![[BraMBLe '99]](/va/proudestmonkeys/images/brambleicon.jpg)
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Projected BraMBLe '99 Standings
The following projections are provided by East Coast Commissioner Bruce Kammer. Any responsible questions or comments should be directed therein.
The Contenders
Best Hitter: Mike Piazza
Best Pitcher: Mariano Rivera
Total Quality Points: 42.5
Infield: The infield is quite capable with the steady young 1B Tony Clark, who continues to improve each year. Jeff Kent has made me a believer in his talent, but I still hate his guts. Travis Fryman should continue to put up great numbers for the Tribe. The only question mark in this group is whether Kevin Brown will kill Mark Grudzielanek after he botches a couple grounders. If not, Grudz hopefully looks to improve on a sub-par 98. RATING: 7.0
Outfield: Now back in right, Raul Roundesi! I guess all those reports of a fat Raul are false. He could thrive in the cleanup spot if he is more selective at the plate. Albert Belle will make a run at McGwire’s record playing half his games in Camden, and Tim Salmon appears healthy after concerns over his foot last year. As they say about Timmy, best player never to make it to the All-Star game. RATING: 7.5
Catcher: Big Mike is accepted and at home in NYC. ‘Nuff said. Brad Ausmus might contribute a few cheap steals as Piazza puts up enough numbers for the two of them. RATING: 8.0
Bench: The bench is loaded, especially if Delino DeShields recovers from an early season injury. Edgar Martinez continues to get better with age. Jason Giambi plays for a bad team and hence quietly puts up solid numbers. Darrin Erstad had a break-out year last year and bigger things are expected as he moves to the outfield. Same goes for Johnny Damon in KC. RATING: 7.5
Starting Pitching: A motley collection of young guns, lefties, and reclamation projects. Alex Fernandez is back with the Marlins after rotator-cuff surgery two years ago and could surprise. Pat Hentgen hopes to rebound from a poor '98. Brian Moehler could become the ace of the Tigers’ staff. Time will tell what kind of pitchers Mike Hampton and Jose Lima are after the departure of Randy Johnson from Houston. Kenny Rogers is the ace of Oakland’s staff and this one as well. RATING: 5.5
Bullpen: Fairly solid at the top with Mariano Rivera and John Wetteland. Rivera should get plenty of save opportunities, and Wetteland is a question mark with early season foot problems. Rick Aguilera might be traded to a contender, suddenly increasing his value. And Armando Benitez provides insurance should John Franco suddenly lose it. RATING: 7.0
Outlook: The offence will produce, but will the pitching?
Best Hitter: Jeff Bagwell
Best Pitcher: Al Leiter
Total Quality Points: 42.5
Infield: Best infield in BraMBLe with arguably 3 players rated at the top of their positions. We’re talking about Bagwell, Ray Durham, and Nomar. Oh yeah, and Edgardo Alfonzo is no slouch either, sneaking into this infield due to his playing time at third last year. The only question is whether Nomar’s preseason arm injury is serious or not over the long run. I doubt it. Look for these guys to put up some great numbers. RATING: 9.0 (max 10.0)
Outfield: The starting outfield is not that much of a drop off from the infield. Built around Manny Ramirez, it consists of three great all around players. While Rusty Greer may not put up the gaudy numbers that Manny and Andruw Jones will, he is a model of blue-collar consistency, whatever that is. Jones could be the next great OF in the majors, now only if he can bring that average up. RATING: 7.5
Catcher: This is the weakest part of the team. There really is not much to say about Mike Lieberthal and Scott Hatteburg other than that, when they play, they put up some decent numbers that won’t really harm the overall team. Liberthal is capable of putting up 20 HRs but has yet to show consistency. Hatteburg’s defense might cost him playing time. RATING: 5.0
Bench: Anytime you can bring The Big Hurt and Derek Jeter off the bench you are not going to lose any offensive production. Bobby Abreu is the fourth outfielder and is a lock for double digit homers and steals while batting for average. The same cannot be said for Tom Theft Goodwin. If his average breaks the .300 barrier, it would be a miracle, but look for him to contribute more than his 38 steals from a year ago. One can only hope that Will Clark keeps producing at the age of 35. RATING: 6.5
