-10, 4.75. Craig Hansen is arguably the best reliever in the league, though he's been put into an 8th inning role in front of Towaki (which is apparently Japanese for "5.30 ERA"). Gatsby is also solid, which is good because who really knows what long or middle relief will give you. 

Man on the Spot:

Can Jeff Niemann regain the type of success he enjoyed in Ireland? He was 58-28 in his four seasons preceding 2013, but fell to 9-14 last season. If he can become a stopper again, the team may be better than we think. 

2013 Recap:

Perhaps the biggest disappointment of the 2013 season, the Sailors were picked to finish at the top of the North Division, but instead finished tied for the second worst record in SLB, going 66-94. The offense, even with a trio of power hitters that finished with over 30 homeruns apiece (Fielder 30, Young 30, Koonce 37), finished near the bottom of most offensive categories. Halifax ended the year with a paltry .303 OBP, only Ireland (.299) and Cleveland (.298) finished lower. One of the main causes for the lack of base runners was the 619 at bats given to Prince Fielder, who finished with a .280 OBP. Fielder is making nine million dollars this season, and may be trade bait if the Sailors decide that recently signed Brad Hawpe can match his production for a fraction of the cost. Josh Beckett may not be on the roster right now, but don’t count Halifax out, they traded him early last season, traded for him later in the year, and then shipped him off a couple weeks later. Despite the awkward Beckett back and forth, the Sailors made one of the more astute trades of the 2013 season, sending OF semi-prospect Matthew McGuirk to Philly for the fourth overall selection of the 2013 Amateur Draft, 2B Kevin Bristow. McGuirk was left unprotected in the Rule V draft and was scooped up by Taipei, while Bristow may push incumbent TJ Mackey for the second base job. Mackey could be valuable mid season trade bait, as he makes only 4 million a season, and last year managed to lead the SLB with 70 doubles.

Halifax spent 12 million dollars to keep Delmon Young a Sailor for three more years, and also added some depth, inking both Andruw Jones and Alexis Rios to three year deals. Jones hit .300/.344/.605 last year in for the Kwaan, but was sent off to Savannah for pitching prospect Rand McPherson late in Spring Training. Rios was a first time All-Star in 2013 for London and belted out 34 homeruns. Halifax also bolstered its rotation with the addition of Eric Ridener, who went 9-11 last year with a career low 4.13 ERA. Hawpe should add depth in the infield and outfield, and may push for a starting gig if he gets off on the right foot. Briscoe struggled last year in Taipei, but showed enough promise to garner a three-year, six million dollar contract.

You really have to think that they’re going to perform better than they did in 2013. Rios was a nice pick up and if Fielder shakes off the slump that saw him struggle last season, the offense might be pretty good. 

Offense:

Not too bad a group here. Fielder can hit for power, and you have to think he’s going to be better than last years version. Mackey and Bristow are pretty good themselves, and with all those options in the outfield, some of them have to pan out.

Pitching:

Niemann is good and Ridener had a good spring. Other than that, well, at least they’re young and cheap. A lot of question marks.

Man on the Spot:

Eric Ridener. The offense should be ok, but unless the pitching picks up, Halifax is going to be looking up from the bottom for another year. 

2013 Recap:

The Fever were the big surprise of 2013, entering the year with low expectations but winning the North and playing the Sabers to a game 7 in the World Series. Credit has to go to the pitching staff, with all five starters posting double digit wins, and four of five pitching 200+ innings. But some of that success was catching lightning in a bottle, with career years from Cotts, Brazelton and Penny. Miguel Cabrera turned it on offensively, and young players like Osteen and Bruce contributed more than expected. 

It was a rough winter for Fever fans. The World Series runner ups lost their two best starting pitchers (Webb and Penny) plus Hank Blalock, but only signed journeyman Eric Milton and bench-worthy Dustin Kelly. To their credit, they did resign Will Hunting to a bargain contract, but the team definitely looks worse overall.

Philly is due for a reality check in 2014. They lost key players, others had career years last season. It's a recipe for disaster. The question is whether or not it's worth doing anything about it. The team has a dump truck full of free agents this year, so it may be worth just riding this season out and reconstructing in 2015. It's too bad, as last season was such a nice surprise for Philly fans. 

Offense:

Much to my surprise, the Fever were 3rd in the league in runs scored last season (behind only ATL and OSKA). The same lineup (minus Blalock) returns this year, but can they match those lofty numbers again? The team will benefit from a full season of Miguel Cabrera (who moves to third base) and a healthy Will Hunting, who missed over 30 games last year. Cooper Osteen is an extra-base machine, but his .298 OBP is ugly at the #2 spot. If he can improve that while Jay Bruce continues to get on base, the lineup should be in pretty good shape. Rivera and Pena make a good platoon in left, though both bat from the same side of the plate.

Pitching:

This is where we're likely to see a decline. Brandon Webb and Brad Penny are gone, leaving the Fever with Browline as the ace, then lots of question marks. Brazelton has had a pretty solid career, but he wouldn't be a #2 on most teams, then you have Brian Lawrence who didn't even pitch in the big leagues last year. Neal Cotts is unlikely to win 16 games again. You get the idea. The bullpen needs to improve; Rohrbaugh and Romanczuk need to get their ugly H/IP down. Four lefties in the pen is a bit unusual, but you go with what you've got.

Man on the Spot:

Bobby Brownlie is thrust back into the #1 starter position and needs to pitch like an $11 million player. He was good last year (13-9, 3.29), but the team needs 18 wins out of him to offset the rest of the rotation. 

2013 Recap:

Philly rode its power bats (five players, led by Miguel Cabrera’s 40, finished with over 20 homeruns) and the pitching arms of Brandon Webb and Brad Penny to 94 wins, the second most in SLB. They made it all the way to the Championship game before petering out and losing to Savannah in seven games. Jay Bruce, the Fever’s 21 year old centerfielder came out of nowhere to post a .978 OPS, hitting 20 homeruns and 19 triples in just over 400 at-bats. He also finished second on the team with 24 steals and managed to hit over .400 against left-handed pitching. Philly had five starters post over ten wins apiece, led by Brandon Webb’s 18. Even Neal Cotts won 16 games, despite his 4.07 ERA.

Well, they didn’t do much. They signed Jeremy Affeldt, Scott Strickland, Jason Davis, Eric Milton, Dustin Kelly and Ty Bloomfield. Hardly any blockbusters there. Hold your horses, though, they have an astounding fifteen players sitting in the last year of their contracts in 2014, so the Fever should be players in next years market. The Killer B’s, Brad Penny and Brandon Webb, who were terrific for them in 2013 were signed by Chiang-Mai and Scotland, respectively, in the auction and their loss should hurt. 

There is no telling what this team is going to do. They lost Webb and Penny, so the pitching is going to have a new look, though the offense will remain the same. They’re probably still the best team in the division, but they could get pushed by Cleveland and Halifax.

Offense:

Outside of Cabrera and Mauer, there are a bunch of guys that kind of make you shake your head. Bruce is young and has put up good numbers in the past, so you know the Fever are hoping that continues.

Pitching:

Well, there’s Brownlie and…Cotts? Cotts won a lot last season, but his ERA was high and the win totals might have been a bit flukey.

Man on the Spot:

Jay Bruce hit really well in limited time last year. If Philly is going to finish in first again, he has to repeat that performance.

2013 Recap:

It was a record shattering season for the Flyers, setting marks that may never be broken. But all the regular season highlight reels don't mean squat if you don't deliver in the post season, and for the second year in a row, Atlanta failed to deliver the knockout punch in October. There isn't much more that can be said about Darren Lemming, a player we can hand the MVP to every season (barring injury). The rest of the team pales in comparison, but many of the "supporting cast" would be the star player on other teams. Seven starters had at least 81 RBI with three eclipsing the 100 mark. Adam Lind and Eric Valent played like All Stars. Dennis Dennis Sr. needs to write a book, because whatever he's teaching these guys is working. After a (comparably) slow start for Bailey, he finished on a tear, winning his second straight Cy Young (while outpitching Prior and Zambrano). Pavano and Mahara combined for 35 wins. Okay, I'm rambling on the orchestra is playing my exit music...

