The Greenberg Gazette

Tampa Takes A Thriller

2009-07-29T06:22:00.000-07:00

The Typhoon rallied from a 3-1 deficit to take the 12th Greenberg World Series, becoming the 11th franchise in the world to win it all. Here's how it unfolded:

Game 1: Eric Belle pops an opposite-field solo shot in top 9; Zambrano closes out a 3-2 win for Tampa. Tampa up 1-0.

Game 2: The Bon Temps put up 5 early and the 'pen makes it stick; Montreal beats Flores and Javier 5-3. Series tied 1-1.

Game 3: Al Perez and relievers outduel Clayton Edwards & co 2-1. Montreal leads 2-1.

Game 4: Up 1-0, Montreal scores 3 on a double, a single, a dropped flyball and a triple in the 6th. The Typhoon answer with 2, but the Bob Temps get 2 more in top 7 with a pair of singles, a run-scoring DP and a Boucher solo homer. Tampa counters again with a Gustavo Vega (AL ROY) 2-run double. But then the Bob Temps relievers take over with 2 scoreless innings. Montreal wins 7-4 and goes up 3 games to 1.

Game 5: Raul Flores goes 7 strong innings and Zambrano gets a 2-inning save as Tampa staves off the first match point. Montreal leads 3 games to 2.

Game 6: Edwards strikes out 13 in 8 scoreless innings for Tampa's second straight super-clutch pitching performance. Gustavo Vega drives in 5 in a 9-0 Typhoon win. Series tied 3-3.

Game 7: Tied 4-4 in top 9, Gustavo Vega drives in the go-ahead run (24th post-season RBI). Bottom 9, Zambrano gives up a leadoff single. He fans CRuz for the first out, then gets PH Hitchcock to ground into a 4-6-3 DP. Tampa wins 5-4 and takes the series.

Great season everyone...see you after roll.

How The Seeds Sort Out...

2009-07-15T09:29:00.000-07:00

One game to go and the teams are set, but there's still a number of seeding permutations that can come down. Let's start in the NL.

Montreal and Portland head into the last game tied at 100-61. The Bon Temps can wrap up the #1 seed with a win at Burlington, as they hold the tiebreak over the Microbrews.

Should Montreal lose to the Beanthrowers, Portland takes the #1 seed by beating Albuquerque.

If Montreal and Portland both lose, and Richmond wins over Cincy to create a 3-way tie at 100-62, Montreal gets the #1 seed (first tiebreak over Portland, and second tiebreak, division record, over Richmond), the Elite Ducks take the #2 seed (1st tiebreaker over Portland), and Portland gets the 3 seed.

Got all that? The rest is easy. Monterrey's in as the #4 seed, and Cincinnati and Scottsdale are the wildcards. Congrats to all the NL playoff teams - well done.

The AL is clearer, with only the wild card order in question.

Trenton and Vancouver are set as #'s 1 and 2 and first-round bye's.

Tampa Bay has won the AL South even if Houston pulls into a tie - the Typhoon dominated the season series to win the tiebreaker.

Chicago has the #4 seed and awaits a first-round series with either Salem or Houston.

Salem leads Houston by a game for the #5 seed. Should they tie, Houston gets the #5 seed by winning the season series tiebreaker.

Pennant Races With 14 To Go

2009-07-11T07:28:00.000-07:00

NL North: Montreal has it on cruise control for the division - still playing for the first-round bye.

NL East: Cincy and Richmond are in a dead heat at 92-56 and wrap up the season with a 3-game series - who wins...the Great Americans' pitching or the EliteDucks' hitting? Richmond leads the season series 4-3. Columbus isn't out of the 2nd wildcard but will frankly need a miracle.

NL South: Monterrey seems certain to nail down its 6th straight division crown. Nashville sits 2 games back of Scottsdale for the 2nd wildcard - with a series against Richmond, the Cannonballs appear to have the tougher remaining schedule.

