February, 2017

2017 Season Preview

Welcome, friends, to the nineteenth edition of the BDBL Season Preview! If you enjoyed last season, you'll enjoy this one just as much, as little seems to have changed in the past year. The two-time defending champs appear to be the strongest team in the league once again. For the seventh year in a row, the New Milford Blazers appear to be the favorites in the McGowan Division. Ravenswood and St. Louis also appear to be the favorites to defend their division titles.

That said, there are a few notable distinctions between this year and last. Unlike last year, when two teams reached 115+ wins, and two others reached 100, only the Undertakers appear to be a guaranteed 100-win team in 2017. Another undeniable difference between 2017 and years past is that the Ozzie League has clearly become the superior of the two leagues. Los Altos, New Milford, Bear Country, Salem, and Ravenswood would all occupy spots in the top six if the BDBL Power Ranking were still alive.

The OL wild card race is shaping up to be the most exciting race of the season, given that only four of those teams mentioned above can make it to the postseason. All three Eck League divisions appear to be toss-ups at this point. And there are a few teams on the bubble in both leagues that could single-handedly alter the outcome of this entire season with a single trade. All in all, 2017 promises to be an exciting season. Buckle-up.

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Los Altos Undertakers

Owner: Jeff Paulson
2016 Record: 128-32 (1st place, BDBL champions)
Projected Rotation: Chris Sale, Aaron Sanchez, Tanner Roark, Chris Archer, Gerrit Cole
Bullpen: Kenley Jansen, Dellin Betances, Ryan Buchter, Dan Otero, Sean Doolittle, Michael Lorenzen, Adam Ottavino, Addison Reed
Projected Lineup: Ryan Schimpf/David Freese (2B), Corey Seager (SS), Anthony Rizzo (1B), Nolan Arenado (3B), Hunter Pence (RF), Joc Pederson (CF), Sean Rodriguez (LF), Sandy Leon/Stephen Vogt (C)

Strengths: Dan Otero (a Chapter Three second-round pick-up off the free agent garbage dump last year) posted a 1.60 CERA in 70+ innings last year, with a 0.94 WHIP, and 522/529 splits. On any other team in the league, he would be the lights-out, slam-the-door closer and the MVP of the bullpen. On the Undertakers, however, he's just another middle-innings setup man. Historically, the Los Altos bullpen has always been ridiculous. This year, the word "ridiculous" simply isn't strong enough to adequately describe it. In addition to Otero, the Los Altos bullpen also includes Betances (2.48 CERA, 629/535 splits), Buchter (1.94, 489/597), Doolittle (2.79, 584/798), Lorenzen (3.11, 548/708), and Reed (1.72, 532/538) -- any of whom would be the closer for any other team in the league.

And, oh yeah, as if the Undertakers needed to spend $7 million on yet another closer, Paulson did exactly that and signed the league's most dominant closer, Jansen (1.03, 542/352) in the auction.

The Undertakers have so many closers that -- unless they go with a 13-man pitching staff -- at least one of those closers I just mentioned will rot away on the reserve roster. That strength and depth extends to the starting rotation as well. Sanchez (192 IP, 2.90 CERA, 657/592 splits) and Sale (2.88, 585/663) form perhaps the most dominant 1-2 punch in the league. Roark (3.08, 614/651) would be the ace in most rotations, but serves as the #3 starter in Los Altos. And pulling up the rear is former Cy Young candidate Archer (3.66, 698/708).

Offensively, Rizzo (832/970 splits), Arenado (875/951), and Seager (722/948) are potential MVP candidates. They are surrounded in the lineup by several players with 900+ splits against either lefies or righties, including Leon (1062 vs. LH), Freese (963 vs. LH), Pederson (918 vs. RH), Rodriguez (934 vs. LH), and Flores (1093 vs. LH). The Undertakers have so many hitters with 900+ OPS splits that I couldn't even find a place in the lineup for one of them: Justin Turner (919 OPS vs. RH). That lineup above also doesn't include Jose Iglesias (a full-time Vg-ranged shortstop), Jason Heyward (a Vg/Ex full-time outfielder), or Shin-Soo Choo (1016 OPS vs. LH).

Defensively, the Undertakers feature Ex gloves at both infield corners, a catcher with an Ex arm, and Av's and Vg's sprinkled throughout the rest of the field.

Weaknesses: For the first time in years, I actually have something to write in this section. The center field position has no clear-cut platoon partner for Pederson against left-handed pitchers. Heyward (586 OPS vs. LH) has a Vg glove, but no bat. Rodriguez (934 OPS vs. LH) is the only other viable bat that is rated in center, but he's a Pr. The only other option seems to be playing someone (Choo?) out of position. Not a huge issue, but it's the only one I can find on this roster.

Outlook: On the plus side, the Undertakers have nowhere to go but down. 2016 was such a perfect season, it would be virtually impossible to replicate that perfection. There never seems to be any end in sight for this dynasty. Whenever one star player stumbles, another one always seems to step up and take his place. When Gerrit Cole stumbled last year, Tanner Roark came out of nowhere to post a Cole-like season. When Archer had a somewhat disappointing season compared to his previous year's effort, Sanchez came out of nowhere and had a Cy Young-caliber season. When the team lost Michael Brantley to injury, Corey Seager stepped right up in his rookie season to replace his bat in the lineup. Los Altos succeeds year after year because they have a constantly-regenerating pool of talent.

Prediction: 1st place, 110+ wins, and a third straight BDBL championship. Yawn.

Bear Country Jamboree

Owner: Matt Clemm
2016 Record: 90-60 (tied, 2nd place)
Projected Rotation: Ervin Santana, Chris Tillman, Gio Gonzalez, Kendall Graveman
Bullpen: Aroldis Chapman, Ryan Dull, Brad Hand, Hector Rondon, Tony Cingrani
Projected Lineup: Daniel Murphy (3B), Brandon Belt (1B), Ryan Braun (LF), Nelson Cruz (RF), Brian Dozier (2B), Willson Contreras (C), Kevin Pillar (CF), Andrelton Simmons (SS)

Strengths: Perhaps the strongest offense in the BDBL. No other team can match this lineup above from one through six. Murphy, Belt, Braun, Cruz, Dozier, and Contreras are not only elite hitters, but they are well-balanced, with 800+ OPS's against both lefties and righties. This team will pummel the opposition this season and could surpass the 896 runs the Undertakers scored a year ago.

Chapman is a (very expensive) dominant closer, and he is supported by a solid array of setup men. If the Jamboree can take the lead by the sixth inning, the rest should be a walk in the park.

Weaknesses: The bottom third of the lineup is a bit weak. Add to that weakness the fact that Contreras is only eligible for half a season (311 PA's), and the team has no other decent catcher, and the lineup becomes that much weaker in that other half of the season when Contreras is forced to sit. On the pitching side, Santana is excellent, but he's followed in the rotation by a bunch of mediocre inning-fillers.

Outlook: It has to be so demoralizing playing in the same division as the Undertakers for so long. Before any season begins, the best you can usually hope for is a wild card. That will be Bear Country's most reasonable goal this season as well. Even that goal will be difficult to achieve given the competition in the Ozzie League this season. Matt Clemm will need to work some magic at the trade table and add an ace to sit at the top of this starting rotation. Absent that ace, I don't see this team playing November baseball despite their BDBL-leading offense.

Prediction: 2nd place. The question is: do the Jamboree have the trade bait needed to secure that ace? I've scanned the roster several times now and I don't see it. Looking into my crystal ball, I see 90+ wins in this team's future and a #1 draft pick next year.

