Habla Happenings

All Star Blog

2010-01-22T04:23:00.000-08:00

With the All-Star game approaching I (Steve) thought I’d put a couple teams together again. Let us know what you think. Also, give your opinion on who deserves the final spots.

Starting Lineups:

AL:
C Jack Slater (OAK): .346, 31 HR, 79 RBI, 64 Runs, 1.100 OPS
1B Kevin Hunt (OAK): .376, 31 HR, 76 RBI, 74 Runs, 1.147 OPS
2B Ross Barnes (TOR): .333, 7 HR, 38 RBI, 50 Runs, .835 OPS, 8 SB
3B Hank Blalock (OAK): .344, 27 HR, 71 RBI, 78 Runs, 1.019 OPS
SS Yunel Escobar (NYA): .331, 14 HR, 47 RBI, 65 Runs, .907 OPS, 8 SB
OF Nick Markakis (ANA): .410, 24 HR, 73 RBI, 81 Runs, 1.187 OPS, 12 SB
OF Rocky Colavito (KC): .343, 35 HR, 78 RBI, 77 Runs, 1.118 OPS
OF Larry Walker (OAK): .337, 16 HR, 59 RBI, 94 Runs, .986 OPS, 6 SB
DH Clue Haywood (BAL): .373, 34 HR, 101 RBI, 64 Runs, 1.144 OPS
P Roger Clemens (OAK): 13-3, 3.00 ERA, 105.0 IP, 88 Ks, 17 GS, 13 QS

NL:
C Sonny Delfino (CIN): .298, 22 HR, 57 RBI, 38 Runs, .936 OPS
1B George Sisler (SF): .408, 29 HR, 65 RBI, 81 Runs, 1.214 OPS
2B Josh Barfield (LA): .346, 26 HR, 60 RBI, 59 Runs, 1.009 OPS, 5 SB
3B Matt Williams (LA): .336, 23 HR, 54 RBI, 60 Runs, .976 OPS
SS John Henry Lloyd (PIT): .346, 22 HR, 47 RBI, 68 Runs, .991 OPS, 15 SB
OF Babe Ruth (ATL): .379, 39 HR, 90 RBI, 83 Runs, 1.216 OPS
OF Henry Aaron (CIN): .369, 30 HR, 82 RBI, 65 Runs, 1.108 OPS
OF Jay Bruce (SF): 352, 26 HR, 72 RBI, 57 Runs, 1.024 OPS
DH Prince Fielder (ATL): .382, 33 HR, 76 RBI, 70 Runs, 1.181 OPS
P Mark Hallen (STL): 10-4, 2.51 ERA, 96.2 IP, 48 Ks, 16 GS, 13 QS

AL Reserves:
C Brian McCann (NYA): .340, 23 HR, 72 RBI, 72 Runs, 1.035 OPS
C Gator Swanson (MIL): .288, 21 HR, 59 RBI, 43 Runs, .885 OPS
1B Clem Graves (KC): .347, 32 HR, 71 RBI, 65 Runs, 1.118 OPS
1B Luke Easter (OAK): .328, 28 HR, 80 RBI, 67 Runs, .977 OPS
2B Luis A. Gonzalez (CLE): .271, 13 HR, 50 RBI, 42 Runs, .800 OPS
3B Dex Apple (SEA): .269, 19 HR, 52 RBI, 52 Runs, .816 OPS
SS Rocky Notel (DET): .302, 2 HR, 42 RBI, 73 Runs, .732 OPS, 31 SB
OF Chris Duncan (KC): .342, 29 HR, 82 RBI, 57 Runs, 1.043 OPS
OF Ken Williams (MIN): .380, 24 HR, 54 RBI, 71 Runs, 1.105 OPS, 8 SB
OF Matt Holiday (OAK): .358, 24 HR, 75 RBI, 53 Runs, 1.054 OPS
OF Stacy Conner (TEX): .346, 17 HR, 76 RBI, 59 Runs, .985 OPS

NL Reserves:
C Ben McAllister (STL): .323, 13 HR, 42 RBI, 65 Runs, .852 OPS
1B Ryan Howard (STL): .312, 31 HR, 68 RBI, 59 Runs, .992 OPS
1B Sadahura Oh (SD): .343, 23 HR, 56 RBI, 61 Runs, .993 OPS
1B Kite Melton (PHI): .310, 25 HR, 55 RBI, 57 Runs, .964 OPS
2B Dan Uggla (PIT): .323, 19 HR, 57 RBI, 40 Runs, .922 OPS
3B Orlando Cepeda (HOU): .343, 21 HR, 49 RBI, 63 Runs, 1.023 OPS, 8 SB
SS Hanley Ramirez (ATL): .369, 13 HR, 42 RBI, 75 Runs, 1.006 OPS, 10 SB
OF Turkey Stearnes (SF): .374, 22 HR, 54 RBI, 60 Runs, 1.131 OPS, 13 SB
OF Grady Sizemore (ATL): .345, 17 HR, 38 RBI, 81 Runs, .962 OPS, 21 SB
OF Bobby Abreu (HOU): .367, 22 HR, 53 RBI, 56 Runs, 1.079 OPS, 6 SB
OF Josh Hamilton (COL): .309, 20 HR, 63 RBI, 54 Runs, .939 OPS, 7 SB

AL Bullpen:
Bobby Witt (BAL): 11-2, 2.29 ERA, 102.1 IP, 73 Ks, 17 GS, 11 QS
Manny Smythe (KC): 11-2, 3.55 ERA, 96.1 IP, 69 Ks, 17 GS, 11 QS
Hiker Moran (ANA): 8-4, 2.34 ERA, 88.1 IP, 39 Ks, 16 GS, 9 QS
Kelvim Escobar (OAK): 9-1, 3.87 ERA, 90.2 IP, 79 Ks, 16 GS, 10 QS
Brad Lidge (KC): 2-1, 2.78 ERA, 22.2 IP, 14 Ks, 14 IR, 4 IRS, 15 S, 10 H
Sammy Tyler (OAK): 3-3, 1.86 ERA, 43.2 IP, 37 Ks, 38 IR, 9 IRS, 3 S, 12 H
Lex Powell (TOR): 1-4, 3.20 ERA, 25.1 IP, 16 Ks, 20 IR, 3 IRS, 12 S, 3 H
Mitch Williams (BOS): 2-2, 2.55 ERA, 35.1 IP, 37 Ks, 22 IR, 4 IRS, 5 S, 9 H
Walter Beck (CHA): 0-3, 3.79 ERA, 19.0 IP, 16 Ks, 6 IR, 0 IRS, 6 S, 4 H

NL Bullpen:
Cy Young (ATL): 11-2, 2.87 ERA, 94.0 IP, 97 Ks, 16 GS, 10 QS
Carlos Zambrano (ATL): 12-2, 3.02 ERA, 107.1 IP, 96 Ks, 17 GS, 12 QS
Jack McDowell (LA): 10-3, 2.93 ERA, 110.2 IP, 81 Ks, 17 GS, 13 QS
George Bradley (HOU): 7-3, 2.19 ERA, 94.2 IP, 54 Ks, 16 GS, 12 QS
Wes Stock (STL): 2-0, 1.60 ERA, 33.2 IP, 33 Ks, 12 IR, 2 IRS, 6 S, 12 H
Goose Gossage (MON): 4-2, 3.34 ERA, 35.0 IP, 36 Ks, 15 IR, 3 IRS, 7 S, 8 H
Jason Bourne (FLA): 5-2, 2.70 ERA, 36.2 IP, 34 Ks, 33 IR, 10 IRS, 3 S, 12 H
Phenomenal Smith (NYN): 8-3, 2.57 ERA, 49.0 IP, 37 Ks, 33 IR, 8 IRS, 2 S, 6 H
JJ Putz (CHN): 4-5, 3.48 ERA, 31.0 IP, 23 Ks, 16 IR, 3 IRS, 0 S, 14 H

AL Final Spot:
1B Tino Martinez (CLE): .316, 26 HR, 65 RBI, 52 Runs, 1.048 OPS
OF Reggie Sanders (ANA): .322, 21 HR, 78 RBI, 63 Runs, .959 OPS
OF Brock Sampson (NYA): .300, 25 HR, 68 RBI, 61 Runs, .889 OPS
SP Addie Joss (ANA): 9-4, 3.59 ERA, 115.1 IP, 97 Ks, 17 GS, 11 QS
RP Chris Capuano (KC): 8-0, 3.25 ERA, 61.0 IP, 48 Ks, 25 IR, 8 IRS, 3 S, 6 H

NL Final Spot:
1B Dan Brouthers (PIT): .321, 20 HR, 59 RBI, 59 Runs, .950 OPS
3B Clete Boyer (STL): .286, 21 HR, 65 RBI, 61 Runs, .867 OPS
OF Willie Stargell (ATL): .330, 22 HR, 73 RBI, 58 Runs, .952 OPS
SP Mike Hampton (LA): 8-3, 2.65 ERA, 108.2 IP, 73 Ks, 17 GS, 13 QS
SP Freddie Mendoza (PIT): 9-3, 2.84 ERA, 95.0 IP, 42 Ks, 16 GS, 11 QS

2030-2032: Habla’s Dead Ball Era

2010-01-04T14:19:00.000-08:00

Those who were a part of the league in the early part of this decade will never forget how dominant off speed pitchers were during that stretch. The flamethrowers like Roger Clemens really took a hit during this stretch, and I think most, if not all of us, prefer the more balanced stats that we are currently seeing. However, just for fun I thought we could take a stroll down memory lane and look at some of the ridiculous numbers that the dominant pitchers of that era put up.

Hiker Moran (ANA): 34-21, 2.21 ERA, 579.0 IP, 180 Ks, 56 QS, 1.02 WHIP
Phil Niekro (MON): 52-27, 2.83 ERA, 625.1 IP, 387 Ks, 69 QS, 1.06 WHIP
Addie Joss (PIT): 50-20, 2.42 ERA, 649.2 IP, 584 Ks, 77 QS, 1.03 WHIP
Ken Brubaker (PIT): 50-20, 1.81 ERA, 605.1 IP, 596 Ks, 73 QS, 0.93 WHIP
George Blaeholdger (MON): 43-13, 2.29 ERA, 471.2 IP, 243 Ks, 56 QS, 1.10 WHIP
Dave Wickersham (MON): 45-14, 2.39 ERA, 568.1 IP, 374 Ks, 62 QS, 1.04 WHIP
T. Livingston (BOS, CHA, CIN): 48-15, 2.10 ERA, 622.1 IP, 536 Ks, 66 QS, 0.96 WHIP
Burleigh Grimes (FLA): 51-19, 1.82 ERA, 646.2 IP, 509 Ks, 81 QS, 1.04 WHIP
Orel Hershiser (FLA): 49-17, 2.10 ERA, 599.1 IP, 534 Ks, 73 QS, 1.00 WHIP
Andy Van Hekken (FLA): 50-14, 2.14 ERA, 623.0 IP, 447 Ks, 74 QS, .95 WHIP
Danny McDevitt (PIT): 53-15, 2.17 ERA, 634.1 IP, 414 Ks, 81 QS, 0.99 WHIP
Ray Willow (SD): 33-9, 1.60 ERA, 337.2 IP, 181 Ks, 38 QS, 0.87 WHIP
Doug Rau (TEX): 57-13, 2.05 ERA, 640.1 IP, 449 Ks, 75 QS, 1.03 WHIP
Martin Blank (CIN): 32-8, 2.29 ERA, 419.2 IP, 269 Ks, 48 QS, 0.98 WHIP
J. Perry (CIN): 44-21, 2.34 ERA (31-32, 30 unkn.)644.1 IP, 490 Ks, 79 QS, 0.90WHIP
Preacher Roe (TEX, CIN): 60-16, 2.19 ERA, 656.1 IP, 612 Ks, 75 QS, 0.99 WHIP
Jeremy Bonderman (NYA): 48-22, 2.64 ERA, 623.1 IP, 416 Ks, 64 QS, 1.08 WHIP
David Cone (MIN): 53-14, 2.71 ERA, 634.0 IP, 607 Ks, 68 QS, 1.03 WHIP
Mike Hampton (MIN): 40-11, 2.68 ERA, 416.1 IP, 372 Ks, 47 QS, 1.11 WHIP
Francisco Barrios (NYA): 70-11, 1.63 ERA, 655.1 IP, 380 Ks, 78 QS, 1.04 WHIP

Best Single Season Efforts:
Wins: 26 (Barrios, 2031)
ERA: 1.11 (Willow, 2031, 21 GS), 1.31 (Grimes, 2031)
IP: 232.0 (Roe, 2032)
Ks: 240 (Roe, 2032)
QS: 30 (Grimes, 2031), (Van Hekken, 2031)
WHIP: 0.80 (Perry, 2030)

2038 Draft Grades

2009-11-10T19:11:00.000-08:00

Steve (PGH) has taken the time to evaluate the draft and come up with some grades. What do you think?

ANA
2.9- 1B Joey Votto
2.15- RP Hanover Money
2.19- RP Heath Bell
2.26- CF Denard Span
3.13- SP Harvey Haddix
3.21- LF Howard Earl Averill

The only players I’m not a big fan of here are Span and Haddix, but the Angels did plenty enough in the rest of the draft to make up for it. KL may have gotten the best steal in the draft in Votto and Averill was a good pickup in the late 3rd. Bell should be a terrific late inning reliever and with the success of guys like Kip Konoa and Easy Gibson, there’s no reason to believe Money won’t be money as well.
Best pick: Votto
Worst pick: Span
Grade: B+

HOU
1.21- C Yogi Berra
2.2- RP Kent Tekulve
2.21- RF Dwight Evans
3.15- 1B Ron Kittle
4.21- Pass

Houston was the only team to pass on a pick in this draft, but who can blame them as there weren’t any good players left. No game changers for the Stros, but 4 solid players. Berra is a definite upgrade over Ray Fosse. Tekulve will be a very good reliever wherever he is plugged in. Evans will be a decent replacement for Burnitz or Abreu. Then, at 1B Sam already had Tommy Spokane, but he or Kittle could be moved for good value.
Best pick: Berra
Worst pick: Evans
Grade: B

OAK
No picks

It’s hard to question the champs’ methods.
Best pick: N/A
Worst pick: N/A

Grade: A

TOR
1.4- SP Grover Alexander
2.4- SP Ed Cicotte
3.4- 2B Lou Whittaker
4.4- 3B Frank Malzone

The Jays got the foundation of their rotation in Alexander and Malzone is an ok hitter for a 4th. In between, though the club struggled. Cicotte was taken off the board with several better starters still available. Then, the team got Whittaker when their best player already was a 2B.
Best pick: Alexander
Worst pick: Cicotte
Grade: B-

ATL
1.9- SP Joe Niekro
3.25- 1B Don Mincher
4.25- CF Dom DiMaggio

Felix Hernandez appears to be a bust, while Cy Young and Joda Chamberlain’s careers appear to be off to shaky starts, so trading up to get a talent like Niekro could be huge for the Braves rotation. Don’t expect Mincher to supplant Prince Fielder at 1B, but a nice trade asset picked up in the late 3rd.
Best pick: Niekro
Worst pick: DiMaggio
Grade: B+

MIL
2.5- SP Bingo Long
2.7- LF Joe Medwick
2.14- SP Yovani Gallardo
2.27- 3B Sal Bando
4.1- SS Zoilo Versalles
4.15- 1B Jake Beckley
4.26- RF Al Cowens
4.28- RF Sammy West

Wow, was this team busy throughout the draft! Long was not very high on many draft boards, but the Brew Crew picked up some decent talent in the rest of the 2nd. Gallardo could turn out to be a very good starter, while Medwick and Bando should find their way into the starting lineup.
Best pick: Gallardo
Worst pick: Long
Grade: B

STL
3.1- SP Don Sutton
4.8- 3B Pablo Sandoval
4.27- RF Don Cramer

Sutton could be a solid middle of the rotation type. He’ll infuse a little youth into an aging rotation.
Best pick: Sutton
Worst pick: Cramer
Grade: B

CHN
1.3- LF Barry Bonds
2.3- 2B Rod Carew
3.3- CF Jim Northup
4.3- CF Jimmy Piersall

The club picked up some big time offensive help in Bonds and Carew. Then they got a couple of borderline starting OFs in Northup in Piersall. However, they failed to do anything to upgrade one of the poorer pitching staffs in the league.
Best pick: Bonds
Worst pick: Carew
Grade: B+

LA
1.22- CF Bobby Mercer
2.22- SP Josh Johnson
3.22- SP Chad Billingsley
4.22- SS Omar Infante

Mercer should team well with OF Cesar Cedeno at the top of the Dodgers lineup in years to come. Johnson could become a solid back end of the rotation guy.
Best pick: Mercer
Worst pick: Infante
Grade: B

MON
1.20- CF Ty Cobb
3.5- SP Rick Porcello
3.6- SP Don Mossi
4.6- C Pat Borders

Cobb’s got great speed and contact, but there’s only so much a guy with 46 power can accomplish. Porcello was a very nice value in the 3rd and should be a solid starter.
Best pick: Porcello
Worst pick: Cobb
Grade: B

SF
3.9- SP Clay LeMaster
3.26- RP Pedro Feliciano
4.9- RP Darren Jones

LeMaster reminds some scouts of Max Butcher of the Astros and could be a huge steal in the 3rd. Feliciano and Jones have a chance to make the Giants pen.
Best pick: LeMaster
Worst pick: Jones
Grade: B+

CLE
2.20- SS Maury Wills
3.20- C Kirt Manwaring
4.20- SS Kirt Stillwell

Manwaring could end up being the Indians starting catcher. Wills and Stillwell bring little to the table, but speed and defense.
Best pick: Manwaring
Worst pick: Wills
Grade: C-

SEA
1.12- SP George Herman Ruth
2.12- 2B Jose Vidro
3.12- SP John Candelaria
4.12- SP Dallas Green

Vidro should be a good hitter with good speed as well. The Ruth selection was suprising with other ace caliber pitchers that appeared to be safer picks available. Candelaria could turn out to be ok.
Best pick: Vidro
Worst pick: Ruth
Grade: C+
FLA
1.10- SP Mickey Lolich
2.10- 2B Brandon Phillips
3.10- 1B Frank Chance
4.10- 2B Jim Gantner

Lolich was a nice pickup to anchor the Marlins rotation. Phillips is an ok player, but a surprising pick with Vidro still on the board. Chance is another surprise, with guys like Kittle and Micher still there.
Best pick: Lolich
Worst pick: Phillips
Grade: B-

NYN
1.16- SP Juan Marichal
2.16- 2B Joe Gordon
3.16- RP Gene Garber
4.16- RF Felipe Alou

The Mets managed to get Marichal, who many considered to be the last great starter on the board. Gordon is a solid player and should give them some trade options with Pete Looper still on the roster.
Best pick: Marichal
Worst pick: Alou
Grade: B+

BAL
1.17- 2B Jackie Robinson
2.17- SP John Montefusco
3.17- SS Richie Aurellia
4.17- 3B Don Wert

The new GM for the O’s got things off to a strong start. He picked up a difference maker in Robinson and 2 other potential starters in Montefusco and Aurellia. With an older ball club, this is just what this team needed.
Grade: A-

SD
1.15- 3B Eddie Matthews
3.7- SP Adam Wainwright
3.28- SP Billy Chapel
4.7- RF Harry Hooper

Even if Wainright and Chapel fail to materialize into anything of significance, this will still have been a strong draft for the Padres. Mike was able to pick up Matthews in a deal with the Brewers to add to what was already a very scary offense.
Best pick: Matthews
Worst pick: Chapel
Grade: B+

PHI
1.13- SS Ernie Banks
1.27- RF Al Kaline
1.28- SP Frank Lary
4.13- C Clay Dalrymple

Banks will be a stud; not much else needs to be said about him. Kaline should be a solid player, while Lary may be a bit of a gamble for a 1st.
Best pick: Banks
Worst pick: Lary
Grade: B+

PIT
1.14- SP Dewey Cheatem
1.26- LF Garrett Jones
2.11- RP Bill Wakefield
2.23- RP Dick Raddix
3.18- RP Neftali Feliz
4.18- CF Billy Bruton

At the very least, Cheatem and Jones adequately “replace” SP Tim Wakefield and LF Zach Wheat. Then, the Pirates completed their main objective heading into the draft, which was to round out the bullpen. They did so with a trio of flamethrowers. In an effort to be unbiased, Bruton really sucks.
Best pick: Cheatem
Worst pick: Bruton
Grade: A-

TEX
1.6- SP Bob Gibson
1.19- CF Matt Kemp
2.18- 1B Norm Cash
3.11- 3B Pepper Martin
4.11- LF Justin Upton

The Rangers traded up to get their staff ace Gibson. He, along with Soto, Zumaya and Bucholtz should make a fairly formidable rotation. They then got 3 future starters and a solid backup.
Best pick: Gibson
Worst pick: Upton
Grade: A

CIN
3.24- 2B Dick McAuliffe
4.24- 2B Billy Ripken

Getting a starting caliber player in the late 3rd is always nice. Then there’s Billy boy. There’s not much to say about him, other than that he’s not his brother.
Best pick: McAuliffe
Worst pick: Ripken
Grade: B+

BOS
1.25- SP Jonathan Sanchez
2.8- RP Hoyt Wilhelm
2.25- C Mickey Tettleton
4.5- RP John Hiller

Tettleton was definitely the bright spot of this draft, as he should be a solid player. Hiller, also, has a chance to be ok. Before that, though, this draft was a mess. Sanchez, most likely would have still been available in the 3rd, while Wilhelm is a much bigger question mark than several relievers taken after him.
Best pick: Tettleton
Worst pick: Sanchez
Grade: C-

COL
3.2- C Ernie Lombardi
4.2- SP Billy Traber

Lombardi should be a decent catcher who hits for a nice average. Unfortunately, this club could have really used its earlier picks.
Best pick: Lombardi
Worst pick: Traber
Grade: B

KC
1.23- 3B Dick Allen
3.23- LF Larry Doby
4.23- 1B Marv Thornberry

Allen will be a good hitter, but wasn’t a 1st round talent on many boards. Doby and Thornberry will provide decent depth.
Best pick: Doby
Worst pick: Allen
Grade: B-

DET
4.19- SS George Davis

Davis is really fast. Here’s another team that was really hurt by not having their picks.
Best pick: Davis
Worst pick: Davis
Grade: C+

MIN
1.1- C Johnny Bench
1.2- SP Bob Feller
1.11- 1B Willie McCovey
2.1- CF Cool Papa Bell
2.6- RP Dan Callison
3.27- RP Fu-Te Ni

Likely the first time anyone ever got the best position player, starting pitcher and reliever in the same draft; impressive. The only pick I don’t like is Bell, and he’ll probably do just fine in that lineup.
Best pick: Feller
Worst pick: Bell
Grade: A

CHA
1.5- SP Lefty Grove
1.7- SP Walter Johnson
1.8- 3B Mike Schmidt
1.18- LF Roger Maris
1.24- 1B Don Mattingly
2.24- SP Tommy Hanson
3.8- RP Danny Herrera

Wow, what a 1st round. Kudos to Dan for the effort made to acquire 5 firsts and picking up studs with each one. Like Luke, however, he’ll just miss a perfect score, because of one questionable pick. A 98 pitch on Hanson is nice, but screwballers are pretty risky.
Best pick: Grove
Worst pick: Hanson
Grade: A

NYA
3.14- C Matt Weiters
4.14- C Jim Price

Mark’s main goal appears to have been to find a backup for C Brian McCann. Not much real help here, though. This club is mostly waiting for youngsters already on the roster to develop and get them back to the playoffs.
Best pick: Weiters
Worst pick: Price
Grade: C+

Passeau Prefers to Pay to Play

2009-10-14T12:13:00.000-07:00

In an unprecedented move this week former #1 overall pick P Claude Passeau made a cash offer to his team, the Mets, to pitch for them again next season. "We've never seen anything like this before," a league official commented. "The idea that player would have negative value and offer to pay to play ball is almost unthinkable." It appears, though, that Passeau will not get his way...which is a good thing. A league rule sets the league minimum at $2 million for a 4 year contract. The player's Association will not allow a player to play for less. All signs seem to point to the Mets offering him the league minimum contract in the coming days. "We planned on offering him a deal all along," a spokesperson for the Mets said Wednesday, "but with other free agents to pursue and prepping for the draft, we had not had a chance to talk. That is when we got a call about Claude making an offer to our organization to play on the team. We were shocked."

The Passeau family was unavailable for comment Wednesday, but an answering machine message addressed callers saying that Claude is devoted to his team and will do whatever it takes to play.

Passeau has a career 6.41 ERA and as a former #1 overall selection, remains one of the biggest draft busts of all time.

The article above is satire and is meant to be a humorous on the formula evaluating Passeau's value at -$2. It is not meant to be taken seriously.

2037 Habla All-Stars

2009-09-09T15:04:00.000-07:00

After a several season hiatus I finally put together a couple of All-Star teams together. Nothing in the way of clever comments, but hopefully an enjoyable look.

AL
1 Lew Ford (OAK) CF
2 Robinson Cano (ANA) 2B
3 Clue Haywood (BAL) 1B
4 Ryan Howard (CLE) DH
5 Chris Duncan (KC) LF
6 Stacy Conner (TEX) RF
7 Jack Slater (OAK) C
8 Hank Blalock (OAK) 3B
9 Wood Stairs (SEA) SS

SP Tim Belcher (BOS)

Reserves: Terrence Lee (TEX) C, Derek Lee (NYA) 1B, BJ Upton (OAK) 2B, Clete Boyer (CLE) 3B, Tim Ferrick (ANA) 3B, Frank Howard (ANA) OF, Lance Talford (MIN) OF, Brock Sampson (NYA) OF, Chris Young (NYA) OF, Larry Walker (OAK) OF, Delmon Young (OAK) OF

Bullpen: Burleigh Grimes (ANA) SP, Jim Marshall (BAL) SP, Jim Perry (DET) SP, Oliver Perez (OAK) SP, Mark Prior (OAK) SP, Ricky Templeton (CHA) RP, Rafael Betancourt (CLE) RP, Johnny Murphy (MIL) RP, Lex Powell (TOR) RP

NL
1 Josh Barfield (LA) 2B
2 Turkey Stearnes (STL) CF
3 Sadahura Oh (SD) 1B
4 Babe Ruth (FLA) RF
5 Lou Gehrig (LA) DH
6 Willie Stargell (ATL) LF
7 Orlando Cepeda (HOU) 3B
8 Jarrod Saltalamacchia (PIT) C
9 John Henry Lloyd (PIT) C

SP Ray Willow (CIN)

Reserves: Gator Swanson (SD) C, Kite Melton (PHI) 1B, Rex Hudler (STL) 2B, Matt Williams (LA) 3B, David Wright (NYN) 3B, Josh Hamilton (COL) OF, Bobby Abreu (HOU) OF, Ruben Sierra (LA) OF, Shane Block (MON) OF, Tris Speaker (NYN) OF, Jay Bruce (SF) OF

Bullpen: Carlos Zambrano (ATL) SP, Frank Hernandez (HOU) SP, Orel Hershiser (LA) SP, Zachary Grienke (LA) SP, Brian Demmitt (STL) SP, Lew Owen (ATL) RP, JJ Putz (CHN) RP, Roy Face (STL) RP, Randy Stone (STL) RP

GM Profile: PGH Pirates

2009-05-19T15:53:00.001-07:00

Steve
Location: Sioux City, IA

Age: 29

Habla Team: Pirates

Sim Baseball Exp/1st league: Habla/2027

Number of Habla Titles: 1

Favorite Actual Major League Team: White Sox

In your opinion...who has the best real life ballpark? Only been to a
few but Fenway was pretty fun.

Greatest Sports Memory: The Huskers shellacking the Gators in the '96
Fiesta Bowl. In person would have to be my Evangel Crusaders
National Championship run in basketball during my senior year of
college.

Hobbies: reading, softball, helping with the youth group at church

Favorite Movie: Lord of the Rings: The Fellowhip of the Ring.
Although, for recent movies I'd have to strongly suggest The Boy in
the Striped Pajamas.

Favorite Book: Bible. Also very fond of The Chronicles of Narnia series.

Favorite Beverage: Vault Red Blitz

Favorite Band/Singer/or Song? Right now, I really like Disciple,
Thousand Foot Crutch and Pillar.

Favorite Vacation Spot: Of the places I've been, I'd have to say
Maine. I'd love to go to New Zealand someday.

Anything Else You Would Like Us To Know: I work for Coke and have a
son, Turner, who will be two in August. He keeps the wife and I very
busy.

Toughest Division in Habla: AL East

Most Overrated Habla Team: I'd say the Rangers, but everyone knows
there not very good right now.

Most Underrated Habla Team: I'll be surprised if KL doesn't win a
title before Joss and Grimes retire.

Easiest Owner to Work a Trade With: Hard to remember who I've traded
with the most, but Luke and Nick are probably at the top of that list.

If you weren't managing your current team, what's a team you would
like to manage: I bet I could do something with that Braves roster.

What you like most about Habla: The interest shown by the GMs and the
general friendliness.

Player you are dying to see/or make a comeback in Habla: His final
years and breakup with the club were disappointing, but Frank Thomas
was the reason I became a White Sox fan.

What team would you like to meet up with in the World Series? Rangers

Favorite player on your roster? Sam Crawford is my favorite of the
prospects, but I was quite pleased with the leadership Salty assumed
with a strong finish to his rookie season following the trading of
Shane Block.

Favorite player not on your roster? Ken Brubaker

GM Profile: NY Yankees

2009-05-12T18:55:00.001-07:00

Mark

Location: Raleigh, NC (originally from Pittsburgh, PA)

Age: 33

Habla Team: New York Yankees

Sim Baseball Exp/1st league: Started Sim Baseball in 2001

Number of Habla Titles: Haha, NONE

Favorite Actual Major League Team: Pittsburgh Pirates

In your opinion...who has the best real life ballpark? Been to about
14 different parks, but I prefer Fenway or PNC Park

Greatest Sports Memory: a tie: James Harrison's 100 yard INT return
for a TD in Super Bowl 43 and Santonio Holmes' TD catch in Super Bowl
43

Hobbies: Golf, Church, my 2-year old boy Drew

Favorite Movie: Stand By Me

Favorite Book: The Bible

Favorite Beverage: Diet Pepsi

Favorite Band/Singer/or Song? again, a tie: Coldplay and U2, both of
which I am seeing live this year.

Favorite Vacation Spot: Siesta Key, Florida

Anything Else You Would Like Us To Know: Been married for about 4 1/2
years, moved to Raleigh from Pittsburgh right after getting married.
We love it here.

Toughest Division in Habla: AL East

Most Overrated Habla Team: no real opinion

Most Underrated Habla Team: no real opinion

Easiest Owner to Work a Trade With: Luke Worrell

If you weren't managing your current team, what's a team you would

like to manage: Pittsburgh Pirates

What you like most about Habla: I like that we have a bidding process
on Free Agency and we have our own team pages.

Player you are dying to see/or make a comeback in Habla:
Wow...hmmm....um.....Pete Rose?

What team would you like to meet up with in the World Series? Any,
that would mean my rebuilding process has finally worked :)

Favorite player on your roster? That's a tough one. Probably Brian
McCann. He's going to be a stud in this league ( I hope ).

Favorite player not on your roster? For some reason, I've always
wanted Ivory Carroll on my team. Never had a chance to really get him
via trade.

GM Profile: CO Rockies

2009-05-03T11:33:00.000-07:00

Anthony

Location: Torrington, Connecticut

Age: 19

Habla Team: colorado rockies

Sim Baseball Exp/1st league: well my first league was maddoser but in
total including the leagues im in now and that closed ive been in 8
leagues

Number of Habla Titles: 0

Favorite Actual Major League Team: Boston Redsoxs

In your opinion...who has the best real life ballpark? Boston alot of
history there plus is great to hit off the green monster

Greatest Sports Memory: watching the Giants beat the Patriots in the
super bowl, and the redsoxs winning in 2004

Hobbies: sports i play basketball, softball, and coach football since
i graduated

Favorite Movie: Remember the titans

Favorite Book: dont have one

Favorite Beverage: Coke

Favorite Band/Singer/or Song? hmm it would have to be flo-rida

Favorite Vacation Spot: Maine

Anything Else You Would Like Us To Know:No

Toughest Division in Habla: NL central

Most Overrated Habla Team: lol oakland got to pick on johnny

Most Underrated Habla Team: Florida i heard three owners tell them to
rebuild cause there team wasn't going to make the playoffs but they
won there division.

Easiest Owner to Work a Trade With: Casey lol

If you weren't managing your current team, what's a team you would

like to manage: well Boston but its hard to leave the team your trying
to rebuild.

What you like most about Habla: the owners and the people in charge
there all great

Player you are dying to see/or make a comeback in Habla: well i've
only been in habla for about three seasons but im a hugh Nomar fan so
it would have to be him

What team would you like to meet up with in the World Series? Oakland
thats my goal in habla is to make it to the world series and beat them
since i cant play them in the regular season lol.

Favorite player on your roster? CF Moses, Wally

Favorite player not on your roster? Babe Ruth

GM Profile: LA Dodgers

2009-04-23T18:02:00.000-07:00

Chris

Location: Kailua, Hawaii

Age: 35

Habla Team: LA Dodgers

Sim Baseball Exp/1st league: It's been awhile, but think HABLA was my
first. Have been in a few others, but nothing like HABLA (thini it's
been about 10 years IRL).

Number of Habla Titles: 1 (ages ago in 2000 when Manny was being Manny
in HABLA's LA...so it's been over 30 seasons since)

Favorite Actual Major League Team: San Francisco Giants (Hate the
Dodgers IRL =P)

In your opinion...who has the best real life ballpark? N/A have yet to
attend a MLB game on the mainland. Have been by SF's AT&T Park and
Seattle's Safeco Field, but haven't been around to see a game yet.

Greatest Sports Memory: University of Hawaii Warrior footbal team
going undefeated in 2007 and getting into the BCS...course got
slaughtered by Georgia in the Sugar Bowl...

Hobbies: Other then HABLA, just sports watching or TV/movies...too
much to do on the day-to-day otherwise...

Favorite Movie: Casablanca, Blazing Saddles, The Usual Suspects, Rounders

Favorite Book: Sorry, haven't read a book in ages.

Favorite Beverage: Water...lava flow/pina colada/margarita (yes, I
enjoy my blended tropical drinks) if going out/at a party/reception.

Favorite Vacation Spot: San Francisco (unless it's too cold; have I
mentioned that living in Hawaii I've never seen snow yet) or Las Vegas
(unless it's too hot)

Anything Else You Would Like Us To Know: Big 49ers fan (yes, another SF team).

Toughest Division in Habla: Would have said AL Central before Luke
decided to rebuild the Twins, but will go with the NL East for now.

Most Overrated Habla Team: Dodgers

Most Underrated Habla Team: Astros, Sam has a killer team

Easiest Owner to Work a Trade With: Probably Jon in Oakland.

If you weren't managing your current team, what's a team you would

like to manage: Giants (see above)

What you like most about Habla: The people/GMs and the longevity and
consistency of the league.

Player you are dying to see/or make a comeback in Habla: Hawaii's own
Shane "the Flyin' Hawaiian" Victorino and/or Willie Mays

What team would you like to meet up with in the World Series? Anyone,
as long as we make it.

Favorite player on your roster? Although he's only been with us one
year, Lou Gehrig

Favorite player not on your roster? Sadahura Oh

GM Profile: KC Royals

2009-04-04T15:47:00.001-07:00

Travis Hair

Location: Fort Myers, Florida

Age: 25

Habla Team: Kansas City Royals

Sim Baseball Exp/1st league: IFBBL.. waay back in the day, My brother
ran his own league for a couple seasons, I've also been in a few
random leagues here and there.. I've been in HABLA since I was a
sophomore in High School

Number of Habla Titles: 2. (2027 and 2035)

Favorite Actual Major League Team: Seattle Mariners

In your opinion...who has the best real life ballpark? The Tampa Rays
probably have the worst ball park I've ever been to, Seriously
Tropicana Field is a DUMP. The best, though, would probably be
Baltimore, San Francisco, or Seattle. I hate to Admit it, AT&T Park
was beautiful.

