AND SO IT BEGINS...AND SUCKS

The Gunslingers are off to a typical start for 2010.  Ramon S. Ramirez came in to face Derek Jeter, and gave up a single.  He retired Nick Johnson to end the 6th inning, but then came back in the 7th to ignite the Bombers third and final scoring rally of the night by giving up a leadoff walk to Mark Teixeira and a double to A-Rod before giving way to lefty Hideki Okajima.  Okajima allowed both inherited runners to score on a ground out and a single.  Thus, while Okajima's line looks good, Ramirez's looks like day-old doody (0.1 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 0 SO).  The vagaries of relief pitching strike again.  I wouldn't mind it if I also had Okajima and got the benefits of his "scoreless" inning of work, but of course, he is on another team.  I can't really complain, though.  My guy came in to face four batters and three reached base.  Any way you dissect it, it's not a good outing.

On to better news.  Here are the final Spring Training stats for the Gunslingers:

How about that Mike Trout?  Nobody has torn through the southwestern US like that at such a young age since Billy The Kid.  All four hits were for extra bases!

The offense and pitching both finished strong, if you recall from last week's numbers.  We raised the OPS from .830 to .868 and lowered the ERA from 5.05 to 4.24.  The WHIP is still pretty bad at 1.42, but I love the SO/BB ratio.  I'm still very concerned about Adrian Gonzalez and Bobby Abreu.  Bobby had all sorts of aches and pains and could be in his first big decline year, and Adrian is only half-heartedly thinking about his future with the Padres, which should be brief.  I also don't like the looks of Kevin Millwood.  We'll find out a lot more about him this afternoon.

TEAM EVALUATIONS: HIGHLANDERS

Team: Highlanders

Conference: Liberty

Division: North

2009 Record: 103-59, 1st Place

Typical Lineup:

1B Kevin Youkilis

2B Skip Schumaker/Nick Punto

SS Erick Aybar/Nick Punto

3B Chipper Jones/Mark DeRosa

LF Lastings Milledge/Skip Schumaker

CF Marlon Byrd

RF Jeff Francoeur

C Jason Kendall/Ryan Hanigan

DH Hideki Matsui/Kyle Blanks

Youk, Chipper, Byrd, Aybar, and Matsui are a solid base, but there are some real sinkholes in there with Kendall, Milledge, Punto and Francoeur.  It'll be difficult to keep all of those guys out of the lineup because of usage issues, which will severely detract from run production.

Starting Rotation:

Jered Weaver

Jeff Niemann

Doug Davis

Ricky Romero

Jose Contreras/Chad Gaudin

Rick VandenHurk/Dustin Nippert

Weaver is a borderline ace, and Niemann will be one soon, but the rest of the rotation is below average and will struggle mightily.  The less Contreras pitches, the better, and there are some slightly better options.

Bullpen:

Kris Medlen

Brandon Morrow

Chad Gaudin

Dustin Nippert

Really thin and terrible.  No lead is safe with this pen.

Closer:

Ramon Troncoso

Probably the league's worst.

Minors:

Ike Davis

Kyle Drabek

Jeremy Hellickson

Ryan Kalish

Angel Salome

Davis should be a viable option at 1B when Chipper retires and Youk moves to 3B.  Drabek is on the fast track to the top of the Blue Jays rotation. and Hellickson will get his shot with the Rays this year.  Kalish is a high-OBP guy that fits in well with the Red Sox prototype.  Salome dropped behind Jonathan Lucroy in the Brewers catching depth chart, but still has some promise.  The two excellent pitching prospects are especially sorely needed.

The Highlanders find themselves in a very deep hole after last year's superb showing.  I'm projecting them to take the biggest fall, and to actually reverse their win and loss totals from last year.  That may be overly harsh, but there are some really good teams in their conference, and their overall OPS and WHIP do not portend much success this year.

Predicted Record: 59-103

WRIGHT HERE ALMOST RIGHT NOW

David Wright went deep off Marlins ace Josh Johnson, and Aaron Hill left the yard against Phillies ace Roy Halladay.  Bring on Johan Santana, Jair Jurrjens and whoever the "ace" of the Nats might be, we'll take on the whole NL East!  Juan Uribe added his third spring homer to the fiesta (Andres Torres hit yet another double in that game).  Russell "Turtle" Martin emerged from his shell and got back into real spring baseball, going 0-for-2.  Absolutely none of my pitchers appeared yesterday.

