MLB 16 Preview: Post Season and Awards
Baseball season is upon us! In a few hours, first pitch for many teams will be coming across home plate to the sound of many screaming fans and to the delight of many, including myself. Half the fun of the season, however, is looking at the off-season and trying to predict what will happen with each team. As the start of baseball season is upon us, I want to write down my post-season predictions and awards for the 2016 season. Looking back on these is always a blast once the season is over, but here they are never-the-less!
AL seeding: 1) Astros 2) Blue Jays 3) Royals 4) Indians 5) Rays (beating the Mariners in a one game playoff to get to the one game playoff)
Indians over Rays: Tampa will be tired from having to play the first one-game playoff and will have already used the ace of the team, making it difficult to match-up against the Indians.
Astros vs. Indians: Indians in five – Cleveland’s pitching overwhelms the strikeout heavy offense of the Astros.
Blue Jays vs. Royals: Blue Jays in four – a reverse of last years ALCS with Toronto coming out on top with deeper pitching and a stronger, better clicking offense.
Blue Jays vs. Indians: Blue Jays in six – Toronto has a stronger, more balanced offense and is able to keep pace with the Indians pitching with a little help from home field advantage.
NL seeding: 1) Cubs 2) Mets 3) Dodgers 4) Pirates 5) Cardinals
Pirates over Cardinals: A one-game playoff has been the bane of the Pirates lately but hey, third time is a charm and this time, Gerrit Cole has a little playoff experience under his belt. The Cardinals are not as overwhelming as they have been in years past and are unable to handle the Pirates in PNC Park.
Cubs vs. Pirates: Pirates in five – the pitching depth still is not quite there for the Cubs (barring a trade deadline move) and the Pirates bullpen can keep a lead once it is acquired. It will be one of the best series in the playoffs, however.
Mets vs. Dodgers: Mets in four – It will not be a sweep, but the Mets pitching overwhelms the lackluster Dodgers this season in a pretty easy fashion.
Mets vs. Pirates: Pirates in seven – No repeat for the Mets this year as the Pirates have a better defense and bullpen than the Mets and those were the exact things that brought NY down against the Royals in the World Series. It will be a long series, however, as the Mets pitching is not going to falter that easily.
World Series: Blue Jays vs. Pirates… Toronto in six – It hurts to write that, but Toronto has an excellently balanced lineup, especially with the DH factored in, and the pitching staff is better than people are giving it credit for.
AL MVP: Carlos Correa – This youngster has loads of talent on offense and defense and he shows it all in his first full season.
NL MVP: Giancarlo Stanton – with a full season under his belt and lineup protection, Stanton might be able to mash 50 homeruns and hit around .300.
AL CY Young: Chris Archer – His power pitching and ability to rack up the Ks helps to push the Rays into the playoffs as well as helping Rays fans forget about David Price… a little bit.
NL CY Young: Zack Greinke – His dominance continues down in Arizona and he wins the award that he was very close to winning in LA last season, making good on the huge contract that he signed as well as giving D-Back fans a reason to hope for next season.
Note: I do not predict Rookie of the Year because there is no way to know what players will be up come mid-season. Ask me again around the All-Star Break.
MLB 16 Preview: NL East
Baseball season is upon us! In a few hours, first pitch will be coming across home plate to the sound of many screaming fans and to the delight of many, including myself. Half the fun of the season, however, is looking at the off-season and trying to predict what will happen with each team. As we are closing in on the start of baseball season, I want to finish giving my regular season projections with the NL East. If you are new to my previews, this is the way my predictions go: I give a little blurb about each team in alphabetical order, then my predictions for the 2016 season, and then a quick reason why. If you disagree and/or wish to discuss my rankings, comment below!
Atlanta Braves: Atlanta had a busy off-season without spending a lot of money. A lot of buy-low signings on players to see what they have left in the tank and possibly be moved come the trade deadline. The Braves also strengthened the minor league aspect of the team with the trades of Andrelton Simmons, Shelby Miller, Cameron Maybin, and Christian Bethancourt. Atlanta looks to use this season to see what some of the younger offensive players can do (Jace Peterson and Adonis Garcia) while waiting for pitching to develop in the minor league system.
Miami Marlins: A team still looking for its first winning season since changing the name (from the Florida Marlins) and currently looking at a six year streak of having a losing record, the Marlins have been up and down in people’s rankings for years, always letting down playoff predictions yet staying away from being one of the worst teams overall. This off-season, Miami looked to add to the pitching staff and so Wei-Yin Chen was brought in to be the number two man behind Jose Fernandez. Miami has a lot of young talent and a very strong outfield, but all the players staying healthy has been an issue in Miami and the pitching is a bit of a coin-flip right now. Still, Miami can surprise if all the pieces fit and the Marlins are hoping that new manager Don Mattingly can be the one make the puzzle whole.
New York Mets: A brand new up-the-middle trio is in New York with the signing of Asdrubal Cabrera, the trade for Neil Walker, and the return of Yoenis Cespedes. I also love the pitching rotation, as most people do, but there are three things that worry me about the Mets. One: the corners – Lucas Duda at first hits a ton of HRs and that is about it and third has David Wright, whose health looks to be just as big of a problem as it was last year. Also, I am not a big believer in Curtis Granderson but I do like Michael Conforto to improve in his second MLB season. Second: the depth – mainly for the infield as Cabrera, Walker, and Wright all have a history of injury and/or not being overly productive, especially on defense. With the release of Ruben Tejada, the team lost a lot of infield depth and if the injuries or struggles come, that could be a huge hit to the NYM. Third: the bullpen – I still think it is a very weak aspect of the Mets team, as it was exposed to be during the World Series.
