1997 CDBL PREVIEW "Your Mileage May Vary!" ******************************************************************************* Aaron Division - 1st - Manhatten Beach Mashers (Last Season - 97-65, 1st place) The Mashers are perennial winners, and 1997 will be no exception. With MVP candidate Mark McGwire anchoring the offense, the Mashers should see plenty of run production from Sandy Alomar Jr, Jeff Blauser, and Jeromy Burnitz. Justin Thompson, Jimmy Key and Alan Benes form a solid trio of starters, but the Mashers may need to get another starter for the playoff stretch. Armando Benitez and Todd Jones leads a deep and talented bullpen. 2nd - Savannah Shoeless Joe's (Last Season - 71-91, 5th place) The Shoeless Joe's are all about the long ball this year. Rafael Palmerio, Bobby Higginson, Tim Salmon, Todd Zeile, and Damion Easley are all home run threats, and Edgar Renteria will add some base stealing capabilities at the top of the order. Denny Neagle is an ace, and Tom Candiotti and Carlos Perez help fill out a better than average pitching staff. Jeff Shaw will do wonders in the bullpen. 3rd - Elk Grove Trout (Last Season - 82-80, 4th place) The Trout are not power hitters, but with folks like Tony Gwynn, Shawon Dunston, Darrin Erstad and Travis Fryman, Elk Grove will use their hitting finesse to generate some runs. Darryl Kile is an innings workhorse ace, and Alex Fernandez, Pedro Astacio and Chuck Finley round out a deep rotation. Randy Myers is an elite closer, and fortunately for Elk Grove the bullpen won't be taxed this year. 4th - Arkham Investigators (Last Season - 62-100, 6th place) Ken Griffey Jr returns as the franchise, and this year he will get some help from 1B JT Snow and an array of outfielders who can smack 20 home runs in 350 plate appearances. Rick Reed, Kevin Appier, Francisco Cordova and Ramon Garcia fill out a better than average rotation. After Arthur Rhodes the bullpen gets a bit thin. 5th - Point Lomas Friars (Last Season - 92-70, 2nd place) Not a lot of power on this team, but Jason Giambi, Jay Bell and Dave Nilsson should be good for 20 home runs or so. Eric Young will be a speedster on the bases. Pat Hentgen provides a lot of innings, and Bob Tewskbury, Mark Gardner and Allen Watson provide for a serviceable rotation. Rick Aguilera is the biggest name in the bullpen, which also has the serviceable tag. 6th - California Kamados (Last Season - 85-77, 3rd place) California looks to build their team around Derek Jeter and off-season acquisition Scott Rolen, but overall lack of hitting and atrocious pitching will make it a long season for the Kamados. Paige Division - 1st - Tualatin Thunder (Last Season - 76-86, t-4th place) Mike Piazza and Jeff Bagwell are certainly two players to build a team around, and with Lee Stevens, Butch Huskey and Shawn Green in the lineup, Tualatin will score plenty of runs. Bobby Jones is the ace by default, and most of the rotation is made of innings eaters. Rod Beck and Jeff Montgomery lead a deep bullpen with plenty of experience. 2nd - Springfield Isotopes (Last Season - 91-71, 1st place) The longtime dominant franchise in the Paige division will be in the mix once again. Bernie Williams, Mark Grace, Wade Boggs and Tony Phillips are all big believers in the walk, and the amount of runners able to get on base will give Barry Bonds plenty of RBI opportunities. Curt Schilling is emerging into the kind of ace that contends for Cy Young awards, and Tom Gordon is a capable #2 starter. The rest of the rotation gets a bit iffy after that. The bullpen will be a weak point for Springfield this year, but could be shored up with an acquisition down the stretch. 3rd - Dewey Beach Lush (Last Season - 90-72, 2nd place) Dewey Beach's top players account for most of the payroll, but what top players they are. Larry Walker, Frank Thomas, Craig Biggio, Jim Thome, Gary Sheffield and Sammy Sosa are a who's who of hitters. Chris Holt was acquired through the draft and should contend for the most wins by a pitcher in the league. After Holt and reliever John Frascatore, the rest of the pitching staff looks like a team looking for a #1 pick rather than a playoff spot. 4th - Madison Muckrakers (Last Season - 76-86, t-4th place) Manny Ramirez and Ivan Rodriguez give Madison some star power, and Wally Joyner and Dave Hollins will add to the lineup. David Wells is a workhorse who seems to find ways of winning, and Tim Wakefield and Jason Dickson will keep the Muckrakers competitive. Paul Quantrill and Mike Stanton lead a solid if unspectacular bullpen. 5th - Seattle Decaf (Last Season - 73-89, 6th place) Off-season acquisitions Tino Martinez and Paul O'Neill will certainly punch up the lineup, which was lacking a little in star power. Mark Clark and Willie Blair head up an "OK" starting rotation. The Decaf's bullpen is excellent, lead by Mariano Rivera. 