Even though there was just one new player added to the team (setup man Danys Baez), Flyers fans have to be thrilled with this off season. Despite the entire league gunning to take Atlanta down a peg, GM Jim Masters still managed to outbid everyone to resign Prior, Zambrano, Rodney and Valent. Unbelievable. Some of the money used to keep those players came from Kyoto in a trade that sent All Star Troy Paris to Japan for cash. The trade paves the way for the debut (finally) of catching sensation Jeffrey Clement. 

More of the same in Atlanta? It seems unreasonable to expect 119 wins again, as so much went right for the Flyers at one time (Zambrano's injury not withstanding), but 100 victories shouldn't be a problem. As long as Lemming, Lowrie, Dennis and Valent stay healthy, the team is in great shape. Atlanta for first place in the South is the only prediction I feel good about this year. The rest of the division just can't compare. 

Offense:

Somehow, despite the awesomeness of Lemming and his supporting cast, Atlanta came up almost 50 runs short of the league record. You have the potential for up to 4 hitters with 100 or more RBI, especially if Clement lives up to his promise. When your top of the lineup hitters get on base as frequently as D2J and Lowrie, the offense is going to put up big numbers. The only potential downgrade is with rookie 3B Edwin Jacobo taking over for Ensberg, but on this team, that probably means .310, 25, 90. 

Pitching:

I thought Mark Prior was the man for Cy Young last year, but Bailey went nuts in the second half and took down his second trophy in a row. When healthy, there is no better rotation in the league top to bottom. As we found out last year, however, the depth isn't there to cover an injury, as Rogers got beaten around in his 17 starts. It's an all-righty bullpen since Wunsch retired, but Danys Baez should pick up the slack for him in the 8th. Middle relief isn't spectacular, but they aren't going to cost the team too many victories.

Man on the Spot:

If you want to put someone on watch, I guess it would be Clement. We've heard of "sure things" in the past, some of whom just didn't do well their first year (paging Cap Jackson....) so the young backstop has to keep management from looking foolish for trading a 100 RBI catcher to Kyoto. 

2013 Recap:

What else can be said about Atlanta’s 2013 season? The Flyers won an SLB record 119 games, which happened to be 25 more games than the next closest competitor. How did they do this? Well, they dominated the regular season, winning all three of the major regular season awards. Darren Lemming was everyone’s MVP, coming within an eyelash of the Triple Crown (.381, 62, 172). Jed Lowrie was the Rookie of the Year, collecting 213 hits and posting a nice .888 OPS from second base and Homer Bailey won 22 games and posted a 2.13 ERA. The rest of the pitching was sturdy too, had Zambrano not gotten hurt in the middle of the season, the Flyers would have had 5 hurlers post sub 4.00 ERAs. Alanta dominated the regular season, but crapped out again in the playoffs, falling to Savannah in seven games.

In what can only be referred to as “not fair”, the Flyers signed both Mark Prior and Carlos Zambrano for what amounts to a paycut. They also signed Danys Baez and Fernando Rodney to solidify their bullpen. Atlanta also resigned Eric Valent and career .297 hitter Orlando Cabrera. Valent hit .364 last season, but was resigned for only 500,000 a year and will be forced to come off the bench in 2014. Cabrera will backup rookie Andy Cannizaro. Atlanta also made room for preseason Rookie of the Year favorite Jeffery Clement, trading catcher Troy Paris to Kyoto for five million in cash. Clement starred in spring training, hitting 14 homeruns and posting an 1.137 OPS. 

Uh, in a word, bright. There isn’t anything these guys cant do, so what can you really say? I don’t think any of the other teams in the division really made enough of an improvement to keep Atlanta from running away with the whole thing.

Offense:

What more can be said? These guys will pound you to death. Lemming will probably be the MVP until he retires. Lowrie was the Rookie of the Year last year and Clement probably will be this year. These guys aren’t going to fall off anytime soon.

Pitching:

Yeah, more of the same. Prior and Zambrano were resigned, Bailey is a pimp and their bullpen is nothing to shake a stick at.

Man on the Spot:

Jeffery Clement. Fans have been clamoring for him since he took his first professional swing, and now that Paris is in Kyoto, he’ll have his chance.

2013 Recap:

As I stated in last year's Heaters, the Panthers had very little room for error in 2013, what with the 4 team division and a hungry expansion team in the fold. Baltimore's offense did their best (finishing 10th out of 16 in runs scored) but a league worst pitching staff spelled doom. The combo of McPherson, Guerrero, Mayberry and Wright were pretty productive, especially playing half their games in the vast Panther Dome, but the home dimensions didn't help a porous rotation and terrible bullpen. The failures on the pitching side ranged from awful (Sowers) to unlucky (Lohse), and the young pen wore out late, inflating the ERA's of promising kids like Mitchell Atkins. The lone bright spot is the #1 overall pick in this year's Amateur Draft (assuming Jose doesn't screw that up).

A team with the worst record in baseball has a lot to fix, but little was done this off season in Baltimore. After the Adam Dunn trade debacle left the team nearly $3 million short, most of the available cash was used to re-up Dallas McPherson. Fringe players like Spooneybarger and Gerut were added to band-aid things up, but overall, no real improvement at all. 

It's tough to be optimistic when the league's worst team brings back pretty much the same team. GM Jose Gutierrez keeps talking about his big plans for the team, but so far has shown nothing, and the fans are getting restless in Baltimore. Can the Panthers take advantage of a potentially weaker San Juan team this season? It was a 17 game gap between the teams last year, and it seems like a tall order to make that kind of leap in 2014.

Offense:

This offense is by no means the worst in the league, but it certainly isn't powerful enough to overcome a bad pitching staff. McPherson is about as consistent as you can get, while John Mayberry had a very promising rookie year. Vladdy is a question mark, as he's on the decline and could either give you 30 HR and 90 RBI, or spend half the year on the shelf. David Wright has never become the superstar that management had hoped.  

Pitching:

No new faces in the pitching rotation this year, which could either be good or bad. It's an unpredictable group of pitchers, so it's impossible to guess who will show up. Lohse pitched very well last year, but got terrible run support. Sowers, well he's just as flaky as you can get. In 5 of his 7 seasons, he's been an above average pitcher. But in the other 2, he has gone a combined 10-35, and for no good reason. Will the good Sowers return in 2014? Marquis was very good when he finally got into the rotation last year. Don't expect anything out of Burnett, but perhaps Ubardo will improve over a less than stellar rookie campaign. The expectations are low for this bullpen.

Man on the Spot:

I'll stick it to Sowers, who seemingly took a year off after signing a lucrative 3 year, $27 million deal. Time to put up buddy. 

2013 Recap:

It’s only fitting to follow up SLB’s best team with SLB’s worst. Baltimore won only 64 games in 2013, finishing an astonishing 55 games below Atlanta. The Panthers offense was pretty bad, but was highlighted by some decent performances. McPherson hit 35 homeruns, knocked in 100 runners and posted a .936 OPS. Vlad hit 31 homers and David Wright chipped in with 27 of his own. The pitching, on the other hand, was absolutely awful. Jeremy Sowers lost 20 games and threw up (literally vomited) a 5.61 ERA. Hot prospect El Ron Ubardo won 10 games, but had a 5.54 ERA and gave up 219 hits. The bullpen was just as bad, only two players (Buehrle and Ankiel) had sub five ERAs. All in all they had a league worst 5.25 team ERA, one of only two teams to crack the 5.00 ERA barrier (Cleveland 5.03).

They matched the bid on Dallas McPherson, hoping he can put up the same numbers he did in 2013 for the next three seasons. They picked up BJ Ryan, Joel Hanrahan, Oscar Villareal and Tim Spooneybarger to try and turn around their pitiful bullpen, and tossed contracts at Jody Gerut, Bernie Castro and Ben Broussard. In other words, expect another last place finish for the Panthers.

