CORKTOWN TAMALES
Corktown is One Step Closer towards Titletown
The Corktown Tamales have been getting closer & closer each of the past couple seasons in their quest of a BoS Championship. The team broke into the playoffs for the first time last season, losing to the Fairgrove Tigers in the American League Division Series. They may have made it one step closer by acquiring veteran catcher Buster Posey and reliever Andrew Miller.
Posey brings a MLB championship pedigree, along with solid leadership from behind the plate, to help lead a strong rotation in Max Scherzer, Carlos Carrasco, Jake Arrieta & Gio Gonzalez.
Andrew Miller's addition creates a two-headed monster for the 7th through 9th innings, as he joins forces with Craig Kimbrel, who bounced back beautifully in Boston, producing his best MLB season since his 2012, 2013 days. Matt Albers and Richard Bleier will play big roles as well in the pen, along with Addison Reed. Keone Kela and Drew Steckinrider will be likely be used in low-pressure situations, due to their spotty control.
Due to the acquisition of Posey, backstops Wilson Ramos and Kurt Suzuki will play bigger roles as pinch-hit specialists, and the occasional start; Suzuki smacked 19 HR in only 276 at-bats at age 33.
Mainstay franchise stud, Jose Abreu (.304, 33 HR & 103 RBI) will not have to relied upon as much, with Jose Ramirez and Justin Upton having big 2017 MLB seasons... The three will likely form the heart of the lineup in the 3-through-5 slots. Ramirez's emergence allowed the Tamales to trade away rising star Alex Bregman to South Side.
The Tamales have plenty of excellent gloves & depth in the outfield, which any of these talented players could get their starts... but likely will be Upton in left, Odubel Herrera in center, with Gerardo Parra in right. David Peralta may very likely be Corktown's designated hitter with such a crowded outfield in place.
The Tamales' only question mark may be, should they acquire a solid 5th starting pitcher to go along with their 1-4 starters. Many teams don't even have the luxury of having an equal 1-4 starters, so the necessity for a 5th starter is not a huge priority...
...then again don't count out manager Chris Demercurio, who is not afraid to make moves to better his team.
Prediction: 1st Place -- The Tamales take that next step & have all the tools to go deep into the playoffs, they are a legit championship contender. The team has had winning seasons in all three of their seasons of existence, improving upon each season.
SWATARA ELIMINATORS
Reshuffling a Combative Swat Team
With the exception of Corktown, the A.L. East for the most part is retooling their rosters. The Swatara Eliminators retooled by making a trade prior to the draft in acquiring two solid relievers in Roberto Osuna and Raisel Iglesias, while also adding 2B/OF- Dee Gordon... then followed that up by executing their three 1st Round 2017 Draft Picks, drafting 1B/OF- Rhys Hoskins (3rd overall), SP- Luis Castillo (9th overall) & OF- Lewis Brinson (14th overall) -- all solid picks. The Eliminators then added their closer Corey Knebel, picking him up in Round 2 of the 2017 BoS Annual Draft.
The team will sport a top-heavy tough-out lineup, with Lorenzo Cain (CF), Josh Harrison (2B), Anthony Rendon (3B), Charlie Blackmon (RF) & Anthony Rizzo likely in those slots. The starting lineup will also feature one of the BoS's best fielding squads.
Their excellent fielding will be much needed in its attempt to help a light frame of a rotation. The pitchers have the potential to develop into something more for seasons to come, especially with Castillo & Jameson Taillon. All of that future potential won't be much help for the 2018 Season though, and at best the team has to hope the rotation can overachieve.
Swatara has a strong bullpen that can take over a ballgame, while the team also has plenty of options on the bench to plug into their lineups. The team will have bits & pieces, that manager Brandon Matlock will certainly use to trade for future nuggets.
Prediction: 2nd Place -- The team may have had a two-year hiatus from the post-season, but don't expect Swatara's absence to continue much longer with plenty of hope on the horizon. At best, they reach the playoffs as an A.L. Wild Card, at worst.... they are a team on the rise.
MICATIN DESTROYERS
Big Bang Theory: Can Strong Bats Bring Back Pitching in Return?
Up and down the roster, there is no denying that the Micatin Destroyers have plenty of bats, and that they have them everywhere, giving the Destroyers some serious depth. The team also has a deep bullpen after they added Chad Green, Yusmeiro Petit, Austin Maddox and Anthony Swarzak to the mix. But will these big bats and newly armed bullpen go to waste with no starting rotation in place?
The Destroyers' starting lineup will be one of the very best in the American League, while new additions Thomas Pham (OF) and Ian Happ (2B+) will be instant plug-ins. Pham batted .306 (.411 OBP) with 23 HR, 73 RBI & 25 steals, his combination of speed & power along with his willingness to get on base shouts out vintage Ron Gant, while Happ will start at second base slot that was weak for Micatin entering the draft.
Every year seems to be a career year for Joey Votto, and his 2017 MLB Season was no different, many may argue that it was his best MLB season since 2012. Ryan Zimmerman (.303, 36 HR & 108 RBI), not only came back in a major way in 2017, but it may have been the best year of his career, and will be the team's designated hitter.
Two notable bats that may not make the starting lineup (due to all of the other talent), are Yuli Gurriel (.817 OPS) & Travis Shaw (.862) -- which could bring back arms to help Alex Wood and Sonny Gray in the rotation.
Prediction: 3rd Place -- The team should be competitive & definitely better than last year's 59-win squad, they should also have a legit shot at the A.L. Wild Card as well. Manager Bill Gillam (.533 pct) is one of the league's all-time winning managers, with a BoS Championship under his belt, so you can count on the Destroyers giving it their best shot.
SOUTH SIDE SPARTANS
Championship Banner is Up, while Rebuild Starts Strong
The South Side Spartans accomplished plenty in their short three-year stretch, they have won 57% of their games since their inception, while winning last year's BoS World Championship over King Road. The team's owner and manager Matt Hoeppner is using the same wit & expertise that got him to the top in his new rebuilding effort.
They got the rebuilding effort started off with a bang, thanks to new acquisitions of catcher Willson Contreras, 3B- Alex Bregman & pitcher Carson Fulmer, while drafting SS/3B- J.P. Crawford, OF- Bradley Zimmer, 1B- Dominic Smith & OF- Clint Frazier, among others, to go along with young studs like OF- Trey Mancini.
It was tough for the team to say goodbye to Buster Posey and Andrew Miller, but it should still be a fun, learning season for the Spartans, as the team will get plenty of seasoning while facing other weak rotations in the division. The team's rotation will be headed by Jon Lester and Kenta Maeda, while their bullpen will get lots of work.
Mookie Betts takes over Posey's role as team captain, while the Spartans can hope that Betts bounces back in the majors to his pre-2017 form, with his batting average hovering .290 or higher.
Prediction: 4th Place -- The team most likely finish last (but nothing is a given), while their weak rotation matches up with Micatin & Swatara. One thing is for sure, no one will catch Corktown in this division.
