New owners for season 5

A few teams have moved and are looking forward to good seasons in their new homes during season 5. The NL stays completely intact, so we look at the 3 AL teams on the move...

Charlotte made two straight playoff appearances in the AL East; if they make it 3 in a row, it will have to be in the great city of Scranton. The Janitors will try to mop the floor with the rest of the AL East. CF Justin Hernandez was asked what he thought the best thing about Scranton was; his reply was, "At least it's not Wilkes-Barre". Nap00 takes over as owner in one of the 10 biggest cities in Pennsylvania.

Little Rock was the other AL Wild Card team last season; after a one-season absence, cincysteve resumes control of the team. Following the team's tradition of never playing two seasons in the same place, they move to Oklahoma City to become (deep breath) the Oklahoma City Sneaky Finger Puppet Mafia. 3B Leo Miller was asked about his team's new name and said, "Yeah, I knew about it in advance. Why do you think I've requested a trade?"

Out west, The Colorado Springs Chickens will play this season as the Boise Shadow Wolves under the new ownership group headed by god_mike. They hope to have their best season (which wouldn't even require 70 wins) in the great state of Idaho (insert your own punchline).

One on one with Milwaukee GM gydk

We caught up with the GM of the season 4 World Champion Milwaukee Manic Maulers, gydk, to get his thoughts on his world champion club, the Baltimore Orioles and the biggest trade in The Bigs history. Here's what gydk had to say:

After being so close a few times, how does it feel to finally get that first World Series title in The Bigs?
It feels great. As an owner with 80+ seasons under my belt, I had not won a title. Recently, I have now won 3 titles in my last 4 seasons with 3 different teams. This title is particularly special because I have been with this league from the start and we have an amazing group of fun and competitive owners. It makes winning and playing in general a lot more fun when it’s with people you enjoy competing against.

What was different about your team in season 4 that helped you win the WS compared to the first three seasons?
The biggest change I made this season was improving my team defense. For the first time I sacrificed some offense to improve my defense and was right around league average as opposed to being way below average. I played Eric Speier at SS who hit 32 HR's for me, though he killed me in BA. His defensive play at SS made a huge difference.

Aside from your Milwaukee team here in The Bigs, you run about nine other teams in different leagues. How do you have the time for that? I sometimes don’t have the time to run three teams. Do you have a job?
Believe it or not, I work non stop. I am a principal of a high school for students with learning disabilities and mild emotional issues. I am also the Camp Director of a summer day camp with 400+ campers. I am also married with 2 little boys ages 4 and 1. WIS is my relaxation. I have running my teams down to a science so that I need about 15 -20 minutes after each cycle and then I spend about 30 minutes each night around midnight doing some extra maintenance. Obviously, the beginning of each season takes a little more time. I love having a bunch of teams because each one is unique and it gives me the ability to experiment with different things.

You and I pulled off what is probably the biggest blockbuster deal to this point in The Bigs when we swapped Javier Henriquez for Luis Martinez, Del Lopez and James Morton prior to season 1 starting. It was a bit of a controversial deal at the time. What were your reasons for making that trade?
He would be a nice player to have on my team right now, but sometimes I feel you need to trade one superstar to fill a few holes with great talent. I turned one player into 3 players who really could have helped me. Del Lopez was a whole mess with the issue with the Rule V, but that’s another issue for another time…I feel that Martinez will roam my CF for years to come and Morton has won a lot of games to me…The real question is would I do the deal again if I had a chance…You never know….

Your profile says you’re an Orioles fan. How do you make it through the MLB season? Or do you just not watch anymore?
Honestly, I just don’t watch the Orioles anymore. It’s just too painful. I am a huge Fantasy Baseball guy though, so inevitably, I know how every player is doing. I am in a huge 16 team 29 player auction league and that takes up a lot of time during the baseball season!

There are reports out there saying the Birds are trying to acquire Rich Hill from the Cubs. Will he make them respectable or will it even matter?
Rich Hill is a nice young talent but in the grand scheme of things it means nothing. The O’s are in the toughest division in baseball and they have a terrible owner. I really don’t see them winning any time in the next 25 years. It’s so frustrating and it’s compounded by living in New York and hearing about the Yankees non stop!

What do you need to do to your team to get them back to the World Series in season 5?
I need to get another SP. Solano is getting older and I lost my #2 SP right before the playoffs, Joe Gleason. I also will have to make the decision to start rebuilding my system sometime soon because some of my key players are getting older and I need to have people to fill their holes.

If you could change one thing about HBD, what would it be and why?
I absolutely love HBD. I think it’s such a realistic model and really incorporates all aspects of being a GM. I would love to have an Arizona Type league that would allow you to work with individual players on set skills. I.e. being able to make your SS better defensively or even teach a pitcher a new pitch that could alter his ratings..

Top 10 Storylines going into Season 5

Here are just some of the things to watch going into season 5.



1. Can Milwaukee repeat?



Milwaukee finally got over the hump and won their first World Series. They've always had the offense and their starting pitching has been solid. They've been arguably the best team since season 1- can they add another title?



