2010 CDBL Season Preview "Your Mileage May Vary!" Predicted Playoff Teams: Aaron Division - Point Lomas Friars Paige Division - Brookeville Bandits Gehrig Division - Topeka Stingers Tiant Division - Boston Bulldogs AP Conference Wildcard - Madison Muckrakers GT Conference Wildcard - Carlsbad Surfers #1 League Wildcard - Manhatten Beach Mashers #2 League Wildcard - Half Moon Bay Dragons WORLD SERIES PREDICTION - Bandits over Stingers ******************************************************************************************* Aaron Division - 1. Point Lomas Friars (Last Season: 103-59, Aaron Division Pennant) - 3rd time is the charm? Point Lomas has clinched the Aaron Division pennant and made the World Series two straight years, and they are poised to make it 3 in a row. Evan Longoria is their best hitter, with some speed and 20 home run power. Magglio Ordonez, Rafael Furcal and Ryan Raburn help cobble together an offense. Where the Friars shine is in pitching. Acquisition Roy Oswalt, Johan Santana, Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum may be the greatest rotation ever assembled in the league. Andrew Bailey is a legit closer, and Sean Burnett and Scott Downs help round out a capable bullpen. Point Lomas is in it to win it in 2010. 2. Manhatten Beach Mashers (Last Season: 95-67, 2nd in Division) - The Mashers narrowly missed out on the playoffs last year, and are primed not to let that happen again. 1st round draft pick Dan Uggla instantly becomes the driving force in the lineup, hitting 30+ home runs. Michael Young, Shin-Soo Choo, Brian McCann and Chris Young help make this an above average offense. CC Sabathia and CJ Wilson are aces, and Mike Pelfrey and Ian Kennedy round out a competitive rotation. Evan Meek and Kyle McClellan throw fire in the bullpen, but a few extra relievers may be needed for a deep post-season run. 3. Elk Grove Trout (Last Season: 76-86, 3rd in Division) - Ryan Braun should compete for all-star honors this year, hitting for average and power. Matt Kemp could reach 30 home runs, and Alex Rios has 20 home run and 30 stolen base potential. Brandon Phillips and Ty Wigginton will also contribute to the offense (if only Justin Morneau was not hobbled by injuries!) Brett Myers and Jon Lester are solid starters, and Wandy Rodriguez, Brett Anderson and Doug Fister will keep the Trout in the game each start. Chris Perez and Joakim Soria are elite relievers with a solid surrounding cast. The Trout certainly have their work cut out for them this year, but have enough talent to contend for a post-season spot. 4. Dallas SuperSquad (Last Season: 72-90, 4th in Division) - The post-Jeter era begins in Dallas, who saw their longtime star depart in the off-season. Vladimir Guerrero, Vernon Wells and Adam Dunn bring the power, each good for 30+ home runs. Josh Willingham, David DeJesus and Ryan Hanigan add to the lineup. Roy Halladay should contend for the Cy Young award, and RA Dickey is an ace in his own right. Chad Billingsley and Bronson Arroyo round out the starters, making for a strong playoff-ready rotation. Ramon Ramirez leads a bullpen that could likely stand to use another arm or two for post-season hopes. 5. Montreal Voltigeurs (Last Season: 60-102, 6th in Division) - Hunter Pence and Jason Heyward will be fun to watch, and Carlos Quentin can hit a longball, but the offense is projected to be around league average. The starters will struggle to keep the score down, but if they can, Brian Fuentes leads a remarkably deep bullpen. With the other stacked teams in the division, it will be difficult for Montreal to finish in the upper half. 6. Arkham Investigators (Last Season: 64-98, 5th in Division) - Carlos Gonzalez and Adrian Gonzalez should shine in the lineup, and Aramis Ramirez and Jose Tabata should contribute. Dan Haren is the de-facto ace, leading a rotation that may struggle against upper-tier opponents. The bullpen is somewhat thin as well. 2010 is looking to be another rebuilding year. ******************************************************************************************* Koufax Division - 1. Brookeville Bandits (Last Season: 23-139, 6th in Division) - Rebuild complete! The Bandits should make a big splash in 2010. Adrian Beltre, Paul Konerko, and Luke Scott should provide the big bats, and Brett Gardner can draw the walk and steal the base to score plenty of runs. Phenom catcher Buster Posey and Colby Rasmus will also help make Brookeville one of the best scoring lineups this year. Mat Latos, Jaime Garcia, Brian Duensing and Brandon Morrow are no work horses in the rotation, but luckily the Bandits feature one of the best bullpens in the league, with Hong-Chih Kuo and Joaquin Benoit leading the way. The Bandits may very well be able to pull off the "worst to first" feat in 2010. 