Greatest Sports Memory: I played baseball all the way through my
Sophomore year in College, my favorite year and favorite memory was
hitting a 3 run Bomb on the Road against our Rivals Merced High
School. It was against their ACE All-League pitcher, my Senior year,
and my Grandmother was in the stands. It was the top of the fist
inning and I had just got done telling a few of my teammates how much
of a hitter's ball park we were playing in. I rounded third and just
gave the "I told you so" look to the dugout.

Hobbies: If I'm not at work I'm in usually in my garage working on my
car or at the track autocrossing. Since my body doesn't allow me to
play baseball anymore the only way I can get an adreniline rush
anymore is on the Track.

Favorite Movies: Jurassic Park, Miracle, Snatch, Slackers, Pool Hall Junkies

Favorite Book: I honestly do not spend a lot of time reading

Favorite Beverage: Diet Sodas

Favorite Vacation Spot: I normally go back home to California for
every one of my vacations, but I did love going to Seattle just about
every summer when I was a Kid.

Anything Else You Would Like Us To Know: I plan my life around hockey
season. I'm a Buffalo Sabres diehard and I never miss a a game.

Toughest Division in Habla: AL Central of Course. I've pulled a lot of
hair out over the years

Most Overrated Habla Team: Florida.

Most Underrated Habla Team: My Royals, I've won 2 championships and
yet get no love.

Easiest Owner to Work a Trade With: Casey..

If you weren't managing your current team, what's a team you would

like to manage: Tampa Rays, Arizona Diamondbacks, Washington Nationals

What you like most about Habla: The History. Like I've said I've been
in this league since I was a sophomore in highschool..So much history

Player you are dying to see/or make a comeback in Habla: Willie Mays
was one of my favorite players on my Roster along with Tony Carasco..
Would be nice to see them around again

What team would you like to meet up with in the World Series? The
Atlanta Braves. I would love to see Casey finally turn the corner.

Favorite player on your roster? Mike Robinson. He's the spark plug,
the tablesetter and my Captain.

GM Profile: SF Giants

2009-03-28T06:36:00.000-07:00

Jason

Location: Dayton, Ohio

Age: 29

Habla Team: San Fran

Sim Baseball Exp/1st league: around 7yrs, 3 leagues/ CBA

Number of Habla Titles: goose egg

Favorite Actual Major League Team: Cincinnati

Greatest Sports Memory: Not a lot of good memories to choose from, but I
would have to say the '90 Reds' wire-to-wire run.

Hobbies: drinking, gambling, sports watching, video games

Favorite Movie: Major League

Favorite Book: Check out my hobbies...how could I find time to read?

Favorite Beverage: Budweiser

Favorite Vacation Spot: anywhere that I haven't already been

Anything Else You Would Like Us To Know: I have recently realized that I
don't enjoy the NCAA tournament (or basketball, for that matter) unless I'm
standing in a crowded bar on a day that I should be working...is that wrong?

Toughest Division in Habla: NL Central

Most Overrated Habla Team: Baltimore...horrendous division...but, the same
could be said about the NL West.

Most Underrated Habla Team: Atlanta...if they can squeak in, they have the
goods to win it.

Easiest Owner to Work a Trade With: Put the George boys on opposite sides
of a coin and flip it.

If you weren't managing your current team, what's a team you would like to

manage: Reds or Royals.

What you like most about Habla: The legitimacy and consistency.

Player you are dying to see/or make a comeback in Habla: I don't think it's
possible with the .ini the way it is, and he is currently in the league,
but, I would love to have/see a player that mirrors the real Rickey
Henderson. You know, a .420 obp, 80-100 sb, 20hr type guy.

What team would you like to meet up with in the World Series? Anyone who
would lay down and let me finally win one. Or...NY Yankees

Favorite player on your roster? Easy...Sisler

GM Profile: Oakland A's

2009-03-17T19:46:00.000-07:00

Jon
Location: Litchfield Connecticut
Age: 22
Habla Team: Oakland A's

Sim Baseball Exp/1st league: I started about 3 years ago in MDBA, it
shut down and Casey brought me into HABLA.

Number of Habla Titles: None sofar, but I did take the A's to thier
first World Series apearence in Habla history.

Favorite Actual Major League Team: New York Yankees!

Greatest Sports Memory: Tough one. I would have to say back when I
was a youngster in little league baseball. No one was on base, was the
bottom of the 6th ( all we played to then ), and the score was tied. I
was at bat, hit a long line drive down the LF line. The fielder
reached over the fence and grabbed it. Its bitter sweet, as we lost
that game but I got a nice story to tell.

Hobbies: Too many, Darts, Pool, Softball, Bowling, ATVs, Vgames,
writing, paintball, lots more.

Favorite Movie: Goodfellas or the Rocky Series

Favorite Book: Hatchet Series by Gary Paulsen

Favorite Beverage: H2O

Anything Else You Would Like Us To Know: I own and drive an 84 El
Camino SS, which is older then me!

Toughest Division in Habla: AL Central, the Royals fought thier way
back to the top.

Most Overrated Habla Team: I hate to say it because he is a friend of
mine but the Florida Marlins, even tho in 1st place in the NL East, I
think come post season time they will get handled quickley. Prove me
wrong Tony! : )

Most Underrated Habla Team: I was going to say the Giants but after
thier recent decision I would have to go with Atlanta

Easiest Owner to Work a Trade With: Well I trade alot as most of you
know, its hard to choose just one GM but in the end me and Terry ( DET
) always seem to be on the same page.
If you weren't managing your current team, what's a team you would
like to manage: Well since I dont like to be a flash inthe pan team, I
would def pick Atlanta, once primed we are all in trouble.

What you like most about Habla: As most say the people. When i first
came to Habla i wasn't ganged up on and had my team robbed liek you
would in most leagues, instead most everyone helped me build the A's
into what they are today and i thank them for thier help.

Player you are dying to see/or make a comeback in Habla: Well my fav
player is already in Habla and is dominate AKA Roger Clemens, but i
would like to see Yogi Berra
What team would you like to meet up with in the World Series? Been
talking about it for a few seasons, none other then the St. Louis
Cardinals.

Favorite player on your roster? Hard to pick just one, but from day
one Oliver Perez has been my ace and look like he may win the Cy Young
this year.........again

GM Profile: Philadelphia Phillies

2009-03-04T20:12:00.001-08:00

Jim

Location: Holt,Michigan

Age: 51

Habla Team: Philadelphia Phillies starting with 2019 season

Sim Baseball Exp/1st league: This is my 3rd FPS98 league..The first
two are defunct...Gary was in DHBL for a short time and invited me to
join HABLA..

Number of Habla Titles: 1

Favorite Actual Major League Team: Detroit Tigers

Greatest Sports Memory: Turning an unassisted triple play in the Class
A Modified Fastball State Championship softball tourney..I am a SS and
with runners on 1st and 2nd they took off with the pitch and as I
moved to cover second base the batter hit a sceamer up the middle
which I caught and stepped on second then tagged the runner coming
from first....

Hobbies: Playing softball again in a 50 and over league after 10 years
off...Fell in love with Strat-o-Matic Baseball and am involved in two
leagues now and commisioner of one..

Favorite Movie: Highlander

Favorite Book: The Sherlock Holmes Mystery's

Favorite Beverage: Strawberry Ice Tea

Anything Else You Would Like Us To Know: I am a delivery driver for
UPS and I am the father of two girls 23 & 19....Fatherhood has been
the toughest and most satisfying journey of my life..

Toughest Division in Habla: N.L. East by far...Has always been tough
with Jeff,Gary and Felix in my early days but with Casey taking over
Atlanta the division is 5 deep now..

Most Overrated Habla Team: My Phillies !!!

Most Underrated Habla Team: Cleveland always seems to surprise me..

Easiest Owner to Work a Trade With: Gary

If you weren't managing your current team, what's a team you would
like to manage: Detroit Tigers or Houston Astros...I had Houston in
the DHBL and won 119 games one year..

What you like most about Habla: friendships

Player you are dying to see/or make a comeback in Habla: Al Kaline,
the consumate professional

What team would you like to meet up with in the World Series? Why? Any
team really ...with all games being road games :)

GM Profile: Baltimore Orioles

2009-02-27T16:11:00.000-08:00

Tony

Location: Philadelphia, PA

Age: 34

Habla Team: Baltimore Orioles (current) Cleveland Indians (original)

Sim Baseball Exp/1st league: Habla has been my only league

Number of Habla Titles: 0 so far :-(

Favorite Actual Major League Team: WORLD BLEEPING CHAMPIONS Phillies

Greatest Sports Memory: Cant think, im guessing the last world series
becaus eit ended our 100 plus sport season drought, and specifically
because of the game 5 2 day rain delay

Hobbies: golf when i can

Favorite Movie: Heat, Goodfellas, Casino, a DiNiro fan i am

Favorite Book: not much of a book reader, more magazines

Favorite Beverage: iced tea in the summer, coffee anytime, and Knobs
Creek in "social " situations

Anything Else You Would Like Us To Know: i have a beautiful 16 month
old girl, who is everything

Toughest Division in Habla: hard to say there are good teams in each
division, trying to think which might have the most good teams, maybe
NL East, or AL Central, but most will have 1 or 2 good teams

Most Overrated Habla Team: HHmmm not sure on that one, Boston !!! HAHA

Most Underrated Habla Team: Anaheim, their pitching looks like its
coming together

Easiest Owner to Work a Trade With: Always have worked well with Luke
from Minn, even when we were rivals in central

If you weren't managing your current team, what's a team you would
like to manage: Cleveland, would like to finish where i started

What you like most about Habla: Its fun and challenging

Player you are dying to see/or make a comeback in Habla: Chane
Winther, as long as i get him on my team

GM Profile: MN Twins

2009-02-18T16:30:00.000-08:00

Luke

Location: Springfield, Illinois

Age: 26

Habla Team: Twins

Sim Baseball Exp/1st league: HABLA when I was 15. Left then came back in 2001

Number of Habla Titles: 1

Favorite Actual Major League Team: Cardinals

Greatest Sports Memory: Cardinals winning 2006 World Series or Duke
over Arizona in 01.

Hobbies: Baseball Scouting, History, and Reading

Favorite Movie: Braveheart

Favorite Book: Glory of thier Times by Lawrence Ritter

Anything Else You Would Like Us To Know: I have a HABLA family tree.
Brought Casey and Nick in who in turn have brought in Steve and Nate.
Also brought in former owner Brian Vaughn.

Toughest Division in Habla: NL East. Pretty even playing field.

Most Overrated Habla Team: Boston is solid, but not sold on them and
their hot start.

Most Underrated Habla Team: Dodgers. Chris quietly puts a contender together.

Easiest Owner to Work a Trade With: Expos or Astros. On the same
page with them.

If you weren't managing your current team, what's a team you would
like to manage: Cardinals or Blue Jays (I was the Blue Jays in another
league way back)

What you like most about Habla: Civil Nature. I am in a football
league where guys are constantly moaning and groaning at each other
publicly. I also love the historical aspect HABLA brings to the table.

Player you are dying to see/or make a comeback in Habla: Bob Gibson.
He was in it before, but my favorite player from an era not my own.

Game 7: Who Ya Got?

2009-01-31T21:32:00.001-08:00

If you were in a game 7 situation, which active pitcher would you choose to want the ball to? I’ve only submitted candidates who have won a championship (sorry Jim Perry). Interestingly, Van Hekken is the only pitcher here who has won titles with two different teams (Brewers and Marlins). Well, actually, McDevitt has as well, but he did not make much of a positive contribution to the Twins title team. Hopefully, this stirs up some good conversation.

Oliver Perez 209-120 3.39 ERA 2 Rings (Rangers)
Burleigh Grimes 149-86 3.03 ERA 2 Rings (Marlins)
Addie Joss 210-142 3.12 ERA 1 Ring (Pirates)
George Blaeholdger 94-46 3.56 ERA 1 Ring (Expos)
Rick Reuschel 181-142 3.30 ERA 2 Rings (Marlins)
Orel Hershiser 165-83 3.01 ERA 2 Rings (Marlins)
Danny McDevitt 133-92 3.41 ERA 2 Rings (Twins, Pirates)
Adam Eaton 206-111 3.12 ERA 1 Ring (Phillies)
Zachary Grienke 175-138 3.45 ERA 1 Ring (Phillies)
Jake Peavy 210-120 3.47 ERA 3 Rings (Rangers)
Doug Rau 157-74 3.28 ERA 2 Rings (Rangers)
Kelvim Escobar 181-158 4.00 ERA 1 Ring (Brewers)
Andy Van Hekken 241-155 3.45 ERA 3 Rings (Brewers, Marlins 2)
Roger Clemens 261-211 3.55 ERA 2 Rings (Royals)
David Cone 184-81 3.35 ERA 1 Ring (Twins)
Tom Glavine 135-70 3.78 ERA 1 Ring (Twins)
Ken Brubaker 129-102 3.21 ERA 1 Ring (Pirates)

Steve's 2036 Predictions

2009-01-23T20:54:00.000-08:00

AL East

1 Baltimore Orioles
2 Boston Red Sox
3 Detroit Tigers
4 New York Yankees
5 Toronto Blue Jays

The Boston rotation is looking very solid, but it probably won’t be enough to hang with a still deeper Orioles team. Baltimore still boasts the two biggest stars in the division (Haywood and Baines) and a pretty strong rotation themselves. The Yankees will be very good soon, but are still a couple seasons away.

AL Central

1 Minnesota Twins
2 Kansas City Royals
3 Chicago White Sox
4 Cleveland Indians
5 Milwaukee Brewers

The Twins and Royals are still the teams to beat, but this division has gotten a lot tighter. The White Sox youth are beginning to make a big impact and the Brewers pieced together a decent rotation through free agency. The most dominant player in the division (Howard) will keep the Indians in the mix.

AL West

1 Oakland Athletics
2 Texas Rangers (WC)
3 Anaheim Angels
4 Seattle Mariners

This could be a very strong division led again by the A’s. The Rangers need a big bounce back year from the top of their rotation in order to contend. With the young talent on Seattle’s and Anaheim’s rosters, we could see all four teams break the 80 win plateau.

AL MVP: Terrence Lee
AL Cy Young: Burleigh Grimes
AL ROY: Lastings Milledge
AL Fireman: Houston Street

NL East

1 New York Mets
2 Atlanta Braves
3 Philadelphia Phillies
4 Montreal Expos
5 Florida Marlins

The begin of the Braves reign of dominance is probably still a season away, as the Mets still appear to have the upper hand for now. How did the Marlins fall so far, so fast. Expect the Babe to ask to be traded to a contender soon.

NL Central

1 St. Louis Cardinals
2 Houston Astros (WC)
3 Chicago Cubs
4 Cincinnati Reds
5 Pittsburgh Pirates

This should again be a two horse race, with the Cubs, Reds and Pirates still in the middle of rebuilding projects. At the end of the day, as good as Abreu and Cepeda are, there not Hank and Turkey.

NL West

1 San Francisco Giants
2 Los Angeles Dodgers
3 San Diego Padres
4 Colorado Rockies

With the signing of Gehrig and the acquisition of Beckett, the Dodgers showed they are in it to win it. However, the Giants rotation led by Wang and Roe will likely be too much to overcome.

NL MVP: Prince Fielder
NL Cy Young: Chien-Ming Wang
NL ROY: Lance Talford
NL FOY: Clay Carroll

Mock Drafts

2008-11-16T06:18:00.000-08:00

Casey and Steve have each come out with their rendition of how they think the draft will go. Enjoy!

Steve’s Mock Draft

1 PIT: SP Obi Ochiba. His top 2 pitches are very similar to one Roger Clemens.

2 TOR: 1B Bill Terry. When you have a hole at 1B you can’t pass on a talent like this.

3 PIT: 3B Frank Baker. His bat is a little better than prospects’ Alex Gordon and Garrett Atkins, both traded during this past off-season.

4 NYA: LF Zach Wheat. He’ll be a tremendous 2 or 3 hitter in this league.

5 PIT: SP Ryan Dempster. With no shortstops better than what they already have, the Pirates take the next best pitcher.

6 CHN: RF Ryan Braun. The Cubs fill the weakest spot in their future lineup with a gem here.

7 CHA: C Sonny Delfino. Derek McPhew is a decent prospect, but not at the same level as Delfino.

8 ATL: RP Francisco Cordero. When you don’t really need anything you may as well add bullpen depth.

9 TEX: 1B Adrian Gonzalez. The Rangers grab a 1B bat that will remind them a lot of the one Luke Easter held for several seasons.

10 CLE: RF Magglio Ordonez. Ryan Howard would love to see this guy hitting in front of him.

11 PIT: SP Urban Shocker. The Pirates find themselves building much of their rotation in this draft.

12 SD: SP Eppa Rixie. After trading Preacher Roe and Ray Willow they must rebuild their rotation.

13 SD: SP Gus Weyhing. Ditto

14 BOS: 1B Jack Elliot. Reminds a lot of scouts of Harmon Killabrew.

15 SEA: C Grub Parsons. He’s Joey Mauer with a bit more power.

16 ANA: 1B Roger Connor. The Angels nab the last elite 1B in a great 1B class.

17 SD: SP Homer Bailey. Why not? Last year they took all OFs.

18 MON: SP John Danks. He should make a solid foursome with Jimmy DeShong, Cap Wilkerson and Johnny Lush.

19 NYN: LF Billy Williams. Too much of an upgrade over Carlos Lee to pass up.

20 LA: CF Raul Andujar. He’ll make a middle of the lineup guy.

21 HOU: 2B Alexei Ramirez. Charlie Gehringer’s getting a little long in the tooth.

22 ATL: RP Wally Threet. How ‘bout some more bullpen help.

23 FLA: LF Harry Stovey. The Marlins don’t have much in their farm system right now.

24 NYA: SP Miguel Sedaris. To get a guy with two pitches in the 80s and no glaring weakness, here, is pretty good.

25 CHN: SS Tol Rendquist. His speed and defense make him a definite upgrade over Troy Tulowitski.

26 ATL: LF Jason Bay. What about a good bench hitter?

27 STL: SP A.J. Burnett. Not a lot of holes here.

28 ATL: 2B Howie Kendrick. Honestly, what do they need!?

Casey’s Mock Draft

1. Pirates – P Obi Ochiba: best P in the draft and Steve will add a great one to his staff

2. Jays – P Amos Rusie: That FB in the 90’s is going to be hard to pass up, along with a couple other nice pitches, CO could be a concern

3. Pirates – OF Ryan Braun: Steve already has 2 great 1B so he will take the best hitting OF in the draft

4. Yankees – P Urban Shocker: Marky Mark could use a good young pitcher and I like Shocker better than Dempster

5. Pirates – P Ryan Dempster: Got to keep building up that staff and Dempster will do nicely

6. Cubbies – 1B Bill Terry: Andreas could use a stud 1B and he’ll have it with Billy

7. White Sox – C Sonny Delfino: Mike needs a franchise catcher and guess who is still out there

8. Braves – RF Magglio Ordonez: Not wasting this pick on a RP, we could add some depth with a good hitter

9. Rangers – 1B Adrian Gonzalez: Nick goes with another stud 1B here, looks like Stargell and Easter

10. Indians – P Eppa Rixe: Greg needs some pitching help and should get it with Rixie

11. Pirates – 3B Frank Baker: Steve could use a sure handed good hitting 3B

12. Padres – P Homer Bailey: appears to have good stuff and aren’t the Georges Reds fans?

13. Red (recent trade) LF Zach Wheat: Looks to be a good all around player, makes sense

14. Red Sox – P AJ Burnett: Dave already has a good 1B (the guy who was left off the MVP ballot)so he will snatch up a good young P

15. Mariners – 1B Jack Elliott: Newcomer Natedog makes his first big decision for the franchise and getting a stud 1B should please the fans

16. Angels –P Bronson Demille: This guy just seems like a KL guy. High risk high reward, his pitches look too good

17. Reds (recent trade) – 1B Roger Connor: Might as well pick up a great hitter for the future

18. Expos – LF Harry Stovey: looks to be a good power hitting OF with speed

19. Mets – P Francisco Cordero: these guys are always looking to add to the pen

20. Dodgers – P Miguel Sedaris: Chris always has good luck with young pitchers

21. Astros – 2B Alexei Ramirez: good replacement for old man Gehringer

22. Braves – LF Billy Williams: might as well keep adding depth

23. Marlins – CF Raul Andujar: maybe Tony can start rebuilding with a good young OF

24. Yankees – P John Danks: Marky Mark might as well pick up another solid P here

25. Cubbies- CF Jack Braden: Andreas needs more offensive for his group of young P’s

26. Braves – P Graham Tesnar: I’d take a solid pitcher here

27. Cards – LF Jason Bay: a good value OF falls to Jeremy, bummer for the NL Central

28. Braves – C Grub Parsons: this guy will actually probably go higher, but I’d take him here

2034 Habla Mock Draft

2008-03-23T15:16:00.000-07:00

Steve has put together a mock draft to keep tradition going. Whether it helps you scout the players, gives another opinion on need, or is just for fun, we think it is worth doing. Check it out.

1 SP Joba Chamberlain (ATL)- The best pitcher in the draft goes to the Braves, as if they needed any more ace caliber prospects.

2 SP Rube Foster (BOS)- The Red Sox could go a number of directions here, but it doesnâ€™t hurt to get that ace, and Foster should be one.

3 SS John Henry Lloyd (SD)- Lloyd is in the same mold as Hanley Ramirez from last seasonâ€™s draft. He has a rare combination of a big stick, great speed and very solid D.

4 2B Ross Barnes (CHA)- Brings similar offensive punch to the table as Lloyd, just not as big an asset, defensively, as him.

5 1B George Sisler (CHN)- He should be a tremendous bat in the middle of the Cubs order for many years.

6 C Buck Ewing (MIL)- You donâ€™t see catchers that can hit and run like he can. Oh, did I mention he plays great defense, as well?

7 3B Ron Santo (BOS)- Santo is the best positional player prospect left at this point and would definitely fill one of many holes in the Red Sox lineup.

8 RP J.J. Putz (ATL)- If there is no trade here, expect the Braves to beef up the bullpen with the elite reliever of the class.

9 SP Ed Walsh (ATL)- What do you get the team that already has everything? Why another high upside SP prospect, of course.

10 RF Brock Sampson (LA)- This just in, Dave Parker is really old.

11 SP Pud Galvin (COL)- With no, blow you away, hitting prospects left, the next best pitcher makes perfect sense.

12 SP Ted Lyons (OAK)- With 3 SPs age 35 and older, Lyons looks to be a good fit.

13 LF Dingo French (CHN)- Another solid bat here would help the Cubs out nicely.

14 LF Goose Goslin (ANA)- Goslin brings solid defense and a better than average bat to the table.

15 SP Shotgun Diller (SD)- Diller looks to be the best starting pitcher available.

16 1B Jesse Bardot (PIT)

17 CF Carlos Sanibel (NYA)

18 RP Jordan Prior (NYN)

19 SP Charley Radbourne (CHN)

20 3B Spencer Starling (CHN)

21 SP Stewie Glover (CHA)

22 RF Bobby Veach (CHN)

23 C Dominick Rizzo (BOS)

24 1B Ned Elkins (DET)

25 SP Allen Beaucher (CHA)

26 C Derek McPhew (ATL)

27 SP Andrew Collins (DET)

28 RF Willie Keeler (SEA)

Owls Power Rankings

2008-02-09T23:39:00.000-08:00

August 15, 2033

You asked for them so it's your fault. So here we go with my view of the power in the Habla.

1. Minnesota- Veterans like Tony Perez, Luke Easter are putting this team on their backs and fighting off strong challenges from Kansas City and Cleveland. Can the veterans stay healthy?

2. St. Louis- Known for their speed, pitching and defense in the past this year you can add power to that list as Hank Aaron and Turkey Stearnes are the best Combo of hitting in Habla.

3. Florida- has a team ERA of fewer than 3. They have outscored their opponents by 140 runs. Babe Ruth has been tearing the cover off the ball since an early season benching. Team leads the NL East that has 4 teams over .500

4. New York Mets- The young talent has matured and add to the mix a few veterans this team should be a force for a number of years. Great job by Mark in a tough Division

5. San Francisco- High powered Hitting lead by 1B Derek Lee is getting help from solid pitching by the starters. Pen is a question mark but it rarely comes down to the pen being a factor. This team is on cruise control and losing Berkman hurts but the Giants have depth.

6. Seattle- Pitching leads this team. All five starters have double digit wins.

A balance hitting attack gets the job done. Team concept all the way

7. Orioles- Team has been one of the surprises of the season. Injuries have been and continue to be a problem. RP Houston Street must give Tony a heart attack when enters with his .326 Oavg but finds a way to get it done as his 2.25 ERA and 20 saves prove.

8. Kansas City- Travis has this young team in the mix again. Mike Robinson wrecks havoc on the bases. Chris Duncan and Michael Coleman are knocking them in. Roger Clemens, Manny Symthe and Company are solid.

9. Philadelphia- Veterans Brooks and Frank Robinson are playing like there is no tomorrow and there might not be as their careers are winding down.

Add RP Jason Simontacchi to that list.

10. Cleveland- Team that usually stays under the radar but 3B Clete Boyer and CL Luis Viscaino are having break out seasons and have this team in the playoff race. The recent addition of SS Addie Herald could be the move needed to make it.

11. Texas- Defending Champs not the team of last year but steady improvement has this team ready to make a push to defend its title. Hack Wilson and Harmon Killebrew make this team a threat.

12. Houston- The Astros were fast out of the gate riding their pitching but were stating to fade. Sam had an answer for that by bringing in 3B Orlando Cepeda, RF Bobby Abreu and 2B Charlie Gehringer. Now is there still time to make a playoff push?

13. Montreal- The Expos are in transition. Phil Niekro and Charlie Gehringer are gone. No real stars other then RP Saito who is having an off year by his standards.

14. New York Yankees-The Yanks were down for the count after a terrible start but have taken the mandatory 8 count and now have the Orioles in their sites. P Barrios is starting to look like the pitcher of previous years while P Sparks has kept the team afloat.

15. Cincinnati- Reds are the NL version of the Yanks. Terrible start, trade winds were blowing, team ready to torn apart but out of the turmoil the Reds rally. Team is now has a .500 record but have outscored their opponents by 69 runs make this team one you don't want to play. BTW in Darts scoring 69 points is what we call a "Happy Meal."

16. Toronto- Jays bats seem to be wearing down. Not a good sign but there is still time to turn it around. RF Andre Dawson expected return from the DL could be the boost needed.

17. Pittsburgh- Pirates were not playing up to their talent and moves were made. Team in transition but playing well of late

18. Anaheim- KL needs answers to his pitching staff with a league low 48 Quality Starts. Hitting is strong as Lyons and both Howards have 100 Homers between them.

19. Colorado- Not an overly talented team but a talented coaching staff getting the most out of it. P Sid Fernandez having a banner year

20. Oakland- Jon has made many moves and judging by the recent play moves in the right direct. The Pitching with the addition of Dave Roberts, Frank Owen and Phil Niekro makes this team one to watch out for. Better have catchers that can throw as they A's have some burners.

21. Los Angeles- Dodgers are at the crossroads and they are competitive. Veteran Dave Parker is still a draw as he approaches 1100 Homers. Team needs pitching

22. Detroit- Tigers are still rebuilding and making progress. The Tigers bull pen has been a strength. RP Linc Boxer has been great.

23. Chicago Cubs- Cubs are being molded by Andreas to fit his style of play and it's still a work in progress. Recent hitting woes have slowed that down.

24. Chicago White Sox- Team needs better starting pitching. Ruben Gomez filled in one slot but more is needed. Team has also had problems on the road. Wait till next year.

25. Milwaukee- Brewers need bats. SP Jake Miller is 1-9 with a 3.83 ERA says it all. Team still needs a solid 5th starter.

26. San Diego- What a difference a year makes. There is a rumor that a disgruntled employee stores the bats in a big cooler. Looking at the stats it might be fact.

27. Boston- Not much activity here makes one wonder if there are rumblings for a coaching change in the near future.

28. Atlanta- Team is wheeling and dealing as this team could be moving up the charts in the near future,

Read it, enjoy or get pissed and my answer to that is what do I know?

Good gaming

The Owl

A Word from the Trade Chair

2008-01-05T09:00:00.000-08:00

Hey guys. Jeremy of St. Louis and the current trade chair has a few thoughts on trades for the new owners and a good reminder for the vets. Here we go.

Happy 2008 gentlemen! I hope everyone enjoyed the holiday season. Since we have some new owners with us this year in Habla, I wanted to make sure that everyone's on the same page when it comes to conducting trades.

1) Make sure that all trades are submitted using the following format; for example:

St. Louis gets:
MON #1 pick
$5 cash

Montreal gets:
P Cal Eldred (move to Active, #3 SP slot; P Blaeholdger to AAA)

The format makes it easier for me to evaluate trades quickly and efficiently, plus it helps eliminate any confusion as to a trade's particulars.
Please make sure to include the position of any players involved. Feel free to include any roster moves you need to make as well. Otherwise you need to include them in a separate email to Gary. DO NOT blame Gary when he has to makes roster cuts/moves for your team because you failed to provide them; ever since the aliens abducted him, Gary's psychic powers have gone in the toilet:). Keep in mind that the commissioner is certainly within his rights to refuse to process a trade until BOTH teams have sent in their necessary roster moves. So make sure to send in those roster/lineup moves at some point prior to the next sim.

2) Once both owners have agreed to a trade, it's time for one of them to write it up and submit it. You only need to send it to 2 people: myself and your trade partner. You may certainly email Gary and Nick at this point too, but I've always viewed that as just a great way to clog their Inboxes with needless email messages.
Once I've received a trade submission, the next step is for the trade partner to send in his agreement to the trade details, i.e. his confirmation. Again, you need only send it to your trade partner and myself. Usually an email reply to the original write-up works best, something along the lines of "St. Louis agrees to this trade".

3) Once I've received confirmation from both owners, I will then look it over. Assuming it's approved, I will then notify both of the owners, as well as Gary (who processes it) and Nick (who handles the $ end of things). Only upon the sending of my approval does a trade become binding. If I didn't send an approval, then the trade didn't/shouldn't/hasn't happened.

4) The last step is to announce the trade to the rest of the league. Simply put, this lets owners know. Afterall, it's only sporting of you to allow your fellow owners the opportunity to take your most recent blockbuster trade into account when implementing their master plan for league domination:).
Failure to announce a processed trade within 1 or 2 sims will result in a verbal reminder from me, assuming I catch it. Repeat offenders will seriously begin to mess with my Chi.
DO NOT be a Premature Ejac-Announcer! Please wait for approval before announcing to the league.
Although it's not necessary for both teams to make the announcement, it's encouraged. Especially if it's accompanied by a write-up or update from your team.

That's the process. A big part of being trade chair is to make sure that the newer owners are being protected and aren't getting "hosed" on deals. So be nice to the new guys! The more talent involved in a deal, the more consideration I tend to give to a potential trade. The longer you've been an owner in this league also means that I give you greater leeway when it comes to making trades. When a deal involves two veteran owners, that's usually good enough for me. Not only do I feel you've earned my trust, but I'm disinclined to second-guess someone who's proven to me over the years that they know what they're doing.
Generally I'm LOATHE to meddle, tweak, or nix deals. I will only do so if I think a trade is seriously broken. I'm a believer in free markets, so naturally I want teams to announce their trade intentions as often and as clearly as possible. How many times have you seen a deal come across the league email where you said, "Shoot. If I had known Player X could've been had so cheaply, I would've made an offer"? If I have misgivings about a trade involving Player X, the very first thing I do is make sure that the rest of the league knew that Player X was available in the first place. Assuming that's the case, Habla then becomes as close to a theoretical free market as we could hope for; it gives everyone an equal chance to compete for Player X's services. Ideally, every season the market value for tradeable assets (picks, players, ca sh) is what the league's 28 owners determine them to be. And believe me, market values change from season to season. For example, how hard is it this year to pick up good starting pitching? Compared to last year, I would say much easier. From what I've seen so far in the 2033 season, there are plenty of good starting pitchers who've been made available for trade. However will that pitching glut hold true for next season? Unlikely from my experience.
Suffice it to say that I view any intervention in a trade as something best employed judiciously.
I always ask the same basic question when looking over a trade; "Can you make a reasonable case that both teams are better for having made this deal?" Now admittedly that sometimes means me having to look at a deal from some very different perspectives, but for every deal I've approved, it means I was able to convince myself in some fashion that both teams were better as a result.
By far the easiest role for the trade chair to play, although arguably the most important one, is to serve as the final arbiter of agreement between trading partners. Imagine, without a trade chair you could simply announce to the league that you've traded your struggling backup 2B for Robbie Alomar. Talk about a recipe for confusion and endless flaming emails! Chaos! Anarchy! Thus this vast Habla bureaucracy. . .

So that hopefully offers some insight into how I view the function of the trade chair. However in my view it is NOT the trade chair's job to help insure that you get the best deal possible. Would I like you to? Absolutely. Even though I might think that you could get more cash or a higher draft pick out of a deal (or even a better deal elsewhere), it's not the trade chair's place to tell you so. The trade chair's job is to help facilitate trade between teams, not to nitpick, critique, or otherwise complicate the process.
If you're interested in getting the most out of a deal, I would encourage you to solicit some feedback from your fellow owners. Especially when you've got a big deal on the table. Would they pay that much? Is it a fair trade-off? Is he inflating P Eldred's value? Stuff like that. If you're new and don't "know" a lot of the Habla owners, feel free to ask any of the eboard members. All are knowledgeable guys who would be more than willing to answer questions and offer their opinions if asked. They're a great resource; use them!
Lastly, if ATL winds up owning 15 of the top 28 selections in this year's draft like they did last year, don't look at me; we're all consenting adults. Go Casey! Lol.

Thanks for the time gentlemen. Enjoy the new year.

Jeremy

2032 Draft Grades

2007-11-26T17:34:00.000-08:00

Steve (PGH) and I thought it would be fin to hand out draft grades again. These are our opinion, and certainly are subjective to an extent, so don;t take them too seriously. Also, the grades are only partially based on talent that you got, and they look more at what you did with what you have. Here you go.

Boston A+
1B Sadahura Oh
CF Josh Hamilton

Getting an absolute stud at 5 is huge, maybe the best 5th pick ever. In addition, nabbing Hamilton in round 2 makes Bostons draft a profitable one.

Atlanta A
1B Prince Fielder
P Felix Hernandez
SS Hanley Ramirez
CF Grady Sizemore
P Gil Meche
2B Ian Kinsler
RP Chad Cordero
RP Brian Wolfe

Since we were able to script the first 7 picks of the draft, 4 of which belonged to Atlanta, it is no surprise that we are grading this team high. One of if not the best draft in memory by a single team, Casey is building a powerhouse. The high point was getting 2B kinsler in the 2nd round, a great talent to fall that low. The low point was taking Meche, a 23 year old pitcher when he already has great starters. Zumaya would have been a better pick here. But, that is minor in this great draft.

Pittsburgh A
C Jarrod Saltalamacchia
3B Alex Gordon
CF Hunter Pence
P Micah Figgs

Salty is a great pickup. The number of stud catchers is on the rise, but being one of the 4 or 5 teams that have one is a huge plus, which is why this pick was so huge. Gordon, too was an amazing pickup so late, as was Pence. When currently good teams get high draft picks and draft well, look out.

Kansas City A
Traded #1 for CF Mike Robinson
P Freddy Mendoza
SS Stephen Drew
RF Puddles Sheldon

The trade of his #1 for Mike Robinson met a huge need foe the Royals, giving the a CH/SP guy who can come in and score runs right away. In addition, his other 3 picks were all smart, bringing in very good starting pitching, and filling a hole at short.

Florida A-
3B Garret Atkins

With only one pick, and the league making it for him, it is hard to grade this well. Although, getting Atkins this late is a great pickup.

HoustonA-
LF Matt Holiday
RP Matt Lindstrom
SS Steve May

Holliday was one of the top outfielders in the draft and one of the top pure hitters as well. Lindstrom was a very nice pickup in round 2 as well.

