EHSPN BREAKING NEWS

EHSPN Breaking News - Rio has dropped Reebok as a sponsor.  Rio runs out of game jerseys due to a miscalculation in supply by a Reebok Financial Analyst.  Bruce Arnold and JC Stapleton bring you the latest news from this situation.

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EHSPN Sports Flash - Week 9

Bruce Arnold is back to recap Week 9 Action in the EHCC

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EHSPN Sports Flash - Week 8

Bruce Arnold is back to recap Week 8 Action in the EHCC

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EHSPN Sports Flash - Week 7

Bruce Arnold is back to recap Week 7 Action in the EHCC.

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EHSPN Sports Flash - Week 6

Bruce Arnold Breaks Down Week 6 Action in the EHCC

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EHSPN Fact or Fiction - 2018 Major League Draft

J.C. Stapleton kicks off 2018 with a recap of the 2018 Major League draft with EHSPN's Max Powers.

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Sponsored by www.Joeybuildsdogsintobears.com

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EHSPN Fact or Fiction - Week 9

J.C. Stapleton hosts this week's podcast, featuring Dominican Today Editor Freddie May and a fan we wrangled from a local drinking establishment. They discuss the surprising start for the Hispanics, Freddie calls Kyle Schwarber an el pollo, and we come to grips with the fate of the SFV Jets.

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Sponsored by www.Joessportsbarandmovietheater.com

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EHSPN Fact or Fiction - Week 8

J.C. Stapleton hosts this week's podcast, featuring EhSPN Talking head Skip Paymeless and the elder, but still coherent Gus Peck. They discuss Weymouth's undefeated start, Rio's coaching staff and the excitement that is building in Dublin.

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Sponsored by www.Joeywillanimateyourscoreboard.com

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EHSPN Fact or Fiction - Week 4

Week 3 is now in the books, tune in as Joey G Styles discusses hot topics from the EHCC season in Fact or Fiction on EHSPN.

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EHCC Minor League Draft Analysis Part II - The Revenge!

…And, we’re back! After waiting patiently for 10 months, it’s the exciting conclusion to the 2015 EHCC Minor League Draft analysis! Who did well? Who did poorly? Spoiler alert – we have no idea! It’s the EHCC Minor League Draft! 

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Making A Case

The votes are in, well, most of them. The EHCC Awards are set to be officially announced at the end of the season including Rookie of the Year, Offense and Pitching Staffs of the Year, GM of the Year, and the All-EHCC Roster. With Offense and Pitching Staffs being pretty obvious choices, at least according to the voting (and the stats), GM of the Year has been a tight race thus far. Let's break apart all those who received votes.


Make A Case
By Max Powers; EhSPN


Jack Reed, Rakeville Rockets

His History
Mr. Reed has not been shy to voice his GM strategy over the years: build from the ground up, showing loyalty to players and hoping they produce on the field. For a few years the Rockets have struggled to really put forth a true championship caliber team, usually making the playoffs, only missing out in 2004 and 2009, but never making the finals. They'd stayed true to their strategy, growing talent from within and bringing up the best of each crop of talent. 2010 has been no different, as Reed only made one trade since the start of the 2009/2010 Off Season through the August 1, 2010 trade deadline, trading for 3B Scott Rolen. He's also made the 3rd least amount of overall roster moves of all non-contracted team, with only Arlington and Tokyo having less.


His Moves
With the lack of transactions during the season the Rockets have been able to form one of the tightest clubhouses in the EHCC. Former captain Pedro Martinez still makes frequent visits to Rakeville, quoting strong bonds he formed with both players and management over the years, even when he was struggling. "We never really have a fear of losing our jobs," current starting catcher Joe Mauer told reports, "I'm not sure if he [Jack Reed] is just lazy or really likes us all. Either way, it's comforting to know the name on our lockers aren't going anywhere."


His Take
The Rockets finished 2008 in 4th place, then 10th place the following season. After allowing their young talent to make their way up they've climbed back up to championship contention and clinched the 1st round bye and the Eastern Division crown. Some criticize the Rockets, saying they don't deserve the award because it's not a "most improved" award, and that it should be based on the moves the GM made to better their squad (ie: trades, add/drops, etc). Reed has a different look on it stating, "I rebuilt this team," commenting on his General Managing ability. He continued with, "I better win GM of the year, considering all the moves I made - last year's trades plus my rookies coming up."

Apparently last year's trades should be considered in this year's award.


Patrick Renaud, Quebec City Piglets


His History
Always a bridesmaid, never a bride: story of Patrick Renaud's life. Since 2005, the first year the GM of the Year Award was given out, Renaud has not finished higher than 2nd in the GMotY voting, despite never missing the playoffs and grabbing the Western Division crown all but once [2006] in that time frame. He finished 2nd to Arlington's Matt Skinner in 2007, the same year the Warriors beat the Piglets in the EHCC Championship (perhaps that had something to do with the voting), and he finished second to Peoria's Dave Grubb in 2009.


His Moves
During the 2009/2010 offseason Renaud was desperate to upgrade his offense since he had solidified the league's best pitching staff for the past two seasons. He brought in perennial MVP contender Albert Pujols as an upgrade over Justin Morneau and Andrew McCutchen to give life to his aging outfield. Closer to the deadline Renaud pulled off a blockbuster with Weymouth, brining in powerhouse pitchers Johan Santana and Roy Halladay, further solidifying his strong pitching staff. All these moves, along with the day-to-day activity (3rd most in the league) brought Quebec City their 3rd straight, and 4th overall regular season crown.


His Take
His ability to keep his team in annual contention is Renaud's logic behind why he should win the award stating, "No one does more to build their team year in and year out than me and I"ve never won it," Renaud told reporters, "I get no respect there because I never have an off year. It's always most improved."

Every GM to win the GMotY award without winning the EHCC Champoionsip in the same season had increased their team's winning percentage by at least .100 from previous season.



Yukon Cornelius, Weymouth Shaddupu

His History
Cornelius, who has never won the award, perhaps because the award wasn't given out until 2005, the last time team Shaddupu won the EHCC crown, wasn't shy to the trading table this season, as they barely squeaked into the 2009 playoffs and knew there was room for improvement.

His Moves
In an attempt to give his pitching staff the boost it needed, Cornelius promptly jumped on the Roy Halladay sweepstakes when las Vegas put the ace on the block, sending away young gun Mat Latos and stud prospect outfielder Andrew McCutchen in the process. It was needed after sending away Dan Haren for the bat of Pablo Sandoval and the hard throwing Max Scherzer. Youkon knew when to call it quits though, realizing his attempt at a 5th EHCC Championship was going to fail this season, he found a way to rebuild for the future, shipping away Halladay, Johan Santana, and Josh Hamilton for a slew of prospective all-stars, including Jesus Montero, Jenry Mejia, Mike Minor, and Starlin Castro, not to mention a bundle of draft picks from both Tokyo and Quebec City. Considering all three players were never going to sell for more in the future and the standings in the playoff picture, Weymouth probably made the right move at the time.

