Third

NL West


Las Vegas Gamblers- It’s never easy to say, but at first glance this system appears impoverished. There are a few good players here, but for this first-place team the future doesn’t exactly offer a lot to mortgage. But I imagine robbie04 won’t be surprised in reading this, as he seems to be a sort of renegade owner in his skimping on scouting in order to carry Morgan’s second largest payroll. Check the standings; his system earns an F for depth, with a C- for impact. ML team will continue to contend though.

Benji Kelly AAA Cl A- Great splits, his stats in the minors don’t match his ratings
Nigel Rosen LoA RF B- Might reach a 100 contact rating, so an interesting case study into how the contact rating influences a player’s output.
Bob Bonham AA C C+ An above average defender and a prime candidate for a fluky .326 batting average in a given season
Midre Lee HiA Cl C+ Has a relievers stamina and a starters durability, but good ratings
Orlando Mendoza LoA 2B C+ fits better at 3B, he’s got some pop, fluky like Bonham?



Anaheim Red Birds- Brent Oswalt being restrained to bullpen duty is objectionable, as he gives Anaheim a second workhorse starter with Del Martinez. With Donn Gwynn, who is currently loafing on the DL, they give this team its foundation. As the mix of veterans start to leave, Anaheim has the pieces to fill in holes and even upgrade at more than a few of these spots. An enviable system, they’ve earned an A for depth and an A for impact.

Daniel Grace AAA CF A Can hit and can play every position. Absolutely solid.
Phillip McNiel AA 3B A- Curious to see what OPS he hits for with just average contact
Vic Moreno AAA 1B A- Wowzers can this guy hit, but he could break bones in the ball pit at Chuck E Cheese’s
Al Rivera HiA SP A- Great pitcher, may struggle with righties, is an injury risk
Dizzy Garcia HiA 2B B+ Just another sure bet major leaguer, may move to 3B or COF




Arizona Scottsdale- Doug Connelly is like Babe Ruth, or at least if the New York Yankees were actually the New York Los Angeles. But whatever. This is the franchise with Morgan’s first high octane offense back in season 2. Arizona has always had great players, but it has never all come together. Just look at Jim Jeffries. Help is on the way, but it may not be enough soon enough to get Doug a ring. Currently, this team merits a B for impact and a B- for depth.

Emil Fernandez AAA SP A- Not a stud, but will be a fine ML pitcher, has a forkball!
Torey Gutierrez AA SS B+ Gold glove defense and a tough out against lefty pitching
Sergei McEnroe AAA SS B+ Gold glove defense and a tough out against righty pitching
Pasqual Chavez AA SP B With enough run support, could go 17-13 year in year out
Stephen Banks AA RP B Will have control problems, but can get out tough lefties



Fresno Grizzlies- hooner65, who actually has 65 teams, has an interesting complex of young and veteren talent at the ML level in Fresno. His two Alex’s in the minors will be difference makers on the ML club in the future, and at present he has a deep reserve of non-stud ML capable players in AAA. To be perfectly honest, this is an organization that can consistently compete for a division title in the coming seasons, but as is will not be a serious contender for League Championships. An A- for depth and a B- for impact.

Alex Durazo HiA SP A- Could anchor a four man rotation, can pick runners off of first
Alex Sojo AA RP A- Struggled in AAA, if he gets on track he could post great numbers
Billy Owen AAA RP B Solid ratings, gives up too many HR’s. Destined for Atlanta…
Kevin Sherman AAA C B Would like to see better pitch calling from an every day C
Nolan West LoA SS B- Plenty of defense, average bat should have hot streaks at the dish

2nd Installment

Seeing as we begin preparing for the amatuer draft on 1/4, I think I might try and up the pace at which I'm putting these things up, but we'll see. Oh, and for today's, I think Texas just made a trade to add some prospects? Something to keep in mind. And also, in retrospect I think I may have been a slightly easier grader on these guys.


AL South


Memphis Elvi- A traditionally strong team, Memphis has several players in the pipeline who can be difference makers upon their arrival to the Bigs. But while Memphis’ system is filled with pitchers, the system is decrepit when it comes to position players. It will be interesting to see what long term solution mh17 finds at shortstop. As such, this team merits a C for depth, but an A- for impact.

Glendon Sabathia LoA SP A An ideal guy for a four man rotation, will be very solid if he reaches his full potential
Tom Waterson AAA Cl A Could pitch 180 innings with an ERA under 4
Tony Guererro AA Cl A- Has health issues, gets out righties like they aren’t holding a bat
Jimmie Richardson AAA C B+ Good pitch calling, good eye and a nice enough bat
Trenidad Gonzalez AA SP B- His stats suggest he may not overcome control problems



Nashville Hound Dogs- With Ernst Stuart and Walker Newfield already playing at the ML level, Nashville’s foundation for the future is already in place. There are a few guys in the minors who could help that building process. Seeing as the Hound Dogs lack a catcher at the Low A level, a depth rating of C seems appropriate, and a B- for impact.

