USMLB DAILY

Welcome to the First edition of the USMLB Daily. A lot of news and information will be in here and fun things will be added through out it. I hope that you enjoy and that the report will be up Monday, Wednesday and Friday till the end of the season. Draft information will also be added to the Daily report after the draft. If there’s anything you would like me to cover or add just let me know and I’ll do my best to add it.

First off all I would like to thank all the new teams that have joined the league this season. I hope that you enjoy the league as much as I do and that you’ll hang around for a while.

Sad news for the USMLB world is that “The Puffman”Dicky Puffer has retired. Asked what is going to with his life now that his baseball career is over, Dicky replied he would like to get a coaching job at his old high school in Maryland but will probably join the family business again at Puffer Marshmallows. Good luck to the Puffman on his future endeavors.

What a start to the season for the Tucson Chupacabras at 11-3 already but could be even more shocking is that the team has only allowed 55 runs which averages out to 3.92 runs per game. With an offense almost scoring 8 runs per game know wonder there off to a hot start.

To celebrate the first five years that the USMLB has been around I have ranked every franchise to find the best franchise in the USMLB for the last five years and here is the winner:

Atlanta Brave Vawts (AL) vawt View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Yes I know they have never won a world series but they have won the American League East four straight years and have made the playoffs for five straight years. They have played 46 playoff games going 21-25 during that time. They also have the most victories for any team during the last five years. They also had the second best pitching staff, fourth best offensive and seventh best defense during the same five years. The team has also had 10 AllStars, 2 Cy Young Winners, 1 Firemen of the Year Winner, 1 Silver Slugger award and 2 Gold Glove awards.

Second is the Durham Bulls franchise
Third is the Anaheim Beefpound franchise
Fourth is the Monterrey Stars franchise
Fifth is the Jackson BlaZers franchise

Rumor Mill:
Breaking news from Durham as Owner George Steinhacker is now regretting firing Alfred "Sparky" Martin and that he is thinking about rehiring him this season. A top ranking official in the Durham operation spoke on condition of anonymity because he is afraid that he will be fired for speaking about this to the public said “the new manager McGraw had spoke to Steinhacker like he was a cadet at West Point the other day and Steinhacker had to be talked out of firing McGraw on the spot.” Should be an interesting season in Durham this year.
We are still waiting for Vawt to explain to us what a Vawt is?

Useless Information:
The Monterrey Stars are already on pace to hit 473 homeruns by the end of the season which would break the record of 376 homeruns.
The Tacoma Pioneers are on pace to only give up 502 runs during the season which will be 3.09 runs allowed a game which would break the record of 585 runs allowed.
Milwaukee Bucks are on pace to have 842 double plays by the end of the season which would break the record of 530 double plays.

Where are they now?:
Now what has happen to Mark Phillips? The two-time AllStar is sitting at home wondering if any will be calling for his services this season. Phillips has hit 218 homeruns during last five seasons with 24 coming in Anaheim last season. His agent has been claiming all off-season and the beginning of this season that he could still hit and would be a welcome edition to any team looking for a power bat off the bench or as a starter. For right now Phillips will be enjoying the golf courses and spending time with his family. His agent also went on to say that if his client doesn’t sign with a team this season he might call it a career.

Pittsburgh Pirates (Second Place)(80-85 victories this season)

Lineup:
Chief Martin LF (Martin smashed 50 homeruns and the team is expecting him to put up the same power numbers this season)

Victor Santiago CF (Santiago smacked over 200 hits last season and will be back in the lead-off spot for the team this season)

P.T. Martinez RF (Martinez is the other power threat in the lineup but he can also get the hits when he needs to)

Pedro Cabrera 3B (Cabrera numbers will improve this season as he plays more the 100 games like last season)

Gus Wilkins 2B (Wilkins will have no problem getting is hits and batting average in his first full season with the team)

Samuel Clark SS (Even at 34 Clark is looked upon to produce some decent numbers this season)

Lonny Hughes 1B (Another veteran in lineup that can still produce but his numbers are falling)

