2011 CDBL Season Preview "Your Mileage May Vary!" Predicted Playoff Teams: Aaron Division - Manhatten Beach Mashers Paige Division - DBL Fishbiscuits Gehrig Division - Albuquerque Maul Tiant Division - Georgia Pines AP Conference Wildcard - Brookeville Bandits GT Conference Wildcard - Boston Bulldogs #1 League Wildcard - Dallas SuperSquad #2 League Wildcard - Carlsbad Surfers WORLD SERIES PREDICTION - Maul over Fishbiscuits ******************************************************************************************* Aaron Division - 1. Manhatten Beach Mashers (Last Season: 94-68, 2nd in Division) - Dan Uggla, Mike Morse, and Brian McCann can mash the ball, and Michael Young provides high on base and slugging averages. Andre Ethier and Chris Young will also help score an above average number of runs. CC Sabthia, CJ Wilson and Ian Kenny form a superior trio of starters. Ryan Madson is a top quality closer, but the rest of the bullpen may struggle. Still, with good hitting and good starting pitching, the Mashers are pre-season favorites to win the division. 2. Dallas SuperSquad (Last Season: 69-93, 5th in Division) - Aramis Ramirez and Josh Willingham lead the offense with a little bit of pop. Drew Stubbs, Juan Pierre and Erick Aybar have quite a bit of speed. Where the SuperSquad really shine is with their pitching. Roy Halladay, Justin Masterson, R.A. Dickey and Jeremy Hellickson form a fearsome foursome, and Jose Valverde and Brian Wilson lead a strong bullpen. Solid pitching should guarantee a post-season berth, but their hitting will need to keep up. 3. Elk Grove Trout (Last Season: 74-88, 4th in Division) - Matt Kemp, Ryan Braun and Logan Morrison are one of the top outfielder trios in the league this year, and Eric Hosmer and Brandon Phillips will hit well in the infield. Doug Fister is a legit ace, and Jon Lester, Wandy Rodriguez and Aaron Harang are quality starters, though perhaps will struggle against the top two teams in the division. Edward Mujica should race up plenty of saves, but the bullpen quality drops off quickly after that. A division title may be a stretch, but the Trout could contend for a wildcard spot. 4. Point Lomas Friars (Last Season: 88-74, 3rd in Division) - Albert Pujols joined the team in a blockbuster trade, and should help with a traditionally flagging offense. Evan Longoria provides power at the other corner. Torii Hunter and Matt Wieters are quality hitters, and the rest of the lineup will try to keep up. Tim Lincecum solidifies his hold on the ace position, and the rest of the rotation should keep the score down. The bullpen is full of no-names, but it is actually one of the better reliever staffs in the division. Another team that may not finish in the top spot in the division but will be competitive in the wildcard race. 5. Montreal Voltigeurs (Last Season: 98-64, Aaron Division Pennant) - Carlos Quentin and Hunter Pence are bright spots on the offense, but the rest of the lineup will struggle to score runs. Randy Wolf and Mike Leake would be better positioned as back end of the rotation starters, but they'll be asked to compete against the best of the best. Chris Perez and Frank Francisco give the Voltigeurs some options in the bullpen. While the Voltigeurs will likely not repeat as division champs, at least they have last year's pennant to celebrate. 6. Arkham Investigators (Last Season: 62-100, 6th in Division) - Continuing a rebuild, at least they have Adrian Gonzalez and Carlos Gonzales to entertain the fans this year. Howard Kendrick is decent at the top of the order, and Yadier Molina holds his own as a slugging catcher. Dan Haren, Brandon McCarthy and Jhoulys Chacin are a decent trio of starters. Chris Sale might be their best closer candidate this year, but a starter position seems to be in his future. It will likely be another long season in Arkham, but their time will come again. ******************************************************************************************* Koufax Division - 1. DBL Fishbiscuits (Last Season: 91-71, 3rd in Division) - Jose Bautista, Prince Fielder and Robinson Cano give DBL one of the best hitting infields in the league. Matt Holliday and Kevin Youkilis bring a veteran presence to the lineup, and Brett Gardner is a speed demon on the base paths. The Fishbiscuits should be one of the highest scoring teams in the league this year. Chris Carpenter, Gio Gonzalez and acquisition Matt Cain are all aces. Heath Bell and Neftali Feliz lead a strong bullpen. This team is stacked and should do a deep run in the playoffs. 