Power Pros Forum

ATHLETICS

8/21/09: Gabe Kotter started the game by striking out the side while the Athletics Kyle Kendrick was more effective than the last time he faced the Hickories, not allowing a run until the third inning when McCann hit an RBI single and Banner doubled in two runs. In the meantime, Kotter had a very sharp slider and 2 seem fastball today that kept the Athletics off-balance, although he had control issues with his vertical slider, and he did wind up giving up a run in the fifth inning to the bottom of the Athletics order when their right fielder (FF Contact and Power) split a drawn in outfield. The Hickories got that run back immediately in the bottom of the fifth when Encyclopedia Brown singled and then Mayes Hayes, looking slider all the way on a 2–1 pitch, drilled it to right center field for a triple. McCann doubled home Mayes Hayes and Buck Rogers singled home McCann. Kotter left the game in the seventh, having allowed runners to reach first and second before recording and out, but Shuler escaped the inning without allowing a run, inducing the first batter he faced to hit the ball to third and the third baseman tagged out the runner going to third and then threw to first for the force out. In the bottom of the eighth, David Banner drilled a hanging curveball from an Athletics reliever and put it into the field behind the centerfield wall. Even defensive specialist Edgardo Alfonso, whose average has fallen to 0.083, singled, although Alfonso also made an error for the third game in row, this time at third. Manzania closed out the last two innings of the game. Final score: 7 – 1, Hickories

NOTES: Gabe Kotter currently leads the Hickories and is second in major-league baseball with 14 wins, two behind the wins leader Pedro Martinez. Also, with his homerun today, David Banner is tied with Jeff Lebowski for the team lead and also tied with Manny Ramirez for third in major league baseball with 38 homeruns. Ryan Braun and Travis Hafner lead the league with 42 and 40 homeruns, respectively. Buck Rogers has 37.

8/22/09: Tim Lincecum gave up an RBI single in the first inning after Encyclopedia Brown fielded what should've been able play ball, but he stepped over second base instead of on it. McCann doubled with two outs against starter Joe Blanton but was stranded, and neither team threatened for the next few innings, until the Athletics stranded runners at second and third in the fourth. In the fifth, 5 singles and a David Banner triple gave the Hickories a 5–1 lead. Mayes Hayes drove into runs against the Athletics reliever in the sixth. Final score: 7 – 1, Hickories

NOTES: Lincecum pitched a complete game, striking out 12. He is the first Hickory to record more than nine strikeouts in a game

8/23/09: in a scoreless tie, the Athletics brought in Hudson Street start the sixth inning and left him in to start the seventh, which was a mistake as he gave up two runs. Final score: 2–0, Hickories

DETROIT TIGERS: The Hickories have 2 3-game series against the Tigers in the next two weeks. This will be their first time playing the Central division leaders. The Tigers brought in second baseman Orlando Hudson (DBBBAC), second baseman/outfielder Willie Harris (DDCDDD), and catcher Paul Lo Duca (ECEDDC), losing starting pitchers Dontrelle Willis (94 CA SL – four, CH – five, SIFB – five) and Nate Robertson (93 CA SL – three, CH – two), and OF Ryan Church (DBDFDD)

8/24/09: the Hickories scored three runs in the first inning and never trailed, as David Cohen pitches six solid innings to collect his 14th win. Final score: 6–4, Hickories

8/25/09: after wasting leadoff singles in the first inning, the Hickories scored when Lebowski led off the second with his 39th homerun. Two innings later, David Banner hit his 39th homerun of the season. Hickories Roy Hobbs started off well, but struggled in the third, allowing the Tigers to grab the lead in the bottom of the third when Miguel Cabrera tripled two runs home and Maglio Ordonez singled Cabrera home. Hobbs was pulled, but an RBI single brought in the Tigers fourth run of the inning. Banner pulled the Hickories to within a run with a sacrifice fly in the fifth, but Gary Sheffield doubled in two runners in the bottom of that inning. Banner, again, homerred, pulling the Hickories to within a run since McCann had singled just before. Back to back doubles from Buck Rogers and Lebowski tied the game, and then the Hickories pulled ahead when Mackey Sasser's ground ball rolled through SS Carlos Guillen's legs. The Tigers threatened, putting runners at first and third with no out, but Mickey Shuler was called in and retired the next three batters, maintaining the Hickories one run lead going into the eighth. In the eighth, David Banner hit his third homerun of the day – this one a three run homerun that gave the Hickories a four-run cushion. In the ninth, Lebowski led off the inning with his second homerun today, giving him 40 for the season. That would be the final score of the game. Final score: 11–6, Hickories