Andrew Clayton HiA RP A With only two pitches, Clayton is destined for long relief
Darryl Finley AA 1B A Ideal slugging 1B, plays no defense, and is an injury risk
Troy Patrick AAA RP B Nothing outstanding here, but will be a good relief pitcher
Ray Ashby AAA 2B B- Decent defense for a 2B, but just an average bat
Larry Carmona HiA LF C+ All around average, but LF demands more power



Santa Fe Locomotives- Brant Stevenson and Jesus James will conduct this pitching staff for many seasons to come, but they shouldn’t expect any help coming up from within the organization. Santa Fe has invested in hitters, and done an excellent job of it, with guys on their way to fill in any holes in the current ML line up. I see this team as deserving an A for impact and a B for depth.

Ed Steele AA RF A Only flaw is having only an average batting eye
Ruben Dali AAA SS A- More range would be nice, but he swings a mean bat
JP Anderson AA 2B A- Highest ceiling of the group, but a very poor health rating
Eduardo Velazquez AAA RP A- Had a disastrous stint in the Majors last season
Bert Simon AA 1B B+ I personally like him more than Eric Borders, may end up at DH



Texas Black Socks- While the ML team is a little down right now, Texas has the minor league system to match Santa Fe going forward. The system boasts a variety of difference makers, should they reach their respective potentials, as well as a full compliment of above average prospects at nearly every position. This organization may only be a few pieces away from competing for Titles in years to come. An A for depth and an A for impact.

Juan Moreno HiA RF A Wields a fantastic bat, but not durable enough to play every day
Marc Priest AA RP A absolutely nothing not to like about this kid
Fausto Martin AAA SP A- pitch ratings are keeping him from an outright A grade
Bill Blauser LoA LF B+ Ugly hair, not a superb bat for LF, but will be fine in the Bigs
Neil Turner AAA 2B B Can really slug for a middle infielder.

First Installment

Two things, (1) at the end of this we'll do an overall top 30 prospects list and also (2) any whining should be directed at milbredhawk. Thanks.

NL East


Boston Blood Sox- This is a tough system to grade, as Boston has already graduated most of its talent to the ML level, leaving the minors somewhat depleted. Were this assessment taken a season or two ago, Boston would have received a B+ for depth and an A+ for impact, but currently this team merits only a B- for Impact and a C for depth.

Carlos Urbina AAA RF A- Great range for a corner out fielder with a nice bat
J.J. Truby AA Cl B+ May well be the closer of the future for this team
James Hong AAA SP B Graded highly because of an outstanding gb/fb ratio
Javier Polanco AA C B- A good hitter, decent defense, but may be an injury risk
Steve Thompson AAA 3B (SS) B- brings gold glove defense with decent l/r splits



Hartford Harpoons- An established winner at the ML level, Hartford will look to their minor league system to fill holes and provide complimentary players to the guys already up in the next few seasons. A system that backs Carlos Johnson up with 18 1B, Hartford earns a B for depth and a B for impact.

Happy Moore AAA C A- Can rake, but lacks the defense and stamina to play every day
Philip Adams AAA LF A- Not much power for a LF, but is more than capable of getting on base for CJ to knock home
Frank Garcia AA Cl B+ Might have issues with stamina
Ross Snyder AA 2B B Good range and glove, nice splits
Andrew O'Malley HiA SP B- Should develop into a serviceable back or the rotation starter




Wichita Twisters- This system is deep on average bats with outstanding defense. System could use a good true center fielder, as well as an injection of starting pitching. The depth of the system will improve the ML team in the years to come, but one more big time pitcher to help out Craig Walls in the future would make a world of difference. That all amounts to an A- for depth and a B- for impact.

Ivan Martinez LoA 1B A- A great bat, and boasts the worst attitude in Morgan World
Bruce Christman AAA 2B B+ All around solid, may change position due to a weak arm
Felipe Guerrero HiA 3B B Another solid guy, brings solid defense and an average bat
Alberto Matos AA C B Will form a solid platoon at C with Einar Sanchez
Kenneth Aldridge HiA SS B- Could win the gold glove yearly at 3B



New Britain Claymores- Not a pleasant thing to say, but after three straight second place finishes in the division, this franchise may need to take some time to rebuild itself. There are some starters making there way up the pipe line, but no big time sluggers in the minor leagues. For now, a C for depth and a B- for impact.

