The Spurious World of Baseball

Season Preview : Toronto Blue Jays

2011-02-23T02:21:00.001Z

The Team      Toronto really do suffer from being in the AL East. They have been one of the more consistently good teams in the AL for the last six years but Tampa, Boston, and New York have been three of the best teams in baseball recently so playoff baseball is still elusive.

The Good     Even with Aaron Hill and Adam Lind struggling most of the year, the Jays still managed to lead the universe in home runs and even if Bautista inevitably drops off the club still expects improved production from short, first and the outfield.

There seems to be a constant flow of pitchers coming up through the system. There's a number of guys with a legitimate shot at cracking the Jays roster this Spring.

The Bad     There looks to be a lot of changes in the Toronto roster this season. The bullpen was will see its entire back end rebuilt and a number of guys will be filling new roles.

Even with all the home runs, the Blue Jays were still middle of the pack for runs scored due to being one of the worst teams at getting men on base.

Best Case Scenario     Where to begin? If Morrow continues to show he's figured things out, Drabek has a RoY calibre season, Dotel and Francisco nail down the 8th and 9th, Davis and Podsednik can get on base and steal 80 bases, Hill and Lind regain their 2009 form and Rivera, Encarnacion and Escobar get their careers back in gear then a wild card spot could be theirs.

My Prediction     Did you see that list of things that need to go right in order to be in the hunt for a playoff spot? They'll be a long way back of the Yankees and Red Sox and probably behind Tampa. Its even possible that Baltimore can bridge the gap but Toronto should finish with around 75 wins.

Season Preview : Oakland A's

2011-02-23T01:43:00.000Z

The Team     The A's haven't been to the post season since 2006 which was also the last time they finished above .500. In that time the only thing that has grown is the ego of Billy Beane as he continues to hunt down the latest market inefficiency and the patience the A's fans are having with Beane's approach.

The Good     Playing in a pitchers park certainly helps. Their rotation were a big part in leading the team to an AL best 3.56 ERA while surendering the fourth fewest walks and the likes of Cahill, Anderson and Gio (Gonzalez) will be looked on to carry the club yet again.

Kurt Suzuki is one of the best all around catchers in the game and brings the kind of intangibles that allow him to provide production in the middle of the order even though on a good team he'd be batting in the 8-hole.

The Bad     This team does not score runs. Their slugging percentage was tied for second worst in the AL and it all stems from the infield corners where Kouzmanoff and Barton combined for 26 homers which would be a pedestrian total for a single corner infielder on a big league roster. The addition of Josh Willingham and Hideki Matsui should help them some but neither really figures to have the kind of power needed to clear those Colisseum walls regularly.

Its also worth noting that the likes of Matsui, Willingham, Crisp, Ellis and Andrew Bailey have not been very very durable in recent seasons and all of those players will be key to any success Oakland has this year.

Best Case Scenario     Bailey and Harden stay healthy, Wuertz rebounds and join Fuentes to form possibly the best bullpen in baseball backing up and excellent starting core which helps to hold opposing lineups to minimal production. The offence will be lead by Ellis, Crisp and Pennington and their speed on the bases and timely hits from the likes of Barton and Willingham see Oakland contend in the west.

My Prediction     They just won't score runs. It is so hard to get by in the modern game with singles and doubles hitters and while I wouldn't be surprised to see them get out of the blocks strong there is always the risk that momentum will be be curtailed by injuries. Expect them to fight it out with Anaheim for second place out west.

Season Preview : Houston Astros

2011-02-17T00:38:00.000Z

The Team     The Astos' season started off badly and then it plateaued and culminated in the trading of long time ace Roy Oswalt to Philly. Its been a fair while since they were relevant in the NL.

The Good     Its tough to really come up with anything that is particularly good about the Astros. The rotation shows some signs of being a strength. Wandy Rodriguez continues to emerge as an ace and Houston will hope that JA Happ and Brett Myers can show greater consistency behind him and that Bud Norris can start to harness his stuff better. They could be a formidable group or a very average one.

The Bad     Many will see the corner infield spots as a strength for the club to build on but Brett Wallace continues to underwhelm (does anyone know how he got a reputation as a blue chip prospect?) and Chris Johnson strikes out far too much to keep that average up. Adding Clint Barmes and Bill Hall to the infield won't help that unit produce offensively either.

Brandon Lyon anchoring a bullpen doesn't fill me with confidence. He's made a career out of being the one they turn to when there's no one else better.

Best Case Scenario     The team needs Pence and Bourn to get their OBP's back around the .350 mark and use that speed to create offence. After that they desperately need Carlos Lee to get back to his .300/.350/.500 self because there is not a lot of upside in that lineup.

All hope lies in that pitching and if they play to their potential then this could be a .500 club.

My Prediction     Astros fans should continue to be glad they share a division with the Cubs and Pirates. Thanks to those two franchises Houston should be able to pad their win total and stay off the foot of the Central but they are a long way behind St Louis, Milwaukee and Cincinatti.

Season Preview : The California LA Angels of Anaheim AKA The Angels Angels of Anaheim

2011-01-27T20:48:00.000Z

Looks like I'll be doing this more sporadically than initially thought so I decided to get a head start on these and alphabetical order is good way to go.

The Team   The Halo's spent the whole off-season being linked with all the big free agents and then contrived not to land any of them. Having finished third in the west, 10 games back from the reigning AL champions, they must have felt the need to do something drastic to bridge the gap leading to a head scratching move for Vernon Wells and his contract.

The Good   One big free agent acquisition they did land was Scott Downs who adds a strong lefty presence to a sound bullpen that will back up a great 1-2 punch of Dan Haren and Jeff Weaver at the top of the rotation.

Perhaps the biggest strength will be a defence where the two Gold Glove outfielders will not be the best defenders in the outfield. Bourjos' play in center allowed the aging Torii Hunter to shift to right where the club hopes he will be able to stay out of harms way and in the lineup where he continues to be a key performer and with Wells taking over in left Anaheim can use Bobby Abreu principally at DH.

Another bonus is the bench where Maicer Izturis will once again see time at short, second and third, Abreu can still play the outfield if needed and Alberto Callapso should provide some good at bats.

The Bad    Last year Anaheim allowed more runs (702) than they scored (681) which is never a good thing and they really didn't do much to address that.

They are relying on a batting order with no obvious leadoff man and for a team that likes to run that is a problem. They also have an order lacking genuine power and what power they have belongs to aging and injury prone hitters.

As good as Haren and Weaver are you have to worry about Scott Kazmir and Joel Piñeiro and as good as the middle relief should be Fernando Rodney has never convinced anyone that he can hold down a closers role for an extended time.

Best Case Scenario    The Angels need a number of players to step up - Rodney needs to solidify the relief, Kendry Morales needs to rebound from injury and provide some thump to the order, Wells needs to play like he did in 2010 not 2009, Hunter needs to stay healthy, Howie Kendrick needs to put together a full season of production rather than the odd week/month,.... If all those things come together and Haren plays to the Cy Young level he's capable of then they have the pieces to challenge in the west.

My Prediction    Anaheim will, like last season, be a .500 team. They will struggle to enough runs to support the rear of the rotation and Haren, Weaver and Ervin Santana can't all win 20 games.

Mike Trout watch should begin some time in June.

Fish Re-Sign Nolasco

2010-12-29T21:12:00.000Z

Ricky Nolasco signed a new three year deal worth $26.5m with the Marlins. The Marlins have a tiny payroll and are always reluctant to spend money and yet they have given all that money to a guy with a career ERA in the mid-4.00's whilst playing his career in a pitcher friendly park. He has also only pitched more than 185 innings once.

This deal makes no sense.

Why handcuff yourself for three years to one guy who will be eating a good percentage of your payroll if he has never shown any consistency or reliability?

Dotel To Toronto

2010-12-29T20:59:00.001Z

Octavio Dotel has agreed to join the Blue Jays on a one year deal worth $3.5m and a club option for 2012 at the same rate.

Toronto have already been making noises about not expecting to compete in 2011 and building towards 2012 and this very much ties into that. After losing Gregg and Downs in the offseason and with Frasor coming off a down year, Dotel looks like a very cheap short term closing option. He also looks a likely trade option down the stretch, especially with the club option attached.

This move doesn't change much as so much of how well Toronto will do next year will be down to a lot of young players who will be looking to take the next step (or even the first step) in their big league careers but it certainly helps to have a veteran presence in key positions.

The Greinke Deal

2010-12-23T18:32:00.000Z

OK, I'll get around to the lunacy of the Werth, Crawford and Lee deals eventually but this deal is fresh on my mind so here goes.

First and foremost you have to say that the Brewers really did go balls out on this deal. They don't have much in the farm to give them hope for the future and Prince Fielder is likely gone at the deadline unless they really make a strong playoff push. Their window of opportunity is pretty much this coming season and having Greinke fronting the rotation with Gallardo and Marcum is a great place to start.

Of course they are still a very flawed team - how can a side with Carlos Gomez in the outfield not be? Yuniesky Betancourt's only real value is to fill the hole left by Escobar and I have no doubt it won't take long for the Milwaukee faithful to realise just what it was about Betancourt that had Mariner and Royals fans pulling their hair out in frustration. I personally can't remember a guy who combined the ability to make all the plays at short and the ability to just make countless bone-headed mistakes - and reading that sentence makes as much sense as relying on Betancourt as your every day shortstop.

The Royals side of the deal is a little bit more complicated. I can't help but feel that they got the short end of the stick to some extent. None of the parts they aquired are sure things to become stars. Escobar was a tad disappointing last year for someone who was so highly thought of out of the minors. Cain did alright after his call up but doen't really have any one impact tool he just does a bit of everything and looks more like a good fourth outfielder.

Odorizzi has plenty of potential (he was ranked the top prospect in the Brewers system by Baseball America) but is still a long, long way from the Majors. Word is he looks like Zack Greinke-lite but he has yet to show he can log serious innings which really lowers his floor.

Jeffress has an easy fastball that sits in the mid-90's but can get into the high-90's. He spent all of last year pitching in relief and with a big curveball that he struggles to command and little else in his arsenal it's easy to see why. In 10 big league innings he walked 6 and struck out 8 which are ratios (albeit in a limited sample size) that need drastic improvement.

Ultimately this deal was all about the future for KC. With a stacked system that looks like it should start baring fruit in 2012, Greinke was unhappy and unlikely to be around at that time and they cashed him in to fill some of the few holes that they had. They needed a shortstop and Escobar plays good D and should, at worst, hit enough to hold down a spot at the bottom of the order. They also don't have a natural centerfielder and Cain can hold that down even if he's not an ideal fit. They still need a catcher but they have plenty of bullets in the farm to try and make more deals.

So who won this deal? I think its hard to not say Milwaukee but KC's ambitions are all much more long term and it will be at least two years till we can see how things panned out for them.

Right now the Royals are still the worst team in the AL Central and have the best group of prospects in baseball, so nothing has really changed there. Milwaukee still have no genuine prospects on the horizon but it is easy to make a case that, coupled with the Marcum deal, they have the weapons to be right in the thick of a pennant race in 2011 which is a definate uptick from where they were. All they have to think about now is what to do with Prince Fielder.

Why Doesn't Anyone Like A-Rod?

2007-06-01T06:40:00.001Z

Well, if you saw the game with the Jays on Wednesday you would have seen why. If things aren't going his way then he acts like a petulent child stomping his feet and screaming until someone caves.

For those of you who don't know what happened, basically the Yankees were up by two in the top of the ninth with two outs when Posada launched a pop up to third base. Newly promoted Howie Clark parked under it to end the inning and leave the Jays an unlikely chance at making a comeback against Mo Rivera. However, A-Rod wasn't satisfied with that and obviously thought that Rivera isn't quite good enough because he felt the need to call, "Mine" as he rounded third and Clark, thinking his shortstop McDonald had called him off, stepped aside and let the ball drop.

Now as much as some of us dislike the Yankees, you do respect them as throughout their history they have won games by simply playing the game the way its supposed to be played and backing their talent. There is no way you can respect such Sandlot League styled antics. Rodriguez even mentioned how it was like how Hill had stolen home earlier in the series saying both were extreme acts because they were 'desperate to win'. Newsflash Alex, you WERE winning already.

Jon Gibbons summed it up well, "One thing you know about the Yankees, one of the reasons they're so respected, is they do things right," Gibbons said. "They always have. They have a lot of pride and a lot of class. They play the game hard. That's not Yankee pride right there. That's not the way they play. I thought it was bush league."

Baseball's Train Wreck AKA The AL East

2007-05-26T11:06:00.000Z

Long seen as the toughest division in MLB with the two biggest franchises in the sport, you'd be forgiven for thinking that its this years worst and least competitive with Boston already amassing a ten game lead on the second place Yankees. However, if we look at whats going on behind the scenes we will see how a lot of factors have gone into making this division such a debacle.

Of course the main issue has been injuries.

We all know about the problems the Yankees have had in the rotation which has resulted in eleven different guys starting games for the side. In fact only Andy Pettitte has been ever present in the rotation since opening day and even with the resources the Yankees have, no team can expect to be consistent with that kind of turnover. Even guys like Wang and Mussina haven't been able to get settled into the season yet and they were seen as the stable elements of the staff going into the year.

Then we have the obvious dark horse in the division in Toronto who are missing three of their top starters including one of the best in baseball (Roy Halladay), their leadoff man (Reed Johnson), the principal catcher (Greg Zaun) and their ace closer BJ Ryan. So that's their most important starter, their most important bullpen guy, their leader in the field and the sparkplug of the order. Who'd have thought that would dampen a teams season?

Even the Orioles, who got off to such a hot start, have suddenly tappered off. They shot out of the gates on the back of a very good rotation and then they lost Jaret Wright (not necessarily a big loss) and Adam Loewen (now he is a big loss) and what was a very good rotation has become a rotation with a couple of good guys and a bunch of who?

Much was made of Tampa's new influx of young talent and even with Elijah Dukes subbing for Baldelli, that's still one of the best outfields in baseball. But the DRays are still the DRays and a contender for the worst record in the AL. Its also fun to look at the depth charts on MLB.com and see that the primary first baseman, second baseman and shortstop are all BJ 'E6' Upton since Iwamura went on the DL.

Thus far the BoSox have only recently picked up their first injury to an impact guy with the inevitable spell on the DL by Josh Beckett (is he their new Pedro?) and we're all still waiting for the injuries to Drew and Papelbon and Dice-K's inevitable fatigue down the stretch.

In these days of the ridiculous unbalanced schedule (how they can justify that in the days of the Wild Card is beyond me) should we be surprised that Boston are winning so many games now? They already had a very talented roster and then you handicap all the half decent teams they have to play the majority of their games against and it's going to happen. Imagine how happy Detroit would be if Santana, Ortiz, Sabathia, Carmona, Westbrook, Pierzynski, Podsednik, Buerhle and Jenks all went down?

I still say it's early and I still think the Yankees will make a race of it come September but all you people who look at Boston with those league leading 31 wins and are saying they'll win the World Series, get ready for some disappointment. To say they have a lot of things going their way is an understatement.

The Waiver Wire Podcast

2007-05-17T22:27:00.000Z

I've had a minor hiatus away from the blog of late (I know its not like I'm posting that regularly anyway but still) but that is because I've been dallying with a new project.

Myself and Neil M from 3.079 Miles.... have just put together a semi-regular podcast called The Waiver Wire which will be an informal baseball show that can be found at www.thewaiverwire.mypodcast.com

The first few shows are up and running but it was all done in a very kamikaze fashion without much forethought which is why a 30 minute show turned into six 20 minute shows but we're confident of good things for the future so dip in and tell us what you think at our MySpace page (www.myspace.com/thewaiverwire)

Hopefully I can now get back to posting on here again and hopefully things can start to get back to normal on here...relatively speaking of course.

Where There's Money...

2007-05-07T20:45:00.000Z

Surprise, surprise. Roger Clemens has come out of 'retirement' again and has signed a monster deal (prorated of course) to play for the Yankees.

I know he said he would only play for his home town team so he could spend time with his family but thats The Rocket for you. Must be hard to say no to a $28m contract (again prorated).

He has still managed to secure the ability to not go on road trips from time to time (such a team guy) and I'm sure he'll usual thing of going six and then getting out of dodge so he can keep his ERA intact (does anyone know when he last pitched a complete game?).

Does this make the Yankees any more a World Series winning team? Not likely. He's not going to spare the bullpen any more than any of the guys they've already got. He might allow them to keep Phil Hughes on the farm one more year but this team needs a horse who can churn out innings, not another primadonna looking for glory.

The Atlanta Where'd Our Pennant Go?

