1998 CFOD PREVIEW YOUR MILEAGE MAY VARY! OVERALL PREDICTIONS: Pennant winners: Shriners, Wet Sox, Coneheads, Thunder Conference Wildcards: 'Topes, Termites League Wildcards: Dogs, Moshers CFOD World Series: Coneheads over Shriners in 6 League MVP: Mark McGwire, Arizona Thunder League Cy Young: Greg Maddux, Seattle Moshers League Fireman of the Year: Trevor Hoffman, Boston Brewins ########################################################################### League Preview: This has been the toughest preview to write ever, as the number of "doormat" teams has shrunk to near 0. Most teams have gotten to the point where they're going to punish the other side on with hitting, and With a few notable exceptions, most teams should be able to keep the ball in the park at least half the time. Bold prediction: No team will lose 100 games this year. ########################################################################### *************************************************************************** Mantle Division Preview: The Mantle division is probably the toughest one in the league. It boasts 3 legit contenders to the title, and 3 other teams that will be tough to face. *************************************************************************** 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 San Francisco Shriners: At one time, this was a team that was known for its mediocre hitting but stellar pitching. Time have changed. It was almost symbolic, when last year the Shriners traded ace Randy Johnson for slugger supreme Sammy Sosa. The '98 edition of the Shriners feature one of the most punishing hitting lineups in the league. Sammy Sosa should contend for MVP honors, as well as a run for the league homer record. Jim Thome and Paul O'Neill are two well hitting lefties who will take full advantage of new Tropicana field. Carl Everett, Glenallen Hill and Mark Loretta are all quality hitters. On the pitching front, the San Francisco hurlers can best be described as "adequate". The starters are really nothing special, but should keep the balls in the park. Where the Shriners really shine is in the relief corps, which feature a bevy of quality relievers, led by projected closer Jeff Shaw. OVERALL: The killer hitting staff and dominant relief staff guarantee the Shriner's best ever season, and a likely pennant to boot. 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 Springfield 'Topes: Springfield made franchise history last year by making their first ever playoff appearance. Not to rest on their laurels, Springfield should be an even better team this year. The hitting features a surprising amoung of pop. Bernie Williams, Eric Davis, Bobby Higginson are a quality outfield good for 25-30 dingers, as is 1B Tino Martinez and 3B Shane Andrews. Mickey Morandini's .380 OBA will look good at the top of the order. Depth is strong, with Luis Gonzalez and Devon White the biggest notables off the bench. The hitting staff will keep track with any team in the league. The biggest strength for the 'Topes is their starting pitching, which is one of, if not the best rotation in the league. Kevin Brown, Dustin Hermanson, and Francisco Cordova are all ace pitchers, and Andy Pettitte and Jesus Sanchez could be #1 starters on quite a few teams. Mike Williams is a great closer, although the relief corps gets a little thin after that (but with these starters and hitting lineups, that's only a minor concern). OVERALL: Great pitching and great hitting will make sure that the 'Topes will see post-season action once again. 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 Reservoir Dogs: As an expansion team in '93, the Dogs did the unheard-of and posted a winning record. From '94-'96 they terrorized the Mantle division, winning the division in '94 & '95 and making the playoffs in all 3 years. Last year the bottom fell out and they lost over 100 games. Such is life in the CFOD. But every year offers the promise of a new beginning, and this year the Dogs should see a return to their winning ways. The Dogs have undergone a pretty dramatic facelift, parting ways with slugger Manny Ramirez, but bringing in 2B Chuck Knoblauch and young'un OF Bobby Abreu. Franchise mainstay 3B Chipper Jones is still here, and provides an anchor to the offense. Other than Jones & 1B Todd Helton, no one is going to send the baseballs flying out of the park, but they will single & double you to death. Pitching is scarce across the league, but not so with the Reservior Dogs. They have the luxury of picking and choosing their starters, among them rookie Orlando Hernandez, Chris Peters, Jose Lima, Bobby Jones and comeback kid Bret Saberhagen. Many of the starters can put in relief innings as well, to help back up fireball closer Kerry Ligtenberg. OVERALL: The Dogs have reloaded, and should regain their rightful place in the upper half of the division, if not as pennant winners. 