Marco's Baseball Blog-O-Roonie 2017: National League

MARCO'S BASEBALL BLOG-O-ROONIE 2017: TEAM RATINGS AND PREDICTIONS NL

So I took a week off and watched the action before I decided to commit on the NL predictions. So much easier to predict winners after they've already won.

My AL picks are discombobulated by cold weather injuries and flu bugs. I don't care. I am confident that my picks will prevail. Lindor and Correa have started hot, much as I foretold. Houston looks a little better than I expected them to...Texas a little weaker. Boston is diseased but game. Toronto can't beat Tampa Bay. Baltimore and Minnesota are murderously offensive. So be it. It's a long season.

And now...THE NATIONAL LEAGUE!

Let's start in the West. (Because it's more interesting than the other divisions, not because of some western bias.)

NL WEST

1^st place: LOS ANGELES DODGERS

I pretty much telegraphed this pick in earlier blogs, so no big stunner. The stunner at the start of the season is Arizona and Colorado both going 4-0. Kershaw gave up back to back homers and all the pundits had to change their pampers, but he started cold last year too. Not to worry.

Offense: 3 1/2*...what they're missing is that one big superstar bat that just scares the heck out of other teams. Like Ortiz did for the Sox or Trout does for the Angels. Encarnacion. Cabrera. Votto. In their own division the Trolley Dodgers (yes, that's where the nickname comes from all you denizens of a bygone Brooklyn era) have to contend with Goldschmidt of the Diamondbacks and Arenado of the Rockies. We'll see if Seager develops into that kind of hitter.

Puig has always tantalized that he might become that guy but I think he's more likely to remain an agonizing tease. (Though he's lots better since Dave Roberts became his manager.) They have strong support throughout the lineup with Turner, Gonzalez and others. Not much right-handed pop if Turner and Puig don't produce.

Defense: 4*...the Dodgers are athletic and talented up the middle and in the outfield. Center fielder Joc Peterson plays a little too deep I think. Sometimes they have to play Scott Van Slyke at first or in the outfield but he's such an amiable guy I don't want to criticize him. I think it's interesting that a career bench player has stuck with the same team so long. (6 years so far.) That doesn't usually happen. So I figure he must be a great teammate in the locker room. He's a valuable back-up. No shame in that kind of career. Make Daddy proud, Scott!

Starting Rotation: 4*...it falls off a little after their Supremo Numero Uno Kershaw. but the depth is so amazing. And the youth with Maeda and Urias and Alex Wood. They are a little fragile with Hill's blister issues and Kershaw's back disc. Last year they used 16 starters. The thing is....they got 'em and won the division going away!

Bullpen: 3*...not as good here except for closer Kenly Jansen (the Flying Dutchman). We'll see how they've pieced it together as the season goes on. No lack of candidates in the Dodger's overloaded system.

Leadership: 4 1/2*...mostly for the manager Dave Roberts who has shown how effective good people skills can be in smoothing out the edges of an irascible clubhouse that was full of malcontents and head cases and getting them all on the same page. Now the Dodgers are enjoying themselves and winning. And they should send Magic Johnson down to the clubhouse more often to be the face of management.

19*: FIRST PLACE!

2^nd place...SAN FRANCISCO

Offense: 2 1/2*...too low you say? Well who scares you in that lineup? Buster Posey. Ok...I'm waiting. Shortstop Brandon Crawford is hitting cleanup a lot and he only hit .275 with 84 ribbies (to lead the club by the way!) Sure, AT&T Park is a joke when it comes to punishing the hitters, but that doesn't mean the Giants have an offense. They can't seem to get an outfielder who can hit and keep depending on injury-prone Hunter Pence every year. I like Nunez' speed at third. But that's their big addition for the year? How many 2-1 games will Bumgarner have to lose before he volunteers to play outfield on his off days? He may be the scariest hitter the Giants have.

Defense: 3 1/2*...great fielding percentage. Great keystone combo. Great Catcher. Really bad outfield arms.

Starters: 4*...because they have Bumgarner and Cueto at the top. Matt Moore and Jeff Samardzija posted high ERA's for the home ballpark they played in. Matt Cain is a ghost. Depth very uncertain so if one of the top two gets hurt knock off a star.

Bullpen: 1 1/2*...one closer does not a bullpen make. They got Mark Melancon from the Nats and he promptly coughed up a furball in his first game as a Giant (against the Diamondbacks) and managed to lose a game where Bumgarner had hit two homers and pitched great except for one stretch of three hitters that cost him. Not even Bruce Bochy can manage this bullpen full of losers.

Leadership: 5*...something must be helping them get to the playoffs every year, right? Bochy is the best manager in the game. Above Madden, Giradi and Francona. Buster Posey, Crawford and Pence...all game day leaders.

But number one is the Unicorn...MadBum. He's an evolutionary inheritor of whatever gene made pitchers like Lefty Grove, Bob Gibson and Randy Johnson the dominating, devastating, refuse-to-lose guys they were. You want that guy on your team for the Big Game? I guess you do!

16 1/2*: SECOND PLACE!

3^rd place...COLORADO

Every year somebody says...the Rockies are gonna be great this year! And every year the snow melts and they turn to Rocky Mountain Sludge. No matter that they have terrific hitting stars like Carlos Gonzalez, Nolan Arenado, Trevor Story, Charlie Blackmon and D.J.LeMahieu. It's all an illusion created by the light air of the Mile-High city and the big power alleys of Coors Field.

Offense: 3 1/2*...see above.

Defense: 4 1/2*...Gold Glovers at second and third. Real good everywhere.

Starters: 3*...Chatwood and Anderson both had ERAs below 4!!! That seems so good. But Chatwood was 8-1 on the road with an ERA of 1.69 and 4-8 ERA of 6.12 at home. And you didn't think Coors made that much difference?

Bullpen: 1 1/2*...ERA last year? 5.13...Yarg. Gargle on that.

Leadership: 2*...good on the field leaders. But management somehow got themselves into a situation where their first pick in the draft this year will be number 48. ONE WINNING SEASON ON THE ROAD IN THE TEAM'S ENTIRE HISTORY....AND THEY CAN NEVER FIX IT.

14 1/2*: THIRD PLACE!

4th place...ARIZONA

They looked good beating the Giants at home to start the season. Are the 'Backs ...back? That's a lame pun indeed. Back from where? They've never been “here” except for that infamous year of 2001 where they knocked off the Yanks because they had Randy (Johnson)and Curt (Schilling) slingin' it for four games.

They got Pollock back from a year-long DL stretch and they need him to team with Goldy, Lamb and Tomas to keep the offense humming. You need a lot of offense to win at Chase Field. (They are going to humidify the baseballs to take the rabbit out of the them this year...ala Colorado.) Also, Greinke and Miller are better pitchers than they showed last year. (And least one would hope if one were a fan of the Diamondhumps.)

Offense: 2 1/2*...they really aren't that good except for those mentioned above. Chase Field makes them seem like an offensive monolith...they're really just a crumbling adobe brick.

