The Wild Cards

2009 Predictions

2009-04-05T18:04:00.002-06:00

Here are some predictions for the upcoming 2009 Baseball season.

AL ROY: Rick Porcello (Detroit), Runner Up: David Price (Tampa Bay)
NL ROY: Jordan Schafer (Atlanta), Runner Up: Stephen Strasburgh (TBA)(Probably Washington)
AL Cy Young: Roy Halladay (Toronto), Runner Up: Zack Grienke (Kansas City)
NL Cy Young: Johan Santana (NY Mets), Chad Billingsley (LA Dodgers)
AL MVP: Josh Hamilton (Texas), Runner Up: Grady Sizemore (Cleveland)
NL MVP: Albert Pujols (St. Louis), Runner Up: Manny Ramirez (LA Dodgers)
AL Batting Title: Matt Holliday (Oakland), Runner Up: Ichiro Suzuki (Seattle)
NL Batting Title: Albert Pujols (St. Louis), Chase Utley (Philadelphia)

AL East
1. New York Yankees
2. Tampa Bay Rays
3. Boston Red Sox
4. Baltimore Orioles
5. Toronto Blue Jays

AL Central
1. Minnesota Twins
2. Cleveland Indians
3. Kansas City Royals
4. Detroit Tigers
5. Chicago White Sox

AL West
1. Texas Rangers
2. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
3. Oakland Athletics
4. Seattle Mariners

NL East
1. Philadelphia Phillies
2. Florida Marlins
3. New York Mets
4. Atlanta Braves
5. Washington Nationals

NL Central
1. St. Louis Cardinals
2. Chicago Cubs
3. Milwaukee Brewers
4. Cincinnati Reds
5. Houston Astros
6. Pittsburgh Pirates

NL West
1. Los Angeles Dodgers
2. San Fransisco Giants
3. Arizona Diamondbacks
4. Colorado Rockies
5. San Diego Padres

MVP, give it to the guy that deserves it.

2008-10-16T21:14:00.005-06:00

Wow, it has been a long time since I have posted here. Anyways, I am sitting here watching the ALCS, and I keep hearing all of this talk about Dustin Pedroia winning the MVP for the AL. I gotta say, this is puzzling to me.

Don't get me wrong, Pedroia is a very good player. He won the Rookie of the Year last year. But when was the last time someone won an MVP as a guy who isn't a power hitter and doesn't win the batting title? Pedroia had a fine season. .326 average, 213 hits, 118 runs. He had 83 RBI. And only 17 homers. But would the Red Sox still have made the playoffs without him? I am quite sure they would. That offense was not aenemic. They have a lot of pop. J.D. Drew looked like the guy who was supposed to be a superstar. They still have David Ortiz, and the Greek God of Walks, Kevin Youkilis quite frankly had a better year than Pedroia (.312/29/115). Is there anything to be said for a guy keeping his team (with an aenemic 0ffense) in the playoff race until the play-in game?

Justin Morneau deserves his second MVP award. Joe Mauer won the batting title, but he hit 9 home runs. Justin Morneau was second in the league in RBI (to Josh Hamilton who had the best year in the AL but played for a non-contending team). He was the guy opposing pitchers pitched around. The Twins would not have been within 10 games of first place without Morneau. He needs to win the award this year.

Sticking with the Eastern Award theme of this blog, since when does the first 5 months of the season not count? Ryan Howard should be the MVP because he was so good in August and September. NO. No he should not be the MVP. Have those people forgotten that he was not an all-star even though he lead the NL in homers and RBI at the break? Yeah because he was hitting near the mendoza line.

Why do the voters continually punish Albert Pujols for being so good? The guy hit .357 with 37 homers, 116 RBI, 100 runs, and a 104:54 BB:K ratio. Oh, and he did all of this with a bad elbow that has already required one surgery. He is the best player in baseball, and will go down as one of the greatest of all time. He has never been accused of using steroids, is a gold glove defender, and he is the sole reason the Cardinals contended for much of the season. Don't tell me Ryan Howard should be the MVP. I know you aren't that stupid.

Two Names, 7 Letters, 15 Wins

2008-05-17T18:26:00.005-06:00

Combine their last names, and you will get a total of 7 letters. They have 15 wins, are both undefeated, and both have been completely dominant in their respective leagues. Of course I am talking about the current favorites for the AL and NL Cy Young Award.

Brandon Webb has pitched even better than anyone has expected, which is incredible since is one of the favorites for this award coming into the season. He leads the major leagues with 9 wins and is the fifth starter since 1920 to win his first 9 starts of the season. Only one of those pitchers won their first 10. This guy has been crazy good, but there is someone who has been even better...

That man's name is Cliff Lee. On the 12th of May Lee pitched 9 shutout innings in the second game of a doubleheader, and did not factor in the decision. He lowered his ERA from 0.81 to 0.67. He has given up 4 earned runs in 53.2 innings, and 3 of those came in his only start against Seattle where he still won. His control has been impeccable. He has issued 4 walks in those 53.2 innings and has 44 strikeouts. Even Bob Gibson gave up more runs in his first 7 starts in 1968 where his ERA was an incredibly low 1.12. His K:BB ratio that season was only 4.3:1 - Lee's is at 11:1.

What a great story Josh Hamilton has been. After all of his problems that he had to deal with, and then being traded this offseason to the Texas Rangers, the slugging center fielder came into today ranked 7th in the league in batting average, tied for first in homers, and leading the majors in RBI. And he only turns 27 on Wednesday...

How bad did you think the Giants were going to be this year? Even though I had Tim Lincecum as my Cy Young in Waiting for this year, I was predicting 100+ losses. Sadly, they are currently on pace for 98 losses and that is good enough for 3rd in the division. Imagine them without Lincecum and his 5-1 record, 1.92 ERA and 63 strikeouts...

2008 is About to Begin!

2008-03-21T00:30:00.007-06:00

With the 2008 Major League Baseball season about to begin, I am here to give my predictions for the upcoming season.

I will preface my predictions for this year with my boasting of correctly predicting the NL ROY in Ryan Braun. I was way off most of the others, so I need to take all the victories I can get.

NL MVP: Prince Fielder. I think they will be a playoff team this year, and having Ryan Braun behind him in the lineup, pitchers will give him something to hit. Another 50 homer season is not out of the question, and I think if the Brewers had made the playoffs last season he would have won the award.

AL MVP: Miguel Cabrera. He hit .320 in a bad Florida lineup with 119 RBI. I can see 140-150 RBI in this lineup if Sheffield and Magglio don't knock in everyone ahead of him. This guy could have the best season since Barry hit 73...

NL Cy Young: Dan Haren. He was great last year for a disappointing Oakland team. Moving to the NL and a great pitcher's division will only help him.

AL Cy Young: Justin Verlander. I just don't think Sabathia will have another season like last year and Beckett will have a blister problem sometime this year. Verlander is one of the best young pitchers in the game and will win plenty of these awards.

NL ROY: Clayton Kershaw. He will start the season in the minors, but if he is half as good as he has been in spring training, he will not be there past May 1st. This kid is only 19 and he could be a stud for numerous years.

AL ROY: Evan Longoria. This year's Ryan Braun. The Rays are deciding whether to wait until May to bring him up as to delay his major league clock starting, but even so he will have a monster year when he is called up.

NL Batting Champ: Hunter Pence. This guy was in line to win the ROY last year before he was injured. A pure hitter in a great hitters park with plenty around him in the lineup, he will get good pitches to hit and will jump into the national spotlight this year.

AL Batting Champ: Ichiro Suzuki. I would like to pick someone more obscure here like Robinson Cano or Howie Kendrick, both of whom I believe will win a batting title eventually, but Ichiro is just too good and continues to prove it every year.

NL Cy Young in Waiting: Tim Lincecum. Last year I put his partner in crime Matt Cain here, and I firmly believe these two will be a force to be reckoned with in the future. This year however, they will have a long season ahead with a terrible team around them.