Brent Collier AAA SP A- Will be a workhorse, but may not reach elite pitcher status
Theodore Buckley HiA SS B+ gold glove defense and can hit lefty pitching well
Larry Wilkinson AA 2B B- fantastic eye, but only an average defender
Vic Morales AAA SP B- Has stamina but no durability, need to see how he’ll be used
Enrique Cortez HiA SP B- could be a great pitcher or struggle with his control problems

Prospect Report

Okay so I thought something to do with prospects would make for an interesting read on the blog. Here's how it will work, every team (a division at a time) will be given a grade on depth of the minor league system as well as strength of the impact players at the top of the minor league system. Next, each systems top five prospects (in my opinion) will be listed, graded, with a throw away line for those to lazy to actually look the guy up.

I realize that my grading will inevitably be flawed. First, there will be biases in what I look for in prospects, for example I value a good batting eye more than I value power or contact, and a poor health rating scares me away from a guy. Second, I'm trusting my advance scouts, but I have a prety good amount budgeted there. Last, I'm sure the grades wont be perfectly consistent over the whole process, but the important thing I guess is that I'm highlighting the five names to look for.

The grades are intended to hit a bell curve, so to earn an A a guy should be in the top 5% of prospects. For my purposes, an A will be given for a sure bet multi-season all-star, a B for a guy with a shot at becoming an all-star for a season, and a C for just an average major leaguer. For depth, a C prospect at some level at every position merits an A. For impact, and this is hazy, having five guys at a B+ rating or better merits an A. Remember, this is a grade of the minor league system, not of the overall organization. Oh and one more thing, any player currently on the ML roster is left out of the grading.

Here's the schedule:
12/27 NL East
12/29 AL South
12/31 NL West
1/2 AL North
1/4 NL North
1/6 AL East
1/8 NL South
1/10 AL West

So again, this wont be perfect but I don't care, it'll give everyone something to stare at. Enjoy.

Blog Notes

Milbredhawk(Brett) is going to work on an interesting project about ranking teams prospects, he'll do it a division at a time. Should be very interesting.

Until then I noticed a couple of my former players were having good seasons, so I made up an 25 man all-star team of guys that at one point were on the Mad Jesters team. This is probably interesting to only me, but here it is.

Tim Stanley C
Benji Gonzalez C
Jim Stewart 1B/OF
Walker Newfield 2b/3b
Orlando Martin SS/2b
Tim Smith 3B
Victor Unamano SS
Enrique Ruiz RF
Brian Randolf OF
Benj Clark LF
Wes Davies CF
Happy Mcnamara CF
Happy Pressley DH (Two Happy's??? I think the Happy nickname is overused)


Joel Coleman SP1
Vitas Sobkowiak SP2
Danys Guzman SP3
Max Barrios SP4
Ivan Ulrich SP5
Wilt McEnroe LRA
Clay Reese LRA
Fernando Sanchez RP
Gookie Sellers RP
Daniel Malone RP
Steve Childers RP
Ralph Kell RP/CLA

Division Winner and Wildcard Predicitions

Tables don't post very well in this - so I'm just going to post the times

AL North
Minnesota x5
Chicago

AL East
NY x4
Washington x2

AL South
Memphis x3
Santa Fe
Texas

AL West
Scottsdale x6

AL Wildcard
Washington x3
Chicago x2
NY x2
Sacramento x2
Salem
Indianapolis
Memphis

NL North
St. Louis x5
Cincinnati

NL East
Hartford x5
Boston

NL South
Atlanta x3
Houston x3

NL West
Anaheim x3
Arizona x2
Las Vegas

NL Wildcard
Atlanta x3
Houston x2
Anaheim x2
Hartford
Arizona
Cincinnati
Boston
St. Louis

All All-Star Team

Nothing too eye opening here, but there were only 19 repeat all-stars in Season 6 from Season 5. In fact, there are only 10 players who have been all stars for the past three seasons. They are:

PT McNamera, P, Cincinnati Reds
Joel Coleman, P, St Louis Melon Farmers
Al Pena, LF, Hartford Harpoons
Carlos Johnson, 1B, Hartford Harpoons
Vladimir Goya, CF, Cleveland Cleveland Stormtroopers
Jerome Turner, P, Scottsdale Mad Jesters
Earl Wilkerson, P, Scottsdale Mad Jesters
Will Monroe, P, Scottsdale Mad Jesters
Rusty Jones, LF, Scottsdale Mad Jesters
Stan Jackson, SS, Chicago Knights

The teams listed are their current teams, not necessarily the team they have spent the most time with. Earl Wilkerson missed the Season 3 all-star team, but is a five time all-star. Vladimir Goya is a five time all-star as well, elected each season since his rookie year in Season 2. Jerome Turner has also been an all-star since season 2. No player has been an all-star for all six seasons of Morgan World's existence. Suprisingly, another five time all-star, Doug Connelly, 1B, Arizona Scottsdale, who is the best candidate for some sort of non-existant player-of-the-decade award, failed to make the all-star team in Season 5, the result of a down year that saw his stats fall to .317/68/176 (career averages of .356/69/182).

