Draft Fun Facts - Season 1 Through 5

Chuck Biscuits - Cobb Times Herald

With the ongoing series looking back at the drafts, the Times Herald has run across some interesting tidbits that deserve a mention. Read on to find out all about some of the weird and wonderful occurrences in the first five draft classes of Cobb World.

Number of draftees currently playing at the ML level:
Season 1: 24
Season 2: 34
Season 3: 54
Season 4: 62
Season 5: 68

Lowest picked player in the Majors (Current team in parentheses)
Season 1: RP Charles Gold, Round 18, #575, Toronto Blue Jays (HON Harriers)
Season 2: RP Rudy Belle, Round 18, #568, Chicago Cubbies (LV Sinners)
Season 3: RP Davey Mecir, Round 11, #348, Columbus Crusaders (MNT Burns)
Season 4: C Tony Velazquez, Round 21, #673, San Diego Quakers (IA Corn Dogs)
Season 5: RP Pete Michaels, Round 24, #767, Atlanta Warthogs (IA Corn Dogs)

Jose Rios Pawtucket G-Maniacs Age: 27 B/T: R/R Born: Holland Patent, NY Position(s): P (ClA) View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Lowest picked player to have ever made an All Star team: Jose Rios, PAW G-Maniacs, Season 4, Round 15, #492.

A.J. Anderson New York Pick Pockets Age: 28 B/T: L/L Born: Presidio, TX Position(s): RF/1B/LF/DH View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Biggest Signing Bonus:
1. #20 A.J. Anderson, Milwaukee Gold Sox, Season 3, $8.24 million
2. #3 Frank Donatello, Oakland Frozen Koreans, Season 5, $8 million
3. #3 Tanner Durham, Wichita Wankers, Season 4, $7.5 million

Most Draftees (S. 1-5) Currently in the Majors:

Sioux Falls Corn Cleats	15
New York Pick Pockets	12
Syracuse Beagles	12
Chicago Sabercats	11
Honolulu Harriers	11
Las Vegas Sinners	11
Los Angeles Leopards	11
Omaha Sluggers	11
Trenton Lions	10
Atlanta Pitbulls	9
Columbus HoundDogs	9
Fargo Fug Nuts	8
Phil. Cheese Steaks	8
Wichita Wankers	8
Anaheim Sharks	7
Boston Loggers	7
Kansas City Express	7
Montgomery Burns	7
Nashville Rebel Riders	7
Cleveland Steamers	6
Huntington Hillbillies	6
Louisville Dogs	6
Richmond Cohibas	6
Florida Almendares	5
Iowa City Corn Dogs	5
Pittsburgh SSP	5
Vancouver Grizzlies	5
Jackson Pollocks	4
Pawtucket G-Maniacs	4
Tacoma Jerry Gang	4
Toronto Blue Jays	4
Wash. D.C. Momentum	2

Best Names in the Draft:
Season 1: #46 Cookie Montalban, #60 Rod Bush, #366 Footsie Rollins
Season 2: #67 Socks Byrne, #176 Catfish Van Poppel, #423 Bubbles Rivers
Season 3: #99 Sterling Sexson, #119 Bum Bailes, #265 Pep Nomo
Season 4: #2 Skeeter Robertson, #149 Vernon Spooneybarger, #199 Bubba Berroa
Season 5: #121 Jiggs Wingo, #214 Sticky Leary, #215 Dude Bush

Where are they now - Season 5 Draft Update

Chuck Biscuits - Cobb Times Herald

The season five draft featured the arrival of some big name hitters and pitchers, most of whom seem to be playing for the Syracuse Beagles these days. The top pick was a worthy selection, and King Louie Tarraga was introduced to the world. Surprisingly though the best pitchers in the draft were selected at the bottom half of the first round, and there were more than a few duds to be had. Read on to find out all about the season five draft.

Season Five Draft

Jamie Beimel Syracuse Beagles Age: 29 B/T: L/R Born: Hokes Bluff, AL Position(s): RF/1B/2B/LF/DH View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Top Pick: Jamie Beimel - St. Louis Silver Sluggers - Beimel was the top player taken in the season five draft, and he has proven himself to be worthy of the position in the majors. His career ML averages are impressive, a .315BA/.940OPS with 200 HRs, Beimel is a run producing machine. He qualifies as a definite stud.

