Offseason recap

With spring training underway, it's time to look back at the offseason and see which teams improved the most and which ones are in worse shape than they were before rollover.

Here are the top five best and worst offseasons:

Worst

5. Albuquerque Isotopes

The 'Topes offseason came down to losing two pitchers to free agency and signing two different arms. Gone are Juan Gonzales (4.00 career ERA, but a 5.04 mark in season 5) and Jay Looper (4.42 career ERA, but a 4.86 mark in season 5). Both of them also had to deal with pitching in Albuquerque's terrible park for pitchers.

In their place, Albuquerque brought in Brian Hunt (4.54 career ERA, 4.28 in season 5) and Lenny Smith (4.19 career ERA, 4.66 in season 5) for at least $20.3 million over the next two seasons.

Hunt and Smith are fine pitchers, but once they start working in Isotopes Park, it's unlikely they'll be any better than Looper and Gonzales were, and they could be a good bit worse. And as part of the exchange of pitchers, Albuquerque gave up the No. 20 pick in this year's draft (for Hunt) and added the No. 42 selection (for Looper), a switch that means they may not add any impact prospects to their system this season.

4. Boise Mashers

Part of this ranking isn't really Boise's fault. The Mashers lost Sherman Yount and Steven Miller to free agency, and it wouldn't have made sense to sign either one since they're both old and declining. However, they did combine to give Boise a 3.67 ERA in 235 innings, and that kind of performance is difficult to replace.

The Mashers made a savvy signing by picking up Willie Tavarez on the cheap, but he's likely to have trouble matching his 4.12 career ERA or 4.04 season 5 ERA since he's moving from spending most of his career in Oklahoma City's pitcher's park to playing for Boise in a slight hitter's environment. Boise also re-signed Pascual Ozuna once it became apparent nobody else was going to sign the Type A free agent, but it's unclear how much he'll help at age 37 after posting a 4.73 ERA in season 5.

Aside from the changes to the pitching staff, the Mashers went out and signed two free agent position players: Esteban Manzanillo and Zach Trammell for at least $26 million over the next two seasons and possibly as much as $36 million over the next three.

Trammell, especially, seems like a waste of money. He doesn't hit well (.337 OBP and .389 SLG for his career, .335/.397 in season 5), and he's not a defensive whiz at second base to make up for it. Manzanillo (.334/.416 for his career, .348/.468 in season 5) can at least hit a little, but his defense at shortstop is similar to Trammell's at second. Both have fine gloves, but the range is lacking, which means more balls than you'd like will get through to the outfield.

Boise finished 15 games behind Anaheim in season 5, and I fail to see how either Trammell or Manzanillo will help make up that difference, especially considering the hit the pitching took in free agency. The Mashers probably would have been better served saving the money they spent on the two middle infielders and using it on prospects.

3. Chicago Jayhawks

As usual, the Jayhawks have been very active this offseason, but it was one move in particular that doomed them to this position, and there wasn't anything they could have done about it after rollover.

The biggest problem for the Jayhawks is that Andres Silva decided to test free agency after they didn't extend him before season 5 ended. When he left, the Jayhawks lost a pitcher with a career 3.53 ERA who went 17-7 with a 3.11 ERA in 211 innings in season 5. Losing that kind of production is bad enough, but when Silva went and signed with the rival New York Yankees, it turned into a double whammy.

To replace Silva, Chicago signed Mo Greer, who has a 4.56 career ERA and posted a 5.05 mark in season 5.

The other free agent loss for Chicago was Rob Matthews, who posted a .376 OBP and .443 SLG in season 5. The Jayhawks did address their offense, signing Julius Thomas, re-signing Fred Risley and trading for Peter Embree, all three of whom are getting old and struggled on offense in season 5. In fact, all three had an OPS in the .700 range.

Chicago also did some work on its bullpen, re-signing Erubiel Sanchez and trading for Jorel Shaw, Omar Rincon, Francisco Ordaz and Jose Morales, all of whom have at least been solid.

But none of the maneuvering makes up for the fact that Chicago lost one of the NL's best pitcher. And while the Jayhawks added three draft picks as compensation for Silva and Matthews, they still don't pick until 32nd overall and are unlikely to add much, if any, star talent to their farm system.

2. Santa Cruz Amigos

The Amigos had a strange offseason. Burdened with some bad contracts from the previous owner, Santa Cruz got rid of seven players by non-tendering them or declining their options. Five of the seven played a significant role on the season 5 team, with the best being RF Vin Hernandez (.795 OPS) and Gold Glove CF Jaime Sinclair (.728 OPS). The cuts saved the Amigos as much as $30 million for season 6, but how they went about replacing those players didn't make much sense.

Santa Cruz went out and signed eight free agents while re-signing two of their own players. The list: C/DH Marv Black, 1B Al Greenwood, 1B Eduardo Pinzon, RF Ted Simms and pitchers Sherman Yount, Kareem Kipling, Ricardo Barcelo, John Parker, Christopher Hines and Manny Ellenwood.

Black can't catch, his .802 career OPS wouldn't be great at DH and he's so inconsistent that he's posted an OPS below .700 in two seasons. Greenwood has nice minor league numbers, but he's never played a game in the majors and the Amigos gave him a four-year deal (3.3 million per) anyway. Pinzon is a mediocre bat for 1B, but he didn't cost very much to re-sign. Simms has power, but he also has a career .310 OBP and will be a drain on the offense, especially in that park.

Of the pitchers, only Yount had an ERA below 4.30 in season 5, but his career mark is 4.95. Parker was a solid pitcher for the Amigos, but Kipling, Ellenwood and Hines are mediocre at best (although they didn't cost much) and Barcelo has been terrible (and he got $23 million over five seasons).

The Amigos also lost 3B Dale Sedlacek in free agency, and none of the hitters they signed appear capable of matching the .882 OPS he posted in season 5.

In all, the Amigos don't appear to have done anything to help the team on either offense or defense, and they signed some very curious long-term contracts with Greenwood and Barcelo.

