https://www.firstclassmogul.com/ Sat, 24 Oct 2026 08:59:08 +0000 MyBB https://www.firstclassmogul.com/showthread.php?tid=57311 Fri, 15 May 2020 08:03:09 -0500 https://www.firstclassmogul.com/showthread.php?tid=57311 Sim 1

#1 -    6-7
#2 -   6-6
#3 -   8-4
#4 -   8-5
#5 -    9-4
#6 -   11-2
#7 -   8-5
#8 -   6-7
#9 -   9-3
#10 -   7-7


 ]]> Sim 1

#1 -    6-7
#2 -   6-6
#3 -   8-4
#4 -   8-5
#5 -    9-4
#6 -   11-2
#7 -   8-5
#8 -   6-7
#9 -   9-3
#10 -   7-7


 ]]> https://www.firstclassmogul.com/showthread.php?tid=47367 Sat, 03 Feb 2018 23:02:20 -0600 https://www.firstclassmogul.com/showthread.php?tid=47367
Teams Projected Record Last Ranking

1. St. Louis 95-67 N/A

2. Seattle 97-65 N/A

3. Atlanta 91-71 N/A

4. Oakland 95-67 N/A

5. Kansas City 94-68 N/A

6. New York Yankees 94-68 N/A

7. Cincinnati 88-74 N/A

8. Philadelphia 88-74 N/A

9. Chicago White Sox 93-69 N/A

10. Washington 87-75 N/A]]>
Teams Projected Record Last Ranking

1. St. Louis 95-67 N/A

2. Seattle 97-65 N/A

3. Atlanta 91-71 N/A

4. Oakland 95-67 N/A

5. Kansas City 94-68 N/A

6. New York Yankees 94-68 N/A

7. Cincinnati 88-74 N/A

8. Philadelphia 88-74 N/A

9. Chicago White Sox 93-69 N/A

10. Washington 87-75 N/A]]> https://www.firstclassmogul.com/showthread.php?tid=39970 Wed, 02 Nov 2016 11:25:54 -0500 https://www.firstclassmogul.com/showthread.php?tid=39970 Sim 5

The Best Juan - :was: - Record: 43-25 --- The Nationals lost two series to the Braves and D-Backs last sim, and while they have continued to remain consistent, some question marks as to the strength of their bullpen outside Rivera are starting to surface. They've lost Verdugo for two weeks, both Brumback and Rugg are still trying to break into All-Star form and the offense hasn't been powering past opponents as it did in the first three sims. They remain on top, but for how long? -- Previous Rank: 1 -- L10: 6-4 -- Top Rank Streak: 3

#2 - - Record: 44-23 --- The bullpen is settling down, the rotation has stayed on a lights out course with the 2nd best ERA in FCM, and the offense continues to provide proof that it's number two ranking (5.85 RS/G) is no fluke! Thanks to the division falling behind them, San Francisco has become my new choice for top dogs in the NL West even though I'm still concerned the line up will not produce enough going forward to keep them this high in the rankings. As long DLee's team can continue to get guys across home plate and control late game situations they will have a shot at The Juan and only throne. -- Previous Rank: 2 --L10: 6-4

#3 - - Record: 43-26 --- Despite all the controversy surrounding President of Baseball Ops. Mike Sweet and his future involvement with Kansas City, the Royals have taken complete ownership of first place in the Central. They lost some very close games probably because of a bullpen that likes to blow 4 run leads in the 9th as they did against the Rangers on June 3rd, and while they went 10-4 in June they've been somewhat of a see-saw on a day to day basis. Winning a game, dropping one, winning two straight, dropping the next and so on. Acosta, Bigil, Plumb and Wood showed up big time with a combined hitting line of .351/.422/.585/1.007 to go along with 6 homers and 37 RBI in their last 10 games. The Royals finish up a 4 game set in Oakland before hitting the road to Minneapolis and the South Side of Chicago. They will need to get more wins than losses in that easy stretch before facing some of the best pitching the league has to offer at the end of the month. If the offense can continue to give KC the power to put up double digit numbers on certain days and the pitchers (specifically Flemming, Furusato, Evans and Winegardner) make strides to improve sim by sim, Mike has a bunch of reasons to stick around. -- Previous Rank: 7 -- L10: 7-3

#4 - - Record: 41-26 --- When will Detroit realize they are suppose to be at least #2 in every single one of these rankings? Yes, Cook can barely make it to the mound without a golf cart and both Buchanan and Summerlin have missed extensive time, but this team showed aggressive grind on it's way to a 9-4 record in June with 3 of those losses coming at the hands of the streaking Red Sox. They need to stay healthy and start getting some better hitting out of guys like Devaney, Lockhart, McGomery and Marzan if they are to catch up with their Pythagorean, but I say that while they are already ranked as 4th best offensive attack in FCM! Motown will for sure be a threat going into the playoffs despite the short play, and to be fair the other teams in their division have had some great runs, but they need to pick up the pace. Fast! -- Previous Rank: 3 -- L10: 7-3

#5 - - Record: 39-29 --- June's light schedule couldn't have came sooner for the Reds, as they took 7 of 9 from the Angels, Pirates and Cubbies during sim 4 after some lackluster play in recent sims. We all know these guys can hit. Milton, Stanley and Vines are all locks for the Home Run Derby and Eric Lindsay is absolutely unpitchable. He has more round trippers and just as much RBI at this point as he did all last season. The arms did a fine job, the only letdowns being a rare rough start for Cliff Miller and not so surprising problems for Kendrowski. If the bullpen can stay just as good as it was last sim the Reds are going to unleash fury upon the NL, and without a schedule filled with tough match ups it's hard to envision otherwise. -- Previous Rank: 5 -- L10: 6-4

#6 - - Record: 39-29 --- The Braves going 3-5 against the Phillies and 1-2 against the Brewers this month pretty much sums up how sim 4 went for this team. They had no trouble scoring runs, and even their bullpen did a solid job at keeping games close. A 4.77 rotation ERA in June has proved too costly for the Braves, most of the 7 losses they've had so far have come in games they had no chance to win after inning 3. They are too good on paper to be worried about any slumps yet, but the highway to July is looking like a highway to hell right now. Ask Cincy, Washington and New York why. -- Previous Rank: 4 -- L10: 4-6

#7 - - Record: 42-27 --- Call them the Oakland Aces! That bullpen is just flat out filthy. Moreno is for sure going to secure the Mariano Rivera Award in the AL this year, and the rest of their staff have put them on a consistent path to wins. That atrocious hitting is pure proof that the Athletics are just as good as what they put on the mound, but how long can that last as a winning formula will be interesting to watch. Fred could definitely use some quality hitting to give that line up a spark, specifically upgrades at 2B, SS and C. But who needs hitting when you can pitch like it's 1969? If the Astros can't pick themselves up quick enough, Oakland will be flexing their muscles in the Division Championship Series. -- Previous Rank: 9 -- L10: 8-2

#8 - - Record: 42-27 --- New York has been the champion of close ball games this season, winning 24 games by 2 runs or less and sporting an 8-3 record in extra innings play. The pitchers were as much a mystery pitch last sim as it has been all season. John Thomas and Joe Wright struggled with command while Bradshaw continued his incredible debut in The Big Apple despite having a 1 run, 9 inning gem thrown away because of a no show offense. Biggest story about the club is how the bottom half of their line up has been the focal point of their ability to score runs going on 3 sims now, and the way their big hitters have been playing there is no way the Yanks are this close to first place without the production of guys 6 through 9. I can't put my finger on whether I doubt this team due to their great play when the game comes down to a battle of bullpens or trust their odds to be a contender. -- Previous Rank: 6 -- L10: 6-4

More Rankings to come tonight!]]> Sim 5

The Best Juan - :was: - Record: 43-25 --- The Nationals lost two series to the Braves and D-Backs last sim, and while they have continued to remain consistent, some question marks as to the strength of their bullpen outside Rivera are starting to surface. They've lost Verdugo for two weeks, both Brumback and Rugg are still trying to break into All-Star form and the offense hasn't been powering past opponents as it did in the first three sims. They remain on top, but for how long? -- Previous Rank: 1 -- L10: 6-4 -- Top Rank Streak: 3

#2 - - Record: 44-23 --- The bullpen is settling down, the rotation has stayed on a lights out course with the 2nd best ERA in FCM, and the offense continues to provide proof that it's number two ranking (5.85 RS/G) is no fluke! Thanks to the division falling behind them, San Francisco has become my new choice for top dogs in the NL West even though I'm still concerned the line up will not produce enough going forward to keep them this high in the rankings. As long DLee's team can continue to get guys across home plate and control late game situations they will have a shot at The Juan and only throne. -- Previous Rank: 2 --L10: 6-4

#3 - - Record: 43-26 --- Despite all the controversy surrounding President of Baseball Ops. Mike Sweet and his future involvement with Kansas City, the Royals have taken complete ownership of first place in the Central. They lost some very close games probably because of a bullpen that likes to blow 4 run leads in the 9th as they did against the Rangers on June 3rd, and while they went 10-4 in June they've been somewhat of a see-saw on a day to day basis. Winning a game, dropping one, winning two straight, dropping the next and so on. Acosta, Bigil, Plumb and Wood showed up big time with a combined hitting line of .351/.422/.585/1.007 to go along with 6 homers and 37 RBI in their last 10 games. The Royals finish up a 4 game set in Oakland before hitting the road to Minneapolis and the South Side of Chicago. They will need to get more wins than losses in that easy stretch before facing some of the best pitching the league has to offer at the end of the month. If the offense can continue to give KC the power to put up double digit numbers on certain days and the pitchers (specifically Flemming, Furusato, Evans and Winegardner) make strides to improve sim by sim, Mike has a bunch of reasons to stick around. -- Previous Rank: 7 -- L10: 7-3

#4 - - Record: 41-26 --- When will Detroit realize they are suppose to be at least #2 in every single one of these rankings? Yes, Cook can barely make it to the mound without a golf cart and both Buchanan and Summerlin have missed extensive time, but this team showed aggressive grind on it's way to a 9-4 record in June with 3 of those losses coming at the hands of the streaking Red Sox. They need to stay healthy and start getting some better hitting out of guys like Devaney, Lockhart, McGomery and Marzan if they are to catch up with their Pythagorean, but I say that while they are already ranked as 4th best offensive attack in FCM! Motown will for sure be a threat going into the playoffs despite the short play, and to be fair the other teams in their division have had some great runs, but they need to pick up the pace. Fast! -- Previous Rank: 3 -- L10: 7-3

