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2005 SEASON PREVIEW CHICAGO WHITE SOX (18-36, 4th Place, AL), Charlie Markon WHAT MUST GO RIGHT: The White Sox found themselves mired in a season-long slump last year under questionable leadership. In 2005, the Southside Bombers may claim back their famous nickname in a big way, as new GM Charlie Markon tries to right the ship. Many positive changes have already taken place, most of them on the pitching side. 2005 1st overall draft pick Carl Pavano anchors a starting staff of veteran lefties, David Wells, Mark Buerhle, Al Leiter, and Tom Glavine. Ugueth Urbina and Chicago farmhand Shingo Takatsu look to handle the setup role for the very capable Keith Foulke. Chicago may have the best defensive team in the American League. Bret Boone, Omar Vizquel, and Torii Hunter will make the middle of the field a veritable no-hit zone for opposing hitters. Big lefties Jim Thome and Hideki Matsui should drive in runs by the bunches. Chicago has come a long way from their .333 team winning percentage from one year ago and the improvements should be very apparent after a much-improved 2005 campaign. WHAT COULD GO WRONG: While the starting rotation will provide veteran leadership, the majority of them are in the twilight of their careers. Their endurance and effectiveness as the season wears on could be a major factor in the team’s success. Chicago’s bullpen may not have the depth of its league rivals. Key players to the White Sox offense, like J.T. Snow, Bill Mueller, Larry Walker, and Magglio Ordonez, are hampered by limited at bats due to various injuries. Chicago will need to do a lot of juggling with their lineups to compensate for these injuries and the inconsistency may take its toll. THE X-FACTOR: Much attention was given to the Chicago pitching staff this off-season by the front office. A total of five pitchers were drafted and three more were brought up from the White Sox farm system. If this group, comprised of crafty veterans and young flame-throwers, can hold down the mighty offenses of Pittsburgh, Oakland, and Cleveland, they have a legitimate shot at winning their first league title.
CLEVELAND INDIANS (30-24, 1st Place, AL Champs), Steve Dudero WHAT MUST GO RIGHT: GM Steve Dudero is coming off a terrific season in 2004 that brought him one game away from a world championship. Most of the winning components have returned, giving the Cleveland faithful a lot to be excited about. The powerful duo of Sheffield and Ramirez look to lead the offense and are slated to be sandwiched around hot-hitting newcomer Travis Hafner in the lineup. This could spell doom for opposing pitchers. The starting rotation, led by Roger Clemens and surprise young gun Chris Carpenter, will provide a slew of strikeouts and will strive to keep the Cleveland bullpen fresh by working deep into games. Brad Penny and Kerry Wood are expected to split time as the #3 starter. WHAT COULD GO WRONG: Without true table-setters at the top of the lineup, the Indians might find their terrific heart of the order coming up to bat with the bases empty more often that desired. Of course, this also might be due to the leadoff hitters (Steve Finley & Brad Wilkerson) losing the ball in the seats as well! If the starters do not remain effective deep into ballgames, the bullpen may find themselves stretched a little thin. Guillermo Mota and Tom Gordon lead the way in late innings, with Danys Baez closing. Defense could be an issue as a couple of suspect gloves in Hafner and Sheffield could turn a one-run lead into a two-run deficit with one small miscue. Victor Martinez does not scare base-stealers behind the plate nearly as much as when he is stepping up to it with a bat in his hands. THE X-FACTOR: If Freddy Garcia performs consistently and gives Cleveland a strong #2 starter behind the venerable Clemens, Cleveland may find themselves right in the playoff hunt come October. Five wins out of Freddy in 2005 should spell good things for Mr. Dudero and the Indians.
OAKLAND A’s (25-29, 3rd Place, AL), Tim Elsbernd WHAT MUST GO RIGHT: The A’s may possess the most balanced team in the MSPSL. Randy Johnson and Ben Sheets represent arguably the most feared starting tandem, while the bullpen should keep opposing batters dazed and confused with Francisco Rodriguez and B.J. Ryan. GM Tim Elsbernd made some shrewd moves this off-season that brought about a very positive change in the lineup. It now has a frightening array of speed and power. Johnny Damon and Derek Jeter should provide many RBI opportunities for the big three of J.D. Drew, Moises Alou, and Jeromy Burnitz, all of which enjoyed career years. Oakland fans suffered through a difficult third-place campaign last summer under an interim manager, however this year’s revitalized group of ballplayers looks to bring joy back to the city by the bay. WHAT COULD GO WRONG: The bottom of the Oakland lineup is not nearly as frightening as the top and may provide a small amount of breathing room for opposing pitchers. If the injury bug strikes, this may spell doom for the Oakland offense as two positions, third base and catcher, only have one true backup. Defensively, in the outfield, Drew and Burnitz will keep base runners at bay with their strong arms, however Damon does not have the same effect and in some cases, encourages teams to circle the bases on him. THE X-FACTOR: Oakland passed up a number of highly qualified third basemen in the Main Draft, which showed a lot of confidence in Edgardo Alfonso. If Alfonso has a solid season and stays healthy in 2005, it will bring more depth to the lineup and the A’s will have lots to celebrate this year.
