2015 Spring/Summer Season Forecast 

April 20, 2015 (Federal League Wire Service)

         Here's how the editors of South Florida Baseball Report see the races shaping up:

Expansion Division

1. Margate Sentries
Mgr: Phil Laufman 
Last Season: 22-10 (1st place, lost in Championship Final Series)
The Story: The Sentries were, once again, runners up for the league title. A somewhat sluggish start to the regular season and a less than stellar end to the season marred the campaign for the Gatekeepers.
Strength: The Sentries boast a balanced lineup , led by leadoff hitter Jeff O' Kelley. The addition of power hitting Rob Wiley and the return of Lorne Battiste should keep the Fightin' Phils atop the standings. The pitching remains strong with Cody Stauble and Kevin Druckman leading a deep staff. 
Weakness: Infield defense remains a question mark. Outfield depth is still unsettled.
Prognosis: The talent is there for another title run.
Sentry Posts: Jason Jones and Andres Libran, arguably the teams two most productive hitters, will both start the season on the reserved list. Manager Phil Laufman hopes to have Jones back by mid-season, but Libran's return is iffy.

2. Davie Goliaths
Mgr: Anthony De Filippis 
Last Season: 12-20 (3rd place, lost in play-in round)
The Story: Michael Gagnon's final campaign as manager of the Philistines was not an unmitigated disaster, but it was close. Several players rebelled at, what they perceived to be, Gagnon's heavy handed style. De Filippis brings experience and a steady hand to the helm, which may be exactly what the G-Men need.
Strength: The Goliaths might have the league's top pitching staff in the making. Veteran Sean Grove joins the team and along with rubber armed Joe Feller, crafty Jason Lipoff, impressive lefty Michael Daniels, and innings eating Doc Guida.  The lineup should be improved as Tony Krahwinkel, Christian Perez-Astudillo, and Vijay Patel form a strong rookie crop that will impact the team's offense.
Weakness: Team defense still needs some work. While Patel and Perez-Astudillo should improve the infield, and Jorge Caballero is solid in center, the Philistines still have some unanswered questions on the defensive side.
Prognosis: The Goliaths should respond to De Filippis' leadership, and the additions, both veteran and rookie, could lead the team into contention.
Goliath Grunts: The Goliaths acquired slick fielding third baseman Juan Labrada in a trade at the end of spring training, as De Filippis continues to address the team's needs.

3. Tri-Cities Tritons
Mgr: Mike Whittaker 
Last Season: 14-18 (2nd place, lost in semi-finals)
The Story: The Tritons played great ball for the first half of the season before fading badly in the second half. A solid draft and some key additions are intended to make for a more consistent performance.
Strength: The Tritons have a better than average lineup. All-star outfielder Adrian Roznowski established himself as a top batsman. Whittaker, Eric Silverberg, Jon Goldsmith, shortstop Jay Warman, and Magdiel Sanchez form the nucleus of a strong lineup. Newcomer Denzel Nickerson, a top slugging prospect acquired in a the draft should make a big impact. Returning ace Frank Paul should be on board for a full season and joins joins a healthy Silverberg, mercurial John Hardardt, newcomer Jon Brogan, and "Iron" Mike Whittaker at the top of an improved rotation.
Weakness: The Tritons still need to shore up their fielding, which can be atrocious at times. The outfield defense has some question marks, with only stalwart Anger "Management" Martinez being a sure thing.
Prognosis: The Tritons are still building for the future, but they can see the light on the horizon. This may not be a championship caliber club yet, but they are getting closer.
Writin' Triton: The Tritons tried out Zac Chernin, an outfield prospect last season, as a pitcher during the spring. Chernin impressed, but remains unsigned as of opening day.

4. Hollywood Stars
Mgr: Billy DeVuyst
Last Season: 6-26 (4th place)
The Story: The Stars are now in the fourth season of their major rebuilding program and it is time for the team to see some dividends. The Stars have continued to overhaul their roster in an effort to move up in the standings. 
Strength: The additions of hard hitting rookies Keean Pritchard and R. J. Neal, joining all-star Adryan Pedraza, give the Stars one of the league's best outfields. Slugging third sacker Reol Alvarez will team with Junior Canales to form a strong middle of the order.  Proven veterans, like Lee Gonzalez and Alex Zorrilla, give the Stars a deep bench.
Weakness: The pitching remains largely unsettled. Jonathan Cruz has potential, but has yet to emerge as a staff leader. Chris Minino showed a strong arm last season, but did not produce positive results in a brief trial.
Prognosis: The Stars figure to stay in the playoff race all season.
Star Shines: The Stars welcomed former all-star second baseman Teo Zorrilla back to active duty. Zorrilla appears to be fully recovered after undergoing heart surgery following an on field incident last season.

