2011 CFOD SEASON PREVIEW "Your Mileage May Vary!" Mantle Division ---------------------------------------- 1st - Arlington Arthropods (Last season: 83-79, 3rd in division): Most Team RBI - Gary Sheffield, 989 Most Team Wins - Jason Schmidt, 62 Most Team Saves - Rafael Betancourt, 61 Arlington's offense will be mighty healthy this year, with Matt Kemp, Prince Fielder, Ryan Zimmerman, Corey Hart, and Brian McCann in the lineup. Josh Beckett and Yovani Gallardo are top of the order pitchers. Relievers are a bit of a hodge podge, with no clear closer and a lot of part timers. But that is something they can figure out as the season progresses. 2nd - Angry Candy (Last season: 89-73, 2nd in division): Most Team RBI - Chipper Jones, 1476 Most Team Wins - Josh Beckett, 66 Most Team Saves - Mariano Rivera, 84 Lance Berkman anchors the lineup for the AC, which also features heavy hitters like Pablo Sandoval and Kevin Youkilis. Jordan Zimmerman, Tim Hudson and Freddy Garcia form a potent 1-2-3 punch in the starting rotation. The Candy have two elite relievers in Neftali Feliz and Sean Marshall, so protecting those 9th inning leads will not be a problem. 3rd - San Francisco Organization (Last season: 75-87, 4th in division): Most Team RBI - Sammy Sosa, 776 Most Team Wins - Randy Johnson, 136 Most Team Saves - John Wetteland, 108 These days the offense is built around 1B Adrian Gonzalez. Seth Smith, Nick Swisher and Yadier Molina provide help. With no Johan Santana anchoring the rotation SF will depend on a mix of Johnny Cueto, Scott Baker and Edwin Jackson. Led by Javier Lopez, Wilton Lopez and Tony Sipp, the Organization features a deep and talented bullpen. 4th - Mechan Syndicate (Last season: 93-69, Mantle division winner): Most Team RBI - Barry Bonds, 1567 Most Team Wins - Tim Wakefield, 67 Most Team Saves - Eric Gagne, 67 Alex Gordon, Troy Tulowitzki and Mark Reynolds form a formidable lineup, and Peter Bourjos and Aaron Hill help add some speed. Dan Haren, David Price and Zack Greinke lead a deep rotation, and veteran closer Mariano Rivera (all-time saves leader on no less than 4 teams, with a shot at the Syndicate's record too) leads the bullpen. 5th - Springfield 'Topes (Last season: 67-95, 6th in division): Most Team RBI - Bernie Williams, 772 Most Team Wins - Mark Buehrle, 122 Most Team Saves - Mark Wohlers, 87 Mike Morse and Dustin Pedroia are a 2-man scoring team, and they'll get help from Edwin Encarnacion and Gerardo Parra. Mark Buehrle once again anchor the rotation, and gets help from Brandon McCarthy and Guillermo Moscoso. Mike Adams and Chris Perez head up a competitive bullpen. 6th - Bakersfield RamJets (Last season: 74-88, 5th in division): Most Team RBI - Miguel Tejada, 983 Most Team Wins - John Lackey, 78 Most Team Saves - Steve Kline, 72 Aramis Ramirez is a bright spot at third base, but the rest of the lineup may struggle to manufacture runs. Ricky Romero is a legit ace, and Javier Vazquez and Bruce Chen round out a respectable rotation. Craig Kimbrel and Koji Uehara are lights out relievers. Koufax Division ---------------------------------------- 1st - Pig's Eye Pirates (Last season: 96-66, 2nd in division): Most Team RBI - Albert Pujols, 626 Most Team Wins - Brandon Webb, 67 Most Team Saves - Trevor Hoffman, 107 Runs are easy to score when you have the mighty bat of Jose Bautista in the middle of the lineup. Evan Longoria continues his rise up to stardom with some power from the corner spot. Jemile Weeks, Andre Ethier and Shane Victorino will give Bautista plenty of RBI opportunities. James Shields will be a war horse in the rotation, and Vance Worley, Kyle Kendrick and Carl Pavano help form a respectable rotation. David Robertson, Josh Johnson and Johnny Venters lead a strong bullpen. 2nd - Walcott Walruses (Last season: 77-85, 5th in division): Most Team RBI - Jason Giambi, 698 Most Team Wins - Roger Clemens, 115 Most Team Saves - Trevor Hoffman, 89 The Walruses are primed to punish opposing pitchers with a lineup featuring Jacob Ellsbury, David Ortiz, Albert Pujols and speedster Michael Bourn. Justin Verlander gives the Walruses a Cy candidate, and Felix Hernandez and Wandy Rodriguez could be aces on most other teams. Vinnie Pestano and Drew Storen lead a quite competent group of relievers. They may be slotted for second, but they could easily win the division. 