#5 - - Record: 39-29 --- June's light schedule couldn't have came sooner for the Reds, as they took 7 of 9 from the Angels, Pirates and Cubbies during sim 4 after some lackluster play in recent sims. We all know these guys can hit. Milton, Stanley and Vines are all locks for the Home Run Derby and Eric Lindsay is absolutely unpitchable. He has more round trippers and just as much RBI at this point as he did all last season. The arms did a fine job, the only letdowns being a rare rough start for Cliff Miller and not so surprising problems for Kendrowski. If the bullpen can stay just as good as it was last sim the Reds are going to unleash fury upon the NL, and without a schedule filled with tough match ups it's hard to envision otherwise. -- Previous Rank: 5 -- L10: 6-4

#6 - - Record: 39-29 --- The Braves going 3-5 against the Phillies and 1-2 against the Brewers this month pretty much sums up how sim 4 went for this team. They had no trouble scoring runs, and even their bullpen did a solid job at keeping games close. A 4.77 rotation ERA in June has proved too costly for the Braves, most of the 7 losses they've had so far have come in games they had no chance to win after inning 3. They are too good on paper to be worried about any slumps yet, but the highway to July is looking like a highway to hell right now. Ask Cincy, Washington and New York why. -- Previous Rank: 4 -- L10: 4-6

#7 - - Record: 42-27 --- Call them the Oakland Aces! That bullpen is just flat out filthy. Moreno is for sure going to secure the Mariano Rivera Award in the AL this year, and the rest of their staff have put them on a consistent path to wins. That atrocious hitting is pure proof that the Athletics are just as good as what they put on the mound, but how long can that last as a winning formula will be interesting to watch. Fred could definitely use some quality hitting to give that line up a spark, specifically upgrades at 2B, SS and C. But who needs hitting when you can pitch like it's 1969? If the Astros can't pick themselves up quick enough, Oakland will be flexing their muscles in the Division Championship Series. -- Previous Rank: 9 -- L10: 8-2

#8 - - Record: 42-27 --- New York has been the champion of close ball games this season, winning 24 games by 2 runs or less and sporting an 8-3 record in extra innings play. The pitchers were as much a mystery pitch last sim as it has been all season. John Thomas and Joe Wright struggled with command while Bradshaw continued his incredible debut in The Big Apple despite having a 1 run, 9 inning gem thrown away because of a no show offense. Biggest story about the club is how the bottom half of their line up has been the focal point of their ability to score runs going on 3 sims now, and the way their big hitters have been playing there is no way the Yanks are this close to first place without the production of guys 6 through 9. I can't put my finger on whether I doubt this team due to their great play when the game comes down to a battle of bullpens or trust their odds to be a contender. -- Previous Rank: 6 -- L10: 6-4

More Rankings to come tonight!]]> https://www.firstclassmogul.com/showthread.php?tid=39907 Thu, 27 Oct 2016 22:09:05 -0500 https://www.firstclassmogul.com/showthread.php?tid=39907 Sim 4

The Best Juan - :was: - Record: 37-20 --- Washington spends a second straight week on top. Their pitching did fall behind a tad with Villima and Rugg struggling against some solid line ups, Mike Nearns costing the team a win during a late-game opportunity in Denver on the 17th, and Smith doing the same against the Marlins a week later. The offense moved to 3rd in the league in run scored per game, gulping up any small hiccups it's pitching partners may encounter. -- Previous Rank: 1 -- L10: 5-5

#2 - - Record: 38-19 --- Is San Francisco for real? Even while going 8-8 last sim, they've managed to maintain the best record in FCM while scoring more runs than any other team not named the Cincinnati Reds. Their staff looks like it has staying power with All-Star hopefuls Martin Dutko and Brad Wile leading the charge. Bullpen has cleaned up some of their act, dropping from a 6.18 ERA to 4.87, obviously leaving room for improvement. The back 3 of their line up is still trying to emerge out of the dark, but that hasn't stopped the top-6 portion from bringing home 186 runs. I'm not too confident this team will have what it takes to maintain this kind of play, but they have been proving everyone wrong for about 2 seasons now. -- Previous Rank: 3 -- L10: 6-4

#3 - - Record: 34-22 --- The Tigers went 8-7 last sim, finishing in a first place tie with the Roaring Royals. Howie Wright indeed proved he was worth more than a piece of Tampa Bay salary dump, showing up strong for 3 great starts versus the Twins, Pirates and Orioles and helping the pitching staff lower it's ERA to 3.59. So how has a team with the leading offense in the American League find itself going 14-14 in the month of May? Considering they lost 3 of 4 versus Houston and split two series against the Indians and Pirates, I really don't have any faith that they will continue to play like a "middle of the pack" team for much longer. They are just too good. If it doesn't shape up by mid-July, I do expect GB to make some moves that will give the league indication as to Detroit's future investments. -- Previous Rank: 5 -- L10: 7-3

#4 - - Record: 34-23 --- Crothers, Calhoun and Morris went comatose on a pitching staff that did a tremendous job giving the club a chance to win every day. When you go 20-7 in April, hold the #4 offense in the league and then drop six of the last ten against three teams that combine to allow 5.52 runs per game, you can only blame coincidence, right? Ray Vizcaya is my choice for National League MVP. I know we still have 8 sims to go, but this guy has a very good chance of finishing the year with 30+ doubles, 30 HRs, 100+ RBI and 45+ Stolen bases. I don't even have to write down his hitting line, it's MVP caliber and then some. Let's also not overlook Jim Wetmore's resurgence! The Comeback Player of the Year candidate could very well see his first 30+ HR, .840+ OPS season. Atlanta has put it's neck out to prove it deserves a seat at the table with the top dogs, and they've succeeded so far. -- Previous Rank: 6 -- L10: 4-6

#5 - - Record: 32-25 --- It's really hard not to hope this poor play by the Reds is a sign of things to come. It's probably not, anyway. Eric Lindsay is a god right now, putting up Ted Williams like numbers (.396/.427/1.062, 10 HRs, 44 RBI and 34 runs scored) within his first 200 ABs. I still have Ray V. marked as my MVP, but this Lindsay guy doesn't seem to care what I think. Vines has step up beautifully and given Andy some options with his power. Milton, Stanley and Vines have been the engine to a terrorizing offense that, of course, leads the league in almost every offensive statistical category. Cincinnati has the same problem most underachieving teams do - their pitching has been throwing up some goose eggs. While Pinnick had a nice 4 game turnaround, Kendrowski has allowed 4 or more runs in his last 3 starts and he hasn't pitched over 6 innings in any one of them. He's lucky he has the kind of offense that can bail him out as they did against the Dodgers. Bullpen arms Egan, Pendergrass and Winston have given up a combined 16 HRs in just 88 IP. I trust Pendergrass, but I'm not banking on the other two making long strides of improvement. Cincy is still in everyone's mind the team you absolutely do not want to face.....well, at least I feel that way. I'm calling a bounce back to total dominant control of the division by sim 7. -- Previous Rank: 2 -- L10: 5-5

#6 - - Record: 36-22 --- Ben Dolan, Matthew Hagen and Tony Davenport have been offensive disappointments so far. It doesn't seem to bother the Yanks as their tremendous three in Pugh, Adler and Ugaki have combined powers with the bench to provide the support needed to secure a 3rd best record. Even behind shady pitching, this team is the league's best when the game is late and on the line. How that happens with a bullpen that allows over 4 runs every 9 innings is anyone's guess. My guess? Erick knows how to win. He may not be decorated, but he certainly should be taken seriously when you face his team in an upcoming sim. -- Previous Rank: 8 -- L10: 6-4

#7 - - Record: 35-23 --- Where the hell did they come from? KC almost found themselves sliding out of the rankings, now they're in first place. Mike lost just 5 of the 17 games he played last sim, his offense stepping up to the plate as ageless wonder Jonathan Woods directed the train with 14 hits in his last 10 games. Winegardner and the bullpen turned it around for the most part, only drawback being Furusato's inability make it out of the 9th and finish off the Rangers even after his team gave him a commanding 4 run lead. If the starters continue to pitch well, Big Game Ace Marin stays healthy and the bullpen remains capable, Kansas City actually has a shot. How far can the Roaring Royals go? As I've mentioned previously, their offense will have the most say about that, but it'll be fun to watch! The AL Central has been by far the most entertaining division in FCM so far, with 4 different teams claiming the lead in the first 4 sims. -- Previous Rank: 15 -- L10: 8-2

#8 - - Record: 32-26 --- The Indians cooled off big time after a great run in sim 3. They faced some quality teams, going 7-11 against the Rangers, Tigers, Cubs, Rays, Red Sox and Yankees while still staying on pace with their division rivals at just 3 games behind first. Cleveland has displayed some of FCM's best pitching, southpaw Austin Wimbush and veteran closer Aaron Smith at the helm of a staff allowing just 3.75 runs per game. It's the Tribe's offense that has been the yin to their yang, hitting .250 as a team and ranking 24th in runs scored. When Toronto (14-44) and Pittsburgh (20-39) are the only teams that have a lower team OPS than you, something needs to be done in order to stay in contention. They did lose a bunch of close games late in month, so there is room for a positive outlook. I'm not too sure contention was on Matty's mind at the start of the season, but if his pitching can continue it's mastery and the bats start hitting the ball it will be juicy to watch what Matty decides to do with this team. -- Previous Rank: 5 -- L10: 5-5

#9 - - Record: 34-24 --- The Athletics still own the best bullpen in the league, seemingly making it easier on a staff that doesn't have any superstars and a line up that has just one player hitting over .266 (100 ABs minimum). A's fans can't get too excited though - relying on Moreno or Brown every late game situation isn't going to cut it, and the rotation has been slowing down for 3 straight sims. I think this team is in a bit over their heads, with a light schedule and an even less frightening division giving them almost no problems at all. Fred's in first place still causing trouble for the Astros, throwing his middle fingers up at anyone who doubts Oakland, and he'll make sure he sticks them up for as long as he can. -- Previous Rank: 10 -- L10: 5-5

#10 - - Record: 32-25 --- Houston.....we have a problem! In the form of pitching that allowed 4 or more runs in 11 of their last 17 games. The bullpen is allowing just under 5 runs per game this year, and last sim featured two heart breaking blown saves from Hayman and one by Adair. This had to be a big factor in Houston losing 7 games by 2 runs or less in during the sim 4 stretch. The Astros' hitters have been doing all they can to pick up the slack, but daily ROY/MVP performances from Robinson and some solid contributions around him isn't going to push this club past Oakland. The pitchers need stay reliable in order for my division title prediction to come true. -- Previous Rank: 7 -- L10: 4-6

#11 - - Record: 36-23 --- Libreros drops just a sim after Huey does, wonderful! I've been playing good ball, but I don't exactly know if my bullpen can hold or even if my rotation will continue to pitch close to as well as it has. Hopefully my offense keeps it all together some how. -- Previous Rank: 12 -- L10: 5-5