Starting Pitching: The rotation is anchored by Al Leiter who enjoyed his finest season last year as the Met’s ace. The Met’s are looking for more of the same this year, but Leiter is only a year removed from a 4+ ERA season. The rotation took a blow with the season-ending injury to young stud Matt Morris, so the rest of the staff has to pick up the slack. Andy Benes and Todd Stottlemyre have to live up to the big expectations in Arizona, and Darren Dreifort has to realize his potential of Cy Young stuff. For the moment it looks like Kelvim Escobar has been bumped from Toronto’s rotation. Woodard is the anchor of the Brewer’s staff but it looks like Echo will be the only one paying attention to them this year. RATING: 6.0
Bullpen: The Bullpen is very solid with flamethrowers Billy Wagner and Ugueth Urbina. Wagner is rumored to have developed two new pitches to go along with his 100 mph fastball so this could be a breakout year. Matt Mantei could be trade bait in a couple months and has a live arm. Bobby Howry was awarded the White Sox closer job and big things are expected from him. RATING: 8.5
Outlook: If the starting pitching comes around and a capable replacement is found for Matt Morris, this team would be tough to knock from the top.
Best Hitter: Mo Vaughn
Best Pitcher: Pedro Martinez
Total Quality Points: 40
Infield: Solid outside of Tony Womack, who not only broke his arm this spring, but has been moved to the outfield where he has never played before. If he gets on base, will he score for that anemic Arizona offense? Mo Vaughn has left Beantown for the sunny confines of SoCal. Expect more of the same from Big Mo. Eric Chavez is a Rookie of the Year candidate and should have an immediate impact. Omar is getting up there in age but look for him to contribute to the Solstice’s overwhelming team speed. RATING: 7.0
Outfield: Did I say fast. Kenny Lofton had a pretty solid year upon his return to the AL, but his average declined. Shannon Stewart is the new Lofton, and is capable of stealing 60+ bases, and he might push 20 HR’s. Rondell White is a great all around player but can he fight off the injury bug playing for the Expos? RATING: 7.0
Catcher: Big things are expected from young Eli Marero in St. Louis, but whether he produces is a question. Todd Greene is finally healthy for the Angels and he should be able to catch 3-4 times a week. His bat is the key and he could see some time at DH too. RATING: 6.0
Bench: Lots of Dodger$ on this bench headed up by family friend Devon White, who will sadly realize that Dodger stadium is going to eat what little offense he has for lunch. Gary Sheffield has already started whining about everything. It is only a matter of time before he gets hurt, but when he plays, he can put up some great numbers, if he is happy too. Adrian Beltre is a NL contender for Rookie of the Year at third. When Edgar Renteria gets healthy, he will add some speed off the bench. Juan Encarnacion assumes the Tigers’ LF job and he was solid in a second half call up last season. RATING: 6.5
Starting Pitching: Strong up top, but there is a big drop-off. Pedro Martinez and Roger Clemens are two of the game’s elite pitchers and give the Solstice two number one starters at the head of the rotation. Everyone else is young and has had a solid season or two at sometime in their young careers. Brett Tomko should continue to improve, but one wonders what happened to Brad Radke and Shawn Estes? RATING: 7.0
Bullpen: At least there are four closers which some teams don’t have. Two of the best, Troy Percival and Mike Jackson, are at the top and they should provide consistency. Then there is Jose Mesa, now in Seattle. Jose hopes to find his once dominating form. Good luck. Bob Wickman took over from Doug Jones in Milwaukee late last year and is now their closer. He could produce 20 saves. RATING: 6.5
Outlook: The Solstice have very little power, so don’t look for them to compete in the run production categories. Speed and pitching might be enough to propel them to a top 5 finish.