His Take
When asked why he thought he should win the award Cournelius was quoted to saying, "I think that's a fair vote considering what i did in the offseason as well as at the trading deadline."

Perhaps recognizing the moves you made to start the season weren't working and cutting your losses at the right time is worth consideration.

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Place Your Bets

As the 2010 Playoffs start off one has to ask oneself if this is what was to be expected going into the 2010 season: Rakeville on top of the East, Las Vegas in the playoffs at all, only two Western Division teams represented, and the defending champs in the 6th seed. Let's see what we can expect from the playoffs themselves...


Place Your Bets
By Max Powers; EhSPN


Ok, so it was probably a safe bet that Quebec City would run away with the regular season championship and we all probably saw Tokyo making the leap to the top of the overall standings from a mile away. Most of us probably expected perennial playoff contender Weymouth to finally miss out on post-season glory and we weren't surprised to see Arlington and Tijuana to fight it out for the best draft picks in the 2011 drafts. But there's a few things most of us didn't see coming and wish we had put money on at the start of the season.

Lady Luck Hits Rakeville

I think its safe to say that no one expected to see the Rockets sit above not only the defending champion Weasels but above the entire Eastern Division, capping off the season with not only the Eastern Division crown, which they have publicly announced is the only award they care about, more so than the EHCC Championship, but also to grab the 1st round bye a free pass to the second round of the playoffs. Were they the best team in the division? I'm sure even they would agree that's debatable, but they pulled it off in the end with a little help from lady luck and the self destruction of eastern division rival Peoria. Whatever the case, the Rockets sit safely on top of the East ready to face off against either the defending champs or the surging Omyoujis in the second round. Hopefully for their sake their luck doesn't run out there.

How the West Was Won

Considered by many to be the premier division going into the 2010 season, the western division only has two representatives in this year's playoffs, granted they have the two best records in the EHCC regular season. Having three teams' rosters locked and then contracted around the trade deadline didn't help perhaps. The Piglets were able to run away with the division, going undefeated against Western Division opponents (their only 4 losses came against eastern Division opponents), and easily clinching the top seed in the division. They'll face off against the winner of Peoria v Las Vegas. What will be the most surprising storyline here is if Quebec City can actually find a way to not screw themselves out of the playoffs once again. This is the 4th time the Piglets have earned a first round bye in the playoffs, and the 9th straight playoff appearance, and they've only made the finals once (losing to Arlington in 2007).

If I Was A Gambling Man

The Las Vegas Doggs made no secret of their intention to rebuild during the 2010 season, shipping off most notably Albert Pujols, Roy Halladay, Ricky Nolasco, Adam Dunn, Aramis Ramirez, and Jose Reyes for the likes of Hanley Ramirez, Pedro Alvarez, Buster Posey, Hunter Pence, Joey Votto, Jordan Zimmerman, Rick Porcello, and Mat Latos before the start of the season. Ownership was ready to finish just outside the playoff bubble, ready to compete heavily during the 2011 campaign. Things change sure, but not many expected the Doggs' roster, as constructed at the start of the season, to conceivably compete for a solid playoff spot, never mind the top of the Eastern Division or even possibly the EHCC title. Vegas ownership saw an opportunity in the division - as Peoria was starting to slump and the Weasels were playing below expected - and decided they were in a position to compete, and not just in 2011. Along came Carlos Gonzalez, Billy Wagner, and Jair Jurrjens (at the cost at many of their 2011 and beyond pieces). Buster Posey taking over the starting catcher duties didn't hurt either. They set two weekly offensive records this season and are the favorites to take home the 2010 Offense of the Year award. They may be the lower seed facing off against the 2009 eastern Division champion Cardinals, but anyone that's been paying attention probably doesn't see it that way.

How to Weasel Yourself Into The Playoffs

Ask any fan in Bridgewater if they saw themselves as the lowest seed in the 2010 playoffs after finally walking away with the championship in 2009 and they'll all tell you the same thing, "What? The 2010 season has started?" Not one Weasels' fan has come down from the 2009 championship high to realize they barely made their way over Weymouth for the final seed in the 2010 playoffs. Weymouth on the other hand is finally getting the experience of witnesses the EHCC playoffs from the outside looking in, missing the playoffs for the first time in team history, breaking a 9 year streak of competing for the EHCC crown.

2010 Playoff Predictions (1st Round)

4 Peoria Cardinals
vs
5 Las Vegas Doggs

Dogg's offense has carried them all season, finishing the regular season first or second in R, HR, RBI, and SB. Peoria has beaten the Doggs 7-12 in the 2010 regular season, but I'd expect the Doggs to pull it out this week
Prediction: Doggs 7, Cardinals 3

3 Tokyo Omyoujis
vs
6 Bridgewater Weasels

Just in time for Weasels' fans to notice they made it into the playoffs, the defending champs have to face off against the second best team (record-wise) in the league. Tokyo and Bridgewater split their season series 1-1, but the Omyoujis outscored the Weasels 12-7. I don't see an upset here, but I do expect the champs to keep it close.
Prediction: Omyoujis 6, Weasels 3

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Micromanaging in Mexico

The Tijuana Hispanics currently roster 18 offensive players on their 25 man roster. That's 2 full line-ups. How is field manager Zachary Waddicor and team captain Brian Roberts dealing with the situation? And how is the strategy working out for these Mexican misfits?




Micromanaging In Mexico
By Max Powers; EhSPN


The Tijuana Hispanics dedicated their entire 2008 second half to testing out their new bullpen heavy strategy. They crushed some weekly records and started some debate in the process. After the 2009 EHCC MaDraft, the Hispanics again showed they were staying with their closer-heavy strategy by not selecting a starting pitcher until the middle of the 6th round (Doug Davis). In all, the Hispanics drafted 3 pitchers (all starters); none of which currently stand on their roster. The other 12 picks made by GM Peter Kantor were offensive additions, ranging from rookie Dexter Fowler to veteran JD Drew.

Entering Week 6, the Hispanics have 18 offensive players (at least 2 at each position except catcher) and 7 active pitchers, only one of which is a starter (Glen Perkins). Tijuana also has three starting pitchers currently on the DL (Kelvim Escobar, Shaun Marcum, and Noah Lowry) - all of which are expected to be dealt when healthy.