This is going to sound like a broken record, but it doesn’t look good. They just aren’t talented enough to compete with Atlanta. There are some nice players on offense, but the whole lineup is rather underwhelming.

Offense:

I don’t know. Wright, McPherson, Vlad and Matthew are a pretty nice core, but it really falls off after there and outside of Ubardo and Sowers, who were awful last year, the pitching isn’t pretty either.

Pitching:

Ubardo is young and struggled last season, but he shouldn’t be that bad again. Sowers lost 20 games a year ago, but he was well thought of before, so maybe he can step it back up. Outside of these two, there is not a lot to hang your hat on.

Man on the Spot:

Jeremy Sowers absolutely cannot be as bad as last season, can he? If Baltimore is going to at least make some progress, he is going to have to get back to where he was before last year’s disastrous season.

2013 Recap:

The inaugural season for the Senadores was an extraordinary success considering the limits placed on building an expansion team. The team was in playoff contention right until the end, actually positioned in a wildcard spot until the season finally wore them out. The lack of offense put undue pressure on a very good pitching staff, and the team just couldn't win any more 2-1 games. The team was lead offensively by Huff, Hafner and Nady, none of whom touched the 80 RBI mark. The team showed good speed and excellent defense, but the overall lack of run production was the team's ultimate downfall. Excellent numbers from the top 4 starters, including a Comeback Award for Andrew Brown. The back end of the pen was very good, but long and middle relief were lacking.

Senadore fans knew that this could be a rough off season. The success of 2013 was built on a team full of free agents, and with limited money available, it was impossible to keep the team intact. GM Bill Gluvna made a few pre-auction trades, sending Huston Street to Kyoto while adding Scott Hodges from Ireland. The auction saw Scott Kazmir leave for Cleveland, but closer Jonathan Papelbon was retained. Mark Teixeira was signed to beef up the lineup, and journeymen Gil Meche and Mark Buehrle were added to fill in spots. Initial analysis says the team is worse off, but we'll see if the improved offense offsets the depleted pitching. 

In 2013, San Juan got by on terrific pitching. In 2014, the Senadores will have to win with their bats. The strength of the team has shifted to the offensive side at the expense of some good arms, making this an interesting team to follow. Historically, good offense with mediocre pitching hasn't gotten many teams to the top, so it would surprise no one if this team took a step back this season. 

Offense:

My crack research team has informed me that San Juan's 616 runs in 2013 were the second fewest in league history (the 2009 Rebels' low of 521 may never be matched). Tough to win the South when Atlanta is scoring 350 more runs than you. But the offense has been seriously upgraded for 2014 thanks to the draft, a few trades, and the auction. The fans are buzzing about rookie SS Floyd Larkin, a West Virginia grad who has been smoking the ball ever since being drafted last year. Scott Hodges was brought in from Ireland in a pre-auction trade, providing the team with the ideal #2 hitter. Finally, third base was upgraded with Mark Teixeira, giving the team multiple power threats. The team won't match the Flyers or Ronin in offensive output, but the lineup projects to be at least middle of the pack.

Pitching:

The offense better be improved, because the starting pitching has taken a few hits. Sabathia and Haren are still here and should be solid at the top of the rotation, but after that, it's a crapshoot. Kazmir and Brown have signed elsewhere, leaving Gluvna to sign some journeymen type arms in Buehrle, Meche and Fossum, all of whom have career ERA's in the mid 5's. Will the surprisingly pitcher-friendly park in Puerto Rico help these guys out, or will there be a lot of slugfests this year? Jonathan Papelbon was resigned after a tremendous 2013 season, but his setup man (Huston Street) was run out of town on a rail, leaving Edwin Jackson (good) and Jason Anderson (not) to setup. 

Man on the Spot:

Buehrle/Meche/Fossum. If these guys can eat up innings and be at least average, then the team should have no worries about finishing in last.

2013 Recap:

San Juan did as well as an expansion team can in its inaugural season, going 81-79, pushing for a Wild Card spot until finally crapping out at the end of the season. Amazingly, the Senadores did all this despite having one of the weakest offenses in the league. Travis Hafner led the team in homeruns, but only hit 24 and only three other players reached double digits. Lastings Milledge only hit .262 with just a .399 OPS, but he ran like he stole something, swiping 66 bases. This amounted in an adjusted SLG of .526. He also hit .331 against lefties, so maybe a platoon is in order. Aubrey Huff only hit 15 homeruns, but posted a nice .370 OBP. Other than that, the offense was pretty bare. The pitching, on the other hand, was absolutely fantastic. The Senadores 3.79 team ERA was the second lowest in the league. Andrew Brown (11), Danny Haren (10), Scott Kazmir (10) and CC Sabathia (13) all won in double digits and the bullpen got good performances from Huston Street (until he wore down at the end of the year) and Paul Davis. Jonathon Papelbon was unhittable as closer, posting a 1.56 ERA in 40.1 innings, saving 24 games.

The Senadores started off by matching the bid on Papelbon, assuring that he will be their dominating closer for the next three seasons. They also resigned Lastings Milledge and Brian McCann and in order to bolster their big weakness, power, they signed Mark Teixeira and Xavier Nady. The two of them combined for 42 homeruns in 2013, and a full season of at-bats for Nady should only increase that number. What San Juan added on offense, though, they lost in pitching. Huston Street got dealt (kicked?) out of town to Kyoto for 1B prospect Brad Miller. JJ Putz was sent to Ireland for Scott Hodges and cash, and Scott Kazmir and Andrew Brown were signed in the offseason by Cleveland and Taipei respectively. 

Well, Bill spent a lot of dough to improve what might have been SLB’s worst offense, but his pitching took a hit, which might even things out. If everything works out, the Senadores might make a push for a wildcard bid, but they aren’t keeping up with Atlanta, that’s for sure.

Offense:

A pretty bare bunch last season gets a boost with the additions of Teixeira and Nady. Hodges should be an improvement as well.

Pitching:

Last season they got by on the strength of their rotation and back of the bullpen. Sabathia and Haren are still around and so is Papelbon, but it’s doubtful the pitching will be as good as in 2013.

Man on the Spot:

CC Sabathia. Last season the pitching almost carried them to the playoffs. Their offense is bolstered, but it’s going to take another strong year from the big guy if the Senadores are going to push for a playoff spot again.

2013 Recap:

The Sabers continued to defy the critics, making their second World Series in a row, this time winning it all in an exciting 7 game series against Philly. Though some of the individual hitting numbers look a lot like San Juan (no Saber had more than 84 RBI), they still managed to outscore the Senadores by over 120 runs. The pitching was outstanding, ranking 4th in the league in team ERA. Every starter had an ERA lower than 3.85, with two sporting marks in the 2's. The addition of Sean Burroughs was huge.

The champs had some extra money to spend, but ended up losing some key players. The Sabers kept closer Eric Gagne on the team, but weren't willing to go high on Beckett or Burroughs. Burroughs' loss could be tough to overcome, even with Andruw Jones and Carlos Beltran on the roster. Garland and Hernandez were signed for bullpen roles, giving the team options in case a starter goes down. 

So, what's in store for the champs? The team is built to win, especially with most of the pitching returning, and even though the offense is never great, they seem to do enough to win. There's no way they can catch Atlanta, and with the wildcard picture looking up for grabs, nothing is guaranteed for the Sabers. The pitching should keep them hanging around, and if the team makes the playoffs, we know that strong arms can get you far.  

Offense:

On paper, this probably the worst looking offense in the league. Of course last year's lineup didn't look great either, but they managed to outscore 9 other teams, so what do I know? Davie and Jones were nice additions, though neither are 40 homerun threats, and Carlos Beltran is happy to rejoin the Saber roster (his 10th team change in 10 seasons). The big question here is whether you're going to get anything at all out of Barmes, Sunderstrom or the Tonis/Buck platoon. That's a lot of potential easy outs. 