Colorado A-
P Francisco Liriano
RP Joel Zumaya
P Spencer Kriegel
C Jack Behrman

Colorado, in the GM's first draft was able to emerge with the top Starting Pitcher and the top Reliever in the pool. Kriegal was also a fine pickup, but Behrman was a reach.

Texas A-
RF Delmon Young (Draft day trade)
2B Kelly Johnson

Trading to get Delmon Young at the time of the pick continues to make a great team younger. Johnson also provides a protege since Biggio is aging.

San Diego A-
P Danny Kingston
P Mac Thomas
P Bert Dilly

SD was making calls and pulling strings to make things happen, and we like to see that. Mike was able to trade for the pick to get P Bert Dilly, a huge risk, but a guy with huge upside. We would all do better to take more chances like this.

Toronto B+
P Tim Lincecum
C Big Bear Andrews
P Kason Goddard
P Jim Tweedles

Lincecum was a good pick, further building that rotation. Andrews was okay: nothing special but at an important position.

Anaheim B+
RF Nick Markakis
P Samuel Gereson
P Casey Jannsen
SS Jimmy Anderson

Markakis is a great pickup and will add will help round out a potentially very good offense. Gereson certainly has upside and Jannsen is a good pickup for the 3rd round.

Milwakee B+
P Scott Kazmir
P Eduardo Lodermo
P Eric Bauer

Kazmir was one of the top pitchers and will do very well in Milwakee. Lodermo is very solid for a 2nd rounder.

Oakland B
C Brian McCann
P Matt Garza
C Kenji Jahima
1B Ryan Garcon
RF Franklin Gutierez

Los Angeles B
P Fausto Carmona
P Mike Palmer

New York Mets B
Traded #1 for CF Tris Speaker
SS Travis Ykema
1B Eric Bittner
P Brandon Morrow
P Joakim Soria

Speaker is a huge gain, and the two pitchers are both great picks. Ykema may have been high and Bittner is a gamble.

Saint Louis B
C Bobby Wilson
LF Jacoby Ellsbury
2B Placido Polanco
CF Jesus Sindari
3B Freddy Sanchez
P Mel Napier

A lot of picks really helped out STL in this draft. Wilson and Sanchez were both pretty good picks. There were no bad picks in STL's draft, but it would be easy to make the case for slightly different choices.

San Francisco B
P Andy Virmin

A cheap 3rd rounder will fill a roster slot in LOW for awhile, if nothing else.

New York YankeesB-
RP Chad Cordero (clone)
RP Justin Hampson
2B Frank Sundin
P Camilla Rodriguez

Cordero is good, and Hampson is okay, but there is nothing special about the Sundin or Rodriguez picks.

Cleveland B-
P Ricardo Torrez

May be able to eat up some innings in relief.

Cincinnati B-
P Brett Conlon

Low control and average pitches make Conlon a career AAA player, but not much was left this late.

Detroit B-
RP Bobby Jenks

Jenks is certainly a very good reliever, but there were probably better players on the board.

Seattle B+
Traded #1 to NYN for 4 players
2B Cooper Greer

They traded their #1 for 4 players, and while it was partly because of cast and roster spots, they could have gotten a very good player with that pick.

Philadelphia C-
P Doud Slaten

Made a fine pick. Too bad they didn't have more in a draft like this.

Baltimore C-
Traded #2 pick for SS Royce Clayton

There was a player very similar to Clayton taken 17 pick after this one. If they would have kept it, they could have gotten a very good player.

Chicago White Sox D
P Raphael Perez
RF Jack Cust
P Nick Remlinger
CF Jay Backus

We had Perez ranked as the 7th best reliever, and he was the first one taken. Players like Cust are a dime a dozen and Remlinger, too, won't win any awards.

2032 Mock Draft

2007-11-11T15:23:00.000-08:00

After a record setting break in the league, we are finally up to looking seriously at the Ammy Draft. For the second year in a row, Sheffy and I will be doing a mock draft, sharing what we think are the wise and likely picks. We generated the Draft Order based on all we knew at the time. We hope you enjoy and feel free to comment. Here we go!

1. ATL: Nick- 1B Prince Fielder. Atlanta is apparently a hangout for young studs, and the best player in the draft will fit right in.

Steve- P Francisco Liriano. Well, I already botched this one up. However, I thought the Braves might take the best pitcher in the draft knowing they could get one of the first baseman with the 3rd pick.

2. COL: Nick- P Francisco Liriano. When rebuilding, like the Rockies will be doing, it helps to have an ace to build the staff around. Liriano is the best hurler in the pool.

Steve- 1B Prince Fielder. Colorado has holes all over the place, so they will take the best player in the draft and begin to build an offense.

3. ATL (CHN): Nick- P Felix Hernandez. Adding a 4th stud starting pitcher to the club, the Braves snatch up Hernandez. Watch out for the Braves in 5 or 6 years.

Steve- 1B Sadahura Oh. Here is where I expected Atlanta to get their first baseman. Oh looks to be somewhat similar to Lou Gehrig.

4. ATL (KC): Nick- SS Hanley Ramirez. Let me say what is on everyone's mind...yes it is rediculous that the Braves have this many high pick 2 years in a row with such great draft pools. That being said, they will take the SS that will quickly become the best in the league.

Steve- SS Hanley Ramirez. Another pick for the Braves. Here they take a guy who will be the best middle infielder in the league.

5. BOS: Nick- 1B Sadahura Oh. Oh is a steal at 5, and provides a feared bat in the middle of the Sox lineup for a long time.

Steve- P Felix Hernandez. Boston’s pitching has really fallen apart since their trip to the World Series 3 years ago. It’s time to get an ace.

6. ATL (DET): Nick- CF Grady Sizemore. With their 4th pcik in the top 6 (excuse me while I vomit), the Braves take Sizemore to fill a very important position on the field, giving them young studs at 6 offensive positions and 4 stud pitchers.

Steve- CF Grady Sizemore. This is ridiculous. With their 4th pick in the top 6, Atlanta adds another prize bat.

7. OAK: Nick- C Brain McCann. Hard to pass up a top 5 catcher like this whn he is on the board at 7.

Steve- C Brian McCann. Oakland still has some of the pieces in place to turn things around. McCann gives them some hope of reestablishing a potent lineup.

8. PGH (BAL): Nick- 3B Garret Atkins. Can play first base, which the Pirates need, and though 3B Gordon has much better speed, Atkins is ready to play now, which is also what the Pirates need.

Steve- 2B Dib Williams. At 37, he’ll provide a lot of veteran leadership. Club is hoping he can be a player coach (did you really thing I’d give away who I want).

9. HOU: Nick- 3B Alex Gordon. He won't be ready for awhile, but he is a great hitter and defender. Can you believe a guy like this could fall to 9?

Steve- 3B Alex Gordon. Gordon still has a lot of growing to do, but he has tremendous potential and the Astros have lots of time.

10. MIL: Nick- RF Delmon Young. Gives the Brewers a very solid bat to help them manufacture runs in a tough division.

Steve- C Jarrod Saltamacchia . His bat behind Greenberg’s would make the middle of the Brew Crew’s lineup much more dangerous.

11. LA: Nick- P Scott Kazmir. Some would say the Dodgers have not had a really good pitcher since Billy Chapel, so Kazmir will help them in that category.

Steve- P Scott Kazmir. The Dodgers have been without a true ace since Billy Chapel retired.

12. NYN: Nick- C Jarrod Saltamacchia. A great cathcer is always a good pick, particularly this late.

Steve- SS Travis Ykema. The Mets are really a team without much for holes. Ykema would improve on one of their weaker spots.

13. NYN (CLE): Nick- P Tim Lincecum. Another arm to help solidify a talented, but chaky rotation.

Steve- C Bobby Wilson. Wilson allows the Mets to improve in one of the few spots they can at this point.

14. ANA: Nick- CF Hunter Pence. The 2nd really good CF in this draft will add even more pop to the Angels lineup.

Steve- 3B Gerret Atkins. Teamed with the Howard brothers and Slater, this Angels offense will soon be very good.

15. CHA: Nick- LF Matt Holiday. The Sox are right there in a tough division, so Holiday could get them over the hump.

Steve- P Tim Lincecum. The White Sox have never had trouble scoring runs. What they’ve needed is consistent pitching. They should get that here.

16. TOR: Nick- RF Nick Markakis. The last of the elite outfielders in the pool, Toronto can certainly add a nice player at this spot.

Steve- LF Matt Holiday. How is a bat like this still around. Toronto will go crazy if this happens. Finally, a big time bat to go with what has become a strong pitching staff.

17. ATL (TEX): Nick- 2B Ian Kinsler. The Braves add another piece to a scary puzzle.

Steve- 2B Ian Kinsler. Atlanta fills another hole with a great player.

18. FLA: Nick- C Bobby Wilson. Florida already has a lot, but the smart pick here is to add the 3rd good catcher in the draft.

Steve- P Fausto Carmona. The Marlins don’t really need anything so they’ll just take the best pitcher on the board.

19. KC (CIN): Nick- SS Travis Ykema. The second best SS in the draft is nothing to cry about at this point. Very good value.

Steve- RF Delmon Young. Another team ecstatic that a bat of this talent may fall to them. He should be a perfect compliment to Graves and Duncan.

20. STL: Nick- P Fausto Carmona. Another good arm in a pitchers park will help them fight for the NL Central crown.

Steve- P Gil Meche. Here’s another team without much for holes. Meche looks to be the best pitcher available.

21. SEA: Nick- P Gil Meche
Steve- 2B Kelly Johnson

22. PHI: Nick- RP Joel Zumaya
Steve- P John Maine

23. SF: Nick- RP Joakim Soria
Steve- RP Joel Zumaya

24. PGH (SD): Nick- RP Bobby Jenks
Steve- RF Nick Markakis

25. KC (PGH): Nick- RP Chad Cordero
Steve- SS Stephen Drew

26. MIN: Nick- CF Josh Hamilton
Steve- CF Hunter Pence

27. DET (MON): Nick- P John Maine
Steve- P Freddy Mendoza

28. NYA: Nick- P Freddy Mendoza
Steve- RP Joakim Soria

End of Season Award Winners!!!

2007-09-27T11:35:00.000-07:00

The votes have been cast, the ballots are in, and the points have been tallied. Here are your 2032 Award Winners.

NL MVP

Parker 70
Melton 65
Walker 34
Lee 13
Blaylock 9
Cepeda 8
Berkman 4
Floyd 4

AL MVP

Snyder 72
Larkin 50
Jackson 38
Morgan 11
Killabrew 11
Prez 8
Easter 5
Olerud 4
Lee 3
Gehrig 3
Martinez 2

NL Cy Young

Joss 53
Livingston 37
Roe 33
Blaeholder 27
Brubaker 21
Willow 20
Hershiser 8
Cox 6
Blank 1
Niekro 1

AL Cy Young

Barrios 73
Rau 66
Blackwell 24
Cone 18
Smiley 12
Belcher 6
Goldsmith 6
Halliday 2

NL Rookie of the Year

Lette 101
Zimmerman 54
Solaris 34
Odell 6
Carrol 5
Bradley 4
Clarke 3

AL Rookie of the Year

Verlander 96
Graves 50
Kramer 30
Beck 14
Lando 10
Anderson 7

NL Fireman

Saito 70
Stone 35
Barnhardt 24
Solaris 23
Holloway 21
Face 11
Takatsu 8
Wright 8
Otsuka 4
Amonte 3

AL Fireman

Sherry 44
Pappas 40
Kellaher 39
Gagne 37
Tyler 12
Street 10
Stock 10
Lasher 8
Charlton 2

GM of the Year

Nick 61
Mike 52
Scott 35
Expos 17
Jason 11
Arvin 7
Casey 5
Sheffy 4
Luke 2

Thanks for voting guys, and for another great season.

An Interview with the Champs: Texas Rangers

2007-09-06T21:40:00.000-07:00

Sheffy here, conducting the 2nd annual post World Series interview with the GM who won it. We have the GM answer the same five questions to get to know some GM's better. We started last year with Gary of the Expos, and this year we are interviewing Nick from the Rangers who has just won his third World Series championship in Habla.

1. How does it feel to have won the Habla World Series?

It feels very good. Each World Series win has been different, from the young, emerging team in 2024, to the juggernaught in 2026. This one was more of the underachieving team getting it done when it counts.

2. Did your team surprise you this year?

Yeah, to be honest I thought they would be better. We have averaged 102 wins in this dynasty run, so 94 is a bit lower. Our hitting and pitching were both down, for whatever reason. But, I'd gladly take a regular season like this again if it ends with another ring.

3. What is the one move you made that help you become an elite team in this league?

Gosh, there are so many. The first was probably drafting Jake Peavy at a time when I thought my pitching was set (man was I naive). That originally put me in the hunt. Trading up to get Tris Speaker was huge, as was deciding to take a chance on Doug Rau 1st overall. The trade for Hank Aaron. The trade for Lou Gehrig. I think it would be a toss up between the Rau decision and getting Gehrig, because Rau is my best pitcher and Gehrig my best hitter.

4. What is the secret to winning a Habla World Series?

Honestly, after the amazing teams I have built that have fizzled in the first round of the playoffs, and also winning World Series' with 92 and 94 win teams, I have given up on caring about the regular season. My goal has changed to simply get to the playoffs, where you have a 1 in 8 chance. I think it almost all luck. A case in point is this years Yankees, who set the wins record at 122 and then lost in the first round. Sure they had a huge injury, but they were not a first round exit team. This new goal has changed my philosophy, though. I used to relish having 5 great pitchers. I'm not sure you need that anymore. If you can have an ace, 2 really good pitchers, and 2 serviceable guys who can help get you to the playoffs, then you can set your front three up in a playoff series. It still helps to have 4 or 5 in case you have an injury, but I traded away a great pitcher in Preacher Roe for Terrence Lee to make my lineup better because that fit this new philosophy better. It was a gamble, but it paid off.

5. Is there anything you would like the league to know about you as a person?

Ummm...well I guess I would say that I have a huge heart for justice issues; things like poverty and forced labor over seas. I think these are issues that we as Americans have to face and stand up against. We cannot continue to be ignorant about these things.

Thanks for the time.

SS Jan Mallory Hopes to be the First Woman in Habla

2007-05-22T15:44:00.000-07:00

Our world is on the fast track to gender equality, and SS Jan Mallory thinks that applies to the Habla Baseball League as well. For the first time ever, a woman has entered the amateur draft in hopes of being the first female in the league. While playing collegate softball, Jan would play in men's baseball leagues on the side and hold her own. Her outgoing and abrasive personality would often times get in the way, however, as she would continually get into fights with teammates who were not comfortable playing on the same team with a woman. "She would yell at us and tell us about her bra burning parties she was hosting at her house, as if we wanted to hear that," said teamate Joe Sexist.

"All of them boys are just jealous!" exclaimed an angry Jan referring to the men she played with. "They hate to see a woman beat them. The boys in Habla are gonna hate it to. They just aint gonna like it, but they better get used to it." It turns out, despite her mediocre success playing in recreational men's leagues, "The Jan", as she is referred to, is not that good of a player (click image for player profile). She is a poor hitter. Her 26 speed potential does not leave much room for her to even make a squad as a pinch runner. She is listed as a shortstop, but can play severall other positions. Unfortunately, she is equally bad at all posititions she plays. "The only chance she has at getting drafted," said Habla Eboard member Nick Fox, "is if a team needs a filler in LOW, which there is a pretty good chance of. If she does get taken late as a filler, she will feel like she accomplished an amazing feat, and she will have broken the gender barrier in Habla." Will a team take a chance on the young liberal female who wants to play professional baseball? We will only have to wait a couple of days to find out.

2031 End of Season Award Winners

2007-05-22T07:35:00.000-07:00

NL MVP

Ruth 74
Parker 70
Duhram 30
Walker 22
Simmons 15
Robinson 10
Hobbs 9
Stearns 8
Mitchel 1
Klezewski 1

ALMVP

Gehrig 104
Easter 90
Aaron 21
Jackson 16
Gibson 5
Perez 3
Matsui 2
Gant 1
Ortiz 1

NL Cy Young

Van Hekken 119
Niekro 54
Grimes 18
McDevitt 14
Joss 13
Willow 8
Brubaker 6
Wickersham 4
Spahn 3
Nichols 2
Perry 1
Blank 1

AL Cy Young

Barrios 119
Hampton 37
Rau 20
Roe 19
Livingston 14
Tauscher 13
Bonderman 12
Hough 4
Sain 1
Valenzuela 1
Jackson 1
Belcher 1
Cone 1

NL Rookie of the Year

Willow 69
Blank 59
Melton 40
Apple 11
Gravens 10
Ferrick 8
Bourne 5
Lee 5
Duvereaux 3
McCallister 2
Stairs 1

AL Rookie of the Year

Hampton 123
Williams 49
Kaplar 25
Tyler 21
Dent 12
Memmit 10
Whittle 7

NL Fireman

Stone 68
Face 45
Saito 45
Takatsu 37
Simontacci 19
Barnhardt 6
Acker 6
Conley 5
Bourne 5
Otsuka 4
Timlin 3

AL Fireman

Pappas 55
Roney 49
Kellaher 47
Sherry 27
Stock 20
Rodriguez 12
Demmit 10
Tyler 6
Tewksberry 5
Steller 3

GM of the Year

Gary 123
Scott 44
Luke 36
Mike (CWS) 14
Chris 11
Steve 5
Felix 4
Nick 2

2031 Mock Draft

2007-05-21T13:30:00.001-07:00

As we are approaching the ammy draft on Thursday, Sheff and I decided to do a mock draft. We each pick for each team in the first round and give our reasons. Hopefully this adds a little fun to the draft and the league and gets some conversation going. This also replaces the yearly ammy preview, showing through the mock draft who we think the top players are. Here we go!

1. ATL: Nick- SP Carlos Zambrano. Despite having great pitching prospects already, they can get the hitting they need at 3 and 4. So, they’ll take the best pitcher in the draft.

Steve- RF Ed Delahanty. With 4 quality pitching talents in the minors, the Braves will look to get the guy who could become the best table setter in the league.

2. SF (BAL): Nick- RF Ed Delahanty. You can’t pass up a table setter like this. He will help the Giants score a lot of runs.

Steve- SP Carlos Zambrano. With Chien-Ming Wang, the Giants will a tremendous 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation.

3. ATL (KC): Nick- CF Ken Williams. Here’s where they’ll go hitting. Williams is a great 5-tool player and a great addition to the middle of their lineup.

Steve- CF Ken Williams. Should hit in the 3 hole for years to come.

4. ATL (MIL): Nick- 3B Al Rosen. Going hitting again, Rosen will help this offense and is a good fielder.

Steve- 3B Al Rosen. It won’t be long before Rosen is a premier 3B in this league.

5. CIN (COL): Nick- SP Daisuke Matsuzaka. Going to Cincinnati will give him a great opportunity to succeed. I believe he will.

Steve- SP Daisuke Matsuzaka. This guy is a gamble, but should be interesting to watch. With 6 decent pitches, his upside is huge.

6. NYN: Nick- LF Ray Blade. A poor fielder, but plenty of pop to drive in runs.

Steve- CF Jack Ryan. Not the Tom Clancy character, but a very solid hitter with decent speed.

7. HOU: Nick- CF Jack Ryan. Ryan will be a welcome addition to a mediocre outfield.

Steve- LF Rocky Colavito. With his GF, Pull and Power ratings he could hit a ton of homers.

8. KC (CHN): Nick- 3B Eddie Yost. He’s got a pretty good bat and fills a hole for the Royals.

Steve- 2B Josh Barfield. Barfield is a good hitting 2B with decent defensive abilities.

9. TOR: Nick- SP Eddie Plank. The smart pick is to take a good pitcher that will eat up a lot of innings. Plank fits the bill.

Steve- SP John Ward. A little older, but with 2 very good pitches and 2 more solid ones, he could be a nice #2.

10. CLE: Nick- SP John Ward. This team needs starting pitching and Ward is the best on the board.

Steve- SP Eddie Plank. After trading Dave Dravecky, they probably have the worst starting pitching talent in the league.

11. SD (OAK): Nick- 2B Josh Barfield. Barfield is a great talent that fills a much- needed hole for them.

Steve- 2B Bid McPhee. McPhee has similar offensive skills to Ozzie Smith and a decent glove as well.

12. ANA: Nick- 3B Akinori Iwamura. A good fielder and a good hitter makes him a smart pick to fill the hole at the hot corner.

Steve- LF Ray Blades. Cecil Fielder’s lack of ability to make contact could mean his days as a starter are numbered.

13. ATL (DET): Nick- LF Rocky Colavito. Everybody needs a homerun hitter to drive in runs. Colavito will be a good candidate for this in Atlanta.

Steve- SP Frank Owen. He’s probably the best starter on the board still.

14. STL (SF): Nick- C Cal McVey. The best catcher in the draft fills a hole nicely in the middle of the first round.

Steve- 1B Rudy York. GM Worst is unhappy with Dale Alexander’s fielding. York is a solid fielder and is a big upgrade on Lucerne Blue at the plate.

15. BOS: Nick- 1B Rudy York. York provides a little anxiety for pitchers, which is something Boston desperately needs.

Steve- RF Dante Bichette. This team is in bad need of someone with some pop. Bichette could immediately hit in the 3 or 4 hole.

16. SEA: Nick- RP Les Owen. As relief pitching becomes more important, it becomes crucial to take them high. Seattle will take the best one here.

Steve- 3B Akinori Iwamura. Aki Iwa will fill the M’s most glaring need at third base.

17. BOS (SD): Nick- RF Dante Bichette. Great value this late in the draft will help their power issues as a team.

Steve- RF Jim Smith. Red Sox get another solid bat to add to their weak hitting lineup.

18. BAL (PHI): Nick- 2B Bid McPhee. Great speed and good fielding make him a welcome addition to the Orioles infield.

Steve- C Cal McVey. The best receiver in this draft would be a nice fit in Baltimore.

19. TOR (STL): Nick- SP Frank Owen. It’s always wise to stock up on pitching. Owen is a good pickup at this point.

Steve- RP Les Owen. Frank’s brother should be one of the best long or middle relievers in Habla some day.

20. LA: Nick- RF Jim Smith. He’ll help bring some youth to an aging outfield.

Steve- SP George Bradley. His good curve and knuckler could help fill a rotation spot in the future.

21. TOR (CIN): Nick- SS Dave Bancroft.
Steve- SS Dave Bancroft.

22. DET (PIT): Nick- SP George Bradley.
Steve- SP Jake Weimer.

23. CHA: Nick- RP Tom Henke.
Steve- RP Tom Henke.

24. TOR (FLA): Nick- SP Jake Weimer.
Steve- 3B Eddie Yost.

25. DET (TEX): Nick- SS Troy Tulowitzki.
Steve- CF Lloyd Waner.

26. MON: Nick- RP Hideki Okajima.
Steve- RP Hideki Okajima.

27. COL (MIN): Nick- CF Lloyd Waner.
Steve- 1B Greg Walker.

28. NYA: Nick- SP Jimmie DeShong.
Steve- SP Jimmie DeShong.

Interviewing the Champ: Gary of the Expos

2007-05-13T15:23:00.000-07:00

I am starting a new tradition where we will interview the GM of the Habla Champion after he wins the World Series. I think it will be a fun way to get to know some GM's better. We start with Gary of the Expos, who as one of the longest tenured owners just won his first ring. Congratulation again, Gary. Here is the interview.

1. How does it feel to have won the Habla world Series?

It feels great. It was a loug haul which makes it that much sweeter.

2. Did your team surprise you this year?

Not really. We had a great year last year and this is a veteran group. They really wanted it after last years 1st round exit.

3. What is the one move you made that help you become an elite team in this league?

Drafting P Takashi Saito. We needed a closer and he's been great.

4. What is the secret to winning a Habla World Series?

I think you are asking the wrong guy. After all the failures I've had I guess the odds eventually went in my favor.

5. Is there anything you would like the league to know about you as a person?

I'm old school. I'm responsible for my actions. It use to bug me as I was refered to as a "nice guy" but now I'm pleased to hear it. When I was young I use to wish I could gain weight and now that I'm middled aged I'm about twice the man I used to be. Careful what you wish for. LOL

Coors Light Cold Hard Facts

2007-04-23T09:33:00.000-07:00

We got a chance recently to sit down with Steve, the head researcher of the Habla blog and manager of the defending champion Pirates and ask him a few questions about the history of Habla based on his recent research. Here we go with a 6 pack of questions.

1. Is Joe Jackson the best player in Habla History?

This is only my 5th season, so it is hard to say since I never saw players like Mantle and Chane Winther, but from what I saw of Jackson, he is the most complete player that I’ve ever seen.

1A. As a follow up, are any current players potential candidates to challenge him for that title?

As a complete player, Turkey Stearns has the potential to challenge him. As far as impact for a team, Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth are up there.

2. Will we ever again see a team as good as the Mariners of early Habla were?

Average 112 wins over 14 seasons? I think we could see a team have a dynasty last as long as they did, but I don’t see a team averaging that many wins for that long of time.

3. Of the teams who have not won a World Series, who will be the next to win?

I’m gonna say either the white Sox or the A’s. The Sox seem to have a 3 or 4 year window here where they could do it. The A’s simply because the have Rob Peterson as their GM and he has the track record of getting it done.

4. Will the current Yankees team be remembered as a top 10 dynasty when they are forced to rebuild?

That’s tough. I’m going to say no, because throughout their good years coming up they will be battling the Rangers, Twins, and White Sox, all really good teams, so even if they have a great run they may not make it to more than a couple World Series’.

5. How will the 2031 draft be remembered in comparison to all the other drafts of this era?

Deep and Powerful is the phrase that comes to mind. Some HUGE stars at the top and many good players in the later rounds, the latter of which has not been seen for a long time in the league. The depth is the best we have seen in a long time.

6. Would you rather take a tennis ball strait to the groin or step in fresh dog poop barefoot?

I think the dog poop, because then you can just go find a hose. You can do something about the dog poop, but the groin shot you just have to wait it out until the pain subsides.

The Owl’s Power Rankings for August

2007-04-15T19:29:00.000-07:00

Around 50 games to go and the Owl will take a look of where the teams rank after looking at the current standings. The NL East has been a 3 team race and don’t count out the Phillies. Late season surges have happened by them before.

The NL Central is really a 3 team race with the Reds, Cards and Pirates taking turns with the lead. So far the Marlins or Expos figure to be the Wild Card but that isn’t a lock.

The Dodgers are headed for another West Title.

In the AL only the Central has a race. The Twins are chasing the surprising White Sox and both teams figure to make the playoffs joining the Yankees and Rangers who can start printing playoff tickets at any time. OK here are the latest (very late) rankings:

1. New York Yankees: The Yanks have been the Class of the AL with a very good Offense and the Best Pitching in AL and maybe the league. P Francisco Barrios and RF Reggie Jackson have been phenomenal.

2. Montreal Expos: The Expos Pitching has been great. The starters might be getting tired as they are veterans but the Pen led by P Takashi Saito have kept this team in the playoff hunt. Hitting is balanced but will it let down in a big game like in last years playoffs?

3. Texas Rangers: Great Hitting as been a trademark and this year it isn’t any different. Hank Aaron leads the way but he has a lot of help. Pitching is the key and it’s good. The return of P Jake Peavy makes this team more dangerous

4. Los Angeles Dodgers: Add slugging rookie 3B Tim Ferrick to a group of veterans and the Dodgers continue to be a force as they lead the NL in runs scored. The Pitching is solid

5. Chicago White Sox: Getting P Tony Livingston in a trade was huge as he gives this team an Ace. Team playing well for new Coach Mike

6. Minnesota Twins: Twins have been streaky this year. The starting pitchers have been very good led by P David Cone but an inconsistent bull pen has been a problem. 1B Luke Easter is having a career year.

7. Florida Marlins: Team on pace for another 100 win season. P Andy Van Hekken is dominating the NL Hitters. Ruth, Hrbek, Simmons continue to pound the ball.

8. Pittsburgh Pirates: Defending Champs are in a battle for the NL Central Title and a playoff spot. Pitching is still the strength. The hitting can be better and it might have to be to make the post season.

9. St. Louis Cardinals: Cardinals probably are the top pitching and fielding team in the Majors. When the team get hitting they excel. This year they have had the hitting.

10. Cincinnati Reds: The pitching is good led by P Jim Perry. The Hitting is strong but one has to wonder how the 1B Kluszewski and 1B Derek Lee platoon setup will work out.

11. Philadelphia Phillies: The Phils started strong but recent pitching woes have this team scrambling to make the playoffs. Rookie 1B Kite Melton has had a productive year and if he gets more consistent he’ll be a force for a long time.

12. Anaheim Angels: KL has gotten a lot out of his talent this year. Not only the youngster but veterans like P Milt Pappas and Rich Carlen. The Hitting is still a concern but the Angels are headed in the right direction

13. Detroit Tigers: Team is in transition and playing hard but it still lacks talent to compete for a playoff spot. Is this Veteran OF Kirk Gibson’s “swan song.”

14. San Diego Padres: Padres are in flux but they needed to be after the last few season. They should be better then their record but the Bullpen hasn’t been that effective. Team is on the way up

15. Seattle Mariners: Mariners have outscored their opponents by 48 runs but they are still under .500. Tough luck and inconsistent pitching are the likely culprits as P Myles Truscher Jr. has been they only starting pitcher performing well.

16. Toronto Blue Jays: Jays have been competitive all season as some of the young pitchers are developing. P Tim Belcher is having a break out season. Hitter will be the key for improvement.

17. Chicago Cubs: Team has made some strides but this team hasn’t played well recently. The youngsters are getting playing time and that can’t help but help the teams’ future.

18. Boston Red Sox: The Red Sox are having a power outage. Team still has found a way to score but the lack of power has put pressure on the pitching staff.

19. Oakland Athletics: Rob’s wheeling and dealing and it will be a matter of time before he gets the roster the way he wants. Team is a few seasons away.

20. San Francisco Giants: Team has a strong hitting team but when you don’t win with that it’s the pitching that is the problem. The Starting rotation needs good 4th and 5th starters. P Jonathan Papelbon has had a terrible sophomore season.

21. Cleveland Indians: The Indians had major Free Agent loses in the Free Agent Market prior to the season and it shows. Team is in transition but not that far from competing if they get a few pitchers.

22. Colorado Rockies: P Dick Elsworth has been great and Veteran P Nolan Ryan continues with his great career but other then those two the pitching has been hammered. The Hitting has been good but it can’t save the pitching staff.

23. Houston Astros: Sam has done a great job for many season competing but this year is one of the few down seasons he’s had. The Hitting has been weak but the pitching hasn’t been that bad.

24. Brewers: Coach Cameron took over the Brewers that were in rebuilding mode. They still are but if there is a Coach that can turn them around he’s the man.

25. New York Mets: The Mets are a young team in a tough Division. There are some good starters to build on but the bullpen needs an overhaul. The hitting has improved a bit from last year.

26. Baltimore Orioles: The O’s are in full fledge rebuilding mode and it takes time. The hitters are progressing better then the pitchers at this time.

27. Kansas City Royals: P Roger Clemens should sue for non support. But he is the Ace to build around. I hope the fans are patient because it will take time as Coach Travis has done it before.

28. Atlanta Braves: The Braves needed nuking and Coach Casey started that. He has a lot of work to do but a few high draft picks is a good start.

Habla Dynasties

2007-04-09T11:35:00.000-07:00

After looking into who won rings and when, we thought it would be fun to rank what we thought were the all time dynasties in Habla history. Man, were there some dominant teams early on. Anyway, here they are. Tell us what you think.

Seattle Mariners 1998-2011
GM Arlon Rahn
- 14 seasons of 100 or more wins
- made the playoffs every year
- 2 seasons of 121 wins
- 9 world Series appearences
- 4 World Series Championships (in a 10 year span)
- averaged 112 wins/season for a 14 year span

Key Players: Randy Johnson, Alex Rodriguez, Sean Spencer

New York Mets 1998-2012
GM Jeff Dupree
- 15 seasons of 98 or more wins
- made the playoffs every year
- 4 World Series appearences
- 3 World Series Championships (in a 14 year span)
- averaged 107 wins/season for a 15 year span

Key Players: Rogers Hornsby, Don Drysdale, Jim Bunning, Ricky Ledee

San Francisco Giants 2001-2013
GM Tony Preist
- 13 seasons of 96 or more wins
- made the playoffs every year
- 4 consecutive seasons of 112 or more wins
- 5 world Series appearences
- 3 World Series championships (in a 10 year span)
- averaged 104 wins/season for a 13 year span

Key Players: Andruw Jones, Christy Matthewson, Bob Feller, Derek Jeter

Houston Astros 1998-2006
GM JP Richard
- 9 seasons of 86 or more wins
- made the playoffs every year
- 2 world Series appearences
- 2 World Series championships (in a 4 year span)
- averaged 106 wins/season for a 9 year span

Key Players: Joe Medwick, Joe Dimaggio, Sequoia Gessert

Texas Rangers 2023-2030
GM Nick Fox
- 8 seasons of 92 or more wins
- missed the playoffs only 1 time
- 2 seasons of 113 or more wins
- 2 world Series appearences
- 2 World Series championships (in a 4 year span)
- averaged 102 wins/season for an 8 year span

Key Players: Jake Peavy, Hank Aaron, Lou Gehrig, Oliver Perez

Anaheim Angels 2009-2022
GM Rob Peterson
- 14 seasons of 95 or more wins
- missed playoffs only 1 time
- 2 seasons of 106 or more wins
- 3 world Series appearences
- 2 World Series championships (in a 5 year span)
- averaged 100 wins/season for a 14 year span

Key Players: Joe Jackson, Micky Mantle, Carl Hubble, Wib Joncas

St. Louis Cardinals
GM Jeremy Worst
- 10 seasons of 91 or more wins
- missed the playoffs only 1 time
- 111 wins in 2017
- 4 world Series appearences
- 2 World Series championships (in a 5 year span)
- averaged 99 wins/season for a 10 year span

Key Players: Robin Roberts, Mike Schmidt, Walter Johnson

Philadelphia Phillies 2022-2029
GM Jim Rohlman
- 8 seasons of 88 or more wins
- only missed playoffs 2 times
- 2 seasons of 107 wins
- 5 world Series appearences
- 1 World Series championships (in a 10 year span)
- averaged 96 wins/season for an 8 year span

Key Players: Frank Robinson, Brooks robinson, Mel Ott, Adam Eaton

Boston Red Sox 2012-2018
GM Greg Fingas
- 7 seasons of 94 or more wins
- made the playoffs every year
- 110 wins in 2014
- 2 world Series appearences
- 1 World Series championships
- averaged 100 wins/season for a 7 year span

Key Players: Dave Winfield, AJ Burnett, Josh Gibson

Florida Marlins 2017-2021
GM Felix
- 5 seasons of 93 or more wins
- made the playoffs every year
- 2 world Series appearences
- 1 World Series championship
- averaged 97 wins/season for a 5 year span

Key Players: Vida Blue, Christy Matthewson

Ring City

2007-04-09T10:53:00.000-07:00

Someone was asking about who has won rings and who have not. Here is the info. Enjoy.

Teams that have have never won a Ring

Expos
Reds
Braves
Cubs
Padres
Rockies
White Sox
A's

Rings by Division

NL East 5
NL Central 5
NL West 4

AL East 6
AL Central 5
AL West 8

Rings by Team

Mariners 4

Mets 3
Giants 3

Rangers 2
Angels 2
Indians 2
Yankees 2
Astros 2
Cardinals 2

Rings by GM (Only current GM's listed)

Rob 3 (2 with the Angels, 1 with the Brewers)
Jeremy 2
Greg 2
Nick 2
Felix 1
Travis 1
Luke 1
Jim 1
Steve 1

Fact or Fiction

2007-04-09T10:08:00.000-07:00

We’re (Steve representing the Habla Network) going to play a little Habla Fact or Fiction with Blog Editor and Rangers GM Nick Fox today. I promise we won’t spend the whole time talking about the Rangers and Pirates. Let’s get him on the phone.

S: Hey Nick, how’s it going?

N: Good, man.

