eMLB 2007 Team Previews and Rankings
Well seems to be a yearly event where I go down and rank the teams 1-18. Last year I got 5 of the 6 playoff teams correct. Using the 12 categories, we have in eMLB. Obviously, I am unable to predict injuries or moves teams make for better or worse but for the most part teams are consistent. Will some heed my early year warnings?? Making the moves needed to fix the issues or will I be just that loud mouth know it all that people resist?? It’s baseball season. The weather is starting to warm up.. Teams have already made their moves and drafted their team. Now comes the long journey and ever changing of a team to improve. This year is the tightest year yet. I am having a hard time separating the top tier from bottom. I see 8 teams that could easily make playoffs and another 2-3 that are a few moves from moving up to the elite. I doubt we see any record breaking wins.. Though losses is a different story. Bice will challenge that I think.
1. New Jersey Mets
I can hear the talk now. Reynolds picked himself 1st what a shock. Still when you incorporate the 12 stats we use I don’t have one hole as of this moment. That of course could change due to injury. I do have a lot of high risk/reward pitching. Yet my hitting is at the top of the league. Only 1 other have amassed a hitting lineup like mine and he will be #2. Coming into the draft I made moves to set myself up for max contracts and POWER.. Possibly 3 guys with 40+ power. 5 more with 20+ capability. 5 guys expected to have 100+ Runs and 4 with 100+ RBI’s. Plus add the speed of Furcal/Roberts/Wright. The pitching is the ?? Each SP is a power SP and K’s shouldn’t be an issue any given week. The teams weakness is Health as all are injury question marks. Plus my 2 closers are coming back from major injury. Still if chips fall in line an Eastern title is a lock and should be deep in the playoffs.
2. South Texas Heat
This team is only a notch behind mine. The reason is SB and a little bit lesser in the SP area. His top 3 hitting categories are almost identical. BB are close and so is BA. He Should be top 5 in almost every offensive category. SP will need to step up especially in September when most young guys tire. 4 of his 5 starters are very young and only 1 has 200IP experience. This will be a constant fixing area. The pen looks stable. Gordon and Ray should do well as long as injuries don’t happen. With Gordon that will be once again the issue. As it was last year. Solid setup men will help keep those SP in line. Overall the team should win the Central. Could very well be a World Series finalist?
3. Encinitas Beach Bums
Bums have finally molded a World Series contender. They are reaching for their 1st division pennant. With some moves later in the season, this team should be up there all year. They have a solid dependable offense. Weakness is speed. An issue they don’t have to correct but might look to. Still a good shot at winning offense 4 of the 6 stats every week. SP will be good enough to get by. K’s are a bit weak but having a solid pen will help there and keep ERA/WHIP in line. Overall, I think they can win the West but will need to make moves late in the year to get some speed.
4. North Texas Rangers
A vastly improved team.. Finally the West coasters are catching up with the rest. They are producing a few teams that could contend for the league title. A nice combo of youth and vets will keep them in contention for the #1 spot. Howard helped this team move way up. Solid RUN/HR/RBI guys. Only 1 guy with BB will hurt and ok speed. Team as very questionable SP.. ERA/WHIP struggles will force them to make a move to acquire SP. A Solid pen. Should win Holds/saves most weeks. K’s is another issue. Still they have a shot to win the West title if they stay active and make the moves to improve them. Past history team has been afraid to make a move unless out of the playoff hunt. Will they change that this year??
5. Gaylord Dingers
Last years champ made some moves but more or less tried to position for next year. Only thing is he took a slight step back in doing so. Trading some valuable power and the need for speed cost him a little. Manny and Thome should help lead the offensive stats and Ichiro will keep them in SB contention but against teams with some speed he will lose that most weeks. Pitching is very young except for Mussina. 1 solid closer and Borowski who I feel will not hold job. Overall, this team should be in the playoffs but they have very little room for error. They are by far a weak team then in previous year.
6. Springfield Slammers
They made strides last year by making it into the playoff rounds for the first time in team history. With a few more off season moves and a solid draft, they will make another run at the playoffs. Still 1 slip or major injury and this team drops to the outside. They are 6th due to power.. Each week they hang on Soriano and Ramirez. After them, they don’t have a guy with 20+ HR power in the lineup. Solid Speed and will win that most weeks. BA is very good too. Their SP kept them in the playoff hunt. All have proved themselves though Hernandez won’t last all year. Pen is solid. Saves and holds every week and K’s are good most weeks. Team’s weakness is depth and will be an issue but if they stay ahead of the curve, they will once again take a shot at a title.
