Illowa APBA League

John Brandeberry's Predictions

The Chicago Highlanders have all the bases covered this year and will end up the top dog.  The lineup is strong top to bottom.  Three “B” starters and three “A” relievers make this team impossible to stop. 

The Northside Hitmen can still hit man.  The pitching staff is still very good, but will come up short in a close series.  I really like the A-Rod for Cabrera trade for both teams.

 The Green Rock Bombers did a great job of plugging their holes.  I think drafting Khalil Greene and trading the 1^st round draft pick for M Rivera were the key moves for now and the future.

 The Twin City Thunderchickens slide in safe to pick up the fourth slot and make the play-offs.  I have to root for the home boys. 

 In reality The Moline Upperdeckers and the Molly Putts Marauders are both in the hunt for the fourth slot.  It’s really too close to call.  Look for the Upperdeckers pitching staff to be a lot stronger next year.  The Molly Putts Marauders may have a lot of holes to plug next year, but they’re definitely in the running this year.  They just need to get another series with the Bambies on their schedule.

 The Sluggos should change their name to Mr. Bill as it seems like they always get their pitchers placed on the DL.  David Wright and David Bush were excellent draft picks.

 The Chicago Champions sure did get young in a hurry.  They aren’t going anywhere this year, but just maybe they’ll be back next year.  Trader Tedd is looking for his young arms to pitch him to the play-offs in 2006.

 The Aurora Gamblers have lots of old guys and are looking at a high draft pick next year.  They may still be a couple of years away from the play-offs. Look for the Gamblers to be  an active trader before next draft.

 The Bambies seem to enjoy sitting on the bottom and this year will be no different.  The Bambies are hoping to have an upper level pitching staff next year and will be looking to pick up a top rookie slugging outfielder.  Maybe Nick Swisher.

Tedd Mallasch's Predictions

1.  NORTHSIDE HITMEN (Could it be anyone else?)

2.  MOLLY PUTTS MARAUDERS (All the pieces fit into place)

3.  CHICAGO HIGHLANDERS (Bullpen was the missing link)

4.  TWIN CITY THUNDERCHICKENS (Renteria is the difference)

5.  GREEN ROCK BOMBERS (No Renteria is the difference)

6.  CHICAGO CHAMPIONS (Headed in the right direction)

7.  AURORA GAMBLERS (Going down)

8.  COLONA UPPERDECKERS (What happened?)

9.  STATE STREET SLUGGERS (Still rebuilding)

10.  RISING BAMM BEANOS (I've fallen & can't get up)

Rob Moore's Predictions

It's an interesting year. Two years ago the 9th place team was only 3 games out of the final playoff slot, and the 10th place team was only 2 games behind that pace. Since then things have separated; this year it only looks like 5 teams are even trying for the playoffs. The T-Chix, Hitmen, Bombers, Highlanders, and Marauders are all in the hunt. All have good teams. One will miss the playoffs - probably by a couple of games.

1st Place: Northside Hitmen
They're here until someone knocks them out, and this could be the year they fall to 3rd or 4th place. They're the closest to a lock there is. However, the pen is shaky after Smoltz and Takatsu, and the top three starters lack control. The offense is still the league's best, but not by such a wide margin that their weaknesses are totally offset.

2nd Place: Chicago Highlanders
This would be the first time I've ever done it (finish higher than 3rd), but I really like my team. Three B starters, 3 A relievers, and the best offense in nearly a decade make this a tough team. I'm expecting to break the franchise record of 86 wins with a few to spare. The only weakness is the pen hasn't got a huge amount of innings.

3rd Place: Green Rock Bombers
Can't say Mike doesn't learn from the past. He missed the playoffs in '04 due to lack of pen, and he went out and got 3 B's and Mariano Rivera. A solid offense will get him his runs, but his rotation lacks control, and Erstad is a drag on the offense.

4th Place: Molly Putts Marauders
Who is Molly Putt anyway, and why does she have Marauders? This team has some thunder; with Vlad, Godzilla, and Ichiro, this might be the most interesting outfield ever. The Illowa hit record is 231 by Al Oliver, by the way. The Marauders have the front line pitching for the first time in a while, with Sheets and Radke both on top of their form, and 3 A's in the pen will make it very tough to come back in the late innings. The only weakness I see here is the pen is only three deep. Don can let his starters stay in late if need be, though, making up for it - he has 189 graded starts by my count.

5th Place: Twin Cities Thunderchickens
Tom has two great offensive players in Pujols and Beltran, and a decent cast of supporting players - but he will be throwing ten D starts with a ten man pitching staff. His pen also only goes three deep, so there will be a lot of D innings thrown on this staff, I think. I see the T-Chix coming up just short - but any of these 5 top teams have a shot.

