[gehrig38]

1. MLB 1992
   
   In an effort to bring followers up to speed on MLB 1992 I will give you guys a rundown of the 24 clubs according to the seasons end power rankings, bottom to top excluding the Blackbirds until the end.
   I'll note great years, prospects and a few details about each club.
   
2. 24) Baltimore Blackbirds: …
3. 23) Indianapolis Bluebirds: 50-112 45 GB in the AL Central Division. A huge market, rabid and loyal fans weren't nearly enough to see the leagues 2nd highest budget lose a league high 112 games. A fiscally controlling owner in 52-year-old Sam Morris who managed to remain hands-off all year long with winning expectations and a playoff birth as demands. Going to assume a ton of turnover. At or near the bottom in every offensive, defensive and pitching category. They lost star closer, Melvin Fuentes, after just 15 appearances to a torn UCL, and he's still 10-11 months away. SP's Atilio Couceiro and Ernesto Trevino lost 14 games apiece and the Bluebirds sported the league's first and only 20 game loser in Matt King 7-20 5.26. The only offensive player of note was 35 year old 3B David Rawson who hit .294-16-68 over 156 games. The all-star has 2 years remaining on his 3.6m annual deal. Their system ranks 24th and their top prospect is 22 year old Adam Hampton who his .275 in 36 AAA games. Their Rookie, AA and AAA teams all won their divisions.
4. 22) New York Bombers: 64-98 35 GB in the AL Eastern Division. When your closer is 13-12 with 28 Saves and 10 blown saves you know there are holes to fill. 22-year-old RP Curt Holmes sported a 2.27 ERA with a 1.09 WHIP and 93 K's in 91.1 IP. The AL's 2nd best defense could not offset a next to last offense in runs scored and a bottom of the heap pitching staff with 4 starters losing 11+ games. 28-year-old LF Jorge Calvo was the lone bright spot hitting .305-3-60 in 146 games. The 23rd payroll is going to need to get a bump and their scouting system has them as the 10th best organization in the minors. Their Short Season Smyrna team won their division but their 73-71 AAA Middletown club was their only other minor league team above .500. CF Casey Willard hit .286/.360/.543 in 48 AA games as the league's 7th best prospect. He's 22.
5. 21) Los Angeles Reapers: 62-100 38 GB in the NL West. 32-year-old all-star Chris O'Cain (.308-14-84) and 26-year-old Catcher Joe Peek (.310-2-48) were the lone offensive bright spots while 23-year-old Hector Piane went 15-14 3.91 over 33 starts and 244 IP as the leagues 16th ranked prospect. Their league-worst offense has some enormous holes to fill. They had the league's 9th payroll, insanely passionate and loyal fans in a huge market. They're rebuilding and have the games 9th ranked system. Top prospect (#8) 19 year old CF Ryan Olson hit .314 in 12 AA games after being taken 3rd overall in the June draft from Hamilton HS in Arizona.
6. 20) Detroit Maulers: 68-94 31 GB in the AL East. Last in the AL in runs, and 10th or lower in most every other offensive category explains a team leader with 18 HR (James Ogelsby) and a team leader with 73 RBI (Cory Roberts). 21 year old Closer David Aguirre (#67 prospect) went 9-14 30-37 SV 3.36 ERA over 77.2 IP with 90 K's. 41 year old Dave Kaszuba (10-8 3.83) 28 year old Ricky Saavedra (9-11 4.07) and 38 year old Marc Eilders (11-14 3.96) held their own while 32 year old Jeremy Oser went 5-18 5.29 in a nightmare season. Their top ranked prospect (#14) Joe McRoberts was the 7th overall pick in the June draft out of Thousand Oaks HS in California. He hit .388/.440/.694 in 37 games of A Ball and .267/.359/.452 in 27 games in AA. Their system is ranked 17th overall.
