ABO DIVISIONAL BREAKDOWNPart 4 - Pacific Conference, Coastal DivisionProjected Standings
Anchorage Ice DevilsLocation: Anchorage, Alaska
Stadium:
Conoco-Phillips FieldMain Jersey:

Analysis: The Ice Devils' home park is not gonna give up a lot of homers, and the projected stats for them reflect that well. However, that doesn't mean they won't play well. Their team is built for their ballpark, with more than a few guys that can hit the ball in the gaps of this stadium, rather than hit the longball. However, if an Ice Devils player does hit a home run in this park, more than likely it will come from their first round (20th overall) pick, 1B
Chris Pryor (4*/4*). The 27-year old will probably strike out a little bit, but can hit for average and power as well. Their RF,
Joe Barnes (4*/4*), and their starting 41-year old 2B
Rio Bice (4*/4*) are names to watch in this lineup, as well as their 22-year old infield prospect
Aldomiro Picano (1*/3.5*), whose calling card is exceptional defense, and can play literally anywhere on the field. As for the pitching staff, the Ice Devils are very well set, with 37-year old
Conor Wheaton (4.5*/4.5*) leading the way as the rotation's ace veteran, and an interesting 21-year old from Japan (that I edited in perfectly into this world),
Shohei Otani (2.5*/5*), as their #2 guy. Otani is a well-regarded pitcher making the jump from Japan to the ABO, and he can dial it up on the radar gun, going as high as 100mph. It'll be interesting to see how he fares in their rotation. For their bullpen, they could be porous at times.
Kyle Baxter (5*/5*), the Ice Devil closer, will have his ups and downs, as will 38-year old setup man
Jesse Childress (4.5*/4.5*). However, one guy they're excited about down on the farm for the pen is
Jack Holland (.5*/4.5*). The 20-year old is quietly developing a plus-plus changeup, and should benefit from 2 or so years in the Prep League. With a team that fits their ballpark, and good young talent, the Ice Devils could compete for one of the PC's wildcard slots as early as this year.
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Hollywood StarsLocation: West Hollywood, California
Stadium:
The PorchMain Jersey:

Analysis: When I was watching the auto-draft for this team, I thought they had done a good, not great, job with who they decided to pick. Apparently, OSA is not as high on them as I was when seeing who they were picking. However, this looks to be an EXTREMELY young team, as only 6 players they drafted in the inaugural draft are at or above the age of 30. The average age of this organization's 55 players is only a smidge below 25 years old, and one of the veterans leading this team is their 38-year old RF,
Jose Gonzales (5*/5*), who is a pretty good hitter and fielder, and who will definitely be one of the best players on this team. Among their young talent is 27-year old LF
Robinson Patino (5*/5*) and 25-year old SS
Zak Day (3*/3*) in the field, and on the pitching staff, 23-year old
Panas Polovko (4.5*/4.5*), their first round (19th overall) selection, will lead their rotation, and he should be one of the better young pitchers in the league. His fastball is definitely his best pitch, and has good offerings on his breaking stuff: his curve, slider, and forkball. Their bullpen anchors,
Harrison Douglass (4*/4*),
John Allen (4.5*/5*), and 36-year old lefty
Tom Thomas (4*/4*), are good pitchers in their own right, but the rest of the bullpen kinda sorta sucks. This will probably be a building year for the Stars, but their youth could spark at most a 3rd place finish if things go right.
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Honolulu TropicsLocation: Honolulu, Hawaii
Stadium:
Rainbow Beach StadiumMain Jersey:

Analysis: The ball will be jumping out of this stadium with its very intimate dimensions, despite the Pacific Ocean wind blowing directly in to the ballpark from less than a quarter mile away. The players doing the mashing will be LF
David Morel (4.5*/4.5* with 19 power) and 1B
Jaime Robles (4*/4*), although neither will hit for average that much, and strike out often. 3B
Ijsbrand Langeman (4.5*/4.5*) will be another name to watch, as his balance of contact and power is sorely needed with this lineup. Because of this tendency, along with their top-tier pitching staff, led by 25-year old ace
Jeff Rogers (4.5*/4.5*) (their first round pick, 17th overall) and superstar setup man
Alexandre Rodriguez (5*/5* with 19/20 stuff, 17 movement, and 16 control), this team has the best chance out of all the teams in the division to win the Coastal. They could make a deep playoff run if they make it, but their run will go as far as their hitting goes.
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Las Vegas GamblersLocation: Las Vegas, Nevada
Stadium:
Panpaka ParkMain Jersey:

Analysis: This is one of the most unique parks in the ABO, and for more than one reason. One is the absurdly high wall in left-center field (30 feet) that, coupled with the distance to said wall (424 feet), will be exceptionally susceptible to triples and perhaps inside-the-park jobs if you don't have a good defensive left fielder out there. The Gamblers do not necessarily have that, so cue the Yakety Sax music for anything hit over the head of LF
Greg Shepard (4*/4*). One hitter on this team that could conceivably clear that wall (or hit it into the fabled Lucky Pocket, for all we know) is RF
Gerard Roux (5*/5*), who has 18/19 on his power rating, but only 10 on his contact, so he'd need to really lay into one to hit it over that wall. Las Vegas' first round selection (24th overall), C
Jorge Valenzuela (4.5*/4.5*) could help with the bat and be a consistent(ly meh) catcher, as well. In the rotation,
Scott Spaan (4.5*/4.5*) leads the way, with his circle-change being his best pitch, and one of the best closers in the ABO,
Paco Parita will probably compete for the most saves in the league. This team overall has the talent to go places, but whether or not they do is up to the luck of the draw.
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San Diego SurgeLocation: San Diego, California
Stadium:
San Diego County Credit Union ParkMain Jersey:

Analysis: This team was lucky to secure the first overall pick of the league, and used it on one of the best players in the ABO, 25-year old LF/SS
Steve Adams (5*/5*). He's got all 5 tools in his pocket: hit, power, run, field, and throw. His natural position is LF, but the Surge seem content with putting him at SS for the season. It's a bold strategy, Cotton. We'll see if it pays off. Adams' double play partner, Quebec native
Bob Carter (4*/4*) has great defense at the keystone position, and can even hit a little bit, too. 3B
Hilton Avery (4*/4*) is a huge power threat as well, but this team's strength is its farm system, ranked #1 in the league. Lead by Adams, major relief prospect
Pavla Kachinsky (.5*/5*), and 3B prospect
Lyndon Dowse (1*/5*) are some of the top prospects in the entire league, and should help San Diego in the next few years. Their best pitcher is their closer,
Felix Benavides (5*/5*), and outside of him, the pitching staff could use a little bit of work. If the offense (which is meh outside of Adams, Carter, and Avery) can step up, this team could make a run at at least a wildcard spot.
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Seattle Sounders BCLocation: Seattle, Washington
Stadium: Amazon Prime Park

Main Jersey:

Analysis: The Sounders' prime player, positionally, is their first round selection (2nd overall), 2B
Liam Shearer (5*/5*). If it wasn't for Steve Adams, and Shearer's running abilities, he'd be the best all-around player in the ABO. Alas, his defensive ability is a bit less than Adams, and Shearer can't run at all. But man, can he sock the ball. A prediction of >35 dingers is certainly reasonable for him. Seattle's other intriguing name to watch is 33-year old
Holden Turner (5*/5*). Turner has good defensive abilities, is excellent on the basepaths, and can hit very well, as well as get on base. He may not have as much dinger touch as Shearer, but he can certainly send out 25 or more this season. Their #1 rotation guy,
David Metherall (4.5*/4.5*) is certainly serviceable, but doesn't have the "wow" factor of a lot of the other aces in this division. His cutter could save him from a lot of jams this season, though. A prospect worth keeping an eye on is one that's just getting his feet wet in the Prep League. That would be 17-year old Aussie
Tim MacKay (.5*/4.5*). He is one of only two pitchers in the ABO to throw a knuckleball, and if things go well in his development, it could be one of the nastiest pitches in the league. Alas, he's more than 3 or 4 years away from even sniffing the big league level at this point, and doesn't even have a fastball in his pitch repertoire. He'll need a ton of seasoning before he makes it. Their bullpen is middling, but the combination of 41-year old setup man
Paul Cole (3.5*/3.5*) and 35-year old closer
Daniel Jackson (5*/5*) could surprise some people this season. They'll need a lot of help to make the postseason, and may have an outside shot at a wildcard, but just barely.
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That does it for the ABO Divisional Breakdown series! This part was a lot of fun to make, but the real fun begins soon, when I sim through Spring and get right to the regular season! It won't happen tomorrow, since I'm away, but I hope these breakdowns whet your appetite at what's to come.
Anything else you want to know before the season gets underway? Let me know, and I'll do my best to get that info for you!
Who do you think wins this division, and who will win the ABO Championship? What do you think?