2. Who's going to be the favorite in the NL?

Fargo and Houston have each made a World Series in the past and would seem to be 1 and 2 in the NL right now for next season, not necessarily in that order. So does one of them make a second World Series appearance? Or does a dark horse emerge, like in seasons 1 and 4?

3. Who will be this season's Little Rock?

Little Rock, fueled by a massive run at the end of the season, managed to get into the AL playoffs. They overcame what seemed to be a deficiency (starting pitching- nobody won more than 12 games and only 3 pitchers made at least 20 starts) to grab the spot over teams that may have had more talent on paper. Which team curently off the experts' radar will make some noise next season?

4. Is this the beginning of an Atlanta run in the NL East?

The Bandits made a few bold moves this season, in particular acquiring Matty Eusebio and Steven Michaels. Eusebio is signed through next season, but Michaels has a long term deal and Fred Carter hasn't hit arbitration yet, so they could make a long run atop the NL East. Unless, of course, Washington rebuilds, Norfolk's pieces come together (or they retool) or Trenton's young pieces take over for the veterans and gel quickly.

5. What about the wide-open NL West?

The Salem/Cheyenne reign officially ended this season. Cheyenne seems to be in a rebuilding stage, but Salem still has Dunwoody and Salmon and is always dangerous. Salt Lake City took the division; Vancouver won the pennant. So who winds up on top next season?

6. Can San Juan make a run?

If they weren't in the same division as Houston, San Juan would be talked about in the same breath as the other top teams. They've got arguably the best outfield in baseball. The problem is, they can't seem to get past Houston and have to play in the wild card round every season. Could that extra round be what makes the Dead Bunnies fall short?

7. Can Charlotte or New York take down the Legends?

Louisville has won 4 straight division titles, although Charlotte made them sweat it out this time. Can they take the division this time, or can New York break through?

8. What about the other perennial AL contenders?

Monterrey failed to win a playoff game, Las Vegas couldn't get by Milwaukee, and Nashville couldn't even make the playoffs. Could one of them (or one of the AL East teams) knock off the champs?

9. Who is going to try to make a move on the free-agent/trade market in the offseason?

Let the hot-stove talk begin? Who's a player or two away? Which veteran is on the move? Which team is going to make the move to get better? There are many good teams that have a flaw- which team(s) can take that next step?

10. Who's next?

Which rookies are going to make an impact? It always seems at least one rookie has something to say about the playoff race. (By the way, I already have my rookie of the year candidate lined up- wait for the season previews to find out who it is).

Year-End Awards

Breakdown of the major awards (vote total in parentheses)

National League

MVP
Matty Matos, Atlanta (17)
Osvaldo Johnson, San Juan (9)
Hal Brinkley, Atlanta (3)
John Baldwin, San Juan (2)
Lynn Abernathy, Atlanta (1)

Analysis: I had a hard time picking between Matos and Johnson- I went with Johnson but have absolutely no problem with Matos winning. They had very similar numbers in terms of HRs and RBIs- Johnson added the element of the stolen base while Matos's average was higher. Atlanta's division win probably helped Matos's case.

Cy Young

Sammy Pierce, Fargo (21)
Dave Dunwoody, Salem (4)
Dwight Salmon, Salem (3)
Jerome Oliver, Houston (2)
Matty Eusebio, Atlanta (2)

Analysis: Easy pick. 22-5, 2.02 ERA, WHIP under 1.0. Far and away the best pitcher in the NL this season. I went with Pierce as well.


American League

MVP
Gregg Black, Nashville (12)
King Winn, Nashville (12)
Nick Hernandez, Syracuse (5)
Ryan Snyder, Monterrey (2)
Burt Stevenson, Milwaukee (1)

Analysis: The question here was always between the two Sounds; does Black's defense, higher average and stolen bases make up for Winn's ridiculous power numbers? I took Winn and the power numbers, but I could just as easily put up a very good argument for Black. In the end, we had a split decision.

Cy Young
Vin Solano, Milwaukee (18)
Philip Allensworth, Monterrey (6)
Jason Sprague, New York (3)
Tom Beltran, Louisville (3)
Dave Stewart, Las Vegas (2)

Analysis: As in the National League, the race was for second place. The Venezuelan goes 19-2 with a 2.05 ERA to win his second Cy Young award in 3 seasons. Although it has no bearing on the Cy Young race, he was every bit as good in the playoffs, and finally gets the hardware he truly wanted.

Milwaukee wins first title

The Milwaukee Manic Maulers have won their first title, making it 4 different winners in 4 seasons here in the Bigs. A look back at the playoffs:

1st Round

In the National League, Atlanta used their arms and home-field advantage to knock off Osvaldo Johnson and his San Juan team 3 games to zero. The other series was a battle of division rivals and fellow first-time playoff teams Vancouver and Salt Lake City. The Shakers won the division, but the boys from north of the border took the series 3 to 1.

