Minnesota Blue Ox - Team Preview

The MN Blue Ox rumbled into the Dream League with ridiculously childish and impossible expectations. Well, the expectations have only grown as the rosters were revealed and league action got under way. Team captain and starting catcher Buddy Douglas reported to camp two weeks early to work with new #2 starter Olmedo Jose. Jose came up from Cleveland in a swap for crown jewel Toby McPherson. McPherson’s low durability soured many of the hearty Minnesota natives and much of the tri-state fan base. McPherson, in a fit of rage, is rumored to have thrown a four-seamer at the head of GM Cantarski. The ball sent the new GM to the carpet of his plush luxury box office. McPherson did leave without further incident but was seen rubbing his shoulder as he slid into a cab. Aside from the tumultuous trade, The Ox also picked up young RF Corey Fordham from Omaha and gave up centerpiece catcher Alex Rijo and a couple of relief pitchers that will contribute.

Offense The offense is looking solid one through eight with Buddy Douglas anchoring the middle of the lineup and on base specialist David Maduro providing RBI opps. For other lumberman Cal Stevenson, Benny Bravo and Corey Fordham.

Pitching The Ox set up nicely with what looks on paper to be a quality rotation especially in the middle. The rotation is aging and is feeling some pressure to make a push this year. We set up like this

1 Jeff Nen

2 Olmedo Jose

3 Jon Everett

4 Darren Brush

5 Quilvio Seanez

The bullpen is lacking one good arm and will be looking for another brother in arms as the season marches on. As part of a show of solidarity the lunchbox bullpen will not do interviews this year and have asked that the media just call them by their last name. Top three relievers include:

LR Douglas

SU Santana

CL Pisciotta

Fielding MN gloveman continue a proud tradition of doing the little things to win ball games. Cantarski set out to create a top tier defense and added two key gloves in Stevenson (promotion) and Fordham (trade) to accomplish the goal. Now it comes down to execution. The range is their in spades for this team, if the gloves can follow we’ll be in business.

It's Early...

Less than 10 games into the season, and already the trade chat has all but ceased, you can count on one hand how many transactions take place in one day, and everyone seems to be settling in for a long, hard-fought season. The NL East is the closest division so far, with only 1.5 games separating first and fourth, while the Charlotte Sluggers in the NL South already have a 7 game lead over the Jackson Delta Blues.

23-year-old Dan Freel (Salem) is the early ML leader in home-runs with 8, while Stan Thomas (Scranton) makes an early push for all-star votes, with 7 home-runs coming from the catcher. In Milwaukee, the $110M man, Josh Clancy, is paying off for the Brewers, throwing 17 strikeouts in just 13.1 innings pitched.

Cleveland wins the Molina Bidding War

After a week of negotiations between Vladimir Molina and various major league franchises, Molina finally chose Cleveland to be his home for the immediate future. It required a signing bonus of $15,000,000 to earn the right to put their cap on Molina's head, but Cleveland finally ended the long and bitter bidding war for the Dominican-born player. It was not immediately announced where Molina will begin his playing career for the Spiders, but the rumor is that the club wants him to start pitching immediately, so it is a fairly safe guess that he will report to either the LoA or HiA squad tomorrow morning, as soon as his plane from the Dominican touches down in Ohio. He must first pass the obligatory physical, and sign some paperwork, but he could presumably be ready for action when the team plays tomorrow night.

Norfolk Tides Preview

A trade here, a free agent signing there, a few promotions along the way, and our Norfolk Tides roster is complete and ready for Season One in the Dream League. Here is our early season preview for the Tides, from batters to pitchers, and who is running the squad.

Luis Villano, 1B/DH, 24yo: A fantastic bat and youth on his side, Villano has the potential to be a contributor to the big league squad for the next decade. Brought up from the minor leagues this spring, Villano immediately made an impact during spring training, racking up 4 HR's, 8 RBI's, and a .360 AVG in just 25 AB's. Due to his youth and tremendous upside, Villano will inevitably be the subject of many trade rumors, but the club assures us that he is as untouchable as they come.

Harry Soto, 2B/SS/OF, 33yo: Soto is not a true 2B, but moved into the position when Justin Ward failed to live up to expectations, and when Stan Childs inherited the SS position. A fantastic fielder due to his years at SS, Soto will team with Childs to create a wall in the center of the infield that will not allow many hits up the middle.

Stan Childs, SS/CF, 23yo: An outstanding fielder, with a strong bat and great eye at the plate, Childs is another young gun who can lead this franchise for years to come. The club will not admit to any trade rumors concerning Childs, but we have heard that other teams are very interested in acquiring his services someday.

