NL West - Dodgers NL Central - Cubs NL East - Braves NL Wild Card - Mets
AL West - Angels AL Central - Indians AL East - Red Sox AL Wild Card - Yankees
NL Champions - Braves AL Champions - Red Sox
World Series Champions - Red Sox, in 4 games
No doubt the Mets are a good team, they're actually phenomenal, it's just that they have mastered the art of choking. The Mets are choke artists, period. The Cubs is arguably the strongest National League team on paper, but they believe in a curse, and that's their problem. That makes them blue falcons with the Mets. The fact that they believe in a curse develops a new curse, the curse of the Ex-Cubs. Which basically is that teams with players who used to be Cubs never win it all. It's actually a curse I believe in. The Dodgers will win their division only because it is the worst division in the National League and the Dodgers actually have a metiocre team. Manny will prove to be a disaster, Either and Kemp will reach their potential, and Broxton will be a dominant closer, but that's still just isn't enough to get past an NLCS. Manny's a playoff player, that's for sure, but he's also a baby, and LA doesn't like babies. And if LA doesn't like Manny, Manny doesn't like LA, and then it's back to the same situation we had last year in Boston.
The Angels will yet again be a very strong team this year that lacks a prominent power source; trading Casey Kotchman was one of the worst things they could have ever done. The problem with the Angels is that they always end up facing their daddy in the playoffs; the Boston Red Sox. And, regardless of what you may think, if you've got Beckett, Matsuzaka, Lester, Wakefield, and Penny in your rotation, with John Smoltz as an option and Papelbon anchoring that, you're gonna win a few games. The AL Central will prove to be one of the most pathetic divisions in baseball this decade. The Royals and Indians are the only teams that really have a chance; The Tigers will never retake the form they had in 2005, the White Sox no longer have any pitching, and the Twins are about as good as Richard Nixon is innocent.
The AL East is baseball this year; the soap opera lies within the Yankees, as they try to force chemistry upon a bunch of amazing players who's egos are enormous. It obviously didn't pay off on Opening Day, as $180mm dollar man C.C. Sabathia and the Yankees fell to the Orioles 10-5, with Mark Teixiera going 0-for-3. The Red Sox have the returning MVP, the returning runner up for MVP, a former Rookie of the Year, a starting rotation in which 4 of their 5 starters have finished in the top 10 for Cy Young award voting for the past 2 years, a set-up man and closer who will blow 1 game tops for the year, and a lineup that honestly is better than the rest. The Rays will be above-average, but just not good enough. They did pick up a good amount of veterans with a significant amount of time and respectable numbers, but they picked these guys up during the decline of their careers(such as Pat Burrell). They pack a punch with Scott Kazmir, James Shields, and Matt Garza, but outside of that it's only B.J. Upton and Evan Longoria that pose a threat, and you can't win a division with 3 guys. The Orioles made some great moves this year, and the team they pulled together is a team of underrated, above-average players who are obviously getting the job done; 2 players went 4-for-4 yesterday against the Yankees, and they scored 10 runs combined. Whether or not their pitching will be enough has yet to be proven, but my personal opinion is that they will pose a threat for the 3rd place slot this year. And the Toronto Blue Jays have always been a dark horse, and with Roy Halladay still healthy, they have the ability to make this division a real competition. Vernon Wells doesn't get the recognition he deserves for being the outstanding player he is, and I believe that they Blue Jays will go far this year as well.
I say that not one team in the American League East finishes below .500, and the World Champions will come out of the American League East, and that team is the Boston Red Sox.
The Mets bolstered their bullpen, obviously the weakest point of their team last year. The Dodgers lineup actually isn't bad but their rotation isn't strong, they lost a lot. Getting Hudson was a steal. The Twins aren't as bad as you think, their pitching is great and healthy in arms like Liriano, Slowey, Baker, etc. The Rays are stronger than you say their are, they have 3 quality arms in the minors ready to fill in the rotation in Price, Niemann, and Davis. Getting Burrelll for the price they got is quality. Upton, Longoria, Pena, Crawford is still a good lineup. As for the Yankees, look at CC Sabathia's April last year, he was just as horrible. you can't predict Teixeira's year after one game. and why Atlanta? Derek Lowe as an Ace? have fun with that.
im just curious as to how the braves are supposed to win the NL pennant with a team thats leading home run hitter had only 23 last season. with no pitching aside from derek lowe its gonna be a long year for them in my opinion.
