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Grenade Division Breakdown

11/24/2014

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Nashoba Valley Sasquatch
Roster:  Jon Anderson (GM), DeeJay B-Lo, Matt Mullen, Brenden Bob Leahy

Pitching
: Jon Anderson is a proven ace plain and simple. When the stakes are high, although small in stature, Anderson is a giant. His performance in the championship this past season was the stuff of legends. Matt Mullen had a solid season this summer as the Bay State Butter Tongues number two pitcher. These two should be a solid rotation in this division.

Hitting:
 This lineup on paper is one of the best in the league. DeeJay B-Lo had a monster season at the plate, hitting 19 dingers. His only problem is he is a bit one dimensional but with the winter rule of not running the bases and his ability to hit the ball very hard, he might get a few more singles indoors. Matt Mullen and Jon Anderson are very solid all around hitters but where B-Lo lacked the speed on the base paths, these two were the opposite. Will they be able to keep the high OBP without the benefit of beating out ground balls? Maybe…well probably, they are good.  

Fielding:
 This is the biggest weakness for them. Although, Anderson is a solid fielder, Mullen is elite. The problem is they both won’t be fielding at the same time. Ground ers to the other side of the infield could be an issue.

Overall:
 Solid pitching, great hitting, fielding could be an issue on one side of the infield.

Burlington Blaze

Roster:
  Mike Taft (GM), Nick O’Keefe, Dave O’Grady, Kyle DeFranceso  

Pitching:
  Nick O’ Keefe and Kyle DeFranceso will head up t his rotation. Former KAAPE winner Nick O’Keefe had a bit of an up and down season this summer and some say his focus was elsewhere or he lacked the ability to adjust to 55mph. Whatever the reason, he still has the stuff to dominate and GM Mike Taft has a lot of confidence in him. Kyle is a bit of a question mark having taken over a year off from NEAWL. The hitters are better and the pitching speed is lower, what will that mean for DeFranceso? We shall see.

Hitting:  These guys are great all around hitters. If this team were the Red Sox, Taft would be Kevin Youkils, O’Keefe would be Yaz, O’ Grady would be Jim Rice and Kyle would be Ortiz. The biggest question mark is going to be Dave O’ Grady. His stats have not been good indoors so we shall see if he can finally translate his outdoor success in the dome.  

Fielding:   Taft and O’Keefe are definitely the two best fielders on the team. If Kyle has some growing pains adjusting to the new speed and better hitters, they should be able to bail him out with their cat like reflexes and Taft ’s  legendary one handed grabs.

Overall:
  Lack the huge home run hitter but solid all around hitting from top to bottom. Kyle’s pitching and DOG’s hitting performance are the biggest question marks  for DA BLAZE.

Mill City Chiefs of Lowell

Roster:  Jon Gryckwiez (GM), Kirk Monbleau, Justin Martin, Jeremey Ellis

Pitching:
 Walks. That will be the biggest hurdle for the tandem of Justin Martin and Kirk MonBleau. Like the Blaze’s Kyle DeFranceso, Monbleau has been sitting on the shelf for a whil e and has never been restricted to 55mph. He has incredible talent and could stumble at the start of the season but should be able to figure it quickly. Both Martin and Monbleau struggle in the walks given department, however they are solid pitchers when throwing strikes. The lack of a true ace here is of concern.

Hitting:
 Monbleau and Martin should be more solid at the plate than on the mound. Monbleau will destroy the ball at 55mph and should scare some people. Martin although is talented, he beat out a lot of ground balls with his legs in the summer. With no base running, Martin should be held in check both in hitting and bat flipping. Gryckwiez and Ellis can be tough outs for Number 2 pitchers but the aces should be able to gobble them up.

Fielding:
 Like the Sasquatch, the Chiefs of Lowell have two elite fielders but they are also both their pitchers and likely will not be fielding at the same time without one of them on the mound. Ellis is a decent reserve but has never returned from his rookie season glory of a Golden Handy nomination.

Overall:  Pitching is a question mark but has a lot of potential. Solid hitting and decent defense are on their side in case the pitching doesn’t work out right away.  

Flushing Pong Bassholes
Roster:  Tim McGeown (GM), Greig Guluzian, David Fisher, Jerry LaBarre

Pitching:  David Fisher is filthy, we all know this. His lefty arm will be atop the rotation for the Bassholes once again and McGeown is a great number two. I have to give them the nod as the best pitching rotation in the Grenade division. No real question marks at all.

Hitting:
 Fish and McGeown will not only carry the rotation duties but the run scoring duties as well. Guluzian is also a solid hitter and can be a pain for any pitcher looking for that “easy out” at the  bottom   of the lineup. Jerry LaBarre is an unknown at this point so we’ll have to see how he handles his rookie season.

