Season in Review, Season in Preview: the AL South

Editor's Note: Prior to season two of Doubleday, a "season in review, season in preview" series will be underway, reflecting upon the season that was for each of Doubleday's eight divisions. Part Two is the AL South.

For the AL South, the season began and ended on two very different notes, but ultimately, the Charlotte Stinky Sox clung to their season-long handle to win the division and earn a birth into the American League playoffs.

Charlotte, an early favorite to contend for a WS title, stormed out of the gate, earning its position as one of Doubleday's best in the first month of the season. That, however, was short-lived, as Charlotte faltered towards the all-star break and never fully recovered. What seemed like a firm grip on the AL South title turned into Doubleday's closest division race, with Charlotte (82-80) winning a tiebreaker to make the postseason over division rival Jacksonville (82-80).

For Charlotte, the fast start of Erv Hines and an offense that started the year on a torrid pace was what built a double-digit lead in the South. However, Hines, while solid all year, did not fulfill his immense potential. The 24-year-old right fielder is expected to be among Doubleday's best all-around players for the next decade, and while his 34 home runs and 108 RBIs are respectable, Charlotte fans hoping for an offensive juggernaut couldn't help but be disappointed.

Adrian Alexander turned out to be the surprise of the division. The 32-year-old third baseman supplied much of the fireworks for the Stinky Sox, belting 50 home runs in Doubleday's first season. His presence protected Hines all year long, as he played a full 162 games and led the team in RBIs (128). 31-year-old catcher Ray Sweeney was supposed to be a run-producing machine, but a paltry 79 RBIs--in 458 at-bats--is all he could muster. The Stinky Sox featured a plethora of players who shared time and split at-bats, but they were surprised at least with the stellar play of Alex Rodriguez who, while a liability at shortstop (44 errors), scored 93 runs and was among the league leaders in doubles. Darryl Doerr and Herb Ducey each contributed 13 wins to the Stinky Sox, and closer Christopher Champion parlayed a phenomenal second-half of the season en route to 25 saves.

Yet it was the surging Jacksonville Pod People who ultimately became the story of the AL South. Doubleday fans, curious as to whether or not they'd see the first collapse of a dominant division leader in the league's history, were treated to late-season theatrics no one saw coming. Jacksonville and their miniscule 55-million-dollar payroll rolled to the tune of 82 wins, pressuring the Stinky Sox up until the final day of the season.

With no offensive stars, Jacksonville was outscored over the course of the season by over 60 runs and oftentime struggled to bring in runners, but the Pod People had an astounding 50 games decided by one run, of which they won 30. A good defensive team, gold-glove SS David Boswell wowed fans all season long, with an amazing .991 fielding percentage. In a year in which scoring was high across the board, Boswell's 9 errors almost seem like a typo, as the 31-year-old proved invaluable for a team with four pitchers who won at least 11 games. That balance was headed by Bobby Ray Bellhorn, whose near-unhittable 4-seamer kept batters guessing all season. The lanky rightie went 18-8 with a 3.35 ERA. Young hurler Gary Bell notched 13 wins as a compliment to Bobby Ray, and like Bellhorn, the West Virginia native ate up over 200 innings. Ageless wonder Ben Walsh chipped in 12 wins, and reliever Clayton Hooper posted not only 8 saves, but an 11-5 mark to go along with it.

The Mexico City Internationals made it interesting at the end of the season, winning 79 games and finishing 3 games behind to settle for third place. The Internationals perhaps waved the white flag by trading Phil Parrish to Indianapolis, but it was Jeremi Nicholas who stunned fans with 49 home runs, and in only 129 hits. While among the league leaders with 129 strikeouts, Nicholas provided the power that a lackluster Mexico City offense sorely needed. Fourth-place San Juan Cyclones lost south-of-the-border bragging rights when they settled for last place. Outside of Johnny Cambridge, San Juan had no answers at the big league level, and will look to continue its rebuilding effort in season two.

Charlotte Stinky Sox: Determined not to fade again in season two, the Stinky Sox will have to battle late-season fatigue and come up for an answer for their slumping bats. They undoubtedly need more production from the middle of their order, which simply did not deliver on the promise of potentially being one of the AL's best offensive groups. Though he hit .309, Erv Hines, expected to be one of the game's best players, settled for being merely mortal. Still improving, Hines' numbers will likely improve across the board, and if Charlotte plays well, expect for him to possibly be named an MVP finalist come late season two.

