March 2, 2019

2019 Season Preview

   

Thunder Bay Champions by Year

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
Richmond Los Angeles Kentucky Chemung Carefree Lincoln Carefree Lincoln San Antonio San Antonio Colorado San Antonio Colorado Mad City Springfield

      The 2018 Thunder Bay season ended with the Springfield Isotopes standing alone as the TBBL Champion!  The Isotopes defeated the Atlanta Knights in five short games running wire to wire for their first TBBL Championship.  The 'Topes were 11-3 overall in the post season combined with a 108-54 regular season record making them one of the winningest teams in the history of the TBBL.  Congratulations John on a great season!   The American League is now 11-4 in World Series History.

2018 Champions

    To date, we have had 10 franchises win the title with the Saints as the only team to win 3 championships.  The Gladiators, Rats and Coyotes (Siouxland Franchise) have all won two titles. 

     As the 2018 season ended, two National League owners stepped away from their franchises.  The Mad City and California teams were disperesed and the league welcomed owners Mack Bean and Scott Paris into the fold.  For Paris, this is his second stint with the TBBL and he was rewarded by selecting Mike Trout as the top overall pick in the dispersal draft.  Scotts team wound up with Trout, Bumgarner, Gallo, Scherzer and Altuve while Mack's team nabbed Charlie Blackmon, Edwin Encarnacion, Khirs Davis, Blake Snell and Carlos Martinez.  The new franchise names are Protect Your Nuts and Jackson Stonewalls and have been placed in the National League.  Several trades have been consumated this winter including Patrick Corbin being shipped from Rock River to Capital City for Shane Bieber, Joey Lucchesi and Sixto Sanchez.  Colorado has been involved in six of the twenty off season deals to this point as Casey tries to sure up his roster for the 2019 season.   The 20 trades as of today is the lowest number of deals at this time in many years.  Let's get some more players changing teams!

     The West Orange Panthers won the Draft Lottery and selected catcher Joey Bart with the first overall pick.  Craig, although being a huge Met fan, passed on uber prospect Peter Alonso who was scooped up by the Jersey Damage with the very next pick.  Craig may have been alseep when he made his pick as his basketball refereeing career was in full swing.  Max Muncy went third overall to the San Carlos Aces and a total of six off disk players were selected in the first round.  Fantasy Rundown produces a compiled list of prospects from well respected baseball entities including Baseball America, Major League Baseball, Top Prospect Alert, Fangraphs, Prospect 361 and others.  We went ahead and averaged out the rankings for those organizations and are producing the Overall Top 100 Prospect List.  Vladimir Guerrero Jr. of San Carlos tops the list followed by Fernando Tatis Jr. and Eloy Jiminez.  Of the Top 100, only two players are not on a current TBBL roster:  Hans Crouse (#80) and Justin Dunn (#97).  Stone Mountain and Beartooth top the list with 8 of the Top 100 each followed by Cracksville and Rock River who have seven each.  Gotham, San Antonio and Springfield are not represented in the Top 100.

   

     Each preview we take a look at an All Time great and this year's unidentified player holds the career stat line below:

Career AVG OBP SLG G AB H 2B 3B HR R RBI BB K SB Titles
Totals .314 .361 .556 1,199 4,653 1,462 270 13 276 801 929 297 546 46 2
162 Average - - - - 629 198 36 2 37 108 126 40 74 6 -

    This six time All Star is Vladimir Guerrero!  Vladdy was one of the most impactful bats in the TBBL and it's widely sepculated that his son will be joining the TBBL family early next year after he debuts for the Toronot Blue Jays in 2019.  Oh and by the way, Vladdy also contribute 17 Post Season home runs over his career making him one of the leagues best all time batters in post season history. 

Year Trades Transactions
2004 15 76
2005 18 67
2006 43 66
2007 53 62
2008 48 54
2009 40 44
2010 55 57
2011 53 72
2012 46 89
2013 25 83
2014 57 87
2015 41 90
2016 41 94
2017 32 97
2018 47 94

         

     The current open stadiums for the 2019 season are Safeco Field, Citizens Bank Ballpark, Comerica Park, Tropicana Field, Oakland County Col. And AT&T Park.  If any teams are looking to change parks please let me know as the deadline is a few days away.  

     The TBBL transaction frenzy continued in 2018 as we witnessed 90 plus transactions for the 4th season in a row.  Utilizing free agent acquisitions is a great way to avoid over using players and the number of transactions has more than doubled since 2009.  The table to the left shows Trades and Transactions by Year since the inception of the league.  The 2019 season, which is still in off season mode has seen just 20 trades to this point.  It's time to pick up the pace boys! 

     Each year I like to review a trade or two that should make some impact on the current season.  The first deal of the off season is the one to concentrate on as the Rock River Ravens sent a highly desired Patrick Corbin to the Capital City Capitals for three players including Phillies super prospect Sixto Sanchez.  Shane Bieber and Joey Lucchesi were also part of the deal going back to Rock River but the impact Corbin may make for the Caps in 2019 could be enough to put Jason's team ahead of brother John's team in October.  Springfield has knocked out the Capitals each of the last two seasons going a combined 7-1 against them.  Corbin may have been brought in specifically to deal with the LH bats of Springfield including Freddie Freeman and Matt Carpenter.  Time will tell if this move alone was enough for the Caps to unthrone the Isotopes!

    

2018 Prediction Review

 

2018 Predictions
AL East Record 2018 Finish My Prediction NL East Record 2018 Finish My Prediction
x-Smackdown 93-69 1 1 x-Knights 88-74 1 1
Flippers 82-80 2 2 Confederates 73-89 2 3
Rats 70-92 3 3 Hen House 70-92 3 2
Damage 47-115 4 4 Panthers 58-104 4 4
AL Central Record 2018 Finish My Prediction NL Central Record 2018 Finish My Prediction
x-Capitals 102-60 1 1 x-CityHawks 98-64 1 2
y-Saints 93-69 2 2 y-Paddlers 91-71 2 1
Oil Barons 69-93 3 3 Cyclists 90-72 3 3
Whitecaps 65-97 4 4 Ravens 70-92 4 4
AL West Record 2018 Finish My Prediction NL West Record 2018 Finish My Prediction
x-Isotopes 108-54 1 2 x-Convicts 100-62 1 1
y-Gladiators 100-62 2 2 y-Bitteroots 94-68 2 2
Halos 83-79 3 3 Bombers 74-88 3 3
Aces 58-104 4 4 Plumbers 68-94 4 4
x - Indicates Playoff Team  y - indicates Wild Card Team

     My predictions last year were nearly PERFECT!  I called the American League exactly as they would finish and ony missed two positions in the National League.  Considering my past track record this was very surprising to say the least.  20 out of 24 spots were predicted exactly, which is 83%!        

     The Most Valuable Players from 2018 were Giancarlo Stanton (.262-65-161) of the San Antonio Saints and Joey Votto (.343-40-142) of Atlanta.  Votto won the award in back to back seasons and joins Alex Rodriguez ('06 and '09) and Miguel Cabrera ('08, '11 and '14) as the only repeat winners.  Our Cy Young Winners were Luis Severino (19-5, 2.69 ERA 250 K) of the Bitteroots and Corey Kluber (18-7, 2.50 ERA 274 K) of Capital City. 

     Chris Sale of the Isotopes led the TBBL with 286 strikeouts and posted a 16-6 record.  Carlos Carrasco of the Convicts had the leagues best winning percentage with a record of 19-3.  Craig Kimbrel (Convicts) led the league with 43 saves but also blew a near league high 8 other opportunities.  Tyler Chatwood of the Flippers walked a league high 97 batters in 2018.   

     The TBBL sported three no hitters in 2018, all coming late in the season.  Lance Lynn threw one against West Orange on 9/9 while Clevinger no hit Jersey on 9/17 and Alex Wood threw a gem in the Post Season against Gotham on 10/5.  There were no cycles in 2018.

     After a one season disapearance from the Post Season, the San Antonio/Chemung franchise was back playing October baseball.  This was their 14th trip in 15 seasons of the TBBL.  Currently, the California Convicts/Protect Your Nuts franchise has qualified for the post season 12 straight times (2007-2018) and hold the longest active streak at the time of this preview.  No pressure on new owner Scott to keep this streak alive. 

