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Dallas @ Los Lunas
Regular Season 6-6
Dallas Offense: The start of the season saw the Snappers and Storm swap Finley Kinsey's aging mega contract for Mel Woodbury's aging mega contract. And though he's been ageless at 41, Woodbury was no Kinsey this season. Future Hall of Famer, Dani "Steady" Alvarez hasn't shown any drop off posting a .300/.397/.507, 30 HR and 107 RBI campaign at the age of 37. Unfortunately for Dallas, there hasn't been much offensive support for either Woodbury or Alvarez, as the Snappers struggle to score runs - 9th in the DL.
Los Lunas Offense: They've been dubbed Brothers from Anotha Motha in the LL clubhouse, and for good reason. OF's Ramao Cavades and Donnie Small have eerily similar games. Sitting in the middle of the Javelinas lineup, what Cavades and Small lack in batting average, they make up for in power, speed, run production and defense. With 60 homeruns, 25 SBs and 184 RBIs between them, the dynamic duo is the energy source for the Furry Pig offense. A solid supporting cast of Willie Maddox, Nesty Garcia, Curt Knight, Hector Gonzalez, Ryu Taniguchi and Clarence Wetton propelled Los Lunas to #3 in runs scored in 1998.
Advantage: Los Lunas - Alvarez and Woodbury are Hall of Famers, but Cavades and Small have a much better table set in front of them
Dallas Rotation: Built around superstar Pat Dimmick, the Snappers are always dangerous in any series where Dimmick takes the mound twice, or even possibly, 3 times. After Dimmick, there's a significant drop off in the rotation. May acquisition Caden Hill (BAL) posted a 7-6 record and a 3.84 ERA in 24 games as a Snapper, while Curt Tanner (BAT) hasn't played as well, registering an ERA of 5.00 and a 4-8 record in the DL. Dallas best bet as a #2 is converted reliever Armando Ureste. Ureste went 9-12 with a 3.58 ERA in 29 starts, despite only throwing a fastball and a slider.
Los Lunas Rotation: Neron Rosado, Colt Wade, Heriberto Melendez...who are these guys? Ask most fans outside of Los Lunas to name the best starting pitcher on the Javelinas and you might get the name of Willie Harrison who was the #8 overall pick in 1992. While Harrison has begun to round himself into one of the better picthers in the DL, it's those three other guys who have consistently pitched the team to success. If you're LL, you most likely hand the ball to Melendez in a game 7, but you'd be pretty comfortable with either Rosado or Harrison pitching a pivotal playoff game.
Advantage: Los Lunas - Dimmick is the prototypical superstar pitcher, but LL has 4 quality guys that can fill out a playoff rotation.
Dallas Bullpen: Allstars Daniel Romero and Dae-hee Yi anchor a bullpen that has regressed in 1998. On nights when Dallas can go with a plan of Dimmick to Romero to Yi, the Snappers have a great chance to win the game. When the ball is handed to the rest of the pen, things can get dicey.
Los Lunas Bullpen: JJ Black is one of the most dominant closers of the 90s. His 280 saves and 1.63 ERA speaks for itself. Add in Abayghar Tulun and Ruben Pineda's sub 2.00 ERA's and it's the recipe for the 2nd best bullpen in the DL.
Advantage: Los Lunas - Injuries have thinned out the Pig Pen, but the core is there when the playoff strings are tightened.
Dallas Injuries: Much needed MR Colm Chambers will miss the playoffs with a shoulder issue. Starting SS Zack Richardson, who came over in the Baltimore deal with Hill, is on the shelf as well. Utility OF Rod Miners will also miss the playoffs.
Los Lunas Injuries: Losing SP Don Davis and MR David Leyva for 6 weeks apiece is a blow. Leyva is another burgeoning bullpen star, who would have been a vital piece of LL's playoff pen. CF Artie Dickerson's late season injury significantly reduces the Javelinas OF depth and will most likely force Small into CF, where he only appeared 15 times.
Advantage: Dallas - Chambers and Richardson's absence hurts the Snappers, but Leyva is the better reliever and missing Dickerson changes the OF alignment of Los Lunas significantly.
Prediction: Los Lunas in 6. Dimmick wins both starts, but Big D struggles to score runs. A more balanced rotation, dominant bullpen, Cavades and Small power the Pigs into round 2.