Kansas City Boulevards

Owner: Scot Zook
2016 Record: 73-87 (4th place)
Projected Rotation: Carlos Carrasco, Aaron Nola, Vincent Velasquez, Jhoulys Chacin
Bullpen: Tyler Thornburg, Brad Ziegler, Nick Vincent, Alex Claudio, Mike Morin, Felipe Rivero
Projected Lineup: Charlie Blackmon (CF), Robinson Cano (2B), Eric Hosmer/Kendrys Morales (1B), Marcell Ozuna (LF), Adam Duvall (RF), Salvador Perez (C), Martin Prado (3B), Brock Holt/Chris Owings (SS)

Strengths: The starting lineup can best be described as "solid." Six batters posted an OPS of 795+ against lefties, and four reached that same measure against righties. The pitching staff is equally solid, with several league-average (or slightly below) inning-eaters present.

Weaknesses: The starting rotation lacks an ace, the bullpen lacks a closer (although Thornburg will suffice), and the lineup lacks an impact bat. Nearly ever hitter in the lineup has platoon issues that can (and will) be exploited. Likewise, many of the pitchers have the same platoon issues.

Outlook: At first glance, this looks like a team that would be competitive in most divisions. However, when you place this roster side-by-side with Los Altos and Bear Country, there is no comparison. Only two teams in a division can advance to the playoffs. Nevertheless, Zook believes his team is underrated and will surprise a few people this season.

The signing of the 34-year-old Cano at the whopping salary of $9 million reflects Zook's optimism. Looking down the road, KC has some obstacles to hurdle in order to remain competitive. Cano is too old to build around and too expensive to hold much trade value (and cannot be traded this season, regardless.) The team's next best hitter, Blackmon, is a free agent at the end of the season, as is their third-best hitter (Morales), and their best starting pitcher (Carrasco.) Of the entire pitching staff, only Nola seems to have a better than average chance of becoming a useful component in 2018 and beyond.

If the Boulevards decide to reverse course and build for the future at some point this season, they have a wealth of tradeable commodities. In addition to the free-agents-to-be I mentioned, Thornburg also has considerable trade value. Perez will also be a free agent at the end of this season, and catching is always in demand. Zook could do a lot of damage at the trade table this year, although he would have to pull the trigger early. With so many competitive teams in the league this season, the competition at the trading table will be fiercer than usual.

Prediction: 3rd place. I predict the Boulevards will fall behind early in this tough division, and the KC firesale will begin earlier than expected.

Flagstaff Outlaws

Owner: Greg Newgard
2016 Record: 90-70 (tied, 2nd place, OL wild card)
Projected Rotation: Zack Greinke, Mike Leake, Collin McHugh, Michael Wacha, Alex Wood
Bullpen: Shawn Kelley, Tony Watson, Fernando Rodriguez, Angel Miranda
Projected Lineup: George Springer (CF), Darwin Barney/Travis Shaw (3B), Paul Goldschmidt (1B), Khris Davis (LF), Russell Martin (C), Eugenio Suarez (SS), Brandon Phillips (2B), Andrew Toles (RF)

Strengths: While the Outlaws franchise is in full rebuilding mode, they aren't completely bereft of present-day talent. For the fifth year in a row, the team's greatest strength is their MVP-caliber first baseman, Goldschmidt. At age 29, Goldy (1070/850 splits) is at the top of his game. The team's newest franchise player, Springer (945/769), had a strong season, and will provide plenty of offensive and defensive production. Free agent signing Davis (881/815) should provide plenty of pop as well.

Weaknesses: Aside from the names I just mentioned above, there isn't much additional offense in the lineup. On the pitching side, there isn't a lot worth mentioning. Greinke had a sub-par year in MLB and is likely to struggle this year. The rest of the pitching staff will simply provide innings as the Outlaws crawl toward the finish line.

Outlook: It will be a painful year for Flagstaff, but the pain isn't likely to last for more than one season. Greinke is bound to return to form. Wacha has shown glimpses of ace potential in the past. Goldschmidt and Springer are still in their primes. And the team has a trio of promising youngsters on the near horizon in Aaron Judge, J.P. Crawford, and Matt Olson. Although the Outlaws don't have a lot to offer in trade, a few savvy free agent pickups could turn this franchise around in a hurry.

Prediction: 4th place. The franchise record of 110 losses should be safe, although it may be within reach given that this team will have to face Los Altos and Bear Country thirty-two times.

New Milford Blazers

Owners: Anthony Peburn
2016 Record: 101-59 (1st place)
Projected Rotation: Clayton Kershaw, Masahiro Tanaka, Jose Quintana, Matt Moore
Bullpen: Chris Devenski, Craig Kimbrel, Blake Treinen, Hunter Cervenka, Matt Bowman, Jerry Blevins, Buddy Boshers
Projected Lineup: Matt Carpenter (3B), Ian Kinsler (2B), Mookie Betts (RF), Freddie Freeman (1B), Troy Tulowitzki (SS), Michael Saunders (LF), Michael Bourn/Curtis Granderson (CF), Jason Castro/James McCann (C)

Strengths: Kershaw's numbers last year (1.23 CERA, 309/529 splits) were just absolutely ridiculous. Thank god he only threw 149 innings. It isn't a huge step down to Tanaka (2.80, 655/635) or Quintana (3.23, 650/698), and Moore (3.83, 654/706) is very solid at the bottom of the rotation.

While the rest of us were busy taking 15-year-olds in the mid-summer farm draft, Peburn wisely loaded up on rookie bullpen arms, hoping to strike gold. He did just that with the selection of Devenski (1.74, 639/465), who could either serve as the team's closer or swingman. Bowman (2.71, 570/651) was another savvy pick-up in that draft.

Offensively, there isn't a bum in the lineup from one to eight. Betts, Bourn, Carpenter, Freeman, Kinsler, McCann, and Saunders all crush lefties. Bench player Rickie Weeks (1010 OPS vs. LH) can also be used on occasion. Against righties, the Blazers have three batters with a 900+ OPS and five others at 800+.

New Milford may have the best defense in the league. They have not one, not two, but three Ex gloves in their infield. That may be the first time that has happened since Jim Doyle's failed "all-defense" strategy in the early 2000's. Betts has Ex range (and an Ex arm) in the outfield, and McCann has an Ex arm behind the plate.

Weaknesses: Hell if I can see one.

Outlook: Death, taxes, and the New Milford Blazers winning a division title thanks to an .800 record at home and a league-leading BABIP rate. These things cannot be avoided, apparently. Look for several New Milford players to overshoot their MLB OPS by 100 points. And don't be surprised if New Milford reaches triple-digit wins for the sixth year in a row.

Prediction: 1st place. Only one more year, and we can finally see Clayton Kershaw wearing a different BDBL uniform. Kershaw made his BDBL debut in 2009. The Blazers won 95 games that year (at the time a franchise-high) and have averaged 102 wins per season throughout his career. Watching him leave the field at the end of 2018 will be like watching Obama in that helicopter.

Salem Cowtippers

Owner: Mike Glander
2016 Record: 66-94 (4th place)
Projected Rotation: Stephen Strasburg, Jon Gray, Steven Matz, Junior Guerra, Matt Shoemaker
Bullpen: Mike Montgomery, David Phelps, Sammy Solis, Ryan O'Rourke, Raisel Iglesias, Tommy Hunter, Rubby de la Rosa
Projected Lineup: Jose Altuve (2B), Trea Turner/Cameron Maybin (CF), Miguel Cabrera (1B), Gary Sanchez (C), Jose Ramirez/Kyle Seager (3B), Odubel Herrera/Jayson Werth (LF), Jorge Soler/Alex Dickerson (RF), Elvis Andrus (SS)

Strengths: This team's greatest strength is that there are no glaring weaknesses. The starting pitching is solid across the board, with Shoemaker and Guerra representing perhaps the best back-end of any rotation in the league. The bullpen is filled with capable arms. The lineup is strong from one to eight. The defense is average at worst.

Altuve and Cabrera should get some consideration for league MVP by year's end (although Salem's home ballpark will suppress their numbers.) There is a great deal of flexibility in the lineup, which should allow the 'Tippers to take advantage of opposing pitchers' weaknesses. This also gives the team a great deal of depth on the bench, which will help in late innings.

