Miracle Power Rankings 9/10

This segment will finish off the teams I believe will end up in the bottom half of the league.  Last years projections were pretty darn good, if I say so myself so here we go...

#10---San Antonio Fire Ants

Strengths--BB/HR/RBI/R/Holds
Weaknesses--SB/ERA/K's/WHIP/W

While everyone kept applauding Keith's draft, which at the time I thought was pretty good myself, when I take a closer look my only thought is...does Keith know there are 12 categories.  Many weeks he will destroy his opponent in his strength categories but if his hitters take a week off his stats may look a little like Berg (fugly).  If chicks dig the long ball (another reference to Berg) then the Fire Ants are the team for them.  Five guys with 20+ homers and somewhere between 2 and 4 of them will probably go yard 30+ times.  This of course is not the problem with this team.  The problem is, can Sankey address his weak categories during the season enough to climb up the ladder in the Texas Division.  You can be assured that the teams above him will be doing exactly that.  But let's see...Braun, Napoli, Hamilton, Panda, Zobrist.  Wow, imagine if Alvarez could hit Pandas weight and if Melky can come back?  This offense will be off the charts good.  Now...turn the page to the pitching.  While it's true that you can draft good pitching late and can scour the WW during the season, neither of these is Keith's strength.  He has three hopeful 10+ game winners in Miley, Parker and dare I say Porcello??  His ERA and WHIP across the board is bad.  I really like his closer Wilhelmsen but what is the use of having only one.  His other MRP's could vulture a few saves but the strength here is Holds.  I would trade the closer and punt the category if I were him or hang on and maybe and injury occurs and one of his other guys becomes a closer.  That happens quite a bit throughout the year.  He does have some innings eaters but that is the only upside to the staff.  For this team to turn the corner of 2012 he will have to sweep offense most weeks and hope for the best from his pitching.

#9---Toledo Mud Hens

Strengths--Avg/SB/ERA/K's
Weaknesses--BB's/HR/RBI/R

2013 ushers in the Mud Hen era in eMLB.  Welcome again to the league Brent.  The first year or two  always has a sharp learning curve but you are picking it up pretty quick.  Brent inherited a pretty good team especially on the pitching side with Lee, Gio and Kershaw.  No worries there.  Moved up to draft Posey, which at the time I think was a bit of a jab at yours truly, but it worked out best for both teams.  He got the NL MVP and I got the player I coveted as well.  Things always have a way of working out.  The downside to this team is passing over quality veterans in favor of unproven rookies.  There are simply too many of them.  If we could keep players forever, that would be one thing but what will he do with Hamilton, Myers, Gyorko, Olt, Rutledge, Castillo, Rondon, Bauer?  He can't contract them all, or can he???  He still has the players to makes some moves but after the rocky introduction he received, will he?  The possibility is there to perhaps challenge the Redbirds in the East but many of the rookies would have to get out of the minors and start to rake early and often.  As it stands now the power is non existent beyond Pujol/Posey.  The PP boys.  Lots of SB's and a very good big 3 starting  pitchers but after that, ugh....Decent Holds guys and only one closer.  Rondon may or may not take that step into the Tiger closer role, but it may not happen right away.  Brent is going to figure out that you can't have so many players on your roster that are not helping at all.  He has no margin of error on offense since there is really no bench to speak of.  I do like Homer Bailey to continue his late season surge from last year and perhaps join the ranks of top quality pitchers and Smyly could surprise as well.  Some moves will have to be made, it's just a matter of when that happens.  Wait too long and he could drop further in the rankings by the end of the season.  Time will tell.