AL Cy Young in Waiting: Francisco Liriano. Try to imagine if he wasn't thrown in the Pierzynski deal. San Francisco would have Liriano, Cain, Lincecum and Barry Zito in its starting rotation.

Now on to the predictions of standings.

NL East:
1. Philadelphia Phillies
2. Atlanta Braves
3. New York Mets
4. Washington Nationals
5. Florida Marlins
J-Ro, Utley and Howard will be so much offense that I could pitch and still get a victory. The Mets are aging and even though I love David Wright, I don't think they have enough to overtake the Phils. Atlanta will also be much improved, and will compete for the wild card if not the division. Florida and Washington can compete for a better draft pick next year. They don't have a chance in this division.

NL Central:
1. Milwaukee Brewers
2. Houston Astros
3. Chicago Cubs
4. St. Louis Cardinals
5. Cincinnati Reds
6. Pittsburgh Pirates
The Brewers have one of the best lineups in baseball, and a very deep rotation to go with an improved bullpen. They lead the division for most of the year in '07 and they should make a good run in the post-season. I think the Astros are much improved offensively, and will be very scary, but they do not have enough pitching behind Roy Oswalt to beat the Brewers. The Cubs will be the Cubs this year, and St. Louis will be missing Mulder and Carpenter for a good chunk of the season to go along with their young inexperienced outfield. Cincy bolstered their bullpen with the addition of Francisco Cordero, but they didn't really do anything else to improve. The Pirates just stink. If you don't believe me, ask Jason Bay.

NL West:
1. Arizona Diamondbacks
2. Colorado Rockies
3. San Diego Padres
4. Los Angeles Dodgers
5. San Francisco Giants
I believe this is the best division in baseball. I give the edge to the D'Backs because of the addition of Dan Haren. They have question marks in their lineup as do the Padres, and the Rockies have an inexperienced rotation, but any one of those three can win the division or wild card. The Dodgers should be better than last year because they will be healthier and will have a full season of Matt Kemp and James Loney, but they still have Juan Pierre (one of, if not the, most overrated player in baseball) and also have a questionable rotation. The Giants are going to be terrible aside from Cain and Lincecum.

AL East:
1. New York Yankees
2. Boston Red Sox
3. Toronto Blue Jays
4. Tampa Bay Rays
5. Baltimore Orioles
I like the Yankee's staff overall better than the Sox, and currently I am so tired of hearing about nothing other than Boston. I would love to see someone shove it down their throats and them not even make the playoffs (sorry Ken). Toronto is destined to be a third place team forever, and I keep thinking that this year will be the year Tampa makes it out of the cellar. It could be with the fire sale that is the Baltimore Orioles.

AL Central:
1. Detroit Tigers
2. Cleveland Indians
3. Chicago White Sox
4. Kansas City Royals
5. Minnesota Twins
The Tigers probably have the best lineup in all of baseball, and with Verlander and Bonderman at the top, a very solid rotation. The Indians should compete for the division and/or the wild card this year with pretty much the same team that won the division last year. The White Sox upgraded their offense with Swisher and Cabrera, but I don't think they have enough depth or much of a rotation. The Twins should be pretty pathetic this year, and the Royals are making strides. I think they can find their way out of the cellar this year too.

AL West:
1. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
2. Seattle Mariners
3. Texas Rangers
4. Oakland Athletics
Seattle got Bedard, but he has not thrown 200 innings in a season in his career and wore down at the end of the season last year. I think Anaheim's lineup is way more potent and they have enough pitching to win the division again. The A's will be practicing falling down this year as they might have the worst record in the bigs. Texas will have another decent year with the stick, but their pitching staff is atrocious so there is no way they will compete.

The Playoffs:
Division Series: Tigers over Yankees, Angels over Indians, Brewers over Phillies, Braves over Diamondbacks
LCS: Tigers over Angels, Brewers over Braves
World Series: Tigers over Brewers in 6. Magglio Ordonez is WS MVP.

Ahhh the World Series

2007-10-25T20:39:00.000-06:00

Well folks, I am currently watching game 2 of the World Series (on mute of course, but we will get to that shortly) and I thought I would jump on the soapbox and let all of my adoring fans know what is really going on in this series.

Plain and simple: the media wanted Boston to beat Cleveland. It is good for their business. If none of the Red Sox/Yankees/Mets/Dodgers are in the World Series, the ratings are not the highest, so there is panic in the media. How dare baseball have their championship decided between two of the seven lowest payroll teams in the league.

Which brings me to my next point...How can the team who has swept their way to the championship been waiting 8 days to play another game. The run the Rockies are on, winning 21 of their last 23 including sweeping the NLDS and NLCS is one for the record books, yet they had to wait over a week to possibly extend that. They do not deserve to be treated that way. First off, the ALCS played on the 12th, 13th, took a day off as usual, 15th (the same night the Rockies clinched the NL title), 16th and then TOOK A DAY OFF, played the 18th, TOOK ANOTHER DAY OFF, and then played on the 20th and 21st. Since when does the series go 2-2-1-2??? No. The 7 game series goes 2-3-2. It has been that way forever. But we have to make sure the Red Sox get a better chance of coming back from a 3-1 deficit to win the series. And then give them extra rest??? This is completely ridiculous.

A team who is on one of the greatest runs of all time has to waste away waiting to see if they are going to Boston or Cleveland while Boston wins the series at home, then has two days of rest - at home, no travel - and then plays game one of the World Series. Say what you want about a layoff of any time, but it messes with the hitters timing more than anything. Why else do you think Josh Beckett could come out and throw fastballs down the middle to the best hitting team in the National League? On regular rest, some of those pitches would still be going, but when a hitter has to face batting practice fastballs for eight days and then go up against a 96 MPH fastball he has no chance. Mr Selig, just give the Red Sox the trophy, and stop wasting our time.

Now you may be wondering why I am watching the World Series on mute, why I am listening to Golden Earring, Nelly Furtado, Kanye West, Britney Spears, Men at Work, any thing other than what is on my tv screen, well if you have ever watched a playoff game broadcasted on the great FOX network you will know the answer to this question. An untrained monkey could do a better job of calling a game than Tim McCarver and Joe Buck. The legendary Jack Buck was an incredible broadcaster, but apparently he was a horrible teacher. His son is terrible at calling a baseball game. Please get him off the air. Sundays for football are fine, whatever, just don't let him be on the air ruining what is supposed to be the culmination of the greatest season in professional sports.

And I would love to meet the brainiac who thought it would be a good idea to give Tim McCarver a microphone. When McCarver was catching Bob Gibson he went out for a mound visit one time and Gibson told him to get the hell away from him. Gibson asked McCarver what the hell he was doing out on the mound, he doesn't know a thing about pitching. That sentiment is even more true about play-by-play and color commentary.

And FOX might as well get rid of their version of K-Zone. Every time they show a pitch that is supposedly a strike, it is off the radar. The first batter of the series was called out on a "strike" that was in the other batter's box.

I gotta say, I now think the most hated team in baseball is quickly becoming the Boston Red Sox. The thing that gets me the most is how NONE of those people who jumped on their bandwagon when they won the series in 2004 have jumped off. Not ESPN, not FOX, none of the bobbleheads that go to college, nobody. Are the umpires on the wagon? I am not sure. Is George Mitchell? Well he is on their board...

MV-Who?

2007-10-02T12:49:00.000-06:00

The MVP award voting will not even be close in the American League. Alex Rodriguez had this one in the bag just after the all-star break. Sorry Magglio, I know you won the batting title, and were second in the league in RBI, but nobody in baseball carried their team like A-Rod carried the sorry Yankees. This guy is so good that he should get $3o Million next year.

The National League however is completely up for grabs. Matt Holliday lead the league in two of the three triple crown categories (batting average and RBI), Prince Fielder led in home runs, and was one of the only consistant players on the contending Brewers, and Jimmy Rollins was the second this season, and third player ever in the 20-20-20-20 club and guaranteed that his team would win the division in spring training. I think Holliday will get it. Had the Brewers held on and made the playoffs, I think Fielder would have won no doubt, but with Holliday coming up big in the one game playoff and winning a batting title for a playoff team I think will put him over the top.