Philadelphia Phillies: I usually do not think that teams make moves in the off-season while still expecting to lose, but what the Phillies did this off-season makes me think that this team did just that. The rotation was filled with a handful of one-year cast offs like Jeremy Hellickson and Charlie Morton while the prospects develop in the minors, a lot of them coming from the Astros in the Ken Giles trade, the bullpen was more-or-less ignored, and the Phillies could not find someone to take the albatross that Ryan Howard and Carlos Ruiz have become, off of their hands. That being said, the team does have a lot of promising youth, lead by third basemen Maikel Franco, and an interesting outfield that could become a very strong one in the near future. It is a young team that will not contend this year as Philadelphia has committed to the full rebuild.
Washington Nationals: A team that had very high expectations last season really fell to the ground in the second half, so the Nationals went out to upgrade the team by bringing in Ben Revere and Daniel Murphy to take starting roles. The rotation is pretty much the same, sans Doug Fister, and the outfield is lead by Bryce Harper and has an excellent fourth outfielder in the young Michael Taylor. A big boon to this team will be rebound seasons from Anthony Rendon and Stephen Strasburg while hoping that Danny Espinosa can continue his bounce-back that he started last season.
Predictions:
Mets: 94-68
Nationals: 87-75
Marlins: 83-79
Braves: 72-90
Phillies: 65-97
Okay, I know I was a little harsh on the Mets earlier, but that is one heck of a rotation and that is what gives me the most confidence about this team. Plus, the one years buys on Walker and Cespedes (who will, more than likely, exercise his opt-out) will help this team offensively. The Nationals do not strike much fear into me; maybe they should, but right now, they just look like a team that will make a push for the wild card and come out just short. The Marlins will finally get the winning season in Miami and make things a little interesting, but the health needs to be there along with the consistency before I can buy into them and label them as a playoff team (like I did last year).
The Braves and Phillies both look to be better than they were last season, but both teams are still in the midst of a rebuild and still need a little bit of time. I like where the Braves stand now more-so than the Phillies, mainly because Philadelphia has a lot of money tied up in Ruiz and Howard and that money is being wasted, but both teams will be interesting to watch come the trade deadline.
MLB 16 Preview: NL Central
Baseball season is upon us! Tomorrow, first pitch will be coming across home plate to the sound of many screaming fans and to the delight of many, including myself. Half the fun of the season, however, is looking at the off-season and trying to predict what will happen with each team. As we are closing in on the start of baseball season, I want to start giving my projections, moving on to the NL Central. If you are new to my previews, this is the way my predictions go: I give a little blurb about each team in alphabetical order, then my predictions for the 2016 season, and then a quick reason why. If you disagree and/or wish to discuss my rankings, comment below!
Chicago Cubs: My oh my does this team look scary on paper! The rotation was a need so the Cubs brought in John Lackey. The Cubs saw an opportunity to make the team stronger while hurting a divisional foe so they signed Jason Heyward. The team wanted more versatility so in came Ben Zobrist. Add on to that the youth and skill of Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, Addison Russell, Kyle Schwarber, and Jorge Soler (who is not even a starter), it starts to scare you. Now the Cubs are hoping that Lackey and John Lester repeat their 2015 and that Jake Arrieta continues to dominate the way he did at the end of 2015, but all three of them do carry some risks and Arrieta may not be quite as good as his end of 2015 (look at his playoffs sans the Wild Card game. Arm fatigue might be a factor) but even his first half was strong and the Cubs would love to have that continue. The bullpen is still a little on the weak side, as is the defense (especially in the outfield, sans Heyward), but this team has depth and prospects to augment the team should the need arise. Will some of these longer deals hurt the team in the future? Probably. But for now, it makes one grand-looking team.
Cincinnati Reds: A team committed to a rebuild did trade away Todd Frazier and Aroldis Chapman for some less-than-thrilling returns, but each player did have his issues, thus lowering the trade vale. Other than that, it was a very quiet off-season for the Reds with just a few minor league signings as the team looks to give the plethora of young players a chance to perform while looking to shop some other veterans such as Brandon Phillips and Jay Bruce. Honestly, that is about what fans can expect to see out of the Reds this year. Trades, struggles, growing pains, and the development of younger players.
Milwaukee Brewers: Another team committed to a full rebuild this off-season, the team listened on many players and traded away Jean Segura, Adam Lind, Khris Davis, Francisco Rodriguez, and Jason Rogers, just to name a few. Just like the Reds, most of the spending done by the Brewers was in minor league signings and Milwaukee does not look to be done with the trades yet. Left on the trading block is catcher Jonathan Lucroy who, with a strong and healthy start to the season, could fetch a pretty penny for this organization. And it would not surprise me to see Chris Carter, Jonathan Villar, Matt Garza, and Ryan Braun shopped around during the deadline as well.
Pittsburgh Pirates: In a very typical, Neil Huntington-esq off-season, many fans are scratching their heads and wondering what in the world could possibly be expected out of the Pirates this year. Gone are AJ Burnett, JA Happ, Neil Walker, Pedro Alvarez and Charlie Morton (and others), and in comes John Jaso, Neftali Feliz Juan Nicasio, David Freese, Ryan Vogelsong, John Niese, Jason Rodgers, and Jake Goebbert. A lot of little names that are coming off of injury, down seasons, small roles, etc… The exact type of players that the Pirates love to work with. Jaso brings a huge OBP upgrade over Alvaerz a the expensive of power, and more than likely, a defensive upgrade as well. Feliz and Nicasio looked very strong in spring, and many were depth moves for the organization should another player get injured and the Pirates need a new starter. Plus, the bullpen looks just as strong as it was this time last season, the outfield is one of the best in all of baseball, there are plenty of prospects to get excited about coming up in June/July, and I have learned in the last three seasons to just trust Huntington, Clint Hurdle, Ray Searage, and the like.
