1996 CDBL PREVIEW "Your Mileage May Vary!" ************************************************************************* Aaron Division - (1) - Manhatten Beach Mashers (last season: 102-60, 1st) A resurgent Mark Mcgwire leads the '96 edition of the Mashers. He'll knock in plenty of runs with the big bat. Dave Martinez, Paul O'Neill, Tim Naehring and Eric Young are all high batting average, high walk with power hitters who will score plenty of runs. Mark Clark, Juan Guzman and Ben McDonald are all solid starters who could win 18-20 games apiece. Tim Crabtree and Ricky Bottalico lead a somewhat thin bullpen, but by the 8th inning this team will be leading by several runs so it won't really matter. (2) - California Kamados (last season: 36-126, 6th) After stinking it up for a bit, the Kamados are ready to contend. Derek Jeter starts his long run at shortstop (or will he? Phenom Nomar Garciappara is sure to cause position troubles down the road). Tino Martinez, Benito Santiago and Reggie Jefferson have some pop. Steve Trachsel is the team ace, and Todd Stottlemeyre, Jamie Moyer and Mark Gardner make the rotation solid if not spectacular. Turk Wendell is the likely closer, but the Kamados may find themselves looking for a reliever as the season progresses. (3) - Elk Grove Trout (last season: 73-89, 5th) With Marquis Grissom, Tony Gwynn, Mariano Duncan and Julio Franco, the Trout have some mighty fine hitting. They don't have a Mark McGwire type in the bunch, but Elk Grove's offense should nickel and dime the opposing pitchers for plenty of runs. Pedro Astacio and Alex Fernandez are a nice 1-2 starting pitcher punch, and Chuck Finley and Darryl Kile are solid middle of the rotation hurlers. Jeff Parrett and Mark Petkovsek lead an unspectacular but fairly deep bullpen. (4) - Point Lomas Friars (last season: 75-87, 4th) And the post-Tim Raines era begins. Greg Vaughn is the noticeable slugger in the lineup, but the lineup is also loaded with sabrmetric stars like Dave Nilsson, Jason Giambi and Luis Gonzalez. Ramon Martinez is their obvious top hurler, but he won't be able to pitch a full season. That will place added pressure on Rheal Cormier and Bob Tewksbury to fill out the rotation. Rick Honeycutt, Al Osuna and Bob Patterson lead a deep bullpen. (5) - Savannah Shoeless Joe's (last season: 77-85, 3rd) The Savannah sluggers will be a fun bunch to watch. Rafael Palmeiro, Tim Salmon, Todd Zeile and Bobby Higginson can slam 'em with the best of them. Pat Hentgen and Denny Neagle are legit aces, and even old man Fernando Valenzuela should have a good year. Jeff Shaw is the likely closer. Depending on how the players gel, Savannah could see themselves finish higher up in the standings. (6) - Arkham Investigators (last season: 85-77, 2nd) Long a dominant force in the Aaron division, age and salary demands catch up to the Investigators this season. Ken Griffey Jr, Geronimo Berroa and Robin Ventura form a killer middle-of-the-lineup, possibly the best in the division. Catcher Mike Macfarlane adds to the carnage. But where Arkham suffers is in the pitching department. Kevin Appier could be an all-pro ace this year, and Mel Rojas could save plenty of games this season, but the pitching after them are batting practice at best. ************************************************************************* Paige Division - (1) - Tualatin Thunder (last season: 87-75, 3rd) Young superstars Mike Piazza and Jeff Bagwell anchor the offense. With Bernard Gilkey, Ricky Jordan, Sean Berry and Ryne Sandberg, opposing pitchers won't have much of a breather. The starting rotation is a bit light. Bobby Jones is their defacto #1 starter. What they lack in starting pitching they make up for in their deep bullpen. Ken Ryan, Rod Beck and Dennis Eckersley should all have good seasons in relief. (2) - Dewey Beach Lush (last season: 90-72, 2nd) Their lineup reads like an all-star lineup. With Frank Thomas, Gary Sheffield, Jim Thome, Craig Biggio, Sammy Sosa and Ron Gant the Lush should have no trouble scoring