NL West - Dodgers NL Central - Cubs NL East - Braves NL Wild Card - Mets
AL West - Angels AL Central - Indians AL East - Red Sox AL Wild Card - Yankees
NL Champions - Braves AL Champions - Red Sox
World Series Champions - Red Sox, in 4 games
No doubt the Mets are a good team, they're actually phenomenal, it's just that they have mastered the art of choking. The Mets are choke artists, period. The Cubs is arguably the strongest National League team on paper, but they believe in a curse, and that's their problem. That makes them blue falcons with the Mets. The fact that they believe in a curse develops a new curse, the curse of the Ex-Cubs. Which basically is that teams with players who used to be Cubs never win it all. It's actually a curse I believe in. The Dodgers will win their division only because it is the worst division in the National League and the Dodgers actually have a metiocre team. Manny will prove to be a disaster, Either and Kemp will reach their potential, and Broxton will be a dominant closer, but that's still just isn't enough to get past an NLCS. Manny's a playoff player, that's for sure, but he's also a baby, and LA doesn't like babies. And if LA doesn't like Manny, Manny doesn't like LA, and then it's back to the same situation we had last year in Boston.
The Angels will yet again be a very strong team this year that lacks a prominent power source; trading Casey Kotchman was one of the worst things they could have ever done. The problem with the Angels is that they always end up facing their daddy in the playoffs; the Boston Red Sox. And, regardless of what you may think, if you've got Beckett, Matsuzaka, Lester, Wakefield, and Penny in your rotation, with John Smoltz as an option and Papelbon anchoring that, you're gonna win a few games. The AL Central will prove to be one of the most pathetic divisions in baseball this decade. The Royals and Indians are the only teams that really have a chance; The Tigers will never retake the form they had in 2005, the White Sox no longer have any pitching, and the Twins are about as good as Richard Nixon is innocent.
The AL East is baseball this year; the soap opera lies within the Yankees, as they try to force chemistry upon a bunch of amazing players who's egos are enormous. It obviously didn't pay off on Opening Day, as $180mm dollar man C.C. Sabathia and the Yankees fell to the Orioles 10-5, with Mark Teixiera going 0-for-3. The Red Sox have the returning MVP, the returning runner up for MVP, a former Rookie of the Year, a starting rotation in which 4 of their 5 starters have finished in the top 10 for Cy Young award voting for the past 2 years, a set-up man and closer who will blow 1 game tops for the year, and a lineup that honestly is better than the rest. The Rays will be above-average, but just not good enough. They did pick up a good amount of veterans with a significant amount of time and respectable numbers, but they picked these guys up during the decline of their careers(such as Pat Burrell). They pack a punch with Scott Kazmir, James Shields, and Matt Garza, but outside of that it's only B.J. Upton and Evan Longoria that pose a threat, and you can't win a division with 3 guys. The Orioles made some great moves this year, and the team they pulled together is a team of underrated, above-average players who are obviously getting the job done; 2 players went 4-for-4 yesterday against the Yankees, and they scored 10 runs combined. Whether or not their pitching will be enough has yet to be proven, but my personal opinion is that they will pose a threat for the 3rd place slot this year. And the Toronto Blue Jays have always been a dark horse, and with Roy Halladay still healthy, they have the ability to make this division a real competition. Vernon Wells doesn't get the recognition he deserves for being the outstanding player he is, and I believe that they Blue Jays will go far this year as well.
I say that not one team in the American League East finishes below .500, and the World Champions will come out of the American League East, and that team is the Boston Red Sox.
