NL First Round Preview

Montgomery Hornets (3) vs. Salt Lake City Primetimers (6)

The first matchup in the NL pits the suprising Montgomery Hornets of the NL South, against the Salt Lake City Primetimers of the NL North. Both of these teams are well put together by their respective General Managers.

Montgomery goes in as the number three seed and will trot out Philip Cepeda in Game 1. Like the rest of the Montgomery starting staff Cepeda is a bit of a question mark, especially against a deep and versatile Primetimers' lineup. Montgomery will rely heavily on Neil Clyburn. Clyburn has to have MVP type numbers if Montgomery is to overcome the pitching gap. Another guy who needs to be a difference maker: Donald Miyakazi. Miyakazi hasn't lived up the preseason hype--a couple of bombs and RBI would go a long way in fulfilling his promise and talent.

Salt Lake City was a squad that hit 210 home runs and stole 170 bases this season. The real engine that drove the team, however, was the pitching staff. Salt Lake City's starters, from one through five, are all better than their Montgomery counterparts. Venerable Moises Lopez takes the mound in Game 1. As a player who's been in big games before (previously with the Buffalo Spectacular Views) expect Lopez to get the series off on the right foot for Salt Lake City. In fact, Lopez is our favorite for MVP in this series, likely wrapping up the series in Game 4 or 5 (depending on when he gets his second turn).

AC Prediction: Salt Lake City in four

New York Gridlock (4) vs. Fargo Tides (5)

The Fargo Tides versus the New York Gridlock is a showdown of two underappreciated NL teams. Both squads have been competitive since the Dream League's inception, yet they are never mentioned in the same breath as franchies such as Kansas City, Vancouver, or Buffalo.

New York goes in as the number five seed after winning the NL East. As a young team with no regular contributors older than 30, playoff experience could be a problem. New York fans were pining for Daniel Cox to get the start in Game 1, but it looks like he'll go in Game 2. Francisco Cruz will instead get the nod. The question all over the New York sports media is whether or not Johnny Neill can stop anyone from stealing bases. Neill allowed 86 stolen bases while only throwing out 24. His ability to call games and keep runners from wreaking havoc will play a big key. Another big key is whether Third Baseman Samuel Service can lift his play in the post season. Service has never been a gamebreaking type player, but his leadership drives New York.

Fargo has a dynamic offense, much like last year. Six players hit over 30 home runs this season, with Tony Yamada leading the charge with 64. As a team, the Tides hit .276 and 313 home runs. The pitching in Fargo is not as dominate. Carmine Sandberg and Howie Ramirez will be counted on heavily to deliver in Games 1 and 2.

AC Prediction: Fargo in five