im going to be doing a Met's write up asap, and i have a somewhat different outlook from TY bounce, although i project just a few more wins with 74-79 wins. This team is certainly on an upward trend IMO, and while the Braves and Nats will easily be 1-2(no particular order) in the division i dont believe its a foregone conclusion philly will finish ahead of them (likely yes, guarenteed no way.)
2013 Baltimore Orioles- 2012 record 93-69 Home 47-34 Away 46-35 O/U 71-86-5<o
></o>
Total Wins is set at 78.5 -140 under +110 Over at the Greek<o></o>
Odds to win American League East is +850(Tor +125, TB Rays +300, Yanks +385, and Red Sox +500)<o></o>
Odds to win American League Pennant +2500<o></o>
Odds to win World Series +5000<o></o>
Starting Rotation:<o></o>
1. RHP Jason Hammel 8-6 3.41 118 innings 113 SO 42 BB<o></o>
2. LHP Wei Yin Chen 12-11 4.02 193 innings 154 SO 57 BB<o></o>
3. RHP Miguel Gonzalez 9-4 3.25 105 innings 77 SO 35 BB<o></o>
4. RHP Chris Tillman 9-3 2.93 86 innings 66 SO 24 BB<o></o>
5. LHP Zach Britton 5-3 5.07 60 innings 53 SO 32 BB<o></o>
The first two slots are virtually locked up while the competition for the 3-5 slots includes (last year’s opening day starter) RHPJake Arrieta 3-9 6.20, former starters RHPS Steve Johnson 4-0 2.11 and Tommy Hunter7-8 5.45 and LHP Brian Matusz 6-10 4.87. There are two top prospects worth mentioning Dylan Bundy and Kevin Gausman who will likely see action sometime in 2013. Keep your eyes on these guys as well as Jair Jurrjens who has signed a minor league contract.<o></o>
Bullpen:<o></o>
1. RHP Jim Johnson (Closer) 2-1 2.49 69 innings 51 Saves 41 SO 15 BB<o></o>
2. RHP Pedro Strop Probable 8[SUP]th[/SUP] inning reliever 5-2 2.44 66 innings 3 Saves 58 SO BB37<o></o>
3. RHP Darren O’Day 7-1 2.28 67 innings 0 Saves 69 SO 14 BB<o></o>
4. RHP Luis Ayala 5-5 2.84 70 innings 1 Save 51 SO 14 BB<o></o>
5. LHP Brian Matusz 6-10 4.87 98 innings 0 Saves 81 SO 41 BB<o></o>
6. LHP Troy Patton 1-0 2.43 56 innings 0 Saves 49 SO 12 BB<o></o>
7. RHP Tommy Hunter 7-8 5.45 134 innings 0 Saves 77 SO 27 BB<o></o>
Projected Line Up:<o></o>
LF Nate McLouth .241 7 homers 20 RBI Filled in admirably while Brian Roberts and Nick Markakis were DLed last year. Balt. was pleased and re-signed him.<o></o>
SS JJ Hardy .238 22 homers 68 RBI Gold glove SS with some pop<o></o>
RF Nick Markakis .298 13 homers 54 RBI Solid hitter but what is up with that neck?<o></o>
CF Adam Jones .287 32 homers 82 RBI All Star OF with power and speed. Played all 162 games last year.<o></o>
C Matt Weiters .249 23 homers 83 RBI All Star and Gold Glove catcher with power<o></o>
1B Chris Davis .270 33 homers 85 RBI Defensively weak but will be the 1B anyway as he can crush it.<o></o>
DH Wilson Betamit .261 12 Homers 40 RBI Played a lot of 3B in 2012 but the O’s are going with Machado. DH and bench duty in 2013.<o></o>
3B Manny Machado .262 7 Homers 26 RBI Top prospect who did well in 2012. His job to lose.<o></o>
2B Ryan Flaherty .216 6 homers 19 RBI Brian Roberts will be out for a prolonged period so Flaherty will be here for a while.<o></o>
If anyone had picked the Orioles to finish 2 games behind the Yankees in March 2012 they would have been laughed out of the room…loudly! The Orioles are +850 to win the American league East in 2013 so the odds makers obviously think what happened in Baltimore in 2012 was a fluke. While I do not think they will win the division this yea, I will stick my neck out a bit and say that the Orioles will finish ahead of both the Yankees and Red Sox. If things do not work out to Buck’s satisfaction he will no doubt get the Norfolk shuttle going early and often. He has a lot of hungry pieces to move around. I will be making a large bet on over 78.5 wins at +110 as well as a small bet on Baltimore to win the American League East.
></o>Total Wins is set at 78.5 -140 under +110 Over at the Greek<o
></o>Odds to win American League East is +850(Tor +125, TB Rays +300, Yanks +385, and Red Sox +500)<o
></o>Odds to win American League Pennant +2500<o
></o>Odds to win World Series +5000<o
></o>Starting Rotation:<o
></o>1. RHP Jason Hammel 8-6 3.41 118 innings 113 SO 42 BB<o
></o>2. LHP Wei Yin Chen 12-11 4.02 193 innings 154 SO 57 BB<o
></o>3. RHP Miguel Gonzalez 9-4 3.25 105 innings 77 SO 35 BB<o
></o>4. RHP Chris Tillman 9-3 2.93 86 innings 66 SO 24 BB<o
></o>5. LHP Zach Britton 5-3 5.07 60 innings 53 SO 32 BB<o
></o>The first two slots are virtually locked up while the competition for the 3-5 slots includes (last year’s opening day starter) RHPJake Arrieta 3-9 6.20, former starters RHPS Steve Johnson 4-0 2.11 and Tommy Hunter7-8 5.45 and LHP Brian Matusz 6-10 4.87. There are two top prospects worth mentioning Dylan Bundy and Kevin Gausman who will likely see action sometime in 2013. Keep your eyes on these guys as well as Jair Jurrjens who has signed a minor league contract.<o
></o>Bullpen:<o
></o>1. RHP Jim Johnson (Closer) 2-1 2.49 69 innings 51 Saves 41 SO 15 BB<o
></o>2. RHP Pedro Strop Probable 8[SUP]th[/SUP] inning reliever 5-2 2.44 66 innings 3 Saves 58 SO BB37<o
></o>3. RHP Darren O’Day 7-1 2.28 67 innings 0 Saves 69 SO 14 BB<o
></o>4. RHP Luis Ayala 5-5 2.84 70 innings 1 Save 51 SO 14 BB<o
></o>5. LHP Brian Matusz 6-10 4.87 98 innings 0 Saves 81 SO 41 BB<o
></o>6. LHP Troy Patton 1-0 2.43 56 innings 0 Saves 49 SO 12 BB<o
></o>7. RHP Tommy Hunter 7-8 5.45 134 innings 0 Saves 77 SO 27 BB<o
></o>Projected Line Up:<o
></o>LF Nate McLouth .241 7 homers 20 RBI Filled in admirably while Brian Roberts and Nick Markakis were DLed last year. Balt. was pleased and re-signed him.<o
></o>SS JJ Hardy .238 22 homers 68 RBI Gold glove SS with some pop<o
></o>RF Nick Markakis .298 13 homers 54 RBI Solid hitter but what is up with that neck?<o
></o>CF Adam Jones .287 32 homers 82 RBI All Star OF with power and speed. Played all 162 games last year.<o
></o>C Matt Weiters .249 23 homers 83 RBI All Star and Gold Glove catcher with power<o
></o>1B Chris Davis .270 33 homers 85 RBI Defensively weak but will be the 1B anyway as he can crush it.<o
></o>DH Wilson Betamit .261 12 Homers 40 RBI Played a lot of 3B in 2012 but the O’s are going with Machado. DH and bench duty in 2013.<o
></o>3B Manny Machado .262 7 Homers 26 RBI Top prospect who did well in 2012. His job to lose.<o
></o>2B Ryan Flaherty .216 6 homers 19 RBI Brian Roberts will be out for a prolonged period so Flaherty will be here for a while.<o
></o>If anyone had picked the Orioles to finish 2 games behind the Yankees in March 2012 they would have been laughed out of the room…loudly! The Orioles are +850 to win the American league East in 2013 so the odds makers obviously think what happened in Baltimore in 2012 was a fluke. While I do not think they will win the division this yea, I will stick my neck out a bit and say that the Orioles will finish ahead of both the Yankees and Red Sox. If things do not work out to Buck’s satisfaction he will no doubt get the Norfolk shuttle going early and often. He has a lot of hungry pieces to move around. I will be making a large bet on over 78.5 wins at +110 as well as a small bet on Baltimore to win the American League East.
Padres:
SD went 42-33 after the AS break last season which gives Padre fans some optimism but I think the team is a long way from contending because of their rotation. I like the other pieces to this team but the rotation is brutal IMHO.
I like the fact that the Padres have a lot of young hungry players but I don't like that they didn't add much of anything in the offseason. Yes the Padres finished strong but they had an awful start. The 2013 Padres have a rotation with tons of question marks, it could end up a disaster.
I copy and pasted this from another site:
1. Clayton Richard (14–14, 3.99 ERA, 107 K's, 218.2 IP, 1.23 WHIP) — Coming off of three straight seasons with an ERA below 4.00, Richard proved in 2012 that he can bounce back from injury and pitch quality innings for the Padres. Now if he can only keep his hit and home run totals down (he led the National League in both categories last year), Richard should have a solid 2013..
2. Edinson Volquez (11–11, 4.14 ERA, 174 K's, 182.2 IP, 1.45 WHIP) — Volquez, like Richard, also proved that he could bounce back from injury and three mediocre years of pitching in Cincinnati. His strikeout totals were good, but he also led the league in walks. If Volquez can finally learn to harness control of his pitches, he could be a great pitcher and possibly surpass the totals he put up in 2008 (17–6, 3.21 ERA, 206 K's, 196 IP, 1.327 WHIP).
3. Jason Marquis (8–11, 5.22 ERA, 91 K's, 127.2 IP, 1.67 WHIP) — Marquis has always been a mediocre pitcher with a lifetime 4.60 ERA, but when healthy, he can eat innings and throw strikes. Though I personally feel that he should be pitching long relief out of the pen, Marquis will more than likely land the number three spot in the rotation this year.
4. Eric Stults (8–3, 2.91 ERA, 55 K's, 99 IP, 1.20 WHIP) — Stults had a fine season with the Padres last year, however, the chances that he repeats those numbers are unlikely. Will he make the rotation out of spring? He probably has a pretty decent chance with his performance from last season. Will he keep his spot in the rotation for the duration of the season? We shall see...
5. Casey Kelly (2–3, 6.21 ERA, 26 K's, 29 IP, 1.69 WHIP) — The Padres' fourth-ranked prospect may have had a rough outing in his first year of big league experience (minus his debut against Atlanta), but he's poised to make a strong run at the rotation this spring. The former first-rounder has no lack of ability, but has to show better command of his pitches and learn to keep the ball down. With a strong spring, Kelly could very likely land the fifth spot in the rotation.
Anthony Bass (2–8, 4.73 ERA, 80 K's, 97 IP, 1.320 WHIP) — If given the opportunity, Anthony Bass could be a fantastic starting pitcher in the big leagues. Though he wasn't impressive across 15 starts in 2012, if the 25-year-old can improve his walk ratio, he will definitely compete for a starting spot this spring.
Cory Luebke (3–1, 2.61 ERA, 23 K's, 32 IP, 1.161 WHIP) — If Cory Luebke can stay healthy, he should be a mainstay in the Padres' rotation for many years to come. The former first-rounder underwent Tommy John surgery last season after experiencing soreness in his left elbow. Though he's expected to miss the first two months of the season continuing his recovery, he could provide above-average strikeout and walk ratios upon his return.
Andrew Cashner (3–4, 4.27 ERA, 52 K's, 46.1 IP, 1.317 WHIP) — The 26-year-old Cashner suffered a lacerated tendon in his right thumb during a hunting accident in December and will more than likely miss the beginning of the season. He also suffered from a strained right lat muscle last season after 27 relief appearances and three starts. However, when healthy, Cashner is a strikeout machine with a fastball that clocks in the upper-90s. If he can just stay healthy, it would be nice to see Cashner get a shot at the rotation. It would also be great to see a return on the trade that sent Anthony Rizzo to the Cubs.
Tyson Ross (2–11, 6.50 ERA, 46 K's, 73.1 IP, 1.814 WHIP) — Ross was one of the two "key starting pitchers" that the Padres added this offseason. Though he struggled with the Athletics last season, he is a hard-throwing right-handed pitcher who had good success in the minors. If he can keep his walk rate down, Ross may have a place in the Padres rotation this year.
Joe Wieland (0–4, 4.55 ERA, 24 K's, 27.2 IP, 1.265 WHIP) — I can't wait to see the Mike Adams trade pay off. After just five starts last season, Wieland (like many other Padre starters) hit the disabled list with right elbow soreness, which led to Tommy John surgery in late July. With an expected return sometime around the All-Star break, Wieland should get another shot at proving himself in the bigs.
I like Luebke a lot, everyone else is a MAJOR QUESTION MARK. Both Luebke and Wieland wont be ready til later in the season so they are going to have to work with the other guys. Whats to like about this rotation? Richard is your ACE? Volquez the walk machine is your #2? Marquis shouldn't even be in the rotation.
Stults and Kelly have potential but you have no idea what you will get from those guys. Bass is alright but this rotation is a mess.
Now lets look at their lineup:
copy and pasted from another site
1. Everth Cabrera — SS — (.246/.324/.324, 44 SB) — Cabrera has always been able to run (he led the National League last year) and he has a decent glove, now if he can just hit for average, the Padres will have one of the best lead-off hitters in the game.
2. Will Venable — OF — (.264/.335/.429, 24 SB) — Like Cabrera, Venable needs to learn how to hit for average. He has all of the tools to be a great all-around player, now he just needs to put all of the pieces together. With some talented minor leaguers close to being major league ready, this year will be a make-or-break season for Venable.
3. Chase Headley — 3B — (.286/.376/.498, 17 SB) — Headley didn't get off to a stellar start last season, but he sure ended it with a season to remember. The National League player of the month in both August and September finally lived up to expectations and there is no reason why he won't be able to follow up his performance from last season in 2013. That is, if he doesn't get traded and puts up those numbers for another team.
4. Carlos Quentin — OF — (.261/.374/.504) — If Quentin can stay healthy for an entire season, he has the skills and ability to put up huge numbers — even in Petco Park. The problem is, he hasn't been able to stay healthy for an entire season since he broke into the majors. Will 2013 be that year?
5. Yonder Alonso — 1B — (.273/.348/.393) —In his first full season of play, Alonso put up decent numbers and proved he can be a durable, full-time first baseman. However, his power numbers weren't what were expected with only nine home runs in 2012. Regardless, Alonso hits for good contact and I expect to see great things out of him in the near future.
6. Cameron Maybin — OF — (.243/.306/.349, 26 SB) — Like many other Padre players already discussed, Maybin is another guy who needs to learn how to hit for average. The former 2005 first-round pick has all the tools to be a great player, but he hasn't been able to put it all together since breaking into the big leagues. I personally think 2013 will be Maybin's year and expect to see him excel this season.
7. Jedd Gyorko — 2B — (N/A) — I've always been a fan and a strong proponent of Jedd Gyorko taking over the starting second base position this year for the Padres. If Gyorko can consistently hit the way he has in the minors, I wouldn't be surprised to see him competing for the National League Rookie of the Year Award. Now the question is if he can adjust to playing second base on a regular basis.
8. Nick Hundley — C — (.157/.219/.245) — With an extremely disappointing 2012 season, Hundley will get another chance to prove himself with Yasmani Grandal out for the first 50 games of the season due to a positive Performance Enhancing Drrug (PED) test. If Hundley can re-find his stroke and perform the way he did in 2011, he could create some nice competition for the starting catcher position when Grandal returns.
There is potential with this lineup, I love Headley and think he's a star but the other guys are wild-cards. Cabrera cant hit, he can run but needs to have a better avg than 240. Maybin can't hit either. Quentin is very injury prone, Hundley might be finished. I do think they know how to get on base and play small ball, thats the only way they will be able to win games cause you can't depend on power or average with these guys. Rotation will probably make it even harder.
The middle on this lineup looks suspect to me. Just too many inconsistent guys in the lineup..
They have a decent bench with Forsythe and Denorifia etc.
Now the Padres BP was top 5 last season and its pretty much the same guys this season.Huston Street will be closing games and he was lights out. 1.85 ERA, 0.78 WHIP, no doubt the Padres will keep the well majority of their 7 inning leads.