3rd - Cincinnati Rock (Last season: 73-89, 6th in division): Most Team RBI - Ryan Braun, 417 Most Team Wins - Roy Oswalt, 119 Most Team Saves - Jeff Brantley, 72 The Ryans, Braun and Howard, form the powerful core of the Rock's hitting lineup. Emilio Bonifacio, Carlos Gonzalez and BJ Upton will provide quality at bats. Jhoulys Chacin and Derek Holland will shoulder much of the pitching duties, as last year's Cy winner Roy Oswalt will be hampered by injuries. Logan Ondrusek leads a no-name bullpen that should be OK. 4th - Somerville Sluggers (Last season: 89-73, 4th in division): Most Team RBI - Mark Grace, 789 Most Team Wins - Roy Halladay, 127 Most Team Saves - Bob Howry, 65 Power is a bit lacking this year for the Sluggers offense (Carlos Quentin will be lucky to get to the mid 20's), but folks like Todd Helton and Rickie Weeks will do everything else on their way to scoring runs. Roy Halladay, Ryan Vogelsong, Jeremy Hellickson and Alexi Ogando form one of the best rotations in the majors. Francisco Cordero and Grant Balfour lead a strong bullpen. A few potent bats in the middle of the lineup would greatly increase Somerville's chance at a pennant. 5th - Minneapolis Malice (Last season: 92-70, 3rd in division): Most Team RBI - Jeff Bagwell, 1330 Most Team Wins - Mike Mussina, 137 Most Team Saves - Billy Wagner, 89 Last year's MVP Joey Votto will once again be depended on to drive the Malice's offense. Depth is fairly shallow in the lineup, such that veteran cast-off and 9th round pick Alfonso Soriano may be their 2nd best hitter. Jon Lester, Shaun Marcum, Paul Maholm and Bartolo Colon head up a respectable rotation. Joel Hanrahan should be an all-star closer, and the support relievers are not too shabby either. 6th - Missouri Mudfish (Last season: 113-49, Koufax division winner, 2010 CFOD Champions): Most Team RBI - John Olerud, 636 Most Team Wins - Javier Vazquez, 71 Most Team Saves - Joakim Soria, 42 2011 will be the hangover year for the 2010 champs. Victor Martinez and Matt Holiday are good bats on any team, but the rest of the lineup is iffy. Jaime Garcia is the default ace, and an injured Tommy Hanson, and Gavin Floyd and Max Scherzer are the other starters in the rotation. Joaquin Benoit is the marquee name in the bullpen, and the rest are "OK". Ruth Division ---------------------------------------- 1st - Paxtang Pitbulls (Last season: 80-82, 2nd in division): Most Team RBI - Alex Rodriguez, 1508 Most Team Wins - Jake Peavy, 101 Most Team Saves - Duane Ward, 106 Pairing speedster Jose Reyes with Miguel Cabrera equals lots of runs scored for the Pitbulls. Ben Zobrist, Andrew McCutchen and Matt Wieters will add to the strong offense. Ian Kennedy and Gio Gonzalez are one of the better 1-2 starting pitcher combinations, and Anibal Sanchez and John Danks help round out the rotation. John Axford is a closer supreme, and Tyler Clippard will be a top 5 setup man. 2nd - California Coneheads (Last season: 91-71, Ruth division winner): Most Team RBI - Mike Piazza, 1299 Most Team Wins - Tim Hudson, 101 Most Team Saves - Mariano Rivera, 145 Josh Hamilton joins Chipper Jones, JJ Hardy and Billy Butler to lead a strong offense. Lots of quality part time hitters will make the Coneheads stronger than they seem. Cole Hamels is a strong ace, but the rest of the rotation is held together by spit and gum. Antonio Bastardo and Aaron Crow help form a capable bullpen. 3rd - Pismo Beach Drunken Clams (Last season: 56-106, 6th in division): Most Team RBI - Pat Burrell, 623 Most Team Wins - David Cone, 72 Most Team Saves - Joe Nathan, 163 After cratering in 2010, the Clams are poised to contend in 2011. Mike Napoli will provide some punch in the middle of the order, and Jhonny Peralta has some power from the shortstop position. Doug Fister, Kyle Lohse and Michael Pineda give Pismo Beach some quality starts. The bullpen doesn't have much star power (or depth) but should be serviceable. 4th - Miami Mangos (Last season: 77-85, 3rd in division): Most Team RBI - Kirby Puckett, 406 Most Team Wins - Dontrelle Willis, 48 Most Team Saves - George Sherrill, 63 Ian Kinsler and Starlin Castro form one of the stronger double play combinations in the majors, and Eric Hosmer is a young 1B to watch. The Matts, Garza and Harrison, will be strong in the rotation, and Randy Wolf's veteran presence stabilizes the roster. Fernando Salas and Jason Motte lead a strong and deep bullpen. 