1995 CDBL PREVIEW "Your mileage may vary!" Aaron Division Preview (In order of predicted finish) - 1. Manhatten Beach Mashers (Last year finish: 2nd, 97-65) With big bats Mark McGwire and Paul O'Neill in the middle, the pack of talented hitters including Troy O'Leary, Tim Naehring and Dave Martinez should score plenty of runs. Frank Castillo is the only starter approaching an all-star, but the rest of the rotation including Kevin Ritz and Roger Pavlik will keep the ball in the park enough to get plenty of wins. Rickey Bottalico and Steve Reed lead a deep bullpen. With lots of hitting and a deep pitching staff, Manhatten Beach will be a contender this year. 2. Point Lomas Friars (Last year finish: 5th, 62-100) Nabbing outfielder Tim Raines for a 1st round draft pick 10 years ago ranks as one of the best Point Lomas moves in franchise history. Raines can still get on base and score runs. Kevin Seitzer, Dave Magadan and Luis Gonzalez are also good if not flashy hitters. Point Lomas will have to depend on 1B Eddie Murray and the big swinging but inaccurate bat of Greg Vaughn to drive in runs. Ramon Martinez is a workhorse in the rotation, and the Friars have enough part time starters to last the year. Mike Henneman and Rick Honeycutt are great relievers, but depth gets a little thin after that. It may be difficult for the Friars to catch Manhatten Beach this year, but it will be a dramatically better year for Point Lomas. 3. Elk Grove Trout (Last year finish: 3rd, 87-75) There's no Frank Thomas in the bunch, but with Tony Gwynn, Garrett Anderson, Gregg Jefferies, and Mike Blowers, the Trout will score some runs. Alex Fernandez and Chuck Finley are a nice 1-2 punch in the rotation, and Jason Isringhausen will be a nice part time starter. Rob Nen leads a pack of good-but-not-great relievers. It may be difficult to compete with the Mashers this year, but there's no reason why the Trout can't contend for a playoff spot .. where anything can happen! 4. Arkham Investigators (Last year finish: 1st, 106-56) After years of contention, 1995 is a bit of a reloading year for Arkham. The hitters are still fearsome. Tony Phillips, Reggie Sanders, Robin Ventura, Ken Griffey Jr., Geronimo Berroa and Wally Joyner will make sure lots of runs are scored. Where things fall apart is in the pitching. Kevin Appier could lead the league in wins with this offense, but the rest of the pitching is batting practice quality .. at best. Watch out for lots of 8-7 games! Can Arkham swing their way into a playoff spot? 5. Savannah Shoeless Joe's (Last year finish: 4th, 74-88) Featuring the twin terrors of Tim Salmon and Rafael Palmeiro, the baseballs will be flying out of the park this year. Savannah may have to rely on Gary DiSarcina and Omar Vizquel to be their table-setters for the year. Scott Brosius will be a contributor to the lineup as well. Denny Neagle could be an ace starter for many teams, but the starters at the tail end of the lineup may end up giving up a lot of runs. Bullpen depth may be an issue, as there are no obvious closer candidates. Savannah will be fun to watch with Salmon and Palmeiro, but the lack of pitching after Denny Neagle may hamstring their pennant hopes. 6. California Kamados (Last year finish: 6th, 32-130) The 1993 expansion team continues on a building plan. Other than Tino Martinez and Jose Offerman, the rest of the hitters hit like scrubs. Todd Stottlemeyer could win 15 games playing for Arkham, but he'll be lucky to win 10 with the batting support. The rest will be scary to watch. The question for California is, what high impact rookie will they get in 1996 to pair alongside up and coming phenom Derek Jeter? Paige Division Preview (In order of predicted finish) - 1. Dewey Beach Lush (Last year finish: 2nd, 88-74) Dewey Beach's commitment to hitters yields its greatest reward in 1995. With Jim Thome, Frank Thomas, Larry Walker, Craig Biggio, Ron Gant and Sammy Sosa, the Lush is looking to pack the all-star lineup with Lush hitters. Mark Leiter, Kevin Witt and Chris Bosio are "OK", but with the run support behind them should win plenty of games. Bryce Florie, Doug Henry and Norm Charlton form a bullpen that will get things done. The hitting is fearsome as usual, and the pitching is not bad this year. This is Dewey Beach's year to contend for a title. 