Pitching:

The main men in the pitching rotation are back for 2014, meaning the staff should be in the top 1/2 of the league once again. Josh Beckett is gone, but Oswalt, Halladay and Humber return as solid as ever. With Beckett, the team had six pitchers that racked up 160 or more innings, so despite his loss, guys like Wolf and Hernandez should fill in just fine. The team re-inked Gagne, providing stability late in games. The team hopes that Garland and Runelvys Hernandez can help keep the ERA's down in the pen this year.

Man on the Spot:

What does Andruw Jones have left? Savannah sent another promising pitching prospect to Halifax to acquire him, so he better provide this lineup with a little kick. 

2013 Recap:

Savannah performed in 2013 basically just the way the prognosticators predicted, in the Regular season anyway. The Sabers won 90 games, a figure that would have had them in the Division title hunt in either of the other three divisions, but found them 29 games behind Atlanta in their own. Savannah’s offensive output last season was…interesting. They were in the middle of the pack in average (.270) and on-base percentage (.313), but the 151 homeruns that they hit were ahead of only San Juan. They had five players hit double digit dingers, but Sean Burroughs led the team with a paltry 20. Burroughs did add 21 triples, pushing his slugging percentage to a team leading .537. The pitching on the other hand was fantastic. Oswalt won 12 games, tossed over 200 innings and had a 2.79 ERA. Phillip Humber won 16 games, put up a 2.97 ERA and struck out 194 batters. A late season trade brought them 11-game winner Josh Beckett, too. Beckett went 3-1 in the playoffs, including a win over Atlanta in the decisive seventh game. A game in which he held the high octane Flyer offense to just one run.

Savannah kept restricted free agent Eric Gagne, matching the 3-year, 21 million dollar bid given to the veteran reliever. They tossed contracts at some relief pitching, signed Jon Garland  and then picked up five outfielders, Carlos Beltran, Chris Kolkhorst, Elmer Davie, Andruw Jones and Alex Escobar. Beckett and Burroughs were let go, both landing in Ireland. Joe Crede and Garrett Atkins appear to be the front runners to take Burroughs place, and Atkins performed better in the spring.

It’s going to come down to the pitching. Oswalt-Humber-Wolf will allow them to win some games, but if the offense struggles, look out. The rotation can probably carry this team to a playoff bid, but again, no way do they keep up with Atlanta.

Offense:

I still really don’t like their offense. Beltran should be ok and Gibbons had a nice spring and was pretty good last year. Outside of those two, there isn’t a lot to get excited about.

Pitching:

Humber is really good and Oswalt and Wolf give them a nice trio of starters. Inferno was pretty much unhittable out of the pen last year. The pitching is really the strength of this team and its going to have to be again.

Man on the Spot:

I’m saying Atkins since it looks like he won the third base job, but really, whoever is on the hot corner on game day is going to need to hit, or this team will likely have too many offensive holes to succeed.

2013 Recap:

A down year in Ireland gave hoep for the future. The team under performed, leading to GM Tony Blake putting in a parade of young players in the second half, giving Invader fans a sneak peak of the team's future stars. If the young hitters can figure out how to score runs in the dank night air of Dublin, the team may return to it's winning ways. Outside of Wood and Burnett, the pitching all seemed to slump, putting up ugly numbers considering the home field advantage.

This seems to happen every 2 or 3 years; Ireland ends up with 13 or 14 free agents, then cuts a half dozen more, leaving them to fill half of their 40-man roster in one winter. A tall order, but the team had tons of cash to put the team together, and with several rookies already penciled into the lineup, the Invaders could spend big on some key players. The two biggest moves (besides resigning AJ Burnett) were signing Josh Beckett and Sean Burroughs away from Savannah. Beckett gives the team a legit starting three in the rotation, while Burroughs (and Morgan Ensberg) provide veteran leadership in a younger lineup. Overall, it looks like the Invaders improved.

Wow, what to make of this team? Tons of rookies, tons of new players, a tumultuous off season....hard to figure it all out. But Paris is getting older, London did very little this winter, so second place would happen for the Invaders. The pitching additions alone should keep the team out of last place, though it's tough to picture any of the Euro teams finishing 4th. I look forward to following this team. 

Offense:

Six new faces in this completely revamped lineup, four of whom are rookies. Can a team win with so much youth? These guys got a September tryout last year and did quite well, especially Hickey and Johnson. Sean Burroughs is a huge addition to this team; this guy seems to win wherever he goes. I'm not as convinced about Allen Martinez or Whammy May at this point, and they seem more likely to struggle at this level than their rookie teammates. The pressure is off Austin Kearns to be the primary run producer. 

Pitching:

Keeping Burnett and Wood was a good start, but adding Beckett makes this arguably the best starting three in the division. It's a good thing too, as this young lineup is sure to lay a few eggs during the year, meaning the pitching needs to step it up in close games. Clement and Garcia are probably good enough for the back end, especially if they keep their ERA's under five. The bullpen is a big question mark, with several new faces and the entirely unspectacular Dan Wheeler closing games out. Could be this team's Achilles Heel.

Man on the Spot:

Earl Hickey is expected to produce big numbers as the cleanup hitter in this revamped lineup. If his numbers last year don't hold up over 160 games, this team may end up scrambling for runs. 

2013 Recap:

Ireland went 71-89 and finished in dead last in the Euro. The 71 wins would have had them long out of the race in any of the other divisions, but in the Euro, the league’s weakest, they only finished 11 games out. Adam Dunn and Austin Kearns led the team in homeruns, with 27 and 26, respectively, while second basemen Scott Hodges posted a .358 on-base percentage and hit 37 doubles. AJ Burnett and Kerry Wood posted nice seasons in the rotation, both throwing over 230 innings. Burnett lead the league in strikeouts with 259, which also was an SLB record. Other than that, not a lot went right for the Invaders.

Ireland matched the bid on AJ Burnett, a deal that will keep Burnett in the green and gold for three more seasons. Then they threw big money (3 years, 36 million) at Josh Beckett. They also added two third basemen, Sean Burroughs and Morgan Ensberg. Ensberg is stuck at third, so Burroughs might find himself at second base. He can also slide over to first, in case rookie Boog Johnson and veteran Domenic Rich falter. They made the questionable decision of trading Adam Dunn for Eric Milton in the offseason. Dunn was unceremoniously dumped, and signed by Scotland, while Milton found himself on the scrap heap. Weird trade all around.

The Euro is basically wide open and while I don’t think the Invaders offense is good enough to keep them out of the cellar, their pitching certainly might be. They might set a record this season for strikeouts for a pitching staff, and the young guys on offense should at least be intriguing.

Offense:

Hickey should be a top tier catcher from day one and if Boog Johnson can hit for average like he did in his call up last year, he should be pretty good as well. I’m going to go out on a limb and say that these guys will finish in the middle of the pack on offense, due to the lack of firepower in their outfield.

Pitching:

Kerry Wood, Josh Beckett and AJ Burnett are going to strikeout a lot of hitters. I feel sorry for the teams that catch these guys back-to-back-to-back.

Man on the Spot:

Josh Beckett floated around the league last season, despite his good numbers. Ireland fans are banking on Beckett sticking around this year, and in a weak Euro, a good year from him might push Ireland to the top.

2013 Recap:

The Knights may have barely finished above .500, but that was good enough for the team's first division title in 2013. London was the last of the original 14 teams to make the playoffs, and though they weren't pretty getting there, they did just enough to win an unusually weak Euro division. Kendry Morales was consistent as ever, joined by a surprisingly big offensive effort by Alexis Rios. The starting pitching was what got London to the playoffs, with rookie Chris Volstad joining the young rotation with Matsuzaka and Broadway. 

Another quiet off season for London. Sure, they won the division last year, but is management satisfied with an 82 win team? The Knights resigned Jeremy Reed, but added no one of note. In the mean time, they saw Alexis Rios, Scott Williamson, and 10-year London vet Eric Hinske walk. With some aggressive moves by other Euro division teams, London fans have to be nervous. 

Somehow I don't think that last year's effort is going to cut it in the Euro this season. The division is improving, and with more losses than additions, I'm not sure the team will even make the playoffs. I could be wrong, especially if the team stays healthy and the pitching continues it's upward swing, but management needs to get more active in making the team better. It has to be frustrating for fans to see Scotland and Ireland make bold moves in the winter while their own front office is off golfing in the Bahamas. 

