Preview your team

[Mogriffjr]

I'ma do my bum ass Mets :yep:...wanna see how other teams stack up...really excited for the season...

 

[Primetime]

Brewers preview:

 

[NAHSTE]

2013 Atlanta Braves:

STARTED FROM THE BOTTOM...

 

NOW WE HERE

 

STARTED FROM THE BOTTOM...

 

NOW MY WHOLE TEAM FUCKIN HERE

 

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

C - Ryan Hanigan is a professional catcher who pitchers rave about. A line drive contact hitter who rarely pulls the ball or strikes out, with virtually zero power, who makes up for it with lots of walks and a good OBA. He's the kind of player who's numbers don't tell you his value to a team. Devin Mesoraco held off Miguel Olivo for the backup job, and his low BABIP last season combined with his good spring suggest that he's ready to hit at the major league level. Olivo asked for his release, so Corky Miller waits in the wings in AAA if disaster strikes. Grade - B-

IF - Joey Votto will challenge for the MVP award and may flirt with a .500 OBA (.474 last season, third consecutive year leading the league). Votto led the league in walks last season despite missing roughly 50 games. Brandon Phillips combines with Votto to form what may be the best defensive 1B/2B duo in the game. Zack Cozart is another top notch glove, who brings some pop (15 HR). His low OBA won't hurt as much at the bottom of the order, after being forced into the leadoff spot last season. Todd Frazier was the ROY front runner until a horrid September. He is a downgrade defensively from the retired Scott Rolen, bringing an average glove to the table. Frazier is a streaky hitter with deceptive power, who is susceptible to long slumps due to a long loopy swing. Grade - B+

OF - The big addition here is Shin Soo Choo, who fills the black hole that was the Reds leadoff spot. He should improve the Reds leadoff on base percentage by roughly .100 points, and he reached base about 100 times more than the Stubbs/Cozart tandem did last season. So the Reds are conservatively looking at 50-60 more base runners on base for Joey Votto. Even if Choo is really bad in CF, he won't cost the Reds nearly as many runs as he will add. Jay Bruce dropped weight and offered to play CF, but the Reds wisely decided to let the one year rental get beat up in the more physically demanding position. Bruce is the only player in MLB history to hit 20 or more HR as a rookie, and then increase his HR each season for the next four years. Hard to believe he's only entering his age 26 season, as it feels like he's been on the team forever. I would be pretty surprised if Ryan Ludwick matched his production from last season, because of his evenly distributed home/road splits. I'd be more comfortable if he was a product of GAB, but this isnt the case. Regression candidate. Chris Heisey is a top notch 4th OF. Probably the best defensive OF on the team, who can fill in adequately for any of the starters if they are injured for an extended period of time. Grade - B

SP - The Reds starting five didn't miss a single start last season. That won't happen again. They are better prepared for injury this time around, as Tony Cingrani & Daniel Corcino are now ready if needed, and veteran Armondo Galarraga waits in AAA as well. Last year, Todd Redmond was the 6th starter, so the Reds were very very fortunate to avoid injury. Johnny Cueto has emerged as a bonafide ace. Mat Latos, who many thought would suffer pitching half of his games in GAB as opposed to Petco, bounced back from a brutal April and posted an identical ERA as he did in 2011. He is a potential future ace, and a Cy Young darkhorse. Homer Bailey stayed healthy and had somewhat of a breakout season, including tossing a no hitter. If he fully reaches his potential, this is a top staff. Mike Leake and veteran Bronson Arroyo are solid back of the rotation arms. Grade - B

RP - The big news here, is Aroldis Chapman will not start. I was pretty disappointed at this, but people like Jonah Keri and others made compelling points and talked me out of my tree. The Reds are deep at SP, and Jonathan Broxton closing games for a contender is a dangerous proposition. So the Reds essentially return the same dominant bullpen that led the majors in ERA last season. Sean Marshall is underrated and consistently one of the better relievers in baseball. Sam LeCure is the jack of all trades, from long man to 9th inning in a pinch. JJ Hoover has developed into possibly the future closer. Grade - A

Bench - The Reds were the only team in baseball history to reach the postseason with two players below 30 OPS+ (Miguel Cairo & Wilson Valdez). Needless to say, both are gone. Jack Hannahan will surely be a massive upgrade. Jason Donald/Emmanuel Burris will occupy the other backup IF spot. Mesoraco is the backup catcher. Heisey & Xavier Paul are the OF depth. Paul had a good year pinch hitting from the left side. Grade - C

Overall - Expect regression from LF, and at least two DL stints from the starting pitchers. CF & leadoff are massive improvements, and the bench will be better because it can't possibly be worse. The Reds are good, and aside from Arroyo basically the entire team is either smack dab in their primes or on the cusp of entering it. The won't win 97 games again unless Ludwick is for real and all of the guys who could stand to improve (Bailey, Leake, Mesoraco, Cozart, Frazier, etc) actually do. That's not going to happen. So without the unreal stretch of 22 wins in 24 games (or something like that) that they reeled off after Votto got injured, this is probably a 92, 93 win team. I think they are a solid favorite in the division, and one of a handful of legitimate World Series contenders.