2007-05-01T19:24:00.000Z

Last year Atlanta scored a lot of runs (more than you might think) but their pen just couldn't hold a lead. This season they have built themselves one of the best bullpens in baseball with the additions of lefty Mike Gonzalez and right Rafael Soriano who could both close out games when Bob Wickman is unavailable (and with his figure added to his age that is inevitable).

The offence took a bit of a hit when the dealt LaRoche to Pittsburgh in the Gonzalez deal but still have the likes of Francoeur (he still seems offended by walks), Brian McCann (the best power hitting catcher in baseball I'll have you know) Andruw and Chipper Jones and with Edgar Renteria continuing to look more at ease in the NL than he was in the AL, it all comes down to how well Kelly Johnson does in the leadoff spot over the year.

Of course the problem for Atlanta is that they're in the NL East with the monster Mets club and while the Braves will score some runs, NY will score many more than anyone and the Mets aren't that far behind with the pen so the only way Atlanta can hang with them is if their starters come up big and that means Tim Hudson and thus far he has been fantastic. Hudson is looking a lot like the guy who used to be the best pitcher in the AL rather than the one who has been taking to the hill for the Braves the last couple of years and bring in the ever reliable John Smoltz and oft overlooked Chuck James and you have a strong rotation that will make this a very consistent team.

It would be a very brave (honestly thats not an intended pun) person who would say that anyone could better the Mets in the East this year but a wildcard isn't out of the question. There may be deeper teams in that race in the West and Philadelphia could get on a roll (better start soon) but Atlanta should linger all year round.

Philip Hughes : First Impressions

2007-04-27T19:58:00.000Z

Well, we've heard the hype and seen the first game so what do we make of him?

Naturally either nerves or adrenaline took their effect on him in the first and the better hitters in the Jays lineup took advantage of some loose pitching but after that he settled down well and there was enough to believe he has a very good future. However, there was also plenty to make you think he needs more time to develop.

It all starts with his fastball which settles in the low 90's but occasionally creeps towards 95 with plenty of movement. He still left it up more than he would like and was fortunate that Toronto was missing a few of its better hitters. It was too much for many of them to handle but the likes of Rios, Wells and Thomas hit him fairly hard.

He has a very good differential between his pitches and the 75 mph curve will get him plenty of K's in conjunction with his fastball and his change shows signs of being a plus pitch. Right now the change had a tendency to stay straight and up. After the first they used the change as more of a show pitch and, as a result, it didn't hurt him.

Its funny when you see Hughes and his inexperience and compare him to Igawa who has a good few years experience in Japan as Hughes does a much, much better job at repeating his delivery with a consistent stride and arm slot. Comparisons have already been made between him and Roger Clemens' mechanically which says it all really as The Rocket is one of the most technically sound hurlers of recent years.

The thing that marks him out most of all as a potential front of the rotation guy is his mental make-up. At no point in time did he look out of place on the mound and he never backed down to any of the hitters. Even after the rough first inning he never panicked.

So what does all this mean? It's all down to fine tuning and filling out. He could do with a bit more body mass to help his durability but he just needs to fine tune his offspeed stuff and he'll be ready to be something like the pitcher everyone keeps saying he could be. He's probably a better pitcher than half the guys in the Yankee rotation right now (the reason they called him up in the first place) but his long term development could probably do with more time at AAA.

He's not as advanced at that age as guys like King Felix, Verlander and Ankiel were but few are. The sad thing for all us non-Yankee fans is that he really could be special.

The Rhyme of the Seattle Mariners

2007-04-27T17:14:00.000Z

Bottom feeders for so long in the west, Seattle shouldn't be anyones whipping boys this year but a playoff spot might be a step too far.

It all starts with a pretty decent rotation that is helped by one of the best pitchers parks in the AL and a slick fielding infield led by the athletic Yuniesky Betancourt who might be the closest thing to a true Gold Glove calibre shortstop in the AL.

The rotation will be lead by a couple of steady veterans in Jarrod Washburn and Miguel Batista who have seen their way around the league a few times and can usually supply consistent starts every fifth day without ever really being spectacular. The spectacular will be supplied by sophomore phenom King Felix (Hernandez) whose ability and poise often make you forget that he is still just 21. He comes at you with a fastball that can get into the high 90's, a good change and a truly vicious slider and he is still a long way from being as good as he will be.

The bullpen has one of the games underrated closers in J.J. Putz (more than just a guy with a funny name) to nail down the ninth but getting him the ball will be the tricky bit. Chris Reitsma might have a resurgence now he's back in the set-up role he's more suited to but Arthur Rhodes is the only other guy with any kind of track record behind him but he's coming off a hit and miss season and elbow problems and who knows what they'll be able to get out of him?

Once again the offence will be sparked by the prodigious talents of Ichiro who will once again frighten the living daylights out of baserunners with his arm in centre and catchers as he uses his speed on the bases. He'll also be in the running for another batting crown (his .330 career average is only marginally behind Todd Helton and Phat Albert among active players).

Behind Ichiro are a bunch of so so players who are merely solid citizens (Raul Ibanez, Jose Guillen) or could do better guys (Richie 'The Strikeout' Sexson and Adrian 'Is It A Contract Year?' Beltre).

Kenji Johjima will look to build on a solid rookie campaign both with the bat and in the armour and there's no reason to think he won't and the addition of Jose Vidro will add more consistency to the order but this team won't overwhelm anyone with their offence.

So what's in store for Seattle? Well they should look to improve on last years 78 wins and there is no reason to think they can't get beyond Texas and if things go well for them they might even sneak into second place but with the bullpen and reliance on youngsters consistency might be too much of an issue.

The Wonderful, Most Wonderful Thing About Tiggers

2007-04-25T19:15:00.000Z

OK, we'll start by saying this team scored a lot of runs in the regular season thanks to an incredible amount of depth in terms of power all the way up the order. Leyland would like to make this a more dynamic team with more guys running but Granderson is only leading off because there's no better option and while he does have speed, he's not a genuine base stealer. In other words, its all about homeruns and the only time that will become an issue is in the playoffs.

The reason why they can get away with not having the most versatile offence is because what they have is possibly the best rotation in baseball and one of the best bullpens too.

Kenny Rogers gives the team an experienced hand and then there is Jeremy Bonderman who is not far off having a monster season. Its amazing to think that this guy won't even be 25 at the start of the season.

Mike Maroth is another lefty who will eat innings and provide balance and Nate Robertson is as dependable as they come in the middle of the rotation but a return to the World Series will ultimately come down to how good Justin Verlander will be. He was always going to hit a bit of a wall in his rookie year, especially only being in his second pro year but he'll be eyeing his first 200 inning year and as he gets older and fills out more, his strikeouts per inning will go up and his ERA will get closer to 3.00. Have no doubts that Verlander knows how to make adjustments and stay ahead of the curve.

How good does the pen look? Well, Todd Jones returns to close the games and he'll be set up by two of the leagues hardest throwers in Fernando Rodney (what the heck has happened to him?)and the filthy Joel Zumaya. They've even bolstered the pen with Jose Mesa (assuming the injury was what effected his performances early on) to add even more depth and who knows if Chad Durbin will turn up because he's got massive upside.

From the left side Jamie Walker will be missed. Wilfredo Ledezma will likely split time between the pen and the rotation and is the only lefty with a track record on the 40 man roster and he's not really a situational guy but there is so much quality they probably won't need to worry about match ups (although Seay has done a solid job so far).

Things are on the up and up in Detroit with a tonne of young pitching thats only going to get better (even Kyle Sleeth is starting to shake off the injuries and he was once higher up the prospect list than Verlander and Zumaya) and they've even brought in a Gary Sheffield to give them more runs to play with. Even in a very tough AL Central they have to like their chances.

Washington Nationals

2007-04-25T19:05:00.000Z

We went on a momentary hiatus with the previews so we're going to attempt to wrap them up pretty quickly so we can talk about better things. This was originally written back in March and I couldn't be bothered to redo it so instead I've plugged in some 'hilarious' abridgements.

How Ryan Zimmerman didn't win the Rookie of the Year award is beyond me. He showed tremendous presence at the plate (especially surprising as he was really in his first full year of pro ball), good ability on the bases and was so good defensively that people had to think for a bit whether Scott Rolen should have won the Gold Glove (of course he should but Zimmerman is the only 3B even in the same league defensively). He is an exciting player and will be an All Star for years.

The main reason I'm waxing lyrical about Zimmerman is that not only is he a great player who is fast becoming one of my favourites but there's not a whole lot else to talk about in Washington. So much of the team is in the air as to how it will pan out with Felipe Lopez at second, Brian Schneider at catcher, Austin Kearns and Ryan Church in the outfield and John Patterson will likely be the opening day starter (if he's physically able that is). Its not even that these guys are that good (except maybe Schneider), it's just they're just the only ones who really have any kind of track record in The Bigs.

You could also throw in that either Nick Johnson or Larry Broadway will be at first. Broadway offers more pop but his D is nowhere near as good as Johnson and I'm not even a fan of Johnson's D (he just seems to do dumb things from time to time).

The bullpen should be better than last year but there are questions. Chad Cordero is still a dependable ninth inning guy and Jon Rauch had a strong year setting him up. Luis Ayala is coming back after elbow problems (at least that's the rumour) and should settle back in and will be looking to re-establish himself as a top tier middle reliever.

Ray King is a non-roster invitee who could be a good pick up for this club (he's inactive but on the 40 man roster). Last year was a rough one but he certainly has a strong pedigree during his career as a situational guy and would allow the club to use Micah Bowie more creatively (Bowie is rooted in the pen now).

The line-up lacks a table setter or a dominant hitter, there are holes in key positions defensively and they have one solid starter who is injured a lot (not that he's looked it so far but Shawn Hill has done well). It really isn't a good time to be a Nationals fan. I think they call these times "transitional years".

The Yankee Circus Comes To Town With New Acts

2007-04-24T18:34:00.000Z

Roll up, roll up! Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, rolling into town in the pinstriped big top is the marvel of marvels, the saviour of saviours, the messianic one himself, Philip Hughes as he begins his long awaited tenure at the Bronx Zoo on Thursday.

His call up has been confirmed and after the disappointment of other young pitchers and injuries to most of the guys the team were set to rely on, the Yankees have decided that not rushing their prized prospect and protecting his arm is a tactic for wimps (or a very good idea depending on how things pan out) and Philip Hughes will make his first start of his big league career on Thursday against Toronto...not exactly breaking him in easy now are they.

10 Players Of Note So Far

2007-04-23T19:48:00.000Z

It's been a while since we've had a top 10 list on here so here we go.

10 Mark Buehrle - A firm favourite in Spuriousville for a while now, Buehrle has looked good in his attempt to rebound from a disapointing '06. The no-no was special but what was so great about it was the way he picked off the only guy he allowed to reach.

9 Braden Looper - All the talk about St Louis before the year was how their pitching was going to suck at the back end and you know that no one thought this career head scratcher would do much. His arm will likely fall off eventually but right now he's acting like the ace.

8 Oliver Perez - 2004 seemed like a distant memory for many and it says how much of a blip that year seemed to be as he got more k's that year than he has in all the seasons since combined. After a strong Spring, Perez has been a real lift for a club that really doesn't need more weapons.

7 Cole Hamels - The early front runner in the NL Rookie of the Year stakes with a ridiculous 33K/6BB ratio. He's been the one of the few bright spots in Phillie this year.

6 Rich Harden - Injured so often that you forget he's one of the very, very few guys in the same league as Santana. It says so much about the A's that Harden has given up 3 runs in three starts and is only 1-1. Lets hope he can stay healthy and we can see how amazing a pitcher he is.

5 Daisuke Matsuzaka - It's been a strange year so far for Hype-K with his worst outing so far counting for one of his two wins after two losses with an aggregate score of 5-1. He's done enough to show that he could well be a very good pitcher but who's have thought we'd be asking for better run support from the Boston hitters?

4 Tim Hudson - Well, it's been a while but the real Tim Hudson has started to stand. He has looked filthy this year with the tilt and late movement that made him a perennial Cy candidate back in Oakland. Already my bet for NL Cy this year.

3 Felix Hernandez - Last year I heard so many people saying how much of a disappointment King Felix was because 20 year olds should win more than 12 games for last placed teams. I hope those people have been watching The King this season. Dominant doesn't begin to describe what he has done so far. As he is still just 21 (that's 21) you know he'll hit a wall at about 180 innings and start to fade but he really has everything he needs to be the best in baseball. Did you see him destroy Boston?

2 Barry Bonds - Barry has started this year like a man on a mission. Regardless of how you feel about the man, he has always had the jewellers eyepiece at the plate and those amazing hands, in a nutshell he's always been a great hitter and while he's healthy he'll rake it. There's not much to support him in San Francisco this year but Barry has never been afraid to tell the naysayers where to go.

1 Alex Rodriguez - It seems that after off-season surgery to remove the broomstick that was up his butt he has come back happy, relaxed and hitting the ball like it called his mother a naughty word. A 1.418 OPS at any time of the year is just silly.

Spurious Fantasy League - Friday night update - 20th April 2007

2007-04-20T19:04:00.000Z

Not much change to talk about this week ...

Purple Haze 2 keep the lead at the top of the table ... whilst Dee-Raynged stay firmly rooted to the bottom. The rest of the teams, unsurprisingly, are somewhere in-between!

... more next week!

Spurious Fantasy League - Friday night update (on a Sunday!) 15th April 2007

2007-04-15T19:18:00.000Z

Two days late .... sue me, i've been sunbathing!

2 weeks in, and Purple Haze 2 retains the lead, but must be nervous at an advancing Chow plays for Amy in close pursuit (god, we'll never hear the end of it!)

Dee-Raynged still props up the table, and the less said about my team the better!

Another update next week, i might (no promise) even make it on a Friday!

Oh My God

2007-04-07T16:37:00.000Z

Oliver Perez tossed seven innings and didn't walk anyone!! Surely that warrants a blog entry.

Spurious Fantasy League - Friday night update (on a thursday!) 5th April 2007

2007-04-05T16:19:00.000Z

** I'll normally post this on a Friday night, but since it's the easter weekend, i'm doing it now!

Only a few days into the season, but thought it would be good to post regular updates on the Spurious site so we can chart each team's progress (or lack of) over the season!

Purple Haze are the early pace-setters, followed closely by the Greenock posse! Disappointment for Dee-Raynged so far, but it's still early days!!

That Other New York Team

2007-03-28T19:32:00.000Z

Pete J Testifies : If there is a team in baseball that can compare to the Yankees in terms of run scoring potential it's their crosstown rivals The Mets. The line-up is stocked with talent from both sides of the plate. They have speed, power, hit for average, good situational hitting, all in all they are pretty awesome and it showed in the MVP voting with four guys getting votes (Beltran, Reyes, Wright and Delgado).

It all starts at the top with one of the most exciting players in baseball, Jose Reyes. Reyes finished tops in the NL in stolen bases for the second year on the trot and is a good bet to do so again but the thing that made last year a real breakout season for him was the way he almost doubled his walk total from the previous season. Still only 24, he continues to work to improve and who knows how good he'll be when he hits his physical peak.

The MVP of the line-up (seems odd to say this with so many great players on board) is Carlos Beltran who really stirs the drink with all the skills you could possibly hope to posess. Finally fully healthy going into last year, he set career highs across the board displaying power, discipline, great glove work and, even with his speed diminished due to injuries, he's one of if not the best base runner in baseball. He might well be the best player in baseball not called Albert.

I could go on and on about the positive influence and great power of Carlos Delgado and how David Wright is on the verge of achieving true greatness but the general point is that this team has a huge array of tools at its disposal.

The bullpen was an asset last year and it got even better with the addition of lefty Scott Schoeneweis giving the team even more depth and versatility and with Heilman in the eighth and Wagner in the ninth, games will be made shorter and New York won't lose too many games when it's ahead late on.

Of course the big question everyone is asking is just how good will the rotation be? Pedro Martinez will miss a big chunk of time with his shoulder and any team would miss a guy of his talents.

Tom Glavine will be the guy called upon to be the ace in Pedro's absense and he'll have the added incentive of getting the ten wins he needs to join the 300 win club.

Glavine knows no fear on the mound and will continue to add and subtract over the outer half and will give the team a chance to win every time he takes to the mound but he isn't the one Mets fans are concerned about.

Orlando Hernandez is past his best but will still periodically pitch a big game for you, John Maine looked good in his rookie campaign but you can't rely on a sophomore pitcher to log big innings and then you have Oliver Perez who has all the gifts and has actually looked good this Spring, but is so frustratingly inconsistent.

So what do we make of The Mets? Well I can't see them not winning the East and posting the top record in the NL. Their rotation is a passable regular season unit with a good pen backing them up to hold the opposition to far fewer runs than they will score and they will score enough runs to blow away the lower tier teams and many of the upper level franchises too. Will they make the step up in the playoffs? They'll need a strong comeback from Martinez and probably need to get another arm from somewhere (or have one of the guys they already have step up) to win it all but they'll be there or thereabouts.

