Top 10 Prospects Who Did Not Receive A Card In The 2015 Set

By Matt Eddy

Each MMDA draft features its fair share of prospects with high ceilings, but some promising young players inevitably do not play enough to receive a card from Strat-O-Matic. That makes them ineligible for selection in the MMDA draft—we allow only carded players to be drafted—but just think how much better this year's rookie class would look with some of the following names.

To repeat: The following players made their big league debuts in 2014 but are not eligible for the MMDA draft in February.

1. Daniel Norris, lhp, Blue Jays. The 2011 second-rounder received a September callup to Toronto, but logged just 6.2 innings in five appearances, so Norris' no-card status is not surprising.

The 21-year-old conquered three levels of the minors during the 2014 season, using three strong pitches to miss bats (minor league best 11.8 SO/9) and limit hard contact (.212 average).

Can Norris repeat this performance in 2015? Can he overcome lefty bias in a 20-team Strat league? Stay tuned.

2. Eddie Butler, rhp, Rockies. An injury-plagued season at Double-A in 2014 has lowered his stock, but Butler throws three quality pitches and could reestablish his 2013 level of dominance if he successfully rehabs back and shoulder injuries this offseason.

3. Jorge Polanco, ss, Twins. Minnesota favored the young, switch-hitting middle infielder's makeup and ability so much that they called him up as an emergency fill-in in mid-June, all the way from High-A Fort Myers. Polanco batted just eight times and started only one game, so nobody could have expected him to receive a card.

2014 Playoffs: League Leaders, Award Winners And More

LEAGUE LEADERS FOR 2014 MMDA Playoff                                  

 ----BATTING AVERAGE----   --------AT BATS--------   ------RUNS SCORED------  
 A.Ramirez     GOL  .462   E.Longoria    HUS    80   R.Cano        HUS    14   
 J.Heyward     NWS  .417   R.Cano        HUS    78   A.Craig       HUS    14   
 C.Blackmon    DVD  .412   A.Craig       HUS    76   C.Crisp       HUS    13   
 R.Cano        HUS  .410   D.Ortiz       HUS    67   J.Kipnis      MVL    12   
 J.Hardy       ROC  .393   S.Drew        HUS    67   S.Drew        HUS    10   
 M.Scutaro     DVD  .391   C.Crisp       HUS    64   T.Hunter      GOL    10   
 M.Cabrera     BRK  .388   A.McCutchen   MVL    64   J.Upton       HUS     9   
 A.Beltre      ROC  .367   P.Fielder     MVL    64   C.Davis       GOL     9   
 G.Stanton     FIR  .364   J.Upton       HUS    62   M.Cabrera     BRK     8   
 H.Ramirez     BRK  .354   S.Perez       HUS    59   M.Trout       BRK     8   
 C.Crawford    DVD  .350   J.Kipnis      MVL    58   A.McCutchen   MVL     8   
 A.McCutchen   MVL  .344   OTHERS TIED WITH     56   N.McLouth     MVL     8   

 ----------HITS---------   --------DOUBLES--------   --------TRIPLES--------  
 R.Cano        HUS    32   D.Ortiz       HUS     7   C.Crisp       HUS     2   
 A.Ramirez     GOL    24   A.McCutchen   MVL     7   OTHERS TIED WITH      1   
 A.McCutchen   MVL    22   S.Drew        HUS     6                             
 A.Craig       HUS    20   M.Carp        HUS     5                             
 M.Cabrera     BRK    19   A.Ramirez     GOL     5                             
 E.Aybar       MVL    19   J.Heyward     NWS     5                             
 J.Upton       HUS    17   R.Cano        HUS     4                             
 H.Ramirez     BRK    17   E.Longoria    HUS     4                             
 J.Kipnis      MVL    16   C.Davis       GOL     4                             
 Y.Gomes       MVL    16   D.Murphy      GOL     4                             
 S.Drew        HUS    15   C.Quentin     MVL     4                             
 T.Hunter      GOL    15   OTHERS TIED WITH      3                             

 --------HOMERUNS-------   -----RUNS BATTED IN----   ---------WALKS---------  
 R.Cano        HUS     6   E.Longoria    HUS    14   J.Upton       HUS    12   
 P.Alvarez     GOL     5   R.Cano        HUS    13   A.Craig       HUS    12   
 M.Cabrera     BRK     5   Y.Gomes       MVL    12   M.Trout       BRK    12   
 E.Longoria    HUS     4   P.Alvarez     GOL    11   J.Kipnis      MVL    12   
 M.Adams       ROC     4   D.Ortiz       HUS    10   A.McCutchen   MVL    11   
 A.Craig       HUS     3   C.Davis       GOL    10   R.Cano        HUS    10   
 C.Crisp       HUS     3   M.Cabrera     BRK    10   C.Quentin     MVL     9   
 S.Drew        HUS     3   C.Crisp       HUS     9   R.Martin      GOL     8   
 C.Davis       GOL     3   A.Ramirez     GOL     9   P.Fielder     MVL     8   
 N.Walker      BRK     3   P.Fielder     MVL     9   D.Ortiz       HUS     7   
 OTHERS TIED WITH      2   OTHERS TIED WITH      8   S.Drew        HUS     7   
                                                     OTHERS TIED WITH      6   

