The season is off and running and so is the 1st set of pre-season rankings. There have been some interesting things going on in the Banks world but nothing better than the impressive offensive display by Kansas City OF and back to back MVP Mateo James. His 15 hrs and .433 avg through 25 games are putting him on track for his 3rd straight MVP season. The two hottest teams in the world come from the NL East. Both Indianapolis and Kansas City are 18-7 and have impressive winning streaks.
1) Kansas City LOGGERS- Owner: llcc
Record- 18-7
Led by Mateo James, the LOGGERS take the 1st spot. They get the advantage over Indy because of experience and their offensive fire power.
2) Indianapolis Hoosiers- Owner: Xubrad
Record- 18-7
One of the biggest surprises of the season, the Hoosiers are the hottest team in baseball going 17-2 over their last 19 games. Xubrad is still hoping that his young team can maintain a solid pace into the summer. He just hope that they haven't peaked too early.
3) Detroit Diesels- Owner: Speekeasy8
Record- 18-7
Detroit is off to a hot start as well and there isn't much difference between the top 3 in this poll. Right now Detroit is hitting the cover off the ball as well as getting hitters out. Come next rankings, they could very well be #1.
4) Tacoma settlers- Owner: bowen_brian
Record- 17-8
Tacoma started off hot but has cooled slightly. As the best team in the AL, brian hopes to lead his team to the first WS appearance.
5) Cleveland Bootleggers- Owner: Meteu40
Record- 17-8
A few days ago Cleveland would have been in the top two but a series loss to Indy as of late has knocked the Bootleggers down a couple spots.
6) Austin Argonauts- Owner: allright
Record- 16-9
Austin has proven it can score runs but can they stop them? They are going to face some stiff competition in the AL South but it looks like that whole league has problems pitching.
7) Baltimore Orioles- Owner: jeanpaul22
Record- 16-9
The Orioles are looking to take full control of the AL East. They seem to be the only team that can hit and pitch in their division so look for this team to be around come end of the season.
8) Louisville Red Birds- Owner: bjc30
Record- 15-10
Louisville is one of the hotter teams in the league with an 8-2 record in the last 10 games. Offensively the team is lead by 25 yr old slugger Footsie Wilkinson.
9) Los Angeles Earthquakes- Owner: scottso14
Record- 14-11
L.A. leads a weak AL West and should be able to manage the Quakes to the playoffs. In his 1st season, Scottso14 should repeat as division champ.
10) Wichita Hilltoppers- Owner: Oakout
Record- 14-11
You can't leave the Hilltoppers off any rankings list. Oakout hasn't missed the playoffs yet and is going to be in contention all season long. His only problem seems to be the top 2 teams in this ranking.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
The Bullpen is on Fire in Minnesota!
When I say the bullpen is on fire I do not mean it as a good thing. Someone has been dumping gas on this fire and it has turned into a five alarm fire. The setup men and closer are 2 for 7 in save attempts so far with an era far surpassing 10. Coach Toebe was excited going into the season and pointed to the back end of his bullpen as one of the bright spots of his team.
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Kenneth Kirk has been anything but his usual self. He is sporting a 27.00 ERA and two blow saves in three apperances. It's early in the season and he has time to turn things around but if he falters there are not many options to turn to at the moment with all of the other pitchers struggling as well.
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Shelly has the most blow saves with four at the moment and his era is sitting at a hefty 7.71 after ten games.
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Kendall was just brought up this year after tearing up the minor league circuts. Kendall has not fared much better either giving up a .313 batting average to his opponents and a 8.18 ERA.
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The old vet Ramirez was brought back at the last minute and is the only bright spot. In 7 games he is averaging 1 strike out per inning and has kept his era down to 2.45
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
AL West
In the AL West, it will be interesting to see how the 2 new owners, Vancouver and Los Angeles, will perform. Last season, it was a 2 teams battles between Seattle(now Los Angeles) and Fresno, Las Vegas was 22 games behind Seattle while Salt Lake City(now Vancouver) was 42 games. This season will probably bring the same type of battle between the same 2 teams. Let's take a look:
Los Angeles Earthquakes -Owner: scottso14 (1st Season)Payroll- $69,500,000. Last Year's Record- 84-78 (1st). The new owner scottso14 takes a team in very good shape with 2 great young starters in Andres Zapata and Randy Nicholas plus 3 solids starters to complete the rotation. The bullpen, however, doesn't look as strong with free agent closer Jason Olerud. The offense should be the same if not better with the return of their 2 big run producer Carlos Navarre and Guillermo Santayana, but the leadoff hitter Julio Miranda has to be good for another year. Catcher Will Priest has been signed as free agent.
