World Series Preview

Wow! I did not see this match-up happening! Though each of the teams are 2 seeds, nobody considered them as contenders coming into the playoffs! Almost everyone saw the New Orleans Calypsos running away with it. However that is not the case due to the Chicago Cubs knocking them out in the NLCS. The counterpart joining them in the World series, the Minnesota Skeeters, had a considerably easier match-up with the El Paso Grievous Angels  as they come into the World Series coming off of a sweep.  This could benefit the Skeeters now because of the extra rest. However, the Cubs have been saying that the Skeeters have been away from live play for too long now and feel they have the better chance to come out and have a strong start in the series. The Skeeters obviously think different but the Cubs are making an excellent start. In my opinion, none of the rest issues will change the series. My pick will be the Minnesota Skeeters in 5 games. Their talent level is just much better than the Cubs and I see this series coming to an end early. Hope all you fans enjoy the series! Should be a great one!

A Look Back On Trades

Hi all, it's the basebalguru coming to you with the trade reviews from the past season. Sorry for the delay in getting these out, I was on strike for a better salary. I finally got it, so, from now on, I will get these out on time for all you impatient fans. Here are all the reviews you guys have been asking for:

The 1st deal of the off season was between the San Francisco Fish Tacos and the Minnesota Skeeters.  It was a blockbuster of a deal.  The Fish Tacos gave up, what seemed like an intricate part of his WS team, in Butch Relaford.  The Skeeters were desperate to get a top-notch 3B in relaford and they gave up an arm and a leg for it. The Skeeters dealt LF/1B Jeanmar Gallardo and SU/CL Paul Oliver.  Gallardo has a ton of potential with possibly being a huge 40+ homerun guy and 120rbi guy. his batting eye is as good as it gets and the power is dare i say, Ruthian potential.  he will could struggle a bit against right handers, but if he makes contact, like hes projected to then good things will happen.  Paul Oliver seems like a shutdown closer or setup  guy.  Hes got an A fastball and an A+velocity.  He should get a lot of  hitters to swing and miss.  All in all, Minnesota bettered themselves right now and SF bettered themselves for the future. Both teams got what they wanted so this is what i consider a win win situation.

 

 

San Fran stayed busy dealing CF/2B Quinton Hamilton and minor league C Bernie Kirwan to Cheyenne Cherokees.  Cheyenne gave up prospect Roscoe Berkman. Berkman is what i would like to call a professional hitter.  He doesn't do anything really great but he does everything good.  he can hit lefties or righties with good contact and good power.  His eye will have to get a little better but its ML caliber.  He doesnt have a true defensive position but can play a few lesser important positions at Gold glove level like 1B or one of the corner OF. Kirwan doesn't really seem like an everyday catcher.  his defensive skills are below average and his bat is more suited for a DH/1B role then a Catcher.  Hamilton will give any lineup a top notch base stealer and leadoff guy.  he wont hurt you in CF as hes more then  capable of playing CF.  he wont get every ball out there but he will make the plays needed.  Cheyenne got the better of this deal.  Hamilton is a main stay in any lineup and its hard to find legit quality leadoff hitters.

 

 

 

The previous owner of the Herd, Rector, made a deal with the New York Tough Guys.  The Herd acquired Terry Cora, and prospects BJ Bichette and Greg boehringer.  TheTough Guys received Murray Rolle.  This deal seemed a little off when i noticed it.  Cora and Rolle are very similar and probably could have just swapped the 2 as both might have needed a change of scenery.  Bj Bichette, and Greg Boehringer are really good prospects.  Bichette doesn't have much power but can play 2B and can hit 1 or 2 in the lineup with above average speed.  Boehringer is even younger then Bichette and has more potential then Bichette.  Even though in the same deal the Herd got two 2B prospects, which is odd in itself when he might have been able to find another position to fill, Helena clearly won this deal as the Tough Guys got a similar pitcher to the one he gave up in Cora, but the 2 2B prospects give the edge to Helena.

 

 

 

New York and Minnesota pulled off a deal.  The Tough Guys got a speedy defensive SS in Archie Whitesell and a defensive CF in Sammy Ortiz.  The Skeeters got a legit hitting 1B in Nicholas Taylor.  This deal seems more of a need in the minor league depth charts for the Tough guys. Whitesell is more then capable of playing SS at the ML level except he cant hit, he can only field.  hes not even a superstar in the field.  He is above average though, so in case an injury happens he can fill in for the job.  Ortiz is a low prospect with a lot of defensive upside. Hes not much of a power guy, lucky to get ya 10hrs in a yr.  keep him away from lefty pitching altogether.  very fast, exceptional base running ability and speed.  probably can get 50+SBs consistently.  Taylor, a career 290+ hitter is a nice piece to add to any lineup.  hes not the prototypical power hitting 1B that's going to get you 35-40hrs but he belongs in a ML lineup.  this deal is somewhat even in regards to the skeeters were looking for ML bat at 1b and the tough Guys were looking to add some defensive depth at all levels. 

