CENTRAL DIVISION PREVIEW By: Josh Hodgson

The National League Central proved to be one of the most exciting divisions last season. The East Texas Tornado, Chicago Fancy Cats, Nashville Hitmen, and San Antonio Storm all had a chance to win the division in the final month. Due to their late season surge, these four teams finished with at least a .500 winning percentage or better. The division is also home to the Cincinnati Flying Pigs who struggled the whole year, as evidenced by their 64 and 98 record. Despite their struggles, the team has some great, young talent and is poised to challenge its division rivals in 2000.

Due to a large concentration of talent in one division, the NL Central is possibly the most competitive in the Empire League—this year should be no different. Numerous teams are returning with many of the same players as last year while signing free agents to fill key positions. A closer examination of each team’s strengths and weaknesses as well as their off-season acquisitions will determine which team will be representing the NL Central in the playoffs.

East Texas enjoyed a successful season in the first year of the Empire League. The Tornado and the Fancy Cats were in a race for first place until the very end. During the last week of the season, East Texas slipped past Chicago to capture the division title.

This year, however, repeating as divisional champs may prove to be a challenging task. If East Texas expects to build upon its success, they must improve their offense and relief pitching.

Instead, however, the Tornado decided to improve their defense by acquiring catcher Charles Johnson from division rival, Chicago. The team obtained the gold glove catcher in exchange for catcher Bill Fusselman and pitcher Doug Phillippe. Although the team gave up prized pitching prospect Phillippe, General Manager Zac Pringle is happy with the added power and defense with Johnson. Last season, Johnson committed only one error in 127 games.

Trading Phillippe reinforces the fact that team ownership is committed to winning now. Another sign that the team wants to win now is the signing of relief pitcher Jeff Montgomery and second baseman Jeff Kent.

Montgomery posted a 3.41 ERA along with 20 saves for Washington last season. He will definitely improve this staff of decent relievers. Look for Montgomery to assume either the closer role or set-up closer Mike Stanton. Whichever role Montgomery assumes, it will be his responsibility to hold the pen together. If he falters, look for the rest of the relievers to experience similar problems. Montgomery and the rest of the pen must perform if the team plans to repeat as divisional champs.

Jeff Kent, who played for Atlantic last season, hit .277 along with 20 home runs, 78 RBI’s, and 95 runs scored. Kent will join a lineup of great hitters that includes Tony Clark, Jeff Cirillo, Bobby Higginson, and Rusty Greer. However, despite the presence of these hitters, East Texas at times had trouble scoring runs during the year. The addition of Kent should only help the situation and enable the team to improve their offensive numbers from last year.

One area the team chose not to improve this off-season was starting pitching. This is due partly to the fact that the team already has six starting pitchers. Ace Andy Benes was brilliant last year, posting a record of 15 wins and 8 losses, 1.87 ERA, and 259 strikeouts in 225 innings pitched. Look for Benes along with Steve Trachsel, Ramon Martinez, and Chad Ojea to duplicate their performances of last year. Newcomer Matt Beech should compete with Woody Williams for the fifth starter position.

BOTTOM LINE: The acquisitions of Charles Johnson and Jeff Kent coupled with players such as Higginson, Clark, and Greer, will help the Tornado improve their offensive and defensive numbers from last year. The improved offense along with solid starting pitching and Jeff Montgomery anchoring a staff of decent relievers should be enough for East Texas to repeat as NL Central Champions.

The East Texas Tornado and Chicago Fancy Cats are two teams heading in opposite directions. As the Tornado look to recapture the NL Central title, the Fancy Cats look to rebuild their franchise with young talent instead of looking to free agency.

In the off-season, Chicago General Manager, Matt Fink, traded away both catcher Charles Johnson and second baseman John Valentin. Both trades were designed to decrease team payroll as well as improve the team’s farm system with young talent.

In exchange for Valentin, Chicago received second baseman Brett Boone, outfielder Mark Kotsay, and catcher Paul Bako from the New York Goodfellas. Both Kotsay and Bako are young talent expected to help in the future while Boone will be the everyday second baseman.

