Monday, March 26, 2018

Marco's Baseball blog-O-Roonie 2018: STATE OF THE GAME


MARCO'S BASEBALL BLOG-O-ROONIE 2018: STATE OF THE GAME!

The murky fog of free agent possibilities is lifting at last and there is some indication of how each team is approaching the coming struggle. At last your humble correspondent can emerge from hibernation, eat a berry or three and put claw marks on his favorite pine tree.

First...RULE CHANGES!

Baseball wants to speed up this nineteenth century game (which moved twice as fast in the nineteenth century by the way) and compete with football, video games and social media. This, even though baseball actually works better with cell phones than most sports because the Millenials have plenty of dead time to peruse their devices while lounging around watching the national pastime, waiting for something to actually happen. (Don't worry, youngsters, it eventually will!) Also, the typical football game lasts 3 hours and 10 minutes while the average baseball game lasts 2 hours and 57 minutes. (But of course, every once in a while the Yankees and Red Sox link up for a 4 ½ hour marathon that terrifies the front offices. Also, football games are played mostly in the day, not mostly at night when the kiddies have to be abed by 9:00...i.e. about the 6th inning.)

The immediate counter measures are: only 6 visits to the mound allowed, (not including pitching changes) also known as the Gary Sanchez rule. He's the catcher for the Yankees and his quota of mound visits is about 6 per BATTER!

The players piss and moan about not being able to change the signs when a runner is on second base. (Somebody might steal a sign? In baseball? Come on!) Somebody ought to point out to these players that while they are sitting on the bench between innings the catcher can wander over to his pitcher, who is probably counting how many sunflower seeds he can cram into his cheek, or maybe whose cap he's going to place a wad of bubble gum on the top of, and say something like...”Hey Dude! If they get a runner on second I'm going to the third sign I flash, okay?”

The Fathers of Baseball wanted to install a pitch clock so the hurlers had to pitch every twenty seconds but couldn't muster the sand to infuriate the pitchers quite that much. If they really wanted to cut time from the game they'd shorten the commercial breaks between innings...(they chiseled a little off but not enough). Knocking one thirty second commercial time slot out of each half inning would mean a net gain of 8 minutes per non-extra inning game. (But don't hold your breath on this one.)

They should also ban batting glove adjustments when the batter hasn't even swung at the pitch. (The Nomar Imperative they could call it!)

PITCHING MORPHS!

You might notice a distinct movement toward blurring the line between starters and relievers now that analytics have proved beyond all doubt that an average pitcher loses effectiveness the third time through the order. Hitters are so good that they can adjust to a pitcher's style, timing and stuff by the third time they see him on a given day and they start to square up his pitches. So get ready for 4 inning outings by starters and then a parade of relievers, as we saw in the World Series last year.

I think this is going to strain bullpens to the breaking point and there will be a reaction. I wouldn't be surprised to see clubs push for roster adjustment...go to 26 players on their active roster just to get one more pitcher available. They can't really live with a three man bench. With one bench player having to be an extra catcher, that leaves virtually no flexibility or injury protection for the lineup.

So...more flexible bench players...guys who can catch, play outfield and infield positions. Also, more two way pitchers...guys who can come out of the bullpen and pitch an inning and also play a corner outfield position or first base or something.

They won't want to risk their pitchers in the batter's box much longer either, and with less bench players available, managers won't be able to pull double switches in the National League all the time. Will the NL lose the war against the DH and cave? I think probably so.

Also get ready for rampant abuse of the 10-day disability list. Right now it's just a way for managers to shuffle players back and forth to keep their pitching staffs fresh. It's a joke and should be regarded as such.

One positive pitching development: more curve balls coming. Everyone noticed that despite the fastball revolution with velocities going up, up and up, the top five curve ball teams all made the playoffs last year.

Houston's breaking balls exposed the Dodger hitters, too. “Oh...you seem to like that wonderful “launch angle” you've learned with that fly ball uppercut? Try uppercutting this looping curve that starts at head height and then dives inside on your ankles. Set another strike out record, why don't you, Mr. Bellinger!”

