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NORTH AMERICAN STRAT-O-MATIC ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER
Number 8 - Midseason Report July 16, 1996
WELCOME TO THE SECOND ANNUAL NASA MIDSEASON REPORT
Included within:
- Updates on the divisional races and wild card standings
- Complete League Leaders
- Stats of Every NASA Player
- Review of the 1996 NASA Rookie Draft
- The All-NASA team
- Everything else you would expect from a newsletter...
NASA STANDINGS
Ricky Vaughn division
W L Pct. GB Home Away
Wichita Whiffers 56 35 .615 - 34-15 22-20
Inwood Landfills 57 39 .594 1.5 20-13 37-26
Tennessee Lumber Co. 40 41 .494 11 17-20 21-18
**Santa Clara Bears 33 53 .384 20.5 9-10 7-13
Roy Hobbs division
Prospect Park Posse 61 35 .635 - 32-21 29-14
Grand Cayman Snorkelrs 50 41 .549 8.5 31-18 19-23
Brussels Sprouts 51 45 .531 10 21-22 30-23
Kenmore Krushers 47 44 .516 11.5 25-16 22-28
Crash Davis division
Yellowknife Moose 61 31 .663 - 40-16 21-15
Mayne Islanders 51 36 .586 7.5 30-17 21-19
Cedar Rapids R.B. 40 52 .435 21 17-19 23-33
Muncie Superbas 35 52 .402 23.5 18-22 17-30
Archie Graham Division
Long Island Sounds 37 51 .420 - 18-23 19-28
Traverse City Bombers 32 50 .390 2 22-30 10-20
DC Independents 15 61 .197 16 8-22 7-39
WILD CARD STANDINGS (the top two will make the playoffs)
W-L GB GB of second place
Inwood Landfills 57-39 - -
Mayne Islanders 51-36 1.5 -
Grand Cayman Snorklers 50-41 4.5 3
Brussels Sprouts 51-45 6 4.5
Kenmore Krushers 47-44 7.5 6
Tennessee Lumber Company 40-41 9.5 8
PENNANT RACES
Early on, it appeared that Wichita was on course to cruise to their
fourth straight Vaughn division title. However, led by the recent acquisition
of Reggie Sanders from Cedar Rapids, Inwood has gone on a tear, and was
actually dead even with the Whiffers at the break before losing four of
five to Wichita to fall back a bit. Either way, the battle for first appears
that it will go down to the wire.
After a 12-3 Cluster 5, Prospect Park grabbed a commanding 11 game
lead in the Roy Hobbs division. However, a 5-10 Cluster 6 cut that lead
to eight and a half, as the Posse's lead was somewhat preserved because all
the other divisional contenders played to a virtual standstill. Although
whether Prospect Park can be overtaken remains to be seen, Brussels, Grand
Cayman and Kenmore all remain strong contenders for a wild card berth.
In the Davis, Yellowknife and Mayne have been running neck and
neck all season. The Islanders, however, faltered a bit in Cluster 5, and
have fallen seven and a half games behind the Moose. Barring a collapse
by Yellowknife, it appears that the remainder of Mayne's season might be
dedicated to holding onto their wild card spot.
Finally, over in the Graham, an epic battle (okay, maybe not epic)
has been going on all season between Long Island and Traverse City. In
their most recent series, the Sounds took four of six in Traverse City to
grab a two game edge.
TRADE CORNER
With the contenders beginning to emerge, and the pretenders ready to
rebuild, three contenders have made deals to attempt to strengthen their
position as the divisional and wild card races intensify.
Cedar Rapids sends Ken Robinson and Dave Silvestri to Inwood for Inwood's
7th round selection in the rookie draft.
Santa Clara sends Butch Henry and their 3rd round rookie selection to
Prospect Park for Prospect Park's 2nd and 4th round rookie picks,
and Pat Mahomes.
Cedar Rapids sends Don Mattingly to Yellowknife for the Moose's 5th round
rookie pick.
REALIGNMENT
Plans are being finalized as we speak, and hopefully, the new
divisional alignments will be put to a vote later in the week.
HOME RUN DERBY
Congrats to Jeff Conine of Yellowknife on winning the first annual
NASA Home Run Derby. Rany has suggested an interactive format for next
year's contest, which sounds like a good idea if enough interest can be
generated.