Only three more days until it counts!  The Yankees and Red Sox have a Sunday night game, and thankfully, it's not in Japan or some other ridiculous place.  Ramon S. Ramirez will be the only eligible Gunslinger, assuming he goes north.  The two highest payrolls in the game, and I have a total of one guy, a non-closer reliever, from either team.  Maybe that's where I've failed.  Well, that's one of the ways I've failed, for sure.

TEAM EVALUATIONS: QUAKES

Team: Quakes

Conference: Patriot

Division: West

2009 Record: 67-95, 3rd Place

Typical Lineup:

1B Daniel Murphy

2B Macier Izturis/Delwyn Young

SS Yunel Escobar

3B Aramis Ramirez/Josh Fields

LF Raul Ibanez

CF Willy Taveras/Scott Podsednick

RF Garrett Anderson

C Ramon Hernandez/Nick Hundley/Chris Coste

DH Magglio Ordonez/Mike Jacobs/Jim Thome

That's a really poor lineup, especially with Taveras, Podsednick and Anderson putting the "out" in outfield.  Escobar, Ibanez and Ramirez in a limited role will be helpful, but the rest are below par.

Starting Rotation:

Ted Lilly

Justin Verlander

Ryan Dempster

A.J. Burnett

Hiroki Kuroda/Clayton Richard

Not bad at all.  In fact, quite good.  Lilly, Dempster, and Verlander are a quality trio, and the rest will fill in with average to above-average innings.

Bullpen:

Chad Durbin

Mark Lowe

Edward Mujica

Joe Smith

John Rauch

Not anything special, but not a mess by any means.  They should keep the Quakes in the game most of the time.

Closer:

LaTroy Hawkins

Hawkins had a great year last year, but didn't actually close a lot of games for the Astros, so that will limit his effectiveness in this role in Strat.  He should be decent at worst, though.

Minors:

None

Not a good sign.  Ian Desmond will be a rookie at SS this year for the Nationals, but this is one position the Quakes don't really need, as young and talented as Escobar is.

It will be a long, tough year for the Quakes as they navigate the same division as the Chuggers and Mammoths.  With that starting pitching, I expect they will do decently outside the division, but may lose 90% of their games against the beasts of the Patriot West with such a weak lineup.

Predicted Record: 77-85

START THE SEASON ALREADY!

It was a pretty auspicious day in Gunslingers-land.  First, Miguel Cabrera slugged a couple of homers off a guy I almost drafted but didn't, Brad Bergeson.  Then Mark Buehrle and Ben Sheets faced each other and gave up only one run between them in 10 and one-third innings (although Sheets walked five).  Carlos Quentin homered in that game, and it wasn't off Sheets, amazingly.  Aaron Hill  also homered yesterday.  Finally, Jamie Moyer was named to the fifth starter spot for the Phillies, which means I will have six active starting pitchers as of Opening Day (with Buehrle and Kevin Millwood actually starting on Opening Day).  Let's get this party started!  Until the inevitable collapse, anyway.

I've determined that I will be going way over in assigning win totals in my team evaluations, and I went back and re-figured it.  I didn't bother to update the posts, because if anybody from the league reads them, I usually overestimated the wins and made the team look better than they probably are. I left myself with about 65 wins even after I re-figured everything, which might be depressingly accurate.

TEAM EVALUATIONS: SAWYERS

Team: Sawyers

Conference: Liberty

Division: Northeast

2009 Record: 89-73, 2nd Place

Typical Lineup:

1B Justin Morneau

2B Brian Roberts

SS Troy Tulowitzki

3B Andy LaRoche

LF Jason Bay

CF Jacoby Ellsbury

RF Ben Zobrist

C Geovany Soto/Kelly Shoppach/Gregg Zaun

DH Ryan Howard/Denard Span/Ryan Church

Truly awesome.  All-Stars everywhere, with Morneau, Tulowitzki, Howard, Bay, and the versatile Zobrist.  The defense is equally outstanding, with hardly a weak link anywhere.  About the only criticism is 3B, where LaRoche is a bit of an out machine, although he does provides good defense.  Also, Soto had an off year, and his backups aren't that great either.

