Tomorrow starts up the 2011 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs. Honestly, there is nothing more exciting to me than some playoff hockey. We'll take a look at the Quarterfinal matchups, break them down and predict who'll be moving on but before we do that I'm going to tell you who I have in the finals. I have the San Jose Sharks beating the Boston Bruins in 6. The Sharks have been playing some remarkable hockey since January 15th. They can score from just about every guy on the ice, they play physical and they have a goalie who won the Cup last year.
Eastern Conference:
1. Washington Capitals v 8. New York Rangers: The Capitals have caught fire as of late, so much so that they ended up surpassing the Philadelphia Flyers for first in the East. Their foe the New York Rangers snuck into the playoffs with thanks from the Tampa Bay Lightning. Obviously all signs point to the 1 seed beating the 8 seed but the Caps have been known to choke in the playoffs. Look back to last year when the 8 seeded Canadiens upset the 1 seeded Capitals. Last year the Caps got no production from guys not names Alex Ovechkin or Nicklas Backstrom, I wouldn't look for that to continue. Good news for the Caps is Mike Green has declared himself healthy to play in Game 1 after missing the last 20 regular season games.
The Rangers will need to do what they did in the 09 playoffs that allowed them to take the Caps to Game 7 in the Quarters that year. Block shots, limit Ovechkin and allow goalie Henrik Lundqvist to see the puck and steal some games. With Ryan Callahan out for likely the playoffs the Rangers are going to need Brandon Dubinsky, Vinny Prospal and Chris Drury to step up. Most importantly they'll need game changer Marian Gaborik to show up. He hasn't scored a goal since March 20th and in his last playoff appearance, 2008, he registered 1 assist in 6 games.
Caps over Rangers in 5.
2. Philadelphia Flyers v 7. Buffalo Sabres: The Flyers held the 1 seed in the East for most of the year but they failed to lock up home ice down the stretch by going 3-4-3 in their final 10 games. It's not a good sign going into the playoffs but I look for the Flyers to refocus and break out of this funk. The Fylers are expecting to get Blair Betts (knee) back for Game 1 but aren't sure about Chris Pronger (broken right hand). Last year the Flyers rode hot goalies into the Stanley Cup Finals this year they're hoping Sergei Bobrovsky can be that guy. If he's not they could turn to Brian Boucher.
The Sabres got goalie Ryan Miller back just in the nick of time. Miller has played in the team's last two games of the regular season trying to get back into form for the playoffs after suffering an upper body injury. The Sabres are also getting back forward Thomas Vanek, Vanek is going to play a key role for the Sabres if they intend to upset Philly. Buffalo has the goaltending to pull it off but their offense scares, if they can get some scoring outside of their top 2 lines they could do it, if they don't it could be a quick series.
Flyers over Sabres in 6.
3. Boston Bruins v 6. Montreal Canadiens: This series is going to be the best series in the Quarterfinals from either Conference. To say there is some bad blood between these 2 teams is a bit of an understatement. Zdeno Chara could be arrested when they go back to Montreal for his hit on Max Pacioretty. Boston goes into this series with all of their guys pretty much as healthy as can be at this point, which is good news for them. Tim Thomas who will probably win the Vezina Trophy is going start for Boston as he set the record for save percentage this year at .938. Boston lost the first 3 games and 4 of 6 to their division rival but seems to be clicking on all cylinders now.
Max Pacioretty suffered a concussion and a cracked vertebrae on March 8th from that Chara hit, Pacioretty has started skating on his own but is doubtful to return anytime soon. The Canadiens are also with defensemen Adrei Markov and Josh Gorges for all the playoffs. The Canadiens small forwards on their top 2 lines won't be deterred from hits because they're gritty guys and they're going to have to be gritty in this series if they want to advance. They can't afford anymore injuries to anyone on this team because they're already thin and they'll have to get physical otherwise Boston will hammer them often and quickly.
Bruins over Canadiens in 7.
4. Pittsburgh Penguins v 5. Tampa Bay Lightning: The Penguins go into this series without star forwards Evgeni Malkin (knee) and Sidney Crosby (concussion), but could possibly get Crosby back. Jordan Staal, Tyler Kennedy and Chris Kunitz have all stepped up since those guys went down but the Penguins need more offense than that. If they don't get it, then they'll rely heavily on Marc-Andre Fluery, the only guy who could steal the Vezina from Tim Thomas. Ironically enough Crosby hasn't played since suffering his second concussion against the Lightning on January 5th.
The Lightning posses two of the top five scorers in the NHL in Martin St. Louis (99 points) Steven Stamkos (45 goals, 91 points). They've also got guys like Vincent Lacavalier, Simon Gagne, Dominic Moore and Ryan Malone to support. GM Steve Yzerman traded for Dwayne Roloson who got so hot he took 8 seeded Edmonton Oilers to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2006. He can steal you a series if he's on. The Lightning will need to play better defensively as they were only a meager +7 in goal differential on the year.
Lightning over Penguins in 7.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Monday, April 11, 2011
The Check Swing: Opening Week Full of Weirdness
The Opening Week of baseball has come and gone and has left us with weirdness on all sorts of weirdness. We had sluggers Adam Dunn and Matt Holliday both needing appendectomies, Hanley Ramirez(leg contusion, day-to-day) and Tsuyoshi Nishioka(broken leg, 15-Day DL) getting hurt on runners breaking up double plays and most notably Manny Ramirez retiring rather than serve his 100 game suspension for breaking MLB's rules on performance-enhancing drugs. Now that we got that out of the way, The Check Swing is going to breakdown every team's week.
Arizona Diamondbacks: 4-4, 2.5 GB 3rd NL West. The Diamondbacks had a rather bland week this week. They capped off their week with a big comeback on Sunday over the Reds and were snowed out earlier in Colorado.
Atlanta Braves: 4-6, 3.5 GB 5th NL East. The Braves made a trade for Dan Uggla in the offseason but it's like they've gotten bizarro Dan Uggla. His defense has superb so far this season but he's only hitting .158 with 2 HR and 2 RBI. Jason Heyward homered on his first AB of the season for the second straight year.
Baltimore Orioles: 6-3, 1st AL East. The Fighting Showalters have picked where they left off last season. This year they're doing it with their pitching, their team ERA is 3.33, team WHIP is 1.19 and opponents are hitting .219 off them. Staying healthy is important and they just lost J.J. Hardy for 2-3 weeks with a sore oblique.
Boston Red Sox: 2-7, 4 GB 4th AL East. The Red Sox are struggling to hit with runners in scoring position and Carl Crawford has been struggling period. He's hitting .132 with 1 RBI and has failed to register an extra base hit this season not to mention he's walked twice. He's hit leadoff, second, third and seventh in the lineup already.
Chicago Cubs: 4-5, 2 GB 4th NL Central. The Cubs lost their fourth and fifth starters to the DL this week. Their first three of Dempster, Zambrano and Garza all have ERAs over 5.00: 6.59, 5.25 and 5.68 respectively.
Chicago White Sox: 6-3, 1 GB 2nd AL Central. Adamn Dunn had an appendectomy and should return later this week. Jake Peavy is set to start his rehab assignment this week and could join the team by the end of the month if he has no set backs. But Ozzie is upset with his bullpen who blew 3 saves this week(Thornton 2, Sale 1).
Cincinnati Reds: 6-3, 1st NL Central. The Reds opened their season by hitting a walk off home run to win. Last year they were one of the top teams in comeback wins. Three of their five starters have an ERA of 5.25 or higher so far this season. They blew their first save of the season yesterday.
Cleveland Indians: 7-2, 1st AL Central. The Cabreras have led this team in their dominating run this week. They're doing it on both ends, offensively and defensively. Orlando is hitting .375 with 1 HR and 7 RBI while Asdrubal is hitting .316 3 HR and 9 RBI. The Indians are on a 7 game winning streak.
Colorado Rockies: 6-2, 1st NL West. After giving CarGo and Tulo big contract extensions this offseason the two are firing on all cylinders. Jhoulys Chacin and Jorge De La Rosa have been lights out so far this season. The only downside to the week is Ubaldo Jimenez with a cracked cuticle on his right thumb.
Detroit Tigers: 3-6, 4 GB 5th AL Central. The Tigers have struggled horribly this week hitting and pitching. They were dominated this weekend by Bruce Chen and Luke Hochevar. But bigger concerns are their pitching. Starters Max Scherzer, Rick Porcello and Brad Penny have struggled. Brad Thomas continues to show he can't pitch in close games and could be on his way out if this continues.
Florida Marlins: 5-4, 2 GB 2nd NL East. The Marlins lost stud shortstop Hanley Ramirez Friday night after Bill Hall slid in hard to breakup a double play, HanRam is listed as day-to-day. However, the Marlins didn't forget about it as they plunked Hall in Sunday's 7-1 loss. The two teams won't meet again until July 7th-10th. I don't see the bad blood carrying over until then, unless Ramirez's injury proves to be worse than a contusion.
