Now for the midseason report!

How're your guys doing? Good enough to make it on the All-Star or Futures rosters? Here's how those rosters shook down:

Beernoser: 2 All-Stars (2 NL), 1 Futures (1 US), 3 total
bowlum: 2 All-Stars (2 NL), 1 Futures (1 US), 3 total
brygold: 3 All-Stars (1 AL, 2 NL), 2 Futures (1 US, 1 World), 5 total
chazzzzzz: 8 All-Stars (5 AL, 3 NL), 3 Futures (2 US, 1 World), 11 total
colts25: 4 All-Stars (4 AL), 4 total
crickett13: 2 All-Stars (1 AL, 1 NL), 1 Futures (1 US), 3 total
deer454: 4 All-Stars (2 AL, 2 NL), 1 Futures (1 US), 5 total
DodgerDon: 1 All-Star (1 AL), 1 Futures (1 World), 2 total
dpuccio: 4 All-Stars (2 AL, 2 NL), 4 total
eagle61: 3 All-Stars (1 AL, 2 NL), 1 Futures (1 US), 4 total
evil_twin: 2 All-Stars (1 AL, 1 NL), 3 Futures (2 US, 1 World), 5 total
hanknamm: 1 Futures (1 US), 1 total
jeclapton123: 2 All-Stars (1 AL, 1 NL), 2 total
jrnyfan01: 3 All-Stars (1 AL, 2 NL), 1 Futures (1 US), 4 total
maddove117: 2 All-Stars (1 AL, 1 NL), 2 Futures (1 US, 1 World), 4 total
magnum: 3 All-Stars (3 AL), 2 Futures (1 US, 1 World)
oooohdoggie: 3 All-Stars (3 NL), 3 total
rls1: 5 All-Stars (2 AL, 3 NL), 3 Futures (1 US, 2 World), 8 total
rockrobster: 4 All-Stars (2 AL, 2 NL), 1 Futures (1 US), 5 total
Saffron: 3 All-Stars (3 AL), 3 total
scthallfan: 2 All-Stars (2 NL), 2 total
stevo2272: 2 All-Stars (2 AL), 2 total

Notes:
-keep in mind, just because someone is or isn't an all-star or future means little about the actual statistical performance (i.e. Varitek)
-all players who were removed from the roster due to injury (for ML) or being on an ML roster (for futures) were still counted as participating

Other info:
every AL All-Star was selected, 2 NL All-Stars were not
4 of 24 owners were represented on all four squads
2 of 24 owners were not represented at all
90 of 122 total players were selected

bump

This is the one to check for eligble players.

Today I have received my 2009 BA Handbook, which means, there on the horizon, it's the 2009 APPA prospect review! Stay tuned for updates!

team #24

California Mudslides
wheelz47
(65-97, 4th NL East, rank 16 last year)

Prospects:
1B Yonder Alonso, Reds #2, BA #45, KL #76, FH #57
1B Kila Kaaihue, Royals #15
C Josh Thole, Mets #8
SS Chase D'Arnaud, Pirates #5
RP Blake Hawksworth, Cardinals #8

Other non-prospect youngsters:
OF Delwyn Young, Pirates
C Brayan Pena, Royals
OF Ryan Braun, Brewers
OF Jeff Francoeur, Mets
OF Jordan Schafer, Braves
P Kyle McClellan, Cardinals
P Yorman Bazardo, Astros
P Brad Bergesen, Orioles
P Matt Chico, Nationals
P Doug Fister, Mariners
P Jeff Karstens, Pirates
P Jo-Jo Reyes, Braves
P Tim Stauffer, Padres
P Randy Wells, Cubs
SS Yuniesky Betancourt, Royals
SS Brent Dlugach, Tigers

