The Rip City Highlanders begin their title defense after ending the Needham Rockets and their cinderella story in 
last years World Series. They begin their title defense but will be up against some stiff competition this year. Here 
is a quick preseason review for the upcoming season.

Highlanders - Lots of power from Howard, Hunter and Guerrero. Figgins has been grumbling in camp about maybe having 
to platoon at 3rd with Glaus. Maybe one of them will be moved during the season. Lots of young pitchers on this staff but 
Rip City is hoping for some better seasons from Bonser, Loe, McCarthy and Duke. Bullpen is anchored by Saito and Jenks, but 
the quality drops off after those two.

Terriers - One of the best young lineups in the league. Two great young first basemen, will one of them be moved? Laroche, 
Drew, Pence, Young, Barton and Kotchman form a great nucleus. Will Dukes keep his cool and stay out of trouble? Is Sosa the 
mentor the Terriers hope he will be? Some great pitching talent in Santana, Greinke, Miller, Sanchez, Bucholz, Meloan but still 
waiting on monster results. Maybe some growing pains this year.

Barons - Nice mix of younger talent and vets. Lineup built around Beltran and Morneau. Hoping Lopez develops at 2b. 
Pitching is the strength of this team with LAckey, Verlander and Hill leading the way. Jones is the closer but is hoping for 
some more help in the pen. Chamberlain will be moved to the rotation after next season but will be dominant in his limited 
appearances this year.

Rebels - Very strong in the infield with Pudge, Gonzalez, Matsui, Mora and Bartlett. Will Matsui have another good season 
or regress to his previous stats? Jason Bay has not had work done on his knee - Rebels management think it may have contributed 
to his poor numbers. Halladay and Chico will anchor the staff and hopefully Bonderman can rebound after last year's numbers. The 
Corderos will lead the pen who have Byrdak as the primary set up man.

River Pilots - A team believing they are a contender.
Nice young building blocks in Jackson, Uggla, Iwamura, Cabrera, Willts, Ethier. Might be a year away from some big numbers. Marquis 
had a nice season last year and comes into camp as the ace. Rauch and Marte are a nice lefty right combo in the pen.

Buskers - Some questions in the OF but Jones and Milledge should get some ABs for next year. How will Tejada's legal problems 
affect him this year? Lots of mileage on Arroyo has seen his numbers regress slightly each year but he is still the ace of this staff. 
Very strong pen led by Riske, Betancourt, Accardo and Okajima. Definitely the strength of this team.

Dukes - Any team with Pujols has to be considered a threat. Is Stewart the answer at 3rd? How will Ankiel adjust to his second 
year in the bigs? Renteria had a nice bounce back year and should thrive in his new Detroit lineup. Some pitching question marks but 
Jimenez may be a future star.

Marshalls - Nice core group here with some emerging infielders - Pedroia, Wood, Peralta are a nice young trio. Jones has a lot 
to prove after last year's disappointing numbers. Four years ago, this would have been a lights-out staff but years and innings have 
taken their toll on Colon and Clemens. Santana, Weaver and Baker could be a terrific threesome as early as next year.

Rockets - Catching is the weak spot for the Rockets again. Management was criticized for passing over Suzuki this year in the 
draft for the unproven Hochevar. The bullpen is the strong part of this team with Downs, Soriano, Neshek, Benoit and Qualls. Hamels is 
emerging as the ace - how will Lowe adjust to being second fiddle? Losing the World Series should be a huge motivating force for the Rockets.

Tigers - Not a lot of young players on this roster.
Chris Young is the gem of the pitching staff and should be in the running for Cy Young of SPB this year. Will Wandy Rodriguez step it 
up a level and become a legit #2 starter? Who will emerge as closer or will it be a committee?

Peppers - Infield will need to get younger over the next few years. Outfield is hoping for another healthy season of JD Drew, 
maybe with more power this year now that his child is feeling better. Dice-K will give them much needed innings and the pen has good 
depth with Proctor, Howry and Isringhausen.

Warriors - Curious as to why Overbay had such a hard time against righties but Aurilia will be there for an occasional game. Wells 
may also have to sit occasionally against righties. Management is still waiting for King Felix to start dominating but he is still only 21 
years old. The pen is a question mark.