 

[Price]

Can't wait for more of this.

 

[Obst]

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

This thread hasn't gone as a I thought it would. I feel like i'm wearing a tux at a frat party.

 

[Goober]

Mat Latos, who many thought would suffer pitching half of his games in GAB as opposed to Petco, bounced back from a brutal April and posted an identical ERA as he did in 2011. He is a potential future ace, and a Cy Young darkhorse.

You might be wearing a tux, but with a comment like this, you look more like Lloyd Christmas, not Don Draper.

With that said, I am waiting for the Brewers to announce their 25 man roster before I give my analysis of that dumpster fire of a roster.

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

You might be wearing a tux, but with a comment like this, you look more like Lloyd Christmas, not Don Draper.

With that said, I am waiting for the Brewers to announce their 25 man roster before I give my analysis of that dumpster fire of a roster.

I really don't get your hate for Latos, but then I remember that you are gob and you think every player sucks, and then I get it.

"With that fly ball rate, he'll suck in GAB!"

(puts up nearly identical numbers across the board, has solid season)

"Middle rotation shitbum" - gob last month

 

[NAHSTE]

I really don't get your hate for Latos, but then I remember that you are gob and you think every player sucks, and then I get it.

"With that fly ball rate, he'll suck in GAB!"

(puts up nearly identical numbers across the board, has solid season)

"Middle rotation shitbum" - gob last month

Except for the 40% spike in home run rate...

It's okay though, not like that cost them any important games or anything.

:tiptoe:

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

Except for the 40% spike in home run rate...

It's okay though, not like that cost them any important games or anything.

:tiptoe:

2011 3.47 ERA. 2012 3.48 ERA
2011 1.184 WHIP. 2012 1.161 WHIP

Went from Petco to GAB, allowed less runners, same amount of runs.

Not sure how it can be concluded that he pitched worse, unless you are digging for one number that went in the other direction.

2011 ERA+ 102, 2012 ERA+ 122

 

[NAHSTE]

2011 3.47 ERA. 2012 3.48 ERA
2011 1.184 WHIP. 2012 1.161 WHIP

Went from Petco to GAB, allowed less runners, same amount of runs.

Not sure how it can be concluded that he pitched worse, unless you are digging for one number that went in the other direction.

I'm not saying he pitched worse. He probably pitched better in fact. But the only reason I was ever concerned about his fly ball tendencies to begin with is because it would inevitably yield a lot of longballs.

He gave up 25 last year, 18 at home. His road HR/9 was actually the same as it had been in San Diego, but it nearly doubled to 1.3 at GABP. He was able to offset that in other ways -- interestingly his strike outs were down too, so he was "pitching to contact" more -- and he had a great year, maybe his best considering the radically different park environments he has played in. There is nothing inherently wrong with it and it's not his fault, he didn't build the park, but the fact remains he is homer prone due to his batted ball profile, and being homer prone is going to bite you in the ass sometimes.

 

[Villain]

Los Doyers!

Outfield:
Matt Kemp will destroy baseballs. Andre Ethier will destroy baseballs thrown by right handers and look foolish against lefties. Carl Crawford will run fast.

Infield:
I expect a solid season from Gonzalez. I hope for decent hitting from Hanley and league-average defense. The rest of the lineup is so scrappy and gritty that I expect the home whites to have permanent stains from sliding into first or making defensive plays. Second baseman will hit second in the lineup and bunt Carl Crawford from second to third if he gets on base and steals.

Catcher:
Hashtag AJ Ellis, will get on base, then the inning will end when the pitcher or abysmal pinch hitter doesn't drive him in.

Starting Rotation:
Kershaw - will make a run at the Cy Young
Greinke - will have an ERA in high 2.00s or low 3.00s
Ryu - Rookie if the year. Lots of Strikeouts. Is fat and we'll get a Gangnam Style video or gif from him
Billingley - If he doesn't go on DL, then he'll put up a great year. If he keeps being hurt then he'll be garbage.
Beckett - Yo-yos between quality starts and getting absolutely lit-the-fuck-up.

