Doubleday World - Hardball Dynasty

2011-12-19T21:09:00.000-08:00

Texas promoted Pitcher Gary Weber to the Majors this season, Weber is looking like he'll be helpful to a struggling Texas team.

Hardball Dynasty's

Garry Weber

More Free Agent news!!!

2011-12-19T21:05:00.000-08:00

Madison has decided to go big in Free Agency this season. They signed former Huntington CF Clay Steib and P Spud Burba, Former Oakland LF Spike Logan and SS Luis Aquino and P's Dizzy Martin and Carlos Zubaran.

Oakland signed Closer Larry Hart, SU/Closer Virgil Hayes, LR Cory Evans and Bart Kinney, CF Ted Banks and Career Saves leader Christopher Champion!!! That bullpen is going to be the toughest in the entire majors!

Hartford signed CF Albert O'Brien and C Ozzie Flores to add some veteran experience and possibly help them win some games.

Bud Wiltse was signed to the brand new relocated Chicago team!

LR Alfredo Estrada signed with Philly giving them some additional pitching to help match the offensive output this season.

Trade Completed!!!

2011-12-18T05:23:00.000-08:00

31 yr old LF Edgar Sosa of Seattle has been deal to Oakland for 36 yr old SP Pedro Bennett. Bennett a 4 time All Star has one year left on his contract is going to a much more pitcher friendly park. Sosa, 31 years old and has a pretty good bat still capable of hitting 35 Home Runs and 100 rbi! Going to Oakland should help his chances to go deep and help Oakland have a shot at getting into the playoffs this season. Seattle is always a tough team and this season they will be a huge competitor again!

Free Agent Buzz!!!

2011-12-17T17:44:00.000-08:00

Opey Higgins
Doubleday Daily

Observing some of the latest Free Agent news and I realized that there are several names out there that chose not to re-sign with their former team. I will discuss potential landing spots for these players and who should pick them up.

Nolan Cain (Detroit) - Nolan Cain has decided not to re-sign with Detroit and to get an idea of how much he is worth on the open market. Rumor has it there are a couple potential landing spots and he won't go cheap...
Potential Teams
Chicago(NL)
Madison(AL)
Hartford (NL)
San Francisco (AL)

Who SHOULD sign him
Hartford

Quinn Street (Iowa City) - Quinn Street is probably the second best hitter on the market right now, he's a so that brings his value down just a little bit since most teams are seeking pitching or high defensive players.

Potential Teams
Chicago (NL)
Iowa City (NL)
Madison (AL)
Hartford (NL)
Salem (AL)

Who SHOULD sign him
Chicago (NL)

Hoss Collins (Seattle) - Once regarded one of the best Pitchers in Doubleday, Collins was traded around a lot and never really had a home until he was traded to St. Louis (Now Montgomery). Hoss Collins has managed to get to 6 All Star game appearances. He has yet to get that Cy Young award that we know he was wanting so desperately.

Potential Teams
Cincinnati (NL)
Vancouver (AL)
Huntington (AL)

The Spark in Vancouver!

2011-12-16T11:18:00.000-08:00

Roy Sparks is officially the best hitter in Doubleday! Well his career batting average says so.. 5 seasons into his career and he has the highest career batting average in the entire world .337. Obviously there are a minimum amount of at bats a player is required to have. However as of right now he is the man on top surpassing greats such as Luis Picasso and Quilvio Javier! Congrats Sparks and Vancouver!

ALL DOUBLEDAY TEAM- 14 SEASONS

2011-12-10T07:38:00.000-08:00

ALL DOUBLEDAY TEAM

I would like everyone to submit who they think should fill this roster, the only catch is the player has to have one of the following criteria.

Cy Young

MVP

2x ALL Star

2x Silver Slugger (At position)

2x Golden Glove (At position)

Fireman of the year

Please submit your list to me via sitemail. Thank you!

C: Santiago Cordero
C: George Forrest
1B: Albert Wall
1B: Lefty Moore
2B: Felipe Guerrero
2B: Midre Guerrero
SS: Ramon Chang
SS: Rafael Espinosa
3B: Connie Reynolds
3B: Alexander Connelly
LF: Philip Maxwell
LF: Quilvio Javier
CF: Albert O'Brien
CF: Ted Banks
RF: Dan Hudler
RF: Alex Shinjo
DH: Ronald Webb

SP: Roger Hosmer
SP: Tom Lofton
LR:
RP:
CLA: Christopher Champion
CLB: Larry Hart

Maxwell hit's his 700th!!!

2011-11-15T08:25:00.000-08:00

Opey Higgins
Doubleday Daily

St. Paul, Minnesota
11/15/2011

Greatness is measured by performance, if you were to just show up for work everyday and get the job done that you are paid for you will get compensated for doing just that. If you came to work and did more than what your job expected of you, you would get a huge bonus and possibly a raise. Philip Maxwell did just that! In 13 years he has hit over 700 home runs, 704 to be exact. Maxwell should have at least one or two seasons left in him where he could potentially end his career with around 750. Maxwell certainly has etched his name in the Doubleday Hall of Fame, not only for his power but his amazing eye. Maxwell certainly will be the standard going forward, everyone wants a guy who can hit for power as well as average. Maxwell will most likely be Doubleday's first Hall of Fame member. Congrats Phil!

Season 14!!!!

2011-09-18T17:35:00.000-07:00

Season 13 was great and we crowned a new champion. Seattle Pilots finally won the big one and they are looking to repeat this season.

Season 14 Highlights:

Harold Burell is on his way to Oakland in exchange for 3 prospects. 2B prospect Milton Holland is the most valuable prospect in the trade. Burell's chances of a Championship may have been hindered a little bit but if Oakland continues to add to their offense they could be a big power house this season.

Jackson Signed P Luke Busby off of Free Agency

Trenton signed Closer Brian Shigetoshi off of Free Agency

Vancouver signed P Karim Bennett off of Free Agency

Doubleday Daily Interview with Cwoods, Owner of the Iowa City River Bandits

2011-08-24T20:53:00.000-07:00

Who are you?

35 year old father of 1 beautiful daughter. Big sports fan and fantasy dork I have gotten fat since my kiddo but was once a pretty good athlete now I only win at pool, ping pong, and golf

How did you learn about whatifsports.com?

kcden one of my best friends is addicted to it and got me started.

Which games on whatifsports have you played?

College football and Hardball

Besides sports, what are some of your other interests and hobbies?

Beer, I try as many different types as possible
Playing with my daughter
working on my fixer house

Which five people, past or present sit at your dream roundtable discussion?

Jerry Rice
Jim Cook "Samuel Adams"
Paul Allen
Don James
Izzy my daughter for comic relief

Who are your favorite players of all-time?

Jerry Rice
Ronnie Lott
Ken Griffey Jr

Which are your favorite teams of all-time?

Washington Huskies obviously 91 but 2000-2001 Rosebowl with Tui hands down my favorite team.

Did you play baseball or basketball (or other sports) growing up?

Yes, baseball, hoops, trrack, tennis, golf

What is the top sports-related thing you want to do in life that you have not yet done?

Go to the Masters

What would you consider your greatest WIS moment?

maybe in a week if I make the playoffs

In Hardball Dynasty, how do allocate your budget?

No clue really yet still move one way or the other every year trying to find what works

How do you approach off-season events with players such as arbitration and free agency?

I don't read the rules and let 2 badasses leave under rule 5

I think I will pay my guys but it seems silly in a capped game to spend 20mil on a FA but we will see

What is your general strategy for hiring/re-hiring coaches?

I have tried hireing the best and then decient coaches and haven't noticed a big difference so I might trend toward a smaller budget

How do you finalize rosters at each level? What role does spring training play in your decision making?

not much I try and play everyone but only use it for that and try to pull all the starters to not get hurt

What is your basic strategy for setting your starting lineups and pitching rotation?

best players I got

What do you believe are the most important individual player ratings for performance?

depends on the POS I like D up the middle I think I won a buch of extra games this year by bringing up my elite D SS
I like speed and contact in my hitters.

How do you approach in-season player events like the draft, international prospects, waivers and promotions/demotions?

I can't stand the draft unless I'm top 15 and I don't plan on picking there again any time soon. I usually only go about 50 deep. I love INT't FA except in years like this one where I had the most $$ and no superstud showed up

Do you think your strategy will be conducive to building a multi-season dynasty? Or, do you feel that your team may be great for a couple seasons, but then must rebuild?

Long lasting

Do you have any favorite players from any of your HBD teams?

my 2nd year draft pick is named Cookie and he is pretty good

How much time do you spend on your Hardball Dynasty teams? How much do you think is necessary to be competitive?

maybe an hour a week, I think it is more important to check in often

Who are the users you respect the most?

other than kcden my friend dublinuf and newbiefig have been helpful and in footbal mjmage and I had some epic battles

What is your least favorite aspect of Hardball Dynasty? if you could change three things about HBD, what would they be?

I want to run run run but hate that I can't tell my catcher to stay put.

If you were in one of whatifsports games, which sport would you play? At which position? And, what would you be rated?

1B 90 glove maybe 40 range 80 arm strength good enough D to play outfield but not ideal due to speed. Id have good but not great power was always more of a line drive guy with good eye and iffy contact. maybe a bad split against Lefties I really never faced many.

PLACEkids Model Search

2011-08-23T09:04:00.000-07:00

PLACEkids Model Search

To vote enter ID # 112198
Thank you!

2011-07-14T22:22:00.000-07:00

Magglio Alvarado formerly of Kansas City has been proving himself as of late. After coming off an 8 game hitting streak where he scored 8 times on 12 hits and walked 9 times while only striking out once proves that he is indeed the top lead off guy in the world! He has a .300 BA only tells part of the story. His .428 OBP is what really impresses me!

Hardball Dynasty's

Magglio Alvarado

Mateo NL ROY?

2011-07-12T17:04:00.000-07:00

Pedro Mateo , a rookie this season pitching for the Cincinnati Outlaw Reds has began his career the way he should. His record after 7 starts is 4-2. The only factor so far is he has only really pitched against losing teams. Boston beat him but Mateo is still a pretty solid P that has the potential to earn that ROY award. I am going to root for him and hope he can help contribute to a Championship in Cincinnati!

A Look at the future

2011-07-12T16:57:00.000-07:00

Texas has had it rough since season 7 and last seasons draft brightened the future. When Texas (Then Memphis) took Gary Weber with the second overall pick they hit a gold mine! Weber was scouted to be an amazing strike out pitcher with great control. He will dominate both right and left handed hitters making him a huge threat. I can see him racking up some Cy Young awards in the future, this was a great pick! His record in the minors is 18-3 with an era of 2.28.

Reviving a Franchise!

2011-07-12T16:52:00.000-07:00

After nine disappointing seasons, Huntington has finally put together what could be a division winning team. With the emergence of Pedro Uribe and Spike Rakers Huntington's offense is taking off. The signing of season 8's AL Cy Young, Junior Cerveza has also been a big influence on the team's performance so far. Huntington could have the best season they have had in almost 10 seasons!

Pittsburgh signs Seneca!

2011-07-12T16:45:00.000-07:00

Tomas Seneca was just signed by Pittsburgh recently, Seneca has been scouted to be a future #2-3 Pitcher. He will be a very outstanding strike out pitcher with excellent control. Seneca joins Mo Graham in the minors for Pitt and boosted their farm as if they needed any help.

Tracy's early power!

2011-07-12T16:40:00.000-07:00

Aaron Tracy is leading the Majors in Home runs early in this season! He has 23 already with only 36 games completed. Tracy is 7 Home runs up on the second place guy and seems to be on pace for a potential record breaking season. Tracy already has more than half of what he hit last season in 162 games, I see Tracy being the most dominant Home run hitter in Doubleday. Tracy could seriously jump ahead on the career Home run list after this season. With six seasons under his belt he already has 310 Home runs, at 27 years old he has another 6-7 seasons to tear the cover off the ball.

Last Season MVP's

2011-06-20T18:20:00.000-07:00

Last season's AL MVP Kurt Westmoreland was about to leave Salem via free agency but before he could entertain offers from other teams he was given a huge 100 million dollar contract over 5 years with a 10 million dollar signing bonus! At 28 years old he will have plenty of time to knock 40+ home runs per season while driving in 100+ Rbi's.

NL MVP Harold Burrell has 4 more seasons on his current contract, Burrell, the only Doubleday triple crown hitter has a lot of work to do to get his club the championship they have been waiting for. I do know this, if I had Burrell I would certainly not complain.

Key Free Agent Signings so far

2011-06-20T15:54:00.000-07:00

Oakland, CA
Free Agency took a turn for the better with the signing of SP Dean Gardner. Gardner signed a 5 year 74 million dollar contract.

Jackson, MS
This team finally got a huge closer for a relatively cheap price. They signed Closer Deivi Cairo to a 2 year 7.9 million dollar contract.

Vancouver, Canada
Vancouver has been lacking offense for quite a while now. They finally landed someone worthy of a big paycheck. They signed 3B Brian Irwin to a 4 year 42 million dollar contract.

City changes!

2011-06-13T15:27:00.000-07:00

Doubleday Daily

Rochester, NY

Nyaggie, the owner of last seasons Rochester team has relocated to Toledo, another move in an attempt to get better fans and an advantage for his team. Toledo was the original home of the franchise when owned by Charlie22098.

San Juan, Puerto Rico

Dublinuf has moved from El Paso to Memphis to San Juan and now to Charleston, this move has to be the move to finally bring home the World Series gold.. Or not.. Is the ballpark really that big of a deal? We'll see if it improves his team this season.

Jacksonville, FL

Once the Boston Beaneaters and now the Trenton Thunder, Bobkordecki has now purchased his third team in Doubleday. He began with Trenton in the NL North which is known now as the Detroit Wolverines then he purchased the Helena Fruit Pickers and now the former Jacksonville squad and moved them to Trenton. Hopefully his magic takes off on this team!

Shamrocks no more!

2011-06-13T12:15:00.000-07:00

Doubleday Daily Special Report

Montreal, Canada

The Montreal Shamrocks are no more! Owner Tom Highway has decided not to renegotiate the contract with the city of Montreal and has decided to move south into the borders of the United States. Madison, Wisconsin Mayor Paul Soglin had many discussions over the past 2 months with Tom Highway regarding this move. It was kept out of media for many reasons but it is not official, Tom Highway has moved his team to Madison where they will now be known as the Madison Mallards! Madison is an extremely hitter friendly park that should improve the offensive numbers but will it help them get back to the playoffs? Newly acquired LF Trevor Arnold believes it will! We will soon be able to tell just what lies ahead for the franchise! Good luck Madison, with Seattle and K.C. in your division you will need it.

