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Around the Bases: Week 1
A new season begins
By Listen DePleyohs / Baseball Tri-Weekly
I put on my new Peoria cap this morning (I have all six). I always wait to put on the first hat of the season until this day.
For eight years I have been writing Around the Bases for the EHCC. The first two years were hard, since the league didn’t exist, but then business really started to pick up. When I was hired by Baseball Tri-Weekly (as a janitor), I insisted they let me continue writing. Rolls and rolls of toilet paper with statistics, player notes and random insights for staff writers to read while they were pooping.
After four years, the strategy paid off when Tim Kitchen, the publication’s editor, read my prospect summary of Albert Pujols.
“Albert may never become a quality baseball player, and since hitting doesn’t seem to be his forte, perhaps he should focus on stealing more bases.” – ATB circa 2004
Both Kitchen and Pujols must’ve agreed because I got a job and Pujols can continually raised his stolen base numbers.
Entering my second season behind a pen, I am excited to present a breakdown of 2006. On paper, this is how I see these teams shaping up. As always, breakout players and unexpected injuries will ruin my countless hours of brilliant analysis, but I remain steadfast in my predictions. Pujols will NEVER be a good hitter and Fernando Rodney IS one scary mother-fucker.
With determination and integrity, I will bring you the best of the EHCC. Well, better than Pedro Gammo at least.
Preseason Ratings
1. Weymouth
Infield – A, Talent at every position. Carlos Delgado is a huge producer with Miguel Tejada and Victor Martinez seen at the top of their positions. Conor Jackson protects Delgado at first base and Chone Figgins can play everywhere with a small drop off.
Outfield – A, They have a well-rounded outfield. It is a balanced attack of speed and power led by Bobby Abreu. Manny Ramirez gives pop and Ichiro the speed, and all durable.
Rotation – A (Santana, Zambrano, Harden, Haren, Bonderman), Fire ballers all around, they have great arms and high strikeout rates. Bonderman hasn’t found his groove yet and Haren needs to prove he can repeat, but overall and intimidating bunch.
Spot Starters – C, Joe Blanton and Jeff Francis are promising young guns who could challenge for spots in the Weymouth rotation during the season, or both may fall off the map. Paul Byrd and Ted Lilly will provide consistent innings, with some other younger guys being wildcards.
Bullpen – B (Nathan, Street), An excellent foundation for a strong bullpen, both should put up big numbers and win saves often. If Ryan Madson and Aaron Heilman, pitching relief, slip into a closer slot this bullpen could be tough to beat.
Upside – C, The young pitching staff is already major league ready and still have room to improve. Their minor league system is thin, with only Drew projected as a game-changer. Conor Jackson has a high ceiling also.
Overall – A, The defending champs are poised to repeat.
2. Las Vegas
Infield – B, Talent surrounded by question marks. Albert Pujols, David Wright, and Aramis Ramirez are solid foundations. Johjima and Weeks are the axle on which this train turns. Jose Reyes is a boost but his .276 average is amplified by his 700 at bats.
Outfield – B-, Bay and Sheffield add to the pluses in the infield. Beltran is a drag, and needs to turn his ship around.
Rotation – B (Peavy, Sheets, Halladay, Prior, Schilling), An excellent rotation with huge injury concerns. While Sheets and Prior should come back strong, Schilling is one twist away from the DL. Tough rotation to beat when healthy.
Spot Starters – B-, Barry Zito would be a rotation guy on any other team. Matt Cain may find himself in that position someday. Wells and Maddux will eat innings, and if healthy, they will be a big plus through the beginning of the season.
Bullpen – A+ (Rivera, Lidge, Gagne, Rodriguez), No team can match the Doggs bullpen, which contains the four best closers in the game.
Upside – B+, Their entire offense is bristling with quality youth and carries the bulk of this grade. Outside of Cain, their pitching staff has no prospect on the horizon. Reno is empty, but the team still has plenty of room to grow.
Overall – B, Too many questions with youth and injuries to be put on top, but still one of the best in the league.