Starting Rotation:

Javier Vazquez

Dan Haren

Jon Lester

Gavin Floyd

Jorge De La Rosa

The top three are about as good as any top three in our league, and Floyd and De La Rosa are no worse than average.  The Sawyers will have a lot of games wrapped up after seven innings with this offense and this staff.

Bullpen:

Rafael Betancourt

Carlos Marmol

Peter Moylan

Eric O'Flaherty

Huston Street

Marmol and Moylan are only maybe a little better than average, but O'Flaherty, Betancourt, and either Street or Papelbon for the 8th inning should be sufficient to get the Sawyers to the closer.

Closer:

Jonathan Papelbon

One of the game's best.  Street could just as easily do the honors, which should help with some playoff matchups.

Minors:

Jake Arrieta

Lonnie Chisenhall

Hank Conger

Casey Kelly

Dustin McGowan

Mike Stanton

The Sawyers have methodically built a powerhouse team since joining the league, improving every year, and this crop of minor leaguers shows no slowdown to that process.  Stanton will be a fixture in the outfield for years, and Arrieta, Kelly, and McGowan should contribute solid innings in the near future.  Conger is close to being ready to bolster the catching position, and Chisenhall will hope to supplant LaRoche at 3B soon.

This club is poised to take it up one more notch and capture the Liberty Northeast crown from a declining Coruscant team.  I don't see any superior teams in their way from the rest of the conference, so look for them to meet the survivor of the Mammoths/Chuggers series in the USSP World Series.  They should compete well there, but fall a bit short.

Predicted Record: 99-63

TROUT MAKES AN OUT

Jonathan Sanchez continued his bipolar act, swinging to the good side with an 11 K outing against the Brewers in six innings.  The next opponent gets bad Jonathan, which will be a regular season game, if my luck holds up.

Alexi Ramirez had three singles and a stolen base.  Mike Trout made his first out of the spring, but also got a single, which lowered his BA to .667.  I'm not sure what he's still doing in the major league camp.  He should be starting the season in high A or AA, and he's not moving Torii Hunter out of CF any time soon.  I just found out that Trout is from Millville, NJ.  I played an over 30-league game in Millville once.  I probably played on the same field he played at.

Less than a week to real baseball!

TEAM EVALUATIONS: FISHFLIES

Team: Fishflies

Conference: Patriot

Division: Central

2009 Record: 91-71, 2nd Place

Typical Lineup:

1B Joey Votto/Aubrey Huff

2B Ian Kinsler

SS Elvis Andrus/Reid Brignac

3B Alex Rodriguez/Michael Young

LF Johnny Damon

CF Randy Winn

RF David Murphy/Josh Anderson

C Kurt Suzuki/Dioner Navarro

DH Aubrey Huff/Michael Young/Alex Rodriguez

Votto, Kinsler, A-Rod and Young are spectacular, but the outfield is mediocre at best, and the fewer AB to Dioner Navarro, the better.  Defensively, it looks pretty good, except in LF with Damon.  

Starting Rotation:

Josh Johnson

John Danks

Joe Blanton

Ricky Nolasco

Jake Peavy/Mark Rzepczynski

Wade Davis/John Niese/Chris Young

It's better than all the names makes it look, although having nine guys who can start is something to be envious of.  Johnson is an ace and Danks is better than average.  Blanton and Nolasco are effective innings munchers, and the combinations of Peavy and Rzepczynski and the Davis/Niese/Young will get people out.

Bullpen:

Craig Breslow

Tim Byrdak

Darren O'Day

Jose Valverde

Sean White

Great versatility with O'Day coming sidearm from the right side and Byrdak missing a lot of lefty bats, plus Breslow and White getting righties out and Valverde also able to close.  This is a major strength.

Closer:

Francisco Cordero

Better than average and should be in a lot of games.

Minors:

Jason Heyward

Will Myers

Michael Taylor

Jaff Decker

Heyward is ready now and will move right into the Fishflies weak RF spot and put up big numbers.  Taylor, Myers, and Decker are longer-range prospects that can all play.  The lack of pitching prospects is probably a conscious strategy, and shouldn't be a problem in the short term.

