Season 9 First Round Amateur Draft Analysis

There didn't seem to many studs in year 9 for Puckett but here is the analysis on the first round. Emjoy!

1.) Wilkin Martin 3B LOU Grade: B+ Rating: 8.3
Good bat and makeup but pretty low durability. Can probably get about 500-520 AB's a year. Not good enough to play short but will be a good defensively at third base.

2 .) Apolo Crosby 2B SAL Grade: A- Rating: 8.8
5-tool player with great eye and speed. Probably has a lot of 30-30 seasons ahead of him as well as a few All-Star appearances. His one flaw is the low dur which will limit him to play only about 70% of the innings.

3.) Terry High RF SEA Grade: A Rating: 8.7
"High" indeed as Terry threatened to holdout unless Seattle ponied up 5 mil. Powerful switch-hitter who can hit both lefties and righties with great eye and decent speed. He'll be pretty much limited to COF but should make good use of his cannon in RF. Great durability and health.

4.) Dwight McGrady 2B JAK Grade: A- Rating: 8.6
Hasn't signed but if he does, Jackson will get a decent fielding 2B that projects to a 35-100-100 guy to go along with 30 steals. Good durability and health. Future All Star, nuff said.

5.) Benji Espinosa DH FLA Grade: C- Rating: 7.5
Benji's dreams of playing C will probably not pan out they way he thought they would as his PC will not get about 50 but he will make a good DH in the AL and hey he can switch-hit.

6 .) Spike Evans 3B SAL Grade: C- Rating: 7
Spike's overall is ridiculously inflated by his ultra-high dur. He doesn't do anything extremely good other than running so he will have a pretty average career. Should be happy to hit .270 and and also be happy if coach lets him play the hot corner.

7 .) Chris McKnight SP MON Grade: B+ Rating: 8.5
Our first P taken, Chris doesn't blow you right away with his ratings but he is well-rounded, durable and doesn't have any real flaws. Great velocity and will keep the ball in the ballpark with a good sinker. Will have a solid career and can probably expect a WHIP in the 1.3-1.4 range.

8.) Josh Gray SP VAN Grade: A- Rating: 8.6
Uber-control and great velocity, groundball and selection of pitches. Great makeup and young age should enable him to reach most of his ratings. Prediciton: 150 career wins.

9.) Johnnie Gilbert RF BUR Grade: B- Rating: 7.7 His great eye should curb some of his strikeouts he'll have due to his low contact but you can expect 30 HR and a solid .280+ avg year in year out from him. All while tracking down every flyball in RF and never getting himself thrown out on the base paths.

10.) Collin Castellanos SS DET Grade: D+ Rating: 7
Collin will work his magic with the glove but there'll be none of that at the plate. Although he has optimal contact and eye he will be limited by his effectiveness vs righties and power. He'll have an obp 100 points greater than his batting average. You can count on 162 games at SS though so DET will have an extra roster spot by not needing a backup.

11.) Jefferey Watson 2B LR Grade: D Rating: 7
Another case of a player not blowing you away with his ratings but he can play at the ML level. Will get on base more than the average bear but he doesn't really have a set-place in the field. 2B might be a stretch with that glove.

12.) Maverick Roosevelt RF RIC Grade: C Rating: 7
See Johnnie Gilbert pick 9 without the range and a few less homers.

13.) Alvin Sanders 2B MIN Grade: B- Rating: 7.5
Slick fielding second baseman who has a pretty good bat. Potential allstar. Get used to 35 HR and to get on base at a .370 clip. Question is how good of a career can a guy have when his health rating is hovering around the freezing point?

14.) Hasn't signed and cant see

15 .) Ernie Dubler LF TUC Grade: B+ Rating: 8.3
Time will tell if Ernie "Doubler" can play LF, if not then his value will drop a little but he will still have a solid career. Will probably have a career .320+ average, .400+ obp which is HOF'esque but will max out at about 20 HR a year. Great all around hitter who can spray the ball around and get on base a lot and rake vs righties.

16.) Carlton Whiteside C D.C. Grade: B- Rating: 7.5
Good all around hitter who can go to the opposite field with some power. Is not a defensive guru but is capable of being the everyday C with his durability.

17.) Allen Kinney SP SYR Grade: B+ Rating: 7.9
Solid future No. 3. Can throw the heat but is prone to give up the long ball. Decent control an splits to go along with 5 pitches should enable him to have a long career. Good change-up, curve and slider but dur is on the low side.

18.) Dan Baker SP N.O. Grade: B Rating: 7.7
Very durable P with a good mix of pitches and perfect control. With his Zito-like velocity he won't get many K's.