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 Toronto Towers: What to make of the Towers? It seems like they are overburdened with talent every year, but mid-way through the season they trade most of that talent away for draft picks, so they can start the whole thing over again. The emphasis in Toronto this year is on pitching. The Towers have a legitimate ace in Al Leiter, and Rick Reed and Jeff Fassero are above average #2 & #3 starters. Tony Saunders and Dave Mlicki are decent at the end of the lineup. After the starters put in their 7 or 8 innings, the Towers relievers are good enough to finish off the opposition. What will be the hindrance for Toronto this year is the quality of hitting. Kenny Lofton is his usual good self at the top of the lineup, and Ivan Rodriguez is the 2nd best hitting catcher in the league, but the rest of the hitters will have problems keeping up with the Shriners of the league. They've got plenty of guys who can get on base, but they could use a couple of heavy hitters to bring them home. OVERALL: Towers have great pitching, but their less-than-heavy offense will hold them back. 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 Charlottesville Squids: The Squids were the '96 CFOD champs, but fell like a rock last year, thanks to lackluster hitting and terrible pitching. This year, the Squids should see a season somewhere between these two extremes. On offense, Juan Gonzalez is his usual bad self, Dean Palmer should provide a lot of power at 3B, and Ray Durham is finally going to live up to his potential at 2B. Gary Sheffield puts in another fine season in the outfield, although he is going to be hampered by injuries. On the pitching side, the Squids rotation is anchored by rookie supreme Rolando Arrojo, with Brian Anderson and Scott Karl also putting in decent seasons. John Wetteland anchors a particularly effective relief corps, who should make the 8th & 9th innings for the Squids a non-event (provided their pitching and hitting can get them the lead going into the 8th!). OVERALL: Charlottesville is the "wild card" of the division. They could finish much higher if people perform better than expected. That being said, somebody has to be placed 5th, and that unfortunately falls to Charlottesville. But the Mantle division is likely to be the strongest division this year, so the Squids could place 5th and still get a winning record. 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 Mechan Syndicate: The Syndicate are perennial contenders, and will continue to do so as long as Barry Bonds, Rafael Palmeiro, and Tony Gwynn hit like they always have ... usually. Shawn Green should see his role with the Syndicate increase this year, who will welcome his 30 homer power. So why is the Syndicate placed so low in the division? Well, there's the issue of gaps in the roster. They don't have productive hitters at shortstop or catcher, and their pitching is a mess. Starter Justin Thompson should put in some decent innings, and could win 15+ games, but after that, it gets really iffy. The Syndicate should be able to put some runs on the board, but they're going to have problems keeping the other team from scoring. OVERALL: Prediction: The Syndicate will be #1 in runs scored and in runs allowed. Fans in Syndicate stadium should get plenty of baseball souvenirs this year. *************************************************************************** Koufax Division Preview: Meet the new boss. Same as the old boss. Oregon should see another pennant in their immediate future, with the rest of the division duking it out for 2nd place. *************************************************************************** 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Oregon Wet Sox: Have the Wet Sox established a new dynasty in the Koufax division? It sure seems that way. Most of the killer hitters of last year's world series appearing Sox are back. Jeff Bagwell, Larry Walker and Nomar Garciaparra still form the core of the lineup, and the loss of Sandy Alomar & Travis Fryman are made up by the improvment in Garrett Anderson's game and the blossoming hitting of Andruw Jones. The real story this year is the Wet Sox pitching, which will be among the best in the league. Mike Mussina, Carlos Perez, Sean Bergman, Sterling Hitchcock and Andy Benes are a top 5 pitching rotation. Rob Nen, Chuck McElroy and Rich Loiselle are capable relievers. OVERALL: Star power still reigns in Oregon. Likely to repeat as pennant champs. 