McCABE MAGAZINE SEASON 44 PREVIEW
Cincinnati, Ohio (McC.com) – Welcome to another season in
the Robert E, McCabe world of professional baseball. McCabe Magazine would like
to welcome the newest owner to the McCabe Baseball World; Rodgie of the
Montreal Expos. Mr. Rodgie purchased the Rochester Broncos following season 43
and relocated the franchise to Montreal, Canada amidst a small group of fans protesting
the move outside Bronco Ball Park. Rodgie is new to “WhatifSports” and
currently in three leagues; McCabe, Uecker, and Steinbrenner with a career
total of zero (0) seasons played. I just want say we have an excellent group of
owners here so don’t hesitate to ask any questions you may have Welcome aboard,
now LETS PLAY BALL!
McCabe Magazine Season 44 Award Winners
McCabe Magazine Season 44 Most Valuable Player
McCabe Magazine Season 44 Cy Young Award
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McCabe Magazine Season 44 Cy Young Award
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McCabe Magazine Season 44 Rookie of the Year
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McCabe Magazine Season 44 Fireman of the Year
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THE CLEVELAND INDIANS WIN THE ROBERT E. McCABE
WORLD SERIES TROPHY
by knocking off the LOS ANGELES DODGERS
ITS CLEVELAND'S YEAR
The Cleveland Indians will knock off the San Diego Padres in the NLCS and advance to
the season 44 World Series and defeat the Los Angeles Dodgers 4 games to 3. The
Dodgers will win the AL pennant by sweeping the St. Louis Cardinals 4-0. The fourth (4) seed
Cardinals will upset the defending AL Pennant winning Milwaukee Brewers in the second round and
advance to the ALCS.
We feel the best roster in baseball belongs to the Pittsburgh
Pirates followed by the Cleveland Indians according to our metrics, but we all
know the best playoff rotations win the seven and five series. The Roster gets
you a 100 wins, the rotation gets you the Robert E. McCabe Trophy. This is why
McCabe Magazine has selected the Cleveland Indians as our Season 44 World
Series Champions.
The Indians have the best starting rotation in baseball led
by season 43 Rookie of the Year Carmine Keagle (P). He is the best pitcher on a
staff of young outstanding arms, and should be in the hunt for the season 44 CY
Young Award. Keagle has five pitches that can get major league hitters out with
the best pitch in his arsenal being the slider, followed by sinker, and curve.
In twenty-two starts last year the 6-4 Keagle posted a 1.07 WHIP and a 2.50
ERA. Also on the pitching staff is Bill Garcia the season 42 CY Young award
winner, and setup man Hong-Chih Sung (last year 67 games 1.26 WHIP
2.93 ERA). As noted earlier the Indians have the second best roster in the
majors. Tony Chong (1B) a three time All-Star is the
best position player on the roster. He led the team in Home Runs (24), OPS
(897), and Games Played (160) last year. Future All-Stars Larry Kelly (RF) 22 Homes 297 BA, Cristobal Ruiz (SS) 22 Home Runs 277 BA 19-4 SB
and Gold Glove (3B) winner Fred Perez will be major contributors this season for the
Indians when they capture their first National League Pennant and World Series Championship in franchise
history.
The World Series runner-up Los Angeles Dodgers will be
looking for its third American League Western Division Title, first since
season 28 and first National League Pennant in team history. McCabe Magazine
computer geeks have installed this squad as the team to beat in the AL. We’ve
ranked the pitching staff as the top staff in the American League and third
best roster behind Milwaukee and the New York Yankees.