St. Louis Cardinals: I think the only team that got hurt worse by a divisional opponent than the Cardinals was the Dodgers, but it is close. With the Cubs snagging Lackey and Heyward, it really weakened the 2015 best regular season team in baseball. Trading for Tony Cruz to add some depth at catcher was a keen move as the team struggled when Yadier Molina had his injury problems that may persist into 2016 and also added depth in trading for Jedd Gyorko, trading away Jay as the team did have a glut of outfielders, and still does. Adding Mike Leake was a nice touch, but the rotation does not intimidate me as there are a lot of injury prone pitchers in it and the bullpen looks to be pretty average. Another thing about the Cardinals: if you play shortstop for them, you might have a bad day. St. Louis has already lost two starting shortstops to injury and Gyorko is not a good defender at that position. The outfield, while it has plenty of depth, is also hoping for Randal Grichuck and Stephen Piscotty to be just as productive as they were when they stepped into their emergency roles last season. If one or both falters and needs to be benched or sent to AAA, or Matt Holliday plays the same, or a lesser, amount of games he did last year (76) it could swiftly put a strain on the depth of the Cardinals.
Predictions:
Cubs: 98-64
Pirates: 92-70
Cardinals: 88-74
Reds: 70-92
Brewers: 63-99
The Cubs, again on paper, appear to be the best team in the majors. A lot can go wrong, but a lot can go right with this team. I still the think that the pitching is a little weak, but the Cubs look like a team willing to do what it must to get the right pieces. And I do love their depth. As for the Pirates, I said it before and I will say it again, I’ve learned to just trust in Huntington and let him do his thing. Will the Pirates take a step back? Probably. But the Pirates have a strong wave of mid-summer reinforcements coming up and I do think that the off-season moves are just being picked at very feverishly by the fans because they want the splashy moves, seeing as the Pirates have come so close yet been so far for the past three seasons. The Cardinals have taken enough hits to warrant them dropping about 10 wins from last season. I cannot help but feel that the Cardinals caught lightning in a bottle many times last season but it wore them down last season, leading to a swift exit against the Cubs. St. Louis is still going to challenge teams and be in the thick of the race, but this year, it looks to be a race for a wild card slot, not the divisional crown.
The Reds look to be a step ahead of the Brewers right now in that they have more major-league ready talent than Milwakee does and I do think that the Reds rotation could be a better-than-average one while Milwakee is still looking to add pitching. Both teams should be active sellers at the deadline and will look to give many young players a chance to make a case to continue to be part of the future, but the Reds are about a season ahead of the Brewers, thanks to the fact that they had a few more high-profile assets last season to trade away.
MLB 16 Preview: NL West
Baseball season is upon us! Tomorrow, first pitch will be coming across home plate to the sound of many screaming fans and to the delight of many, including myself. Half the fun of the season, however, is looking at the off-season and trying to predict what will happen with each team. As we are closing in on the start of baseball season, I want to start giving my projections, moving on to the NL West. If you are new to my previews, this is the way my predictions go: I give a little blurb about each team in alphabetical order, then my predictions for the 2016 season, and then a quick reason why. If you disagree and/or wish to discuss my rankings, comment below!
Arizona Diamondbacks: This team made a huge splash this off-season and shocked many, including myself, by signing Zack Greinke to a six yea, 206.5 million dollar deal. The team showed other “win-now” moves by signing Tyler Clippard and trading for Shelby Miller and Jean Segura at the expense of a plethora of prospects. Just as the team was looking to be very promising in pitching and offense, the team announced last night that CF A. J. Pollock fractured his right elbow, will need surgery, and will be out for an undisclosed amount of time. And that was not an April Fool’s prank, much to the dismay of many D-Backs fans. The D-Backs hosted the best spring training record, but still hold a handful of questions, mainly about the middle infield. The team is looking to win soon, if not now, but the injury to Pollock may force them to change their plans.
Colorado Rockies: A team that was in desperate need of pitching, especially for the rotation (best ERA of 100+ IP was Jorge De La Rosa at 4.17 and the team ERA was 5.04 last season with a sky-high 1.51 WHIP) seemed to pretty much ignore that factor. Bullpen relief was brought in by the signings of Jason Motte and Chad Qualls and the trade for Jake McGee for the young OF, Corey Dickerson. Dickerson was replaced by the signing of Gerardo Parra, but that also does not look to be, on paper, an upgrade. The Rockies have been resistant to having a full rebuild in recent years, leading to a small streak of five straight years. Another pitching collapse, lack of health to some players (looking at you, Carlos Gonzalez), and/or sub-par years from DJ LeMahieu and Nolan Arenado could have fans looking at six straight losing seasons and a complete rebuild in the off-season.
Los Angles Dodgers: Not many people expected Greinke to leave Dodger blue to go south, but that was about the biggest thing that could happen to the Dodgers this off-season, and not in a good way. To try to offset the loss, the Dodgers signed Scott Kazmir and Kenta Maeda while hoping that Brandon McCarthy and Brett Anderson can stay healthy and shore up the back of the rotation. Oops! Those two are currently on the DL and those two, along with Hyun-Jin Ryu are not expected back until late July to early August, if at all. The log-jam in the outfield got cleared up very quickly when fractured his right tibia and will be out for most of the first half of the season as well. A lot of high-priced players are on the shelf, making the Dodgers rely on unknown or young players. Corey Seager, now the starting shortstop, is looking to build upon his excellent first 98 at-bats last season where he hit .337 with a .425 OBP and showed good power with 13 of his first 33 hits being for extra bases. The Dodgers are also hoping that Yasiel Puig bounces back after a very rough 2015 and that Joc Pederson looks more like his first half last season (20 HRs, .364 OBP) than his second half (6 HRs, .317 OBP) and that his strikeout numbers fall (170 Ks last season).