Max Dodd C (What an oppertonaty for Dodd to learn from all the veterans in the lineup about the art of hitting this season)

Starters:
Walt Cortes (Cortes had a decent season last year with 10 victories and keeping his ERA under 4 and the team is looking for him to improve those numbers this season)

Benjamin Ross (Ross had a career season last year with 17 victories and an ERA under 4 as well and could be the staff ace this season)

Harry Blanco (Blanco led the team with 18 victories and was one the reason for the team success last season and will try to keep those numbers this season)

Willis Howell (Howell probably won’t repeat his 14-5 record from last season but I believe you will still have a decent year)

Max Nieves (Nieves could be given the shot at the fifth spot in the rotation this year)

Closer:
Daniel Strickland (With the closer spot very much open this season, Strickland could be given a chance to close)

Rankings to start the season:
9th ranked offensive
25th ranked pitching staff

Players Added:
None

Players Lost:
Hideo Uchida LF (Left via Free-Agency)


New York Fighting Molars (Fourth Place)(60-65 victories this season)

Lineup:
Adam Beimel RF (Beimel had another decent season last year and will probably be around the same type of numbers this season)

Max Wood CF (Wood is really the only power threat in the lineup and there big run producer)

Vin Roque LF (Could be given a shot of playing in the field this season)

Patsy Lincoln 3B (Lincoln will need to improve his average if he’s going to improve his power numbers)

Mark Chang 2B (Could be given the second base job this season)

Mule Brewer SS (Brewer is probably there best option at shortstop this season)

Juan Piedra 1B (Piedra is not a typical first basemen as he can still bases and doesn’t have much power)

Vic DaSilva C (Look for DaSilva to have a nice season this year)

Starters:
Wilson Fisher (Fisher won the Cy Young last year and is one of the best pitchers in the league but will once again be on a losing team this season)

Heath Thomas (Thomas pitched almost perfect last season in his short stint in the majors last year and will be expected to reproduce those number this year)

Frank Koh (In is first season as a starter last season Koh produce some decent numbers)

Oscar Koh (The younger brother of Frank could be given another shot at the rotation this year)

Garland Haney (Haney only had two starts last season but could win the fifth spot in the rotation as spring training ends)

Closer:
Jerome DeRosa (DeRosa has established himself as one of the best closers in the game today)

Rankings to start the season:
26th ranked offensive
22nd ranked pitching staff

Players Added:
Dennis Finley 3B (Rule-5 Draftee)

Players Lost:
Ralph Bowen P (Left via Free-Agency)
Joshua Vaughn P (Left via Free-Agency)
Norm Long 3B (Left via Free-Agency)
Woody Ruffin LF (Left via Free-Agency)
Art Denham P (Left via Free-Agency)



St. Louis Cornerstone (First Place)(87-92 victories this season)

Lineup:
Jason Frazier LF (Frazier enjoyed a decent season last year and could be entering his prime this season)

Augie Boswell CF (Boswell doesn’t get on-base very much but when he does he always seems to steal next base)

Earl Williams RF (Williams is the big power threat and run producer in the lineup and the one that could really hurt you)

David Cota 3B (Cota will hit around 20 homeruns this season to go with 40 to 50 stolen bases)

Donnie Spehr 2B (Could see a lot of time at second base this season)

Melvin Howard SS (Howard can hit for a good average and have one of the best glove at his position)

Carlos Alvarez 1B (Alvarez hit a career high 32 homeruns which led the team as well)

Gabe Serafini C (Serafini will probably start the season as the opening day catcher but will get a lot of pressure from Juan Vazquez this season)

Starters:
Mark Barkett (Barkett is the staff ace and has averaged 13 victories a season during his career)

P.T. Ramirez (Ramirez is a decent pitcher that always seems to have to same number of victories and losses every season)

Ronn Hoyt (Hoyt is the work horse of the team pitching over 240 innings last season)

Adam Beard (Beard only made 12 starts last season and is looking to rebound after a disappoting year)