| RANKING THE ML ROSTERS AND ROTATION | ||||
| Best Overall Roster | Best Overall Rotations | |||
| Rank | Franchise | Rank | Franchise | |
| 1 | Pittsburgh Pirates | 1 | Cleveland Indians | |
| 2 | Cleveland Indians | 2 | San Diego Padres | |
| 3 | Milwaukee Brewers | 3 | Pittsburgh Pirates | |
| 4 | New York Yankees | 4 | Los Angeles Dodgers | |
| 5 | Los Angeles Dodgers | 5 | St. Louis Cardinals | |
| 6 | San Diego Padres | 6 | Milwaukee Brewers | |
| 7 | Toronto Blue Jays | 7 | Minnesota Twins | |
| 8 | St. Louis Cardinals | 8 | Chicago Cubs | |
| 9 | Chicago Cubs | 9 | Detroit Tigers | |
| 10 | Detroit Tigers | 10 | Washington D.C. National | |
THE LOS ANGELES DODGERS MAKE THEIR MOVE
Four Time Silver Slugger (RF) Award winner Sal Belt
led the team last year with 35 Home Runs and 108 RBI, two-time Silver
Slugger (3B) Award winner Matt Finley averaged 31.75 Home Runs the past
four seasons and Frank Jodie (SS) former first round draft pick (12)
will help this team to a win total of 100 games for first in franchise history,
a big change for an organization that has lost 100 games 13 times in 43
seasons. The Ace on the pitching staff is Victor Diaz who was traded to the Dodgers from
Seattle this offseason for minor league prospects Alan Clark (2B) and Lou May (2B). Clark was the 3rd overall
selection in last year’s amateur draft and May was a 2nd round pick
in season 38. Diaz is a former Rookie of the Year, three time All-Star and has
three World Series Rings with the Mariners. Joining Diaz of the staff is Otis Becker the fifth overall pick in season 39
and underachiever Tony Miranda pick 1/19 in season 40. Both pitcher
have not lived up to hype put according to the folks in Dodger land this will
be their breakout season, and we agree Los Angeles is ready for the spotlight
and ready claim its first NL pennant.
THE PLAYOFF TEAMS
Our American League Division winners will be the Milwaukee Brewers, New York Yankees, St. Louis Cardinals, and Los Angeles Dodgers. In the National League
our analytical folks say the division winners will be the Cleveland Indians, Pittsburgh Pirates, Richmond Virginians, and the San Diego Padres. Your wildcard teams will
be the Toronto Blue Jays, Anaheim Angels, Philadelphia Phillies, and Chicago Cubs.
The Season 44 Predictions
The number 1 Ranked Division in baseball is the National
League East.
The Pittsburgh Pirates have won the NL East four (4) consecutive
years and have made the playoffs the last six (6) years. This team has played for
the Pennant in seasons 43, 42, and 41 with a very disappointing 0-3 record. Pittsburgh
has the best roster in baseball which is why they will lead the Majors with 105
wins. The Philadelphia Phillies have made the playoffs 10 consecutive seasons, a
very impressive record, going 3-3 in the
NLCS with 1 World Series Championship. The Phillies have the second best player
in the division in Davey Parker (RF) 25 HR 96 RBI 41 Doubles 305
BA and 20-5 SB in S43. New York made the playoffs as a Wildcard last year for
the first time since season 36. We have the Mets winning 85 games and falling
short of their second consecutive playoff berth. Andy Weaver (2B) of the Cincinnati Reds is the
best unknown player in the league. Mr. Weaver has a career BA of 297 and a
career 52 SB in two complete ML seasons.
ML NL East
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Team
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Owner
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W
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L
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Pittsburgh Pirates
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sportbanker
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105
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57
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*Philadelphia Phillies
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sbank65
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89
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73
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New York Mets
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larryscubs
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85
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77
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Cincinnati Reds
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dmann2158
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80
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82
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* Wildcard
Best Player; Cy Welsh (LF) Pittsburgh Pirates.
Best Pitcher; Alexi Solis Cincinnati Reds
Best Rookie; Josias Cordero Philadelphia Phillies
Number 2 Ranked Division is the American League West.
This
division has two of the best teams in the league in Los Angeles Dodgers and
Anaheim Angels. Looking at the Dodgers playoff history we find they have
qualified for the playoffs nine (9) times, three (3) as division winners and
six (6) times as a wildcard. LA has done an outstanding job of putting together
a squad we think can win the pennant this season. The only opposition standing
in the Dodgers way is Willie Jimenez (3B) and the Anaheim Angels. The
McCabe Super Duper All-Knowing IBM/Apple computer has determined the Angels
will win 90+ games this season for the first time in seven (7) years and make
the playoffs for the first time in five years. The best team in this division
the last 13 years has been the Oakland Athletics. This organization has won the
division outright the last four years, and 10 of the past 13 seasons. Common
sense tells me to ignore the technology from Super Duper and pencil in the
Athletics, however I was over ruled in the final meeting held with
representatives from Caesars Sport Book and Resort. Since McCabe Magazine is
the number one publication in the world, the public takes note of the numbers
we post. We have been instructed by upper management to help protect the Book
against the heavy money taken in this offseason on Oakland, so we decided to
move the total for Oakland to 87 wins. However, with that said it’s clear to
our staff this isn’t the same team as years past. The best players on the team
are 30 year-old catcher Jared Biggio (34 HR 95 RBI 259 BA) and newly acquired
Cooper Osterbrock (CF), a free-agent signing
this past offseason. This team will be lucky to break the 85 win total. San
Francisco Giants has made only one playoff appearance in 13 years, and things
will not change this season.