Weaknesses: We struck out in the bidding for all three of the closers in the auction, and then watched as the only three remaining viable closers were chosen ahead of us in the draft. As a result, this team remains without a closer, forcing us to play mix-and-match at the end of every game. We were also hoping to snag an ace we could wedge into the top of the rotation, but whiffed there as well. As it stands, this doesn't look like a championship-caliber pitching staff.

Defensively, we were screwed by the good folks at Diamond Mind once again. Despite being universally praised for his defense, Turner rates as only Fr in center field. Cabrera, who was rated Av and Vg at first base in the past two years, was downgraded to Fr. Jose Ramirez is merely Fr in left field. Sanchez, who has been graded with a 70 arm and threw out 41% of base stealers last year, was given an arm grade of merely Vg.

Outlook: And so Sisyphus begins to push the boulder up the hill once again. The Salem Cowtippers did not win a single division title during Barack Obama's entire reign as King of America. Maybe now that he's finally gone, that curse will be broken. When you compete in the same division with a team that wins 80% of their home games, however, the math simply doesn't work in your favor. The Salem offense can match up against any team in the league, but our pitching looks a little thin on paper. It would take quite a bit of finesse, and more than a bit of good fortune, to win a division title, but we'll certainly give it our best shot.

Prediction: 2nd place, and the OL wild card. Again. We could be looking at yet another playoffs match-up against the Blazers. Regardless of that outcome, this team won't get past the Undertakers.

Granite State Lightning

Owner: Ryan Glander
2016 Record: 68-92 (3rd place)
Projected Rotation: Jerad Eickhoff, Ricky Nolasco, Edinson Volquez, Sonny Gray, Luis Perdomo
Bullpen: Vance Worley, Pat Venditte
Projected Lineup: Coco Crisp (CF), Todd Frazier (1B), Jay Bruce (RF), Miguel Sano (3B), Brandon Moss (LF), Yan Gomes/Nick Hundley (C), J.J. Hardy (SS), Josh Harrison (2B)

Strengths: Err...umm...hmm... Yeah.

Weaknesses: Take your pick. Starting pitching? Yep. Relief pitching? Yep. Hitting? Yep. Defense? Yep. Well, actually, this team's defense isn't bad. For some reason, Diamond Mind assigned a Vg range rating to Miguel Sano. Sano, Harrison, and Hardy give this infield three above-average defenders. So, let's move defense into the "strengths" column.

Outlook: How did we get to this place? The Granite State Lightning have been in rebuilding mode for four of the last five years. Rebuilding teams are supposed to be bad, but then they're supposed to get better. They're supposed to trade their good, aging, expensive players for cheap, young, undervalued players with potential. Then those young players, within short order, achieve their potential, and the rebuilding team becomes a contender. At least, that's how it's supposed to work in theory. So why can't the Lightning break out of their continuous rebuilding cycle?

One issue is that Ryan has misjudged where his team has sat on the compete/rebuild spectrum. It's difficult for me to blame him for that when I did the same. I predicted the Lightning would win the wild card a year ago on the basis of their strong offense (which included Jose Altuve, Edwin Encarnacion, and Todd Frazier, among others) and solid pitching staff. Instead, that team stumbled right out of the gate and never recovered. Thus began The Great Lightning Rebuilding Project, Part Five.

It doesn't matter how the Lightning got here. The question is where they are going. There are reasons for optimism. Sano and Mike Moustakas are two solid cornerstones to build this offense around (although they play the same position.) All of Ryan's scouting trips to Cuba are finally paying dividends, and Jose Miguel Fernandez should join this team next year. Randy Arrozarena, Luis Yander La O, and Jorge Ona will also finally play in the US this year, giving Ryan more potential trade bait. On the farm, Amed Rosario is among the top ten prospects in baseball, and could see some MLB action this coming year. A pretty decent franchise could be built around the two former Salem cornerstones, Sano and Rosario.

The pitching side of the equation is less inspiring, and should be priority number one this year. The Lightning have no pitching worth mentioning aside from prospects (Jason Groome, Adrian Morejon, Norge Ruiz, Shintaro Fujinami) that are many years away from contributing. Ryan should spend the next year trying to identify the next Rick Porcello, Corey Kluber, Jacob deGrom, or Kyle Hendricks. Every year, a handful of pitchers emerge from mediocrity and unexpectedly blossom into Cy Young contenders. The Lightning franchise desperately needs to identify a few of those guys or it will be yet another long year in the Granite State in 2018.

Prediction: 3rd place, and yet another 100-loss season for the beleaguered Lightning franchise.

Western Kansas Buffaloes

Owner: Rodney Wilkie
2016 Record: 69-91 (2nd place)
Projected Rotation: Ian Kennedy, and...uh...
Bullpen: A.J. Ramos, Andrew Triggs, Cory Gearrin, Severino Gonzalez
Projected Lineup: Chase Headley (3B), Melvin Upton/Michael Conforto (CF), Edwin Encarnacion (1B), Scott Schebler (RF), Roughned Odor (2B), Brian McCann (C), Zack Cozart (SS), Ben Revere (LF)

Strengths: The left side of the infield includes two above-average defenders: Headley (Vg) and Cozart (Ex). That's pretty cool.

Weaknesses: I don't know what to make of this pitching staff. The starting rotation is fronted by Kennedy (3.94 CERA, 709/735), who is a back-of-the-rotation, inning-eating, type of pitcher. After Kennedy, we have an odd collection of spare parts. These are pitchers with fewer than 130 MLB innings last year, who have little value this year and little perceived value (IMHO) in the future. Pitchers like Tyler Anderson (114+ IP), Luis Cessa (70+), Chad Kuhl (70+), and Zach Neal (70). If you figure a team needs 1,440 innings (9 innings times 160 games) to get through the season, the Buffaloes fall far short of that benchmark. As of this writing, the entire Buffaloes pitching staff totals 1,100 innings. They'll have to spend the entire season picking up spare parts off the free agent garbage dump just to get through this season.

The story on offense is equally bleak. GM Wilkie doled out $6.5 million to sign 34-year-old slugger Encarnacion. He will be surrounded in the lineup by players who likely would not start for any other team in the league. The one exception is Odor (763/811 splits), who is a decent second baseman. Upton (874 OPS vs. LH) and Conforto (804 vs. RH) would probably fill a platoon role for many teams. Aside from them, this roster is filled with bench players!

Outlook: I can't quite figure out what the Buffaloes' strategy was this winter. By signing Encarnacion, it seems as though they're trying to compete. But then again, by leaving this team with no starting rotation, how could they compete? If the strategy was to build a competitive team for next year, then the free agent signings this winter don't seem to push this team toward that goal.

Western Kansas had a whopping $34.5 million to spend this winter, and they spent it on an aging slugger, an aging catcher, and a collection of middle relievers and backup bench players. I just don't get it.

Looking into my crystal ball, I see some hope for this team's future. Conforto stumbled in his sophomore season, but is a strong bounce-back candidate. Odor is just 23 years old and has significant upside. Prospect Ian Happ is close to making a contribution. And several pitching prospects on this roster (James Kaprielian, Brady Aiken, Stephen Gonsalves) show potential. 2017, however, seems like another placeholder season for this franchise.

Prediction: 4th place. It's really tough to predict whether the Buffaloes or Lightning will lose more games in 2017. I'm betting that both teams will lose more than 100 games.