7. 19) Portland Bandits: 79-83 17 GB in the AL West. Their starters ranked 5th in ERA they were 3rd in HR's but played in one of the leagues most challenging divisions. Led by 36 year old star LF Eric Hamilton (.310-25-78) and 32 year old CF Manny Diaz (.257-23-80) They also featured the potential Koufax winner in lefty Josh Ott as the 40 year old went 19-9 2.20. 39 year old Paul Seidel (8-16 4.32) 26 year old Travis Mosley (5-4 4.54 after being acquired 8-17 5.00 overall) and 29 year old Alex de Leon (9-10 3.91) couldn't back up Ott's 19 win season. 21 year old John “Freeze” Keeling led the league with 72 appearances, saving 37 and going 9-8 2.34 over 100 innings with 108 punchouts. The leagues 48th ranked prospect is under team control for another 5 years. Portland had the leagues highest budget (40 million) and the games 2nd highest payroll (29.2 million) to get their “win now” mentality for an astronomical fan base that is one of the games best. They drew just over 3 million to rank 3rd in the league. They have the games 12th ranked system led by #11 prospect 19 year old CF Sean Skinner. He was taken 4th overall in June out of Rio Vista HS and he made it to AAA by years end. He hit .284/.371/.608 in A Ball. .291/.362/.602 in AA and .306/.354/.514 in 16 AAA games. All told he hit 24 HR's and drove in 74 in 85 minor league games.
8. 18) Brooklyn Blackhearts: 69-93 31 GB in the NL East. Last in the NL in runs (558) and near the bottom in most pitching categories. They still managed to finish 18 games ahead of us. They lost 30 year old rotation anchor Fernando Felix on the final day of spring to a torn rotator. One of their, and the leagues, bright new stories was 22 year old Eddie Vaughn. Drafted in the 3rd round (63rd overall) out of the University of Illinois the righty went 7-5 2.93 over 20 starts and 135.1 IP to rank #47 on the top prospect board. 28-year-old 1B Martin King was their only .300 hitter (.307-13-77) and the top 6 in their lineup all hit 10+ HRs. Owner Frank Mormon is a demanding man who will spend money but his priority is profit and he has middling expectations. Their system ranks 19th in the game with top prospect (#24) 20-year-old CF Adam Dorr taken 15th overall in June mashing his way to AA at season's end.
9. 17) Tucson Suns: 77-85 23 GB in the NL West. An offense ranked 9th in runs led by all-star SS Chris Curtis (.296-21-69) with a solid bullpen wasn't enough to get them to .500 much less catch the eventual world champion Apostles. The league's 11th best prospect 1B Will Marquardt hit .288-18-83 over 161 games and figures to be a perennial all-star. 21-year-old Dennis Weaver was the Sun's 2nd pick in the expansion draft and he went 15-16 in a league high 34 starts throwing 242.1 IP while striking out 180. He walked 76. They were a bubble team at the deadline and snagged 38 year old RP Alex Vargas from Memphis after an injury riddled pen began to struggle. He and 23 year old Khalil Duncan went a combined 9-8 with 36 Saves and a 2.12 ERA. They have the games 5th ranked system and feature 5 players ranked in the top 25. 1B Will Marquardt (11) SP Jose Gamboa (18) SP Ryan Ingoldsby (19) RF Logan Ellefsen (21) and SP Dennis Weaver (22). Gamboa was taken in the 10th round of the expansion draft, Ingoldsby in the 2nd round (26th overall) of the June draft out of ASU, Ellefson in the 8th round of the expansion draft.
10. 16) Washington Navigators: 74-88 25 GB in the AL East. They scored 688 runs, good for 5th in the league but an 11th ranked rotation and 9th ranked bullpen offset the offense. I guess a 2nd place finish is worth noting, but not when it's 25 games back. 32-year-old 1BMatt Walker hit .271 and led the team with 22 HRs and 102 RBI's. The staff featured 2 10 game-winners in 27-year-old Matt Fann (10-9 3.28) 21-year-old Sal Castro (13-12 4.22) and 22-year-old Josh Campbell (14-11 5.67). Fann was the 6th overall pick in the inaugural draft. Castro is the leagues 69th ranked prospect and Campbell is the leagues 85th ranked rookie. Their system ranks 8th in the game with #10 prospect 1B Andy Voss who was taken 6th overall in June out of Florida Atlantic. He mashed in AAA to the tune of .394/.535/.803 hitting 30 HR's and driving in 95 in just 73 games while striking out just 27 times.
