Quick Athletics thought: I have none. But in regards to the DH...get rid of it.
THE KANSAS CITY ROYALS
Pitching: Well, the Royals finally broke the bank and spent ace money on a pitcher to anchor their staff. The problem is, that ace is now wildly overpaid Gil Meche. The man is a third starter tops. The problem is, he is undoubtedly the ace of that staff. Each pitcher after him wouldn't be a lock on any other rotation in baseball.
In the bullpen, Octavio Dotel is putting together a nice little run in the preseason as the team's closer. After that, the bullpen has nothing to be proud of. The only reason they won't lead the league in blown saves is because they won't have any leads to blow.
Hitting: The Royals' perpetual putridity in every facet of the game continues. You know what? I'm not even going to get into it. I'm just going to give you their lineup and you can think of the rest.
1. David DeJesus CF
2. Mark Grudzielanek 2B
3. Mark Teahen RF
4. Mike Sweeney DH
5. Ryan Shealy 1B
6. Alex Gordon 3B
7. Emil Brown LF
8. Jason LaRue C
9. Angel Berroa SS
Miscellaneous: You know how practically every fan can talk themselves into thinking this is the year they make the playoffs or win the championship? I really want to know: Do Royals fans do this? Can they possibly convince themselves that their team has a shot at 88-90 wins?
Royals-related Ridiculous Proposition Bet: Over/Under on when Kansas City fans ignore Royals and start to talk Chiefs: April 21
Previous Previews
AMERICAN LEAGUE
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Friday, March 23, 2007
The Greatest Baseball Preview in America: Oakland Athletics
THE OAKLAND ATHLETICS
Pitching: I was going to make a "If Rich Harden's arm doesn't hold up he could always go by Dick Harden and start directing pornography" joke but I feel like I've read it in print before. It's like Bill Simmons has invaded my subconscious and planted an irreverence tree. But speaking of Harden, he's very good (at baseball, not directing pornography). Technically speaking, he can throw the ball very, very fast. Faster than even me (I'm more of a finesse guy anyway). Playing in the cavernous ballpark that made Barry Zito a hundred-millionaire, Rich Harden could win the Cy Young this year (provided Johan Santana has kidney failure in May). I must emphasize the word "COULD" because Rich Harden is coming off two straight injury-plagued seasons and that is worrisome for a guy of his average-size frame (6'1", 180) who throws 98 mph with consistency. Last year he had a ligament strain in his throwing elbow which limited him to only 46 innings. Harden has said that his changeup was the pitch that lead to the injury and he'll be more careful with it this year, but I'm skeptical he'll stay healthy all season. But his K/9 this spring is 16.5 and he's been lights out so what the hell do I know. As for the rest: Dan Haren, Huston Street, and Justin Duchscherer are good but for the Athletics to overcome their anemic offense they must have a full, healthy, productive season out of Harden.
Hitting: Remember when Eric Chavez went in the first three rounds of a fantasy draft? It was a simpler time back then. Before "24" was a smash hit and before the kids starting using the myspace and watching the youtube. Now he's the 14th ranked third baseman in Yahoo. Whether it's a function of the wealth of quality third basemen or the perception of Chavez's decline, I don't know. Chavez will be only 29 this season and while he still has trouble hitting lefties, his walk totals are trending upwards and he should slug between .450 and .500. For those of you who are reading this, it is for you to decide if this is sound baseball analysis or a clever ruse to up his trade value so I can pawn him off on somebody. Listen to me, Eric, I need a big April from you. As for the rest, Mike Piazza finally gets to be what he's always truly been, a designated hitter. It's like a middle-aged divorced man finally taking that vacation to Fire Island he fantasized about. No need to fantasize any longer, Mike. I just wish you would have stopped lying to yourself years ago. I mean, with that moustache? It practically screams DH. And I'm not a DH-phobe. Big Papi is a DH and he's one of my favorite players. I love DHs (but not in that way). I'm just saying that you fit the stereotypical profile of a designated hitter. Not that there's anything wrong with that or anything.
Miscellaneous: Oakland fans, if you want fans of other teams to take you seriously 1) get a haircut. When I was at Game 3 of the Sox-A's ALDS in 2003 there was a long-haired A's fan sitting near my section. He looked like a half-as-tall Barry Zito. You're an Athletics fan in Fenway Park. You already appear soft. Nothing makes you look like more of a douchebag than your hippy haircut and your "I'm about to cry" eyes as you're escorted out of your section by policemen in the fourth inning because the home fans were relentlessly hounding you. Go listen to Radiohead, asshole. 2) Petition your team to trash the white shoes. They're hideous, almost like orthopedic shoes that special kids wear. You have two options: get some black spikes and wear them like men or trade in your luxury team bus for the short bus with the padded windows.