1. Richmond Roustabouts

Richmond's offseason pretty much only consisted of trading away SS Pat Badilla and 1B Lee Roundtree. There's nothing wrong with that, since Richmond's not ready to contend and Badilla and Roundtree were both going to cost enough in season 7 that the Roustabouts wouldn't have wanted them on the roster if they still weren't ready to contend.

The problem is what the Roustabouts got in return once they decided it was time to unload two of their most tradeable commodities. Badilla fetched SP Sammy Cedeno, C Bob Crespo and IF Rob Tracy while Roundtree brought back IF Kevin Bryant and SP Al Trajano.

None of those five players is a sure thing to be a quality major leaguer, and Bryant and Tracy are backups at best in the big leagues. Trajano and Cedeno have similar potential (Trajano has slightly better control; Cedeno throws harder), but neither will be more than a back of the rotation starter, if that. Crespo is probably the best of the bunch, as he projects to play good defense and he may be able to hold his own with the bat in the big leagues.

If you're trading away two quality players who could help several contending teams, you need to get more than a catcher with the potential to be slightly above average, two potential fourth or fifth starters and two utility infielders.

Best

5. Philadelphia Phenomenauts

After four seasons as the doormat of the AL East, the Phenomenauts climbed to third place in season 5, and now they appear to want even more than that.

Philadelphia's best move of the offseason was trading for Lee Roundtree. In that deal, discussed above, Philly picked up a first baseman with a career .949 OPS without giving up anybody who was crucial to the franchise longterm.

Philadelphia also unloaded half of Sparky Weaver's contract while picking up DH Julio Mendoza, who should at least be great as the right-handed part of a platoon in a season or two.

The Phenomenauts also decided to pick up a couple big free agents, signing LF/2B Terry O'Connor and SP Otis Upshaw. O'Connor should improve greatly upon last year's .745 OPS now that he's out of the worst hitter's park in the league, and Upshaw has a solid 4.40 career ERA and will be a definite upgrade in the rotation for Philadelphia.

The Phenomenauts still probably can't make the playoffs this season, but they should definitely set a franchise record in wins, and a winning season isn't out of the question if everything breaks right. And with some more development from the team's younger players, all four of the players Philadelphia picked up this offseason should help the team make its first real playoff push in season 7 or 8.

4. Kansas City Monarchs

The Monarchs went on a bit of a spending spree, and their timing was pretty good. With the No. 16 pick in this season's draft, they could sign Type A free agents without giving up a first-round pick, so they went out and got two.

Aside from signing OF Rob Matthews and SP Dale Rooney, the Monarchs also nabbed pitchers Denny Moore, Steven Miller and Ben Cox and re-signed Damion Rekar, all of whom will cost as much as $70 million over the next three seasons.

Those five new players replace departing free agents Julius Thomas, Brendan Henry and Mo Greer. In addition to bringing in a better group of players than they let go, the Monarchs essentially traded the 62nd and 94th picks in the draft for the 40th pick because Greer was a Type B free agent.

Greer and Henry combined for a 5.03 ERA in 299 innings for Kansas City last season. Rooney and Cox both struggled to ERAs above 5.00 last season, but Rooney still has a 3.98 career ERA and Cox is at 4.38. Together, they should be able to perform significantly better than Greer and Henry did.

And Moore has a 4.29 career ERA and was at 4.15 in season 5. Miller had a 3.74 ERA in season 5, but he's probably not really that good. Still, both pitchers should be useful for the Monarchs. And Matthews (with a .369 career OBP and .446 career SLG) is a better offensive player who's also more versatile on defense than Thomas (who had a .330 OBP and .445 SLG in season 5).

The Monarchs spent a lot of money, but it should definitely make them better. The question is whether it improves them enough for the first playoff spot in franchise history. If it was more clear that the answer is yes, they'd be higher on this list.

3. Minnesota Fatboys

Minnesota didn't do much this offseason, because the self-sustaining juggernaut generally only needs tweaking. The biggest changes are that SP Dale Rooney is gone and SS Pat Badilla has arrived.

The Fatboys had no interest in giving Rooney $10-plus million for multiple seasons, so getting two draft picks (No. 35 and 62) for him is good for the franchise. Obviously they'd have preferred for one of those picks to be a first-rounder, but they're still better off with the picks than with a pitcher they didn't really need.

Badilla isn't great and he'll be pretty expensive starting next season, but he has the ability to hit significantly better than Gerald Kim, who started 105 games at SS for Minnesota last season. And the Fatboys didn't give up anybody who figured to ever have a significant impact on their major league team to get him.

Other than that, the Fatboys traded a couple other spare parts for mediocre SP prospect Cooper Plant and they were active in Rule 5, drafting utility infielder Marty Pose and potentially useful RP Hideo Yamamoto and trading for utility infielder Phillip Trachsel. None of those players figure to see a ton of action, but they provide good depth in case of injury.

2. Nashville Twang

Nashville's offseason was a case of addition by subtraction. The Twang lost free agents Brian Hunt and Esteban Manzanillo and while they're both solid players, their subtraction from the team added three draft picks: Nos. 20, 33 and 38. Because of that, the Twang now have five picks in the top 56 to add to a farm system that is already among the best in the league.

Aside from adding some draft picks, the Twang picked up potentially solid RP Jerry Farrell in the Rule 5 draft, signed RP Enrique Posada and re-signed pitchers Pascual Vazquez and Jose Cruz. Those pitchers will cost a combined $20 million over the next two seasons and all three have the potential to be league average or slightly better.

Nashville has a wave of talented prospects at AAA ready to hit the big leagues this season and/or next season. Those players combined with this year's draft class could set the Twang up to be a major player in the NL South for many seasons to come.

1. New York Yankees

This offseason may end up hurting the Yankees in season 8 or 9, but the fact is that no team did more this offseason to help itself win the World Series in season 6 than the Yankees. The big signing, of course, was Andres Silva.