Prospects to watch: Ron Maloney and Ernest Hamelin.
Projected Wins- 85-90.
Fresno Bearkats -Owner: Iceman67 (3rd Season)Payroll- $84,600,000. Last Year's Record- 82-80 (2nd). Iceman67 is returning for his 3rd season in Banks and he sure wants to take back the division title in Fresno. The Bearkats will count on the same 5 starters, starting with their ace Tomas Ferrer , like Los Angeles, the bullpen could be a problem with closer Santiago Velazquez. On the field, almost everybody's back, so the offense should be in good hand with Will Payne and Santiago Castillo. Free agent C Taylor Burnett should help.
Prospect to watch: Vic Perez
Projected Wins- 85-90.
Las Vegas Touts -Owner: dgtrache(3rd Season)Payroll- $73,100,000. Last Year's Record- 62-100 (3rd). dgtrache is also returning for his 3rd season in Banks but for him, the challenge is much bigger. With a lot of talent in the minor the futur looks bright for the Touts but dgtrache want to be better this season. That's why he goes on the free agency market for a little shopping. He had to his team, SP Jarrod Jameson, SP Alejandro Flores, 1B Douglas Taylor, RF C.C. Parker and RP Julian Rivera. To that, add SS Joshua Bell, LF Josh Dillon, SP Marty Vander Wal and you have a much better team then last season's Touts.
Prospects to watch: Terrence Wiggins, Kelvin Cunningham, Damion Merloni, Al Armas and Gus Baek.
Projected Wins- 70-75.
Vancouver Canucks -Owner: sirius07(1st Season)Payroll- $58,400,000. Last Year's Record- 42-120 (4th). It's the 1st season for sirius07 as the owner of Vancouver but it's his 7th in Banks, his first 6 were with Boston Red Sox in the AL East. It will be tough to bring that team into the series but he has some good young pitching to build with and with the first pick in this year's draft that means another very good young player for the Canucks. He already improve his team with the rule 5 draft, selecting 2B Felix Moran from Chicago Cubbies. The rotation should already be good this season with Esteban Cornejo, Benny Wagner and Ahmad Nixon. However, the bullpen is not very good. On the field, except for Moran, LF Midre Arias and 1B/DH Paul Reynolds will contribute to the offense. C Bailey Sturtze is the only free agent for the Canucks and he could help this young pitching staff.
Prospects to watch: Hector Lennon and Albert Ellenwood.
Projected Wins- 60-65.
Los Angeles Earthquakes -Owner: scottso14 (1st Season)Payroll- $69,500,000. Last Year's Record- 84-78 (1st). The new owner scottso14 takes a team in very good shape with 2 great young starters in Andres Zapata and Randy Nicholas plus 3 solids starters to complete the rotation. The bullpen, however, doesn't look as strong with free agent closer Jason Olerud. The offense should be the same if not better with the return of their 2 big run producer Carlos Navarre and Guillermo Santayana, but the leadoff hitter Julio Miranda has to be good for another year. Catcher Will Priest has been signed as free agent.
Prospects to watch: Ron Maloney and Ernest Hamelin.
Projected Wins- 85-90.
Fresno Bearkats -Owner: Iceman67 (3rd Season)Payroll- $84,600,000. Last Year's Record- 82-80 (2nd). Iceman67 is returning for his 3rd season in Banks and he sure wants to take back the division title in Fresno. The Bearkats will count on the same 5 starters, starting with their ace Tomas Ferrer , like Los Angeles, the bullpen could be a problem with closer Santiago Velazquez. On the field, almost everybody's back, so the offense should be in good hand with Will Payne and Santiago Castillo. Free agent C Taylor Burnett should help.
Prospect to watch: Vic Perez
Projected Wins- 85-90.