Athletics-related Ridiculous Proposition Bet: Over/under on number of times I vomit at the unsightliness of McAfee Coliseum: every time I see it's disgusting, empty green seats on the Sportscenter highlights.
Previous Previews
AL West
Los Angeles Angels
Texas Rangers
Seattle Mariners
NL East
New York Mets
Philadelphia Phillies
Atlanta Braves
Florida Marlins
Washington Nationals
NL Central
St. Louis Cardinals
Houston Astros
Cincinnati Reds
Milwaukee Brewers
Pittsburgh Pirates
Chicago Cubs
NL West
San Diego Padres
Los Angeles Dodgers
San Francisco Giants
Colorado Rockies
Arizona Diamondbacks
Pitching: I was going to make a "If Rich Harden's arm doesn't hold up he could always go by Dick Harden and start directing pornography" joke but I feel like I've read it in print before. It's like Bill Simmons has invaded my subconscious and planted an irreverence tree. But speaking of Harden, he's very good (at baseball, not directing pornography). Technically speaking, he can throw the ball very, very fast. Faster than even me (I'm more of a finesse guy anyway). Playing in the cavernous ballpark that made Barry Zito a hundred-millionaire, Rich Harden could win the Cy Young this year (provided Johan Santana has kidney failure in May). I must emphasize the word "COULD" because Rich Harden is coming off two straight injury-plagued seasons and that is worrisome for a guy of his average-size frame (6'1", 180) who throws 98 mph with consistency. Last year he had a ligament strain in his throwing elbow which limited him to only 46 innings. Harden has said that his changeup was the pitch that lead to the injury and he'll be more careful with it this year, but I'm skeptical he'll stay healthy all season. But his K/9 this spring is 16.5 and he's been lights out so what the hell do I know. As for the rest: Dan Haren, Huston Street, and Justin Duchscherer are good but for the Athletics to overcome their anemic offense they must have a full, healthy, productive season out of Harden.
Hitting: Remember when Eric Chavez went in the first three rounds of a fantasy draft? It was a simpler time back then. Before "24" was a smash hit and before the kids starting using the myspace and watching the youtube. Now he's the 14th ranked third baseman in Yahoo. Whether it's a function of the wealth of quality third basemen or the perception of Chavez's decline, I don't know. Chavez will be only 29 this season and while he still has trouble hitting lefties, his walk totals are trending upwards and he should slug between .450 and .500. For those of you who are reading this, it is for you to decide if this is sound baseball analysis or a clever ruse to up his trade value so I can pawn him off on somebody. Listen to me, Eric, I need a big April from you. As for the rest, Mike Piazza finally gets to be what he's always truly been, a designated hitter. It's like a middle-aged divorced man finally taking that vacation to Fire Island he fantasized about. No need to fantasize any longer, Mike. I just wish you would have stopped lying to yourself years ago. I mean, with that moustache? It practically screams DH. And I'm not a DH-phobe. Big Papi is a DH and he's one of my favorite players. I love DHs (but not in that way). I'm just saying that you fit the stereotypical profile of a designated hitter. Not that there's anything wrong with that or anything.
Miscellaneous: Oakland fans, if you want fans of other teams to take you seriously 1) get a haircut. When I was at Game 3 of the Sox-A's ALDS in 2003 there was a long-haired A's fan sitting near my section. He looked like a half-as-tall Barry Zito. You're an Athletics fan in Fenway Park. You already appear soft. Nothing makes you look like more of a douchebag than your hippy haircut and your "I'm about to cry" eyes as you're escorted out of your section by policemen in the fourth inning because the home fans were relentlessly hounding you. Go listen to Radiohead, asshole. 2) Petition your team to trash the white shoes. They're hideous, almost like orthopedic shoes that special kids wear. You have two options: get some black spikes and wear them like men or trade in your luxury team bus for the short bus with the padded windows.
Athletics-related Ridiculous Proposition Bet: Over/under on number of times I vomit at the unsightliness of McAfee Coliseum: every time I see it's disgusting, empty green seats on the Sportscenter highlights.
Previous Previews
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Thursday, March 22, 2007
The Greatest Baseball Preview in America: Los Angeles Angels
Quick Rangers thought: They stink.