11. 15) Columbus Chargers: 80-82 20 GB in the NL East. Had the leagues 2nd ranked pen led by closer Roberto Montoya. The 29 year old lefty went 6-8 2.20 with a league leading 42 (in 47 chances) saves in a league leading 75 appearances striking out 121 and walking just 20 in 98 IP to a 0.96 WHIP. He will be a free agent this winter. They drew 2.7 million, 6th in the game, and had the 4th highest budget and payroll for a massive fanbase that is as rabid as they are loyal. Their biggest concern? A system ranked 23rd out of 24 teams and just 4 players ranked in the games top 200 prospects with their highest being 19 year old SP Eric Carlson at 39. Carlson was their 2nd pick out of HS and 10 innings into the season tore a back muscle and was lost for the year.
12. 14) Sacramento Corsairs: 79-83 21 GB in the NL West. Hit a league-high 158 home runs but couldn't overcome injuries to 3 SP's and an average bullpen. 22-year-old closer Jim Cohn had a great season (7-9 32 SV 2.02 ERA). 23-year-old CF Evan Lazenby (27) 23-year-old 1B Ben O'Donnell and 29-year-old LF Bryan Hill hit 3-4-5 and hit 74 HR while driving in 237 combined runs. The games #15 prospect SS Eduardo Morales stole 40 bases in the leadoff role but managed just a .254 OBP. At 24 scouts still say he has room to improve. His defense is elite. They drew the 15th most fans (2.058m) with the 14th ranked payroll. Sean Flores has a tight purse and has profit as his only real motive in owning the club. The game's 4th ranked system also features the game's top-ranked prospect in SP Juan Martinez. The 26-year-old was 12-8 4.78 in 29 AAA starts. Ben O'Donnell is ranked 10th, Morales 15th, and 19-year-old LF Sean King 29th.
13. 13) San Francisco Panners: 82-80 14 GB in the AL West. 21-year-old 2B Eric Huber hit .321-15-74 with a slash line of .321/.384/.483 stealing 41 bases to go with 34 2B's and a league-leading 7.8 WAR. He was the 35th ranked prospect entering the season. SS Danny Rodriguez was the game's #19 prospect and all he did was hit .337-4-59 with an AL-best 203 hits, a slash line of .337/.370/.427 with 30 2B's 10 SB and a 6.8 WAR. They are the best up the middle combo in the game and both figure to win their share of Gold Gloves. They hit just 89 HRs. Their 1st overall pick in the inaugural draft was 21 year old Jeff Stapp. Ranked the #5 prospect he went 14-15 3.77 over 239 IP with a 1.21 WHIP. 19-year-old Mike Day comes in at #4 after a 5-6 4.17 season in Rookie ball at Wasilla. Their June Draft 1st rounder P Andy Blankenship is ranked 13th overall after a 7-4 3.88 year as Short Season Sitka. They have the leagues 3rd ranked system with 4 top 25 players, 7 top 50 and an astonishing 20 in the top 200.