Wendell Bradley (Bradley took over for Beard last season and had decent year and giving him the chance to start in the rotation this season)

Closer:
Ed Jefferson (Jefferson won his third starting Fire Man of the Year last year and is the best closer in game)

Coaches Corner:
The goal this year is to win the division in every level of our system. A playoff series win would also be a nice thing. Where always looking for a strong pitcher and also a slick fielding shortstop would be a big help for the team if we can find does during the off-season. Adding solid, low-level minor leaguers is also a key for the success of are minor league teams. Donnie Spehr could be a real candidate for Rookie of the Year since he’ll bat high in the lineup and should put up good numbers. This team as always tried to win with pitching and defense and we don’t see that changing any time soon. We drafted pitching early on and in a season or two they should be ready. We also have some young contact hitters that will hopefully be around for several seasons. This is still a building season but 85-90 wins should be attainable.

Rankings to start the season:
13th ranked offensive
15th ranked pitching staff

Players Added:
Julio Sosa P (Minor League Deal)

Players Lost:
Cesar Delgado P (Left via Fee-Agency)
Will Casanova P (Released)
Buddy Strickland CF (Released)
Bruce Jenkins P (Claimed off Waivers by the Philadelphia HeadHunters)
Rudy Adams 1B (Claimed off Waivers by the Philadelphia HeadHunters)
Alex Espinosa SS (Claimed off Waivers by the Monterrey Stars)



Toledo Boltz (Third Place)(70-75 victories this season)

Lineup:
Chad Jones LF (It will be nice for Chad Jones not the be refered to as Chad Jones 1 on this team this year)

Rick Smalley CF (Could be shortstop or might see time in centerfield this season)

Nicky Duran RF (Duran is really the only power threat in the lineup and will need to find a spot in the lineup once again this season)

Rollie McMillon 2B (McMillon will provide a nice back of the lineup edition once again for this team)

Ed Hernandez 3B (Could play second base or third base as his numbers are too good not to be in the lineup this season)

Andrew Hampton SS (Hampton is quietly become a great shortstop in the league)

Phil Takada 1B (Takada had a really disappointing year last season and is looking to get back to form and could be challenged with the fist basemen position by a young rookie this year)

Carlos Rodriguez C (Will probably platoon with Charlie Newson this season)

Starters:
Harry Beltran (Beltran pitched better then his 5-13 record last season and is the staff ace with the most experience in the starting rotation this year)

Ivan Serra (Will be given a chance to stay in the rotation the whole year after making 14 wonderful starts last season)

Vladimir Pulido (Pulido is only 23 years old so it could be an up and down season for him once again this year)

Hector Liriano (Will be looking for his first career win this season after going 0-6 last year in 10 starts)

Alex Goya (Goya is another young pitcher looking to make a difference in the rotation this year)

Closer:
Mickey Collins (Collins will start out the season as the closer but his 11.65 ERA from last season as the fans worried about what the late innings will bring this year)

Coaches Corner:
We need to take a hard look at this team and figure out what kind of team it wants to be. The team is going to take a good five or six seasons to turn around and be competitive once again. We have some decent talent in the minor leagues, but not every prospect is going to fit what the team's philosophy and identity. Our main goal is to trade away some of the veteran talent that we have and get some good talent in return. We will also have to trade away the prospects that do not fit the identity and philosophy we are trying to create. Most of the talent that will help us in the future will have to come from the draft. We don't have a group of overwhelming talent in the minors, so they transformation will have to come from the Rule 5 and Amateur Draft. Watch out for the Rookie first basemen Ryan Relaford, he's been improving every season in the minor leagues, and with the exception of a 3-game stint in AA, he hasn't batted less than .315. He's deserving of a shot in the big leagues, and this season is going to be a defining moment in his career. We want to see how the team does in a neutral ballpark and see where the strengths and weaknesses are before we really focus on a philosophy this year. We are thinking of building a fast team based on good contact and defense. In this first season, I think we'll be lucky to get to 40-wins. This is going to be a tough first five seasons while I strip the team down and rebuild from the ground up.

