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Welcome to the Season 17 of the USMLB.

Thursday, April 9, 2009

Manager of the Year Award (Phase IV)

Tacoma Pioneers – tomjames
Team records
ML: 84-67 (Division Leader)
AAA: 88-56 (Division Winner)
AA: 88-56 (Wildcard Team)
HiA: 65-79
LowA: 56-88
Rookie: 42-34

GRADES

ML team: B- The Pioneers really did expect from there team this season but injuries and inconstant pitching has forced them into the divisional race all year.

Minors: C+ The upper minors played really well with both making the playoffs but the lower minors did struggle to find wins.

Draft: A- DRAFT GRADE REVIEW

Player acquisitions: None

Team MVP: Ray Hines The Pioneers would be in big trouble if Hines wasn’t in the lineup this season.

Team Best Pitcher: Peter Baek Baek has really established himself as one of the best pitchers in the game today.

Team Report: The Pioneers really went into this season thinking they where one of the best teams in the National League but injuries as really hurt the Pioneers as the season as gone on. It’s all about pitching in Tacoma as the Pioneers are 77-40 when they allow less then 5 runs and 7-27 when they all 6 or more runs a game and also there 50-40 when they score when both teams score less then 5 runs. If this team has any shot in the playoffs they will need to find some offensive.

Coach hot seat ranking: Blue


Monterrey Stars – goldie1973
Team records
ML: 106-45 (Division Winner)
AAA: 77-67
AA: 99-45 (Division Winner)
HiA: 89-55 (Division Winner)
LowA: 90-54 (Division Winner)
Rookie: 54-22 (Division Winner)

GRADES

ML team: A+ Having the best record in baseball is all you really need to know about this team.

Minors: A Every team had a winning record with only the Triple-A squad not making the playoffs.

Draft: B DRAFT GRADE REVIEW

Player acquisitions: Freddie Adcock Adcock signed a one year contract for the Stars. Adcock was quickly placed on waivers once the season started.
Blake Newman Newman signed a two year contract for the Stars. Newman is mostly a defense replacement late in the game.
Jeff O'Keefe O’Keefe signed a one year contract for the Stars. O’Keefe has been a good bench player for the Stars all year.
Billy Ray Lombardi Lombardi signed a two year contract for the Stars. Lombardi is another veteran bench player for the team.

Team MVP: Bobby Henry There is a ton of great players on this team but I believe that Henry has had the best year among them.

Team Best Pitcher: Carmine Taft Taft will have the most victories of any one pitcher after the season ends.

Team Report: Everyone what’s to talk about how great the Stars offensive is and trust this could be the greatest offensive team in the short history of the USMLB. The thing that is really scary about this team is that they also have one of the best pitching staffs in the game and could be the first year where the team ERA is under 4. So not only can you not stop the Stars from scoring but you can’t even score on them to make the game interesting.

Coach hot seat ranking: Blue


New York Fighting Molars – coneheads
Team records
ML: 65-86
AAA: 77-67 (Wildcard Team)
AA: 95-49 (Division Winner)
HiA: 87-57 (Wildcard Team)
LowA: 67-77
Rookie: 49-27 (Wildcard Team)

GRADES

ML team: C There wasn’t a whole lot of expectations for this team this season and there right where a lot of teams thought they would be at.

Minors: A- The minor league teams have done very good and are really making the people in the organization very excited about the future.

Draft: B DRAFT GRADE REVIEW

Player acquisitions: None

Team MVP: Mark Chang An injury slowed down a really good year for Chang.

Team Best Pitcher: Jerome DeRosa DeRosa always seems to make the ninth inning interesting but he always some how gets the job done.

Team Report: You’re not going to win a whole lot of games when the offensive as only produced 645 runs so far this season. A lot of pressure as been put on the pitching staff with the offensive struggles and I would have to say for the most part the pitching staff has really come through and this will only help the young pitchers even more next season.

Coach hot seat ranking: Green


Portland Landports – scooterbop
Team records
ML: 77-74 (Division Race)
AAA: 57-87
AA: 61-83
HiA: 91-53 (Division Winner)
LowA: 57-87
Rookie: 12-64

GRADES

ML team: B Right there in the thick of the American League East divisional race.

Minors: D+ Expect for the HiA team the minor league teams for the Landports really struggled

Draft: C+ DRAFT GRADE REVIEW

Player acquisitions: Will Randolph Randolph signed a three year contract for the Landports. Randolph has done very well hitting when he’s got the chance to start.
Rich Hale Hale signed a three year contract for the Landports. After struggling early in the season Hale was released by the team.
Woody Ruffin Ruffin signed a three year contract for the Landports. Ruffin has done a very nice job at the top of the order for the team.
Gary Clark Clark signed a four year contract for the Landports. For as much money as the Landports are paying you would of though he would be the closer.
Jim Buckley Buckley signed a two year contract for the Landports. I thought it was a risk for the Landports to sign Buckley to that contract and he as really struggled most of the year.

Team MVP: Peter Holmes Holmes is the really only power bat in the lineup

Team Best Pitcher: Cesar Delgado The Landports have waited a long time for Delgado to finally have the season that everyone expect him to have.