19 .) Rudy Fassero SP T.B. Grade: C+ Rating: 7
Psuedo-SP with that low stamina but which a dur proj over 30 he could very well be a 90-100 pitch guy and get you about 170 innings a year. Semi-low control and pitch quality will hurt but the above avg splits will curb the OAV. Can hit 3 figures on the radar gun and reach most of his proj with his great makeup. Low health hurts though.

20.) Pablo Liriano SP WIC Grade: A Rating: 8.5
Well rounded SP project 150 wins off the bat. Very durable guy who can get both L and R handed hitters out. Pairs a wicked slider with a nasty forkball. Low proj overall rating will make this guy a great value in the payroll dept. Someone of a risk to getting injured but still a keeper.

21.) Phil Barkley 2B HEL Grade: B Rating: 7.6
Prototypical second basemen with a good bat. Looks like a 25-100 guy who can get you 20 steals too. He will be good when he is healthy.

22.) Kevin Derosa SP CHA Grade: B- Rating: 7.3
Looks like a No. 4 SP at best. He can throw some heat and keep the ball on the ground and in the ballpark with a great sinker and good cutter. With average splits and low control he might get touched a little due to his shortage in pitches.

23.) Aramis Esposito SP WIC Grade B+ Rating: 7.9
Talk about a roller coaster of ratings when it comes to Aramis. He blows you with his awsome splits and good pitches. Looks good until you see his health, control, groundball ration and durability. The former is the important thing and the latter can be worked on with him playing at un-homer friendly Wichita.

24.) Shaggy Christopher LR TOL Grade: D Rating: 6
More of a long-relief type than starter. Has great control and 5 pitches witch will ensure him a place at the ML level. Will be good versus lefties but righties might get the better of him.

25 .) John Monroe SS NY Grade: C- Rating: 7
Will be great defensively and pretty average at the plate. His great eye will help him get on base and the team will save a roster spot at the ML level with not needing a backup SS. High overall rating will probably command a higher salary which in this case is not really worth paying in the future.

26.) Auerlio Encarnacion SP SLC Grade: D Rating: 7
Great control and good vs righties but that’s about it for Aurelio. He does have 5 pitches but none of them standout. Not sure if he can have a long career as an effective starter. Jury will be out until then.

27.) Elston Sweeney RF CHA Grade: F Rating: 6
Red herring of the draft up until i saw th next pick. He can play the infield so at best he can be a COF. If his batting skills were converted to ice cream flavor, it'd be vanilla. With him not having anything special at the plate or in the field, I doubt this guy can contribute regularly at the ML level.

28.) Sam Morton SS TAC Grade: F Rating: 5
Red herring of the draft. Will be great defensively but his bat is not good enough to have in the lineup everyday so he will be delegated to backup the SS who can hit. Atleast he's patient at the plate.

29.) Greg Jackson C STL Grade: A+ Rating: 8.4
Great hitting catcher who is not a liability calling the game. Future AllStar who will get on base at close to a .450 rate. Semi low durability but with a bat like that, this guy is a keeper. Steal of the draft.

30.) Charlie Pavlik SS SJ Grade: D- Rating: 6.5
Will be a defensive wizard but will have trouble staying off the DL. Below average bat so he will be a liability in the everyday lineup. Bacup material.

31.) Cant See and hasn't signed

32.) Calvin Yang SP DUR Grade: B- Rating: 7.7
Low control will eat away at his pitches and is good vs L and decent vs R. 5 pitches with 4 of them being above average will help out. Risk of being injured and low durability but hey at 32 you can't ask much. Good value with low overall.

33.) Clinton Fischer CP COL Grade: B- Rating: 7.6
The first relief pitcher taken in the draft. Great control and good combo of stam and dur will enable Clinton to be be used as a steup man instead of just a closer. Everyday SU-A type than will give you 120+ quality innings out of the pen.

Up Close with Colorado GM Thorku

Its been a long time coming but we finally caught up with 4 time Puckett champ GM thorku.

1.) How did you discover HBD?
**I follow a Twins blog written by Aaron Gleeman. A few years back, he advertised a league he was starting.

2.) If you could have one player to your team in Puckett what player would that be?
***Alan Thompson, San Juan’s first baseman. In this league, with my park, I have become a sucker for big-time power hitters. Always wanted to see Thompson in Coors, surrounded by some of the other elite batters I have been able to acquire. I have been in negotiations for Thompson in the past but the asking price has been too high.

3.) You've pretty much owned the AL since the start. With that said which team would you least like to face in the playoffs?
***Jacksonville knocked me out of the playoffs a few years ago. I don’t like seeing them. I usually have good success against Tacoma, but that team, fundamentally, is a bad matchup for me with the pitching talent and the ballpark.
I don’t often have to worry about them, being in the other league, but Durham and San Juan are monsters. Every year in the playoffs I hope they are knocked out prior to the World Series.