This type of roster has its advantages - the team can easily scrimmage for practice (though this has not been showing up on game days). The negative, besides the obvious strain this puts on their starting pitching staff, is that it has become very stressful for field manager Zachary Waddicor.

"It's a lose-lose situation really. No matter who I put in each game there's going to be someone on the bench that would have done it better. It takes a lot of micro-managing and there's a lot of criticism coming from all angles, no matter what I do," Waddicor told reporters.

A lot of critics say that GM Kantor decided to put Waddicor in the situation in order allow himself to start looking for a new field manager. Since the Hispanics haven't made the playoffs since moving from Texas to Mexico, Waddicor has yet to make himself "untouchable", and many think that putting Waddicor in this situation is the easiest way to for Kantor to bring in a new manager without a lot of Mexican media backlash.

"It's really too bad. We all really like coach in the clubhouse. He always brings in bottled water and filtered beer, two necessities when you play down here [Mexico]," said team captain Brian Roberts, one of the few offensive Hispanics that plays every day.

"He gets really stressed before every game," says veteran Mike Lowell, "he's got guys coming in his office before every game begging him for some playing time. There's only so much he can do."

"In some aspects it's a nice luxury," Waddicor told EhSPN, "I'll always know we'll have a full line up on days our opponents won't and I get to rest guys whenever they get tired, knowing I have a bench guy to take their spot. It's not going to completely do away with the possible injury bug, but it helps."

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How exactly has Waddicor fared since the start of the 2009 season? Let's go over the numbers - through week 5 of the 2009 season Tijuana starting line ups have logged just 277 more at bats than their bench players and have only scored 25 more times and batted in only 23 more runs, while actually stealing 13 LESS bases and hitting almost ten points lower.

Need more numbers? Probably not, but since I wasted my afternoon doing the research I'm going to tell you anyway - Tijuana starters score a run every 7.3 at bats to the bench players every 6.5; bat in a run every 7.7 at bats to the bench's 6.9; steal a base every 45.4 at bats to the bench's 21.9, and get a hit every 3.9 at bats to the bench's 3.8. The only area in which the starters have the bench beat is home runs, where they hit one every 32 at bats to the bench's 35.3.

If we theoretically gave the Tijuana bench players an extra 277 at bats they would have produced the following fantasy line for the Hispanics: 167/31/158/50/.263 - compared to the line the starters have put up in the same 1089 at bats: 149/34/142/24/.254

In Week 4 the Tijuana bench actually would have BEATEN the starters in total production and would have tied them in Week 1, regardless of the fact that they tallied an average of 55 less at bats each week.

Micromanaging might not be Waddicor's strong suit, but with a roster of 18 bats there's not too many that would be free of the critics and cynics.

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EHSPN: One Sided Affair

As the first week of this year's EHCC Championship Series unfolded, fans - on both sides - are wringing their wrists. The score (7-3), which puts Las Vegas at a clear advantage heading into the second and final week of play, has Weasels fans nervous while keeping Doggs fans in anticipation.




One Sided Affair
By Max Powers; EHSPN


The home field advantage that the Bridgewater Weasels earned by just a half game over the Doggs has yet to aid the regular season champ in the 2008 EHCC Championship Series. The Weasels have yet to lead at any point during the series, trailing by as much as 8-2 at one point to the two time champion Doggs. The Doggs, who have not lost in Bridgewater since Week 8 of 2005, and have an overall record of 5-2 at The Concrete Jungle, have been impressive all week, putting up powerful numbers in all aspects of the game.

"We're just putting everything together as a team. When one of us struggles one day, someone else picks up the pace," says starting shortstop Jose Reyes. Reyes may have been referring to his hot start this week when he started 8 for 24 with 2 HR, 7 RBI, 6 R, and 2 SB while teammate David Wright struggled going just 5 for his first 27. On Sunday Reyes went 0 for 5, while Wright went 2 for 3 with a 2 run homerun, while scoring 3 runs on the day.

"We all know we're going to have to pick each other up at some point so no one gets down on themselves when they struggle," commented Wright after Sunday's performance.

On the other side, Weasels fans have to be worried about the play from EHCC All-Star Lance Berkman, who has recorded only two hits during the first week of play.

"Luckily I have guys like Ryan [Howard] and a Derek [Lee] around me to pick up my slack, but I know I'm going to have to perform the way everyone expects me to next week if we want a chance to win this thing," Berkman told reporters after going 1 for 4 on Sunday, "Believe me, no one wants this more than I do. This is my fourth trip here [the finals], I really don't want to leave empty handed again."

Unofrtunatly for Berkman, and the Weasels, Derek Lee's hot bat may be out of the line up spratically in the coming week. Lee, along with Doggs' hitters Alfonso Soriano and Aramis Ramirez, has reportedly come down with a very rare sickness. It is said to come and go randomly, without warning. Each of the three players have been listed as day-to-day, and could miss playing time at any point this week, depending on team doctors' recommendation one hour before game time. All three players sat out play this past Sunday and it is unknown when, or if, they will play again this season.

"It's really fustrating. Yesterday I felt fine. Today I could barely move. Right now I feel great. Who knows what I'll be like tomorrow," Ramirez told reporters regarding his current condition.

For most of Week 1, pitching has been a pretty lopsided afair, with Doggs starters dominating the mound. Going into Sunday play only three Weasels starters had an ERA of 3.00 or lower. Three starters actually had ERA's over 14.00 and WHIP's over 2.00. This was far from what GM Nastra Diggus was hoping for.

"We're better than this, and I think our pitching on Sunday will show that," Diggus told EHSPN prior to Sunday play.

Bridgewater pitchers John Lackey and Jamie Moyers went on to prove Diggus right, combining for 12 innings of work, 20 strikeouts, 2 wins, and just 1 earned run between them. Both pitchers were making up for a less than stellar performance earlier in the week.

"We were embarrased, simply put. We had to make up for the hole we helped dig for this team," said Moyer."

"Hopefully their performance on Sunday is a good sign of things to come this week and the rest of the staff will feel motivated by their success," GM Diggus said of his pitchers' Sunday performance, "It's the perfect set up. Everyone likes a big comeback."

Well, not everyone.

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EHSPN: 2008 Playoffs Round 1 Recap

Weymouth closer J.J. Putz put up two saves and a scoreless set of innings to help push Shaddupu past the Quebec City Piglets. Meanwhile, Rakeville closed out the Green Monsters to make it an all Eastern Division semi-finals.