The Yankees gave the 37-year-old a guaranteed $50 million over the next four seasons, but he should be worth it for at least a season or two. Silva has a 3.53 career ERA, and his 3.11 ERA in season 5 was his best yet. He'll also be moving from a hitter's park to a pitcher's park, and he's replacing a starter who had a 4.69 ERA in season 5.

Upgrading from Otis Upshaw to Silva is probably worth 2-4 wins by itself in the regular season, but that's not really what the Yankees care about. New York has made the playoffs four seasons in a row but has only won one series and has a 7-13 record in the postseason. With Silva around to join Jay Cosby and Haywood Towers in the playoff rotation, the Yankees should be able to trot out an ace-caliber starting pitcher for every postseason game, which will make them a much tougher out.

The Yankees lost four free agents, including Upshaw, but they didn't have any interest in keeping any of them and they picked up the No. 43 pick in this season's draft because one of them was a Type B.

In addition to signing Silva, the Yankees also picked up swing man Juan Gonzales and backup CF Chris Hill. Gonzales has a 4.00 career ERA and although he posted a 5.04 mark in season 5, moving from the AL and the best hitter's park to the NL and a pitcher's park should help. Hill's a good defender (although he'd be better had he not gotten Telemaco'd in season 4) and he's hit well enough at times that he could pressure incumbent CF Daniel Jefferson for the starting job.

The Yankees also traded OF prospect Christian Reid (a tweener who appears to be borderline defensively in center field and borderline offensively in the corners) and RP Ron Hafner (a mediocre talent) for RP Paul Pearson and $6 million to cover Pearson's salary and a little extra. Pearson's upside is nice, but he's had some terrible seasons in the past and he struggles to stay healthy. Still, the worst case scenario for the Yankees is that he's either hurt for the playoffs or he pitches badly enough in the regular season that they decide not to use him much in the playoffs.

All in all, the Yankees may have added as many as 5-6 wins in the regular season and they made themselves a great deal more difficult to beat in a playoff series. If the Yankees get to the NLCS or, even better, the World Series for the first time in the next two seasons, it will be worth whatever price they end up paying for Silva's big contract down the road.

AL North Preview: Season 6

Minnesota (Season 5: 96-66, Al North & World Series Champion)

Season 5 represented a bit of a dip for the Fatboys, as they dropped 15 games in the win column after scoring about 50 less runs while allowing 40 extra runners to cross the plate. Staying steady with a 64 million payroll in their 5th season was a great accomplishment however, since competitive teams across the world have almost all seen a spike in payroll over the past 5 seasons. Finishing their year with a second straight title crowned management's patient philosophy, since the team is still poised to compete for many years to come despite it's success.

Perhaps as part of that philosophy, and with a commitment to a low payroll, the Fatboys let former All-Stars SP Dale Rooney and SS Gerald Kim walk during the offseason, replacing Kim with a shrewd trade that netted the franchise a few hundred thousand after arbitration, in addition to a talented SS replacement in the form of Pat Badilla. Returning for another go around are All-Stars SP Ruben Crespo (Cy Young runner-up), 2B Mikey Bennett (who also won a GG), LF Trey Fonville (also GG LF) and CF Nigel Whang (also the AL CF Silver Slugger). Of that group only CF Whang is at any risk of being on the other side of the proverbial hill, but the growth of ROY Jumbo Rijo should more than make up for any of it.

In the end, the 2-time champs are once again the team to beat in Season 6.

Season 6 Prediction: 105-57, best record in the AL


Syracuse (Season 5: 88-74)

Season 5 was a good one in Syracuse, as the franchise posted a record high 88 wins, although they failed to make the playoffs for what would be their second ever trip to the postseason. Led by the All-Star arms and gloves of 27 year old SP Adam Haynes, 31 year old ClA Domingo Lee and 25 year old Gold Glove SS Dusty Zoltan, the team trimmed a solid 97 runs off their Season 4 total. And the offense, led by All-Star RF Hector Hernandez, wasn't far behind, posting a franchise record 908 runs.

Want more good news? The team posted another franchise best (low) with a 46 million dollar payroll, leaving it the ability to either be a big player in the FA market, or continue to apply 20+ million towards building up the high level talent in it's minor league system. Perhaps for this reason, it's a little difficult at this time to predict what will happen in Syracuse, although it's reasonable to expect that management will continue up the patient route, enjoying the certain boost to it's win total from young players like future stud Sting Berger and Mark Allensworth.

Prediction: 92-70 and a wild card birth


Buffalo (Season 5: 83-79)

In what is gonna be a recurring theme of good news in what now appears to be the most competitive division in baseball, the Buffalo Europeans posted a franchise high 83 wins in Season 5. And even so, the season had to represent a bit of a disappointment for management, having increased team payroll by 15 million only to gain a measly 4 extra wins. Perhaps a good parallel for the team's performance this past season would be that of it's enigmatic "star" and leader, SP Gary Hermanson, who's high ratings continued to disappoint for a fifth straight year. Not disappointing with his performance was All-Star SP Abraham Davis (18-8, 238.2, 3.28), the teams sole representative in the awards roster, and a pitcher expected to contend for a Cy Young for years to come.

But the story of disappointment is not the future you should expect from this franchise. After a few advantageous trades and drafts, the Europeans are simply loaded with top level talent. Already in the bigs we have SS Luis Uribe, pitcher Clay Young, RF Al Ferrer and 2B Marlon Martin, and you don't even want to look at the pitchers they have in the minors. If you were to look, you'd see a franchise that will need all the disappointment in the world to prevent itself from being a dynasty for years to come in this world.

Season 6 Prediction: 88-74, missing the playoffs


Montreal (Season 5: 81-81)

Yes, last year was a record year in Montreal as well, as the franchise bested it's previous high of 77 wins in Season 4. And yes, in season 5 they posted their lowest payroll at approximately 70 million, some 30 million lower than their season 1 figure. And if it seems like the teams in AG's division have chosen to fight fire with fire, its cause they have! Low payrolls, patient stockpiling of talent, and a refusal to flirt with FA's is contagiously spreading all over the AL North like wildfire, and it's working.