4.) KU grad? Meet any NBA players that attended KU? You guys stole Bill Self from us!
***I am a journalism school grad of 2008. Two years ago I was in a “Coaching Basketball” class with some prominent members of the championship team, including Darrell Arthur, Sherron Collins and Russell Robinson. I was also a columnist for the school paper and interviewed Collins in that capacity.

5.) Who's your favorite all-time Twin?
***I actually can’t pinpoint that. I love several guys, all of whom are highly predictable: Torii Hunter, Johan Santana, Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau, etc. I couldn’t pick my favorite.

6.) Will Joe Mauer win the batting title?
***Not this year.

7.) Whats your best sports moment? Best in-person sports moment?
***I wasn’t much of an athlete. I played high school football, but was a 6’1’’, 190 pound offensive guard. I sucked at baseball and basketball.
***I was at the Final Four in San Antonio in 2008 when the Jayhawks won the title. Gives me goose bumps every time I think about it. We partied on the River Walk until they kicked us out around 4 AM.

8.) If you could sit at a poker table with 3 other people who would they be?
***Phil Hellmuth, Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley. I think Hellmuth is ridiculously entertaining – especially when needled – so I’d be OK with donking money off to him. Jordan and Barkley would be entertaining as well but appear irresponsible enough with their money that perhaps I could end my night with more money than I came with.

9.) What do you do in your spare time when you're not running your HBD teams?
***I am starting grad school -- in the non-fiction writing program – at the University of Iowa later this month. I moved to Iowa City last weekend. So I will be going to school and teaching Rhetoric to freshmen.
I also write for Rotoworld.com. I have a weekly column, do news updates and do some stuff with their premium content.

10.) If you can add/change one thing about HBD, what would it be and why?
***Lots of stuff. One big thing for me is that I would like players out of options who are in the minor leagues placed on the waiver wire at the end of every Spring Training. I hate how this oversight allows some teams to hoard talent at the top levels of their minor leagues.

State of Puckett & Franchise Records

Well we're 7 seasons into Puckett and this is how we breakdown. There are 8 original owners(4 in each league). Two have been here 7 seasons, 4 with 6, 3 with 5, 3 with 4 and 5 with 3. Only 19 of the 32 teams have won a Division title. Seven teams have not tasted the post-season. That includes New York, L.R., Burlington, T.B., Detroit, Albuquerque and Houston. Only 3 have WS titles with Colorado claiming 4 of those along with 6 of 7 ALCS. Durham has 3 straight NLCS and 2 WS. Colorado and Hartord(now Pawtucket) are the only teams not to ever miss the playoffs. Charlotte and Durham have 6 trips along with 6 Division titles.

Through Season 7

PL = Average Place
PS = Post-Season
O = Unique Owners
PVS = Previous Year

RANK	TEAM	W	L	%	PL	PS W	PS L	PS W %	DIV	PS	LCS	WS	O	Pvs
1.	Colorado Chupacabras	854	280	.753	1	66	27	.710	7	7	6	4	1	1
2.	Durham Tobacco Leafs	703	431	.620	1.14	40	25	.615	6	6	3	2	1	3
3.	Pawtucket Patriots	699	435	.616	1.29	19	25	.432	5	7	0		1	2
4.	San Juan La Ciudad...	669	465	.590	2	25	19	.568	2	5	0		1	6
5.	Charlotte Flight	665	469	.586	1.43	19	25	.432	7	7	0		2	4
6.	El Paso Cheladas	640	494	.564	2	4	15	.211	1	5	0		1	7
7.	Louisville Long Sox	637	497	.562	2	6	17	.261	2	5	0		4	5
8.	N.O. Bayou	617	517	.544	1.71	12	13	.480	3	4	0		1	9
9.	Montreal Armored Saints	610	524	.538	1.57	32	27	.542	5	5	2		3	8
10.	Tacoma Sleestaks	607	527	.535	1.71	12	18	.400	3	5	0		3	10
11.	Richmond Spiders	603	531	.532	3	1	6	.143	0	2	0		2	11
12.	Jacksonville Coasters	589	545	.519	2.43	14	16	.467	2	3	1		4	14
13.	Salt Lake City Buzz	585	549	.516	1.86	4	15	.211	3	5	0		1	12
14.	Minnesota 34's	569	565	.502	2.57	9	11	.450	2	2	0		3	15
15.	Tucson Tumbleweeds	565	569	.502	2	5	7	.417	0	2	0		3	13
16.	STL Champ. Vinyl	564	570	.497	2.67	5	7	.417	0	2	0		5	16
17.	Toledo Mud Hens	545	589	.481	2.29	4	7	.364	2	2	0		1	19
18.	Kansas City Crushers	542	592	.478	2.14	15	11	.577	3	3	1	1	4	17
19.	Burlington Americans	520	614	.459	3.71								4	20
20.	Salem Menthols	518	616	.459	3	14	11	.560	1	2	1		3	18
21.	Little Rock Pigstickers	513	621	.452	3								2	21
22.	Columbus Crew	510	624	.450	2.14	3	4	.429-	1	1			3	22
23.	Tampa Bay Peninsula	510	624	.450	3								3	24
24.	D.C. Tyrants	506	628	.446	2.71	4	4	.500-		1			3	25
25.	Detroit Lugnuts	492	642	.434	2.86								5	28
26.	Norfolk Nigthingales	490	644	.432	2.43	1	3	.250-	1	1			5	23
27.	Syracuse Syllogists	484	650	.427	3.0	3	4	.429	1	1			2	29
28.	Albuquerque Aztecs	484	650	.427	3								4	27
29.	Helena Hitmen	474	660	.418	3.57	2	3	.400	0	1			3	31
30.	Florida Jackets	474	660	.418	3	3	4	.429	1	1			4	26
31.	New York Cyclones	467	667	.412	3.43								1	30
32.	Houston Hot Shots	441	693	.389	3.86								4	32

