2013 CDBL Season Preview "Your Mileage May Vary!" Predicted Playoff Teams: Aaron Division - Arkham Investigators Paige Division - Brookeville Bandits Gehrig Division - Hong Kong Cavaliers Tiant Division - Dedham Destroyers AP Conference Wildcard - Tualatin Thunder GT Conference Wildcard - Carlsbad Surfers #1 League Wildcard - Montreal Voltigeurs #2 League Wildcard - Madison Muckrakers WORLD SERIES PREDICTION - Bandits over Cavaliers ************************************************************************************************* AARON DIVISION PREVIEW - Predicted order of finish 1. Arkham Investigators (Last season: 105-57, Aaron Division Champs) - One again built to win, the Investigators feature distributed power with Carlos Gonzalez, Yadier Molina, Carlos Gomez, Prince Fielder and Kyle Seager. Chris Sale, Jhoulys Chacin and Bartolo Colon lead a strong rotation and Jim Johnson leads a solid bullpen. Arkham has been to the post-season plenty of times, and are looking to make their first world series since 1997. 2. Montreal Voltigeurs (Last season: 91-71, T-3rd place) - Hunter Pence, David Wright, Torii Hunter and Brandon Belt gives Montreal some quality bats in the lineup, with prospect Anthony Rendon waiting in the wings. The Voltigeurs may be looking for hitting help down the stretch to boost their offense. Travis Wood, Joe Kelly, Mike Leake and CJ Wilson round out a solid rotation, and Jim Henderson leads a strong bullpen. Solid pitching and enough hitting to get them into the playoffs. 3. Point Lomas Friars (Last season: 32-130, 6th place) - Evan Longoria is a 30 home run threat who will compete for an all-star slot, and Omar Infante and Jhonny Peralta are one of the better hitting double play combos in the league. The rest of the lineup may not make the all-star game, but a series of platoons and part time play should result in above average run scoring. Young star Gerrit Cole and Alexi Ogando leads a rotation that may not be innings eaters, but are playoff-eligible. Joaquin Benoit heads up a strong bullpen. After cratering last year, the Friars will compete for a playoff spot this year. 4. Elk Grove Trout (Last season: 91-71, T-3rd place) - Justin Upton, Alfonso Soriano and Eric Hosmer form the core the hitting lineup this year. Ryan Braun will have an injury plagued season, down-shifting the offense. Other than Jonathan Lucroy the rest of the lineup is a bit underwhelming. Nathan Eovaldi is a young ace (when he plays), and Doug Fister, Jon Lester and Lance Lynn would be decent starters on a high-scoring team, but may struggle to win games with the Trout offense. Eric Balfour should save plenty of games, but it will be an uphill climb for Elk Grove to match their win totals from last year. 5. Dallas SuperSquad (Last season: 80-82, 5th place) - Marlon Byrd has some pop in his bat, but the rest of the hitters are a bit lackluster. Justin Masterson and Hector Santiago are decent starters, but the rest of the rotation will struggle to keep the score down. The bullpen is a bit sparse. 2013 is looking like a rebuilding year for the SuperSquad. 6. Manhatten Beach Mashers (Last season: 104-58, 2nd place) - After contending last year, 2013 will be a rebuilding year for the Mashers. With prospects like Jose Ramirez, Anthony Rizzo and Corey Dickerson, brighter days are ahead and should return to contention in a couple of years. ************************************************************************************************* PAIGE DIVISION PREVIEW - Predicted order of finish 1. Brookeville Bandits (Last season: 111-51, Paige Division Champs) - Posting a league best 111 regular season wins last year, Brookeville once again is a pre-season favorite. Adrian Beltre, Jayson Werth, Carlos Beltran, Buster Posey and Hanley Ramirez lead a strong offense. Stephen Strasburg, Mat Latos, Ubaldo Jimenez and Jose Quintana are a formidable rotation, and Mariano Rivera and Kenley Jansen lead one of the best bullpens in the majors. Brookeville is playoff bound with an eye on the CDBL title. 2. Tualatin Thunder (Last season: 92-70, 2nd place) - Featuring one of the scariest lineups in the league, the Thunder trot out Miguel Cabrera, Mike Trout, Victory Martinez, Jason Kipnis and Michael Cuddyer. Add in Allen Craig and Brian McCann, and it would be no surprise to see them lead the league in runs scored. Madison Bumgarner and Kris Medlen should win plenty of games with their run support, and Chris Archer is playoff ready. Steve Cishek leads a full bullpen. The Thunder would likely win the title in every other division, and is an odds on favorite for the 2nd best record in the majors. 