The Rookie of the Year in the National League is no contest. It is unfortunate for Troy Tulowitzki, because he had an outstanding season, but if Ryan Braun had not been in the minors for the first six weeks of the season, we would be putting him in the running with Holliday, Fielder, and Rollins for MVP. This guy played in 113 games and hit 34 homers and drove in 97 runs. He also hit .324.

The American League ROY is tough to pick, because nobody really stood out like Braun and Tulowitzki did in the NL. Alex Gordon and Delmon Young were two who, at the beginning of the season, would be definite contenders but both struggled this season. I suppose I would go with Dustin Pedroia of Boston for the award, since he hit .317 and led AL rookies with an .821 OPS.

In the NL, the Cy Young should go to Jake Peavy who won the pitching triple crown in the NL. Right on his tail was defending winner Brandon Webb who could sneak in if the voters put too much emphasis on Peavy's performance in the playoff between the Padres and Rockies.

I would give the AL pitcher MVP to Cleveland ace C.C. Sabathia. He had 19 wins, second only to Josh Beckett in all of baseball, and was also in the top five in the league for ERA (3.21), strikeouts (209), complete games (4), WHIP (1.14) and led the league in innings pitched (241). Not to mention he only walked 37 batters in those 241 innings.

The Playoffs are Here!

2007-10-02T12:15:00.000-06:00

The Major League Baseball regular season has come and gone, and there was no better way to end it than an extra innings, one game playoff for the Wild Card.

The Mets and Brewers completed their monumental collapses in the past week, with the Brewers squandering a lead that was almost 10 games as early as the all-star break. And the mets are the only team in history to let a 7 game lead with 17 to go get away.

The Diamondbacks will square off with the Cubs and Phillies will have to go up against the flaming hot Rockies in the NLDS.

I don't think the D-Backs will have much trouble with the Cubs, for the simple fact that Arizona has Brandon Webb who has a chance at a second straight Cy Young (especially with how Jake Peavy threw in the play-in game). The Diamondbacks are one of three teams in history I believe, to be outscored which makes their run to the best record in the National League just that much more impressive.

The Philadelphia/Colorado series will probably be the most fun to watch if you are a fan of high scoring baseball games. The Phillies had a team ERA of 4.73, 4.32 for the Rockies. The Phillies and Rockies also scored the most runs of the National League teams.

In the American League, the Yankees will face the Indians, and Boston will have to go up against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim of California of the Southwest of United States.

I think the best team in baseball is the Angels, who are three deep in the rotation and have the speed to put pressure on the Boston defense. The lineup of Anaheim is also very deep and will have no problem scoring runs.

The Yankees were not supposed to be here. They were buried by just about everyone after the first two months of the season. Yet here we are and they are going to make life difficult for the Indians, who finished the season with the widest margin between first and second place teams in baseball. The offense of the Yanks is definitely something for the Indians to worry about, but Cleveland should not have a tough time scoring runs on the overworked Yankee pitching staff.

All in all, you couldn't ask for a much better regular season, and there is no doubt in my mind that the playoffs will be just as exciting.

All Star Thoughts

2007-07-17T00:18:00.000-06:00

The million dollar question for Major League Baseball: Should every team be represented in the All-Star Game? The answer is emphatically YES. The problem is that Major League Baseball wants the All-Star game to mean something. If it is an exhibition match, why the hell would it matter towards anything? Especially something as important as home field advantage in the World Series.

Here's a suggestion for home field at the WS - maybe something as easy as the team with the best record. Or even the team who has the best record in interleague play. Hell since MLB wants division play to be so dang important (with the unbalanced schedules which I think need to be done away with, but that is for another day) why not the team who has the best record against teams in their divisions. There are so many ways that MLB could decide which league gets home field in the World Series, please quit with the All-Star game. If the fans decide who should start the game, then it should not matter towards anything.

As good of a player as Carlos Beltran is, this year he probably shouldn't have even been an All-Star. Matt Holliday, who could be the MVP of the first half of the season, should have been a starter in the game. Barry Bonds is a great player still, but I really think that the only reason he should have been a part of the ASG, is because it is his hometown and he definitely should have been in the Home Run Derby. People were questioning it, but Placido Polanco was the best 2B in the AL in the first half, well deserving of the start.

One omission I thought was notable: John Maine. He was tied for the league lead in victories (10) and 4th in the league in ERA (2.71). How did he prove his need to be on the roster? By giving up seven runs (four earned) in 4.2 innings on Friday. And the fans did get it right, Chris Young should've been a choice before the fans voted, but at least they put him on the roster. The league leader in ERA deserves it.

We're Back..With Predictions!

2007-03-28T20:03:00.000-06:00

Well the Major League season is about to start and with everyone and their mothers making predictions, I thought it was my turn to do the same.

We will start off with the individual awards...

AL MVP: Grady Sizemore. It will hurt me badly trading him away in a keeper league, but if he stays healthy and the Tribe win the division, I think he will be the guy to take home the award. He's got 30-30-.300 potential and if he reaches it this year it could be award time for him.

NL MVP: Albert Pujols. I don't need to go into great depth on this one. He is the best in the bigs and will win it one of these years.

AL Cy Young: Rich Harden. When healthy, the best stuff in the game. Just gotta keep him there. Otherwise it goes to Santana by default.

NL Cy Young: Jason Schmidt. With the Dodger lineup being able to get him the run support, I see him winning 17-20 games this year and leading them to another division title.

AL Rookie of the Year: Delmon Young. Matsuzaka doesn't count in my opinion, after playing in the Japanese majors for 8 years. Young is the best position player that is gonna play the whole season. All he has to do is avoid hitting an ump with a bat and the award is all but his.

NL Rookie of the Year: Ryan Braun. Ok, homer pick I know, but he has the stick. If he gets his glove in shape the Brew Crew will call him up asap.

AL Batting Champ: Ichiro Suzuki. Best average hitter in the game period.

NL Batting Champ: Albert Pujols. See NL MVP..

AL Comeback Player of the Year: Rich Harden. I have him winning the Cy Young, so why wouldn't he win this too??

NL Comeback Player of the Year: Todd Helton. I think he is back to healthy and mashing the ball. The average is still there, and the power is returning. They have a good young team so he should get plenty of RBI opportunities.

AL MVP in Waiting: Alex Gordon. There is a reason he has been voted the best player in the minors.

NL MVP in Waiting: Prince Fielder. The Brewers will be a playoff team in the next 3 years, and he is just getting better and better.

AL Cy Young in Waiting: Felix Hernandez. Great arm, getting smarter. Now they just need to let him throw the fastball...

NL Cy Young in Waiting: Matt Cain. He is a stud and now he has Barry Zito (a former Cy Young winner himself) to learn from. The NL better look out for this promising youngster.

Now for the projected division standings...

AL East
1. Boston Red Sox
2. New York Yankees
3. Toronto Blue Jays
4. Tampa Bay Devil Rays
5. Baltimore Orioles

AL Central
1. Minnesota Twins
2. Cleveland Indians
3. Detroit Tigers
4. Chicago White Sox
5. Kansas City Royals

AL West
1. Oakland Athletics
2. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
3. Texas Rangers
4. Seattle Mariners

NL East
1. Philadelphia Phillies
2. Atlanta Braves
3. New York Mets
4. Florida Marlins
5. Washington Nationals

NL Central
1. St. Louis Cardinals
2. Milwaukee Brewers
3. Houston Astros
4. Pittsburgh Pirates
5. Chicago Cubs
6. Cincinnati Reds

NL West
1. Los Angeles Dodgers
2. San Diego Padres
3. Arizona Diamondbacks
4. San Francisco Giants
5. Colorado Rockies

Playoff Predictions...
Division Series: Red Sox over Angels, Athletics over Twins, Dodgers over Braves, Phillies over Cardinals.
LCS: Athletics over Red Sox, Dodgers over Phillies
World Series: Athletics over Dodgers.