Season 12 Predictions

2011-03-24T19:54:00.000-07:00

AL NORTH
1. Seattle
2. Kansas City
3. Salt Lake City
4. Montreal

AL EAST
1. Philadelphia
2. Norfolk
3. Jacksonville
4. Baltimore

AL SOUTH
1. San Juan
2. Montgomery
3. Huntington
4. Louisville

AL WEST
1. Salem
2. Vancouver
3. San Francisco
4. Helena

AL PLAYOFFS
SEATTLE - AL CHAMPS

NL NORTH
1.Detroit
2. Cleveland
3. Portland
4. Chicago

NL EAST
1.Pittsburgh
2. Rochester
3. Boston
4. Hartford

NL SOUTH
1. Monterrey
2. Austin
3. El Paso
4. Memphis

NL WEST
1. Tucson
2. Honolulu
3. Iowa City
4. St. Louis

NL PLAYOFFS
MONTERREY- NL CHAMPS

More off-season Crap!!!

2011-03-23T19:31:00.000-07:00

SP Wendell Sullivan was traded to Chicago for 3 prospects! Sullivan, a SP that has been said to have great control and very good vs. both LH and RH batters. However he doesn't have a dominating pitch.. Chicago gains some depth in their rotation while Detroit gains some more depth in the minors.

FA Signings
Iowa City signed 3B Billy Neagle to a 5yr 36mil contract!
Salem signed RP Ichiro Suzuki to a 4yr 26.5mil contract!

Promotions
San Francisco promoted LF Tommy Nance to the ML
Honolulu promoted RP Frank Satou to the ML

Rule 5
Hartford signed RP C.C. Mora in this seasons Rule 5 Draft

FA Craze!!

2011-03-17T21:51:00.000-07:00

Tucson made 2 huge signings in Free Agency!!! They signed 33 yr old SP Pedro Bennett to a 76.5m w/10mil bonus over 4 year contract! He'll be 37 yrs old when the contract is up.. I hope he can hold up for that long, Tucson has one of the best training facilities in the world so that's a plus! Speaking of training facilities and big contracts, Tucson not only signed Bennett but they signed LF stud Les Cloud! It's reported that Cloud will be receiving 65mil over 5 years putting him also at 37 years old when his contract is up. Tucson wants to win it all now and now wait so dumping all that money into two players is a risk but with SP Blaine Stanton and C Zeuss McBride one would think that they may finally have the pieces required to get to the championship!

Vancouver made another huge transaction today after trading 3B Evers away, they signed former Kansas City slugger RF Al Gonzales to a 4 yr 52 mil dollar contract with a 2 yr bonus attached. Gonzales has been a very reliable bat throughout his ML career driving in an average of 100+ rbi per season while having a career OPS over .800. This helps build an offense to go along with the pitching rotation that could be one of the best in the AL hands down!

New to Doubleday! How they got here!

2011-03-15T20:45:00.000-07:00

Soxyanks12: It's a funny story of how I became the owner of the Jacksonville Tars...You see after my divorce I decided to head on down to the beach for spring break a few years ago. While I was there making up for lost time while I was married to that hag I met a girl. She was smokin hot and crazy as hell. Well we hooked up that night and one thing led to another...I didn’t really see her much after spring break but I stayed in Fla working as a bartender having the time of my life! One day she shows up out of nowhere to let me know she was pregnant and that it had to be mine cuz she was a virgin when we..well you know! As I said b4 this girl was HOTT! And I love kids so I let her know I would be around...well we started dating and one day I met her family. Turns out the old man was the owner of the Jacksonville Tars! After getting over the fact I was nearly old enough to be his daughter’s daddy (turns out she was 19!) We hit it off right away...He gave me a job in the front office and here I am 2 years later running the team! Go figure!

Sergei91 is an American film and television actor. He is the youngest son of actor Martin Sheen. In 2010, 91 was the highest paid actor on television, earning US$1.8 million per episode of Two and a Half Men. His personal life has also made headlines, including reports about alcohol and drug abuse and marital problems as well as allegations of domestic violence. He was fired from his role on Two and a Half Men by CBS and Warner Bros. on March 7, 2011. Looking for new opportunities to keep his extravagant lifestyle going and going, he decided to invest in an HBD team in Doubleday, the highly successful baseball league..

My name is Larry Arfmanowitz. I live in Memphis, Tennessee. I recenlty bought a new home here formerly known as 'Graceland'. You might have heard of it.

I made my millions over the last few years selling GD(Gridiron Dynasty) cheat codes to the likes of Plague, Nelson, Vhoward, Ebel, Buffalo_rob, Kcden and many others. When GD decided to switch to a new game engine, my cheat codes became useless. So I decided I needed to invest my boatloads of cash elsewhere. I picked up this pathetic excuse for a baseball team in Louisville at the dollar store. They said it had been there a while, nobody wanted it.

As CEO of this franchise we have big plans in store. We plan on cutting down payroll and making a big youth movement push. We also plan on lowering ticket prices and offering free admission to anyone that remember the last time this franchise actually had a winning season.

Well as the owner of an NFL franchise with no team or future season in sight I decided to pack up from Dallas and move to Helena. Let’s face it. People don’t like me so I decided moving to Montana no one would know me here. I guess I will try to micro manage a baseball franchise.

Trade Accepted: Evers to Monterrey!

2011-03-14T10:43:00.000-07:00

3B Andrew Evers has been traded to Monterrey for SP Nick Herndon! More on this transaction as the news comes in. Here is a statement from BagwellBuff the Vancouver's owner.
Bagwellbuff: "We certainly hate to lose Andrew Evers, he is a bright star in this league and will continue to be for years to come. However, to get something of value something of value must be given up. We wish Andrew well and we are very excited about adding Nick Herndon to our rotation. He is one of the best starting pitchers in the league. We are building a contender in Vancouver and Nick will be part of that. He is in his prime and already makes our starting rotation one of the better ones in the league."

Welcome to Season 12!!

2011-03-14T10:38:00.000-07:00

Opey Higgins
Doubleday Daily

As we move into season 12 of one of the best worlds in HBD, we have to acknowledge some important things first. Congrats again to Newbiefng for taking home the season 11 championship! And a big thank you goes out to Stiller609 and Carpediem33 for being great owners for a long time you guys will be missed.

Moving on to player news!

Contract Extensions

Detroit signed SP J.P. Sanchez to a 4 year 27.2 million dollar contract!
Norfolk signed RF Trevor Arnold to a 3 year 27.3 million dollar contract with a 1.0 million bonus
Seattle signs SS Lee Benjamin to a 5 year 47.5 million dollar contract
Seattle signs LF Edgar Sosa to a 5 year 40 million dollar contract
Salt Lake City signs LRP Midre Castillo to a 4 year 24 million dollar contract

Key Players Released

Honolulu released CF Felix Kelly: Kelly hit .285 with 17 HR and 57 RBI and stole 44 bases in season 11

Key Promotions

Honolulu Promoted CF Felix Barry: Barry's promotion is indeed something that we have wanted to see for some time. He finally gets the chance to showcase his abilities in the big leagues. With his speed and power he will certainly be a huge threat.

Philly promoted P Demaso Trevino: Trevino is a LR/SU type P with good control and extremely dominant vs. RHB's.

Boston promotes SP Tim Miadich: After just 10 innings of play at the ML Level in season 11, Boston has decided to call up one of the most talented players to be drafted in the world. Miadich was the 2nd pick in the season 10 draft and already has the tools to lead any team to a championship!

Seattle steals the Awards!

2011-03-08T18:20:00.000-08:00

Opey Higgins
Doubleday Daily

Most Valuable Player? Check! Cy Young? Check! Fireman of the Year? Check! 4 Silver Slugger awards? Check! Hell the only thing that Seattle didn't do was win the World Series.. No reason to worry Seattle fans, your team is not done yet. They are still relatively young and have time to get the job done in the next season or two. The only problem with the AL is the fact there are many teams that can be contenders next season that are maybe 1-2 pieces away from a deep playoff run that could really screw things up for Seattle or Kansas City. While the AL is smiling and celebrating the victory, remember there are people plotting to knock the AL North Playoff reps out.

Record Breakers? The odds of some of the top single season records being broke this season!

2011-02-01T13:24:00.000-08:00

Opey Higgins
Doubleday Daily

We have had some big records set in Doubleday, Albert Wall hitting 74 HR's in season 5 and Spike Logan hitting a single season record .369 in season 3. Two of the biggest records to be accomplished in the world! With that being said it brings me to the potential that they will be taken down this season. Lefty Moore has 47 HR's in just the first 99 games of the season putting him on pace for 78 this season. Quilvio Javier has a current average of .397. I don't see him falling 30 points over the next 62 games. Things are going to be awesome to watch the rest of the season.

Deleon throws a No Hitter!

2011-02-01T10:32:00.000-08:00

Hardball Dynasty's

Miguel DeLeon

Baltimore probably thought they were going to beat down Norfolk yesterday when they seen SP Miguel Deleon take the mound. Deleon is not noted for being a very high rated SP in Doubleday, however he go 9 innings only walking 3 batters and striking out 9. We caught up with his team mate Trevor Arnold and all Arnold had to say was "We're glad he's on our team, Miguel is a good locker room guy and he tries hard every time he's on the mound." Miguel didn't want to comment on this just yet but we know he celebrated into the early morning hours this morning. Congrats Norfolk!

Season 11 First Round Draft Review

2011-01-23T14:20:00.000-08:00

1. Columbus Blue Birds-P Bud Ramirez-With the 1st overall selection, Columbus grabs a high ceiling college pitcher from Duke. His projections are certainly good enough for this player to be a top of the rotation pitcher, but he's got quite a bit to grow to reach that. He should develop good control and a good fastball, yet he won't have much velocity. He already has the ability to force groundballs and should improve upon that. His splits should turn out to be good as well. He doesn't have great stamina, but with the durability, control and splits projections he could easily be a 200 inning pitcher. The biggest concern with Ramirez is that he's 22 and has quite a ways to go to reach the projections.

2. Philadelphia Stars-RF Andy Wunsch-A good pick at #2 for Philadelphia. I think Wunsch projects more as a leftfielder due to lower arm strength than what I want out of a rightfielder. He projects to be a very good hitter with the ability to reach base many ways. He has contact, good power, he'll kill left handers and hit good against righties as well. Wunsch will also pull in quite a few base on balls each season. He's not slow, but he's fast either. He is fairly smart on the bases. At age 20, he doesn't have very far to go to get to his projections and should get pretty close to being the player that he's expected to be.

3. Louisville Red Caps-Clay Parris-Parris projects out to be a secondbaseman with great range and a good glove for the position. His arm strength leaves him at second base. He has decent speed but will not develop into a threat on the bases. He should be a good contact hitter with a little bit of power. His splits project to be average but he'll have a good eye at the plate. He should hit for a decent average with a high obp.
4. Durham Bulls-RP R.J. Farquhar-Farquhar(what a name?), projects to be a dynamite closer. His durability isn't what you'd want for a closer, but he has decent stamina that should help. This guy though, projects out to have great control, great splits, great velocity, will keep the ball down in the zone to force grounders, and has an amazing curveball with a good slider as a second pitch. What worries me though besides the durability is that he doesn't possess a fastball, which I like a closer to have. I think he can overcome that though if he gets even close to his projected abilities. He is 21, and has quite a bit to grow over the next couple seasons, so I'll be interested to see how close he can get to those projections, but he isn't too far off from being a major league reliever right now.

5. Boston Beaneaters-3B Lloyd Jorgensen-Jorgensen is a solid #5 selection. He should develop a good glove for third and decent arm strength. He projects to have good power, and real good splits. He lacks speed, base running ability, and has lower contact. He should draw some walks and even with the low contact will be a decent hitter and a solid option at third. Drafted out of high school, he has good makeup and plenty of time to develop his skills.

6. Helena Fruit Pickers-SS Dorian Rice-Can't see this player.

7. St Louis Brown Stockings-SS Al Cairo-Drafted out of John Wood CC, Cairo projects to be a solid hitter with decent skills as a shortstop. His glove worries me a bit for the position, but he has the range and arm to do a decent job. I think he projects more as a third basemen or a real good rightfielder. He should develop good power, and has good contact. His splits will help him hit for a good average, but his eye will hold him back a bit. He has decent base running abilities and speed, but won't worry any pitchers and catchers. Cairo will be a solid major leaguer if he gets close to his projections, but I don't think he'll be a star player.

8. Huntington Heroes-P Louis Scott-This high schooler probably won't sign as he has his sights set on being a professional football player. If he changes his mind though, he could be a really good closer one day. His projections show that he has pretty good control, will be tough on righties and lefties, has real good velocity, and the ability to keep the ball down, he should also have a dynamite change up and a real good fastball. He has good durability and decent stamina for a reliever.

9. Baltimore Lords-2B Robert McLemore-McLemore has the ability to be a pretty good secondbaseman one day. He doesn't have a great glove, but could play second or leftfield solid. He has the projections to be a pretty good hitter, with solid pop. He has a little speed as well, which could help him be a 300 hitter with the good contact, power, splits, and eye. Nothing he projects out to is great, but everything is a bit above average. He could go on to have a pretty solid career. He may not be a regular all star type player, but he should be a valuable player. He has quite a bit of growing to do in order to reach his potential, but he's young and could do it.

10. Vancouver Veterans-2B Justin Torres-I really like Torres with this pick, but I like speedy players. Torres has good speed right now and should develop into a pretty good base runner. He should develop real good contact, should be a tough out for left handed pitchers and do a decent job against righties. He should have a decent eye as well. He'll have the range to play a good second base, with a decent glove. He doesn't have power, but that won't hold him back from being a good player. What may hold him back is his lower makeup and the fact that he has a decent amount of growing to do and he's already 20 years old.

11. Norfolk Clam Eaters-SS Dmitri Gilbert-This youngster from Orange Park HS could turn into a nice player for a #11 pick. He has really good range for a shortstop, but could cause a few headaches with the glove as he doesn't project to have the glove of a shortstop. His arm strength and accuracy could develop to a good level, but it isn't great. He has some speed and should become a good base runner, but he isn't a leadoff type. I really like his contact and eye at the plate. His splits aren't going to be great but average. He should be able to find his way on base fairly well and with his base running abilities could score some runs. He lacks power, but could provide a home run here and there.