Las Vegas Touts -Owner: dgtrache(3rd Season)Payroll- $73,100,000. Last Year's Record- 62-100 (3rd). dgtrache is also returning for his 3rd season in Banks but for him, the challenge is much bigger. With a lot of talent in the minor the futur looks bright for the Touts but dgtrache want to be better this season. That's why he goes on the free agency market for a little shopping. He had to his team, SP Jarrod Jameson, SP Alejandro Flores, 1B Douglas Taylor, RF C.C. Parker and RP Julian Rivera. To that, add SS Joshua Bell, LF Josh Dillon, SP Marty Vander Wal and you have a much better team then last season's Touts.
Prospects to watch: Terrence Wiggins, Kelvin Cunningham, Damion Merloni, Al Armas and Gus Baek.
Projected Wins- 70-75.
Vancouver Canucks -Owner: sirius07(1st Season)Payroll- $58,400,000. Last Year's Record- 42-120 (4th). It's the 1st season for sirius07 as the owner of Vancouver but it's his 7th in Banks, his first 6 were with Boston Red Sox in the AL East. It will be tough to bring that team into the series but he has some good young pitching to build with and with the first pick in this year's draft that means another very good young player for the Canucks. He already improve his team with the rule 5 draft, selecting 2B Felix Moran from Chicago Cubbies. The rotation should already be good this season with Esteban Cornejo, Benny Wagner and Ahmad Nixon. However, the bullpen is not very good. On the field, except for Moran, LF Midre Arias and 1B/DH Paul Reynolds will contribute to the offense. C Bailey Sturtze is the only free agent for the Canucks and he could help this young pitching staff.
Prospects to watch: Hector Lennon and Albert Ellenwood.
Projected Wins- 60-65.
Friday, April 3, 2009
NL East Preview
The NL East returns all 4 owners from last season. No team won more than 95 or less than 75 which means this division is even top to bottom. Every team has a shot a the division title and could take home 3 playoff spots. It may be reviewer bias but this is probably the best division in the world however it will be interesting to see if all 4 teams beat up on one another so much that it will hurt their overall win totals. The front runner looks to be the Loggers with dark horses in the Hoosiers and the Redlegs with the Hilltoppers having a disappointing season compared to years past.
Kansas City LOGGERS- Owner: Llcc (12th Season)
Payroll- $82,968,283
Last Year's Record- 95-67 (1st)
Owner Llcc returns for his 12th season at the helm of the Loggers. He has had a monopoly over the NL East with 7 Division Championships and 10 playoff appearances. He is still looking for that elusive World Series Crown. He retruns probably the best coaching staff in the league and the pressure on them is coming to a head with an increasingly competitive division. The team is led by LF and returning MVP Mateo James. With over 150 Hr's in two years and still improving, there is no reason to think he wouldn't repeat as MVP again. There could be problems with some of the offense however. This reviewer wonders if some of the LOGGERS would be able to hit the pitching in one of the deepest pitching staff's in baseball. The pitching staff is solid once again behind staff ace Jeff Cirillo. One weakness to the staff would be a lack of a 5th starter. If llcc could pick one up, the LOGGERS should compete for the division again. There are a couple pieces down in the minors but Llcc will look to restock the organization for the future.
Projected Wins- 90-95
Indianapolis Hoosiers- Owner: Xubrad (2nd Season)
Payroll- $50,305,416
Last Year's Record- 75-87 (4th)
Last year was the first year under new owner Xubrad. In his first season he had to rebuild the entire organization through trades and the draft. This year we will see if all of the hard work will pay off. The Hoosiers are going to be one of the youngest teams in the world. The Hoosiers will have 9 rookies and 16 players total with less than 3 years of experience. This team is one of the most improved and talented teams in the NL where they will try to break the 9 year losing streak. The offense will be led by 2B Clay Webb and Zoltan Terry. These two will be competiting for MVP honors for years to come. The Starting rotation will be the key to the team this year. The Hoosiers will have 3 rookies in this years rotation led by future Cy Young Aaron Duff and future All Star in Doug Hogan. the Hoosiers will have one of the deepest teams in the league and have even more depth if needed in the minors. This looks to be an exciting season for the Hoosiers and may lead to their first post season appearance in a long time but can they break through in what looks to be the biggest and baddest division in baseball.