 

The Shredder

     For this year's preview, we once again are utilizing rankings from MLB Network’s “Shredder” which takes into account a multitude of statistical factors with no human bias. The episodes are called MLB Networks Top 10 Right Now and have aired since mid January on the Network.  The table below displays each positions Top 10 list and the TBBL team the player is currently on:  

Rank First Basemen Pos Team Rank Second Basemen Pos Team Rank Third Basemen Pos Team Rank Short Stops Pos Team
1 Paul Goldschmidt 1B BOM 1 Jose Altuve  2B NUT 1 Jose Ramirez 3B CYC 1 Francisco Lindor SS CCC
2 Freddie Freeman 1B ISO 2 Jed Lowrie 2B WHC 2 Justin Turner 3B COL 2 Javier Baez SS COL
3 Joey Votto 1B ATK 3 Whit Merrifield 2B LAH 3 Nolan Arenado 3B GOT 3 Trevor Story SS BOM
4 Max Muncy 1B SCA 4 Robinson Canó  2B BEA 4 Anthony Rendon 3B CCC 4 Manny Machado SS HOU
5 Anthony Rizzo 1B CCC 5 Chris Taylor 2B BSF 5 Alex Bregman 3B PLU 5 Andrelton Simmons  SS SMC
6 Matt Olson 1B LTR 6 Scooter Gennett 2B CYC 6 Matt Carpenter 3B ISO 6 Carlos Correa SS ISO
7 Justin Smoak 1B LAH 7 Joey Wendel 2B NHH 7 Matt Chapman 3B BEA 7 Corey Seager SS ISO
8 Jesus Aguilar 1B GOT 8 Gleyber Torries 2B PLU 8 Kris Bryant 3B PHS 8 Paul DeJong SS LTR
9 Rhys Hoskins 1B WHC 9 Ben Zobrist 2B COL 9 Josh Donaldson 3B ISO 9 Jean Segura SS HOU
10 Jose Abreu 1B SMC 10 D.J. Lemahieu 2B BOM 10 Euginio Suarez 3B NHH 10 Didi Gregorius SS GOT
                               
Rank Catchers Pos Team Rank Left Fielders Pos Team Rank Center Fielders Pos Team Rank Right Fielders Pos Team
1 Buster Posey  C SAS 1 J.D. Martinez LF CCC 1 Mike Trout  CF NUT 1 Aaron Judge  RF BEA
2 J.T. Realmuto C CCC 2 Giancarlo Stanton LF SAS 2 Cody Bellinger CF SCA 2 Mookie Betts RF ISO
3 Yasmani Grandal C WHC 3 Ronald Acuna Jr. LF JER 3 Lorenzo Cain CF COL 3 Christian Yelich RF SCA
4 Gary Sánchez  C LAH 4 Tommy Pham LF ATK 4 Aaron Hicks CF LTR 4 Mitch Haniger RF PLU
5 Wilson Contreras C ISO 5 Justin Upton LF HOU 5 George Springer CF HOU 5 Bryce Harper RF BEA
6 Yadier Molina C BEA 6 Juan Soto LF LTR 6 Charlie Blackmon CF JSW 6 Brandon Nimmo RF SAS
7 Kurt Suzuki C LAH 7 Marcel Ozuna LF CCC 7 A.J. Pollock CF SCA 7 Yasiel Puig RF COL
8 Wilson Ramos C SAS 8 Michael Conforto LF NHH 8 Starling Marte CF BOM 8 Andrew McCutchen RF BEA
9 Mike Zunino C BOM 9 Khris Davis LF JSW 9 Harrison Bader CF PAN 9 Nick Castellanos RF JSW
10 Salvador Perez C JER 10 David Peralta LF SAS 10 Kevin Kiermaier  CF CCC 10 Stephen Piscotty RF SAS
                               
Rank Starters Pos Team Rank Closers Pos Team Rank Teams #   Rank Teams

#

 
1 Max Scherzer SP NUT 1 Craig Kimbrel CL JSW 1 Capital City 10   10 Los Angeles 4  
2 Chris Sale SP ISO 2 Sean Doolittle CL LTR 2 Springfield 8   10 San Carlos 4  
3 Jacob deGrom SP BOM 3 Josh Hader CL BOM 3 Beartooth 7   13 Michigan 3  
4 Corey Kluber SP CCC 4 Edwin Diaz CL CCC 3 Emerald City 7   13 Siouxland 3  
5 Justin Verlander SP ATK 5 Blake Treinen CL ATK 5 Colorado 6   13 Protect 3  
6 Aaron Nola SP CCC 6 Felipe Lopez CL LTR 5 Jackson 6   13 Newark/Cracksville 3  
7 Clayton Kershaw  SP GOT 7 Chad Green CL GOT 5 Lincoln 6   17 Jersey/Stn Mountain 2  
8 Luis Severino SP BEA 8 Aroldis Chapman  CL COL 8 Gotham 5   18 Philadelphia/West Orange 1  
9 Carlos Carrasco SP JSW 9 Jose Leclerc CL HOU 8 Houston 5   18 Beale Street 1  
10 Blake Snell SP JSW 10 Brandon Morrow CL CYC 10 Atlanta 4   20 Rock River 0  

 

2019 MLB Network Top 10 Right Now Team

. . . . .
.

Trout

. .
. .325 26 HR 82 RBI .
. . . . .
z J.D. Martinez . A. Judge a

.287 32 HR 109 RBI

z

.262 54 HR 129 RBI

a
.z z z z z
.

Lindor

Altuve

.
. .226 24 HR 89 RBI .348 22 HR 76 RBI .
.

Js. Ramirez

.

P. Goldschmidt

.

                               .321 27 HR 127 RBI .268 30 HR 98 RBI.

. . . . .
.   Posey   .
Starter

.331 14 HR 81 RBI

Closer
Scherzer 12-10, 3.29 ERA

Kimbrel

2.27 ERA 43 Sv
2018 TBBL Stats Displayed

      The Capitals have two players ranked atop this list in Francisco Lindor (SS) and J.D. Martinez (LF).  The graphic to the left displays the top players in baseball by position with their 2018 TBBL statistics included.  The Eaton brothers continue to own the list with 18 combined players in the Top 10's while the only team to not have a player listed in the Top 10's is Rock River, who's youth movement is paying off by having the second most ranked prospects in the TBBL.  Protects Max Scherzer continues to be one of the best pitchers in baseball and owns the TBBL line below:

  

          Scherzer was drafted by the Mad City franchise in the 3rd round of the 2008 free agent draft and has spent his entire career with the club.  He has been an iron man on the hill starting at least 31 games in 7 straight seasons  while averaging 13 wins per year in that time frame.  Mad Max has compiled 6 straight years of 250 strike outs or more and won a Cy Young in 2017 with an 18-10 record with a 3.06 ERA.

     The WAR stat continues to be one of baseballs trendy stat measures and it has helped me shape my predictions the past few seasons.  Unlike WAR, the salaries of players in MLB are bloated and that translates to the TBBL rosters as well.  More and more web sites are popping up analyzing stats and coming up with new measures and another favorite of mine is the Baseball Think Factory, a sabermetrically-oriented baseball web site that features the day's prominent news stories.  This site has been around for a while and is a great read as is the Fangraphs site.  For the measures below, I utilize an Access database with stats from www.fangraphs.com and match it up to the TBBL rosters.  This database is used throughout the season on our web site and we will start using charts to better tell the story of the TBBL in 2019.  Below is this year's Salary and WAR Ranks courtesy of Fangraphs:

Team Batter WAR Pitcher War Final War WAR Rank Salary Salary Rank
Capital City Capitals 40.9 40.3 81.2 1 $196,136,000 4
Springfield Isotopes 38.3 26.2 64.5 2 $164,084,000 11
Emerald City Bombers 27.7 30.1 57.8 3 $82,156,000 20
San Carlos Aces 36.9 20.1 57.0 4 $228,442,000 2
Colorado Gladiators 33.6 19.3 52.9 5 $191,612,000 6
Beartooth Bitteroots 29.7 20.4 50.1 6 $181,850,000 7
Los Angeles Halos 29.9 19.6 49.5 7 $98,087,000 18
Jackson Stonewalls 20.9 27.3 48.2 8 $228,556,000 1
Cracksville Plumbers 33.9 13.7 47.6 9 $76,949,000 21
Gotham CityHawks 24.4 20.7 45.1 10 $166,412,000 10
San Antonio Saints 26.7 17.0 43.7 11 $168,201,000 9
Protect Your Nuts 25.0 18.2 43.2 12 $228,390,000 3
Atlanta Knights 23.4 18.8 42.2 13 $169,067,000 8
Stone Mountain Confederates 20.0 19.4 39.4 14 $86,321,000 19
Siouxland Cyclists 24.2 14.5 38.7 15 $152,249,000 13
Houston Oil Barons 20.5 18.0 38.5 16 $194,033,000 5
West Orange Panthers 21.1 17.1 38.2 17 $105,538,000 16
Michigan Whitecaps 26.4 11.7 38.1 18 $68,422,000 22
Newark Hen House 20.3 16.3 36.6 19 $55,579,000 24
Lincoln Tunnel Rats 18.3 15.5 33.8 20 $63,802,000 23
Philadelphia Smackdown 16.8 14.6 31.4 21 $162,224,000 12
Jersey Damage Inc. 18.5 7.8 26.3 22 $132,902,000 15
Beale Street Flippers 11.1 11.3 22.4 23 $133,442,000 14
Rock River Ravens 8.5 9.7 18.2 24 $104,983,000 17