East Coast Bias
By Max Powers, EHSPN


Week 1 of the 2008 playoffs brought fans everything they expected. Excitement, torture, and upset. With the wild card round now behind us fans can get pumped up for the real test. A test that will give just two teams a shot at the crown. One team will be fighting for their first, where another will be looking to tack on to championship total. One thing is for sure, the champion will represent the Eastern Division as all Western Division teams have been eliminated after the first week. Let's take a look at how the semi-final round match ups shaped up the way they did.

(4) RAK def (5) WS; 6-3

The Monsters kept their streak alive in 2008, losing their 3rd straight playoff appearance. The Monsters, who have never made it past the 1st round, had a lot of promise in 2008. They made quite the run at the end of the regular season, catapulting themselves into the 5th seed, the highest regular season seed the organization has ever had going into the playoffs. They were met by a retooling Rakeville squad which has always been known for its pitching, has been reworking their offense all season in an effort to compete for a chance at a championship.

Rakeville's newest offensive threat, Manny Ramirez, and long time Rocket third baseman Miguel Cabrera helped propel their team into the 2nd round with 5 home runs and 18 RBI's between them against a struggling Winston-Salem rotation. Roy Oswalt also stifled Monster hitters. His two wins gave the Rockets the category and also helped solidify Rakeville's hold on strikeouts, ERA and WHIP.

The Rockets proved to the rest of the league that their team has become one of the most well rounded rosters in the league and should be able to take any category in any given week. They travel on to Bridgewater to take on their Eastern Division rival Weasels in the semi-final round. The two teams have met twice before in the playoffs, once in 2005 when the Weasels beat the Rockets int he semi-final round, and once again the following year when Rakeville defeated Bridgewater in the first round. Rakeville battled Bridgewater during the 2008 season for the Eastern Division crown, a battle that the Rockets ended victorious.

(6) WEY def (3) QC; 5-5 by ERA tie-breaker

How many times can it be said - "It all comes down to pitching." For the second year in a row, the number 6 seed defeated the number 3 seed by a score of 5-5 by way of the EHCC ERA tiebreaker. The Piglets were the clear favorite going into the match up, regardless of how they finished the regular season. They defeated team Shaddupu twice in the regular season, including the most recent match up in the final week.

Quebec City was plaqued by not only injuries to their infield, but also by a string of bad outing by their record breaking pitching staff. Piglets' starters Randy Johnson, Ted Lilly, and Justin Verlander all had arguably their worst starts of the season. Such woeful starts that even masterful performances by starters Derek Lowe, Paul Byrd, and Chris Young could not dig Quebec City out from. Funnily enough, the Quebec City offense was the strongpoint for the team this week, taking 3 of the 5 categories from a struggling Weymouth line up, and even fought through the very last pitch for a 4th thanks to a pair of Carlos Delgado home runs. Unfortunatly for the Piglets' fans, the team fell one home run shy of winning the week.

Shaddupu now travels from Canada to the desert of Las Vegas where they will face off against their Eastern Division rival, the Doggs. The two teams have faced each other 4 times, with Weymouth being the victor in 3 of those match ups, including 2 semi-final round victories and 1 championship round victory. The Doggs have never beaten team Shaddupu in the semi-final round of the playoffs, their lone playoff victory coming in 2004, when the Doggs beat Shaddupu for the EHCC Championship. The two teams haven't met in the playoffs since 2005.

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This is the 2nd time in EHCC history that all four teams in the semi-final round have been representing the saem division. The last time it happened was 2005, when the same four teams, and same two match ups, made the semi-final round.

This is 3rd time in EHCC history that all four teams in the semi-final round were once of the original EHCC 6 teams. The only other seasons in which this was true was 2005 and 2001.

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2008 Playoff Preview

Not many expected to see Quebec City in the first round of the 2008 playoffs, as the dominated along with Bridgewater for most of the season, but Las Vegas forced the Piglets into a first round rematch with their Week 22 opponent Weymouth, a team they've faced plenty of times in previous playoff appearances.


2008 EHCC Playoff Preview By Max Powers of EHSPN writing for Baseball Tri-Weekly

Going into the final week of the season everyone knew who would be playing for a chance at the 2008 EHCC championship but no one knew who exactly they'd be facing off against. Now that it's finally all settled, let's take a look at the match ups that present themselves and who will come out on top.

Round 1

(3) Quebec City vs (6) Weymouth

Quebec City is has been tattered and tortured over the last week or so. Injuries have plagued their infield, taking hard hitting third baseman Evan Longoria and EHCC All-Star second baseman Ian Kinsler of of the Piglets' line up. Even with the injuries, the Piglets managed a 5-3 win over Shaddupu in Week 22. That along with their decisive 9-1 victory in Week 11, and the first round home field advantage, makes them the clear favorite in this first round match up.

Weymouth, who contemplated dismantling their entire squad at the trading deadling, lost some big production when they traded away long time outfielder Manny Ramirez to Rakeville. With all the pressure on Ryan Braun and Josh Hamilton to keep the Weymouth offense on top, it should be a long week for team Shaddupu.

The Piglets have not lost to Weymouth in the playoffs since 2004, and have never lost in the first round of play against team Shaddupu. This will be the third straight year that the two teams have met in the first round of the playoffs.

Overall Playoff Records
Quebec City: 3-6 (2-1 vs WEY)
Weymouth: 12-3 (1-2 vs QC)

Prediction: QC 7, WEY 3

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(4) Rakeville vs (5) Winston-Salem

Rakeville earned themselves the Price Trophy last week, and deservingly so. They had been a formidable match up for any Eastern Divisional rival in 2008 and now they hope to bring that domination into the playoffs. The Rockets have everything going for them: momentum (they've won their last 4 match ups of the regular season by a combined score of 28-7, including a 9-1 win against top seeded Bridgewater and a 6-1 victory in the final week against the defending EHCC Champion Arlington Warriors), experience (the Rockets have only missed the playoffs once since the EHCC was created in 2001), and production (sat in the top 5 of four of the five offensive categories in the 2008 regular season). Chase Utley and company will need to compensate however for the ailing Rockets' pitching staff. With ace Josh Beckett and closer Billy Wagner on the shelf, look for starter Roy Oswalt to return to form and help set the example in the first day of play for the rest of the staff.

Winston-Salem's offense has been streaky all season. One week they seem like they'll be unstoppable against any opponent and others they seems as though they're all taking the week off. They'll have to turn it on this week if they wish to stay competitive against a strong Rockets' line up. Grady Sizemore and Carlos Quentin are the strong point in their line up and should provide the Monsters with the fire power they'll need to stay with Miguel Cabrera and the rest of the Rakeville bats. The Monsters will have to take advantage of the ailing Rockets' pitching staff this week. With Zack Grienke being their only scheduled two-start pitcher, they will have to rely of finesse to push past the first round.