A LOOK DRAFT BACK AT THE 1996 NASA ROOKIE DRAFT
Last year, Joe started the tradition of evaluating the draft at the halfway
point. So here's a look back to that March early morning when we all
gathered on IRC:
Round One:
1. ILF - Derek Jeter
The Prospect Park Posse stunk for an entire season in order to get
this guy, only to have Inwood steal him from under their nose. A resurgent
season by Cal Ripken has temporarily assuaged Posse management, but this
guy should be the Rookie of the Year in 1996, and a star for the next 10 years.
2. WWH - Johnny Damon
Wichita has a lot invested in this guy, as they've given up Mike
MacFarlane, Tom Gordon and Kevin Brown in deals to move up to get him.
Bob Boone doesn't seem to know what to do with Damon, but he's got great
speed, is an excellent outfielder, and hits righthanders well. If his
walk totals and power improve over the next few years, centerfield in
Wichita won't be a concern for years.
3. PPK - Tim Wakefield
Prospect Park prefers to say that they acquired Wakefield in trade
and drafted Kevin Brown with the third pick, since they both joined the Posse
as the result of a trade with Wichita. Wakefield has been fine for the
Posse in 1996, but in terms of the future, NASA owners may be given the
opportunity to select Wakefield in the 1997 Rookie Draft. BTW, no Prospect
Park pitcher selected in the first round has ever gone on to much success (Julio
Valera, Angel Miranda....the future for Chad Ogea doesn't look as bright as
it once did either).
4. KKR - Carlos Perez
5. KKR - Orel Hershiser
Kenmore gave up Jack McDowell and Alex Gonzalez to get these two
guys, so obviously they were serious about making a run in 1996. These two
have pitched well and kept Kenmore in the race, however, Perez's future is
on hold, and Hershiser's future may be working for Fox.
6. SCB - Troy Percival
Some NASA owners questioned the wisdom of selecting a closer in the
first round on a team like Santa Clara, which had no realistic shot to win in
1996. However, as closers go, you don't get much better than Percival.
7. DCI - Ruben Rivera
He handled himself well in a short trial with the Yanks; so well that
they won't move him for Kevin Appier. I would say this bodes well for the
future in Havre de Grace.
8. LIS - Andy Pettite
Despite a terrible start in Long Island, this guy has developed
into the best lefty starter in the American League (as long as RJ is on the
shelf) and Long Island's future is looking pretty good with a starting
rotation that starts with Pettite, Denny Neagle and Juan Guzman.
9. TCB - Marty Cordova
A really solid pick for an expansion team. This guy's a heck of
a hitter, and should improve as Traverse City develops into a contender.
However, his decline in power might be of mild concern to Cherry Bomber
management.
10. ILF - Alan Benes
This guy was the major reason that Inwood was able to get Reggie
Sanders for their playoff run. This guy should be a real gem for Cedar
Rapids if he remains healthy, and may help that franchise to their first
playoff berth since the 1992 season.
11. MIS - Ray Durham
Durham appears to be walking more in 1996, and his defense is
improving as well. If his development continues, we may hear the DP
combination of Rodriguez to Durham to Thomas for the next decade in Mayne.
12. MSB - Felipe Lira
Needless to say, it's hard to predict Detroit pitchers. This guy was
good for parts of 1995, but has been awful for Muncie. He came out of the
gate very slowly in 1996, but since the Tigers got Brad Ausmus, he's improved
significantly. He'll get more chances in Detroit.
13. WWH - Jimmy Haynes
Haynes was terrific at the end of 1995, but for whatever reason, he
lost his confidence in early 1996 and has been pretty bad all year long.
Normally, I'd be skeptical about his future, but Wichita pitchers always
seem to develop into stars, so I'll hold my tongue.
14. YKM - Bobby Bonilla
16. TCB - Ron Gant
These guys had similar 1995s, and in fact, ended up being traded
for each other. Bonilla is having the better NASA season, hitting over .360,
while Gant, despite 18 homers, struggles to stay above the Mendoza line.
As for the future, Bonilla seems to have lost some power, despite playing in
Camden Yards, while Gant's season has been plagued by injuries.