NL West: Portland's in control, with the Skull Crushers 7 back. The Microbrews host Montreal for a 4-game set starting today - if Portland splits, the race is over. Scottsdalehas a 2-game lead on Nashville for #2 wildcard and doesn't have a winning team left on the schedule.

Wildcards: loser of the Cincy-Richmond fracas gets the #1, Scottsdale & Nashville battling for #2, with St. Louis and Columbus only in hail-mary range.

AL North: Chicago has nearly clinched for 2 in a rowl Fargo's 13-game losing streak starting 6/25 all but did them in for both the division and a wildcard.

AL East: The Trenton juggernaut roles on to its 7th straight division title. The only question is whether the Mules will get the #1 or #2 seed - the series with Vancouver will likely answer that one. Charlotte has staged an impressive turnaround this year (from 3 straight sub 60-win years to 77-71), but looks like they'll niss the wildcard by a few games.

AL South: Houston has a 2-game lead on Tampa Bay, with a 3-game series between them remaining. The High Rollers have already won the season series, so a tie goes to them. If they hang on it will be their first division championship since season 1 and the first for long-time owner mrshadow1969.

AL West: Salem and Vancouver have traded the lead several times this year, but the Razers' recent 2-13 skid, plus the Vanquishers' 32-10 since the trade deadline, mean a 7-game cushion for Vancouver. It could still get interesting, as Vancouver still has to play Trenton 4 times (and just dropeed game 1).

Wilcard: Right now the #2 teams from the South and West are locked in; hard to see that changing with Charlotte 9 back.

Around the League at 100 Games (OK, 102)

2009-06-24T19:22:00.000-07:00

AL North

After a slow start, the GoCubsGo has surged into the lead, but the Bombers are just 4 back. Chicago's Pedro Urbina (52) and Fargo's Tim McDonald (45) are making a run at the single-season HR record (along with Salem's Max Merced): Urbina is on pace for 83; McDonald 71.

AL East

Trenton's blazing start has cooled, but they still have the best record in the league and will cruise to their 7th straight division title. Charlotte is gunning for an impressive 40-win improvement over last year.

AL South

Houston clings to a 2-game lead over Tampa and its league-leading 4.13 ERA. Mexico City had a 12-game winning streak early in the season but has been inconsistent since; they're hanging in at 7 games back.

AL West

Could be a Salem's youngsters vs. Vancouvers old codgers seasaw for hte rest of the year. Salem had opened up a 5-game cushion before dropping 2 of 3 to the Vanquishers.

Award Races

MVP: Urbina's the odds-on favorite at this point
Cy Young: No super-dominant starters in the AL this year, although Tampa's Donne Taylor, Houston's Angel Skinner and Trenton's lead the way in ERA and all have 10+ wins. Could a closer win it this year? 4 with sub-3 ERA's...naaahhhh.
Rookie: Looks like a 3-horse race between Charlotte's Eduardo Aguilera, Salem's Jolbert Moreno, and Pittsburgh's Jose Santiago.

NL North

Last year's tight race has turned into a snoozer, with Montreal forging a 17-game lead. The Bon Temps' Robert Huff leads the league with 125 RBI.

NL East

The Cincinnati Great Americans have built Greenberg's best record on a pitching staff that has been rock-solid from top to bottom (world-leading team Whip/ERA of 1.16/3.58). Rookie SP Jude McDowell is 15-2, 2.85 ERA, while 38 year-old leader-of-the-closer-committee Rodney Cunningham is 16-of-17 saves with a nifty 0.74 ERA. Richmond is giving chase with a sporty 63-39 record and the league's best offense.

NL South

Monterrey occupies its customary place atop the division, although the much-improved Nashville is making a race of it. Special shout-out to our emergency fill-in skipper rbedwell, who has St. Louis above .500.

NL West

Portland was on a 12-of-13 streak until Scottsdale won 2 of 3; the Skull Crushers had a 13-of-14 streak earlier in the season but have fallen 8 back.

