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-Digger's Daily-
It's NFL Draft time! Teams are busy contacting future stars and negotiating trades for draft positioning. Will 2009's #1 become an instant sensation or the next million dollar bonus baby flop?!?
On the clock with big decisions to make is 2008's record breaking winless Detroit Lions (0-16). Draft or trade has been debated by analysts, bloggers and fans. NFL.com's Reader Poll asks readers Who should the Lions select with the No. 1 overall pick in this year's draft? Matthew Stafford, QB (Georgia), Aaron Curry, LB (Wake Forrest) and Jason Smith, OT (Baylor) have been mentioned most often as prizes of this years draft.
I think Detroit's most prudent play is to make a pre-draft deal. Detroit owns picks 1 & 20 placing them in a tremendous win, win situation. They should be able to work out a beneficial deal for players and draft picks for #1. No need to throw top dollar after an unproven player when this team needs many to right their ship. I'm sure there's plenty of low round teams willing to deal away players or picks to secure #1. Especially a powerhouse team drafting deep (New England, Philadelphia, Giants, Pittsburgh). Dallas Cowboys do not have any first round picks. Jerry Jones has been known to wheel and deal. Cowboys unveil their new $1B+ stadium and are thirsty for a Championship.
Here's the current NFL draft order and what I think each team needs heading into selection day (April 25):
1 Detroit Lions - Trade down. Select offensive lineman, defensive lineman or game changing LB.
2 St. Louis Rams - Defense, defense, defense. One of NFL's worst units in yds/game and points allowed (465).
3 Kansas City Chiefs - Offense and defense. Going after a top LB is key.
4 Seattle Seahawks - Not nearly as bad as record suggests. WR (who catches more than drops!), OL, DL would help.
5 Cleveland Browns - QB, RB. Browns and interesting team. QB & WR are draft needs.
6 Cincinnati Bengals - Perhaps they should consult a psychologist or two to interview potential draftees.
7 Oakland Raiders - Who would want to play for Al Davis Raiders?
8 Jacksonville Jaguars - Jags just got Holt. Cornerback, LB and OL keys for immediate success.
9 Green Bay Packers - Protection for QB, DB.
10 San Francisco 49ers - Singletary's first draft. Defense, defense, defense. Special teams help in later rounds.
11 Buffalo Bills - Offensive line needs help. FB & TE would be welcomed additions. 2 1st round picks (11, 28) gives Bills flexibility.
12 Denver Broncos - Quickly rebuilding via trades for new coach Josh McDaniels. Two 1st round picks. They'll probably go for best available game changer. Needs are plentiful. QB and defense especially on line and LB's.
13 Washington Redskins - Pass rusher. field leading QB. Campbell was efficient but doesn't have the instincts to lead Skins to division title.
14 New Orleans Saints - Pass rusher, linebackers, CB, Safety and WR. If the Saints can stop opposing offenses then they'll go from average to great overnight.
15 Houston Texans - Solid young nucleus of talent. Pass rushers & secondary help. Perhaps a stud interior lineman if one's still available.
16 San Diego Chargers - Defense. Big game LB would be an instant upgrade. Heavy hitting Safety.
17 New York Jets - I'm expecting NY to deal before they get to #17. QB is a MUST. DB's and Safety needs upgrading.
18 Denver Broncos - See #12
19 Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Offensive line and special teams. For whatever reason, special teams is usually TB's biggest weakness costing them field position and points.
20 Detroit Lions - See #1
21 Philadelphia Eagles - WR's. Eagles wideouts historically can't catch or break free from defenders. McNabb takes the heat but has no help. Front office decision making not great. Philly should trade up.
22 Minnesota Vikings - Go with best available. Offensive line to patch up holes. LB. Minnesota one or two players away from challenging in up for grabs division.
23 New England Patriots - RB, backup QB, pass rusher, depth. Best drafting guru's in NFL reside here. New England is best team at developing talent and making the right picks. It's probably best to just sit back and see which surprise is snagged.
24 Atlanta Falcons - Coming off an eye opening '08. Defensive play makers will keep this team focused on winning.
25 Miami Dolphins - Draft guru Parcells like tough defenders. Miami needs help in many areas on both sides of the field.
26 Baltimore Ravens - New speedy targets for QB Joe Flacco. Baltimore found out the short conservative attack only goes so far. Deep threat WR to spread the field helps immediately.
27 Indianapolis Colts - Defense. The difference between being an NFL dynasty and a great team has been the lack of a killer D. Head Coach slash Defensive Guru Dungy retired. Colts could quickly become the Rams if they're not careful.
28 Buffalo Bills - See #11.
29 New York Giants - WR & CB. Giants need to step up passing game and stop opponents passing game. A mid round LB couldn't hurt either.
30 Tennessee Titans - QB, WR. Titans need to think out of the box and beyond '09. Collins may or may not repeat success from one year ago. Either way, he's only a one season solution. Deep threat wideouts and better pass protection needed.
31 Arizona Cardinals - Offensive line and defense. Super Bowl runner ups want to prove '08 wasn't a fluke. Lack of run stoppers has been a sore spot for years.
32 Pittsburgh Steelers - Super Bowl Champs draft last. Solid team could use a bruising offensive lineman or shut down corner. If they don't trade up then they'll probably tackle weak spots on the depth chart or special teams.
My top rated players by position:
QB: Matthew Stafford (Georgia)
RB: Chris Wells (Ohio State)
WR: Michael Crabtree (Texas Tech)
TE: Brandon Pettigrew (Oklahoma State)
OL: A.Q. Shipley (Center, Penn State)
DL: Peria Jerry (DT, Mississippi)
LB: Aaron Curry (Wake Forrest)
CB: Malcolm Jenkins (Ohio State)
S: Patrick Chung (Oregon)
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Showing posts with label 2009. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2009. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Saturday, March 14, 2009
2009 National League West Forecast
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-Digger's Daily-
Los Angeles trailed Arizona for most of ’08. In late August, LA had lost 10 of 11 games falling below .500 (68-70). Then came the much publicized trade for Boston star Manny Ramirez. When all was said and done, Joe Torre’s Dodgers were NL West Champs and swept the heavily favored Cubs in the NLDS. 2009 figures to be another dogfight between the division’s top two teams.
Los Angeles Dodgers (Mgr. Joe Torre)
Torre had sweet revenge in 2009. One of the greatest Yankees managers ever was shown disrespect and ultimately dismissed from NY after managing them to 12 consecutive Playoff appearances including 4 World Series Championships. Guess what happened next? Yankees floundered and failed to make the post season. Dodgers won NL West. Sweet revenge! Yes, baseball is a funny game.
Rotation: Billingsley, Kershaw, Kuroda, Wolf, ?? Setup: Kuo. Closer: Broxton. LA lost a couple of starters from last year and seem set to go with younger guns. Jason Schmidt has spent most of his short Dodger career injured after signing a $47M contract. He should finally be ready to join LA’s rotation. Bullpen strength is a must in ’09 to bail out starters. So far so good as this crew has live arms. Catcher Russell Martin has a keen understanding of pitch selection in addition to his timely hitting.
Around the Horn: Looney, Hudson, Furcal, Blake. Solid infield combination of speed, defense and clutch hitting. Ramirez superb LA stats over-shadowed one of LA’s unsung heroes…. 3B Casey Blake. Blake was another vital late season acquisition who helped LA win NL West. Furcal needs to remain healthy in ’09. New 2B Hudson is a gamer. Torre hopes experience takes 1B Looney to the next level.
Outfielders: Ethier, Kemp, Ramirez. Ethier & Kemp continue progressing quickly. Both are very good hitters. Manny was re-signed last week after months of on again off again negotiations. He’s a vital ingredient to this squad’s success. I’m expecting another mind boggling stat year from one of baseball’s top sluggers. Juan Pierre is the odd man out but Torre will find a way to get him into games.
Forecast: Starting pitching is LA’s only potential weakness. Solid defensive group. Steady and improving young hitters coupled with Manny’s power stroke will help Dodgers pass 90 wins. LA has been one of the games best organizations for finding and developing talent. Now it’s time for them to shine.
Arizona Diamondbacks (Mgr. Bob Melvin)
Melvin’s team has the potential to become a force in NL baseball. Maturity must take hold this year or another late season collapse may break up the D-Backs. This is a group without discipline on and off the field. A quick study of the following stats is self explanatory as to why Arizona failed down the stretch in ’08. Rally killing hitters...batter wiff totals: 204 – Reynolds, 165- Young, 121 – Upton (356 AB’s), 101 – Snyder (334 AB’s). Shockingly terrible. Time for another batting instructor! Until this team learns the strike zone… they’ll have a hard time winning games when it counts.
Rotation: Webb, Haren, Garland, Davis, ?? Setup: undecided. Closer: Quails. A bit shaky right now with injuries to #4 starter Davis and #5 unproven Scherzer. These guys might get hit hard. Bullpen is extremely thin. Quails will have problems as a first year closer. Inconsistent catcher Snyder needs to play better heads up baseball.
Around the Horn: Tracy, Lopez, Drew, Reynolds. Not great. Tracy has not turned into the player Arizona hoped he’d become. Lopez is the newcomer at 2B. Drew, another one time highly rated player, has terrible range at SS but can swing the bat (.295, 21 HR). Highly publicized 3B Reynolds was abysmal in the 2nd half. He finished with 204 strikeouts and 34 errors. This crew had better improve quickly if they want to win games.
Outfield: Upton, Young, Byrnes. A bunch of free swinging OF’s will make their share of errors too. Upton had 11 errors and 121 strikeouts in 108 games… absolutely pathetic. CF Young was swinging for the fences all season long after 32 dingers in ’08. He fouled up his swing to the tune of 165 strikeouts. Byrnes tries to return from leg injuries which derailed any chance of an effective ’08. These guys need to focus. A repeat of rally killing strikeouts will be duplicated again this season.
Forecast: I find it amazing Arizona was even in the hunt last year. This happens to be an extremely talented group which needs to learn how to play a “team” game. Until then, selfishness will kill their chances.
Colorado Rockies (Mgr. Clint Hurdle)
Hurdle’s team is two season’s removed from their spectacular ’07 which landed them in the World Series after an incredible victory streak in late September. They took their lumps last year and will be without one of baseball’s best pure hitter in ’09, Matt Holliday.