Houston Astros: 2-7, 4 GB 6th NL Central. Bill Hall injured Hanley Ramirez on a clean play as he slid hard to break up a double play Friday night. Hall was later hit in his last AB on Sunday's game. That led to the Astros hitting Gabby Sanchez in the ninth inning of Sunday's game. Everyone on both sides denies the beanball incidents. Will bad blood carry over in their next meeting July 7th-10th?
Kansas City Royals: 6-3, 1 GB 2nd AL Central. The Royals started their season off by winning their first 4 games of the season on their last at-bats. Then they took their act on the road and won 2 of 3 from Detroit getting good outings from Bruce Chen and Luke Hochevar.
Los Angeles Angels: 5-4, 3 GB 2nd AL West. The Angels blew saves in 3 out of their first 4 games prompting skipper Mike Socia to make a change in his bullpen. Fernando Rodney is now a set-up man and rookie Jordan Walden who had 1 career save before this season is the new closer. No word on if the two will reverse roles.
Los Angeles Dodgers: 5-4, 1.5 GB 2nd NL West. The Dodgers took 3 out of 4 from rivals and defending champs the San Francisco Giants to start their season but had it overshadowed by 2 fans. After their Opening Day game, 2 fans savagely attacked a Giants fan leaving the 42-year old father in critical condition with possible brain damage. Hopefully the fans are found and get what's coming to them.
Milwaukee Brewers: 5-5, 1.5 GB 2nd NL Central. The Brewers have been led by their bash brother duo of Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder. Braun is hitting .353 with 4 HR and 8 RBI while Fielder is hitting .400 with 2 HR and 11 RBI. Chris Narveson has been a surprise for them, in his 2 starts his ERA is 0.00 with 14 Ks.
Minnesota Twins: 3-6, 4 GB 5th AL Central. The Twins lost Tsuyoshi Nishioka when Nick Swisher broke his leg on a clean double play breakup. Outside of Nick Blackburn, the Twins starting pitching has been getting roughed up. Carl Pavano, Scott Baker and Francisco Liriano have ERAs of 6.00, 6.55 and 7.71.
New York Mets: 4-5, 3 GB 3rd NL East. The Mets slumping bullpen is seeking help from call-ups Jason Isringhausen and Ryota Igarashi. What has to be more alarming is Ace of the staff Mike Pelfrey and his 15.63 ERA in 2 starts but on the bright side Chris Young has a 1.46 ERA in his 2 starts.
New York Yankees: 5-4, 1 GB 2nd AL East. Yankee fans have to be happy with the performances they've gotten out Mark Teixeira and Russell Martin. But they can't be none too happy with Phil Hughes and his 16.50 ERA in 2 starts or that they dropped 2 of 3 to the slumping Boston Red Sox.
Oakland Athletics: 4-5, 4.5 GB 3rd AL West. Gio Gonzalez has been dominating this year to start, he's 2-0 with a 0.69 ERA. The A's gave Trevor Cahill a $30.5 million 5-year extension and they took 2 of 3 from the Twins at Minnesota to end their weekend.
Philadelphia Phillies: 7-2, 1st NL East. 7 of the Phillies 8 position players are hitting over .300 this season to start and Shane Victorino is hitting .417. But the bad news is Cliff Lee is struggling with a 7.84 ERA and Brad Lidge could miss the first half of the season. No updates on Chase Utley which is even worse.
Pittsburgh Pirates: 5-5, 1.5 GB 2nd NL Central. The Pirates are 5-5 to start but whol could resist putting this up.
You stay classy Pittsburgh.
San Diego Padres: 4-4, 2 GB 3rd NL West. Aaron Harang seems to have rebounded well in San Diego while Cameron Maybin and Orlando Hudson have too. Nick Hundley is hitting a remarkable .440 this season but the best news of all is Mat Latos makes his return off the DL for the Padres.
San Francisco Giants: 4-5, 2.5 GB 5th NL West. Pablo "Kung Fu Panda" Sandoval seems to be in the best shape of his life and he's playing like it. He's hitting .400 and moving well down on the hot corner. Good news for the Giants is they got closer Brian Wilson and his beard back this week.
Seattle Mariners: 2-7, 6.5 GB 4th AL West. Not much has gone right for Seattle so far this season. While Jack Wilson turned possibly the web gem of the year and Felix Hernandez has been King Felix nothing else has been positive. Wilson and manager Eric Wedge were caught in a he said he said as to who pulled Jack Wilson from Hernandez's 2nd loss. Also the Mariners have lost 7 in a row.
St. Louis Cardinals: 3-6, 3 GB 5th NL Central. Not much to be happy about in St. Louis. Adam Wainwright was lost before the season, Albert Pujols has stopped contract negotiations and now Chris Carpenter has said he would waive his no-trade clause. Oh by the way Pujols is hitting .143 with one extra base hit this season. Starting pitcher Kyle Lohse is also hitting .143 this season.
Tampa Bay Rays: 1-8, 5 GB 5th AL East. The Rays scored 1 run in 6 of their first 9 games this season. They also lost Evan Longoria to the 15-Day DL and Manny Ramirez to retirement. They'll miss Longoria greatly while he's gone but won't be so sad to see ManRam and his 1 for 17 leave. Ben Zobrist has 2nd best average of all players who qualify with a .147 this season.
Texas Rangers: 8-1, 1st AL West. Nelson Cruz became the third player in history to hit 4 home runs in his first 4 games, joining the likes of Willie Mays and Mark McGuire. Just about everything has gone right for Texas to start. Alex Ogando has made fans forget about losing out on Cliff Lee with his performances this season. And the Rangers as a team have a 2.48 team ERA with opponents hitting .199 this season.
Toronto Blue Jays: 5-4, 1 GB 2nd AL East. Ricky Romero and Kyle Drabek have made quite the 1-2 punch this season. Each have 1 win and respective ERAs of 1.32 and 1.38 while posting 12 Ks each. Jose Bautista is hiting for a much better average this early in the season, hitting .364 with 2 HR. The Jays did strand 18 runners in their 14 inning loss on Saturday.
Washington Nationals: 4-5, 3 GB 3rd NL East. Many critics didn't think Danny Espinosa would hit well this season, so far he's off to a .280 start with 1 HR and 5 RBI. Jayson Werth, the Nats big signing of the offseason is off to a slow start of .200 with 1 HR and 1 RBI. He should turn it around, they hope.
Check back next week for The Check Swing.
Arizona Diamondbacks: 4-4, 2.5 GB 3rd NL West. The Diamondbacks had a rather bland week this week. They capped off their week with a big comeback on Sunday over the Reds and were snowed out earlier in Colorado.
Atlanta Braves: 4-6, 3.5 GB 5th NL East. The Braves made a trade for Dan Uggla in the offseason but it's like they've gotten bizarro Dan Uggla. His defense has superb so far this season but he's only hitting .158 with 2 HR and 2 RBI. Jason Heyward homered on his first AB of the season for the second straight year.
Baltimore Orioles: 6-3, 1st AL East. The Fighting Showalters have picked where they left off last season. This year they're doing it with their pitching, their team ERA is 3.33, team WHIP is 1.19 and opponents are hitting .219 off them. Staying healthy is important and they just lost J.J. Hardy for 2-3 weeks with a sore oblique.
Boston Red Sox: 2-7, 4 GB 4th AL East. The Red Sox are struggling to hit with runners in scoring position and Carl Crawford has been struggling period. He's hitting .132 with 1 RBI and has failed to register an extra base hit this season not to mention he's walked twice. He's hit leadoff, second, third and seventh in the lineup already.
Chicago Cubs: 4-5, 2 GB 4th NL Central. The Cubs lost their fourth and fifth starters to the DL this week. Their first three of Dempster, Zambrano and Garza all have ERAs over 5.00: 6.59, 5.25 and 5.68 respectively.
Chicago White Sox: 6-3, 1 GB 2nd AL Central. Adamn Dunn had an appendectomy and should return later this week. Jake Peavy is set to start his rehab assignment this week and could join the team by the end of the month if he has no set backs. But Ozzie is upset with his bullpen who blew 3 saves this week(Thornton 2, Sale 1).
Cincinnati Reds: 6-3, 1st NL Central. The Reds opened their season by hitting a walk off home run to win. Last year they were one of the top teams in comeback wins. Three of their five starters have an ERA of 5.25 or higher so far this season. They blew their first save of the season yesterday.
Cleveland Indians: 7-2, 1st AL Central. The Cabreras have led this team in their dominating run this week. They're doing it on both ends, offensively and defensively. Orlando is hitting .375 with 1 HR and 7 RBI while Asdrubal is hitting .316 3 HR and 9 RBI. The Indians are on a 7 game winning streak.
Colorado Rockies: 6-2, 1st NL West. After giving CarGo and Tulo big contract extensions this offseason the two are firing on all cylinders. Jhoulys Chacin and Jorge De La Rosa have been lights out so far this season. The only downside to the week is Ubaldo Jimenez with a cracked cuticle on his right thumb.