The nine starters, the bullpen, and the stars in the infield will carry the Fishflies to a lot of wins.  I expect them to take the division, and then bow out gracefully to the Chuggers in round one of the playoffs.

Expected Record: 96-66

SPRING STATS, PART IV

This will probably we the final Spring Stats, since next Monday is Opening Day, and I won't care any more.  Then again, maybe I will.  We'll leave that open.

OFFENSE

The good: The team OPS of .839 is encouraging.  The 83 SO/64 BB ratio is excellent.  Miguel Cabrera, Aaron Hill and Hunter Pence are raking.  Andres Torres will never supplant Aaron Rowand in CF for the Giants, but it isn't because of his bat.  David Wright has picked it up.

The bad:  Bobby Abreu and Adrian Gonzalez look terrible.  Bobby never starts strong, but I'm hoping Gonzalez isn't in "Operation Shutdown" until San Diego finally trades him.  I can't really afford that.  Russell Martin may struggle until he gets a few swings in, which, given his poor start last year, isn't helpful.

PITCHING

The good:  Mark Buehrle, Kenshin Kawakami and Jamie Moyer have been outstanding.  Luke Gregerson, Nick Masset, and Darren Oliver are right where they need to be.  He's not shown here, but Francsico Rodriguez has also been sharp.  I like the 117 SO/48 BB ratio.

The bad: The team ERA of 5.05 and team WHIP of 1.52 are awful, but Spring Training is usually a hitter's paradise.  Kevin Millwood and  Ben Sheets might make this a brutally long season for me.  Andrew Miller was sent down, and Jose Mijares and Ramon S. Ramirez got shelled regularly.  Jonathan Sanchez will drive me crazy again this year, it appears.

I'll do another team evaluation later.

TEAM EVALUATIONS: FURS

Team: Furs

Conference: Liberty

Division: Northeast

2009 Record: 69-93, 5th Place

Typical Lineup:

1B Nick Swisher/Daric Barton

2B Clint Barmes

SS Marco Scutaro/Jose Reyes

3B Pedro Feliz

LF Carlos Lee

CF Franklin Gutierrez/Cody Ross

RF Juan Rivera/Jay Bruce

C Rod Barajas/Omir Santos

DH Travis Hafner/Rickie Weeks

They have two of the best fielding CF in the league, but they both can't play at the same time.  Feliz is a gaping hole offensively at 3B, and Swisher is out of position at 1B.  Barmes is a decent defender at 2B, but he didn't hit much.  Scutaro is a little better at SS.  Lee and Rivera should hit well, but they are liabilities in the field.  The DH and C positions aren't very strong offensively relative to the rest of the league.  As a whole, the lineup has possibilities, but is maybe only average or slightly below, with an uneven defense.

Starting Rotation:

Adam Wainwright

Ubaldo Jimenez

Barry Zito

Trevor Cahill

Carl Pavano

The rotation starts out very strong with a couple of genuine aces, but then peters out at the end.  Wainwright and Jimenez should win a ton of games and keep the Furs above water.  Cahill and Pavano will be trying to sink them every fifth day, though.

Bullpen:

Alfredo Aceves

Phil Coke

Lance Cormier

Jeff Fulchino

Fernando Rodney

Not bad.  Aceves, Fulchino and Cormier will do the bulk of the setting up, and Rodney can also close.

Closer:

Bobby Jenks

The big man is still pretty effective.

Minors:

Carlos Carrasco

Freddie Freeman

Austin Jackson

Mike Leake

Josh Vitters

Either Freeman or Vitters should solve the 1B problem pretty soon, and Jackson is yet another fleet-footed CF that could be used as trade bait.  Leake will probably start as a rookie for the Reds coming out of Spring Training in 2010, and Carrasco looks ready to step into an important role in the Indians rotation.  It's a small but talented collection that fills some needs.

The Furs look very much improved from 2009, and should be in the mix for a playoff spot behind OshKosh in the competitive Liberty Northeast.  I think they will battle the Senators to the wire, and possibly lose out at the end, mostly because of the relatively weak offense.

Predicted Record: 88-74

MILLER LOW LIFE

It's official.  Andrew Miller was shipped out to the New Orleans Zephyrs, having booted away whatever slim chance he had to make the Marlins starting rotation.  This may be the last we see of Andrew, yet another casualty in my long quest for decent starting pitching.

