Camp Inquirer

NL Playoff Race

2010-06-25T21:49:00.005-04:00

6/27 PM2 Update - 3 games remaining in regular season

All division titles have been claimed. Mexico City has secured the #1 seed. Burlington has secured the #4 seed. At this point, the only battles being waged are for the 2nd playoff bye and positioning in the two WC spots.

1. Mexico City (105-54, clinched South, clinched #1 seed)

2. Chicago (99-60, clinched North, tied for #2 seed (claims #2 seed on TB 6-4))
Remaining Schedule: 3 v. New York(N) (3-4)

3. Tucson (99-60, clinched West, tied for #2 seed (loses #2 seed on TB 4-6))
Remaining Schedule: 3 @ Los Angeles (3-4)

4. Burlington (95-64, clinched East, clinched #4 seed)

5. Scranton (90-68, tied for #5 seed (takes #5 on TB win 8-2))
Remaining Schedule: 3 @ Burlington (5-2)

6. Jacksonville (90-68, tied for #5 seed (takes #6 on TB loss 2-8))
Remaining Schedule: 3 v. Trenton (4-3)

AL Playoff Race

2010-06-25T20:21:00.009-04:00

6/27 PM2 Update - 3 games remaining in regular season

North, West, and South division titles have been claimed. Montreal claims #1 seed. Cleveland claims the #5 seed. In the case of Richmond losing and Toledo winning their remaining three games, a tie for the #2 seed would exist, and Toledo would claim the playoff bye, winning the tiebreaker 7-3.

1. Montreal (113-46, clinched North, clinched #1 seed)

2. Richmond (90-69, clinched South, 3 game lead for #2 seed)
Remaining Schedule: 3 v. Little Rock (5-2)

3. Toledo (87-72, 1 game lead in East, 3 GB for #2 seed)
Remaining Schedule: 3 @ Rochester (4-3)

4. San Francisco (86-73, clinched West, 1 GB for #3 seed)
Remaining Schedule: 3 @ San Diego (3-4)

5. Cleveland (95-64, clinched #5 seed)

6. Rochester (86-73, 1 GB in East, 2 games up for #6 seed)
Remaining Schedule: 3 v. Toledo (3-4)

7. New York(A) (84-75, 2 GB for #6 seed)
Remaining Schedule: 3 v. Cleveland (2-5)

Dynasty Over?

2010-06-25T01:19:00.004-04:00

14 Division Titles, 4 World Series Titles, and 15 Straight playoff appearances. With 12 games left on the schedule, the Arizona dynasty appears to be coming to an end, as the struggling franchise has fallen to 6 games back in the wild card race. Barring a meltdown, it looks like the once proud Thunder Chickens will be watching the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. To make matters worse out west, rumors are out that all-world owner Colson55555 may be selling the team.

Arizona Thunder Chickens (NL)
colson55555
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Latino Heat

2010-06-06T20:58:00.007-04:00

The future is looking bright in Syracuse after new owner kthomson landed Cuban star pitcher, Humberto Morales. Morales inked a franchise record $19.5 million deal in the international market, almost 4 times as much as the franchise paid for Mexican pitcher Orber Trajano last year. After a terrible start and the unceremonious goodbye to previous management, fans in Syracuse have something to cheer about.

Humberto Morales
Syracuse
Orange Iguanas
Age: 19	B/T: L/L
Born: Remidios, CU
Position(s): P (SP5)
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Camp Season 16 - Moving Forward

2010-05-25T11:27:00.002-04:00

First I would like to say that in no means am i trying to take a shot at any 1 individual. I think most of us can take a little blame for the world being the mess it is. I personally have made 1 or 2 suspect trades and also won 22 games. You guys can blame me if you want. Now with that said, time to discuss some new rules. Lets just forget the past and not take things personally and move forward. I think everyone that looks at this blog would like to see the world improve and its not gonna happen if nothing changes.

Rule #1 - Anti-tanking Rule - I think this should be as simple as possible. Easy for owners to understand, easy for us to police.
-50/75 win totals. You must win at least 50 games every year and 125 any 2 year span
-50/110/180/260 I believe MikeG mentioned it, little more complex

Rule #2 - Setting your minor leagues - Pretty self explanatory, Not sure the exact wording for this rule though. Maybe no SP below 50% for x amount of games/Must have at least 9 active bats

Rule #3 - Major League players payroll budget minimum - some leagues restrict transfer amounts and international spending. Im personally not a big fan of these but a ML player floor kind of restricts them a little bit, while ensuring more competitiveness at the ML level. Nothing major here, just to keep teams from running league minimums. Maybe 40 million or something

Rule #4 - Cash in trades. I personally am against the buying of players. I like the idea of amount of cash a team offers can only be as high as their players' involved salary. Basically you can only pay your guys salary for the other team.

Please post any rules you guys would like and your feelings on these rules. In no way do I want to put in place rules that we cant all agree on. A few other ideas : voting in new owners, which i dont think is possible with the number of openings we will have this year, restricting relocating/renaming, Contract/transfer/IFA maximums, and ballpark restrictions.

Season 11 NL Preview

2009-01-14T22:32:00.003-05:00

Ah the possibilities of a new season are upon us. International Free Agents, Draft Picks, Award Winners and of course World Series Champions. Each team with it's own expectations and plans for the upcoming year, a year that is undoubtedly make or break for some.

Note: I have ordered each division according to how I think each team will finish. Mr. Mandate helped with the research in this article.

NL NORTH

1. Toronto Greased-Up Deaf Guys

Outlook: The Season 9 Camp World Champs look to get back on track this year after an embarrassing 3-0 series sweep South of the border last season. Don Bale and company will try and repeat it's ML leading 3.20 team era from a year ago.
Key additions:Jo-jo Stewart is a notable addition to the ML staff and could help out considerably.
Key losses: PT Jordan's defense will be missed on a team that tied for 4th in fielding percentage.
Stat Monster: Plenty to choose from on this team but Don Bale going 27-5 last year takes the cake.

2. Chicago Cubs

Outlook: After winning 92 games last year and having their offensive leader, Wilson Sanders, win an MVP, the North Siders are an interesting team this year. Their lineup is powerful and if their pitching can stay healthy they are a good bet to grab another Wild Card spot this year.
Key additions: None
Key losses: Pasqual Parra and his 115 innings of relief could prove to be a problem at the friendly confines.
Stat Monster: Sanders' 80 HR, 181 RBI and .307 average were outlandish.

3. Milwaukee (Mil-A-Wa-K) Bondsman

Outlook: After winning 108 games and making the NLCS in season 1 this team has really crashed and burned. The win total has steadily decreased each of the last five seasons and I don't see that changing much this year. That being said, TheRock has hung in there as an owner and isn't happy about losing. He has continued to try and build his team through the draft and has the likes of Phil Allen and George Damon to show for it.
Key additions: Russell Bell. The former San Francisco pitcher should be a top of the rotation starter for Milwaukee.
Key losses: Stan Pressley and his .405 ob% is going to sting. Not sure how or why he got away.
Stat Monster: Allen and his career-high 43 HR, 112 RBI, and .312 average.

4. Wichita Linemen

Outlook: Here's to hoping strang is a man who likes a challenge. The Linemen finished season 10 with the 5th worst team era, 6.13, and have very little ML talent to speak of.
Key additions: None.
Key losses: Elvis Nicholson and Haywood Gonzalez. While both were solid contributers, it's clearly rebuilding time in Wichita.
Stat Monster: Raymond Pellow, the franchise's brightest young bat, stole 50 bases in season 10 and hit .323.

NL BEAST

1. Tampa Bay Boozers

Outlook: The team that just can't win a title will try again to do just that in Season 11. Sporting what is historically one of the best pitching staffs in all of Camp (Five Cy Youngs between their top three in the rotation), Tampa hopes that it's offseason acquisitions on offense will put them over the top.
Key additions: Ramiro Barcelo and Dusty Mann.
Key losses: $50 million in cap room and Ajax Blair.
Stat Monster: Karl Piersoll went 25-4, posted a world-record 2.18 era and won his second career Cy Young Award.

2. Scranton Coal Miners

Outlook: Scranton's lineup is one of the most formidable in the league. Anchored by Charlie Riley and Sven Reid, the sky is the limit for this group of youngsters.
Key additions: None.
Key losses: The will to carry on after seeing Tampa's moves.
Stat Monster: The ageless Francis Cannon and his 26 HR, 121 RBI and .378 average. That's right, I said .378.

3. Atlanta Regulators

Outlook: UCFKnights has this team on the right track. They are stockpiling young talent and staying competitive at the ML level. Atlanta has some serious firepower on offense but lacks the starting pitching to make a difference this year.
Key additions: Brady Ward is a fine addition in CF. He could be a difference maker. Vincent Colome, a Rule 5 pick, is also an interesting addition.
Key losses: None.
Stat Monster: Scooter Pierce playing way above his head, going 12-4 with a 3.75 era.

4. Augusta Pounders

Outlook: It's no secret that the Pounders are taking a hiatus at the ML level. They will have the #2 overall pick and look to add a big bat to balance out their already pitching-heavy minors.
Key addition: Whomever they grab with the #2 pick and Rule 5 draftee Bernard Beimel.
Key losses: None
Stat Monster: Vincente Martin was an absolute defensive whiz last season, winning a Gold Glove in CF with four errors, 13 plus plays and just one minus play. Oh yeah, he also lead the majors with 91 stolen bases.

NL CENTRAL

1. Mexico City Day Laborers

Outlook: The pain of a World Series collapse still looms large in the city known for its "Fecal Snow". After big moves by Tampa Bay in the offseason, the dater of men pulled the trigger on a deal that brought two time Cy Young Award winner Skeeter Duncan over to Mexico City. Pair that with the likes of Ken Holbert and Rob Reese and you have a team destined to make noise in Season 11.
Key additions: Skeeter, Skeeter, inning eater.
Key losses: None.
Stat Monster: Reese's 38 HR, 114 RBI, 48 SB and .342 average make him the best five-tool player in the bigs.

2. Charlotte Diggities

Outlook: After missing a Wild Card birth by six games last year, the Diggities hope to take the steps neccessary to earn a playoff bid this year.
Key losses: Tony Santos and his 2.86 era will be a huge loss.
Key additions: Oswaldo Torres and Harry Lee will try and fill Santos' shoes. Chipper Matheny will help out in the pen.
Stat Monster: 27 HR, 98 RBI, 40 SB, a Gold Glove in RF and an All-Star appearance. Not a bad rookie campaign for the young stud, Vic Moya.

3. New Orleans Levee Builders

Outlook: Dwhit and his Levee Builders return all five starters in their rotation and appear poised to make a solid run for a playoff spot.
Key losses: Nigel Nomura at second base.
Key additions: Rock Russell, a solid young 3b (and personal favorite of mine) will allow Jerome Martin to move to 2b. Nigel Messmer was a huge sign in the bullpen and should give New Orleans some much needed flexibility.
Stat Monster: Martin and Terry Coleman combined for 91 HR last season.

4. Memphis Blues

Outlook: Memphis' days of competing for a division title are over. Drastic changes must be made for this team to challenge Mexico City any time soon. The #12 overall pick and several Rule 5 picks will help get this franchise back to where it once was.
Key losses: Jack Henley mave have been addition by subtraction.
Key additions: Ike Spencer was a very solid Rule 5 pick.
Stat Monster: Vlad Campos hit 43 HR and drove in 109 runs.

NL WEST

1. Arizona Thunder Chickens

Outlook: The most dominant team in Camp history looks to win the NL West for the 11th straight time. The new Chickens are a different looking team than the ones in the past but still have the firepower to get things done. Orlando Blanco quietly remains one of Camp's top tier SPs.
Key losses: Corey Speaker (Retired), Earl Gabriel, John Bruske and Lance Seaver will be sorely missed.
Key additions: Stan Pressley, Jim Leach, Wes Nichting and Raymond Farley.
Stat Monster: Bruske hit 37 HR, drove in 132 runs and posted a .311 average.

2. Tucson Sands

Outlook: Tucson could easily win this division if they would have signed some pitching in the offseason. Tucson now boasts THE BEST LINEUP IN CAMP. However, as good as their hitting and fielding looks to be, their pitching is equally that bad. They would need to sign Jeff Weaver and Hideki Irabu to improve and earn the status "horrendous".
Key losses: Jim Ventrella and Domingo Diaz make an awful staff worse.
Key additions: Walker Fossum is one of the best hitters I've seen in the game. I've already cast my ROY vote for him.
Stat Monster: Howard Darwin hit .328 and launched 35 bombs in Season 10.

3. Salem Grunge

Outlook: Salem made it clear to everyone, by signing Ajax this offseason, that they fully intend to compete in the NL West. The Grunge's problem is of course the pitching staff. Jvig is hell bent on getting this thing going but with no top of the rotation starters it's going to be real tough.
Key additions: Ajax Blair brings his 365 HR and 95 million dollar contract to town.
Key losses: Ross Kerr left town for Canada.
Stat Monster: Blair pounded out 50 HR and 125 RBI for Tampa Bay last season.

4. Omaha Overload

Outlook: Despite having some scattered talent at the ML level, Omaha is one of the worst overall franchises in Camp. Godspeed Readhead.
Key additions: PT Jordan and Posiedon Grey were both solid acquisitions.
Key losses: None.
Stat Monster: Banana Byrne went 14-6 with a 3.51 last season and won league's Most Fun Name To Say Award.

Adams gets record max deal from Boozers

2009-01-07T15:22:00.010-05:00

Inks 5-year $110 million deal

Just when you thought the contract Otis Parent signed with Tampa Bay yesterday was big, the Boozers go and outdo themselves. The team announced today the re-signing of pitcher Matt Adams to a 5-year $110 million deal that includes a $10 million signing bonus, a no-trade clause and a player option for the final season worth $20 million.

The 35-year-old six-time All-Star and 2-time Cy Young Award winner was 21-9 last season in Tampa Bay with a 3.21 ERA in 34 starts. Adams ranks second all-time in strikeouts with 1,798 and third all-time in wins (185) and WHIP (1.16).

The contract signing marks the largest in Camp history, breaking the previous record set yesterday by Parent's deal with the Boozers.

Matt Adams
Tampa Bay
Boozers
Age: 35	B/T: L/L
Born: Simi Valley, CA
Position(s): P (P)
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Tampa Bay gives Parent record deal

2009-01-06T23:15:00.009-05:00

Homerun king signs 5-year $100 million deal

After days of heavy bidding and much speculation, Camp's all-time homerun king will remain in Tampa Bay. All it took to keep him there was a record breaking contract.

Parent has inked a 5-year $100 million deal with the Boozers that includes a no-trade clause. The contract is by far the largest ever given to a player in the history of Camp. Parent, who has 650 career homeruns, has spent all 9.5 of his ML seasons in Tampa Bay.

Last season Parent hit .289 with 64 homeruns and 163 RBI with a 1.001 OPS. It marked the fifth time in the past six seasons that the 5-time All-Star and 3-time MVP had hit more than 60 homeruns in a season.

Otis Parent
Tampa Bay
Boozers
Age: 30	B/T: L/L
Born: Hammond, IN
Position(s): 1B
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Hartford lands Thurman

2009-01-06T20:36:00.006-05:00

Slugger signs 4-year $72 million deal

Former Toledo Flame Thrower masher Curt Thurman took the money and ran east. The free agent left fielder has left Toledo to sign a 4-year $72 million deal with the Hartford Minutemen which includes a $2 million signing bonus.

The 31-year-old 4-time All-Star is fourth on Camp's career homerun list with 450 career dingers. In his final season with Toledo last year he hit .281 with 42 homeruns and 128 RBIs. He joins a powerful lineup in Hartford that already includes sluggers Raymond Purcell, Terrence Malone, Ron Turner, Dewayne Long and Edgar Paniagua.

Curt Thurman
Hartford
Minutemen
Age: 31	B/T: R/R
Born: Queens Village, NY
Position(s): 2B/1B/LF/DH
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Gabriel leaves Arizona

2009-01-05T16:19:00.004-05:00

Signs 2-year deal with Burlington

Camp's all-time wins leader Earl Gabriel has left the Arizona Thunder Chickens after 9.5 seasons with the team to sign a 2-year $2.6 million deal with the Burlington Bees. The 40-year old Gabriel was 7-1 last season in 44 appearances (8 starts) with a 4.36 ERA. The ERA was a career worst for Gabriel and his 1.33 WHIP was also a career worst.

The 2-year deal is probably the final contract of his career for the 5-time Cy Young Award winner and 7-time All-Star. The lefty will likely be used in a relief role in Burlington.

Earl Gabriel
Burlington
Bees
Age: 40	B/T: L/L
Born: Torrington, WY
Position(s): P (P)
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Best closer ever?

2009-01-04T20:51:00.015-05:00

The argument can certainly be made for Scranton's Charlie Winston. Season 10's NL Fireman of the Year is Camp's all-time leader in saves with 287 (leads second place Ricky Adkinson of Tampa Bay by 92 saves) and with another average season this year, he'll become Camp's all-time ERA leader (needs just under 80 IP to qualify).

The 8-time All-Star has made every All-Star team since season 2 and is also a 3-time Fireman of the Year (two times in the AL, once in the NL).

At 32-years-old, Winston enters season 11 (his fourth in Scranton) coming off one of the best seasons of his career. Last year he saved a career-high 37 games in 41 opportunities while pitching in a career high 82.2 innings and posting a 2.18 ERA. Winston also enters season 11 in the final year of the 3-year $17.4 million contract he signed before season 9. The last two seasons in which Winston was expected to be a free agent the following season were the best two seasons of his career (seasons 3 and 8).

And with Ricky Adkinson's reduced save opportunities in recent seasons, Winston has a chance to record 300 career saves before any other reliever can notch 200. Best closer ever? I'd say so. And he's not done yet.

Charlie Winston
Scranton
Coal Miners
Age: 32	B/T: L/L
Born: Fithian, IL
Position(s): P (ClA)
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O-Par, Abreu-cadabra and Karl

2009-01-02T16:34:00.008-05:00

O-PAR, ABREU-CADABRA AND KARL

First Ten Seasons Dominated By Handful of Superstars

(Philadelphia, PA) Well, that’s a wrap on the first ten seasons of Camp. We saw damn fine baseball year in and year out from numerous major league greats; but I don’t think it a reach to say a handful of superstars have dominated the game. Names like Gabriel, Abreu, Parent and Adams were consistently acheiving excellence that far surpassed their peers. In honor of their feats I put together a sampling of the offensive leaders to date, according to WIS Sabremetrics, and verified by yours truly:

• AVERAGE: Felipe Abreu -- .388
• HOME RUNS: Otis Parent – 600 (nice average of 60/per, eh? Eat your heart out Babe)
• RBIs: Otis Parent -- 1,618
• RUNS: Felipe Abreu -- 1,477
• OBP: Felipe Abreu -- .511
• SLG: O-Par -- .678
• OPS: Jim Drese -- 1.107
• SB: Marty Schneider (Who???) Marty Schneider -- 395
• TIMES REACHING BASE: Felipe Abreu -- 3,834
• EXTRA BASE HITS: O-Par -- 951
• HITS: Felipe Abreu –2,351
• SINGLES: Felipe Abreu – 2,108
• DOUBLES: Jim Hardy -- 408
• TRIPLES: DeWayne Long -- 103
• WALKS: Felipe Abreu -- 1,427
(Minimum: 4,000 plate appearances.)