Rankings to start the season:
7th ranked offensive
32nd ranked pitching staff

Players Added:
Frank Nakamura P (8-2, 4.27ERA, 5SVS)(2yrs, 3.6mil)
Charlie Newson C (1yr, 1.0mil)
Bubba Reagan P (3yrs, 12.0mil)
Walt Hayes P (7-10, 4.53ERA, 2SVS)(2yrs, 4.8mil)

Players Lost:
Lance Brow 2B (Left via Free-Agency)
Graham Jefferson P (Left via Free-Agency)
Marvin Stark CF (Left via Free-Agency)
Louis Kolb P (Left via Free-Agency)
Julio Rodriguez P (Left via Free-Agency)
Jeff Shipley P (Left via Free-Agency)
Boots Porzio P (Released)
Justin Beckwith P (Released)
Brian Huff P (Released)
Ned McMillon P (Released)
Angel Vizcaino P (Released)
Barney Kramer P (Released)
Thomas Bonilla P (Released)
Ken Potvin P (Released)
Julius Hartman P (Released)
Hiram Dougherty P (Released)
Nicky Davis C (Released)
Pedro Flores C (Released)
Spike O'Brien SS (Released)
Gary Clark P (Released)
Cozy Medina P (Released)
Benji Sierra P (Released)
Stephen Mayer P (Released)

AMERICAN LEAGUE SOUTH PREVIEW

Durham Bulls (First Place)(85-90 victories this season)

Lineup:
Grant Barker LF (Barker will be looking for his third straight season with more the 200 hits this year)

Vin Lopez CF (The team is hoping that Lopez can get back the hitting form he showed in season 4 where he hit over .300 and not the form he had last season with a .258 average)

Glenn Matheson RF (Matheson won his second Gold Glove last season and he also still produced some big numbers for the team as well)

Adrian Duncan DH (Duncan was signed to a big contract the off-season looking to prove he was worth every penny of it)

Norm Long 3B (Long side a good size contract to provide solid work at third base for the team this season)

Jamie Jung 2B (Jung could see have a chance to play second base this season)

Henry Anderson SS (The scary thing about Anderson is that he is still only 25 and is getting better every season)

Alvin Silva 1B (Coming off of his MVP season in season 4, Silva still produced the power numbers last season but his average dropped .70 points below the previous season)

Humberto Maranon C (Could platoon with Theo Harvey in starting time this season)

Starters:
Yamil Guzman (If you don’t look at Guzman’s career ERA you will find one of the top pitchers in the league)

Humberto Johnson (Johnson is still looking for his first season with more then ten victories)

Shane Lomasney (Lomasney always seems to get knocked around but he still finds a way to keep the team in the game)

Ignacio Mateo (Looking forward to being back into the rotation this season)

Hector Mesa (Mesa could win the fifth starting spot with a good spring training)

Closer:
Donnie Washington (Would like to see what Washington could do as the full time closer this season)

Coaches Corner:
The main goal really this season is to just survive. Really don’t know what is going to happen as the season goes along. The minor leagues really need to be fixed, as it really doesn’t look like any help is coming to majors any time soon. The team would like everyone to know that this team will win at what ever cost we need to make to win. I think this team will be stuck right at .500 with 81 wins and 81 losses.

Rankings to start the season:
2nd ranked offensive
8th ranked pitching staff

Players Added:
Hector Mesa P (Acquired via Trade from the Houston Hitmen)
Adrian Duncan DH (.293, 32, 100)(4yrs, 22.8mil)
Theo Harvey C (.246, 1, 11)(1yr, 327k)
Norm Long 3B (.259, 22, 59)(3yrs, 16.5mil)
Brian Kim 1B (Acquired via Trade from the Louisville Grumbling Groundhogs)

Players Lost:
Oscar Smith 3B (Left via Free-Agency)
Tony Hernandez P (Left via Free-Agency)
Omar Diaz P (Left via Free-Agency)
Brad Betancourt RF (Left via Free-Agency)
Don Clark C (Released)
Tim Rooney 2B (Trade to the Louisville Grumbling Groundhogs)