The BoSox are the best team in baseball for 2009
Your right on about the al east being the games to watch. They're all pretty stacked this year. It'll be fun to watch
The Mets bolstered their bullpen, obviously the weakest point of their team last year. The Dodgers lineup actually isn't bad but their rotation isn't strong, they lost a lot. Getting Hudson was a steal. The Twins aren't as bad as you think, their pitching is great and healthy in arms like Liriano, Slowey, Baker, etc. The Rays are stronger than you say their are, they have 3 quality arms in the minors ready to fill in the rotation in Price, Niemann, and Davis. Getting Burrelll for the price they got is quality. Upton, Longoria, Pena, Crawford is still a good lineup. As for the Yankees, look at CC Sabathia's April last year, he was just as horrible. you can't predict Teixeira's year after one game. and why Atlanta? Derek Lowe as an Ace? have fun with that.
The Mets didn't bolster their 'pen, all they did was pick up a veteran who's regressing, and an egotistical youngster who can top 92 at best. They'll make it to the playoffs, but they will choke yet again. I promise. The Dodgers are a good team; Andre Eithier and Matt Kemp have both proven that they have reached their potential for this year, and they're both very good. But the secret to their downfall will ironically be Manny Ramirez, and I already elaborated on that earlier. Sure the mets have Liriano, but Baker will win 14 games if he's lucky and Slowey won't beat 13. Yeah, that's good to have, but it's not enough considering the competition. And btw, Baker's on the DL anyway. Baker has never topped 11 wins, and Slowey's career high is 12. As far as their lineup, I feel bad for Justin Morneau, who is stuck on a team that won't get anything started, especially with Joe Mauer on the DL. Morneau is the only guy in the lineup that can hit some like, ohh, Kansas City's Joakim Soria. They aren't as bad as I think only because I'm optimistic that they won't lose 100 games this year. Rays are definitely strong, but adding Burrel was a mistake to go after, especially when there was an Adam Dunn on the market at the time. The Rays only have Carlos Pena as a left-handed threat, and even so, he'll only bat about .260 if he's healthy. They're good, but the Yankees are better, and the Blue Jays and Orioles are definitely posing a threat for 3rd place. Niemann is a dud, straight up. Niemann is the next Dave McCarty. Price is the only legit player in the minors that the Rays have right now that's a future star. Sorry, but the Rays aren't going to be able to repeat last year for a while now, especially with Burrell and Isringhausen. Yankees are good, and they'll win at least 95 games this year. It's just that Boston is better and has a more consistent lineup. The rivalry will definitely be intense this year.
Why is everyone bagging on the Braves? You surely must not be watching baseball at all. The Braves showed little to no power last year, but let's take a look at their first series of the new season: 1st game; 4 runs scored, 3 HRs. 2nd game; 4 runs scored, 2 HRs. 3rd game; 11 runs scored, 3 HRs. The power is definitely their, and I think everyone who is pessimistic about Lowe this year will be proven wrong. Lowe will win 16 games at the absolute very least, and his ERA will not be over 3.50. He threw 8 scoreless innings on Opening Day. The only concern for Atlanta will be the bullpen, as they are prone to giving up a lot of walks. I think that if the coaches can work with their relievers to let the batters hit, then there will be a different story with the 'pen. I'm calling an imperative, overlooked trade made before the Deadline that ultimately catapults the Braves to the 2009 NL Pennant.
The Mets bolstered their bullpen, obviously the weakest point of their team last year. The Dodgers lineup actually isn't bad but their rotation isn't strong, they lost a lot. Getting Hudson was a steal. The Twins aren't as bad as you think, their pitching is great and healthy in arms like Liriano, Slowey, Baker, etc. The Rays are stronger than you say their are, they have 3 quality arms in the minors ready to fill in the rotation in Price, Niemann, and Davis. Getting Burrelll for the price they got is quality. Upton, Longoria, Pena, Crawford is still a good lineup. As for the Yankees, look at CC Sabathia's April last year, he was just as horrible. you can't predict Teixeira's year after one game. and why Atlanta? Derek Lowe as an Ace? have fun with that.