Award Races

MVP: probably have to go with Montreal's Huff right now, although the Richmond trio (Karim Gomez - .331/46HR/107 , Don Tanaka - .319/35/101, and Tony Ortiz - .372/21/58) are in the running along with Cincy's Diego Sanchez (.299/37/106 but slightly uneven play at 2B).
Cy Young - Montreal's Miguel Vega and David Morales, Cincy's Jude McDowell, Monterrey's Jeremy Tracy, and Little Rock's Frank Sobkowiak all have sub-3.20 ERA's and 10+ wins.
Rookie: Could be between Great American teammates McDowell and Sanchez, although the Nashville duo of Edgar Gonzales and Danys Delgado are having terrific rookie campaigns.

Playoff Predictions

2009-05-31T21:06:00.000-07:00

OK, so it's 40 games in. Doubt it'll make my predictions more accurate though. Here we go:

AL

1. Trenton
2. Tampa Bay
3. Chicago
4. Salem
5. Houston
6. Vancouver

Round 1

Chicago over Vancouver
Salem over Houston

Division Series

Tampa Bay over Chicago
Trenton over Salem

ALCS

Tampa Bay over Trenton

NL

1. Portland
2. Nashville
3. Cincinnati
4. Montreal
5. Richmond
6. Monterrey

Round 1

Monterrey over Cincinnati
Richmond over Montreal

Division Series

Nashville over Monterrey
Richmond over Portland

NLCS

Nashville over Richmond

World Series

Tampa Bay over Nashville

Around the League at 33 Games

2009-05-30T06:28:00.000-07:00

Just over 20% of the season's done. Time to start shoring up the pitching staff or rounding up that lefty bat. What's up around the league?

NL - Who's Hot?

Columbus is on a 13-1 run - 8 players with 5+ HR's as the Clips pace the NL with 64 longballs.

Cincy is 8-2 in their last 10. It's all about pitching - 3.57 leads the world by a wide margin.

Frank Perez, Nashville - 5-0, 1.53 ERA. Only 3 runs below his career ERA.

Rodney Cunningham, Cincinnati and Mark Borbon, St. Louis - both 7-for-7 saves and 0.00 ERA.

Danys Delgado, Nashville - leads the league in RBI (42), 2nd in HR (15), 3rd in OPS (1.136). Early leader for ROY.

NL - Who's Not?

Burlington's pitching, with a 9.22 ERA. 'Course, 0 fatigue will do that.

Albuquerque - followed a 6-2 start with a 7-18 streak. Worst run going by an NL team trying to win.

Last year's Major Award winners: MVP Robert Huff is hitting .244 (the power's still there, though), and Cy Young Albert Acosta is 1-1, 4.39 in 7 starts.

AL - Who's Hot?

Vancouver - 19-4 since being swept by Louisville. League-leading 4.05 ERA.

Mexico City - 11-4 since losing 3 of 4 to Anaheim. Hitters starting to wake up.

Max Merced, Salem, and Bernie Granados, Pittsburgh - tied at 1.221 OPS.

Rigo Guerrero, Salem - leading the league with 2.41 ERA.

Elroy Stevens, Trenton - 14 games, 14 saves, 1.29 ERA.

AL - Who's Not?

Chicago - 6-11 in last 17. What's up with the GoCubsG0? 7.47 Team ERA.

Salem - 8 straight losses if you throw out the Boston series.

Raul Flores (Salem) - last year's Cy Young and ROY is 2-2, 7.61 in 8 starts.

Season 12 Previews - AL West

2009-05-25T20:12:00.000-07:00

The AL South should be ultra-competitive this year, with Kansas City improving, Salem bringing up even more talented prospects, Anaheim reloading around their stars and Vancouver spending like my ex-wife.

Offense

Vancouver adds Rodney Franklin, Esteban Tarraga and Max Guzman to last year's average offense. Should translate to a nice improvement, but the real question is how long these old guys can keep producing. Can Jerry Koch, coming off career highs in HR's and RBI's, approach those levels again? Can Dmitri Duncan ever realize his potential?

