2020 CFOD SEASON PREVIEW "Your Mileage May Vary!" Predicted Playoff Teams: Mantle Division - Arlington Arthropods Koufax Division - Lakeview Zeros Ruth Division - Slam Diego Termites Young Division - San Francisco Piazza's MK Conference Wildcard - Cincinnati Rock RY Conference Wildcard - Dallas SuperSquad #1 League Wildcard - Somerville Sluggers #2 League Wildcard - Walcott Walruses WORLD SERIES PREDICTION - Termites over Zeros ***************************************************************************************** Mantle Division - 1. Arlington Arthropods (Last Year: 90-72, 3rd in Division, Predicted: 2nd) Career Leader, Plate Appearances: Matt Kemp, 6940 Career Leader, Innings Pitched: Yovani Gallardo, 1397 Career Leader, Games Finished: Rafael Betancourt, 103 2020 HITTERS: Mike Trout continues to be one of the league's elite hitters, and Byron Buxton, Robinson Cano and Miguel Sano could join him in the 30+ home run club. Franmil Reyes, Brandon Crawford and Alex Bregman also add to the offense and should score plenty of runs (assuming people can get on base!) 2020 PITCHERS: Mike Clevinger, Luis Castillo and Justus Sheffield form an intimidating top of the rotation, with Kevin Gausman and Tyler Glasnow rounding out one of the deeper rotations in the league. Reliever depth is a little thin, but Arlington hopes they'll have a sizeable lead by the time the 8th inning rolls around. 2020 OVERALL: Plenty of bats and starting pitching, an elite reliever or two may be needed to win the Mantle Division title. 2. San Francisco Organization (Last Year: 91-71, Mantle Division Winner, Predicted: 1st) Career Leader, Plate Appearances: Adrian Gonzalez, 7101 Career Leader, Innings Pitched: Randy Johnson, 2189 Career Leader, Games Finished: John Wetteland, 205 2020 HITTERS: 2019 #1 overall pick Pete Alonso brings his big bat back into the lineup, being the Organization's main source of power. Wilmer Flores could hit 30 home runs, and Kevin Pillar should hit for average with double digit home runs and stolen bases. Other than Alonso and Pillar, most of the players won't have a shot at the all-star team. 2020 PITCHERS: Shane Bieber is an early front runner for the Cy Young award, and Rich Hill and Nathan Eovaldi help form a capable rotation. Evan Marhsall and Genesis Cabrera lead a competent bullpen. 2020 OVERALL: Alonso and Bieber count for a lot, and if the rest of the team gels behind them could propel the Organization to their 2nd straight Mantle Division title. 3. Mechan Syndicate (Last Year: 79-83, 5th in Division, Predicted: 4th) Career Leader, Plate Appearances: Barry Bonds, 8304 Career Leader, Innings Pitched: Zack Greinke, 2731 1/3 Career Leader, Games Finished: Eric Gagne, 103 2020 HITTERS: The Syndicate will have one of the more feared lineups in the league. Mookie Betts is an MVP candidate who can hit for average, power and speed. Randal Grichuk and Brandon Lowe are locks for 30 home runs, and Jesus Aguilar has some pop in his bat. Orlando Arcia, Ryan McMahon and Justin Upton will also contribute. 2020 PITCHERS: Longtime ace Zack Greinke will be back to pad his career stats, but the Syndicate may rely on youngster Corbin Burnes to rack up the wins. The rest of the rotation gets into batting practice territory pretty quickly. There are a few option in the bullpen but it is not one of the team's strengths. 2020 OVERALL: The Syndicate's strategy this year will be to score as many runs as possible in hopes that their pitching can keep the other side under control. 4. Angry Candy (Last Year: 91-71, 2nd in Division, Predicted: 3rd) Career Leader, Plate Appearances: Chipper Jones, 9032 Career Leader, Innings Pitched: Jordan Zimmerman, 1057 Career Leader, Games Finished: Marino Rivera, 180 2020 HITTERS: Max Muncy continues to bring the power but his low batting average will be a detriment. Anthony Rendon is in for another quality season, and Dylan Moore should contribute at the plate and on the basepaths for 30+ steals. The rest of the lineup is not much to write home about and the relative lack of power could lead to a lack of runs. 2020 PITCHERS: Dylan Bundy and German Marquez are two quality, innings soaking starters at the top of the rotation. The rest of the starters get iffy after that. Lots of options in the bullpen, with Ryan Pressly leading the way. 2020 OVERALL: A lack of thump from the bats and a lack of depth in the back end of the rotation could make a Mantle Division title difficult to reach in 2020. 