15. BSP - Andy Benes
Benes was ineffective in Seattle at the end of 1995, and got off to
a horrible start in St. Louis. However, he's rebounded nicely, and could
form a lethal one-two punch with Al Leiter in Brussels for 1997.
17. LIS - Steve Gibralter
18. DCI - Eric Owens
These are two Cincinnati outfielders with decent tools, but limited
opportunities for playing time. With Eric Davis having settled into center,
Reggie Sanders in right and Willie Greene finally establishing himself, these
two will battle with Curtis Goodwin for playing time in left. This is, of
course, assuming that Ray Knight doesn't make Chris Sabo his full-time
leftfielder.
Round Two
19. PPP - Ariel Prieto
20. SCB - Brad Radke
21. ILF - Jeff Suppan
22. ORJ - Jason Giambi
23. CRB - Scott Karl
24. KKR - Doug Johns
25. DCI - Luis Andujar
26. LIS - Rick Krivda
27. TCB - Steve Sparks
28. BSP - George Williams
29. ILF - Mike Maddux
30. YKM - Mike Morgan
31. WWH - Jim Pittsley
32. WWH - Mike Sweeney
33. KKR - Mark Grudzielanek
A nice mix of good players for the present and solid young players.
Maddux, Morgan and Williams helped their teams immediately; Giambi, Karl, Radke
and Grudzielanek will be solid starters next year; Suppan is a superstar in
the making; while Prieto, Pittsley and Sweeney could be excellent if they
remain healthy.
Round Three Round Four
34. PPP - Mark Portugal 49. PPP - Ugueth Urbina
35. SCB - Tony Tarasco 50. CRB - Mark Loretta
36. YKM - Benito Santiago 51. MSB - Mike James
37. ORJ - Matt Lawton 52. PPP - LaTroy Hawkins
38. CRB - Frankie Rodriguez 53. CRB - Ken Robinson
39. ORJ - Michael Tucker 54. WWH - TJ Mathews
40. TCB - Bob Wolcott 55. PPP - Mariano Rivera
41. LIS - Curtis Goodwin 56. LIS - Vaughn Eshelman
42. DCI - Shannon Stewart 57. TCB - Clint Sodowsky
43. BSI - Chris Snopek 58. BSP - Keith Lockhart
44. DCI - Matt Murray 59. MIS - Sandy Martinez
45. ILF - Dwayne Hosey 60. PPP - Tim Crabtree
46. WWH - John Wasdin 61. WWH - Ron Villone
47. WWH - Joe Vitiello 62. MIS - Yamil Benitez
48. KCT - Jose Herrera 63. KCT - David Bell
There were a lot of long term selections made in the third round,
although Hosey and Santiago made are making an impact for their teams now, and
Portugal and Wasdin are pitching well in 1996. The fourth round was a
terrific one for relievers, as Rivera, Crabtree, Mathews and Villone could all
be closers very soon. Urbina and Lockhart could make contributons for
their teams in 1997 as well.
Round Five Round Six
64. PPP - Jon Nunnally 79. TCB - Tavo Alvarez
65. SCB - Shane Andrews 80. KKR - Allen Battle
66. MSB - Chad Fonville 81. CRB - James Baldwin
67. ORJ - Brian Barber 82. YKM - Jerald Clark
68. CRB - Lyle Mouton 83. PPP - Alejandro Pena
69. BSP - Rich Robertson 84. MSB - Tripp Cromer
70. TCB - Jamie McAndrew 85. DCI - Chris Stynes
71. LIS - Roger McDowell 86. LIS - Ron Coomer
72. DCI - Chris Widger 87. TCB - Phil Nevin
73. ILF - Greg Zaun 88. BSP - Eddie Hurtado
74. YKM - Al Reyes 89. ORJ - Todd Steverson
75. ILF - Bobby Higginson 90. DCI - Dave Hollins
76. LIS - Brian Giles 91. CRB - Brian Bohanon
77. YKM - CJ Nitkowski 92. CRB - Dave Gallagher
78. KCT - Arquimedez Pozo 93. ILF - Tony Clark
Some decent players went in these rounds, obviously headed by Baldwin
and Higginson, both of whom are now with Cedar Rapids. Jim, you've done
a good job with your club, but Brian Bohanon and Dave Gallagher?