In addition to Valentin, the team traded catcher Charles Johnson to East Texas for catcher Bill Fusselman and pitcher Doug Phillippe. This trade was not received well in Chicago and Fink has received a lot of criticism from fans. Charles Johnson was a fan favorite in Chicago and will be missed. Fink has responded to the criticism by saying, "Although Charles Johnson was well liked by players and fans alike, we felt that trading for Phillippe was in the best interest of the team. In exchange for Johnson, we get a pitcher who is going to be a super star in a few years as well as a young catcher who can contribute to the team with his developing power and strong arm."

Although Chicago may be looking to rebuild their team, the team still possesses a good starting pitching staff. Staff ace Jeff Fassero had a Cy-Young type of year in 1999. He posted an ERA of 1.17 with 17 wins and only 5 losses. He also struck out 339 in 231 innings pitched. Along with Fassero, pitchers Wilson Alvarez, Kevin Tapani, Robert Person, and Jay Powell look to lead the Fancy Cats in 2000. Alvarez is a solid number two starter while the other pitchers will keep games close for the Chicago batting lineup.

The heart of the Chicago batting lineup includes young superstar shortstop, Nomar Garciaparra, fist baseman Carlos Delgado, and veteran right fielder Tony Gwynn. All three will lead the offensive attack during the upcoming season.

BOTTOM LINE: While other teams in the division have improved their offense and pitching, the Fancy Cats have decided to invest in youth. Chicago has received numerous prospects, including pitcher Doug Phillippe. These prospects are sure to help the team in the future as they develop. Despite the team’s strong pitching, the lack of free agent signings and forecasted decrease in offensive production due to the departure of Johnson and Valentin hurts their chances of contending in 2000.

The Nashville Hitmen combine a balanced attack of good starting pitching, decent relief, and timely hitting. The team has talent in all three areas but is not outstanding in any one area. This fact is evidenced by the team’s performance last year. During the 1999 season, the Hitmen were competitive, but for some reason, the team couldn’t get much closer than third place.

"Things will be different this year," according to General Manager Michael Hall. "Last year we came close with our pitching. In the off-season, we’ve made some moves to improve our offense and depth that will hopefully make our team more competitive."

In the off-season, the Hitmen signed three free agents to improve their offense and depth. The first acquisition was free agent shortstop Jay Bell. Despite Bell’s .237 average last season, he is expected to lead the offensive attack along with third baseman Chipper Jones, right fielder Paul O’Neil, and first baseman Eric Karros. Bell does possess some power; he hit 20 home runs with 39 doubles last season. With Bell in the lineup, the Hitmen should score more runs than last year.

In addition to Bell, the team signed free agent catcher John Flaherty. Flaherty, who also performed poorly last season (.176 average and 83 strikeouts in 363 at-bats) is expected to do most of the catching due to the departure of catchers Charlie O’Brien and Bentio Santiago. Flaherty is not spectacular, but should do a decent job at the catcher position.

In a move to improve the team’s depth in the infield, the team signed free agent shortstop Gary DiSarcina. DiSarcina is scheduled to back up shortstop Jay Bell during the season as well as be one of the team’s pinch hitters. DiSarcina offers solid defense at the shortstop position as well as some timely hitting in the pinch-hitter role.

Although the team has improved their offense, the Hitmen would have been wise to improve their relief and starting pitching this off-season. Nashville’s two closest competitors, San Antonio and East Texas, improved either their relief, starting pitching or both during free agency. Despite Nashville’s balanced pitching attack, the team is still at a disadvantage when playing these teams due to the lack of a staff ace.

Signing an ace would allow Nashville to match-up better with East Texas’ Benes, San Antonio’s Hampton, and Chicago’s Fassero. David Cone, John Smoltz, and Jamie Moyer were all available and would have improved Nashville’s chances of competing with these teams. Lack of money may have been an issue as to why General Manager Michael Hall chose not to pursue these three pitchers. Whatever the case may have been, Nashville needs a staff ace in order to challenge for the title NL Central title.