2014 Season: League Leaders & Award Winners

LEAGUE LEADERS FOR 2014 MMDA                                          

 ----BATTING AVERAGE----   --------AT BATS--------   ------RUNS SCORED------  
 M.Cabrera     BRK  .343   A.Beltre      ROC   675   M.Trout       BRK   138   
 M.Trout       BRK  .342   A.Ramirez     JER   666   C.Davis       GOL   120   
 M.Scutaro     DVD  .323   M.Machado     EFD   665   M.Cabrera     BRK   120   
 V.Martinez    FIR  .316   D.Span        MIA   662   A.Soriano     BRK   101   
 M.Cuddyer     WSB  .316   A.Jones       NWS   657   P.Goldschmidt FIR    98   
 D.Ortiz       HUS  .313   E.Andrus      NWS   656   D.Ortiz       HUS    98   
 Y.Molina      RAZ  .308   E.Hosmer      DVD   651   A.McCutchen   MVL    98   
 J.Ellsbury    HOR  .307   D.Pedroia     CCB   643   J.Upton       HUS    94   
 B.Lawrie      FIR  .295   P.Fielder     MVL   638   S.Choo        CCB    93   
 T.Hunter      GOL  .295   E.Longoria    HUS   636   E.Hosmer      DVD    92   
 D.Nava        FIR  .295   N.Markakis    HOR   633   J.Kipnis      MVL    87   
 J.Lowrie      DVD  .292   OTHERS TIED WITH    632   OTHERS TIED WITH     86   

 ----------HITS---------   --------DOUBLES--------   --------TRIPLES--------  
 M.Trout       BRK   198   M.Machado     EFD    54   C.Gomez       DVD    19   
 M.Cabrera     BRK   195   R.Cano        HUS    46   J.Ellsbury    HOR    13   
 E.Hosmer      DVD   190   M.Trout       BRK    45   D.Span        MIA    12   
 D.Span        MIA   185   G.Parra       FIR    44   W.Venable     MVL    11   
 T.Hunter      GOL   184   A.Ramirez     JER    44   J.Dyson       GOL    10   
 V.Martinez    FIR   182   D.Ortiz       HUS    44   M.Trout       BRK    10   
 R.Cano        HUS   182   M.Carpenter   JER    43   S.Marte       MIA    10   
 J.Ellsbury    HOR   182   C.Davis       GOL    42   C.Gonzalez    RAZ     9   
 A.Ramirez     JER   181   B.Posey       HOR    42   B.Miller      CAL     9   
 P.Goldschmidt FIR   180   Y.Molina      RAZ    42   B.Gardner     CLP     9   
 C.Davis       GOL   180   D.Murphy      ROC    40   OTHERS TIED WITH      8   
 J.Lowrie      DVD   178   OTHERS TIED WITH     39                             

 --------HOMERUNS-------   -----RUNS BATTED IN----   ---------WALKS---------  
 C.Davis       GOL    64   M.Cabrera     BRK   152   M.Trout       BRK   135   
 M.Cabrera     BRK    53   C.Davis       GOL   145   J.Votto       LCN   128   
 P.Alvarez     GOL    44   A.Soriano     BRK   120   P.Goldschmidt FIR   112   
 A.Soriano     BRK    43   R.Cano        HUS   115   S.Choo        CCB   106   
 E.Longoria    HUS    39   P.Goldschmidt FIR   109   M.Carpenter   JER   106   
 D.Ortiz       HUS    33   E.Longoria    HUS   109   C.Santana     NWS    97   
 B.Moss        RAZ    33   M.Trout       BRK   108   M.Cabrera     BRK    94   
 N.Cruz        CLP    31   P.Alvarez     GOL   103   P.Fielder     MVL    84   
 J.Upton       HUS    30   D.Ortiz       HUS    96   E.Encarnacion WSB    79   
 OTHERS TIED WITH     29   J.Lowrie      DVD    96   D.Pedroia     CCB    78   
                           G.Stanton     FIR    91   J.Upton       HUS    78   
                           OTHERS TIED WITH     89   B.Zobrist     WSB    77   

Draft Order For 2015

Now that the World Series is complete, we have a complete order for the first round of the 2015 draft. The top three picks were determined by a lottery system.

1. Dutchmen
2. Nighthawks (held by Maulers)
3. Clippers
4. Breakers
5. Maulers (held by Stars)
6. Blackhawks
7. Roadrunners
8. Hornets
9. Razorbacks
10. Manatees
11. Bluejays
12. Crows
13. Pilots
14. Drivers (held by Hornets)
15. Stars
16. Irish
17. Gators
18. Dodgers (held by Maulers)
19. Huskies
20. Lions

Third Time's A Charm For Lions

Mohawk Valley shined in the 2014 postseason, winning 12 of 16 games, with a stingy pitching staff and grinding offensive attack. 

Lions pitchers (and defenders) allowed just 2.69 runs per game in a playoff context in which no other team allowed fewer than 4.00 R/G (Goldenrod). That performance might have been expected based on Mohawk Valley's regular-season showing, in which the club led the MMDA in strikeout rate (8.3 per nine innings) and ranked third in ERA (3.44) and opponent average (.237). 

The Lions offense, on the other hand, exceeded expectations during the playoffs, scoring 4.56 runs per game, which was a better rate than all but Goldenrod (5.07) and Rochester (4.86). During the regular season, Mohawk Valley led the MMDA in only one category (doubles) and ranked outside the top 10 for scoring, but with a condensed roster during the playoffs the Lions were able to put their best foot forward. They ranked third among postseason participants with a team .340 on-base percentage and strikeout rate of 17.1 percent, and they logged the top walk-to-strikeout ratio of 0.55.