2. Largo Longshots (Last year finish: 4th, 78-84) The Longshots have got a collection of hitters that could sneak up on you. Eric Karros, Marty Cordova and Gary Gaetti could each hit 30 home runs. Brett Butler is a capable run scorer. Bret Boone and Moises Alou are young stars who can hit. Joey Hamilton, Al Leiter and Jack McDowell form a better than average rotation. Bullpen depth may be a concern, as Jim Poole is the best they've got. Watch out for Largo, they'll play the spoiler role in the division and league this year. 3. White Rock Phantoms (Last year finish: 5th, 75-87) Manny Ramirez comes into his own in '95, becoming a big threat in the lineup. Catcher Ivan Rodriguez should hit well from the catcher spot. Otis Nixon and Rondell White should benefit from Ramirez's big bat and score plenty of runs. Harold Baines will also be able to drive in some runs. David Wells, Tom Candiotti, and Mark Portugal can pitch. Troy Percival is an ace closer. The pitching on this team is among the best in the division. With some developing young hitters and a deep pitching staff, White Rock is a threat to make the playoffs this year. 4. Springfield Isotopes (Last year finish: 1st, 97-65) Barry Bonds is as good as ever, and Mark Grace, Bernie Williams will help score plenty of runs. Al Martin and Mike Stanley add to the mix. Mark Gubicza will provide workhorse innings this year, as will Tom Gordon. The bullpen will be a problem .. there really isn't one. The Isotopes better hope they have a big lead heading into the 8th inning! Springfield's great hitters return, but they may need a reliever or two to avoid 9th inning heartbreaks. 5. Tualatin Thunder (Last year finish: 3rd, 82-80) Lots of hitting on this team. Mike Piazza and Jeff Bagwell are potential all-stars for years. Brian Jordan, Sean Berry and Bernard Gilkey will help score lots of runs. Vince Coleman should have a stellar year on the basepaths. So why the low ranking? Well, for starters, their only full workhorse in the rotation is Steve Avery, who would have trouble making the Phantoms team. And Bill Risley is their most likely candidate as closer. Needs more pitching oomph! The hitting will be great, but its the lack of pitching which may frustrate Thunder fans this year. 6. Seattle Decaf (Last year finish: 6th, 66-96) "Crime Dog" Fred McGriff is on track to have another good year for Seattle, and Derek Bell and Jim Eisenreich won't disappoint, but the overall lack of hitting firepower may stall the Decaf run machine. Ken Hill and Kevin Tapani soak up a lot of innings, but they may be hard pressed for wins with the overall lack of run support. Michael Jackson should have a good year in relief, but there's also quite a few so-so pitchers that they'll have to rely on in the later innings. Seattle has some nice players, but the overall lack of steam in the engine is grounds for a lower division finish for the Decaf in '95. Mantle Division Preview (In order of predicted finish) - 1. Encinitas Surfers (Last year finish: 2nd, 89-73) The Surfers feature one of the best starting rotations in the game, with superstars Greg Maddux, Mike Mussina and Kevin Brown staffing the top 3 spots. Todd Worrell and Heathcliff Slocumb anchor a solid bullpen. The Surfers features some talented hitters as well. Andres Galarraga and Mickey Tettleton can hit with the best of them, and Jeff King, Glenallen Hill and Mark Carreon will also contribute. The Surfers definitely have enough pitching and have enough hitting to be the favorite to win the pennant this year. 2. Albuquerque Maul (Last year finish: 1st, 97-65) Albert Belle is back and ready to carry the offense on his mighty shoulders again. He could be MVP. Lance Johnson is a capable table-setter, and Will Clark, Shawn Green, Randy Veldarde and Raul Mondesi are all quality hitters. Smoltz is a bonafide ace, but the rest of the starters are merely so-so. Tony Castillo and Jeff Montomery lead a good-but-not-great bullpen. The Maul have enough hitting to ensure a winning record, and will give the Surfers a run for their money in the division. 3. Concord Minutemen (Last year finish: 3rd, 75-87) Kirby Puckett have been Concord mainstays for a very long time, but they are now joined by a new one: rookie Chipper Jones makes his debut. Jones, Carloes Baerga and Javy Lopez will jumpstart the Minutemen youth movement and help score lots of runs. Ismael Valdes, Shane Reynolds and Mike Mimbs form a solid rotation. John Wetteland has the chopes to be a top-flight closer, and Dave Veres can throw a lot of quality relief innings. Lots of hitters + some decent pitching = winning season for the Minutemen. 4. Topeka Stingers (Last year finish: t-4th, 66-96) Dante Bichette and Mo Vaughn are a bash-brothers combo who should hit lots of home runs this year. Terry Pendleton, Jeff Kent and Chad Curter are all good hitters who should be able to score lots of runs. Mike Hampton, Andy Pettitte and Wilson Alvarez are all quality starters. Between Julian Tavarez, Johnny Franco and Rick Aguilera the 8th & 9th innings will be secure. Good hitting, decent pitching. The Stingers will be in the mix. 5. Boulder County Trustafarians (Last year finish: t-4th, 66-96) Chuck Knoblauch and Barry Larkin are the top double play combo in the league, hitting for average, nabbing walks, and getting that extra base. Ken Caminiti will have plenty of RBI opportunities. After that, things get a little light in the hitting department. Kenny Rogers should do well in the ace position, and Jim Abbott is a quality #2 pitcher. Mike Williams leads a group of talented if part-time relievers. The Trustafarians should have a good year, and if a solid cleanup hitter emerges, they could finish much higher. 