March 16, 2007
Morris Division
- Philadelphia Endzone Animals
The Animals and Mudcats look poised for a Family Feud this year. The Animals have a decent offense, centered around Albert Pujols. Pujols has support from a few other good hitters - Wells, Ordonez, Rolen - so the offense should not be a problem for them this year. The rotation is among the best in the division with Santana, Webb, and rookie Josh Johnson. The bullpen features last year's Eck winner, Francisco Rodriguez and should once again excel.
Batting: B+; Starting Pitching: A-; Relief Pitching: A- - Carolina Mudcats
The Mudcats look ready to return to the playoffs again after a quick exit last season. The Mudcats offense is solid 1-9, with Konerko, Hafner, Aramis Ramirez, and spring phenom, Grady Sizemore. The rotation looks solid as well, and the Mudcats have plenty of depth in case one of the starters falters. Roy Halladay and Carlos Zambrano will provide quality innings. The bullpen is stocked with quality arms and should provide late inning relief.
Batting: A-; Starting Pitching: B+; Relief Pitching: A - D.C. Bushslappers
Owner Jamie Landsman put in a lot of work to turn this sorry franchise around and it looks like this is the year that the hard work pays off. The offense is balanced with some power (Soriano, Beltran, Thomas, Holliday) and some speed (Reyes, Crawford, Soriano). There is a lot of depth, so even if Soriano doesn't turn in a solid season (again), there is enough on the bench to help. The rotation is solid enough, headed by rookie Anibal Sanchez and Bronson Arroyo. The bullpen should be strong with rookie Jonathan Papelbon and veteran Joe Nathan.
Batting: A; Starting Pitching: B-; Relief Pitching: A- - Hillsborough Hired Hitmen
The Hitmen should stay true to their name with a potent offense, led by Listach award winner Ryan Howard. Carlos Lee and A-Rod should help pick up any slack that Howard leaves. The rotation is young and as we know with youth, anything could happen. Verlander, Sabathia, and Lackey will help relieve some of the pressure that will be on young phenom Felix Hernandez, but really, anything could happen with these guys. The pen is solid and leads the league in Corderos, so that's a good thing, right? Expect rookies Saito and Broxton to be solid as well.
Batting: A; Starting Pitching: B; Relief Pitching: B - Vancouver Iron Fist
The Morris Divison looks like it could be a real battle and the Iron Fist ought to be right in the middle of it. Their offense is one of the top offenses in this division. Ortiz, Utley, Martinez, Bay are all capable of scoring runs. The problem lies in the pitching. While there is a possibility that Peavy, Sheets, and Maddux can put together a decent season, it is hard to count on all three doing it. The bullpen has looked very solid in spring and with Billy Wagner closing games, they should be just fine. Vancouver will face stiff competition for a playoff spot this year.
Batting: A; Starting Pitching: C+; Relief Pitching: B+- - Arkansas Golden Falcons
The Falcons barely made it to the playoffs last year, and it looks like things won't get much better for them this year. The offense is in prime shape. The key is that their team leader, Barry Bonds, is back and ready to lead the offense. Spring training hero Justin Morneau should provide another big bat, as well as Lance Berkman and David Wright. The pitching staff, which is usually the Falcons' strong point, could be the downfall for this team. While Clemens, Schilling, and Pedro are all back this year, Schilling and Pedro have their question marks. Pedro, the McDonald winner last year, is complaining about several injuries and may not be 100% this year. Schilling missed last season with injuries and is another question mark. With Dan Haren and Ervin Santana rounding out the rotation, the Falcons will have to hope the youngsters keep them in the game long enough to slug it out. The pen is also average, and this is a problem if the pitching staff gets chased early.
Batting: A-; Starting Pitching: C+; Relief Pitching: C - South Boston Gang
Well someone's gotta finish last and it looks like the Gang may be the victim of this vicious dogfight. The Gang's offense has some punch - Guerrero, Atkins, Rios - but compared to the other lineups in this division, it doesn't measure up. Chris Carpenter anchors a young pitching staff with the most depth in this division, so who knows, there may be a lot of low scoring wins for this team. However if you're counting on winning a lot of close games, then luck becomes the chief factor. The bullpen is solid, which should be good enough for this team, but the offense is going to bring the Gang down this year.