Projected Wins- 87-92
Cincinnati Redlegs- Owner: Mjdato (9th Season)
Payroll- $63,475,800
Last Year's Record- 83-79 (3rd)
Mjdaro enters his 9th season at the helm of the Redlegs. So far he has had littke success but the last three years he has compiled winning seasons. So far he had little to show but will this be the year when the Redlegs break through? This years pitching staff will be led by a late addition last fall in Felix Cummings. This will be his first season with Cincy at he will look to get them over the hump. The rest of the starting rotation looks to be above average. The bullpen may be the weekeness keeping the Redlegs out of the playoffs. They have soe quality pitchers but there may be a lack of depth when the pitchers start to tire over the summer months. 3B Albert Julio will look to lead another above average offense in the division. If they can keep their run production high enough to cover some weak spots in the bullpen then the Redlegs may break through for their 1st playoff appearance.
Projected Wins- 85-90
Wichita Hilltoppers- Owner: Oakout (6th Season)
Payroll- $81,040,950
Last Year's Record- 92-70 (2nd)
Oakout returns for his 6th season at the helm of the Hilltoppers. Oakout has led Wichita to 5 straight post season appearences and have consistantly battled the LOGGERS for for division championships year in and year out. The Hilltoppers offense and defense could be the downfall this season. There is no doubt that Shep Daal and Marty Schrenk will lead the team offensively but their is concern with OF depth and at SS. The will have to fill some big gaps offensively if they want to compete top to bottom. Cy Young Rolando Nieves looks to lead a front loaded pitching staff. The entire staff is by far the weakest in the division. Nieves will put up double didget wins but will it be enough to pull through in such a loaded division.
Projected Wins- 75-80
Kansas City LOGGERS- Owner: Llcc (12th Season)
Payroll- $82,968,283
Last Year's Record- 95-67 (1st)
Owner Llcc returns for his 12th season at the helm of the Loggers. He has had a monopoly over the NL East with 7 Division Championships and 10 playoff appearances. He is still looking for that elusive World Series Crown. He retruns probably the best coaching staff in the league and the pressure on them is coming to a head with an increasingly competitive division. The team is led by LF and returning MVP Mateo James. With over 150 Hr's in two years and still improving, there is no reason to think he wouldn't repeat as MVP again. There could be problems with some of the offense however. This reviewer wonders if some of the LOGGERS would be able to hit the pitching in one of the deepest pitching staff's in baseball. The pitching staff is solid once again behind staff ace Jeff Cirillo. One weakness to the staff would be a lack of a 5th starter. If llcc could pick one up, the LOGGERS should compete for the division again. There are a couple pieces down in the minors but Llcc will look to restock the organization for the future.
Projected Wins- 90-95
Indianapolis Hoosiers- Owner: Xubrad (2nd Season)
Payroll- $50,305,416
Last Year's Record- 75-87 (4th)
Last year was the first year under new owner Xubrad. In his first season he had to rebuild the entire organization through trades and the draft. This year we will see if all of the hard work will pay off. The Hoosiers are going to be one of the youngest teams in the world. The Hoosiers will have 9 rookies and 16 players total with less than 3 years of experience. This team is one of the most improved and talented teams in the NL where they will try to break the 9 year losing streak. The offense will be led by 2B Clay Webb and Zoltan Terry. These two will be competiting for MVP honors for years to come. The Starting rotation will be the key to the team this year. The Hoosiers will have 3 rookies in this years rotation led by future Cy Young Aaron Duff and future All Star in Doug Hogan. the Hoosiers will have one of the deepest teams in the league and have even more depth if needed in the minors. This looks to be an exciting season for the Hoosiers and may lead to their first post season appearance in a long time but can they break through in what looks to be the biggest and baddest division in baseball.
Projected Wins- 87-92
Cincinnati Redlegs- Owner: Mjdato (9th Season)
Payroll- $63,475,800
Last Year's Record- 83-79 (3rd)
Mjdaro enters his 9th season at the helm of the Redlegs. So far he has had littke success but the last three years he has compiled winning seasons. So far he had little to show but will this be the year when the Redlegs break through? This years pitching staff will be led by a late addition last fall in Felix Cummings. This will be his first season with Cincy at he will look to get them over the hump. The rest of the starting rotation looks to be above average. The bullpen may be the weekeness keeping the Redlegs out of the playoffs. They have soe quality pitchers but there may be a lack of depth when the pitchers start to tire over the summer months. 3B Albert Julio will look to lead another above average offense in the division. If they can keep their run production high enough to cover some weak spots in the bullpen then the Redlegs may break through for their 1st playoff appearance.