The 2010 list begins at the bottom. And right now, this team has about reached rock bottom. It wasn't so much management's fault as a poor collection of circumstance most illuminated by the team's decision to take Wells and Bergesen after trading for the top two picks in the most recent draft. Things really fell off after Haren in terms of innings. So despite having Haren, who's the sort to build a staff around, the staff as a whole struggled, though they did manage to avoid losing 100. Next season should bode better for the staff, as a full season of Wells and Bergesen should pair well with Haren to make a solid innings base. The problem is that that base will have a little straw house on top, as those three are the only three on the team projected to open in their teams' rotations, though Stauffer and McClellan are at least in a competition. The bullpen's an even bigger mess. Put simply, Kyle Farnsworth might be the best reliever. On the position player side, there's at least something to build around. Bay and Braun will hold down COF spots and the 3 and 4 spots in the batting order for as long as ownership keeps them around, and Schafer is a promising youth that may get time in the majors again this year, though it might take an injury to get him up. Francouer and Spilborghs are nice backup OFs, though I doubt they'll be anything more than that at this point. The infield is more troublesome, unfortunately. First is deep with Alonso and Kaaihue behind Overbay, though Lyle may get pushed for PT in Toronto, and Alonso and Kaaihue are both blocked. Fontenot seems to be in line to start at 2B, which he'll have to do, since there is almost nothing else at the position. Same goes for Teahen at 3B. Good news is that both appear on track to get the necessary PT. Shortstop is Yunie Betancourt, once described as "can't hit, can't field, can't run, can't throw, but other than that he's a fine player", with nothing much to back him up. That's gotta be upgraded for the team to get anywhere. Catching's got a bunch of bodies with Molina (Jose), Hill, and Pena all figuring to at least split time, but I don't think any of them will be particularly good. In summary, this team wasn't good and doesn't appear to have the tools incoming to change that too much. A strong draft next year at #5 will continue to build this team into a contender. Until then, they'll probably have to slog through the season, scratching for as many wins as possible.

Prospects: 5 (24th)
Pts Per Prospect: 6.7 (22nd)
Total Points: 33.5 (24th)

team #23

Queens Wee Rock Ewes
Beernoser
(85-77, 2nd NL East, rank 24 last year)

Prospects:
P Jacob Turner, Tigers #1, BP #25, BA #26, KL #80, FH #90
OF Kentrail Davis, Brewers #6
OF Fernando Perez, Rays #15
P Carlos Rosa, Royals #13
C Jose Morales, Twins #27
P Daniel McCutchen, Pirates #21

Other non-prospect youngsters:
P Rick VandenHurk, Marlins
P Shairon Martis, Nationals
P John Lannan, Nationals
P Charlie Haeger, Dodgers
P Josn Banks, Padres
P Eric O'Flaherty, Braves
P Sean Marshall, Cubs
P David Hernandez, Orioles
P Scott Feldman, Rangers
P Rafael Perez, Indians
P Jerry Blevins, Athletics
P Joe Smith, Indians
1B Billy Butler, Royals
1B Mike Jacobs, Royals
1B Chris Davis, Rangers
2B Anderson Hernandez, Nationals
3B David Wright, Mets
OF Julio Borbon, Rangers
OF Chris Carter, Mets
OF Rajai Davis, Athletics
OF Eric Patterson, Athletics
OF Justin Ruggiano, Rays
SS Everth Cabrera, Padres

Another year, another winning season, another low-level report for the Ewes. This is a team that has yet to put together a strong showing on the prospect front, but has managed to stay competitive with strong young, but ML-eligible draft choices like Borbon and Cabrera. The infield is the strongest segment of this team. Wright and Butler are very young and very very good. With good health, they'll make up for a weak offensive middle infield every year. Wilson and Cabrera are very good defensively, but neither stands out with the stick. Same said for Matsui, though less so on D. V-Mart will provide adequate defense to go with his trademark offensive prowess, with quality backstops Ruiz and Morales ready to step in if necessary. Davis and Jacobs are big power guys, but neither has any strike zone discipline. Fortunately, Butler has first base down, so they can suck all they want without hurting this club too much. The outfield is currently led by speed merchants Borbon and Davis with Ludwick supplying the pop. Swisher's a platoon guy, along with Patterson. As a whole, they're not great, but they'll pass on a championship-level team. Starting pitching is boom or bust on this team. Willis still hasn't returned to his Marlins form, and Santana's recovering from injury. To top it off, Randy Johnson's hung 'em up. Feldmand and Millwood appear guaranteed to hold a rotation spot all year, with Lannan, Martis, and Olson with good shots to make theirs. All in all, they should have the starting pitching to get where they need to be, though they could be crippled if too much of '09 repeats injury wise. Jacob Turner looks to be a real shot in the arm for this team, whenver he comes north. The relief pitching doesn't appear astounding, combining old stalwarts like Frasor and MacDougal with younger guys like Smith and Perez. Summarily, they're an above-average bunch, none of whom stands out individually. With good management, the pen shouldn't be a problem to worry about. There's no reason this team shouldn't compete again in '10, especially with the presumed full-strength return of Santana, though the new Pelicans may be too much to surmount, especially if there are injury issues.