Rotation: Cook, Jiminez, Marquis, De La Rosa, ?? Setup: undecided. Closer: Street. Rockies starters always face potential trouble when pitching at home. Jiminez has the stuff to be a great pitcher for years to come. The others will probably get hit hard in ’09. Bullpen is pretty solid. Hudson Street will close games out if he can stay healthy. Chris Iannetta is on the path to becoming one of NL’s best catchers of this generation.
Around the Horn: Helton, Barmes, Tulowitzki, Atkins. A pretty solid infield if Barmes plays as expected. Helton’s stats have been deteriorating the past few years. Colorado needs him to bounce back in a big way. Tulowitzki had a tremendous rookie year in ’07 but the wheels fell off in ’08. Atkins is another one of baseball’s rising stars. These guys need to be on everyday if the Rockies want to contend.
Outfield: Hawpe, Spillborghs, Carlos Gonzalez. Hawpe is this groups natural hitter. Spillborghs & Gonzo get their first career cracks as starters. Their defense in spacious Coors Field must be near perfect or the starting staff is in deep trouble.
Forecast: Declining power totals + questionable fielding + not so hot starting pitching = trouble. Rockies know what it takes to reach the promised land. The foundation is set for future success.
San Francisco Giants (Mgr. Bruce Bochy)
Bochy has led SF to back to back 90+ losses after a great tenure with division rival Padres. Giants have a couple of great young arms. Biggest concern, can anyone hit a baseball out of the park? This team will be at the bottom of team homeruns.
Rotation: Lincecum, Cain, Johnson, Zito, Sanchez. Setup: Howry. Closer: Wilson. Lincecum (18-5, 2.62) was outstanding in only his 2nd MLB season. Cain could easily have won 14 instead of losing 14 but fell victim to shoddy defense and no run support. Randy Johnson was signed as a tutor to these young pitchers… and to show what’s left in his tank. Zito has been one of baseball’s biggest free agent busts after signing with SF in ’07. It might not matter how well these guys pitch if teammates can’t score runs.
Around the Horn: Ishikawa, Frandsen, Renteria, Sandoval. Opening day lineup could be quite different as position battles are still in progress everywhere except SS. Minimal big league experience and not much production from the other three pose big problems. Vets Uribe and Aurilia are fighting for starting infield jobs too.
Outfield: Winn, Rowand, Lewis. OF trio covers plenty of ground and will hit for respectable batting average. No hope in the power department. Not much to speak of as of now for backups unless a rookie or walk on player survives camp.
Forecast: Dire. SF is one of the games weakest hitting bunch with no true power hitter. Starting pitchers have great upside potential. Giants will need to win a bunch of 3-2 games…. Don’t bet on it! SF on pace to lose 90+ for years to come until they can rebuilt an offense.
San Diego Padres (Mgr. Bud Black)
Padres never fully recovered from 2007’s late September debacle. Last year was ugly. 2009 might be worse. SD tried unsuccessfully to trade star pitcher Jake Peavy during the winter. He’ll be gone by the trading deadline. SD has shed payroll at every opportunity. This club is spiraling downwards.
Rotation: Peavy, Young, Baek, Correia, Prior. Setup: Meredith. Closer: Bell. Peavy will be gone well before MLB’s July trading deadline. Prior is always one pitch away from injury. He’s still rehabbing and hasn’t pitched in one spring game yet. 2007’s strong first half bullpen threw away playoff hopes. In ’08, they just threw junk. It’ll be a mixed bag of platoon’s behind home plate this season which can’t be promising for the pitching staff.
Around the Horn: Gonzalez, Eckstein, Rodriguez, Kouzmanoff. Solid on the corners with slugging Gonzalez and slugger to be Kouz. Very weak up the middle with Eckstein moving to 2B and Luis Rodriguez manning SS. Don’t be surprised to see Eck return to SS with Edgar Gonzalez taking over at 2B. Middle infield needs help. They won’t get it.
Outfield: Giles, Gerut, Headley/Hairston. Giles is on the downturn of his career but still maintains a terrific batting eye. Gerut & Headley showed brief flashes of promise last year. Hairston will get plenty of AB’s as a reserve unless he wins the starting job this spring.
Forecast: Frigid. SD is facing an identity crisis. Clearly looking to slash payroll but with very few suitors to take on what’s left of high priced players. Padres haven’t won more than 90 games in ten years. At this rate, they’ll be losing 90 for the next ten.
Stay tuned for Awards predictions…..
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-Digger's Daily-
Los Angeles trailed Arizona for most of ’08. In late August, LA had lost 10 of 11 games falling below .500 (68-70). Then came the much publicized trade for Boston star Manny Ramirez. When all was said and done, Joe Torre’s Dodgers were NL West Champs and swept the heavily favored Cubs in the NLDS. 2009 figures to be another dogfight between the division’s top two teams.
Los Angeles Dodgers (Mgr. Joe Torre)
Torre had sweet revenge in 2009. One of the greatest Yankees managers ever was shown disrespect and ultimately dismissed from NY after managing them to 12 consecutive Playoff appearances including 4 World Series Championships. Guess what happened next? Yankees floundered and failed to make the post season. Dodgers won NL West. Sweet revenge! Yes, baseball is a funny game.
Rotation: Billingsley, Kershaw, Kuroda, Wolf, ?? Setup: Kuo. Closer: Broxton. LA lost a couple of starters from last year and seem set to go with younger guns. Jason Schmidt has spent most of his short Dodger career injured after signing a $47M contract. He should finally be ready to join LA’s rotation. Bullpen strength is a must in ’09 to bail out starters. So far so good as this crew has live arms. Catcher Russell Martin has a keen understanding of pitch selection in addition to his timely hitting.
Around the Horn: Looney, Hudson, Furcal, Blake. Solid infield combination of speed, defense and clutch hitting. Ramirez superb LA stats over-shadowed one of LA’s unsung heroes…. 3B Casey Blake. Blake was another vital late season acquisition who helped LA win NL West. Furcal needs to remain healthy in ’09. New 2B Hudson is a gamer. Torre hopes experience takes 1B Looney to the next level.
Outfielders: Ethier, Kemp, Ramirez. Ethier & Kemp continue progressing quickly. Both are very good hitters. Manny was re-signed last week after months of on again off again negotiations. He’s a vital ingredient to this squad’s success. I’m expecting another mind boggling stat year from one of baseball’s top sluggers. Juan Pierre is the odd man out but Torre will find a way to get him into games.
Forecast: Starting pitching is LA’s only potential weakness. Solid defensive group. Steady and improving young hitters coupled with Manny’s power stroke will help Dodgers pass 90 wins. LA has been one of the games best organizations for finding and developing talent. Now it’s time for them to shine.
Arizona Diamondbacks (Mgr. Bob Melvin)
Melvin’s team has the potential to become a force in NL baseball. Maturity must take hold this year or another late season collapse may break up the D-Backs. This is a group without discipline on and off the field. A quick study of the following stats is self explanatory as to why Arizona failed down the stretch in ’08. Rally killing hitters...batter wiff totals: 204 – Reynolds, 165- Young, 121 – Upton (356 AB’s), 101 – Snyder (334 AB’s). Shockingly terrible. Time for another batting instructor! Until this team learns the strike zone… they’ll have a hard time winning games when it counts.
Rotation: Webb, Haren, Garland, Davis, ?? Setup: undecided. Closer: Quails. A bit shaky right now with injuries to #4 starter Davis and #5 unproven Scherzer. These guys might get hit hard. Bullpen is extremely thin. Quails will have problems as a first year closer. Inconsistent catcher Snyder needs to play better heads up baseball.
Around the Horn: Tracy, Lopez, Drew, Reynolds. Not great. Tracy has not turned into the player Arizona hoped he’d become. Lopez is the newcomer at 2B. Drew, another one time highly rated player, has terrible range at SS but can swing the bat (.295, 21 HR). Highly publicized 3B Reynolds was abysmal in the 2nd half. He finished with 204 strikeouts and 34 errors. This crew had better improve quickly if they want to win games.
Outfield: Upton, Young, Byrnes. A bunch of free swinging OF’s will make their share of errors too. Upton had 11 errors and 121 strikeouts in 108 games… absolutely pathetic. CF Young was swinging for the fences all season long after 32 dingers in ’08. He fouled up his swing to the tune of 165 strikeouts. Byrnes tries to return from leg injuries which derailed any chance of an effective ’08. These guys need to focus. A repeat of rally killing strikeouts will be duplicated again this season.
Forecast: I find it amazing Arizona was even in the hunt last year. This happens to be an extremely talented group which needs to learn how to play a “team” game. Until then, selfishness will kill their chances.
Colorado Rockies (Mgr. Clint Hurdle)
Hurdle’s team is two season’s removed from their spectacular ’07 which landed them in the World Series after an incredible victory streak in late September. They took their lumps last year and will be without one of baseball’s best pure hitter in ’09, Matt Holliday.
Rotation: Cook, Jiminez, Marquis, De La Rosa, ?? Setup: undecided. Closer: Street. Rockies starters always face potential trouble when pitching at home. Jiminez has the stuff to be a great pitcher for years to come. The others will probably get hit hard in ’09. Bullpen is pretty solid. Hudson Street will close games out if he can stay healthy. Chris Iannetta is on the path to becoming one of NL’s best catchers of this generation.
Around the Horn: Helton, Barmes, Tulowitzki, Atkins. A pretty solid infield if Barmes plays as expected. Helton’s stats have been deteriorating the past few years. Colorado needs him to bounce back in a big way. Tulowitzki had a tremendous rookie year in ’07 but the wheels fell off in ’08. Atkins is another one of baseball’s rising stars. These guys need to be on everyday if the Rockies want to contend.
Outfield: Hawpe, Spillborghs, Carlos Gonzalez. Hawpe is this groups natural hitter. Spillborghs & Gonzo get their first career cracks as starters. Their defense in spacious Coors Field must be near perfect or the starting staff is in deep trouble.
Forecast: Declining power totals + questionable fielding + not so hot starting pitching = trouble. Rockies know what it takes to reach the promised land. The foundation is set for future success.
San Francisco Giants (Mgr. Bruce Bochy)
Bochy has led SF to back to back 90+ losses after a great tenure with division rival Padres. Giants have a couple of great young arms. Biggest concern, can anyone hit a baseball out of the park? This team will be at the bottom of team homeruns.