12. Las Vegas Thunder-2B Philip Wilkins-Wilins has tons of range and an average glove. His arm will be good for a second baseman. He has some speed and should develop as a good base runner. He should develop good contact and a good eye. His splits are average, but due to his contact, eye and decent speed, should be able to hit good. He has a little bit of power and could be able to reach double digits in homers, but not much more. Wilkins is you and has a ways to go to reach his potential, but he should be able to become a solid major leaguer.

13. Salt Lake City Trappers-2B Bert Hackman-Another talented high school kid comes off the board with this pick. Hackman has the ability to be a very good fielder. He projects to have very good range and a real good glove to go with it. He doesn't have much arm strength but has good accuracy. He has good speed but I'm not sure his base running will ever be good enough for him to be a base stealing threat. Low contact will cause him to strike out a bit, but his splits, power and batting eye should make him a pretty solid hitter with some good power. He is a steal at pick 13 if he fully develops his abilities.

14. Iowa City River Bandits-C Cameron Sanders-This youngster from Lakeland HS is the first catcher to be drafted. He could be a very good pitch caller behind the plate, but his arm strength won't be a quality part of his game. He doesn't have bad speed for a catcher. His contact should be decent, and his splits are average to below average. He has good power and a batting eye that should help him be a good hitter overall. Sanders could develop into a pretty good back stop.

15. Hartford Bees-2B Craig Smith-Smith will make for a good second baseman. He projects to have good range and glove for second base and his arm is good there as well. He has some speed and decent base running but he isn't a threat to steal bases. He could develop real good contact and he has good splits and an above average eye. I wouldn't expect a 300 hitter out of him but he can develop into a nice hitter to have. He has low makeup which worries me about him reaching his projections, but he is young and should be able to get close.

16. El Paso Diablos-P Eric Dunham-This junior out of N. Alabama has not signed yet and could be heading back to college. If not, he could develop into a good top of the rotation type pitcher. He should have real good stamina, although his durability is not very good. He projects to have really good control, good splits, real good velocity, good at getting the groundballs, and a pretty good fastball. He's a 3 pitch pitcher, but his change up is useless, with a decent slider. He is 21, but he doesn't have much growing to do to become a major league quality pitcher.

17. Jacksonville Suns-P Freddie Hamilton-While the top of the draft wasn't top heavy, this pick at 17 shows the depth that it did have. Hamilton is a pretty nice reliever to draft with this pick. He will have good durability, to go with good stamina. He'll have real good control, good splits, and he has 2 good pitches, a sinker and curveball. He doesn't have good velocity, but his ability to keep the ball down in the zone will force some groundballs. I think this is a really good pick for Jacksonville.

18. Monterrey Mustangs-P Jason Burriss-This pitcher out of high school should develop into a pretty nice starter. He'll have good durability for a starter and good stamina. With his control he could easily get 6 innings per start and come close to 7 innings a start. His splits could hold him back since he isn't going to be especially tough on left hand batters, but he'll do good against the righties. Low velocity and an inability to keep the ball down hurt his overall ability. He brings a very good fastball, a real good second pitch, a curveball, and decent 3 and 4 pitches, slider and change up. I think he could turn out to be a pretty good pitcer and he's young and has plenty of time to develop his skills.

19. Portland Gladiators-P Charles Smith-Another good young starter comes off the board here. He has decent durability, and good stamina. He should develop good control, with good splits. I like his velocity and he is decent at forcing a groundball. His fastball should be pretty good, with a decent curveball. He is a 5 pitch pitcher, but his change up, split fastball, and slider are not very good. He has decent makeup and not far to go to reach his projections so he should develop nicely.

20. San Juan Boricuas-P Bob Sisco-Sisco should become a pretty solid starter in the majors. He has real good control projections, and good splits. His velocity and groundball ability are good too. He has a real good fastball, and decent slider. He'll have a decent change up and curveball to go with those two pitches as well. His cut fastball isn't good but it is a fifth pitch option. He'll have decent stamina, but low durability will cause him to miss some starts. At 18 he doesn't have as far to go to reach these projections as some players in the draft the same age. Not a bad player at all with this pick.

21. Montreal Shamrocks-2B Albert Vasquez-Montreal chose to go the college route with this pick. Vasquez looks to be a pretty good pick at 21. He'll have great range and a really good glove with a decent arm to go with it. He has decent speed and his base running ability could develop enough to make him a threat to steal some bases. His contact should be decent but he has almost no power. He'll have real good splits if he develops fully, but only a decent eye at the plate. He could hit for a decent average and steal some bases but his major asset will be his fielding abilities. His age doesn't leave him much time to grow, but he has a very high makeup and should grow to be a solid major leaguer.

22. Detroit Wolverines-3B Jerry Stark-Stark was drafted to play third. He doesn't have real good range which puts him as a thirdbaseman. His glove should be decent and he should have a decent arm for third as well. His accuracy worries me for third. He has decent speed, but his base running won't be very good and likely won't be a threat to steal. He has decent contact and some power, with good splits. His batting eye doesn't project good at all. Even if he reaches his full potential Stark is likely to be a reserve option in the majors. He has good makeup and is young, so he should be able to get pretty close to his projections.

23. Jacksonville Suns-CF Mel Krause-Krause looks like a good centerfielder. He has decent range for the position and a real good glove. His arm strength and accuracy isn't very good, but that's not a necessity for the position. He has real good speed, but not good base running skills. His speed should help him get some steals, but he can't be relied upon as a stealing threat. He projects to have low contact, but real good power. His splits and batting eye project real good too. Even with low contact he should still be a pretty good hitter possibly in the 5 hole. He has low makeup and quite a ways to go to reach his potential which worry me. If he gets close to his projections though, he should be a pretty good player.

24. Louisville Red Caps-RF Marvin Malloy-Malloy was drafted as a rightfielder, but I don't like his fielding ability for the position. He has decent range but not the glove I would like in the outfield. His arm is decent but not good enough for the position. He does have great speed and should develop great base running abilities as well. He could be a top base stealer. His contact projects just decent and he has a little power but not a home run threat at all. He should hit lefties real well, but will struggle with right handers. He should develop a good batting eye. He should be a decent player, but I'm not sure he can reach base enough to use his real talent and that is stealing bases. Malloy should be a major leaguer but he probably won't be a starter.

25. Kansas City Monarchs-P Marc Strange-Strange could be a very good closer in the future. He has lower durability for a reliever, and his stamina is not very high, but his other projections are very good. He projects to have great control, real good splits, and will be able to force a lot of ground balls. His velocity isn't very good, but he brings a real good sinker, and split finger fastball. He has a change up but it's nothing to get excited about. Strange projects very well and has decent make up. I think he'll be a real good major league reliever.

26. Salem Volcanoes-C Matt Kennedy-Just the second catcher taken in this draft Kennedy projects very well. While he doesn't have good defensive skills at all, he should be a real good hitter. His pitch calling is low, and his arm is not good for the position either. He should have real good contact, and great power though. His splits project to be pretty good and he should have a decent eye as well. His durability will allow him to play a good amount of games. Kennedy is more of a DH and I'm not sure if his offense is good enough to allow him to play over the bad defense.

27. Pittsburgh Crawfords-1B Zeus Kile-Kile is the first player drafted as a first baseman in this draft. He has good range for the position and a good enough glove too. He doesn't have much speed but will be a decent base runner. He projects to have very good contact, and a little bit of power. He could be a 20 homer a season player. He projects very good splits and a good eye as well. Kile could be a 2 hole hitter in the future if he reaches his projections. He worries me though with the low makeup. He is only 18, but he has quite a ways to go in order to reach his projections.

28. Cleveland Cubs-P Tony Javier-Javier looks like a solid young pitching prospect if he signs. He could decide to go play D1 basketball. I'm not sure how a 6 foot player with little speed fits in with D1 basketball though. He projects to have very good stamina with fair durability. He has good control, with out much velocity. He should be good against right handers and lefties. He will force his share of groundballs. He has a very good fastball and not much else. His curveball as a second pitch isn't very good. He follows that with a sinker, change up, and forkball that are decent for 3, 4 and 5 pitches. Javier could be a solid major league starter.

29. Honolulu Asahis-2B Clarence Williams-Williams has good range for second base, with a decent glove. His arm strength is decent for the position with decent accuracy. He has a little bit of speed with real good base running projections. He could steal some bases. His contact should be good with a little bit of pop. He has good splits and a real good eye at the plate. He could go on to be a good starter at second in his ml career if he reaches his potential. He has low makeup, but at 19 years old he could get close to his potential as he doesn't have a lot of growing to do.

30. El Paso Diablos-P Pedro Abreu-Abreu is a starting pitcher prospect. He projects decent stamina, but not good durability. He could miss some starts if used as a starter and not get very good innings. He has real good control, with great velocity projections. He'll be good at forcing ground balls, and will be good against left handers, but not very good against right handers. He has a very good sinker, with a good slider as a second pitch, and even a good curveball as a third pitch option. Abreu could be a decent back end of the rotation starter or long reliever in his ml career.

31. Austin Swing-P Eddie Duran-I think Duran is a decent relief prospect. He has good stamina for a reliever, but not so good for a starter. His durability though will not be good for a reliever expected to pitch often. He projects to have decent control, with good splits. He won't have much velocity, but should force a decent amount of grounders. He has a decent sinker and decent slider as top two pitches. He should develop a decent curveball for a third pitch, but his change up will never be good enough as a pitch option. Duran projects to be a major leaguer but he'll be an average pitcher at best.

32. Cleveland Cubs-P Welington Garces-Garces projects as a good reliever. He should develop good stamina, but his big downfall is his durability. He won't be able to pitch very often. He does have good control projections, and good splits as well. He should have real good velocity, but won't keep the ball down very much. His first pitch is a forkball, but his best pitch is his slider. He also has a good curveball as a third pitch. Garces could be a pretty good major league reliever, but he won't get to pitch very many games.

33. Seattle Pilots-SS Magglio Mondesi-Mondesi projects as a major league shortstop that won't hit much. He could be a dynamite fielder, but his bat leaves a lot to be desired. He has very good range and dynamite glove projections. He projects great arm strength and great accuracy as well. He doesn't have good speed or baserunning abilities. He will have low contact and not much power. He'll have good bats against lefties, but decent against right handers. He does have a decent eye. He has lower makeup and is 22 so I'm not sure how close he'll get to his projections, but he doesn't have far to go to reach them.

Owner Rankings

2011-01-21T06:57:00.001-08:00

By nyaggie
Doubleday Daily

Coaches Ranking w/ 5+ Seasons in Doubleday
1. stiller609 – 301 points
2. tomhighway – 241 points
3. kemosabe11 – 224 points
4. mjmage – 194 points
5. douglaslee – 174 points
6. carpediem33 – 162 points
7. graybeard – 120 points
8. rootgargle – 115 points
9. rnce – 106 points
10. newbiefng – 60 points
11. Fantasy Frea – 49 points
12. kcden – 19 points
13. devonjain – 17 points
14. pchez – -101 points
15. camden68 – -118 points
16. badooujack – -144 points
17. vhoward415 – -173 points
18. dublinuf – -194 points
*Points system based on 1 Point for each game over .500, 20 Points for World Series, 10 Points for Division Title and 5 Points each Playoff appearance*

First Round Picks- Where are they now? by Nyaggie

2011-01-19T15:42:00.001-08:00

Season 1: New York New York Yankees and coach SWINGINWOOD made SS Corky Grant the first player drafted in Doubleday. After signing a RL contract w/ a $4.1mil bonus he hit .409 with 3 HRs and 31 RBIs in 20 games. Corky was trade to Toledo in season 4 where he made his ML debut. Appearing in 24 games, he hit .158 in 38 ABs. Currently playing for the Helena Fruit Pickers he has a lifetime BA of .288 with 143 HRs and 499 RBIs in six ML seasons.

Season 2: San Juan Senators and coach mrtheedge selected SS Rafael Seanez with the #1 pick in season 2. After signing a RL contract w/ a $4mil bonus he hit .339 with 6 HRs and 51 RBIs in 44 games between the RL and Low A. After being traded to Montreal during season 3, Rafael made his ML debut appearing in 7 games but only hitting .154 in 13 ABs. In the off-season he was traded to Baltimore and sent back to the minors for the all of season 4. Rafael was brought back up to the bigs at the start of season 5 where he appeared in 122 games hitting 22 HRs and 71 RBIs while hitting .321. Currently still playing for the Baltimore Lords he has a lifetime BA of .263 with 119 HRs and 450 RBIs in six ML seasons.

Season 3: New York Highlanders and coach jt3 selected P Jimmy Paul with the #1 pick in season 3. After signing a RL contract w/ a $4mil bonus he went 9-7 with 110 Ks and a 1.78 ERA in 16 games. After spending the next two seasons in the minors, Jimmy made his ML debut in season 6 where he went 14-10 with a 4.32 ERA while striking out 139. Currently playing for the Columbus Blue Birds, Jimmy has a career record of 68-60 w/ 4 complete games and 746 Ks.

Season 4: mjmage and the Pittsburgh Crawfords selected 2B Quilvio Javier with the #1 pick in season 4. After signing a RL contract w/ a $4mil bonus he hit .336 with 7 HRs and 73 RBIs in 69 games. Called up during season 7, Quilvio appeared in 45 games hitting .319 with 6 HRs and 23 RBIs. After 3 ML seasons, Quilvio has collected 700 hits w/ 81 HRs and 351 RBIs. He has also stolen 107 bases in 136 attempts.

Season 5: reggiedeal and the Monterrey Gray Ghosts selected 1B Harold Burrell with the #1 pick in season 5. After signing a RL contract w/ a $4mil bonus he hit .350 with 26 HRs and 83 RBIs in 76 games between the RL and Low A. After only 2 ½ seasons in the minors Harold made his ML debut while still playing in Monterrey where he hit 18 HRs and 50 RBIs while batting .266 in 76 games. He has hit 211 HRs and 524 RBIs w/ .309 and an OPS 1.015 in 3 ML seasons.