2. Brookeville Bandits (Last Season: 103-59, Paige Division Pennant) - Adrian Beltre is the star hitter this year, and the lineup is fully of 20 homer potential in Melky Cabrera, Wilson Ramos, and Jayson Werth. Peter Bourjos, Hanley Ramirez and others should swipe 20+ bases as the Bandits are set to compete well in the fantasy baseball statistics. Mat Latos, Matt Harrison and Daniel Hudson are legit starters, and Sean Marshall and Sergio Santos head up a decent bullpen. It will be hard to compete with DBL this year for the division title, but the Bandits are fully in line for a wildcard spot. 3. White Rock Phantoms (Last Season: 84-78, 5th in Division) - Jay Bruce, Ian Kinsler and Carlos Pena could smack 30 home runs, and Jhonny Peralta and Nick Markakis are quality bats. the other spots in the lineup will struggle to match. Joe Saunders is the default ace, and while the rest of the rotation will eat up innings, they'll be hard pressed to match the top teams in the division. JJ Putz could contend for fireman of the year, and with a lights out bullpen if they have a lead in the 7th, they'll keep the lead for the rest of the game. If the offense or starting rotation surprises, the Phantoms could see the post- season. 4. Springfield Isotopes (Last Season: 87-75, 4th in Division) - Nelson Cruz and Carlos Santana will bring the power, and Dustin Pedroia continues to get on base and swipe a few. Derrek Lee and Shane Victorino will add to the lineup. Matt Garza, John Lannan and Ted Lilly are decent starters, and Kenley Jansen leads a pretty decent bullpen. While the team has no active ownership, the Isotopes could drift their way to the post-season. 5. Tualatin Thunder (Last Season: 58-104, 6th in Division) - Miguel Cabrera is a bright spot in an otherwise mid-performing lineup. Michael Cuddyer and Victor Martinez should be decent, but that is about it. Yovani Gallardo and Madison Bumgarner are solid starters, but the rotation drifts off after that. Drew Storen and Francisco Rodriguez are solid closers, but the bullpen is not exactly stacked. But the Thunder are in line for another solid draft pick as they eagerly await having both Mike Trout and Miguel Cabrera in the lineup in 2012. 6. Madison Muckrakers (Last Season: 100-62, 2nd in Division, 2010 CDBL Champions) - The Muckrakers mortgaged their 2011 season for 2010, and that paid off, clinching the 2010 CDBL title. David Wright has an injury plagued season, and that's the bright spot in the hitting. Felix Hernandez will continue to put up quality innings, but likely won't win many with poor run support. As Madison racks up the losses this year they'll be able to look at their CDBL title with pride. ******************************************************************************************* Gehrig Division - 1. Albuquerque Maul (Last Season: 48-114, 6th in Division) - Rebuild complete! The Maul emerge from a multi year rebuilding effort to field one of the best teams in the league. Dexter Fowler, Jose Reyes and Emilio Bonifacio provide the walks and steals, and Mark Trumbo provides the 30 home run power. Freddie Freeman, Matthew Joyce and Alex Avila add some thump to the lineup. The relative lack of power (~20 homers is the best most can do) is the only wrinkle to the hitting. On the pitching side, the Maul boast the best rotation (Jered Weaver, Kyle Lohse, Jordan Zimmerman and Jair Jurrjens) and one of the best bullpens (Joel Hanrahan, Greg Holland and David Hernandez among others) in the league. The Maul are odds on favorites to win the division and make a strong playoff run. 2. Carlsbad Surfers (Last Season: 98-64, Gehrig Division Pennant) - Fans will be sure to bring their gloves to the park this year, as the Surfers should lead the league in home runs. Mark Reynolds, Jacoby Ellsbury, Justin Upon and Joey Votto are all 30 home run threats, and Andrew McCutchen and Rickie Weeks are not bad at the dingers themselves. Elvis Andrus brings speed and anchor defense at short. David Price, Javier Vazquez, Zack Greinke and Ivan Nova are a solid rotation, and Fernando Salas and Jonathan Papelbon lead a strong bullpen. The Surfers won the division last year, and they have the talent to repeat. 3. Anchorage Gold Diggers (Last Season: 76-86, 3rd in Division) - Curtis Granderson is a power threat in the outfield, and Alex Gordon, Ben Zobrist and Jeff Francoeur have a talent for hitting and extra bases. The Gold Diggers hope to eek out some extra offense with a few platoons. On the pitching side, Ricky Romero, Mark Buehrle and Hiroki Kuroda can go toe to toe with anyone - but perhaps not the 4th & 5th starters. Jim Johnson and Tyler Clippard lead a capable bullpen. It might be hard to finish at the top of the division this year, but the Gold Diggers could play their way to a wildcard spot. 4. Concord Minutemen (Last Season: 60-102, 5th in Division) - The Minutemen will be able to bomb it over the outfield wall this year, with Lance Berkman, Paul Konerko, Mike Napoli, Troy Tulowitzki and Alfonso Soriano all long ball threats. Danny Espinoza and Ryan Roberts add some speed. On the pitching side, Josh Beckett is the ace, and Derek Holland a decent 2nd starter. The rest of the rotation is either injured or will struggle to contain runs. The Minutemen may have the most name brand bullpen in the league, with stars like Craig Kimbrel, Francisco Cordero, Kyle Farnsworth and Jordan Walden ready for relief. If the starting pitching holds up the Minutemen could see themselves in the post-season. 