#12 - - Record: 31-26 --- The Red Birds make their rankings debut, soaring to a 12-6 record for sim 4, taking 2nd place in the NL Central and trailing Cincinnati by just one game. Now that the battle with early season demons is over, the entire St. Louis starting rotation is ready to do what it does best: terminate wood! Their bullpen is no less destructive besides the mishaps of Davis and Delgalleo. The peculiar thing about this club is their talented offense. The players for the most part have posted pretty good numbers so far this year. Mitch Dorn and Howie Dow igniting the team's offense with their speed, Mike Smith and Carsolad doing their jobs to bring Dorn and Dow home, and even Atterman providing support in the lower half of the line up. Now the 5-7 guys have been nothing to write home about, but I still strongly believe this team isn't as bad as their 23rd ranking in runs scored suggests. They'll face some light pitching from Seattle and Philly, with the best rotation in baseball smacked in between those two for a four game set. Let's see what GD has in store.....he may become a blindsiding threat to Andy's comeback. -- Previous Rank: / -- L10: 8-2

#13 - - Record: 30-28 --- Previous Rank: 9 -- L10: 4-6


#14 - - Record: 30-28 --- Previous Rank: 13 -- L10: 3-7

[b]#15 - - Record: 30-29 --- Previous Rank: 14 -- L10: 6-4]]> Sim 4

The Best Juan - :was: - Record: 37-20 --- Washington spends a second straight week on top. Their pitching did fall behind a tad with Villima and Rugg struggling against some solid line ups, Mike Nearns costing the team a win during a late-game opportunity in Denver on the 17th, and Smith doing the same against the Marlins a week later. The offense moved to 3rd in the league in run scored per game, gulping up any small hiccups it's pitching partners may encounter. -- Previous Rank: 1 -- L10: 5-5

#2 - - Record: 38-19 --- Is San Francisco for real? Even while going 8-8 last sim, they've managed to maintain the best record in FCM while scoring more runs than any other team not named the Cincinnati Reds. Their staff looks like it has staying power with All-Star hopefuls Martin Dutko and Brad Wile leading the charge. Bullpen has cleaned up some of their act, dropping from a 6.18 ERA to 4.87, obviously leaving room for improvement. The back 3 of their line up is still trying to emerge out of the dark, but that hasn't stopped the top-6 portion from bringing home 186 runs. I'm not too confident this team will have what it takes to maintain this kind of play, but they have been proving everyone wrong for about 2 seasons now. -- Previous Rank: 3 -- L10: 6-4

#3 - - Record: 34-22 --- The Tigers went 8-7 last sim, finishing in a first place tie with the Roaring Royals. Howie Wright indeed proved he was worth more than a piece of Tampa Bay salary dump, showing up strong for 3 great starts versus the Twins, Pirates and Orioles and helping the pitching staff lower it's ERA to 3.59. So how has a team with the leading offense in the American League find itself going 14-14 in the month of May? Considering they lost 3 of 4 versus Houston and split two series against the Indians and Pirates, I really don't have any faith that they will continue to play like a "middle of the pack" team for much longer. They are just too good. If it doesn't shape up by mid-July, I do expect GB to make some moves that will give the league indication as to Detroit's future investments. -- Previous Rank: 5 -- L10: 7-3

#4 - - Record: 34-23 --- Crothers, Calhoun and Morris went comatose on a pitching staff that did a tremendous job giving the club a chance to win every day. When you go 20-7 in April, hold the #4 offense in the league and then drop six of the last ten against three teams that combine to allow 5.52 runs per game, you can only blame coincidence, right? Ray Vizcaya is my choice for National League MVP. I know we still have 8 sims to go, but this guy has a very good chance of finishing the year with 30+ doubles, 30 HRs, 100+ RBI and 45+ Stolen bases. I don't even have to write down his hitting line, it's MVP caliber and then some. Let's also not overlook Jim Wetmore's resurgence! The Comeback Player of the Year candidate could very well see his first 30+ HR, .840+ OPS season. Atlanta has put it's neck out to prove it deserves a seat at the table with the top dogs, and they've succeeded so far. -- Previous Rank: 6 -- L10: 4-6

#5 - - Record: 32-25 --- It's really hard not to hope this poor play by the Reds is a sign of things to come. It's probably not, anyway. Eric Lindsay is a god right now, putting up Ted Williams like numbers (.396/.427/1.062, 10 HRs, 44 RBI and 34 runs scored) within his first 200 ABs. I still have Ray V. marked as my MVP, but this Lindsay guy doesn't seem to care what I think. Vines has step up beautifully and given Andy some options with his power. Milton, Stanley and Vines have been the engine to a terrorizing offense that, of course, leads the league in almost every offensive statistical category. Cincinnati has the same problem most underachieving teams do - their pitching has been throwing up some goose eggs. While Pinnick had a nice 4 game turnaround, Kendrowski has allowed 4 or more runs in his last 3 starts and he hasn't pitched over 6 innings in any one of them. He's lucky he has the kind of offense that can bail him out as they did against the Dodgers. Bullpen arms Egan, Pendergrass and Winston have given up a combined 16 HRs in just 88 IP. I trust Pendergrass, but I'm not banking on the other two making long strides of improvement. Cincy is still in everyone's mind the team you absolutely do not want to face.....well, at least I feel that way. I'm calling a bounce back to total dominant control of the division by sim 7. -- Previous Rank: 2 -- L10: 5-5

#6 - - Record: 36-22 --- Ben Dolan, Matthew Hagen and Tony Davenport have been offensive disappointments so far. It doesn't seem to bother the Yanks as their tremendous three in Pugh, Adler and Ugaki have combined powers with the bench to provide the support needed to secure a 3rd best record. Even behind shady pitching, this team is the league's best when the game is late and on the line. How that happens with a bullpen that allows over 4 runs every 9 innings is anyone's guess. My guess? Erick knows how to win. He may not be decorated, but he certainly should be taken seriously when you face his team in an upcoming sim. -- Previous Rank: 8 -- L10: 6-4

#7 - - Record: 35-23 --- Where the hell did they come from? KC almost found themselves sliding out of the rankings, now they're in first place. Mike lost just 5 of the 17 games he played last sim, his offense stepping up to the plate as ageless wonder Jonathan Woods directed the train with 14 hits in his last 10 games. Winegardner and the bullpen turned it around for the most part, only drawback being Furusato's inability make it out of the 9th and finish off the Rangers even after his team gave him a commanding 4 run lead. If the starters continue to pitch well, Big Game Ace Marin stays healthy and the bullpen remains capable, Kansas City actually has a shot. How far can the Roaring Royals go? As I've mentioned previously, their offense will have the most say about that, but it'll be fun to watch! The AL Central has been by far the most entertaining division in FCM so far, with 4 different teams claiming the lead in the first 4 sims. -- Previous Rank: 15 -- L10: 8-2

#8 - - Record: 32-26 --- The Indians cooled off big time after a great run in sim 3. They faced some quality teams, going 7-11 against the Rangers, Tigers, Cubs, Rays, Red Sox and Yankees while still staying on pace with their division rivals at just 3 games behind first. Cleveland has displayed some of FCM's best pitching, southpaw Austin Wimbush and veteran closer Aaron Smith at the helm of a staff allowing just 3.75 runs per game. It's the Tribe's offense that has been the yin to their yang, hitting .250 as a team and ranking 24th in runs scored. When Toronto (14-44) and Pittsburgh (20-39) are the only teams that have a lower team OPS than you, something needs to be done in order to stay in contention. They did lose a bunch of close games late in month, so there is room for a positive outlook. I'm not too sure contention was on Matty's mind at the start of the season, but if his pitching can continue it's mastery and the bats start hitting the ball it will be juicy to watch what Matty decides to do with this team. -- Previous Rank: 5 -- L10: 5-5

#9 - - Record: 34-24 --- The Athletics still own the best bullpen in the league, seemingly making it easier on a staff that doesn't have any superstars and a line up that has just one player hitting over .266 (100 ABs minimum). A's fans can't get too excited though - relying on Moreno or Brown every late game situation isn't going to cut it, and the rotation has been slowing down for 3 straight sims. I think this team is in a bit over their heads, with a light schedule and an even less frightening division giving them almost no problems at all. Fred's in first place still causing trouble for the Astros, throwing his middle fingers up at anyone who doubts Oakland, and he'll make sure he sticks them up for as long as he can. -- Previous Rank: 10 -- L10: 5-5

#10 - - Record: 32-25 --- Houston.....we have a problem! In the form of pitching that allowed 4 or more runs in 11 of their last 17 games. The bullpen is allowing just under 5 runs per game this year, and last sim featured two heart breaking blown saves from Hayman and one by Adair. This had to be a big factor in Houston losing 7 games by 2 runs or less in during the sim 4 stretch. The Astros' hitters have been doing all they can to pick up the slack, but daily ROY/MVP performances from Robinson and some solid contributions around him isn't going to push this club past Oakland. The pitchers need stay reliable in order for my division title prediction to come true. -- Previous Rank: 7 -- L10: 4-6

#11 - - Record: 36-23 --- Libreros drops just a sim after Huey does, wonderful! I've been playing good ball, but I don't exactly know if my bullpen can hold or even if my rotation will continue to pitch close to as well as it has. Hopefully my offense keeps it all together some how. -- Previous Rank: 12 -- L10: 5-5

#12 - - Record: 31-26 --- The Red Birds make their rankings debut, soaring to a 12-6 record for sim 4, taking 2nd place in the NL Central and trailing Cincinnati by just one game. Now that the battle with early season demons is over, the entire St. Louis starting rotation is ready to do what it does best: terminate wood! Their bullpen is no less destructive besides the mishaps of Davis and Delgalleo. The peculiar thing about this club is their talented offense. The players for the most part have posted pretty good numbers so far this year. Mitch Dorn and Howie Dow igniting the team's offense with their speed, Mike Smith and Carsolad doing their jobs to bring Dorn and Dow home, and even Atterman providing support in the lower half of the line up. Now the 5-7 guys have been nothing to write home about, but I still strongly believe this team isn't as bad as their 23rd ranking in runs scored suggests. They'll face some light pitching from Seattle and Philly, with the best rotation in baseball smacked in between those two for a four game set. Let's see what GD has in store.....he may become a blindsiding threat to Andy's comeback. -- Previous Rank: / -- L10: 8-2

#13 - - Record: 30-28 --- Previous Rank: 9 -- L10: 4-6


#14 - - Record: 30-28 --- Previous Rank: 13 -- L10: 3-7

[b]#15 - - Record: 30-29 --- Previous Rank: 14 -- L10: 6-4]]> https://www.firstclassmogul.com/showthread.php?tid=39866 Tue, 25 Oct 2016 23:05:54 -0500 https://www.firstclassmogul.com/showthread.php?tid=39866 Sim 3

