eMLB

eMLB Ranking - #13 - Mid Michigan Tigers

2012-02-20T05:01:00.000-06:00

Mid Michigan Tigers (#13 overall, #13 Roto, #13 Pts)

Strengths: None

Weaknesses: Stolen Bases

Infield

The club has 1B/3B Miguel Cabrera, who is the top fantasy player in2012 with his new position eligibility, and Adam Lind on the corners. Brian McCann should continue to be one of themost consistent top tier catchers in the game. The middle infield has some questions (Howie Kendrick and Alides Escobar),but are definitely not the worst in eMLB.

Outfield

The outfield will be led by top draft pick Jay Bruce, and flanked bytwo solid outfielders in Austin Jackson and Torii Hunter. The biggest question marks will be howBrandon Belt performs in 2012, and can anyone be productive in the utilityspot.

Pitching

The starting pitching staff will throw five very capable startingpitchers, but none of them dominant. Theorganization has six solid starting pitchers in Gio Gonzalez, Scott Baker,Wandy Rodriguez, Doug Fister, Colby Lewis, and Jair Jurrjens. The bullpen will be a mix and match early inthe year as Huston Street is the only player with a defined role. Brandon Lyon, Aroldis Chapman, Kevin Gregg,Brian Fuentes, and Chad Qualls could find themselves in key roles or buriedamong other pitchers.

Overall

The Great Lakes Division is better this season than in years past, andI don’t think they will have two lottery teams in 2013. I would say right now that the Tigers have a50/50 shot of making the lottery or their familiar home in the consolationplayoffs.

eMLB Ranking - #14 - Charlotte Orios

2012-02-19T05:01:00.001-06:00

Charlotte Orios (14^th overall, 13^th Roto, 14^thPts)

Strengths: Saves

Weaknesses: Wins, Strikeouts, ERA, and WHIP

Infield

The names are big on the Orios infield…. Joe Mauer, Adam Dunn, Chase Utley, DavidWright, Adrian Beltre, and Yunel Escobar, but each of them has serious questionmarks heading into the 2012 season. Thiswould have been an All-Star team five years ago, but now they are struggling tostay on the field and produce consistently. That being said, if everything clicks for this group they are still verydangerous.

Outfield

The outfield is led by Jayson Werth, with teenage sensation BryceHarper waiting in the wings. Alex Riosis in the final year of a 5yr contract, Jose Tabata has a lot of potential butis coming off injury, and Carlos Quentin is still a power threat when he is onthe field. Much like the infield thisgroup is trying to be a consistent producer and/or bounce back from injury.

Pitching

To put it in simple terms, the starting pitching rotation is a complete mess. While Jonathon Sanchez and Francisco Liriano have the ability to strikeout a bunch of hitters, they also have the ability to implode in any given start. The other starters in the rotation are even worse, so expect them to be looking on the waiver wire early and often for starting pitchers. The bullpen is better with three closers in Joel Hanrahan, Sergio Santos, and Frank Francisco to match three holds candidates in FranciscoCordero, Kerry Wood, and Leo Nunuz (or whatever his name is now).

Overview

The Orios rode a lot of magic in 2011, and almost won the Great LakesDivision, but their glass slipper fell off in the final week and they ended up finishing last in the Consolation Playoffs. For them to compete this yearthey will need that same magic, but in a much improved division I think it willbe a long season for the Orios.

eMLB Ranking - #15 - San Antonio Fire Ants

2012-02-18T05:01:00.000-06:00

San Antonio Fire Ants (15^th overall, 15^th Roto,15^th Pts)

Strengths: Holds

Weaknesses: Batting Average,Runs, Stolen Bases, Strikeouts, Saves

Infield

The infield is decent with Carlos Pena, Michael Young, Pablo Sandoval,Cliff Pennington, and Danny Espinosa (utility). Danny Espinosa’s development might be the key to the clubs infieldproduction, as he has shown a power/speed combo in the past.

Outfield

The outfield will be led by their top draft pick Josh Hamilton, andtheir top trade acquisition Andre Ethier. Cameron Maybin is one of the few contracted the club had heading intothe Winter Meetings. The offense willhave their good weeks, but if/when Josh Hamilton lands on the DL it will makefor some very low output weeks.

Pitching

The starting rotation is anchored by Tommy Hanson who can be one of thetop starters in the game. Ubaldo Jimenezand Jaime Garica are two of their top draft picks that will need to produceimmediately. The key for the rotationmight be the number of innings and quality of innings that they get from JohanSantana. The bullpen is led by closerJavy Guerra, who may lose that job to Kenley Jansen early, and matched withseveral mrps. Tyler Clippard is one ofthe best mrps in the league, and should be considered the top option in thebullpen.

Overview

The Fire Ants sold out at the trade deadline to make a run for thetitle in 2011, and like the Squirrels, they will have to work through therebuilding process in 2012. The FireAnts are going to have a tough time playing three divisional games against theHackensack Bulls, Michigan Miracles, and South Texas Heat. The best case scenario for them is that theysneak into the consolation, but expect them to be a lottery team in 2013.

eMLB Ranking - #16 - Springfield Flying Squirrels

2012-02-17T05:01:00.000-06:00

Springfield Flying Squirrels of Republic (16^th overall, 16Roto, 16 Pts)

Strengths: Home Runs

Weaknesses: Batting Average,Stolen Bases, Walks, WHIP

Infield

Their infield will be solid with Freddie Freeman, Robinson Cano, BrettLawrie, Jimmy Rollins, and Dan Uggla (utility). Robinson Cano is an automatic producer, but the development of FreddieFreeman and Brett Lawrie will be the key to the Squirrels future.

Outfield

The outfield might be the worst ever assembled in eMLB history! The only glimmer of hope is if Mike Troutbreaks camp with the Angels and has a fulltime gig. JD Martinez showed some pop in 2011, andColby Rasmus still hasn’t lived up to his full potential so the Squirrelsoutfield might not be a total disaster, but it most likely will.

Pitching

The pitching staff will be led by Mat Latos and Adam Wainwright (whomissed all of 2011 with an injury). Anibal Sanchez, Chad Billingsley, and Brett Myers are a solid 3-4-5group, and the organization has some prospects with Julio Teheran and DannyDuffy on the bench. Carlos Marmol andChris Perez will hold down the closers role, with some average mrps in front ofthem.

Overall

The Squirrels sold out prior to the 2011 season to win it all, and willnow need to work through the rebuilding process in 2012. It is rare to see a team that is near the topin HR be near the bottom of the standings, but the Squirrels are projected tobe just that. The Squirrels findthemselves in the weakest division in 2012, so they could surprise and sneakinto the consolation tournament, but most likely they will be a lottery team.

eMLB Rankings

2012-02-16T19:51:00.002-06:00

A few things before I kick off my rankings (one per day starting tomorrow):
1. Strengths is defined as being at least one standard deviation above the league mean in that category
2. Weakness is defined as being at least one standard deviation below the league mean in that category
3. The projections are my own, but fairly similar to the standard projections seen on many sites.
4. The total ranking is a combination of the Roto ranking and the Pts/$ ranking
5. The Roto ranking only takes into consideration the projected starters for each team
6. The Pts/$ ranking takes into consider bench strength by making each project bench player 1/2 of their pt/$ amount.

2012 Winter Meetings Trade Results

2012-02-16T14:19:00.002-06:00

Granted some of these picks were dealt numerous times. Results will be BOLD

Atlantic Surge trade picks 3.4 and 13.4 to the Gaylord Dingers for draft picks 4.11 and 8.3.

Atlantic trades David Ortiz and Jonathan Niese to Gaylord for Mark Trumbo and John Danks

The North Texas Rangers traded Ardolis Chapman (2/12), and draft picks 1.13 and 2.7 to the Mid Michigan Tigers for draft picks 1.10 and 2.10.

North Texas traded Ardolis Chapman(2/12), Jay Bruce, and Brian McCann to Mid Michigan for Elvis Andrus and Mike Napoli

The Charlotte Orios traded draft picks 1.9 and 5.8 to the Olivet Killer Eagles for Adam Dunn (3/13) and draft picks 2.2 and 4.2.

Charlotte trades Hanley Ramirez and Yadier Molina to Olivet for Adam Dunn, Adrian Beltre, and Carlos Quentin

The Michigan Miracles traded Andre Etheir (3/12), Carlos Pena (2/12), draft picks 2.3 and 6.3 to the San Antonio Fire Ants for draft picks 1.12, 4.12, and 6.12.

Michigan traded Andre Ethier, Carlos Pena, Josh Hamilton, and Ubaldo Jimenez to San Antonio for Hunter Pence, Jonathan Papelbon, and Ryan Roberts

The Gaylord Dingers traded Matt Thornton (2/11) and pick 8.11 to the South Texas Heat for Derek Jeter (2/12) and draft pick 10.15.

Gaylord traded Matt Thornton and Mike Adams to South Texas for Derek Jeter and Bud Norris

The Michigan Miracles traded draft pick 1.3 to the South Texas Heat for Prince Fielder (5/15) and pick 8.15

Michigan traded Troy Tulowitski to South Texas for Prince Fielder and Sergio Romo

The Dallas Redbirds traded draft picks 1.13 and 8.13 to the North Texas Rangers for draft pick 1.8.

Dallas traded Jay Bruce and Alexi Ogando to North Texas for Mark Teixeira

The North Texas Rangers sent draft picks 2.4 and 6.7 to the South Texas Heat for draft picks 1.15 and 18.15

North Texas traded Chris Young and Dan Bard to South Texas for Nelson Cruz and Juan Nicasio **Looks like Berg ended up keeping that 18.15**

The Gaylord Dingers sent draft pick 10.11 to the Michigan Miracles for Aaron Hill (2/12).
Pending approval from Steve Doyel.

Gaylord traded Sean Marshall to Michigan for Aaron Hill
**Assuming Doyel approved**

The Mid Michigan Tigers traded draft picks 3.10 and 5.10 to the Oviedo Knights for Howie Kendrick (2/12) and draft pick 4.9

Mid Michigan traded Paul Konerko and Joel Hanrahan to Oviedo for Howie Kendrick and Torii Hunter

Hackensack traded Pedro Alvarez (3/13) and Rajai Davis (2/12) to the San Antonio Fire Ants for draft pick 26.12.

Hackensack traded Pedro Alvarez and Rajai Davis to San Antonio for Jorge Posada
**A bag of chips would have been worth more lol**

The Charlotte Orios traded Pedro Alvarez (3/13) and draft pick 3.8 to the Hackensack Bulls for Jayson Werth (3/13).

Charlotte traded Pedro Alvarez and Ryan Howard to Hackensack for Jayson Werth

The Gaylord Dingers traded Edinson Volquez (2/12) to the North Texas Rangers for pick 13.7

Gaylord traded Edinson Volquez to North Texas for James McDonald

The Gaylord Dingers traded Carlos Pena (2/12) to the Michigan Miracles for draft pick 8.3

Gaylord traded Carlos Pena to Michigan for John Danks

North Texas Rangers traded draft picks 1.7 and 7.7 to the Oviedo Knights for Roy Oswalt (2/12) and draft pick 1.8.

North Texas traded Andrew McCutchen and Edwin Encarnacion to Oviedo for Roy Oswalt and Mark Teixeira

The Atlantic Surge traded Jeremy Hellickson (2/12) to the Oviedo Knights for draft pick 8.9

Atlantic traded Jeremy Hellickson to Oviedo for Mark Melancon

The Dallas Redbirds sent Zack Greinke (3/12) and draft pick 2.13 to the Gaylord Dingers for draft pick 1.11.

Dallas traded Zack Greinke and Matt Wieters to Gaylord for Jose Reyes

The Charlotte Orios traded Billy Butler (3/12), Tsuyoshi Nishioka (2/12), and pick 1.8 to the Oviedo Knights for Pedro Alvarez (3/13) and draft pick 1.9

Charlotte traded Billy Butler, Tsuyoshi Nishioka, and Mark Teixeira to Oviedo for Pedro Alvarez and Hanley Ramirez

The Atlantic Surge traded draft picks 2.4 and 10.4 to the North Texas Rangers for Logan Morrison (2/12) and draft pick 3.14.