PITTSBURGH PIRATES (29-25, 2nd Place, AL Wildcard), Christopher Lecher WHAT MUST GO RIGHT: Under new GM Christopher Lecher, Pittsburgh made a number of moves in order to become a younger and stronger team. The additions of bright stars Justin Morneau, Lew Ford, Mike Gonzalez, and Juan Rincon have Pirate fans very anxious for the future, but they also have their eyes on what could be a shiny 2005 as well. Pirates ace Johan Santana is the best in the business and has a strong supporting cast. Pedro Martinez gives them a powerful one-two knockout punch. Pittsburgh’s bullpen depth is second to none in the American League. The strength of this team lies in a potent offense that boasts the scariest hitter on the planet, Barry Bonds. Around him is a cast of terrific contact hitters, like Melvin Mora, Ivan Rodriguez, and Aramis Ramirez. The speed of the Pirates will also be a factor as five players stole 20 or more bases, including leadoff hitter Carl Crawford (59). WHAT COULD GO WRONG: First and foremost, if Bonds does not work the count and draw his walks as expected, his playing time may be an issue. This could have a ripple effect on the rest of the lineup. If injuries hinder the Pirate outfield, their replacements (Cruz Jr., Podsednik, Bay, Nixon) are not very intimidating and will create holes in an otherwise rock solid lineup. Defense will be a major issue for the Pirates this season as Mora is slated to start at shortstop for the majority of the season. The strength of the outfielders’ arms may also come into play throughout the season as none of them frighten even an average base runner. On the other hand, with the strikeout pitching staff that Pittsburgh possesses, the fielders might as well keep their gloves in the dugout! THE X-FACTOR: This team is going to score a lot of runs, but if Brandon Webb and Steve Trachsel do not keep opposing runners off the bases, it won’t matter. Pittsburgh’s #4 and #5 pitchers need to keep their walk totals down and their team in ballgames. If they do so, the ALCS – in which Pittsburgh lost in five games to Cleveland one year ago – may be just the beginning.
BOSTON RED SOX (20-34, 4th Place, NL), Mick Dudero WHAT MUST GO RIGHT: The Red Sox front office, along with Minnesota, led the way this off-season in player transactions with four trades. Gone are Alou, Hinske, Ibanez, and Lawrence, however taking their place is starting shortstop Bobby Crosby and solid role players, Pat Burrell and Paul Quantrill. Boston possesses arguably the best 1-2-3 starter combination in the MSPSL. Jason Schmidt and Roy Oswalt are perennial all-stars and Carlos Zambrano is coming off of a breakout season. Lefthander Oliver Perez looks like the next Johan Santana and anchors their topnotch starting corps. Juan Pierre will be the catalyst for many rallies in Beantown, while big lefties Bobby Abreu and David Ortiz can do it all with the bat. Francisco Cordero will be looked at to get the final three outs and should do so admirably. WHAT COULD GO WRONG: The Red Sox may miss the mighty bat of Moises Alou, however their defense certainly improved with Bobby Crosby captaining the infield. Also on defense, Boston will find it difficult to keep runners from taking extra bases on starting outfielders Shannon Stewart and Juan Pierre. David Ortiz brings his iron glove out with him to first base, making GM Mick Dudero wish there was the DH rule in the National League! Despite having an amazing collection of starters, Boston’s top relievers are lacking in innings due to injuries and may hurt the team’s chances in those crucial middle innings. THE X-FACTOR: When Alou was traded, Red Sox Nation let out a gasp heard ‘round New England, however Bobby Crosby’s youth and terrific defense fits in nicely with Boston and could have a major impact this year batting in the #2 slot. If he gets on base regularly, the Red Sox will score a ton of runs!
