Whistling Finches

Finches Try to Follow Pitching Back to the Jackson Cup Finals F

After a rather dissapointing finish to the 2005 season after a very promising start, the Finches will look to improve their mediocre (21-21) record, and get back to the status of one of the leagues elite teams. The Finches were in first place in the league for a good portion of the season, but were unable to collect key wins late in the season, and did not reach the playoffs for the first time in their franchises history.

The Finches are looking to use their great stable of pitching to lead them back to success in the 2006 season. Dontrelle Willis, Roy Oswalt, youngster Rich Harden, and either Mark Buehrle or John Smoltz will fill out the leagues best pitching staff. In the bullpen the Finches will return big names such as Mariano Rivera, B.J. Ryan, Tom Gordon, and Francisco Rodriguez.

The Finches will have the fifth selection in the draft. They will have to put a strong emphasis on adding to their offensive, which right now is slightly below average. They have no need to add to their pitching which will give them the advantage of being able to focus solely on bolstering their lineup.

The Finches will be competing in the Jackson Weite League Central division, which should prove to be one of the most competitive divisions in the league. They will have to compete against the Sandwizards, and the Snappers, two teams that should be ready to challenge the Finches for the division title.