2024 CFOD SEASON PREVIEW "Your Mileage May Vary!" Predicted Playoff Teams: Mantle Division Winner: Fightin' Oglethorpes of Georgia Koufax Division Winner: Pig's Eye Pirates Ruth Division Winner: California Coneheads Young Division Winner: Park City Climbers MK Conference Wildcard: Cincinnati Rock RY Conference Wildcard: Miami Mangos #1 League Wildcard: Arlington Arthropods #2 League Wildcard: Dallas SuperSquad WORLD SERIES PREDICTION: Coneheads over Pirates ***************************************************************************************** Mantle Division - 1. Fightin' Oglethorpes of Georgia (Last Year: 66-96, 5th in Division, Predicted: 5th) HITTERS: Gunnar Henderson is one of the league'es best young shortstops, hitting for average, power, and can swipe a base or two. Teoscar Hernandez should slug over .500 with 30+ home runs, and Lourdes Gurriel Jr adds to the offense. PITCHERS: Luis Severino and Andrew Heaney may not make the all-star game but they are decent innings eaters. Spencer Schwellenbach and David Peterson should have excellent playoff-elligible years. Raisel Iglesias is a lights out closer who should compete for fireman of the year, and the rest of the bullpen is filled with quality arms. OVERALL: The Fightin' Oglethorpes have been on a rebuilding plan, and this is the year it should start paying off. 2. Arlington Arthropods (Last Year: 105-57, Mantle Division Winner, Predicted: 1st) HITTERS: Shohei Ohtani will take a break from the rotation this year, but could be a 50/50 man and will certainly be the favorite for MVP. Alex Bregman and Taylor Ward have some pop in their bat, and CJ Abrams could be a 20/20 guy. PITCHERS: Cole Ragans, Kevin Gausman, Luis Castillo, Gavin Stone and Tyler Glasnow form one of the better rotations in the league. Cade Smith leads the bullpen, which may need a reliever or two for the post-season (but the starting rotation will take plenty of pressure off of the relievers). OVERALL: Arlington won the division last year, and certainly has the talent to do it again. 3. San Francisco Organization (Last Year: 83-79, 4th in Division, Predicted: 3rd) HITTERS: Pete Alonso can still mash the ball, and Bryan Reynolds, Jurickson Profar and Cody Bellinger are decent hitters. Andrew McCutchen and Jeimer Candelario will also help the team score runs. PITCHERS: Tobias Myers, Michael Wacha, Nathan Eovaldi and Lance Lynn for a decent rotation. AJ Puk leads a bevy of solid relievers. No pitcher will likely make the all-star game but the staff ERA should be above average. OVERALL: Some decent pitching and capable hitting should give the Organization another winning record this year. 4. Angry Candy (Last Year: 99-63, 2nd in Division, Predicted: 4th) HITTERS: Ezequiel Tovar and Riley Greene have some pop in their bat, as does Brandon Nimmo and Ryan Jeffers, but the Candy may have a few problems scoring runs with low average and walks. PITCHERS: Seth Lugo is a solid ace, and Reese Olson, Zach Eflin and Andre Pallante give the AC a strong playoff-ready rotation. Tim Herrin and Tayler Scott lead a strong bullpen. Pitching will be a strength this year. OVERALL: The Angry Candy made it to the CFOD World Series last year. If their hitting performs better than expected, the AC may be able to make the playoffs again. 5. Mechan Syndicate (Last Year: 46-116, 6th in Division, Predicted: 6th) HITTERS: Jazz Chisholm isn't just a great baseball name, but someone who can hit a home run and swipe plenty of bases. Mookie Betts continues to be a franchise player, and Heliot Ramos and Luis Garcia will help the Syndicate score some runs. PITCHERS: Corbin Burnes is one of the best pitchers in the league, and Sean Manaea, Carlos Rodon and Yusei Kikuchi form a solid rotation. Edwin Diaz is the name brand closer on the roster, but Justin Martinez and Luke Weaver help make for a solid bullpen. OVERALL: Some decent hitting and decent pitching, the Syndicate may very well end up finishing higher up in the division. 