New Angel In The Outfield

Jake Benson Anaheim Angels Age: 32 B/T: L/L Born: Arlington, WA Position(s): LF View Hardball Dynasty Profile

The biggest name in free agency, among positional players, this off-season was Jake Benson. The biggest name, got the biggest contract as Benson signed a 5yr. $75 million deal with the Anaheim Angels.

The defending National League champions will pay Benson $10 million up front as a signing bonus and then pay out $13 million over the course of his first year. From there, the contract is $16M in year two, $14M in year three, & $12M in year four. The fifth year of the contract comes in the form of a mutual option, where Benson can opt out of the deal and become a free agent at the age of 36 or the Angels can buy out the remaining year for $2.5 million.

Benson is a former Rookie of the Year winner, 5-time Silver Slugger, & 6-time All-Star. He is a career .282 hitter, with a .376 OBP, 215 homeruns and 1598 hits. The most impressive stat on Benson's resume is his 811 career stolen bases. Ranking 2nd all-time, Benson is 87 steals behind Vinny Simon for the J5B record. Based on his stolen base numbers from the last 3 years, Benson could potentially pass Simon this year as Simon still is not officially retired, but was out of baseball in season 14 and has yet to sign with an organization for this year.

Keep your eyes on the base paths this year in Anaheim.

Teams Up For Grabs

AL East - Formerly based in Atlanta, this team finished just one game shy of a wild card birth last season, finishing 93 - 69. Is in one of the leagues tougher divisions, since the emergence of the Boston Patriots to go with the Huntington Yankdawgs as legit championship contenders. An experienced GM may be just what the franchise needs to help, stud pitcher, Scooter Lee. A consistent Cy Young contender and still just 27 years of age, Lee is the leader of this club and ready to bring them to the post-season.

AL South - The former Monterrey Express franchise is changing  GMs for the first time since the J5B world started 14 seasons ago. This franchise is need of some direction. They have been left out of the post season 8 straight years, though it seems like improvement could easily be made. In the last 8 years, they've finished no worse than 63-99, but no better than 78-84. With young guys like Asdrubal Santiago making up most of the ML roster and 21 year old William Barfield ready to make a ML impact in season 15, the future looks much brighter than the past with this franchise.

AL West - Mostly based out of Oakland over the life of the franchise, this team is the overall best, for anyone looking to contend right away. Making the playoffs 7 straight years and 9 of the last 10, this franchise is the home of Season 14 AL MVP - Ramon Shin & Cy Young award winner William DeJean. The best part? They aren't even the best rated players on the team. That honor goes to the likes of 26 year old, Juan Dominguez & 21 year old, Benji Rosado. Not to mention the veteran leader of the pitching staff, Benito Tejada. This team is ready to win now and is in a great position to keep it up for years to come.

AL WEST (2) - The distractions of playing in Las Vegas may be to blame for this franchises run of mediocrity over the years. Looking for a new GM for the first time in the organizations life, this team could use someone with a plan. A plan good enough to take out the former Oakland franchise (World Series champions in season 12) & defending champion, Salt Lake City. This is a great team for someone looking for a challenge. With one of the best defensive shortstops in the game today (Francisco Cedeno), number one starter Howard Truman isn't the only piece this franchise has as it tries to build toward a championship.

AL West (3) - This franchise is the closest thing J5B has to the definition of consistent. Only problem is, it has been consistently bad. But even the least experienced GM's know that with a bad major league team, comes stacked farm systems. If you want young cheap potential All-Stars to build your franchise around, this is your team. 24 year old, Geronimo Morales leads this teams ML player rater. But with guys like  Chance Daley, Ben Tam, & Vic Lopez flying through the minor league ranks, this franchise is ready to break out very, very soon.

NL East - Trying to take away the division lead from the Sox of Pawtucket is no easy task. But certainly a task worth taking on. With 4 time All-Star and former MVP, Benji Marquez leading the way, 19 game winner Octavio Martin & the power bat of Jade Scalici stand a top the player rater for this former Durham team. Oh... and don't forget about Rob O'Leary. His best years are just a head, as this 27 year old looks forward into the prime of his career.

