AL East

Rochester Radiation (AL) smoelheim View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Infield

This is a very good infield unit. 1B Phil Buck is a future HOF’er. If there was a show called “Pimp my Bat” he would have been on it. SS Robert Neal is solid all the way around and has a great glove. 3B/Utility Darryl Lawrence look like he may be on the verge of a breakout year and looks to have 30 homer power. And then we have 2B Duncan throwing some speed into the mix, all in all an excellent unit.

Estimated infield salary- $23 million

Nail in the coffin- Although at only $1.3 million starting catcher Richard Benoit’s solid defense and pitch calling make him a bargain buy, but he doesn’t offer much offensive production and that could make the leprechaun angry.
RATING: 8

Outfield

Youngster RF Morgan Chapman is a good power/speed combo and at 25 years old could be poised for a breakout. CF Willie Navarro is only 23 and should improve on last years numbers. The big question is who will the 3rd guy be. I believe 23 year old AAA LF Larry Holmes is ready for the show and could add a significant amount of offense to this outfield and team in general.

Estimated outfield salary- $3 million

Nail in the coffin- This unit has very little ML experience and absolutely no ML playoff experience so part of Rochester’s success depends on these youngsters turning potential into production.
RATING: 7

Starting Pitching

Overall this unit has average control but excellent splits and pitches. I don’t see a true ace but I do see 5 good solid starting pitchers and Vic Snyder at AAA who looks ready to join the ML club and make a big impact this year if given the chance.

Estimated starting pitching salary- $23 million

Nail in the coffin- Its very hard to get deep into the playoffs without at least one starter that has excellent control, excellent splits and excellent pitches.
RATING: 7

Bullpen

This pen has very solid long relievers with good control and decent splits. The short relievers have good control but below average splits, still decent pitchers. The gem of the unit is closer Earl Cook with his pinpoint control and 80’s splits, he could top 40 saves this year.

Estimated bullpen salary- $9 million

Nail in the coffin- Only 3 of these guys have durability better than 47 so fatigue could be an issue later in the season.
RATING: 7

Overall

Rochester wins 90-100 games and squeaks past Charlotte for their 1st division title thanks to a blooming offense that will set the team season record for run scoring.
At the end of the rainbow there is a ……pissed off leprechaun screaming about……you know what, screw it, its going to be Rochesters first division title….its a pot of gold okay. No scary leprechauns, just a big fat pot of gold.

Charlotte Scorpions (AL) Iceman67 View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Infield

This is a good infield that can be dangerous with their bats and gloves. C Rogers Joseph may very well be the most devastating offensive player in the league and 2B Lou Griffin is one of the most well rounded and balanced players in the league, if he has a weak spot I’m not seeing it. Put those two guys with almost any other 3 infielders and runs will be scored.

Estimated infield salary - $28 million

Nail in the coffin- 3B Justin Drew is a fairly heavy financial drain on the team while producing very little offense in return.
RATING: 7

Outfield

The Charlotte outfield is somewhat young and pretty solid. Don Chong should be the star of this unit this year after only 165 career ab’s thus far. Chong appears ready to bloom after some solid years in AAA and should turn into a .280-.300 batting average and 40 homers type of player. CF Sanders provides a nice dose of speed and range.

Estimated outfield salary - $5 million

Nail in the coffin- This unit has very little ML experience considering they are all 26-28 years old.
RATING: 6

Starting Pitching

This rotation is very good and very very old. Three of the 5 projected starters are 35 years old or older, but Phillip Mitchell is ready in AAA and could take over for one of those guys. This unit has no weak spot and Charlie Lewis is a true ace and 2 time Cy Young winner.

Estimated starting pitching salary- $26 million

Nail in the coffin- It’s unnatural for the clubhouse to stock prune juice, Viagra and Depends. Most of these guys could remember the Big Bang if it weren’t for the senility.
RATING: 9

Bullpen

Overall a pretty average bullpen. Decent control, decent splits, good pitches. This group is mostly middle aged and low priced. I think it should be decent production for the money but nothing spectacular.

Estimated bullpen salary- $7 million

Nail in the coffin- The starting pitchers contain the offenses so much that by the time the less impressive bullpen gets in there the offense may be ready to explode or at least start producing.
RATING: 6

Overall

85-95 wins and getting knocked down to 2nd place for the first time since season 3.
At the end of the rainbow there is a ……a leprechaun with a $22 million pot of gold that Charlotte can shop for FA’s with after all of the 35+ year olds retire.

