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Mantle Division Preview - 

1st - Mechan Syndicate (Last Season:  94-68, 1st in division, CFOD Champions)
HITTING:  Aaron Hill, Troy Tulowitzki, Adam Dunn and Justin Upton give the 
Syndicate some pop reminiscent of their Bonds-Palmeiro days.  And David Wright
does everything but hit home runs.  Solid hitters all around.
PITCHING:  Zach Greinske and Dan Haren would be aces on anyone's team, and Ryan
Dempster and Gavin Floyd are solid starters who round out the rotation.  Jonathan
Broxton and LaTroy Hawkins lead a deep bullpen with one of the best pitching staffs
in the league.
OVERALL:  Great hitting, excellent pitching.  They won it all last year, and this
team on paper is better than last year.

2nd - Angry Candy (Last Season:  87-75, 3rd in division)
HITTING:  Chase Utley and Kevin Youkilis lead a roster of talented hitters.  Jason
Bartlett and Nyjer Morgan can talk a walk and can swipe a base.  Add Pablo Sandoval
and Todd Helton and you've got a team that can score some runs.
PITCHING:   The starting rotation is filled with innings-eating starters like
James Shields and Ricky Romero.  They're not batting practice quality so the Angry
Candy will have lots of opportunities to win.  Mariano Rivera is once again an
elite closer, and the reliever corps should be more than adequate.
OVERALL:  The Angry Candy have some horses this year, and there's no reason why they
can't increase their win total from last year. 

3rd - Arlington Arthropods (Last Season:  81-81, 5th in division)
HITTING:  Manny may be gone, but Prince Fielder, Matt Kemp, Ryan Zimmerman, Nick
Swisher and Curtis Granderson will still lead a punishing lineup.
PITCHING:   The Arthropods feature a strong starting lineup, with Yovani Gallardo,
Bronson Arroyo, Barry Zito and Doug Davis all favored to win games this year with their
hitting lineup.  Joakim Soria leads a deep and talented bullpen.
OVERALL:  Some nice hitting and some decent pitching should make Arlington a 
contender for a playoff spot this year.

4th - San Francisco Shriners (Last Season:  92-70, 2nd in division)
HITTING:  Shriner fans will get to see the dynamic duo of Jason Bay and Adrian 
Gonzales, who should crank plenty of home runs.  Brian Roberts and Marco Scutaro form
a double play combination that can also hit.
PITCHING:  Johan Santana is still the ace by name, but most of the workload will go
to Edwin Jackson.  Brian Wilson is an elite closer, and most of the other pitchers
are solid if unspectacular.
OVERALL:  Some nice players this year.  The pennant may be tough to get, but the
Shriners are in contention for a playoff spot.

5th - Springfield 'Topes (Last Season:  86-76, 4th in division)
HITTING:  Raul Ibanez is the big bat this year, and Chris Coughlan, Dustin Pedroia,
Jorge Cantu and Adam LaRoche provide some quality at bats.
PITCHING:  John Lackey and Mark Buehrle provide a strong start to the beginning of
the rotation, and the back end starters should be competitive.  Rafael Soriano and
an assortment of relievers will make Springfield competitive.
OVERALL:  It is a strong division this year, but there's no reason Springfield can't
repeat their winning campaign of last year.

6th - Bakersfield RamJets (Last Season:  74-88, 6th in division)
HITTING:  Mainstay Derrek Lee and Jayson Werth provide the pop this year, and Aramis
Ramirez, Miguel Tejada and Ryan Ludwick add to the mix.
PITCHING:  Jason Marquis is their ace by default, but the rest of the starting
rotation goes downhill from there.  The bullpen should be good if a bit nameless.
OVERALL:  With the Mantle division being so competitive, it will be tough for the
RamJets to compete this year.

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Koufax Division Preview - 

1st - Hillsborough Regulators (Last Season:  60-102, 6th in division)
HITTING:  Alex Rodriguez, Matt Holliday, Luke Scott and David Ortiz gives 
Hillsborough some punch this year.
PITCHING:  Felix Hernandez, Justin Verlander and Ubaldo Jimenez gives Hillsborough
an intimidating 1-2-3 punch in the starting rotation, and that's not even counting
rookie phenom Tommy Hanson.  The bullpen is decent and should be able to hold a lead.
OVERALL:  A great starting pitching staff could propel the Regulators to the 
pennant.

2nd - Somerville Sluggers (Last Season:  91-71, 2nd in division)
HITTING:  Ben Zobrist could be an all-star middle infielder, and Carlos Pena provides
the big pat in the middle.  The rest of the hitters are "OK", but there will be a lot
of part-time work going on.
PITCHING:  Roy Halladay will be an ace and could compete for the Cy Young award.
John Lannan is a decent #2.  Rafael Betancourt leads a solid bullpen.
OVERALL:  The hitting is a little suspect, but Halladay helps make Somerville the
early season favorite in the Koufax division.