Ivan Garza, 3B/1B/LF/DH, 29yo: A tremendously strong bat, coupled with the range and glove to play multiple positions, Garza can do almost anything for this team. His $4.6M contract will draw the ire of the fans if he does not produce throughout the entire season, but the club is very confident in his abilities.

Zip Cook, LF, 25yo: A potential all-star at such a young age, Zip will be the face of the franchise for many years. Signing a 4-year, $26M contract earlier this spring, we know that we will have Zip at least through his late 20's, his prime years, when we will expect more and more from him every season. A solid bat and tremendous speed, Zip is one of the young leaders in the clubhouse.

Tomas Romero, CF, 32yo: Allowed to become a free agent by Tucson, the Tides were the top bidder for this tremendous CF. Excellent speed, a solid bat, and good enough defensively to be a contributor in the outfield, the club is very excited about Romero finishing his career in Norfolk.

Alex Aquino, RF, 23yo: A waiver wire acquisition earlier this spring, Aquino has the potential to be a solid contributor to this team, but for now is on a short leash. With the ability to get hits and draw walks, combined with his above average speed, Aquino could be a threat on the base paths.
Jeff Snyder, C, 25yo: Promoted from the AAA squad early in the spring, Snyder is a fantastic pitch caller, which will only help the pitching staff as the season gets going. His ability at the plate will not earn him any awards, but he will be solid enough to not hurt the team either.

Brian Graves, DH/3B/1B, 31yo: Almost interchangeable with Garza, Graves simply drew the short straw when it came time to decide who would end up being the DH. Not a typical hitter with raw power who you normally find in the DH role, he might switch positions with Garza if the right situation presents itself. With a few big hitters in AAA, Graves might simply find himself on the bench, with a younger player taking his spot, should he not perform sufficiently.

Dann Jacome, SP, 26yo: The opening day starter, this lefty was promoted earlier this spring, and immediately thrust into the role of being the "savior of the franchise." Great control, which will only get better with age, Jacome has the potential to be a fantastic finesse pitcher over the next few years.

Dorian Baker, SP, 28yo: Another early spring promotion to the majors, Baker has been waiting over half a decade to get a call-up to The Show. Great stamina and control should make Baker a solid number two starter, but he might not progress very much in the coming years.

Geoff Coleman, SP, 22yo: Coleman has so much potential upside, the team can barely contain its excitement when we ask them about how he will do this year and years to come. His inability to stay healthy, and his struggles against left-handed batters are the only concerns at this point.

Magglio Velazquez, SP, 28yo: A Rule-5 draftee, Velazquez has been thrown in to the starting rotation, where the club is basically hoping that he can simply not hurt them, and have a few good outings every couple of weeks. This Dominican has two solid pitches, and is great against right-handed batters, but his control and struggles against lefties are worrisome.

J.R. Rhodes, SP, 35yo: Approaching the end of his career, the team is hoping to get another couple of seasons out of Rhodes, and this year they have slotted him into the SP5 position. Not an elite pitcher anymore, but still solid enough to contribute a few good outings.

Javier Roque, Cl, 23yo: Yet another player promoted from the minor leagues, Roque is expected to be the team's closer for well over a decade. His control and pitches are fantastic, and his durability is off the charts.

Prospects:
Grant Sparks, AAA, 2B
Jorel Thurman, AAA, 2B/SS
Raymond Randolph, AAA, 2B
Marty Branyon, AAA, LF
Ralph Shields, AAA, SP

Trenton Thunder Preview:
by jmagliaro

Starting Lineup

B.C. Gordon – LF – A speedy lead off slap hitter who can hit for average and steal bases. Projection 325/415/405, 55 stolen bases
Carl Hansen – RF – Some more speed at the top of the lineup here. Not the best defensive outfielder, but definitely worth his $1.1M. Projection 290/375/360, 40 stolen bases
Frank Kobayashi – SS – A 5 tool stud All Star SS. “Koby is one of those rare gems who has all the tools. This guy can flat out play! He’s got heart, talent and is the leader of this team. We expect huge numbers from him this year”, Coach jmagliaro says. Projection 330/395/635, 42 HR’s, 137 RBI’s, 41 SB’s
Trenidad Perez – 3B/DH – “We expect good things out of Treny this year. In the off-season we avoided arbitration and locked him up for 3 years at $3.6M per year. We think we got a really good deal with him. He wanted to stay in Trenton so we were able to lock him up at a discount.” Coach jmagliaro says. Projection 295/365/590, 44 HR’s, 120 RBI’s
Phil Hayes – CF – The young CF gets the start this year. A great hitter who should put up big numbers offensively. A future #3 hitter. “We’re really excited to have Phil up this year for his first full year in the bigs! Phil has worked hard and it will pay off this year. I think he could blossom into one of the top CF’s in the game in the next 2 years. He rounds out a scary 3-4-5 combination that will hurt many opposing pitchers. “Coach jmagliaro says. Projection 340/415/555, 28 HR’s, 126 RBI’s
Horace Holmes – DH/3B/1B – Horace will be in a platoon situation and we expect for him to carry his weight this year. Projection 285/325/405 14 HR’s, 88 RBI’s
Juan James – 1B/DH – Will platoon at 1B with Holmes and JJ has great power and a great eye. A scary #7 hitter with this kind of power. Projection 255/380/575, 39 HR’s, 82 RBI’s
Darren Strickland – C - A good defensive catcher who knows his pitchers strengths and weaknesses. “We expect a good year from Strickland this year. He handles our pitching staff exceptionally well.” Coach jmagliaro says. Projection 250/315/325
Marvin Post – 2B – A good contact hitter with a little bit of pop in his bat. A very good base runner with some good speed. We expect him to cause some problems when he gets on base with the top of the order coming up. Projection 295/325/350