bushels of runs. Their pitching, led by Pete Harnisch, is somewhat mediocre, but all they'll need to do is keep the game relatively low-scoring and they'll win plenty of games. (3) - Chicago Outlaws (last season: 81-81, 4th) Chicago has a bit of oopmh in the hitting lineup this year, with Eric Karros, Moises Alou and Marty Cordova providing the hitting. Ray Durham and Gary Gaetti will also contribute. Al Leiter is a bonafide ace, and Josh Hamilton and James Baldwin are solid middle-of-the-rotation pitchers. And Roberto Hernandez as the closer? Yes, please. (4) - Madison Muckrakers (last season: 77-85, 6th) The Muckrakers bring it to the plate in 1996, with Manny Ramirez providing a big bat in the middle, and Ivan Rodriguez and Harold Baines surrounding him in the power positions. Madison has 2 of the better top of the lineup hitters with Mark McLemore and Otis Nixon, who can get on base and swipe a few, too. After Mark Portugal, the starting pitching becomes really shaky. Still, with Troy Percival and Mike Timlin, the bullpen will have their moments. (5) - Springfield Isotopes (last season: 99-63, 6th) What!? 5th place?! Excuse me?! With so many competitive teams in the Paige division this year, Springfield will have their work cut out for them. Barry Bonds is Barry, again, and with Bernie Williams, Al Martin, Mike Stanley and Tony Phillips they won't have too many difficulties manufacturing runs. Where the Isotopes suffer this year is pitching. After Curt Schilling (who is mighty fine), the starters are a bit of a mess. They have a few decent relievers, but perhaps not the game changers of a circa 1987 Tim Burke. (6) - Seattle Decaf (last season: 78-84, 5th) The Decaf have longtime mainstay Fred McGriff driving in runs in the middle of the lineup. He'll have tablesettings in Omar Vizquel and Jim Eisenreich, but the hitting gets thin after that. Ken Hill is a workhorse who could win lots of games, but the starting pitching gets thin after that. If they get a lead in the 8th or 9th inning, the trio of Mike Jackson, Jose Bautista and Mariano Rivera will assuredly save the game. But Seattle may not have the horses this year to compete in this strong division. ************************************************************************* Mantle Division - (1) - Hong Kong Cavaliers (last season: 77-85, 4th) Several years of rebuilding culminate in what should be a dominant season by the Cavaliers. Ellis Burks, Roberto Alomar, Vinny Castilla, Brady Anderson and Todd Hundley should all have excellent seasons at the plate, and the supporting hitters are solid as well. Hideo Nomo, Donovan Osbourne, Danny Darwin and Pedro Martinez form a formidable rotation. After Mark Guthrie and TJ Mathews the bullpen gets a little thin, but it won't matter too much with this team. (2) - Encinitas Surfers (last season: 101-61, t-1st) With the Surfers, you have to start with pitching. Kevin Brown and Greg Maddux are superstar hurlers, and 3rd pitcher Dave Burba could be the ace on many teams. Heathcliff Slocumb and Todd Worrell lead a decent bullpen. But it's not all arms on this team. Andres Galarraga should have a huge season at the plate, and BJ Surhoff, Devon White and Jeff King will help manufacture runs. (3) - Concord Minutemen (last season: 72-90, 6th) As the Kirby Puckett/Jose Canseco era in Concord fades away, up comes the Chipper Jones/Javy Lopez era. Both are expected to heavily contribute this year, as will 1B John Jaha. Canseco is still around and good for 30 home runs, but he won't have to try to carry the team himself this year. Ismael Valdes and Shane Reynolds are solid starters, and Billy Wagner and John Wetteland are top notch closers. (4) - Albuquerque Maul (last season: 101-61, t-1st) The '96 edition of the Maul features one of the best outfields in the game, with Albert Belle (~50ish homers), Raul Mondesi (~25 homers) and Lance Johnson (~50 steals). Dean Palmer also adds a big bat, and should be good for plenty of home runs. John Smoltz is a legit Cy Young candidate and