- Nipsey Allen
- Stuart Allen
- Dingo Beech
- Matty Bennett
- Damian Carter
- Ricardo Castillo
- Carlos Guerrero
- Mike Hall
- Roy Hardy
- Dale Harris
- Charles Hernandez
- Ryan Hoffman
- Donovan Houston
- Sam Huson
- Slim Hutton
- Hal Jackson
- Chad Johnson
- Alex Lim
- John Lloyd
- Esteban Lopez
- Al Lunar
- Sterling Mercker
- Andy Moseley
- Fausto Nieto
- Kyle Nixon
- Charlie O'Brien
- Ernest O'Malley
- Tori Ojala
- Armando Padilla
- Matthew Ramirez
- Mandy Plunk
- Tony Sadler
- Wascar Sanchez
- Benito Santayana
- Brad Scoroposki
- Jared Serrano
- Ignacio Sosa
- Hades Springer
- Norm Thomas
- Jesus Trajano
- Victor Walsh
- Vance Waters
- Richie Wright
- Bronson Yoshii
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Season 13 Hall of Fame Rule Addendum
I am allowing all owners the privilege of voting this season. I have last season's records and could take away privileges as the bylaws sate, but I am using last season as a freebie and giving everyone the chance to participate. New owners will also be given the right to vote this season; there will be no penalty if they do not vote and do not send an excuse. If you do not wish to vote or do not feel qualified, you simply need to send sweetsalve a sitemail and express that you are declining to vote this season and you will keep your privileges for future season. Only those who do not vote and do not communicate that they are not voting this season will lose their future rights in the voting process. These rules will be enforced from this point forward, but I wanted to practice some grace being that this was a new process last season and still working out the kinks this season.
Season 13 Hall of Fame Rule reminders
Here are the rules for the Hall of Fame. As I demonstrated last season, these rules can be adjusted to best fit the purpose of this exercise.
Voting Privileges:
Only those who have been in the BSA at least one full season and are also currently in the BSA are eligible to vote. Owners in their first season must return for another year to get voting rights. Owners who have previously been in the BSA and return later on will be given the right to vote. If anyone fails to cast a ballot in a season (without a sitemailed, legitimate excuse), they will lose their privilege to vote. If someone votes for no one and sends a ballot saying "My vote is for no one", that counts as a submitted ballot. But sending nothing revokes all future privileges.
Ballot:
A player must be officially listed as "retired" on their player card to be eligible to appear on the ballot. There is no objective number to how many players can be on the ballot. Players who may obviously not be Hall of Fame material may appear on the ballot (Benito Santiago appeared on the real life Hall of Fame ballot after all). A player will be carried over from one season to the next as long as he gets one vote per season. If a player gets no votes, they will be dropped from the ballot. A player can be on the ballot 5 seasons before being dropped regardless of votes received. I will reserve the right to retain a player on a ballot to increase the ballot size if it is deemed necessary.
Who gets in:A player must receive .08 percent of total votes on submitted ballots to enter the Hall of Fame. Percentages will be rounded up to .08 percent in the event that an exact .08 percent rate cannot be obtained. There is no limit to the number of players who can be elected; there is also no minimum requirement (meaning someone does not have to be elected each season). I reserve the right to change voting rules during voting in extreme cases where manipulation of the ballot has occurred either intentionally or unintentionally. While the HOF should be an exclusive club, it should not be made impossible to attain the privilege of entering the Hall.
Voting:
Each owner will get to vote for up to 10 players. They do not have to vote for 10, but cannot vote for more than 10. This mimics the real Hall of Fame ballot. In the future, if that number seems to be producing too many Hall of Famers, it will be reduced. Or if the ballot is small, it could also be temporarily reduced.
Veteran's Committee:
This will be a 6 member committee. The initial committee will be made up of sweetsalve, evan43, hwaters397, eblitz24, hurminator, and mlownds. If a member drops out of the committee, they will be replaced by an original BSA HBD owner. This committee will be allowed to nominate one inductee per season starting with season 13. Eligible inductees will be players who have fallen off the ballot but the committee thinks should be included due to their contribution to the game (for instance, we may vote in original players who were great for a season or 2 but aged quickly and we didn't get to see their full careers but none the less are BSA legends). This committee is not restricted to voting in players. They can vote in owner/gms, coaches, or anyone else. However, the committee must come to a consensus on the one individual to be voted in that year. If a consensus is not reached, no one is voted in. Each committee member can nominate one inductee and explain to the other committee members why that individual should be inducted to the HOF. Based on the nominees, each committee member will then submit a ranking of 1 to 6 of the nominees, one being the most worthy, and the inductee with the lowest total will then be considered. All 6 of the committee members must be persuaded and agree that the final nominee should be inducted. A committee member may abstain from voting on that inductee and if the other 5 vote yes for their induction, they will be inducted.
Voting Privileges:
Only those who have been in the BSA at least one full season and are also currently in the BSA are eligible to vote. Owners in their first season must return for another year to get voting rights. Owners who have previously been in the BSA and return later on will be given the right to vote. If anyone fails to cast a ballot in a season (without a sitemailed, legitimate excuse), they will lose their privilege to vote. If someone votes for no one and sends a ballot saying "My vote is for no one", that counts as a submitted ballot. But sending nothing revokes all future privileges.
Ballot:
A player must be officially listed as "retired" on their player card to be eligible to appear on the ballot. There is no objective number to how many players can be on the ballot. Players who may obviously not be Hall of Fame material may appear on the ballot (Benito Santiago appeared on the real life Hall of Fame ballot after all). A player will be carried over from one season to the next as long as he gets one vote per season. If a player gets no votes, they will be dropped from the ballot. A player can be on the ballot 5 seasons before being dropped regardless of votes received. I will reserve the right to retain a player on a ballot to increase the ballot size if it is deemed necessary.