 

 

Huge Blockbuster deal between the Florida Giggers and the Syracuse Orange Iguanas.  In a shocking move the Orange iguanas gave up 3time MVP Andrew Marte and spot starter/mopup pitcher Tomas garza.  To acquire talent like Marte you must give up some talent and the Giggers sure did.  They gave up a 23yr old, who can start on probably any team at the ML level right now in Jacob Holt and CL/SU type in Matty Franco. The Giggers are giggity giggity giggity about this deal.  at only 31yrs of age, I do not think franchises should be trading hall of fame material and 3 time MVP.  Holt will be great, no doubt about it, but to give up something like that, the giggers should feel they stole  Marte for what they gave up for him.

 

 

 

The Tough Guys and Orange Iguanas sure keeps their front offices busy late at night as they pulled off a deal.  The Tough Guys got a top notch GG caliber ML SS in Miguel Rios.  it will be hard to find a better glove in the game then Rios as hes a 5time consecutive GG SS winner.  The Orange Iguanas in return for dealing a GG SS got a fringe SP/LR pitcher, Juan Fernandez and a lower level prospect SP in Milton O'Connor.  Fernandez, to me is a journeymen pitcher at best and in a pinch can eat up some innings for ya.  O'Connor can pan out to be a legit back of the rotation guy.  He can handle lefties pretty well but will struggle against righties enough to hinder him from being a top of the rotation guy. As the Tough Guys made a cpl of questionable moves, this one hits a home run!  Im sorry but GG SS do not come along everyday and to only give up at best a journeymen pitcher and a back of the rotation guy for the best defensive SS in the game makes the Tough Guys a clear cut winner in this deal.

 

 

 

The Fish tacos were at it again and it seems like they had a backup plan all along to get a CF after dealing Quinton Hamilton. The Fish Tacos got Red Hill from the  Philadelphia Athletics.  Hill is literally a younger poor mans version of Hamilton.  Hes actually faster then Hamilton and is capable of swiping 80+ bags a yr if given the green light at will.  his defense is just as good as Hamilton and when he hits is prime hes an everyday CF.  The Athletics in return got an above average hitting and an A defensive catcher, Corey Garcia.  I would say that Athletics got the better of the deal providing Garcia hits his full potential.  If he doesn't get to where the scouts think he should be then the Fish Tacos got the better of the deal.  its pretty much a wash at the moment as both teams got needs taken care of.

 

 

 

Salem Volcanoes paid big bucks to take away SP Willie Lima from the Charlotte Tobacco Growers.  The volcanoes gave up Kevin Lee, a little below the par defensive SS. Lee has some pop in his bat and hes got good contact as well.  He can hit lefties and righties equally well.  The volcanoes front office must have erupted with joy when this deal got pulled off.  Lima has a career ERA under 4 and has 60 more wins then losses in his career.  Its obvious Charlotte was just trying to get rid of the 11million bucks he was owed this yr, he probably could have gotten something better then a less then average defensive SS who's probably more better suited for 2B. Its clear as day that Salem won this deal by far.

 

 

 

The deal between the Rochester Royals and the Cherokees of Cheyenne was very odd on Cheyennes part.  The royals got a low level good prospect Harold Wheeler, in is case should be a nice SU/CL type in a cpl of seasons.  The Royals didn't give up much really to get Wheeler either.  The Cherokees were trying to resurrect, underachieving end of the rotation SP, Billy Ray Rekar.  back end of the bullpen pitcher, Sidney Dawkins and career minor leaguer RF Felix Hill.  I would say that Cherokee made this decision because they needed a couple of extra arms and the caliber of Wheeler is a run of the mill arm.  I would say Rochester won this deal on the fact that they got the better player, even though its his potential that its being based on.

 

 

 

The Orange iguanas were at it again and found the Huntington Heores as a dance partner.  They received 2 time all star and last years GG winning 3B Willie Morales from the Heroes.  The Orange Iguanas won big time in this deal.  They sent over ML ready 2B Freddy Chang.  Closer type Alex Gardel and pitcher Juan Fernandez.  I'm going to assume that this was a cash drop for the Heroes.  Chang is a legit ML 2B and could possibly see the ML level any time this year.  Gardel probably isn't going to improve much more then where he is now, since hes 25yrs of age.  Fernandez could be a decent innings pitcher if hes in the right home ball park.  If pitches in a hitters friendly park, I feel bad for the home team.  As he maintains A+ cut FB and an A+ slider, probably and could be the best in the biz, the problem with him, he has to find away to harness his control of it and learn to keep it down in the zone.  He will be giving up a lot of long balls when the batters connect with it cause he doesn't even understand on how to spell G-R-O-U-N-D-B-A-L-L.