Bench

Brain Relaford – OF – Got the promotion coming off a good ST. Will be used mostly as a defensive replacement and pinch runner. With his 92 speed rating and 77 base running, he could cause some havoc on the base paths in close games.

Jeff Wright – C – Great defensive catcher. Any offensive production from Wright is gravy.

James Kondou – Utility – James can play SS, 2B, 3B, and CF. Hell, he could probably catch if we asked him to! A reliable bat with no power.

Jim Yashian – LF/1B – Jim will provide some power off the bench. In a limited role this year we could see Jim hitting around 10 HR’s.

Starting Pitching

Sean Kapler – SP - Trenton signed Kapler in the offseason to a 3 year deal at $4.6M per. “We expect good things out of Sean. He’s been a solid pitcher in the past and we expect him to bring it each outing this year.” Coach jmagliaro says. Projections 17-9, 1.45WHIP, 3.33 ERA

Frank Martin- SP – “Frank is coming off a stellar season where he was our team MVP. He really stepped it up last year going 21-6. We expect him to put up similar #’s this year.” Coach jmagliaro says. Projections 16-7, 1.05 WHIP, 3.27 ERA

Aaron Waters – SP – A respectable #3 starter who put up good #’s in ST. Projection 14-10, 1.66 WHIP, 4.33 ERA

Cesar Cruz – SP – His first full year in the majors will be big for this young gun. A hard throwing lefty should have a good first year if he can continue to improve his control. Projection 14-8, 1.55 WHIP, 4.13 ERA

Charlie Smith – SP – “Charlie earned the #5 spot with a solid ST. He’s a finesse pitcher with a pretty nasty knuckler. We expect him to do very well in the fifth spot.” Coach jmagliaro says. Projection 12-9, 1.35 WHIP, 3.89 ERA

Bullpen

The strength of our bullpen lies in Set Up man Leonardo Jacquez(R) and closer Taylor Dawley(L). Neither is overpowering, but they have great stuff. Trenton entering the 8th inning will be tough to beat with these two entering the game. The bullpen also features Chris Bush(R), Danny Crabtree(L), Lance Griffin(R), Jorge Ramirez(R) and Todd Hayes(R).


Top Prospects

Positional Players(in no particular order)

Eli James 1B AAA
B.C. Bocachica 1B HiA
Joshua Dunham 2B AA
Yamil Sanchez 3B AAA
Bert Kirby OF AAA
Mike Bako OF AA
Dwight George OF AAA
Sonny Lloyd SS AA
Tony Tanaka 2B HiA

Pitchers(in no particular order)

Paulie Newfield(L) RP AA
Andres Tejada(L) RP AAA
Brandon Smith(R) RP AA
Ramon Matsuzaka(L) SP AA
Rob Fitzgerald(R) SP AA
Andres Valdes(L) SP AAA
Joe Adkinnson(R) SP AAA
Ron O’neil(R) SP AAA
Johnny McCorley(R) HiA

Early International Signings

Some people love them and think they're an integral part of your game plan, while others think they are an incredible waste of time and money. Whatever your opinion is, nobody can deny the fact that these players draw a lot of attention from various owners, with bidding on a particular player going on for days, or even weeks. Here are some of the bigger names from the international market so far, and we haven't even hit opening day yet.