Detroit Tigers: 3-6, 4 GB 5th AL Central. The Tigers have struggled horribly this week hitting and pitching. They were dominated this weekend by Bruce Chen and Luke Hochevar. But bigger concerns are their pitching. Starters Max Scherzer, Rick Porcello and Brad Penny have struggled. Brad Thomas continues to show he can't pitch in close games and could be on his way out if this continues.
Florida Marlins: 5-4, 2 GB 2nd NL East. The Marlins lost stud shortstop Hanley Ramirez Friday night after Bill Hall slid in hard to breakup a double play, HanRam is listed as day-to-day. However, the Marlins didn't forget about it as they plunked Hall in Sunday's 7-1 loss. The two teams won't meet again until July 7th-10th. I don't see the bad blood carrying over until then, unless Ramirez's injury proves to be worse than a contusion.
Houston Astros: 2-7, 4 GB 6th NL Central. Bill Hall injured Hanley Ramirez on a clean play as he slid hard to break up a double play Friday night. Hall was later hit in his last AB on Sunday's game. That led to the Astros hitting Gabby Sanchez in the ninth inning of Sunday's game. Everyone on both sides denies the beanball incidents. Will bad blood carry over in their next meeting July 7th-10th?
Kansas City Royals: 6-3, 1 GB 2nd AL Central. The Royals started their season off by winning their first 4 games of the season on their last at-bats. Then they took their act on the road and won 2 of 3 from Detroit getting good outings from Bruce Chen and Luke Hochevar.
Los Angeles Angels: 5-4, 3 GB 2nd AL West. The Angels blew saves in 3 out of their first 4 games prompting skipper Mike Socia to make a change in his bullpen. Fernando Rodney is now a set-up man and rookie Jordan Walden who had 1 career save before this season is the new closer. No word on if the two will reverse roles.
Los Angeles Dodgers: 5-4, 1.5 GB 2nd NL West. The Dodgers took 3 out of 4 from rivals and defending champs the San Francisco Giants to start their season but had it overshadowed by 2 fans. After their Opening Day game, 2 fans savagely attacked a Giants fan leaving the 42-year old father in critical condition with possible brain damage. Hopefully the fans are found and get what's coming to them.
Milwaukee Brewers: 5-5, 1.5 GB 2nd NL Central. The Brewers have been led by their bash brother duo of Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder. Braun is hitting .353 with 4 HR and 8 RBI while Fielder is hitting .400 with 2 HR and 11 RBI. Chris Narveson has been a surprise for them, in his 2 starts his ERA is 0.00 with 14 Ks.
Minnesota Twins: 3-6, 4 GB 5th AL Central. The Twins lost Tsuyoshi Nishioka when Nick Swisher broke his leg on a clean double play breakup. Outside of Nick Blackburn, the Twins starting pitching has been getting roughed up. Carl Pavano, Scott Baker and Francisco Liriano have ERAs of 6.00, 6.55 and 7.71.
New York Mets: 4-5, 3 GB 3rd NL East. The Mets slumping bullpen is seeking help from call-ups Jason Isringhausen and Ryota Igarashi. What has to be more alarming is Ace of the staff Mike Pelfrey and his 15.63 ERA in 2 starts but on the bright side Chris Young has a 1.46 ERA in his 2 starts.
New York Yankees: 5-4, 1 GB 2nd AL East. Yankee fans have to be happy with the performances they've gotten out Mark Teixeira and Russell Martin. But they can't be none too happy with Phil Hughes and his 16.50 ERA in 2 starts or that they dropped 2 of 3 to the slumping Boston Red Sox.
Oakland Athletics: 4-5, 4.5 GB 3rd AL West. Gio Gonzalez has been dominating this year to start, he's 2-0 with a 0.69 ERA. The A's gave Trevor Cahill a $30.5 million 5-year extension and they took 2 of 3 from the Twins at Minnesota to end their weekend.
Philadelphia Phillies: 7-2, 1st NL East. 7 of the Phillies 8 position players are hitting over .300 this season to start and Shane Victorino is hitting .417. But the bad news is Cliff Lee is struggling with a 7.84 ERA and Brad Lidge could miss the first half of the season. No updates on Chase Utley which is even worse.
Pittsburgh Pirates: 5-5, 1.5 GB 2nd NL Central. The Pirates are 5-5 to start but whol could resist putting this up.
You stay classy Pittsburgh.
San Diego Padres: 4-4, 2 GB 3rd NL West. Aaron Harang seems to have rebounded well in San Diego while Cameron Maybin and Orlando Hudson have too. Nick Hundley is hitting a remarkable .440 this season but the best news of all is Mat Latos makes his return off the DL for the Padres.
San Francisco Giants: 4-5, 2.5 GB 5th NL West. Pablo "Kung Fu Panda" Sandoval seems to be in the best shape of his life and he's playing like it. He's hitting .400 and moving well down on the hot corner. Good news for the Giants is they got closer Brian Wilson and his beard back this week.
Seattle Mariners: 2-7, 6.5 GB 4th AL West. Not much has gone right for Seattle so far this season. While Jack Wilson turned possibly the web gem of the year and Felix Hernandez has been King Felix nothing else has been positive. Wilson and manager Eric Wedge were caught in a he said he said as to who pulled Jack Wilson from Hernandez's 2nd loss. Also the Mariners have lost 7 in a row.
St. Louis Cardinals: 3-6, 3 GB 5th NL Central. Not much to be happy about in St. Louis. Adam Wainwright was lost before the season, Albert Pujols has stopped contract negotiations and now Chris Carpenter has said he would waive his no-trade clause. Oh by the way Pujols is hitting .143 with one extra base hit this season. Starting pitcher Kyle Lohse is also hitting .143 this season.
Tampa Bay Rays: 1-8, 5 GB 5th AL East. The Rays scored 1 run in 6 of their first 9 games this season. They also lost Evan Longoria to the 15-Day DL and Manny Ramirez to retirement. They'll miss Longoria greatly while he's gone but won't be so sad to see ManRam and his 1 for 17 leave. Ben Zobrist has 2nd best average of all players who qualify with a .147 this season.
Texas Rangers: 8-1, 1st AL West. Nelson Cruz became the third player in history to hit 4 home runs in his first 4 games, joining the likes of Willie Mays and Mark McGuire. Just about everything has gone right for Texas to start. Alex Ogando has made fans forget about losing out on Cliff Lee with his performances this season. And the Rangers as a team have a 2.48 team ERA with opponents hitting .199 this season.
Toronto Blue Jays: 5-4, 1 GB 2nd AL East. Ricky Romero and Kyle Drabek have made quite the 1-2 punch this season. Each have 1 win and respective ERAs of 1.32 and 1.38 while posting 12 Ks each. Jose Bautista is hiting for a much better average this early in the season, hitting .364 with 2 HR. The Jays did strand 18 runners in their 14 inning loss on Saturday.
Washington Nationals: 4-5, 3 GB 3rd NL East. Many critics didn't think Danny Espinosa would hit well this season, so far he's off to a .280 start with 1 HR and 5 RBI. Jayson Werth, the Nats big signing of the offseason is off to a slow start of .200 with 1 HR and 1 RBI. He should turn it around, they hope.
Check back next week for The Check Swing.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
2011 MLB Postseason Predictions and Awards
AL Playoffs:
Detroit Tigers over NY Yankees in 5
Boston Red Sox over LA Angels in 3.
Boston Red Sox over Tigers in 6.
NL Playoffs:
Colorado Rockies over Atlanta Braves in 4.
Philadelphia Phillies over Milwaukee Brewers in 4.
Phillies over Rockies in 5.
World Series:
Boston Red Sox over Phillies in 7.
Awards:
AL Cy Young: Justin Verlander
AL MVP: Adrian Gonzalez
AL ROY: Michael Pineda(Sea) over Mike Moustakas(KC)
NL Cy Young: Roy Halladay
NL MVP: Troy Tulowitzki
NL ROY: Freddie Freeman(Atl) over Bryce Harper(Wash)
Detroit Tigers over NY Yankees in 5
Boston Red Sox over LA Angels in 3.
Boston Red Sox over Tigers in 6.
NL Playoffs:
Colorado Rockies over Atlanta Braves in 4.
Philadelphia Phillies over Milwaukee Brewers in 4.
Phillies over Rockies in 5.
World Series:
Boston Red Sox over Phillies in 7.
Awards:
AL Cy Young: Justin Verlander
AL MVP: Adrian Gonzalez
AL ROY: Michael Pineda(Sea) over Mike Moustakas(KC)
NL Cy Young: Roy Halladay
NL MVP: Troy Tulowitzki
NL ROY: Freddie Freeman(Atl) over Bryce Harper(Wash)
2011 MLB Season Preview Pt. 6: The AL Central
The last installment of the 2011 MLB season preview is here and I saved the AL Central for last. This division has been a close race seemingly every year since 2006 and this year will be no different. It's a three team race this year between the Detroit Tigers, the Chicago White Sox and the Minnesota Twins. Let's take a look...