6th Place: Rising Bamm-Beano's
The Bamm-Beano's have a very outside chance of making some noise. Two B starters, a proficient if not fearsome offense, and a decent closer give him a shot, but he's more likely to fall 5-10 games back.

7th Place: Molina Upperdeckers
That World Series was nice, eh? The Upperdeckers have been a team on the rise for the last several years, and it will be interesting to see if this is a speed bump or a rebuilding phase coming. Marc's hitters seem to be aging fast, and the starters all picked the same year to be mediocre. Still, throwing all graded starts , and having three A's in the pen gives this team an outside chance at 5th place. The offense will be what lets this team down.

8th Place: Aurora Gamblers
The offense is a shadow of its former self, and getting the band back together would be a great idea for 2001. There's still some talent here, though, and only 11 D starts by my count. Still, it's the bottom third of the league for one of the "Big Two."

9th Place: Chicago Champions
The Champs will eek out a 9th place finish, but I think they've managed to turn the corner with the young talent they've acquired. 40 D starts will make it tough to hold off...

10th Place: State Street Sluggers
...Nick Ventresca! The Sluggers have a pitching staff just waiting to come together and be dominant. They've picked up some hitters so that they don't have any glaring holes on offense, and in David Wright, I think they got the best player in the draft. They've got no pen to speak of, though, and all graded starts. The Sluggers may just be on the path to playoff glory. Just not in 2005.

Tom Nelshoppen's Predictions

 The Shoo-Ins

1. Chicago Highlanders

Head for the Hills!  The Highlanders have finally come full circle and have become all Rob wanted them to be.  A lot has been made of his bullpen but this team is solid all around.  There isn’t a weak spot in the lineup and the starting staff is one of the best.  Rob should make the playoffs with no problem. 

2. Northside Hitmen 

The Hitmen pitching is a little down and the hitting is slightly weaker than last year but I know better than to put Lucas lower than second.  They still have big bats in the lineup with Bonds, Ramirez, Delgado and Co.  Pedro and Smoltz will let the 9s slip through this year but he’s got Peavy now and he WON’T.  Don’t count them out for another possible first place finish. 

3. Green Rock Bombers

This could be Papa Bunch’s year.  Once again, he’ll try to do it with a solid pitching staff.  In addition, they have a strong lineup even if they don’t have a catcher.  The acquisition of Rivera will help immensely. 

The Contenders

4. Twin City Thunderchickens

Eternal Optimism puts our team in the last playoff spot but I think we have a legitimate shot.  Pujols is a little down from last year but otherwise we have a pretty solid lineup with no real weak spots in the lineup.  We sport a superior bench with big bats ready to come in to pinch hit.  Pitching is solid but not quite the staff we had in 2004. 

5. Molly Putts Mauraders

I placed Don’s team last in my 2004 predictions.  I won’t make that mistake this year.  Don had a fantastic draft in 2004 (Lidge, V. Martinez, Matsui) and they’re coming to fruition now.  Though he no longer has Martinez, he was paid handsomely for his trouble in the form of 3B Lowell and C Molina.  This team spells playoff trouble in my book and probably belongs in the #4 spot on this list. 

6. Moline Upperdeckers

Fresh off their World Series win, my guess is that Bunch Jr.’s squad aren’t ready to rest on their laurels quite yet.  A few players look to have down years (Wilson, Green, both Joneses) but a solid starting staff and a one-two punch of K-Rod and Percival out of pen will help this team compete for the big time. 

The Pretenders

7. Chicago Champions

This team is rebuilding but they’ll get a few wins.  With A-Rod, Berkman, Carlos Lee and even Bagwell, it won’t be too hard to score some runs.  Pitching is their weak spot though and they’ll need to weave some magic to contend.  On paper, this team should go lower but I know Tedd better than that. 

8. Aurora Gamblers

This will be the second year the Gamblers won’t make the playoffs.  Injuries to Walker and Ordonez will take their toll.  Too many holes in the lineup and pitching is down.  J Bay will definitely help this team this year and in the future. 

9. State Street Sluggers

The Sluggers were the big disappointment in 2004.  True to their name, this year’s squad has a few sticks who can hit the long ball.  However, the Sluggers are short on quality pitching.  Look for them to be spoilers as they come on strong at the end of the season. 

10. Rising Bamm! Beanos

I hate to do this to my cross-town buddy but it ain’t gonna happen in 2005.  With Garciaparra and Anderson down for half the season each, there are too many holes to fill.  With some luck, they may rise as far as 8^th.  That said, the team is on its way up for the future.  Some good draft picks (Teixeira, Madritsch, Brazoban) and trade pick-ups (Wilkerson, Buehrle, Olivio) over the past two years will hopefully bode well for the Beanos.