6. Port Huron Hubris (Last Year: 85-77, 3rd in Division, Predicted: 2nd) HITTERS: Marcus Semien and Christopher Morel have 20 homer power but with low batting average .. same with Zach Neto. Quite a few players with a little pop in their bat but nobody will be winning the batting title this year. PITCHERS: Blake Snell may battle injuries this year, but he still is a playoff elligible ace. Logan Gilbert, Andrew Abbott and MacKenzie Gore help fill out a solid rotation. There are relievers aplenty on this roster, led by Black Treinen and Tyler Holton. Should be one of the better pitching staffs in the league. OVERALL: Some great pitching to be seen, but the challenge will be to score enough runs to get the win. ***************************************************************************************** Koufax Division - 1. Pig's Eye Pirates (Last Year: 66-96, 4th in Division, Predicted: 5th) HITTERS: Matt Chapman, Mark Vientos and Ian Happ have some decent thump in their bat, and Carlos Correa and Tyler Fitzgerald can hit for average and power. PITCHERS: Erick Fedde, Aaron Nola and Joe Ryan are a strong pitching trio, with Brady Singer and Ben Lively being among the better end of rotation starters. Jeff Hoffman and Jhoan Duran lead one of the best bullpens in the league. OVERALL: Some dynamic pitching this year and a capable offense will make the Pirates a contender this year. 2. Cincinnati Rock (Last Year: 99-63, Koufax Division Winner, Predicted: 1st) HITTERS: Rafael Devers hits for power and average, and Kyle Tucker will have likely contended for MVP honors if he could stay healthy this year. Freddie Freeman, Luke Raley, Michael Busch and Tyler Stephenson help give the Rock one of the best lineups in the league. PITCHERS: Tarik Skubal is a Cy Young candidate this year and could lead the league in wins. Hunter Brown, Garrett Crochet and Freddy Peralta fill out the rotation. Buck Farmer and Cole Sands lead a strong bullpen. OVERALL: Some very strong hitting and decent pitching makes Cincinnati a very tough team to beat this year. To see them on top of the division at the end of the year would not be a surprise. 3. Somerville Sluggers (Last Year: 85-77, 3rd in Division, Predicted: 3rd) HITTERS: Manny Machado and Oneil Cruz provide the Sluggers with strong hitting infielders. Spencer Steer and Rando Arozarena may not hit much but when they get on base their speed will help score runs. Willson Contreras is one of the better hitting catchers in the league (when his health allows). PITCHERS: 1st round pick Ronel Blanco instantly became their ace, and Justin Steele is a quality starter (when he is healthy). The rest of the rotation will have trouble matching up with the more elite staffs in the league. Will Vest and Michael Kopech gives the Sluggers plenty of reliever options. OVERALL: If their starting rotation holds up the Sluggers should end up finishing in the top half of the division. 4. New Orleans Rougarou (Last Year: 60-102, 6th in Division, Predicted: 6th) HITTERS: Trea Turner and Julio Rodriguez could be 20/20 guys, but their walk and overall power numbers won't likely make them all-stars. Andrew Benintendi, Vinnie Pasquantino and Alec Bohm are also 20 home run threats. But lack of walks and lack of overall power may stifle run production. PITCHERS: Veteran Chris Sale is healthy enough to have another ace year, but the rest of the starters are iffy. Robert Suarez is a possible fireman of the year candidate, but the bullpen gets pretty thin after that. OVERALL: A lack of hitting power and a lack of pitching will likely make it tough for the Rougarou to compete this year. 5. Fertile Crescent Ziggurats (Last Year: 61-101, 5th in Division, Predicted: 4th) HITTERS: Corbin Carroll is a demon on the base paths, but a lack of place discipline may cost him an all-star spot. Still, pairing him with 1st round pick Jackson Chourio could give the Ziggurats one of the better hitting outfields in the game for years. The rest of the lineup is filler. PITCHERS: Emmanuel Clase is one of the best relievers in baseball, but save opportunities will be few and far between. A few good pitchers but this staff is built to tank. OVERALL: Will be another rebuilding year. 6. Trisolaris Droplets (Last Year: 96-66, 2nd in Division, Predicted: 