Strenghts: Bullpen is stellar
weakness: Rotation will likely be garbage, although it could improve after getting Luebke and Wieland back.
SD will need some guys to step up to even have a chance to contend. I'll say it again this rotation is brutal.. I will predict a definite 4th or possibly even last place finish in the division. 70-73 wins.
SD went 42-33 after the AS break last season which gives Padre fans some optimism but I think the team is a long way from contending because of their rotation. I like the other pieces to this team but the rotation is brutal IMHO.
I like the fact that the Padres have a lot of young hungry players but I don't like that they didn't add much of anything in the offseason. Yes the Padres finished strong but they had an awful start. The 2013 Padres have a rotation with tons of question marks, it could end up a disaster.
I copy and pasted this from another site:
1. Clayton Richard (14–14, 3.99 ERA, 107 K's, 218.2 IP, 1.23 WHIP) — Coming off of three straight seasons with an ERA below 4.00, Richard proved in 2012 that he can bounce back from injury and pitch quality innings for the Padres. Now if he can only keep his hit and home run totals down (he led the National League in both categories last year), Richard should have a solid 2013..
2. Edinson Volquez (11–11, 4.14 ERA, 174 K's, 182.2 IP, 1.45 WHIP) — Volquez, like Richard, also proved that he could bounce back from injury and three mediocre years of pitching in Cincinnati. His strikeout totals were good, but he also led the league in walks. If Volquez can finally learn to harness control of his pitches, he could be a great pitcher and possibly surpass the totals he put up in 2008 (17–6, 3.21 ERA, 206 K's, 196 IP, 1.327 WHIP).
3. Jason Marquis (8–11, 5.22 ERA, 91 K's, 127.2 IP, 1.67 WHIP) — Marquis has always been a mediocre pitcher with a lifetime 4.60 ERA, but when healthy, he can eat innings and throw strikes. Though I personally feel that he should be pitching long relief out of the pen, Marquis will more than likely land the number three spot in the rotation this year.
4. Eric Stults (8–3, 2.91 ERA, 55 K's, 99 IP, 1.20 WHIP) — Stults had a fine season with the Padres last year, however, the chances that he repeats those numbers are unlikely. Will he make the rotation out of spring? He probably has a pretty decent chance with his performance from last season. Will he keep his spot in the rotation for the duration of the season? We shall see...
5. Casey Kelly (2–3, 6.21 ERA, 26 K's, 29 IP, 1.69 WHIP) — The Padres' fourth-ranked prospect may have had a rough outing in his first year of big league experience (minus his debut against Atlanta), but he's poised to make a strong run at the rotation this spring. The former first-rounder has no lack of ability, but has to show better command of his pitches and learn to keep the ball down. With a strong spring, Kelly could very likely land the fifth spot in the rotation.
Anthony Bass (2–8, 4.73 ERA, 80 K's, 97 IP, 1.320 WHIP) — If given the opportunity, Anthony Bass could be a fantastic starting pitcher in the big leagues. Though he wasn't impressive across 15 starts in 2012, if the 25-year-old can improve his walk ratio, he will definitely compete for a starting spot this spring.
Cory Luebke (3–1, 2.61 ERA, 23 K's, 32 IP, 1.161 WHIP) — If Cory Luebke can stay healthy, he should be a mainstay in the Padres' rotation for many years to come. The former first-rounder underwent Tommy John surgery last season after experiencing soreness in his left elbow. Though he's expected to miss the first two months of the season continuing his recovery, he could provide above-average strikeout and walk ratios upon his return.
Andrew Cashner (3–4, 4.27 ERA, 52 K's, 46.1 IP, 1.317 WHIP) — The 26-year-old Cashner suffered a lacerated tendon in his right thumb during a hunting accident in December and will more than likely miss the beginning of the season. He also suffered from a strained right lat muscle last season after 27 relief appearances and three starts. However, when healthy, Cashner is a strikeout machine with a fastball that clocks in the upper-90s. If he can just stay healthy, it would be nice to see Cashner get a shot at the rotation. It would also be great to see a return on the trade that sent Anthony Rizzo to the Cubs.
Tyson Ross (2–11, 6.50 ERA, 46 K's, 73.1 IP, 1.814 WHIP) — Ross was one of the two "key starting pitchers" that the Padres added this offseason. Though he struggled with the Athletics last season, he is a hard-throwing right-handed pitcher who had good success in the minors. If he can keep his walk rate down, Ross may have a place in the Padres rotation this year.
Joe Wieland (0–4, 4.55 ERA, 24 K's, 27.2 IP, 1.265 WHIP) — I can't wait to see the Mike Adams trade pay off. After just five starts last season, Wieland (like many other Padre starters) hit the disabled list with right elbow soreness, which led to Tommy John surgery in late July. With an expected return sometime around the All-Star break, Wieland should get another shot at proving himself in the bigs.
I like Luebke a lot, everyone else is a MAJOR QUESTION MARK. Both Luebke and Wieland wont be ready til later in the season so they are going to have to work with the other guys. Whats to like about this rotation? Richard is your ACE? Volquez the walk machine is your #2? Marquis shouldn't even be in the rotation.
Stults and Kelly have potential but you have no idea what you will get from those guys. Bass is alright but this rotation is a mess.
Now lets look at their lineup:
copy and pasted from another site
1. Everth Cabrera — SS — (.246/.324/.324, 44 SB) — Cabrera has always been able to run (he led the National League last year) and he has a decent glove, now if he can just hit for average, the Padres will have one of the best lead-off hitters in the game.
2. Will Venable — OF — (.264/.335/.429, 24 SB) — Like Cabrera, Venable needs to learn how to hit for average. He has all of the tools to be a great all-around player, now he just needs to put all of the pieces together. With some talented minor leaguers close to being major league ready, this year will be a make-or-break season for Venable.
3. Chase Headley — 3B — (.286/.376/.498, 17 SB) — Headley didn't get off to a stellar start last season, but he sure ended it with a season to remember. The National League player of the month in both August and September finally lived up to expectations and there is no reason why he won't be able to follow up his performance from last season in 2013. That is, if he doesn't get traded and puts up those numbers for another team.
4. Carlos Quentin — OF — (.261/.374/.504) — If Quentin can stay healthy for an entire season, he has the skills and ability to put up huge numbers — even in Petco Park. The problem is, he hasn't been able to stay healthy for an entire season since he broke into the majors. Will 2013 be that year?
5. Yonder Alonso — 1B — (.273/.348/.393) —In his first full season of play, Alonso put up decent numbers and proved he can be a durable, full-time first baseman. However, his power numbers weren't what were expected with only nine home runs in 2012. Regardless, Alonso hits for good contact and I expect to see great things out of him in the near future.
6. Cameron Maybin — OF — (.243/.306/.349, 26 SB) — Like many other Padre players already discussed, Maybin is another guy who needs to learn how to hit for average. The former 2005 first-round pick has all the tools to be a great player, but he hasn't been able to put it all together since breaking into the big leagues. I personally think 2013 will be Maybin's year and expect to see him excel this season.
7. Jedd Gyorko — 2B — (N/A) — I've always been a fan and a strong proponent of Jedd Gyorko taking over the starting second base position this year for the Padres. If Gyorko can consistently hit the way he has in the minors, I wouldn't be surprised to see him competing for the National League Rookie of the Year Award. Now the question is if he can adjust to playing second base on a regular basis.
8. Nick Hundley — C — (.157/.219/.245) — With an extremely disappointing 2012 season, Hundley will get another chance to prove himself with Yasmani Grandal out for the first 50 games of the season due to a positive Performance Enhancing Drrug (PED) test. If Hundley can re-find his stroke and perform the way he did in 2011, he could create some nice competition for the starting catcher position when Grandal returns.
There is potential with this lineup, I love Headley and think he's a star but the other guys are wild-cards. Cabrera cant hit, he can run but needs to have a better avg than 240. Maybin can't hit either. Quentin is very injury prone, Hundley might be finished. I do think they know how to get on base and play small ball, thats the only way they will be able to win games cause you can't depend on power or average with these guys. Rotation will probably make it even harder.
The middle on this lineup looks suspect to me. Just too many inconsistent guys in the lineup..
They have a decent bench with Forsythe and Denorifia etc.
Now the Padres BP was top 5 last season and its pretty much the same guys this season.Huston Street will be closing games and he was lights out. 1.85 ERA, 0.78 WHIP, no doubt the Padres will keep the well majority of their 7 inning leads.
Strenghts: Bullpen is stellar
weakness: Rotation will likely be garbage, although it could improve after getting Luebke and Wieland back.
SD will need some guys to step up to even have a chance to contend. I'll say it again this rotation is brutal.. I will predict a definite 4th or possibly even last place finish in the division. 70-73 wins.
D'backs:
Arizona went 81-81 last season. They are in a tough division but they have a chance.. Lets look at 2013.
No more Upton and that will hurt but he had his ups and downs. They picked up Cody Ross and Prado, two pretty consistent guys. Also picked up Brandon McCarthy who is a solid starter.
Lets look at their rotation.
They are going to start the season with these 5 and then Hudson will come. If Ian Kennedy can repeat what he did in 2011 this will be a very, VERY good rotation. McCarthy is a stud, had a 3.2 ERA last season. GREAT PICKUP.
Cahill is a little shaky but hes an innings eater and a groundball machine. He's very capable.
Miley had a 3.33 ERA last season as a rookie and was probably the best pitcher on the team in 2012.
Corbin is a 5th starter, shaky but an innings eater.. When Hudson comes back and they avoid injury this rotation could be stacked.
I love their rotation.
Dbacks BP is deep and has potential to be one of the best in the majors. Putz started slow but ended up dominant, They also have Heath Bell, Collimenter, Hernandez. This BP is stacked.
Now lets look at their lineup..
<tbody>
</tbody>
They have a lot of guys who can get on base, Upton will be missed but Cody Ross and Prado will be welcomed additions no question. There really isn't much weakness, they have good hitters on the bench as well.
Montero, Kubel, goldy are a pretty deadly middle of lineup. Hill, Prado, Ross have some sneaky power. This lineup doesn't have a lot of big names but it
seems like a good fit and its a good mix of young studs and everyday veterans. The bench is pretty solid as well with Chavez, Parra, Nieves etc. Again not too many easy outs. Top to bottom a good lineup, no big star names but overall nice.
I really like this team. They don't have any major weaknesses, getting rid of Upton might not hurt like many think because he was inconsistent at times and struck out a lot. If things go right and the chemistry is there this team could find itself in the playoffs again like in 2011.
Watch out for the DBACKS..
Arizona went 81-81 last season. They are in a tough division but they have a chance.. Lets look at 2013.
No more Upton and that will hurt but he had his ups and downs. They picked up Cody Ross and Prado, two pretty consistent guys. Also picked up Brandon McCarthy who is a solid starter.
Lets look at their rotation.
- Ian Kennedy
- Brandon McCarthy
- Trevor Cahill
- Wade Miley
- Patrick Corbin
They are going to start the season with these 5 and then Hudson will come. If Ian Kennedy can repeat what he did in 2011 this will be a very, VERY good rotation. McCarthy is a stud, had a 3.2 ERA last season. GREAT PICKUP.
Cahill is a little shaky but hes an innings eater and a groundball machine. He's very capable.
Miley had a 3.33 ERA last season as a rookie and was probably the best pitcher on the team in 2012.
Corbin is a 5th starter, shaky but an innings eater.. When Hudson comes back and they avoid injury this rotation could be stacked.
I love their rotation.
Dbacks BP is deep and has potential to be one of the best in the majors. Putz started slow but ended up dominant, They also have Heath Bell, Collimenter, Hernandez. This BP is stacked.
Now lets look at their lineup..
| Lineup | Player | POS | Team | AB | R | HR | RBI | SB | AVG | OBP | SLG | FVal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Adam Eaton | OF | ARI | 442 | 69 | 7 | 43 | 24 | 0.287 | 0.367 | 0.407 | $2 |
| 2 | Aaron Hill | 2B | ARI | 538 | 77 | 19 | 70 | 11 | 0.268 | 0.328 | 0.442 | $14 |
| 3 | Miguel Montero | Catcher | ARI | 448 | 61 | 14 | 67 | 1 | 0.268 | 0.354 | 0.431 | $7 |
| 4 | Jason Kubel | OF | ARI | 450 | 62 | 22 | 75 | 1 | 0.260 | 0.334 | 0.476 | $3 |
| 5 | Martin Prado | 3B | ARI | 585 | 79 | 12 | 72 | 9 | 0.292 | 0.346 | 0.432 | $16 |
| 6 | Paul Goldschmidt | 1B | ARI | 535 | 79 | 25 | 85 | 12 | 0.271 | 0.353 | 0.488 | $19 |
| 7 | Cody Ross | OF | ARI | 449 | 60 | 18 | 65 | 4 | 0.258 | 0.325 | 0.445 | $-1 |
| 8 | Cliff Pennington | SS | ARI | 406 | 50 | 6 | 42 | 15 | 0.256 | 0.321 | 0.367 | $-9 |
<tbody>
</tbody>
They have a lot of guys who can get on base, Upton will be missed but Cody Ross and Prado will be welcomed additions no question. There really isn't much weakness, they have good hitters on the bench as well.
Montero, Kubel, goldy are a pretty deadly middle of lineup. Hill, Prado, Ross have some sneaky power. This lineup doesn't have a lot of big names but it
seems like a good fit and its a good mix of young studs and everyday veterans. The bench is pretty solid as well with Chavez, Parra, Nieves etc. Again not too many easy outs. Top to bottom a good lineup, no big star names but overall nice.
I really like this team. They don't have any major weaknesses, getting rid of Upton might not hurt like many think because he was inconsistent at times and struck out a lot. If things go right and the chemistry is there this team could find itself in the playoffs again like in 2011.
Watch out for the DBACKS..