14. 12) Milwaukee Ice Wolves: 89-74 winner of tie breaking game to play the WC play in game. Battled some serious injuries to their staff as SP Abraham Beltran ruptured a disk in his back 18 starts into the year. The 34 year old was 11-3 2.62 at the time he was out. He is supposed to be ready by camp. Bullpen injuries forced their hand as they dealt for Reaper closer Jeff Chandler at the deadline. The 31 year old went 3-1 1.61 with 4 saves to compliment star closer Jessie Anderson. The 26 year old had a monster year. Saving 40 games to a 1.14 ERA with 121 punchouts in just 87 IP. They ranked 1st in SP ERA with 33-year-old Andres Castillo (11-13 3.80) 35-year-old Ricky Beyer (4-3 3.07) 25-year-old Kevin Robinson (11-6 3.18) 29-year-old Arturo Corchado (5-3 3.22 after being acquired from Tucson (5-11 4.42 at Tucson) and 27-year-old Bobby Adams (15-14 3.44). They were 4th in HR's (113) and their offense was jump-started by RF Matt Little (.297/.367/.399). The all-star scored 104 runs, had 181 hits and led the league with 89 SB's (89-130). They drew 3.14 million to rank 2nd in attendance while sporting the league's 3rd highest payroll. Their 15th ranked farm system has one potential superstar in 5th ranked pitcher 19-year-old Ben Zagorski who they selected 16th overall this year out of Archbishop Moeller HS. He struggled mightily in AA (2-7 7.09) but got a late-season call up and went 8 strong in his lone AAA start.
15. 11) Chicago Bay Bears: 90-72 4 GB in the NL Central. Won the wild card finishing 2 games ahead of Memphis, then lost to Memphis 5-0 in the WC game. 1B Pablo Zuniga finished April hitting .500 and was hitting .457 at the end of May. He'd finish at .331-13-92 with a slash line of .331/.370/.453, make the all star team and lead the 2nd best hitting team in the NL in Avg and have a league leading 210 hits. RF Eli De La Rosa hit .324 while amassing exactly 200 hits, stealing 48 bases and hitting 29 2B's. Ageless wonder AJ Gardner drummed up a .309 season at age 40 playing LF. The team hit just 66 HRs. 25-year-old Alvin Diaz (16-12 3.07) 41-year-old Manny Lopez (17-6 3.01) 36-year-old Chris Kahn (10-11 3.80) 27-year-old Jesse Hicks (12-11 4.30) fronted the leagues 3rd best rotation while 26-year-old Joe Morgan went 4-5 with 32 Saves and a 1.86 ERA. They drew 3.031 million, good for 4th, and sported a 23.7 million payroll, ranking 5th. Their farm system is ranked 21st with just one top 30 player. 20-year-old 2B Felix Balderas was their 1st pick (10th overall) out of Iowa Western JUCO. He had a fantastic season hitting .388/.497/.679 for a 1.176 OPS in 66 AA games. Hammering 13 2B 19 HR and driving in 51 while sporting a 47/36 BB/K ratio.
16. 10) Fort Worth Aviators: 82-80 12 GB in the NL Central. All 4 teams finished above .500 in this division with San Antonio winning 94, Chicago 90, Memphis 88. The Aviators stole a league best 221 bases. OF Prospect Eric Lawson hit .373/.396/.481 in 185 at bats after an early season broken finger forced him to miss 5 weeks. 34 year old DH Abel Robinson led the team in Avg (.267) HR (24) and RBI's (87). Injuries to SP Josh Underwood (rotator cuff) and 25 year old Steve Olander (torn meniscus) pushed 20 year old prospect (#30) Taylor Brace into a rotation role and he responded going 13-15 3.72 over 227 Innings. 26 year old Corey Craig (11-6 2.80) sat atop the rotation and 27 year old Mike Proctor saved 33 games with a miniscule 1.16 ERA over 77 innings. Fort Worth ranks just 14th in prospect rankings with 3B Jon Moore (20 years old, #16) hitting .369/.459/.824 in 72 AAA games with an astounding 36 HR's and 91 RBIs the former Texas Longhorn figures to be anchoring the hot corner for years to come in Texas.