Who gets in:A player must receive .08 percent of total votes on submitted ballots to enter the Hall of Fame. Percentages will be rounded up to .08 percent in the event that an exact .08 percent rate cannot be obtained. There is no limit to the number of players who can be elected; there is also no minimum requirement (meaning someone does not have to be elected each season). I reserve the right to change voting rules during voting in extreme cases where manipulation of the ballot has occurred either intentionally or unintentionally. While the HOF should be an exclusive club, it should not be made impossible to attain the privilege of entering the Hall.
Voting:
Each owner will get to vote for up to 10 players. They do not have to vote for 10, but cannot vote for more than 10. This mimics the real Hall of Fame ballot. In the future, if that number seems to be producing too many Hall of Famers, it will be reduced. Or if the ballot is small, it could also be temporarily reduced.
Veteran's Committee:
This will be a 6 member committee. The initial committee will be made up of sweetsalve, evan43, hwaters397, eblitz24, hurminator, and mlownds. If a member drops out of the committee, they will be replaced by an original BSA HBD owner. This committee will be allowed to nominate one inductee per season starting with season 13. Eligible inductees will be players who have fallen off the ballot but the committee thinks should be included due to their contribution to the game (for instance, we may vote in original players who were great for a season or 2 but aged quickly and we didn't get to see their full careers but none the less are BSA legends). This committee is not restricted to voting in players. They can vote in owner/gms, coaches, or anyone else. However, the committee must come to a consensus on the one individual to be voted in that year. If a consensus is not reached, no one is voted in. Each committee member can nominate one inductee and explain to the other committee members why that individual should be inducted to the HOF. Based on the nominees, each committee member will then submit a ranking of 1 to 6 of the nominees, one being the most worthy, and the inductee with the lowest total will then be considered. All 6 of the committee members must be persuaded and agree that the final nominee should be inducted. A committee member may abstain from voting on that inductee and if the other 5 vote yes for their induction, they will be inducted.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Season 12 round 2 playoff predictions
Sorry all, I didn't have time to write up previews, but I thought I would share my predictions anyway:
Columbus over Rochester in 3
Nashville over Oakland in 5
Toledo over Philly in 5
Honolulu over New Orleans in 4 (sorry New Orleans, Honolulu is hot)
Columbus over Rochester in 3
Nashville over Oakland in 5
Toledo over Philly in 5
Honolulu over New Orleans in 4 (sorry New Orleans, Honolulu is hot)
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Season 12 First Round Playoff Preview and Overall Playoff Predictions
American League Divisional Play-in Series
#4 Minnesota Fighting Minnow vs. #5 Rochester Rampage
Offense: Minnesota is led by MVP candidate Ross Morris, who should be well rested and able to play everyday in the playoffs. LF Ruben Martinez is the key to playoff success. He had a solid but not great season, but he is hitting .381 career in the playoffs and needs to be that kind of clutch player again for Minnesota to make some noise.
With 6 hitters with 25 plus home runs, Rochester definetly upped their power game this year. Alfredo Allen, Graham Field, and Earl Baker all topped 40 dingers. Alfredo Allen may be key in this series, not with his bat but with his feet. His 33 stolen bases with only 3 caught stealing show he can take advantage of Minnesota's catchers.
Defense: Minnesota did not win their division with the gloves. Ross Morris, Morris Stull, Alfredo Marquis, and Abraham Ross are all below average at their positions. Considering 2 of those players are the 2B and SS, that spells trouble. Both their catchers have at best average arms and stolen bases could become an offensive key for Rochester. Ronald Post is still great in CF.
SS Clay Magadan and 2B Louie Mendez have to be one of the better double play combinations in the BSA. With Ocar Mullen in CF, there aren't any weak spots up the middle in Rochester. Earl Baker had a rough season with 10 errors in left field.
Rotation: Minnesota will go with the 4 man rotation of Omar Ramirez, Hugh Hodges, Howie Westbrook, and Pablo Oliva. All 4 have playoff experience and Minny will need one of them to get hot if they are going to go deep in the playoffs. Oliva has done that before in Kansas City, so watch out for him.
Gabe Murphy had another solid campaign and leads Rochester's rotation into the playoffs. Veteran Milton Allen is aging but experienced in the postseason. 10-3 Ben Mecir may be the key as he'll be called on to pitch a pivotal game 3 at home.
Bullpen: Enrique Santana was horrific in the closers role this year and showed that his days as an elite closer are for sure done. But no one else in this bullpen stepped up and pitched well enough to supplant Enrique. Youngster Jordan Falk was the lone bright spot in this pen.
In his first full season at closer, Felix Curtis flashed his potential with a great season. Kerry Mullen had a solid season as the workhors out of the pen. Aside from Curtis, this pen is solid but not amazing.
Prediction: It's tough to say who is the underdog here. Minnesota holds the high seed and home field advantage, but Rochester has the better record by 9 games. Offensively, these teams are fairly even though Minnesota seems to have a slight edge overall. In the rotation, Minnesota has a definite edge and they will be the key to the series. But Minnesota's defense and bullpen have been so poor, Rochester's edge in those categories may make up for it. The key for Minnesota will be Pablo Oliva. If Hodges and Ramirez split at home, Oliva will need to go into Rochester and flash his former Cy Young stuff to put the Minnows in the driver's seat. The key for Rochester will be Gabe Murphy. He needs to come out and win the opener in Minnesota and shut down their powerful offense.