What is most obvious to you? To me, it’s that Felipe Abreu and Otis Parent are first ballot Hall of Famers. What is less obvious is that they’re both afraid of heights and Hillary Duff. Who knew?

Keeping with a theme, here are a few of the pitching leaders from the past ten seasons, again according to WIS Sabremetrics and researched thoroughly:

• WINS: Earl Gabriel -- 216
• ERA: Karl Piersoll -- 2.99
• STRIKEOUTS: Karl Piersoll -- 1,880
• INNINGS PITCHED: Abdul Wallace -- 2,501 2/3
• SAVES: Charlie Winston -- 287
• SHUTOUTS: Karl Piersoll -- 24
• QUALITY STARTS: Abdul Wallace -- 237
• COMPLETE GAMES: Karl Piersoll -- 75
• WHIP: Karl Piersoll – 1.09
• BATTING AVERAGE ALLOWED: Karl Piersoll – .228
• WINNING PERCENTAGE: Earl Gabriel -- .828
• SAVE PERCENTAGE: Darrell Baez -- .892 (166/186)
(Minimum: 1,500 innings pitched. Excluding Save %)

Jumping out and slapping you in the face is the consistent brilliance of Karl Piersoll. Before sitting down and crunching the numbers I went into this expecting Gabriel and Adams to dominate these stats, but it was quickly apparent I forgot about Piersoll. Could it be a two-time Cy Young winner is under-rated as an all-time great? I say yes.

Don’t believe it, here is his actual career stat line:

Other than O-Par I think the player of the first ten seasons is Karl Piersoll. If I can successfully learn how to do it, I will post a poll and see who agrees....and no Marty Schneider (who?) Marty Schneider will not be finalist.

The Road to the World Series

2008-12-15T11:48:00.005-05:00

"Two paths diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
and that has made all the difference."
--- Robert Frost, "The Road Not Taken"

This weekend, the Mexico City Day Laborers will travel to the Richmond Chin Music to start the World Series. The two franchises traveled very different paths to this point. Chin Music was built largley through excellent drafting and trades (see my 12/3/08 post). As you see below, the Day Laborers were built almost exclusively through very high draft picks Which will you travel?

Mexico City Day Laborers (NL)

C - R.J. ("Whassap!") Mieses - Signed as an internationl free agent in season 7
C - Arlie ("Shoeshine") Kendall - Fifth-round draft choice (153 overall) in season 4
1B - Gerald ("Monster") Bennett - First-round draft choice (4th overall) in season 4
1B - Louis ("Strike the") Pose - Ninth-round draft choice (276th overall) in season 3
2B - Donald ("Robster Craws") Shibata - Acquired in the Rule 5 draft in season 8
2B - Lewis ("Sassa") Frascatore - Second-round draft pick (75th overall) in season 3
3B - Mateo ("I Say") Sojo - Drafted 1st overall in the season 6 draft
SS - David ("Ass-Munch") Giles - Acquired via trade in season 8 (a former 17th-overall pick)
SS - Pablo ("El Guante") Suarez - Drafted in the 7th round (212th overall) in season 3
LF - Ken ("The Franchise") Holbert - Drafted 1st overall in the season 7 draft
CF - Rob ("Mario Williams") Reese - Drafted 1st overall in the season 5 draft
RF - ("Dr.") Zues Osborne - Draft in tghe 1st round (12th overall) in season 2
OF - Benito ("Dorito") Guzman - International free agent signed in season 1

SP1 - Pedro ("Meet My") Johnson - Drafted 1st overall in season 3
SP2 - Hector ("Poodles") Soto - International free agent signed in season 1
SP3 - Davey ("Inkjet") Romero - Acquired via trade in season 8
SP4 - Harry ("Ass") James - International free agent signed in season 6
RP - John ("Boom'Boom") Henderson - Drafted in the 8th round (253rd overall) in season 4
RP - Rico ("Jill-wasn't") Jacquez - International free agent signed in season 4
RP - Joshua ("Engelbert") Wainhouse - An original Day Laborer
RP - Albie ("Over Here Sittin' in the Bench") Prieto - International free agent signed in season 3
RP - Carl ("Spackler") Spencer - Drafted in the 5th round (148th overall) in season 3
Cl - ("Kill") Bill Randolph - Acquired via trade from Chin Music in season 7

Does Defense Matter?

2008-12-12T13:38:00.002-05:00

Does defense matter in determining a winning franchise? It's not terribly scientific, but the data below seems to indicate that it does. Of the top 10 defensive teams in the league each year, on average 6.4 make the playoffs:

Season 1 - 4 of the top 10 defensive teams in the bigs made the playoffs
2 - 7 of 10
3 - 7 of 10
4 - 7 of 10
5 - 5 of 10
6 - 5 of 10
7 - 7 of 10
9 - 8 of 10
10 - 7 of 10

More later.

Camp Track Record of Return Owners

2008-12-03T15:16:00.002-05:00

As we approach the end of season 10, I thought it would be interesting to look at the league's history of how many owners return from season to season.

From season 1 to season 2, 22 of 32 owners returned.
From season 2 to season 3, 17/32 (our worst year for this)
From season 3 to season 4, 25/32
From season 4 to season 5, 27/32
From season 5 to season 6, 20/32
From season 6 to season 7, 24/32
From season 7 to season 8, 23/32
From season 8 to season 9, 28/32 (our best)
From season 9 to season 10, 24/32.

On average, we replace 8.67 owners per season. Also notable, simdog is on his third different franchise in Camp this season. I hate to say it, but I have been the only returning owner in my division, the AL South, for the past 4 seasons. Hang in there, yoker70 & zeb25! Thankfully, vegas9517 has already re-upped for season 11.

All-Time Winningest Franchises

2008-12-03T13:07:00.002-05:00

As of the 12/3 pm game, the following are the winningest franchises in Camp:

1. Arizona Thunder Chickens 1080-533 (4 WS titles)
2. Tampa Bay Boozers 1029-584
3. Austin/Richmond Chin Music 981-632 (1 WS)
4. Louisville/Toledo Flame Throwers 954-659
5. Philadephia Athletics 932-681 (1 WS)
6. Toronto Greased-Up Deaf Guys 921-692 (1 WS)
7. San Francisco Slumpbusters 907-706

Gabriel Update

2008-12-03T12:31:00.004-05:00

Two and one-half months ago (the last freaking post on this blog), it was speculated that Earl Gabriel might be entering his Camp swan song. At 39 years old, his skills have been in decline, exacerbated by a stress fracture in his pitching elbow in season 8. Whither Earl the Pearl now?

Entering into the final week of Camp season 10, we find Gabriel largely relegated to swing-starter role on the age-defying Thunder Chickens team. Gabriel is 7-0 with a 4.57 ERA in 42 games (7 of which are starts) and a WHIP of 1.51. The ERA is the highest of his career, the win total ties his lowest, and the WHIP bar far his worst. Nevertheless, he has added to his Camp-record win total, which now stands at 216 (against 44 losses, for an astounding 83% win percentage), 30 more than Abdul Wallace, 32 more than Matt Adams, and 38 more than Orlando Blanco.

While it appears that Gabriel is about to blow the horn on his career, he will nevertheless be remembered as the Gold Standard for starting pitchers in Camp. Farewell, Earl of Camp!

Decision looms on Gabriel's future

2008-09-22T23:15:00.014-04:00

Has the most dominant pitcher in the history of Camp seen the last of his days as a ML starter? It's a fair question to ask considering the decline of Arizona's Earl Gabriel over the past few seasons. Gabriel hasn't been the same since a stress fracture caused him to miss a significant amount of time in season 8 and now the 5-time Cy Young Award winner hits free agency as a 39-year-old.

It's not known what Gabriel's demands are for the upcoming season but one would have to assume that the Thunder Chickens intend on re-signing him. But season 9 was the worst season for Gabriel since his first full season in the desert. He went 14-8 with a 3.88 ERA in 37 starts for Arizona last season, which are pretty decent numbers for the average pitcher. Gabriel, however, is held to a different standard. The 3.88 ERA was his worst since season 2 and his ERA has been climbing sharply since season 7.

Combine a steady increase in ERA with a sharp decline in ratings, and Arizona seems to have a decision on their hands. Heading into season 10, Gabriel has lost 8 points off his stamina, 5 points off his control and 5 and 6 points off his L and R splits respectively, not to mention what he's lost on each of his pitches. To pile on, his health rating, which was never that great, now resides at a scary 47.

Flash Hammond and Orlando Blanco are the clear 1-2 punch at the front of the Thunder Chickens rotation these days but after those two there are plenty of question marks, the biggest of those question marks being Gabriel. Does Arizona try to squeeze as many innings out of him as possible as a starter this season or move him into the bullpen? Do they even re-sign him at 39-years-old or do they let him walk or perhaps even work a sign and trade with another team? Arizona GM colson55555 has said in the past that Gabriel will retire a Thunder Chicken, though that was before his major injury in season 8. Time will tell what's in store for Camp's winningest pitcher of all time.

Flashback to Season 2

2008-08-08T12:25:00.008-04:00

Picking up where pvc left off, I review below Camp season 2, in which an upstart owner took over a fledgling 70-92 franchise and turned it into the World Champs in his first season.

Season 2 Recap

When a franchise relocates under new management after 1 season, it typically means that the franchise is destined for a few years of mediocrity at best. Not so in Camp season 2. Taking over a fledging Mexico City franchise run by a mysterious owner named "dwaskos," TxLnghrn jumped into HBD by naming his franchise the Austin Chin Music. The Chin Music went from 70-92 in season 1 to 98-64, largely because of one key trade mentioned below. Surprisingly, Austin swept through the first two playoff rounds, beating season 1 champ San Diego in the Divison Series, and the (then) Philadelphia Athletics in the LCS. The World Series paired the Augusta Pounders, winners of 106 games on the regular season, against Austin. In a thrilling 7-game series, Austin come out victorious. How did Austin go from the celler to the penthouse in one season? See the "Key Trades" below.

Heroes

The league MVPs were Jamie Hillenbrand in the AL and Alex Rodriguez in the NL. Hillenbrand hit .377, hit 34 HRs, drove in 124 runs, and scored 166. The ironic thing about Hillenbrand is that he'd been traded in the pre-season from Austin to Colorado (see the trade details below), and yet Austin was a better team after the deal. Rodriguez, playing for Toronto, hit .345 with 50 HRs and 188 RBIs and an OPS near 1.200. Ronnie Walton of Augusta won the NL Cy Young, going 23-3 with a 3.48 ERA. Sid Tanner of Austin won the AL Cy, having gone 20-7 3.67 after being acquired from Colorado in the deal for Hillenbrand.

Key Trades

Which leads me to the key trades of season 2. Prior to the beginning of the season, Colorado proposed a deal that would send P - Sid Tanner, OF - Vic Hafner, and 1B - Julian Sanchez to Austin in exchange for OF - Jamie Hillenbrand and P - Rob Sanders. After hesitating to part with Hillenbrand (the best player on his team in season 1), Austin elected to go for it and strengthen his team in 3 areas. As noted above, Tanner went on to win the Cy and go 4-0 with a 0.57 ERA in the playoffs. Meanwhile, Hafner hit .294 with 41 HRs and 153 RBIs and made the all-star game, and Sanchez hit .333 with 17 HRs and 96 RBIs. So, even though Hillenbrand won the MVP, Austin made out like bandits on this one.

Another key trade was Toronto sending P - Enrique Gomez to New Orleans in exchange for 1B - Evan Harrison. While Gomez did go on to save 27 games for NO in season 4, Harrison has become a key cog in Toronto's current juggernaut. Finally, the Huntingon Hillbillies showed their deliverance-ness by trading 1B - Denny Spence to Arizona in exchange for two scrubs. All Spence went on to do was to average .340 for the next 6 seasons for the Chicks.

Season one...a look back

2008-07-23T16:13:00.003-04:00

While season nine wears on and the blog remains stagnant, it's time to take a look back at Camp's opening season. Keep in mind that the amateur draft was much more difficult due to not being able to rank your players. Also, if I missed somebody or you have anything to add, post it up. The blog adds a great deal of fun to the league and shouldn't be treated like the Tucsons of the world.

Heroes

Matt Adams: current Tampa Bay Boozer and former Padre, led San Diego to it's one and only title, going 4-0 in the postseason and posting an outlandish .189 oav and 0.89 whip.
Felipe Abreu: the best hitter this world has to offer set the bar high even for his own standards by collecting 255 hits (single season record) and getting on base at a .497 clip.
Dallas Cameron: Amazingly, this current FA hit 76 bombs and drove in a ridiculous 199 runs to open up Camp. What's more amazing, is that he did all that while swinging at every single pitch that was thrown! Walking 18 times in 667 abs is amazing all by itself

Draft Picks (studs)

Flash Hammond (#1 overall): A can't miss SP prospect to start out proved to be just that. Flash has posted 67 wins at the ML level to go along with an above-average 3.70 era and oh yeah, he's helped Zona win the past three World Series.
Emmanual McCartin (#2 overall): A two-time All-Star, Emmanual McCartin has averaged 27 hr 99 rbi .282 avg over his five full ML seasons. The versatile McCartin has won Silver Sluggers at SS and 3B and captured his first Gold Glove at third base last season.
Matty Robinson (#7 overall): Perhaps the steal of the draft, Robinson can flat out rake. He is approaching 300 career hrs (282) and once hit 68 hr in a single season. Throw in the fact that his career avg and obp is .317/.411 respectively, and you got yourself a franchise player. Matty is a two-time All-Star first baseman and captured his first Silver Slugger at the position in season 8.
John Bruske (#8 overall): How this guy ended up in Zona the past few years, I'll never know. Like almost all Thunder Chickens, Bruske hits over .300 and walks more than he strikes out. Yada, Yada, Yada.

Draft picks (Busts)

Elvis Nicholson (#3 overall): While some may disagree, Elvis is your classic "Ham Sandwich." While failing to win more than 11 game in a season and possessing a career ML era of 4.69, this guy is Camp's version of Kerry Wood without the 20 strikeout game.
Sherman Byrne (#4 overall): Sherman's career era is also in the mid 4's and while his career win loss record stands at 68-33, all I can think of is "YOU COULD HAVE GOTTEN ROBINSON HERE!"
Derrek Stein (#9 overall): If the purpose of the amateur draft was to find somebody to lead your high A team to victory, then I could see Stein being drafted here. But as that is currently not the objective, Stein is an awful choice here. With splits that make Dave23 weak in the knees, DS flat out doesn't have the stuff to be on an ML roster. If Stein sounds familiar, you may know his name from it being attached to the third worst single season loss record (24)!

League Leaders

2008-07-23T09:29:00.002-04:00

National League : Batters

AVG

1 - Francis Cannon (SWB)----.400
2 - Lance Seaver (ARI)--------.365
3 - Matty Robinson (NY2)----.360
4 - Dee James (ARI)-----------.358
5 - Wes Singleton (MEM)-----.356

HR

1 - Matty Robinson (NY2)---27
2 - Flip Marshall (NY2)-----21
3 - Wilson Sanders (CH1)---19
4 - Tomas Nunez (CH1)-----18
5 - Ajax Blair (TB)-----------18

OPS

1 - Matty Robinson (NY2)----1.277
2 - Jim Drese (TOR)----------1.151
3 - Francis Cannon (SWB)---1.118
4 - Flip Marshall (NY2)------1.082
5 - Sven Reid (SWB)----------1.036

League Leaders

2008-07-21T18:57:00.005-04:00

NATIONAL LEAGUE - PITCHERS

WINS

1. Matt Adams - Tampa Bay- 8
2. Jack Harris - Scranton - 7
3. Karl Piersoll - Tampa Bay- 7
4. Orlando Blanco- Arizona - 6
5. Flash Hammond - Arizona - 6

ERA

1. Roy Whitaker - Toronto - 1.69
2. Esteban Castro - Atlanta - 1.82
3. Jorge Cedeno - Memphis - 2.12
4. Earl Gabriel -Arizona - 2.35
5. Don Bale -Toronto - 2.38

SAVES

1. Lon Valdes - New Orleans - 10
2. Galahad Lee - Honolulu - 9
3. Rico Miro - Toronto - 9
4. Bill Randolph - Mexico City - 8
5. Wiki Beltran - Memphis - 8

AMERICAN LEAGUE - PITCHERS

WINS

1. Slim Herrera - Las Vegas - 7
2. Kelvim Cookson - Austin - 6
3. Harry Martin - Las Vegas - 6
4. Stump Womack - Portland - 6
5. Skeeter Duncan - San Francisco - 6

ERA

1. Harry Bonilla - Syracuse - 2.18
2. Stump Womack - Portland - 2.34
3. Karl Quinn - Hartford - 2.76
4. Rick Faulk - Toledo - 2.92
5. Ronnie Walton - Rochester - 3.29

SAVES

1. Darrell Baez - Las Vegas - 14
2. Lefty Brown - Trenton - 12
3. Don Lamb - Detroit - 8
4. Al Bennett - Kansas City - 8
5. Robin O'Keefe - Austin - 7

2008-06-25T11:59:00.003-04:00

SEASON NINE PREVIEW / Part Five

(New York, NY) Without further adieu' we wrap up our franchise previews.

NL South

Memphis Blues / 88-74 / NL South Champs
Season 8 in Review: Came out on top in one of the few compelling pennant races last season by beating out New Orleans with a six game winning streak down the stretch. Arguably the most well coached team in Camp, no club gets more out of their talent than Memphis. On paper the roster looks like a middle to below average club, but the stats don’t lie; finishing in the top 5 of all major pitching categories and holding their own offensively with clutch power hitting, clubbing 230HRs with a top 5 finish in SLG%.

MVP: RHP Cookie Juarez (13 wins – 8 losses, 3.26ERA, 1.27WHIP), continues to do more with less. No one in Camp gets more from his talent than Juarez.

Underachiever: SS Tuck McClain (.246BA, 4HR, 42RBI, 27SB) Rookie was a liability in the field, rather anemic at getting on base, scoring runs and stealing bases. Maybe Blues are asking too much of him.

Outlook: Who can doubt this team’s heart and desire after seven straight seasons of above .500 baseball? The Post will, we think they’re due for a reality check. The rising talents of their Division-mates are the biggest reason we question the Blues’ ability to stay on top in Season 9.
78-84, No Playoffs.

New Orleans Levee Builders / 87-75 / Wild Card Winner- Lost in 1st Round
Season 8 in Review: For the seventh time in eight seasons, NOLB slugged their way into the playoffs, once again dragging their sub-par pitching staff kicking and screaming all the way. However, season 8 saw slight improvement across the board in the staff’s statistics, allowing 62 less runs and raising overall pitching from 12th to 7th in the NL. The bullpen was especially solid, leading the league in saves with 55 and helping the team to above .500 records in extra inning and one run games; one of only 4 teams in the NL to do so.