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 Hillsborough Regulators: Rocket Roger to the rescue again. As long as Roger Clemens is his usual stellar self, Hillsborough will be contenders. Denny Neagle, Jon Lieber and Kirk Rueter fill out the rest of the staff, which can give anyone a run for their money. Donne Wall should rack up the saves as closer. On hitting, Hillsborough once again depends on the solid if unspectacular core of Jason Giambi and Jeff Kent. Matt Lawton brings his game up a notch to be a solid player, and Mike Caruso should hit .300+ as a 21 year old shortstop. Overall, the offense is nothing to write home about, but when you've got Roger Clemens on the mound, you don't need a high-octane offense. OVERALL: Roger Clemens keeps the Regulators competitive, but they could use a little more star power in the hitting lineup. 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 Somerville Sluggers: The biggest change in the off-season was when longtime Slugger Chuck Knoblauch was traded, and 3B Robin Ventura and slugger Manny Ramirez arrived. Barry Larkin is healthy again, and will put in his usual superstar season. Led by Manny Ramirez, the Slugger hitters are solid and deep, and should score plenty of runs. Curt Schilling is an innings workhorse who will make the Sluggers unbeatable 1 out of every 5 days. The rest of the starters are "eh". Led by Bob Howry, the Slugger relief corps won't remind anyone of the Shriners, but they should get the job done. OVERALL: Combine Somerville's hitting and the Regulator's pitching, and you'd have the Koufax division pennant winner. As it stands, the Sluggers will be competitive but they're going to have their work cut out for them if they want to beat the Wet Sox. 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 Zippys: Zippy fans are heralding the arrival of a pinch hitter. Why? Because that pinch hitter's name is JD Drew. Drew has the tools to be a franchise slugger for the next decade, something the Zippys have not had since ... well, never. Another youngster of note is shortstop Derek Jeter, who is finally taking his game up to the Garciaparra/Rodriguez/Larkin level of superstar shortstop. John Olerud has his best year in awhile at first, and the Zippys will get good performances through the rest of the lineup thanks to platooning. On the pitching side, the Zippys don't boast a Greg Maddux on the staff, but their 1-5 starters are solid, led by Jamie Moyer and Aaron Sele. The relief pitching is nameless and faceless, but is one of the better relief staffs in the league. Hmm, so why are the Zippys picked 4th in the division? Good question. If their platooning turns out well, they could go much, much higher. OVERALL: The "wild card" of the division. The Zippys could fall apart and finish dead last, or they could develop some cohesiveness and make the playoffs. We'll know at the end of the season. 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 Boston Brewins: Power. Pure, unadulterated power. That's the theme of the Brewin hitters this year. Sure, most of these guys couldn't get on base to save their life, but when they can connect with the baseball, they put it out of the park. Jose Canseco and Greg Vaughn have the potential to be 50 homer sluggers each. Jeff King, Will Clark and Bret Boone are all mid 20's homers, with Will Clark's high walk rate hopefully rubbing off on the rest of the sluggers. Brian L Hunter isn't quite the best leadoff hitter you could hope for (when they can't break a .300 OBA, that's bad). Hunter's inability to get on base might turn those 2 or 3 run homer innings into solo shots. On the pitching front, Boston could use an ace starter or two (but couldn't we all?). Scott Erickson and Brad Radke can hold their own against the rest of the league, but Greg Vaughn & company are going to have to step it up when Jimmy Haynes and Darren Oliver reach the mound. However, when the Brewins get into the 9th with a lead, they've iced it, since they feature the best closer on the planet in Trevor Hoffman. OVERALL: The slugger-heavy lineup should make for some exciting ballgames, but they could use some more guys who can get on base, and a starter or two who can keep the opponent's at bay for 8 innings. 