Minnesota Twins...
I actually like the look of their lineup. They won't score a million runs but they should be able to do well enough to get the job done. There isn't a ton of power beyond Morneau, Young, and Kubel/Thome, but these guys have lots of youngsters with promise. They might not have huge names like other clubs but this lineup should be productive thanks to high averages and speed.
Liriano is great but his health is a concern. He's already having issues and spring training hasn't started. Baker is solid but nothing special. I honestly have no idea what to expect of Pavano. He looked great last year but he's getting older and isn't much in the way of career consistency. I've liked Slowey for a while and think he's a great #4. Duensing should be more hittable this year but will be helpful since Baker and Blackburn are both coming back from surgery. Blackburn still has issues to work out and I think he'll be the odd man out. Parts of the bullpen scare me but they could have two dominant closers in Nathan and Capps (assuming the former comes back from Tommy John). Mijares looks good but Neshek has apparently lost it. If Nathan doesn't come back strong, the pen could have serious issues with depth.
All in all, I think the Twins are potentially a playoff team but the pitching injuries are a cause for concern. 2 starters are coming back from surgery while another has battled injuries. The bullpen isn't deep and I think the pitching will cost them. Look for the offense to be productive and the team to challenge for the World Series only if the main guys stay on the field. The likelihood of that happening doesn't appear to be high.
I actually like the look of their lineup. They won't score a million runs but they should be able to do well enough to get the job done. There isn't a ton of power beyond Morneau, Young, and Kubel/Thome, but these guys have lots of youngsters with promise. They might not have huge names like other clubs but this lineup should be productive thanks to high averages and speed.
Liriano is great but his health is a concern. He's already having issues and spring training hasn't started. Baker is solid but nothing special. I honestly have no idea what to expect of Pavano. He looked great last year but he's getting older and isn't much in the way of career consistency. I've liked Slowey for a while and think he's a great #4. Duensing should be more hittable this year but will be helpful since Baker and Blackburn are both coming back from surgery. Blackburn still has issues to work out and I think he'll be the odd man out. Parts of the bullpen scare me but they could have two dominant closers in Nathan and Capps (assuming the former comes back from Tommy John). Mijares looks good but Neshek has apparently lost it. If Nathan doesn't come back strong, the pen could have serious issues with depth.
All in all, I think the Twins are potentially a playoff team but the pitching injuries are a cause for concern. 2 starters are coming back from surgery while another has battled injuries. The bullpen isn't deep and I think the pitching will cost them. Look for the offense to be productive and the team to challenge for the World Series only if the main guys stay on the field. The likelihood of that happening doesn't appear to be high.
New York Yankees...
The lineup is terrifying. As if all that power wasn't enough, I firmly expect Martin, Jeter, and Granderson to rebound and be very productive. There isn't a better roster in baseball than these guys and they'll put up runs in bunches.
Looks for plenty of overs because the pitching is all sketchy beyond Sabathia. Burnett seems to be on a big decline while Nova doesn't appear at all ready to be in a rotation. Garcia is a stopgap that could put in decent innings but he's not longer that good. Mitre is better in the bullpen and hasn't had much success starting. Hughes is the only hope I see here but who knows how many innings he'll be able to go. Bartolo Colon doesn't inspire much faith. This looks like 2 good starters and a bunch of huge question marks. The good news for the Yankees is that their bullpen looks very nice and will be nearly unhitabble if Joba gets back to form. Rivera and Soriano are downright scary but it will be up to the starters to get the Yanks to the point where they can unleash this duo.
The Yankees will win a ton of games and probably will claim the wild card spot and be prime challengers come playoff time. That being said, pitching usually wins during that time and the Yankees better hope that one of their longshot starters pans out. I don't think this is the year for New York, but they'll still be a very good team and just outside of the 3 or 4 top-end MLB squads.
The lineup is terrifying. As if all that power wasn't enough, I firmly expect Martin, Jeter, and Granderson to rebound and be very productive. There isn't a better roster in baseball than these guys and they'll put up runs in bunches.
