The Swami's Predictions!

Morris Division

1. Vancouver Iron Fist -- Slowly but surely this team is becoming the Atlanta Braves of this league. The Iron Fist have won the Morris divisional championship four straight years, tying the league record previously set by Austin. However, you cannot ignore the powerful lineup on this team, including Ken Griffey, Sammy Sosa, Jeff Bagwell, and Craig Biggio. The starting rotation is solid once again, anchored by two time Cy Young winner Greg Maddux and newcomer Al Leiter. Billy Wagner should be a top notch closer. The rest of the bullpen is, as always, high quality.
   Batting: A+; Fielding: B+; Starting Pitching: A; Relief Pitching: A

2. Arkansas Falcons -- The defending champions look primed to challenge again. Barry Bonds and Juan Gonzalez return, along with fan favorite Barry Larkin. Newcomers include Larry and Todd Walker, and first baseman Todd Helton. The pitching staff should dominate again, with Kevin Brown, Curt Schilling, and Pedro Martinez all returning. Trevor Hoffman returns to an uncharacteristically shallow bullpen. The 4th and 5th starters and the lack of good relievers can keep this team from repeating, but I wouldnt' bet on it.
   Batting: A; Fielding: A; Starting Pitching: A-; Relief Pitching: C+

3. Carolina Mudcats -- The Mudcats made major strides toward becoming a contender. Last season's late season collapse may spark this team back to life. Roger Clemens anchors a staff that is solid from number 1 to number 5. Recent additions of John Smoltz and Kenny Rogers solidy the staff. The starting lineup features a ton of power, starting with Greg Vaughn and Tony Clark. The bullpen is vastly improved with the addition of Tom Gordon and there should be no problem getting there as the middle men are all adequate.
   Batting: A; Fielding: A+; Starting Pitching: A; Relief Pitching: B+

4. Hillsborough Destroyers -- Another team that has made great strides. The Destroyers feature a decent lineup, though not as strong as the other teams in this division. Alex Rodriguez, Carlos Delgado, and Tim Salmon provide enough punch to win. Especially when you look at the fine young pitching staff which features Matt Morris, Bartolo Colon and Francisco Cordova. Pete Harnisch and Todd Stottlemyre provide veteran leadership. The bullpen also includes many good young arms including Matt Anderson, who will compete with Juan Acevedo for the closer's job. The setup men are all decent pitchers.
   Batting: B-; Fielding: B; Starting Pitching: B+; Relief Pitching: B

5. Philadelphia Eagle Wings -- The Eagle Wings improved their offense tremendously with the additions of Mo Vaughn and Rusty Greer. Brian Jordan and Cliff Floyd were also drafted to provide some pop in this lineup. The pitching can keep this team out of the playoffs. Chuck Finley may be the only high quality arm in this rotation. However most of the starters are very young and the future looks bright for them. The bullpen may also be a problem as there is no closer and there is no depth on this team. In other words, the poor starting rotation will be counted on to get this team into the late innings.
   Batting: B+; Fielding: C+; Starting Pitching: C-; Relief Pitching: C-

6. Toledo Mutthens -- Always right on the edge of being a good team, Toledo will probably fall short in this tough division. The lineup has quality bats in it, Rafael Palmeiro, Vladimir Guerrero, and Andruw Jones. But it is not enough to compete with the big boys. The rotation is mediocre. Rick Reed and newcomer Rolando Arrojo should be good, but the others are mediocre at best. A stellar season from one of those three could change things however. The bullpen is also average, with Ugueth Urbina the reliable closer. However they will have big trouble getting through the late innings to Urbina as the other relievers are shaky.
   Batting: C+; Fielding: C; Starting Pitching: B-; Relief Pitching: C-

7. Columbia Crusaders -- Can this team finally turn around season after season of disappointment? Probably not considering the level of competition in this division. The offense is mediocre as there is no legitimate power threat. Ivan Rodriguez and John Olerud should be solid, but they have few hitters to back them up. The starting rotation is also mediocre. The top three are all high quality pitchers. Omar Daal and Shane Reynolds welcome promising youngster Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez trying to erase the disappointment caused by his brother last year. Youngsters Steve Woodard and Chris Carpenter are question marks, but may make this rotation feared in the years to come. The bullpen is solid until you get to the closers. John Franco and Todd Jones are both shaky in this now critical role. The Crusaders need to upgrade this position if they hope to compete.
   Batting: C; Fielding: B+; Starting Pitching: B-; Relief Pitching: B-