Also an underachiever, Ray Sweeney has the ability to get on base almost at will, but that patience seems to have turned to apathy in season one, when Sweeney had more walks than RBIs. Now in his 30's, Sweeney can no longer play more than around 130 games per season, but his production from game to game must improve. If Sweeney isn't up to the task, perhaps young Kelvin Christiansen is: the young outfielder, who spent most of his time with the ML club at DH, was phenomenal in AAA and, after a couple of weeks of struggles, quickly showed he has the power to crush big league pitching (13 HRs in 53 games). In season two, Christiansen will have a full season to prove his worth, and 40+ home runs isn't out of the question. He'll add another formidable bat to an underachieving Charlotte squad that could use it.

Charlotte will likely continue to mix and match with their lineups, but finding some level of consistency is a must. Also, building the back end of a rotation is a second requisite, as is discovering some arms for long relief. Chris Champion will undoubtedly be one of the best closers in Doubleday next season, but Archie Denny (1-9, 7.65) has been a disappointment of epic proportions. At best, he'll be suited for specialist duty next season, though he has the tools--if he can apply them--to be a solid setup man. The Stinky Sox traded Graham Langston early last season, so finding a replacement middle-of-the-rotation starter will be a priority. The Stinky Sox won't have enough cap room to address all their needs, so if things don't go right, expect for them to be players at the trade deadline. A second division title is well within reach, but their lineup must live up to expectations.

Jacksonville Pod People: On paper, Charlotte is a better team, but Jacksonville played over their heads all season long and made for a very tight AL South race. While Charlotte underachieved, Jacksonville overachieved, winning tight games down the stretch and going 7-3 in their last ten. On offense, they have one potential great player in Spike Logan, who posted solid numbers as a 22-year-old and has proven to be a fast learner. He'll better his 20 HRs and 107 RBIs from season one and be among the AL South's best on offense in season two. Beyond him, though, the Pod People are thin: Billy Myers hit for an inexcusably low average (.239), but he has as much pure power as any hitter in the game today and can hit home runs with the best of them. Luckily for Jacksonville, their minor-league system has proven to be fantastic, they spent lots to bring in blue-chip prospects, and help will soon be on the way. If Jacksonville is to compete with Charlotte next season, they'll have to rely on their starting rotation. Bobby Ray Bellhorn will be there, but Ben Walsh is nearing the end of his career and is no guarantee to be an effective pitcher next year.

Jacksonville has some cap room to bring in players, and they have the prospects to make trades later in the season if they're in the hunt.

Mexico City Internationals: The lineup needs lots of help, but Livan Uribe has at least one more great season left in him (while not awful, his first season was a small disappointment). They'll have to play with their lineup all season in order to manufacture runs, but at least they've solidifed key portions of their rotation. Matt Sullivan and his 3.51 ERA (12-10) was a pleasant surprise, and the Internationals will count on him to deliver again in season two. 16-6 Andres Cortez has the ability to match his season one performance, and superstar reliever Teddy Collier will ensure that the Internationals will have the chance to win a lot of close games in season two. Collier, currently Doubleday's highest-paid reliever (8.5 million per season), will be the glue that holds their bullpen together.

To improve on their season one record, the Internationals might need help from elsewhere. Jack Garcia is going to need to perform better, but with a mediocre selection of pitches to choose from, it's possible he's simply not able to take the next step and become a reliable starting pitcher. The key might be Dion Adams, who posted an ERA over 5.00 after being penciled in as the Internationals' top starter after being brought up from AAA. Adams has the talent to be a good Major League pitcher, and at 28 is in the prime of his career. He could easily win 15 games next year, or he could once again implode and cease to be an asset for Mexico City.

San Juan Cyclones: In all likelihood, San Juan will enter season two looking ahead already to season three. With a manageable payroll, they could look to gain ground by bringing in quality players, but a lot of work must first be done. With a 7.54 team ERA in season one, San Juan must clearly first build a rotation by finding quality SP prospects. Cambridge and Felix Lee should still be able to put up runs for the Cyclones in season two, but their rotation has ensured thus far that it'll be a long wait between at-bats.

As the Cyclones move forward, it's critical that the prospects they received for hitters Rod Saunders and Fritz Neugebauer step up and prove their worth. If San Juan wants to expedite the rebuilding process, quality prospects will need to advance quickly.