3. Madison Muckrakers (Last season: 88-74, 3rd place) - Edwin Encarnacion provides plenty of power in the middle of the lineup, and Everth Cabrera and Shane Victorino should score plenty of runs at the top of the order. Wilin Rosario adds some thump from the catcher position. Cliff Lee and Felix Hernandez are aces at the top of the rotation, and Bruce Chen, Derek Holland and Jorge de la Rosa round out an elite starting rotation. Joe Nathan and Jonathan Papelbon anchor a strong bullpen. The Paige division will be very competitive, but odds are good that Madison makes the post-season. 4. White Rock Phantoms (Last season: 86-76, 4th place) - Jay Bruce, Bryce Harper, Matt Carpenter and Colby Rasmus will provide plenty of punch in the hitting lineup, along with elite hitting catcher Joe Mauer. Zach McAllister leads a rotation that will depend on a lot of run support to win games. If the Phantoms enter the late innings with a lead, Aroldis Chapman and the bullpen should be able to secure the game. While a lower division finish is predicted, the Phantoms are still in line for a winning season and will be the playoff mix. 5. DBL Fishbiscuits (Last season: 68-94, 5th place) - Robinson Cano and Matt Holliday continue to provide superb hitting, but the rest of the lineup will struggle to manufacture runs. Max Scherzer is an elite pitcher, and Gio Gonzalez and Jeff Locke are decent pitchers but will not have an easy time winning games. Rafael Soriano leads the bullpen, which will likely not strike fear into anyone. All in all it looks like another rebuilding year for the Fishbiscuits. 6. Eagle Rock Robbers (Last season: 31-131, 6th place) - After nabbing the #1 overall pick and selecting Nolan Arenado, the Robbers are not done rebuilding yet. Nelzon Cruz could hit 30 home runs, and Dustin Pedroia should score some runs at the top of the order but the rest of the lineup will struggle. Pitching will be rough. Still, the Robbers should be able to start competing in 2014. ************************************************************************************************* GEHRIG DIVISION PREVIEW - Predicted order of finish 1. Hong Kong Cavaliers (Last season: 81-81, 4th place) - It is Hong Kong's time to shine. Chris Davis should hit 50+ home runs and contend for MVP honors. Josh Donaldson, Jed Lowrie, Dominic Brown and Carlos Santana adds to the offense. Clayton Kershaw is a Cy Young front runner, and Alex Cobb, Ivan Nova, Homer Bailey and Bronson Arroyo are amongst the best rotations in the league. Sergio Romo and David Robertson lead a solid bullpen. 2. Carlsbad Surfers (Last season: 88-74, 3rd place) - The Surfers are built to win. Andrew McCutchen and Joey Votto are stars, and rookie Yasiel Puig will join the fray. Pedro Alvarez could hit 40 home runs from the hot corner, and acquisition Troy Tulowitzki may be the best shortstop in the game. Zack Greinke is an ace, and David Price and Dillon Gee add to the rotation. Carlsbad may need a starter for the back end of the rotation to secure a playoff spot. Craig Kimbrel is an elite closer, and the deep bullpen is one of the league's best. Carlsbad will make some noise in the playoff race. 3. Albuquerque Maul (Last season: 94-68, 2nd place) - Mark Trumbo has 30 home run power, and Freddie Freeman can hit for average, get the walk with some pop in his bat. Alex Rios can swipe some bases and Ryan Zimmerman could hit 30 home runs at 3B. Decent hitting although no one will likely make the all-star team from his lineup. The Maul feature a deep rotation, with Jordan Zimmerman, Jared Weaver, Kyle Lohse, Patrick Corbin and Wade Miley giving Albuquerque a shot each game. Glen Perkins and Casey Janssen lead one of the better bullpens in the league. The Gehrig division will be competitive this year, and the Maul will feature in the playoff mix. 4. Anchorage Gold Diggers (Last season: 106-56, Gehrig Division Champs) - Yeonis Cespedes, Alex Gordon and Ben Zobrist will be called on to shoulder the scoring load, but could use some more help from the rest of the lineup. Hiroki Kuroda should have another solid year as the ace, and Henderson Alvarez would make for a good starter in the playoffs. Huston Street leads a solid bullpen. The Gold Diggers won triple digits last year, but may struggle to reach that same amount of wins in 2013. 