They had to trade Jean Segura...a top-tier offensive (and defensive) shortstop to get Taijuan Walker. I don't like that trade. They give up a top five shortstop for a pitcher who couldn't consistently pitch in one of the best pitcher's parks in baseball? Walker is gonna gag when he sees what fly balls do at Chase Field. They also have nothing coming from the catcher or shortstop positions (Mathis and Ahmed).

Defense: 3 1/2*...might be four stars if they didn't have to play Yasmany Tomas somewhere.

Starters: 3*...see above comments about Greinke, Walker and Miller. Leftie Robbie Ray K'd 218 in 174 innings but still had a 4.90 ERA.

Bullpen: 2*...I really can't stand Fernando Rodney's “arrow” routine. I bet every player in baseball hates that.

How about when you blow a save Fernando, you mime an arrow going into your heart and drop dead on the mound, just to even up the theatrics?

Leadership: 1/2*...as far as management goes, the Titanic had better leadership. Baseball geniuses Dave Stewart and Tony La Russa traded the number one pick of the 2015 draft... shortstop Dansby Swanson... pitcher Aaron Blair and Gold Glove outfielder Ender Inciarte to the Atlanta Braves for Shelby Miller, a hard luck pitcher who proved that if it wasn't for bad luck he'd have no luck at all. He wound up in the minors while Swanson was revitalizing the Braves. Inciarte batted .291 while playing awesome center field. It would have been a bad trade if it was just Inciarte for Miller.

So they fired Stewart and “reassigned” La Russa. So their new GM Mike Hazen...just to make sure he didn't have a great shortstop...trades Segura for Walker. That's two trades giving up proven every day players and a number 1 prospect for two questionable pitchers. Wow.

11 1/2*... FOURTH PLACE!

5^th place...SAN DIEGO

They lost 120 games last year. And they have bad uniforms when they're not sporting the camys. Now they're calling it a “deep rebuild”. See you in 2022 San Diego.

Offense: 1*...it's Will Myers and the prospects. Hunter Renfroe is from Mississippi State and Bulldog draftees can usually hit...see Will Clark and Rafael Palmeiro (though cursed be his steroid-tainted name!)

Defense: 2*...who really knows? Nobody has seen any of these guys play.

Starters: 1/2*...Oh My God. They may be historically bad. Maybe some of these guys can pitch but they are space fillers. The team doesn't want to spend money on starters until the rest of the prospects develop. That's actually smart. The Cubs did that too. But will any fans at all come to the park?

Bullpen: 1 1/2*...like I said. It's a bad, bad ball team.

Leadership: 1*...you've got to ask how they dug themselves into this tremendous hole. Baseball may not survive in San Diego.

6*: FIFTH PLACE! (congratulations are in order. San Diego, you are the lowest rated team in the history of this blog.)

NL CENTRAL

You just can't see anybody breaking up the Cubs/Cardinals death grip on the top of the division. I suppose Pittsburgh could finally put it together but it's hard to have confidence in them. (Maybe if I ignore them this year they'll start playing better.) Milwaukee and the Reds are rebuilds.

1^st place...CHICAGO

What? You thought I was going to give some shock prediction that the Adorables would crumble to dust overnight? Not likely. I did say earlier that they have a few concerns. Replacing Dexter Fowler at leadoff is one. (He went to the rival Cards which is double bad for Chicago.) He inspired them last year. Also I predicted that they would miss David Ross...Lester's personal catcher and a kind of Grey Eminence in the locker room for the youngsters. But unless a mutant goat charges the dugout with Steve Bartman on his back and pees on Kris Bryant, the Cubs will at the very least make the Playoffs.

Offense: 4 1/2*...talent from top to bottom. They have Schwarber leading off which is not perfect...I am aware of his .408 OBP though. Almora needs to hit in centerfield. But with the confidence these young hitters gained by winning last season...it's going to be a long season for the rest of the League.

Defense: 4 1/2*...very very good. Catcher Contreras needs to learn how to frame pitches but with that veteran staff he should be ok if he listens. Schwarber and Zobrist ain't exactly gazelles in the outfield, but that's why they have Almora between them. They may not even play Jason Heyward that much. He makes a great defensive backup for $180 million dollars, though, don't you think? Bryant can move around which is handy. Short, Second, First?...Gold Glove caliber.

Starters: 5*...Lester, Arrieta, Hendricks in their primes. Lackey still a force. Mike Montgomery had a primo ERA last year and he's a strong number 5. Other teams don't really want to deal with any of these guys...coming at them day after day is going to be depressing for them.

Bullpen: 4*...on paper. Four guys with power arms and good breaking balls. Edwards, Strop, Rondon, and Davis. (That doesn't even include Koji Uehara and his famous split) If Davis stay healthy this group should be yet another strength for the club. Maddon needs to treat them right and build up their confidence.

Leadership: 4*...I thought Maddon kind of dissed his bullpen guys in the Series by pitching Aroldis Chapman into the ground instead of letting somebody else take a shot. That caused some disgruntlement, But Joe is a dynamic guy and a good tactical manager too. The front office is the best in baseball. (Bunch of smarty pants-es!) On field leadership developing behind nice guys Rizzo and Bryant and old pros like Lackey, Lester and Zobrist.

I guess you'd call this a Dream Team. Let's see if they continue their Adorable Ways.

22*: FIRST PLACE!

2^nd place...ST. LOUIS

The Cards have a real good team. Good D, a fairly potent offense, some nasty pitchers and the best catcher in baseball. And they lost to the Cubs by 17 games!

Offense: 3 1/2*...they have a lot of pretty good bats but no great bats. They have a lot of 15-20 homer guys but no 35-40 homer guys. And they don't steal anymore which is kind of shocking for the Cardinals, who have always countered their cavernous Busch Stadium with a pesky speed game. They are ahead of the Giants offensively, but way way back of the Cubs, Dodgers, and Nats.

Defense: 4 1/2*...Aledmys Diaz is a great new shortstop. (Let's nickname him “Aladdin” shall we?) He led all rookies with a .369 On Base and his 17 homers was impressive. Matt Carpenter will be an upgrade at first and Jhonny Peralta moving to third works. If Wong can play well that's a terrific infield. The outfield is also very good with Grichuk, Piscotty and Fowler.

Yady Molina is worth a star and a half all by himself. Anytime your staff ERA is over a run better when a certain guy is behind the plate...well, Molina should have a couple of MVP awards by now. It goes to show you how people underrate what a great catcher means on defense. And Molina hits .300 as well. (In fact he hit .365 with a .529 slugging in the second half!)

Starters: 3 1/2*..Carlos Martinez...step right up. It's your turn. Alex Reyes could be great. But Wainwright is trying to do it with guile now and when he misses his target they light him up. Lance Lynn and Mike Leake? Big question marks there. Whatever happened to Michael Wacha? Can he ever come back from all those injuries? Last season...ERA over 5. He looked good in his first start of 2017 though.

Bullpen: 4*...Seung-hwan Oh is the new closer and they are prepping Trevor Rosenthal to be an innings eater like Andrew Miller. They have other good arms out there and Michael Wacha might even wind up a reliever.

Leadership: 4*...Mike Matheny is a good, steady, motivating manager with a new 3-year contract. Mozeliak is the GM and the pipeline of great prospects is loaded with talent...both pitchers and position players. The Cards will be good for a long time.

