1844 TEAM PREVIEWS

[Young Drachma]

Milwaukee Blue Ribbons

Last season: 80-82, 5th place Nationwide League

After ending their five-year streak of postseason appearances, the Blue Ribbons took a step back last year posting their first losing record in franchise history. If all indications are what they seem to be, the '44 season doesn't look to offer much hope in the Cream City.

PITCHING
The team still boasts one of the best pitching staffs in SLOP with J.P. Maillet and Juan Salsa both coming off 15-win seasons last year despite the downturn. To make matters worse, they pitched well. Salsa had 22 quality stats, Warner Armstrong boasted 19 and Maillet wasn't far behind with 18.

If there was more offense to go with it, the team might have a fighting chance but at least they know they go into every night with arms that can get them to the bullpen. Once they get there, there's not a whole lot backing them up.

Closer Pancho Gutierrez is the kind of guy who will win the game if needed, but isn't the sort of closer they seem to use to save games as he only logged 1 save last year, but had 124 strikeouts in 117 2/3 innings of work. The rest of the bullpen isn't much to note, but the club did pony up to bring back reliever Juan Fuentes after one-year in exile in Philadelphia.

OFFENSE
The team's leader on the field is 3rd year star Dale Turner who belted 43 HRs and 106 RBI in his 2nd season and first full year in the majors. The team hopes LEGACY player Moe Jackson can return to the form of two years ago when he hit .363 and longtime first baseman Nate Wilson will be looked upon to find his way after missing 100+ RBI for the first time in his six years in the bigs last season.


OVERVIEW
The verdict in Milwaukee is the club just lacks the firepower to go toe-to-toe night in and night with the Nationwide League's best teams. Without that sort of talent, it's going to be hard for the club to make the sort of noise we've grown accustomed to seeing out of the ballclub and so, it'll be a long year in Milwaukee -- likely a longer year than they've ever experienced thus far.

It'll be interesting to see whether the club will make the calculation that it needs to rebuild fully and starts selling off parts to other contenders.

PROJECTED RECORD: 60-102, 6th place Nationwide League

[Young Drachma]

Shizuoka Rough Riders
Last season: 54-108, 6th place, Associated League

OVERVIEW
The Rough Riders are easily the most traveled team in the history of SLOP. And once again, new ownership has sent the team to a new destination. But this time, rather than the ballclub deciding to stay on the shores of the U.S. of A, they've agreed to go to Japan when the Phoenix Firebirds ownership wanted to take the club to Japan. This meant switching leagues, giving the San Diego Fathers and Los Angeles Vulcans rivals in their own states and giving SLOP a rivalry in the Far East as well.

Despite the loss of the designated hitter, it shouldn't matter much as the team never really had the roster spot filled in the past year anyway.

The brightest spot in the offense is third baseman Kevin Smith. After missing the 100 RBI mark last year, it's expected he'll get back into the act of things this year and should hit around .300. Second-year ace Warren Helton should also shine bright, despite the team's lack of firepower in the lineup and in doing so, establishing himself as one of SLOP's best new pitchers. He went 9-17 in his rookie year, but still managed to strike out 130 batters in 33 stats with no real offense backing him up.

Speaking of offense, 1B Terence Jordan pitched in last year with 26 HRs and RF Vic Fievet had 28, but along with Smith they were the only three players on the squad over 20.

Be on the lookout for 19-year old rookie phenom Sugar Joe Mosley who ought to be up by mid-season if not sooner and expects to dazzle audiences in SLOP for years to come in the outfield as a talented defense and guy who can score runs, steal bases and hit for average.

The Rough Riders will struggle to hit for average all year and that's going to really hurt their ability to do much as the year goes on. A flawed team no matter what league they're in.

PREDICTION: 65-97, 5th place Nationwide League

[Young Drachma]

BROOKLYN TITANS
Last season: 82-80, 3rd place Nationwide League

The Titans have turned it around from the club that started off their SLOP existence with three straight 100+ loss seasons. They've improved and feel like this is the year that they can become true contenders for the post-season.

On the offensive side, the team boasts a formidable middle of the order that few teams could match in Kelvin Boyd, Jeff O'Day and Cecil Bryant. 6th hitter Billy Randall is no slouch either, the LEGACY player in his 4th season boasting three straight years of 20+ steals and a career average of .286. If he can get back into the .300s, it's going to go a long way to helping his team fight for a playoff spot.

The thing separating Brooklyn from the other contenders in the NL is their pitching. Gerald Massey, Ryan Schaefer and perennial ace Juan Martinez are a 1-2-3 combo that are hard to match. Their bullpen is anchored by Nicolai Fowles who had 31 saves last year and Scott Burrell who had 24 of his own, making them the best 1-2 relief tandem in the bigs.