Salem scored a respectable 959 runs last season and adds rookie 1B Jolbert Moreno. LF Jason Burroughs, CF Vicente Seguignol and DH Max Merced are all 55-HR threats and 3B Carlos Olivares is still improving. Look for 1000+ runs this year.

Anaheim was well under the league average with 836 runs scored last year and needs to add some punch. Looks like they've found it with rookie DH Douglas Downing and new 3B Jolbert Cornejo, who has bounced between AAA and the majors for the last few years. They join 1B Lonnie Leyritz and LF Craig Brown as the primary power threats, while CF Enrique Cairo and the 2B platoon of Jones and Rossy provide the top-of-the-order on-base skills.

Kansas City also needs an offense transfusion. Unfortunately, they're going to trot out mostly the asme group as last year. Dingo Osik has posted 3 straight .300 seasons, and 2B Osvaldo Pineda showed promise last year. Bo Robinson is the Ramblers' best power source and will split time between DH and 3B.

Pitching

Vancouver's staff was lights out in the first half last year, but faded down the stretch. Borbon, Pascual and Franco return as SP's 1-3, with pricey free agent Fergie Schmidt at #4. George Jarvis and Kevin Walalce will probably both see time as the #5. Closer Al Rios shows no signs of slowing down, and Shannon Connelly solidifies the LR/MR bullpen spot that was vulnerable last year.

Salem's staff is perhaps overshadowed by its gaudy offense, but is solid and improving. Jayson Donovan could step right to the head of the rotation as a rookie; if he can tame the walk totals he'll be very good. Closer Harold Hoffman has improved dramatically the last 2 years and could be moving into Fireman of the Year territory.

3-time Cy Young winner Matt Moore heads the excellent Anaheim pitching corps. Trachsel @ #2, Gabriel @ #3 and Lecuona @ #4 are solid, but #5 Ruben Arroyo is showing signs of decline. Gerald Cedeno was a big boost to middle relief last season and is still improving. Closer Rick Carpenter is money but can't throw every night.

Kansas City's Casey Black struggled last year after seasons of 10 and 12 wins; a rebound is likely. Al Randall and Norm Ross appear set to share closer duties and should be competent, but the rest of the staff is undistinguished. They should come in somewhere around last year's 14th spot in team ERA.

Predictions

1. Salem pulls away late for their first division title since Season 2.
2. Vancouver, Anaheim, K.C finish 2,3,4
3. Veteran on the move: none other than Matt Moore
4. Rookie watch: Anaheim's Douglas Downing

Season 12 Previews - AL South

2009-05-20T19:43:00.000-07:00

This could be one of the best races in Greenberg, as the top 3 teams finished only 4 games apart last year

Offense

Tampa's offense (12th in the AL last year) gets a big boost from rookies Gustavo Vega (1B) and Eric Belle (LF), and free agent signee Ron Cassidy. The Typhoon now have the potential of good-to-superior production at 7 spots, deferring to defensive skills only at SS and CF.

Mexico City depends on the on-base ability of RF Mack Corino and the power of 1B Talmadge Stoops (56 HR) and DH Al Valenzuela (31 HR). The Sun Storm was 7th in the AL in runs last year while raking 10th in both OBP and slugging; without some big moves they may be in for a falloff.

Houston's attack features perhaps the most potent outfield in all of Greenberg: Roundtree, Coveleski and Lopez combined for 156 round-trippers and 415 RBI's last year - 180/440 isn't out of the question. Key stat: if the 1-2 hitters get on base at .370, watch out.

El Paso brings up 5 rookies to try to improve on their league-lagging 696 runs. It'll help - SS Tim Duran and 2B Alfonso Martinez may have been rushed a little, but they'll be fixtures on the AL All-Star squad for much of the next dozen years.

Pitching

Tampa Bay led the AL in ERA last year and will only get better with the additions of Alan Hollins and Bill Alexander. The Typhoon may have the most imposing front 3 in Greenberg with 3-time Cy Young winner Hollins, 3-time All-Star Clayton Edwards, and last year's ROY and Cy Young winner Raul Flores.