Phil Hinch Syracuse Beagles Age: 26 B/T: R/R Born: River Ridge, LA Position(s): P (SP1) View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Biggest Steal: #35 Phil Hinch- Syracuse Beagles - There weren't any obvious steals in this draft, as most of the talented players went where they were supposed to go. But seeing Hinch go in the supplemental round was a score for the Beagles, and he has produced in a big way at the ML level, posting a career record of 74-30, with a 3.22 ERA. Not to shabby at all.
Honorable Mention: #49 Hawk Gutierrez was a steal as well, a dynamic leadoff man who can hit for some pop and is a terror on the bases.

Best Hitters: #1 Jamie Beimel, #4 Lawrence Shave, #5 Louie Tarraga, #17 Santiago Matos, #36 Trenidad Pelaez, and #49 Hawk Gutierrez.

Best Pitchers: #13 Clyde Ford, #16 Jerry Ross, #18 Barney Johnson, #32 Buzz Boswell, and #35 Phil Hinch.

Ned Lieberthal Trenton Lions Age: 27 B/T: R/R Born: Estes Park, CO Position(s): P (SP3) View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Duds: There were many major misses in this draft, but the worst offender was the Toledo (now Trenton) franchise, who selected SP Ned Lieberthal at #6 overall. His 17-34 record and 4.80 have been anything but top ten material.
Honorable Mention: #10 pick SS Rudy Rose was yet another weak hitting marginal SS taken by the NY Brokers in their run of ruining the franchise through poor drafting decisions.

Unsigned Picks: #2 pick SP Leon Green, #23 pick P Leon Croushore, and #30 pick Bill Kirwan were the unsigned picks in this draft.

Louie Tarraga Syracuse Beagles Age: 26 B/T: L/L Born: Mattoon, IL Position(s): 1B/COF/DH View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Phil Hinch Syracuse Beagles Age: 26 B/T: R/R Born: River Ridge, LA Position(s): P (SP1) View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Prime Studs of the Draft: This draft class featured several very good hitters, but as good as Beimel, Matos, and Shave are, none of them have the MVP hardware that Louie Tarraga has on his trophy shelf. Tarraga also has superior career numbers in every category, and is truly one of the elite players in the game today, and therefore is the prime hitting stud of the draft. On the mound it's a much closer call, as all of the pitchers who have made it to the highest level have similar award histories and career numbers. But Phil Hinch has the best win totals, and has been more consistent in his ML career, thus earning the nod as the prime pitching stud of the draft.

Where are they now? - Season 4 Draft Update

Chuck Biscuits - Cobb Times Herald

The season four draft marked the first draft where the talent wasn't as good as the previous season. There were some decent players taken, and one major hitting star in Chipper Harper selected in the second half of the first round. This was also the draft that introduced the world to Skeeter "Bling Bling Skeet" Robertson, one of several good pitching prospects in the draft. There were probably more duds than studs in this draft, but there was one incredible steal however, read on to find out all about it.

Season Four Draft

Omar Lewis Los Angeles Leopards Age: 27 B/T: R/R Born: Fort Walton Beach, FL Position(s): SS/IF/OF/DH View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Top Pick: Omar Lewis - Oakland Frozen Koreans - For the third straight season a SS was taken with the top pick this time Omar Lewis by the Oakland (now Tacoma) franchise. Lewis turned out to be a decent fielding SS, but has yet to win any awards in 6+ ML seasons, and his career OPS is only .741, not at all what you would expect from the top pick in the draft. While Lewis is a capable player, as a #1 pick he is a dud.

Patrick Lamb Sioux Falls Corn Cleats Age: 27 B/T: R/R Born: Darlington, SC Position(s): C/1B/DH View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Biggest Steal: Patrick Lamb, #90 - Helena Hellraisers - It must have been his durability that scared off the rest of the scouts, because Lamb has been a beast since he entered the majors, making multiple All Star squads, mashing the ball out of the park, and posting a ML career OPS of 1.029. He's been able to average about 450 AB's a season, which for an elite slugging catcher who is also pretty good defensively is a very nice total. At the #90 pick Lamb is almost as big a steal as Kory Arnold was in season two.