Best Hitter: Larry Walker
Best Pitcher: John Smoltz
Total Quality Points: 40
Infield: Great right side, huge question mark on the left. We know what to expect from Craig Biggio, and barring injury we can expect more of the same. Carlos Delgado continues to become the best AL first baseman in obscurity. The Bombers are hoping that the real Fernando Tatis is the Cardinals version after being traded in mid-season last year by the Rangers. Hopefully Miguel Tejada can find some plate discipline to harness his 5 tool talent. Although he could lose some time because of shoddy defense. RATING: 6.5
Outfield: Strongest part of the team that is very balanced. Larry Walker looks to rebound from a disappointing '98, if you can call 363/23/67/14 season disappointing. The RBIs definitely need to come up. Ray Lankford may start the season on the DL due to a gimpy knee, but he continues to put up solid all around numbers. But can Shawn Green put up the same numbers he did in his '98 breakout year? RATING: 8.0
Catcher: A consistent veteran and a project. Dan Wilson hopes to bounce back after a disappointing '98 and it is only a matter of time before Mitch Meluskey is the full time Astros catcher. The boy can hit, but his defense has been questioned. RATING: 6.0
Bench: Fairly solid, abounding with veterans. Tony Gwynn is here purely for sentimental reasons - hopefully he can stay off the fried chicken long enough to remain healthy. But the real punch will come from Jim Thome and Matt Stairs. Mike Lansing and the Rockies both hope that '98 was a fluke. Finally Carlos Beltran hopes to prove that he belongs in the bigs. RATING: 6.5
Starting Pitching: Mike Mussina and John Smoltz could both win Cy Youngs this year. The big question marks come from the other three starters. Rick Reed had a awful last couple months last year and his spring has not been that much better. The Dodger$ are hoping that Ismael Valdes finally pitches like he is capable of. Padres’ rookie Matt Clement is simply on the Bombers’ roster as the team builds for the future. He could add 10-12 wins with a good K total. RATING: 6.5
Bullpen: It’s Hells Bells time. Trevor Hoffman leads this bunch, but other than Todd Jones, there are no other true closers. Juan Acevedo could be moved into the Cardinals’ rotation out of necessity. Dodger$ setup man Al Osuna is on the DL. Jay Powell takes his place while Al heals. Dan Miceli and Jason Christiansen hope to put up some decent numbers, and Christiansen is a threat to take over the Pirates’ closer job. RATING 6.5
Outlook: The only way the Bombers will win is if the left side of their infield puts up ungodly numbers, but that is unlikely. The team is fairly balanced and should compete in most categories.
Best Hitter: Barry Bonds
Best Pitcher: Kevin Brown
Total Quality Points: 38.5
Infield: A serious blow was dealt when Andres Galarraga was sadly knocked out for the year battling cancer. What’s left is unremarkable. Eric Young continues to buy time for the inevitable, but he will steal some bases. Caruso somehow manages to hit .300 with half of his balls unable to leave the infield. Jeff Cirillo is a steady player at the hot corner but not quite what one would want from that position. He definitely won’t hurt the team, but won’t add much more than average and some RBIs. RATING: 5.0
Outfield: Good thing for the Americans that the outfield makes up for the short comings of the infield. A spectacular trio of Sammy Sosa, Vladimir Guerrero, and the penultimate player of our generation, at least talent wise, Barry Bonds, who continues to quietly put up incredible numbers. The Americans are hoping that Vladimir has indeed arrived, and that Sammy can repeat last year’s ungodly unexpected performance without getting himself beaned in the face by a pitcher angry over his ridiculous bowing after ever HR. RATING: 9.0
Catcher: The big question here is whether Sandy Alomar will ever be healthy enough to return to his 1997 All-Star form. If he stays injury-free, Alomar is quite capable of putting up above average offensive numbers for a catcher, but don’t count on it. Darrin Fletcher is a reliable catcher that will once again put up numbers somewhere in the neighborhood of 280/10/50. RATING: 5.0