Ravenswood Infidels

Owner: Brian Potrafka
2016 Record: 87-73 (1st place)
Projected Rotation: Justin Verlander, John Lackey, Drew Pomeranz, Jake Odorizzi, Eduardo Rodriguez
Bullpen: Cam Bedrosian, Brandon Maurer, Fernando Salas, Gavin Floyd, Brandon Kintzler
Projected Lineup: Dexter Fowler (CF), Jason Kipnis (2B), Chris Davis (1B), Jung Ho Kang (3B), Robbie Grossman/Andrew McCutchen (RF), J.T. Realmuto (C), Brad Miller/Marcus Semien (SS), Danny Valencia (LF)

Strengths: Justin Verlander (2.54 CERA, 603/657 splits in 227+ IP) takes over for the departed Max Scherzer as the Infidels' ace workhorse. He will more than likely get at least a few Cy Young votes at the end of the year. Lackey (2.81, 694/609) and Pomeranz (3.13, 643/663) are excellent mid-rotation starters capable of matching up with any other rotation in the league. De facto number four starter Odorizzi (3.56, 578/814) has an unusual platoon split, but is otherwise a quality pitcher at the back end of the rotation.

There isn't a weak spot in the starting lineup. Six batters posted a 790+ OPS against left-handers, and six did the same against northpaws. Miller (812 OPS vs. RH) and Semien (813 vs. LH) combine to give Ravenswood a full-time, 800+ OPS shortstop. Defensively, Kang, Kipnis, and Davis all own above-average range in the infield.

Weaknesses: Bedrosian (2.25 CERA, 583/485 splits) posted closer-like numbers, but in only 40+ innings. The middle relief corps paving the way for Bedrosian is less than inspiring. (But hey, we can't all have Paulson's bullpen.) Defensively, the Infidels rank near the bottom in MLB fielding percentage. But then, that was true last season as well, and Ravenswood's team fielding percentage ranked near the middle of the pack in the BDBL.

Outlook: Brian Potrafka hasn't faced much competition in this division since taking over this ballclub way back in 2003. Ken "Sharky" Kaminski provided some decent competition during his reign, but soon became distracted and faded into the sunset. Nic Weiss certainly had his fair share of controversial success, but it came with legendary doses of failure as well. Johnny Bo has executed the same strategy year after year, going on twenty years now, and has occasionally backed into a division title. And then there was Jim Doyle. 'Nuff said.

There is new blood in the Benes Division, however, and times are rapidly changing. The days of the Infidels coasting to a division title, virtually uncontested, may be drawing to an end. Regardless of whether 2017 proves to be this team's swan song or the continuation of the same, we should expect another all-out, balls-to-the-wall, no-holds-barred, effort by Brian Potraka and the Infidels this season.

Prediction: 1st place. Division title number eight for Potrafka seems inevitable. The only question remaining is who he will face in the postseason and how generous the Gods of Random Dice Rolls will be to him once he gets there. God help whoever he faces.

South Loop Furies

Owner: Bart Chinn
2016 Record: 71-89 (2nd place)
Projected Rotation: Rick Porcello, Kenta Maeda, Jeff Samardzija, Chase Anderson, Jimmy Nelson
Bullpen: Carl Edwards, Matt Belisle, Mauricio Cabrera, Alex Colome
Projected Lineup: Ender Inciarte (LF), Eduardo Nunez (SS), Nick Castellanos (3B), Kole Calhoun (RF), Victor Martinez (1B), Jeff Mathis/Mike Zunino (C), Lorenzo Cain (CF), Jorge Polanco (2B)

Strengths: South Loop's outfield will include two Ex gloves in Inciarte and Cain. Porcello (223 IP, 2.64 CERA, 600/672) will likely get some Cy Young votes at the end of the year (though not as many as the BBWAA gave him last year.)

Weaknesses: As strong as the outfield is defensively, the infield is equally weak in that regard. Martinez and Castellanos both have Pr range at the corners. Edwards (1.33 CERA, 425/475 splits) is an excellent closer, but is limited to only 39 innings. Once his usage expires, there is a big step down to the next best relievers. There is another huge step down once you get past Porcello in the starting rotation. Maeda (730 OPS vs. LH) and Samardzija (780 vs. LH) have platoon issues, and Nelson (5.29 CERA) and Anderson (4.76) will likely need to max out their usage.

Outlook: Bart Chinn inherited a franchise that was in horrible shape, and has done a commendable job of turning it around. The Furies probably won't compete for a playoffs spot in 2017, but they won't be horrible, either. Chinn's stated goal is to finish with a .500 record this season, and I think that goal is within reasonable reach.

That said, Chinn has an opportunity to improve this team in 2018 and beyond at the expense of a few wins and a small penalty next season. Samardzija and Martinez are both free agents at the end of this season, and both players have some trade value. (Samardizja more than Martinez, due to the latter's defensive limitation.) Moving those two might cost this team four wins, which would translate to a $600,000 penalty. Depending on what they get in return, that could be money well spent.

Prediction: 2nd place. Porcello will be among the league leaders in ERA, but will finish with a sub-.500 record. John Gill will not give him a single Cy Young vote.

Las Vegas Flamingos

Owner: John Bochicchio
2016 Record: 59-101 (4th place)
Projected Rotation: Dan Straily, Jason Hammel, Tom Koehler, Francisco Liriano, Jeff Locke
Bullpen: Brian Flynn, Steve Cishek, Brian Ellington, Pat Neshek
Projected Lineup: Adam Eaton (CF), Francisco Lindor (SS), Carlos Gonzalez (RF), Mark Reynolds (1B), Scooter Gennett (2B), Wellington Castillo/Drew Butera (C), Howie Kendrick (LF), Cheslor Cuthbert (3B)

Strengths: Lindor is among the best shortstops in the game. He posted excellent splits of 748/816, has Ex range in the field, and is now a Flamingo through the year 2023. Eaton (726/812 splits) also has Ex range in both left and right field (and Vg in center) and an Ex arm. CarGo (786/883) provides a solid left-handed bat in the middle of the lineup.

Weaknesses: Dan Straily is the ace of this starting rotation. Brian Flynn is the closer. And aside from the three hitters I just mentioned above, the team's next best hitter is (arguably) Cheslor Cuthbert. 'Nuff said?

Outlook: It seems as though I write the same type of comment in this section every year. If you've ever lived in an area of the country where Democrats hold the power in the local or state government, you have no doubt seen the various infrastructure projects that never seem to end. Maybe you've driven on a road that is always under construction or passed by a bridge that never seems to be completed. There are always plenty of union members standing around leaning on their shovels, but aside from that it seems as though these projects are completely ignored. That feeling I get whenever I pass one of these corrupt construction projects is the same feeling I get when I look at this Flamingos roster.

Don't get me wrong. Johnny Bo is a stand-up guy. He is far from corrupt, and as far as I know has no connections to the mob and has never worked in a union. But his franchise-building philosophy seems to share something in common with that union foreman: just find someone to hold the shovel and keep the project afloat. This winter's acquisitions Jason Hammel, Tom Koehler, Francisco Liriano, Trevor Cahill, Drew Butera, and Welington Castillo are all shovel-holders. They provide the innings or at-bats to keep the Flamingos project afloat, but they don't contribute much of anything to the project, and don't have a lot of ambition to contribute down the road. They're simply holding their shovels and collecting their paychecks until they reach an early retirement.

The Flamingos reached 100 losses last season for the first time since 2002. Between 2002-2016, Vegas had been among the most consistent teams in the BDBL. They won an average of 74 games per season, including two division titles in which they won 79 and 81 games, respectively. If I were in Vegas right now, I'd place the over/under on 2017 wins for the Flamingos at 70.5 and then take the under.

Prediction: 3rd place. What I wrote last year works just as well this year: "The Flamingos will finish with 65-70 wins, spend a boatload on aging vets next winter, and do it all over again in 2017 2018. Lather, rinse, repeat."

