2013 CFOD PREVIEW "Your Mileage May Vary" Predicted Playoff Teams: Mechan Syndicate (Koufax division winner) Lakeview Zeros (Mantle division winner) Paxtang Pitbulls (Ruth division winner) Rocklin Thunder (Young division winner) Fightin' Oglethorpes of Georgia (MK conference wildcard) California Coneheads (RY conference wildcard) Cincinnati Rock (#1 league wildcard) Tualatin Pioneers (#2 league wildcard) World Series - Paxtang Pitbulls over Lakeview Zeros MANTLE DIVISION PREVIEW 1st - Mechan Syndicate Longest Tenured Player: David Wright - Drafted in 1st round (7th pick) of 2004 draft. The Syndicate have been very successful in recent years, getting no less than 93 wins per year since 2008 with 2 championships in the era. Buster Posey, David Wright and Troy Tulowitzki gives the Syndicate slugging power at skill positions. Brett Gardner gives them some speed in the outfield and Colby Rasmus and Justin Upton complete one of the better outfields in the game. Zack Greinke, Stephen Strasburg and David Price gives the Syndicate a solid 1-2-3 in the rotation. After Rex Brothers, the bullpen gets a little thin, but that's something that can be addressed via trades. 2nd - Fightin' Oglethorpes of Georgia Longest Tenured Player: Craig Kimbrel - Drafted in 3rd round (10th pick) of 2010 draft. The Fightin' Oglethorpes should follow up their triple digit win campaign of 2012 with another solid year. Coco Crisp should defy father time with a little pop in the bat and a little speed on the base paths. Billy Butler adds batting average and walks to the first base position, and Jonathan Lucroy gives the team a solid bat at catcher. Where the Oglethorpes win their games is with pitching. They'll only get a half year from Clay Buchholz, but it will be a good half year. James Shields is an ace and a workhorse, and Chris Tillman is a quality young starter. Closer Craig Kimbrel should continue his reign as one of the top relievers in the game, and the bullpen is very deep. 3rd - Angry Candy Longest Tenured Player: Chase Utley - Acquired in 2007 pre-season from the Rock for Josh Beckett. The Angry Candy posted a league best 106 wins last year, and look to be in the playoff mix yet again in 2013. Brandon Belt and Brandon Moss give the AC some power, Chase Utley and Pablo Sandoval some good hitting, and Will Venable some power and speed. Kris Medlin and Jordan Zimmerman are solid starters, and AJ Griffen, Bruce Chen and Marco Estrada help fill out a deep rotation. After Tyler Thornburg and Sean Doolittle, the bullpen is a little thin. 4th - Springfield 'Topes Longest Tenured Player: Mark Buehrle - Drafted in 5th round (9th pick) of 2000 draft. Bottoming out last year resulted in Springfield acquiring Yasiel Puig in the draft, one of the highest profile players the 'Topes have ever seen. His bat and his arm in the outfield should put butts in the seats in Springfield's home stadium. Dustin Pedroia is still an excellent table setter at 2B, and Edwin Encarnacion provides a lot of power in the center of the lineup. Mark Buehrle gives the 'Topes lots of innings, but his ace days may be over. Part time Ivan Nova and draftee John Lackey help fill out the rotation. Joe Smith and Ryan Cook lead a capable bullpen. 5th - San Francisco Organization Longest Tenured Player: Adrian Gonzalez - Acquired in 2006 pre-season for Fernando Rodney, a 2006 5th round pick and 2006 6th round pick. The Organization followed up a 2011 Championship season with a 92 win season in 2012, narrowly missing the playoffs. Adrian Gonzalez, Yadier Molina and Nick Swisher head a batting lineup that doesn't have 30 home run power, but can mix up the home runs with doubles to get plenty of extra base hits. Patrick Corbin, Matt Garza and Corey Kluber help form a solid-if-unspectacular starting rotation. The bullpen should be a strong point, with LaTroy Hawkins and Chad Qualls leading a quality group of relievers. 