So where are the problems? Depth. The Titans don't have much of a bench and their bullpen isn't especially strong. Still, with their stellar pitching and hard hitting lineup and speed on the basepaths, it would not be a shock to see the Titans emerge out of the NL with one of the two spots in what should be the most heavily contested pennant race we've ever seen in the NL.

Still, it's probably not going to be enough and it'll be another year out of the mix for the Boys from Brooklyn.

PREDICTION: 89-73, 4th place Nationwide League

[Young Drachma]

CHICAGO HORNETS
Last season: 81-81, 4th place Nationwide League

The Hornets are two years removed from a 100-loss season and have never made the playoffs, but if 1844 is evidence of a new tide turning with back-to-back champions (albeit from the AL) who were first-time champs from non-juggernaut pedigree, we're expecting that Chicago might just be hope to such a kind of club.

The right mix of youth, talent and depth, the Hornets seemed poised for a breakout year.

Defending NL Rookie of the Year Steven Chowen seems ready for another strong season that should boast over .300 average and 30+ HRs and 100 RBIs. Super utility man Joe Johnson is energized after his 1st season in Chicago and should contribute heavily offensive and defensively too.

The team is hoping that new starting catcher Travis Sanders has something left in the tank, as he could be a huge asset to their title hopes. He hasn't had a year like his rookie year (28 HR/106 RBI) but the past few years he's been sitting in a platoon role in Memphis. As the indisputed starter in Chicago, we'll see how he's able to handle it.

Speaking of new acquisitions, Spencer Miller comes over from New York in a trade for 1B Jim Nicholson and hopes to lend his .300 + average and pop in his bat to a contending team after years of near-misses in the Big Apple. The '38 MVH was a huge acquisition for the Hornets.

Infielder Andy Scott comes over from Carolina and should also be a useful asset. But where titles are made and lost are in the pitching staff.

What Chicago lacks in firepower, it makes up for in horses who eat innings. Four of Chicago's starters all logged 200+ IP last year. Ace Bobby Foster returns after an 18-win season, Bill Hicks, Emilio Contreras and Rich Malone round out a rotation that is anchored by a bullpen stopper Colby Wade who guarantees games end when the team is up.

What Chicago has that say, a Carolina doesn't is depth and that might be the difference maker in determining the NL race. It's not a flashy ballclub, but they're deep and they have the right mix of talent at the right positions which should bode well as the year goes on.

If it stacks up like it's supposed to, the Hornets will end up in a playoff with the Kings for the NL wild card.

PREDICTION: 95-67, T-2nd place Nationwide League

[Young Drachma]

Rather than make up my own records, I just use the game-generated predictions to determine them. It's a lot easier that way.

[Young Drachma]

CAROLINA KINGS
94-68, Lost in Nationwide League Championship Series to Phoenix 4 games to 3

After years of perpetually being the worst team in SLOP, owner Cole has turned this team around into one of the most consistent in the league and this year should be no different as the Kings look to get over the hump of their first-ever playoff appearance and the doorstep of the Fall Classic and actually make it all of the way this year.

Hank Griggs has emerged as the best pitcher in baseball hands down. With two POY awards in his awards locker, the ace guns for a 3rd this coming year and should be successful in whatever endeavor he pursues. He went 21-6 last year, struck out over 250 (257) and had 13 complete games. The Kings bring back two 16-game winners in the "Latin Kings" Tony Perez and Alberto Trujillo. Allen Gorman was no slouch with 14-wins last year and [b]Jimmy Wilder[b] was no slouch with six complete games.

The reason so many teams in the NL have bad bullpens is because Carolina single-handedly made them that way. The Kings this off-season were the most active team signing not one but TWO ace closers from NL rivals. Their own old closer George Howard logged 43 saves last year. But regardless of any clubhouse issues with ego, the team inked former Milwaukee closer Terry O'Morrissey and his 38 saves and then brought former Phoenix closer Patrick Dillard on board before he could take a jet to Japan with his old team.

There's simply no team in baseball with that much talent able to take the ball from the 7-8-9th innings. It'll be amazing to see what it yields.

Offensively, the Kings had six guys in their lineup with 20+ HRs and all of them are back. Defending NL MVH, Ed Saunders and his 48 HRs, .343 batting average, 26 steals and what's likely to be a future FRANCHISE tag are here to dazzle the Carolina faithful for another year. Joe Arnold might not hit for average, but when he's not striking out (125 K last year) he's going yard (40 HRs) and that's good enough for this team. Jose Pacheco doesn't have much pop but he hit .336 with 17 triples last year and 43 doubles.