But good fortune has not always smiled on Mohawk Valley, at least when it mattered most.

"Winning in 2014 is especially gratifying for the Lions," manager Matt Eddy said, "because we lost the World Series in 2012, then lost a taut, seven-game LCS in 2013. To come so close three times without winning the ring? Well, that would have been tough."

Lions End Huskies' Bid For Back-To-Back Titles

Three, two, one . . . blast off!

Mohawk Valley captured its first MMDA championship in its 13th year in the league by defeating the No. 3 Fighting Irish in the first round, the No. 2 Brooklyn Dodgers in the second round and the No. 1 Northeast Huskies in the World Series. The Lions went 12-4 (.750) in the playoffs while defeating a trio of opponents who could objectively be labeled as the three best teams during the regular season because they led the MMDA in runs scored and run differential.

Yu Darvish fired 7.2 shutout innings in Game Seven of the
World Series to pitch the Lions to victory

In the World Series, the Lions jumped out to a two games to one advantage before dropping two in a row at home to send the series back to Northeast, with the Huskies needing only one victory to clinch a second straight MMDA title. The fate of the Mohawk Valley season hinged on Games 6 and 7 starters Stephen Strasburg and Yu Darvish, plus whatever help ace relievers Joe Nathan and Koji Uehara could provide.

As it played out, that quartet of pitchers held the Huskies scoreless on 10 hits over 18 innings, and the Mohawk Valley offense scored just enough runs to win two games and claim the World Series. The Lions eked out a 2-0 win in Game 6, with the runs scoring on a wild pitch and an infield groundout, and then led Game 7 by a 1-0 score heading into the ninth inning, when a series of fluke defensive outcomes goosed the lead to 5-0.

World Series: Mohawk Valley 4, Northeast 3

Game recaps from the Strat-generated box scores. In this World Series matchup, the No. 1 Northeast Huskies (101-61) had home-field advantage versus the No. 6 Mohawk Valley Lions (87-75).

Game One
Huskies 2, Lions 0

Chris Archer (1-0) and Yu Darvish (3-1) locked horns in a pitcher's duel with Archer and the Northeast Huskies coming out on top of the Mohawk Valley Lions 2 to 0.

Northeast drew first blood jumping out to an early lead in the first inning scoring a single run. That was all the runs Archer needed. Neither team managed to score after the 2nd inning. 

Archer was helped out by Casey Janssen who recorded his 2nd save.

Round Two: Northeast 4, Goldenrod 3

Game recaps from the Strat-generated box scores. In this Round Two matchup, the No. 1 Northeast Huskies (101-61) had home-field advantage versus the No. 4 Goldenrod Gators (91-71).

Game One
Gators 6, Huskies 4

In a good matchup it was the Goldenrod Gators 6, the Northeast Huskies 4 at Huskie Park.

Brett Oberholtzer (1-0) won the game with a masterful relief performance. He surrendered no hits and 1 walk in 2 and 2/3 innings lowering his ERA from 1.80 to 1.17. Goldenrod had 11 hits overall, while Northeast had 8.

James Shields (0-3) was the losing pitcher. He was hit hard and gave up 8 hits and 2 walks in 2 and 2/3 innings.

Round Two: Mohawk Valley 4, Brooklyn 1

Game recaps from the Strat-generated box scores. In this Round Two matchup, the No. 2 Brooklyn Dodgers (99-63) had home-field advantage versus the No. 6 Mohawk Valley Lions (87-75).

Game One
Lions 5, Dodgers 2

At Dodger Stadium the Mohawk Valley Lions outscored the Brooklyn Dodgers 5 to 2.

Yu Darvish (2-0) pitched a solid game. He went 6 and 1/3 innings allowing 7 hits and 2 walks. Overall Mohawk Valley out-hit Brooklyn 11 to 8.

Darvish got relief help from Koji Uehara who gained credit for his 2nd save. Justin Masterson (2-1) was the loser. He surrendered 3 runs in 5 innings and saw his ERA increase from 1.35 to 2.45.

Round One: Northeast 4, Rochester 3

In this Round One matchup, the No. 1 Northeast Huskies (101-61) had home-field advantage versus the No. 8 Rochester Pilots (86-76).

Game One
Huskies 6, Pilots 1

First baseman Allen Craig hit a homerun at Huskie Park where the Northeast Huskies beat the Rochester Pilots 6 to 1.

Adam Wainwright (1-0) earned his pay with a solid performance for Northeast. He was reached for 9 hits and no walks in 7 and 2/3 innings. Northeast banged out 8 hits on the night.

John Lackey (0-1) absorbed the loss. He served up 3 gopher balls in 5 and 1/3 innings.

Round One: Goldenrod 4, Northwest 3

In this Round One matchup, the No. 4 Goldenrod Gators (91-71) had home-field advantage versus the No. 5 Northwest Stars (88-74).

Game One
Gators 8, Stars 1

Cliff Lee had an impressive outing at Gator Grounds where the Goldenrod Gators beat the Northwest Stars 8 to 1.

Goldenrod took the lead for good in the 2nd inning when they scored 2 runs on 2 hits. That was all Lee(1-0) needed. Goldenrod finished with 12 hits while Northwest ended up with 4.

Doug Fister (0-1) was the loser. He surrendered 3 homeruns in his 5 innings.

