Predicting the 2014 Handies: Part 2

		Coffee Time
		by Carl Coffee

A Year ago I predicted The Handies and did very well hitting on 7/10. The only misses were Greg Brannan for a Diamond Digit, Nicco Lollio for Batting Champion, and Jason Hewlett for Most Improved. To make things tougher this year I will be adding the Walker Texas Ranger and Great Lakes Stealer Handies, and I won’t allow myself to double up on the MVP. My goal is 9/12, but I would be happy with 8/12.

Country Strong HR King 2013 Predictions:  (1) Dennis Pearson,  (2) Dylan Braden,  (3) Alex Shore 2013 Winner:  Dennis Pearson 2014 Predictions Favorite:  Dennis Pearson (Holy Balls) In the Running:  Kyle Tomlinson (El Diablos) Longshot:  David Castle (Westside Warriors)

Favorite:  Dennis Pearson (Holy Balls) I am not sure if I even need to include two more guys for this category. Dennis had 22 home runs in 2013, and the closest guy was nine behind him. Dennis is lethal with the black bats and even though he is now playing on a pitcher friendly field, he should once again be over 20 homers. In the Running:  Kyle Tomlinson (El Diablos) Tomlinson isn’t a power hitter, but he does have the ability to knock them out of the park. He has cleaned up on individual awards the last two seasons, so maybe, just maybe, the HR title will be his next quest? Longshot:  David Castle (Westside Warriors) Castle had a magical 2nd half of the season in 2013 and seemingly could do no wrong. His 13 home runs were 2nd in the league, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see him around that number again.

Batting Champion 2013 Predictions:  (1) Kyle Tomlinson,  (2) Alex Shore,  (3) Josh Nagorski 2013 Winner:  Nicco Lollio 2014 Predictions Favorite:  Evan Bortmas (Westside Warriors) In the Running:  Kyle Tomlinson (El Diablos) Longshot:  Nicco Lollio (Wolfpack)

Favorite:  Evan Bortmas (Westside Warriors) I don’t know about you, but Bortmas seems like a guy you don’t want to upset. Finishing 5th in the league for the Batting Crown is probably on his mind and should motivate him. Late in the season he started using the yellow bats with some positive results. Could we see him do that again? Or will he stick with the black beauty? Either way he should easily be over .400 again. In the Running:  Kyle Tomlinson (El Diablos) Tomlinson had above average stats across the board in 2013, but didn’t finish 1st in the stats that mattered. He should battle with Bortmas all season for the Batting Crown, and wouldn’t surprise anyone if he wins it. Longshot:  Nicco Lollio (Wolfpack) Putting the defending Batting Champion as the longshot probably won’t shock anyone since it seems Lollio won this award last year with an asterisk. Lollio only played in 16 games last year, but he did make the most of them. It’s anyone’s guess how often he will play with his new team, but without the protection of Dakota, Chandler, Kyle, and Skinner, he may not see as many good pitches as he did in 2013.

Most Valuable Player 2013 Predictions:  (1) K. Tomlinson/A. Shore,  (2) D. Pearson/C. Phillips,  (3) D. Braden/J. Crozier 2013 Winner:  Kyle Tomlinson 2014 Predictions Favorite:  Dennis Pearson (Holy Balls) In the Running:  Evan Bortmas (Westside Warriors) Longshot:  Dakota LaDouceur (El Diablos)

Favorite:  Dennis Pearson (Holy Balls) Even I am surprised I didn’t put Bortmas or Tomlinson here, but Pearson is out for blood. He hasn’t been this focused since 2011, and seeing so many guys in the league pass him in stats and awards will motivate him. Pearson should run away with the HR and RBI crowns, and should be a Top 5 Batting Average guy. We have come close to having a Triple Crown winner in the past, and Pearson will have a great chance at doing that this season. My stat line prediction for him is .400/25/60. #GOAT In the Running:  Evan Bortmas (Westside Warriors) Like I said earlier, don’t upset Evan Bortmas. The Wicked Aces personify a team style game, so last season Bortmas didn’t have the eye-popping stats he had in 2012. With a title under his belt, look for him to get that MVP Handy back. I don’t think we will ever see a hitter over .500 again, but Bortmas could be a .450 hitter. He’s also extremely clutch and I would love to see his batting average with runners on base. The former MVP may once again be the current MVP after the 2014 season. My stat line prediction for Bortmas is .435/15/44. Longshot:  Dakota LaDouceur (El Diablos) Sorry, Kyle Tomlinson cannot be considered a longshot; therefore he had to be omitted from the MVP list. Instead, his teammate Dakota earned this slot. The RBI machine is predicted to have a big year. With Nicco off the team, Dakota will be looked upon to pick up some of that slack. His teams have finished 2nd place the last two seasons, so that is another reason I think Dakota will be motivated to have a big year. My stat line prediction for Dakota is .355/12/48.

Clown Shu 2013 Predictions:  (1) Austin Bischoff,  (2) Craig Skinner,  (3) Dennis Pearson 2013 Winner:  Craig Skinner 2014 Predictions Favorite:  Austin Bischoff (Wicked Aces) In the Running:  Craig Skinner (El Diablos) Longshot:  Chandler Phillips (El Diablos)

Favorite:  Austin Bischoff (Wicked Aces) It feels strange, but Austin is the first Wicked Ace to be on this list. I have no doubt that if Austin would have pitched the amount of games Skinner did in 2013, the Clown Shu would have been his. Austin ultimately plays for the Commissioner’s Cup, so history could repeat itself. I however cannot put anyone else but Austin as the favorite. If he wants the Clown Shu, he will win it. In the Running:  Craig Skinner (El Diablos) Skinner won last year. Skinner is still awesome. Skinner may win again. What else can you say? Longshot:  Chandler Phillips (El Diablos) Will Mundel was the hot new girl who comes mid-school year and awes everyone, but Chandler has been the consistently hot girl who has been around for a while. That was a weird sentence… Anyways, Chandler will have every opportunity to win the Clown Shu award in 2014. He had a few games last year he wishes he could take back, but I don’t see him doing that again this season.