Houston Hitmen (Second Place)(85-90 victories this season)

Lineup:
Art Roskos RF (What a nice breakout season for Roskos last season and expect him to be around the same type of numbers this season)

Clyde Vaughn CF (Vaughn will enjoy a full season centerfield and the team will enjoy watching him play as well)

Geraldo Rodriguez LF (Rodriguez is another young player that will be given every chance to prove he can play)

Shep Bolton DH (Bolton will spend most of the here playing DH and not catcher)

Ronn Castillo 3B (Castillo could be pushed out of the third base spot if he hits below .200 once again)

Sean Foster 2B (You should begin to see Foster putting up some really good numbers starting this season)

Rocky Meadows SS (Meadows played his first full season and showed everyone that age doesn’t matter when you have the talent to play)

Todd Kirk 1B (Kirk had is first full season last year and now fans are really getting excited about him playing everyday)

Tomas Roque C (Roque could be the best option for the catcher spot for this team on a daily basis)

Starters:
Cliff Sheets (Sheets set the bar really high last season can he repeat that performance, for the team to compete he will need to)

Mac Nakamura (Nakamura is like a live grenade, everyone is just standing around waiting for him to exploded)

Lariel Camacho (Camacho is just a solid number three pitcher)

Edwin Saipe (Saipe is good at one thing and that is eating innings which helps the team through out the season)

Mariano Belliard (Could be given a shot at the fifth spot this season)

Closer:
Magglio Salinas (Salinas did a great job in is first full season as the closer for the team last season)

Coaches Corner:
The Hitmen will continue to work towards becoming a perennial contender, although we are still a year away from being where we want to be. During the off-season we were looking to move multiple role players in package trades to lock up some long term, impact players as we move towards the future. Watch out for Geraldo Rodriguez this season, the new comer to Houston and will surprise some people. The Hitmen really rely on young talent at the Major League level at all costs. The Hitmen have stripped the farm in 25 trades in 2 plus seasons. Only six players on the Major League roster were on the team when we started the team in Houston. We will once again field the cheapest and youngest roster in the major league. I think anything less then 100 wins will be a disappointment.

Rankings to start the season:
20th ranked offensive
5th ranked pitching staff

Players Added:
Edwin Saipe P (Acquired via Trade from the Tacoma Pioneers)
Luis Palmeiro P (Rule-5 Draftee)
Donaldo Calderon 3B (Rule-5 Draftee)
Manny Barrett P (Rule-5 Draftee)

Players Lost:
Blake Newman SS (Left via Free-Agency)
Dummy Hartzell P (Released)
Dustan Grace C (Released)
Hector Mesa P (Traded to the Durham Bulls)



Jacksonville RAIDERS (Fourth Place)(63-68 victories this season)

Lineup:
Joshua Sedlacek LF (Sedlacek had is best season last year and is looking to build upon that)

Marvin Stark CF (Stark was added during the off-season to provide solid play at the centerfield position with some offensive mix in)

Mac Cust RF (Cust could make a big impact during his rookie season)

Adrian Hutch DH (The team would like to see more power out of Hutch this season)

Bosco Campbell 3B (Campbell is the only power threat left in the lineup and is looking for his sixth straight season of 40 or more homeruns and it amazes me he has never been to an All-Star game yet)

Frank Simmons 2B (Watch out for Simmons this season, could have a great rookie campaign)

Pat Rhodes SS (Rhodes can steal any base, he just has trouble getting onto the first one)

Carl Shave 1B (Shave will probably see his numbers improve again this season hitting in front of
Campbell again)

Terry Clemens C (The catcher spot is open for this team and with a strong spring training Clemens could win it out)

Starters:
P.T. Bolton (Look for Bolton to have a breakout season this year)

Ben Canseco (Canseco could see a lot of time in the rotation this season)

Bubba Mattingly (Mattingly did not pitch as bad has is 3-14 record would indicate and with a little help could see his record improve)