 

 

 

 

With new ownership and a new regime taking over in Helena, which rumors are spreading their also looking for a new stadium or even a new city next season, the Herd is cleaning house.  They made a deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks.  The Herd sent 2 career minor leaguers, Albie Cabrera and Kane Tatum.  The Dbacks sent a legit RP, Horacio Vallarta.  The winner of this deal, players wise is Helena but the real winner is the consummate professionalism of the Arizona organization for helping out another franchise in a really, really dire situation.

 

 

 

The Herd sent tired arm, Brendan Parrish to the Charlotte Tobacco Growers in exchange for two RPs, Lorenzo Fuentes and Miguel Salas and 1B Max Abbott.  Parrish is one of, if not the best closer in the league.  hes a three time all star, won the fireman of the yr award when he posted a 0.69ERA, yes folks that's correct, 0.69ERA.  He saved 40 of 41 chances and only gave up 3 earned runs in 39innings pitched.  Basically you probably wont find a better year ever in the history of baseball for a closer.  Fuentes is projected to be a number 3 or 2 at best SP.  Hes got an A+ sinker and can control it enough to make those hitters swing and miss a lot.  Hes a SP who can easily get  over 180IPs.  Miguel Salas is going to be a high risk, high reward type of pitcher.  He has all the tools to make him a shutdown closer like his counterpart, Parrish he was traded for.  Lights out A+ velocity.  A blow it by you fastball that will top out with an A+.  He has an above average curve ball and he will induce more ground ball double plays then the law should ever allow.  this is all of course when hes not walking batters because his control is the high risk part.  He needs to find away to  figure out his control problems to ever be a legitimate shut down closer. A 3rd wheel in the deal was a good all around 1B Max Abbott, who really hasn't gotten a real opportunity to play at the ML level.  All in all, when a team gets 1 of the best 9th inning men in the world, your going to win a lot of ballgames.  Charlotte probably won this deal providing Salas doesn't fix his control issues.  If he does then Helena wins this deal as Salas would be a younger, harder, faster Parrish.

 

 

 

The herds fire sale continues as Terry Cora got shipped out of town and found a new home with Cheyenne. Cheyenne needed some cap relief help and Helena has a lot of extra cap room so this was a perfect match.  The Herd got a top 5 pitching prospect in Steve Clayton. They also received pitchers Del Hillanbrand and Yonder Siquerios.  The Herd had some dead arms and needed any type of ML caliber pitching and got 2 decent arms out of the deal.  The meat and potatoes of the deal though was Cora for Clayton.  Cora, at 32 is probably seen his best days behind him but is far more then capable of helping a winning team take them over the top to the promise land.  hes got a career ERA under 3 and hes never made an all star game.  Clayton doesn't have a top notch repertoire of pitches but he does have a couple of above average pitches.  If your a lefty hitter, u might as well call in sick for the day.  lefties don't want to even take batting practice against this kid.  This is a win win situation as Helena is heading in one direction and Cheyenne is heading completely in the opposite direction.

 

 

 

With the fire sale going on in Helena, the heroes wanted to get in on the fun and boy did they ever.  The Heroes got power hitting 3B Bennie Nixon.  Nixon was ecstatic upon hearing he was dealt to Huntington.  a quote from Nixon himself  "After taking me to arbitration 3 times, I'd prefer to play for a franchise that treats its players better.  Free-agency, here I come!" He didn't even want to give the new regime a shot.  The heroes gave up a future every day LF in Hoss Parmelee and work horse SP Diego Castilla.  This deal is in huge favor of the heroes if they can resign Nixon long term.  If Nixon doesn't resign then it wasn't a good deal to get rid of two prospects for a 1yr rental.
 

 

 

 

With Cincinnati CEO's making a quote "If you see anyone on ML team you would be interested in, let me know by trade chat. No offer is too crazy." The herd took advantage of the situation before any other team swooped in and dealt pitching prospect Javy Diaz and SS prospect Peter gates. Diaz probably has the best sinker of any pitcher right now.  He is a ground ball machine with average projections pretty much all across the board.  hes probably good enough to be a number 4 or 5 starter. Gates has some raw talent to develop.  Hes gold glove material at 2B or 3B.  hes under par for a SS glove.  he can get to most any ball, the range is their. Hes an above average hitter with good pop who can get 20-25hrs.  probably a 100+ strikeout guy a yr.  The Herd helped their ML roster out and possibly solidified a LF for future yrs in to come. Domingo Pena is a young talent.  Hes 26yrs old and He has 4yrs of ML playing time.  Pena is capable of hitting 30+ hrs with above average power and contact.  With an  exceptional eye, he will not strikeout much.  He is also capable of playing 162gms a season.  I think the Herd win this deal by getting a player like Pena and not giving up any of the top prospects they acquired in their other deals. the Heroes win this one by a lot.

