Los Angeles season preview

The Los Angeles Scorpions enter their eleventh season as confident and ready to compete as any of the past ten seasons. The four-time Cecil Cup winner, flying nine flags over the Scorpion Pit in seaside Redondo Beach, CA, return seven of eight starters in the field, a revamped starting rotation, a reinforced bullpen, and a bench stronger and more versatile as ever. The franchise has never won less than 90 games in a season, or finished lower than 2nd place, and 2012 won't break that streak.

Around the horn, catcher Carlos Barrera returns, after coming over from Saskatoon in a mid-season trade last year. He provides a solid bat, and will hit 7th in the lineup. Perennial all star slugger Luis Jeon will man 1B again after an injury plagued 2011 season that still saw 29 homeruns leave his bat in just 114 games.

Exciting speedster Duane Gerhardt, also acquired in 2011, returns to 2B for the Scorpions. In his first full season in the bigs, split between Covington and Los Angeles, he hit .338, with 82 stolen bases, along with a .385 OBP and 889 OPS. He'll bat early in the lineup for the Scorpions, getting on base and annoying pitchers as they attempt to pitch to the big guns coming to bat behind him. At the hot corner, again, is Robert Young, with a rocket cannon arm and a penchant for clutch hits and occasional power.

There's nothing more to be said about star short stop Ricky Peppers that hasn't been said already. A 40/40 threat, a feat he has accomplished twice already in his career, he looks to crack 1000 in OPS as he reaches the prime of his career.

In the OF, we find our first new face: Hector Davila takes over RF from Paul Shunk, whom he was traded for in the offseason. While Shunk was a young superstar, his outrageous contract demands ran him out of town. Samuel Santos, acquired in 2011, returns to CF, and last season's batting champ, George Aguinaldo, returns to LF. Coming to Los Angeles in a trade from Covington last year, George set the single-season Zotti League batting average record with .368 and got on base over 40% of the time.

The LA bench includes backup catcher Todd Shepley, infielders Robert Ramsey and Bill Allen, and outfielders Freddi Villacorta and Deon Tarango.

The much beleaguered starting rotation has been upgraded with the trades for Thomas Cohen and Bill Siple. They'll join Jeffrey Shuttleworth at the top of the rotation, as Joe Daye returns via free agency for his 3rd go-around with the franchise as the #4 starter. Andrew Crank, also acquired from Covington last season, won the spring training battle for the #5 spot, but knows that free agent pickup Max Mendoza, currently rehabilitating in extended spring training in Ventura, CA, will take his spot in the rotation should he falter in April.

The strongest bullpen in the league reinforced itself with the signings of Donald Dinwiddie and Matthew McCloud to join the core of the unhittable closer Junior Cuomo, strikeout maestro Johnny Cuomo, and wily veterans William Augustin and Norman Fuentes. Rule V pick Eric Thomas, plucked from Hickory, will learn from the masters in the pen.

Fans in southern California have a lot to be excited about as the local nine make one more push for Zotti League glory. 95 wins seems virtually guaranteed, again, and a return trip to the Cecil Cup and 100 wins is within grasp, as well.