6th - Arlington Arthropods Longest Tenured Player: Ryan Zimmerman - Drafted in 1st round (8th pick) of 2005 draft. Arlington made the playoffs as a wildcard for the 2nd straight season in 2012. Mike Trout, Prince Fielder, Ryan Zimmerman and Carlos Santana form a solid core of the lineup. Elvis Andrus can swipe a base or two, but Matt Kemp will have an injury plagued year. Andy Pettitte gives it one last go-around in the rotation, but the rest of the starters are a bit iffy. Jose Veras and a few other relievers gives Arlington some options in the bullpen. KOUFAX DIVISION PREVIEW 1st - Lakeview Zeros Longest Tenured Player: Max Scherzer - Drafted in 1st round (18th pick) of 2008 draft. New name, new location, new ownership, new outlook. After losing 98 games in 2012, the Zeros are expected to bounce back in a major way. Freddie Freeman, Matt Holliday, Matt Carpenter and rookie Wil Myers gives the batting lineup plenty of punch. Max Scherzer is an ace, as is Adam Wainwright. Alex Cobb is a stellar starting pitcher when he's able to play, and Charlie Morton could be tough come playoff time. One of the greatest closers of all time, Mariano Rivera, gets a chance to finish out his career on a contender, and the rest of the bullpen is pretty good too. 2nd - Cincinnati Rock Longest Tenured Player: Stephen Drew - Drafted in 2nd round (16th pick) of 2011 draft. It's been a rough stretch recently, but 2013 may be the year Cincinnati ascends to its old winning ways. Jacoby Ellsbury provides hitting and speed at the top of the order, as does Sterling Marte, and Dominic Brown can smack some dingers. Aaron Hill, Chris Johnson and Wilson Ramos also add to the lineup. Matt Harvey and Felix Hernandez are a formidable 1-2 punch at the start of the rotation, Jhoulys Chacin is a capable middle-of-the-rotation starter, and Gerrit Cole is yet another young talented arm. The bullpen is large on no-names, but they'll be able to hold their own. 3rd - Minneapolis Malice Longest Tenured Player: Jon Lester - Drafted in 2nd round (3rd pick) of 2006 draft. The Malice may be one of the top fielding teams in the league this year. Nearly every position has excellent range. Joey Votto continues his run as francise player, hitting for power and for average. Jose Bautista and Alfonso Soriano give some veteran thump at the plate, and Jason Kipnis is one of the top second baseman in the the league. Shelby Miller is a young ace, Jon Lester and Bartolo Colon are the established veterans and CJ Wilson was a nice surprise in the draft, giving Minneapolis a solid rotation. Sergio Romo leads a strong bullpen. 4th - Walcott Walruses Longest Tenured Player: Justin Verlander - Acquired in 2007 pre-season along with Jason Hirsch from the Thunder for Jered Weaver, Geoff Geary and a 2007 8th round ipck. Walcott won a lowly 81 games last year, but it was good enough for the Koufax division pennant, and a crazy post-season saw them reach the CFOD World Series. Shin Soo-Choo is a master at getting on base, and Hanley Ramirez should turn in an injury-plagued-but-still-stellar season. Combined him and suspended star Ryan Braun and you get one really good player for the whole year. Matt Dominguez, Garettt Jones and AJ Pierzynski lead a pack of can't-get-on-base-but- can-smack-home-runs (hopefully Choo will be on base at that point). Yu Darvish should put in a fine season, and Ervin Santana, Justin Verlander and Joe Kelly lead a deep rotation. Cody Allen and Francisco Rodriguez lead a capable bullpen. 5th - Somerville Sluggers Longest Tenured Player: Travis Wood - Drafted in 1st round (13th pick) of 2010 draft. Always maligned in the previews, the Sluggers will use it as motivation to be better then expected. Manny Machado has a bright future ahead of him, and Brian McCann and Jed Lowrie help provide some offense at scarce positions. Daniel Nava will provide some offense in the field, and Lance Berkman and Todd Helton give Somerville marquee names in a platoon at first base. Travis Wood anchors the rotation, promising rookie Zach Wheeler and Alexi Ogando will combine to form a solid #2 starter, but the rest of the staff is a bit shaky. Bullpen depth is a little thin. 6th - Pig's Eye Pirates Longest Tenured Player: Evan Longoria - Drafted in 1st round (1st overall) of 2008 draft. Youth is served on