Regular Season 6-6
Dallas Offense: The start of the season saw the Snappers and Storm swap Finley Kinsey's aging mega contract for Mel Woodbury's aging mega contract. And though he's been ageless at 41, Woodbury was no Kinsey this season. Future Hall of Famer, Dani "Steady" Alvarez hasn't shown any drop off posting a .300/.397/.507, 30 HR and 107 RBI campaign at the age of 37. Unfortunately for Dallas, there hasn't been much offensive support for either Woodbury or Alvarez, as the Snappers struggle to score runs - 9th in the DL.
Los Lunas Offense: They've been dubbed Brothers from Anotha Motha in the LL clubhouse, and for good reason. OF's Ramao Cavades and Donnie Small have eerily similar games. Sitting in the middle of the Javelinas lineup, what Cavades and Small lack in batting average, they make up for in power, speed, run production and defense. With 60 homeruns, 25 SBs and 184 RBIs between them, the dynamic duo is the energy source for the Furry Pig offense. A solid supporting cast of Willie Maddox, Nesty Garcia, Curt Knight, Hector Gonzalez, Ryu Taniguchi and Clarence Wetton propelled Los Lunas to #3 in runs scored in 1998.
Advantage: Los Lunas - Alvarez and Woodbury are Hall of Famers, but Cavades and Small have a much better table set in front of them
Dallas Rotation: Built around superstar Pat Dimmick, the Snappers are always dangerous in any series where Dimmick takes the mound twice, or even possibly, 3 times. After Dimmick, there's a significant drop off in the rotation. May acquisition Caden Hill (BAL) posted a 7-6 record and a 3.84 ERA in 24 games as a Snapper, while Curt Tanner (BAT) hasn't played as well, registering an ERA of 5.00 and a 4-8 record in the DL. Dallas best bet as a #2 is converted reliever Armando Ureste. Ureste went 9-12 with a 3.58 ERA in 29 starts, despite only throwing a fastball and a slider.
Los Lunas Rotation: Neron Rosado, Colt Wade, Heriberto Melendez...who are these guys? Ask most fans outside of Los Lunas to name the best starting pitcher on the Javelinas and you might get the name of Willie Harrison who was the #8 overall pick in 1992. While Harrison has begun to round himself into one of the better picthers in the DL, it's those three other guys who have consistently pitched the team to success. If you're LL, you most likely hand the ball to Melendez in a game 7, but you'd be pretty comfortable with either Rosado or Harrison pitching a pivotal playoff game.
Advantage: Los Lunas - Dimmick is the prototypical superstar pitcher, but LL has 4 quality guys that can fill out a playoff rotation.
Dallas Bullpen: Allstars Daniel Romero and Dae-hee Yi anchor a bullpen that has regressed in 1998. On nights when Dallas can go with a plan of Dimmick to Romero to Yi, the Snappers have a great chance to win the game. When the ball is handed to the rest of the pen, things can get dicey.
Los Lunas Bullpen: JJ Black is one of the most dominant closers of the 90s. His 280 saves and 1.63 ERA speaks for itself. Add in Abayghar Tulun and Ruben Pineda's sub 2.00 ERA's and it's the recipe for the 2nd best bullpen in the DL.
Advantage: Los Lunas - Injuries have thinned out the Pig Pen, but the core is there when the playoff strings are tightened.
Dallas Injuries: Much needed MR Colm Chambers will miss the playoffs with a shoulder issue. Starting SS Zack Richardson, who came over in the Baltimore deal with Hill, is on the shelf as well. Utility OF Rod Miners will also miss the playoffs.
Los Lunas Injuries: Losing SP Don Davis and MR David Leyva for 6 weeks apiece is a blow. Leyva is another burgeoning bullpen star, who would have been a vital piece of LL's playoff pen. CF Artie Dickerson's late season injury significantly reduces the Javelinas OF depth and will most likely force Small into CF, where he only appeared 15 times.
Advantage: Dallas - Chambers and Richardson's absence hurts the Snappers, but Leyva is the better reliever and missing Dickerson changes the OF alignment of Los Lunas significantly.
Prediction: Los Lunas in 6. Dimmick wins both starts, but Big D struggles to score runs. A more balanced rotation, dominant bullpen, Cavades and Small power the Pigs into round 2.
Not like I have to worry about it for a decade or so
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