Right on.....Thank goodness (say we Ray fans) he put together that good July/early Aug in 2009 so that Angels would swap us Sean Rodriguez. SeanRod a decent candidate to be full timer for years to come while I'll frankly be stunned if Kazmir is still starting games for a contender by 2012.
Right on.....Thank goodness (say we Ray fans) he put together that good July/early Aug in 2009 so that Angels would swap us Sean Rodriguez. SeanRod a decent candidate to be full timer for years to come while I'll frankly be stunned if Kazmir is still starting games for a contender by 2012.
here's abt pineda, in yesterdays game:
"He was outstanding,'' Wedge said. "You've seen him be very consistent all spring, but today I think he took it to another level. You look at the way he used his fastball and his secondary stuff was right there for him all day long and he pitched with it. He just really did a great job of commanding the ballgame.''
Wedge was asked about the difference between Pineda's secondary stuff (his slider and changeup) this time around versus previous efforts.
"I think it's always been there,'' Wedge said. "I just felt like it was all right there for him today. He was able to throw his pitches at any point in time when he wanted to, whether it was a right-hander or a left-hander.''
Michael Pineda looked dominant today, striking out seven batters and allowing only two hits in a 77-pitch performance that covered six innings. Any question that Pineda would open the season with Seattle was answered today.
"He was outstanding,'' Wedge said. "You've seen him be very consistent all spring, but today I think he took it to another level. You look at the way he used his fastball and his secondary stuff was right there for him all day long and he pitched with it. He just really did a great job of commanding the ballgame.''
Wedge was asked about the difference between Pineda's secondary stuff (his slider and changeup) this time around versus previous efforts.
"I think it's always been there,'' Wedge said. "I just felt like it was all right there for him today. He was able to throw his pitches at any point in time when he wanted to, whether it was a right-hander or a left-hander.''
Michael Pineda looked dominant today, striking out seven batters and allowing only two hits in a 77-pitch performance that covered six innings. Any question that Pineda would open the season with Seattle was answered today.
Maybe I should say he's a #1 when healthy. This is the same guy that had a 2.90 ERA and 18 wins in 2008. Awesome fastball that moves well, incredible slider, and a nice enough circle change. I like his makeup and think he's a 3.40 ERA guy if he is healthy. Those walks are concerning though.
Tampa Bay Rays
The loss of Crawford and Pena is going to hurt an offense that wasn't particularly strong before. Desmond Jennings should help make up for a part of Crawford's production. Dan Johnson is an okay enough player to take over for Pena. That being said, this offense can only really trust Longoria. I'm not sure prospects like Brignac, Jennings, and Jaso are ready yet. There's very little power. Upton and Zobrist are coming off shitty years. They won't score many runs but do have some speed and can play small ball.
Starting pitching is definitely the strength of the Rays and I think they'll probably move Garza at some point this season because Hellickson is ready. As it stands now, Price is a stud, Garza is steady as they come, Shields has too nice of a FB/change to not improve after last year's disaster, Davis is going to take a jump up, and Niemann should have an ERA under 4.00. They have plenty of quality young arms in the rotation. The bullpen lost Soriano and Benoit (amongst others) and is being completely rebuilt. It's tough to know what to expect of Howell since he is coming off a lost season because of shoulder surgery. He was a great setup guy before then. Peralta doesn't impress me all that much. Not sure is McGee is ready. I want to say the Rays will have a decent bullpen since they always find guys, but I just don't know if it happen this season.
Ultimately, the pitching will have the Rays as a competitive team but I think with the offense and bullpen taking hits, it won't be good enough for much more than .500 or so in that tough division. The only way I see them even challenging for the playoffs is if Jennings contributes right away and Zobrist/Upton start hitting like they did before everything fell apart last year. I'm not seeing it.
The loss of Crawford and Pena is going to hurt an offense that wasn't particularly strong before. Desmond Jennings should help make up for a part of Crawford's production. Dan Johnson is an okay enough player to take over for Pena. That being said, this offense can only really trust Longoria. I'm not sure prospects like Brignac, Jennings, and Jaso are ready yet. There's very little power. Upton and Zobrist are coming off shitty years. They won't score many runs but do have some speed and can play small ball.
Starting pitching is definitely the strength of the Rays and I think they'll probably move Garza at some point this season because Hellickson is ready. As it stands now, Price is a stud, Garza is steady as they come, Shields has too nice of a FB/change to not improve after last year's disaster, Davis is going to take a jump up, and Niemann should have an ERA under 4.00. They have plenty of quality young arms in the rotation. The bullpen lost Soriano and Benoit (amongst others) and is being completely rebuilt. It's tough to know what to expect of Howell since he is coming off a lost season because of shoulder surgery. He was a great setup guy before then. Peralta doesn't impress me all that much. Not sure is McGee is ready. I want to say the Rays will have a decent bullpen since they always find guys, but I just don't know if it happen this season.