Mexico City was a competitive 6th in the AL in ERA last year; they return largely the same staff. With 5 pitchers 35 or older, it's hard not to predict some decline, though. Couple of moves needed to contend.

Houston's Miguel Escuela has been good but not great in his first three years; this could be the season he breaks into the Cy Young conversation. Angel Skinner is a solid #2 and hopes are high for rookie Geraldo Fernandez. Vic Lorraine is a little shaky as a closer but seems to get the job done.

El Paso's all-out youth movement continues with the staff; 4 rookies populate the group. Unlike the position rookies, though, these guys won't make an impact. Closer Virgil Cedeno is the only quality ML pitcher - his biggest value may be as trade bait. They're going the right way but it'll be a long season for the Haskins' pitching coach.

Predictions

1. Order of finish: Tampa Bay, Houston, Mexico City, El Paso
2. Top rookie: Gustave Vega, Tampa Bay
3. Veteran on the move: Virgil Cedeno, El Paso

Season 12 Previews - AL East

2009-05-19T23:21:00.000-07:00

Trenton posted an impressive 113 victories last year en route to winning the division by FORTY-ONE games. Any hope for a race this year? Read on...

Offense

Trenton tallied 1077 runs last season, second only to Chicago in both the AL and the world. The Mules' attack is lead by RF Jimmie Alcantara, who had his third straight 60 HR, 160 RBI season (67/189). And he's ably supported by C Doug Tanner (.353, 25 HR), 1B/2B Greg Jacobs (.299, 55 HR), and 3B Frank Yoshii (.293, 43 HR). Bad news for the division: they lost nobody, and bring up yet another slugger in Vasco Rodriguez.

Louisville's average-ish offense is paced by power threats Al Colon, Dummy Weaver and Ryan McCall. There are no glaring holes here, but with the exceptions of Colon and McCall, no stars. They should be right around 900-920 runs again.

Boston was 12th in the league in runs scored and home runs last year. They need a repeat of last season's performances by DH Jerome Strange (likely), 3B Curt McFeely (possibly) and 1B Angel Carter (iffy); a return to 100-RBI from by CF Josh Blair (likely); and a big debut campaign by promising C Nigel Erving(not ready) to improve that mark.

Charlotte opted for wholesale change with a heavily youth-oriented flavor: 5 rookies and a 2nd-year among their position players. Look for nice seasons from C Willie Mantalban, 2B Junior Pichardo and RF Eduardo Aguilera among the Charlotte frosh. A big question: can 1B Xavier Douglas reach the potential he flashed briefly in Season 9, or will he be the underachieving malingerer he was in Vancouver? 3B Esteban Gandarillas snapped back with 34 HR, 102 RBI after a lackluster Season 10.

Pitching

Trenton returns a staff almost intact that was #2 in the league with a 4.09 ERA last year. Omar Cruz had a terrific rookie year with 19 wins and a 3.48 ERA; the Mules hope for a similar numbers from Esteban Saez this year (and will probably get them despite his tendency to miss high). Closer Elroy Stevens shows no signs of slowing down and will blow past 400 career saves sometime around mid-season.

Louisville was 13th in the league in pitching last year, and hasn't done much to address that situation. They resigned Jack Peters and brought in Julio Bennett and Phil Gibbons for their 3,4,5 starters; they'll at least eat some innings. Jerrod Telgheder is still solid and has a contract that would make him an attractive mid-season acquisition. #2 starter Brian Tamura is the only starter under age 33.

Boston has 8 pitchers active, most of whom are not of major league quality. Anybody home at Fenway?

Charlotte features 8 rookies on its 14-man staff. And why not? Last year's 6.81 ERA was last in all of Greenberg. Some of these guys may become complimentary pieces, but only Hector Alvarado has star potential. They may not be a lot better this year, but they'll be inexpensive and entertaining.