Rotation: Lincecum, Cain, Johnson, Zito, Sanchez. Setup: Howry. Closer: Wilson. Lincecum (18-5, 2.62) was outstanding in only his 2nd MLB season. Cain could easily have won 14 instead of losing 14 but fell victim to shoddy defense and no run support. Randy Johnson was signed as a tutor to these young pitchers… and to show what’s left in his tank. Zito has been one of baseball’s biggest free agent busts after signing with SF in ’07. It might not matter how well these guys pitch if teammates can’t score runs.
Around the Horn: Ishikawa, Frandsen, Renteria, Sandoval. Opening day lineup could be quite different as position battles are still in progress everywhere except SS. Minimal big league experience and not much production from the other three pose big problems. Vets Uribe and Aurilia are fighting for starting infield jobs too.
Outfield: Winn, Rowand, Lewis. OF trio covers plenty of ground and will hit for respectable batting average. No hope in the power department. Not much to speak of as of now for backups unless a rookie or walk on player survives camp.
Forecast: Dire. SF is one of the games weakest hitting bunch with no true power hitter. Starting pitchers have great upside potential. Giants will need to win a bunch of 3-2 games…. Don’t bet on it! SF on pace to lose 90+ for years to come until they can rebuilt an offense.
San Diego Padres (Mgr. Bud Black)
Padres never fully recovered from 2007’s late September debacle. Last year was ugly. 2009 might be worse. SD tried unsuccessfully to trade star pitcher Jake Peavy during the winter. He’ll be gone by the trading deadline. SD has shed payroll at every opportunity. This club is spiraling downwards.
Rotation: Peavy, Young, Baek, Correia, Prior. Setup: Meredith. Closer: Bell. Peavy will be gone well before MLB’s July trading deadline. Prior is always one pitch away from injury. He’s still rehabbing and hasn’t pitched in one spring game yet. 2007’s strong first half bullpen threw away playoff hopes. In ’08, they just threw junk. It’ll be a mixed bag of platoon’s behind home plate this season which can’t be promising for the pitching staff.
Around the Horn: Gonzalez, Eckstein, Rodriguez, Kouzmanoff. Solid on the corners with slugging Gonzalez and slugger to be Kouz. Very weak up the middle with Eckstein moving to 2B and Luis Rodriguez manning SS. Don’t be surprised to see Eck return to SS with Edgar Gonzalez taking over at 2B. Middle infield needs help. They won’t get it.
Outfield: Giles, Gerut, Headley/Hairston. Giles is on the downturn of his career but still maintains a terrific batting eye. Gerut & Headley showed brief flashes of promise last year. Hairston will get plenty of AB’s as a reserve unless he wins the starting job this spring.
Forecast: Frigid. SD is facing an identity crisis. Clearly looking to slash payroll but with very few suitors to take on what’s left of high priced players. Padres haven’t won more than 90 games in ten years. At this rate, they’ll be losing 90 for the next ten.
Stay tuned for Awards predictions…..
(www.allworldallsports.com)
Friday, March 13, 2009
2009 National League Central Forecast
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-Digger's Daily-
Chicago is favored again to win the NL Central. 100 years and counting since the Cubs last won a Championship. From curses to errors to chokes… a century of players haven’t solved their drought. 97 wins in ’08 was a NL best. However, they were quickly eliminated in three straight Playoff games for the 2nd consecutive season. Cubbies will dominate again this regular season before finding a new and innovative way to extend their streak. Dusty Baker will have fun and fits with his young Cincinnati team. They’ll score runs in bunches. Houston, St. Louis & Milwaukee are all searching for answers before teams break camp. Pittsburgh can’t seem to put it together. A promising team a couple of years ago now is hoping experience finally pays off.
Chicago Cubs (Mgr. Lou Piniella)
Piniella’s team has it all. Great hitting, great pitching, speed and defense. So why can’t they win a Playoff game when it counts? Cubs are poised to dominate the Central again in ’09.
Rotation: Zambrano, Harden, Dempster, Lilly, ??. Setup: Gregg. Closer: Carlos Marmol. Chicago’s front four make up the Central’s deepest staff. 5th nod is up for grabs between two hopefuls enjoying great springs (Marshall, Samardzija). ’09 is Marmol’s first as a closer. He’ll get plenty of save chances picking up where quality starts leave off. A solid group of relievers will keep Piniella from throwing fits. Rising star catcher Geovani Soto is quickly becoming one of baseball’s premier players.
Around the Horn: Lee, Fontenot/Miles, Theriot, Ramirez. Solid group flashes leather and produces at the plate. I’m expecting all of them to put up big numbers in ’09.
Outfield: Bradley, Fukudome, Soriano. Milton Bradley brings his flamboyant style to the Windy City. Perhaps, he’s just what this team needs to loosen up in October. Then again, he’s been accused of disrupting one of his former teams. Fukudome wound up in Lou’s doghouse last year. If he starts slowly, Reed Johnson is ready and waiting to take over. Soriano is deadly when healthy.
Forecast: Cubs set to run away with Central. 100+ wins is easily within reach.
Cincinnati Reds (Mgr. Dusty Baker)Baker’s bunch plays an exciting brand of baseball. Do not be surprised to see them challenge Chicago for division honors. I see them more of a viable Wild Card candidate. It just might happen if their pitching staff plays big.
Rotation: Harang, Volquez, Arroyo, Cueto, Owings. Setup: Weathers. Closer: Cordero. Reds rotation has tremendous upside. Volquez & Cueto are unhittable when on their game. Arroyo gives innings. Harang needs to rebound after a less than stellar ’08. Chicago better not get to comfortable believing they’re the best. Cincinnati’s gaining quickly. Free agent catcher Ramon Hernandez should enjoy hitting friendly Central ballparks. His numbers should improve in Cincy.
Around the Horn: Votto, Phillips, Gonzalez, Encarnacion. Young guns will be tested this year. Votto had a great rookie year in ’08. Phillips is a top tier 2B. Gonzo and Encarnacion will need to develop better batting eyes and cut down on fielding gaffs. It’s only a matter of time before this infield starts earning attention.
Outfield: Bruce, Taveras, Hairston. Bruce was impressive during his rookie season. Sophomore jinx or the real deal? Baker hopes he’s ready for prime time. Taveras brings speed (68 steals in ’08). Oft injured Hairston continues to receive chance after chance by various teams. He’s never lived up to the hype. Waiting in the wings is Chris Dickerson.
Forecast: Reds might be a year away from becoming playoff contenders. It shouldn’t surprise anyone if they qualify in ’09.
Houston Astros (Mgr. Cecil Cooper)Cooper seems firmly in control of his team. Fundamentally sound baseball and remaining relatively free of injury are the keys for Houston. It’ll be a rough ride trying to catch Chicago. 2nd place can be had.
Rotation: Oswalt, Rodriguez, Hampton, Backe, ? Setup: Hawkins. Closer: Valverde. Oswalt is the only proven gun. Astros have been high on Rodriguez for years… in ’08 he finally showed why. Hampton will try, again, resurrecting a career nearly ended by multiple injuries. Backe returns as starter #4. Hard throwing bullpen will help put out fires. Lineup weak spot is catcher. They’re not the best game callers either. Houston should try to sign free agent catcher Ivan Rodriguez. Around the Horn: Berkman, Matsui, Tejada, Blum. Berkman is a professional hitter who doesn’t get cheated at the plate. Matsui has become a solid 2B. Tejada’s power numbers have declined. No surprise since he was once a juicer. Blum is another lineup weakness. Thin depth offers few solutions if the DL comes into play.
Outfield: Pence, Bourne, Lee. Prince and Bourne continue to develop. Lee provides power and clutch hitting. Erstad & Jason Michaels are the backups looking for as many AB’s as possible.
Forecast: Bland. Maybe they’ll win a few, maybe lose a few? Middle of the road Astros will not be a playoff contender.
St. Louis Cardinals (Mgr. Tony LaRussa)After 100 games in ’08, Cards were 57-43 trailing 1st by 2 games. They finished 11.5 games out. LaRussa has a few new faces in the field and one returning stud on the hill. I don’t envision StL putting up any sort of serious challenge.
Rotation: Wainwright, Carpenter, Lohse, Wellmeyer, Pineiro. Setup: undecided. Closer: undecided. It’s tough heading into the regular season without a proven closer. Rotation is all righties. Carpenter returns after a long injury rehab. He’ll be counted on to keep Cards competitive. Vet Yadier Molina, known for defense, hit .304 last year. Can he do it again?
Around the Horn: Pujols, Schumaker, Greene, Mathier. Not enough praise can be given to Pujols, both on and off the diamond. One of baseball’s greatest ever pure hitters has many stellar years to go. He’s StL only lock for this infield. Schumaker has had a rough transition learning 2B this spring. He will make at least 30 errors if LaRussa refuses to use a regular 2B type. Kevin Greene has faded in recent years. Mathier is another conversion experiment. Cards infield might be worst majors has seen in recent years.
Outfield: Ludwick, Ankiel, Duncan. These three swing for the fences. Ludwick came out of nowhere last year hitting 37 round trippers. Will he do it again? Probably not as I peg him to nail 20-25 this year. Ankiel has been a StL fan favorite since day one. It’s great to see him back in the majors playing well (converted from pitcher to CF).
Forecast: Don’t expect many positive reports coming out of Cards camp this summer. Too many experiments with key infield positions will have pitchers beating up water fountains. Distant 4th.
Milwaukee Brewers (Mgr. Ken Macha)How quickly the mighty dismantle. Milwaukee had risen out of mediocrity in recent years behind a gutsy pitching staff and powerful hitting. The pitching is now gone (Sabathia, Sheets). Hitters remain but play inconsistent defense. Macha’s Brewers were predicted by many to be Central champs in ‘07/’08. These guys are horrific by making bad outs. Hitters must learn the strike zone. They all strike out way too much to be successful for the long haul. They’ll be lucky to break even.
Rotation: Gallardo, Bush, Suppan, Looper, Parra/ McClung. Setup: undecided. Closer: Hoffman. Trevor Hoffman deserved a better send off out of San Diego. He’ll take over here hoping for many save opportunities (good luck). Rotation isn’t going to strike any fear into slugging NL lineups. Not much depth to be found anywhere on this staff. Light hitting Kendall is back doing the catching.