6. Hong Kong Cavaliers (Last year finish: t-4th, 66-96) With so many quality teams in this division, someone has to finish last. Brady Anderson and Roberto Alomar are good hitters at the top of the order. And Vinny Castilla can certainly knock them in. Greg Colbrunn should get a few RBI's too. But the rest of the hitting lineup isn't much to write home about. Pedro Martinez and Hideo Nomo form a 1-2 starter combination that can go toe-to-toe with anyone else, but the rest of the starting rotation and the entire bullpen just won't be able to compete in this tough division. Tough times for Hong Kong in 1995. Perhaps 1996 will be their year? Mantle Division Preview (In order of predicted finish) - 1. Avila Dragons (Last year finish: 4th, 92-70) It's all about the arms in Avila this year. Andy Ashby, Tim Wakefield, Pete Schourek and John Smiley form a murderer's row of starting pitching. Gene Nelson and Tom Henke will be able to preserve any lead that comes their way. On the batting side, things may not be quite as rosy. Jim Edmonds is a young star, and Wade Boggs and Chili Davis will be able to manufacture some runs. But the rest of the lineup is going to make the excellent pitching staff work for their wins. Perhaps run support will get a bit easier next year when young Alex Rodriguez matures. The Dragons have one of the best pitching staffs in the majors this year, will their hitting be enough to win them a pennant? 2. San Diego Stars (Last year finish: t-1st, 97-65) San Diego won a share of the pennant last year, and made it all the way to the world series, all without much help from upper management. San Diego mainstay Bobby Bonilla is in line for another good year, and gets some veteran help with Rickey Henderson, Cal Ripken Jr. and Lou Whitaker. Dennis Martinez is a quiet ace who will throw lots of innings. Chris Hammond and Orel Hershiser will get a lot of quality starts in as well. Jose Mesa and Eric Plunk are shining stars in an otherwise solid bullpen. The Stars go leaderless again this year, can the riderless horse eclipse the competition yet again? 3. Orange Whoop (Last year finish: 5th, 91-71) The Whoop feature the big bats of Juan Gonzalez and Jay Buhner. They also have Kenny Lofton, one of the top leadoff hitters in the game. Mike Greenwell, John Olerud and Jeff Cirillo should also help score some runs. On the pitching side, Tom Glavine, Jaime Navarro and David Cone form one of the top half of the rotations in the league. Jeff Brantley and Stan Belinda lead a capable bullpen. The Whoop have some decent players. How well they do will determine how well the team performs this year. 4. Boston Bulldogs (Last year finish: 94-68) Big, all-star quality seasons from Edgar Martinez, Jeff Conine and Ray Lankford. Quality contributions from veterans Paul Molitor and Cicil Fielder. All in all, not bad hitting. On the pitching side, Randy Johnson is a legitimate ace. Patt Rapp and Jeff Fassero are not bad to have in the rotation either. Greg McMichael and Curt Leskanic will be able to throw a lot of innings in relief. Boston has some good pitching and hitting this year. Depending on how it all gels together they could finish (much) higher. 5. Dedham Destroyers (Last year finish: t-1st: 97-65) There are a few sluggers who dig the longball. Ryan Klesko, John Valentin, David Justice, Chris Hoiles and Paul Sorrento are all legit deep threats. But the offense may find itself with a lot of solo home runs, as there are not a lot of available run scorers at the top of the lineup. Bobby Jones, Rickey Bones and Doug Drabek will all soak up a lot of innings, but probably won't compete for the Cy Young award this year. Todd Jones has the makings of a good closer, but the rest of the bullpen is merely serviceable. The hitters will be fun to watch this year, but lack of run scorers and pitching depth may hamstring their win efforts. 6. Birmingham Cloverleafs (Last year finish: 6th, 70-92) The Cloverleafs have a few decent hitters. When he plays, Matt Williams is among the best 3B in the big leagues today. Brian McRae hits decently for a centerfielder. And BJ Surhoff and Terry Steinbach would be above average catchers, if both could play at the same position full time .. but the rest of the hitting is lackluster. Erik Hanson and John Burkett are decent starters, but the overall lack of run support and their ERA's may leave them struggling for wins. On the bright side, Mark Wohlers should be able to convert any save opportunities that come his way. Some nice hitters and a decent closer, but the overall lack of firepower will mean Birmingham struggles this year.