Myrtle Beach Hitmen

Owners: Mitch Gill (GM), Ryne Gill (manager)
2016 Record: 66-94 (3rd place)
Projected Rotation: Hector Santiago, Clay Buchholz, Wade Miley, Ubaldo Jimenez
Bullpen: George Kontos, Joaquin Benoit, Fernando Rodney, Liam Hendricks, Jeremy Jeffress, Mychal Givens
Projected Lineup: Nori Aoki (CF), Denard Span (CF), Didi Gregorius (SS), Albert Pujols (1B), Lonnie Chisenhall (RF), Marwin Gonzalez (LF), Chase Utley (2B), Francisco Cervelli (C), Jurickson Profar (3B)

Strengths: If you see one, let me know.

Weaknesses: Among all 24 teams in the BDBL, the Hitmen own the lowest MLB OPS and the second-highest team ERA.

Outlook: Jim Doyle's legacy is now permanently etched into the record books. Seventeen seasons. 1,574 losses. A .421 career winning percentage. Zero division titles. Zero playoff appearances. Zero .500 seasons. I will truly miss writing about how awful this franchise is.

Many new owners have faced a challenging situation before, but none like the Gill brothers inherited this winter. Fortunately for them, they have nowhere to go but up. The younger Gill spent the winter stockpiling young talent, as any rebuilding GM should do. Blake Rutherford, Kyle Lewis, Tyler O'Neill, Chance Adams, and Jordan Adell are all terrific prospects, although all (except Adams) are likely years away from contributing. Of more immediate value are Brandon Nimmo (24 years old) and Profar (24). Given the limited trade bait this team had to offer, Mitch made the absolute best of a bad situation.

This will not be a fun year for Ryne Gill. Managing a team to 100+ losses is never fun. Unfortunately for him, this will not be a one-year rebuilding effort. It will more than likely take more than two years to turn this franchise around. I'm confident, however, that Mitch Gill will do just that.

Prediction: 4th place. Again, I can't help but reprint something I wrote in this space a year ago: "Barack Obama will leave the US in better shape when he leaves office than Jim Doyle has left the Giants." Well, not by much.

Buckingham Sovereigns

Owners: Tony Badger
2016 Record: 93-67 (3rd place)
Projected Rotation: Jon Lester, Cole Hamels, Marco Estrada, Steven Wright, Matt Andriese
Bullpen: Andrew Miller, Mark Melancon, Matt Bush, Tony Barnette
Projected Lineup: Aledmys Diaz (SS), Neil Walker (2B), Mike Trout (CF), Evan Longoria (3B), Logan Morrison (1B), Tucker Barnhart (C), Brandon Guyer (LF), Jeff Francoeur/Adam Rosales (RF)

Strengths: The greatest player in baseball. Trout (971/996 splits) is as consistently great as any player could be. He is protected in the lineup by a revived Longoria (753/864), and has two capable on-base men setting the table for him: Diaz (725/941) and Walker (1001/766).

Miller and Melancon are an elite closing combo, and the best bullpen duo in the BDBL (outside of Los Altos, obviously.) Lester, Hamels, and Estrada form a Cy Young-worthy trio at the top of the starting rotation.

Weaknesses: When I saw this pitching staff, I thought that I was seeing my first Eck League "superteam." If only we could pair this pitching staff with Great Lakes' offense, we would have something resembling the 2016 Undertakers. But alas, once you get past the amazing Trout, the Sovereigns lineup looks rather ordinary. The back end of that lineup is particularly uninspiring.

The head-to-head matchups between Buckingham and Great Lakes should be interesting this year. Great Lakes' starting rotation features three left-handed pitchers, and Buckingham owns several lefty-bashers. Buckingham's top two starting pitchers (and one of their two closers) are left-handed, and Great Lakes absolutely destroys lefties.

Outlook: Does great pitching beat great hitting? We're about to find out. Buckingham owns perhaps the best pitching staff in the Eck League, while Great Lakes owns the best offense. The Sovereigns won 93 games last season and all they got out of it was a third-place finish (and the #2 pick in the draft.) I wouldn't be surprised to see them surpass that win total this season.

Prediction: 1st place. It should be a very tight division race. I have to give the nod to Buckingham based on the fact that their offense is better than Great Lakes' pitching. It could go either way, though.

Great Lakes Sphinx

Owner: Scott Romonosky
2016 Record: 109-51 (2nd place, EL wild card)
Projected Rotation: Trevor Bauer, C.C. Sabathia, Drew Smyly, Martin Perez, Hisashi Iwakuma
Bullpen: Kyle Barraclough, Kelvin Herrera, Michael Dunn, Carlos Torres
Projected Lineup: Dustin Pedroia (2B), Manny Machado (SS), Josh Donaldson (3B), Mike Napoli (1B), Giancarlo Stanton (RF), Starling Marte (CF), Yasmani Tomas/Steve Pearce (LF), Matt Wieters (C)

Strengths: The Sphinx have the best offense in the Eck League (and, arguably, the best in the BDBL.) Donaldson and Machado are legitimate MVP candidates. They absolutely CRUSH left-handed pitching. No fewer than FIVE Sphinx batters posted a 900+ OPS against southpaws. Against righties, only one (Donaldson) posted a 900 OPS, but SEVEN posted a 790+ OPS.

On the pitching side, the Sphinx bullpen is loaded with two closers (Barraclough and Herrera) supported by two capable setup men.

Weaknesses: I write this every year, and every year the Sphinx prove me wrong: Great Lakes' starting pitching is very weak, and too weak to support a contending team. I honestly don't know who the ace of this rotation is. I named Bauer (190 IP, 3.85 CERA, 690/732 splits) above, although his stats fit better in the middle of a rotation. Sabathia (4.04 CERA, 662/725 splits) is equally yawn-inducing, as are Iwakuma (4.37, 766/785), Perez (4.24, 537/786), and Smyly (4.13, 724/773). The numbers don't seem to matter when it comes to this franchise, however. I'm sure that all five of these starting pitchers will somehow under-shoot their MLB ERA by a full run this season.

Outlook: Great Lakes owns a championship-caliber offense paired with a .500 team's pitching staff. As I mentioned, they have relied on this formula for years and it has worked for them. Why fix what ain't broken? Expect the Sphinx to score 850+ runs this season and win 90+ games.

Prediction: 2nd place, and the EL wild card. Not only will this division be a tight race, but the EL wild card race looks equally tight. I'm giving Great Lakes the nod for the wild card based solely on the assumption that their starting pitching will perform better than expected.

Kansas Law Dogs

Owner: Chris Luhning
2016 Record: 115-45 (1st place)
Projected Rotation: J.A. Happ, Dallas Keuchel, Tyler Chatwood, Colby Lewis, Jordan Zimmerman
Bullpen: Jeurys Familia, Wade Davis, Francisco Rodriguez, Hunter Strickland, Travis Wood, Will Harris
Projected Lineup: Ben Zobrist (2B), Paulo Orlando/Christian Yelich (CF), Wilson Ramos (C), Wil Myers (LF), Adrian Gonzalez (1B), Franklin Gutierrez/Nick Markakis (RF), Asdrubal Cabrera (SS), Whit Merrifield/Yangervis Solarte (3B)

Strengths: Happ (195 IP, 3.22 CERA, 651/669 splits) was arguably the bargain of the auction at "only" $7.5 million. Familia (629/526 splits) and Davis (489/586) are a pair of closers in the Kansas bullpen. The lineup doesn't have a weak spot, and is highlighted by a few productive platoons. Several Law Dogs (Zobrist, Solarte, Myers, Jefry Marte, etc.) are rated at multiple positions, giving Kansas a lot of flexibility.

Weaknesses: Beyond Happ, the starting rotation is a bit dull. Keuchel (168 IP, 3.84 CERA, 603/772 splits) had somewhat of an off year, with splits that are easily exploited. Chatwood (158, 4.01, 749/695) should play up in Kansas, but is more of a number five starter than a number three. Lewis (116+ IP) and Zimmerman (105+) didn't pitch enough to make much of an impact. Kansas will likely need to add another starter at some point just to eat innings.