Conor C Proclaims : We all know about the offensive potential of this lineup and its AL calibre sluggers, but will the rotation hold up?

On paper this is a team that should waltz the NL East, but I have a sneaking suspiscion that the Phillies will sneak ahead down the road.

There's not much more to say other than what Pete has said, except that in my opinion, a lot rests on the shoulders of Oliver Perez. If he can rediscover the form that made him such a star a few seasons ago then suddenly an alright rotation becomes above average, and let's face it, they only need an average rotation with their bullpen (although letting Chad Bradford go was a mistake) and an offence to knock the stuffing out of any pitcher.

Pete J Say : If the Mets can get the Oliver Perez from a couple years back then this is the best team in baseball. I have seen too many false dawns from that guy to really think that is likely but even with last years Perez, this is still a monster team. Not many will be able to cope with their fire power and they have the experience of being almost there last year in the playoffs to spur them on.

The Boston Chip On Their Shoulders Because They Aren't The Yankees

2007-03-26T19:54:00.000Z

Pete J Says : This team will score some runs. Not only do they have possibly the best one-two punch in the heart of the order since Gehrig and Ruth, but they also have a strong assortment of guys to back them up.

Coco Crisp will rebound after a troublesome first year in Beantown where he was playing catch up after an early injury, Julio Lugo brings a new dynamic to the top of the order with extra speed (even if he doesn't have the patience you'd like in the leadoff spot) and Kevin Youkilis adds another option for the club to get guys on base in front of the big two.

The thing that could really take the team to another level will be a return to form by Mike Lowell and a full season from newly acquired (and way overpaid) outfielder, J.D. Drew. When Drew is on he is a complete player who uses a sweet stroke to generate good power and knows how to get on base.

Much has been made of the rotation and on paper it looks formidable with Schilling, Beckett, Matsuzaka and Papelbon all potential All Stars but Schilling and Beckett have bad health histories in recent years, Papelbon has yet to prove himself as a starter and wore down last year working out the pen and Matsuzaka has never had to pitch as many innings as he will be expected to this year. We shall see how these all pan out.

The real question is what will happen in the pen with no real established option as a closer. Plan A seems to be Joel Pineiro but he hasn't been that convincing for a couple of years now but the move to the pen might reignite him but I'm far from convinced. Plan B is...err...I guess it could be Timlin even if he's carrying a knock through Spring, or Julian Tavarez who is a journeyman middle reliever. Craig Hansen could end up being the guy, he's got the stuff but has yet to really put it together in The Bigs.

Brendan Donnelly was a great pick up but can you Boston fans say lefty reliever? Not entirely sure who's supposed to fit into that role.

If everything falls into place this could be an awesome team but very rarely does everything go right for anyone. The bullpen is full of holes and could fall apart and the rotation could collapse at any minute. Until it does this will be a tough team but they won't be able to last with the Yankees and the teams in the Central. They better hope they can reclaim second place in the East or the axe could be coming down.

Conor C Says : I have spent alot of time considering Boston's propsects for the season, and the more I look at it, the more I think they have a great team assembled. They have a good leadoff guy in Crisp, the absolute perfection of a number two guy in Youkilis, and a heart of the order consisting of Manny, Big Pappy, and JD Drew. From 2 right through to 5 they have guys who can really hurt you and who one would expect to see make a serious assault on 150 homers between them.

Julio Lugo is a decent shortstop although he had a poor second half last year and will be a very good AL 9 hole guy to get things going again.

Consider the sheer power of Willy Mo as the back up outfielder as well and its all scary. Lowell at third is the perfect hitter for Fenway with power to the left field wall. Boston can be very happy with the offence they've put together and will know that it will safely blow most teams away.

Pitching wise, I wasn't surprised to see Papelbon back to the closer role since no one else could grab it. Besides, Beckett is due one good year, Schilling may be on his last legs but he's making a run at Hall of Fame type numbers and will maybe step it up a gear, even if they only squeeze 6 innings out of him every fifth day. Dice-K will blow teams away for a few months and like Pete has said, will probably hit a wall sometime around September. Tim Wakefield seems evergreen and is a brilliant change of pace in the middle of a series.

This team WILL compete with the Yankees this year barring a severe injury crisis and should make for a very interesting AL East race.

Pete J Says : Obviously I wrote the first bit of this before word of Papelbon's move to the pen came out but even with him there the pen is still not very good and coupled with a good few key players with health concerns (Beckett, Schilling, Timlin, Drew), even if they do start well, they will have an incredibly hard task keeping track with New York. I can see why most people like their chances because, on paper, they look very strong but once you start poking around at the grey I strongly feel that there are too many issues.

And as a bit of a P.S., does anyone else feel that the more Wily Mo Pena plays, the more ordinary he looks?

Minnesota Award Winners

2007-03-26T19:47:00.000Z

Pete Says : OK, we have a line-up with Luis Castillo, Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau scoring runs every way you can, possibly the best bullpen in baseball with possibly the best closer in the AL in Joe Nathan supported by top lefties Juan Rincon and Dennys Reyes and tough righties Matt Guerrier and firecracker Jesse Crain and they can roll out the best pitcher in baseball every fifth day. Not a bad place to be.

Much has been made about how rookie phenom Francisco Liriano is out for the year and obviously thats a blow but Boof Bonser (that can't be a real name) and Matt Garza showed great promise last year and the likes of Carlos Silva and Glen Perkins can give good innings so it shouldn't be as big a concern as some seem to think...although admittedly its not as secure as they would have hoped but thats what an awesome pen and a line-up that includes a batting champ and MVP is for.

I know this is brief but this is, simply put, another great team that Terry Ryan has put together (it would be so easy to call him the best GM in baseball) with speed and power in the line-up, strong D and good arms throughout the system. The only problem they have is that they are in the toughest division in baseball and even the slightest slip could cost them but I still like them for the Central.

Conor C Says : Arguably the most stable bullpen in the AL. Superb set up men (wow isn't Jesse Crain something to watch!) and Joe Nathan should notch up forty plus saves if the team performs. All in all, this bullpen won't give up too many leads after the 6th inning if their starters can get them that far and for me that's what the problem is.

After Santana (the best pound for pound pitcher in baseball), I don't see where this rotation is going to be strong. Carlos Silva had a very average year last year and he has flat out sucked this Spring. There is alot of media talk about him being sent to the bullpen, and it's hard to argue given his dismal 11+ ERA this Spring.

Matt Garza seems a solid player, but it will be interesting to see how he copes with a first full season in the majors.

Offence wise, this team has the players to compete with anyone with the best hitting catcher in baseball in Joe Mauer and a first baseman who is going to be a perennial MVP candidate. The outfield perhaps lacks a little pop for an AL team and even more so from the left side of the infield. However this is a team that should compete and if Liriano was to come back ahead of schedule it would be a huge boost for the stretch run.

Pete J Says : If there were any chance that Liriano would be back this year I would be saying this team is the front runner to win it all (although I still like them to make it anyway). If they can get some good innings out of Santana's support staff then this team can do it but, then again, anyone who comes out of that division has a great chance in the post-season.

3,448 Damn Yankees

2007-03-21T19:13:00.000Z

Well, it's been a while since I had a good barney with my arch-nemesis Neil M from 3,049 Miles... so I've done a bit of subcontracting and here comes our view of the Yankees prospects for the season.

Pete J starts : We'll start with something I doubt we can argue about and that is the fact that the Yankees will field an awesome offence this year and with more luck than last year (its amazing how many injuries they absorbed last term) they should score more runs than any other team and might even approach some records.

Johnny Damon is so over-rated as a table setter but he's solid enough and has enough speed (he's not really a threat to lead the league in steals) to kickstart the big bombs behind him and give Torre some options. It also helps when you have Jeter (.417), Giambi (.413) and Alex Rodriguez (.392) all in the top 10 in OBP in the AL and Bobby Abreu posting a .424 mark between the AL and NL.

It's not just power, it's the ability to keep the runs ticking over by working guys on base and dragging them around and they also have enough depth that they can have Mientkiewicz at first and likely batting way down the order and rotate the likes of Cairo and Cabrera into the roster, giving the elder statesmen time off, and still look intimidating. The only thing they might worry about is can they get Posada and his battered body enough time off?

Neil M says : Johnny Damon might be over-rated but he fits into what the Yankees need at the moment. His skills are scrappy but his energy and happy nature are incredibly important to an up-tight Yankees clubhouse. After Damon you have the best #2 hitter in the game in Derek Jeter, two OBP machines will bat at #3 and #5 in Abreu and Giambi, with the latter having genuine power. Then you throw in A-Rod and Matsui, Posada and Cano and then at #9 Donnie Mattingly and the Yankees are looking like a scary prospect (what do you mean Doug "1 for 22 in ST" is the main 1B man?)

Offensively the Yankees on paper could score 100 runs more than anyone else but the games aren't played on paper. Injuries are a legit concern and the drop-off from Posada to Wil Nieves would be considerable. The only offensive position the Yankees could absorb a long-term problem with noticeable drop-off is in CF with Melky, beyond that a long-term injury would seriously harm that offensive juggernaut.

Pete J retorts : It's an interesting idea to have Mattingly come out of retirement to bat ninth. At least if they have Mientkiewicz at first they have one plus defender on the infield.

How can you undercut that offence by saying that an injury to anyone other than Damon would seriously harm them? They could lose two guys and still score a tonne of runs...obviously depending on who the two are. If they lost Jeter and A-Rod they'd be a bit buggered.

They showed last year that they can go without Matsui or a consistent right fielder. Injuries only change this offence from being an awesome one to maybe just a very, very good one. Either way they score runs, its just a question of how many they'll need to put up.

Neil M witters : Mientkiewicz has not been a plus defender for several years and is playing off that legacy. I'd like to see Josh Phelps win out the 1B RH Platoon job for two reasons, firstly he can hit, secondly he would be a genuine bat off the bench, something the Yankees haven't had in quite a while.

If the Yankees lost Jeter then Miguel Cairo wins a F/T job and no matter how well he plays, the whole dynamic of the line-up changes. If another player goes down the same applies, the Yankees don't have any IF talent at AAA who can step up whereas they have a couple of legit OF options who could do a job for a month or two.

The Yankees success or failure this year is all about the arms, not the bats.

Pete J responds : I think it's now that we need to mention that we're judging the Yankees on their ability to win a World Series rather than the standards we might set for other teams as that's all the Yanks are really about.

Pitching has been a huge part of why the Yankees haven't had as much success as they would have expected in recent years (that coupled with bouts of one dimensional offence) and I'm still not convinced by this group. The back end of the rotation of Pavano and Igawa don't say World Series winner to me.

Its hard to really say much about Igawa because we simply haven't seen him in the Bigs but Pavano has had one good year in his entire career and has only pitched 200 innings twice. If you take away 2004, his career ERA is 4.61 which isn't great especially if you throw in his lack of durability.

Pettitte was a good pick up. He may be on the wain to some degree, but he always knew how to pitch at Yankee Stadium and never had a real problem taking the ball in a big game.

Mussina just knows how to pitch. Even if his stuff is in serious decline, he still has great location and savvy and fits well in the middle of that staff. My only minor quibble with him is that he hasn't thrown 200 innings since 2003.

Wang reminds me a lot of Brandon Webb. A sinker-baller putting up good but not great numbers but always with the promise that he could make the step to being a Cy winner one day. Does that mean I think Wang will win a Cy this year? Not likely. Why? Webb made the jump when the club got him Orlando Hudson to back him up and field all those ground balls that a plus sinker can give you and all Wang has is one of the most average defensive infields in baseball. They may have good hands (even Cano who did improve last year) but range is a serious issue.

Neil M prattles : Pitching - this is the time where I bring up my favourite subject - The Rocket. Whilst Igawa and Pavano aren't exciting you, the Rocket will in most likelihood launch again in the Bronx in July and he would slot into the front of our rotation. This would mean in essence Mussina would be our #4 pitcher and when you have that front four then you'd be quite excited.

I know you won't of seen Igawa pitch despite now having mlb.tv - I've watched him twice and he needs to trust his stuff. 13 k's in 9 innings is good and his off-speed pitches are certainly plus but he doesn't trust his speed as yet and keeps walking guys. Pavano needs to pitch well so we can trade him, he's pitching tonight after Pettitte (should go 4 innings after Andy's 5) so on the next update no doubt I'll be able to comment on his stuff (I'm watching)

Pettitte's just got Howard out swinging.

Wang was second in Cy Young voting last year and their is a good reason behind that, his sinker is evil. Yes the IF D isn't awesome but it's not as bad as everyone makes out, they'll be three players with Gold Gloves around the diamond (I think Doug M has one?)

On paper the rotation could be good but again, that's on paper...

Pete J continues : Well, we'll settle the infield thing quickly. Firstly we know that A-Rod hasn't exactly excelled at third and he was never that rangey at short. Jeter basically wins GG's now because, for the most part, AL shortstops aren't very good. You've already said you don't rate Mientkiewicz (honestly who would want a first baseman with soft hands and quick feet?) so where does that leave you? I agree they aren't as bad as some people want to make them out to be but they are the most average bunch I've seen in a very long time and they aren't good enough for the club to make the most of Wang's ability.

Then there's The Rocket. I don't deal in fantasy and delusion. He may sign later but I still doubt he'll leave the state of Texas but for now he's not a Yankee and thats all there is to say.

Only a fool would take on Pavano for anything worthwhile (did I mention how aside from one year he's been excedingly ordinary?) so putting any stock in a positive Pavano scenario is almost grasping at straws. If he pitches like he did in '04 then they'll want to keep him otherwise no one will give up much to get him.

All I'll say about Igawa is don't put too much stock in spring training numbers but the jury is still out on him.

I'm surprised you haven't brought up the Yankeedom saviour (or so we would be lead to believe) Phillip Hughes. I suppose, like me, you think he'll be best served by spending more time in AAA and get a call up in September in view to him maintaining rookie status for '08.

Neil M quacks : Well to say the Rocket is 'fantasy and delusion' is wide of the mark. He has already stated that he'd of never come out of retirement had Andy never of signed in Houston and had Andy signed with the Yankees last year he'd of returned to the Bronx. The bond between those two seems pretty watertight.

How many pitches have you ever seen Igawa throw? Do you even know what pitches he throws?

As for Pavano, if guys like Gil Meche are getting $11m per year then Pavano's contract isn't terrible.

I think Phil Hughes will be a great Yankee but he needs maturing time in Triple-A. The Yankees have a decent enough top three and they have a couple of league average guys at the back of the rotation, and league average with the Yankees offense gives them a chance.

Pete J say : I do know what repertoire Igawa has but all I know of him is from reading scouting reports which is why I haven't passed any judgement on him whatsoever. Much like Clemens apparent return to New York, I'll believe it when I see it.

As for Pavano's contract and comparing it to Meche's, the contract Meche got was straight out of bizarre-o land so I guess Pavano's contract isn't so crazy considering the present market so I retract my previous statement...he's still a very average pitcher with a bad history of breaking down.

I suppose in a way the rotation is a lot like the bullpen with one stud, and the rest is sort of bend but don't break. Obviously Mo Rivera, although maybe not the best any more, is still a top tier guy who is practically automatic closing out games and I've always liked Mike Myers but guys like Farnsworth, Vizcaino and Proctor might be solid citizens but would you bet your house on them? We'll also wait to see what direction Jeff Karstens takes in the long term.

I have no doubt there is more than enough pitching in Yankeedom to win the East and probably post the best record in the AL and maybe all of baseball but I just feel that when it comes to the playoffs they might not have quite enough to get them past the top teams. That's when you can't rely on just bludgeoning teams and your depth and quality is really tested.

Neil M laughs off the digs : The Yankees pen is the best in my years as a baseball fan. The greatest sitting at the back end of the pen, the man who has thrown a change-up in ST which has just frozen hitters. I'd still want Mo above any other closer in the game to close a game out.

Elsewhere you have a bunch of live arms, Scott Proctor, Kyle Farnsworth and Luis Vizciano are pencilled in for late inning setup duties but elsewhere you'll see the likes of Mike Myers, Ron Villone, Jeff Karstens and Brian Bruney. The last name had an 0.87 ERA late in the 2006 season for the Yankees whilst just rearing back and throwing, he is battling for the last spot in the pen and a guy with his stuff would've been a clear setup guy two years ago, it shows how deeper our relief options have come.