Prospects: 6 (23rd)
Pts per prospect: 6.64 (23rd)
Total Points: 39.82 (23rd)

team #22

St. Louis Eagles
Ox
(111-51, 1st NL Central, rank 15 last year)

Prospects:
C Lou Marson, Indians #11
2B Nick Noonan, Giants #11
P Tim Alderson, Pirates #7
P Jess Todd, Indians #18
OF Tyler Colvin, Cubs #16
P Robbie Weinhardt, Tigers #12
3B Neil Walker, Pirates #26
SS Pete Kozma, Cardinals #15

Other non-prospect youngsters:
2B Matt Downs, Giants
3B Casey McGehee, Brewers
C Jesus Flores, Nationals
OF Michael Bourn, Astros
OF Trent Oeltjen, Brewers
P Matt Capps, Nationals
P Craig Hansen, Pirates
P Shawn Kelley, Mariners
P Doug Mathis, Rangers
P Brandon Morrow, Blue Jays
P Joakim Soria, Royals
P Jeremy Bonderman, Tigers
P Johnny Cueto, Reds
P Ubaldo Jimenez, Rockies
P Chuck Lofgren, Brewers
P Adam Miller, Indians
P Andrew Oliver, Tigers
P Josh Outman, Athletics
P Ryan Rowland-Smith, Mariners
P Jeremy Sowers, Indians
SS Erick Aybar, Angels
3B Emilio Bonifacio, Marlins

Any time you win 111 games, you can afford to be a little lower on a prospect ranking. But you have to wonder how this roster could really win that many. The reason? It's probably the best pitching staff in the league, especially last year. Carpenter and Vazquez got NL Cy consideration. Jimenez, Cueto, and Lilly were all excellent in their own rights. Therefore it didn't matter if a guy like Bonderman was out for the year, or if Miller had another major injury, or if the lineup had an off night. At any time, the starter could come in for 7, then hand the ball to Affeldt or Morrow, then to Soria, and you're toast. There's too much firepower in those arms to put up significant resistance. There isn't likely to be drop-off heading into next year, as while Carpenter and Vazquez are just getting older (and Javy's heading back to NY), Jimenez and Cueto are just coming into their primes. For all of the answers the staff provides, the offense has a lot of questions. Will Aybar follow up his breakout season with another great effort? Who will man second base? Can Mike Young stave off decline for another season? Will a reliable 3rd OF step up from the likes of Nady, Diaz, or Hawpe? Can Flores stay healthy to keep the Josh Bard sightings to a minimum? Because for all of the confidence this staff will give you, the offense reminds you it's still possible to lose 2-1. My guess is that the team takes a step back next year into earth's orbit where they might be caught by GenO or the 'Critters. There's still a good number of good years in the arms, but should something catastrophic happen, there are no reinforcements, because even though they ranked above the very bottom of the list, I probably like this team's prospects the least. There is a distinct dearth of so much as one impact talent in the lot, along with other non-contributors taking up roster spots. We'll see if ownership uses the success to provide the breathing room required to restock the system organically or if they push to try to improve upon a distinctly disappointing conclusion to the season.

Prospects: 8 (20th)
Pts per prospect: 5 (24th)
Total points: 40 (22nd)

team #21

Chicago Winners
ehinderaker
(77-85, 3rd NL East, rank 23 last year)

Prospects:
P Jason Knapp, Indians #4, BP #82, BA #64
P Carlos Gutierrez, Twins #7
1B Ike Davis, Mets #5, BP #87, BA #62, KL #64, FH #58
2B Jemile Weeks, Athletics #7
P Lance Lynn, Cardinals #3
P Jeremy Jeffress, Brewers #21
P Cody Satterwhite, Tigers #14

Other non-prospect youngsters:
1B Miguel Cabrera, Tigers
2B Aaron Hill, Blue Jays
C Chris Iannetta, Rockies
OF Mitch Maier, Royals
P Burke Badenhop, Marlins
P Evan Meek, Pirates
P Josh Geer, Padres
P Zach Jackson, Blue Jays
P Glen Perkins, Twins
Util Ramiro Pena, Yankees