3. Rakeville
Infield – A, More power and less speed than most infields, with all but Chase Utley carrying a high average. David Ortiz, Miguel Cabrera and Michael Young are an exciting core.
Outfield – B-, The outfield kills the team average, but replace it with power and speed. Bonds is an injury concern and Andruw Jones an overachiever. If Juan Pierre can raise his average, they could balance it out.
Rotation – B (Martinez, Oswalt, Beckett, Burnett, Hernandez), A high strikeout rotation only hindered by health concerns and league changes.
Spot Starters – B, Depth here with seven starters led by Javier Vazquez. Matt Morris and Rodrigo Lopez should bring wins, while Snell and Chen provide strikeouts.
Bullpen – C- (Isringhausen, Guardado), Older and injury concerns make this veteran duo a weakness for the Rockets.
Upside – C+, Cabrera and Mauer are leading the charge, with King Felix in the rotation. Three top young players with Brandon Wood and Delmon Young in the minors give Rakeville quality youth.
Overall – B, Their talent may lift them to a bye, but their bullpen and outfield may hurt them in the playoffs.
4. Bridgewater
Infield – B, Alex Rodriguez and Derrick Lee are all around players. Marcus Giles has seen better days and Jimmy Rollins is a tier below elite. Together, they make a strong infield that may need find more production.
Outfield – C, They get above average production from Lance Berkman and the guys, but without speed, they hurt more than help. Maintaining a .300 average will be key for their championship run.
Rotation – B- (Carpenter, Garland, Hudson, Mulder, Lackey), They lack the pop at the end of the rotation, but all should be strong pitchers putting up big numbers. Lackey’s growth will be very important if they want to pitch with the top rotations.
Spot Starters – B-, Lack of depth is a worry, but Mussina, Wakefield and Chacon should be quality pitchers and while they don’t have the arms to top wins and K’s, Whip and ERA shouldn’t be a problem.
Bullpen – B (Ryan, Hoffman, Retisma), If Retisma stays in the role, the Weasels has a solid bullpen heading into the season. With Baez waiting in the wings, they are a top relief corps.
Upside – F+, Ryan Howard may be the only player they have under 30. While he has a huge bat, it is dampened by being a first baseman. Clearly, the next few seasons rests in their veterans.
Overall – B-, Still one of the elite teams in the league on paper. They made an effort to address their needs this off season which should pay off come playoff time.
5. Winston-Salem
Infield – C, Paul Konerko is only the sure thing in this infield, but if Jorge Cantu can repeat his numbers from last year and Handley Ramirez can be serviceable, they have enough to get them back to the playoffs.
Outfield – B-, Carl Crawford and Grady Sizemore are excellent young players. They lack the power of their infield, but speed is fantastic. Mench should plug a hole until Rocco Baldelli is ready to come back or Willy Mo Pena finds a starting job.
Rotation – C- (Myers, Radke, Lee, Chacin, Davies), Not the headliners you see in most rotations, but it is a serviceable staff with Myers and Lee having high ceilings.
Spot Starters – A, They are a young group of pitchers who may end the season better than the folks in the rotation. Lirano, Cabrera, Maholm and Bedard have great arms but lack the refinement and experience which Kenny Rogers brings.
Bullpen – B (Cordero, Jenks, Orvella), it is often a numbers game with closers, and the Green Monsters have three who are guaranteed spots entering the season.
Upside – A, With young, talented players on both side of the ball, Winston-Salem has been a shining example that teams don’t have to tank seasons to build for the future. They have four superb young outfielders, Ramirez in their infield, and a handful of promising pitchers.
Overall – C+, Playoff bound for the third season, the Monsters have question marks in all the right places and could be this year’s Rakeville.
6. Golden
Infield – B-, Their average is poor, but with Soriano’s speed and Glaus’ power, the Golden infield could be close to the top of the league. If Javy Lopez hits in this lineup, they should set up well.
