Sunday, April 2, 2017

2017 Baseball Predictions

2017 MLB PREDICTIONS:


NL MVP - Bryce Harper WAS OF
NL CY YOUNG - Jacob deGrom NYM SP
NL Rookie of the Year - Dansby Swanson ATL SS


AL MVP - Mookie Betts BOS OF
AL Cy Young - Andrew Miller CLE RP
AL Rookie of the Year - Andrew Benintendi BOS OF


NL East - Washington Nationals
NL Central - Chicago Cubs
NL West - Los Angeles Dodgers


NL WC1 - New York Mets
NL WC2 - Arizona Diamondbacks


AL East - Boston Red Sox
AL Central - Cleveland Indians
AL West - Houston Astros


AL WC 1 - Seattle Mariners
AL WC 2 - Toronto Blue Jays


PLAYOFFS:


NYM over ARI


WAS over LAD
NYM over CHI


NYM over WAS


SEA over TOR


HOU over SEA
BOS over CLE


HOU over BOS


WORLD SERIES PREDICTION:

New York Mets over Houston Astros

Saturday, April 1, 2017

2017 NL West Preview

  1. Los Angeles Dodgers - There just too much talent and organizational depth for the rest of the league to keep up, yet somehow I see the Dodgers days here being numbered. Andrew Friedman and company seem hell-bent on shipping off all their talent.

Bold prediction: Yasiel Puig hits 30 and the media still finds something to complain about with him.

Breakout player: Rob Segedin OF

  1. Arizona Diamondbacks - I'm doing something I never thought I'd do - I'm buying and Diamondbacks. I like their pitching. I like their offensive balance. I think they're ready to compete for, even make the postseason.

Bold prediction: Paul Goldschmidt is a 30/30 player.

Breakout player: Robbie Ray SP/Brandon Drury 2B

  1. Colorado Rockies - Believe it or not folks, the Rockies have the pitching to balance their high powered offense. From my perspective, the only thing that will hold the Rockies back is growing pains with their young arms. I had a hard time putting them third.

Bold prediction: Even in Coors Field, the Rockies will have the division's best home ERA.

Breakout player: Anthony Senzatela SP

  1. San Francisco Giants - The division is catching up to the Dodgers and Giants. San Francisco is never one to be doubted but I'm going against the grain and I'm doubting the Giants. I'm not overly impressed with the pitching, offense is good, not great. Bullpen was awful in the second half last year. Just my opinion, the Giants have a lot to prove.

Bold prediction: The Giants finish below .500.

Breakout player: Ty Blach SP

  1. San Diego Padres - The Padres went all in and then sold the ranch to rebuild. I think this rebuild will take a while and that will make for a long summer on the coast. I don't like the Friars much this year.

Bold prediction: The Padres will have the worst record since the 2005 Royals.

Breakout player: Manny Margot OF

Friday, March 31, 2017

2017 NL Central Preview

  1. Chicago Cubs - Do I really need to explain this?

Bold prediction: The Cubs will have six players hit 20 or more homers.

Breakout player: Mike Montgomery SP

  1. St Louis Cardinals - Like it or not, the Cardinals have as much depth as the Cubs. They also have the talent to not only keep up, but to win the division. Don't expect the St Louis to be railroaded in the Central like they were last year. Dexter Fowler is a great addition.

Bold prediction: The Cardinals make a move for a big bat at the deadline. Perhaps Jose Abreu?

Breakout player: Luke Weaver SP

  1. Pittsburgh Pirates - Since the emergence of the Mets and Cubs in the National League, the Pirates have become the odd man out along with the Cardinals. There's plenty there though to remain competitive and get back to the postseason. Andrew McCutcheon needs to bounce back in a big way. Look for the Pirates to deal one of their surplus of outfielders to find more pitching depth.

Bold prediction: McCutcheon and Josh Bell are shipped off for a big arm.

Breakout player: Josh Bell 1B

  1. Milwaukee Brewers - The Brewers rebuild is nearly complete. With some terrific pitchers and hitters ready to help them win, it's just not going to be this year. Long year for the Brew Crew but good times are near.

Bold prediction: Ryan Braun moves on to a contender and the Brewers add some more pieces to get them into contention in a few years.

Breakout player: Zach Davies SP

  1. Cincinnati Reds - It seems like the Reds are a long ways off. I actually think they are closer than people think. I think they've done a good job of just stockpiling high ceiling guys. The Reds are going to have a long year this year though. You'll start to see some of the guys that should have an impact in the Queen City soon.

Bold prediction: The Reds play spoiler in September and frustrate some teams and their fans.

Breakout player: Jose Peraza 2B

Thursday, March 30, 2017

2017 NL East Preview

  1. Washington Nationals - From the reigning Cy Young award winner to one of the best young sluggers in the game and perhaps another exciting young shortstop to join a plethora of them across baseball, the Nationals have the look of one of the best teams in baseball. I look for a huge bounce back year from Bryce Harper. The Nationals don't have a very complete lineup but it's exceptional in a lot of places making it very tough.

Bold prediction: Bryce Harper will hit 60 HRs.