7. Julian Javelina (Formally Pacific Bombers)
Hoyle moved his team in hopes it will change his teams fortune. Yet the name change didn’t do it. It was the right moves and contracts. The once star eyed owner who reached for youth and usually over estimated their production finally draft the right combo to make them a contender. Will this be their 1st winning season? He will have a shot to beat out fellow friend in North Texas. This is a battle that surely to go down to the wire. Team is built around many avg guys. Another team without 40+ HR power but a bunch of 20-30 guys will keep him in the running for the offensive stats. Like a few others not 1 legit SB guy and Cameron their leading SB guy. Very weak on BB too.. That is probably only it for keeping them in the top 6. Pitching is solid and the steal of Santana will stable it. K’s and holds will be solid but another closer will have to be added. This team could win the West with a few moves and I can bet they will be worked on. Hoyle wants to shed the hardest working owner without a winning season monkey.
8. Michigan Miracles
Last years last place team made a HUGE jump. You can thank the #1 spot and a very deep draft along with a solid draft strategy without reaching too far. Last, years contract mistakes are going to haunt him this year. Players he assigned last year taking up valuable future but I guess that is a learning experience. Even with that, they have 4 30+ HR guys and solid RUNS/RBI guys. Tavares should keep him in the SB most weeks except against the better teams. BA will be a little of an issue. Since most do not hit 300 or better. SP is slightly above avg. he K’s are good and so are holds but Saves will be an ongoing issue. Even is Gagne lasts all year Weathers won’t. Still if they can make a few moves, a playoff shot isn’t out of the question but next year is looking bright for this team.
9. Olivet Eagle Killers
It’s a good thing Larry had a solid team prior to draft. As he was not around much for the draft and let his team slip. Still he can move up into the playoff spots if he takes advantage of the other owner’s mistakes. He might not have any 40+ HR power but 3 people should be 30+ and a number of 20+ ones. Speed will be an issue without a legit SB guy and inconsistency will get frustrating. BA is going to be one of the leagues best. BB will struggle. Still offensively, a split is possible against the better teams. SP is going to be an issue with Wakefield/Maine/Williams/Davis. K’s will be tough. No save guys and not a good group of MR. If it wasn’t for their offense, they would be further down.
10. Carolina Yankees
Carolina has been improving each year since 2004. Yet even with that, I feel they slipped a bit. They lost too many too FA combined with a less then stellar draft will keep them down this year. Team has 2 legit offensive threats and a ton of speed. Offense isn’t terrible and it will carry them most weeks. BA might struggle a bit. Teams major concern is pitching. This staff could get very ugly. They will struggle with ERA/WHIP and K’s are not that strong. . Currently 1 closer and their top setup guy already injured. If this team can correct the pitching some how they might make the playoffs but I think that is a long shot. Since it would take a few guys to do that and they don’t have the depth.
11. Knoxville Possums
I can hear the talk now. Reynolds picked himself 1st what a shock. Still when you incorporate the 12 stats we use I don’t have one hole as of this moment. That of course could change due to injury. I do have a lot of high risk/reward pitching. Yet my hitting is at the top of the league. Only 1 other have amassed a hitting lineup like mine and he will be #2. Coming into the draft I made moves to set myself up for max contracts and POWER.. Possibly 3 guys with 40+ power. 5 more with 20+ capability. 5 guys expected to have 100+ Runs and 4 with 100+ RBI’s. Plus add the speed of Furcal/Roberts/Wright. The pitching is the ?? Each SP is a power SP and K’s shouldn’t be an issue any given week. The teams weakness is Health as all are injury question marks. Plus my 2 closers are coming back from major injury. Still if chips fall in line an Eastern title is a lock and should be deep in the playoffs.
2. South Texas Heat
This team is only a notch behind mine. The reason is SB and a little bit lesser in the SP area. His top 3 hitting categories are almost identical. BB are close and so is BA. He Should be top 5 in almost every offensive category. SP will need to step up especially in September when most young guys tire. 4 of his 5 starters are very young and only 1 has 200IP experience. This will be a constant fixing area. The pen looks stable. Gordon and Ray should do well as long as injuries don’t happen. With Gordon that will be once again the issue. As it was last year. Solid setup men will help keep those SP in line. Overall the team should win the Central. Could very well be a World Series finalist?
3. Encinitas Beach Bums
Bums have finally molded a World Series contender. They are reaching for their 1st division pennant. With some moves later in the season, this team should be up there all year. They have a solid dependable offense. Weakness is speed. An issue they don’t have to correct but might look to. Still a good shot at winning offense 4 of the 6 stats every week. SP will be good enough to get by. K’s are a bit weak but having a solid pen will help there and keep ERA/WHIP in line. Overall, I think they can win the West but will need to make moves late in the year to get some speed.