2013 Tampa Bay Rays- 2012 Record 90-72 Home 46-35 Away 44-37 O/U 64-91-7<o></o>
Total Wins is set at 85.5 -130 Over +100 on the under at the Greek<o></o>
Odds to win American League East is +300(Tor +125, Yanks +385, Red Sox +500, and Baltimore +850<o></o>
Odds to win American League Pennant +850<o></o>
Odds to win World Series +1600<o></o>
Starting Rotation:<o></o>
1. LHP David Price 20-5 2.56 211 innings 205 SO 59 BB<o></o>
2. RHP Jeremy Hellickson 10-11 3.10 177 innings 124 SO 59 BB<o></o>
3. LHP Matt Moore 11-11 3.81 177 innings 175 SO 81 BB<o></o>
4. RHP Alex Cobb 11-9 4.03 136 innings 106 SO 40 BB<o></o>
5. RHP Jeff Niemann 2-3 3.08 38 innings 34 SO 12 BB<o></o>
6. RHP Roberto Hernandez Pitched for Cleveland 09-12 logging 538 innings with 25-44 record<o></o>
7. RHP Chris Archer 1-3 4.60 29 innings 36 SO 13 BB<o></o>
Hernandez, Niemann, and Archer are fighting for the 5[SUP]th[/SUP] starter position. The loss of James Shields is the big ugly for the Rays. He was 15-10 3.52 227 innings 223 SO 58 BB. Good luck replacing that. Farnsworth is recovering from a right elbow strain which resulted in missing half the 2012 season. A full recovery would be huge for the Rays.<o></o>
Bullpen:<o></o>
1. RHP Fernando Rodney (Closer) 2-2 0.60 74 innings 48 Saves 76 SO 15 BB<o></o>
2. RHP Joel Peralta 2-6 3.63 67 innings 2 Saves 84 SO 17 BB<o></o>
3. LHP Jake McGee 5-2 1.95 55 innings 0 Saves 73 SO 11 BB<o></o>
4. LHP Cesar Ramos 1-0 2.10 30 innings 0 Saves 29 SO 10 BB<o></o>
5. RHP Brandon Gomes 2-2 5.09 18 innings 0 Saves 15 SO 12 BB<o></o>
6. Kyle Farnsworth 1-6 4.00 27 innings 0 Saves 25 SO 14 BB<o></o>
Projected Line Up:<o></o>
CF Desmond Jennings .246 13 Homers 47 RBI Will be taking over CF from BJ Upton. Jennings played CF in the minors<o></o>
SS Yunel Escobar .253 9 Homers 51 RBI Acquired from Miami. Flashy and controversial.<o></o>
3B Evan Longoria .289 17 Homers 55 RBI All Star 3[SUP]rd [/SUP]baseman is healthy again. He must remain that way or the Rays offense is in big trouble again.<o></o>
RF Ben Zobrist .270 20 Homers 74 RBI Hopefully will provide adequate protection for Longoria so he does not lead the league in walks.<o></o>
LF Matt Joyce .241 17 Homers 59 RBI Will not platoon against LHP’s this year. .201 lifetime against LHP’s <o></o>
DH Luke Scott .229 14 Homers 55 RBI Coming off a disappointing year. Injury prone.<o></o>
2B Kelly Johnson .225 16 Homers 55 RBI Will also see some time in LF<o></o>
1B James Loney .249 6 Homers 41 RBI Replacing Carlos Pena. Good fielder. No power.<o></o>
C Jose Molina .223 8 Homers 32 RBI Solid defensive veteran<o></o>
Losing James Shields has got to hurt. Will Longoria be healthy? Will Farnsworth be healthy? Will Rodney have as many opportunities to save as many games this year? If Price or Longoria goes down I feel Tampa Bay will sink fast. This team is also basically a left handed hitting team which is a very unusual situation these days. Of course they all could have career years and Joe Maddon can look like a genius again. I am selling Tampa Bay short this year as 85.5 games seems like a tall order for this team in 2013. I will play a small bet on the under 85.5.<o></o>
></o>Total Wins is set at 85.5 -130 Over +100 on the under at the Greek<o
></o>Odds to win American League East is +300(Tor +125, Yanks +385, Red Sox +500, and Baltimore +850<o
></o>Odds to win American League Pennant +850<o
></o>Odds to win World Series +1600<o
></o>Starting Rotation:<o
></o>1. LHP David Price 20-5 2.56 211 innings 205 SO 59 BB<o
></o>2. RHP Jeremy Hellickson 10-11 3.10 177 innings 124 SO 59 BB<o
></o>3. LHP Matt Moore 11-11 3.81 177 innings 175 SO 81 BB<o
></o>4. RHP Alex Cobb 11-9 4.03 136 innings 106 SO 40 BB<o
></o>5. RHP Jeff Niemann 2-3 3.08 38 innings 34 SO 12 BB<o
></o>6. RHP Roberto Hernandez Pitched for Cleveland 09-12 logging 538 innings with 25-44 record<o
></o>7. RHP Chris Archer 1-3 4.60 29 innings 36 SO 13 BB<o
></o>Hernandez, Niemann, and Archer are fighting for the 5[SUP]th[/SUP] starter position. The loss of James Shields is the big ugly for the Rays. He was 15-10 3.52 227 innings 223 SO 58 BB. Good luck replacing that. Farnsworth is recovering from a right elbow strain which resulted in missing half the 2012 season. A full recovery would be huge for the Rays.<o
></o>Bullpen:<o
></o>1. RHP Fernando Rodney (Closer) 2-2 0.60 74 innings 48 Saves 76 SO 15 BB<o
></o>2. RHP Joel Peralta 2-6 3.63 67 innings 2 Saves 84 SO 17 BB<o
></o>3. LHP Jake McGee 5-2 1.95 55 innings 0 Saves 73 SO 11 BB<o
></o>4. LHP Cesar Ramos 1-0 2.10 30 innings 0 Saves 29 SO 10 BB<o
></o>5. RHP Brandon Gomes 2-2 5.09 18 innings 0 Saves 15 SO 12 BB<o
></o>6. Kyle Farnsworth 1-6 4.00 27 innings 0 Saves 25 SO 14 BB<o
></o>Projected Line Up:<o
></o>CF Desmond Jennings .246 13 Homers 47 RBI Will be taking over CF from BJ Upton. Jennings played CF in the minors<o
></o>SS Yunel Escobar .253 9 Homers 51 RBI Acquired from Miami. Flashy and controversial.<o
></o>3B Evan Longoria .289 17 Homers 55 RBI All Star 3[SUP]rd [/SUP]baseman is healthy again. He must remain that way or the Rays offense is in big trouble again.<o
></o>RF Ben Zobrist .270 20 Homers 74 RBI Hopefully will provide adequate protection for Longoria so he does not lead the league in walks.<o
></o>LF Matt Joyce .241 17 Homers 59 RBI Will not platoon against LHP’s this year. .201 lifetime against LHP’s <o
></o>DH Luke Scott .229 14 Homers 55 RBI Coming off a disappointing year. Injury prone.<o
></o>2B Kelly Johnson .225 16 Homers 55 RBI Will also see some time in LF<o
></o>1B James Loney .249 6 Homers 41 RBI Replacing Carlos Pena. Good fielder. No power.<o
></o>C Jose Molina .223 8 Homers 32 RBI Solid defensive veteran<o
></o>Losing James Shields has got to hurt. Will Longoria be healthy? Will Farnsworth be healthy? Will Rodney have as many opportunities to save as many games this year? If Price or Longoria goes down I feel Tampa Bay will sink fast. This team is also basically a left handed hitting team which is a very unusual situation these days. Of course they all could have career years and Joe Maddon can look like a genius again. I am selling Tampa Bay short this year as 85.5 games seems like a tall order for this team in 2013. I will play a small bet on the under 85.5.<o
></o>2013 New York Yankees- 2012 Record 95-67 (East Champions) Home 51-30 Away 44-37 O/U 71-86-5<o></o>
Total Wins is set at 88-110 Over Also 88 -110 on the under at the Greek<o></o>
Odds to win American League East is +385(Tor +125, TB Rays +300, Red Sox +500, and Baltimore +850<o></o>
Odds to win American League Pennant +650<o></o>
Odds to win World Series +1300<o></o>
Starting Rotation:<o></o>
1. LHP C.C. Sabathia 15-6 3.38 200 innings 197 SO 44 BB<o></o>
2. RHP Hiroki Kuroda 16-11 3.32 220 innings 167 SO 51 BB<o></o>
3. LHP Andy Pettitte 5-4 2.87 75 innings 69 SO 21 BB<o></o>
4. RHP Phil Hughes 16-13 4.19 191 innings 165 SO 46 BB<o></o>
5. RHP Ivan Nova 12-8 5.02 170 innings 153 SO 56 BB<o></o>
6. RHP David Phelps 4-4 3.34 100 innings 96 SO 38 BB<o></o>
CC Sabathia is coming back from bone spur removal from left elbow. He has had no pain thus far. Mariano Rivera is coming back from season ending ACL surgery in May of 2012. He has announced his retirement after the 2013 season. Phil Hughes is returning from a bulging disk in his upper back. Boone Logan continues to experience pain in his left elbow and has no timetable. 39 year old Andy Pettitte has not had a completely healthy season since 2009. 38 year old Hiroki Kuroda is coming off a career high in innings pitched. David Robertson has a sore shoulder. Ok, there is some good news, Michael Pineda, who is rehabbing from shoulder surgery, could possibly be back before the All Star break. <o></o>
Bullpen:<o></o>
1. RHP Mariano Rivera (Closer) 2-0 1.13 8 innings 0 Saves 2 SO 0 BB Only pitched in 8 games in 2012 before going down with ACL while shagging balls in outfield. Still can’t believe that one.<o></o>
2. RHP David Robertson 2-7 2.67 61 innings 2 Saves 81 SO 19 BB<o></o>
3. LHP Boone Logan 7-2 3.74 55 innings 1 Save 68 SO 28 BB<o></o>
4. RHP Joba Chamberlain 1-0 4.35 21 innings 0 Saves 22 SO 6 BB<o></o>
5. RHP David Aardsma 0-0 1 inning pitched<o></o>
6. RHP David Phelps 4-4 3.34 100 innings 0 Saves 96 SO 38 BB<o></o>
7. RHP Cody Eppley 1-2 3.33 46 innings 0 Saves 32 SO 17 BB<o></o>
8. LHP Clayton Rapada 3-0 2.82 38 innings 0 Saves 38 SO 17 BB<o></o>
9. RHP Shawn Kelley (Mariners)2-4 3.25 44 Innings 0 Saves 45 SO 15 BB<o></o>
Projected Line Up:<o></o>
CF Brett Gardner .323 0 Homers 3 RBI Will be starting CF until Curtis Granderson comes back from fractured forearm in early May.<o></o>
RF Ichiro Suzuki .283 9 Homers 55 RBI Yanks lucked out when Ichiro totaled car but came out without a scratch. Believe he will step up with all the dead soldiers in NY.<o></o>
SS Derek Jeter .316 15 Homers 58 RBI Coming back from broken leg. No doubt will be ready by opening day. Yanks will probably be careful with him early though.<o></o>
2B Robinson Cano .313 33 Homers 94 RBI Will the Yanks give the store away to sign Cano? I say yes.<o></o>
3B Kevin Youkillis .235 19 Homers 60 RBI Ex White & Red Sox solid player. Will probably have a career year and personally bury the Red Sox. Will probably see some first base while Teixeira is out.<o></o>
DH Travis Hafner .228 12 Homers 34 RBI Will DH against right handers. I think this animal can hit 30 homers in Yankee Stadium as a part time player if healthy.<o></o>
1B Dan Johnson .364 3 Homers 6 RBI Hit .267 28 Homers and 85 RBI in AAA in 2012<o></o>
C Francisco Cervelli 2012 spent in AAA. Will probably share duty with Chris Stewart throughout the year. We have seen this guy before. Decent fill in.<o></o>
LF Melky Mesa 2012 spent in AA & AAA Probable left fielder until Granderson comes back.<o></o>
The 2013 New York Yankees are by far the biggest mystery of the American League East this year. Just looking at the endless list of injuries that have haunted them since last year is a daunting task especially as far as wagering goes, never mind how Joe Girardi is holding up. The offensive injuries of note are Granderson and Teixeira out till May, and Alex Rodriquez out until at least the All Star break. The good news is Jeter, according to his surgeon “is 100%”. Whether the Yankees play him like that remains to be seen. Also, for a team that relies so much on power, the Yankees will only have only two players off of last year’s list of ten players that had “10 home runs or more” on the opening day roster. Gone from last year’s team is Raul Ibanez, catcher Russell Martin, Eric Chavez, and the popular Nick Swisher. The Yankees have made a “read between the lines” statement about their future by keeping their payroll right around the 200 million area. The total wins are set at 88 which are 7 games less than last year’s win total. I am going to make a wager on the under 88 because I think this is the year that the wheels come off the Yankee bus. I don’t think it will be as ugly as the Red Sox train wreck of 2012, but I feel that there is simply too much to overcome this year, even for the Yankees.<o></o>
></o>Total Wins is set at 88-110 Over Also 88 -110 on the under at the Greek<o
></o>Odds to win American League East is +385(Tor +125, TB Rays +300, Red Sox +500, and Baltimore +850<o
></o>Odds to win American League Pennant +650<o
></o>Odds to win World Series +1300<o
></o>Starting Rotation:<o
></o>1. LHP C.C. Sabathia 15-6 3.38 200 innings 197 SO 44 BB<o
></o>2. RHP Hiroki Kuroda 16-11 3.32 220 innings 167 SO 51 BB<o
></o>3. LHP Andy Pettitte 5-4 2.87 75 innings 69 SO 21 BB<o
></o>4. RHP Phil Hughes 16-13 4.19 191 innings 165 SO 46 BB<o
></o>5. RHP Ivan Nova 12-8 5.02 170 innings 153 SO 56 BB<o
></o>6. RHP David Phelps 4-4 3.34 100 innings 96 SO 38 BB<o
></o>CC Sabathia is coming back from bone spur removal from left elbow. He has had no pain thus far. Mariano Rivera is coming back from season ending ACL surgery in May of 2012. He has announced his retirement after the 2013 season. Phil Hughes is returning from a bulging disk in his upper back. Boone Logan continues to experience pain in his left elbow and has no timetable. 39 year old Andy Pettitte has not had a completely healthy season since 2009. 38 year old Hiroki Kuroda is coming off a career high in innings pitched. David Robertson has a sore shoulder. Ok, there is some good news, Michael Pineda, who is rehabbing from shoulder surgery, could possibly be back before the All Star break. <o
></o>Bullpen:<o
></o>1. RHP Mariano Rivera (Closer) 2-0 1.13 8 innings 0 Saves 2 SO 0 BB Only pitched in 8 games in 2012 before going down with ACL while shagging balls in outfield. Still can’t believe that one.<o
></o>2. RHP David Robertson 2-7 2.67 61 innings 2 Saves 81 SO 19 BB<o
></o>3. LHP Boone Logan 7-2 3.74 55 innings 1 Save 68 SO 28 BB<o
></o>4. RHP Joba Chamberlain 1-0 4.35 21 innings 0 Saves 22 SO 6 BB<o
></o>5. RHP David Aardsma 0-0 1 inning pitched<o
></o>6. RHP David Phelps 4-4 3.34 100 innings 0 Saves 96 SO 38 BB<o
></o>7. RHP Cody Eppley 1-2 3.33 46 innings 0 Saves 32 SO 17 BB<o
></o>8. LHP Clayton Rapada 3-0 2.82 38 innings 0 Saves 38 SO 17 BB<o
></o>9. RHP Shawn Kelley (Mariners)2-4 3.25 44 Innings 0 Saves 45 SO 15 BB<o
></o>Projected Line Up:<o
></o>CF Brett Gardner .323 0 Homers 3 RBI Will be starting CF until Curtis Granderson comes back from fractured forearm in early May.<o
></o>RF Ichiro Suzuki .283 9 Homers 55 RBI Yanks lucked out when Ichiro totaled car but came out without a scratch. Believe he will step up with all the dead soldiers in NY.<o
></o>SS Derek Jeter .316 15 Homers 58 RBI Coming back from broken leg. No doubt will be ready by opening day. Yanks will probably be careful with him early though.<o
></o>2B Robinson Cano .313 33 Homers 94 RBI Will the Yanks give the store away to sign Cano? I say yes.<o
></o>3B Kevin Youkillis .235 19 Homers 60 RBI Ex White & Red Sox solid player. Will probably have a career year and personally bury the Red Sox. Will probably see some first base while Teixeira is out.<o
></o>DH Travis Hafner .228 12 Homers 34 RBI Will DH against right handers. I think this animal can hit 30 homers in Yankee Stadium as a part time player if healthy.<o
></o>1B Dan Johnson .364 3 Homers 6 RBI Hit .267 28 Homers and 85 RBI in AAA in 2012<o
></o>C Francisco Cervelli 2012 spent in AAA. Will probably share duty with Chris Stewart throughout the year. We have seen this guy before. Decent fill in.<o
></o>LF Melky Mesa 2012 spent in AA & AAA Probable left fielder until Granderson comes back.<o
></o>The 2013 New York Yankees are by far the biggest mystery of the American League East this year. Just looking at the endless list of injuries that have haunted them since last year is a daunting task especially as far as wagering goes, never mind how Joe Girardi is holding up. The offensive injuries of note are Granderson and Teixeira out till May, and Alex Rodriquez out until at least the All Star break. The good news is Jeter, according to his surgeon “is 100%”. Whether the Yankees play him like that remains to be seen. Also, for a team that relies so much on power, the Yankees will only have only two players off of last year’s list of ten players that had “10 home runs or more” on the opening day roster. Gone from last year’s team is Raul Ibanez, catcher Russell Martin, Eric Chavez, and the popular Nick Swisher. The Yankees have made a “read between the lines” statement about their future by keeping their payroll right around the 200 million area. The total wins are set at 88 which are 7 games less than last year’s win total. I am going to make a wager on the under 88 because I think this is the year that the wheels come off the Yankee bus. I don’t think it will be as ugly as the Red Sox train wreck of 2012, but I feel that there is simply too much to overcome this year, even for the Yankees.<o
></o>We currently have 19 previews in this thread..
STL
NATS
DODGERS
M's
BRAVES
PHILLIES
KC
PIRATES
WHITE SOX
CUBS
INDIANS
METS
PADRES
D'BACKS
O's
YANKS
RAYS
ASTROS
RED SOX
11 teams left to preview
Giants
Reds
Tigers
Rockies
Angels
Rangers
Twins
Marlins
A's
BREWERS
BLUE JAYS
I will do 3-4 more, need help with the other 7.. Anyone willing to do this with me?
STL
NATS
DODGERS
M's
BRAVES
PHILLIES
KC
PIRATES
WHITE SOX
CUBS
INDIANS
METS
PADRES
D'BACKS
O's
YANKS
RAYS
ASTROS
RED SOX
11 teams left to preview
Giants
Reds
Tigers
Rockies
Angels
Rangers
Twins
Marlins
A's
BREWERS
BLUE JAYS
I will do 3-4 more, need help with the other 7.. Anyone willing to do this with me?