5. Lubbock Flatlanders (Last Year: 64-98, 6th in Division, Predicted: 6th) Career Leader, Plate Appearances: Bernie Williams, 6901 Career Leader, Innings Pitched: Mark Buehrle, 3175 1/3 Career Leader, Games Finished: Mark Woherls, 191 2020 HITTERS: Adam Duval and Eugenio Suarez bring the power, good for 40+ home runs each. The team has high hopes for #1 overall pick Luis Robert, who is a potential 30 HR/30 SB candidate this year. Joey Gallo could hit 30 home runs, but could also hit below .200. Raimel Tapia and Joey Wendle can get on base and swipe a few, but getting on base could be problematic for most of the team. 2020 PITCHERS: Ryan Yarbrough and Tyler Mahle will keep things competitive in their turn in the rotation, but the rest of the starters are filler material. Most of the bullpen are specialists versus one side or the other and will struggle with lineups balanced with lefties and righties. 2020 OVERALL: Some nice power, but lack of walks, starters and an uneven bullpen will hinder Lubbock's chances at greatness this year. 6. Georgia Fightin Oglethorpes (Last Year: 85-77, 4th in Divison, Predicted: 5th) Career Leader, Plate Appearances: Miguel Tejada, 7907 Career Leader, Innings Pitched: John Lackey, 1261 1/3 Career Leader, Games Finished: Craig Kimbrel, 185 2020 HITTERS: Tim Anderson is poised to have a stellar year in the infield and at the top of the order, hitting for average, 30+ home runs and swiping double digits in bases. Veteran Brandon Belt will be a reliable source of power, and Alex Verdugo will smack plenty of doubles in the outfield. After Jurickson Profar, the rest of the lineup will struggle to generate runs. 2020 PITCHERS: Brett Anderson should be OK for his half a year in the rotation, but the rest is a disaster zone. When the Fightin' Oglethorpes do get a lead in the 8th then Zack Britton and Brandon Kintzler should be able to save the game. 2020 OVERALL: The lack of starting pitching and only half a hitting lineup will lead to a long year in the Georgia. ***************************************************************************************** Koufax Division - 1. Lakeview Zeros (Last Year: 73-89, 4th in Division, Predicted: 5th) Career Leader, Plate Appearances: Derek Jeter, 5803 Career Leader, Innings Pitched: Max Scherzer, 2294 2/3 Career Leader, Games Finished: Joakim Soria, 94 2020 HITTERS: Freddie Freeman will throw his hat into the MVP race this year and could challenge for the batting average title and RBI crown. Trea Turner will hit for average, power and swipe quite a few bases. Jackie Bradley Jr will hit for average with some pop, speed and defense in the outfield. Off-season acquisition and 2018 MVP Christian Yelich may have an off-year but it will still be a solid one. 2020 PITCHERS: Yu Darvish is back to ace form and will contend for a Cy this year. Chris Bassitt and Tony Gonsolin help round out a tough top of the rotation. Max Scherzer could be the #1 ace on many teams, but just has to pitch every fifth day for the Zeros. The bullpen is a horde of talented arms who will lock down the later innings. Lakeview will have the best pitching staff in the MK Conference. 2020 OVERALL: Some nice hitters and some really nice pitching, Lakeview is the pre-season favorite for the best record in the MK Conference. 2. Cincinnati Rock (Last Year: 91-71, 2nd in Division, Predicted: 2nd) Career Leader, Plate Appearances: Starling Marte, 3688 Career Leader, Innings Pitched: Roy Oswalt, 2133 1/3 Career Leader, Games Finished: Jeff Brantley, 164 2020 HITTERS: Jesse Winker and Rafael Devers will be the team's primary source of power, each good for 30+ home runs. Kyle Tucker does all the extra bases, hitting doubles, triples, home runs and can steal a base. Starling Marte will once again be a good hitter at the top of the order. This team should be able to hit a lot of doubles. 