Round Seven Round Eight
94. PPP - Derrick May 109. BSP - Howard Battle
95. WWH - Mark Sweeney 110. CRB - Mark Guthrie
96. MSB - Deion Sanders 111. MSB - Greg Vaughn
97. DCI - Tomas Perez 112. ORJ - Steve Wojciechowski
98. PPP - Gregg Olson 113. BSP - Sherman Obando
99. DCI - Mark Brandenberg 114. PPP - Ramon Fermin
100. TCB - Jose Parra 115. DCI - Kevin Gross
101. LIS - Mariano Duncan 116. LIS - Danny Shaeffer
102. DCI - Scott Cooper 117. TCB - Jeff Ware
103. BSP - Jorge Posada 118. BSP - Darren Lewis
104. MIS - Matt Karchner 119. MIS - Alvaro Espinoza
105. KKR - Nigel Wilson 120. ILF - Paul Menhart
106. WWH - Candy Maldonado 121. WWH - Larry Thomas
107. YKM - Robert Perez 122. YKM - Dave Stevens
108. KCT - Rafael Carmona 123. KCT - Joe Borowski
Prospect Park traded for pick #114 to hopefully nab Greg Vaughn.
However, Muncie, who had previously released him, re-drafted him and will
be reaping the benefits in 1997. Guthrie, May, Perez and Duncan head the
list of those who should be useful next season.
Round Nine Round Ten
124. PPP - Pat Mahomes 135. MSB - Doug Jones
125. SCB - Giovanni Carrara 136. ORJ - Domingo Cedeno
126. MSB - Don Wengert 137. DCI - Ramon Caraballo
127. ORJ - Reid Cornelius 138. LIS - Salomon Torres
128. CRB - Mike Fetters 139. TCB - Jose Oliva
129. TCB - John Kruk 140. BSP - Brent Cookson
130. LIS - Brian Keyser 141. MIS - JJ Thobe
131. DCI - Dan Masteller 142. KCT - Danny Jackson
132. BSP - Tim Unroe
133. MIS - Curt Schmidt
134. KCT - Joe Hudson
Round Eleven Round Twelve
143. MSB - Scott Sullivan 149. MSB - Terry Bradshaw
144. TCB - Zane Smith 150. DCI - Andy Van Slyke
145. LIS - Scott Davison 151. LIS - Brian Givens
146. DCI - Mike Harkey 152. TCB - Mike Sirotka
147. MIS - Brian Eversgerd 153. MIS - Chad Kreuter
148. KCT - Jason Jacome 154. KCT - Bill Simas
Fetters, Keyser and Cedeno should be servicable in 1996, but this is
what you would expect from rounds 9-12.....
Round Thirteen Round Fourteen
155. MSB - Norberto Martin 161. MSB - Melvin Bunch
156. TCB - Henry Rodriguez 162. DCI - Lance Parrish
157. LIS - Orlando Palmiero 163. LIS - Riccardo Jordan
158. DCI - Brian Maxcy 164. TCB - Kevin Bass
159. MIS - Frank Viola 165. KCT - Joe Randa
160. KCT - Jeromy Burnitz
.....however, Traverse City did a nice job with their 13th rounder,
I would say. Burnitz at #160 isn't too shabby either.
Round Fifteen Round Sixteen
166. MSB - Mike Christopher 170. MSB - Lenny Harris
167. TCB - Chris Nichting 171. DCI - Scott Hatteberg
168. LIS - FP Santangelo 172. LIS - Greg Gohr
169. DCI - Joe Roa 173. TCB - Scott Baker
Round Seventeen Round Eighteen
174. TCB - Chris Donnels 176. LIS - Sid Roberson
175. LIS - Craig Paquette 177. TCB - Mike Remlinger
Rounds Nineteen - Twenty One
178. LIS - Wilson Heredia
179. LIS - Jim Mecir
180. LIS - Ben Blomdahl
Craig Paquette will probably be useful for Long Island next season,
but there aren't many good players here. Then again, the deposed management
in Santa Clara traded for Wilson Heredia, so maybe they know something I
don't.