Bench
LOL

Bullpen
Lots of strikeouts. Not a lot of blown leads except from Matt Guerrier and Kevin Gregg. Belisario, League, Janson, Howell all have good years. Paco Rodriguez and Josh Wall make inevitable returns throughout the season, also do well.




Dodgers win NL West.

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

I wish Paco Rodriguez & Luis Mendoza were on the same team.

 

[Goober]

Brewers.

C. One of the strongest positions on the team. After years of rotating through bums on their last leg, such as Johnny Estrada, Jason Kendall and Gregg Zaun, the Brewers have finally graduated a pair of catchers from the farm system. Jonathan Lucroy will start on most days and offers one of the best bats at the position in the league. Lucroy had the third highest wOBA in baseball among catchers last season. Lucroy is also great at receiving/pitch framing, however his pitch blocking and throws to second still need work. Martin Maldonado, is a fine backup, although he played a bit over his head with the bat last year. He could also see some time at firstbase in April depending on how things shakeup. Both players received some recognition this spring by playing on their respective countries World Baseball Classic team, despite only being backups.

1B. I don't really like Corey Hart. His bat isn't really good enough to play at first, unfortunately his defense isn't really good enough to play anywhere else. Still on a good year, I think he's a two win player at first. Unfortunately for the second time in three years, Hart showed up to camp fat and out of shape, and once again he hurt his knee as a result. He will miss at least the first month of the season. After Plan B, Mat Gamel followed suit with a knee injury of his own, the Brewers are left with starting Alex Gonzalez everyday at first to begin the season. At 36 years old, Gonzalez has spent his fourteen year ML career exclusively at SS, and for good reason, his bat sucks. Unfortunately it is the Brewer's only option due to an inept GM, and they will be forced to accept a black hole at the position for a month.

2B. Rickie Weeks seemed to finally meet his potential in 2011. The former second overall draft pick hit, .278/.351/.486 in the first half of the season, but the hot streak ended after he hurt his ankle trying to run out an infield single in July. Weeks returned in September, but struggled to get on base at all. The injury was slow to heal, and his struggles continued into 2012. He was flat out terrible to start the year, but his second half numbers were close to the type of production he had gotten used to before the ankle injury. Now fully healthy, the Brewers hope that he has left the injuries and inconsistent performance in the past.

3B. After Prince Fielder left in free agency, Doug Melvin felt a need to replace his bat in the cleanup spot in the lineup. The result was Aramis Ramirez, a player who isn't that good, and kind of old. The Brewers overpaid Ramirez on a three year deal, hoping that the early production will offset the latter years of the deal. Luckily Ramirez's bat played nicely in the hitter friendly Miller Park. Combine that with an unusually decent year with the glove from Ramirez, and the contract doesn't look as bad after one year. Unfortunately Ramirez is now 35 years old, and unlikely to repeat his 2012 performance again. If Ramirez can get off to decent start, look for the Brewers to try to trade him crossesfingers instead of rolling the dice on him in 2014, when he is scheduled to make 16 million.

SS. The prize of the Zack Greinke trade was Jean Segura. A young shortstop with decent pop in his bat, and questionable defense. An impatient Brewer's front office decided to call him up from AA, only a week after acquiring him. Segura was rushed, and struggled initially, although he improved in September. Segura will be the everday starter in 2013, by default, and hopes to parlay a strong Spring training into the regular season.

OF.Over the last few years, Ryan Braun has been the best player in the National League, if not MLB. At 29 years old, he is right in his prime, and that won't change in 2013. He will be an MVP candidate again, however the Brewer's record and voter stigma may hold back the league's most deserving candidate again. Everyday I am thankful for the JJ Hardy trade back in 2009, looking back now it is clear that the Brewers won the deal. Carlos Gomez is criminally underrated on VSN, despite being one of the best CFers in the NL. Still only 27 years old, I expect a 20 HRs, and 30 SBs from Gomez, along with the every present outstanding defense. Norichika Aoki will be the everyday RF in his sophomore season after coming over from Japan. Despite a weak arm, he has the defense and bat to hold down the position, and should improve on his 2012 numbers with more regular playing time.

