2021
Spring/Summer Season
Forecast
April
16, 2021 (Federal League Wire Service)
Here's how the editors of South Florida Baseball Report
see the races shaping up:
Expansion
Division
1. Tri-Cities Tritons
Mgr: Mike
Whittaker
Last Season:
32-8 (1st
place, Won League Championship)
The Story:
The Tritons have
now won five consecutive championships and eight of the last nine.
No team has ever won six straight titles. The main core of the
team remains intact and ready to accept all challenges.
Strength:
It's completely
plausible now to suggest the Calvin Rayburn is the greatest player
in league history. When Rayburn is on the mound, the Tritons have been
nearly
unbeatable. Rayburn is surrounded by a high quality cast that
includes all-stars Jay Warman, Chris Marrero, and Zac Miller. A
supporting cast that includes Agner Martinez, Jorge Cabellero, Dom
Dingus, and Brandom Sam, among others, has depth and experience.
Weakness:
The pitching behind Rayburn is good, but
not necessarily great. John Hardardt and youngster Chad Allen
are solid, but there is very little depth behind them. Team
defense, which can be spectacular on some days and mediocre on
others, is inconsistent.
Prognosis:
The Tritons
will remain the lead dog until someone proves capable of
displacing them.
Writin' Triton:
The Sons of Poseidon have added veterans
Frank Paul and Nazareth Rosario, neither of whom have played in
the league for several seasons.
2. Hollywood
Stars
Mgr: Ryan
Snyder
Last Season: 26-14
(2nd place, lost in Semi-Final round)
The Story:
Ryan Snyder took over the club
from Ishy Demoya last season and completely re-imagined the team.
The Stars came within one game of reaching the Championship Final
Series and, while that demonstrates progress, does not satistfy
their objective.
Strength:
Last season, the Stars introduced
key players, such as power pitcher Austin Armstrong, who is a former Toronto
Blue Jays draftee, power hitting Albert Carbonell,
middle infielder Rodolfo Oleta, slugger Jeffrey Baez, outfielder
Ryan Reilly, and super utilityman Carlos Fluerry and added them to a returning core of
Reol Alvarez, Eddie Llovera,
Snyder, and Everett Miller. This season the talent pool grows with
the addition of pitchers Dylan Brammer and Seth Marcus.
Weakness:
The Stars present a very deep roster without
any glaring weaknesses, however, their were stretches during last
season where an, otherwise, powerful lineup failed to produce.
Prognosis:
The Stars
should be in the thick of the pennant and, once again, have to be
considered as the Tritons leading challengers for league
supremacy.
Star Shines:
The Stars are hoping that veteran utiltyman
Juan Deus can bounce back from a serious knee injury he suffered
in last season's playoffs.
3.
Margate Sentries
Mgr: Alex
Rodriguez
Last
Season:
22-18
(3rd place, lost in Play-In round)
The Story:
Alex Rodriguez now has two, very similar,
seasons under his belt as manager of the Sentries and the
Gatekeepers appear to be at a crossroads. Despite having, on
paper at least, potentially the most talent of any team in the
league, the Sentries limped home to a third place finish before
bowing out early in the post-season. The
roster is still strong, but it needs to start producing results or
the chemistry of the team will have to bear the burden of the
blame.
Strength:
If Jheondri
Herrera and Raul Ascanio are both fit and healthy, the Sentries
have, quite possibly, the strongest 1-2 punch at the top of their
rotation. Alex Rodriguez and Rafael Lara can provide quality
innings. It will be interesting to see what former pro Hector
Rovain is able to contribute. Willie Castillo and Osvaldo Martinez anchor a solid
lineup that possesses some deceptive speed.
Weakness:
In last season's preview, we presciently
wrote that despite a solid, veteran, core, the Sentries
are, season after season, woefully inconsistent and have proven
that they can be easily distracted. When this team is focused they
can be as good as anyone, but maintaining that focus is their
biggest obstacle. This proved to be all too true last season and
remains the case until the team actively disproves it.
Prognosis:
If the
pitching stays healthy and the lineup avoids any major slumps, the Gatekeepers will be
able to stay in contention all season long. If the team finds
focus and plays up to its capabilities, the Guardsmen can finally entertain thoughts of a deep
playoff run and unseating the Tritons.
Sentry Posts:
The Sentries might be the scorekeepers least
favorite team, having three Penas, two Rodriguezs, and Osvaldo
Martinez, who used to be known by the last name Capote.
4.
Davie Goliaths
Mgr: Donny
Gagliano
Last Season:
7-33 (4th place)
The Story:
Donny Gagliano entered his second campaign as Goliaths' manager
and hopes to build on the incremental success that the club
showed toward the end of the season. Gagliano defied dire
predictions and exhibited himself to be a deft skipper, one that
reined in his notorious temper.
Strength:
No one thing really
jumps off the page, but the Philistines have a lot of promise in
every facet of the game. Team speed is not excessive, but with
Chris Jones and Isaac Zinguer, they have some. Power is not
abundant, but with veteran Jamie Bobrow and newcomer Zach Roberts,
it's there. The pitching staff isn't going to rate among the best
in the league, but Pete Ginter, newly acquired Nelson Alvarenga,
and youngster Derek Bonner, it could be pretty good.
Weakness:
The bullpen is going to be an area
of concern. While the lineup is not bad, there are going to be a
few holes in it.