1. Newark Sugar Bears -- The Sugar Bears are still the best team in this division. Look for Mark McGwire to threaten his own home run record. Along with McGwire, this lineup is one of the most feared in the league. Chipper Jones, Jim Thome and Manny Ramirez take care of things when McGwire is having an off day. Any pitching staff featuring Randy Johnson can't be too bad. Of course David Cone and Denny Neagle aren't too shabby either. These three veterans should provide direction for youngsters Sterling Hitchcock and Steve Parris. The bullpen looks solid with John Wetteland being one of the top closers in the league.
   Batting: A; Fielding: B-; Starting Pitching: A-; Relief Pitching: A+

2. Jerusalem Rabbis -- The Rabbis are excited about featuring their newest asset Kerry Wood, who appears to be ready to win a starting job. With this fireballer in the rotation, the Rabbis rotation is now ready to push this team into contention. Brian Bohanon and Jose Lima will provide depth, but the fourth and fifth starters could get hit hard. The lineup is once again powerful with newly-acquired Moises Alou and Bernie Williams. There should be enough depth here to keep opposing pitching on their toes. The bullpen also features some quality arms such as Mariano Rivera and Robb Nen. The middle relief is solid, so getting to this duo should be no problem.
   Batting: B+; Fielding: B; Starting Pitching: B-; Relief Pitching: A+

3. Austin Outlaws -- This team seems to slip a notch every year, yet still find a way into the playoffs. The lineup is no longer as feared as it once was, though with Albert Belle and Gary Sheffield, it should be enough to keep this team in games. The starting rotation is solid once again with Tom Glavine entrenched as the ace. The other four are all young arms and should do well in the Alamo Field, but newcomers Chris Peters and Masato Yoshii are still question marks. The bullpen is one of the best, featuring Jeff Shaw and Mike Jackson. Setup men are adequate if not mediocre.
   Batting: B-; Fielding: B; Starting Pitching: B+; Relief Pitching: A

4. Honolulu Sharks -- The Sharks could be one of the most improved teams this year. The lineup will miss Larry Walker, but newcomers Tony Gwynn, Fernando Vina, Shawn Green, and Jason Giambi should make up for it. This lineup should score enough runs to give the pitching staff a chance. The much revamped pitching staff should be decent. Rick Helling, Jeff Fassero, and Mike Hampton are all solid if unspectacular. Kirk Rueter, Chuck Nagy and/or Steve Trachsel could struggle. The bullpen looks to be very solid, picking up veteran closer Gregg Olson.
   Batting: B; Fielding: B+; Starting Pitching: B-; Relief Pitching: B+

5. Keystone Gamblers -- The Gamblers probably won't return to the playoffs and may face a rebuilding period. The lineup is decent, with Andres Galarraga and Vinnie Castilla, and should score runs. The pitching staff is another story. The team traded it's ace and got no pitching in return. The team will look to Carlos Perez as the ace, anchoring an extremely mediocre staff. The bullpen will suffer with many wild cards in it. Rod Beck, or possibly Rick Aguilera, will take the closer duties.
   Batting: B; Fielding: A; Starting Pitching: C+; Relief Pitching: C-

6. Phoenix Dragons -- The pitching staff on this team hopes to reverse their fortunes that had them finish last in pitching last year with a 6.20 team ERA. David Wells and Chan Ho Park are expected to lead this squad. The bullpen should be greatly improved with the addition of young closer Kerry Ligtenburg. The setup men are adequate, and Ramiro Mendoza could see some time in the rotation. The lineup is awful, simply put. Damian Easley and Nomar Garciaparra are the only top flight batters. The Dragons drafted many youngsters, and a bright future is surely ahead. Bruce Chen, Matt Clement, Brad Fullmer, and Paul Konerko could be superstars in waiting.
   Batting: D+; Fielding: B; Starting Pitching: B-; Relief Pitching: B

7. New York Amazins -- The new lineup for the Amazins will probably be unrecognizable to long time fans of this team. Only Roberto Alomar will return to full time action. Mike Piazza, Raul Mondesi, and Will Clark headline this lineup which could be explosive. The pitching staff will struggle, however. Andy Benes is the ace, with four extremely mediocre pitchers behind him. The bullpen will appreciate the services of Troy Percival and he has some good support in the pen. But these guys will probably see a lot of action as the starters figure to be beaten early.
   Batting: B+; Fielding: B; Starting Pitching: D+; Relief Pitching: B+

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