Computer Rankings - 6/29 (PM) - Season 10

Underachievers

1. Texas Tittyballs: 6.641

2. Cleveland Steamers: 5.633

3. Detroit Tigers: 5.565

4. Monterrey Cervezas: 2.672

5. Jacksonville Juggernauts: 2.541

Overachievers

1. Huntington Cousins: -6.366

2. Richmond Moonshiners II: -3.395

3. Houston Aggies: -3.188

4. Fargo Nines: -2.952

5. Atlanta City Slickers: -2.882

Computer Rankings

Rank	Team	Record	Computer Score
1	Jacksonville Juggernauts	45-24	0.6742
2	Colorado Springs AltiDUDES	44-25	0.6314
3	Cheyenne ChilliPeppers	42-27	0.627
4	Memphis Hound Dawgs	42-27	0.6222
5	Fresno Fire Dragons	43-26	0.6164
6	Kansas City Shuffle	40-29	0.583
7	Norfolk Nomads	39-30	0.58
8	Salt Lake City Dodgers	39-30	0.5788
9	Pawtucket Polythene	40-29	0.5764
10	New Orleans Breeze	40-29	0.5722
11	Houston Aggies	41-28	0.5664
12	Tucson Turbocors	40-29	0.5662
13	Richmond Moonshiners II	41-28	0.5646
14	Charlotte knights	39-30	0.5578
15	Texas Tittyballs	34-35	0.5506
16	Little Rock Big Rocks	37-32	0.5468
17	Scottsdale T's	36-33	0.4974
18	Monterrey Cervezas	31-38	0.4724
19	Trenton Terror	32-37	0.4706
20	New York Thunder	31-38	0.4628
21	New York Moon Shots	33-36	0.4618
22	Atlanta City Slickers	32-37	0.4388
23	Huntington Cousins	33-36	0.4228
24	Rochester Raging Rhinos	29-40	0.4122
25	Fargo Nines	30-39	0.4092
26	San Francisco Sourdoughs	28-41	0.4084
27	St. Louis Birdnals	28-41	0.3922
28	Indianapolis Racers	26-43	0.3728
29	Hartford Defenders	26-43	0.362
30	Detroit Tigers	21-48	0.3526
31	Scranton Dunder-Mifflins	23-46	0.3432
32	Cleveland Steamers	19-50	0.3242

Computer Rankings - 6/22 (PM) - Season 10

Underachievers

1. Texas Tittyballs: 5.1

2. Detroit Tigers: 4.85

3. Cleveland Steamers: 4.55

4. Jacksonville Juggernauts: 2.5

5. Trenton Terror: 2.45

Overachievers

1. Colorado Springs AltiDUDES: -4.6

2. Huntington Cousins: -3.35

3. New Orleans Breeze: -2.4

4. Houston Aggies: -2

5. Atlanta City Slickers: -1.85

Computer Rankings

Rank	Team	Record	Computer Score
1	Jacksonville Juggernauts	32-18	0.67
2	Norfolk Nomads	33-17	0.6576
3	Fresno Fire Dragons	32-18	0.6286
4	Memphis Hound Dawgs	31-19	0.6194
5	Pawtucket Polythene	30-20	0.6102
6	Cheyenne ChilliPeppers	30-20	0.6054
7	Colorado Springs AltiDUDES	33-17	0.6048
8	Richmond Moonshiners II	30-20	0.5802
9	Houston Aggies	30-20	0.576
10	Salt Lake City Dodgers	27-23	0.5508
11	Kansas City Shuffle	27-23	0.5466
12	Charlotte knights	28-22	0.5426
13	New Orleans Breeze	28-22	0.5312
14	Tucson Turbocors	26-24	0.5284
15	Little Rock Big Rocks	25-25	0.5108
16	Texas Tittyballs	22-28	0.5012
17	Trenton Terror	23-27	0.4894
18	Scottsdale T's	25-25	0.4778
19	Monterrey Cervezas	23-27	0.4732
20	Fargo Nines	24-26	0.4584
21	New York Moon Shots	24-26	0.4584
22	Atlanta City Slickers	24-26	0.4578
23	New York Thunder	22-28	0.4556
24	St. Louis Birdnals	22-28	0.4556
25	San Francisco Sourdoughs	22-28	0.4274
26	Huntington Cousins	23-27	0.4198
27	Detroit Tigers	17-33	0.3982
28	Rochester Raging Rhinos	19-31	0.368
29	Indianapolis Racers	19-31	0.365
30	Cleveland Steamers	15-35	0.3546
31	Scranton Dunder-Mifflins	17-33	0.352
32	Hartford Defenders	17-33	0.3406