Because starting pitching is most important in the playoffs, I'm predicting Minnesota in 5 games.
#3 Oakland Hammers vs. #6 Boston Bombers
Offense: Oakland's Stephen Maxwell may very well be one of the most underrated hitters in the BSA. He has had 40+ home run/ 100+ RBI seasons in every season he has played in the bigs, 6 in all. Slugger Henry Rose will be the key to Oakland winning this series. All of Boston's rotation is right handed and Rose hammers right handers. His power numbers fell off a little this season, but he can make up for it with a big playoff series here.
The Bombers wouldn't be the Bombers without their home runs. 6 players topped 30 homers, 8 topped 20. Stan Stewart led the way with 64. Trevor Yeats will need to reverse his playoff jinx for the Bombers to go far. Yeats is hitting only .197 in 249 career playoff at bats. He has hit some key home runs, but he's going to need to get on base more for Boston to make a run.
Defense: With his speed and range, CF Rob Faulk should be better than he is. Hammonds and Gonzales form a solid doble play combo. Jeff Lee is an above average catcher and runners only had a 63% success rate off of him this year.
Stewart was a stud in the field as well as at the plate, with 9 plus plays and only 9 errors in CF. Yearwood and Ozuna formed a nice defensive catching duo, combinging for a 71% stolen base percentage. De La Vega and Yeats form a solid but not spectacular up the middle duo.
Rotation: Young Virgil Rodriguez is thrown into the #1 starter role in his first major league season, putting a lot of pressure on the youngster. Al Vallarta will still be the key as Oakland will need him to step up and lead this young staff.
Joel Simmons got his first 20 win season and will be the staff ace coming into the playoffs. Will Poole, Ed Sauveur, and Luis Perez round out this young and talented rotation. If they pitch to their potential and not their age, this rotation could take this #6 seed to the Series.
Bullpen: Charles Hall is one of the BSA's all time great closers and proved it again this season. Brant Powell was stellar in a setup role as well. Louis Murphy will need to step up and be the bridge to get to Hall in the playoffs. He will need to limit his walks and get some key strikeouts.
Veteran Fernando Almanza stepped into the closer's role for the first time and the shoes fit. Starter Barney Kirwan will be added to the playoff bullpen and could become and important setup man or long reliever if the young rotation falters.
Prediction: It's hard to believe Boston is now a 6 seed, but the power in the American League has shifted. Both of these teams are relatively young and it won't be the last time we see this matchup in the playoffs. Boston has the advantage at the plate and in the rotation, and I see Oakland as having a slight advantage in the field and in the pen. The key for Oakland will be young Virgil Rodriguez carrying his hot streak into the playoffs. The key for Boston will be rookie starter Ed Sauveur pitching in game 3 possibly against Al Vallarta and will need him to show his real stuff and not his rookie lack of composure.
My instincts say to go with Oakland, but on paper I've got to go with Boston. Boston in 4
National League Divisional Play-in Series
#4 Philadelphia Bell Busters vs. #5 Milwaukee Butter Girls
Offense: Philly was overlooked offensively this season, but they had 5 hitters over .300 and hit for a team average of .285. Orlando Lee is the centerpiece of the offense and wants to step up this series and break out into the spotlight of the BSA.
While you may not think of power when you think of the Butter Girls, 8 hitters topped 20 homers for the club. Kevin Swann may be key in the playoffs. He led the team with 48 homers, but he struggled overall, hitting .251. He needs to be a more consistent hitter in the middle of the order for Milwaukee to move forward.
Defense: Orlando Lee is not a natural centerfielder, but he played solid out there with only 6 errors. However, his lack of range led to 8 minus plays and could cost them at times in the playoffs. Gordon Dresden will need to take over the full time catching duties with Marco Blair's injury. He is known more for his stick than his glove, so he'll need to step up behind the plate.
Statistically speaking, Troy Pavlov will be talked about as one of the great shortstops, but his days of being able to field as a shortstop are long gone. 24 erros, 8 minus plays, and no plus plays put him among the worst. Hopefully Slash Edmonds doesn't see 2B in the playoffs as he did in the regular season, where he had 25 errors in only 42 games.
Rotation: Philly has a lot of young pitchers and there are a lot of question marks about who will be in their playoff rotation. Right now, it appears veteran of the staff James Hamilton will get the ball in game one, followed by Gary Ferrell, Juan Alezaga, and Philip Buford. Fans are questioning why 20 game winner Buford is in the #4 spot while 5-14 Alezaga is pitching at all, but it appears Philly has to play with their rested pitchers after a grueling fight for the division title.
I don't know how Rube Daniels keeps doing it, but he keeps doing it. As long as this guy has an arm still attached to his body I think he'll be putting up Cy Young caliber seasons. Livan Jiminez was suppossed to be the veteran punch behind Daniels, but elbow surgery has him out for the season and has drastically altered the course of his career. But young Shawn Radlosky had a good season and will line up behind Daniels for a solid 1-2 playoff punch.
Bullpen: Veteran Trever King has emerged as the closer and has had his ups and down during the season. Jason Hartman was the workhorse and will be called on to step in early if any starters falter. Young Paxton Lunsford has struggled and been put into the bullpen, but he has the stuff to step up and make a difference if he puts it together for the playoffs.
Philip Sherman went 9-2 out of the pen this year, posting a 2.83 era in the process. Closer Jim Gload did not have a good season, but still registered 38 saves. He will need to step it up and pitch like the savy veteran he is to give Milwaukee a chance in the playoffs.