     The Evil Empire with regards to salary for 2019 is the Jackson Stonewalls.  Mack came in to the dispersal draft and his strategy must have been to grab the most expensive guys he could including Troy Tulowiotzki ($20 million), Eric Hosmer ($21.625 million), Ryan Braun ($19.088 million) and Edwin Encarnacion ($18.666 million).  These four players make up nearly thirty-three percent of the teams salary!  This year's salary cap dog actually increased from $216 million last year to the $228 plus million this year.  The next highest teams are the San Carlos Aces at $228,442,000 million and the Protect Your Nuts at $228,390,000 million.  The highest paid player in the TBBL is Mike Trout of the Nuts at $38.043 million.  Trout just bought the entire town of Millville in New Jersey by the way.  On the lower side of the salary spectrum, the Lincoln Tunnel Rats entire team salary is just $63.802 million!  I am sure that the Rats owner made some poor investments along with the Wilpons but there that's no excuse for a large market team in the state with the most owners.  Bernie Madolff was spotted in the offices of Lincoln over the weekend and only one can wonder what was going on inside.  On a side note, Bob Kraft was also spotted in the general area wearing a rain coat and baseball hat.  Onlookers said his hands were sticky as well.    

 

2019 Milestones

     Looking towards the 2019 season, the following milestones are in sight for some players and teams.

Career HR - 500 + Career RBI - 1,750 Career Hits - 2,800 Career Walks - 1,000 Career SB - 500
Albert Pujols, CYC (510) Albert Pujols, CYC (1,634) Miguel Cabrera, BSF (2,637) Joey Votto, ATK  (995) Jose Reyes, SAS (457)
.Miguel Cabrera, BSF (499)     . .
Career Wins - 200 Career App - 700 Career Strike Outs - 2,500 Team Wins - 1,500 Team Losses - 1,500
Felix Hernandez, SCA (173) Juaquin Benoit, FA (654) Justin Verlander, ATK (2,440) San Antonio (1,476) Capital City (1,379)
Justin Verlander, ATK (171) . Felix Hernandez, SCA (2,357) Los Angeles (1,480) .

 

2019 Predictions and Simulation Results

     My predictions for the 2019 season are highlighted in each teams capsule and in most cases I used owner provided comments to craft the write-up.  19 out of the 24 teams contributed comments and 20 out of 24 teams provided a manager profile for the simulation.  Now, the moment everyone has been waiting for ... my prediction as to who will win the 2019 TBBL Championship is the ... Capital City Capitals.  My streak of never having picked the TBBL Champion continued last year and word on the street has it that Mike Bush and his Bitteroots team are booking flights to Jersey to blow up TBBL HQ.  For this season, it was hard not to go with last year's champ the Isotopes but the simulation pushed me over the edge and we took the Capitals.  Jason has done just about everything to build a team to beat Springfield and after the two teams pushed in the regular season (in the sim), the acquisition of Corbin pushed me over the edge to pick the Caps.  The Capitals would go on to win 61 games at home and a second best 53 on the road.  J.D. Martinez would crush American League pitching all season putting up a stat line of .287-45-133.  Trevor Bauer and Patrick Corbin would combine to go 37-10 in the regular season providing the most impactful 1-2 punch in the league and closer Edwin Diaz was lights out with a 1.12 ERA.  All told the Capitals had five starters with 15 or more wins and all five would strike out at least 222 batters in 2019.  The Capitals cruised to the division title but would be tested in the ALDS as two 100 win teams battled in the Wild Card.  Springfield would win the WC round defeating Los Angeles and then be swept by the Capitals in the division series.  Brotherly payback for the last two post seasons!  The other side of the American League bracket was a blowout as the Smackdown would win the East with a 69 win season and were promplty swept in their round against San Carlos.  The LCS come down to the Aces and the Capitals but the Caps win in six en route to the World Series. 

     The National League had just one team win 100 games as the Emeradl City Bombers would run away with the West.  Mike Bush's Beartooths have a ton of power but their strike out rate was reminisant of the Yankees from last season and would ultimately be their undoing in the post season.  The Newark Hen House won the East and the CityHawks of Gotham would win the Central.  The NLDS featured the Bombers and Bitteroots with the Bombers advancing in 5 games while Gotham defeated Newark in 4 games setting the stage for the NLCS.  Gotham would lean heavily on ace Clayton Kershaw pitching him in 5 of the 7 games and it paid off as Chris would take the series on a walkoff homer from Nolan Arenado.  Arenado would later be seen bathing in 100 dollar bills as his $260 million dollar contract took effect this season.             

2019 Simulations Standings
AL East Record Pct NL East Record Pct
x-Smackdown 69-93 .426 x-Hen House 88-74 .543
Rats 68-94 .420 Confederates 81-81 .500
Flippers 67-95 .414 Panthers 68-94 .420
Damage 51-111 .315 Knights 68-94 .420
AL Central Record Pct NL Central Record Pct
x-Capitals 114-48 .704 x-CityHawks 84-78 .519
Oil Barons 73-89 .451 Nuts 76-86 .469
Saints 72-90 .444 Cyclists 66-96 .407
White Caps 69-93 .426 Ravens 59-103 .364
AL West Record Pct NL West Record Pct
z-Isotopes 109-53 .654 x-Bombers 105-57 .648
z-Aces 109-53 .654 y-Bitteroots 95-67 .586
y-Halos 100-62 .531 y-Stonewalls 86-76 .531
Gladiators 85-77 .525 Plumbers 82-80 .506
x - Indicates Playoff Team  y - indicates Wild Card Team

z - indicates tie for Division

      The championship was now set but it wasn't much of a series.  Gotham's ace would see his left arm fall off on the way to the airport leaving Tanaka to start the World Series.  Unfortunately for Masahiro, it didn't go well.  The official report came out after the game but apparantly Tanaka ate some bad clams and was under the weather for the first game.  The Capitals would tee off and run up a game one win 12-1.  The next few games were similar and Capital City would win their first league title in 5 games.  The parade was highlighted by Francisco Lindors rendition of "New York, New York" reminding all Yankee fans of Aaron Judge's stroll through the Red Sox clubhouse area last fall.

     The table to the right shows the final standings of the sim.  There is a link to your team reports in each grid.  Mike Trout of the Nuts led the league with 60 HR while Matt Carpenter of Springfield led the league with 151 RBI.   Christian Yelich of San Carlos led the league with an average of .343 and scored a league best 151 runs as well while Mallex Smith of Jackson stole the most bases with 74.  Joey Gallo of the Nuts struck out 248 times!  Ouch!

     Three pitchers tied for the league high with 19 wins.  Chris Sale of Springfield (19-2), J.A. Happ of Emerald City (19-5) and Trevor Bauer of Capital City (19-6) also struck out more than 200 batters each but the big dog leading the way was Max Scherzer with 318 K's.  Justin Verlander of Atlanta nad Jacob deGrom of Emerald CIty also struck out more than 300 batters in 2019.  Gio Gonzalez of Siouxland walked a league high 104 hitters while Josh Hader of Emerald City led the league with 40 saves.  deGrom also had a league high 4 shutouts. 

          Here is the direct link for the sim results.  The final simulation DB is located here for anyone who wants to download it. 

 

         Hope everyone enjoys the read!

      Jump to:
AL East | AL Central | AL West | NL East | NL Central | NL West

AL EAST AL CENTRAL AL WEST
Jersey Damage Inc.