Prognosis:
The
Goliaths might be a much better team than they were last year and
still finish in the cellar. However, with the new playoff format,
they may be good enough to squeeze into a post season berth.
Goliath Grunts:
The Goliaths
have so many important players on their reserve list that they
could not find room to keep Felix Martinez, a former all star
outfielder, whom they acquired from the Stars in an off-season
trade.
Original
Division
1. Sunrise Sunsets
Mgr: Brandon
Hull
Last Season:
24-12 (2nd place, lost in Championship Final Series)
The Story:
All season
long, the Sunsets underachieved before engaging in a
wild roller coaster ride through the playoffs that ended
up being achingly short of finishing on top. Many of the
key figures return, stoking hopes that, this season,
they can get back over the hump.
Strength:
The 'Sets boast
a potent lineup led league MVP Chris
Price, outfielder Joe Iacobucci, infielder Javier
Aguilar and catcher Chris Craig. Former East Stroudsberg
State slugger Rudy Mueller will add another power bat in
the middle of the order. Dom Ficarra should rebound from
a bit of an off year for him. The pitching can be more than
fine with Garrett Rogers headlining a staff that
includes Ryan Sander, Tommy Tritz, and a, hopefully,
healthy Will Resnik. Eric Sabido is also back from
injury to round out the staff.
Weakness: The
infield defense remains occasionally suspect. The team
is desperate need of a true leadoff hitter. The
loss of Brant Spring to shoulder surgery will be felt,
particularly in the playoffs.
Prognosis:
The Sunsets should in the thick of
things again. If they expect to return to the
Championship Final Series again, the pitchers will need
to stay on form
Sunset Grillings: The
Sunsets spent the off-season unsuccessfully attempting
to lure all times wins leader, Michael Cimilluca, out of
retirement.
2.
Hallandale Twins
Mgr:
Jordan De
Los Reyes
Last
Season: 14-26
(3rd place, lost in Play-in round)
The Story:
The Twins had an
odd season that begin with well liked and respected manager
Brent Campbell taking a leave of absence. Jordan De Los Reyes
was named the interim manager and, by mid-season, De Los Reyes
lost the interim tag. The team played much better ball in the
second half signaling a bright future.
Strength:
The
Twins the makings of an explosive lineup. There is a nice balance
of speed and power. Speedy Brian Clancy, a rookie, might be the
team's new leadoff hitter. Eric Manning, former league MVP
Anthony Garcilazo, and Gus Simeon form a formidable middle of
the order. Elio Mercado, De Los Reyes, Luis Pagan return. The
two Alexes, Martinez and Rodriguez had productive first seasons.
The pitching has some new, but unproven talent to line up behind
ace Francisco Calderon.
Weakness:
Team defense can be wildly inconsistent.
The bullpen has more questions than answers, and, the bottom of
the order has been unimpressive for several seasons in a row.
Prognosis:
The Twins
should be a much improved squad over last season, but may still
be at least another campaign away from being real contenders.
Twin Peeks: The
Geminis are hopeful that newcomers Nick Argento and Ariel Flores
will be able to make a positive impact.
3.
Broward
Cubs
Mgr: Cory
McEwen
Last Season: 29-11
(1st place, lost in Semi-Final round)
The Story: Last
season, the Cubs led the Senior Circuit from wire to wire before
ultimately collapsing in the final inning of the final game of the
semi-finals. This season will feature a few new faces, but the
team will be hard pressed to duplicate last season's results.
Strength:
Tyler Brown is emerging as the league's
best all around catcher. Cory McEwen, Lionel Rubio, and Former
Goliath and Star Erickmay Simancas have the potential to be a good
middle of the order. Both the infield and outfield defenses are
solid.
Weakness:
The rest of the batting order has
some major holes. While Chad Volbert remains a top flight ace, the rest of the mound staff
is far from awe inspiring. McEwen and veteran Doc Guida can eat innings, and
Bayardo Arias, a veteran lefty, has promise, but the
staff is far from deep.
Prognosis:
The Cubs
should return to the playoffs, but, unless they get some
significant production from an unexpected source, a repeat of last
year's regular season success is unlikely.
Cub Cribs: All-Star
outfielder Gerry Estrada and key contributor, shortstop Eddie
Cabrera, start the season on the reserved list.
4.
Fort
Lauderdale Atlantics
Mgr: Gary
Frady
Last Season:
6-34 (4th place)
The Story: The Navigators
had the talent to go a lot farther than they did, but the team
chemistry was off and the season went off the rails early with a
back breaking six game losing streak in the early going followed
by a 10 game skid later in the campaign. This
season, manager Frady has revamped the roster and the hope is
that, while the team might not be any more talented on paper than
it was last season, the club will gel much better than it did in
2020.
Strength:
The
lineup has some promise. Jan Sanchez is due for a breakout season.
Former MVP candidate Jamaal Thelwell should have a bounce back
campaign. Jerry Ostos, acquired in a deal with the Twins, could be
a star in the making. Rob Wiley, acquired from the Sentries,
Jarrod Rubinstein, Doug Robinson, and newcomer James McOwen should
provide some punch in the middle of the order. The outfield
defense is excellent.
Weakness:
The pitching staff beyond veterans Joe Feller,
Evan Parana, and rookie Aaron Cooper is thin and suspect. The
infield defense needs to tighten up.
Prognosis:
Unless they
develop some more arms, it might be another long season.
Atlantic Crossings:
The Atlantics released one of their most
decorated players after Amed Martinez held out during the spring.
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