Prediction: Both of these teams have solid offenses and question marks on defense. But Philly's rotation is young and seems to be weary, while Milwaukee has Rube Daniels which gives them 2 wins in a 5 game series almost every time. Milwaukee clearly has the better pen as well. The key for Philly is Orlando Lee, both at the plate and in the field. He has the potential to carry a team on his back with his slugging, but can't cost them games with his poor range in center. The key for Milwaukee is Shawn Radlosky. If he pitches well behind Daniels, look out.
I'm calling for a Milwaukee sweep.
#3 Albuquerque Turkeys vs. #6 Honolulu Noka Oi
Offense: Jerome Duran was not the best offensive player on this team this year; Charles Romero was. That just tells you how good Romero is. And statistically, catcher Jocko Phelps blew them both out of the water with one of the best season a catcher has ever had at the plate, hitting .385 with a .480 OBP and .654 slugging percentage.
Ernie Price was an all or nothing slugger this year. On the all side, he hit 54 long balls and drove in 146 runs. On the nothing side, his OBP was .315. If Elrod Herndon and Ryne Magruder get on base in front of him, Price has to play it smart and put the ball in play and not just swing for the fences.
Defense: Jerome Duran never gets enough credit for his defense because of his offense, but he may after this series. Duran is injured and Rigo Santiago has to step in and fill some huge shoes. santiago had 3 errors in 14 games at second; Duran had 11 in 140. That defensive drop off (not to mention the offensive loss) may come into play in this series.
Ryne Magruder has a poor season at 3B and may just not have the glove to hang there. Juan Iglesias had some problems with the glove at SS, but he is a solid fielder and gets to some balls other SS wouldn't get to.
Rotation: Albuquerque still has a 5 man rotation setup but may shorten it iff they need to. Bono Green is a veteran who leads the staff and has started 17 postseason games in his career. He is followed by Angel Olivares, Geronimo Flores, Kevin Crawford, and Jumbo Balboa. All 5 starters are solid, but will any of them turn it up a notch for the playoff stretch?
Rookie Robin Drew lived up to all the hype in his first full season, going 19-6. He is the reason they are in the playoffs, and if they win this series, he'll be the reason. Veteran Brian Meng will need to shake off some of his tough luck this year and pitch up to his potential.
Bullpen: 3 pitchers will be key to the Turkey's late inning success. Cole Alexander has not had a lot of save opportunities this season, but this is the time of year where you have to be ready every night as a closer. His career 1.65 postseason WHIP isn't going to cut it this year. Robin Carlyle and Stan Osborne combined to go 13-3 in the regular season, both posting career years. They are not late inning workhorses, but if they come into games they will need to carryover their regular season success to get them to the late innings in good shape.
Closer Brandon Williamson has struggled at times but has been consistent. Veterans Bill Bowie and Julio Mesa will be the key contributors out of the pen in this series. Mesa will be needed to get outs when coming in to face a big slugger with men on base.
Prediction: Both of these teams beat up on mine in the regular season, so I'm hoping they both lose this series. Albuquerque has perhaps the biggest offensive advantage of any team in the first round, even without Jerome Duran. In fact, Albuquerque has the advantage in every area of the game. The key for Albuquerque is Jerome Duran's injury. He will miss this series, so can they replace his bat enough to get by Honolulu? The key for Honolulu is Robin Drew. One pitcher can overcome every other disadvantage, so Drew will need to win 2 games to give Honolulu a chance.
Duran's injury would have me feeling uneasy if I were Albuquerque, but I still think the Turkeys sweep the series.
Overall Playoff Predictions:
I wanted to give you these before the playoffs started to stir up conversation. I've already predicted Minnesota, Boston, Milwaukee, and Albuquerque will win in the first round.
In the division championship series, I see Columbus beating Minnesota and Boston upsetting Nashville in the AL. In the NL, Toledo will take care of Milwaukee and Albuquerque will take out New Orleans.
In the league championships series, Boston will give Columbus all they can handle but I think Columbus has too much. Albuquerque will continue their regular season success against Toledo and advance to the series.
In the World Series, Columbus will prove they are the best team in the BSA and finish off a long and amazing rebuilding project.
#4 Minnesota Fighting Minnow vs. #5 Rochester Rampage
Offense: Minnesota is led by MVP candidate Ross Morris, who should be well rested and able to play everyday in the playoffs. LF Ruben Martinez is the key to playoff success. He had a solid but not great season, but he is hitting .381 career in the playoffs and needs to be that kind of clutch player again for Minnesota to make some noise.
With 6 hitters with 25 plus home runs, Rochester definetly upped their power game this year. Alfredo Allen, Graham Field, and Earl Baker all topped 40 dingers. Alfredo Allen may be key in this series, not with his bat but with his feet. His 33 stolen bases with only 3 caught stealing show he can take advantage of Minnesota's catchers.
Defense: Minnesota did not win their division with the gloves. Ross Morris, Morris Stull, Alfredo Marquis, and Abraham Ross are all below average at their positions. Considering 2 of those players are the 2B and SS, that spells trouble. Both their catchers have at best average arms and stolen bases could become an offensive key for Rochester. Ronald Post is still great in CF.
SS Clay Magadan and 2B Louie Mendez have to be one of the better double play combinations in the BSA. With Ocar Mullen in CF, there aren't any weak spots up the middle in Rochester. Earl Baker had a rough season with 10 errors in left field.
Rotation: Minnesota will go with the 4 man rotation of Omar Ramirez, Hugh Hodges, Howie Westbrook, and Pablo Oliva. All 4 have playoff experience and Minny will need one of them to get hot if they are going to go deep in the playoffs. Oliva has done that before in Kansas City, so watch out for him.