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 Cincinnati Rock: Do you smell what the Rock is cooking? And if so, why is the Rock placed dead last in the division? Well, because someone has to be, and , the '98 edition of the Rock isn't quite a fearsome as the rest of the division. On hitting, 3B Vinny Castilla should knock plenty of baseballs out of the park. The jury is out on Mike Lansing or Dante Bichette, who could contribute to the team or be major disappointments. The rest of the lineup is "OK", but "OK" isn't what it used to be. On pitching, the Rock snagged young'un Bartolo Colon, who has the potential to be an ace for years to come. Tim Belcher is the decent journeyman hurler, and Ramiro Mendoza and Kevin Millwood are young and can only get better. The relief staff isn't going to make anyone shake in their boots. OVERALL: They've got some players, but they could use a few more horses before they scare anyone. *************************************************************************** Ruth Division Preview: Flash! No real changes from last year, or the year before that. California still reigns supreme, Boston/San Diego/Carolina duke it out for the middle of the division, and Miami and Kansas City tries to get out of the cellar. *************************************************************************** 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 California Coneheads: The premier franchise in the league continues to chug along. Lose Alex Fernandez to injury? No sweat. Lose Paul O'Neill due to salary restrictions? No big deal. Call 'em California: The Next Generation. Frank Thomas, Craig Biggio, Mike Piazza and Scott Rolen still form the core of the hitting staff, but joining them this year are outfielders Sammy Stewart and Cliff Floyd. California will once again be at or near the top in runs scored this year. This year won't feature a Glavine-Smoltz-Fernandez-Estes uber-rotation, but they'll get by just fine. Glavine will be a threat for 20 wins again. Smoltz has injury problems this year, and Steve Woodard and Mike Sirotka won't remind anyone of Fernandez and Estes. Relief isn't a problem, as California has picked up closer supreme Mariano Rivera through the draft. Quite a few other good relievers back up Rivera. California probably won't threaten their record of 116 wins made in 1996, but they're almost a lock for the best record in the league yet again. OVERALL: See the previews for '91-'97. Best team in league, triple digit wins assured. 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 San Diego Termites: It may be do or die time for San Diego in 1998. San Diego features one of the best 3-4-5 hitter combinations in Albert Belle, Moises Alou and Andres Gallaraga, who are all 40 homer, 100+ RBI threats. Darryl Hamilton and Tony Fernandez know their roles, which is to get on base and score runs .. which they should do plenty of. On the pitching side, the San Diego rotation is deep, with David Wells and Chan Ho Park both potential ace starters, and the rest of the rotation being very competitive. The relief corps isn't overly blessed with talent, but they are serviceable. OVERALL: With '99 in doubt for Alou & Gallaraga, this may be it for San Diego for awhile. But '98 is their best chance yet for a post-season appearance. 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 Boston Whaleheads: Last year Boston went to the playoffs as a wildcard, and knocked off California & Oregon to win their first ever championship. Most of last year's core hitters have returned, so Boston should be in the hunt yet again. Boston will likely put up winning records as long as Alex Rodriguez and Ken Griffey Jr. are on the team. Carlos Delgado has stepped up his game this year, and Jose Offerman has evolved into one of the league's best leadoff hitters. This will help offset the loss of Todd Hundley to injury and subsequent free agency. Boston is stocked at all positions, so hitting isn't the problem this year. Who Boston will miss are their top two pitchers from last year, Darryl Kile and Jeff Fassero, who both left via free agency. Starting pitching is really uncertain, with Hidekci Irabu and Darren Drefort having to go against the Tom Glavine's and Greg Maddux's of the league, when they'd be more competitive against the #2 & #3 type pitchers. The rest of the starting pitching staff is filler material. Tom Gordon moved from the rotation to the bullpen, where he should be one of the better closers in the league. The rest of the bullpen isn't much to write home about. OVERALL: Last year's champs have likely improved their hitting a step, but their pitching taking two steps back will hinder them a bit. 