MVP: LHP Lon Valdes (4-6, 3.35, 46SV, 6BSV) NL Fireman of the Year.

Underachiever: SS Ken Wynn (.270, 28, 92) Solid defensive SS, but that isn’t why he’s the highest paid SS in the league. Offensive production needs to improve dramatically.

Outlook: Age is becoming a concern with this roster, however their key players are at their prime and this is the season to see a breakthrough.
88-74, NL South Champs

Mexico City Day Laborers / 76-86 / No Playoffs
Season 8 in Review: No team used platooning as effectively as Mexico City last season. One of the youngest clubs in Camp, e_mandat used this season as an extended Spring Training, shaking out his large roster to see who would step up. In the meantime, the results were astonishing, taking a perennial doormat and making them very competitive. MCDL improved by 28 wins between seasons 7 and 8. Not much more needs to be said.

MVP: e_mandat, for having the patience to allow his young team to rise to the occasion.

Underachiever: RHP Davey Romero (9-16, 4.48, 1.25) A bit more is needed from your highest paid player and team leader, even if he is only 25 years old.

Outlook: Look for the Day Laborers to continue coming on strong, and depending on their youngsters’ progress, don’t be surprised if they steal this division.
84-78, Wildcard Winners

Charleston Chews / 61-101 / No playoffs
Season 8 in Review: The team Formerly Known as the Houston Puma Monkeys (???) hit the ball all over the park and finished a very respectable 6th in total offense in the NL. Unfortunately, if not for that beer league softball team masquerading as the Tucson Sands, this pitching staff would have finished last in every single pitching category that is tracked…even balks! Actually quite an amazing feat.

MVP: RHP Alfredo Lopez (10-15, 4.31, 1.38) Best of a bad lot.

Underachiever: Previous front office ran a 96 win team into the ground in 3 seasons. Blech.

Outlook: No relief for the newly minted Charleston Chews fans in the near future, however kudos for moving the franchise from a city like Houston to the very under-rated town of Charleston, SC. Mmmm, Planters Inn Punch….ahhhhh.
Well, we were going to go off on a rant against Houston, Texas here, but we’ve deleted it because we’ve been good about not digressing and don’t want to start now. Houston, good Lord…

57-105, No Playoffs.

NL West

Arizona Thunder Chickens / 104-58 / World Champions
Season 8 in Review: Third Championship in a row and 4th in five years. Ho, hum. The Empire led the league in most offensive categories, was top 2 or 3 in all major pitching stats. Yawn. Oh, by the way, only team in Camp to score 1,000+ runs in each and every season, only franchise to win their division each and every season, only franchise with a 20 game winner in each and every season...you get the idea, we’ll spare you the laundry list of similarly superlative statistics this team has compiled. This just in, The Thunder Chickens were good last year and have been for a long time.

MVP: 2B John Bruske (.335, 41, 151) the straw that stirs the drink.

Underachiever: LHP Jumbo Santiago (3-3, 5.98, 1.42, 7SV, 5BSV) Bribed with a $7 mil salary and brought in to close games, he never could put it together. His 390 appearances and 37 years of age have caught up to him.

Outlook: Maybe we are hoping against hope, but this certainly looks like the year the rest of the NL catches up to the Evil Chicken Empire. The NL West however still has long roads to hoe. Look for an unprecedented 9th division title in a row in Arizona.
98-64, NL West Champs

Honolulu Heart Attacks / 83-79 / No Playoffs
Season 8 in Review: This franchise seemed to be progressing towards challenging Arizona for NL West supremacy, culminating with an unlikely Wild Card berth in season 6. With their minor league talent pool it stood to reason there was nowhere to go but up. Well, that’s why they play the games because Season 8 saw HHA take yet another surprising step backwards. Pitching and batting regressed at least 10% across all major statistics since that season 6, while to a man, every key player had sub-par seasons compared to their history and ability…very demoralizing for Heart Attack fans. Actually with the performance they had last season, their nickname makes a whole lot more sense.

MVP: 3B Emmanuel McCartin (.277, 21, 81, .845OPS), NL Silver Slugger winner at third base.

Underachiever: 3B Emmanuel McCartin (.277, 21, 81), Still with his talent and salary, McCartin needs to give the team much more.

Outlook: The talent is there on both sides to pick up where they left off 2 seasons ago, but the Post feels other NL powers will keep them down yet again.
85-77, No Playoffs, but very close.

Seattle Grunge / 68-94 / No Playoffs
Season 8 in Review: A very good pitching staff was sabotaged by a lineup that could not score runs, finishing the season in the bottom four in every major offensive category. If a 17-26 record in one run games wasn’t painful enough, the Grunge were outscored in their 94 losses by an average of less than 2.5 runs per game. No team suffered more tough losses.

MVP: RHP Emmanuel Guerrero (0-3, 4.36, 1.15, 30SV, 5BSV), as close as you could get to a guaranteed save in Camp.

Underachiever: LF Brian Masato (.253, 34, 99) Brought in midway through the season at a steep price to add needed punch to the lineup. His stats with Seattle tell the story, (.214, 7, 24… in 231PA). Yikes.

Outlook: If the offense doesn’t pick up, a staff full of Don Bale clones would be hard pressed to carry this club to a winning record. AS of press time, cloning remains illegal.
65-97, No Playoffs.

Tucson Sands / 32-130 / No playoffs
Season 8 in Review: Not a very good season, I’m afraid. Tucson pitching in particular was less than effective, setting records for futility in just about every statistical category. Go take a look, it’s something to see actually. We’ll wait…

MVP: Popcorn vendor Stan Stugots. Stan sold a record 16,005 total units at Tucson Electric Park during the season.

Underachiever: The Tucson Sands

Outlook: We are reminded of the great USC coach John McKay, while coaching the Tampa Bay Bucs to a record 14th straight loss, he was asked what he thought of his team’s execution. He replied, “I am all for it.” Another great McKay quote that is appropriate here, "After a 51-0 loss to Notre Dame I told the team, 'Forget it. There are 700 million people in China who didn't know anything about it.' The next day, a guy called me from China and asked 'What happened, Coach?'".
40-122, No Playoffs but plenty of good draft picks.

2008-06-24T15:05:00.008-04:00

SEASON NINE PREVIEW / Part Four

(New York, NY) Continung our series previewing Camp Season 9, let's take a look at the National League; home of three time defending Champions The Arizona Thunder Chickens.

NL North

Toronto Greased-Up Deaf Guys / 112-50 / NL North Champs
Season 8 in Review: Arguably the most complete and well-rounded team in Camp, and certainly the best team named after a Family Guy recurring character, Toronto is poised (finally!) to de-throne the Chicken Empire and represent the National League this season. TGUDG finished in the top 2 or 3 in every major pitching and offensive category last season, indicative of their dominant play throught the regular season. There is no weakness to be found on this club, something that cannot be said for any other squad in the National League. Toronto has a bad habit of coming up small in the post-season and another flame-out this time around would certainly trigger profound changes up and down the organization.

MVP: 1B Jim Drese (.351BA, 55HRs, 144RBIs) Drese had a career year and ran away with NL MVP voting.

Underachiever: LHP Juan Piedra (17 wins – 7 losses, 3.99ERA, 1.35WHIP). His post-season effort was piss-poor really, as was that of the entire staff…except His Majesty, Don Bale.

Outlook: The Post is betting this is the year they get the Chicken monkey off their back and power through to win it all.
110-52, World Champs!

Milwaukee Bondsmen / 86-76 / No Playoffs
Season 8 in Review: Milwaukee is the Goldilocks of Camp, not too hot, not too cold; consistently above average, yet never able to put together a breakthrough performance. Milwaukee fans are more than restless at this point as the franchise has finished 1st or 2nd in the division in each of the last eight seasons, made the playoffs in six of those eight, yet never advanced farther than the LCS. Unfortunately, last season was a step backward as the stats reflect this team slightly regressed in every aspect of the game; out of the top 5 in offense and pitching and into the middle of the pack.

MVP: RHP Jim Cepicky (11-4, 3.79, 1.28), The veteran proved to be the stopper of the rotation last season.

Underachiever: 2B Stan Presley (.271, 21, 66), the time is now for Presley to step up and meet the club’s high expectations.

Outlook: Easy team to handicap, as they have been since season one. Look for another above average season with an outside shot at a wild card berth.
84-78, Wild Card Winners

New York Bulldogs / 86-76 / No Playoffs
Season 8 in Review: This club took a real step in the right direction last season; primarily by improving their pitching staff across the board. Ranked 12th in total pitching in Season 7, the staff motored up to 4th ranked last season, by far the best improvement in the league. Offensively, not much to write home about, finishing near the bottom in all major categories. If not for Robinson, this club would be a real lightweight.

MVP: 1B Matty Robinson (.320, 62, 146), one of the all-time great sluggers turned in another strong performance. Money!

Underachiever: The rest of the starting lineup, who collectively averaged a paltry .247BA, 14HRs with 40RBIS. Yikes.

Outlook: Depending on how jway addresses the issues on offense, the pitching is there to make a push into the playoffs. The move to pitcher friendly Shea Stadium won’t help their anemic hitting however.
81-81, No Playoffs.

Chicago Cubs / 73-89 / No playoffs
Season 8 in Review: The hiccup that was Season 7 seems to have been just that as Chicago returned to respectability with a strong offensive output and slight but effective pitching progress throughout Season 8. Young arms developed out of that nightmare the previous season and into dependable pitchers, while the offense slugged along bashing homers at a 240 clip, good for 3rd in the NL.

MVP: RHP “Lights Out” Larry Chambers (3-1, 2.67, 33 Saves, 3BSV), “Lights Out” was one of the best closers in baseball last season anchoring a strong bullpen.

Underachiever: LF Yorvit Morales (.262, 4, 27), never recovered from early nerve irritation and a long stint on the DL. Despite clean bills of health from team doctors, he was slow to return and played without inspiration when he did. Rumors were the bad start Chicago got off to was enough to convince him to shut it down altogether. Not a good example from one of your supposed team leaders.

Outlook: We like Chicago to continue improving on the mound and to continue pounding the ball, but they are most likely still one or two seasons away from challenging the Torontos and Arizonas of the League.
78-84, No Playoffs.

NL East

Tampa Bay Boozers / 100-62 / NL East Champs
Season 8 in Review: Another NL powerhouse franchise finished a hard-charging regular season with another failed effort at getting that Chicken monkey off its back. It’s difficult to fathom this squad has been to one LCS in eight years and even harder to believe they are 0-4 in playoff series against the hated Thunder Chickens while rolling over and dying to a combined 4-13 record in those series. Season 8 was once again a clinical display of TB pitching, highlighted by a remarkable Team ERA of 3.79! Best Save%, Best WHIP, most CGs, most shutouts…yada, yada. Offensively, a very potent 4th Overall. Nevertheless, thanks again to the Evil Chicken Empire, Boozer officials and their fans cannot be pleased with the season.

MVP: RHP Karl Piersoll (25-7, 2.93, 1.10) Unlike the GMs of the league who couldn’t decide between Piersoll and teammate Abdul Wallace in last season’s Cy Young voting, we here at the Post unanimously agree ties are for Communists.

Underachiever: LHP Matt Adams (23-7, 2.95, 1.12), With a post-season ERA hovering near 6 and the Boozers losing all 3 of his starts, you can’t help but scratch your head at that type of performance.

Outlook: Tampa Bay has without a doubt all the tools in place for a Title run. But they need to put up or shut up at this point... until then the Post is unconvinced.
105-57, NL East Champs

Scranton Coal Miners / 90-72 / Wild Card Winner- Lost in 2nd Round
Season 8 in Review: You could see this club building to something special for several seasons now and Season 8 seems to have been the coming out party for this young franchise. Key signings during spring training finally got them over the hump and into the playoffs for the first time in team history. The bullpen deserves special mention as they led the league in holds, one run game victories with 29, as well as extra inning win% with a 12-4 record.

MVP: RHP Bill Appier (16-8, 2.86, 1.06) A #1 in every sense of the term.

Underachiever: LF Alvin Alexander (.262, 30, 74), For a talent like Alexander, he needs to show more at the plate, especially with RISP. Has been a slight liability in the field as well, combine that with a 30 HR and only 74 RBI performance…and it all reflects poorly on his concentration level.

Outlook: A team nucleus that is hitting its prime, strong pitching and improving defense all add up to another playoff run for the Miners.
92-70, Wild Card Winners

Augusta Pounders/ 86-76 / No Playoffs
Season 8 in Review: Augusta joins a long line of Camp franchises where age has become a real concern. Up and down the roster you find starters 30 years and older, and to a man their best years seem behind them. The stats bear this out as the club has inexorably slid down the offensive statistics. Over the last four seasons: Augusta was 1st, 4th, 5th and last season 12th in the NL for total offense. The pitching remains strong but there again, age is showing throughout the rotation. For the first time in club history the staff allowed as many HRs (210) as the lineup hit.

MVP: 1B Edgar Pantiagua (.296, 50, 119), we can’t have an Augusta Pounder MVP and it not be a homerun hitter, right?

Underachiever: 3B Monte Fisher (.274, 13, 75), Those numbers will not do from a middle of the lineup stalwart like Fisher with a high-end salary. Age may finally be catching up with him.

Outlook: It seems the jig is up for The Pounders, with an aging roster and one of the worst farm systems in Camp. The club’s minor league win % was .250 as it was obviously barren of ML prospects at any level. There are no ‘hot minor league prospects’ that GM’s love to trade for when attempting a quick fix nor is there anyone down on the farm that is ready for primetime. A frightening combination for the front office.
75-87, No Playoffs

Atlanta Regulators / 80-82 / No playoffs
Season 8 in Review: If you enjoy watching games with final scores of 11 to 9 and cheering for towering homeruns as they arc gracefully out of ballparks, then we recommend going to see this team play…because you’ll see plenty of long bombs from both teams during Atlanta baseball games. All or nothing is the name of their game and they hit long homeruns as well as anyone. Season 8 saw the Regulators explode for 265 round trippers, good for 2nd in the NL. Pitching on the other hand was a big disappointment as they could never address the gaping holes found all over their staff. It was “Stuart and Lincoln, and pray for rain” as the rest of the club gave up hits and walks like little leaguers. No other club had such a disparity between offensive success and pitching issues such as Atlanta last season.

MVP: 1B “High Flying” Eric Flier (.279, 65, 148), You’ll find Flier’s picture in Webster’s under the entry ‘slugger’.

Underachiever: RF R.J. Sheffield (.225, 19, 70), unacceptable effort from an everyday starter, let alone one with the potential this youngster has.

Outlook: With the questions this club has on the pitching staff, you can’t help but see them falling back to the pack this season. With all due respect to the talented sluggers they have, no one ever won consistently as a one dimensional team.
68-94, No Playoffs.

2008-06-22T11:42:00.008-04:00

SEASON NINE PREVIEW / Part Three

(New York, NY) Continuing with our series on Camp Baseball Franchise Previews, we finish off the American League.

AL South

Austin Chin Music / 108 wins – 54 losses / AL South Champs
Season 8 in Review: The perennial AL South Champs were a bit of a disappointment last season, regardless of their record. The Season 7 Runners-up were universally expected to be building towards their first Championship in 6 seasons; however they were ignominiously bounced in the 2nd round by Louisville. Needless to say that went over like a lead zeppelin in Central Texas as the entire coaching staff has yet to be given new contracts for this season. Nevertheless the pitching staff deserves special mention for their tremendous regular season; the entire starting rotation was selected for the All-Star game, led the league in all major categories and was for the most part lights out all year, until the playoffs.

MVP: RHP Rafael Osuna (19 wins -8 losses, 3.17 ERA, 1.10 WHIP) Take your pick of anyone from the rotation, the envy of 31 other franchises.

Underachiever: 1B Fritz Galliard (.301BA, 41HRs, 124RBI). Nitpicking to be sure, but Galliard once again came up small when it mattered most, the post-season. He needs to step up in October if Chin Music is to be heard in the World Series again.

Outlook: No team in Camp has more of a stranglehold on their division than ACM. Hell, a division title is a forgone conclusion when you look around the AL South... the rest of the teams ran for the hills and are starting over in new cities. Despite the post-season collapse, all the pieces are in place for another title run, no question. Heart and desire are all that is up in the air with this club.
100-62, AL South Champs yet again.

Richmond Cavaliers / 77-85 / No Playoffs
Season 8 in Review: Any team mired in the same division as the Chin Music has to take their moral victories where they can, and for Florida/Richmond, Season 8 qualifies. What looked to be a franchise on the skids rebounded skillfully... especially down the stretch, which certainly bodes well for the upcoming campaign. Pitching was the strength of this team as the then Florida Breeze scored in the top 5 in the AL for all major pitching categories highlighted by a tie for the league lead for least HRA. The offense by contrast was offensive, near the basement in all major categories with a troublesome knack for running themselves out of innings, being caught stealing an incredible 133 times for an abominable 59% success rate!

MVP: RHP “Starvin’” Marvin Stevens (13-6, 3.43, 1.26) Strong #1 who is another Comeback Player of the Year candidate.

Underachiever: RHP Dezi Guzman (12-18, 3.96, 1.43) They need more from Guzman if Richmond is to challenge for a playoff birth.

Outlook: Things seem to be heading in the right direction for this club. That being said the previous ownership group and coaching staff were still bounced out of town along with the entire franchise. Goodbye South Beach, hello…Richmond? Perhaps with fewer distractions the Cavs will make even greater strides in Season 9.
75-87, No Playoffs

Kansas City Monarchs / 65-97 / No Playoffs
Season 8 in Review: A franchise that had some real promise 3 seasons ago took a serious turn for the worse in Season 8. Take your pick of weaknesses; starting pitching, power hitting, speed, defense and a bullpen, yikes…borderline catastrophic! The team from Little Rock had little to show for their efforts, their fans had little to cheer about and their attendance dwindled little by little as the season ground interminably on. Pitching was uniquely poor, finishing last or 2nd to last in every major category…but that bullpen surrendered games at a heartbreaking rate. Some brutal numbers, 5-12 in extra innings, 19-28 in one run games!

MVP: 3B Will Kennedy (.308, 20, 83) All you need to know about the Ballers season last year is summed up in the fact Kennedy was traded midway through the season to Tacoma, and he still shook out as the team MVP at the end.

Underachiever: The entire bullpen. Period.

Outlook: New name; KC Monarchs, new front office; welcome dougiefresh, same roster. Sometimes you need to tear down in order to build anew.
60-102, No Playoffs in the foreseeable future.

Louisville Legends / 53-109 / No playoffs
Season 8 in Review: A real shit sandwich.

MVP: Please.

Underachiever: Take your pick, but to be fair this team talent-wise was a AAA club last year.

Outlook: Nowhere to go but up! The baseball fans in Louisville are in for a real shock after witnessing eight years of the Flame Throwers. We will say this, there are some youngsters in the Louisville system with some real potential, but the new owners will need to spend some money and surround them with a modicum of talent to at least work towards being competitive in the future. The journey of a thousand miles starts with one step and this club is looking at a long march back to respectability.
55-107, more of the same in the near term.