THE LOS ANGELES CALIFORNIA ANGELS OF ANAHEIM CALIFORNIA
Pitching: Solid pitching is the solid engine for this solid team. John Lackey is one the most underrated pitchers in baseball. He eats up innings. He strikes guys out. He keeps you in ball games. His 13-11 record last year does him no justice. You throw 217 innings with a 3.56 ERA in the American League, you're a very good pitcher. The rest of the rotation rounds out nicely. Bartolo Colon is injured, but is on pace to be back within a couple months. Santana seems poised to improve on a season that saw him going 16-8. Kelvim Escobar finished with a 3.61 ERA and a 3 to 1 K/BB ratio. And, of course, young future superstud Jered Weaver is expected to overcome a bicep injury and be ready to go by May. Each of these pitchers has the ability to be a #2 starter. Again, this is a solid rotation.
Their bullpen is anchored by a top five closer in Francisco Rodriguez and two sub 3 ERA set up men in Scott Shields and Justin Speier. The loss of Brendan Donnelly to Boston is unfortunate, but bullpen was an area where they could afford to lose personnel. Significantly, they are one of the few teams in the sport that could boast such a quality. This is a solid bullpen.
Hitting: This lineup, though top heavy, will be able to put up enough runs to win a lot of games for the aforementioned pitchers. Chone Figgins provides loads of speed at the top. Howie Kendrick is an up-and-coming high average hitter who can help set the table for uber-star Vlad Guerrero. The lineup then heads down hill from great to adequate, when we see the likes of Gary Mathews Hgh., Garret Anderson's father, and model citizen Shea Hillenbrand. They give way to an anemic bottom third of the order consisting of Casey Kotchman, Mike Napoli, and the high-five-human-highlight-real Orlando Cabrera. Luckily for the Angels of Anaheim, they won't have to score nearly as many runs as say, Seattle and Texas, to win ballgames.
Miscellaneous: If I were to have you rank the top 5 managers of the 21st century, would not Mike Scioscia be one of the two locks on the list with Joe Torre?
Angels-related Ridiculous Proposition Bet: Over/Under - Pounds over 200 that Bartolo Colon will end up being before his career is over: 100
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THE LOS ANGELES CALIFORNIA ANGELS OF ANAHEIM CALIFORNIA
Pitching: Solid pitching is the solid engine for this solid team. John Lackey is one the most underrated pitchers in baseball. He eats up innings. He strikes guys out. He keeps you in ball games. His 13-11 record last year does him no justice. You throw 217 innings with a 3.56 ERA in the American League, you're a very good pitcher. The rest of the rotation rounds out nicely. Bartolo Colon is injured, but is on pace to be back within a couple months. Santana seems poised to improve on a season that saw him going 16-8. Kelvim Escobar finished with a 3.61 ERA and a 3 to 1 K/BB ratio. And, of course, young future superstud Jered Weaver is expected to overcome a bicep injury and be ready to go by May. Each of these pitchers has the ability to be a #2 starter. Again, this is a solid rotation.
Their bullpen is anchored by a top five closer in Francisco Rodriguez and two sub 3 ERA set up men in Scott Shields and Justin Speier. The loss of Brendan Donnelly to Boston is unfortunate, but bullpen was an area where they could afford to lose personnel. Significantly, they are one of the few teams in the sport that could boast such a quality. This is a solid bullpen.
Hitting: This lineup, though top heavy, will be able to put up enough runs to win a lot of games for the aforementioned pitchers. Chone Figgins provides loads of speed at the top. Howie Kendrick is an up-and-coming high average hitter who can help set the table for uber-star Vlad Guerrero. The lineup then heads down hill from great to adequate, when we see the likes of Gary Mathews Hgh., Garret Anderson's father, and model citizen Shea Hillenbrand. They give way to an anemic bottom third of the order consisting of Casey Kotchman, Mike Napoli, and the high-five-human-highlight-real Orlando Cabrera. Luckily for the Angels of Anaheim, they won't have to score nearly as many runs as say, Seattle and Texas, to win ballgames.
Miscellaneous: If I were to have you rank the top 5 managers of the 21st century, would not Mike Scioscia be one of the two locks on the list with Joe Torre?
Angels-related Ridiculous Proposition Bet: Over/Under - Pounds over 200 that Bartolo Colon will end up being before his career is over: 100
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Wednesday, March 21, 2007
The Greatest Baseball Preview in America: Texas Rangers
Well, it's the Rangers preview and I'm feeling cheeky. Here goes...