Computer Rankings - 6/15(PM) - Season 10

Underachievers

1. Texas Tittyballs: 3.62

2. Detroit Tigers: 3.38

3. Jacksonville Juggernauts: 2.73

4. Charlotte knights: 1.77

5. Memphis Hound Dawgs: 1.66

Overachievers

1. Huntington Cousins: -3.623

2. New Orleans Breeze: -3.44

3. Colorado Springs AltiDUDES: -2.8

4. Cheyenne ChilliPeppers: -1.632

5. Fresno Fire Dragons: -1.62

Computer Rankings

Rank	Team	Record	Computer Score
1	Fresno Fire Dragons	21-9	0.6676
2	Jacksonville Juggernauts	18-12	0.6546
3	Richmond Moonshiners II	20-10	0.6442
4	Houston Aggies	20-10	0.6358
5	Memphis Hound Dawgs	17-13	0.6
6	Scottsdale T's	18-12	0.5946
7	Pawtucket Polythene	17-13	0.5892
8	Colorado Springs AltiDUDES	19-11	0.5772
9	Norfolk Nomads	17-14	0.554
10	Cheyenne ChilliPeppers	18-13	0.5492
11	Tucson Turbocors	16-14	0.548
12	Charlotte knights	15-15	0.5354
13	Trenton Terror	15-15	0.5162
14	Salt Lake City Dodgers	15-16	0.5158
15	Little Rock Big Rocks	15-15	0.5132
16	Texas Tittyballs	13-17	0.5056
17	Atlanta City Slickers	16-15	0.5046
18	Monterrey Cervezas	15-15	0.5
19	New Orleans Breeze	17-13	0.498
20	San Francisco Sourdoughs	15-15	0.4814
21	Kansas City Shuffle	14-16	0.4772
22	Fargo Nines	15-16	0.469
23	New York Thunder	13-17	0.463
24	New York Moon Shots	14-16	0.437
25	St. Louis Birdnals	13-18	0.4304
26	Huntington Cousins	15-16	0.4138
27	Rochester Raging Rhinos	12-18	0.3988
28	Indianapolis Racers	13-18	0.3932
29	Cleveland Steamers	11-19	0.3922
30	Scranton Dunder-Mifflins	12-18	0.3886
31	Detroit Tigers	7-23	0.3008
32	Hartford Defenders	8-22	0.282

Season 10 Hall of Fame Results

In the first season of Hall of Fame voting, 8 players made the ballot. Troy Harper, Steven Widger, Jeremi Warden,
Bubba Wall, Al Thompson, Orlando Javier,
Jamey Dorsey, and
Jesus Soto. One player received enough votes to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, one player received enough votes to remain on the ballot in season 11, and 6 players did not receive enough votes for anything.

18 owners voted this year, making 13 votes of yes necessary for a player to be inducted, and 9 votes of yes necessary for a player to remain on the ballot for season 11.

To nobodies surprise, Troy Harper was inducted into the Hall of Fame. The Santa Cruz first baseman received 15 votes, far more than anybody else. Orlando Javier received 10 of 18 votes, meaning he will be on the ballot again in season 11. Jeremi Warden was the next highest vote getter, with 5 votes.

Troy Harper has now been added to the Sharkey's World Hall of Fame. Orlando Javier's "resume" will be kept in this thread, for safekeeping for next season.

Orlando Javier
Kansas City (Seasons 1-7), New Orleans (Season 8)
3-time All Star
2-time Cy Young Winner
Single Season Wins Record (27)
296 appearances, 187 starts, 120-53 record, 12 for 16 saves, 1335 IP, 964 K, 1.27 whip, 3.73 ERA

A breakdown of players, and who voted for them.

Troy Harper: Pawtucket, Norfolk, St. Louis, Texas, Houston, Rochester, San Francisco, Richmond, Cheyenne, Tuscon, Monterrey, Colorado Springs, Salt Lake City, Fresno, Scranton

Steven Widger: Colorado Springs, Fresno

Jeremi Warden: Rochester, San Francisco, Richmond, Tuscon, Scranton

Bubba Wall: none

Al Thompson: Colorado Springs, Salt Lake City

Orlando Javier: Pawtucket, Texas, Houston, Rochester, Richmond, Cheyenne, Tuscon, Salt Lake City, Fresno, Scranton

Jamey Dorsey: none

Jesus Soto: none

Kansas City, Scottsdale, and New York (AL) also voted on this season's HOF ballot, but did not cast a vote for any of the players on the ballot.

32 Fearless Predictions

Is this the year I go 32-for-32???

*Atlanta has its first .500 season since Season 5, but misses the playoffs, and still finishes 20+ games behind Charlotte for 2nd in the AL East.

*The knights will not get the recognition of KC or Jacksonville, and will finish 3rd in the AL. But with legendary playoff performer Christopher Ramirez now on the roster, they're able to wrap up their first AL pennant.

*The New York Thunder do not (gasp!) finish last in the NL North.

*The Cheyenne Chillipeppers eventually regret not being more active in this historically active offseason, as they find themselves struggling with Scottsdale in their final series for the 2nd AL Wildcard berth.

*The Cleveland Steamers storm out to an early lead in the NL North, and hold on to win their first division crown since season 1.

*In a scene reminiscent of Brooklyn in 1955, the town of Colorado Springs goes wild after the AltiDUDES defeat Cleveland in the NLDS and advance to their first ever NLCS.

*The Detroit Tigers have the first overall pick in the Season 11 draft.

*The Fargo Nines find themselves stuck between retooling & rebuilding, not quite sure whether to chase the Moon Shots, or chase the Tigers. They finish behind Trenton, for 3rd in the division, but still do not get a Top 10 pick.

*The Fire Dragons get over the loss of Castillo & Rosa quicker than most expected, and beat out divisional favorite Kansas City in winning their first ever AL Best title.

*Hartford has jumped from 53, to 54, to 56 wins in the last three seasons. Fans in Connecticut are eager to see what it will be this year... 57? Or another two-win jump all the way up to 58!

*Houston makes a serious run at 90 wins in Season X, but can't close the gap on any AL West teams, or the Juggernauts, and again just miss out on making the playoffs.

*The Huntington Cousins, ravaged by free agency, take a serious step backwards in Season X, losing 10+ more games than in their great season 9.

*The Indianapolis Racers made yours truly look like a fool in last seasons "Fearless Predictions," so I'll play it safe this year, and say that the Indianapolis 500 will remain the most exciting sporting event of the year in this town for at least one more season.