Season 6: The El Paso Sun Kings and coach dublinuf made P Norm Corino the #1 pick in season 6. After signing a RL contract w/ a $5.9mil bonus he went 10-1 with 94 Ks and a 1.57 ERA in 14 games at the Low A level. Norm was promted to the ML during season 10 where he had a 14-11 record with 179 Ks and a 3.92 ERA. I the equivalent of one full ML season he has gone 19-13 with 239 Ks and a 3.72 ERA.

Season 7: The Colorado Grizzlies and coach ice_rat selected P Niko Barry as the #1 pick in season 7. After signing a RL contract w/ a $4mil bonus he went 10-3 with 103 Ks and a 2.83 ERA in 14 games between the RL and Low A. Niko made his ML debut during season 9 starting 18 games w/ a 7-8 record and 5.81 ERA. He was sent back down to AAA to start season 10 but brought back up after 3 starts and had a record of 4-12. After one full ML season Niko has a career record of 14-26 with a 6.20 ERA.

Season 8: CF J.B. Bradford was selected #1 in season 8 by the Monterrey Mustangs and coach bballc. After signing a RL contract w/ a $4mil bonus he hit 30 HRs and 106 RBIs while batting .361 in 80 games at the Low A level. J.B. made his ML debut this season and has hit .336 while hitting 8 HRs and 21 RBIs in 29 games.

*Number of ML seasons based on full seasons played

* Season 9 and 10 #1 picks have not played in majors

Top 10 Catching Prospects

2011-01-15T23:56:00.000-08:00

This is the first installment of a new feature that will take a look at the top prospects in Doubleday world by position. For the first list of rankings, we will be taking a look at the best catching prospects Doubleday has to offer.

1. Zeus McBride - Tucson Sidewinders (AAA)

Zeus tops the rankings mainly due to the offensive potential he possesses. He projects to be an all-star caliber C based off of offense alone and is no slouch on the defensive end either. Currently through 47 games, Zeus is hitting .261 with 10 HR and 31 RBI at the AAA level.

2. Felipe Martin - Las Vegas Thunder (Low A)

Felipe projects as an everyday ML catcher who is almost a lock to make it through the season injury free. Martin is another catching prospect who possesses a solid bat and pretty decent defense, although his pitch calling is a question mark at the time. Currently, through 47 games Felipe is hitting .310 with 6 HR and 35 RBI at the Low A level.

3. Charles Pribanic - Salt Lake City Trappers (RL)

Charles is another top notch offensive prospect who will excel with the bat in his hands. His pitch calling is a question mark at this stage of his career, but he looks to more than make up for it with his production at the plate. The former 33rd pick in the draft hit .364 with 14 HR and 60 RBI in season 10 at the RL level.

4. Wandy Galarraga - Portland Gladiators (High A)

The glaring concern with Galarraga thus far is the lack of durability he seems to possess. So far he has failed to play more than 66 games in a season and doesn't look to be the type of guy that will be able to play every day in the future. There is no arguing, however, about the production at the plate when this guy is in the lineup. He's not a liability behind the dish and will put up great numbers when he's in the lineup. Through 43 games this season, Galarraga is hitting .302 with 10 HR and 51 RBI.

5. Yeico Mateo - Seattle Pilots (Low A)

You guessed it, yet another offensive minded catcher makes the list. Yeico might be the best defensively of the top 5 catchers though. He doesn't project as a big time power hitter, but will hit for average every year. Signed as an IFA out of Villa Vazquez, DO, Yeico is hitting at a .376 clip through 48 games with 11 HR and 34 RBI.

6. Marty Charles - Detroit Wolverines (AA)

What stands out about this young catcher is his great patience at the plate. This guy will make pitchers work out there and if he's not taking a walk, he's putting the ball in play. Through 54 games at the AA level, Marty is hitting .267 with 9 HR and 24 RBI. He also has taken 39 walks in that span.

7. Sparky Sinclair - St. Louis Brown Stockings (AAA)

Sparky projects to be a solid every day ML catcher in the near future. He is a good offensive player, but his lack of speed keeps him from beating out close plays as well as stretching hits extra bases. Sparky is hitting .224 though 52 games at the AAA level. He has only 9 extra base hits out of his 44 hits on the year.

8. Don Harper - Seattle Pilots (AAA)

Seattle has their second catcher in the top 10 with Harper. Harper, unlike the top 7, is known for his defensive ability and calling an exceptional game behind the plate. Harper is the type of guy who any pitcher would love to throw to and can make a staff better than they are. Harper can also hit the ball around a little bit as he is known for putting the ball in play and not so much for his power. Through 8 games at the AAA level Harper is hitting .429. Harper had a brief stint at the beginning of the year in the ML but not enough to keep him off of our list. He struggled from the plate hitting just .167 in 27 games.

9. Henry Corey - Montreal Shamrocks (High A)

Corey is another player who was drafted as a catcher and is geared more towards the offensive aspect of the game. His lack of ability to manage a game from behind the plate has some scouts worried and wondering if he ultimately won't end up at the DH spot. He has plenty of pop in his bat to produce in the lineup for an ML team. Through 47 games at the High A level, Corey is raking with a .339 average to go along with 15 HR and 59 RBI.

10. Brant McCormick - Detroit Wolverines (Low A)

McCormick rounds out the top 10 list. The only thing keeping Brant from being a top 3 prospect is his durability. The guy simply just can't go for very long. When he is in the lineup, however, McCormick might be the best combination of defense and offense on our list. Through 22 games McCormick is hitting .374 with 6 HR and 25 RBI.

Stay tuned for the next installment which will take a look at the top 1B in Doubleday.

Best Lead-off hitter?

2011-01-04T20:03:00.000-08:00

Hardball Dynasty's

Alex Shinjo

Alex Shinjo - 3 completed seasons and has scored over 400 runs, 159 HR's and 155 SB's..

Also Nominated...
Kansas City- Magglio Alvarado
El Paso - Felipe Guerrero
Montreal - Herman Swann
Seattle- Carlos Andujar
Pittsburgh- Mariano Polanco

Top 5 Power Rankings 1/1/11

2011-01-01T15:08:00.000-08:00

2nd Pitching, 4th Batting
Record: 11-3

6th Pitching, 6th Batting
Record: 12-2

10th Pitching, 5th Batting
Record: 10-4

15th Pitching, 1st Batting
Record 9-5

1st Pitching , 10th Batting
Record: 9-5

Big League Payrolls for Season 11

2010-12-21T18:11:00.000-08:00

As Spring Training gets under way we take a look at the teams and how much money they are paying out in payroll this season. Unless a major trade comes along, salaries are likely to remain near the figures listed. This season the average payroll for the league is $81.3 million when all team payrolls are combined and averaged out. So without further ado here are the teams and their current payrolls.

1. Montgomery - $136 million (AL)
Leading the way in payroll and having spent a full $25 million more than Helena, Montgomery is out to prove that you can indeed buy a World Series Championship. Montgomery is projected by many to be the favorite to win not only the American League but the World Series. If this team fails to make the World Series it will be viewed as nothing short of failure.

2. Helena - $111 million (AL)
Helena may not have spent the amount of money that Montgomery has this season but they are in no way thinking that they won’t represent the American League in the World Series as they are lead by their own $20 million man Robert Robinson. Many are picking Montgomery to represent the American League but don’t overlook Helena. If this team does not have a deep playoff run, it will be viewed as a failure. One would think a division title would be sewn up with this kind of cash but the next team has something to say about that.

3. Vancouver - $106 million (AL)
Vancouver comes in third on payroll this season and interesting enough is in the same division as Helena. While Vancouver may not sport a $20 million man, they are lead by $15 million man Leon Haynes. Another team that is looking for a deep playoff run and failure to do so may lead to the failure label being placed on them.

4. Salem – $101 million (AL)
Salem comes in fourth on payroll this season and interesting enough is in the same division as Helena and Vancouver. Seems that if you are not spending at least $100 million, you don’t have hopes of winning the division this season. Lead by $20 million man Miguel Alou the team traded for Kurt Westmoreland in hopes of boosting their playoff chances. The AL West may not be the best division in Double Day but it’s certainly spending the most.

5. Montreal – 99.6 million (AL)
Montreal rounds out the AL dominance on payrolls for this season. After finishing a disappointing third last season Montreal looks to be competitive and possibly make a playoff run. With a salary this high one would be surprised if the team nucleus will be kept together if another disappointing season ensues in Montreal.

6. Tucson - $98.5 million (NL)
Tucson is the first National League team. Lead by $20 million man Erick Shannon, Tucson has high hopes of making the World Series this season. Most consider them to have a great shot of representing the National League in the World Series but one wonders if $35.5 million tied up in 2 pitchers leaves them enough cash to put together a suitable offense.

7. Jacksonville - $96 million (AL)
Jacksonville comes in tied for sixth on our list and is lead by $20 million man Oswald Navarro. Jacksonville has hopes for a deep post season run but in the American League that could prove to be a tough task. The team has $52.3 million tied up in 3 players so one has to wonder if there is enough cash left to put a supporting cast around them.

8. Salt Lake - $96 million (AL)
Salt Lake comes in tied for sixth on our list and has no players making over $7 million this season. Another team that has hopes for a deep run in the play offs it will be interesting to see if the spread the cash theory works out better than the pay a few players big bucks theory.

9. Austin - $93 million (NL)
Austin comes in eighth, and only the second National League team, on our list and has no players making over $9 million this season. Austin hopes to win their division and make a deep run in the post season and hopefully representing the National League in the World Series. The team has gone for the spread the cash around theory as they look for their 7th consecutive division title.

10. Pittsburgh - $88 million (NL)
The defending World Series Champions come in at a most ninth on our list. While it is hard to question success, one wonders if the $88 million they have spent this far will be enough for them to make a deep run in the play offs and possibly capture their second title. The defending champs can’t be over looked in their quest to win their second World Series title.

11. Louisville - $87 million (NL)
Louisville comes in at tenth on the list with hopes of climbing out of the divisional cellar this season. Since being sold the team has never made the play offs and the once feared winner of 5 of the league’s first 6 World Series Titles looks to give their fans something to once again cheer about.

12. Columbus - $86 million (NL)
Columbus comes in at eleventh as the National League shows a difference in philosophies are far as spending goes. Columbus is another team hoping to climb out of the divisional cellar but being in the same division as Pittsburg is never a good thing.

13. Detroit - $85 million (NL)
Detroit made the playoffs last season and is hoping that the extra cash spent this season will lead to them winning the division for the first time and going places in the playoffs. The team certainly has spent the most of any team in its division and it will be interesting to see if they can do better than their consecutive second place finishes in the division.

14. Honolulu - $82 million (NL)
Honolulu looks to defend their division title against Tucson while spending about $17 million less than Tucson. One would normally question this kind of thinking but when you have won the division title the last 2 seasons there is little room to doubt the chances of them making it 3 seasons in a row.

15. Monterrey - $80.5 million (NL)
Monterrey tries to regroup after finishing 2nd in the division again and missing out on the playoffs. Can they be the team to de-throne Austin? Only time will tell but as of now I would say another 2nd place finish is in their future.

16. El Paso - $80 million (NL)
El Paso’s biggest claim to fame is not finishing any higher than 3rd in the division since Season 5 and has never made the play offs. With new ownership coming in this season, the fans are hopeful that if the playoffs are not in their future then at least signs of life are.

17. Cleveland - $77.5 million (NL)
Cleveland looks to win their 5th consecutive division title and won a World Series Title two seasons ago. While some would scoff at their payroll, you can’t argue with the success that ownership has had there.

18. Baltimore - $73.5 million (AL)
Whew we were starting to wonder what had happened to the rest of the American League teams. Baltimore looks to improve on its third place finish in the division this season though winning the division looks to be a tough task. Baltimore has $35 million tied up in 2 players so there may not be enough cash left to put together a solid supporting cash to improve on their 72 win total of last season.

19. Chicago - $73.5 million (NL)
Chicago had high hopes of resigning Albert Wall evaporated when the slugger moved onto Montgomery. While most would consider this a huge blow, for Chicago it may not be so bad and allow the team to rebuild. The team over the last 3 seasons has dropped from 2nd place, to 3rd place, to 4th place in their division. The team looks to climb out of the divisional cellar this season but losing a bat like Wall may make it difficult.

20. Norfolk - $73 million (AL)
Norfolk has a modest payroll that should allow them to be competitive but one wonders if they will have enough to challenge for the divisional title this season. Last season new ownership guided the team to a 2nd place finish in the division though the team only won 73 games.

21. Las Vegas - $71 million (AL)
Las Vegas missed out on running a $100 million payroll like the rest of the teams in the division. While the team has never won a divisional title under current ownership it has improved in the divisional standings each of the last 3 years so is this the year they win the division? Not likely but they could show that a modest payroll can compete.

22. Kansas City - $66 million (AL)
Kansas City ran a modest payroll last season and won 102 games, takes care of the need a huge payroll to make the play offs theory. One wonders though if the team can repeat that kind of success with $18.5 million tied up in 1 player. The team has a lot of young, cheap players to fill out the roster so it should be interesting to see what happens.

23. Huntington - $65.6 million (AL)
Huntington finished third in the division last season and with their modest payroll may be able to finish second this season but a division title this season looks doubtful given they are in the same division as Montgomery.

24. St. Louis - $63.5 million (NL)
St. Louis continues to shed salary as they try and work their way out of the basement. The team has a mixture of veterans as well as some talented youth on the team. Pitching will be the key to see if the team can make any noise this season.

25. Boston - $59 million (NL)
Boston looks to finish above third place for the first time under their current ownership. The team may not finish above third place this season but should get a nice pick out of this year’s draft.

26. Seattle - $57 million (AL)
Seattle won the American League last season and in the off season made the decision to lower payroll after winning over 100 games. Not often an owner does that but it is hard to envision one of the lowest payrolls in the world winning their division again this season let alone going to the World Series.

27. Durham - $51 million (AL)
Durham has the honor of being the team with the fourth lowest payroll this season. After only winning 60 games last season the team may be in place to win a few more but another cellar finish may also be in their future this season as well as a good draft pick next season.

28. Portland - $50.5 million (NL)
Portland rings in with the 5th lowest payroll in the league. The team managed to climb out of the cellar last season to 3rd place and looks to continue their rise in the divisional standings but a limited payroll may hamper those efforts this season.

