ESPN.COM PRESEASON POWER RANKINGS-March Edition

#1.Cardinals



pitching rank #1
offensive rank #1

-The best team in league history? Maybe, but whether they are or not theres only one goal they have; to win another championship. The new 3-man rotation was, in theory, supposed to give teams an opportunity to face pitchers that normally wouldn't pitch under the 2-man rotation. The Cards destroyed that theory as far as they're concerned. Tom Tierney will anchor their rotation in the 3-spot. The same Tom Tierney that currently holds a 16-1 career regular season record, and that one loss was to new teammate josh longo-don't have to worry about that happening again! As if there stellar rotation wasn't enough, they also boast the leagues top offense. The Horwedel brothers and Zac Longo are among the leagues all time best hitters and with Josh Longo and Tierney coming off of career offensive seasons the Cards look to be the closest thing to flawless as the league has seen. An undefeated season may be too much to expect from any team in the league, alto of things have to go right, but I expect this team will carry the HFWB torch on the national scene and should be a shoe-in for a top seed in the State Championship. As we saw last season though, a 1 seed and the best record in the league do not ensure you a championship, the playoffs is where this team will have to shine.



#2.Indians



pitching rank #2
offensive rank #3

-There's usually no secrets about the Indians as a team. Since they joined the league they have been a strong pitching team that have had question marks on offense, but seem more often than not to come up with a clutch hit when needed. This season may be the opposite. The Kelly brothers and Ricky Rafferty both stepped up their game offensively last year for the Indians, they have also added Devin Zelinski and Omar Husain. Devin is coming off a big year at the plate last season and Omar is a veteran that has seen it all and will not be an easy out. While the offense looks to be stronger than ever for the Indians, there is still a big question mark at the 3-spot of there rotation. The Indians will probably go with either Devin or Ricky at the 3-spot but neither pitched well last year. Devin was the Ace of the Mets and failed to win a game while Ricky saw mound time only briefly but struggled in those appearances. With the addition of the "no re-entry" rule the Kelly brothers will be unable to bail out a struggling pitcher like they did last year and will need their #3, whoever it is, to win games. don't get me wrong, most teams have issues at their #3 spot, but not every team is the Indians who are expecting nothing less than a championship.



#3.Red Sox



pitching rank #3
offensive rank #2

-The time is now for 'Hogan Nation', the addition of T.O. makes them a legitimate championship threat. The biggest impact from Tadd could actually come at the plate, he hit for .567 in 2009 but just .167 last year. Which T.O. shows up offensively could make the difference in this year being a success or not. The Sox don't boast a terribly powerful offense but they all hit for solid averages and can be very aggressive at times, it could be the players that aren't in the spotlight like Matt Hogan and CJ Fonda that end up pushing this team over the edge and into championship form. Unfortunately for the Red Sox the biggest object that stands in their way of a championship may be something that doesn't have anything to do with their team; dem Cardinals.



#4.Braves



pitching rank #4
offensive rank #4

-The Brave nation (Chris and his girlfriend) were rocked by the news of longtime #2 pitcher Nick "duel sweatbands" Giordano retiring to Florida especially considering he's coming off arguably the best season of his career. Fortunately for the Braves, Mike Curtin was on the free agency market and they quickly snatched him up. Mike was the Orioles #2 pitcher last year and lost to Nick Giordano in round one of the Hess playoffs 8-6, but did have a very successful regular season going 5-1. With the new 3-man rotation rule in effect, former pitcher George Stegmann will take to the mound on a regular basis for the first time since 2006. The Braves struggled hitting the ball last year, especially down the stretch, they need former ROY and Yellow Whammer winner Anthony Auspelmyer to return to early form and they will need Strang and Curtin to each come up with a few clutch hits if they're going to be successful. The Braves rotation may have taken a step back and they will need an improved offense but they still have Chris Hess, and better yet hes healthy, unlike last season. If theres any team that can find a way to win, it's the Braves.



#5.Marlins



pitching rank #5
offensive rank #5

-The Marlins are a lot of peoples sleeper team this year. Known last season as the Royals, they went just 2-15 and exited in round one of the playoffs to the Indians. However many people point to there performance in the playoffs as indication that they will be much improved this season. They lost both games to the Indians by 7 runs which may not seem spectacular but considering they were mercied by the Yankees (1-16) to start the season, it's light years of improvement. Several of there players are still under the radar, Eddie Varno is a powerhouse slugger who won the HR derby last year, Justin Mara led the team in RBI's last season and hit a ball so far over the fence it landed in Chris's next door neighbors next door neighbors house. In addition to those two, Shawn Majewski and Mike Diemer put up the teams two best averages and OBP's. And last time I checked they do still have Nick Sutter, just check the HFWB record books to read his biography. Look for Mara to be much improved on the mound and with the addition of the short mound they have several players than can pitch effectively.



#6.Cubs



pitching rank #6
offensive rank #7

-The Cubs are a spawn of Andy Hogans Red Sox, in fact Andy Hogan is reportedly playing for them this upcoming season. The Cubs are led by former Red Sock, Pat Carlin. There is little official word on the roster but rumors have placed former 'Sox player Dan Clark in the middle of talks, as well as Ben Gatchell who may be looking for mound time. If the Cubs stay along the Hogan bloodline of players than they should have a solid hitting team that know the game well. Pitching will be the real question about the Cubs but they may benefit the most from the addition of the short mound, theres a wealth of good medium pitchers that come out of the Hogan backyard camp, so expect good things as the season rolls along.



#7.Mets



pitching rank #7
offensive rank #6

-The Mets are one of the most solid franchises in the league, unfortunately that doesn't always translate to winning. Much like the Marlins though, the Mets improved greatly over the course of last season. Failing to make last seasons playoffs will motivate this team beyond words, captain Gary Merrit is not deterred easily and will do what it takes to bring winning to the Mets ball club. Gary very well may decide to take his talents to the south mound, it was his accuracy that let him down last season and since he isn't a flamethrower anyway he should adjust very well to the new distance and speed. It will be the gap in the rest of the rotation that will be interesting to watch be filled. Who will step up? Will Jay Rozell give pitching one last chance? Does Timbo find himself on the mound this season? How did he lose himself in the first place? Or will Luke Phillips try the mound and cement himself as an actual god by proving he can do everything on the face of the earth? This team will be among the most interesting to follow this year for sure.



#8.Blue Jays



pitching rank #8
offensive rank #8

-The Jays are a new team led by captain Josh Yorkshire, Josh played a few games for the Padres in 2009 but spent most of the past two seasons in the minors. Josh is a Scotia-Glenville High School product and will join the likes of Aussy, Popp, Leffler, CPD, Rumney, Schoonmaker, the Saccocios, Mike Curtin and Luke Phillips as current or former SGHS young guns. It'll be a challenge for the Jays to compete for a championship this season, but then again not many people expected anything out of the 2008 Reds or 2009 Dodgers, both SGHS young gun teams that were straight ballers. The real challenge for the Jays this season will be to improve each week, there main goal should be to make the playoffs.