Round One: Brooklyn 4, Death Valley 2

Game recaps from the Strat-generated box scores. In this Round One matchup, the No. 2 Brooklyn Dodgers (99-63) had home-field advantage versus the No. 7 Death Valley Drivers (86-76). 

Game One

Dodgers 4, Drivers 3

49,904 fans were treated to a fine game at Dodger Stadium as only one run separated the combatants at game's end. The Brooklyn Dodgers won by the slimmest of margins, 4 to 3.

Death Valley was unable to claim the lead after Brooklyn went ahead in the 6th inning plating an isolated run utilizing 2 base hits. Death Valley had a chance in the 9th but they came up short.

Justin Masterson (1-0) got the win allowing 2 runs in 6 and 1/3 innings. Masterson got help from Jason Grilli who earned his 1st save. Tyson Ross (0-1) was hit with the loss.

Round One: Mohawk Valley 4, Fighting Irish 0

Game recaps from the Strat-generated box scores. In this Round One matchup, the No. 3 Fighting Irish (93-69) had home-field advantage versus the No. 6 Mohawk Valley Lions (87-75). 

Game One

Lions 8, Irish 1

Stephen Strasburg retired 12 batters on strikeouts and catcher Yan Gomes had 2 base hits and 3 RBI as the Mohawk Valley Lions defeated the Fighting Irish by a score of 8 to 1 at Dublin Downs.

Strasburg (1-0) was virtually untouchable. He didn't allow much, just 4 hits and 5 walks in 9 innings. Mohawk Valley finished with 13 hits in the victory.

Andrew Cashner (0-1) was given the loss.

MMDA Final Power Ranking & Award Winners For 2014 Season

An attempt to rank the league's best teams at the conclusion of the season, after all 162 games have been played. Teams sorted by wins, then by run differential.

Note that this is not the official tie-breaking method for playoff seeding or draft order. The playoff brackets appear further down the page.

Power Ranking 

No	Team	W	L	Division	R/G	RA/G	Diff
1	Northeast	101	61	Northeast	5.02	4.17	+137
2	Brooklyn	99	63	Pacific	5.67	4.31	+221
3	Fighting Irish	93	69	Northeast	4.89	4.11	+126
4	Goldenrod	91	71	Central	4.62	4.35	+44
5	Northwest	88	74	Pacific	4.01	3.56	+73
6	Mohawk Valley	87	75	Atlantic	4.35	3.80	+88
7	Rochester	86	76	Atlantic	4.42	3.90	+84
8	Death Valley	86	76	Atlantic	4.58	4.22	+59
9	Spokane	84	78	Pacific	3.68	3.55	+21
10	West Side	80	82	Northeast	4.60	4.12	+77
11	Wilmington	80	82	Atlantic	4.37	4.64	-43
12	Miami	80	82	Northeast	4.06	4.37	-51
13	Rosehill	79	83	Central	3.94	4.29	-57
14	California	78	84	Pacific	4.38	4.65	-44
15	Jersey	76	86	Atlantic	4.14	4.37	-38
16	St. Louis	75	87	Central	3.65	4.25	-97
17	Cape Cod	71	91	Northeast	4.38	5.02	-104
18	Elysian Fields	69	93	Pacific	3.72	4.56	-135
19	Columbus	61	101	Central	3.33	4.40	-173
20	Lake County	56	106	Central	3.40	4.56	-188

Playoff Bracket A 

No. 1 Northeast (101)

No. 8 Rochester (86)

No. 4 Goldenrod (91)

No. 5 Northwest (88)

Playoff Bracket B

No. 2 Brooklyn (99)

No. 7 Death Valley (86)

No. 3 Fighting Irish (93)

No. 6 Mohawk Valley (87)

MMDA Power Ranking After Block Five

An attempt to rank the league's best teams after block five (138 games). Teams sorted by wins, then by run differential. Note that this is not the official tie-breaking method for playoff seeding or draft order.

Power Ranking 

No	Team	W	L	Division	R/G	RA/G	Diff
1	Brooklyn	88	50	Pacific	5.75	4.15	+221
2	Northeast	82	56	Northeast	4.95	4.33	+86
3	Fighting Irish	80	58	Northeast	4.80	4.09	+98
4	Death Valley	73	65	Atlantic	4.62	4.31	+43
5	Rochester	72	66	Atlantic	4.38	3.78	+82
6	Mohawk Valley	72	66	Atlantic	4.29	3.91	+53
7	Goldenrod	72	66	Central	4.38	4.57	-26
8	Northwest	71	67	Pacific	3.96	3.60	+50
9	Spokane	71	67	Pacific	3.54	3.54	-1
10	Miami	71	67	Northeast	4.14	4.20	-8
11	Wilmington	71	67	Atlantic	4.55	4.72	-24
12	California	68	70	Pacific	4.40	4.61	-29
13	Jersey	67	71	Atlantic	4.34	4.37	-4
14	West Side	66	72	Northeast	4.57	4.23	+46
15	Cape Cod	66	72	Northeast	4.36	4.62	-37
16	St. Louis	64	74	Central	3.55	4.20	-89
17	Rosehill	63	75	Central	3.67	4.33	-91
18	Elysian Fields	60	78	Pacific	3.78	4.54	-105
19	Columbus	53	85	Central	3.42	4.48	-146
20	Lake County	50	88	Central	3.51	4.37	-119

Top Eight Run-Creation Teams 

No	Team	R/G	Index
1	Brooklyn	5.75	135
2	Northeast	4.95	117
3	Fighting Irish	4.80	113
4	Death Valley	4.62	109
5	West Side	4.57	107
6	Wilmington	4.55	107
7	California	4.40	104
8	Rochester	4.38	103
	Goldenrod	4.38	103

Top Eight Run-Prevention Teams 

No	Team	RA/G	Index
1	Spokane	3.54	120
2	Northwest	3.60	118
3	Rochester	3.78	112
4	Mohawk Valley	3.91	109
5	Fighting Irish	4.09	104
6	Brooklyn	4.15	102
7	St. Louis	4.20	101
	Miami	4.20	101

MMDA Power Ranking After Block 4

An attempt to rank the league's best teams after block four (108 games). Teams sorted by wins, then by run differential. Note that this is not the official tie-breaking method for playoff seeding or draft order.