Outlook: These ain't the 115-game-winning Law Dogs anymore. Jake Arrieta is gone. So are Lorenzo Cain, Nelson Cruz, Carlos Carrasco, and Eric Hosmer. Keuchel is half the pitcher he was a year ago, as is Wade Davis. Still, what's left of that team should be competitive enough to play at least .500 baseball and possibly cause some stress for the division leader.

Prediction: 3rd place. I suspect that Kansas will remain in the pennant race for no other reason than they don't have a lot to offer in trade. If they did, I would predict that they will drop out of the race at some point and begin rebuilding their next "superteam" for 2018.

Saskatoon Sasquatch

Owner: Kyle Robinson
2016 Record: 58-102 (4th place)
Projected Rotation: Yu Darvish, Wei-Yin Chen, Lance McCullers, Brandon Finnegan, Doug Fister, James Shields
Bullpen: Roberto Osuna, Kyle Ryan, Alex Wilson, Santiago Casilla
Projected Lineup: D.J. LeMahieu (2B), Stephen Piscotty (RF), Carlos Correa (SS), Evan Gattis (C), Jake Lamb/Matt Duffy (3B), Billy Butler (1B), Ichiro Suzuki/Rajai Davis (LF), Billy Hamilton (CF)

Strengths: Correa, LeMahieu, Piscotty, and Gattis are potential EL all-stars this season. Signed through the unfathomably futuristic year of 2027, Correa (730/839 splits) is now a Sasquatch for life (or, at least, the very distant future.) LeMahieu (931/903) should see a dip in performance outside of Coors Field, but the free-agent-to-be has good value this season, both on the field and in trade. Piscotty (952/748) is yet another 'Tipper who got away. Gattis (886/795) is among the best hitting catchers in the league.

Weaknesses: This team's top three starters (Darvish, Chen, and McCullers) all have usage issues. Darvish is limited to 110 innings, Chen maxes out at 135, and McCullers is only available for 89. The team will need to pick up a few more arms just to get through the season. This also means the atrocious Shields (6.24 CERA, 866/915 splits) will likely have to pitch a full season.

Offensively, the bottom third of the lineup is well below average. Hamilton (576/696) was among the worst hitters in MLB last year.

Outlook: The Beavers-- err, I mean, the Sasquatch (Sasquatches?) are in a difficult position this year. They aren't good enough to compete in this tough division, and they don't have the trade bait to substantially improve their 2018 outlook. That said, there are reasons to believe that 2018 will be a competitive season for this team.

Darvish (2.87 CERA, 607/662) returned to form after a long layoff, and is expected to pitch a full season in MLB 2017. Finnegan (age 24) and McCullers (23) should expect to see some improvement as they mature. On the offensive side, Correa, Gattis, and Piscotty all return for another year. Jake Lamb (age 26) is just entering into his prime as well. Saskatoon fans have a reason for some optimism.

Prediction: 4th place, and around 90 losses. In any other division, this could be a .500 team, but playing sixteen games each against Buckingham, Great Lakes, and Kansas will take a toll on the winning percentage.

St. Louis Apostles

Owner: Bobby Sylvester, Jr.
2016 Record: 82-78 (1st place, EL champions)
Projected Rotation: Noah Syndergaard, David Price, Kevin Gausman, Rich Hill, Carlos Rodon
Bullpen: Cody Allen, Brad Brach, Pedro Strop, Edwin Diaz, Alex Reyes, Chris Rusin
Projected Lineup: Jean Segura (2B), Trevor Story (SS), Yoenis Cespedes (LF), J.D. Martinez (RF), Anthony Rendon (3B), Kevin Kiermaier (CF), Yasmani Grandal (C), Jedd Gyorko (1B)

Strengths: This team is so loaded, I couldn't find a place for rookie sensation Nomar Mazara (548/791 splits) or the enigmatic Yasiel Puig (784/715) in the lineup above. There isn't a single weak spot in the Apostles lineup. Five of the starters have an 800+ OPS against lefties (eight if you count bench players David Ross, Jose Reyes, and Jimmy Rollins.) All eight starters own an 800+ OPS against right-handers.

On the pitching side, Syndergaard (183+ IP, 2.79 CERA, 713/581 splits) is arguably the best starting pitcher in baseball. Hill (110+, 2.04, 522/532) is arguably the best starting pitcher inning-for-inning (not named Kershaw.) The Apostles bullpen is chock-full of closer-quality relievers.

Defensively, Rendon, Cespedes, and Kiermaier all have Ex range in the field, and Mazara, Puig, and Story are all above-average. (Gyorko is also a Vg at second base.)

Weaknesses: The options at first base are limited. Playing Gyorko at first means wasting his Vg range at second. Playing Grandal at first means accepting his Pr range at that position. The only other options are part-timers with below-average range.

Syndergaard's uneven splits create an opportunity for BDBL-style exploitation. Hill is limited to roughly half a season of usage. Gausman (4.13 CERA, 659/812 splits) and Rodon (4.57, 609/799) are below-average starters at the back end of the rotation, and have split issues as well.

Outlook: Despite all of Bobby Sylvester's usual wheeling-and-dealing, this team looks very similar to the one that barely finished .500 last year, and yet went all the way to the BDBL World Series. That team finished near the middle of the pack in runs scored and allowed, while this year's version is more likely to finish closer to the top in at least the first category. Of course, I seriously doubt that the Apostles roster we see today will look anything like the one we see in Game #160. With a roster filled with trade bait, it's more than likely that Bobby Sylvester maneuvers himself into a position to make noise in November once again.

Prediction: 1st place. Bobby has made the claim that his rosters are custom-built especially for the postseason. Last year, whatever secret sauce he included in his formula seemed to work. It will be interesting to see if he can repeat that trick.

Niagara Locks

Owner: Mike Ranney
2016 Record: 73-87 (2nd place)
Projected Rotation: Jose Fernandez, Johnny Cueto, Ivan Nova, Juan Nicasio, Archie Bradley
Bullpen: Nate Jones, Jim Johnson, Robbie Ross, Jonathan Broxton, Michael Feliz, Ian Krol
Projected Lineup: Brett Gardner (LF), Xander Bogaerts (SS), Joey Votto (1B), Domingo Santana/Max Kepler (RF), Brandon Crawford (3B), Cameron Rupp (C), Jonathan Schoop (2B), Byron Buxton (CF)

Strengths: Fernandez (R.I.P.) and Cueto form the strongest 1-2 punch in the Eck League. Jones (1.87 CERA, 667/477 splits) is a quality closer. Votto (861/1033 splits) and Bogaerts (873/785) are impact bats in the middle of the lineup.

Weaknesses: Once you get past Fernandez and Cueto, there is a steep drop to the number three starter, Nova (162 IP, 4.12 CERA, 857/716 splits.) Similarly, there is a steep decline in talent from Bogaerts and Votto to the rest of the lineup. Aside from those two, the next highest OPS on the roster (among full-time players) belongs to Crawford, who clocks in at 772. Schoop (752) is the only other full-time starter with an OPS above 750.

Defensively, Ranney is apparently doing what he loves to do every year by playing someone out of position. This year, it's Brandon Crawford who will likely shift his Ex glove to third base. Or, as he did last season, Ranney could move Bogaerts' Fr glove to the hot corner. It was an odd decision (to say the least) for a team with a franchise player at shortstop to pay $6 million for another shortstop!

Crawford (713 OPS vs. LH), Gardner (645), Kepler (595), and Schoop (688) all need a platoon partner, but don't seem to have any.

Outlook: Earlier this winter, Ranney strongly considered rebuilding this team in 2017. He shopped his twin aces around to several teams and nearly pulled the trigger on deals that would have sent them packing. It would have been an understandable decision, given the shocking passing of the franchise's ace, Fernandez, the disappointing rookie seasons of Kepler and Buxton, and the disastrous season of $10 million bust Carlos Gomez. However, Ranney ultimately decided to give it his best shot in 2017. He made a huge trade for Votto, which ate up $12.5 million of the team's payroll. He then spent $10.5 million on free agents Crawford and Gardner.

