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I assume Matt will doing something with the Daily Keg but he's a busy man, with kids and he has other interests besides entertaining us. Therefore, I figured we could each do a little blurb about our teams and the league. If not, here is Seattle's!
TEAM:
Seattle Pilots
Season Expectation: The Pilots have gone to 11 straight playoffs finishing 1st in the Bock in nine of those years. At the plate, I don't know of many teams as deep as ours. Aided by our park, I wouldn't be surprised if we lead the league in runs and carry us to 2nd straight BOCK title.
Player you are most excited to see this season: TIE - SP Manabu Hamada signed a 5-year $128M deal to be the Pilot's ace. If he continues to perform as he has the previous four seasons, he arguably could be the best pitcher in Pilots history. The franchise record for WAR in a season is 5.9, by Dave Teel in 2026 and 2027. The past four seasons Hamada has posted 6.2, 7.0, 6.7 and 6.1 WARs.
The other major FA addition was OF/DH Josh Wright. The 27-year-old will DH for the Pilots versus both lefties and righties, something he didn't do in New York. Hitting in front of Johnny Swope he should see his share of pitches to hit. In 2031 he had an 1.004 OPS If he can stay healthy (fragile), I think matching that number is a possibility.
Reason for doubt: While the lineup is deep, the rotation and bullpen are not. Behind Hamada and Joey Seymour (#11 top SP) are question marks. Young right-handers Robby Umlauf and Tom Sellers fill in at the #3/#4 and have never posted a WAR above 2.1 between them. Rounding out the 5th spot is $280k minor league veteran 32-year-old lefty Joey Johnson. Last year in 12 Triple-A starts he posted a 1.6 WAR. I needed a lefty and I like a guy who keeps the ball down. In his one BLB season, 2027 in Denver, he went 4-11 with a 5.33 ERA and 1.50 WHIP. In Spring Training he threw three gems (12 IP, 2 ER) in the other two (5.1 IP, 5 ER) and left one of them early with a bicep strain that is still lingering. On top of that, this is the first season that Seattle has started the season over budget since I believe 2027. The vast majority of our best prospects, and recent top draft selections, find themselves in AA, A or RL. In past years the Pilots were built on being extremely deep with 5-6 man rotations without question marks, middle relievers who would be starters or set-up men most other places, budget room to make in-season additions and a plethora of minor leaguers ready to go. If Seattle has a few injuries, especially to any of the top pitchers, the season could derail quickly.
LEAGUE:
Season Expectation: With the Maine Guides selling under a new GM, or at least shopping top players, the Ale feels up for grabs. Last year the 5th place team finished .500. The DL defending champion Hartford Whalers return a very good squad but Pawtucket, Pittsburgh, Syracuse and even Wilmington, have reasons for optimism.
The Lager returns the best in-season record in Santo Domingo while also two rebuilding clubs in Toronto and Montreal. Indy, Miami and New Orleans have reasons for optimism while they battle for WC positions.
The defending champion Washington Bats should pace the Stout, but the standings behind them should look a lot different. Batavia, Baltimore and Philly remade their rosters in the off-season and all have playoff aspirations. New York is selling and Carolina appears to still be rebuilding.
In the Bock, Los Angeles has the best roster to keep pace on Seattle but don't sleep on Phoenix who boasts some of the best young talent in baseball. Denver tries to dig themselves out of debt. Windy City has some new faces but has won more than 76 games just once since 2024. Never sure what is going on in California.
Player you are most excited to see this season: TIE - SP J.J. Plumley of the Wilmington Clowns makes his debut as a Starting Pitcher. The three-pitch reliever has been arguably the best RP in baseball the past two seasons and is making the shift to opener. In five ST starts he gave up 3 ER in 20 IP including 23 K and a .70 WHIP. He might actually be the best player in all of baseball.
CF Dave Marion of Batavia. I can't remember a time where the #1 prospect in all of baseball was slated to start on Opening Day. I loved Marion coming out of Oregon State and was shocked he lasted to the #3 pick in 2029. The Red Jackets snuck into the playoffs last year at 81-81 and if they want to make it back, Marion will need a monster debut.
Dark horse: If I had to pick a sleeper team from each league, it's probably Indy and Baltimore. The Racers return the DL Stout Slugger in Jermaine Williams and have a rotation so deep that former #1 overall pick Seth Rocco is slated to be the #5. Baltimore has missed the playoffs the past two seasons after making it 11 straight. They made a huge splash via trade in adding SP Pang Shuai and RF Dusty Janson. We all know about lefties playing for the Bulldogs.