Best Hitters: #23 Chipper Harper, #90 Patrick Lamb, #3 Tanner Durham, #7 Dennis Ashby, #17 Albert Burnett, and #36 Clay Henry

Best Pitchers: #2 Skeeter Robertson, #4 Zephyr Burns, #6 Andres Quixote, and #13 Santos Diaz

Duds: There were a lot of duds in this class, but the biggest has to be #5 pick SP Francis Ford by the Florida Hurricanes. Ford has been a major disappointment, posting a ML record of 21-38 with an ERA of 5.31. Not exactly the stuff aces are made of.
Honorable Mention: #9 pick SS Clarence Jackson, #12 Pick RF Brett O'Keefe, and #14 pick SS Jalal Smith are the other worst offenders in a draft full of duds.

Unsigned Picks: #21 pick P Eric Rose was the only unsigned 1st round pick.

Chipper Harper Columbus HoundDogs Age: 27 B/T: S/L Born: Colora, MD Position(s): 1B/DH View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Skeeter Robertson Honolulu Harriers Age: 27 B/T: L/L Born: Lancaster, NY Position(s): P (SP1) View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Prime Studs of the Draft: In a draft class that really lacked impact players, Chipper Harper beats out runner up Patrick Lamb as the best hitter in the bunch. His numbers in the majors are clearly superior to his draft compatriots, and he has the MVP hardware to prove it, so the Times Herald has selected him as the Prime Hitting Stud of the draft. On the mound it's a bit closer call, as Zephyr Burns, Santos Diaz, and Andres Quixote are all pretty good, but Skeeter Robertson, while he might not have as many wins, has been the better pitcher statistically since hitting the big leagues.

Where are they now? - Season 3 Draft Update

Chuck Biscuits - Cobb Times Herald

Whereas the season two draft was extremely deep in hitters, the the season three draft introduced the league to some of the best pitchers seen to date, including several first ballot hall of famers. There were a few bats to be had, and some pretty nice late first round picks as well. Read on to find out all about the impressive talent that came from the season three draft.

Season Three Draft

Carlton Nelson Wichita Wankers Age: 28 B/T: R/R Born: Kent, CT Position(s): SS/3B/2B/RF/CF View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Top Pick: Carlton Nelson - Los Angeles Lobos - Nelson is very similar to season 2 #1 pick Enrique Guardado, a SS who is gifted both with the glove and the bat, with reasonable power. Nelson made his ML debut in season 9, and has been rather lackluster at the plate for a top pick, although it must be said that having an everyday SS who can go for 30HR/100RBI every season is a luxury most teams do not have. Nelson turned out to be solid, and actually is one of the better hitters in the draft, but compared to #2 pick SS Corey Green, he doesn't compare. But as a whole the season three draft belonged to the pitchers, which makes Nelson only a minor stud in the grand scheme of things.

Gregg Young Pittsburgh SSP Age: 29 B/T: L/L Born: Texarkana, AR Position(s): 1B/DH View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Biggest Steal: Gregg Young, #72 - Pittsburgh SSP - Young was a pleasant surprise for Pittsburgh in the second round, and has turned out to be a very nice ML player. An All Star, Young has put together some very nice seasons, averaging .300/35HR/100+RBI for his ML career, which is surely more than you would expect from the #72 pick.

Best Hitters: #2 Corey Green, #1 Carlton Nelson, #4 Pedro Chavez, #7 Grant Keats, #21 Ben Harris, #36 Luke Henley,#41 Alfredo Cruz, and #72 Gregg Young.

Best Pitchers: #3 Dean Hernandez, #5 Kirk White, #10Ivan Canseco, #12 Lewis Keller, #23 Ralph Hill, #28 Benito Rodriguez, and #27 Carl Jordan

Darrin Weiss none none Age: 32 B/T: R/R Born: Pittston, PA Position(s): RF/1B/LF/DH View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Duds: RF Darrin Weiss, #14 - Las Vegas High Rollers - Weiss used his #14 pick skills to put together a ML career average of .259, with 103 HR's in 2,881 ABs before becoming an unsigned free agent in season 12.
Honorable Mention: Al Torres, #16 - Chicago Sabercats - the #16 pick in the draft retired at 28, says about all you need to know.

Unsigned Picks: #6 pick CF T.J. Phillips, #13 pick P Bruce Coleridge, and #32 pick CF Michael Lloyd were the only unsigned picks in the first round.

