Hopefully in the coming season and beyond, I will be able to maintain my sanity and interest in this league despite my horrid performance by maintaining monthly power rankings and all-stars.
Without further adieu, here are your power rankings and preseason CDL all stars…
Power Rankings
1) San Francisco Giants
Yes, the world champs shipped out Daryl Strawberry, but as always they have retooled and look to come back just as strong as ever. With John Fulgham and Lary Sorensen leading the way, the Giants shouldn’t have too much trouble dispatching the rebuilding Dodgers and Astros and the upstart Padres in the NL West, a division about to become really tough in a few years. Besides, the champs are the champs until someone else proves otherwise. They should always be given the benefit of the doubt, even if they don’t necessarily seem to be as strong as the 1987 club.
2) Minnesota Twins
If you finish with one Groening in first, you naturally have a Groening in second. This may be Paul’s last year in Chuck’s shadow as the 1986 world champs are still a lot younger than the 1987 winners. With Pastore, Stieb, Candeleria, and Wirth leading the way, Minnesota’s potent rotation along with their offense led by Kal Daniels should take care of any problems in the American League Central division, although Milwaukee and Kansas City are starting to look almost scary.
3) Pittsburgh Pirates
There may not be any half-decent players in the minor leagues, but Pittsburgh added all-star Dale Murphy to an already potent lineup including MVP candidates Tim Wallach and Harold Baines, along with Andre Dawson, Tony Gwynn, and Dave Winfield. There are no weak spots in this lineup, which is very solid on both offense and defense. The pitching staff, led by a barrage of closers and ace Roger Clemens, is definitely good enough to improve on last year’s 102 wins, but maybe not quite enough to top Catfish and his San Francisco treat.
4) Atlanta Braves
The young, talented, upstart Braves won 103 games last year and had a surprising performance all summer long. Although they have no weaknesses, they have neither the depth of San Francisco nor the breadth of Pittsburgh when it comes to talent. They played well below their Pythagorean record last year, but did little in the offseason besides having an admittedly nice draft.
5) Texas Rangers
Our preseason top 5 concludes with the American League runners-up of a year ago, the Texas Rangers, who won a great deal during the playoffs after becoming the wild card, and who will rely on aging ace Bob Stanley to lead them past the Angels in the upcoming season. Texas’ first window is closing fast, but as soon as it closes, it should quickly open, much like that of the Astros or the Giants in their processes.
Teams to Watch
The Milwaukee Brewers added a few key pieces, but don’t seem to have quite enough right now to overtake the Tigers or Twins within their own division. The Boston Red Sox got younger and better, they might finally get their flag that has eluded them since the early days of the franchise and 1918. The Houston Astros seem to have completed their rebuilding process by added two talented young pitchers in the draft and a couple key free agent additions to go with Wade Boggs and co. Their pitching is young and bound to struggle, but the Houston offense should be ready to go – and soon. The California Angels are still out there, and they could capitalize on any opportunities given to them.
Preseason All-Stars
Catcher: The be-all and end-all of CDL catchers at this point in time resides in Chicago, and he is future Hall-of-Famer Gary Carter. With a .310 average and 46 home runs last season to go with his 141 runs batted in, Carter is a talented player and should be the catching MVP of the new season when October rolls around.
First Base: A traditionally strong position is going through lean times. Pedro Guerrero of the San Francisco Giants is the best player at the position, and with a new lineup playing around him, he should be ready to break out again, possibly as much as he did in his MVP season.
Second Base: Ryne Sandberg is still young, and he is probably the best the CDL has to offer at his position for the time being. A few strong second basemen were chosen in the most recent amateur draft, but they are not yet ready to take over all-star status. Ryno is a .300 hitter with decent power and great speed.
Third Base: Former teammate of Sandberg’s, third baseman Tim Wallach, is a defensive whiz and power hitter, who has the potential, like all of these players, to change a game with a single swing.
Shortstop: Alan Trammel is the best of a very weak bunch at shortstop. He may be overpaid at what he does, but what he does is put up all-star season after all-star season and keep the hopes of every Cubbies fan alive.