Pete J says : The pen is deeper than it has been in New York since they were winning World Series but does not have as many true impact guys as they had in those days. Live arms are all well and good but we can all shoot off a huge list of guys with great arms and stuff who never made the most of those tools (Farnsworth is probably on most peoples list). And as for Bruney, he recorded that ERA in 20 2/3 innings of mop up duty which isn't much to go on even if the 15 walks he gave up in those 20 innings doesn't bode well for the future.

Just because it's better, doesn't mean its necessarily great. Sure there's promise but aside from Mo, none of them has a sustained history of great success and if Mo gets hurt there really isn't anyone who stands out as an obvious fix.

Neil M says : How many teams have 'an obvious fix' should their closer go down? Boston might go into the season with Joel Pineiro as closer, if BJ Ryan goes down is their someone ready to step up to dominate? The only team in the AL with a real option in LAA with Scot Shields, beyond him and that ball club there isn't a great guy in the pen beyond a closer.

As we've already stated, whilst its better than it was it still might not be awesome but when you consider the Yankees have won the AL East every year since 1998 and this is the best pen for several years, you have to believe the future is pretty bright.

It might not be the greatest 25-man roster ever put together but it is the best roster the Yankees will of put out for a few years and that is the most important thing.

Pete J's denoument : All I'm saying is some teams are better equipped than others to deal with such an eventuality (Texas was the more obvious example but anyway).

So, do you think this is the team to win a World Series? As if I need to ask. Personally I see it as same old, same old with the team romping home in the division and then falling in the playoffs.

Neil M concludes : This is the best Yankee team I have seen so obviously I'll pick them for the Big Dance. However as we know the playoffs can be a strange place where guys like Jeff Weaver can be great.

On paper they are the rightful favourites - however we don't play the game on paper.

Pete J summarises : Well obviously we were never going to agree on much but it's hard not to see this machine of a team plough through the regular season like a tractor through butter. I do feel that Neil's slightly inflated view of this teams chances comes from having something of a short memory when it comes to great Yankee teams. My standards for them will always be set by the great sides between 1996 and 2000 which were real big game teams built to win however it needed and I just don't see that in this team.

Neil is right that this is the best team the Yankees have had in a good while and there is the potential, with a handful of wild cards on the roster that could blossom and fill the holes that I see in the team and make this a post-season juggernaut too. I wait to be convinced.

The Baltimore Fourth Place Finishers

2007-03-10T10:10:00.000Z

Pete J Says : I really am not sure about the Orioles this year. On paper they have a good talent level with a lot of very good pitchers who seem to be blossoming under the tutelage of Leo Mazzone but they are the O's and that means being part of one of the worst run organisations in baseball.

We'll start with the pitching and the vastly improved bullpen which should be one of the best in baseball. It will be anchored by Chris Ray, who is fast becoming one of the more dependable relievers in baseball and will be looking to build upon his first year as a full time closer. He will recieve good support from a revamped support staff which includes former closers Dannys Baez (still able to close if he needs to) and Scott Williamson (no one quite knows what he'll be like after the injuries) who will be looked on as the principle set-up men and the tremendous pairing of righty Chad Bradford and lefty Jamie Walker looking after the situational stuff. With such a well balanced group, if the starters can log some innings then this will be a tough side to face.

The rotation itself will be interesting with young stud Adam Loewen looking to establish himself after a hit and miss rookie year and Jaret Wright who is still looking to establish himself after a good rookie campaign 10 years ago. The last time Wright had Mazzone in his dugout he posted a career year so it will be interesting to see how he reacts a second time round.

The staff and the whole team will likely hinge upon the form of Daniel Cabrera and Erik Bedard. Cabrera in particular was very streaky and showed periods of absolute dominance and then backed it up with a period of very forgettable play which must have driven management to despair whereas Bedard looks like being on the verge of establishing himself as one of the top hurlers in the game. Bedard is coming into his prime and posted career highs in all the stats that count last year and will be looking to show it wasn't a fluke and if he maintains his aggressive approach he could be the ace this team has craved since Mussina left.

In the same way that the rotation needs one or two guys to really step up and carry the team, the lineup needs one or two guys in the middle of the order to step up and drive in some runs and this will be the trickiest thing for the club to find and so important in a division with some of the most potent offences around.

The top of the order is in the safe hands of Brian Roberts (you'll be hard pressed to find a better all around leadoff man) and Melvin Mora who continues to be one of the most under-appreciated guys in baseball. Of course you throw in Miguel Tajada and you have one of the best all around infields around. Tejada may not have the power he once did but he is still a very strong hitter and if they could find a big bit of lumber to bat behind him, then he could have a renaissance season. Of course we don't know who that big bat will be. Guys like Jay Gibbons, Kevin Millar and Aubrey Huff are all capable of providing periodical pop but none really has the consistency to be a real run producer or post 40 homers.

The only hope the Orioles have of finding someone to protect Tejada and really get this offence to where it needs to be is sophomore rightfielder Nick Markakis who was very tentative for much of last season and then erupted down the stretch giving us a glimpse of his power potential. There is nothing this kid isn't capable of achieving in his career but it is way to early to expect it from someone who will be 22 at the start of the year.

The team has got a lot of good things about it that should give O's fans hope but this is Peter Angelos' team and he stifles every attempt this team makes to try and build some kind of foundation for this team to build upon. If injuries hit or the team finds some kind of need to address to stay in contention they will find their cupboard bare (except for the exciting prospect Radhames Liz) and will be unable to find anyone worth calling up to bolster the team or anyone worth trading and then the finger of blame will go to the GM and manager and everything will be ripped up to start again and set the team back another decade. People talk about Jeffrey Lloria as being a terrible owner but at least he had the decency to leave town rather than bleed his cancer into a once proud franchise.

There is potential here for Baltimore to have a good year and surprise some people but sustaining any momentum will be tough and luck will be as big a part of this teams season as much as good coaching bringing out the best of their younger players.

Conor C Says : What a shame. This club with great history and a beautiful ball park to play in has lost its way. I'm not going to pretend to know the goings on in the front office with this team, but someone really needs to take things by the scruff of the neck and seriously try to turn this (as Pete said) once proud organisation back in the direction it should be headed (that's somewhere along the road that the Jays are going).

Numerous poor investments over the last few seasons have really crippled this organisation, and I'm unfortunately talking about possibly my favourite character in baseball Kevin Millahhhhh who is frankly not up to the job of being an every day first baseman in the AL anymore.

Miggy at shortstop is a dependable run producer, but seriously, how many teams are there that rely on the number six to hit 40 home runs? On the plus side, I love the pick up of Chad Bradford, in my opinion one of the most underrated relievers in the game, and speaking of underrated how good are Melvin Mora and Brian Roberts? Especially Mora who is the 3rd baseman I always look to draft first in a fantasy league.

In summary, this team is never going to compete with the Steinbrenner Yankees and its light at the end of the tunnel is whenever GS isn't there to make the AL East the money driven fiasco it is.

The Orioles really remind me of the Indians in the movie 'Major League' although unfortunately I don't see Wesley Snipes signing up and swiping a hundred bases. As Fall Out Boy said, 'Going down down...', a sad state of affairs.

Pete J Say : The really sad thing is that this team probably is in a better shape than Toronto to compete with Boston and New York in fiscal terms. Its the foundation of the team that really has never been given a chance to seed thanks to the meddling of ownership.

Rather than moving forward, this club seems to be standing still whilst the rest of the division is constantly reinventing itself and soon they could see Tampa breeze on by with its young starlets supplanting the O's aging vets and it frustrates everyone which is why Tejada wanted out.

This team looks like it's not that far off at the Major League level but they might be three or four years away from doing so and that's assuming they start right now. The BEST they can hope for now is a fourth place finish.

Bleed Dodger's Blue Chip Prospects

2007-03-09T21:24:00.000Z

Pete J Proclaims : After a patchy start, the Dodgers looked very strong for a long time till the Mets juggernaut rolled over them in the playoffs but they are back with that experience still fresh in their minds.

Once again they will roll out a formidable pitching staff from the rotation of Lowe, Schmidt, Penny, Billingsley and possibly Randy Wolf to a deep bullpen anchored by the impressive Takashi Saito. Quite simply it doesn't let up and they will be marshalled by one of the top young catchers in baseball in Russ Martin who will be eager to establish himself as one of baseballs elite recievers.

The line-up has plenty of options to fill the slots behind table setter Raffy Furcal but doesn't have a dominant hitter for the heart of the order. The outfield in particular is quite limp after the departure of JD Drew. Andre Ethier is primed for a sophomore slump after struggling down the stretch, Luis Gonzalez can still be productive but you can't expect more than 15 homers from him and Juan Pierre still has gas to burn but is an impatient hitter who lacks the qualities to top the order and is only a passable defensive player with nowhere near the amount of power to justify batting down the order. He is the most expensive pinch runner in baseball.

It will be interesting to see if Andy LaRoche cracks the lineup and gives the side a boost. He plays a decent third base and has good power potential and could push Betemit to another position. Either way this is still a side with lots of depth even if they lack the big bat.

Its hard to really write anything substantial about this team because its just as solid as it gets with depth in hitting and pitching and even though they are very average defensively, there is not another team in the NL with the same amount of options at their disposal and no one in the West can compete with their standard of pitching over the season and they should match up well come the post-season. The youngsters of last year have added experience now and can take the next step. This team is a serious contender to win it all.

Fan Boy Conor Says : It's a very exciting time to be a Dodger fan with a farm system bursting with players around the Major League level. There truly is a squad here that could dominate the NL for a number of years.

The rotation is the crown jewel of this franchise with so many pitchers competing for a starting slot that quite simply there isn't enough room. Lowe, Schmidt, Penny, Wolfe are probably certs for four of the five jobs, but the fifth spot is anything but certain. Brett Tomko is back looking mean sporting a new delivery which hides the ball much better than last season. His velocity is perhaps his biggest weapon and he is certainly a very good fifth starter.

Chad Billingsley is up against it for a starting role and will likely start in the bullpen along with Mark Hendrickson, the extremely exciting Hong Chi Kuo and possibly Eric Stults. One option the Dodgers do have if Kuo, Tomko and Billingsley all excel in spring is to look for a suitor for Brad Penny who has ruffled some feathers in the organisation. Elmer Dessens is also a red hot favourtie to be traded.

Penny and Dessens could seriously tempt some teams to release that big bat the Dogder's line up is missing. However the problem for the Dodgers (and it is a nice problem) is what position a big bat would take up. $44 million has been spent on centrefield, two blue chip prospects are poised to platoon at third (Wilson Betemit right handed and Andy LaRoche lefty), James Loney can't even find an everyday position, and the Dodgers are certainly not going to give up on Andre Ethier who revealed in the last week that he played from the All Star break with an injury, apparently explaining his slump.

In short the Dodgers at the close of Spring will porbably have to trade away, release, or send down enough quality position players to make another Major League team, and that says something about their strength and depth. The back end of the bullpen will be cemented as Pete said by Takashi Saito who I have to say is far more likely to suffer the sophomore slump than left fielder Ethier. Honestly the Dodgers' biggest issue this year will be closing games and while they may not blow enough saves to lose out on a third post season in four years, it may come back to haunt them in the playoffs should they reach there.

Pete J Says : If Billingsley doesn't go the full year in the rotation I will eat my proverbial hat.

In a nutshell the Dodgers have a very deep roster and enough to be considered in the running for honours this year. If they are able to trade away some of their excess baggage for a big time bat then this becomes a red hot favourite to do it all.

Ned Colletti has a job to do.

The Milwaukee Ouch That's My Hand, Leg, Arm, etc...

2007-03-09T07:58:00.000Z

Pete J Says : Everyones favourites last year to be the leagues surprise team is back and this time we're all a bit more tentative about their chances.

Much of the expectation was born from a formidable pitching staff which will once again be a force if Ben Sheets can throw every five days. He is one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball and can match up against anyone and, when combined with emerging star Chris Capuano, gives the Brewers a firm base to build on.

Behind the big two are three steady eddies in Jeff Suppan, control maestro Dave Bush and Claudio Vargas all of whom could fit into the middle of a lot of good rotations. Backing them up will be a bullpen that should be solid but probably won't strike too much fear into the hearts of many. Francisco Cordero got back on track, to an extent, after a mid-season trade away from Texas where he had a very tough time last year, will close and be set up by Derrick Turnbow. Turnbow had tough time re-adjusting to the league and his control was way off, with some work in the Spring he should be back on track and fit in well in a less pressurised role or he might implode and fade without a trace landing more responsibility upon the young shoulders of Jose Capellan who dominated hitters in the AFL with his electric stuff.

The line-up will be interesting with Prince Fielder looking to be this years Ryan Howard (he might not hit 50 but 40 is well in his reach) and Bill Hardy looking to show last year was no fluke. Fielder started strong but faded down the stretch as the grind of the Big League season got to him as it does many a first year player.

Corey Koskie and Johnny Estrada are both nice additions on both sides of the ball but much of this teams success will hinge on the prodigious talents of Rickie Weeks who was on the way to a tremendous offensive year before being struck by injury. Weeks is a special blend of speed and power atop the order and was showing much improved discipline last year (albeit offset by a frightening amount of K's) and will be one of the leagues most exciting players for a number of years (also because of his will he/won't he fielding escapades).

If injuries do hit Weeks (or Koskie for that matter as both are pretty brittle) yet again, the club has a good array of talented utility men including Hall and newly acquired Craig Counsell and Tony Graffanino and Brady Clark is good value as a temporary leadoff man and centrefielder.

Once again this team could emerge from the pack if they can keep key players healthy (mainly Ben Sheets) and the youngsters continue to emerge. The bullpen should (notice that's a 'should') be OK but we'll have to wait and see, the rotation will be good and the offence will do much better than last year if Fielder continues to improve and Weeks stays healthy. All in all thats a good recipe to mix it up near the top of the Central and if it weren't for a man named Pujols, they'd have a shot at the division. Alas Pujols is out there and a playoff spot might be tough but the Wild Card is do-able with a bit of luck.

Conor C Says : A good one, two, three punch lines the Milwaukee rotation this year, and even with the departed Doug Davis, the brew crew are not in terrible shape. However even with stellar pitching, there is no way in which they can be competitive this year. Ben Sheets could get back to his old ways this year and if he does he is a legitimate ace, but most of their success will rest on Chris Capuano and FA signing Jeff Suppan. Capuano also has 'ace' stuff, but hasn't been able to harness it during his career, while Suppan is a solid middle of the rotation guy in any organisation.

David Bush and Claudio Vargas are very interesting tail end of the rotation pitchers who could make a big impact this year and really propel the Brewers further up the divisional rankings. In a funny way, the two most exciting rotations for the season are based in Milwaukee and Pittsburgh. The youth in these two franchises' rotations is going to give both team fresh impetus and hunger and hopefully they can challenge the teams who have been dominating the last few years.

Offensively this team will probably falter, and if they spend another season dwelling in the basement, it will most likely be on account of a lack of runs. Carlos Lee is an unreal loss and power hitters like him don't grow on trees.

Pete J Say : How you can rate Pittsburgh's chances of mixing it up (albeit in a limited way) and not Milwaukee is beyond me. Even with the loss of Carlos Lee, you still have Fielder in his second full year (who should put up Lee-like numbers) and if combined with a full season of Weeks, Koskie and JJ Hardy, that should go a long way towards bridging the gap...with some luck.

Injuries had a huge impact on their season last year (along with some terrible D) and shaking them off will go a long way to drastic improvement on their record and very good rotation goes a long way towards lifting them away from the dregs.

I still believe they have the talent to surprise lot of people but .500 ball shouldn't be too outlandish a prediction. A lot of their yougsters are still on the up and Capuano and Sheets are already All Stars.

The Shamalamadingdong Angels

2007-03-06T22:17:00.000Z

Pete J Says : Just like last year no one has the same depth and breadth of talent available to them that the Angels will going into the season but that didn't seem to help them last season as they seemed to find endless ways to lose games with some truly sloppy play. In fact they played so badly most of the time that its a tribute to how much talent they had that they stuck around in the pennant race so long.

One group that didn't fail was the pitching which logged the third best team ERA and the most strikeouts in the AL. They will once again be led byJohn Lackey who is fast emerging as one of the most consistent aces in baseball. Every time he takes to the mound he gives his team a chance and just demands the ball in the big games.

The rest of the rotation is solid with a good assortment of young pitchers with Ervin Santana and Jered Weaver having all sorts of adulation thrust upon them (I just think they're solid pros rather than future aces but anyway...) and Kelvim Escobar looked dominant down the stretch for the team last year as he got further removed from the last big injury (when the next one comes is unsure but you have to expect it to be out there). The only real question is when will Bartolo Colon be back and how good will he be? If he comes back as anything like the pitcher he had been before the surgery on his rotator cuff, then once again Anaheim will have one of the best one-two punches in their rotation in baseball.