Predictions

1. Trenton wins the division by 50+ games
2. Remaining oof: Charlotte, Louisville, Boston
3. Mid-season trade bait: SP Jerod Telgheder and RF Ryan McCall, Louisville
4. Rookie watch: C Vasco Rodriguez, Trenton; SP Esteban Saez, Trenton; SP Hector Alvarado, Charlotte

Opening Day in Greenberg - NL

2009-05-18T22:47:00.000-07:00

NL

In Montreal, Devi Oliva's second homer of the game was a 3-run walkoff in the bottom of the 11th to give the Bon Temps a 9-6 home opener win over the New York Nine. CF Jose Lira had 4 hits in a losing cause for the Nine.

At US Cellular Field, the Chicago Knights jumped on Burlington with 5 in the 3rd and piled on for a 10-1 thrashing. Starter Wade Mlicki and reliver Albert Merced did some clutch pitching from the stretch, allowing 12 hits and 3 walks but only 1 run.

The Columbus offense took 3 innings to get going at Richmond, but was unstoppable once it did. Leadoff man Johnie Thompson went 5 for 6 with 2 jacks and 5 ribs in a 16-6 landslide.

Scranton opened at home with only 2 hits. Bad news, right? The 2 dings plus a sac fly produced 4 runs, and 5 Redbird hurlers held Cincinnati to 1 run on 7 hits in a slightly odd 4-1 victory. Esteban Martin picked up the win with 4 innings of 1-hit work.

In Little Rock, Vin Oliver pitched 7 strong innings and Phil Perkins smacked a 2-run walkoff tater in the 9th for a 3-1 win over the hastily-assembled St. Louis Perfectos. Russell Clark allowed 3 hits and 1 run over 7 innings for hte Perfectos.

Frank Perez and 3 releivers held Monterry to 1 run as Nashville won at home 3-1. Danys Delgado's 2-run shot in the 8th was the key hit. Starter Jeremy Tracy went 5 shutout innings for the Bandidos.

Albuquerque plated a run in each of the first 4 innings and held on for a 5-2 win at home against Los Angeles. Melvin Lowery had 3 hits with a dinger and Chris Enders drove in 2 for the Roughriders.

Portland traveled to Scottsdale and played the impolite guest, winning 7-6. The Microbrews opened with 5 in the first on homers by Steven Walsh and Hal Darnell, and added 2 in the third for a 7-3 lead. The Skull Crushers countered with 3 2-0ut runs in the 6th, but Portland's pen put the clamps on from there for a 7-6 season-opening road win.

Opening Day in Greenberg - AL

2009-05-18T17:54:00.000-07:00

AL

In Fargo, Ron Carson hit a solo walkoff HR in the bottom on the ninth as the Bombers edged Pittsburgh 9-8. Bernie Granados had tied it with a solo of his own in top 9.

Chicago opened its title defense at home by falling behind Minnesota 7-0 after 2, then roaring back with a 3-homer, 14-hit attack to win 15-8. Free agent acquisition P.T. Barnes tossed 4 scoreless in relief.

Trenton rolled out the lumber early with 12 in 4 innings on the raod at Boston, then cruised to a 15-6 win. Greg Jacobs and Rube Dunn each homered twice and Geronimo Perez chipped in one.

In Charlotte, Louisville rallied from 5-2 down to tie with three in the top of the ninth (thanks in no small measure to a passed ball and a wild pitch). But the Loose Cannons countered with a Juan Sojo single, a steal of second, an advance to third on a passed ball, and a Dustin Jones RBI single for the game-winner. Juan Abreau kept the Lions in the game with 3 and 1/3 scoreless in relief.

Houston hammered 4 dingers and Miguel Escuela scattered 7 hits over 8 innings, as the High Rollers took their home opener against El Paso, 6-5. Benny Rivera popped 2 circuit shots for the Haskins.

Alan Hollins earned his hefty paycheck in his first start, limiting Mexico City to 4 hits and leading Tampa Bay to a 5-3 road win. The Typhoon banged out 10 hits and overcame 3 errors by the normally sure-handed Thomas Workman.