Ultimately, the pitching will have the Rays as a competitive team but I think with the offense and bullpen taking hits, it won't be good enough for much more than .500 or so in that tough division. The only way I see them even challenging for the playoffs is if Jennings contributes right away and Zobrist/Upton start hitting like they did before everything fell apart last year. I'm not seeing it.
Texas Rangers
The offense will score a ton of runs no matter what happens with Michael Young. Beltre should hit a ton of home runs in that park if he's motivated, while Josh Hamilton will be amazing again. Cruz will be healthier and Kinsler should get his power back if he avoids the injury bug. This team is stacked and they'll produce big power numbers in that small stadium. It's a top 5 offense.
I do think that CJ Wilson will take a step back as a starter. I thought he pitched over his head last year and he will be more hittable. Tommy Hunter is a solid #2 but Feldman seems to be really hit or miss. He really doesn't have the quality pitches to have such poor command. Colby Lewis is another guy that should regress after pitching over his head. Texas did a great job with their starters last season but I just don't see them sustaining the success this time around. The bullpen looks great and Texas should be able to hold onto their leads much of the time. Felix was unhittable last season and Ogando might be even better than him. Rhodes is steady and apparently doesn't age. I like the bullpen a lot.
Texas should have a good team once again but asking them to repeat last season is probably not going to happen. This division is wide open and I could make cases for Oakland, Texas, and Anaheim making the playoffs here. I'd look for a decline in quality starts from the Rangers, but the offense should win them lots of home games. Texas could feasibly struggle on the road though.
The offense will score a ton of runs no matter what happens with Michael Young. Beltre should hit a ton of home runs in that park if he's motivated, while Josh Hamilton will be amazing again. Cruz will be healthier and Kinsler should get his power back if he avoids the injury bug. This team is stacked and they'll produce big power numbers in that small stadium. It's a top 5 offense.
I do think that CJ Wilson will take a step back as a starter. I thought he pitched over his head last year and he will be more hittable. Tommy Hunter is a solid #2 but Feldman seems to be really hit or miss. He really doesn't have the quality pitches to have such poor command. Colby Lewis is another guy that should regress after pitching over his head. Texas did a great job with their starters last season but I just don't see them sustaining the success this time around. The bullpen looks great and Texas should be able to hold onto their leads much of the time. Felix was unhittable last season and Ogando might be even better than him. Rhodes is steady and apparently doesn't age. I like the bullpen a lot.
Texas should have a good team once again but asking them to repeat last season is probably not going to happen. This division is wide open and I could make cases for Oakland, Texas, and Anaheim making the playoffs here. I'd look for a decline in quality starts from the Rangers, but the offense should win them lots of home games. Texas could feasibly struggle on the road though.
Toronto Blue Jays
It was a shitty year for plenty of Toronto hitters last year and they should be more consistent this time around. I wouldn't bank on Bautista repeating his performance but I like the addition of Rajai Davis. I also expect Travis Snider having a big year. The average will go up and the power that this team can produce will have the Blue Jays scoring lots of runs.
I like Romero and think he could be even better than last year. Cecil is a good enough #2 and I've always loved Morrow's stuff. He'd just a stud if he ever figured out how to mix with electric fastball with a feasible change. Either way, I think he could be the 2nd best pitcher for this squad. It gets a little hazy after that and I don't really trust Litsch. Drabek could be a surprise but the Blue Jays are going to have to rely on some youth and could be in big trouble if their only 3 reliable guys go down. The bullpen doesn't impress me at all and an ERA above 4.00 is extremely likely. Francisco, Dotel, Frasor, and Camp are all okay but nothing special.
Toronto could compete for a playoff birth in a few divisions but not the one they are in. Their offense will be good but the starting pitching isn't deep and I could see the bullpen letting teams back into games. The over seems like a good play for this team unless Romero or possibly Morrow is pitching. Keep an eye on Drabek... He could surprise.
It was a shitty year for plenty of Toronto hitters last year and they should be more consistent this time around. I wouldn't bank on Bautista repeating his performance but I like the addition of Rajai Davis. I also expect Travis Snider having a big year. The average will go up and the power that this team can produce will have the Blue Jays scoring lots of runs.
I like Romero and think he could be even better than last year. Cecil is a good enough #2 and I've always loved Morrow's stuff. He'd just a stud if he ever figured out how to mix with electric fastball with a feasible change. Either way, I think he could be the 2nd best pitcher for this squad. It gets a little hazy after that and I don't really trust Litsch. Drabek could be a surprise but the Blue Jays are going to have to rely on some youth and could be in big trouble if their only 3 reliable guys go down. The bullpen doesn't impress me at all and an ERA above 4.00 is extremely likely. Francisco, Dotel, Frasor, and Camp are all okay but nothing special.