 

Beale Street Flippers Lincoln Tunnel Rats Philadelphia Smackdown Houston Oil Barons Capital City Capitals Michigan Whitecaps San Antonio Saints Los Angeles Halos San Carlos Aces Springfield Isotopes Colorado Gladiators
NL EAST NL CENTRAL NL WEST
Stone Mountain Confederates

 

West Orange Panthers Atlanta Knights Newark Hen House Siouxland Cyclists Gotham CityHawks Protect Your Nuts Rock River Ravens Emerald City Bombers Jackson Stonewalls Cracksville Plumbers Beartooth Bitteroots

 

 
Team Jersey Damage Inc

Team Report

Jersey Damage Inc.
Owner Rob Capizzano
2018 Record 47-115 (4th Place)
On the Farm: Peter Alonso and Brendan Rodgers highlight the farm with Nico Hoerner and Brady Singer still aways off.
Strengths: Starting to build a young core with Acuna Jr., Dahl, Verdugo lining up in the ooutfield going forward and hoping one of my 16 shortstops pans out.
Weaknesses:   Starting Pitching is invisible.  The bullpen is terrible.
GM Thoughts: Hopefully the season goes fast.  We really stink again.
Key Moves: No trades to date, because no one wants my guys.
Prediction: 4th Place --  It's not going to be a fun season.
Sim MP Provided: Yes
Simulated Finish:  The Damage finished 4th in the AL East in the March 2 simulation.  Click here for team stats. 
   
Projected Best Hitter: Ronald Acuna Jr. (.312-27-99)
Projected Best Pitcher: Kolby Allard (0-1, 23.75 ERA)

Team Slogan:

 

WE STINK AGAIN!

 

Team Beale Street Flippers

Team Report

Gotham CityHawks
Owner George Kurtinitis/Lee Vieron
2018 Record 82-80 (2nd place)
On the Farm: The owner did not supply any comments.
Strengths: Flips are decent/ Like Flaherty and Ray as Sp and not total dogs behind em.
Weaknesses:   have enough usage but not enough pop on offense.
GM Thoughts: The owner did not supply any comments.
Key Moves: The owner did not supply any comments.
Prediction: 3rd place.  Sure have come a long way in a couple of years but at best middle of the pack
Sim MP Provided: Yes
Simulated Finish:  The Flippers finished 3rd in the AL East in the March 2 simulation.  Click here for team stats. 
   
Projected Best Hitter: Mike Moustakas (.235-37-80)
Projected Best Pitcher: Ivan Nova (9-15, 5.38 ERA)

Team Slogan:

 

HELP US!

 

Team Lincoln Tunnel Rats

Team Report

Lincoln Tunnel Rats
Owner Robert Woertz
2018 Record 70-92 (3rd place)
On the Farm:

Feel like we did better this year for the future. Not a lot of rookies but what we have is promising. Luis Garcia, Tellez, Senzel and Kiebert Ruiz. Hopefully taking a shot on Kikuchi will help the pitching next year along with Josh James.

Strengths: The bullpen seems to be pretty strong, hopefully it can compensate for weak starting pitching. Doolittle continues to be a good pick-up and we have quite a few strong fillers in the pen. We have some good young hitters to build with (Olsen, Hicks, Soto) but a down year by Avasail Garcia, Mancini, Polanco DeJeong, Villar really hurts.
Weaknesses:   Starting pitching and overall hitting. We thought that last year we had some good prospects for pitching help, but most didn’t pan out. Romano was terrible, Blackburn also. Our saving grace was that Friers somehow became serviceable. Our supporting hitters are pretty weak. Having had a high draft pick the last few years has not really helped with first rounders. Villar and DeJeong (both first round picks) have not followed up the great starting years with anything special and that leaves a big hole in the offence. Catching is completely terrible as Sandy Leon (although WS player) is our starter.
GM Thoughts: Rebuilding is going way too slow. Thank goodness for the surprise speed to ML by Soto and Olsen (who was a very late pick) taking a good turn or things would be very dismal. Looking back, a better focus on pitching would have helped. It just seems difficult to have to rely on pitching with the fragile nature of that position. Seems many previous draft picks have not been consistent Mancini up and down, We had thought that Avasail Garcia had finally arrived only to see him falter. Polanco looked to be ready to step up until he was suspended. Paxton was looking great until injuries slowed him down.
Key Moves: Drafting Soto as a baby was big help. As was drafting Friers last year (late in draft) mostly for Innings was a great luck. Getting Olsen in the last pick or 2 last year was great help also.
Prediction: 2nd place.  We should be around .500 this year. However, our division seems to be weaker than the other 2, so that makes anything possible if we are around .500.
Sim MP Provided: Yes
Simulated Finish:  The Rats finished 2nd in the AL East in the March 2 simulation.  Click here for team stats. 
   
Projected Best Hitter: Matt Olson (.247-50-101)
Projected Best Pitcher: Zach Efflin (14-11, 3.74 ERA)

Team Slogan:

 

JUST GET TO .500!

 

Team Philadelphia Smackdown

Team Report

Philadelphia Smackdown
Owner Noel Langlois
2018 Record 93-69 (1st Place)
On the Farm:

Not much. J.B. Bukauskas is the highest ranked prospect, but he's at the back-end of the top 100's. No prospects were drafted in 2019, as the team needed to supplement what MIGHT be a solid young core if you squint hard enough. The other two aaa players are former somewhat highly rated guys Corey Ray and Yadier Alvarez that are more likely to be dropped next year than blow up (in a good way) but have one more chance to hang on with the squad. Magneuris Sierra is like a prospect, and may get a shot at a Marlins starting job in 2019.

Strengths: Patience and hope. There is a chance that a young-ish core of Jurickson Profar, Aldaberto Mondesi, Kyle Schwarber, Hunter Renfroe, Rafael Devers, and maybe even Sierra and Tyler Naquin could come together at the same time. At least most of them will contribute in 2019. It certainly has been a winding path for many, but here's hoping that they all just needed 300-1,000+ mlb at-bats to get acclimated. Kris Bryant and Daniel Murphy will contribute, but not at their MVP-levels of years past due to injuries. 
Weaknesses:   Starting pitching. Anibel Sanchez was taken with the first round pick to provide some needed depth, but injuries and ineffectiveness weigh down the anticipated contributions from Stephen Strasburg and Marcus Stroman. Unlike some of the young hitters that kind of turned the corner and will finally contribute, Reynaldo Lopez and Lucas Giolito have not shown that growth yet (although Lopez will start throughout the season). 
GM Thoughts: Thoughts: It's been a long wait for guys like Profar, Mondesi, Renfroe, Schwarber, Devers, and Blake Swihart to contribute at a decent level, even if it's not yet consistent with their draft slots and prospect hype. This GM is hoping they, Lopez, and Giolito show more growth, Bryant and Murphy bounce back with full seasons, and prayers are answered on late-round picks of Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija at the MLB level in 2019 to make the Smackdown a tougher team in DMB 2020. In DMB 2019, the Smackdown have a chance at winning the AL East, but it won't be with a stellar record and that would be the only way to get into the playoffs.
Key Moves: No trades yet. Drafting Sanchez to take the #1 starting pitcher slot will help the team. Taking a shot on Cueto and Samardzija might pay off big next year.
Prediction: 1st place.  On the strength of a 15 game winning streak and 26-3 record from 7/20/18 to 8/21/18, the Smackdown put together a surprising season last year to win 93 games and the AL East title and then almost knocked off the Capitals in the first round of the playoffs, blowing a 2-0 series lead. It's highly unlikely the team will win that many games in 2019, as it looks like 2019 will bring a record that's +/- 4 games around .500 (if on the plus side, that might bring another AL East title).
Sim MP Provided: Yes
Simulated Finish:  The Smackdown finished 1st in the AL East in the March 2 simulation.  Click here for team stats. 
   
Projected Best Hitter: Kris Bryant (.300-22-74)
Projected Best Pitcher: Anibal Sanchez (13-8, 3.74 ERA)

Team Slogan:

 

STAY ABOVE .500!

Team Houston Oil Barons

Team Report

Houston Oil Barons
Owner Scott Felt
2018 Record 69-93 (3rd place)
On the Farm:

On the Farm:  The jewel of the farm system is Tatis Jr., a universally ranked top 10 guy who should stick at shortstop and hopefully arrive this year.  Madrigal and Hayes both look like they have some promise and may start contributing soon.  The rest of my farm system is further away and may or may not pan out.  Only time will tell.

Strengths: Machado and Springer are a good place to build.  Seager and Upton have been pretty solid players.  Finally, after many years of struggling in the rotation there are some positive signs with Buehler and Gausman being great and good respectively.  Manea too but injuries may sink him for a while.
Weaknesses:   Still too many!  After Buehler and Gausman the rotation quality falls off a lot with no likely prospects to step up.  Buxton has failed to become a major league player.  Seager had a terrible season.
GM Thoughts: I'm happy with some of the prospects in the pipeline and hopeful that a few of the lesser known names will move up the lists this year.  But, still too many weaknesses and gaps to be competitive.
Key Moves: None so far.  Still taking the slow and steady build approach.
Prediction:

3rd Place -- I think Houston will be about an 80 win team this year.