29. Hartford - $47 million (NL)
Hartford rings in with the 4th lowest payroll in the league. After looking like a contender before Free Agency began ownership decided to go a different direction and had a fire sale on the team moving long time players Kurt Westmoreland and Lefty Moore. The fans can only hope that the team can be competitive in a few seasons.

30. San Juan - $37 million (AL)
San Juan rings in with the 3rd lowest payroll in the league. After a second place finish last season the team will be hard pressed to repeat that kind of success. The team is primed to finish with a poor record and garner a high draft pick next season.

31. Philadelphia - $29.5 million (AL)
Philadelphia rings in with the 2nd lowest payroll in the league. Ownership has continued its trend of lowering salary and building up the farm system. While the team is pretty much assured a last place finish in its division it should also have a Top 5 draft pick in next seasons draft.

32. Iowa - $19 million (NL)
Iowa wins the lowest payroll in the league award as they have one of the lowest, if not the lowest, payrolls in world history. After coming in third place last season it would appear that Iowa is on pace to finish last in the division and has a legitimate shot at having the top overall draft pick. The team is chalked full of young and cheap players but should be fairly competitive.

Around the Block

2010-12-21T09:17:00.000-08:00

A busy week in Doubleday with Free Agency, Promotions, Trades etc.. To start off I have received word that Detroit is willing to deal Nolan Cain. Yes, big news! Detroit is seeking a good position player and a VERY good Starting Pitcher. From what I gather it don't matter if the players are prospects or ML vets.

Moving on, Some updated Free Agency news! Kansas City signed Kevin Colin in the last week to a 5 year 88 million dollar contract. El Paso signed Felipe Guerrero to a 4 year 55 million dollar contract with a 1.3 mil signing bonus! And last but certainly not least, Chicago managed to attempt to replace Albert Wall by signing Erv Hines to a 4 year 20.8 million dollar contract!

Huntington Heroes promoted the #9 pick from season 7 draft SS Benjamin Rigby to Major League squad! Rigby projects to be a stud at the Shortstop position with a very good bat. Philadelphia also did some promoting this season.. Felipe Roque has been promoted to the Major League team and is said to be potentially the best call up in several seasons.

Best Free Agent Signings so far!

2010-12-17T21:15:00.000-08:00

Hardball Dynasty's

Albert Wall

Albert Wall being signed by Montgomery to a 5 year 100 million dollar contract with a 2 million dollar signing bonus! Montgomery added the man that comes 2nd place in career Home Runs to the other 2 guys who sit at the top of the list with him. The power Montgomery has right now is scary.. The question right now is, Who can stop them from scoring?

Hardball Dynasty's

Junior Cerveza

Junior Cerveza was not re-signed by Montgomery allowing Huntington, a division rival to snag up the 35 year old SP. Cerveza is only getting 15million over the next 2 seasons and to me that is a great value. He will not be the same pitcher he is now after those 2 seasons are up. Cerveza could potentially still get it done with Cy Young type numbers. Huntington should get quality for the next 2 seasons and possibly get back to the post season.

Hardball Dynasty's

Arnold Dougherty

SP Arnold Dougherty has returned to Chicago! A 28 million dollar contract for the next 4 seasons with a no trade clause has pretty much made Dougherty a Chicago Whale for the rest of his career. Much like Junior Cerveza he still posesses most of his skills. He will not be able to go as long in games but while he's pitching he'll still put out quality performances. Chicago's signing of Dougherty doesn't put them in a position to where they make the playoffs instantly, they still have work to do.

Hardball Dynasty's

Virgil Hayes

Oh look! Montgomery signed ANOTHER very good player this offseason. RP Virgil Hayes agreed to a 4 year 26.8 million dollar contract. Hayes is a very good RP that has the potential to close on most teams, we will see just where he ends up on the pitching staff once Spring Training ends.

Doubleday's All-Time Top Silver Sluggers!

2010-12-16T00:02:00.000-08:00

Arnold Traded!

2010-12-15T22:56:00.000-08:00

Hardball Dynasty's

Trevor Arnold

Trevor Arnold was traded to Norfolk today! St. Louis acquired two very good prospects in return. 1B Randy Murray and LF Al Aybar in the deal. Great trade for both sides and Norfolk seriously amped up their offense. However, they are very weak in the pitching department. It will be interesting to see what they do to fix that.

Free Agency!!

2010-12-15T09:45:00.000-08:00

Top 10 Free Agents Available

1. Albert Wall -1B
2. Erv Hines -RF
3. Junior Cerveza -SP
4. Virgil Hayes -RP
5. Robinson Dreifort -SP
6. Kevin Colin -3B
7. Felipe Guererro -2B
8. Homer Vance -1B
9. Arnold Dougherty -SP
10. Erik Shannon -SP

Sellers!

2010-12-12T14:24:00.000-08:00

St. Louis has announced they are willing to trade anyone on the ML roster! Looking for prospects.

Hartford has put Lefty Moore and Kurt Westmoreland on the trade block!

Montreal has placed some guys on the trade block! Mainly interested in getting ML quality players. They are not seeking stud players, They would like to reduce payroll by taking a lesser player.

Ronald Webb , the number 3 all time Home run leader is available!! Great player that can be a huge addition to any AL team in the hunt for a championship!

Looking to trade Jerome Kraemer! A DH/C player that has some decent power and good vs. LH Pitchers.

Welcome to Season 11!!

2010-12-12T14:09:00.000-08:00

To start off with Season 11 we had two owners sell off their franchises. Long time Colorado Grizzlies owner Ice-Rat decided it was time to sell because of the past terrible seasons. He had a great thing building but in Colorado it just kills any new pitching. Same thing for the former Charlotte franchise, could have become a better team with patience however the team has been sold!!

Incoming owners captainpud2 bought the Charlotte franchise and moved them to El Paso where he hopes to revive and rebuild a team in desperate need of attention. With only 5 seasons under his belt he has managed to get to the playoffs 3 times. I hope the success continues in El Paso!!! The 2nd owner to come in is a brand new owner to the HBD world! Bagwellbuff takes the former Colorado team and moves them north to Vancouver where he plans on taking this team to the next level!

New Champs!! Pittsburgh Crawfords!!!

2010-12-07T21:44:00.000-08:00

Pittsburgh Crawfords (NL)
mjmage
View Hardball Dynasty Profile

With a 3-2 lead in the World Series, Pittsburgh came into the game looking to end it! Seattle needed to tie the series to take the series to game 7 where they were the favorites. SP John Grimsley has been one of the more successful pitchers in the Pittsburgh organization in the Post season coming into the game with a 5-1 post season record. Seattle started SP Pablo Mercedes which is 0-2 in the Post season career. A pretty bold move since this would define their season, however who could blame Seattle when Mercedes was 17-8 during the regular season. Mercedes would give up 6 earned runs before P Horacio Duran would come in to try and stop the bleeding. It was too late! Seattle could only put up 2 additional runs making it a 7-3 ball game..RP Felix Moran would come in to finish the job only giving up 1 run in the final 2 innings giving Pittsburgh its first Championship!!!

The Lead Pilot!

2010-12-07T21:33:00.001-08:00

Harry Macias
Seattle
Pilots
Age: 22	B/T: R/R
Born: Hato Mayor Del Rey, DO
Position(s): DH/C/1B
View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Macias is seriously humiliating the opponents this post season. He has managed to hit 7 Home runs in just 10 games while driving in 14 runs. Macias has been an important piece to the Seattle offense. Even with the first game of the World Series going to Pittsburgh, Macias could be the one who changes the course and takes Seattle to the Championship!

And it's showtime!!

2010-12-04T21:06:00.000-08:00

VS.

The Seattle Pilots have returned to the World Series for the 2nd consecutive season. This season they emerged as one of the best teams in Doubleday and improving their record by 12 games! Led by their Ace Roger Hosmer, Seattle took out the Salem Volcanoes in the ALCS. They will be facing a very dangerous Pittsburgh Crawfords team. Pittsburgh was pretty much outdone during the regular season in every major category by Seattle. However I feel Pittsburgh has more weapons overall. This series should go 7!

Playoff Predictions!!

2010-11-25T07:40:00.000-08:00

AMERICAN LEAGUE!!
#6 Memphis vs. #3 Salem- Although Memphis barely entered the playoffs I feel with the players on this team they can win this series. 3-2 MEMPHIS

#5 Kansas City vs. #4 Jacksonville- As much as I love Dan Hudler and Erv Hines, Jacksonville doesn't stand a chance against a team that just simply has it all! 3-1 KANSAS CITY

NATIONAL LEAGUE
#6 Detroit vs. #3 Honolulu- Detroit finally made the playoffs!!! Now they are going to lose to a very good Honolulu team. 3-2 HONOLULU

#5Tucson vs. #4 Pittsburgh- Tucson is also in their first ever playoff appearance! This series to me will be the closest of all! Tucson put together a very good team and a good run at the end of the season to make it here. Pittsburgh has let me down for the last 3 seasons.... I pick 3-2 TUCSON

Bailey No Hits the Stars!

2010-11-06T23:04:00.000-07:00

Opey Higgins
Doubleday Daily

Las Vegas, Nevada

The game started out like any other game.. Not a very important game for either team however that would change. SP Rene Bailey would step on the mound and become part of Doubleday History! Bailey would not allow one hit throughout nine innings! Philly didn't have an answer for him all night long. Bailey has a career win/loss of 81-93 coming into this game which is what makes this extra special for the veteran. Congrats to Rene Bailey and hopefully you will shock us again!

700 Stolen Bases!

2010-11-02T22:10:00.000-07:00

Fonzie Puffer has reached 700 stolen bases in his career! The first man to do so in Doubleday history has been really killing it over the last 8 seasons. Puffer holds the single season stolen base record with 155 topping the previous best 128 of retired Javier Piniero. Puffer hasn't been the best hitter in his career but when he got on base he gives his team a chance to score every time. Congrats Fonzie!

Maxwell and Shinjo on record pace!

2010-11-02T22:05:00.000-07:00

Montgomery's Philip Maxwell and Austin's Alex Shinjo both have 41HR's in the first 100 games. With 62 games left both men could potentially hit another 25+ bringing them both to approx. 65HR. I would imagine both of them with their current batting averages and ability to make things happen to rival Albert Wall's single season record of 74. We will follow this story as it unfolds as we wind down to the end of the season.

Inge signs contract extension!

2010-11-02T21:56:00.000-07:00

Cleveland signed Abraham Inge to a 3 year 34.5 mil deal! Inge is just 28 years old and has a good 6 or 7 years left in him. Cleveland and Inge have been going over this contract for a few weeks now and finally made it happen. Inge a lifetime .294 hitter has one of the highest on base percentages in the world continues to rack up an impressive Hall of Fame resume each season.

Mid-Season Power Rankings!

2010-10-28T01:48:00.000-07:00

Where are they now? Rookie of the Year winners!

2010-10-11T15:43:00.000-07:00

NL Season 1: Albert Wall - NL ROY has eclipsed the 500 HR mark! Wall also has the single season HR record of 74. Wall is a former 2 time NL MVP, 3 time HR Derby champ and 7 time All-Star
AL Season 1: Valerio Pizzaro - Pizzaro has hit the 400 HR mark and will probably end his career with around 500. Pizzaro 1 time HR Derby Champ and 3 time All-Star.

NL Season 2: Brett Raymond- in season 2 Raymond went 16-7 to win the NL ROY award.. Since then he's won no more than 14 games and hasn't had much of a career. Raymond is a 1 time All-Star and has 2 World Championship rings to his credit.
AL Season 2: Oswaldo Navarro- in 8 ML years Navarro has hit 40 HR's in 7 of them! Navarro has won a MVP award and 3 time All-Star.

NL Season 3: Les Cloud- Cloud has been part of the Louisville Franchise from day 1.One of the biggest threats in the ML, Cloud has accumulated 6 time All-Star, 1 time All-Star MVP , 1 time HR Derby Champ, and 4 World Championship rings.
AL Season 3: Abraham Inge- Inge started a little slow in his career after taking the ROY award home but he has made a nice transition since then. Inge has managed to become a 3 time All-Star and also has 1 World Championship ring to his credit.

NL Season 4: Lefty Moore- In his 6th ML season Moore has done a lot to cement his name into the Doubleday HOF. At 27 he's already hit 281 HR while being one of the most feared hitters in the NL. Moore has 1 MVP award and 3 All-Star appearances.
AL Season 4: Charlie Hitchcock- Hitchcock has to be one of the biggest disappointments to ever win the ROY award. In 155 starts he's only won 50 games...He has 1 All-Star appearance.

NL Season 5: Harry Bennett- Since his 18-9 performance in season 5, Bennett had 2 more consecutive 18 wins seasons. Even with the 2 18 wins seasons he only managed to be an All-Star 1 time.
AL Season 5: Rafael Seanez- Seanez had a great rookie season but hasn't even came close to that level of play since. Seanez managed to gather 2 Gold Gloves for RF since his ROY award win.

NL Season 6: Jamie Helton- Helton had a phenomenal rookie season and he hasn't really let up yet! Averaging 40hr/year and over .300ba. Helton has 1 All-Star appearance in his career.
AL Season 6: Kevin Strickland- 52 HR in his rookie season with Colorado. Strickland appeared to be a new threat. For 2 more seasons he hit pretty well over 30 hr per season then he was picked up by Kansas City..He hasn't had a full ML season since season 8. He is in AAA right now awaiting further instructions.Strickland has 1 All-Star appearance.

NL Season 7: Eduardo Gandarillas- 51-22 since his rookie year , Gandarillas is a very feared Pitcher. He hasn't been able to do well enough to garner an All-Star appearance.
AL Season 7: Branch Ryan- Ryan is a solid 1b/C and has averaged 27 HR per season. Much like his NL ROY partner he also hasn't garnered an All-Star appearance.

NL Season 8: Alex Shinjo- 100 HR and 200 RBI in his first 2 seasons, Shinjo is going to be a beast! Shinjo already an All-Star and has hit for the Cycle in his career.
AL Season 8: Fausto Vargas- 45 HR and 203 RBI in 2 seasons, Vargas is on his way to becoming a very good player! Vargas is already a 2 time All-Star.

NL Season 9: Trevor Arnold & Billy Herbert- Arnold hit over 30HR in his first season wh ile Herbert went 10-1. Both guys got exactly the same amount of votes. Arnold hasn't won any awards yet while Herbert has a World Championship ring.
AL Season 9: Erubiel Bournigal- All-Star and Golden Glove in his first season! Bournigal is going to have a very promising career.