should be good for plenty of innings. The rest of the starters are held together with spit and tape. There's a lot of good pitching on the team, but there may not be enough innings in them to last the season. (5) - Boulder County Trustafarians (last season: 78-84, 3rd) Once again the Trustafarians feature one of the best double play combos with 2B Chuck Knoblauch and SS Barry Larkin. Ken Caminiti should drive in plenty of runs, and Chris Hoiles at catcher gives BC solid players at all of the skill positions. Tim Belcher, Brad Radke, Kenny Rogers and Darren Oliver gives the Trustafarians a lot of innings eaters, although they may struggle winning any pitcher duels. Trevor Hoffman is an ace closer, and pre-season acquisition Lee Smith should help in the bullpen. (6) - Topeka Stingers (last season: 76-86, 5th) Mo Vaughn, Dante Bichette, Joe Carter and Ed Sprague will give Topeka some bruisers in their lineup. Mark Grudzielanek should benefit from the sluggers behind him and should score plenty of runs. Charles Nagy and Mike Hampton form an effective 1-2 punch, and Andy Pettitte is a more than capable hurler. John Franco and Rob Nen will ensure 9th innings are not a problem. The Stingers maybe listed last in the season preview, but that doesn't mean they don't have a chance (or even that they'll finish with a losing record). The Mantle division looks to be very competitive this year. Koufax Division - (1) - Birmingham Cloverleafs (last season: 72-90, 4th) Zombie team to take the pennant? The manager-less Cloverleafs have stockpiled some talent. Terry Steinbach, Danny Tartabull, Tony Clark, Rusty Greer and Matt Williams are all quality hitters. Andy Benes, Wilson Alvarez and John Burkett are decent starters, and Mark Wohlers leads a capable bullpen. Birmingham will be the pace setter in the Koufax division. (2) - Orange Whoop (last season: 85-77, 2nd) Juan Gonzalez and Jay Buhner will be manic RBI machines. Kenny Lofton will be a manic run scoring machine. But after Jeff Cirillo, the rest of the hitters are a little "eh" (still, those 4 could overcome that). Tom Glavine anchors the staff with a potential Cy Young year, and Jaime Navarro should also do well. After Sterling Hitchcock, the rest of the starters are part timers. Jeff Brantley leads a deep bullpen. (3) - Avila Dragons (last season: 113-49, 1st) After winning last year's title, the Dragons should be in the mix once again. Led by emerging superstar Alex Rodriguez and young'un Jim Edmonds, combined with the veteran Davis brothers (not really) Chili and Eric, and table setter Wade Boggs, the Dragons should do OK in the runs department. Roger Clemens and John Smiley can throw a pitch, and Andy Ashby is another capable starter, But after those guys, the rest of the starters (and the bullpen) is a bit shaky. (4) - Boston Bulldogs (last season: 81-81, 3rd) DH power to the rescue! Paul Molitor and Edgar Martinez are hitting machines, as is Jeff Conine and Ray Lankford. Cecil Fielder has some homer power. Jeff Fassero is a quality starter, but the rest of the rotation drops off steeply after that. Randy Myers and Terry Adams are decent relievers, but the bullpen is thin after that. Some good hitters on this team, but a lack of pitching depth may hurt. (5) - San Diego Rude Dawgs (last season: 67-95, 5th) The San Diego core is back. Steve Finley, Bobby Bonilla and Cal Ripken Jr should all have good season. But after David Segui, the hitting tails off a bit (at least until Scott Rolen and Phil Nevin are ready for the majors). Orel Hershiser and Terry Mulholland should eat up some innings in the rotation, and Eric Plunk could do a good job in the bullpen, but the overall lack of depth could hurt San Diego's chances this year. (6) - Dedham Destroyers (last season: 61-101, 6th) As part of a rebuilding plan, the Destroyers were out of it last year, and look to be out of it again this year. Ryan Klesko and Henry Rodriguez should have good years, but it looks to be a lost season while they wait for young talent to develop.