The Rochester Horrorshow Announce the Retirement of Lewis Standridge

The Rochester Horrorshow announced today that future Hall of Fame 1B Lewis Standridge has chosen to retire. The Horrorshow will give Standridge his unconditional release as a formality. Standridge's 2,500th hit and the stirring Lewis Standridge Night stand as the shining moments in this season for the Horrorshow. "We will always cherish the time Lewis spent with our team," Horrorshow management said today. "We certainly want to do right by a future Hall of Famer, and give him a chance to enjoy his retirement early than intended.

 

Lewis Standridge had 51 hits in 231 at-bats with ten doubles and four home runs in 79 games for the Horrorshow. The Horrorshow have promoted OF Glenn Maybin from AAA to fill the roster spot.

 

The Rochester Horrowshow did today deny the scurrilous rumors that they always intended to release Standridge when he accomplished his milestone 2,500th hit. "This was far from the rumored publicity ploy. We consider Lewis an important member of the Horrorshow family, and we would have been proud to see Lewis play the entire season in Rochester."

 

The Publicity Manager of the Rochester Horrorshow wishes to thank the Horrorshow organization for affording his the opportunity to use the word "scurrilous" in two straight press leases. He will cherish and enjoy the case of Genesee Cream Ale he won in the wager.

 

Let the Celebration Begin!

The Rochester Horrowshow are proud to announce that Lewis Standridge, future Hall of Famer, has accomplished the goal of 2,500 hits! In the second inning of Game 94 of the Horrorshow season, Lewis hit a line-drive single to Right-Center Field off pitcher Tony Alberro of the Boston Patriots to finally cross the line and set off jubilation all across the great city of Rochester.

 

The Rochester Horrorshow will celebrate Lewis Standridge Night with Game 96 Saturday afternoon, as the fanatics of Rochester greet the returning Horrorshow in their epic battle with the Huntingdon Yankdogs. We look forward to lauding the great Mr. Standridge for his amazing career.

 

The Rochester Horrorshow also wish all the best regards to the legendary Henry Bravo, recently traded to the Chicago Death Panel in exchange for reliever Julian Riley and new prospects pitcher Danys Ordaz and OF Rich Simpson. The Horrorshow welcome the new member of our family, and look forward to cheering on the exploits of Henry Bravo with the Death Panel.

 

The Rochester Horrowshow do wish to deny the scurrilous rumors that the Horrorshow has protested Little Sisters of the Poor for their upcoming "Burn a Horrorshow Jersey in Effigy" Night. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, the Horrorshow has donated a number of "Henny the Horrorshow Heifer" jerseys and Henry Bravo bobbleheads to this valuable cause.

 

AL 1st half power rankings

1. Oakland Knightmare
Current record 55-33

Two words. William DeJean. This pitcher is the early CY favorite. This stud is leading the AL in ERA, Wins, WHIP, OBP, and SLG.  He's 12-1 with a 1.97 ERA. Wow. He's not the only reason the Knightmare are tops on our power rankings. The pitching as a whole are among the AL leaders in key stats and are a main reason for the teams success. But if you think that pitching is the only weapon the Knightmare bring, think again. This offense is scary good and as a whole are second in every single stat. CF Jaun Dominguez leads the AL in OBP, OPS and Walks and will be in the MVP race. Joining him is 1B Ramon Shin. He is tops in the AL in HR, and RBI. Couple those guys with Doubles machine and AL Runs leader Mark Ramsey and you can see why this team leads the list and will be a force in the AL all season.

2. Huntington yankdawgs
Current record 54-34

Offense, offense, offense. Where do you even begin? Huntington is number two on our AL power rankings only because of current record. The yankdawgs lead the AL in almost every single offensive stat: Runs, Hrs, RBI, Walks, SLG, OBP. These guys should change their name to the OPS Gang. The starting lineup reads like an All-Star lineup. DH Angel Rosado will be in the MVP race. This slugger is hitting .331 and has an 1.059 OPS with 26 HR and 68 RBI. RF Russell Hobbs is having an outstanding season. He is second in the AL in SB and Walks and has over 100 hits to go along with his AL leading 30 Doubles and is hitting .315 with a .433 OBP. We could throw out names all day: Davey Navarro, Timothy Evans, Mariano Johnson. All having solid seasons. The yankdawgs pitching staff comes at you hard and is second in the AL in Strike Outs and Wins and are led by ace Pat Kirk who is 10-2 with a 3.45 ERA. It's going to be hard to stop this team.