2020 PITCHERS: Gerrit Cole, Zach Plesac and Dustin May gives Cincinnati 3 ace pitchers in the rotation, and Marco Gonzalez and Brandon Woodruff rounds out one of the league's best rotations. They'll need it, as the bullpen is merely "OK", particularly for a team with eyes on the post-season. 2020 OVERALL: Some hitters with a surprising pop and a dominant rotation will make Cincinnati a force to be reckoned with this year. 3. Somerville Sluggers (Last Year: 64-98, 5th in Division, Predicted: 6th) Career Leader, Plate Appearances: Mark Grace, 6242 Career Leader, Innings Pitched: Roy Halladay, 2325 Career Leader, Games Finished: Joel Peralta, 153 2020 HITTERS: This team can flat out hit. Manny Machado and Teoscar Hernandez will crack 40+ home runs, and younsters Dominic Smith, Kyle Lewis and Trent Grisham are good for 30. Keston Hiura's batting eye may not be very good this year, but his bat speed could propel him to 30 home runs as well. 2020 PITCHERS: Cristian Javier and Stan Turnbull won't strike fear into any hitters, but will be decent members of the rotation. Somerville will rely on a lot of part timers in the rotation this year, but may need to pick up an elligible starter for the playoffs. The bullpen won't be an issue, as the Sluggers are stocked with a lot of quality arms. 2020 OVERALL: A great hitting lineup and a great bullpen will help lead Somerville to a winning season. They will be in the thick of the playoff race. 4. Walcott Walruses (Last Year: 98-64, Koufax Divison Winner, Predicted: 3rd) Career Leader, Plate Appearances: Jason Giambi, 4361 Career Leader, Innings Pitched: Roger Clemens, 1735 Career Leader, Games Finished: Aroldis Chapman, 219 2020 HITTERS: George Springer, Trevor Story and Ian Happ should rake the ball this year, and Story could swipe 40+ bases. Last year's MVP Cody Bellinger will come back to earth, but not too much. Jonathan Schoop and Matt Chapman will also contribute to a lineup that will score plenty of runs. 2020 PITCHERS: Aaron Nola is a quality ace, and Pablo Lopez and Sonny Gray are workhorses who should rack up plenty of wins behind the offense. Rafael Dolis and Richard Rodriguez lead a deep bullpen. All in all not a bad rotation. 2020 OVERALL: Sure they may be picked 4th, but being 4th in the league's strongest division could still see Walcott make the playoffs, and a division title is not out of the question. 5. Chandler Killers (Last Year: 63-99, 6th in Division, Predicted: 4th) Career Leader, Plate Appearances: Jeff Bagwell, 8590 Career Leader, Innings Pitched: Jon Lester, 2341 2/3 Career Leader, Games Finished: Sergio Romo, 180 2020 HITTERS: DJ LeMahieu is one of the league's best infielders, hitting of average and for power. Joey Votto should defy father time for at least one more season, and Ke'Bryan Hayes is an exciting young 3B who should man the middle of the order for years to come. The rest of the lineup is a mixture of platoon players and part timers, but the Killers are actually in position to score an above average number of runs. 2020 PITCHERS: Blake Snell could start against anyone in the playoffs, but the rest of the rotation will struggle to keep the score down. Chandler does feature a very strong bullpen, led by Devin Williams. 2020 OVERALL: Some decent hitting and a good bullpen, but the starting rotation could be Chandler's downfall this season. 6. Pig's Eye Pirates (Last Year: 85-77, 3rd in Division, Predicted: 1st) Career Leader, Plate Appearances: Evan Longoria, 6989 Career Leader, Innings Pitched: Jacob deGrom, 1211 1/3 Career Leader, Games Finished: Trevor Hoffman, 231 2020 HITTERS: Anthony Rizzo is good for 30 homers but not much else. Evan Longoria has a chance to increase his franchise lead in plate appearances. 2020 PITCHERS: Oof. It will not be pretty. 