Corey Green Sioux Falls Corn Cleats Age: 32 B/T: S/R Born: Swea City, IA Position(s): SS/IF/OF/DH View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Dean Hernandez Pawtucket G-Maniacs Age: 30 B/T: S/R Born: Detroit, MI Position(s): P (SP2) View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Kirk White Syracuse Beagles Age: 28 B/T: R/R Born: Madison, SD Position(s): P (ClA) View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Prime Studs of the Draft: Of all the hitters in the draft, Corey Green stands head and shoulders above the rest, having put together a slugging career only surpassed at the SS position by Dallas Kline. The pitchers are a bit harder to chose from, as Ivan Canseco, Benito Rodriguez, Ralph Hill, and Lewis Keller have all had excellent ML careers. But the Times Herald thinks that it is a tie between Dean Hernandez and Kirk White. Hernandez has been the AL counterpart to NL Hall of Famer Kaz Ong, and White is without doubt the best closer the league has ever seen.

Where are they now? - Season 2 Draft Update

Chuck Biscuits - Cobb Times Herald

The Times Heralds second draft update installment takes a look at the season two draft, the first draft in which owners could kind of rank their prospects, although the scouting system was still light years behind what is available today. As a result there were some odd picks at the top, and some scores in later rounds, including a really odd draft from the Chicago Sabercats, who completely blew their #11 pick but picked up a megastar in the 2nd round. To find out more about those picks, the lack of pitching talent, and the incredibly deep pool of hitting talent that was selected, read on.

Season Two Draft

Enrique Guardado Nashville Rebel Riders Age: 29 B/T: L/R Born: Spring Valley, WI Position(s): 3B/IF/OF/DH View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Top Pick: Enrique Guardado - Chicago Cubbies - Guardado was certainly a solid #1 pick, a SS with good skills in the field and at the plate. While he turned out to be good, a 2 time all star and 2 time Silver Slugger, he was by no means the most dominant player taken in the draft. That being said he certainly a solid pick at the #1 position, and qualifies solidly in the realm of stud.

Kory Arnold Anaheim Sharks Age: 29 B/T: L/L Born: Ft. Pierce, FL Position(s): DH/1B View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Biggest Steal: Kory Arnold, #62 - Chicago Sabercats - The Arnold pick is probably the biggest steal in the history of all Cobb drafts. The 2nd round pick has since gone on to win 4 MVP awards, a ROY, and many All Star and Silver Slugger awards. This was perhaps the greatest draft pick in Chicago Sabercat history, and the fans are probably rueing the day he was traded to Anaheim.

Best Hitters: Enrique Guardado, Kory Arnold, Wayne Wilson, Bill Norton, Ken Puffer, Josh Price, Jeremy Hernandez, Walter Stewart, Ron Leon, and Jim Green.

Best Pitchers: Kirt Hooper, Steven Booker, Harold Charles, and Glenn Nye.

Louis King Wichita Wankers Age: 29 B/T: R/R Born: New York, NY Position(s): P (T2A) View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Duds: Louis King is royalty among draft duds. Taken by the Wichita Wankers with the #6 pick in the draft, he has made a grand total of 57 ML starts, compared to his roughly 300 appearances in the minors. He is currently tandem starting in AAA. When you look at all the players selected after him, one can't help but think this was one of the biggest draft busts of all time.
Honorable Mention: Robin Daniels, #11 - Chicago Sabercats - Daniels put together an amazing ML career averages of .273 BA/.335 OPS/.773 OBP before becoming an unsigned free agent.

Unsigned Picks: #3 pick 1B Chad Surhoff, #5 pick P Tris Damon, #7 pick P Seth Shelley, #19 pick P Dan Muratore, and #32 pick P Danny Adams are the notable unsigned picks from this seasons draft.

Kory Arnold Anaheim Sharks Age: 29 B/T: L/L Born: Ft. Pierce, FL Position(s): DH/1B View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Kirt Hooper Fargo Fug Nuts Age: 33 B/T: R/R Born: Ramseur, NC Position(s): P (SP1) View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Prime Studs of the Draft: There were some monster hitters drafted in season two. Wayne Wilson, Ken Puffer, Enrique Guardado, and Josh Price are among the best, but it's hard to argue with four MVP's, which is why the Times Herald selected Kory Arnold as the Prime Hitting Stud of the draft. Not bad for a 2nd rounder! On the pitching side, it isn't close, Kirt Hooper was far and away the best pitcher taken in season two.

