2010 Major League West Wrap-Up - Part 3 of 3

Around the League:
West:

Bay Area Bandits (91-71): New manager Eric Cartman took control of this team and division early on, and almost went to wire to wire, except for a few days in the middle of the season when they were caught by Hollywood. Everyone clearly had to respect his authority. This team won with overall solid pitching, and for much of the year, operated with a 6-man rotation. This was done primarily to keep the pitchers fresher, and it seemed to work pretty well for Cartman. On offense, big years from Ryan Harris and Jack Collins led the way. Optimus Minor was also solid at catcher, batting .286 with a .367 OBA from the #2 spot.

Hollywood B's (89-73): Hollywood just missed the playoffs, fading at the end mainly due to injuries. Willis Brusstar was the best pitcher, going 17-8 with a 3.00 ERA in 225 IP. On offense, the left side of the infield (both jawas and both free agents at the end of the year) Elvis Dixon and Miguel Tejawa had nice years. Dixon perhaps had his best year ever, hitting .300 with 20 HR to go with his usual high OBA self. Tejawa hit .292 with 24 HR and 107 RBI. Geoff Favre had a brilliant if injury plagued season, going .281-.395-.575 in 292 at bats.

Portland Decepticons (88-74): Portland came up just short of the playoffs, but may be able to contend again next year as the core of the team is fairly young. Willie Rivera, .274-27-92 may leave via free agency, but young OF Dante Henderson .293-.347-.414 in 297 at bats is ready to step in and play full time. Roger Lewis didnt have his greatest season, but finished strong down the stretch, going 17-9 3.55 with 225 K's in 203 IP. Free agent to be Jong-Soo Tso will be one of the most sought after pitchers on the market, coming off a very typical strong season which included a 9-9 record with a 3.11 ERA and a 179-46 K/BB ratio in 193 IP.

Hawaii Hounddogs (87-75): Count the dogs as another Major League West team who would have qualified for the post-season had they played in the Superior League. Jake Cisco had a great bounceback season, hitting .321-31-108 while Yoda Skywalker played his usual stellar 2B with a line of .284-.357.474 with 18 HR and 20 SB. Free agent signee Mike Solar was incredible, hitting .330-.388-.517 with 26 HR and 96 RBI. Catcher Wiki Diaz hit .315 in 426 at bats out of nowhere. On the mound, the unquestioned ace was Jared DeMario, who went 16-7 3.15 and 163 K's in 237 IP.

Los Angeles Shockers (79-83): LA contended for much of the year, but faded towards the end. Their offense was led by Hank Crowell, who went .303-25-98 and 1B Brent Johnson (who is staking his claim to be the Frank Lewis of the Major League) who went .331-.421-525. On the mound, David Mulder was very ace-like, going 15-6 2.80 with 171 K's and 56 walks in 212 IP.