Ted Williams once said... being the ultimate hitting scientist of all time...that because the pitcher was throwing from a mound, the trajectory of his pitch was a few degrees on a down slant. Therefore, the batter should compensate with the same degree of up slant when he swung in order to achieve the most efficient contact with the sweet spot of the bat. This would result in more line drives and long fly balls.

Well, baseball has finally agreed with the Splinter and everybody is talking about an upward trajectory “swing path” to get the ball in the air. Especially with the new gym bodies they've grown and smaller parks and juicier baseballs. It's a new home run era.

But of course “The Kid” was using the trajectory of fastballs to justify his swing path. If the pitchers now turn to curve balls and sliders and splitters to counter the new fly ball swings they're facing, you'll get less long bombs and more strike outs, grounders and weak pop ups. Pitchers aren't stupid. All hitters can hit fastballs in this game or they wouldn't have ever made it to the bigs. Give 'em junk and change speeds...that's the ticket to pitching salvation now. Throw the fastball high, inside...anywhere but over the plate. Use it to incite bad swings or set batters up for the breaking pitch.

Then maybe we'll go back to the hitting philosophy of Tony Gwynn...hard grounders through the hole. Or Ichiro...hit a double hump slow grounder and beat it out with your speed. Or even all the way back to the 1890's for “hit 'em where they ain't” Wee Willie Keeler of the old Baltimore Orioles who learned to hit “Baltimore Chops” off the hard pan infield and scamper down to first while the ball was still hanging in the air.

Hey...it's a game of adjustments.

FREE AGENTS

San Diego got Eric Hosmer which was a good move because they have to give their fans somebody to watch while they continue to lose. It's a bad move because now they have to move Will Myers from first base back to the outfield.

Minnesota got Lance Lynn, thus dropping out of the Jake Arrieta sweeps. Jake went to the Phillies (my personal prediction) who had the bucks. The Twins wanted him but couldn't pay.

The Brewers needed him bad but coughed up fur balls at the price.

The Washington Nationals entertained the idea of signing Arrieta to go with Scherzer, Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez and Tanner Roark and finally win a playoff before they have to bust up that roster of underachieving stars. But if they signed Jake for 5 years, where would they get the money to save at least one of their two upcoming big free agents...Harper and Rendon... next year?

I think the California Angels should have made an offer. They only have Trout for another couple of years and they need to win now. They went out and did an excellent upgrade on the offense and defense by adding Justin Upton, Ian Kinsler and Zack Cozart...studly veterans all. Their bullpen is much better. But they seem to be counting too much on Shohei Ohtani being the second coming of Randy Johnson or something. (He's stinking it up in Spring Training and should really go to the minors for awhile and learn a better splitter to go with his fastball...which hitters are now blasting on moon launches regularly. He can't hit major league pitching yet, either.) The Halos really don't have a very good rotation, either. An Arrieta would have really improved their outlook for a Wild Card. (I doubt they were ever going to beat Houston for the Division this year.)

The Phils are in one of the top markets in the MLB and only have a $93 million payroll even after they pay Arrieta and Carlos Santana. The reason they ponied up for Arrieta? The Phillies went .500 the second half last season and had a 0 run differential after being -92 in the first half. They are a team on the rise. Lots of good young players they aren't paying yet. They've focused on good on-base guys like Santana, second sacker Cesar Hernandez and shortstop J.P. Crawford. They just signed top prospect Scott Kingery to a long term deal before he's even debuted! (He'll play multiple positions to start with.) Watch for the Phils to finish second in the East this season now that they have Arrieta to go with new Ace Aaron Nola. Next year, the Phils are ready to sign one of the big free agents: Harper, Machado or Donaldson. It'll be nice to be able to talk about the Phils again without wincing.

Darvish went to the Cubs (for six long years...if he lasts) which gives the Cubs a very strong starting rotation to benefit from their top notch defense, bullpen and youth.

