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BLB PREVIEW 2020
Import League
Stout Division
Washington Bats - X
Batavia Muckdogs - Y
Philadelphia Freedom - Y
Baltimore Bulldogs - Y
New York Knights
Carolina Tobs
The Stout looks really, really good again. Washington lost a lot of big names this off-season: CF Jamie Urmson and SP Dave Lippert left to find huge paydays and failed. SP Jimmy "Demon" and 2B Pat Wayman were traded away despite being big contributors last season. The Bats did sign ace SP Jaylen Mitchell and a handful of under the radar cheap signings. The team will once again be lead by arguably the best rotation in baseball; watch for a breakout season from SP Ed "Dropkick" Carroll. The most pressure falls on youngster CF Tome Roseboom, who has really big shoes to fill. But, the Washington tradition of great CFs looks to continue as long as he can stay healthy.
Speaking of Jamie Urmson, he passed on offers from Maine, Seattle and Los Alamos to sign with Batavia and play against his former team in the Stout. Bold move. Revenge factor is very real in OOTP. While this signing was very late into the off-season, this might have been one of the biggest signings of the entire FA period. Batavia was picked by many to win it all in 2019 but a late season injury to CF Al Anguiano left them scrambling and the lack of a reliable backup ultimately cost them. (Ironically, Anguiano is a former DC Bat). Urmson will boost a lineup that can compete with anyone but there might be a bit more pressure to score a lot. Gone is reliable reliever Terry Krause and Jamie Combs looks washed up. Batavia and Washington should battle all year for the Stout title, which these two teams have won nine of the last 11 years.
Hey don't forget about Philly! The Freedom off-season was highlighted by two high risk trades that ended up sending SS CJ Wilkinson and OF Tom Estes out of town and brought in OF Taylor Thomas and some prospects to help replenish the desert that is the Philly farm. Thomas is one of the higher paid players in baseball and doesn't fit the Freedom defense-first approach but his bat and speed should have a big impact. Replacing Wilkinson at SS is Ian "Impressive" Tendick. The 24-year-old lefty has big shoes to fill but he's already a leader in the clubhouse and not just when he is walking around without his towel on. The rotation will once again be the strength of the roster and as long as the team can stay healthy (IFs Jimmy Kidwell and AJ Bonifield alread hurt) they should stick around in the Stout race.
Love 'em or hate 'em, the Bulldogs got the most attention this off-season by landing not one but two of the biggest Free-Agents in recent history. SP Alex "Panama" Domingues announced his music on the mound will be Van Halen. While CL Edwin Carrasco is slowing climbing up the BLB positional strength and might be the best closer in baseball before his contract is up. But enough about them. The Bulldogs are coming off their worst season in franchise history and have nowhere to go but up. The bullpen should be one of the best in baseball, the rotation and lineup are above average but they do have star power in D.J. Gosser and "Panama". Catcher import Willie Lara got paid and his veteran leadership and defense will be counted on to lead Baltimore to Wild Card contention.
New York has injury issues. Tell me if you have heard that before? Top 20 SP Dave "Double D" Dunham, who's nick name only partly comes from his initials, signed a Free-Agent deal to return to his hometown but is back on the shelf again. The 270lb man has already moved back into his parents house and is eating away his pain. The other big Knight move was re-signing 36-year-old "wrecked" OF Hidetoshi Haraguchi after his brief stint in New York in 2019. The Vegas over/under for games played is getting a lot of traction at 81. With or without him, the Knights are lead by one of the best rotations in baseball and you know the drill by now. The normal score is going to be 3-2 or 2-1. Last year they went 84-78, sneaking into the playoffs for the first time since 2006. Health depending, they could be right there again in 2020, which would be their first back to back post-season since 1994!