This is the Monsters' third trip to the EHCC playoffs since being introduced to the league in 2004 and first since 2005. They have never made it past the first round. Rakeville has made it to the 2nd round of the playoffs in each of the past 3 years. Rakeville and Winston-Salem have never faced off in the playoffs.

Overall Playoff Records
Rakeville: 2-5
Winston-Salem: 0-2

Prediction: RAK 6, WS 3

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Round 2

(1) Bridgewater vs (4) Rakeville

Bridgewater has dominated all season. They've beaten every team in the league at least once (most of them twice) with the notable exception of Rakeville. They've faltered down the stretch, coming close to losing their number 1 seed to Las Vegas, but pushed through and should face off against the Rockets in the second round of play. The Weasels didn't sit on top of any single category this season, but overall were very well-rounded. Their bats came alive at opportunistic times during the season and, with the exception of starter Chien-Ming Wang, their arms in their rotation have been durable enough to endure the long season. They showed chinks in their armor in the final few weeks of play, faltering against two playoff teams (Las Vegas and Rakeville), and they'll be hoping that their poor play doesn't carry over into the playoffs.

Rakeville has done well against Eastern Division opponents all season and Bridgewater is no exception. They have not lost to them in their two match ups during the regular season, a statistic they won't be looking to change in the playoffs. Their pitching staff hasn't been as dominate as past seasons but should be able to hold off the majority of the Bridgewater hitters especially with three scheduled two-start pitchers, while Rakeville bats should be swinging away at a rusty Bridgewater staff that will have a week off before facing off against the Rockets' potent lineup.

The same match up came about in the 2005 season, with the seeds being reversed. Bridgewater, then the 4th seed, upset the Rockets, who were dominate all throughout the regular season. Look for a similar outcome this year.

Overall Playoff Record (including 2008 previous round predictions)
Bridgewater: 6-7 (1-1 vs RAK)
Rakeville: 3-5 (1-1 vs BRW)

Prediction: RAK 5, BRW 4

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(2) Las Vegas vs (3) Quebec City

The Doggs are the story of the second half of the season. They ended up making up enough ground to push them from 8th place to 2nd by the end of the regular season, giving them the 1st round BYE all Doggs' fans thought they needed. The Doggs have made the playoffs every season since the EHCC was created but both of their championships came when they had a 1st round bye. Going into the playoffs, the Doggs have been arguably the best team in the league, defeating 10 of their last 11 opponents by a combined score of 73-23. Their only loss in that time coming at the hands of a 8-2 beating by Winston-Salem in Week 18. They stand in the top 5 of every offensive category, including top honors in Home Runs and RBI, and second in Runs and Stolen Bases. Their resurgent pitching staff has helped catapult them into the conversation of most improved staff since the beginning of the season. They ended the season with a top three finish in each pitching category except total Wins, where they finished in the middle of the road (6th). Many feel that the week off will hurt the Doggs' momentum but the players have all stated that they'll use the time off wisely.

Quebec City, hurt the most by the Doggs' second half domination, lost out on the first round bye but should find themselves an opportunity to avenge themselves in the second round against Las Vegas. The Piglets' pitching staff, the best in the league, should have little trouble against Doggs' hitters. The problem will arise if/when the Doggs' decide to bring in multiple free agents specialists to battle against the Piglets' dominate staff. The Piglets' hitters will have to step up against the Doggs' pitchers, an area that many feel as though the Piglets are simply just overmatched. If the Piglets are to win this match up they'll do it on the mound.

The Piglets have only made it to the final tound once since being brought into the EHCC in 2002, while the Doggs have been to the finals 3 times, winning the EHCC crown twice, both times with the first round bye. Quebec City and Las Vegas have never met each other in the playoffs.

Overall Playoff Record (including 2008 previous round prediction)
Las Vegas: 7-5
Quebec City: 4-6
Prediction: LV 7, QC 2

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2008 EHCC CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS

(2) Las Vegas Doggs vs (4) Rakeville Rockets

These two teams, the top two teams in the East, are probably two of the most evenly matched teams in the EHCC. Both teams finished the regular season by winning their final four match ups. Both organizations have plenty of playoff experience. Both have above average hitters and rotations. This should make for an entertaining two weeks to say the least.

Las Vegas may have the edge in a tie breaking situation, finishing a whole 0.30 points above the Rockets in team ERA in the regular season.

The Doggs and Rockets have met twice before in the post-season. In 2003 the 3rd seeded Doggs defeated the 6th seeded Rockets in the 1st round of play. In the second round, Las Vegas was then beaten by a far superior Weymouth club who went on to win their 3rd straight championship. In 2006, 1st seeded Las Vegas defeated 4th seeded Rakeville in the second round on route to their second EHCC title.

According to my previous predictions, the 2008 playoffs look a lot like the 2005 version, with the number 2 seed facing off against the number 4 for the championship. I can't see it finishing off much differently.

Overall Playoff Record (including 2008 previous round predictions)
Las Vegas 8-5 (2-0 vs RAK)
Rakeville: 4-5 (0-2 vs LV)

Prediction LV 6, RAK 4 MVP - David Wright (3B-LV)


Disagree with Max Powers' predictions? Post your own on the comments page.

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EHSPN: Monsters Big Pick Up

Rejoice! Monster fans, your favorite team didn't make any moves at the deadline, which I'm sure everyone is so surprised, what the team did do is hang on to Francisco 'Lights Out' Liriano. Who is poised to be the biggest pick up of this trading season.

After an abysmal start to the year, posting an 11.32 ERA in 3 starts, Liriano was sent down to regain the confidence he once had prior to undergoing Tommy John surgery. After correcting his problems in the minors, posting a 3.43 ERA and striking out 121 in 123 innings, Liriano has been called up to the big club, and is poised to help a staff who has been mired in mediocrity.

I thought I was ready, and during spring training I started to doubt I'd ever get back to where I was in 06. That doubt in my head was all it took for me to be unsuccessful.

With all doubts cleared, and Liriano's first start this Sunday, the Monsters are hoping he is to be the biggest pick up of the 2008 season, and can ride his coattails all the way to the playoffs, and do some damage in a top heavy season this year.

Throughout the year, the Monsters have exemplified inconsistency, only taking winning streaks to a 2 week maximum. Hoping this call up can right the ship for the last few weeks of the season, the Monsters are pinning all their hopes on the last 5 weeks for their team to pick up the pace and close out the season with a bang.

GM Wally Bachman's stingy approach to raising home grown players, has raised numerous questions to his baseball IQ, as well as his sanity. He hopes that it all comes together, and people can start to understand what his intentions were.