This year, Nashville is hoping its balanced attack of Charles Nagy, Butch Henry, Allen Watson, and Darren Dreifort will be enough to overcome San Antonio and East Texas. All four starters pitched well last season, posting ERA’s of 3.23, 2.72, 2.90, and 3.72 respectively. Despite the departure of John Burkett to Las Vegas via free agency, starter Steve Karsay, 10-6, 3.19 ERA, is ready to make an impact and assume a position in the starting rotation. All five starters are capable of winning and should keep Nashville close to the division front-runners.

A big surprise for Nashville last season was closer Mike Jackson. Jackson had a career year as closer, posting an ERA of 1.86 and collecting 26 saves and 58 strikeouts in 38 innings pitched. In addition, John Franco (3.97 ERA), Kevin Ritz (3.60 ERA), and Roberto Hernandez (3.21 ERA) also performed well in relief. However, with Hernandez leaving via free agency, Nashville will have a tough time repeating the success it experienced last year in the bull-pen.

BOTTOM LINE: Although the addition of Jay Bell will improve team offense, the lack of a staff ace will hurt Nashville’s chances of competing with division rivals, San Antonio and East Texas. In addition, the loss of reliever Roberto Hernandez and starter/long reliever John Burkett will definitely decrease the effectiveness of the bullpen. Despite these weaknesses, the team’s balanced hitting attack and starting pitching will keep Nashville competitive with the other teams of the league.

Games Back: 5.0

San Antonio looks to build upon the success it experienced in 1999 and challenge for the NL Central title in 2000. However, things were not always so optimistic in San Antonio.

At the beginning of last season, San Antonio was sometimes referred to in conversations among general managers as the "have-nots" of baseball. However, as the season progressed, General Manager, Matt Birch, orchestrated a series of trades that landed third baseman Scott Rolen, pitchers Mike Sirotka and Mike Hampton, and catcher Javy Lopez. As the month of September approached, the San Antonio Storm found themselves in a pennant race with the Chicago Fancy Cats, East Texas Tornado, and the Nashville Hitmen.

"I couldn’t believe it", said Birch. "We went from losing many ball games early in the season to contending for the NL Central title at the end of the season." Birch attributes his team’s success to team chemistry. According to Birch, "Ever since we got rid of Quinton McCracken, the team started to gel and players started to feel comfortable around each other. The relaxed atmosphere in the clubhouse translated into increased performance on the field."

Despite their increased performance, the Storm failed to catch East Texas and finished fourth in 1999. In 2000, however, the team believes they have a legitimate shot to challenge East Texas due to the team’s recent trades and free agent signings.

The biggest free agent signing for San Antonio was reliever Rob Nen. San Antonio spent a lot of money to sign Nen despite the lack of a proven track record. Nen only pitched 10 innings last year. When he did pitch, he was hit hard, posting a 7.84 ERA. However, many baseball scouts feel Nen has the ability to become a dominant closer. He possesses a blazing fastball and sharp-breaking slider. Look for Nen to set-up closer Mike Timlin along with set-up man Paul Assenmacher.

Paul Assenmacher is another key free agent acquisition for the Storm. Assenmacher provides a left handed arm in the pen. He collected 3 wins last season with a 2.91 ERA in 102 innings pitched. Assenmacher is a workhorse in the pen and has a proven track record of success; he will definitely help the Storm win a lot of games.

In addition to signing free agents to fill key positions, the Storm have also improved their pitching through a series of trades. First, the Storm traded young starter John Thomson and reliever Jerry Spradlin to the Las Vegas Flying Elvises for starter Scott Erickson and closer Mike Timlin. Las Vegas cleared some cap with the trade while San Antonio received innings eater Scott Erickson and closer Mike Timlin who collected 29 saves with Vegas last season.