The Best Juan - :was: - Record: 28-12 --- A number two ranking wasn't enough for the Nationals. They went ahead and took the NL East lead from Atlanta, but even more impressive, they swept Detroit AND Cincinnati in the process! Allowing the fewest runs per game, Washington's pitching has enjoyed success despite the shortcomings of Brumback, Nearns and Verdogo. The offense has followed suit, taking advantage of their comfort zone at home and zipping to a 16-5 record at the new state of the art Eisenhower Valley Field. Stay consistent, stay healthy, stay focused. That's all they need to do. -- Previous Rank: 2 -- L10: 9-1

#2 - - Record: 24-17 --- Make no mistake, the Reds got knocked off the top spot due to incredible play by the Nats. A line up that boasts a league leading .847 OPS and 3 of the top 5 homer hitters in all of FCM has continued it's raking of the baseball. That's not the issue. I'm wondering how long will it take for this pitching staff which has been rightfully revered for the past 2 seasons to get on the right track? Kendrowski has been on and off, Pinnick is looking god awful, Bolata has allowed 66 hits in 51.2 innings and the bullpen is more of a pigpen full of chickens with their heads cut off. How much more time does this team get before we start raising red flags? -- Previous Rank: 1 -- L10: 5-5

#3 - - Record: 29-11 --- Luck ran out for a bit as they went 7-6 in sim 3, losing three of those games by one run. The hitting scored 65 runs in the last 13 games, and none of the starters have an ERA over Twistleton's 3.68 posting. As for most teams, their bullpen has been the prime suspect to any of their struggles. If things don't get better, DLee will have to make some creative moves to improve in that department without giving up too much of their bright future. Should he not be willing to make those moves, the Giants might have a tough go of it during the Dog Days of August. Lucky for San Francisco most teams underachieved last sim, so they can enjoy a second week in the top 5. -- Previous Rank: 4 --L10: 6-4

#4 - - Record: 24-15 --- Biggest underachievers goes to Detroit. A team that has pitched the way they have and hit the way they have shouldn't be anywhere but first place. Losing Summerlin didn't help, but there is no clear evidence as to why the Tigers haven't won more games, and to make matters worse they find themselves trailing the Cleveland Indians by half a game. The real question for this team isn't if they will bounce back to the top of the Central, but rather will this team be as dominant as it has been in recent memory even as they continue to stand among the leaders of the AL? -- Previous Rank: 5 -- L10: 4-6

#5 - - Record: 25-15 --- Is Cleveland rocking or what?! Going 11-2 last sim, the Indians have been lights out on the mound. Permenter has yet to allow a run in his rookie campaign, and Smith isn't even making it easy for Marc to get his dream job closing gig with the numbers he is outputting. Eric Gimard brought a jolt of energy into an offense that needed it, hitting .324/.439/.1.086 and 14 RBI's in his last 10. If the bats can continue to get better, Cleveland's pitching is going to make this AL Central race a very intriguing one. Not bad for a team that was shopping it's core line up piece and a mid rotation starter just two sims ago. -- Previous Rank: 14 -- L10: 8-2

#6 - - Record: 27-13 --- The Braves have been getting some well needed production out of the Regino, Zimiz and Wright. Opponents are hitting .230 against them as they've generated a 2.73 ERA in 200 IP. There is a bit of a home runs allowed issue as those three have combined for 20 HRs in that same time frame, but it hasn't factored into costing them many games. Stang made a great low risk/high reward deal with the Padres that sent 2 solid but not great prospects and a fringe spec in exchange for long time ace Brett Wright, who regained form last sim after some tough outings. Holding the Phillies to one run and shutting out the Royals before allowing 5 runs after being left on the mound way too long in Pittsburgh, Wright's role with this team will be way more vital going down the stretch than that of Zimiz or even Regino. Offensively they are enjoying success. Wetmore and Winright are provided some much needed power to the three-headed speed demon this line up carries on it's head. I do have to mention that the Braves have had a bit of luck on their side, going undefeated in extra innings and 10-2 in one run games. Their bullpen has played above expectations in certain areas, but they haven't been that good. Still...should Stang make some more well timed low risk deals, I think Atlanta will play well enough to move into the top 5 rankings. -- Previous Rank: 6 -- L10: 7-3

#7 - - Record: 25-15 --- Houston's line up is struggling outside of Robinson, Yepiz and Leoniedas. There isn't much faith that Arnold, Augilar and Tryon will produce much better than what they are manufacturing now, so if Houston expects to tame Oakland and the rest of the division they need two of three things to happen: 1. The pitching staff needs to pitch even better than they have been during this great start. 2. Robinson and Leoniedas continue to play at an MVP level for the rest of the season (keep dreaming TT), AND Riggle's numbers explode into above average territory. 3. The AL West begins it's mid-season fade early, with the rest of the division falling behind .500 by June to mid July. Word on the street is the Astros have some cards up their sleeve, however. Expect a big move for a big time pitcher or bat in the near future. -- Previous Rank: 8 -- L10: 5-5

#8 - - Record: 26-14 --- The 8th best offense in FCM has somehow found a way to elevate a horrible display of pitching from their bullpen. Having the 2nd worst ERA of any ranked team (4.46, trailing only the defending champion Reds at 4.65), how in god's name has this team won 11 one run games and 5 extra inning games? Besides Sinnott and Porch, this team needs to find the answer quick before Boston figures themselves out. Making matters worse are above average performances from Malina and Anderson, paving the way for a potential pitching staff collapse if they can't keep up that kind of play. A bit of good news: the bats of Dolan, Hagen,and Brown STILL haven't come alive. When they do, expect the Bronx bombing to begin. It all depends on the pitching. It always does. -- Previous Rank: 7 -- L10: 6-4

#9 - - Record: 23-15 --- Maybe I was wrong about Detroit being the biggest underachievers. What's up with Boston? They've been hitting the ball just fine, scoring over 5 runs a game. The staff, besides some bad pitching nights from Crowell and the back end of the pen, has been consistent and effective. A big factor for the Red Sox' problems might be that 13 of their 15 losses have been decided by two runs or less. I just don't see this team continuing to lose. It's unimaginable. -- Previous Rank: 3 -- L10: 5-5

#10 - - Record: 24-17 --- Oakland is lucky Houston is young and lacks experience. I don't think they would be anywhere near first if Houston were playing on the level they know they can, but you cannot deny that bullpen has shut door when needed most. They've won 10 of the 15 one run games they've played in, going 8-6 last sim while taking 2 of 3 from both the Astros and Tigers respectively. Paul Litvak has been the heart of their offensive attack, leading the team in OPS, HRs and runs batted in. If others can figure it out around him, that offense isn't too bad. Let's also not forget the work being put in by Jackie Robinson Award candidate Tyler Eamigh, leading the team in ERA and wins is no small feet just 2 months on the job. Is Oakland for real, or are they just sticking around for the time being? -- Previous Rank: 11 -- L10: 6-4

#11 - - Record: 20-21 --- What a rough way to start May. A ranked team splitting a series with Philadelphia is BAD. They played the Indians, Dodgers and Giants last sim, so it shouldn't be much of a shock that they came up short in most of those series. We've already touched upon their bad luck, which hasn't gotten any better after losing four more games by two runs or less. The pitching continued to play well, but their bats were held to one run three times in the last 7 days. If the Mets are to have any hope this season, Martinez, Jones and Whitelaw cannot continue going cold when needed against tough pitchers. -- Previous Rank: 9 -- L10: 3-7

#12 - - Record: 26-15 --- Well I'm still here. I've gotten killed in close games, so I can only hope it has more to do with luck than with my bullpen. Rudy Tucker woke up, but Jeremy Huey took a drop which pisses me the hell off. I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop, and I bet it happens next sim. -- Previous Rank: 13 -- L10: 8-2

#13 - - Record: 21-19 --- The pitching hasn't been great, but it hasn't been horrible. Ricky Toth and Solorzano are the only guys that have given reason for designated assignment, and Mavrek pulled off a deal to score Seattle's Tom Little for pick 9 and pick 78 along with a young potential platoon player. Most agree that this was a bit too much to give for a guy with career numbers that aren't too attractive. I will suggest cutting Little some slack being that most of his playing time came with the lowly Phillies organization, and his time in Seattle is where his value is properly displayed. If Little can provide the same type of pitching he has shown in Seattle, the Cubs should be fine on the mound every night. That line up's 6-9 still hasn't shown up for work, I mean well established contact hitter Ryan Travis is hitting .212 for Christ's sake! A hitting line of .201/.285/.674 for the back end of the offense has me scared for the Cubbies, who will face the Mets, Braves, Reds and then Indians this next sim. If they make it out above .500, they will do so covered in their own blood. -- Previous Rank: 10 -- L10: 6-4


#14 - - Record: 21-20 --- It's frustrating when the starters you need to take two steps forward do so, just for 2 other starters to take two steps back. Marquez and Collins got back on track last sim, Collins allowing just 2 ER in his last 3 starts and Marquez attributing to two wins versus Colorado and Florida. White and Seagarra have totally lost touch, combining for 3 losses and a whopping 7.83 ERA since the start of May. Contreras and McCluskey continue to lead an offense that has score 5.45 runs a game.....oh man must that line up be getting frustrated showing up for games that pitchers have single-handedly lost for them. Now saying single-handedly might be a little much, as Los Angeles has proven it is completely incapable of playing good defense and we all know how important defense is here in FCM. Want to know what the worst part is? Pythagorean indicates that the Dodgers are OVERACHIEVING! Los Angeles needs that pitching to completely wake up or I'm not sure they will last as a ranked team for too much longer. The best news that could come out of all this is they are about to take a road trip to Philly and then Arizona before a homestand against the Rockies. That's an ERA of 5.56 their offense can feed on for three series, so if the pitching can just be moderately good the Dodgers should come out with at the very least 6 to 7 wins out of those 9 games. -- Previous Rank: 12 -- L10: 4-6

#15 - - Record: 22-18 --- Despite outstanding play from Marin, Tinsdale, Sousa, Kasper and Thompson, the rest of the pitchers have found a way to bring the entire staff so far down they own a 4.00+ ERA. They have a semi-tough and semi-easy schedule next sim so that's nice. KC has gotten enough hitting to keep themselves afloat, but if the arms don't start turning around quick this team could fall into a black hole behind the red-hot Indians and the always consistently excellent Tigers. -- Previous Rank: 15 -- L10: 7-3]]> Sim 3

The Best Juan - :was: - Record: 28-12 --- A number two ranking wasn't enough for the Nationals. They went ahead and took the NL East lead from Atlanta, but even more impressive, they swept Detroit AND Cincinnati in the process! Allowing the fewest runs per game, Washington's pitching has enjoyed success despite the shortcomings of Brumback, Nearns and Verdogo. The offense has followed suit, taking advantage of their comfort zone at home and zipping to a 16-5 record at the new state of the art Eisenhower Valley Field. Stay consistent, stay healthy, stay focused. That's all they need to do. -- Previous Rank: 2 -- L10: 9-1