The end result is a team that includes a handful of impact players surrounded by a rather weak supporting cast. In many ways, this year's team is similar to last year's. Last year, the lone bright spots in the Niagara lineup were Bogaerts and Crawford, and the pitching staff was comprised of Cueto and David Price surrounded by a cast of misfits. Last year, Ranney ultimately decided to rebuild, and sent Price and Crawford packing. I foresee the same chain of events occurring in 2017.

If Ranney does decide to pack it in at some point this season, Fernandez and Cueto would become the greatest trade bait in the BDBL. Those two pitchers have so much impact that Ranney could decide who wins the next BDBL trophy.

Prediction: 2nd place. It's easy to identify the teams most likely to acquire Fernandez and/or Cueto midseason. They're the teams that are battling for a spot in the playoffs (or, more likely, will have already won one by the time the trades are made.) They're the teams that could use another ace (or just pile on top of an already stacked rotation.) And they're the teams with loads of tradeable commodities. I'm looking at Los Altos, St. Louis, Chicago, Great Lakes, New Milford, Salem, and Ravenswood (in no particular order.) Should be lots of fun dissecting whichever deal or deals are made.

Southern Cal Slyme

Owner: Bob Sylvester, Sr.
2016 Record: 43-117 (4th place)
Projected Rotation: Jeremy Hellickson, Sean Manaea, James Paxton, Felix Hernandez, Christian Friedrich, Jameson Taillon
Bullpen: Hector Neris, Bruce Rondon, Sam Dyson
Projected Lineup: Cesar Hernandez (2B), Yadier Molina (C), Jose Abreu (1B), Ian Desmond (LF), Adam Jones/Jake Smolinski (CF), Adam Fraizer/Jhonny Peralta (3B), Steven Souza (RF), Jordy Mercer (SS)

Strengths: The SoCal lineup against lefties includes five batters with an 800+ OPS, and several others at 790+.

Weaknesses: The starting rotation lacks an ace. The bullpen lacks a closer. And the starting lineup lacks an impact, middle-of-the-order, bat.

Outlook: This team is head-and-shoulders improved from the one that took the field a year ago. Then again, it would be difficult to be worse! The 2017 Slyme will not lose 117 games as last year's team did. They will not compete for a playoffs spot, but they won't be terrible, either. I'd place the over/under on wins at 65.5.

Looking ahead, this is a very interesting team in 2018. The team's best players (Abreu, Desmond, Molina, Hellickson, and Hernandez) are all returning. It's reasonable to assume all five players can replicate their 2016 MLB performance -- or at least come close. Taillon was spectacular in half a season last year. If he can double that performance in 2017, he will be this team's ace next season. If Bobby's prognosticating skills are accurate concerning Michael Pineda, they will have a second ace. Manaea and Paxton could take another step forward, and Tyson Ross and/or Adam Wainwright and/or Felix Hernandez could return to form.

Offensively, we should see Yuliesky Gurriel and Yoan Moncada play full-time in MLB 2017. Both players have the potential to make a great impact in the lineup. Jose Peraza is another young player who could make an impact. The rebuilding process in Southern Cal is nearly complete. Other rebuilding teams should take notes.

Prediction: 3rd place and somewhere around 90 losses.

South Carolina Sea Cats

Owner: Tony DeCastro
2016 Record: 58-102 (3rd place)
Projected Rotation: Max Scherzer, Bartolo Colon, Josh Tomlin, Mike Foltynewicz, Adam Conley
Bullpen: Joe Blanton, Seth Lugo, Zach Duke, Xavier Cedeno
Projected Lineup: Jacoby Ellsbury (CF), Joe Mauer (1B), Gregory Polanco (RF), Mark Trumbo (LF), Maikel Franco (3B), Tyler Flowers (C), Devin Travis (2B), Freddy Galvis (SS)

Strengths: The Scherzer signing was a bit controversial (for reasons I'll cover below), but it did give this team a legitimate ace at the top of the rotation. With 228+ MLB innings under his belt, he can pitch every fourth game throughout the entire season. Whenever he's on the mound, the Sea Cats will have a chance to win.

Weaknesses: The problem with Scherzer is that his uneven splits (757/477) make it easy for opponents to exploit. This means he will face far more left-handers in the BDBL than he faced in MLB, which will likely result in numbers that look far different than his MLB performance.

Aside from Scherzer, the rest of the starting rotation looks very weak. Colon (795/664 splits) has similar split issues as Scherzer. Tomlin (4.06 CERA, 685/845 splits) has similar split issues, but reversed. Foltynewicz (772/753) has well-balanced splits, but they're far below average. The bullpen is similarly comprised of mediocre-to-below-average inning eaters.

Offensively, this team is a hot mess. As of this writing, their combined OPS against lefties is 659. Every one of the players rated at first base owns an OPS below 675 against southpaws. Ellsbury (618 OPS vs. LH), Travis (617), and Trumbo (612) can't hit lefties, either. You'd be crazy not to throw nothing but left-handers at this team. If there were a way to force your right-handers to throw left-handed, I'd do it!

Outlook: The last time the Sea Cats finished above .500, Saddam Hussein was still alive. This decade-long losing streak doesn't appear to be approaching its end. The decision to sign Scherzer was mind-boggling given where this team sits on the compete/rebuild spectrum. Why does a last-place team need a $13.5 million player? This is the same question I posed a year ago regarding Jim Doyle's perplexing decision to spend the bulk of his budget on Joey Votto. Scherzer could eventually have some trade value, but why risk a possible injury or slump and lose that trade value while costing your team $13.5 million?

If I peer into my crystal ball, I can foresee some success for this franchise in the not-too-distant future. Franco, Polanco, Blake Swihart, Travis, Blake Snell, Julio Urias, and Taijuan Walker are all younger than 27 years old and have upside potential. That gives this team a solid foundation, but DeCastro must spend the next several months building on that base or this franchise is doomed for yet another losing season.

Prediction: 4th place and 100+ losses.

Chicago Black Sox

Owner: John Gill
2016 Record: 99-61 (1st place)
Projected Rotation: Madison Bumgarner, Jake Arrieta, Carlos Martinez, Miguel Gonzalez
Bullpen: Luke Gregerson, Daniel Coulombe, Jumbo Diaz, Michael Ynoa
Projected Lineup: Buster Posey (C), Kris Bryant (3B), Bryce Harper (RF), Carlos Santana (1B), Carlos Beltran (LF), Javier Baez (2B), Matt Kemp (CF), Tim Anderson (SS)

Strengths: A front three in the starting rotation that can't be matched by any other team in the Eck League. Bumgarner (2.57 CERA, 513/645 splits) and Arrieta (2.45, 612/557) are twin aces atop the rotation, and Martinez (3.29, 730/540) is a very solid number three (albeit with split issues.) Number four starter Gonzalez (3.45, 675/697) is only available for 148 innings, meaning Gill will need to add another arm at some point.

Offensively, is there a stronger, more intimidating, group of hitters in the entire BDBL than Posey, Bryant, Harper, Santana, and Beltran? We could probably lump Kemp (954/761 splits) into that group as well. This lineup is so stacked, I couldn't find room for Justin Bour (857 OPS vs. RH), Jarrod Dyson (1006 vs. LH), or Angel Pagan (766 vs. RH).

Weaknesses: The de facto closer, Gregerson, has some ugly splits (746/439) that can be exploited. Coulombe (557/692) may be the better option, but frankly there are no stellar options available in this bullpen, as Paulson, Badger, and Stein hogged all the decent relievers in baseball.

Outlook: This is as close to a "superteam" as we see in the Eck League this year -- at least until the first major trades of the season are announced. The twin aces and awe-inspiring group of hitters are enough to carry this team to the postseason on their own. We'll likely see Gill add even more firepower to this roster as the season progresses, although he used a good chunk of VORP to acquire Santana.