Another trade involved San Antonio and the Washington Senators. San Antonio received starter Mark Clark for starter Tony Saunders and first base prospect Juan Diaz. Mark Clark pitched well for Washington last season, posting a 13 and 12 record along with a 2.98 ERA and 184 strikeouts in 211 innings pitched. Clark and Erickson will compete for the fourth starter position while Timlin will assume the closer role.

BOTTOM LINE: The Storm are returning their whole lineup from 1999 while receiving key players from free agency and trades. Free agents Rob Nen and Paul Assenmacher are sure to keep a lot of games close for Mike Timlin to finish. Starters Scott Erickson and Mark Clark will give the team a lot of quality innings while the aces of the staff, Mike Hampton and Mike Sirotka, anchor the solid pitching rotation. If the offense can hit like they did towards the end of 1999, and I think they will, the San Antonio Storm will not only challenge East Texas and Nashville, but capture the NL Central title.

The Flying Pigs had a tough season in 1999, losing 98 games and finishing fifth in their division. Despite their record, the team possesses talent at key positions and is ready to improve their record from a year ago. During the off-season, Cincinnati has improved their hitting, starting pitching, and farm system through trades and free agency.

The first trade involves the New York Goodfellas. In exchange for LF prospect Lance Berkman and 3B prospect Eric Chavez, the Flying Pigs received centerfielder Richard Hidalgo and reliever Armando Benitez. Hidalgo is a promising young centerfielder who will compete with centerfielder Carlos Beltran for the starting job.

Also in the deal was reliever Armando Benitez. Benitez was a great acquisition for the team. He possesses a blazing fastball and with a little work on his control, should be able to assume the set-up role for closer Billy Wagner. Benitez and Wagner are a great one-two punch in the bull-pen; both are capable of completely shutting down the opposition.

The second big trade of the off-season involves the Washington Senators. In exchange for first baseman John Olerud and starters Javier Vazquez, Esteban Yan, and Francisco Cordova, Cincinnati received slugger first baseman Mark McGwire.

Many general managers in the league criticized Cincinnati General Manager Tim Scott for making the trade. Many feel the team gave up too much to get McGwire. According to Scott, "A big problem for us last year was scoring runs. To improve our offense we traded for a player who can help us right now. Although we gave up a great pitcher in Cordova, we feel the trade is in the best interest of our ball club."

Last season McGwire hit .280 with 31 home runs and 86 RBI’S. The addition of first baseman Mark McGwire along with right fielder Sammy Sosa (.276, 30 home runs, 80 RBI’S) gives Cincinnati two of the best sluggers in the game. With both of these guys in the line-up along with shortstop Derek Jeter, Cincinnati is sure to score more runs than last year.

In fact, trading Cordova to improve their offense may have been the plan from the beginning. During free agency, the team signed free agent starter David Cone to replace the loss of Cordova. Last season, Cone posted a record of 12-13 with a 3.21 ERA and 260 strikeouts in 227 innings pitched. Cone is not quite the pitcher Cordova (18-6, 2.05 ERA, 212 strikeouts in 219 innings pitched) was last season but the free agent signing is a step in the right direction.

Cone will anchor the staff along with promising young starters Rick Ankiel (2.90 ERA), Rob Bell (3.96 ERA), Scott Schoeneweis (8.65 ERA), and the injured Brett Tomko (2.87 ERA). Although these three starters are young, they are extremely talented and should help Cincinnati challenge for the NL Central title in a few years.

Similar to the team’s starting pitching, the team’s relief pitching is also very young and talented. Closer Billy Wagner (3.06 ERA and 18 saves) along with set-up man Armando Benitez, Octavio Dotel, and Jason Isringhausen will play a large part in the future success of the team. All are talented pitchers who will only get better with experience.

BOTTOM LINE: Cincinnati has improved their offense with the acquisition of slugger Mark McGwire. However, the majority of the pitching staff and relievers are still inexperienced and may struggle at times during the year. The acquisition of starter David Cone is a step in the right direction but it won’t be enough. Despite the improved offense, the Flying Pigs will once again struggle during the 200 season until pitchers Ankiel, Bell, and Schoenweis learn how to pitch effectively at the big league level.