NOTE: David Banner was today's player of the game. His three homeruns contributed to his game hi seven RBIs and gave him a team leading 41 homeruns for the season

8/26/09: against the Tigers Kenny Rogers, Jeff Lebowski led off the second inning with his 41st home run of the season, this one off of a curveball that was high in the strike zone. Consecutive singles from Remington Steele (filling in for Buck Rogers at first base today), Crash Davis, and Cool Jr., and a fielders choice hit into by Mayes Hayes brought in the Hickories second and third runs of the inning. Brian McCann led off the third with the 100th homerun of his career. In the bottom of the third, Curtis Granderson hit a two run home run, and Maglio Ordonez singled in Miguel Cabrera, who doubled, pulling the Tigers to within a run against Hickories starter Morris Buttermaker, who seemed to be struggling at keeping his pitches in the corners of the strike zone, although he did have five strikeouts through four innings. The middle of the Tigers order went back to work in the bottom of the fifth, putting runners at second and third with no out with the help of a wild pitch on an 0–2 fosh to Maglio Ordonez. The play at the plate made it first and third with one out, and after going 0–2 on Carlos Guillen, Buttermaker experienced elbow discomfort and was removed in favor of Glass Joe (92 FB 2SF – two, SLV – three, FOS – three, KN – five). Joe allowed in infield single and, with the bases loaded, Sheffield hit a sharp ground ball to third that should have been an inning ending double-play, but after stepping on third, Lebowski double clutched and a Tiger scored. Ivan Rodriguez drove in the go-ahead run before Joe was able to close out the inning. In the top of the seventh, Vandaley singled, stole second on a very close call, and scored on a McCann double off of the strong-armed Tiger reliever, Zumaya. The Tigers stranded a runner in scoring position in the seventh inning. After Manzanilla pitched a 1–2–3 8th, Cool led off the ninth with a double and scored one out later on a Mayes Hayes Single. Inigo Montoya closed out the Tigers in the 9th. Final score: 6–5, Hickories

RANGERS

8/28/09: The Rangers Ace, Carlos Zambrano, gave up a leadoff double to Mayes Hayes, but escaped the inning without allowing a run. The Rangers scored against Gabe Kotter in the 2d, but an RBI double from Buck Rogers tied the game in the fourth. Kotter left in the fifth inning with two outs and runners in scoring position, and reliever Manzanilla allowed the go ahead run to score. Zambrano pitched a great game and the Hickories did not even threaten, except in the seventh when a sacrifice bunt put a runner at second with two outs. Zambrano tired in the ninth, ultimately giving up a game-tying double to Buck Rogers. The score remained tied until the bottom of the 10th when Manzanilla, who pitched five solid innings, left after allowing a single and then Duane Schneider allowed two more singles, the second one resulting in the winning run crossing the plate. Final score: 3–2, Rangers

8/29/09: in a great pitching duel through the first six innings in which the Rangers Gabbard entered the seventh with a one run three hitter and Tim Lincecum throwing a two hit shutout, The Hickories exploded in the seventh, scoring four runs. Lincecum allowed a home run to Ian Kinsler and was removed after allowing a second run, and that would and the scoring. Final score: 5–2, Hickories

8/30/09: Art Vandelay got things started by slicing a 1 – 2 change up to the opposite field for a homerun to leadoff the game. The Hickories maintained that lead for a few innings until expanding on it in the fourth and fifth. Hickories starter Syd Fernandez allowed several runs, but pitched a solid 8–1/3 innings. Final score: 5–3, Hickories

NOTE: no surprises, but when the Hickories announced their postseason lineup, SS Enochs (CDDCCD) was left off the roster. He was given a final chance to see if he could hit his way onto the roster, but his hitting did not outweigh his inability to play more than one position, and he was replaced by Edgardo Alfonso (EFDBCC), who can play all infield positions except catcher