Ok, I'll do the Marlins.. Doubt anyone else wants too.
Marlins:
Marlins did a historic firesale basically getting rid of basically everyone. They will be relying on a team of young mostly unproven players. Too make a long story short the Marlins will be terrible.. Lets see why.
Rotation:
Projected rotation (perofficial siteas of Sunday)
1. RHP Ricky Nolasco (12-13, 4.48 ERA, 1.37 WHIP)
2. RHP Jacob Turner (2-5, 4.42, 1.20 total; 1-4, 3.38, 0.98 with Marlins)
3. RHP Henderson Alvarez (9-14, 4.85, 1.44 with Toronto Blue Jays)
4. RHP Nathan Eovaldi (4-13, 4.30, 1.51 total; 3-7, 4.43 ERA, 1.54 WHIP with Marlins)
5. LHP Wade LeBlanc (2-5, 3.67, 1.31)
6. LHP Brad Hand (0-1, 17.18, 3.27 in majors; 11-7, 4.00, 1.38 in minors)
7. RHP Tom Koehler (0-1, 5.40, 1.28 in majors; 12-11, 4.17, 1.42 in minors)
8. RHP Alex Sanabia (6-7, 3.93, 1.31 in minors)
Nolasco is the ACE? Do I need to say more? Hes not even a #3 for most teams.
Turner and Evaldi have very good stuff but are unproven and bigtime question marks with flaws.. I do like them though but doubt either will dominate. In fact one of these guys might just fall off. LeBlanc isn't bad, Alvarez isn't very good. Maybe a minor league guy will come about. But you can assure yourself that the
Marlins rotation will be a bottom 5. unless something weird happens. Bad rotation.
lineup:
Marlins avg'd 3.76 runs per game last season and that was with Reyes and Bonifacio. Marlins picked up Pierre, I personally like him and think its a good pick up. Also picked up Polanco, who is decent. Marlins have a bigtime stud in Stanton but thats about it. This lineup will be brutal.
<tbody>
</tbody>
After the 4th spot its gets brutal. I'm sure Stanton will be walked a lot this season. Once you get pass the 4th spot there is nothing to like. I think its safe to say the Marlins will have offensive issues. They are young and hungry which I respect but they will need to manufacture runs in a non traditional ways.
BP:
Steve Cishek took over for Bell last season and did a pretty good job. He will be the closer, had a 3.42 ERA so he's nothing dominate. Everyone else in the BP is quite shaky.. Not sure what why they will go cause they have a lot of options but none are that great.. you can say the Marlins have a bad BP too.
There is really nothing to like about the Marlins other than the first four batters in lineup, maybe a young arm or two making major strides. The BP looks shaky, VERY shaky. lineup 5-8 looks horrific. Rotation is brutal.
This team will be horrible.. Total rebuilding. Also take in account that any player that does well could be traded. This team could be super brutal after trade deadline.
Marlins:
Marlins did a historic firesale basically getting rid of basically everyone. They will be relying on a team of young mostly unproven players. Too make a long story short the Marlins will be terrible.. Lets see why.
Rotation:
Projected rotation (perofficial siteas of Sunday)
1. RHP Ricky Nolasco (12-13, 4.48 ERA, 1.37 WHIP)
2. RHP Jacob Turner (2-5, 4.42, 1.20 total; 1-4, 3.38, 0.98 with Marlins)
3. RHP Henderson Alvarez (9-14, 4.85, 1.44 with Toronto Blue Jays)
4. RHP Nathan Eovaldi (4-13, 4.30, 1.51 total; 3-7, 4.43 ERA, 1.54 WHIP with Marlins)
5. LHP Wade LeBlanc (2-5, 3.67, 1.31)
6. LHP Brad Hand (0-1, 17.18, 3.27 in majors; 11-7, 4.00, 1.38 in minors)
7. RHP Tom Koehler (0-1, 5.40, 1.28 in majors; 12-11, 4.17, 1.42 in minors)
8. RHP Alex Sanabia (6-7, 3.93, 1.31 in minors)
Nolasco is the ACE? Do I need to say more? Hes not even a #3 for most teams.
Turner and Evaldi have very good stuff but are unproven and bigtime question marks with flaws.. I do like them though but doubt either will dominate. In fact one of these guys might just fall off. LeBlanc isn't bad, Alvarez isn't very good. Maybe a minor league guy will come about. But you can assure yourself that the
Marlins rotation will be a bottom 5. unless something weird happens. Bad rotation.
lineup:
Marlins avg'd 3.76 runs per game last season and that was with Reyes and Bonifacio. Marlins picked up Pierre, I personally like him and think its a good pick up. Also picked up Polanco, who is decent. Marlins have a bigtime stud in Stanton but thats about it. This lineup will be brutal.
| Lineup | Player | POS | Team | AB | R | HR | RBI | SB | AVG | OBP | SLG | FVal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Juan Pierre | OF | MIA | 437 | 59 | 1 | 33 | 29 | 0.284 | 0.337 | 0.343 | $-5 |
| 2 | Placido Polanco | 3B | MIA | 432 | 49 | 4 | 38 | 2 | 0.278 | 0.328 | 0.354 | $-17 |
| 3 | Giancarlo Stanton | OF | MIA | 538 | 90 | 41 | 104 | 6 | 0.273 | 0.357 | 0.572 | $34 |
| 4 | Logan Morrison | 1B | MIA | 460 | 62 | 16 | 67 | 2 | 0.259 | 0.348 | 0.439 | $-2 |
| 5 | Justin Ruggiano | OF | MIA | 447 | 59 | 16 | 61 | 16 | 0.260 | 0.323 | 0.434 | $0 |
| 6 | Rob Brantly | Catcher | MIA | 360 | 39 | 7 | 39 | 2 | 0.261 | 0.320 | 0.383 | $-12 |
| 7 | Donovan Solano | 2B | MIA | 372 | 40 | 3 | 33 | 6 | 0.263 | 0.312 | 0.344 | $-19 |
| 8 | Adeiny Hechavarria | SS | MIA | 388 | 40 | 5 | 37 | 5 | 0.253 | 0.291 | 0.356 | $-19 |
<tbody>
</tbody>
After the 4th spot its gets brutal. I'm sure Stanton will be walked a lot this season. Once you get pass the 4th spot there is nothing to like. I think its safe to say the Marlins will have offensive issues. They are young and hungry which I respect but they will need to manufacture runs in a non traditional ways.
BP:
Steve Cishek took over for Bell last season and did a pretty good job. He will be the closer, had a 3.42 ERA so he's nothing dominate. Everyone else in the BP is quite shaky.. Not sure what why they will go cause they have a lot of options but none are that great.. you can say the Marlins have a bad BP too.
There is really nothing to like about the Marlins other than the first four batters in lineup, maybe a young arm or two making major strides. The BP looks shaky, VERY shaky. lineup 5-8 looks horrific. Rotation is brutal.
This team will be horrible.. Total rebuilding. Also take in account that any player that does well could be traded. This team could be super brutal after trade deadline.
2013 Toronto Blue Jays- 2012 Record 73-89 Home 41-40 Away 32-49 O/U 77-77-8<o></o>
Total Wins is set at 88.5 -130 Over 88.5 +100 Under<o></o>
Odds to win American League East is +125( TB Rays +300, Yankees +385 , Red Sox +500, and Balt+850<o></o>
Odds to win American League Pennant +350<o></o>
Odds to win World Series +800<o></o>
Starting Rotation:<o></o>
1. RHP R.A. Dickey (Mets) 20-6 2.73 234 innings 230 SO 54 BB<o></o>
2. RHP Brandon Morrow 10-7 2.96 125 innings 108 SO 41 BB<o></o>
3. LHP Mark Buehrle (Marlins) 13-13 3.74 202 innings 125 SO 40 BB<o></o>
4. RHP Josh Johnson (Marlins) 8-14 3.81 191 innings 165 SO 65 BB<o></o>
5. LHP Ricky Romero 9-14 5.77 181 innings 124 SO 105 BB<o></o>
6. LHP J.A. Happ (Houston & Toronto) 10-11 4.79 145 innings 144 SO 56 BB<o></o>
7. RHP Chad Jenkins 32 innings for Jays 1-3 4.50 114 innings in AA 5-9 4.96<o></o>
If Josh Johnson can get back into form, the Blue Jays could run away with the East. For some reason RA Dickey does not get a lot of love but come on people, he won 20 games with the Mets! Buehrle and Morrow are solid and Romero and Happ round out what I think is the best staff in baseball. Morrow will follow Dickey with his gas and the lefties will be split up. The total wins at 88.5 is set 25.5 games higher than the Blue Jays total wins output from last year. I think if this staff stays healthy over 88.5 -130 will be a bargain. <o></o>
Bullpen:<o></o>
1. E RHP Casey Janssen (closer) 1-1 2.54 64 innings 22 Saves 67 SO 11 BB Right shoulder surgery in Nov 2012 is taking it slow in spring training and is uncertain for opening day.<o></o>
2. RHP Sergio Santos Pitched 5 innings in 2012 In 2011 saved 30 games with the White Sox<o></o>
3. LHP Darren Oliver 3-4 2.06 57 innings 2 Saves 52 SO 15 BB<o></o>
4. RHP Steve Delabar (Seattle & Toronto) 4-3 3.82 66 innings 0 Saves 92 SO 26 BB<o></o>
5. RHP Brad Lincoln (Pitt & Toronto) 5-2 3.68 88 innings 1 Save 88 SO 24 BB<o></o>
6. RHP Esmil Rogers (Cleve & Colorado) 3-3 4.69 79 innings 0 Saves 83 SO 30 BB<o></o>
7. LHP Brett Cecil 2-4 5.72 61 innings 0 Saves 51 SO 23 BB Also pitched 82 innings in AA & AAA<o></o>
8. LHP Aaron Loup 0-2 2.64 31 innings 0 Saves 21 SO 2 BB<o></o>
9. RHP Jeremy Jeffress (Royals) Pitched 13 innings for Royals in 2012. Pitched 59 innings in minors<o></o>
Closer Casey Janssen who had minor right shoulder surgery in Nov 2012 is taking it slow in spring training and is uncertain for opening day. JA Happ is not a happy camper about his status as a probable non starting pitcher. He will probably be used in long relief or take a trip to the minors. Santos is coming back from a shoulder problem which made him miss most of 2012. Darren Oliver helped the cause by postponing his retirement plans. This is a team that is going to have competition amongst the pitchers. Never a bad thing in my opinion.<o></o>
<o> </o>
<o> </o>
Projected Line Up<o></o>
SS Jose Reyes .287 11 Homers 57 RBI First legitimate leadoff batter the Jays have had in years.<o></o>
LF Melky Cabrera (Giants) .343 4 Homers 12 RBI Fresh start for Melky after the 50 game suspension fiasco with the Giants who just did not want him back. Melky was crushing it before the suspension.<o></o>
RF Jose Bautista .241 27 Homers 65 RBI Missed half of last season with a wrist injury and says he is 100% for 2013. Bautista had a slow start in 2012 but I just think he is going to come out bashing in 2013.<o></o>
1B Edwin Encarnacion .280 42 Homers 110 RBI Will be launching out of the Rogers Centre again this year. My favorite home run prop is Edwin Encarnacion -1.5 -155 over Corey Hart of the Brewers.<o></o>
3B Brett Lawrie .273 11 Homers 48 RBI Currently nursing another oblique injury suffered while playing in the World Baseball Classic for Team Canada. <o></o>
DH Adam Lind .255 11 Homers 55 RBI Also played 35 games in minors .404 9 Homers 30 RBI Adam Lind is a streaky hitter who I think will benefit from the new manager’s philosophy on ballplayers. See below.<o></o>
Catcher J.P. Arencibia .233 18 Homers 56 RBI Twenty six year old catcher coming into his prime. Has some pop and has been working with RA Dickey on Team USA trying to get used to his knuckleball. Manager John Gibbons has already let Dickey know that Dickey will pick his personal catcher this year.<o></o>
CF Colby Rasmus .223 23 Homers 75 RBI Has had a nagging sore shoulder for most of the spring. Another guy who did not care for the John Farrell School of Management.<o></o>
2B Maicer Izturis (Angels) .256 2 Homers 20 RBI Second base is the only position that is not set. The competition is Emilio Bonafacio (70 stolen bases 2011-2012) who came over from the Marlins this year.<o></o>
Ok the Toronto Blue Jays have not made the playoffs in 20 years (yeah I checked) and they are favored to win the American League East at +125, are tied for second choice with the Tigers to win the American League Pennant at +350 (Angels+300), and are tied for the third choice to win the World Series at +800 (Angels +600, Dodgers +650, Tigers, Blue Jays and Nationals are all +800). Is RA Dickey and his knuckleball going to get pounded by switching Leagues? Is Josh Johnson going to be a bust? He has never lost more than seven games in a season btw. Is Brandon Morrow’s arm going to fall off? Will Mark Buehrle, the guy who has made at least 30 starts every year since 2001, suddenly not perform? I don’t think so. I will admit to a bullpen that may be a little weak due to the status of Janssen, but he really should be fine. The lineup is merciless. When the Jays are going up against the 4[SUP]th[/SUP] and 5[SUP]th[/SUP] starters of teams just call your bookie and say loud and clear, “What’s the Toronto Total”? “Give me the Over”! “What’s the Toronto Team Total”? Repeat your mantra, “Give me the Over”! I have already asked him the Toronto Regular Season Wins Total. I was informed 88.5-130 Over. What did I say? Ok everyone together, “Give me the Over”! Ok that was fun but I forgot to mention what I really like about the Jays. Their new manager is not a picky, pain in the ass, micromanager. He doesn’t say stuff like “You need to be more patient” and then the next week “You need to be more aggressive”. I hear he is a spitting ass picker and nut scratcher like all the good managers should be when they have too much talent on their team. Let the boys play kind of guy.