San Diego Padres: Compared to the 2014-2015 off-season, the Padres were very quiet. The team did, however, fetch a nice return from the Red Sox in the Craig Kimbrel trade. The rotation has a chance to look sold 1-3 with James Shields, if he can limit the HRs, Tyson Ross, and Andrew Cashner. Those three, however, could also be gone come August 1st. The outfield looks like a collection of cast-offs from other teams (Melvin (BJ) Upton Jr, Jon Jay, and Matt Kemp), and the infield is a mix-and-match of players who need to bounce back (Alexei Ramirez and Wil Myers) or continue the success from last season (Yangervis Solarte and Cory Spangenberg). And with all the trades, the Padres bullpen looks very different than it did a year ago.
San Francisco Giants: The Giants had one of my favorite moves this off-season in signing Denard Span and then one of my least favorite moves in signing Jeff Samardzija. Adding Johnny Cuteo along with Samardzija does give the Giants a chance to have an elite rotation, even more so if Matt Cain looks more like his 2008-2011 form than his 2012-2015 form. But there is a lot of risk in the Giants rotation with hopes that Cain is healthy and strong, Cueto and Samardzija bounce back, and that Jake Peavy also remains healthy. The offense is hoping that Matt Duffy, Brandon Crawford, and Joe Panik continue dong what they did last season. Plus, it is an even numbered year and the Giants have won a World Series ring in the last three even-numbered seasons.
Predictions:
Dodgers: 89-73
Giants: 86-76
Diamondbacks: 83-79
Padres: 71-91
Rockies: 61-101
The Dodgers will still win the division, probably off of a trade deadline move, but the teams depth is going to be very taxed with the plethora of questionable and injury-prone players that reside on the roster. The bullpen also does not inspire me much. It also helps that, despite the high reward in the Giants rotation, the risk to me seems all too great. If Samardzija continues to struggle and Cueto looks more like his form with the Royals (the excellent World Series game non-withstanding) than his time with the Reds, the Giants rotation will be in for a very long, and expensive, season. I do like both the Dodgers and Giants offense (SF for the outfield, LA for the infield sans Chase Utly at second) and I do expect both teams to be aggressive at the deadline.
The Diamondbacks had a chance to slide into second, maybe even grab a wild-card birth, until Pollock went down with his injury. The team lost the second most important offensive player and one of the best defenders at center in the game. That is a hard pill to swallow, especially after trading way OF depth in the Miller trade. The Padres and Rockies do not impress me at all. SD will probably trade its pitching aspects at the deadline and reap in a grand amount of prospects, making them a team to watch for the future, just not for 2016. The Rockies just do not have any pitching worth drafting in a fantasy baseball league, they do not have a true ace, and most of the pitching prospects in the last five years that have made it to Colorado have been shelled hard. Bad scouting, bad park location, bad free agent moves, it is a factor of all those for the Rockies and add on top of that the injury prone players, and they look to be one of the worst teams in the MLB this year.
MLB 16 Preview: AL West
Baseball season is upon us! In just a handful of days, first pitch will be coming across home plate to the sound of many screaming fans and to the delight of many, including myself. Half the fun of the season, however, is looking at the off-season and trying to predict what will happen with each team. As we are closing in on the start of baseball season, I want to start giving my projections, moving on to the AL West. If you are new to my previews, this is the way my predictions go: I give a little blurb about each team in alphabetical order, then my predictions for the 2016 season, and then a quick reason why. If you disagree and/or wish to discuss my rankings, comment below!
Houston Astros: A team that, thanks to a plethora of young talent, made a grand playoff push and took the Royals to game five of the ALDS, is looking to push with that young team that now has more experience to make it deeper into the playoffs. The bullpen was upgraded aggressively this off-season by making a blockbuster trade for a young, controllable power arm in Ken Giles, while sacrificing a lot of pitching depth to do so, and added a lefty relief option in Tony Sipp to help with the late inning situations. The rotation is still a bit thin, but the signing of Doug Fister to a one year, prove-it deal could be the signing of the off-season. A few other questions for this team is if Luis Valbuena will hit higher than .225 this season (his highest career AVG is .250 in 2009) but if he does not and he is able to keep his power numbers from last season (25 HRs, 18 doubles) and OBP (.310 last season, .312 career), he can still be a valuable member to this team. First base, with rookie Tyler White, and center, with Carlos Gomez, are the other questionable slots. If the Astros are close, however, I would not count them out on making a huge deadline move to try to push the team over the top.
Los Angeles Angels: This is another team that loves to confuse me with off-season moves. The left side of the infield was changed with the trades for Andrelton Simmons (3.5 DWAR, 7 total WAR; a career .265 hitter but devoid of much power sans his 2013 outlier season) and Yunel Escobar (-1 DWAR, .9 total WAR; known more for his offense as a career .281 hitter with average power) but those trades made barren the minor league system for the Angels. And the offense runs through Mike Trout and… a lot of power and little average (Albert Pujols: .244 AVG, 40 HR, C. J. Cron: .262 AVG and 16 HR, and Kole Calhoun: .256 AVG and 26 HRs) and not much else. The rotation is flimsy at best; no starters had over 150 IP and an ERA below 3.50 or a WHIP below 1.20. And there is a lot of money sunk into some pitchers who are not performing to that cost (Jared Weaver and C. J. Wilson) and the bullpen also looks iffy. A lot of money in the Angels (seventh most at 161M) yet not a lot to gain from it following a very low-key off-season.