And while this team didn't land any individual awards in Season 5, it shouldn't be too long before the likes of Sid Fleming, Cesar Piedra and Marino Reyes start adding some hardware to the shelves. Unfortunately here is where the story takes a turn for the worse: unlike it's neighbors further North in the standings, Montreal's system is rather barren on the pitching front. It seems likely that Montreal will have to acquire some arms in order to keep up with the gang, either by trading it's plethora of young position player talent (Rich Beltre, Herb Hutton, Bernie Limon to list a few), or by dipping into the FA Market. Either way, this is not a bad foundation to build from.

Season 6 Prediction: (76-86)

NL South Preview: Season 6

Iowa City Comics (96-66, NL South champions)

Iowa City has a been a dominant force in the NL for the past 3 seasons and has often been overlooked because New York and Chicago are bigger markets and have louder owners. Iowa City has won a tough division for 3 years in a row but has not had much playoff success; the Comics have only won one playoff series in 3 seasons.

How have they had such a successful run you might wonder? One reason has to be first baseman Chipper Velandia, who has been the best hitter in the league since creation. The Big Chip, along with second baseman Charlie Ratliff, and RF/CF Ricardo Rincon, will form the offensive core for Iowa City, which was fourth best in the NL and only 34 runs from the best.

Iowa City also had the fifth best pitching staff last season, led by Eddie Wall and Harold Darr. Big Hal has been a Cy Young contender in the past, but his best days appear to be behind him. He can't be asked to carry a rotation any more, so it's up to Iowa find some support for him.

Iowa City may be based in a small market but thanks to the leagues shared TV revenues they can still spend big. In fact, player payroll has never been under 95 million. Currently, Iowa has 83.6 million under payroll and looks to be able to add about 20 million more.

Prediction 94 wins 1st in NL south.

Oklahoma City Twins (85-77)

OCT's system failed last year. Why do I mention that? Because it's the first time that is has, as OCT had made the playoffs in each of the 4 first seasons. The only other team to accomplish that feat in the NL was Chicago. OCT's model is to use its park (which is a pitchers park) to its advantage and put rangy outfielders in the corner spots and rely on pitching and defense to win games.

It's no surprise given OTC's style of play that the team has always struggled to score runs. OCT was, as you would expect, 3rd in run prevention and 5th worst in runs scored. So what's in store for OCT this year?

Well, the team plans on breaking in a new starting pitcher to an already very good rotation in Lance Lara. The rotation will be led, as it was in the past two years, by Max Leary, who was a controversial signing back in season 4 but has performed as well as anyone could hope, putting in close to 500 innings of 2.82 era baseball.

On offence, OCT signed Bo Sweeney to help and Bo at this point in his career is the prototypical OCT hitter, which is a hitter with not much power but a decent to good OBP.

Prediction 90 wins.

St. Louis Greys (84-78)

The big move last year that had all of baseball talking was the Greys' mid-season trade of Fritz Rushford to Anaheim. His power was noticeably absent and there was talk that his range in center field had slipped, but there was still great demand for the three-time MVP and in the end the deal could help St. Louis as soon as the All-Star break this year, when super prospect and centerpiece of the Rushford deal Vladimir Pichardo could be ready to take shortstop over full time.

If Vlad lives up to the hype, the Greys infield of Louie Dispenza, Daniel Thompson and whoever plays first base could be one of the best in the league. The team is young and just signed star pitcher John Carroll to a 5-year, $50 million deal, keeping the number one starter with the team until at least season 10. Combine that with a good young core of players and you have a team that should challenge for a playoff spot sooner rather than later.

Prediction 88 wins.

Monterrey Conquistadores (66-96)

Monterrey started a rebuilding project in season 3 and has been cutting payroll and acquiring prospects since. Clayton Mack is the lone offensive star and most of the pitching isn't fully developed yet, but it is young and it does have room to improve.

There is a odd mix between young players and older declining veterans. Monterrey is moving toward youth as it is ready and not rushing prospects, which is a good sign. When the younger hitters do arrive, Pablo Garces and Josh Damon should be holding down the rotation.

Prediction 62 wins

State of the NL Prospects

The Following is a Breakdown of the Current State of Prospects for Each National League Team as well as a Ranking of the Systems at the end (Position-Expected Season to Reach Majors):

NL EAST

Chicago Jayhawks

1. Stu Butler (2B-S7)-Well above average 2B in the future with both great O&D potential
2. Tuck Stein (C-S8)-Future offensive stud with respectable defensive numbers
3. Clayton Osborne(3b-S9)- Above average offense and defense at 3^rd
4. Charles Shibata(1B-S10)-Future Slugger at 1st Base. Great value in late 1st round
5. Luis Estrada (LF-S9)-Destined to be an average LF that mashes LHP but struggles against RHP

New York Yankees

1. Pascual Castro (3b-S8)-A future masher at 3^rd though his defense will max out at average
2. Jorge Marquez (RP-S9)-Will be solid setup-man in the future
3. Kelvim Lyons(C-S7)-Nice mix of solidly above average offense and defense
4. Jon Ray (RP-S7)-As talented as Marquez but low dur/stm kills his future value
5. Louis Anderson (LF-S8)-The LF version of Kelvim Lyons

Tampa Bay Devil Rays

1. Mark Lyons(LF-S7)- slightly above average offense and defense for position
2. Jimmie Rios (2B-S9)-Average 2b in the future
3. Pedro Rijo (C-S7)-Great offense but poor d somewhat limits value (Thanks for the heads up Fry)
   
4. Norm Ellenwood (P-S6)-Iffy control but great splits and pitches
5. Jimmy Uribe (RF-S7)-The HBD version of Michael Cuddyer in RF