Offense:

Should put up some good numbers again this season, especially if it can play healthier than last year. Kendry Morales is the star, having put up over 40 HR and 100 RBI each of his first four seasons. It hurts to lose Alexis Rios and his 92 RBI (2nd on the team last year), but full years out of Reed, Reyes and Upton should make up for that. Interesting to see how the three platoons pan out, especially if rookie Daniel Callahan out hits veteran Nick Johnson. Jim Russell is a fantastic looking rookie but there isn't anywhere to play him right now.

Pitching:

The entire pitching staff is back for 2014, which is good news for Knights fans. The team was 6th best in team ERA last year, and four pitchers made at least 30 starts. Lance Broadway saw some time on the DL, but Oliver Perez (of all people) filled in very well. Johan Santana was the worst pitcher in the rotation, but once again he starts on opening day. Francisco Cordero played great here down the stretch last year, and William Buckner is a solid middle reliever. None of the other pen guys should prove to be problematic.

Man on the Spot:

With Rios moving on to another team, Jeremy Reed needs to regain the big run producing numbers he showed earlier in his career. 

2013 Recap:

London disappointed a bit in 2013, winning only 82 games. It was enough to win the Euro, but they got bounced in the first round, getting swept by Savannah. The Knights offense performed well, finishing third in the SLB in on-base percentage (.318). Kendry Morales won his second straight Euro MVP, hitting .302 and knocking out 44 homers. Alexis Rios added 34 bombs and Jeremy Reed hit 24, meaning the Knights had one of the more powerful SLB outfields. Jose Reyes was also fantastic, hitting .342 with a .964 OPS with 22 triples and 44 stolen bases. The last two numbers look even better when you realize that he put them up in only 101 games, due to injury. Given a full year, Reyes may push Morales for the North MVP in 2014. Christopher Volstad was London’s best pitcher, winning 13 games and posting a 3.27 ERA. Oliver Perez and Joe Mays also had nice seasons.

London spent 18 million dollars to keep Reed in the outfield and….that was it. They added Michael Barrett and Rickie Weeks after the auction to provide some depth. They let Rios go, he signed with Halifax for a paltry 2 million a season, apparently feeling that Jim Russell is ready for the big time. Other than that, London will take the field looking a lot like last season’s version. That group won the division, but doesn’t appear strong enough to go much beyond that.

This offense will be in the top two of the Euro, along with Scotland. Reyes is a flat out stud and Morales is as well. McNulty, Russell and Upton are really young and really talented. The pitching should be better than a year ago, too.

Offense:

I really like this unit. Reyes is great and a full year of him should only improve the Knight offense. Morales is a stud, Upton is young but is full of promise and the same goes for McNulty. Reed is underrated.

Pitching:

Not a bad group. Volstad is the youngest member of the starting staff, but is likely the best. Matsuzaka and Perez are talented and Santana should have a comeback year.

Man on the Spot:

Johan Santana had a rough year last season, but he’s always been better in the past. If he plays to his potential, he has a real shot at the comeback player of the year award.

2013 Recap:

Staff ace and "face of the franchise" Jerome Williams went down for the year after just two starts, and the team was never the same. In past years, the team's overpowering offense could handle such a blow to the pitching staff, but even gaining the 4th highest run total in the league wasn't enough. With Williams out, the pitching staff fell to 13th in the league in team ERA, giving up the most HR's in the league. Exceptional years from Morneau and Berkman, but this isn't the same offense that once had 3 or 4 guys perennially eclipsing 100 RBI. Hudson and Kim put up very good pitching numbers, but aside from some pen guys, the rest of the staff suffered miserably.

It's a Paris family reunion! After resigning key players in Tim Hudson and Byung-Hyun Kim, Paris GM Michael Taylor decided to go old school, bringing back former Paris stars Derrek Lee and Jimmy Rollins. Can these aging vets bring the mojo back to the Pimps?  

It's tough to be a Pimp when you've got a bad hip and Angina. See, cuz Paris is old, right? Ha ha ha. Anyways, yeah, this is probably the oldest team in the league, and though I'm impressed that this same core of players has been in Paris for so long, I'm also skeptical that they are the right players to win another title. The team did little to distinguish itself in 2013, and the new players only add to the age problem. Has the league passed Paris by?

Offense:

You always have to look at Paris as a good offensive team. Jimmy Rollins is still a great table setter, and Berkman and Morneau will have plenty of chances to drive runs in. Derrek Lee has some pop left, but he isn't going to put up 110 RBI for you anymore. The one youthful addition to the lineup is rookie Youliesky Gourriel, a third baseman with a terrific eye at the plate to go with a nice power swing. Don't be surprised to see him in the #3 slot if he starts hot. Not a ton of depth on the roster, so a few long term injuries could be problematic.

Pitching:

If Jerome Williams returns to form this season it's almost as good as signing a big free agent. Tim Hudson gets the opening day nod after a fine 2013 season, while Kim manages to keep his ERA down despite the friendly hitting conditions at Maginot Line Field. Derek Thompson was an unmitigated disaster last season, while Zach Day benefited from very low run support. The bullpen is sketchy at best. Soriano at closer? Yikes.

Man on the Spot:

Jerome Williams has meant everything to this franchise, and at age 31, is still in his prime. A big season from him could spell the difference between last place and a wildcard run. 

2013 Recap:

The Pimps got good years with the bat out of Justin Morneau, Lance Berkman and rookie Landon Powell. Morneau clubbed 39 homeruns and absolutely demolished left handed pitching, hitting .346 against them. Berkman hit 32 homeruns of his own and posted a team leading .936 OPS. Alex Sanchez stole 43 bases and hit .289. The pitching was…not as good. Tim Hudson led the team with 14 wins and 246 strikeouts. Jon Ellis (12) and Joel Piniero (10) both won in double-digits, but both did so while posting ERA’s above 5.00. Derek Thompson posted one of the weirder seasons in the league, striking out 112 batters and only walking 17 in 84.2 innings. You’d take those numbers, right? Probably not if they were followed with a 6.80 ERA and 27 homeruns allowed. Batters slugged an amazing .592 off Thompson in 2013 and hit a nice even .300 against him. The 27 homeruns allowed is a number made even weirder when you realize that Thompson’s repertoire features one of the league’s best sinkers. Whatever.

In a market where pitching came at a premium, the Pimps managed to keep Hudson in town for only 8 million a season, matching the bid on the veteran starter. They also resigned Justin Morneau and added Derrek Lee. The Lee signing is perplexing, rookie Stephen Head is probably just as good, and is much cheaper. The trio are all first base only, so something will have to give. They also dropped five million a season on Jimmy Rollins and kept Byung-Hyun Kim in the bullpen.

Anything goes in the Euro, but it doesn’t look like Paris is going to have what it takes. Morneau and Berkman can hit, but there isn’t a lot to like outside of those two and the pitching isn’t too hot either. Keeping Hudson for only either million a year was a coup, but he cant carry them by himself.

Offense:

A decent group headlined by Morneau and Berkman. Outside of Lance, the outfield looks rather pitiful, meaning that this offense will probably fall somewhere in the middle

Pitching:

You’ve got to like Tim Hudson, but outside of him there really aren’t a lot of positives to say about this group. Byung-Hyun Kim was good last year.

Man on the Spot:

Justin Morneau has put up MVP numbers in the past, but he has a lot of competition on his hands this year. If he struggles at all, the Pimps might make the move to Lee or even Head. 

2013 Recap:

2013 was a transitional year for the Rebels. The end result was fairly ugly, but GM Carmelo Guarneri got some things done to set himself up for 2014. Trades for Barfield, Mulder, Howard and Bradley bolstered a weak roster leaving fewer holes to fill in the off season. Barfield lead the offense with 99 RBI, and Howard, who struggled in Kyoto, finished with a team high 36 HR. Ricardo Romero finally came through on some of his promise, and Shane Mungitt continued to establish himself as an elite young closer in the league.