#2 - - Record: 24-17 --- Make no mistake, the Reds got knocked off the top spot due to incredible play by the Nats. A line up that boasts a league leading .847 OPS and 3 of the top 5 homer hitters in all of FCM has continued it's raking of the baseball. That's not the issue. I'm wondering how long will it take for this pitching staff which has been rightfully revered for the past 2 seasons to get on the right track? Kendrowski has been on and off, Pinnick is looking god awful, Bolata has allowed 66 hits in 51.2 innings and the bullpen is more of a pigpen full of chickens with their heads cut off. How much more time does this team get before we start raising red flags? -- Previous Rank: 1 -- L10: 5-5

#3 - - Record: 29-11 --- Luck ran out for a bit as they went 7-6 in sim 3, losing three of those games by one run. The hitting scored 65 runs in the last 13 games, and none of the starters have an ERA over Twistleton's 3.68 posting. As for most teams, their bullpen has been the prime suspect to any of their struggles. If things don't get better, DLee will have to make some creative moves to improve in that department without giving up too much of their bright future. Should he not be willing to make those moves, the Giants might have a tough go of it during the Dog Days of August. Lucky for San Francisco most teams underachieved last sim, so they can enjoy a second week in the top 5. -- Previous Rank: 4 --L10: 6-4

#4 - - Record: 24-15 --- Biggest underachievers goes to Detroit. A team that has pitched the way they have and hit the way they have shouldn't be anywhere but first place. Losing Summerlin didn't help, but there is no clear evidence as to why the Tigers haven't won more games, and to make matters worse they find themselves trailing the Cleveland Indians by half a game. The real question for this team isn't if they will bounce back to the top of the Central, but rather will this team be as dominant as it has been in recent memory even as they continue to stand among the leaders of the AL? -- Previous Rank: 5 -- L10: 4-6

#5 - - Record: 25-15 --- Is Cleveland rocking or what?! Going 11-2 last sim, the Indians have been lights out on the mound. Permenter has yet to allow a run in his rookie campaign, and Smith isn't even making it easy for Marc to get his dream job closing gig with the numbers he is outputting. Eric Gimard brought a jolt of energy into an offense that needed it, hitting .324/.439/.1.086 and 14 RBI's in his last 10. If the bats can continue to get better, Cleveland's pitching is going to make this AL Central race a very intriguing one. Not bad for a team that was shopping it's core line up piece and a mid rotation starter just two sims ago. -- Previous Rank: 14 -- L10: 8-2

#6 - - Record: 27-13 --- The Braves have been getting some well needed production out of the Regino, Zimiz and Wright. Opponents are hitting .230 against them as they've generated a 2.73 ERA in 200 IP. There is a bit of a home runs allowed issue as those three have combined for 20 HRs in that same time frame, but it hasn't factored into costing them many games. Stang made a great low risk/high reward deal with the Padres that sent 2 solid but not great prospects and a fringe spec in exchange for long time ace Brett Wright, who regained form last sim after some tough outings. Holding the Phillies to one run and shutting out the Royals before allowing 5 runs after being left on the mound way too long in Pittsburgh, Wright's role with this team will be way more vital going down the stretch than that of Zimiz or even Regino. Offensively they are enjoying success. Wetmore and Winright are provided some much needed power to the three-headed speed demon this line up carries on it's head. I do have to mention that the Braves have had a bit of luck on their side, going undefeated in extra innings and 10-2 in one run games. Their bullpen has played above expectations in certain areas, but they haven't been that good. Still...should Stang make some more well timed low risk deals, I think Atlanta will play well enough to move into the top 5 rankings. -- Previous Rank: 6 -- L10: 7-3

#7 - - Record: 25-15 --- Houston's line up is struggling outside of Robinson, Yepiz and Leoniedas. There isn't much faith that Arnold, Augilar and Tryon will produce much better than what they are manufacturing now, so if Houston expects to tame Oakland and the rest of the division they need two of three things to happen: 1. The pitching staff needs to pitch even better than they have been during this great start. 2. Robinson and Leoniedas continue to play at an MVP level for the rest of the season (keep dreaming TT), AND Riggle's numbers explode into above average territory. 3. The AL West begins it's mid-season fade early, with the rest of the division falling behind .500 by June to mid July. Word on the street is the Astros have some cards up their sleeve, however. Expect a big move for a big time pitcher or bat in the near future. -- Previous Rank: 8 -- L10: 5-5

#8 - - Record: 26-14 --- The 8th best offense in FCM has somehow found a way to elevate a horrible display of pitching from their bullpen. Having the 2nd worst ERA of any ranked team (4.46, trailing only the defending champion Reds at 4.65), how in god's name has this team won 11 one run games and 5 extra inning games? Besides Sinnott and Porch, this team needs to find the answer quick before Boston figures themselves out. Making matters worse are above average performances from Malina and Anderson, paving the way for a potential pitching staff collapse if they can't keep up that kind of play. A bit of good news: the bats of Dolan, Hagen,and Brown STILL haven't come alive. When they do, expect the Bronx bombing to begin. It all depends on the pitching. It always does. -- Previous Rank: 7 -- L10: 6-4

#9 - - Record: 23-15 --- Maybe I was wrong about Detroit being the biggest underachievers. What's up with Boston? They've been hitting the ball just fine, scoring over 5 runs a game. The staff, besides some bad pitching nights from Crowell and the back end of the pen, has been consistent and effective. A big factor for the Red Sox' problems might be that 13 of their 15 losses have been decided by two runs or less. I just don't see this team continuing to lose. It's unimaginable. -- Previous Rank: 3 -- L10: 5-5

#10 - - Record: 24-17 --- Oakland is lucky Houston is young and lacks experience. I don't think they would be anywhere near first if Houston were playing on the level they know they can, but you cannot deny that bullpen has shut door when needed most. They've won 10 of the 15 one run games they've played in, going 8-6 last sim while taking 2 of 3 from both the Astros and Tigers respectively. Paul Litvak has been the heart of their offensive attack, leading the team in OPS, HRs and runs batted in. If others can figure it out around him, that offense isn't too bad. Let's also not forget the work being put in by Jackie Robinson Award candidate Tyler Eamigh, leading the team in ERA and wins is no small feet just 2 months on the job. Is Oakland for real, or are they just sticking around for the time being? -- Previous Rank: 11 -- L10: 6-4

#11 - - Record: 20-21 --- What a rough way to start May. A ranked team splitting a series with Philadelphia is BAD. They played the Indians, Dodgers and Giants last sim, so it shouldn't be much of a shock that they came up short in most of those series. We've already touched upon their bad luck, which hasn't gotten any better after losing four more games by two runs or less. The pitching continued to play well, but their bats were held to one run three times in the last 7 days. If the Mets are to have any hope this season, Martinez, Jones and Whitelaw cannot continue going cold when needed against tough pitchers. -- Previous Rank: 9 -- L10: 3-7

#12 - - Record: 26-15 --- Well I'm still here. I've gotten killed in close games, so I can only hope it has more to do with luck than with my bullpen. Rudy Tucker woke up, but Jeremy Huey took a drop which pisses me the hell off. I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop, and I bet it happens next sim. -- Previous Rank: 13 -- L10: 8-2

#13 - - Record: 21-19 --- The pitching hasn't been great, but it hasn't been horrible. Ricky Toth and Solorzano are the only guys that have given reason for designated assignment, and Mavrek pulled off a deal to score Seattle's Tom Little for pick 9 and pick 78 along with a young potential platoon player. Most agree that this was a bit too much to give for a guy with career numbers that aren't too attractive. I will suggest cutting Little some slack being that most of his playing time came with the lowly Phillies organization, and his time in Seattle is where his value is properly displayed. If Little can provide the same type of pitching he has shown in Seattle, the Cubs should be fine on the mound every night. That line up's 6-9 still hasn't shown up for work, I mean well established contact hitter Ryan Travis is hitting .212 for Christ's sake! A hitting line of .201/.285/.674 for the back end of the offense has me scared for the Cubbies, who will face the Mets, Braves, Reds and then Indians this next sim. If they make it out above .500, they will do so covered in their own blood. -- Previous Rank: 10 -- L10: 6-4


#14 - - Record: 21-20 --- It's frustrating when the starters you need to take two steps forward do so, just for 2 other starters to take two steps back. Marquez and Collins got back on track last sim, Collins allowing just 2 ER in his last 3 starts and Marquez attributing to two wins versus Colorado and Florida. White and Seagarra have totally lost touch, combining for 3 losses and a whopping 7.83 ERA since the start of May. Contreras and McCluskey continue to lead an offense that has score 5.45 runs a game.....oh man must that line up be getting frustrated showing up for games that pitchers have single-handedly lost for them. Now saying single-handedly might be a little much, as Los Angeles has proven it is completely incapable of playing good defense and we all know how important defense is here in FCM. Want to know what the worst part is? Pythagorean indicates that the Dodgers are OVERACHIEVING! Los Angeles needs that pitching to completely wake up or I'm not sure they will last as a ranked team for too much longer. The best news that could come out of all this is they are about to take a road trip to Philly and then Arizona before a homestand against the Rockies. That's an ERA of 5.56 their offense can feed on for three series, so if the pitching can just be moderately good the Dodgers should come out with at the very least 6 to 7 wins out of those 9 games. -- Previous Rank: 12 -- L10: 4-6

#15 - - Record: 22-18 --- Despite outstanding play from Marin, Tinsdale, Sousa, Kasper and Thompson, the rest of the pitchers have found a way to bring the entire staff so far down they own a 4.00+ ERA. They have a semi-tough and semi-easy schedule next sim so that's nice. KC has gotten enough hitting to keep themselves afloat, but if the arms don't start turning around quick this team could fall into a black hole behind the red-hot Indians and the always consistently excellent Tigers. -- Previous Rank: 15 -- L10: 7-3]]> https://www.firstclassmogul.com/showthread.php?tid=39837 Mon, 24 Oct 2016 09:42:31 -0500 https://www.firstclassmogul.com/showthread.php?tid=39837 Sim 2

The Best Juan - - Record: 16-12 --- Everything looks fine so far despite what some could consider a slow start overall. They're hitting the ball out like it's no tomorrow (53 HRs), creating plenty of runs to be driven in by the raw power of the Milton-Stanley Lumber Co. Oh and I forgot to mention Lindsay leads the entire league in RBI's, HA! A drawback from this past sim: their pitching staff seems to have lost themselves a bit. Broderick, Bolata, Kendrowski and Pinnick have combined for a 5.30 ERA in the first month of play, a number that will surely shrink, but does spell a tad bit of concern for the rotation after SP3. That leads us to a bullpen that without their closer's 3.2 IP, has a combined ERA of 6.37, which could explain their 2-6 record in games decided by one run. Good thing for Cincy fans is this is more than likely to work itself out, so just sit tight and let the Big Red Machine troubleshoot itself. -- Previous Rank: 1 -- L10: 6-4