17. 9) Memphis Sounds: 88-74 6 GB in the NL Central. Won a tie-breaking game to get to the WC game and then beat Chicago in that game. Swept in the Division Series by the eventual World Champion Apostles 3-0. 739 runs (2nd) 199 SB (2nd) 127 HR (6th), 4th in AVG, OPS WAR, wOBA, and 5th in OBP. SP ERA of 3.82 (4th) helped offset a porous defense. 23-year-old 3B Eric Zawistowski (.310/.364/.482 17 HR 889 RBI) 34-year-old RF Oscar Jimenez (.309/.348/.511 30 HR (led the league) and 121 RBI's (also led the league) 25-year-old LF Franklin Canales (.295/.399/.488 19 HR 82 RBI) and leadoff hitter 2B Scott Catton 95 runs and 67 SB's led the offense. Memphis was crushed by injuries to THREE of its closers. Hugh Brigatti made 4 appearances before a rotator cuff issue sidelined him for the year. 22 year old Danny Monger 20 Saves, 1.71 tore his meniscus, 29 yer old Johnny Alley 7-5 11 Saves 2.13 ERA fractured a wrist and tore a rib cage muscle. 23 year old Ben Bellinger went 16-10 3.04 JUCO draftee Jason Lee (2nd round) came out of the draft and after a few AAA starts proceeded to go 9-2 2.77 over 16 starts. He's just 19 years old. 24 year old Odemar Kosters went 15-7 3.88, 25 year old Josh Helling went 12-11 4.17. The Sounds have the leagues 22nd ranked budget and payroll and drew just under 2 million (1.992) for 17th in the league. They have the leagues 6th ranked farm system led by the games #2 prospect in Catcher Dan Shores. The 22-year-old entered the season at #2 and promptly hit .290/.362/.426 with 36 2B, 11 HR 59 RBI 62 K's while nabbing 34.4% of would-be base stealers.
18. 8) San Antonio Drillers: 94-68 winners of the NL Central. Beat Philly 3-1 in the Division Series before being swept 4-0 by eventual champions San Diego. 1st in Avg (.294) OBA (.342) and OPS (.752) with a rotation ranking 2nd in ERA and the league's top defense (.713 Deff). An offense led by batting champion Joe Fairclough. The 25-year-old OF hit .342 with 32 doubles, a league-leading 12 3B's, and 60 SB's (though CS 44 times). 3B Greg Abromatis (.329/.371/.449 12 HR 81 RBI) Sean Kenner (1B, 21 years old) hit .312/.339/.424 with 9 HR 52 RBI) 25 year old 1BAndy Newman his 25 HR with a team-leading 87 RBI's. The staff was led by likely Koufax winner Brennan Wigent. The 23-year-old went 19-5 1.72 over 215 IP with 181 K's. 25 year old Tony Garcia (11-13 4.25) 27 year old Ron Freeburg (13-11 3.56) and 28 year old Jordan Cabrera (11-12 4.59) rounded out a rotation that tried to go with 4 as often as possible. 33 year old Dan Keenan went 4-7 17 Saves with a 1.55 ERA and 27 year old Dan Peabody came up from AAA to go 3-5 22 Saves with a 2.42 ERA. Their 18th ranked system doesn't feature a top 20 prospect but does have 17 youngsters in the top 200.
19. 7) Houston Spitfires: 95-67 winners of the AL Central, beaten by El Paso 3-1 in the Division Series. One of, if not the best offense in baseball. Led the AL in Runs (849) Avg (.297) OBP (.348) OPS (.776) WAR (39.1) wOBA (.341) SB (248). All that was needed to offset a rotation ranked 10th and bullpen ranked 7th. All-Star Edwin Lopez hit .342/..390/.491 with 202 hits 14 Hrs and 96 RBI's. The 29-year-old LF won the batting title, also hitting 44 2B's. 39-year-old DH Leonel Marin hit a team-leading 25 HR's and also paced the Spitfires with 104 RBI's. 23-year-old RF John Anderson led the league in At Bats (652) Runs (1-5) 3B (12) while stealing 75 of 98 bases. Houston sports the game's top-ranked system as well as the top-ranked prospect. 24-year-old Sal Pla was the 5th overall selection in the expansion draft. He was hampered by a bad leg all spring long and missed some time here and there before tearing his meniscus in late May forcing him out until late in the year. In 9 starts he went 3-2 4.44 and was given a post-season start against El Paso where he was beaten 2-1. SP Enrique Lopez was 13-9 5.19 over 196 IP and is the game's #4 ranked prospect. Their top pick in June, 2B Tom Spurling out of LSU is the #6 prospect and went off at AAA Boise after signing. He hit .407/.484/.602 with 19 2B 9 HR 44 RBI 37 BB 13 K and was 25-25 in SB's. Clearly expected to be at 2B opening day next year. #32 ranked Prospect closer DC Hester went 4-8 with 41 Saves and a 1.91 ERA over 70 games. In 89 IP he surrendered just 60 hits while fanning 126.