All Time Individual Records

*Through Season 7

BATTING

RANK	Player	TEAM	Avg.
1.	Evan Nicholas	COL	.368
2.	Jorge Garza	COL	.360
3.	Garrett Hutton	DUR	.352
4.	Sean Stowers	HAR	.345
5.	Jimmie Sherman	COL	.344
Season	Jorge Garza	COL(s4)	.402

OPS

RANK	Player	TEAM	OPS
1.	Jorge Garza	COL	1.156
2.	Jimmie Sherman	COL	1.139
3.	Fausto Cueto	HAR/COL	1.137
4.	Jared Munoz	COL	1.107
5.	Evan Nicholas	COL	1.099
Season	Jorge Garza	COL(s4)	1.316

OBP

RANK	Player	TEAM	OBP
1.	Evan Nicholas	COL	.443
2.	Richard Shinjo	SLC	.431
3.	Jorge Garza	COL	.428
4.	Bubba Anatonelli	SLC	.425
5.	Jimmie Sherman	COL	.424
Season	Richard Shinjo	SLC(s3)	.471

HR

RANK	Player	TEAM	HR
1.	Jimmy Sherman	COL	459
2.	Fausto Cueto	COL	404
3.	Jared Munoz	COL	378
4.	Santiago Moreno	DUR	372
5.	Jerry Blake	HAR	367
Season	Jared Munoz	COL(s4)	76

RBI

RANK	Player	TEAM	RBI
1.	Jimmy Sherman	COL	1,127
2.	Jerry Blake	HAR	1,078
3.	Carlos Andujar	DUR	1,030
4.	Fausto Cueto	HAR/COL	1,005
5.	Alan Thompson	LV/SJ	970
Season	Jerry Blake	HAR(s4)	197

Runs Created

RANK	Player	TEAM	RC
1.	Jimmy Sherman	COL	1,233
2.	Fausto Cueto	HAR/COL	1,164
3.	Stu Byrdak	COL/LOU	1,117
4.	Jerry Blake	HAR	1,105
5.	Carlos Andujar	DUR	1,086
Season	Jorge Garza	COL(s4)	225.04

Hits

RANK	Player	TEAM	Hits
1.	Harry Alfonseca	RIC	1,501
2.	Jimmie Sherman	COL	1,481
3.	Jerry Blake	HAR	1,431
4.	Santiago Perez	HOU	1,409
5.	Carlos Andujar	DUR	1,381
Season	Harry Alfonseca	RIC(s3)	234

SB

RANK	Player	TEAM	SB
1.	Adam Crespo	SJ	714
2.	Enos Rivera	SAL	430
3.	Bruce Stanley	EP/SJ	370
4.	Kevin Shaw	NFK	339
5.	Dave Stroud	NY	337
Season	Adam Crespo	SJ(s3,4)	125

Hitting Streak

RANK	Player	TEAM	Hitting Streak
1.	Garrett Hutton	HOU(s1)	32
2.	Max Molina	LR(s7)	31
3.	Vinny Roosevelt	JACK(s1)	30
4.	Wiki Castillo	TB(s4)	29
5.	Alex Rodriguez	TEX(s6)	29

GIDP

RANK	Player	TEAM	GIDP
1.	Jimmie Sherman	COL	216
2.	Jerry Blake	HAR	201
3.	Pete Morton	MIN	189
4.	Domingo Ortiz	MIN	181
5.	Ivan Guerrero	MON	181
Season	Jimme Sherman	COL(s2)	41
Season	Bubba Anatonelli	SLC(s2)	41

BB

RANK	Player	TEAM	BB
1.	Bubba Anatonelli	SLC	656
2.	Richard Shinjo	SLC	646
3.	Alan Thompson	LV/SJ	621
4.	Jery Blake	HAR	621
5.	Samuel Luke	CHA	616
Season	Alan Thompson	SAL(s3)	121