*The Jacksonville Juggernauts make a serious run at Kansas City's record 122 victories. Playing in the top-heavy AL hurts them, though, as they fall a handful of victories short.

*For the 2nd straight year, the Shuffle fail to win the AL West title, but they do finish with the 3rd best record in the AL, and they produce yet another AL MVP.

*The next great dynasty is one year away from its first taste of glory in Little Rock, but the Big Rocks still stay in playoff contention until the final days of the season.

*The Memphis Hound Dawgs leapfrog Texas for 2nd in the NL South, and compete for a return to the playoffs after a two season hiatus.

*The Monterrey Cervezas challenge for their 9th season of .500 or better ball in 10 tries, while at the same time making a run at 4th place in the AL South.

*The New Orleans Breeze finish second to the AltiDUDES in the final NL standings once again, but this time they win a playoff game - in fact, they win enough to collect their first NL Pennant.

*The New York Moon Shots win their 2nd straight AL North title, but are still not ready to compete with the elite of the AL, and bow out in the first round again.

*The Norfolk Nomads win the NL East...

*...just kidding. Pawtucket wins its 9th straight division title, a Sharkey's World record, while Norfolk once again earns a wildcard berth.

*The Richmond Moonshiners get out of the AL South basement.

*Rochester is still way better than people expect, and makes a late season push at winning its 7th NL North title, but fade away in the last 15 or so games of the season.

*The Salt Lake City Dodgers let the preseason hype get to their heads a little bit, and while they do show improvement, its not nearly as much as people expect. Still, their 87 wins are enough to keep them in the NL Wildcard race until the last day of the season.

*The San Francisco Sourdoughs trade Lenny "Weed" Winchester mid-season for a bounty larger than Pawtucket got for Ramirez & also larger than Texas got for Hernandez.

*The Scottsdale T's finally cross the 90-win plateau. They may finish 5th in the AL, they may finish 8th...

*The Scranton Dunder-Mifflins, energized by not having to face Ramirez once in Season X, have their best final record since going 81-81 in season 5... but they're still bad.

*The St. Louis Birdnals are in full "wait 'til next year" mode, and lose 95+ games for the 3rd straight season.

*The Texas Tittyballs were hit harder than anybody else in the Season X offseason, and just never recover. They miss the playoffs for the first time since season 3, and only the second time ever.

*The Trenton Terror, barely a year removed from 39 victories, do Kingdean & the Garden State proud by finishing above .500, which keeps them in the divisional race in the weak NL North until the final series.

*The Turbocors regain their magic touch of Season 8, and make a strong push against Memphis & Salt Lake City for the final NL Wildcard spot.

AL Playoff Seeds:
1. Jacksonville
2. Fresno
3. Charlotte
4. New York
5. Kansas City
6. Cheyenne

NL Playoff Seeds:
1. Colorado Springs
2. New Orleans
3. Pawtucket
4. Cleveland
5. Norfolk
6. Salt Lake City

Round One:
Charlotte over Cheyenne, Kansas City over New York
Pawtucket over Salt Lake City, Cleveland over Norfolk

LDS:
Charlotte over Fresno, Jacksonville over Kansas City
Colorado Springs over Cleveland, New Orleans over Pawtucket

LCS:
Charlotte over Jacksonville, New Orleans over Colorado Springs

World Series:
Charlotte defeats New Orleans in 7 games

Awards:
AL MVP Billy Hernandez, KC
AL Cy Young Chris Ramirez, Cha
AL Fireman of the Year Jimmy Gentry, Jax
NL MVP Jonathon Cummings, SLC
NL Cy Young Trevor Miles, CSP
NL Fireman of the Year Frank Harris, Paw

Milestone and record watch

Entering the tenth season in this world, we are starting to see players reach important milestones. Here’s a look at some players who are making runs at some of these milestones and a few who might break some career records in years to come. (Note: All records are based on real-life Major League records.)


Home Runs
Billy Hernandez is just 47 home runs from becoming the first player in this world to hit 500 career home runs a number he could reach this season. Just 30 years old, Hernandez has a good shot at making a run at 762. At his current pace he will pass Barry Bonds in season 15 at the age of 35. And if he can stay healthy and play for the next 10 seasons, he could very well finish his career not only over the 800 mark, but dare I say over the 900 home run mark as well.
Others closing in on the 500 home run mark include 33 year old Sean O’Toole (410), and 31 year old Jonathan Cummings (358). 35 year old Homer Stein (373) and 37 year old Ramon Jang (371) also have outside shots at reaching the mark.

Stolen Bases
While 1,408 looked to be in reach for Nicholas Bryant just a few seasons ago, the 36 year old would have to average 90 stolen bases over the next four years to reach that. It’s not completely out of the question, but looks a lot tougher now. Danys Castillo, however may be the better bet to reach this mark. In six seasons, the 28-year old has 618 stolen bases. He is on pace to break the record in season 16 at the age of 34.


Hits
As many as three players could top the 2,000 hit mark this season. J.R. Lankford and Ken Hill are both 34 years old and Bryant is 36, so 3,000 looks out of the question for those three.

Wins and strikeouts
Chris Ramirez is on pace to reach the 300 win mark sometime in season 15 or 16. He’s currently the only pitcher age 30 or under with 150 wins or more. He’s only four seasons or so from becoming the first pitcher with 3,000 strikeouts. But as good as Ramirez is, he’s likely not going to reach marks of 511 and 5,714.

