March 24, 2004
Morris Division
- Arkansas Falcons
The defending DMBL champions are still the team to beat. While the lineup may not seem as potent as it has before, this team has always succeeded with a patchwork offense built around Barry Bonds. Yes, Bonds is good enough to singlehandedly lift this offense on his shoulders. The rotation, once again, is the best in the league. The Triple Ace strategy is in full effect this year with the likes of Pedro Martinez, Kevin Brown, and Curt Schilling composing the best threesome of any pitching staff. C.C. Sabathia and Roger Clemens fill in the remaining spots adequately. The bullpen is decent, but they will miss Trevor Hoffman, who was lost for the season in an ill-advised game of dodgeball.
Batting: B; Starting Pitching: A+; Relief Pitching: B- - Tijuana Banditos
Tijuana may just be the most well-balanced team in the league. The Bandito batting order features a good or better player at each position. With heavy hitters like Bret Boone and Vlad Guerrero returning and youngsters Hank Blalock and Austin Kearns filling out the lineup, there really aren't any holes. The rotation also fills out nicely behind ace Javier Vazquez. First-round pick Dontrelle Willis is looking good so far in spring training and Josh Beckett looks ready to live up to the hype he received after being drafted in the second round two years ago. With Eric Gagne and Guillermo Mota, the Banditos may have the best 1-2 duo in the DMBL. The rest of the pen should be ok, but may not be necessary too often this year.
Batting: B+; Starting Pitching: B+; Relief Pitching: A - Philadelphia Endzone Animals
Could this be the year the Animals finally put it together for a playoff run? All signs are pointing to yes (yes the Swami consulted the Magic 8-ball). The Animals feature one of the more explosive offenses, despite playing in a heavy pitchers park. Albert Pujols is one of the best players in the DMBL and Jose Vidro and Scott Rolen rank among the best at their respective positions. Mark Prior looks like a legitimate ace after an outstanding rookie campaign. He anchors a staff that includes Esteban Loaiza and Johann Santana, both of whom should be solid. The final two spots may be shaky, but if they can get to the playoffs this team could be dangerous. The pen looks solid, though Danny Kolb is unproven as a closer. Spring training results looked good for Kolb, but the real test will come in the regular season. If he falters, veteran Armando Benitez will back him up. Rookie Francisco Rodriguez looks like a good addition to the setup corps.
Batting: A; Starting Pitching: B; Relief Pitching: B - Carolina Mudcats
The Cats seem to alternate roles as playoff contender and rebuilding team. They look like they may try to break the cycle by making back-to-back playoff appearances this year. The lineup is solid once again Aubrey Huff returning to lead the squad. Rookies Jody Gerut and Angel Berroa will occupy key spots in the lineup. The rotation, once again, is solid with the Big Three of Tim Hudson, Barry Zito, and Roy Halladay joined by Carlos Zambrano. The five spot is a black hole on this team that could cause a few losses later in the season. The pen could be the downfall of this team. There is no clear closer candidate, and manager Lenny Dykstra may just opt for the dreaded bullpen-by-committee strategy
Batting: B-; Starting Pitching: A; Relief Pitching: C - Hillsborough Destroyers
This team never seems to go away, despite having three different owners and three different locations, the Destroyers have finally seemed to settle in to their Hillsborough home. Will it be a jinx for them not to move this year? Considering the teams in their own division, the Destroyers will find themselves hard-pressed to squeak back into the playoffs this year (and squeak in they did last year). The offense, in comparison, is mediocre. Though they feature Alex Rodriguez and Carlos Delgado, the Destroyers also have several holes in their lineup at third base and in the outfield. Things don't get better when looking at thier starting staff. Kevin Millwood, Bartolo Colon and Matt Morris are a good top three, but the rest of the rotation is weak at best. Luis Ayala emerged in spring training as a possible closer replacement for incumbent Jorge Julio. LaTroy Hawkins and Tom Gordon should be able to hold down the fort.
Batting: C; Starting Pitching: C+; Relief Pitching: B- - Vancouver Iron Fist
The once-mighty franchise is now officially in rebuilding mode. The lineup includes an interesting mix of veterans and youngsters. Sammy Sosa and Edgar Martinez are approaching the end of the line. New manager Darren Daulton will have his hands full juggling the lineup and is expected to heavily use platoons. The rotation is a mess, with only Greg Maddux assured to remain in the rotation by the end of the year. The bullpen, a steady strength of this franchise, once again looks good with Billy Wagner closing and Eddie Guardado setting him up. They better be good, because with this pitching staff, they will log a lot of innings.
Batting: B+; Starting Pitching: D; Relief Pitching: A - Columbia Rattlesnakes
There just doesn't seem to be any luck for this team. Year-in and year-out
the Rattlesnakes finish in the bottom half of the league and 2004 doesn't look to be any better for the
Snakes. Ivan Rodriguez returns to anchor the lineup, but there are too many holes to fill to
compete. Slugging third baseman Troy Glaus may also be covering up an injury in spring training.