Washington D.C. Bureaucrats

1. Garrett Kline(P-S6)-Future Perennial CY Young Contender
2. Al Iglesias(CF-S7)- One of the five best hitting prospects in the game
3. Kirk Harrison(SP-S8)-Low Dur/Stm keeps him from being considered elite
4. Goose Hayes(SP-S7)-Great pitcher that can be trotted out every 4 days
5. Chili Easley(C-S11)-Future On base machine with well above average D at C

NL North

Milwaukee Twindyans

1. Ray Payton (SP-S9)-Poor splits belie an otherwise solid SP prospect
2. Luis Lopez(3B-S6)- Gold Glove caliber 3B with average O
3. Cliff Spencer (RP-S9)-Good LR prospect
4. Jacob Roberts (C-S10.)-Above average O tempered by below average AS/AA
5. Hub Berry (CF-S9)-Below average defense dampens solid offensive potential

Kansas City Monarchs

1. Tony Cela (RF-S6)-Future Silver Slugger with great D
2. Vinny Matthews(SP-S7)- Only two plus pitches prevents him from joining elite status
3. Aurelio Martin (SP-S7)-Slightly worse version of Vinny Matthews
4. Kurt Anderson (RF-S9)-Poor Man’s Tony Cela
5. Alexander Gibbs (1B-S6)-Meet Paul Kirby

Sioux Falls Gunslingers

1. Rob Hutch (LR-S7)-One of the best MR prospects in the game
2. Pablo Martin (LR-S7)-Not far behind Rob Hutch
3. Crash Miller (Cl-S8)-Every rating is great but can he overcome lack of pitches?
4. Scott Rhodes (1B-S6)-Well above average at offense and defense for position
5. Billy Spiers (SP-S10)-Nothing fantastic but decent SP can be hard to find

Vancouver Vigilantes

1. Turk Badilla (SS-S7)-Poor range doesn’t dim this slugger’s star
2. Clyde Haynes (RP-S7)-Elite setup man potential
3. Phil Hujimoto (RP-S9)-Excellent closer potential
4. Tomas Moreno (SP-S7)-He ain’t thin but he is a solid SP prospect
5. Geoffrey Borchard (RP-S6)-Poor stm but an above average prospect

NL South

Iowa City Comics

1. Sandy Price (SP-S6)-Elite control but splits and pitches only above average
2. Alvin Wilson (RP-S8)-The RP version of Sandy Price
3. Phillip Zinter (SP-S9)-Iffy splits but five above average pitches
4. Matt Robertson (3B-S7)-Average 3B prospect
5. Miguel Jose (RF-S6)-Average RF prospect

Oklahoma City Twins

1. Tony Hernandez (C-S6)-Elite prospect at position
2. D’Angelo Pascual (SP-S7)-Great control and three very good pitches
3. Jose Calvo (RF-S6)-Decent offense but supbar defense, especially for field
4. Bartolo Vazquez (2B-S7)-Poor defense blunts otherwise promising offensive potential
5. Vic Lopez (SP-S7)-Poor RH split and only 3 pitches make him a borderline starter

St. Louis Greys

1. Vladimir Pichardo (SS-S7)-Elite prospect with silver slugger capabilities
2. Edgardo Uribe (RP-S10)-Top notch RP prospect though he is being rushed
3. Kris Dickey (2B-S6)-Great all around prospect for position
4. Alan Lewis (SP-S7)-Above average prospect but limited ceiling
5. William Stevenson (LF)-Average Bat in LF

Monterrey Conquistadores

1. Max Moehler (SP/LR-S9)-Elite prospect except for a lack of one dominant pitch
2. Fransisco Nunez (C-S8)-Elite prospect except for poor durability
3. Lance Acosta (SU-S7)-Top notch set up man with no weakness
4. Erubiel Benitez (SS-S9)-Well above average offense combined with good defense
5. Daniel Brinkley (LR-S6)-Slight downgrade from Lance Acosta in terms of stuff

NL West

Anaheim Anteaters

1. Haywood Gipson (2B-S7) -Best 2B prospect in the Game
2. Bip Regan (CF-S9)-Great bat for position and even better defense
3. Jason Jenkins (SP-S6)-Great control and splits but average pitches
4. Stuart Stahl (1B/LF-S10)-Powerful bat but may not hack it in LF
5. Wilfredo Trajano (SP-S8)-Could use better pitches but good splits and control limit downside greatly

Boise Mashers

1. Christopher Cook (SP-S7)-Decent SP but needs C with good PC to reach potential
2. Jim Kirk (3B-S9)-Shouldn’t play SS but great D and plus O at 3rd
3. Virgil Santos (SS-10)-Gold glove defense and great O against LHP but shouldn’t play against RHP
4. Victor Witt (SS/3B-S8)-Average O can be masked by very good defense at 3B
5. Jose Manzanillo (C-S7)-Good bat probably doesn’t compensate for poor AS or PC

Colorado Springs Silver Stars

1. Hootie Medina (RF-S7)-Elite Range for position but average offense
2. Nigel Juden (C-S6)-Lesser version of Fransisco Nunez
3. Joseph Hong (RP-S10)- Great deal in Int’l market at $3.0 mil. Solid prospect
4. Steven Beck (SP-S9)-Great control but a lot of rating tied up in Dur/Stm
5. T.J. Schneider (RP-S10)-Average prospect with poor Dur/Stm

Tacoma Downpour

1. Victor Thomas (3B-S7)-All around great prospect
2. Ramiro Prieto (LR-S7)-Elite reliever potential with solid ratings across the board
3. Steven Piper (1B/LF-S6)-Great offensive prospect with + range at either position
4. Gene Tessmer (SS-S9)- Plus offense mixed with adequate D at position
5. Gerald Griffiths (2B-S6)-Fantastic offense helps compensate for poor D

