Today we move westerly in the American League and take on the Central, where it appears we'll have three teams battling it out for most of the season...
The Favorite: Minnesota Twins
I don't know if you can officially call any of the Twins, White Sox, or Tigers the "favorite", but the way I see it, this team has finished first the past three years (though technically they were tied with the White Sox in 2008 and lost the one game playoff), and are the favorites until someone else proves otherwise. After eight months Justin Morneau has finally seen live big league action, and assuming he can make a full recovery, I think you have to project this team slightly ahead of it's competitors. Remember, they did it last year without any help from Joe Nathan and only half a year from Morneau.
The Neglected: Kansas City Royals
The Royals have finished 4th or 5th in the AL Central for seven straight years. They just traded away their ace. They signed Jeff Francoeur and Melky Cabrera in the offseason. Recipe for a turnaround? No. But everyone knows what the Royals are playing for, and that's 2013 and beyond. As for 2011, fans will have to be content with battling for 4th place and having a Yuni-less infield.
Most Likable Team: Chicago White Sox
The Twins are very likable. Small market. Down-to-earth face of the franchise catcher. But I'm going with the White Sox here because they hit a lot of homeruns, and I think Adam Dunn and Mark Buehrle are two of the more interesting guys in baseball. Having seen a lot of Adam Dunn in Cincinnati, he really is one of the funniest players I've heard talk. And seriously, doesn't Buehrle seem to do something awesome and bad ass pretty much every year (see here for proof). Besides all that, I live in Chicago, and it's always good to support the hometown team (even if I don't live on the south side).
Least Likable Team: Cleveland Indians
This is probably more of a personal thing rather than a widespread sentiment. They just seem like a team of no consequence that really isn't doing much of anything. And it makes me sad. I mean, what happened to Grady Sizemore and Travis Hafner and Matt LaPorta and Fausto Carmona (speaking of, who on earth assembled that rotation). And I feel bad for Shin-Soo Choo because he really is one of the ten best outfielders in baseball and doesn't get much credit for it. Hard to say when they'll become relevant again.
Potential story line:
The easy answer here is Miguel Cabrera, and it's my blog so I'm going with the easy answer. I hope the guy can get back on track, because he is good at hitting a baseball, and it'd be a shame, both for him and for us, if that talent was wasted in any way.
Overall Result:
Twins 87
White Sox 85
Tigers 82
Indians 69
Royals 67
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Friday, March 11, 2011
Division Run Down: AL East
Inspired by my Oriole-themed tweet/note from yesterday, I'd like to try something a little different (different as in non-Reds related*). I know there are millions of places to go to find preseason predictions, but since all those other places have little to do with me personally, I'd like to do my own division-by-division run down before the season starts, hopefully in a way that's at least little bit different and keeps things interesting. Also note that I hope to do this mostly off-the-cuff, without a significant amount of in depth research (though I imagine I won't be able to help myself and will still look stuff up as I'm going along).
*This may become less of an exception for the time being for one main reason. Last week I applied to MLB's Ultimate Dream Job (learn more here). I honestly have no idea what to expect, but I figured hey, why not give it a shot. Because really, I can't imagine a more aptly named job. And since I included a link to this site on the application, I'm trying to include a few things from around the league. You know... showcase my supposed versatility.
That said, let's dive right in with baseball toughest division, the AL East...
The Favorite: Boston Red Sox
No surprise here. I don't think you could find another team listed atop any version of the 2011 projected standings.
The Neglected: Toronto Blue Jays
This has been written about countless times, but the AL East is just brutal. And now that you can no longer count on the Rays to annually occupy the cellar, it's even worse. You're either going to see the Blue Jays or the Orioles here, and if you've been paying any attention at all you know my newly found bias isn't letting Baltimore in the basement.
It's almost as disheartening putting the Blue Jays there however as it seems, along with a handful of other teams, Toronto has a pretty stat-centric front office. And of course Alex Anthopoulos is an intriguing figure and personally I'd like to see him do well.
Unfortunately for Major League Baseball's Canadian representative, it seems they will once again fall victim to the depth of the AL East. The offense showed last year it can hit some homeruns, but was it a Rogers Center phenomenon? Overall it still lacks some punch, and their young staff doesn't look quite as impressive to me as the O's.
One thing Jays fans should be celebrating all year long? A Vernon Wells-less outfield (or more importantly, a Vernon Wells contract-less budget).
Most likable team: Baltimore Orioles
In this section I hope to add some personal flavor by choosing a team in each division I'm somewhat inclined to root for. In this case, the Rays might be a favorite for some, but I'm all about new blood, and at this point the Rays have been at or near the top for three or so years and I'm ready for someone else to rise above the oppression. I'm not saying the Orioles are going to the playoffs or anything, but let's preview that lineup...
Brian Roberts
Nick Markakis
Derrek Lee
Mark Reynolds
Vlad Guerrero
Luke Scott
Matt Wieters
J.J. Hardy
Adam Jones
That is solid top to bottom. Yeah there are some veterans with question marks (Lee, Guerrero) and some younger guys with question marks (Wieters, Jones), but there's enough stability and enough upside that I think it could turn out well. At least fun to watch.
Least likable team: New York Yankees
You were expecting somebody else?
Potential story line:
If either of the Red Sox' new toys struggles at all out of the gate, it'll be big news. The Red Sox are coming off of what they would consider a down year. They spent lots of money, traded for the biggest name out there, and now have all the pressure that comes with it. I think Adrian Gonzalez could have a giant year, and I wouldn't be surprised if he wins the MVP. But with great expectations comes the potential for a great letdown.