This was a very good off season for Scotland. Guarneri retained his key free agents (Landers, Howard) while adding some big name pitchers in Brandon Webb and Javier Vasquez. Add in Adam Dunn, a streaky slugger who did pretty well in Ireland and you have some nice upgrades to the team. 

I really like the make up of this team this year and can see them winning the Euro. The pitching seems to be sorted out, the offense is capable of scoring some runs, and overall, the Rebels look like the most well rounded team in the division. That's not to say the team is perfect, as there are certainly some question marks in the lineup, but pitching wins championships, and the team seems to have the arms to win.

Offense:

Scotland has notoriously been a tough place to score runs, but the Rebels finished 8th out of 16 in runs scored last season, showing they may have solved the riddle of Kilted Stadium. This year's lineup looks capable of scoring around 700 runs, especially if Ryan Howard plays well and rookie Evan Longoria comes up big. Milton Bradley and Josh Barfield are a nice combo at the top, and though neither is a speed burner, you can't discount their ability to get on base in front of the power guys. Adam Dunn is a key to this lineup's success, and if spring training was any indication, he could be the team's MVP in 2014. The bottom portion of the order isn't terribly intimidating on paper, but Giles and Christianson both knocked in 50+ runs last year. Termell Sledge finally gets a chance to start after years of bench duty around the league. 

Pitching:

After a few years of trying to build a rotation of top draft picks, management has brought in some top notch vets to move the younger guys to less pressure-filled roles. The big acquisition was Brandon Webb, a Cy Young runner up a year ago who should be lights out in the heavy Scottish air. Also added was Javier Vazquez, by far less of a sure thing, but a good gamble. Mark Mulder returns for his first full year in Scotland, while Harden and Romero round things out, sending Jered Weaver to the bullpen. Mungitt, Moreno and Landers are very good late in ball games, and the middle relief isn't too shoddy. Potential for some very good numbers up and down this staff. Expect good pitching here this year.

Man on the Spot:

Dunn. If his spring numbers were just fool's gold, the lineup suddenly looks less impressive. 

2013 Recap:

The Rebels won 75 games in 2013, not exactly a number you strive for. Still, they finished in second place and only seven games out of first. Oh that wacky Euro. Josh Barfield came over from Halifax in July and finished the year out hitting .285 with 34 homeruns. First basemen Ryan Howard finally settled into Scotland, after being traded from Taipei to Kyoto and finally to the Rebels, finishing with a team high 36 homers. Steve Smitherman hit 31 homeruns, but somehow only managed to knock in 54 runners. They also picked up Mark Mulder from Kyoto in a late attempt at a playoff push. They also joined the “Josh Beckett pitched for me in 2013” club with about 200 other teams, trading slugger Miguel Cabrera for him in May, before shipping him off (along with five million dollars) to Baltimore a month and a half later. At the beginning of the season, if you had been told that Scotland would turn Miguel Cabrera and five million dollars into Bernie Castro, Anthony Boarman and Patrick Overholt, would you have thought that was a good deal? Me either. Anyway, their pitching wasn’t too hot, but they did get a good year out of Orber Moreno, who cashed those chips in over the offseason. Mulder struck out a lot of guys, though most of the k’s came in Kyoto. Ricardo Romero pulled a nice season out of nowhere, after losing 17 games a season before.

Scotland made a push early in the auction to upgrade its starting rotation, securing the rights to Brandon Webb in a three year, 27 million dollar deal. They matched the bids on Ryan Howard and Brock Landers, and also outbid Kyoto for the rights to keep Moreno a Rebel. They finished off their spending by bringing in Adam Dunn. Scotland is supposed to be a pitchers park, but the Rebels had three guys finish with over 30 homers in 2013, so maybe Dunn can keep hitting. One thing’s for sure, the minute Dunn put on a Rebel uniform, he became their best outfielder.

In my opinion the Rebels have the best offense in the division, and a full season of Mulder plus Webb, who they signed in the offseason, should put them in first place.

Offense:

Dunn, Howard and Barfield are nice power options to have. Stubbs is young but has looked good in limited time and Milton Bradley is a professional hitter. This might turn into one of the better groups in the league.

Pitching:

They signed Brandon Webb, added Mulder last year and have a host of other decent to good pitchers in their stable. The more I think about it, the better Scotland looks, which probably means that the wheels will fall off and they’ll finish in last.

Man on the Spot:

Brandon Webb signed for big bucks and if he earns them, Scotland has a real shot at first place in the Euro.

2013 Recap:

When team owner Ben Royer decided to move his Tennessee franchise to Singapore, he promised his new country that he would bring them championship baseball. A tall order considering the team's recent track record, but he pulled through, winning the inaugural Far East Division and making it to the second round of the playoffs. The team got an absolutely monstrous year out of Thurman Murman, who belted 45 HR with 152 RBI. B.B. Boo-Ya proved to not just be a speedy leadoff hitter, driving in nearly 100 runs from his new #3 spot in the order. The only disappointment offensively was rookie Cap Jackson, who struggled mightily with the bat in his rookie year. He picked it up late in the year, finishing at .249 after hovering around .200 most of the year (he also finished with 75 stolen bases). The early season acquisitions of Justin Verlander and Joe Nathan paid off in spades, as they combined for a 31-12 record.

Great season, but the off season was rough sailing. Joe Nathan retired and headed to Cooperstown, Justin Verlander went back to Cleveland, and the offense was depleted with the losses Teixeira and Jones. The money went towards inking Hank Blalock (more or less a wash with Teixeira) as well as Brady Penny and William Bray. Tough to say what either of those guys will do outside of the North Division. 

For the reasons stated above, I expect the Kwaan to return to the pack in the Far East and probably fall to second place. This is still a playoff contender, but unless some trades are made during the season to return the pitching to it's 2013 form, this more likely a team that will win 85 or so games. There is no question that the team will hit enough to bail out some bad pitching performances, but without that ace pitcher, I'm not sure how far they could go into the playoffs. 

Offense:

Ready to rumble. The trifecta of Crawford, Cap and Boo-Ya at the top is intimidating enough, but you follow up with Thurman, Blalock and Montana and you have a starting six that will do a lot of damage. If rookie Joe Belinda finds his power stroke again, this is likely a Top 3 offense in the league. I loved the move of Boo-Ya to a run production spot last year, and if Jackson improves at the plate this year, he could drive in 100+. Opposing pitchers, be afraid, be very afraid. 

Pitching:

Here's where it could all go south. Nathan and Verlander were ace quality arms. Penny and Bray are not. Kevin Thompson was pretty good his rookie year, but doesn't look like a #2 at this point, yet there he is. Les Beltre is completely underrated in this league. Can fans expect much out of rookie Patrick Bryant? He was undoubtedly the best of the young pitchers in Spring Training, so I guess you give him the benefit of the doubt until he fails. Pretty good looking bullpen if Riske and Quinonez can stay hot. Koch got his ERA down under 4 last season, but it would surprise no one if that shot back up to his career average again.

Man on the Spot:

Brad Penny had one of the best year's of his career in Philly last season, but now he's the ace. Can he handle the pressure, or will he fall apart again (remember his last big contract for Paris?)

2013 Recap:

Where to start? Well, they lost a million games two years ago, 102 in 2012 and then followed that up by winning 93 games in the new Far East division, third most in the league. They finished sixth in the SLB in runs scored with 740 despite only hitting 184 homeruns. How? Well, they got on base at a .317 clip, good enough for fourth in the league. They also led the league in triples, by far, with 95. B.B. Boo-Ya (38) and Carl Crawford (25) were primarily responsible for this. Thurman Murman went nuts, going .300/.349/.568 with 45 homeruns and 152 RBI’s. Guess what? Boo-Ya was better. Maybe he only hit 16 homeruns, but all those triples and doubles added up, not to mention that he hit .327. His OPS was .945, highest on the team, and his adjusted OPS, due to his 45 stolen bases was even higher. Carl Crawford stole 73 bases to go along with all his triples. Cap Jackson struggled in his first full season, but still stole 75 bases. He also hit .324 against left-handed pitching. Justin Verlander, who came over from Scotland in March, was outstanding on the mound, winning 14 games with a 2.73 ERA. Joe Nathan led the team in wins with 17 before riding off into the Hall-of-Fame sunset.