Around the Horn: Fielder, Weeks, Hardy, Hall. Slugging weak fielding Fielder leads the attack. He’s a liability at 1B on defense… as are the rest of these infielders. Inconsistent fielders & hitters who strike out way too much.
Outfield: Hart, Cameron, Braun. These 3 can play. Cameron is best known for acrobatic defensive plays. Hart & Braun are rising slugging stars. Braun is already an MVP caliber player. As with infielders, strike outs will be costly.
Forecast: Not good. They have a shot at finishing ahead of StL if they play fundamental baseball (don’t count on it). Temporary lapses will cost these guys dearly.
Pittsburgh Pirates (Mgr. Frank Coonelly)The Bucks are one of the teams I previously thought would accomplish similar feats along the likes of Tampa, Florida or Colorado style. Young talented starting pitchers, solid up the middle defense and nearly everyone an above average hitter. Finding a winning formula never materialized. They’ve earned a last place ranking heading into ’09 (which means they’ll win it all… not).
Rotation: Maholm, Snell, Duke, Gorzelanny, Karstens. Setup: undecided. Closer: Capps. At one time or another, these front four all showed flashes of future stardom. Unfortunately, they never managed to get it right at the same time. If they can get it going a first half wild card challenge is in the mix. Don’t bet on it but there is serious talent on Pittsburgh’s mound. Bullpen is another story but it’s usually because of severe mid-season burnout. Doumit’s the man behind home & will have a big year..
Around the Horn: Adam LaRoche, Sanchez, Wilson, Andy LaRoche. Andy has been a perennial slow starter in Pittsburgh contributing to lousy team April results. Brother Andy hasn’t shown much but the job is his to win or lose. Middle infielders solid and can hit.
Outfield: Morse, McLouth, Pearce, Monroe. McLouth will try improving on a great ’08 season. He’s the real deal. Walk on player Craig Monroe has been on fire this spring. He nailed 3 homers Thursday raising his total to 6 this spring. Pirates would be nuts not to give him a shot at starting. Morse and Pearce are a work in progress and haven’t been guaranteed a job just yet.
Forecast: 2009 looks like a long year for Pirates fans. Until they learn to win in April, there will be no talk of September’s. Time for Pittsburgh to prove their worthy of charging admission to the public!
Stay tuned… NL West up next!
(www.allworldallsports.com)
-Digger's Daily-
Chicago is favored again to win the NL Central. 100 years and counting since the Cubs last won a Championship. From curses to errors to chokes… a century of players haven’t solved their drought. 97 wins in ’08 was a NL best. However, they were quickly eliminated in three straight Playoff games for the 2nd consecutive season. Cubbies will dominate again this regular season before finding a new and innovative way to extend their streak. Dusty Baker will have fun and fits with his young Cincinnati team. They’ll score runs in bunches. Houston, St. Louis & Milwaukee are all searching for answers before teams break camp. Pittsburgh can’t seem to put it together. A promising team a couple of years ago now is hoping experience finally pays off.
Chicago Cubs (Mgr. Lou Piniella)
Piniella’s team has it all. Great hitting, great pitching, speed and defense. So why can’t they win a Playoff game when it counts? Cubs are poised to dominate the Central again in ’09.
Rotation: Zambrano, Harden, Dempster, Lilly, ??. Setup: Gregg. Closer: Carlos Marmol. Chicago’s front four make up the Central’s deepest staff. 5th nod is up for grabs between two hopefuls enjoying great springs (Marshall, Samardzija). ’09 is Marmol’s first as a closer. He’ll get plenty of save chances picking up where quality starts leave off. A solid group of relievers will keep Piniella from throwing fits. Rising star catcher Geovani Soto is quickly becoming one of baseball’s premier players.
Around the Horn: Lee, Fontenot/Miles, Theriot, Ramirez. Solid group flashes leather and produces at the plate. I’m expecting all of them to put up big numbers in ’09.
Outfield: Bradley, Fukudome, Soriano. Milton Bradley brings his flamboyant style to the Windy City. Perhaps, he’s just what this team needs to loosen up in October. Then again, he’s been accused of disrupting one of his former teams. Fukudome wound up in Lou’s doghouse last year. If he starts slowly, Reed Johnson is ready and waiting to take over. Soriano is deadly when healthy.
Forecast: Cubs set to run away with Central. 100+ wins is easily within reach.
Cincinnati Reds (Mgr. Dusty Baker)Baker’s bunch plays an exciting brand of baseball. Do not be surprised to see them challenge Chicago for division honors. I see them more of a viable Wild Card candidate. It just might happen if their pitching staff plays big.
Rotation: Harang, Volquez, Arroyo, Cueto, Owings. Setup: Weathers. Closer: Cordero. Reds rotation has tremendous upside. Volquez & Cueto are unhittable when on their game. Arroyo gives innings. Harang needs to rebound after a less than stellar ’08. Chicago better not get to comfortable believing they’re the best. Cincinnati’s gaining quickly. Free agent catcher Ramon Hernandez should enjoy hitting friendly Central ballparks. His numbers should improve in Cincy.
Around the Horn: Votto, Phillips, Gonzalez, Encarnacion. Young guns will be tested this year. Votto had a great rookie year in ’08. Phillips is a top tier 2B. Gonzo and Encarnacion will need to develop better batting eyes and cut down on fielding gaffs. It’s only a matter of time before this infield starts earning attention.
Outfield: Bruce, Taveras, Hairston. Bruce was impressive during his rookie season. Sophomore jinx or the real deal? Baker hopes he’s ready for prime time. Taveras brings speed (68 steals in ’08). Oft injured Hairston continues to receive chance after chance by various teams. He’s never lived up to the hype. Waiting in the wings is Chris Dickerson.
Forecast: Reds might be a year away from becoming playoff contenders. It shouldn’t surprise anyone if they qualify in ’09.
Houston Astros (Mgr. Cecil Cooper)Cooper seems firmly in control of his team. Fundamentally sound baseball and remaining relatively free of injury are the keys for Houston. It’ll be a rough ride trying to catch Chicago. 2nd place can be had.
Rotation: Oswalt, Rodriguez, Hampton, Backe, ? Setup: Hawkins. Closer: Valverde. Oswalt is the only proven gun. Astros have been high on Rodriguez for years… in ’08 he finally showed why. Hampton will try, again, resurrecting a career nearly ended by multiple injuries. Backe returns as starter #4. Hard throwing bullpen will help put out fires. Lineup weak spot is catcher. They’re not the best game callers either. Houston should try to sign free agent catcher Ivan Rodriguez. Around the Horn: Berkman, Matsui, Tejada, Blum. Berkman is a professional hitter who doesn’t get cheated at the plate. Matsui has become a solid 2B. Tejada’s power numbers have declined. No surprise since he was once a juicer. Blum is another lineup weakness. Thin depth offers few solutions if the DL comes into play.
Outfield: Pence, Bourne, Lee. Prince and Bourne continue to develop. Lee provides power and clutch hitting. Erstad & Jason Michaels are the backups looking for as many AB’s as possible.
Forecast: Bland. Maybe they’ll win a few, maybe lose a few? Middle of the road Astros will not be a playoff contender.
St. Louis Cardinals (Mgr. Tony LaRussa)After 100 games in ’08, Cards were 57-43 trailing 1st by 2 games. They finished 11.5 games out. LaRussa has a few new faces in the field and one returning stud on the hill. I don’t envision StL putting up any sort of serious challenge.
Rotation: Wainwright, Carpenter, Lohse, Wellmeyer, Pineiro. Setup: undecided. Closer: undecided. It’s tough heading into the regular season without a proven closer. Rotation is all righties. Carpenter returns after a long injury rehab. He’ll be counted on to keep Cards competitive. Vet Yadier Molina, known for defense, hit .304 last year. Can he do it again?
Around the Horn: Pujols, Schumaker, Greene, Mathier. Not enough praise can be given to Pujols, both on and off the diamond. One of baseball’s greatest ever pure hitters has many stellar years to go. He’s StL only lock for this infield. Schumaker has had a rough transition learning 2B this spring. He will make at least 30 errors if LaRussa refuses to use a regular 2B type. Kevin Greene has faded in recent years. Mathier is another conversion experiment. Cards infield might be worst majors has seen in recent years.
Outfield: Ludwick, Ankiel, Duncan. These three swing for the fences. Ludwick came out of nowhere last year hitting 37 round trippers. Will he do it again? Probably not as I peg him to nail 20-25 this year. Ankiel has been a StL fan favorite since day one. It’s great to see him back in the majors playing well (converted from pitcher to CF).
Forecast: Don’t expect many positive reports coming out of Cards camp this summer. Too many experiments with key infield positions will have pitchers beating up water fountains. Distant 4th.
Milwaukee Brewers (Mgr. Ken Macha)How quickly the mighty dismantle. Milwaukee had risen out of mediocrity in recent years behind a gutsy pitching staff and powerful hitting. The pitching is now gone (Sabathia, Sheets). Hitters remain but play inconsistent defense. Macha’s Brewers were predicted by many to be Central champs in ‘07/’08. These guys are horrific by making bad outs. Hitters must learn the strike zone. They all strike out way too much to be successful for the long haul. They’ll be lucky to break even.
Rotation: Gallardo, Bush, Suppan, Looper, Parra/ McClung. Setup: undecided. Closer: Hoffman. Trevor Hoffman deserved a better send off out of San Diego. He’ll take over here hoping for many save opportunities (good luck). Rotation isn’t going to strike any fear into slugging NL lineups. Not much depth to be found anywhere on this staff. Light hitting Kendall is back doing the catching.
Around the Horn: Fielder, Weeks, Hardy, Hall. Slugging weak fielding Fielder leads the attack. He’s a liability at 1B on defense… as are the rest of these infielders. Inconsistent fielders & hitters who strike out way too much.
Outfield: Hart, Cameron, Braun. These 3 can play. Cameron is best known for acrobatic defensive plays. Hart & Braun are rising slugging stars. Braun is already an MVP caliber player. As with infielders, strike outs will be costly.
Forecast: Not good. They have a shot at finishing ahead of StL if they play fundamental baseball (don’t count on it). Temporary lapses will cost these guys dearly.