Atlantic traded Chris Young and Luke Gregerson to North Texas for Logan Morrison and Drew Storen

The Julian Javelina traded Ryan Dempster (2/12) to the Olivet Killer Eagles for pick 7.2

Julian traded Ryan Dempster to Olivet for Derek Holland

The North Texas Rangers traded draft picks 3.7, 4.7, and 10.7 to the Rochester Red Sox for Ryan Braun (5/12), Chone Figgins (2/12), draft pick 3.14, and draft pick 9.14

North Texas traded Paul Goldschmidt, Jesus Montero, Jim Johnson to Rochester for Ryan Braun, Chone Figgins, Drew Storen, and Mark Buehrle

The Atlantic Surge traded pick 4.4 to the Julian Javelina for Ike Davis (2/12).

Atlantic traded Ichiro to Julian for Ike Davis

The Atlantic Surge traded Edinson Volquez (2/12) to the Gaylord Digners for draft pick 15.11

Atlantic traded Edinson Volquez to Gaylord for Brent Morel

Atlantic-Gaylord Trade

2012-01-29T17:08:00.002-06:00

The final trade of the Winter Meetings, the Atlanitc Surge trade picks 3.4 and 13.4 to the Gaylord Dingers for draft picks 4.11 and 8.3.

North Texas-Mid Michigan Trade

2012-01-28T20:48:00.002-06:00

The North Texas Rangers traded Ardolis Chapman (2/12), and draft picks 1.13 and 2.7 to the Mid Michigan Tigers for draft picks 1.10 and 2.10.

Charlotte-Olivet Trade

2012-01-27T20:08:00.004-06:00

The Charlotte Orios traded draft picks 1.9 and 5.8 to the Olivet Killer Eagles for Adam Dunn (3/13) and draft picks 2.2 and 4.2.

Michigan-San Antonio Trade

2012-01-27T06:55:00.003-06:00

The Michigan Miracles traded Andre Etheir (3/12), Carlos Pena (2/12), draft picks 2.3 and 6.3 to the San Antonio Fire Ants for draft picks 1.12, 4.12, and 6.12.

Gaylord-South Texas Trade

2012-01-26T20:50:00.001-06:00

The Gaylord Dingers traded Matt Thornton (2/11) and pick 8.11 to the South Texas Heat for Derek Jeter (2/12) and draft pick 10.15.

Michigan-South Texas Trade

2012-01-26T18:24:00.001-06:00

The Michigan Miracles traded draft pick 1.3 to the South Texas Heat for Prince Fielder (5/15) and pick 8.15

0 for 16 Mock Draft v1.001a

2012-01-26T15:46:00.001-06:00

Here is version 1.001a of the 0-for-16 Mock Draft... I hopefully will not be updating this ever again.

1. Olivet Killer Eagles - Rafael Betancourt - the Eagles shock everyone, except Berg and Wagner, and take the greatest player to ever wear a baseball uniform.

2. Hackensack Bulls - Alejandro De Aza - Femmel believes that Kenny Williams is a genius and can do no wrong - thus drafts De Aza with the #2 pick in the draft.

3. Michigan Miracles - Rick Porcello - Renner doesn't want another Tigers fan taking his mancrush and puts a 5yr deal on the young average starting pitcher.

4. Atlantic Surge - Lucas Duda - Having put a 3yr on a mediocre Mets pitcher last year, the Surge this year match that with a 3yr contract for a mediocre Mets hitter.

5. Julian Javelina - Trevor Hoffman - Hoyle drafts Hoffman just in case he attempts a comeback, and still claims that he is a better all-time closer than Mariano Rivera.

6. Springfield Flying Squirrels - Robinson Cano - I guess I don't know Anson well enough to know his quirks and biases, so he takes the safest 5yr contract in Robinson Cano.

7. Oviedo Knights - Mike Lamb - OK this one is pretty deep and obscure (but Larry remembers) that Reynolds once believed that Mike Lamb was the "Second Coming".

8. Dallas Redbirds - David Freese - Doyel still has a World Series hangover and selects Freese at 1.8 in hopes that he will continue his HR barrage for the entire 2012 season.

9. Charlotte Orios - Tyler Clippard - After snagging two MRPs early in the first ever eMLB draft (Felix Rodriguez was one, does anyone remember the other?) Broskey returns to his 2002 strategy of MRPs being drafted 10 rounds before anyone else.

10. Mid Michigan Tigers - Doug Fister - Another Tigers fan, another Tigers pitcher taken.... Renner weeps.

11. Dallas Redbirds - Yadier Molina - Doyels plan of getting two first round picks pays off in his mind as he locks up another post-season darling.

12. San Antonio Fire Ants - Pedro Martinez - Sankey thought Pedro did a great job keeping his bench warm for 3/4 of a season even after he said he wouldn't play again.

13. North Texas Rangers - Yu Darvish - As Yumania sweeps across the DFW area, Adrian can not resist the urge to draft his newest mancrush.

14. Rochester Red Sox - John Buck - After telling everyone how good John Buck is in 5,000,000 trade offers last year, Rich finally believes his own thinking and drafts John Buck thinking he is actually a useful player.

15. North Texas Ranger - Mitch Moreland - With Prince Fielder now out of the question, Adrian can fully apply a mancrush to Mitch Moreland.

16. Arizona Desert Swarm - Jose Bautista - Abramson can't believe what morons everyone else is (other than Anson) and gets a steal in Jose Bautista at 1.16, and breezes to the 2012 Championship.

Not to leave anyone out.....

Gaylord Dingers - Brian Roberts - Wagners firmly believe that 2012 will be the year that Brian Roberts is fully healthy and captures the #1 2B ranking.

South Texas Heat - Chris Davis - It worked out so well last time on a 3yr deal, Berg locks Davis up for 5yrs this time around.

I hope everyone enjoyed the read, it was all done in good fun. I even ripped myself before anyone takes offense. Feel free to throw your own picks for various owners in the comments sections - as I am sure I have forgotten a lot of "great picks" that we have made over the years.

Mock Draft v 1.0

2012-01-26T14:36:00.002-06:00

I normally don't do these, but what the heck...

1. Olivet Killer Eagles - Robinson Cano

Larry drafts Cano, who proceeds to hit the wall and hit .180 on the year. Never recovers, and is an Eagle for 5 yrs :)

2. Hackensack Bulls - Adrian Gonzalez

Should be the #1 pick in the draft, but the Bulls will gladly take him at 2. 5 yr contract worthy.

3. Michigan Miracles - Justin Upton

In a surprise move, Renner takes the best young OF in the draft. Another 5 yr guy.

4. Atlantic Surge - Andrew McCutchen

Squire scrambles after Renner steals his pick, and takes a guy who's valuable in multiple categories.

5. Julian Javelina - Troy Tulowitzki

Hoyle salivates as Tulo falls to 5. Slaps a 3 yr deal on him and lights his cigar. Perfect pick.

6. Springfield Flying Squirrels - Mike Stanton

Anson goes for youth here. Easier to put a 5 yr deal on Big Mike than Bautista at this point.

7. Oviedo Knights - Jose Bautista

Bautista falls to Reynolds, and is the perfect selection here. We then hear for the next 3 months how everyone picking above him are idiots for letting Bautista fall so far. This causes us to throw up on a daily basis.

8. Dallas Redbirds - Jose Reyes

With the big young OF's gone here, Doyel takes the best SS in the draft. Could be a toss up here with HanRam, but having Jose SS eligible for the next 3-4 years makes this pick easier.

9. Charlotte Orios - Mark Teixiera

I get the feeling that Broskey wants out of this spot. If he doesn't trade the pick, he makes the safe selection and takes Teixiera.

10. Mid Michigan Tigers - Josh Hamilton

This could've and should've been HanRam, but with Miggy moving to 3rd, Keith's needs are a bit different. Goes for the big bat in the OF.

11. Dallas Redbirds - Jay Bruce

Doyel says he wants to go offense with his first 2 picks, and I believe him. He takes the next best young OF on the board after missing out on the "Big 3" earlier.

12. San Antonio Fire Ants - Hanley Ramirez

Sankey has a lot of needs, but takes the last of the best young players on the board. Plays Hanley at SS for this year while he's still eligible, and moves him to 3rd after Michael Young's contract runs expires.

13. North Texas Rangers - Cliff Lee

SHOCK THE WORLD. Everyone seems to think I'm going for Rangers with all my moves. But this is has been the plan the whole time. I don't have a problem saying it now, because everyone ahead of me is already set in what they're doing. I gladly draft Lee here to solidify my staff with a Halladay, Lee, Oswalt combo!

14. Rochester Red Sox - Desmond Jennings

Rich is very secretive about what he's doing, but this pick is right down his alley. A young stud with a ton of upside. A guy who can rake and has great speed. He needs OF's and won't reach for a SP like Hamels at this pick.

15. North Texas Rangers - Adrian Beltre

Ok ok, I give in here and take a Ranger. I've got both corner spots set for years to come with Beltre and Votto, not to mention a few more years of Kinsler. A great pick for now and later.

16. Arizona Desert Swarm - Hunter Pence

Josh starts his defense of his title by taking a guy he can pair with Kemp and Longoria as cornerstones of his team. He's got solid starting pitching and almost a complete infield coming into the the draft, so and young OF makes sense.

Dallas-North Texas Trade

2012-01-25T21:23:00.002-06:00

The Dallas Redbirds traded draft picks 1.13 and 8.13 to the North Texas Rangers for draft pick 1.8.

North Texas-South Texas Trade

2012-01-25T21:18:00.002-06:00

The North Texas Rangers sent draft picks 2.4 and 6.7 to the South Texas Heat for draft picks 1.15 and 18.15.

Miracle Mock---Final Version

2012-01-25T11:14:00.002-06:00

Even I don't have enough time to make 8 versions of a mock draft, nor do I want to. I'm posting here since for some reason I can't retrieve responses on my blog. Lately those have been pretty interesting to read. A few changes along with a couple of surprises. I still have a tendency to draft players onto teams according to best available as opposed to owner trends so mine is often different from all others.

1.1 Olivet--Cano--he has said it, posted it, blogged it defended it so on and so on and so on, but I'll believe it when I see it.

1.2 Hackensack--AGon-- once again, a great fit...is it a stretch for a 5 year? Many say no, but again, I'll believe it when I see it.

1.3 Michigan--Bautista--having gone back and forth between Bautista and Tulo I can say for sure that it will be a game time decision on this pick. Right now it's Bautista....51%

1.4 Atlantic--Tulo--not exactly a stud OF but can he pass on him if he is here?

1.5 Julian--JUp--big upside here. I'd trade Hoyle 1.3 for 1.5 and a case of beer but I know how that would turn out.

1.6 Springfield--Stanton--too young? maybe. Unknown park effect? sure. Still a good fit? You Betcha.

1.7 New Jersey--McCutchen--I'm sure Reynold dogged out Doyle for taking Ellbury in Round 1 last year. Not sure how this pick is all that different. Looking forward to the spin if it happens.

1.8 North Texas--Napoli--Maybe I'm the only one that likes Napoli this much so I hope I'm wrong and he drops to 2.3 in which case he won't drop any farther.

1.9 Charlotte--Tex--solid 3 year. what's the over/under until he is traded?

1.10 Mid Michigan--HanRam--Injuries aside the upside is too great for him to drop any further.

1.11 Dallas--Lee--Best SP available by a ways IMO and Doyle won't pass on him here.

1.12 San Antonio--Pence--numbers will only improve with a full year in Philly.

1.13 Dallas--Jennings--Doyle has a need for speed and huge upside with this youngster.

1.14 Rochester--Reyes--gotta take him if he falls this far. being in warm weather should help his legs.

1.15 South Texas--Lawrie--haven't changed my mind here. other options for sure but I'm sticking with it.

1.16 Arizona--Ackley--another newbie into the first round. Solid 3 year guy.

Gaylord-Michigan Trade

2012-01-22T22:07:00.000-06:00

The Gaylord Dingers sent draft pick 10.11 to the Michigan Miracles for Aaron Hill (2/12).

Pending approval from Steve Doyel.

Mid Michigan-Oviedo Trade

2012-01-22T21:58:00.001-06:00

The Mid Michigan Tigers traded draft picks 3.10 and 5.10 to the Oviedo Knights for Howie Kendrick (2/12) and draft pick 4.9.

Hackensack-San Antonio Trade

2012-01-22T21:21:00.002-06:00

Hackensack traded Pedro Alvarez (3/13) and Rajai Davis (2/12) to the San Antonio Fire Ants for draft pick 26.12.

Charlotte-Hackensack Trade

2012-01-22T21:12:00.001-06:00

The Charlotte Orios traded Pedro Alvarez (3/13) and draft pick 3.8 to the Hackensack Bulls for Jayson Werth (3/13).

