Team Review: Tampa Bay Plunkers

When Bill Levesque inherited the Plunkers, he was taking on a team that had a good recent history of making the playoffs. The Plunkers were in contention until the last week of the season despite some unforeseen circumstances that led to Levesque's abdication of the franchise towards the end of the 2008 season.

What went right: Torii Hunter had perhaps his best DMBL season and James Loney and Brian Roberts were solid as well. Lee Gardner was a find as one of the league's best closers (tied for 2nd in the league with 28 saves). Andy Pettitte started out winning his first 7 decisions, and ended with a solid 15-6 record. Despite a lot of mediocrity on the roster this team was in contention for most of the season.

What went wrong: The smoke died down and the mirrors broke before the season was over. The rest of the pitching staff ranged from disappointing - Roy Oswalt (11-13, 4.38) - to ugly - Jered Weaver (7-11, 6.56). The offense was very mediocre and could not overcome the deficits in the rotation.

2009 Outlook: Returning as the Amityville Ant Slayers and under new ownership, the team has some work to do. Already there has been some roster maneuvering (Adrian Gonzalez is out, Jon Lester and Dioner Navarro are in). There are enough parts on this team to actually be competitive in 2009, so a complete overhaul is probably not necessary. Look for the Ant Slayers to finish somewhere in the middle of the pack in '09.

Team Review: Sardine City Straphangers

The Straphangers made major strides in their second season. Despite only improving by 11 wins and finishing 10th overall, the Straphangers were in the playoff race for a good portion of the season, even flirting with a .500 record at one point. The Calvosa brothers knew that the team had little hope of advancing in the playoffs should the stars align, so they ended up trading away a some of their spare parts before the deadline. However, things look very good for the Straphangers in 2009...

What went right: B.J. Upton and Ryan Braun blossomed into stars on the offensive side, while Fausto Carmona and Cole Hamels did well in the rotation. Akinori Otsuka was an anchor in a shaky bullpen before being traded away.

What went wrong: The Calvosas had no pretense of their team's abilities - there were some smoke and mirrors involved in the team's improbably playoff run. Daisuke Matsuzaka showed signs of life but ultimately lost 19 games with a 5.22 ERA. Most of the bullpen was inconsistent. The team got subpar production from Kevin Youkilis, Ken Griffey, and Raul Ibanez.
2009 Outlook: The Sardines look like they might make the first step toward becoming a contender this season. With a real shot to make the playoffs, it will be interesting to see what strategy the Calvosas employ in their draft. The club has high expectations of youngsters Braun, Youkilis, Evan Longoria, and Carlos Quentin. The pitching staff may require a bit of tinkering, but Hamels and rookie Joba Chamberlain should be a good start.

Team Review: Philadelphia Endzone Animals

The Animals followed up their successful 2007 campaign with another good season in 2008. The Animals once again advanced to the second round of the playoffs, but were knocked out by the powerful Sugar Bears. Will 2009 be their year?

What went right: Magglio Ordonez had an MVP-caliber season and other offensive cogs like Jorge Posada, Albert Pujols, and Mark Teixeira all had great years as well. Brandon Webb and Matt Cain had solid years in the rotation and the bullpen was one of the best.

What went wrong: Johan Santana (13-11, 5.23) was a big disappointment as was rookie Yovani Gallardo (11-9, 5.76). The team was forced to make two deals for starters - one turned out ok (Kyle Kendrick from Vancouver) and the other was no improvement over the others (Aaron Harang of Blue Ridge).

2009 Outlook: It doesn't look like this team is going away anytime soon. The pitching staff should be as good as ever, that is, assuming that Santana will return to form. The offense has plenty of pop to it. The Animals should once again be a top contender for the DMBL crown.

Team Review: Newark Sugar Bears

The four time defending champions entered the season with lofty projections, but fell just short of their fifth straight title. Amidst a lot of adversity from rival teams and an announcement from GM/owner Butch Garretson that he may hang up the reins of the team after the season, the Sugar Bears still won the Hanover Division and the Commissioner's Cup.

What went right: The team steamrolled through the season, winning 114 games and clinching the division early on. Once again the offense was a juggernaut - led by Chipper Jones, Matt Stairs, Jack Cust, and the rest of the usual suspects. The pitching staff was solid once again - Javy Vazquez won 21 games, and James Shields and Randy Johnson also held their own in the league's toughest venue for hurlers.

What went wrong: Hard to say much went wrong for Newark - they were one game away from winning it all again. It was no secret that there was much resentment towards the Sugar Bears, limiting any midseason help that the team would get. In fact, Newark was unable to consummate any trades during the course of the 2008 season. The bullpen, a strength on previous teams, was still solid, but not dominant. The lack of a clear closer may have actually hurt the team this season - their 38 team saves was tied for lowest among all the playoff teams. While Jared Burton and Manny Delcarmen were very good, the rest of the pen was disappointing.

2009 Outlook: Anyone who thinks that the Sugar Bears won't be back next year is fooling themselves. Despite the fact that they may have to play in a more equitable stadium, the team is still built for success. The road to the championship seems to always go through Newark...

Bedard dealt for bag of potato chips

D.C. cashed in Blue Ridge's 2nd overall draft pick, acquiring Erik Bedard from Las Vegas along with their 1st pick in 2010 in exchange for the pick. Bedard was probably the ace of the Rat Pack's 2008 staff, going 15-3 with a 3.47 ERA, but frustrated Rat Pack owner Eric Wickstrom decided that it was time to jettison the left hander. Bedard had his breakout season in 2007 with Philadelphia, going 17-9 with a 3.94 ERA for the Morris Division champions, but he was soon dealt in the offseason to the Rat Pack.

Vegas has announced that they are now shopping that 2nd pick. A few teams are rumored to be interested, according to unnamed sources. Meanwhile, Bedard may have made righty Shawn Marcum expendable in D.C. The club has reportedly already offered the starter to other DMBL teams.

Stats updated

I'll leave Newark hanging over the weekend waiting for their Team Review...

Meanwhile, all of you can start some of your draft prep by heading over to the main site to check out the updated rosters and free agent lists. Remember that these are just the eligible free agents for the 2009 season.

Team Review: New Jersey Team Buddah

New Jersey finally has had enough of Team Buddah's losing ways and have ordered the team to leave by January. So the Buddahs will pack up and head north to Connecticut. "That's pretty harsh, considering Harrison, Hoboken, and Hillsborough all had more than 2 losing seasons" said team owner Mike Hornick. Anyway, the Buddahs did end up in last place overall and will pick first in every round but the first.

What went right: Did I mention they finished last? Right. Well Bobby Jenks did have a stellar year in relief (1.49 ERA, 24 saves, 1.02 WHIP in 64 games) and Joe Blanton and Brad Penny didn't completely embarrass themselves either. Actually, the Buddah bullpen wasn't too bad, with George Sherrill and Tony Pena also having decent years.

What went wrong: Everything else. The offense had a .297 team on base percentage and no one, except Khalil Greene (with 20 at bats), finished with a batting average of .300 or higher. Oliver Perez (3-19, 5.80) and Tom Gorzelanny (6-16, 5.91) were dreadful.
2009 Outlook: Having the first pick certainly will help - it will have to. The Buddahs had a few nice finds in Joey Votto and Ryan Dempster (since traded). There are a few decent cogs that Buddah has to work with, but this will most definitely be another rebuilding year.