#2 - :was: - Record: 18-8 --- The Nationals are off to the start they had hoped for out of the gate. They could be in first place over the Braves with the way they've played (Pythagorean agrees), and honestly they could've easily had the #1 ranking over the Reds. The power is powering, the aces are acing, and all that's left is to figure out the weak links in the pen and stay as healthy as possible until October. --- Previous Rank: 2 -- L10: 8-2

#3 - - Record: 17-10 --- The lower half of the order has been struggling to get it going, but the top half has had no problem pulling all the weight. Stripling is completely shredding bats and balls out there, and David Horn's 14 stolen bases leads all of FCM's speedsters. While their pitching staff looks like it's off to a slow start (33 HRs Allowed in a combined 234 IP), it still has one of the better ERA's in FCM. You simply cannot count on Marina, Herrod and Crowell to continue pitching this poorly. --- Previous Rank: 3 -- L10: 5-5

#4 - - Record: 22-5 --- Well I was right and wrong about this team. They are definitely a contender, and they CERTAINLY are flashy! Losing just one game last sim, their 1-6 has paved the way to the FCM leading offense in hits, giving the Bay area faithful a lot of exercise in the form of celebration. If the back 3 can figure it out, San Fran might just be a Gigantic steamroller. A word of caution, that bullpen has been getting tore up left and right. One must wonder if the relief can't get their act straight, will the Giants get as lucky during close games as they have been? The starters are doing their job and then some, so a turn around by the bullpen could spell trouble for any team that get's in their way. -- Previous Rank: 8 -- L10: 10-0

#5 - - Record: 18-8 --- The Tigers were eager to bounce back after sim 1, and bounce back they did! Despite losing Lou Cook for another 3 weeks after he took a rocket line drive to the knee in his season debut, the Detroit line up rightfully claimed their spot upon the throne as most destructive offense in the American League ("Mad" Max Ererra is simply not a human being right now, hitting .397/.506/.1.506 and 10 HRs in April), propelling what was a struggling pitching staff. The bullpen minus Flemming and literally two bad pitches by Harren has been fairly effective, and even though Cantrill still needs to work out some kinks in his off-day bullpen sessions, their pitching staff has been as good as it's been in any season. There are some doubts as to how the line up will continue producing the way it has, but the Tigers are still as much a threat as ever. --- Previous Rank: 4 -- L10: 8-2


#6 - - Record: 20-7 --- The Braves cooled off a bit the ladder half of April, going 8-6 last sim and losing some tough close games to the Phillies, Mets and Nationals. The bullpen shouldn't continue counting on Ward to save the day, and only time will tell if the top half of the rotation has built up enough strength to carry the rest of the pitching staff on it's back. One thing is for sure, these guys came to play. Holly, Axala and Vizcaya are looking like the scariest trio for a pitcher to face when starting a game, combining for 29 of the team's league leading 39 stolen bases along with 68 total runs scored. We haven't even started May yet! Even if you keep the ball in the infield, these guys create hits with their legs more often than The King of Pop did. If Wetmore and the 5-9 guys can continue to find their own ways to contribute, Atlanta will be in the playoff race despite the shaky pitching start. --- Previous Rank: 9 -- L10: 6-4

#7 - - Record: 19-9 --- It's time for all the Yankee fans to finally show their faces and vigorously claim they've been right by the team's side this whole rebuild....New York is in first! The line up has been a bit of a disappointment up until this point, and despite a couple of bad outings by Tallent, Cogswell and Fossett, this team is stringing together wins. Davenport, Hagen and Dolan are completely M.I.A. right now, so it is illogical to think the Bombers bats won't awake from their slumber. Same as it will be illogical for the Yankees to rely on that staff to continue lifting them through tough games. This team can pitch with the best of them, but having an 11-3 record in games decided by 2 runs or less is both delightful and horrific at the same time. Only so many times can you run a red light and JUST make it through safely before getting smashed by a tractor trailer. --- Previous Rank: 11 -- L10: 6-4

#8 - - Record: 18-9 --- The 'stros are back, baby! Sporting the #2 offensive attack in the American League to go with some strong pitching outings from their stallions, Houston has exceeded some expectations going into this season. The line up 3-6 has been doing most of the damage, excluding Tyron's poor start, and Leoniedas is looking at his first All-Star game appearance if he can keep up the good work. Riggle is looking nice even if he hasn't put up nice numbers. Rarely do you see a guy drafted less than 12 months ago produce the way he has. The one-two punch of Velcasquez and Toledano can carry the rest of the rotation as long as the pen can get themselves under a tiny bit more control and start mowing down hitters on a day to day basis. Of course that's easier said than done, but I think the Astros are going to be the Best in the West for quite a while if Velca and Tole can stay consistently healthy. --- Previous Rank: 15 -- L10: 8-2

#9 - - Record: 15-12 --- These Metropolitan's haven't been so amazin'. Overall their pitching staff has been He Man strong, with the bullpen being as good as expected and the best rotation the FCM has seen this year. Their line up's 2-5 is doing it's job, featuring a great first leg out of the very early MVP candidate Ezra Vidavrri. However, they seem to be having trouble finding offense around the heart of the order. Is that why they've been underachieving? Maybe, although one could also say the culprit is just lady luck dishing out some hard love. When you consider that this team would be 17-10 while winning 7 of their last 8 if not for two horrendous blown games by Gremades, the benefit of the doubt becomes a much more comfortable feeling. -- Previous Rank: 5 -- L10: 6-4

#10 - - Record: 15-13 --- Playing the Cubs pitchers is like playing Russian Roulette. You could face Stone Cold Salano, or you could run through one of the four pitchers with a 5.90+ ERA. Cincinnati is going to wake up soon, if the Cubs continues to lose games the way they have, they can kiss the playoff race good bye. The good news is the rotation has been hitting it's mark, so if Ryan Travis and the 4-5-6 guys can find their swing Chicago should be in line for some wins. Key word, SHOULD be. -- Previous Rank: 7 -- L10: 4-6

#11 - - Record: 16-11 --- The A's make their power rankings debut. They have carried some of last season's late magic into the early stages of the new year, and even without actually being a true threat this team is always ready to impress. Oakland doesn't look like a ball club that should be ranked, but a 29 -11 record in your last 40 regular season games cannot go unrecognized. Rookie Tyler Eamigh (4-1, 39 IP, 1.85 ERA plus an opponent OBA of .187 in 5 starts) and the pitching has surprised many, with their offense's ability to get on base they should have plenty of chances to win games. Houston will come out on top in this division, but if by some miracle the Astros implode, expect Fred to be grinning his way to another division title. -- Previous Rank: / -- L10: 5-5

#12 - - Record: 13-14 --- The Dodgers just can't seem to shake last season's woes. When you look at the offense you see exactly what you expected to see, one .400 hitter and four .300+ hitters, so we don't have to look too far to find out why this team is under .500 to start 2067. Having the worst rotation ERA of any ranked team, Los Angeles has found themselves wondering what's going on with Collins, Marquez and Christiansen. They've gotten demolished for a combined 6.78 earned run average, racked up 13 HRs in 103.2 combined IP, and to top that off opponents are hitting .321 against them. The 'pen has done well considering the lack of talent, giving hope that if the rotation can find itself the Dodgers are a much more complete team than most. I see this first month as a hangover hiccup from 2066, and I hope very much that they've drank enough lemon water with salt to show up for May. Otherwise, SXR might shoot everybody and clean the blood off the locker room floor. -- Previous Rank: 6 -- L10:3-7

#13 - - Record: 17-10 --- Overachieved a bit last month, even with my line up lost for most of the last 2 sims. Jeremy Huey leads the league in ERA, so that's nice! Where my team ends up all depends on how well the Yankees continue to play and if Boston will have one of those pre-break rampages they are notorious for going on. Sim's 3 and 4 are big ones for the Rays. -- Previous Rank: 14 -- L10: 7-3

#14: - Record: 14-13 --- Cleveland has one of the better pitching staff's in 2067. Besides a couple of rusty starts from Shultz and one bad game out of Dyer, most of the Indian's staff has shown up in great form. Kilby has earned every penny of his new $45M contract, David Askew has finally settled into his new 7 bedroom mansion 25 minutes from The Jake, and 23 year old freshman Marc Permenter is making his case for the closing role. Now if the offense can take lead from Dreiling (can't believe we would see the day where Dreiling's the leading man on an offense) and start scoring some runs, this Cleveland team might have enough in the tank to sneak up in the wild card standings. Take into account they've had sort of a rough schedule facing six ranked teams, we should see this team get further ahead of .500. That being said, their schedule doesn't get much easier until July/August, so we'll watch and observe how these guys play out. -- Previous Rank: / -- L10: 5-5

#15 - - Record: 14-13 --- Lord have mercy on that pitching staff. I don't even want to post the numbers out of respect. There are some bright spots in the pen with Sousa, Thompson and Kasper, but if that is what the rotation will look like all season, Mike will most certainly need to move Marin to maximize value for the future of his club. Offensively overachieving, this team is most likely over .500 due to a semi easy schedule. The road gets a little bumpier in May and then cools down tremendously when June hits. Safe to say we can make an accurate prediction on where this team ends up with the info we get from sim 3 and sim 4. -- Previous Rank: 13 -- L10 4-6 ]]> Sim 2

The Best Juan - - Record: 16-12 --- Everything looks fine so far despite what some could consider a slow start overall. They're hitting the ball out like it's no tomorrow (53 HRs), creating plenty of runs to be driven in by the raw power of the Milton-Stanley Lumber Co. Oh and I forgot to mention Lindsay leads the entire league in RBI's, HA! A drawback from this past sim: their pitching staff seems to have lost themselves a bit. Broderick, Bolata, Kendrowski and Pinnick have combined for a 5.30 ERA in the first month of play, a number that will surely shrink, but does spell a tad bit of concern for the rotation after SP3. That leads us to a bullpen that without their closer's 3.2 IP, has a combined ERA of 6.37, which could explain their 2-6 record in games decided by one run. Good thing for Cincy fans is this is more than likely to work itself out, so just sit tight and let the Big Red Machine troubleshoot itself. -- Previous Rank: 1 -- L10: 6-4

#2 - :was: - Record: 18-8 --- The Nationals are off to the start they had hoped for out of the gate. They could be in first place over the Braves with the way they've played (Pythagorean agrees), and honestly they could've easily had the #1 ranking over the Reds. The power is powering, the aces are acing, and all that's left is to figure out the weak links in the pen and stay as healthy as possible until October. --- Previous Rank: 2 -- L10: 8-2