S: I saw that your boy Pujols finally hit a homerun, raising his average to a whopping .136, any thoughts?

N: You can guarantee he’ll finish the season 300 points above that, so I’m not too worried.

S: Good one, anyways, let’s get to this. Ready to Play?

N: I think so. Let’s do it.

S: All-time HR champ, Dave Parker, will finish his career with at least 1000 longballs.

N: Fiction. He’s not gonna get another 35 this season, although he may get close. This is definitely his last season, so I’d have to say no.

S: The NL Pennant will leave the state of Pennsylvania for the first time since 2024.

N: Fact. It doesn’t look like the Pirates will be contending, and it doesn’t look like the Phillies will either. There’s a good chance they’ll both miss the playoffs. My pick to win the NL this season is the Marlins.

S: Nolan Ryan’s torn bicep will end his career.

N: Fact. This late in his career, that is such a major injury requiring a lot of work to get back from. He’s had a Hall of Fame career and I see him just hanging them up.

S: The Atlanta Braves will break the Marlins record of 134 losses in a season.

N: Fiction. The chance of getting less than 8 wins the rest of the way is slim. As hard as it is to break the all-time wins record, it’s almost as hard to break the loss record of 134.

S: Gambling addict Brian Fuentes will become the first full-time reliever to lead the league in innings pitched.

N: Fiction. As many innings as he’s seeing on two different teams, he’s still not a starter. I expect Barrios to continue to pitch a lot of innings and beat him out.

S: Francisco Barrios will capture a 2nd consecutive AL Cy Young award.

N: Fact. There doesn’t seem to be much competition right now. What he’s been able to do the last season and a half is amazing. I wouldn;t be surprised to see him win several more in the years ahead.

S: The Dodgers’ Tim Ferrick will break Kent Hrbek’s rookie homerun record of 55.

N: Fiction. Conventional wisdom tells me that as a rookie he’ll slow down the 2nd half of the season. The changes of him hitting 25 more aren’t that great.

S: Crash Davis’s recently hit 500th homer cements his place in the Hall of Fame.

N: Fact. A catcher hitting 500 homers is so rare, almost by itself that gives him a pass to the Hall. In addition, his other accomplishments also make his entrance to the Hall a certainty.

S: The Rangers will end their championship drought and hoist the trophy at the end of October.

N: Fiction. I think there are too many good teams in the AL and a number of good teams in the NL. If given the chouce between one good team and the field, there are so many good teams that I have to pick the field.

S: Scott Dinnis and the rest of the EBoard have done an outstanding job carrying the torch from former commish Jeff D who set the bar so high.

N: Fact. It all starts with Scott. He’s done a great job taking over the commissioner’s role, taking charge and showing leadership. Although, we miss Jeff, Scott has been a great leader.

Most Home Runs since 2027 Season

2007-04-06T08:58:00.000-07:00

Round 2 of Steve's research had him finding out where woodie Held ranked on this list for homers in the last 4 and a half seasons. Here are the top 26 home run hitters in the last 4.5 years.

1. Lou Gehrig 257

2. Babe Ruth 254

3. Dave Parker 238

4. Reggie Jackson 232

5. Harmon Killabrew 216

6. Hank Aaron 201

7. Ted Klezewski 180

8. David Ortiz 177

9. Orlando Cepeda 170

10. Duke Snider 165

11. Tony Perez 163

12. John Liska 160

13. Matt Williams 155

14. Luke Easter 153

T-15. Bobby Abreu 152

T-15. John Olerud 152

17. Danny Tartabull 151

18. Hank Greenburg 150

19. Turkey Stearns 149

T-20. Raphael Palmiero 148

T-20. Daryl Strawberry 148

22. Randy Birch 147

23. Roy Hobbs 146

23. Roosevelt Brown 146

25. Lance Berkman 145

26. Woodie Held 144

Most Wins Since the Start of the 2027 Season

2007-04-06T08:43:00.000-07:00

Steve was doing some research to find out where his favorite pitcher ranked in Wins in the 4 and a half seasons he has been on the Pirates. The Results were so interesting, I knew we had to post a blog about it. Brubaker came in 27th among active pitchers in Wins over this Time period. Here are 1 through 27 with their record. I wrote a short blurb about some of them. Enjoy.

1. David Cone 88-40
An interesting #1. I knew he was great, but expected him to be closer to #5. nonetheless, cone has been the winningest pitcher since 2027. He was definately worthy of beaing drafted #1 overall.

2. Doug Rau 83-24
By far the best winning percentage on this list, and we thing the best winning percentage by a starter all time. A great pitcher on a great team. also a former #1 overall pick.

3. Brandon Webb 77-37
Webb goes to show how being on a great team can drive you high on this list. With an ERA that won't blow you away over this period, Webb has simply shown up and been a solid pitcher without getting injured for this period, and the great offense has helped him win 77 games.

4. Dennis Eckersly 73-39
Former Cy Young winner has done quite well for himself after winning the award, coming in 4th. Eck has played on many teams in his long career.

5. Nolan Ryan 72-42
Another old guy who is still getting it done. Ryan is a fantastic power pitcher and no one should be surprosed at him bein gin the top 5.

6. Dwight Gooden 71-47
A bit of a surprise, but has the combination of being a pretty good pitcher on pretty good teams.

7. Fenrnando Valenzuela 69-37
Has been a bit hot and cold, but has been hot enough to put him high on this list.

8. Orel Hershizer 68-27
Orel, another who takes very few losses, has been playing for the mighty Marlins for his entire career and it has certainly helped his record.

9. Tom Glavine 68-39
Glavine came out of the gate very hot, but has wavered. Another Twins player who has gotten it done.

10. Burleigh Grimes 68-45
Is 2nd in this period in QS percentage, with 109 of his 150 starts going as quality.

11. Joe Kennedy 67-34
The Cy young winner for the Dodgers has kept his success going.

12. Oliver Perez 67-36
Hasn't won as much since leaving the Rangers, but has won 20 games and a Cy Young before.

13. Mark Gubicza 67-38

14. Warren Spahn 66-46

15. Adam Eaton 65-26

16. Scott Sullivan 65-44

17. Roger Clemens 64-49

T-18. Jim Perry 63-37

T-18. Tony Livingston 63-37

20. Charlie Hough 62-29
Is first during this period in QS percentage, converting a staggering 100 of 133.

21. Dave Dravecky 62-45

22. Dave Wickersham 61-29

23. Phil Niekro 61-43

24. Andy Van Hekken 60-36

25. Bobby Witt 60-41

26. Tomo Ohka 60-46

27. Ken Brubaker 58-38

Brian Fuentes: The Ultimate Reliever

2007-04-02T19:01:00.000-07:00

An interesting thing happened last sim that has never happened in Habla, the Major Leagues, or for that matter, any professional team sport ever. Brian Fuentes pitched for two different teams that were playing each other!!! That's right folks, Brian Fuentes, who has been scandalously playing for both the Red Sox and the Brewers, made an appearance for both teams when they were playing each other on Thursday. He pitched the 6th inning for the Brewers, and then came out and pitched a 3rd of an inning in the 8th for the Red Sox.

You may have noticed Fuentes' ridiculous stats this season: 115.0 IP in relief, 105 K's, 70 appearances. However, you must keep in mind that he has been playing for two different teams. Concerning this situation, Fuentes said "I needed to fund my addiction to hardcore gambling on bare-knuckled midget boxing, and I thought playing for two teams and making double pay was the best thing to do. What can I say, I just keep thinking Wee Man is going to take that jerk, The Little Pistol one of these days, but he can't pull it off. And here I am, down 750 large to that bookie, Teeny Tom...Oh Crap!!! I have to catch my plane to Boston!!!" He was not able to comment more. However, we figure that Fuentes has simply been slipping his pitching coaches bribes to not let anyone in on it, so he only pitches in certain games. How he was able to pitch for two teams in the same night without anybody catching on, however, remains a mystery. More on this story as it develops.

2031 All-Stars

2007-04-02T09:05:00.000-07:00

The All-Star break is nearly upon us. Most of us know that the game engine picks an All-Star team, but it’s small and usually very random. So, I (Steve) have created All-Star teams for this season based on the format used by MLB (including 1 player from each team). I’ve even given you 5 snubs from each league to vote in. So, sound off and let us know who should get the final spot in each league. Let us know what you think of the teams. Did your guy get left off? Anyways, we hope you have fun with it. The most interesting comment made by a player in regard to the All-Star Team announcement was from Angels reliever Milt Pappas. Upon learning of his inclusion on the team, he had this to say, “That fool who wrote ‘Hot Commodities’ can suck it. He wouldn’t recognize a Most Improved Pitcher if one bit him in the butt. Have you seen the nasty stuff I’ve been throwing these days?” With that, I give you the 2031 Habla All-Stars.

AL Starting Lineup

1. 2B B. J. Upton- .310, 2 HR, 23 RBI, 38 Runs, .814 OPS, 25 SB

2. SS Joe Cronin- .337, 10 HR, 38 RBI, 51 Runs, .934 OPS, 9 SB

3. 1B Luke Easter- .360, 33 HR, 81 RBI, 73 Runs, 1.152, 0 SB

4. RF Reggie Jackson- .259, 35 HR, 77 RBI, 66 Runs, .939 OPS, 2 SB

5. DH Lou Gehrig- .342, 25 HR, 58 RBI, 68 Runs, 1.119 OPS, 7 SB

6. LF Henry Aaron- .339, 19 HR, 71 RBI, 57 Runs, .949 OPS, 5 SB

7. CF Duke Snider- .297, 25 HR, 61 RBI, 70 Runs, .981 OPS, 2 SB

8. C Roy Campanella- .321, 13 HR, 45 RBI, 55 Runs, .924 OPS, 2 SB

9. 3B Ken Caminitti- .317, 13 HR, 46 RBI, 37 Runs, .886 OPS, 0 SB

Bench:

C Cooper Walker- .255, 9 HR, 33 RBI, 44 Runs, .713 OPS, 0 SB

1B John Olerud- .289, 18 HR, 62 RBI, 52 Runs, .878 OPS, 1 SB

1B Tony Perez- .322, 26 HR, 57 RBI, 56 Runs, 1.027, 1 SB

2B Craig Biggio- .271, 6 HR, 24 RBI, 51 Runs, .756 OPS, 24 SB

3B Bill Mazeroski- .291, 14 HR, 45 RBI, 48 Runs, .830 OPS, 3 SB

SS Barry Larkin- .258, 18 HR, 48 RBI, 53 Runs, .816 OPS, 5 SB

LF John Liska- .272, 21 HR, 43 RBI, 54 Runs, .870 OPS, 5 SB

LF Kirk Gibson- .295, 17 HR, 52 RBI, 46 Runs, .904 OPS, 5 SB

LF Hideki Matsui- .349, 21 HR, 47 RBI, 66 Runs, 1.037 OPS, 3 SB

LF Michael Coleman- .291, 12 HR, 41 RBI, 37 Runs, .865 OPS, 1 SB

CF Chuck Klein- .315, 9 HR, 30 RBI, 30 Runs, .853 OPS, 0 SB

Starting Pitcher:

SP Francisco Barrios- 14-1, 0.88 ERA, 123.0 IP, 76 K, 17-17 QS

Bullpen:

SP David Cone- 11-1, 2.35 ERA, 103.1 IP, 112 K, 12-16 QS

SP Tim Belcher- 11-3, 1.97 ERA, 114.1 IP, 76 K, 14-17 QS

SP Jeremy Bonderman- 12-3, 2.86 ERA, 110.1 IP, 72 K, 12-17 QS

SP Tony Livingston- 9-4, 1.83 ERA, 113.0 IP, 97 K, 14-17 QS

SP Charlie Hough- 9-3, 1.95 ERA, 111.0 IP, 75 K, 14-16 QS

RP Francisco Rodriguez- 5-0, 1.53 ERA, 29.1 IP, 29 K, 14 S, 5 H

RP Wes Stock- 5-1, 1.88 ERA, 28.2 IP, 32 K, 14 S, 6 H

RP Milt Pappas- 4-3, 2.11 ERA, 38.1 IP, 13 K, 16 S, 5 H

RP Todd Worrell- 2-1, 2.41 ERA, 18.2 IP, 23 K, 5 S, 6 H

Who should get the last spot?

1B John Karpel- .304, 21 HR, 50 RBI, 54 Runs, .946 OPS, 2 SB

1B Eddie Morgan- .310, 19 HR, 48 RBI, 57 Runs, .924 OPS, 3 SB

LF Ron Gant- .274, 23 HR, 59 RBI, 58 Runs, .896 OPS, 0 SB

SP Preacher Roe- 10-5, 2.48 ERA, 116.0 IP, 120 K, 13-17 QS

SP Myles Tauscher Jr.- 9-3, 2.49 ERA, 108.2 IP, 74 K, 12-17 QS

NL Starting Lineup:

1. 2B Charlie Gehringer- .328, 8 HR, 47 RBI, 48 Runs, .953 OPS, 15 SB

2. CF Roy Hobbs- .294, 20 HR, 57 RBI, 56 Runs, .932 OPS, 9 SB

3. RF Larry Walker- .335 17 HR, 50 RBI, 45 Runs, .977 OPS, 18 SB

4. 3B Matt Williams- .350, 25 HR, 57 RBI, 55 Runs, 1.017 OPS, 0 SB

5. 1B Gil Hodges- .322, 20 HR, 52 RBI, 51 Runs, .981 OPS, 0 SB

6. DH Tim Ferrick- .292, 27 HR, 58 RBI, 42 Runs, 1.011 OPS, 4 SB

7. LF Kevin Mitchell- .270, 26 HR, 55 RBI, 57 Runs, .917 OPS, 0 SB

8. C Ben McAllister- .324, 12 HR, 32 RBI, 43 Runs, .911 OPS, 3 SB

9. SS Charlie Smith- .318, 15 HR, 46 RBI, 43 Runs, .983 OPS, 7 SB

Bench:

C Crash Davis- .283, 19 HR, 37 RBI, 34 Runs, .937 OPS, 2 SB

1B Leon Durham- .274, 25 HR, 63 RBI, 46 Runs, .916 OPS, 0 SB

1B Ted Kluszewski- .270, 27 HR, 60 RBI, 48 Runs, .894 OPS, 1 SB

1B David Oritz- .272, 21 HR, 59 RBI, 37 Runs, .902 OPS, 1 SB

2B Rex Hudler- .330, 8 HR, 34 RBI, 64 Runs, .886 OPS, 15 SB

3B Jose Leon- .265, 13 HR, 33 RBI, 25 Runs, .836 OPS, 0 SB

SS Woodie Held- .265, 19 HR, 36 RBI, 43 Runs, .839 OPS, 1 SB

CF Turkey Stearnes- .282, 19 HR, 46 RBI, 59 Runs, .875 OPS, 11 SB

RF Dave Parker- .283, 22 HR, 51 RBI, 61 Runs, .914 OPS, 3 SB

RF Al Simmons- .318, 16 HR, 47 RBI, 61 Runs, .932 OPS, 4 SB

RF Babe Ruth- .249, 21 HR, 69 RBI, 61 Runs, .835 OPS, 0 SB

Starting Pitcher:

SP Andy Van Hekken 11-2, 1.94 ERA, 107.0 IP, 62 K, 14-17 QS

Bullpen:

SP Alvin Crowder- 11-1, 2.02 ERA, 102.1 IP, 55 K, 12-15 QS

SP Jim Perry 11-2, 2.04 ERA, 101.1 IP, 78 K, 13-18 QS

SP Phil Niekro- 9-3, 2.27 ERA, 111.0 IP, 72 K, 14-17 QS

SP Addie Joss- 9-5, 2.11 ERA, 115.1 IP, 116 K, 14-17 QS

SP Ben Sheets- 6-2, 2.53 ERA, 96.0 IP, 64 K, 14-15 QS

RP Takashi Saito- 0-1, 3.03 ERA, 29.2 IP, 41 K, 19 S, 7 H

RP Jason Bourne- 0-0, 1.82 ERA, 24.2 IP, 32 K, 14 S, 5 H

RP Mike Timlin- 1-1, 1.77 ERA, 20.1 IP, 25 K, 10 S, 12 H

RP Joe Boever- 1-1, 2.29 ERA, 43.1 IP, 19 K, 0 S, 1 H

Who should get the last spot?

LF Frank Robinson- .286, 13 HR, 55 RBI, 53 Runs, .844 OPS, 4 SB

RF Randy Birch- .289, 14 HR, 51 RBI, 54 Runs, .856 OPS, 2 SB

SP Roger Craig- 10-3, 2.28 ERA, 98.2 IP, 65 K, 10-16 QS

SP Cap Wilkerson- 7-1, 1.66 ERA, 92.0 IP, 59 K, 10-14 QS

SP Orel Hershiser- 7-4, 1.84 ERA, 107.2 IP, 105 K, 14-17 QS

Hot Commodities

2007-04-01T17:57:00.000-07:00

One of the great things about Habla (actually about BBPro 98) is that their is a certain "X-factor" involving player production. Some players will go from mere contributors to All Stars in one season. There are different contributors to this, such as changing teams, changing stadiums, changed to the ini file, younger players developing etc., but, I think we would agree that some times it is a mystery. Nonetheless, I thought it would be fun to look at those players who, in the last few seasons, have become hot commodities, who have gone from rags to riches, from contributors to much more. You may notice that all 10 are pitchers, but that should not be surprising, since more pitchers have turn arounds than do hitters. Anyway, here they are, the top 10 hot commodities.

1. P Francisco Barrios Yankees

Barrios seems to be the clear cut #1 on this list. He has gone from an ERA near 5.00 in '29 to a Cy Young winning season last year in which he won 21 games with a meager ERA of 1.58. He seems to be the AL front runner for the award this year as well. A manager recently commented that no player has benefited more from the change in ini 2 years ago than Barrios. He has made quite a change.

2. P Preacher Roe Rangers

Roe was traded from the Cubs to the Rangers in the middle of the '29 season. He ended up finishing 5-8 with a 4.14 ERA. The next season he won 23 games with a 2.62 ERA and finished in the top 3 in Cy Young voting. His change in production is due to a few things, probably the biggest being his change from the worst pitchers parks in baseball to a more balanced home field. Regardless, the Rangers like having Roe in their rotation.

3. P Danny McDevitt Pirates

McDevitt has seen a turn around over a few seasons. After going 2-4 with an ERA over 6.00, he was able to drop his ERA to 3.67 and then to an amazing 1.68 last season. It seems clear that McDevitt's turn around was not a fluke and he is a big part of the reason the Pirates are defending World Series Champions.

4. P Alvin Crowder Cardinals

Crowder was a wreck early in his career, but has made quite an impact for the Cardinals in the last few seasons. After his last rough season in '29, where his ERA was over 5.00, he has had 2 and a half great seasons with ERA's under 3.00.

5. P Andy Van Hekken Marlins

After having a great first few seasons, Van Hekken shifted into a back end of the rotation guy. then, after some ini and team changes a few years ago, he has rejuvinated his career and has become an ace type starter, getting his ERA down below 2.00 for the first time ever.

6. P Tony Livingston White Sox

Livingston did not make an amazing one year turn around, but instead has seemed to get better every year. After the 2025 season, where he had an ERa of about 4 and a half, he has lowered it pretty much every year until he posted a 2.30 ERA with 11 wins last season.

7. P David Cone Twins

Cone has always been a good pitcher. He was selected first overall by the Twins a number of years ago. He had played some good years and been pretty good for the Twins, even winning 22 games one year. However, some of us watched an felt that Cone was not yet the Ace that he could and would become. He seems to have made the switch, winning 18 games with a 2.59 ERA last year and starting this year 11-1 with a 2.35.

8. P Jason Simontacci Phillies

Jason Simontacci had had a mediocre career. that was until last season, when he pitched 31.2 innings in relief without allowing an earned run. He has continued that success this season, with an ERA just over 1.00 in 42.1 innings in relief.

9. P Wilson Alvarez Marlins

Alvarez is an interesting story, as he was an undrafted ammy turned hot free agent. The Marlins were the high bidder, and watched him pitch poorly. Then, in '29 put up a great year with a 2.85 ERA. After a rough year pitching in Coors Field, Alvarez is back with the Marlins and pitching well again.

10. P Jerry Robertson Rangers

Robertson was not a great pitcher early in his career. however, he has come on late in his career as a great long reliever and fill in starter. After putting up an ERA of 3.08 in 87 innings in 2027, Robertson went on to have two of his next 3 seasons see ERAs below 3.70. Robertson has went from a bum to a very valuable and versatile pitcher.

Team Aspirations

2007-03-09T10:32:00.000-08:00

Sheffy has written a nice piece on what he percieves each team's realistic aspirations to be for this season. See where your team stands and whether you agree. We hope to get more articles out soon.

The Serious Contenders

New York Yankees- The club looks stronger than the one that grabbed a wild card spot last season. Francisco Barrios is proving that last season was no fluke.

Minnesota Twins- How do you drastically improve a team that’s won its division 3 straight seasons? Simple, add an ace (Charlie Hough) and a cleanup hitter (Luke Easter) to the mix.

Texas Rangers- Finally getting Jake Peavy back from an elbow injury that’s kept him out for over a year could be the key to ending the Rangers 4 year championship drought. It also doesn’t hurt to add Harmon Killabrew’s 700 homers to an already lethal lineup.

Florida Marlins- Team is hungry after last season’s incredible run was cut short in part to Babe Ruth’s ill-timed injury. The additions of Will Judy Johnson and Jeremy Affeldt may make up for the loss of Whitey Ford.

St. Louis Cardinals- Turkey Stearnes could be on verge of his first MVP season. The team has amassed enough talent to not only go to the post-season, but do some damage when they get there.

Pittsburgh Pirates- They may have the best pitching staff in the league. However, an underachieving lineup will need to start producing at some point for this club to have a strong chance of repeating.

Los Angeles Dodgers- Dave Parker and Roy Hobbs wouldn’t have bothered coming back if they didn’t feel this team had what it takes. Can they get it done, though, with what appears to be less talent than some of their recent teams?

A Move or Two Away

Chicago White Sox- Off to a strong start, but does anyone in this lineup or rotation strike fear in the opposition?

Cleveland Indians- This club probably needs to decide soon whether to rebuild or continue to go for it now.

Seattle Mariners- Their sluggish start has many fans questioning the trading of stars Hank Blalock and Will Clark.

Philadelphia Phillies- The team is largely the same, minus Mel Ott, as the one that won the title 2 years ago.

Montreal Expos- The club may need to add another big bat to feel good about their chances.

Chicago Cubs- They need several players to start producing to be better than a .500 team.

Cincinnati Reds- If they manage to make the postseason, Jim Perry and Oliver Perez could make things very difficult on the opposition in a 5 game series.

San Diego Padres- As good a 1-5 in the lineup as you’ll find, but must find some consistency in the rotation behind Tony Livingston.

Improving, but Not Going Anywhere Yet

Toronto Blue Jays- A decent mix of youngsters and vets is beginning to form, but this team is likely a year or two away.

Anaheim Angels- They are the biggest surprise of the season, thus far, and may have the young talent to seriously challenge the Rangers for division supremacy in a season or 2.

San Francisco Giants- This club’s progress may be hinged on the development of Chien-Ming Wang.

They Stink, but Hey Their Young

Baltimore Orioles- Clue Haywood, Chuck Klein, David Wells and Kevin Ritz give this team some nice pieces to build around.

Kansas City Royals- There’s work to be done with the lineup, but a lot of talent is being developed on that young pitching staff.

Atlanta Braves- These guys are stockpiling draft picks and have some tremendous pitching talent in LOW.

New York Mets- Still a lot of time, with a lot of pitching talent in their mid-20s.

If They Aren’t Rebuilding Yet, They’ll Probably Start Soon

Boston Red Sox- Made it to the Series last season, but the loss of Luke Easter is showing how weak this offense has become.

Detroit Tigers- Average age for the starting lineup is 33.5, while their best young pitcher, Grant Balfour, had a 6.48 ERA last season.

Milwaukee Brewers- 38 year old Rafael Furcal will likely ask to be traded to a contender and the club will need to decide what to do with several good players in their early 30s.

Oakland Athletics- Charlie Konikowski is the only holdover from a once powerful lineup.

Houston Astros- The trading of Harmon Killabrew is probably the first of several moves to come.

Colorado Rockies- Gil Hodges, Nolan Ryan, Sid Fernandez and Kelvim Escobar were all brought in, but this is not the result the club anticipated.

Draft Grades

2007-01-26T08:13:00.000-08:00

Steve (PGH) and I decided to hand out grades for the draft (not that you asked), in order to evaluate how teams did. We noticed once we finished that the grades are all pretty high. We attribute this to a combination of us being too nice and the draft being too good, so that it was hard to NOT get guys who helped your team. Also, the grades are not just based on talent acquired, but by what you did with what picks you had, team needs, and wisdom were all factored in. Here we go, with grades and commentary. Should make for some good discussion.

Kansas City A
P Manny Smyth
P Chris Capuano
1B Clem Graves
SS Greg Mack

There is a lot of pressure that comes with the first overall pick in the draft. We felt that KC handled it well, taking the best pitcher in the draft and setting himself up for a killer rotation in a few years. Also, getting Clem Graves in round 3 was a steal.

Cincinnati A
C Terrence Lee
P Martin Blank
1B Emil Wesson

Drafting the guy who is probably the best catcher in Habla history starts a team off on the right foot. Blank has huge upside. This draft should have a huge effect of the Reds.

Pittsburgh A
CF Mike Robinson
LF Ivory Carroll
2B Bill Leiter
LF Shane Block

Trading up to get Robinson was smart, as the defending Champs have been looking for their stud CF for awhile. All of their picks help their team. Getting Carroll in late 2nd is huge, and Leiter is a good future 2B.

Anaheim A-
C Jack Slater
SS Lynn Lyons
P Neal Heaton
P Ray Anderson

Though it was tough, taking Slater 4th overall was the smart move. Lyons, the best SS in the draft, was a steal late in the first. Add on 2 solid pitchers and you got yourself a pretty good draft.

Philadelphia A-
1B Kite Melton
C Tony Delis
P Dave Solaris
C Stan Blinx

Getting the best hitter in the draft at pick 7 was huge, and Delis was a great pick. He loses points because Solaris was a reach that high and Blinx is good, but no team can start 2 catchers. Great draft nonetheless.

Texas A-
RF Stacey Conner
P Sammy Tyler
C Josh Clarke
RP Tiki Pratt

Conner provides nice insurance, should Enos Slaughter decide to leave via FA at the end of this season. Tyler is a closer type. He fills a big need with the trading of Todd Worrell and the uncertainty of Ryan Duren's future with the club following this season. The team also managed to find a solid replacement to veteran Pinky Hargrave behind the plate.

Minnesota A-
3B Kevin Dent
2B Robby Whittle
OF Allie Lando

Dent and Whittle aren't as young as you'd like your prospects to be, but should make the Twins infield much stronger. Lando was a nice pick up, as well, and should find a spot a very good outfield someday soon.

Boston A-
P Blake Brannon
P Troy Shulte
RF Dave Melvin

The Red Sox add two solid starters to what was already one of the better rotations in the league. In Melvin, they don't get much pop, but they do get a gold glove candidate with incredible speed.

New York Mets B+
3B Dex Apple
2B Pete Looper

The Mets had a pretty good draft for not showing up or sending in a list. Apple is a great pick and Looper is arguably the best 2B in the draft. Hard to skip all your later picks in a draft like this, though.

Houston B+
P Jay Gravens
P Artemis Odell
1B Tommy Spokane
CF Bob Veelo
P Timmy Smith

Gravens could soon be battling Gubicza for ace honors in the rotation. Spokane was a bit of a steal in the mid 2nd. Smith was also a nice value pick.

Montreal B+
2B Red Graham
LF Charlie Walton

You get big props from us for taking a little and making it into a lot. That is what the Expos did. Graham is a very nice 2B for late 2nd and Watson is a decent OF.

Oakland B+
2B Bill Ford
P Roy Nevel

Again, take a little and see what you can do with it. Ford is another solid 2B who fell and OAK was wise enough to snag him. Nevel is a solid arm as well. Wise decisions pay off.

Florida B+
3B Johnny Dwight
P Tank Nevers

Florida may have spend the best $4 in the draft taking these two guys. In a deep draft, you are left with some quality players at the bottom of the barrel, and Florida did well in picking these 2.

Colorado B
2B Francis Dantana
P Jason Bourne
P Bill Romberger
RF Mark Ingram
SS Addie Herald
P Alejandro Travino
P Del Ellerton

The great: getting Herald at the end of the 2nd round. The good: Dantana and Bourne may not have been the best players on the board, but both are very good talents. The bad: Taking a guy with no endurance and only one good pitch in the 1st, then following it up with a RF not as good as Herald early in the 2nd.

Chicago White Sox B
P Ray Willow
P Todd Johnson

Willow should be solid as a starter or reliever. Ditto for Johnson. However, the team lost out on their 3rd rounder with good players still available.

San Francisco B
SS Billy Reed
C Ben McAllister
P Brian Thames
CF Roland Davis
P Cap Wilkerson
RF Ernie Coleman

No spectacular picks, but no terrible ones either. A solid draft with quite a few guys who will contribute to this ball club.

San Diego B
P Willie Redus
P Seth Mann

Not much you can do when the only guys left are relievers. The Padres got a couple guys who should see some action in their bullpen.

Atlanta B-
P Randy Rix

This one is hard because it is a team with no GM. Rix was the best pitcher available at #2, and it is hard to go wrong with taking a good pitcher. The rest of his pick were sold for cash...not a bad day.

Los Angeles B-
OF Chris Duncan
3B Tim Ferrick

Duncan was a reach for the 1st, as teams were taking better players in the late 2nd. Ferrick, however, was a great pick and earns this team some good draft points.

Baltimore C+
OF Danny Black
P Taylor Craigen
P Malc Harmon
SS John Ganzel
3B Mark Odom
1B John Washington
RF Phillip Wells

A lot of picks should equal a lot of return. We felt this entire draft was simply mediocre, less than what you expect to get with 7 picks in a draft this good.

Toronto C+
P Lex Powell
SS Woody Stairs
1B Mike Capra
LF John Deverauk
P Juan Alvarez
3B Pete Roberts

Pete Roberts was a great pickup for the third round, and was the best pick Toronto made. The other guys he got in the 2nd round, and he was reaching some, and we felt there were better players on the board at the time.

Detroit C
P Frankie Hernandez
P Mike Chibib
P Brian Demmitt
CF Welday Money
P Dick Stoddard
LF Tyronne Kutzler
P Linc Boxer

Again, with 7 picks in a draft like this, a team should expect great things. We felt that the team got mediocre talent and missed some better players in the process. The bottom line is a net gain, but could have been much more.

Bang for your Buck Rotation

2006-12-16T13:02:00.000-08:00

With the new Free Agent system in place with unlimited presigns and new cost system for each presign, there are bound to be some players that are over priced, and others that are bargains. We (Steve and Nick) got to researching some of each, and came up with a little fun game to play called "Bang for your Buck," which compaires some of these players. This season, for example, starting pitcher Roger Clemens is struggling, to say the least. A poor W/L, balooning ERA, and very few quality starts, at a time when it seems that pitchers are all doing great. You can blame the W/L on the offense he has backing him, but not the rest. In addition, Roger costs a steep $23 to presign. We got to thinking what kind of rotation you could put together for just the cost of 'ol Roger's contract. Below are Roger's stats, followed by the 5 man rotation we built with the same $23 and their stats.

"Roger Dodger"

Roger Clemens $23 KC 3-11 W/L 4.51 ERA 125.2 IP 117 K .251 OAVG 21/9 S/QS

Bargain Bin Rotation:

Francisco Barrios $4 NYA 14-4 W/L 1.37 ERA 151.2 IP 84 K .216 OAVG 22/19 S/QS

Ken Brubaker $4 PGH 10-2 W/L 1.22 ERA 118.1 IP 98 K .206 OAVG 19/15 S/QS

Dave Wickersham $6 MTL 11-1 W/L 1.84 ERA 126.1 IP 69 K .193 OAVG 19/14 S/QS

Danny McDevitt $4 PGH 10-4 W/L 1.28 ERA 133.2 IP 72 K .185 OAVG 20/18 S/QS

Andy Van Hekken $5 FLA 7-4 W/L 2.47 ERA 127.2 IP 78 K .208 OAVG 18/12 S/QS

Best Seasons Ever by a Hitter

2006-12-15T08:00:00.000-08:00

Lou Gehrig is having the season of his life this year. As long as he doesn't get hurt (knock on wood), he looks to shatter the RBI record for a single season, set personal bests in almost every offensive category, and win the Triple Crown. This got me thinking about other great peformances by hitters over the years. I have done a little research, and here's what I've found (italics = retired):

2016 Dave Parker LA .362 AVG 162 R 225 H 75 HR 174 RBI 1.246 OPS 24 SB

2018 Micky Mantle ANA .377 AVG 80 HR 210 RBI .832 SLG (Incomplete info)

2018 Jimmie Foxx PHI .342 AVG 72 HR 176 RBI .744 SLG (Incomplete info)

2019 Babe Ruth PIT .412 AVG 178 R 261 H 95 HR 201 RBI 1.406 OPS 18 SB

2020 Willie Mays KC .346 AVG 60 HR 162 RBI (Incomplete info)

2026 Joe Jackson ANA .365 AVG 133 R 236 H 41 HR 111 RBI 1.078 OPS 49 SB

2026 Hank Aaron PIT .370 AVG 131 R 253 H 58 HR 159 RBI 1.070 OPS 7 SB

2027 Lou Gehrig BAL .369 AVG 144 R 222 H 64 HR 147 RBI 1.187 OPS 19 SB

2028 Mel Ott PHI .336 AVG 147 R 221 H 30 HR 70 RBI .954 OPS 61 SB

There are certainly more that are not on here, like Ted Williams, Chane Winther, and the other seasons by Jackson, Mays, and Mantle. But, this does give a snapshot of some of the best over the years.

So here is the question...What is the best offensive season a player on your team has put up? Does it belong on this list of some of the best ever?

Owl’s Power Rankings-May

2006-10-29T21:31:00.000-08:00

A new season so let’s see what it looks like out of
the gate.

1. Red Sox- they have outscored their opponents by 75
already.

2. Expos- Been awhile since the team has been in this
rarified air but they do have the best record in NL
and this is with a slow start from P Saito

3. Twins - Duke Snider off to a great start.

4. Marlins – NL East Champ will be a strong contender

5. Rockies- Pitching staff returns to the level of two
seasons ago.

6. Yankees- Scott has them playing well.

7. Texas - This team will be moving up.

8. Pirates- They should be in the NL Central race

9. White Sox- Doing well but will need direction.

10. Cardinals- .219 BA has to improve.

11. Astros- Hanging around as usual.

12. Dodgers- Still capable of winning with their
Veterans.

13. Athletics- Team should contend

14. Mariners- P Beckett off to a terrible start.

15. Brewers- Hitting needs to pick up

16. Phillies – slow start will likely be forgotten in
September for the defending champs.

17. Giants- Rookie P Papelbon has saved half the
Giants 16 wins

18. Tigers- Team can’t afford injuries to the pitching
staff.

19. Reds – Pitching doing great but team isn’t doing
well in the clutch.

20. Blue Jays- Team playing much better this season
but can they turn the corner to respectability.

21. Indians- Indians playing a long stretch of games
and it shows with the poor hitting.

22. Mets- Bullpen collapses hold this team back.

23. Angels- Pitching is AWOL but finding ways to win

24. Braves- Team is not as bad as their record but
it’s not the 1st time that has been said.

25. Padres - Mike is wheeling and dealing. He did it
with the Red Sox and look where they are.

26. Cubs – No explanation for this slow start other
then “that’s baseball.”

27. Royals – Team is rebuilding. Not a fast process

28. Orioles- Slow start in all aspects. Can it be
changed?

Top Divisions
1. AL East 81-76 .516
NL East 81-76 .516
3. NL West 63-63 .500
AL West 63-63 .500
5. AL Central 77-82 .484
NL Central 77-82 .484

The Owl

2030 Season Preview

2006-10-16T10:19:00.000-07:00

Steve and I return with out annual preview of the league right before opening day. Here is an outlook on how we see things going this year. These picks are sure to go wrong, but hey, we gave it a shot. I (Nick TX) did the NL and Steve (PGH) did the AL. Here we go.

