[USML Announce] 2008 Projections - The Preliminary Version

Sun Mar 16 18:18:18 EDT 2008

Rich,

I know you to be a man of your word, but I'll believe it when I see  
it. :-)

It does seem as though COPS is done, though, don't you think?

The King

Sent from my iPhone

On Mar 16, 2008, at 6:02 PM, "Richard E. Robbins"  
<RERobbins at iTinker.net> wrote:

> Let me put it to you this way King Jeff.
>
> We live in a new world.
>
> A world in which Blocker chases players who have not yet been drafted.
>
> A world in which Klein drafts prospects.
>
> A world in which no player on the Red Hots is untouchable.
>
> The number players on my roster in the last year of their contracts  
> is high.  I'm going to need to rebuild in 2009 either way.
>
> So I might as well go for it all in 2008.
>
> -- Rich
>
> From: announce-bounces at usml.net [mailto:announce-bounces at usml.net]  
> On Behalf Of jhwinick at aol.com
> Sent: Sunday, March 16, 2008 5:15 PM
> To: announce at usml.net
> Subject: [USML Announce] 2008 Projections - The Preliminary Version
>
> The official Shandler-Winick post draft assessment:
>
> First, an observation.  This should be the most wide open race in a  
> long while.  I don't see anyone with a overwhelming advantage and  
> noone who's out of it.
>
> Second, these are preliminary observations.  The final projections  
> will come shortly after the start of the season.
>
> 11.  GOP - Lots of speed, great average, but not nearly enough runs,  
> rbis or home runs.  Pitching is squarely in the middle of the pack,  
> but unless he gets lucky with Percival and Betancourt, he's also  
> very light on saves.  Probably doesn't have the goods to trade his  
> way out of it.
>
> 10.  Klein Nine - The problem wasn't the draft, which actually  
> wasn't half bad.  The problem was coming into the draft with almost  
> no undervalue.  The offense is not good:  a ridiculous amount of  
> power, but only a middling amount of rbi's; no speed, a  
> corresponding lack of runs and an average that is a complete  
> disaster.  Lots of wins, lots of strikeouts but at  what cost?   
> Lousy ERA, Lousy Ratio and only one closer means middle of the pack,  
> at best, in saves.  Not enough in the bank to turn this around this  
> year, but plenty of tools to come back strong in 2009.
>
> 9.  Lake Michigan Calamari - Other than an absence of speed and lots  
> of saves, middle of the pack in nearly every category.   If  
> Bonderman and Escobar stay healthy, the pitching might be fairly  
> good, but with only 5 drafted starters, they had better be healthy.   
> Might catch a break with Adenhart, who stands a shot at filling in  
> for Lackey.  The offense is O L D.  9 players older than 30, so the  
> future is now.
>
> 8.  Nukes - Light on power, lousy average, but middle of the pack or  
> better everywhere else.  The season probably turns on where Roberts  
> lands.  If he stays in the AL, this is a team that could challenge.   
> If not, this team is going to be one to watch over the next few years.
>
> 7.  Block's Bombers -  The problem is the pitching.  Its Bedard and  
> then hold your breath.  Even after plugging in Joba, there are alot  
> of holes.  Hoey, Niemann, Morrow and Perkins are all just as likely  
> to be relievers as starters.  That leaves the Bombers starved for  
> wins.  Surprisingly, despite the heavy balance of relievers, the  
> Bombers also have lousy ERA and Ratio.   That's what Todd Jones, Joe  
> Borowski and a bunch of rookies will do.  Other than being light on  
> speed, the offense looks good.  A nice core of prospects and keepers  
> means this team can contend.
>
> 6.  Brats - No wins and no runs.  But lots of everything else.  The  
> team is fairly young with lots of upside.  Thames and Shannon  
> Stewart at two of the outfield slots is a bit disconcerting, but  
> there's a lot to like here.  Not sure there's enough to win, but  
> with a little bit of luck, this team could contend.
>
> 5.  Angry Young Men - The first of the teams that should be serious  
> contenders for the title.  The AYM had the best retention roster  
> until they spent $35 on extended salaries.  That should mean this  
> team contends for the next few years, but it does push it back in  
> the pack as far as contending this year.  The offense is excellent,  
> but the pitching is a bit scary.  Verlander and Halliday is a great  
> start, but it then gets scary.  Colon, Mussina, Floyd and Silva  
> means that there are going to be some frightening boxscores for   
> this team.  And it shows in the projections.  The best projected  
> offense and the worst projected pitching.  The pieces are here to  
> win, but it will take a willingness to sacrifice the future a bit.
>
> 4.  Berliners - Its hard to overcome an $18 handicap, so sacrifices  
> were necessary.  Drafted lots of players with potential, but not  
> much in the way of solid track records.  It will take lots of good  
> fortune to turn that potential into performance.  It starts with the  
> pitching, for sure.  Lackey's recovery is a must.  If he doesn't get  
> healthy quickly, this team will be looking at 2009 quickly.  But  
> there are lots of young pitchers with a shot to put up decent  
> seasons.  The offense is also young with the potential to surprise.   
> No speed, but otherwise a well balanced team.  Best guess is that  
> this team shoots for 2009, but it has a shot to make things  
> interesting this year.
>
> 3.  Riptorns -Came into the draft as the team to beat, but didn't  
> get enough offense at the draft.  Great pitching.  Okay, really,  
> really great pitching.  This team ought to run away with wins, K's,  
> ERA and ratio.  No saves, but my guess is that Brad Lee will find a  
> way to trade out of that problem.  Too many holes in the offense  
> means he'll have to trade out of that as well.  More than enough  
> pieces to make that happen and heaven knows Brad Lee will give it  
> the old college try.
>
> 2.  Red Hots - Top notch offense and decent pitching.   Consider  
> this:  Hinske, German and Murphy occupy  three of the offensive  
> slots and this is still one of the best two offenses in the  
> league.   King Felix heads a potentially strong staff, but there are  
> as many questions as answers.  Is Lester healthy again and will he  
> find  the plate often enough?  Is Garza for real or did Minnesota  
> let him go for good reason?  Is Paul Byrd still using the PED's and,  
> if not, will his numbers suffer?  Is Fernando Rodney's health going  
> to be a problem?  Well....you see what I mean.  The pitching will be  
> the challenge here.  Plenty of top prospects and keepers to use as  
> bait to fill any holes.  The question, as always, is whether Rich  
> can part with any of his prized players to make a run for the  
> roses.  History suggests he can't and he won't.  If Rich bucks his  
> instincts, this team can, and maybe, should win.
>
> 1.  Hoosier Daddies - Maybe, just maybe, Rick gets the last  
> "laffey".  The eptiome of a well balanced team.  Rick came to the  
> table with a nice keeper list and then did exactly what he needed to  
> do to fill in the gaps.  A quietly terrific draft, Rick looks strong  
> everywhere except power and strikeouts. Rick projects to the third  
> best offense and the second best pitching.  Its hard to take issue  
> with this team, the frontrunner for the 2009 Damon.  More than  
> enough beans to fill in the  gaps and deal with unexpected trouble.
>
> Let the games begin!!!!
>
> The King
>
>
>
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