Welcome To Season 9
Welcome back to all our owners, and a special shout out to our new Double Mendoza owners:
sneekes (new Britain)
amerith (Texas)
indiansrck27 (Albuquerque)
bret2775 (Helena)
moy23 (Chicago NL)
mnnorthstars (Charleston)
antonsirius (Tacoma)
With free agency about to begin, questions abound. Will KC become the 3rd repeat WS winner? What teams will surprise? Which new owners will shine? Stay tuned for another scintillating season of Double Mendoza action!
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
ML Debut
Due to injuries, the Memphis Maulers were forced to call up and start Juan Belliard in the middle of a penant chase. Belliard responded with a 4 hit complete game shutout in his major league debut. He walked two and struck out four.
AL Playoff Race
With 4 games remaining there are some tight playoff races going on. In the American League, the Chicago Gansta' Chimps have clinched the North Division title as well as the #2 seed and bye for the playoffs. The AL East is still up for grabs as the Durham Blue Devils lead Pittsburgh by 2 games. The AL South is also up for grabs as the Maulers lead the Tides by one game. In the AL West, the Brawling Kahunas have clinched the division and the #1 seed. The Oakland Oaks have clinched a wild card berth. The Richmond Tides lead the race for the second wild card spot by 2 games.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Power Rankings at Game 50
Almost a third into the season, so trends have been taking shape for awhile. Here are the top teams ranked by W-L first, and run differential second (in parens):
1. Honolulu Brawling Kahunas 41-9: getting crazy-good pitching and remarkable seasons from oldies Sammy Sierra (.403 BA) and Butch Collins (.363).
2. Kansas City Masterpiece 35-15: Neil Parker and Felipe Espinoza both over 1.000 OPS; Art Drew off to a 7-0 start.
3. Chicago Gangsta' Chimps 34-16 (+140): on pace to score nearly 1300 runs; 3rd straight MVP for James Martin (.335/21/75)?
4. Richmond Tides 36-14 (+63): Balance - 5th in runs scored, 4th in Team ERA. Gerald Kirby (5-1, 1.91 ERA) and Thomas Moya (.298/17/34) leading the way.
5. Durham Blue Devils 33-17: Almost as prolific as the Chimps. Tyrone Dawkins' (.388/16/55) FA contract looks like a bargain now, and Tripp Snow (.341/16/57) is having his usual great season.
6. Oakland Oaks 30-20 (+69): Just keep adding good young players. Pascual Ordonez (.280/24/53) is on a 78-HR pace; Tony Tarasco is 8-2, 2.39.
7. Philadelphia Clarkerrs 30-20 (+60): Surprise contender is getting great pitching (3.47 ERA) and a power attack (71 homers). Armando Romo (.347/19/50) is making an MVP bid; Cecil Flores (4-2, 2.51 ERA) leads the staff.
8. Toronto Tornfingers 28-22 (+42): Best NL team OPS. Gary Munson (.272/9/26), Danny Brunette (.324/10/33), Matthew Payton (.321/9/24) and Steve Wilson (.279/17/54) lead the balanced attack.
9. Arizona Flip-Floppers 28-22 (-22) Somehow playing .560 ball while socring 22 fewer runs than they've allowed (.455 expected %). It helps when your closer is 20-for-20 with a 0.46 ERA (Hooks Perisho). Also helps to have Joe Thompson (.372/19/52).
10. Memphis Maulers 27-23 (+56): Pitching rules in the big ballpark: Robert Knight (5-2, 2.70 ERA) and Coco Casey 4-1, 3.19 ERA) have Maulers runnign second in NL South.
1. Honolulu Brawling Kahunas 41-9: getting crazy-good pitching and remarkable seasons from oldies Sammy Sierra (.403 BA) and Butch Collins (.363).
2. Kansas City Masterpiece 35-15: Neil Parker and Felipe Espinoza both over 1.000 OPS; Art Drew off to a 7-0 start.
3. Chicago Gangsta' Chimps 34-16 (+140): on pace to score nearly 1300 runs; 3rd straight MVP for James Martin (.335/21/75)?
4. Richmond Tides 36-14 (+63): Balance - 5th in runs scored, 4th in Team ERA. Gerald Kirby (5-1, 1.91 ERA) and Thomas Moya (.298/17/34) leading the way.
5. Durham Blue Devils 33-17: Almost as prolific as the Chimps. Tyrone Dawkins' (.388/16/55) FA contract looks like a bargain now, and Tripp Snow (.341/16/57) is having his usual great season.
6. Oakland Oaks 30-20 (+69): Just keep adding good young players. Pascual Ordonez (.280/24/53) is on a 78-HR pace; Tony Tarasco is 8-2, 2.39.
7. Philadelphia Clarkerrs 30-20 (+60): Surprise contender is getting great pitching (3.47 ERA) and a power attack (71 homers). Armando Romo (.347/19/50) is making an MVP bid; Cecil Flores (4-2, 2.51 ERA) leads the staff.
