Tweet
BLB PREVIEW 2020
Domestic League
Ale Division
Maine Guides - X
Pittsburgh Millers - Y
Toronto Canadians - Y
Wilmington Wildcats - Y
Hartford Whalers
Pawtucket Patriots
Syracuse Slammers
For the first time in a long time, the Ale feels completely up for grabs. Maine returns the bulk of a roster that won 91 games in 2019, and won the Brewmaster's in 2018. A lot of aging players were shown the door, C/DH Diego Flores, CL Shane Burrows, OF Fred Schubert, and that might be a good thing. The open roster space has made way for youngsters and allowed the Guides to bargain shop in Free-Agency.
The Millers feel just as likely to win the division for the first time since 2016 as they do to battle until the final week just to sneak in as the #6 Wild Card seed. The roster is similar to last years team that won 90 games but there were some key changes. Pittsburgh shocked the BLB world by signing 25-year-old OF import Danny Garcia to a $86M deal. They also made headlines in Spring Training by losing RP Rory Klingberg for the season to an injury. This team feels very volatile once again. They could win 100+ games or they could be trading SP Jarrod Syverston and missing the playoffs.
Are the 2020 Canadians the 2019 Wildcats? Toronto broke through into the post-season in 2019 for the first time since 2001. That's not a typo. The roster is full of blue chippers who look to take the next step. Names like 2B Jimmy Anderson, DH Robby O'Neal, 3B Jamie Kitchen, OF Dave Ingram, C/DH Joey Folland, OF Tommy Horning, 2B Jaedan Aaron, 1B Dylan Owens and CF Geoff Reisinger are all under 25. The pressure will fall on the bullpen which is apparently having open tryouts this Spring.
Wilmington are the champs. Their first title since 1982! There should be a bit of a "Championship Hangover," however. The Wildcats were hit hard this off-season losing names like C Norm Deiwart, SP Jaylen Mitchell, 3B Jaylen Johnson, RP Jimmy Trap, RP Frank Rico and 2B Rory Page to Free-Agency. They also sent their future HOF closer Reynaldo "Stinger" to Denver in a trade. Still a very talented ball club but probably not thinking repeat.
The mediocrity treadmill. Since 2015, the Whalers have won 82, 81, 76, 93, and 77 wins, finishing 2nd just once in the Ale and making the playoffs just once. Hartford let veterans walk in Free-Agency this year: CF Roman Chuts, IF Alex Otero, C Dusty McKay, DH Jamie McInturf and RP Fred Evers, but didn't sign a single Free-Agent to a BLB contract. The Whalers are hopeful that youth filling their spots will give them a bump to the win column in 1B Jimmy Macaluso, LF Dylan Green and CF Tri Djambek should be 2020 regulars. They did however send SP Ethan Romey to Pittsburgh for 3B Ron Dickson and OF Cy Mock.
Oh how the mighty have fallen. The Patriots seemed unbeatable for nearly a decade but now they might be lucky to finish .500, as they just barely did in 2019 (82-80). A lot of the big budget players have been sent packing and a lot of their replacements are journeyman that Funclown thinks he can work his old man magic on. Names like SP Jarrod Jygaard, C Dave Piekarski, CF Sonny Mason and SP Ian Brooks, are all likely to be a part of trade rumors.
There is light at the end of the tunnel. Syracuse hasn't had a winning season since 2014 and probably won't in 2020, but the fans have a few things to look forward too. The farm system is Top 5 in the BLB, the GM was active in the off-season signing a few under the radar deals in SP Fred Kimble, RP Jimmy Morosco and OF Oscar Sanches, and arguably the best hitting prospect in the entire BLB is making his debut this Spring. OF Dave Webber currently boasts a 1.121 OPS in Spring Training and might be reason alone to come to Slammers games.
Lager Division
Dallas Sharks - X
California Kodiaks - Y
New Orleans Dukes
Indianapolis Clowns
Morgantown Mohawks
Kansas City Comets
Los Angeles Dinos
The Sharks have been quiet this off-season. No big names left in Free-Agency. No BLB signings. One small trade. But for a team that lead the BLB with 105 wins in 2019, that's probably a good thing. We all know this team is going to win with pitching, defense and timely hitting. The only real question is how SP Pat "K9" Cinelli pitches when he returns from his torn rotator cuff that he suffered in June. He is projected to return sometime this summer but he has already had a setback and he was actually on pace for a career worst season before the injury in 2019. With or without him, they are one of the DL's best.
No team improved more this off-season than the California Kodiaks. The additions of DH B.J. Braseel, RP Terry Krause, IF Fernando Lauriano and the trades for SS CJ Wilkinson and CF Erik Hudson, improved the team WAR by 10.5 The Free-Agent departures actually contributed to the WAR in a positive way, to a league leading 14.4 this off-season. Not to mention a full season from top pitching prospects SP T.J. Broughton and SP Silvian Brouwer is only going to boost the all-of-a-sudden formidable staff. The Kodiaks haven't had a winning season since 2004 but all signs point to them having one of their best seasons as a franchise if everything gels.