The Boston Red Stockings finally came to Jesus with J.D.Martinez and got the home run hitter everybody said they needed. One problem...the Sox finished last in the Amreican League with 168 homers last year, as I'm sure everybody has heard by now. Mitch Moreland hit 22 and Hanley Ramirez hit 23. J.D. hit 45. If Martinez takes over at DH as is expected, and Mitch and Hanley share time at first as is also expected, one of those guys isn't in the lineup every game. So if they produce exactly as they did last year, you have to subtract 22 or 23 homers from the expected total team production. That means the Sox have only added to their homer total by about 23 homers if Martinez plays all season and is just as potent as he was in homer haven Chase Field for the Diamondhumps. (I sincerely doubt it...he'll come back to earth with about 33, but I hope I'm wrong!) Both Moreland and Ramirez had injuries off and on last season, so they may do as well or better, but I don't think Martinez (who is very injury-prone) will hit as many homers playing in Fenway.

If they really wanted to maximize their long ball possibilities, the Sox would put J.D. in left field, move Benintendi to center and bench Bradley (who hit 17 dingers). But that would severely weaken their defense in the outfield, where Bradley reigns supreme and Benintendi is very good playing the Monster in left. Martinez is a well known Dr. Strangeglove. Oh well, since somebody will probably get hurt anyway, the Sox are better off with 3 injury prone players, all things considered.

By the way, that trade the Red Sox made sending Travis Shaw (31 homers, 101 rbi's .862 OPS) to the Brewers for reliever Tyler Thornton (he of the shoulder surgery and zero games played since the trade) is looking like the worst call since Jeff Bagwell for Larry Andersen back in 1990.


The only big pitcher left on the market is Alex Cobb of the suffering Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays have made a habit of developing one terrific pitcher after another and getting rid of them to save money when they are at their peak. The Brewers or the Angels need him most. Whoops! The Orioles just signed him. That should make the O's a little more dangerous, but still not enough to challenge Boston or New York this year.

Pity the Rays and move them to New Braunfels, Texas, right between Austin and San Antonio (4 and one half million people ...number 15 metro area in USA.) They can build an express special high tech train from downtown Austin to downtown San Antonio that stops and delivers ball fans who can leave their damn cars at home.

And poor old Mike Moustakis...the Greek Moose had a career year and figured on getting a good payday in free agency this year. So he (and his complicitous agent Scott Boras) turned down one year at $17 million from his home club Kansas City and went jauntily out into a market that didn't want to give up a draft pick to get him, with other third sackers like Machado and Donaldson and Rendon coming up for sale in 2019. So Mike went crawling back to the Royals for $5 ½ million for 1 year. Good move for the Royals cause they can trade him in June for more young players or let him go at the end of the season and see if he signs somewhere else and gives them another draft pick after all.
For Moose...just another good player who didn't read the market.

And now...a quick rundown of seasonal prospects for every team based on the ultra-scientific principle of GOOD/BAD JUJU. (Teams are listed in the order in which I believe they will finish.)

AL EAST:

New York: GOOD JUJU: every team they play should thank them for the windfall of brilliantly pairing Judge and Stanton together as the Twin Towers. What a stellar baseball attraction! Can you spell...”attendance records”? Also...best bullpen in baseball! BAD JUJU: rookie Gleybar Torres who was supposed to be the wunderkind at second base is back to the minors. Ain't ready yet.

Boston: GJ: offense looks much better! BJ: 4 pitchers out already. Starters Rodriguez, Wright, and Pomeranz plus super-closer Kimbrel (his new baby daughter has had 2 surgeries for a heart defect. God Bless her and the Kimbrel family.)

Toronto: GJ: the rotation is better than they expected and Aaron Sanchez may pitch blister-free! BJ: still haven't replaced the offense of Bautista and Encarnacion and Tulowitzski is hurt again (and again, and again, and again…)

Baltimore: GJ: they haven't caved in and traded Machado or Adam Jones yet. BJ: they haven't caved in and traded Machado or Adam Jones yet. And Zach Britton blew out his Achilles. And they gave Chris Davis a 7-year, $161 million contract two years ago. Last season he batted .215 with 26 homers and 195 strike outs.

Tampa Bay: GJ: they are actually trying to find a new stadium location where their fans can actually get to it.
BJ: they are fielding a double A offense. Who gets traded next?