Tough times in Chicago right now. With the crosstown Noble Statesmen looking bad, the city relies on this team for hope, and it's a tough sell right now. One might even say that this team's record was inflated by some of the other even worse teams inhabiting the NL. Don't get me wrong, Cabrera is a beast of a building block around which one may construct a team. It's just that a relative low-tide of young players and prospects would necessitate a larger number of such building blocks to imply a number of competitive seasons to come. Aaron Hill is a nice complement to Cabrera, but his late breakout season belies fewer productive seasons forthcoming than you'd like. Jeter is still a superstar, but he's definitely on a downturn, and both options at the hot corner, Blake and Mora, are well in decline themselves. Other options available, such as Hannahan, Hall, and Pena, don't project to see a significant amount of PT, and don't cobble together to form much anyway. Naturally, the team's only two position prospects are at the two positions most solidly shored up, with Cabrera blocking Davis, and Hill blocking Weeks. Iannetta appears to finally have a full-time gig behind the plate, so the forecasted scaling-back of Pierzynski's playing time should be muted. Cuddyer is an underrated outfielder, but the husk of Aaron Rowand won't be enough to fill out what could be called a quality outfield. Perhaps Bautista, Reed Johnson and Maier can fill out the outfield, but that's not going to excite anybody. The pitching staff isn't something to get excited about, either. Granted, Harden can be quite solid, but he's due to miss 3 wks/yr for injury. Baker, Bush, and Suppan are the next three up, and each has the potential to have a very good season, though none can be expected to carry a staff. Wang, Perkins, and Moyer will provide some innings insurance. Unfortunately, one of them may end up getting called on to close, as the stopper, Nathan, doesn't figure to pitch an inning this year. This brings me to the team's Achilles' heel - its pen. Nathan was the guy they needed to close out games, and without him, you have to try to imagine Juan Rincon handing the ball to Octavio Dotel only so many times before you cringe. There are other options, but none of them inspire anything close to the confidence Nathan did. The two top 100 prospects buoyed this team to its team-high slot in the rankings this year, but the commodities they have don't appear to be in a position to provide help in a recent time-frame. What figures to be a slightly above-average lineup will carry this team to its share of wins, but I don't expect the team to go above .500 next year. I just can't see enough arrows pointing upward to predict the team will be any better than it was last year.

Prospects: 7 (t-21st)
Pts per prospect: 9.37 (17th)
Total Points: 65.56 (21st)

team #20

Baltimore Wired
Peekay
(100-62, 1st AL West, rank 11 last year)

Prospects:
C Wilson Ramos, Twins #2, BP #65, BA #58, KL #42, FH #66
P Mike Leake, Reds #3, BP #59, BA #72, KL #72, FH #61
P David Bromberg, Twins #9, FH #70
P Michael Bowden, Red Sox #13
3B Tommy Mendonca, Rangers #18
P Steven Hensley, Mariners #17
OF Matt Angle, Orioles #25
OF Billy Rowell, Orioles #30
Util Allen Craig, Cardinals #8

Other non-prospect youngsters:
2B/SS Chris Getz, Royals
C Rob Johnson, Mariners
C J.R. Towles, Astros
C Landon Powell, Athletics
OF Andre Ethier, Dodgers
OF Matt Joyce, Rays
OF Gerardo Parra, Diamondbacks
P Manny Delcarmen, Red Sox
P Luke Gregerson, Padres
P Chris Perez, Indians
P David Robertson, Yankees
P Sergio Romo, Giants
P Clay Zavada, Diamondbacks
P Homer Bailey, Reds
P Eric Hurley, Rangers
P Josh Johnson, Marlins
P Jeff Niemann, Rays
SS Hanley Ramirez, Marlins
Util Tony Abreu, Diamondbacks
Util Willy Aybar, Rays