National League

NL East

This is a tough division...one where almost every team is either trying to win or very close.

Marlins 102-60 With by far the most productive offseason, they should establish themselves as the clear favorite in this division and do well in the playoffs.

Phillies 92-60 The defending WS champions are getting older, and lost Mel Ott, but they remain a deeply talented team, and will make the playoffs again and defend their crown as a wild card.

Mets 83-79 After a huge draft and adding David Ortiz, in addition to a maturing and improving young staff, the Mets will come one step closer this season. Watch out in a year or two.

Expos 81-81 After losing a few players, they added perhaps the best closer in the league from the draft. They will stay about the same, but are probably on the rise.

Braves 64-98 Despite some pretty good talent, they will continue to struggle in a tough division.

NL Central

In this division, standing pat is a big step down.

Pirates 98-64 With probably the 2nd best offseason (adding 3B Cepeda and 1B Palmiero among others) in the league, the Pirates should get the monkey off their back and take the division. This team has quickly made itself scary.

Reds 90-72 They lost Gehrig, but added P Perez and 1B Lee to an already good team. Should create problems for other teams in the league and could make a puch for a Wild Card.

Cardinals 82-80 Has a lot of young talent and a great GM who won't let them finish last 2 seasons in a row.

Cubs 80-82 Another team that has young talent and is on the way up...but still a few years away.

Astros 74-88 After becoming perhaps the hottenst team in recent history at the end of last season, the Astros will cool off in a division where everyone else is getting better.

NL West

This division has the most defined roles of any. Will be interesting to see if injuries or trades could shake this up.

Giants 95-67 They are building a winner in San Fran, and the gap between them and the aging Dodgers gets bigger every year.

Dodgers 88-74 The window is closing, but it is not closed yet. This veteran team could play spoiler.

Rockies 69-93 An overhaul was needed, but it won't pay immediate dividends.

Padres 60-102 One of the top teams in baseball as far as talented prospects go. It takes several years at the bottom before a team is ready to make it to the top, though. The new GM understands this.

NL Sleepers:

Cardinals: when they hit on all cylanders, as they have been known to do, they can surprise you.

Mets: Sometimes teams come together faster than you think. That could be the Mets.

American League

AL East

Will this be the year that this division regains respectability? With just 2 contenders and 3 teams rebuilding, probably not.

Division Champs: New York Yankees, 90-72

New GM Scott Dinnis has been very active since moving to the Bronx. The Cepeda trade has been highly criticized, but it brought in the 4 skilled veterans(Hernandez, Larkin, Bonderman and Shouse) that may be the difference in this race. The lineup will be stellar as always, but will the pitching be improved enough to win the race?

Runner-up: Boston Red Sox, 88-74

After 2 straight divisional championships, GM Mike George left for San Diego. Most of the team returns, and they know how to win. So, if they do lose the division, it won’t be without a fight. They still easily boast the best pitching staff in the division, but will they be able to score enough runs to win it again?

Third: Detroit Tigers, 73-89

Picking up Matthew Lecroy and closer Randy Myers will help this club compete. However, there just aren’t any stars here. There are quite a few nice players, but just not enough horses to hang with the Yanks and Sox.

Fourth: Baltimore Orioles, 69-93

This team is still a couple of seasons away, but they have some future stars in guys like Chuck Klein and Clue Haywood. Keep an eye on David Wells. The former #2 overall pick could have a huge breakout season.

Fifth: Toronto Blue Jays, 65-97

The good news is that this team has by far its best rotation in years. Ohka, Belcher and Tewksbury will help this team win some games. The bad news is the bullpen and lineup are still very pedestrian. Crawling out of the cellar would be a good goal for this season.

AL Central

4 different clubs won championships from this division in the decade, will the next be as kind?

Division Champs: Minnesota Twins, 93-69

17 game winner Andy Van Hekken left for Florida, ho hum, super prospect Mike Hampton was waiting in the wings. This club still may boast the deepest pitching staff in all of HABLA. However, if Snider and Dawson do not stay healthy, which has been a big if lately, they have trouble scoring runs. If that happens, they may be on the outside looking in, in October.

Runner-up: Chicago White Sox, 87-75

Without any real weak spots in the lineup, with 4 solid starters and a good bullpen, this might be their year. However, Konikowski may miss the entire season recovering from a torn hammy. Oh yea, long time GM Dinnis is gone, too. That being said, it wouldn’t be a huge shock to see this team in the playoffs.

Third: Cleveland Indians, 84-78

The Tribe now boasts 2 legit aces in Witt and Dravecky. The losses of Palmeiro and Olerud could make what was a strong lineup very mediocre, though. If things fall into place, however, this team is still capable of making a run at the division.

Fourth: Milwaukee Brewers, 71-91

It may be time for this club to begin rebuilding. With no star youngsters, but a bunch of solid vets, this team could greatly improve their prospect pool.

Fifth: Kansas City Royals, 60-102

The rebuilding process is in full force in KC. Jered Weaver should be a stud and will be a serious candidate for AL ROY.

AL West

Habla’s toughest division last season should be very strong again.

Division Champs: Texas Rangers, 104-58

For the first time since 2022 this club was left out of the playoffs. Well, they didn’t like that too much, so, they added Gehrig to what may have already been the best lineup in the league. Could Speaker score 200 runs as a result? Probably not, but the Rangers lineup will be fearsome.

Runner-up: Seattle Mariners, 100-62, Wild-Card

What’s the best way to combat a great lineup? Great pitching is, of course. They added ace Josh Beckett and stud reliever Joe Borowski to an already very tough pitching staff. Expect a dogfight for the divisional race. Fortunately, for the loser, the wild-card should be waiting.

Third: Oakland Athletics, 90-72

They finally got to the top of the mountain last season, only to see their competitors go out and get even better. This club still has a lot of star power, however, they are probably in the wrong division to make a serious run.

Fourth: Anaheim Angels, 60-102

GM KL definitely has this team moving in the right direction. They have more good prospects than anyone in the league, but most are still a couple seasons away from helping this team get back to respectability. In other news, star pitcher Chief Bender will be receiving his high school diploma in 2 months. Yea folks, he’s still just 18.

AL Sleeper:

White Sox: If Langston returns to Cy Young form, this team has enough pieces to make a deep run in the playoffs.

Change is in the Air

2006-10-15T20:40:00.000-07:00

With the new ammendment passing, it certainly changes some things around the league. Jeremy (STL) wrote an article just before it was approved about a trade he made and how the new ammendments may effect the league and player value. Her it is.

St. Louis, MO.

St. Louis and San Francisco reached an agreement yesterday, just prior to the start of the 2030 season, which sends 3B Greg Nettles back to St. Louis in exchange for 3B Tommy Gravino and $8 cash. Although phenom Clete Boyer was expected to be the everyday starting 3B for the Cardinals this year, the sudden and unexpected deal for Nettles likely changes that scenario.

At the press conference today St. Louis manager Mike Schmidt appeared quite pleased with his team's recent trade. Schmidt has made no bones about the fact that he feels that Cardinals GM Jeremy Worst was rushing the talented Boyer into a starting role this season which he wasn't ready for. "The kid is only twenty-one, and he's just not ready to be a 500 to 600 at bats kind of hitter. His defense is outstanding; he could probably win a gold glove at his position right now, but both his plate discipline and ability to handle the nastier breaking stuff needs to improve. Clete simply needs more time to develop those skills."

"As for getting Netty, well that just gives us the luxury of being able to put Clete into positions where he can be successful. This way he won't be expected to carry such a big load for our team; at the same time he can still be an important contributor for our club." Such talk indicates that the 30 year-old Nettles--facing free agency at season's end--should see significant playing time this year, even if it comes at the expense of the rookie Boyer.

The move also strongly indicated that GM Jeremy Worst was heavily betting upon the league's passing of the new collective bargaining agreement. If at least two-thirds of Habla ownership fails to approve the measure, Worst could find himself in the unenviable position of having just traded for a rental player; a guy he might not be able to re-sign come this offseason. However if the new labor contract is approved, St. Louis would be virtually guaranteed of being able to ink Nettles to a new 4-year deal.

A calculated risk assuredly, but perhaps not the bold move some would have us believe. An increasing number of those close to the labor talks are convinced that the new deal will pass with a clear majority. If that becomes the case, teams might find themselves scrambling to collect as much talent, while its still available, as they possibly can. With enough foresight, experts say, there's no reason not to expect a team of being able to lock-up four, five, or possibly even more of their own superstar free agents to long-term deals within the same year--an impossibilty under the old system. Opponents of the new plan argue that with such players never even reaching the open free agent market, player movement (or as some call it, superstar movement) will slow down to a fraction of what it once was.

Proponents of the new plan call such a scenario patently absurd, claiming that although a team might be able to theoretically sign four Babe Ruth-type players within the same free agent year, there is no way they can continue to do so for any sustained period of time. They argue that teams indulging in this practice would quickly see their farm systems become "shell teams" manned by players with no realistic chance of ever playing at the major league level. And of course teams making such multiple re-signings a yearly occurence would eventually be forced--probably sooner rather than later-- into trading some of their own superstars to raise the necessary cash.

Some proponents go even further by claiming that player movement would increase under the new plan. As owners become increasingly attuned to the new financial realities of the game, they would be less inclined to part with their limited supply of cash, thus making it extremely difficult for teams to build large warchests in preparation for big free agent signing years. Even the naysayers of the proposed plan admit that such a scenario is possible, albeit an unlikely one.

Stanley Calbright, a business professor at Rutgers University and the author of a new book entitled The Changing $$$ of Habla, says that "the new system will better allow financially stable teams to hold onto their own talent pool of players, at least over the short to mid-term, say 3 to 5 years on average. Less and less will teams be forced into trading an impending free agent because they fear they won't be able to re-sign him. Under the proposed system they'll be able to keep that player because of the fixed costs associatied with free agency--the financial uncertainties of the open free agent market will no longer apply. They can plan ahead for a big multiple re-signing year by making needed trades or roster moves in advance, even up to several seasons in advance if a team is especially disciplined enough. Oh sure, teams will sti ll deal an impending free agent on occasion, but more due to poor planning or simple mismanagement rather than because of the practical limitations imposed under the old system. With the fixed costs of free agents a key feature of the new labor agreement, teams can better plan for future years simply because they'll have the advantage of roughly knowing what its going to cost to retain those player's services."

Regarding the recent Nettles trade, Calbright sees it as a good move on St. Louis' part. "Since the Giants--for weeks--had made known their eagerness to deal Nettles, without requiring picks or prospects in return, it made good sense for a team like the Cardinals to go out and get him before another club made a move."

"Once the season begins and teams start facing the realities of the new labor agreement, I expect you'll see a flurry of similar deals throughout the year and well into the next as teams begin to jockey and maneuver for their respective free agent futures. To employ an unfortunate cliche, its a complete paradigm shift; especially how teams in Habla are going to be built and maintained. The more quickly a team adapts to these changes, the better their chances of enjoying any form of sustained success."

Speaking directly about those changes, Calbright emphasizes that the goal for teams still remains the same; to put a winning team on the field. "Only one aspect of that process has changed, and that's free agency. Its still about acquiring talent, having pitchers who can throw strikes, fielders who can successfully catch and throw the ball, and hitters who can put the ball in play. However what's changed is that you're less likely to find available on the free agent market the kinds of players who can do those things exceptionally well. As before good players can still be obtained through trades, but that activity will now become the only real pipeline for player movement. The days of the big free agent signing are over. I envision the new market as being a place where a team can still find solid position help, or the occasional stellar reliever perh aps, but the chances of a significantly talented player--in the prime of his career--being available are simply unrealistic."

"Many would maintain that free agency has never been a statistically significant vehicle for superstar movement--at least not the kind of movement envisioned by its original creators. Although the demands and limitations under the old free agent system--most specifically the rules regarding the franchise player tag (which remain unchanged) and the limit of 1 pre-sign per team--were certainly major factors behind the trading of gifted players in the past, such players were rarely ever exposed to the actual market itself. In most instances such players were traded to a team who could afford to protect them, thus entirely bypassing the uncertainties of the open market. In that regard both the old and the new systems are very much alike."

AP Press Release

Proposed Amendments and Changes

2006-10-10T21:05:00.000-07:00

Below is the proposal in its entirety so you can refer to it. This is where you can discuss issues about it. Do not do it on email. Conversely, do not vote via the blog, but by email. Feel free to discuss whatever part you wish.

Item One Amateur Draft: Change the number of rounds to four and change of cost.

Cost of Draft Picks

Round One $10

Round Two $6

Round Three $4

Round Four $2

Teams may bid on any player in the pool with 0 years experience during the amateur draft

Rationale: The fifth round is hardly ever used and this will streamline the process. The quality of players available typically drop greatly after the middle or end of the first round, so a wholesale lowering of prices seemed a good idea. This will save the team that participates in all four rounds $6.

Item Two Free Agents

Free Agent Bidding is one round

You may no longer match players

Teams may sign an unlimited number of players to extensions

The cost to extend a contract will be determined by a formula

Each playerÂs value will be made available to the league

Free Agents cost $3 to sign during the regular season

Rationale: Matching has caused many problems over the years. Teams feel they will get a guy and they bid heavy, teams try to bend rules - as has happened a few times - to retain players. The concept of matching lets owner think they still own a property, which they don't. However, if you really like a player you can match him. The most expensive players - star starting pitchers come in at about $18 to $20 - the best hitters about $15 to $17. Reserve type players are coming in at about $10 to $12. Teams will be able to sign a star or two, but doing more will be difficult due to the generally high price. This gives teams no surprises in bidding. You win the bid, you get the player.

Item Three Inactive players

Inactive players may be signed for the month of April only.

They cost $1 but must sit out the season, unless a $2 fee is paid.

At the season's end they may be brought up for $1 rather than $2

Teams may have sent cut players providing they clear waivers to the inactive roster

Teams cut to inactive must always clear waivers Â this roster move must be sent to the league

There is a limit to ten players on the inactive roster

Inactive players worked well, but there was a housekeeping issue for Jim, so we are limiting the time frame for just the month of April, which gives you four or five simulations to act on them. Same rules as last year apply. These are in effect $2 free agents you can keep for a rainy day. Be careful with their age and experience as they are subject to Free Agency rules.

Item four Financial Issues

Teams will be given $50 at the start of the season

Teams may carryover $50 (rather than $35)

No team may place a bid upon a player in the amateur or Free Agent portion of the draft unless they have the funds at the time of the bid to pay for that player.

Increasing the carryover to $50 allows teams to bankroll during years when there are no players that appeal to them and to spend on another day. However, it is felt by many that having no cap would make it possible for a team tconceivablyly continually sign their stars. By the way here's a hint, don't give away cash to loaded teams. The last part is an important iron clad rule. If you don't have it, you can't spend it. Enough said.

Item six Supplemental Round

May be used to fill out the roster at the end of the draft and bidding

Each player costs $3 to sign in the supplemental round

Due to the extra work this causes penalties will routinely be assessed

Use of the supplemental round will result in the loss of future draft picks

If one to three players are picked there is no penalty.

If between three to five players are used teams would lose their 4th round draft pick

If six or seven players are used teams would lose their 3rd round draft pick

If eight or nine players are used teams would lose their 2nd round draft pick.

If ten or more players are used you would lose all your draft picks.

Supplemental rounds are needed because you may get outbid for that FA you needed and need to get a body fast. This way you can, at no penalty, pick up to three players, and just pay the cost. However, if you've been asleep at the wheel, the league is not only going to take your money, we're going to take your picks also. There is a reason for this. With the availability of inactive players, trades, four ammy's and open non matchable bidding it is hardly conceiveable that a team would have a roster with lots of holes in it. Those rosters make my life very hard, and also lead to mistakes, like players going bye when I run end of day functions. Remember there is no longer matching in the bidding. Put a few $3 bids around and you'll be fine. Don't bid/draft at all, I feel no pity for you. This league also allows proxy bids and lists. I and the other members have always been understanding.

Item seven Empty Roster Slots

Any team with empty slots which canÂt be filled Â only applies to Low minors Â will be fined at the rate of $15 per player

This is the most severe penalty on the amendment. Maintaining full rosters is the backbone of our league's player management system. Make sure you have players that can go in Low.

Item eight Overspending

Teams will be compelled to settle all accounts by the end of the supplemental draft

Teams with a negative balance will be forced to sell off their upcoming picks to the league

Teams are compelled to sell the picks in the order of the draft for the cost of the pick

The first round pick will always be sold to the league first for $10; second for $6, etc.

People make mistakes, and sometimes, although it should be rarely, teams have to go over. The only time you can do so is when you are rounding out the roster with garbage. If you do so you will be compelled to settle the accounts at the table, just like you would in Vegas. You go over you sell a pick, your #1 pick. You still in the hole, you lose #2. No more negative balances. Remember you may only go in the red ONLY if you are forced to do so, and ONLY in the supplemental round.

Item nine Trading

The trade deadline will follow MLBÂs schedule and end on 7/31

Trades may occur in the off-season up to the period of the supplemental draft through spring training.

Please have mercy on Jim, myself and Gary. The off season is a very hectic time. So, after the draft is done, I'd really LOVE to get ST done in a few days and not have to run the arc through the "Easter Egg' and lose players. Make the trades to occur AFTER spring training. Use inactive players and actively bid to get your rosters filled up. This type of trade frenzy is due to poor management, nothing more, nothing less.

Revenue Increases

Increase revenue for TIP, EOS ballots and HOF Ballots from $1 to $3

FA's went up from $1 to $2 then to $3, so we upped the minimum wage.

Item Ten Stadiums

A team may purchase a new stadium from the one the game assigns them. The owner must pay $25 up front and $25 per year for three years for a total cost of $100. The stadium is built on "Opening Day"

This allows you to mold a team in your image.

The Overspending Debate

2006-09-29T09:19:00.000-07:00

There has been some discussion lately about whether or not it is okay for a team to intentionally overspend (i.e. spend money they don't yet have) to match a free agent. This is quite the hot topic right now, and i felt that each side deserved an honest look. i will try to not include any opinion here, just make a case for each side, in order to create a forum to further discuss this issue.

The Spending argument: Why it is okay to overspend.

Teams are given $50 at the beginning of each season to spend in trading, draft picks, and free agency. The use of this money is used soley at the disgression of the GM. There are also penalties in place in case a team was to spend more than their allotted money, resulting in less money given out at the beginning of the next season. Teams are also allowed to forward money from previous seasons, so how is that any different than borrowing from the next season? This is obviously not against the rules then...to choose to overspend. Each GM is aware of the penalties, and if they choose to overspend, they must be willing to face the penalty. It is the same as the person who chooses to speed on the highway. They are aware that if they get caught, they will be faced with a penalty...something he or she does not dispute. No one would question the intentions or morality of the driver. They new the deal up front. Why, then, can a team not choose to overspend and face the penalty?

The Counter argument: Why it is Not okay to overspend.

Since teams are given $50 at the beginning of each season, and know the rules that they must have a full roster at the end, it is up to them to fulfill this demand with the money they are given. It has already been stated that teams cannot bid on players if they have no money or have a negative balance. It follows, then, that team should not be able to match for more than the minimum bid of $3. There is a reality that teams must fill their rosters, even if they go over. However, this should be limited to paying the minimum for players, not going further into the red to match a player that is more than the minimum. If this is allowed, where is a team to stop? If a team has no money, and one of their great players, Reggie Jackson for example (or whoever), brings in a $35 bid, and they were to match him, thus going $70 in the hole and starting even after their $50 initial money at -$20, it would get ridiculously out of hand. Other GM's make bid in free agency based on what they think another team will match, or in some cases, what a team has the ability to match. They may intentionally not bid higher, when they could have, counting on the fact that a team cannot match because the funds are not there. The bidding team then gets the shaft for the matching team breaking the rules.

End of Season Award Winners

2006-09-25T12:09:00.000-07:00

The votes have been counted up and tallied. Here are your winners...

MVP

National League

1. L. Gehrig CIN 69

2. B. Ruth FLA 43

3. D. Parker LA 22

American League

1. H. Aaron TEX 89

2. R. Jackson NYY 28

3. O. Cepeda NYY 22

Cy Young

National League

1. J. Kennedy LA 68

2. A. Eaton PHI 62

T3. D. Harren NYM 15

T3. V. Mizzell FLA 15

American League

1. N. Ryan SEA 100 Unanamous

2. J. Gobble BOS 23

3. T. Livingston BOS 19

Rookie of the Year

National League

1. R. Weeks PGH 98

2. K. Lofton NYM 50

3. W. Earys COL 13

American League

1. J. Encarnacion TOR 79

2. S. Renko TOR 55

3. C. Shaffernoth BAL 23

Fireman of the Year

National League

1. R. Soriano HOU 68

2. D. Wheeler PHI 42

3. R. Face LA 26

American League

1. J. Bong BOS 73

2. C. Bradford SEA 51

3. D. Riske MIL 23

General Manager of the Year

1. Jim PHI 60

2. Glenn OAK 34

3. Arvin SEA 32

Bull Markets and Deflation in Habla Free Agency

2006-09-22T07:48:00.000-07:00

We are knocking on the door of free agency again and it looks to be an exciting year. Presigns are in and the newest batch of Franchise Players have been tagged. But this year is a bit different. As we head into Free Agency, few teams have sufficient money to do what they would like to do. Teams are finding themselves with 9 open roster slots and $21, with a fairly big free agent to try and match. The fact is, there are more Free Agents this year and less money. This will create an interesting dynamic in the FA bidding. It could be a Bull market for the few teams who have money to spend, as there should be good players going for far less than they would in a typical year. Deflation has occurred this offseason in Habla. I think there are at least 3 main reasons why this has happened.

1. Good, deep draft class.

This is one of the better, deeper draft classes in a few years. What result does this have on cheaper free agents? More owners want to hold onto and use their picks, which creates less money for them to use on Free Agents. It it was a meager year for the draft, we would see less picks used and more revenue available for the Free Agents (by all means, not a complaint, just an observation).

2. Meager carry over from last year.

A quick read of the money carried over from last year shows how competitive and pricey last years offseason was. In a given year, a handful of teams generally carry over the maximum ($35) or close to it. This year, the most carried over was $24 and only 4 teams carried over $20 or more. A record 5 teams came into this year with a negative carry over. What is perhaps most astonishing, 17 teams carried over between $0 and $10. That is a very low carry over, which gives teams less money to work with this season.

3. More and Better Free Agents.

This isn't scientific, but doesn't it just feel like there are more free agents available this offseason? That there are so many that not all can get what they are worth? I think we are seeing the results of the good drafts we had 6-10 years ago. Those players are getting older and becoming free agents, and our economy is adjusting.

In conclusion, it looks to be a very exciting year. If you have money...bid away. You won't have much competition and will likely not get matched. If you are short on money...do your best to fill you roster and maintain those precious players you want to keep. We may see this happen again next year.

Owl’s Power Rankings-July

2006-09-03T07:20:00.000-07:00

He's Back. He never sleeps.

1. Texas- Rangers still the team to chase but can’t
have a lapse.

2. Minnesota- Twins made a move and should the whole
season

3. Philadelphia- Losing Frank Robinson really shows
his value.

4. Pittsburgh- It’s finally coming together.

5. Seattle- still chasing Texas but they won’t go
away.

6. Oakland- In the middle of the Playoff race where
they can’t afford to lose.

7. Florida- Pushing the Phillies in the NL East

8. San Francisco- Giants hanging tough.

9. Dodgers- Making annual playoff run

10. Chicago (A)- still in the hunt. Don’t think they
will go away

11. Milwaukee- Another surprise team that can make the
playoffs

12. Boston- Just needs the hitting to be consistent

13. Cleveland- Pitching staff struggling

14. New York Yankees- Reggie and Orlando keep this
team in it.

15. Montreal- Team spinning it’s wheels. Will they
get traction?

16. Cincinnati-Pitching needs to come around

17. Houston- Roller coaster season so far.

18. Detroit- still close enough to win the AL East

19. St. Louis- injuries have been a factor in this
down year.

20. Colorado- 8 game losing streak will be tough to
overcome. There’s still time

21. Baltimore- recent winning streak due to pitching.

22. New York Mets- Improved play offers help.

23. Chicago (N)- Pitcher Jim Slaton needs some help

24. Atlanta- The rebuilding effort has begun

25. Anaheim- Bender is the real deal. Angels showing
signs of life

26. Kansas City- they still have Clemens and that’s
good foundation.

27. San Diego- 1B Greg Brock is having a good season
but the young Pitchers aren’t ready

28. Toronto- Pitching in a dome is tough. Ask any
Blue Jay pitcher.

Who They Should Have Taken: 2022

2006-08-31T22:13:00.000-07:00

We bring you our favorite game again, this time to look at the draft from 2022. It was a good draft and a lot of fun to review, so take a look and share your comments.

Here is the link to the Draft file.

The First Overall Pick

Team: New York Yankees

Who they picked: 3B Orlando Cepeda

Who they should have picked: 3B Orlando Cepeda

Though Cepeda got out to a slow start and made owners wonder if he was going to be a bust after his first 2 seasons, Cepeda has turned it on ever since and has not looked back. Ranked the top 3B in Habla 2 years ago, Cepeda routinely smashes 40 HR and 100 RBI while playing good defense at 3rd base. Cepeda turned out to be a great 1st overall pick for the Yankees. Anytime you can get the best player at a certain position in Habla, get him.

The Second Overall Pick

Team: Colorado Rockies

Who They picked: P Art Mahaffey

This draft had a lot of good pitching in it, as you will see. At first glance, Mahaffey looks like a good pick at number 2, and he is a pretty good pick. We felt, however, that there were 3 other pitchers better at this point that would have been better to take.

Who they should have picked: P Jim Perry

Perry has struggled the last season and a half, but that doesn't take away the fact that he was a perennial Cy Young Candidate for the Reds 6 seasons in a row. In that 6 year span that was Koufax-esque, Perry never had an ERA above 3.12 and one year had a 2.39. He also had double digit wins every year, peaking at 19 in 2027 and once had an OAVG of .196. With all of that success, you would think he would turn it around and return to form soon for the Giants. Nonetheless, we think he would have been a great pick 2nd overall for the Rockies.

The Third Overall Pick

Team: Kansas City Royals

Who they Picked: P Mark Gubicza

Gubicza is another decent pick at this point in the draft, but again, we feel that there were better pitchers out there. Gubicza is still a top 10 talent, but probably not a top 3 talent. More on him to come.

Who they should have taken: P Dave Dravecky

Dave Dravecky has been lights out almost every year he has been in the majors. Since putting up a 4.80 ERA and a losing record in his Sophomore season, he has posted 5 seasons with a 3.42 ERA or better. Last season saw him go 16-9 with a 2.13 and 28 quality starts. If he were to get some more run support, he could conceivably win 25 games pitching the way he did last year. With so much success and a bright future, Dravecky would have been a great 3rd overall pick for the Royals.

The Fourth Overall Pick

Team: Philadelphia Phillies

Who they picked: 1B Kevin Hunt

The interesting thing about this pick, 4th overall is that a nearly identical player, John Karpel, who has actually out performed Hunt, was taken 114 picks later, with the 6th pick in the 4th round. That pretty much tells you what you need to know about Kevin Hunt. He has never hit .300 and has hit 20 HR only once, double digit HR only 3 times. With everyone left on the board at this point, it is much too early to take a slightly below average first baseman.

Who they should have picked: P Bobby Witt

Witt could easily be the 3rd overall pick as well. Where he hasn't shown the dominance of Dravecky, Witt has been more consistent, never having a bad year. A career 3.46 ERA and 20 or more QS in 5 of 7 seasons, as well as 98 victories in 7 seasons, make Bobby Witt a fantastic pick at 4th overall.

The Fifth Overall Pick

Team: Texas Rangers

Who they picked: RF Lance Berkman

Who they should have picked: RF Lance Berkman

Berkman is a flat out great player to stick in the middle of your lineup. With a career .308 AVG, and averaging 34 homers and 111 RBI per year, Berkman becomes a guy that pitchers hope to pitch around. An adequate outfielder who has missed only 1 game in his career, make Berkman a great pickup 5th overall for the Rangers.

The Sixth Overall Pick

Team: Cincinnati Reds

Who they picked: P Jim Perry

Perry was a fantastic pick and a steal for where they got him, considering the numbers he put up for the Reds. But, we like to stir it up, and Perry is already gone.

Who they should have picked: SS Woodie Held

Woodie Held will quite possibly give AROD a run for his money for the title of greatest offensive shortstop in Habla history. In 6 seasons, Held has hit at least 30 homers every year and has hit 40 or more 3 times. He is no gold glover, but a solid defender. He hits like an outfielder but plays short, second, or third fairly well. With a bat and versatility like that, Held is a great pick 6th overall, and could have gone higher if Texas needed a SS.

The Seventh Overall Pick

Team: Boston Red Sox

Who they picked: SS Spike Owen

Owen is another good short stop in this draft, and is not a bad pick here. We definitely think there are better players here than Owen. If a team was in desperate need of a SS, Owen would make sense because of his awesome defense, arm, and solid bat. But as for best available, there are others.

Who they should have picked: P Mike Gubicza

Back to Gubicza. He has been a very solid middle of the rotation type starter in his career. With an ERA of 3.55, twice under 3.00, and 4 of 6 seasons of at least 20 QS, he has been a very reliable starter. He is the kind of guy you want to draft at this point of the draft, and would have been a great pickup for the Sox.

The Eighth Overall Pick

Team: Oakland A's

Who they picked: 3B Bill Mazeroski

Mezeroski has struggled for playing time in his career, only playing 2 full seasons thus far in his career. One has been spectacular, the other one only decent. Since we don't know which is the real Mazeroski, we are forced to recommend someone else here.

Who they should have taken: RP Roy Face

Face was named the best reliever in Habla in the blog rankings 2 years ago. At a time when so many bullpens are in disarray, Face would be a much welcomed addition to any team. A career 2.50 ERA and with more than a K per inning of work, Face rises to the top of the relieving core in Habla.

The Ninth Overall Pick

Team: Atlanta Braves

Who they picked: P Vern Law

It is time once again for the bust of the draft. Law looked like a for sure top 10 pitcher in this draft based on his pitches and the talent he possessed. With an ERA over 5 and no success of any kind either starting or in the bullpen, it appears that this 9th overall pick was wasted by the Braves, and it is nobody's fault but the game's.

Who they should have picked: P Art Mahaffey

And now, back to Mahaffey, who after a rough start to his career, came back to win 20 games in 2026, and then a 2.82 ERA a few years later. Another middle of the rotation type guy who has shown that he has flashes of greatness, Mahaffey would have been a good pickup at this point.

The Tenth Overall Pick

Team: Chicago White Sox

Who they picked: LF Charlie Konikowski

'Ol Charlie K is not a bad pick here for most drafts, hitting 20 homers regularly. However, this draft is deeper than most, and we like someone else here.

Who they should have picked: LF John Liska

A candidate for steal of the draft, Liska was taken with the 11th pick in the 2nd round. With 3 straight seasons of at least 32 homers, Liska has proven that he is a very solid hitter in the middle of a lineup. Liska would have been a great pickup at this pick for the White Sox.

Draft Awards

Steal of the Draft: 2B Toby Harrah (taken 23rd in the 4th round)

Bust of the Draft: P Vern Law

Best Name: There are so many great names in this draft, take your pick.

Iron Man McGinnity
Jim Bear Omens
Oddibe McDowell
Rip Repulski
Chico Esquela
Frank Funk

Player highlight: RP Frank Funk

With only 34.1 innings in the last 2 years, Frank Funk supplements his income with his other passion besides baseball...Disc Jockeying for Discos. That's right, for $29.99 an hour, you can hire Frank Funk's Funkmaster DJ service to spice up your next birthday party or Barmitsvah. He will break out the freshest licks on his more than 3,000 vinyl records to make your event a rockin' hit. For more info, just call "The Funkmaster" at 555-0123.

Draft Score (The Lower the Better)

67- A couple of busts high in the draft did them in.

Fun Facts

12 of 28 1st round picks remain on the team that drafted them.

This draft had the most cool names of any draft in history.

This draft saw more good player come out of the 2nd through 5th rounds than any draft in recent memory.

This draft had more good relievers in it than any other in recent memory.

All 3 of NYA 1st round picks (Cepeda, Pena, and Stock) remain on the Yankees as important parts of the team.

Who "Should" be in the All Star Game

2006-08-26T10:00:00.000-07:00

Jeff and I have teamed up on this article about who should be in the All Star Game here at the midway point. Jeff has done the NL, I the AL. Check it out and see which of your guys made it.

As we all know BBPro doesn't always get it right with regard to who gets into the All Star game.

This article will pick the players who should be in the game.

Selection process is limited to two players per position and seven pitchers 4 starters 3 relievers.

National League

1) C Matt Lecroy PGH He won't likely be in the game due to being on the DL, and will probably not be available. LeCroy may be the dominant NL catcher for the next few years. Although something of a late bloomer, the friendly confines of Three Rivers Stadium are making him into a hitting machine.

2) C Brandon Inge CIN is a notch below LeCroy and since Matt is out with injury should be the NL starter. Another solid year at this point for the Reds backstop as he is on pace for a 30 HR season.

1) 1b Lou Gehrig CIN is feasting as he has never done in the AL off of the pitching in the senior circuit. Consider that Lou has been hitting at a .400 clip and is on pace to hit over 70 homers and drive in 160 runs, he is a shoo in at this point for MVP.

2) 1b Tony Perez CHN is another AL transport, and is hitting at a sizzling .391 average. Injuries have slowed Tony down, but he still is a good bet to hit between 40 and 50 homers and drive in 100 to 120 runs.

1) 2b Charlie Gehringer MON is having a whale of a season in Montreal. Enjoying his best season in years, and the past ones weren't too bad, Charlie is boasting and .317 average, has hit 20 HR's and driven in an amazing 65 runs.

2) 2b Rex Hudler PHI nudges out a host, and there are about six other players who could easily fill this spot as the backup NL 2b. Hudler's combination of speed, power and average give him the nudge, particularly when you consider the amount of games he's missed while being on the DL.

1) 3b Larry Carey COL narrowly edges out Miguel Cabrerra for the nod as the 3b starter.the The leading factors are his relatively higher range factor at 3b, a solid fielding percentage and having even higher numbers than Cabrerra in Productivity, TA and Slugging. Considering that he had close to 100 AB less than the Reds hot corner specialist, the numbers that Carey has put up are even more impressive.

2) 3b Miguel Cabrerra CIN wins the nod for the second spot at the hot corner in face of some pretty good players. The stats that jumps out are the .355 average and 21 homers. Cabrerra is on pace for a 40 HR season.

1) SS Spike Owen FLO This choice will tick a lot of peopl off, but Owen is the best choice. We were tempted to go with Ozzie Smith, who is having an amazing power year with 10 HR's, go figure that one out, and can't be touched by anyone in fielding, other than Spike Owen. Owen's Fld % of .995 is the best in the NL and his RF is the only one that compares to Smith's godlike 5.5 with his 4.7. When you factor in Spike's 23 HR's and 69 RBIs you can see why he gets the nod for SS.

2) Woodie Held PGH leads the pack and if this were based purely on offensive production he'd win hands down. However, fielding is vital in the Middle IF position so Held's very impressive offensive numbers, which are with BA withstanding matched or bettered by Owen, leave him a little short in our nod for starting SS.

1) LF Roosevelt Brown CHN Brown leads the pack of some pretty good outfielders for LF. He's hitting at a torrid .330, is on a pace to knock out 50 HRs and drive in close to 150 runs. All in all, Brown has become a major force in the NL.

2) Jose Canseco CIN has to be considered when you take in the 30 HR's he has bashed out of Riverfront Stadium. He face a lot of competition, and a case can be made for a number of other players, but Canseco nudges them out.