1. Detroit Tigers - This is the year the Tigers finally win the AL Central behind the strong pitching of Justin Verlander and hitting of Miguel Cabrera, Magglio Ordonez and Victor Martinez. Cabrera has shown this spring that he seemed to have shaken his DUI and put it behind him but he needs to stay sober now. He also needs the guy in front of him and behind him to stay healthy so he gets to swing the bat late in games, those guys are Ordonez and Martinez. The rotation is the only question I can't answer, what Scherzer and Porcello show up? How does Phil Coke do in the rotation and can Brad Penny stay healthy? The Tigers have some arms waiting in the minors if need be but can't rely heavily on them. Verlander contends for the Cy Young and Cabrera for the MVP.
Key additions: C/1B/DH Victor Martinez, RHP Joaquin Benoit and RHP Brad Penny.
Key losses: OF Johnny Damon and RHP Armando Galarraga.
2. Chicago White Sox- When healthy the White Sox have the best rotation in the AL Central but only when healthy. Jake Peavy is coming off a scary injury from last year and won't start the season with the big league club. Their closer situation is scary as they have no real closer with experience back there but their offense is scary in a good way. Adding Adam Dunn to this team makes this team that much more offensive. They fall short of the division crown by one game.
Key additions: DH/1B/OF Adam Dunn, RHP Jesse Crain and RHP Phil Humber.
Key losses: RHP Bobby Jenks, RHP J.J. Putz, RHP Freddy Garcia, RHP Scott Linebrink and OF/DH Manny Ramirez.
3. Minnesota Twins - The Twins really sat idle this offseason losing key components to their bullpen and watching their middle infield leave too. I think getting Joe Nathan back is huge and they have Matt Capps to close if he goes down but they can't replace Joe Mauer or Justin Morneau should they go down. I think the high of playing in a new ballpark is gone and the Twins aren't as deadly as they were last year.
Key additions: 2B Tsuyoshi Nishioka.
Key losses: RHP Jon Rauch, RHP Jesse Crain, LHP Brian Fuentes, RHP Matt Guerrier, SS J.J. Hardy and 2B Orlando Hudson.
4. Kansas City Royals - The Royals from last year to this year look completely different and for good reason. They have traded away or lost a lot of the guys that made up last year's team but I think the future is bright for this team. They barely beat out the Indians for fourth place thanks in large part to rookie Mike Moustakas.
Key additions: LHP Jeff Francis, OF Melky Cabrera, OF Jeff Francouer and SS Alcides Escobar.
Key losses: RHP Zack Greinke, RHP Gil Meche OF David DeJesus and SS Yuniesky Betancourt.
5. Cleveland Indians - Carlos Santana and Shin-Soo Choo give fans in Cleveland hope but they can't carry this team alone. Cleveland lacks a starting rotation if Fausto Carmona pitches like he did the last two years. The bullpen showed last year they can save games if given a lead but the offense just won't be there. The Indians are going to have fans in Cleveland anxiously awaiting the Browns season if they have one.
Key additions: INF Orlando Cabrera, INF Adam Everett and 1B Nick Johnson.
Key losses: All of their losses came mid-season last year when they were traded away. None to report.
1. Detroit Tigers - This is the year the Tigers finally win the AL Central behind the strong pitching of Justin Verlander and hitting of Miguel Cabrera, Magglio Ordonez and Victor Martinez. Cabrera has shown this spring that he seemed to have shaken his DUI and put it behind him but he needs to stay sober now. He also needs the guy in front of him and behind him to stay healthy so he gets to swing the bat late in games, those guys are Ordonez and Martinez. The rotation is the only question I can't answer, what Scherzer and Porcello show up? How does Phil Coke do in the rotation and can Brad Penny stay healthy? The Tigers have some arms waiting in the minors if need be but can't rely heavily on them. Verlander contends for the Cy Young and Cabrera for the MVP.
Key additions: C/1B/DH Victor Martinez, RHP Joaquin Benoit and RHP Brad Penny.
Key losses: OF Johnny Damon and RHP Armando Galarraga.
2. Chicago White Sox- When healthy the White Sox have the best rotation in the AL Central but only when healthy. Jake Peavy is coming off a scary injury from last year and won't start the season with the big league club. Their closer situation is scary as they have no real closer with experience back there but their offense is scary in a good way. Adding Adam Dunn to this team makes this team that much more offensive. They fall short of the division crown by one game.
Key additions: DH/1B/OF Adam Dunn, RHP Jesse Crain and RHP Phil Humber.
Key losses: RHP Bobby Jenks, RHP J.J. Putz, RHP Freddy Garcia, RHP Scott Linebrink and OF/DH Manny Ramirez.
3. Minnesota Twins - The Twins really sat idle this offseason losing key components to their bullpen and watching their middle infield leave too. I think getting Joe Nathan back is huge and they have Matt Capps to close if he goes down but they can't replace Joe Mauer or Justin Morneau should they go down. I think the high of playing in a new ballpark is gone and the Twins aren't as deadly as they were last year.
Key additions: 2B Tsuyoshi Nishioka.
Key losses: RHP Jon Rauch, RHP Jesse Crain, LHP Brian Fuentes, RHP Matt Guerrier, SS J.J. Hardy and 2B Orlando Hudson.
4. Kansas City Royals - The Royals from last year to this year look completely different and for good reason. They have traded away or lost a lot of the guys that made up last year's team but I think the future is bright for this team. They barely beat out the Indians for fourth place thanks in large part to rookie Mike Moustakas.
Key additions: LHP Jeff Francis, OF Melky Cabrera, OF Jeff Francouer and SS Alcides Escobar.
Key losses: RHP Zack Greinke, RHP Gil Meche OF David DeJesus and SS Yuniesky Betancourt.
5. Cleveland Indians - Carlos Santana and Shin-Soo Choo give fans in Cleveland hope but they can't carry this team alone. Cleveland lacks a starting rotation if Fausto Carmona pitches like he did the last two years. The bullpen showed last year they can save games if given a lead but the offense just won't be there. The Indians are going to have fans in Cleveland anxiously awaiting the Browns season if they have one.
Key additions: INF Orlando Cabrera, INF Adam Everett and 1B Nick Johnson.
Key losses: All of their losses came mid-season last year when they were traded away. None to report.
2011 MLB Season Preview Pt. 5: The NL Central
The NL Central was expected to be won by the St. Louis Cardinals last year so you can imagine the surprise it was when the Cincinnati Reds came out on top. This year it's expected to be a two team race between the defending champs, the Cincinnati Reds and the Milwaukee Brewers. So who wins it...
1. Milwaukee Brewers - The Brewers worked like mad men this offseason to turn this team into a contender by trading for pitchers Zack Greinke and Shawn Marcum without losing too much from their big league team. This is likely to be Prince Fielder's last season in Milwaukee but they'll still have a great core to build around after this one. This lineup is going to be stacked if key pieces like Fielder, Braun and Weeks stay healthy. Their big question is how starters 3-5 pitch after Greinke and Marcum, they'll be well enough to squeak out this division crown. Greinke will start the season on the DL due to a cracked rib.
Key additions: RHP Zack Greinke, RHP Shawn Marcum, SS Yuniesky Betancourt and OF Mark Kotsay.
Key losses: SS Alcides Escobar, RHP Trevor Hoffman and Prospect Brett Lawrie.
2. Cincinnati Reds - The Reds really didn't do much this offseason because they returned basically everyone of importance off of last year's Central winning team. That being said I expect it to be a close race between them and the Brewers with the team staying the healthiest winning this thing. The Reds have some key young pitchers and their stud first baseman who have battled injuries in their past. They can't afford to lose those guys if they want to win this. 6-8 in their lineup scare me and could be a reason why they falter but Edgar Renteria could come off the bench to try and boost the shortstop position.
Key additions: SS Edgar Renteria.
Key losses: SS Orlando Cabrera.
3. St. Louis Cardinals - Many people expected the Cardinals to contend this season for the Central but that was before they lost Adam Wainwright for the season. The rotation is scary after Chris Carpenter because you don't what you'll get on a constant basis not to mention Carpenter has his own his history of injuries. Albert Pujols and Matt Holliday won't be able to carry this team if the pitching fails them. Ultimately I don't think the Cardinals will have the fire power to finish any higher than third.
Key additions: OF/1B Lance Berkman and SS Ryan Theriot.
Key losses: RHP Adam Wainwright and SS Brendan Ryan.
4. Chicago Cubs - The lovable losers are going to have that going for them as the Cubs will continue their over 100 year drought of not winning the World Series. This is dysfunctional already coming out of spring training. Sure they cut Carlos Silva because of what he did but how long before Big Z blows his lid or Alfonso Soriano decides to take a game off. I don't see this Cubs team being any better than last year's team which is bad news for their fans.
Key additions: RHP Matt Garza, 1B Carlos Pena, RHP Kerry Wood and INF Blake DeWitt.
Key losses: RHP Carlos Silva(money-wise), RHP Braden Looper and OF/1B Xavier Nady.