No	Team	W	L	Division	R/G	RA/G	Diff
1	Northeast	63	45	Northeast	5.03	4.55	+52
2	Brooklyn	61	47	Pacific	5.41	4.67	+80
3	Death Valley	61	47	Atlantic	4.99	4.44	+59
4	Fighting Irish	60	48	Northeast	4.66	4.06	+64
5	Wilmington	60	48	Atlantic	4.56	4.35	+22
6	Mohawk Valley	59	49	Atlantic	4.19	3.51	+73
7	Goldenrod	59	49	Central	4.56	4.31	+27
8	Miami	57	51	Northeast	4.18	4.14	+4
9	Rochester	56	52	Atlantic	4.47	3.92	+60
10	West Side	53	55	Northeast	4.59	4.11	+52
11	Rosehill	53	55	Central	3.77	4.08	-34
12	Jersey	51	57	Atlantic	4.27	4.37	-11
13	California	51	57	Pacific	4.29	4.65	-39
14	Spokane	51	57	Pacific	3.33	3.70	-40
15	St. Louis	51	57	Central	3.50	4.11	-66
16	Northwest	50	58	Pacific	3.57	3.88	-33
17	Cape Cod	50	58	Northeast	4.34	4.71	-40
18	Columbus	47	61	Central	3.63	4.29	-71
19	Elysian Fields	44	64	Pacific	3.80	4.74	-102
20	Lake County	43	65	Central	3.70	4.23	-57

Top Run-Creation Teams 

1. Brooklyn, 5.41 R/G (27% above avg)
2. Northeast, 5.03 R/G (19% above avg)
3. Death Valley, 4.99 R/G (18% above avg)
4. Fighting Irish, 4.66 R/G (10% above avg)
5. West Side, 4.59 R/G (8% above avg)

Top Run-Prevention Teams 

1. Mohawk Valley, 3.51 RA/G (21% above avg)
2. Spokane, 3.70 RA/G (15% above avg)
3. Northwest, 3.88 RA/G (9% above avg)
4. Rochester, 3.92 RA/G (8% above avg)
5. Fighting Irish, 4.06 RA/G (4% above avg)

MMDA Midseason Power Rankings & Award Winners

An attempt to rank the league's best teams after block three (84 games), roughly the midpoint of the season. Teams sorted by wins, then by run differential. Note that this is not the official tie-breaking method for playoff seeding or draft order.

No	Team	W	L	Division	R/G	RA/G	Diff
1	Northeast	50	34	Northeast	5.17	4.40	+64
2	Wilmington	50	34	Atlantic	4.63	4.11	+44
3	Fighting Irish	47	37	Northeast	4.56	4.12	+37
4	Brooklyn	46	38	Pacific	5.60	4.86	+62
5	Mohawk Valley	46	38	Atlantic	4.17	3.55	+52
6	Goldenrod	46	38	Central	4.50	4.50	0
7	Miami	45	39	Northeast	4.11	4.02	+7
8	West Side	44	40	Northeast	4.60	3.94	+55
9	Rochester	44	40	Atlantic	4.65	4.05	+51
10	Death Valley	44	40	Atlantic	4.93	4.55	+32
11	Jersey	43	41	Atlantic	4.43	4.14	+24
12	St. Louis	42	42	Central	3.50	4.01	-43
13	Spokane	42	42	Pacific	3.27	3.86	-49
14	California	39	45	Pacific	4.32	4.43	-9
15	Rosehill	38	46	Central	3.65	4.21	-47
16	Cape Cod	37	47	Northeast	4.10	4.46	-31
17	Northwest	37	47	Pacific	3.50	3.98	-40
18	Columbus	37	47	Central	3.70	4.31	-51
19	Elysian Fields	33	51	Pacific	3.79	4.95	-98
20	Lake County	30	54	Central	3.70	4.42	-60

Top Run-Creation Teams (R/G)

Brooklyn (5.60)
Northeast (5.17)
Death Valley (4.93)
Rochester (4.65)
Wilmington (4.63)

Top Run-Prevention Teams (RA/G)

Mohawk Valley (3.55)
Spokane (3.86)
West Side (3.94)
Northwest (3.98)
St. Louis (4.01)

Dutchmen Keep Adding Players Selected In 2014 Draft

What do the following nine young players have in common?

Jose Fernandez, rhp
Zack Wheeler, rhp
Danny Salazar, rhp
Kevin Gausman, rhp
Carlos Martinez, rhp
Chris Owings, ss
Nick Franklin, 2b
Kolten Wong, 2b
Robbie Erlin, lhp

All nine are property of Elysian Fields—that's what!—and all have been acquired since the 2014 draft. Manager Clyde Elkins drafted Zack Wheeler (#23), Carlos Martinez (#43), Nick Franklin (#63) and Robbie Erlin (#83) in February, but he pulled off a series of trades with the Crows, Lions, Manatees and Nighthawks to acquire the other five prospects.