1) Roy Hobbs LA nudges out Turkey Stearnes and Tim Raines for the starting job in CF. Hobbs, Stearnes and Raines are close in offensive categories, but Hobbs gets the nod by leading in Avg, Runs, 2bs, RBIs. PRO. While Raines and Stearnes are right there with Hobbs, and Raines even managed to outproduce all in some areas, the margin is so close that Hobbs' overall ratings, and importantly perfect defense gives him the first slot.

2) Turkey Stearnes CHN has to be chosen over Raines for the second slot. The final reason came to the overall defensive play of these two dead even players in offensive categories. Raines' 8 errors, knocked him out of the competition.

1) Randy Birch MON The old veteran has come up as the big gun on the locked and loaded Montreal offense. Birch leads the RF in the NL in PRO, TA, and SLG. He has also played solid defense not having committed a single error this year.

2) Enos Slaughter PGH shocks the HABLA world as Ruth and Parker are shut out for the first time in anyone's memory. Slaughter has exceeded everyone's expectation batting a hot .367 to lead the RF contingent, and scoring 66 runs. Babe Ruth has come out of the morass he was in, with a vengeance, but Slaughter has been doing the job all year long.

Pitchers:
Adam Eaton Philly
Joe Kennedy LA
Josh Becket MON
Mike Krukow CIN

Relievers:
Mike Timlin FLO
Josh Fogg ATL
Pat Acker HOU

American League

1. C Roy Campanella (SEA) Still a dominant force behind the plate as the sun sets on his career, Roy is hitting .329 with 13 longballs and 59 RBI's and remains a central part of the Mariners offense.

2. C Tim DeCinces (NYA) Tim does well in the potent New York offense hitting .315 with 10 homers, 29 runs, and a .991 fielding percentage. He is more than a role player for this team.

1. 1B Raphael Palmiero (CLE) 66 RBI's puts him in the top ten in the AL. they go nicely with 22 homers and a .330 AVG.

2. 1B John Karpel (CHA) Also on the top ten in RBI (68) Karpel was having something of a breakout year before going on the DL recently. He will watch from the duggout.

1. 2B Craig Biggio (TEX) Biggio has had a great year setting the table for the Rangers offense and will get the opportunity to do that in the All star game as well. He has hit .324, scored 75 runs, and stolen 26 bases.

2. 2B Johnny Hodapp (BAL) Hodapp has stepped it up this year hitting for a .321 AVG and stealing 14 bases as the second baseman for Baltimore. He will back up Biggio in the Midsummer Classic.

1. 3B Orlando Cepeda (NYA) Cepeda is a monster this season, hitting .363 with 27 homers and 74 RBI's. He is top 3 in the AL in all of those categories, and a Triple Crown is not out of the question.

2. 3B Matt Williams (CLE) This youngster makes his first All star Game after hitting .312 with 16 homers in the first half.

1. SS Robin Yount (CLE) Hitting .344 with 21 homers is great for an OF, but it is spectacular for a SS, who may hit 40 homers by seasons end. He has also scored 70 runs and stolen 18 bases.

2. SS Barry Larkin (OAK) His AVG is not yet great, but the 17 homers and 24 SB's make him a great choice for the backup to Yount.

1. LF Henry Aaron (TEX) Aaron is the offensive leader of one of the most potent offenses in baseball. He starts in left with his 25 homers and 75 RBIs.

2. LF Stan Musial (OAK) Stan the Man is 2nd in AVG in the AL (.362) and has contributed 57 RBIs to the cause for his team in the first half.

1. CF Duke Snider (MIN) If his AVG were higher, he would have a great shot at the Triple Crown. But his "meager" .334 AVG and the fact that he was recently placed on the DL may hurt that. It is still up in the air whether Duke will be able to play in the game.

2. CF Tris Speaker (TEX) Tris has found his niche 2nd in the order now 3rd on his team with 47 RBIs and 3rd in the league in stolen bases (28)

1. RF Reggie Jackson (NYA) Reggie is but another of the Yankee sluggers that is tearing up the league. .342/29/82 at the break. Wow!

2. RF/DH Larry Walker (OAK) Larry will get the start at DH. He is doing it all this season. .340/22/72 with 24 SB.

Pitchers:
Nolan Ryan (SEA)
Ralph Terry (MIL)
Andy Van Hekken (MIN)
Kevin Ritz (BAL)

Relievers:
Jung Bong (BOS)
David Riske (MIL)
Jose Vizcaino (CLE)

Scored!

2006-08-25T14:31:00.000-07:00

Justin Hair has followed suit and posted this article that involved number crunching for the offensive side of the ball. Check it out. It is quite interesting.

Here is some more number crunching for everyone. This week I deal with who is the leagues best scoring teams if everyone played in a 'neutral stadium.' This will tell you which ball park allows more runs to score than others.

Here is the forumla I used:
1) RunsFor + RunsAgainst = Your Run Total: You do this for every team in the league (NL only and AL only)
2) (You Run Total+everyone elses run total)/14=TotalRunTotalAvg
3) Your Run Total / TotalRunTotalAvg = X
4) RunsFor * X = AdjustedRunsFor
5) Runs Against * X = AdjustedRunsAgainst

Example:
Colorado Rockies:
474+384=858
All NL run total avg = 787
858/787=1.090216
474 * 1.090216 = 434
384 * 1.090216 = 352
So Colorado would have only scored 434 runs in a neutral ball park and their opponents would have scored only 352 runs.

Adjusted Run Scored for the NL. From Best to Worst:

1. Philadelphia Phillies 483 For and 303 Against
2. Colorado Rockies 434 For and 352 Against
3. LA Dodgers 418 For and 368 Against
4. Montreal Expos 411 For and 375 Against
5. Houston Astros 407 For and 379 Against
6. Cincinnatti Reds 401 For and 385 Against
7. Pittsburgh Pirates 400 For and 386 Against
8. Florida Marlins 397 For and 388 Against
9. San Francisco Giants 392 For and 394 Against
10. St. Louis Cardinals 387 For and 399 Against
11. Chicago Cubs 363 For and 423 Against
12. New York Mets 361 For and 425 Against
13. Atlanta Braves 338 For and 448 Against
14. San Diego Padres 312 For and 474 Against

Adjusted Run Scored for the AL. From Best to Worst:

1. Texas Rangers 451 For and 337 Against
2. Boston Red Sox 444 For and 344 Against
3. Oakland Athletics 431 For and 357 Against
4. Minnesota Twins 424 For and 364 Against
5. Milwaukee Brewers 413 For and 375 Against
6. Seattle Mariners 413 For and 375 Against
7. Chicago White Sox 409 For and 379 Against
8. Cleveland Indians 407 For and 381 Against
9. Detroit Tigers 407 For and 381 Against
10. New York Yankees For 404 and 384 Against
11. Anahiem Angels 341 For and 447 Against
12. Baltimore Orioles 339 For and 449 Against
13. Kansas City Royals 328 For and 460 Against
14. Toronto Blue Jays 324 For and 464 Against

Scott's Pitching Breakdown

2006-08-23T12:26:00.000-07:00

Scott has written a great article for math nerds like me that takes a look at the raw statistics and judges the pitching staffs, both starters and bullpens, in Habla. Check it out.

It’s time for a little statistical analysis inspired from KL’s synopsis of the best rotations in the league. I’m a bit of a novice sabremetrician, which means I like to take the raw numbers from baseball and try and make some sense out of them. For this little exercise here, I’m going to try and quantify the best pitching STAFFs in HABLA. To do this I will be using three metrics combined to give us a final “score” for each staff. All stats are taken through June 17th 2029. Here are the metrics.

Dominance : To calculate a team’s dominance score, you simply divide the number of strikeouts the staff has racked up by the number of walks they’ve issued. Dominance indicates how well the staff is at minimizing “free” bases (walks) and balls in play. The higher, the better.

League Average: 2.6
Top 3 teams: Texas (3.6), Philadelphia (3.5), Pittsburgh (3.4)
Bottom 3 teams: Toronto (1.6), Detroit (1.9), Baltimore (2.0)

HR/9 : Home runs per nine innings is exactly what it says, the number of home runs the staff will give up over a complete 9 inning game. A HR is the most dangerous hit in the game as no amount of good fielding can prevent it (save for the statistically insignifigant fantastic leaping catches). As such, it is a very telling metric as to how well a staff can minimize this damage. Obviously, the lower the number, the better.

League Average: 1.3
Top 3 teams: Boston (0.9), Philadelphia (0.9), Los Angeles (0.9)
Bottom 3 teams: Pittsburgh (1.9), Chicago(N) (1.7), San Diego (1.6)

Strand % : To determine the percentage of runners stranded by the bullpen, you subtract the number of inherited runners who scored from the total number of inherited runners. Then you divide this number by the total number of inherited runners. In MLB, this metric is viewed as a “luck” metric in that ALL teams regardless of skill should be around the league average of 72%. Those above and below are there because of good or bad luck and will likely move towards the norm. However, in HABLA, this is more an indicator of how well a bullpen can “get out of jams” (part of their ScPos and C&L ratings) and minimize the damage a spent pitcher has done putting runners on base. The higher the percentage, the more effective your bullpen is at closing the doors.

League Average: 69%
Top 3 teams: Oakland (78%), Seattle (77%), Boston (76%)
Bottom 3 teams: Kansas City (55%), New York(N) (58%), Atlanta (60%)

Results

So, now I’m going to take all those numbers, cram them into a formula, and give you the best 10 staffs in HABLA. Ready? Drum roll please ….

10. Los Angeles Dodgers (1.007 staff score)
9. Cleveland Indians (1.011 staff score)
8. Pittsburgh Pirates (1.012 staff score)
7. New York Mets (1.018 staff score)
6. Seattle Mariners (1.301 staff score)
5. Minnesota Twins (1.368 staff score)
4. Boston Red Sox (1.402 staff score)
3. Florida Marlins (1.641 staff score)
2. Philadelphia Phillies (1.738 staff score)
1. Texas Rangers (1.739 staff score)

There you have it. There were certainly some suprises on the list like the sub-.500 Mets, who have had more than their share of rotten luck on the mound this season. Or that the NL wildcard leading Expos are 23rd on the list (0.565 staff score), but that’s how sabremetrics goes, you don’t always know what the end result will show. And finally, a moment of silence for the staff of the Blue Jays who came in with the lowest staff score (0.102.) I’m sure they’ll be able to improve that with the first
overall pick in the draft :)

The Owl's Power Rankings

2006-08-22T06:32:00.000-07:00

There seems to be a rash of injuries to many of the
top teams. Let's take a look at the ratings:

1. Philadelphia- The Phillies still have the best
pitching in the majors and one of the top hitting
teams but
recent injuries could test this teams depth.

2. Texas- The Rangers are on of the Elite teams in the
league. The cream comes to the top.

3. Seattle- Recend slide appears to releated to the
injuries. Can they hang on?

4. Oakland- another AL West team is making a move for
a playoff run but will recent injuries slow down the
potent hitting.

5. Minnesota- Twins CF Duke Snider is having a career
year and he'll need for that to continue in the
competitive AL Central.

6. Montreal- Expos lead the NL in runs scored but will
a leaky bullpen destroy their playoff hopes?

7. Florida- Marlins need 3B Wright to recover from his
injury and hope he can return to form

8. Pittsburgh- Hitting carrying this team but so far
so good. If the rotation improves watch out.

9. Boston- Another team with an injury problem but the
Pitching remains strong

10.Chicago (AL)- 1B John Karpel making a name for
himself and the White Sox have made a move

11. San Francisco- The Loss of Booby Abreau for 2-3
months could kill want looks to be a break out season

12. Cincinnati- Reds are a player in the NL Central.
Talent is there.

13. New York (AL)- Yankees are heating up now that
they are injury free.

14. Colorado- Despite slow start team remains in the
NL West hunt

15. Los Angeles- Team may have Vets but that isn't a
bad thing. This team should be tough in the stretch

16. Houston- Astros 2B Toby Harrah leading the Astros
playoff charge.

17. Cleveland- Team in a slump and most of it is due
to the pitching staff.

18. Milwaukee- Another contender trying to hang
despite the recent injuries

19. Detroit- Balanced team that should be a player for
AL East for the season

20. St. Louis- Cardinals lacking last years magic but
the season isn't over

21. Chicago (NL)- Cubs are making progress and if it
continues the NL Central could be a 5 team race

22. Baltimore- Orioles are rebuilding and there are
some pieces in place.

23. Ney York (NL)- Mets need more hitting and bullpen
help.

24. Atlanta- Time to retool. Players just haven't
gotten it done.

25. Kansas City- Rebuilding has begun and let the
auditions begin.

26. Anahiem- Signs of improvement but a long ways to
go. But KL knew that when he took them over.

27. San Diego- Young pitchers paying their dues and
should be better next season

28. Toronto- Pitching woes continue to delay this
teams development.

The Top 10 Second Basemen in Habla 2029

2006-08-21T11:06:00.000-07:00

1. Rex Hudler (PHI) Last Ranked-2

Easily the best hitting 2B in the league, who also steals a ton of bases and plays very solid defense.

2. Craig Biggio (TEX) LR-3

An MVP candidate 2 season ago, he's a virtual lock to score 120 runs and nab 40 bases when he's healthy, and lately he's been very healthy.

3. Charlie Gehringer (NYN) LR-4

After a pair of mediocre seasons with the Mets and Pirates, he's off to a great starts with the Expos, on pace for over 30 homers, 100 rbis and 45 stolen bases.
4. Toby Harrah (HOU) LR-6

A 4th Round steal in the 2022 draft, he's posted 4 consecutive 20 homerun seasons and now hits cleanup for his Astros.

5. B.J. Upton (CIN) LR-7

Very good fielder, baserunner, and hitter, had best season as a big leaguer last year and hopes to continue to develop his talents with the Red Sox.

6. Bill Doran (LA) LR-10

Has averaged 116 runs and 58 stolen bases over last 4 seasons, but is now feeling competition for playing time from solid rookie Luis Rivas.

7. Scott Hairston (CHA) LR-NR

Not the greatest fielder, but put it all together offensively last season hitting .330 with 36 thefts and an .861 OPS

8. Jack Rexrode (COL) LR-NR

Mr. Consistent, the Rockies leadoff guy has averaged 100 runs scored and 42 stolen bases over the last 7 years.

9. Paul Molitor (SEA) LR-5

Though, clearly no longer in his prime, he can still hit for a very good average and steal quite a few bases.

10. Ryne Sandberg (SEA) LR-NR

Never spectacular, but consistently solid for many years, someone the Brewers can count on to keep the bottom of their lineup very respectable.

Honorable Mention: Robbie Alomar (STL), Rickie Weeks (PGH), Brian Roberts (OAK), Johnny Hodapp (BAL)

KL's Top 10 Rotations in Habla

2006-08-19T08:19:00.000-07:00

We asked our pitchers expert Knuckleball Lover to rank the top 10 rotations this season in Habla, since we had gotten into a discussion about it in the comments section. Here they are, with commentary the entire way. Also, this was written before last nights sim, so that is not taken into account.

Here’s my view of what I feel are the top 10 rotations in HABLA as of June 4th, the league date at which this was written. This isn’t just a list of the top 10 ERA, but I looked at the abilities of the pitchers in the rotation, its make-up, various stats including, of course, the pitcher’s ERA. One thing I don’t particularly weight is wins as that’s a factor of other facets besides the pitcher himself. A staff can be good, but not get the wins from inept offense or blown leads from the bullpen. Rotation ERA as a whole carried some somewhat heavy weight as well as this is an evaluation of the entire group.

I’m also trying to isolate the ability of the pitchers – which means that a staff with excellent defense behind them (Cardinals, for example) might be getting strongly assisted by said defense. Of course, the pitcher still gets some credit, and if the pitcher is a strikeout artist, defense isn’t as big a factor either way. However, defensive contribution will get mixed in if it appears to have been a big factor or as a bit of a “tie-breaker” between staffs that look close.

1. Philadelphia Phillies
Key Player: Adam Eaton – .180 OAvg, .212 OSlg, 10 of 12 QS

This staff was pretty close with Texas and was a tough decision. Both staffs pile up strike outs, give up few hits, and allow almost nothing in the way of extra bases. Still, I put Philly as the top staff because their OAvg are overall lower and do so with a slightly lower skill defense. Every member of this rotation is dominating and has been established from the start. Also impressive is 45 of 56 QS, which is tops in HABLA. What is scary is that this team’s bullpen has allowed about 30% IRS, which is above the expected average of 25%, according to most MLB sabermetricians.

2. Texas Rangers
Key Player: Brandon Webb – 2.89 ERA (Career 4.01)

The #2 staff in my view has the #3 ERA in HABLA. This team does a lot of things right on the mound, and the team ERA might be a large part the somewhat weak bullpen so far. Comer and Duren in particular have been bad so far. Anyway, the starters are very strong, and I named Webb as the key player because he’s so far below his normal ERA. As a whole, most of what’s said about Philly’s staff applies here, although they do have a bit better defense behind them. Fernando Valenzuela is looking strong in the rotation, as well, but needs a few more good starts to prove himself.

3. Boston Red Sox
Key Player: Tony Livingston – 2.46 ERA, .233 OAvg, 10 of 12 QS

Here’s the first staff on the list that I had to give weight to their defensive play. It’s not so much the ratings, however, but relatively low strike out rates as a rotation which indicates that the defense had a lot of work to do. The team’s OAvg stats from the starters show that the defense did that work well. Honeycutt and Sherrid in particular have gotten a lot of help from their defense. Honeycutt’s BABIP is .247, far below the typical level, while Sherrid’s is .243. Of all the teams with 3.50 or lower ERAs, Boston’s staff has picked up the fewest amount of strike outs. Tony Livingston, however, has been outright dominating so far. His ability to keep it up will be big to Boston’s fortunes.

4. Seattle Mariners
Key Player: Nolan Ryan – 1.62 ERA, .275 OSlg, 10 of 12 QS

Wow – there’s not many starting pitchers that have done what Nolan has done so far. His .275 OSlg allowed ranks him 8th in the AL in that category, and it leads the Seattle staff, by far. Now, I almost put Milwaukee here because the Brewers have had a better consistency from their top 3, but I had a hard time putting aside Nolan’s performance every 5 days. Sid Fernandez has actually been a better pitcher, aside from ERA, than Sullivan and should be a good partner to Nolan, while Sullivan has shown a consistent ability to give 6+ strong innings with his 8 of 10 QS. The 5th starter hasn’t been a stable situation so far, but I think the sheer dominance of Nolan outweighs that, and goes a long way to stopping losing streaks and starting winning ones, an important trait for any rotation.

5. St. Louis Cardinals
Key Player: Alvin Crowder - .213 OAvg, .220 BABIP

Crowder is the poster-child for defense right now. While the Cardinals always seem to have 6 or 7 gold glove caliber defenders (while the other 1 or 2 are “just” very good), Crowder is getting some big benefit from them, even by Cardinals standards. His .220 BABIP has been a big part of success – which comes in big part from the defense. Shane Loux is another that’s been greatly assisted by defense, allowing a .247 BABIP. Still, there are pitchers like McDonald and Dravecky that have done some of their own work out there, and Jamie Navarro’s performance so far shows promise. Each of the starters has posted a very solid QS% as well. The OSlg in the rotation might have been impacted by ballpark some, but they are strong nonetheless and strong from first to fifth.

Sixth and beyond on the list started getting into more “gray areas” such as defense, other rate stats, and overall spread of ERA and QS%. As such, most of these rotations are really close to each other in performance to this point.

6. Milwaukee Brewers
Key Player: Derek Lowe – .221 OAvg, .340 OSlg, but 4.10 ERA

Something has to give with Lowe, and how he ends up could determine how much the rotation will help the Brewers compete in the AL Central. He opponent average against and his slugging allowed just don’t say “four ERA” to me. Is he just getting ‘unlucky’ so far, or is the ERA a sign of what’s to come? Fortunately, the team has gotten performance from three solid members of the rotation, and that’s a good base for any team to work from. Another team that doesn’t induce many strike outs, and their defense is “only” average to slight above average overall, so the pitchers will have to keep putting the hitters off-balance to make things easier on their fielders. So far, they have done just that…at least everyone except Higuera, who might be the “anti-Lowe” as his OAvg (.299) and OSlug (.488) seem high for a 4.05 ERA.

7. Florida Marlins
Key Player: Shawn Boskie – 2.50 ERA, .219 OAvg, .313 OSlg, 8 of 11 QS

The 7th spot goes to the Marlins in large part to their strike out rates (three starters have 9.0 or higher K/9 rates) and the play of Shawn Boskie. What almost knocked them down was the play of Rich Harden. He looks to have pitched better than a nearly 5.00 ERA, given his K’s rate and .395 OSlg. Boskie and Grimes formed a nice combination in the rotation, linking up for 17 QS in 23 combined starts – very nice.

The stat that knocked this rotation down some was the QS% of the other three starters, holding at an even 50%. Not bad, but that number would like to be higher for a consistent, playoff-quality rotation.

8. Detroit Tigers
Key Player: Grant Balfour – 3.21 ERA, .269 OAvg, 7 of 12 QS

This team doesn’t have a standout stopper so far, but the team has five solid pitchers in their rotation. While having an ace stopper or two is great, there’s something to be said for knowing you’ll get a solid 6+ innings from every arm in your rotation. Grant Balfour has put up the lowest ERA in the rotation and his .367 Slugging allowed isn’t bad either. The 22-year old will have to keep it up, otherwise one of the veterans will need to step up and carry the load. Chris Short looks like one who could step up. His 7 of 11 QS rate is a good sign. If Bob Friend can develop some consistency with the length of his outings, then this rotation can really be a stable, solid foundation every night out.

9. Minnesota Twins
Key Player: Dennis Eckersley – 3.38 ERA, .369 OSlg, 4 of 11 QS

Wow, is there any stranger set of stats on an above-average pitcher than what Eckersley has done so far? Only 4 of 11 QS, but a team-leading 3 CG? Such a weak QS%, but a solidly good 3.38 ERA? A hurler of his caliber of pitches with a solid defense behind him allowing more than one hit per inning? Such a strange collection of stats! It would seem that something has to give with him, but he’s gotten it done to this point. The main thing that put this rotation 9th is their OAvgs. Given the defense behind them is solid to excellent in some places, Glavine and Van Hekken should have performed better, given their skills. By contrast, Warren Spahn has pitched the best of them all according to the rate stats, but has the highest ERA in the rotation. Certainly should be an interesting staff to watch down the line, and they’ve done well enough thus far, but haven’t seemed to gel just yet.

10. Houston Astros
Key Player: Roy Oswalt - .229 OAvg, .314 OSlg, 8 of 12 QS

A case probably could be made for this rotation to be higher on the list. The biggest strike against them is walks allowed. Basically, every starter has walked at least 20 batters (there’s two starters with 19 walks). That doesn’t sound like a lot, but given the walk totals by pitchers in the league as a whole, it can be pretty significant of an amount, especially the rate Backe has given up in the walk column. Other than that, this rotation has two higher-caliber starters in Hill and Oswalt, with Oswalt having played better of the two so far. Backe and Young have nice OAvg and OSlg stats, especially on pitchers with 4.00 ERAs. Perhaps a bit of “bad luck” along the way has caused them to have ERAs that seem high.

Honorable Mentions:

Colorado Rockies – Given where they play, they’ve done pretty well. Early Wynn needs to settle down and Jack Fischer needs to take the opportunity to help solidify the back end.

Cincinnati Reds – This team should have made the list. Hough is better than a 4.11 ERA as is Nichols. McGinnity has been solid and Krukow even better, but the rotation seems to be in one of those “we don’t feel like playing” funks, something I’ve had the ‘pleasure’ of seeing a few too many times.

Cleveland Indians – Is there something with teams whose cities start with C? Anyway, if Ditmar and Vogelsong had performed better, this team probably could have been #10 on the list.

San Francisco – A team with decent starters headed up by Carl Eldred. This team nearly made the list, but Perry’s 4.50 ERA and general lack of any truly standout areas hurt the team’s ranking.

A Summer of Heroes?

2006-08-17T22:01:00.000-07:00

Hey guys. Our commissioner has decided to weigh in on every team in the league, predicting how they will in the season, and giving us a breakdown of every division. To put it in terms the modern baseball fan will understand, its kind of like power rankings on steroids. Check it out, and let us/him know what you think.

While many have been taking days off to go to the beach, many more have been filling HABLA stadiums this year, in what may be developing as one of the more memorable seasons to come down the pike. Although the season is still fresh, only one-third of the games have been played, if the league remains as even handed on the whole this could be one of the most competitive seasons in memory. Are there runaway divisions, yes, there are. No one will catch the Phillies, and while Seattle is giving it a valiant effort it is difficult to see any team in the AL West winning but Texas, which seems to have taken over Seattle's old role as perennial division champion. However, after those two, who lead the entire pack, there is a clamoring for position such as has not been seen in many years. There are a few teams that you can already write off, and most knew going in that the Braves, Mets, Cubs, Padres, Blue Jays, Royals, and Angels had no real chance of winning anything, and are all mostly playing to avoid 90 losses, rather than gain 90 wins. However, that leaves 19 teams who should be thinking if they have the stuff to make them a contender, or at the very least make a showing that will keep fans in the seats, or out of them cheering, throughout this summer.

For reference sake I have always looked at the following numbers to be benchmarks. Any team with over 90 wins, or a .555 Win Percentage is a solid team. Any team with over 97 wins or .600 is a potential champion. If a team can manage a .667 percentage, they move to the "Godlike" teams. Conversely, any team with over 90 losses, .444 or less is a weak team, and any team with over 97 losses .401 is a very poor team. However, a team with a winning pecentage of .333 or less is just plainly awful. Which leaves teams between 73 and 89 wins, or .444 through .554 as teams that are competitive, but need a bit of work here and there. Let's look at each division and see how the teams measure up.

NL East
This is one of the least competitive divisions in the league at this point, and has been for a few seasons.

Phillies - .714 they are godlike, and the only hope teams in NL have is to try to beat them in a short series. With their pitching it will be tough, but it can happen.
Florida - .559 A solid team that has not hit this year. They could be better and are improving.
Montreal - .536 A team on the cusp. Gary has done a great job bring back the bats, and also managing to find a few good arms. They are a starting pitcher away from being tough.
Mets - .399 A weak team, but they are starting to hit a bit better. Maybe the hapless manager of this club has found a combination that will give his young arms a few runs.
Braves - .362 The team is playing worse than they look, but maybe a closer look is needed.

NL Central
Traditionally the NL Central has been one of the best in the league, and although no team stands out, this is a GREAT division. The divisional play really makes this group of owners very tough, as it seems that year in year out a good race emerges here. Five teams, and even the Cubs can play. I think they are a step away from being right in the mix, and they are only ten games off the pace. Arguably the most competitive division in the league.

Houston - .554 Sam always seems to manage to find a way to get his team in the thick of it, and this year "small ball" is the method. Always a decent team
Reds - .537 Matt has changed the look of KB's team, and though it has been a bumpy road, the Reds are right there this year.
Cards - .526 Jer is one of the most studied GM's in the league, at least by the commissioner. No offense, but the pitching and fielding shine.
Pirates - .519 The new look Bucs are in the hunt, and showing a balanced style of play this year
Cubs - .375 Don't laugh this team off. The trades they have made this year, as well as some of the picks are going to return BIG for this club in the future, if not a turnaround this year.

NL West
Recently LA has had its lock on the title challenged by the Rockies, and the power in this division is in flux. This division is now wide open.

Giants - .554 Watch out for SF, seasons of poor records have brought in many hungry players who are talented. Many trades have changed the face of the Giants, but they seem to be very much for real, and with their youth they could be tough for a very long time.
Dodgers - .544 LA has gotten a bit longer in the tooth. Chris made this team a dynasty by the draft picks that he made when his team was poor, and they were among the worst in the league for awhile.
Rockies - .509 While LA has slipped Colorado has moved up the past few years, although their season thus far has been a bit of a disappointment.
Padres - .321 Possibly the worst team in the league, and going nowhere fast.

Overall look
Godlike - 1
Very Strong 0
Strong - 1
Competive - 8
Weak - 3
Awful - 1

Who's in the hunt
Let's look at the standings for that elusive fourth playoff spot.Bold means leading their division. If you look at these teams you will see that they are all equally matched with the other. This could be a great summer in the NL.

Marlins 33-26
Astros 31 - 25 0.5
Giants 31 - 25 0.5Dodgers 31 - 26 1.0
Reds 29 - 25 1.0
Expos 30 - 26 1.5
Cards 30 - 27 2.0
Pirates 28 - 26 2.5
Rockies 29 - 28 3.0

The American league is not that different, but here it seems that the focus will be on winning the division as the Mariners are likely to run away with it in their probably futile chase of the Rangers.

AL East
This has traditionally been a weaker division in the league, and this remains the case today. However, it is also one of the most competitive with teams showing long trends. Right now the trend is Boston and NYA are ascending. Baltimore and Toronto are stuck in gear, and Detroit is an unknown. This will be a fun season in the AL East.

Boston .536 They've made a lot of deals and moves, but the combinations don't seem to be working yet. However, their staff makes them tough.
Detroit .534 Some good trades and a well experienced club. No names on the staff, but the veteran presence helps this team.
Yankees .500 They have the talent, but are struggling putting it together. Needs to look at the roster a bit more closely. They need a pitcher or two.
Orioles .407 Team was in a shambles financially, and have put a team of journeyman type players for this year. A lot of work needed here, but some trades may have helped.
Toronto .339 Team is actually showing signs of life. Owner needs to exercise patience and cultivate young talent.

AL Central
The Old Black N Blue earned it's name for the early years of HABLA where the clubs were typified by the Bad Boys of Chicago. The division is not as competitive in recent years, but is still strong. This is a VERY competitive division and will likely stay that way.

Indians .574 This club seems to disappear from the radar and then bounce back. They have survived a financial debacle. Clearly this team is like their owner, one of the most colorful of the league.
Twins - .571 They have greatly improved and are young and talented. They are streaky and very dangerous, but fall into lulls. The Twins and Indians may be fighting it out all year.
Brewers .519 Brew Crew never was the same after Rob left them. By far he is one of the greatest GM's in the league's history. Club went through a nadir and now seems to be ready to compete.
White Sox .474 The "Bad Boyz" are not the same as they were. They are leaner and faster, and GM Dinnis may be putting together a club that can make some noise very soon.
Royals - .357 The Dr. Jekyll Mr. Hyde of HABLA. I've never seen a time rise and fall so fast as this team. To put it mildly, they are entertaining.

AL West
Has been the runaway division from the league's inception. Seattle OWNED this division for years, then the Angels did. Now, Texas is in charge, and it may be awhile before anyone can force the title from their hand. Traditionally this is the least competitive division in the league.

Texas .696 This team is very strong and are the favorites to meet the Phils in the World Series. They are not in decline either as some would hope. They are young and well managed.
Seattle .632 The second best team in the AL has been wonderfully crafted. They can play with the Rangers, but are not likely to win the season. Hands down they are improving.
A's .526 They just can't get past the hump. They have the tools, but seem to never put it together. They are dangerous and can really cause other AL teams problems. In another division they would likely be the leaders.
Anaheim .339 KB is one of the best at building a team from scratch. He has his work cut out for him.

Overall Look
Godlike - 1
Very Strong 1
Strong - 2
Competitive - 6
Weak - 4
Awful - 0

Who's in the Hunt: Division leaders are bold
Mariners 36 - 21
Indians 31- 23 3.5
Twins 32 - 24 3.5
Red Sox 30 - 26 5.5
Tigers 31 - 27 5.5
A's 30 - 27 6.0
Yankees 29 - 29 7.5

Who They Should Have Taken: 2016

2006-08-14T12:26:00.000-07:00

Here is our second attempt at playing our new favorite game. This time we go back a bit further, to 2016. Some of you will remember this draft. There were some surprises for sure. Check this out and see if you agree with our assessment.

Here is the link to the Draft file.

The First Overall Pick

Team: Pittsburgh Pirates

Who they picked: OF Reggie Jackson

Who they should have picked: OF Reggie Jackson

This was during the streak that the Pirates had the first overall pick for about 9 consecutive years, and this was one of the few times they didn't blow it. Reggie was the stud of this draft, and Pittsburgh was smart and took him first overall. Unfortunately, he was traded to the Yankees before he was allowed an at bat in Pittsburgh and went on to hit nearly 500 HR for the Yanks over the next 11 seasons. You almost got one right Pittsburgh.

The Second Overall Pick

Team: Baltimore Orioles

Who They picked: SS Liu Rodriguez

This draft was loaded with shortstops (5 drafted in the first 29 picks), which worked out well for the Orioles who were in dire need of a warm body at short. Unfortunatley, they drafted the third best one with the 2nd overall pick. Lui also never had an at bat with the team that drafted him, but was shipped off to eventually play for both Chicago teams and has hit for a career .271 clip. #2 is awefully high for a middle of the pack shortstop.

Who they should have picked: 1B Tony Perez

If they insisted on drafting a SS, Ozzie Smith would have been the way to go. however, I think they would have been better drafting 1B Tony Perez. Granted they already had a young up-and-coming 1B on the team named Lou Gehrig, but it's the AL, and there is the DH rule, which would have been great for Perez considering his glove. How fiersome would the 3-4 combo of Gehrig/Perez have been? We will never know, but the 8 seasons of 30 or more HR that Perez put up lead me to believe it would have been fun to watch.

The Third Overall Pick

Team: Seattle Mariners

Who they Picked: RP Fransisco Rodriguez

Note to the newer owners...always send in a draft list. If you don't, you end up waisting your 3rd overall pick on a slightly better than average reliever. Serves him right though...you have got to send in a list.

Who they should have taken: 3B Brooks Robinson

Brooks Robinson has had a good long career with Montreal and Philly posting 10 seasons with 20 or more homers. Oh yeah, and he also has one of the best gloves you will ever see at third base.

The Fourth Overall Pick

Team: Cincinatti Reds

Who they picked: P Andy Van Hekken

Who they should have picked: P Andy Van Hekken

Now with 2 in a row, the Reds use the first one on junk baller Andy Van Hekken. This turned out to be a great move. Of course, they didn't keep him, but shipped him off to Montreal (and later Milwakee) where he put up 5 consecutive seasons with an ERA under 3.30. Despite being hot and cold lately, Van Hekken maintains a career 3.77 ERA.

The Fifth Overall Pick

Team: Cincinatti Reds

Who they picked: P Johan Santana

Johan wasn't a bad pick. He was also traded immediately (whats with all the trading, people?) to Pittsburgh where he pitched for nine seasons in the worst pitchers ballpark around. More on him in a sec.

Who they should have picked: SS Ozzie Smith

"The Wizard" ended up a Red eventually anyway, but they would have done good to pick him here. He is a pitchers dream, winning gold gloves with ease. He has also been very valuable at the plate and on the basepaths, where he has a .288 career AVG and almost 600 stolen bases in 12 seasons.

The Sixth Overall Pick

Team: Colorado Rockies

Who they picked: 3B Brooks Robinson

Brooks was a great pick, but in our game, he is already gone. Plus, they too traded him away before he saw the field. We should just call this draft "Trade City."

Who they should have picked: P Johan Santana

Back to Santana, after pitching 9 seasons in Pittsburgh and managing to keep his ERA near 4.00, he has moved onto LA where he has had 2 seasons in a row with an ERA below 3.00.

The Seventh Overall Pick

Team: New York Yankees

Who they picked: P Jarrod Washburn

It is time once again for the bust of the draft. Washburn was thought by some to be the best pitcher in the draft. Many were surprised that he fell this late. The Yankees were the unlucky team that thought they were getting a deal by nabbing him here. Unfortunately, Washburn has a career ERA of 4.91 and a losing record. He has had about three seasons where he was able to put it together and pitch well, but the bulk of his career has been very disappointing for a top 10 pick with high expectations.

Who they should have picked: SS Jasho Delaero

Dellaero is the 2nd best of the shortstops taken in this draft. On the seasons that he has been allowed to play full time, he has hit around .300 and stolen close to 40 bases. He is also a solid defender. Delaero is the kind of guy that plays better than his ratings. He would have been a good pickup for the Yankees.

The Eighth Overall Pick

Team: Texas Rangers

Who they picked: SS Ozzie Smith

Ozzie was a good pick, but he is gone. He played in Texas for severall years and found success, but was shiped out to cincy in a trade that brought P Oliver Perez to Texas. Perez won the AL Cy Young last season. Sorry, that was just a fun fact.