AL West

San Francisco Slumpbusters / 95 - 67 / AL West Champs
Season 8 in Review: This talented club has been unable to advance in the post-season going on three seasons now, once again losing in upset fashion in the 2nd round to a very beatable opponent. We’ll say it; the Slumpbusters are in a real post-season slump. Season 8 certainly had its share of highlights however, as the top rotation in the league this side of ACM dominated lineups all season long, racking up stat totals across the board second only to the wunderkinds in Austin. The offense was pedestrian at times but still finished top 6 in runs scored and led the league in steal % and triples.

MVP: RHP Skeeter Duncan (20-8, 2.85, 1.06) AL Cy Young winner, we cannot argue that.

Underachiever: 3B Alex Stone (.257, 19, 87) Took a real step backwards from Season 7 and his inability to carry some of the offensive weight hurt the team badly and Hayes McBride in particular. His number's reflected this especially down the stretch and in the playoffs.

Outlook: Did SF miss their opportunity? The pitching staff is on the wrong side of 30 now and it is hard to imagine getting a better performance from them than the tremendous one just turned in last season. Defending the title of arguably the toughest Division in the AL with the fact Portland and LV are coming on real strong is certainly ominous for the Slumpbusters and their rabid followers.
90-72, AL West Winners

Portland Salmon Kings / 89-73 / Lost in 1st Round of Playoffs
Season 8 in Review: A breakthrough performance for the Kings was highlighted by their first playoff appearance in five seasons. Portland slugged their way to the playoffs, finishing 2nd or 3rd in HRs, SLG%, Runs and extra base hits. One glaring concern all season was the wildly inconsistent bullpen, which finished leading the league in win % in one run games but had one of the worst blown save %. The biggest highlight of course was fan favorite and League MVP…

MVP: 1B/DH Julian Juarez (.296, 70, 158) Juarez won more games single handedly than any other position player in Camp last season.

Underachiever: LHP Homer Baker (1-3, 5.66, 20SV, 9BSV) The youngster has to step it up to be a full time closer in this league.

Outlook: The offense will do its thing again this year but the pitching staff will need to improve, especially in the bullpen. Consistency is key and like many teams in Camp, Portland’s bullpen is a glaring liability entering Season 9.
83-79, No Playoffs, victim of their tough division.

Las Vegas Gamblers / 86-76 / No Playoffs
Season 8 in Review: The good news, LV has gotten consistently better each of the past three seasons. The bad news, the AL West has gotten progressively tougher each of the past three seasons, to the point where it is unquestionably the toughest in the league. This is evidenced by 3 straight third place finishes and three straight years on the outside of the playoffs looking in. The strength of the team and reason for its success all season was a resilient and effective bullpen which led the league in saves at 53. In fact the club had no real weaknesses to speak of last season, turning in average to above average statistics across the board, except for a poor SB%.

MVP: 3B Benny Marrero (.310, 39, 310) Only Finalist for Season 8 AL MVP to win a Gold Glove, a Silver Slugger and to start the All-Star game. LV has the makings of a monster lineup this season with Marrero anchoring a young powerhouse of talent, if he re-signs!

Underachiever: RHP Slim Herrera (9-12, 5.47, 1.49) Another overpaid, underperforming #1 starter. LV needs more if they are to make a playoff run this season.

Outlook: Young squad looks to improve on a good season by maintaining consistency in the bullpen and bringing along their young sluggers to the starting lineup. Look for some early fireworks from them! The rotation is a concern coming into this season as free agency and injury have taken a toll, combined with unproven talent down on the farm.
We see one step back this season in order to take two steps forward in the near future.
80-82, No Playoffs for now.

Albuquerque Angry Drunks / 79-83 / No playoffs
Season 8 in Review: The archetype “Franchise in Decline”. This former playoff stalwart has seen better days with Season 8 by far their worst effort in franchise history. Let us count the ways this past season was brutal for them; first season not making the playoffs, first season without a Cy Young candidate, first season without a legitimate MVP candidate and first season without a power hitter in the middle of the lineup. Last season the pitching was just as consistent as the season before but the offense really fell off. A glaring lack of power cost them this time around as they finished at or near the bottom in all the power categories; HRs, SLG%, extra base hits and OPS. The front office seemed unaware that this league is a power league and that is how teams score these days. Station to station baseball is a novel idea but it just did not pan out for Tacoma/Albuquerque at all.

MVP: RHP Tony James (15-7, 3.98, 1.36) Has been a consistently excellent #1 starter since the day he arrived in Camp.

Underachiever: Tacoma Front Office. The inability or unwillingness to replace Escuela, Parnell and Leon from the middle of that lineup proved poisonous to their chances, and remain so going into this season.

Outlook: Age issues, fading superstars, a lack of power hitters and a bloated payroll would be a concern in any division. In the AL West it means real trouble and a one way ticket to the basement. The long goodbye continues for this once proud franchise. Perhaps the time seems to have come to rebuild and start over.
70-92, No Playoffs.

2008-06-21T22:45:00.011-04:00

SEASON NINE PREVIEW / Part Two

(New York, NY) As Opening Day draws closer and Spring Training gears up, we'll start breaking down each division and give you a primer of the franchises and their outlook for Season Nine.

AL North

Syracuse Sicilians / 94 wins – 68 losses / Division Winner, lost in First Round
Season 8 in Review: This club won its division last year with the old smoke and mirrors; feasting on fellow division mates to the tune of 21 wins versus 9 losses while relying on some clutch power hitting and one of the AL’s most consistent bullpens. The Team Formerly Known as The Ditkas finished as one of only two AL teams above .500 to outpace its Exp Win %.

MVP: RHP Bob Daly, (1 wins-3 losses, 4.19 ERA, 35 Saves); Closer Daly is the reason this club had the best record in the AL in one run games at 22-16.

Underachiever: CF Stew Adams (.241 BA, 14HRs, 58RBIs); Much more is expected from a middle of the lineup hitter with the salary to match.

Outlook: Left the confines of Chicago for the even less pleasant weather of Syracuse, NY. A team that finished in the middle of the American League pack in every important Team Statistic except wins should expect to come back to earth a bit.
82-80, just short of a wildcard berth.

Hartford Minutemen / 89-73 / Wild Card Winner, lost in ALCS
Season 8 in Review: An extremely successful season anyway you slice it for the Guys with P.E. They were certainly winning when it counted down the stretch, especially at Welch Park where the Home Cooking led to a .605 Win %. No secret to their success as they led the league in most every offensive category, including: Team BA, HRs, SLG, and OPS.

MVP: C Terrance Malone (.323, 36, 92); The catalyst that kept the Hartford Scoring Machine humming.

Underachiever: 2B J.D. Cromer (.279, 21, 68); Pedestrian numbers from a career .310BA/.380 OBP player.

Outlook: Last season’s playoff run is just prelude. Expect more of the same from this clutch, hard hitting club.
90-72, AL North Champs

Montreal Alouettes / 74-88 / No playoffs
Season 8 in Review: You could hear mikeg screaming from one corner of North America to the other, “Some pitching, some pitching! My Kingdom for some pitching!” A good offensive ballclub was sold out by an overly generous pitching staff. Generous to the tune of 247 HRs allowed! They were minus 55 in HR/HRA, a glaring weakness that proved fatal after the All-Star break as arms became more fatigued.

MVP: LHP Warren Kearns (5-5, 3.64, 25 Saves); A lone bright spot in an otherwise forgetful campaign for the Montreal staff; candidate for Comeback Player of the Year.

Underachiever: RHP Pascual Mendoza (10-11, 5.40, 1.51 WHIP). Paid like a #1, pitched like #2.

Outlook: Budget analysis shows mikeg focusing on the future, unfortunately the future is not Season 9 for this club.
70-92, No Playoffs

D’troit Tagers / 53-109 / No playoffs
Season 8 in Review: This team struggled from Day One, but GM nalleyjohn certainly did not sit idly by, functioning as a one team clearing house for a good 65% of the trade market last season. No trade inquiry was turned away, no plausible deal turned down. Meanwhile the turnover did nothing to improve the club in the short term. D’troit finished last in the AL in every major offensive category and tied for the most losses.

MVP: RHP Galahad Lee (4-10, 4.05, 35 Saves); in fact the bullpen was better than average most of the year, however no one was in town long enough to make much of an impact.

Underachiever: 2B Joaquin Cortez (.272, 15, 68). Needs to show more patience and discipline at the plate. Suffering from a call-up too early in his career.

Outlook: Nalleyjohn has a great deal of room under the cap and plenty of good draft choices so the future is bright. Tagers can make strides this season if the starting pitching can keep the ball in the park and the middle of the order can start putting the ball out of the park.
65-97, No Playoffs

AL East

New York City Athletics / 82 wins – 80 losses / No Playoffs
Look for NY Post’s In Depth preview of the hometown club later this week!

Toledo Flame Throwers / 91-71 / AL Champs, lost the World Series in 6 games
Season 8 in Review: The Flame Throwers finally played to their expectations and proceeded to steal and slug their way into the World Series. Throwing off the shackles of their hated oppressors to the north, The Athletics, the FT’s had consistency in every facet of the game last year, placing at or near the top in all major offensive and pitching categories… even setting a Camp record for total stolen bases along the way. Only the juggernaut Thunder Chickens denied mileininger of a truly transcendent season.

MVP: With all due respect to 21 game winner Gerald Wilkins, SS Rico Diaz (.315BA, 33HRs, 123 RBIS, 75 SBs) was arguably the League MVP last season.

Underachiever: LHP Nick Castillo (9 wins – 14 losses, 5.40 ERA, 34 HRA) Startling numbers on a club such as this from the Minor League phenom who was perhaps rushed into service a bit early.

Outlook: Their time is now.
98-64, AL Champions

Rochester Royals / 78-84 / No Playoffs
Season 8 in Review: A surprising and disappointing step backwards from the Royals in Season 8, as their potent lineup could not keep pace with the slugging performance the staff was allowing. They were simply out hit all season long as a re-tooled starting rotation never delivered on its potential. What was building over the past few seasons and had the promise of a strong crescendo took a turn for the worse when the starting staff hit a slump they could not recover from, allowing almost an earned run more per start after the All-Star break.

MVP: LHP Eric Cobb (0-2, 2.01, 26 Saves in 27 Opportunities) Arguably the best closer in the AL last year, when given the opportunity.

Underachiever: RHP Andrew Crede (12-12, 5.56 ERA, 1.48 WHIP) Not numbers to brag about as a #1 starter, but indicative of the entire rotation.

Outlook: Perhaps more of an enigma than any other AL club, showed flashes last season and certainly has potential in that lineup; however they will go only as far as yet another retooled staff takes them.
75-87, No Playoffs

Trenton RoadRunners / 67-95 / No playoffs
Season 8 in Review: The rebuilding continues on the East bank of the Delaware River, as yet another step in the right direction has been taken by Trenton. The label ‘Perennial Doormat of the AL’ can no longer be hung on this team as it improved in every major statistical category by at least 15 percent. This was no better illustrated by their remarkable bullpen saving a team record 49 games to finish 2nd in the AL in that department. This well travelled club can be proud of its best performance since a 70 win 3rd Season.

MVP: RHP Lefty Browne (4-4, 2.38, 44 Saves) Young fireballer was a revelation this season.

Underachiever: SS Ross Marshall (.285, 28, 82, 34 Errors) More is required from a team leader like Marshall, especially with the glove.

Outlook: Who is going to argue with the progress from Season 7 to 8? If rocket can continue to make strides with the rotation, sure up the fielding and improve hitting with RISP, no worries!
72-90, No Playoffs…yet.

2008-06-21T13:30:00.017-04:00

FRICASSEE FOR CHICKEN DYNASTY?

SEASON NINE PREVIEW / Part One

(Phoenix, AZ) Another season, another Championship for Colonel Colson and his Thunder Chicken Empire. After dispatching the Louisville Flame Throwers in six games to secure an unprecedented 'three-peat' and fourth Camp title in six seasons, one would think the fans and media in this desert oasis would take a moment to bask in their team's success and revel at their complete domination over these last few seasons.

Well you thought wrong.

Questions about age, contract disputes and tell-all exposes' have been this city's focus since the final out of the Season Eight Series. Local media types seem to be anxious to (finally) write-off this dynasty, as a constant barrage of articles and opinion pieces exclaiming the demise of this franchise has saturated the presses and airwaves from Winslow to Yuma.

Those closest to the situation have concerns, do they know something the rest of the league has yet to appreciate?

Age is certainly a question with more than half of Arizona's ML roster over the age of 34 with the pitching staff especially long in the tooth.

There is no secret about clubhouse grumblings from some Arizona players about low-ball contract offers and hardline re-negotiation tactics. The gravy train they had been used to is certainly over. Colonel Colson, after years of Steinbrenner-esque spending, has put a clamp on salaries going forward. The state of the franchise's budget (a whopping $118 million entering this season) and their salary-cap inflexibility is a serious concern for the entire front office. They are clearly hamstrung by their long-term deals and any serious injury this coming season could prove disasterous.

Throw into this volitle mix scathing tell-all "autobiographies" from the team leaders, Earl "Satchel Page" Gabriel and Felipe "The Bat" Abreu and what the Thunder Chickens have entering Season 9 is nothing short of a circus-like atmosphere.

Whether all this factors into the collapse of Camp's first bona fide dynasty, or just proves to be fuel for their collective fire is anyone's guess. You can count on this however; Thunder Chicken baseball will be as interesting as ever this season. The proverbial head that wears the crown may rest uneasy, yet the fact remains it has been three full seasons since any team has been able to solve what rival media outlets have labeled 'Colonel Colson and his Evil Chicken Empire' and thirty-one franchises are still looking for the answer.

Mo' money, mo' imports

2008-05-17T11:50:00.033-04:00

This season's international market provided hope for the future to many franchises. Almost half of Camp budgeted to spend at least $20 million on prospects this season meaning that every worthwhile international prospect discovery sparked a bidding war. As the season begins to wind down and teams unload what's left of their prospect budget, let's take a look at the top international signings in what has been another strong market in season 8.

Richard Jiang (SS) - Tucson Sands (MILB w/invite, $26.1 million bonus)

One season after forking over a whopping $32.2 million for Miguel Siquieros, Tucson again spent far more than any other team when they locked up Jiang for a shade over $26 million. Jiang projects to be a gold glove caliber 3B if that's where he ends up, though he could hold his own at second base as well. The switch hitter isn't too shabby with a bat either as he is excellent at making contact and excels against righties. Already 22-years-old, Jiang isn't far from his major league debut. ETA: season 9 roster expansion

David Johnson (SP) - Atlanta Regulators (4-yrs @ 55K per, $16.3 million bonus)

Probably the most over-paid player in this year's market, Johnson is tough on both righties and lefties and a very good slider and curveball. The problem is his control as Johnson, as one GM put it, has the ability to plunk the guy in the on-deck circle while he's on the mound. Having only those two pitches (he does also have a far below average change-up) could pose a problem once he gets to the ML level, so Johnson may be better off coming out of the bullpen eventually. But Atlanta didn't want to take the chance of having to lose their prospect money, so they emptied the bank for Johnson who, in the end, will probably be a serviceable long relief guy. ETA: season 11 roster expansion.

Virgil Reyes (SP) - Tampa Bay Boozers (5-yrs @ 55k per, $15.1 million bonus)
The Boozers made the franchise's first big splash in the international market this season when they snagged starter Virgil Reyes from the Dominican with a 5-year big league deal. Reyes projects to have excellent control and great success against righties, though he may struggle against lefties from time to time. Reyes' great control goes well with his three above average pitches, a 4-seam fastball (with great velocity), a slider and a splitter. Reyes also has a circle change and a curve but isn't nearly as effective with them. At 20-years-old, Reyes will be a solid middle of the rotation starter sooner than you think. ETA: season 10 roster expansion.

Jose Alicea (SP) - Montreal Alouettes (5-yrs @ 327k per, $13.4 million bonus)

Montreal hauled in a future big league starter when they signed Alicea to a five year major league deal. The big 6'3" lefty has great control and an elite sinker to go with a good slider and curveball. Alicea will struggle at times, more with righties than lefties but if his control and pitches develop he could overcome the shortcomings in his splits. With great makeup and good health, Alicea will be a solid major league starter for Montreal once he develops. ETA: season 12.

Oswaldo Alomar (SP) - Seattle Grunge (5-yrs @ 327k per, $12.5 million bonus)

In a market full of starting pitching, Seattle got theirs when they signed Alomar to a big league deal. Alomar comes with a bit of a health concern but boasts excellent stamina, good control, a good sinker and is effective against righties. On the flip side, he'll struggle against lefties and, aside from the sinker, the only other pitch worth mentioning in is repertoire is a decent splitter. He's only 18-years-old and has a chance to exceed projections if he can stay healthy. If he does that, he'll be a solid major league starter. ETA: season 12

Jin-Che Masato (3B) - Hartford Minutemen (MILB, $12.3 million bonus)

Position players who command big money have been few and far between this season but Hartford signed a solid bat in Masato. He's probably destined for RF when he reaches the majors but Masato projects to have great power and hitting ability against right handers. His batting eye leaves a bit to be desired but other wise he's solid in the rest of the offensive categories. Health shouldn't be an issue and Masato has very good durability. As long as he develops Hartford should get their money's worth. ETA: season 12

Harry DeLeon (SP) - Trenton RoadRunners (MILB, $11.5 million bonus)

DeLeon may have the best pitches of any international pitcher signed this season. He has two great pitches (sinker and slider) to go with a good curve and an above average change up. He also has a cutter but it's not nearly of the same quality as his other pitches. He projects to have great control and solid L/R splits. Only 18-years-old and with great makeup he should reach his projections and become a very good ML starter for Trenton down the road. ETA: season 12 roster expansion

Quilvio Marichal (SP) - Scranton Coal Miners (MILB, $11.2 million bonus)

Much like Atlanta, Scranton emptied the bank instead of taking the risk of being stuck with the rest of their prospect money. They ponied up for Marichal who looks like he'll be a big inning eater at the ML level. Aside from his excellent stamina, Marichal has good control to go with a good sinker and cutter. He does project to have above average splits but health could be a minor concern. His biggest asset is that, at 21-years-old, he's very close to already meeting his projections and with a couple of seasons of good coaching at the minor league level he could possibly exceed them. Only having two good pitches however may mean bullpen duty at the ML level. ETA: season 11

Those are the big money internationals so far this season. Stay tuned for a list of under the radar bargain internationals from season 8.

Thurman conquers Home Run Derby

2008-05-07T13:54:00.008-04:00

Louisville Flame Throwers' 2B Curt Thurman took home this year's Home Run Derby title, crushing a total of 27 home runs in the three round contest, edging out New Orleans Jerome Martin 8-7 in the final round. Thurman hit 12 home runs in the first round to advance to round two where he tallied seven dingers to reach the finals.

The biggest of the big flies belonged to Julian Juarez who crushed his seventh home run in the first round an astounding 530 feet over the left centerfield wall. Juarez finished third with 17 home runs.