Gabe Murphy had another solid campaign and leads Rochester's rotation into the playoffs. Veteran Milton Allen is aging but experienced in the postseason. 10-3 Ben Mecir may be the key as he'll be called on to pitch a pivotal game 3 at home.
Bullpen: Enrique Santana was horrific in the closers role this year and showed that his days as an elite closer are for sure done. But no one else in this bullpen stepped up and pitched well enough to supplant Enrique. Youngster Jordan Falk was the lone bright spot in this pen.
In his first full season at closer, Felix Curtis flashed his potential with a great season. Kerry Mullen had a solid season as the workhors out of the pen. Aside from Curtis, this pen is solid but not amazing.
Prediction: It's tough to say who is the underdog here. Minnesota holds the high seed and home field advantage, but Rochester has the better record by 9 games. Offensively, these teams are fairly even though Minnesota seems to have a slight edge overall. In the rotation, Minnesota has a definite edge and they will be the key to the series. But Minnesota's defense and bullpen have been so poor, Rochester's edge in those categories may make up for it. The key for Minnesota will be Pablo Oliva. If Hodges and Ramirez split at home, Oliva will need to go into Rochester and flash his former Cy Young stuff to put the Minnows in the driver's seat. The key for Rochester will be Gabe Murphy. He needs to come out and win the opener in Minnesota and shut down their powerful offense.
Because starting pitching is most important in the playoffs, I'm predicting Minnesota in 5 games.
#3 Oakland Hammers vs. #6 Boston Bombers
Offense: Oakland's Stephen Maxwell may very well be one of the most underrated hitters in the BSA. He has had 40+ home run/ 100+ RBI seasons in every season he has played in the bigs, 6 in all. Slugger Henry Rose will be the key to Oakland winning this series. All of Boston's rotation is right handed and Rose hammers right handers. His power numbers fell off a little this season, but he can make up for it with a big playoff series here.
The Bombers wouldn't be the Bombers without their home runs. 6 players topped 30 homers, 8 topped 20. Stan Stewart led the way with 64. Trevor Yeats will need to reverse his playoff jinx for the Bombers to go far. Yeats is hitting only .197 in 249 career playoff at bats. He has hit some key home runs, but he's going to need to get on base more for Boston to make a run.
Defense: With his speed and range, CF Rob Faulk should be better than he is. Hammonds and Gonzales form a solid doble play combo. Jeff Lee is an above average catcher and runners only had a 63% success rate off of him this year.
Stewart was a stud in the field as well as at the plate, with 9 plus plays and only 9 errors in CF. Yearwood and Ozuna formed a nice defensive catching duo, combinging for a 71% stolen base percentage. De La Vega and Yeats form a solid but not spectacular up the middle duo.
Rotation: Young Virgil Rodriguez is thrown into the #1 starter role in his first major league season, putting a lot of pressure on the youngster. Al Vallarta will still be the key as Oakland will need him to step up and lead this young staff.
Joel Simmons got his first 20 win season and will be the staff ace coming into the playoffs. Will Poole, Ed Sauveur, and Luis Perez round out this young and talented rotation. If they pitch to their potential and not their age, this rotation could take this #6 seed to the Series.
Bullpen: Charles Hall is one of the BSA's all time great closers and proved it again this season. Brant Powell was stellar in a setup role as well. Louis Murphy will need to step up and be the bridge to get to Hall in the playoffs. He will need to limit his walks and get some key strikeouts.
Veteran Fernando Almanza stepped into the closer's role for the first time and the shoes fit. Starter Barney Kirwan will be added to the playoff bullpen and could become and important setup man or long reliever if the young rotation falters.
Prediction: It's hard to believe Boston is now a 6 seed, but the power in the American League has shifted. Both of these teams are relatively young and it won't be the last time we see this matchup in the playoffs. Boston has the advantage at the plate and in the rotation, and I see Oakland as having a slight advantage in the field and in the pen. The key for Oakland will be young Virgil Rodriguez carrying his hot streak into the playoffs. The key for Boston will be rookie starter Ed Sauveur pitching in game 3 possibly against Al Vallarta and will need him to show his real stuff and not his rookie lack of composure.
My instincts say to go with Oakland, but on paper I've got to go with Boston. Boston in 4
National League Divisional Play-in Series
#4 Philadelphia Bell Busters vs. #5 Milwaukee Butter Girls
Offense: Philly was overlooked offensively this season, but they had 5 hitters over .300 and hit for a team average of .285. Orlando Lee is the centerpiece of the offense and wants to step up this series and break out into the spotlight of the BSA.
While you may not think of power when you think of the Butter Girls, 8 hitters topped 20 homers for the club. Kevin Swann may be key in the playoffs. He led the team with 48 homers, but he struggled overall, hitting .251. He needs to be a more consistent hitter in the middle of the order for Milwaukee to move forward.
Defense: Orlando Lee is not a natural centerfielder, but he played solid out there with only 6 errors. However, his lack of range led to 8 minus plays and could cost them at times in the playoffs. Gordon Dresden will need to take over the full time catching duties with Marco Blair's injury. He is known more for his stick than his glove, so he'll need to step up behind the plate.
Statistically speaking, Troy Pavlov will be talked about as one of the great shortstops, but his days of being able to field as a shortstop are long gone. 24 erros, 8 minus plays, and no plus plays put him among the worst. Hopefully Slash Edmonds doesn't see 2B in the playoffs as he did in the regular season, where he had 25 errors in only 42 games.