Pittsburgh Pirates (Mgr. Frank Coonelly)The Bucks are one of the teams I previously thought would accomplish similar feats along the likes of Tampa, Florida or Colorado style. Young talented starting pitchers, solid up the middle defense and nearly everyone an above average hitter. Finding a winning formula never materialized. They’ve earned a last place ranking heading into ’09 (which means they’ll win it all… not).
Rotation: Maholm, Snell, Duke, Gorzelanny, Karstens. Setup: undecided. Closer: Capps. At one time or another, these front four all showed flashes of future stardom. Unfortunately, they never managed to get it right at the same time. If they can get it going a first half wild card challenge is in the mix. Don’t bet on it but there is serious talent on Pittsburgh’s mound. Bullpen is another story but it’s usually because of severe mid-season burnout. Doumit’s the man behind home & will have a big year..
Around the Horn: Adam LaRoche, Sanchez, Wilson, Andy LaRoche. Andy has been a perennial slow starter in Pittsburgh contributing to lousy team April results. Brother Andy hasn’t shown much but the job is his to win or lose. Middle infielders solid and can hit.
Outfield: Morse, McLouth, Pearce, Monroe. McLouth will try improving on a great ’08 season. He’s the real deal. Walk on player Craig Monroe has been on fire this spring. He nailed 3 homers Thursday raising his total to 6 this spring. Pirates would be nuts not to give him a shot at starting. Morse and Pearce are a work in progress and haven’t been guaranteed a job just yet.
Forecast: 2009 looks like a long year for Pirates fans. Until they learn to win in April, there will be no talk of September’s. Time for Pittsburgh to prove their worthy of charging admission to the public!
Stay tuned… NL West up next!
(www.allworldallsports.com)
Thursday, March 12, 2009
2009 National League East Forecast
Visit All World All Sports
by Digger
The World Champion Philadelphia Phillies wasted no time boasting of their lock on winning consecutive World Series. Cole Hamels and Jimmy Rollins have called division rival New York “choke artists” after Met back to back September failures. Atlanta might be on pace for 14 straight years of non-titles after more than a decade as East champs. Never count out the Marlins. Perennial youngest team is a wild card contender. Washington is the cellar dweller.
Philadelphia Phillies (Mgr. Charlie Manuel)The Champs added Raul Ibanez to the NL’s deepest team. Speed, power, pitching & defense. Manuel’s team will win 100 games.
Rotation: Hamels, Myers, Blanton, Moyer, Kendrick or JA Happ. Setup: Madson. Closer: Lidge. Gutsy cast of characters led by Cy Young candidate to be Cole Hamels. Ageless Moyer returns after leading Phils with 16 victories in ’09. J.A. Happ is only moments away from joining the big league staff. He’s been impressive this spring. Phillies staff will get deep into games. Bullpen is tough as nails but short on lefties. Ruiz & Coste will share catching duties.
Around the Horn: Howard, Utley, Rollins & Feliz. Howard (’06) & Rollins (’07) have recently won MVP awards. Utley could be next. Hands down, NL’s best hitting infield. Great defense up the middle. This bunch will come to play every day.
Outfield: Werth, Victorino, Ibanez, Jenkins. Ibanez stats should explode in his new home park after playing in pitching friendly Safeco. He’ll have plenty of RBI chances and could creep into an MVP caliber season. Solid defensive group.
Forecast: All systems go. Phillies will run away with NL East unless over confidence crumbles their game. Doubt it. Phils on pace for 100+ victories.
New York Mets (Mgr. Jerry Manuel)Where has the Mets magic gone? Back to back gut wrenching September failures. Gone is Shea Stadium. Replaced by new Citi Field (a.k.a. Bail Out Park, a.k.a. Taxpayer Field). Citi Bank is locked into a $400M sponsorship deal with the Mets for naming rights to the new stadium in Flushing. GM Minaya’s mission this off season was to strengthen their biggest weakness, relievers. Record breaking closer Francisco Rodriguez (62 saves) and JJ Putz have been brought in to shut down teams in 8th & 9th. However, getting there will difficult behind NY’s starting staff. Manuel’s slated to tinker with the batting order. Speedster Reyes will hit 3rd, 2B Luis Castillo to lead off. IS HE CRAZY? Reyes is one of the game’s best leadoff hitters. There are far better run producers who should be batting 3rd. I do not like this move one bit. September woes will not happen this season. April might shower their season early on.
Rotation: Santana, Pelfrey, Maine, Perez &?? Setup: Putz. Closer: Rodriguez. Santana is baseball’s best lefty but had early spring arm concerns. His health is suddenly in question. Pelfrey is a rising star. Maine had a rough time last year and has been off so far this spring. His #3 slot is essential to NY having a shot this year. Perez resigned after little free agent interest from other clubs. You never know which Perez will show up… wild man or untouchable. 5th slot is in shambles. Pedro remains unsigned after being one of the biggest busts in Mets history. The competition is between Freddie Garcia, Livan Hernandez and Tim Redding … all have been blasted this spring. They’re best days are long behind. Signing Pedro cheap makes sense if he can be had. Promote a hard throwing rookie. Something other than what’s on paper now. Schneider is not one of the better pitch calling catchers. He needs to start working OT with his staff.
Around the Horn: Delgado, Castillo, Reyes, Wright. Early season success is key in ’09. Delgado was out of synch in the 1st half before catching fire in July. Reyes has stolen 262 bases leading off since 2005. Manuel wants him batting 3rd. Ugh! Wright needs to find his clutch stroke this year. Way too many missed chances with games on the line. NY’s infield defense is one of baseball’s best.
Outfield: Church, Beltran, Murphy, Tatis. Rookie Murphy has won the LF job. It could be rough going if he falters. Beltran has been one month on, one month off two years running. RF can use a boost. Church is not the answer. Tatis will get plenty of AB’s filling in at multiple positions (LF, RF, 3B, 1B, PH) but lacks range.
Forecast: Magic is often found when christening new ballparks. The Mets have great defense and solid hitters. Question remains as to when they’ll finally put it all together? Phillies have challenged them. Phillies have insulted them. Mets have suffered two terrible Septembers. No team has more incentive to win than New York.
Florida Marlins (Mgr. Fredi Gonzalez)Young Marlins teams have been finding ways to win for years. Clearly one of baseball’s best scouting & farm systems cranks out future stars yearly. Problem is there’s rarely enough money in the kitty to keep them in South Florida. Marlins’ lineup has the potential to be explosive. Are their young pitchers ready to handle a long 162 game season?
Rotation: Nolasco, Johnson, Volstad, Sanchez, Miller. Setup: undecided. Closer: Lindstrom. Young, unproven bunch should receive plenty of run support. Throwing strikes and staying ahead of hitters is paramount to success. Lindstrom gets first crack at closing games. Bullpen might be a bit thin and overworked by the end of May. Catcher’s duties are up for grabs. None figure to contribute much run production.
Around the Horn: Cantu (Sanchez), Uggla, Ramirez, McPhearson (Cantu/Bonifacio). Many options are being considered this spring. Slugger Cantu (defensive liability) will start somewhere depending on spring battles. Cantu starts at 3B if rookie Gaby Sanchez wins the 1B job. Or, Cantu might start at 1B if rookie Emilio Bonifacio wins a job. Slugger to be McPhearson is also battling at 3B. Gonzalez will figure this one out soon enough. Uggla & Ramirez are two of baseball’s best. Marlins will be fielding plenty of inquiries around MLB’s trading deadline.
Outfield: Ross, Maybin, Hermidia. Corner OF’s Ross & Hermidia have huge upside potential. Big power numbers shouldn’t surprise anyone but they’re both probably one year away. Speedy Maybin is counted on to ignite Florida’s attack.
Forecast: Marlins will be streaky. This group will battle hard every game. Are they ready for prime time? Don’t be surprised if Florida is in wild card contention on September 1.
Atlanta Braves (Mgr. Bobby Cox)Volatile manager Bobby Cox is still one of baseball’s best. His team has aged before his eyes. New recruits have shown flashes in recent years. However, it’s been without enough consistency to keep Atlanta winning. Fans south of the border have complained I’m underestimating their beloved Braves. Lack of hitting power will make it hard for Atlanta to keep up with more potent attacks.
Rotation: Lowe, Vasquez, Jurrjens,??,?? Setup: Soriano. Closer: Gonzalez. Hudson is on the 60 day DL. Glavine’s return is on hold due to injury. This staff is hurting. Back end starters are struggling this spring. Cox entire bullpen figures to be burnt out early. NL backstop Brian McCann is one of baseball’s best.
Around the Horn: Kotchman, Johnson, Escobar, Chipper. 15 year vet 3B Chipper Jones hit a career best .364 during an injury riddled ’08. He’s already fighting an oblique strain. He’s one of baseball’s class acts. No signs of slowing down when he’s on the field. Keeping him there is another story. No power from the remaining infielders. Escobar needs to play mistake free SS.
Outfield: Francouer, Josh Anderson, Garret Anderson. Francouer struggled all of last season after a solid ’08. Josh A. is unproven but ranks high on Cox list. Garret Anderson has always been one of my favorite players. Steady (career .296), clutch, team oriented player makes his NL debut after spending 15 seasons as an Angel. He’ll be a force unless nagging injuries slow him down, again. Matt Diaz will get some AB’s vs lhp to give Garret some time off.
Forecast: Too many ifs keep Atlanta ranked in lower half of NL East. Cox will have to work miracles. It’s going to be a long summer in Hotlanta.
Washington Nationals (Mgr. Manny Acta)This team has been rocked by injuries nearly every season. Nats have some raw undeveloped talent. Question is when or if they’ll ever get it together?
Rotation: Lannan, Olsen, Hill, Cabrera, Ballister. Setup: undecided. Closer: Hanrahan (who?). Washington’s staff will be battered all season long. Shell shocked midway through May. Daniel Cabrera was signed after spending missing the strike zone in Baltimore. The others will tough it out. No upside to report here.
Around the Horn: Johnson, Belliard/Hernandez, Guzman, Zimmerman. 1B Johnson has played only 38 games in the past two years. He always seems to be one play away from getting hurt. Rookie Anderson Hernandez battles Ronnie Belliard for the starting nod at 2B. Guzman and Zimmerman are fine players roaming the diamonds left side.