Bench: The bench is pretty average. Houston signed Ken Caminiti hoping he would return to his ’96 MVP form, but injuries have slowed him the last two seasons and there is no reason to expect that the Astrodome won’t take its toll as well. So the burden of his lack of offensive production will fall on teammate Derek Bell who thinks he is better than he really is. He needs to ditch those baggy pants. Mickey Morandini continues to befuddle me on how he is able to keep a job. David Justice has found a home as Cleveland’s DH and will put up solid numbers, as well as RBI machine (at least that is what people think in LA) Eric Fabio Karros. RATING: 5.5
Starting Pitching: $105 million man Kevin Brown leads this staff with two Seattle veterans, Jamie Moyer and Jef Fassero, providing consistency. Dustin Hermansen embraced the starter’s role last season and established himself as one of the NL’s best young pitchers. For the first half of last year, Bartolo Colon was one of the AL’s best young pitchers but arm fatigue and a lack of confidence got the best of him in the second half. Atlanta young stud Bruce Chen has been bumped from the rotation for now, and it is unlikely that Mark Gardner will produce 13 wins again. RATING: 6.5
Bullpen: Not much needs to be said about Robb Nen other than he is perhaps the best reliever in the game today. Jeff Shaw will continue to pile up saves in LA for the loaded Dodger$. Paging the real Roberto Hernandez… And Billy Taylor came out of no where to save 33 last season at the age of 37. RATING: 7.5
Outlook: The offense took a big blow with the loss of Galarraga and now is riding on the shoulders of a great outfield, but that won’t be enough to compete for the title barring a blockbuster deal.
Best Hitter: Ken Griffey, Jr.
Best Pitcher: Pick ‘em
Total Quality Points: 38.5
Infield: Three studs and a dud. How Pat Meares made it into this group remains to be seen, but I will chalk it up to a coincidence. Tino Martinez should rebound with slightly better power numbers, and Damion Easley wants to prove that last year was no fluke, especially after a sluggish second half. The question is whether stud-muffin Chipper can put his emotional problems behind him and match last year’s great numbers. RATING: 8.0
Outfield: This outfield by year’s end could wind up being the best in the league. We know what to expect from Griffey as long as he is not whining about not being a home-run hitter. Same goes for his selfish mate in right, Juan Gonzalez, who wants to prove that he is worth more than Kevin Brown’s $105 million. But the real treasure could wind up being JD Drew, who has had a solid spring and looks ready for the show. Keep an eye out for the Phillies-Cards series - Drew could be killed. RATING: 8.0
Catcher: Jason Kendall could very well be the most valuable fantasy catcher in a year if he continues to bat .330 and steal well over 20 bases. However, for the time being, look for his run production to drop as he bats leadoff. If Todd Hundley can bounce back from a severe elbow injury and provide the offense the Dodger$ are looking for, these two will be a powerful twosome. But that is a big IF. RATING: 6.5
Bench: The Legion’s bench has the two best young firstbasemen in the game, Todd Helton and Travis Lee. Travis Lee will improve on his rookie year and be the best player in a weak D-backs lineup. Helton should blossom this year, but he is still no Scott Rolen. Todd Walker adds potential in the middle infield, and the outfield backups could surprise with Ellis Burks and Brady Anderson. RATING: 6.5
Starting Pitching: The staff is a lot like the Quackers, a bunch of guys with similar abilities and potential. Look for breakout years by Orlando Hernandez, Jason Schmidt, and Sterling Hitchcock. Chuck Finley will provide veteran leadership by example. And Aaron Sele and Kirk Reuter hope that last season was not their respective career years. RATING: 5.5
Bullpen: A virtual monopoly on the Texas setup position, with Danny Patterson and Tim Crabtree, combined with the young Scott Elarton offers hope, but Randy Myers is wanted by no one and has lost velocity on his fastball. RATING: 4.0
Outlook: Pitching could falter and bring down a potent offense, guaranteeing a finish in the middle.