3. Salt Lake City Sundance Kids
Current record 52-36

Salt Lake City maybe the best all-around team in the AL. They definitely bring dominate pitching to the table. listen to this rotation: 4 time CY winner Richard O'Neill is 7-7 with a 3.01 ERA and 3 CG, Strikeout machine Louie Guapo is 8-2 witha 2.98 ERA and Richard Prieto is 9-3 with a 3.24 ERA. Unstoppable is this group. The Pitching as a whole lead the AL in major stats: ERA, WHIP, SLG, OBP and have only given up 287 ER and 713 hits, both tops in the AL. If you manage to still be in the game at the end, you have to deal with Danys Mesa who is only 16 of 17 in Saves with a 2.17 ERA. Quite a challenge. But Pitching isn't the only thing opposing teams have to worry about. This offense can hit. They can hit so good, they lead the AL in Hits and AVG, making the Kids one tough nut to crack. This team is very dangerous and commands respect. Expect this team to be in contention at the end.

4. Boston Patriots
Current record 52-36

The Patriots are a tough group of baseball players. Though they have to contend with the mighty yankdawgs as division rivals, this team is flourishing and are number 4 in our power rankings. Let's start with pitching as to why this team is successful. The staff ace Brandon Murphy is having a solid season and is 9-3 with a 2.94 ERA. The ageless Bump Milliard has 26 saves already and may be in the Fireman discussion if he lowers his ERA a bit. The pitching as a whole, though not tops in any major categories, are right up there and are solid enough to not hurt this team as the season continues. Similar story with offense. With everyone looking at Huntington's and Oakland's offensive numbers, the Pats are surprising the AL with how great they are. They are right there behind the bigs in almost all key stats. Super Stud David Manuel leads this offense hitting .318 with a .397 OBP. He is among the AL leaders in everything: Hits, Runs, Walks, SLG, OPS and has the 3rd longest hitting streak this season at 21 games. It doesn't stop there. Slugger Marino Camacho has 25 bombs and is 2nd in the AL with 82 RBI. Hit brothers Raul Tatis and Dick Hamels have 115 and 117 hits respectively, with Tatis also leading the AL with 40 SB and is hitting .300. Amazing. This team will give Huntington all they can handle.

5. Kansas City Burnt Ends
Current record 50-38

The Burnt Ends come in at number 5 in the power rankings. Though they lack a real slugger, they make up for it by hitting for AVG. Tom Nady, Gustavo Infante and Willie Alomar are all hiting above .300 and are solid. If we are talking about K.C.'s offense, then we need to talk about Cristobal "crystal ball" Terrero. he is second in the AL in AVG hitting .348 and also second with a .447 OBP. This MVP contender is among the leaders in Walks, Doubles, SLG and OPS and is the top dog on this offense which also leads the AL in Doubles and are second  with 106 Stolen Bases. Impressive. Now the Pitching. The Burnt Ends have a couple of quality starters in Mike Benard who is 6-3 with a 2.87 ERA and Howie Sosa who is 6-2 with an incredible 1.32 ERA. These guys bring it every time they are on the mound and always give K.C. a chance to win. Perhaps more impressive than the starters, are the Burnt Ends bullpen. Closer Thomas Benitez has 14 saves with a 2.79 ERA. This is only the beginning. To get to the closer, opposing teams have to face Neil Howe and his 1.71 ERA and Vinny " pass the" Ducey "on the left hand side" and his 1.93 ERA! Incredible. You had better get to this team early, or you have no shot at winning. The pitching staff as a whole are second in the AL in ERA and ER, third in WHIP and OBP and fourth in SLG. Very tough team to beat. K.C. have their hands full with div rival and number 6 on our list Chicago.