Bench. One day I bought a $5 Hot N' Ready for lunch. I took the pizza home, and quickly ate six pieces before realizing what a huge mistake I had made. I put the remaining pizza in the fridge and forgot about it. A few days latter I remembered my regrettable purchase and tried to eat the leftovers. The attempt was short lived and I through the remaining food out after taking one bite. My stupidity is a nice analogy for the Brewer's current bench player, Yuniesky Betancourt. After a terrible season in Milwaukee in 2011, the Brewer's had the audacity to bring him back in 2013. Will they be smart enough to dump him shortly after the bad taste returns to their mouth like I was with the pizza? Or will we have to suffer through the entire season with the bumbling idiot on the team? Time will tell. Joining him on the bench is fourth outfielder Logan Schafer, who will also serve as the emergency catcher. If Schafer actually does catch a game, it will be the first time a left hander thrower does so in MLB since 1989. Other names include Khris Davis (primary pinch fielder, can't play the field), Taylor Green, and Jeff Bianchi (the latter two will start the season on the DL).

SP. With Zack Greinke gone, Yovani Gallardo moves into the "ace" role on the Brewers staff. But Gallardo is no ace. After an outstanding 2010 campaign, Gallardo has failed to improve, due mostly to an increasing tendency to give up the long ball. Combine that with his Mexican Gangbanger image, and I'm left hoping the Brewers eventually trade him. Following Gallardo in the rotation is Kyle Lohse, who is shit, Marco Estrada and Mike Fiers, both of whom pitched well above their stuff in 2012, and Wily Peralta, the Brewer's top prospect. Peralta has the potential to be a 2/3 if he can master his command. But he remains inconsistent. Look for Mark Rogers to get another look in the rotation at some point in 2013. The 2004 first round pick fought various injuries to finally make it to the big leagues in 2010, he then missed all of 2011 with carpal tunnel syndrome in his pitching hand. He made it back to the Show last year at the end of the year, and showed impressive command of his usually wild arsenal. He showed up to spring training in 2013 with a dead arm, and will begin the year on the DL.

RP. The Brewers bullpen sucked in 2012. John Axford sucks and should have been traded after 2011. But it would be a miracle if the Brewers ever sold high on a player. Look for new acquisitions, Michael Gonzalez, Tom Gorzelanny, and Burke Badenhop to make the unit somewhat better then worst in the majors in 2013.

I expect the Brewers to attempt to make the playoffs again in 2013, because that's what Doug Melvin likes to do, and once again finish in MLB hell.

 

[Mogriffjr]

ROTATION
Jon Niese
Matt Harvey
Dillon Gee
Shawn Marcum
Jeremy Hefner
---The rotation took a semi-hit depending on who you ask when Johan Santana re-tore his capsule in his shoulder. Needless to say his Met career and very likely his MLB career is done. But a realistic fan knew that anything you was getting from Santana this year was gravy. The rotation has some huge health questions....whether Marcum can complete a full season (most likely trade bait) and if Gee can come back and continue being a solid pitcher for the Mets. Niese will need to grow up rather quickly for the Mets as some are rather split as to what his ultimate projection will be. Can he be an ace? I tend to believe his ceiling is a #2 type but there's nothing wrong with that. Matt Harvey came on strong last year and the Mets hope he can avoid a sophomore slump as he too, is expected to be a workhorse; he just needs to cut down on the walks. Jeremy Hefner is the usual 5th starter...he'll have some solid game and some stinkers but realistically he's just a placeholder. GRADE- C
HELP IS ON THE WAY- Zach Wheeler, Collin McHugh- Wheeler ultimately will be up this year, barring anything significant like an injury happening to him or the PCL absolutely destroying him. He profiles as an ace type and him combined with Harvey could be the future 1-2 punch for the Mets. McHugh is a solid #4/5 starter, similar in the Dillon Gee mold if all breaks well. He's good young depth.

BULLPEN
Scott Rice
Scott Atchinson
Josh Edgin
Greg Burke
LaTroy Hawkins
Jeurys Familia
Brandon Lyon
Bobby Parnell
---The bullpen received a bit of an overhaul with the only holdovers being Parnell and Edgin (not including Familia, a late season call up). Parnell will finally get a chance to close with Frank Fransisco starting the season on the DL. I feel Parnell hasn't been given a fair shot to close and this is his chance to settle this once and for all. Familia made the bullpen off a strong spring and he has a mid 90's FB and a wipeout slider, which could lead him to some potential high leverage situations down the road. This pen will rely on some veterans, namels LaTroy Hawkins (who struggled mightly this spring but this org has an affinity for bum vets), Greg Burke (re-invented himself as a submariner type), Scott Atchinson (had a nice year for the Red Sox, albeit not high leverage situations) and Brandon Lyon. The lefties here are Josh Edgin (please don't have your left arm destroyed like previous lefties aka Tim Byrdak and Pedro Feliciano) and Scott Rice (nice story, had a solid spring). This pen was BAD last year and a fan just hopes a different group of guys can change the fortune for the pen. GRADE- B-

