Friday, June 1, 2007

NL South (338-310)

Atlanta Braves – 107-55
Best Players –
Vic Saenz, Bey Bunckly, Banjo Melhuse

Team Rankings – 4th Pitching, 16th Hitting, 10th Fielding

Team Notes – After a 4th straight winning season, and second straight division title, Atlanta still does not have a World Series championship. After winning the league championship in season 3, they made it to the LCS in season 4, but fell to the Harpoons. With a very deep returning roster and several prospects (Benji Marichal, Vic Ortiz, and Ismael Medrano) ready to make the leap, this team looks to continue its dominance over the south.

Houston Texans – 86-76
Best Players –
Steve Taylor, Willie Liriano, David Pineiro

Team Rankings – 19th Pitching, 19th Hitting, 22nd Fielding

Team Notes – After finishing a season which saw the franchise record its third winning season out of four in existence, yet fail to make the playoffs for the third straight season, things are looking difficult for this franchise. Their minor league system does not look to have many players ready to contribute or ready to be brought up but may end up seeing time in the majors due to the pending exodus of major league talent leaving this team. I look for the Houston franchise to be a major offseason player in order to knock Atlanta from its perch atop the division.

Austin Wranglers – 73-89
Best Players – Antonio Torres, Donnie McFeely, Ralph Taylor

Team Rankings – 18th Pitching, 25th Hitting, 15th Fielding

Team Notes – Season 4 was a rough season for one of the original franchises of the Morgan World. That season saw them record the first losing season of their existence. Players such as Vicente Garza (AA), Vic Morales (AA), Oswaldo Veras (AAA), and Ernie Rizzuto (AAA) may need to be counted on to contribute heavily if this team looks to compete for the division crown.

San Juan Expos – 72-90 – Monterrey Habaneros
Best Players –
Pablo Johnson, Benito Vazquez, Sammy Mercado

Team Rankings – 22nd Pitching, 22nd Hitting, 19th Fielding

Team Notes – Under new ownership for season 5, it remains to be seen how this team will perform with the veteran leadership of thedutchman (368-280, 1 div. title in 4 seasons). The top two players on this team are up for arbitration and the AAA/AA cupboard is somewhat bare, so it will be interesting to see how thedutchman approaches this offseason.

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