AL CENTRAL:

Cleveland: GOOD JUJU: they all want to win for Terry Francona. They're so much better than the competition in the Central that they can hold down the workload on their starters (read: Corey Kluber) and save them for the playoffs. BAD JUJU: they will miss free agent emigres Carlos Santana and especially reliever Brian Shaw.

Minnesota: GJ: lots of home runs in that lineup. Byron Buxton looks like a number one pick finally, and is the fastest runner and best center fielder in baseball. Lance Lynn really helps that rotation. BJ: still lack enough pitching to win big. Just lost their shortstop Jorge Polanco to cheating juice steroid testosterone consumption. (“I never knowingly took 8000 ccs of PEDs...” Ho-Hum!)

Chicago White Sox: GJ: they've done a terrific job of turning their aging stars into top prospects for the rebuild. They are a year away but watch out for outfielder Eloy Jimenez (from the Cubs), outfielder Luis Robert and right handed pitchers Michael Kopech and Alec Hansen.
BJ: pitching is very iffy. The kids will have to be good if the Sox are going to cash in.

Kansas City: GJ: they are entering the long dark twilight of rebuilding. There is no joy in Mudville. BJ: bad contracts for Alex Gordon, Ian Kennedy, Jason Hammel and others. Big trade for Soler didn't pan out. Is Raul Mondesi going to be good or just a tease? No Hosmer, Cain or Wade Davis? Man, it sucks to be a small market team!

Detroit: GJ: are you kidding? They're picked to finish below the Royals! BJ: no relief in sight. As if Detroit didn't have enough suffering, now the Tigers are doomed to an agonizing stretch of bad baseball teams. And much as I love him and honor his history as one of the great hitters of all time, Miguel Cabrera is owed $186 million over the next 6 years and will turn 35 in April. The Tiger's organization will be dragging that anchor around for quite a while.

AL WEST:

Houston: GOOD JUJU: All Hail the Bayou Beasts! The Astros finally sit atop the baseball world and it doesn't look like they want to relinquish that seat anytime soon. They went out and traded for Gerrit Cole from Pittsburgh...he of the fastest average fastball in the game. Now their rotation is among the strongest in the majors. And their system is still loaded with talent. And they wisely extended Altuve's contract by 5 more glorious years! If any player ever earned his money...BAD JUJU: the bullpen is only average. McCann is showing his age at catcher. Untested Derek Fisher is slated for left so Marwin Gonzalez can be a super utility man again. Can the rookie speedster come through? But even if all the above mentioned slip up, Houston should still steamroll to the Division title at the very least. They are that strong.

Los Angeles Angels: GJ: I praised them up top. They now have a potent offense and one of the best total defenses in the game. (Cubs are very close though. If it wasn't for Schwarber they'd be number one!) BJ: they don't have enough pitching. They are thinking of going to a 6-man rotation to make it easier for Ohtani. That means an overworked bullpen (which was very good last year).

Oakland: GJ: there is no real reason for me to pick Oakland this high. I'm just tired of myself making the same picks everybody else is and it's time for Oakland to surprise us again and get good. They have some young players on the brink: outfielders Dustin Fowler and Boog Powell, infielders Jorge Mateo and Franklin Berreto and pitchers Yusmeiro Petit and A.J.Puk (what a name!) BJ: no number one or even number two type starter… tons of strikeouts in that lineup in exchange for a few long balls.

One note on the Oakies: I like that despite playing in the worst park in the majors, with no real fan support and no money, and no real chance to win big...the A's play with fierce pride and spirit.

Seattle: GJ: great everyday lineup filled with talented offensive players like Cano, Cruz, Kyle Seager, Jean Segura and now Dee Gordon to bat lead off. (But because of Cano he has to learn to play the outfield.) BJ: the above are getting a little long in the tooth. And their pitching is very thin. They are still counting on King Felix, but sadly, Hernandez got hurt in Spring Training and probably doesn't have that much left. If everything breaks right and they can stay off of the injured list, they could contend...but I doubt they will.