Doubles

RANK	Player	TEAM	Doubles
1.	Samuel Luke	CHA	305
2.	Carlos Andujar	DUR	298
3.	Nash Kirby	MON	288
4.	Damaso Mesa	HAR	277
5.	Harry Alfonseca	RIC	275
Season	Les Ramirez	JACK(s1)	56

K's Worst

RANK	Player	TEAM	K's
1.	Khoury Kelly	TAC	974
2.	Ebenezer Spivey	RIC	897
3.	Jose Palmiero	TEX	865
4.	Greg Glynn	HAR	796
5.	Steven Long	STL	777
Season	Rolando Pineda	TOL(s4)	197

HBP

RANK	Player	TEAM	HBP
1.	Johnny Padgett	HAR	94
2.	Rico Pena	COL	93
3.	Harry Montero	TB	89
4.	Santiago Perez	NFK	89
5.	Damaso Mesa	HAR	82
Season	Johnny Padgett	HAR(s7)	30

PITCHINGWINS

RANK	Player	TEAM	WINS
1.	Luis Bocachica	COL	143
2.	Dick Jodie	COL	131
3.	Poseidon Cooper	TAC	128
4.	John Dresden	DUR	113
5.	Victor Manzanillo	COL	110
Season	Dick Jodie	COL(s1)	30

ERA

RANK	Player	TEAM	ERA
1.	Luis Bocachica	COL	2.49
2.	Dick Jodie	COL	2.82
3.	Craig Duncan	STL	3.27
4.	Poseidon Cooper	TAC	3.28
5.	Erik Field	EP/DUR	3.48
Season	Luis Bocachica	HAR(s2)	1.78

K's

RANK	Player	TEAM	K's
1.	A.K. Kreuger	SJ	1,273
2.	Harry Flores	TAC	1,206
3.	Luis Bocachica	COL	1,184
4.	Antonio Cashman	SJ	1,147
5.	Craig Duncan	STL	1,137
Season	Bob Purcell	SAL(s2)	235

WHIP

RANK	Player	TEAM	WHIP
1.	Luis Bocachica	COL	1.04
2.	Dick Jodie	COL	1.10
3.	Poseidon Cooper	TAC	1.12
4.	Craig Duncan	STL	1.16
5.	Erik Field	EP/DUR	1.17
Season	Luis Bocachica	NB(s2)	.87

SAVES

RANK	Player	TEAM	Saves
1.	Diego Campos	TEX	279
2.	Russell Harper	TAC	257
3.	Dewey Tucker	COL	241
4.	Tsuyoshi Dong	RIC	241
5.	Greg Foster	D.C.	229
Season	Howard Wainhouse	ELP(s1)	49

Winning % (75 Decisions)

RANK	Player	TEAM	W %
1.	Dick Jodie	COL	.910
2.	Luis Bocachica	COL	.872
3.	Victor Manzanillo	COL	.797
4.	Livan Diaz	HAR	.745
5.	F.P. Gilmore	COL	.730
Season	Dick Jodie	COL(s3)	1.000

CG

RANK	Player	TEAM	CG
1.	Kevin Lee	SC	37
2.	John Dresden	DUR	30
3.	A.J. Kreuger	SJ	29
4.	Al Tejera	SLC	28
5.	Alberto Guevara	HAR	28
Season	Kevin Lee	NY1(s1)	12

OAV

RANK	Player	TEAM	OAV
1.	Luis Bocachica	COL	.216
2.	Craig Duncan	STL	.223
3.	Cody O'Toole	CHA	.231
4.	Albert Guevara	HAR	.235
5.	Dick Jodie	COL	.235
Season	Luis Bocachica	HAR(s2)	.189

SHO

RANK	Player	TEAM	SHO
1.	Kevin Lee	SC	9
2.	John Dresden	DUR	8
3.	Al Tejera	SLC	8
2.	Dick Jodie	COL	7
3.	Enrique Castro	MON	7
Season	Dick Jodie	COL(s1)	4

Innings Pitched

RANK	Player	TEAM	IP
1.	Kevin Lee	SC	1,607
2.	A.J. Kreuger	SJ	1,590
3.	Delanor Cook	SJ	1,568
4.	Morgan Meyer	D.C.	1,556
5.	John Dresden	DUR	1,541
Season	Bob Purcell	SAL(s2)	303

LOSSES

RANK	Player	TEAM	Loss
1.	Benny Sanchez	STL	109
2.	Kevin Lee	STL	103
3.	Enrique Castro	MON	99
4.	Felipe Velazquez	BUR	99
5.	Jerry Hull	HOU	91
Season	Felipe Velazquez	BUR(s1)	29