5th - San Diego Termites (Last season: 66-96, 5th in division): Most Team RBI - Jeff Kent, 972 Most Team Wins - David Wells, 88 Most Team Saves - Jeff Nelson, 38 Paul Konerko leads a veteran lineup, and Howie Kendrick, Alex Rodriguez, Carlos Lee and Henry Rollins are all capable of some pop. Dustin Mosely, Chris Carpenter and Josh Collmenter will give the Termites some strong starts. Francisco Rodriguez leads a killer bullpen. 6th - Topeka MooseDogs (Last season: 75-87, 4th in division): Most Team RBI - Mark Teixeira, 865 Most Team Wins - Andy Pettitte, 71 Most Team Saves - Jason Isringhausen, 86 Mark Teixeira and Adrian Beltre will contend for the all-star team, but the rest of the hitters will struggle to manufacture runs. Clayton Kershaw and CJ Wilson are Cy candidates, and Joe Saunders and Trevor Cahill are not a bad way to round out a rotation. Huston Street may be the big name in the bullpen, but there are several other hurlers who could also handle closer duties. Ruth Division ---------------------------------------- 1st - San Francisco Piazza's (Last season: 78-84, 3rd in division): Most Team RBI - Ichiro Suzuki, 650 Most Team Wins - Jamie Moyer, 70 Most Team Saves - Trevor Hoffman, 56 Curtis Granderson is that rare type who can hit, get on base, knock it out of the park, and steal a base or two. He's joined by Robinsono Cano, one of the best middle infielders in the game. Nelson Cruz and Matthew Joyce will also help score some runs. Jair Jurrjens, Aaron Harang and Charlie Morton head up a solid if unspectacular rotation. The bullpen is really where it's at, with Heath Bell, Jose Valverde and Kyle Farnsworth giving San Fran shutdown baseball in the late innings. 2nd - Rocklin Thunder (Last season: 117-45, Young Division Champ, RY Conf Champ): Most Team RBI - Mark McGwire, 788 Most Team Wins - Tom Glavine / Jered Weaver, 56 Most Team Saves - Jonathan Papelbon, 132 Dan Uggla, Carlos Beltran, Carlos Pena and Jay Bruce head up a powerful hitting lineup. Jim Thome continues to extend his career, and will make for a strong bat in a part-time capacity. Jared Weaver is a Cy contender, and Daniel Hudson is a workhorse. Jordan Walden and Chris Sale head up a capable bullpen. 3rd - Seattle Moshers (Last season: 55-107, 6th in division): Most Team RBI - David Ortiz, 778 Most Team Wins - Greg Maddux, 253 Most Team Saves - Keith Foulke, 112 Hunter Pence, Michael Young and Asdrubal Cabrera form the core of the hitting lineup. Rookie Mark Trumbo will be good for the home run, and Brennan Boesch adds to the offense. Starters Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain and CC Sabathia are a trio of aces. Mark Melancon will be a capable closer, and Seattle have several other capable relievers in the bullpen. 4th - Park City Climbers (Last season: 88-74, 2nd in division): Most Team RBI - Ken Caminiti, 559 Most Team Wins - Pedro Martinez, 189 Most Team Saves - Mariano Rivera, 72 The Climbers have some quality hitters like Melky Cabrera and Josh Willingham, but the rest of the hitters are a little bit iffy. Cliff Lee is a bonafide ace, and Justin Masterson and Ervin Santana are strong components of the rotation. JJ Putz is a lights out closer, if Eric O'Flaherty doesn't take the job from him. 5th - Tualatin Pioneers (Last season: 62-100, 5th in division): Most Team RBI - Vladimir Guerrero, 1350 Most Team Wins - Wilson Alvarez, 67 Most Team Saves - Mariano Rivera, 47 Young Mike Stanton will be a wonder to watch in the coming years. In the meantime, he'll get help in the runs department from Michael Cuddyer and Casey Kotchman. Madison Bumgarner is a young developing ace, and Mat Latos and Ted Lilly are capable starters. The Pioneers have a wealth of closer candidates, from Javy Guerra to Ryan Madson to Jonathan Papelbon to Brandon League. 6th - Brookfield Brouhaha (Last season: 78-84, 3rd in division): Most Team RBI - Edgar Martinez, 974 Most Team Wins - Russ Ortiz, 64 Most Team Saves - Billy Wagner, 92 Brandon Phillips is one of the better 2B in the league, and Dustin Ackley is a rising young star, but the rest of the lineup may have difficulties scoring runs. Hiroki Kuroda, RA Dickey and Jeff Karstens will be strong starters. Edward Mujica and Glen Perkins are potential closer candidates in the bullpen.