></o>Total Wins is set at 88.5 -130 Over 88.5 +100 Under<o
></o>Odds to win American League East is +125( TB Rays +300, Yankees +385 , Red Sox +500, and Balt+850<o
></o>Odds to win American League Pennant +350<o
></o>Odds to win World Series +800<o
></o>Starting Rotation:<o
></o>1. RHP R.A. Dickey (Mets) 20-6 2.73 234 innings 230 SO 54 BB<o
></o>2. RHP Brandon Morrow 10-7 2.96 125 innings 108 SO 41 BB<o
></o>3. LHP Mark Buehrle (Marlins) 13-13 3.74 202 innings 125 SO 40 BB<o
></o>4. RHP Josh Johnson (Marlins) 8-14 3.81 191 innings 165 SO 65 BB<o
></o>5. LHP Ricky Romero 9-14 5.77 181 innings 124 SO 105 BB<o
></o>6. LHP J.A. Happ (Houston & Toronto) 10-11 4.79 145 innings 144 SO 56 BB<o
></o>7. RHP Chad Jenkins 32 innings for Jays 1-3 4.50 114 innings in AA 5-9 4.96<o
></o>If Josh Johnson can get back into form, the Blue Jays could run away with the East. For some reason RA Dickey does not get a lot of love but come on people, he won 20 games with the Mets! Buehrle and Morrow are solid and Romero and Happ round out what I think is the best staff in baseball. Morrow will follow Dickey with his gas and the lefties will be split up. The total wins at 88.5 is set 25.5 games higher than the Blue Jays total wins output from last year. I think if this staff stays healthy over 88.5 -130 will be a bargain. <o
></o>Bullpen:<o
></o>1. E RHP Casey Janssen (closer) 1-1 2.54 64 innings 22 Saves 67 SO 11 BB Right shoulder surgery in Nov 2012 is taking it slow in spring training and is uncertain for opening day.<o
></o>2. RHP Sergio Santos Pitched 5 innings in 2012 In 2011 saved 30 games with the White Sox<o
></o>3. LHP Darren Oliver 3-4 2.06 57 innings 2 Saves 52 SO 15 BB<o
></o>4. RHP Steve Delabar (Seattle & Toronto) 4-3 3.82 66 innings 0 Saves 92 SO 26 BB<o
></o>5. RHP Brad Lincoln (Pitt & Toronto) 5-2 3.68 88 innings 1 Save 88 SO 24 BB<o
></o>6. RHP Esmil Rogers (Cleve & Colorado) 3-3 4.69 79 innings 0 Saves 83 SO 30 BB<o
></o>7. LHP Brett Cecil 2-4 5.72 61 innings 0 Saves 51 SO 23 BB Also pitched 82 innings in AA & AAA<o
></o>8. LHP Aaron Loup 0-2 2.64 31 innings 0 Saves 21 SO 2 BB<o
></o>9. RHP Jeremy Jeffress (Royals) Pitched 13 innings for Royals in 2012. Pitched 59 innings in minors<o
></o>Closer Casey Janssen who had minor right shoulder surgery in Nov 2012 is taking it slow in spring training and is uncertain for opening day. JA Happ is not a happy camper about his status as a probable non starting pitcher. He will probably be used in long relief or take a trip to the minors. Santos is coming back from a shoulder problem which made him miss most of 2012. Darren Oliver helped the cause by postponing his retirement plans. This is a team that is going to have competition amongst the pitchers. Never a bad thing in my opinion.<o
></o><o
> </o><o
> </o>Projected Line Up<o
></o>SS Jose Reyes .287 11 Homers 57 RBI First legitimate leadoff batter the Jays have had in years.<o
></o>LF Melky Cabrera (Giants) .343 4 Homers 12 RBI Fresh start for Melky after the 50 game suspension fiasco with the Giants who just did not want him back. Melky was crushing it before the suspension.<o
></o>RF Jose Bautista .241 27 Homers 65 RBI Missed half of last season with a wrist injury and says he is 100% for 2013. Bautista had a slow start in 2012 but I just think he is going to come out bashing in 2013.<o
></o>1B Edwin Encarnacion .280 42 Homers 110 RBI Will be launching out of the Rogers Centre again this year. My favorite home run prop is Edwin Encarnacion -1.5 -155 over Corey Hart of the Brewers.<o
></o>3B Brett Lawrie .273 11 Homers 48 RBI Currently nursing another oblique injury suffered while playing in the World Baseball Classic for Team Canada. <o
></o>DH Adam Lind .255 11 Homers 55 RBI Also played 35 games in minors .404 9 Homers 30 RBI Adam Lind is a streaky hitter who I think will benefit from the new manager’s philosophy on ballplayers. See below.<o
></o>Catcher J.P. Arencibia .233 18 Homers 56 RBI Twenty six year old catcher coming into his prime. Has some pop and has been working with RA Dickey on Team USA trying to get used to his knuckleball. Manager John Gibbons has already let Dickey know that Dickey will pick his personal catcher this year.<o
></o>CF Colby Rasmus .223 23 Homers 75 RBI Has had a nagging sore shoulder for most of the spring. Another guy who did not care for the John Farrell School of Management.<o
></o>2B Maicer Izturis (Angels) .256 2 Homers 20 RBI Second base is the only position that is not set. The competition is Emilio Bonafacio (70 stolen bases 2011-2012) who came over from the Marlins this year.<o
></o>Ok the Toronto Blue Jays have not made the playoffs in 20 years (yeah I checked) and they are favored to win the American League East at +125, are tied for second choice with the Tigers to win the American League Pennant at +350 (Angels+300), and are tied for the third choice to win the World Series at +800 (Angels +600, Dodgers +650, Tigers, Blue Jays and Nationals are all +800). Is RA Dickey and his knuckleball going to get pounded by switching Leagues? Is Josh Johnson going to be a bust? He has never lost more than seven games in a season btw. Is Brandon Morrow’s arm going to fall off? Will Mark Buehrle, the guy who has made at least 30 starts every year since 2001, suddenly not perform? I don’t think so. I will admit to a bullpen that may be a little weak due to the status of Janssen, but he really should be fine. The lineup is merciless. When the Jays are going up against the 4[SUP]th[/SUP] and 5[SUP]th[/SUP] starters of teams just call your bookie and say loud and clear, “What’s the Toronto Total”? “Give me the Over”! “What’s the Toronto Team Total”? Repeat your mantra, “Give me the Over”! I have already asked him the Toronto Regular Season Wins Total. I was informed 88.5-130 Over. What did I say? Ok everyone together, “Give me the Over”! Ok that was fun but I forgot to mention what I really like about the Jays. Their new manager is not a picky, pain in the ass, micromanager. He doesn’t say stuff like “You need to be more patient” and then the next week “You need to be more aggressive”. I hear he is a spitting ass picker and nut scratcher like all the good managers should be when they have too much talent on their team. Let the boys play kind of guy.
2013 Milwaukee Brewers- 2012 Record 83-79 Home 49-32 Away 34-47 O/U 89-68-5<o></o>
Total Wins is set at 81 -115 Over and 81 -115 Under<o></o>
Odds to win National League Central are +500 (Reds -135, Cardinals +220, Pirates +1200, Cubs +2000)<o></o>
Odds to win National League Pennant +2500<o></o>
Odds to win World Series +6500<o></o>
Starting Rotation:<o></o>
1. RHP Yovani Gallardo 16-9 3.66 204 innings 204 SO 81 BB<o></o>
2. RHP Marco Estrada 5-7 3.64 138 innings 143 SO 29 BB<o></o>
3. RHP Wily Paralta 2-1 2.48 29 innings 23 SO 11 BB Pitched 147 innings in AAA 7-11 4.66<o></o>
4. RHP Mike Fiers 9-10 3.74 128 innings 135 SO 36 BB Pitched 55 innings in AAA 1-3 4.42<o></o>
5. RHP Mark Rogers 3-1 3.92 39 innings 41 SO 14 BB Pitched 95 innings in AAA 6-6 4.72<o></o>
6. LHP Chris Narveson Coming back from shoulder surgery in 2012<o></o>
If Narveson is healthy he will be the number 3 starter. Besides Gallardo this rotation looks like a lot of hoping and praying is going on.<o></o>
<o> </o>
Bullpen:<o></o>
1. RHP John Axford (Closer) 5-8 4.67 69 innings 35 Saves 93 SO 39 BB<o></o>
2. LHP Tom Gorzelanny (Nationals) 4-2 2.88 72 innings 1 Save 62 SO 30 BB<o></o>
3. LHP Michael Gonzalez (Nationals) 0-0 3.03 36 innings 0 Saves 39 SO 16 BB<o></o>
4. RHP Jimmy Henderson 1-3 3.52 31 innings 3 Saves 45 SO 13 BB Pitched 48 inn in AAA 4-3 1.69<o></o>
5. RHP Burke Badenhop (Rays) 3-2 3.03 62 innings 0 Saves 42 SO 12 BB<o></o>
6. RHP Brandon Kintzler 3-0 3.78 17 inn 0 Saves 14 SO 7 BB Pitched 53 inn in AA and AAA 0-4 2.87<o></o>
7. RHP Jesus Sanchez Pitched AA and AAA 7-3 1.63 72 innings 11 Saves 64 SO 22 BB<o></o>
The pick ups in the free agent market of Gorzelanny and Gonzalez gives the Brewers two quality lefties out of the bullpen, a luxury the Brewers haven’t had in a while. Axford had a rough stretch last year but come back and finished strong.<o></o>
Projected Line Up:<o></o>
RF Norichika Aoki .288 10 Homers 50 RBI While adjusting to a new language and culture Aoki threw up some impressive numbers including 30 stolen bases. <o></o>
2B Rickie Weeks .230 21 Homers 63 RBI Was awful 1[SUP]st[/SUP] half of 2012 and terrific in 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] half. Brewers are hoping he will skip a repeat of last year’s 1[SUP]st[/SUP] half. <o></o>
LF Ryan Braun .319 41 Homers 112 RBI Had a better year in 2012 than when he won the National league MVP award in 2011.<o></o>
3B Aramis Ramirez .300 27 Homers 105 RBI Hurt his knee early in spring training but will be ready for opening day.<o></o>
C Jonathan Lucroy .320 12 Homers 58 RBI Signed a long term contract then broke his hand. Played 96 games last year. He is a good one.<o></o>
1B Corey Hart .270 30 Homers 83 RBI Right knee surgery hopes to return by late April. Three way competition for his job between Alez Gonzalez, Bobby Crosby, and Taylor Green.<o></o>
CF Carlos Gomez .260 19 Homers 51 RBI Three year contract extension for Carlos. This guy stole 37 bases and he swings at everything. If he ever learns to take a walk once in a while…<o></o>
SS Jean Segura .258 0 Homers 14 RBI Played 102 games in AA .304 7 Homers 44 RBI with 37 Stolen Bases<o></o>
The Brewers are an interesting team. Their starting pitching looks about as bad as I have seen so far. Maybe there is a surprise in that group but I am not feeling it right now. If anything happens to Gallardo just tear up your over 81 wins ticket. Granted their bullpen is improved and their lineup is full of speed and mashers, but I think this regular season win line has been set at 81 because it is essentially a coin flip. I think I will be looking to bet a whole bunch of overs in Brewers games this year except when Gallardo pitches. Their 2012 O/U record was a stout 89-68-5. If I was going to take anything with this team it would be a small wager on the under 81.
></o>Total Wins is set at 81 -115 Over and 81 -115 Under<o
></o>Odds to win National League Central are +500 (Reds -135, Cardinals +220, Pirates +1200, Cubs +2000)<o
></o>Odds to win National League Pennant +2500<o
></o>Odds to win World Series +6500<o
></o>Starting Rotation:<o
></o>1. RHP Yovani Gallardo 16-9 3.66 204 innings 204 SO 81 BB<o
></o>2. RHP Marco Estrada 5-7 3.64 138 innings 143 SO 29 BB<o
></o>3. RHP Wily Paralta 2-1 2.48 29 innings 23 SO 11 BB Pitched 147 innings in AAA 7-11 4.66<o
></o>4. RHP Mike Fiers 9-10 3.74 128 innings 135 SO 36 BB Pitched 55 innings in AAA 1-3 4.42<o
></o>5. RHP Mark Rogers 3-1 3.92 39 innings 41 SO 14 BB Pitched 95 innings in AAA 6-6 4.72<o
></o>6. LHP Chris Narveson Coming back from shoulder surgery in 2012<o
></o>If Narveson is healthy he will be the number 3 starter. Besides Gallardo this rotation looks like a lot of hoping and praying is going on.<o
></o><o
> </o>Bullpen:<o
></o>1. RHP John Axford (Closer) 5-8 4.67 69 innings 35 Saves 93 SO 39 BB<o
></o>2. LHP Tom Gorzelanny (Nationals) 4-2 2.88 72 innings 1 Save 62 SO 30 BB<o
></o>3. LHP Michael Gonzalez (Nationals) 0-0 3.03 36 innings 0 Saves 39 SO 16 BB<o
></o>4. RHP Jimmy Henderson 1-3 3.52 31 innings 3 Saves 45 SO 13 BB Pitched 48 inn in AAA 4-3 1.69<o
></o>5. RHP Burke Badenhop (Rays) 3-2 3.03 62 innings 0 Saves 42 SO 12 BB<o
></o>6. RHP Brandon Kintzler 3-0 3.78 17 inn 0 Saves 14 SO 7 BB Pitched 53 inn in AA and AAA 0-4 2.87<o
></o>7. RHP Jesus Sanchez Pitched AA and AAA 7-3 1.63 72 innings 11 Saves 64 SO 22 BB<o
></o>The pick ups in the free agent market of Gorzelanny and Gonzalez gives the Brewers two quality lefties out of the bullpen, a luxury the Brewers haven’t had in a while. Axford had a rough stretch last year but come back and finished strong.<o
></o>Projected Line Up:<o
></o>RF Norichika Aoki .288 10 Homers 50 RBI While adjusting to a new language and culture Aoki threw up some impressive numbers including 30 stolen bases. <o
></o>2B Rickie Weeks .230 21 Homers 63 RBI Was awful 1[SUP]st[/SUP] half of 2012 and terrific in 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] half. Brewers are hoping he will skip a repeat of last year’s 1[SUP]st[/SUP] half. <o
></o>LF Ryan Braun .319 41 Homers 112 RBI Had a better year in 2012 than when he won the National league MVP award in 2011.<o
></o>3B Aramis Ramirez .300 27 Homers 105 RBI Hurt his knee early in spring training but will be ready for opening day.<o
></o>C Jonathan Lucroy .320 12 Homers 58 RBI Signed a long term contract then broke his hand. Played 96 games last year. He is a good one.<o
></o>1B Corey Hart .270 30 Homers 83 RBI Right knee surgery hopes to return by late April. Three way competition for his job between Alez Gonzalez, Bobby Crosby, and Taylor Green.<o
></o>CF Carlos Gomez .260 19 Homers 51 RBI Three year contract extension for Carlos. This guy stole 37 bases and he swings at everything. If he ever learns to take a walk once in a while…<o
></o>SS Jean Segura .258 0 Homers 14 RBI Played 102 games in AA .304 7 Homers 44 RBI with 37 Stolen Bases<o
></o>The Brewers are an interesting team. Their starting pitching looks about as bad as I have seen so far. Maybe there is a surprise in that group but I am not feeling it right now. If anything happens to Gallardo just tear up your over 81 wins ticket. Granted their bullpen is improved and their lineup is full of speed and mashers, but I think this regular season win line has been set at 81 because it is essentially a coin flip. I think I will be looking to bet a whole bunch of overs in Brewers games this year except when Gallardo pitches. Their 2012 O/U record was a stout 89-68-5. If I was going to take anything with this team it would be a small wager on the under 81.
2013 Oakland A’s- 2012 Record 94-68 Home 50-31 Away 44-37 O/U 70-86-6<o></o>
Total Wins is set at 84 -115 Over and 84 -115 Under<o></o>
Odds to win American League West +550 (Angels -200, Rangers +250, Mariners +1350, Astros +10000)<o></o>
Odds to win American League Pennant +1600<o></o>
Odds to win World Series +3500<o></o>
Starting Rotation:<o></o>
1. LHP Brett Anderson 4-2 2.57 35 innings 25 SO 7 BB Pitched great in playoff run in 2012.<o></o>
2. RHP Jarrod Parker 13-8 3.47 181 innings 140 SO 63 BB<o></o>
3. LHP Tommy Milone 13-10 3.74 190 innings 137 SO 36 BB<o></o>
4. RHP A.J. Griffin 7-1 3.06 82 innings 64 SO 19 BB Pitched 102 innings in AA and AAA 7-3 2.82<o></o>
5. RHP Dan Straily 2-1 3.89 39 innings 32 SO 16 BB Pitched 152 innings in AA and AAA 9-7 2.78<o></o>
Brett Anderson is dinged up again. He was hurt while covering first base on March 10[SUP]th[/SUP]. They say it is not serious. This starting five does not impress me for a team that won 94 games last year.<o></o>
<o> </o>
<o> </o>
Bullpen:<o></o>
1. RHP Grant Balfour (Closer) 3-2 2.53 75 innings 24 Saves 72 SO 28 BB<o></o>
2. RHP Ryan Cook 6-2 2.09 73 innings 14 Saves 80 SO 27 BB<o></o>
3. LHP Jerry Blevins 5-1 2.48 65 innings 1 Save 54 SO 25 BB<o></o>
4. LHP Jordan Norberto 4-1 2.77 52 innings 1 Save 46 SO 22 BB tendonitis<o></o>
5. LHP Sean Doolittle 2-1 3.04 62 innings 1 Save 60 SO 11 BB Pitched 25 innings AA&AAA 0-0 0.72<o></o>
6. LHP Travis Blackley 6-4 4.10 108 innings 1 Save 71 SO 32 BB Pitched 23 innings in AAA 3-0 .039<o></o>
7. RHP Pat Neshek 2-1 1.37 20 innings 0 Saves 16 SO 6 BB Pitched 44 innings in AAA 3-2 2.66<o></o>
8. RHP Chris Resop (Pirates) 1-4 3.91 74 innings 46 SO 24 BB<o></o>
9. RHP Evan Scribner 2-0 2.55 35 innings 1 Save 30 SO 12 BB Pitched 36 innings in AAA 3-0 3.03<o></o>
10. LHP Pedro Figueroa 0-0 3.32 22 innings 0 Saves 14 SO 15 BB Pitched 45 innings in AAA 0-2 2.62<o></o>
11. RHP Jesse Chavez (Blue Jays) 1-1 9.85 25 innings 0 Saves 30 SO 11 BB Pitched 105 innings in AAA 8-5 3.77<o></o>
Grant Balfour is coming back from minor arthroscopic surgery on his right knee. Will the bullpen be as awesome as last year? That is definitely the big question!<o></o>
Projected Line Up:<o></o>
CF Coco Crisp .259 11 Homers 46 RBI Solid all around performer who at 34 is developing a little power to go along with his speed. 39 stolen bases in 2012. Ok, I will resist the temptation to make fun of his name like I have done every year.<o></o>
2B Jed Lowrie (Astros) .244 16 Homers 42 RBI Scott Sizemore (missed all of 2012) and Jemile Weeks .221 2 Homers 20 RBI are all battling for the second base position. Word is Lowrie’s range is still not good.<o></o>
LF Yoenis Cespedes .292 23 Homers 82 RBI Consistent power with a good average to boot. Signed a 4 year 36 million contract in Feb 2012. His family has safely arrived from Cuba so that has to help.<o></o>
RF Josh Reddick .242 32 Homers 85 RBI Finally given a chance and ends up one of five guys in AL that hit more than 30 taters. How does that feel Red Sox?<o></o>
DH Seth Smith .240 14 Homers 52 RBI Fourth on the Oakland outfield depth chart he could be sharing the DH role with recently acquired Chris Young (Arizona) .231 14 Homers 41 RBI<o></o>
1B Brandon Moss .291 21 Homers 52 RBI Played 51 games in AAA .286 15 Homers 33 RBI Will probably share first base duties with Chris Carter. People are wondering, “Can he do it again”?<o></o>
3B Josh Donaldson .241 9 Homers 33 RBI Played 51 games in AAA .335 13 Homers 45 RBI<o></o>
C John Jaso (Mariners) .276 10 Homers 50 RBI Will be used against right handers so will get most of the catching duty. Derek Norris will go against left handers .201 7 Homers 34 RBI Played 58 games in AAA .271 9 Homers 38 RBI<o></o>
SS Hiro Nakajima 11 year Nippon League veteran. He turned down an offer from the Yankees last year because they wanted to move him away from SS. He is 30 years old, an 8 time Japanese all star and 3 time gold glover. Japanese stats include a .302 lifetime Avg. 162 Homers and 738 RBI.<o></o>
The Oakland A’s used five platoon situations last year and probably will use at least that many this year. We will no doubt get another year of “Moneyball” baseball and all I know is the critics will be a lot quieter this year, at least until Oakland’s first losing streak. The good news is almost 25% of Oakland’s games will be against the Astros and the Mariners. The bad news is no one believes these guys can win 90 games again. The regular season wins total is set at 10 less than last year’s win total of 94. I can see this team throwing up a “2012 Red Sox” performance no problem. I guess too many guys on that Oakland 2012 team had career years for my comfort level. It is time for the Billy Beane mad scientist experiment to blow up and the A’s to come back to earth. A small wager on the under 84 wins please.