Building on a strength. The biggest Dukes news this off-season, besides the rebrand logo/jersey which is all the rage, was the trade for Washington SP Jimmy Razza. The New Orleans rotation already ranks 4th in the BLB according to positional strength, and Razza now gives them it's only lefty. The Dukes made the post-season in '15, '16, and '18 after a nine year absence. They should be right on the fringe again this year in a very deep DL Wild Card.
The Clowns might have been the BLB's biggest surprise in 2019. GM JJLinn turned a 63 win team into an 88 win team and Indy made their first playoff appearance since 2015. Another busy off-season with the Clowns signing seven BLB pitching free-agents and trading for two BLB hitters. Indy will be a competitive team once again but the bar might have been set too high after Year One of the new era. The DL is deep again and there should be a lot of teams in that 82-90 win range. The pressure falls on veteran SP Felipe Vega who went from having one of the best seasons by a SP in 2018 to one of the worst in 2019. He turns 40 soon, is the last to arrive at practice, doesn't care if he wins or loses and couldn't get a qualifying SAT score to play college baseball, but, his teammates like him.
The bottom drops off really quick in the Lager. Morgantown has finished .500 or better every year since 2014 including three playoff appearances and a 2015 title. The franchise just traded away one of their key players during that run in OF Taylor Thomas, sending a 1st round pick with him to Philadelphia. The team is trying to cut costs and has already let teams know veterans like C Vinny Flores and OF Antonio Ontiveros are available. On the bright side, top pitching prospect SP Edgar de Alba has pitched very well in Spring Training.
The Comets made headlines by taking the salary dump of 2B Danny Romero from Baltimore, which allowed the Bulldogs to sign some of the biggest names in Free-Agency. Despite taking on the salary, Kansas City still was a player in FA signing 3B Jaylen Johnson, SP Colin Paliotta and RP Jimmy Trap to under the radar deals. The Comet's best year was their inaugural season when they went 65-97. This club doesn't have lofty goals for 2020, but finishing with their best season ever seems well within reach. A lot of epectations fall on #1 overall pick SP Earl "Blueprint" and #2 expansion draft pick SP Jimmy Burkhead to perform.
New GM and a roster full of aging declining players. Sounds like a recipe for disaster. Don't be surprised if SP Pat Yahn and OF Jamie McPherson are sent packing to finish their Hall of Fame careers in a different area code. The Dinos desperately need to add some prospects to the farm system which ranks dead last in the BLB with Death Valley. But hey, the new jersey's are cool!
***
IL + Shavermetrics tomorrow or if someone else wants to do an IL preview, feel free.
Domestic League
Ale Division
Maine Guides - X
Pittsburgh Millers - Y
Toronto Canadians - Y
Wilmington Wildcats - Y
Hartford Whalers
Pawtucket Patriots
Syracuse Slammers
For the first time in a long time, the Ale feels completely up for grabs. Maine returns the bulk of a roster that won 91 games in 2019, and won the Brewmaster's in 2018. A lot of aging players were shown the door, C/DH Diego Flores, CL Shane Burrows, OF Fred Schubert, and that might be a good thing. The open roster space has made way for youngsters and allowed the Guides to bargain shop in Free-Agency.
The Millers feel just as likely to win the division for the first time since 2016 as they do to battle until the final week just to sneak in as the #6 Wild Card seed. The roster is similar to last years team that won 90 games but there were some key changes. Pittsburgh shocked the BLB world by signing 25-year-old OF import Danny Garcia to a $86M deal. They also made headlines in Spring Training by losing RP Rory Klingberg for the season to an injury. This team feels very volatile once again. They could win 100+ games or they could be trading SP Jarrod Syverston and missing the playoffs.
Are the 2020 Canadians the 2019 Wildcats? Toronto broke through into the post-season in 2019 for the first time since 2001. That's not a typo. The roster is full of blue chippers who look to take the next step. Names like 2B Jimmy Anderson, DH Robby O'Neal, 3B Jamie Kitchen, OF Dave Ingram, C/DH Joey Folland, OF Tommy Horning, 2B Jaedan Aaron, 1B Dylan Owens and CF Geoff Reisinger are all under 25. The pressure will fall on the bullpen which is apparently having open tryouts this Spring.
Wilmington are the champs. Their first title since 1982! There should be a bit of a "Championship Hangover," however. The Wildcats were hit hard this off-season losing names like C Norm Deiwart, SP Jaylen Mitchell, 3B Jaylen Johnson, RP Jimmy Trap, RP Frank Rico and 2B Rory Page to Free-Agency. They also sent their future HOF closer Reynaldo "Stinger" to Denver in a trade. Still a very talented ball club but probably not thinking repeat.
The mediocrity treadmill. Since 2015, the Whalers have won 82, 81, 76, 93, and 77 wins, finishing 2nd just once in the Ale and making the playoffs just once. Hartford let veterans walk in Free-Agency this year: CF Roman Chuts, IF Alex Otero, C Dusty McKay, DH Jamie McInturf and RP Fred Evers, but didn't sign a single Free-Agent to a BLB contract. The Whalers are hopeful that youth filling their spots will give them a bump to the win column in 1B Jimmy Macaluso, LF Dylan Green and CF Tri Djambek should be 2020 regulars. They did however send SP Ethan Romey to Pittsburgh for 3B Ron Dickson and OF Cy Mock.