Oh the Tobs. Our Florida Marlins. Did you know that Carolina has two Brewmaster's? Did you know their was a BLB franchise in Carolina? Both legitimate questions. Five straight seasons of 95+ losses has built them one of the best farm systems in baseball. However, the current roster appears headed to another losing season as they didn't acquire a single new BLB asset via FA or trade. Owner Dave Cantu doesn't seem to mind the losing. Or maybe we have "Fire GM" turned off. SP Dave Honea flirted with the Top 20 pitcher list last year and would make a lot of sense on a contenders roster but it remains to be seen if a trade partner will step up for the remaining $37M on the contract.
Bock Division
Death Valley Scorpions - X
Windy City Blues - Y
Los Alamos Amigos
Denver Baseball Club
Davenport Brawlers
Seattle Pilots
The Death Valley Scorpions made a surprise run to the Brewmaster's eventually losing to then-power house Wilmington Wildcats. This off-season they responded by trading for arguably the best defensive catcher and one of the best young CFs in baseball...from in the division. GM UMD continues to work miracles via trade and has his club once again in position to win the Bock. If names like Edwin Jackson and Bobby Marrero can stay healthy, there is little reason to think they might have their sights on more than just another lousy division title.
Whenever I look at Windy City now, I think of the 90's Kraft Macaroni and Cheese ad campaign.... "I got the Blues!" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnlW1fSXZZM - Which to me probably says I watch too much TV in the 90s. Thanks Mom and Dad. Anyways. GM Cory decided to keep the roster almost completely intact from 2019 and that's probably a good thing. The club finished just one game back going to the post-season for the 2nd straight year. The spotlight this season is on 1B Fred Ratley who has struggled with BLB pitching in his two stints. If he can live up to his "Great White Hope" praise, they could challenge Death Valley again for the Bock.
Los Alamos made headlines all off-season. First, they re-signed star Dave pitchers Harmony and Glomksi to long-term deals. Then, they sent (as mentioned before) C Mike Del Rio and CF Rod Sedevic to division rival Death Valley for a package of youngsters and picks. However, one major questions remains: What will they do with IF Geoff Yonke? The 26-year-old is now up to #4 on the Top Players List, and according to OSA this will be first season in the BLB fully developed. After four straight ~7+ WAR seasons, that's a scary thought. However, he has been the subject of trade rumors for over a year and still has yet to re-sign with the club. Vegas odds of 2021 team: 9:5 Los Alamos, 2:1 Death Valley, 3:1 Pittsburgh, 4:1 Seattle.
Bad contracts and promising youngsters...welcome to Denver. Not everyone can handle the altitude in the Rockies and a lot GMs around the league believe that has what plagued imports RP Wil Peres and 1B Dave Slack. This year, the new again, costly import is fresh of a Brewmaster's title in CL Reynaldo "Stinger" from Wilmington. His championship pedigree, also the 2017 winner with Dallas, will probably give him privileges unheard of in Denver. There have already been rumors that he will keep 2-3 ladies in the locker room at all teams to keep his "Stinger" in good shape. Speaking of slaying, where do you think 3B Matt "Stallion" Healey got his nick name?
Davenport hasn't tasted the post-season since 2012. However a farm full of top prospects, and another top pick in this upcoming draft has kept their 13 fans interested. Five of their top 6 prospects are in Triple-A or the BLB, which is very encouraging for the near future. The Brawler's signed two international OFs in Dusty Tromp and Gong-sun "Don't call me Son" Sun. Combined with the anticipated call ups, the Brawlers should finish better than dead last in the Bock for the first time since 2016. Progress.
The Pilots are projected to crash land after flying a little too close to the sun in their first three seasons. The active roster looks like what you would expect from an expansion team. Aging veterans, a few bad salaries and little to no talent. After three seasons of competing via spending owner's Keung "Feng" Shui's yen and loonies, the Seattle franchise will likely be lucky to finish higher than dead last in the IL. The future can't come soon enough with a Top 5 farm system, a lot of which are in AAA-AA, this roster could look completely different by seasons end.