The bullpen took a hit in the off-season with the loss of Gregg andDonnelly but it still should be a strength of the team. Francisco Rodriguez and Scot Shields can really shorten the game at the back end and Justin Speier, Hector Carrasco and Darren Oliver offer variety and quality in the middle innings.

It was the position players who contrived to botch games the most. Mike Scioscia has always liked to be aggressive as a manager but his players showed a lot of bad judgement in deciding when to go and when not to. Whether it was trying to steal in the wrong situation or going for the extra base when it wasn't there, this team ran itself out of a lot of games...but at least they made up for it with countless mental errors and by making simple plays look difficult.

The fulcrum for this team will once again be Vlad Guerrero, possibly the biggest freak in baseball. At the plate he takes the wildest and most vicious hacks of anyone and no one has his plate coverage (because no one should swing at some of the balls he swings at) but he still manages to hit for a high average with power and has yet to strike out 100 times in a season. This guy is simply baffling to watch which also makes him so much fun.

The rest of the line-up has diminishing power with Casey Kotchman and maybe Howie Kendrick the only guys apart from Guerrero capable of providing consistent pop. Juan Rivera and Shea Hillenbrand could also contribute some power but its a question of how much playing time they'll recieve this year.

The rest of the roster has a bunch of guys who are capable of going deep from time to time but the real secret to this offence is their legs. Chone Figgins will be amongst the league leaders once again in steals if he keeps his everyday role and Erick Aybar could be quicker but it might be too early to expect him to be an every day guy.

The big question is can Gary Matthews replicate what he did in Texas last year? He showed tremendous improvement in his plate discipline last season once put into the leadoff spot which saw him draw more walks and get him into better situations to get better pitches to hit. If he can keep his OBP up he offers speed and a bit of power atop the order and should combine well with the oft under-rated Orlando Cabrera who can really do it all and its only a matter of time (and shifting of the east coast media bias) until he gets a Gold Glove. He's got 20-20 talent and his approach at the plate keeps getting better and better, he should be due a breakout year.

Of course if anything goes wrong they have an exciting array of minor league talent such as Dallas McPherson, Kendry Morales and uber-prospectBrandon Wood who could all see time in the Bigs this year and could all contribute, its just a question of where?

So once again the West is theirs if they want it but if they don't show up then Oakland will do them over again. They have everything they need to not only win the division but the World Series too, it's all a question of aptitude. Scioscia needs to really light a fire under this lot because if they play the same way this year as last, he could be looking for a new job come the winter.

Conor Says : There's no doubting the talent of this bunch of players. They have some of the most brilliant players in baseball, and for me K-Rod is possibly the most exciting pitcher around (aside of Gagné).

Bad Vlad does it all offensively, but I don't really feel they have built the offence around him as well as they could have.

The Angels have massive infield depth, but it's difficult to see who's going to sieze the starting jobs. Shea Hillenbrand is likely to slot in at DH with the unproven Casey Kotchman looking like the everyday first baseman.

Will Chone Figgins or Dallas McPherson find positions? I think there are more questions than answers as far as this team is concerned.

The rotation is solid and there is no doubt this team will contend, but will they have the staying power of Oakland? I'm not sure that they will be willing to part with some of their prize prospects right now to be succesful this season if there is a gaping hole in their line up come the deadline.

Also Gary Matthews jr? Are you kidding me?

Pete J Says : That was succinct.

Gary Matthews is a curious fellow. If he's made an adjustment and can repeat last seasons form then he will be a great fit on this club. If he reverts to previous form then they have a platoon guy against lefties even if thats not what they paid for.

It does seem that we agree, however, that much like the real Los Angeles team, the Angels have everything they need to be serious contenders and it really just comes down to how they are able to put it all together.

It's very interesting that the club is already looking at Wood at third this Spring which makes you think that they are serious about this year. We shall see.

The long baseball season?

2007-03-06T20:28:00.000Z

Bear with me on this one ... it may seem strange for a fan to criticise a certain aspect of the sport, but as someone who has always been a football (soccer!) fan, it's always struck me that the baseball season does just seem a tad too long!

Not in terms of the months, but just in the sheer amount of games that are crammed in during the regular season .... 162 games has always felt to me as if it was an awful lot of games crammed in, an awful lot of teams travelling all over the country, a lot of injuries, and a lot of tired players!

Now, who am i to criticise Major League Baseball ... it's going through a bit of a boom spell at the moment, but there are times when i watch and i wonder:

1) No atmosphere ... is this a meaningless game, it is baseball overkill, etc, etc
2) I know they get good wages (nay, amazing wages!) but can you expect a professional athlete to produce on such a regular basis
3) If both of the above are true ... then aren't we short changing the fans?

I'm a fan of the wildcard, it keeps the action going until the last pitch of the regular season, but sometimes i feel as if still not enough teams are involved post season, and it's a long 162 games for those who have absolutely no hope! In football, the best team wins at the end of the season ... top of the league, simple as that .... but in baseball, you can play 162 regular season games as the best team in baseball but still end falling at the first hurdle in the post season

Always seemed strange to me, but who am i to question ... i guess it makes things different for me to watch, and keeps it exciting!!

Just wondered what other UK fans thought of the long season?

The beauty of baseball philosophy, Pete and Conor don't have to agree! Oakland

2007-03-06T01:44:00.000Z

Conor :

Just over the Bay from the main act at the circus, Billy Beane is carefully crafting yet another Championship calibre team. Without delving perhaps pointlessly into the 'Moneyball' debate again, it's perhaps pertinent to just give kudos to Beane for how efficient and astute a GM. Who else would have touched Frank Thomas last year and look what happened. Beane landed another title, and Thomas landed a new mammoth contract. Anyway onto the roster...

Starting Pitching :-
While they have obviously lost Barry Zito and really lack what we might term 'a stopper', this rotation is extremely solid and bodes well for the new season. Dan Haren might finally have that breakout year people have been talking about since his move to the Bay Area. He has composure for such a young man, but he just needs to trust his stuff a little bit more. He may turn into the staff ace by mid season, but Rich Harden will most likely be the opening day number one. Esteban Loaiza seems to re spawn every year and it will be a big test to see if his arm holds up again. Joe Blanton was again solid last year, but much like Haren, it's about time he had that breakout year that his stuff warrants. The kid has great control and a cool presence on the mound. Joe Kennedy should be the fifth starter after a solid year out of the bull pen, but he has struggled as a starter before and it will be interesting to see just how many innings the A's expect to get from him.

Bull Pen :-
If it remains injury free (and unfortunately for the A's there's no great track record here) the bull pen should be good enough to hold any lead. They have two bona fide young closers in Duscherer and Street, although in a kind of funny way the guy who had the worst season by far of the two is likely to start the season as the ninth inning guy (Street). Street blew an incredible 11 saves last season and although I can't put my finger on a MLB stat, that must have been the highest in the entire league. Nevertheless, it's not exactly a problem for Beane to have two closers. Further down comes the wily old set up guy (and in my opinion one of the best pick ups of the off season) Alan Embree, a good club house presence with a tonne of experience to pass on to this young pitching staff. Brad Halsey is probably pencilled in for long relief, but could challenge Kennedy in the rotation with a solid Spring.

Offence :
Well the main pick up here is obviously Mike Piazza. People have been talking for years about putting Piazza in purely as a DH with no catching duties, and while he may well get the odd start there, at last someone has seen fit to do it. Piazza without the wear and tear of every day catching is still a great hitter despite decreasing power, and of course he brings a great presence to a young offence. Nick Swisher is so incredibly gifted all round, but the main problem is his desire to slug every pitch out of the park. If he could cut down on his bad hacks, which for some reason seem to start to increase as the season goes on, he will be real MVP material.

Eric Chavez was once the total poster boy for this franchise but like some of the pitchers, we're really waiting to see him put all the parts of his game together. One can expect Rolen-esque glove work, Aramis Ramirez type thunder at times, but can he stop hacking at simply terrible pitches. His strike out numbers have shot up in recent seasons which explains his lack of batting average stats, and a Swisher like need to crush every ball making yourself easy fodder for good pitchers.

As for the best of the rest, Jason Kendall is a total one off, a catcher who is a prtotype lead off hitter. He looks at pitches, makes contact, walks his ass off and has good wheels. Kendall is a real offensive catalyst and a great player. Milton Bradley may finally shake off his injury problems and produce what LA fans knew he was capable of. With Milton though there's always a countdown to his next implosion.Overall, this is a team bursting with potential and with a few typically classy trades in June by Beane there's no reason why this team can't
seriously challenge and win over 90 games. The A's will be good, but just how good is hard to tell.

-----------

First, we'll start with Billy Beane. If he were a player then people would be asking when he was going to take the next step and become an elite performer because the A's always seem to contend for the pennant but never look likely to do anything come the playoffs and this year should be no different.

The only real reason they made the playoffs last season was due to a sloppyness epidemic in Anaheim and thats the only way they'll win the west again this year...oh and if Rich Harden finally manages to put a whole year in (as unlikely as that sounds). Harden is really the only genuinely top drawer player on a team of good to average players.

The lineup lacks a serious power threat and even if Piazza had a renaissance, he, Chavez and Swisher are all guys who do well to get into the mid-30's in homeruns rather than serious mashers capable of carrying a team for an extended period. They don't even supplant the lack of real power with a credible running game. In a nutshell, they will not score enough runs especially when matched up with the better teams in the league.

The pitching is better, especially if the tremendously gifted Harden stays healthy. Haren and Blanton do have talent and you can never be sure what Loaiza will do (he's a curious guy who seems to be so-so most years and then he'll pull a blinder out of nowhere) so the rotation is fairly dependable. The bullpen however is less secure with Huston Street not doing so well in his sophomore year. If he struggles again there is no obvious replacement unless Santiago Casilla pulls it together very quickly which is a shame because the rest of the bullpen is pretty solid and I have to agree that Embree is a great pick up.

So what do we make of Oakland? They have good pitching which includes a guy who could win a Cy if he could muster up 30 starts and a solid line-up that lacks speed or a genuine threat with the bat which should see them middle of the pack (at best) in terms of scoring runs. Seattle and Texas have too many holes to really win consistently which means they only have to worry about Anaheim (there is no way a team from the West will win the Wild Card) which puts them in the same scenario as last season and they are the reigning division champs.

This is a good team that will win more games than they lose but if the Angels show up this year then they will be left in the dust. If the Angels stutter like last season then, like last season, they could once again be raising flags and crashing out at the first hurdle in the playoffs. No team will win a World Series with Kendall catching for them thats for sure.

----------

Well Pete and I have never agreed about Oakland, about Billy Beane, and about the more wide ranging elements of baseball philosophy that this Oakland organisation brings to the table. Firstly let's start with the jibe at Beane. One might level the same accusation at Joe Torré and Brian Cashman with the Yankees... when are they going to step up in the playoffs and win the WS again. Despite having the best team on paper every year they just can't, and the same goes for Oakland, except that they DON'T have anything close to the best team on paper.... yet Beane manages to sign players who will bring this team to the post season almost every year. The playoffs are a lottery, let's face it. I am a huge Beane fan in the way that he gets results through ruthless means, even if he has to cut half the squad as he has done before.

How can anyone say that Nick Swisher will do well to hit 30+ home runs? He hit 35 last year in only his second full major league season. There is absolutely no way to predict hat his out put will be, and based on the trends of similar players, one should only expect his HR numbers to rise. I don't know about Chavez but if he 'does well' and gets around 30 bombs, I think the front office will be happy enough.

This is an organisation that always finds a way to improve itself even without throwing millions of dollars around, and once again the As are at least as good as last year. Maybe Piazza won't be as effective a DH as The Big Hurt, but the pitching is more promising with Harden threatening to put together a dominating campaign, and Huston Street prehaps ready to become dominant againa fter shaking off the niggling injuies he siffered with last year. Even if he doesn't how is Duscherer not an able replacement when he is arguably better !

Okay, the As only really have to compete with one team to win a division title, but why should we bet against Beane's savy, the Cult of Swish, the legend that is Jason Kendall (who is by the way improving defensively all the time and will only benefit from the tutelage of Piazza) and the general confidence that this organisation has? Give me a reason !!!

Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr me harties, we'll be plunderin' no treasure in '07

2007-03-06T01:09:00.000Z

Conor C :

Pittsburgh : While Pittsburgh have made some very interesting strides offensively this year, their rotation still lacks a real ace that could properly catapult them into competitiveness. Their rotation is so young that it's difficult to see them developing into a dominant force in the next few years. Zach Duke and Paul Maholm both slumped somewhat in their sophomore years. Surely the Pirates won't suffer the indignity of seeing two more quality young starters go the way of Oliver Perez. If both these guys make it back to something like their 2005 form, then thing could get very interesting in the Central.

Ian Snell's addition as a full time rotation member last season seemed to help the Pirates out a lot. He is maybe the jewel in the crown here, possessing all the characteristics of a dominating pitcher in his formative years. High strike outs, decent ERA, and somewhat wild. His fastball perhaps doesn't move as much just yet as it's going to (thus the silly amount of home runs he gave up in '06), but Snell has all the tools. Shawn Chacon remains an inconsistent enigma in the majors, but this season must be make or break for him. Turning closer in Colorado really affected his game (having been an All Star starter the year before). He was awesome in 2005 splitting time between the Rox and the Yankees, but flat out sucked last year between the Yankees and Pittsburgh. If he can step it up once more along with Snell, things could get really exciting. Moreover, Pittsburgh have a rotation that, if it clicks, could be set for years to come. Although he didn't play last season, Sean Burnett should bring up the rear of the quintet, but he will be challenged in Spring Training by a number of new faces around camp.

Offensively you've simply got to hype Jason Bay. This dude has it all when it comes to hitting and will be able to carry a team through a lean spell. This is one advantage that the Pirates have over the Brewers for example. The problem is of course that if Bay suffers an injury, then the Pirates are in serious trouble. The limited Chris Duffy is pencilled in for centre field. Duffy lacks the necessary speed to really own the middle of the outfield. Xavier Nady in right field had a really amazing opening to the 2006 season and is a solid player who will provide average outfield power again.

The infield has promise. Jack Wilson at short is coming into his own with a number of solid seasons offensively. On defense he still needs a little work but he he's more consistent than any number of NL shortstops. José Castillo at second base sacrificed his very good average to hit more home runs last year and much like the wannabe sluggers in Oakland, he may have to address this problem in spring. Castillo also has his worst defensive year last season and it will be interesting to see how he rebounds.

On the corners are two players with great promise. Freddy Sanchez was unbelieveably the NL batting champion last year. He makes alot of contact and is a really exciting player to watch. Defensively he is solid and will also see spells at second base. Adam LaRoche who came over by way of trade from Atlanta is a great pick up. A guy with experience (although he's still young) of being with a winning ball club, and a player very much still on the upward tangent in terms of his ability. He could push close to forty home runs this season based on projections.

Overall this team is exciting and in a division where it may be possible to challenge for the Wild Card, maybe not this year, but cerainly in 2008. I would look to see this club level out at .500-ish for this season and try to improve again.

------------------
Peeeeeeeeeetah says :-

Its quite simple really, one Jason Bay does not a team make. For as gifted a player he is (for a Canadian at least) the rest of the team is at best average with a
whole bullpen full of who, no true leadoff man and cast offs from several teams including the decidedly average Adam LaRoche and Xavier Nady who both had very good spells last year but would you want either batting in the top five of your teams lineup?

It will be interesting to see how Freddy Sanchez progresses but even if he maintains something like the standard of last year, this team can't carry his lack of pop at third and would ideally move him to second and ditch the, at times, laughably poor defensive work of Castillo. He could combine well with the very dependable Jack Wilson who would be a good utility player on a championship team but is a leader on this club.

The only ray of hope does come in the shape of the young rotation with the likes of Paul Maholm, who rebounded excedingly well after a wretched start to last season (he did so well to get his ERA even below 6 after the first couple of months), Zach Duke who looks like he might be settling into a career as a good number two or three in the rotation and John Van Benschoten who has had so many battles with injuries since being lined up as a potential rookie of the year winner three years back.

The real problem for a team looking to build around a team of young starters is that it is imperative that you support them with good work defensively behind them and this is not a good defensive team. Sanchez, Wilson and LaRoche will make the infield a solid one even if they aren't the most rangey group but Bay is the only passable outfielder which doesn't help a strikeout/flyball pitcher like Snell in particular.

All in all this is a team that will do well not to be propping up the whole of the NL. They certainly don't stack up against the Brewers (watch this space for a more detailed explaination) and Harang and Arroyo give the Reds an edge.

The Pirates might be able to hang with teams for 5-6 innings but then the real adventure starts and their lack of options will become painfully obvious.