QUALITY STARTS

RANK	Player	TEAM	QS
1.	Poseidon Cooper	TAC	160
2.	A.J. Krueger	SJ	140
3.	Craig Duncan	STL	138
4.	John Dresden	DUR	134
5.	Alexander Shaw	DUR	133
Season	Dick Jodie	COL(s1)	30

FIELDINGDP by SS

RANK	Player	TEAM	DP
1.	Red Blackley	ROC/MIN	742
2.	Santiago Perez	HOU	611
3.	Dallas Butler	VC/SJ	589
4.	Felipe Aguilera	JACK	576
5.	Cristian Suzuki	NFK	534
Season	Eddie Coveleski	SJO(s3)	145

DP by 2B

RANK	Player		TEAM	DP
1.	Pete Manning		SLC	726
2.	Greg Glynn		FA	700
3.	Bill Burke		MON	582
4.	R.J. Urbina		HOU	554
5.	Chad Leary		SJ	527
Season	Pete Manning		SLC(s3)	131

Up Close with El Paso GM jbatt

I recently got a chance to sit down with founder member jbatt from the El Paso Cheladas.


1.) How did you end up getting into HBD? Also, are you into any other fantasy sports?

stumbled in here after a a few seasons of Hoops Dynasty. Fantasy Football is my love however, and this fall will be the 12th season of my local league for which i am the founder and commish.


2.) You've tasted the post-season 75% of the time in your 20 seasons. What do you think has prevented you from advancing deep into the playoffs and when will the Cheladas return to the post-season?

one word. depth. my teams always seem to be lacking in depth and we struggle to keep players rested. the Cheladas
are still on the edge of the wild-card race despite re-tooling and rebuilding. one or two quality free-agents in the off-season, along with the development of some younsters, and we'll be back in the hunt for good next season!


3.) What's the most important part of a team to you? The power bats? Starting rotation? Strong bullpen? Speed & defense?

pitching. only blessed with a few decent starters but a great bullpen is critical to the success of the Cheladas.


4.) Colorado resident? Bronco fan? If so, what do you think about the cutler trade?

just live 10 minutes from Mile High, and yes, Bronco fan indeed. the cutler trade was dynamite and coach kid will look like a genious in a few short seasons. we needed the extra picks and we had a wonderful draft. believe we even still have an extra pick in '10 from the cutler deal too. orton can manage the game for coach kid just fine. cliche, but it will work in the short-term.


5.) What do you do in your spare time when you're not running your HBD teams?

raising a 2yr old son, 9 yr old daughter and a 10yr old daughter while managing a fine wine shop in denver. wifey takes the rest of my time.....


6.) Who's your favorite football player and why?

went to high school, in the mid 80's, near the Pontiac Silverdome...witnessed many, many games watching #20 run with class up and down the turf. Barry Sanders will never be duplicated and such a class-act.



7.) If you could sit at a poker table with 3 other people who would they be?

Chris 'Jesus' Ferguson, Barack Obama and my dad....

wierd answer, huh....but great question!


8.) If you can add/change one thing about HBD, what would it be and why?

would someday love to see the element of creating a franchise, or brand, that would benefit from it's own success. a perenial favorite, like the BoSox or Yanks, benefits from increased attendance, greater merchandise sales, greater concession proceeds and such. the increased revenue benefits those clubs, obviously. perhaps HBD will incorporate the business aspects of the GM duties someday.

Puckett Season 7 Top 50 Prospects

Puckett Inaugural Top 50 List

There is some pretty good starting pitching not too far away from reaching the show. Starting pitchers gobbled up 21 of the 51 spots on the list with another 8 being RP/CL types. Outfielders were the most prevelent position with 8 of them followed by second basemen and shortstops with 4 each. Anaheim and Houston claimed the most slots with 4 each. NY, Durham and Albuquerque each came in with 3. In my eyes Ried Timlin is second to none, Palaez might be the highest rated pitcher there ever was but his inability to keep the ball in the park hinders him. Tampa Bay has two great young players in Pinzon and worley. If a player had health issues his rating dropped.