Outfield: There are so many talented CDL outfielders that they change from year-to-year, but this reporter feels that Daryl Strawberry could hit 50 home runs in the American League, that Barry Bonds will break out in Milwaukee, and that Harold Baines is just as talented as hit partner in crime, Tim Wallach. Also watch Claudell Washington and Dave Henderson, as well as Rickey Henderson if you’re into the speed thing.
Pitcher: Robinson, Stanley, and Candeleria are the strongest of the American League crop, even if Dave Rozema is the best paid, which he often ends up being. Steve Busby is over and done with, but Valenzuela in the East, Clemens in the Central, and Sorensen in the West should be the NL’s top pitchers in both the regular season and the playoffs.
That’s your season preview, and I’m going to get back to work!
Look for the top five teams and award updates all through the year each month. First report this Friday!
As stated in earlier announcements, the Athletics are shaking up the roster this season. Gone to free agency are 3B Tom Veryzer and Larry Christenson, both now with the Yankees. Starting pitcher Tom Hausman was acquired via free agency, he will take Alfredo Martinez' spot in the rotation for now.
Middle Reliever Don Heinkel has joined the bullpen. He was drafted in the second round this year and is expected to be a key contributor right out of the gate.
OF Bruce Boisclair has moved to right field, replacing Gary Matthews who was expected to retire this year. Bruce's spot in left field will be filled by Bo Jackson who has been called up from AAA. There were a couple of surprises coming out of spring training. Center fielder John Cangelosi beat out veteran Bobby Brown for a spot on the opening day roster, and catcher Jeff Reed replaces long time catcher Bobby Ramos.
Third baseman Ken Caminiti remains in AAA for now, but is expected to be called up at some point during the season.
Hopefully, this season should be the one where the Athletics' fans will start to see results from the rebuilding efforts of the front office. We're looking forward to a great season.
Coming off a successful campaign that saw them take the Series in a very exciting seven games, the Giants management surprised players with a series of trades designed to cut costs and begin planning for the future. New Giants GM, Bill Stoneman, tentatively announced his starting lineups noting that final decisions will be made pending how some youngsters do in spring training.
Catcher: Newly acquired catcher, Terry Steinbach, will get every opportunity to play himself out of a job. This leaves Charlie Moore, the Giants long time catcher, playing a secondary role both behind the plate and in the outfield.
First Base: Pedro Guerrero will continue to hold down first base and provide punch in the middle of the lineup.
Newly acquired Leon Durham will provide solid backup.
Second Base: Tim Flannery comes back for his eighth year in the big leagues after posting his most productive offensive year to date. Nelson Norman and Steve Ontiverous provide backup.
Shortstop: Giants fans favorite, Tony Fernandez is back at shortstop. Only 25, he is entering his fifth year in the majors. Last year he posted his second straight .300 year.
ThirdBase: Bill Madlock is back for one more year. At 37, Bill seems to be holding his own. His contract runs out at the end of the season and he is not expected back next year. If Madlock starts to show his age, Guerrero will move to third and newly acquired Dan Pasqua will man first base.
Outfield: With Strawberry and Chili Davis gone, the outfield will have a very differant look. Dan Pasqua is expected to start in left with veteran Jim Rice in center and rookie Pete Incaviglia starting in right. Charlie Moore and veteran Don Reynolds provide excellent back up.
Starters: John Fulgham and Lary Sorenson, two of the best in the league, are back to go one, two for the Giants. Both pitchers are over 30 but appear to be solid. Danny Darwin is back for a full year as a Giant after coming over from the evil Astros. He is expected to improve over his mediocre year as a rookie Giant. Sophomore Eric Bell will be back to improve on his excellent rookie year in the fourth spot. Dave Schmidt and Len Barker provide insurance.
Pen: Sarmiento is gone after being the backbone of the Giants pen for the last few years. In his place come two rookie upstarts. Eric Plunk, acquired from the Dodgers and first round pick, Jim Corsi will be asked to demonstrate their value. Veterans Gary Lucas and Juan Agosto provide support for the two setup rookies and will be inserted into the setup role should either of them faulter. Jeff Twitty and Jeff Zaske complete the group.