Overall Result:
Red Sox 95
Yankees 92
Rays 87
Orioles 80
Blue Jays 72
*This may become less of an exception for the time being for one main reason. Last week I applied to MLB's Ultimate Dream Job (learn more here). I honestly have no idea what to expect, but I figured hey, why not give it a shot. Because really, I can't imagine a more aptly named job. And since I included a link to this site on the application, I'm trying to include a few things from around the league. You know... showcase my supposed versatility.
That said, let's dive right in with baseball toughest division, the AL East...
The Favorite: Boston Red Sox
No surprise here. I don't think you could find another team listed atop any version of the 2011 projected standings.
The Neglected: Toronto Blue Jays
This has been written about countless times, but the AL East is just brutal. And now that you can no longer count on the Rays to annually occupy the cellar, it's even worse. You're either going to see the Blue Jays or the Orioles here, and if you've been paying any attention at all you know my newly found bias isn't letting Baltimore in the basement.
It's almost as disheartening putting the Blue Jays there however as it seems, along with a handful of other teams, Toronto has a pretty stat-centric front office. And of course Alex Anthopoulos is an intriguing figure and personally I'd like to see him do well.
Unfortunately for Major League Baseball's Canadian representative, it seems they will once again fall victim to the depth of the AL East. The offense showed last year it can hit some homeruns, but was it a Rogers Center phenomenon? Overall it still lacks some punch, and their young staff doesn't look quite as impressive to me as the O's.
One thing Jays fans should be celebrating all year long? A Vernon Wells-less outfield (or more importantly, a Vernon Wells contract-less budget).
Most likable team: Baltimore Orioles
In this section I hope to add some personal flavor by choosing a team in each division I'm somewhat inclined to root for. In this case, the Rays might be a favorite for some, but I'm all about new blood, and at this point the Rays have been at or near the top for three or so years and I'm ready for someone else to rise above the oppression. I'm not saying the Orioles are going to the playoffs or anything, but let's preview that lineup...
Brian Roberts
Nick Markakis
Derrek Lee
Mark Reynolds
Vlad Guerrero
Luke Scott
Matt Wieters
J.J. Hardy
Adam Jones
That is solid top to bottom. Yeah there are some veterans with question marks (Lee, Guerrero) and some younger guys with question marks (Wieters, Jones), but there's enough stability and enough upside that I think it could turn out well. At least fun to watch.
Least likable team: New York Yankees
You were expecting somebody else?
Potential story line:
If either of the Red Sox' new toys struggles at all out of the gate, it'll be big news. The Red Sox are coming off of what they would consider a down year. They spent lots of money, traded for the biggest name out there, and now have all the pressure that comes with it. I think Adrian Gonzalez could have a giant year, and I wouldn't be surprised if he wins the MVP. But with great expectations comes the potential for a great letdown.
Overall Result:
Red Sox 95
Yankees 92
Rays 87
Orioles 80
Blue Jays 72
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Odds and Ends
Having some friends over for dinner tonight but wanted to get a few thoughts in...
--Just tweeted this, but I'm slowly becoming an Orioles fan (secondary to the Reds of course). They made a lot of interesting offseason moves, seem to be set at every position, have a young pitching staff, and of course play the role of underdog every year in the loaded AL East. But most importantly, their new preseason home is our favorite spring training destination. I think I need to get a hat.
--Currently in the middle of a massive fantasy draft. It's done through Fangraphs, which has a new fantasy game this year, and luckily there is a pause function. League has 12 teams and 40 roster spots per team, which if you're counting at home, is a lot of draft. Hopefully we can get that done on Sunday. I'm enjoying living out my fantasy of being a GM.
--As awesome as it is that baseball games are being played, I have a hard time getting caught up in spring stats because it's such a small sample size. And players are facing guys who won't be in the major leagues much of the time. I know this isn't a new concept. I'll be glad when I'm down there watching games in person.
--If you haven't caught on yet, I'll be heading to Sarasota, Florida in a week to take in some sun, beach, beer, and baseball. The plan is to attend at least one Orioles game, a Pirates game, and a Phillies game cuz they have a nice new stadium and amazing cheesesteaks. As you might imagine, I'm very excited.
That's all for now. Time to get ready for the Cincy/ND game.
--Just tweeted this, but I'm slowly becoming an Orioles fan (secondary to the Reds of course). They made a lot of interesting offseason moves, seem to be set at every position, have a young pitching staff, and of course play the role of underdog every year in the loaded AL East. But most importantly, their new preseason home is our favorite spring training destination. I think I need to get a hat.
--Currently in the middle of a massive fantasy draft. It's done through Fangraphs, which has a new fantasy game this year, and luckily there is a pause function. League has 12 teams and 40 roster spots per team, which if you're counting at home, is a lot of draft. Hopefully we can get that done on Sunday. I'm enjoying living out my fantasy of being a GM.
--As awesome as it is that baseball games are being played, I have a hard time getting caught up in spring stats because it's such a small sample size. And players are facing guys who won't be in the major leagues much of the time. I know this isn't a new concept. I'll be glad when I'm down there watching games in person.
--If you haven't caught on yet, I'll be heading to Sarasota, Florida in a week to take in some sun, beach, beer, and baseball. The plan is to attend at least one Orioles game, a Pirates game, and a Phillies game cuz they have a nice new stadium and amazing cheesesteaks. As you might imagine, I'm very excited.
That's all for now. Time to get ready for the Cincy/ND game.
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