STARTERS
C John Buck
1B Ike Davis
2B Daniel Murphy
SS Ruben Tejada
3B David Wright
LF Lucas Duda
CF Colin Cowgill
RF Marlon Byrd
BENCH- C Anthony Recker, 2B/OF Jordany Valdespin, INF Zach Lutz, OF Mike Baxter, OF Kirk Niewenhuis,
---The main story here is how potentially BAD the OF can be. I mean the best OF on this roster may very well be Colin Cowgill and by all indications he's on the short side of a platoon with Kirk Niewenhuis and Mike Baxter. Lucas Duda, the Mets hope he can finally tap into that big time power he has but he's a bit of a headcase in terms of his confidence. Marlon Byrd was AWFUL last year and has been damn near guaranteed to start everyday and MAY get time in CF. Ugh. Good news is the infield is pretty good, headlined by captain america aka David Wright. Fresh off a new deal, I expect big things from him, as well as Ike Davis, who is finally healthy. I expect 35 and 100 from Ike. Daniel Murphy is a good .290-.300 hitter but with a new swing designed to hit for more power, I do have concerns as to how that will work out. Ruben Tejada beefed up in the offseason and is hitting well below the mendoza line in ST. I really don't expect much from RT especially coming off a really high BABIP. John Buck is really an upgrade over the very light hitting Josh Thole (now in TOR) and should handle the staff well. (EDIT- COLIN COWGILL HAS WON THE CF SPOT FULL-TIME)
INFIELD- B, OUTFIELD- F

The bench is comprised of my favorite Met bursting on the scene in Valdespin, who if not for some man-love from the FO to Marlon Byrd, would be starting (has been hitting the cover off the ball in ST). The rest is just bench fodder. Recker is an improvement over past reincarnations of backup catchers the Mets been trotting out there while Kirk should be in AAA trying to hone his game. Mike Baxter is your essential bench bat/5th OF type while Lutz has a good bat, nice for pinch hitting but has no glove. BENCH- C-

HELP IS ON THE WAY- 2B/3B Wilmer Flores, C Travis d'Arnaud- Wilmer Flores showed that he MAY be able to play a passable 2B and considering the Mets really had Murph learn the position on the fly during the season the past few years, I don't see a reason to do the same with Flores. His bat will really play up at 2B, where iMO he has the potential to be a .300 hitter with 15-20 HR's. Travis d'Arnaud was the prized piece in the R.A. Dickey deal and he'll be down in Vegas until he gets past the super 2 date. He was coming on strong late in ST and iMO would have broken camp with the Mets had it not been for said Super 2.

I think the Mets made some key strides toward the future and this is what Sandy Alderson has been brought in to do, fix the financial mess of this team and build it for the future. He's brought in Zach Wheeler and Travis d'Arnaud as well as some other fine prospects and has the Mets farm system in the mid teens now. The bullpen iMO will be improved just because it can't get worse than last year out there. The OF though is a mess and whiffing on their targets didn't help at all. Not looking to bring in any help off the waiver wire just sucks as well. Only reason to get up to see this team is to see David Wright be Wright, Ike blossom into one of the NL's top 1B, Harvey, Niese and the promotion of Wheeler and d'Arnaud. This will be another long year. RECORD- 74-88

 

[Yawkey Way]

Boston Red Sox

C. Jarrod Saltalamacchia will most likely be the starter, which means one thing: Strikeouts. Last year, Salty struck out 31% of the time he was at the plate. Of course, he also hit 25 homers and posted a .232 ISO, so not all was bad at the catching position. This past winter, Ben Cherington went out and got an actual backup catcher who I believe will actually threaten to start by years end, David Ross. Ross also strikes out a lot, 30% of the time, but can hit for better average and provide much more consistency than Salty. Ross also offers better defense behind the plate. He hasn't played more than 62 games since 2007 when he played in 112 games for the Reds and hit only .203, so perhaps a backup role will ultimately suit him better and keep Salty fresher down the stretch.

1B. As most of you now, Mike Napoli signed in Boston this winter. Thankfully he's got a bum hip (or maybe two) and only signed for 1 year/5M, as his previous agreed upon deal of 3/39M would've smelled bad from the start. Napoli's hit 54 homers the past two seasons, and in 2011 hit .320, posted a 1.046 OPS, and a .312 ISO. Now do I believe that's sustainable? Probably not. He strikes out a decent amount, but has a swing tailored to Fenway Park and has killed the Red Sox throughout his career. I think Napoli will fill the middle of the order admirably, and at least gives Boston another consistent power threat outside of Ortiz. Other options at first include a player who only learned how to play the position this spring (Daniel Nava) and Mike Carp. So Mike Napoli, please work out.