Level Breakdown:
ML - 11
AAA - 15
AA - 18
HIA - 6
LOA - 1

POS Breakdown:
SP- 21
RP/CL - 8
OF - 8
SS - 4
2B - 4
C - 3
1B - 2
3B - 1

RANK	PLAYER	FRA	POS	LEVEL	RATING
1.	Ried Timlin	HOU	SP	HI-A	9.7
2.	Albert Palaez	SP	ML	TAC	9.6
3.	Jason Purcell	SYR	OF	ML	9.55
4.	Valerio Cruz	COL	SP	ML	9.4
5.	Jumbo Almanza	CIN	SP	AAA	9.35
6.	Michael Knight	ALQ	SP	HI-A	9.25
7.	Peter Yang	FLA	SP	LO-A	9.15
8.	Roy Price	NY	CP	AAA	9.1
9.	Heath Worley	TB	2B	AA	9.05
10.	Andy Hardy	SJU	SP	AAA	9.0
11.	Matty Rojas	ELP	OF	AA	8.95
12.	Teddy Ward	DUR	SP	ML	8.9
13.	Pedro Pinzon	TB	LF	ML	8.9
14.	Mike Finley	MIN	2B	AA	8.85
15.	Alex James	TOL	SP	AAA	8.8
16.	Alfredo Blanco	NY	SP	AA	8.8
17.	Ross Wolcott	SJU	C	HI-A	8.75
18.	Chick Lieberthal	HEL	SP	AA	8.7
19.	Carlton Lawrence	HOU	SS	AAA	8.7
20.	Julio Gabriel	TUC	SP	AAA	8.7
21.	Nash Penny	ALQ	SS	AAA	8.65
22.	Sammy Ramirez	SLC	SP	AAA	8.65
23.	Al Rucker	COL	1B	ML	8.65
24.	Theodore Smith	MIN	SP	AA	8.6
25.	Happy Mitchell	ANA	1B	ML	8.6
26.	Al James	DUR	SP	ML	8.55
27.	Enrique Santana	BUR	CP	ML	8.55
28.	Norm Garcia	HEL	SP	AA	8.55
29.	Sergio Busby	TOL	LF	HI-A	8.5
30.	Neil Edwards	SJ	SP	AAA	8.5
31.	Benny Aybar	JACK	CP	AAA	8.5
32.	Ismael Amaro	ANA	SP	ML	8.5
33.	Humberto Reynosa	SYR	C	AA	8.5
34.	Hulk Powell	NY	RF	ML	8.45
35.	Adrian Kotsay	ALQ	CP	AAA	8.45
36.	Pete Peterson	PIT	C	HI-A	8.4
37.	Hank Finnessey	L.R.	RF	AA	8.4
38.	Jordan Biddle	ANA	RF	AAA	8.4
39.	Scotter Scott	HOU	RF	AAA	8.35
40.	Pep Nicholson	CIN	SS	AAA	8.35
41.	Geoff Ankiel	N.O.	RP	AA	8.35
42.	Michael McCarty	ANA	SP	AAA	8.3
43.	Willis Gwynn	HOU	SP	AA	8.3
44.	Aurelio Nunez	K.C.	2B	HI-A	8.3
45.	Diego Lee	DUR	CP	AAA	8.3
46.	Jason Walls	K.C.	CP	AA	8.25
47.	Randall Farr	PIT	SS	AA	8.25
48.	Larry Hunter	CHA	3B	AA	8.25
49.	Joel Newson	HAR	CP	AA	8.2
50.	Desi Duran	RIC	2B	AA	8.2
51.	Mariano Tejeda	LOU	SP	AA	8.15

Up Close with Salt Lake City Buzz GM bearclan1

1.) How did you find HBD? Which one do you like better GD or HBD?

As I was getting tired of GD I did the tour on WIS and it sounded greatI am completely addicted to HDB. I don’t think I’ll ever go back to GD or standard leagues.

2.) Can you give us a brief explanation on GD for those who are not familiar.

GD is fun in the lower levels, you recruit your freshman class and decide what offensive and defensive formations best suit your talent. As you move up through the ranks unless you take over a proven winner, recruiting can be difficult. When I got hired by Div 1 team it was frustrating to never land recruits that successful programs were interested in. I found it impossible to improve my team. I prefer the good old fashioned capitalism of free agency. I found the game to be the most fun in Division III or Division II.

3.) What do you think has enabled you to be successful in GD?

Attention to detail, always worked on power running games and the bulk of my recruiting time was spent on Defense and O-Line.

4.) Who's your football team and why?

I’ve been in Fantasy Leagues since 1988; At this point I’ll watch any NFL game. I grew up in Detroit, NO PRO TEAM there. I moved to CA 3 years ago and am following the 49ers and Raiders (not much better than the Lions)

5.) How did you feel when Kirk Gibson hit that walk-off vs Eck?

Mixed feelings, I watched Kirk as a WR at MSU and always thought he should have stayed in Football. I was sad to see Gibby leave the Tigers, but what a moment. That HR will always be shown in old highlights. However my favorite Gibson moment was in the 1984 WS he convinced Sparky to let him bat against Goose Gossage, then Gossage convinced his manager(HOF Earl Weaver) not to walk Gibson and Gibby hit it a mile. Afterwards you can see Gibson taunting Anderson in the dugout.

6.) Who has a better chance at representing the West for the Stanley cup. San Jose or Detroit?

Wow my 2 favorite sports teams. I guess I will be rooting for the Wings but I think Nabby gives the Sharks the edge this season. San Jose should win their first Stanley Cup this year.