Rounding out the event were Tampa Bay's Otis Parent who finished fourth with 12 home runs, Arizona's John Bruske (5), Philadelphia's Carlos Sanchez (4), Las Vegas' Benny Marrero (3) and New York's Matty Robinson (3).

Curt Thurman
Louisville
Flame Throwers
Age: 28	B/T: R/R
Born: Queens Village, NY
Position(s): 2B/1B/LF/DH
View Hardball Dynasty Profile

If the playoffs started today...

2008-05-07T13:43:00.002-04:00

We've reached the All-Star break so it's time to take a look at how the playoffs would shape up if they started today and we'll compare that with pvc4twenty's predictions.

National League
PVC's picks:
Arizona
Tampa Bay
Toronto
Scranton
New Orleans
Chicago

If the playoffs started today:
Arizona
Tampa Bay
Toronto
Augusta
Scranton
Memphis

Pretty close. Memphis leads New Orleans by four games in the South but the Cubbies are a long way from a playoff spot with their 42-49 record. They're currently nine back of Scranton for the final wild card spot and 21 back of Toronto in the North.

American League
PVC's picks:
Austin
Louisville
Philadelphia
San Francisco

If the playoffs started today:
Austin
Las Vegas
Louisville
Chicago
Portland
San Francisco

PVC did say he doesn't know much about the American League which was his reasoning for only picking four teams. While he's correct on three to this point, Philadelphia has had its share of struggles this season. But even with a sub-.500 record, the Athletics are still in the playoff hunt, just four games back of the Slumpbusters for the final wild card spot.

Powell inks deal with Mex City

2008-05-03T14:05:00.002-04:00

The number two overall pick in this year's amateur draft has ended the suspense. Independence High School pitcher Charles Powell signed a deal with the Mexico City Day Laborers that will pay him a $3.91 million bonus. His signing means that the only top ten picks left to sign a contract with their teams are Charlie Clark, taken 7th overall by Houston, and Dan Berry, taken with the 10th overall pick by Florida. Clark is demanding a $7.5 million bonus but is leaning towards college either way while Berry is looking for a shade over $3 million.

Day Laborers waiting on Powell

2008-04-30T15:35:00.006-04:00

The Tucson Sands locked up their number one pick when they signed 3B/OF Ray Hawkins out of Orange County Community College shortly after taking him number one overall in the season 8 amateur draft. But the Mexico City Day Laborers are in a different, yet familiar situation with their number one pick.

Mexico City selected Independence High School pitcher Charles Powell with the second overall pick in this year's draft but Powell has yet to sign a contract. This comes one season after Mexico City engaged in long contract negotiations with number one overall pick Ken Holbert, who eventually signed with the team after an 11 day (real life days, not HBD days) holdout. Holbert received an $8 million bonus from Mexico City, almost double the amount of the next closest draftee bonus.

Powell is currently demanding a shade under $4 million as a bonus and while Mexico City GM e_mandat has confirmed the team has made an offer meeting his demands, Powell is now debating whether to sign with the Day Laborers or attend college. It's been four days since the draft and only time will tell what Powell will decide but the Day Laborers would much rather have him playing and working on his development right now rather than sitting at home.

The mystique of Trace Olson

2008-04-21T21:00:00.015-04:00

Not everyone lives up to their expectations but when there are high expectations and high ratings, especially of a pitcher, many teams will give that player a chance. Trace Olson has never produced at the ML level like his ratings suggest he could but there are plenty of teams willing to give him a shot, as evidenced by his trade history.

Olson was the number one overall pick in the season 2 draft by Pittsburgh. Since then he has played in just about every city available in HBD and has been traded four times since the start of season 6. His best ML performance came this season when he posted a 3-2 record and a 4.25 ERA in six starts for Detroit. But when one looks at Olson's projected ratings (88 control, 65/83 splits, 91, 72 pitches, 93 overall) you can't help but wonder why he's become an afterthought.

Perhaps his development was stunted when he was called up to the majors at the ripe age of 20 in season 4. A 13.15 ERA in 4 starts will hamper anyone's confidence. But from season 4 to season 6 Olson showed good improvement while pitchng mostly in AAA before stalling completely after season 6.

Something no team has yet to try is using Olson out of the bullpen. At this point it's readily apparent that Olson is not a front of the roation ML starter. If he can perform like he did in his time with Detroit this season then he can become a solid back of the rotation guy. But with just two noteworthy pitches (one of them an excellent fastball) Olson may be better used out of the bullpen as a setup guy or perhaps even a closer.

Time will tell if Olson's new team, Philadelphia, will attempt to reincarnate Trace as a reliever but if you're still waiting for the former number one overall pick to come around as a starter, that train has left the station. And hey, if Olson doesn't work out in Philly, there will be another GM willing to give him a chance in another city.

Trace Olson
Philadelphia
Athletics
Age: 24	B/T: S/R
Born: Tioga Center, NY
Position(s): P (SP2)
View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Amateur Draft: The Number 1's

2008-04-18T07:14:00.006-04:00

So, who will be the first player taken in this years amateur draft? Will he be a stud or a bust? As the Tucson Sands prepare to make their selection we take a look back over the history of Camp and check in on the previous #1's.

Season 1 saw the Arizona Thunder Chickens select right handed pitcher, Flash Hammond out of Tupelo High School in Tupelo, MS. Flash Hammond made his ML debut during season 6 and finished his rookie season with a 16-10 record and a 4.03 ERA for the World Champion Thunder Chickens. Season 7 he proved to be even better as he posted a 21-6 record, 3.64 ERA, and made his first All-Star appearance for the back to back World Champions. So far this season Flash boasts a 5-2 record with a 5.17 ERA.

Flash Hammond
Arizona
Thunder Chickens
Age: 25	B/T: R/R
Born: Booneville, MS
Position(s): P (SP3)
View Hardball Dynasty Profile

With the first pick of season 2 the now defunct Pittsburgh Pariahs select right handed pitcher Trace Olson out of Ithaca High School in Ithaca, NY. Trace Olson has yet to live up to the hype of a #1 selection and has been included in trades several times. Trace is hoping this latest trade to the Detroit Detroit Tagers is just what the doctor ordered. In 2 ML seasons Trace has compiled a record of 12-23 with a 6.14 ERA.

Trace Olson
Detroit
Detroit Tagers
Age: 24	B/T: S/R
Born: Tioga Center, NY
Position(s): P (SP2)
View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Season 3 saw the Mexico City Day Laborers select right handed pitcher, Pedro Johnson out of Briggs High School in Columbus, OH. Pedro made his ML debut earlier this season and is currently 1-0 with a 2.08 ERA. During his minor league career he put up some huge numbers. He was 82-19 with a career ERA of 3.05. Pedro looks to be well on his way to a strong ML career.

Pedro Johnson
Mexico City
Day Laborers
Age: 23	B/T: R/R
Born: Baltimore, OH
Position(s): P (SP3)
View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Our first true bust of the draft comes during season 4 when the Kansas City Seadogs select left handed flame thrower, Arthur DeRosa from Oceanside, NY. Arthur spurnned the Seadogs and accepted a basketball scholarship from the University of Syracuse. Arthur had a solid college basketball career, winning the National Championship alongside Carmello Anthony and eventually being selected in the NBA draft by the Utah Jazz.

NO PHOTO AVAILABLE

With the first of 3 consecutive #1 selections, and their 4th in the 7 seasons of Camp, the Mexico City Day Laborers select, centerfielder Rob Reese out of the University of Tennessee during season 5. Rob currently plays for Mexico City's AAA affiliate and his batting .346 with 7 HR's and 25 stolen bases. Rob projects to be a strong ML player as he has posted career minor league numbers of .379 with 92 HR's and 104 stolen bases. But we predict Rob will always be known as the player who was selected before Don Bale.

Rob Reese
Mexico City
Day Laborers
Age: 24	B/T: L/L
Born: Coyle, OK
Position(s): CF
View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Season 6 once again saw Mexico City with the #1 selection and again they went to college to find another centerfielder as they selected Mateo Sojo out of Dartmouth College. Mateo is currently with the HiA affiliate and is stroking the ball at a
.399 clip with 6 HR's. As Mateo continues to develop he projects to be a strong ML player.

Mateo Sojo
Mexico City
Day Laborers
Age: 24	B/T: R/L
Born: Piscataway, NJ
Position(s): CF
View Hardball Dynasty Profile

With the first selection of the season 7 draft the Mexico City Day Laborers select potential all-world 2nd baseman Ken Holbert out of Samford University in Birmingham, AL. Ken too is playing with the HiA affilate and his currently batting .399 with 19 HR's. Ken has superstar written all over him and we look forward to his ML debut in a few seasons.

Ken Holbert
Mexico City
Day Laborers
Age: 23	B/T: R/R
Born: Hershey, PA
Position(s): 2B
View Hardball Dynasty Profile

So there you have it. The number 1's of Camp. Tucson is on the clock.

We're going streaking!

2008-04-18T01:40:00.003-04:00

Hey honey, do you think KFC is still open? The second longest hitting streak in Camp this season was snapped last night when New Orleans' Johnny Cook failed to collect a hit for the 21st consecutive game, which would have tied the season's longest streak held by Arizona's Charles Perez. Arizona's John Bruske currently holds a 16 game hitting streak, the longest active streak in Camp.

Johnny Cook
New Orleans
Levee Builders
Age: 28	B/T: S/R
Born: Gridley, CA
Position(s): CF/CIF/2B/OF/DH
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Blanco taking the reigns in the desert

2008-04-18T01:21:00.006-04:00

As good as Earl Gabriel has been for the Arizona Thunder Chickens throughout his career, pitcher Orlando Blanco has been even better so far this season. Blanco leads the majors in wins with 8 while posting a 1.80 ERA and a 0.93 WHIP in his 10 starts this season.

Gabriel also has totaled 8 wins to this point in the season but the rest of his numbers are a far cry from season 7 (though to be fair, that was one of the most ridiculous seasons ever). He is currently flirting with the worst ERA of his career, but at 3.44, who's going to complain? Not colson55555. The Arizona GM did make Gabriel available for trade after season 6, before deciding to hold onto him. At 37-years-old and with his numbers on the decline (even if they still are ace material) it will be interesting to see what the Thunder Chickens do with Gabriel at the end of the season. With Blanco stepping up and Jimmy Donovan and Flash Hammond behind him in the rotation, only time will tell if Gabriel's days in the desert are numbered.

Orlando Blanco
Arizona
Thunder Chickens
Age: 32	B/T: S/L
Born: Magdalena, MX
Position(s): P (SP2)
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Where are they now?

2008-04-08T23:32:00.019-04:00

SPORTS EXTRA

by M. Blair

(Rikers Island, NYC; April 8th) He blends into the prison population easily, maybe too easily. Tatoos of baseball scenes up and down his arms, a few elbow surgery scars and that permanent snarl highlight an otherwise typical inmate here at the Eric M. Taylor Corrrection Facility, Rikers Island, NYC. Along with that snarl he just has the look of a hard man doing hard time. If I didn't known him like I do I would say Morgan Gibson is the type of man you would not want to run into alone at night.

But I do know this man, very well in fact. Just a few years ago I helped him author a book, The Felon With The Golden Arm (Doubleday Press) an autobiography of his absurdly rough childhood growing up an orphan in one DeKalb, Illinois foster home and juvenile detention center after another. So many in fact he honestly cannot recall all of them. I will spare you the details but feel free to help us both out and go buy the book to get a better understanding of the man. I asked to interview him again today not to make excuses but to find out what has happened to the former 20 game winner and multiple Cy Young candidate of the Philadelphia A's from seasons 2 through 5... and where the man goes from here. Not sure I got any answers however, an enigma he was and an enigma he continues to be.

Gibson's Statistics

Inmate 2245985 is serving one year on a parole violation the details of which revolve around lascivious behavior and an underage prostitution ring. "My bad judgement went and got the best a'me again, damn it all. I am a hostage to my many vices."

He is set to be released next month on a good behavior furlough but he says he may need to get in a fight so he can continue to pitch in the prison playoffs for his Inmate team. He claims Prison baseball is better preperation for the majors than are the Minor Leagues. He can pitch every other day and motivation is not the problem it is on the outside, Gibson claims, because if he does poorly he runs the risk of "getting shivved or cracked on the skull" by angry inmates who may lose a bet or two. Rumor has it the riot here a few years back started over something similar.

Gibson crashed out of the majors as quickly as he arrived, thanks to nagging elbow and shoulder issues that forced him to the surgeon twice in the months following Philadelphia's Season 4 Title, and he hasn't been the same pitcher since. Traded mid-way though Season 5, or "F#*!'n betrayed and back-stabbed by that former manager Brown!" as Gibson puts it, he never went on the DL but for the Rochester Royals he wouldn't have been missed if he had. Success never returned to the former #1 pick. "I lost all my velocity and then I lost confidence in myself, simple as that."

His plan upon release is simple, "I'm going back to Philly to be with you and the A's, Brown is out and I am in...back home baby!" Gibson exclaims. When pressed on contract details his famous snarl quickly returns and he tells me "No worries Mr. Reporter-Man, no worries."

Gibson in better day w/ A's

The A's Front Office continue their "No Comment" mantra when Gibson's availability is brought up. Whether they take a flier on their one time 'Can't Miss Prospect' is still unknown, but it is this reporter's gut feeling what with the Graves and Kidd trades recently finalized, markbl and the A's Front Office may be looking to go Back To The Future with all their former stars. Glory Days indeed, but for Inmate 2245985, perhaps a little premature. He faces Cell Block H this Friday at 2pm on the parade grounds. Tickets still available.

Philadelphia A's Press Release

2008-04-08T13:05:00.006-04:00

(Philadelphia, PA) The Philadelphia Athletics announced yesterday with great pride the return of a favorite son and hero of the Season 4 Championship, RHP Derrick Graves. Graves, who left the club after the 6th season to sign as an unrestricted free agent with the then Pawtucket now Montreal franchise, was traded for recent free agent signing RHP Carlos Lugo. He returns home to anchor what has been what can only be described as an inconsistent bullpen since his departure. Graves is the A's all-time leader in appearances, ERA and WHIP and ranks near the top of all other major franchise pitching statistics.

The A's also made another important trade to free up cap space and bolster the bullpen and bench depth. 1B Bernie Green and LHP Damian Judd were acquired from the Hartford Minutemen for longtime starter and famous knuckleballer, RHP Adam Hughes. Green is expected to move into the DH role at the Big League level whereas Judd will be assigned to AAA in anticipation of his return to the majors.

In other news the front office announced that Owner, Founder and CBO markbl's resignation as CEO and executive GM was not accepted by the board last Saturday, so therefore he will stay on at all his baseball and executive duties.

Here comes the meat wagon

2008-04-05T13:47:00.004-04:00

Just a handful of games into the season and Camp has its first major injury. New Orleans Levee Builders 1B Terry Coleman was placed on the 60-day DL after suffering from nerve irritation in his forearm. Coleman, a former MVP, 2-time All-Star and last year's Gold Glove winner, suffered the injury during this morning's AM game against Memphis. He singled off Blues pitcher Hulk Ferguson and was immediately lifted from the game. Coleman's estimated recovery time is 153 days. Hamlet Maxwell got the start at 1B in today's PM game against Memphis and went 1-4 with a walk.

Terry Coleman
New Orleans
Levee Builders
Age: 29	B/T: R/R
Born: Hodgenville, KY
Position(s): 1B
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Death, Taxes and these teams will make the playoffs...

2008-04-05T09:37:00.003-04:00

Parity is nonexistent in Camp. The world is ruled by a handful of juggernauts who's only concern heading into the season is what seed they will be in the postseason. Meanwhile, the 20 franchises change owners, stockpile prospects for a "future" that they will likely never see and tank games to improve draft position. Like it or not, that's the way it is. That being said, the following teams will 100% make the playoffs:
NL
Arizona
Tampa Bay
Toronto
Scranton
New Orleans
Chicago

AL
Austin
Louisville
Philadelphia
San Fran

I don't really know much about the AL, mostly because it is horrid. No offense to the teams listed above but it's tough to be competitive when you have the turnover that the AL has year in and year out.

Out with the Old in Austin in season 8

2008-04-04T19:07:00.002-04:00

As we enter season 8 in Camp, the defending AL champion Austin Chin Music are in a bit of a youth movement. From the team that took Arizona to game 7 of the World Series, gone are aging stars C - Corey Speaker, RF - Willie Cambridge, and 1B - Homer Simmons. In their places step youngsters RF - Jose Ramirez, 1B - Fritz Gaillard, and C - Josias Nieves. And, on the horizon are super-prospects CF - Alex Sweeney, LF - Freddie Barclay, and 2B - Vladimir Macias.

Austin looks to further its hegemony in the American League while concurrently maintaining fiscal responsibility and flexibility. The future looks bright for the boys in Central Texas.

Philadelphia A's Press Release

2008-04-04T15:42:00.017-04:00

(Philadelphia, PA) The Philadelphia Athletics announced today club Founder, Owner, Chief Executive Officer, Chief of Baseball Operations and Executive General Manager markbl was stepping down from his role as corporate head of the Baseball Organization in order to focus on his GM duties running the day to day baseball operations of the club.

"We as an organization need to re-focus our energies on baseball operations in order to ensure the Philadelphia Athletics remain the class of the American League both on and off the field. Lately due to the priority that operating revenues had become in order to self-finance our new stadium project, I was abhorrently negligent with my responsibility to the team on the field... and I believe that was reflected in our overall record and our playoff performance last season. It will not be allowed to happen again."

A decision on who is to succeed markbl in those executive roles he has vacated is to be determined at the next Executive Board meeting scheduled for this Saturday in Philadelphia.

The A's enter Season 8 as one of the most successful franchises in the League with over 700 wins, five division titles and The World's Championship of Season 4.

Season 8 storylines

2008-04-02T21:24:00.017-04:00

The Arizona Thunder Chickens will begin their quest for a third straight World Series trophy on Friday as the defending champions open up Season 8 at home against the Seattle Grunge. But that's just one of the many storylines worth following this season as there are plenty of teams looking to dethrone the supreme team of Camp. Here are some other things to watch as season 8 gets under way:

At 37-years-old, will Earl Gabriel ever show signs of aging?

Can Otis Parent win a fourth straight NL MVP Award?

Can Tampa Bay, Toronto, or any other NL team dethrone Arizona as the NL Champions?(Augusta is the only other NL team to ever reach the World Series)

Can anyone break Austin's stranglehold on the American League?

Will three teams from the NL East (NL Beast) make the playoffs this season after Scranton missed the playoffs on a tiebreaker in season 7?

Will three teams from the AL East make the playoffs this season...again?

Is Sven Simmons the missing piece in the Slumpbusters' quest for a World Series title?

Will this be the season that all of the young talent that Mexico City has stockpiled over the years (except of course, The Don) be unleashed on the National League?

Speaking of The Don, can Don Bale win 20 games in his first full ML season for Toronto?

What's in store for the $32 million man?

Can Orlando Cedeno deliver the goods for a New York team with their eyes on the playoffs or will he be a $60 million bust?