Saves
Frank Harris and Martin Baek both have 554 both have Trevor Hoffman in their sights, with Harris on pace to pass 563 in five seasons. But as Hoffman keeps picking up more saves it will become tougher for both these star closers to catch up.

Season 10 AL Preview

With the litany of talent that changed hands in the offseason, year 10 looks to be one of change in Sharkey's World. The grading scale is harsh but I tried to say something positive about every team and hope nobody is offended. There is definitely some Kansas City bias so beware. Also Kalikgod was a major help in getting this thing put together so without further adieu, I give you the season 10 AL preview:

AL NORTH

1. New York Moon Shots

• Rotation: Willie Robinson, Mule Einertson, Charles West and Daniel Kozlowski makeup a solid group of starters that will eat innings and keep their team competitive. Einertson, the most talented of the bunch, has gone 28-17 over the past two seasons and posted a 3.63 ERA. Grade: C+
• Bullpen: Closer Juan Lugo converted 38 of 44 save opportunities last season, posted a 2.72 ERA and earned his third career All-Star appearance. Getting to Lugo may be a problem as the rest of the pen is pretty shaky. Grade: C-
• Lineup: William Martin is one of the ALs most promising young backstops. The 25 year old Martin hit .289 last year and drove in 75 runs. New York hit .271 as a team and was below the league average with just 210 home runs. Phenom Ray Dunn could be a late season call up and would instantly make an impact. Dunn raked at the AA level last year, hitting .352, 46 HR, 166 RBI and stealing 37 bags. Grade: C-
• Outlook: The defending AL North champs have a tough task ahead of them. Trenton and Fargo have closed the gap in a wide open division and the Moon Shots didn't really add anything of note. That being said, I still think New York can weather the storm and finish on top, largely due to the fact that they were the best fielding team in the ML last year with a .987 fielding percentage.

2. Fargo Nines

• Rotation: Pinky Whiteside and Larry Brumfield represent two top-of-the-rotation type starters. Both Whiteside and Brumfield posted sub 3.85 ERAs last season, however, the two only combined to pitch 307 innings. The severe lack of depth is a concern. Grade: C-
• Bullpen: Jack Koch is one of the ALs premier closers and should rebound from an un-Koch like ERA of 3.19. Fernando Veras, BC Nunez and Rule 5 draft pick Hideo Chen should make this unit strong despite the loss of elite relief pitcher Turk Huson. Grade: B+
• Lineup: Fargo ranked 7th in OBP last year led by 12 year veteran Dennis Flanagan's .390. Gone are the days of 71 HRs for former MVP Darin Kingland but his 37 long balls and 106 RBI were enough to lead the team in both categories. Mateo Vidal looks to be ready for the bigs and will help this offense a great deal. Grade: C+
• Outlook: The offense has enough depth to compete and doesn't rely on any one player too heavily. The extreme lack of innings in the starting rotation will be a problem come All-Star break and will prevent this team from making the playoffs unless another arm is acquired.

3. Trenton Terror

• Rotation: Clearly the weakness of the team is the starting rotation. Even if newly acquired Dennys Shin is deemed a SP, the staff lacks depth and innings. Trenton's team ERA ranked 27th in season nine with a 5.76. Jimmie Diaz's masquerade as an ML pitcher should end shortly. Grade: D
• Bullpen: The pen has some big talent with Ramiro Jimenez, Joe Hancock and Mr. Do Everything, Ricardo Gongora. Look for this trio of relievers to keep a lot of ballgames close. Look for Josias DeRojas to be called up sometime this season. Grade: B+
• Lineup: Trenton's offense led the majors with 305 home runs last season, 25 more than the next team. Happy Adkins, whose 47 HR led the team, will have to hit better than .252 if the offense expects to overcome the loss of Henry Cashman. Rookies Sergei Kerr and Wes Bryant should provide the Terror with some solid depth. Grade: B
• Outlook: Kingdean's offseason acquisitions of future HOFs Dennys Shin and Ricardo Gongora show that he is serious about making a run for the division title this year. However, because of the gaping holes in the starting rotation, the Terror are still a ways off.

4. Detroit Tigers

• Rotation: Dave Locke is this unit's leader and he went 6-15 last season with a 6.26 ERA. Nuff said. Grade: D-
• Bullpen: Speechless. Grade: F
• Lineup: Omar Castilla is a beast at first base. The 26 year old launched 38 bombs last year and hit .280 with absolutely no protection. Castilla could be an MVP candidate on other teams. "Shortstop" Fonzie Conway is just 24 years old and should begin to cash in on some of his potential. Rumors out of Detroit have management changing Conway's position to 3B due to his 45 errors at short last year. Grade: D
• Outlook: The #2 pick in the draft and a projected total of about $35 million in International money promises to fetch the Tigers at least two cornerstones for the future.

AL EAST

1. Charlotte Knights

• Rotation: The biggest move in all of Sharkey this offseason was the Knights acquisition of seven time Cy Young award winner Chris Ramirez. Ramirez gives Charlotte the true ace that they have lacked in years past. Joining C-Ram is Billy Ray Poppell, Edgardo Trevino, Blade Ott and Spud Reed, a group that combined to win 58 games in season 9. Grade: B+
• Bullpen: CJ Counsell was a monster last year, posting a 9-1 with a 2.28 ERA. Willie Coronado notched 44 saves and won the AL Fireman of the Year award. This pen looks to be one of the ALs best. Grade: A
• Lineup: This lineup can mash. Ranking 5th in runs scored last year, Charlotte's lineup is stocked with young bats that you don't want to face. Horacio James barely missed a 30/30 season last year, cranking 28 homers and stealing 34 bases. James' .321 average was enough to earn him the Silver Slugger award at third. Johnnie West will be missed but in this lineup it shouldn't matter. Grade: A-
• Outlook: Dawgfan has done an impressive job with this franchise and is ready to start reaping the benefits. Bringing in Chris Ramirez to anchor the staff has other AL owners worried. The sky is the limit.