2020 OVERALL: With Jacob deGrom, Jose Altuve and Christian Yelich leaving the team during the intentional rebuild, 2020 will be a rough year. But at least they have all of those 2021 draft picks to look forward to! ***************************************************************************************** Ruth Division - 1. Slam Diego Termites (Last Year: 61-101, 6th in Division, Predicted: 6th) Career Leader, Plate Appearances: Jeff Kent, 5897 Career Leader, Innings Pitched: David Wells, 1569 1/3 Career Leader, Games Finished: Aroldis Chapman, 135 2020 HITTERS: Ronald Acunda Jr continues to be one of the games best young stars, although a part time season will hurt his MVP chances. Mitch Moreland, Alex Dickerson and Renato Nunez have lots of power and will help this high powered offense. Jean Segura and Tommy La Stella should be decent table-setters, Willy Adames and Willi Castro provide some pop in the infield. This team can score. 2020 PITCHERS: 2018 Cy winner Jacob deGrom and 2016 #1 overall pick Kenta Maeda were acquired in the off-season to anchor a formidable rotation which also includes Kwang Hyun Kim and JA Happ. Jeremy Jeffress leads a deep and impressive bullpen. Slam Diego should have one of the best pitching staffs in the league. 2020 OVERALL: They've got impressive hitting and impressive pitching. Slam Diego went all in for 2020, and they will have a dominant year. 2. Dallas SuperSquad (Last Year: 70-92, 5th in Division, Predicted: 4th) Career Leader, Plate Appearances: Alex Rodriguez, 8942 Career Leader, Innings Pitched: Jake Peavy, 1769 1/3 Career Leader, Games Finished: Roberto Hernandez, 159 2020 HITTERS: Jose Ramirez and Luke Voit could hit 100 home runs between them, and Xander Bogaerts and Cavan Biggio are one of the better hitting double play combinations in the conference. Outfielder David Peralta and catcher Wilson Contreras will also contribute to the offense. All in all not a bad lineup. 2020 PITCHERS: The rotation of Dinelson Lamet, Max Fried, Zac Gallen, Dakota Hudson and Antonio Senzatela is one of the best in the majors. Brad Hand leads a very strong bullpen. One of the best pitching staffs in the league. 2020 OVERALL: The SuperSquad are picked to finish 2nd in their division, but they could also wind up with the league's 2nd best record behind the Termites. 3. Topeka MooseDogs (Last Year: 93-79, 4th in Division, Predicted: 5th) Career Leader, Plate Appearances: Johnny damon, 6514 Career Leader, Innings Pitched: Clayton Kershaw, 2322 Career Leader, Games Finished: Jason Isringhausen, 187 2020 HITTERS: Marcell Ozuna is poised to have a great year, hitting .330+ and cracking 50 home runs. Fernando Tatis Jr has emerged as the games' best young talent, with 50 home run and 30 stolen base potential. Travis d'Arnaud has some power and can hit for average from the catcher position. Brian Anderson and Colin Moran could hit 30 home runs. Lots of opportunities to score here. 2020 PITCHERS: Clayton Kershaw continues his hall of fame career, once again expertly anchoring the rotation. Hyun Jin Ryu is an ace as well, and there's enough part time starters to make the rotation very competitive. Edwin Diaz and Josh Hader lead a strong bullpen. 2020 OVERALL: Some nice hitting and some very nice pitching will make Topeka a strong team this year. 4. Olympia Rainiers (Last Year: 89-73, 3rd in Division, Predicted: 3rd) Career Leader, Plate Appearances: Johnny Peralta, 5373 Career Leader, Innings Pitched: David Cone, 1189 2/3 Career Leader, Games Finished: Joe Nathan, 299 2020 HITTERS: 2020 Corey Seager is the player Olympia thought they were getting when they traded the #1 overall pick in 2017. Seager and Juan Soto will score plenty of runs this year. Clint Fraazier and Gio Urshela will contribute to the offense, but the Rainiers will be dependent on a lot of part time players to score runs this year. 2020 PITCHERS: Zach Davies should be a quality ace, and Julio Urias and Joe Musgrove help round out a competitive rotation. Stefan Crichton heads up a strong bullpen. 