It's all about the Benjamins

2008-03-26T15:27:00.005-04:00

Some big money was shelled out today as the New York Bulldogs agreed to a 3-year $60 million deal with free agent pitcher Orlando Cedeno. The 31-year-old Cedeno was 14-6 last season with a 4.83 ERA and 170 strikeouts in 33 starts for Colorado. Cedeno has a 92-66 record and a 3.99 ERA for his career.

Also today, free agent closer Jumbo Santiago agreed to a 3-year $19.2 million deal with the defending world champion Arizona Thunder Chickens. The 37-year-old Santiago racked up 25 saves in 27 chances with the Philadelphia Athletics last season while posting a 3.55 ERA. His contract also includes a no-trade clause.

Romero heads south of the border; Winston to the valley

2008-03-26T13:01:00.003-04:00

Headlining a pair of recent trades, pitcher Davey Romero was traded from Oklahoma City to Mexico City while Tacoma Tornadoes closer Charlie Winston was dealt to the Scranton Coal Miners.

Romero, who was 6-10 with a 4.53 ERA in 37 appearances for Huntington last season, heads to the Day Laborers in exchange for SS prospect Luis Castillo and pitching prospect Donald Shibata.

In a trade agreed to earlier today, Winston takes his 188 career saves to Scranton in exchange for CF J.D. Cromer and OF prospect Deivi Rodrigo. Winston notched 31 saves with a 2.58 ERA in 57 appearances with Colorado last season. Cromer hit .311 with 25 homeruns and 18 stolen bases in his only season with the Coal Miners.

Robinson heads for Big Apple

2008-03-25T15:42:00.004-04:00

GM jway11 made a big splash in his triumphant return to the franchise formerly known as the Detroit Bulldogs when he landed Florida Breeze 1B Matty Robinson in a three player trade completed earlier today. The 25-year-old Robinson, who hit .309 with 47 homeruns and 112 RBI with a .424 OBP in 139 games last season, heads to New York in exchange for pitching prospect Larry Lawson and OF/1B Philip Ledesma.

The 23-year-old Lawson, one of the prized pitching prospects in Camp and third overall pick of the season 3 draft, was 14-3 with a 2.80 ERA in 21 starts for AAA Cleveland last season. Ledesma hit .279 with 30 homeruns and 107 RBI in 154 games for Cleveland at the ML level last season.

Matty Robinson
New York
Bulldogs
Age: 25	B/T: R/R
Born: Pico Rivera, CA
Position(s): 1B/DH
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Toronto, San Fran pull off season 8's first blockbuster

2008-03-23T12:24:00.002-04:00

The Toronto Greased-Up Deaf Guys and the San Francisco Slumpbusters have agreed to a 5-player blockbuster trade that will send 2B Jim Hardy, and pitchers Galahad Beverlin and Sven Simmons from Toronto to San Fran in exchange for 2B Domingo Aguilar and OF Brian Bong. The Greased-Up Deaf Guys will also send $5 million in cash to the Slumpbusters in the deal.

The move adds pitching depth to the Slumpbusters while Toronto receives a 2-time All-Star in Aguilar in return. Aguilar's defense is also a big upgrade from Hardy's. The big catch for San Fran is Sven Simmons here, who went 19-7 last season with a 3.58 ERA in 34 starts for Toronto.

A season for the record books

2008-03-20T16:15:00.004-04:00

Season 7 saw some major single season records fall by the way side, most of them broken by Arizona's Felipe Abreu and Tampa Bay's Karl Piersoll. Here now is a list of the notable single season records that were broken in season 7:

HITTING
Batting average: .415 - Felipe Abreu, ARI
Old record: .403 - Felipe Abreu, ARI, season 5
On-base percentage: .553 – Felipe Abreu, ARI
Old record: .546 – Felipe Abreu, ARI, season 5
Strikeouts (least): 8 – Felipe Abreu, ARI
Old record: 16 – Felipe Abreu, ARI, season 6

PITCHING
Batting average allowed: .198 – Karl Piersoll, TB
Old record: .210 - Jason Clark, TOR, season 6
ERA: .2.46 – Karl Piersoll, TB
Tied with: Jerome Green, STL, season 3
OBP allowed: .247 – Karl Piersoll, TB
Old record: .271 – Earl Gabriel, ARI, season 5
SLG allowed: .308 – Karl Piersoll, TB
Old record: .310 – Jerome Green, STL, season 3
K/9: 8.87 – Karl Piersoll, TB
Old record: 8.62 – Matt Adams, SD, season 3
Strikeouts: 292 – Karl Piersoll, TB
Old record: 235 – Earl Gabriel, ARI, season 6
WHIP: 0.93 – Karl Piersoll, TB
Old record: 1.06 – Earl Gabriel, ARI, season 5
Winning percentage: .935 – Earl Gabriel, ARI
Old record: .912 – Earl Gabriel, ARI, season 4

On the Brink of Season 8

2008-03-18T22:48:00.002-04:00

8 new owners and 1 returning owner usher in season 8 in Camp. The first question in any preseason discussion is "Can Arizona Three-Peat"TM? The key players are a year older, and that puts most of them on the downslope to 40. We'll see if colson decides to go for number 3 or start selling off vets for younger talent. Regardless, it should be another entertaining and surprising season in Camp. All the vets say a big "Welcome!" to the new owners, and we hope you will stick in this for the long haul.

Gabriel throws Game 7 shutout to make 'Zona repeat champions

2008-03-14T13:18:00.008-04:00

Arizona's NL Cy Young Award winner Earl Gabriel threw a complete game shutout in Game 7 of the World Series against the Austin Chin Music to give the Thunder Chickens their second straight World Series title.

Gabriel surrendered just four hits while striking out six and walking just one in the biggest game of the season. He needed just 98 pitches to go the distance. Gabriel finishes the season 7 postseason with a 4-1 record and a 2.94 ERA.

Offensively for Arizona, a 2-run homerun from CF Dee James in the bottom of the fourth inning provided all of the offense that was needed.

Chin Music starter Chuck Griffin suffered the Game 7 loss for Austin.

The Game 7 victory completes the comeback for Arizona, which began the series in a 2-0 hole after consecutive home losses to Austin. The win also marks the first time in the entire series in which the home team won the game. The championship is the third overall title for Arizona in seven seasons.

Earl Gabriel
Arizona
Thunder Chickens
Age: 36	B/T: L/L
Born: Torrington, WY
Position(s): P (SP1)
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Parent narrowly edges Abreu for MVP

2008-03-12T15:57:00.008-04:00

Tampa Bay Boozers 1B Otis Parent earned his third straight NL MVP Award by ever so slightly beating out Arizona Thunder Chickens catcher Felipe Abreu. Parent won the award with 11 first place votes while Abreu received 10 first place votes. Parent hit .327 this season with 63 homeruns and 164 RBIs for the Boozers.

The NL Cy Young voting was not as close as Arizona's 36-year-old Earl Gabriel took home his fifth straight Cy Young award by receiving 16 of the possible 32 votes. The Boozer's Karl Piersoll was the runner-up with 9 votes. Gabriel was 29-2 this season with a 2.59 ERA with a 1.00 WHIP and 200 strikeouts in 264 IP. The NL Rookie of the Year Award went to Chicago Cubs' Wilson Sanders who received 12 first place votes.

In the American League, San Francisco Slumpbusters' Raymond Farley ran away with the MVP Award, receiving 18 of the 32 votes. Philadelphia's Carlos Sanchez received 5 votes as the runner-up. Farley hit .328 this year with 61 homeruns and 165 RBIs to go with a .415 OBP.

San Francisco also took home the AL Cy Young Award with pitcher Skeeter Duncan receiving 12 votes for his first Cy Young Award. Austin's Rafael Osuna was the runner-up with 9 first place votes. Duncan was 20-5 this season with a 3.09 ERA and 1.15 WHIP to go with his 148 strikeouts in 224.1 IP. The AL Rookie of the Year went to the Sand Flies' Will Kennedy who received 20 first place votes to win the award over runner-up Bernie Green who received 5 votes.

Otis Parent
Tampa Bay
Boozers
Age: 26	B/T: L/L
Born: Hammond, IN
Position(s): 1B
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'Zona takes Game 3; Austin leads WS 2-1

2008-03-12T14:00:00.006-04:00

The Arizona Thunder Chickens got themselves back into the World Series with a 6-4 win in Game 3 to make the series 2-1 in favor of Austin. Flash Hammond got the start for 'Zona and went 5.2 innings while striking out five and giving up two earned runs. Despite giving up 2 earned runs in 0.1 innings of work, Jimmy Donovan got the win for the Thunder Chickens, his first this postseason, while Chris Adams earned the save.

John Bruske, Tom Allen and Al Padilla all homered for Arizona in the victory. CF Dee James was the only Thunder Chicken to collect more than one hit as he went 2-4 with a double and two RBIs.

Despite out hitting the Thunder Chickens, the Chin Music couldn't put together enough runs for the win. Homer Simmons, Willie Cambridge and Chili Mota each collected two hits apiece while Blaine Serrano homered, but it wasn't enouhg to make up for pitcher Darwin Daniels' three earned runs in 0.1 innings of work. Damon Daneker suffered the loss for Austin.

Dee James
Arizona
Thunder Chickens
Age: 27	B/T: S/R
Born: Grundy Center, IA
Position(s): CF
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Chili Mota leads Austin to Game 2 win

2008-03-12T00:02:00.006-04:00

Chili Mota went 4-4 with two homeruns and four RBIs to lead the Austin Chin Music to a Game 2 win over the Arizona Thunder Chickens 5-1. Chin Music ace Rafael Osuna went six innings, giving up just one earned and striking out four, to pick up the victory.

Mota added a double and a single to his two homeruns, falling just a triple short of hitting for the cycle. Austin only had six hits total for the game with CF John Wolf, who homered, and 1B Homer Simmons picking up the other two.

Starter Orlando Blanco was tabbed with the loss for Arizona, giving up three earned runs and walking seven in six innings of work. The Chin Music lead the series 2-0.

Chili Mota
Austin
Chin Music
Age: 33	B/T: S/R
Born: River Rouge, MI
Position(s): 2B/CIF/OF/DH
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WS Player-by-Player matchups

2008-03-10T12:54:00.005-04:00

Arizona and Austin. Each the #1 seed in their league. How do they match up?

Catcher
AZ Felipe Abreu .415/.553/.486 9 HRs/79 RBI
AU Corey Speaker .334/.400/.488 17/88
Abreu has the clear offensive advantage here.

1B
AZ Kordell Peterson .354/.475/.651 28/109
AU Homer Simmons .356/.419/.557 22/105
Taking into account Peterson's dreadful defense, I'll call this one a wash.

2B
AZ John Bruske .306/.405/.616 36/173
AU Chili Mota .296/.357/.446 18/89
Clearly in favor of Arizona.

3B
AZ Jamie Hillenbrand .348/.443/.565 26/129
AU Dusty Mann .353/.394/.635 34/112
In his heyday, Hillenbrand would have taken this one. Not now. Advantage Austin.

SS
AZ Jamie Enders .341/.398/.527 21/125
AU Blaine Serrano .267/.331/.461 24/80
Despite his total lack of range on D, Enders wins this one.

LF
AZ Danny Spence .327/.417/.455 12/69
AU Willie Chavez .328/.390/.674 57/174
Chavez wins this one going away.

CF
AZ Dee James .352/.408/.588 28/136
AU John Wolf .301/.411/.470 16/65
Fairly close, but advantage James.

RF
AZ Glenn Phelps .314/.419/.601 44/154
AU Willie Cambridge .328/.384/.620 39/127
I'll call it a wash

DH
AZ Tom Allen .342/.410/.643 29/95
AU Fritz Gaillard .286/.364/.519 31/109
Once again, advantage Arizona.

In sum, Arizona wins the offensive matchups 5-2-2.

SP
AZ Earl Gabriel 29-2 /2.59/1.00
AZ Flash Hammond 21-6/3.64/1.20
AZ Orlando Blanco 20-9/4.23/1.34
AZ Jimmy Donovan 23-4/3.87/1.34

AU Rafael Osuna 18-5/3.27/1.17
AU Rico Cruz 17-6/4.37/1.31
AU Chuck Griffin 17-7/4.57/1.38
AU Bret Ross 12-8/4.79/1.45

Even throwing out the won/loss records, Arizona has an advantage in starters. The bullpen, however, is a different story. Austin's bully sported a 3.68 ERA on the year, while Arizona's posted a 4.59 ERA.

Overall, however, Arizona comes in with the better team all-around. Upsets are always possible, though, in HBD.

World Series Matchup

2008-03-09T19:58:00.003-04:00

The top-seeded Arizona Thunder Chickens closed out the NLCS with a decisive victory, winning the series 4-1 over Tampa Bay. The Peckers will face the AL's #1 seed, the Austin Chin Music, who defeated the Louisville Flame Throwers 4 games to 2. Arizona will be looking to become the league's first back-to-back champion, having won its second title in season 6. Regardless, Camp will have a repeat champion, as Austin won the World Series in season 2.

LCS Update

2008-03-08T16:10:00.003-05:00

3 games into the LCS series and each one is a battle.

ALCS
Louisville took game 1 5-3, scoring 3 in the 7th off Cy Young front-runner Rafael Osuna "O-later" and one each in the 8th and 9th off the usually reliable Austin bullpen. Rick "What the" Faulk got the win for the Flamers, and was helped by three bombs, one each from Curt "Fort" Thurman, Matthew "Saint" Lewis, and Ken "His'n" Hurst (his 6th of the post-season).

In game 2, Austin evened the series with a 4-0 victory, as starter Rico Cruz "Control" tossed a 3-hit shutout, needing only 89 pitches. Willie "Nilly" Chavez led the offensive charge for the Chin Music, knocking a 2-run dinger.

Game 3 at Louisville was a thriller, won by the Chin Music 8-6, on a 2-run jack by Homer "Sexual" Simmons in the top of the 11th. Austin got 2 in the 8th (on another Chavez blast) and 1 in the 9th to knot it up at 6 for extras. Former Austinite Howard "G-Spot" Ott took the loss for the Flamers, who are now down 2-1 in the series.

Game 4 will have Rick "What-the" Faulk on the hill for Louisville and Bret "Rhinocer" Ross taking the hill for Austin.

NLCS
The much-anticipated matchup between the juggernauts Arizona Thunder Chickens and Tampa Bay Boozers has not disappointed thus far. The Peckers won game 1 in a 4-3 thriller. Jamie "Rear" Enders' 3 RBI helped Earl "Methuselah" Gabriel earn the victory. The Booze-hounds late-inning comeback came up just short as Ajax "Window Cleaner" Blair grounded out with 2 on in the 9th to end the game. Karl "Nipples" Piersoll took the loss.

In game 2, Tampa evened the series with a convincing 7-1 victory, led by Cy Young candidate Matt "Grizzly" Adams' strong 8-inning, 4-hit effort. Long reliever Jimmy "Mellow Yellow" Donovan took the L.

The series shifted to sunny Tampa for game 3. The home grounds were no help to the Drunks, however, as the Chicks won 7-4, to take a 2-1 series lead. Flash "Yo Pecker" Hammond got the W while Nipples Piersoll, back on short rest, took the L to go 0-2 in the series. The Tampa local media are wondering where Abdul "Jihad" Wallace was in game 3.

Game 4 in Tampa tonight. Be there!

Drunks vs. Chicks

2008-03-06T13:02:00.002-05:00

Well, it's here: the NLCS dream matchup of the owners of the two best regular-season records, the Arizona Thunder Chickens (122-40 in the regular season) and the Tampa Bay Boozers (115-47 in the regular season). Will the Boozers knock the Peckers limp? Will the Chicks leave the Boozers passed out in an alley? We'll see, and it'll be legendary.

Oh, and by the way, the other series has the Austin Chin Music and the Louisville Flame Throwers.

Chickens Cooped Up in Game 5?

2008-03-06T10:04:00.004-05:00

The #1 seed Arizona Thunder Chickens surprisingly find themselves in a win-or-go-home game in the Division Series against the upstart New Orleans Levee Builders. As suspected, the downfall thus far for the Peckers has been the bullpen, which has opened the floodgates (levees) to the tune of a 13.00 ERA through the first four contests. In the decisive game 5 this morning, it is anticipated that the LBs will weigh in with Gerald "Fluky" Suzuki while the Chickadees will go with Flash "Flood" Hammond. Have at it, boys.

Louisville, Austin and Tampa Bay make quick work of DCS

2008-03-05T19:16:00.009-05:00

The Austin Chin Music, Louisvlle Flame Throwers and Tampa Bay Boozers finished off their respective DCS series in decisive fashion earlier tonight. All three teams won their respective series 3-1. The Chin Music will square off with the Flame Throwers in the ALCS while the Boozers await the winner of the Arizona-New Orleans series which is currently tied at two games apiece.

The Boozers took it to Toronto in their series, winning Game 4 by a 7-1 score thanks to some big game pitching by Matt Adams. Adams pitched seven strong innings, giving up just one earned while striking out six to pick up the series clinching win. The Boozers were led on offense by catcher Chris Wood and Harry Moya who both homered in victory. Toronto reliever Richard McEnroe was shelled in 2/3 innings of work, giving up four earned.

Louisville clinched their series with a 8-7 win over San Francisco in Game 4 of their series when 3B Adrian Hughes sent the eventual game winning homerun over the left centerfield wall to lead off the bottom of the eight inning. Hughes collected three hits total for the game while Flame Throwers DH Eddie Taguchi drove home three runs.

The Chin Music blasted their way to the ALCS by putting up 15 runs in Game 4 of their series against the Philadelphia Athletics. The onslaught was led by MVP candidate Willie Chavez who was 4-6 with 2 HR and 3 RBI and 3B Dusty Mann who was 2-2 with 2 HR, 4 RBI and 4 walks. Catcher Corey Speaker also drove in five runs.

Philly comes back from 0-2 hole to advance

2008-03-04T01:04:00.003-05:00

Not even five games were enough for these two teams as the dramatic series finale went extras. The Philadelphia Athletics completed their comeback from a 0-2 deficit in their Play-In Series with a 5-3 win over the Cincinnati Reds in 11 innings thanks to Pat Richard’s bases loaded two run single in the top of the 11th off Reds pitcher Calvin Barker. Sven Locko picked up the series clinching win with an inning and a third of relief work for the A’s. Philadelphia will move on to play top-seeded Austin in their Division Championship Series.

Pat Richard
Philadelphia
Athletics
Age: 27	B/T: R/R
Born: Niles, MI
Position(s): 3B/RF/DH
View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Louisville, New Orleans and Toronto advance

2008-03-02T20:14:00.003-05:00

After losing Game 1, the Louisville Flame Throwers rallied to win three straight and their Play-In series against the Rochester Royals. It was the Flame Throwers' offense that exploded, scoring a combined 24 runs in the final two games of the series to help Louisville advance. Catcher Ken Hurst was 2-4 with 2 homeruns and 4 RBIs in the series finale. Louisville will meet the San Francisco Slumpbusters in the Division Championship Series.

The Levee Builders clinched their series over Augusta with a 5-0 win thanks to stellar pitching from Ross Kerr, who threw 6 innings, gave up just 2 hits and struck out 8, and Enrique Gomez, who worked the game's final three innings while giving up just one hit in getting the save. New Orleans will face top seeded Arizona in their Division Championship Series.