In deals for that Fab Five—Jose Fernandez (#2), Kevin Gausman (#34), Chris Owings (#51), Danny Salazar (#28) and Kolten Wong (#68)—Elkins surrendered big league talent such as Nate Eovaldi, Prince Fielder, Cole Hamels, Matt Joyce and Wil Myers as the Dutchmen sacrificed present card value for a projected future payout.

MMDA Power Rankings: Second Block Edition

An attempt to rank the league's best teams after two blocks (54 games). Teams sorted by wins, then by run differential. Note that this is not the official tie-breaking method for playoff seeding or draft order.

No	Team	W	L	Division	R/G	RA/G	Diff
1	Brooklyn	32	22	Pacific	5.91	4.74	+63
2	Mohawk Valley	32	22	Atlantic	4.48	3.44	+56
3	Miami	32	22	Northeast	4.44	3.78	+36
4	Death Valley	30	24	Atlantic	5.35	4.43	+50
5	Northeast	30	24	Northeast	4.91	4.63	+15
6	Goldenrod	30	24	Central	4.31	4.22	+5
7	Wilmington	30	24	Atlantic	4.13	4.19	-3
8	Fighting	29	25	Northeast	4.94	4.65	+16
9	West Side	28	26	Northeast	4.50	3.93	+31
10	Jersey	28	26	Atlantic	4.26	4.39	-7
11	Cape Cod	27	27	Northeast	4.57	4.28	+16
12	Rochester	26	28	Atlantic	4.78	4.41	+20
13	Spokane	26	28	Pacific	3.09	3.83	-40
14	Rosehill	25	29	Central	3.70	3.94	-13
15	Columbus	24	30	Central	3.69	4.11	-23
16	Northwest	24	30	Pacific	3.44	3.96	-28
17	St. Louis	24	30	Central	3.26	4.09	-45
18	California	23	31	Pacific	4.31	4.78	-25
19	Lake County	21	33	Central	3.81	4.52	-38
20	Elysian Fields	19	35	Pacific	3.76	5.35	-86

Top Run-Creation Teams (R/G)

Brooklyn (5.91)
Death Valley (5.35)
Fighting Irish (4.94)
Northeast (4.91)
Rochester (4.78)

Top Run-Prevention Teams (RA/G)

Mohawk Valley (3.44)
Miami (3.78)
Spokane (3.83)
West Side (3.93)
Rosehill (3.94)

MMDA Power Ranking: Block One Edition

An attempt to rank the league's best teams after one block (30 games). Teams sorted by wins, then by run differential. Note that this is not the official tie-breaking method for playoff seeding or draft order.

No	Team	W	L	Division	R/G	RA/G	Diff
1	Miami	20	10	Northeast	3.97	2.43	46
2	Mohawk Valley	18	12	Atlantic	4.97	3.47	45
3	Cape Cod	18	12	Northeast	5.13	3.73	42
4	Jersey	18	12	Atlantic	4.33	3.97	11
5	Wilmington	18	12	Atlantic	4.13	4.00	4
6	Brooklyn	17	13	Pacific	6.07	5.10	29
7	Northeast	17	13	Northeast	5.00	5.00	0
8	Goldenrod	17	13	Central	4.50	4.53	-1
9	Rochester	16	14	Atlantic	4.97	3.90	32
10	Death Valley	16	14	Atlantic	5.10	4.30	24
11	Fighting Irish	16	14	Northeast	4.50	4.43	2
12	St. Louis	16	14	Central	3.10	3.80	-21
13	West Side	15	15	Northeast	4.03	3.23	24
14	Spokane	13	17	Pacific	3.23	4.07	-25
15	California	12	18	Pacific	4.17	5.10	-28
16	Columbus	11	19	Central	3.93	4.87	-28
17	Elysian Fields	11	19	Pacific	3.43	4.90	-44
18	Northwest	11	19	Pacific	2.73	4.33	-48
19	Rosehill	10	20	Central	3.70	4.73	-31
20	Lake County	10	20	Central	3.60	4.70	-33

Top Run-Creation Teams (R/G)

Brooklyn (6.07)
Cape Cod (5.14)
Death Valley (5.10)
Northeast (5.00)
Mohawk Valley (4.97)

The Dodgers' high-octane offense features three of the top seven hitters in the league. Mike Trout (1.560), Miguel Cabrera (1.159) and Hanley Ramirez (1.035) rank first, fifth and seventh in the MMDA in total average. (Google it.)

Top Run-Prevention Teams (RA/G)

Miami (2.43)
West Side (3.23)
Mohawk Valley (3.47)
Cape Cod (3.73)
St. Louis (3.80)

Johnny Cueto (1.08), Corey Kluber (1.09) and Jarred Cosart (1.78) drove the Manatees' pitching success in Block One, with there of the top ERAs in the MMDA.

Strasburg Delivers Mohawk Valley's Second-Ever No-Hitter

UTICA, N.Y.--Mohawk Valley starter Stephen Strasburg saved the best for first in 2014. Making his season debut on the road at Spokane, the righthander held the Hooded Crows hitless in a 6-0 Lions win. He walked four and struck out four, throwing 124 pitches.