#3 - - Record: 17-10 --- The lower half of the order has been struggling to get it going, but the top half has had no problem pulling all the weight. Stripling is completely shredding bats and balls out there, and David Horn's 14 stolen bases leads all of FCM's speedsters. While their pitching staff looks like it's off to a slow start (33 HRs Allowed in a combined 234 IP), it still has one of the better ERA's in FCM. You simply cannot count on Marina, Herrod and Crowell to continue pitching this poorly. --- Previous Rank: 3 -- L10: 5-5

#4 - - Record: 22-5 --- Well I was right and wrong about this team. They are definitely a contender, and they CERTAINLY are flashy! Losing just one game last sim, their 1-6 has paved the way to the FCM leading offense in hits, giving the Bay area faithful a lot of exercise in the form of celebration. If the back 3 can figure it out, San Fran might just be a Gigantic steamroller. A word of caution, that bullpen has been getting tore up left and right. One must wonder if the relief can't get their act straight, will the Giants get as lucky during close games as they have been? The starters are doing their job and then some, so a turn around by the bullpen could spell trouble for any team that get's in their way. -- Previous Rank: 8 -- L10: 10-0

#5 - - Record: 18-8 --- The Tigers were eager to bounce back after sim 1, and bounce back they did! Despite losing Lou Cook for another 3 weeks after he took a rocket line drive to the knee in his season debut, the Detroit line up rightfully claimed their spot upon the throne as most destructive offense in the American League ("Mad" Max Ererra is simply not a human being right now, hitting .397/.506/.1.506 and 10 HRs in April), propelling what was a struggling pitching staff. The bullpen minus Flemming and literally two bad pitches by Harren has been fairly effective, and even though Cantrill still needs to work out some kinks in his off-day bullpen sessions, their pitching staff has been as good as it's been in any season. There are some doubts as to how the line up will continue producing the way it has, but the Tigers are still as much a threat as ever. --- Previous Rank: 4 -- L10: 8-2


#6 - - Record: 20-7 --- The Braves cooled off a bit the ladder half of April, going 8-6 last sim and losing some tough close games to the Phillies, Mets and Nationals. The bullpen shouldn't continue counting on Ward to save the day, and only time will tell if the top half of the rotation has built up enough strength to carry the rest of the pitching staff on it's back. One thing is for sure, these guys came to play. Holly, Axala and Vizcaya are looking like the scariest trio for a pitcher to face when starting a game, combining for 29 of the team's league leading 39 stolen bases along with 68 total runs scored. We haven't even started May yet! Even if you keep the ball in the infield, these guys create hits with their legs more often than The King of Pop did. If Wetmore and the 5-9 guys can continue to find their own ways to contribute, Atlanta will be in the playoff race despite the shaky pitching start. --- Previous Rank: 9 -- L10: 6-4

#7 - - Record: 19-9 --- It's time for all the Yankee fans to finally show their faces and vigorously claim they've been right by the team's side this whole rebuild....New York is in first! The line up has been a bit of a disappointment up until this point, and despite a couple of bad outings by Tallent, Cogswell and Fossett, this team is stringing together wins. Davenport, Hagen and Dolan are completely M.I.A. right now, so it is illogical to think the Bombers bats won't awake from their slumber. Same as it will be illogical for the Yankees to rely on that staff to continue lifting them through tough games. This team can pitch with the best of them, but having an 11-3 record in games decided by 2 runs or less is both delightful and horrific at the same time. Only so many times can you run a red light and JUST make it through safely before getting smashed by a tractor trailer. --- Previous Rank: 11 -- L10: 6-4

#8 - - Record: 18-9 --- The 'stros are back, baby! Sporting the #2 offensive attack in the American League to go with some strong pitching outings from their stallions, Houston has exceeded some expectations going into this season. The line up 3-6 has been doing most of the damage, excluding Tyron's poor start, and Leoniedas is looking at his first All-Star game appearance if he can keep up the good work. Riggle is looking nice even if he hasn't put up nice numbers. Rarely do you see a guy drafted less than 12 months ago produce the way he has. The one-two punch of Velcasquez and Toledano can carry the rest of the rotation as long as the pen can get themselves under a tiny bit more control and start mowing down hitters on a day to day basis. Of course that's easier said than done, but I think the Astros are going to be the Best in the West for quite a while if Velca and Tole can stay consistently healthy. --- Previous Rank: 15 -- L10: 8-2

#9 - - Record: 15-12 --- These Metropolitan's haven't been so amazin'. Overall their pitching staff has been He Man strong, with the bullpen being as good as expected and the best rotation the FCM has seen this year. Their line up's 2-5 is doing it's job, featuring a great first leg out of the very early MVP candidate Ezra Vidavrri. However, they seem to be having trouble finding offense around the heart of the order. Is that why they've been underachieving? Maybe, although one could also say the culprit is just lady luck dishing out some hard love. When you consider that this team would be 17-10 while winning 7 of their last 8 if not for two horrendous blown games by Gremades, the benefit of the doubt becomes a much more comfortable feeling. -- Previous Rank: 5 -- L10: 6-4

#10 - - Record: 15-13 --- Playing the Cubs pitchers is like playing Russian Roulette. You could face Stone Cold Salano, or you could run through one of the four pitchers with a 5.90+ ERA. Cincinnati is going to wake up soon, if the Cubs continues to lose games the way they have, they can kiss the playoff race good bye. The good news is the rotation has been hitting it's mark, so if Ryan Travis and the 4-5-6 guys can find their swing Chicago should be in line for some wins. Key word, SHOULD be. -- Previous Rank: 7 -- L10: 4-6

#11 - - Record: 16-11 --- The A's make their power rankings debut. They have carried some of last season's late magic into the early stages of the new year, and even without actually being a true threat this team is always ready to impress. Oakland doesn't look like a ball club that should be ranked, but a 29 -11 record in your last 40 regular season games cannot go unrecognized. Rookie Tyler Eamigh (4-1, 39 IP, 1.85 ERA plus an opponent OBA of .187 in 5 starts) and the pitching has surprised many, with their offense's ability to get on base they should have plenty of chances to win games. Houston will come out on top in this division, but if by some miracle the Astros implode, expect Fred to be grinning his way to another division title. -- Previous Rank: / -- L10: 5-5

#12 - - Record: 13-14 --- The Dodgers just can't seem to shake last season's woes. When you look at the offense you see exactly what you expected to see, one .400 hitter and four .300+ hitters, so we don't have to look too far to find out why this team is under .500 to start 2067. Having the worst rotation ERA of any ranked team, Los Angeles has found themselves wondering what's going on with Collins, Marquez and Christiansen. They've gotten demolished for a combined 6.78 earned run average, racked up 13 HRs in 103.2 combined IP, and to top that off opponents are hitting .321 against them. The 'pen has done well considering the lack of talent, giving hope that if the rotation can find itself the Dodgers are a much more complete team than most. I see this first month as a hangover hiccup from 2066, and I hope very much that they've drank enough lemon water with salt to show up for May. Otherwise, SXR might shoot everybody and clean the blood off the locker room floor. -- Previous Rank: 6 -- L10:3-7

#13 - - Record: 17-10 --- Overachieved a bit last month, even with my line up lost for most of the last 2 sims. Jeremy Huey leads the league in ERA, so that's nice! Where my team ends up all depends on how well the Yankees continue to play and if Boston will have one of those pre-break rampages they are notorious for going on. Sim's 3 and 4 are big ones for the Rays. -- Previous Rank: 14 -- L10: 7-3

#14: - Record: 14-13 --- Cleveland has one of the better pitching staff's in 2067. Besides a couple of rusty starts from Shultz and one bad game out of Dyer, most of the Indian's staff has shown up in great form. Kilby has earned every penny of his new $45M contract, David Askew has finally settled into his new 7 bedroom mansion 25 minutes from The Jake, and 23 year old freshman Marc Permenter is making his case for the closing role. Now if the offense can take lead from Dreiling (can't believe we would see the day where Dreiling's the leading man on an offense) and start scoring some runs, this Cleveland team might have enough in the tank to sneak up in the wild card standings. Take into account they've had sort of a rough schedule facing six ranked teams, we should see this team get further ahead of .500. That being said, their schedule doesn't get much easier until July/August, so we'll watch and observe how these guys play out. -- Previous Rank: / -- L10: 5-5

#15 - - Record: 14-13 --- Lord have mercy on that pitching staff. I don't even want to post the numbers out of respect. There are some bright spots in the pen with Sousa, Thompson and Kasper, but if that is what the rotation will look like all season, Mike will most certainly need to move Marin to maximize value for the future of his club. Offensively overachieving, this team is most likely over .500 due to a semi easy schedule. The road gets a little bumpier in May and then cools down tremendously when June hits. Safe to say we can make an accurate prediction on where this team ends up with the info we get from sim 3 and sim 4. -- Previous Rank: 13 -- L10 4-6 ]]> https://www.firstclassmogul.com/showthread.php?tid=39817 Sun, 23 Oct 2016 09:24:51 -0500 https://www.firstclassmogul.com/showthread.php?tid=39817
Sim 1

The Best Juan - :Cin: - Record: 8-5 --- Even at an 8-5 start, you have to give this beast of a team the number one spot after two straight championships. Their rotation is shut down, they have speed and contact on the ends and power in the middle, a tough out anywhere you are in this line up. Maybe their pen could be better, but that's a dilemma everyone in FCM has. I know I know, it's boring to watch Andy win all the time, but they'll be in the championship series giving a fight to a third straight ring whether you are entertained or not.

#2 - :Was: - Record: 9-4 --- They are my favorites to overtake the Reds as the power house of the NL. That rotation puts fear even into the most prolific FCM hitters out there, and when it's all said and done I think this group of starters might be top 3 of any squad this half of the century. The scariest part is they have the raw power to provide huge clumps of runs for that shut down pitching, one of the best closing pitchers in the file and face the frighten'd Phils 14 more times this year. These Nats are here to bug us! I think it's safe to say that this year is finally Peter's year.

#3 - - Record: 9-4 --- Award for most complete pitching staff this year goes to beantown. Having arguably the best pen in the file should give your ranking a boost, but you would be in the dark trying to find any holes in this team. Starting rotation is dominant, the line up still has all the weapons that have made Boston the rival powerhouse to Detroit for years, and they don't seem to be slowing down at all. Expect to see them late into October barring any spontaneous GM moves.

#4 - :DET: - Record: 6-6 --- Yes they've had a rough start (.500 is no place a team like the Tigers want to be), and their rotation has been bumped down the second best in FCM this year after years on top, but that starting rotation is still set to get anyone to October. Also take into account Lou Cook was out to start the season and the fact that the meat of their order (Lockhart, Anthony and MacCarter) is under-performing, you can make a solid bet they will have some bounce backs the next 2 to 3 sims. One question we will be asking all season as this team plays out, is this the end for the Detroit dynasty?