TIGERS

8/31/09: David Cohen surrendered a first inning homerun to Orlando Hudson, and it took the Hickories until the third inning to tie the game when Cool Junior singled, stole second, went to third when Kenny Rogers pick off move to second base wound up in centerfield and then scored on a Brian McCann sacrifice fly. The Hickories were not able to push another run across, as Rogers pitched well and was replaced by Great Roberts (96 FE SL – three, SP – four), who was dominating, but David Cohen was very solid, taking a three hitter into the seventh. Cohen left with a runner in scoring position and Maggie Ordonez at the plate, in favor of Duane Schneider, who surrendered the go-ahead RBI to Ordonez. In the bottom of the ninth, the tying Hickory was thrown out of the plate. Final score: 2 – 1, Tigers

NOTE: In a strange twist, Duane Schneider, who is on the mound when the Tigers pushed the winning run across, was named rookie of the month for the month of August, during which he had a 2.51 ERA with 13 strikeouts

DETROIT TIGERS

9/1/09: Art Vandelay homered to give the Hickories a 1–0 lead in the first. Carlos Guillen scored the tying run on a fielders choice, but a solo homerun from Buck Rogers restored Hickories slim lead, and one out later, Crash Davis hit a solo homerun off of Tigers starter Jordan Tata (94 FB CB – two, CH – one). In the third, Brian McCann doubled in Mays Hayes and Vandelay. Jacques Jones tripled in two runs in the fourth. In the bottom of that inning, Brown, Vandelay, and Banner drove in runs, chasing Tata from the game. Buck Rogers singled on the relievers first pitch, bring in a 4th run. Doubles from Brian McCann and Buck Rogers brought in another run in the sixth. The Tigers had an opportunity for a big inning in the eighth against the Hickories reliever when they loaded the bases with one out, but were only able to score one run on the sacrifice fly. Final score: 11–4, Hickories

9/2/09: Morris Buttermaker out-duels AJ Burnett through seven innings. Final score: 3–2, Hickories

RED SOX

SERIES PREVIEW: At 74 and 62, the Red Sox are tied with the Yankees for second place in the AL East, and tied with the Yankees, Tigers, and Indians (who are both tied for first in the Central division) for the wildcard spot. They will play the Hickories 14 times in September, and have one three-game series remaining against the Yankees. They are two and four against the Hickories and a woeful 6 and 11 against the Yankees, but have made a few trades that might help them make it to the postseason.


On 7/6, they received Chris Carpenter (95 FB HSL – five, DCB – four, SP – three) and Jonathan Applebaum (98 ?B SL – two, SP – one) from the Twins, in exchange for RF Brandon Moss (FFEEEE). Can you say "fleecing"?

A few days later, the Red Sox struck a deal with the Milwaukee Brewers, sending the Brewers starting pitcher Boof Bonzer (94 CB SL – three, CB – two, CH – three) in exchange for former Hickory Jack Cust (DAFCEG).

9/3/09: With all of their starters in gray condition, the Red Sox started Julian Tavarez (94 FD 2SF – two, SL – one, SP – one, SIFB – three), and the Hickories scored in the second inning when Crash Davis singled in Jeff Lebowski. Manny Ramirez led off the bottom of the inning with a game tying homerun. When the Hickories stranded David Banner at second in the 3rd inning, it marked the third inning in which they stranded a runner in scoring position, and the fourth inning was even worse, as they had a runner thrown out at home and then stranded a runner at second. The Red Sox starter did not make it through the fourth inning and in the fifth, David Banner swung away on a 3–0 pitch and homered with two runners on base. The Hickories stranded a runner at second in the sixth, and Ramirez homered off of a circle change in the bottom of that inning. After allowing a runner to reach second, Kotter was removed in favor of Glass Joe, who finished the inning without allowing another run to score. The Hickories stranded a runner at second in the top of the eighth - the third time today that the Hickories stranded a runner in scoring position with Manny Ramirez scheduled to bat second in the next 1/2-inning, but instead of homering as he did the last two times, Glass Joe struck him out on four pitches. Inego Montoya faced the bottom of the Red Sox lineup and retired them in order to close out the game. Final score: 4–2, Hickories

NOTE: Gabe Kotter becomes the first Hickories pitcher to win 15 games in a season