Looks for plenty of overs because the pitching is all sketchy beyond Sabathia. Burnett seems to be on a big decline while Nova doesn't appear at all ready to be in a rotation. Garcia is a stopgap that could put in decent innings but he's not longer that good. Mitre is better in the bullpen and hasn't had much success starting. Hughes is the only hope I see here but who knows how many innings he'll be able to go. Bartolo Colon doesn't inspire much faith. This looks like 2 good starters and a bunch of huge question marks. The good news for the Yankees is that their bullpen looks very nice and will be nearly unhitabble if Joba gets back to form. Rivera and Soriano are downright scary but it will be up to the starters to get the Yanks to the point where they can unleash this duo.
The Yankees will win a ton of games and probably will claim the wild card spot and be prime challengers come playoff time. That being said, pitching usually wins during that time and the Yankees better hope that one of their longshot starters pans out. I don't think this is the year for New York, but they'll still be a very good team and just outside of the 3 or 4 top-end MLB squads.
Oakland Athletics...
The A's should improve on their offense from last year but they still have quite a few easy outs. What I'm seeing is that a few players are developing some pop and that others should have a high average. Mix in some speed and you have a doable Major League offense that won't score a ton of runs but also won't be embarrassed as much as last year.
Brett Anderson looks like a stud. Braden could also be a dominant guy even though I still am not convinced his stuff will hold up to that high level. Gio Gonzalez could easily regress but he could also be a stud if his command is improved. Cahill is another stud. Outman might end up being the 5th starter but I think Rich Harden could dominate while healthy. The starting staff looks like one of the better ones in baseball but all the guys are young (minus Harden) and you have to hope they don't experience arm issues. Bailey looks like a stud at closer and the rest of the Oakland bullpen should be healthy. It's a little cloudy beyond the top 3 but I see potential.
Oakland doesn't have the star power of the big clubs but I think they could easily be a top 10 MLB club if their lineup can improve their production (which I think they can). Ultimately I think the Angels win the division and the A's are the best club to miss the playoffs. Look for plenty of unders for the A's.
The A's should improve on their offense from last year but they still have quite a few easy outs. What I'm seeing is that a few players are developing some pop and that others should have a high average. Mix in some speed and you have a doable Major League offense that won't score a ton of runs but also won't be embarrassed as much as last year.
Brett Anderson looks like a stud. Braden could also be a dominant guy even though I still am not convinced his stuff will hold up to that high level. Gio Gonzalez could easily regress but he could also be a stud if his command is improved. Cahill is another stud. Outman might end up being the 5th starter but I think Rich Harden could dominate while healthy. The starting staff looks like one of the better ones in baseball but all the guys are young (minus Harden) and you have to hope they don't experience arm issues. Bailey looks like a stud at closer and the rest of the Oakland bullpen should be healthy. It's a little cloudy beyond the top 3 but I see potential.
Oakland doesn't have the star power of the big clubs but I think they could easily be a top 10 MLB club if their lineup can improve their production (which I think they can). Ultimately I think the Angels win the division and the A's are the best club to miss the playoffs. Look for plenty of unders for the A's.
how abt alexi casilla being the starting ss? now i've always liked alexi, but damm. being handed the ss job? the japanese 2b. an mvp in japan last yr. you have to be excited abt that & just hope it's not another fukodome. if he's good and morneau is good to go, the twins have a nice offense. this pitching, imo, is the same opinion i had of them last yr. looks shaky, but somehow manages to keep it together. you can count on another 18 wins from pavano? baker and blackburn are meatballs. seems like most of the bullpen was either traded or they walked as free agents (mauer contract fallout). the big ?, is nathan back to top form. can't afford blown saves.
Seattle Mariners
The offense is going to stink. Cust and Bradley will rotate on DH. Ichiro is getting older. Figgins should rebound a little bit. Long story short is that they'll have huge holes across their lineup and won't score many runs. Possibly the worst offense in the majors. I just don't see most of their starters being regulars for other teams.
Felix is a stud and should have another huge year. Fister is serviceable and I like him more than many experts who are expecting him to move backward a bit. Vargas and French don't impress me much. Vargas might start off hot like last year so is worth watching for betting purposes, but I just don't think he has the stuff to keep it going. The guy has good command and has a nice change but that is about it. He'll regress as the year goes on. Bedard is looking great in the spring and will be very good for however many innings he goes before getting hurt again.