World Series Factoids

2006-11-02T18:00:00.000-07:00

Here may be a few little known facts about the Cardinals in the World Series...

Two former Tigers played significant roles in helping the Cardinals win the World Series - Juan Encarnacion and Jeff Weaver...

And how many of you thought that Juan Encarnacion would have two World Series rings? One with the Cardinals this year, and one with the Marlins in 2003...

Speaking of two World Series rings for whoda thunk players - Scott Spezio and David Eckstein. And is Eckstein the smallest series MVP ever?

Scott Rolen finished the playoffs with a 10 game hitting streak...

The Cardinals had 83 wins in the regular season - the lowest for any World Series champion...

The World Series was won in the first year of New Busch Stadium...

Tony LaRussa went 17 years between World Series titles, only Connie Mack had a longer time span (23 years). LaRussa is also the second manager to win a series in both the AL and NL (Sparky Anderson).

Not a Cardinal fact, but how many people remember the press conference that Ivan Rodriguez had when he signed with Detroit? I do, it was right after they lost 120 games and he said that Detroit would be a World Series team in three years. He was laughed at.

Division Races Are Over...

2006-09-12T15:02:00.000-06:00

Wow it's been a hectic month, and here I finally have time to post another update. Here are some ramblings that I thought you all might want to ponder...

Has anyone else noticed that the Oakland A's have a 5.5 game lead over the Anaheim Angels in the AL West? I thought that this division was gonna go down to the final week of the season as it has the past two years, but it is looking more and more likely that the A's will walk away with the division crown without much of a fight.

Also consider the Boston Red Sox out of it. 10.5 games out of the division, and 8 out of the Wild Card. They don't have enough pitching, and their offense is beginning to scuffle.

I still think the Minnesota Twins will take over the Tigers for the division lead. They are getting Liriano back, and are only 1.5 games back of the Tigers.

Am I the only one who wants the Florida Marlins to win the Wild Card? I think that would be one of the greatest stories in baseball this year. Many people were expecting this team to lose over 100 games this year and finish at the bottom of the NL East, if not the entire National League. Those fans have no idea what they are missing....

A Royal Post...

2006-08-17T10:10:00.000-06:00

The Royals signed Mark Grudzielanek to a contract extension on the 17th. There is something to be said of having a veteran presence to a young (and up and coming believe it or not) team. The Royals also get a very sure handed defensive player who can help anchor the middle of the infield and mentor the other young infielders.

Staying on the topic of KC, how hot has Mark Teahan been? He is giving the Royals a great problem to have - with his success and the uber-prospect Alex Gordon hitting well over .300 at AA and the possible promotion to the bigs next year. With Ryan Shealy at first base, and the aforementioned Grudzielanek at second, the Royals infield will be very good in the future. They also have Billy Butler producing at AA to upgrade their outfield...

Boston acquired Eric Hinske from the Toronto Blue Jays helping add to their depth. I like this for Hinske who was getting a very raw deal from the Jays after winning the Rookie of the Year in 2002. He is a guy who can play the corner infield and outfield spots and I like the move by Boston.

Robinson Cano has been tremendous since he came off the disabled list. In his last 13 games he has 4 homers and 17 RBI, to go with his season average of .330. He isn't exactly making the Yankee fans forget about Alfonso Soriano, but he is making them think that he is the long term answer at second base. Many scouts are thinking that he could compete for a batting title in the future...

Cincinnati just won't go away. Every time I think they are going to falter, they gain games on the division leading Cardinals. They still lead the Wild Card by a half game and are slowly inching towards the division lead. I picked them to finish last in the division this year...

Are the Tigers scuffling? In the month of August they are 9-9 and their division lead is down to 6.5 games. They still have 7 games remaining against the White Sox, 4 against the Twins, and 3 against the Yankees (who have the league's second best record. Who woulda thunk it?).

Does anyone else find it odd that Jeff Francis has a lower ERA at Coors Field than he does on the road? Going into tonight's start he had a 2.96 ERA at home, and a 3.75 ERA on the road. His WHIP and BAA are also down at home. The Rockies have a good young rotation for the future with Francis, Jason Jennings who is an innings eater, Aaron Cook, Josh Fogg and Byung-Hyun Kim. They also have Jeremy Affeldt who can start, but has been very good in a relief role.

Thoughts for August 16

2006-07-22T12:53:00.000-06:00

Another day, another rant from the Joker...

I would like to voice my immense disproval of the Anaheim Angels for their treatment of Howie Kendrick. This guy is their future at second base and was hitting close to .400 at AAA Salt Lake and they bring him up for what? To sit him on the bench. The only time he plays is when the opposition is throwing a lefty starter. Trade Adam Kennedy or do something Anaheim because you are stunting the growth of one of the most promising young players in the majors.

The Dodgers are hot, and I think that the deadline deals are the reason. Greg Maddux has revitalized the rotation, and himself. He has a 0.90 ERA in 3 starts with LA. One of those starts he took a no-hitter into the seventh, but was taken out after a lengthy rain delay. Another of the starts he gave up 2 hits, no walks and retired 22 consecutive hitters.

How many people thought the Yankees would have the second best record in baseball right now with the outfield injuries they have had?

The Cubs still stink. When will the rest of the country learn that Mark Prior and Kerry Wood are the two most overrated pitchers in all of baseball? I have been saying it for years.

The A's own the Mariners. 14 straight victories against Seattle is the reason Oakland has such a big lead in the AL West.

The Reds keep trying to upgrade their bullpen, today acquiring Scott Schoeneweis from the Toronto Blue Jays. The moves have kept them atop the Wild Card, but if they falter during their series with St. Louis this week we could be seeing a new leader...

And finally, how in the hell did Tim McCarver get a job as an announcer? He sucked as a player and is even worse as an announcer. Fox needs to fire this guy.

Random Baseball Thoughts

2006-07-20T21:55:00.000-06:00

The first of hopefully many installments by your friend Joker here is some things to think of in regards to your fantasy baseball team and in the wide world of Major League Baseball...

A couple of guys who had a rough first half but I think will have a better second half: Richie Sexson (Sea), Pat Burrell (Phi), Jhonny Peralta (Cle), Matt Cain (SF), Ben Sheets (Mil).
My Rankings for the top 5 teams in baseball: 1) Detroit Tigers (I still think they will falter down the stretch but for now they are the best) 2) New York Mets 3) Boston Red Sox 4) Chicago White Sox 5) Minnesota Twins (Liriano, Santana, Mauer and Nathan put them here...)
And of course, the bottom 5 teams in baseball: 32) Kansas City Royals (They have some talent in AA that needs to be brought up for experience) 31) Pittsburgh Pirates 30) Chicago Cubs 29) Washington Nationals 28) Cleveland Indians
Atlanta made out very good with the Bob Wickman deal. Trading a Single-A catcher who they have no use for and getting a proven arm for that horrendous bullpen is simply brilliant. It just shows why there should be a wing for the GMs in the HOF...
I would love it if the Brewers got disgruntled third baseman Shea Hillenbrand with J.J. Hardy out for the season and Corey Koskie possibly out that long too. But I see Toronto actually getting something in return with as high a demand as there is for Hillenbrand, possibly someone from the Angels who are in desperate need of offense...
Speaking of those Angels, I would think that giving up a prospect like Brandon Wood if they were to get a guy like Miguel Tejada would be a great idea, but apparently the Angels do not agree. Tejada is one of the best shortstops in all of baseball and has played over 1000 consecutive games. How much more consistent can it get? Sometimes you have to give up something special to get something special. The Angels need to give something if they want a chance at a World Series.
I like the Mariners play for Alfonso Soriano. I think having him in the lineup with Ichiro, Beltre, Sexson, Johjima, and Ibanez would be damn tough to compete with in the AL Worst.
Stephen Drew is already starting to impress me and many of other teams, especially the LA Dodgers. He has at least one hit in his last 4 games and 4 straight extra base hits. He has also been playing very good defense, making his first error tonight in his sixth major league game. He is definitely proving that he is worthy of a spot on the D'Backs roster, and in my opinion, he should be starting every game of the rest of the season; and not just because he is on my fantasy team ;)

Well enough rambling for now. Hopefully I will be back in a few days with more thoughts from the mind of your favorite baseball analyst and mine.