Projected Wins- 85-90
Wichita Hilltoppers- Owner: Oakout (6th Season)
Payroll- $81,040,950
Last Year's Record- 92-70 (2nd)
Oakout returns for his 6th season at the helm of the Hilltoppers. Oakout has led Wichita to 5 straight post season appearences and have consistantly battled the LOGGERS for for division championships year in and year out. The Hilltoppers offense and defense could be the downfall this season. There is no doubt that Shep Daal and Marty Schrenk will lead the team offensively but their is concern with OF depth and at SS. The will have to fill some big gaps offensively if they want to compete top to bottom. Cy Young Rolando Nieves looks to lead a front loaded pitching staff. The entire staff is by far the weakest in the division. Nieves will put up double didget wins but will it be enough to pull through in such a loaded division.
Projected Wins- 75-80
Thursday, April 2, 2009
AL North Preview
The AL North is arguably the best division in the AL an one of the best in baseball. The North returns three teams that were over .500 and a fourth just under. Unfortunately the division only returns two owners from the previous year with last years division champ and third place teams under new management. Owner bowen_brian returns freshly off his wild card season hopes to turn his team into division champs.
Projected Division Finish
Ottowa Hosers- Owner: Nesman (1st Season)
Payroll- $98,029,663
Nesman takes over a team that won 97 games and is only 2 season past back to back World Series apperances. The team is led by All-Star SS Carlos Guillen who is coming off a season where he hit 38 Hrs and had 122 Rbi's. The pitching staff is led by last years CyYoung Malcolm McCallum. Malcolm is coming of a season where he had 22 wins and a Era of 2.79. The Hosers will have one of the best and oldest pitching staffs in the league leading to some concern on how many years this team will be able to maintain its dominance over the division. With an average offense, the Hosers may be pressed to make some moves near the deadline to get the team back to the World Series. Their minors have some nice players that if called up would improve the team by a couple wins and could be the key to their future.
Projected Wins- 95-100
Tacoma Settlers- Owner: Bowen_brian (12th Season)
Payroll- $58,920,950
Owner Bowen_brian returns for his 12th Season. He is one of the few owners left since the birth of the world. With only one losing season, there seems little reason to think that the Settlers will again be a top team in the divison. Bowen_brian will look for his 6th post season apperance and 3rd in a row. The Settlers will be led by its pitching staff that is led by former Cy Young Del Perez and Cy Young to-be Pedro Castillo. Like the Hosers, the Settlers also have one of the oldest pitching staffs in the league which brings into questin will the experience of this staff finally get Bowen_brian his first World Series? That question really depends on if the offense will be able to score enough runs. Young SS Josias James will try to lead the offense back to prominence. The infield looks set but there looks to be a big problem in OF Depth. If one of the few outfielders on the team goes down then the Settlers could be in big trouble. If Brian_bowen needs to make a trade to strengthen his major league team, his minors hold some solid players that could contribute or be a key chip in a trade. asof right now I just can't put them ahead of the Hosers unless its offense can prove that it will score runs.
Projected Wins- 90-95
Syracuse Salty Dogs- Owner: Soconner3 (1st Season)
Payroll- $72,998,400
Soconner3 takes over a team that won 84 games last season and finished 3rd in the division. Syracuse signed Victor Wirth in Free Agency at a price of $15 million. Some may question if the price is worth the production they will get out of Wirth and a 5 year deal is something the Salty Dogs may regret down the road. Overall their pitching is average but not bery deep. This team will struggle to reach .500 again without a solid bullpen putting extra pressure on the starters. Offensively, the Salty Dogs will be below average. Overall this team will have trouble getting close to the results that the team accomplished last year but there are bright years ahead for this organization as their minors are stocked for the future.