On the field, they have perhaps the best leader in baseball...Yadier Molina. He's an extra manager. (I took off half a point because the Cardinals somehow allowed one of their minions to hack into the Astros scouting reports and steal info. The guy is in jail now!)

19 1/2*: SECOND PLACE!

3^rd place...PITTSBURGH

Offense: 3 1/2*...one of the best outfields in baseball with Marte, Polanco and McCutcheon. Trouble is, Marte is peaking, Polanco is still on the way up and 'Cutch is just now sliding down. Their timing is off if they want to win. Austin Meadows is a big stick in the minors, waiting for his shot. The rest of the lineup are nothing special...just nice, average players.

Defense: 2*...very bad in the infield. Atrocious in fact. Great outfield and catcher (Cervelli).

Starters: 3*...not enough of them. Gerrit Cole has to be an Ace and he's just not...not yet. Ivan Nova...does he really excite you? Tyler Glasnow (6'8”)is supposed to be the great Right(handed)Hope. Hasn't shown it at this level. 4.43 BB per 9 innings in the minors.

Bullpen: 3*...Tony Watson is the leftie closer and he's good. Daniel Hudson sets up and induces ground balls, which makes the Pirates organization so very happy. But, like the young starters, this group is largely composed of young pitchers trying to learn how to throw strikes. That's why the Buccos finished 78-83 last year and probably will again.

Leadership: 2 1/2*...this team may have lost its spirit. They were getting close but every time they do that, management has to dump salary and they lose very important players like Russell Martin, Mark Melancon, Francisco Liriano and Neil Walker. So it's the Myth of Sisyphus pushing that damn rock up the mountain only to watch it roll back down to the bottom again and again. The Pirates should get an owner who is not afraid to pay out for a few years to get a winner. The fans will come out and you'll get your money back.

14*: THIRD PLACE!

4^th place...MILWAUKEE

“What made Milwaukee famous...made a loser out of me...”

---Jerry Lee Lewis

What made Milwaukee famous wasn't baseball. At least it wasn't since 1957, the last time Milwaukee won anything.

(That was the Braves franchise that beat the Yankees in the World Series. The Brewers franchise won the division in 2011 with 96 wins.)

Yet another team writhing around in a moneyless hell. They don't have enough good players to draw well so they don't have enough money to get good players, so they don't draw well...etc. etc. etc.

Raise the luxury tax MLB...half your teams are never-wins! Socialism will be good for the game. For every Kansas City or Cleveland, there's a Milwaukee, a Pittsburgh, a Cincinnati, Milwaukee, Denver, Tampa Bay or Oakland. Teams that don't have big TV money, don't draw three million people a year, can't afford enough good players to win consistently. These teams get behind the eight ball of bad draft choices when they are any good at all, and lose their good free agents as soon as the control years are up. So it takes decades before they time it right and have controllable good young players mixed with a few stars before their free agent years and can actually win something over the large market teams. (Hello KC!) And then of course they can't sustain it. (Hello again KC!)

Think how exciting it would be if the deck got shuffled every year or so and more of these teams had a chance?

Offense: 2*...near the bottom of baseball in most categories. (Except first in steals with 181!) Not enough lefties in the lineup. They have one good hitter...He Who Must Not Be Named! They also have Jonathon Villar, who hit .285 with 19 dingers and 62 steals.

Defense: 2*...the lowest fielding percentage in baseball...point 978.

Starters: 1 1/2*...space fillers that will be released or traded as soon as younger pitchers can be fed to the flames. All right handed too.

Bullpen: 1 1/2*...unproven arms with bad numbers.

Leadership: 1*...they waited too long to start the rebuild. The Cubs, Indians and White Sox showed you how, Milwaukee...why wait? They will trade anybody who is worth anything and field a depressing team that will lose 100 games at least in this tough division.

8*: FOURTH PLACE!

5^th place... CINCINNATI

Baseball needs a good team in C-town, the first city to ever field a true, ongoing professional baseball team. That would be the Red Stockings of 1869. Ten players paid for eight months March 15 to November 15. Long may they be remembered!

I already bleated out my sullen small market protests in the Milwaukee segment so I'll shut up...except...the Reds finally traded Brandon Phillips!! 4 years too late!!

Offense: 2*...God knows what it would be without Joey Votto. Maybe ½ a star? They also have Adam Duvall who hit 33 homers and Sliding Billy Hamilton who had 58 steals.

One question: How did Votto hit .326 in that lineup? How did he get 97 rbi's? Why did anybody ever pitch to him? I think Joey has an outside chance of hitting .400 in a season if he could get on a good team with some protection. He hit .408 in the second half. His season OBP was .434 and he slugged .550. That means he doesn't swing at bad pitches and he can hit it long enough to back up the outfielders. He's also fast enough to beat out some hits and when they shift on him he can go to left with ease. His ego doesn't require him to combat the shift by pulling everything.

Defense: 3*...Duvall and Hamilton were Gold Glove finalists.

Starters: 1/2*...the Reds used 52 players last season and a whole lot of them were pitchers. 5 starting pitchers made their Major League debuts. Their only solid starter...Homer Bailey...is hurt AGAIN. This is a bad bad staff. Maybe these youngsters will improve but last season they gave up the most homers (258), most walks (636) and hit batters (78) in all of baseball. That, my friends, is a disaster.

Bullpen: 1/2*... as bad as the rotation. Most homers, most walks, most runs allowed. You get the picture. They don't seem to have improved in the off-season. Whatever starters blow up will be tried in the bullpen and then sacrificed on top of an Aztec pyramid.

Leadership: 1*...time for a new front office. These guys aren't getting anywhere.

7*: FIFTH PLACE! (How about a playoff series between the Reds and the Padres?)

NL EAST

It's getting pretty boring watching the Nationals and the Mets doing their little dance every year. Wouldn't it be great if Florida came up with a pitcher or two and surprised everyone? How about Atlanta's rookies suddenly becoming superstars and leading the Bravos to victory? The Philly Phoenix rising into the stratosphere?

Oh boy...if only. It's going to be the Nats and the Mets for another year. Whichever team gets hit by the injury goblins less will win.

1^st place...WASHINGTON

They've lacked the killer instinct the last few years to say the least. They seemed resigned when they choked two years ago and then couldn't beat the Dodgers in the clutch last year. Harper has to play bigger than his hairdo.

Offense: 4*...if everybody stays healthy for a whole season, which is doubtful if recent seasons are any indication. But Eaton, Turner, Harper, Murphy, and Rendon are impressive up top. (*note: Turner is hurt...for how long and how bad not sure...should be back in a couple weeks but it's his leg and he's a “leg” man.)

Defense: 3 1/2*...really pretty good if you ignore Daniel Murphy on second...he's really bad. Norris is second in the majors among catchers in defensive runs saved (and how they figure it I don't know!).

Starters: 4*...would be higher if they had any depth. Scherzer, Strasburg, Roark, Gonzalez and Ross...pretty damn good. If only Strasburg stays healthy! Scherzer right up there with Kershaw and Bumgarner as the best in the league.