The Mets didn't bolster their 'pen, all they did was pick up a veteran who's regressing, and an egotistical youngster who can top 92 at best. They'll make it to the playoffs, but they will choke yet again. I promise. The Dodgers are a good team; Andre Eithier and Matt Kemp have both proven that they have reached their potential for this year, and they're both very good. But the secret to their downfall will ironically be Manny Ramirez, and I already elaborated on that earlier. Sure the mets have Liriano, but Baker will win 14 games if he's lucky and Slowey won't beat 13. Yeah, that's good to have, but it's not enough considering the competition. And btw, Baker's on the DL anyway. Baker has never topped 11 wins, and Slowey's career high is 12. As far as their lineup, I feel bad for Justin Morneau, who is stuck on a team that won't get anything started, especially with Joe Mauer on the DL. Morneau is the only guy in the lineup that can hit some like, ohh, Kansas City's Joakim Soria. They aren't as bad as I think only because I'm optimistic that they won't lose 100 games this year. Rays are definitely strong, but adding Burrel was a mistake to go after, especially when there was an Adam Dunn on the market at the time. The Rays only have Carlos Pena as a left-handed threat, and even so, he'll only bat about .260 if he's healthy. They're good, but the Yankees are better, and the Blue Jays and Orioles are definitely posing a threat for 3rd place. Niemann is a dud, straight up. Niemann is the next Dave McCarty. Price is the only legit player in the minors that the Rays have right now that's a future star. Sorry, but the Rays aren't going to be able to repeat last year for a while now, especially with Burrell and Isringhausen. Yankees are good, and they'll win at least 95 games this year. It's just that Boston is better and has a more consistent lineup. The rivalry will definitely be intense this year.
Why is everyone bagging on the Braves? You surely must not be watching baseball at all. The Braves showed little to no power last year, but let's take a look at their first series of the new season: 1st game; 4 runs scored, 3 HRs. 2nd game; 4 runs scored, 2 HRs. 3rd game; 11 runs scored, 3 HRs. The power is definitely their, and I think everyone who is pessimistic about Lowe this year will be proven wrong. Lowe will win 16 games at the absolute very least, and his ERA will not be over 3.50. He threw 8 scoreless innings on Opening Day. The only concern for Atlanta will be the bullpen, as they are prone to giving up a lot of walks. I think that if the coaches can work with their relievers to let the batters hit, then there will be a different story with the 'pen. I'm calling an imperative, overlooked trade made before the Deadline that ultimately catapults the Braves to the 2009 NL Pennant.
But sorry, Sox still win it all.
Adding Putz and K-Rod is definitely an improvement of a bullpen as much I hate that people value closers because of their save totals. And I'm sorry but basing an argument on wins is a total irrelevant stat. Its a joke someone like Bartolo Colon got a Cy Young because voters over-value wins wayyyyyyyyyyyyyy to much. Its a LUCK stat. Come on D-Train had like averaged 5 runs of support when he won Cy Young. Pat Burrell (look I'm not his fan) but he's predicted to have an OPS just south of .900 which is good and a SLG just south of 600 which is also good. Blue Jays don't have the pitching or the offense and have a weak minor league system, Baltimore has a terrible rotation. Jeff Niemann has a no.5 starter/spot starter, is very good. As we saw the Braves bullpen tonight, it was terrible. Derek Lowe will at max reach 13 wins, Derek Lowe does not have a good WHIP and an ERA that an ACE should have. and Atlanta's hitting threat isn't as great as it was before.
The Mets bolstered their bullpen, obviously the weakest point of their team last year. The Dodgers lineup actually isn't bad but their rotation isn't strong, they lost a lot. Getting Hudson was a steal. The Twins aren't as bad as you think, their pitching is great and healthy in arms like Liriano, Slowey, Baker, etc. The Rays are stronger than you say their are, they have 3 quality arms in the minors ready to fill in the rotation in Price, Niemann, and Davis. Getting Burrelll for the price they got is quality. Upton, Longoria, Pena, Crawford is still a good lineup. As for the Yankees, look at CC Sabathia's April last year, he was just as horrible. you can't predict Teixeira's year after one game. and why Atlanta? Derek Lowe as an Ace? have fun with that.