Toronto needed extra innings in Game 4 to knock off NL North rival Milwaukee in their Play-In Series. In the top of the 10th inning, backup 1B Ruben Guerrero, who had entered the game in the 8th as a pinch runner for Jim Drese, hit a solo homerun off of David Rosa to seal the win for the Greased-Up Deaf Guys. Toronto will meet the Tampa Bay Boozers in their Division Championship Series.

Winchester leads Cincy to 2-0 lead

2008-03-02T01:46:00.003-05:00

Cincinnati Reds 3B Marc Winchester belted three homeruns in Game 2 of the Play-In round against Philadelphia to lead the Reds to a 12-4 stomping and a 2-0 series lead over the Athletics. Two of Winchester's bombs came off Philadelphia starter Rolando Fuentes who was shelled, allowing nine earned runs in 5.1 innings of work.

In other playoff action, Don Bale was shaky in his first career playoff start, giving up five runs in eight innings of work against Milwaukee. But Bale and Toronto would pick up the 11-5 win thanks in part to 5 RBIs from SS Kelvin Daniels. Toronto now holds a 2-0 series lead over the Bondsmen.

The Augusta Pounders and Louisville Flame Throwers each won Game 2 to even their respective series at 1-1 a piece.

Marc Winchester
Cincinnati
Reds
Age: 32	B/T: S/R
Born: Zumbrota, MN
Position(s): 3B/1B/COF
View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Championship Odds

2008-02-28T16:26:00.004-05:00

This following is not for betting purposes. It is for entertainment value alone.

As we rapidly approach the postseason in season 7 of Camp, let's take a moment to assess the odds of each playoff team winning the World Series.

Arizona Thunder Chickens - 3 to 2
Any discussion on this topic has to begin with the defending, and two-time champion Arizona Thunder Chickens. The Peckers come into the playoff with the number 1 ranked offense and the number 2 ranked pitching staff. The lineup is full of dudes that get on base (the team OBA is .421). The staff has 4 20-game winners, including Cy-favorite Earl "Methuselah" Gabriel (who colson almost traded to me early in the season, dammit) who is 28-2. Perhaps the only weakness in this ballclub is the lack of a pure closer. (Valdivia is nice, but his stamina limits him). Of course, scoring 8 runs a game in the regular season, the team rarely had close games where they needed a closer. This tends to be different in the post-season. Could this be the axe on the Chickens' necks?

Tampa Bay Boozers - 2 to 1
Another NL juggernaut, the Booze-hounds sport far-and-away the league's best starting rotation (team ERA of 3.21). You don't need beer-goggles to love Karl "Nipples" Piersoll (20-5/2.45), Matt "Grizzly" Adams (23-5/2.67), and Abdul "Jihad" Wallace (25-7/3.00). Like Arizona, however, the drunks lack a clear option at closer. Their offense is led by all-time HR leader Otis "the Drunk" Parent (.328/62/158) and Charles "Last Tango in" Perez (.353/28/108). If they meet up in the LCS (Toronto may have something to say about this), it'll be a battle for the ages between Arizona and Tampa Bay.

Austin Chin Music - 4 to 1
The Chin Music come into the playoffs as the #1 seed in the AL. The strength of the team is in their offense, which comes in at 3rd-best in the league (.304/.373/.507). Season 6 MVP Willie (Nilly" Chavez (.327/57/174), Dusty "Bad" Mann (.353/34/111), Willie "Wonka" Cambridge (.328/38/125), and mid-season acquisition Homer "Sexual" Simmons (.356/22/105) lead the way. The rotation is headed by 2-time Cy Young Rafael Osuna "O-later" (18-5/3.27). Alas, despite a season-long effort to trade for another front-end starter, in Chin Music's staff there's a significant dropoff from Osuna to the #2, Rico Cruz "Control" (17-6/4.37) and #3, Chuck "Big Dick" Griffin (16-7/4.55). This could very well be the downfall of Austin.

Toronto Greased-Up Deaf Guys - 5 to 1
Sporting arguably the most exciting pitcher in the history of the league (Don "Corleone" Bale), Toronto comes in with some momentum. The league's 4th-best staff is dramatically improved by the late-season addition of Bale (3-0/3.93 in his first 5 starts). Sven "Viking" Simmons (18-7/3.50) and a very good bully back up Bale. The offense is led by HR-hitting contest champ Izzy "Fa-shizzie" Florie (.360/40/112), rookie Evan "Almighty" Harrison (.357/15/72), and slugger Jim Drese "Monkey" (.319/40/109). If Toronto doesn't win it this season, they most likely will soon, as their farm system is LOADED.

San Francisco Slumpbusters - 7 to 1
The #2 seed coming out of the AL, SF may need numerous liaisons with some of Mark Grace's slumpbusting fat chicks to go all the way. The leaders of the team are Raymond "Van Down by the River" Farley (.330/61/165), Skeeter "Wife-beater" Duncan (19-5/3.04), and a shut-down bully. While stacked, this team will have to sleep its way through at least two better teams to win it all.

Bale rocked in ML debut, gets win anyway

2008-02-23T01:04:00.003-05:00

One of the best pitching prospects to come along in some time made his major league debut recently and was welcomed with a bang. Well, several bangs actually.

Don Bale threw 7.1 innings for the Greased-Up Deaf Guys in his first big league start against the Scottsdale Dust devils and allowed 8 earned runs on 10 hits. Bale did strikeout 8 hitters while walking none, and even stayed around long enough to pickup the win thanks to Toronto’s 16 runs scored including 7 RBIs from Jim Drese. The rough debut isn’t exactly what Toronto was hoping for when they called up Bale from AA and the team hopes he can turn it around before the playoffs begin.

Don Bale
Toronto
Greased-Up Deaf Guys
Age: 21	B/T: L/L
Born: Glen Cove, NY
Position(s): P (SP2)
View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Tampa leaving Camp?

2008-02-21T14:34:00.003-05:00

It seems that all is not well by the bay.

A petition to evict the Tampa franchise from Camp has been initiated by the clubs from Louisville and Minnesota. Is the Otis Parent FGH claim to blame? Or is it the personal Jihad Tampa General Manager, pvc4twenty, has waged during season 7?

We have it on record from a guy, whose sisters' friends' cousins' friend overheard a sports talkshow host quoting an anonymous source that pvc4twenty has claimed "Camp is dead!"

We are looking deeper into these allegations as we speak. But if you ask this reporter, it totally stinks of roid rage! Is GM pvc4twenty a little too close to Otis Parent? Sharing the same needle perhaps? Stay tuned as details continue to unfold.

KKKKKarl Piersoll is KKKKing!

2008-02-21T12:05:00.004-05:00

Tampa - Newly acquired ace Karl Piersoll set the single season strikeout record on Wednesday against Honolulu. Piersoll broke Earl Gabriel's record of 235 ks in a season and now has 240 on the year to go with a 2.77 ERA and a 0.98 WHIP.

Karl Piersoll
Tampa Bay
Boozers
Age: 25	B/T: S/R
Born: Bel Air, MD
Position(s): P (SP2)
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Breaking News...Parent named in Switchell Report.

2008-02-18T23:52:00.004-05:00

Since former Senator Jorge Switchell launched his investigation into baseball's steroid past 18 months ago, the big questions have been whether the final report would name names, and how many names would be named, and how important the names would be.

Some officials came away from a 32-team Camp League Baseball conference call held mid-day Monday with the understanding that the forthcoming Switchell report would include many names; names which have so far not been disclosed publicly; and the names of well-known players.

According to those familiar with the conference call, Tim Jarlucci, a lawyer for HBD, told the team representatives on the conference call that the report is going to be "salacious."

Said one source familiar with what was said on the conference call, "This is going to be enormous ... it's going to be a huge story when these names come out."

And tonight we have learned that Tampa Bay Boozer's slugger, Otis Parent, appears in the report. Simon Funnybone, Parents' former trainer, has admitted to injecting Parent with FHG (Fantasy Growth Hormone) as far back as Season 2. Funnybone has surrendered evidence to support his claims. The evidence consisted of 2 Kleenex tissues, which Parent cried into as he was being injected, and a video tape of Parent and Funnybone wearing Speedos and singing Britney Spears' "Oooops...I Did It Again."

Other names rumored to appear in the report are Berry Bonz, Rojur Clemmons, Marc Macwire, and Rafial Palmeero.

In return for his cooperation, Funnybone, will receive complete immunity and the home edition of Deal or No Deal.

Wild Finish

2008-02-18T16:40:00.003-05:00

The Wild Card races in both leagues are tightly packed and likely won't be decided until the final games of the season, a welcomed sight with division races all but over. Here is a rundown of where things stand as of this writing....

AL Wild Card Standings:
Philadelphia Athletics(markbl): 71-58
Colorado Bombers(jokeitch): 70-59
San Juan Sand Files(gccoach): 68-61
Rochester Royals(ericloy): 67-62
Pawtucket Quahogs(mikeg740): 64-65
Minnesota Finlanders(nalleyjohn): 63-66

With 33 games remaining all 6 teams are still in the running. The favorite to take one of the spots has to be the current leader, the Philly Athletics. Legendary manager Markbl has produced a playoff entrant in all 6 seasons, while bringing home the World Series in season 4. They will have to rely on the 5th ranked offense in order to make up for a pitching staff giving up over 5 runs a game. Despite having such a small lead over the 2nd spot, one would expect the Bombers to hold on and make the playoffs. Jokeitch is new to the league, but was able to take over a powerhouse franchise that has given him a chance to make an immediate impact. Picking Coors Field as the home field was probably not the best decision and a 9-18 record in 1 run games is troublesome, but the Bombers success on the road could make them a tough out come playoff time.

NL Wild Card:
Augusta Pounders(kalikgod): 77-52
New Orleans Levee Builders(dwhit34): 74-55
Scranton Coal Miners(kjmulli): 74-55
Honolulu Heart Attacks(mike82usf): 72-57
Milwaukee Bondsmen(therock14): 69-60

After suffering a slow start the Pounders have had to fight their way back and appear to be clicking on all cylinders right now, having won 10 of 12. They've been involved in postseason play each season and a favorable schedule the rest of the way should give them a chance at a 2nd World Series title. Don't be suprised if their top flight pitching staff produces an upset come playoff time. New Orleans can send out a powerful offense, but having the hardest schedule from here on out will open the door for the balanced attack of the Coal Miners to take the final spot....which would give us 3 playoff teams from the NL East. Everyone is looking towards Feb. 23rd as the Levee Builders will play host to the Coal Miners, but there will be plenty of teams trying to spoil things for these teams along the way.

Four hondo and counting...

2008-02-17T23:19:00.007-05:00

Death, Taxes and Otis Parent will hit 50 HRs a season. The two-time reigning National League MVP hit his 400th career home run on Wednesday, a first in Camp. Despite haters from all over saying Otis' ratings just "aren't that good" he continues to show that ratings only matter so much. Parent is having a quiet 47 hr 121 RBI season right now. Tough to make noise after clubbing 154 hr and driving in 424 runs the past two seasons.

Otis Parent
Tampa Bay
Boozers
Age: 26	B/T: L/L
Born: Hammond, IN
Position(s): 1B
View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Sanchez seen betting on cockfighting

2008-02-14T18:28:00.004-05:00

Philadelphia Athletics right fielder Carlos Sanchez was reportedly seen at a cockfighting match several weeks ago in a Mexican suburb. Witnesses say that Sanchez was seen betting other members of the audience as to who had the best cock. Phone calls to Sanchez's agent were not returned, though a friend of Sanchez's said that cockfighting is perfectly legal in Mexico and that Sanchez was just embracing his roots. The only problem there is that Sanchez is not Mexican. In fact, Sanchez was born in and currently resides in Wyoming, possibly the whitest state in America.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals sent a letter to the outfielder asking him to publicly apologize. Philadelphia officials could not be reached for comment.

Vegas gets Barcelo; Scranton nabs Mateo

2008-02-10T10:41:00.000-05:00

The bidding wars for the two most recent international stars have come to an end. Super stud Ramiro Barcelo decided to sign with the Las Vegas Gamblers for a one-year minor league deal with a $14.5 million signing bonus. Barcelo could start in the majors right away but with a year or two under his belt in the minors, he will be an All-Star for years to come.

Shortstop Tomas Mateo finally decided to take a 5-year major league deal from the Scranton Coal Miners along with a $9.9 million signing bonus. It appeared that the bidding for Mateo was initially higher until Barcelo appeared on the radar, for whom teams may have shifted gears. Scranton’s lack of prospect money compared to other teams like Vegas and New York made the Coal Miners get crafty and eventually offer a big league deal to Mateo.

The 22-year-old Barcelo has yet to be assigned to a level at this time while the 19-year-old Mateo will begin his career with Scranton's HiA team.

International men of mystery

2008-02-09T01:40:00.001-05:00

In what has been the craziest, most expensive and most talent loaded international market ever in Camp (and maybe in HBD altogether), several teams have ponied-up for some future major league All-Stars. Here’s a look at some prominent signings from this year’s international market:

SS Miguel Siqueiros, Tucson Sands ($32.2 million bonus)
The Sands paid out a ridiculous record amount of $32.2 million to Siqueiros in addition to giving the 19-year-old a 5-year major league deal. Siqueiros looks to have an excellent balance of glove and bat for a SS and certainly has a chance to make a few All-Star teams in his career. Some are skeptical of Tucson’s decision to assign Siqueiros to their AAA team right away and whether or not that move will stunt his development is a question that won’t be answered for a couple of seasons.

P Julio Guillen, Scottsdale Dust devils ($15.9 million bonus)
Scottsdale jumped on the first big name available in the international market this season when they signed Guillen. Guillen boasts an above average fastball-change up combo with excellent control of both. In eight starts with Scottsdale’s Rookie League team, Guillen is 4-2 with a 2.40 ERA and 49 strikeouts this season.

P Pedro Barrios, Louisville Flame Throwers ($10.9 million bonus)
Barrios has the skills to be a future closer in the big leagues. He features an excellent sinker which he has great command of and can be equally tough on righties and lefties. In 24 appearances at HiA Louisville this season, the 20-year-old Barrios is 3-2 with 2 saves, a 3.18 ERA and 49 strikeouts.

P Jacob Lee, San Francisco Slumpbusters ($8.2 million bonus)
The 18-year-old Lee projects to be a middle of the rotation starter in the big leagues someday. He has very good control of a very good fastball and is tough on lefties. He could have trouble with righties and lacks a big time secondary pitch, though his curveball will be effective. In seven games for San Fran’s Rookie League team, Lee is 5-0 with a 3.18 ERA.

C R.J. Mieses, Mexico City Day Laborers ($7.0 million bonus)
Probably the biggest bargain of this international crop, Mieses brings a big bat along with his great pitch calling. While he doesn’t have the greatest throwing arm in the world, Mieses may not have to worry about throwing runners out with some of the young pitchers in Mexico City’s system. In 38 games for the Day Laborer’s Rookie League team, Mieses is hitting .342 with 8 homeruns and 48 RBIs.

LF Ramiro Barcelo, unsigned
The bidding war continues for Barcelo who, at 22-years-old, could play everyday in the big leagues right away. With a couple years of minor league experience, Barcelo will be a force for years to come and will be a lock for at least a half dozen All-Star appearances.

SS Tomas Mateo, unsigned
Like Miguel Siqueiros, Mateo has a nice blend of glove and bat, though to a lesser degree. If he’s unable to reach his potential with the glove, he could easily make for a Gold Glove third baseman.

Tampa Bay begins to fill their bare cupboard

2008-02-08T22:25:00.000-05:00

Some might say it's the cost of winning. Others might contend that without it you can't win down the road. Both would be right. No matter how you slice it, building a strong minor league system is imperative in HBD. Despite having one of the worst farm systems in all of Camp, The Tampa Bay Boozers made a monster move on Friday with the acquisition of Karim Nunez from the skidding Scranton Coal Miners. In return, the Coal Miners received one of the most consistent pitchers in the NL, Damaso Castro . Castro has won 20 games three times and has over 100 career wins.

Nunez immediately makes Tampa's future look brighter while Castro should make Scranton a legitimate wild card contender. "As much as we hate to deal Castro to a team that is in our division, we just couldn't overlook the potential of Nunez. He reminds me of a young Karl Piersoll," said Tampa GM pvc4twenty. Will this deal come back to haunt either ball club? Only time will tell.

Trade deadline approaches quietly

2008-02-05T15:23:00.000-05:00

With the season 7 trade deadline approaching, the trade front is seemingly quiet though two deals were completed today.

The Minnesota Finlanders sent P Theo Munson, P Jeff Bryant and recently acquired SS Ted Orosco to the Scottsdale Dust Devils for P Ben Brown. Brown had been 7-8 with a 3.77 ERA in 19 starts with Scottsdale this season. Minnesota hopes the move can push them past the Cincinnati Reds in the AL North.

The other deal completed today saw the Scranton Coal Miners send C Eugene Buck and P Bono Myers to the Charlotte Paladins for 3B Jack Ray. This deal won't have any affect on the playoff race this season, but Ray and Myers could contribute for Scranton and Charlotte, respectively, next season. Ray, a former first round pick, had been hitting .335 with 15 homeruns, 78 RBIs and a .409 OBP in 75 games between AA and AAA Charlotte this season. Buck, known more for his pitch calling, was hitting .289 with 5 homeruns at LoA Scranton while Myers had a 13-6 record with a 3.82 ERA in 21 starts at AAA Scranton.

Holbert ends holdout, signs with Day Laborers

2008-02-05T00:12:00.000-05:00

The number one pick in the season 7 draft has finally ended the wait. 2B prospect Ken Holbert has accepted Mexico City's 3-year major league contract and $8 million signing bonus. Holbert had been holding out since being drafted, threatening to enter next year's draft if he didn't receive the contract he thought he deserved. Holbert initially had asked for a $4 million signing bonus, which the Day Laborer's eventually doubled.

Ken Holbert
http://www.whatifsports.com/HBD/Pages/Popups/PlayerProfile.aspx?pid=1563214

Camp midseason awards

2008-02-04T20:10:00.001-05:00

While players rest up for the second half of the season, here are one man’s picks for Camp’s award winners at the halfway point of season 7. (Note: I didn’t pick the Rookie of the Year because I didn’t feel like combing through everyone’s teams. Lazy? You bet.)