7.) California resident? Northern or SoCal?

Live in Patterson CA which is 80-100 miles from Sacramento, San Jose, Oakland and San Francisco. 300 miles from LA. in the Central Valley.

8.) What do you do in your spare time when you're not running your HBD teams?

Is there life after WIS? Actually I have 2 sons ages 20 and 21 both in school, I manage an Industrial Warehouse in Tracy CA, and play Tennis when I can.

9.) What's the most important part of a team to you? The power bats? Starting pitching? Bullpen? Defense?

Unfortunately I am still learning, but I like all around hitters 300 BA 20+ HR and close to or over a 400 OBP. Good Starting Pitching is hard to find so I try to load up on good setup and closers. I am just understanding the importance of a good C and strong fielding. The absolute best part of HBD is the complexity.

10.) If you can add/change one thing about HBD, what would it be and why?

I would like a way to set parameters for International Prospects where my scouts do not bother me unless the prospect’s meet my criteria. This way as my needs change I could change the parameters.

Up Close with Texas GM sergei1991

I got a moment to sit down with Texas GM sergei1991 to ask him a few questions from Ohio St., the tight AL South race and what one thing he would change about this game we sink tons of loot into.

1.) How did you discover HBD?

Believe it or not my younger sister (Tiskingmoon) introduced me to it. She has been pretty successful in the game winning a World Series and quite a few division titles. She suggested that I give WIS a try because it is a more involved game than anything Yahoo can offer. I was really into the Yahoo fantasy sports scene before being introduced to WIS but I was getting bored with it. I was hooked after my first season.

2.) Tight division race, who scares you most (if any), Jacksonville or N.O.?

This is a loaded question :)
I certainly do not want to give anyone bulletin board material. The division race certainly is close. Much closer than I would like it to be. Both managers are good in their own right. Jacksonville’s manager MBooker, has definitely had his share of success. He has won 3 World Series titles and 34 division titles over 94 seasons. His .552 winning percentage is terrific when you take into consideration the fact that he has managed over 15,000 games.
New Orleans’ manager Carpediem33, has won 1 World Series title and 12 division titles in 42 seasons. This includes winning the division title in our league 3 out of 5 seasons. The two seasons that his squad didn’t win the division they finished second. He has also made the playoffs 4 out of 5 seasons which is pretty remarkable. So to answer the question both managers are very formidable opponents.

3.) What's the most important part of a team to you? The power bats? Starting pitching? Bullpen? Defense?

My Texas squad is sort of an anomaly for me. Normally, I am a big believer in strong starting pitching and defense. I would rather win a game 2-1 than 12-11 that is for sure. In this league though, my park breeds offense. My players put up inflated numbers due to the offensive friendly conditions. As a result of my offensive oriented park my pitching numbers take a bit of a hit, especially the bullpen. Sometimes this is frustrating for me :)

4.) Fan of the Michigan Wolverines? Who do you despite more Ohio St. or those pesky Chupacabras?

Without hesitation Ohio State. The Chupacabras and the Buckeyes are both excellent programs; however, there are two differences between the two programs. The Chupacabras can win the big one and they conduct themselves with class.

5.) Who do you think is your most indispensable player?

Max Melendez.

6.) What do you do in your spare time when you're not running your HBD teams?

I work as an Assistant Controller for a division of my company and I recently went back to school to pursue my MBA. Both of those keep me busy. In my spare time, I spend time with my wife and kids. I have been married since 2003. I have a 5 year old daughter, a 7 and a half month old son, and one on the way in July.

7.) Seems like you have had some good success in your early HBD years, what advice do you have for a newcomer getting his feet wet?

My advice to newcomers would be to read as much as you can about the different aspects of the game. It is important to understand all of the intricacies that the game offers. I would advise them on the importance of scouting each match-up and to understand how park settings can influence the outcome of a game.

8.) If you can add/change one thing about HBD, what would it be and why?

It goes without saying that I would change more than one thing, but if I could change just one thing about the game it would be the budgeting process. I think that the ability to allocate money anyway you see fit should be present for any owner. I don’t like the current system where a new manager cannot set a particular category to $20 million because they have not been with the team long enough. Limitations are not imposed on teams in sports with caps in real life that change ownership. The budget change would also take the transfer fee away meaning that you would not forfeit 50% of the money in the event that you initiated a transfer. This would include the ability to transfer any amount of money desired ($1 if need be) and would include being able to transfer residual amounts that are left over after hiring coaches. Organizations in sports where there is a cap do not incur transfer fees in real life for moving money between divisions or departments. In my opinion, this should be no different. I would not allow the ability to transfer money from Training, Medical, or any of the Scouting budgets though. Once those are set they should be locked in , for obvious reasons.