 

 

 

The Fish Tacos worked out a deal with division foe, Helena herd.  San Fran acquired one of the few worthy ML pieces left on the Herd roster by getting SP Matty Wallace. Wallace is worthy enough to be a number 2 or a number 3 at worst.  Really good control and can get you 180+ innings pitched.  His repertoire consists of a really good split fastball. His slider and sinker are average at best.  The Herd is continuing to acquire young talent by getting relief pitcher Andy Oliver and young stud LF, Jeanmar Gallardo.  Oliver seems to be ready to be on a ML ball club this season or at worst next season.  Hes got really good control and has top notch velocity and fastball. Gallardo is 19 and his contact, power and eye are off the charts.  If Gallardo fills into his projections then the Herd have a gem of a player and that is a big if. I would call this a wait to be seen outcome on who wins this deal.  I think he hits his projections so the Herd win this deal.

 

 

 

The Athletics decided to get a jump on making a push for the playoffs by trading 3 prospects, pitcher Vernon Meyers, defensive catching wizard, Mark Tracy, and RF Felipe Tejara to the Richmond Stars and Bars for R.A. Taylor.  Taylor has a dead arm this yr and he needed to be moved.  When hes healthy and ready to go, Philly is going to be real tough down the stretch.  Meyers will be a number 1 or a real legit number 2.  Hes got all the potential in the world.  He will lead the league in innings pitched year in and year out.  His real only flaw and its not a big deal but he will have a little bit of trouble against lefties.  Mark Tracy couldn't hit himself out of a wet paper bag but he sure knows how to call a game better then most catchers now and hes 21.  A team that emphasizes defense, you wont find better behind the dish.  Tejara will be an exceptional defensive player at lesser important positions.  hes more of a utility guy.  He has good contact with not much power but he really swings a lot, but when he does make contact, the little he will, it will be positive.  hes capable of swiping any base at any time.  When Taylor gets his health back to his norm, he will be once again, a top notch pitcher in this world and its hard to find top end of the rotation guys to shut down teams and Taylor is just that.  They win this one for sure.

 

 

 

Ask and you shall receive, that's what the Cherokees did, they needed a utility guy that can play some defense and give some depth off the bench acquired SS Rich Ludwick from the Las Vegas Gamblers.  Ludwick is a slick defensive SS.  he wont make the spectacular plays that will get you on the evening highlight reels but he is consistently good and will make the plays he needs to make.  The gamblers in return got a right handed power hitting specialist in RF J.D. Howard.  When Howard isn't bashing 550ft homeruns he will be striking out a lot as he doesn't have the best tools to make contact.  Howard is basically a one trick pony who can hit the ball a ton.  Ludwick wont hit like Howard with the power but Ludwick is more valuable to a team then Howard so the edge in this deal clearly goes to Cheyenne.

 

 

 

The Herd has been busy since the new regime took over and their still cleaning house.  For the 2nd time this season Yonder Siqueiros has been shipped out of town, this time to the Arizona Diamondbacks.  Seems like hes good enough to get but not good enough to stay. Arizona sent younger and cheaper SP Aurelio Castro.  The Dbacks were looking to bolster their rotation with a playoff push run.  The Herd, as its been their staple since the new regime took over has been getting younger and they succeeded.  This deal is a tie as it seemed like Castro needed a change of scenery and Siqueiros wasn't in the long term plan of the Herd franchise.

 

 

 

The Cleveland Criminals solidified their lineup with making a last minute deadline deal with the Herd.  The criminals acquired 1B Rex Abbott and power hitting RF R.J. Overbeck. R.J. Overbeck has been the only real threat in the Herds lineup and the Criminals paid a hefty price to get him away from Helena.  The Herd got catcher Freddie Goodwin and SP prospect J.D. Veres.  Goodwin is a pitch calling specialist and has a great arm from behind the plate.  Veres is a future number one or two top of the rotation arm. His curve ball, when he fully develops could possibly be the best in the biz hands down.  He can easily log 220 plus innings pitched.  He is a workhorse.  The sad reality for the city of Helena is setting in.  Once they dealt fan favorite, and the only offensive weapon in Overbeck it looks like its time for a relocation next season and probably wont see Helena anymore.  I actually like this deal in favor of the Criminals as they are doing what they can to make that playoff run and this sure helps their lineup today.  This deal goes to Cleveland.