Gaylord-North Texas Trade

2012-01-22T12:26:00.000-06:00

The Gaylord Dingers traded Edinson Volquez (2/12) to the North Texas Rangers for pick 13.7.

Gaylord-Michigan Trade

2012-01-22T10:00:00.002-06:00

The Gaylord Dingers traded Carlos Pena (2/12) to the Michigan Miracles for draft pick 8.3.

North Texas-Oviedo Trade

2012-01-21T22:21:00.000-06:00

North Texas Rangers traded draft picks 1.7 and 7.7 to the Oviedo Knights for Roy Oswalt (2/12) and draft pick 1.8.

Atlantic-Oviedo Trade

2012-01-21T19:23:00.000-06:00

The Atlantic Surge traded Jeremy Hellickson (2/12) to the Oviedo Knights for draft pick 8.9.

Dallas-Gaylord Trade

2012-01-21T17:41:00.001-06:00

The Dallas Redbirds sent Zack Greinke (3/12) and draft pick 2.13 to the Gaylord Dingers for draft pick 1.11.

Charlotte-Oviedo Trade

2012-01-21T13:28:00.003-06:00

The Charlotte Orios traded Billy Butler (3/12), Tsuyoshi Nishioka (2/12), and pick 1.8 to the Oviedo Knights for Pedro Alvarez (3/13) and draft pick 1.9.

Atlantic-North Texas Trade

2012-01-21T10:43:00.001-06:00

The Atlantic Surge traded draft picks 2.4 and 10.4 to the North Texas Rangers for Logan Morrison (2/12) and draft pick 3.14.

Julian-Olivet Trade

2012-01-21T10:29:00.002-06:00

The Julian Javelina traded Ryan Dempster (2/12) to the Olivet Killer Eagles for pick 7.2.

North Texas-Rochester Trade

2012-01-21T10:22:00.001-06:00

The North Texas Rangers traded draft picks 3.7, 4.7, and 10.7 to the Rochester Red Sox for Ryan Braun (5/12), Chone Figgins (2/12), draft pick 3.14, and draft pick 9.14.

Atlantic-Julian Trade

2012-01-21T09:48:00.002-06:00

The Atlantic Surge traded pick 4.4 to the Julian Javelina for Ike Davis (2/12).

South Texas Winter Meeting Report

2012-01-21T09:37:00.002-06:00

The South Texas Heat enter the Winter Meetings with no real agenda this season. A few notes about the teams current ideas:

Adding a contract. With 8 open contracts they could try to move on to get to 9 open (6/3 extensions), but will more than likely try to add a flier contract and go into the draft with 7 open.
Prince Fielder (5/15) - A trade for Fielder has been discussed. It probably won't happen - which the organization is perfectly happy with.
Carlos Santana (3/13) - Carlos isn't even on the market.
Shaun Marcum (2/12) - Solid SP that will get 13 wins, low WHIP, 3.50 ERA, 3 K/BB. As a ground ball pitcher he should be much happier with the Brewers infield this year with the deduction of Yuniesky, Prince, and McGehee.
James Shields (2/12) - Shields is turning into Roy Halladay really quick with a big win total, 200+ Ks, sub 3 ERA, low WHIP, and 11 complete games (4 of them being shutouts).
Derek Jeter (2/12) - Jeter is still a .290-.300 hitter, should score 90-100 runs, steal 15-20 bases, and post an average RBI and BB total for an eMLB starting shortstop.

Besides Prince, Shields the the player that should bring the most in return. While the club is somewhat reluctant with trading away one of their starting pitchers, because of the rotation that divisional rival Hackensack has, they will still look at it if a trade can bring a 2B, 3B, or OF in return or an appropriate draft pick.

Atlantic-Gaylord Trade

2012-01-21T09:13:00.002-06:00

The Atlantic Surge traded Edinson Volquez (2/12) to the Gaylord Digners for draft pick 15.11.

The Winter Meetings Are Open

2012-01-21T07:27:00.003-06:00

The 2012 Winter Meetings are now open. All trades will be posted on this website, so check back often.

The general consensus is that this will be a very slow Winter Meetings because of the large # of open contracts on many teams, and the talent in the draft. A few trades should be confirmed on Day One, like Ike Davis and Ryan Demspter, with rumors of a possible Howie Kendrick trade.

Many people have predicted slow Winter Meetings in the past, but once the ball got rolling many trades got done.

Stay Tuned

Draft Lottery Results

2012-01-20T21:03:00.002-06:00

1. Olivet Killer Eagles
2. Hackensack Bulls
3. Michigan Miracles

eMLB Draft Lottery Tonight + Winter Meetings News

2012-01-20T05:00:00.000-06:00

The eMLB Draft Lottery will be held tonight at 9 pm Central Time, with the results posted immediately. The law firm of Renner and Miller Light will supervise the proceedings.

The Winter Meetings open on Saturday - please remember that both owners must email me the trade details before it becomes official. I will post the trades as quickly as possible on the league website.

eMLB - Minor League System Idea

2012-01-17T05:00:00.000-06:00

I am just throwing this out there and want to hear people's opinions, and ideas as we possibly move the league forward. One of my main goals was to get 16 solid owners, and I think we are there (or at least very close to it). This league is awesome, but the opportunity to make it better is always something we should examine. I realize that this has been a topic before, but it has never had much discussion, so I am throwing it out there now to see what the general consensus is. I realize that some will be against it for the simple fact that they don't even do enough to prepare for the meetings/draft other than looking at a certain websites rankings, and this would be much more difficult for them because their are no general rankings other than how they were selected in the MLB Amateur Draft.

This is NOT something we are voting on now, it is just to get a feel for what people think about a possible minor league system, and what they think would work the best. It is something that will be added to the ballot next voting period if it appears that their is enough interest.

Overview:
Each team would build a 15 player minor league system. The minor league players could be traded, and would be recorded on each teams home page. A team would never be allowed to go over 15 players, so they would need to cut at least one player if they were already capped at 15 players entering the eMLB Amateur Draft.

Draft:
Each team could select up to 5 players from the amateur draft. Only players that were selected in the amateur draft would be allowed to be selected, so the eMLB Draft and call-ups are not totally depleted. A guy like Matt Moore was drafted in the 8th round, so it is very unlikely that he would have been in someone's eMLB Farm System.

Draft Date:
The draft would be held after the World Series has concluded so everyone will know who signed and didn't sign, and have some stats to work off of for some players.

Call-Up/Contract Status:
If a minor leaguer is added to an active MLB roster then they would need to be on the eMLB teams active roster. If the player is still in the minor leagues, but in the Y! player pool, then he would not have to be on the eMLB teams roster until he is called up.

A player is free to the owning team until they reach the following level:
100 games - Hitter
20 games - Pitcher

Once a player reaches the appropriate level listed above, then he would either have to be awarded an open contract by his team, or released in the draft pool for the following season. An expiring contract can be placed on the player that is losing "rookie status".

The # of games would prevent teams from losing minor leagues, or having to place contract upon them, only if they are September call-ups. The accrue the # of games listed above they would obviously have had some kind of significant opportunity in MLB or multiple call-ups of short spurts.

MDC - The Top 16 (updated)

2012-01-16T05:01:00.000-06:00

The last time a MDC rankings list was posted was on December 11, so after a month lets see how much has changed.

Jose Bautista - he remains the #1 player available in the eMLB draft according to MDC.
Troy Tulowitzki - he jumps up from #4 in the last listing.
Justin Upton - Upton remains the #3 ranked player on the list
Adrian Gonzalez - AGone drops from #2 to #4, as Tulo flips ranking position with him.
Robinson Cano - Cano remains the #5 pick according to MDC - he is most likely a Top 3 pick.
Cliff Lee - Lee moves up 1 spot and is the clear cut #1 SP in the draft.
Hanley Ramirez - HanRam moves up one slot, and is now the #2 SS and #2 3B
Jose Reyes - Reyes drops from #6, I have no idea why he has seen this dip in ranking.
Andrew McCutchen - he remains locked into the #9 slot.
Mike Stanton - The powerful youngster jumps up one position.
Cole Hamels - Hamels makes the biggest move jumping up 3 positions.
Mark Teixeira - He remains #12 at MDC, but will go much earlier in our draft (or so rumor has it)
Josh Hamilton - Hamilton drops three positions - could it be because this might be his last year in Texas?
Adrian Beltre - He drops one slot, but is still the #2 3B in the list behind Hanley Ramirez.
Jay Bruce - Bruce jumps up one position, and is one of the players that nobody wants to talk about.
Elvis Andrus - Andrus drops one slot, but is still projected to be taken in the 1st round.

Winter Meetings Preview - Western Division

2012-01-14T06:00:00.000-06:00

The Western Division was suppose to be a three team race with the Arizona Desert Swarm being left in the dust by the other three teams. Once the season concluded it was the Swarm who won the Western Division, and rolled through the playoffs to the eSeries Title. In 2012, it appears that it will be a two team race at this point with a couple teams building for 2013.

Arizona Desert Swarm
The Swarm return a large portion of their offense in 2012. One figures that their main focus will be on building the middle infield and/or a potential game changing bat. They have two solid starting pitchers in Chris Carpenter and Felix Hernandez under contract.

Julian Javelina
The cupboard is pretty bare in Julian entering the meetings in 2011, so look for them to make moves/draft picks with the focus on 2013. They do have their cornerstone player in Ryan Zimmerman (5/14) to build around, but will most likely to look to move Ike Davis (2/12) and/or Ryan Dempster (2/12).

North Texas Rangers
The Rangers have only six players under contract, but two of them are premier players (Joey Votto and Roy Halladay). The club has three offensive players under contract, and three pitchers under contract. Ardolis Chapman (2/12) is an interesting player under contract that could be on the block.

Springfield Flying Squirrels of Republic
The Squirrels loaded up for 2011 during the Winter Meetings last year and didn't make the playoffs. With only four players under contract it could be a long season for the Squirrels. Nate McLouth (3/12) and Mat Latos (3/13) are the two players that are eligible to be traded.

Complete Rosters Can Be Found in the Winter Meeting/Draft Guide

Yankees Trade for Pineda, Sign Kuroda

2012-01-13T19:43:00.003-06:00

In a move that will likely have all three players move dramatically up draft boards, the New York Yankees today acquired burgeoning ace Michael Pineda for young backstop Jesus Montero while also announcing the signing of RHP Hiroki Kuroda. It was very likely that Pineda and Montero would be over-drafted this season had they remained with their respective teams, but both players will likely skyrocket into the mid-to-late second round of January's draft as the trade ensures Pineda run support (not to mention 12-15 wins at a minimum), and guarantees Montero a starting spot and 450-500 AB's. Meanwhile, the reliable and durable Kuroda will probably see a significant spike in value as he shifts to a prominent spot in the Yankee rotation.

Winter Meetings Preview - Texas Division

2012-01-12T05:00:00.000-06:00

The Michigan Miracles and Hackensack Bulls were suppose to lead the Texas division in 2011, but it was the South Texas Heat (who finished with the best record in the league), and the San Antonio Fire Ants (who made the playoffs) that paced the division for most of the season. The division could have a very different look to it in 2012, as the Miracles and Bulls are both in the lottery. The Miracles have the opportunity to build a solid core, and the Bulls have the opportunity to build a great team.

Hackensack Bulls
The Bulls are solid up the middle and will only have to build their corners. The clubs starting rotation is probably the tops in the league, or only behind the Atlantic Surge, with the trio of CC Sabathia, Tim Lincecum, and Stephen Strasburg. The club has no open 3yr contracts right now, so they may possibly try to move Jayson Werth or Stephen Strasburg.

Michigan Miracles
The club has three of their four outfield slots filled, and both 2B and SS. They would love to move Aaron Hill and/or Julio Borbon, but may find it tough to find takers. The club is set with legendary Mariano Rivera and Heath Bell as closers. Don't be shocked if Shane Victorino is openly shopped during the Winter Meetings.

San Antonio Fire Ants
The Ants only have three players under contract - Michael Young, Cameron Maybin, and Tommy Hanson, so they have to have 2013 in mind during the meetings and draft. Cameron Maybin could be an interesting trade piece for the Ants if he can get interest from both Padre fans in the league.

South Texas Heat
The Heat have eight players under contract - 3 infielders, 2 outfielders, and 3 starting pitchers. They enter the meetings with no major targets, so they are willing to add a contract or move a contract. James Shields, Shaun Marcum, and Derek Jeter are the players that could most likely find themselves in a different uniform.