The Mets didn't bolster their 'pen, all they did was pick up a veteran who's regressing, and an egotistical youngster who can top 92 at best. They'll make it to the playoffs, but they will choke yet again. I promise. The Dodgers are a good team; Andre Eithier and Matt Kemp have both proven that they have reached their potential for this year, and they're both very good. But the secret to their downfall will ironically be Manny Ramirez, and I already elaborated on that earlier. Sure the mets have Liriano, but Baker will win 14 games if he's lucky and Slowey won't beat 13. Yeah, that's good to have, but it's not enough considering the competition. And btw, Baker's on the DL anyway. Baker has never topped 11 wins, and Slowey's career high is 12. As far as their lineup, I feel bad for Justin Morneau, who is stuck on a team that won't get anything started, especially with Joe Mauer on the DL. Morneau is the only guy in the lineup that can hit some like, ohh, Kansas City's Joakim Soria. They aren't as bad as I think only because I'm optimistic that they won't lose 100 games this year. Rays are definitely strong, but adding Burrel was a mistake to go after, especially when there was an Adam Dunn on the market at the time. The Rays only have Carlos Pena as a left-handed threat, and even so, he'll only bat about .260 if he's healthy. They're good, but the Yankees are better, and the Blue Jays and Orioles are definitely posing a threat for 3rd place. Niemann is a dud, straight up. Niemann is the next Dave McCarty. Price is the only legit player in the minors that the Rays have right now that's a future star. Sorry, but the Rays aren't going to be able to repeat last year for a while now, especially with Burrell and Isringhausen. Yankees are good, and they'll win at least 95 games this year. It's just that Boston is better and has a more consistent lineup. The rivalry will definitely be intense this year.
Why is everyone bagging on the Braves? You surely must not be watching baseball at all. The Braves showed little to no power last year, but let's take a look at their first series of the new season: 1st game; 4 runs scored, 3 HRs. 2nd game; 4 runs scored, 2 HRs. 3rd game; 11 runs scored, 3 HRs. The power is definitely their, and I think everyone who is pessimistic about Lowe this year will be proven wrong. Lowe will win 16 games at the absolute very least, and his ERA will not be over 3.50. He threw 8 scoreless innings on Opening Day. The only concern for Atlanta will be the bullpen, as they are prone to giving up a lot of walks. I think that if the coaches can work with their relievers to let the batters hit, then there will be a different story with the 'pen. I'm calling an imperative, overlooked trade made before the Deadline that ultimately catapults the Braves to the 2009 NL Pennant.
But sorry, Sox still win it all.
Adding Putz and K-Rod is definitely an improvement of a bullpen as much I hate that people value closers because of their save totals. And I'm sorry but basing an argument on wins is a total irrelevant stat. Its a joke someone like Bartolo Colon got a Cy Young because voters over-value wins wayyyyyyyyyyyyyy to much. Its a LUCK stat. Come on D-Train had like averaged 5 runs of support when he won Cy Young. Pat Burrell (look I'm not his fan) but he's predicted to have an OPS just south of .900 which is good and a SLG just south of 600 which is also good. Blue Jays don't have the pitching or the offense and have a weak minor league system, Baltimore has a terrible rotation. Jeff Niemann has a no.5 starter/spot starter, is very good. As we saw the Braves bullpen tonight, it was terrible. Derek Lowe will at max reach 13 wins, Derek Lowe does not have a good WHIP and an ERA that an ACE should have. and Atlanta's hitting threat isn't as great as it was before.
That doesn't make any sense, you base how well a player plays outside of his stats? So are you trying to tell me that all of the sudden David Dellucci is a star offensive player and Hipolito Pichardo was the second coming of Walter Johnson? It's SO rare that stats don't reflect how valuable a player is, take Jason Varitek for an example. But here's the facts; K-Rod's arm is DUST and J.J. Putz is over the hill. You may have some intense bias with the Mets, but I'm sorry, they're not going anywhere. They've choked repeatedly these past few years, and Odalis Perez showed us today just how consistent he really is. Joey Votto is one of 95% of the players in the NL that have OP's number, amongst everyone else in their metiocre rotation.