Prediction: 1st place and the Eck League title. John Gill had the misfortune of facing the Undertakers in the World Series two years ago, and I'm afraid history is poised to repeat itself this year.

Cleveland Rocks

Owner: Mike Stein
2016 Record: 96-64 (2nd place)
Projected Rotation: Corey Kluber, Jacob deGrom, Danny Salazar, Ross Stripling, Mike Fiers
Bullpen: Zach Britton, Seung Hwan Oh, Kevin Siegrist, Derek Law, Boone Logan, Neftali Feliz, Koji Uehara
Projected Lineup: Tyler Naquin (CF), Jonathan Villar (SS), Melky Cabrera (RF), Chris Carter (1B), Justin Upton (LF), Logan Forsythe (2B), Yunel Escobar (3B), Chris Herrmann (C)

Strengths: Oh (455/555) posted the seventh-lowest opposing OPS in baseball last year (among all pitchers with 30+ innings.)  Siegrist (690/631), Law (523/598), Logan (477 vs. LH), Feliz (641 vs. LH), and Uehara (478 vs. LH) are all fine setup men and situational relievers. Given that, why the hell did Mike Stein feel compelled to spend $7.5 million, and commit a whopping $23.5 million over the next three years, on yet another bullpen arm?

Because we've entered an age of needless, senseless, excess. That's why.

Britton (1.18 CERA, 495/410 splits) enjoyed one of the best (if not the best) pitching performances of the year, and will be an asset to the Rocks if they can consistently get him the lead. Kluber (2.62, 648/615) and deGrom (3.40, 624/749) return for another year of quality starting pitching as well.

Weaknesses: I seem to write the same thing in this section every year. The Rocks' offense suffers from neglect and pales in comparison to the pitching staff. Cleveland owns a championship-caliber pitching staff and an also-ran lineup. Why spend $7.5 million on a superfluous bullpen arm while Chris Carter represents your team's best hitter?

Stein put all his offensive spending eggs in the basket of shortstop Villar (930/786 splits) this winter. At $10.5 million, he becomes the highest-paid hitter the Rocks have had in recent memory. He and Upton (754/783) comprise 56 percent of Cleveland's entire offensive salary (as of this writing.)

It seems that there are superfluous players on the offensive side as well. Carter is only rated at first base, which leaves Mitch Moreland's (799/700) Ex glove rotting on the bench along with Matt Adams (822/773) -- both of whom are also only rated at first. Why not trade one of those guys for a catcher? Christian Bethancourt (677/620) leads this team's catching corps with 204 plate appearances.

Outlook: Cleveland nearly won this division with an offense that may have been even weaker than this one, so who's to say they can't do it again? I don't see this team winning the division or a wild card, but Mike Stein has a nasty habit of proving me wrong.

Prediction: 2nd place. As mentioned, Stein has a way of defying my expectations, so it wouldn't surprise me to see Cleveland in the postseason this year. That said, he has to beat a lot of teams to get there. There are no pushovers in this division. Outside of this division, there are two playoff-caliber teams in the Higuera, and one of them will be battling for the wild card. I predict another high draft pick for the Rocks next year.

Charlotte Mustangs

Owner: Tony Chamra
2016 Record: 56-104 (4th place)
Projected Rotation: Kyle Hendricks, Julio Teheran, Michael Fulmer, Anthony DeSclafani, Joe Ross
Bullpen: Jake Diekman, Ken Giles, A.J. Schugel, Will Smith, Nick Wittgren, Jake Barrett, Grant Dayton, Justin Grimm
Projected Lineup: Albert Almora/Jackie Bradley (CF), Corey Dickerson/Matt Holliday (LF), Adrian Beltre (3B), Hanley Ramirez (1B), Brandon Drury (RF), Alex Bregman/Brett Lawrie (2B), Addison Russell (SS), Kurt Suzuki (C)

Strengths: Hendricks (2.19 CERA, 616/555 splits) should be a Cy Young contender this season. Teheran (2.79, 756/564) is a solid number two, and Fulmer (3.02, 621/684) is an excellent number three.

Beltre and Russell give the Mustangs two Ex gloves on the left side of the infield. Beltre (1008/841) and Ramirez (1097/796) both clobber left-handed pitching.

Weaknesses: The bullpen lacks anyone resembling a closer. Giles (590/823 splits) was a closer in MLB, but his splits make his performance difficult to repeat in the BDBL. Diekman (2.72 CERA, 625/578) will have to suffice. Teheran's splits make him less valuable in the BDBL than he was in MLB.

Ramirez (1097/796) and Holliday (797/776) carry Pr gloves to the field, which somewhat offsets the two Ex's in the infield.

Outlook: Needless to say, Charlotte will improve on the 56-win season they suffered through last season. How much better they will be is the question. Hendricks alone will make a big difference, as he can win several games on his own. Overall, this is a pretty solid team considering they're only one year removed from 100+ losses. I don't think they're quite ready for primetime, but they should finish somewhere close to .500.

This is an interesting team going forward, given that Fulmer, Ross, Teheran, Russell, Bregman, and Almora are all younger than 27. Jose Berrios, Jeff Hoffman, and Manny Margot are also in that club, and should contribute full-time in the coming year. The future looks bright in Charlotte.

Prediction: 3rd place. There aren't any obvious candidates for trade bait if Chamra decides to fold the tent, so it will likely be a quiet year in Charlotte as the team looks forward to 2018.

Akron R�che

Owner: D.J. Shepard
2016 Record: 70-90 (3rd place)
Projected Rotation: Marcus Stroman, Danny Duffy, Zach Davies, Robbie Ray, Dylan Bundy
Bullpen: David Robertson, Dan Jennings, Erasmo Ramirez, Mike Clevinger
Projected Lineup: Ryon Healy/Luis Valbuena (3B), Jonathan Lucroy (C), Jose Bautista (RF), David Ortiz (1B), Randal Grichuk (LF), Keon Broxton/David Dahl (CF), Danny Espinosa (SS), Kolten Wong (2B)

Strengths: Quality hitters at the top of the lineup. Put Healy and Valbuena's numbers together and you'd get an all-star third baseman. Lucroy (801/872 splits) was Akron's hugely-expensive winter acquisition. At $9 million, he is now among the highest-paid catchers in league history. Shepard spent another $8.5 million for Ortiz (867/1072), who, unlike Lucroy, carries zero risk with him into the future. Bautista (752/834) was added in trade this winter from the Los Altos organization in essentially a salary dump.

Weaknesses: The bullpen is a bit of a mess. Robertson (610/756) may be the closer, although Jennings (654/694) has more balanced splits. Ramirez (905/685) and Clevinger (505/976) are situational pitchers who must be carefully deployed.

The starting rotation is solid, but lacks an ace. Stroman (204 IP, 3.81 CERA, 741/698 splits) is closest to fitting that description, and should perform better in the BDBL than he did in MLB. Duffy (3.44, 449/760) has an unfortunate splits issue, as does Davies (763/695) to a lesser extent.

Offensively, Wong (653/689) is a disaster at the plate, but his Ex glove is tough to keep out of the lineup. The same goes for Espinosa (712/675), who is a Vg in the field. Six different players on this roster (as of this writing) are rated at first base. Four have Pr range, and the other two are rated Fr.

Outlook: Given the moves that Shepard has made this winter, we should assume that he believes this team can be competitive this season. I have trouble seeing it myself. The lineup has a few solid bats, and the starting rotation looks somewhat solid, but this just doesn't look like a playoffs-caliber team to me on paper. If the wheels fall off this bus, Shepard can deal free-agent-to-be Bautista, but that appears to be the only viable trade bait he has.

Prediction: 4th place. In another division, the Ryche could be competitive. The Hrbek Division is especially tough this year, and someone has to finish in last place. I predict it'll be Akron.