Sim MP Provided: Yes
Simulated Finish:  The Oil Barons finished 2nd in the AL Central in the March 2 simulation.  Click here for team stats. 
   
Projected Best Hitter: Manny Machado (.277-35-108)
Projected Best Pitcher: Walker Buehler (14-11, 3.18 ERA)

Team Slogan:

 

300 MILLION DOLLAR BABY!

 

Team Capital City Capitals

Team Report

Capital City Capitals
Owner Jason Eaton
2018 Record 102-60 (1st place)
On the Farm: Capitals didn’t go as prospect heavy as previous years but we do like the players we selected.  Our top prospect is Jazz Chisholm who is #1 in the DBacks (not saying much) org. Caps went with a pair of Rockies corner prospects in Colton Welker and Tyler Nevin.   Long range prospects we like include Brandon Marsh, Kristian Robinson and Luis Garcia. On the mound we took a shot with more carded prospects including Framber Valez, Enyel de los Santos and Dennis Santana.  Tony Santillan rounds out our pitching youth.
Strengths: Pitching should be the strongest part of the Captials team this year with a rotation that includes Aaron Nola, Corey Kluber, Trevor Bauer, Patrick Corbin, Garret Richards, Hyun-Jin Ryu and German Marquez.  Offensively we are led by JD Martinez, Francisco Lindor, Anthony Rizzo, Anthony Rendon, JT Realmuto and Nelson Cruz. Certainly hopeful we can put some runs on the board.
Weaknesses:   The bullpen could be an area of concern.  Last season we had 4 elite closers that crushed our hopes in the ALCS be giving up 23 BBs in 25 innings.   Killed our postseason run. This year there isn’t the elite depth there but hopefully more pieces that can mix and match better in the playoffs.  Edwin Diaz and Brad Hand anchor the back end, curious to see if there’s enough to get the ball to them on a consistent basis. Capitals fear the 6th/7th inning this season. 
GM Thoughts: Caps had a bitter pill to swallow by losing in the ALCS to the eventual World Series champion Isotopes.  Hope springs eternal as we head into 2019 with a solid roster that can once again be a playoff team. After a few seasons of rebuilding the Caps are a contender and now is the time to push all the chips to the middle of the table.
Key Moves: The Capitals picked up a few pieces that we feel should help us this upcoming season.   We are hoping to capitilize on the strong seasons from Patrick Corbin and Hyun-Jin Ryu.  In addition, we added a solid part in Cesar Hernandez to fill the void with Dustin Pedroia being injured all season.  
Prediction: 1st place. I always believe that if you can make the playoffs anything can happen.  The Capitals feel they have a playoff caliber roster and are hopeful to make a postseason run.   Again, I feel we have a 90+ win roster. Goal is to catch some breaks and compete for a title.
Sim MP Provided: Yes
Simulated Finish:  The Capitals finished 1st in the AL Central in the March 2 simulation. Click here for team stats. 
   
Projected Best Hitter: J.D. Martinez (.311-47-123)
Projected Best Pitcher: Aaron Nola (21-3, 2.24 ERA)

Team Slogan:

 

WHEN THE TRAIN COMES, GET OFF THE TRACKS!

Team Michigan Whitecaps

Team Report

Michigan Whitecaps
Owner Jake Drake
2018 Record 65-97 (4th place)
On the Farm: The owner did not supply any comments.
Strengths: The owner did not supply any comments.
Weaknesses:   The owner did not supply any comments.
GM Thoughts: The owner did not supply any comments.
Key Moves: The owner did not supply any comments.
Prediction: 4th place.  The race in the AL East might for who has the worst record.
Sim MP Provided: Yes
Simulated Finish:  The Whitecaps finished 4th in the AL Central in the March 2 simulation.  Click here for team stats. 
   
Projected Best Hitter: Rhys Hoskins (.210-35-87)
Projected Best Pitcher: Silvio Bracho (11-5, 4.18 ERA)

Team Slogan:

 

STAY OUT OF THE WATER!

 

Team San Antonio Saints

Team Report

San Antonio Saints
Owner Alan Lehmann
2018 Record 93-69 (2nd Place)
On the Farm:

On the Farm: I feel like our young arms will take a step forward.  Gonsalves was torched in his MLB debut, but he has adjusted to every minor league level, and I hope he can improve in the bigs, too.  Faedo looks like a solid #2 when he gets to the bigs and learns how to pitch there.  I hope JD Davis gets a chance to play in the majors this year. Nimmo made a big splash in the majors last year and I hope he can keep it up.

Strengths: We have power in Stanton and Peralta. Lots of solid outfielders like Grichuk and Piscotty.  I likely need to trade for some pitching.
Weaknesses:   Price was my only SP who showed up last year in the majors.  Injuries and down years by too many players means that this will likely be a long year for Saints' fans.
GM Thoughts:

I don't see how we can get to the playoffs without trading too much away.  If we somehow snuck in, I don't see how we could make a deep run without ALL the breaks going our way.

Key Moves: I am glad I wasn't asked about my BEST moves.  Not sure I have made any.  My key moves were desperately drafting SP depth for this year instead of stocking up on young talent for the future.  I am sure that will bite me down the line.
Prediction: 2nd place.  I don't think this team can win 80 games as currently constructed.  I will likley trade away key pieces to contenders and set my sights on 2020.
Sim MP Provided: Yes
Simulated Finish:  The Saints finished 3rd in the AL Central in the March 2 simulation.  Click here for team stats. 
   
Projected Best Hitter: Giancarlo Stanton (.203-30-81)
Projected Best Pitcher: David Price (10-19, 4.45 ERA)

Team Slogan:

 

I'M BIG AL AND ALL I HIT ARE DINGERS!

 

Team Los Angeles Halos

Team Report

Los Angeles Halos
Owner Greg W.
2018 Record 83-79 (3rd Place)
On the Farm:

The Halo’s farm has slowly been graduating players to the big squad since the rebuild was officially declared after the 2013 season … with the key word being “slowly”.  This season will see 3 more players making their TBBL debut at some point: Willy Adames (5th rd. – 2015), Austin Meadows (trade -2014) and Just Sheffield (7th rd. – 2017). This left only 2 returning players to the farm, Nick Gordon (1st rd. – 2017) and Domingo Acevedo (13th rd. – 2016), so there was plenty of room to bring in more players. A trade before the draft brought in 2 players, Ryan Mountcastle and Michael Chavis, who are very close and hopefully can contribute as early as next season. Mountcastle is a solid bat that could produce 20-25 HRs who has played 3b but could move to 1b or to the OF. Mountcastle will join the growing list of young players looking to fill an OF spot for the Halos as they look to improve one of the weaker hitting OF’s in the TBBL. Michael Chavis who came in the same deal with Capital City as Mountcastle, ran into some substance abuse problems in the Capital City where basically anything goes to win … so he should benefit from the change to Los Angeles. He is a solid hitter who could provide infield depth next year.  The Halo’s added 3 players in the draft with Dustin May (7th rd.) having the highest upside.  May is a couple of years away but if he continues his development could be a top of the rotation starter by 2020/21. A couple more OF’s came late in the draft Daz Cameron (12th rd.) and Juan Pablo Martinez (13th rd.). Cameron could take over CF as early as next year as his defense continues to develop along with a solid bat. Martinez out of Cuba is a high ceiling, low floor OF who is a couple years away, but the Halo’s think his LH bat would play well in their park for years to come. Updating the returning farm players: Nick Gordon has had trouble living up to the expectations of being drafted in the 1st round, has struggled and will be in a make or break season this year. The Halo’s are still hoping that he can stick as a utility infielder for them next year. Domingo Acevedo also seems to have slowed in his development and likely move to the pen.  Acevedo and Gordon both need to show some development this season.

Strengths:

If youth is strength … we will say youth as the roster continues to get younger. If not, we will say bullpen again this year despite having traded away the entire pen last season. Having a ton of early picks allowed the Halo’s to restock their pen for this season as they added Seranthony Dominguez (1st rd.) to take over closer duties, as well as, Jordan Hicks (2nd rd.)  and Will Smith (2nd rd.). This trio will be the heart of what should be a solid bullpen again this year. Probably not as strong as last season, but with question marks just about everywhere else … the bar for strengths is set very low.