Bullpen: 2*...a real trouble spot unless they get creative with a trade. But of course they blew their wad on the Eaton trade and lost all their minor league pitching depth. Now they are naked and exposed. (the Miley Cyruses of the League!)

Leadership: 3 1/2*...even though he bugs me sometimes with his whimsical in-game decisions I have to hand it to Dusty Baker: the players love him and play hard for him. His sense of humor is refreshing in a game that sometimes takes itself too seriously. But he hasn't had the same effect on his team of Sourpusses that Dave Roberts has had on the Dodger Discontents.

17*: FIRST PLACE!

2^nd place...NEW YORK METS

Oh, the Metskies! What a Teasin' Team! They play like world beaters one week and then curl up into a little ball of Puny the next. This team has no defense, a limited offense that depends on the home run (and especially Yoenis Cespedes) and lives and dies on its starting pitching, which is extraordinary when and if all these superstud Aces in waiting aren't tweaking their fragile elbows.

Healthy Mets? A major threat to win it all. DL Mets? Thud.

Offense: 3 1/2*...if healthy! (Broken record, I know.) 5^th in homers in the majors, but middle to bottom in most other offensive categories. (23rd OBP, 25th runs, 28^th steals etc.) Long ball hitters Duda, Cabrera, Granderson, Bruce, Walker and Conforto ...not to mention Cespedes...give them enough pop to win, but they are like Houston without an Altuve...no high averages, lots of strikeouts.

Defense: 2*...definitely weak in this category. Average outfielders except for Granderson. Cespedes throws lasers but he's really sloppy at catching the ball and misreads routes all the time. Conforto is similar. Jay Bruce is a pro but he's aging to play the big field at Citi. Ordinary to below average all over the infield. Catcher also a problem.

Starters: 4 1/2*...three full Aces on the squad: Syndergaard, Harvey and DeGrom. Zach Wheeler a Number 2 on most clubs. Matz is hurt. A lot of their back-ups are hurt now too...even this early in the season they are vulnerable. If the Aces start getting fragile again like they did last year you can start deducting stars. Gsellman is an exciting talent and could be pressed into service as the 5^th starter.

Bullpen: 2 1/2*...uh-oh. A very shaky bullpen got hit with the double whammy early this season when Lugo went down. The closer, Familia, beat on his woman and is suspended for a few more weeks. Will it affect his performance? Addison Reed has to be the stopper now.

Leadership: 3*...I know people like Terry Collins. He's a nice guy and everything but he's the oldest manager in baseball. I think he mishandles his bullpen. Management is good when they aren't being stressed by money problems. They sure have a good scouting system to pick up all these stud pitchers. On field they need a leader now that David Wright is hurt. Jay Bruce helps and Cespedes is an inspirational offensive force who has long dry spells.

15 1/2*: SECOND PLACE!

3^rd place...MIAMI

A star-crossed team. Jose Fernandez carried the rotation and his death was a terrible tragedy. The Marlins might have been a contender if he had lived. Stanton has played more than 123 games in only one of the last four seasons. He's the scariest power hitter in baseball when he's right. Dee Gordon was tearing up the league until he got busted for “enhancements”. That was another tough hit for the Marlins.

Offense: 3 1/2*...despite finishing 4^th in MLB in average the Marlins were at the bottom in everything else except on-base (13^th with .322) and steals (19^th with 71) This must be a result of their humongous ballpark because the Fish have offensive weapons up and down the lineup. Start with one of the best outfields in the majors: Stanton, Ozuna and Yelich. Add Dee Gordon and Martin Prado and 1b Justin Bour. Ichiro is on the bench whenever you need a hit. The Fish can compete.

Defense: 3*...nothin' special but solid.

Starters: 1*...it's a bitter pill. They don't have much. Wei-Yin Chen and Edinson Volquez are being counted on...too much probably.

Bullpen: 3 1/2*...potentially dominant. Big arms but a few too many walks last year. A.J.Ramos closes. Phelps, Barraclough, McGowan, Ziegler and Tazawa. They are deep and dangerous.

Leadership: 3 1/2* I think Mattingly is a better fit with the Fish than with the Dodgers as a manager. He is a steady hand right now, and the bruised hearts of the Marlins should respond. Martin Prado is their captain and on-field leader.

I hope they do well this year.

14 1/2*: THIRD PLACE!

4TH PLACE...ATLANTA

A rebuilding team that is getting closer to respectability but is not there yet. They moved to their new stadium this year and that should give them a psychological boost. They won't win anything yet. IN TWO YEARS WATCH OUT.

Offense: 3*...because of Freddie Freeman, Matt Kemp and Ender Inciarte the Braves are not helpless. Dansby Swanson should be a better hitter this year and he already hit.302 for the Braves. He's still officially a rookie.

Defense: 2*...near the bottom of the Majors. Inciarte is a Gold Glover in center. Matt Kemp is a statue in left now. Infield caretakers at third and second.

Starters: 3*...young arms augment Ace Julio Teheran (4 to 1 K/BB ratio). They went out and hired Bartolo Colon and A.J.Dickey to give some veteran presence and comic relief.

Bullpen: 2*...we will be a'building. Jim Johnson is the closer. Mauricio Cabrera averaged over 100mph per pitch. Not very good control-wise though.

Leadership: 2 1/2*...Brian Snitker? Where did he come from to become the manager? He's been a loyal soldier in their organization for years and they think he's the one to lead the Braves back to Heaven. They've got a stocked system now and can build around Freeman and Swanson.

12 1/2*: FOURTH PLACE!

5^th place...PHILADELPHIA

Should compete with the Braves for fourth place but their pitching is more screwed up so I rank them last.

Offense: 1 1/2*...they have some good players but how can I rank them higher when they finished last or next to last in all of MLB in batting (.240), total bases, slugging, OBP, OPS, runs, RBIs...

Defense: 2*...they squeak by as almost average because of their stellar keystone combo, Freddy Galvis (ss) and Cesar Hernandez (2b), and center fielder Odubel Herrera. Pretty bad everywhere else.

Starters: 2 1/2*...Hellickson is the Number One and he had a 3.71 ERA and a 3-1 K/BB ratio. Jerad Eickhoff was a surprise at 3.65 and 4 to 1. They traded for Boston's Clay Bucholz and...wouldn't you know it...Clay tore something in his forearm in his second start. (His career just couldn't stay on track. Poor guy.) Aaron Nola also struck out 4 for every guy he walked. Vince Velasquez has the biggest upside on the staff. With some support, these guys aren't the worst rotation you've seen.

Bullpen: 1*...here is where it all falls apart. Their bullpen ERA was 5.01 which is truly horrendous for a bullpen. They gave up 86 homers! A few space fillers were added, but no proven lefties at all. The Phils will lose a lot of games late.

Leadership: 3*...once they get the core ready they have the cash to go get free agents and get good again. Philly will support a good team but they have to wait a couple of more years.

10*: FIFTH PLACE!

The National League is in a static condition with a few super teams running the show up top and everybody beating up on the 5 rebuilding clubs. That will surely change in coming seasons but this year it looks like:

East: Washington

Central: Chicago

West: L.A.