Where Are They Now? Season 1 Draft Update

Chuck Biscuits - Cobb Times Herald

Over the next few weeks the Times Herald will be taking a look back at past draft classes to see how they turned out. The first installment takes a look at the season one draft, back in the wild days of the first few seasons when scouting budgets were slim, prospect budgets even slimmer, and teams had no control over who they picked. The season one draft was marked by the highest number of unsigned picks the league has ever seen, and one can only imagine the wasted talent. Still, some of the picks did sign, and turn into future stars. Unfortunately for some teams however, their signed picks turned into busts of the highest order.

Season One Draft

Elvis Christman Columbus HoundDogs Age: 30 B/T: R/R Born: Buffalo, WY Position(s): P (P) View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Top Pick: Elvis Christman - Tacoma Boogity Boogity Boogity - Christman has had an uneven career, with his tremendous talent being overshadowed by his injury prone body, leaving him to have solid career averages, but instead of an awards list, there is a DL history with 9 separate occurences. Good when he pitches, Christman is neither a stud or a dud, somewhere solid inbetween.

C.J. Bones Anaheim Sharks Age: 30 B/T: S/L Born: Hermitage, MO Position(s): P (P) View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Biggest Steal: C.J. Bones, #58 - Anaheim Sharks - Bones is a 4 time all star and 3 time Fireman of the Year. In this draft, that was a tremendous accomplishment.

Studs: Alan Peterson, Ernest McConnell, Shane Parrish, Kenny Blair, and Milt Serafini have all had their share of awards at the ML level.

Maximo Atchley none none Age: 30 B/T: R/R Born: Hurricane, WV Position(s): P (P) View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Duds: Maximo Atchley has to be considered the biggest bust of the draft, picked at #14 by the now Honolulu (then Sacramento) franchise, Atchley had a 20-30 ML record with a high ERA and WHIP before becoming an unsigned FA in season 13.

Unsigned Picks: The list is huge, with picks 2-4 unsigned, and 13 of the first 32 picks unsigned, including All Stars Hades Booker and Benji Eckenstahler, and some serious talent that never made it to the field. Booker and Eckenstahler were among the unsigned players that made it into the FA pool the next season, setting up The Fargo Fug Nut Great 3am raid that changed the course of their franchise for the next 10 seasons.

Kenny Blair Syracuse Beagles Age: 33 B/T: L/R Born: Yorkville, IL Position(s): 2B/CIF/OF/DH View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Shane Parrish Louisville Dogs Age: 31 B/T: R/R Born: Lexington, MO Position(s): P (ClA) View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Prime Studs of the Draft: It's a close call, but the Times Herald thinks that Kenny Blair just edges out Hades Booker and Ernest McConnell as the best position player to come out of the draft. As for pitchers Shane Parrish has been the most consistent and effective pitcher, although if Christman had stayed healthy it might be a different story.

NL West

Omaha Sluggers (112-50) 1st place
Question: Are cracks starting to appear in Omaha as the team failed to win over 100 games and the World Series for the first time in 4 seasons?
Answer: Kazuhiro Ong and Jose Barrios, no other team has the two best players in league history on their roster.
Player to watch: Free agent Grant Keats was a nice value pickup in a market that saw some heavy contracts doled out.
Outlook: 98-64 - 1st place. Although Omaha is starting to get old, and Barrios and Ong aren't in their primes any more, they are still elite, and Omaha is still the best team in the NL West. That won't change this season, and probably next. The real question will be if Omaha has enough to get through the playoffs with some very good teams in the rest of the National League surpassing the overall depth and talent of the Sluggers. Lars thinks this team has one more run left in the tank.

Los Angeles Marlowes (62-100) 2nd place
Question: How will the team take to the new digs in Chavez Ravine?
Answer: Omar Lewis was a nice FA pickup for the Marlowes, and instantly makes their lineup more effective.
Player to watch: Brook Lennon should benefit greatly from the move to a new stadium.
Outlook: 70-92 - 2nd place. L.A. has some nice players in the minors, and their lineup is pretty decent. The problem is that their pitching staff isn't much to write home about. So while they are in now way going to challenge Omaha, they should have just enough to get by the Sinners and the Corn Dogs.

