Only 2 teams available, one in the AL and one in the NL. Negro League has a long history in HBD and pays homage to a interesting part of baseball history. Each team is named for one of those bygone teams that overcame so much to play a game they loved so when choosing a team keep this in mind when choosing a city. Here's a brief review of the open teams:
AL West
Former St Louis Franchise (57-105, 4th pl)
The last owner wasn't able to carry on the tradition of this proud team and found himself with 100+ losses and a 4th place finish. The offense struggled mightily with a .242 average and fewer than 600 runs scored. No one really stood out at the plate with Quilvio Tavarez coming the closest with 20 HRs, 67 RBI's and .263 average. The new owner will need to come up with a plan on how best to overhaul the bats and find an identity. Without solid players to get on base, hit for power, or the speed to steal a lot of bases, choosing a direction will be of importance in righting this ship.
The hurlers were led by the bullpen and their closer extraordinaire Shelley Fontenot (36/39, 2.24). While getting 30 starts out of each of the guys filling the rotation is a good thing, the W/L records and ERA's were less than stellar. At a minimum this team needs 2 new arms to plug into the rotation, a new #1 & #2 would push the others down a couple of spots and strengthen what is a weakness at the moment. Adding another arm to the pen would also help but it may need to wait until other areas are addressed first.
This team would be a good team for a vet owner looking for a total rebuild. Pieces could be changed to the preferred style of the owner and built back up to reclaim its spot fighting the division title and deep runs in the playoffs. A newbie could also handle this team; it's basically at ground zero and an inexperienced player can't really do much more damage and would have time to learn the game while adding talent.
NL North
Former Cincinnati Franchise (88-74, 2nd pl)
This team had a very long-time owner leave as he struggled to bring a division title home. It's been 7 seasons since there has been a postseason appearance and 30+ seasons since the last division title so the new owner will need to find a way to take this team further and reconnect with the winning history of long ago. At the dish this team was able to smack 257 dingers yet only plated 739 runs which is below what one might expect. The .266 team batting average may have been more of a hinderance yet with 4 players hitting 35 or more homers the potential to score more runs may be possible if a tablesetter or two are added to the mix.
The pitching staff was also very solid as a 3.97 team ERA shows. The rotation was stable with all 5 starters answering the call over 30 times and the top 4 starters reaching double digit wins and an ERA below 4. The bullpen is an area of concern though, even with closer Kenny Carr converting 39 of 47 save opportunities the team as a whole blew 22 chances. Adding a couple of arms to bridge the gap between the starters and Carr could dramatically change the strength of this team and allow not only a playoff run but capture the division title.
This team in the hands of a veteran owner would become extremely dangerous in a hurry. A new player to the game would need to cautiously make moves so as not to turn this team in the wrong direction when it is so close to being a contender.
Two opportunities, one in each league to allow you to play with or without a DH depending on your preference. Contact AllSox with your selection but don't wait, these teams will fill quickly.