2B. Dustin Pedroia will command second again this year, surprising no one. Pedroia's statline a year ago was slightly below his career average, posting a .290/.347/.449. Obviously it'd be difficult for Pedroia to live up to his 7.6 win season of 2011, so regression was expected. Pedroia scares me. He'll turn 30 this year and obviously isn't built to last, especially the way he plays. He's supposed to be the emotional leader of the Red Sox, yet nagging injuries may continue to be a problem for Pedroia. If he can't stay on the field, and injuries start to break him down, he could fall off quicker rather than slower. Super utility/Yankee killer/player who Red Sox Nation thinks is a lot better than he actually is Pedro Ciriaco will most likely spell Pedroia at 2nd.

SS. Here's a position which actually offers some #debate. The Red Sox signed Stephen Drew to presumably start this year, mainly because Jose Iglesias has yet to show he can actually hit at any professional level. Iglesias hit .118 in 77 plate appearances a year ago. In my opinion, the Red Sox rushed him to the majors way too quickly, getting limited time in both 2011 and 2012 despite being only 23 years old. He's a silky smooth fielder and a lot of fun to watch with the glove, and from all accounts his #SpringTrainingStatsThatMatter were encouraging. To help his case, Drew will start the year on the 7-day Concussion DL. If Iglesias wants to win this job he has to hit out of the gates. If not, he'll most likely go back to AAA to get regular AB's. Drew's an interesting case in Boston mainly because he's already looked at cynically due to his last name. Seeing as he's only played in 165 games combined the past two years, what does he really have to offer? Is he the player who hit .278 with 15 homers in 2010 in an every-day role for Arizona, or is he the guy who hit .223 a year ago and struck out 23.2% of the time? The talent is there, but I don't know if we'll get to consistently see it.

3B: Will Middlebrooks is healthy and will start the year for the Red Sox, making it his first Opening Day with the team. I'm a huge Will Middlebrooks fan. He puts together solid AB's and plays a decent 3B, but the potential at the plate is incredible. Unfortunately after his quick start a year ago a fractured wrist ended his season after 75 games. Ideally you'd like to see Middlebrooks show more patience at the plate as he walked only 13 times compared to 70 strikeouts. The power was there at first but tailed off as pitchers got to know him better. Hopefully a full winter/spring has matured Middlebrooks as a hitter, and we'll see more of the talent which solidified him as one of the youngest every day players in Boston. Wonder-kid Pedro Ciraco will back him up as well.

OF. JACKIE BRADLEY JR JACKIE BRADLEY JR. Guys, Jackie Bradley Jr. The hottest prospect in Boston's organization made the Opening Day Roster and will presumably start in Left Field for at least the first month of the season. Seeing as he's never played above AA, I can only offer his spring training stats, where he hit .441/.521/.644 with a 1.165 OPS and 2 dingers in 71 AB's. He also walked as much as he struck out, an encouraging sign from such a young player. As much as I want him to succeed, I question whether he'll last the entire year in Boston. He obviously has the talent but is he mentally mature enough to handle the rigors of MLB pitching, especially when they know how to pitch him? Once David Ortiz comes back, JBJ could be on his way to AAA. Jacoby Ellsbury is the most important part of this team. If the Red Sox actually think they'll make a run at the playoffs, they need 2011 Jacoby Ellsbury, the guy who hit .321/.376/.552 with 32 homers and 119 runs. Last year, a year basically lost due to injuries, saw Ellsbury post a .271/.313/.370 line. He needs to be better. Rounding out the outfield is the worst free agent signing of the entire off-season, Shane Victorino. The Red Sox invested $39 million in an aging Victorino, mainly because he's consistently average and a real "standup guy." Victorino, who never hit below .280 from 2006-09, hit .279 in 2011 while sandwiching that year with 2 sub-.260 batting averages. His power is declining, his other tools soon to follow. Not much confidence in my friend Shane.

DH. Ortiz will miss at least the first month recovering from an achilles injury he should have already healed from had he not rushed back a year ago amid accusations from his manager that he should be playing. Now, at 37 years old, we're supposed to expect Big Papi to return to midseason form following a serious injury, and anchor the middle of the order? Sure thing, Ben. I expect major regression from Ortiz this year, although he's improved consistently since falling off the table severely in 2009. While Ortiz is out, we'll most likely see Jonny Gomes fill at DH.