On a better note, Kenshin Kawakami and Mark Buehrle both had strong starts.  Kawakami worked six shutout innings, while Buehrle allowed no earned runs in five innings.  Luke Gregerson picked up a save in that same game, and Nick Masset worked a scoreless inning in Tuscon.

Hunter Pence had a double among his three hits against the Phillies for the only offensive highlight for the Slingers on Thursday.  Russell Martin caught four innings in a AA game, and it looks like he should have no trouble making it back in time for Opening Day.

TEAM EVALUATIONS: MAMMOTHS

Team: Mammoths

Conference: Patriot

Division: West

2009 Record: 117-45, 1st Place

Typical Lineup:

1B Albert Pujols

2B Dustin Pedroia

SS Stephen Drew

3B Alex Gordon/Scott Rolen

LF Corey Hart/Matt Diaz

CF Vernon Wells

RF J.D. Drew/Seth Smith

C Joe Mauer

DH Jason Kubel/Carlos Pena

Un-freaking-believable.  You have to credit the owner for amassing this wealth of talent.  Absolute studs everywhere you look.  Pujols, Mauer, Pedroia, all MVP's.  Makes you want to gouge your eyes out in jealousy.  Even the backups are better than my guys.

Starting Rotation:

Zack Greinke

Tim Lincecum

Yovani Gallardo

Matt Garza

Rich Harden

BOTH Cy Young winners!  It just keeps getting worse for us opponents.  Rich Harden is his FIFTH starter!  I would kill for Rich Harden.

Bullpen:

Grant Balfour

Brian Wilson

Sergio Romo

Matt Thornton

Gah!  Eyes almost out completely now!

Closer:

Jonathan Broxton/Heath Bell

All gone now.  Typing by feel only.

Minors:

Kenny Diekroeger

Jeff Francis

Anthony Rendon

As if he needs any more talent.

The Mammoths will subdue, crush and destroy this league.  The only possible obstacle will be the Chuggers, who can't quite match up to all the ways the Mammoths can beat you.  Then it will be an easy romp to the World Series title over the Liberty Conference winner.

Predicted Record: 125-37

K-ROD K'S THEM ALL

Brian Matusz was merely average yesterday, allowing nine hits and three earned runs in six innings against the Cardinals.  I'll take it.  Francisco Rodriguez must have unleashed the slider a few times as he struck out all three Astros he faced.

Bobby Abreu had a double and a single and Carlos Quentin and Kosuke Fukudome had three singles each in separate games in Arizona.  There were a whole lot of oh-fers other than that.  Adrian Gonzalez got a rare single this spring.  Come on, Red Sox, make the trade so that Adrian will stop pouting.

TEAM EVALUATIONS: LAKERS

Team: Lakers

Conference: Liberty

Division: Northeast

2009 Record: 70-92, 4th Place (as Bobcats)

Typical Lineup:

1B Paul Konerko

2B Orlando Hudson

SS Miguel Tejeda

3B Adrian Beltre

LF Garrett Jones/Nolan Reimold

CF Nolan Reimold/Ryan Raburn

RF Jayson Werth

DH Vladimir Guerrero/Nick Johnson

C A.J. Pierzynski/Josh Bard

Only Werth (and Garrett Jones in a more limited role) had a truly outstanding season among this group.  Even so, it adds up to a workable lineup.  There are a couple of 1's in the infield with Hudson and Beltre, but the rest of the defense is lacking, and there is no true centerfielder.  This was a great team about three years ago, but a lot of these guys are long in the tooth and on the decline.

Starting Rotation:

Chad Billingsley

John Garland

Randy Wells

Ross Ohlendorf

Derek Lowe

The rotation was boosted with 2010 draft picks Wells and Ohlendorf, but only to closer to average rather than good.  Derek Lowe is a dead weight at the back end.

Bullpen:

Matt Guerrier

Trevor Hoffman

Octavio Dotel

James MacDonald

Trever Miller

George Sherrill

A big strength for the team, especially Hoffman, Guerrier and Sherrill.  Miller makes a terrific LOOGY.

Closer:

Joe Nathan

One of the game's best, Nathan should protect most of the Lakers leads.  It was unfortunate that he had to get Tommy John surgery this spring, but the team has some other options with Hoffman and Sherrill.