Original Division

1. Fort Lauderdale Blazers
Mgr: Michael Cimilluca 
Last Season: 22-8 (2nd place, won Championship Final Series)
The Story: The Blazers had their share of struggles in the regular season before getting it together, and ultimately succeeding, in the playoffs. After the season, the core of the team, save for Cimilluca and pitcher Chris Delgado, held a long, protracted, group holdout. The Blazers' front office systematically rebuilt the team with a cadre of prospects and by trading for veterans Matt Leban and Aaron Morris. The addition of free agent Igor Molina completed, what has to be, the quickest rebuild in history.
Strength: The team tremendous power. Outfielder Junior King, shortstop Ishy Demoya, catcher Elisney Boza, first baseman Chris Contreras, and third baseman Yoilan Piedra should help Blazer fans forget Joe Iacobucci, David Leon, John Spellman, and Dom Ficarra, in case those players decide against rejoining the team. Any staff that has Cimilluca at the top is automatically one of the league's best. 
Weakness: Despite the presence of league legend Cimilluca,  the pitching depth is an obvious concern. Delgado is a solid number two, and Leban can be effective, but there are not a lot of options beyond those three.
Prognosis: There is certainly enough talent here for another pennant run, but a mid-season addition of one or two quality pitchers wouldn't hurt.
Blazer Blasts: Outfield prospect Justin Mixon and utilityman Jarrod Rubinstein will add depth when both join the team in May.

2. Commercial Aviation Mudcats
Mgr: Gus Maestrales 
Last Season: 16-16 (3rd place, lost in semi-finals)
The Story: The Mudcats merged with the Sunsets for one season as part of the league's restructuring last campaign, but the Whiskered Fish are back to being a separate entity again. As usual, the Maestralesmen boast a high talent level , but playing up to that level consistently is the ever present challenge.
Strength: The Mudcats will have a balanced lineup with veterans Luis Rodriguez, Pete Maestrales, Gary Frady, Alejandro Caboverde, Casey Johnston on hand to provide power. Newcomers Carlos Rodriguez, Luis Villa, and Johnn Ventura had productive springs and should augment the lineup. The pitching staff behind nominal ace Gus Maestrales is a plus with Tommy Tritz and Bob Villalona slated to get a lion's share of the innings..
Weakness: Focus and consistency. The talent level is high enough to go all the way, but the intangibles are not always in this team's favor.
Prognosis: The Mudcats should be in the pennant hunt and could, if everything breaks right, make a significant dent in the post season.
Mudcat Musings: The Mudcats were the only team in the league that did not have to cut any players from their roster. The Maestralesmen kept a minimal number of players throughout spring training, and were actually able to add two players, prospects Mike Rivera and Yasmani Mosquera, to their opening day roster.

3. Broward Cubs
Mgr: Ken Brown 
Last Season: 9-23 (4th place)
The Story: The Cubs, five seasons removed from their lone championship campaign completely retooled their roster and may emerge as the league's surprise team.
Strength: The pitching staff will be the key to success. Ace Chad Volbert is likely out for the entire season, leaving the pitching duties to newly acquired Ryan Di Giose, Danny Hernandez, Don Burgess, and Matt Kean.  The offense should be better than average as Hernandez, Albie Santiago, Keith Nicoll, and Adelle Alfonso will be joined by veteran sluggers such as Ray Perieria and Roberto Galvez.
Weakness: The absence of a true leadoff hitter might hinder the lineup. Without a table setter, the Cubs might be less productive than otherwise expected.
Prognosis: The Cubs will only go as far as their pitching takes them and that might not be far enough to keep them in the championship picture this season. If the staff gels, the Cubs could make a post season run.
Cub Cribs: All-star first baseman Jamie Bobrow is out for the season after undergoing shoulder surgery.

4. Sunrise Sunsets
Mgr: Brandon Hull 
Last Season: 16-16 (3rd place, lost in semi-finals)
The Story: After a season spent in tandem with the Mudcats, the team returns to its independent status. 
Strength: The Sunsets could have a surprisingly strong pitching staff. First round pick Amaury Drago has the tools to establish himself as a staff ace. Newcomers Jesse Wallace and Daniel Wyatt, along with veteran Jimmy Schariest give the Twilighters, what could be, the league's hardest throwing mound corps. 
Weakness: Team defense remains the squad's biggest question mark. 
Prognosis: The Sunsets will generate some power, but former all-stars Chris Price and Demetrio Green need to rebound from their atypical results last season. Newcomers like Johnnie Chung and Christian Reyes, and Burke Fox should take some of the pressure off of Price and Green. If so, the Twilighters could move up.
Sunset Grillings: The Twilighters made a late deal to acquire to of the league's most hustling rookies. Third baseman Bill Bunch and outfielder Luis Morad should inject some spirit into the lineup. The return of outfielder Mike Govern, after taking a season off, can only yield positive results.

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