Bench. For at least the first month, Gomes will split time between DH and the bench. When Ortiz returns, Gomes figures to platoon in left field. In in the interim, Mike Carp, Pedro Ciriaco, David Ross, and Daniel Nava will most likely fill out the bench. FUN.

SP. This is by far the biggest question mark on the team. Jon Lester figures to anchor the staff, with Clay Buchholz coming behind him. If those two can pitch to their potential on a consistent basis, I don't see why the Red Sox can't have one of the better pitching staffs in the AL, if not baseball. Of course, the challenge for John Farrell is rehabbing Jon Lester to the pitcher who never posted an ERA over 3.5 once he cracked the starting rotation. I'm actually fairly confident in Buchholz to pitch strongly, the challenge being he stays healthy. Ryan Dempster, John Lackey, and Felix Doubront follow. Dempster is a middle of the rotation innings-eater who will be incredibly average. Thankfully, I didn't have to watch Lackey a year ago. Hopefully after returning from TJ-surgery last year, Lackey can offer decent innings at the back. Doubront has the ability to miss bats, something the majority of the starting rotation couldn't do last year. If he can control his walks, he may turn into the 3rd best pitcher on the team.

RP. The Sox traded for Joel Hanrahan over the winter in an attempt to find a bona-fide closer to anchor the 9th. Hanrahan regressed in 2011, but has the ability to generate the strikeout. Andrew Bailey figures to pitch the 8th, assuming he can stay healthy. Bailey had a very strong spring and missed the majority of last season with a thumb injury. Junichi Tazawa quietly pitched very well down the stretch of last season and will be rewarded with a bigger role in the bullpen, sharing the 7th/8th inning duty with Koji Uehara. Andrew Miller, Franklin Morales, Craig Breslow, and Alfredo Aceves all figure into the equation in some respect. If they can stay healthy, the Red Sox bullpen may quietly be their best aspect.

EDIT: I guess I'm supposed to now give my prediction? Well I think the Red Sox will win the World Series.

Hey, who let Warner on my account?

Anyways, I think the Red Sox will hover around .500, but have the potential to backdoor into the AL play-in game.

 

[Goober]

Travis d'Arnaud was the prized piece in the R.A. Dickey deal and he'll be down in Vegas until he gets past the super 2 date. He was coming on strong late in ST and iMO would have broken camp with the Mets had it not been for said Super 2.

What the fuck are you talking about? While the Mets will save a few bucks if he doesn't get a fourth arbitration year, it doesn't really matter. That's not the reason he's not in the majors.

 

[EmpireWF]

What the fuck are you talking about? While the Mets will save a few bucks if he doesn't get a fourth arbitration year, it doesn't really matter. That's not the reason he's not in the majors.

John Buck is making $6M for the time being, he's the guy. Plus, saving some money is also part of the equation.

FWIW, (unlike Wheeler) Alderson has said if Buck were to get hurt, D'Arnaud is the guy.

 

[Woy]

St. Louis Cardinals

CATCHERS
With all due respect to reigning NL MVP Buster Posey, Yadier Molina might be baseball's best catcher. He already holds that title defensively, but his continued improvement with the bat (.315/.373/.501 with 22 HRs) puts him near the top of that list. I don't expect a repeat of 2012 with the bat, but rather a season like his 2011 campaign (14 HRs, .305/.349/.465), which most teams will take from their backstop any day. Tony Cruz won't wow anyone with his bat, but he's solid defensively and makes for a capable back-up.

INFIELDERS
Allen Craig hasn't made Cardinal fans completely forget about Albert Pujols, but he has emerged as one of the better first basemen in the NL. He was recently given a 5 year / $31 million extension, and if he can shed the so-called "injury prone" label (which is unfair, considering the knee injury from 2012 resulted from a freak play the season before in Houston), then he'll make that deal look like an absolute steal. After an impressive spring, Matt Carpenter will transition from his John Mabry role to starting second baseman. His bat is welcomed there, as the Cardinals have recently trotted out offensive black holes such as Skip Schumaker, Daniel Descalso and Nick Punto. The question will be if his glove can play there. Because of the injury to Rafael Furcal, Pete Kozma will start at shortstop by default. Already a folk hero because of his unbelievable post-season, Kozma will look to continue to build off that and shed the "bust" label that was rightly given to him following his poor play in the minors. Expect this position to be addressed via trade quickly if/when Kozma falters. David Freese, unlike Craig, rightly deserves the "injury-prone" label with his glass ankles. However, when healthy, we've all seen what he can do.