This squad has taken quite a tumble down the prospect list this year, though that's mostly reflective of a focus on the present in the draft, as ownership took WiS eligibles with four of their first five picks, primarily to shore up the bullpen. I however, believe they just wanted to secure the Mustache Power (tm) of Clay Zavada, but that's just me. In any case, the team won 100 games and appears fit to at least approach that next year. In previous reports I've talked about having star power to build around, and this team has three. Hanley Ramirez and Ryan Howard are franchise players to anchor the infield and lineup for the foreseeable future. Sanchez should be good enough to hit 2nd and play 2nd for a few more years, though it may be time to form a contingency in that regard. Third base, however, has seen the time for contingencies pass, and needs a plan of action post-haste. Lowell doesn't expect to see time there with the BoSox, and expecting supersub-types like Abreu or Aybar or hoping Craig wins the Cards job out of spring training is a lot to hope for. Catching is shored up in the short-term with a lot of warm bodies. Varitek is obviously on his way out, Paulino hasn't shown anything since his one All-Star year in Pittsburgh, and Johnson, Towles, and Powell are struggling to show that they're starter material, though they may get a job by default. Ramos is the team's prize position prospect, but he'll need to be traded to get any hope of big league time, unless Mauer switches positions. The outfield could also use some shoring up, as Ethier's the only worthy regular among them. Bradley and Soriano will start, though both don't strike the fear into hearts of enemies they once did. Joyce, Parra, and Thames all will be backups for their teams, though this team won't expect much more from them. The third of the aforementioned stars anchors the rotation - Josh Johnson. PGammo's preseason Cy pick last year is definitively a top 5 pitcher in the NL and will lead this team to any future successes. Bailey was once a touted prospect, but now ownership's just looking for a full major league season out of him. De La Rosa, Maine, and Niemann likely fill out the rotation, with Zito hopefully being non-terrible enough to provide adequate injury insurance alongside Blanton, with the possiblity of Bowden getting a few starts in Boston. In other words, innings shouldn't be a problem around here. Leake is too far away to project into a useful role this year, though may have a significant impact in the next couple years. In the bullpen, Fuentes provides the closer pedigree, with Perez in training for the future. Delcarmen, Perez, Robertson, and Thornton should be able to handle leveraged situations before getting to the save, with other arms to mop up the remaining innings. The pen isn't great, but it'll get by without hurting you. So, to put it all together, it's a team that's a playoff contender, with a couple quality talents coming up. They should be fine for the near-term, but it looks like they might need to start getting the five-year plan in line, as there are problems coming due soon that'll need replacement.

Prospects: 9 (t-18th)
Pts per prospect: 8.81 (20th)
Total Points: 79.26 (20th)

team #19

Cleveland Canolis
knowHIM
(86-76, 2nd AL West, rank 7 last year)

Prospects:
SS Alcides Escobar, Brewers #1, BP #19, BA #12, KL #54, FH #20
1B Lars Anderson, Red Sox #4, BA #87, KL #56, FH #65
3B Matt Dominguez, Marlins #4, KL #62
P Tim Melville, Royals #6, BP #93
P Blake Beavan, Rangers #17
OF Andrew Lambo, Dodgers #7
P Jaime Garcia, Cardinals #2
1B Mike Carp, Mariners #23
OF Moises Sierra, Blue Jays #11
P Tim Collins, Blue Jays #19

Other non-prospect youngsters:
1B Andy Marte, Indians
2B Sean Rodriguez, Rays
2B Alberto Callaspo, Royals
3B Mark Reynolds, Diamondbacks
3B Jake Fox, Athletics
3B Jhonny Peralta, Indians
C Jason Jaramillo, Pirates
C Matt Wieters, Orioles
OF Melky Cabrera, Braves
OF Chris Dickerson, Reds
P Fu-Te Ni, Tigers
P Cory Wade, Dodgers
P Tyler Clippard, Nationals
P Paul Maholm, Pirates
P Dustin McGowan, Blue Jays
P Sean O'Sullivan, Angels
P Rick Porcello, Tigers
P Jonathan Sanchez, Giants
P Tim Wakefield, Red Sox
Util Elliot Johnson, Rays