--------------------

Conor says :-

Like I said previusly, getting this team to .500 will be a good position for 'Dim' Tracy (maybe the most tactically inept manager in the league) to be in. Anything more must be considered a bonus in the absence of veteran leadership, established pitching and any real protection for Jason Bay, but good luck to the bucks!!!

Sammy Says Sammy's Good

2007-03-05T23:04:00.000Z

I've just been reading some of the latest news from Spring Training on MLB.com and came across an article outlining Sammy Sosa's comeback trail in Texas and found it incredibly funny. Here's a couple of tid bits from the mouth of Sammy.

On hitting his first homer of ST : "When you are working so hard, you want to see results early," Sosa said. "It's good to get that one out of the way. Now I can relax. I was looking for that, so was everybody else." The question I ask is, who is everybody? Quite frankly I had more or less forgotten about him and thought his career had been swept under the carpet but I guess I'm in the minority.

"People like to see me play," Sosa said. "I've been blessed. I have good charisma and a good relationship with the fans. People love me out there. You're not going to take that away from me. I earned that." Am I the only person who finds that a wonderfully hysterical quote? That's right out of the book of Rickey satire. You could almost rewrite this as "People like to see Sammy play, Sammy has been blessed. Everyone loves Sammy because Sammy loves everyone because Sammy is great and no one can take that from Sammy because Sammy has earned what Sammy has."

I have to give it to Sosa, he has built up a wonderful little fantasy world around himself to protect him from the post BALCO/steroid backlash. I guess this comes easy when you believe the hype for so long.

T(or)onto! Jump on it! Jump on it! Jump on it!

2007-02-26T14:56:00.000Z

Conor dit:

Ever heard of light disappearing back up a tunnel? That's what JP Ricciardi must have been experiencing this summer. Just when he had his squad make a major breakthrough and guzzump one of the lofty two in the AL East, the team he beat goes and spends a tonne of money on pitching, shores up its bull pen, becomes offensively better and generally sticks its two fingers up at the Canadians. With all due respect to Toronto, there's just no way they can overcome their two competitors for silver ware. They have money again after the shaving measures of recent years, but in a buy buy buy situation, they will lose literally every time.

Offence

Well as I see it the Blue Jays have some very good players offensively. They have the big slugger in Troy Glaus at third, the five tool centre fielder in Vernon Wells (who is probably one of the more underrated players in the league although not according to his contract haha), a solid catcher in Zaun and I really like the corner outfielders' potential. Alex Rios is a great hitter who is really developing power at a nice steady level. Could this be his breakout year? Reed Johnson is a solid if not spectacular left fielder and will contribute both with the long and shorter balls.

Lyle Overbay must also be exciting Bue Jays fans at first base as he continue his march towards being one of the better first basemen around, and he has the potential to be a he power hitter. He was truly a great pick up and he should really start to get the recognition he deserves this season.

Aaron Hill is a nice contact hitter and is the sort of guy who can make a difference either at the top or bottom of the line up. While he doesn't have fence traversing power, his speed can turn a lot of long singles into doubles with in the end is every bit as useful (although the Jays don't really tend to run). Finally at short stop Royce Clayton is slightly out of the mould of offensively minded number 6s that we normally expect from an AL side, but he is a very solid defender.

Pitching

Well the rotation isn't very exciting. It contains a good one-two punch, enough to put a stop on any skid the team might find themselves on, but realistically it isn't good enough to compete. The biggest free agent farce in terms of pitching I can remember was the clubs queued up to sign Tomo Ohka. The Jays 'won' the war to vastly overpay a guy who has only ever once come even close to pitching 200 innings. Seriously I can't start to put into words how much I hated this signing for the Jays. They can't even try to ship him without eating a huge part of his contract when he goes down injured again (and while it's not something I wish on any player, it's just difficult to believe that he's healthy).

Well enough downside (until I get torn into Chacin in a minute!!), let's talk about Ray Halladay and AJ Burnett. Halladay is a true ace, stopper, go to guy, whatever you want to call him. I like his pitching a lot and I think he deserves the money that he's getting from the Jays. He should be good for 16-20 wins again as his ability merits and on a personal note for him, maybe a ticket to a contender at the deadline if the Jays are way out of the race. Burnett has yet to really prove (to me anyway) that he was worth the money the Jays invested in him. Yeah he's solid and reliable, but was he really the number free agent pitcher just one short year ago?? I'd really like to see him do well because I have a soft spot for that 2003 Marlins team, but I can't see it happening, nor can I see him sticking injury free.

Well in the pen lies BJ Ryan, a solid closer, ever reliable and a good pro. It seems a bit weird for me to be writing this piece evaluating a spate of recent FA signings for a team that isn't the Yankees, but Ryan has been worth the money. The rest of the bull pen is take it or leave it really with the only I really like being Jason Frasor. However maybe Pete can enlighten us further. I meant to keep this short because I knew Pete'd likely have a lot to say about his own team!! Oh well !!

Pete informs :

I'm really not sure whats going to happen in the East this year as both Boston and Toronto have a lot of question marks about their teams whilst having plenty of potential to be amongst the wild card race. Of course the advantage Boston has is greater 'depth' due to deeper pockets but there is plenty of youth in the Jays system and many of their vaunted arms are coming to the point where they need to show if they really have what it takes.

The offence is probably the teams strongest suit. Reed Johnson did a great job once inserted into the leadoff spot at getting on base but it's uncertain if he's a late bloomer or a flash in the pan. Even if he can't repeat last years successes the team is very deep with big boppers and the addition of Frank Thomas means the team has a contingency plan in case the injury bug hits Troy Glaus again and if both go down then that'll make things tough for the talented outfield duo of Alexis Rios and Vernon Wells.

It gets trickier once you get into the pitching and the team is blssed with possibly the best pitcher in baseball not called Santana and the only problem is Halladay's durability. Every year he's a Cy Young candidate and that is impressive when you play in the same league as that guy Minnesota.

Behind Halladay you will have one of the biggest wastes of money in baseball in A.J. Burnett who is as good an example of how pitching is about more than numbers on a radar gun. Blessed with a great curve and what is likely the best fastball in baseball, he stil contrives to be a middle of the road guy. If he ever sorted out his control then the league will have to watch out but he hasn't done that in eight years so why would he start now?

Gustavo Chacin sits nicely in the middle of the rotation and after pitching with a few knocks and scrapes last year we should see the real him this season (alas that won't be as good as his rookie year but won't be as bad as last) and if Tomo Okha can last a full season without snagging a nail he gives the team a wily southpaw at the back end who has a good feel for pitching even if his lack of stuff leaves him a small margin for error (if only we could combine him and Burnett, what a pitcher that would be).

John Thomson adds a bit of grit but is coming off some major injury problems (like pretty much every Blue Jay starter to an extent) but I'm hopeful that Dustin McGowan gets a look in. Even if the results so far have been less than awe inspiring, the guy is still only 25 and has a very lively assortment of pitches and just the look of someone who belongs on the mound.

The effectiveness of the pen is pretty much dependent upon how many innings the starters can log. With the likes of Scott Downs, Brian Tallet and Jason Frasor setting up left handed powerhouse B.J. Ryan (why do parents name their kids B.J?) there is more than strong enough foundation and if Brandon League finally realises that most hitters struggle against 100mph fastballs then the late innings will be tough for opponents.

So what will become of the Jays this year? I honestly can see another second place finish because I'm not at all convinced by Boston but if both teams play to their potential then status quo will likely return and Toronto will be back in third. No matter what happens, a lot will have to go right for them to make the post-season.

And finally :

Seems we agree about much in terms of the Jay's performance. I can't say I have much hope for this team, but one nevers knows! Respect the power of Moneyball and what JP can do with this team !!!

Standing on the shoulders of Bonds... ahem Giants?

2007-02-24T13:28:00.000Z

Fish rants :

Oh my it's very difficult to remain professional when you have to preview a season of a team you hope falls off the end of the earth (well it's not entirely impossible haha!). The media circus around you-know-who will be of course a huge distraction to this team. They let one ace go and gained a lesser more injury prone one, and pretty much failed to strengthen the rotation at all. It seems I say this at the start of every season by dammit this team is TOO OLD!!! There's not a single guy in a starting field position under the age of thirty and most of them are on the decline.

Barry Bonds is losing power, Dave Roberts is losing speed, Randy Winn never had either of those to things to begin with and that's just the outfield. Omar Vizquel is the model pro, but damn he can't lead this rabble to anywhere out of the basement in this division. The Giants are again going to have to try to play small ball with long ball players on the decline

Barry Zito is of course a good pitcher but it's difficult to figure out how he's going to translate into AT&T Park. He gives up a lot of hits to lefties, but power wise he gets blown out by righties, so it'll be interesting to see how he copes with the new boundaries in the Bay. Matt Cain must have 'frisco fans in a frenzy of excitement, but let's face it, there's only one show in town for at least one more season. With some offence Matt Morris and Noah Lowry could be good tail enders in a rotation but where that offence is going to come from is hard to see. More uncertainties lie in the Armando Benitez led bull pen which includes a bunch of has beens and never was-es.

I almost wish I'd got someone else to write this and then added my two cents after. I hate this club, I hate their lack of ambition, I hate their shear greed in milking the media circus around you-know-who, and most of all I hate Barry Bonds!!

Pete, the voice of reason says:

OK, for starters its not a lack of ambition or greed that has driven this club to attempt to bank on Bonds its the fact that he has been one of the greatest players of all time and the face of the franchise for over a decade. If you don't feel it prudent to build around such a player then I don't know who you build around. That all said I do feel sorry for GM Brian Sabean because he really went all in to try and get that championship with Bonds and they fell just short and we are now in the fall out. Baseball is the greatest sport in the world for celebrating its heroes and Bonds must retire a Giant so the team will remain in limbo for another year.

Like you said, the team is too old and has too many has beens on the roster and unless Bonds can stay healthy there is no big bat anywhere on the team to anchor the team. Roberts can still do a job at the top of the order and the ever green Vizquel batting behind him will see that they are able to scratch out enough wins to be a respectable team but there is nothing that makes you think they can elevate themselves into anything like a pennant race.

Losing Mike Matheny to his injury induced retirement will hurt them big time too as Bengie Molina has slipped in recent years in terms of D (he's still pretty good but not exactly great) and also the leadership and you do wonder if this clubhouse will implode at some point.

Matheny would have been the only reason I would have thought that letting Schmidt go and getting Zito would be a good trade off but alas he is gone and Zito will likely do an reasonable job in between seeing balls that drop into outfield gloves in Oakland, sail into the stands in AT&T.

For the bullpen to work they really have to hope that they can catch lightning in a bottle because it looks a bit messy to me.

Matt Cain is the only real bright spark I can see and any impact prospects are a ways away (possibly Sabean stockpiling for an onslaught in the post-Bonds era). This year will all be about Bonds going for that record (and 2,000 RBI which is none too shabby either) and the Giants standing pat till next year...oh and Bruce Bochy being picked up to manage is an interesting move too.

Conor C-omesback:

I think we're in agreement about this state of this club. You just seem to be more of the opinion that this is the result of putting all the eggs in the Barry Championship Ring basket. Maybe you're not wrong, but to be honest I dislike Barry so much and think he's such a cheat and an asshole that I'm glad he never got his ring, and I'm glad he's going to play out the last year of his career and not win a thing. It's exactly what he deserves, but not what Brian Sabean deserves for being put in the impossible situation of having a player who was bigger than the club, maybe even bigger than the game itself.

They may not know how to pronounce 'Louis', but they're not half good!

2007-02-24T02:05:00.000Z

Conor C-ez :

The Cardinals will have a tough job recreating the same level of pitching that they've come to expect in recent seasons. Chris Carpenter coming off the back of another MVP type season will be the number one guyonce again for this rotation and he will have to become a calming influence around the club house to several young pitcher with limited experience. Kip
Wells, a young pitcher who has never quite lived up to his potential due to injuries has come on board from Pittsburgh via Texas between which he made 8 starts last season. Wells hasn't been fully healthy since 2003, but the one year contract seems to be a good deal for both parties. Adam Wainwright (alas no relation to my favourite singer!) will make the step to the rotation from the bull pen this season after a successful season in 2006, while Anthony Reyes will hope to improve on a mediocre (5-8/5.08 ERA) campaign. Brad Thompson who has spent most of his major league career sitting in the bull pen will also hope to challenge for a starters role come Spring. The resigning of Mark Mulder late in the FA quagmire could prove to be very important as is adds depth an experience to what is essentially a very young staff.

Offensively the Cards are well equipped. They have the best player in baseball at first base. Pujols, should he stay healthy all season could start so simply scare people in a way that only the words 'Barry Bonds' have before. Adam Kennedy will be an exciting new double play partner for World Series MVP David Eckstein, although one problem this combo presents is their lack of power. Scott Rolen is perhaps surprisingly back at third base having not spoken to manager Tony LaRussa through the entire off season. This follows their play-off bust up which led to Rolen being benched for not declaring an injury. It will be interesting to see how the situation between the two plays itself out.

Roaming the outfield will once again be perennial gold glover and all round pro Jim Edmonds, one of the most likeable guys in the Majors. Chris Duncan had a great season last time around in left field, but it will be interesting to see how he adapts, as the league adapts to him. The Cards
seem to be really up on his potential and he could become a significant contributor to the HR tally for this team. Juan Encarnacion remains one of those guys who is just solid if not spectacular. You know what you're going to get from him season after season and that can either please the fans or exasperate them. I wouldn't be surprised to see him shifted before the trade
deadline.

A far as back ups go, St Louis have some of the best about. So Taguchi is one of the most solid fourth outfielders in the league and only for his lack of pop would probably be an everyday player. Preston Wilson is also a useful man in the wings.

The bullpen is probably the most unstable part of this team with the possibility of Wainwright and Brad Thompson moving to the rotation, and the uncertainty surrounding Jason Isringhausen and just how healthy he will be. Izzy should resume the closer's role if he's healthy. Aside from those guys, Braden Looper is one of the few on staff who performed reasonably last
season. Ricardo Rincon could be a useful component coming off the back of an injury plagued season, but just how strong this pen is remains to be seen.

In summary, overall this team has good depth, but it really doesn't have the pitching to repeat a World Series victory, or even to repeat an NL Central clinching season. If Pujols goes down again this season it's difficult to see where the offence is going to come from. Rolen may not last the season if his spat with LaRussa continues, and while they have great depth, they
may struggle.

Pete J thinks :

OK, we'll bash one thing on the head and that's to say that any team that has Albert Pujols in it will score runs. He is a phenomenon as a hitter and truly mesmerising to watch. Add to that the ever estute David Eckstein at the top of the order and you have enough grit to grind out runs in the close games.

Really the whole offence is just built to score enough runs to be a tough team to beat and the addition of the under-rated Adam Kennedy should make them a tough team to shut out even if they won't blow too many teams away with the ageing an inconsistant Rolen and Edmonds.

Defensively they always put out a solid side and Edmonds still manages to do a great job whilst posing for cameras.

The real questions are with the pitching and how it all stacks up. Fortunately they have one of the best pitching coaches in Dave Duncan to sort it out.

The pen will only be as good as the guy at the end of it and I really am not sure if Izzy will rebound or not. I am tempted to think that niggling injuries were what stopped him really being effective last year and his track record shows is so good that last year could have been just a blip but elbow problems for a guy who relies on a curveball could be a problem.

The safest bet would be to keep Wainwright in the role that he excelled in last year (mainly because I'm not sure his repertoire is varied enough to be a starter), what they want to do is not allow Looper to be the closer and keep him in the set-up role alongside the outstanding Ricardo Rincon and one way or another this pen will be good but it could be a rocky road early on as things settle into place.

Every time we go into the season I keep thinking that this has to be the year that Chris Carpenter has another elbow injury and misses a couple of months like he used to every year in Toronto. Of course if he's there all year then he'll be Cy nominated and carry the rotation and the team into playoff contention but the real problem is the state of the guys behind him. Yes Kip Wells has had injuries which has slowed him down but its only slowed him down from putting up the average numbers that he's always put up on the few occasions he has been healthy and Mark Mulder really hasn't been what the Cards expected when they signed him a couple years back (what is it with starters who leave Oakland?).

The guy to watch will be Anthony Reyes who really looked like he was figuring out what he needed to do to be successful in the Majors towards the end of last year and that culminated with a tremendous performance in the World Series. As he gets stronger he will be more consistant and will be a big producer for this team.

In summary, this team and the irritating Tony La Russa will have to work hard but everything is there for another NL Central crown and who knows what come the playoffs. Their pitching might not be overwhelming but it doesn't have an obvious weakness (unless Izzy is done and Wainwright proves himself a valuable starter which I doubt) and they have some guy named Albert once again gunning for 200 RBI. Still the team everyone needs to stack up to in the NL if they want to go the distance.