 

 

 

An after deadline deal between the Royals of Rochester and Syracuse had a few experts scratching their head on this one.  Rochester sent setup guys Odalis Espinoza and Luis Suarez to the Orange Iguanas in return for DH and emergency catcher George Bonham.  Bonham has the contact and batting eye of the best of the best in the world. He is not anything great defensively and you would expect a little more power from a DH but hes more then respectable hitter.  Any team would love to have a professional hitter like Bonham.  Syracuse must have needed some arm depth to make this deal.  The Royals clearly win this deal. Syracuse dealt a young talented DH for two run of the mill arms that they probably could have just went to the waiver wire or the free agents out their and could have found two similar arms to the ones they got and didn't have to give up a DH like Bonham. 

Sorry for the lengthiness, but there you go! From now on they will get out on time. Enjoy!

Written By: basebalguru 

Its About That Time

Hey all you Camp fans! We here at the Camp Post know you have been waiting for he mid-season report and we are bringing it to you now! Just so happens that it is the most magical week of the year, and many teams could use some second-half magic. All your favorite players want to be home with their families, however, are out there working hard on getting to the playoffs. So here we bring you the mid-season update.

We will start off in the AL. So far the powerhouse team has been the Syracuse Orange Iguanas with a 72-33 record. When we talked to owner kthomson on his teams recent success he had this to say, "Yes, we are very good this season. I been feeling it for a while and we really just put all aspects of our game together. I feel we will win it all." Wow, those are some cocky but very interesting words by the owner and we will see how things fall into play the second half of the season.

As for the rest of the AL, heres how we see the playoff picture coming to be. There will be one team making it from the AL North, the Minnesota Skeeters. Out of the AL East there could be two teams, but I believe that only the Syracuse Orange Iguanas will clinch a playoff berth. Now here's where things become interesting, in the AL South the top 3 teams are all within 6 games of each other. I believe two teams will emerge into the playoffs from this division and those are the El Paso Grievous Angels and the Huntington Heroes. Huntington is my one sleeper pick and I may recieve some death threats for it, but they really have a solid squad and I believe they can pull it off this season. Finally in the AL West, I see two lock-ins to the playoffs, the defending champions, San Francisco Fish Tacos and then my pre-season prediction, the Colorado Springs Glitter Ponies. We will see how all this madness pans out in the AL, now on to the NL.

The best team in all of Camp baseball reigns as the NL powerhouse, the New Orleans Calypsos. As stated by markbl, owner of the Philadelphia Athletics, "Granted I haven't been around as long as some of you...but I have never seen a team dominate a fairly competitive league like these Calypsos. Hitting, pitching, individual performers...very impressive!" And yes, we here at the Camp Post believe this is the best team out there and the clear favorite to win the World Series. When we interviewed owner erikf291, he was very humble, "We haven't won anything yet." We see that their team has a clear goal of winning that last game of the season and we believe they will accomplish that. 

The NL has one of the blurriest playoff pictures at first glance, but I will break it down for you. Starting off in the NL North, I really like the New York Tough Guys as a possible contender. I can also see the Chicago Cubs clinching a Wild Card spot. In the NL East, I again believe that two teams will reach the playoffs. The San Juan Senadores will win the division here and the Philadelphia Athletics will also get in. Now the NL South also has two very strong teams. Of course the New Orleans Calypsos are the clear winner here. And then the Charlotte Tobacco Growers are a very strong team, but I believe they will be jipped of a playoff spot. Now the weakest division in the NL, the NL West, I believe the Arizona Diamondbacks will make a comeback and win the division. The Cheyenne Cherokees seem to be in a slump as of late. 

Well folks, that's all we got for you now! There is plenty more madness to come as the final stretch of the season comes underway. We will get more articles out soon so stay tuned all you Camp Fans! 

Low A Prospect Rankings

The Camp post opens it's prospect rankings with the top 5 position player and pitching prospects across Low A.  The Low A prospects were dominated by season 24 first round draft picks, however, the position player top prospects were slightly diminished due to aggressive promotions with some season 24 first round picks.  On to the picks....

Low A Position Prospects:

# 5 Tony Nunez (LF), Portland – Nunez, an international prospect, signed for a $11.7M bonus last season.  Nunez is a power switch hitting left fielder who is willing to take a walk and hits right handed pitching well.  He is above average at taking a walk, but can be susceptible to left handed pitching limiting his value.  Defensively he is a plus left fielder with tremendous range.  Nunez only has an average arm, but that shouldn’t have much impact on his value, being that he plays LF.