Complete rosters can be found in the Winter Meeting/Draft Guide

Winter Meetings Preview: Great Lakes Division

2012-01-10T05:00:00.000-06:00

The Gaylord Dingers have dominated this division, and were the only team to make the playoffs last year. The Olivet Killer Eagles landed in the lottery for the first time in franchise history, and the Mid Michigan Tigers and Charlotte Orios both landed in the Consolation - with the Orios finishing 4th and the Tigers finishing 6th. Every year this is a pretty wide open division, but nobody can ever seem to step up and challenge the Dingers. Is this the year that the Dingers fail to make the playoffs?

Charlotte Orios
The Orios are led by David Wright, and put a lot of hope that Chase Utley returns to form. They have a couple of questionable contracts that they would love to move with Nishioka and Rios. The club has no pitchers under contract, but not a ton of players in demand to trade either.

Gaylord Dingers
The club only has six players under contract, but they are six players with fairly high expectations. The rumor is that the Dingers will explore trading Albert Pujols (5/13), but it is unlikely that something will take place. The club will probably look to move Carlos Pena if they are unable to move Pujols.

Mid Michigan Tigers
The Tigers have one of the best bats in the game in Miguel Cabrera to lead them with a couple of higher upside guys in Austin Jackson and Adam Lind. Gio Gonzalez will likely see more run support with that Nationals now. It will be interesting to see if the Tigers attempt to add players, stand firm with what they have, or sell of a few contracts.

Olivet Killer Eagles
The club has nine players under contract, but some big question marks with two of those 3/13 contracts in Adam Dunn and Kendrys Morales. With a glut of outfielders it wouldn't be surprising to see Nick Swisher or Brett Gardner moved. Will they be able to move Adam Dunn and/or Kendrys Morales?

Full Rosters can be found in your eMLB Winter Meetings/Draft Guide

Winter Meetings Preview: Eastern Division

2012-01-07T12:52:00.002-06:00

The Rochester Red Sox won the division in 2011, with the Dallas Redbirds also making the playoffs. The Atlantic Surge found themselves in the lottery, and the Oviedo Knights finished 5th place in the Consolation Playoffs. Their was clearly a separation of power between the two solid teams and the two weaker teams, but will it continue in 2012?

Atlantic Surge
The Surge have BJ Upton and a couple throw away hitters on the offensive side, and a ton of pitching on the other side. It would appear that the club will try to move some of their excess pitching for some much needed hitting help.

Dallas Redbirds
They only have six players under contract, but five of those six are quality contracts. They have the least number of contracts in their division right now, so it will be interesting to see what direction the team decides to go.

Oviedo Knights
The Knights have 10 contracts, but none of them are a standout. They have Walker/Kendrick as 2B options, and are trying to move Kendrick for an arm and a leg. It will be interesting to see what they can get for some of their contracts.

Rochester Red Sox
Ryan Braun appears that he will miss the first 50 games of the season, but the Sox still have some solid bats to go with Kershaw/Haren and two solid closers in Kimbrel/Axford. Their is talk of moving Reynolds or Phillips, but I am guessing that Figgins would have to be involved.

Full rosters can be found in your eMLB Winter Meeting/Draft Guide

2012 Draft - David Freese

2012-01-03T05:00:00.000-06:00

Many people knew about David Freese before the 2011 Playoffs, but everyone knew about David Freese after the 2011 World Series. Freese has hit 15 regular season home runs, but blasted 5 home runs in the 2011 post-season to make a big name for himself. At the of 29 in the 2012, he isn't a youngster that has a ton of upside, but he does have upside if he can stay on the field long enough. Freese has been plagued by injuries, and a ton of off-field problems, but the expectations for him in 2012 have never been higher. He will be looked upon to fill in part of the lost production for the Cardinals after Albert Pujols bolted St. Louis for the sunnier skies of southern California.

Freese is currently ranked the #10 3B for 2012 behind Kevin Youkilis (#8), and Brett Lawrie (#9), but ahead of Mark Reynolds (#11), and Chase Headley (#12). He should hit at a .290-.300 clip, with above average power and above average RBI. He is little to no speed, and won't score anymore than the average player. His walk rate is at about league average as well. The talent is there for Freese to be a contracted player, but the questions about the amount of games he will play will probably keep him from being assigned a contract.

Voting Period Is Closed

2011-12-30T12:23:00.002-06:00

The voting period is over as each owner has voted. None of the props passed with each prop only getting 6% support (1 vote).

You can view the results by clicking the following link:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/pub?hl=en_US&hl=en_US&key=0Al3A4wLYbBy_dFhIRHlqQUlHOGczRWVqeEt3b0U5REE&output=html

The next important eMLB Dates are:

January 20 - Draft Lottery

January 21 - Winter Meetings Open

January 29 - Winter Meetings Close

February 1 - eMLB Draft Opens

Voting Period Is Open

2011-12-29T02:48:00.003-06:00

Voting on all three props has opened and will close on January 3rd. All owners must vote on each prop.

The Draft Lottery will take place on January 20th.

The Winter Meetings are officially scheduled for January 21 through January 29.

The 2012 eMLB Draft will open on Feburary 1st.

eMLB Draft - Desmond Jennings

2011-12-27T08:57:00.003-06:00

Mike Stanton steals most of the headlines for young outfielders in the state of Florida, but Desmond Jennings should not be ignored and may end up being the better all-around player once their careers are over. Jennings has logged just 311 plate appearances, but in that short amount of time he has earned a comparison to fellow outfielder Andrew McCutchen.

With a full season in the bigs, Jennings is projected to have 15-20 HR, score over 100 times, knock in 60-ish, walk 70 times, steal 45 bags, and bat around .265. At the age of 25 that would be a very impressive season for the youngster in his first full-time season in the major leagues. The biggest concern that I see is Jenning's contact rate last season was just 78%, which is not the kind of number that you would expect from a top of the order hitter. If he starts slow, which is very possible with that contact rate, he could find himself back in AAA while the Rays try to keep pace with the leaders in the toughest division.

While Bryce Harper, Mike Trout, and Matt Moore get much of the hype it is Jennings that will probably have the most impact this season. He should be the 1st of that group to get drafted this year, and is guaranteed to have a 3yr contract put on him.

2012 Draft - Ryan Howard

2011-12-25T05:00:00.000-06:00

Comments are still welcome on the appropriate Prop post listed below.

Ryan Howard collapsed to the ground on his final at bat in 2011 with a rupture Achilles, which ended the Phillies postseason, and might have cost Howard of being a first round pick in the 2012 eMLB Draft. Howard will be 32 in the 2012 season and the body doesn't heal as fast, but reports are that he is doing fine and an estimated timeline for his return is now late-April to May. This is much better news than a report shortly after the injury claiming he most likely would not be back until around the 2012 All-Star break.

From 2006-2009, Howard never hit less than 45 home runs in a season but the last two seasons haven't been as kind with him just cracking over 30 home runs in each season. Even with the decrease in home runs his RBI total has still be over 105 for the past six seasons. Simply put, if Howard is on the field he will knock in a ton of runs.

What will you get exactly get with Ryan Howard? He is a + in HR, = in runs, + in RBI, + in BB, - in SB, and - in batting average. At his age he is still worthy of a 3yr contract, and should be fully healthy for the second half of the MLB season. Even though he probably won't break 30 HR this year because of injury, his years after the 2012 season should see him reach the 30+ HR mark and 100+ RBI again. He should still be considered one of the more feared hitters who plays half of his games in a very hitter friendly park.

2012 Draft - Mark Melancon

2011-12-23T05:00:00.000-06:00

Prop Discussion is still open on the comments section on the appropriate prop thread below.

Mark Melancon was one of the most unheralded closers of 2011, basically because he was hidden on a bad Houston Astros team, but with the recent trade to the Boston Red Sox he is an unknown no more. Melancon right now is slated to be the closer for the Sox, but the club still has interest in Ryan Madson, Andrew Bailey, and Francisco Cordero (or could move Daniel Bard to closer) so Melancon may end up in an 8th inning role yet.

Melancon posted a 2.78 ERA in 2011, to go with a 8 K/9 rate, 8 wins, and 20 saves. He had an 82% success rate in tight situations (svs+holds/svs+hlds+blown saves) which is similar to Craig Kimbrel (85%), Neftali Feliz (84%), Sergio Santos (84%), Kyle Farnsworth (81%), and Joakim Soria (80%). Part of his success last year was the addition of a cutter to his arsenal, which he threw around 18% of his pitches, and graded out as his second best pitch behind his curve ball.

Don't expect Melancon to be in the first group of closers to be taken in the 2012 Draft, but he could end up being one of the more valuable closers in the league in 2012 if he can lock down the job for the Red Sox. The worst case scenario is that he is one of the better set-up men in baseball, and we all remember how early those guys got drafted last year.

2012 Draft - Mike Trout

2011-12-21T05:00:00.000-06:00

The Prop discussion is still on going, and listed below the Bryce Harper post. Feel free to continue the discussion on the comments.

Going into the 2011 season their was some debate over who the top prospect was, but everyone agreed it was either Bryce Harper or Mike Trout. Like Harper, Trout has progressed through the minors at a very young age (he is only 20 yrs old). He had two stints with the Angels during the 2011 season at the age of 19, but struggled some in 40 games. What was visible was the great defense, blazing speed, and the ability to hit for extra bases (11 of 27 hits went for extra bases).

The Angels outfield/DH is crowded right now with Mike Trout, Torii Hunter, Bobby Abreu, Peter Bourjos, Vernon Wells, Mark Trumbo, and Kendry Morales all fighting for time in the outfield and/or DH. Trout dominated AA, so if he doesn't break with the Angels out of camp he will most likely begin the season in AAA. Don't expect the Angels OF/DH situation to remain clouded for long though, as it is expected that Bourjos, Trumbo, and Morales have been rumor to be on the trading block. The idea of Mark Trumbo being given a chance to play 3B has also been floated around. Trout will see a large chunk of his season with the Angels, and has the ability to be one of the most exciting players in the game for many years.

Compared to Harper, Trout should hit for a higher average, steal more bases, and score more runs. He doesn't have the raw power of Harper, but both have shown the ability to take a walk during their brief minor league careers. I fully expect Bryce Harper to get drafted before Trout in the 2012 eMLB Draft, but once owners find out they missed on Harper you will see Trout get drafted shortly after. With so many teams having the need to fill many contracts it is not a bad idea to lock up a young "can't miss player" like Mike Trout.

2012 Draft - Bryce Harper

2011-12-19T05:00:00.000-06:00

This article isn't meant to bury the three Draft Props, they are still listed below, it seems that discussion has died down on all of them and I will to keep the website fresh.

Bryce Harper is just under two years from legally drinking a beer in United States, but he will be called up to the Washington Nationals this season, and might even break Spring Training with the big league club. In Harper's short tenure in professional baseball he been very impressive as a teenager. He crushed A ball as an 18 year old hitting 14 HRs, stealing 19 bases, and batting .318 in 305 plate appearances before being promoted to AA. In AA, he struggled some but still walked 10% of the time, and his lower than expected .256 average might be blamed on some bad luck (.294 babip).

Right now Jayson Werth is projected to be the Nationals starting right fielder on opening day, but the organization has stated they may move Werth to center and let Harper play right field if he earns it. Lets face it the Nats don't have even an average center fielder on the club right now -- Roger Bernadina is projected as the starter. Harper probably needs some time in AA or AAA to start the season, but he will be up no later than mid-June. Once he arrives in the big leagues he is here to stay, and is a legit HR/SB at 19 years old.

Someone will draft Harper and place him on their bench until he gets called up, and it would not surprise me with so many teams having many contracts to fill that somebody doesn't draft Harper earlier than most expect and place at least a 3yr contract on him. Harper appears to be one of those special players that is simply going to be better than everyone else, so the big question is who will land him and what kind of a contract will he bring.

Prop #3

2011-12-15T00:03:00.000-06:00

My proposition is that we start the draft and only have a maximum of 2 hours on the clock before the next pick takes place. Dead Times would be between 11 PM EST and 9 AM EST.

Prop #2

2011-12-15T00:02:00.000-06:00

Allow the trading of extended players.

Prop #1

2011-12-15T00:01:00.000-06:00

The Dunn Rule:

If you draft a player in the 1st round, and he fails to hit .170 then you get that contract back next season :)

South Texas Winter Meetings Preview

2011-12-14T05:00:00.000-06:00

The South Texas Heat will enter the eMLB Winter Meetings next month with a wait and see approach. The club usually has some sort of shortlist of players they would like to target and/or move, but this year they are open to seeing what happens.

