TBA 2013 Predictions: Vander Wal Division

Spring is here! Although the weather may not feel like it just yet (at least for me) blue skies and warmer weather are coming which means that baseball season is right around the corner.

With that the TBA Blog is back for their annual season predictions. Before we start let me say that these are 100% based on a formula I use to evaluate the cards and these rankings are based on the highest ranked player at each position. The rankings are also tailored to Fenway, so it hurts certain types of players which may be much better for another teams ballparks than for mine. Just something to keep in mind...

Anyway, let's go backwards this year and start with the Vander Wal Division.

1) London

The Badgers made a surprise run at the post-season last year falling just short of the last wild card spot when the dust settled. Now they are ready to may be ready to make the leap to LHL elite. Super-rookie Mike Trout will start the year in the majors and can already be penciled in Rookie of the Year. They brought in Aramis Ramirez to man third base this season and he has reportedly looked excellent in Spring Training, including better defensively. Longtime London catcher Yadier Molina took a big leap offensively last season (.295/15/63) and is expected to put up similar numbers, if not improve, again this season. The rotation is as good as ever and adds rookie Jarrod Parker to the mix. They should easily win the division and could win 100 games this season.

Projected Lineup:

C: Yadier Molina
1B: Freddie Freeman/Jesus Guzman
2B: Maicer Izturis/Cody Ransom
3B: Aramis Ramirez
SS: Zack Cozart/John McDonald
LF: Mike Trout
CF: Carlos Gomez 
RF: Jason Kubel

Projected Rotation/Closer:

SP: David Price
SP: Josh Johnson
SP: Madison Bumgarner
SP: Jordan Zimmermann
SP: Jarrod Parker
CL: Jose Valverde

2) Seattle

Joe Mundy has moved this team over to Washington (Seattle, WA to be exact) and with that comes new expectations for this team.  They won 10 of their last 13 games to end last season and hope that will carry over into Seattle's 2013. The renamed Thunderbirds have quality role players all around the diamond but the offense is led by 'Captain America' David Wright. Rookies AJ Griffin and Drew Smyly figure to be major parts of the rotation this year while Tom Wilhelmen comes over from Helena (now state rival Spokane) and begin the season in the closer role for the team. Although they are my favorite for the #4 playoff seed, 
the biggest question with this team is how long they will remain together. If they stumble out of the blocks Seattle could start trading away some role pieces such as Jeff Keppinger for future prospects.

Projected Lineup:

C: Chris Iannetta/Yasmani Grandal
1B: Jeff Keppinger/Allen Craig
2B: Chris Getz/Jeff Keppinger
3B: David Wright
SS: Everth Cabrera/Brendan Ryan
LF: Allen Craig/Scott Hairston
CF: Michael Saunders
RF: Nate Schierholtz/Casper Wells

Projected Rotation/Closer:

SP: AJ Griffin
SP: Trevor Cahill
SP: Drew Smyly
SP: Ricky Nolasco
SP: James McDonald
CL: Tom Wilhelmsen

3) Oahu

The Glorious Wonders have made some organizational changes this year bringing in a new manager and general manager however they at least continue to have the best team name in the TBA. As for baseball news, they made a ton of moves which cost then multiple 2014 draft picks. They need to make it count and capitalize off those moves this season. It should be a tight wild card race between Seattle, Oahu, and Oregon and every win will count. It's also possible another team can sneak in to take that playoff spot so it is important to get off to a good start this season for these teams. Oahu may be relying on their strong bullpen quite a bit this season and may need to add another starting pitcher or two to the fold to push themselves ahead of the race.

Projected Lineup:

C: AJ Pierzynski
1B: Prince Fielder
2B: Neil Walker
3B: Pablo Sandoval/Hanley Ramirez
SS: Alexei Ramirez
LF: Garrett Jones/Jonny Gomes
CF: Denard Span
RF: Shin-Soo Choo/Carlos Quentin

Projected Rotation/Closer:

SP: Wandy Rodriguez
SP: Hishashi Iwakuma
SP: Anibal Sanchez
SP: Clayton Richard
SP: Barry Zito
CL: Fernando Rodney

4) Claysburg

Claysburg has unloaded veterans Jose Reyes, Adrian Gonzalez, and Hunter Pence as they are in the middle of rebuilding their team to return this franchise to the TBA Championship (as Bartonville in 2009).  A strong draft this year including Will Middlebrooks and Starling Marte infuse more young talent to the prospects this team already had. Although they could make a surprise push this year (a la London last year) they still are a couple years away from seriously contending.

Projected Lineup:

C: Wilin Rosario
1B: Chris Johnson/Mark Trumbo
2B: Darwin Barney
3B: Will Middlebrooks
SS: Danny Espinosa
LF: Seth Smith/Dayan Viciedo
CF: Tyler Colvin/Starling Marte
RF: Mark Trumbo/Travis Snider

Projected Rotation/Closer:

SP: Gio Gonzalez
SP: Mike Minor
SP: Travis Wood
SP: Jose Quintana
SP: Drew Pomeranz
CL: Brett Myers

5) Reno

Make sure to keep that trophy in mind this year Aces fans as it could be a long season. Since an awesome 111 win season a year ago that culminated in a TBA title, things have gone south for Reno. Specifically the pitching. Tim Lincecum won 23 games last season but may not even pitch this year, Ubaldo Jimenez is gone, regression from the other starters are inevitable and the bullpen will almost certainly not be what it was a year ago. The offense can still hit the ball some but the pitching will be their downfall this year as they will try to rebuild to where they were in 2012. However I've been wrong about this team before and don't have a championship trophy at home so what do I know.

Projected Lineup:

C: Carlos Santana/Tyler Flowers
1B: Anthony Rizzo/Carlos Santana
2B: Omar Infante
3B: Kevin Youkilis
SS: Cliff Pennington
LF: Ryan Ludwick
CF: Josh Hamilton
RF: Jay Bruce

Projected Rotation/Closer:

SP: James Shields
SP: Mat Latos
SP: Kevin Correia
SP: Jeremy Guthrie
SP: Vance Worley
CL: Francisco Rodriguez