Wild Cards: San Francisco, St. Louis

Chicago and L.A. Will play for the pennant again and this time...L.A. Wins it!

MVP: Paul Goldschmidt

Cy Young: Madison Bumgarner

So there you have it. My next blogs will be much shorter I hope! Hold me responsible for all your betting mistakes.

May Spring baseball bring you much Joy!

--Marco

Marco's Baseball Blog-O-Roonie 2017: Fearless Predictions Redux! AL

MARCO'S BASEBALL BLOG-O-ROONIE 2017: FEARLESS PREDICTIONS REDUX! AL

HEY YOUSE GUYS! Time to wake up! It's Baseball Season!

I am here once again to annoy and percolate. So listen up and get ready to argue. I present the 2017 Team Rankings and Predictions! Today? The AMERICAN LEAGUE!

I'm using my Hollywood Star Rating system again. Need I remind you? Okay, I will:

5*stars= among the best of all time.

4*stars=really good

3*stars=a little above average

2 ½*stars=average

1*star=stinko

0*stars=a real liability...they're playing the batboy.

I'm rating teams in 5 categories: offensive lineup, defense, starting rotation, bullpen and leadership.

“Leadership” is managers and coaches, but also includes the roles of the front office, clubhouse chemistry and inspiration and the ever elusive “JUJU”...good or bad.

Breaking offense down into categories like speed and power doesn't change the overall effectiveness of your offense. You can do it like Kansas City with small ball and speed or you can do like Baltimore and brutalize people to death. It's still just offense.

Having two categories of pitching weights the final score accurately (I think) in that it recognizes the supreme importance of your pitching staff.

Let us proceed:

AL EAST: The always Beastly East has reloaded and is once again the hotbed of cutthroat competition.

1^st place: BOSTON

They are strong in all 5 categories and have a great core of young players who have some experience now. With Big Papi leaving a legacy of leadership and sportsmanship they should cruise into the Playoffs.

Offense: 4*

Defense: 4* ...especially outstanding in the outfield (which is pretty much what outfielders do, right? They're out there standing...oh well, just forget it). Good defensive catchers in Leon and Vasquez. Pedroia and Bogaerts good in the middle. Weak on the infield corners if Panda plays third but good defensive help in Brock Holt and Mitch Moreland.

Starters: 4 1/2*...if Price comes back healthy and Chris Sale doesn't suffer the Fenway Vapors in his first season in front of the ravenous Boston fans this could be a 5* staff. Lots of depth when somebody gets hurt.

Bullpen: 3 1/2*...good closer in Kimbrel. But every year they go out and spend big money on a big arm to be the 8^th inning guy and every year that guy turns into a gerbil. Carson Smith last year. Mark Melancon a few years ago. So this year I fear for Tyler Thornburg.

An important piece for them is knuckler Stephen Wright. He can come out of the pen and spot start or be a regular rotation guy. He was an All Star last year and he can eat up innings and rest the bullpen.

Leadership: 4*...The players seem to be having fun and that's always GOOD JUJU.

I like the attitude of Dombrowski. You need it? I'll go out and get it. Let's win now. Manager John Farrell doesn't show much imagination sometimes but he's steady and the pitchers seem to like him (One of Us!). At least he had the nerve to rearrange the lineup last year and move Mookie Betts from leadoff to clean up. That worked great with Papi in the third spot. But this year he seems to think Betts should bat third in front of Hanley Ramirez. He's wrong. The better contact hitter should bat fourth and the slugger should hit third to get more good pitches to slaughter. This has been proven over and over and yet old school managers still can't buy into it. With two outs and a man on, Betts can beat out a grounder and steal a run. Also, Hanley doesn't want the pressure of batting leadoff. He should bat third in front of Mookie. It should go:

against right handed starters...

Pedroia, Benitendi, Ramirez, Betts, Panda (DH), Bogaerts, Bradley Jr., Leon or Vasquez, Brock Holt(3^rd Base)

And they should let Moreland start at first occasionally and let Hanley DH and Panda sit.

against lefties...

Pedroia, Benitendi, Ramirez, Betts, Chris Young (DH), Bradley Jr., Bogaerts, Leon or Vasquez, Holt.

Keep moving Holt around to rest people at various positions but leave him in the lineup...he produces. And he's a much better third sacker than Panda, who is bottom of the barrel on D. If they bring up Blake Swihart later this year he might DH when he's not catching. That's another good switch hitter.

20*...FIRST PLACE!

2^nd place: TORONTO

Not quite as scary without Encarnacion. That guy is vastly underrated. Just ask Baltimore and the Red Sox. But this year their pitching has come alive and they shouldn't have to bludgeon people to death to win a few games. The Jays are a smokin' team.

Offense: 3 1/2*...which means they're very good. Last year I had them at 5* and I have to take something off for losing Edwin Encarnacion and watching Bautista and Tulowitzski regress. They also have weakness offensively in the outfield and at second base.

Defense: 4*...strong everywhere except maybe Bautista if he plays right.

Starters: 4 1/2*...this is where they've jumped up. Stroman was great in the World Baseball Classic. Estrada and Happ were lights out last year. Expect Francisco Liriano to be real good again now that he is reunited with his favorite catcher Russell Martin.

But the kicker is Aaron Sanchez. 15-2 last year with a league leading (for starters) 3.00 ERA. Close to 3-1 K-BB ratio. He's only 25. You're looking at the next Great One. He'll finish first or second in the Cy Young race this year.

The only problem is depth. They just don't have it like Boston does.

Bullpen: 3 1/2*...closer Osuna is terrific but the rest are fairly pedestrian.

Leadership: 3 1/2*...they lose a star for having Bautista on their team and losing Encarnacion. Donaldson is the Man now.

19*...SECOND PLACE!

3^rd place: NEW YORK

I know. I'm as surprised as you are. I expected the Orioles to rate higher than the Bombers but New York has a lot of depth and Baltimore has none. Both teams strike out way too much but Baltimore is more one dimensional in their homer or nothing approach. (The O's had only 19 steals all season...last in baseball.) The real separation comes in the Bullpen...the Yanks have one of the best and the Orioles are suspect trying to get to Britton.

Offense: 2 1/2*...that's right, the famous Yankees, scourge of the American League, are merely an average offensive club. The top of the lineup is weak with Brett Gardner (106K's)and Jacoby Ellsbury now .260 hitters with no power and limited stolen base effectiveness. They're depending on rookies Greg Bird and Gary Sanchez in the middle of the lineup. I doubt those two will live up to Ruth/Gehrig, DiMaggio/Keller, Mantle/Maris, Mattingly/Winfield, ARod/Texeira of Yankee juggernauts past. Matt Holliday is Dhing and Chris Carter might play first! (There's a quick 350 Ks for you!) Aaron Judge in right...add another 200 strike outs to the team total. This could get ugly. Starlin Castro (118K's) may be the most consistent hitter in their lineup. They're still paying Chase Headley (118K's in just over 500 official at bats...only 14 homers) for God's sake!

Defense: 3 1/2*

Starters: 2 1/2*...Tanaka is great but he's getting on and his elbow is no younger. CC Sabathia is a gamer and I respect the hell out of him but he left his fastball back in 2009. Pineda, Severino and Cessa? No consistency at all yet.