5. Pittsburgh Pirates - The Pirates have had 18 consecutive losing seasons in a row and this year looks like they'll make it 19. Their rotation and bullpen are weak at best and the hurting Kevin Correia can't pitch every day for them. The Pirates have a lot of young talent like Andrew McCutchen, Neil Walker, Jose Tabata and Pedro Alvarez but those guys will struggle at times. Until ownership shows they're willing to spend to win this team won't get any better and could lose superstar McCutchen in a few years.
Key additions: RHP Kevin Correia and 1B Lyle Overbay .
Key losses: LHP Zach Duke, OF Lastings Milledge, 3B Andy LaRoche and UTL Delwyn Young.
6. Houston Astros - The Astros won 76 games last year which was mind blowing in itself but I don't see a repeat this year. The team is bad just about everywhere you look with the exception of Hunter Pence. Maybe Brandon Lyon can close games this year because he won't have the pressure on him to keep this team in contention. Better luck next year Houston.
Key additions: 2B/SS Clint Barmes, INF Bill Hall and LHP Ryan Rowland-Smith.
Key losses: RHP Matt Lindstrom and LHP Tim Byrdak.
1. Milwaukee Brewers - The Brewers worked like mad men this offseason to turn this team into a contender by trading for pitchers Zack Greinke and Shawn Marcum without losing too much from their big league team. This is likely to be Prince Fielder's last season in Milwaukee but they'll still have a great core to build around after this one. This lineup is going to be stacked if key pieces like Fielder, Braun and Weeks stay healthy. Their big question is how starters 3-5 pitch after Greinke and Marcum, they'll be well enough to squeak out this division crown. Greinke will start the season on the DL due to a cracked rib.
Key additions: RHP Zack Greinke, RHP Shawn Marcum, SS Yuniesky Betancourt and OF Mark Kotsay.
Key losses: SS Alcides Escobar, RHP Trevor Hoffman and Prospect Brett Lawrie.
2. Cincinnati Reds - The Reds really didn't do much this offseason because they returned basically everyone of importance off of last year's Central winning team. That being said I expect it to be a close race between them and the Brewers with the team staying the healthiest winning this thing. The Reds have some key young pitchers and their stud first baseman who have battled injuries in their past. They can't afford to lose those guys if they want to win this. 6-8 in their lineup scare me and could be a reason why they falter but Edgar Renteria could come off the bench to try and boost the shortstop position.
Key additions: SS Edgar Renteria.
Key losses: SS Orlando Cabrera.
3. St. Louis Cardinals - Many people expected the Cardinals to contend this season for the Central but that was before they lost Adam Wainwright for the season. The rotation is scary after Chris Carpenter because you don't what you'll get on a constant basis not to mention Carpenter has his own his history of injuries. Albert Pujols and Matt Holliday won't be able to carry this team if the pitching fails them. Ultimately I don't think the Cardinals will have the fire power to finish any higher than third.
Key additions: OF/1B Lance Berkman and SS Ryan Theriot.
Key losses: RHP Adam Wainwright and SS Brendan Ryan.
4. Chicago Cubs - The lovable losers are going to have that going for them as the Cubs will continue their over 100 year drought of not winning the World Series. This is dysfunctional already coming out of spring training. Sure they cut Carlos Silva because of what he did but how long before Big Z blows his lid or Alfonso Soriano decides to take a game off. I don't see this Cubs team being any better than last year's team which is bad news for their fans.
Key additions: RHP Matt Garza, 1B Carlos Pena, RHP Kerry Wood and INF Blake DeWitt.
Key losses: RHP Carlos Silva(money-wise), RHP Braden Looper and OF/1B Xavier Nady.
5. Pittsburgh Pirates - The Pirates have had 18 consecutive losing seasons in a row and this year looks like they'll make it 19. Their rotation and bullpen are weak at best and the hurting Kevin Correia can't pitch every day for them. The Pirates have a lot of young talent like Andrew McCutchen, Neil Walker, Jose Tabata and Pedro Alvarez but those guys will struggle at times. Until ownership shows they're willing to spend to win this team won't get any better and could lose superstar McCutchen in a few years.
Key additions: RHP Kevin Correia and 1B Lyle Overbay .
Key losses: LHP Zach Duke, OF Lastings Milledge, 3B Andy LaRoche and UTL Delwyn Young.
6. Houston Astros - The Astros won 76 games last year which was mind blowing in itself but I don't see a repeat this year. The team is bad just about everywhere you look with the exception of Hunter Pence. Maybe Brandon Lyon can close games this year because he won't have the pressure on him to keep this team in contention. Better luck next year Houston.
Key additions: 2B/SS Clint Barmes, INF Bill Hall and LHP Ryan Rowland-Smith.
Key losses: RHP Matt Lindstrom and LHP Tim Byrdak.
2011 MLB Season Preview Pt. 4: The AL East
Part four of my 2011 MLB season preview has brought us to what is easily the most competitive division in all of baseball. It's also a division with the two biggest payrolls in all of baseball. Say hello to the AL East. Not many people had last year's winner, the Tampa Bay Rays coming out on top but this guy did. However this year's winner shouldn't surprise most people.
1. Boston Red Sox - The Red Sox had a huge winter as they won on both front, the free agent and the trade market. When you look at this lineup, it's stacked in every position except catcher and possibly shortstop depending on how you look at it. If Boston is going to win this division then they need their starters not named Clay Buchholz and Jon Lester to return to form. John Lackey, Josh Beckett and Daisuke Matsuzaka all struggled last year and it showed when the Red Sox finished third. I look for Boston's big moves, Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford to help immensely in their run for first.
Key additions: 1B Adrian Gonzalez, LF Carl Crawford, RHP Bobby Jenks and LHP Dennys Reyes.
Key losses: C/1B Victor Martinez and 3B Adrian Beltre.
2. New York Yankees - The Yankees come up short for this division but they're my front runners for the Wild Card. They really didn't make any big splashes this offseason like they have in the past. Yeah they poached Rafael Soriano from Tampa Bay but the rest of their moves were rather minor in comparison. Their rotation after C.C. Sabathia scares me and losing Andy Pettitte doesn't help any. But when you're not afraid to spend like the Yankees are, you can easily go out and trade for the help you need.
Key additions: RHP Rafael Soriano, C Russell Martin, RHP Freddy Garcia, RHP Bartolo Colon and OF Andruw Jones.
Key losses: LHP Andy Pettitte and RHP Javier Vazquez.
3. Tampa Bay Rays - Last year few people saw the Rays coming up and taking first in this division but after their offseason of losing so many pieces from last year's puzzle it'll be hard to see the Rays finishing any higher than third this year. The bright news is the Rays seem to relish the underdog role and they still have Evan Longoria, David Price and B.J. Upton but it won't be enough. You just can't replace what they lost and expect to win in this division.
Key additions: OF/DH Manny Ramirez, OF Johnny Damon and RHP Kyle Farnsworth.
Key losses: LF Carl Crawford, RHP Rafael Soriano, RHP Joaquin Benoit, RHP Matt Garza, SS Jason Bartlett and 1B Carlos Pena.
4. Baltimore Orioles - You wouldn't know this club has had 13 straight seasons under .500 but they have. Buck Showalter has this club headed in the right direction but I think this year they still fall short of .500. They revamped their lineup to be a potentially scary one but their pitching is far behind the kind of hitting they have. They brought in multiple pieces to help build around Adam Jones, Nick Markakis, Brian Roberts and Matt Wieters. Sorry Buck and O's fans.
Key additions: 3B Mark Reynolds, SS J.J. Hardy, 1B Derek Lee, DH Vladimir Guerrero and RHP Kevin Gregg.
Key losses: RHP Kevin Millwood.
5. Toronto Blue Jays - The Jays surprised a lot of people last year by finishing over .500 but this year I don't see them doing it again since they're going to the youth movement. That being said the future looks very bright for this team. Pitchers like Kyle Drabek and Zach Stewart and shortstop Brett Lawrie give them hope in a year or two. The big question this year for the Jays is can Jose Bautista repeat last season's offensive display?
Key additions: OF Juan Rivera, OF Rajai Davis, RHP Frank Francisco and RHP Jon Rauch.
Key losses: OF Vernon Wells, RHP Shawn Marcum and C John Buck.
1. Boston Red Sox - The Red Sox had a huge winter as they won on both front, the free agent and the trade market. When you look at this lineup, it's stacked in every position except catcher and possibly shortstop depending on how you look at it. If Boston is going to win this division then they need their starters not named Clay Buchholz and Jon Lester to return to form. John Lackey, Josh Beckett and Daisuke Matsuzaka all struggled last year and it showed when the Red Sox finished third. I look for Boston's big moves, Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford to help immensely in their run for first.
Key additions: 1B Adrian Gonzalez, LF Carl Crawford, RHP Bobby Jenks and LHP Dennys Reyes.
Key losses: C/1B Victor Martinez and 3B Adrian Beltre.
2. New York Yankees - The Yankees come up short for this division but they're my front runners for the Wild Card. They really didn't make any big splashes this offseason like they have in the past. Yeah they poached Rafael Soriano from Tampa Bay but the rest of their moves were rather minor in comparison. Their rotation after C.C. Sabathia scares me and losing Andy Pettitte doesn't help any. But when you're not afraid to spend like the Yankees are, you can easily go out and trade for the help you need.