9/4/09: with the AL East locked up and a number of their everyday players in blue condition, the Hickories started their "B" squad against the Red Sox Kurt Schilling, in which the only regulars were centerfielder Mayes Hayes, 3B Jeff Lebowski, and catcher Crash Davis, although regular right fielder David Banner was playing, but slotted as the DH. In the first inning, 1B Remington Steele drove in two runs. The Red Sox' Coco Crisp drove in a run for the Red Sox in the third against Tim Lincecum, and Manny Ramirez tied the game the following inning with a solo homerun. Ramirez hit the go-ahead homerun in the bottom of the sixth, and David Wright followed with a homerun of his own. Mayes Hayes singled in a run in the seventh, but the Hickories stranded the tying run a third. The Red Sox extended their lead to when David Wright singled immediately after Lincecum left the game. In the ninth, the Hickories loaded the bases and then Jeff Lebowski drove in two runs to tie the game. In the bottom of the ninth, Mickey Shuler immediately allowed runners to reach first and third, but was able to escape the jam with the help of a play at the plate. In the bottom of the 10th, the Red Sox had a runner on second with one out, but failed to score. The Hickories finally broke the tie in the top of the 14th when Banner put Lebowski at third and himself at second with a double, and then Lebowski scored on a wild pitch. Mackey Sasser, who entered the game a few innings ago after Crash Davis was replaced for pinch runner, singled in Banner. Encyclopedia Brown drove in a run with a sacrifice fly, giving the Hickories a three run lead going into the bottom of the 14th. Final score: 8–5, Hickories

NOTE: David Banner, who has been so consistent for much of the season, had a horrible day at the plate, going 1 for 7 with 0 RBIs even though he came to the plate with runners in scoring position on four occasions. Enochs also had a horrible day at the plate, going 0/7, dropping his average to 255

Lincecum had a tough day against the powerful Red Sox lineup, but his relievers came through by throwing 6–1/3 innings of shutout baseball. Manzanilla had a particularly good day, earning a win for going four innings, allowing two hits with three strikeouts

9/5/09: against Tim Wakefield, the Hickories seemed to be using a patient approach and waiting on his fastball, which barely gets above 70 miles per hour these days. That strategy paid off in the second inning as Jeff Lebowski homered on a 3–0 fastball with Buck Rogers on first, Crash Davis followed with a home run off of a 3–1 fastball, and by the time Wakefield finished the second inning, he had thrown 38 inches. In the bottom of the third, Dustin Pedroia doubled in a run, but the Hickories got that back in the fourth when Wakefield allowed several singles, including an RBI single from Cool Junior, before he exited after throwing 70 pitches in 3–2/3 innings of work. Encyclopedia Brown followed with an RBI single against the Red Sox reliever. In the bottom of that inning, JD Drew singled in a run, giving the Hickories a three run lead entering the fifth. In the sixth, the Red Sox reliever tired and Mays Hayes made him pay with a three run homerun to centerfield. Hickoryies starter Syd Fernandez did not come out to start the sixth, having had a decent five innings of work in which he allowed two runs on seven hits with three strikeouts. Kevin Youkilis hit a solo homerun in the seventh, but the Hickories scored another two in the ninth. Back-to-back doubles by David Wright and Jason Varitek led to a run and then Youkilis doubled one out later and came home on a Julio Lugo single. After Jack Tripper struck out the next batter, Pedroia doubled in another run to narrow the Hickories lead to three with David Ortiz at the plate. The Hickories immediately called upon Enigo Montoya, who induced a harmless ground ball to shortstop. Final score: 10–7, Hickories

NOTE: while it will not show up in the box scores, Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia made at least four boneheaded moves, including taking a toss from the shortstop to initiate a double play, but deciding to go for the lead runner heading towards third instead of the sure double play at second, and throwing home when Mayes Hayes was already three steps away from the plate when Pedroia fielded a slow rolling grounder

9/6/09: The Hickories rested most of their regular starters, but managed to score 6 runs. David Cohen allowed two homeruns, but was able to go 7–1/3 innings, allowing a total of three runs and collecting his 15th win of the season as Mickey Shuler closed out the eighth and ninth. Final score: 6–3, Hickories

RANGERS

9/7/09: with a large number of starting position players resting in order to recover from blue or purple condition, Glass Joe is announced as a starting pitcher, and is announced that he will continue to be a starter, replacing Roy Hobbs in the rotation. Joe did not last long enough to be eligible for the win, but pitched four strong innings, allowing just one run. Final score: 11–3, Hickories