In Anaheim, Diego Sierra cranked a 2-run double in the top of the 11th to give Kansas City a 7-5 win. After the So Cal Waves chased Ramblers starter Casey Black with 5 in the 3rd, relievers Luis Lopez and Norm Ross combined for 7 and 2/3 scoreless innings.

Vancouver got a Tony Frias walkoff homer in the bottom of the 14th for a 6-4 home opener win vs. Salem. The Razers got back-to-back-to-back solo homers from Burroughs, Seguignol and Merced to chase Vanquishers SP Ernest Borbon in the sixth, but 5 Vancouver relivers shut down the Razer attack the rest of the way.

Last Tuesday's Update

2009-05-16T07:30:00.000-07:00

Amateur Draft Formula Builder:

We have included a new and improved way to rank your draft picks! Using the formula builder you can now weigh each individual rating on a scale of 1 to 10. You can also weigh each player by school. In other words, if you want to focus on mainly HS (or college) players we now give you the ability to do that. The manual ranking process is still available and we hope that in tandem with the formula builder you will now only have to manually rank maybe 10-15 guys. The formula builder will be an option on the draft settings page that you will have to manually choose to use. We have left the old draft settings in place in case any of you want to use the old system instead.

The formula calculation is very simple:

* Pitcher: ((each general rating * specified weight) + (each pitcher rating * specified rate)) * appropriate high school/college factor.

* Position Player: ((each general rating * specified weight) + (each position player rating * specified rate)) * appropriate high school/college factor.

There is also a small linear adjustment factor for pitchers with a combined stamina + durability of less than 70. This is done so pitchers who won't be able to throw many innings aren't inflated on the draft board. The pitcher with the absolute worst stamina/durability combination would incur a 10% reduction in his formula result.

Type D Compensation Picks:

Any franchise that does not sign their first or second round pick will now get a pick at the same position plus one slot in the next season’s draft. All unsigned third round picks will now be placed in a supplemental round at the end of the third round. In order to receive the compensation picks the following season you MUST offer the draft pick his demands and he MUST refuse to sign. You will not receive Type D compensation picks if you don't have the money to sign the player.

Multiple Type A Compensation Picks:

This fixes the scenario where one franchise signs two Type A free agents from two different franchises and the weaker franchise did not get the higher pick. It was previously based on timing of the signing it is now based on franchise rank.

Type A/B Compensation Extended:

Compensation picks will now be awarded through the first Amateur Draft preparation day.

Compensation Pick Reordering:

Compensation picks will now be put into the correct order on the first Amateur Draft preparation day. Previously, this would happen as soon as the offseason was complete.

Draft Settings:

Your draft settings will now carry over from season to season instead of being set back to the default values every season.

Unsigned Draftees:

Unsigned college seniors will now come back as undrafted free-agents at a more frequent rate.

Overall Rating:

The formula for overall rating has been improved. Stamina for pitchers is no longer weighted so heavily. Other ratings have also seen some adjustments for a more accurate overall rating. All previous and current overall rating values will be updated for the sake of consistency.

Season 12 Previews - AL North

2009-05-12T22:08:00.000-07:00

Chicago bludgeoned the offense-rich AL North with a world-leading 1236 runs scored last season. Can Fargo retool? Can Pittsburgh continue its climb under new ownership? Can Minnesota turn it around?

Offense

It's hard to imagine Pedro Urbina matching last year's numbers; then again, it's hard to imagine much of a decline, either. Rodney Franklin left via free agency, but Javy Espada steps in. Look for young C/DH Carson Watson among the HR leaders this year - he hit 45 in only 100 games lat season.

Fargo scored 1071 runs last year (3rd in AL), but lost Javy Espada and Max Guzman in FA - that's 108 HR's and 271 RBI's that'll be tough to replace. Rookie 2B Bart Ducey seems capable of making Fargo fans forget Guzman, but Ron Carson is a steep dropoff at 3B. They'll still be far up the runs scored list, just not quite as far up.

