Say Goodbye to: Free Agent pitchers Mike Grace, Danny Darwin, Bob Tewksbury, and Dean Hartgraves fell to the axe as did Free Agent fielders John Flaherty, Joe Oliver, and Luis Sojo (seven cuts in all); Livan Hernandez, Mark Wohlers, Todd Jones, and Troy Percival departed via the trade route along with Jason Giambi, Mike Cameron, and Mark Grudzielanek. In all, 14 players from the 36-man roster (39%) got a change of scenery.

Say Hello to: Kenny Lofton (from Ely for Hernandez), Jason Varitek (from Louisiana for Wohlers and draft pick #56), Robin Ventura (from Eastern Ohio for Giambi), Tony Gwynn (from New Orleans for Cameron), Deivi Cruz and Rolando Arrojo (from the former Baton Rouge Blues for Grudzielanek, Todd Jones and two draft picks), and Doug Brocail (from Richmond for Percival). New draftees include Mike Simms and prospect Jacque Jones as well as pitchers Tim Crabtree, Jim Bruske, Ricky Bones, Ricky Bottalico, and prospect Eddie Yarnall.

Catchers: David Nilsson moves in from LF and will platoon with Varitek to handle most of the catching chores. Expect to see Jesse Levis’ .351 BA in the lineup against top right-handed starters. Compared to last season’s tandem of Joe Oliver and John Flaherty, this year the Rednecks should get slightly more punch from the receiving corps, but defensively they will be a liability.

Infield: Mark Grace (1B), Eric Young (2B), Deivi Cruz (SS), and Robin Ventura (3B) should provide a tighter defense now that Edgar Martinez moves from 3B to DH. Grudzeilanek’s offense will be missed, but Cruz and Ventura give the Rednecks a first-class left-side on the infield. Look for Chris Stynes to have a lot of playing time spelling Young and Cruz. Craig Shipley should contribute as the utility infielder. Grace and Ventura will probably play every inning of every game. This year’s infield will be far superior to last season’s defensively, but won’t come close to 1998's offense.

Outfield: There should be more stability in the Redneck outfield for 1999. Last year seven players earned significant outfield playing time. David Justice will garner the majority of time in LF, Kenny Lofton will be a fixture in CF/RF, and Tony Gwynn will get his 507 AB’s in RF. Roberto Kelly and Mike Simms will combine to take up the slack for Gwynn and spell Justice against Lefties. Chris Stynes will see significant duty in late inning moves from the infield and Rich Amaral is back for defense and pinch running. Overall, the Redneck outfield defense will be improved, but look for drops in power numbers and batting average.

Designated Hitter: Last year it was David Justice at DH and Edgar Martinez at 3B. This year it will be Justice in LF and Edgar Martinez as full-time DH. Mike Simms will spell Edgar when and if needed. Martinez is one of the premier hitters in baseball. The DH spot is in excellent hands.

Starting Pitching: Curt Schilling, David Wells, Rolando Arrojo, Jose Lima, and Bret Saberhagen give the Rednecks a solid 5-man rotation...a far cry from last year’s 7-man patchwork quilt! Schilling has slipped a notch from last season, but Wells, Lima, and Saberhagen should be vastly improved. Newcomer Arrojo is the only starter without a "Z," but his 12 rating will round out the deepest starting staff in the division.

Bullpen: The late pre-season acquisition of Doug Brocail gives the Rednecks a much-needed Closer with control and paves the way for Turk Wendell to move into the primary setup man role. Draftees Tim Crabtree, Ricky Bones, and Jim Bruske should provide steady, if not spectacular, middle relief. The added bullpen depth will allow the Rednecks to demote Mark Gardner (last year’s number 3 starter) and John Frascatore (last year’s closer) to mop-up duty.

Outlook: If the old adage that pitching and defense win championships holds true, the Rednecks should give the Gamblers a serious run for the Forbes Division pennant this season. In a reversal from last year, the Rednecks starting rotation should be superior to Louisiana’s, while the Gamblers’ bullpen will have the edge over Livingston’s. Don’t look for the gaudy offensive stats of last year from this season’s Rednecks. Batting average and run production should fall towards the "middle of the pack." The Rednecks will likely finish in the bottom third of the league in homers, but could very well lead the ABC in stolen bases.

Forbes Division Predictions: We foresee a real dogfight between the Rednecks and the Gamblers with the New York Knights finishing 3^rd, some 7 to 10 games off the winner’s pace. New Orleans and Cuyahoga are rebuilding and shouldn’t contend. Our predicted order of finish:

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