The players under contract that can be traded are:
Prince Fielder - 5/15
Carlos Santana - 3/13
Shaun Marcum - 2/12
Derek Jeter - 2/12
James Sheilds - 2/12

Players that are under contact but can not be traded are:
Curtis Granderson - 3/NT
Jon Lester - 2/NT
Michael Bourn - 2/NT

The Heat hold the #15 pick in each round, so they would consider moving down if a team wants to add an additional first round pick. Being a tough draft to project the slot will land a good player, but it is really hard to say which players will be available.

Of the players that can be traded, Carlos Santana seems the most locked into remaining a Heat for the the duration of his contract. Fielder could be moved, but it doesn't make much sense for the club to trade Fielder now and not have a 5yr player available to draft with their 1st pick. Pitchers Shaun Marcum and James Shields are available and Shields should draw a decent amount of interest.

Areas that the club need to address are:
2B, 3B, OF, RP

It is hard to predict how many deals the Heat pull-off (if any) during the Winter Meetings, but they are always shopping for deals and listening to offers. With two open contract slots they will be willing to add contracts, and have never shied away from a questionable contract, if the price is right.

Top 16 According To MDC

2011-12-11T05:00:00.000-06:00

Here are the Top 16 available for the 2012 eMLB Draft according to current rankings on MDC.

Jose Bautista
Adrian Gonzalez
Justin Upton
Troy Tulowitzki
Robinson Cano
Jose Reyes
Cliff Lee
Hanley Ramirez
Andrew McCutchen
Josh Hamilton
Mike Stanton
Mark Teixeira
Adrian Beltre
Cole Hamels
Elvis Andrus
Jay Bruce

2012 Draft - Eric Hosmer and Paul Goldschmidt

2011-12-07T21:13:00.000-06:00

Two young first basemen emerged during the 2011 season in a big way. Eric Hosmer made his MLB debut on 5/6/11 at the age of 21. In his first partial season in the bigs he finished with a .293 average, 19 HR, 78 RBI, and 11 SB. Paul Goldschmidt made his MLB debut on 8/1/11 at the age of 23, and skipped the AAA level. In his first partial season in the majors he posted a .250 average, 8 HR, 26 RBI, and 4 SB, and excelled in the post-season (.438, 2 HR, 6 RBI in 19 PA). Both players have high ceilings and are potential 2nd round draft picks in the 2012 eMLB Draft because of their potential, age, minor league success, and success in their brief MLB stints. Hosmer and Goldschmidt will both find themselves in key positions in the batting order for their respective teams in 2012.

Projections from Bill James:

Eric Hosmer - 23 HR, 86 R, 92 RBI, 48 BB, 14 SB, .311 AVG

Paul Goldschmidt - 32 HR, 93 R, 99 RBI, 87 BB, 9 SB, .266 AVG

Bill James sees Goldschmidt with more power and patience, but Hosmer having the better batting average and slightly more speed. It really appears that you can't go wrong with either of these players in 2012, or over the course of the contract that is given to them.

2012 Offseason Preview/Rumblings

2011-12-06T08:04:00.002-06:00

Updated my blog with some 2012 Rochester Red Sox news. For anyone interested on what the team is thinking about in regards to the 2012 Winter Meetings/Offseason check it out. Here is a quick preview~

An anonymous source within the organization has said the Red Sox may consider moving a big piece or two from the roster this offseason. Although the team will never confirm it in public, Ryan Braun, Brandon Phillips, Dan Haren and Mark Reynolds may all be available for the right price. Whats that price you may ask?

2012 Draft Preview: Catcher

2011-12-04T18:56:00.001-06:00

Four big time catchers are in the draft pool for the 2012 eMLB Draft.

Joe Mauer, 3 time eMLB All-Star (2010, 2009, 2006), will be just 29 years in 2012 so he should be prized even coming off a subpar 2011 season. Mauer will be C/1B for 2012, and should see that position eligibility for the next few years (and may even add OF into the mix).

Brian McCann, 2008 eMLB All-Star, will be just 28 years in 2012. He is fairly predictable with 20-25 HRs, but has seen his run production and batting average slip some the past two seasons.

Victor Martinez, 2011 eMLB All-Star, is the elder of the group with VMart turning 33 years old in 2012. Even though he is the oldest he might have the highest ceiling for the 2012 season.

Mike Napoli, never named an eMLB All-Star, will be just 30 years old in 2012. He has C/1B eligibility and will likely see the same for future seasons, unless the Rangers land Prince Fielder or Albert Pujols. He has always had huge expectations from the fantasy community, but only lacked consistent plate appearances.

Bill James Projections:
Average:
.326 - Joe Mauer
.304 - Victor Martinez
.276 - Brian McCann
.271 - Mike Napoli

Home Runs:
31 - Mike Napoli
24 - Brian McCann
17 - Victor Martinez
11 - Joe Mauer

Runs
77 - Joe Mauer
77 - Mike Napoli
76 - Victor Martinez
62 - Brian McCann

RBI
100 - Victor Martinez
88 - Brian McCann
83 - Mike Napoli
71 - Joe Mauer

Walks
67 - Joe Mauer
62 - Brian McCann
62 - Mike Napoli
58 - Victor Martinez

Stolen Bases
5 - Mike Napoli
3 - Brian McCann
2 - Joe Mauer
1 - Victor Martinez

Overview:
While it might be not be unrealistic for one of these players to be taken in the 1st round, it is highly likely that all four will be gone by the end of the second round. Each of these players is contract worthy and will produce at a tough position to get consistent production from. The order that these players are taken will be very interesting, but if you are in the market for a catcher don't miss out on one of them.

Mock Draft - Arizona Desert Swarm (1.16)

2011-12-02T05:00:00.000-06:00

Arizona Desert Swarm - Cole Hamels, sp, Philadelphia Phillies

5yr - Open
3yr - Two Open

The eMLB Champion Arizona Desert Swarm had a miracle season in 2011 coming into the season with no expectations from the other owners to win the title. This year they enter the season with bigger expectations and look to be the first team to repeat eSeries titles. The bats under contract are: Matt Kemp (3/13), Carlos Lee (3/12), Evan Longoria (3/12), Alex Avila (2/NT), Melky Cabrera (2/NT), Gordon Beckham (2/12), and Gaby Sanchez (2/12). The pitching staff returns Felix Hernandez (2/NT) and Chris Carpenter (2/12). The club could be looking at one of the many talented outfielders still on the board, but will settle for all-star Cole Hamels to play a large role in 2012, and lead the rotation in 2013 and 2014.

Mock Draft - South Texas Heat (1.15)

2011-12-01T05:00:00.000-06:00

South Texas Heat - Adrian Beltre, 3b, Texas Rangers

5yr - Prince Fielder (5/15)
3yr - Three Open

Bats under contract are catcher Carlos Santana (3/13), 1B Prince Fielder (5/15), shortstop Derek Jeter (2/12), outfielder Curtis Granderson (3/NT), and outfielder Michael Bourn (2/NT). Pitchers under contract are Jon Lester (2/NT), Shaun Marcum (2/12), and James Shields (2/12). For the first time in franchise history the club has a legit speed guy under contract, so they probably won't address that area until later in the draft. While the club is tempted to go with Cole Hamels in this position to compete with the Hackensack rotation, they decide to go with a bat over an arm. Their is a group of 3B that are all north of 30, have similar expectations, and will miss some time every year - this is just one of them. Will Brett Lawrie get the call here over the veterans?

Mock Draft - Rochester Red Sox (1.14)

2011-11-30T05:00:00.000-06:00

Rochester Red Sox - Josh Hamilton, of, Texas Rangers

5yr - Ryan Braun (5/12)
3yr - Two Open

The Red Sox are built to compete in 2012 again after coming off a franchise high 151 win season. Infielders under contract are Michael Morse (2/NT), Brandon Phillips (3/12), Chone Figgins (2/12), and Mark Reynolds (2/12). Outfielders under contract are Ryan Braun (5/12) and Carlos Gonzalez (2/12). The pitchers are just as solid with starters Clayton Kershaw (3/13) and Dan Haren (3/12) to go with closers Jonathon Axford (2/12) and Craig Kimbrel (2/12). The club could go in many different directions with this pick, but I think they will go with the most talented player on the board and select Josh Hamilton.

(Somewhere a tear falls down Adrian's face)

Mock Draft - Dallas Redbirds (1.13)

2011-11-29T05:00:00.000-06:00

Dallas Redbirds - Elvis Andrus, ss, Texas Rangers

5yr - Open
3yr - Two Open

The Redbirds have three bats, all outfielders, under contract for 2012 in Matt Holliday (3/NT), Jacoby Ellsbury (2/12), and Denard Span (2/12). They also have three starting pitchers under contract in David Price (3/NT), Zack Greinke (3/12), and Madison Bumgarner (2/12). It seems logical that the Redbirds would ignore starting pitching, even if Cliff Lee were still on the board, and focus on hitting. This is the point of the draft where there are no guaranteed 5yr guys left, but still some players that could be really solid over the course of their contract. The club could go in many directions, but I assume they will focus on the infield and select Elvis Andrus to start building their infield around. Andrus should be a solid shortstop for 3-4 years, and could possibly see a 5yr placed on him.

Mock Draft - San Antonio Fire Ants (1.12)

2011-11-28T05:00:00.000-06:00

San Antonio Fire Ants - Cliff Lee, sp, Philadelphia Phillies

5yr - Open
3yr - Five Open

If anyone is in a massive rebuilding mode it is the San Antonio Fire Ants with only three players under contract at this point. Tommy Hanson (2/NT) is the lone pitcher, and Michael Young (2/NT) pairs with Cameron Maybin (2/12) as the only hitters. Mike Stanton, selected with the pick prior, would be an ideal player for the Fire Ants to draft. With Stanton off the board they opt for Cliff Lee, who has fallen too far, and realize that they will get a solid 5yr guy in the lottery in 2013.

Mock Draft - Gaylord Dingers (1.11)

2011-11-27T05:00:00.000-06:00

Gaylord Dingers - Mike Stanton, of, Miami Marlins

5yr - Albert Pujols
3yr - Three Open

The Dingers have their corners set with two first basemen with Albert Pujols (5/13), Carlos Pena (2/12) currently under contract to go with 3B Aramis Ramirez (3/NT). The have two outfielders under contract in Carl Crawford (3/13), and Nick Markakis (2/12). Matt Thornton (2/12) is the only pitcher that is currently under contract. Rumors have already begun to swirl that Albert Pujols is on the trading block, but that the deal would have to be pretty sweet for the Dingers to move one of the best players in the game (if not the best). Cliff Lee would be a logical choice at this spot to anchor the rotation, but the Dingers believe that a solid offense and solid bullpen can win a title, so they pass on him in favor of the young slugger Mike Stanton.

Mock Draft - Mid Michigan Tigers (1.10)

2011-11-26T05:00:00.000-06:00

Mid Michigan Tigers - Justin Upton, of, Arizona Diamondbacks

5yr - Miguel Cabrera
3yr - Five Open

The Tigers have two 1B under contract in Miguel Cabera (5/12), and Adam Lind (2/12). They also have two 3B under contract in Casey McGehee (2/12), and Chris Johnson (2/12). The lone outfielder is Austin Jackson (2/NT), and the pitchers under contract are Gio Gonzalez (2/12) and Scott Baker (2/12). This seems like a no-brainer pick if Justin Upton is still on the draft boards. With production at such a young age Justin Upton is a logical 5yr player, but the Tigers won't have any problem placing a 3yr contract on him.

Mock Draft - Oviedo Knights (1.9)

2011-11-25T05:00:00.000-06:00

Ovideo Knights - Hanley Ramirez, ss, Miami Marlins

5yr - Open
3yr - Two Open

The infield has multi position Howie Kendrick (2/12), Neil Walker (2/12), and Pedro Alvarez (3/13). The outfield is complete, if you believe that Grady Sizemore (3/13) will stay healthy, with Carlos Beltran (3/NT), Corey Hart (2/NT), and Drew Stubbs (2/NT) around him. The pitchers under contract are Roy Oswalt (2/12), Brandon Morrow (2/12), and closer Jordan Walden (2/12). I think the club would be disappointed to see Mark Teixeira go right before their selection, but end up settling for Hanley Ramirez in a classic pick for the organization (drafting a player off a bad season and/or injury). Justin Upton would be a logical player drafted at this position, and possibly a better 5yr, if he didn't already have four outfielders under contract.

