Underdogs Guide to the Tournament of Champions
As the annual Tournament of Champions rolls around many CBA fans are hoping for a scrappy Cinderella story to dethrone the best of the Premier League. Two teams from both the Silver and Bronze League will have the opportunity to compete against the best of the best. Let’s take a look at each of the four newly promoted teams and assess their odds to pull of an upset (or more?)
#5 Oklahoma Mammoths
As if earning auto-promotion into the Premier League wasn’t enough for a well-rounded Mammoths team, they also earned the right to play the D.C. Eagles, a strong, but beatable team. After years of narrowly avoiding the Bronze League and tying a CBA record for most games in the Silver League, the Mammoths have finally escaped the gauntlet, so an early exit shouldn’t really take away from the excitement of reaching the upper echelon of the CBA. That being said, Oklahoma has a decent chance to cause D.C. problems in a five game series. With a 7-15 record against southpaws, the Eagles could be vulnerable to starter Germão Paulus, who was arguably the best pitcher in the Silver League this past season. The Mammoths have also excelled in close games with a bullpen ERA of 2.63. One concern is superstar stopper Gary Borg’s oblique injury, but he should still be able to perform.
Bottom Line: For the Mammoths to prevail, they need close games and two strong starts from Paulus. Fernando Martinez will be stiff competition in a southpaw showdown.
#6 Indianapolis Hawks
To score runs against Jose Guzman, Craig Meister and Scott Golden the Indianapolis Hawks will have to rely on their solid table setting options top-to-bottom in the lineup. The feeling around the league is that the Hawks have the talent to compete in the Premier League, but Detroit may be too much to handle in an elimination series. With three elite starting pitchers and a lineup full of dangerous righties who can mash the Hawks all left-handed rotation, the outlook is bleak for Indianapolis this time around. The best chance to knock off the three time champs is for the Hawks to get into the less than solid bullpen of the Motors, which has caused them to have a 20-25 record in one-run games.
Bottom Line: Not really buying the Hawks as a likely Cinderella story, purely based on matchup. The Detroit Motors are built for the playoffs and are experienced in big games. The future is bright for the Hawks, but they may be a year or two away from legitimate TOC contention.
#7 Wichita Weasels
I believe the glass shoe fits for Wichita. With three young dominate starting pitchers, a promotion to the Silver League is just the beginning. A matchup against Dallas is less than ideal, but the Weasels can beat anyone in there abyss of a ballpark. Simpson, Tipler and Sandejas are only going to get better, but they are still good enough to face Dallas right now. The issue for the Weasels has been scoring runs, but the power of Jason Trepanier and the hitting abilities of two-way stud Bobby Simpson can hit off of anyone the Devils throw. The trick to most underdog stories is keeping the games close enough for luck to break their way and nobody fits this bill better than the small-ball Weasels. Dallas got a very tough draw with Wichita.
Bottom Line: After obliterating the Bronze League for months, the Weasels finally get to test their young arms against worthy competition. Beating Dallas isn’t easy, but the Weasels have as good of a chance as anyone. Scoring runs could be their downfall.
#8 Philadelphia Liberty
Not many expected the Liberty to be playing in the Tournament of Champions, but here we are. A matchup against former General Manager Dustyn Richardson’s Cincinnati Royals is quite the matchup. To be brutally honest, there’s not a lot to hope for here. Nothing against the Liberty, but Premier League teams haven’t been able to beat Cincinnati consistently, so it’s unlikely that a Bronze League team can pull it off. The only good news for the underdogs is that Chad Armbruster is out and Adam Freeman will miss the opening game for a suspension. It doesn’t help matters that the Royals have been resting starters for weeks, while Philadelphia had to grind out a promotional series. Fernando Nunoz’s devastating injury also detracts from a potential upset.
Bottom Line: Crazier things have happened, but this would be in UMBC over Virginia territory.