#5 - - Record: 9-4 --- The line up is strong, the pen is one of the more productive in the file and the rotation is solid. The only question is where the Mets will stand with Atlanta, Florida and Washington extracting wins from their record. Can the back end of the rotation hold up? In my opinion it will come down to how well the top of his order can perform and give RBI opportunities to the middle. Gmoney teams are always something to watch, but this year they might be in the wrong division.

#6 - - Record: 7-5 --- This team is hard to pin down. Besides their pen, they are loaded. The line up will be putting the ball in play almost every at bat this year, so don't expect your stud ace to power strike 3's past these guys....it's not gunna happen, make sure your defense is on point! However, they finished rather disappointingly last season, and while I expect different from them this year, you can never have a sure thing in the NL West. The GMs in that division always find a way to surprise the league, DON'T be surprised if DLee and those Giants or RHen and those D'Backs give the Dodgers headaches. I still see SXR coming out on top in this division, though.

#7 - Record: 7-6 --- They're a group I've been watching for some time. They have all the aspects of a winning team: Strong rotation, pretty good bullpen considering the epidemic we have going on now, and a top/bottom order with the ability to put runners on base for what might be the deadliest 3-4-5 punch in the league. When you have guys like Tice and Jackson, hitting will not be your problem. The only question is will all that talent be able to match up enough with Cincy and fight for the division, or will it just be able to fend off the Wild Card wolves in order to reach October? We shall see if these Cubs have finally grown into full thoroughbred Grizzlies.

#8 - Record: 9-4 --- DLee always has a way of pulling good teams together. The Giants have some solid starting pitching and a capable bullpen to go along with a line up that understands how to do its job. No one special guy on this team besides maybe Caldwell, but this team is the best FCM definition of "team". They won the NL West last year and they've come back a bit more mature for this year's campaign. Look for them to be a contender even if they don't look flashy.

#9 - Record: 12-1 --- It's with a heavy heart that I rank the Braves this low despite their incredible start. I just don't think they are capable of continuing even close to the winning path that they are on, and as I've stated before, the NL BEAST is the wrong division to be in this side of the decade. Atlanta made some nice additions this off-season, but my two biggest concerns are: 1) Will the back end of their rotation prevent enough runs to contend? 2) Will the 4-5-6 of their line up bring enough runs home to contend? Everyone's bullpen is crap these days, so no points off for them not really having a standout guy in that department. If Atlanta can continue to go on spurts like they did Sim 1, Washington and New York are going to have their work cut out for them. However, if Atlanta can't continue to win like this, they need to avoid any slumps or losing streaks that could cause the Nationals or Mets to pull away. We haven't even spoken about Florida's stance in all this.

#10 - Record: 7-6 --- They have what it takes to contend, including the best top-of-the-line up hitters in the league. Being in a division without a clear winner helps alot. With their pitching being better than recent years, the only two questions will be can the back of their line up produce when called upon, and will their bullpen under-perform as it did last year?

#11 - Record: 9-4 --- The Yanks are coming! The Yanks are coming! With a pretty solid line up from top to bottom, an underrated starting rotation and a surprisingly strong bullpen, Boston will have something to monitor in it's rear view mirror. There are some questions as to what the back end of the rotation has in store, and if that line up will actually be able to produce top notch numbers. Nevertheless, if not careful, the Sox might just watch the Yanks speed right up along side them deep into the season.

#12 - Record: 5-7 --- Pitching. Pitching. Pitching. The line up is good/decent, and they aren't the same team they were two or three seasons ago.....but the pitching.

#13 - Record: 6-7 --- This team is another head scratch. I was sure Mike would find a new home for Marin this off-season. Instead he dealt his first to acquire Tim Winegardner and bolster his rotation. The Royals have one of the better bullpens in the file, so its safe to say Mike's only problems will be on the offensive side of the ball. Can they hit well enough? What happens if Marin gets hurt? Will their rotation hold up enough to contend somehow? Plenty of questions, but Mike's always been a contender.

#14 - Record: 8-5 --- I think I'm set for my first winning year in 7 seasons. After that only god knows. I don't think my squad will do much this year with New York and Boston around, but the people of the Tampa Bay-St. Petersburg metropolitan area finally have a reason to pay $13 for tickets to the Trop!

#15 - :Hou: Record: 8-5 --- Another young buck team ready to spread it wings, I think they are a lock to win the division with all the talent they have going for them. No one else is really ready to take a firm position atop the AL West, and the only question is will Fred stop going on insane winning streaks and make it easy for Tornado to make his first playoff appearance as an FCM GM?]]>
Sim 1

The Best Juan - :Cin: - Record: 8-5 --- Even at an 8-5 start, you have to give this beast of a team the number one spot after two straight championships. Their rotation is shut down, they have speed and contact on the ends and power in the middle, a tough out anywhere you are in this line up. Maybe their pen could be better, but that's a dilemma everyone in FCM has. I know I know, it's boring to watch Andy win all the time, but they'll be in the championship series giving a fight to a third straight ring whether you are entertained or not.

#2 - :Was: - Record: 9-4 --- They are my favorites to overtake the Reds as the power house of the NL. That rotation puts fear even into the most prolific FCM hitters out there, and when it's all said and done I think this group of starters might be top 3 of any squad this half of the century. The scariest part is they have the raw power to provide huge clumps of runs for that shut down pitching, one of the best closing pitchers in the file and face the frighten'd Phils 14 more times this year. These Nats are here to bug us! I think it's safe to say that this year is finally Peter's year.

#3 - - Record: 9-4 --- Award for most complete pitching staff this year goes to beantown. Having arguably the best pen in the file should give your ranking a boost, but you would be in the dark trying to find any holes in this team. Starting rotation is dominant, the line up still has all the weapons that have made Boston the rival powerhouse to Detroit for years, and they don't seem to be slowing down at all. Expect to see them late into October barring any spontaneous GM moves.

#4 - :DET: - Record: 6-6 --- Yes they've had a rough start (.500 is no place a team like the Tigers want to be), and their rotation has been bumped down the second best in FCM this year after years on top, but that starting rotation is still set to get anyone to October. Also take into account Lou Cook was out to start the season and the fact that the meat of their order (Lockhart, Anthony and MacCarter) is under-performing, you can make a solid bet they will have some bounce backs the next 2 to 3 sims. One question we will be asking all season as this team plays out, is this the end for the Detroit dynasty?

#5 - - Record: 9-4 --- The line up is strong, the pen is one of the more productive in the file and the rotation is solid. The only question is where the Mets will stand with Atlanta, Florida and Washington extracting wins from their record. Can the back end of the rotation hold up? In my opinion it will come down to how well the top of his order can perform and give RBI opportunities to the middle. Gmoney teams are always something to watch, but this year they might be in the wrong division.

#6 - - Record: 7-5 --- This team is hard to pin down. Besides their pen, they are loaded. The line up will be putting the ball in play almost every at bat this year, so don't expect your stud ace to power strike 3's past these guys....it's not gunna happen, make sure your defense is on point! However, they finished rather disappointingly last season, and while I expect different from them this year, you can never have a sure thing in the NL West. The GMs in that division always find a way to surprise the league, DON'T be surprised if DLee and those Giants or RHen and those D'Backs give the Dodgers headaches. I still see SXR coming out on top in this division, though.

#7 - Record: 7-6 --- They're a group I've been watching for some time. They have all the aspects of a winning team: Strong rotation, pretty good bullpen considering the epidemic we have going on now, and a top/bottom order with the ability to put runners on base for what might be the deadliest 3-4-5 punch in the league. When you have guys like Tice and Jackson, hitting will not be your problem. The only question is will all that talent be able to match up enough with Cincy and fight for the division, or will it just be able to fend off the Wild Card wolves in order to reach October? We shall see if these Cubs have finally grown into full thoroughbred Grizzlies.

#8 - Record: 9-4 --- DLee always has a way of pulling good teams together. The Giants have some solid starting pitching and a capable bullpen to go along with a line up that understands how to do its job. No one special guy on this team besides maybe Caldwell, but this team is the best FCM definition of "team". They won the NL West last year and they've come back a bit more mature for this year's campaign. Look for them to be a contender even if they don't look flashy.

#9 - Record: 12-1 --- It's with a heavy heart that I rank the Braves this low despite their incredible start. I just don't think they are capable of continuing even close to the winning path that they are on, and as I've stated before, the NL BEAST is the wrong division to be in this side of the decade. Atlanta made some nice additions this off-season, but my two biggest concerns are: 1) Will the back end of their rotation prevent enough runs to contend? 2) Will the 4-5-6 of their line up bring enough runs home to contend? Everyone's bullpen is crap these days, so no points off for them not really having a standout guy in that department. If Atlanta can continue to go on spurts like they did Sim 1, Washington and New York are going to have their work cut out for them. However, if Atlanta can't continue to win like this, they need to avoid any slumps or losing streaks that could cause the Nationals or Mets to pull away. We haven't even spoken about Florida's stance in all this.

#10 - Record: 7-6 --- They have what it takes to contend, including the best top-of-the-line up hitters in the league. Being in a division without a clear winner helps alot. With their pitching being better than recent years, the only two questions will be can the back of their line up produce when called upon, and will their bullpen under-perform as it did last year?

#11 - Record: 9-4 --- The Yanks are coming! The Yanks are coming! With a pretty solid line up from top to bottom, an underrated starting rotation and a surprisingly strong bullpen, Boston will have something to monitor in it's rear view mirror. There are some questions as to what the back end of the rotation has in store, and if that line up will actually be able to produce top notch numbers. Nevertheless, if not careful, the Sox might just watch the Yanks speed right up along side them deep into the season.

#12 - Record: 5-7 --- Pitching. Pitching. Pitching. The line up is good/decent, and they aren't the same team they were two or three seasons ago.....but the pitching.

#13 - Record: 6-7 --- This team is another head scratch. I was sure Mike would find a new home for Marin this off-season. Instead he dealt his first to acquire Tim Winegardner and bolster his rotation. The Royals have one of the better bullpens in the file, so its safe to say Mike's only problems will be on the offensive side of the ball. Can they hit well enough? What happens if Marin gets hurt? Will their rotation hold up enough to contend somehow? Plenty of questions, but Mike's always been a contender.

#14 - Record: 8-5 --- I think I'm set for my first winning year in 7 seasons. After that only god knows. I don't think my squad will do much this year with New York and Boston around, but the people of the Tampa Bay-St. Petersburg metropolitan area finally have a reason to pay $13 for tickets to the Trop!

#15 - :Hou: Record: 8-5 --- Another young buck team ready to spread it wings, I think they are a lock to win the division with all the talent they have going for them. No one else is really ready to take a firm position atop the AL West, and the only question is will Fred stop going on insane winning streaks and make it easy for Tornado to make his first playoff appearance as an FCM GM?]]>