Strasburg's gem is the second no-hitter in Mohawk Valley franchise history. Lefthander Paul Maholm threw the club's first no-no against the Rochester Pilots on Sept. 22, 2008.

[1]BOXSCORE: 2014 Mohawk Valley Lions At 2014 Spokane Hooded Crows      4/7/2014

[1]  Lions              AB  R  H RBI AVG     Hooded Crows       AB  R  H RBI AVG
  J.Kipnis 2B         5  0  0  0 .000     N.Aoki LF           3  0  0  0 .300  
  A.McCutchen CF      4  1  0  0 .000     A.Ethier RF         4  0  0  0 .333  
  R.Raburn LF         3  0  1  0 .333     A.Dunn DH           3  0  0  0 .333  
  W.Venable RF        5  1  3  1 .600     J.Loney 1B          3  0  0  0 .200  
  K.Blanks 1B         3  1  0  0 .000     J.Uribe 3B          2  0  0  0 .182  
C-Y.Alonso PH,1B      1  0  1  01.000     J.Jaso C            1  0  0  0 .400  
  C.Headley 3B        4  0  0  0 .000   A-P.Polanco PH        1  0  0  0 .000  
  E.Aybar SS          4  3  3  1 .750   B-C.Corporan C        0  0  0  0 .500  
  R.Weeks DH          2  0  1  2 .500     M.Ellis 2B          2  0  0  0 .091  
  R.Hanigan C         4  0  3  2 .750     A.Eaton CF          3  0  0  0 .167  
                                          Z.Cozart SS         3  0  0  0 .083  
                     -- -- -- ---                            -- -- -- ---      
[1]         Totals      35  6 12  6                 Totals      25  0  0  0

A-Pinch Hit For Jaso In 7th Inning
B-Subbed Defensively (C ) For Polanco In 8th Inning
C-Pinch Hit For Blanks In 8th Inning

Lions........... 0 0 1  0 0 4  0 1 0  -  6 12  0
Hooded Crows.... 0 0 0  0 0 0  0 0 0  -  0  0  1

[1]Lions (1-0)              IP       H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR  PC    ERA  SCORESHEET
S.Strasburg WIN(1-0)      9       0   0   0   4   4   0 124   0.00  A1
[1]Totals                    9       0   0   0   4   4   0

MMDA Champions Expressed As Olympic Medal Winners

The Winter Olympics are going on now, and some people are into that. While I don't particularly care about the outcomes of the various events, the medal-count scoring system seemed like it could have application in the world of the MMDA.

Our World Series champion would obviously be the gold-medal winner for that year, and the runner-up would take silver. As to the bronze, I decided to award that to the round two loser with the higher playoff seeding.

So, for example, the No. 3 Lions lost in the second round last year, falling one win short of the Series. The No. 4 Gators lost in the other LCS bracket, so by virtue of the Lions' higher seeding, they get the bronze for 2013.

Here are the medal counts for the past 10 years of MMDA playoff play. An easy way to think of the columns: Gold signifies a World Series win, silver is a Series loss and bronze is an LCS loss by a high-seeded team that went down in flames when it mattered most.

No	Manager	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Medals
1	Burns, Kevin	4	1	1	6
2	Tresca, John	2	1	2	5
3	Tresca, Steven	1	1	2	4
4	Beard, Steve	—	2	1	3
5	Ross, Ray	1	1	—	2
6	Eddy, Matt	—	1	1	2
7	Lamanna, John	1	—	—	1
	Leickel, Adam	1	—	—	1
9	Alterman, Steve	—	1	—	1
	Frediani, Steve	—	1	—	1
	Yingst, Mike	—	1	—	1
12	Callis, Jim	—	—	1	1
	Capriotti, Mike	—	—	1	1
	Green, Jeff	—	—	1	1

So among active managers, we might consider John Tresca to be the gold medalist for the past decade, with Steven Tresca taking the silver and Ray Ross the bronze.

See also: MMDA Playoff History

2014 MMDA Draft Report Card

Preface: This concept is a complete rip-off of the Baseball America draft report cards series, which you can read here. The goal here is to identify the most talented players in individual facets of the game, such as best power hitter or best fastball. Objectivity is the goal, though there's plenty of gray area in prospect evaluation.

Only 2013 rookies/prospects were considered for this exercise. The numbers in parentheses refer to draft round and overall selection, so Gators RF Oswaldo Arcia (1.17) was the 17th overall pick in the first round. All references to Strat card units are in left/right format and taken from the SOM Ratings Disk, so that when Arcia is credited with having 3/7 BP it means that he has 3 ballpark home runs on the left side and 7 on the right.

OFFENSE

Best Hitter For Average >> Other players in the MMDA draft hit for a higher average in the minors, but the best long-term bets to hit .300 in the majors probably are Pilots LF/CF Christian Yelich (1.8) and Lions 3B/LF Nick Castellanos (1.18), a pair of 6-foot-4 high school hitters from the 2010 major league draft. Both will be 22 in 2014, and both have impressive minor league track records as they climbed from Low-A in 2011 to the majors three years later.

Yelich hit .313 over 1,190 PAs on his way up the full-season minor league ladder (excluding rehab assignments) with solid marks for contact (20 percent strikeouts) and power (.190 ISO). Castellanos hit .302 over 1,741 PAs with 20 percent strikeouts and a .143 ISO in some tough parks for hitters. Attesting to their ability to regularly hit line drives, Yelich hit .377 on balls in play, while Castellanos hit .365 despite being a no-better-than-average runner.

