2017 CFOD SEASON PREVIEW "Your Mileage May Vary" Predicted Pennants: Mechan Syndicate, Walcott Walruses, California Coneheads, San Francisco Piazza's MK Conference Wildcard: Fightin' Oglethorpes of Georgia RY Conference Wildcard: Park City Climbers League Wildcards: Somerville Sluggers, Topeka MooseDogs World Series Prediction: Piazza's over Walruses ******************************************************* Mantle Division ******************************************************* 1st - Mechan Syndicate (Last Season: 86-76, Mantle Division Winner) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- HITTERS: Mookie Betts is emerging as a perennial MVP candidate, hitting for power and speed. Buster Posey continues to be one of the best catchers in the game, and Wil Myers and Mike Moustakas provide power at the corners. Jonathan Schoop and Domingo Santana are also good for 30 home runs. PITCHERS: Alex Wood, Drew Pomeranz and Zach Greinke give the Syndicate 3 options for an ace, and David Price and Eduaro Rodriguez help round out one of the deepest rotations in the league. The only knock against this team would be its bullpen. A bevy of decent arms but come playoff time Justin Wilson and Miguel Castro would be the only 2 pitchers they could mention in relief. OVERALL: Great hitting and a solid rotation give the Syndicate a leg up this year, although they may need to make a trade for some higher inning bullpen arms. 2nd - Fightin' Oglethorpes of Georgia (Last Season: 62-100, 6th in division) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- HITTERS: Georgia has several hitters who are built more for speed than for power. Ender Inciarte, Byron Buxton and Lorenzo Cain all fit this description. Marwin Gonzalez can hit for average, has some pop in his bat and can play several positions. Eric Thames and Lucas Duda provide the home run power, albeit with a low batting average. All in all they should score plenty more runs than the 3.2 runs per game they scored in 2016. PITCHERS: Chase Anderson, Mike Montgomery, Aaron Nola and Michael Fullmer make up a solid rotation, and should have enough miscellaneous arms to fill out gaps in the rotation. The bullpen is very good, let by Andrew Miller, Hunter Strickland and Tony Watson. Georgia should have one of the lower team ERA's this season. OVERALL: It's been a lean couple of years in Georgia, but they've built up enough talent to make a run for the playoffs this year. 3rd - Angry Candy (Last Season: 72-90, 5th in division) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- HITTERS: Infielder Anthony Rendon is healthy again and could have an all-star season. Andrew Benintendi could evolve into an all-CFOD outfielder. Logan Morrison has a break-out year at 1B and should get lots of RBI's with this lineup. David Peralta and Joe Panik will help score some runs with their ability to get on base. PITCHERS: Marcus Stroman and Carlos Carrasco are a solid 1-2 punch in the rotation, capable of taking on anyone in the league. Zach Davies will soak up a lot of innings as a starter, and the rest of the rotation is service-able. Anthony Swarzak leads a bullpen that is slightly on the thin side -- better hope the extra inning games are at a minimum. OVERALL: Some good hitters, very solid starters. The Angry Candy will be in the mix this season. 4th - San Francisco Organization (Last Season: 84-78, 2nd in division) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- HITTERS: Justin Upton and off-season acquisition Eric Hosmer are the bright spots in the lineup, sure to be featured in the middle of the order. Cesar Hernandez sports a high on base average, setting him up near the top of the order. The rest of the lineup features the likes of Asdrubal Cabrera and Yadier Molina, veterans who may be on their last legs. PITCHERS: Things get easier when you can trot out Corey Kluber every 5 days, who is a strong Cy candidate this year. Mike Clevinger, Zack Godley and J.A. Happ round out one of the strongest rotations in the division. Raisel Iglesias is a lights-out closer, and the rest of the bullpen is solid. OVERALL: Fantastic pitching. The question facing the Organization this year is, will their hitting be strong enough for a playoff spot? 5th - Arlington Arthropods (Last Season: 82-80, 3rd in division) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- HITTERS: Wow, what a lineup. You have the best player in the game, Mike Trout (or 2/3 of a Mike Trout due to injury). You have a resurgent Elvis Andrus