Rotation: Philly has a lot of young pitchers and there are a lot of question marks about who will be in their playoff rotation. Right now, it appears veteran of the staff James Hamilton will get the ball in game one, followed by Gary Ferrell, Juan Alezaga, and Philip Buford. Fans are questioning why 20 game winner Buford is in the #4 spot while 5-14 Alezaga is pitching at all, but it appears Philly has to play with their rested pitchers after a grueling fight for the division title.
I don't know how Rube Daniels keeps doing it, but he keeps doing it. As long as this guy has an arm still attached to his body I think he'll be putting up Cy Young caliber seasons. Livan Jiminez was suppossed to be the veteran punch behind Daniels, but elbow surgery has him out for the season and has drastically altered the course of his career. But young Shawn Radlosky had a good season and will line up behind Daniels for a solid 1-2 playoff punch.
Bullpen: Veteran Trever King has emerged as the closer and has had his ups and down during the season. Jason Hartman was the workhorse and will be called on to step in early if any starters falter. Young Paxton Lunsford has struggled and been put into the bullpen, but he has the stuff to step up and make a difference if he puts it together for the playoffs.
Philip Sherman went 9-2 out of the pen this year, posting a 2.83 era in the process. Closer Jim Gload did not have a good season, but still registered 38 saves. He will need to step it up and pitch like the savy veteran he is to give Milwaukee a chance in the playoffs.
Prediction: Both of these teams have solid offenses and question marks on defense. But Philly's rotation is young and seems to be weary, while Milwaukee has Rube Daniels which gives them 2 wins in a 5 game series almost every time. Milwaukee clearly has the better pen as well. The key for Philly is Orlando Lee, both at the plate and in the field. He has the potential to carry a team on his back with his slugging, but can't cost them games with his poor range in center. The key for Milwaukee is Shawn Radlosky. If he pitches well behind Daniels, look out.
I'm calling for a Milwaukee sweep.
#3 Albuquerque Turkeys vs. #6 Honolulu Noka Oi
Offense: Jerome Duran was not the best offensive player on this team this year; Charles Romero was. That just tells you how good Romero is. And statistically, catcher Jocko Phelps blew them both out of the water with one of the best season a catcher has ever had at the plate, hitting .385 with a .480 OBP and .654 slugging percentage.
Ernie Price was an all or nothing slugger this year. On the all side, he hit 54 long balls and drove in 146 runs. On the nothing side, his OBP was .315. If Elrod Herndon and Ryne Magruder get on base in front of him, Price has to play it smart and put the ball in play and not just swing for the fences.
Defense: Jerome Duran never gets enough credit for his defense because of his offense, but he may after this series. Duran is injured and Rigo Santiago has to step in and fill some huge shoes. santiago had 3 errors in 14 games at second; Duran had 11 in 140. That defensive drop off (not to mention the offensive loss) may come into play in this series.
Ryne Magruder has a poor season at 3B and may just not have the glove to hang there. Juan Iglesias had some problems with the glove at SS, but he is a solid fielder and gets to some balls other SS wouldn't get to.
Rotation: Albuquerque still has a 5 man rotation setup but may shorten it iff they need to. Bono Green is a veteran who leads the staff and has started 17 postseason games in his career. He is followed by Angel Olivares, Geronimo Flores, Kevin Crawford, and Jumbo Balboa. All 5 starters are solid, but will any of them turn it up a notch for the playoff stretch?
Rookie Robin Drew lived up to all the hype in his first full season, going 19-6. He is the reason they are in the playoffs, and if they win this series, he'll be the reason. Veteran Brian Meng will need to shake off some of his tough luck this year and pitch up to his potential.
Bullpen: 3 pitchers will be key to the Turkey's late inning success. Cole Alexander has not had a lot of save opportunities this season, but this is the time of year where you have to be ready every night as a closer. His career 1.65 postseason WHIP isn't going to cut it this year. Robin Carlyle and Stan Osborne combined to go 13-3 in the regular season, both posting career years. They are not late inning workhorses, but if they come into games they will need to carryover their regular season success to get them to the late innings in good shape.
Closer Brandon Williamson has struggled at times but has been consistent. Veterans Bill Bowie and Julio Mesa will be the key contributors out of the pen in this series. Mesa will be needed to get outs when coming in to face a big slugger with men on base.
Prediction: Both of these teams beat up on mine in the regular season, so I'm hoping they both lose this series. Albuquerque has perhaps the biggest offensive advantage of any team in the first round, even without Jerome Duran. In fact, Albuquerque has the advantage in every area of the game. The key for Albuquerque is Jerome Duran's injury. He will miss this series, so can they replace his bat enough to get by Honolulu? The key for Honolulu is Robin Drew. One pitcher can overcome every other disadvantage, so Drew will need to win 2 games to give Honolulu a chance.
Duran's injury would have me feeling uneasy if I were Albuquerque, but I still think the Turkeys sweep the series.
Overall Playoff Predictions:
I wanted to give you these before the playoffs started to stir up conversation. I've already predicted Minnesota, Boston, Milwaukee, and Albuquerque will win in the first round.
In the division championship series, I see Columbus beating Minnesota and Boston upsetting Nashville in the AL. In the NL, Toledo will take care of Milwaukee and Albuquerque will take out New Orleans.
In the league championships series, Boston will give Columbus all they can handle but I think Columbus has too much. Albuquerque will continue their regular season success against Toledo and advance to the series.