Why He Keeps Going

2006-06-25T20:35:00.000-06:00

Barry Bonds has knee problems in both knees. That is well documented. His body is breaking down at an alarming rate (an effect of steroids...) another well documented fact. So why does he keep going? Well he recently passed Babe Ruth for the most home runs by a left handed hitter. And he also passed the only white man who had more home runs than he did. I may sound a little racist here, but with as racist as Barry is I don't really care, I think he keeps going not because he wants to have more home runs than anyone else, but that he wants to be the most prolific BLACK home run hitter. I think that he wants to be the black man with the most home runs, not just the person. He wants to be the greatest black athlete in history. Well I don't care, he still isn't in this writer's opinion...

All-Star Voting

2006-06-12T18:35:00.000-06:00

My good pal Buh Buh Ken posted who he chooses to be on the All-Star team earlier tonight, and it got me thinking of who I would choose to be the starters for each position. By the way I do think that the fans choosing the starters is a little erroneous. When the leading vote getters for each position except for one in the American League is either a Red Sox or Yankees player it just shows how the fans have no idea who should start or even be in the game for that matter.

This is also a year where the game is played in an NL park so there is no DH. Well in my opinion the All-Star game is an exhibition game for the enjoyment of the fans and I think that the fans would rather see someone like David Ortiz or Travis Hafner hit instead of whoever is selected to be the starting pitcher. The game also should have no impact on who gets home field advantage in the World Series. It just baffles me why Major League Baseball decided to do that. And quite frankly, not every team deserves a player in the game. Please tell me who is worthy of representing the Kansas City Royals this year. Please I beg you to find someone who is deserving of a spot on the roster.

Well off the soapbox for a while and here are my choices for All-Star starters. I will give a little explanation for my choosing each player at each position.

American League
Catcher - Joe Mauer (Min) - The guy is leading all of baseball in hitting and he is the best catcher in the game by a large margin in this reporter's opinion.
First Base - Travis Hafner (Cle) - He is a Designated Hitter by all standards, but the game is being played in Pittsburgh which means no DH in the game.
Second Base - Jose Lopez (Sea) - The weakest position in the voting and nobody has really stood out of the pack here. I give it to him because aside from Ichiro, he has been the only bright spot on the lackluster Seattle ballclub.
Shortstop - Miguel Tejada (Bal) - Other than Bill Hall he is the only player who has double digit homers at the shortstop position. He's also hitting a salty .332.
Third Base - Troy Glaus (Tor) - More homers, RBI, and a higher OPS than A-Rod. I gave some consideration to Mike Lowell too, but not as much production and the All-Star game is about hitting homers and giving the fans a fun game to watch.
Outfield - Ichiro Suzuki (Sea), Vernon Wells (Tor), Nick Swisher (Oak) - Not because I have him on my fantasy teams, but I think Swisher deserves it. He is putting up solid power numbers and is still hitting around .300. Ichiro started out rough, but he has pulled it together and is now the second leading hitter in the bigs. He is also fun to watch in right field. Wells has been having a solid year with a .329 batting average 15 homers and 49 RBI. Good production from all of these guys.

National League
Catcher - Brian McCann (Atl) - Hitting .350 at a weak position. There really is no other option.
First Base - Nomar Garciaparra (LAD) - Toughest position to choose from, but with Pujols injured I thought I would pick someone else. Berkman is having a big year, but Nomar is leading the NL in hitting (he doesn't have enough ABs to qualify, but he needs just a few more) and has been a defensive whiz in the position switch. He is already the comeback player of the year.
Second Base - Chase Utley (Phi) - Best second baseman in baseball and he is having another stellar year hitting over .300 with 12 homers and 40 RBI.
Shortstop - Edgar Renteria (Atl) - Another tough decision because Hanley Ramirez has had a great rookie year. Renteria is hitting 30 points higher and has more homers and RBI so I chose him.
Third Base - Miguel Cabrera (Fla) - He and David Wright are so close in every category, but Cabrera has a higher batting average and OPS so I will go with him.
Outfield - Alfonso Soriano (Was), Jason Bay (Pit), Carlos Lee (Mil) - Ok a little bit of a homer pick, but Lee has 20 bombs and is the only stability in that Milwaukee lineup so he gets the nod. Soriano has been the best player in baseball aside from Albert Pujols and is leading the league in outfield assists. And what a moment would it be to have a hometown player starting in the game. Jason Bay has been a stud this year hitting .314 and having more RBI than strikeouts. He also has the 6th highest OPS in the Majors, 3rd in the NL. Not to mention how he hit a homer in 5 straight games earlier in the year.

First Quarter Awards

2006-05-19T15:23:00.000-06:00

With a little over a quarter of the 2006 MLB Season underway, I have come up with my award winners for Q1.

AL MVP: Jim Thome (CWS) - He has been enfuego over the first 40+ games and making Kenny Williams look like a genius for dealing Aaron Rowand. He is hitting .303 with 18 Homers (second in all of baseball and first in the AL) and has 43 RBI (also second in baseball and first in the AL). His OPS is also second in baseball at an amazing 1.129.

NL MVP: Albert Pujols (StL) - No contest. He is the best player in baseball and I hope that he breaks Barry Bonds' single season homer mark because there is no question that Albert is clean. Besides that fact, he is leading all of baseball in Homers (23) RBI (57) OPS (1.258) Runs (48) is hitting a salty .318 and is playing Gold Glove caliber defense. When it is all over, this guy could go down as the greatest player in the history of baseball he is that damn good.

AL Cy Young: Roy Halladay (Tor) - 6th in the league in ERA (2.77) third in WHIP (1.03) and leads the league with 2 complete games (almost had another last night) and is in the top ten in innings pitched. This guy will give his team a quality start every time out and save the bullpen. Oh and he also has a 6-1 record.

NL Cy Young: Brandon Webb (Ari) - The guy is 7-0 and a major reason that Arizona is above .500 and in first place in the NL Best. He is also third in the league in ERA (2.44) and in the top ten in WHIP (1.10). He also only has 8 walks in 73.2 innings (which leads the NL).

AL Rookie of the Quarter: Justin Verlander (Det) - Hard to argue with a 6-3 record and an ERA of 2.70 which is 5th best in the AL. Opponents are only hitting .230 against the youngster and he has a WHIP of 1.10. He is one of the many reasons that Detroit is leading the AL Central.

NL Rookie of the Quarter: Hanley Ramirez (Fla) - The guy Boston gave up for Beckett and Lowell is hitting .34o (second in the NL) and has 16 stolen bases (second in the NL) and 41 runs scored (second in the NL).

Best Offseason acquisition: Tie between Jim Thome and Josh Beckett/Mike Lowell - I have already described why Thome is in this category, but I have to acknowledge the Florida/Boston deal because Mike Lowell is hitting .331 with 6 homers, 27 RBI, and a league best 21 doubles. He is also a big reason that Boston has the best fielding percentage in all of baseball. Josh Beckett has also been very good with a 6-1 record in 10 starts.

Most surprising Team: Detroit Tigers - Nobody picked them to lead the AL Central at ANY point in the season. But they are doing it and they look like legitimate playoff contenders.

AL Manager of the Quarter: Jim Leyland (Det) - See Most surprising Team.

NL Manager of the Quarter: Grady Little (LAD) - You may be surprised to see that Tony LaRussa or Jerry Narron or even Willy Randolph isn't here, but here's why - Randolph has so much talent on that team if they aren't in first they should be ashamed. Same with LaRussa. Narron has done a good job with Cincy but Little has done just as good a job with LA and has had many more key injuries. Nomar Garciaparra (a key offseason acquisition) has only played in 28 of the team's first 46 games and has been phenomenal. Imagine how many more games they would have won if they had Nomar healthy all year and Gagne healthy in the back end of that bullpen. That is why Little is my choice for NL Manager of the Quarter.