6th - Chicago Outlaws (Last Season - 79-83, 3rd place) Eric Karros, Moises Alou, Vladimir Guerrero and Mike Lieberthal gives Chicago some hitters, but the rest of the lineup is merely "OK". What will give the Outlaws trouble this year is their pitching. Joey Hamilton and Al Leiter are solid starters, but the rest of the pitching staff isn't much to write home about. Gehrig Divison - 1st - Encinitas Surfers (Last Season - 83-79, 3rd place) Andres Galarraga and Ellis Burks are the power generators on this team, and are joined by folks like BJ Surhoff and Tony Fernandez. Not much to write home about. What is to write home about is their starting rotation, led by Greg Maddux, Kevin Brown, and Mike Mussina. All capable of winning games by themselves. Mike Timlin, Doug Brocail and Mike Fetters will mop up any innings the big 3 do not. 2nd - Albuquerque Maul (Last Season - 91-71, 2nd place) The Maul won it all last year, and are looking to defend their crown this year. Raul Mondesi and Albert Belle provide plenty of power, and Lance Johnson and Delino DeSheilds are above average table setters, getting on base and swiping a few. John Smoltz, Shawn Estes and Kirk Reuter are a solid 1-2-3 in the rotation, and Greg McMichael and Rich Loiselle lead a capable bullpen. 3rd - Boulder County Trustafarians (Last Season - 77-85, 5th place) Longtime SS Barry Larkin is no longer with the team, but plenty of others have stepped up in his place. Chuck Knoblauch, Kenny Lofton, Tony Womack and Tom Goodwin are speedsters on the base, and Ken Caminiti and Paul Sorrento have the oomph to knock the ball out of the park. Brad Radke, Darren Oliver and Scott Karl lead a solid rotation, and the bullpen led by Trevor Hoffman is exceptionally deep. 4th - Hong Kong Cavaliers (Last Season - 109-53, 1st place) For the Cavaliers, not winning the world series last year gives them a bit of a chip on their shoulders to prove themselves this year. Carlos Delgado, Vinny Castilla, Roberto Alomar, Matt Stairs and Todd Hundley still give Hong Kong a dangerous lineup. Pedro Martinez may very well be the best pitcher in baseball and is the leading Cy Young contender. But after Hideo Nomo, the rest of the staff is made up of unprovens and journeymen. Still, if the Cavaliers make the playoffs, they are pretty much guaranteed to win at least 2 games in their playoff series. 5th - Concord Minutemen (Last Season - 75-87, 6th place) The team that Jose and Kirby built is giving way to the house that people come to see Chipper Jones and Javy Lopez. Along with Jones & Lopez, Troy O'Leary and Fred McGriff will give the lineup some pep. Ismael Vadles is a quality #1 starter, and the rest of the rotation is serviceable. What Concord lacks in starters they make up for in the bullpen, with John Wetteland, John Franco and Billy Wagner providing lights out support in the late innings. 6th - Topeka Stingers (Last Season - 79-83, 4th place) Mo Vaughn, Jeff Kent and Dante Bichette are the stand hitters on the team, and the rest are merely "OK". Andy Pettitte is a likely all-star, and Scott Erickson and Mike Hampton are quality starters. Robb Nen may have an off-year at closer, and the rest of the bullpen are more middle innings eaters than late innings dominators. Tiant Division - 1st - Avila Dragons (Last Season - 95-67, 1st place) Alex Rodriguez and Jim Edmonds provide the young star power, and Chili Davis and Brady Anderson provide the veteran presence. Mickey Morandini and Russ Davis help fill out a solid lineup. Rocket Roger Clemens can go toe to toe with anyone, and Todd Stlttlemyre, Andy Ashby and Jason Schmidt lead a solid rotation. Doug Jones and Troy Percival lead one of the best bullpens in the league. 2nd - Boston Bulldogs (Last Season - 79-83, t-3rd place) The Bulldogs boast Edgar Martinez, Edgardo Alfonzo and Ray Lankford as the heart of their hitting lineup. Henry Rodriguez will also provide some pop. Randy Johnson, Matt Morris, Chan Ho Park and Jeff Fassero may be the best 1-4 starters in the league, and Roberto Hernandez and Jeff Nelson lead an above average bullpen. If another big bat emerges this season, Boston could give Avila a run for their money. 3rd - San Diego Rude Dawgs (Last Season - 71-91, 5th place) Cal Ripken was once a San Diego mainstay, but the Rude Dawgs plan to have acquisition SS Nomar Garciaparra as their mainstay for several years. David Segui, Bobby Bonilla, Steve Finley and Al Martin will help San Diego score some runs. Acquisition Andy Benes leads the rotation, with Terry Mulholland, Orel Hershiser and John Burkett having a veteran presence on the roster. After Ricky Bottalico and Anthony Telford the bullpen gets a little thin. 4th - Orange Whoop (Last Season - 87-75, 2nd place) The Whoop continue to have a punishing hitting lineup, featuring Juan Gonzalez, Jay Buhner and John Olerud, with contributions from Jeff Cirillo and Mike Lansing. David Cone and Tom Glavine are a strong 1-2 punch once again, and Jose Mesa leads a solid and capable bullpen. 5th - Dedham Destroyers (Last Season - 45-117, 6th place) After cratering with the league's worst record last year, Dedham looks to rebound a bit. David Justice, John Valentin, Rondell White, Brian Giles and Ryand Klesko are all quality hitters. Dustin Hermanson and Esteban Loaiza are decent starters, but the rest of the pitching staff is a little thin. 6th - Alphaville Cautions (Last Season - 79-83, t-3rd place) Alphaville is looking to rebuild. Rusty Greer, Gerinomo Berroa, Tony Clark and Matt Williams are all 30 home run threats, but not all may be on the roster for the whole season. Wilson Alvarez is a solid starter on any team, but the pitching quickly drops off a cliff after that.