In the World Series, Columbus will prove they are the best team in the BSA and finish off a long and amazing rebuilding project.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Final Power Poll Season 12
1. Columbus TaRhymes
Led the league in WHIP, second in ERA with another great year from Glenn Painter
2. Nashville Redbirds
Only team with over a thousand runs scored led by Alfonso Cruz
3. Toledo Black Sheep
Led league in ERA, second in WHIP with Cy Young favorite Hugh Bukvich
4. Albuquerque Turkeys
Charles Romero had the longest hitting strak of the season at 26 games in what was the first of what will be many great seasons
5. Milwaukee Butter Girls
Ageless wonder Rube Daniels registers another great season to put himself in position for 200 wins next season
6. Boston Bombers
Resurgent offense led by MVP candidate Stan Stewart
7. New Orleans Swim
Sandy Mullen was a key free agent signing that led this team to a first round bye in the NL playoffs
8. Rochester Rampage
Alfredo Allen had his best season to date in leading Rochester to a wildcard berth
9. Philadelphia Bell Busters
Phillip Buford gets the credit for pushing this team to the wildcard
10. Oakland Hammers
Rob Faulk led the league with 88 steals
11. Minnesota Fighting Minnow
Ross Morris led the league in OPS by a wide margin
12. Honolulu Noka Oi
Robin Drew lived up to expectations in his first full season
13. Sacremento Stars
Fernando Neruda had a season for the ages
14. Las Vegas Spittin' Vermin
Led the league in home runs powered by Jacob Sung
15. Kansas City Monarchs
Eric Christman was the backbone of the offense again
16. San Francisco Cephalopods
Dan Coomer returned to form after as rough season with 16 wins
17. Detroit Night Hawks
Mitch Hardy became the first pitcher in BSA history to top 200 wins
18. Vancouver Vipers
Willie Seanez was a key acquisition at the beginning of the season and put a stamp on his Hall of Fame caliber career with another 30 homerun and 100 RBI season
19. Austin City Limits
Omar Rhodes showed again why Austin fans love him
20. Pittsburgh Pride
Pedro Jacquez and Brandon Sweeney formed a nice rookie tandem in the rotation
21. Washington D.C. Washington Huskies
Ivan Mantalban continues to be one of the BSA's top sluggers
22. Chicago Deep Dish
Rookie Mark Bukvich was a highlight for this squad
23. Los Angeles Freaks
Stretch Parker highlights this teams hard luck season, finishing 4th in ERA but with a losing record
24. Richmond Poes
Teddy Duran proved himself as one of the BSA's top closersa
25. Mexico City Conquistadors
Ricardo Ibarra and his elbow injury were the low point of a hard season, but Ibarra was having a solid sophomore campaign prior to the injury
26. El Paso Border Patrol
Johnnie Bush was a bright spot in a dismal season
27. Charlotte Panthers
Mark Gordon needs some help on offense
Arthur Hogan had a 20-20 season in a struggling offense
31. St. Louis This Bud's 4 You
Willard Byrnes played well defensively at 2B, tied for the team lead with a .275 average, and stole 46 bases
32. Louisville Colonels
Charles Henley led the team with 37 dingers in spite of having under 400 ABs
Led the league in WHIP, second in ERA with another great year from Glenn Painter
2. Nashville Redbirds
Only team with over a thousand runs scored led by Alfonso Cruz
3. Toledo Black Sheep
Led league in ERA, second in WHIP with Cy Young favorite Hugh Bukvich
4. Albuquerque Turkeys
Charles Romero had the longest hitting strak of the season at 26 games in what was the first of what will be many great seasons
5. Milwaukee Butter Girls
Ageless wonder Rube Daniels registers another great season to put himself in position for 200 wins next season
6. Boston Bombers
Resurgent offense led by MVP candidate Stan Stewart
7. New Orleans Swim
Sandy Mullen was a key free agent signing that led this team to a first round bye in the NL playoffs
8. Rochester Rampage
Alfredo Allen had his best season to date in leading Rochester to a wildcard berth
9. Philadelphia Bell Busters
Phillip Buford gets the credit for pushing this team to the wildcard
10. Oakland Hammers
Rob Faulk led the league with 88 steals
11. Minnesota Fighting Minnow
Ross Morris led the league in OPS by a wide margin
12. Honolulu Noka Oi
Robin Drew lived up to expectations in his first full season
13. Sacremento Stars
Fernando Neruda had a season for the ages
14. Las Vegas Spittin' Vermin
Led the league in home runs powered by Jacob Sung
15. Kansas City Monarchs
Eric Christman was the backbone of the offense again
16. San Francisco Cephalopods
Dan Coomer returned to form after as rough season with 16 wins
17. Detroit Night Hawks
Mitch Hardy became the first pitcher in BSA history to top 200 wins
18. Vancouver Vipers
Willie Seanez was a key acquisition at the beginning of the season and put a stamp on his Hall of Fame caliber career with another 30 homerun and 100 RBI season
19. Austin City Limits
Omar Rhodes showed again why Austin fans love him
20. Pittsburgh Pride
Pedro Jacquez and Brandon Sweeney formed a nice rookie tandem in the rotation
21. Washington D.C. Washington Huskies
Ivan Mantalban continues to be one of the BSA's top sluggers
22. Chicago Deep Dish
Rookie Mark Bukvich was a highlight for this squad
23. Los Angeles Freaks
Stretch Parker highlights this teams hard luck season, finishing 4th in ERA but with a losing record
24. Richmond Poes
Teddy Duran proved himself as one of the BSA's top closersa
25. Mexico City Conquistadors
Ricardo Ibarra and his elbow injury were the low point of a hard season, but Ibarra was having a solid sophomore campaign prior to the injury
26. El Paso Border Patrol
Johnnie Bush was a bright spot in a dismal season
27. Charlotte Panthers
Mark Gordon needs some help on offense
28. Indianapolis Mannings
Closer Jerry Thompson was the highlight of the team
29. Syracus Insurers Inc.
Miguel Tejada still hit 32 homers while uppping his average to .329
30. Helena HellfishArthur Hogan had a 20-20 season in a struggling offense
31. St. Louis This Bud's 4 You
Willard Byrnes played well defensively at 2B, tied for the team lead with a .275 average, and stole 46 bases
32. Louisville Colonels
Charles Henley led the team with 37 dingers in spite of having under 400 ABs
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
If they would have...