Wall hits 500!!!!

2010-10-10T15:57:00.000-07:00

The night of October 9th Chicago played Charlotte.. Albert Wall had been in a big HR drought only hitting 2 Home runs in the previous 9 games. Wall closing in on his 500th HR for his career.. We all knew it would happen ... When was what everyone was asking. Well here we are and Francis Cortes was the lucky victim to give it up! With 1 out in the top of the 7th Albert Wall crushed 400ft blast to RF! Albert Wall is only the 2nd hitter in Doubleday History to achieve this milestone!

Corino Promoted!

2010-10-06T15:19:00.000-07:00

Memphis promoted season 6 #1 draft pick, SP Norm Corino to the ML roster on 10/4/2010. Corino started his first ML game on 10/5 against Helena where he gave up 10 hits and allowing 6 runs. Corino was scouted by many to be the best Pitcher to ever pitch in Doubleday History. At 22 years old he has a lot of time to improve but I can see him being a multi-time Cy Young winner in his career barring no other stud pitchers arrive and steal his spotlight.

Call the police we have some serious theft going on!

2010-10-04T20:58:00.000-07:00

Today we will begin watching not only the 500 career Home Run milestone get another member.. We will also begin watching 2 guys hit the 700 career Stolen Base milestone! Fonzie Puffer and William Webster both are within striking distance of hitting 700 really soon.. Puffer has 690 and Webster has 682! Both of them barring injury will hit 700 for the season. At their age they will likely be the first 2 for a while.. being that the closest active player is Neil Campbell with 549. Campbell is 29 so if he has some good seasons he will be the 3rd and possible to hit 800.

S10 AL Preview!

2010-09-29T00:36:00.000-07:00

The AL North is where I'll begin, last season all 4 teams finished with above 90 wins but only 3 of them made the playoffs. Seattle Pilots were good enough to squeak in with a wild card entry but they also managed to pull off the seemingly impossible AL Championship. They went down to Cleveland in the World Series however.. This off-season Seattle hasn't done much of anything but they didn't really need to anyway.. They are going to be a hard team to beat this season. Salt Lake City on the other hand signed former Montreal LF Mariano Manzanillo and Former Durham RF Damian Tamura off Free Agency this off-season. They lost SP Santayana and SP John Nakamura to Free Agency but replaced them with some younger guys out of their farm. Salt Lake City has always been a personal favorite of mine to win it all but this season I think they just might fall a bit short.

Montreal, the most active of the AL North teams.. Losing P's Becker, Reid and Espinoza to Free Agency, They went and traded RP Hayes along with DH Maurer, 3B Parent and RF Rodgers for a slew of Prospects. It appeared to be Fire Sale time in Montreal.. But low and behold the true strategy came out by Montreal trading most of the prospects they acquired for High end Starting pitching. They also managed to Sign former MVP CF O'Brien to a huge deal to bolster their already solid offense. Montreal will improve from last season greatly if the pitching they added really helps them out. Kansas City also didn't do much in the off-season in regards to Free Agent signing but they did promote young Pitcher Raul Calvo and Trey Krause to the ML team. Look for KC to have another great season led by some great young talent and last seasons Cy Young winner Eli Hernandez.

Seattle: 99-63
Kansas City: 98-64
Montreal: 96-66
Salt Lake City: 88-74

The AL EAST is up next, First team in the AL East I'd like to discuss is Norfolk.. They traded SP Robinson Dreifort and lost CF Albert O'Briend and C Taylor Person to Free Agency. They acquired 3B Alex Parent and C Rondell Wilson as for the only big names. They aren't really in trouble in that division but they are going to still have a fight against Baltimore.. Baltimore didn't do much this off-season but what they did was added depth to their pitching. Not an amazing rotation but they have a solid offense to take them to most likely a first place finish. Jacksonville lost several to Free Agency but managed to re-sign SP Odalis Vega, LF Otto Judd and SP Graham Langston. They have a pretty solid offense still led by Dan Hudler and Erv Hines two of the best hitters in the game. They could make a run at the division but I think they'll finish in 2nd. Last we have Philly...Philly has reduced their payroll and looks to be in rebuild mode. Philly ended last season with 60 wins giving them the 4th pick in this season's Amateur draft. This season will be no different for the Stars since they pretty much suck..

Baltimore: 85-77
Jacksonville: 83-79
Norfolk: 70-92
Philly: 61-101

AL SOUTH: Let's start off with the former World Series Champs, Montgomery... Montgomery is still intact from last season only losing a couple relatively decent players to Free Agency. They are still the top dog in the South from what I can see loaded on the offense with Webb and Maxwell... The only team I see even competing with them is Memphis.. They added SP Jimmie Paul to the Rotation as well as continuing their youth movement. Is this the season we see Corino come up? If so that boosts Memphis to an actual playoff contender in my opinion. If they don't they'll be running with Huntington and Durham fighting for 2nd place. Huntington has been trying hard to rid themselves of big contracts and attempting to find a Starting Pitcher or 5 to make them a worthy contender this season... They did manage to capture SP Gary Mann and Promoted young SP Fred Cooke.. Some say he should have kept Cooke in the minors another season but this could be a good season for Cooke. Durham is under new ownership this season and they traded away Beltran to start things off.. I think they were smart ditching high payroll players and I feel they are going to be in rebuild mode for a few seasons...

Montgomery: 95-67
Memphis: 81-81
Huntington: 75-87
Durham: 60-102

That leaves us with the AL WEST! Salem is the first team I'd like to talk about.. They looked good last season and they managed to pick up a couple Free Agents.. nothing special.. But they did promote 2B Sherm Spence to the ML roster which will help a lot. Not sure wtf the owner is thinking but he released a few players and signed one back.. The attempt to build up the bullpen may have been the strategy.. I just hope it works out for him.... Colorado, The signing of SS Vic Tejada and RF Chris Marte could be a huge advancement in this teams performance. Also trading for DH P.T. Maurer brings more power to the lineup .. Colorado's pitching has improved with the return of SP Niko Barry! Next up! Las Vegas....you have to respect what Badoujack has done with this team.. He took over this team that had probably the worst group of players in season 5 to bring them to close to a winning record in just 3 seasons.. Not a tank job by any means.. He played who he could get and just tried to build up.. led this season by 3B Neifi Espinosa and newly acquired SP Bernie Alvarez. Las Vegas is going to attempt a jump in win pct. Last on our predictions and discussion is Helena! Key additions 1B Ray Rigby and LF Willie Guapo.. Helena is still a good team and will be competitive this season.. Look for Robinson to have another MVP type year.

Salem: 88-74
Colorado: 80-82
Helena: 80-82
Las Vegas: 70-92

S10 Predictions!

2010-09-26T21:09:00.000-07:00

I'll start off with the NATIONAL LEAGUE... In the AL NORTH I think Cleveland will take the division only because the other 3 teams just haven't done enough to compete with them.. Detroit's Cain, Chong, Hurst threesome could be a huge help keeping the Detroit franchise close to Cleveland however I'm not sure if that will be enough. Chicago has Albert Wall.. So my order officially will be

Cleveland: 100-62
Detroit: 90-72
Chicago: 80-82
Portland: 62-100

Moving onto the NL EAST! With Washington D.C. moving to Hartford and signing mainly power type hitters for their offense.. Something has to be said about the lack of pitching.. Look for them to hit a ton of HR's but give up about 10 runs per game... Pittsburgh, one of the biggest disappointments to me last season.. They are the best team assembled in the National League yet they can't get to the World Series... 2 straight NLCS appearances and knocked out both times.. They will win the division again and maybe this time get to the World Series...Columbus will improve this season mainly because Hartford will probably suck real bad.. Same with Boston.. Boston is still figuring things out and moving up every season. This season they won't beat many teams but they will win around 60 games.

Pittsburgh: 110-52
Columbus: 72-90
Hartford: 70-92
Boston: 65-97

NL SOUTH is where it's at.. Austin will be the top team again with Shinjo leading them..Another disappointing team from last season. No major moves but they did lose a couple decent players during the offseason.. Look for them to still remain on top of the division... As I sit here I debate on the next teams motives or lack there of.. Louisville.. no moves going on in that organization for many seasons.. No real trade activity and no real Free Agent signings...Ted Mercedes retired this season but nothing else stands out. No IFA's and no trades have happened since season 6... Onto the next team, Monterrey! Monterrey is the home of Triple Crown winner Harold Burrell! Among many other top talent Burrell will lead the Monterrey team to a 2nd place finish this season.. Last but not least, Charlotte... Charlotte added some depth in the Bullpen but they still lack any real offensive power and they don't have much of a rotation. Still a work in progress and I am willing to bet they will improve.

Austin: 95-67
Monterrey: 90-72
Charlotte: 71-91
Louisville: 62-100

NL WEST is where I feel this seasons biggest surprise comes in... I think Tucson wins this division this season because of the very active free agent period among the trades made... Combine that with St. Louis having a fire sale this season and fixing to probably barely win 60 games it's only fitting other teams will get better.. Honolulu will remain a tough competitor all season especially with Jaime Helton playing awesome for them.. And that leaves me with Iowa City! Iowa City's slowly getting there... They have some pretty impressive ML talent but not yet a playoff team. Last season they only won 53 games.. This season I expect them to finish much better.

Tucson: 85-77
Honolulu: 82-80
Iowa City: 60-102
St. Louis: 55-107

Introducing Columbus Owner Nyaggie

2010-09-22T15:55:00.000-07:00

After helping Dubs go 50-112 in season 8 (as Triple A coach) I received a phone call from the GM of the Jets asking me if I would be interested in moving up to the big league and coach.After thinking about it for a couple weeks and evaluating the left over talent from the previous owner (rootgargle) I knew I would be starting from scratch but decided I was up for the challenge.My first big decision as head coach was trading for 2B Billy Neagle and he didn't disappoint hitting .310 and having 31HRs.

...As my first season progressed I knew it was going to be a lost cause so I traded as few ML talented players for some Minor Leaguers hoping to built up through them.

Then we had a good draft and brought in 3 future MLs (1B Andy Maduro, 3B Jerrod Harding and LF Josh Mock). After winning only 67 games in my first season I decided that it was time for a major change.So I let go a 5 players from last season’s team and bring up some of my younger talent that I felt was ready (mainly CF Benji Rios and 1B Robb Duvall) also bringing SP Vladimir James and Karim Bennett should help us win a few more games this season.

We are not talking playoffs this season, but anything less than a 10 game improvement will be a disappointment. Once all my young talent is ready to do their thing for the big league club everyone should watch out because that World Series trophy will be coming to Columbus.

Introducing Colorado Owner Ice_Rat

2010-09-21T21:19:00.000-07:00

Ten years ago a Russian investment firm led by Vladamir Eisratt, who made his fortune in Russia in potato futures , he purchased the Colorado Grizzlies.

Since then, inept management has led to season upon season of sub par teams. While the Colorado fans rally around and support their team, the obvious mismanagement of funds, questionable trades and lack of a cohesive strategy have forced some pundits to wonder if the organization is anything but and easy way for Eisratt and Co to launder money, because, it is obvious, there is no true commitment to winning.

More Free Agents sign!

2010-09-17T20:57:00.000-07:00

Charlotte makes a huge signing by acquiring RP Malachi Dalrymple! The 29yr old RP has great control and also great splits. He he has a 65-47 win-loss record and has posted 130 saves!

Jacksonville manages to get SP Graham Langston to re-sign with them! He agreed to 19.8mil over 3yrs. The team also added in a no trade clause to seal the trade. At 36 yrs old Langston will probably never play for another team.

Doubleday Awards- 10 seasons down, 10 more to go!

2010-09-16T21:53:00.000-07:00

Tom Highway
Doubleday Daily

Over the past 10 seasons we have witnessed many owners come and go.. We have had some fierce competitors and some not so fierce.. We've had people that love this world and we had people that didn't love it so much. Regardless of all that we are still here and have a lot of guys that's been here for a long time. I would like to induct 3 owners to the Doubleday Owner Hall of Fame.. I have sat down for 3 days now and thought about how I wanted to do this and I feel there is no real way to be fair by placing a vote being that everyone didn't have the opportunity to play with these guys.

First owner I'd like to induct is Rbedwell. Rbedwell was the owner of the Louisville Colonels (Now known as the Louisville Red Caps) and captured 5 World Series titles without doing much of anything. He was not a big trade person and he never tanked to get top picks.. He managed to compete every season and build pretty much from within.. Rbedwell left the world with a 613-359 (.631) record.

The next guy I'd like to induct is Keosawa... Keosawa was the owner of the Boston Beaneaters (now known as the Jacksonville Suns) Keosawa was controversial and had a lot to say in the blog chat. However as an owner he managed win his division 2 times and in those very seasons get to the World Series. He played only 4 seasons and ended with a record of 374-274 (.577). Keo was also a huge contributor to the blog.

Last I would like to induct Coonja76. Coonja was the owner of the Durham Tobacconists (now known as Boston Beaneaters) and managed to accumulate 3 division titles and a World Series Championship. Coonja was known for speaking his mind in the world chat. Coonja left Doubleday with a 423-225 (.653) record.

Love them or hate them.. These guys all were very competitive and dedicated to making their teams the best they could while they were here. They were the best of the best in Doubleday for many seasons.

I have a few other owners I'd like to give recognition to.

mele316:Even though you didn't win a championship you managed to take your team to 3 division titles and you proved you really were trying to get far.

Jt3: 6 seasons with us and we know you had to take a leave. Hopefully one day you'll come back and bring the fighting spirit you always brought.

Austinfan1: Sucks that you had to drop our world. You were one of the best owners we had and you were learning the game very well. The door is always open.

Huge Free Agent signings!!!

2010-09-16T17:44:00.000-07:00

Tucson hit a few big FA's this season so far.. They managed to sign former Colorado 1B Matt Quirarte for a 5 yr 35.5 mil contract, RP Blaine Stanton 4yr 28mil contract with 4mil signing bonus and LR/SP Luther Alexander 2yr 14.6mil contract!!

Biggest FA so far for Norfolk would be the signing of 1B Gary Mateo by offering him 18.6 mil total over 4yrs. Mateo refused to be traded so he demanded to have a no trade clause in which the team accepted.