OUTFIELDERS
Matt Holliday is as consistent as they come. If health permits, he's a lock for 20+ homers, a slugging percentage in the .500 range, and a batting average around .300. He's an adventure in the field, but that's not as much of a concern anymore due to Jon Jay's continued improvement. Once thought to be just a fourth outfielder, Jay has proven to be much more than that, consistently hitting .300 while providing Gold Glove-caliber defense in center. There's a reason why John Mozeliak hasn't shipped him off to another team to open up a spot for Oscar Taveras. Carlos Beltran helped ease the loss of Pujols with a fine first season in Cardinal red and white, but his knees will ultimately decide whether he has a repeat of 2012 or if Oscar Taveras starts his major league career midway through the year.

BENCH
The biggest weakness on the Cardinals bench last season was the lack of a right-handed power bat. Enter Ty Wigginton. On a two-year deal. Really. The signing of Wigginton might be the worst free agency move of the off-season, because not only does he not have pop anymore, but he slots in as the third guy at first base and third base. One of those guys ahead of Wigginton at first is Matt Adams, who could end up being a valuable trade chip in July. He's a power-hitter who has hit at every minor league stop and would fit perfect on an AL roster as a DH. Daniel Descalso is very good defensively at both second and third base, and mediocre at shortstop. He's a strange case at the plate, as he was atrocious last season against RHP (.200/.275/.289), surprisingly good against LHP (.309/.387/.426), and had a big NLDS against the Nationals. Ryan Jackson will start the season on the 25-man roster with David Freese on the DL. He holds a quarantine label for whatever reason, as he saw virtually no playing time during September call-ups while Pete Kozma received the majority of ABs at shortstop. If given the chance (and if Kozma reverted back to his minor league numbers), he'd be the Cardinals starting shorstop, as his glove is the organization's best. Oscar Taveras needs no explanation.

STARTING ROTATION
Fresh off his 5 year / $97.5 million extension that will keep him a Cardinal for life, Adam Wainwright will officially become the veteran of the rotation with Chris Carpenter's career (unofficially) coming to a close. Wainwright struggled during the first half of the year as he recovered from Tommy John surgery, but ultimately showed the same kind of stuff that made him one of the NL's best pitchers before the operation. Speaking of surgery, Jaime Garcia avoided it with his ailing shoulder and will be thrust into the top of the rotation with the losses of Carpenter and Kyle Lohse. Garcia's extreme home/away splits will need to balance out if the Cardinals want to win the division, but his stuff is as good as anyone's when he's on. Jake Westbrook is your typical 4.00 ERA, groundball inducing right-hander, while Lance Lynn was an all-star in his first full major league season. After a rough end to last year, Lynn dropped a lot of weight in the off-season and has been working on some new pitches in spring training. Shelby Miller gets his first crack at the Cardinals rotation. The organization's consensus top prospect before Taveras's season in Springfield, Miller was more than impressive in his only major league start last year (6 IP, 1 H, 2 BB, 7 K) against the Reds' starters.

BULLPEN
The bullpen has been the weakest part of the team in the first half of both last season and 2011, but a move in July (Rzepczynski/Dotel in 2011, Mujica in 2012) helped solidify it. This year the pen comes in as a strength, with the 7/8/9 unit of Edward Mujica, Mitchell Boggs, and Jason Motte leading the way. (Motte, however, will start the season on the DL, and Boggs will move to closer.) Trevor Rosenthal was must-see TV in the post-season, rifling off triple-digit fastballs with ease. He'll be used as the "fireman" and will be given a chance to win a rotation spot again next season. Joe Kelly, who also lost in the battle for the 5th spot in the rotation, will be used as a long-relief man - a spot where he excelled at last year. Free-agent acquisition Randy Choate will be the club's primary LOOGY, while 2011 acquisition Mark Rzepczynski will be right behind him in that department. Fernando Salas starts the season in the pen while Motte's out, while Sam Freeman will be up as a power-throwing LHP in case Rzepczynski falters.

OVERALL
This team suffered through a lot of bad luck last year (88-74) between injuries, bullpen issues, and inexperienced managing, and finished five games behind their Pythagorean W-L record (93-69; in comparison, Cincinnati outperformed their Pythag by six games [91-71]). That luck should even itself out a bit in 2013. Even with some of the uncertainties in the rotation, this team is too talented that they should compete for a playoff spot. If the offense doesn't disappear in stretches like it did last year, and the young guys continue to impress, then this team can win the NL Central.