Texas: GJ: Adrian Beltre is a wondrous Baseball Beastie...I just love watching him. Andrus had his best offensive year ever at age 29. Can he do it again? Doubtful...BJ: people remark on how they've overhauled the pitching staff...if you call stuffing it with retreads an overhaul! Cole Hamels has seen his peak come and go about three years ago. Matt Moore got lit up pitching for San Francisco last year...welcome to Globe Life Park at Arlington, where has-been pitchers with weak stuff go to get clobbered. (Sorry Matt...hope I'm wrong!) Doug Fister, Martin Perez, Mike Minor? They'll all be history by July, when I predict you'll see a lot of rookie pitchers auditioning for the Rangers. The bullpen was frightful last year and nothing has changed. Rougned Odor seems to think hitting 30 homers while batting .204 with 162 strike outs is some kind of achievement. It is, but not the kind he thinks.

N.L. EAST

Washington: GOOD JUJU: the main good juju the the Nationals have is that they've had bad juju so long that the law of averages has to catch up some time. They have a devastating one-two pitching punch in Scherzer and Strasburg. They have the best offensive lineup in the league when healthy. (Which is never, so far!) I know I've remarked upon this before but gaze upon this again and imagine an injury free, just typical year from all these guys:

LF Eaton (L)
SS Turner (R)
RF Harper (L)
3B Rendon (R)
2B Murphy (L)
1B Zimmerman (R)
CF Taylor (R)
C Weiters (S)

That lineup is classic. Speed at the top (world class speed in the first three!). Leftie-Rightie balance. Home run power. Good batting average. Excellent on-base percentages.

Except for Taylor and Weiters they're all All Stars. They even have super rookie Victor Robles ready to come take an outfield position if somebody gets hurt again.

Now that they have a serviceable bullpen, the Nats have the best shot at a title since they were the Montreal Expos in the early '80s with Andre Dawson, Warren Cromartie, Tim Raines, Gary Carter and Ace Steve Rogers.

BAD JUJU: defense is below average. And, there's a lot of pressure in knowing that they have to win this year before they lose either Harper or Rendon (and possibly both) to free agency next year.

Philadelphia: GJ: resurrection. Also see above. Jake Arrieta could show their young staff how to be cocky bad asses on the mound. BJ: still a year or two away from being really good. And still miles behind Washington.

New York: GJ: their starting pitchers are (maybe) healthy? I know all the Mets fans hate me for forecasting doom and gloom and bad arms for their beloved Amazins. But I've still got PTSD from the Astro/Red Sox Playoff disasters of 1986 so go fondle your Dwight Gooden baseball card! BJ: the staff imploded last year. What makes you think all those arms are gonna come back all pinky winky groovy woovy this year? You really think Harvey is going to remember how to pitch? And I know you're counting on Yoenis “Hamstring” Cespedes too much.

Atlanta: GJ: Ronald Acuna looks like the next Willie Mays. Wait a minute. Correction. Looks like the next Andruw Jones. Let's not insult anyone by trying to compare them to Willie Mays. But of course they won't bring him up for three weeks so they won't “start the clock” on his free agency qualification. Get rid of that stupid rule, MLB! BJ: they lost a whole crop of international players as punishment for cheating their asses off on signing rules. That will continue to haunt them. Also, they have a lousy pitching staff.

Miami: GJ: (this space left intentionally blank) BJ: I don't have enough ink in my printer so I'll pass. The embarrassment of baseball, this team. I'm just so sorry that it had to be Derek Jeter overseeing this disaster.

N.L.CENTRAL

Chicago: GOOD JUJU: the best of an interesting and competitive division. The Adorables have youth, depth, speed, power, starters, relievers, glamour boys (Bryant), funny superstars (Rizzo), mindlessly talented players who swing at everything and miss most of the time but once in awhile connect (Schwarber, Baez), and a gnarly manager who keeps them loose (Maddon). They are really good and they know it. They also have a front office that is not too stuffy to engage in a one-upsmanship game of pranks with a reserve infielder (Tommy La Stella). BAD JUJU: unh. Maybe they're a little...well...too Adorable? Makes you want to watch some nasty team like the old St. Louis Gas House Gang grind their faces into the dirt for a few innings.