American League
MVP – Willie Chavez, Austin Chin Music
You can’t ask for any more than what Chavez has provided the Chin Music this season. Chavez is hitting .342 with 37 homeruns, 120 RBIs and a .691 slugging percentage. He’ll get some competition in this category from teammate Dusty Mann who has also posted excellent numbers so far this season. Slumpbusters’ Ray Farley also may have something to say about the outcome here.
Apologies to Dusty Mann (Austin), Bartolo Escuela (Colorado), Raymond Farley (San Francisco)

Cy Young – Sherman Byrne, Louisville Flame Throwers
Byrne has been the cream of the crop in the AL so far this season and has helped lead Louisville’s march towards the playoffs. Byrne boasts a 12-2 record with a 2.61 ERA and 109 strikeouts at the break. His teammate Rick Faulk also hasn’t been too shabby himself and with a strong second half could steal the Cy Young from Byrne.
Apologies to Skeeter Duncan (San Francisco) Rick Faulk (Louisville) and Rafael Osuna (Austin)

Fireman of the Year – Charlie Winston, Colorado Bombers
This race will come down to the wire with plenty of good closers in the AL. I went with Winston who has converted 15 of 18 save opportunities this season with a 2.35 ERA in 38.1 innings pitched, but this race is far from over.
Apologies to Eric Cobb (Rochester), Midre Acevedo (San Francisco), Domingo Diaz (Louisville), Jerry Price (Austin)

National League
MVP – Felipe Abreu, Arizona Thunder Chickens
A .425 batting average. A .553 on base percentage. Both would be single season records and both are the current numbers for Arizona’s superstar catcher Felipe Abreu. He has also notched 102 runs, 98 walks and just two strikeouts at the break. That’s right, two. In 358 at bats. Ridiculous.
Apologies to Howard Lowell (New Orleans) and Charles Perez (Tampa Bay)

Cy Young – Earl Gabriel, Arizona Thunder Chickens
The only one who even comes close to Gabriel here is Tampa Bay’s Matt Adams. The two shared the Cy Young last year but Gabriel has a big edge in the wins and ERA departments to this point in the season. I mean 19 wins at the break? Gabriel shows no signs of slowing down at age 36 and looks like he’ll wrap up his fifth straight Cy Young Award if he stays on pace.
Apologies to Matt Adams (Tampa Bay)

Fireman of the Year – Wiki Beltran, Memphis Blues
There aren’t many shutdown closers in the NL, but Beltran is on the short list. He’s third in the league with 18 saves, but has just one blown save on the season. Of the other closers contending for the award, Toronto’s Neil Simas has four blown saves and Scranton’s Orlando Feliz already has seven. Beltran also has a lower ERA than the two.
Apologies to Neil Simas (Toronto) and Orlando Feliz (Scranton)

Where are they now?

2008-02-02T02:08:00.000-05:00

An analysis of the drafts for the Scranton Coal Miners franchise from seasons 1-7 (first 5 rounds):

SEASON 1 (New York Apples, previous owner)
1 (5) SS Willis Henderson – unsigned
3 (90) P Ruben Renteria – left via free agency after season 6. Currently in AAA for Trenton.
4 (122) P Bryant DeRosa – traded to Austin in season 3 along with Benji Nunez for Vic Hafner. Currently pitching for the Chicago Cubs.
5 (154) SS Jimmie Pascual – waived in season 2. Currently retired.

SEASON 2 (Huntington Hillbillies, previous owner)
1 (2) P Jack Harris – 3 time minor league All-Star, season 5 AAA Cy Young winner. Currently starting for the Coal Miners ML team. Career 3.84 ERA in ML.
1 (19) P Fred Blank – unsigned
1 (33) P Ewell Forbes – elected to RL All-Star team in season 2. Traded to Trenton in season 4. Currently starting for Charlotte Paladins ML squad.
1 (212) P Jerome Kirk – unsigned
2 (50) P Vin Mayne – traded to Toronto in season 4 along with Charlie Perry and Benny Rivera for John Wolf. Currently pitching out of the Tucson Sands bullpen in ML.
3 (82) P Bono Myers – Currently pitching for Scranton in AAA. 61-22 career with 4.05 ERA in minors.
4 (114) P Willie Rosa – unsigned
5 (146) P Lenny Barnes – unsigned

SEASON 3
1 (4) 2B Charlie Riley – season 5 All-Star at AA Scranton. Currently starting for Scranton ML club.
1 (43) P Ronn Gonzalez – Currently pitching out of AAA Scranton bullpen. Career 3.74 minor league ERA.
1 (49) P Ron Richard – traded to Trenton in season 4 with Ewell Forbes for Joaquin Liriano. Currently starting for Toronto HiA.
2 (55) SS Charlie Perry – traded to Toronto in season 4 along with Benny Rivera and Vin Mayne for John Wolf.
3 (87) LF Don MacDougal – unsigned
4 (119) P Andrew Alston – season 4 All-Star in RL. Currently pitching for AA Scranton.
5 (151) 1B Stevie Corino – traded to Minnesota in season 6 along with Al Mesa for Dizzy Hawkins. Currently playing at AAA Honolulu.

SEASON 4
1 (12) SS Phil Carson – 2 time minor league All-Star for Scranton. Traded to Jacksonville in season 6 along with Phil Dreifort and Richard Appier for Sven Reid and Frank Fielder. Currently starting for Atlanta’s ML team.
2 (69) P Monte Bravo – season 6 LoA All-Star. Currently pitching for HiA Scranton.
3 (101) P Tony Park – unsigned
4 (133) P Richard Appier – traded to Jacksonville in season 6 along with Phil Dreifort and Phil Carson for Sven Reid and Frank Fielder. Currently pitching for AA Atlanta.
5 (165) P Chad Knotts – Currently pitching for HiA Scranton.

SEASON 5
1 (4) 1B Raymond Purcell – traded to Scottsdale in season 7 along with Wade O’Donnell and Mark Suzuki for Bill Appier.
2 (55) P Justin Middlebrook – currently pitching out of Scranton’s HiA bullpen. Career 3.30 minor league ERA.
3 (87) P Darrin Hawkins – unsigned. Signed in season 6 by Memphis, currently pitching for AAA Memphis.
4 (119) P Jackie Minor – currently pitching for LoA Scranton
5 (151) P Jerome Carlson – currently pitching for LoA Scranton

SEASON 6
3 (94) C Eugene Buck – currently catching for LoA Scranton
4 (126) CF Jumbo Silva – currently playing for LoA Scranton
5 (158) P Richard Brown – currently pitching for LoA Scranton

SEASON 7
1 (23) P Matt Collins – currently 4-0 with 4.34 ERA at LoA Scranton
2 (65) P Clay Youkilis – currently at LoA Scranton with a 1.93 ERA in 4.2 IP
3 (97) C Rob Harmon – currently hitting .221 in 20 games at LoA Scranton
4 (129) SS Cliff Taylor – unsigned
5 (161) 3B Geoffery Mlicki – currently batting .429 in 16 games with Scranton RL team.

Player spotlight : The future is bright in Atlanta

2008-02-01T14:09:00.000-05:00

As the Atlanta Knights build for the future there is no doubt they are counting on RJ Sheffield to help lead the way. This his rookie season currently has RJ batting .291 with 16 HR's, 71 RBI, and 13 stolen bases. We recently had the chance to speak with RJ about his experience so far.

"RJ, what has been this biggest adjustment for you this season?" "Preparing yourself day in and day out to face ML pitching. All the pitchers up here are tough and they all have good stuff."

"Did you expect to be with the big league club this season?" "I always set high expectations myself and I just went into spring training with the mindset that I was going to do my best to make the big league squad. In the end I don't make that call. But I am very happy to be here."

"Obviously this team is in a rebuilding stage. What do you think the future is like for this team?" "I think the future is very bright. The new ownership has already taken some steps to make this franchise competitive. Everyone really liked the move from Jacksonville to Atlanta. Atlanta is a really cool city and they love baseball here. We're growing as players and learning how to win. I like the direction we are heading."

"We hear you are close in the All-Star voting. What would it mean to you to make the All-Star team as a rookie?" "That would be amazing! To be called an All-Star and to play in that game would be a true honor."

"What are your expectations for the rest of the season?" "As a team we want to get to .500. That would really give us some momentum for next season. Personally, I'm just taking it one game at a time and doing my best to help the team win."

We have no doubt with young players like RJ Sheffield, Phil Carson, Fritz Lidge, and Eric Flier already contributing at the ML level that good things are right around the corner for the Knights.

Where Are They Now?

2008-02-01T10:53:00.000-05:00

An analysis of the drafts for the Austin Chin Music franchise from season 1 through 7 (first 5 rounds):

SEASON 1 (by a previous owner):
1st Rd. (3 overall) SP Elvis Nicholson - Traded in season 5 to Cleveland in deal for ace Rafael Osuna. Now starting in the bigs.
1st - Supp (47) OF Rock Pride - Traded in season 4 to Scranton in deal for OF Vic Hafner. Now starting in the bigs.
2nd (56) SP Alfredo Nieves - Traded to Louisville in season 2 in a deal for a setup man in my championship season. Now toiling in the bigs for Atlanta.
2nd (66) RP Blade Cambridge - Traded to Minnesota in season 6 in a deal for AA OF Freddie Barclay. Now pitching in AAA for Louisville.
3rd (88) SS Willie Vernon - Traded to Pittsburgh in season 4 in a package for RF Achilles Snow. Now on the DL at AA for New York.
4th (120) P David Espada - Never signed. Out of organized baseball.
5th (152) 1B/DH Clayton Shelley - Traded to Boise in season 4 in a package for closer Jumbo Santiago. Now in AAA at Trenton.

SEASON 2 (my first HBD season).
1st (7) 3B Ron Turner - Traded to Scottsdale in season 7 for 1B - Fritz Gaillard and SS - Torey Benavente. Turner was an all-star in season 6.
2nd (55) 2B Vin Ramirez - Didn't sign. Signed as a free agent in season 3 by San Diego. Now at AAA for Colorado.
3rd (87) SS Tuck McClain - Traded in season 5 to Boston in a deal for AAA CF Edwards Van Hatten. Now starting at SS for Memphis.
4th (119) OF Cesar Chavez - Fourth outfielder at Austin's AAA affiliate.
5th (151) P Bret Hines - Long-reliever at Austin's AA affiliate.

SEASON 3
1st (forfeited for signing FA)
2nd (77) C Calvin Chase - Traded to Cleveland in season 5 in a deal for ace Rafael Osuna. Now a part-time starter for Tampa Bay.
3rd (109) SP Felipe Barajas - Starting at Austin's AA affiliate.
4th (141) C/DH Chris Hoffman - DH'ing at Austin's AAA affiliate.
5th (173) SP Paul Aldridge - Starting at Austin's HiA affiliate.

SEASON 4
1st (22) RF Jose Ramirez - Raking in RF at Austin's AAA affiliate. On the doorstep to stardom.
1st supp. (43) SP David Manzanillo - Blowing them away at Austin's AA affiliate. 44-7 in the minors.
2nd (79) P Ernie Easley - Setting up at Austin's AA affiliate. Fringe major-league potential.
3rd (111) LF Wilt Fonville - Part-time starter at Austin's AA affiliate. May have a career as a LH PH.
4th (143) P Ross Patterson - Never signed. Out of organized baseball.
5th (175) SP Yogi Miller - Toiling at Austin's LoA affiliate.

SEASON 5
1st (11) SP Daniel McKay - Blowing them away (12-0, 2.44) at Austin's HiA affiliate.
1st supp. (37) SP Freddie Alexander - Traded to Atlanta in season 7 in a package for AA CF Alex Sweeney.
1st supp.(48) P Dallas Lee - Starting at Austin's HiA affiliate.
2nd (62) SP Nigel Mahaffey - Traded to Atlanta in season 7 in a package for AA CF Alex Sweeney.
2nd supp. (65) P Dweezil Helton - Coming out of the bully at Austin's HiA affiliate. ML-potential.
3rd (94) SP Ismael Sanchez - Starting at killing it at Austin's HiA affiliate (ML potential).
4th (126) SP Hal Hawkins - Starting and doing well at Austin's AA affiliate.
5th (158) P - Lloyd Kelley - Never signed; shootin' hoops somewhere.

SEASON 6
1st (20) SP Ernest Holdridge - Traded in season 7 to Scottsdale (along with Ron Turner) for 1B Fritz Gaillard and SS Torey Benavente.
2nd (65) 2B Benny Baerga - Starting at Austin's LoA affiliate. Future MLer.
3rd (97) RP Hipolito Reyes - Closing at Austin's LoA affiliate. Future ML closer.
4th (129) SS Albert Lopez - Starting SS at Austin's LoA affiliate. Potential utility infielder in the bigs.
5th (161) 2B George Allensworth - Never signed. Starting point guard in an Italian basketball league.

SEASON 7
1st (30) 2B Wes Thompson - Starting LF at Austin's RL affiliate. Will rake in the bigs someday.
1st supp. (36) RP Charlie Hiller - Closing for Austin's RL affiliate. If he can control the ball, will be a shutdown closer in the bigs.
2nd (72) SP Tom Barber - Starting for Austin's RL affiliate. Potential back-end of the rotation ML starter.
3rd (104) P - Hensley Bird - Asking for ridiculous money. Will never play for the Chin Music.
4th (136) 1B Trever Gutierrez - Starting at 1B for Austin's RL affiliate. Potential ML DH.
5th (168) P Alex Gonzalez - Starting at Austin's RL affiliate. Destined to be a AAA middle reliever.

Day Laborers up the ante for Holbert

2008-01-31T22:50:00.000-05:00

Earlier this evening, the Mexico City Day Laborers increased their offer to number one overall pick in the amateur draft, 2B Ken Holbert. Holbert has been holding out since being drafted and initially demanding a $4 million signing bonus.

Mexico City GM e_mandat confirmed that the Day Laborers have offered Holbert a ML contract and an $8 million bonus, double what the prized prospect initially demanded. Holbert’s camp has yet to respond to the latest offer and still maintains that Holbert may choose to play in an independent league this season, and try his luck in next year’s draft in the hopes he’ll receive more money.

The Building of a Contender

2008-01-31T14:31:00.000-05:00

The Austin Chin Music roster (salary and years left under contract) is below, along with how each player was acquired. Obviously, for me trades have been the way to this point. The team sits at 56-24 in season 7, with one championship (season 2) under its belt.

C - Cory Speaker ($7.875M/1) - Acquired via trade in season 5 along with LF - Brent Pose from Santa Fe for 3B - Alex Olivares and P - Adrian O'Connor.
C - Josias Nieves ($378K/1) - Acquired via trade in season 5 along with Rafael Osuna from Cleveland for P - Elvis Nicholson, C - Calvin Chase, and 2B - Bump Monahan.
1B - Fritz Gaillard ($4.9M/4) - Acquired via trade in season 7 along with SS - Torey Benavente from Scottsdale for 3B - Ron Turner, P - Ernest Holdridge, and SS - Harry Nieves (I regret this one).
2B - Richie Lowry ($500K/1) - Acquired as a free agent in season 4.
3B - Dusty Mann ($7.3M/5) - Acquired via trade in season 4 from Philadelphia for P - Raul Santana.
SS - Blaine Serrano ($360K/1) - Acquired via trade in season 5 along with 2B - Bump Monahan from Texas for P - Matt Adams (another trade I regret making).
SS - Torey Benavente ($343K/1) - Acquired via trade in season 7 along with 1B - Fritz Gaillard from Scottsdale for 3B - Ron Turner, P - Ernest Holdridge, and SS - Harry Nieves (see above).
LF - Willie Chavez ($9.5M/2) - Acquired via trade in season 5 from Augusta for LF - Ray Alexander and P - Rob Sanders.
LF - Bo Callaway ($1.23M/1) - Acquired via waivers in season 5.
CF - John Wolf ($5.6M/2) - Acquired via free agency in season 6.
RF - Willie Cambridge ($8.5M/1) - Acquired via trade in season 5 from Charleston for P - Seth Carter and CF - Brady Ward.
DH - Philip Ross ($343/1) - Acquired via Rule 5 in season 6.

SP - Rafael Osuna ($396K/1) - Acquired via trade in season 5 along with C - Josias Nieves from Cleveland for P - Elvis Nicholson, C - Calvin Chase, and 2B - Bump Monahan.
SP - Rico Cruz ($378K/1) - Acquired via trade in season 5 along with P - Chuck Griffin and 1B - Omar Franco from Pittsburgh for RF - Achilles Snow, SS - Juan Gonzalez, and C - Tommy Broome.
SP - Chuck Griffin ($5.4M/2) - Acquired via trade in season 5 along with P - Rico Cruz and 1B - Omar Franco from Pittsburgh for RF - Achilles Snow, SS - Juan Gonzalez, and C - Tommy Broome.
SP - Bret Ross ($378K/1) - Acquired via trade in season 5 along with Ps - Adrian O'Connor and Stven Sinclair from Honolulu for RF - Albert James and 1B - Julian Sanchez.
SP - Monte Griffin ($925K/1) - Acquired via free agency in season 7.
LR - Dan Ripken ($378K/1) - Acquired via trade in season 5 from Tampa Bay for P - Sid Tanner.
LR - Wilfredo Ortiz ($343K/1) - Acquired via Rule 5 in season 6.
SU - Darwin Daniels ($360K/1) - Acquired via trade in season 5 from Philadelphia for P - Jumbo Santiago.
SU - Seth Bold ($4.1/3) - Acquired via free agency in season 7.
SU - Damon Daneker ($2.4M/1) - Acquired via trade in season 5 from Rochester for 1B - Apollo Reid, LF - Luke Smart, and P - Bernard Harris.
SU - Dude Simpson ($378K/1) - Only original Chin Music on ML team).
SU - Ken Cortes ($1.4M/1) - Acquired via free agency in season 2.
CL - Jerry Price ($4.8M/2) - Acquired via trade in season 6 along with P - Ivan Diaz from New Orleans for Ps - Benji Nunez and Sammy Martin.

Ken Holbert holdout watch

2008-01-30T23:18:00.000-05:00

As we prepare to enter week two of the Ken Holbert standoff, Mexico City GM e_mandat, affectionately know by his peers as mandate, may be wondering whether or not the Sim Gods have something against him.

In season 5, the Day Laborers missed out on super stud pitcher Don Bale despite having the number one pick in the draft. With that wound still fresh, e_mandat now faces the possibility of losing the number one overall pick in the season 7 draft, 2B Ken Holbert. Holbert has yet to sign with Mexico City and e_mandat provided us with this update on the situation recently:

“Ken is mulling over your offer. You've given him the big league deal he wants, but we're still debating whether he could get more next year after a season in indy ball. Give us time, and we'll get back with you. More money may make that call come quicker.”

Whether or not the Day Laborers have offered more than Holbert’s original demand of a $4 million bonus is unknown. But it looks like if Holbert is going to sign with Mexico City, it will likely be for close to double that amount. Holbert’s camp did make it clear that there was a possibility he would not sign before the draft took place, but you can’t blame e_mandat for rolling the dice and drafting a stud 2B that projects into the high 90’s overall.

Mexico City can only hope that Holbert agrees to sign eventually. Otherwise, it will be another disappointing draft for the Day Laborers.

Ken Holbert
http://www.whatifsports.com/HBD/Pages/Popups/ProspectProfile.aspx?pid=1563214

Introducing the Camp Inquirer

2008-01-30T12:15:00.000-05:00

Welcome to even more time of your life being spent on HBD. This blog will detail the ongoings, provide analysis, previews and advice for teams and owners (and other curious minds) in the Camp World. All owners of a team in Camp are invited and encouraged to publish works and all readers, regardless of ownership status, are invited to comment. Hopefully this blog doesn't contribute to any divorces.