3rd - Pig's Eye Pirates (Last Season:  75-87, 4th in division)
HITTING:  Evan Longoria, Justin Morneau and Andre Ethier like the long ball, and
Shane Victorino and Erick Aybar are decent table-setters.  Lots of other quality
hitters in the lineup could make the Pirates the highest scoring team in the division.
PITCHING:  Josh Johnson should win plenty of games with his run support, and Chad
Billingsley is a decent 2nd starter.  The rest of the starting rotation will depend
on run support for their wins.  Francisco Cordero and Jason Frasor make a stellar
1-2 combination in the bullpen.
OVERALL:  The Pirates have some good horses this year, and could even contend for
the division pennant.

4th - Cincinnati Rock (Last Season:  69-93, 5th in division)
HITTING:  Ryan Braun is a hoss, and a part-time Manny Ramirez will contribute some
runs.  The rest of the hitting is merely "OK".
PITCHING:  Carlos Zambrano, Josh Beckett and Roy Oswalt are name brand starters who
should throw some decent innings.  Mark Lowe is their top reliever, but after that
the bullpen is a little thin.
OVERALL:  Decent starters and Ryan Braun will help them make some noise, but without
more quality players they may have trouble breaking the upper half of the division
rankings.

5th - Minneapolis Malice (Last Season:  76-86, 3rd in division)
HITTING:  Joey Votto and Juan Rivera are their biggest sluggers on the team, so power
is in short supply.  Too bad, as Jacob Ellsbury is a more than decent table-setter and
may be called upon to use his base stealing skills to their fullest ability.
PITCHING:  Jon Lester and Joel Pineiro are a decent starting pitcher combination, and
Jon Garland is pretty good too.  But the starters may have trouble winning games with
their hitting lineup.
OVERALL:  Some decent pitching, but the lack of hitting will hurt their chances to
contend this year.

6th - Missouri Mudfish (Last Season:  102-60, 1st in division)
HITTING:  Albert Pujols and Adam Lind are obvious stars, but the rest of the lineup
are either recovering from injuries, still perfecting their swings or are just 
journeymen filling up a lineup spot.
PITCHING:  Not having Brandon Webb will hurt this year.  Javier Vazquez is a legitimate
ace, but the rest of the pitching lineup is pretty scary.  Could be the worst in the
majors.
OVERALL:  Some obvious all-stars on the team, but the non all-stars on the team will
make it hard for Missouri to crack .500 this year.

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Ruth Division Preview - 

1st - Topeka MooseDogs (Last Season:  79-83, 4th in division)
HITTING:  Hanley Ramirez may be the best shortstop in the majors right now, and
Mark Teixeira one of the best 1B.  Marlon Byrd, Johnny Damon and Chone Figgens help
make Topeka's offense dynamic and fluid this year.
PITCHING:  AJ Burnett is the default ace this year, but Clayton Kershaw, Trevor
Cahill and Andy Pettitte will give Topeka a chance to win the game every night.  Ryan
Franklin and David Aardsma gives the MooseDogs two lights out closer candidates.
OVERALL:  It is pretty bold to place Topeka as the pre-season favorite, considering
they are still looking for their first ever division pennant.  But they have the
horses this year, it could happen.

2nd - San Diego Termites (Last Season:  62-100, 6th in division)
HITTING:  The place where veterans go in their twilight years, this year's bunch of
Derek Jeter, Paul Konerko, Jermaine Dye and Carlos Lee should be able to show they
have plenty of gas left in the tank.  Michael Bourne should be able to take a base
and swipe a few and score plenty of runs along the way.
PITCHING:  Chris Carpenter is a rock-solid starter, and Kevin Millwood and Ross
Ohlendorf help give the Termites an above-average rotation.  JP Howell leads a deep and
talented bullpen.
OVERALL:   A veteran hitting staff that knows what they are doing and a solid pitching
staff makes the Termites a pennant and playoff contender this year.

3rd - Miami Mangos (Last Season:  82-80, 3rd in division)
HITTING:  Kendry Morales has some thump in his bat, as does infielder Ian Kinsler.
Brad Hawpe and Miguel Montero should also help give Miami an above average offense.
PITCHING:  Randy Wolf is a solid starter, and Matt Garza, Rick Porcello and
Nick Blackburn help give Miami a solid rotation.  George Sherrill could be an excellent
closer, and if not, Miami has several candidates in a deep bullpen.
OVERALL:  A deep starting rotation and some decent hitters could give Miami a run
at the playoffs this year.

4th - California Coneheads (Last Seasons:  95-67, 2nd in division)
HITTING:  Nelson Cruz, Victor Martinez, Shin-Soo Choo and Billy Butler help lead an
offense that doesn't have the flair and star-power of their 90's counterparts, but they
do all the right things to score runs.
PITCHING:  Cole Hamels may be their best starter this year, but their starting
pitching is definitely their weak point this season.  If they can get to the 9th with
a lead, Andrew Bailey should be a lights-out closer.
OVERALL:  California is always a threat, and this year should be no different.  But
their starting pitching could hold them back.