Fielding:
  This may be the weak point for the Bassholes. Although no one is bad, they don’t have the elite talent as some of the other teams in this division. That being said, if their pitching is as good as it should be, they won’t need much fielding.  

Overall:   Age. The elder statesmen of wiffleball occupy this roster and it’s a long season. Pitching should be great and good hitting but fielding could be an issue.
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Bones Division Breakdown

11/24/2014

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Worcester Weemen
Roster:  Colin Amidon (GM), Devin Amidon, Kurt Willette, Patrick Keating

Pitching
: Perhaps the best overall pitching franchise in the history of the league, the Weemen return their rotation from a season ago. Though Devin won the KAAPE award last season Colin is projected to anchor this staff. Both should be in contention for the KAAPE yet again. The Addition of Kurt Willette gives this team a deep rotation. He should see extra innings work and mop-up duties. Hitters may lick their chops at the thought of Keating taking the mound, but watch out, his fastball is deceptively slow.

Hitting:
  While there is plenty of competition to take away Devin’s KAAPE he’s been in a class all his own at the plate. Patience, average and power are a deadly combo and he excels at all of them. Colin is an above average hitter who pulls the ball and has some pop. While Keating has below average numbers he grinds at bats and frustrates pitchers. Kurt’s 17 HR’s a season ago is just what they need to raise this offense to the next level.

Fielding:
 There are no liabilities here. Kurt can be elite. So can Devin and Colin. Then there is Coop Scoops. They may not win a handy this season but quite possibly have the best fielding top to bottom. Overall: Best pitching staff, best hitter, solid fielding. Can they put it all together in big games?

Los Pollos Blancos of Arlington
Roster:  Mike Houle (GM), Zach Greatman, Scott Martell, Kevin MacDonald

Pitching:
 The assumption here is Greatman and Martell will start for this team. Unknown to the league but GSWL experience tells us they will succeed.

Hitting:
 The Pollos have two GSWL players to anchor this lineup. However, they have some problems if they want to become an above average offense. Houle needs to figure out how to translate post season heroics into regular season consistency. KMac has great power potential but strikes out too much. These guys make some strides in those areas and they will be real scary.

Fielding:
 You assume the GSWL guys are competent fielders. The other two have been unspectacular in the field Overall:  This team should be able to compete in any matchup . If it’s at a championship level is yet to be seen.  

Brockton Bullies
Roster:  Jason Murphy (GM), Brother Murphy, Tony Polizzotti, Tim Anderson Pitching:  Another team stacked with pitching. Jason Murphy has the potential to de-thrown Devin of the KAAPE. The scary thing is his brother is rumored to have better stuff. Murphy’s only weakness last season was the long ball. Polizotti and Anderson are not pitchers; they’ll need to avoid extra inning games.

Hitting:  Murph is streak y but when he’s on he’s one of the top power hitters in the league. We’ll assume that’s a Murphy genetic predisposition. Tony got his nickname TP not just because it’s his initials, but also because he cleans up. Tony is a lefty pull hitter with a tendency to strike out a bit much but hits well in the clutch. Andersons numbers are below average but don’t let that fool you, one swing of his bat almost cut the butter tongue division title run short. He just needs to find some consistency.

Fielding:
 Tony may have been shunned a Golden Handy nominee last season and he’ll look to redeem that. He ranges very well to pop flies and liners. Murph has also been solid in the field. Overall:   This team’s offense will see ups and downs much like the BT’s last sea son but their pitching will ride them through it. If the bats get hot around playoff time they are contenders.

Chelmsford Cougars

Roster:
 Michael Thompson (GM), Tadd LeRocque, Dave Sullivan, Eric Siller

Pitching:
 Thompson should be the ace here. Very solid pitcher but has the tendency to implode sometimes. If he stays calm and limits those moments he can be a top flight ace. Tadd will be the number 2. He improved drastically over the last season and should be solid in this roll. Sullivan and Siller should get opportunities to see what they can do.

Hitting:
 This team should have a potent lineup. Thompson is the best hitter here but Tadd should have been drafted higher than he was. He boasted a .401 average and should hit leadoff. Sullivan should improve if he actually plays every week and while Siller is an unknown he has baseball experience and should be able to adjust just fine.

Fielding:  Thompson is an elite fielder. He has the best groundball range of anyone in the league. He will be the left fielder when not pitching. Tadd and Siller should round out as solid fielders. Overall:  This is a team that is filled with speed, power, average, and raw talent, though they may be a step behind the rest of the division pitching wise.
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