the Pirates, who are in year 2 of a rebuilding effort. Evan Longoria should have a good year, and Anthony Rizzo is a promising youngster at first base. The rest of the lineup need a bit more seasoning. Mike Leake should have a good year in the rotation, and there are a few good relievers in the bullpen, but 2013 is going to be a learning year for the young Pirates team. RUTH DIVISION PREVIEW 1st - Paxtang Pitbulls Longest Tenured Player: Miguel Cabrera - Acquired in 2008 pre-season along with Jermaine Dye and Hideki Okajima from the Regulators for Alex Rodriguez and Matt Holliday. The Pitbulls had the best record in the RY Conference last year, and are leading contenders for the best team in the league this year. Miguel Cabrera and Andrew McCutchen could compete for MVP honors. Jean Segura is a talented young shortstop who can swipe bases, and Allen Craig, Ben Zobrist and Jayson Werth are big bats in the lineup. All this and super prospects Xander Bogaerts and Nick Castellanos waiting in the winds. Anibal Sanchez, Mike Minor, Gio Gonzalez and Chris Archer should put up some nice win totals with the offense behind them and are quality hurlers themselves. Greg Holland and Joaquin Benoit lead a bullpen capable of going all the way. All in all will be an exciting team to watch this year. 2nd - California Coneheads Longest Tenured Players: Cole Hamels - Drafted in 1st round (5th pick) of 2006 draft. World champions once again 2012, California looks to try and defend their title in 2013. Paul Goldschmidt has evolved into an elite hitter, and Josh Hamilton still has a little pop in his bat. Shane Victorino and Jarrod Saltalamacchia will contribute to the lineup. Kyle Lohse is a solid starter and Hector Santiago and Cole Hamels help eat up innings. Where Calfornia excels is its bullpen. Joe Nathan leads an exceedingly deep bullpen, and the Coneheads will likely lean on them early to propel them to victory. 3rd - Topeka MooseDogs Longest Tenured Player: AJ Burnett - Acquired in 2005 pre-season along with a 2005 2nd round pick from the Thunder for Travis Hafner. So close to a playoff spot last year, they're in the mix again for the post-season. Adrian Beltre, Carlos Gonzalez and Adam Lind are 3 individuals who can hit for average and for power. Andre Ethier, Austin Jackson and Omar Infante add to a lineup who should score some runs. Clayton Kershaw is one of the great young aces in the league, and AJ Burnett, Homer Bailey and Hyun-Jin Ryu round up an above average rotation. Brad Ziegler and Fernando Rodney head up a capable bullpen. 4th - Miami Mangos Longest Tenured Player: Adam Jones - Drafted in 10th round (14th pick) of 2006 draft. The long suffering Mangos have reason to hope in 2013. Adam Jones leads a rather exciting hitting lineup. Eric Hosmer, Torii Hunter, Ian Kinsler, Alex Gordon and Kyle Seager are all decent hitters. Jose Fernandez, the #1 overall pick, is the instant ace of the pitching staff. Ubaldo Jimenez is a capable #2, although the rotation gets a bit iffy after that. The Mangos do feature some quality relievers in Bobby Parnell, Steve Cishek and Edward Mujica. 5th - San Diego Termites Longest Tenured Player: Aroldis Chapman and Howie Kendrick - Acquired in 2010 from Walruses along with Jimmy Rollins and Denard Span for Scott Downs, Michael Bourn, and Adam Lind. The Termites have one of the better infields in the league, with Josh Donaldson, Howie Kendrick and Jose Reyes putting up good numbers. But other than Jon Jay (for his walks) the traditional "power positions" of outfield and first base are a little on the weak side. Derek Holland, Wade Miley and Bronson Arroyo anchor the rotation, but they may not get the run support they need to win consistently. A bright spot is the bullpen, where Aroldis Chapman should have a fine year, and the rest of the bullpen isn't too bad, either. 