Ratings:

Positional Value (0-3) – 1

Offense (1-5) – 3

Defense (1-3) – 3

Makeup/Durability (1-2) – 1.5

Total Prospect rating (Max 13) – 8.5

# 4 Zip Beltre (SS), Memphis - Another SS drafted in the first round of the season 24 amateur draft, Beltre is a wiz with the glove.  Defensively, Beltre combines excellent range with a great glove and plus arm.  He has all the makings of a gold glove caliber SS.  Offensively, Beltre doesn’t swing a toothpick but also doesn’t have the hitting potential that our #1 low A prospects has.  He has average power mixed with a below average ability to make contact and average, at best, batting eye.  Much of Beltre’s value comes from is excellent defensive ability, however, it’s rare to find a SS with this type of defensive potential who is a completely useless offensively.  Beltre should provide gold glove caliber defense with a .250 average and 15 hrs annually.

Ratings:

Positional Value (0-3) – 3

Offense (1-5) – 2

Defense (1-3) – 3

Makeup/Durability (1-2) – 0.5

Total Prospect rating (Max 13) – 8.5

# 3 Gerald Kim (1B), Chicago Cubs – A first round draft pick, Kim projects to be a solid all around 1b.  Offensively, Kim combines a contact approach with excellent patience.  A right handed batter, Kim hammers left handed pitching and handles right handed pitching as well.  Kim lacks the big time power that is typically expected from a first baseman, with that said; Kim should be able to contribute 20 homeruns annually.  Defensively, Kim is the very definition of average.  He has good range but his hands are below average.  Kim may not project to be your typical power focused 1b, but his ability to get on base and hit for high average while playing average defense makes him an everyday regular on a championship caliber club.

Ratings:

Positional Value (0-3) – 1

Offense (1-5) – 4

Defense (1-3) – 2

Makeup/Durability (1-2) – 1.5

Total Prospect rating (Max 13) – 8.5

# 2 Bryan Walker ( C ), Arizona  – Drafted 16^th overall in seasons 24 draft, Walker is an offensive minded catcher with plus rankings across the board, with the exception of his batting eye that ranks as above average.  Walker’s ranking here hinges on the expectation that he can at least hold down the catching position, a move DH would move him well down the list.  His defense at best would be considered average.  Also, there are questions around Walkers durability, and his ability to handle being a big league catcher for 120 + games a season.  Regardless, an average defensive catcher with this kind of offensive ability is extremely valuable.

Ratings:

Positional Value (0-3) – 3

Offense (1-5) – 4.5

Defense (1-3) – 1

Makeup/Durability (1-2) – 0.5

Total Prospect rating (Max 13) – 9

# 1 Tris Grudzilanek (SS), Cleveland – Another season 24 first round pick, Tris was drafted in the supplemental round at 36^th overall.  Tris, an all around SS, projects to be an average defensive SS with above average offense.  Tris biggest defensive question mark is his range, while it will always be below average for a SS if he can meet his potential he can hold down SS providing plus offense for the position.  His offense his built on having plus power with above average ability to hit for average and above average batting eye.  Tris will strike out as he is only average at making contact.  Tris’ offense is enough to warrant a move to 3b if his range doesn’t pan out, however, at this stage I project him as a SS.

Ratings:

Positional Value (0-3) – 2.5 (Risk of moving off of SS)

Offense (1-5) – 3.5

Defense (1-3) – 1.5 (this rating would improve if he moved to 3B)

Makeup/Durability (1-2) – 1.5

Total Prospect rating (Max 13) – 9

Low A Pitching Prospects

# 5 Greg Stephens (SP), Florida – A junior drafted out of Augusta State University as the 21^st pick last year, Stephens projects to be a middle rotation starter.  Stephens combines plus control with 4 average to plus pitches to overcome average velocity and ability to generate ground balls.  Stephens doesn’t dominate lefties or righties but is consistent at getting hitters from both sides of the plate out.  While Stephens won’t dominate, he should be a consistent middle of the order SP who can provide 180 quality innings a year.

Ratings:

Positional Value (0-3) – 2

Control (1-5) – 4.5

Vs. L & R (1-5) – 3

Pitches (1-3) – 2.5

Stamina/Durability (1-3) – 1

Total Prospect rating (Max 13) – 13

# 4 Steve Clayton (SP), Cheyenne – Drafted out of the Community College power house South Mountain in Phoenix, AZ, Clayton is a left-handed middle of the rotation starter.  Clayton has a 5 pitch mix, sporting a plus curveball with two more above average pitches.  Clayton sports plus control and can dominate left handed hitters.  Two things keep Clayton from being a potential Ace, he is susceptible to right handed hitting and is unlikely to be able to pitch 200 innings consistently.  Clayton should, in a worst case scenario, be a # 3 with #2 starter upside.

Ratings:

Positional Value (0-3) – 2

Control (1-5) – 4.5

Vs. L & R (1-5) – 3.5

Pitches (1-3) – 2.5

Stamina/Durability (1-3) – 1.5

Total Prospect rating (Max 13) – 14

# 3 Archie Robbins (SP), Fresno – Another Supplemental round selection to make a top prospect list, Robbins was selected with the 37^th overall selection in season 24.  Robbins profiles as a true middle rotation starter who relies on his plus control and a plus sinker/curve combo.  Archie, doesn’t dominate either lefties or righties, rather he has the ability to induce a lot of groundballs.  Archie should be able to consistently throw 200 innings, which provide Fresno with a team controlled innings eater.