Mock Draft - Charlotte Orios (1.8)

2011-11-24T05:00:00.000-06:00

Charlotte Orios - Mark Teixeira, 1b, New York Yankees

5yr - Alex Rios
3yr - Two Open

The starting infield is pretty much set already with Billy Butler (3/12), Chase Utley (3/13), and David Wright (3/NT). Tsuyoshi Nishioka (2/12) is under contract as is 2b/ss, but is a dead contract in my opinion. The outfield consists of Alex Rios (5/12) and Jose Tabata (2/12). No pitchers are currently under contract which makes Cliff Lee a reasonable prediction at this spot, but Broskey isn't known to draft SPs early. Hanley Ramirez is another viable option, but Broskey had Hanley during his recent decline so I think he goes with Mark Teixeira and possibly tries to trade Butler, or keep them both and be set at 1B and UTL.

Mock Draft - North Texas Rangers (1.7)

2011-11-23T05:00:00.000-06:00

North Texas Rangers - Jose Reyes, ss, Free Agent

5yr - Open
3yr - Two Open

The Rangers have the makings of a solid infield with Joey Votto (3/12) and Ian Kinsler (3/12) on the right side. They have either the best (or at worst the 2nd best) starting pitcher in the game with Roy Halladay (3/13) locked up for awhile. The other three contracts are an average Logan Morrison (2/12), an unpredictable Ardolis Chapman (2/12), and a not very good Jonathon Broxton (2/12). My guess is that logic overcomes the man crash and Adrian selects Jose Reyes over man-crush Josh Hamilton, and local player Justin Upton, as he tries to build the best infield in the league. The real question will be to place a 5yr on Reyes or wait to get a 5yr in the 2013 draft, and will he get Adrian Beltre at 2.7? He has to draft at least one Ranger in the first two round right?!?!?

Mock Draft - Flying Squirrels (1.6)

2011-11-22T05:00:00.000-06:00

Flying Squirrels of Springfield - Andrew McCutchen, of, Pittsburgh Pirates

5yr - Open
3yr - Two Open

The Squirrels only have four players under contract so their options are wide open as well. Middle infield is set with Dan Uggla (3/NT) and Jimmy Rollins (2/NT), the outfield is basically empty with only Nate McLouth (3/12) under contract, and Mat Latos (3/13) is the lone pitcher. Jose Reyes and Hanley Ramirez are out of the question (unless Hanley gets shifted to 3B or OF), and while they could be looking at Cliff Lee I think the Squirrels will go with Andrew McCutchen over Justin Upton. McCutchen should be one of the safest 5yr contracts given in the league.

Mock Draft - Julian Javelina (1.5)

2011-11-21T05:00:00.000-06:00

Julian Javelina - Jose Bautista, 3b/of, Toronto Blue Jays

5yr - Ryan Zimmerman
3yr - Four Open

With only five players under contract the Javelina will be busy focusing on acquiring as many 3yr options as possible. The interesting situation is that he is one of the few teams that have their 5 year slot filled, which always him to draft the best player in the draft this year in Bautista. The four teams prior to this pick will probably regret passing on Bautista, even if he loses 3b eligibility after this season.

Mock Draft - Atlantic Surge (1.4)

2011-11-20T05:00:00.000-06:00

Atlantic Surge - Nelson Cruz, OF, Texas Rangers

5yr - Open
3yr - One Open

With some very solid starting pitchers returning it makes sense that the focus of the Surge's early draft will be almost 100% hitting. Their only returning infielder is Jason Bartlett (3/12), and they return BJ Upton (3/NT) & Travis Snidor (2/12) in the outfield. They have a ton of options to go with this pick, so it is tough to predict, but I will take Squirre at his word right now and give him Nelson Cruz as he indicated in a comment from a previous post.

Mock Draft - Michigan Miracles (1.3)

2011-11-19T05:00:00.000-06:00

Michigan Miracles - Troy Tulowitzki, SS, Colorado Rockies

5yr - Open
3yr - Three Open

The Miracles once again find themselves in the lottery, and this year hope that their lifelong goal of reaching the playoffs finally happens. The club has lots of open long term contracts, so this draft will be important for their next 2-4 seasons. Adrian Gonzalez makes sense for the club (if he is available) because they do not have a 1B under contract, but Troy Tulowitzki is a viable option and then club could dump Ian Desmond's contract. Robinson Cano seems like the least likely option of the "Big 3" with Ben Zobrist 2b/of on a 2/12 contract and a likely extension into 2013.

Mock Draft: Olivet Killer Eagles (1.2)

2011-11-18T05:00:00.000-06:00

Olivet Killer Eagles - Robinson Cano, 2B, New York Yankees

5yr - Open
3yr - Two Open

After having three 1st round picks in 2011, and missing on two of three, the Eagles find themselves with a lottery pick in 2012. Kendry Morales (3/13) and Adam Dunn (3/13) are blocking the Eagles of taking Adrian Gonzalez if the opportunity arises, and Asdrubal Cabrera (2/NT) makes Troy Tulowitzki less desirable. The Eagles have Kelly Johnson (2/12) under contract as well, so either the club will draft Jose Bautista or draft Robinson Cano and trade Kelly Johnson.

Mock Draft: Hackensack Bulls (1.1)

2011-11-17T05:00:00.000-06:00

Hackensack Bulls - Adrian Gonzalez, 1b, Boston Red Sox

5yr - Open
3yr - None Open

Hackensack has a solid core of pitching locked up for the next few seasons in Sabathia, Lincecum, and Strasburg so the entire focus of the 2012 draft will be on building up the hitting. Starlin Castro (3/13) and Dustin Pedroia (3/NT) are under contract, so Adrian Gonzalez seems like the most logical pick for the Bulls.

2012 Mock Draft

2011-11-16T08:29:00.001-06:00

The "Way To Early" Mock Draft will start being posted tomorrow, with one pick per day being announced on the site. Feel free to leave comments/discussion in the comments section.

Picks 1-3 have not been determined. For this mock draft I just put them in order by W% (from worst to best).

2012 Draft: Matt Moore (SP)

2011-11-13T05:00:00.001-06:00

Alexei Oganda and Michael Pineda were the top two young pitchers in the 2011 season, that was until Matt Moore got called up and stole the show with only 19.1 innings pitched - 9.1 in the regular season, and 10 innings in the playoffs. Moore is a 6-2 lefty with a 95-96 mph fastball, solid curve, and devastating change. He enters the 2012 draft as the top pitching prospect with a high ceiling. The lefty is a player that owners would love to have locked up on a 2yr or 3yr contract, but what can we expect from Matt Moore in 2012?

Wins - The Rays are going to clear a slot, by trading James Shields or David Price this winter, to get Moore a spot in the rotation for the 2012 season. The Rays always boost one of the best defenses, and can provide a decent amount of run support. Moore might be a inning limit for the season, but it should be in the 180-190 range, so expecting a minimum of 11 wins isn't out of the question with a much higher ceiling. The only drawback is the number of times he will have to face the Yankees, Red Sox, and Blue Jays.

Strikeouts - Moore has posted at least a 11.5 K/9 at each level, and their is no indication that major league batters will find the magic to avoid swinging and missing at his stuff. He should post a minimum of a 9.0 K/9 next season, which will put him in the 180-200 K range.

ERA - Moore gets ahead of hitters early, can pitch the corners, and finish them off with 2 strikes. All the of the ERA indicators (FIP, xFIP, SIERRA) love Moore's potential ERA. It isn't unrealistic to expect an ERA of 3.00 for Moore in the 2012 season.

WHIP - In 2011 Moore posted a 0.94 WHIP in AA, 0.97 WHIP in AAA, and a 1.29 WHIP in MLB. This is the area that he might be the closest to league average, but a WHIP is 1.20 is a reasonable projection.

With lots of good starting pitchers in the draft, Matt Moore might see himself slide later than in a normal draft, but he is the type of player that everyone will want, and nobody will talk about prior to the draft. He should be no secret entering the draft, but the question is how he gets slotted around guys like youngsters like Alexei Oganda, Michael Pineda. Of course, all of this is for nothing if the Rays don't clear a slot for him in the rotation (which seems unlikely that Moore won't start 2012 in their rotation).

Josh Hamilton versus Nelson Cruz

2011-11-11T05:00:00.000-06:00

While trying to figure out how much Nelson Cruz's limited # of games played would effect his draft position, I noticed that he had played in more games that teammate Josh Hamilton over the past three seasons. Hamilton is considered by almost everyone to be a guaranteed first round draft pick, so this article looks at Josh Hamilton and Nelson Cruz a little closer.

Age - They are both 30 years old, with Hamilton turning 31 in May and Cruz turning 31 in July. Note - if you add their ages together it is still less than Renner's age.

Games Played - Nelson Cruz has played in 17 more games than Josh Hamilton over the past three seasons, but Josh Hamilton has had one more plate appearance over that same span.

Home Runs - Nelson Cruz has hit 17 more home runs over the course of the last three years than Josh Hamilton has.

Runs - Josh Hamilton has scored 19 more runs over the span of the last three seasons.

Runs Batted In - This is pretty even with only a 7 RBI difference between the two players.

Walks - While neither of the players will be close to the league leader in walks, Cruz is the more patient of the two hitters.

Batting Average - Hamilton holds a clear advantage in the batting average department with with .036 advantage over Cruz in the last three seasons.

Stolen Bases - Once again neither of the two will be near the league leaders in stolen bases, but Cruz has averaged just over 15 SB per season over the past three seasons which is pretty good for a power hitter.

So there are the numbers, who do you think the player that should get drafted first?

Is Nelson Cruz a 1st Rounder in 2012?

2011-11-08T05:00:00.000-06:00

Nelson Cruz can rack up stats like few others in baseball, but the problem is that you can't rely on him being in the line-up consistently. Cruz's personal high for games played in a season came in 2009, when he played in 128 games that season. Over the course of the past three seasons, he has played in only 360 games (an average of 120 per season). When he plays he can carry a team offensively for the week, but does his low # of games played drop him out of the 1st round?

Over the past three seasons, he has averaged:
120 games played, 28 home runs, 66 runs, 80 rbi, 15 sb, 40 walks, and a .278 batting average.

Comparing Cruz to other players that have had at least 1000 Plate Appearances in the last three years:

Only Jose Bautista, Albert Pujols, Jim Thome, Mark Reynolds, and Prince Fielder have higher ISO than Cruz's .256.
Of that group only Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder exceed his .278 batting average
None of that group has accumulated more than the 46 stolen bases that Cruz has.
His power comparison group (players within .005 ISO of Cruz + or -) are Prince Fielder, Ryan Howard, Carlos Pena, Mike Napoli, and Miguel Cabrera -- which are all fine players.

Nelson Cruz will turn 31 in July of 2012, so he is contract worthy, and if someone wants to gamble they could put a 3yr contract on him. He has the talent to be an upper level first round pick, but will the risk of injury slide him into the second round?

Three Potential First Round Outfielders

2011-11-06T07:04:00.000-06:00

Below are the comparison stats for three under 30 outfielders that are potential first round outfielders, and worthy of at least a 2yr contract (most likely a 3yr contract). All three have played between 305-312 games, and have been in the post-season at least once over the two year span.

Player A has scored the most runs over the last two seasons (by 6), has stolen the most bases (by almost double the next player), has walked the most (by 25), but have the lowest batting average (by .021).

Player B is the youngest (by 3yrs), has the most HRs (by 10), but has scored the fewest runs (by 13), and has the fewest SB (by 13).

Player C is the oldest (by 1 yr), has hit the most RBI (by 21 RBI), has the highest batting average (by .030 pts), but has had the fewest walks (by 34).

Which of thee players would you draft for your team? Vote on the right, and then click on the comments to find out who each player is.

Is Elvis Andrus a 1st Rounder in 2012?

2011-11-03T16:17:00.001-05:00

Elvis Andrus often gets hidden by the superstar hitters in the Texas Rangers line-up, but should he be a first rounder in the eMLB 2012 draft? There is no doubt that their are some good shortstops in the draft this year - Troy Tulowitzki, Jose Reyes, and Hanley Ramirez. That trio can easily be argued to be the three best in all of fantasy baseball.

Andrus won't be 23 until late August, and has already accumulated 256 runs, 102 stolen bases, and a .271 batting average over the course of three seasons. He won't hit for much power yet, but should fill out as he ages and could reach the 10-15 HR mark in a few seasons. What he does well is get on base, run the bases, and score runs. He wasn't a negative in the RBI department in 2011 with 60 RBIs, but I would expect his RBI total to drop some in 2012, unless we see a spike in power.

