PLAYOFF PREVIEWS - Wild Card Round

#3 NEW YORK NIPPERS v #6 PAWTUCKET BOMBERS

New York was 89-73 this past season, which was good enough to earn them the AL East Division Title. Pawtucket finished the season at 87-75, and squeaked into the playoffs by winning a tiebreaker with the Madison Wizards. New York won the season series with Pawtucket, 7-3.

OFFENSE

Both teams were average to above-average throughout the regular season, in terms of offensive output. New York proudly brings their top hitting duo, Jake Brantley and Alejandro Rivera. Both men were a combined 100+ HR, 200+ runs, and nearly 250 RBI. Pawtucket brings one of the world's all-time greats, Hector Rodriguez. With a .312 average, 55 HR, and 146 RBI, those numbers could be good enough to earn him an MVP award. Almost as important as Rodriguez's numbers, were those of other teammates. Three guys (Davis, Samuel, P. Rodriguez) hit at least 30 HR each, while 3 more (Portugal, Nieves, Ray) chipped in with at least 20 HR each.

ADVANTAGE: .....

PITCHING

If New York has a weakness, it's their pitching. They combined for a 4.72 team ERA, which placed them 7th to last in the entire ML. Their top hurler is Victor Baez, who had a 16-7 record, with a 4.05 ERA this past season. The team didn't have another starter with a lower ERA. Pawtucket was a hair above the league average, with a 4.49 ERA. The Bombers are led by Hank Hall, who's 20-9 record and 4.09 ERA could be good enough to net him the AL Cy Young Award. Pablo Ramirez proved to be a solid #2 starter this past season, as he went 13-6 with a 3.43 ERA. He's battling teammate Pedro Rodriguez among others, for the AL Rookie Of The Year Award.

ADVANTAGE: .....

DEFENSE

Pawtucket had a .987 team fielding average, which was good enough for a tie for 2nd in the entire ML. New York was .004 lower, but nearly 20 errors more.

ADVANTAGE: .....

PREDICTION: ..... IN 3 GAMES


#4 MONTERREY PING THE ROOKIES v #5 SYRACUSE IRIQUOIS

Monterrey was 84-78 this past season, good enough to earn them the AL SOUTH Division Title. Syracuse was 93-69, where they earned a Wild Card berth. Syracuse dominated the season series, winning 9 games out of 10 against Monterrey.

OFFENSE

Both of these clubs did not light the league on fire with their respective offenses. They both were a hair under the league average, hanging around the mid-.260's. Monterrey's main power source is Jim Kingston, who jacked 39 HR and 92 RBI. Roger Blake and Pat Chen both belted over 25 HR a piece. Syracuse was led by Richard Lee, who hit .289 with 45 HR and 102 RBI. Stephen Banks and Kenny Henderson each rocked 30 HR and at least 85 RBI a piece, but both struggled with .250 averages.

ADVANTAGE: .....

PITCHING

Monterrey has one of the world's top starters in Hi Priest. Priest earned 14 victories with an impressive 3.11 ERA. Alberto Carrasquel also added 14 victores as well, but was a full run higher in ERA. If the game is close, look for Nick Donovan to seal the win, as he nailed 36 of 39 save opportunities. Syracuse has an AL Cy Young Award candidate of their own, in Lewis Richard. His 16-2 record and a 2.97 ERA makes him one of the world's top starters. Brendan Buss and Rodrigo Mercado chipped in with 26 combined victories. And the Iriquois has a dominant closer of their own in John Zheng, who slammed home 44 saves.

ADVANTAGE: .....

DEFENSE

Syracuse has the better team fielding statistics, with a .985 team fielding percentage. Monterrey was .002 points lower, which equals out to about 10 errors more.

ADVANTAGE: .....

PREDICTION: ..... IN 4 GAMES






#3 ROCHESTER ROCKET LAUNCHERS v #6 BOSTON STRICKEN GODS

Rochester was 95-67 this past season, and they easily won the NL NORTH Division Title. Boston was 86-76, and they were good enough to get into the playoffs with a Wild Card berth. The season series was edged out by Rochester, as they had a 6-4 record against Boston.

OFFENSE

Rochester had a .272 team average, which was slightly above the league average. They didn't have one guy who dominated the stats. They had seven players who had at least 20 HR, six of them had averages over .280. Boston was one of the league's top hitting teams with a .285 average, which tied them for 2nd in the entire ML. NL MVP candidate Billy Lamb led the team in virtually every batting category, sporting a .355 average, 66 HR, and 169 RBI. Dennys Cheng and Walter Hemingway didn't do too bad themselves, both slamming home 30+ HR.

ADVANTAGE: .....

PITCHING

Rochester has three capable starters in Scot Milligan, J.P. Turner, and Cozy Murphy. Each rang up at least 14 victories and an ERA under 4.25. Bo Simpson is one of the NL's top closers, earning 34 saves out of 39 opportunities. Angel Ramirez led Boston with 14 victories, but struggled a tad with a 4.43 ERA. One to watch is Rolando Urbina, who was 12-5 and a 3.94 ERA this past season. Andrew Fick converted 22 of 32 saves for the Stricken Gods.

ADVANTAGE: .....

DEFENSE

Boston has a team fielding average of .987, which tied for 2nd in the entire ML. They committed 30+ less errors than Rochester, who sits at .982.

ADVANTAGE: .....

PREDICTION: ..... IN 5 GAMES


#4 SANTA FE SANTA CLAUSES v #5 LITTLE ROCK LIGHTNING

Santa Fe was 92-70 this past season, which was good enough to win the NL SOUTH Division. Little Rock was 88-74, and they earned a Wild Card berth. Santa Fe led the season series with Little Rock, winning 7 out of 10 games.

OFFENSE

Santa Fe was 1st in the entire ML in average, a hair under .290. They are led by Luis Trevino and Sparky Piazza, who had 40+ HR a piece while hitting at least .280 for the season. Charles Yeats and Pablo Montanez clubbed 30+ HR a piece as well. Little Rock hung around .025 lower than Santa Fe, sitting at .265. Look for Jimmie Moreno to lead the Lightning, as he pumped in 59 HR and 138 RBI, while hitting .293 for the year. Five other players hit at least 20+ HR for the Lightning, with averages ranging from .265 - .290.

ADVANTAGE: .....

PITCHING

Both teams hovered around the same mark in team ERA, Santa Fe at 4.19 while Little Rock was at 4.34. Santa Fe has NL Cy Young Award candidate Merv Hunter at the top of their rotation. He was 17-2 this past season, with a remarkable 2.76 ERA. If Santa Fe plans to advance, they need more production from fellow starters Cameron McFeely, Terrell McCartin, and Cole Davenport. Santa Fe lacks a dominant closer, as the title was shared by both Trevor Henderson and Lenny Neal. Little Rock is led by two quality starters, Charlie O'Keefe and Pedro Velazquez. Both men had at least 16 victories on the season, with 3.72 and 4.02 ERA, respectively. If the game is close, Matthew Tracy will seal the victory. He converted 47 out of 52 save opportunities, with a 2.23 ERA.

ADVANTAGE: .....

DEFENSE

Santa Fe was a solid fielding team this past season, earning a .985 average. Little Rock struggled with the glove, as they earned a .978 average. Biggest difference? Little Rock made 40+ more errors than Santa Fe.

ADVANTAGE: .....

PREDICTION: ..... IN 5 GAMES