I know all our fans were calling for us to make a trade, to improve our pitching staff, but we just felt like teams were asking far too much for rental players, and unproven rookies with little upside.

So the Monsters will begin their trek towards the ultimate prize, with a focus, and a rejuvenation that will help them finally get over the hump.

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EHSPN: Fact or Fiction Week 10

Bridgewater is unbeaten, and nobody's had more to do with it than Lance Berkman. The 32-year old is 1st in the East in Runs, 2nd in Home Runs, and 3rd in RBI and Average. With the Fact or Fiction guys on vacation, Rey Bingo and John Krak decide if the Weasels can enter the All-Star Break without a loss.



Fact or Fiction
Rey Bingo & John Krak, EHSPN




1) Arlington will still be competitive with 9 inactive players on their roster.

Bingo: FACT
Last years surprise darling, the Arlington Warriors, are perched back near the top of the standings again this season. A lot of experts believe Arlington’s unfortunate injury and demotion woes will affect their ability to compete for a second consecutive championship. I am not one of them. Arlington has positioned itself nicely as we approach the halfway point. With many teams in the EHCC having down years, the door is wide open for Arlington to remain in the home field advantage race throughout the season. Key losses to slugger Matt Holliday and ace Fausto Carmona will undoubtedly hinder the Warriors in the short term, but both are expected back and productive well before the all-star break. If the playoffs were to start today Arlington would be toast. Luckily for GM Matt Skinner, he has plenty of time to brew up whatever Kool-Aid he was feeding them at the end of the 2007 campaign.

Krak: FICTION
Losing Matt Holliday and Fausto Carmona will destroy anyone's championship dreams. Fortunately for Arlington, injuries will (unless you're Mark Prior) eventually come to an end. While their out, however, don't expect much from the defending plaque holders. Holliday was having an MVP-ish season; Carmona was 4-2 with a 3.10 ERA; John Smoltz had 36 Ks in 27 innings with a 2.00 ERA. Don't get me wrong, Adrian Gonzalez is amazing, and Jose Contreras has been playing way over his head, but can the Warriors really stay on top with the way Rakeville and Bridgewater are playing? Probably not.

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2) Peoria's pitching staff has been the biggest surprise of the year.

Krak: FICTION
I'll be honest, NOBODY expected Peoria to have the best pitching staff in the league... and they don't. Rakeville, Quebec City, and Weymouth still have the best hurlers in the EHCC, with Peoria an arguable 4th. Other then Cliff Lee, the Cardinals young arms have done exactly what was expected of them. Edinson Volquez and chad Billingsley were destined for great things, and Carlos Marmol is a proven strikeout guy.

The biggest surprise of the season has been Tokyo's offense, who seem to have forgotten how to hit home runs. The Omyoujis are 8th in the league in HR, 9th in RBI, Average, and Stolen Bases, and 12th in Runs. An outfield of Jeff Francoeur, Alex Rios, and Nick Markakis are hitting a combined .260 with 18 HR (for those keeping score, that's 2 less than Rakeville 2B Chase Utley has). JJ Hardy has been a complete disappointment after crushing 26 HR and 80 RBI in 2007. Billy Butler was banished to AAA Vermont after an atrocious May, and the team has no plan to call him back up anytime soon. A poll taken in March had 3/9 voters predicted Tokyo to win the Western Division this year. If their offense keeps going like this, it doesn't look good for the Far East.

Bingo: FACT
Scott Olsen, Luke Hochevar, Edinson Volquez, Shaun Marcum... before the season most onlookers would have said, "I sure hope whoever has this rotation has an extremely potent lineup." However Peoria GM Dave Grubb has a differing opinion. After dealing aces Chris Young and Cole Hamels in the off-season, it was assumed that Peoria would have little in the way of pitching success this year. Some how, the exact opposite has happened. 2007 acquisition, Edinson Volquez, has come out of the gate in 2008 like a bat out of hell. He is currently leading two of three triple-crown categories in the EHCC (ERA and K’s). Experts have argued that such rotation members Cliff Lee and Scott Olsen are aberrations and will not be able to hold steady in their performances. But, what experts don’t seem to realize is that for these pitchers pitching "over their heads", they have just as many pitchers that have yet to reach their expectations. Andrew Miller, Chad Billingsley, and Ubaldo Jimenez, all potential aces, struggled mightily over the first month or so of the season. Even if a few arms fall back down to Earth, it can be assumed that just as many will start stepping up to their potential. Even with six members of Peoria's rotation sporting ERA’s over 4.5 (Miller, Jimenez, Gallagher, Hochevar, Parra, Reyes) the team still sports the leagues top team ERA 3.30 by a substantial margin, a true testament to the depth of this teams rotation. The Cards are also second in WHIP, third in K's, and fifth in Wins. A few seasons ago Peoria fans had little to be excited about, but now with arguably the best pitching stats in the league, and a rotation with the average age under 25, Cardinals fans can not only be surprised with its teams pitching success this year, but they can be assured that this is only the beginning. One final good sign, all this was said without ever even mentioning All-Star candidate Adam Wainwright.

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3) The 2008 Draft has been the biggest disappointment of the year.

Bingo: FACT
Without question, owners and fans alike will look back to the 2008 Major League Draft as one of the biggest flops in EHCC history. With no young prospect options like in years past, the 2008 draft already had a very different feel to it. Santo Domingo’s top pick was used on SP Franklin Morales who lasted exactly 25 innings before finding himself back on the AAA bus. Going second in the draft was CF Vernon Wells to Peoria, who as of May 10th is filling a DL spot until at least early July. In fact, arguably the top-performing draftee from this class, Aaron Rowand, lasted until just April 5th until WS, his drafting team, released him. In recent years, high quality players were available. Names like Lincecum, Matsuzaka, Chipper Jones, Verlander, and Zimmerman paced the draft boards. This year provided nothing close to competing with this level of value.

Krak: FACT
The reason that the draft was such a disappointment this year was the lack of fresh meat. 10 of 12 first round picks were players left off a team's 25-man roster (#1 Franklin Morales lost his minor league eligibility, while #12 Brandon Lyon was dropped prior to the offseason). In 2007, only 4 first rounders were 25-man rejects. The abundance of recycled players led to quite the boring first round, and it's no surprise that most of those players have been disappointing (after all, there's a reason teams did not want to keep them). Morales has found himself in the minors; Rafael Soriano, Andruw Jones, Jason Isringhausen, and Vernon Wells have all found themselves on the DL; Bronson Arroyo and Jeremy Guthrie are just now starting to pitch like they belong on an EHCC roster. And yes, guys like Brandon Lyon and Pat Burrell have had career years, but it's only a matter of time until they come down to Earth. Long story short (even though I already took the long road) we can only pray that March 21st, 2009 will be worth attending.