Bottom line, few teams will have as much talent 1-9 offensively as the Kings and as such, they'll be a very tough team to beat night in and night out.

PREDICTION: 95-67, T-2nd NATIONWIDE LEAGUE

[Young Drachma]

KYOTO PILOTS
Last season (as the Phoenix Firebirds): 99-63, NL Champions, Lost in Sunset Series 5 games to 0 to Memphis

A new owner. A new address. When I first got the note that Ghost Rider, the new owner of the Pilots wanted to move his club to Japan I was skittish. I'm not a huge fan of team moves unless they're some kind of narrative to them or the names make sense. It just makes the league a little easier to follow if the teams have a coherent narrative over time especially as fast-sim leagues generate a lot of history...there's nothing worse than not being able to know where the teams originated or who they were.

But when the Rough Riders agreed to move to Japan too, I thought it might be a neat storyline to pursue and so, I relented.

While there's a lot of new things in Kyoto, the one thing that remains consistent is that this is a VERY good ballclub. The franchise has missed the post-season only once in their existence, have three straight 1st place finishes going and have never won less than 89 games to date. Talk about a legacy.

Justin Gorman is the best player in SLOP and will someday be a first-ballot hall of famer. After nearly becoming the first guy since 1842 to hit 50 HRs, scoring 115 runs and hitting .345, you have to wonder what he'll do for an encore. With so many stars in this league having a hard time staying consistent, there's no slowdown in him at all.

Eugene Nelson returned to form last year with 38 HRs and nearly hitting .300 after his sophomore campaign failed to meet his own expectations. LEGACY star Jack Quevada should be back to score a ton of runs, hit lots of triples and provide solid defense too.

Dan Ackerman and Andres Miranda have been around for every hit, bounce and out of this franchise and this year will be no different. They combined for 33 wins last year and if the Pilots are to keep up with their legacy, those two will need to bring their A-games again.

The Pilots lost their aforementioned closer to Carolina, which will sting. But Mike Todd hopes to take over for him. Vincent Whitaker comes over from Milwaukee having never been relied upon as a huge starter but the expectations here will be that he can contribute 15+ wins.

Ultimately, this team doesn't seem to boast the same formidable nature that it's once boasted in the past, but it's going to rely on a lot of guys who haven't had a chance to play a lot especially in the rotation and bullpen to decide whether the playoff streak stays alive or whether they'll be on the outside looking in with at least three other clubs in the NL who are all playoff ready.

PREDICTION: 97-65, 1st place Nationwide League

[Young Drachma]

My own personal predictions after looking at the NL:

1. Carolina
2. Chicago
3. Kyoto
4. Brooklyn
5. Milwaukee
6. Shizuoka

[Young Drachma]

LOS ANGELES VULCANS
Last season: 68-94, 6th place Nationwide League

The Vulcans were once the "best team to not win a title" in earlier part of the decade. Now? They're a rudderless franchise with some slivers of talent that's now waiting out the last year of Jerry Price's monster contract so they can do what all of baseball expects and not pick up the team option next year. That move alone ought to help the team start to really build itself out of a mess.

In spite of that, we do have some talent here and the hope is that with the move to the AL a fresh start will have them contending again in no time. Andy Baker was an MVP candidate for part of last year after a 35 HR season and IF Jay-man Yun is a fan favorite who gets on base and hits for average (.303/19 HR last season). Price, despite his deal is heralded as a clubhouse class act and can be counted on for some production. But the real problem are his strikeouts (177 last year) and if those can be contained, the guy can be the Jerry Price of old. The team is especially excited about its long-awaited LEGACY player in catcher Skippy Kaufman who had a huge spring and ought to be a

Like many teams at the bottom of the standings, it's about depth. The Vulcans don't have any and that's what separates them from the teams that ought to finish higher in the standings this year.

Their pitching staff is nothing to get too excited about. Second-year ace Dalton Hewitt would be a middle of the rotation guy on most teams (14-14, 4.84 ERA last year) and LA native Kenny Barnes offers the best control of most hurlers in baseball and will be on many lists for mid-season acquisitions when the team inevitably finds themselves out of the pennant race (147 K, 20 BB in 243.2 IP last year)

They lost their closer to Carolina and didn't replace him, either. It'll be a long year in LA, no two ways about it. But hey, at least they can start a rivalry with San Diego right?

PREDICTION: 40-122, 6th place Associated League

[Cole]

Originally Posted by Dark Cloud

CAROLINA KINGS
94-68, Lost in Nationwide League Championship Series to Phoenix 4 games to 3

After years of perpetually being the worst team in SLOP, owner Cole has turned this team around into one of the most consistent in the league and this year should be no different as the Kings look to get over the hump of their first-ever playoff appearance and the doorstep of the Fall Classic and actually make it all of the way this year.