Las Vegas signed Bernie Alvarez!! The former 100mil man Alvarez was reduced to a 2yr contract totaling 17mil with a 4 mil signing bonus. The 38yr old will need to prove himself this season however I think this is his last contract ever.

Pitcher John Nakamura signed a 2 yr 9.6 mil deal with no trade clause with the Boston Beaneaters.

Hartford signed Catcher Taylor Person to a 1yr 3.8mil contract. Persons bat can be a huge help in the already POWER stuffed offense.

Six time AL All Star CF Albert O'brien signed a 5 yr 92.5 mil contract with the Montreal Shamrocks today! O'brien has won the MVP award in his career and Montreal hopes that the 30yr old CF can bring some luck to an already solid offense.

Huntington signed 1B Elvis Brooks to a total 3 yr 14.4 mil contract! This should be good for Brooks giving him a starting role on a team still needing some major help to contend.

Helena signed CF Rex Scott to a 2 yr 13.8mil contract! Scott could add some defense to the team as well as an ok bat.

Available Free Agents

2010-09-15T21:00:00.000-07:00

1B B.J. Crane- 40hr 132 rbi and .274BA season 9
1B Matt Quirarte- 45hr 118 rbi and .311BA season 9
2B Clarence Vaughn- 29hr 93 rbi and .302BA season 9
SP Bernie Alvarez- 11-11, 162k's and 4.68 era season 9
RP Malachi Dalrymple- 8-6, 35SV and 4.50 era season 9
LR Tim Barnes- 6-5, 2SV and 2.59 era season 9
SP Graham Langston- 6-9, 119k's and 4.24 era season 9

Dreifort goes to Cleveland!

2010-09-15T20:08:00.000-07:00

It's official! Norfolk agreed to trade SP Dreifort to the World Series Champs! He will receive Eddie Garciaparra a RP prospect that dominate once he gets to the Majors. There were 2 other players included in the deal that will be named when the official trade is processed! Cleveland Also managed to upgrade the pitching staff again by trading for SP Pedro Beltran! Beltran is certainly going to be of help in what will probably be one of his final years in the world! Cleveland upgrades and gets tougher!

In other news Monterrey is putting CF Felipe Guerrero on the block in search of a younger CF. Guerrero is one of the best lead off hitters in Doubleday so we shall see just how much it takes to get him moved to another team!

2 HUGE DEALS!

2010-09-15T17:08:00.000-07:00

Montreal made 2 huge moves after they acquired several prospects 2 days ago.. They flipped the prospects they acquired for 2 very good Starting Pitchers from St. Louis! In an attempt to revive the team from last season Tomhighway appeared to be dumping salary like a madman! Dean Gardner and Steve Hollandsworth are both heading to Montreal pending league approval! In exchange St. Louis will get 6 prospects.. The 2 biggest names are Charley Mayberry and Diego Eusebio.

Huntington: Help wanted!

2010-09-15T17:04:00.000-07:00

Owner Pchez has requested that his bid for Starting Pitching is still out there. I'm not quite sure what he wants to do.. But right now he wants above average Starting Pitching! All must be ML level and quality!

Starting Pitching available!!

2010-09-15T14:21:00.000-07:00

Norfolk dropped a bombshell on the world last night by declaring SP Robinson Dreifort available for trade! Dreifort is a 3 time All-Star with a career win/loss total of 112-69. Dreifort will make any team significantly better. I hear there are a few probable locations he may end up. Montreal is the only team I know of that is interested in Dreifort. Nobody else is commenting...

St. Louis also announced a stud SP for trade! SP Dean Gardner is available! Gardner is only 1 of 2 stud SP's St. Louis is trying to deal away. Gardner has 2 All-Star appearances and a World Series championship to his credit. He has a career win/loss total of 75-56.

Detroit puts Harry Rodriguez on the block!

2010-09-13T07:12:00.000-07:00

Sources say that Detroit has placed Harry Rodriguez on the Trade Block. Rodriguez has the rest of this year and the following on his contract at 6.5mil. He hit .296 last season with 20HR and 70 RBI. He would be a good addition to a team trying to compete this season!

Season 9 MVP winners!

2010-09-12T23:42:00.000-07:00

Most Valuable Player is one of the most prestigious titles you can earn while playing any professional sport. It symbolizes greatness and also separates you from the rest. Some say that your price goes way up when you win this award.. That is exactly what has happened in Season 9. The 2 MVP award winners did just that.. Both of their stock has went way up and both of them deserved the award. First, The American League MVP Robert Robinson of the Helena Fruit Pickers. Robinson hit 40HRs (his best since season 4) and drove in 105 rbi's while batting .308. Helena didn't win the World Series and they didn't manage to even really impress anyone but he was the lone bright spot on the team. Without him they would've had a much more miserable season. The National League MVP however was VERY deserving of this award. Monterrey's Harold Burrell not only won this award due to his amazing numbers. He also won the Triple Crown award as well! Burrell ended the season with 68HR's, 161 rbi and a batting average of .345! Burrell led his team to their first ever playoff appearance and also secured himself a spot as one of the most dangerous hitters in the world. I am very sure this man will be the topic of trade talks for many seasons to come. I am also very sure Monterrey will never trade him.. But I also think there is a price for everyone.. This one would just be a very very steep price to pay!

Season 10 Begins! Some Rumors being tossed around!

2010-09-12T11:04:00.000-07:00

Season 9 World Series Champs have announced they are not willing to sign SP Joseph Park to a long term deal and have put him on the trading block. They also mentioned that both B.J. Crane and 3B Edgardo Mantalban are available as well! We could not reach anyone for comment regarding the rumors but I'd imagine B.J. Crane is not happy with the situation.

The former Scottsdale Franchise has now moved to St. Louis and has new ownership! Amerith has agreed to purchase the team and also managed to get the city of St. Louis to agree to accept some arrangement to move the team THIS season. Amerith has announced that team is willing to trade ANYONE on the team except RF Trevor Arnold.

Rootgargle has moved team to a new city.. And again has announced his firesale of the ML talent. He will not be dealing superstars Lefty Moore or Kurt Westmoreland.

New York Highlanders have been bought by a guy named Adreid and moved to Norfolk! Adreid has announced a few players available the most notable would be
SP Jimmie Paul.

Season 9 WORLD SERIES!!!

2010-09-01T17:53:00.000-07:00

At the start of Season 9 had anyone predicted a Seattle vs. Cleveland World Series people would've thought you were crazy... Long shots at best for the chance to play in the biggest series of either of their teams career finally came to reality tonight! Seattle finished 3rd in one of the hardest divisions in Doubleday History and Cleveland pulled off a Division title with one of the top records in Doubleday this season. This series is going to be one of the most competitive World Series we've had the opportunity to witness! Both young teams with plenty of pitching and offense. Cleveland's 1B B.J. Crane has been to the World Series and won a ring back in season 3 so he has some big game experience. Crane said "You just have to forget about this being one of the biggest games of your life.. You have to treat this like Spring Training or something.." Tune into the World Series to see the amazing results!

NLCS Preview

2010-08-29T20:50:00.000-07:00

Pittsburgh comes into the series as the #1 seed. Despite losing ace SP Mark Post they managed to have the best record in the National League. They acquired SP Pedro Bennett to help get them by. Bennett came in and went 14-4 with Pittsburgh to end the season with 18 wins. Pittsburgh also relied on Closer Christopher Matthews to win the close ones..

Cleveland comes to the series boasting one of the top offenses in the NL led by 2B Abraham Inge which stepped up his game this season and had one of the best seasons of his career. Also LF Kevin Colin with his .419 OBP was huge as he scored 113 times. Cleveland and Pittsburgh will be a very hard fought series and could go 7. Whoever wins this series has to be the favorite in the World Series.

ALCS Preview

2010-08-29T12:21:00.000-07:00

The battle to become the American League Champions is going to be a fierce one! During the regular season Kansas City and Seattle split the 10 games they played vs. each other. Kansas City has the upperhand having had a chance to rest guys before playing Seattle. Also they have Home field advantage. Seattle's relying on Season 5's 7th round pick SP Roger Hosmer and season 4's 2nd pick SS Lee Benjamin. But don't Kansas City is short on any top talent.. They will be hoping 2B Fausto Vargas and Season 1's #4 pick RF Al Gonzales will continue their regular season performances. Along with the pitching advantage, Kansas City could be on their way to the World Series!!!

A tale of Three Kings!

2010-08-24T18:23:00.000-07:00

Harold Burrell has become a king! He has managed to do what very few people have ever done! Burrell led the Majors in Home runs, RBI's and Batting Average. After the last game of the season Tom Highway, Doubleday Commissioner met him as he was heading off the field to shake his hand. Burrell never got cocky over this and it showed. He kept a steady pace all season long and never let up. He officially etched himself a spot in Doubleday History. He will for sure end his career as a Hall of Famer!

Playoff Predictions:

2010-08-23T23:29:00.000-07:00

AL DIVISIONAL

Baltimore vs. Salt Lake City

Prediction: Salt Lake City wins this series3-1

AL DIVISIONAL

Montgomery vs. Seattle

Prediction: Seattle wins this series 3-1

NL DIVISIONAL

Honolulu vs. Monterrey

Prediction: Monterrey wins this series 3-2

NL DIVISIONAL

Austin vs. Scottsdale

Prediction: Austin wins this series 3-0

Talk around the World!

2010-08-21T20:12:00.000-07:00

Tom Highway

Doubleday Daily

We are nearing the playoffs and some teams have already clinched a spot to the Season 9 post-season. Some are still in the middle of a dogfight.. The real question is who is your picks for the World Series this season? A few owners decided to chime in on the subject.

"Salt Lake City vs. Cleveland and Salt Lake City will take it in 6 games." Said Boston owner Camden!

"KC vs Clev with the heartbreak continuing for the city of cleveland. 2-0 series lead to fall 4-2." said Baltimore owner Devonjain

That is just a couple of the response I received. Others are being really quiet about this.. Some down right rude. Hopefully this opens up a little discussion.

Maxwell Press Conference

2010-08-19T15:39:00.000-07:00

Tom Highway: We’re here with Montgomery Bombers superstar Philip Maxwell. Philip tell me what you felt when you started closing in on 500 career Home Runs.

Maxwell: Well I must admit I felt a sense of entitlement. Being in a world where you’re the all-time Home Run leader, it’s a special feeling. As I got closer I felt the pressure. When 499 left the park I knew the next one would be hard to get. It’s a relief to know that monkey is off my back.

Tomhighway: Do you see yourself being the All-Time career Home Run leader for a long time?

Maxwell: It depends, I have a lot of time left. I may put the mark way out of anyone’s range. Hard to answer right now.

Tom Highway: Do you think you’ll stay in Montgomery until you retire?

Maxwell: That’s out of my hands, It all depends on what management has in store for me. I realize this is business, so I don’t get my hopes up. If I had my way I’d end my career as a Bomber. Only time will tell.

Tom Highway:: Come on Philip.. Can you tell me anything without having an open ended answer?

Maxwell: I take it one day at a time. I don’t put all my eggs into one basket. A bird in hand is worth two in the bush. Got any more clichés for me?

Tom Highway:: And I bet your car insurance is through Geico… Right?

Maxwell: I don’t drive , I have a limo driver to take me where I want to go. Next Question!!!

Tom Highway: Nice I only have an Escalade..

Mike Prince: Mr. Maxwell I have a question for you.

Maxwell:Yes, go ahead.

Mike Prince: What did you give the boy who caught the record setting ball?

Maxwell:: First of all I don’t interact with the fans. I have people do that for me. And from what I was told by one of my boys is that they got the ball relatively easy. I wasn’t told I had to give up anything. Wasn’t that nice?

Mike Prince: Are you planning on keeping it or donating it to the Hall of Fame?

Maxwell: Depends how I feel, not sure how I feel about it right now though. I’d like to stare at it for a little while longer. I plan on sleeping with it tonight, then after that we’ll see where things go.

Tom Highway:: Thank you Mr. Maxwell for your time.

Maxwell: No problem.

500 Home Runs!

2010-08-19T14:45:00.000-07:00

Tom Highway
Doubleday Daily

Montgomery, Alabama

It was hot August morning in Alabama.. Montgomery Bombers were taking on the Memphis Turtles, a game that had some mild importance for Montgomery. They are trying to secure a 1st round bye in the Playoffs in hopes to repeat their World Series performance from last season. With all the excitement of being the best in the division again they had another thing to look forward to.. Philip Maxwell hitting his 500th career Home Run... Maxwell would enter the game with 499HR career.. He had been Home Runless for 8 games and the season is nearing an end..

Maxwell would lead off the bottom of the 2nd where he would be facing one of the future bright spots for Memphis, Gerald Hammond. Hammond would toss a 92mph fast ball that missed for a ball with his first pitch..Obviously nervous Hammond would take another shot this time aiming high missing the strikezone completely! Maxwell would back out of the batter's box for a moment then step back in.. Up 2 balls with no strikes Maxwell was in the zone... You could see it in his eyes.. When Hammond threw the 3rd pitch Maxwell's eyes lit up and he hit the ball 475ft out left field! Number 500! As he rounded 3rd the rest of the team came out to meet him at home plate. The umpires called a "Time out" on the game so Maxwell could celebrate his accomplishment for a moment.

Maxwell retreated to the dugout where the team all continued to congratulate him.. After the game we talked to teammate Hoss Collins. "He's been the biggest asset our team has had over the time I've been here. We can't be happier for him and we're glad that he chose to re-sign with the team and stay on long term." Said Collins. Maxwell is scheduled to do an interview with us tomorrow night so stay tuned. We will bring you more from Montgomery when we do our playoff special in a week.

Milestone: Maxwell's House!!

2010-08-16T10:28:00.000-07:00

Montgomery, Alabama .. Home of arguably the best player in Doubleday history, Philip Maxwell. Maxwell began his career in Los Angeles (now Vancouver) where he played 18 games smashing 6 home runs and batting .323. He was then traded to San Jose(now Iowa City) where he played 94 games before being traded AGAIN to Boston(now Jacksonville). Maxwell's first season was very busy but while he was being tossed around he managed to hit 61HR with .325 batting avg. while also tallying 210 hits on the season a Doubleday his personal high mark. Maxwell again would be traded in season 2 to Montreal where he would go on to hit 64HR and hit .336 while being voted the AL MVP.