Interleague Play is Upon Us

2006-05-19T15:12:00.000-06:00

I was listening to one of my favorite programs on XM Radio channel 175 (shameless plug lol) called "The Show" with Kevin Kennedy and Rob Dibble and they were discussing interleague play and how they would abandon the idea. That got me thinking about how I feel on the subject of interleague games in baseball...

I am one of the guys who like having it, but wouldn't miss it. I enjoy seeing teams like the Yankees and Red Sox come into Miller Park and take on the Brewers. I enjoy seeing Boston vs. Atlanta or New York vs. New York. I even enjoy watching Tampa Bay vs. Florida because I think that it could forge a rivalry where there really isn't one. Neither Florida nor Tampa Bay really have a team who they are rivals. What about matchups like Toronto and Colorado or Seattle and San Diego? Why not? Players from Toronto wanna have the opportunity to play in Coors. Fans from Seattle don't get to see players like Brian Giles or Jake Peavy. I like the aspect of seeing players and teams that you don't usually get to see. Another matchup that is under scrutiny is St. Louis vs. Kansas City. Well, for this year and the past couple of years it has been awfully lopsided, but 20 years ago this would have been a matchup all of America was paying attention to. Cincinnati vs. Cleveland is a big matchup in the Midwest, and this year fans are oober excited about Cincy taking on Detroit. Cincinnati vs. Detroit! At the beginning of the year nobody would have thought that Detroit was leading their division and Cincinnati was close to the top of the NL Central at the beginning of interleague play.

Rob and Kevin were mentioning how they would like to see interleague play done away with so the division teams could play more games against each other, which in a way I agree with, but at the same time after 19 Yankees/Red Sox games I am a little tired of the rivalry. Especially since they end up facing each other in the playoffs many years so it could end up at 26 games against the same team in a year. It gets a little stale in this columnist's opinion.

One thing that I think would be great about eliminating interleague play would be how teams could play against the teams who are not in their division but in the same league more. As a Brewer fan, I want to see other teams I enjoy watching play against Milwaukee. I wanna see Colorado and Atlanta come into Miller Park or Milwaukee visit Coors more. Being from Montana, I don't have the opportunity to see a whole lot of games, and the ones that I can see are either Colorado or Seattle. I really want to be able to see my Milwaukee Brewers play more often. If there were no interleague play, it could open up the schedule space for Milwaukee and Colorado schedule more games against each other.

There are other matchups that could be rejuvenate by interleague play being abolished. Does anyone remember how the Dodgers and Braves used to be a major rivalry in Major League Baseball? Before the divisions were split and the Wild Card was introduced the Braves and Dodgers were perennial contenders for the National League West.

Another argument for the abandonment of interleague play is how the familiarity between the teams in the World Series is affected. Some individuals are worried that the luster of the World Series could be affected by the AL vs. NL being watered down a little. My question is: How many of the teams who have met in the World Series played against each other during interleague play that season? If that has happened often then I think the interleague situation needs to be dealt with. I think that the World Series is something in sports that needs not be messed with and if the teams are playing against each other before they reach the Series, then baseball needs to address that situation.

All in all, I am excited to see interleague play again because the Minnesota Twins are visiting Miller Park and I get to see how the Brewers fare against the phenom Francisco Liriano. I like seeing that rivalry from the AL be renewed. Interleague play has been good for Major League Baseball. It has brought in more fans and I think it has rejuvenated the players. It will never go away and if it did, meh there are good and bad things about it. But there are good and bad things about everything in baseball...

Rankings Part 1

2006-05-08T13:37:00.000-06:00

After a little over a month of the season I have created what I think is a more innovative ranking system. Instead of ranking the teams in order, I will rank the divisions in order with select teams being singled out for one reason or another.

Best division in baseball: NL Central
If the Cincinnati Reds can be in first place and 4 of the 6 teams are over .500 (with the Cubs being 4 over .500 before their six game skid) and the defending NL Champions only 1.5 games out this is definately the toughest division in baseball right now. Everyone is playing well, even Pittsburgh who are losing tough games against division opponents.

Worst division in baseball: NL East
You probably thought I would say the NL West, but here's the deal: the NL East would only have 1 team over .500 if Philadelphia hadn't faced Florida (the worst team in the league) and San Francisco (the worst team in the NL West). Atlanta has pitching troubles, Washington and Florida just have troubles, and the Mets, as good as they have been may have to go without Billy Wagner with his finger troubles.

Most Suprising team thusfar: Cincinnati Reds/Detroit Tigers/Colorado Rockies
In my season predictions column, I had the Reds and Rockies at the bottom of the division and the Tigers only ahead of Kansas City. But Detroit has been very hot thusfar and only the best team in baseball the Chicago White Sox are ahead of Detroit in the standings. Colorado is winning outside of Coors, and is pitching very well, so they could be in the race down the stretch with the division being so tight. Cincy has been hitting the cover off the ball and pitching just well enough to win games. I don't think Cincy will keep this up for the duration of the season, but they have been a great suprise thusfar.

Most Disappointing team thusfar: Minnesota Twins/Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Minnesota made a lot of moves in the offseason only to be next to last in the division, and the Angels were supposed to compete with Oakland for the division crown this year. Anaheim needs to get Vlad Guerrero some protection in the lineup and get Bartolo Colon healthy and Jeff Weaver needs to get his head on straight so they can stay in the division race.

Teams on the rise: Philadelphia Phillies/San Diego Padres
Both have won their last 8 games and even though they have only beaten teams who's record are below .500 in that stretch, hey they are winning and there really isn't anyone else who fits this category

Teams on the decline: Chicago Cubs/San Francisco Giants
Is Barry that big of a distraction? Maybe. But I think the problem is their starting rotation. Matt Morris has been very disappointing thusfar and Noah Lowry has been on the DL. I thought Chicago would be next to last in the division earlier this year, but without Prior and Wood (very very overrated but that is for another column) they were over .500 until they ran into the Diamondbacks and Padres.

Bounce Back Seasons

2006-03-20T20:37:00.000-07:00

Here are a few players who I think will have a bounce back season this year from a possibly disappointing season last year:

Catcher
-Jason Kendall – He was down in every statistical category from 2004, and I attribute it to playing 150 games and the switch from the NL to the AL. I think he will be back to the normal Kendall (.300, 5 homers, 60 rbi, 80 runs)

-Johnny Estrada – He was hurt most of the season, and I think the trade from Atlanta to Arizona will be good for him. Provided he stays healthy, I see closer to a .300 average, 50 runs, 10 homers, 70 rbi.

First Basemen
-Todd Helton – I hate putting a guy who hit .320 last year on this list, but everyone is talking about how bad a season Helton had last year. His 20 homers and 79 rbi were the lowest of his career, but I fully expect him to be back to his usual, .340 with 35 homers and 120 rbi.

-Justin Morneau – In his first full season as a starter, he only hit .239 with a .304 on-base percentage. With the addition of Luis Castillo, and hopefully a full season from Torii Hunter and Shannon Stewart, I can see 25 homers, 80-90 rbi, and a .275 batting average.

Second Basemen

-Mark Loretta – He was injured for a portion of the season, and his batting average dropped 55 points from 2004. But he is moving from the pitcher friendly PETCO Park to Fenway Park. His numbers should be back to something like .310, 10+ homers, 75 rbi.

-Rickie Weeks – He only hit .239 last year, but it was his first season in the bigs, and he played much of the second half with a messed up thumb. He is poised for a 20-20 season and in the future could be a 30-30 guy.