FLORIDA MARLINS (30-24, 2nd Place, NL Wildcard), Dan Bauman WHAT MUST GO RIGHT: This team is stacked offensively. All the cards have fallen in the right place at the right time, as players like Adrian Beltre, Adam Dunn, and Carlos Beltran are coming off of career years, while Albert Pujols, Vladimir Guerrero, Lance Berkman, and Miguel Tejada continued their model of excellence. Luis Castillo will be the main benefactor of batting in front of this collection of RBI machines. Opposing pitchers will be hard-pressed to hold these guys down. Matt Clement leads a very young and exciting group of starters, while Braden Looper and Latroy Hawkins will combine efforts to try to make those late innings uneventful for GM Dan Bauman. The Marlins look to go one step further in the playoffs than one year ago when Minnesota beat them in the NLCS in five games. WHAT COULD GO WRONG: With all the talent on Florida’s bench, Mr. Bauman will need to find the right combination to get maximum production out of his lineup. Only two Marlin starters recorded 200 innings or more in 2004, which means a juggling act in the starting rotation throughout the season. Fortunately, Florida has a handful of strong arms that can contribute. The Marlins may wish that they had made a stronger play for trade bait John Smoltz, who was recently put on the market by Pittsburgh, as there are no true superstars in Florida’s bullpen. If the game is close in the late innings, Marlin fans may be biting their nails until the very last out. THE X-FACTOR: As previously stated, much of Florida’s success will depend on the arms of their bullpen. If the likes of Looper, Hawkins, Chad Cordero, and J.C. Romero can give Florida strong outings throughout the season, Florida is the team to beat in the National League.
MINNESOTA TWINS (36-18, 1st Place, League Champs), Alan Lecher WHAT MUST GO RIGHT: In his rookie year as Minnesota’s GM, Alan Lecher was fortunate enough to inherit a team with a solid lineup and knockout bullpen. Despite a lackluster group of starters, it was enough to come from behind, down 3-1, and win the World Series against the Indians. If this team has any thoughts of repeating, a lot will depend on newcomers Livan Hernandez and Bronson Arroyo in the starting rotation. The bullpen returns almost completely intact and welcomes John Smoltz, which should ease the load of powerhouses Brad Lidge and Eric Gagne. For the second year, the Twins are without a true leadoff man, but will look to Michael Young, Alex Rodriguez, and Jimmy Rollins to be the spark for Minnesota’s big guns Scott Rolen, Todd Helton and Jim Edmonds. The Twins have a very strong defensive infield and Jose Guillen in right field has one of the best arms in baseball. WHAT COULD GO WRONG: Despite many off-season efforts to improve, starting pitching remains Minnesota’s weakest link and could prove to be their downfall when facing the powerful offenses of league rivals Seattle, Florida, and Boston. The Twins will need starters to go six-plus innings to keep their bullpen fresh. Look for this team to give up the long ball, as Greg Maddux, Mike Mussina, Randy Wolf, among others have a very hard time keeping the ball in the park. Alfonso Soriano and Carlos Lee are a hindrance with their gloves and hot-hitting Javy Lopez does not keep base runners at one station for very long. THE X-FACTOR: Can the rotating fourth and fifth starters keep Minnesota in ballgames? Kevin Brown, Wilson Alvarez, Randy Wolf, and Vicente Padilla are going to try their best!
SEATTLE MARINERS (28-26, 3rd Place, NL), Jeff Bostic WHAT MUST GO RIGHT: Much attention was given to the Mariner’s starting rotation this off-season. New to the team are Jake Westbrook, Jaret Wright, and Doug Davis, giving GM Jeff Bostic many options in an already solid rotation that feature Curt Schilling and Tim Hudson. The Mariners have a very intimidating top of the lineup, starting with Ichiro Suzuki, Juan Uribe, and Carlos Guillen. All three had career years. Defensively, this team has one of the best outfield corps in the MSPSL. Suzuki in right field and Andruw Jones in center field will keep the opposing team’s third base coach very nervous. With Geoff Jenkins playing left, this IS the best defensive outfield in the league. The bullpen features very dependable arms in Joe Nathan, Trevor Hoffman, Armando Benitez, and Steve Kline. In a league full of tough rivals, Boston, Florida, and Minnesota, Seattle has the pieces in place to pass them all by! WHAT COULD GO WRONG: Perhaps not enough attention was given to the starting lineup this off-season as only one position player (Craig Monroe) was picked up in the draft and another (Jenkins) was picked up in a trade. Despite the very formidable top of the lineup, the key elements to the rest of the lineup have been plagued with injuries and/or sub-par seasons that will have the Mariners manager working overtime to fill the lineup cards. With Hoffman’s limited playing time, the bullpen might find itself taxed if the starters do not regularly work deep into ballgames. THE X-FACTOR: Seattle manager, Jeff Bostic, is well-adept at juggling his lineups around and keeping his full roster active. Due to the number of players that have limited playing time – Corey Koskie, Mike Sweeney, Craig Monroe, Bobby Madritsch, Trevor Hoffman – look for the Mariner bench players, like Troy Glaus and Jose Hernandez, to play a big part in Seattle’s 2005 campaign.
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• Copyright © 2005
Minneapolis/St. Paul Strat League |