St. Louis: GJ: okay...these Cardinals are far, far from the Gas House Gang, except for Yadier Molina. He'd have fit right in. But they have a winning tradition that's been thwarted the last couple of years and that makes them dangerous. They went out and got Marcell Ozuna and he's the real deal: power, average, a gold glove, great attitude. They have Carlos Martinez and Luke Weaver in the rotation as a 1-2. Mike Maddux is a great addition as pitching coach. But...BJ: they're counting on Adam Wainwright (already on the DL) and Michael Wacha for two rotation spots and Wainwright is running on fumes and savvy and Wacha has a bad shoulder. Starter Miles “Lizard King” Mikolas ate a live lizard. I'm not sure if that's good or bad juju but it's something to consider.

Milwaukee: GJ: they almost made the Wild Card last year in a surprising showing. Can Manager Craig Counsell keep them grinding? I think he is turning out to be a fine little manager. Skinny, high energy infielders who played better than their physical talent would ever have predicted often make good managers. (Billy Martin, Larry Bowa, Ozzie Guillen) I already mentioned them getting Yelich and Cain. BJ: Zach Davies is a good starter. Corey Knebel surprised as a closer. Don't look too closely at the rest of their staff. With the encouraging showing by their offense, it's a shame the Crew couldn't mortgage the farm a little to improve their pitching. And...oh yeah...they still have “He Who Must Not Be Named” on their squad. Your team leader is that guy?

Pittsburgh: GJ: they were once a high energy, hard scrapping bunch of tough hombres. Then they traded McCutcheon and Cole, and Marte went steroid on them and they let their chances dribble away. This is a team and city betrayed by their management. (And Marte I guess). Come on Pittsburgh! What do you think all that luxury tax penalty from the big dogs is for? Upgrading your luxury boxes? BJ: this team made it's own Bad Juju.

Cincinnati: GJ: they are a middle of the pack team in offensive categories but the worst in pitching. Their good juju comes from players like Votto, Duvall, Schebler, Suarez and Gennett who all hit with power. They also get a big juicy juju boost from the magnificent Cincy fans in one of the best baseball towns ever. BJ: oh my does that pitching staff stink! Luis Castillo is the only real stand out so far. Maybe some of their kids will start showing promise, but that's a tough park to learn how to pitch in.

N.L.WEST

Colorado: GOOD JUJU: no, that's not a mistake. I'm sticking my neck out and saying the Colorado Rockies will win the West over the heavily favored Dodgers and last year's runner-up Arizona. And I agree, I may have lost my mind. I just smell an upset. My main olfactory misgivings relate to the Dodger's sudden vulnerabilities. I'll go into those in the next section, but first...Reasons for the Rockies!

*they won 87 games last year, and they're young.
*their stars all came back and their young pitchers are a year more experienced after being pretty damn good last season.
*they have a scary offense with two MVPs in Blackmon and Arenado.
*close to having the best defensive infield in baseball.
*the additions of Wade Davis and Brian Shaw solidify a bullpen that is now a true team strength.
*did I mention that they're young? Translation: they're on the way up, not down.
*Bud Black is a really good manager.

I see the Rockies winning 95 games and taking a very close race against the Dodgers and the Diamondbacks. BAD JUJU: the Curse of Coors Field still haunts the Rockheads. Thin air and that big field build a false sense of offensive wonderfulness in a team that tends to crash at sea level, while the pitchers develop a permanent wince. But it doesn't seem to affect Arenado, and the pitchers finished ...surprisingly...in the middle of the pack of the MLB in ERA. All things considered...get ready for a Rocky Mountain High this year!