Minors:

Michael Burgess

Jose Iglesias

Shelby Miller

Jared Mitchell

Wilson Ramos

Ben Revere

Carlos Santana

Jordan Walden

Drew Storen

Plenty of blue-chip talent here.  Santana should solve the catching problems, and Jose Iglesias may be ready at SS very soon after the Red Sox threw $6 million at him.  The rest are top prospects with good potential that should help the aging lineup get younger very soon.

The Lakers great bullpen will probably not be enough to completely counteract the middling offense and starting pitching, at least not for a playoff spot, but I think they will improve over 2009.  They have the 10th best WHIP and 10th best OPS in the league, which points to an average season.  I'm thinking the relievers will account for a few extra wins, though, to get them into the positive category.

Predicted Record: 83-79

TORRES, TORRES, TORRES!

Andres Torres continued his amazing run of extra-base hits with a double and a triple off former Flash/Gunslinger Gavin Floyd of the White Sox.  Alexei Ramirez had two hits in the same game.

None of my starters pitched again on Tuesday, and only Ramon S. Ramirez got in from the bullpen, allowing one run in an inning and a third.

There was a Mike Trout sighting out in Arizona, but he didn't get an AB.  It was a road game for the Angels, so they probably packed the bus with all kinds of youngsters.  Mike is still 1-for-1 this spring with a triple.

TEAM EVALUATIONS: BOMBERS

Team: Bombers

Conference: Liberty

Division: North

2009 Record: 59-103, 4th Place

Typical Lineup:

1B Prince Fielder

2B Brandon Phillips

SS Edgar Renteria/Brendan Ryan

3B Joe Crede/Jack Hannahan

LF Ben Francisco/Willie Harris/Angel Pagan

CF Nyjer Morgan/Angel Pagan

RF Michael Cuddyer

DH Russell Branyan/Ben Francisco

C Jason Varitek/Carlos Ruiz

The lineup isn't that bad for a team that won only 59 games last year.  Cuddyer and Morgan were big additions in the 2010 draft.  Fielder and Phillips make a formidable right side of the infield on offense, anyway, with Phillips also being a plus defender.  Ruiz and Varitek are a strong defensive catching tandem.  The left side of the infield is a mess on offense, but they should save some runs defensively.  Left field looks like a black hole, but Pagan will help there a bit.  Branyan bounced back for a nice year in 2009 and will add some pop at DH.

Starting Rotation:

Kevin Correia

Joe Saunders

Jeremy Guthrie

Andrew Sonnanstine/Matt Palmer

Mark Hendrickson/Robinson Tejeda/Chris Narveson/Carlos Villanueva

Truly awful, especially considering that Correia, a slightly better than league average guy, was a 2010 draft pick.  This rotation will prevent the Bombers from improving much over last year's team, despite the better offense and solid all-around defense.

Bullpen:

Scott Downs

Kevin Gregg

Chris Sampson

Chris Smth

Downs isn't bad, but the rest are punching bags and will not help matters.

Closer:

Ryan Franklin

Franklin is great.  Too bad he won't have much to do this season.

Minors:

Jim Edmonds

Matt Moore

Jacob Odorizzi

The decision to hang on to the 40-year-old Edmonds was questionable, but Moore and Odorizzi look like future stars, albeit a few years away.  This team could use some good young pitching.  The Bombers were probably better served by drafting for the future rather than grabbing Cuddyer, Morgan, and Correia, but we'll see how things play out.

If the Bombers had any decent pitching, aside from their excellent closer, I would expect a big jump in wins, but the pitching is terrible and will hold this club back.

Predicted Record: 64-98

OH FOR GRAPEFRUIT

It was a pretty miserable day for the Slingers in Florida, with none of my hitters there managing a safety.  Chris Snyder went 3-for-3 in Arizona, but the rest all cratered in the desert, too.  Luke Gregerson finally re-appeared and pitched a scoreless inning with one strikeout.  I'm in one one of those cycles where all my pitchers appear within a day of each other, and the other days are completely devoid of stats.

Another team evaluation will follow.