2nd) HITTERS: JJ Bleday and Yainer Diaz would be decent supporting batters on other teams, but are asked to shoulder the load on this team. The rest of the lineup will struggle. PITCHERS: Bryan Woo should have a good season, but the rest of the staff will struggle. OVERALL: Will be a rebuilding year. ***************************************************************************************** Ruth Division - 1. California Coneheads (Last Year: 94-68, Ruth Division Winner, Predicted: 1st) HITTERS: Kyle Schwarber can mash. Bobby Witt Jr can mash (and run!). Matt Olson can mash. Elly De La Cruz can mash (and run! very fast!). William Contreras can mash. Everyone can mash, which means the Coneheads likely will score the most runs of any team this year. PITCHERS: Luis Ortiz is the ace by default, and Jose Quintana should win some games on run support alone. The rest of the rotation is not very good, but with this offense they may not need to be. Hogan Harris leads a somewhat sparse bullpen, but again, with this offense there likely won't be many close games. OVERALL: While the pitching is a little iffy, the lights out offense makes the Coneheads the team to beat this season. 2. Miami Mangos (Last Year: 89-73, 4th in Division, Predicted: 4th) HITTERS: 1st round pick Lawrence Butler instantly becomes the team's best hitter. 2nd round pick Brandon Lowe becomes their 2nd best hitter - so scoring runs this year may be a little problematic... PITCHERS: ...which may not be as big of an issue for other teams as their pitching staff is one of the league's best. Zack Wheeler, Reynaldo Lopez, Bryce Miller, Cristopher Sanchez and Zack Littell could be aces on other teams, but here they form the best rotation in the majors. Kirby Yates leads a talented and capable bullpen. OVERALL: Hitting is a little thin, but the pitching more than makes up for it. So much so that if Miami clinches the division it won't be that much of a surprise. 3. Dallas SuperSquad (Last Year: 82-80, 5th in Division, Predicted: 5th) HITTERS: Jose Ramirez is his usual stellar self at the hot corner, and Seiya Suzuki, Jarren Duran are above average outfielders. Jose Altuve, Alec Burleson and Isaac Paredes will help Dallas to an above average offense. PITCHERS: Jack Flaherty, Max Fried, Dylan Cease and Zac Gallen give the SuperSquad a very talented rotation. Ryan Walker and Alex Vesia lead a strong bullpen. Pitching will be a strength. OVERALL: Dallas is loaded with talent - they are contenders to the division as well. 4. Olympia Rainiers (Last Year: 93-69, 2nd in Division, Predicted: 2nd) HITTERS: Juan Soto should contend for MVP honors, and Yordan Alvarez and Corey Seager could nab all-star spots. The quality of hitters drops off after that, but this power trio should give the Rainiers a good offense. PITCHERS: Jameson Taillon anchors the rotation, and Bowden Francis is a playoff elligible quality starter, but the rotation gets pretty thing after that. The bullpen is lacking in playoff elligible relievers. OVERALL: Olympia should feature some all-stars this year, but will likely finish no higher than 4th. 5. Topeka MooseDogs (Last Year: 58-104, 6th in Division, Predicted: 6th) HITTERS: Josh Naylar has a little thump in his bat, as does Colton Cowser. Fernando Tatis Jr. and Austin Riley will likely have down years. The lineup may struggle to score as many runs as the rest of the division. PITCHERS: Nestor Cortes and Tyler Anderson are innings eaters in the rotation, but will have difficulty matching up with the rest of the division. Jose Butto and Jorge Lopez give Topeka some options in the bullpen. OVERALL: The Ruth Division is stacked this year, so it will likely turn into a rebuilding year for the MooseDogs. 