Oh how the mighty have fallen. The Patriots seemed unbeatable for nearly a decade but now they might be lucky to finish .500, as they just barely did in 2019 (82-80). A lot of the big budget players have been sent packing and a lot of their replacements are journeyman that Funclown thinks he can work his old man magic on. Names like SP Jarrod Jygaard, C Dave Piekarski, CF Sonny Mason and SP Ian Brooks, are all likely to be a part of trade rumors.
There is light at the end of the tunnel. Syracuse hasn't had a winning season since 2014 and probably won't in 2020, but the fans have a few things to look forward too. The farm system is Top 5 in the BLB, the GM was active in the off-season signing a few under the radar deals in SP Fred Kimble, RP Jimmy Morosco and OF Oscar Sanches, and arguably the best hitting prospect in the entire BLB is making his debut this Spring. OF Dave Webber currently boasts a 1.121 OPS in Spring Training and might be reason alone to come to Slammers games.
Lager Division
Dallas Sharks - X
California Kodiaks - Y
New Orleans Dukes
Indianapolis Clowns
Morgantown Mohawks
Kansas City Comets
Los Angeles Dinos
The Sharks have been quiet this off-season. No big names left in Free-Agency. No BLB signings. One small trade. But for a team that lead the BLB with 105 wins in 2019, that's probably a good thing. We all know this team is going to win with pitching, defense and timely hitting. The only real question is how SP Pat "K9" Cinelli pitches when he returns from his torn rotator cuff that he suffered in June. He is projected to return sometime this summer but he has already had a setback and he was actually on pace for a career worst season before the injury in 2019. With or without him, they are one of the DL's best.
No team improved more this off-season than the California Kodiaks. The additions of DH B.J. Braseel, RP Terry Krause, IF Fernando Lauriano and the trades for SS CJ Wilkinson and CF Erik Hudson, improved the team WAR by 10.5 The Free-Agent departures actually contributed to the WAR in a positive way, to a league leading 14.4 this off-season. Not to mention a full season from top pitching prospects SP T.J. Broughton and SP Silvian Brouwer is only going to boost the all-of-a-sudden formidable staff. The Kodiaks haven't had a winning season since 2004 but all signs point to them having one of their best seasons as a franchise if everything gels.
Building on a strength. The biggest Dukes news this off-season, besides the rebrand logo/jersey which is all the rage, was the trade for Washington SP Jimmy Razza. The New Orleans rotation already ranks 4th in the BLB according to positional strength, and Razza now gives them it's only lefty. The Dukes made the post-season in '15, '16, and '18 after a nine year absence. They should be right on the fringe again this year in a very deep DL Wild Card.
The Clowns might have been the BLB's biggest surprise in 2019. GM JJLinn turned a 63 win team into an 88 win team and Indy made their first playoff appearance since 2015. Another busy off-season with the Clowns signing seven BLB pitching free-agents and trading for two BLB hitters. Indy will be a competitive team once again but the bar might have been set too high after Year One of the new era. The DL is deep again and there should be a lot of teams in that 82-90 win range. The pressure falls on veteran SP Felipe Vega who went from having one of the best seasons by a SP in 2018 to one of the worst in 2019. He turns 40 soon, is the last to arrive at practice, doesn't care if he wins or loses and couldn't get a qualifying SAT score to play college baseball, but, his teammates like him.
The bottom drops off really quick in the Lager. Morgantown has finished .500 or better every year since 2014 including three playoff appearances and a 2015 title. The franchise just traded away one of their key players during that run in OF Taylor Thomas, sending a 1st round pick with him to Philadelphia. The team is trying to cut costs and has already let teams know veterans like C Vinny Flores and OF Antonio Ontiveros are available. On the bright side, top pitching prospect SP Edgar de Alba has pitched very well in Spring Training.
The Comets made headlines by taking the salary dump of 2B Danny Romero from Baltimore, which allowed the Bulldogs to sign some of the biggest names in Free-Agency. Despite taking on the salary, Kansas City still was a player in FA signing 3B Jaylen Johnson, SP Colin Paliotta and RP Jimmy Trap to under the radar deals. The Comet's best year was their inaugural season when they went 65-97. This club doesn't have lofty goals for 2020, but finishing with their best season ever seems well within reach. A lot of epectations fall on #1 overall pick SP Earl "Blueprint" and #2 expansion draft pick SP Jimmy Burkhead to perform.
New GM and a roster full of aging declining players. Sounds like a recipe for disaster. Don't be surprised if SP Pat Yahn and OF Jamie McPherson are sent packing to finish their Hall of Fame careers in a different area code. The Dinos desperately need to add some prospects to the farm system which ranks dead last in the BLB with Death Valley. But hey, the new jersey's are cool!
***
IL + Shavermetrics tomorrow or if someone else wants to do an IL preview, feel free.
Comment