Preview Spanish Honor Division Part Two

Check Part one for a more overall look

We are now looking at each team specifically:

Marlins Puerto Cruz (Roster pdf-file):
They won their second straight championship last year. It was not the most difficult season for them. Richard MONTIEL and Dewis NAVARRO led the offense. Four pitchers of their staff, Yoel HERNANDEZ, Pedro BELMONTE, Renny DUARTE and Leslie NACAR were in the top ten of the Spanish ERA ranking.

However their Offseason went not that positive. HERNANDEZ and BELMONTE left the club as well as national team pitcher Fernando GUTIERREZ, infielder Jose Luis RIERA and outfielder Jose CRUZ. On the plus side they could sign prospect Audie NUNEZ and Ivan GRANADOS, who both were on the national team roster in Taiwan at the beginning of March. Another change was made in the dugout. Shortstop Nestor PEREZ Jr. is taking over the managing duties.

They showed a lack of control during the preseason matches against the Mannheim Tornados (Germany) a few days ago. If they take these problems into the regular season, it could be difficult to stay at the top. Nevertheless they are the team to beat in Spanish Baseball. But it is not going that easy like the past two years.
Prediction: They are a favorite for the title.

FC Barcelona (Roster pdf-file):
They were the runner up last year, winning 23 of the 32 games. Offensive, defensive and pitching wise they were right in the top three. But they were too inconsistent and lost the decisive duels against the Marlins.

Barcelona made some changes during the winter. They replaced manager Lorenzo GARCIA with the Cuban skipper Aldo TARIFE. They also brought in pitchers Andoni ORTIZ and Jorge BALBOA, and infielders Gil KIM and Jesus GOLINDANO. Though KIM is supposed to take the place in the outfield of Gaspard FESSY, who returned to France. They are going to miss their second starter, Fidel TORRES.

The preseason was pretty successful for the club, winning the Catalonia championship. There pitching staff had an impressive combined ERA of 1.43 last season and they even added two good hurlers during the winter. If they now can stay consistent with their offense, they could challenge the Marlins in the championship hunt.
Prediction: They are a favorite for the title, too.

CB Sant Boi (Roster pdf-file):
They had a so-so year and finished in third place with 17 wins during the whole season. Their pitching staff (ERA 3.09) and their offense (AVG .276) were no match against the top two teams.

But they tried their best during the winter to change this. They were the most active team transaction wise. They revamped their roster with seven new players and a new manager. They weakened the champion, by signing Yoel HERNANDEZ and Jose Luis RIERA, who are both national team players. They also went on shopping tour in Venezuela, bringing in pitchers Albert VARGAS and Fernando QUIJADA in addition to infielder Milko JARAMILLO. The most significant losses are pitchers Ivan GRANADOS (Marlins) and Xavier CIVIT. However the new trio VARGAS, HERNANDEZ and QUIJADA should improve the pitching sector.

Sant Boi is definitely capable to challenge Puerto Cruz and Barcelona in 2008. They made major acquisitions and are committed to be a title contender.
Prediction: They will be the third team to fight for the championship.

CB Viladecans (Roster pdf-file):
They had a rather unspectacular 2007 season and were ranked fourth in the end. They were driven by a solid pitching staff (ERA 3.25), which helped a dismal offense (AVG .247), with only veteran Felix CANO (.326) and Rotsen GIL (.358) batting over .300.

GIL and their number one pitcher Marcos CASTILLO (7-5, 102.1 IP, ERA 1.93) left the club. They acquired five new faces, including pitchers from Venezuela. It is difficult if they can replace the two leaders.

It is going to be hard for Viladecans to repeat the finish of last season. But their pitching staff is still not bad and should give them opportunities to win games. However their bullpen lacks some depth, which could be decisive.
Prediction: They will fall back a few places in comparison to 2007.

San Inazio Bilbao (Roster pdf-file):
They had a similar season like Viladecans and finished right behind them in fifth. Team MVP was Jhonny CARVAJAL, who hit .449 with five homeruns and 29 RBI. But he was the only one, who hit better than .280.

And he has left the club to join the Italian Baseball League. They could extend the contract with their pitching ace Joan LOPEZ (8-4, ERA 2.18 in 90.2 IP), who gets help from Pedro BELMONTE. He comes from Puerto Cruz and had an ERA of 1.08 in 33.1 innings pitched. They are trying to replace the production of CARVAJAL with outfielder Kelvin MARIANUCCI. He hit .417 for CD Arga in 2007 and had similar power numbers like the batting champion.

They should be slightly better than last season due to an improvement in the pitching department.
Prediction: They will stay in the middle of the pack.

El Llano (Roster pdf-file):
The seventh place finisher had an interesting season. They had pretty good numbers with an ERA of 2.92 and a batting average of .300. But they lost the decisive matches and had to settle for the second pool after the qualification round (they had a different format in 2007).

It was quit on the El Llano front in the winter. But as they announced their roster, they had seven new faces on the team. The most intriguing players should be pitchers Elvis POLANCO (from ADO, Netherlands), Fidel MANE (FC Barcelona) and Ruben FENTE. The offense was strengthened by infielder Oscar ANGULO (spent time in Brewers organization) and outfielders Pedro MENDEZ (Bilbao) and Jose DE SOUSA. FENTE, ANGULO and DE SOUSA are all from Venezuela.

They are certainly capable to surprise some people. Their key players are still on the team and the new ones will definitely help the ball club moving forward.
Prediction: El Llano climbs some into the top five.

Baseball Navarra (Roster pdf-file):
They may be a new team in Spanish baseball. But they are not rookies in the league. The Navarra roster was formed of players of CD Arga, CD Irabia and CD Amaya, who finished in sixth, ninth and tenth in the league. But the concentration of the best players from all three clubs should lead to a jump forward.

Their pitching staff is led by two of the best in Spain, German ARROYO (123 IP, ERA 1.61) and Juan LOPEZ (99.1 IP, 113 SO). The offense could be a problem as they failed to sign Kelvin MARIANUCCI, who was with Arga. We have to wait for the first three or four games to see, how good the new squad is.
Prediction: Navarra could be a top five club.

CD Pamplona (Roster pdf-file):
They barely stayed in the league, finishing next to last in the final standings. They had a terrible season on the mound (ERA 7.55) and at the plate (.220).

CD somehow profited from the founding of Baseball Navarra and the elimination of two clubs in the Pamplona region. They revamped their roster heavily and welcome eleven new faces on the roster, four are gone. Pitchers Patrice BRIONES and Alexis FUMERO in addition to national team outfielder Daniel SANCHEZ are the most important acquisitions. They also added experience, signing the 40-plus year old Carlos LEON and Alberto CASANELLAS. Last year’s ace Txetxo SAN MARTIN (ERA 3.75 in 48 IP) can’t pitch in 2008 due to an arm injury. He is going to place first this season.

They definitely improved the roster over the winter and they could climb the ladder. But is it enough to crack the top five? We don’t think so.
Prediction: Pamplona stays in the back of the field.

Astros Valencia (Roster pdf-file):
They are also new in the Honor Division. The Astros won the Primera Division (second division) and were promoted. But they didn’t dominate the league. They had a solid season and were the overall most balanced club.

They didn’t announce any transactions, so we have to guess a little bit. They will have two American brothers on the roster with Erik Frank and Norman Nelson COWES. They also feature Vitus Clamens HUBER and Nelson PERALTA on the international players front.

We have to wait and see, what they can do during the season.
Prediction: It would be huge upset, if they finish higher than ninth.