NL North at the Quarter Pole

PARITY - "a nobel yen, and very restful every now and then"(apologies to Mordred/Camolot), but not very restful for those on a par.

New York Natty Dreads - shakazulu5 - 4,1,WC,3,1,1 - 4 playoffs but no league championships - 95M salary and 15M in Training - Middle tier in offense the Natty Dreads need a bat or two but they are not going to find it in the minors, at least for a year or 2. A couple of the present ML bats might have benefited by a year more in the minors. The Natty Dreads are surviving on pitching, but there is no room for a error, an injury to the #1 or 2 SP will eliminate the Natty Dreads from contention. Does Shakazulu5 mortgage the future by trading off the limited minor league talent to gain the playoffs but another early exit, stand pat and hope for the best, or retrench. Prediction: New York stands pat but misses the playoffs and finishes tied for 2nd/last at 82-80.

Chicago Orphans - New - WC,WC,WC,1,WC,2 - 5 playoffs and no league title appearances - 2nd place will not get a team in this divison to the playoffs, it is going to be win or go home at the end of the season. At 68M and 20 training the Orphans appear to be planning for the future but the future may be now, as the Orphans cornered the player of the week owners this week. The offense is very young and already good - next year they will be very good. The pitching is older and not as accomplished but can get the job done. And there are reserves in the upper minors that can be called up if needed to spell the MLers if injuries occur. This team will be better in the 2nd half of the season than they are now. Prediction - they are THE strong contender for the division title projecting to 94-68 but are a year away from a strong playoff run.


Rochester Genesee - dsmba - 1,WC,1,WC,3,3 - 4 playoffs appearances and no league titles - as previously noted there will not be a WC in this division this year - beat the Orphans or go home. 60M player budget 20M prospects, 18M training - clearly Genesee sees its future in the future, but given the parity in the division could its future be now? The offense is not getting it done and to date dsmba is keeping the future in the minors. The pitching should be better but is being hampered by the defense. The pitching is also older and will be fading in the coming years. This puts dsmba in a tough spot - most of the hitting in the minors needs another year and there is little in the way of arms in the minors. Stand pat and the Orphans run away with the divison in the 2nd half - trade a prospect for a veteran or 2 and take a run at it this year BUT sacrifice some future - and the future in Rochester is not as good as it is in Chicago. Prediction - Genesee stands pat and ties for 2nd/last 82-80


St. Louis Macrobrews - jamier2003 - WC,4,4,4,4,4 - the Macrobrews would be justified in feeling like the doormats of the NL north even though they have been around .500 the last 2 seasons. 70M in player payroll and 18M in training suggest they are on the right track, but are the Orphans and Genesee already ahead of them on this track. There is some quality at the ML level in the positions and the defense is solid. There are bats in the minors but it would be stretching a little to bring them up now. The Orphans have decided to stretch and it may payoff for them, should the Macrobrews do the same? The pitching at the ML level is average and all the pitching in the minors appears flawed (wildness/effectiveness) so there may not be as much help coming in pitching. "the last shall be first" I don't think so, but "the 1st shall be last" or at least tied for it. Prediction: The macrobrews do not bring up their Minor league bats and finish 82-80 in a 3 way tie for 2nd/last. But if the Macrobrews are hanging around .500 at the all-star break and The Orphans have not begun to put the division away some promotions may be in order.