Third Basemen

-Hank Blalock – His on-base, slugging, and batting averages all dropped from 2004, but he is still playing in Arlington, so he should be getting another 25-30 homers with 90-100 rbi. Hopefully he can draw a few more walks and strikeout less – that would bump his average back to .280ish

-Mike Lowell – Another guy moving from a pitcher friendly park to Fenway. With the lineup around him, he should be primed for a season with 25 homers and 90 rbi. His average should also bounce back to somewhere around .275

Short Stop

-Edgar Renteria – He is moving back to the NL where he had his most productive seasons, and the amount of errors he had last year is very uncharacteristic of him.

-J.J. Hardy – Another sleeper off that young Brewers team, J.J. struggled mightily through the first half of the season, but hit .308 through the second half. I really can see him at 15-20 homers, and a .280-.290 batting average.

Outfield

-Ichiro Suzuki – Another guy who hit over .300 but is still on the list. He had the lowest output of hits in a season for his 5 year MLB career, but he is still Ichiro and will be back to .330 with 30 stolen bases and 115 runs.

-Luis Gonzalez – His .271 batting average last year was 14 points lower than his career average. The D-Backs have surrounded him with quality young position players, and he should be back to .290 with 25 homers and 90 rbi.

-Vernon Wells – With the upgrades that Toronto has made in the offseason, he will have many more rbi opportunities and won’t have as much pressure on his shoulders this year. He should be at .300/30/100.

-Carlos Beltran – Another guy who, like Wells, has found himself surrounded by quality position players and doesn’t have to be the superstar of the team. He will probably be batting second, and will score well over 100 runs. He should be back at .290/25/100/30 stolen bases.

Pitchers

-Jake Westbrook – He pitched too well to warrant his 4.49 ERA with only a .500 record. I think he will be somewhere closer to the 3.38 ERA of 2004 with more than 15 wins.

-Matt Clement – He started out hot, but after he was hit in the head by a Carl Crawford line drive, he was not the same pitcher. I expect him to be back to the first half Clement and have somewhere around a 3.70 ERA with somewhere around 15 wins.

-Curt Schilling – His repaired ankle should hold up this year and he should be back to striking out 200+ batters and having a 3.50 ERA.

-Eric Gagne – Injury only allowed him to earn 8 saves last year, and he should be back to his old self and another 40+ saves.

-Jason Schmidt – His ERA last year was almost a half run higher than his career ERA. His strikeouts dropped by 85 last year, but he wasn’t healthy most of the year. I can very much expect him to be back to 200+ Ks, a sub-3 ERA, and 15+ wins.

2006 Standings

2006-03-09T19:53:00.000-07:00

Here's how I think things will shake out (with last year's record in parenthesis).

AL East
1. New York Yankees (95-67) -> They are like the Braves, once they stop winning the division, I will start picking against them. They had enough pitching last year despite what everybody was saying, and they still have Mariano Rivera.
2. Boston Red Sox (95-67) -> It is still up in the air of how Josh Beckett will do in the American League, and how Curt Schilling and Keith Foulke will bounce back from injuries last year. I think they will all do fine, and Mike Lowell will have a bounce back year as well. I would pick them, but it is just so hard to go against the team that has won the division for the past 10+ years.
3. Toronto Blue Jays (80-82) -> They will finish with a better record than last year, but that won't matter since they are playing against the Red Sox and Yankees. All that money for another 3rd place finish, sounds like the New York Mets...
4. Tampa Bay Devil Rays (67-95) -> I am not nuts I swear. I think with as much young talent as they have it will be hard for them not to jump over the Orioles.
5. Baltimore Orioles (74-88) -> Leo Mazzone will be good for the pitching staff, but they just loaded up on washed up veterans over the off-season and I don't know if Brian Roberts' last year was a fluke or if he is for real.

AL Central
1. Chicago White Sox (99-63) -> They had the best record in the AL last year, and their rotation got BETTER. Barring injuries, which is what every team needs to worry about, they should have another solid season and compete for the AL pennant.
2. Cleveland Indians (93-69) -> I can see them with another 90 win season and compete with Boston and the AL West loser for the Wild Card. I love their young lineup and their pitching staff is solid. I don't like the fact that they lost 2 key bullpen guys, but they did have the best bullpen ERA in the Majors last year so they should still be solid. Andy Marte will take the job from Aaron Boone by the All-Star break - I guarantee it.
3. Minnesota Twins (83-79) -> I love Francisco Liriano and Scott Baker and they have Joe Nathan and Johan Santana still, but I am not so sure about their starting lineup. Can they stay healthy? Can Rondell White still produce? Is Tony Bautista still alive? So many questions.
4. Detroit Tigers (71-91) -> Question mark at the closer position, and how will their rotation do this year? I like Bonderman and I think Verlander will be solid, but can Kenny Rogers still perform, and what is he gonna do about them pesky camera men this year? I like Granderson in center, and Magglio should be healthy this year. Inge is coming into his own, and I think next year they will be in the hunt for the Wild Card for a while. But that is next year...
5. Kansas City Royals (56-106) -> Who will have the worst record in the Majors this year - the Kansas City Royals. I think they will be the only team with 100 losses again this year. They just aren't very good.

AL West
1. Oakland Athletics (88-74) -> I have been back and forth on this one all off-season. I love the addition of Esteban Loaiza and if Frank Thomas gives them 100 games it will be a success. Huston Street was already amazing, and now he is adding a change up. I like their offense and they have the deepest starting rotation in the bigs.
2. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim of California of Unites States of the World (95-67) -> The addition of Jeff Weaver is what made me think of making them the winners of the division. But I think it is the aging Darin Erstad and Garret Anderson that will be their downfall.
3. Texas Rangers (79-83) -> I think this will be the most competitive division in baseball, and Texas will finish above .500, but not far enough above .500 to win the division or the Wild Card. They have a tremendous lineup, but they should've gotten PITCHING for Alfonso Soriano, not more hitting. Millwood has been solid for his whole career, but he may not have a great season in Arlington.
4. Seattle Mariners (69-93) -> I don't think they will lose 90 games this year, but they still won't finish above .500. I love Felix Hernandez, but they are bringing him along slowly, so he won't have the impact this year that he does next year. I also cannot believe Jamie Moyer is still hanging in there. He's gotta break down sometime.

NL East
1. Atlanta Braves (90-72) -> Until someone beats them, I am picking them - End of Story.
2. Philadelphia Phillies (88-74) -> They have the hitting, and they have the rotation, but I don't think Tom Gordon will be quite as good as Billy Wagner has been.
3. New York Mets (83-79) -> See Toronto Blue Jays
4. Washington Nationals (81-81) -> They won't finish above .500, but they won't finish below the Marlins. Alfonso Soriano won't be nearly as good in Washington and RFK as he did in Texas.
5. Florida Marlins (83-79) -> The fire sale will have them in last in the East for a couple of years, and then back in the World Series. It just happens that way. Miguel Cabrera doesn't have enough around him, and Dontrelle Willis (who I think is overrated by the way) won't have enough help in the rotation and bullpen. Just too much youth.

NL Central
1. St. Louis Cardinals (100-62) -> I don't think they will get 100 wins, but they will still win the division. They didn't gain much, but they didn't lose much either. They still have Albert Pujols, Jim Edmonds, and Jason Isringhausen.
2. Milwaukee Brewers (81-81) -> Before you call me a homer, read what I have to say about the rest of the division. They have the best farm system in the majors with the exception of Anaheim, and JJ Hardy was hot after the All-Star break. If Ben Sheets can stay healthy, they will be tough to beat.
3. Houston Astros (89-73) -> They lost Roger Clemens for who knows how long. And they don't have enough hitting. Their rotation has a lot of question marks after Oswalt and Pettite and Backe. Brad Lidge is the reason they will finish ahead of the rest of the teams.
4. Pittsburgh Pirates (67-95) -> I think the addition of Sean Casey is a great one. I like their young rotation, and lineup, but their bullpen is a question mark.
5. Chicago Cubs (79-83) -> I don't think the addition of Juan Pierre will mean as much as everyone thinks. He only has a career .355 OBP. I also think Mark Prior will break down again. Him and Kerry Wood. I like Dempster as the closer, but I wonder how much confidence Dusty Baker has in him.
6. Cincinnati Reds (73-89) -> No pitching. They have enough offense, but that will not be enough. No closer, and only 1 quality starter (Aaron Harang).