Outfield – B, They have a power guy in Pat Burrell, a semi-speed guy in Tori Hunter and two all stars in Ken Griffey and Johnny Damon. If they could combine Griffey and Hunter, they would have to top rangers in the league.
Rotation – C (Johnson, Schmidt, Davis, Capuano, Garcia), Johnson is still an Ace. The rest don’t hurt in ERA or Whip and strikeout a fair share of batters. Wins will be what puts them over the top.
Spot Starters – C, Derrick Lowe and John Lieber figure prominently in the Gryphon’s push for the playoffs. Scott Baker and Kelvim Escobar need to prove they are here to stay.
Bullpen – A- (Wagner, Benitez, Ray), If they can find one more arm they could have the best pen in the league. Ray is the big question, but he has the stuff to exceed expectations.
Upside – D+, They are old where they are strong and they have no real studs on the horizon. Even with a few young players, there is no reason to think they will become stars. Triple Eh is empty.
Overall – C+, Their pitching hurts them in the playoffs, but should be enough to lift them into the final playoff spot.
7. Quebec City
Infield – B, Mark Teixeira and Jeff Kent are top tier players, and Johny Peralta and Josh Willingham have a chance to make this infield on of the best in the league. With Scott Rolen, Jim Thome and Bobby Crosby in reserve, it is deep and formidable.
Outfield – C, Adam Dunn power numbers are much needed for the scrappy little outfield, but his poor average isn’t. Willy Taveras and Scott Podsednik can take over categories on the base paths but little else.
Rotation – C (E. Santana, Duke, Penny, Lowry, Kazmir), A nice array of young arms on borderline teams. How Duke and Lowry respond in their second seasons will tell the tale.
Spot Starters – D+, Oliver Perez leads Justin Verlander and four pitchers not playing in the majors.
Bullpen – D (Cordero), Chad Cordero is a rock, but unless he gets 80 saves this season, the Piglets have a hole. Some might even say, gaping.
Upside – B, The pitching is coming, but it is still a few years away. Coupled with their younger offense, Quebec City will be a contender in 2010.
Overall – C-, Their versatile offense puts them a leg above the rest in the playoff hunt, but lack of pitching depth will hurt.
8. Bizton
Infield – C, Richie Sexson is a monster. Iguchi and Ellis won’t be fantastic, but they will put up average numbers and Ramon Hernandez could be a difference maker.
Outfield – C-, Carlos Lee is stable, but the outfield will depend on Magglio Ordonez or Preston Wilson stepping up.
Rotation – C+ (Colon, Sabathia, Pettitte, Weaver, Millwood), While they would like more at the back end, Colon and company can win games and strike out folks.
Spot Starters – D, Not much depth. Bizton is banking on Chris Young to elevate his game and Sidney Ponson to come back to life.
Bullpen – C- (Wickman, Foulke), Two decent closers but Foulke is coming off a down year.
Upside – D-, B.J. Upton’s bat in this offense would be a huge boost, but after him Bizton has nothing to look forward to. Young is the only other guy who hasn’t peaked yet.
Overall – C-, Hurt most by the player penalty was Bizton’s pitching. They could have addressed many of their needs with their picks instead of filling their holes. Right now, I don’t think they have enough talent on either side of the ball to get them into the playoffs.
9. Tijuana
Infield – C-, They are a well-rounded bunch. If Brian Roberts can hit double-digit homeruns again and if Julio Lugo can steal 30+ bases again and if Justin Morneau doesn’t get Avian Flu, then they have a shot.
Outfield – C+, Veteran leadership in the outfield could be the ticket that gets them into the playoffs. Hideki Matsui will have to be a star for the Hispanics.
Rotation – D+ (Patterson, Hernandez, Silva, Suppan, Seo), An interesting crew, none are particularly breathtaking, but there aren’t many holes. Suppan, Patterson and Hernandez should be reliable, while Silva and Seo provide the spark.
Spot Starters – D+ They lack depth, wins and strikeouts, but Victor Zambrano and company should help steal a few wins against lesser teams.