Conor C decides :

La Russa? quirky, not irritating
Dave Duncan ? genius
Eckstein? so annoying I want to punch him
Albert? Pujols ('nuff said!)
Cards? Very good

'Insert crude Steve Irwin joke here' but the Rays still blow

2007-02-24T01:06:00.000Z

Conor C says:

There's a lot of hope n Tropicana Field this year. It might not mean that success will be now or even next season, but there is a real feeling that if the front office can keep this squad of youngsters together, they may just be able to make a run at a division title a few years down the line.

There is little or no point in talking about Scott Kazmir because everything that needs to be said has already been. He spearheads another young rotation but unfortunately for Kazmir, the rest of the five isn't really up to much. Jae Seo who bounced around last season (from Mets to Dodgers to Tampa) is one of the most inconsistent pitchers around. With him as number two starter it's difficult to see anything happening for this team. James Shields could be a great prospect and has fared well throughout his young career.

Offensively they have the potential to produce within a year or two. We all know about the Spurious obsession with Mr 'E6' Upton, but it will be interesting to see how much he's allowed to run. He could break out big time this season and Rays fas will have to fancy him to produce. At third the latest Japanese import to grace the big leagues Akinori Iwamura will be
first choice. He had a major break out year last season with Yakult (what a bizarre name for a team btw!!) with 44 homers. The D Rays would probably be content to see him nail half that total this year.

Dioner Navarro is a solid if not spectacular catcher. He has impressed many older pitchers with his ability to call the game. Offensively he provides limited resources, but one thing is that he's really bulked out over the break, so perhaps one can expect more bang for the D Ray's buck in the coming season in 10-15 homers.

The outfield looks extremely exciting. Crawford is proven while still young and is one of a handul or TRUE five tool players. This guy can hurt you anyway you can think; let the ball bounce around in the outfield and you might just see him standing at third. Rocco Baldelli would have had a third straight career year without injury causing him to miss nearly half the season, but most people will want to read about Delmon Young. This sprog can do it all and Rays fans must be licking their lips a the prospect of seeing him up in the majors for a full season. Let's hope he doesn't do things the 'Milton Bradley' way.

The 'pen is very weak, mainly full of an overstock of starters although Dan Miceli will probably inherit the closer's role. Seth McClung and Edwin Jackson may contest for starters jobs later this week but it is looking increasingly unlikely that they'll be successful.

Petahhhhh says :

We all know just how exciting this team can be offensively and they may well have the best outfield in the Majors now as Carl Crawford again will go out and prove he truly is one of the very elite players around (he's up there in the pack right behind Phat Albert) and Delmon Young an obvious Rookie of the Year favourite.

The infield D could be better but they're waiting for Brignac and the very exciting Evan Longoria to come through the system. The problem is that while Kazmir is possibly the best lefty pitcher not called Santana, they just don't have another dependable arm. Twelve different guys started games for Tampa last year and the team leader in innings pitched (unsurprisingly Kazmir) notched up just 144 2/3 innings (that is awful). And it doesn't get better in the pen where six guys recorded saves and the lead was 10 which is bad even for a team that lost 101 games.

Of course this could be the year that Jeff Niemann finally shakes off the injuries and gets to the Bigs but even if he makes a successful jump (with his health record its far from clear what will happen) they still have huuuuuuuge holes in their pitching. Any help from within is a long way off with their best pitching prospects in LoA but even if they deal a guy like Elijah Dukes (quite a good bargaining chip) they can't expect to be able to fill enough of those holes to even think about getting into third in the East and even fourth will take some doing right now.

If anyone can make a winner of this team and find ways to get some pitching its Gerry Hunsicker but even with a huge amount of young and exciting players which includes two guys who would be stars on any Major League roster, it will still be tough for them to avoid losing 100 games again. Decisions need to be made now as to whether they really want to be taken seriously or are they just going to wait it out until they can move to Portland?

Conor C-oncludes:
This team is young and full of energy and at best will have one of those heroic 'Marlins' type seasons from last year. Unfortunately in the AL that means if they're lucky they'll finish somehwere in the top half of the bottom third (if that makes any sense at all!!).

New Standards Set For Yankee Outfielders

2007-02-10T21:44:00.000Z

Alas that's the best headline I could come up with seeing as 'Weekends Without Bernie' was taken (actually I'm just losing the energy to think of those witty headlines).

Anyway, Bernie Williams has turned down a minor league contract and invite to ST for the Yanks and it looks like he's played his final game in pinstripes. The big question now is, what now for Bernie?

The main reason he stuck with the Yankees last year was more or less down to rewarding him for years of service and thats the same reason they even offered him the deal they did this year but Bernie could tell they didn't really want him and, if we are to believe the latest reports about the roster set up the Yankees want to go with, he was unlikely to make the team.

Basically it's unlikely they'll come back with an improved deal unless something drastic happens (like they decide they can carry another no arm outfielder who is passed his prime and now only an average hitter).

So what now? Allen Baird is no longer in a position to offer preposterous deals to aging vets and the catch-22 deal with Bernie is that he will still command a salary due to his rep but at best he's a 20 HR and .300 hitter these days and you'd have to carry him with his diminishing outfield tools (he's not a bad outfielder, his body just doesn't work the way it used to). Is that worth $10m a year, even in this climate?

Of course there is no real reason for him to come back. He's pretty much done it all, is in a position to look after several generations of his family and a musical career to fall back on. He's not going to do anything thats going to get him into the Hall of Fame unless he miraculously starts hitting 70 HR a year.

Even though he's a Yankee I've always sort of liked Bernie Williams. He's always been one of those players who goes to the park every day and gives you game day in and day out and plays the game the smart way, knowing exactly what the situation calls for. I can't help but think his best option would be to call it a day and wait for them to retire his number and possibly look for work as a bench coach (if thats what he wants to do). His legacy is secure and the one team player is always a good story.

All that's left to say is Bernie Williams we salute you, now go sit in that swing chair on your porch in your white picket fenced house with your guitar and strum away whilst everyone else worries about how the Yankees will win the next World Series. You've earned the easy life.

Houston Astros

2007-02-06T07:41:00.000Z

The Astros finished last season with an 82-80 record that amazingly was good enough for second in the Central and almost snuck them into the post-season.

Pete J Says : The Astros were a very average team last year and the only reason they hung around in the playoff run so long was because there was a lot of mediocrity in the NL last year.

Of course its always a little unfair to blame one person for a team finishing with less wins than they should but Brad Lidge certainly made a good case for it. His ERA went up by 2.99 runs last year and 2.99 alone is about what you'd expect from an elite closer on a bad year and Lidge certainly was that before last year.The rest of the pen was pretty good with Wheeler, Qualls and Trever Miller all putting up good numbers before handing it over to Lidge to blow it and the support staff could be even better this year if Rick White and Scaott Sauerbeck make the team this Spring.

Elsewhere the rotation will once again be anchored by the under-appreciated Roy Oswalt and All Spurious team member Jason Jennings looking to build on what was a great year last season (he won't be that good this year I'm sure).

They struggled to score runs last season and while Carlos Lee will certainly beef up the heart of the order, if Morgan Ensberg can't get back on track this will still be a very average line-up with a lot of so-so hitters batting behind Berkman.

Of course it also doesn't help that they traded away their only genuine base stealing threat which should further clog up the bases and while Biggio can still find ways to get on base on his march for 3,000 hits, he's not the sparkplug he used to be.This is still a very average team with a great starter in Oswalt who will stop them going on any serious losing streaks. This team's only chance is that Lidge regains his form and the Wild Card is another battle between mediocre teams and sadly I don't see that being the case...there's not even a likely candidate to make the jump from the minors now they've dealt Hirsch.

Conor C Says : Well that about sums it up. It's been a tough fall from the (almost) top after their WS appearance in 2005.

It's hard to talk positively at all about the Astros this season. They've lost two out of arguably the best 1,2 3 starting pitcher punches in the league (Pettitte and Clemens) and its very unlikely that Clemens will come back to Houston this year since surely this will be his last year and he'll want to have a shot at a pennant. The Jason Jennings trade was an absolute disaster for this team. Jennings is a decent pitcher and will probably do alright in Minute Maid, but let's face it, he's not a superstar and there were other pitchers available that maybe would have commanded bigger salaries, but wouldn't have meant giving up their only speedster and their best pitching prospect.

Lidge and Ensberg just seem to have lost the spark, but who knows what the new season will bring. Either way, this team will be fighting it out in the cellar of the Central.

Pete J Says : Well that was simple, even if I'm not as grim about their chances as you seem to be. They should be a .500 team unless Berkman or Oswalt gets injured but its amazing how one deal can really cause more holes than it fills and while Jason Jennings will help their rotation, Jason Hirsch could have done a similar job and Taveras would still be in town to at least give the team some speed.

Of course now Jason Jennings will win the Cy and Hirsch will be the next Scott Elarton.

Mike Matheny Calls It A Day

2007-02-02T08:08:00.000Z

Due to post-concussion symptoms, Spurious Baseball favourite, Mike Matheny has had to call time on his career and its been a great career but many will just dust it under the carpet. In this day and age where numbers are crunched and double crunched before anyone can formulate their own opinion, Matheny's .239 and 67 career homeruns will likely see that he doesn't quite make the Hall of Fame but that was never going to be his legacy.

Long ago, as we travel through the mists of yore, the position of catcher used to be a true defensive position. He was the general on the field, dictating to his team what was needed to cut down opposing hitters.

Catcher was the toughest position to play and day in and day out you would take a beating from foul tips, over-swings and baserunners charging down the line looking to maim you and it would beyour job to take it, dust yourself off and ask for seconds. Mike Matheny was one of those players.

Watching him don the tools of ignorance was sheer poetry in motion. The way he would shift his weight behind the hitter, the speed of his feet as he gunned down wouldbe base stealers and the way he would work with pitchers to baffle and bemuse hitters. All of the things you would need from a catcher, he was it.

It was inevitable in hindsight owing to the fearless nature with which he would block balls that he would eventually have to call it quits due to some related injury but its the measure of the man that even after he took those foul tips to the mask he still expected to be playing the next day and not being able to play again must have been a bitter pill to swallow. But it also says a lot that he has offered himself up for medical testing on the impact of concussions on athletes and, in particular, ball players.

I will certainly miss the opportunity of seeing him go after his fifth Gold Glove (even though they are bunk he still could have done it) and it only makes me feel like he should have played more while in his days in Milwaukee and Toronto and earned himself more silverware.

Its always a sad day when your heroes come to the end of their careers and he certainly was one for me and with the way the game is changing (some would say evolving but I wouldn't) it could be a very long time till we see another Mike Matheny.

Blog update - Feb 2007

2007-02-01T20:16:00.000Z

Just some brief points!

1) Welcome to Conor C!

2) Nice to see the previews back .... don't worry if you've missed one, you can always click the 2007 Previews link on the right hand side, and get a direct link to your fav teams review

3) The 2007 Predictions are now also available ... as well as the Spurious blog team, i've included the previews from the Spurious Myspace members ... should be a bit more interesting this year!

4) If any other peeps want to get involved, write articles, or just contact us for any reason, use the Contact the Blog link on the right hand side

Anyway, back to Pete and Conor .....

Chicago Cubs

2007-01-30T08:04:00.000Z

It's that time again (seems to get earlier every year) and me and new team member Conor will be fighting it out for your hearts and minds with regards to how each team in MLB stacks up for the coming year.

First up it's The Cubs who finished last season with an NL worst 66-96 record.

Pete J Says : OK, the Cubs were probably the biggest spenders this off-season and a lot of attention has been lauded onto them, mainly thanks to the arrival of top free agent Alfonso 'contract year' Soriano. Was the investment worth it? Well they were the worst team in the NL so it's hard to say it didn't need to be done and but has the investment made them a serious contender this year?

The line-up certainly has a firm foundation with Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez in the middle (possibly broken up by oft injured left handed bat Cliff Floyd) and Alfonso Soriano going to the top of the order so there is genuine power there but Soriano isn't the sort of guy who grinds out runs and gives an offence a consistent threat.

The outfield D will be poor with three left fielders (well two and Soriano) sharing the positions and I have no confidence in the pitching staff to give them an easy go of things. Beyond Zambrano its a real mystery as to what will happen. Of course they hope Mark Prior will be healthy and if he is he'll be the real difference maker from last years team but Lilly and Marquis are solid to average guys and no one is sure how the club will use Kerry Wood. In theory Wood and Neal Cotts will bridge the gap to Ryan Dempster but Wood has never been a relief pitcher and no one knows when his arm will fall off, Cotts was periodically rubbish last year and you never want your closer to have ten decisions to his name especially if nine are losses.

So in a nutshell, we have a rotation thats one injury away from being very average, a defence with big holes, a pen that could do anything and an offence that has very little depth. Not exactly a good recipe if you are chasing the reigning champs. They'll be improved from last year but they're basically a middle of the road side now rather than bottom of the pile.

Conor C Says : Okay, I like to see teams make real efforts to improve. I think you under estimate what Lilly brings to the fold and also that Marquis as recently as 3 playoffs ago was the Card's number one guy. I think the Cubs got a real steal. He had two absolutely dreadful outings in which he was allowed to give up 12 ER and 13 ER runs respectively and that really tarnished his ERA.

I think you overlook their depth of promising young pitchers who are, if not Major League starters this season, certainly very tradeable for 'now' starters once the season starts. Again with Lilly, once you remove three bad starts which all occured after Toronto were well out of the post season race, his ERA is high threes/low fours and he suddenly doesn't seem such a bad pitcher. Prior is the difference maker. I think he's due a healthy season but we'll see.

The line up is murderers row man, and if they can turn one of their prospects into a lead off guy. Ronny Cedeno has had a huge winter and could be the guy.... might he be moved to the outfield?

Pete J Says : Reasons to underestimate Marquis and Lilly include the fact that Marquis has put up progresively worse numbers year in year out since becoming a starter and Ted Lilly has never pitched 200 innings in a season. Its not even like Wrigley is a particularly good pitchers park and is going to help them. Both are guys who will post 4.00 to 4.50 ERA's on a good year and if they're on a good team that will also show in wins but the other thing to bare in mind is that Marquis was backed up by one of the leagues best defences the last couple of seasons (Lilly merely a good D) and last I checked Aramis Ramirez ain't Scott Rolen.

There is no one in the Cubs farm system ready to make an impact now and very little in terms of a real blue chipper (maybe Felix Pie could play center) but I don't see Angel Guzman stepping into the rotation.

Murderers Row is a phrase that seems to be over-used these days. I personally don't even think the Cubs match up to the Reds or Cards in the central and if the Cubs are Murderers Row then what the bloody hell are the Yankees? I don't see many teams really being THAT worried by Jacque Jones, Mark DeRosa, Cesar Izturis and Michael Barrett AKA the guys behind Ramirez. Its just a top heavy lineup that isn't particularly balanced.

Of course these things come down to what they should and will do and we both seem to agree that Soriano should bat third but we already know he won't. It makes more sense that Cedeno goes to second with DeRosa heading to the outfield and Pie playing centre but that means benching Jones and/or Cliff Floyd.

Nope, still not convinced they'll be in amongst it come September.

Sign EVERYONE!!!

2006-12-11T22:54:00.000Z

I vowed this year not to go on and on about every last free agent signing or trade because this isn't a news site and we're not about that sort of stuff. We have forums for that sort of thing anyway but, as always, the off-season Yankee machine rumbles on and its always worth a laugh.

It seems like every year Yankee fans are convinced their team will pick up every big name free agent and make deals to bring all the best players to New York (I'm surprised I haven't heard a Giambi for Santana rumour yet such is the extent of the hyperbole). So far they were convinced they would get Matsuzaka and they lost out (to Boston no less in a ridiculous move), soon they'll be convinced Roger Clemens is coming back to town and they might even think that Josh Phelps will finally start slugging 40 HR after arriving in the Rule 5. However, they have made one genuinely great signing and no one really made much noise about it before it happened.

Signing Andy Pettitte is probably the best free agent pick up they could have really made when all this off-season shake up began. Not only is he a known commodity (unlike over priced Japanese enigmas), he has also shown he can do it in the meat grinder that is New York and do it in the big games. Of course he's also a lefty starter and they tend to revel in Yankee Stadium and New York needed genuine quality starters (as opposed to a dearth of average to good pitching from rotation to the pen...except Mo of course). How many other members of this years free agent class tick that many boxes?

Of course now they've made the sensible signing the rumour mill will likely switch back to cloud cuckoo land and who knows, they may very well make a move for Barry Zito and save Texas from making a huge mistake (fly balls may lan in Oakland but they don't in Arlington) and revert back to the same plan that has kept them from post-season success in recent years. Who knows? The Yankee rumour mill ploughs on.