4. North Texas Rangers
A vastly improved team.. Finally the West coasters are catching up with the rest. They are producing a few teams that could contend for the league title. A nice combo of youth and vets will keep them in contention for the #1 spot. Howard helped this team move way up. Solid RUN/HR/RBI guys. Only 1 guy with BB will hurt and ok speed. Team as very questionable SP.. ERA/WHIP struggles will force them to make a move to acquire SP. A Solid pen. Should win Holds/saves most weeks. K’s is another issue. Still they have a shot to win the West title if they stay active and make the moves to improve them. Past history team has been afraid to make a move unless out of the playoff hunt. Will they change that this year??
5. Gaylord Dingers
Last years champ made some moves but more or less tried to position for next year. Only thing is he took a slight step back in doing so. Trading some valuable power and the need for speed cost him a little. Manny and Thome should help lead the offensive stats and Ichiro will keep them in SB contention but against teams with some speed he will lose that most weeks. Pitching is very young except for Mussina. 1 solid closer and Borowski who I feel will not hold job. Overall, this team should be in the playoffs but they have very little room for error. They are by far a weak team then in previous year.
6. Springfield Slammers
They made strides last year by making it into the playoff rounds for the first time in team history. With a few more off season moves and a solid draft, they will make another run at the playoffs. Still 1 slip or major injury and this team drops to the outside. They are 6th due to power.. Each week they hang on Soriano and Ramirez. After them, they don’t have a guy with 20+ HR power in the lineup. Solid Speed and will win that most weeks. BA is very good too. Their SP kept them in the playoff hunt. All have proved themselves though Hernandez won’t last all year. Pen is solid. Saves and holds every week and K’s are good most weeks. Team’s weakness is depth and will be an issue but if they stay ahead of the curve, they will once again take a shot at a title.
7. Julian Javelina (Formally Pacific Bombers)
Hoyle moved his team in hopes it will change his teams fortune. Yet the name change didn’t do it. It was the right moves and contracts. The once star eyed owner who reached for youth and usually over estimated their production finally draft the right combo to make them a contender. Will this be their 1st winning season? He will have a shot to beat out fellow friend in North Texas. This is a battle that surely to go down to the wire. Team is built around many avg guys. Another team without 40+ HR power but a bunch of 20-30 guys will keep him in the running for the offensive stats. Like a few others not 1 legit SB guy and Cameron their leading SB guy. Very weak on BB too.. That is probably only it for keeping them in the top 6. Pitching is solid and the steal of Santana will stable it. K’s and holds will be solid but another closer will have to be added. This team could win the West with a few moves and I can bet they will be worked on. Hoyle wants to shed the hardest working owner without a winning season monkey.
8. Michigan Miracles
Last years last place team made a HUGE jump. You can thank the #1 spot and a very deep draft along with a solid draft strategy without reaching too far. Last, years contract mistakes are going to haunt him this year. Players he assigned last year taking up valuable future but I guess that is a learning experience. Even with that, they have 4 30+ HR guys and solid RUNS/RBI guys. Tavares should keep him in the SB most weeks except against the better teams. BA will be a little of an issue. Since most do not hit 300 or better. SP is slightly above avg. he K’s are good and so are holds but Saves will be an ongoing issue. Even is Gagne lasts all year Weathers won’t. Still if they can make a few moves, a playoff shot isn’t out of the question but next year is looking bright for this team.
9. Olivet Eagle Killers
It’s a good thing Larry had a solid team prior to draft. As he was not around much for the draft and let his team slip. Still he can move up into the playoff spots if he takes advantage of the other owner’s mistakes. He might not have any 40+ HR power but 3 people should be 30+ and a number of 20+ ones. Speed will be an issue without a legit SB guy and inconsistency will get frustrating. BA is going to be one of the leagues best. BB will struggle. Still offensively, a split is possible against the better teams. SP is going to be an issue with Wakefield/Maine/Williams/Davis. K’s will be tough. No save guys and not a good group of MR. If it wasn’t for their offense, they would be further down.
10. Carolina Yankees
Carolina has been improving each year since 2004. Yet even with that, I feel they slipped a bit. They lost too many too FA combined with a less then stellar draft will keep them down this year. Team has 2 legit offensive threats and a ton of speed. Offense isn’t terrible and it will carry them most weeks. BA might struggle a bit. Teams major concern is pitching. This staff could get very ugly. They will struggle with ERA/WHIP and K’s are not that strong. . Currently 1 closer and their top setup guy already injured. If this team can correct the pitching some how they might make the playoffs but I think that is a long shot. Since it would take a few guys to do that and they don’t have the depth.