Manny Lee (Milwaukee), $10M bonus: A lot was said about this RP from Japan when the Brewers signed him to (so far) the largest deal in the international market. His control, splits, and velocity projections are off the charts, but his stamina, durability and health are below average for a ML closer. When he does pitch, he'll be great, but he won't be able to throw everyday, and he'll be very fragile.
Miguel Alarcon (Norfolk), $5M bonus: I'm obviously a bit biased, but I think Alarcon has great potential to be a ML-quality SS, or maybe a 2B if he doesn't quite reach his defensive projections. His bat leaves a little to be desired, but his excellent batting eye could lead to a great OBP.
David Guerrero (Rochester), $4.5M bonus: Another RP, Guerrero is half the price of Lee, but has similar potential, and downside. Relatively low stamina, durability and health could lead to him being a closer that can't pitch everyday, but like Lee, he'll be very solid when he does throw.
Vladimir Bolivar (Norfolk), $2M bonus: Already slotted as the SP1 on Norfolk's HiA squad, the club has high hopes for this young prospect from the Dominican. His splits do not project very high, but his pitches should be decent, and his health and durability should help his value in the future.
Felipe Herrera (Washington), $2M bonus: Very solid split and first pitch projections, but relatively low stamina and control most likely means a career as a middle-reliever or setup role.
Donaldo Vincente (Washington), $1.5M bonus: His defensive projections don't really call for a role as a SS, but some good fielding coaches over the next few seasons could help in that area. Below average health, makeup, and batting ratings, Vincente has a long road ahead of him, but he could see the ML roster someday.
Angel Alomar (Washington), $1.4M bonus: Listed as a CF on DC's HiA squad, Alomar's glove does not quite project to a level that would be suitable for the position, but he could certainly play LF or RF, or maybe even move in to 2B. His range, health and durability are solid, while his batting numbers are average in most areas. He's only 18 years old, so he has a lot of time before we can judge him at the ML level.
Del Martin (Cincinnati), $760K bonus: Maybe the best bargain so far, this 2B could move to 3B if his defensive projections do not quite fit him into the 2B slot, while his health and batting numbers are more than adequate. If he turns into a ML player, the sub-$800K price tag could make him the steal of this class.
Vladimir Cabrera (Norfolk), $393K bonus: Decent projections for a SP, he might not ever make it to the ML level, but the $400K price tag does not break the bank.

Nobody has signed him yet, but Vladimir Molina (could we call this, The Year of the Vladimir?) will most likely have the biggest impact on the ML someday. A closer with great projections for control, splits, pitches, health, and durability, and a stamina that will allow him to throw more than a dozen pitches each day, he could be the best closer in the big leagues in a few years.

Budgets, Free Agents, Trades, Spring Training, and More

Season One of the Dream League is underway, as we have nearly completed two weeks and are preparing to enter the regular season. With one-third of the league consisting of brand new owners, the opening week was full of questions, along with some questionable moves. Some major trades were made, some major money was shelled out for free agents, and already we have had some major international signings. Let's look at some of this.

Josh Clancy was one of the last signings of free agency, but arguably the biggest signing. Milwaukee gave him a 5-year deal, totaling $110-million, out-bidding the handful of owners who tried to keep up with the Brewers, who seemed to be saving money just for this one player.

Che Feng was signed by Salem, to another big contract, which will pay him $6.9M this year, culminating with a $10M paycheck in Season Five.

Tomas Romero was signed to a three year deal for $29.5M, giving Norfolk the CF that they desperately needed.

The biggest bust of free agency was Felix Sasaki, who was signed by New York to a 5-year deal for over $56M total, but who is currently on the 60-day DL with elbow tendinitis. Nothing that could be anticipated, but it could be bad news for his future play.

Jorge Espinosa was another big signing by Salem, earning himself a 4-year deal totaling nearly $32M, a "bargain" for a player of his skill, especially when considering some of the other contracts that were signed this off-season.

Over 25 trades have gone through already, with the Washington Bullets being one of the most active teams, taking part in four trades so far. Possibly the biggest trade so far was Cleveland getting Toby McPherson from Minnesota, with the Blue Ox getting Olmedo Jose in return. Both are young, and have top-tier potential, so only time will tell which owner got the better player in the deal. Other than that trade and one or two others that were fairly even, virtually every other trade involved a team looking to win now, and a team looking to build towards the future.

The Rule 5 Draft came and went with George Raines and Rich Hundley being the biggest names involved in the event. Hundley is probably the closest to being ML-ready, but both should be contributors to their respective franchises now and for years to come.

Spring Training began earlier this week, and of course we know that it means next to nothing, so I won't bother mentioning scores or records or who hit the most HR's during ST (I heard it was Nick Black from the Bullets). Besides Sasaki, Marcus Rivera was probably the biggest name that went on the DL during ST.

Unfortunately, we now have to wait five cycles until the regular season begins. But we're just about there, and everyone is excited. Or at least I am.