2. Madison Muckrakers (Last Season: 105-57, T-Koufax Division Pennant) - David Wright once again powers the lineup, and Carl Crawford should score plenty of runs near the top of the order, hitting for average, speed and extra base potential. Nick Markakis should also score plenty of runs at the top of the order. The hitting lineup does quickly get thin in a short period of time (if only Ryan Zimmerman learned how to play in the outfield...). Some hitting may need to be acquired to compete for the division title. Pitching is fantastic, with Felix Hernandez, Josh Johnson, John Danks and Joel Pineiro forming an intimidating rotation. Brian Wilson will be an elite closer, flanked by a bevy of talented relievers. 3. Tualatin Thunder (Last Season: 76-86, 5th in Division) - Miguel Cabrera should contend for an all-star spot, and Victor Martinez is one of the better hitting catchers in the league. Martin Prado and Casey McGehee should help score some runs. Some additional platoons should help Tualatin to an above average offense. Madison Bumgarner, Tommy Hanson, Clayton Richard and Yovani Gallardo make up a competent starting rotation. Rafael Soriano and Francisco Rodriguez are elite closer candidates, and the rest of the bullpen is playoff-worthy. The Thunder certainly have enough talent to compete - how they actually do remains to be seen. 4. DBL Fishbiscuits (Last Season: 105-57, T-Koufax Division Pennant) - Albert Pujols remains a perennial MVP candidate, and Jose Bautista, Matt Holliday and Robinson Cano help make this lineup one of the more punishing in the league. After Adam Jones, the rest of the lineup is likely platoon candidates or spots to keep an eye on before the trade deadline. Chris Carpenter, Gio Gonzalez, Max Scherzer and Francisco Liriano are workhorses ready to match up with any rotation in the league. The weak link on the roster is the bullpen, which is extremely thin. To make it to the post-season, some trades for bullpen arms may be in order. 5. Springfield Isotopes (Last Season: 94-68, 3rd in Division) - Jayson Werth should have a nice season at the plate, hitting for average and for power. Nelson Cruz and Scott Rolen will also contribute. Dustin Pedroia should score plenty of runs .. when he's able to play in an injury-shortened season. Andy Pettitte and Ted Lilly are solid starters, and Matt Garza and Derek Lowe will eat up plenty of innings. Santiago Casilla leads a bullpen that is surprisingly deep. The Isotopes are not necessarily bad, but they may need to trade for a few more hitters to rise in the standings. 6. White Rock Phantoms (Last Season: 78-84, 4th in Division) - Franchise catcher Joe Mauer should take 1st team all-CDBL honors this year, and Jay Bruce has some pop in his bat, but the rest of the offense will need platooning or some lucky bounces to reach league average. Jon Garland is a solid starter, and Victor Zambrano can go toe to toe with the rest of the league (when he's not injured), but the starting pitching quickly falls off after that. Several good closer candidates in Koji Uehara and Jon Rauch, and the rest of the bullpen is strong. While the Phantoms are picked to finish last in their division, they will still not be an easy team to win against. ******************************************************************************************* Gehrig Division - 1. Topeka Stingers (Last Season: 85-77, 3rd in Division) - Josh Hamilton will drive in plenty of runs, hitting for average and power. Ryan Howard is good for 30+ home runs, and Andre Ethier, Starlin Castro and Scott Podsednik will also help this a potent offense. The pitching is particular strong this year, with Clay Buchholz and Adam Wainwright forming one of the best 1-2 punches at the top of the rotation. Dallas Braden, Anibal Sanchez and Johny Cueto round out one of the best rotations in the conference. Jose Valverde leads the bullpen, and the team may need to rely on part time starters Tim Stauffer and Nelson Figueroa to fill in the gaps in the bullpen. All in all Topeka should have a team ready to make a post-season splash. 2. Carlsbad Surfers (Last Season: 90-72, 2nd in Division) - Joey Votto, Andrew McCutchen and Justin Upton form one of the best young hitting trios in the league. Mark Reynolds and Juan Uribe provide some bat power, albeit connecting at a pretty low rate. The team is also pretty speedy, with McCutchen and Elvis Andrus both 30+ stolen base threats. David Price anchors the rotation, and Colby Lewis and Fausto Carmona providing plenty of innings. Zack Greinke is due for an off-year, which does hurts Carlsbad's chances for a pennant this year. Billy Wagner, Brad Lidge and Kevin Gregg give the Surfers one of the more star-powered bullpens in the league. Make no mistake, Carlsbad is post-season bound and if things gel could also capture the Gehrig division title. 