2. Atlanta City Slickers

• Rotation: Steve Giles' arrival in Atlanta gives the City Slickers staff veteran leadership and a rock solid #1 starter that should help the team ERA improve vastly from last year's 5.10 mark. Meanwhile, the much hyped youngster, Jamie Blackwell, although greatly improved, has yet to show he can pitch at the ML level. Grade: C
• Bullpen: Alejandro Rodriguez, Martin Martin and most likely aging superstar Willie Tapies will be good pitchers in relief situations but even with Tapies used as a RP the pen's depth is questionable. Grade: D+
• Lineup: Ronald Watson's 43 HR and 134 RBI led the team last year but don't be surprised if 23 year old DH Juan Beltre leads the team in power numbers in season 10. Anthony Lamb's .326 obp isn't good enough for the type of five tool player that he is. Grade: B-
• Outlook: Atlanta heads into season 10 with a talented young offensive core and an aging pitching staff that should be enough to compete for a playoff spot.

3. Hartford Defenders

• Rotation: The callup of 21 year old Clay Sedlacek has created some excitement around Hartford. Sedlacek, a former fifth overall draft selection, features a nasty cut fastball and sinker ball combo that should keep hitters guessing. Last year in AAA, Sedlacek went 14-6 with a 3.96 ERA and made the All-Star team. The scary part is that he is still shooting up. Paired up with Sedlacek is 24 year old righthander Josh McConnell. Season nine was a forgetable one for McConnell but he will likely rebound. The irony in Hartford is that the "Defenders" committed 176 errors last year, the second most in all of baseball. Grade: C-
• Bullpen: The most surprising stat from last year is that Sam Mattingly converted 22/28 save opportunities while maintaining a 5.14 ERA. I don't see how any of these relievers can get the outs needed to compete. Grade: F+
• Lineup: John Mays hit 54 HR and drove in 120 runs in season nine. Mays' numbers are purely a product of the hitter's paradise that is Welch Park (2, 3, 1, 4, 4). This lineup has little to hang it's hat on. Grade: D-
• Outlook: The Defenders have done a fine job drafting talented pitching the past few years and that should pay dividends in the long run. Look for Hartford to pull down a much needed cornerstone offensively with this year's #5 overall pick.

4. Indianapolis Racers

• Rotation: This staff is expensive and old with mediocre talent. That being said, I have to believe that the rotation is better than the 6.15 team ERA (31st) it had last year. Torey Burks is probably the most talented pitcher on the team and he lost 15 games last year. Grade: D-
• Bullpen: My mother used to say, "If you can't say anything nice then don't say anything at all." Grade: F
• Lineup: The loss of Darrell Cardona will be a big one for the Racers as he was their only true threat on the base paths. First baseman Josh Sexson came over mid-season in a trade with Rochester and will likely be a leader on offense. Grade: D-
• Outlook: This franchise is in disarray right now but I believe Cjwagner can right the ship. Indy has the fourth and seventeenth overall picks in this years draft with which to acquire talent. That coupled with a big international signing or two and the Racers will be on track.

AL SOUTH

1. Jacksonville Juggernauts

• Rotation: Reigning Cy Young Award winner Alex Olmeda has become the ace he was projected to be when he was selected number one overall by Jacksonville out of Auburn University. Olmeda has gone 42-11 the past two seasons and is still very much in his prime. Jacksonville lost Steve Giles to free agency but just yesterday acquired Max Hernandez via trade to lock up that number two spot in the rotation. Dude Johnson and Felipe Concepcion round out a deep pitching staff. Grade: B+
• Bullpen: Kevin Nakano and Orber Stokes are two of the finest setup men in the game. Combined, the two won 15 games last season and logged over 223 innings. Closing the door on the opposition is Jimmie Gentry. Gentry had a career year in season nine, saving 35/39 games and doing so with a 2.44 ERA. This pen may be the best in Sharkey. Grade A+
• Lineup: The Juggernauts scored 1040 runs last season which was good enough for the 7th most all time. Driving in 142 of those runs was third baseman Julio De La Vega. De La Vega is joined by four time AL MVP Nicholas Bryant, gold glove second baseman Ricardo Diaz and gold glove center fielder Sam Gonzales. Rookie Sidney Terrell is a sure fire ROY candidate and could very well make this offense even better than it was a year ago. Grade A
• Outlook: Jacksonville was one game away from winning the past three World Series titles but instead had to settle for a measley two. Unless the team plane disappears like an Air France jet, the Juggernauts have an excellent shot at another World Series trophy.

2. Houston Aggies

• Rotation: 33 year old righthander Kevin Seung led the team in wins (13) and strikeouts (178) last year. Michael Walters is probably the Aggies most talented pitcher but only logged 20 starts in season nine. Andrea Rivera is a decent addition from Huntington but he should get pounded by lefties. Grade: C
• Bullpen: Houston spent $37 million on Kansas City's former closer Benito Rosario. Rosario has 119 career saves, a 3.46 career ML ERA and should add some much needed depth to a previously thin bullpen. Grade: C-
• Lineup: Former #1 overall pick Esteban Rincon has matured into one of the best five tool players in the game. As a rookie last year Rincon hit 32 HR, drove in 121 runs, stole 18 bases and hit .301. The 23 year old Rincon also plays Gold Glove caliber defense at second base. Luke Romero led the team with a .309 average while hitting 31 homers and driving in 114 runs. Grade: B
• Outlook: The Aggies came up just short of the second wild card in season nine. They should be in the running again this year but may not have added enough to compete with the other big spenders in the AL.

