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Young Drachma · 10-19-2012, 06:28 PM

You know how hard it is to write these things when so many teams are so close to each other? It's such a weird league now. But I love the parity in the sense that literally anything could happen this year.

This is part 1 of a two part series.

CONTENDERS

CLEVELAND SPIDERS:

This is the same team that despite a new city, new owner and technically an entirely new history, barely missed out on the playoffs last year (as the now defunct Shem Creek Shrimp). They didn't make any big moves, but they didn't lose anyone either. In the tight NL, I feel like they're a surprise contender waiting to happen.

If at mid-season they're in the race, we'll see if their ownership makes any bold moves to keep them in the hunt.

CLEVELAND LABORERS

What the heck, man? When it rains, it pours in Cleveland. This team who played in Hilton Head last year also had some fight in them, before dropping back down the stretch. I LOVE the Jimmy Ridgeway acquisition. NO ONE saw that coming and I think this is a team that's going to give everyone in the AL fits all year. If Kosaku Hirata has anything left in the tank and their young players are up to snuff, I have to think these guys are going to be right in the mix for a playoff spot. The AL will be more of a dogfight than the NL has been the past few years (where six teams have been within 2 GB of a playoff spot down to the last week of the year) because there are so many teams right on the cusp.

We might go from zero Cleveland teams to two, both in the post-season in Year 1.

KAUAI EMERALDS

Hey remember these guys? Just a removed from an improbably first-ever title, the Emeralds took a step back last year, hurt largely by no standout performances on their roster, budget cuts forcing them to release guys due to cap space and the dogfight that was the Nationwide League last year. Picked as the pre-season favorite to win the NL regular season pennant, look for wolvie's squad to rebound after last year's disappointment.

They just have too much talent to be this down and out for a 2nd year. If they enter the mid-season too far back, look for him to fire sale the club in the hopes of selling off pieces to contenders.

PRETENDERS

WASHINGTON GRAYS

If you had to name a team in SLOP with the 3rd highest payroll, would WASHINGTON be the first club off your lips? No. But there they sit at over $97m in payroll.

The same core has been there since the days of the Banditos in LA, but his moves to improve the team and earn a playoff berth have been elusive. Two straight losing seasons and three straight years no better than 5th and the Grays have no farm system to speak of either. If ownership was smart, he'd be selling off parts for pennies on the dollar, hoping to recover something for his team, loading up on draft picks and trying to slow-grow his way back to the playoffs.

Instead, they stand pat. Even after dumping Matt White's $16m deal to St. Louis, they went out and picked up Manny Fuentes .

It's hard to see how this club will think it expects to improve, even in an NL that's wide open, without having made any impactful signings that will get them any further than they are. Anything is possible. It's a good team, but they're just below the top echelon of NL clubs with a lot more assets and personnel. They're too thin to be a real contender.

BROOKLYN TITANS

A yo-yo club these days, after making the playoffs last year, the Titans are probably back to the doldrums again. They brought back Carlos Sanchez but lost Beau Fisher and his near-50 HR pace for unproven OF Jamie Hall who has some pop but has no ML experience.

What the Titans have that other pretenders don't is experience and cap space. If mid-season arrives and they feel like they're able to get back into the NL race, they can make some moves to put themselves into contention. This is a good team that made the playoffs last year and while they lost something, they didn't lose so much that they're going to see a huge dropoff. The real difference is, 83 wins probably won't be enough to make the NL postseason this year.

LAKE PLACID MIRACLES

The Miracles join the NL this year and are in a weird spot where it looks like they're rebuilding but still have some nice young pieces. It won't be a long rebuild at that rate. Still don't look for these guys to make much noise this season at all.

10-19-2012, 06:28 PM	#15
Young Drachma Dark Cloud Join Date: Apr 2001	CONTENDERS V. PRETENDERS PART ONE You know how hard it is to write these things when so many teams are so close to each other? It's such a weird league now. But I love the parity in the sense that literally anything could happen this year. This is part 1 of a two part series. CONTENDERS CLEVELAND SPIDERS: This is the same team that despite a new city, new owner and technically an entirely new history, barely missed out on the playoffs last year (as the now defunct Shem Creek Shrimp). They didn't make any big moves, but they didn't lose anyone either. In the tight NL, I feel like they're a surprise contender waiting to happen. If at mid-season they're in the race, we'll see if their ownership makes any bold moves to keep them in the hunt. CLEVELAND LABORERS What the heck, man? When it rains, it pours in Cleveland. This team who played in Hilton Head last year also had some fight in them, before dropping back down the stretch. I LOVE the Jimmy Ridgeway acquisition. NO ONE saw that coming and I think this is a team that's going to give everyone in the AL fits all year. If Kosaku Hirata has anything left in the tank and their young players are up to snuff, I have to think these guys are going to be right in the mix for a playoff spot. The AL will be more of a dogfight than the NL has been the past few years (where six teams have been within 2 GB of a playoff spot down to the last week of the year) because there are so many teams right on the cusp. We might go from zero Cleveland teams to two, both in the post-season in Year 1. KAUAI EMERALDS Hey remember these guys? Just a removed from an improbably first-ever title, the Emeralds took a step back last year, hurt largely by no standout performances on their roster, budget cuts forcing them to release guys due to cap space and the dogfight that was the Nationwide League last year. Picked as the pre-season favorite to win the NL regular season pennant, look for wolvie's squad to rebound after last year's disappointment. They just have too much talent to be this down and out for a 2nd year. If they enter the mid-season too far back, look for him to fire sale the club in the hopes of selling off pieces to contenders. PRETENDERS WASHINGTON GRAYS If you had to name a team in SLOP with the 3rd highest payroll, would WASHINGTON be the first club off your lips? No. But there they sit at over $97m in payroll. The same core has been there since the days of the Banditos in LA, but his moves to improve the team and earn a playoff berth have been elusive. Two straight losing seasons and three straight years no better than 5th and the Grays have no farm system to speak of either. If ownership was smart, he'd be selling off parts for pennies on the dollar, hoping to recover something for his team, loading up on draft picks and trying to slow-grow his way back to the playoffs. Instead, they stand pat. Even after dumping Matt White's $16m deal to St. Louis, they went out and picked up Manny Fuentes . It's hard to see how this club will think it expects to improve, even in an NL that's wide open, without having made any impactful signings that will get them any further than they are. Anything is possible. It's a good team, but they're just below the top echelon of NL clubs with a lot more assets and personnel. They're too thin to be a real contender. BROOKLYN TITANS A yo-yo club these days, after making the playoffs last year, the Titans are probably back to the doldrums again. They brought back Carlos Sanchez but lost Beau Fisher and his near-50 HR pace for unproven OF Jamie Hall who has some pop but has no ML experience. What the Titans have that other pretenders don't is experience and cap space. If mid-season arrives and they feel like they're able to get back into the NL race, they can make some moves to put themselves into contention. This is a good team that made the playoffs last year and while they lost something, they didn't lose so much that they're going to see a huge dropoff. The real difference is, 83 wins probably won't be enough to make the NL postseason this year. LAKE PLACID MIRACLES The Miracles join the NL this year and are in a weird spot where it looks like they're rebuilding but still have some nice young pieces. It won't be a long rebuild at that rate. Still don't look for these guys to make much noise this season at all. Last edited by Young Drachma : 10-19-2012 at 06:29 PM.