Bullpen: 4 1/2*...the strength of the team. Aroldis, Betances, Warren, Clippard, Layne...best in baseball.

Leadership: 3 1/2*...mostly because of Girardi. He's a really good manager. Has the respect of the team, handles the pitchers well and handles the media in New York.

16 1/2*: THIRD PLACE!

4^th place: BALTIMORE

As I said above...lots of homers (5^th team in MLB history to hit over 250 home runs), lots of strikeouts, no depth, no pitching except for Zach Britton.

Offense: 3 1/2*...maybe if Chris Davis and Mark Trumbo each hit 50 taters and Jones and Machado hit 40 each this score could go up.

Defense: 3 1/2*... Machado is the best defensive third sacker in the League. Infield defense rates high, outfield low.

Starters: 2*...Tillman hurt again. He was their #1 last year. Bundy is ok. Gausman, Gallardo and Miley are space fillers.

Bullpen: 3 1/2*...about two of those stars belong to Zach Britton. He throws the unhittable sinker. Brach is a good set-up man.

Leadership: 3*...I think Bucky Showalter is overrated. Adam Jones is an inspirational leader and Machado is heading in that direction. Why can't management stop resenting the Nationals for cutting into the Oriole fan base next door in Washington and start building a pitching staff?

15 1/2*: FOURTH PLACE!

5^th place: TAMPA BAY

“Step right up...come on in...if you'd like to take the Grand Tour of this lonely house that once was home sweet home...” (George Jones)

Major League Baseball is letting Tampa Bay hang there on the hook and slowly twist in the wind. Their ballpark is a dark, turgid Tropicana mess and it's in the wrong place. In the modern age of urban traffic nightmare nobody wants to drive to it, even when the team was winning. So the Rays never draw enough to make any money...especially not if they want to compete in the strong AL East. So every strong free agent leaves or they're forced to trade them at a loss and that depresses fan interest even more.

MLB has to help this team and other basket cases like Oakland relocate in a spot where they can make enough money to compete. The sad thing is that Tampa Bay (and Oakland) have scouted so well and traded so adroitly (most of the time) that they have had a few seasons when they almost won.

Offense: 1 1/2*...it's bad...really bad. Evan Longoria on an island hacking at coconuts with his machete. Maybe they should try T-Ball.

Defense: 3 1/2*...best centerfielder in the bigs this side of Trout in Kevin Kiermaier. He has to be good because the guys on the corners are statues. Duffy is a great shortstop.

Starters: 4*...among the best in baseball...for the few years that they'll be together. Archer, Odorizzi,Cobb, Smiley, Snell...they're already lining up to get traded (like Matt Moore last year and David Price two years ago)or become free agents and get some money from teams that actually have a chance to win something.

Bullpen: 2 1/2*...Colome is a stud... Boxberger was good but he got hurt last year. We'll see. The rest aren't. They gave up the most ninth inning homers in the majors last year.

Leadership: 1 1/2*...it's hard to be the leader when you know everybody is just going to follow you into the slaughterhouse. They know they're going to lose. BAD JUJU.

13*...FIFTH PLACE!

Al CENTRAL

These teams have been punishing each other for years, taking turns at the top. But none of them have enough coin to pull away for long. They are the rust-belt survivor teams and Kansas City.

KC seemed to get a leg up when they went to the World Series two years in a row and won in 2015, but the usual small market Ebola-monkey bit them and now they are about to lose most of their stars to the big market teams. They scout well and should come up with some replacements, but their last rebuild took them about three decades to pay off.

Detroit was the Big Boss Man of the Central for awhile but they stubbornly refused to accept the reality that you have to have a bullpen to win in modern baseball. Starters don't go more than 6 or 7 innings and you have to use 4 or 5 pitchers every game. So Detroit burned out their starters...the ones they didn't lose to free agency...and squandered their slugging offense. Chicago flailed around for a couple of decades and have now wisely accepted a rebuild. Minnesota stopped recruiting pitchers and fell off the edge of the world. And Cleveland...well!

1^st place: CLEVELAND

Back in the 90's Cleveland built some teams with truly scary offensive capacity. But they never had the pitching to match and so failed to win the Big One. But now...check out the ratings.

Offense: 4*...strength throughout the lineup. 3 switch hitters make them hard to bullpen. Power with Encarnacion, Santana, Kipnis and others. High average guys Lindor, Ramirez and Tyler Naquin. Speed all over even though they lost World Series hero and AL stolen base leader Rajai Davis. They scored the second most runs in the AL last year without Encarnacion hitting in the middle of the order. If they get Michael Brantley back healthy they could smoke the league. (and rate an extra half star)

Brace yourself...SS Francisco Lindor is an MVP candidate who will be a Gold Glove/Batting Champ/Stolen Base leader type of player.

Defense: 3 1/2*...I mentioned Lindor but they have some good defense all over.

Starters: 4*...right up there with Boston, Toronto and Tampa Bay now that the injured Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar are back. Kluber is a Cy Young winner who looks good enough to win another with that great curve ball. Trevor Bauer and Josh Tomlin? Other teams wish they had 4-5 starters like that.

Bullpen: 4 1/2*...only New York beats them. KC was a little better back when they had Herrera, Wade Davis, Holland, Hochevar and Madson all at full strength. (Alas, bullpens never last because the typical reliever is a fireballer who uses max effort every pitch and works at least every other day...elbows and shoulders don't seem to like that unless you're Mariano Rivera.)

Even though Cody Allen is the closer and Brian Shaw the set-up, it's Andrew Miller who really anchors the pen. He's good for two or three innings as needed and struck out 123 batters in 74 innings last year(!!)

Leadership: 4*...Terry Francona...Manager of the Year for the second time. Lindor comes into his own as a team leader. Kipnis and Encarnacion give them the grit. Kluber is a Klubber. If they get Michael Brantley back it will raise the team morale in a big way and will provide...GOOD JUJU. (Add half a star if that happens.)

Management is all in and the team was tested in the fires of hell in barely losing to the Cubs last Fall. But the Adorables barely beat them, even though the Indians only had two fifths of a rotation. This year will be different. Just like the Royals did in 2015, the Indians will return to the Series and this time...they'll win. Book your tickets for Cleveland now.

20*...FIRST PLACE!

2^nd place...DETROIT

A bloated, $200+ million payroll. Aging roster. This is it. They have to do it this year and then break up the team.

Offense: 4*...you know all about it. They look too powerful to lose but then you notice that they only have one left-handed hitter (switch-hitter DH Victor Martinez). 6 twenty+ home run guys (actually 3^rd baseman Castellanos had 18 in only 110 games) Miguel Cabrera...a true Hall of Famer. Enjoy him while you can.

Defense: 2* ...short/second combo rocks with Iglesias and Kinsler but Iglesias is a head-case. Catcher McCann threw out 45% of runners. Average to bad everywhere else.

Starters: 4*...if they stay healthy...but no depth. Words of caution. Verlander, Fulmer, Norris all look strong. Anibel Sanchez was pitching like his old no-hit self this Spring. Jordan Zimmerman started great and then collapsed. If he comes back...but I think the Tigers got him about three years past his sell-by date.