6. Slam Diego Termites (Last Year: 90-72, 3rd in Division, 2023 CFOD Champions, Predicted: 3rd) HITTERS: Marcell Ozuna should have a fantastic year at the plate, and Salvador Perez continues to defy father time at the catching position. Michael Conforto has a little pop in his bat, but the overall offense will struggle (and francise player Ronald Acuna Jr is injured this year). PITCHERS: Nick Martinez is a decent starter, but it gets real scary real fast after that. Bullpen is .. not there. OVERALL: Will likely be a rough year for the Termites, but considering they won it all last year fans will be celebrating their title all season long. ***************************************************************************************** Young Division - 1. Park City Climbers (Last Year: 86-76, T-2nd in Division, Predicted: 3rd) HITTERS: Francisco Lindor is a 30/30 player and likely all-star, and Vladimir Guerrero hits for power and average. Joc Pederson and Will Smith will also contribute runs to an effective lineup. PITCHERS: Ranger Suarez, Luis Gil and George Kirby form a solid starting pitching trio. Matt Strahm and Bryan Hudson lead a deep and talented bullpen, one of the best in the majors. OVERALL: The Climbers have a lot of talent this year, and start off as the favorites to win the division. 2. Seattle Moshers (Last Year: 85-77, 4th in Divison, Predicted: 2nd) HITTERS: Cal Raleigh and Willy Adames have some pop in their bat, and Christian Walker, Michael Toglia and Jorge Soler will add to the offense. Steven Kwan has an eye for walks and should score plenty of runs. All in all a capable offense. PITCHERS: 1st round pick Shota Imanaga joins Tanner Houck in a strong 1-2 combination in the rotation. Javier Assad and Bailey Ober should eat plenty of innings. Trevor Megill and Jason Foley lead a strong bullpen. OVERALL: Some decent hitting and pitching should put Seattle in the playoff race this year. 3. Brookfield Brouhaha (Last Year: 109-53, Young Division Winner, Predicted: 1st) HITTERS: Eugenio Suarez has 30 home run power, as does Shea Langeliers. After Brenton Doyle, the hitting starts to get a little thin after that. PITCHERS: Framber Valdez, Michael Lorenzen, Ryan Pepiot and Sonny Gray form a high quality rotation. Tanner Scott and Ryan Helsley are lights out relievers who lead a strong bullpen. OVERALL: The hitting is a bit iffy, but the pitching is strong -- just like last year when they posted the league's best record. 4. San Mateo Thunder (Last Year: 86-76, T-2nd in Division, Predicted: 4th) HITTERS: Aaron Judge is a 60 homer threat and MVP candidate, and Kete Marte and Bryce Harper will contend for all-star spots this year. Jo Adell has 20 home run power with some speed. Their top three hitters along will provide for above average run scoring. PITCHERS: Logan Webb could win 20 games this year with all of the run support, and Jose Berrios is a decent 2nd starter. The rest of the rotation? Not so much. Griffin Jax and Lucas Erceg are solid closer candidates but the bullpen is rather thin after that. OVERALL: Great hitting, iffy pitching. If the pitching performs better than expected the Thunder could finish higher. 5. Tualatin Pioneers (Last Year: 61-101, 5th in Division, Predicted: 5th) HITTERS: Tyler O'Neill is a 30 home run threat with decent overall numbers, but the hitting gets pretty thin after that. Will likely have an underpowered offense this year. PITCHERS: #1 overall pick Paul Skenes could anchor the rotation for years. Hunter Green, Michael King and Tanner Bibee help form one of the better rotations in the majors. Mason Miller leads a bullpen that is high on strong (if not healthy) bullpen arms. OVERALL: Poor hitting but great pitching. If their hitters perform better than expected the Pioneers could finish higher. 6. San Francisco Piazza's (Last Year: 60-102, 6th in Division, Predicted: 6th) HITTERS: Anthony Santander and Brent Rooker form the 2024 bash brothers - they could combine to smash over 80 home runs. Jake Burger and Giancarlo Stanton are also 30 home run threats. The home run power on this team should allow the Piazza's to score plenty of runs. PITCHERS: Chris Bassitt is the ace by default, but the rotation may end up being one of the league's worst. Bullpen options are plentiful, with name brand relievers like Clay Holmes and Kenley Jansen. OVERALL: Really great hitting, really great bullpen - but the Piazza's fortunes will be dragged down by their starting rotation. If they were able to trade for some starters their fortunes may rise dramatically.