3. Monterrey Cervezas

• Rotation: After Buddy Bako this staff gets thin in a hurry. Bako is the only top of the rotation starter in the group. That said Bako will provide them with many quality starts and and give the pen some much needed rest. Grade C-
• Bullpen: Benji Alverez is the kid in the pen at age 29. In fact the average age of the entire staff is 31, and only 3 guys have a durability over 50. Alverez should bounce back and have a better year, but the group is going to be hard pressed to find enough innings. One injury and this pen could be in shambles. Grade D+
• Lineup: The bats are a an decent group ordinary hitters. A few guys with a little pop, but no 50 HR guys. A few guys with good foot speed, but no real base stealers. The lineup will struggle against top pitchers in the league. Defense is where this group gets scary. I don't remember "weak up the middle" being an old baseball adage. The pitchers won't be sitting on the same end of the bench with these guys. Grade D
• Outlook: Unfortunately for Monterrey, they are not in a division where they could steal a title with 87 wins if they get hot. This will be a year to keep stocking the minors. The good news is there are some real good gloves in Ivan Pinzon and Don Felsen developing in the minors and not much money on the books for the future. Look for Monterrey to be a player in the free agent market soon.

4. Little Rock Big Rocks

• Rotation: This is a solid staff that is extremely young, Crespo is only 20! While there isn't a Cy young type pitcher, they send out a good pitcher every day to give them a chance to win. Time is definitely on the side of this staff and a couple of them should see progression even at the ML level. Grade B
• Bullpen: Walters is a good closer with two big pitches, but getting to him might be tricky. A quality setup man would improve this team by 10 wins. Grade C-
• Lineup: Again the theme is youth here, no players are older than 27. This is a real good lineup top to bottom with a couple studs in Coco and Samuel. They will definitely score runs. But then they forget to grab their gloves when they hit the field. This defense is in absolute shambles. I think the DH is even going to commit an error on this team. This team will lead the league in unearned runs. Grade B-
• Outlook: Keep looking. Down the road, with the addition of a few pieces to plug the holes, this team will head to the playoffs often. For now, look for another big international splash.

AL BEST

1. Kansas City Shuffle

• Rotation: Sal Freeman and his $39 million contract join the Shuffle with high hopes. Kansas City's staff lost a ton of talent last season by dealing away Dennys Shin, Chad Jones and Paul Cooper. Remaining from the glory years is 32 year old Rob Aldridge who boasts a career 136-54 record. Youngsters Gerald McConnell, Manuel Romero and Edguardo Sosa round out a solid rotation with a big upside. Grade: B+
• Bullpen: Despite losing Ricardo Gongora, Scott Whiten and Benito Rosario, the bullpen should be a strength for the Shuffle this season. Rookie Curtis Blalock will take over the closer's role while Julian Hearn and newly acquired Brad O'Toole will pitch in the setup spot. Grade: A-
• Lineup: Danys Castillo and Billy Hernandez were acquired via free agency and trade respectively. Castillo and Hernandez are two of the most dominant offensive players in all of Sharkey. Rookies Andres Ortiz, Javier Chavez and Ron Fisher all should make a huge impact in what looks to be the best offense in the majors. Grade: A+
• Outlook: The AL Best has been the toughest division in the league for several seasons now and looks to remain that way. Kansas City's 25 man roster will feature 18 new faces this season, many of which are first or second year MLers. If the Shuffle's rotation can stay healthy this team could win their 9th AL Best title.

2. Fresno Fire Dragons

• Rotation: Chad Jones, Paul Cooper and Geronimo Limon make up one of the best one through threes in the majors. Jones had a career year in season 9, going 21-8 with a 3.16 ERA. Grade: B+
• Bullpen: Quinn Cedeno comes over from a deal with Little Rock and should be a force. Closer Victor Simmons has 271 career saves which ranks 3rd all time in Sharkey. Grade: B
• Lineup: Juan Carrasco is one of the best players in Sharkey and at age 24 could be on the road to winning multiple league MVPs. The loss of Danys Castillo will hamper the top of the order some but Fresno clearly has the bats to score a ton of runs. Grade: A-
• Outlook: Fresno made the moves it takes to win a championship in season nine but came up short. They aren't far behind the Shuffle in my opinion and could just as easily win this division and a World Series title.

3. Cheyenne Chilipeppers

• Rotation: Felipe Soto and Sammy Cordero remain as rock solid starters. Losing Jim Standridge however, weakens this staffs depth quite a bit. Grade: C
• Bullpen: The pen features several very good arms and is led by closer Ichiro Nakamura who recorded 26 saves in season nine. Grade: B-
• Lineup: Former MVP Pat Tamura should do the AL a favor and just retire. Tamura continues to be an elite hitter who plays almost everyday. Pat The Bat's career .313 average and 324 homers make him a sure fire Hall of Famer at the age of 28. Joing Tamura are two other former MVPs, Jose Rodriguez and Jesse Gentry, along with several other very talented hitters. Grade A
• Outlook: Unfortunately Cheyenne didn't add much in Sharkey's historical offseason and may suffer because of it. Never count Snarfuller out though as he is known to be a crafty owner with a few tricks up his sleeve.