6. Chicago Death Panel
Current record 49-39

It goes to show how tough the AL is this year when a team like the Death Panel are number 6 on the power rankings. The Panel's offense ranks 3rd in the AL in many stats: AVG, SLG, OPS, HRs and doubles and are 4th in Hits. Brian Sanders is very good. This stud is hitting .329 with a .380 OBP, and leads the AL with 124 Hits. Other players are hitting excellent as well: Jamie "shannon" Dougherty is hitting .308, Vin Martin is hitting .306 and Gill Martin is hitting .300. Quite a lineup there. If this team had any kind of speed at all, they'd be unstoppable, ranking second to last in SB with only 27. But as good as the offense is, the strength of the Death Panel is their pitching. This staff leads the AL with 681 Strikeouts and are 3rd in SLG and Hits and are among the leaders in ERA, WHIP, OAV and ER. Todd Sullivan has 20 saves, 4th best in the AL. The rotation is very tough to beat. Francisco Duran is 7-3 with a 3.30 ERA. Alex Sanders is 7-4 with a 2.95 ERA. But the ace is Raymond Forbes. This flamethrower and Cy Young contender is leading the AL with 121 Strikeouts and is 11-4 with 3.51 ERA and is the main reason why Chicago is on the power rankings. K.C. cant let up at all or this team will overtake them. This team could surprise many in the AL when the post season hits.

Join the Horrorshow and Lewis Standridge for the Countdown to 2,500!

Rochester Horrowshow (AL) peagles99 View Hardball Dynasty Profile

The Rochester Horrorshow want all of their remaining fans to come out to Frontier Field and root on Lewis Standridge to his 2,500th hit! The countdown stands at just 5 hits to go!

Tickets are still available for the Horrorshow's upcoming homestand, featuring four games against the Iowa City Rockhoppers and three games against the Salt Lake City Sundance Kids!

Game One of the Rockhoppers series features Rochester Tourism Council Henry Bravo Bobblehead Night, available to our fans 15 and younger!

Game Three of our Rockhoppers series will be the ever-popular 80's Night, brought to you by the Rochester Record Depot! Come remember when!

Game Four of the Rockhoppers series will be the annual Rochester Fire Department Fireworks Night! Always a blast!


The Rochester Horrowshow wish all condolences to the family of "Henny the Horrorshow Heifer," who passed away Friday night following her recent bout with Mad Cow Disease. The Horrorshow will be holding a Henny the Horrorshow Heifer Memorial Night during Game Two of our series with the Sundance Kids. All in attendance will receive a black velvet portrait of our favorite heifer in all her glory, sponsored by the Rochester Beef Council.

NL 1st quarter power rankings

1. Dover Destroyers
Current record 34-15

Life is good in Dover this season. The Destroyers, coming off their first division title in Dover last season, are sitting atop the NL power rankings. Deservedly so.The Dover pitching staff is leading the NL in Wins and Strikeouts. The bullpen has been stellar so far with newly acquired Fernando Mercedes having a dominating season. He is 7-0 with a 2.81 ERA coming out of the pen. His bright light could only be shadowed by super closer and early NL Fireman Award favorite Luther Riggs, who is a perfect 18 for 18 in Save opportunities with a .52 ERA and a "don't mess with me" attitude. The Destroyers have another standout this season in Early ROY frontrunner Jose "taco" Toca who has 22 bombs and 50 RBI while hitting .289. Dover has their hands full with Div. rival and number 2 on our NL power rankings Toronto.

2. Toronto Elite Thunder Bolts
Current record 33-16

Toronto fans have every reason to be happy this season. Though the team had off year last season, the Bolts are proving it was just an anomaly, bringing back the pride the team has seen because of 90+ wins in 7 of the last 9 seasons and three straight Div crowns in seasons 10-12. The fans are loving the fact that their team are among the NL leaders in SB, Doubles, Triples, Walks, ERA, Whip, ER, Wins, and lead the NL in Saves. This formula has made the Bolts " Bad Muddas" not to be taken lightly and have been giving opposing teams headaches because of the many ways they can beat you. This team will not go quietly into the night and has put the NL on notice " We will put you on your ass, so you better bring it". Dover beware.