The rotation is mediocre, with veterans Miguel Batista and Livan Hernandez returning
from last year. Former McDonald Award winner Mark Buehrle took a step back last year and needs
to show that he can pitch the way he did in 2002. The Snakes drafted heavily for the pen and at least
it looks like they have a decent group of relievers. Matt Mantei should be a solid closer for
Columbia.
Batting: C-; Starting Pitching: C+; Relief Pitching: B+
Hanover Division
- Matthew's Mighty Men of Stanhope
The Sugar Bears' run as division champs may be over. It looks like the Mighty Men are ready to step up this year. The acquisition of catcher Jorge Posada was the final piece of the puzzle for the Mighty Men. Todd Helton and Alfonso Soriano make this lineup a potent one. The pitching staff is a huge question mark with this team. Kerry Wood is a good ace. New-addition Wilson Alvarez joins a staff comprised of Tim Wakefield, Derrick Lowe, and Brian Anderson. Stanhope's farm team has some reserve arms, like veteran Freddy Garcia, ready to step in if the others falter. Mariano Rivera has been a top closer for a long time and he alone makes this bullpen one of the better ones in the DMBL. The setup crew seems to be a solid, if unspectacular, bunch.
Batting: B+; Starting Pitching: C; Relief Pitching: B+ - Newark Sugar Bears
The Sugar Bears always put together one of the league's best offenses, and this year is no different. Manny Ramirez, Mike Piazza, Chipper Jones and reigning Mitchell Award winner Jim Thome will give this team plenty of firepower. Unfortunately, they will need it. Randy Johnson has been sent to the minors to work on his flawed mechanics after working out with Mitch Williams in the offseason. That leaves Andy Pettitte as the most-experienced starter in the rotation. The rest of the young staff could go either way, so expect a lot of high scores in the Cereal Bowl this year. John Smoltz had a historic year in 2003 and should pick up where he left off. Keith Foulke will pitch the eighth this year, but beyond that the bullpen is a work in progress.
Batting: B; Starting Pitching: B+; Relief Pitching: A- - Honolulu Sharks
The Sharks reached the playoffs for the first time in franchise history last year. Is a repeat in the works? The core of the Sharks remains intact, so it's possible. As long as Jason Giambi, Miguel Tejada and Shawn Green continue to produce, the lineup should be good enough to play with the big boys. The rotation looks solid, with only the five-spot up for grabs. Jason Schmidt, who was probably the worst pitcher for the Sharks last year, may just be the best this year. Mark Mulder and Roy Oswalt continue to look like emerging studs. Ugueth Urbina is a solid closer and youngster Rafael Soriano just might emerge as a standout setup reliever.
Batting: B; Starting Pitching: B+; Relief Pitching: B - Phoenix Dragons
The Dragons could be the surprise team of 2004. The Dragons lineup has a good combination of speed and power. Draft picks Scott Podsednik, Luis Matos, and Reed Johnson look ready to step right in and produce. It doesn't hurt that the lineup is already loaded with veterans like Nomar Garciaparra, Javy Lopez and Ichiro Suzuki. 87-year-old Jamie Moyer anchors the pitching staff, but youngsters Brandon Webb and Horacio Ramirez should inject some new life into the rotation. David Wells and Kazuhisa Ishii fill out the rest of the rotation. Troy Percival and Joe Borowski will share closer duties and the rest of the pen should be good enough to keep this club competitive.
Batting: B+; Starting Pitching: C; Relief Pitching: B - Harrison Rats
With all the talk of the team moving to Vegas next season, there are sure to be some distractions to deal with. The Rats have put together a pretty decent lineup with Gary Sheffield and Carl Everett leading the way. The pitching staff is young, but on the rise. Kip Wells, acquired from Brooklyn earlier this year, and last year's first rounder Vincente Padilla are joined by Wade Miller, Randy Wolf, and Jerome Williams. Shigetoshi Hasegawa seems to have earned the role of closer.
Batting: B-; Starting Pitching: C; Relief Pitching: C- - Hoboken Cutters
Despite star outfielder Brian Giles' presence, the Cutters offense will have a hard time scoring runs. The Cutters have a lot of mediocre bats filling out the lineup and may have to resort to heavy platooning. Can the pitching carry them? The staff is good, but not that good. Mike Mussina and Joel Pineiro are very capable and the rest of the staff is solid. None of the pitchers are the lights-out kind of aces needed to overcome the burden of a weak offense. The bullpen, led by closer Jason Isringhausen, looks ready to pitch in a lot of tight games this year. They may be the difference between a playoff push or a race for the bottom.
Batting: D; Starting Pitching: B; Relief Pitching: B - Westwood Deductions
With a name change, the Deductions hope to bring a new attitude to the plate. Last year the Bean Counters almost made the playoffs, finishing just a game and a half out. However, pulling a repeat performance may prove difficult. The outfield is decent with Carlos Beltran, Andruw Jones, and Raul Ibanez occupying the field, but the infield is dreadful. Promising rookie Jose Reyes is the lone bright spot here. The starting staff is mediocre at best. Al Leiter should provide some veteran leadership, but overall, the staff is not good enough to move this club too far up in the standings. This will put a lot of pressure on an average pen headed by new closer Tim Worrell and veteran Steve Reed.
Batting: C-; Starting Pitching: C; Relief Pitching: B-