Bullpen: 2 1/2*...at least they had a good closer in Francisco Rodriguez (44 saves). Need some better middle innings guys.

Leadership: 2*... Brad Ausmus has been on the hot seat for a couple of years now. Win or else. I think the players might be a little bitter that management never got them a bullpen to get them over the hump in these years of awesome lineups and rotations. (They had three Cy Young winners in the rotation at one point with Verlander, Scherzer and Porcello all pitching for the Tigres.)

14 1/2*...Second Place!

2nd place (tie): KANSAS CITY

See above for the sad truth. I loved to watch them the last few years. Such a refreshing novelty to have a scrappy, daring stolen base/bunting club holding teams in the late innings with lights out relievers and scoring late themselves with clutch players and leaders like Hosmer, Cain, Moustakis, Gordon and Sal Perez.

Thanks Royals...you stood the baseball paradigm on its ear for a few seasons there. May your glory never fade!

Offense: 3 1/2*...they had to trade Wade Davis or else pay him $10 mil. They got Jorge Soler from the Cubs but Jorge is hurt again. That may be all she wrote for the fragile fellow. (What did the Cubs know and when did they know it?) Sal Perez got hurt by his own backup catcher (Drew Butera)in the WBC. Hosmer, Cain and Moustakis are playing for contracts so they will probably be good this year. (A note of cynicism I grant you.) Valuable backup outfielder/speedster Jarrod Dyson...gone. Keystone guys Escobar and Mondesi can field but not hit. (Compare to Cleveland, Boston et al.)

Defense: 3 1/2*... middle is strong (catcher, short, second and center.) Left field also good. Just average at third and first. Who plays right after Soler went down?

Starters: 1*...When Yordano Ventura (RIP) was lost, so was this rotation. Danny Duffy is their stopper?

Bullpen: 2 1/2*...oh how the mighty have fallen. Kelvin Herrera looks lonely out there in the pen. Soria disappointed as a set up man last year.

Leadership: 4*...5 dynamic player/leaders in Hosmer, Cain, Perez, Moustakis and Gordon.

14 1/2*...tied for SECOND PLACE!

4^th place: MINNESOTA

God Bless the Twinkards. Joe Mauer is headed for the DH at 34. They'll probably have to trade their one star Brian Dozier. They are playing a bunch of kids who are slowly oh so slowly getting better. They've got one pitcher who can bring it. (Ervin Santana) But they are making progress and should be a contender in two or three years.

Offense: 2 1/2*..especially when you compare them to the three top teams in this division. The Twinks are way back there, but surprisingly they were a middle of the pack offensive team in the whole MLB last year. They lagged in average and on base percentage but 12th in homers and 16th in runs ...that's not bad...

Defense: 2*...but they were 29^th in team fielding percentage...

Starters: 1*...and they were major league last in wins and opp batting average and 29^th in ERA.

Bullpen: 2*...and last in saves too, but that's because they never had a lead to protect! Brandon Kintzler is actually a pretty good closer with a 4 to 1 K/BB ratio.

Leadership: 3 1/2*...manager Paul Molitor is the real deal. He keeps the ship afloat. The players play hard. There's hope and Twinkie pride here. Go 'Sota!

11*...FOURTH PLACE!

5^th place: CHICAGO

5^th place but not for long. The White Stockings have loaded up on good prospects after trading their stars. They scalped Washington in the Eaton trade and got three of the top pitching prospects in baseball. (Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez and Dane Dunning) And got Michael Kopeck (105mph fastball) and top prospect in baseball Yoan Moncada for Chris Sale. These guys will start crushing it in two years. That spells resurrection for the long-suffering Sox.

Offense: 2*...they were near the bottom in baseball last year but they still have Frazier (40 homers), Jose Abreu (.293/25/100) and Melky Cabrera (.296/14/86/42 doubles). They will probably trade two of those guys in July when they can get the best deals.

Defense: 1 1/2*...they have to play a lot of youngsters now. Weak on the corners and at catcher. Centerfielder Tilson is good and so is shortstop Tim Anderson.

Starters: 1*...a rotation full of ghosts like James Shields and Derek Holland and projects like Carlos Rondon. Leftie Jose Quintana is legit...and that's why they'll trade him real soon...maybe to Houston.

Bullpen: 3*...but do they need a good bullpen to finish last? They will trade David Robertson to some contender that needs a good closer. When they do this group will go down to one star.

Leadership: 2*...a couple of gamers like Frazier but how can you lead when you're on the block? New leaders must emerge from the minors. Management has a plan...give them a star for that. The current lineup knows that the Sox are going to get better...but they won't be around to see it. BAD JUJU.

9 1/2*...FIFTH PLACE!

*NOTE: The top three clubs Cleveland, KC and Detroit get to play the rebuilding Twins and White Sox 19 times each. This means there's a very good chance that at least one wild card team will come from the Central. The East and the West are much tougher for the contenders.

AL WEST

Now we're talking! I have no idea who will win this division. It will be either Houston, Texas or Seattle. That's all I can tell you. Everything else depends on health and JUJU.

The pitching is universally bad in this division unless somebody somewhere makes a trade. If Houston gets Quintana from Chicago as is rumored that may push them over the top as long as their other starters pitch as expected. (Kuechel doesn't have to win the Cy Young again, just pitch decently.)

King Felix has to hold his own up in Seattle and if the Mariners make one big trade for pitching that may do it for them. They came on strong at the end of last year.

Texas needs Cole Hamels and Yu Darvish to pitch like number ones and go get somebody...anybody... to be a third starter they can count on.

1^st place: TEXAS

Offense: 3 1/2*...plenty of pop with Beltre, Odor, Lucroy and Mazara. Good leftie/rightie balance.

Defense: 4*...Beltre an all-timer, Andrus still a stud at short, Lucroy top five catcher and Carlos Gomez is a hotdog but can play center field real good.

Starters: 3*...is Hamels still a Number 1? Not if you go by the last month of the season and the playoffs. Is Darvish all the way back from elbow surgery? I doubt it. So that's a shaky three stars. They need a trade for a sure thing. Martin Perez, Nick Martinez and Andrew Cashner are not good at all.

Bullpen: 4* Luckily the Strangers have a great pen with four or five potential closers. This could develop into a 4 ½ or 5* bullpen. Sam Dyson, Matt Bush, Tony Barnette and Jeremy Jeffress...they might be Giants (especially if they trade one or more of them for Jeff Samardja or Matt Moore!)

More better the Rangy Ones keep all these youngsters and go get Quintana before the Astros grab him. They should trade Jurickson Profar who doesn't have a position still.

*Note: Having Lucroy at catcher all year could make a big difference in how well the pitchers perform. He's a key player.

Leadership: 4*...when you've got a future Hall of Famer like Adrian Beltre on your team you get 4 stars for leadership. Along with Jose Altuve he's the best inspirational team leader in baseball now that Papi has retired.

Odor inspired the team with his well-timed right cross to Jose Bautista's jaw. He clipped the lip of the Big Bat Flip! It cost him a 7 game suspension but it was worth it to the morale of the team and got them over the memory of that corn cob they choked on in the 2014 playoffs.