8. Toronto Tornfingers 28-22 (+42): Best NL team OPS. Gary Munson (.272/9/26), Danny Brunette (.324/10/33), Matthew Payton (.321/9/24) and Steve Wilson (.279/17/54) lead the balanced attack.
9. Arizona Flip-Floppers 28-22 (-22) Somehow playing .560 ball while socring 22 fewer runs than they've allowed (.455 expected %). It helps when your closer is 20-for-20 with a 0.46 ERA (Hooks Perisho). Also helps to have Joe Thompson (.372/19/52).
10. Memphis Maulers 27-23 (+56): Pitching rules in the big ballpark: Robert Knight (5-2, 2.70 ERA) and Coco Casey 4-1, 3.19 ERA) have Maulers runnign second in NL South.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Breaking Down The Ottawa-Florida Blockbuster
Ottawa and Florida have just pulled off the biggest trade in recent Double Mendoza memory. Here's how it breaks down:
Ottawa gets:
OF Randy Christman - might be a bit overpaid, but you won't find a more reliable on-base threat
SS Clem Powell - 7th pick of the Season 3 draft could be his way to the first of many Gold Gloves
SP Kevin Kida - Season 7 IFA projects to a solid #2 with very good control and splits, better-than-average velocity and sinking action. His #1 pitch (sinker) will undoubtedly be ML quality; the only question mark on this guy is how well his #2-#4 pitches develop.
Florida gets:
3B Pablo Johnson - the prize of the Season 5 IFA class ($18.6MM bonus), he makes excellent contact, has plus power, and could draw 85+ walks a year. He can already be an average-to-good defender at 3B, and still has some developing to do. There are a bunch of All-Star Games and numerous other awards in the future for this kid.
SS Michael Swann - The Pends are getting back an adequate SS here. His glove is a little less than you want at SS, and his range doesn't quite make up for it. He has a very strong throwing arm and good accuracy. Thanks to his proficiency against lefties, he's a better hitter than your average SS.
SP Stew Roundtree - Season 7 1st-rounder (#30) has a long way to go, but if his pitches all develop, he could overcome shaky splits and be a ML contributor.
Analysis
Looks to me like Florida got the absolute max possible for Johnson - a very nice SP prospect, arguably the best defensive SS in Double Mendoza (young, to boot), plus a nice ML OF. Not that Johnson isn't worth it. He has it all...he'll be a .300+ hitter with power and a great walk totals, he'll be a plus defender at 3B, and he'll steal bases if needed. The only flaw is a low DUR rating (67), but given the rest of the package that's pretty easily overlooked. Swan and Roundtree are the 5th and 6th-best pieces in the trade. Who has improved their team more? Assuming they promote Johnson immediately, Florida. Long-term (when Kida reaches the bigs), I think Ottawa gets a little edge, but I can easily see this being a great trade for both teams.
Ottawa gets:
OF Randy Christman - might be a bit overpaid, but you won't find a more reliable on-base threat
SS Clem Powell - 7th pick of the Season 3 draft could be his way to the first of many Gold Gloves
SP Kevin Kida - Season 7 IFA projects to a solid #2 with very good control and splits, better-than-average velocity and sinking action. His #1 pitch (sinker) will undoubtedly be ML quality; the only question mark on this guy is how well his #2-#4 pitches develop.
Florida gets:
3B Pablo Johnson - the prize of the Season 5 IFA class ($18.6MM bonus), he makes excellent contact, has plus power, and could draw 85+ walks a year. He can already be an average-to-good defender at 3B, and still has some developing to do. There are a bunch of All-Star Games and numerous other awards in the future for this kid.
SS Michael Swann - The Pends are getting back an adequate SS here. His glove is a little less than you want at SS, and his range doesn't quite make up for it. He has a very strong throwing arm and good accuracy. Thanks to his proficiency against lefties, he's a better hitter than your average SS.
SP Stew Roundtree - Season 7 1st-rounder (#30) has a long way to go, but if his pitches all develop, he could overcome shaky splits and be a ML contributor.
Analysis
Looks to me like Florida got the absolute max possible for Johnson - a very nice SP prospect, arguably the best defensive SS in Double Mendoza (young, to boot), plus a nice ML OF. Not that Johnson isn't worth it. He has it all...he'll be a .300+ hitter with power and a great walk totals, he'll be a plus defender at 3B, and he'll steal bases if needed. The only flaw is a low DUR rating (67), but given the rest of the package that's pretty easily overlooked. Swan and Roundtree are the 5th and 6th-best pieces in the trade. Who has improved their team more? Assuming they promote Johnson immediately, Florida. Long-term (when Kida reaches the bigs), I think Ottawa gets a little edge, but I can easily see this being a great trade for both teams.
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