Team Review: Vancouver Iron Fist

The Iron Fist ended their 13-year skid by winning their first championship since 1994. Vancouver then went on to take the top two awards - the McDonald and Mitchell - in an unprecedented trifecta.

What went right: Almost everything. Sure the Fist took both teams to 7 games in the playoffs, but they got the result they wanted. Jake Peavy took the McDonald award and was the anchor of a very solid rotation. Meanwhile, David Ortiz led one of the top offensive lineups en route to his Mitchell award. Manny Corpas claimed the closer role in one of the top bullpens in the league.

What went wrong: Ben Sheets continued to underwhelm and Billy Wagner slipped a bit before rebounding towards the end of the year. Rich Hill was pretty much a bust until atoning in the World Series. Michael Young and Victor Martinez were somewhat ordinary in a star-powered lineup.

2009 Outlook: Can Vancouver defend their title? The offense will take a bit of a hit as some of the older players regress. Moises Alou will hang up his spikes and Andre Ethier was traded in the offseason. But the pitching staff is still strong and the Fist should have enough to at least return to the playoffs.

We are going to be taking a break for the rest of 2008. Have a happy Holidays!