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4) Tijuana will be winless by the All-Star Break.

Krak: FACT
The second-biggest insult to Hispanics baseball will be a Week 10 loss to Arlington, who may not even have enough players to field a full team. The biggest insult to Hispanics baseball will be a Week 11 loss to Winston-Salem, when their current losing streak will hit 12 games. Some people say that a win is a win no matter how much you win by, but Tijuana has hardly been the worst team in the league this season. They've scored at least 3 points in 8 of their 9 losses, and they are only in last place in 3 of 10 stats. Regardless, this team has quite the uphill battle this year and in the near future. And chances are that Tokyo's 26-game winless streak record is safe, but nothing is definite until the Hispanics break the funk and get that illusive victory.


Bingo: FICTION
Tijuana fans are once again suffering the angst of another long season of Hispanics baseball. At fear of a dirty Mexican hombre taking me literally, it might be time to just blow up the entire thing and start over. Tijuana has an uncomfortable mix of veterans and youngsters. The direction of this team is in flux and no true direction is apparent. The race to #1 will fuel our friends to the south all summer long. Santo Domingo and Tijuana could get really dirty as both vie for the top pick in the 2009 draft. All that said, Tijuana runs into an upset win in Week 11 when they visit Winston-Salem.

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5) Bridgewater will be unbeaten by the All-Star Break.

Bingo: FACT
This is an easy one. Yes. Bridgewater will reach the halfway point unbeaten. In Week 3, Quebec City made a nice run at Bridgewater, but behind Derek Lee, the Weasels were able to sneak by. QC will look for revenge, and to serve BRW its first loss, when they host the Weasels in Week 14. A potential World Series preview.

Krak: FICTION
Not only has Bridgewater gone 8-0-1 this season, but they've done so in convincing fashion. A 4-3 win over Quebec City and a 5-5 tie against Arlington are the only "blemishes" on what has been an amazing resume. The offense is top 3 in 4 categories (6th in SB), led by Lance "Triple Crown" Berkman and Nate "Who Is This Guy" McClouth. The pitching staff, nearing an average age of 71, is also overpowering opponents. 2nd in wins, 3rd in ERA and Saves... there's nothing this roster can't do.

Even with all their dominating numbers, having to face Rakeville and Las Vegas over the next 2 games will put a damper on their unbeaten hopes. The Rockets are also in the top 3 in 4 offensive categories, and their staff has been just a bit better (most notably, 590 Ks to Bridgewater's 476). Las Vegas doesn't have the season numbers but they have been hot as of late, winning their last 4 by a combined 27-11. The Weasels have the best lineup in baseball, but can they beat two of the hottest?

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EHSPN: Fact or Fiction, Week 2

Pedro Gammo and Jayson Snark take a break from drinking beer all day to sit down to discuss some of the pressing issues facing the EHCC this week, and also drink beer. Lots and lots of beer.



Fact or Fiction, Week 2
Pedro Gammo, EHSPN
Jason Snark, EHSPN

1) Bridgewater is the Best Team in the League

Gammo: FICTION: Well, that's just not true. Why would you even ask me that? They beat a very young and rebuilding Golden staff who got one start, and not a good one, from Matsuzaka before he went north and they played them before the addition of Jonny Cueto. Bridgewater isn't even the best week 1 team in the league. Sure they won 9-1 this year, but their overall record in the past 4 years in week one 24-13-3. Vegas and Weymouth both trump that. Too much is being read into week one results. If you look into all the stats themselves, Las Vegas is the best team in the land, but they still finished with a score of 5-4-1 after week 1. Get back to me in 10 weeks and we'll see where we stand.

Snark: FICTION: Bridgewater sucks. Their pitching is all smoke and mirrors and their hitters are all old and overrated. The only thing they have going for them is that the team they played last week was even worse than them, making them look awesome, when they’re not. The fact is, Golden sucks; that doesn’t make every team that kicks their ass the best team in the league, it just makes Golden the worst. Period!


2) Golden is the Worst Team in the League

Snark: FICTION: Golden has a great young team. They’re rebuilding and looking good doing it. Thanks to the prospect shuttle from Canada to the Rockies, they’ve got some fantastic pieces that have already started delivering big-time results. Chris Young The Outfielder is destroying pitches and Johnny Cueto is the greatest Golden pitcher since Tim Lincecum. Once Clay Bucholz, Jon Lester, and Jason Bay start putting it together, watch out. Just because Bridgewater beat them badly in Week one, you can’t read too much into that. Bridgewater is the best team in the league; that doesn’t make Golden the worst. Golden is awesome. Period!

Gammo: FICTION: Again, week 1 hype is boggling my mind. We shouldn't be asking this question based on the first match up of the year, we should be asking this based on the numbers the teams put up thus far. If we really want to crown a "Worst Team of 2008" after week one let's forget who played who, who got lucky and who didn't, and let's look at the numbers. Golden has hit the second most amount of home runs in the league thus far. They are also in the middle of the past in RBI, SB, and team AVG. Their pitching staff, though didn't explode onto the scene this season, is young and building maturity, and the team has already matched their Save total from 2008 after just one week (1). They still aren't the worst team in the league. That honor goes to Tijunana, who ranked last or second to last in every pitching category except saves after week 1. They also finished last in 3 of the 5 offensive categories as well.


3) Winston-Salem will fall just short of the playoffs for the 3rd year in a row

Gammo: FACT: If week one stats are any indication, and they aren't (just look at the fact that Vegas, statistically, has the second best pitching staff in the league after week 1), the playoffs will consist of Vegas, Bridgewater, Rakeville, Weymouth, Quebec City, and Tokyo. Finishing 7th and 8th would be Peoria and Winston-Salem. This seems to be the trend for the Monsters. Unless they get a great choice to use their now #1 waiver priority on or make a big move before the all star break, I can't see them making that huge push needed to get back over the hump.

Snark: FICTION: This is the year Winston-Salem makes the leap from “also-rans” to “also-rans who lose in the first round of the playoffs”. Look at that team! They have ‘just a shade above mediocre’ written all over them! Sure, they have terrible players at every other position; but look at the OTHER positions! Great players! So what is Kevin Youkilis is a bad fantasy third baseman? Hanley Ramirez is at Short! So what if David Murphy is consistently in their starting lineup? So is Grady Sizemore! And on and on it goes! Zach Duke? Meh. Erik Bedard? Hooray! Pat Maholm? Boooooo! Rich Harden? Well, uh…can we say Erik Bedard again? Hooray!