3. Anchorage Gold Diggers (Last Season: 107-55, Gehrig Division Pennant) - Billy Butler could get 200 hits this year, and Curtis Granderson and JD Drew could reach 25 home runs, but overall power will be limited and the team could find itself struggling to score runs. Hiroki Kuroda is a solid ace, and Tommy Hunter and Ricky Romero are respectable members of the pitching rotation. The bullpen have some good options as well, led by Clay Hensley and Jason Berken. How far the Gold Diggers go this year will largely rest on how well the team is able to score runs. 4. Hong Kong Cavaliers (Last Season: 59-103, 4th in Division) - The Cavaliers will try to use their speed this year to score runs, with Rajai Davis, Juan Pierre, Corey Patterson and Ryan Theriot all threats. Unfortunately slugging, hitting and drawing walks will be problematic, and as they say, you can't steal first base. Clayton Kershaw will shine on the mound, and Jhoulys Chacin is a solid 2nd starter. Mariano Rivera and Matt Capps are elite relievers, but the pitching gets really bad, really fast after that. 5. Concord Minutemen (Last Season: 48-114, 5th in Division) - Troy Tulowitzki should compete for all-star honors at shortstop, and Alfonso Soriano and Mike Napoli can provide 25-home run power. Overall some nice pop to the lineup. Where things get problematic is in the pitching, which could vie for league worst. Look for some high scoring games, so at least the fans won't be bored. 6. Albuquerque Maul (Last Season: 36-126, 6th in Division) - Jose Reyes should bounce back from injury and have a nice season at the top of the order, and Chone Figgins makes his return to steal a bunch of bases, but the rest of the lineup has seemingly been formulated to score the least amount of runs possible. Jered Weaver is an ace, and Jesse Crain is a solid reliever, but everyone else will be terrible. 2010 will be another year of heavy losses for the Maul, who look to move back into contention in 2011. ******************************************************************************************* Tiant Division - 1. Boston Bulldogs (Last Season: 54-108, 6th in Division) - A rough 2009 was just what Boston needed to spring into 2010 contention. David Ortiz, Corey Hart, Aubrey Huff and Kelly Johnson all have pep in their bat, as does rookie Giancarlo "Mike" Stanton. Add Andres Torres, Geovany Soto and others will give Boston one of the most potent offenses in the conference. On the pitching side, Trevor Cahill could lead the league in wins thanks to the run support, and Jason Vargas and Ervin Santana should also flourish. Carlos Marmol should rack up plenty of saves, although the Bulldogs may want to acquire an extra bullpen arm or two for the post-season. All in all, Boston is ready to rumble in 2010. 2. Half Moon Bay Dragons (Last Season: 107-55, 2nd in Division, 2009 CDBL Champions) - All hail the champs! Half Moon Bay is looking for an opportunity to defend their crown. Alex Rodriguez, Nick Swisher, Jorge Posada, Pat Burrell, Mark Teixeira and Marlon Byrd give the lineup some punch. Angel Pagan should score a bushel of runs at the top of the order, nabbing walks and swiping bases. Livan Hernandez, Ryan Dempster and Jake Westbrook lead a rotation of inning eaters, who won't be asked to throw shutouts, merely hold the other side to less runs than the offense generates. Huston Street and John Axford leads a decent bullpen. Not winning the Tiant division title last year didn't hamper their CDBL championship aspirations, so don't be surprised to see them again in the playoffs as a wildcard team. 3. Alphaville Caution (Last Season: 90-72, 5th in Division) - Hanley Ramirez continues to be one of the best shortstops in the game, and Kevin Youkilis still has an eye for walks (when he is able to play!). Drew Stubbs and Will Venable join Ramirez in being 30+ stolen base threats. A few of the lineup positions may be automatic outs for now, but a key trade or two during the season can fix those gaps. Ubaldo Jimenez and Jonathan Sanchez are formidable members of the rotation, and Shawn Marcum and Bruce Chen round out the solid rotation. Brandon Lyon leads a deep bullpen. Alphaville has the talent to make the post-season, and with a few key trades for hitters could contend for the Tiant division title. 4. Dedham Destroyers (Last Season: 105-57, 3rd in Division) - Prince Fielder and Rickie Weeks bring the power this year, and Torii Hunter, Bill Hall and Edwin Encarnacion also have a little thump in their bat. Austin Jackson should score plenty of runs, hitting for average and a speedster on the base paths. Tim Hudson and Cliff Lee throw fire in the rotation, and Jeremy Guthrie and Gavin Floyd are solid middle of the rotation starters. Neftali Feliz leads a strong bullpen. Despite being picked 4th, the Destroyers should have a strong season and will contend for a wildcard position. 5. Georgia Pines (Last Season: 98-64, 4th in Division) - Jose Guillen and Jason Kubel provide 20 home run power, but the overall lack of hitting may cause a struggle to score runs. Cole Hamels and Justin Verlander give the Pines 2 elite starters in the rotation, but the rest of the rotation tails off after that. Mike Adams is a quality reliever, but the bullpen gets thin after that. 2010 looks to be a rebuilding year for the Pines. 6. Milwaukee Pilots (Last Season: 114-48, Tiant Division Pennant) - Age and salary finally caught up to the Pilots, who had a number of departures in the off-season. Ichiro Suzuki, Jason Bourne an Chase Utley will provide hitting and speed, but the rest of the lineup gets really bad, really fast. Carl Pavano is a solid starter, and Heath Bell is an elite closer, but the rest of the pitching is league worst.