9/8/09: with Kevin Millwood pitching in purple condition, the Hickories, with a lineup of mostly bench players, seemed to be able to score at will, including backup outfielder Danny Zucko (DDCCDD) who hit his first home run of the season. Millwood was unable to complete the fifth inning, having allowed six runs in that span. Morris Buttermaker pitched well, but could not seem to finish batters off and his level four slurve was particularly ineffective. He lasted into the sixth inning, with his last pitch resulting in a two run homerun from Ian Kinsler, which would be the only runs he surrendered today. Final score: 6–2, Hickories

9/9/09: with the scheduled starter in purple condition, Roy Hobbs made his first start since being officially demoted to long reliever and had one of his best outings of 2009, taking a no-hitter into the fourth, when he allowed a harmless two out single to Michael Young. Hobbs finished the day with his best pitching performance of the season and possibly his career, allowing just three hits over six innings with five strikeouts. Shoddy relief pitching and some poor tracking in the outfield allowed the Rangers to take a one run lead in the 8th. The Hickories tied the game in the bottom of the ninth on a Buck Rogers double and then Geordie Laforge hit the game winning RBI single. Final score: 7–6, Hickories

RED SOX

9/10/09: final score: 9–5, Hickories

9/11/09: Final score: 8–2, Hickories

9/12/09: David Cohen pitched a very strong game, going 8–2/3 innings, and taking a five it shut out into the seventh, while solo homeruns from Buck Rogers and Jeff Lebowski would be the Hickories only offense. Final score: 2–0, Hickories

9/13/09: Morris Buttermaker pitched five innings of shutout ball and Roy Hobbs was similarly effective for the final four innings, each aided by several nice defensive plays by first baseman Buck Rogers. Offensively, the Hickories harassed Red Sox starter Curt Schilling, scoring four runs and forcing his exit after five innings. Final score: 4–0, Hickories

SEPTEMBER IN REVIEW

RECORD

With an impressive 127 and 35 season record, the Hickories head into the playoffs with the best record in baseball by 30 games over the New York Mets.

In going an amazing 27 and 1 record in September, the Hickories crushed any hopes the Red Sox had of making the playoffs by winning all 14 match ups against their division rival, and posted the best record of any team in any month in baseball this season. Even more amazing is that the Hickories used their bench players and minor league call-ups in order to rest their starters regularly during this month.

AWARDS

Brian McCann won player of the week honors for the week ending 9/27, when he had 545 with three home runs at 11 RBIs.

Tim Lincecum was named picture of the week for the week ending 10/4. Lincecum pitched one game, winning that game without allowing any runs and racking up eight strikeout.

It is surprising that the Hickories did not win more player of the week awards, considering they're amazing win streak, although very few players played the whole month.

Closer Enigo Montoya was named pitcher and relief pitcher for the month of September, during which he saved 10 games with a 1.08 ERA and 5 strikeouts

OFFENSE

The Hickories 179 runs scored tied their August outfit output for their highest output of the season, and was second to the New York Mets 216, overall. The team's 244 homeruns and 251 stolen bases were major-league bests

Brian McCann led the majors with a 386 average and 221 hits. Willie Mayes Hayes had the eighth best batting average the season (348)

Jeff Lebowski ended the season tied with Manny Ramirez for most homers in the season with 50. David Banner tied Travis Hafner for third place with 47 homeruns, and Buck Rogers was fifth with 43.

Former Hickory Robert Plant led the majors with 62 stolen bases. Mayes Hayes and Way Cool Junior finished second and third with 60 and 58, respectively.

David Banner had 44 steals to go along with 47 homeruns. He was the only player with at least 40 steals and 40 home runs in 2009. Both Art Vandelay and the Phillies Jimmy Rollins hit at least 30 home runs and stole at least 30 basis, with Art Vandelay hitting 31 homeruns, compared to Rollins' 30, and 41 stolen bases, compared to Rollins' is 31

PITCHING

The Hickories allowed 95 runs to score in September, which was their third lowest total this season and was the best in the majors by at least 20 runs per team. Their team ERA of 3.63 and 620 runs allowed were also league bests.