***
Import League
Stout Division
Washington Bats - X
Batavia Muckdogs - Y
Philadelphia Freedom - Y
Baltimore Bulldogs - Y
New York Knights
Carolina Tobs
The Stout looks really, really good again. Washington lost a lot of big names this off-season: CF Jamie Urmson and SP Dave Lippert left to find huge paydays and failed. SP Jimmy "Demon" and 2B Pat Wayman were traded away despite being big contributors last season. The Bats did sign ace SP Jaylen Mitchell and a handful of under the radar cheap signings. The team will once again be lead by arguably the best rotation in baseball; watch for a breakout season from SP Ed "Dropkick" Carroll. The most pressure falls on youngster CF Tome Roseboom, who has really big shoes to fill. But, the Washington tradition of great CFs looks to continue as long as he can stay healthy.
Speaking of Jamie Urmson, he passed on offers from Maine, Seattle and Los Alamos to sign with Batavia and play against his former team in the Stout. Bold move. Revenge factor is very real in OOTP. While this signing was very late into the off-season, this might have been one of the biggest signings of the entire FA period. Batavia was picked by many to win it all in 2019 but a late season injury to CF Al Anguiano left them scrambling and the lack of a reliable backup ultimately cost them. (Ironically, Anguiano is a former DC Bat). Urmson will boost a lineup that can compete with anyone but there might be a bit more pressure to score a lot. Gone is reliable reliever Terry Krause and Jamie Combs looks washed up. Batavia and Washington should battle all year for the Stout title, which these two teams have won nine of the last 11 years.
Hey don't forget about Philly! The Freedom off-season was highlighted by two high risk trades that ended up sending SS CJ Wilkinson and OF Tom Estes out of town and brought in OF Taylor Thomas and some prospects to help replenish the desert that is the Philly farm. Thomas is one of the higher paid players in baseball and doesn't fit the Freedom defense-first approach but his bat and speed should have a big impact. Replacing Wilkinson at SS is Ian "Impressive" Tendick. The 24-year-old lefty has big shoes to fill but he's already a leader in the clubhouse and not just when he is walking around without his towel on. The rotation will once again be the strength of the roster and as long as the team can stay healthy (IFs Jimmy Kidwell and AJ Bonifield alread hurt) they should stick around in the Stout race.
Love 'em or hate 'em, the Bulldogs got the most attention this off-season by landing not one but two of the biggest Free-Agents in recent history. SP Alex "Panama" Domingues announced his music on the mound will be Van Halen. While CL Edwin Carrasco is slowing climbing up the BLB positional strength and might be the best closer in baseball before his contract is up. But enough about them. The Bulldogs are coming off their worst season in franchise history and have nowhere to go but up. The bullpen should be one of the best in baseball, the rotation and lineup are above average but they do have star power in D.J. Gosser and "Panama". Catcher import Willie Lara got paid and his veteran leadership and defense will be counted on to lead Baltimore to Wild Card contention.
New York has injury issues. Tell me if you have heard that before? Top 20 SP Dave "Double D" Dunham, who's nick name only partly comes from his initials, signed a Free-Agent deal to return to his hometown but is back on the shelf again. The 270lb man has already moved back into his parents house and is eating away his pain. The other big Knight move was re-signing 36-year-old "wrecked" OF Hidetoshi Haraguchi after his brief stint in New York in 2019. The Vegas over/under for games played is getting a lot of traction at 81. With or without him, the Knights are lead by one of the best rotations in baseball and you know the drill by now. The normal score is going to be 3-2 or 2-1. Last year they went 84-78, sneaking into the playoffs for the first time since 2006. Health depending, they could be right there again in 2020, which would be their first back to back post-season since 1994!