Looks like Seattle will have former starters Aaron Laffey and Nate Robertson in the pen. No clue what happens there but I wouldn't expect much. Aardsma is hurt for another month or so and is a good but not great closer. Probably better as a setup guy. Brandon League should have the best season and it wouldn't surprise me if he is given the closer job after looking good covering for Aardsma. The bullpen is dinged and that is why the former starters are getting looks.
Long story short, the Mariners have a chance to win games when Felix, Bedard, and possibly Fister start. The other starters aren't good enough to make up for an offense that will struggle to score, and the bullpen is really only 2 deep which will cost Seattle if their starters don't go deep. The team is a mess and their 2 or 3 bright spots won't make up for all the problems at most roster spots.
The offense is going to stink. Cust and Bradley will rotate on DH. Ichiro is getting older. Figgins should rebound a little bit. Long story short is that they'll have huge holes across their lineup and won't score many runs. Possibly the worst offense in the majors. I just don't see most of their starters being regulars for other teams.
Felix is a stud and should have another huge year. Fister is serviceable and I like him more than many experts who are expecting him to move backward a bit. Vargas and French don't impress me much. Vargas might start off hot like last year so is worth watching for betting purposes, but I just don't think he has the stuff to keep it going. The guy has good command and has a nice change but that is about it. He'll regress as the year goes on. Bedard is looking great in the spring and will be very good for however many innings he goes before getting hurt again.
Looks like Seattle will have former starters Aaron Laffey and Nate Robertson in the pen. No clue what happens there but I wouldn't expect much. Aardsma is hurt for another month or so and is a good but not great closer. Probably better as a setup guy. Brandon League should have the best season and it wouldn't surprise me if he is given the closer job after looking good covering for Aardsma. The bullpen is dinged and that is why the former starters are getting looks.
Long story short, the Mariners have a chance to win games when Felix, Bedard, and possibly Fister start. The other starters aren't good enough to make up for an offense that will struggle to score, and the bullpen is really only 2 deep which will cost Seattle if their starters don't go deep. The team is a mess and their 2 or 3 bright spots won't make up for all the problems at most roster spots.
Pineda has a ton of talent but the fact that he's looking like he'll be the 4th or 5th starter in Seattle's rotation is fairly telling of how weak the team is. The guy is full of potential but the fact that his ERA was nearly 5.00 during almost 70 innings in AAA last year should tell you how he's likely to fare this season. Too much too soon IMO.
i don't think so. he's really pitching well right now. although, i guess there is a chance he doesn't go north. pineda is 6'7" 260 lbs. believe it or not, eric bedard is throwing well, and he for sure has to pitch, cause they owe him a ton of $$. Franklin Gutierrez has a mysterious stomach ailment and may start the season on the dl. for some reason i said, ok, go ahead and you can send me mariner updates to my inbox. so's the mariners are going to be one of my stronger teams. was eric wedge the mgr at cleveland who basically got milton bradley traded for not hustling, or was that another mgr? gyno is a tribe expert.
the a's w/their potential shutdown rotation, w/a deep bullpen. they picked up willingham, dejesus, and godzilla. when a cactus league pitcher has a high era, you can say, 'it's the air in arizona, don't worry'. same w/hitters, high avg, big power, you say the same thing, 'it's the cactus league air. balls fly outta there'. matsui is hitting abt .100 in the cactus league! cause for concern? everybodys pick to do better than last yr. prob will and will prob go over the 82 wins like gyno says.
I think they've got a couple of pretty decent young starters (Bergesen, Arietta) who - if they can deliver 25+ wins combined give Birds a look similar to 2010 BlueJays. This team has decent shot to conk 200+ HRs, and that number could give them a fair shot to top 85 wins.
oy vey (smile)
DiceK is little more than a fourth starter on most teams; Beckett's arm is just about burned out and thus he'll continue to struggle to get past six innings in nearly all his starts.
That noted, they're certainly solid enough on offense to be strongest contender for unseating division champs TBay.