3. Anaheim Angels
Current record 31-18

The Angels has lived up to the Pre-season hype. Though if you ask anyone walking the streets in Anaheim, they will tell you it's business as usual. This team has won 4 straight Div. crowns and 5 straight 90+ win seasons. The strength of the Angels is their NL leading Fielding % defense and dominating pitching staff, which as a whole are leading the NL in ERA, WHIP, SLG, and OBP. Quite impressive. At the top of this staff is the three-headed monster of Al Terrero, Jimmie Wright, and Andrea James. Opposing teams can never catch a break with this rotation. Terrero is having a Cy Young caliber year. He is a perfect 8-0 and leads the NL with an amazing 1.89 ERA. He is also tops in OBP and shares the NL lead in WHIP with Wright. Wright is second only to Terrero in OBP, and has a perfect 5-0 record. And if that wasnt enough to cause opposing fans to jump off the Vincent Thomas Bridge, The Angels come at you with James who is 5-3 with a 2.25 ERA. Suicide help lines across the National League are experiencing  a higher than normal volume of calls.

4. Pawtucket Paw Sox
Current record 29-20

Pawtucket has it all. Hugh Adams is a stud. The early Cy Young favorite is kicking ass. He is an incredible NL leading 10-1 with a 2.19 ERA. Adams leads the NL with 3 complete games. But it doesnt stop there. Oh no. Weldon Hughes is solid again this year. The two-time CY winnner is 5-3 with a 3.41 ERA. Couple that with an offense that is leading the NL in AVG, OBP, Triples, Doubles, and Hits, and is second in RBI and Runs scored, and what you get is a recipe for disaster for the rest of the National League. Former 2 -time MVP and GG CF Jose Rosado is an early MVP contender again. He is flat-out raking it and leads the NL AVG (.370) amd Hits (70). He is also second in the NL in OPS and is among the NL leaders in SLG, OBP, Walks, RBI, HR, and Doubles. Rosado also has the top current hitting streak, hitting safely in the last 10 games. Despite a semi-slow start and injuries, Pawtucket has everyone's number, and won't be stopped. Look for this team to top the power rankings in the future.

5. Durham Nuke LaLoosh's
Current record 29-20

Durham is not phased at all by Pawtucket. The attitude in the clubhouse all season has been "screw Pawtucket, those bastards can write us off if they want to, but we are not afraid of the dirty Sox". SP Octavio Marin is doing his part and is a CY contender. He is 8-1 with a 2.99 ERA. He is second in the NL in IP, and Strikeouts. Marin also leads the NL with 2 Shutouts. Durhams pitching staff as a whole are with the NL leaders in ERA,WHIP, SO, and Saves. Perhaps more remarkable is the season former MVP 1B Benji Marquez is having. This stud is a MVP favorite and is first in the NL with 27 HR, 60 RBI, 46 Runs scored and is SLG .735. Marquez is 3rd in OPS and among the NL leaders in AVG, OBP,Walks, and Hits. The Nuke LaLoosh's have another weapon in Josh Ryan who has 20 SB, and is leading the NL in Triples. This team has a "die trying" attitude and will not back down from anyone. Least of all the mighty Paw Sox. Watch out.

6. Jackson BigAss Trucks
Current record 27-22

The biggest surprise in the power rankings this season are the Trucks. "We have been on nobody's radar, and we like it that way" says Cf Phillip Morgan. " we embrace the underdog label and take great joy in shoving our success down the throats of the powerhouses. The Trucks are on the map baby, no one should takes us lightly". This feeling abounds in the clubhouse, as the Trucks continue to show the NL that the rebuild is over and that Jackson is for real. The team has no real superstud allstars, but are successful by being a solid all-around team. The fans have responded as well, packing Boon Stadium every night, and causing ownership to commit to a new era of winning baseball from here on out. The Trucks are a big FA or two away from really contending but are on the right course and should be taken seriously. Nice work Sjstapleton.