Special mention: Roadrunners SS/2B Brad Miller (2.22). The lefty-hitting infielder sports a career .334 average in the minors with consistently above-the-league-average rates for BABIP, strikeout rate and isolated power.

Best Power Hitter >> Look no further for the reason why Roadrunners RF Yasiel Puig (1.1) and Manatees RF Wil Myers (1.3) went at the top of the draft. Both have the plus power required to hold down a corner position on a contending major league team.

In Their Own Words: Draft Classes Reviewed By MMDA Managers

With the 2014 draft fresh in mind, some of the participating managers discuss the thought process behind their selections. Teams presented in alphabetical order.

For reference purposes, here are links to rounds one through seven, and here are all the supplemental picks after round seven.


Brooklyn Dodgers

As with most others, I was very happy with my draft and was able to get card value and get some prospects in the fold.

Round 1. With the early picks going as expected, I was hoping one of Christian Yelich, Anthony Rendon or Michael Wacha would fall to me. Rendon was my #8 player on my board so getting him at #12 was huge. He can platoon at 2b vs LHP this year and hopefully be a regular at 2b/3b in the future years. I'm betting on him to show solid plate discipline with good contact skills and hopefully the power develops. Hoping he is over his ankle injuries that plagued him at Rice and in the minors.

Round 2. Going into the draft I figured one of the young SPs would make it to this pick due to the depth of this year's pool. With Didi Gregorius unexpectedly falling, the decision at #32 came down to Gregorius and Kevin Gausman. While it would have been nice to take an upside guy to add some youth to my older rotation, it ultimately was too hard to pass up a 1 at SS with a nice card versus RHP. He's young and he fills a hole. He will probably never hit lefties but the combo of him and a half season of Hanley Ramirez should be more than solid at SS.

2014 MMDA Draft Supplemental Rounds

Results for the eighth through 15th rounds of the 2014 MMDA draft. For the first seven rounds—the "regulation" phase—visit the 2014 Draft Results.

EIGHTH ROUND

Blackhawks eighth-rounder Taylor Jordan

141 Roadrunners Jason Frasor, rhp
142 Dutchmen Nick Hundley, c
143 Breakers Tom Koehler, rhp
144 Clippers Carlos Torres, rhp
145 Blackhawks Taylor Jordan, rhp
146 Hornets Cesar Hernandez, 2b/of
147 Dodgers Al Alburquerque, rhp
148 Bluejays Wil Nieves, c
149 Crows Shane Robinson, cf
150 Maulers Josh Phegley, c
151 Razorbacks Danny Valencia, 3b
152 Gators Wilmer Flores, 3b
153 Lions Brandon Workman, rhp
154 Huskies Andres Torres, cf

NINTH ROUND
155 Dutchmen Dale Thayer, rhp
156 Clippers Zoilo Almonte, of
157 Dodgers Erasmo Ramirez, rhp
158 Bluejays Tim Stauffer, rhp
159 Crows Carlos Corporan, c
160 Razorbacks Francisco Cervelli, c
161 Gators Leury Garcia, util
162 Lions Cliff Pennington, util
163 Huskies Brandon Maurer, rhp

10TH ROUND
164 Dutchmen L.J. Hoes, of
165 Clippers Tommy Medica, 1b
166 Bluejays Matt Tuiasosopo, 3b/of
167 Crows Scott Van Slyke, 1b/of
168 Gators Tyler Flowers, c
169 Lions Brandon Cumpton, rhp
170 Huskies Juan Perez, lhp

11TH ROUND
171 Dutchmen Burch Smith, rhp
172 Clippers Nate Freiman, 1b
173 Bluejays Manny Parra, lhp
174 Crows Nick Tepesch, rhp
175 Gators Louis Coleman, rhp
176 Huskies Anthony Varvaro, rhp

12TH ROUND
177 Dutchmen Josh Fields, rhp
178 Clippers Brian Bogusevic, of
179 Bluejays Moises Sierra, of
180 Gators Jake Diekman, lhp
181 Huskies Jayson Nix, util

13TH ROUND
182 Gators Caleb Gindl, of

14TH ROUND
183 Gators Ryan Goins, 2b/ss

15TH ROUND
184 Gators Ramiro Pena, util

Huskies Capture MMDA Championship

Congratulations to the Northeast Huskies, who capped a six-year run of regular-season domination with a championship, topping the Northwest Stars in seven games to capture the MMDA World Series.

Huskies DH David Oritz blasted the World Series-winning
home run in the 17th inning of Game Seven

John Tresca's club led the league with 115 wins during the regular season, landing in a familiar place: atop the Northeast Division (named for its geographic location, though it could just as well be in honor of its dominant team). That marked six consecutive seasons in which the Huskies have either won the division outright or tied for first.

Since bringing up the rear with a 54-108 record in 2007, the Huskies have gone 659-313, good for a .678 winning percentage. During that span they posted the best record in the league three times (2009, 2012, 2013). For all that dominance, however, there is one thing that eluded them: a title.

In five years the Huskies have advanced to the final series only once, falling to the Bulldogs in seven games in 2009. But this year they rolled through, topping the West Side Bluejays in five games in the first round of the playoffs, then withstanding the defending champion Goldenrod Gators in six games in the semi-finals.

The Stars, however, took the Huskies to the brink with a seven-game challenge. The final game was an epic affair in which the home club won in the 17th inning on a two-run shot by DH David Ortiz.