6th - Pismo Beach Drunken Clams Longest Tenured Player: Jhonny Peralta - Drafted in 2nd round (7th pick) of 2007 draft. It was a long year in 2012, and unfortunately for Pismo Beach it's looking like another long year in 2013. Carlos Gomez is a bright spot, hitting for power and with a lot of speed. Mike Napoli and Jhonny Peralta are also quality additions to the lineup. Tyson Ross, Nathan Eovaldi and Doug Fister help make up the rotation, but run support may be a little on the weak side. The bullpen will be a bit thin as well. YOUNG DIVISION PREVIEW 1st - Rocklin Thunder Longest Tenured Player: Carlos Beltran - Acquired in 2002 pre-season along with Troy Glaus from the Rock for Roy Oswalt and Joe Randa. Rocklin captured the Young division pennant in 2012 and are ready to defend it in 2013. Veterans Carlos Beltran and David Ortiz anchor the lineup with their power, as does Jay Bruce. Phenom Bryce Harper has some injuries this year, but is still a valuable part of the lineup. Rocklin may need to trade for some infield help during the season (put San Diego's and Rocklin's best together and you'd have the highest scoring offense in the league). Tony Cingrani, Chris Sale, Jered Weaver and Jose Quintana form a more than capable rotation. Kenley Jansen and Jason Grilli form a strong bullpen. 2nd - Tualatin Pioneers Longest Tenured Player: Michael Cuddyer - Drafted in 6th round (16th pick) in 2008 draft. The Pioneers are an intriguing team. The lineup is loaded with power. Ian Desmond, Michael Cuddyer, Alex Rios, Kendrys Morales and Giancarlo Stanton are all 20 home run threats, and Desmond and Cuddyer add speed to their game. Madison Bumgarner, Mat Latos and Julio Teheran are young stars who could log many years together in the rotation, with Sonny Gray joining them. Jonathan Papelbon is the marquee reliever in the bullpen, but Tualatin has several other talented hurlers to lock down the later innings. 3rd - Brookfield Brouhaha Longest Tenured Player: Hiroki Kuroda - Drafted in 1st round (3rd pick) of 2008 draft. It used to be that the Brouhaha won through a combined team effort. But this year they'll win based on the big bat of Chris Davis, who should have a banner year at the plate. Veterans Raul Ibanez and Marlon Byrd will help the team score some runs, and Aramis Ramirez and Martin Prado are quality infielders. Francisco Liriano and Hiroki Kuroda are good pitchers at the start of the rotation, and Dillon Gee, Eric Stults and RA Dickey are innings eaters. Jim Johnson and Glen Perkins lead a deep and dangerous bullpen. 4th - Park City Climbers Longest Tenured Player: Cliff Lee - Drafted in 13th round (2nd pick) of 2007 draft. Here's a team that could do some damage. Pedro Alvarez, Jedd Gyorko, Evan Gattis, Chris Carter, and Yoenis Cespedes are all power threats (even if their on base average is not as good as it could be!). Nate McLouth and Alexei Ramirez look to be the table setters with their speed. Cliff Lee is your classic #1 starter, and Andrew Cashner, Justin Masterson and Brandon McCarthy fill out the rotation. The bullpen is a bit of a question. Will one of their no-name relievers be up for the task of saving 30 games this season? 5th - San Francisco Piazza's Longest Tenured Player: Joe Mauer - Drafted in 1st round (3rd pick) of 2004 draft. This is a team that could easily finish with the pennant as they would 5th place. Robinson Cano is still the best 2B in the game, and Joe Mauer is a top 3 catcher. Nelson Cruz adds power to the lineup, and the rest of the lineup can be filled with enough part time hitters to manufacture some runs. Hisashi Iwakuma is a legit ace. What will decide how the Piazza's do this year is the rest of the rotation, which is a bit shaky. The bullpen is stellar, with Casey Janssen, Rafael Soriano and Huston Street throwing smoke. 6th - Seattle Moshers Longest Tenured Player: CC Sabathia - Drafted in 1st round (5th pick) of 2001 draft. This may be a rebuilding year for the Moshers. Hunter Pence, Mark Trumbo and Adam Dunn have some nice power, but few people on the team know how to take a walk, so all those home runs may be solo shots. Matt Moore, Jorge de la Rosa and Jon Niese are quality starters, but could struggle to win games due to run support. Mark Melancon and Grant Balfour lead a strong bullpen that should be able to preserve whatever lead the Moshers can grab.