Well, Nathan called it quits and Verlander got snatched up by Cleveland. They matched the bid on Boo-Ya, keeping their best offensive player a Kwaan. They also snagged Hank Blalock out of a stacked free-agent class of third basemen. In order to replace Nathan and Verlander, they added William Bray and Brad Penny. Penny was fantastic in 2013, but it was the first time in the last six seasons that he had posted a season like that, so it is a bit of an outlier.  Billy Koch saved 23 games for them last year and they committed 3.75 million dollars over three years to keep him. Andruw Jones moved on to Halifax and Teixeria was signed by San Juan. Lets just say that this team is going to look a lot different in 2014.

They took a huge step forward last year, winning 93 games and the inaugural Far East crown, but hits to the pitching staff will keep them out of the top spot, not to mention that Jones and Teixeira moved on. I see a step back for these guys in the future.

Offense:

Crawford, Boo-Ya and Zalusky can fly, so this will be one of the fastest teams in the SLB. Murman and Montana are going to hit the ball real hard and Cap Jackson should be better than he was in his first season.

Pitching:

A lot of question marks. Penny and Bray are no Verlander and Nathan, I’ll tell you that. The pitching might struggle a lot out of the gate.

Man on the Spot:

Brad Penny had a criminally underrated 2013, and since he’s replacing Verlander, who was even better, and Nathan, who is in the Hall of Fame, he has a lot to live up to.

2013 Recap:

Not exactly what ownership had in mind when they moved the team out of Cuba. A talented (but streaky) offense couldn't support a patchwork pitching staff, leading to the worst record in team history. Only a very young expansion team in the division saved the Bushido from their first ever last place finish. The team was solid in the middle of the lineup, but never found a good leadoff man and couldn't keep a catcher healthy. The pitching was lead by Zito and Mulder, the latter of whom was moved at the deadline. The young relievers didn't handle their first season well. 

GM Darin Keesing made some risky pre-auction trades, acquiring FA's Huston Street and Jake Peavy with no guarantee they could retain them in the auction. They took a risk by sending $5 million to Atlanta for Troy Paris; he's an obvious offensive upgrade, but sending that cash further hurt the team's chances of keeping their new FA's. In the end, however, Keesing managed to keep Street and Peavy, as well as adding Brett Myers, Eric Hinske and Alex Sanchez. So though the Bushido failed to land a marquee name, they made some nice upgrades. Will they be enough?

Kyoto looks to shake off a terribly inconsistent season in 2013. The offense should have been better, but had a habit (especially in the second half) of scoring 10 runs one game, followed by 1 or 2 the next two games. If the lineup can be more consistent, things should improve. The starting pitcher is better than a year ago, but the bullpen can kill the team's chances if the young arms learned nothing from last year. Can the team be better? Yes. Is this a playoff contender? Seemingly everyone is, but a lot of things have to go right for the Bushido to play into October this season.

Offense:

The offense looks pretty good on paper as a full year with Choi, Hamilton and Dalton should help the #12 offense of a year ago. The signings of Sanchez and Paris push Bourjos and Thibault to the bench, giving the lineup less question marks right out of the gate (and some good depth should injuries arise). Sanchez should get the team going this year, bringing a great deal of speed and a leadoff mentality that the team lacked a year ago. Utley is always awesome, and then you have the bashers, followed by Troy Paris batting 6th! At that point, you take when you can get from Hinske and Ed Miller (though the latter was lights out this spring). The Far East really has some thunder, eh?

Pitching:

Better? What the team had last year wasn't working, so changes were made, but to what end? Mulder definitely wasn't that great last year, and Lambert proved he may not be a total bust after all. Zito, on the other hand, pitched quite well, though the team did land two good prospects for him. Now we see the return of Jake Peavy plus the addition of Brett Myers to go with Lambert and Greinke. Not exactly making hitters lose sleep, but overall, fairly solid. Kuo is the X-factor this year, as he pitched very well last season, and then absolutely dominated in spring training. Is this for real? If not, expect Cruz to slot into the rotation. The bullpen is also full of question marks, as they are young and not terribly confident after getting boxed about last year. Huston Street is a legit closer if nothing else.

Man on the Spot:

I'll go with Brett Myers. He's coming off of a career year in Bedford, but if he puts up a .500 record and 4.75 ERA, this team is in trouble. 

2013 Recap:

The Bushido had a pretty rough go of it in 2013, winning just 70 games and finishing just above expansion Taipei. They added Hee-Seop Choi in midseason and he finished with 31 homeruns. Eric Dalton hit 38 homers, but 2013 was a bit of a down year for him, after seasons of 51 and 47 homeruns the two previous years. Josh Hamilton got hurt, but still turned in a fine season and Chase Utley finished with a .952 OPS. The pitching was up and down. Zito had a 3.50 ERA and won 11 games. Christopher Lambert came over from Scotland and had a relatively high ERA (4.21), but still won 13 games turning in the best year of his career. Mulder was striking out guys like crazy, but he got shipped off. They let Ted Striker go in the Expansion draft, and he had a terrific season in Taipei. They also traded Ron Mexico to the Tai-Fong for Ryan Howard, a trade that worked out for both sides. Mexico pitched well for Taipei, while Kyoto turned Howard into Hee-Seop Choi.

One word marks the Bushido offseason; Active. They finally pried Troy Paris out of Atlanta, giving the Flyers five million dollars for his services. They traded prospect Brad Miller to San Juan for embattled reliever Huston Street. Kyoto also traded for Jake Peavy, who might rival Josh Beckett for the title of  “Pitcher with the most addresses”. They also sent Zito to Cleveland for rookie pitchers Lee Dedaux and Mike Swingle. Further strengthening their pitching, they added Brett Myers, resigned Jake Peavy and matched the bid on Street. They threw small deals at Alex Sanchez and Hinske, before Keesing decided to take the rest of the offseason off.

They’ll probably be in a dogfight with Chiang-Mai for second place, but I doubt they have what it takes to keep up with Osaka. The pitching looks decent and the addition of Paris makes this probably the second best offense in the Far East. I can’t see them keeping up with Osaka, but a wildcard berth wouldn’t be a shocker.

Offense:

The offense should be good. Hamilton always hits, Utley is a stud and Choi is a proven hitter. If Paris brings his bat from Atlanta, this crew should be in the top half.

Pitching:

Jake Peavy highlights an otherwise pretty undistinguished group of starters. Greinke is good, though you never hear his name talked about as one of the better starters in the league. Lambert had been considered a bust, but he improved last year. Street struggled at the end of the year in San Juan, but he’ll get another shot in Kyoto.

Man on the Spot:

Jake Peavy is going to have to carry this otherwise untested starting rotation. Kyoto has a shot at a wildcard, but he is going to have to carry this staff for it to happen.

2013 Recap:

Despite sporting the only offense that came within 100 runs of Atlanta's juggernaut, the Ronin just couldn't put a long win streak together in 2013. They played well enough to make the playoffs, ending in an early exit in round one. The pitching ranked near the bottom of the league, thanks to an awful debut by rookie Michael Pelfrey and some rough middle relief. The offense was a sight to behold, with Peppers and Rockwell one-upping each other every game and finishing with nearly identical stat lines (.315, 60,144 vs. .325, 63, 137). The team traded Walt Coon to make room for rookie Reuben Brown, an amazing hitter who could join Rockwell and Peppers among the league's elite run producers.

It really wasn't much of an off season for the Ronin. Preston Wilson retired and Derrek Lee was sent packing, but Osaka had internal options to fill those spots and didn't need to go with free agents. They kept John Webb and uber-pinch hitter Rob Mackowiak. The team could have used upgrades to the bullpen, but the price of closers got ridiculous, so GM Tom Hey stayed with what he had.