THE TEXAS RANGERS
Pitching: How Kevin Millwood and Vicente Padilla won 31 combined games last year is beyond me. Neither are terrible pitchers but neither are great ones. And this is the bedrock of pitching staff that plays in a bandbox ballpark. No thank you. They're followed by Brandom McCarthy, a 23-year-old with one and a half years of major league experience who was quizzically traded to them this offseason from the Chicago White Sox, and the Robinson Tejeda/Bruce Chen/Kameron Loe/Jamey Wright four-headed monster at the back end of the rotation. Somewhere it's written that if Bruce Chen is logging innings for you it's time to pack it in for the season. I should know. Yes, I know the Red Sox made the ALCS that year, but sometimes jokes are allowed to supercede actual fact. Bullpen: The Eric Gagne experiment is underway and as fascinating as ever. Why a team like Texas would spend $6 million on a risky closer when they had a perfectly capable guy already and a rotation desperately in need of help at the back end is frankly none of my business so I'm going to stay out of it. Oh, and woman-beating, chair-throwing, Zen master Frank Francisco is still hanging around waiting for a female fan to enrage him sufficiently. An exercise in logic: Let's take as given that only professional wrestlers hit people with folding chairs and that all professional wrestlers are on steroids. If Frank Francisco threw a folding chair then it follows logically that Frank Francisco is a professional wrestler who is on steroids and should be suspended. You're welcome, Mr. Selig (note that THIS came up under a google image search for Bud Selig. Does that make Gene Orza Dudley Do-Right?)
Hitting: Instead of even pretending to properly address their hitting, I'm just going to rail on Texas for trading Chris Young and Adrian Gonzalez for Adam Eaton some more. What a horrible deal. The Rangers could have Young as their number 2 right now with Gonzalez DH'ing instead of overpaying Vicente Padilla and playing Russian roulette with Frank Catalanotto and Sammy Sosa. And speaking of Sosa, at some point this season two third of the Rangers outfield could be Kenny Lofton and Slammin' Sammy. Get Jon Daniels on the phone, I want to tell him it's not 1998. Oh, and the third third is Brad Wilkerson. This could be the least potent outfield in the American League even with Sammy's elephantine supply of HGH. Bright spots: Michael Young and Mark Teixeira are still Studly Studlersons. Semi-bright spots: 26-year-old Nelson Cruz will probably start the season in right field and 25-year-old Ian Kinsler is starting his second full season as the Rangers second baseman. Not-bright-at-all spot: Hank Blalock continues to descend into fantasy baseball irrelevance.
Miscellaneous: I don't think I would call the Rangers front office stupid, persay. They do a great job of player development, their entire infield is homegrown and they've churned out some pretty solid pitching prospects. But when it comes to making trades or decisions on the free agent market they're pretty f**king stupid. It's like Rain Man. He can count cards like a champion but ask him to talk to a waitress and he stares at his shoes and fidgets. Only Rain Man would pay the richest franchise in baseball, the Yankees, to take A-Rod off their hands and manage to only get a few seasons of Alfonso Soriano and Brad Wilkerson out of it. Think about it: Tom Hicks is responsible for $21 million of A-Rod's salary over the next three years. He could have bought a whole bunch of cowboy hats with that money.
Rangers-related Ridiculous Proposition Bet: N/A, they suck too much.
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THE TEXAS RANGERS
Pitching: How Kevin Millwood and Vicente Padilla won 31 combined games last year is beyond me. Neither are terrible pitchers but neither are great ones. And this is the bedrock of pitching staff that plays in a bandbox ballpark. No thank you. They're followed by Brandom McCarthy, a 23-year-old with one and a half years of major league experience who was quizzically traded to them this offseason from the Chicago White Sox, and the Robinson Tejeda/Bruce Chen/Kameron Loe/Jamey Wright four-headed monster at the back end of the rotation. Somewhere it's written that if Bruce Chen is logging innings for you it's time to pack it in for the season. I should know. Yes, I know the Red Sox made the ALCS that year, but sometimes jokes are allowed to supercede actual fact. Bullpen: The Eric Gagne experiment is underway and as fascinating as ever. Why a team like Texas would spend $6 million on a risky closer when they had a perfectly capable guy already and a rotation desperately in need of help at the back end is frankly none of my business so I'm going to stay out of it. Oh, and woman-beating, chair-throwing, Zen master Frank Francisco is still hanging around waiting for a female fan to enrage him sufficiently. An exercise in logic: Let's take as given that only professional wrestlers hit people with folding chairs and that all professional wrestlers are on steroids. If Frank Francisco threw a folding chair then it follows logically that Frank Francisco is a professional wrestler who is on steroids and should be suspended. You're welcome, Mr. Selig (note that THIS came up under a google image search for Bud Selig. Does that make Gene Orza Dudley Do-Right?)