Oakland Athletics: I believe in Billy Beane and his ability to put a team together easily, even after a very rough season. The A’s are taking a lot of risk in hoping that Yonder Alonso, Jed Lowrie, and Khris Davis all improve on the bay, while watching some younger players improve in Marcus Semien and Billy Burns. The rotation has a true ace on top in Sonny Gray but there is not much behind him. It is a young team in Oakland that can surprise, but looks more like a team that needs more time to develop and gel together.
Seattle Mariners: One of the busiest teams this off-season in both the free agent market, signing Hisashi Iwakuma (after the medical mishap with the Dodgers), Nori Aoki, Chris Iannetta, and Steve Cishek, while trading for Nate Karns, Adam Lind, Wade Miley, Joaquin Benoit, Leonys Martin, just to name a few. The team looks solid on paper on offense and in the rotation, but it has a feel of the White Sox and Marlins from last year; a lot done but really nothing that should have been done. Also, the bullpen looks a little shaky, lead by Cichek as the closer who has been spotty the past two seasons. I am very interested, however, to see how Ketel Marte progresses this season after an impressive .283/.351/.402 slashline in his rookie year.
Texas Rangers: Had one of the more interesting off-season moves in adding Ian Desmond to play in left field in hopes that his offense picks back up after a career low in AVG and OBP while having his worst power season since 2011 (the only season he did not have more than 10 HRs while playing a full season). Defense is also a worry here as the last time Desmond played OF, he had a negative DWAR (2010 and -.1 with a negative .5 in 2009). The new stadium and the overall pitching weak AL West could change that aspect easily for Desmond. The Rangers rotation is top heavy with Cole Hamels, as Derek Holland, Colby Lewis, and Martin Perez all had an ERA above 4.40 and a WHIP above 1.20. Having Yu Darvish this season as he recovers from his TJ surgery will be huge, but that will not be until halfway through the season at best. The offense is good, but the pitching is suspect. Adding Tom Wilhelmsen for the bullpen, however, was a good addition from the trade that sent Martin to Seattle.
Predictions:
Astros: 94-68
Mariners: 89-73
Rangers: 82-80
Athletics: 78-84
Angels: 66-96
The Astros have the young talent and top heavy rotation that a division winner usually has along with a solid back-end bullpen. I do think the Astros will be very active come the deadline to add to the rotation, bullpen, and possibly first base, depending on who is available. The Mariners team, again, looks very solid on paper and have enough prospects to add to the team should the need arise. I do worry that the team will fall apart akin to the Marlins and White Sox of 2015, but they have done enough to instill my faith. The Rangers look to take a step back after being the surprise division winners in 2015 due to a weak rotation. A good offense by all accords, but that can only take a team so far.
The Athletics are improved 10 games from last season and are trending up. I have a lot of faith in Billy Beane’s ability to make a team great, but I think he is still one more very interesting off-season away from doing so. It does not help, of course, that AJ Grffin and Jerrod Parker did not stay healthy (Griffin has since gone to the Rangers and he is an interesting piece of the team’s pitching, health allowing). Meanwhile, the Angels look to be one of the worst teams in the league, on paper of course. A handful of guys with power, but the best AVG from last season for LA was, of course, Mike Trout at .299 but below him, the next player that is still on the team is Johnny Giavotella at .272. Everyone else, below .270. It is a weak rotation, a weak bullpen, and the Angels are not getting the return on the big contracts that were shelled out in the past that team has hoped for. An empty farm system does not help with this issue, either, which could lead to a streak of empty seasons.
MLB 16 Preview: AL Central
Baseball season is upon us! In just a handful of days, first pitch will be coming across home plate to the sound of many screaming fans and to the delight of many, including myself. Half the fun of the season, however, is looking at the off-season and trying to predict what will happen with each team. As we are closing in on the start of baseball season, I want to start giving my projections, moving on to the AL Central. If you are new to my previews, this is the way my predictions go: I give a little blurb about each team in alphabetical order, then my predictions for the 2016 season, and then a quick reason why. If you disagree and/or wish to discuss my rankings, comment below!
Chicago White Sox: The White Sox has a lot of people believing last season with some flashy moves that ended up leading the team to an underwhelming 76-86 record with holes being exposed at third, second, and the outfield. The rotation of last year was also a bit of a disappointment outside of Chris Sale and Jose Quintana, as the team had a total 3.98 ERA and 1.32 WHIP thanks to a lackluster bullpen. So the White Sox signed Austin Jackson, Alex Avila, Dioner Navarro, and Mat Latos while trading for Brett Lawrie and Todd Frazier to shore up the infield. The rotation is mainly the same, as is the bullpen, while shortstop could be the weak spot on the field for the White Sox. Flashy moves this off-season could lead to success, but they have failed more times than not.
Cleveland Indians: A lot of trade buzz surrounded the Indians this off-season involving the rotation but the Indians kept all their pitching aspects and tried to augment the team by adding smaller pieces like Tommy Hunter, Mike Napoli, Rajai Davis, and Juan Uribe, while not taking too many hits to a team that went 81-80. These moves could be an example of the status quo needing little pieces to take the next step or of leaving the team the way it is and watching it to having similar results. The Indians are already playing with a shortened deck to start the season with Lonnie Chisenhall and Michael Brantly starting on the DL this season, a loss of 246 hits, 22 HRs, 106 runs scored, and 128 RBIs. If the Indians start hot thanks to the pitching, then getting those two players back, even after only a short time, will be a huge boon.