Key additions: RHP Rafael Soriano, C Russell Martin, RHP Freddy Garcia, RHP Bartolo Colon and OF Andruw Jones.
Key losses: LHP Andy Pettitte and RHP Javier Vazquez.
3. Tampa Bay Rays - Last year few people saw the Rays coming up and taking first in this division but after their offseason of losing so many pieces from last year's puzzle it'll be hard to see the Rays finishing any higher than third this year. The bright news is the Rays seem to relish the underdog role and they still have Evan Longoria, David Price and B.J. Upton but it won't be enough. You just can't replace what they lost and expect to win in this division.
Key additions: OF/DH Manny Ramirez, OF Johnny Damon and RHP Kyle Farnsworth.
Key losses: LF Carl Crawford, RHP Rafael Soriano, RHP Joaquin Benoit, RHP Matt Garza, SS Jason Bartlett and 1B Carlos Pena.
4. Baltimore Orioles - You wouldn't know this club has had 13 straight seasons under .500 but they have. Buck Showalter has this club headed in the right direction but I think this year they still fall short of .500. They revamped their lineup to be a potentially scary one but their pitching is far behind the kind of hitting they have. They brought in multiple pieces to help build around Adam Jones, Nick Markakis, Brian Roberts and Matt Wieters. Sorry Buck and O's fans.
Key additions: 3B Mark Reynolds, SS J.J. Hardy, 1B Derek Lee, DH Vladimir Guerrero and RHP Kevin Gregg.
Key losses: RHP Kevin Millwood.
5. Toronto Blue Jays - The Jays surprised a lot of people last year by finishing over .500 but this year I don't see them doing it again since they're going to the youth movement. That being said the future looks very bright for this team. Pitchers like Kyle Drabek and Zach Stewart and shortstop Brett Lawrie give them hope in a year or two. The big question this year for the Jays is can Jose Bautista repeat last season's offensive display?
Key additions: OF Juan Rivera, OF Rajai Davis, RHP Frank Francisco and RHP Jon Rauch.
Key losses: OF Vernon Wells, RHP Shawn Marcum and C John Buck.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
2011 MLB Season Preview Pt. 3: The NL East
Up next in my season preview is the NL East, a division full of talent both hitting and pitching. I ultimately feel that this division is going to come down to one thing and one thing only... How healthy can the Phillies starting rotation stay? If they steal healthy, the division is theirs if not look out for Atlanta to swoop in with the steal.
1. Philadelphia Phillies - Plain and simple the Phillies have the best rotation in baseball. But to win the East they and the rest of the team need to stay healthy. Chase Utley, Brad Lidge and Domonic Brown are all starting the season on the DL and Placido Polanco has been banged up already. Losing Jayson Werth is huge for this team as they're mostly a left handed lineup now and might need to trade for a right handed bat at some point. The saying is though, good pitching beats good hitting more often than not and the Phillies have good pitching.
Key additions: LHP Cliff Lee and 2B Luis Castillo
Key losses: OF Jayson Werth
2. Atlanta Braves - The Braves can contend for this division crown much like they did last year but this year's team has some questions. How well will Chipper Jones and Martin Prado play this year both coming off of season ending surgeries. Can Nate McLouth return to form, will Jason Heyward hit the sophomore slump, can Jonny Venters or Craig Kimbrel be effective as a first time closer and can Brandon Beachy and Mike Minor pitch well in the back end of the rotation? If yes is the answer to a majority of these questions we could have a tight race like we did last year. Dan Uggla was the biggest move the team made in the offseason and is coming off a career year which saw him hit 33 home runs.
Key additions: 2B Dan Uggla, LHP George Sherrill and RHP Scott Proctor.
Key losses: Bobby Cox, LHP Billy Wagner, 1B Troy Glaus and UTL Omar Infante.
3. Florida Marlins - They still have Josh Johnson and Hanley Ramirez which is bad news for both of those players because they traded away Dan Uggla. The Marlins are going to play a lot of games in front of crowds around 10,000 people or less because this team is still a bit away from contending. They do have good players like: Josh Johnson, Hanley Ramirez, Mike Stanton and Chris Coghlan but still have holes elsewhere. Maybe once their new stadium is finished the ownership will spend some money on talent but for now the Marlins finish third in the race for the cellar of the NL East.
Key additions: RHP Javier Vazquez, UTL Omar Infante, C John Buck and RHP Edward Mujica.
Key losses: 2B Dan Uggla and OF Cameron Maybin.
4. New York Mets - The Mets are going to rely on pitching heavily this year to win games and the bad news for them is two of key pitchers from the bullpen are gone(Pedro Feliciano and Hisanori Takahashi). They have plenty of talent but are for whatever reason so dysfunctional that they can never seem to put it all together at the same time. With new management they could maybe put it together and surprise people, then again maybe they won't and they'll finish fourth again.
Key additions: RHP Chris Young and LHP Chris Capuano.
Key losses: LHP Oliver Perez, 2B Luis Castillo, LHP Pedro Feliciano and LHP Hisanori Takahashi.
5. Washington Nationals - Yes they signed Jayson Werth in the offseason but Ryan Zimmerman and he can't save this franchise from the cellar. Bryce Harper will probably make his debut sometime in June much like Strasburg did last year. But without Strasburg this team lacks starting pitching and boasts a not so strong bullpen. It'll be a rough year in DC once the Capitols make their exit from the NHL Playoffs. On the plus side, look for left fielder Michael Morse to have a good year.
Key additions: OF Jayson Werth.
Key losses: OF/1B/DH Adam Dunn, OF Josh Willingham and OF Nyjer Morgan.
1. Philadelphia Phillies - Plain and simple the Phillies have the best rotation in baseball. But to win the East they and the rest of the team need to stay healthy. Chase Utley, Brad Lidge and Domonic Brown are all starting the season on the DL and Placido Polanco has been banged up already. Losing Jayson Werth is huge for this team as they're mostly a left handed lineup now and might need to trade for a right handed bat at some point. The saying is though, good pitching beats good hitting more often than not and the Phillies have good pitching.
Key additions: LHP Cliff Lee and 2B Luis Castillo
Key losses: OF Jayson Werth
2. Atlanta Braves - The Braves can contend for this division crown much like they did last year but this year's team has some questions. How well will Chipper Jones and Martin Prado play this year both coming off of season ending surgeries. Can Nate McLouth return to form, will Jason Heyward hit the sophomore slump, can Jonny Venters or Craig Kimbrel be effective as a first time closer and can Brandon Beachy and Mike Minor pitch well in the back end of the rotation? If yes is the answer to a majority of these questions we could have a tight race like we did last year. Dan Uggla was the biggest move the team made in the offseason and is coming off a career year which saw him hit 33 home runs.
Key additions: 2B Dan Uggla, LHP George Sherrill and RHP Scott Proctor.
Key losses: Bobby Cox, LHP Billy Wagner, 1B Troy Glaus and UTL Omar Infante.
3. Florida Marlins - They still have Josh Johnson and Hanley Ramirez which is bad news for both of those players because they traded away Dan Uggla. The Marlins are going to play a lot of games in front of crowds around 10,000 people or less because this team is still a bit away from contending. They do have good players like: Josh Johnson, Hanley Ramirez, Mike Stanton and Chris Coghlan but still have holes elsewhere. Maybe once their new stadium is finished the ownership will spend some money on talent but for now the Marlins finish third in the race for the cellar of the NL East.
Key additions: RHP Javier Vazquez, UTL Omar Infante, C John Buck and RHP Edward Mujica.
Key losses: 2B Dan Uggla and OF Cameron Maybin.
4. New York Mets - The Mets are going to rely on pitching heavily this year to win games and the bad news for them is two of key pitchers from the bullpen are gone(Pedro Feliciano and Hisanori Takahashi). They have plenty of talent but are for whatever reason so dysfunctional that they can never seem to put it all together at the same time. With new management they could maybe put it together and surprise people, then again maybe they won't and they'll finish fourth again.
Key additions: RHP Chris Young and LHP Chris Capuano.
Key losses: LHP Oliver Perez, 2B Luis Castillo, LHP Pedro Feliciano and LHP Hisanori Takahashi.
5. Washington Nationals - Yes they signed Jayson Werth in the offseason but Ryan Zimmerman and he can't save this franchise from the cellar. Bryce Harper will probably make his debut sometime in June much like Strasburg did last year. But without Strasburg this team lacks starting pitching and boasts a not so strong bullpen. It'll be a rough year in DC once the Capitols make their exit from the NHL Playoffs. On the plus side, look for left fielder Michael Morse to have a good year.
Key additions: OF Jayson Werth.
Key losses: OF/1B/DH Adam Dunn, OF Josh Willingham and OF Nyjer Morgan.
Friday, March 25, 2011
2011 MLB Season Preview Pt. 2: The AL West
We started this thing off with the division that produced last year's World Champions and the next division we decide to preview is the one that produced our runner-ups... The AL West.
1. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim - This offseason was a rather quiet one for the Angels. They missed out on Carl Crawford and settled for Vernon Wells. I feel like this team has the best proven rotation but if the A's young arms prove themselves they could unseat Texas and LA. Offensively, the Angels have talent but some of it is old or coming off of injuries. The Angels are the second best offensive team and could get even better if top prospect Mike Trout busts onto the scene. The one flaw the Angels have, is can Fernando Rodney close out games? In his last season with the Tigers he converted 37 of 38 opportunities but last year as the 8th inning set-up man he blew 7. Which Rodney shows up this year. Also what hurts the Angels at the start of the season is Kendrys Morales starts on the DL. Mark Trumbo starts the season there and factors big to start their season.
Key additions: OF Vernon Wells, RHP Scott Downs and LHP Hisanori Takahashi.
Key losses: C/1B Mike Napoli, OF Juan Rivera and DH Hideki Matsui.
2. Texas Rangers - There's no question the Rangers have the offensive fire power to win this division but their pitching scares me. They lost Cliff Lee in the offseason but still have C.J. Wilson and Tommy Hunter however they decided Neftali Feliz is better suited as their closer and not in the rotation. Their lineup from top to bottom is one of the scariest lineups in baseball and then you add Adrian Beltre to that mix and wow. The only thing that worries me about the Rangers is first base and catcher, not sure if Mitch Moreland and Yorvit Torrealba will be that productive offensively. Mike Napoli could step in if the Torrealba experiment doesn't work out.
Key additions: 3B Adrian Beltre, C/1B Mike Napoli and RHP Brandon Webb.
Key losses: LHP Cliff Lee
3. Oakland Athletics - The A's have built up quite the stockpile of young arms in their rotation. Brett Anderson, Trevor Cahill and Gio Gonzalez are three of the best young arms in the game and then factor in Dallas Braden who threw a perfect game on Mother's Day last year and had that spat with A-Rod. If these guys dominate like they have the potential to, the A's could make a serious run at the division title. They offense has picked up a veteran presence with the additions of David DeJesus, Hideki Matsui and Josh Willingham. If this lineup meshes the A's could be a surprise front runner.
Key additions: OF David DeJesus, DH Hideki Matsui, OF Josh Willingham, RHP Grant Balfour, LHP Brian Fuentes and RHP Brandon McCarthy.
Key losses: 3B Eric Chavez and DH Jack Cust.
4. Seattle Mariners - While they still have "King" Felix Hernandez and Ichiro, the Mariners are still a long ways away from competing for the division. They are hoarding good minor league talent like Michael Pineda and Dustin Ackley(Pineda will start with the team, Ackley in the minors). This team will struggle offensively and possibly every day Hernandez isn't on the mound. If the Mariners want some inspiration, the same thing was said about the Padres last year and they missed the NL West division by 2 games.
Key additions: DH Jack Cust, SS Brendan Ryan, 2B Adam Kennedy and RHP Chris Ray.
Key losses: 1B Casey Kotchman and 2B/3B Jose Lopez.
1. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim - This offseason was a rather quiet one for the Angels. They missed out on Carl Crawford and settled for Vernon Wells. I feel like this team has the best proven rotation but if the A's young arms prove themselves they could unseat Texas and LA. Offensively, the Angels have talent but some of it is old or coming off of injuries. The Angels are the second best offensive team and could get even better if top prospect Mike Trout busts onto the scene. The one flaw the Angels have, is can Fernando Rodney close out games? In his last season with the Tigers he converted 37 of 38 opportunities but last year as the 8th inning set-up man he blew 7. Which Rodney shows up this year. Also what hurts the Angels at the start of the season is Kendrys Morales starts on the DL. Mark Trumbo starts the season there and factors big to start their season.
Key additions: OF Vernon Wells, RHP Scott Downs and LHP Hisanori Takahashi.
Key losses: C/1B Mike Napoli, OF Juan Rivera and DH Hideki Matsui.
2. Texas Rangers - There's no question the Rangers have the offensive fire power to win this division but their pitching scares me. They lost Cliff Lee in the offseason but still have C.J. Wilson and Tommy Hunter however they decided Neftali Feliz is better suited as their closer and not in the rotation. Their lineup from top to bottom is one of the scariest lineups in baseball and then you add Adrian Beltre to that mix and wow. The only thing that worries me about the Rangers is first base and catcher, not sure if Mitch Moreland and Yorvit Torrealba will be that productive offensively. Mike Napoli could step in if the Torrealba experiment doesn't work out.
Key additions: 3B Adrian Beltre, C/1B Mike Napoli and RHP Brandon Webb.
Key losses: LHP Cliff Lee
3. Oakland Athletics - The A's have built up quite the stockpile of young arms in their rotation. Brett Anderson, Trevor Cahill and Gio Gonzalez are three of the best young arms in the game and then factor in Dallas Braden who threw a perfect game on Mother's Day last year and had that spat with A-Rod. If these guys dominate like they have the potential to, the A's could make a serious run at the division title. They offense has picked up a veteran presence with the additions of David DeJesus, Hideki Matsui and Josh Willingham. If this lineup meshes the A's could be a surprise front runner.
Key additions: OF David DeJesus, DH Hideki Matsui, OF Josh Willingham, RHP Grant Balfour, LHP Brian Fuentes and RHP Brandon McCarthy.
Key losses: 3B Eric Chavez and DH Jack Cust.
4. Seattle Mariners - While they still have "King" Felix Hernandez and Ichiro, the Mariners are still a long ways away from competing for the division. They are hoarding good minor league talent like Michael Pineda and Dustin Ackley(Pineda will start with the team, Ackley in the minors). This team will struggle offensively and possibly every day Hernandez isn't on the mound. If the Mariners want some inspiration, the same thing was said about the Padres last year and they missed the NL West division by 2 games.
Key additions: DH Jack Cust, SS Brendan Ryan, 2B Adam Kennedy and RHP Chris Ray.
Key losses: 1B Casey Kotchman and 2B/3B Jose Lopez.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Charlie Davies on the Comeback.
Saturday night marked the return of US Men's National Team striker Charlie Davies to the sport he loves so dearly. Just about a year and a half ago, Davies was involved in a horrific car crash that left a passenger dead and the driver hospitalized. The accident left Davies with a broken right femur and tibia, a broken left elbow, multiple facial fractures and a lacerated bladder. He had to go through several surgeries including having his face peeled back to repair his fractured face and skull.
On loan from Sochaux, Davies is playing for the MLS team DC United. In his first top flight game since his injuries, Davies appeared in the game as second half sub in the club's season opening game. It didn't take long for Davies to show that he might be back. In the 63rd minute, Davies converted a penalty shot and roughly 15 minutes later Davies was back at it. He won a ball from a falling defender and got around a charging keeper to bury the ball past a defender on the goal line for his second goal.
As expected after what he accomplished, Davies had quite the emotional and captivating post game interview too. P.S. If you thought I was lying about having his face peeled back, the scar goes across the top of his head from ear to ear.
What's really ironic is that many of Davies' teammates pegged him at being about 70 to 75 percent back to form. It'll be scary to see Davies once he gets to 90 percent of his form before the accident if not 100 percent. Charlies Davies proves he can conquer setback.
On loan from Sochaux, Davies is playing for the MLS team DC United. In his first top flight game since his injuries, Davies appeared in the game as second half sub in the club's season opening game. It didn't take long for Davies to show that he might be back. In the 63rd minute, Davies converted a penalty shot and roughly 15 minutes later Davies was back at it. He won a ball from a falling defender and got around a charging keeper to bury the ball past a defender on the goal line for his second goal.
As expected after what he accomplished, Davies had quite the emotional and captivating post game interview too. P.S. If you thought I was lying about having his face peeled back, the scar goes across the top of his head from ear to ear.
What's really ironic is that many of Davies' teammates pegged him at being about 70 to 75 percent back to form. It'll be scary to see Davies once he gets to 90 percent of his form before the accident if not 100 percent. Charlies Davies proves he can conquer setback.
Monday, February 28, 2011
2011 MLB Season Preview Pt.1: The NL West
To kick off my preview special I figured we'd start things off in the NL West where our defending champions, the San Francisco Giants reside. If things play out like I think, we should have an interesting three team race between the Giants, the Colorado Rockies and the Los Angeles Dodgers. So without further ado let's take a look!
1. Colorado Rockies- In the offseason the Rockies were able to lock up superstars Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez. Gonzalez is likely to move from left field to right this season and has made an effort to bulk up in the offseason(he played last year at 200 pounds and hopes to play this one between 210-215). They addressed some bullpen needs through a trade(Lindstrom and Paulino) and brought in Ty Wiggington and Jose Lopez to compete with Eric Young Jr. for the job at second base. The Rockies re-signed LHP Jorge De La Rosa in the offseason and let the often injured Jeff Francis walk. Jhoulys Chacin will be counted on in the 3 spot of the rotation, he finished his rookie season 9-11 with a 3.28 ERA in 28 games. The Rockies have had some historical finishes in the month of September, if they can just avoid their slow starts that plague them they could lock the division up early this year.