4. Scottsdale T's

• Rotation: Hello Jason Owen. He gets a warm welcome to the town as they now have a real nice 1-3 with Robinson and Amaro. Owen was the perfect fit for this team to post big innings pitching totals and give the middle relief some days off. After the big three it gets a little rough, but those guys won't see innings in the playoffs. Grade B+
• Bullpen: Closer extraordinaire Brad Tankersley, is one of the best in the business. He was a perfect 26/26 last season. They just need to get him more opportunities. Myette and Gardner give them the ability to matchup against righties and lefties in the setup role. One more quality arm in the pen here would help bridge the gap on days when they are fatigued. Grade B
• Lineup: The lineup is solid with Pete West anchoring them as an everyday catcher that can mash the ball. They might struggle hitting for average consistently, but they can compete against the best pitching. They are missing the big home run bat that could put the offense over the top. Defensively they have a big hole at SS where Max Cortez is looking to move to another position. CF is also an issue, Norm Swann just can't cover the ground that he used to. Grade C+
• Outlook: This could be the year that they finally crack the 90 win mark....and finish last in the division again. The team is built well for a playoff run ala Rochester last year, but they need to go out and buy a couple pieces to get there.

Predicted Playoff Seeding

1. Kansas City Shuffle
2. Jacksonville Juggernauts
3. Charlotte Knights
4. New York Moon Shots
5. Fresno Fire Dragons
6. Cheyenne Chilipeppers

Round 1

• Charlotte over Cheyenne
• Fresno over New York

Round 2

• Kansas City over Fresno
• Jacksonville over Charlotte

Round 3

• Jacksonville over Kansas City

Award Predictions (No particular order)

MVP Candidates
1. Juan Carrasco (FR)
2. Louie Samuel (LR)
3. Juan Beltre (ATL)
4. Pat Tamura (CHY)
5. Pete West (SCOT)
6. Ronald Watson (ATL)
7. Sidney Terrell (JAX)
8. Billy Hernandez (KC)
9. Horacio James (CHAR)
10. Andres Ortiz (KC)
11. Jesse Gentry (CHY)

CY Young Candidates
1. Alex Olmeda (JAX)
2. Chris Ramirez (CHAR)
3. Sal Freeman (KC)
4. Jayson Owen (SCO)
5. Chad Jones (FR)

ROY Candidates
1. Andres Ortiz (KC)
2. Ron Fisher (KC)
3. Sidney Terrell (JAX)
4. Kenny Bennett (FR)
5. Horacio Gonzales (FAR)

Fireman Candidates
1. Brad Tankersly (SCO)
2. Jimmie Gentry (JAX)
3. Willie Coronado (CHAR)
4. Juan Lugo (NY)
5. Jack Koch (FAR)

Season 10 National League Preview

With many big name players shifting from the NL to the AL, it should be interesting to watch how this league plays out this year. Last year’s champion, Rochester won despite finishing the regular season just two games over .500. But the Raging Rhinos lost some key players, most notably Jonathan Cummings who bolted for Salt Lake City through free agency and Max Hernandez, who was traded away. Pawtucket, winners of three of the last six NL titles also lost some key pieces, trading away its top two pitchers, Christopher Ramirez and Henry Mackowiak. A look at how each team is projected to finish in its division.

NL North

1. Cleveland Steamers – Cleveland hasn’t been to the postseason since season 1, but the Steamers were very active this offseason. New additions to the team include J.R. Lankford, Footsie Burnett and Luis Pulido. Cleveland also has four rookies on its ML roster, all of whom are expected to play big roles in their first season in the bigs.
2. Rochester Raging Rhinos – The lost of Cummings is going to hurt. It will be hard for Rochester to replace 58 home runs, but the Rhinos have still won six of the last seven division titles. They still have enough pieces to contend for the title again, but Cleveland’s improvement will make it hard for another title in upstate New York.
3. St. Louis Birdnals – According to sources inside the Birdnal organization, the team has received some trade offers for Joshua Nixon. But with or without Nixon, it will be tough for St. Louis to compete in this division, which is truly better than last season’s record would indicate.
4. New York Thunder – This franchise will benefit from having an owner with previous experience who appears committed to sticking around. However, it will be a tough rebuilding job that will take a couple of seasons.

NL East

1. Pawtucket Polythene – Pawtucket has won the last eight division titles, most of them without much of a challenge from any of the other three teams. Losing Ramirez and Mackowiak will even the field a little bit, but Pawtucket is still head and shoulders above everyone else
2. Norfolk Nomads – This could have been Norfolk’s best chance to finally get over the hump and win this division, but a big free agent or two would have helped the Nomads’ cause. They did, however, get some solid players for a decent price this offseason and should still compete for a wild card spot, and could potentially top Pawtucket in a seven-game series. But over 162 games Pawtucket will still reign king.
3. Huntington Cousins – The Cousins were ravaged by free agency this year, and seem to be rebuilding through the Rule 5 draft, selecting nine players in that field. It’s an interesting approach, but this season will tell whether or not its an effective strategy.
4. Scranton Dunder-Mifflins – Fans in northeast Pennsylvania should expect an improvement over last season’s 54-108 disaster. This is a team which has improved this offseason through free agency, but most of their talent is still growing in the minors. One prospect, Howard Green could be on the ML roster by the end of the season. The rest are still a year or two away.