Who they should have taken: LF Roosevelt Brown

The Rangers ended up getting Brown in the 27th pick of the 2nd round, making him the steal of the draft. The truth is, he has played well enough to be a top 10 guy. In every full season that he has played, he has hit at least 23 homers, including five times over 30 and once hit 40. He hits around .275 and steals a few bases as well. The thing that turns owners off is that he is like Hellen Keller in the field. Fortunately, he plays left field, and we know you can stick any old hack out there and it doesn't make that much difference.

The Ninth Overall Pick

Team: Chicago Cubs

Who they picked: P Brendan Donnelly

Donnelly is nothing but a mediocre reliever that was drafted too high. When you think that Tony Perez, who we ranked as 2nd most valuable in this draft is still on the board, Donnelly's career 4.79 makes you cringe.

Who they should have picked: 1B Kieth Hernandez

Since Perez is long gone, we will go with the 2nd best first baseman in the draft. Hernandez has had a solid career at a position that is typically a power position. He has hit for high average and added a few homers as well. Not a bad pick up at this point as the talent thins.

The Tenth Overall Pick

Team: Boston Kansas City Royals

Who they picked: 1B Tony Perez

This may also be the steal of the draft. As we have mentioned above, Perez became a monster and has had a great long career of crushing balls and driving in rins. We will see him in the Habla HOF one day.

Who they should have picked: OF Michael Coleman

Coleman is a good all around outfielder. In 9 of his 10 seasons he has hit 20 or more HR and has a .282 career average. This is the kind of guy you want protecting the big slugger on your team.

Draft Awards

Steal of the Draft: OF Roosevelt Brown

Bust of the Draft: P Jarrod Washburn

Best Name: Hensley Meulens

'Ol Hensley likes to swing for the fences (92 PH), but rarely makes contact with anything (35 CH). His career .195 AVG shows us that the best thing he has going for him is a cool name. How much will you give me to name my first son Hensley?

Player highlight: CF Chip Sell

No, it's not a poker term, its the guy who has totaled 11 big league at bats over the last 2 seasons. In his spare time, Chip likes to frequent his local scrapbooking group where, despite the old ladies' warnings to go easy, he just can't lay off the glitter.

Draft Score (The Lower the Better)

61- They Drafted too many guys that should have been late 1st or 2nd rounders.

Fun Facts

Only 5 of 28 1st round picks remain on the team that drafted them.

From the best we can tell, this draft saw more shortstops go in the first round (4) than any other in recent memory.

Of the 3 first round picks used by the Rockies, 2 players remain on the team (Chip Sell and Kevin Haverbusch). Colorado's best pick of the draft, Brooks Robinson, never played for the Rockies.

The Owl's Power Rankings

2006-08-13T19:34:00.000-07:00

We Start a segment today we will run all year, where our eye in the sky, the Owl, breaks down the league by giving us power rankings. Here are questions to comment on: Who is too high? Who is too low? Who will change the most? Who will the surprise teams be? Here's the Owl.

Here we go for another season. Which teams will
surprise this year? Last year I'd have to say the Red
Sox and Cardinals were the two surprise teams.

1. Phillies- This team has been the most consistant
and dominant team in the NL the last three seasons and
in they had won one more game each of those leagues
you could include the the whole league as well. This
year the Pitching has been phemoninal. This team
never seems to slump.

2. Twins- Team had huge losses but Luke did some
dealing and so far the moves have paid off.

3. Rangers- Yawn, Team has the ability to win it all
again. I'll copy and paste this for the next 5
seasons

4. Mariners- They keep putting heat on the Rangers and
the rest of the league. They will be a factor.

5. Yankees- Yanks lead the Majors in runs scored but
the Pitching staff will have to improve before this
team is a contender.

6. Reds- New look Reds starting to jell. Gehrig
tearing up the NL

7. Indians- solid team on the brink of making another
run. Matter of time.

8. Marlins- Team is 6 games over .500 and Babe Ruth is
hitting .210 with 4 Homers and 13 RBI. Think he won't
break loose? Hmm is he on the trade block? :)

9. Dodgers- Long stretch of winning should continue
but age will be a factor and this might be the last hurrah
as the Division is getting tougher.

10. Expos- The Expos could surprise this year if the
Bullpen delivers. P Josh Beckett could finally have
that breakout year

11. Pirates- Pirates have been out the gate fast
before. Could this be the year they keep it going?

12. Cardinals- Pitching and Defense are there. Will
the Hitting be strong enough with the loss of Nettles
for a good portion of the season? Could we see
prospect 3B Clete Boyer soon?

13. Tigers- Nice start for the Tigers. Terry has done
a good job transforming this team. 1b Cooper and Vet
Fred Lynn have had great starts

14. A's- Team over .500 and in a Division with the
Rangers and Mariner says a lot. Team might be only a
player or two away form being a factor. A 5th starter
looks to be a need.

15. Giants- Team is on the upswing and that trend
should continue if the hiting improves and OF Bobby
Abreu is due for a hot streak.

16. Brewers- you can win with pitching and the Brewers
are proving that again. So far the pitching has
combined with timely hitting.

17. Astros- Sam has transformed his team in many ways
over the years and he has a record of getting the most
out of his personal and filling a need. So far this
years team has pitching as a strength but will he have
enough hitting?

18. Rockies- Team has outscored their opponents by 30
runs and still remain under .500. If they scoring
trend continues the Rockies should be in the NL West
race for the duration but they have to stay healthy.

19. Red Sox- A few of the new players haven't found a
comfort zone yet and need to rebound. The Pitching is
good enough to win the AL East like last season so
maybe when the weather heats up the hitting will as
well.

20. White Sox- Rough start could of sank this team for
another season but the team has come on of late. I
think it is a matter of time before this team arrives.
To bad it's in the AL Central.

21. Braves- Team is underachieving. Hard to get a
handle on why as this team has some talent

22. O's- The rebuilding process has begun. It will
take time.

23. Royals- Royals have had a pitching meltdown and
that is with Rogers Clemns having a great start. Can
they recover?

24. Cubs- Pitching is still the achilles heel of this
team. Mark has tried to assemble a staff but can't
seem to have any luck. Could Wrigley be a factor?

25. Mets- Could their be any truth to the rumor that
instead of Cork in the bats they Mets have wood putty?
The lack of power hurts the hitting and so far the pen
hasn't done the job for the pitching.

26. Padres- Young pitchers starting to show thier
stuff but the lack of hitting isn't helping them.

27. Jays- Rebuilding process continues but they have
been competitive.

28. Angels- Pitchers Bender and Lawrence are a
combined 8-3. The rest of the staff are 6-27. Looks
like the team hits only when those two are pitching.

Oh and a reminder too owners. If a player has the
dreaded "Bruised Heel" injury, report it to Jeff and
the length of time for that injury will be reduced by
67%

Top 10 first Basemen in Habla 2029

2006-08-10T17:58:00.000-07:00

1. Lou Gehrig (CIN) Last Ranked-1

Lou Gehrig still has it all. He can still hit for average (career .347), still hit for power (670 career HR), still run the bases (342 career SB), and still field (.986 fielding). Lou is one of the most valuable players in Habla. Having switched teams, he is now dominating in the NL Central for the Reds.

2. Ted Kluzewski (BOS) LR-5

A former first overall pcik, Kluz punds the ball regularly as a flat out run producer. Still only 29, he has a lot of time left.

3. Luke Easter (BOS) LR-4

Last year it was the Twins who had both the 2nd and 3rd First Basemen in the league. This season it's the Red Sox. These two make up the bulk of Boston's power hitting/run producing core. What a scary pair for a pitcher to face.

4. Harmon Killabrew (OAK) LR-7

Harmon has moved up quite a few spots by simply continuing to do what he does. When others retired, Harmon slipped up to 4. A great power hitter like him is valuable.

5. Derek Lee (TEX) LR-NR

D Lee came out of nowhere last year as a rookie and won the ROY and even got some votes for MVP. 2nd in the AL in HR only to Gehrig, Lee represents the next generation of great first basemen.

6. David Ortiz (SF) LR-NR

Ortiz, though has been criticized for being slow and a poor defender, shows what he can do in the batters box. With more than 200 HR already, he should continue to rack them up for a long time.

7. Tony Perez (KC) LR-NR

Perez has been a central part of the Royals, the team that won the World Series 2 years ago, for a decade. A leader in the clubhouse and on the field, Perez sets the bar high and gets it done.

8. Gil Hodges (TEX) LR-6

Hodges is one of the oldest on this list, but he is still delivering the goods. Closing in on 400 HR and currently tied for 6th among active players in AVG in the AL, Hodges is continuing to contribute in a loaded lineup.

9. Raphael Palmiero (CLE) LR-NR

Another newby to the list, Palmiero underperformed for the first few years of his career, struggling with both average and power. The last 2 years, though, Raph has started the juice, which has translated to more homers and a higher average.

10. Will Clark (SEA) LR-10

"Will the Thrill" continues to set the mark for contact hitting first basemen. But he's not slouch in the power department either. Two seasons ago Clark delivered his best season ever smashing 39 homers and 138 RBI.

Honorable Mention: Kent Hrbek FLA, Hank Greenburgh OAK, and Eddie Morgan COL.

Who They Should Have Taken?: 2020

2006-08-07T12:59:00.000-07:00

We are introducing a new segment to the Blog site today called "Who They Should Have Taken." We will look at a spicific ammy draft and redo the top 10 picks looking at how the players turned out. This segment is a lot of fun for draft junkies like us. We have all taken a chance on a player and had them turn out as a bust. We have also all had a guy turn out better than expected and got lucky. If only we could see into the future, right? Well, today we will re-draft for the top 10 teams with 10 years of forsight while we offer commentary the whole way. We also have a few awards to give out for each draft at the end. Here we go.

Here is the link to the Draft file.

The First Overall Pick

Team: San Francisco Giants

Who they picked: P Josh Beckett

Beckett was the hands down favorite for the top pick. We don't fault the Giants at all. Who doesn't like a hard throwing young pitcher with a 90 FB and 2 other pitches in the 70's? If the giants new on Draft day that Beckett would end up with a career high of 12 wins after playing 8 seasons, things might have gone different.

Who they should have picked: P Zach Grienke

Grienke was picked 2nd by the Phillies and has been to the World Series 4 times. Granted, Philly has a great supporting cast, but he is certainly a big part of the success. Grienke has had 3 seasons with an ERA under 3.00. We feel that the Giants would have been much happier making Grienke their first round pick.

The Second Overall Pick

Team: Philadelphia Phillies

Who They picked: P Zach Grienke

As we just stated priviously, we think Grienke was the best player in this draft as we look back. That is why Philly did great by selecting him 2nd overall and building their rotation with him on board.

Who they should have picked: C Joe Mauer

Since Grienke was taken first overall, the Phillies are left to take C Joe Mauer. If I was to tell you that you could draft a great young catcher with a good bad and great defense, like mauer, and then was to tell you that their would not be a catcher nearly as good as him in a draft for the next decade, you would probably jump all over him. We think that is wise.

The Third Overall Pick

Team: Kansan City Royals

Who they Picked: C Joe Mauer

As we just mentioned, Mauer is great and was a great pick. A certain AL West GM was praying Mauer would fall to #8, and was a bit heated when he did not. In the end, the Royals made a great pick nabbing Mauer so high.

Who they should have taken: P Josh Beckett

Mauer was a great pick, but in our little game he has already been taken. That is why the Royals will settle for Beckett. Beckett would have been a disappointment at #1, where you need to get an ace, but at #3, he is not a horrible find. A career ERA of 3.61 is nothing to gripe at.

The Fourth Overall Pick

Team: Cincinatti Reds

Who they picked: 2B BJ Upton

Upton was a solid pick at 4. He had all of the necessities of a top tier middle infielder. We feel, though, that there are better players on the board. He was a bit of a late bloomer and had a rough first few years.

Who they should have picked: P Brandon Webb

Webb would have been a very solid pick right here. A consistently solid 3 or 4 starter with a career ERA of 4.06 and a winning percentage of .684 and a Cy Young Candidate 2 seasons ago, Webb would have been a great rotation guy for the Reds.

The Fifth Overall Pick

Team: New York Yankees

Who they picked: P Roy Oswalt

It is time for our first award to be handed out...the bust of the draft. When you pick a pitcher 5th overall, you don't expect him to have a career ERA of 4.68 and a losing record. Again, we don't fault the team, we fault the player. Everyone expected Oswalt to be great. Unfortunatley, expectations are sometimes never met.

Who they should have picked: 1B Hank Greenberg

Greenburg tuned out to be a good first basemen who regularly hits 25 or 30 homers a year. That is hard to pass up at this point of the draft. Greenburg would have been a good middle of the lineup guy for the Yankees.

The Sixth Overall Pick

Team: Oakland A's

Who they picked: 1B Hank Greenberg

As we just mentioned, Greenberg has been steady eddie for the A's. They made a great pick nabbing him 6th.

Who they should have picked: 2B BJ Upton

Since Greenberg is gone, the A's take BJ Upton. though he started off slow, Upton has hit .300 or better the last 2 seasons and stole 46 bases last year. He has turned into a very good everyday second baseman now for the Red Sox.

The Seventh Overall Pick

Team: Milwakee Brewers

Who they picked: P Brandon Webb

Webb was a great pick at 7. At the time, Webb was seen as the last of the top tier pitchers in this draft. The Brew Crew did a good thing by nabbing him. the only unfortunate part was that they traded him before he was able to pitch for them.

Who they should have picked: P Scott Shields

Since Webb is gone, Shields is the next best. Shields is almost worth taking just for his stellar rookie season in 2026. Nonetheless, he has been a bit up and down since then, but he has had several good years and now has a career 3.82 ERA.

The Eighth Overall Pick

Team: Texas Rangers

Who they picked: P Scott Shields

Again, Shields turned out pretty good and was a pretty good pick. They too traded him before they new what they had.

Who they should have taken: RP Mike Timlin

Some think taking a reliever this high would be crazy, but timlin turned out to be one of the best. He has won several Fireman awards and is always a candidate. He was drafted by the Rangers later in this draft, and had a lot of good years in the pen before going to Florida, where he continues to pitch well. In a time where good relief help is rare, Timlin would have been a good pick.

The Ninth Overall Pick

Team: Colorado Rockies

Who they picked: P Jason Marquis

Another Candidate for bust of the draft, Marquis has never been confused for a top tier pitcher. A career 4.49 ERA and only 1 season with an ERA under 4.00 is not what you want out of your 9th pick.

Who they should have picked: 1B Justin Morneau

Morneau is a candidate for steal of the draft, having been drafted 19th and has put up very solid numbers as a first baseman. The Rangers may have taken him at 8, but they already had a good first baseman. This allows Morneau to fall to 9th.

The Tenth Overall Pick

Team: Boston Red Sox

Who they picked: P Tomo Okha

Okha has been decent in 2 seasons in the bigs, and was not a bad pick here, but there was someone who turned out to be better.

Who they should have picked: 2B Scott Hairston

Hairston has been a bit streaky in his career, but hitting .330 last season shows what he can do. A great contact style second baseman, Hairston puts a lot of balls in play and has been valuable for his team. The Red Sox would have benefitted from his bat in their lineup.

Draft Awards

Steal of the Draft: RP Michael Tejera

Drafted in the 5th round, he was a very strong Rookie of the Year Candidate and Fireman of the Year Candidate last year (2028). Who would have thought that the A's could get so much for $2?

Bust of the Draft: P Roy Oswalt

As mentioned above, for a guy with such great expectations and the 5th pick, you expect more than an ERA near 5 and a losing record. Oh well, there is one in every draft.

Best Name: Chin Feng Chen

The Brewers picked him in the 3rd...I'm guessing just for his name. Chen still plays for the Brewers AAA affiliate.

Player highlight: 2B Danny Garcia

Selected 21st overall by the White Sox, Garcia only played in the bigs from 2022-2025 hitting .201 in 179 career abs. Garcia, currently out of baseball, has squandered the money received from his first and only big league contract. He is currently an assistant manager at a Chicago Burger King.

Draft Score

This is something I made up to see how well the league did drafting the top 10. Each spot a player was away from our rankings is 1 point. If they draft a guy that we feel is just outside the top 10 we add 5 points, way outside the top 10 we add 10 points. If the bust of the draft was in the top 10, we add 15 points. The lower the score, the better the draft was.

This drafts score was 41. It will be interesting to see as we go on what a good score is.

Fun Facts

Only 7 of 28 1st round picks remain on the team that drafted them.

From the best we can tell, this draft produced 3 firemen of the Year (Timlin, Wheeler, and Williamson), 1 Batting Title (Mauer), and 1 Rookie of the Year (Shields).

3 Championship rings are Represented in the first round (Webb, Timlin, and Mauer)

Top 10 Catchers in Habla 2029

2006-08-07T10:15:00.000-07:00

We have decided to once again take a look at the best players at each position in Habla. We did this 2 seasons ago, and a few players have retired, and youngsters have gotten better, so it is time to do it again. This is a fun way to get discussions going about the league and about players that at times get overlooked. We expect there to be disagreements, and that is fine. We feel that it is a good way to get discussions going. Our criteria include ratings, stats, career achievements etc., but the primary questioned we asked about each of these guys was "Who would I want during a playoff run?" And, honestly, we hope these guys are in order of value, that if you were in a division race in September, who would you want on your team? So, please comment on what we got right and what we got wrong. It makes it a lot more fun to dialogue. Without further ado, the Top 10 Catchers in Habla.
*Click on players name for career stats and ratings.
**You can see where each player was ranked on the list last time by their name.

1. Crash Davis (LAD) Last Ranked-4

Had arguably his best season at age 36, hitting .332 and blasting 35 homers to jump 3 spots on the list, should easily surpass 450 career longballs this season.

2. Roy Campanella (SEA) LR-1

So far his play with the Mariners has been below his usual standards, but, with over 400 career homeruns, he is still dangerous, and the previous owner of the top spot will not fall far.

3. Joey Mauer (KC) LR-3

Won the AL batting title 2 years ago, and had his first 20 dinger season a year ago. Still just 25, he has many great seasons left in his career.

4. Brandon Inge (CIN) LR-2

Now has over 250 homers in his career and nearly drove in 100 runs in 2027.

5. Matthew Lecroy (PIT) LR-8

Crash Davis was the only catcher to hit more homeruns over the past 2 seasons than LeCroy, including 37 in 2027.

6. Bill Dickey (DET) LR-7

Outstanding fielder, with a consistently solid bat, hopes to continue strong career with Oakland.

7. Cooper Walker (CHA) LR-6

Posted career highs in RBIs (78) and runs scored (63) last season.

8. Javier Cardona (HOU) LR-NR

Just traded to Colorado, he hit .308 with 19 homers last season.

9. Josh Phelps (CHN) LR-NR

Pure power hitter who left the yard 29 times last season, but will never be confused for a gold glover.

10. Bobby Hall (MIL) LR-NR

Career .294 hitter, mashed 24 homeruns in 2027.

Honorable Mentions: Ozzie Virgil MTL, Jason Phillips SF, Jesse Gonder FLA,

ROY Candidates 2029

2006-08-05T10:07:00.000-07:00

It is that time once again to report on the top Rookie of the Year candidates. We are proud to note that who we ranked as our top candidate last year in the AL won the award, and our third highest candidate won in the NL. We were pleased at our accuracy. Maybe we will start taking bribes as to who we rank high and who we don't;) This year, however, seems to be a down year for rookies. Where some years we have had 10 good rookies competing for 5 spots, this year we struggled to find 5 in each league worth mentioning. Nonetheless, here are your top ROY candidates for 2029. Please comment on your thoughts and lets get a discussion going. (Thanks to Steve PGH for helping compile this list)

AL ROY Candidates

P Chris Short (Tigers)- Short has been a great addition to good rotation, notching a 2-2 record with a 3.66 ERA and 4 out of 6 QS.

RP Wilfredo Ledezma (Royals)- Has been awesome in relief and should be starting more after doing well in his first start in the bigs. A 1.95 ERA in 37 innings is hard to find among big leaguers, and he is a rookie.

DH Bobby Bonilla (Brewers)- Bonilla has added his bat to a solid lineup to help with some pop...and he is doing well, hitting .289 with 4 HR, 15 RBI, and 15 R so far.

RP Charlie Shaffernoth (Orioles)- In 23 IP in relief he has a 2.35 ERA and a 1-0 record. With teams always struggling to find relief pitching, having a rookie perform like this is a huge bonus.

LF Juan Encarnacion (Angels)- Not starting full time, but getting a lot of at bats, he is contributing with a .314 average, 4 HR, and 13 RBI so far this season.

Others in the running: RP Joe Blanton (Angels), RP Jim Kane (White Sox)

NL ROY Candidates

2B Rickie Weeks (Pirates)- He is hitting .299 with 23 runs and 10 SB's through 30 games. Looks like he could be a great and versitile middle infielder.

CF Kenny Lofton (Mets)- He has a pretty good batting average (.296), but he strikes out a lot (34). In 26 games, though, he has stolen 15 bases and scored 19 runs and he could be a nightmare on the basepaths if he can stable out his average.

3B Wes Helms (Cubs)- Also struggles with AVG and K's (.220 and 33 in 32 games), but has great power hitting potential. If he got hot and hit 25 or 30 homers, he could give Weeks a run for his money.

Thats about it from the NL guys. Others we looked at were Jay Bell (SD) and Luis Rivas (LA) but they don't really have a shot. NL guys, if you have a good prospect you really want to win ROY, this may be a good year to bring him up.

Chasing History: Jimmie Foxx

2006-05-13T10:41:00.000-07:00

Friday night, Jimmy Foxx did something that only one other person in history has done...he hit his 896th home run, tying him with Mickey Mantle for the most all time. Breaking the record and becoming the all time home runs leader was part of the reason that Foxx signed on to come back for another year with the Twins. "Now it's here," he said. "I have looked forward to the possibility of this point in my career for a long time, and it has finally come. I can't wait to get back out there and break the record."

Mantle was in attendance Friday as Foxx hit the bomb that tied them. "This is what baseball is all about," Mantle said. "Breaking records. Chasing history. These are the things that make the game great." Amazingly, when Foxx hits his next home run, he could likely break another record...most RBI's all time. Foxx currently has 2330 RBI's, whereas Mantle, the current leader, has 2331. How interesting...that both records would fall so close, perhaps the same week, maybe even the same game or at bat. This will be an historic week in Habla.

How long these records will stand is unclear. Babe Ruth, currently only 29 years old, is only about 200 HR and less than 1000 RBI's behind Foxx. Once Foxx retires, Ruth will gain ground at an amazing rate, and both records could fall quickly. But Foxx isn't worried about that for now. He says he will just enjoy the time with his teammates and family. "This is the kind of thing that players dream about, and I am lucky enough to experience it."

Rookie of the Year Predictions

2006-05-13T09:57:00.000-07:00

After a long drought of posts, we are back to report on the top Rookie of the Year candidates. Hopefully we will be back to our regular posting schedule. Enjoy checking out and debating the rookie of the year candidates. We noticed a lot of pitchers are pitching well, but have no run support so their records are suffering. Get some bats guys!! (Thanks to Steve PGH for helping compile this list)

AL ROY Candidates

1B Derek Lee (Rangers)- Is showing off bat with .293 average and belting 14 homers in first 2 months of season.

SP Jimmy Key (Red Sox)- Already 8-1 with a 2.16 ERA; opponents hitting just .131 off of him.

RF Hector Luna (Angels)- Batting .252 with 19 thefts in the 2 hole.

SP Chief Bender (Angels)- Has a 3.62 ERA and 82 k's to boot.

2B Brian Roberts (Athletics)- Has 6 homeruns and 12 sb’s as new Oakland leadoff hitter.

Others in the running: LF Cito Gaston (Angels), SP Joe Blanton (Angels), SP Kevin Ritz (Orioles), SP Ray Washburn (Tigers), RP Jay Powell (Yankees), 2B Bip Roberts (Indians)

NL ROY Candidates

SP Steve Barber (Braves)- He’s been sensational with 9 quality starts and a 3.01 ERA, but club is slow in getting him victories.

2B Robbie Alomar (Cardinals)- Has piled up 16 doubles already.

SP Mike Mussina (Mets)- His 4-7 start and 3.47 ERA have Mets fans excited about the future.

3B David Wright (Marlins)- Still waiting to cut loose, but has tremendous talent.

SP Jack McDowell (Mets)- Solid start (3.84 ERA) has been overshadowed by Mussina’s.

Others in the running: SP Jack Morris (Pirates), LF Jason Dubois (Cubs)

NL Player Preview

2006-04-08T13:49:00.000-07:00

Here is the NL half of this article. Check it out and let us know your thoughts. By the way, we tried to guess as good as we could as to who the rookies would be. We may have predicted some incorectly. Enjoy!

NL East

Top 10 Players

1. RF Babe Ruth- FLA
2. CF Mel Ott- PHI
3. SP Orel Hershiser- FLA
4. SP Adam Eaton- PHI
5. LF Frank Robinson- PHI
6. 3B Will Judy Johnson- ATL
7. 1B Luke Easter- MON
8. 2B Rex Hudler- PHI
9. 1B Kent Hrbek- FLA
10. SP Zachary Grienke- PHI

Honorable Mention: 1B Justin Mourneau- ATL, 2B Charlie Gehringer- NYN, LF John Liska- MON, RF Danny Litwhiler- ATL, RF Milton Bradley- PHI, RF Randy Birch- FLA

Top 5 Newcomers

1. LF Raul Gonzales- PHI
2. SP Johnny Sain- PHI
3. RP Paul Shuey- NYN
4. CF Mule Haas- FLA
5. LF Dave Collins- FLA

Top 5 Rookies

1. 3B David Wright- FLA
2. SP Jack McDowell- NYN
3. SP Mike Mussina- NYN
4. SP Steve Barber- ATL
5. RP Jeff Brantley- MON

Top 5 Breakout Contenders

1. SP Mark Prior- NYN
2. 1B Fred McGriff- PHI
3. SP John Smiley- NYN
4. SS Cal Ripken- ATL
5. SP Shawn Chacon- MON

NL Central

Top 10 Players

1. SP Jim Perry- CIN
2. SP Charlie Hough- CIN
3. 1B Ted Kluszewski- CIN
4. SP J.R. Richard- HOU
5. CF Turkey Stearnes- CHN
6. RF Bobby Abreu- PGH
7. RF Darryl Strawberry- CIN
8. CF Andre Dawson- HOU
9. SS Woodie Held- PGH
10. SP Ken Brubaker- PGH

Honorable Mention: SP Dave Dravecky- STL, RP Rafael Soriano- HOU, C Brandon Inge- CIN, 3B Miguel Cabrera- CIN, LF Cliff Floyd- STL, RF Enos Slaughter- CHN

Top 5 Newcomers

1. RF Enos Slaughter- CHN
2. LF Wady Almonte- PGH
3. RF Paul O’Neill- CHN
4. 1B Leon Durham- HOU
5. SP Casey Fossum- CHN

Top 5 Rookies

1. SP Jack Morris- PGH
2. 2B Robbie Alomar- STL
3. SP Bill Goldsmith- STL
4. 3B Wes Helms- CHN
5. 2B Rennie Stennett- PGH

Top 5 Breakout Contenders

1. CF Turkey Stearnes- CHN
2. SP Preacher Roe- CHN
3. 2B B.J. Upton- CIN
4. SP Larry Jansen- PGH
5. SP Jaime Navarro- STL

NL West

Top 10 Players

1. RF Dave Parker- LA
2. SP Addie Joss- SF
3. CF Roy Hobbs- LA
4. SP Dontrelle Willis- COL
5. 1B David Oritz- SF
6. LF Al Simmons- LA
7. LF Rickey Henderson- SF
8. SP Carlos Garcia- LA
9. RP Roy Face- LA
10. CF Johnny Damon- SD

Honorable Mention: C Crash Davis- LA, 1B Kevin Young- LA, 3B Gary Gaetti- LA

Top 5 Newcomers

1. SP Addie Joss- SF
2. SP Ken Brett- SF
3. SP Tim Redding- COL
4. C Jason Phillips- SF
5. SP Rick Bauer- LA

Top 5 Rookies

1. RP Mike Jackson- LA
2. RP Dennis Cook- LA
3. RP Tom Gordon- SD
4. 2B Luis Rivas- LA
5. SS Rey Ordonez- SD

Top 5 Breakout Contenders

1. SP Tim Belcher- SD
2. SP David Wells- SF
3. SP Denny Neagle- COL
4. 3B Larry Carey- COL
5. C Jason Phillips- SF

AL Players Preview

2006-04-07T14:11:00.000-07:00

We wanted to do a division by division preview of the best players. Below is a breakdown of the best players, best rookies, and best newcomers to each division. today is the AL, tomorrow will be the NL. Enjoy, and tell us how we messed up :)
(Thanks to Steve PGH for doing the bulk of this)

AL East

Top 10 Players

1. 1B Lou Gehrig- BAL
2. SP Whitey Ford- DET
3. SP Nolan Ryan- DET
4. 3B Orlando Cepeda- NYA
5. RF Reggie Jackson- NYA
6. CF Lew Ford- NYA
7. SP Josh Beckett- BOS
8. LF Roosevelt Brown- TOR
9. CF Fred Lynn- DET
10. P Dwight Gooden- NYA

Honorable Mention: Endy Chavez- TOR, Kevin Mitchell- TOR, Bill Dickey- DET, Corey Koskie- DET, Rocky Notel- DET, Willie Montanez- NYA, Allan Trammel- NYA

Top 5 Newcomers

1. SP Josh Beckett- BOS
2. RF Ruben Sierra- BOS
3. 1B Earl Torgeson- BOS
4. SS Erick Almonte- TOR
5. SP Cliff Lee- NYA

Top 5 Rookies

1. SP Kevin Ritz- BAL
2. SP Jimmy Key- BOS
3. SP Ramon Martinez- BAL
4. SP Francisco Barrios- NYA
5. 3B Greg Jeffries- TOR

Top 5 Breakout Contenders

1. RF Jeromy Burnitz- BOS
2. RF Sid Gordon- BOS
3. RF Richard Hidalgo- BAL
4. 3B Edgardo Alfonzo- NYA
5. 1B James McManus- BOS

AL Central

Top 10 Players

1. SP David Cone- MIN
2. 1B Jimmie Foxx- MIN
3. SP Roger Clemens- KC
4. 1B Ricky Davis- MIN
5. SP Kelvim Escobar- MIL
6. CF Duke Snider- MIN
7. LF Bobby Bonds- KC
8. SP Warren Spahn- MIN
9. 1B Rafael Palmeiro- CLE
10. C Joey Mauer- KC

Honorable Mention: SP Bobby Witt- CLE, SP Tom Glavine- MIN, 1B Tony Perez- KC, 2B Alfonzo Soriano- KC, SS Rafael Furcal- MIL, SS Robin Yount- CLE, LF Adam Dunn- KC, LF Harold Baines- CHA

Top 3 Newcomers

1. CF Duke Snider- MIN
2. LF Vada Pinson- MIN
3. C Joe DePastino- MIN

Top 5 Rookies

1. RF Hack Wilson- CLE
2. SP Jim Kane- CHA
3. 2B Bip Roberts- CLE
4. RF Randy Winn- MIL
5. RP Dario Veres- CHA

Top 5 Breakout Contenders

1. SP Danny McDevitt- MIN
2. 3B Ken Caminitti- CHA
3. SP Tom Glavine- MIN
4. LF David Delucci- CLE
5. LF Ron Gant- CHA

AL West

Top 10 Players

1. LF Henry Aaron- TEX
2. SP Jake Peavy- TEX
3. C Roy Campanella- SEA
4. CF Tris Speaker- TEX
5. 1B Harmon Killabrew- OAK
6. SP Oliver Perez- TEX
7. SP Doug Rau- TEX
8. RF Lance Berkman- TEX
9. SP Jose Contreras- OAK
10. 3B Hank Blalock- SEA

Honorable Mention: 1B Gil Hodges- TEX, 1B Will Clark- SEA, 2B Craig Biggio- TEX, 3B Albert Pujols- TEX, LF Stan Musial- OAK, RF Larry Walker- OAK

Top 5 Newcomers

1. 3B Albert Pujols- TEX
2. LF Michael Coleman- SEA
3. SP Mike Norris- SEA
4. RP Chad Zerbie- SEA
5. C Jake Taylor- SEA

Top 5 Rookies

1. 1B Derek Lee- TEX
2. 2B Brian Roberts- OAK
3. SP Chief Bender- ANA
4. RP Todd Worrell- TEX
5. 1B Tino Martinez- ANA

Top 5 Breakout Contenders

1. SP Roy Halladay- ANA
2. SP Darryl Kyle- OAK
3. CF Willy Taveras- ANA
4. SP Grant Balfour- SEA
5. SS Ronny Cedeno- ANA

Fearless Forecaster

2006-03-30T10:41:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately, the Fearless Forecaster (oooohhhhh, ahhhhhhh) is unable to do his annual pre-draft report on the ammys. So, he has asked that we (Nick TEX and Steve PGH) publish the report this year. We cannot compete with the likes of Fearless. We understand that this is like the team of juggling monkeys performing in place of the Beatles, but we shall do our best. We start with the prediction of the Top 10 picks in the draft. This is who we feel that these teams should take if they are smart. Unfortunately, Fearless is not always listened to. After that are all the players in this ammy pool ranked by position. After the blurb about them is where we predict they will be taken. Have fun, and give us feedback. We would be interested for you all to weigh in on this pool.

The Top 10 Picks in This Year's Draft:

1. The Angels are in a major rebuilding mode. They have holes at many positions. Every good manager knows, when you are starting to rebuild, focus on pitching. This draft pool makes it an easy choice. The Angels will select Chief Bender as their Ace for the future.

2. The Blue Jays are also in rebuilding mode. The holes are many for this team as well, so a good franchise type bat should do the trick. The Blue Jays will draft the versatile and talented Hack Wilson to improve the heart of their lineup.

3. The Orioles are a team that has fallen from greatness, but seem to be close to climbing to the top again. Their most solid position is first base, with Lou Gehrig sealing that up. So, they will draft a young outfielder to compliment Gehrig in the lineup. The Orioles will select RF Frank Howard who will swing for the fences regularly.

4. The Rangers were able to move up and get another top 5 pick. This team is looking for youngsters to keep their dynasty going strong. The Rangers have no holes on their team, so they are left taking the best available. The Rangers will select 1B Clue Haywood as another young bat that will give them options.

5. The Cubs made a splash in the free agent market this year, signing a very good outfielder. However, they still have one outfield spot open, and it will be filled as the Cubs select Willie "Pops" Stargell to be a home run hitter and middle of the lineup guy.

6. The Padres have some good young prospects acquired over the last few years. What they don't have, though, is a good cather, one of the most important positions on the field. The Padres will select C Ray Fosse to use his hot bat at the plate, and his superb defense and arm behind it.

7. The Mets have great young pitchers that will soon be ready to propel this team to the top. What they don't have is a dominant bullpen guy to close out games. The Mets will take RP Clay Carrol as they build for the near future.

8. Next up are the White Sox. The White Sox have gotten much younger recently, and are looking to build a future winner. This time in the draft, they take the best available, which is P Ray Washburn. He will help their rotation in a few years.

9. With the 9th pick from the Giants are the Cubs again. Having already taken a great power hitting bat in the draft, they will now add depth to their pithing. The Cubs will take P Pat Dobson to go with the alredy great future rotation he has.

10. Rounding out the top 10 are the Angels with the Red Sox pick. After taking a stud pitcher 1st overall, they will now acquire some hitting. The best available hitter at this point is CF Bobby Tolan. He will patrol the center field for the Angels nicely and will hit for a pretty good clip too.

And there you have it.

And now, here are the players ranked by position:

Catchers

1. Ray Fosse- The best C in the draft. Great defense (80 FA, 84 AS) and a good bat. Top 10.
2. Bill Plummer- Solid all around catcher. Late 1st.
3. Pat Corrales- Decent CH (67) and good D. 2nd.
4. Paul Casonova- Not great at the plate but a cannon for an arm (90)
5. Fred Kendall- May find his way on a team as a roster filler. 5th.