Here is how he compares to the other big three shortstops over the past two seasons.

Games Played:
Elvis Andrus - 298
Troy Tulowitzki - 265
Jose Reyes - 259
Hanley Ramirez - 234

Runs:
Elvis Andrus - 184
Jose Reyes - 184
Troy Tulowitzki - 170
Hanley Ramirez - 147

Home Runs:

Troy Tulowitzki - 57
Hanley Ramirez - 31

Jose Reyes - 18

Elvis Andrus - 5

Runs Batted In:

Troy Tulowitzki - 200

Hanley Ramirez - 121

Jose Reyes - 98

Elvis Andrus - 95

Walks:

Elvis Andrus - 120

Hanley Ramirez - 108

Troy Tulowitzki - 107

Jose Reyes - 74

Stolen Bases:

Elvis Andrus - 69

Jose Reyes - 69

Hanley Ramirez - 52

Troy Tulowitzki - 20

I think it is pretty clear that Tulo is the best shortstop in the draft, but Andrus can hang with Reyes and Hanley. Given his young age and durability shown he could get drafted ahead of Reyes (who has battled injuries) and Hanley (who has been in a funk for the last 1.5 seasons).

Voting is open (poll on the right), and/or leave comments below.

2011 Extensions Announced

2011-10-28T22:52:00.000-05:00

The following are the 2011 eMLB Extensions.

Atlantic Surge
BJ Upton
Justin Verlander
Jordan Zimmerman

Dallas Redbirds
Matt Holliday
David Price

Oviedo Knights
Carlos Beltran
Corey Hart
Drew Stubbs

Rochester Red Sox
Carlos Gonzalez
Michael Morse

Charlotte Orios
David Wright

Gaylord Dingers
Carl Crawford
Aramis Ramirez

Mid Michigan
Austin Jackson

Olivet Killer Eagles
Asdrubal Cabrera
Michael Cuddyer

Hackensack Bulls
Dustin Pedroia
Buster Posey

Michigan Miracles
Shin-Soo Choo

San Antonio FireAnts
Tommy Hanson
Michael Young

South Texas Heat
Michael Bourn
Curtis Granderson
Jon Lester

Arizona Desert Swarm
Alex Avila
Melky Cabrera
Felix Hernandez

Julian Javelina
Lance Berkman
Jered Weaver

North Texas Rangers
None

Springfield Flying Squirrels of Republic
Jimmy Rollins
Dan Uggla

Texas Division - Offensive Chart

2011-10-25T19:28:00.000-05:00

The breakdown of each projected offensive statistical category of the Texas League teams with current projected extensions included. Click on the image to get a closer view of the chart.

Could this be the year that the Michigan Miracles finally breakthrough and make the eMLB playoffs?

Can Hackensack go from worst to first in the Texas Division?

Is their any hope for San Antonio to compete in 2012?

Will South Texas be able to repeat as Texas Division champions?

Eastern Division - Offensive Chart

2011-10-25T19:26:00.000-05:00

The Eastern Division offensive chart, with projected extensions included. Click the chart for a larger version.

2012 Season Predictions

2011-10-23T00:28:00.000-05:00

Here are the early 2012 rankings based on the 2012 player projections of the current teams (with projected extensions included). The standings are roto rankings, and obviously the teams that have more players under contract at this point have the better standing in the rankings. Yes, things will change as we move through the Winter Meetings and Draft, but we have to start somewhere.

Playoff Teams:
Rochester Red Sox - 144 pts
They have a great shot of being the odds on favorite to win the eSeries going into the playoffs again.

Michigan Miracles - 123 pts
Early season projection - we all know Renner won't make the playoffs.

Hackensack Bulls - 115 pts
Worst to first? The pitching is really strong and will have to carry them.

Oviedo Knights - 113 pts
The Knights look to return to the playoffs - which is almost expected in any eMLB season.

Gaylord Dingers - 108 pts
The Dingers continue their dominance of the Great Lakes division in 2012.

*Arizona Desert Swarm - 107 pts
The Desert Swarm win the Western Division, and have a shot to be the 1st team to repeat.

Consolation Teams:
*South Texas Heat - 109 pts
The Texas Division looks to be much tougher and the Heat are projected to miss the playoffs.

North Texas Rangers - 99 pts
The Rangers have some big names, the question is how they will surround their top talent.

Olivet Killer Eagles - 97 pts
The Eagles are hoping to bounce back after a disappointing 2011 season.

Dallas Redbirds - 89 pts
The Redbirds won't flop in 2012, but their path will be tougher in 2012.

Atlantic Surge - 73 pts
The Surge pitching staff is loaded, and will determine their success.

Mid Michigan Tigers - 68 pts
The Tigers look to make their 1st Playoff trip in 2012, but will come up short again.

Lottery Teams:
Julian Javelina - 65 pts
The Javelina will need a great draft to be in a position to compete in the West in 2012.

Charlotte Orios - 65 pts
Chase Utley health might be the key to Orios ability to compete in 2012.

Flying Squirrels - 64 pts
The Squirrels loaded up for 2011, and look to rebuild in a big way this season.

San Antonio Fire Ants - 43 pts
See the Squirrels above

Early 2012 Rankings - Closers

2011-10-19T05:59:00.000-05:00

Craig Kimbrel
Jonathon Papelbon
Mariano Rivera
Drew Storen
Neftali Feliz
John Axford
Heath Bell
Ryan Madson
J.J. Putz
Brian Wilson

Early 2012 Rankings - Starting Pitching

2011-10-15T09:55:00.003-05:00

Very early starting pitcher rankings.... before you Tiger fans say that Verlander should be #1, realize that the separation between Halladay and Verlander in my rankings is about 1/1000 of a percentage point.

Roy Halladay
Justin Verlander
Clayton Kershaw
Cliff Lee
Dan Haren
Jered Weaver
CC Sabathia
Stephen Strasburg
Cole Hamels
Tim Lincecum
Felix Hernandez
David Price
Ian Kennedy
Matt Cain
Mat Latos
Zack Greinke
Daniel Hudson
CJ Wilson
Josh Johnson
Michael Pineda
Tommy Hanson
James Shields
Jon Lester
Alexei Ogando
Colby Lewis

Early 2012 Rankings - Outfielders

2011-10-12T06:30:00.000-05:00

6x6 Format

Ryan Braun
Matt Kemp
Carlos Gonzalez
Curtis Granderson
Jacoby Ellsbury
Andrew McCutchen
Justin Upton
Josh Hamilton
Matt Holliday
Shin-Soo Choo
Mike Stanton
Nick Swisher
Andre Ethier
Shane Victorino
Jay Bruce
Hunter Pence
BJ Upton
Jayson Werth
Corey Hart
Nelson Cruz
Carl Crawford
Chris Young
Drew Stubbs
Desmond Jennings
Carlos Beltran

5x5 Format

Ryan Braun
Matt Kemp
Carlos Gonzalez
Jacoby Ellsbury
Josh Hamilton
Justin Upton
Curtis Granderson
Andrew McCutchen
Matt Holliday
Mike Stanton
Shane Victorino
Shin-Soo Choo
Hunter Pence
Carl Crawford
Nelson Cruz
Jay Bruce
Corey Hart
Adam Jones
Andre Ethier
Angel Pagan
Ichiro Suzuki
Michael Bourn
BJ Upton
Drew Stubbs
Nick Markakis

Early 2012 Rankings- Shortstops

2011-10-10T06:30:00.000-05:00

6x6 Format

Troy Tulowitzki
Hanley Ramirez
Jose Reyes
Yunel Esocbar
Elvis Andrus
Asdrubal Cabrera
Derek Jeter
Jimmy Rollins
Alexei Ramirez
Jhonny Peralta
Starlin Castro
Stephen Drew
Cliff Pennington
Zack Cozart
JJ Hardy
Jason Bartlett

5x5 Format

Troy Tulowitzki
Hanley Ramirez
Jose Reyes
Startlin Castro
Asdrubal Cabrera
Elvis Andrus
Yunel Escobar
Derek jeter
Alexei Ramirez
Jhonny Peralta
Jimmy Rollins
Stephen Drew
Dee Gordon
Erick Aybar
Zack Cozart
JJ Hardy

Early 2012 Rankings - Third Basemen

2011-10-08T08:25:00.001-05:00

Early 2012 3B Rankings - feel free to leave comments or your own rankings.

6x6 Format

Jose Bautista
Evan Longoria
David Wright
Alex Rodriguez
Mark Reynolds
Brett Lawrie
Kevin Youkilis
Ryan Zimmerman
Ryan Roberts
Aramis Ramirez
Adrian Beltre
Pablo Sandoval
Casey McGehee
Placido Polanco
Danny Valencia
David Freese

5x5 Format

Jose Bautista
Evan Longoria
David Wright
Brett Lawrie
Alex Rodriguez
Mark Reynolds
Ryan Zimmerman
Adrian Beltre
Kevin Youkilis
Aramis Ramirez
Pablo Sandoval
Ryan Roberts
Placido Polanco
Casey McGehee
David Freese
Danny Valencia

Early 2012 Rankings - Second Basemen

2011-10-04T07:00:00.000-05:00

Early Second Baseman Rankings for 2012...

6x6 Format

Dustin Pedroia - Boston Red Sox
Robinson Cano - New York Yankees
Ian Kinsler - Texas Rangers
Ben Zobrist - Tampa Rays
Dan Uggla - Atlanta Braves
Kelly Johnson - Toronto Blue Jays
Chase Utley - Philadelphia Phillies
Brandon Phillips - Cincinnati Reds
Rickie Weeks - Milwaukee Brewers
Michael Cuddyer - Minnesota Twins
Danny Espinosa - Washington Nationals
Neil Walker - Pittsburgh Pirates
Jason Kipnis - Cleveland Indians
Aaron Hill - Arizona Diamondbacks
Dustin Ackley - Seattle Mariners
Howie Kendrick - Anahiem Angels

5x5 Format

Robinson Cano - New York Yankees
Dustin Pedroia - Boston Red Sox
Ian Kinsler - Texas Rangers
Dan Uggla - Atlanta Braves
Ben Zobrist - Tampa Rays
Brandon Phillips - Cincinnati Reds
Kelly Johnson - Toronto Blue Jays
Chase Utley - Philadelphia Phillies
Rickie Weeks - Milwaukee Brewers
Danny Espinosa - Washington Nationals
Aaron Hill - Arizona Diamondbacks
Michael Cuddyer - Minnesota Twins
Jason Kipnis - Cleveland Indians
Howie Kendrick - Anahiem Angels
Neil Walker - Pittsburgh Pirates
Jemile Weeks - Oakland Athletics

Early 2012 Rankings - First Basemen

2011-10-02T07:00:00.000-05:00

A very EARLY look at the 1B rankings for 2012. Feel free to leave comments or your own rankings in the comments section.

6x6 1B Rankings

Albert Pujols
Miguel Cabrera
Joey Votto
Prince Fielder
Adrian Gonzalez
Mark Teixeira
Ryan Howard
Paul Goldschmidt
Eric Hosmer
Paul Konerko
Lance Berkman
Billy Butler
Michael Young
Carlos Pena
Gaby Sanchez
Adam Dunn

5x5 1B Rankings

Albert Pujols
Miguel Cabrera
Joey Votto
Adrian Gonzalez
Mark Teixeira
Prince Fielder
Ryan Howard
Eric Hosmer
Paul Goldschmidt
Paul Konerko
Michael Young
Lance Berkman
Adam Lind
Freddie Freeman
Michael Morse
Billy Butler

Early 2012 Rankings - Catchers

2011-09-30T07:00:00.000-05:00

A very early look at my catcher rankings for the 2012 season. Feel free to leave a comment(s) or your own rankings/opinion.