Weaknesses:  

For the past several seasons, the weakness had been the starting rotation, but Mike Foltynewicz (only former Halo farm hand to get an opening Day Start) leads a much-improved rotation this season. That leaves hitting as the big weakness this season. Smoak, Whitfield and Turner are a solid core but there are many question marks after that. Gardner continues to age and not sure how much youngsters, Adames, Meadows, Swanson and Sanchez will be able to contribute this season.

GM Thoughts:

Through 84 games (6/30/2018) last season things were going even better than planned. The Halos found themselves 18 game over .500 (51-33) and firmly in the wildcard race. The bullpen was outstanding, and Smoak was hitting at an MVP level with 27 HR’s and 66 RBI through 84 games. The Halos had 23 wins in 1-run games, thanks to timely hitting and the outstanding bullpen.  Unfortunately, without making some moves to bolster a roster that had significant usage issues, the success was unsustainable. The usage issues were not a surprise and management had hoped for the development of some young players which could have been used as trade chips, but that did not happen. Therefore, the decision was made to pull the plug and accumulate draft picks and the result was a 32-46 record the rest of the way. The good news is that an 83-win season was a big improvement over the 40-win previous season, but the team still has work to do.

As mentioned, the starting rotation should be stronger this season and with the addition of veterans like Span and Kipnis, there is a lot more depth to support the young core this season.

Key Moves: Besides being able to rebuild its bullpen with young arms which we hope will contribute for years to come, we are most excited about 3 young players that are complete wildcards. [1] Willians Astudillo (4th rd.) is an exciting player who will see limited action this year, but with his athletic ability could provide help all over the diamond next year. [2] Luke Voit (2nd rd.) has significant power potential which should be on display at some point this season and could eventually turn into the Halo’s full-time DH starting next season. [3] Clint Frazier (1st rd.) is a post-hype top prospect who has battled injuries. He won’t see much time with the big club this season, but his pedigree is strong and could prove to be an impact OF for the Halos for many years.
Prediction: 4th place.  The Halos should be able to win between 85-90 games this season and potentially fight for the final wildcard spot. The problem is that the Division of Death could mean that it will take 90+ wins to even sniff a wildcard spot, which might be too much of a stretch this season.
Sim MP Provided: Yes
Simulated Finish:  The Halos finished 3rd in the AL West in the March 2 simulation.  Click here for team stats. 
   
Projected Best Hitter: Justin Smoak (.223-28-77)
Projected Best Pitcher: Eduardo Rodriguez (13-9, 4.52 ERA)

Team Slogan:

 

WHERE'S AROD?

Team San Carlos Aces

Team Report

San Carlos Aces
Owner Jeff Thomas
2018 Record 58-104 (4th place)
On the Farm:

#1 overall prospect Vlad Guerrero Jr, Royce Lewis #9, Kyle Wright #39, Hunter Greene #57, Nolan Gorman #75, all in this yrs BA top 100.   Not in the top 100 but still prospects- Ethan Hankins CLEV #3 prospect & Vlad Gutierrez #9 CIN prospect.    In this yrs draft we added top collegiate bat Josh Jung, potential top 10 MLB June draft.   Overall, we just graduated to MLB roster, Franklin Barreto, Wright and Shohei Ohtani, future looking bright for Aces to return to prominence very soon. 

Strengths:

Lead by NL MVP Christian Yelich, Cody Bellinger, Xander Bogaerts, Shohei Ohtani, & Max Muncy keeping 3b warm for Guerrero Jr arrival. Gerrit Cole is legit Ace, Jhoulys Chacin is our #2 and CC Sabathia #3, Ohtani has 10 starts ,Bullpen depth added 

Weaknesses:  

Back of rotation. Light hitting RF in Jason Heyward, hope his “D” offsets his bat, Russel Martin on his last legs 

GM Thoughts:

After missing playoffs for 1st time in 5 seasons, this club has the offense to get back into postseason. Bullpen strengthened thru draft. Just can Cole be the ace we need him to be and will Chacin and Sabathia have strong yrs. 

Key Moves:

So far off this yr we added Sabathia , drafted Muncy and back end of pen in Hirano and Dyson. 

Prediction:

2nd place - Might surprise, Offense will have to carry us to postseason, Division looks pretty well balanced so anywhere from 1st-4th place.

Sim MP Provided: Yes
Simulated Finish:  The Aces finished 1st in the AL West in the March 2 simulation.  Click here for team stats. 
   
Projected Best Hitter: Max Muncy (.255-48-117)
Projected Best Pitcher: Gerrit Cole (14-10, 2.98 ERA)

Team Slogan:

 

SHOHEI ME THE WAY!

 

Team Springfield Isotopes

Team Report

Springfield Isotopes
Owner John Eaton
2018 Record 108-54 (1st place)
On the Farm: Yeah, not much.  After trading our top 5 picks to the Halos for an entire bullpen, we weren’t able to draft a lot of minor leaguers as there were too many holes to fill.  We did draft J2 standout Marco Luciano.  In just 4 short years from now, he’ll be able to legally buy beer.  
Strengths: AL-MVP Mookie.  He’s starting to make a case for being one of the better 11th round TBBL draft picks.  Plus NL Top Ten MVP finishers in Freddie Freeman and Matt Carpenter.  Sale, Thor and Clevinger should lead the rotation.
Weaknesses:   Bullpen.  As always.  Who wants to trade theirs for a bunch of top picks?
GM Thoughts: Rebounded from giving up a 2-0 lead in the 2017 World Series to bringing home the title in 2018 against a tough Knights team.  Should buy the GM a couple years.
Key Moves: None since the trade deadline last year.  Anyone seen our GM? 
Prediction: 1st place.  Isotopes got lucky in taking down the Saints, Capitals and Knights last October.  Hoping to get a chance to defend the title in the playoffs again!
Sim MP Provided: Yes
Simulated Finish:  The Isotopes finished 1st in the AL West in the March 2 simulation.  Click here for team stats. 
   
Projected Best Hitter: Mookie Betts (.316-30-99)
Projected Best Pitcher: Chris Sale (15-5, 2.11 ERA)

Team Slogan:

 

CAN'T TOUCH THIS!

 

Team Colorado Gladiators

Team Report

Colorado Gladiators
Owner Casey Siller
2018 Record 100-62 (2nd place)
On the Farm: The owner did not supply any comments.
Strengths: The CF defense of Lorenzo Cain and the dynamic, young middle-infield: Javier Baez, and Ozzie Albies. Both defend, hit for power, and can run. Biggest strength, BULLPEN: Aroldis, Iglesias, Bettances, Strop and company form one of the best and deepest pens in the league. We will get after it.
Weaknesses:  

Beyond veteran horses Zach Greinke, and Miles Mikolas, it’s mayhem; mishmash of young swingmen, and 4-5 starters. Luckily the pen is good.

GM Thoughts: The depth isn’t great, but I loaded up on talented prospects and this year’s club is solid, if perhaps a step behind a loaded Cap City team. It’ll be a fun challenge!
Key Moves: Before this off-season, Id say snagging Baez for Cheslor Cuthbert and a #1, and picking up Albies for a #10 pick a few years back. In this off-season, picking up Miles Mikolas was key, as was swinging a deal for the return of the best utility man ever, Ben Zobrist.
Prediction: 3rd place.  Pain. We will be tough to beat at our home park, Coors Field. I predict that the Gladiators will make the playoffs. It’ll be a fun year.
Sim MP Provided: Yes
Simulated Finish:  The Gladiators finished 4th in the AL West in the March 2 simulation.  Click here for team stats. 
   
Projected Best Hitter: Javier Baez (.248-35-111)
Projected Best Pitcher: Miles Mikolas (19-5, 3.28 ERA)

Team Slogan:

 

IT's ALL ON RED BABY!