Oh the Tobs. Our Florida Marlins. Did you know that Carolina has two Brewmaster's? Did you know their was a BLB franchise in Carolina? Both legitimate questions. Five straight seasons of 95+ losses has built them one of the best farm systems in baseball. However, the current roster appears headed to another losing season as they didn't acquire a single new BLB asset via FA or trade. Owner Dave Cantu doesn't seem to mind the losing. Or maybe we have "Fire GM" turned off. SP Dave Honea flirted with the Top 20 pitcher list last year and would make a lot of sense on a contenders roster but it remains to be seen if a trade partner will step up for the remaining $37M on the contract.
Bock Division
Death Valley Scorpions - X
Windy City Blues - Y
Los Alamos Amigos
Denver Baseball Club
Davenport Brawlers
Seattle Pilots
The Death Valley Scorpions made a surprise run to the Brewmaster's eventually losing to then-power house Wilmington Wildcats. This off-season they responded by trading for arguably the best defensive catcher and one of the best young CFs in baseball...from in the division. GM UMD continues to work miracles via trade and has his club once again in position to win the Bock. If names like Edwin Jackson and Bobby Marrero can stay healthy, there is little reason to think they might have their sights on more than just another lousy division title.
Whenever I look at Windy City now, I think of the 90's Kraft Macaroni and Cheese ad campaign.... "I got the Blues!" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnlW1fSXZZM - Which to me probably says I watch too much TV in the 90s. Thanks Mom and Dad. Anyways. GM Cory decided to keep the roster almost completely intact from 2019 and that's probably a good thing. The club finished just one game back going to the post-season for the 2nd straight year. The spotlight this season is on 1B Fred Ratley who has struggled with BLB pitching in his two stints. If he can live up to his "Great White Hope" praise, they could challenge Death Valley again for the Bock.
Los Alamos made headlines all off-season. First, they re-signed star Dave pitchers Harmony and Glomksi to long-term deals. Then, they sent (as mentioned before) C Mike Del Rio and CF Rod Sedevic to division rival Death Valley for a package of youngsters and picks. However, one major questions remains: What will they do with IF Geoff Yonke? The 26-year-old is now up to #4 on the Top Players List, and according to OSA this will be first season in the BLB fully developed. After four straight ~7+ WAR seasons, that's a scary thought. However, he has been the subject of trade rumors for over a year and still has yet to re-sign with the club. Vegas odds of 2021 team: 9:5 Los Alamos, 2:1 Death Valley, 3:1 Pittsburgh, 4:1 Seattle.
Bad contracts and promising youngsters...welcome to Denver. Not everyone can handle the altitude in the Rockies and a lot GMs around the league believe that has what plagued imports RP Wil Peres and 1B Dave Slack. This year, the new again, costly import is fresh of a Brewmaster's title in CL Reynaldo "Stinger" from Wilmington. His championship pedigree, also the 2017 winner with Dallas, will probably give him privileges unheard of in Denver. There have already been rumors that he will keep 2-3 ladies in the locker room at all teams to keep his "Stinger" in good shape. Speaking of slaying, where do you think 3B Matt "Stallion" Healey got his nick name?
Davenport hasn't tasted the post-season since 2012. However a farm full of top prospects, and another top pick in this upcoming draft has kept their 13 fans interested. Five of their top 6 prospects are in Triple-A or the BLB, which is very encouraging for the near future. The Brawler's signed two international OFs in Dusty Tromp and Gong-sun "Don't call me Son" Sun. Combined with the anticipated call ups, the Brawlers should finish better than dead last in the Bock for the first time since 2016. Progress.
The Pilots are projected to crash land after flying a little too close to the sun in their first three seasons. The active roster looks like what you would expect from an expansion team. Aging veterans, a few bad salaries and little to no talent. After three seasons of competing via spending owner's Keung "Feng" Shui's yen and loonies, the Seattle franchise will likely be lucky to finish higher than dead last in the IL. The future can't come soon enough with a Top 5 farm system, a lot of which are in AAA-AA, this roster could look completely different by seasons end.
***
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