First Basemen

1. Clue Haywood- A stud power hitting 1B. GF (41) and PL (84) are geared for the fence. Top 5.
2. Wes Parker- 1B falls off quite a bit after 1. Sold hitter with decent speed. 2nd half of 1st.
3. Nate Colbert- Solid at everything. 2nd half of 1st.
4. Jim Beauchamp- CH is good enough to see him as a decent backup 1B. @nd
5. John Milner- Decent power (72). 2nd.
6. Mike Fiore- Has a little power (67). 3rd.
7. Ray Webster- Career backup. 3rd or later.

Second Basemen

1. Ron Hunt- A groundball hitter with good CH (78) makes him the best middle infielder in the draft. 1st round.
2. Horace Clarke- Solid defender and decent hitter. Late 1st.
3. Dave Cambell- best defensive 2B in the pool. Not the best hitter though. 2nd.
4. Gary Sutherland- Could see some time as a backup. 3rd.
5. Van Kelly- Can play 2nd or 3rd. Decent backup. 3rd.
6. John Donaldson- Can play several positions, but none very well. 3rd.
7. Steve Hunts- Again, versatility isn't always a good thing. 4th.

Third Basemen

1. Ed Charles- A shallow pool for 3B. Charles is solid. 1st.
2. Dick Green- A backup on almost every team. 3rd.
3. Coco Laboy- Cool name, but little talent. 3rd.
4. Pete Spiezio- Roster filler. 5th.
5. Bill Sudakis- You hope this guy doesn't play, 'cause it means your 2 other 3B went down.

Shortstop

1. Frank Duffy- decent hitter and can play 2 positions well. Late 1st.
2. Bobby Wine- Good speed and superb D at 2B and SS. Could be a pitchers best friend. Late 1st.
3. Darrell Chaney- Decetn at several positions. 2nd.
4. Gene Michael- Good defender; bad hitter. 3rd.
5. Jose Arcia- Almost fast enough to pinch run. Late.
6. Jackie Hernandez- We are not sure if this is a guy or a girl...but he/she throws like a girl. Late.
7. Tommy Dean- Cheap roster fillers anyone? 5th.

Left Field

1. Willie Stargell- Pops is a great power hitter (88) and should have a great career. Top 5.
2. Cito Gaston- Good all around player. Hits well, runs well, plays OF and 1B well. 1st.
3. Larry Stahl- Good speed makes him a solid outfielder. Late 1st.
4. Ollie Brown- Not a great hitter, but goof LF D guy and a canon for an arm. 2nd.
5. Ron Fairly- Decent power but poor defense. 2nd.
6. Willie Crawford- Solid hitter. Decent 5th outfielder on the roster type. Late 2nd.
7. Al Ferrara- Decent CH should find him a roster spot in AAA. 3rd.
8. Ron Woods- OF like him are a dime a dozen. 3rd.
9. Angel Bravo- Can play every position, but none better than 55. Nothing angelic about him. Late.
10. Tommy Reynolds- I'm really just going for entertainment at this point. Late.
11. Steve Hovley- Are you still reading this? Just move onto the CF.

Center Field

1. Bobby Tolan- Good fielder at 1B and OF. Nice all around player. 1st.
2. Billy Conigliaro- Some nice pop in his bat. Good #2 hitter possibly. Mid 1st.
3. Del Unser- Good CH/SP combo and good fielding makes him a good find. Mid 1st.
4. Jerry Morales- Good at putting the bat on the ball, but low speed may hurt him. Late 1st.
5. Ty Cline- Decent CH/SP. Good backup. 2nd.
6. Ken Berry- Good fielder. 3rd.
7. Ivan Murrell- Can play 1B. Good utility backup.
8. Hank Allen- If you draft him, maybe someone will get him confused with Hank Aaron and you could trade him. Late.

Right Field

1. Hack Wilson- Franchise caliber player. Great CH, good PH and SP, but a 94 SC rating makes him special. Top 5.
2. Frank Howard- Good hard hitting power guy. Has 90 PH and a 70 PL. Top 5.
3. Ken Harrelson- Decent power; versatile defense. 2nd.
4. Russ Snyder- Decent CH and SP. 2nd.
5. Mack Jones- A low CH, high power good SP guy. These guys have some value, but they strike out a lot. 2nd.

Starting Pitchers

1. Chief Bender- Should be one of the best pitchers in the game. Top 3
2. Ray Washburn- Has the potential to be a better than average starter. Mid 1st
3. Pat Dobson- Could be a decent starter or a solid closer. Mid 1st
4. Jim Maloney- Has great stuff if he can locate his pitches. Late 1st
5. Steve Hargan- Has the potential to be a back end of the rotation guy. Late 1st
6. Milt Wilcox- Ditto on this guy. Late 1st/Early 2nd
7. Bo Belinsky- Has good control of his pitches. 2nd
8. Dave Roberts- Solid sinker, but not much else. 2nd
9. Jimmy Merritt- Good chance to make it as a long reliever. 2nd
10. Clay Kirby- Strong arm, but may not throw enough strikes for it to matter. 3rd
11. Mike Corkins- May be most valuable in the bullpen. 3rd
12. Dick Selma- Very strong arm, but may serve up a lot of longballs. 3rd
13. Wayne Simpson- Changeup not good enough to fool many hitters. 3rd
14. Billy Champion- Could be a fan favorite with the AAA club. 4th
15. Steve Renko- Arm doesn't tire easily. 4th
16. Jim McGloth- Outside chance of making it. 4th
17. Danny Coombs- Probably a career minor-leaguer. 5th
18. Steve Arlin- Roster filler. 5th
19. Al Santoni- Same for him. 5th

Relief Pitchers

1. Clay Carroll- Will be one of the best closers in the league. Top 10
2. Wayne Granger- Should be a solid closer. Mid 1st
3. Jack Baldschun- Could be a decent setup guy. Late 1st
4. Paul Doyle- Has a strong arm. 2nd
5. Roberto Rodriguez- Superb control. 2nd
6. Ron Willis- Should find a spot in the bullpen. 2nd
7. Ron Herbel- Could serve as a long or middle reliever. 3rd
8. Jerry Nymun- May get a shot in middle relief. 4th
9. Gary Ross- Unlikely to contribute. 5th
10. Tommy Dukes- Better get his dukes up for all the times he'll plunk batters. 5th

2027 Award Winners

2006-03-27T10:33:00.000-08:00

The votes have been cast and ballots sent in. The reults have been tabulated for your 2027 award winners. Here is a list of the winners with some comments about the season's they had.

NL MVP Babe Ruth FLA

A nearly unanimous winner, Babe Ruth had a sensational season. Having changed teams in the offseason, he was ready to show what he could do. He was able to win the triple crown in the NL and improve in AVG, doubles, homers, RBI, and stolen bases over last year.

AL MVP Lou Gehrig BAL

In the AL, Gehrig was the man to bring home the trophy. It was a closer race in the AL, but Gehrig was the easy winner. He had a stellar year, improving in virtually every category. As he enters his prime, it will be interesting to see if he can get Baltimore back to the playoffs to compete once again.

It is interesting that both MVP winners were on non-playoff teams. They certainly had the stats to warrant the award, but do stats carry more weight than getting a team to the playoffs? In the NL, Mel Ott was the runner up in the award. He helped take the Phillies to their second strait World Series appearence. In the AL, 2nd and 3rd place were very close seeing Hank Aaron and Jimmie Foxx be just a point apart. Both of these players were on playoff teams. Are these guys, Ott, Aaron and Foxx, less worthy of the MVP than Ruth and Gehrig?

NL Cy Young Billy Chapel LA

In a funny turn of events, Chapel brings the third strait Cy Young trophy to the Dodgers, each brought by a different pitcher (Langston and Garcia were the others). In a somewhat close race, Chapel's meager ERA and 18 wins were enough to win him the award. I suppose it also helps that Chapel was the Ace for the team with the best record in the NL. At the end of the season, following the Dodgers defeat by the Phillies, Chapel announced his retirement. He was able to win a Cy young and make one last run at a World Series before his retirement. He definately went out on the top of his game.

AL Cy Young David Cone MIN

Cone wins his first Cy Young this year in only his third season in the big leages. The #1 overall pick by the Twins a few seasons ago, Cone has lived up to the hype and been a stud in the rotation for the Twins. This race was somewhat close as well, with knuckleballer and second year player Doud Rau for the Rangers going 22-2 this season. It was the battle of the youngsters. In the end, Cone was superior in several categories and was able to take home the award.

For the Cy Young voting this year, the top 2 in the NL and the top 4 in the AL were on playoff teams. The AL was interesting, as it was youngsters battling for the award, as opposed to the NL, which was all veterans.

NL Rookie of the Year Bobby Abreu PGH

The big name rookie slugger from Pittsburgh was the winner of the ROY this year. He had a huge first half, then plateaud a little in the 2nd half. Abreau was a former 6th overall pick and part of the deal for which Aaron moved teams. Abreu rose to the top as the best rookies. He was ranked 2nd in the NL among rookies early in the year. Damon came in 2nd and McDonald 3rd, ranked 3rd and 1st at the begining of the season respectively.

AL Rookie of the Year Tom Glavine MIN

In the most one sided landslide category this season, Tom Glavine ran away with the rookie of the year. Glavine looked like a Cy Young candidate early on, before he leveled off a little and then finished strong. Glavine was the favorite early in the year to win the award.

This is an interesting award, as we wrote a blog article early in the year predicting who woukld win. You can check it out here.

NL Fireman Roy Face LA

The best reliever this season by a narrow margin was Roy Face. Face also won our top reliever spot when we ranked the Top 10 Relievers in Habla this season. Face continually posts very low ERA's and set a career high for holds this season.

AL Fireman Tom Martin KC

From the World Champion Kansas City Royals come the best reliever in the AL. Martin is a hard throwing lefty who for the second time in his career posted an ERA below 3.00. This was the closest race this season, as the top 4 candidates were seperated by only 6 points.

GM of the Year Travis Hair KC

This award was again, not close. Travis certainly diserved this award as he, for the first time in 2 and a half decades, was able to get his team to the World Series and win it all. A 100+ win season and a World Series crown is enough to get you the GM of the year. Congrats to Travis.

As expected, Travis won the GM of the year. This makes at least the 5th year in a row that the team that won the World Series won the GM of the year (probably more, but the official records page is incomplete on these awards). I think this is probably a good trend, for the WS is certainly the highest honor in Habla. My question is can you think of a situation where the GM who won the World Series would not win the GM of the year? Let us know your thoughts on this and the other topics discussed here.

The Kansas City Royals: A Long Road to A Championship

2006-03-20T12:35:00.000-08:00

Saturday night the Royals players stormed onto the field as they got the final out in game 7 of the World Series against the Phillies. It was an interesting series. A series in which the home team never won a game. A series in which the 4th starter in the rotation all season (Britt Reames) carried the load and walked away with the World Series MVP trophy. A series that, once again, saw the AL Wild Card Team win it all.

But I am more concerned today with the road to the championship. It had been 25 seasons that Hair had been the manager of the Royals and had never won a playoff series. Then, when he finally does get another chance, he is set to face the Texas Rangers, who posted the 3rd best record ever in Habla history this year. The Royals won in 5 games. Next in line were the always tough Minnesota Twins, who also won more than 100 games and with one of the most fearsome rotations in baseball, last year's MVP in Rickey Davis, and stud veteran Jimmy Foxx added at the begining of the year, looked to knock off their division rival in the ALCS with ease. However, it proved to be no easy task. "The Royals were a relentless team all season," commented Twins GM Luke W. "I found a way to fight them off in divisional play, but couldn't do it come playoff time. Tip of the cap to Travis." The Royals were able to down the Twins in 7 games. Then came the World Series. The opponent was now the National League champion Philadelphia Phillies. After a World Series Appearence last season with their Ace Adam Eaton injured, they were back with Eaton healthy and ready to take home the championship. The Series was hard fought, including an extra innings game in which Phillies pitcher Bruce Hurst pitched 11 scoreless innings. In the end, the Royals were able to close out the series in the 7th and final game.

This season saw the Royals post the best record in their history. Part of the reason for this was the huge off season signing of top Free Agent Bobby Bonds. Bonds added to what was already one of the best offenses in the league. That combined with the Royals pitching coming together this year was a recipe for a championship. Congratualtions to the Royals and Travis on the World Series victory.

Teams That Trade The Most Seem to do The Best

2006-03-20T09:48:00.000-08:00

This Blog Article was submitted by Greg, from the Cleveland Indians.

I have been bothered by teams that are hesitant to trade for quite some time and thought I would express my views on this blog. Every year it seems that there are teams that are in the hunt or are headed for the post season and all they need is a key player or two. Yet they almost always get cold feet when it comes time to make the move or moves.

Some of the most active teams in the trade market have done the best making the post season or going all the way. I have contacted several teams the past couple seasons about trading some solid veterans of mine, such as Duke Snider, Rick Vaughn, etc for a #1 pick, prospect player, cash, some sort of combination of these. Each time I was turned down because they didn;t want to trade away their future. Pardon me but what in the hell kind of logic is that? I mean seriously, is this not all about winning the World Series? I won back to back a few seasons ago, will I ever get back or will I ever win another one? No way to know but I have already done it so I have all the time to rebuild without the pressure. If a team has a serious chance to win it now and by adding a key player or two it greatly increases that chance, GO FOR IT!! You never know if you will even make the playoffs again so why wait? A great point was KC paying an astonishing 54 million for Bobby Bonds. Giving up that kind of cash for one guy was extremely risky, but it worked. They will lose players to free agency, and may not even make it back to the playoffs this upcoming season. SO WHAT! They are now and forever WS champs.

Let's take Duke Snider for example. I offered him to several teams, some of the proposals included Rick Vaughn, and Griffey Sr in the same deal. In return I was asking for a #1 and a top prospect. Now, if the Duke was a free agent like Bonds last season he would have nabbed at least $40 if not more? Then let's say Vaughn was a free agent as well, even Griffey Sr. The three players combined would have nabbed well over 100 million on the FA market. So here a team has a chance to get all three for a pick and a top prospect for a chance to win it all. Keep in mind this team was locked in as a playoff team. If I had never won the WS, I would trade my entire future for a legit shot at the grand prize. I dont want to be a playoff contender every year, the team that almost made it, the bridesmaid but never the bride. It's all or nothing. Go down in a blaze of glory! There is a fine line between plaing not to lose and playing to win, I choose the latter.

If you look at the last five World Series champions, KC, Tex, Cle, Cle, Tex, they all made a lot of moves via trade and free agency. I believe the last national league team to win it was Florida and Felix made a ton of trades getting that team to the dance. He traded youth, picks, cash, all for veterans. It is a formula that has proven itself, yet it is amazing how few teams practice it.

Best Seasons in Habla History

2006-03-12T15:04:00.000-08:00

As the Habla season comes to an end, the Texas Rangers find themselves having won 116 games. This got me thinking as to where that might rank all time as far as "most wins." I did some research using the Official Records Page to see who the best teams have been over the years. As it turns out, no team has won 111 in the last decade, no team has won more 111 in the last 2 decades, and no team has one 116 since 2006. In addition, there have been 20 teams that have won 111 or more games in a season before this year. As you can see below, only 2 of those 20 went on to win the World Series. This helps to confirm my theory that the "best team" seldom wins.

Another interesting trend was that dominance rarely happens to a single team in a certain year. In 10 calendar years represented below (most from very early in the league), only 2 years saw just one team win 111 games (1999 & 2017). 2003 and 2005 each have 3 teams winning 111 or more. This year seems to match that trend, as the Rangers won 116 and the Dodgers won 111. What is the reason for this? I have no theory. What I do know is that history seems to be against the Rangers winning their 3rd title in 5 years. However, they are tied with the 2006 Mariners as the 3rd best team in Habla History (in terms of wins). The Dodgers have made their mark on history as well, getting to 111 wins and cracking the top 22 all time. It will be interesting to see how the playoffs play out and if one of these top two teams can win it all.

Top Teams in Habla History Prior to This Year

   Team                   Year   W/L      Win World 
                                           Series?
1. Seattle Mariners       2001  121-41     No
   Seattle Mariners       2003  121-41     Yes

3. Seattle Mariners       2006  116-46     No

4. Seattle Mariners       2000  115-47     No
   Seattle Mariners       1999  115-47     No

6. New York Mets          2001  114-48     No
   San Francisco Giants   2003  114-48     No
   Houston Astros         2003  114-48     No
   Seattle Mariners       2007  114-48     No

10. New York Mets         2005  113-49     Yes
    San Francisco Giants  2005  113-49     No
    Seattle Mariners      2005  113-49     No
    New York Mets         2001  113-49     No

14. San Francisco Giants  2006  112-50     No
    New York Mets         2007  112-50     No

16. Cleveland Indians     2000  111-51     No
    New York Mets         2004  111-51     No
    Montreal Expos        2004  111-51     No
    Minnesota Twins       2014  111-51     No
    St. Louis Cardinals   2017  111-51     No

Top 10 LOW Minor Systems in Habla

2006-03-10T14:49:00.000-08:00

As we continue to look towards the offseason (the best time of year) we examine the teams that have the best young prospects in their LOW minors clubs. To build a team for tomorrow, you must have the rising stars necessary in LOW to pick you up when they mature. Please note that we only took into consideration players in LOW. Without further ado, here are the Top 10 LOW Minor Systems in Habla. Thanks to Steve (PGH) for compiling this list.

1. Mets- Mike Mussina, Jack McDowell, Mark Prior, Kenny Lofton, John Rodriguez, and Eric Schroeder

The Mets are loaded. Three great pitchers form the best LOW club in baseball. In addition, Lofton and company make for a pretty solid future outfield. Beware when these names get up to the bigs.

2. Mariners- Myles Tauscher Jr., Jeff Francouer, and Kelly Johnson

The 2 and three spots were hotly disputed because they are such a toss up. Seattle sports two top 7 picks from last seasons draft in Tauscher, a future menace to hitters, and Francouer, an equally tough menace to pitchers. These guys are both studs and help give Seattle a loaded minors system.

3. Cardinals- Robbie Alomar, Clete Boyer, Bill Goldsmith

The Cards sport only three big names, but they are good ones. With the 3rd and 4th picks from last years draft, Alomar, a future star at 2nd, and Boyer, a future star at 3rd, the infield seems in pretty good shape in St. Louis. Topping it off is Goldsmith, who also seems to have stud potential.

4. Pirates- Jack Morris, Rickie Weeks, Scott Ruffcorn, Wayne Garrett, and Casey Kotchman

The Pirates have oodles in their system as well. Morris seems like the kind of pitcher who will be an Ace on 75% of the teams in the league. Weeks is a stellar infielder who is as versatile as he is good. Ruffcorn is a talented young reliever at a time when relief pitching is so important.

5. Padres- Chris Carpenter and Rey Ordonez

Carpenter was the 2nd pick in last years draft, and is very similar to Morris in many ways. Expect great things from him. Ordonez isn't much for the offense, but is great at playing defense, which is very important at his position. He should help keep Carp's ERA very low, not that Carp will need the help.

6. Rangers- Derek Lee and Todd Worrell

This is where the list falls off a bit. The Rangers have just two guys that are any good. Lee, a former 3rd overall pick, looks to be a great power hitter in this league. Worrell has the stuff to be a great reliever. We will see if he becomes one.

7. Braves- Steve Barber, Vern Law, Moises Alou, Mark Grace, Victor Diaz, and Sandy Alomar Jr.

No super studs in the Braves LOW minors, but they are deep. Alou and Grace are good young position players who will play a big part when their time comes. Law may have what it takes to be a good hurler in this league.

8. A's- Brian Roberts, Pedro Astacio, Darryl Kile, Kyle Snyders, and Joe Girardi,

The A's have several young pitchers who may be pieces of a pretty good rotation in a few years. Roberts is a good young middle infielder; something you can never have too much of.

9. Dodgers- Tony Blanco, Mike Jackson, Derek Bell, Dennis Cook, Luis Rivas, and Victor Martinez

The Dodgers are deep in the LOW club as well. A good reliever in Jackson and a good 3B in Blanco make up this team's hope for the future.

10. Twins- Mike Hampton

Hampton, last years 8th pick, is a promising young pitcher with a nasty sinker. He could be a very special player someday when the Twins have an opening in their rotation.

The Owl's Trading Deadline Power Rankings

2006-03-09T06:56:00.000-08:00

The Owl has compiled his last set of Power Rankings as we surge into the last leg of the season. How does this compare with the Power Rankings from the first month? Who is too high? Too low? Surprise of the season? Disappointment? You tell us.

1. Texas- Injuries are showing how much depth this
team has. Team to beat

2. Dodgers- Team still clicking and gearing for the
playoffs but is the window of opportunity getting
smaller?

3. Phillies- Defending NL Champs will not be an easy
nut to crack. Team capable of winning it all.

4. Twins- another team that should win 100 games. No
way they can be overlooked.

5. Royals- Gambled by paying big bucks for Free
Agents. They got a great return for their investment.

6. Seattle- Great job by Arvin. Watch out for this
team in the future

7. Reds- Hard to believe this team had a 8 game losing
streak but they hung in there and have a good shot at
the playoffs.

8. Astros- Astros have been hot and made some late
season moves that could lead them to the playoffs.

9. Marlins- Could they be on the outside looking in at
the playoffs. Need to have a last minute surge.

10. A's- Coming on of late so they have something to
build on next season.

11. Indians- Season of disappointment but team has a
good future.

12. Yankees- Team made some much needed late season
moves and they have helped. Team will make the
playoffs and you never know.

13. Expos- Team making strides and already have 5 more
wins then last season.

14. Braves- Team never got it going. Just a few
players away from contending.

15. Rockies- Another team happy to end the season that
wasn't.

16. Giants- Team faded but that could be due to the
youth on this team. Look for improvement next season.

17. Cards- Team has some great young prospects. When
they arrive so should this team.

18. White Sox- Team getting close using young players.
Matter of time before they turn the corner.

19. Brewers- Team should of been better. Could a
management change be in the near future.

20. Tigers- Tigers could only rely on a two man
pitching staff. Just wasn't enough. Time to rebuild?

21. Red Sox- Team management tried to find the
combination for success but it will have to find help
in the off season.

22. Padres- Piece by piece this team is putting
together a puzzle to success.

23. Mets- Team is down but past history would suggest
a rapid recovery.

24. O's- Gehrig is having a stellar season but he
doesn't pitch. Lucky he doesn't have to face the O's
staff. The damage he could cause if he did!

25. Cubs- Took awhile but this team has played solid
of late.

26. Pirates- Season of promise turned into a mess.
Team hoping for young pitchers to help in the future.

27. Toronto- Path to move up will be long. But in AL
East it could be shorter then you might think.

28. Angels- KL making some moves that the fans should
like. Hope is alive.

The Top 10 Draft Day Steals in Habla History

2006-03-03T08:37:00.000-08:00

As we enter the last leg of the season, naturally a large part of the owners begin to salavate at the ammateur draft that is only weeks away. The offseason has been called the best time of the Habla year, and the ammy draft is certainly the apex of that time. As we begin to look forward to the draft, we will take a look back at some past drafts. Today, we will look at the biggest steals that have taken place in draft history. Take heart ye who pick late...their can be a game changer late in the draft.

1. P Charlie Hough CIN

The race for the top spot on this list was not even close. Hough, the first of the great knuckleballers in the league, may be the best pitcher in Habla right now. He is at least in the conversation. However, he was picked 6th in the 2nd round in 2012 by the White Sox. Hough has got to be the steal of the century.

2. C Brandon Inge CIN

Inge, who was ranked 2nd in the Top 10 Catchers list, was aniother guy that was disrespected on draft day. He was taken 5th in the second round in 2011. I'm sure many owners are kicking themselves considering the lack of catchers in the league today. Inge was certainly a steal.

3. LF Adam Dunn KC

Stay in 2011, just look down a few picks. Adum Dunn was taken 17th in the 2nd round this year. Dunn has been a great power hitter for the Royals and made the Top 10 LF list as well.

4. RF Paul O'Niell MIN

O'Niell is another who fell into that early second round category (taken 5th in the 2nd in 2023). He has been one of the big pieces of the team that the Twins have assembled to make a run at the World Series.

5. P Ken Hill HOU

Another 2023 draftee, Hill fell to the Marlins at the 2nd pick in the second round. After a roungh rookie season, Hill posted 17 wins and an ERA of 3.00 in over 200 IP in his second season.

6. LF Roosevelt Brown TOR

Brown, who hit 40 Homers as a rookie, was the 27th pick in the 2nd round by the Rangers. Though he is not a good fielder, he can still hit homers and steal some bases, making him an asset to a team.

7. P Bruce Hurst PHI

Hurst, a career overachiever, was taken 27th overall in 2017. Since then, he has been a very good pitcher for the Phillies (an Honorable Mention for the Top 20 Starting Pitchers) posting a career 3.43 ERA.

8. C John Hough CLE

Taken 25th overall, Hough has had a good career as a backstop for the Indians, playing great defense and throwing out runners almost at will.

9. LF Willie McGee MIN

McGee is the first 3rd rounder listed in this bunch, taken 3rd in the 3rd round in 2022. McGee rode the pine for a few years before finding a home in MIN where he has posted a .323 average this season.

10 2B Felix Millian CLE

Millian was taken 8th in the 3rd round in 2016. He has been a very solid middle infielder in his career, hitting for a career .293 average. To get a middle infielder wo is this solid with your 3rd round pick is quite a steal.

The top 10 Relief Pitchers in Habla

2006-02-25T17:25:00.000-08:00

We have reached the end of our in depth look at the best players at eash position in Habla. We now look at the Top 10 Relief Pitchers. Many a playoff series has been won (and lost) due to a good bullpen. These specialists are asked to get some of the toughest outs of the game. Here are the Top 10 Relief Pitchers.

1. Roy Face LA

With a 2.60 career ERA and very solid save and hold numbers, Face is the cream of the Crop among relievers in Habla.

2. Raphael Soriano HOU

Soriano has a fantastic career of being one of the best in the game. An ERA just a hair over 3.00 and triple digits in saves and holds show his value.

3. Scott Williamson CIN

Perhaps Williamson's most impressive stat is that opponents hit only .209 against him. It is very hard to do any damage late in the game at that rate.

4. Ken Holloway BAL

Holloway's CB/CU combo has proven to be very valuabe at fanning hitters in years past.

5. Larry Sherry CIN

Sherry's great sinker makes a late game rally very tough. His .223 OAVG proves that well enough.

6. Rafael Betancourt HOU

A classic hard throwing reliever, Betancourt has had 3 season with an ERA below 3.00.

7. David Riske MIL

A reliever of the year several times and a candidate several others, Riske has been a great late innings option for the Brewers.

8. Dan Wheeler PHI

Wheeler is your standard, solid reliever. He has the command of 2 pitches and uses them well.

9. Eric Gagne MIN

Certainly the guy with the most talent on the list and one of the hardest throwers in the game, it will be interesting to see if Gagne can become one of the few great closers in Habla one day.

10. Ryan Duren TEX

Last years Fireman of the Year, Duren has been a consistent help for the Rangers in the pen.

Honorable Mention: Lee Tunnell

The Top 20 Starting Pitchers in Habla

2006-02-20T15:06:00.000-08:00

As our ranking of the top players at each position in Habla approaches the end, we shift gears to look at starting pitchers. In perhaps the most debatable category yet, pitchers come in all different styles and varieties. Even after style, which stat categories to base a discision on is debatable. Is ERA more important than W/L? Or OAVG? Or WHIP? Each manager is unique, which is why this list should be so much fun. What we have decided to do is narrow down a top 8 (which is itself debatable). We want you to vote for the top 3 pitchers. Remember, we try to ask the question, Who would I want for my team in a playoff run? Pitchers 9 through 20 are done as normal. Vote by posting your response and we will see who emerges as the best starting pitcher in Habla.

Who's #1? You tell us. Is it. . .

. . . Addie Joss (BOS), who between 2024-26 posted 3 consecutive seasons with an ERA below 2.70 and a WHIP below 0.90. He got off to a slow start this year, but has really found his groove again since the trade to the BoSox.

. . . Whitey Ford (DET), the active career leader in wins, innings pitched and strikeouts. He has combined four very good pitches to be one of the best hurlers in Habla history.

. . . Nolan Ryan (DET), the flamethrower, who along with Ford, has been the face to the Detroit Franchise for more than a decade. Few hitters can stand in unintimidated when he brings his heater in.

. . . Jake Peavy (TEX), the best pitcher for the defending champs. He has finished in the top 3 for the Cy Young 4 straight years without winning. He also has 2 World Series MVP trophies on his mantle.

. . . Charlie Hough (CIN), who amazingly has never won 20 games, but has been so dominant with his knuckler. As the first great knuckleballer in the game, Hough has kept batters swinging at air for years.

. . . Jim Perry (CIN), who is leading the way in the Red's quest for a 3rd straight Division Championship. This steady performer should finally win more than 15 games in a season.

. . . Billy Chapel (LA), who hopes to lead the Dodgers to their first World Series Title since 2000. He will look to give the boys in blue a 3rd straight Cy Young award, all coming from different pitchers.

. . . Adam Eaton (PHI), who should be Chapel's strongest competition for this year's NL Cy Young. You can say he's in a pitcher's park, but you can't argue with the tremendous numbers that he puts up year in and year out.

9. Tom Seaver MIN

A great fastball and a good slider have helped him collect over 200 wins and a career 3.11 ERA.

10. Orel Hershiser FLA

A guy who may be top 3 on this list in a few years, Hersch has one of the best sinkers in the game.

11. Doug Rau TEX

Another of the knuckle variety, Rau currently has the best ERA (2.84) by a starter in the AL and is tied for the most wins (16-1).

12. David Cone MIN

A youg stud with nearly unmatched potential is showing his stuff already with a great fastball and sinker combo.

13. Warren Spahn MIN

A junk baller that has been extremely solid and consistent for 3 different teams.

14. Kelvim Escobar MIL

A great fastball and good sinker make Escobar an ace.

15. Bobby Witt CLE

Witt throws fire; so much that his low control has not hurt him too much.

16. Zach Greinke PHI

A finesse pitcher that has been very consistent in a pitchers park.

17. Roger Clemens KC

Has 2 great pitches and has the ability to win a host of Cy Young awards. Will it all come together for him so he can do it?

18. Carlos Garcia LA

A former Cy Young winner, Garcia seems to be entering his prime.

19. Ken Brubaker PIT

With an untouchable sinker, Brubaker is one of the best strikeout pitchers in baseball.

20. J.R. Richard HOU

A 97 fastball makes almost any batter quiver in fear.

Honorable Mention:

Ricky Vaughn, Brandon Webb, Oliver Perez, Dontrelle Willis, Rich Harden, Bruce Hurst, Josh Beckett, Rick Reuschel, and Dave Dravecky

The Top 10 Right Fielders in Habla

2006-02-15T13:29:00.000-08:00

The last set of position players we rate are the Right Fielders. A position full of sluggers, Right Fielders also need to be adequate fielders and have good arms. There are a lot of good right fielders here. Without further ado...The Top 10 Right Fielders in Habla.

1. Dave Parker LA

Parker is an increadible player. He does everything well. After hitting .306 his rookie year, Parker has not hit below .312 any season (.342 lifetime). He has never hit fewer than 30 homers in a season (over 750 lifetime). Despite all of this, he is probably the best fielding outfielder in the league when you consider, FA, AS, and speed, which is why he gets the nod over the Babe.

2. Babe Ruth FLA

Babe ruth. His name says it all. pretty much everything that needs to be said about Ruth can be said by simply listing the stats he put up in his 4th season. .412 AVG, 178 Runs, 95 Homers, 201 RBI and 18 Stolen Bases.

3. Darryl Strawberry CIN

Strawberry, who is having a career year, has been a great slugger in his ten year career. He has great speed to go with great power and a cannon for an arm. Great centerpiece for the Reds.

4. Reggie Jackson NYY

Reggie is one of the great home run hitters in the league. He swings for the fence every at bat and often sends the ball over the wall. He has raised his average in recent years to hot over .300 three times.

5. Lance Berkman TEX

Berkman has been a very steady power hitter and run producer in his 4 and a half seasons in the bigs. He seems to keep getting better as well, as last season saw career highs in runs, hits, homers, RBI, and stolen bases.

6. Randy Birch FLA

As another one of the great power hitters for Florida, Birch has had a great career and is still continuing to produce. With a .307 lifetime average and close to 400 HR, Birch is a very solid help for the Marlins.

7. Al Simmons LA

The socond great right fielder on the Dodgers, Simmons is a great average hitter and has shown flashes of great power. his weakness is arm strength, but that has not stopped him from being a great outfielder.

8. Larry Walker OAK

Walker is another of the high average veriety of outfielder. Though he has a .308 career average and has played great, he seems to have not yet played up to his full potential.

9. Reggie Smith DET

Another pure "swing for the fence" type hitter, Smith has steadily hit home runs and stolen bases over his career. As he ages he seems to continue his ways and keep contributing for the Tigers.

10. Charlie Konikowski CHA

Konikowski is a power/speed guy, and a pretty good one. He hits about 25 homers a year and steals about 25 bases a year. He seems to be the kind of guy that could post a 30/30 season any time. Time will tell.

Honorable Mention: Bobby Abreu

The Top 10 Center Fielders in Habla

2006-02-12T18:08:00.000-08:00

The next position on our quest for the top 10 players at every position in Habla is Center field. This position has traditionally been one of good contact, good speed, good defense, but little power. Some on the list fit this mold; others smash it to bits. There are a lot of leadoff type hitters on this list too. A true stud at center field is rare, so if you have one, treasure it. As with other position, their true position is what they are ranked under, so a LF playing center is classified with the LF, not CF. Here are the Top 10 Center fielders.

1. Tris Speaker TEX

Speaker is a 5 tool player who is extremely valuable. One of the greatest run scorers ever, Speaker has scored 140 or better twice in four years. Last season he had at least 20 in every category and has even developed good power numbers. Speaker is a rare find to patrol the outfield.

2. Roy Hobbs LA

Hobbs is a .318 hitter who consistently drives the ball. He has tallied 40 homers each of the three previous years. He should top 500 homers and 3,000 hits in the next few seasons. He really is a center fielder who can do everything well.

3. J.D. Drew PHI

Drew has had a long, magnificent career in which he has put up awesome numbers. In fact, the only reason he falls to three, and is not number one is because he does not even start for his own team. Age is catching up with him, but that does not stop Drew from being a fantastic center fielder.

4. Duke Snider CLE

Duke has been a lifelong Indian and has been a huge part of the reason the Tribe brought in 2 World Series Crowns. With a .317 career average and almost 500 HR, Duke sets the standard for center fielders.

5. Andre Dawson BAL

Dawson is a great power hitter and run producer. Particularly his power is superb for a center fielder, as he has almost 500 in 12 and a half seasons. Dawson adds a little speed to that power, as he has stolen over 250 bases and is a good fielder and has a cannon for an arm.

6. Lew Ford NYY

Ford is still quite young, but that has not kept him from being great. With a great balance of contact, power, and speed, Ford is trouble for any opposing pitcher. Look for his power numbers and average to continue to rise in the next few years.

7. Fred Lynn DET

Lynn has bee the guy that has outplayed his own ability. After finally getting a shot to play after four years in the league, Lynn impressed immediately and has been a strait up great hitter ever since. Though he lacks the speed that many center fielders have and the ability to steal bases, Lynn makes up for by getting hits and fielding well.

8. Richie Ashburn CIN

Ashburn has been a very solid leadoff type hitter in his career. He gets on base often (.342) and steals plenty of bases (almost 600). This is the guy you want up to bat when you need base runners in a close game.

9. Endy Chavez TOR

Chavez, another quintessential leadoff/center fielder type, has been very valuable to his team in his career. He hits for a pretty good average and steals bases with ease.

10. Tim Raines SF

Raines is one of the most prolific base stealers in the game today. He also hits near .300 and average 20 homers in his short career. In the years to come, Raines may move up several spots on this list.

Honorable Mentions: Turkey Stearns, Johnny Damon.