hitting for average, power and speed. Gary Sanchez emerging as one of the best hitting catchers in the game. Adam Duvall, Miguel Sano and Mark Reynolds all capable of launching 30 home runs. Add in Alex Bregman, Kolten Wong and AJ Pollock and you have one of the better run scoring machines in the majors. PITCHERS: Where Arlington will struggle this year is on the mound. Rich Hill is their best starter, but he's only a part timer. Luis Castillo could be an ace down the road, but he's still young. The rest of the rotation is piece-meal. There are some decent bullpen arms, though. Blake Parker, Dominic Leone and Cory Gearrin are all closer candidates. OVERALL: Some great hitting may be stymied by a lackluster starting rotation. If Arlington can acquire some more starting pitching (or if their starting pitching gels more than expected) then the Arthropods could rise in the division. 6th - Springfield 'Topes (Last Season: 79-83, 4th in division) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- HITTERS: Springfield will have some thump with the bats of Joey Gallo and Steven Souza, though at the cost of a low batting average. Yasiel Puig should have an up-season, and Joe Mauer and Dustin Pedroia should be able to get on base at the top of the order. Eugenio Suarez adds a quality bat at the corner. PITCHERS: This is where things get difficult in Springfield. The pitching is going to struggle this year. Jordan Montgomery is the de-facto ace, although he's much more effective as a #2 or #3 starter. The rest of the rotation will give up a lot of runs. There are some decent arms in the bullpen led by Chris Devenski but the lack of starting pitching hurts. OVERALL: Some decent bats but not enough good arms in the rotation to make a go of it this year. Bring back Mark Buehrle! ******************************************************* Koufax Division ******************************************************* 1st - Walcott Walruses (Last Season: 87-75, 4th in division) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- HITTERS: Walcott traded Corey Seager for the #1 overall pick and nabbed star rookie Cody Bellinger, allowing SS trevor Story to add his 25 home run power in the shortstop position. Daniel Murphy should hit for a high batting average and score plenty of runs, and George Springer and Justin Smoak should hit plenty of home runs and RBI. Yulieski Gurriel and Ian Happ add to the lineup, as does longtime Walcott star Ryan Braun. One of the best 1-8 lineups in the league. PITCHERS: Stephen Strasburg and Robbie Ray are stars in the rotation. The rest of the rotation ranges from the OK Michael Wacha to the sort of OK Chad Kuhl. At least those guys will have plenty of run support. The bullpen is stellar, with Brad Hand and Wade Davis leading a talented bunch that will preserve those late inning leads. OVERALL: A great batting order and a great bullpen, and at least a great half starting rotation puts Walcott as the pre-season favorites to win the division. 2nd - Somerville Sluggers (Last Season: 86-76, 5th in division) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- HITTERS: Somerville gets to feature stars Carlos Correa and Manny Machado on the left side of the infield for many years to come. They're joined by acquisition Ryan Zimmerman and Paul DeJong as one of the best infields in the game. Whit Merrifield, Carlos Gonzalez and veteran Shin Soo-Choo add to the lineup. PITCHERS: Gio Gonzalez is primed to have a stellar year in the starting rotation. Hyun-Jin Ryu should be an effective starter, and Patrick Corbin, Ivan Nova and Jose Quintana are innings eaters who will benefit from the run support they'll get. Juan Nicasio and Joe Kelly lead a bullpen that is a little on the thin side for a team expected to contend .. but that is what mid-season trades are for. OVERALL: Some nice hitting and some capable pitching should have Somerville thinking post-season play this year. 3rd - Pig's Eye Pirates (Last Season: 101-61, Koufax Division Winner) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- HITTERS: Pig's Eye has a talent core of hitters in Jose Altuve, Christan Yelich and Anthony Rizzo. Altuve could contend for MVP honors again with a high batting average, power and steals. Christian Yelich continues his upwards trend, hitting for average and a little more power. Anthony Rizzo is a classic 30 home run hitter with a high on base average. Evan Longoria, Odubel Herrera and Andrelton Simmons add to the lineup. PITCHERS: Jacob deGrom is ready for a full workload as the staff ace. Kyle Freeland, Jake Odorizzi and Dylan Bundy are OK pitchers but perhaps not the kind you'd expect to be pitching a world series. With Addison Reed, Greg Holland and Jake McGee, the bullpen is capable, but again, not the kind you'd expect to be pitching in the world series. OVERALL: The Pirates made it to the world series last year. Expectations will be high this year, and it will be a more difficult road to travel .. but still certainly possible. 