The American League saw surprise team Little Rock fall to the Louisville Legends 3 games to 1. Little Rock won the first game in Kentucky and lost 3 straight. The best series of the first round was Las Vegas knocking off Charlotte in 5. The two teams split the first two in Vegas and then the next two in Charlotte. In game 5 Charlotte was up 4-3 in the 6th when Ronnie Brown's grand slam turned around the entire series and gave the Gamblers a 7-5 win and a date in the next round with the mighty Milwaukee team.

Round 2

The National League's second round closely resembled season 1, as both top seeds failed to advance to the NLCS. Houston, the defending champions, couldn't generate enough offense to take out Atlanta, whose power arms got the job done in 4. The Fargo-Vancouver series was even stranger; neither team won a single game at home. Fargo scored 13 runs in two games in Canada, but only 4 in 3 games in Fargo, so the Wild marched on with a 3-2 series win.

The American League wasn't quite as exciting. Milwaukee averaged more than 8 runs a game in taking out the Las Vegas Gamblers in 3 straight. Monterrey (in season 2) and Louisville (season 3) had both already played thrilling 7-game sets with the Manic Maulers in ALCS play; Louisville earned the repeat trip with a 3-0 sweep, holding Monterrey to 4 runs in 3 games.

NLCS

-The NLCS pitted two upstart teams, the 4th seeded Atlanta Bandits and the 6th seeded Vancouver Wild. In game 1, Stan Starr's 2-run single in the 8th turned a 3-2 deficit into a 4-3 Bandit win. Game 2 saw Vancouver even the series with a 7-5 win. Again the key hit was in the 8th, but this time it came off the bat of a Wild hitter- Tony Kwon's 2-run double.
- The series shifted to Vancouver, and we saw two pitching duels. In game 3, Vancouver's Oswaldo Astacio threw 7 shutout innings to outduel Fred Carter in a 3-0 Vancouver victory. Matty Eusebio gave up 1 run on 4 hits over 8 innings in game 4 to take a 6-1 decision and even the series at 2.
- Game 5 saw the bats come to life again. Atlanta's Steven Michaels got shelled, giving up 8 runs in the first 3 innings. Atlanta almost came all the way back, but it was just too much and the Wild took game 5 9-7.
- Game 6 saw Vancouver get a 2-run homer from Cap Herrera in the first and never look back. Roland Casey and Yuniesky Bennett shut down the Atlanta bats to win the game 6-1 and the series 4-2.

American League

Milwaukee faced Louisville in a rematch of last season's epic 7-game ALCS. This edition would not be nearly as exciting.
- Game 1 saw the hometown Manic Maulers wait until the 5th to open the scoring, but did it in style with 6 runs. Two-time Cy Young award winner Vin Solano gave up 2 runs in 6 2/3 innings and the bullpen hung on for a 10-6 victory. Game 2 saw a 3-3 game go to the 12th, but Milwaukee's Eric Speier sent the crowd home happy with a 2-run walkoff shot for a 5-3 win and a 2 games to 0 lead in the series.
- In Louisville, the Legends broke out with a 10-6 win in game 3. The win was fueled by an 8-run 2nd inning highlighted by Cy Hughes and Ismael Polanco home runs. Game 4, like game 2, saw Milwaukee get the clutch hits when they needed them. Milwaukee turned a 2-2 game after 7 innings into a 6-2 win with 4 in the 8th.
- Holding a 3-1 lead, a second straight World Series appearance appeared to be a foregone conclusion. The Maulers figured they might as well give their loyal fans a reason to celebrate, as they took game 5 by a score of 5-3. Louisville scored the first 3, but Milwaukee scored 5 unanswered to win.

World Series

Milwaukee entered the World Series as an overwhelming betting favorite against Vancouver. However, the Wild had already knocked off the Shakers, Dirtbags, and Bandits to get here, so another upset wasn't unthinkable. However, it was not to happen. Vancouver again failed to win on its home field; this time it cost them the series.

- In game 1, Vin Solano outdueled Oswaldo Astacio in a 3-1 win. Bob Malone hit 2 solo shots, including one to lead off the game.
- Game 2 saw Vancouver eke out a 4-3 win. Wilt Gardner's 2-run single in the 4th closed the scoring, as the bullpens were not to be touched on either side.
- Game 3 saw more late inning heroics from Milwaukee, this time from Harold Lewis. His 2-run homer in the 8th broke a 2-2 tie and gave Milwaukee a 4-2 win.
-In game 4, Milwaukee took a stranglehold of the series with an 8-7 win. Vancouver got to James Morton for 4 in the first, but Oswaldo Astacio had his worst performance of the postseason, giving up 6 runs in 2 1/3 innings.
- Game 5 saw a close game (1-1 in the 6th) turn into a laugher with 8 runs in the 7th. Vancouver had no chance at that point, and succumbed to Milwaukee 10-2 in the game and 4-1 in the series.

Congratulations to Milwaukee on winning the World title. One of the storylines for season 5 instantly becomes: Can they defend it?