Ratings:

Positional Value (0-3) – 2

Control (1-5) – 5

Vs. L & R (1-5) – 3

Pitches (1-3) – 2.5

Stamina/Durability (1-3) – 2.5

Total Prospect rating (Max 13) – 15

# 2 Monte Choo (SP), El Paso – Choo was the 6^th SP selected in the first 10 picks in season 24, and El Paso did well to get this potential ace at the 10 spot.  Choo, a lefty, has plus control and big time velocity.  Choo can dominate both lefties and righties with his 4 pitches, which all grade out as average or better, his fastball and changeup show above average potential.  Assuming he stays healthy Choo should consistently throw 200 innings at the front of El Paso’s rotation within a few seasons.

Positional Value (0-3) – 2

Control (1-5) – 4.5

Vs. L & R (1-5) – 5

Pitches (1-3) – 2

Stamina/Durability (1-3) – 2

Total Prospect rating (Max 13) – 15.5

# 1 Andy Cousins (SP), Salem – Selected third overall, Cousins ranks as the top Pitching prospect in low A.  Cousins is a flame throwing lefty with above average control to go with 5 pitches, 4 or which grade out as average to above average.  He has the ability to induce groundballs and dominate both lefties and righties.  He is also relatively advanced for 19 and could move quick if he stays healthy.  His combination of power and control should make him a legitimate Ace within a few seasons.

Positional Value (0-3) – 2

Control (1-5) – 4

Vs. L & R (1-5) – 5

Pitches (1-3) – 2.5

Stamina/Durability (1-3) – 2.5

Total Prospect rating (Max 13) – 16

Next up High A rankings......

Predictions

Now it's time for our predictions for each division!  Our original plan was to get this out before the start of the season, but our stupid editor took a family vacation and never told anyone. So, we are just getting this out now. We send our apologies to all the upset fans out there. Anyhow, here it is.

AL North:
My pick here is the Minnesota Skeeters. With a new owner and some big off-season acquisitions they seem to be the favorite right now. They have added players such as Butch Relaford and Orval Cedeno to their already stud lineup. They seemed to have the clear advantage in this division and have showed that early on this season.

AL East: 
Had to go with the Syracuse Orange Iguanas here. To this point they are leading the division and there's no doubt in my mind this will continue for the rest of the season. They have dominated and been on top of the division the past six seasons and you should all expect this to continue. Especially after their addition of Jacob Holt from earlier this off-season.

AL South:
This was one of the tougher ones, but I went with the Tampa Bay Porkslaps by a slim margin over the El Paso Grievous Angels just because Tampa Bay has that one true ace in Donne Payton. A true #1 pitcher can do wonders for a team, and this is why I feel they are the best team in the division. Early results have not shown this, but I believe that soon those results will change.

AL West: 
The defending World Series Champs, San Francisco Fish Tacos, seem to be the home favorite here. However, I'm going to go with the underdog, Colorado Springs Glitter Ponies, here. The reason behind this is that I'm still skeptical of early trades of the Fish Tacos, and the Glitter Ponies have a very strong pitching corps. They need to improve their position players, but their pitching is top notch which is why I believe they will capture the division title this season.

NL North:
No doubt in my mind here, the New York Tough Guys are bound to win this division. Again, I think that after an early round exit last year in the playoffs, they are on a mission this year, and will go to all ends of the earth to make finish their mission. It starts with winning their division, and aren't doing that right now, but I believe that will change very soon.

NL East: 
Another pretty close division, but the San Juan Senadores seem the strongest here. They have one of the best position players in the World in Louie Vizquel and one of the best pitchers in Odalis Brogna. This team is one of the strongest, younger teams in the World and look to win their division this season.

NL South:
The New Orleans Calypsos are already off to a fast star towards another division title this season, which would make it their third in a row. The Memphis Blues are not too far behind, a consistent playoff team year in and out, but with probably THE strongest pitching staffs in the World, the Calypsos appear to be on track again this year for another title.

NL West: 
This is probably the closest-knit divisions in the league. Each team has their strong suits, but no team has a great pitching staff. The Salem Volcanoes have probably the best staff in this division which is why they are my choice here. Their addition of of pitchers such as Willie Lima and Diego Amezaga have really helped them. They also added Walker Fossum, a future first-ballot Hall of Famer. These players look to help bring Salem their first division title ever.

