The NL West is the division where the least is known about the coaches’ skill levels. Only one has any previous BBL experience, the others are blank slates, and it will be interesting to see what effect that has on the division’s competition. It also means that the team rosters are, more or less, the only indication we have for how well these teams will perform during the season.

Montreal Expos

Coach Profile: Jarod Johnson is new to the BBL in Season 6.

Team Analysis: This season, it was Jarod who paid a premium price to move up in the early rounds, and was left near the end of the draft with a lot of picks and a slim player pool. As a result, the Expos don’t truly stand out in any one category – but it could be a lot worse for them. On offense, they mostly have a nice distinction between players that don’t hit so well but are fairly fast, and players who are slow but can hit the ball far. It’s a less specifically focused offense than many in the league, but that setup can work if the faster kids can get on base and the power hitters can deliver well. On the other hand, Diana Hayes and Billy Jean Blackwood are going to struggle to fit in well to the offense, with mediocre speed and bats. Indeed, on the whole, this team feels like it’s pretty light on hitting, and the power hitters will really need to work hard to compensate for the lack of batting ability on the rest of the team.

On defense, the team is once again decent. Only three defenders have weak arms, and one of them is on first base where it shouldn’t matter as much. The outfield has weaker arms but good mobility to compensate, and Mike Piazza is a decent if not outstanding catcher. There’s plenty of pitching depth on the team as well. But that corner of the infield between pitcher, catcher, and first base has nobody remotely fast to cover it, and the outfield’s relatively weak arms could come back to bite the team and give up extra bases. And who knows what will happen to the defense once Angela Delvecchio is forced off the mound to defend elsewhere on the field? Finally, while the arms on the team are decent, only three players have a fielding rating higher than 4. That indicates that errors could be a critical problem for this team, and the straw that breaks the camel’s back.

Prediction: Fourth place. There just isn’t any particular category where the Expos excel and can get a true edge over their opponents.

Players to watch: The league was taken by surprise when Angela Delvecchio was picked #1 overall in the draft this season. Will her home run power and ace-level pitching come through and justify that pick, or will she choke under the immense pressure that’s been placed on her?

Crazy Cubs

Coach Profile: MarcoMcGwire is new to the BBL in Season 6.

Team Analysis: This team is very clearly built with offense in mind. Six out of the nine players have batting ratings of 8 or better, and only Kenny Kawaguchi has a rating below 6. Running is also strong, as six out of nine players are rated at 8 speed or better, making the presence of three slower players less of an issue. With the possible exception of Samantha Winslow, each player on the team is either relatively fast, can hit the ball far, or both. This is an offense well-built to get the job done, get lots of big hits, and keep running around the basepaths.

As a direct consequence, though, this team has one of the weakest-looking defenses in the league, simply by virtue of being unremarkable. Most of the defense is just average, not a specific weakness – the majority of kids on the team have an average arm rating of 3, with only three players being stronger. Those decent arms and the team’s solid speed will keep the team rolling and prevent it from completely crumpling, but after facing the tougher defenses that most of the league boasts, adversaries might find this one a breath of fresh air by comparison, and really beat up on it. That problem is exacerbated by the presence of a very weak catcher in Alexis Weis. And while the team does have three different pitchers with a rating of 7, the fact that there are no aces calls their true pitching depth into question, and those pitchers could fall quickly once the pressure is turned on.

Prediction: First place. Defense isn’t everything, and the Cubs’ unparalleled offense should carry the day.

Players to watch: Alexis Weis will need to accomplish a lot at the plate in order to make up for her weakness behind it, and the Cubs will be looking for her to put up big numbers. Samantha Winslow is also the one player who potentially doesn’t fit into the offense – but if she’s able to keep her statline up with the rest of the team, the Cubs could really be going places.

New York Giants

Coach Profile: jmacdrums is new to the BBL in Season 6.

Team Analysis: This comes off as a team with less of a clear focus than many, but the most consistent stat on the team is hitting. Every player on the team has a batting rating of at least 5, and six have a 7 or better in the stat. But just how much those stats mean is in question – despite batting ratings of 10, Maya Woodruff and Lorelei Ikaye haven’t built a reputation as star sluggers, and it’s unclear just how hard this team will be hitting the ball or how much those hitters will be able to drive in.

In other aspects, the team has a spotty set of ratings. The top of the roster has good speed, three speedsters and five players with running of 7 or better, but a 3, 4, and 5 in running round out the roster to be potential concerns. On defense, only four players grade out with fielding of 7 or better, and while there are some strong arms and Marilyn McDonnell will prove a thorn in the side of any offense, only four players have arms stronger than average, and two have weak arms. That particular weakness could be compounded by the fact that the team plays at Dirt Yards, and so throws that don’t make it to a fielder are in danger of bouncing away and opening up new opportunities for the offense. On the other hand, a mobile outfield with decent arms will help reign opposing teams in, and McDonnell could more than earn her keep by playing cutoff to throws coming from there. Pitching could also become a concern, as the Giants have two strong pitchers but nobody beyond that. On the whole, this team doesn’t have any giant weaknesses – but it doesn’t have any giant strengths, either.

Prediction: Third place. I’m not seeing the extra ingredient for success, and home games could be a real problem for their defense.

Players to watch: Luanne Lui will be pitching for once this season, and is expected to become a strikeout machine. Maya Woodruff has also stood out in preseason scrimmage games as a strong contributor, and if she does prove to be a good foundation for this team, then their stock could rise considerably. Meanwhile, Robby Bocko has potential, but it hasn’t come out yet in practice. The team will be hoping for him to really rise up and assert himself as a player during the season.

Tampa Bay Devil Rays

Coach Profile: T-Boz first played in Season 5, where the Devil Rays had an unremarkable season. He’s hoping to really make his mark this time around.

Team Analysis: A lot of strong arms are to be found on this team – six out of nine players have arms rated 4 or 5. This is especially expected to be a murderous infield, with all positions except pitcher boasting such an arm. Weak hits will receive no mercy at the hands of the Devil Rays. The outfield could be a bit more concerning, as both the left and right fielders have weaker-than-average arms, and it will fall to Ronny Dobbs to hold that part together. Stronger hits could give the Rays a lot of trouble, and their catcher, Chucky Flinder, is mediocre for the job, although he’ll perform better at the Paveway then he will during away games. The team’s actual fielding ratings are also rather low, with only three above 5 and only one above 7. If errors become a big issue because of this, that will be another source of grief for the Rays. On the plus side, they have fantastic pitching depth and should have no trouble at all in that respect.

At the plate, this team should also be solid. Five players have batting ratings of 7 or higher and Holly Franklin is a strong 5, and with several legitimate power bats in there, they should be in decent shape. That’ll be helped by their lack of really slow players – while their three players of running 6 is somewhat concerning, there’s only one player slower than them. Without major slowpokes and playing at a fast field, the basepaths shouldn’t get too clogged and the fielders will have good range. The Devil Rays’ offense won’t be best in its class, but with only two really problematic hitters, it should be able to regularly get the job done.

Prediction: Second place. Their dynamite infield and lack of major weaknesses should make them a good but not top-tier team.

Players to watch: Leah Wayne and Ronny Dobbs were the two most valuable players on the Rays last season, and thus their first two picks this time around. They’ll be expected to put forth strong performances again to lead the team, and if they don’t then the Rays might flounder.