NL Team Prospect Rankings

1. Washington-Great Position and Pitching prospects in terms of top-end talent and depth
2. Anaheim-Rushford trade removed them from contention for top spot and farm leans heavily towards offense
3. Vancouver- Great Pitching Depth with elite top-end talent
4. St. Louis- Pichardo/Uribe/Dickey form great base of talent to build from
5. Tacoma-Needs to build up SP depth but otherwise solid job of stocking system
6. Monterrey-Best prospects have limited playing time potential but solid depth
7. Chicago-Great depth helps to overcome lack of top end talent
8. New York- Similar to Chicago’s system but Rhodes trade depleted farm system
9. Sioux Falls-Elite relief pitching prospects and solid offensive prospects
10. Kansas City-Very good prospects but many have same profile in terms of strengths and weaknesses
11. Milwaukee -Good depth in the system at hard to fill positions
12. Oklahoma City-Very good prospects at top but very poor depth
13. Iowa City-Solid pitching prospects but pretty thin system
14. Tampa Bay-Good depth in system but best prospects max out at average
15. Boise-Okay depth but no top end talent
16. Colorado Springs-Decent depth but barren of top-end talent

AL East Preview: Season 6

New York Mets (105-57, AL East champion)

The Mets rode a solid offense and by far the best pitching staff in the league to a third consecutive 100-win season. Unlike the previous two, however, Red Wainhouse wasn't the biggest contributor to that pitching staff. The two-time Cy Young award winner was hurt in spring training and then wasn't as sharp as normal when he returned. Instead, everybody chipped in as all five rotation members posted ERAs between 3.63 and 4.28 and the bullpen quartet of Stretch Creek, Marshall Wathan, Preston Stinnett, and J.D. Jackson combined for a 2.62 ERA in 251 innings.

In fact, only one pitcher who tossed at least 50 innings for the Mets posted an ERA above 4.30. That's why they had a 3.79 team ERA and the next-best pitching staff was at 4.20.

On offense, 1B Richard Stocker was the star, but the Mets got solid contributions from every position on the field. The worst OPS for a full-time starter was .759, and five of the seven players who got 500-plus plate appearance posted at least an .825 OPS. The Mets also benefited from a midseason trade for Geoffrey Bates.

The bad news for the rest of the AL? Everybody who made a significant contribution for the Mets in season 5 is back for season 6. The good news? The clock may be ticking on the dominant run in New York. The change in training rules certainly won't help a team with an average age of 29.7 (oldest in the league). The payroll is also at $103 million and climbing, and there's no help coming from the farm for the next two or three seasons to replace anybody who gets too expensive.

Season 6 prediction: 100 wins, division title.

Boston Red Sox (89-73, wild card #1)

Since deciding to rebuild in season 1, the Red Sox have improved their win total every year. In season 5, as usual, it was all about the offense.

The Red Sox led the AL in both OBP (.360) and SLG (.526) to score a league-leading 1,074 runs. 1B Matt Governale won his second MVP award, but he certainly wasn't alone. Nash McCartin posted a 1.063 OPS, and three other hitters topped .930: DH Hector Soto, 3B Darron Jenkins and RF Vic Gardel.

The pitching was another story. Only three teams allowed more than Boston's 935 runs. Lee Hall led the starters with an unspectacular 4.60 ERA and Timo Griffin was the best reliever with a 4.03 ERA. In fact, only four Boston pitchers were able to keep their ERA below 5.00.

For the first time, the Red Sox will not be breaking any rookies into significant roles, and the season 5 Opening Day lineup returns intact. What makes that even scarier is that, if anything, the offense underperformed last season as two starters posted the worst seasons of their careers. The scary thing for the Red Sox is that the pitching may return intact as well, unless they make a trade or find a good fit in the free agent market.

The good news for the Red Sox is that they've been able to keep their payroll small (a paltry $44 million at the moment), giving them the ability to keep their farm system strong and the flexibility to be a player in free agency if and when they want to be.

Season 6 prediction: 94 wins, wild card.

Philadelphia Phenomenauts (71-91)

The Philadelphia franchise escaped the AL East's basement for the first time, topping 70 wins for the second season in a row. Philly was a bit below average on both offense and defense, scoring 814 runs (ninth in the league) and allowing 898 (11th).

Brent O'Donnell is already the star of Philly's offense, and the 23-year-old right fielder is only getting better. The Phenomenauts lost their next-best bat when they traded Jesus Reynoso, but they got a promising hitter in that deal in Houston Linden and they've already replaced Reynoso at first base by trading for Lee Roundtree. This may also be the season that hot prospect Cristobal Ramirez makes his big league debut, which could give the offense another shot in the arm.

Carl Gray was the bright spot on the pitching staff, as he made a huge improvement from his rookie season to go 11-9 with a 4.03 ERA. Other than Gray, however, Rigo Pineda, Phil Sanders and B.C. Plata were able to keep their ERA below 5.00. Unfortunately for Philly, there doesn't appear to be much pitching help coming until B.C. Mota is ready for the majors.

The good news for the Phenomenauts is that most of their big leaguers are young and still improving. They have the start of a solid team and given another season of development for their younger players, a couple savvy trades and a good free agent signing or two in seasons 6 and 7, they could make a push in season 7. Right now, however, there are still too many holes for them to jump into the top two in this division.

Season 6 prediction: 77 wins.

Pittsburgh Pug Dogs (68-94)

The Pug Dugs had a disastrous season, falling from 92 wins and a wild card spot to 68 wins and the AL East cellar. The pitching staff was solid, allowing 840 runs (eighth in the league), but the offense was terrible. Only one team scored fewer than Pittsburgh's 702 runs, and the Pug Dogs were lucky they outscored somebody since they were dead last in both OBP (.314) and SLG (.396).

Pittsburgh simply didn't have a single hitter in season 5 who was better than decent. Mikey Houston (.820 OPS) and Preston Grieve (.812 OPS) were the teams best hitters, and the Pug Dogs actually gave 340-plus at-bats to two players who had an OPS in the .530 range. The arrival of Charlie James should give the offense a boost, but the Pug Dogs should still be well below average in the run scoring department.