Outfield: Dukes, Milledge, Dunn. Potentially explosive OF led by slugging Adam Dunn (40 or more HR’s 5 straight years). Dunn might see extensive time at 1B which is probably best for Nats chances to win. RF Dukes is tearing it up this spring. He needs to make headlines with good play instead of bad personal life choices. Milledge was a Mets future star. He’s a natural five tool player yet to reach full potential. Austin Kearns, once labeled a rising star, is an oft injured player who never lived up to the hype. He make get plenty of chances if Dunn takes over at 1B.
Forecast: Dark clouds hovering around Washington on the diamond too. It’s going to be a very long year in DC for Nationals fans. 100 losses could be on the way.
(www.allworldallsports.com)
by Digger
The World Champion Philadelphia Phillies wasted no time boasting of their lock on winning consecutive World Series. Cole Hamels and Jimmy Rollins have called division rival New York “choke artists” after Met back to back September failures. Atlanta might be on pace for 14 straight years of non-titles after more than a decade as East champs. Never count out the Marlins. Perennial youngest team is a wild card contender. Washington is the cellar dweller.
Philadelphia Phillies (Mgr. Charlie Manuel)The Champs added Raul Ibanez to the NL’s deepest team. Speed, power, pitching & defense. Manuel’s team will win 100 games.
Rotation: Hamels, Myers, Blanton, Moyer, Kendrick or JA Happ. Setup: Madson. Closer: Lidge. Gutsy cast of characters led by Cy Young candidate to be Cole Hamels. Ageless Moyer returns after leading Phils with 16 victories in ’09. J.A. Happ is only moments away from joining the big league staff. He’s been impressive this spring. Phillies staff will get deep into games. Bullpen is tough as nails but short on lefties. Ruiz & Coste will share catching duties.
Around the Horn: Howard, Utley, Rollins & Feliz. Howard (’06) & Rollins (’07) have recently won MVP awards. Utley could be next. Hands down, NL’s best hitting infield. Great defense up the middle. This bunch will come to play every day.
Outfield: Werth, Victorino, Ibanez, Jenkins. Ibanez stats should explode in his new home park after playing in pitching friendly Safeco. He’ll have plenty of RBI chances and could creep into an MVP caliber season. Solid defensive group.
Forecast: All systems go. Phillies will run away with NL East unless over confidence crumbles their game. Doubt it. Phils on pace for 100+ victories.
New York Mets (Mgr. Jerry Manuel)Where has the Mets magic gone? Back to back gut wrenching September failures. Gone is Shea Stadium. Replaced by new Citi Field (a.k.a. Bail Out Park, a.k.a. Taxpayer Field). Citi Bank is locked into a $400M sponsorship deal with the Mets for naming rights to the new stadium in Flushing. GM Minaya’s mission this off season was to strengthen their biggest weakness, relievers. Record breaking closer Francisco Rodriguez (62 saves) and JJ Putz have been brought in to shut down teams in 8th & 9th. However, getting there will difficult behind NY’s starting staff. Manuel’s slated to tinker with the batting order. Speedster Reyes will hit 3rd, 2B Luis Castillo to lead off. IS HE CRAZY? Reyes is one of the game’s best leadoff hitters. There are far better run producers who should be batting 3rd. I do not like this move one bit. September woes will not happen this season. April might shower their season early on.
Rotation: Santana, Pelfrey, Maine, Perez &?? Setup: Putz. Closer: Rodriguez. Santana is baseball’s best lefty but had early spring arm concerns. His health is suddenly in question. Pelfrey is a rising star. Maine had a rough time last year and has been off so far this spring. His #3 slot is essential to NY having a shot this year. Perez resigned after little free agent interest from other clubs. You never know which Perez will show up… wild man or untouchable. 5th slot is in shambles. Pedro remains unsigned after being one of the biggest busts in Mets history. The competition is between Freddie Garcia, Livan Hernandez and Tim Redding … all have been blasted this spring. They’re best days are long behind. Signing Pedro cheap makes sense if he can be had. Promote a hard throwing rookie. Something other than what’s on paper now. Schneider is not one of the better pitch calling catchers. He needs to start working OT with his staff.
Around the Horn: Delgado, Castillo, Reyes, Wright. Early season success is key in ’09. Delgado was out of synch in the 1st half before catching fire in July. Reyes has stolen 262 bases leading off since 2005. Manuel wants him batting 3rd. Ugh! Wright needs to find his clutch stroke this year. Way too many missed chances with games on the line. NY’s infield defense is one of baseball’s best.
Outfield: Church, Beltran, Murphy, Tatis. Rookie Murphy has won the LF job. It could be rough going if he falters. Beltran has been one month on, one month off two years running. RF can use a boost. Church is not the answer. Tatis will get plenty of AB’s filling in at multiple positions (LF, RF, 3B, 1B, PH) but lacks range.
Forecast: Magic is often found when christening new ballparks. The Mets have great defense and solid hitters. Question remains as to when they’ll finally put it all together? Phillies have challenged them. Phillies have insulted them. Mets have suffered two terrible Septembers. No team has more incentive to win than New York.
Florida Marlins (Mgr. Fredi Gonzalez)Young Marlins teams have been finding ways to win for years. Clearly one of baseball’s best scouting & farm systems cranks out future stars yearly. Problem is there’s rarely enough money in the kitty to keep them in South Florida. Marlins’ lineup has the potential to be explosive. Are their young pitchers ready to handle a long 162 game season?
Rotation: Nolasco, Johnson, Volstad, Sanchez, Miller. Setup: undecided. Closer: Lindstrom. Young, unproven bunch should receive plenty of run support. Throwing strikes and staying ahead of hitters is paramount to success. Lindstrom gets first crack at closing games. Bullpen might be a bit thin and overworked by the end of May. Catcher’s duties are up for grabs. None figure to contribute much run production.
Around the Horn: Cantu (Sanchez), Uggla, Ramirez, McPhearson (Cantu/Bonifacio). Many options are being considered this spring. Slugger Cantu (defensive liability) will start somewhere depending on spring battles. Cantu starts at 3B if rookie Gaby Sanchez wins the 1B job. Or, Cantu might start at 1B if rookie Emilio Bonifacio wins a job. Slugger to be McPhearson is also battling at 3B. Gonzalez will figure this one out soon enough. Uggla & Ramirez are two of baseball’s best. Marlins will be fielding plenty of inquiries around MLB’s trading deadline.
Outfield: Ross, Maybin, Hermidia. Corner OF’s Ross & Hermidia have huge upside potential. Big power numbers shouldn’t surprise anyone but they’re both probably one year away. Speedy Maybin is counted on to ignite Florida’s attack.
Forecast: Marlins will be streaky. This group will battle hard every game. Are they ready for prime time? Don’t be surprised if Florida is in wild card contention on September 1.
Atlanta Braves (Mgr. Bobby Cox)Volatile manager Bobby Cox is still one of baseball’s best. His team has aged before his eyes. New recruits have shown flashes in recent years. However, it’s been without enough consistency to keep Atlanta winning. Fans south of the border have complained I’m underestimating their beloved Braves. Lack of hitting power will make it hard for Atlanta to keep up with more potent attacks.
Rotation: Lowe, Vasquez, Jurrjens,??,?? Setup: Soriano. Closer: Gonzalez. Hudson is on the 60 day DL. Glavine’s return is on hold due to injury. This staff is hurting. Back end starters are struggling this spring. Cox entire bullpen figures to be burnt out early. NL backstop Brian McCann is one of baseball’s best.
Around the Horn: Kotchman, Johnson, Escobar, Chipper. 15 year vet 3B Chipper Jones hit a career best .364 during an injury riddled ’08. He’s already fighting an oblique strain. He’s one of baseball’s class acts. No signs of slowing down when he’s on the field. Keeping him there is another story. No power from the remaining infielders. Escobar needs to play mistake free SS.
Outfield: Francouer, Josh Anderson, Garret Anderson. Francouer struggled all of last season after a solid ’08. Josh A. is unproven but ranks high on Cox list. Garret Anderson has always been one of my favorite players. Steady (career .296), clutch, team oriented player makes his NL debut after spending 15 seasons as an Angel. He’ll be a force unless nagging injuries slow him down, again. Matt Diaz will get some AB’s vs lhp to give Garret some time off.
Forecast: Too many ifs keep Atlanta ranked in lower half of NL East. Cox will have to work miracles. It’s going to be a long summer in Hotlanta.
Washington Nationals (Mgr. Manny Acta)This team has been rocked by injuries nearly every season. Nats have some raw undeveloped talent. Question is when or if they’ll ever get it together?
Rotation: Lannan, Olsen, Hill, Cabrera, Ballister. Setup: undecided. Closer: Hanrahan (who?). Washington’s staff will be battered all season long. Shell shocked midway through May. Daniel Cabrera was signed after spending missing the strike zone in Baltimore. The others will tough it out. No upside to report here.
Around the Horn: Johnson, Belliard/Hernandez, Guzman, Zimmerman. 1B Johnson has played only 38 games in the past two years. He always seems to be one play away from getting hurt. Rookie Anderson Hernandez battles Ronnie Belliard for the starting nod at 2B. Guzman and Zimmerman are fine players roaming the diamonds left side.
Outfield: Dukes, Milledge, Dunn. Potentially explosive OF led by slugging Adam Dunn (40 or more HR’s 5 straight years). Dunn might see extensive time at 1B which is probably best for Nats chances to win. RF Dukes is tearing it up this spring. He needs to make headlines with good play instead of bad personal life choices. Milledge was a Mets future star. He’s a natural five tool player yet to reach full potential. Austin Kearns, once labeled a rising star, is an oft injured player who never lived up to the hype. He make get plenty of chances if Dunn takes over at 1B.
Forecast: Dark clouds hovering around Washington on the diamond too. It’s going to be a very long year in DC for Nationals fans. 100 losses could be on the way.
(www.allworldallsports.com)
Monday, March 9, 2009
2009 American League East Forecast
Visit All World All Sports
By Digger
Baseball 2009 is here! Everyday this week I will be posting my predictions on a division by division, team by team format. First up, American League East:
New York Yankees (Mgr. Joe Girardi)
It’s going to be a big year in New York. The New Yankee Stadium debuts this season. The Bronx Bombers attempt to rebound after missing the playoffs for the first time since 1994. Yanks were busy adding new faces this winter. CC Sabathia, Mark Teixeira & AJ Burnett are the prized (and very well paid) acquisitions.