ML AL West
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Team
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Owner
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W
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L
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Los Angeles Dodgers
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Arte
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100
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62
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*Anaheim Angels
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captain10a
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93
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69
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Oakland Athletics
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ojinga
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87
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75
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San Francisco Giants
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wylie715
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74
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88
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* Wildcard
Best Player; Matt Finley (3B) Los Angeles Dodgers
Best Rookie; Rodney Poole (RF) San Francisco Giants
The 3rd ranked Division is the National League North.
This
division has our World Series Champion and the Chicago Cubs our second wildcard
team from the NL. The Cubs has won the division title 7 times the last 8 years
and qualified as a wildcard the one year they didn’t win the division. During
that 8 year run they are 2-0 in the NLCS and 1-1 in the World Series, winning
it all in season 41. Detroit hasn’t made a postseason appearance since season
29, we look for more of the same this season. The Montreal Expos/Rochester
Broncos have lost a total of 627 games the past 6 years, an average of 104.5
games. This team is under new ownership and have high hopes on turning this
organization around. They won’t lose a 100 this season, but we got them
dropping 89.
ML NL North
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Team
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Owner
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W
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L
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Cleveland Indians
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CollegeBoy33
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102
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60
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*Chicago Cubs
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rod33
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90
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72
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Detroit Tigers
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mrmich1
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85
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77
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Montreal Expos
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Rodgie
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73
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89
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*wildcard
Best Player; Alex Javier (2B) Chicago Cubs
Best Pitcher; Geovany Tabata (P) Chicago Cubs
Best Rookie; Carmine Keagle (P) Cleveland Indians
The number fourth ranked division is the American League
North.
The Milwaukee Brewers are the
defending American League Champions knocking off division rival Minnesota for
the Pennant last season. They are well equip to make a strong defense of that
title. They have the best roster and bullpen in the AL however, their rotation
is ranked 3rd behind Minnesota Twins and Los Angeles. The Brewers are
loaded with some of the top major leaguers in baseball, Tex Brown (6 All-Stars, 5 Silver Sluggers SS, 2
Gold Gloves) he was the big trade last season that put this team over the top. Ben Snyder (3 Fireman of the Year, 3 All-Star)
won the Firemen of the Year last year for the 3rd time in 3 seasons.
Other Brewer notables; Rico Crespo (1 MVP, 6 All-Star, 3 Silver
Slugger CF, 1 Gold Glove RF) and Chip Leach (16-8, 1.31 WHIP 3.86 ERA, 2 All-Stars
in 3 complete seasons) and Steve Latham (19 HR 91 RBI). We have
nicknamed the Brewers owner cpintens “Wheeler Dealer” because all of the above
talent was acquired via trade. Wheeler Dealer seems to pull off some amazing
deals for top talent. Some members of the front office have left the
organization because of rumors of witchcraft and voodoo being practice in the
front office prior to all trade negotiations. While preparing to do and
in-depth investigative report into the strange happing in Milwaukee a voodoo
doll was delivered to McCabe Magazine with a note that read “Enemies of the
Heir, beware! You’ll be next, Mudbloods!” Although that’s a Harry Potter quote
from the movie “Chamber of Secrets” we decided to table the discussion and
focus on finishing the Preview Issue. Our season 43 choice to win the Robert E.
McCabe trophy Toronto Blue Jays (last ear record 101-61) fell short of that
goal when they lost in the divisional round to the Milwaukee Brewers, 3-2 the
eventual league champions. This season we have them winning 88 games and
qualifying as the AL 6th seed. Last year the Minnesota Twins
advanced to the League Championship Series losing the pennant to the Brewers
4-1. The best player on this team is season 43 CY Young winner Alberto Rodriguez (17-7, 1.09 WHIP, 2.82 ERA).