Breakout player(s): Trea Turner SS/Joe Ross SP/Koda Glover RP

  1. New York Mets - Here's my theory: The 2017 New York Mets will win the world series. Lucas Duda is playing for likely the only payday of his career. Neil Walker is playing for probably his last payday of his career. Same for Jose Reyes and Jay Bruce. It's time for Matt Harvey to start putting together some consistency before he hits the free agent market in a few years. Jacob deGrom looks good in the spring. Steven Matz and Zack Wheeler have a lot to prove. I think there's all the makings of a big season from a lot of Mets and if there's one thing I know, you can bank on guys playing for more money (see what I did there?).

Bold prediction: Was them winning the World Series not bold enough? Here's one - The Mets have three pitchers in the top 5 of the Cy Young award voting.

Breakout player: Bob Gsellman SP

  1. Atlanta Braves - I'm not going to lie, I still have no idea what the Braves are doing but good grief do they have an impressive collection of young arms and Bartolo Colon. It's not the flashiest lineup but it should be good enough to give the Nationals and Mets a run for their money atop the division.

Bold prediction: The Braves keep themselves in the pennant race enough to make a few deadline moves. For fun I'm going to predict they add Evan Longoria near the deadline.

  1. Miami Marlins - If you don't feel for the Marlins and what happened to them with Jose Fernandez, you're just cold blooded. It'll be hard not to root for the Fish this year and while they have some great players, I just don't think the Fish have enough pitching to keep up in the pitching rich NL East. I think people finally saw how good Christian Yelich is during the WBC.

Bold prediction: Giancarlo Stanton engages Bryce Harper in a Mark McGwire/Sammy Sosa like home run showdown.

Breakout player: JT Realmuto C

  1. Philadelphia Phillies - The Phillies, like the Braves have a really good collection of young pitchers. I don't think it's out of the realm of possibility the Braves, Marlins and Phillies each finish at .500 or close to it. Philadelphia has something special brewing and if their collection of young arms start to contribute, the bandwagon is going to start to fill up fast.

Bold prediction: Philadelphia will get the nod to host the 2019 All Star 🌟 game, making the NL the host for the fifth time in six years.

Breakout player: Odubel Herrera OF

Wednesday, March 29, 2017

2017 AL West Preview

  1. Houston Astros - I really love this team. One through nine in this order, there's no breaks. On the surface, the pitching leaves a little to be desired but I think there's enough there to win the division and I think that's what they do.

Bold prediction: We find out Yuli Guriel needs more seasoning, AJ Reed forces Houston to find another position for Guriel, which may not be possible given the depth the organization has.

Breakout player: Joe Musgrove SP

  1. Seattle Mariners - I've never been one to go all in with Seattle. If ever there was a year to do it, this would be the one and I'm just not going to fall into that trap. This team is going to score a lot of runs and they should pitch really well. But I'm not going to fall for the perpetual tease that is the Seattle Mariners. Don't @ me.

Bold prediction: The Ms play in the highest scoring American League Wild Card game to date.

Breakout player: Mitch Haniger OF

  1. Texas Rangers - In my opinion, the Rangers sold the cattle and livestock of the operation and now they're left with enough assets to look pretty from the highway but it's all downhill from there. They've got some nice pieces but I'm not sold they have enough to get back to the playoffs. Just too many questions for me. Back end of the rotation. Corner outfield spots. Bullpen is a huge question in my mind.

Bold prediction: Carlos Gomez returns to being a 20/20 player is the American League’s Comeback Player of the Year.

Breakout player: Tanner Scheppers RP

  1. Oakland Athletics - There's a lot to like about the A’s. In my mind, the team they start the year with will look vastly different than the one they end the year with. There's lots of young talent coming and it should give Oakland fans a lot of optimism, but I'm not optimistic they have enough to win now.

Bold prediction: Sean Manea emerges as one of the top young pitchers in the game and wins at least 16 games.

Breakout player: Ryon Healy 3B/DH
  1. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim - Give Mike Trout a lot of credit. He is committing to a real dumpster fire on the west coast. No farm system. A pitching staff of who's who to go through the offices of Dr James Andrews. And an offense that tops the AARP list of highest earners. The Angels will not only be the West's cellar dwellers for years, but the American League and baseball’s.

Bold prediction: Not even the sympathy vote is enough to win Trout the MVP this year. It's not a popular opinion or even likely, but the Angels need to trade him and get lots and lots of prospects.

Breakout player: If I have to pick one, CJ Cron 1B/DH

Tuesday, March 28, 2017

2017 AL Central Preview

  1. Cleveland Indians - Perhaps the best pitching staff in all the American League, if not baseball, the Tribe is in great position to maintain their claim as AL champs. Corey Kluber is going to deliver but to me, the key for Cleveland is what they get out of Danny Salazar and Carlos Carasco. If they can get 25-30 starts from each, there's no reason the Indians shouldn't get back to the World Series.

Monday, March 27, 2017

2017 AL East Preview

  1. Boston Red Sox - A loaded lineup from top to bottom, the Red Sox boast the game's top prospect, the offseason’s biggest splash, and one of the game's best young players. It's hard not to see the Red Sox winning the AL East.