With Chiang-Mai looking to be a bit worse this year, you have to like Osaka's chances to win the division in 2014. They have the best offense and the most consistent starting pitching in the division, and as long as they can overcome what is potentially a terrible bullpen, they should be right in it all year. The team has holes to fill, so fans hope the front office will be aggressive in upgrading the team and avoiding another quiet finish in the playoffs. 

Offense:

The best offense in a division with great lineups. The Ronin were the first team with a pair of 60+ HR players in one year, and it could easily happen again this season. Reuben Brown looks just as mean. A-Rod enters his 20th season of pro ball looking as good as ever. Will rookie 1B Ken Ryu join the hit parade? Scouts say yes. Jordan and Schalk are good enough in a lineup with this much power. If the team is bad, it won't be on these guys. 

Pitching:

The starting rotation isn't spectacular, but there are no holes. Few other teams can say that all five of their starters are capable of double digit wins and 3.50 ERA's. The bullpen, on the other hand, could be a nightmare. Seriously, this could be the worst pen in the league when all is said and done. Don Drysden is the best pitcher in there. Yikes. Kurt Ainsworth at closer? Okay, I know Tom has been soured against spending a lot on "marquee" bullpen arms (he's had more than his share suck for no reason), but just handing the ball over to whoever is likely to be a bad decision. If the team catches lightning in a bottle and a couple of these guys play over their heads, then I'll give Tom credit in the MSR's, but for now, this just looks terrible.

Man on the Spot:

PelfreySeayDrysdenHammondBootcheckAinsworth.  

2013 Recap:

The Ronin won 87 games and a wildcard berth, but lost to Chiang-Mai in six games in the playoffs. Atlanta’s historic 2013 offense may have been the leagues best, but Osaka did what it could to keep pace, clubbing an astonishing 340 homeruns. Dave Peppers hit 63 and pushed Lemming for the MVP. Chest Rockwell hit 60 and actually posted a higher slugging percentage (.676 to .673). All in all, they had ten players finish with at least ten homeruns, not including Walt Coon, who they traded to Cleveland in order to make room for Reuben Brown, who only hit 20 homeruns in 252 at bats. Allegations that Osaka’s water supply was steeped in Andro appear to be untrue. Ben Sheets led them in wins with 17, and Jason Jennings, who came over in the Coon trade finished with 13 wins with a 3.77 ERA.

They kept John Webb, giving him a rather substantial raise (of course, he was making only $450,000, so it had to happen). Other than that, they didn’t do much. They signed Scott Podsednik for depth and threw deals at a handful of relievers. The 2014 Osaka team will look a lot like the 2013 version, which might be good enough to get them into the playoffs again. Especially if they hit 5,000 homeruns one more time.

Not a lot of turnover from last year’s roster coupled with big changes in Chiang-Mai means that Osaka will probably win the division this year. Rueben Brown is a stud and will be better than Walt Coon as early as this year.

Offense:

The only group that can push Atlanta for offensive dominance. Peppers almost made a run at Bonds homerun record and Rockwell was right behind. Atlanta’s offense may be better, but you’d be hard pressed to find a more fearsome group of hitters than in Osaka.

Pitching:

Since Osaka is such a hitters haven, the pitching tends to look worse than it is. Sheets can throw, Webb is pretty good and Pelfrey should be better than he is.

Man on the Spot:

Reuben Brown came up late in the year and made a big splash. Ronin fans have already forgotten the name of Walt Coon, but if Brown struggles, they might remember his name real quick.

2013 Recap:

Taipei was more in line with what we expected from an expansion team. They finished in last, just one game ahead of the worst record in the league, but saw some individual performances to build the team around. Nick Swisher was the team leader offensively, putting up good numbers with little lineup protection from the suddenly pedestrian looking Albert Pujols. The real buzz was around the top two draftees, Tom Maple and Dan Posedel, who jumped straight from college ball into the lineup and doing quite well. Posedel's .388 OBP really stood out. Ted Striker and Ron Mexico surprised everyone by putting up sub 4.00 ERA's and "King" Felix Hernandez eventually turned around a slow start. 

With $4 million less to spend, the Tai Fong had enough of a challenge just retaining Felix Hernandez and Nick Swisher. They did just that, plus added Comeback Player Andrew Brown and Aramis Ramirez. Slight upgrades, but management is counting more on their young players' continued development to improve the team more than splashy free agents. 

While I think it's realistic to expect some improvement from Taipei this season, I can't see this team finishing above last place. Not in this division, not with the lineups the other three teams are running out there. But hey, it takes time to build up a winning franchise, and right now the window of opportunity hasn't opened yet. Payroll can't get much lower, so last place wouldn't be devastating financially. Best to let the kids play and develop while formulating a long term plan. Don't get crazy now! 

Offense:

While this is the worst offense in the division, it's not the worst in the league. Maple and Posedel showed a lot of promise, and if they continue their hitting over a full season, this lineup will be better than a year ago. Extra bonus if Albert Pujols decides to actually hit again. If not, Nick Swisher will have to shoulder too much of the run production, and the team may lose some low scoring games. Aramis Ramirez has never been outstanding, but he does provide more pop than Youkilis did. The 6-8 hitters really aren't that good. One piece at a time, though, one piece at a time. 

Pitching:

Striker, Mexico and Hernandez surprised a lot of hitters last year, but their ability is no longer a secret. Have hitters adjusted to these guys over the winter? Garcia and Neugebauer have been replaced with Brown and rookie Bauers. Brown was the Comeback Player last season, but the jury is out on whether he's now a legit starter or just a flash in the pan. The bullpen got some upgrades with Colome and Liriano, but frankly, just about anyone would have been better than some of the guys they ran out there last year.

Man on the Spot:

Albert Pujols. He signed a huge contract and laid an egg. He had a career low in hits and RBI in 2013, handicapping the offense and drawing boos from Tai Fong fans.  

2013 Recap:

Well, they only won 66 games, but they didn’t have the worst record in the league. Albert Pujols signed a big money deal in the offseason and then took a nap for much of 2013, eventually finding himself in a platoon at the end of the year. Nick Swisher was unexpectedly good, posting an .896 OPS and leading the team with 26 homers. The teams first two (ever) draft picks played immediately, and posted quick dividends. First rounder Tom Maple stole 27 bases in half a season and was at least an improvement over what had been in centerfield before him. The big surprise was second round pick Dan Posedel. The LSU first basemen hit 18 homeruns in 91 games, but more importantly he batted .325 and posted a .388 on base percentage. Ted Striker and Ron Mexico surprised everyone, posting a 3.65 and 3.70 ERA, respectively. King Felix struggled in his first taste of the big leagues, but pitched better towards the end of the year before cashing in over the offseason.

Taipei matched the bids on Swisher and Hernandez, banking on improvement in Felix to bolster their staff. They signed some relief pitching to try to replace what was a big weakness in 2013, but the names brought in don’t look too impressive. They filled their hole at third by signing Aramis Ramirez and their fourth starter spot by signing Andrew Brown who had a nice bounce back year in San Juan. They also threw a contract at Rocco Baldelli to provide depth in the outfield. James Bauers and Gene Alten, two more picks from their 2013 class have made the move to the bigs. Bauers starts the year as the fifth starter and Alten will get a trial by fire at catcher.

Still too young to make a big move forward, though a full season out of Posedel and Maple should mean they’re better than they were a year ago. The rotation will be better with the addition by subtraction of losing Garcia and Neugebauer, but the best these guys are going to finish would be third.

Offense:

Not a real strong group. Pujols should be better than he was last year, but another weak spring have cast doubts. Crosby is decent at short and Maple and Swisher should be productive in the outfield. Posedel was great at first last season, but there are questions if he can do it again. Alten will probably be a black hole at catcher until he gets his feet under him.

Pitching:

Striker and Mexico surprised everyone last year, and King Felix looks much improved in the spring. The bullpen is a total toss up, they could be good or they could be awful.

Man on the Spot:

Felix Hernandez struggled for much of 2013, but a late surge earned him some big bucks in the offseason. He has to keep improving throughout the season if the Tai-Fong want to get out of the cellar.