 

Team Stn Mtn Confederates

Team Report

Stone Mountain Confederates
Owner Joe Anglin
2018 Record 73-89 (2nd place)
On the Farm:

SP- Ian Anderson, Jesus Luzardo, Nate Pearson  3B- Austin Riley

Strengths: With a decent pitching staff the Confederates should be able to remain competitive throughout the season. While Jose Berrios, Marco Gonzalez , Julio Teheran and Sean Newcomb and Trevor Cahill may not be stellar, they should provide decent consistency. The bullpen is an area of strength, except for the closer roll. Collin McHugh, Steve Cishek, Seth Lugo and Scott Alexander will be depended upon greatly throughout the season. At the plate, Travis Shaw and Jose Abreu will be depended on to provide some pop. They will need the likes of Andrelton Simmons, Jose Peraza and Brian Anderson to get on, get over and get in.
Weaknesses:   The OF is a disgrace. If there is an OF in the TBBL that produces less than what the Confederates are able to muster, I will be shocked. A little bit of power at the C position is hindered by a low OBP with Brian McCann and Evan Gattis handling the duties behind the plate. The team is void of a legitimate Closer.
GM Thoughts: The Confederates need a roster player to step up in be productive in the closer role. The bridge to get from the Starters to the Closer appears to be on strong footing, but the 9th inning is going to be questionable. I would love to deal for a closer to strengthen the bullpen and provide some peace of mind during the 9th inning. A bat in the OF would be blessing. Hopefully, a few prospects can crack into MLB this year and provide some hope for next year and beyond.
Key Moves: The team loaded up on outfielders during the draft in hopes to catch a diamond in the rough.
Prediction: 1st place.  70-92. This team could lose 85 games or win 85. Much will depend on how generous or selfish the DMB program is to the Confederate players. On paper, I think the team has a chance to sneak into the playoffs with a little DMB magic in its favor.
Sim MP Provided: Yes
Simulated Finish:  The Confederates finished 2nd in the NL East in the March 2 simulation.  Click here for team stats. 
   
Projected Best Hitter: Jose Abreu (.277-33-104)
Projected Best Pitcher: Julio Teheran (10-14, 5.23 ERA)

Team Slogan:

 

CHOP THIS!

 

Team West Orange Panthers

Team Report

West Orange Panthers
Owner Craig Morancie
2018 Record 58-104 (4th place)
On the Farm: The owner did not supply any comments.
Strengths: The owner did not supply any comments.
Weaknesses:   The owner did not supply any comments.
GM Thoughts: The owner did not supply any comments.
Key Moves: The owner did not supply any comments.
Prediction: 4th place.  The race in the AL East might for who has the worst record.
Sim MP Provided: Yes
Simulated Finish:  The Panthers finished 3rd in the NL East in the March 2 simulation.  Click here for team stats. 
   
Projected Best Hitter: Harrison Bader (.322-30-71)
Projected Best Pitcher: Joe Musgrove (13-10, 3.40 ERA)

Team Slogan:

 

WE TALKING ABOUT PRACTICE?

 

Team Atlanta Knights

Team Report

Atlanta Knights
Owner Gabe Anglin
2018 Record 88-74 (1st place)
On the Farm:

Brusdar Graterol SP, Forrest Whitley SP, Taylor Trammell OF

Strengths: Atlanta has a team filled with mostly veterans. Consistent and proven players like Nick Markakis, Joey Votto, Justin Verlander and Cole Hamels make up the nucleus of the team. There are a few youngsters that should provide steady play, Johan Camargo, Miguel Andujar and Maikel Franco. Positions of strength appear to be the corners, SS, RF and Closer with Blake Treinen in place to lock down the 9th inning. On the hill, Atlanta has a nice 1-2 punch in Verlander and Hamels.
Weaknesses:   Several positions are average to below average. 2B, C, LF and the bridge to get to Treinen could use some improvement. Hopefully, a couple players can play above their stats.
GM Thoughts: The team would like to move one of its 3B for more SP or a better option at LF or 2B.
Key Moves: No key moves as far as trading goes. An emphasis was placed on selecting some minor league players with potential to help the team in the future.
Prediction: 2nd place.  If the Knights are going to repeat as National League Champs in 2019, the club will need some players to outperform their stat lines. The club more realistically should post around 75 wins. 
Sim MP Provided: Yes
Simulated Finish:  The Atlanta Knights team finished 3rd in the NL East in the March 2 simulation.  Click here for team stats. 
   
Projected Best Hitter: Tommy Pham (.293-22-65)
Projected Best Pitcher: Justin Verlander (16-8, 3.75 ERA)

Team Slogan:

 

MY PLAYERS HAVE SWIMSUIT MODEL WIVES!

 

Team Newark Hen House

Team Report

Newark Hen House

Owner Scott Silberfein
2018 Record 70-92 (3rd place)
On the Farm:

Since assuming control of the team, the new GM has set out to rebuild Newark’s farm system.  While the farm does not have one of the consensus top 10 prospects, there is depth, led by Logan Allen, Matt Manning, Jon Duplantier, and Cristian Pache.  Other prospects include Estevan Florial, Austin Hays, Jahmi Jones, Kyle Lewis, Kumar Rocker, and Carter Stewart.

Strengths: Eugenio Suarez, Andrew Benitendi, and Michael Conforto lead a solid but not spectacular offense.  Kyle Freeland leads a mediocre rotation.
Weaknesses:   Depth in the lineup and rotation. 
GM Thoughts: Newark can build an offense around Suarez, Benitendi, and Conforto especially if some players put together solid MLB campaigns where they are expected to get increased playing time and/or larger roles (especially Plawecki and Wendle).  Bounce back years for Jon Gray and Lance Lynn would significantly lengthen the rotation.  Veterans like Todd Frazier would like to find a new home.
Key Moves: Relieved a logjam at 3b by trading Colin Moran and helped fill a need at 1b by acquiring Ronald Guzman.  Also, used draft picks to secure off the waiver wire some much needed PAs at catcher and 2b.
Prediction: 3rd place.  A .500 season would b a solid result.
Sim MP Provided: Yes
Simulated Finish:  The Hen House finished 1st in the NL East in the March 2 simulation.  Click here for team stats. 
   
Projected Best Hitter: Eugionio Suarez (.236-38-94)
Projected Best Pitcher: Kyle Freeland (20-4, 2.27 ERA)

Team Slogan:

 

DON'T FLY THE COOP!

 

Team Siouxland Cyclists

Team Report

Siouxland Cyclists
Owner Richard Merrill
2018 Record 90-72 (3rd place)
On the Farm: Most of the Cyclists’ prospects were in A-ball last year, so they’re a little ways away. Mackenzie Gore looks to be the best of the bunch, with Braxton Garrett and Cole Ragans as question marks after Tommy John surgery. The Cyclists did draft Pirates OF prospect Travis Swaggerty in the late rounds.
Strengths: Jose Ramirez, Scooter Gennett and Eddie Rosario have established themselves as the stars of the team. Andrew Heaney is the staff ace after a nice year last year, and newcomer Dereck Rodriguez should help the rotation.
Weaknesses:   Starting pitching is a big question mark after losing half of last year’s rotation to injury and ineffectiveness. The bench is not as deep as last year’s, and 2018 stars Zack Cozart and Ryan Zimmermann missed significant MLB time with injuries.
GM Thoughts: The Cyclists found themselves with a lot of holes to fill and not enough decent players to fill them. Some of the team’s talent might be available at midseason as the team may look for some young, up-and-coming players.
Key Moves: The biggest off-season need was at shortstop, and the Cyclists filled it by trading for Nick Ahmed. They also added Matt Harvey via trade to get some starts, and are hoping he has a bounceback year. They drafted Dereck Rodriguez and Dan Straily to round out a depleted rotation. They also picked up Albert Pujols, hoping he might be the 2008 version rather than the 2018 model.
Prediction: 3rd place.  The Cyclists will probably be duking it out with the Ravens for last place in the NL Central. This doesn’t look like a playoff team by any stretch of the imagination.
Sim MP Provided: Yes
Simulated Finish:  The Cyclists finished 3rd in the NL Central in the March 2 simulation.  Click here for team stats. 
   
Projected Best Hitter: Eddie Rosario (.255-27-99)
Projected Best Pitcher: Dan Straily (13-9, 3.55 ERA)

Team Slogan:

 

MY CALVES ARE INSURED!

 

Team Gotham CityHawks

Team Report

Gotham CityHawks
Owner Chris Longo
2018 Record 98-64 (1st place)
On the Farm: The owner did not supply any comments.
Strengths: The owner did not supply any comments.
Weaknesses:   The owner did not supply any comments.
GM Thoughts: The owner did not supply any comments.
Key Moves: The owner did not supply any comments.
Prediction: 1st place.  The race in the AL East might for who has the worst record.
Sim MP Provided: No
Simulated Finish:  The CityHawks finished 1st in the NL Central in the March 2 simulation.  Click here for team stats. 
   
Projected Best Hitter: Nolan Arenado (.295-37-112)
Projected Best Pitcher: Jon Lester (14-6, 4.29 ERA)

Team Slogan:

 

YANKEES SOUTH!