Toronto could compete for a playoff birth in a few divisions but not the one they are in. Their offense will be good but the starting pitching isn't deep and I could see the bullpen letting teams back into games. The over seems like a good play for this team unless Romero or possibly Morrow is pitching. Keep an eye on Drabek... He could surprise.
Doh! Two part problem. Usually I double check stuff on Rotoworld. It was down while I was writing stuff so instead I pulled out my trusty issue of Lindy's and fact-checked with it. Didn't realize the magazine I just bought was so outdated. Totally spaced the moves. I'll rewrite it tonight or tomorrow. I'm an idiot.
Or allow your friendly Florida ghostwriter to pinch hit
TAMPA BAY RAYS
I think that perceptions of Rays often suffer from fans outside the area not being privy to some of the many subtle intricacies created by both the TBR ownership and manager Joe Maddon's respective styles
That noted.....I agree that the starting rotation will be the foundation from which they proceed this season, as it was in 2008 and 2010.
The bullpen is a hodgepodge at the moment, but it does at least appear that Maddon will open the season with three LH relievers instead of the one (R Choate) that he had available most of last year.
Position by position
LF - Don't look now, but with exception of much better SB, Johnny Damon's past three full seasons have actually been equal to or even a tad better than Carl Crawford offensively. And though he clearly can't bring the defensive range enjoyed by CC, the "dropoff" from Crawford to a combination of Damon (mostly) and Manny (in NL road games) won't be near what many predict
CF - Mel Upton did in fact have a down year average-wise, though it was mildy ascending in final two months. Plus he's a Gold Glove level defender. If he can get his OBA up 40+ pts this season, he's a solid threat for 50-55 SB himself, along with 15HR/90RBI punch. Remember, this kid is still just 26 yrs old
RF - Matt Joyce does appear to be platoon only, but his own OBP last season vs RHP was .386 and he's just a week older than Upton
1B - Let's face some stiff facts here. Dan Johnson would shock if he could reach 30 HRs. But 20+ is very doable and if he bats .240 (his career ML avg in over 1200 ABs), that's 40 pts higher than Charlie Pena batted last season.
Zobrist will also be logging time at 1B, as well as playing some 2B, RF and occasional CF like last season. Like Upton, if he can get his OBP back up to somewhere between his lower 2010 numbers and his excellent 2009 numbers, he's a decent candidate to push 40 SB.
2B/SS - Should be a constant mix and match between SeanRod, Brignac and Elliott Johnson - the latter who himself appears to have 40+ SB ability, though he'll likely be more in the 20-25 range due to much lower playing time.
Both Rodriquez and EJohnson have shown they can play the OF decently enough, so now we've got Maddon moving dudes all around between 1B/2B/SS/LF/RF. Thus everyone is in line to score 200-300 PAs and this keeps the bench nice and sharp
3B - Longoria, with Manny behind him, could be a solid AL MVP candidate with 30+ HRs and 50+ doubles, not to mention 100 Runs and 110 RBI
C - Same boring twosome as last season, but for crying out loud, if Shoppach (like Upton and Zobrist) can at least bump his numbers up 40 pts to match career avg, it's an improvement
DH - Manny Ramirez - playing with hopefully great enthusiasm gives the Rays a true shot at having a second 110-120 RBI guy and also give the overall team BA a boost of 10-15 pts.
----------
Intangibles at this time include the always possible trade of two to three AA/AAA hotshots for a more real frontline closer type
We've been having fun dreaming of a deal with NYM where they agree to pick up at least a third of KRod's salary and the Rays then pay $6-7mil - which is what they paid Ralph Soriano last season.
The preseason "86.5" TeamTotal Wins is very, very much in sight and if four or five of my half dozen "What ifs" from above were to hit, they're back to 90+ wins and competing in what is likely a very fun September AL East
TAMPA BAY RAYS
I think that perceptions of Rays often suffer from fans outside the area not being privy to some of the many subtle intricacies created by both the TBR ownership and manager Joe Maddon's respective styles
That noted.....I agree that the starting rotation will be the foundation from which they proceed this season, as it was in 2008 and 2010.
The bullpen is a hodgepodge at the moment, but it does at least appear that Maddon will open the season with three LH relievers instead of the one (R Choate) that he had available most of last year.