The point is, Winston-Salem traditionally does just enough to almost make it. Thanks to their fantastic pickup of scorching hot phenom Edwin Jackson, look for them to finally get over the hump. Management is ready to play some meaningful ballgames in the postseason (for one week, then they’re ready to play some consolation matches. They’re just more comfortable with it).


4) The Peoria Cardinals are a legitimate playoff contender

Gammo: FACT: They need to fill a few holes to be a championship contender, but they could conceivably sneak into the playoffs with a well timed run and some breaks along the way. They play Winston-Salem in a shortened week 15 match-up and that could be the biggest game of the season as far as determining the bottom half of the playoff is concerned. If they can add one more quality arm to that rotation without giving up too much they should be able to pick up a few more wins down the stretch. I don't think they'll make it however. The teams above them are just a bit too strong to pass this season. They will contend but fall just short, but will definitely not be fighting for that top pick in the 2009 draft.

Snark: FICTION: They’re not quite a playoff contender just yet, but they don’t suck anymore. The off-season acquisition of Mark Teixeira gives them a big-time power bat in the middle of the order, which should nicely compliment a balanced outfield of 2008 draftees Kosuke Fukodome and Vernon Wells. With the continued maturation of future OF All-Stars Matt Kemp and Adam Jones, the Peoria offense is suddenly pretty intimidating.

Of course, to load up that offense, they took a big hit to their pitching. Losing Cole Hamels and Chris Young The Pitcher hurt their staff quite a bit, and while the addition of Shaun Marcum and Chad Billingsley were savvy moves, it’s clear pitching will likely be the team’s Achilles heel all year long; and we all remember what happened to Achilles—that’s right. He missed the playoffs too.



5) Quebec City has the best pitching staff in the league

Gammo: FACT: The numbers don’t lie in this case. After week 1 the Piglets were tops in strikeouts and ERA, while finishing second in Wins and WHIP. There's no reason to suspect that, barring 3 or 4 injuries, this rotation can't hold those numbers all season. Now, if only the pitching staff could help out their offense, who finished week one as the 3rd worst offense in the league, they'd be the top team to beat.

Snark: FICTION: It’s still Rakeville until somebody proves otherwise. While the Piglet staff is by far the most improved in the league, and while it’s true that off-season defections hurt Rakeville’s staff, it’s likely that the continued maturation of youngsters like Felix Hernandez and Phillip Hughes should offset those losses. Too bad Jack Reed couldn’t fetch his ‘King’s Ransom’ for Kelvim Escobar in the offseason before his arm was hit with toxic waste. You hate to see that.

Pedro Gammo and Jayson Snark write a column every week discussing issues related to the EHCC, and also their deepest, darkest fears. Gammo is afraid of orange highlighters.

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EhSPN: History In The Making

Going into Week 17, EHCC Historian Barry Larkin is hard at work trying to figure out what records will be broken by the end of the season. This is all he does with his life after retiring from the EHCC as a player, so he gets a little excited when he sees potential for such a record breaking season. Here's a look at some records that are on pace to being broken at the end of the 2007 regular season.


History In The Making
By Pedro Gammo, EhSPN

Stolen Bases (Season)
Current Record: 135 set by Las Vegas in 2006
Future Record: 164 set by Tijuana in 2007

Three teams are in line to not only break, but demolish the mark set by the Doggs in '06, including Winston-Salem, Tijuana, and the '07 Doggs. Each are on pace to steal around 160 bases by the end of the regular season. The Doggs may have lost a step by sending away Ichiro to the Piglets last week, but they'll always have a shot at the record with Jose Reyes, David Wright, and Alfonso Soriano on their staff, not to mention the recent addition of Corey Patterson who should be used as their 4th outfielder with the recent acquisition of home run threat Adam Dunn. The Hispanics have 6 players with double digit steals in the past month, and has outscored opponents 116-66 in the category this season thus far. The Green Monsters are at the top of the SB leader board right now, but have struggled in the category in the last month, netting double digit steals from only 2 players, and single digit steals from just 5 other players.

Wins (Season)
Current Record: 117 set by Bridegwater in 2006
Future Record: 120 set by Rakeville in 2007

This one was a close call, as both Bridgewater and Weymouth are on pace to barely break last year's record set by the Weasels. I would have said that the Weasels had a shot of keeping their name on the record if former ace Chris Carpenter was going to come back this season, but with the announcement of his future Tommy John surgery, that's not an option. Weymouth's starters just have a better offense behind them to help them gain the wins they need to set the record. The thing that gives Rakeville the overall edge to take the record away from Bridgewater is not only quality, but overall quantity of starters in their rotation. They currently have 10 starters not on the team's DL, plus Pedro Martinez, AJ Burnet, and Randy Johnson scheduled to make a comeback in the coming month. If Rakeville doesn't break the record, no one will.

Strikeouts (Season)
Current Record: 1398 set by Rakeville in 2006
Future Record: 1600 set by Rakeville in 2007

This is insane. The Rockets are scheduled to break their own record in strike-outs in a season by the end of Week 20. The team averages more than 72 strikeouts per week and is on pace to have 1,596 K's by the end of the regular season. This again is not only attributed to quality of their rotation, but the quantity as well. Just imagine if they starts churning one or two spots in their rotation.

ERA (Season)
Current Record: 3.87 set by Las Vegas in 2006
Future Record: 3.72 set by Weymouth in 2007

Weymouth seems to have decided to stick with quality over quantity when it comes to their rotation. This has helped them keep a 3.59 ERA overall thus far this season. I can't see that staying put, but I can see them holding onto a sub 3.8 ERA come season's end. Johan Santana, Jeremy Bonderman, Carlos Zambrano, and Jered Weaver each have a an ERA no higher than 3.00, not to mention closers Joe Nathan and JJ Putz have kept a combined ERA of 0.651 over the course of the last month (27.2 IP). They have the talent to take another record as their own.

Total Losses (Season)
Current Record: 148 set by Hudson in 2003
Future Record: 149 set by Santa Dominga in 2007

The one record no one wants to break. The White Devils are only on pace to hit the 144 loss mark, but I feel they have a good shot at getting the extra 5 losses to put them over the top, especially with their upcoming schedule. To end the season the Devils are facing off against Tijuana, Winston-Salem, Bridgewater, Rakeville, Weymouth, and Peoria. They currently are averaging 6.5 losses per week, but can easily rack up more than that against the heart of their remaining schedule. With 6 losses expected in the final 6 weeks, and scores of 7-3, 6-3, 8-2, 9-1, 8-1, and 6-2 well within their range, the Devils should be able to squeak by the contracted Hudson Cortesticulastics for a new season-loss record. Congratulations in advance.

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