Gabe Kotter finished with a 3.09 ERA, good for third in the majors. Kotter and David Cohen finished tied for third with 17 wins, behind CC Sabathia's 19 wins and Pedro Martinez' 20 wins.

Inego Montoya finished the year with 50 saves and 52 opportunities, 15 saves better than second-place Mariana Rivera. Set up man Mickey Shuler finished the season with 21 holds, good for third in the majors.

Focusing on the AL East, Lincecum's 14 quality starts (number of times a pitcher throws at least six innings without allowing three or more runs) was tied for fifth place with two pitchers from the Red Sox, and Kotter and Cohen finished eighth and ninth with 13 and 12 quality starts, respectively.

WHO'S HOT

David Banner had enough steals to break into the 40–40 club this season, and Art Vandelay hit his 30th homerun of the season, becoming the second 30–30 player (behind Banner) on the Hickories. Vandelay's accomplishment might be more impressive than David Banner's since Vandelay platooned for more than half the season

With one out against the Orioles, 2008 1st round draft pick Enochs hit his first major league homerun – a line drive home run to left field. Enochs has been performing much better at the plate. His poor August performance made the Hickories' decision to exclude him from the postseason roster in favor of defensive utilityman Edgardo Alfonso an easy decision to make, but if he performs in the spring as he is right now, and he learns to play second base, he could easily nab the starting 2b spot over the steady, but ordinary Encyclopedia Brown.

While David Cohen just does not seem to have the "wow factor" that he had as a rookie, his results have been even better, posting 17 wins for 2009 and consistently being a reliable starter

In his last start of the regular season, Gabe Kotter struggled against the Red Sox in the first inning, allowing two runs on three hits, but then pitched some of his best baseball of the season, shutting down the powerful Red Sox lineup over the next 5–2/3 innings, allowing only one more hit in that span while racking up nine strikeouts, including striking out everyone in the Red Sox lineup, and striking out David Ortiz twice, earning his 17th win of the season.

WHO'S NOT

Hickory's only dropped one game this season, making clear that no one is heading into the playoffs "cold," although starting shortstop cool Junior has been in blue condition for a while and backup outfielder Joi Laforge has been in purple condition.

SEASON ENDING LINEUP

Following is the Hickories lineup for most of September, along with commentary:

Willie Mays Hayes, 23, centerfield (CDBCBD): Hayes is an offensive catalyst, and is undervalued defensively, where his abilities make the home stadium's expansive centerfield dimensions seem smaller are extraordinarily valuable.

Art Vandelay, 26, outfield (CCCDDD): has rewarded the team giving him the starting spot by becoming the 2nd 30-30 player in the club's short history. Average in the outfield, he can do everything at the plate (average, power, base stealing), and the Hickories have experimented with swapping him and Hayes in the batting order because of his ability to drive in the 8th and 9th batters.

Brian McCann, 25, catcher (CBFDDC): McCann has provided the offensive stability the Hickories hoped he would, and has done well behind the plate, even improving on his throwing out base stealers.

Buck Rogers, 24, first base and left field (CBEDEC): Rogers overcame a horrible start to put up decent numbers and is on track to hit his 100th home run early next season. Has also improved in the field, and can more regularly initiate double plays.

Jeff Lebowski, 24, third-base and first base (CCEBED): solid in the field, batting over 300, and finished 2009 tied with Manny Ramirez for the home run title. 'Nuff said.

David Banner, 24, outfield (DCCBDD): the right fielder is a solid defender who rarely misses a game and is the 1st Hickory to join the 40-40 club. He sometimes tries to do too much with runners in scoring position.

Crash Davis, 25, catcher and first base (DDFBDD): steady at the plate and in the field, he coaxes more innings out of his starters than most catchers and has improved his throws to second so much that base stealers are starting to think twice before taking off.

Way Cool Junior, 25, shortstop, third-base, second base (DEBBBD): the SS fought for his job last spring by improving to B arm strength, and recently upped his defense to level B, while continuing to hit and steal bases.

Encyclopedia Brown, 27, second base, shortstop, third-base, first base (DEDCCD): hitting over 300 and driving in runners in scoring position while playing good defense, Brown has exceeded expectations when he took over 2nd shortly after the all-star break. His only flaw seems to be his inability to field a ball close to 2b, physically step on 2b and then throw to 1st, as he seems to miss the bag more often than not.