Position by position
LF - Don't look now, but with exception of much better SB, Johnny Damon's past three full seasons have actually been equal to or even a tad better than Carl Crawford offensively. And though he clearly can't bring the defensive range enjoyed by CC, the "dropoff" from Crawford to a combination of Damon (mostly) and Manny (in NL road games) won't be near what many predict
CF - Mel Upton did in fact have a down year average-wise, though it was mildy ascending in final two months. Plus he's a Gold Glove level defender. If he can get his OBA up 40+ pts this season, he's a solid threat for 50-55 SB himself, along with 15HR/90RBI punch. Remember, this kid is still just 26 yrs old
RF - Matt Joyce does appear to be platoon only, but his own OBP last season vs RHP was .386 and he's just a week older than Upton
1B - Let's face some stiff facts here. Dan Johnson would shock if he could reach 30 HRs. But 20+ is very doable and if he bats .240 (his career ML avg in over 1200 ABs), that's 40 pts higher than Charlie Pena batted last season.
Zobrist will also be logging time at 1B, as well as playing some 2B, RF and occasional CF like last season. Like Upton, if he can get his OBP back up to somewhere between his lower 2010 numbers and his excellent 2009 numbers, he's a decent candidate to push 40 SB.
2B/SS - Should be a constant mix and match between SeanRod, Brignac and Elliott Johnson - the latter who himself appears to have 40+ SB ability, though he'll likely be more in the 20-25 range due to much lower playing time.
Both Rodriquez and EJohnson have shown they can play the OF decently enough, so now we've got Maddon moving dudes all around between 1B/2B/SS/LF/RF. Thus everyone is in line to score 200-300 PAs and this keeps the bench nice and sharp
3B - Longoria, with Manny behind him, could be a solid AL MVP candidate with 30+ HRs and 50+ doubles, not to mention 100 Runs and 110 RBI
C - Same boring twosome as last season, but for crying out loud, if Shoppach (like Upton and Zobrist) can at least bump his numbers up 40 pts to match career avg, it's an improvement
DH - Manny Ramirez - playing with hopefully great enthusiasm gives the Rays a true shot at having a second 110-120 RBI guy and also give the overall team BA a boost of 10-15 pts.
----------
Intangibles at this time include the always possible trade of two to three AA/AAA hotshots for a more real frontline closer type
We've been having fun dreaming of a deal with NYM where they agree to pick up at least a third of KRod's salary and the Rays then pay $6-7mil - which is what they paid Ralph Soriano last season.
The preseason "86.5" TeamTotal Wins is very, very much in sight and if four or five of my half dozen "What ifs" from above were to hit, they're back to 90+ wins and competing in what is likely a very fun September AL East
Hey Jake, since I live in Pittsburgh, I figured I'd pull a Barman on ya Pittsburgh style. Hope ya don't mind.
2011 Pittsburgh Pirates:
They will suck!......................
Oh, details you ask. Well, they've sucked for 18 years in a row, so history is on their side. Their projected 5 starters were a combined 26-53 with 5.13 ERA last year. Two of those fine pitchers combined for a 3 ( that's right, 3 ) and 23 recorded. This team hasn't won over 70 since 2004. The team ERA is consistently higher than the teams winning percentage. They managed to win a total of 17 games on the road last year, so if you wanna make some money this year, there's your first clue.
Now the bats. That is their only bright spot. Not sunny bright, but full moon out tonight bright. Tabata, Walker and McCutchen can hoover around .290 while Alvarez and Garret Jones, who led the team with 21 homers and 86 RBI's have some pop. Only worry will be the sophomore jinx as lots of these guys were rookies last year.
Now for closer, as if they really need one, well that job goes to Joel Hanrahan this year, who has a grand total 20 saves to go along with 13 blown saves in his 4 years in the big leagues.
So, as you can see, you could make some real cash with this team this coming season. You just have to bet against them. Good luck eveyone. Hopes this helps.
2011 Pittsburgh Pirates:
They will suck!......................
Oh, details you ask. Well, they've sucked for 18 years in a row, so history is on their side. Their projected 5 starters were a combined 26-53 with 5.13 ERA last year. Two of those fine pitchers combined for a 3 ( that's right, 3 ) and 23 recorded. This team hasn't won over 70 since 2004. The team ERA is consistently higher than the teams winning percentage. They managed to win a total of 17 games on the road last year, so if you wanna make some money this year, there's your first clue.
Now the bats. That is their only bright spot. Not sunny bright, but full moon out tonight bright. Tabata, Walker and McCutchen can hoover around .290 while Alvarez and Garret Jones, who led the team with 21 homers and 86 RBI's have some pop. Only worry will be the sophomore jinx as lots of these guys were rookies last year.
Now for closer, as if they really need one, well that job goes to Joel Hanrahan this year, who has a grand total 20 saves to go along with 13 blown saves in his 4 years in the big leagues.
So, as you can see, you could make some real cash with this team this coming season. You just have to bet against them. Good luck eveyone. Hopes this helps.