Bullpen – B+ (Dempster, Jones, Gordon), Gordon may be the key to this crew, with Papelbon and Bastisa picking up occasional saves.
Upside – D, After Morneau and Papelbon, there really is nothing to the Hispanics or their minor league system.
Overall – C-, They will be in the hunt for a playoff berth and division crown. I don’t think they will get it and I see them taking a tumble late in the season as they lose some of the veterans.
10. Peoria
Infield – F, Bill Hall and Felipe Lopez have the chance to be 20/20 guys, Cano may also put up big numbers, but the outlook look bad for the Cardinals. If Shelton can develop into a power guy, it would be a big bonus. Mike Jacobs looks to develop into a decent prospect.
Outfield – D, By sheer numbers, Peoria should be able to weed out and cultivate an adequate outfield. The only player with long-term potential is Corey Patterson, who may never develop.
Rotation – D, (Towers, Sosa, Od. Perez, Glavine, Loaiza), Towers and Sosa show promise, and Glavine rounds out an eclectic group of hurlers.
Spot Starters – D, No depth, but Horacio Ramirez and Jake Westbrook aren’t bad options for your excess pitchers.
Bullpen – C+ (Valverde, Cabrera, Burgos), Not a bad trio. They have the ability to surprise teams early in the season and Burgos may win the job all season.
Upside – C-, Moderate young pitchers, including Lester in Triple Eh. Cano is looked at to improve the most, and Jacobs may mature into an above-average slugger.
Overall – D, An ok pitching staff and poor offense will mean a rough season ahead. Peoria will need to make their mark on the free agent market.
11. Tokyo
Infield – D-, While Price Fielder and Edwin Encarnacion are expected to have good season, nothing can be certain. The lack of speed also hurts.
Outfield – D+, Jeff Francoeur is at the tip of the young and talented outfield iceberg in Tokyo. Not much is expected of them this season, but he and Kubel could emerge.
Rotation – F (Willis, McCarthy, Jackson, Vargas, Floyd), Willis is surrounded by potential, but little experience or production.
Spot Starters – F, No depth at the major league level.
Bullpen – F, Devine and Sisco don’t have closing spots, though they are next in line on both clubs.
Upside – B-, A good young outfield already in the show, with Daric Barton and Andy Marte to supplement Fielder and Co. gives Tokyo hope for the future. The rotation is in dismal condition, and even if a few of their prospects develop, it still needs a lot of work.
Overall – F, Willis can’t win categories by himself and Tokyo can’t win games without pitching. Their offense should grow to hurt a few teams.
Projected Division Races
Eastern Division
1. Las Vegas (8-1-1) - Reyes’ legs and the arms in their bullpen should win the crucial categories, giving them the division crown.
2. Rakeville (5-3-2)
3. Weymouth (4-4-1)
4. Bridgewater (5-5)
5. Peoria (2-8) - There is no doubt they will take down bye week. Well, maybe some doubt.
6. Bye Week (0-8)
Western Division
1. Golden (7-3) – A strong team in each category, they will have some hard fought battles.
2. Winston Salem (6-3-1)
3. Quebec City (5-5)
4. Tijuana (4-6)
5. Bizton (2-7-1)
6. Tokyo (1-9)
League Notes
-- After being selected first overall, Justin Verlander held a party for all his new teammates. Knowing the Piglets played in Canada, he bought cases of Molson beer, only to learn that none of the Quebec City players were actually from Canada and all hated Molson.
-- After being selected 185th overall, Tom Gordon held a party for all his new teammates. Knowing the Hispanics played in Mexico, he bought cases of Corona beer, only to learn that none of the Tijuana players were actually from Mexico. He then drank all the beer, his plan all along. “BYOB bitches,” he shouted.
-- Fans in Peoria are camping out for opening day tickets. “This is the biggest game of the year,” said John Stewall, a Peoria resident. Team officials believe the turnout is due to their slick marketing campaign which consisted of leaking the Weymouth Roster to the press, pretending it was their own.
Listen DePleyohs writes a column for Baseball Tri-Weekly. He's baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack.