5. Topeka Stingers (Last season: 79-83, 5th place) - Jose Bautista should bat-flip his way to 30 home runs, and Adam Lind is another big bat in the lineup. Chris Johnson adds some hitting depth in the lineup, but the rest of the order will have problems scoring runs. Anibal Sanchez, Adam Wainwright and Shelby Miller can go toe-to-toe with any rotation in the league, and Rex Brothers heads a decent bullpen. The pitching is quality, but the lack of hitting will limit the outlook in Topeka. 6. Concord Minutemen (Last season: 44-118, 6th place) - Having won the 2011 title, the Minutemen are still rebuilding from their championship year. Troy Tulowitzki ended his run with Concord, and the team may finish last in runs produced. Pitching will be middling this year, but bright days are ahead with young start Corey Kluber. ************************************************************************************************* TIANT DIVISION PREVIEW - Predicted order of finish 1. Dedham Destroyers(Last season: 71-91, 4th place) - Shin-Soo Choo is in line for an all-star bid at the top of the order, and Jean Segura, Daniel Murphy and Starling Marte will make Dedham one of the speedier teams in the league. Still, a bat with some pop may be in order to secure the division title. Jose Fernandez and Matt Harvey are two young superstars in the rotation, and are joined by Hisashi Iwakuma and Chris Tillman. Edward Mujica leads a solid bullpen. Dedham is one of the strongest teams in the division but may need some hitting help to push deep into the playoffs. 2. Boston Bulldogs (Last season: 100-62, T-Tiant Division Champs) - David Ortiz continues to defy father time, and Will Venable, Brandon Moss, Giancarlo Stanton, Chase Headley and Chase Utley will score plenty of runs. Francisco Liriano, James Shields and Tyson Ross are playoffs ready, and hope CC Sabathia can conjure up some past-season magic. No name recognition in the reliever corps, but they should get the job done. Boston should contend for the division title this year. 3. Alphaville Caution (Last season: 97-65, 3rd place) - Howard Kendrick is a decent hitter for a 2nd baseman, but the lineup overall will have difficulties scoring runs. Clay Buchholz is a playoff-ready starter, but may not be able to show his playoff abilities for the team this year. Andrew Cashner is a solid starter. The rest of the pitching is not too bad, but will have their work cut out for them winning games with the expected level of run support. 4. Georgia Pines (Last season: 100-62, T-Tiant Division Champs, 2012 CDBL Champs) - Georgia reached the summit last year, clinching the CDBL championship. Adam Jones and Adrian Gonzalez hope to put them back the playoff race, but the rest of the hitters will struggle to score runs. Hyun-Jin Ryu, Justin Verlander and Cole Hamels return to the rotation, which still holds up. Koji Uehara leads a bullpen that is a little on the thin side. Georgia will have their work cut out for them to defend their title, but championship banners fly forever. 5. Half Moon Bay Dragons (Last season: 65-97, 5th place) - Chris Carter and Adam Dunn are classic hit homer, low batting average hitters. Coco Crisp should have a nice season in the outfield. Raul Ibanez can still the long-ball at 41 years of age. The lack of contact and walks may stall the offense. Yu Darvish and Mike Minor are solid starters, but the rest of the rotation will likely struggle. The bullpen this year is non-existent. It looks like another rebuilding hear for Half Moon Bay. 6. Milwaukee Pilots (Last season: 40-122, 6th place) - 2012 was a rough one for Milwaukee, and their losing ways may not be over. Paul Goldschmidt is a bright spot in the lineup, and Manny Machado is a budding young star, but the rest of the lineup will struggle to score runs. The pitching is pretty solid, with Tyler Chatwood, Julio Teheran, Ervin Santana and John Lackey forming a solid rotation. Greg Holland and Jason Grilli lead a strong bullpen. The pitching is great, and if the hitting were as good as the pitching the Pilots would be pennant bound.