Detroit Tigers: The Tigers always have the most perplexing off-seasons. Two 100+ million dollar contracts to Jordan Zimmermann and Justin Upton, albeit he has an opt-out after two years, even after the Tigers have had many top-dollar contracts like that flame out. The Tigers did add to a bullpen that was very weak last season, it struggled in the regular season and more so after trading Joakim Soria to the Pirates, by trading for Justin Wilson and Francisco Rodriuez and signing Mark Lowe. The rotation struggled mightily last season; not a single Tigers pitcher had over 200 IP and the best ERA of pitchers who stayed the whole season (David Price was traded) was Justin Verlander’s 3.38. The Tigers are holding on to the hope that Anibal Sanchez will bounce back, Verlander will return to form, Zimmermann looks more like his 2014 and 2012 form than his 2013 and 2015 form, and that Mike Pelfrey and Shane Greene can hold down the back end of the rotation. That is a lot of “ifs”.
Kansas City Royals: Looking to repeat as World Series champions, the Royals looked to keep to the winning formula that worked in 2015 of defense and a strong bullpen by signing Jokaim Soria to come back, not as a closer this time, while taking a flier to add to the rotation in signing Ian Kennedy. The Royals team is pretty much the same, right field non-withstanding, but KC is hoping that the minor league pipeline will fill that need well.
Minnesota Twins: A surprise team that made a deep push for the wild card slot in 2015 was not very active in free agency. The only move was to bring Byung Ho Park over from Korea to add to the first base/DH rotation. The Twins are also showing a lot of confidence that Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano will improve upon their first taste of major league action as each player struggled at times, albeit Sano did flash power with 18 HRs and 17 doubles, by trading OF Aaron Hicks to the Yankees for some catching depth in John Ryan Murphy. Something that seems a little surprising is the lack of attention the Twins put in to the pitching staff. The team had a 4.07 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP and the lowest ERA for a starter was Kyle Gibson’s 3.84. In the bullpen, Glen Perkins had a roller coaster season as the closer and the best relievers on the team are either gone (in the case of Blane Boyer who is now with the Brewers) or slightly untested (Kevin Jepsen who had a .89 WHIP and 1.61 ERA in 28 IP but only having a very short track record of such success; only one season aside from last year with a WAR above .5).
Predictions:
Royals: 93-69
Indians: 90-72
White Sox: 86-76
Tigers: 79-93
Twins: 73-89
The Royals recipe for success last season was repeated and there is not much of a loss overall from KC to take a big step backwards. The Indians early injury issues could be enough to stop them from making it to the top of the Central, but the pitching is strong enough to push the team to a wild card slot. Both teams wont be afraid to push the envelope come the trade deadline and make major upgrades to make that post season push, as the Royals did for 2015. The White Sox made some splashy moves, but I am not sold on them like I was last season, which did not live up to my expectations. Todd Frazier took a steep slide down hill on the second half of the season in 2015 and that might be why the Reds sold him for such a low price. It is an improvement for the White Sox but not enough to put the team over the top.
The Tigers have another potent looking offense with many high-priced players a part of it, but do not having the pitching to show for it. Yes, the bullpen had an off-season upgrade, but the rotation looks just as weak as it did last season. The Twins are in a similar, yet worse off, boat. They were a surprise team to make a push for the wild card slot last year, but the lack of pitching did the team in. And then the rotation and bullpen had no upgrades during the off-season. Pitching is key to winning and the Twins lack of that aspect will make the team take a huge step backwards in 2016.
MLB 16 Preview: AL East
Baseball season is upon us! In just a handful of days, first pitch will be coming across home plate to the sound of many screaming fans and to the delight of many, including myself. Half the fun of the season, however, is looking at the off-season and trying to predict what will happen with each team. As we are closing in on the start of baseball season, I want to start giving my projections, starting with the AL East. The way my predictions go: I give a little blurb about each team in alphabetical order, then my predictions for the 2016 season, and then a quick reason why. If you disagree and/or wish to discuss my rankings, comment below!
Baltimore Orioles: The O’s spent a lot this off-season, dropping a total of 243.06 million down on free agents in hopes of adding on to last year’s slightly disappointing end with an even 81-81 record. The only question about the O’s is if they did enough to make the team any better. Yovani Gallardo came in to the pitching staff, but Wei Yin Chen is gone. The team added a lot of power bats, but now have a log jam at 1st and DH; it is so deep that the team is sacrificing defensive abilities in the corner outfield to accommodate these players.
Boston Red Sox: The Red Sox went very top-heavy this off-season by signing David Price and trading for Carson Smith and Craig Kimbrel to try to make a lock-down bullpen from innings 6 to 9. Which was not a bad idea, given that the pitching behind Price is either injury prone (Clay Buchholz) or was underwhelming last year (Rick Porcello and Joe Kelly), so shortening the game in that instant is not a bad idea. Smith, however, is injured and there is no timetable on his return. Also, an offense that only had three players with over 400 ABs bat above a .275 clip was not addressed too much, albeit a healthy season from Dustin Pedroia and full seasons from Jackie Bradly Jr., Rusney Castillo, and Travis Shaw could really help that issue.