Ooh, playoffs, nice.

2009 PLAYOFF PREVIEW

Based on their overall record and how they finished the season, the Hickories are clearly the favorites to win the 2009 World Series. They are an offensive powerhouse, and as a team, the Hickories defense has improved markedly during the year, with none of their regular starters being below average and their 2b, SS, 3B, and CF being considered above average at their spots. This, plus their coaches concept of going for the sure out even if it allows a runner to score has prevented a lot of big innings that have plagued other teams

DIVISION MATCH UPS

While the Hickories host the Cleveland Indians (89–73), the Seattle Mariners (89–73) will travel to Minnesota to face the Twins (90–72). The National League showcases the Mets (97–65) hosting the Diamondbacks (88–74) and the Rockies (88–74) hosting the Astros (83–79).

The Hickories were five and one against the Indians and six and two against the Twins. Assuming the Hickories get past the Indians, they are probably hoping that the Twins eliminate the Mariners, as the Hickories were "only" eight and six against that Western division opponent.

CLEVELAND INDIANS

The Indians do not have the depth of long relievers that the Hickories have, but they do have an effective rotation, featuring Cliff Lee (92 DB CU – four, DCB – two, CH – two), CC Sabathia, John Maine, and Jake Westbrook. Their decision to leave Andrew Brown (94 DE SL – three, CH – four) off the postseason roster could hurt them, but Rafael Betancourt (95 AE 2SF – two, SFB – two, CH – two, CB – three) and JJ Putz (98 BE 2SF – two, HSL – two, CB – two, CH – two, SP – one) can be formidable.

Offensely, the Indians have some power (Grady Sizemore, Cliff Lee, Casey Blake, Ronnie Belliard, Travis Hafner, and Victor Martinez) and some speed (Jaimie Carroll, Grady Sizemore) and the relatively ordinary David DeLucci (EEDEEC) seems to find ways to come up big in big spots.

Still, the Indians seem to have neither the firepower nor the pitching to contend with the Hickories.

STARTING LINEUPS

Following is the projected starting lineups, along with commentary:

LF Art Vandelay (CCCDDD) v. CF Grady Sizemore (DBBDCB): push, with Sizemore boasting better power and speed, but Vandelay putting the ball in play more often and having a breakout performance this year

CF Willie Mays Hayes (CDBCBD) v. 2b Carol (DEBCCC): advantage Hickories

DH Brian McCann (CBFDDC) v. 1B Hafner (DBEFFC): push, as Haffner put up great power numbers this year while McCann led the league in batting average and hits

1b Buck Rogers (CBEDEC) v. LF Cliff Lee (CAEDDC): advantage Indians

3b Jeff Lebowski (CCEBED) v. C Victor Martinez (CBFEDC): we will call this a "push," since Martinez' attributes and experience favors him over Lebowski, but Lebowski put up a better average and homerun numbers then Martinez. Martinez will face more pressure than Lebowski, who is one of the top young third baseman the game, as Martinez' throwing arm will likely be tested often

RF David Banner (DCCBDD) v. RF David DeLucci (EEGEEC): advantage Hickories - the only 40–40 player clearly gets the edge.

C Crash Davis (DDFBDD) v. DH Casey Blake (DBDCCC): advantage Indians. Blake gets the nod here, although if he was batting sixth like most believe you should, that might make the Banner – Blake matchup a "push" and a Crash Davis – DeLucci comparison would favor the Hickories.

SS Way Cool Junior (DEBBBD) v. 3b Great Wood (EEDBCD): advantage Hickories speed gives the Hickories a clear edge in this spot

2b Encyclopedia Brown (DEDCCD) v. Miguel Cairo (DEDBCD): push

The projected starting pitchers for the Hickories will be Tim Lincecum, followed by Glass Joe (92 FB 2SF – two, SLV – three, FOS – three, KN – six), which is a mild surprise although Joe has been one of the most effective pictures all season even though he was not officially handed a starting spot until August, followed by Gabe Kotter

THINGS TO WATCH

Catcher comparisons: the Indians and Hickories catchers have very different styles. Martinez is a power hitter that makes few mistakes in the field, but has difficulty throwing out runners, while Crash Davis is more of a "put the ball in play" at the plate and has improved his throwing out of base stealers, but is not as good at blocking the plate and preventing passed balls. It will be interesting to see which attributes are more important in the series.