Our 3 HOF Inductees are unique in that they all started their HBD careers in (or past) their prime. But what would they have been if they had started at the age of 25? I don't know what the average start age is in HDB, but I think 25 is a safe assumption (if a player is drafted out of HS and spends one season at each level, they would be 23 when they start in the majors). Wilson Poole would have added 3 season to his carer, Brendan Towers 6 season, and Del Johnson would have gained 7 season. Calculating the averages of their full season, their numbers would have looked like this (I did not adjust averages like BA, OBP, SLG, ERA, or WHIP):
Wilson Poole: 382 HRs, 1509 RBI, 551 2B, 134 3B, 2300 H, 359 SB (.296/.357/.552)
MLB Hall of Famer stats resemble: http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/l/lindsfr01.shtml Freddie Lindstrom looks like the best comparison to Poole with the same exact number of hits, but Poole had more power and speed while Lindstrom had a higher average. With project stats, Poole compares well with Orlando Cepeda http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/cepedor01.shtml . Projections put them with the same number of homeruns, batting average, and hits, but Poole is better in doubles, triples, and stolen bases. http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/bottoji01.shtml Jim Bottomley is another possible comparison. Poole had 289 homers and 270 stolen bases and projected to 382 homers and 359 stolen bases. Currently in the MLB Hall of Fame, only 11 players have hit more than 200 homers and stolen 200 bases. Willy Mays is the only player to have 300+ in both categories.
BSA HBD star whose age he started at: Jesus Torrealba starts at 28 and you wipe out 286 career saves!
Brendan Towers - 242 W, 2348 K (3.12 ERA, 1.2 WHIP)
MLB Hall of Famer stats resemble: http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/d/deandi01.shtml Dizzy Dean is a very close resemblance to Towers' actual statistics. Dean had 2 more wins and an ERA that was .1 lower than Towers and they had an identical WHIP. With projected stats, Towers looks like Whitey Ford http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/f/fordwh01.shtml. Ford had a much better ERA, but win totals and WHIP are close and Towers had more Ks.
BSA HBD whose age he started at: Hugh Bukvich If Bukvich can do what Towers did from 31 on, he's going to have some great numbers when he retires. I know hitters age differently, but Ugueth Moya is also 31
Del Johnson - 217 W, 2645K (3.38 ERA, 1.19 WHIP)
MLB Hall of Famer stats resemble: Del Johnson's actual stats do not compare well with any real Hall of Famers, but consider that every HOF starting pitcher threw many more innings than him. With projected stats, his win and strike out totals remind you of Don Drysdale http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/d/drysddo01.shtml though Drysdale had a better WHIP and ERA.
BSA HBD whose age he started at: Jerome Duran Again I know hitters age differently, but imagine if all we ever knew of Duran was from this season onward.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Season 12 Voting Totals
24 ballots were cast this season. Initially, the rules stated that a player must be on 805 of ballots. As I observed how owners would vote and how many would vote. That became too restrictive, but I didn’t want to make it too easy to get in. So thanks to a suggestion from trystero, I switched it to a player must get a .08 percent of the total votes. From the 24 owners, there were 169 votes. I did as I said I would initially and I rounded down to 13 votes. So 13 votes was the magic number to get in the Hall this season. It will be different every season pending on the number of votes cast.
Player (Votes)
- Brendan Towers (22)
- Del Johnson (15)
- Wilson Poole (13)
- Sam Huson (12)
- Ricardo Castillo (11)
- Jesus Trajano (11)
- Wascar Sanchez (10)
- Charles Hernandez (9)
- Benito Santayana (8)
- Tori Ojala (7)
- Esteban Lopez (6)
- Matthew Ramirez (5)
- Alex Lim (5)
- Stuart Allen (4)
- Brad Scoroposki (4)
- Vance Waters (3)
- Charlie O’Brien (3)
- Dan Millard (3)
- Al Lunar (3)
- Slim Hutton (2)
- Andy Mosely (2)
- Donovan Houston (2)
- Tony Sadler (2)
- Fausto Nieto (1)
- Victor Walsh (1)
- Jared Serrano (1)
- Ryan Hoffman (1)
- Matty Bennett (1)
- Armando Padilla (1)
Player (Votes)
- Brendan Towers (22)
- Del Johnson (15)
- Wilson Poole (13)
- Sam Huson (12)
- Ricardo Castillo (11)
- Jesus Trajano (11)
- Wascar Sanchez (10)
- Charles Hernandez (9)
- Benito Santayana (8)
- Tori Ojala (7)
- Esteban Lopez (6)
- Matthew Ramirez (5)
- Alex Lim (5)
- Stuart Allen (4)
- Brad Scoroposki (4)
- Vance Waters (3)
- Charlie O’Brien (3)
- Dan Millard (3)
- Al Lunar (3)
- Slim Hutton (2)
- Andy Mosely (2)
- Donovan Houston (2)
- Tony Sadler (2)
- Fausto Nieto (1)
- Victor Walsh (1)
- Jared Serrano (1)
- Ryan Hoffman (1)
- Matty Bennett (1)
- Armando Padilla (1)
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