Batting: C; Starting Pitching: B; Relief Pitching: B-
Hanover Division
- Newark Sugar Bears
You just have to put them at #1 until someone bumps them off. The Sugars Bears, as always, feature the top offense in the league. Returning are such stalwarts as Abreu, Ramirez, Chipper, and Guillen. And lest you forget the reigning MVP, Nick Johnson promises to stay healthier than before. The starting rotation is a big question mark. Wang and Smoltz should nail down the top two spots, but it's anyone's guess who will occupy the other three positions. The Sugar Bears have many capable arms on the roster, including Randy Johnson, so there will be no shortage of candidates. With all needs met before draft time, the Sugar Bears had the luxury of concentrating on adding bullpen depth and they should have one of the best pens in the league.
Batting: A+; Starting Pitching: C; Relief Pitching: A - Matthew's Mighty Men of Marietta
The Mighty Men were one of the hottest teams down the stretch last season and they hope it will carry over to this year. The offense is once again solid with former Sugar Bear Jim Thome joining the lineup. The Mighty Men traded a lot to get young Liriano and so far it seems like it will pay off. Sowers, Mussina, and Burnett also fill out the rotation, though we are curious if the platoon for the 5th spot will continue into the regular season. A pen with future Hall of Famers Hoffman and Rivera has to be a formidable one.
Batting: B+; Starting Pitching: B+; Relief Pitching: A - Honolulu Sharks
The Sharks will try to return to their playoff ways before the detour that was last season. The offense features a lot of depth and a good mix of veteran and young players. It'll be interesting to see how the Sharks juggle their offense and get atbats for players like Giambi, Johjima, McCann and Gonzalez. The Sharks rotation should be much improved with the addition of young Jered Weaver. Oswalt is already a top pitcher in the league and the Shark staff is one to be feared. The pen is solid, but also has a lot of depth.
Batting: B+; Starting Pitching: A-; Relief Pitching: B+ - Hoboken Cutters
The Cutters are a team that could surprise. They showed a lot of punch on the offensive side in spring, though on paper, the team looks average compared to the rest of the team. There are a lot of youngsters in the lineup, so that could be a reason for optimism. The rotation will need more than luck to keep this team competitive. Bonser and Kazmir look like they could help this year, but the remaining veterans will need to bring their A games. The pen will need to be sharp, and good thing for the Cutters, there appears to be a lot of depth and quality in the pen.
Batting: B; Starting Pitching: C+; Relief Pitching: A - New Jersey Team Buddah
The first of the two newest additions to the DMBL, Team Buddah will most likely face a lot of bumps in the road this year. Their offense has some pop with Ichiro, Nomar, Piazza, and Glaus, but the rotation will likely struggle. Gorzelanny has shown some flashes in the spring, but he is not in a position to anchor this staff full of veterans. Can Penny, Garcia, and Contreras find a hot streak and lead this team to the Promised Land? Well stranger things have happened. The Buddah Bullpen should at least help keep the scores from getting out of hand, which should keep the fans happy.
Batting: B+; Starting Pitching: C; Relief Pitching: A - Sardine City Straphangers
The other new team, Sardine City seemed to focus more on the youth movement. The offense is not bad, and might surprise. Crede, Ibanez, Matthews, and Sanchez bring some credibility to the new team. The rotation could surprise, but probably won't be in the top half of the league. Glavine and Capuano have experience and Hamels could surprise as well. The Straphangers feature a lefty-heavy rotation which could make or break this team, depending on how well teams can hit lefties. The pen is adequate and features BJ Ryan in the closers role.
Batting: B+; Starting Pitching: C; Relief Pitching: B - Las Vegas Rat Pack
The Rat Pack are expecting this to be a rebuilding year, so they aren't going to be too concerned with the win-loss column. That's a good thing because they won't be very good this year. The offense still has a few good bats like Mauer, Teixeira, and Zimmerman, but they will struggle mightily. The rotation starts out ok with Young and Myers, but quickly it goes downhill. Myers and Young will have a lot of weight on their shoulders. The bullpen is not going to provide much help, even if they make it through the season. With only five relievers on the roster and below average rotation, the Rats will likely burn through the pen by the All-Star break.
Batting: D; Starting Pitching: C+; Relief Pitching: F