5. Topeka Stingers (Last Season: 94-68, 2nd in Division) - Ryan Howard remains a bright spot for Topeka, and Josh Hamilton can still hit, but the lineup quickly tails off after that. Johnny Cueto, Ryan Vogelson and Anibal Sanchez lead a decent rotation, and Huston Street leads an OK bullpen. Look for the Stingers to hold the other team to a low score, but run support for the pitchers will be a struggle. 6. Hong Kong Cavaliers (Last Season: 69-93, 4th in Division) - On offense, the Cavaliers have Carlos Beltran and ... not much else. Runs will be scarce this year. They will get to enjoy a solid season from Clayton Kershaw, who could win the ERA crown but fail to win double digit games. Mariano Rivera is one of the league's best closers -- when the save opportunities are there. A few bright spots on the roster, but it looks to be a rebuilding year for Hong Kong. ******************************************************************************************* Tiant Division - 1. Georgia Pines (Last Season: 54-108, 5th in Division) - Adam Jones, Asdrubal Cabrera and Pablo Sandoval lead a "good but not great" lineup that won't necessarily grab any all-star slots, but should score enough runs to get things done. Where Georgia shines is their starting rotation. Justin Verlander, Cole Hamels, Kyle Kendrick, Scott Baker and Josh Collmenter are one of the best rotations in the league. Mike Adams should save plenty of games as the team's closer, but the Pines may need to add a bullpen arm or two as the season progresses. Georgia should ride their elite rotation into the post-season. 2. Boston Bulldogs (Last Season: 113-49, Tiant Division Pennant) - Giancarlo Stanton, JJ Hardy, David Ortiz and Corey Hart can mash the ball, and Miguel Montero provides a lot of power from the catch position. The rest of the lineup will see a lot of platoons to add some extra offense. James Shields and Ervin Santana are aces, but the rest of the rotation will struggle to battle against the better pitchers in the league. A few decent bullpen options, but the late inning leads will not be secured. Still, with an offense like this the Bulldogs are in line for a wildcard spot. 3. Alphaville Caution (Last Season: 105-57, 2nd in Division) - Hitting will be a bit lackluster this year - no one is a threat to hit 20 home runs, although Cameron Maybin and Rajai Davis should swipe plenty of bases. The rotation is pretty solid, with Cory Luebke, Guillermo Mososco, Freddy Garcia, Bruce Chen and Shaun Marcum providing some consistent outings. Mark Melancon is a solid closer and the bullpen is pretty deep. If their offense surprises, Alphaville could be playoff bound. Otherwise they may be in for low scoring frustration. 4. Half Moon Bay Dragons (Last Season: 103-59, 3rd in Division) - Mark Teixeira continues to launch the baseballs skyward, and Alex Rodriguez and Nick Swisher should help score some runs. After that the hitting gets iffy. Iffy doesn't begin to describe the starting rotation. After Edwin Jackson, the rest of the rotation is one of the league's worst. John Axford is a solid closer candidate, but the bullpen gets pretty bad, pretty fast. The pitching may have one of the highest ERAs this year, not counting the fact they play in Coors Field. Expect lots of high scoring games this year, but not a lot of wins. 5. Dedham Destroyers (Last Season: 89-73, 4th in Division) - Edwin Encarnacion should have a good year at the plate, but that's about it. Runs will be difficult to find this year. On the pitching side, Cliff Lee and Tim Hudson are bright spots, but the rest of the rotation isn't. Bullpen this year will struggle to hold leads. Signs point to a rough year, but that just means they are in line for a high draft pick in next year's draft. 6. Milwaukee Pilots (Last Season: 27-135, 6th in Division) - In a multi year rebuilding effort, 2011 will see more of the same. Michael Bourn and Ichiro Suzuki will combine for triple digit steals, and that will be the highlight of the offense. The starting rotation is league worst as is the bullpen. Fans may put paper bags on their heads when they attend games this year, but that high, high draft pick in 2012 and the continued development of Paul Goldschmidt is something to look forward to.