Hitting: Instead of even pretending to properly address their hitting, I'm just going to rail on Texas for trading Chris Young and Adrian Gonzalez for Adam Eaton some more. What a horrible deal. The Rangers could have Young as their number 2 right now with Gonzalez DH'ing instead of overpaying Vicente Padilla and playing Russian roulette with Frank Catalanotto and Sammy Sosa. And speaking of Sosa, at some point this season two third of the Rangers outfield could be Kenny Lofton and Slammin' Sammy. Get Jon Daniels on the phone, I want to tell him it's not 1998. Oh, and the third third is Brad Wilkerson. This could be the least potent outfield in the American League even with Sammy's elephantine supply of HGH. Bright spots: Michael Young and Mark Teixeira are still Studly Studlersons. Semi-bright spots: 26-year-old Nelson Cruz will probably start the season in right field and 25-year-old Ian Kinsler is starting his second full season as the Rangers second baseman. Not-bright-at-all spot: Hank Blalock continues to descend into fantasy baseball irrelevance.
Miscellaneous: I don't think I would call the Rangers front office stupid, persay. They do a great job of player development, their entire infield is homegrown and they've churned out some pretty solid pitching prospects. But when it comes to making trades or decisions on the free agent market they're pretty f**king stupid. It's like Rain Man. He can count cards like a champion but ask him to talk to a waitress and he stares at his shoes and fidgets. Only Rain Man would pay the richest franchise in baseball, the Yankees, to take A-Rod off their hands and manage to only get a few seasons of Alfonso Soriano and Brad Wilkerson out of it. Think about it: Tom Hicks is responsible for $21 million of A-Rod's salary over the next three years. He could have bought a whole bunch of cowboy hats with that money.
Rangers-related Ridiculous Proposition Bet: N/A, they suck too much.
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Tuesday, March 20, 2007
The Greatest Baseball Preview in America: Seattle Mariners
Quick Mets thoughts: Ultimately, the Mets turned out just like the Yankees. Maybe it's what they've always wanted. They outspent their division and league, and now have the top lineup in the NL with either old or underdeveloped pitchers with only two solid innings available each night from the bullpen. So what will this get them? A couple division titles with the best record in their league. After that, it's a crapshoot. The Yankees are in a six year rut with that strategy. Let's see how it works for the Metropolitans, who somehow remain infinitely more likeable.
THE SEATTLE MARINERS
Pitching: Seattle has a potential ace (Felix Hernandez) who has yet to realize his potential (read: Not been an ace yet) and a gaggle of #4 starters (Washburn, Batista, Weaver, Ramirez) to back up said unrealized ace. Translation: This starting pitching has 6 innings, 4-5 runs written all over them. Luckily, their bullpen can come in and save day.
Yeah...about that. Their bullpen has Chris Reitsma as their #2 go to guy after fireballer J.J. Putz. You could build a better bridge out of pencils and scotch tape.
Hitting: Through one ninth of their order, they might have the best lineup in baseball. Then it rapidly falls apart. Adrian Beltre has weaned himself off human growth horomone, and now swings a bat more like Adrian Balboa. Johjima, Ibanez, and Sexson are respectable players, but I have to wonder if their numbers are a result from one of the best power ballparks in the majors. This lineup does not impress me.
Miscellaneous: This is Ichiro's contract year, which is yet another reason why the Sox were crazy to give so much money to JD Drew this offseason. You don't think Ichiro and Matsuzaka would want to be teammates? All the money spent on Drew could have been spent on Ichiro next season. Now, the Sox will have to break the bank. I wouldn't rule out a July trade involving CoCo Crisp and a young pitcher for Suzuki, with the Sox immediately locking him up to an extension. What does this have to do with the Mariners? Well, they wouldn't trade Ichiro if they were contending, would they.
Mariners-related proposition bet: Odds on Queen Felix earning the right to have me call him King Felix like others used to: Practically zero.
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NL East
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THE SEATTLE MARINERS
Pitching: Seattle has a potential ace (Felix Hernandez) who has yet to realize his potential (read: Not been an ace yet) and a gaggle of #4 starters (Washburn, Batista, Weaver, Ramirez) to back up said unrealized ace. Translation: This starting pitching has 6 innings, 4-5 runs written all over them. Luckily, their bullpen can come in and save day.
Yeah...about that. Their bullpen has Chris Reitsma as their #2 go to guy after fireballer J.J. Putz. You could build a better bridge out of pencils and scotch tape.