Victor Lawrence is the pride of the pitching staff, as the 24-year-old went 11-13 with a 4.43 ERA in his first full season in the bigs. Rex Byrd and a quality bullpen helped Pittsburgh finish with a team ERA below 5.00 (4.95). Unfortunately, the Pug Dogs have lost two of those relievers to free agency, so the pitching may take a bit of a hit. The Pug Dogs also have to replace Louie Bonilla, who posted a 3.96 ERA in 143 innings before getting traded to Anaheim.

Given a few shrewd moves, the Pug Dogs can definitely contend for third over the next couple seasons, but they just don't have the offensive firepower to hang with New York and Boston. They'll need to decide whether they want to see if they can just retool the current group or if they need to blow it up and start over.

Season 6 prediction: 60 wins following a midseason fire sale.

Best hitters in the world

Last week, we looked at the best pitchers in the world. Now, it's time to take a look at the best hitters in the history of Gleeman World. We'll be looking purely at offensive contributions, so positional considerations don't matter. If you're interested in the best all-around player in world history, it's pretty much a race between a couple of NL center fielders.

Anyway, here are the top dozen hitters over the first five seasons, from No. 12 to No. 1.

12. Brian Wilson doesn't have the power of some of the others on this list, but his career on-base percentage is third-best in the world. For his career, he's hit .327/.413/.524 with 108 homers, 447 runs and 404 RBIs in 743 games.

A two-time Silver Slugger at catcher, Wilson's best season came in season 1, when he hit .340/.438/.564 with 23 homers, 92 RBIs and 98 runs scored. What makes his production even more impressive is that he's spent three seasons playing in pitcher's parks and has never had a home park that helps hitters.

11. Charlie Stevens is similar to Wilson, but with a little more power and a slightly lower OBP. For his career, Stevens has hit .321/.407/.551 with 160 homers, 441 runs scored and 521 RBIs in 717 games. His advantage over Wilson would be bigger except for the fact that he's played four seasons in a hitter's park.

An All-Star and Silver Slugger at DH in season 1, Stevens actually had his best performance in season 5, when he hit .347/.444/.573 with 29 homers, 104 runs scored and 122 RBIs and set career highs in runs, hits, doubles, walks, batting average, OBP and OPS.

10. Trey Fonville has gotten better each full season he's been in the majors, culminating in his AL MVP runner-up campaign in season 5. For his career, Fonville has hit .299/.376/.597 with 210 homers, 517 runs scored and 635 RBIs in 676 games.

A three-time All-Star and one-time Silver Slugger, Fonville could be even higher on this list in another two or three seasons. As is, he's coming off three consecutive 50-plus homer, 115-plus run, 130-plus RBI seasons.

9. Toby Joseph hasn't been flashy, but he gets the job done. He's hit .317/.398/.589 with 210 homers, 572 runs scored and 657 RBIs in 776 games. He's never hit 50 homers, but he's topped 38 every season and has 130-plus RBIs in four of his five seasons.

The AL MVP and Silver Slugger at 1B in season 1 and a two-time All-Star, Joseph has actually been at his best the past three seasons, hitting at least .326 with an OBP of at least .404 and a SLG of at least .572 each season.

8. Bernard Rhodes has only shown big-time home run power once, but he's never collected fewer than 70 extra-base hits in a season and he's also never had a batting average below .325. For his career, Rhodes has hit .337/.404/.595 with 201 homers, 569 runs scored and 619 RBIs in 774 games.

A two-time All-Star, Rhodes had by far his best performance in season 5, when he posted the second-highest average in world history at .379. Along with that came a .453 OBP and .643 SLG. And he controlled the strike zone about as well as possible with 75 walks against only 35 strikeouts.

7. Rickey Dixon is something of an unsung star in Chicago, getting overshadowed by a certain center fielder and starting pitcher, but there's not questioning how important his bat is to the Jayhawks. In his career, he's hit .312/.409/.597 with 209 homers, 504 runs and 655 RBIs in 738 games.

A three-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger, Dixon's seasons have ranged from very good (.923 OPS in season 3 and .929 in season 5) to excellent (1.071 OPS in season 4 and 1.096 in season 1). He's posted a batting average as high as .350 (season 4) and topped 50 homers once (51 in season 1).

6. Bryan Beckett is amazingly consistent on offense, posting an OPS between .987 and 1.044 every season and hitting 41-49 homers every year. For his career, the one-time MVP and four-time All-Star has hit .307/.396/.613 with 229 homers, 701 runs and 679 RBIs in 755 games.

If you're wondering why Beckett's ranked ahead of Dixon even though they have nearly the same career OPS and Dixon's is based on the high OBP, it's because Beckett contributes with his legs as well. In addition to being one of the most feared hitters in the game, he has 129 steals in 140 attempts for an 86.6 percent success rate.

5. Matt Governale holds the single-season record with 77 home runs and is one of three players with multiple MVP awards. Also a three-time All-Star and three-time Silver Slugger, he's hit .324/.398/.660 with 284 homers, 682 runs scored and 689 RBIs in 770 games.

Governale made his big league debut early in season 1 and had a good but not spectacular rookie season. Since then, he's hit .326 while averaging 63 homers, 148 runs and 153 RBIs, missing just three games in those four seasons.

4. Hector Santos doesn't have quite as good a peak season as Governale, but he's been much more consistent over the five seasons. For his career, he's hit .328/.398/.665 with 272 homers, 653 runs and 738 RBIs in 769 games.

A four-time All-Star and five-time Silver Slugger, Santos is without a doubt the best player who hasn't won an MVP award. His worst season was season 1, when he posted a 1.024 OPS with 44 homers 128 runs and 129 RBIs. He's hit at least 54 homers, driven in at least 144 runs and posted an OPS of at least 1.047 every season since.

3. Fritz Rushford is the only three-time MVP, and much of that is because he's the second-biggest on-base threat in the world. For his career, Rushford has hit .341/.442/.613 with 172 homers, 629 runs and 626 RBIs in 791 games, all while playing his entire career in pitcher's parks.

