West Division preview, part 2

River City Rascals
Location: O'Fallon, Mo.
Manager: Chad Parker (1st year)
Stadium: T.R. Hughes Ballpark (5,191)
Last year: 47-49, 5th in West
Key returners: 2B Chris Raniere (.285, 11 HR); Ryan Wehrle (.267, 8 HR).
Impact newcomers: OF Chris Colton (658 pro games); OF Kevin Reynolds (10 games in Class AAA for Seattle); 1B Scott Robinson (MVP of independent South Coast League in 2007).
Outlook: The Rascals have the look of an expansion team. Only six players return from last year and many of the team’s best players were dealt to Florence to join former manager Toby Rumfield. The Rascals started out well last year, then went into a 9-22 tailspin and lost all-star closer Mike Benacka to affiliated ball. Only four hitters return from last year, but Parker has brought in some players with impressive credentials who can take advantage of T.R. Hughes Ballpark’s short right-field wall. But does the pitching staff have an ace and a closer?
Quoteable: “Scott is a tremendous pickup for us. He is of MVP-caliber on and off the field. … He can hit and play defense on any level.” – Parker on Scott Robinson.

Gateway Grizzlies
Location: Sauget, Ill.
Manager: Phil Warren (3rd year, 115-74)
Stadium: GCS Ballpark (6,000)
Last year: 51-35, 3rd in West, lost to Kalamazoo in playoffs
Key returners: LHP Joel Boeschen (5-2, 3.17 ERA, 5 saves); OF Stephen Holdren (.284, 14 HR); P Justin Lilly (7-5, 3.90 ERA); 1B Chad Rothford (.302, 5 HR).
Key newcomers: P Mark Brackman (4-3, 3.88 in Class A New York-Penn League); 3B Adrian Cantu (.276, 5 HR, 53 RBI for Chillicothe); OF Steve Mena (4 years in Diamondbacks’ system).
Outlook: You can count on the Grizzlies being competitive – they haven't finished worse than third in the West since 2002. GCS Ballpark is a haven for left-handed hitters, so expect Cantu to put up better numbers with the Grizzlies. The offense will miss first baseman Mike Breyman, the Frontier League's all-time leader in hits and RBI, but will be potent. Like with Southern Illinois, the key will be the pitching, especially the back end of the rotation.
Did you know? Sauget, Ill., population 250, is the smallest town to have a professional baseball team.

Evansville Otters
Location: Evansville, Ind.
Manager: Wayne Krenchicki (1st year)
Stadium: Bosse Field (5,110)
Last year: 39-57, 6th in West
Key returners: DH Justin Randall (2.80, 35 RBI for Evansville and Florence); P Justin Smith (1-2, 3.03, 9 saves, 41 Ks in 32.2 innings).
Impact newcomers: OF Josh Howard (57 games in Class AAA for San Diego); 3B Matt Pulley (5 seasons in Orioles' system); P Sean Thompson (63 starts, 14 wins in Class AA).
Outlook: Krenchicki, a veteran of eight seasons in the majors as a player, is a proven winner with 1,025 career victories as a minor-league manager. He guided Newark to the independent Atlantic League championship in 2007. This will be Krenchicki's first experience in the Frontier League and he's already upgraded the talent in Evansville by bringing in some players with impressive credentials by any independent league's standards. Exhibition games have indicated the Otters have enough pitching to make a playoff push but the hitting is a major concern.
Did you know? Now that the Chillicothe Paints are gone, Evansville is the oldest franchise in the Frontier Legaue. The Otters joined in 1995, the league's third season.