></o>Total Wins is set at 84 -115 Over and 84 -115 Under<o
></o>Odds to win American League West +550 (Angels -200, Rangers +250, Mariners +1350, Astros +10000)<o
></o>Odds to win American League Pennant +1600<o
></o>Odds to win World Series +3500<o
></o>Starting Rotation:<o
></o>1. LHP Brett Anderson 4-2 2.57 35 innings 25 SO 7 BB Pitched great in playoff run in 2012.<o
></o>2. RHP Jarrod Parker 13-8 3.47 181 innings 140 SO 63 BB<o
></o>3. LHP Tommy Milone 13-10 3.74 190 innings 137 SO 36 BB<o
></o>4. RHP A.J. Griffin 7-1 3.06 82 innings 64 SO 19 BB Pitched 102 innings in AA and AAA 7-3 2.82<o
></o>5. RHP Dan Straily 2-1 3.89 39 innings 32 SO 16 BB Pitched 152 innings in AA and AAA 9-7 2.78<o
></o>Brett Anderson is dinged up again. He was hurt while covering first base on March 10[SUP]th[/SUP]. They say it is not serious. This starting five does not impress me for a team that won 94 games last year.<o
></o><o
> </o><o
> </o>Bullpen:<o
></o>1. RHP Grant Balfour (Closer) 3-2 2.53 75 innings 24 Saves 72 SO 28 BB<o
></o>2. RHP Ryan Cook 6-2 2.09 73 innings 14 Saves 80 SO 27 BB<o
></o>3. LHP Jerry Blevins 5-1 2.48 65 innings 1 Save 54 SO 25 BB<o
></o>4. LHP Jordan Norberto 4-1 2.77 52 innings 1 Save 46 SO 22 BB tendonitis<o
></o>5. LHP Sean Doolittle 2-1 3.04 62 innings 1 Save 60 SO 11 BB Pitched 25 innings AA&AAA 0-0 0.72<o
></o>6. LHP Travis Blackley 6-4 4.10 108 innings 1 Save 71 SO 32 BB Pitched 23 innings in AAA 3-0 .039<o
></o>7. RHP Pat Neshek 2-1 1.37 20 innings 0 Saves 16 SO 6 BB Pitched 44 innings in AAA 3-2 2.66<o
></o>8. RHP Chris Resop (Pirates) 1-4 3.91 74 innings 46 SO 24 BB<o
></o>9. RHP Evan Scribner 2-0 2.55 35 innings 1 Save 30 SO 12 BB Pitched 36 innings in AAA 3-0 3.03<o
></o>10. LHP Pedro Figueroa 0-0 3.32 22 innings 0 Saves 14 SO 15 BB Pitched 45 innings in AAA 0-2 2.62<o
></o>11. RHP Jesse Chavez (Blue Jays) 1-1 9.85 25 innings 0 Saves 30 SO 11 BB Pitched 105 innings in AAA 8-5 3.77<o
></o>Grant Balfour is coming back from minor arthroscopic surgery on his right knee. Will the bullpen be as awesome as last year? That is definitely the big question!<o
></o>Projected Line Up:<o
></o>CF Coco Crisp .259 11 Homers 46 RBI Solid all around performer who at 34 is developing a little power to go along with his speed. 39 stolen bases in 2012. Ok, I will resist the temptation to make fun of his name like I have done every year.<o
></o>2B Jed Lowrie (Astros) .244 16 Homers 42 RBI Scott Sizemore (missed all of 2012) and Jemile Weeks .221 2 Homers 20 RBI are all battling for the second base position. Word is Lowrie’s range is still not good.<o
></o>LF Yoenis Cespedes .292 23 Homers 82 RBI Consistent power with a good average to boot. Signed a 4 year 36 million contract in Feb 2012. His family has safely arrived from Cuba so that has to help.<o
></o>RF Josh Reddick .242 32 Homers 85 RBI Finally given a chance and ends up one of five guys in AL that hit more than 30 taters. How does that feel Red Sox?<o
></o>DH Seth Smith .240 14 Homers 52 RBI Fourth on the Oakland outfield depth chart he could be sharing the DH role with recently acquired Chris Young (Arizona) .231 14 Homers 41 RBI<o
></o>1B Brandon Moss .291 21 Homers 52 RBI Played 51 games in AAA .286 15 Homers 33 RBI Will probably share first base duties with Chris Carter. People are wondering, “Can he do it again”?<o
></o>3B Josh Donaldson .241 9 Homers 33 RBI Played 51 games in AAA .335 13 Homers 45 RBI<o
></o>C John Jaso (Mariners) .276 10 Homers 50 RBI Will be used against right handers so will get most of the catching duty. Derek Norris will go against left handers .201 7 Homers 34 RBI Played 58 games in AAA .271 9 Homers 38 RBI<o
></o>SS Hiro Nakajima 11 year Nippon League veteran. He turned down an offer from the Yankees last year because they wanted to move him away from SS. He is 30 years old, an 8 time Japanese all star and 3 time gold glover. Japanese stats include a .302 lifetime Avg. 162 Homers and 738 RBI.<o
></o>The Oakland A’s used five platoon situations last year and probably will use at least that many this year. We will no doubt get another year of “Moneyball” baseball and all I know is the critics will be a lot quieter this year, at least until Oakland’s first losing streak. The good news is almost 25% of Oakland’s games will be against the Astros and the Mariners. The bad news is no one believes these guys can win 90 games again. The regular season wins total is set at 10 less than last year’s win total of 94. I can see this team throwing up a “2012 Red Sox” performance no problem. I guess too many guys on that Oakland 2012 team had career years for my comfort level. It is time for the Billy Beane mad scientist experiment to blow up and the A’s to come back to earth. A small wager on the under 84 wins please.
2013 Minnesota Twins- 2012 Record 66-96 Home 31-50 Away 35-46 O/U 78-75-9<o></o>
Total Wins is set at 67.5 -135 Over and 67.5 +105 Under<o></o>
Odds to win American League Central +2000 (Tigers -300,White Sox +550, Royals +650, Indians +1200)<o></o>
Odds to win American League Pennant +6000<o></o>
Odds to win World Series +10000<o></o>
Starting Rotation:<o></o>
1. LHP Scott Diamond 12-9 3.54 173 innings 90 SO 31 BB Pitched 35 innings in AAA 4-1 2.60<o></o>
2. RHP Kevin Correia (Pirates) 12-11 4.21 171 innings 89 SO 46 BB<o></o>
3. RHP Vance Worley (Phillies) 6-9 4.20 133 innings 107 SO 47 BB<o></o>
4. RHP Liam Hendriks 1-8 5.59 85 innings 50 SO 26 BB Pitched 106 innings in AAA 9-3 2.20<o></o>
5. RHP Mike Pelfrey (Mets)0-0 2.29 20 innings 13 SO 4 BB Underwent Tommy John elbow surgery May 1, 2012<o></o>
6. RHP Cole De Vries 5-5 4.11 88 innings 58 SO 18 BB Pitched 70 innings in AAA 3-5 4.37<o></o>
Scott Diamond had bone chips removed in Dec 2012, his spring will start 3-18. Pelfrey appears to be ahead of schedule with his elbow. A solid comeback by Pelfrey would be huge for the Twins, since the Twins really do not have a fifth starter yet. After throwing up the highest ERA in the American League last year, the Twins appear headed in the same direction for 2013.<o></o>
Bullpen:<o></o>
1. LHP Glen Perkins (Closer) 3-1 2.56 70 innings 16 Saves 78 SO 16 BB<o></o>
2. RHP Jared Burton 3-2 2.18 62 innings 5 Saves 55 SO 16 BB<o></o>
3. RHP Alex Burnett 4-4 3.52 72 innings 0 Saves 36 SO 26 BB<o></o>
4. LHP Brian Duensing 4-12 5.12 109 innings 0 Saves 69 SO 27 BB<o></o>
5. RHP Casey Fien 2-1 2.06 35 innings 0 Saves 32 SO 9 BB Pitched 46 innings in AAA 2-5 4.30<o></o>
6. RHP Anthony Swarzak 3-6 5.03 97 innings 0 Saves 62 SO 31 BB<o></o>
7. RHP Josh Roenicke (Rockies) 4-2 3.25 89 innings 1 Save 54 SO 43 BB <o></o>
Jared Burton will be the setup man. Many questions with this bullpen.<o></o>
Projected Line Up:<o></o>
CF Aaron Hicks Played at AA New Britain .286 13 Homers 61 RBI Will compete with Darin Mastroianni .252 3 Homers 17 RBI for CF position. Hicks has been crushing it in spring so appears to have it wrapped.<o></o>
2B Jarney Carroll .268 1 Homer 40 RBI Registered his lowest batting average in 7 years but Gardenhire is ok with that as long as Carroll and Florimon will be strong up the middle.<o></o>
C Joe Mauer .319 10 Homers 85 RBI All Star catcher should have another good year.<o></o>
LF Josh Willingham .260 35 Homers 110 RBI Set career highs in Homers(35)RBI(110)Runs(85)OPS(.890)<o></o>
1B Justin Morneau .267 19 Homers 77 RBI How will Morneau’s surgically repaired wrist respond this year? So far 8 for 23. That is good news!<o></o>
3B Trevor Plouffe .235 24 Homers 55 RBI Twins are looking for Plouffe to bring up his average a bit and become a little more consistent.<o></o>
DH Ryan Doumit .275 18 Homers 75 RBI Backup catcher and outfielder who was a nice surprise at DH last year.<o></o>
RF Chris Parmelee .229 5 Homers 19 RBI Played 64 games in AAA .338 17 Homers 49 RBI<o></o>
SS Pedro Florimon .219 1 Homer 10 RBI Played 113 games in AA and AAA .259 5 Homers 35 RBI<o></o>
The Twins look like basically the same team as last year. They are going to score a lot of runs and they are going to give up a lot of runs. For some reason I just feel like they are a good over bet at 67.5 regular season wins this season. I have a feeling their pitching will not be as awful as it was last year and the offense will somehow push them to the 70 or 75 win level.<o></o>
></o>Total Wins is set at 67.5 -135 Over and 67.5 +105 Under<o
></o>Odds to win American League Central +2000 (Tigers -300,White Sox +550, Royals +650, Indians +1200)<o
></o>Odds to win American League Pennant +6000<o
></o>Odds to win World Series +10000<o
></o>Starting Rotation:<o
></o>1. LHP Scott Diamond 12-9 3.54 173 innings 90 SO 31 BB Pitched 35 innings in AAA 4-1 2.60<o
></o>2. RHP Kevin Correia (Pirates) 12-11 4.21 171 innings 89 SO 46 BB<o
></o>3. RHP Vance Worley (Phillies) 6-9 4.20 133 innings 107 SO 47 BB<o
></o>4. RHP Liam Hendriks 1-8 5.59 85 innings 50 SO 26 BB Pitched 106 innings in AAA 9-3 2.20<o
></o>5. RHP Mike Pelfrey (Mets)0-0 2.29 20 innings 13 SO 4 BB Underwent Tommy John elbow surgery May 1, 2012<o
></o>6. RHP Cole De Vries 5-5 4.11 88 innings 58 SO 18 BB Pitched 70 innings in AAA 3-5 4.37<o
></o>Scott Diamond had bone chips removed in Dec 2012, his spring will start 3-18. Pelfrey appears to be ahead of schedule with his elbow. A solid comeback by Pelfrey would be huge for the Twins, since the Twins really do not have a fifth starter yet. After throwing up the highest ERA in the American League last year, the Twins appear headed in the same direction for 2013.<o
></o>Bullpen:<o
></o>1. LHP Glen Perkins (Closer) 3-1 2.56 70 innings 16 Saves 78 SO 16 BB<o
></o>2. RHP Jared Burton 3-2 2.18 62 innings 5 Saves 55 SO 16 BB<o
></o>3. RHP Alex Burnett 4-4 3.52 72 innings 0 Saves 36 SO 26 BB<o
></o>4. LHP Brian Duensing 4-12 5.12 109 innings 0 Saves 69 SO 27 BB<o
></o>5. RHP Casey Fien 2-1 2.06 35 innings 0 Saves 32 SO 9 BB Pitched 46 innings in AAA 2-5 4.30<o
></o>6. RHP Anthony Swarzak 3-6 5.03 97 innings 0 Saves 62 SO 31 BB<o
></o>7. RHP Josh Roenicke (Rockies) 4-2 3.25 89 innings 1 Save 54 SO 43 BB <o
></o>Jared Burton will be the setup man. Many questions with this bullpen.<o
></o>Projected Line Up:<o
></o>CF Aaron Hicks Played at AA New Britain .286 13 Homers 61 RBI Will compete with Darin Mastroianni .252 3 Homers 17 RBI for CF position. Hicks has been crushing it in spring so appears to have it wrapped.<o
></o>2B Jarney Carroll .268 1 Homer 40 RBI Registered his lowest batting average in 7 years but Gardenhire is ok with that as long as Carroll and Florimon will be strong up the middle.<o
></o>C Joe Mauer .319 10 Homers 85 RBI All Star catcher should have another good year.<o
></o>LF Josh Willingham .260 35 Homers 110 RBI Set career highs in Homers(35)RBI(110)Runs(85)OPS(.890)<o
></o>1B Justin Morneau .267 19 Homers 77 RBI How will Morneau’s surgically repaired wrist respond this year? So far 8 for 23. That is good news!<o
></o>3B Trevor Plouffe .235 24 Homers 55 RBI Twins are looking for Plouffe to bring up his average a bit and become a little more consistent.<o
></o>DH Ryan Doumit .275 18 Homers 75 RBI Backup catcher and outfielder who was a nice surprise at DH last year.<o
></o>RF Chris Parmelee .229 5 Homers 19 RBI Played 64 games in AAA .338 17 Homers 49 RBI<o
></o>SS Pedro Florimon .219 1 Homer 10 RBI Played 113 games in AA and AAA .259 5 Homers 35 RBI<o
></o>The Twins look like basically the same team as last year. They are going to score a lot of runs and they are going to give up a lot of runs. For some reason I just feel like they are a good over bet at 67.5 regular season wins this season. I have a feeling their pitching will not be as awful as it was last year and the offense will somehow push them to the 70 or 75 win level.<o
></o>
xbaggypants
Blue Jays
2012 Record: 73-89, 4th AL East
2012 Pythagorean Record: 74-88
Impact Player: RF Jose Bautista
Impact Pitcher: RHP Brandon Morrow
Top Prospect: RHP Aaron Sanchez
Significant Acquisitions: SS Jose Reyes, RHP Josh Johnson, RHP R.A. Dickey, LF Melky Cabrera, LHP Mark Buehrle, RHP Esmil Rogers, UT Emilio Bonifacio, C Josh Thole, C Henry Blanco, IF Maicer Izturis, UT Mark DeRosa, RHP Michael Schwimer, RHP Jeremy Jeffress, RHP Mickey Storey, RHP Justin Germano
Significant Departures: SS Yunel Escobar, 2B Kelly Johnson, RHP Henderson Alvarez, LHP Aaron Laffey, RHP Carlos Villanueva, RHP Jason Frasor, RHP Brandon Lyon, C Jeff Mathis, IF Omar Vizquel, SS Adeiny Hechavarria
Watching the 2012 Blue Jays was a bit like watching the third season of HBO’s Six Feet Under. For those unfamiliar with the show’s ebb and flow, the third season starts off oddly happy. For the first few episodes, you get the impression that things might turn out alright for this down-on-their-luck funeral-home-owning family. Something is still amiss—some of the characters are merely pretending to be happy, but for the most part, things are humming along about as well as could be expected.