Team Report: The Landports have really been on the outside looking for most of the year but the team has gotten hot recently and has pushed themselves back into the American League North divisional race with the Crawdaddies. The team is really looking forward with playing the Crawdaddies near the end of the season that could determine the fate of the Landports playoff dreams.

Coach hot seat ranking: Green


Atlanta Brave Vawts – vawt
Team records
ML: 86-65 (Division Leader)
AAA: 81-63 (Wildcard Team)
AA: 82-62 (Wildcard Team)
HiA: 91-53 (Wildcard Team)
LowA: 83-61 (Wildcard Team)
Rookie: 37-39

GRADES

ML team: A- This team could approach another 100 game winning season with a strong run done the stretch.

Minors: A- Every team in the minor league system made the playoffs expect for the rookie team. Every team that made the playoffs will be a wildcard team this season.

Draft: C+ DRAFT GRADE REVIEW

Player acquisitions: William Hanson Hanson signed a one year contract for the Brave Vawts. Hanson has struggled a little in the bullpen this season and this could be his last year of pitching.
Don Xaio Xaio signed a three year contract for the Brave Vawts. I really think the Brave Vawts thought they where going to get a lot more production out of Xaio this season then they are.

Team MVP: Luis Nunez Nunez is going to hit the fewest homeruns in his career this year but he is still one of the best power hitters in the game.

Team Best Pitcher: Phil Nitkowski Could Nitkowski see another Cy Young trophy sitting on his shelf once again this season.

Team Report: I don’t think the team saw the early struggles that where going to face the team this season. The injuries also seemed to be piling up this year for the Brave Vawts and losing Andrew Dunston for most of the year really hurt there pitching staff to gel early in the season. But it seems like the Brave Vawts have righted the ship and could be a dangerous force once there in the playoffs again.

Coach hot seat ranking: Blue


Jacksonville RAIDERS – deerhunter63
Team records
ML: 62-89
AAA: 78-66
AA: 74-70
HiA: 65-79
LowA: 53-91
Rookie: 29-47

GRADES

ML team: C The one goal of not losing 100 games could come true this year for the team.

Minors: C- The high minors had winning records and just missed out on the playoffs but the lower minors struggled to find the wins.

Draft: C- DRAFT GRADE REVIEW

Player acquisitions: Roy Shirley Shirley signed a two year contract for the Raiders. Shirley has had few chances to pitch out of the bullpen this season.
Marvin Stark Stark signed a one year contract for the Raiders. Stark has played very well even though he has played three different positions this season.

Team MVP: Frank Simmons The rookie Simmons has proved he was ready for the majors after a great season so far.

Team Best Pitcher: P.T. Bolton Bolton has finally become the staff ace the Raiders where looking for.

Team report: It looks like the rebuilding project of the Raiders may be seeing the light at the end of the tunnel after the team really showed improvement this season. The one goal of the team was not to lose 100 games and I think they will accomplish that goal with a couple for victories. The injury to Bosco Campbell had really hurt this team’s offensive late in the year but hopefully he will be ready next year. Expect the Raiders to show a little bit more improvement come next season.

Coach hot seat ranking: Yellow


Colorado Rockies – demoratz
Team records
ML: 61-90
AAA: 65-79
AA: 73-71
HiA: 82-62 (Division Winner)
LowA: 86-58 (Division Winner)
Rookie: 46-30 (Division Winner)

GRADES

ML team: D+ I think the move to Colorado was a little more drastic change for the team then they expected.

Minors: B+ The lower minors did a great job of winning there divisions and it looks like the future could really be bright for the team in the future.

Draft: A- DRAFT GRADE REVIEW

Player acquisitions: Tito Ramirez Ramirez signed a one year contract for the Rockies. Ramirez has really struggled this season and could retire at the end of the year.
Albert Jose Jose signed a two year contract for the Rockies. Jose is the only starting pitcher for the team with more then 10 victories.
Danny Smith Smith signed a one year contract for the Rockies. Smith was quickly released after struggling at the beginning of the season.
Damaso Nieves Nieves signed a two year contract for the Rockies. Nieves has really done a nice job hitting in Colorado this season.
Ebenezer Canseco Canseco signed a two year contract for the Rockies. Canseco has found himself in the bullpen after struggling as a starter.
Napoleon Fordham Fordham signed a two year contract for the Rockies. I thought Fordham would struggle this season and he really has struggled a lot.

Team MVP: Carmen Garcia Garcia is having the best season of his career.

Team Best Pitcher: Joaquin Diaz Don’t let the 6-7 record fool you about Diaz, he has had a very good year.

Team report: The Rockies came out of the gate just sprinting and getting a good lead in the American League West but as everyone knows the baseball season isn’t a sprint and the team has really faded down the stretch. The pitching staff has really struggle in the Colorado which was expected but I don’t think they thought it would be this bad. I believe that a rebuilding project will need to start soon and bring in players that will thrive in the thin air of Colorado if this team wants to win.

Coach hot seat ranking: Yellow