4th - Minneapolis Malice (Last Season: 75-87, 6th in division) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- HITTERS: The lineup should gel in a major way. Joey Votto continues to be a sabermetric dream, and JD Martinez is a contender for the home run crown with a good batting average as well. Zack Cozart and Brian Dozier may be the best hitting infield in the majors. David Freese and Mark Gardner should put their on base averages to good use. Minnepolis could lead the league in runs scored. PITCHERS: The rotation is a bit light this year. Brad Peacock is the default ace when he's more like a mixed reliever. Blake Snell and Jon Lester will do their best to allow the run support to win games. If the starters can keep a lead through the 6th inning the situation improves immensely, as David Robertson, Sean Doolittle and Brandon Kintzler lead an excellent bullpen. OVERALL: Great hitting, great bullpen, mediocre starting rotation. If their starting pitching does better than expected (or they trade for a starter or two) the Malice could see their fortunes rise. 5th - Lakeview Zeros (Last Season: 94-68, 2nd in division) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- HITTERS: Freddie Freeman continues to be one of the better 1B in the league, hitting for average and power. Shortstop Trea Turner is an exciting young speedster -- if only he could stay healthy! Corey Dickerson, Carlos Santana and Matt Carpenter add to the lineup. Todd Frazier and Curtis Granderson add power at the expense of batting average. PITCHERS: Max Scherzer is one of the best starters in the game today, and the Gray's, both Jon and Sonny, and a healthy Yu Darvish make for one of the stronger rotations in the division. Archie Bradley and Luis Garcia are excellent relievers, but the bullpen gets thin after that. OVERALL: The Zeros should have a solid year in 2017. Last year the 5th place team still won 86 games, and 2017 could be similar. 6th - Cincinnati Rock (Last Season: 88-74, 3rd in division) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- HITTERS: Picked up for a 5th round pick last year, Giancarlo Stanton is poised to have a bounce back year in a major way. He'd be an MVP candidate if his supporting cast were better. Other than Jake Lamb and Tim Beckham the rest of the lineup is replacement quality. PITCHERS: Carlos Martinez is a solid starter, and Jose Urena has potential, but Gerrit Cole and Johnny Cueto are not as effective as they once were. Chris Rusin, Jose A. Ramirez and Darren O'Day are decent relievers but the bullpen falls short after that. OVERALL: Stanton should have a monster year, but that will be the sole highlight in the Rock's season. ******************************************************* Ruth Division ******************************************************* 1st - California Coneheads (Last Season: 89-73, 3rd in division) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- HITTERS: Paul Goldschmidt remains one of the best 1B and players in the majors. Scooter Gennett has a bounce back season in a major way, a 30 home candidate in the middle infield. Justin Turner will hit for a high batting average and other sabermetric stats. DJ LeMahieu should hit .300 with an on base average closer to .400 and score plenty of runs. The lineup is also full of strong part timers like Michael Brantley and Matt Olson. PITCHERS: No one will place in the top 10 in innings pitched, but between James Paxton, Alex Meyer, Charlie Morton and others the Coneheads will get it done in the rotation. Arodys Vizcaino and Mike Minor lead the bullpen, who should be OK in 9 inning games. Extra innings may expose some bullpen depth issues. OVERALL: A great hitting lineup and capable pitching makes California the pre-season favorite to win the division. 