The White Sox’s are just hoping to stay competitive this season.
ML AL North
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Team
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Owner
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W
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L
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Milwaukee Brewers
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cpintens
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101
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61
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*Toronto Blue Jays
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dimestoregin
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88
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74
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Minnesota Twins
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optistrat
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84
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78
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Chicago White Sox
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kgrffth
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72
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90
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*wildcard
The Best Player; Mariano Paniagua (CF) Toronto Blue Jays
The Best Pitcher: Dayan Duran (P) Milwaukee Brewers
The Best Rookie; 29 year-old Terry Taylor (3B) Milwaukee Brewers, spent 11
seasons in St. Louis minors and TRADED to Milwaukee this season where he has
made his major league debut. After landing in Milwaukee he was greeted by a Brewer
staffer who sprinkled him with Pixie Dust, he’s been on the major-league roster
ever since.
The 5th rank division is the NL West.
The Defending World Series Champion San Diego Padres are the
best of the West, the 5th ranked division in our divisional rankings.
This team was built through the draft loaded with first round draft picks the
Padres will dominate the west and easily win the division crown with 98 wins.
Arizona is a club we think will be ready for a playoff run in the near future. Neal Spangenberg (2B) is the season 42 Rookie
of the Year and the best player on the Diamondbacks. Aging veteran pitcher Wascar Ontiveros will help Spangenberg keep
Arizona afloat but will miss the playoffs again this year for the 5th
consecutive season. The Colorado Rockies are the oldest team in the National
League averaging 30.6 years per player. Ignacio Valentin 37 years-old and a former MVP
signed a team friendly/thank you for your service contact $1.3 this offseason. The
first ballot Hall of Famer has 688 Home Runs 1860 RBI with a career Batting
Average of 302. The Team is going nowhere and we hope Valentin finish his
outstanding career on the Rockies major league roster. The once powerful
Seattle Mariners have stared the rebuild faze of this organization. Trading
away aging veterans in hope of getting younger with can’t miss prospects, and
we think they’ve done just that in a big way with acquisitions of future MVPs
and surefire All-Stars Kirk Jones (SS) from the Washington Nationals, and
Alan Clark (2B) from Los Angeles. Clark was the
3rd overall pick in the season 43 armature draft, and Jones was the
8th pick in the same draft.
ML NL West
Team
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Owner
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W
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L
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San Diego Padres
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jgarron
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98
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64
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Arizona Diamondbacks
|
Frozenherd
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87
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75
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Colorado Rockies
|
axtell
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77
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85
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Seattle Mariners
|
mark3313
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75
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87
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Best Player; Trace Garvin (3B) Seattle Mariners
Best Pitcher: Vic Posey (P) San Diego Padres
Best Rookie; Cord Cather (3B) Colorado Rockies
The American League East is our 6th rated
division in baseball.
The experts here at McCabe Magazine have selected the New
York Yankees as the cream of the crop in the East. Season 43 AL Rookie of the
Year Gerald Rossy will lead this team along with Ramon Pan (2B) 2 All-Stars 1 Silver Slugger 2B Odrisamer Franco
(CF) 3 All-Stars 3 Gold Gloves 2 at CF and 1 CF and Ben McCartin (1B) 48 HR 132 RBI to 99 win
season and capture their 3rd division crown in 30 years. New York
also has super star rookie Malcolm Travis (CF) who will compete with Texas
Rangers Morrie Tomlinson (RF) for the AL Rookie of the
Year Award. Former Seattle Mariner Andres Alvarez (SS) is the best player on the
Nationals. This team is in a rebuilding stage with 4 rookies playing major
innings. They’re not ready yet but in 2-3 seasons should be a Pennant
contender. Washington rookies to watch; Tito Scarsone (P) Rolando Rosado (SS) and Yadiel Gandarillas (P), also one year starter Tony Bueno (C) will be a big part of a future
playoff bid. Boston is a team built on
the long ball, which was a good philosophy 40 years ago when the Red Sox won the
World Series in seasons 3, 4, and 11. The Red Sox fans have seen one playoff team
in 23 years, and their minor league system is an absolute mess which means it’s
going to be awhile before we see Boston in contention.