NL South

1. New Orleans Breeze – A year off its first ever division crown, the Breeze once again have their eyes on the title. New Orleans boosted its already strong lineup with free agent signings of Donaldo Baez, Orlando Rosa and Del Cortez, along with rookie Richard Kim. The South may be the toughest division in the NL, but a repeat for New Orleans should be a Breeze.
2. Texas Tittyballs – Make no mistake about it, even without Billy Hernandez, this is still a VERY good team. But in this division the All-Time Career home run leader could have come in handy. Texas has also put Sean O’Toole on the block. If they get rid of him that will be a lot of power that needs to be replaced.
3. Richmond Moonshiners II – This team was quite possibly the best 4^th place team in the history of this world last season. The Moonshiners have a nice young team which should be even better than last season, and escape from the division basement.
4. Memphis Hound Dogs – Probably the only thing that can help the Hound Dogs is a division realignment. Since that appears very unlikely that leaves Memphis with a chance to challenge last year’s Richmond team for the title of best 4^th place team ever.

NL West

1. Salt Lake City Dodgers – The Dodgers are far and away the most improved team in the NL this season. In addition the Cummings, they picked up superstar closer Martin Baek. Baek has averaged 46 saves per season in his career, which is more saves than any other closer has had in a single season in franchise history. Add in rookie Brian Adcock who hit 20-of-50 after being called up last season and the Dodgers have their eyes on their first postseason appearance since season 3
2. Colorado Springs AltiDUDES – The addition of Mackowiak should solidify the pitching rotation in Colorado Springs. But the AltiDUDES are a bunch of aging Dudes, with their average age just on the wrong side of 30. Colorado Springs will still be a tough team, but many of their players are living on borrowed time.
3. Tucson Turbocors – While much of the division spent this offseason trying to improve, Tuscson only signed one free agent, Ricky Ellis, a 40-year old setup man. Eric Harris will give the Turbocors some power in his first full season in the ML. In 82 games last season, he hit 27 home runs.
4. San Francisco Sourdoughs – Much like Scranton, all the talent in the Sourdough organization lies in its minor league system. It may be another last place finish for San Francisco, but this could be the final year.

Projected playoff seeding

1. New Orleans Breeze
2. Salt Lake City Dodgers
3. Pawtucket Polythene
4. Cleveland Steamers
5. Norfolk Nomads (WC)
6. Colorado Springs AltiDUDES (WC)
   

Wild Card Series projection

Pawtucket over Colorado Springs

Norfolk over Cleveland

Divisional Series projection

New Orleans over Norfolk

Salt Lake City over Pawtucket

NLCS projection

Salt Lake City over New Orleans

Postseason Awards projection

MVP: Jonathan Cummings, Salt Lake City

Cy Young: Vladimir Mack, New Orleans

Fireman of the Year: Frank Harris, Pawtucket

Rookie of the Year: Eric Harris, Tucson

Season 10 Preseason Rankings

Preseason rankings. Last years computer ranking is identified in parenthesis.

1. Colorado Springs AltiDUDES (2)
2. Charlotte knights (8)
3. Jacksonville Juggernauts (1)
4. Cheyenne ChilliPeppers (5)
5. New Orleans Breeze (3)
6. Fresno Fire Dragons (4)
7. Kansas City Shuffle (9)
8. Texas Tittyballs (6)
9. Houston Aggies (12)
10. Norfolk Nomads (10)
11. Pawtucket Polythene (7)
12. Memphis Hound Dawgs (11)
13. New York Moon Shots (14)
14. Salt Lake City Dodgers (19)
15. Fargo Nines (16)
16. Huntington Cousins (13)
17. Cleveland Steamers (23)
18. Richmond Moonshiners II (17)
19. Scottsdale T's (21)
20. Atlanta City Slickers (18)
21. Monterrey Cervezas (22)
22. Little Rock Big Rocks (24)
23. Rochester Raging Rhinos (15)
24. Tucson Turbocors (20)
25. Trenton Terror (26)
26. St. Louis Birdnals (25)
27. Hartford Defenders (28)
28. San Francisco Sourdoughs (27)
29. Indianapolis Racers (29)
30. Scranton Dunder-Mifflins (30)
31. Detroit Tigers (31)
32. Chicago Orphans (32)

Who Is LMW5488?

The only new member of Sharkey's World in season 10, and not quite a new member at all. For the first time in World history, all 32 members have at least one year's experience, and hopefully season 11 will be the first time in World history where all 32 members played in the previous season.

LMW5488 is Canes628. He was an original (and founding) member of Sharkey's World back in season one, creating the Santa Cruz Bay Kings. He is definitely best known for one single moment, quite possibly the first big moment in World history. On February 23, 2007, just days after Sharkey's World was created, Canes handed out a 5 year, $87 million contract to future Hall of Famer Troy Harper - a move by many seen as the start of this great world.

It certainly set the stage for greatness. Harper set a still standing home run record with 73 in season 1, winning the MVP award, and helping the Bay Kings finish with a 96-66 record, earning a wildcard berth. The team made it to the NLCS before falling to division rival San Francisco.

Season 2 wasn't as successful for Santa Cruz, and after the year, Canes "retired" with a 169-155 mark in two seasons, saying that when the time was right, he would be back.

In season three, SW rookie Benny_B_LA took over for Canes, and managing a team mostly assembled by Canes, won the National League Pennant.

Now, after seven seasons, the time is right. Canes returns, but under a new name, and with a new team. Judging by the $80 million in contracts that he handed out this offseason, though, it's definitely the same man.

And for that, the NL North is better off, as it has added an owner who knows what it takes to win.

Welcome Back!

(This article was not written in Pawtucket).