There's no real clever way to introduce this team. Average record, below-average prospect rating, outlook average. That's not to say this team doesn't have its strong points. For instance, Hernandez is the perfect catcher for this team, because just as he declines, überprospect Wieters arrives. And there was much rejoicing (yay!). Peralta moves off short to further deepen a strong third base contingent with Reynolds for now and Dominguez for later, and Escobar just happens to get promoted to start in the bigs, even bringing one last strong prospect value with him. And there was much rejoicing (yay!). This may be the deepest first base array in the league. Morneau and Ortiz already are, or at least in Papi's case were, superstar-caliber, followed by current prospect Anderson, though he's lost some lustre, and Marte, a prospect who lost all of his lustre before reaching the bigs. Second base is a bit of a question mark right now. Callaspo is probably the best option, even though he'll be moving around KC's infield a bunch. Carroll and Baker are supersubs, and Rodriguez will need an injury to get proper PT. It ends up being a bunch of partial answers that might add up to a full one. Outfield could use an overhaul. Abreu and Damon are still good, though any one year might be their last. Cabrera's move to Atl hasn't helped his playing time outlook, and Dickerson, Kapler, Willits, et al really aren't any better. Pitching, too, is a work in progress, and probably the reason this team is still just average. Porcello's the ace, despite his recently-shed rookie status. Lohse, Maholm, and Kawakami should be reliable innings sources, as will Wakefield. McGowan's at best an injury recovery, at worst another significant amount of time lost. The team could just use one more solid starter to still the heart of management. The pen is a poor man's version of the rotation. Same middling options, no top-end guy to lead the way. I mean, really, who's closing? Fu-Te Ni?, Wade? Park? They're all reasonably good relievers in their own right, but can expect more than a few frayed nerves trying to deliver a victory. In summary, the team's got some nice pieces and appears to be going in the right direction. However, they won't contend seriously until they get the pitching staff figured out. Just not enough answers there.

Prospects: 10 (t-15th)
Pts per prospect: 10.01 (16th)
Total points: 100.14 (19th)

team #18

Hudson River Rats
crustydoc
(98-64, 2nd AL East, rank 13 last year)
AL Champs

Prospects:
OF Michael Taylor, Phillies #3, BP #20, BA #29, KL #24, FH #38
P Matt Moore, Rays #4, BP #41, BA #35, KL #81
3B Mike Moustakas, Royals #4, BP #79, BA #80, KL #69, FH #71
OF Jordan Brown, Indians #14
P Casey Weathers, Rockies #14
P Joshua Fields, Mariners #16
2B Brock Bond, Giants #29
OF Wilkin Ramirez, Tigers #8
C John Hester, Diamondbacks #25

Other non-prospect youngsters:
OF Jason Kubel, Twins
OF Jordan Brown, Indians
P Brad Thompson, Royals
P Tommy Hunter, Rangers
P David Price, Rays
SS J.J. Hardy, Twins
Util Kevin Russo, Yankees

A below-average prospect rating is sure muted when your team just made a surprise run to the World Series. However, such a run should not keep management from striving to improve the team, because it still has too many holes to fill. First base, however, is not one of them. When you have the Pujols, you don't need backups or prospects. At least not yet. Third base is what first base will be. Chipper used to be that no-brainier, but now he's getting old, and may retire at any time. They have Moustakas, but I don't think he'll be ready in time. Of course, a small gap is better than no plan at all. Shortstop is also in good hands, as Scutaro is coming off a career year and heading to Fenway, while Hardy's getting a fresh start in Minny. Second base is a real problem, as it's in the next stage of decline past where third's at. Castillo is all but toast, and Kennedy is not assured any PT in Washington. They may cobble something together, but it's about time for a plan for the future to come together. Outfield appears to be something of a mishmash as well. Kubel will start, as will Ross, then Gerut, Scotty Pods, and a few others will have to try to put together the third slot until Taylor arrives in Oaktown, though that may not be until next year. Of course, spare outfielders aren't that hard to come by, especially when it's not a long-term problem. Starting pitching is really what carried this team through the playoffs last year, aside from that first baseman. Wainwright and Lackey are horses that will most likely give you 200 very good innings, and Wolf showed last year that he's still got some in the tank. Top ex-prospect Price will have a full year in the rotation this year, and another year of experience under his belt. Hunter in Texas is pretty darn good if he's your 5th starter, or maybe it'll be Kuroda. Either way, the staff is in good hands. The pen might be the teams weakest point. Hoffman's still hanging around, but he's not what he was. Beyond him, you have to hope for repeat performances from Calero and Palmer and Thatcher. This team is one of the oldest in APPA, but they'll be competitive as long as they have the pitching and Pujols.

Prospects: 9 (t-18th)
Pts per prospect: 11.47 (14th)
Total points: 103.26 (18th)