Key additions: RHP Matt Lindstrom, INF Ty Wiggington, 2B/3B Jose Lopez, RHP Felipe Paulino and RHP John Maine.
Key losses: 3B Melvin Mora, 2B Clint Barmes, C Miguel Olivo, LHP Jeff Francis, RHP Octavio Dotel, RHP Manny Delcarmen and RHP Joel Beimel.
2. San Francisco Giants- The Giants didn't lose many pieces from their World Series team which means they didn't really add much either. They still have the most talented starting rotation in the NL West but their offense worries me. Outside of Buster Posey this lineup has a lot of questions. Can guys like Aubrey Huff and Cody Ross repeat performances from last year? Which Pablo Sandivol shows up, the slugger from 2009 or the overweight disappointment from 2010? Where does Mark DeRosa fit on this team? Left field for Pat Burrell, maybe third base if Sandivol struggles? The one thing the Giants may miss is the shortstop combo of Edgar Renteria(2010 World Series MVP)/Juan Uribe, the aging Miguel Tejada takes over there. Look for the Giants and Rockies to battle it out at the end of the year if the Giants score some runs for their pitchers.
Key additions: SS Miguel Tejada and RHP Jeff Suppan.
Key losses: SS Edgar Renteria and INF Juan Uribe.
3. Los Angeles Dodgers- The Dodgers really didn't make any big moves in the offseason due to a messy divorce going on with the team's owner. A divorce which could ultimately cost this team a run at the division. The team headed into the spring with its five starters set but the big question is can closer Jonathan Broxton bounce back from an awful second half of 2010. The Dodgers still have Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier and James Loney who will be counted on heavily to carry this team. Replacing Russell Martin with Rod Barajas isn't an upgrade. With no true number 2 hitter this team could struggle offensively.
Key additions: RHP Matt Guerrier, INF Juan Uribe, RHP Jon Garland, RHP Blake Hawksworth and OF Marcus Thames.
Key losses: C Russell Martin, LHP George Sherrill, INF Ryan Theriot, and OF Scott Podsednik.
4. Arizona Diamonbacks- New GM Kevin Towers vowed to changed things at Arizona and his first goal was a D'Backs bullpen that had a 5.74 ERA and blew 24 saves last year. He did that by bringing in J.J. Putz to close and RHP David Hernandez who should be a set-up man to Putz. One signing I like is Micah Owings, who Arizona plans on using as both a relief pitcher and first baseman. Owings can hit which is why he's being looked at to do both. This team has some young talent in Stephen Drew, Justin Upton and Chris Young. It depends on whether or not they all show up. With a weak starting rotation, the D'Backs are still a year or two away from a division run. But GM Kevin Towers will get them back on track sooner rather than later.
Key additions: RHP J.J. Putz, 3B Melvin Mora, RHP David Hernandez, RHP Kam Mickolio, LHP Zach Duke and RHP Armando Galarraga.
Key losses: 3B Mark Reynolds, RHP Brandon Webb and 1B Adam LaRoche.
5. San Diego Padres- There's no easy way to replace Adrian Gonzalez a big part of last year's team that made a surprise run in the NL West. Not mention the Padres lost three-fifths of their Opening Day rotation. But the good news is they still have ace, Mat Latos and closer Heath Bell... for now at least. Latos has stuff to be a number 1 and Bell is sure to be mentioned as a trade piece near the deadline to a contender. The Padres are sure to have a battle for the number 5 spot in their rotation. With the exception of 3B Chase Headley, the Padres have a whole new infield with some names looking to recover from down years last year. They would be SS Jason Bartlett, 2B Orlando Hudson and 1B Brad Hawpe. Bottom line this team won't contend in the long haul this season.
Key additions: 2B Orlando Hudson, SS Jason Bartlett, 1B Brad Hawpe, INF Jorge Cantu, OF Cameron Maybin and RHP Aaron Harang.
Key losses: 1B Adrian Gonzalez, RHP Chris Young, RHP Kevin Correia, RHP Jon Garland, OF Tony Gwynn Jr., SS Miguel Tejada, OF Matt Stairs and OF Scott Hairston.
1. Colorado Rockies- In the offseason the Rockies were able to lock up superstars Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez. Gonzalez is likely to move from left field to right this season and has made an effort to bulk up in the offseason(he played last year at 200 pounds and hopes to play this one between 210-215). They addressed some bullpen needs through a trade(Lindstrom and Paulino) and brought in Ty Wiggington and Jose Lopez to compete with Eric Young Jr. for the job at second base. The Rockies re-signed LHP Jorge De La Rosa in the offseason and let the often injured Jeff Francis walk. Jhoulys Chacin will be counted on in the 3 spot of the rotation, he finished his rookie season 9-11 with a 3.28 ERA in 28 games. The Rockies have had some historical finishes in the month of September, if they can just avoid their slow starts that plague them they could lock the division up early this year.
Key additions: RHP Matt Lindstrom, INF Ty Wiggington, 2B/3B Jose Lopez, RHP Felipe Paulino and RHP John Maine.
Key losses: 3B Melvin Mora, 2B Clint Barmes, C Miguel Olivo, LHP Jeff Francis, RHP Octavio Dotel, RHP Manny Delcarmen and RHP Joel Beimel.
2. San Francisco Giants- The Giants didn't lose many pieces from their World Series team which means they didn't really add much either. They still have the most talented starting rotation in the NL West but their offense worries me. Outside of Buster Posey this lineup has a lot of questions. Can guys like Aubrey Huff and Cody Ross repeat performances from last year? Which Pablo Sandivol shows up, the slugger from 2009 or the overweight disappointment from 2010? Where does Mark DeRosa fit on this team? Left field for Pat Burrell, maybe third base if Sandivol struggles? The one thing the Giants may miss is the shortstop combo of Edgar Renteria(2010 World Series MVP)/Juan Uribe, the aging Miguel Tejada takes over there. Look for the Giants and Rockies to battle it out at the end of the year if the Giants score some runs for their pitchers.
Key additions: SS Miguel Tejada and RHP Jeff Suppan.
Key losses: SS Edgar Renteria and INF Juan Uribe.
3. Los Angeles Dodgers- The Dodgers really didn't make any big moves in the offseason due to a messy divorce going on with the team's owner. A divorce which could ultimately cost this team a run at the division. The team headed into the spring with its five starters set but the big question is can closer Jonathan Broxton bounce back from an awful second half of 2010. The Dodgers still have Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier and James Loney who will be counted on heavily to carry this team. Replacing Russell Martin with Rod Barajas isn't an upgrade. With no true number 2 hitter this team could struggle offensively.
Key additions: RHP Matt Guerrier, INF Juan Uribe, RHP Jon Garland, RHP Blake Hawksworth and OF Marcus Thames.
Key losses: C Russell Martin, LHP George Sherrill, INF Ryan Theriot, and OF Scott Podsednik.
4. Arizona Diamonbacks- New GM Kevin Towers vowed to changed things at Arizona and his first goal was a D'Backs bullpen that had a 5.74 ERA and blew 24 saves last year. He did that by bringing in J.J. Putz to close and RHP David Hernandez who should be a set-up man to Putz. One signing I like is Micah Owings, who Arizona plans on using as both a relief pitcher and first baseman. Owings can hit which is why he's being looked at to do both. This team has some young talent in Stephen Drew, Justin Upton and Chris Young. It depends on whether or not they all show up. With a weak starting rotation, the D'Backs are still a year or two away from a division run. But GM Kevin Towers will get them back on track sooner rather than later.
Key additions: RHP J.J. Putz, 3B Melvin Mora, RHP David Hernandez, RHP Kam Mickolio, LHP Zach Duke and RHP Armando Galarraga.
Key losses: 3B Mark Reynolds, RHP Brandon Webb and 1B Adam LaRoche.
5. San Diego Padres- There's no easy way to replace Adrian Gonzalez a big part of last year's team that made a surprise run in the NL West. Not mention the Padres lost three-fifths of their Opening Day rotation. But the good news is they still have ace, Mat Latos and closer Heath Bell... for now at least. Latos has stuff to be a number 1 and Bell is sure to be mentioned as a trade piece near the deadline to a contender. The Padres are sure to have a battle for the number 5 spot in their rotation. With the exception of 3B Chase Headley, the Padres have a whole new infield with some names looking to recover from down years last year. They would be SS Jason Bartlett, 2B Orlando Hudson and 1B Brad Hawpe. Bottom line this team won't contend in the long haul this season.
Key additions: 2B Orlando Hudson, SS Jason Bartlett, 1B Brad Hawpe, INF Jorge Cantu, OF Cameron Maybin and RHP Aaron Harang.
Key losses: 1B Adrian Gonzalez, RHP Chris Young, RHP Kevin Correia, RHP Jon Garland, OF Tony Gwynn Jr., SS Miguel Tejada, OF Matt Stairs and OF Scott Hairston.
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