Wins mean something, and hell yeah Bartolo Colon deserved his Cy Young. But, if you're not blinded by ignorance, then you already have a feel of how many wins a pitcher should have. Take Tim Lincecum for an exmample; by far the best pitcher in the NL last year, and well deserving of the Cy Young. However, the Freak was restricted to an 18-5 record, when he was a 20 game winner at the very least last year. I watched one game where he gave up 1 run on 1 hit through 8 innings, while striking out 10, but he got the loss because the Giants can't produce runs to save their life. That's the only flaw with the win-loss record. But everything else is reflected in their ERA, WHIP, etc. Maybe you don't rely on stats because you're ignorant, eh? I mean, that must be the reason if you think that D-Lowe won't at LEAST get 15 wins this year, if you haven't seen the development the Orioles' rotation has made, if you think that Toronto won't finish over .500 this year, and if you seriously think Pat Burrell is still in his prime. I mean, come on. You're argument has no strength to support itself at all
And Jeff Niemann's got nothing. Saturday is his first start of the season, and it's against the O's. You'll see what I mean when I say he's a dud
Next thing you're gonna try to tell me is that the Royals aren't going to be a contending team this year
And btw, show me your source that says Pat Burrell is projected to reach those stats
-- Edited by KevinDangerMann on Friday 10th of April 2009 12:36:19 AM
fangraphs. I think you are misinterpreting what I said, I'm a sabermetrics guy and base most of my arguments off stats. However WINs are a LUCK stat. Wins are just way overrated, come on, wins made Chien Ming Wang an ACE. thats a joke. Trust me I hate the Mets and am a Cardinals fan. But I feel they adequately upgraded their team. SLG and OPS are how I look at hitting, WHIP, K, and ERA are the main things I like it on pitchers. I never sad Pat Burrell was in his prime, I'm saying they got great value for him because of the economy and the BS deal his agent was trying to get for him. And I don't hate the Royals at all, I just don't think they're strong enough. I have defended Alex Gordon and Mike Aviles too many times before.
Mets won't win over 85 games this season, and if you want me to further advocate that fact then you can just refer to everything that I've previously said.
Mets won't win over 85 games this season, and if you want me to further advocate that fact then you can just refer to everything that I've previously said.
And the Royals will go far, just wait and see.
I'm not saying there a BS stat. I'm just saying that can't be the top way to analyze a pitcher. Because you can get tons of run support, throw a terrible game, and still get a win. Hence they are way overvalued. I'd say its like the 5th pitching stat you should look at to see if a pitcher is any good. But come on, you throw 5 innings, give up 10 runs, but if your team scored 11, you're still in line for the win. Hence its a LUCK stat.
Mets won't win over 85 games this season, and if you want me to further advocate that fact then you can just refer to everything that I've previously said.
And the Royals will go far, just wait and see.
I'm not saying there a BS stat. I'm just saying that can't be the top way to analyze a pitcher. Because you can get tons of run support, throw a terrible game, and still get a win. Hence they are way overvalued. I'd say its like the 5th pitching stat you should look at to see if a pitcher is any good. But come on, you throw 5 innings, give up 10 runs, but if your team scored 11, you're still in line for the win. Hence its a LUCK stat.
Yeah but if you stay in after giving up 10 runs, the manager's getting fired. Wins are not luck. If you have a pitcher that has 20 wins under his name, you're going to want him on your team. Period.
I would dump people like Chien Ming Wang in a heartbeat. But he is a highly marketable person to Taiwanese people, so he brings in money. If I can get 5 starters who have excellent ERAs, Whips, K/BB/9 ratios, I'd take them in a heartbeat over a 20 game winner. I'd trade him while he's overvalued.
I would dump people like Chien Ming Wang in a heartbeat. But he is a highly marketable person to Taiwanese people, so he brings in money. If I can get 5 starters who have excellent ERAs, Whips, K/BB/9 ratios, I'd take them in a heartbeat over a 20 game winner. I'd trade him while he's overvalued.
Yeah? And what team do you think has the best pitching staff this year?