2nd - Topeka MooseDogs (Last Season: 80-82, 4th in division) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- HITTERS: Edwin Encarnacion and Marcell Ozuna will have their version of the bash brothers this season, each capable of launching 40 dingers. Adrian Beltre and Jacoby Ellsbury are wily vets who should score plenty of runs. Chase Headley and Brandon Drury contribute to the lineup. PITCHERS: Clayton Kershaw and Ervin Santana are one of the league's best 1-2 combinations in the starting rotation. Sean Manaea is a decent 3rd starter, and Clayton Richard and Martin Perez fill out the rotation. Josh Hader, Adam Warren and Craig Stammon head up a capable bullpen. OVERALL: The star power of Encarnacion, Ozuna, Kershaw and Santana have the MooseDogs thinking post- season in 2017. 3rd - Miami Mangos (Last Season: 99-63, 2nd in division, 2016 CFOD Champions) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- HITTERS: Francisco Lindor continues to evolve into one of the best shortstops in the majors, and Kyle Seager adds some pop in the infield. Adam Jones, Eddie Rosario, Ryon Healy and Trey Mancini are all 30 home run threats. JT Realmuto should have a good year behind the plate. PITCHERS: Jake Arrieta returns as a staff ace, but the rest of the rotation is decimated by injuries and loss. Ryan Buchter and John Brebbia lead a decent bullpen for when the Mangos have the late inning leads. OVERALL: Championship banners fly forever. The Mangos will always have 2016. The lack of starting arms will make defending their crown difficult. 4th - San Diego Termites (Last Season: 79-83, 5th in division) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- HITTERS: Josh Donaldson is the straw that stirs the Termites' drink, hitting for power and getting on base. JJ Reddick should hit .300 with some power, and Jean Segura can get on base and swipe a few. The rest of the hitters may struggle to score runs against the league's tougher pitching staffs. PITCHERS: Parker Bridwell, Danny Duffy and Dan Straily are not household names, but with Erasmo Ramirez and Jeff Samardzija form an unexpectantly good rotation. Pat Neshek and Richard Bleier lead a solid bullpen. None of these guys will likely make the all-star team, but several should make the "players who missed the cut.." notice. OVERALL: The hitting lineup might struggle to score runs, but if they do better than expected then the Termites could go above .500 this year. 5th - Paxtang Pitbulls (Last Season: 101-61, Ruth Division winner) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- HITTERS: Jose Ramirez continues to up his game and is now the team's best player. Andrew McCutchen has at least one good season left in him. Xander Bogaerts is a decent shortstop. But like a declining Miguel Cabrera, the Pitbulls lineup is aging and could use a few more young stars. PITCHERS: Chris Archer is a solid starter, but may have trouble going against the aces of opposing teams. The rest of the rotation will struggle to win games. What will help Paxtang is the deepest bullpen in the leagues. Brad Brach and Edwin Diaz lead a reliever corps that will not require the starters to pitch long innings. OVERALL: Fantastic bullpen, but a shaky rotation and a lineup that could use some more oomph may make contention a difficulty in 2017. 6th - Olympia Rainiers (Last Season: 22-140, 6th in division) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- HITTERS: Olympia converted their #1 overall pick into phenom shortstop Corey Seager, who could man the position for years. Javy Baez has some pop in his bat. Other than that, the rest of the lineup is more potential than reality. PITCHERS: Easily the worst pitching staff in the majors. The pitching staff is full of not-quite-ready- for-prime-time players. Check back in a year or two. OVERALL: Year 2 of a rebuild. They won't be as unwatchable as they were last season but it still will not be pretty. ******************************************************* Young Division ******************************************************* 1st - San Francisco Piazza's (Last Season: 60-102, 6th in division) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- HITTERS: Power, power, power. Jose Abreu's got it. So does Nelson Cruz. Travis Shaw and Nick Castellanos too. Robinson Cano may have lost a step, but he's still a big contributor at 2B. Rhys Hoskins will man the outfield for years, and the team is full of quality bench players like Miguel Rojas and Brian Goodwin. One of the better lineups in the game. PITCHERS: Justin Verlander got his groove back, and should win plenty of games for this team. Andrew Cashner, Taijuan Walker, Alex Cobb and CC Sabathia round out one of the better rotations in the game. Craig Kimbrel and Corey Knebel lead one of the deepest bullpens in the league. OVERALL: Great hitting, great pitching. The early season favorite to post the league's best record. 