Tuesday, April 12, 2016

Yasiel Puig, Cubs Lineup, and Why MLB Needs To Adjust Their Scheduling Early in the Season

Before I begin, let’s not get crazy with our reactions. About six days ago, the sky was falling because the Cardinals were 0-3 and couldn’t score a run to save their lives. Since then, all I hear about is how many runs the Cardinals have scored compared to the Cubs.


Now Mets pitchers are all of a sudden struggling and the “Metsees” (as Keith Hernandez would say) are winless in their last three or whatever and Matt Harvey’s strikeouts are down, Jacob deGrom is dealing with a back issue and Steven Matz was just shelled by a right-handed heavy Marlins lineup.


Maybe, just maybe, it’s too soon to hit the panic button in some of these scenarios.


I want to start today though with the scheduling of Major League Baseball.


I sat last night, watching the Mets and Marlins play at a very cold Citi Field. I sat Sunday watching the Mets host the Phillies at a frigid Citi Field, and I watched Saturday night watching players and umpires do anything they could to keep any part of their bodies warm.


This is ridiculous. The worst thing is, that’s not the only baseball that I have seen in the cold weather this year or the last, well 20-whatever I’ve been watching.


Here’s the deal MLB: I know you want teams to get home games in the early part of the schedule. I understand that. I really do. But a warm-weather Marlins club playing the New York Mets in the first weeks of the season in the northeast, notoriously cold, is just ludicrous.



And yes, I do understand you can’t load up a warm or dome team’s schedule with all home games in the first few weeks of the season, I totally get that too.


And I’m not saying the Mets or Phillies or Twins or Tigers should play their first home game in mid-to-late April, but can we do a better job of scheduling?


Why are we playing so many night games when the temperature across the midwest and northeast drops almost 15-20 degrees once the sun sets at quarter to eight?


While these teams need home games, they also need fan support to make money at these events, and if you watched any baseball at all, section after section at stadium after stadium are empty, because who wants to go out and sit and watch a baseball game when game time temperatures are 45-degrees at best, and will only drop as the evening moves along?


Hell, who wants to even play in that? I used to and it totally sucks.


This is what baseball needs to to.


First, the first week of the season, there’s no reason the Texas Rangers and Houston Astros should be playing anywhere but their home parks, against teams like Minnesota or Detroit.


Second, the first almost three weeks of the season, games in cold weather cities (obviously excluding Milwaukee, Toronto and Seattle, who play in domes) need to be day games.


Why? Because the day time temperatures in these locations are significantly warmer than evening and night temperatures, drawing more fans, making the game better to be a part of for the players and more watchable for the fan in the stands and at home.


Additionally, day games need to be scheduled in case rain and inclement weather pushes the start times back.


But finally, warm weather games need to be scheduled because teams probably aren’t bringing in the money the normally do during a fair-to-good weather day at the ballpark.


Just taking a stab in the dark judging by the empty seats you see all over the place at these early season games.


And, again, I do realize a lot of these seats are probably empty because people aren’t inclined to take work off early in the year, especially with kids in school still, to go to the ballpark, but the junk weather is making that decision to stay in so much easier.


This is something that has bothered me for a long time and watching a warm weather Miami Marlins team play in New York last night was really annoying to watch. 

Other notes: 



  • Don’t look now, but the lightning rod that is Yasiel Puig is off to a roaring start in 2016. So far, Puig has a home run, 4 RBIs and a 5:4 BB:K ratio.



  • The Chicago Cubs overcame a 3-run deficit and were no-hit through almost seven innings and still won Monday night proving just how difficult it will be to not only shut this offense out, but hold them down an entire game. I’m setting the over/under at 3 for shutouts of this offense this season.




  • Speaking of being shut out, the Tampa Bay Rays offense continues to slide early in the year. I’ve said it over and over and over, but the Rays have the pitching to beat any offense on any night, will their bats give them enough support to get past that three-run threshold that I think is going to be the key number for this team this year? It’s a rock fight every night you play Tampa and the first to three is usually going to be the winner.



  • We got our first glimpse of the future outfield in Texas a few years ago, when Joey Gallo, then a third basemen, made his big league debut. Now Nomar Mazara is the latest Rangers phenom to break into the big leagues and has done so in amazing fashion (5-for-8 with a HR, 2 RBIs). The Rangers have a special player in Mazara with another one in Lewis Brinson right behind him. I said it earlier this weekend, that outfield in Texas is going to be the best in baseball as soon as next summer. I would not want to be a pitcher in the American League West in the near future.



  • Speaking of the AL West, they’re the only league without a team above .500 thus far (as of Tuesday’s games). I picked the A’s to win the division, and if their pitching staff finds health and consistency, that’s not a team that you want to get down in the mud and play in July, August or September. Billy Beane put together a really good team this year. As Brad Pitt said in Moneyball, “You may not look like a winning team, but you are one.” 2016 totally epitomizes the moneyball mentality of the Oakland A’s.


There’s just a few early thoughts of mine as we get into the 2016 MLB season, I’m going to work on a prospect piece for you. Some guys to keep an eye on in the minors this summer.

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