6x6 eMLB Format

Carlos Santana - Cleveland Indians
Brian McCann - Atlanta Braves
Buster Posey - San Francisco Giants
Mike Napoli - Texas Rangers
Alex Avila - Detroit Tigers
Victor Martinz - Detroit Tigers
Joe Mauer - Minnesota Twins
Miguel Montero - Arizona Diamondbacks
Matt Weiters - Baltimore Orioles
Russell Martin - New York Yankees
JP Arencibia - Toronto Blue Jays
Kurt Suzuki - Oakland Athletics
Geovany Soto - Chicago Cubs
Chris Iannetta - Colorado Rockies
Jonathon Lucroy - Milwaukee Brewers
Yadier Molina - St. Louis Cardinals

5x5 Standard Format

Buster Posey - San Francisco Giants
Carlos Santana - Cleveland Indians
Brian McCann - Atlanta Braves
Mike Napoli - Texas Rangers
Victor Martinez - Detroit Tigers
Alex Avila - Detroit Tigers
Miguel Montero - Arizona Diamondbacks
Joe Mauer - Minnesota Twins
Matt Weiters - Baltimore Orioles
JP Arencibia - Toronto Blue Jays
Russell Martin - New York Yankees
Kurt Suzuki - Oakland Athletics
Jonathon Lucroy - Milwaukee Brewers
Miguel Olivo - Seattle Mariners
Yadier Molina - St. Louis Cardinals
Geovany Soto - Chicago Cubs

2012 Mock Draft (EOS 2011)

2011-09-05T21:24:00.002-05:00

1. Hackensack Bulls - Adrian Gonzalez
2. Olivet Killer Eagles - Troy Tulowitzki
3. Michigan Miracles - Robinson Cano
4. Atlantic Surge - Jose Reyes
5. Charlotte Orios - Jose Bautista
6. Julian Javelina - Justin Upton
7. North Texas Rangers - Hanley Ramirez
8. Flying Squirrels - Mark Teixeira
9. Mid Michigan - Andrew McCutchen
10. Oviedo Knights - Ryan Howard
11. Gaylord Dingers - Nelson Cruz
12. San Antonio Fire Ants - Cliff Lee
13. Dallas Redbirds - Mike Stanton
14. Arizona Desert Swarm - Josh Hamilton
15. Rochester Red Sox - Cole Hamels
16. South Texas Heat - Adrian Beltre

eMLB: 2011 Final Power Rankings

2011-09-05T15:59:00.001-05:00

As we enter the 2011 eMLB Playoffs, here is the final eMLB Power Rankings of the season.

1. Rochester Red Sox (142 pts, NC, #1 last week)
2. Dallas Redbirds (131 pts, +5 pts, #3)
3. South Texas Heat (130 pts, +1 pt, #2)
4. Arizona Desert Swarm (117 pts, +3 pts, #4)
5. Gaylord Dingers (114 pts, +6 pts, #5)
6. Julian Javelina (97 pts, +1 pt, #7)
7. Flying Squirrels of Springfield (96 pts, -4 pts, #6)
8. North Texas Rangers (94 pts, +1 pt,
9. Oviedo Knights (91 pts, +1 pt, #10)
10. Mid Michigan Tigers (90 pts, -1 pt, #9)
11. San Antonio Fire Ants (88 pts, +1 pt, #11)
12. Charlotte Orios (74 pts, +1 pt, #12)
13. Hackensack Bulls (69 pts, +1 pt, #14)
14. Atlantic Surge (67 pts, +1 pt, #16)
15. Michigan Miracles (65 pts, -4 pts, #13)
16. Olivet Killer Eagles (64 pts, -3 pts, #15)

eMLB Excel First Round Playoff Predictions
Dallas Redbirds and Gaylord Dingers play to a 6-6 tie - Dallas advances on the tie breaker.
San Antonio FireAnts over the Arizona Desert Swarm by a score of 7-5

eMLB Excel First Round Consolation Playoff Predictions
Flying Squirrels over Mid Michigan Tigers by a score of 7-5
Oviedo Knights and North Texas Rangers play to a 6-6 tie - North Texas advances on the tie breaker.

eMLB Vegas Odds to Win the eSeries Championship
2-1 Rochester Red Sox
5-2 South Texas Heat
3-1 Dallas Redbirds
4-1 Arizona Desert Swarm
6-1 San Antonio Fire Ants
8-1 Gaylord Dingers

eMLB Vegas Odds to Win the Consolation Playoffs
1-1 Julian Javelina
3-1 Charlotte Orios
3-1 Flying Squirrels of Springfield
4-1 North Texas Rangers
5-1 Oviedo Knights
6-1 Mid Michigan Tigers

One Month Power Rankings

2011-09-01T06:56:00.000-05:00

Here are the past rankings only looking at the stats for the past 4 weeks as we move into tournament play next week......

1. Rochester Red Sox (143 pts)
2. Dallas Redbirds (141 pts)
3. South Texas Heat (134 pts)
4. Arizona Desert Swarm (109 pts)
5. Gaylord Dingers (107 pts)
6. Flying Squirrels (103 pts)
7. Mid Michigan Tigers (100 pts)
8. Oviedo Knights (98 pts)
9. San Antonio FireAnts (96 pts)
10. Julian Javelina (95 pts)
11. Charlotte Orios (92 pts)
12. North Texas Rangers (88 pts)
13. Hackensack Bulls (69 pts)
14. Atlantic Surge (68 pts)
15. Michigan Miracles (61 pts)
16. Olivet Killer Eagles (56 pts)

Power Rankings: Week 21

2011-08-29T07:14:00.000-05:00

Power Rankings Thru Week 21
1. Rochester Red Sox (142 pts, +3 pts, #1 last week)
2. South Texas Heat (129 pts, NC, #2t)
3. Dallas Redbirds (126 pts, -3 pts, #2t)
4. Arizona Desert Swarm (114 pts, +2 pts, #4)
5. Gaylord Dingers (108 pts, +1 pt, #5)
6. Flying Squirrels of Springfield (100 pts, -6pts, #6)
7. Julian Javelina (96 pts, -3 pts, #7)
8. North Texas Rangers (93 pts, -2 pts, #8)
9. Mid Michigan Tigers (91 pts, +2 pts, #10)
10. Oviedo Knights (90 pts, -1 pt, #9)
11. San Antonio FireAnts (87 pts, NC, #11)
12. Charlotte Orios (73 pts, NC, #12)
13. Michigan Miracles (69 pts, -2 pts, #13)
14. Hackensack Bulls (68 pts, -2 pts, #14)
15. Olivet Killer Eagles (67 pts, -2 pts, #15)
16. Atlantic Surge (66 pts, NC, #16)

Week 22 Excel Predictions:
South Texas over Michigan by a score of 10-2
San Antonio over Hackensack by a score of 9-3
Dallas over Rochester by a score of 8-4
Oviedo over Atlantic by a score of 8-4
Gaylord over Mid Michigan by a score of 7-5
Charlotte over Olivet by a score of 8-4
Arizona and Flying Squirrels play to a 6-6 tie
Julian and North Texas play to a 6-6 tie

Current Vegas Odds to Win the 2011 eSeries:
3-2 Rochester Red Sox
2-1 South Texas Heat
4-1 Dallas Redbirds
4-1 Arizona Desert Swarm
5-1 San Antonio FireAnts
7-1 Gaylord Dingers
10-1 Charlotte Orios
100-1 Flying Squirrels of Springfield
150-1 Julian Javelina
800-1 North Texas Rangers
999-1 Mid Michigan Tigers
999-1 Oviedo Knights
999-1 Olivet Killer Eagles
999-1 Hackensack Bulls
999-1 Atlantic Surge
999-1 Michigan Miracles

Power Rankings: Week 20

2011-08-21T22:21:00.002-05:00

Power Rankings Thru Week 20:
1. Rochester Red Sox (139 pts, +4 pts, #1 last week)
2t. Dallas Redbirds (129 pts, +2 pts, #2t)
2t. South Texas Heat (129 pts, +2 pts, #2t)
4. Arizona Desert Swarm (112 pts, -2 pts, #4)
5. Gaylord Dingers (107 pts, -2 pts, #5)
6. Springfield Flying Squirrels of Republic (106 pts, +3 pts, #6)
7. Julian Javelina (99 pts, +3 pts, #7)
8. North Texas Rangers (95 pts, +4 pts, #8)
9. Oviedo Knights (91 pts, +3 pts, #9t)
10. Mid Michigan Tigers (89 pts, +1 pt, #9t)
11. San Antonio Fire Ants (87 pts, +1 pt, #11)
12. Charlotte Orios (73 pts, -3 pts, #12)
13. Michigan Miracles (71 pts, +2 pts, #15)
14. Hackensack Bulls (70 pts, -3 pts, #13)
15. Olivet Killer Eagles (69 pts, -1 pt, #14)
16. Atlantic Surge (66 pts, -2 pts, #16)

Week 21 Excel Predictions:
South Texas over San Antonio by a score of 11-1
Michigan over Hackensack by a score of 8-4
Dallas over Atlantic by a score of 11-1
Rochester over Oviedo by a score of 8-4
Gaylord over Olivet by a score of 7-5
Charlotte over Mid Michigan by a score of 7-5
Arizona over Julian by a score of 7-5
Flying Squirrels over North Texas by a score of 10-2

Current Vegas Odds to Win the 2011 eSeries:
3-2 Rochester Red Sox
2-1 South Texas Heat
4-1 Dallas Redbirds
5-1 San Antonio Fire Ants
8-1 Arizona Desert Swarm
8-1 Julian Javelina
12-1 Gaylord Dingers
13-1 Charlotte Orios
15-1 Springfield Flying Squirrels of Republic
800-1 North Texas Rangers
999-1 Mid Michigan Tigers
999-1 Oviedo Knights
999-1 Olivet Killer Eagles
999-1 Hackensack Bulls
999-1 Atlantic Surge
999-1 Michigan Miracles

Remaining SoS - Final Three Weeks

2011-08-15T23:59:00.000-05:00

Strength of Schedule of the final three opponents, from toughest to easiest.

1. North Texas Rangers (opponents are 51 games over .500)
2. Atlantic Surge (+48)
3t. Flying Squirrels of Springfield (+33)
3t. Julian Javelina (+33)
5. Arizona Desert Swarm (+27)
6. Hackensack Bulls (+23)
7. Oviedo Knights (+16)
8. Michigan Miracles (+14)
9. Olivet Killer Eagles (+1)
10. Mid Michigan Tigers (-14)
11. Dallas Redbirds (-21)
12. Rochester Red Sox (-31)
13. Charlotte Orios (-37)
14. Gaylord Dingers (-40)
15. San Antonio FireAnts (-47)
16. South Texas Heat (-56)

Power Rankings: Week 19

2011-08-14T23:22:00.000-05:00

Power Rankings Thru Week 19:
1. Rochester Red Sox (135 pts, -3 pts, #1 last week)
2t. Dallas Redbirds (127 pts, +1 pt, #3)
2t. South Texas Heat (127 pts, -1 pt, #2)
4. Arizona Desert Swarm (114 pts, +2 pts, #4)
5. Gaylord Dingers (109 pts, -1 pt, #5)
6. Springfield Flying Squirrels of Republic (103 pts, NC, #6t)
7. Julian Javelina (96 pts, -7 pts, #6t)
8. North Texas Rangers (91 pts, +3 pts, #9t)
9t. Mid Michigan Tigers (88 pts, NC, #9t)
9t. Oviedo Knights (88 pts, -1 pt, #8)
11. San Antonio FireAnts (86 pts, -1 pt, #11)
12. Charlotte Orios (76 pts, +2 pts, #14)
13. Hackensack Bulls (73 pts, -2 pts, #13)
14. Olivet Killer Eagles (70 pts, -8 pts, #12)
15. Michigan Miracles (69 pts, -3 pts, #15)
16. Atlantic Surge (68 pts, NC, #16)

Week 20 Excel Predictions:
South Texas Heat over Hackensack Bulls by a score of 11-1
San Antonio Fire Ants and Michigan Miracles play to a 6-6 tie
Dallas Redbirds over Oviedo Knights by a score of 10-2
Rochester Red Sox over Atlantic Surge by a score of 10-2
Gaylord Dingers over Charlotte Orios by a score of 9-3
Olivet Killer Eagles over Mid Michigan Tigers by a score of 8-4
Flying Squirrels over Julian Javelina by a score of 7-5
Arizona Desert Swarm over North Texas Rangers by a score of 10-2

Current Vegas Odds to Win the 2011 eSeries:
5/2 Rochester Red Sox
4-1 South Texas Heat
5-1 Dallas Redbirds
6-1 San Antonio FireAnts
7-1 Arizona Desert Swarm
8-1 Gaylord Dingers
10-1 Julian Javelina
12-1 Springfield Flying Squirrels of Republic
15-1 Charlotte Orios
750-1 North Texas Rangers
999-1 Mid Michigan Tigers
999-1 Oviedo Knights
999-1 Olivet Killer Eagles
999-1 Hackensack Bulls
999-1 Atlantic Surge
10000-1 Michigan Miracles