TEAM EVALUATIONS: HOBOS

Team: Hobos

Conference: Patriot

Division: Central

2009 Record: 110-52, 1st Place

Typical Lineup:

1B Lance Berkman

2B Jeff Keppinger/Howie Kendrick/Asdrubal Cabrera

SS Asdrubal Cabrera/Rafael Furcal

3B Chase Headley

LF Nelson Cruz/Alfonso Soriano

CF Chris Young

RF Andre Ethier/Milton Bradley

DH Milton Bradley/Alfonso Soriano/Nelson Cruz/Jesus Flores

C Mike Napoli/Landon Powell/Jesus Flores

The Hobos lineup is a patchwork that isn't as great as the parts looks to be, at least not this season.  Berkman pretty much continued to rake, but Soriano, Young, and Bradley didn't contribute much.  Cruz and Ethier make nice corner outfielders.  Cabrera was slightly better with the bat this year at SS, but Furcal will probably bounce back in 2010.  Napoli is a good power-hitting catcher, but his defensive skills are poor.  Flores will give the Hobos 95 good AB's.

Starting Rotation:

C.C. Sabathia

John Lackey

James Shields

Rick Porcello

Ian Snell

Erik Bedard/Daisuke Matsuzaka

This is a better rotation than WHIP and ERA show, and it's not bad even then.  Shields and Porcello are merely slightly above league average at this point, but will improve, and Snell is worse than that.  The others (aside from Dice-K) are terrific and are the aces of their respective staffs.  Bedard's 15 starts will come in very handy.

Bullpen:

Ronald Belisario

Evan Meek

David Robertson

Kerry Wood

Nothing special here, except for Belisario's ability to negate righties.

Closer:

Brian Fuentes

Fuentes is a weak closer who should struggle in this league.  Wood can step in to take off some of the heat, but he isn't much better.

Minors:

Dustin Ackley

James Darnell

Yu Darvish

Desmond Jennings

Ethan Martin

Anthony Ranaudo

Jameson Taillon

A decent collection of talent, with Jennings the only one fairly close to making the major league roster.  The others are pretty far away, and Darvish may never play an inning in the US while enjoying a superstar career in Japan.  Ranaudo and Taillon haven't even been drafted yet, but should have at least a reasonable shot at stardom in three to four years.

The Hobos are in my division, and I was ready to relegate them further down when I saw their overall stats, but the starting pitching looks like that of a contender, and they should be right in the mix if not on top.  Fuentes may cause some problems with end game situations, and the offense looks spotty, but I think they should do well.  Nothing like the 110 wins of last year, but 90 wins appears within reach.

Predicted Record: 92-70

SPRING STATS, PART III

The hitting isn't bad, with an .830 OPS.  The BA is dropping fast, but we're still getting on base and hitting our share of extra-base hits.  Only Hunter Pence, Miguel Cabrera, and Aaron Hill are having strong springs.  Bobby Abreu and Adrian Gonzalez are having an awful time of it.

The pitching is still lousy, but better than last week.  Pretty much everybody improved except Andrew Miller, who appears to have no shot at the fifth spot in the Marlins rotation.  I have six guys who should start the season in someone's rotation, although Jamie Moyer might lose out to Kyle Kendrick.  I'm not sure why Luke Gregerson didn't pitch all week.  There is no news on the wire anywhere saying he was hurt.

SUNDAY HAPPY SUNDAY

What a day for the Gunslingers starting pitching!  Oh, yeah, and that health care thingy, that happened too.

Jamie "Closest In The Majors To Medicare" Moyer faced off against Kevin Millwood, and they both looked pretty sharp.  Moyer struck out six, walked none, and allowed only one earned run in five innings.  Millwood had a nearly identical line, allowing three walks in addition to one earned run and six K's in five innings.  Millwood also gave up a homer to Delta president Paul "Robert" Hoover (who became a public defender in Baltimore...maybe Millwood needs some pro bono work).

Elsewhere, a line of thunder-sunshine moved through Florida, washing out a bunch of games.  Jose Mijares managed an inning of scoreless relief, and Ramon S. Ramirez came in and mopped up after Jonathan Papelbon's six-run meltdown against the Astros by retiring the final two batters of the innings.  Absolutely nothing of note happened for the Gunslingers out in Arizona.

I'll publish a statistical roundup later today and another team evaluation.  And you better come through, Harry Reid.