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 Carolina Lightning: Poor Carolina. For a couple years now they've played 3rd fiddle to the California and Boston monsters residing in the division. This year looks to be more of the same, only with San Diego elevated to monster status. Even still, Carolina is going to put up a fight. On offense, they feature Mo Vaugh, who'd be a welcome addition to any lineup. Scott Brosius puts up good stats at 3B while providing excellent defense. Bichette was traded for Ellis Burks, who should put up equivalent stats. Darryl Strawberry is only a part timer this year, but he'll still be able to driving in quite a few runs. Carolina has ace Randy Johnson for a full year, and it'll be a disappoint if Johnson wins less than 20 games. Shane Reynolds is a good #2, and closer Steve Reed should see plenty of opportunities. But, unfortunately, Carolina resides in a division where California and Boston still roam. OVERALL: They've got some nice players, but they have their work cut out for them. 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 Miami Mangos: The Mango pitching staff can't seem to catch a break. Alex Fernandez, Hideo Nomo, Alan Benes, and Matt Morris were all promising young Mangos stars who were either injured, traded away, or both. Kerry Wood, meet your fate. The #1 overall pick rookie phenom should have a good year, but everyone knows this season will be it for Wood for awhile, thanks to a bum elbow. The Mangos have set records for pitching futility in years past, but they won't this year. Wood, Todd Stottlemeyer, Omar Oliveras and Dave Burba form a solid starting rotation, and closer Rod Beck leads a bunch of competant relievers. Most of last year's hitting staff fell off the face of the earth, but a whole new batch of players have been brought in. Miami will be counting on 3B Travis Fryman and 1B Dmitri Young to provide the power, both with 30 homer potential. Tom Goodwin makes for a good leadoff hitter, and BJ Surhoff will put up some good stats. OVERALL: Kerry Wood leads a competitive pitching staff, but Miami really needs another year or two to rebuild (and for all of their pitching picks to stop getting injured!) 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 Kansas City Sioux: On paper, the hitting isn't that bad. The Sioux do not hit a lot of homers, but they've got quite a few people who will get on base, and they'll hit double upon double. Kansas City should score quite a few runs. What will hold Kansas City back is the pitching. Omar Daal is a part time ace, and Jason Schmidt can hold his own with the rest of the league. But the rest of the starters are going to get pounded. When they look to the relievers (which they will do with frequency), they are set in the 9th with Ugueth Urbina, and Turk Wendell and Alan Mills are both quality relievers. It gets real iffy after that. If the Sioux can get better- than-expected performances from their starters, they can climb out of the basement, but it looks to be a lot of 7 to 5 losses this year. OVERALL: They'll get some nice hitting (put the Mango pitching staff and the Sioux hitting lineup together and you've got a wildcard team), but pitching is going to kill them. *************************************************************************** Young Division Preview: Mark McGwire leads the Thunder to another pennant, with Seattle hot on their tails. Sound familiar? *************************************************************************** 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Arizona Thunder: McGwire. The Arizona Thunder narrowly defeated Seattle in the regular season to make the playoffs. McGwire. They won a total of 88 games last year. McGwire. That victory total was 13 more than the number of home runs from their leading hitter. McGwire. This year Arizona may see that number 13 shrink to 0. Why? McGwire. Mark McGwire has been en fuego since joining the Thunder in 1995. 1998 should make '95-'97 look like child's play. McGwire has taken a real liking to this team, and could very well hit triple digits in homers. McGwire isn't alone in the tater generating department. Jeromy Burnitz and Matt Stairs join McGwire as power threats, and Mark McLemore and Johnny Damon should score plenty of runs as tablesetters. After ace hurler Kenny Rogers, the pitching staff is kind of "eh". But the pitching staff last year consisted of ace Jimmy Key and a bunch of "eh", and they did just fine. OVERALL: Mark McGwire will singlehandedly bring Arizona the pennant. 