Then…disaster. Every character seems to enter a sort of crisis and suddenly within a few episodes all the happiness — unsustainable though it might have been — evaporates and the viewer is left with a complicated tapestry of death and misery.
Such was the season for the Toronto Blue Jays. On July 4, they beat the Royals to move to 42-40. Not great, but they were only two-and-a-half games out of a wildcard spot and appeared to be in nice position to make some key acquisitions and take a run at their first playoff berth in nearly 20 years. Then it all came apart. Seemingly every valuable player spent significant time on the DL and the Jays went 31-49 from that point on.
Knowing that his contention window was quickly getting away from him, General Manager Alex Anthopoulos finally struck this offseason after years of slowly building the team’s farm system. This winter, he traded no fewer than seven of the organization’s top eight prospects—as well as a few Major League assets—in order to build a team with a chance at contending for the first time in a long time.
First, he pulled the trigger on one of the biggest trades in baseball history netting shortstop Jose Reyes, starting pitchers Josh Johnson and Mark Buehrle, utilityman Emilio Bonifacio and catcher John Buck from the Marlins for a package of players headed by Yunel Escobar and prospects Justin Nicolino and Jake Marisnick. But he wasn’t done. He proceeded to sign outfielder Melky Cabrera and then pulled off another mega-deal acquiring ace knuckleballer R.A. Dickey from the Mets for the team’s remaining top two prospects in catcher Travis d’Arnaud and right-hander Noah Syndergaard.
The transformation was complete. Adding the newly acquired core of players to the already established core puts the Blue Jays into the contention conversation in the AL East in a way they haven’t been since winning the World Series in back-to-back years in 1992 and ’93.
Pitching
There’s almost no reason to talk about how the Jays’ pitching performed last season since the staff has been completely revamped heading into 2013. Dickey, Johnson and Buehrle join incumbents Brandon Morrow and Ricky Romero to form one of the better rotations in baseball—at least on paper.
Dickey became the first Cy Young Award winner to be traded the offseason after winning the award since Toronto dealt Roger Clemens following the 1998 season. The career path of the 38-year-old has been well documented and analyzed, but it’s still nearly impossible to project what he’ll do from this point forward. Last year, he was doing things no other knuckler had ever done before. He was striking out a ton—230 in an NL-leading 233 2/3 innings—he was walking close to no one and he trailed only Cliff Lee in strike-thrown-percentage. Somehow Dickey has become one of the most prolific strike throwers in baseball with a pitch that’s known for its unpredictability.
Johnson finally managed to stay healthy with Miami last season, making more than 30 starts for the first time since 2009 and for only the second time in his career. However, his velocity was significantly lower than it had been in previous years and he threw just over six innings per start—the lowest mark of his career. Still, he was a well-above-average pitcher in 2012 and should continue to be going forward—health permitting.
Buehrle did exactly what you’d expect him to do again last season. He threw over 200 innings and had an ERA in the mid-high threes. He’s not great, but he’s about as dependable as a pitcher can be. He’s entering his age-34 season and will now ply his wares in the AL East so you’d be excused for worrying, but it’s hard to bet against the usual Buehrle performance at this point.
Morrow might actually be the best pitcher on the staff. For three consecutive seasons now, he has put up peripheral numbers which rival the best pitchers in the game and last year, it finally started to be reflected in his result-based numbers. Unfortunately he missed a good portion of the year with an oblique injury. If he can finally put it all together and stay on the field for 30-plus starts, he could be a darkhorse Cy Young contender.
Finally, there’s Ricky Romero. After proving himself to be an above-average Major League pitcher over the previous two seasons, Romero proceed to lose all sense of the strike zone last year and became one of the worst pitchers in baseball. He posted the worst walk-rate in the AL among qualified pitchers and ranked near the bottom in both fielding-independent pitching and wins above replacement. Offseason elbow surgery might help things and there’s almost no way he’s that bad again. Even if he is, at least he won’t be counted on the way he was last year.
What the bullpen lacks in high-impact arms, it makes up for in depth. Casey Janssen took over as closer after Sergio Santos went down with a season-ending shoulder injury in April and was very impressive. He led the AL among qualified relievers in walks-per-nine and finished fifth in xFIP.
Santos, meanwhile, could be a major weapon at the back of the bullpen if he’s healthy. His poor mechanics finally caught up to him last season and he made only six appearances before eventually needing surgery on his shoulder. How he bounces back in 2013 will go a long way to determining the success of the bullpen. Plus, sliders y’all.
Left-hander Darren Oliver was the focal-point of some controversy this offseason when his agent tried to demand more money or a trade from the Jays in order to lure his client out of retirement, but Oliver said those reports were erroneous and decided to return under his current contract. Even entering his age-42 season, Oliver can be counted on for 60 to 70 very good innings.
The other left-hander in the bullpen will likely be converted starter Brett Cecil who will get every opportunity to stick in relief, but it could be his last opportunity. If he falters, he’s out of options and his days with Toronto could be numbered. Fellow starting pitcher castoff J.A. Happ could also be in the mix for a bullpen spot, but could still start if injuries hit the rotation.
A host of hard-throwing right-handers will round out the bullpen with Steve Delabar, Esmil Rogers (ostensibly the compensation for John Farrell’s dream job pursuit), Jeremy Jeffress, and Brad Lincoln the most likely to crack the team. Michael Schwimer, Chad Jenkins, Mickey Storey, Rich Thompson, Justin Germano and many others will start the year in Buffalo as insurance. With that many arms, one would think there is some combination that will be very successful at the Major League level.
Left-hander Luis Perez is recovering from Tommy John surgery and last year’s first-round draft pick Marcus Stroman still has 42 games to serve on his 50-game suspension for taking a banned stimulant last summer. Both, however, could be nice boosts to the bullpen in the second-half.
Lineup
When Jose Bautista first went down with the wrist injury that caused him to miss most of the second-half the Jays were scoring an average of 4.81 runs per game. They scored just 3.88 runs per game afterwards. Not all of that had to do with Bautista being absent, but there’s no questioning that the lineup is drastically different with him in it—even now with all the improvements.
Between May 10 and the time of his injury in July, Bautista hit .279/.383/.637 with 22 home runs in 58 games and appeared to have put a terrible first month behind him. How he recovers from the injury should probably be a bigger story than it has been in Jays-land since severe wrist injuries can have a several-year recovery time.
At least there’s a lot more depth around Bautista this season with the addition of Reyes and Cabrera. Reyes has a somewhat unfair reputation as an injury-prone player, but was really only affected by hamstring problems for a year-and-a-half and has otherwise been fairly durable. Last year in Miami, he led the NL in plate appearances and was worth 4.5 WAR according to FanGraphs.
Cabrera, meanwhile, will be the everyday leftfielder and number-two hitter behind Reyes and is coming off a fantastic season with the Giants. He had accumulated 4.6 WAR in only 113 games before being suspended for PEDs in August after which he did not return to the team. Even if you think a lot of his performance over the last two years was due to PED-use, he should still be at least an average hitter with decent defensive ability in left.
Edwin Encarnacion finally put everything together last season and hit consistently over the whole year. He finished with a .280/.384/.557 slash line and 42 home runs—just two behind Miguel Cabrera for the league-lead. He’ll likely split time between first base and DH with Adam Lind who should never face another lefty in his career.
Third baseman Brett Lawrie will have to tone down the AGGRO to stay on the field for a full season, but if he does, he looks poised to become one of the best third basemen in baseball. He had a bit of a sophomore slump last year, but was still an average offensive player and seems to have developed enough defensively that he should have no problem sticking at the position going forward. If he can improve this year, he’ll slot in to the middle-of-the-order with Bautista and Encarnacion. A minor oblique injury has caused him to pull out of the World Baseball Classic for Team Canada, but he should be ready for Opening Day.
The rest of the Jays lineup is filled with potential, but also with question marks. Centerfielder Colby Rasmus continues to get further and further away from the player he was in 2010 with St. Louis and could be on his way out of a starting role if he continues to fall flat. He had one great month last year and was otherwise putrid. Lind is in the same boat. He actually saw time in AAA last year and should be considered at best a fringy platoon player at this point.
With d’Arnaud included in the Dickey deal, the Jays appear content to go forward with J.P. Arencibia as their everyday catcher. He allegedly works well with the pitching staff, but otherwise there’s not much to like about his game. He’s a bad defender and although he’ll run into the occasional home run, his career .275 on-base percentage should impress no one. Either Josh Thole or Henry Blanco is expected to land the backup job and become Dickey’s personal catcher.
The only real positional battle heading in to the spring will be at second base where the outgoing Kelly Johnson has been replaced by Maicer Izturis and Bonifacio. Both are versatile players, but Bonifacio’s ability to play the outfield could relegate him to a utility role off the bench leaving Izturis to play most of the time at second. Neither is fantastic at the plate, but neither is terrible either.
The rest of the bench will be rounded out by fourth outfielder Rajai Davis—who could end up being a creative platoon partner for Lind given his decent numbers against right-handed pitching—and veteran utility man Mark DeRosa who has been brought in almost exclusively for his clubhouse presence.
Defense
Toronto finished seventh in the AL in defensive efficiency last season, but could be slightly better this year with the additions of Reyes, Izturis and Cabrera who are all well-regarded with the glove. Still, the presence of Bautista, Arencibia and Rasmus ensure that they won’t be elite. If outfielder Anthony Gose ends up seeing regular playing time this year for any reason, he will improve things greatly, but if that’s the case, the Jays could have bigger problems to address.
2013 Outlook
Anthopoulos has finally assembled the contending team he promised when he took over as GM a little over three years ago and the next couple seasons will define his legacy in Toronto. There are significant question marks with every core player on the team, but he has put the Jays in a position to overcome some decline from a few of their players.
Toronto finally has the pitching staff and deep lineup to keep up with the Yankees, Rays and Red Sox—and it helps that the AL East is in somewhat of a state of flux. If the injury bug makes another appearance like it did last year, it shouldn’t completely tank the team, but they’ll still need the likes of Johnson, Reyes and Bautista to stay on the field if they truly want to compete for their first playoff appearance in 20 years.
2013 Prediction: 88-74, 2nd AL East
Blue Jays
2012 Record: 73-89, 4th AL East
2012 Pythagorean Record: 74-88
Impact Player: RF Jose Bautista
Impact Pitcher: RHP Brandon Morrow
Top Prospect: RHP Aaron Sanchez
Significant Acquisitions: SS Jose Reyes, RHP Josh Johnson, RHP R.A. Dickey, LF Melky Cabrera, LHP Mark Buehrle, RHP Esmil Rogers, UT Emilio Bonifacio, C Josh Thole, C Henry Blanco, IF Maicer Izturis, UT Mark DeRosa, RHP Michael Schwimer, RHP Jeremy Jeffress, RHP Mickey Storey, RHP Justin Germano
Significant Departures: SS Yunel Escobar, 2B Kelly Johnson, RHP Henderson Alvarez, LHP Aaron Laffey, RHP Carlos Villanueva, RHP Jason Frasor, RHP Brandon Lyon, C Jeff Mathis, IF Omar Vizquel, SS Adeiny Hechavarria
Watching the 2012 Blue Jays was a bit like watching the third season of HBO’s Six Feet Under. For those unfamiliar with the show’s ebb and flow, the third season starts off oddly happy. For the first few episodes, you get the impression that things might turn out alright for this down-on-their-luck funeral-home-owning family. Something is still amiss—some of the characters are merely pretending to be happy, but for the most part, things are humming along about as well as could be expected.
Then…disaster. Every character seems to enter a sort of crisis and suddenly within a few episodes all the happiness — unsustainable though it might have been — evaporates and the viewer is left with a complicated tapestry of death and misery.
Such was the season for the Toronto Blue Jays. On July 4, they beat the Royals to move to 42-40. Not great, but they were only two-and-a-half games out of a wildcard spot and appeared to be in nice position to make some key acquisitions and take a run at their first playoff berth in nearly 20 years. Then it all came apart. Seemingly every valuable player spent significant time on the DL and the Jays went 31-49 from that point on.
Knowing that his contention window was quickly getting away from him, General Manager Alex Anthopoulos finally struck this offseason after years of slowly building the team’s farm system. This winter, he traded no fewer than seven of the organization’s top eight prospects—as well as a few Major League assets—in order to build a team with a chance at contending for the first time in a long time.
First, he pulled the trigger on one of the biggest trades in baseball history netting shortstop Jose Reyes, starting pitchers Josh Johnson and Mark Buehrle, utilityman Emilio Bonifacio and catcher John Buck from the Marlins for a package of players headed by Yunel Escobar and prospects Justin Nicolino and Jake Marisnick. But he wasn’t done. He proceeded to sign outfielder Melky Cabrera and then pulled off another mega-deal acquiring ace knuckleballer R.A. Dickey from the Mets for the team’s remaining top two prospects in catcher Travis d’Arnaud and right-hander Noah Syndergaard.
The transformation was complete. Adding the newly acquired core of players to the already established core puts the Blue Jays into the contention conversation in the AL East in a way they haven’t been since winning the World Series in back-to-back years in 1992 and ’93.
Pitching
There’s almost no reason to talk about how the Jays’ pitching performed last season since the staff has been completely revamped heading into 2013. Dickey, Johnson and Buehrle join incumbents Brandon Morrow and Ricky Romero to form one of the better rotations in baseball—at least on paper.
Dickey became the first Cy Young Award winner to be traded the offseason after winning the award since Toronto dealt Roger Clemens following the 1998 season. The career path of the 38-year-old has been well documented and analyzed, but it’s still nearly impossible to project what he’ll do from this point forward. Last year, he was doing things no other knuckler had ever done before. He was striking out a ton—230 in an NL-leading 233 2/3 innings—he was walking close to no one and he trailed only Cliff Lee in strike-thrown-percentage. Somehow Dickey has become one of the most prolific strike throwers in baseball with a pitch that’s known for its unpredictability.
Johnson finally managed to stay healthy with Miami last season, making more than 30 starts for the first time since 2009 and for only the second time in his career. However, his velocity was significantly lower than it had been in previous years and he threw just over six innings per start—the lowest mark of his career. Still, he was a well-above-average pitcher in 2012 and should continue to be going forward—health permitting.
Buehrle did exactly what you’d expect him to do again last season. He threw over 200 innings and had an ERA in the mid-high threes. He’s not great, but he’s about as dependable as a pitcher can be. He’s entering his age-34 season and will now ply his wares in the AL East so you’d be excused for worrying, but it’s hard to bet against the usual Buehrle performance at this point.
Morrow might actually be the best pitcher on the staff. For three consecutive seasons now, he has put up peripheral numbers which rival the best pitchers in the game and last year, it finally started to be reflected in his result-based numbers. Unfortunately he missed a good portion of the year with an oblique injury. If he can finally put it all together and stay on the field for 30-plus starts, he could be a darkhorse Cy Young contender.