Best Hitter: Alex Rodriguez
Best Pitcher: Pick ‘em
Total Quality Points: 38.5
Infield: Lots of power. Big Mac can’t top last season but he will come close. Vinny Castilla will once again put up monster numbers playing at Coors Canaveral. Roberto Alomar will enjoy a successful season reunited with his brother in Cleveland. Oh did I forget some guy named A-Rod? RATING: 9.0
Outfield: Dante Bichette is the leader here, but his power numbers finally fell off last year. You can expect about the same in '99. Cliff Floyd is the best player on the Marlins and a lock for 20-20. Jeromy Burnitz will hit some homers, but his average will continue to suffer unless he cuts down on the Ks. RATING: 6.5
Catcher: Jorge Posada is now the Yankees’ full-time and should greatly benefit from the increased playing time. Eddie Taubensee will do nothing to take away from the team’s numbers. RATING: 6.5
Bench: Not much depth here. Jim Edmonds is the best player of the bunch and could wind up being the odd-man out in the Angels crowded outfield. Neifi Perez could get a Coors Canaveral boost as well, but it remains to be seen if that would make much of a difference. Geoff Jenkins is fighting injuries, but his job is his to lose. Doung Glanville and Kevin Young add some pop. RATING: 5.0
Starting Pitching: A group that are all very similar in capability and potential. Will David Cone’s arm hold up, but more so will he get the run support that he got last year? Will David Wells be happy in Toronto? Is Andy Pettitte going to produce with a sore shoulder? Can Ashby, Helling, and Scott Erickson provide solid consistency? The potential is here for a great staff. RATING: 6.0
Bullpen: Tom Gordon and what army? Mike Timlin arrives in Baltimore to assume the vacated closer’s role, but he is a former Seattle reliever. Gabe White has shown some potential in Cincy, but he is locked in a battle with Danny Graves for that job. And Chad Bradford was sent to the minors. RATING: 5.5
Outlook: Lack of offensive depth and a bullpen will cause a finish in the middle of the pack.
Best Hitter: Bernie Williams
Best Pitcher: Randy Johnson
Total Quality Points: 37.5
Infield: Pretty average all around. John Olerud is a solid hitter but is not in the mold of a true first baseman. Fernando Vina is valued as much for his glove as for his bat. Barry Larkin had a great year last year as he was relatively injury free. And Scott Brosius enjoyed a remarkable '98 after a disaster in '97. This year look for Brosius to put up numbers somewhere in between of '97 and '98. RATING: 6.0
Outfield: With Moises Alou down until at least August, the slack needs to be picked up by Paul O’Neill and Brian Jordan. O’Neill will enjoy success batting in the third spot in the Yanks’ lineup. Brian Jordan will be counted on in Atlanta to provide run production for the lost Andres Galarraga. Look for Bernie Williams to start with Alou out. Bernie Baseball could enjoy an MVP type season. RATING: 6.5
Catcher: Two of the best. Pudge Rodriguez and Javy Lopez. No cause for concern here. RATING: 8.5
Bench: One up and comer, one over-hyped second baseman, and a couple has-beens. The lone bright spot is Bobby Higginson, who provides a solid average, double digit HRs, and lots of RBIs. Bret Boone will be the disappointment of the year. Sweet swinging Mark Grace provides relief at first, but don’t expect much more than a high average and 80 RBIs. Fred McGriff has all but disappeared the last couple years. RATING: 5.5
Starting Pitching: Randy Johnson is the ace, and if his back stays healthy could continue to dominate the NL. The big blow to this staff came with the indefinite loss of Kerry Wood. So much promise wasted by pitcher abuse. Reclamation project Steve Avery replaces him. He too is a shadow of his former self. Two other Reds on the staff, Pete Harnisch and Deny Neagle, are both hurt, and Neagle will start the season on the DL. He is replaced by one-year wonder Omar Daal. Chris Peters and Jaret Wright round up the rotation. Wright hopes to bounce back from a tough sophomore year. RATING: 5.5
Bullpen: The story here is who will be the Braves’ closer. Young gun John Rocker (should be the one) or Mark Wohlers. If Wohlers can target his fastball once more, he could easily slide back into his old job. If that is the case, Rocker turns into a top notch setup guy. The Full Monty remains the closer in KC, and saves will come but the rest of his numbers could be brutal. Toronto setup man Graeme Llyod hopes to find life after the Yanks. RATING: 5.5
Outlook: Too many question marks coupled with injuries on this team to win it all.