Hitting: Through one ninth of their order, they might have the best lineup in baseball. Then it rapidly falls apart. Adrian Beltre has weaned himself off human growth horomone, and now swings a bat more like Adrian Balboa. Johjima, Ibanez, and Sexson are respectable players, but I have to wonder if their numbers are a result from one of the best power ballparks in the majors. This lineup does not impress me.
Miscellaneous: This is Ichiro's contract year, which is yet another reason why the Sox were crazy to give so much money to JD Drew this offseason. You don't think Ichiro and Matsuzaka would want to be teammates? All the money spent on Drew could have been spent on Ichiro next season. Now, the Sox will have to break the bank. I wouldn't rule out a July trade involving CoCo Crisp and a young pitcher for Suzuki, with the Sox immediately locking him up to an extension. What does this have to do with the Mariners? Well, they wouldn't trade Ichiro if they were contending, would they.
Mariners-related proposition bet: Odds on Queen Felix earning the right to have me call him King Felix like others used to: Practically zero.
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Monday, March 19, 2007
The Greatest Baseball Preview in America: New York Mets
Mets' fan, and FJFP-writer, Rob is presenting you with this year's preview of the New York Mets. How will Rob deal with a rotation that looks like it was built for a fast-pitch modified softball league and five everyday players who are on the wrong side of 34?
THE NEW YORK METS
Alright, even after my meh to mediocre effort, I'm lucky enough to have a second shot at writing something decent to fanboyish about a NY sports team on this site. It's much appreciated. Hopefully my comeback is closer to this, rather than this. Only time will tell...
Pitching: The main weakness of this year's Mets team is starting pitching. Then again, one can say the same thing about last year's team, and of all the scapegoats from the postseason, the starters were not the problem in the LCS. Pedro will miss at least the first four months this season, but it's not like the team needs to replace '99 Pedro production wise, as he actually posted an ERA+ below 100 for the first time in his career last year. As for the opening day rotation, it's mostly filled with guys that are lucky they pitch in an NL pitchers park. Frankly, this rotation is as forgettable as David Spade's post Chris Farley acting career. Seriously, this guy is even shorter than I am (don't believe the lies on his IMDB page-- I wrote 5'7" on my driver's license too, it doesn't make it true), and he's still getting sitcoms and banging celebrities. Seriously, why not me? Alas... anyways, as long as the Mets don't subject the world to seeing this guy again, everything will be alright. The bullpen is the strength of the Mets pitching staff, and a major reason why the team was the best in the NL last season. The back end is solid, with Aaron Heilman and Billy Wagner holding down the 8th and 9th innings. While the likelihood of some repeat performances is in doubt, this pen should still be around the top of the league, assuming manager Willie Randolph doesn't blow it out by July.
Hitting: Again, the hitting should be above average in the NL, if not best in the league (park adjusted, of course). The left side of the infield could be the best in the game, though both the other New York team (you saw right... other) and Florida are both in the argument. The rest of the infield should be able to maintain its production from last season, as for all the fluky goodness provided by the mustached man last season, the awfulness of everyone else that manned the keystone means that the Mets can expect the same production on the whole. Carlos Delgado was on the low end of his established norms last year, and though he’s aging, some more luck on batting average on balls in play (he had a .060 drop year over year) should allow him to continue to be an above-average NL first basemen. The team derives its ever-important veteran leadership from its catcher, though the Mets will put more runs on the board with the next Derek Jeter batting second in the lineup. As for the outfield, hopefully Carlos Beltran's hamstrings have healed up, since there's the Mets imported some old, brittle, former Giants outfielder (and they couldn't even get that right... lame), to go along with the old, washed-up, former Dodgers outfielder. I'm just hoping this doesn't lead down the wrong path if Beltran goes down for any length of time (You know what I meant, get your head out of the gutter... Dammit...)
Miscellaneous: As you may or may not know, Moises Alou has an interesting pregame ritual. As you can tell by the date on the link, this isn't exactly a recent development. Anyways, it got me to thinking: what would it be like if people in other professions took up this practice. For some, such as plumber, garbage man, or guest blogger, I can't imagine it having much of an impact on actual job performance (well, I am in fact positive about one, I'll leave you to decide which). Still, there are other occupations where this could cause problems. I, for one, wouldn't particularly want my dentist warming up this way. You know, I was gonna give other examples, but I'm pretty pleased with the lasting impression I've left-- the thought of your dentist and his pee filled hands pulling your wisdom teeth-- that I'm just gonna stop here... You're welcome.