As Requested - The Mad Jesters in Last place

S7 Free Agency Review

Here's the list of the 20 most active teams in free agency with some notes. At the bottom I list which teams I think did the best.

Anaheim – Another good FA season. They re-signed Albert Guzman and his career .400 OBP. Plus solid producers in former all-stars Emil Marichal and Dan West at a great price. Vic Green will give them 200 innings. Still the youngest guy they signed was 34 and the average age of the 10 FA’s signed was 36.

Arizona – Dick Yeats production has slipped, but he still has value.

Austin – Was able to re-sign their great WW pickup in Robin Sullivan, one of the better pitchers in the league.

Chicago – resigned his own in uber-RP Bob Appier, Santayana, and Ralph Kidd. Then they picked up a very good RP in Daniel Malone.

Cincinnati – Got one of the big bats available in Ben Musial, add him to Benj Clark and Eli Oliva makes a nice lineup. Victor Williams will be their new starting SS and Bruce Benes will be a nice addition as a SP/LRA. Then after trading away CLA/SuA Emil Renteria him in S5, they came back and resigned him.

Cleveland – Signed two reclamation projects. Both SPs Randy Pember and Al Sanchez have good ratings, but just haven’t performed like their ratings seem to indicate. If either turn out to have a good season Cleveland will be happy.

Colorado – Signed defensive minded SS, and a couple of RPs. Darrell Castillo will compete for a spot in the rotation.

Dover – Switch hitter John Bong has a history of swinging a good bat. Baily Crawford is a SS with a decent glove and his bat won’t embarrass his team.

Florida – Signed a high OBP in Louis Henderson. Yannick Gilbert is a gold glove CF that has a decent bat.

Hartford – Got All-Star Al Pena at bargain basement price, he is a difference maker that could put them back in the ALCS. Charlie Gwynn has also been resigned at great price, but he is no longer a SP due to injury.

Houston – Carlos Martin will be a fine addition to this team. He won’t be able to play 2B much longer, but his bat is good enough to be an option in the OF.

Indianapolis – Archie Saunders has always hit 32+ HRs and 100+ RBI, they will need all of that in their division.

Las Vegas – Hugh Moore is a huge pickup, he has averaged 58 HRs and 157 RBIs ever season. Otis Martin is a good switch hitting 1B that has had good seasons, but just hasn’t been given many ABs the last few seasons. Willie Roque and Doc May won’t be in the Cy Young mix, but could be very solid back of the rotation guys.

Milwaukee – signed a solid RP in Harold Sweeney and got a good defensive backstop.

Minnesota – Gerald Thomas is another SP with great ratings, but the last few seasons he has really been lit up by the opposition. What he does give them is a guy that has the stamina to rest the bullpen and that can pay dividends when he’s not pitching. A couple of middle relief guys should also help their bullpen.

New Britain – Resigned Jim Stewart who is a great slugger, Terry Cummings and Pete Buddie might regain some of their magic from past seasons. Tom Pember is a good young signing. Abraham Brown might be a decent RP, but he’s never pitched at the ML level.

NY – Signed 36 year old Wilfredo Iglesias, he was cheap which is good but he got absolutely rocked last season. He’s had a few decent seasons in the past, and his ratings really are decent. He’s a decent gamble for a low price.

Sacramento – Got a hot or cold pitcher in Dwight Marshall, he can be great and at $1.4 he’s a good buy and a contract the owner won’t mind eating if he pitches like s6 again. Junior Simmons is a top notch defensive SS, and Matt Charles can fill the role of long RP or spot starter if needed.

Salem – Only signed one guy, but Brian Scott is a very solid performer at the COF spots. He’s not the kind of guy that can carry a team by himself, but he certainly adds a very solid and consistent bat.

Scottsdale – Don Lane, Kirk Jenkins, and Andre Starr have four all-star appearances and two silver slugger awards but all are aging guys. Mostly they are going to play backup roles, but should give Scottsdale a deep bench and an extra RP.

Teams that did the Best in Free Agency

Cincinnati and Anaheim – Anaheim probably added the most talent, but in two years most the guys they signed are going to be retired or just backups. Cincinnati grabbed one of the premier players available, a starting SS, and some relief help.

Next Best Teams in Free Agency

Las Vegas and Hartford – Hartford makes this list on one signing, a HOF player (Al Pena) for pennies. Las Vegas signed one of the top 5 players available and plus added a number of mid range players that should start.

Honorable Mention

Sacramento, Florida, Chicago, Salem

Money Burning a hole in their pocket –

A tie between New Britain and Wichita. New Britain made some decent signings, but spent a lot of money and a few of the guys have little to no history of success. Wichita had a number of odd signings followed by immediately releasing the guy.