Best Hitter: Scott Rolen
Best Pitcher: Greg Maddux
Total Quality Points: 37.5
Infield: Rafael Palmeiro and Chcuk Knoblauch anchor a capable outfield. Palmeiro seems destined to play by opening day after an early spring injury, and Knoblauch hopes to carry some of that World Series magic over to 99 trying to rediscover the player he was in Minnesota. Dean Palmer signed a big contract with the Tigers and his power numbers could increase playing in Tiger Stadium. Tony Batista is an unknown at SS, but he did slug 18 last year, so the potential is there. RATING: 6.5
Outfield: Could find major disappointment here. Don’t look for Greg Vaughn to slug 50 again, more like 30. Ben Grieve will continue to get better, but needs to find his power swing. Carl Everett is another one of those Astro outfielders that think they are better than they really are. The Monkeys and the Astros can’t afford to see Everett struggle. RATING: 6.0
Catcher: Two great young catchers that unfortunately can’t really hit all that well. AJ Hinch has more upside than Charles Johnson at the plate, and he should hit much better this year after being rushed to the bigs. CJ on the other hand offers little but power, but his production could increase playing in a hitter’s park. RATING: 5.5
Bench: The only established player among this group is Scott Rolen. Coming off two solid seasons to start his career, there is no reason to expect any different. Ryan Klesko assumes the Big Cat’s position in Atlanta, and his power numbers should come up with the increased playing time. Brian Giles is a solid hitter who should also shine with the chance to play every day. Jose Cruz, Jr. is back after his little disappearing act last season, and he has the potential to go 20-20. Which brings me to Jose Offerman. How in the hell did this guy get $7 million? It is not like he still plays for the Dodger$. He has one good season after a lot of crappy ones, and the Red Sox are so desperate for offense, that they throw money at him. I hope the same can’t be said about the Monkeys. RATING: 6.0
Starting Pitching: How does one team manage to get Greg Maddux, Curt Schilling, and Tom Glavine on the same team? Collusion or plain ole’ smart deal making? Your call. Well these three guys are the backbone of a strong pitching rotation that also includes Shane Reynolds (a No.2 guy in a No.1 role), and two Dodger$, Chuck Won Duck, oops I mean Chan Ho Park, and Carlos Perez. The Monkeys are hoping that Kevin Brown has the same kind of influence on the latter two as he had on that toilet in Vero Beach. Finally what staff would not be complete without a reclamation project. On the Monkeys, that distinction falls onto Kevin Appier, who hopes to finds the magic again after a season-ending injury last year. RATING: 8.5
Bullpen: The ‘pen right now is a huge question mark. Meisterbrewer Rod Beck is having injury problems. Rich Loiselle apparently is on borrowed time once again in Pittsburgh. Ricky Botallico seeks to move into the closer role in St. Louis, and Matt Anderson is waiting in the wings in Detroit for Todd Jones to falter. RATING: 5.0
Outlook: The Monkeys may be trying to defend their title using the same strategy as last year by a dominating pitching staff, but unfortunately there are no Sosas and Alous in their lineup this year.
Disclaimer: Above predictions were based solely on my opinion alone according to my views on the state of baseball. Ratings are purely subjecting, and in no way should be used as a basis for high-stakes sports wagering on the Internet via CBS Sportsline. Any shots taking above were in jest and should not be taken seriously. If they are, remember I own a high-powered sniper rifle, and if I recall, there is a clocktower not too far from where most of you live.