New York Yankees: The Yankees were very un-Yankee like in that they did not sign any big time free agents. Instead, NY went for some big bullpen help in adding Aroldis Chapman, while adding some team depth by acquiring Aaron Hicks and Starlin Castro, all via the trade. The questionable Yankees move was trading LHP Justin Wilson to the Tigers for two pitching prospects. It is good to have minor league depth, but Wilson had a 66-20 K/BB ratio with his second lowest career WHIP at 1.13. Keeping Wilson to go with the Chapman and the closer from last season, Andrew Miller, and other top relief option Dellin Betances would have given the Yankees the best bullpen, on paper, in the AL East, if not the entire AL or even the MLB. And the pitching rotation for the Yankees does not instill much confidence; of the five pitchers who had over 100 IP last season, only two were below a 4.00 and only one was below a 3.50 ERA.
Tampa Bay Rays: Always an interesting team to watch this off-season, the Rays wanted to add offense to what was a very weak aspect of the team last season (.252 team AVG last season). So the Rays dealt from their usual pitching surplus to add Logan Morrison, Brad Miller, and Corey Dickerson while also signing Steve Pearce. Just like the O’s, however, there is now a log-jam at 1B/DH and even the corner outfield slots. It does, however, give a lot of depth to the Rays roster that could lead to an early spring trade if the Rays do not get out to the start they would like. The bullpen, however, took a blow by trading Jake McGee and then watch Brad Boxberger get hit with an injury.
Toronto Blue Jays: The offense is very similar to what it was when the team climbed to the ALCS, but watch for the Jays to try to make a trade to help the OF slots as having Michael Saunders start a majority of games is not a favorable outlook as he has failed to play over 100 games since 2013, and has never played more than 139 games in a season. Even when he stays healthy, it just does not seem to be there; 2012 is his best full season when he hit .247 with 19 HRs. The rotation is going to miss David Price, but the Jays have added to it with having J. A. Happ come in via free agency and putting Aaron Sanchez in the fifth slot.
Predictions:
Blue Jays: 93-69
Rays: 89-73
Red Sox: 86-76
Yankees: 80-82
Orioles: 70-92
The Blue Jays offense is going to have a lot of points and will benefit from having a full season of Troy Tulowitzki, something the defense will benefit from as well. And we saw the Jays make deadline moves to push and that what this team will do this year, push hard to try to win with the amount of big name players entering the last year of their contracts. The Rays starting rotation is still strong, but the bullpen is risky and the offense is questionable. The Rays could win 99 games, could lose 99 games, but I think they will make a push for a return to the post season.
The Red Sox and Yankees both did not do too much to really add to the team. Both teams have huge questions with the starting rotation, the Yankees offense is aging and injury prone and the depth might not be there, while the Red Sox are hoping for a lot of health and rebounds, which can be disastrous. The Orioles are last to me as the team has very little pitching, very little depth, and a line-up that is very heavy on “Strikeout-or-HR” and that approach rarely works (yes, yes I know the Astros made the playoffs like that last year, but they also had a CY Young winner last year, which is something the O’s are missing).
MLB 2014 Preview: N.L. West
The season has technically started with the Dodgers and Diamondbacks in Australia, but the rest of the teams are still getting ready and are trying to set their rosters for the 2014 season. Now it is time for me to break down each division. I will break it down, going worst to first in my analysis and, after doing all the divisions, I’ll do an award and postseason one. Starting off with the N.L. West…
1st: No surprise here, it’s the Dodgers. However, I don’t see them as quite the tank that a lot of people think they are. They have a great pitching staff; Kershaw, Greinke, and Ryu are a very great top three but after that, it falls off a bit. Haren and Beckett are the ending of the rotation and that isn’t impressive. Haren allowed 28 HRs last season en route to a 4.67 ERA (2nd straight of 28 HRs and a post 4 ERA) and Beckett is going to start the season on the DL and that’s after pitching to a 5.19 ERA (25 earned runs in 43.1 IP) in a total of eight starts. Also, OF Kemp will start the season on the DL (I still hold by the stance that he is the most overrated player in baseball, but that’s a different story for a different time), second base and catcher are holes in the lineup, and I don’t have a lot of confidence in the 35 year old Uribe at 3rd. Record at bet: 100-62 Record at worse: 75-87 Record prediction: 92-70
2nd: The Diamondbacks have a few early season injuries to contend with, most notably losing Corbin for the season to TJ surgery, but they have the ability to contend with it. Adding Trumbo’s bat to the lineup either before or after Goldschmidt is going to add a lot of potential to the lineup. Parra and Ross/Pollock in the outfield also isn’t the most intimidating look, but they have some defensive upside and can also be addressed with an in-season trade. Also, their back-up catcher is named Tuffy Gosewisch. Sound familiar? No? Are you sure? Yah I’m not surprised and no, he will hold little to no value to the team, but what a great name. Finally, the bullpen, anchored with the addition of Reed from the White Sox, has a chance to be very strong but still might be something that the Diamondbacks look to improve on. However, I don’t think this lineup has a chance to grab a wild card slot. Record at best: 90-72 Record at worse 72-90 Record prediction: 85-77
3rd: The San Francisco Giants, won two World Series in three years, are starting to slip down the hill. Second base is an issue with Scutaro being healthy, more so with him starting the season on the DL. The outfield is risky with Morse in left field and Pagan and Pence are good players, but not great players. Sandoval is a bit of a mystery but some of the slack could be picked up from Belt as he continues to get better. However, what worries me is the rotation. Cain had a rough season last year; Lincecum hasn’t found his step he had as a two time CY Young winner, Vogelsong imploded last season and Tim Hudson is quite up there in years. I find it hard that this team will contend deep into September. Record at best: 86-76 Record at worst: 73-89 Record prediction: 80-82
