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EHCC Fact or Fiction
Who will finish at the top, and who has no chance?
By Pedro Gammo and Jayson Snark / EHSPN.com
Fact or Fiction: Quebec City will win the EHCC Title.
Snark: Fiction
Quebec City may be a dark horse, but the fact of the matter is that, given the recent flurry of trade activity, Quebec City is far from the team to beat, despite their thumping of Weymouth last week. The fact of the matter is that they have holes—Catcher, Shortstop, Relief, and inconsistent Starting pitching—and that other teams simply have more talent. I think some analysts covering the EHCC get caught up in “instant history” and feel that teams who have one great week are suddenly championship contenders. Quebec City needs to be far more consistent if they are going to win the EHCC title.
Gammo: Fact
Well, they have the best chance to win it. They have a great pitching staff that even if 1 or 2 guys have a bad week the rest of them can pick up the pieces. Their offense is starting to come together and hit as a unit. I won't be surprised if Quebec doesn't win the regular season championship, but I will be surprised if they don't win the league.
Fact or Fiction: Las Vegas will finish out of the top 3.
Snark: Fiction
Las Vegas may not currently be the team to beat (I think Rakeville will be the premier team in the league for years to come with their most recent trade), but they are still certainly one of the top 3 teams in the league. While it is not entirely out of the realm of possibility for Las Vegas to drop out of the top 3 spots, especially after a dismal showing to a weak Bizton club, Las Vegas still has the guns to finish in first place, and certainly to hang in the top 3.
Gammo: Fiction
The Doggs have one thing on their side: staying power. They'll be at the top of the league throughout the regular season. They should get a buy based on their offense alone. Their pitching, though has been shaky thus far, will come together in the second half. With Prior back from the DL and Schilling on his way back, watch for the pieces to fall into place for Vegas and make a strong push for the regular season crown, which, last time I checked, is in the top 3.
Fact or Fiction: The Hispanics have given up on 2005.
Snark: Fact
And with good reason. Tijuana GM Peter Kantor realized that last year was a fluke—a bunch of players having career years at the same time. He was able to catch lightning in a bottle and ride it all the way to the playoffs and a 3rd place finish. However, those players all came back down to Earth and the Hispanics struggled their way through the first half of the season with a team that was not built to win either now or down the line.
So the Hispanics have made moves to get younger, trading for a number of young players with great potential, such as Justin Morneau and Kyle Davies. However, they got swindled by Rakeville in their most recent trade and curiously seem to have no interest in minor league draft picks, a place where a team can build for the future without sacrificing immediate roster spots. This lack of vision and seeming disinterest in minor league scouting will almost certainly hinder Tijuana down the road.
Gammo: Fact
"The Hispanics' official stand on 2005 is still under review. We will obviously try our best this year, but we knew coming into the season we were not a legitimate championship contender." - Peter Kantor
Tijuana has done everything they feel they can do to compete this year. Some don't feel like it's enough, but I believe the Hispanics do. They've traded away both minor league picks this year for players that should help them NOW. They have no qualms about trading 2006 minor league picks for a player or two that will help them compete this year as well. I don't believe they've come close to giving up, not yet anyway. Give it another week or so.
"You shut up."
Fact or Fiction: The trade flurry has just begun.
Snark: Fiction
Though it could just as easily be a fact. I feel that most of the major players in the trade market have made their big moves, and it probably doesn’t make sense to make any more moves. However, this being said, the top two teams, Las Vegas and Weymouth, have yet to make a move (though not for lack of trying on the Dogg’s part. Inside sources indicate that Las Vegas has been very active in trade talks in the last few weeks, though nothing has gone through.), and this would lead me to believe that there could be even more marquee names changing hands in the coming weeks.
Gammo: Fiction
Honestly, I think it's reached its peak this year already. I think some GM's are getting frustrated with the fact that they can't get what they really want and are settling for much less lucrative offers. With the exception of the recent David Ortiz trade, I don't feel any REALLY big names will be changing hands.
Fact or Fiction: The Weymouth Shaddypoo MUST make a move
Snark: Fiction
Weymouth is in great shape to win their 4th EHCC crown even if they don’t make any major moves in the coming weeks. They have a solid, if not spectacular pitching staff led by Johan Santana, and they still have one of the league’s strongest offenses. They could easily stand pat and win this year, and maybe even next year’s EHCC titles. However, beyond that, Weymouth will desperately need to get younger, as they have largely ignored the current youth movement.
Gammo: Fiction
They've got the best record in the EHCC and the team with the least amount of holes. I feel they're going to do fine this year without making a move. They may need to get a bit younger to have more staying power, but as far as this year is concerned, they're fine just the way they are.
Pedro Gammo and Jayson Snark write for EHSPN.com. John Krak was almost called in to pinch hit, but Gammo arrived just in time to hear Tony Reali sing the national anthem.