20. 6) San Jose Barracudas: 88-75 8.5 GB in the AL West. Lost a tie-breaking game for the right to play in the WC game. One of the league's worst offenses offset by the game's best pitching staff. Their 107 HR's ranked 7th, and they finished 11th or worse in every other meaningful offensive category. This was made possible by the game's best staff. 1st in RA (604) Bullpen ERA (2.17) FIP, WAR, and 2nd in SP ERA (3.55). 26-year-old Ricardo de Leon (17-13 2.89) 28-year-old Keith Shoemaker (14-11 3.45) 23-year-old Phil Hiller (9-11 4.84) and the 24th pick in the June Draft University of Houston's Travis Ajeti (7-7 3.58 in 17 GS) were the stalwarts. Ajeti is the game's #15 prospect. 25-year-old All-Star Joel Lemmon went 6-3 with 40 saves and a microscopic 1.04 ERA over 95.1 IP. Giving up just 41 hits and 22 BB for a 0.66 WHIP while fanning 135. Their system is ranked 11th overall with 4 players in the top 50. 20-year-old 3B Adrian Brittingham hit .276/.359/.458 with 19 HR and a team-best 93 RBI's.
21. 5) Dallas Rustlers: 89-73 6 GB in the AL Central. Beat Milwaukee in the WC game then lost 3-2 to Charlotte in the Division Series. A top 5 offense and pitching staff. Their 151 HR's were 2nd in the AL. 36 year old OF Fiorello Corte paced the offense hitting .316/.374/.486 with 19 HR's and 82 RBI's. 29-year-old 2B Brian Clayton led the team with 27 HRs and RBI's with 83. Their staff featured 4 12+ game winners with 33-year-old Matt Roberts (18-8 2.98) 24-year-old Joey Hemstreet (15-12 3.61) 31-year-old John Trimble (13-6 3.73) and 36-year-old Ryan Russell (12-16 4.60) backed by 31-year-old closer TJ Nichols 50 saves and 1.57 ERA. The Rustlers sport the game's largest payroll, 2nd largest budget, and led the league in attendance at 3.224 million. Their 20th ranked farm system is led by their 1st and 2nd round picks from the June Draft. #23 OF George Sanford and #43 OF Aaron Hawker.
22. 4) El Paso Armadillos: 96-66 winners of the AL West. Advanced to the 1992 World Series and were beaten in 7 games by San Diego. Pretty balanced club. Ranked 2nd to 4th in most offensive categories, same with pitching. Didn't lead the league in anything. 26 year old 3B Matt Underwood (who would go on to win the WS MVP despite them losing in 7 games) anchored the offense hitting .287/.329/.479 15 HR's 111 RBI's). The team hit just 92 HR's (10th) but their lineup was both solid and deep with 31 year old 2B Carlos Casanova leading the team at .308 and 31 year old LF Kyle Blanton hitting .293 and stealing 36 bases. The Armadillos skirted the injury bug all year long finishing the season with not a single player at any level on the DL. SP Gregg Stanford (27) went 15-9 3.28, Francisco Rodriguez (27) was 14-13 3.35 Jose Rumbo (35) was 6-3 3.59 after being acquired from LA (he finished 10-12 4.05) and 27-year-old Ryan Miller closed things outgoing 5-3 1.78 with a league-leading 43 Saves and a 118/18 K/BB ratio in just 81 IP. El Paso acquired Brooklyn Blackheart closer Kazuo Ogasawara (27) who was 3-8 24 Saves 3.10 before coming over and he went 3-0 with 1 save and a 1.29 ERA in a setup role. Their 15th ranked farm system is headed by former ASU Sun Devil stand out and 1992 #1 (19th overall) pick Joel Harrison who after a short stint in AAA was called up and went 7-3 2.43 over 13 GS and 92.2 IP. Harrison is the leagues 12th rated prospect.