2nd - Park City Climbers (Last Season: 93-69, Young Division winner) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- HITTERS: Park City features 2 marquee stars in Charlie Blackmon and Kris Bryant. Both can hit for average and for power and are all-star candidates. Jedd Gyorko should be able to up his game in the infield this year, Gerardo Parra and Yoenis Cespedes should combine their injury plagued seasons into one good spot in the outfield. PITCHERS: Jhoulys Chachin and Mike Leake do not scream "game 1 starter", but they can pitch a lot of innings. Lance McCullers, Jameson Taillon and last year's Cy winner Tyler Chatwood round out a so-so rotation. Park City does have plenty of options in the bullpen, led by Roberto Osuna. OVERALL: Some great hitting should overcome some mediocre pitching to help Park City to the post-season. 3rd - Seattle Moshers (Last Season: 82-80, 3rd in division) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- HITTERS: This is a homer-happy team. Nolan Arenado, Jay Bruce and Khris Davis are all 40 home run threats, and Didi Gregorius, Chris Taylor and Salvador Perez are 25 home run threats. Dee Gordon should have a rebound year at the top of the order, getting on base and stealing many. PITCHERS: Luis Severino has emerged as an ace pitcher, and Dallas Keuchel should have a strong if shortened rebound year. Trevor Bauer can eat some innings as a #3 starter, ad the rest of the rotation is cobbled together with prospects. Alex Colome anchors the closer role, and Seattle has many options in the bullpen. OVERALL: The hitters have some pop and the pitchers are capable. Seattle will be in the mix this year. 4th - Rocklin Thunder (Last Season: 79-83, 4th in division) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- HITTERS: Here comes 'da Judge! Aaron Judge explodes onto the scene, hitting for lots of power to harken back to the Mark McGwire days. Bryce Harper continues to be an elite, if injury-prone talent. Jed Lowrie and Yonder Alonso contribute to the lineup. Rocklin should be able to score some runs. PITCHERS: Chris Sale is an ace pitcher, and Jose Berrios and Jason Vargas should be able to hold their own in the rotation. But Ian Kennedy and Jordan Zimmeran at the tail end of the rotation will drag things down. If only Noah Syndergaard were healthy this year! Kenley Jansen and Ken Giles lead a solid bullpen. OVERALL: Some nice hitters and a decent bullpen. Another starter in trade could help Rocklin finish higher this year. 5th - Brookfield Brouhaha (Last Season: 90-72, 2nd in division) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- HITTERS: Michael Conforto and Scott Schebler gives the Brouhaha some pop in the middle of the order. Jon Jay and Eduardo Nunez help provide some on-base skills. But the rest of the lineup will struggle to score runs. Chris Davis tends to have hit or miss seasons, and this season is looking like a miss. PITCHERS: Brookfield is able to trot out an above average rotation this year. Kyle Hendricks, Lance Lynn and Jimmy Nelson should perform well, and JC Ramirez and RA Dickey round out the rotation. Lots of bullpen options to choose from, from Sam Freeman to Yusmeiro Petit to Nick Goody. OVERALL: Some nice pitching, but the lack of hitters will hurt Brookfield's chances at winning another 90 games this year. 6th - Tualatin Pioneers (Last Season: 74-88, 5th in division) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- HITTERS: Tommy Pham should have a nice surprise of a season, hitting for a high average and swiping a few bases. Avisail Garcia as well, who could compete for a batting title. Starlin Castro completes the high batting average trifecta. After that, the batting averages of the lineup plunges. And save for Dexter Fowler, so does the slugging averages. PITCHERS: Madison Bumgarner is an elite ace .. when he plays, which is only half the time. Kenta Maeda faces similar injury concerns. Julio Teheran is an innings eater, and the rest of the rotation isn't good enough to write home about. Felipe Rivero, Dellin Betances and Hector Neris do give Tualatin some options in the bullpen, but save opportunities may be hard to come by. OVERALL: A so-so hitting lineup and a depleted rotation will make it difficult for Tualatin to crack the .500 barrier this year.