Lake Worth Billys Preview

A new season. Same old questions about what the GM did in the draft and how the pieces will be put together. I elected to go for a high impact strategy this season, putting my money on top starting pitching, high quality pen and some impact, lower game, offensive players. It remains to be seen whether the level of pitching, combined with cobbling a lineup having a number of j2s/j3s, and limiting the bench on a daily basis will be effective enough to play over .500.

Lake Worth hopes to be better than last year's club almost exclusively based on the Kershaw SL'13 > Kershaw SL'12 factor. I would project Harvey SL'13 ~ Lohse SL'12. My pen should be certainly better, and also deeper than last year to help cover any DeLaRosa/Liriano/Burnett difference from last season's Miley/Harrison/Harang in the back of the rotation. And likely to add a little oomph beside the Kershaw difference.

Last year, I would win a large number of the Kershaw/Lohse starts, and lose a larger number of the "bottom 3 starters plus pen" games. Hope to improve if only based on a little better pitching on top, and in the pen.

My defense will be not quite as good as last year, but solid. Hopefully good enough to not affect the pitching.

The offense is different, but hopefully not worse. I have very solid .290(ish) OBP guys throughout the lineup with consistently good speed, and not a lot of 24s. Most guys have a 1st column 1 (not SS nor 1/2 C or 1/3 CF). I am guessing the offense will project lower than last year's, however be closer to 100% of runs created, and thus finish similarly on offense, with around 180 homers but a slightly lower OBP, with the solid speed scoring enough additional runs to cover the gap.

A new season. We shall see.

A word about my team name -- about 11 months ago we lost Bill, the tall lefthander, and although some of his personality will always be recalled " ... how's the family, good?? ... " & driving in true New York cabdriver style, I felt it was a good memorial to have come up over and over this season, as he is resting in Lake Worth now. He was a very good man, and will always be part of us ... and now part of SL.