2020 OVERALL: Olympia should put up a good year, but it will be really hard to compete for the division title with Slam Diego and Dallas this year. 5. Miami Mangos (Last Year: 92-70, 2nd in Division, Predicted: 1st) Career Leader, Plate Appearances: Adam Jones, 6156 Career Leader, Innings Pitched: Rick Porcello, 1071 Career Leader, Games Finished: Curt Leskanic, 111 2020 HITTERS: JT Realmuto reigns as the league's best hitting catcher, and Eddie Rosario should be good for 30+ home runs. Bo Bichette is emerging as a potential star hitter at shortstop, which allowed Miami to trade Francisco Lindor for Paul Goldschmidt, who will provide some walks and some balanced power this year. The rest of the lineup starts to get thin after that, so the Mangos may struggle to keep up with the rest of the league in the run scoring department. 2020 PITCHERS: Adam Wainwright continues to defy father time and anchors the rotation. Zack Wheeler and Lucas Giolito help round out a solid rotation. The bullpen may have a lot of no names but they should be able to get things done. 2020 OVERALL: Some nice pitching, but there may not be enough hitters in the lineup to have Miami return to the playoffs in 2020. 6. California Coneheads (Last Year: 93-69, Ruth Division Winner, Predicted: 2nd) Career Leader, Plate Appearances: Frank Thomas, 7116 Career Leader, Innings Pitched: Cole Hamels, 2770 Career Leader, Games Finished: Mariano Rivera, 231 2020 HITTERS: Califonia has a bevy of guys who can hit 30+ home runs (Matt Olson, Kyle Schwarber, Rougned Odor, Gary Sanchez) but would be hard pressed to break .200. Whit Merrifield will provided speed and average, and Michel Brantley and Justin Turner know how to take a walk. But getting on base will be a major problem for the team this year. 2020 PITCHERS: The rotation will be a mess this year - not an all-star to be seen. Josh Staumont is their best reliever by far, as the rest of the bullpen is filler. The team overall will be giving up a lot of runs this year. 2020 OVERALL: California's 5 year streak of playoff appearances will likely end in 2020. But on the bright side, they'll most certainly use that high level draft pick to draft an impact player to re-start a new streak. ***************************************************************************************** Young Division - 1. San Francisco Piazza's (Last Year: 72-90, 5th in Division, Predicted: 5th) Career Leader, Plate Appearances: Robinson Cano, 8685 Career Leader, Innings Pitched: Jamie Moyer, 1229 2/3 Career Leader, Games Finished: Trevor Hoffman, 107 2020 HITTERS: The Piazza's could lead the league in home runs. Jose Abreu continues to anchor the lineup and could hit 50+ home runs. Mike Yastremzki, Didi Gregorius, Nick Castellanos, Andrew McCutchen, Salvador Perez and Anthony Santander could all hit 30+ home runs. Fearsome! 2020 PITCHERS: Carlos Carrasco and Taijuan Walker should have good hears in the rotation and win plenty of games with the run support. The rest of the rotation are part timers but are decent. Nick Anderson and Darren O'Day lead a strong bullpen. 2020 OVERALL: Stellar hitting and strong pitching will make San Francisco a serious contender this year. 2. Brookfield Brouhaha (Last Year: 105-57, Young Division Winner, Predicted: 3rd) Career Leader, Plate Appearances: Edgar Martinez, 6856 Career Leader, Innings Pitched: R.A. Dickey, 1637 2/3 Career Leader, Games Finished: Billy Wagner, 143 2020 HITTERS: Michael Conforto is one of the league's more underrated hitters, and will hit for average and power. Donovan Solano should hit for a high average and get on base. Eric Hosmer can hit for average and power, and Jeimer Candelario should put up some decent sabermetric stats. The rest of the lineup is put together with spit and tape as usual, and should score more runs than expected. 2020 PITCHERS: Brookfield's strength this year, like last is their rotation. Lance Lynn, Brad Keller, Kyle Hendricks, Framber Valdez and Steven Brault form one of the best rotations in the division. Bryan Garcia leads a solid bullpen. 