Rambler - One of the main contenders for the title this year. Holliday will be tough to handle for opponents but a weak supporting 
lineup may lead to him being pitched around. Pitching will carry this team with Peavy, Lowry, and Villanueva leading the way. Lyon, Broxton 
and Soria are in charge of getting the ball to JJ Putz.

Pumas - Another good pitching team, but this team's strength comes from the top 4 starters - Sabathia, Shields, Guthrie and Westbrook. 
Markakis and Butler should be the leading bats for years to come. Abreu may be in decline but still manages to get on base.

Dynamo - This team will be scary for many years to come. Great young bats in Wright, Ramirez, Ellsbury, Loney, Hermida, Cabrera. On top 
of that you have Lincecum, Hughes, Garza, Street and Delcarmen. Should be a contender and will only get better. Scary.

T-Bones - T-Bones may win the intramural football game
(Owens) and basketball game (Lofton) but will need some more offensive help to be a contender this year.
Good young pitching with Blanton, Vazquez (only 30) and Bannister. Renyel Pinto had some great numbers last year and may end up closing.

Colt 45s - Balls are going to be flying out of the park when the 45s are in town. Home run threats Ortiz, Weeks, Jones, Rollins, 
Soriano and Dunn will keep opposing pitchers up at night. The threesome of Haren, Beckett and Perez will cause havoc in the playoffs.
Bell and Guerrier will close games and hopefully Wilson and Lidge will get them the ball.

Heroes - Arod and Manny will have to produce runs to overcome the pitching deficiencies of this team. After Pettite and Smoltz, 
the pitching thins out. Speiers name will be called a lot this year.

Sandlappers - I'm not sure what a Sandlapper is, but I do know that they are contenders, not pretenders. Lots of power with Konerko 
leading the way. Pitching is a strength with Hudson, Meche, Bedard and Billingsley leading the way. Mega contract man, Zito, is probably 
only a 5th starter! Good depth in the pen will make this a dangerous team.

Seals - Seals will do a lot of barking when Pena, Braun and Lee are up at the plate. They will need to because pitching is thin. 
Igawa disappointed and Martinez was hurt. Bobby Seay had a nice season and will be used heavily.

Survivors - A tough playoff loss has the Survivors itching to start this season. Posada had a tremendous season at 35 and the 
usualy suspects of Thome, Jeter, and Damon will keep them in contention. New blood might have to be infused if they get off to a slow 
start. K-Rod and Hoffman have worked hard to maintain their strength through the playoffs. Heilman will help to take the load off.

Blue Crabs - Blue Crabs would be tastier if their starters overachieve. Kendrick and Marshall show some promise, Capps will be a 
force in the pen. Reyes and Teixiera anchor the lineup but need some help.

Powerhouse - Not a lot of power but excellent defensively. Maine had a nice season and Loewen was off to a good start before getting 
injured. Ryan Franklin might be trade bait if the Powerhouse fall out of contention.

Batkats - Phillips had a breakout year and should combine with Escobar to form one of the best middle infields over the years. 
Crawford continues to excel and is still only 25. Good young pitchers with a tremendous bullpen. 3 pitchers with over 60 innings and an era under 2!

Farmers - Great young infield with Fielder, Utley, Hardy. Hoping for more production from the outfield besides Rios. 3 great innings 
eaters at the top of the order but not a dominating bullpen. With HOmer Bailey waiting in the wings, that could be addressed for a playoff run.

Grays - Tulowitzki is the future captain of this team. Soto shows potential at catcher and Derek Lee continues to produce. Cain could 
be a legit #1 if the walks stay down and Liz might be a nice addition in the pen if he can find the strike zone.

Frogs - A disappointing rookie year by Gordon showed some promise but time is running out as Ordonez and Sheffield age. McCann is 
one of the premier catchers in the league. Always in contention with Webb and Oswalt at the top. Good relief help with Springer, Fuentes, Valverde.

Jukes - A tremendous draft by the good doc. Votto, Gallardo, Morales all great additions. Results might not be there this year but 
lots of talent to build around here. Willis should be helped by Detroit's stadium and the lack of pressure to be #1.