18 1/2*... FIRST PLACE!

2^nd place: HOUSTON

Oh the Disastros...still looking for their first Championship after 55 years in the major leagues. It's downright embarrassing. They have a good club...flawed but still good. And if the pitching comes around they could romp through this division. But that's a big “IF”. still and all...they are the sexy pick to win the West. I, however, am immune to their charms.

Offense: 3 1/2*...I know, I know. They went out and got Carlos Beltran who had a very good year last year. But Carlos is 40 and even though he hit 22 homers in only 99 games...how much can he still have left in the tank? I respectfully defer and remained uncommitted, even though I applaud him as a great hitter. He can't field anymore. They also got Josh Reddick from Oakland and he had a great year last year with 28 dingers and a .296 BA. He gets hurt with alarming regularity.

My main reason for optimism on behalf of the Turf-Monkeys is their power: Gattis 32 homers. McCann 20. Altuve 24. Correa 20. Beltran 22. Springer 29. I also think Altuve is league MVP or close to it. And Carlos Correa will have a break out offensive season. Something like .290/35/120.

They also have two new players...Alex Bregman at third and Yulieski Gurriel at first. These guys are proven hitters in other, lesser leagues. If they come through, Houston could have a scary and deep lineup.

My main reason for pessimism on behalf of my Hometown Heroes is their strike outs: Gattis 127. McCann 99 in 130 games. Correa 139. Marwin Gonzalez 118. Springer 178.

The Astros are vulnerable to the good starters and strike out relievers and that's their Achilles Heel. They could be a 4 1/2* if all goes well. Or they could be a 3* if all does not. I hedge my bets.

Defense: 3 1/2*...short/second A+. first/third C+ catcher B outfield Reddick A. Everybody else C except Marisnick who gets an A but can't hit enough to play much.

Starters: 2 1/2*...McHugh was their best man with 4.34 ERA and 3 to 1 K/BB ratio. Keuchel is their only leftie and they really need him to straighten out his problems and pitch for them. That could make the difference in the season.

Bullpen: 3 1/2*...they stunk it up in the first half and that put the team behind the eight ball for the whole season. The pen rallied well in the second half though and if that continues watch out. Giles, Gregerson, Harris, Feliz and Hoyt all averaged over one K per inning.

Leadership: 4*...because of Altuve and Beltran and the impetuous nature of youth. A.J. Hinch is an unimaginative manager but he stands by his young players.

17*...SECOND PLACE!

3^rd place: SEATTLE

They've built up the offense but they don't have the pitching. Points for trying Seattle, but no cigar without a rotation.

Offense: 3 1/2*...They finished in the top ten in the majors in virtually everything but steals. That's amazing since they had almost nothing in the way of outfield offense. Jean Segura at short could make them even more potent, even though they still have a feeble offensive outfield.

Defense: 3*...those puny hitters in the outfield must be good for something, right? But it's only Leonys Martin in center and rookies at the corners. Seager regressed at third, but Segura is a big improvement at short. Backup Carlos Ruiz should improve the catching.

Starters: 2 1/2*...Felix Hernandez showed his age last year. He has to turn crafty to hold on this year. Iwakuma is 35 and he's a finesse pitcher too. Only James Paxton has a power arm in the rotation and he sported an almost 5 to 1 K/BB ratio, which is always a good indicator of how effective a pitcher will be. He's young though. The Segura trade cost them Taijuan Walker. Big loss.

Bullpen: 3*...no names seem to get the job done. Edwin Diaz is the closer and Marc Rzepczynski is the leftie arm with the impossible to pronounce name. They're very good, even though cavernous Safeco Field knocks about a run off their ERA.

Leadership: 3*...Cano should be the leader on the field but a leader can't dog it on ground balls. (I know, I pick on him all the time for that flaw but it's an insult to the game not to burn it down to first on double play grounders. Papi's excuse was bad feet but at least he hustled on double play grounders!! And Cano is a lot faster than Papi ever was.)

Scott Servais did pretty good turning the player's heads around in his first season managing at any level.

15*...THIRD PLACE!

4^th place: LOS ANGELES ANGELS

Offense: 3*...only because Mike Trout is the best player in the game.

Defense: 4*...strong up the middle (with Andrelton Simmons at short being maybe the best defensive shortstop in the majors and Trout in the top 5 of center fielders.)

Starters: 1*...major stinko. Garrett Richards has been hurt...Ricky Nolasco is their opening day starter. Nuff said.

Bullpen: 1 1/2*...if Houston Street wasn't 33 and coming off his worst year this could maybe work. But I sense a disturbance in the Force...The Angel's bullpen will reek.

Leadership: 2 1/2*...they've got to be losing faith in Mike Scioscia. They're coming out of a power struggle between GM Jerry Dipoto and Scioscia and an ugly divorce between owner Arte Moreno and Josh Hamilton which is leaving the Angels all but broke.

Trout and Pujols? Outstanding on the field leaders.

12*...FOURTH PLACE!

5^th place...OAKLAND

If only the so-called Commissioner would step in and negotiate a deal with the Giants: let Oakland move their club out of that ridiculous football venue at the Coliseum and go to the happy hunting grounds of San Jose. (The Giants have some clause in their by laws that includes San Jose in their “territory” even though San Jose is thirty miles farther away than Oakland. )How good would that be for baseball in the Bay Area? I mean, even the Raiders got to move out of Oakland. And don't feel sorry for Oaktown...they have the Golden State Warriors don't they? Do it, idiots! Stop torturing Athletics fans!

This is a very depressing situation.

Offense: 2*...outside of Khris Davis and his 42 taters there is no joy in Mudville.

Defense: 2*...ordinary. Very ordinary.

Starters: 2 1/2*...Sonny Gray used to be their Ace. Then he got hurt. Now they can't even trade him for help. That sucks. Graveman, Manaea, Cotton and Triggs...not exactly household names in the rest of the rotation but the first two aren't bad.

Bullpen: 2*...very high ERAs considering they play in the worst hitter's park of all time. (Well at least since the Astrodome.) Ryan Madson saved 30 games but saves really don't mean much. His ERA was 3.62. Set-up man Ryan Dull looks good at 2.42 with a 5 to 1 K/BB ratio until you realize that he was incredibly lucky with a .209 average- against on balls in play. (BABIP for you stat geeks) That's 89 points below league average and he ain't that good.

Leadership: 1*...go ahead...lead me on to my doom. We've seen this movie before...the A's are rebuilding.

Billy Beane: the Emperor has no Clothes.

9 1/2*...FIFTH PLACE!

In Summation:

Boston, Cleveland and Texas should win the divisions with the wild cards coming from Detroit, Kansas City, Toronto and maybe Houston.

I'll stick my neck out and say it's Toronto over Detroit in the Wild Card play in game. Boston over Toronto and Cleveland over Texas in the next round and Cleveland over Boston for the pennant.

MVP: Francisco Lindor or Carlos Correa

Cy Young: Aroldis Chapman or Aaron Sanchez.

Expect the National League rundown in a couple of days. Enjoy the beginning of the Season!

Salud!

--Marco Perella