 

Team Protect Your Nuts

Team Report

Owner Scott Paris
2018 Record 91-71 (2nd place)

On the Farm: The owner did not supply any comments.
Strengths: The owner did not supply any comments.
Weaknesses:   The owner did not supply any comments.
GM Thoughts: The owner did not supply any comments.
Key Moves: The owner did not supply any comments.
Prediction: 2nd place.  The Nuts will win enough games to be annoying to Gotham, but come up a little short.
Sim MP Provided: No
Simulated Finish:  The Nuts finished 2nd in the NL West in the March 2 simulation.  Click here for team stats. 
   
Projected Best Hitter:

Mike Trout (.311-35-101)

Projected Best Pitcher:

Max Scherzer (18-10, 2.99 ERA)

Team Slogan:

 

YANKEES ARE MY DADDY?

 

Team Rock River Ravens

Team Report

  Rock River Ravens
Owner Jeff Otteson
2018 Record 70-92 (4th place)
On the Farm:

The farm is very bright in Ravenville though. Eloy Jimenez, Bo Bichette, Brendan McKay, Sandy Alcantara, Sixto Sanchez and Matt Liberatore all look ready for the show. New long term guys Bobby Witt Jr. and Andrew Vaughn will help fill the void when the others move up and there are a few others with time to mature. The future looks very bright (if we can stay patient).     

Strengths: The team has most of it's strength in youth. I feel that up to 6 of our stud prospects might finally see the majors this year. On the field our biggest strength will be up the middle defense. Both catchers, Crawford at SS, Gurriel Jr. at 2B and Almora and DeShields in CF should help out the pitchers on field.
Weaknesses:   As to weaknesses, well, there are a few. Our corner defense will be lousy I fear. Our bats will be below average, no power at all and our bullpen will be shaky at best. 
GM Thoughts: The 2019 off season has ended and the immediate outlook for Rock River is grim. As last year though we ask our fans to "trust the process". We started off by trading two of the best pitchers in the league last season in Corbin and Mikolas. Seems to not make sense until you see that we would go no where with them. It also brought us back our "potential" future rotation in Arrieta, Bieber, Lucchesi, Mengden and Sixto Sanchez. We also got a smart defender in Brandon Crawford to man SS for the foreseeable future. All in all, a decent building deal. 
Key Moves: The owner did not supply any comments.
Prediction: 4th place.  To sum up, I like this team. No, we are not contenders and won't be most likely for a couple years. My personal expectation is a solid last place with a shot at the leagues worst record. I do think though that the end of futility may be near.
Sim MP Provided: Yes
Simulated Finish:  The Ravens finished 4th the NL Central in the March 2 simulation.  Click here for team stats. 
   
Projected Best Hitter: Lourdes Gurriel (.273-22-73)
Projected Best Pitcher: Shane Bieber (11-9, 4.22 ERA)

Team Slogan:

 

MY BEST PITCHER IS MY DH!

 

Team Emerald City Bombers

Team Report

Emerald City Bombers
Owner Mark Jones
2018 Record 74-88 (3rd place)
On the Farm:

Emerald City's farm system is not spewing with talent, but, has some key pitching prospects that will hopefully be the part of the rotation soon.  Brent Honeywell was on pace for a spot this year before TJ surgery ended his campaign last year.  Dylan Cease continues to move up the prospect list. Carter Kieboom, Esteban Loasiga, Blake Rutherford and Taylor Widener round out the Bombers' MLB Top 100 list.  Additionally, the team is hoping Julio Urias will come into his own this year and reach his highly regarded potential.

Strengths: The Bombers' have some key strengths in starting pitching, relief and a couple key position players, but, diverse depth is excluding them.  DeGrom will look to lead the rotation and Josh Hader will be tasked with closing.  Story and Goldschmidt will anchor a lineup that will rely on many platoons outside those two key righties.
Weaknesses:   The back of the rotation and depth will be the real test for the Emerald City club.  Much of this year's draft was crafting usable platoon scenarios for the team to work with.  While the catchers provide good defense, they'll likely be below average at the plate.
GM Thoughts: The outlook is hopeful this year.  Usage and the back end of the rotation will have to be closely monitored, but, should be able to keep up with high expectations.
Key Moves: There was only one real trade to this point, picking up Wade Miley for a couple draft picks.  Miley will be expected to be a useful starter, when he's healthy.
Prediction: 1st place.  It will be a major disappointment if the team misses the playoffs this year.  It's been a long rebuilding road since the current GM took over a 54 win team 7 years ago.  The team squeaked into the WC round two years ago, but, this year the team is really hoping to make a bigger splash.
Sim MP Provided: Yes
Simulated Finish:  The Bombers finished 1st in the NL West in the March 2 simulation.  Click here for team stats. 
   
Projected Best Hitter: Trevor Story (.270-36-87)
Projected Best Pitcher: Jacob deGrom (21-6, 2.55 ERA)

Team Slogan:

 

IN DEGROM WE TRUST!

 

Team Jackson Stonewalls

Team Report

Protect Your Nuts
Owner Mack Bean
2018 Record 91-71 (2nd place)
On the Farm: The owner did not supply any comments.
Strengths: The owner did not supply any comments.
Weaknesses:   The owner did not supply any comments.
GM Thoughts: The owner did not supply any comments.
Key Moves: The owner did not supply any comments.
Prediction: 3rd place.  Jackson wins more than they lose and sneak into the Post Season.
Sim MP Provided: No
Simulated Finish:  The Stonewalls finished 3rd in the NL West in the March 2 simulation.  Click here for team stats. 
   
Projected Best Hitter: Khris Davis (.247-38-104)
Projected Best Pitcher: Blake Snell (14-12, 3.04 ERA)

Team Slogan:

 

BREATH THROUGH YOUR EYELIDS!

 

Team Cracksville Plumbers

Team Report

Cracksville Plumbers
Owner Jerry Anderson
2018 Record 68-94 (4th place)
On the Farm:

The farm looks solid with injured vet Jimmy Nelson plus 6 top 100 prospect led by #6 Jo Adell.

Strengths: Plumbers have a good deal of youth sprinkled through the lineup, with Haniger and a loaded infield.
Weaknesses:   Too many holes plugged with gap players and poor performers, the Plumbers have to hope for continued strong minor league promotions as well as a couple lucky hits on minor leaguers.
GM Thoughts: Just have to give time for the young guys to develop.
Key Moves: Staying fairly pat, maybe deal a vet or two but stay with the rebuild process.
Prediction: 4th place.  The pitching is just too weak to overcome an OK offense, I'll go with 62-100.
Sim MP Provided: No
Simulated Finish:  The Plumbers finished 4th in the NL West in the March 2 simulation.  Click here for team stats. 
   
Projected Best Hitter: Alex Bregman (.277-39-118)
Projected Best Pitcher: Carlos Rodon (15-10, 4.26 ERA)

Team Slogan:

 

BATMAN IS LOOKING FOR BREGMAN!

 

Team Beartooth Bitteroots

Team Report

Beartooth Bitteroots
Owner Mike Bush
2018 Record 94-68 (2nd place)
On the Farm: This was the real focus of the draft.  Wander Franco and Victor Robles lead the prospects.  Keston Hiura should have a great impact at 2b in a year or two.  The 4 starting pitchers should develop onto at least 2 #2s for this team hopefully.  Josh Naylor is bidding his time until the NL adopts the DH.  Overall this should be a top 2 or 3 farm team in the TBBL.
Strengths:

The bullpen will be a strength as well as power.   Matt Chapman should have a great year with the glove and slamming balls into the seats in Great American.  Yadier is enroute to a HOF career and had another solid performance behind the plate.

Weaknesses:   CF defense is going to take a real hit this year with Bryce Harper manning the spot.  Hopes were that I could have gotten a half year of decent offense performance and gold glove caliber defense from Victor Robles – dashed by his sever elbow injury early in the year.  The injury to  Elvis Andrus will also impact the team.  First base will be a weakness as well. 
GM Thoughts: Overall this is a good team that was hurt by Aaron Judge’s injury and the poor performance of starting pitchers not named Luis Severino.  
Key Moves: The owner did not supply any comments.
Prediction: 2nd place.  90-72  Playoff contender but a deep run.
Sim MP Provided: Yes
Simulated Finish:  The Bitteroots finished 2nd in the NL West in the March 2 simulation.  Click here for team stats. 
   
Projected Best Hitter: Aaron Judge (.277-35-106)
Projected Best Pitcher: Rick Porcello (15-6, 3.38 ERA)

Team Slogan:

 

I PLAY A DOCTOR ON TV!