Projected Wins- 65-70
Toledo Mudhens- Owner Doogie1736 (2nd Season)
Payroll- $70,106,300
Doogie 1736 returns for his 2nd season at the helm of the Mudhens. The franchise that has 2 World Series to its record has fallen on hard times and has had 5 straight losing seasons. The Mudhens will probably make it 6 straight losing seasons with the team assembled this seasob. The pitching staff is one of the worst in the world with only one real quality pitcher in Matthew Flores. Rule 5 pickup Ed Vance is a flame thrower with very little control. Offensively the Mudhens have some quality parts but depth will have a problem. The Mudhens may be better served in trading some of these players for prospects, take their lumps and build for the future through the draft. The minors for the Mudhens are above average with a future Cy Young in Frank Houston. This team is about 2 seasons away and if Doogie1736 stays with the team, a playoff apperance might not be too far off in the future.
Projected wins- 60-65
Projected Division Finish
Ottowa Hosers- Owner: Nesman (1st Season)
Payroll- $98,029,663
Nesman takes over a team that won 97 games and is only 2 season past back to back World Series apperances. The team is led by All-Star SS Carlos Guillen who is coming off a season where he hit 38 Hrs and had 122 Rbi's. The pitching staff is led by last years CyYoung Malcolm McCallum. Malcolm is coming of a season where he had 22 wins and a Era of 2.79. The Hosers will have one of the best and oldest pitching staffs in the league leading to some concern on how many years this team will be able to maintain its dominance over the division. With an average offense, the Hosers may be pressed to make some moves near the deadline to get the team back to the World Series. Their minors have some nice players that if called up would improve the team by a couple wins and could be the key to their future.
Projected Wins- 95-100
Tacoma Settlers- Owner: Bowen_brian (12th Season)
Payroll- $58,920,950
Owner Bowen_brian returns for his 12th Season. He is one of the few owners left since the birth of the world. With only one losing season, there seems little reason to think that the Settlers will again be a top team in the divison. Bowen_brian will look for his 6th post season apperance and 3rd in a row. The Settlers will be led by its pitching staff that is led by former Cy Young Del Perez and Cy Young to-be Pedro Castillo. Like the Hosers, the Settlers also have one of the oldest pitching staffs in the league which brings into questin will the experience of this staff finally get Bowen_brian his first World Series? That question really depends on if the offense will be able to score enough runs. Young SS Josias James will try to lead the offense back to prominence. The infield looks set but there looks to be a big problem in OF Depth. If one of the few outfielders on the team goes down then the Settlers could be in big trouble. If Brian_bowen needs to make a trade to strengthen his major league team, his minors hold some solid players that could contribute or be a key chip in a trade. asof right now I just can't put them ahead of the Hosers unless its offense can prove that it will score runs.
Projected Wins- 90-95
Syracuse Salty Dogs- Owner: Soconner3 (1st Season)
Payroll- $72,998,400
Soconner3 takes over a team that won 84 games last season and finished 3rd in the division. Syracuse signed Victor Wirth in Free Agency at a price of $15 million. Some may question if the price is worth the production they will get out of Wirth and a 5 year deal is something the Salty Dogs may regret down the road. Overall their pitching is average but not bery deep. This team will struggle to reach .500 again without a solid bullpen putting extra pressure on the starters. Offensively, the Salty Dogs will be below average. Overall this team will have trouble getting close to the results that the team accomplished last year but there are bright years ahead for this organization as their minors are stocked for the future.
Projected Wins- 65-70
Toledo Mudhens- Owner Doogie1736 (2nd Season)
Payroll- $70,106,300
Doogie 1736 returns for his 2nd season at the helm of the Mudhens. The franchise that has 2 World Series to its record has fallen on hard times and has had 5 straight losing seasons. The Mudhens will probably make it 6 straight losing seasons with the team assembled this seasob. The pitching staff is one of the worst in the world with only one real quality pitcher in Matthew Flores. Rule 5 pickup Ed Vance is a flame thrower with very little control. Offensively the Mudhens have some quality parts but depth will have a problem. The Mudhens may be better served in trading some of these players for prospects, take their lumps and build for the future through the draft. The minors for the Mudhens are above average with a future Cy Young in Frank Houston. This team is about 2 seasons away and if Doogie1736 stays with the team, a playoff apperance might not be too far off in the future.
Projected wins- 60-65
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Season 1- Chicago Land Sloths (Stull) AL