Falduto League &=
#8211;
Plains Division
Novem=
ber
News Letter
LEXINGTON, KY. – The SPB-NOW rules committee announced
“Divisional Realignment” for the upcoming 2007 season. The Plains Division will be made u=
p as
follows:
TEAM =
; &n=
bsp; =
; &n=
bsp; PARK &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; MANAGER
Dodge City Marshalls &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Fenway Park &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Craig
Korol
Houston Oil Barons&nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Miller Park &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Scott
Felt
Kansas
City T-Bones &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Petco Park &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Mike
Bowling
Kentucky Batkats &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; Shea
Stadium =
&nb=
sp; Kevin
Nichols
Waldo Peppers &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Kauffman
Stadium =
Rich
Applegate
All
teams except for Kentucky
played in the Pacific League – Eckert Division last year and are very
familiar with each other already. Kentucky comes f=
rom the
Atlantic League – Chandler Division.=
The realignment will have more teams competing longer into the seaso=
n,
thus creating rivalries. This=
will
be good for SPB-NOW as it appears to be working in the real world MLB. Great job rules committee!
The
following is a team by team off season breakdown, alphabetically, of course=
:
Dodge City Marshalls – Finished the 2006 season with 80 wins =
going
16-11 the final month of the season.
The
Marshall’s
acquired John Buck and Edinson Volquez from the Batkats in a divisional tra=
de for
Adam LaRoche. Needing catchin=
g help
and have Ryan Garko at first base made this trade easy for the Marshall’s.
H=
ouston Oi=
l Barons
– Finished the 2006 seas=
on
with 88 wins, having the best record in September going 21-6. As hot as this team finished, Scot=
t is
doing all that he can to see they remain hot, that being said; the Colorado
Grizzlies have relocated to hot & humid Houston, TX.
The
only down side for the Oil Barons is the loss of key player Reggie Willits =
for
over usage. The Oil Barons ha=
ve
replaced Willits by obtaining Wily Mo Pena from the Dayton Dynamo for Yorvit
Torrealba and a forth round draft pick.&nb=
sp;
All-Star honors go to Carlos Beltran who finished first among Pacific
League center fielders receiving 20 of 26 first place votes. That’s not all the awards fo=
r the
Oil Barons, Kenji Johjima finished three points ahead of Kansas City’s Dan Uggla for the P=
acific
League Rookie Hitter of the Year.
K=
ansas
City T-Bones
– Finished the 2006 season with 74 wins going 11-14 the final month of
the season. The T-Bones will =
be
trading pitchers parks for the upcoming season moving out of McAfee Stadium
into Petco Park. The T-Bones acquired Matt Wise for=
the
Atlanta Colt 45’s to help in the bull pen for the upcoming season.
K=
entucky Ba=
tkats – Finished the 2006 season with 75 wins =
going
12-13 the final month of the season.
The Batkats relocated to Lexington,=
KY from Phoenix
as last years team was the Flyers.
You’ve
heard the saying, “out with old, in with the new”, that’s
just what the Batkats have done.
Needing help at shortstop, catching & right field, Kentucky went on a mission to get qual=
ity
AB’s and not be on a mercy mission at the draft having to get the min=
imum
AB’s per position to finish the season. The Batkats have made five trades =
and
appear set for the draft. Kentucky has acq=
uired
Chris Snyder, C, Ryan Theriot, SS, Jose Guillen, RF & Adam LaRoche,
1B. The team finished last in=
the
organization in OBP at .307. =
That
problem has been addressed.
Waldo Peppers – Finished the 2006 season with 69 wins going 8-18 the final
month of the season.
The
Peppers have remained inactive this off season, but have the fifth overall =
pick
in this year’s draft.
Draft Day is Saturda=
y,
January 12th at 11 AM Eastern.
If anyone has any co=
mments
or would like to add something for the next news letter please feel free
contact me at kevinndmb@sbcgloba=
l.net. The next topic will be a position =
by
position break down for the upcoming draft.