5th - Austin Bridge Bats (Last Season:  72-90, 5th in division)
HITTING:  Ryan Howard hits them hard, and hits them deep, but he'll have to shoulder
the majority of the offense on his broad shoulders.  The rest of the hitting is
a bit lackluster.
PITCHING:  Adam Wainwright is a legit ace and should be a joy to watch this season.  
Randy Wells and Zach Duke are also decent starters.  Joe Nathan leads a deep bullpen
that should sew up the latter innings.
OVERALL:  Some decent pitching, but the lack of an offense could hurt Austin's chances
this year.

6th - Paxtang Pitbulls (Last Season:  99-63, 1st in division)
HITTING:  Miguel Cabrera should do great, as well as Jason Kubel.  Denard Span is
a good table-setter, getting on base and swiping a few.  Andrew McCutchen will be
able to contribute right away and should be their franchise player in a few years.  
PITCHING:  John Danks is a decent starter, but the quality drops off quickly after
that.  The bullpen is a bit weak compared to some of the other teams out there.
OVERALL:  Weak pitching may be Paxtang's downfall this year, but Paxtang fans will
get to see some talented players on the field.

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Young Division Preview - 

1st - Seattle Moshers (Last Season:  65-97, 5th in division)
HITTING:  Likely not an all-star in the bunch, but Michael Young can still hit,
and Hunter Pence should be decent.  Seattle hopes that they can make the most of
platooning to make the whole better than the sum of its parts on offense.
PITCHING:  CC Sabathia, Tim Lincecum, and Matt Cain lead one of the league's strongest
pitching staffs.  Brett Anderson and Derek Lowe make them a fearsome five.  Huston
Street leads a capable bullpen.
OVERALL:  Some stellar starting pitching makes Seattle the favorite to win their
division this year (assuming they can cobble together some runs with their mega-platoon).

2nd - San Francisco Piazza's (Last Season:  51-111, 6th in division)
HITTING:  Joe Mauer, Ichiro Suzuki, Robinson Cano, Bobby Abreu and Martin Prado gives
the Piazza's some of the better hitters in the league.  
PITCHING:  Jair Jurrjens (say that 10 times fast) is a solid ace, and Jarrod Washburn
is a capable #2 starter.  The rest of the rotation is a bit iffy, but that may be
offset by Trevor Hoffman and Jose Velverde, 2 elite relievers in the bullpen.
OVERALL:  Some nice hitting and some nice pitching.  The Piazza's will be contenders
for a playoff spot this year.

3rd - Park City Climbers (Last Season:  97-65, 1st in division)
HITTING:  Mark Reynolds has some serious power, and JD Drew and Russell Branyan will
help score some runs.  But the rest of the lineup are either part-timers, or folks
who seemingly made a choice between a decent on base average and a decent slugging
average.
PITCHING:  Cliff Lee is Park City's ace this year, and Joe Blanton, Aaron Harang
and Vicente Padilla form a solid rotation.  Michael Wuertz and Todd Coffey lead a decent
bullpen.
OVERALL:  Some nice pitching and a few key hitters, but they'll need every drop of
effort from the rest of their hitting staff to be a serious contender for the pennant.

4th - Rocklin Thunder (Last Season:  94-68, 2nd in division, RY Conference Champion)
HITTING:  Dan Uggla is still a decent 2B, but his strikeout rate and low batting
average are cause for concern.  Lance Berkman is back with the team and should have
a good year.  After Juan Uribe, the rest of the hitters may be too injured (or not
talented enough) to yield an above-average offense.
PITCHING:  Jered Weaver, Jeff Niemann, and Scott Feldman should be adequate at keeping
the score relatively down.  If the team can get a lead into the 9th, it's as good as
 gold for elite closer Jonathan Papelbon.
OVERALL:  They made an appearance at the world series last season, but momentum may
not be on their side in 2009.

5th - Tualatin Pioneers (Last Season:  68-94, 4th in division)
HITTING:  The Vladimir Guerrero era is over for the Pioneers.  In his place is ...
Michael Cuddyer?  Carl Crawford is one of the better top of the order hitters in the
game, hitting for average, drawing the walk, with a little bit a pop and rockets for
legs.  Skip Schumaker and Adam Kennedy are also decent hitters, but Tualatin could use
another power hitter.
PITCHING:  Wandy Rodriguez and Ted Lilly give Tualatin a decent top of the order in
their starting rotation, but the starting pitching quickly descends into scary territory
after that.  Heath Bell, Jeremy Affeldt and Matt Guerrier are quality relievers, but
the bullpen gets really thin after that.
OVERALL:  Just 1 more slugger and some pitching depth would give Tualatin a shot this
year.  Otherwise, Tualatin is likely looking to struggle this year.

5th - Brookfield Brouhaha (Last Season:  93-69, 3rd in division)
HITTING:  Brandon Phillips is a decent 2B, and Scott Podsednik is a decent table-setter,
 but the lack of hitters overall may cause Brookfield to struggle in run manufacturing
in 2009.
PITCHING:  The injury to Erik Bedard will hurt them this year.  Kevin Correia is
a decent starter, but the rest of the pitching staff will have trouble with opposing
lineups.
OVERALL:  Brookfield will likely struggle this year, but perhaps can look forward to
drafting Jason Heyward next year?