The outfield configurations of Golden Apple stadium provide large gaps - great for doubles and triples. While teams with speedy outfielders are able to cut down on those, the Indians corner outfielders have DE and EE run speed and fielding ability, opening up the possibilities for the Hickories to have big innings without hitting homeruns, unless Grady Sizemore is able to cover more ground than he normally needs to on the Cleveland home turf.

PREDICTION

The Hickories in three. The Hickories win the offensive comparisons in the paper matchups, 3–2, but we think the Hickories better speed, combined with the Indians' catcher's inability to throw out baserunners will be a significant advantage for the Hickories, allowing singles to lead to runners in scoring position.

2009 LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES PREVIEW

TWINS LINEUP COMPARISONS TO HICKORIES

RF Hunter Pence (BBDCBC) v. LF Art Vandelay (CCCDDD): advantage Twins

LF Delmon Young (CBCCFD) v. CF Willie Mayes-Hayes (CDBCBD): advantage Twins

C Joe Mauer (CCCCBB) v. DH Brian McCann (CBFDDC): advantage Hickories

DH Michael Cuddyer (DCBDEC) v. 1B Buck Rogers (CBEDEC): advantage Hickories

1B Justin Morneau (DBECDB) v. 3B Jeff Lebowski (CCEBED): advantage even

2B Brendan Harris (DBGDDE) v. David Banner, 24, outfield (DCCBDD): advantage Hickories

SS Adam Everett (EECABB) v. Crash Davis, 25, catcher and first base (DDFBDD): advantage Hickories

CF Brady Clark (DFEFDD) v. Way Cool Junior, 25, shortstop, third-base, second base (DEBBBD): advantage Hickories

3B Nick Punto (EFBBCD) v. Encyclopedia Brown, 27, second base, shortstop, third-base, first base (DEDCCD): advantage Hickories

PITCHERS

The Twins have some effective starting pictures, including Livan Hernandez (88 CA SL – three, CB – three, CH – two, SP – two), Scott Baker (93 CA CU – one, CU – one, CB – three, CH – four), and Nick Blackburn (SL – three, CU – two, CB – four, CH – two), and ??? (96 CE SL – five) and Pat Neshick (95 CE SL – four, CH – two, SK – three) are effective relievers. Still, the Twins might be regretting their July 6 trade with the Red Sox in which they sent Chris Carpenter (95 FB HSL – five, DCB – four, SP – three) and Johnathan Papelbon (98 BE SL – two, SP – one) in exchange for a player who did not make their postseason roster.

2009 WORLD SERIES PREVIEW

DIAMONDBACKS v HICKORIES

LINEUP COMPARISON

LF Byrnes (DBCCBC) v. LF Art Vandelay (CCCDDD): advantage even

CF Burke (DDCECE) v. CF Willie Mayes-Hayes (CDBCBD): advantage Hickories

3B Tracy (DDDBDF) v. DH Brian McCann (CBFDDC): advantage Hickories

1B Jackson (DBECFC) v. 1B Buck Rogers (CBEDEC): advantage Hickories

DH Young (EBCDED) v. 3B Jeff Lebowski (CCEBED): advantage even

SS Drew (ECBCCD) v. OF David Banner (DCCBDD): advantage even

C Snyder (ECFADB) v. C Crash Davis (DDFBDD): advantage Diamondbacks

RF Upton (FEEEEE) v. SS Way Cool Junior (DEBBBD): advantage Hickories

2b Vazquez (EFEEEF) v. 2b Encyclopedia Brown (DEDCCD): advantage Hickories

PITCHING


The Diamondbacks have strong front end starters Brandon Webb (91 BA 2SF – two, CB – four, CH – four, HSK – six), Dan Haren (95 CA CU – two, CB – three, SP – three, CH – three), and Dontrelle Willis (94 CA SL – FIVE, CH – FOUR, SFB – FOUR), who the Diamondbacks received from the Tigers in exchange for 2b Orlando Hudson (DBBBAC). Randy Johnson can still be dominant (94 EC 2SF – two, SL – three, SP – two), but there do not seem to be shut down pitchers for late relief work.

PREDICTION

The Hickories have not dropped a game this postseason. We do think that streak will end, but that the Hickories will win the World Series in five games.