Finally, there’s Ricky Romero. After proving himself to be an above-average Major League pitcher over the previous two seasons, Romero proceed to lose all sense of the strike zone last year and became one of the worst pitchers in baseball. He posted the worst walk-rate in the AL among qualified pitchers and ranked near the bottom in both fielding-independent pitching and wins above replacement. Offseason elbow surgery might help things and there’s almost no way he’s that bad again. Even if he is, at least he won’t be counted on the way he was last year.
What the bullpen lacks in high-impact arms, it makes up for in depth. Casey Janssen took over as closer after Sergio Santos went down with a season-ending shoulder injury in April and was very impressive. He led the AL among qualified relievers in walks-per-nine and finished fifth in xFIP.
Santos, meanwhile, could be a major weapon at the back of the bullpen if he’s healthy. His poor mechanics finally caught up to him last season and he made only six appearances before eventually needing surgery on his shoulder. How he bounces back in 2013 will go a long way to determining the success of the bullpen. Plus, sliders y’all.
Left-hander Darren Oliver was the focal-point of some controversy this offseason when his agent tried to demand more money or a trade from the Jays in order to lure his client out of retirement, but Oliver said those reports were erroneous and decided to return under his current contract. Even entering his age-42 season, Oliver can be counted on for 60 to 70 very good innings.
The other left-hander in the bullpen will likely be converted starter Brett Cecil who will get every opportunity to stick in relief, but it could be his last opportunity. If he falters, he’s out of options and his days with Toronto could be numbered. Fellow starting pitcher castoff J.A. Happ could also be in the mix for a bullpen spot, but could still start if injuries hit the rotation.
A host of hard-throwing right-handers will round out the bullpen with Steve Delabar, Esmil Rogers (ostensibly the compensation for John Farrell’s dream job pursuit), Jeremy Jeffress, and Brad Lincoln the most likely to crack the team. Michael Schwimer, Chad Jenkins, Mickey Storey, Rich Thompson, Justin Germano and many others will start the year in Buffalo as insurance. With that many arms, one would think there is some combination that will be very successful at the Major League level.
Left-hander Luis Perez is recovering from Tommy John surgery and last year’s first-round draft pick Marcus Stroman still has 42 games to serve on his 50-game suspension for taking a banned stimulant last summer. Both, however, could be nice boosts to the bullpen in the second-half.
Lineup
When Jose Bautista first went down with the wrist injury that caused him to miss most of the second-half the Jays were scoring an average of 4.81 runs per game. They scored just 3.88 runs per game afterwards. Not all of that had to do with Bautista being absent, but there’s no questioning that the lineup is drastically different with him in it—even now with all the improvements.
Between May 10 and the time of his injury in July, Bautista hit .279/.383/.637 with 22 home runs in 58 games and appeared to have put a terrible first month behind him. How he recovers from the injury should probably be a bigger story than it has been in Jays-land since severe wrist injuries can have a several-year recovery time.
At least there’s a lot more depth around Bautista this season with the addition of Reyes and Cabrera. Reyes has a somewhat unfair reputation as an injury-prone player, but was really only affected by hamstring problems for a year-and-a-half and has otherwise been fairly durable. Last year in Miami, he led the NL in plate appearances and was worth 4.5 WAR according to FanGraphs.
Cabrera, meanwhile, will be the everyday leftfielder and number-two hitter behind Reyes and is coming off a fantastic season with the Giants. He had accumulated 4.6 WAR in only 113 games before being suspended for PEDs in August after which he did not return to the team. Even if you think a lot of his performance over the last two years was due to PED-use, he should still be at least an average hitter with decent defensive ability in left.
Edwin Encarnacion finally put everything together last season and hit consistently over the whole year. He finished with a .280/.384/.557 slash line and 42 home runs—just two behind Miguel Cabrera for the league-lead. He’ll likely split time between first base and DH with Adam Lind who should never face another lefty in his career.
Third baseman Brett Lawrie will have to tone down the AGGRO to stay on the field for a full season, but if he does, he looks poised to become one of the best third basemen in baseball. He had a bit of a sophomore slump last year, but was still an average offensive player and seems to have developed enough defensively that he should have no problem sticking at the position going forward. If he can improve this year, he’ll slot in to the middle-of-the-order with Bautista and Encarnacion. A minor oblique injury has caused him to pull out of the World Baseball Classic for Team Canada, but he should be ready for Opening Day.
The rest of the Jays lineup is filled with potential, but also with question marks. Centerfielder Colby Rasmus continues to get further and further away from the player he was in 2010 with St. Louis and could be on his way out of a starting role if he continues to fall flat. He had one great month last year and was otherwise putrid. Lind is in the same boat. He actually saw time in AAA last year and should be considered at best a fringy platoon player at this point.
With d’Arnaud included in the Dickey deal, the Jays appear content to go forward with J.P. Arencibia as their everyday catcher. He allegedly works well with the pitching staff, but otherwise there’s not much to like about his game. He’s a bad defender and although he’ll run into the occasional home run, his career .275 on-base percentage should impress no one. Either Josh Thole or Henry Blanco is expected to land the backup job and become Dickey’s personal catcher.
The only real positional battle heading in to the spring will be at second base where the outgoing Kelly Johnson has been replaced by Maicer Izturis and Bonifacio. Both are versatile players, but Bonifacio’s ability to play the outfield could relegate him to a utility role off the bench leaving Izturis to play most of the time at second. Neither is fantastic at the plate, but neither is terrible either.
The rest of the bench will be rounded out by fourth outfielder Rajai Davis—who could end up being a creative platoon partner for Lind given his decent numbers against right-handed pitching—and veteran utility man Mark DeRosa who has been brought in almost exclusively for his clubhouse presence.
Defense
Toronto finished seventh in the AL in defensive efficiency last season, but could be slightly better this year with the additions of Reyes, Izturis and Cabrera who are all well-regarded with the glove. Still, the presence of Bautista, Arencibia and Rasmus ensure that they won’t be elite. If outfielder Anthony Gose ends up seeing regular playing time this year for any reason, he will improve things greatly, but if that’s the case, the Jays could have bigger problems to address.
2013 Outlook
Anthopoulos has finally assembled the contending team he promised when he took over as GM a little over three years ago and the next couple seasons will define his legacy in Toronto. There are significant question marks with every core player on the team, but he has put the Jays in a position to overcome some decline from a few of their players.
Toronto finally has the pitching staff and deep lineup to keep up with the Yankees, Rays and Red Sox—and it helps that the AL East is in somewhat of a state of flux. If the injury bug makes another appearance like it did last year, it shouldn’t completely tank the team, but they’ll still need the likes of Johnson, Reyes and Bautista to stay on the field if they truly want to compete for their first playoff appearance in 20 years.
2013 Prediction: 88-74, 2nd AL East
seabass
A's
2013 Oakland A's Preview: The A's return virtually everyone from their shocking 2012 season, in which they won the AL West and were one game from the ALCS. The largest loss is in the leadership void, where the A's lose offensive leader Jonny Gomes and rotation leader Brandon McCarthy. Due to injuries, McCarthy wasn't a significant contributor, but Gomes will be sorely missed against left handed pitching, which he mashed to a .974 OPS. The A's were successful against LHP behind this strong platoon split, and that of Chris Carter who also has departed. In the early season, fading the A's vs. LHP may be a good idea until they prove who can fill these roles.
Rotation Outlook: Brett Anderson, Jarrod Parker, Tom Milone, Bartolo Colon, AJ Griffin. The A's staff was an unexpected surprise, with some help from their advantageous home park. Anderson returned from Tommy John in the 2nd half of the year and pitched stellar, before an oblique injury took him out for 3 weeks. While Parker's ERA outperformed his FIP, he showed serious signs of developing into the potential future ace that he was initially projected to be. Tom Milone and AJ Griffin are both control specialists, and Milone had an unbelievable home/away split that is worth remembering this year. Milone is an extreme fly ball pitcher who pitches to contact (and avoids walks). In Oakland's park, these FB's are suppressed into long outs, but in other stadiums Milone's HR rate is too high for success. Fading Milone on the road against solid offense is a good bet. Griffin has potential, but mostly as a control specialist. He's a nice #5 but not a guy to ride day in day out. Bartolo Colon returns in week 2 from steroid suspension, but will likely lose his rotation spot down the road to prospect Dan Straily, who struggled with control in his first season in the bigs but should be a future 2/3 starter, perhaps as soon as this season.
Bullpen Outlook: Grant Balfour (CL), Ryan Cook (RH SU), Sean Doolittle (LH SU), Pat Neshek (RH), Jerry Blevins (LH), Chris Resop (RH), Travis Blackley (LH Long Relief). The bullpen is the top reason Oakland had late success last year, and should remain a huge strength behind the power arms of Balfour, Cook, and Doolittle. All three could close for the A's, and do occasionally share the role - but the combination last year put together one of the best relief seasons since Wettleland-Rivera-Nelson. The middle relief is a bit more of a question mark, as Neshek struggles against lefties and Blevins struggles against righties. Chris Resop was curiously brought in from Pittsburgh, and the A's hope that his K/9 rate can return to the 10 level that it used to be, instead of the sub 6 that he put together last year. The bottom line, though, is with this bullpen the A's will always have a chance. Key stat to watch is Ryan Cook on day 3 - his ERA increases exponentially when he pitches a 3rd consecutive day. A strong season from Neshek or Resop could prevent this from happening, but an overworked Cook can lead to trouble.
Infield Outlook: C John Jaso, 1B Brandon Moss, 2B Jed Lowrie, SS Hiroyuki Nakajima, 3B Josh Donaldson. First off, 2B is a wide open competition between Lowrie, Scott Sizemore, Jemile Weeks, and the resurgent Eric Sogard. While the A's would like to see Weeks overcome his sophomore slump, his inferior D and undependable bat make it unlikely that he will win the job. The A's would prefer to have Lowrie as a super sub at all four infield positions, but at the moment he appears to be the clear cut best 2nd base option they have, which will likely lead to Lowrie playing the most games there.
Jaso represents a huge upgrade at catcher, but the A's are now all-in on Brandon Moss. Moss had a fantastic season last year, particularly against RHP, but is asked this year to be an every day player and find the consistency that he never has had in his career. Donaldson was a tale of two halves - horrible for the first half of the year, but a very hot hitter in the 2nd half following a season ending injury to Brandon Inge. While the A's hope this group represents an upgrade, this is definitely the largest question mark for them.
Outfield Outlook: LF Yoenis Cespedes, CF Coco Crisp, RF Josh Reddick, DH Seth Smith. Chris Young primary sub at all 4 positions. The outfield returns in tact, and represents the largest strength for Oakland on offense. Seth Smith quietly put together another solid season, while Reddick clubbed 30 home runs in a typically streaky fashion. Crisp has always been the straw that stirs the A's drink - when he is hot, the A's win games. Cespedes is the star here and the arrival of his family from Cuba should make him feel more at home in Oakland, too. Chris Young's greatest contribution could come in making Bob Melvin feel more comfortable giving Cespedes and Reddick rest - both were worn down by September.
Overall Outlook: While the A's are once again being overlooked, there are reasons to believe that their season was not a total fluke. They found a hitting star for the first time since Miguel Tejada (Cespedes) and should be able to receive quality starts nearly daily from their staff. If the offense can scrape together 4-5 runs, that should be enough to win most games. Early on, keep an eye on how Oakland fares against LHP, and consider fading Tom Milone on the road. Oakland gets an unusual amount of value out of their bullpen, and with Grant Balfour returning from injury, the early season availability could be key. Keep an eye on the availability of Balfour, Cook, and Doolittle. If all three are available, unders and the A's both look like good options - if one or two of the three is unavailable, consider hesitating before betting the A's or an under, until Resop/Neshek prove themselves.
A's
2013 Oakland A's Preview: The A's return virtually everyone from their shocking 2012 season, in which they won the AL West and were one game from the ALCS. The largest loss is in the leadership void, where the A's lose offensive leader Jonny Gomes and rotation leader Brandon McCarthy. Due to injuries, McCarthy wasn't a significant contributor, but Gomes will be sorely missed against left handed pitching, which he mashed to a .974 OPS. The A's were successful against LHP behind this strong platoon split, and that of Chris Carter who also has departed. In the early season, fading the A's vs. LHP may be a good idea until they prove who can fill these roles.
Rotation Outlook: Brett Anderson, Jarrod Parker, Tom Milone, Bartolo Colon, AJ Griffin. The A's staff was an unexpected surprise, with some help from their advantageous home park. Anderson returned from Tommy John in the 2nd half of the year and pitched stellar, before an oblique injury took him out for 3 weeks. While Parker's ERA outperformed his FIP, he showed serious signs of developing into the potential future ace that he was initially projected to be. Tom Milone and AJ Griffin are both control specialists, and Milone had an unbelievable home/away split that is worth remembering this year. Milone is an extreme fly ball pitcher who pitches to contact (and avoids walks). In Oakland's park, these FB's are suppressed into long outs, but in other stadiums Milone's HR rate is too high for success. Fading Milone on the road against solid offense is a good bet. Griffin has potential, but mostly as a control specialist. He's a nice #5 but not a guy to ride day in day out. Bartolo Colon returns in week 2 from steroid suspension, but will likely lose his rotation spot down the road to prospect Dan Straily, who struggled with control in his first season in the bigs but should be a future 2/3 starter, perhaps as soon as this season.
Bullpen Outlook: Grant Balfour (CL), Ryan Cook (RH SU), Sean Doolittle (LH SU), Pat Neshek (RH), Jerry Blevins (LH), Chris Resop (RH), Travis Blackley (LH Long Relief). The bullpen is the top reason Oakland had late success last year, and should remain a huge strength behind the power arms of Balfour, Cook, and Doolittle. All three could close for the A's, and do occasionally share the role - but the combination last year put together one of the best relief seasons since Wettleland-Rivera-Nelson. The middle relief is a bit more of a question mark, as Neshek struggles against lefties and Blevins struggles against righties. Chris Resop was curiously brought in from Pittsburgh, and the A's hope that his K/9 rate can return to the 10 level that it used to be, instead of the sub 6 that he put together last year. The bottom line, though, is with this bullpen the A's will always have a chance. Key stat to watch is Ryan Cook on day 3 - his ERA increases exponentially when he pitches a 3rd consecutive day. A strong season from Neshek or Resop could prevent this from happening, but an overworked Cook can lead to trouble.
Infield Outlook: C John Jaso, 1B Brandon Moss, 2B Jed Lowrie, SS Hiroyuki Nakajima, 3B Josh Donaldson. First off, 2B is a wide open competition between Lowrie, Scott Sizemore, Jemile Weeks, and the resurgent Eric Sogard. While the A's would like to see Weeks overcome his sophomore slump, his inferior D and undependable bat make it unlikely that he will win the job. The A's would prefer to have Lowrie as a super sub at all four infield positions, but at the moment he appears to be the clear cut best 2nd base option they have, which will likely lead to Lowrie playing the most games there.
Jaso represents a huge upgrade at catcher, but the A's are now all-in on Brandon Moss. Moss had a fantastic season last year, particularly against RHP, but is asked this year to be an every day player and find the consistency that he never has had in his career. Donaldson was a tale of two halves - horrible for the first half of the year, but a very hot hitter in the 2nd half following a season ending injury to Brandon Inge. While the A's hope this group represents an upgrade, this is definitely the largest question mark for them.
Outfield Outlook: LF Yoenis Cespedes, CF Coco Crisp, RF Josh Reddick, DH Seth Smith. Chris Young primary sub at all 4 positions. The outfield returns in tact, and represents the largest strength for Oakland on offense. Seth Smith quietly put together another solid season, while Reddick clubbed 30 home runs in a typically streaky fashion. Crisp has always been the straw that stirs the A's drink - when he is hot, the A's win games. Cespedes is the star here and the arrival of his family from Cuba should make him feel more at home in Oakland, too. Chris Young's greatest contribution could come in making Bob Melvin feel more comfortable giving Cespedes and Reddick rest - both were worn down by September.
Overall Outlook: While the A's are once again being overlooked, there are reasons to believe that their season was not a total fluke. They found a hitting star for the first time since Miguel Tejada (Cespedes) and should be able to receive quality starts nearly daily from their staff. If the offense can scrape together 4-5 runs, that should be enough to win most games. Early on, keep an eye on how Oakland fares against LHP, and consider fading Tom Milone on the road. Oakland gets an unusual amount of value out of their bullpen, and with Grant Balfour returning from injury, the early season availability could be key. Keep an eye on the availability of Balfour, Cook, and Doolittle. If all three are available, unders and the A's both look like good options - if one or two of the three is unavailable, consider hesitating before betting the A's or an under, until Resop/Neshek prove themselves.