ML AL East
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Team
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Owner
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W
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L
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New York Yankees
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staeben
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99
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63
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Washington D.C. Nationals
|
kujhawker
|
84
|
78
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Baltimore Orioles
|
kingkai53
|
78
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84
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Boston Red Sox
|
pat007ohmss
|
75
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87
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Best Player; Andres Alvarez (SS) Washington D.C. National
Best Pitcher; Henderson Reid (CIA) New York Yankees
Best Rookie; Malcolm Travis (CF) New York Yankees
The 7th ranked division is the NL South.
The
division winner will be the Richmond Virginian who will barely break the 85 win total. In 15 seasons the
Virginians have won the division 8 times and finished 2nd 7 times.
During that span they are 2-2 in the league championship and 1-1 in the World
Series. Former MVP Tucker Flores (2B) is the only reason we think
the Atlanta Braves will win 80+ games this season. In season 43 he hit 25 Home
Runs and drove 102 RBI, Atlanta is hoping for the same production this season.
The cupboard is empty in south Florida. The Marlins franchise won the division
title last year however, it was the second divisional title in 27 years. It will
be another 27 years before they can do it again. Sorry lido9613 just dishing
out a little tough loveJ.
Tampa Bay is playing for top draft pick.
ML NL South
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Team
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Owner
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W
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L
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Richmond Virginians
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spintens
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86
|
76
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Atlanta Braves
|
franknterry
|
82
|
80
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Florida Marlins
|
lido9613
|
78
|
84
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Tampa Bay Rays
|
rsskfs23
|
68
|
94
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Best Player; Gerald Manaea (3B) Richmond Virginias
Best Pitcher; Jimmie Johnson (P) Richmond Virginias
Our 8th and final division is the AL South.
The
St. Louis Cardinals will win this division with an 89-73 record. The rest of
the teams in this division will barely keep their heads above water. The two
teams with the lowest payroll reside in this division, Kansas City Royals and the
Houston Astros both
at $1.1 M per roster spot. In this group of .500 teams we have the Houston
Astros as the best of the rest in the division and should finish 2nd
with an 81-81 record. Texas won the first World Series in league history in
season one. According to our analytics their next shot at a title is at least
3-5 seasons away. The best player on the predicted 93 lost Kansas City Royals
is a 33 year-old overpaid pitcher Neftali Rios. This middle reliever is in the
second year of a four year deal that pays him $33.4 M over the life of the
contract, an average of $8.4 M per season. He has a career record of 42-52,
1.31 WHIP and an eye-popping 4.21 career ERA. By the way he has 2-years left on
the deal.
ML AL South
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Team
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Owner
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W
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L
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St. Louis Cardinals
|
slurie2001
|
89
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73
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Houston Astros
|
bballer2117
|
81
|
81
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Texas Rangers
|
goldenbaer88
|
73
|
89
|
Kansas City Royals
|
TenaciousTYT
|
69
|
93
|
Best Player; Jerome Surtain (3B) Houston Astros
Best Pitcher; Albert Oliva (P) St. Louis Cardinals
Best Rookie; Gerson Wakefield (P) Houston Astros
McCABE MAGAZINE SEASON 44 MINOR LEAGUE AWARDS WINNERS
McCabe Magazine Season 44 Minor League Most Valuable Player
Cleveland Indians AAA affiliate Columbus Clippers located Columbus, Ohio
McCabe Magazine Season 44 Minor League Outstanding Pitcher
Montreal Expos AA affiliate Florence Freedom located Florence, Kentucky
McCabe Magazine Season 44 Minor League Fireman of the Year
Kansas City Royals High-A affiliate Wilmington Blue Rocks located Wilmington, Delaware
McCABE MAGAZINE SEASON 44 MINOR LEAGUE AWARDS WINNERS
McCabe Magazine Season 44 Minor League Most Valuable Player
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Cleveland Indians AAA affiliate Columbus Clippers located Columbus, Ohio
McCabe Magazine Season 44 Minor League Outstanding Pitcher
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Montreal Expos AA affiliate Florence Freedom located Florence, Kentucky
McCabe Magazine Season 44 Minor League Fireman of the Year
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Kansas City Royals High-A affiliate Wilmington Blue Rocks located Wilmington, Delaware
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