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 Seattle Moshers: Seattle is always in the thick of things, and will continue to do so as long as Greg Maddux is around. Maddux, David Cone and a bevy of quality relievers gives Seattle one of the better pitching staffs in the league, despite the absense of Kevin Appier as a regular in the rotation. On paper, the hitting staff is looking pretty good. Heavy hitters Tim Salmona and Ken Caminiti are injury plagued this season, but thanks to some good platoons 3B & RF will be solid, as will just about every position. Ray Lankford & Damion Easley will be all-stars at CF & SS, and rookie Travis Lee hopes to be a Mosher mainstay for years. On paper, the Moshers are by far the strongest team in the division, but they've been like that before and failed to reach the top. If they can gel, watch out. OVERALL: Seattle is packed with pitching and with hitting. If Mark McGwire is less than superhuman for Arizona, look for Seattle to step into the pennant winner slot. 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 San Francisco Piazza's: It's getting harder and harder to tell who are contenders and who isn't. Take the Piazza's. Their pitching staff is anchored by Andy Ashby and a resurgent Chuck Finley, who could both be ace starters on many a team. Trevor Miller, Dennis Cook and Scott Radinsky form a trio of relievers who will make the 9th a non-event for San Francisco. On the hitting side, they boast a solid 3-4-5 order with David Justice, Tony Clark and Raui Mondesi. Add the 30+ homer power of Javy Lopez and the nice numbers by Gary Gaetti, too. So why is San Franchise only 3rd? Well, they don't have Mark McGwire, and they don't have Greg Maddux. But then again, neither do 22 other teams in the league. San Francisco have plenty of horses this year, and could easily finish higher in the Young division, as well as snag a wildcard spot. OVERALL: See Seattle's overall comments, only add if Seattle chokes as well. 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 Park City Climbers: The most dramatic change in Park City isn't the addition of a hitter or pitcher. It's the change in the stadium. Park City moved out of hitter paradise Coors field and into 3Com park. This may just mean the end of multiple Park City hitters on the all-star team, but it'll give the pitchers some relief. Pitching will be Park City's strength this season. Pedro Martinez is a true ace, and Pete Harnisch is an ace in the #2 spot. Juan Acevedo is the team's star reliever, but they have quite a few other relievers who should be servicable. On hitting, they have quite a few 20+ homer players who will stay 20 homer players thanks to 3Com's less-than-Coors park effects. 1B Eric Karros, 2B Jay Bell and 3B John Valentin are all decent infielders with pop, and acquired outfielder Brian Jordan has the potential to drive in 100 RBI's. All this wrapped around star outfielder Rusty Greer, who is one of the best "non-name" outfielders out there. OVERALL: The offense is going to be less exciting, but Pedro Martinez should lead them to a winning record. 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 Brookfield Brouhaha: After a world series appearance in '96, the Brouaha finished 4 games back of the Thunder in 1997. The Brouhaha are once again depending on Edgar Martinez to be the big bat of the lineup, and Martinez is still up to the task, as is CF Jim Edmonds and likely allstar 3B Jeff Cirillo. The rest of the hitting lineup will be an mish-mash of platoon players. On pitching, they acquired youngster Matt Morris from the Mangos for practically nothing last year, and this year will have his services for half-an-injured year. The real ace of the staff is Mike Hampton, who should keep the Brouhaha competitive. Darryl Kile and Hideo Nomo have seen better years. The relief staff boasts quite a few decent hurlers, led by Billy Wagner. OVERALL: Brookfield needs a few more sluggers to get them back to the world series. 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 Sacramento Fish: The Fish have a definite strategy. Load up on young phenoms. Over 30 need not apply. It's already paying off, with Vladimir Guerrero, Ben Grieve and Todd Walker forming a strong hitting nucleus that will be good for the next decade. "Old man" David Segui and Ryan Klesko also pack some punch. What places Sacramento at #6 this year is pitching... it's just not looking good. After ace Ismael Valdes, there's not much to look at, and most pitchers are on the wrong side of atrocious. Still, the team is loaded to the gills on prospects, so '98 may just be a practice run before a championship run in '99. OVERALL: They're getting there. Give them one more year.