Hank Griggs has emerged as the best pitcher in baseball hands down. With two POY awards in his awards locker, the ace guns for a 3rd this coming year and should be successful in whatever endeavor he pursues. He went 21-6 last year, struck out over 250 (257) and had 13 complete games. The Kings bring back two 16-game winners in the "Latin Kings" Tony Perez and Alberto Trujillo. Allen Gorman was no slouch with 14-wins last year and [b]Jimmy Wilder was no slouch with six complete games.

[b]The reason so many teams in the NL have bad bullpens is because Carolina single-handedly made them that way. The Kings this off-season were the most active team signing not one but TWO ace closers from NL rivals. Their own old closer George Howard logged 43 saves last year. But regardless of any clubhouse issues with ego, the team inked former Milwaukee closer Terry O'Morrissey and his 38 saves and then brought former Phoenix closer Patrick Dillard on board before he could take a jet to Japan with his old team.

There's simply no team in baseball with that much talent able to take the ball from the 7-8-9th innings. It'll be amazing to see what it yields.

Offensively, the Kings had six guys in their lineup with 20+ HRs and all of them are back. Defending NL MVH, Ed Saunders and his 48 HRs, .343 batting average, 26 steals and what's likely to be a future FRANCHISE tag are here to dazzle the Carolina faithful for another year. Joe Arnold might not hit for average, but when he's not striking out (125 K last year) he's going yard (40 HRs) and that's good enough for this team. Jose Pacheco doesn't have much pop but he hit .336 with 17 triples last year and 43 doubles.

Bottom line, few teams will have as much talent 1-9 offensively as the Kings and as such, they'll be a very tough team to beat night in and night out.

PREDICTION: 95-67, T-2nd NATIONWIDE LEAGUE

Really cool predictions DC. I hope there is no egos at play and everyone is happy with Dillard closing and leaves it at that!

Question, when did my logo change? It used to just be the plain 'C' which I thought worked well with a 1840's team, now I have this lion with the crown. Anyway just wondering what's up with that. Looking forward to the season!

[Young Drachma]

Originally Posted by Cole

Really cool predictions DC. I hope there is no egos at play and everyone is happy with Dillard closing and leaves it at that!

Question, when did my logo change? It used to just be the plain 'C' which I thought worked well with a 1840's team, now I have this lion with the crown. Anyway just wondering what's up with that. Looking forward to the season!

All of the logos were on my home laptop which is now on the fritz and so, I needed to replace them all on my work machine so that we'd have graphics and so, I just replaced them all.

We're not "really" in the 1800s, I just did it that way in the beginning because I figured if we managed to sim 200+ years ahead that it'd be a lot nicer to play in years that are somewhat recognizable than playing in the 2100s and so forth.

Anyway, I'll fix it back to something simpler. No worries.

[SeriesVCoop]

Originally Posted by Dark Cloud

LOS ANGELES VULCANS
Last season: 68-94, 6th place Nationwide League

The Vulcans were once the "best team to not win a title" in earlier part of the decade. Now? They're a rudderless franchise with some slivers of talent that's now waiting out the last year of Jerry Price's monster contract so they can do what all of baseball expects and not pick up the team option next year. That move alone ought to help the team start to really build itself out of a mess.

In spite of that, we do have some talent here and the hope is that with the move to the AL a fresh start will have them contending again in no time. Andy Baker was an MVP candidate for part of last year after a 35 HR season and IF Jay-man Yun is a fan favorite who gets on base and hits for average (.303/19 HR last season). Price, despite his deal is heralded as a clubhouse class act and can be counted on for some production. But the real problem are his strikeouts (177 last year) and if those can be contained, the guy can be the Jerry Price of old. The team is especially excited about its long-awaited LEGACY player in catcher Skippy Kaufman who had a huge spring and ought to be a

Like many teams at the bottom of the standings, it's about depth. The Vulcans don't have any and that's what separates them from the teams that ought to finish higher in the standings this year.

Their pitching staff is nothing to get too excited about. Second-year ace Dalton Hewitt would be a middle of the rotation guy on most teams (14-14, 4.84 ERA last year) and LA native Kenny Barnes offers the best control of most hurlers in baseball and will be on many lists for mid-season acquisitions when the team inevitably finds themselves out of the pennant race (147 K, 20 BB in 243.2 IP last year)

They lost their closer to Carolina and didn't replace him, either. It'll be a long year in LA, no two ways about it. But hey, at least they can start a rivalry with San Diego right?

PREDICTION: 40-122, 6th place Associated League

Ooof that's rough prediction. We're gonna be better than you think!