Rotation: Sabathia, Burnett, Wang, Pettitte, Chamberlain. Set up: undecided. Closer: RiveraFront 4 starters are locked in and will give solid quality starts. Sabathia, Burnett & Wang could all be Cy Young candidates. Pettitte is a NY favorite and still has some gas left in his tank. Joba Chamberlain as a starting pitcher is a tremendous mistake. The Yanks best World Series teams had lights out bullpens. Rivera is recovering from off season surgery and there’s no clear cut set up man. Joba + Rivera are the Yanks best option. Joba should be in the process of being groomed as Yanks closer of the future. Instead, he’s being moved into the rotation. Big mistake! He walks too many hitters as a starter… while striking fear into batters coming out of the pen in late game situations. Bullpen assignments to be determined this spring. Catcher Jorge Posada battled nagging injuries last year and must rebound to handle this strong staff.
Around the Horn: Teixeira, Cano, Jeter, Rodriguez (out until June). Baseball’s best infield? Mark Teixeira will prove to be the best free agent position player NY has signed in years. Tremendous skills at the plate and in the field. He hasn’t reached his prime yet and will continue to improve unless the New York night life becomes a distraction. Cano had a terrible ’08 and should return to his clutch hitting ways. Captain Jeter needs to remain healthy. He had an inconsistent ’08 and really needs to “lead” in ’09. ARod is out 6-9 weeks. As of now, reserve Cody Ransom is slated to fill in. Yanks need to find a two month 3B. Another Scott Brosius/Charlie Hayes type player is what’s needed. If Ransom is named the starter… all he has to do is field his position well and improve his bunting skills.
Outfielders: Damon, Matsui, Nady, Cabrera, Swisher. It’s deep here which should be a great bonus for Girardi. Yanks bench is AL’s best. All had less than stellar ’08 performances. Centerfield D is key here. Whoever wins the spring training battle (Cabrera or Swisher) will need to play big in the field and cut down on strike outs at the plate. It’ll be Damon in LF and Nady in RF.
Forecast: Most feared lineup in AL now has pitching support and improved defense. NY can survive without ARod with solid defense on the hot corner. Yanks will win no less than 105 games assuming key pitchers remain healthy.
Tampa Bay Rays (Mgr. Joe Maddon)
Tampa was 2008 Cinderella story. Never having won more than 70 games in their brief history… Tampa Bay outplayed Boston & New York for AL East Title (97 wins). Maddon’s team then bested Chicago in ALDS before stunning Boston in ALCS to qualify for their first World Series appearance. Can they repeat as AL East champs? Not this year.
Rotation: Kazmir, Shields & Garza were tough in ’08. David Price is a future star and is projected as #4 with Sonnastine 5th. Setup: Balfour. Closer: Percival.Will there be bumps in the road this time around? Just a gut feeling says yes. Rays rotation might quickly become the gem of the division in years to come. It’s their bullpen which could cost them a shot at repeating as division winners. Percival is brittle but brilliant when healthy. We’ll soon find out if the rest of the relief crew can recreate ’08 success or return to earth in ’09. I think TB will have plenty of bullpen struggles this season. They’ll be overused and burnt out by short outings by starters.
Around the Horn: Pena, Iwamura, Bartlett, Longoria. This crew will need to play stellar defense for pitchers to succeed. Hitting will be wait and see. They’re not big on batting averages but make up for it with late inning clutch swings.
Outfielders: Crawford, Upton, Joyce & Burrell will provide range but will they hit? Crawford flashes a great combination of extra base hits, speed and base running ability. Upton and Joyce are free swingers needing better command of the strike zone. Burrell figures to see more time at DH than LF.
Forecast: Rays will challenge for another playoff appearance. Not enough power at the plate to keep up with NY this year. Bullpen will not duplicate ’08 performances. Talented team on the rise falls short in ’09.
Boston Red Sox (Mgr. Terry Francona) Red Sox want another World Series crown. Health will be the main concern. If they can stay healthy Boston will be one of baseball’s best. Don’t count on good health. Depth off the bench won’t be enough to beat out NY or keep up with a younger Tampa group.
Rotation: Beckett, Matsuzaka, Lester, Wakefield, Penny, Smoltz. Setup: undecided. Closer: Papelbon. Looking great on paper. Looks might be deceiving. 2 keys here: is Lester for real? And, can Penny/Smoltz get healthy enough to contribute? BIG questions in my book . Papelbon is one of baseball’s best. Red Sox high on Justin Masterson’s future. Catcher Jason Varitek is AL’s best signal caller from behind the plate. JV gets the best out of his staff. Unfortunately, his hitting skills took a year off in ’08 and almost lead to not being resigned. Let’s see if he can get it together in ’09.
Around the Horn: Youkilis, Pedroia, Lowrie, Lowell. Left side is question mark. Is Lowrie an everyday SS? No. Lowell has been one of Boston’s steadiest contributors but has been running into health issues lately. Pedroia at 2B one of AL’s best. Youkilis is Mr. Clutch.
Outfield: Bay, Ellsbury, Drew are the starters. None strike fear into opposing staffs. Ellsbury finally takes over everyday duties but will not live up to local fan expectations. I’ve never been a fan of oft injured Drew dating back to his earliest hold out days. This trio is Boston’s weakest outfield in recent memory. I’m happily surprised GM Epstein didn’t upgrade!
Forecast: Francona will have his team ready to play every game. Too many aging stars who might be on downturn of career and players injury concerns sink Boston into 3rd (Penny, Smoltz, Lowell, Varitek, Ortiz). Has David Ortiz nagging wrist fully healed? A healthy Big Papi is needed to carry Boston’s less than powerful offense. A healthy team challenges NY. This Band-Aid bunch will make plenty of DL trips.
Baltimore Orioles (Mgr. Dave Trembley)
When will the Orioles return to respectability? This once great franchise has floundered under Peter Angelos ownership. It’s been one bad move after another. They are five managers removed from their last winning season (1997 1st place, Davey Johnson, 98-64). 2009 team has a pretty solid lineup. Pitching staff is weak.
Rotation: As of this moment, no clear cut rotation in place. Closer: George Sherrill. Jeremy Guthrie & newcomer Koji Uehara figure to be 1-2. Trembley might close his eyes and pull names out of a hat for 3 thru 5. On the upside, a couple of talented pitchers are in the mix (Baez, Hendrickson). Orioles biggest problem has been pitchers falling behind hitters and issuing free passes. Bullpen assignments have been a dogfight this spring as pitchers battle for innings. Baltimore will have some tough cuts before opening day.
Around the Horn: Huff, Roberts, Izturis, Mora. A solid infield with a good mix of speed and power. Defense will dramatically improve up the middle with Baltimore’s addition of Izturis. O’s got killed last year by seeing-eye grounders. All four have good plate discipline. Behind the plate on opening day might be one of baseball’s top prospects, Matt Wieters.
Outfield: Markakis, Jones, Pie, Scott, Wigginton. Markakis is a rising star. Trembley has high hopes for Adam Jones quick improvement. I’d like to see Ty Wigginton take over at 3B and Mora move into LF. Wigginton is steady at third and can hit. Mora is better suited to handle the switch. O’s picked up Pie from Chicago but he’s not the answer in ’09.
Forecast: Run producing offense coupled with run surrendering pitchers will make for exciting box scores. Orioles will finally become fun to watch but will continue losing more games than they win. These birds remain in a no fly zone.
Toronto Blue Jays (Mgr. Cito Gaston).
Cito Gaston has always been one of baseball’s most underrated managers. Guess what? Toronto hasn’t won a division title since Gaston’s final season (1993 World Champions). He came back to inject some life into this club after John Gibbons was canned mid-season. 2009 will be rough north of the border. This is not a good team and attendance will be one of AL’s lowest quickly highlighting potential economic doom for Toronto.
Rotation: Halladay, Litsch, Purcey are 1-3. Closer: BJ Ryan. Halladay might be a cost cutting trade bait move mid-season. He’s one of the games best hurlers. Purcey is high on Toronto’s radar. Gaston will decide who rounds out the last 2 slots between 5 pitchers. Bullpen has been this teams Achilles heel in recent seasons. BJ Ryan needs to stay away from the DL. Jays pen is anything can happen. Cito will pick the best of the bunch but this division is too tough for on the job training.
Around the Horn: Overbay, Hill, Scutaro, Rolen. Good but qualifies as divisions weakest. No power and possible short range up the middle. Not good when playing most games on turf. Overbay lacks power and Rolen is brittle. Kevin Millar will get some time vs lefties and fill in as DH from time to time. Not many runs will be produced by this crew.
Outfield: Rios, Wells, Snider, Lind. Question marks. Rios (RF) & Wells (CF) are great when healthy. Wells is already missing spring games. Thin OF.
Forecast: Toronto will give up many runs. Injury prone players visit DL. It’s going to be a very long year for Blue Jays fans.
Stay tuned...... American League Central on deck!
www.allworldallsports.com
By Digger
Baseball 2009 is here! Everyday this week I will be posting my predictions on a division by division, team by team format. First up, American League East:
New York Yankees (Mgr. Joe Girardi)
It’s going to be a big year in New York. The New Yankee Stadium debuts this season. The Bronx Bombers attempt to rebound after missing the playoffs for the first time since 1994. Yanks were busy adding new faces this winter. CC Sabathia, Mark Teixeira & AJ Burnett are the prized (and very well paid) acquisitions.
Rotation: Sabathia, Burnett, Wang, Pettitte, Chamberlain. Set up: undecided. Closer: RiveraFront 4 starters are locked in and will give solid quality starts. Sabathia, Burnett & Wang could all be Cy Young candidates. Pettitte is a NY favorite and still has some gas left in his tank. Joba Chamberlain as a starting pitcher is a tremendous mistake. The Yanks best World Series teams had lights out bullpens. Rivera is recovering from off season surgery and there’s no clear cut set up man. Joba + Rivera are the Yanks best option. Joba should be in the process of being groomed as Yanks closer of the future. Instead, he’s being moved into the rotation. Big mistake! He walks too many hitters as a starter… while striking fear into batters coming out of the pen in late game situations. Bullpen assignments to be determined this spring. Catcher Jorge Posada battled nagging injuries last year and must rebound to handle this strong staff.