TEAM:
Seattle Pilots
Season Expectation: The Pilots have gone to 11 straight playoffs finishing 1st in the Bock in nine of those years. At the plate, I don't know of many teams as deep as ours. Aided by our park, I wouldn't be surprised if we lead the league in runs and carry us to 2nd straight BOCK title.
Player you are most excited to see this season: TIE - SP Manabu Hamada signed a 5-year $128M deal to be the Pilot's ace. If he continues to perform as he has the previous four seasons, he arguably could be the best pitcher in Pilots history. The franchise record for WAR in a season is 5.9, by Dave Teel in 2026 and 2027. The past four seasons Hamada has posted 6.2, 7.0, 6.7 and 6.1 WARs.
The other major FA addition was OF/DH Josh Wright. The 27-year-old will DH for the Pilots versus both lefties and righties, something he didn't do in New York. Hitting in front of Johnny Swope he should see his share of pitches to hit. In 2031 he had an 1.004 OPS If he can stay healthy (fragile), I think matching that number is a possibility.
Reason for doubt: While the lineup is deep, the rotation and bullpen are not. Behind Hamada and Joey Seymour (#11 top SP) are question marks. Young right-handers Robby Umlauf and Tom Sellers fill in at the #3/#4 and have never posted a WAR above 2.1 between them. Rounding out the 5th spot is $280k minor league veteran 32-year-old lefty Joey Johnson. Last year in 12 Triple-A starts he posted a 1.6 WAR. I needed a lefty and I like a guy who keeps the ball down. In his one BLB season, 2027 in Denver, he went 4-11 with a 5.33 ERA and 1.50 WHIP. In Spring Training he threw three gems (12 IP, 2 ER) in the other two (5.1 IP, 5 ER) and left one of them early with a bicep strain that is still lingering. On top of that, this is the first season that Seattle has started the season over budget since I believe 2027. The vast majority of our best prospects, and recent top draft selections, find themselves in AA, A or RL. In past years the Pilots were built on being extremely deep with 5-6 man rotations without question marks, middle relievers who would be starters or set-up men most other places, budget room to make in-season additions and a plethora of minor leaguers ready to go. If Seattle has a few injuries, especially to any of the top pitchers, the season could derail quickly.
LEAGUE:
Season Expectation: With the Maine Guides selling under a new GM, or at least shopping top players, the Ale feels up for grabs. Last year the 5th place team finished .500. The DL defending champion Hartford Whalers return a very good squad but Pawtucket, Pittsburgh, Syracuse and even Wilmington, have reasons for optimism.
The Lager returns the best in-season record in Santo Domingo while also two rebuilding clubs in Toronto and Montreal. Indy, Miami and New Orleans have reasons for optimism while they battle for WC positions.
The defending champion Washington Bats should pace the Stout, but the standings behind them should look a lot different. Batavia, Baltimore and Philly remade their rosters in the off-season and all have playoff aspirations. New York is selling and Carolina appears to still be rebuilding.
In the Bock, Los Angeles has the best roster to keep pace on Seattle but don't sleep on Phoenix who boasts some of the best young talent in baseball. Denver tries to dig themselves out of debt. Windy City has some new faces but has won more than 76 games just once since 2024. Never sure what is going on in California.
Player you are most excited to see this season: TIE - SP J.J. Plumley of the Wilmington Clowns makes his debut as a Starting Pitcher. The three-pitch reliever has been arguably the best RP in baseball the past two seasons and is making the shift to opener. In five ST starts he gave up 3 ER in 20 IP including 23 K and a .70 WHIP. He might actually be the best player in all of baseball.
CF Dave Marion of Batavia. I can't remember a time where the #1 prospect in all of baseball was slated to start on Opening Day. I loved Marion coming out of Oregon State and was shocked he lasted to the #3 pick in 2029. The Red Jackets snuck into the playoffs last year at 81-81 and if they want to make it back, Marion will need a monster debut.
Dark horse: If I had to pick a sleeper team from each league, it's probably Indy and Baltimore. The Racers return the DL Stout Slugger in Jermaine Williams and have a rotation so deep that former #1 overall pick Seth Rocco is slated to be the #5. Baltimore has missed the playoffs the past two seasons after making it 11 straight. They made a huge splash via trade in adding SP Pang Shuai and RF Dusty Janson. We all know about lefties playing for the Bulldogs.
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