4th: This team, the Colorado Rockies, made a move that honestly perplexed me in the trade of Fowler. I see it, honestly and fully, as a salary dump. They follow that up by signing Morneau (which might pay off because Coors Field is such a hitter’s park, he might find his stats rising back up to the top) brining in Stubbs (who would be much better if he wouldn’t strikeout once in every three at bats, approximately) and Brett Anderson (who isn’t terrible, he just can’t stay healthy and had a 6.04 ERA in 44.2 innings last season (30 ER) and 16 games, only five of which were starts). I worry about Colorado’s pitching as a whole as that has been an issue for the team for many years and was the second worst staff in 2013. Record at best: 79-83 record at worst: 59-103 Record prediction: 70-92
5th: The Padres are a mess right now. Quentin and Maybin are starting the season on the DL and will be out long term; Venable is banged up and could also land on the DL soon. Gyorko was a bright spot for the Padres and he could end up being a star on the Padres or will become stagnant and not get better or worse. Alonso also took a step forward last season but is lacking in the power department while Grandal took a step back, but that’s because he was hit with a PED suspension, just as Cabrera was on what was his breakout season, so very little stock in those two. The rotation also looks poor; it’s already beset with the loss of Johnson to the DL and it’s a very young, very sporadic rotation. I don’t see much upside in this team and I see them as possibly the worst team in the NL (fighting for that spot with the Mets and Cubs). Record at best: 78-84 Record at worst: 55-107 Record prediction: 62-100
MLB 2014 Preview: N.L. Central
The season has technically started with the Dodgers and Diamondbacks in Australia, but the rest of the teams are still getting ready and are trying to set their rosters for the 2014 season. Now it is time for me to break down each division. I will break it down, going worst to first in my analysis and, after doing all the divisions, I’ll do an award and postseason one. Starting off with the N.L. Central…
1st: The St. Louis Cardinals lost a great player to FA in Carlos Beltran, who might be the best hitter in postseason history, but have the depth to absorb it. Trading Freese for the speedy Bourjos to leadoff, play excellent defense, and make Jay an excellent back up for all three corner spots while also freeing up a spot for Matt Carpenter to play every day at 3rd. Also, Craig moves back into the outfield, Adams plays first. The rotation is a little wobbly with Garcia starting on the DL this season as well hoping for continued success from Lynn, Wacha, and Miller, a trio of great young players, but that isn’t an issue as I expect them all to do well. The bullpen is still a weakness for the Cardinals so that’s a mid-season trade target. Finally, the Cardinals are looking to see what Peralta does coming back from PED suspension as well as what Wong does in a full season but the issues with the Cardinals are minor and they are still the best team in the majors. Record at best: 113-49 Record at worst: 87-75 Record prediction: 102-60
2nd: The Pittsburgh Pirates had a great season last year and took the Cardinals to five games in the NLDS and proceeded to make only minor signings to the roster. That being said, I think they’re just as good this season as they were last. The defense will be just as strong as it’s the same formula and the same players for the most part, the rotation looks to be just as solid as last season, even with Volquez in the fifth slot. Last season, the Pirates rotation went through a lot more flux with injuries and players not performing well (Jonathan Sanchez) and still won 94 games. The depth is there at every spot of the field, the minors have plenty of reinforcements and/or trade bait. The offense is a question mark as some players are going to have to prove something (G. Sanchez, Mercer, Tabata, Snider) and Walker needs to have a full bounce back and healthy season but, if everything goes right, this team can be in it up to the end. Record at best: 99-63 Record at worst: 85-77 Record prediction: 94-68 1st Wild Card slot
3rd: The Cincinnati Reds will take a step back in 2014 due to the loss of Choo and the injury to Chapman. The rotation is still stacked even with the loss of Arroyo, the offense is still strong, and the bullpen, which will be taxed to start, has the strength to pull through. Brandon Phillips is a question mark however as he has been on the decline for the past few seasons and Ludwick hit just 3 home runs last season and he needs a bounce back as well. Of all three teams in the NL Central that will contend deep into the season, I see the Reds as the most likely to make a large deadline move, but I don’t think the issues will be quite enough to throw them back into lower tier teams. Record at best: 95-67 Record at worst: 79-83 Record prediction: 90-72
4th: The Brewers biggest offseason move looked like last season’s move; to bring in a pitcher close to the last moment who was left on the market and wasn’t seen as an ace. The Brewers now have Gallardo (looking for a bounce back), Garza (looking for a bounce back) and Lohse (the Cardinal’s castoff who is…isn’t looking for a bounce back but for consistency). Braun is a spotlight with his return from PED suspension, Weeks and Ramirez have power but that’s about it, and Segura might start the season on the DL. The bullpen is better than last year but that’s not saying much about the team. This is a .500 team at best and isn’t a team to strike fear in anyone but they will win a handful of games this season. Record at best: 81-81 Record at worst: 70-92 Record prediction: 74-88
5th: The Chicago Cubs keep waiting for someone to rise up but the players still aren’t there yet. Castro took another step back, Rizzo hasn’t lived up to potential, Murphy has been traded to the Rangers, and the rest of the players are just placeholders until the prospects make it to the majors which basically makes this season a wash. But, aside from the offensive and defensive issues, the Cubs rotation is not good. Samardzija is the ace but his second half of the season he was a 4.72 ERA and he allowed a combined 27 homeruns in 2013. Jackson is a back-end pitcher who is being paid and forced into a top three rotation spot due to the lack of other pitchers, and Travis Wood is the potential “current ace” as the Cubs don’t really have any pitching prospects close to the majors, or any at all for that matter. The bullpen isn’t much better than the rotation is the nicest way I can put that. The Cubs are still behind the curve and the fans should brace for another rough season. Record at best: 73-89 Record at worst: 59-103 Record prediction: 65-97
Cats In The Bleachers 
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