Elston Long (Long is the franchise leader in victories with 52 and look for him to be around 10 more victories this season)

Bronson Lui (Would like to see if he can pitched once again in the rotation at the major league level)

Closer:
George Robinson (Robinson has been added to the watch list for the season)

Coaches Corner:
Well the Raiders may not have a lot of goals but the big one is not to lose 100 games once again. The pitching needs to improve for this team to make any jump in the standings. George Robinson will probably be one of the best closer even though he won’t get a lot of save chances this season. We just need to find a way to win and once we start winning you will really see this team turn the corner. I think we can win 63 games this season.

Rankings to start the season:
19th ranked offensive
26th ranked pitching staff

Players Added:
Roy Shirley P (2yrs, 6.6mil)
Marvin Stark CF (.245, 5, 28)(1yr, 3.1mil plus 4.5mil in signing bonus)
Jay Larson P (Claimed off Waivers)

Players Lost:
Zeus Glover 2B (Left via Fee-Agency)
Vic McGee DH (Left via Fee-Agency)
Pepper Crawford P (Released)
Tom Donovan P (Released)
Tom Saberhagen RF (Released)
Damon Meyers P (Released)
Anthony Montague P (Released)


Kansas City Bobcats (Third Place)(85-90 victories this season)

Lineup:
Hiram Suzuki LF (Suzuki is only 21 years old but he seems like he’s ready to play in the major leagues after a small part last season)

Stubby Lewis CF (Will probably bring a gold glove to centerfield like he did last season in left field)

Eric Sisk RF (Sisk won his second MVP award last season and will probably surpass the 300 homerun mark this season)

Vicente Melendez DH (Melendez is a good DH and that is really the only thing he is good at)

Rickey Karl 2B (Little Ricky Karl is the speedster on this team)

Adam Buck 3B (Buck plays solid third base and helps out with the offensive when they really need him to)

Blake Brinkley SS (Brinkley will probably platoon with Miguel Reyes at shortstop this season)

Tony Alvarez 1B (Alvarez hit his fewest homeruns last season but it isn’t really anything to be worried about)

Guy Williams C (Williams will probably hit two milestones this season, 1000 hits and 300 homeruns)

Starters:
Martin Satou (Satou is still only 22 years old so expect some growing pains as well this season)

Flip Sheldon (Sheldon is looking forward to this season as he believes he is entering his prime and worked really hard during the off-season to improve himself)

Paul Flanagan (Flanagan won 16 games last season but I think that will be very tough for him to repeat this season)

Al Jordan (Jordan never lost last season and the team is really looking forward to see what he can do this season at the age of 22)

Luis Barajas (Barajas is only 21 years old and with a good spring training could find himself in the rotation this year)

Closer:
Matt Schmidt (The team is high on Pinky Brooks but the fans are high on Schmidt so it could be a good battle for the Closer spot for this team this year)

Coaches Corner:
The main goal this year is the win the division title this season and making a deep push into the playoffs and of course everyone’s ultimate goal is the win the World Series. We are depending on the youth of our team this season so the off-season was really slow here in Kansas City. With 3 guys 22 or younger and already having success last year we expect for the team to improve this season. Pinky Brooks is the player we hope will surprise people this season. With no proven closer on the team, the hope is for the rookie to prove he can be elite closer. The team’s philosophy right now is trying to out score the opponent as we wait for the young pitchers to develop. We expect for them to struggle at times but we know the offense can pick up the slack as we have a good blend of speed and power which will make a top 5 offense in our eyes this season. I think the team will be better then last season with everyone coming back so we could get around 97 wins this season.

Rankings to start the season:
16th ranked offensive
21st ranked pitching staff

Players Added:
Will Casanova P (3yrs, 8.4mil)

Players Lost:
Sean Holtz P (Left Free-Agency)
Ross Chase P (Left Free-Agency)
Victor Romano P (Left Free-Agency)
Boots Gaetti P (Left Free-Agency)
Nicholas Fox P (Left Free-Agency)