Mets-related proposition bet: Date on which special assistant Rickey Henderson wins Shawn Green’s job in a card game: June 24th. Amount of pleased I'll be with this development: Immeasurable.
Previous Preview
NL East
Philadelphia Phillies
Atlanta Braves
Florida Marlins
Washington Nationals
NL Central
St. Louis Cardinals
Houston Astros
Cincinnati Reds
Milwaukee Brewers
Pittsburgh Pirates
Chicago Cubs
NL West
San Diego Padres
Los Angeles Dodgers
San Francisco Giants
Colorado Rockies
Arizona Diamondbacks
THE NEW YORK METS
Alright, even after my meh to mediocre effort, I'm lucky enough to have a second shot at writing something decent to fanboyish about a NY sports team on this site. It's much appreciated. Hopefully my comeback is closer to this, rather than this. Only time will tell...
Pitching: The main weakness of this year's Mets team is starting pitching. Then again, one can say the same thing about last year's team, and of all the scapegoats from the postseason, the starters were not the problem in the LCS. Pedro will miss at least the first four months this season, but it's not like the team needs to replace '99 Pedro production wise, as he actually posted an ERA+ below 100 for the first time in his career last year. As for the opening day rotation, it's mostly filled with guys that are lucky they pitch in an NL pitchers park. Frankly, this rotation is as forgettable as David Spade's post Chris Farley acting career. Seriously, this guy is even shorter than I am (don't believe the lies on his IMDB page-- I wrote 5'7" on my driver's license too, it doesn't make it true), and he's still getting sitcoms and banging celebrities. Seriously, why not me? Alas... anyways, as long as the Mets don't subject the world to seeing this guy again, everything will be alright. The bullpen is the strength of the Mets pitching staff, and a major reason why the team was the best in the NL last season. The back end is solid, with Aaron Heilman and Billy Wagner holding down the 8th and 9th innings. While the likelihood of some repeat performances is in doubt, this pen should still be around the top of the league, assuming manager Willie Randolph doesn't blow it out by July.
Hitting: Again, the hitting should be above average in the NL, if not best in the league (park adjusted, of course). The left side of the infield could be the best in the game, though both the other New York team (you saw right... other) and Florida are both in the argument. The rest of the infield should be able to maintain its production from last season, as for all the fluky goodness provided by the mustached man last season, the awfulness of everyone else that manned the keystone means that the Mets can expect the same production on the whole. Carlos Delgado was on the low end of his established norms last year, and though he’s aging, some more luck on batting average on balls in play (he had a .060 drop year over year) should allow him to continue to be an above-average NL first basemen. The team derives its ever-important veteran leadership from its catcher, though the Mets will put more runs on the board with the next Derek Jeter batting second in the lineup. As for the outfield, hopefully Carlos Beltran's hamstrings have healed up, since there's the Mets imported some old, brittle, former Giants outfielder (and they couldn't even get that right... lame), to go along with the old, washed-up, former Dodgers outfielder. I'm just hoping this doesn't lead down the wrong path if Beltran goes down for any length of time (You know what I meant, get your head out of the gutter... Dammit...)
Miscellaneous: As you may or may not know, Moises Alou has an interesting pregame ritual. As you can tell by the date on the link, this isn't exactly a recent development. Anyways, it got me to thinking: what would it be like if people in other professions took up this practice. For some, such as plumber, garbage man, or guest blogger, I can't imagine it having much of an impact on actual job performance (well, I am in fact positive about one, I'll leave you to decide which). Still, there are other occupations where this could cause problems. I, for one, wouldn't particularly want my dentist warming up this way. You know, I was gonna give other examples, but I'm pretty pleased with the lasting impression I've left-- the thought of your dentist and his pee filled hands pulling your wisdom teeth-- that I'm just gonna stop here... You're welcome.
Mets-related proposition bet: Date on which special assistant Rickey Henderson wins Shawn Green’s job in a card game: June 24th. Amount of pleased I'll be with this development: Immeasurable.