Around the Horn: Teixeira, Cano, Jeter, Rodriguez (out until June). Baseball’s best infield? Mark Teixeira will prove to be the best free agent position player NY has signed in years. Tremendous skills at the plate and in the field. He hasn’t reached his prime yet and will continue to improve unless the New York night life becomes a distraction. Cano had a terrible ’08 and should return to his clutch hitting ways. Captain Jeter needs to remain healthy. He had an inconsistent ’08 and really needs to “lead” in ’09. ARod is out 6-9 weeks. As of now, reserve Cody Ransom is slated to fill in. Yanks need to find a two month 3B. Another Scott Brosius/Charlie Hayes type player is what’s needed. If Ransom is named the starter… all he has to do is field his position well and improve his bunting skills.
Outfielders: Damon, Matsui, Nady, Cabrera, Swisher. It’s deep here which should be a great bonus for Girardi. Yanks bench is AL’s best. All had less than stellar ’08 performances. Centerfield D is key here. Whoever wins the spring training battle (Cabrera or Swisher) will need to play big in the field and cut down on strike outs at the plate. It’ll be Damon in LF and Nady in RF.
Forecast: Most feared lineup in AL now has pitching support and improved defense. NY can survive without ARod with solid defense on the hot corner. Yanks will win no less than 105 games assuming key pitchers remain healthy.
Tampa Bay Rays (Mgr. Joe Maddon)
Tampa was 2008 Cinderella story. Never having won more than 70 games in their brief history… Tampa Bay outplayed Boston & New York for AL East Title (97 wins). Maddon’s team then bested Chicago in ALDS before stunning Boston in ALCS to qualify for their first World Series appearance. Can they repeat as AL East champs? Not this year.
Rotation: Kazmir, Shields & Garza were tough in ’08. David Price is a future star and is projected as #4 with Sonnastine 5th. Setup: Balfour. Closer: Percival.Will there be bumps in the road this time around? Just a gut feeling says yes. Rays rotation might quickly become the gem of the division in years to come. It’s their bullpen which could cost them a shot at repeating as division winners. Percival is brittle but brilliant when healthy. We’ll soon find out if the rest of the relief crew can recreate ’08 success or return to earth in ’09. I think TB will have plenty of bullpen struggles this season. They’ll be overused and burnt out by short outings by starters.
Around the Horn: Pena, Iwamura, Bartlett, Longoria. This crew will need to play stellar defense for pitchers to succeed. Hitting will be wait and see. They’re not big on batting averages but make up for it with late inning clutch swings.
Outfielders: Crawford, Upton, Joyce & Burrell will provide range but will they hit? Crawford flashes a great combination of extra base hits, speed and base running ability. Upton and Joyce are free swingers needing better command of the strike zone. Burrell figures to see more time at DH than LF.
Forecast: Rays will challenge for another playoff appearance. Not enough power at the plate to keep up with NY this year. Bullpen will not duplicate ’08 performances. Talented team on the rise falls short in ’09.
Boston Red Sox (Mgr. Terry Francona) Red Sox want another World Series crown. Health will be the main concern. If they can stay healthy Boston will be one of baseball’s best. Don’t count on good health. Depth off the bench won’t be enough to beat out NY or keep up with a younger Tampa group.
Rotation: Beckett, Matsuzaka, Lester, Wakefield, Penny, Smoltz. Setup: undecided. Closer: Papelbon. Looking great on paper. Looks might be deceiving. 2 keys here: is Lester for real? And, can Penny/Smoltz get healthy enough to contribute? BIG questions in my book . Papelbon is one of baseball’s best. Red Sox high on Justin Masterson’s future. Catcher Jason Varitek is AL’s best signal caller from behind the plate. JV gets the best out of his staff. Unfortunately, his hitting skills took a year off in ’08 and almost lead to not being resigned. Let’s see if he can get it together in ’09.
Around the Horn: Youkilis, Pedroia, Lowrie, Lowell. Left side is question mark. Is Lowrie an everyday SS? No. Lowell has been one of Boston’s steadiest contributors but has been running into health issues lately. Pedroia at 2B one of AL’s best. Youkilis is Mr. Clutch.
Outfield: Bay, Ellsbury, Drew are the starters. None strike fear into opposing staffs. Ellsbury finally takes over everyday duties but will not live up to local fan expectations. I’ve never been a fan of oft injured Drew dating back to his earliest hold out days. This trio is Boston’s weakest outfield in recent memory. I’m happily surprised GM Epstein didn’t upgrade!
Forecast: Francona will have his team ready to play every game. Too many aging stars who might be on downturn of career and players injury concerns sink Boston into 3rd (Penny, Smoltz, Lowell, Varitek, Ortiz). Has David Ortiz nagging wrist fully healed? A healthy Big Papi is needed to carry Boston’s less than powerful offense. A healthy team challenges NY. This Band-Aid bunch will make plenty of DL trips.
Baltimore Orioles (Mgr. Dave Trembley)
When will the Orioles return to respectability? This once great franchise has floundered under Peter Angelos ownership. It’s been one bad move after another. They are five managers removed from their last winning season (1997 1st place, Davey Johnson, 98-64). 2009 team has a pretty solid lineup. Pitching staff is weak.
Rotation: As of this moment, no clear cut rotation in place. Closer: George Sherrill. Jeremy Guthrie & newcomer Koji Uehara figure to be 1-2. Trembley might close his eyes and pull names out of a hat for 3 thru 5. On the upside, a couple of talented pitchers are in the mix (Baez, Hendrickson). Orioles biggest problem has been pitchers falling behind hitters and issuing free passes. Bullpen assignments have been a dogfight this spring as pitchers battle for innings. Baltimore will have some tough cuts before opening day.
Around the Horn: Huff, Roberts, Izturis, Mora. A solid infield with a good mix of speed and power. Defense will dramatically improve up the middle with Baltimore’s addition of Izturis. O’s got killed last year by seeing-eye grounders. All four have good plate discipline. Behind the plate on opening day might be one of baseball’s top prospects, Matt Wieters.
Outfield: Markakis, Jones, Pie, Scott, Wigginton. Markakis is a rising star. Trembley has high hopes for Adam Jones quick improvement. I’d like to see Ty Wigginton take over at 3B and Mora move into LF. Wigginton is steady at third and can hit. Mora is better suited to handle the switch. O’s picked up Pie from Chicago but he’s not the answer in ’09.
Forecast: Run producing offense coupled with run surrendering pitchers will make for exciting box scores. Orioles will finally become fun to watch but will continue losing more games than they win. These birds remain in a no fly zone.
Toronto Blue Jays (Mgr. Cito Gaston).
Cito Gaston has always been one of baseball’s most underrated managers. Guess what? Toronto hasn’t won a division title since Gaston’s final season (1993 World Champions). He came back to inject some life into this club after John Gibbons was canned mid-season. 2009 will be rough north of the border. This is not a good team and attendance will be one of AL’s lowest quickly highlighting potential economic doom for Toronto.
Rotation: Halladay, Litsch, Purcey are 1-3. Closer: BJ Ryan. Halladay might be a cost cutting trade bait move mid-season. He’s one of the games best hurlers. Purcey is high on Toronto’s radar. Gaston will decide who rounds out the last 2 slots between 5 pitchers. Bullpen has been this teams Achilles heel in recent seasons. BJ Ryan needs to stay away from the DL. Jays pen is anything can happen. Cito will pick the best of the bunch but this division is too tough for on the job training.
Around the Horn: Overbay, Hill, Scutaro, Rolen. Good but qualifies as divisions weakest. No power and possible short range up the middle. Not good when playing most games on turf. Overbay lacks power and Rolen is brittle. Kevin Millar will get some time vs lefties and fill in as DH from time to time. Not many runs will be produced by this crew.
Outfield: Rios, Wells, Snider, Lind. Question marks. Rios (RF) & Wells (CF) are great when healthy. Wells is already missing spring games. Thin OF.
Forecast: Toronto will give up many runs. Injury prone players visit DL. It’s going to be a very long year for Blue Jays fans.
Stay tuned...... American League Central on deck!
www.allworldallsports.com
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Baseball 2009 Predictions
Visit All World All Sports & The Sports Rage Page
by Digger
Baseball's regular season just around the corner. Many MLB stars are currently representing their homeland during this years World Baseball Classic. All others are prepping with their teams in Spring Training.
There will be a handful of teams with new look rosters in '09. A few big names have found new homes. Philadelphia Phillies will be trying for a repeat World Series Title. Tampa Bay Rays looking to win it all this time after knocking on the door in '08.
Who will win it all in '09? Below is how I rank all teams. Coming soon... an in depth team by team synopsis from top to bottom featuring different divisions on a daily basis.
American League
East
1- Yankees
2- Rays
3- Red Sox
4- Orioles
5- Blue Jays
Central
1- Royals
2- Indians
3- White Sox
4- Tigers
5- Twins
West
1- Athletics
2- Angels
3- Rangers
4- Mariners
Wild Card: Angels
National League
East
1- Phillies
2- Mets
3- Marlins
4- Braves
5- Nationals
Central
1- Cubs
2- Reds
3- Astros
4- Cardinals
5- Brewers
6- Pirates
West
1- Dodgers
2- Diamondbacks
3- Rockies
4- Giants
5- Padres
Wild Card: Mets
by Digger
Baseball's regular season just around the corner. Many MLB stars are currently representing their homeland during this years World Baseball Classic. All others are prepping with their teams in Spring Training.
There will be a handful of teams with new look rosters in '09. A few big names have found new homes. Philadelphia Phillies will be trying for a repeat World Series Title. Tampa Bay Rays looking to win it all this time after knocking on the door in '08.
Who will win it all in '09? Below is how I rank all teams. Coming soon... an in depth team by team synopsis from top to bottom featuring different divisions on a daily basis.
American League
East
1- Yankees
2- Rays
3- Red Sox
4- Orioles
5- Blue Jays
Central
1- Royals
2- Indians
3- White Sox
4- Tigers
5- Twins
West
1- Athletics
2- Angels
3- Rangers
4- Mariners
Wild Card: Angels
National League
East
1- Phillies
2- Mets
3- Marlins
4- Braves
5- Nationals
Central
1- Cubs
2- Reds
3- Astros
4- Cardinals
5- Brewers
6- Pirates
West
1- Dodgers
2- Diamondbacks
3- Rockies
4- Giants
5- Padres
Wild Card: Mets
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