Pittsburgh was 4th in the entire league in runs scored (1012), but only 3rd in the division. Bernie Granados had a .317/41/123 rookie campaign, despite missing 30 games to injury, and could very well improve on those numbers. Free agent COF's Jimmie Diaz and Joe Kozlowski won't quite make up for the departed Lefty Hanson and Ricardo Solano. Top prospect Les Duchscherer (my first-ever HBD draft pick) joins the big club without a postion; he should be a 2B but is not likely to unseat Al Gomez. He may get AB's at DH for now; look for management to move him or Gomez for pitching. Look for a small falloff UNLESS Granados has a monster breakout year.

Minnesota actually scored 900 runs last year - below the league average but not bad. They return pretty nuch the same cast plus the hack-happy (11 walks) Carl Brede in RF. Look for a big push to move Craig Anderson's contract.

Pitching

Chicago lost 2 starters in FA: Alan Hollins and Julio Bennett. Efrain Rose (trade), Theo McGuire (FA) and P.T. Barnes more than make up for those losses. Roland Donovan and Robert Jones anchor a bullpen that may be an arm or 2 short. They should be right around last year's 939 runs allowed.

Fargo's ERA went from 4.27 in Season 10 to 5.63 last year: Bruce Taylor and Ed Watkins need big comeback seasons for Fargo to contend; both were uncharacteristically bad last year. Outside of Darrell May, the bullpen is shaky. OF they contend early, look for Fargo to make a move for both a SP and a RP.

Pittsburgh signed John Daly and Matty Woods to replace the gaggle of aging arms they let walk: mild upgrade but they're still short of innings. None of the rookies they brought up seem promising. Dustin Turner had a breakout year and must show he can win consistently; closer Raymond Mills could well improve on last year's 29 saves and 4.16 ERA. Last year's team ERA of 5.28 is looking pretty good.

Minnesota is scouring the waiver wire trying to fill out it's staff. Andrew Kennedy has potential but was rushed to the majors last year and should probably be in AAA. Damian Cummings has decent talent. Beyond that...long season coming for Jack Taylor (pitching coach).

Predictions

1. Chicago: their lineup proves to be too much again. 100-62
2. Fargo: improved pitching and mid-season moves keep it close. 95-67
3. Pittsburgh: just can't trust that staff. 83-79
4. Minnesota: capitulation time. 55-107

Big name most likely to move: Craig Anderson, Minnesota. Tough contract, but I'm saying he gets it done.
Rookie Impact: Bart Ducey, Fargo.

AL Dominates Free Agency

2009-05-11T18:39:00.000-07:00

The American League dominated free agency this year, signing 16 of the 21 Type A and B free agents, and all 10 of the biggest contracts.

Tampa Bay inked the largest single contract, securing sure-fire Hall of Famer Alan Hollins with a 5-year, $81.2 MM deal. Vancouver gets the Steinbrenner Award this season by committing $208 MM over 5 seasons to 4 players. And last year's champ Chicago (AL) had the most total movement, losing 3 players from last year's team but finding 3 more this year.

Top 10 Free Agent Contracts Signed In Season 12

Player (New Team) Contract
Alan Hollins (TAM) 5 years, $81.2MM
Fergie Schmidt (VAN) 5 years, $69.2MM
Javy Espada (CHI-A) 5 years, $58MM
Max Guzman (VAN) 5 years, $47MM
Rodney Franklin (VAN) 5 years, $46.8MM
Esteban Tarraga (VAN) 5 years, $45.1MM
Bill Alexander (TAM) 4 years, $28MM
Jimmie Diaz (PIT) 4 years, $27.5MM
Theo McGuire (CHI-A) 5 years, $25MM
Matty Woods (PIT) 4 years, $21.6MM

Welcome to the Greenberg Gazette

2009-05-09T21:04:00.000-07:00

Had a little too much time on my hands this past weekend and decided we needed a blog. TC blanch13 if you'd like to be an author.