Syracuse Esucarys (AL) dwhit34 View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Infield

This is a decent group all around. The C/DH combo of Bonham and Ozuna is very efficient and effective. Ozuna is a defensive catching master and Bonham brings a .336 career BA to the table. Dong has some decent defensive skills at SS but is a bit pricey at $7M considering the decline in his offensive production. Woods is a rising young star at 3B and should improve on his somewhat average rookie season of last year.

Estimated infield salary- $19 million

Nail in the coffin: Im not sold on this groups ability to produce runs. They are a good hitting group but with nobody having power over 80 I wonder whether anyone can drive these guys home after they reach base.
RATING: 6

Outfield

LF John Allen is a super stud. Count on a .300BA and 50HR. Apart from him the outfielders are all good hitters but none of them have anywhere close to the power and run driving ability of Allen. Overall this is a solid group of outfielders.

Estimated outfield salary- $13.5 million

Nail in the coffin: John Allen is the cornerstone of the Syracuse offense and if he were to get injured it could have a devastating effect on the teams ability to score. With a health rating of only 70 Syracuse may need to get a backup plan in place just in case.
RATING: 7

Starting Pitching

8 players on the Syracuse ML roster have a stamina rating of 70 or better. At this point its hard to tell which ones will be the starters once the regular season starts. It looks like it may be Alvarado, Wilson, Chang, Estrada, and Saberhagen. Regardless of which 5 end up starting its safe to say that this appears to be an average staff. The main thing that is lacking here is an ace, Alvarado is good but would be a #2 or #3 on most staffs.

Estimated starting pitching salary - $25 million

Nail in the coffin- It’s going to be hard to make the playoffs without a true ace.
RATING: 6

Bullpen

This is a middle aged bullpen with below average talent. In my opinion this it the teams weakest area. There are numerous splits below 60 and only 2 guys have control better than 80. Closer Luis Henry is the best of the bunch.

Estimated bullpen salary- $8-$12 million

Nail in the coffin- They couldn’t get the nails into the coffin because their arms got tired. But seriously only one pitcher on the Syracuse roster has a durability over 34. I see many tired arms in the very near future.
RATING: 5

Overall

I see this team losing a lot of close games and finishing the season with 70-80 wins and 3rd place in the AL East.
At the end of the rainbow there is a ……leprechaun with a voodoo doll of John Allen, he’s making him sign a contract for less money than he’s worth.

Boston Liberators (AL) leaffan10 View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Infield

The Boston infield is mostly below average 25-30 year olds. There are some decent players here but no studs as far as I can tell. These guys must be living in the 1800’s because there is almost no power here at all. 1B Corey Shenk and C Norman Jones are the best power threats and they only clock in at 70 and 71 respectively. The catchers are the strong point of this unit. It appears that Boston may run with 3 catchers this year possibly even some type of catcher by committee system, although that is purely speculation. At $6.3 million 2B Chris Joyner might be one of the most overpaid players in the world.
Estimated infield salary: $23 million

Nail in the coffin: Asking this group to consistently drive in runs is asking too much. It’s like asking a chiropractor for a happy ending, its just too much.
RATING: 4

Outfield

There are currently 3 OF’s on the Boston roster. CF Gary Pote is the youngest of the group at 27, while LF Gerald Smith is 33 and RF David Gandarilla is 29. Pote is a solid CF who should put up .300/20/100 season for years to come. Smith is a leadoff hitter type who has a career OBP of .401 but at 33 he doesn’t have much time left. Gandarilla is a Rob Deer clone, enough said.

Estimated outfield salary: $13.5 million

Nail in the coffin: Rumors are circulating saying that we might see a motivational/promotional project next year featuring David Gandarilla. We hear it involves every fan in the crowd getting a free hotdog every time Gandarilla strikes out more than twice in a game. Attention Oscar Meyer, time to start working overtime.
RATING: 6

Starting Pitching

Well below average at best. None of them have the whole package. The ones with the decent splits lack the pitches and/or control and the ones with the pitches lack the splits. Really none of them have good control and 3 of them are below 60. They are a young group with the oldest not having hit 30 yet.

Estimated Starting Pitching salary- $7.5 million ( talk about a budget rotation)

Nail in the coffin: Fielding a pitching rotation that makes less than $10 million combined should be great for the future but horrible for the present.
RATING:4

Bullpen

This is a bare bones crew that is a mix of about 25% average MLers, 25% below average MLers and 50% guys who should be in AAA.

Estimated bullpen salary: $3.1 million

Nail in the coffin: Only one reliever shows both splits being over 60.
RATING: 4

Overall

This squad will win 65-75 games and finish 4th in the AL East just as they have 6 out of the past 7 years.
At the end of the rainbow there is a ……a pissed off leprechaun holding a homemade shiv, he’s mumbling about a deal with the devil and Chris Joyner’s rich days being up after season 8.