Closer: Gone is Dan Plesac and in is Bryan Harvey, a rookie whose spring training showing will dictate whether he's ready to make the jump. Harvey is a superb prospect and is expected to be the Giants closer for many years to come. This, after, several dismal years from former first round pick Plesac. If Harvey is not ready, one of the setup men will fill in till necessary.
Management: always suspect and suspicious looking
Bill Stoneman
This is truly the first of several rebuilding years ahead for the Blue Jays, given the situation with the John Franco trade making last year not a rebuilding year but an "in-between" year. Through trades, the Jays upped their first-and-second round pick total to 4 from the 0 it was in the weeks preceeding the draft. Although next year's haul of 7 picks in the first two rounds should be impressive, it is this year's class that will be the senior class of the rebuilding era. Let's take a look at the first four of the six potential big-leaguers to join the Jays this year.
1.1 3B/SS/OF Gary Sheffield - currently the #2 prospect in the league, Sheff is definitely big-league material. He will soon be among the elite at his position whether he must play third base, outfield, or shortstop. He will not turn 20 until after the season ends, and will have a while to develop in the Toronto system before he hits the big time. His name may light up the top prospects list for quite a long time, as this teenager is currently far from the limelight of the big leagues. He has power and plate discipline, and should be able to hit for a decent average. He replaces the void Barry Bonds left in the Toronto system.
1.8 RHP Ken Hill - picked eighth overall, Hill was the best available starting pitcher in a draft rife with mound talent, with Randy Johnson, Curt Schilling, and John Smoltz all taken in front of him. At 22, he will not make the major leagues for another two seasons as well, but when he does, he projects to be a #2 or #3 starter in a potentially potent Toronto rotation.
1.21 RHP Greg Harris - at age 24, Harris is much older than the majority of the prospects on this team, but he has the potential to post a great WHIP while keeping most balls inside the ballpark. He can pitch effectively out of the pen, or he can start in the rotation. He will likely serve as the ace of a young staff by 1989, and be relegated to the back of the rotation once the farm system is filled out by future drafts. After multitalented Tom Gordon went so high in the draft to Houston, Harris was just waiting for the call, and it came from Toronto, whose brass feels that with his ability to avoid the walk, he will be more valuable than Gordon would have been, especially when the new ballpark is complete.
2.25 2B Lance Blankenship - in the words of another GM, "HE FIELDS LIKE A GIRL." In the words of Toronto brass, he walks like a man. Blankenship projects to play second base and get on 35% of the time from the ninth slot. With Sheff batting cleanup and Blankenship at the end of the order, and two fifths of the rotation set in stone, as well as a decent backup catcher and a fourth or fifth outfielder in the minors the Blue Jays are confident that they are already 24% of the way to a championship team, and that after next year, the number will climb above 50% as the team from the Great White North searches for respectability in the CDL annals.
Well looks like the tide will be turning in Cleveland. After much debate of how the Indians were heading by the critics in past seasons, this off season the Indians have been quite. But with the draft they feel that they have made the offseason a greatsuccess. With the selection of Randy Johnson Sp and Todd Burns MR to the Indians. There was possable talk if the Indians did not get Randy that they were considering the possablity of trading Gary Matthews, but that talk stopped once they selected Randy. With Randy and Gary both in their mid 20's and both left handers the Indians should be in good hands for the next 7-8 years at least. The Indians were happy to select Todd Burns who will become the closer of the Indians for many years to come. The Indians are hoping that he can become the all time leader in saves for the Indians, which should not be to hard since the record is 80 by Al Severinsen who had 2 great seasons for the Indians. The Indians seemed to be stacked with pitching, BUT the problems that may come back to haunt the Indians is the lack of hitting that the Indians may field. The good thing for the Indian is that they play in a hitters park so that may help them out. Stay tuned to see how the Indians season turns out.