11. Knoxville Possums
Here is a team looking for their 1st post season and has slightly improved last few years. Yet their keepers were not very deep and will hold them back another year. Team did a very good job of drafting but when you start with almost nothing it’s hard to make a contender drafting late. Still this team has a promising upside for this year and even more next. Runs will be solid each week but HR’s and RBI’s might be an issue vs. the top half of the league. Ramirez gives them their only SB threat that is different then years past. Since that was a stat, they usually dominated. BB is also weak. Decent SP nothing really great and only 1 closer since Wainwright looks to be in the rotation. I like this team’s chance at winning consolidation round and another solid draft in 2008 could make them a contender.
12. Dallas Redbirds
Doyle still doesn’t do the homework needed to make his team a legit contender. Yes, he’s made the playoffs 3 times in 5 years but 2 of those were by a handful of games. Still the league is getting smarter and we all need to study in order to contend. This year once again didn’t and it shows. The big 3 stats will be a concern. RUNS/HR/RBI. 1 guy with 30+ HR power. Nobody who will have a lot of walks.. They have decent speed and BA. Staff is ok and K’s will be good. ERA/WHIP might struggle and only 1 closer. Team had a good draft spot and didn’t improve for future. Will be interesting to see what direction this team goes in during the year. Will they beef up for a run at consolidation round or dump guys for future?? I bet it will be the latter. Look for them to be a lottery team in the end.
13. Wisconsin Brewers
Justin is going to be mad at this ranking but unfortunately, he had nothing to start and can’t make it up in one year. Still he drafted with a promising future if he assigns solid contracts. Using a solid draft spot and once again drafting decent he might make a playoff run next year. He has ok power with Giambi and Fielder. Speed is ok but BB and BA is weak. Staff has question marks but Webb will help. He has only 1 legit closer as of right now.. Either way this team is a work in progress and if they can achieve .500 they should count this as an improvement as they haven’t had that since 2003.
14. Nor Cal Sluggers
Another team stuck in mediocre land. 3 guys with 30+ HR potential but then it drops off fast. BB will be a concern but solid speed. BA will struggle too. It seems like they draft the same way each year. Draft for pitching first and hitting 2nd. In 5 years it got him 2 playoff shots and 2 early round exits. Now they have a decent SP staff except for Morris. Stuck with 1 closer might be a problem. Weak holds guys won’t help there. Looking at this team from top to bottom a .500 season is a possibility but that is a reach. In this league, .500 gets you nothing.
15. Mid-Michigan Tigers
Keith has been the highest winning team to not make the playoffs but unfortunately, they are not improving. A draft deep in talent and hitting they failed to acquire the talent to improve them for 2008 and I am afraid will be a lottery team next year. They have possibly 1 40HR hitter and a few in the 20’s but that will cost him BA. No legit SB threat and BA will struggle. Walks will also be an issue. When Glaus is your leading candidate you are in trouble. SP won’t be terrible and they have good closers. I ca see them being moved for future. Still there isn’t enough upside for this team to make a significant progress to even make the consolidation round.
16. ES BlackSox
Winners of the West and their 2nd playoff appearance took a major step back. They lost most of their team and started over having a back end pick which hurt. This is what you call rebuilding. They have no power at all. 4 guys who will hit 20+ HR’s and nobody projected to score 100 runs or drive in 100 runs. Not 1 legit SB guy and BA will be only ok. Still there isn’t a lot to get excited about since they moved to the East. K’s will be ok and ERA/WHIP will be in the leagues bottom half. They have 3 closers and I can see them shipping one for future. Either way they are looking towards 2008.
17. Bay Area Big Dawgs
It was another disappointing year for Bay Area. They are still looking for that elusive playoff shot. With one winning season in 3 years, it’s not looking good for this year. Ortiz kept them from possibly being last. Still this team doesn’t have enough around it to even give them a remote shot at the playoffs. Combine that with lack of activity and you get a perennial lottery team. This year is no different. If they assign the proper contracts and avoid the mistake ones they might be able to turn this ship around next year. ERA/WHIP will be ok most weeks and K’s are all right but they only have 1 closer and setup men are weak. I hope that they make a few moves to position themselves for next year.
18. Columbus Stuff
The Stuff conceded 2007 at the end of last year and moved everything they could for a quick improvement. Yet they are left with a team that will struggle.. Outside of McCann and Dice-K his draft was less then adequate for a next year run. Uggla is a real question mark. He outproduced any of his minor years and his second half fell back to reality. I think a 250 20HR year is more his norm. Maybe I am wrong.. Yet I do not see the near term upside I guess Mr. Bice sees. I am glad he is in the East at least.
1 comment:
You freakin' nailed it Mikey!!! NOT! :)
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