Previous Preview
NL East
Philadelphia Phillies
Atlanta Braves
Florida Marlins
Washington Nationals
NL Central
St. Louis Cardinals
Houston Astros
Cincinnati Reds
Milwaukee Brewers
Pittsburgh Pirates
Chicago Cubs
NL West
San Diego Padres
Los Angeles Dodgers
San Francisco Giants
Colorado Rockies
Arizona Diamondbacks
Sunday, March 18, 2007
The Greatest Baseball Preview in America: Philadelphia Phillies
THE PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES
Pitching: Hands down best pitching in the NL East. The rotation includes ace-in-waiting Cole Hamels, ace-in-progress Brett Myers, Adam "somehow I was traded for Chris Young and Adrian Gonzalez" Eaton, Freddy "got fingered" Garcia, and ageless wonderboy Jamie Moyer with Jon Lieber, who baseball reference says is most similar to Kevin Tapani through age 36, as their sixth starter and prime tradebait for bullpen help. That's an all-around above average rotation with the potential for Hamels, with his fantastic K-rate and low workload last year, to go from a fantasy dork's wet dream to Phillies' fans' dreamboat starter. Bullpen: Philadelphia's bullpen is an if-then statement. IF Tom Gordon can stay healthy THEN they will be passable. But that's a big "IF" and an even bigger "THEN." Gordon will be 39 this season after a season in which he was either missing time or simply ineffective due to a chronic right shoulder strain. And he's still not 100%. To put a positive spin on things the six-fingered Antonio Alfonseca has been spotting in a Phillies uniform this spring.
Hitting: With Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, and Jimmy Rollins you can almost excuse the rest of the lineup. And raise your hand if your fantasy team depends on Pat Burrell getting back to his 40 homerun ways this season. Just me? Dammit. Anyway, neck and neck for the best NL offense with the NY Mets.
Miscellaneous: As I write this I'm watching the Florida-Purdue second round NCAA game. Joakim Noah is the tallest woman in the world and she should be checked for human growth hormone.
Phillies-related Ridiculous Proposition Bet: Over/under on number of Phillies games my friend Pax buys tickets for but never uses because he can't get anyone to go with him: the entire Dodgers-Phillies series. Simply put nobody wants to travel all the way to Philadelphia just to get to the game in the third inning and leave by the seventh. This Dodger-fan specific behavior is so ingrained in Pax's baseball viewing habits that it's a Pavlovian response.
Previous Preview
NL East
Atlanta Braves
Florida Marlins
Washington Nationals
NL Central
St. Louis Cardinals
Houston Astros
Cincinnati Reds
Milwaukee Brewers
Pittsburgh Pirates
Chicago Cubs
NL West
San Diego Padres
Los Angeles Dodgers
San Francisco Giants
Colorado Rockies
Arizona Diamondbacks
Pitching: Hands down best pitching in the NL East. The rotation includes ace-in-waiting Cole Hamels, ace-in-progress Brett Myers, Adam "somehow I was traded for Chris Young and Adrian Gonzalez" Eaton, Freddy "got fingered" Garcia, and ageless wonderboy Jamie Moyer with Jon Lieber, who baseball reference says is most similar to Kevin Tapani through age 36, as their sixth starter and prime tradebait for bullpen help. That's an all-around above average rotation with the potential for Hamels, with his fantastic K-rate and low workload last year, to go from a fantasy dork's wet dream to Phillies' fans' dreamboat starter. Bullpen: Philadelphia's bullpen is an if-then statement. IF Tom Gordon can stay healthy THEN they will be passable. But that's a big "IF" and an even bigger "THEN." Gordon will be 39 this season after a season in which he was either missing time or simply ineffective due to a chronic right shoulder strain. And he's still not 100%. To put a positive spin on things the six-fingered Antonio Alfonseca has been spotting in a Phillies uniform this spring.
Hitting: With Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, and Jimmy Rollins you can almost excuse the rest of the lineup. And raise your hand if your fantasy team depends on Pat Burrell getting back to his 40 homerun ways this season. Just me? Dammit. Anyway, neck and neck for the best NL offense with the NY Mets.
Miscellaneous: As I write this I'm watching the Florida-Purdue second round NCAA game. Joakim Noah is the tallest woman in the world and she should be checked for human growth hormone.
Phillies-related Ridiculous Proposition Bet: Over/under on number of Phillies games my friend Pax buys tickets for but never uses because he can't get anyone to go with him: the entire Dodgers-Phillies series. Simply put nobody wants to travel all the way to Philadelphia just to get to the game in the third inning and leave by the seventh. This Dodger-fan specific behavior is so ingrained in Pax's baseball viewing habits that it's a Pavlovian response.
Previous Preview
NL East
Atlanta Braves
Florida Marlins
Washington Nationals
NL Central
St. Louis Cardinals
Houston Astros
Cincinnati Reds
Milwaukee Brewers
Pittsburgh Pirates
Chicago Cubs
NL West
San Diego Padres
Los Angeles Dodgers
San Francisco Giants
Colorado Rockies
Arizona Diamondbacks
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