Prospect Ranking Primer

This marks the first annual Camp Post prospect ranking list, compiled of the best pitching and position player prospects in world Camp at the start of the season.  Below is a primer for the post and the rationale in selecting which prospects made the list:

1. The Top 5 position player and pitching prospect at each level of the minor leagues was selected based on a rating scale described below
2. Initially the top prospects were selected based on a brief assessment of their ratings, then they were rated by categories and given a score to identify the top 5
3. Projected and current ratings were taken into consideration depending on where the player was in his development
4. Projected player position was based on my assessment of their defensive skills and where they best fit, not the position the current owner/HBD has designated
5. All projected ratings are based solely on my projected rating budget
6. Overall budget received virtually no consideration, it is my belief overall rating has little to no value in assessing a player true on the field value

Position Player Categories/Explanation:

Positional Value (0-3) – This rating was used to provide a weighting method so positions that have more defensive value and harder to fill with quality players get an extra boost (i.e. an average to above average hitting SS with above average to plus defensive skills is more valuable than an above average hitting/plus defensive 1b).  The positions were broken out like this:

• ·         SS, CF, C – 3 Rating

• ·         2b, 3b – 2 Rating

• ·         1b, LF, RF – 1 Rating

• ·         DH – 0 Rating

Offense (1-5) – 5 primary player ratings were considered: Contact, Power, Vs L, Vs R, Batting eye.  Speed and base running were considered but more as a tie breaker than anything else.  An example of 5 rated offensive players is someone with roughly an average of 85 across those 5 ratings and no rating that is average to below average.

Defense (1-3) – Defense is weighted slightly less than offense, which is a personal preference.  The rating is relative to position, so both a SS and 1b can receive a 3.  A 3 is a gold glove or projected gold glove caliber, 2 above average, 1.5 is average, 1 below average, etc..

Makeup/Durability/Health (1-2) – This rating is based on the players ability to play regularly, stay healthy and their makeup.  I used this as an added boost to those players who have a higher likelihood of reaching their ability.

Pitching Categories/Explanation:

Positional Value (0 or 2) – This is used to separate out SP and RP.  In my opinion SP is more valuable than RP and this helps separate the two.  That doesn’t rule out RP from making the list, but a RP would have to project to be 130 innings dominate force to make the list.  SP = 2, RP = 0

Control (1-5) – Based on the pitchers projected ability to throw strikes

Vs L, Vs R (1-5) – Based on the pitchers projected ability to get lefties or righties out.  Note slightly more weight was given to vs. R as more players are right handed

Pitches (1-3) – Based on the pitchers quality of pitches.

Stamina/Durability (1-3) – This is relative to whether the pitcher is a SP or RP, so again, both can receive a grade of 3.  This is based on how many innings and how quickly a pitcher can recover relative to SP or RP.

Now on to the Rankings:

Top 5 Low prospect list to follow shortly.....

Free Agency Recap

Sorry for the delay in getting this out all you Camp Fans! Due to Hurricane Sandy, our power got knocked out over here at the Camp Post. Well, we're finally back up and running and here comes your recap of the Free Agency madness from this off-season! By far the biggest pick up of the free agency was 8X All Star and 3X Cy Young award winner Ramon Wan. The Baltimore Bossmen were relentless in pursuing this star free agent. Baltimore finished last season just two games under .500 and came in last in their division. The front office knew they needed a star to get the team on track for a playoff run so they locked up Wan to a maximum deal, 20 million for five years. We will see if this costly investment in the 31 year old star works out as the season wears on.

The biggest winner in the free agency however was the Cleveland Criminals. The front office knew they needed some major pieces on their team and did just that. After signing Danny Andrews, Dizzy Ojala, and Pedro Johnson. They are finally starting to look like they can compete for a World Series. The signing of the 40 year old Johnson, however, was a bit questionable. They are paying him just over 5 million for two years. He may be productive this year, but next year is still a big question of how strong he will still be. They should definitely be in a good spot to compete this year though.

After compiling up some of the results of free agency, our staff has determined the biggest question marks of the past signings. First comes Ramiro Johnson. The Memphis Blues are paying him nearly 14 million for four years! This player is good, but really no better than a good long-reliever. The stamina is just not there and his splits are not strong enough to shut down all batters. He is definitely being overpaid. The next guy is Joseph Martin signed by the New York Tough Guys for 9 million for four years. We all know how badly New York wants revenge this year after their early exit last year in the playoffs, but really? Joseph Martin for that kind of money? The guy cannot pitch against lefties if his life depended on it! He also does not have the stamina to be a starting pitcher, therefore he is only a long-reliever. There are a lot cheaper long-relievers out there who are just as good, but New York had money and blew it away with this signing. These were the only two eye-popping busts our staff could find and hopefully no death threats come our way after making these allegations. Hence, a lot of teams made some big signings this off-season and we will see how this all pans out pretty soon!