Not so shocking after all the times he'd been traded already Montreal would then trade him to Oakland. Before the season started Oakland traded him to Albuquerque(now Salem) where he would stay for 2 seasons totaling 111HR and hitting .310. Maxwell again would be traded about midway through season 5. This time to St. Louis(now Montgomery). Maxwell's first season in STL he would finish that season with 49 HR and less than .300 batting avg. Maxwell was asked how he felt about the trading and he said "I finally feel like I'm wanted here." The following season he'd go on and win the AL MVP for the 2nd time in his career after exploding with 63HR. Maxwell has been on a steady pace to reach the All-Time HR leader in both Doubleday and the "Real world". At just 27yrs old he managed to have 2 MVP awards a few All Star appearances and a record breaking pace to the top of Doubleday.

Season 7 would be different.. Maxwell struggled all season trying to hit the long ball...His batting avg. also declined from previous seasons and it looked like he was going to take a turn for the worse career wise. His personal life was in shambles after breaking up with his celebrity ex-girlfriend.. Maxwell wasn't himself at all.... After season 7 he checked himself into a psychologist for some evaluating... We didn't hear much from him over the course of the season 7-8 off season but when he returned in season 8 he was back to his old self. Season 8 he blasted 61HR and hit .338......Winning him another AL MVP award and taking Montgomery to the World Series and WINNING! Ending season 8 with career 445HR in the books he was told by owner Stiller to take a vacation and really think about the future. There were talks of a Maxwell trade but they never happened...

Maxwell took the advice and flew to Costa Rica for a week to clear his mind and think about his future with the team. When he came back he sat down with the owner and discussed his future and signed a new contract keeping him with the team through season 12 at 8.5mil a year...

Season 9 began and Maxwell started out pretty much on fire hitting 2HR in his first game but then he slowed down immediately. He hit only 3HR in the following 15 games.. Nobody was really noticing the struggle.. Maxwell managed to avoid press coverage but his owner seen what was going on. Again another discussion took place and Maxwell began some counselling sessions. Within a 10 game span Maxwell came out of his slump and started towards 500HR. The last couple weeks we've been tracking his progress and today he sits at 499 career homeruns.. Everyone knows he will get there but it's a matter of when and who it will be against. Will it be against Kansas City? Seattle? Or will this have to wait until they play Memphis.. Only time will tell. We will record in the history books the date he does hit his 500th and the pitcher that gave it up. So stay tuned!

Burrell: Potential Triple Crown!

2010-08-15T04:55:00.000-07:00

Monterrey is looking to crown one of it's best players in franchise history the teams single season HR, RBI, Batting Average leader. The ML is also possibly going to award Burrell the Triple Crown! After 137 games Burrell has 61HR (7 up from 2nd.), 149 RBI (7 up from 2nd.), and a .351 average (5 pts up on 2nd.). At this pace he could very well make a legit shot at this. Hopefully while this is going on Monterrey will make the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.

40/40 man!

2010-08-08T19:42:00.000-07:00

Alex Shinjo of Austin this season is closing on his 2nd consecutive 40/40 year! Last season he ended with 40HR and 41SB's.. This season he has 51HR and 38SB's with only 42 games to go. Shinjo can do it all! He seemingly is the best player in the NL I'm sure Harold Burrell would argue that with his league leading 52HR... This is going to be the battle for NL MVP all the way!

The injury bug loves Pittsburgh...

2010-08-06T04:47:00.000-07:00

This just in!! SP Mark Post is done for the season... Pittsburgh has already confirmed that Mark Post will be required to get shoulder surgery done. We all know how that goes.. This is just one of those injuries that makes everyone feel bad... Now a Doubleday great has fallen, someone we all thought would break more records. The odds of him coming back as successful is very slim. Mark Post.. Shoulder surgery out for at least 267 days.

Luke Busby's may be moving!

2010-08-03T18:45:00.000-07:00

Luke Busby could be finding a new home if Seattle can strike a deal worth getting rid of him. Busby has a career win/loss of 89/79. Busby has never made an All-Star team but could make a huge impact to any team contending for the playoffs.

Terrance Hurst: Doubleday's NOTEWORTHY Player!

2010-08-01T18:03:00.000-07:00

Terrance Hurst of the Detroit Wolverines hit for the Cycle today but that's not the first time this season he's been featured as having a noteworthy game. On 7/15 vs. Pittsburgh he drove in 7 runs and having a huge game going 5 for 5 with 2 hr's. Today Detroit played Portland where Hurst went 4 for 5. Hurst is a premier Outfielder and only looks to be improving! Congrats Hurst!

All Star Break Power Rankings

2010-07-29T20:47:00.000-07:00

63-28 record and easily one of the best offenses in the world. Leads the ML in RBI's. Also best pitching staff in the ML.

60- 31.... Top to bottom awesomeness....

One of the AL North Powerhouses tied for first in the Division. One of the top run scoring teams in the ML and 3rd best Pitching staff.

Defending Champions currently with a 52-39 record have the 2nd best Pitching in the ML. They also have guys named Ronald Webb and Philip Maxwell... Nuff said..

58-33 record.. however not topping any offense, pitching or fielding categories. Basing this off sheer talent in the organization.

The best team batting average, tied for the AL North division lead and 2nd in OBP. Pitching isn't terrible but not in the top 5. Consistency...

They have the tools to get the job done. They are a former Championship team from 2 seasons ago. They will not go out easily.

Leading Scottsdale in their division however I feel they are just slightly lower on talent and I don't think they will end the season on top. I could be wrong..

Highest OBP in the world, explosive offense but weak pitching. Bullpen's pretty strong and they are in a dogfight in the AL North.

At the bottom of the AL North but still a very strong team. Better pitching than Montreal but weaker offense. They will be keeping the division close the rest of the way out.

All Star Game Recap: Webb MVP!

2010-07-29T18:07:00.000-07:00

Tom Highway
Doubleday Daily

The All Star game is where a collective group of players come together to prove how great they are.... Not really, most of the time they goof off and just have fun. The Home Run derby is probably the most competitive time of the All Star break.. With that being said the AL defeated the NL 3-1 with some very convincing performances from Pitcher Virgil Hogan and DH Ronald Webb. Webb hit a Home run and drove in 2 while Hogan threw 2 innings striking out 3 and only giving up 1 hit and no runs. The NL on the other hand hit for a better average but only could manage to score the 1 run that was driven in by Monterrey's Harold Burrell. SP Damion Mitchell gave up all 3 runs making his No-Hitter this season just mildly memorable.

Team Spotlight: Salt Lake City

2010-07-26T17:12:00.000-07:00

The franchise began in Detroit in Season 1 where they went 61-101 under the management of pstrnutbag. In Season 1 they acquired Clarence Vaughn , Midre Castillo and Timothy Burks. All 3 of them have remained on the team and played very well over the last 7 seasons. The team moved in season 2 to Kansas City but only stayed for 1 season after going 73-89. Yet another owner in and out of the franchise. Omar Miranda was the 4th pick in season 2 and the only real bright spot of the season.

Season 3 is where things changed for the better. The team was bought by Carpediem33 and moved to Salt Lake City. He led them to a 1st place finish in the AL North. Season 3 was the year they drafted Al Rodriguez at the 12th spot in the first round... Season 4,5 and 6 the team didn't win the division but each season they seemed to get stronger. Season 7 they regained the top spot in the AL North winning 97 games and the DCS. Again in Season 8 they won 97 games to take the division title home but managed not to make it deep into the playoffs. Some say this season is the season SLC breaks the curse and gets to the World Series Championship. They just need to convince Seattle, Kansas City and Montreal that they are the best in the AL North first.

Iowa City signs the future!!!

2010-07-24T18:11:00.000-07:00

Tom Highway

Doubleday Daily

Iowa City, Iowa

Iowa City just signed a huge International Free Agent! Juan Rivera , future 3b/SS prospect agreed to a bonus of 30.6 million to join the Iowa City franchise. He is easily one of the best signings in Iowa City history.

Bob Lankford is a Monarch!!

2010-07-24T18:01:00.000-07:00

Bob Lankford is now on the Kansas City Monarchs! KC managed to strike a deal with Iowa City to land Lankford in exchange for Odalis Pujols , Miguel Valdes and Paul Clements. Lankford has had some terrible luck at the ML level but since coming to KC he's already 1-0 in his first game. Kansas City has lost possession of first place in the AL North so hopefully the addition of Lankford will get them back on track.

Hitting Streak!

2010-07-18T18:14:00.000-07:00

Mickey Waters of Vancouver has now hit safely in 21 straight games!! He's hitting .331 and has an OBP of .395 in 62 games. Waters is having a career year!

The Amateur Draft!!!! Number 1 pick and Best pick of the draft!

2010-07-18T13:38:00.000-07:00

PICK ONE: Darryl Robinson

Great defensive player but middle of the road offense. Robinson was in my opinion a let down at the #1 pick. Probably the worst #1 pick in history of Doubleday.

STEAL PICK: Charley Mayberry

The steal of the draft right here! This guy is going to be a great Long Relief pitcher! Great control/splits and pitches. Appears to take care of himself has potential to play at the ML Level and at a very high success rate.

Mitchell throws a no-hitter!

2010-07-18T12:54:00.000-07:00

On July 16th Damion Mitchell would start vs. Portland. What he didn't know is that his name would be etched into Doubleday History by being one of the very few people to throw 2 no-hitters in their career. His first was in season 6.. The other fun fact here is that he almost threw a perfect game! He gave up only 1 walk while striking out 5 in the 9 inning 4-0 victory. Mitchell hasn't been what you'd consider an MVP type pitcher but he certainly has had some good moments. Honolulu is 37-24 this season, 1st place in the NL West. Mitchell can say he's contributing now. Let's see how the rest of the season goes, maybe he can celebrate a division title on top of this huge accomplishment.

Roger Reynolds: Memphis Superstar!

2010-07-13T19:23:00.000-07:00

Roger Reynolds has proven just why the world was so stuck on Memphis keeping him. The big controversy surrounding Reynolds at the start of the season has become very clear to Memphis fans that they are very happy the team decided to keep Reynolds. Reynolds is hitting only .232 but Owner Dublinuf knows this will pay off! During the PM cycle on 7/13/10 Reynolds Hit for the cycle ! Crushing Seattle, a team that is very much built to win now. Reynolds will be an All-Star this season and in the hunt for a Silver Slugger award.

46 games in....

2010-07-12T22:01:00.000-07:00

Commissioner Tom Highway
Doubleday Daily

We are 46 games into season 9 of Doubleday and up until this point we've seen Jacksonville trade off 2 of their best Starting Pitchers. Vega to Cleveland and Pedro Bennett to Pittsburgh, with that we have also seen some surprises happen. Starting with the AL: Kansas City is leading the AL North , Baltimore leads the AL East , and Las Vegas and Colorado are above .500 still. Over in the NL: Detroit is in 2nd place in the NL North!!! Monterrey having the best start in franchise history only 1 game behind Austin in the AL South.

Player News:

KC's Al Gonzales leads the ML in RBI's with 62. He's 11 RBI ahead of the 2nd place player his teammate Benito Manzanillo.

Albert Wall of Chicago is leading the ML in Homeruns with 22.

William Webster leads the ML in Stolen Bases with 36 and has now 650 for his career. At 31yrs old he still has time to get 300 more so he could potentially be the first to touch 1,000.

Eli Hernandez of KC is 10-0!

Deivi Cairo of Baltimore is 13 of 13 saves and also has and ERA of 0.00!!

Junior Sanchez of Honolulu is tied with Mark Post of Pittsburgh for the ML lead in Strike outs with 65!

International Signings!

Seattle's Stud SP signing Ezdra Guillen already injured! Out with a sore elbow for a few more days.

Charlotte's IFA Sammy Fernandez had a pretty serious injury and was put on the 60 day DL. He won't be back for about another 44 days. Not a good way to start his career!

THE DRAFT IS COMING UP!!!!!

Just a little bit of time left before the Amateur Draft happens! Memphis has the #1 pick and Baltimore has 6 picks in the first round! This draft is critical for the following teams: Las Vegas, Portland, Colorado, Boston and Iowa City! Teams that probably won't benefit either way: Montreal , Montgomery , Jacksonville, and Washington D.C..

Cleveland still has a few bright spots!

2010-07-10T23:18:00.000-07:00

That's right, Cleveland may have lost Lebron James.. However they still have Kevin Colin!! Colin is hitting .350 with 13HR and 34 RBI in just 38 games. Cleveland has the best record in the ML at this point and he's not finished trying to acquire ML talent. Last we heard they were still searching for a good RP. The offense is a little off as a whole this season but they should turn that around and become even more devastating as the season goes on. Inge is bound to break out of his slump to help Colin take them to the playoffs!

The big bats of SLC!

2010-07-10T23:12:00.000-07:00

Leading the world in HR's , Batting Avg. , and OBP., SLC is on a role to start off the season. They are currently 26-14 and tied for the AL North lead. Heinie Vickers leads the team with a .350 BA in 140 AB's. SLC is also getting huge support from Jerome Ganzel which has gone 5-0 in just over 42 innings this season. The way things look now shows SLC is as good as they were last season.. Maybe better...

Jacksonville Gives up!

2010-07-09T20:33:00.000-07:00

Jacksonville Owner Tropicana basically said he gave up this season! He declared a firesale of all his Major league talent. Starting first SP Pedro Bennett, Bennett has very few accolades in his career but has managed to be very underrated over the last 8 seasons. Posting pretty good numbers as a #1/#2 SP in the organizations he's played for Bennett is going to make his new team much more frightening.

And that team is Pittsburgh! Pittsburgh has already made a huge trade about a week ago trading away Nolan Cain. But the addition of Bennett to add to their already star studded rotation was just enough to have the other owners in the division a little irritated. Jacksonville received 2 prospects and a ML level RF veteran in Derek Swan. Jacksonville released the next player on the block is Odalis Vega! Who will be the team to win this lottery?

Sven Hall going to Iowa City?

2010-07-09T20:26:00.000-07:00

HUGE TRADE MADE!!!

Seattle traded 21 yr old LR/RP Prospect Sven Hall to Iowa City for 27 yr old RP Aaron Jackson!! Seattle upgraded their Big League bullpen by adding former season 6 AL Fireman of the Year. While Iowa City gains some more youth in hopes of building a future contending team. Both owners were not available for comment!

DOUBLEDAY S10 ANNIVERSARY BASEBALL CARD!

2010-07-08T10:20:00.000-07:00