23. 3) San Diego Apostles: 100-62 winners of the NL West, and the World Series. Took the first two rounds without losing a game and then were taken to a game 7 by El Paso. A very good offense topped by the games best rotation the Apostles skirted late season disaster whenb closer Jose Fernandez (28) went down with a bad shoulder. He was 1-2 32 Saves 2.33 at the time. A patched up pen backed up Al Scott (29) 19-7 2.50 Mike Miley (33) 16-10 2.89 Kevin Robinson (27) 12-10 2.57 Bill Sanchez 10-5 1 SV 4.41. Jamal Smith (36) was lost in July to a torn tendon and was 10-5 3.11 at the time. 27 year old 1B Gerardo Torres paced the offense with a .319-27-94 campaign, all team highs. SS Omar Catano (27) hit 24 HR's, driving in 88 with a .340 OBP. 25 year old OF Jordane Vignal stole 80 bases, led the league with 109 runs and capped the season off winning the Division Series, and LCS MVP awards. Their payroll is 8th and they drew 2.92 million (5th). They're a bit thin on the farm with the games 22nd ranked system headed by 9th overall pick out of Lowell HS CF John Sutton at 26.
24. 2) Philadelphia Keystones: 100-62 winners of the NL East. Beaten 3-1 in the Division Series by San Antonio. A league-best 774 runs to go with 144 HR's (3rd) the league's best bullpen and a solid rotation. 31-year-old LF Brooks Graves hit .334-17-95 with Catcher Dwayne Owens hitting .323-7-71 to lead the offense. DH Matt Henderson (31) led the team with 29 HRs. The rotation was led by Giovani Corpus (28) who went 15-9 3.25. 37-year-old Chaz Fuhrman was 11-6 3.73 after being acquired from LA. 22-year-old Gabe Mayfield (5-2 3.81) had his season end in late May with a shoulder injury. 22 year old Israel Garcia had a season for the ages. The 12th ranked prospect went 9-3 with 41 Saves and a 1.21 ERA fanning 159 to just 22 walks in 89.1 IP. His 7.2 WAR led all pitchers.
25. 1) Charlotte Knights: 99-63 winners of the AL East. Beat Dallas 3-2 in the Division Series before dropping the LCS 4-2 to El Paso. A league high 153 HR's, 801 runs (2nd) .343 OBP (2nd) to go with a solid defense and good pitching. The top 4 in the lineup jeff Primeau (22) .324/.395/.485 14 HR 68 RBI 43 SB at 3B, Gareth Cheadle (36) .308/.350/.464 with 13 HR 75 RBI in left, 27 year old Ian Shepherd in RF hit .302/.388/.519 with 28 HR and 108 RBI (both team highs) and in the cleanup spot 33 year old OF/DH Roger Gonzalez hit .297/.378/.476 with 23 HR and 95 RBI. 22 year old star in the making Jason Burke was 17-10 3.12 as the games #17 prospect. Jason Hamm (22) went 15-5 3.74, Jose Sans (22) was 12-9 4.04 and Carlos Borque (24) was 10-9 5.19 after his early season callup. 37 year old closer Alfredo Hermosillo saved 40 games with a 1.54 ERA fanning 115 in just 93.2 IP. Their system is ranked 7th with 16 players ranked in the top 200. 5 of their top 6 are on their MLB roster already with SS Alex Rodriguez (21) hitting .275/.353/.397 at #7 topping the list.