Los Angeles: GJ: as I said...the Dodgers are vulnerable. But first, the good news. They still have Kershaw, the best pitcher in creation, who is coming off a startlingly dominant Spring Training performance. They have incredible depth and can plug holes anywhere. They have good new arms waiting in the wings if any of their starters falter. They still have Dave Roberts, just the right manager to counter any team tendencies to go Hollywood. BJ: here's another list:

*Kershaw has missed time with back trouble 2 seasons in a row and back trouble is the tolling bell for power pitchers. It's the kind of problem that must be managed full time and never really goes away.
*their number 2 starter, Rich Hill, is effective but pushing 40 and blister-prone. Ryu is also coming off injury. They are probably going to have to go to the cupboard for help from young starters like Walker Buehler.
*Justin Turner, the big bat in the middle of the order, broke his wrist and is out...they say for a month but who knows? Wrist injuries often prove to affect hitters for quite awhile. Also, Corey Seager didn't play shortstop hardly at all this spring because of a bad elbow. What if he can't play short?
*if Turner and Seager aren't effective for stretches, they have to depend on Bellinger, Puig and two old guys...Chase Utley and Matt Kemp. The old guys are worthy dudes but...well... old. Bellinger was exposed by Houston as somebody you can get out with breaking stuff. He won't hit 39 homers this year. And Puig is great but just a little bit crazy.
*Kenley Jansen is one of the 3 best closers in baseball but they lost their best setup guy, Morrow, to the Cubs.
*the Dodgekins had a strange year in 2017. They went on a tear and won a whole bunch of games in a row and then went cold and lost a whole bunch. Then they dominated in the Playoffs but lost in heartbreaking fashion in the Series. Two possible outcomes: Will there be a hangover? Or will they go into the regular season a bit complacent, shall we say? There is a lot of pressure on this group to win it all. If they don't, management just may start buying big free agents next year and moving out the underachievers.

Arizona: GJ: they showed up big last year. Goldschmidt is a perennial MVP candidate. Their pitching got a whole lot better. BJ: did they miss their chance? For half a season they had a terrifying lineup with J.D. Martinez hitting in the hot dry air of Phoenix in between Goldy and Lamb. But J.D. moved on and they replaced him with little speed guys.
It might work but I think the opposing pitchers of the league won't be sorry. Greinke starts the season on the DL with a groin strain. How bad? That's an injury that can recur easily...every time he hops off the mound to field a bunt. I think they'll be in it but I don't pick them to win it.

San Diego: GJ: the Padrinos struggle on. But now they have Eric Hosmer and some hope for improvement. But hope is just hope...they need statistics. BJ: speaking of which, they finished near the bottom of baseball in almost every major offensive category! (They tied for 13th in steals and finished 4th in LOB...because nobody could get on base in the first place!) They also finished bottom half in pitching, despite playing in that pitcher's park. Them is some bad stats, Hoss!

San Francisco: GJ: the Gigantics seemed to be ready to restore order with the addition of Austin Jackson and Andrew McCutcheon in the outfield and Evan Longoria in the infield. Finally! Some offense! But wait a minute...BJ: those new guys have already played their best baseball for other teams. They're older now and they may have something left, but this team needs to get younger. I know that management was going for the glory one more time before dismantling, but they are approaching the luxury tax zone with a team that is over the hill, and they don't have a good enough pitching staff either. And now the real blow...Madison Bumgarner takes a liner to the finger of his pitching hand and breaks his pinkie. If he was a hockey player or a football player you'd wrap it up and he'd be out there tomorrow. But MadBum is a pitcher. You need all your fingers (unless you're Mordecai “Three Finger” Brown of the old Chicago Cubs). Bum will miss at least two months and can't even throw to stay in shape. What a disaster! Just like last year when he went down and they tanked! And there's more incredibly BAD JUJU! Samardzja goes down with a bad pec muscle! That leaves them with one dependable starter... (who wasn't even dependable last season)... Johnny Cueto, to carry the load.


AND IN SUMMATION:
Predictions:
AL East: New York
AL Central: Cleveland
Al West: Houston
Al Wild Cards: Boston, Los Angeles Angels
AL Pennant: Houston


NL East: Washington
NL Central: Chicago Cubs
NL West: Colorado
NL Wild Cards: Los Angeles Dodgers, St.Louis
NL Pennant: Washington
World Series Winner: Houston


Today's Stumper: only one player was in the major leagues when Babe Ruth was playing and also was in the majors when Hank Aaron was playing. Who was it?
Hint: Cubs
PS: only ninnies use Google for questions like this….

LET THE SEASON BEGIN!!!

--Marco

No comments:

Post a Comment