A three-time All-Star and four-time Silver Slugger, he might rank even higher on this list had he not fallen off a bit in season 5. He posted an OPS between 1.066 and 1.100 in each of his first four seasons before dropping to .939 in season 5. And while he hasn't shown nearly as much home run power as most of the other guys on this list, he does have four seasons with 40-plus doubles.

2. Edwin Hogan may be the best pure hitter in the world. A two-time MVP, three-time Silver Slugger and four-time All-Star, he's hit .364/.454/.654 with 186 homers, 542 runs and 629 RBIs in 655 games.

Hogan holds the league record with a .383 batting average in season 3, and he checks in at third and fourth on the list with .376 and .367 marks in seasons 2 and 4. His .364 career batting average is 21 points higher than Rushford in second place. There are just two reasons he's not No. 1 on this list. One, he's missed an average of 31 games a season. Two, he's played his entire career in the best hitter's park in the league.

1. Unlike Chipper Velandia, who has spent his entire career playing in a pretty severe pitcher's park and still managed to hit .329/.408/.685 with 274 homers, 591 runs and 694 RBIs in 739 games.

A four-time All-Star and three-time Silver Slugger, Velandia won his first MVP award in season 5 when he hit .334/.399/.759 with 72 homers, 135 runs and a league-record 181 RBIs. That wasn't even his best season, however, as he posted a ridiculous 1.193 OPS in season 3. Not only is he the only player to top the 1.150 mark twice, but Governale's the only other hitter who's even done it once.

As good as he's been, it's scary to think about what Velandia's career might look like if he played in a park that helps hitters.

AL South Preview: Season 6

Florida (Season 5: 93-69, AL South Champion)

With a strong Season 5 campaign, the Cottonmouths returned to their familiar spot atop the AL South Standings after seeing their record gradually decrease over the first four seasons. And given the infamously trade recluse ownership in Florida (it's been over 3 full seasons since Florida swung a trade of any significance), they did it the hard way - by staying within the organization.

With the exception of veteran LF Peter Li, who was signed at a bargain rate, all major contributions came from within. The story starts with the Season 5 AL Cy Young Ismael Molina, who pitched his way to a stunning 18-3 record, putting up a stingy .597 OPS against, 1.11 WHIP and 2.65 ERA over 197.1 innings in only his second full year in the bigs. Joining Ismael in his second season, and at the All-Star game, was 2nd year man, 24 year old SP Cy Kelly (15-8, 3.37, 237.2 IP) and 25 year old 2nd year C Ernest Crawford (.829 OPS, 4.14 CERA). And it doesn't end there: Sparky Rando (AA) is a can't-miss prospect who should be seeing the awful confines of Pro Player stadium in the next year or two. Florida is a going to be a powerhouse for several seasons, with only veteran All-Star RP Philip Byrd at risk of declining next year.

Season 6 Prediction: 98 wins, Division Champions

Nashville (Season 5: 73-89)

Season 5 was a bit of a rebound year for the Twang, as they improved from their franchise-worst 66 wins in Season 4, while managing to reduce their player payroll for a 5th straight season. Unfortunately, that's about the extent of the positives for the big club in Season 5, which went All-Star-less for the first time in their history, as former All-Stars like RP Jay Piazza, CF Del Garcia and 2B RJ Granados all got off to slow starts. Their record was also about 5 games better than expected, and their offense put up the 3rd fewest runs in the AL.

Not all is lost though. With the 4th overall pick in Season 5, Birdie Cornelius became the latest in a string of young pitchers to announce their happiness at being Twang's - he is a can't-miss stud well on his way to tearing up the bigs. Others young guns like Chilli Coles and Francis Green combine with the current young ML staff to form a very deep nucleus of starting pitching. The team also ended the year on a positive note, sweeping the final set of Player of the Week awards, with the honors going to 3B Esteban Manzanillo and SP Chad Neal. With that in mind, the next 2 years should be good ones in Nashville, although management will likely need to trade some veterans to help surround that young nucleus of pitching talent.

Season 6 Prediction: 78 wins

Richmond (Season 5: 60-102)

A 21-game drop in the W column from Season 4 to 5 represented pretty much a worst-case scenario for Roustabout fans. Falling from division champions to 33 games out of 1st in a single season is a hard blow to accept for any fan base. Perhaps by design, there was very little activity in Richmond this past offseason - only 1 ML player signed (a backup catcher) and no real trades of any consequence. Richmond did a fantastic job in the Rule V, stealing Trenidad Silva with the 19th pick (!) And with a middle round draft pick, Richmond did fairly well, selecting Slugging 1B Benito Alvarez.

Looking at the Richmond Depth Chart we see that most of it's high potential talent is already in the bigs suggesting that the team won't make any big moves upward in the standings for the next few years. The team will improve some though, with the aforementioned Silva and Humerto Rivera (who should be back for the start of Season 6) under the age of 23 and well below their projected ceilings still. Add that with some decent younger talent in the low minors, and management's good showings in the drafts, and it's reasonable to expect that this will represent the low point for the Richmond franchise for years to come.

Season 5 Prediction: 68 wins

San Antonio (Season 5: 54-108)

With 54 wins, the Sting were once again the worst team in the AL, and were tied for the worst record in the majors. With the first overall pick for a third consecutive year in Season 6, it's hard to avoid questioning the direction the team has taken since it's high water mark of 83 wins in Season 1. Their first overall picks in both the Rule 4 and 5 drafts left much to be desired, given other players available later on in both drafts. Perhaps predictably, the team was entirely shut-out of post-season awards, without a single candidate in any section at the ML level.

Season 6 doesn't hold much more promise for the Sting faithful either. While there are a few youngsters at the ML level, many of the recent draft picks are still several seasons away. They should once again be competing for last place overall.

Season 6 Prediction: 50 wins, worst record in the majors