2020 OVERALL: Pitching will be Brookfield's strength again this year - will their hitting keep up? 3. Park City Climbers (Last Year: 45-117, 6th in Division, Predicted: 6th) Career Leader, Plate Appearances: Charlie Blackmon, 4562 Career Leader, Innings Pitched: Pedro Martinez, 2725 1/3 Career Leader, Games Finished: Roberto Osuna, 117 2020 HITTERS: Wil Myers brings the power to Park City this year, good for 40+ home runs. Charlie Blackmon should add to his career plate appearances total, hitting for average wtih some doubles power. Vladimir Guerrero Jr's ascent allowed the team to trade Paul Goldschmidt for Frandisco Lindor. Will Smith adds some power at the catcher position. All in all some decent run production (if only Kris Bryant was living up to his potential!) 2020 PITCHERS: Like many teams, the Climbers' rotation is a mass of arms. Sixto Sanchez and Lance McCullers stand out. The bullpen has some marquee names, with Alex Colome, Mark Melancon and Trevor Rosenthal leading the way. While only the relievers have a shot at making the all-star team, the pitching staff is above average. 2020 OVERALL: Some nice pitching and some decent hitting should make for a good year in Park City. 4. Seattle Moshers (Last Year: 73-89, 4th in Division, Predicted: 1st) Career Leader, Plate Appearances: Michael Young, 6522 Career Leader, Innings Pitched: Greg Maddux, 4121 1/3 Career Leader, Games Finished: Mark Melancon, 266 2020 HITTERS: Nelson Cruz, AJ Pollock and Eloy Jimenez could all hit 40 home runs this year, and Lourdes Gurriel is good for 30. Adalberto Mondesi could contend for the steals crown, and Chris Taylor is one of the few Seattle hitters who know how to get on base. Some solid power on the team, they'll need to learn how to take a walk to put their run machine in gear. 2020 PITCHERS: Trevor Bauer and Dallas Keuchel can go toe-to-toe with any starter in the league, and David Peterson is a capable 3rd starter. The rotation gets iffy very fast after that. Diego Castillo leads a deep and solid bullpen. 2020 OVERALL: Great bullpen, top of the rotation and power from the lineup, time will tell if the lack of walks will hurt the team. 5. Tualatin Pioneers (Last Year: 89-73, 3rd in Division, Predicted: 4th) Career Leader, Plate Appearances: Vladimir Guerrero, 7883 Career Leader, Innings Pitched: Madison Bumgarner, 1426 1/3 Career Leader, Games Finished: Dellin Betances, 118 2020 HITTERS: Kole Calhoun will have a nice year as the cleanup hitter, good for 40+ home runs. The lineup is full of 20 home run hitters like Kyle Seager, Maikel Franco and Freddy Galvis, but they're also full of low batting and low on base average hitters. Expect lots of solo home runs and some issues with scoring multiple runs an inning. 2020 PITCHERS: The rotation will be highly suspect this year, but perhaps Daniel Castano can evolve into an ace in future years. Liam Hendricks does lead an unexpectedly strong bullpen, but if the team is well behind by the 8th inning, there's not much the bullpen can do to win the game. 2020 OVERALL: A great bullpen, but a lack of baserunners and a poor rotation means it will be a long year in Tualatin. 6. Rocklin Thunder (Last Year: 98-64, 2nd in Division, 2019 CFOD Champs, Predicted: 2nd) Career Leader, Plate Appearances: Carlos Beltran, 9692 Career Leader, Innings Pitched: Chris Sale, 1769 1/3 Career Leader, Games Finished: Kenley Jansen, 272 2020 HITTERS: Bryce Harper continues to be a franchise hitter, hitting for power with some speed. Dansby Swanson is starting to live up to the early hype, providing some pop at the shortstop position. Things would be better if Aaron Judge wasn't injured, or if Ketel Marte wasn't going to slump. 2020 PITCHERS: Jose Berrios is a decent innings eater of a starter, but with Jack Flaherty regressing, Walker Buehler injured and Chris Sale and Noah Syndergaard not pitching for Rocklin in '20 it's going to be rough. 2020 OVERALL: The hitters will be able to make some noise but a depleted pitching staff likely means a bottom of the division finish for the reigning CFOD champions.