Las Vegas Sinners (60-102) 3rd place
Question: Will the new look pitching staff be enough to keep the lineup in the black?
Answer: With the departure of Clay Henry, Raymond Sanford is now the go to guy in the lineup.
Player to watch: Gerald Kojima has never won any awards, but he has been very effective wherever he has pitched. The Sinners are hoping he uses his veteran wiles to teach their young pitchers a thing or two.
Outlook: 63-99 - 3rd place - If the Sinners were to call up their AAA team en mass, then there is a high likelihood they could put together a winning season, as the talent in their minors is pretty nice. But the ML team has some issues, most notably the anemic lineup. Still, they will be competitive, and the pieces are in place for next season when those AAA players are in the bigs. Lars sees big changes then, and perhaps the first winning season in a while for this franchise.

Iowa City Corn Dogs (58-104) 4th place
Question: Is it possible to clone Francisco Espada and Furio Kydd multiple times?
Answer: Carl Alexander makes his major league debut, and is the best position player on the team.
Player to watch: Kydd and Espada have such incredible potential that it will be very difficult to wait for them to develop in the minors.
Outlook: 56-106 - 4th place. Iowa City is starting to get some players now at the ML level, but they are still behind the pace of Las Vegas and Los Angeles. But people in the midwest are patient, so that is no worry for the Corn Dogs as they wait for their megaprospects to develop and try to sign some more big names in the draft and through the international market. If nothing else there is some mighty fine popcorn and elephant ears at the stadium to make it an experience.


AL West

Anaheim Sharks (94-68) 1st place
Question: Can the Sharks hold off the rising tide of talented teams in the AL West?
Answer: The Sharks made a huge trade bringing in impact player Victor Johnson.
Player to watch: The lineup is still the best in the West, and is deadly in all spots in the order.
Outlook: 92-70 - 1st place. Anaheim just keeps on making the moves to keep themselves entrenched in 1st place in the west. It's going to get tougher though for the Sharks as the other three teams are rapidly closing the gap, and are bringing up some major players this season. Lars thinks that Anaheim will take the division again, but it will be a close thing indeed.

Tacoma Jerry Gang (77-85) 2nd place
Question: Will the Jerry Gang find the pitching it needs to maximize their home park advantage?
Answer: Tony Arnold has proven the Cobb Times Herald reporters wrong each time he is at bat, and recognizing this the CTH staff rescinds their draft report.
Player to watch: AAA call up Darren Howry could find himself the ace of the staff after a few weeks in Tacoma.
Outlook: 88-74 - 2nd place. Things are looking good for Tacoma, as their good young talent is starting to pay dividends. If they can figure out a way to win at home, Lars thinks this team has potential to be AL West champs. At the very least Lars sees them competing for a wild card spot. The rest of the division won't make it easy though, as Vancouver and Honolulu could easily find themselves in the 2nd spot instead of Tacoma.

Vancouver Grizzlies (76-86) tie - 3rd place
Question: Can the Grizzlies get more than 114 innings out of ace Tommy Wakeland?
Answer: Alex Brantley is a hitting machine, and if he can get some protection in the lineup, should be even better at the plate this season.
Player to watch: Richard Nakajima will be perhaps the biggest impact call up this season. He is ready to start at SS and make some huge noise at the plate.
Outlook: 87-75 - 3rd place. Lars likes the Grizz, and thinks that with a few breaks this could be a division championship team. Even if Vancouver tanks it in the regular season Lars is still excited about their prospects for the draft, where they have the #10 pick and a massive scouting budget that should yield a star with their supplemental pick as well. Add future stud Richard Nakajima to the mix and you have what is projecting to be a very exciting season in Vancouver.

Honolulu Harriers (76-86) tie - 3rd place
Question: How can Lars pick a team with a rotation this good to finish in 4th place?
Answer: Buzz Boswell was the rotation ace for the franchise last season, and should be again this year.
Player to watch: Skeeter Robertson needs to do better than 10-12, as his stuff is simply too good for a record like that.
Outlook - 84-78- 4th place. The Harriers are making an attempt to be the first team in Honolulu to have a winning record in Cobb history. They should do it, barring something unforeseen. With some luck they could also challenge for the division title, but with three other very tough teams it is hard for Lars to see that happening. Still, with the talent in the lineup, the nice addition of free agent R. J. Cubillan, and probably the best rotation in the division there is a lot of potential for this franchise. Unfortunately somebody has to finish 4th, so Lars is picking the Harriers. But don't be surprised if they prove him wrong.