NL West
1. Los Angeles Dodgers (71-91) -> I like their off-season additions better than any other team in the weakest divsion in baseball. They have a solid pitching staff and are getting Eric Gagne back. That should be enough to overtake the Padres.
2. San Diego Padres (82-80) -> They didn't lose much, but they still have trouble scoring runs. I don't know how the rotation after Jake Peavy will fare. Chris Young will benefit moving from Arlington to PETCO, but Chan Ho Park wasn't too successful after returning from injury last year.
3. Arizona Diamondbacks (77-85) -> The addition of Orlando Hudson will really help Brandon Webb and the rest of the rotation. I don't know if El Duque will be as successful in the NL as he was in the AL, but having Miguel Batista in the rotation should be a plus.
4. San Francisco Giants (75-87) -> I only put them ahead of the Rockies because Jason Schmidt is coming back from injury. Barry Bonds will play in 50 games, maybe. He'll probably retire during Spring Training, and I would be very happy. They just got older in the off-season, except for the addition of Matt Morris. I like Matt Cain and Brad Hennessey and Noah Lowery, but I don't think they have enough offense.
5. Colorado Rockies (67-95) -> I like their young team, which is why I will pick them to finish much higher NEXT year. But this is this year, and they still don't have much in the pitching department. Their hitting will keep them in games, and Jeff Francis and Aaron Cook will be much improved, but they don't have much in terms of pitching after that. Brian Fuentes is still good at keeping hitters off balance with his funky delivery, but Jose Mesa is going to get lit up in Coors.

2006 Sleepers

2006-03-02T13:41:00.000-07:00

A Position-By-Position Look at some of the players who may help you down the road, yet you wouldn't think of.

Catchers

D. Ardoin/Y. Torrialba (Col) - Whoever starts for the Rockies would be playing 81 games at Coors, that is enough to make them a sleeper in my book.
J. Valentin (Cin) - Take his production from last year, and spread it over 450 ABs, that puts him at 25-30 homers and a .285 batting average. That is solid production from the catcher's spot.
R. Doumit (Pit) - He only hit .255 last year, but with the fact that he didn't play but part time last year, and the lineup they have put around him he should be primed for a breakout year - provided he gets the starting job.
D. Navarro (LAD) - He hit .273 in an August call-up. He is gonna have the starting job this year and they have a pretty decent lineup around him. I expect .280, 10-15 homers and 70 rbi.
J. Mathis (LAA) - Anaheim knew that they had something special in Mathis, so they let Benjie Molina go. While he is a defensive specialist, he still has some pop and I expect a solid freshman campaign from this kid.

First Basemen

P. Fielder (Mil) - He may not be much of a sleeper with everyone picking him to be a ROY Candidate (me included), but he is still worth mentioning. I am expecting 25-30 homers and upwards of 100 RBI while hitting .285.
K. Youkilis (Bos) - He may not be as productive as I would hope with the addition of J.T. Snow, but Youkilis is still the Greek God of Walks. He isn't going to hit for too much power, which is something you look for in a corner infielder, but he will get on base which would translate nicely into some runs scored.
M. Jacobs (Fla) - This guy hit .300 with 11 homers in only 100 at bats! This guy has some pop.
R. Shealy (Col) - Hit .330 while Todd Helton was on the shelf last year, and the Rockies are so high on him that they are going to play him in the outfield during the spring and possibly platoon him in right field with Brad Hawpe.

Second Basemen

R. Weeks (Mil) - Played much of last year with a messed up right thumb, which contributed to his low batting average. I still expect him to have a solid year 20/20 possibly with 30/30 potential.
M. Ellis (Oak) - Only 2 0r 3 players in the majors hit better after the all-star break than Ellis - and he hit 12 of his 13 homers after the break as well. He hit .316 last year and I see no reason for him to hit below .300 again this year.
I. Kinsler (Tex) - He is replacing Alfonso Soriano, but his production will still be solid. He has mucho mucho protection around him in the lineup and will be a great source of runs and steals this year.
H. Kendrick (LAA) - He won't start in the bigs this year, but if you are looking for a great keeper or September call-up he could be your man at the two-bag. Also if Adam Kennedy has some issues early in the year, Kendrick could get the call much sooner.

Short Stop

J.J. Hardy (Mil) - He started off slowly last year, but this is a guy who missed much of his Triple-A season with arm surgery. He hit .308 after the break last year and I can very well see that production carry over to this year.
H. Ramirez (Fla) - He's been an uber-prospect for a couple of years with Boston, but blocked from entry to the majors. When they dealt him to Florida his value skyrocketed. Keep him in mind in keeper leagues.
B. Wood (LAA) - Another guy like Kendrick who is blocked, but may enter later on in the season. He has an amazing bat, and will be a major player for years to come.
R. Cedeno (ChC) - The starting job is all but his, all he has to worry about is Neifi Perez, but Ronnie has a quick bat and could be a great source of steals this season.

Third Base

R. Zimmerman (Was) - Sleeper of the Year. He hit .397 last year, and was only drafted in June. This kid is amazing and is even being compared to Mike Schmidt and Scott Rolen defensively. He is that good.
E. Encarnacion (Cin) - He only hit .230, but he is playing in Cincy with no pressure. I can see him upping his numbers considerably this year and being a pleasant surprise for anyone who takes the chance on him.
A. Marte (Cle) - Another uber-prospect that got dealt in the offseason. When Aaron Boone stumbles, and he will, Marte will be thrown into the lineup and will succeed. He is a guy who, down the road, will be hitting 25 homers and 100 RBI.

Outfield

C. Sullivan (Col) - While he won't be a big power guy, he still hit .294 in 139 games last season and would be a good source of steals and runs, especially in deep leagues.
M. Murton (ChC) - .320 in 51 games is worthy of being on my list. Another guy who would be a good source of runs and unlike Sullivan, would be a run producer - especially in the Cubs lineup.
C. Duffy (Pit) - .341 in 39 games and will probably lead off for the much upgraded Pirates lineup. I can see him getting 100 runs this year if he is healthy. Probably not a big homer guy, but he will get on base consistantly.
J. Rodriguez (StL) - .295 in 56 games last year, and if he can win the starting Left Field job he would be a great addition to a fantasy lineup. He is another guy who could get a good 15-20 homers with regular play.
B. Anderson (CWS) - The Chi Sox dealt away Aaron Rowand because they feel that Anderson is Major League ready. He didn't hit too well in his cup of coffee with the White Sox last year, but given a full season he could hit .275.
R. Church (Was) - I think this guy coulda been the Rookie of the Year last year if he woulda played the whole season. Given 500 at-bats, he could be a 15-20 homer guy with 80-90 RBI.

Pitchers

A. Cook (Col) - Yes I am putting a Rockies pitcher on the sleeper list. He came back from injury after the All-Star break and was very good. He finished the season at 7-2 with a 3.67 ERA. That is phenomenal for a Rockies pitcher. And for those who are wondering, he had a 3.76 ERA at Coors field last year...
R. Madson (Phi) - He was a set-up guy last year but this year he wants to start. He has great stuff and the makeup to be a solid big league starter. He was a solid starter in the minors and I think it will translate into success in the Major League rotation.
F. Cabrera (Cle) - Cleveland's closer of the future. A 1.47 ERA in limited work last year has him ready for this season. If Wickman goes down, this is the guy who is going to get the saves for Cleveland and will also be a great source of strikeouts.
T. Gordon (Phi) - He has closed before and I see him having another good year with Philadelphia.
B. Bowyer/J. Borowski (Fla) - The winner of the Florida closer battle would be a good source of saves this year. Bowyer is the closer of the future, but he may need a little more work and they might not want to thrust him into the pressure packed closer role. Borowski has closed before so he may be in the lead to get the job.