2007 Hall of Fame Ballot

2006-12-06T20:54:00.000Z

I know these were announced a while back now but I've been busy, OK?

Here's my basic run-down of the folk on the ballot and my opinions on whether they'll make it now or in the future.

Tony Gwynn
Who's the greatest hitter of all time, Cobb or Gwynn? Or, to put it another way, who else in the history of the game can seriously be compared to Cobb as a hitter?

Quite frankly I see Gwynn as the greatest player of my lifetime and only a fixation with the long ball stops people agreeing with me. Only Cobb is in his league when it comes to consecutive batting crowns and batting titles full stop. His .338 career average is 20th all time and only Ruth, Williams and Gehrig can top it in the live ball era.

A perrenial Gold Glover, All Star, Silver Slugger and MVP candidate and could have had a .400 season if not for the strike. On top of that he scored runs, drove them in and stole bases and was a worthy Roberto Clemente Award winner (one of the great characters any sport has ever had).

If I could vote for these things I'd vote for Gwynn at least five times on the one ballot. He's definately in and deserves to test Tom Seavers' record for percentage of votes cast.

Cal Ripken
Personally I think he was always over-rated due to the streak (which should have ended way before he went past Gehrig) but you can't deny he had a great career.

A two time MVP who changed people perceptions of what to expect from a shortstop (some would say revolutionise but I wouldn't). The new wave of offence first shortstops with just enough D to get by were all inspired by this guy.

His popularity with the press will see he gets a huge number of votes.

Mark McGwire
The numbers say he should be a lock. The effect he had on the game after the strike says he should be a 90% vote getter as few players could be considered to have had as huge an impact as McGwire, but the steroids issue will cloud the perspectives of many people and its not even certain if he'll get enough votes to get on next years ballot (he likely will).

Personally, I feel he deserves to be in as no matter what substances he took, he still had a massively positive impact on baseball at a very rough time and you can always argue that the stuff he was taking wasn't strictly speaking illegal back then.

I doubt he'll get in this time round, and he might have to wait a few years but by hook or by crook he'll get in, even if it takes the veterans commitee to do it.

Harold Baines
Now here's a tricky one, Harold Baines is #1 in most of the stat categories for DH's and has had a very good career but is it a HoF career?

His career average of .289 took a massive hit in his later years as he became an old man trying to hang with the kids. In his prime he was a true professional hitter who would hit .300 with discipline and power and got himself the odd vote on MVP ballots.

So will he get in? I doubt it this time. It'll even be tough for him to be voted in during the coming years but I'd like to think he'll get in one day as maybe a pioneer of the full time DH. He's one of those guys who you feel deserves something for his career but you're not quite sure what.

Jose Canseco
This guy will never make it. You can say McGwire cheated but Canseco cheated and really tried to take the game down with him.

As entertaining as it was to watch him patrol the outfield and as outstanding a feat it was to become the first 40/40 player, the guy was a scumbag.

Bret Saberhagen and Paul O'Neill
I would love these guys to get in as both had great careers whose contributions outweighed their numbers but as beloved as these two were, can we really say they were HoF'ers?

These two will be immortalised by enough fans memories that the Hall of Fame doesn't really need to.

Devon White, Tony Fernandez, Jay Buhner
All three of these guys would make a Spurious Hall of Fame (I'll have to think about putting that together).

I remember I was incredibly annoyed when Devo left the Jays (although not as annoyed as when Alomar left soon after). He was a phenomenal outfielder who was only robbed of starting a World Series triple play by a napping umpire who blew the call. He had a a bit of power, a bit more speed and was just a very cool player.

Tony Fernandez was the best turf shortstop not called Ozzie Smith and still had time to be a great situational hitter and a key component of some great teams.

Who else remembers Jay Buhner day at The Kingdome? Men, women and children all going to the ballpark with shaven heads and goatees (some more convincing than others). Few players have ever been as loved by the fans as he was and it was very sad the way his career ended so abruptly.

Buhner was a key component on one of the very best offensive line-ups ever assembled.

Eric Davis and Bobby Witt
Both these guys looked like potential HoF'ers early on in their careers but were side tracked by injuries. I doubt either will stay on the ballot long.

Bobby Bonilla, Dante Bichette, Wally Joyner, Scott Brosius
Brosius will keep his legacy thanks to some clutch performances in the World Series for one of the great teams in history but these guys will likely not get much attention...unless you count Bonilla's bowling average which is allegedly very good.

...returning once again to the ballot

Don Mattingly
Face it people, he's just not good enough. You don't get in for being a great defensive first baseman.

Andre Dawson
Hurt himself by playing too long and ending his career with some duff years but for the majority of his career he was a true five tool player who was always amongst the leaders in every stat that counts. In my mind he should have been in the HoF years ago.

Jack Morris
He should be putting in maybe the greatest performance by any pitcher ever in one of the greatest games ever (if you don't know what game I'm referring to then shame on you). For the rest of his career he was the ace of some great teams and was generally up there with everyone in most catergories for most of his career and 254 career wins is good enough for him to be a marginal guy who just gets in.

Bert Blyleven
Truly baffling why this guy isn't in. I can sort of understand Morris and Dawson not having been voted in but a guy with 287 wins and 3701 K's (5th all time)? It beggars belief. Just vote him in and lets be done with it, he makes the voters look stupid.

Orel Hershiser
I thought this guy would be easy to make a case for but I've just looked at his numbers and 204 wins isn't that impressive. Of course, in his prime with the Dodgers he was as good as it got and his consecutive scoreless innings streak was amazing but it's tough looking at his whole career to say he had the longevity to be in the Hall. He certainly had the class but is that enough?

Albert Belle
Albert might have been one of the biggest tossers ever to take the field but he was an outstanding player. For a career he average 40 HR every 162 games and 381 career longballs and 1239 RBI is exceptional for a 12 year career.

1995 might have seen Belle put together one of the truly great seasons any individual has ever had. In a strike shortened season of 143 games, he still hit 50 homeruns and had 52 doubles to go with it. Add to that 121 runs, 126 RBI and a .317 average. If he had even the slightest amount of pleasantness in him people would be considering him.

Jim Rice, Rich Gossage, Lee Smith, Tommy John, Steve Garvey, Alan Trammell, Dave Parker, Dave Concepcion, Dale Murphy
I could go into greater detail but I've been writing too long now. Suffice to say these guys aren't getting in. They are just not quite good enough. You could make a case for Gossage and Smith if people are going to cut closers a little slack but I don't think either will really stand up against the new generation of full time closers that have emerged since Eckersley's days.

NEW Myspace Group

2006-11-14T20:29:00.000Z

Following a discussion on the Five Forums, it was suggested that a Myspace group might be a good way to let UK baseball fans stay in touch, so we have decided to trial one ....

http://groups.myspace.com/spuriousbaseball

Pop over and join up if you feel the urge!

Spurious Baseball's Predictions ...... The results!!

2006-11-13T19:46:00.000Z

Well, i suppose we should really look at the predictions that the Spurious team made for 2006. Shall we do it in a big glitzy style then????

Nah, let's just say that Chris C got the most right, including the world series champs, and the rest of us just sucked! The rest of us will now be drinking copious amounts of alcohol to see if they can bring their prediction skills up to match those of Chris C for 2007!!!

The predictions will remain on that page until the new 2007 season, as will Pete's Previews ....... Pete, you'd better make a start on the 2007 ones now, mate!!

The All Spurious Team '06

2006-11-12T20:11:00.000Z

Well, everyone else seems to do these things so I thought it was about time that we toed the line and put together the All Spurious Team for the '06 season. These guys don't necessaril have to have been the best, we just have to like them...you know, the usual stuff.

1B Albert Pujols, St Louis Cardinals - .331, 49 hr, 137 rbi, 119 r
Even though Ryan Howard had his monster season, you still can't deny that Phat Albert is the man. Even with time spent on the DL (at the time he was setting a pace for something stupid like 80 hr and 200 rbi) he still managed to post better numbers than almost anyone.
He even picked up his first Gold Glove (not that we can put much stock in them as a measure of ability) and is certainly becoming an excellent defensive player. Quite simply the best player in baseball.
Good but not Albert : Ryan Howard, Carlos Delgado, Justin Morneau

2B Chase Utley, Philadelphia Phillies - .309, 32 hr, 102 rbi, 131 r, 15 sb
I still think he's the MVP of the Phils team but many would dispute it (and by many I mean practically everyone). Philadelphia were going nowhere and then he went on his hitting streak (might not have been Dimaggio but 35 is still bloody good) and the whole team woke around him.
Thankfully Gillick dealt Abreu (a bit late in doing so but anyway) and seems to be building around 3/4 of that infield which should see them in good stead.
Briefly thought about but ultimately nah : Mark Ellis, Placido Polanco, Brandon Phillips, Josh Barfield

3B Joe Crede, Chicago White Sox - .283, 30 hr, 94 rbi, 76 r
This was going to go to Ryan Zimmerman but once again Crede has been overlooked for the GG and someone should give him some love.
I've said for a few years now that he's the best defensive 3b in the AL but I always accepted his mediocre offensive numbers stopped him getting attention but this year he put it together and had a solid offensive year to boot and still gets ignored...except here.
Would have won if GG voters weren't dinks : Ryan Zimmerman

SS Jose Reyes, New York Mets - .300, 19 hr, 81 rbi, 122 r, 64 sb
I've had disputes about whether he's the buisness defensively or not but there is no getting around the fact that he is an exciting ball player. He's the sort of speed player we used to have in the 80's and the way he moves in the field makes me reminisce about Ozzie Smith and anyone who makes me think of The Wizard deserves a nod.
They don't make 'em like they used but these are alright : Adam Everett, Omar Vizquel, Edgar Renteria

C Russ Martin, Los Angeles Dodgers - .282, 10 hr, 65 rbi, 65 r, 10 sb
What do I do when Mike Matheny misses most of the year through injury? I'll tell you what I do, I point to the future and my soon to be favourite catcher in the Bigs (Matheny still holds stock with me), Russ Martin.
LA were a ponderous bunch for a long time and then they made the call to the Farm and they started to win...a lot.
He's a gamer, a general on the field. He may never be the best hitter in the league or win any GG's but wherever he plays he will win, that much I am sure about.
God bless catchers, they're crazy : Victor Martinez (comedy value counts here), Joe Mauer, Pudge Rodriguez

LF Alfonso Soriano, Washington Nationals - .277, 46 hr, 95 rbi, 119 r, 41 sb
You may not have been paying attention to the Nats in a dreadful year, but Soriano might have been the best offensive player in baseball.
So much was made before the year about the change of position but he did ok out thereand in between time he crushed the ball, ran all over and was the first 40/40 man to get almost no attention for his exploits. He was a man on a mission or, to put it another way, a free agent year.
Is it wrong to mock the left fielder? : Jason Bay, Craig Monroe, Adam Dunn

CF Carlos Beltran, New York Mets - .275, 41 hr, 116 rbi, 127 r, 18 sb
To the folk who questioned the deal Minaya gave him, I think Carlos Beltran showed this year what he can do when he's fully healthy. Great D, great power and some of the best base running around. He can really do everything. Encore please.
Bit of a so-so year for cf's : Vernon Wells, Andruw Jones, Torii Hunter, Mark Kotsay

RF Jermaine Dye, Chicago White Sox - .315, 44 hr, 120 rbi, 103 r
After years of freakish injury after freakish injury, Dye put together a career year at the heart of a monster line-up. Carrying on from his World Series MVP the year before, he more than did his bit to put Chicago back atop the pile, shame the pitchers couldn't follow his lead.
Put the fat bloke in right : Lance Berkman, Ichiro, Alexis Rios

DH David Ortiz, Boston Red Sox - .287, 54 hr, 137 rbi, 115 r
These days DH is a genuine position on the roster so we better throw Big Papi in. He continues to amaze with the lumber and only gets started when its late and the game is on the line. It's no surprise that when he went down with an injury the Sox plummeted down the standings.
Practicing bubble blowing when their team takes the field : Travis Hafner, Marcus Thames

Utility IF Bill Hall, Milwaukee Brewers - .270, 35 hr, 85 rbi, 101 r
I feel a little bad but whilst he may not have won a batting title Bill Hall stepped up when injuries hit the Brew Crew he emerged as the teams best player and even though the Brewers were a disappointment, they still did better than Pittsburgh.
Reluctant to ride pine : Freddy Sanchez

Utility OF Melky Cabrera, New York Yankees - .280, 7 hr, 50 rbi, 75 r, 12 sb
MVP of the Yankees anyone? When injuries crippled the All Star Yankee outfield, the one time pariah stepped back onto the field where he was once goaded by 'Da Bums' and solidified a troubled line-up. It almost seems like he should have better numbers than he did, such was his stature this year but it wasn't his numbers that defined him but his ability to do the job at hand.
Best of the nobodies on the roster : Ryan Freel, Reed Johnson

SP 1 Johan Sanatan, Minnesota Twins - 19-6, 2.77 era, 245 k / 47 bb
Won the pitching triple crown with more wins, k's and a better ERA than anyone in either league. He is without question the top hurler around, it's that simple.

SP 2 Roy Halladay, Toronto Blue Jays - 16-5, 3.19 era, 132 k / 34 bb
The only thing not quite right about Roy Halladay is the fact he has that ginger beard. For ages he was neck and neck with Santana which takes some doing but there is no shame being second to him.

SP 3 Jason Jennings, Colorado Rockies - 9-13, 3.78 era, 142 k / 85 bb
Pitching in Colorado with that ERA and only 9 wins to your name? This guy deserved better but then there were a few guys in that rotation who did better than you would think. Give medals to them all I say.
What a year for the hurlers : Francisco Liriano, Brandon Webb, Chris Carpenter, Carlos Zambrano, Aaron Harang, Roy Oswalt, Justin Verlander

Closer Joe Nathan, Minnesota Twins - 7-0, 1.58 era, 95 k / 16 bb, 36 sv
Papelbon blew 6. Hoffman 5, Ryan 4 and Rivera 3. Joe Nathan blew just 2 and due to the slow start he managed to win seven games without losing any as Grudenhire struggled to get him worthwhile innings.
He was truly dominant.
Hells bells : Trevor Hoffman, BJ Ryan, Jon Papelbon

Lefty Reliever Dennys Reyes, Minnesota Twins - 5-0, 0.89 era, 49 k / 15 bb
You'd think being a situational lefty would be a dossy job and Reyes made it look that this year with a truly silly year. A WHIP below one and almost a K per inning.
They're an odd breed : Pedro Feliciano, Rheal Cormier, Jaime Walker

Righty Reliever Cla Meredith, San Diego Padres - 5-1, 1.07 era, 37 k / 6 bb
He may have a first name that looks like its short a good few letters but how can you argue with a 0.711 WHIP?
Stick 'em on the fire for kindling : Takashi Saito, Chad Bradford, Jonathan Broxton, Rafael Soriano

My baseball year .... the reply!

2006-10-24T16:38:00.000Z

Read Pete's 'My Baseball year' with interest, and thought that maybe it was time i had a rant too ...

When i became involved with this website at the start of the baseball season, i thought it was a great idea ... and i still do! There really aren't many decent places on the internet for people to chat baseball from a UK perspective, and the blog is a nice way to link everything together

However, i have to say that it once again seems to me that lethargy rules ... baseball fans out there in the UK just don't seem to wish to get involved when anyone makes an effort ... this site was a great idea by Pete, something a little bit different from the mainstay forums out there, it's a place that isn't too formal, doesn't always take itself serious, etc, etc.

Sure, you could try posting on the five forums, that's if you can be bothered spending half an hour to log in! The place is dead and no one seems to bother even moderating it anymore ... on my last visit i noticed a rather disgusting post about Cory Lidle's death, and the poster who made the comment came back on 5 DAYS (!!!!) later to say he was amazed at getting away with the comment. Hardly the way a forum should be run. Alternatively you have the Baseballfan site ... it seems to be well run forum, but i just can't take to it, and having to scroll through big signature after big signature just to read the posts rapidly switched me off.

Therefore, when i got involved here, i tried to set up a nice looking and easy to use forum .... nothing overly fancy, but just something that was good to look at and easier to use than 5's forums and a place for relaxed posting that mimicked the Blog's philosophy ... and once again, no interest whatsoever! It was this lack of interest that made me basically exile myself from this very site, a site that i was involved in running!! Until now, that is ...

Maybe my expectations are too high, maybe i just have to face facts that Baseball in the UK doesn't really have a good enough following to give us the amount of enthusiastic fans we need to keep good websites going ... but if anyone out there is reading this and thinking 'i can do that', then i challenge you to get in touch and get involved with this site, and help spread the baseball word, rather than hoping someone else will do it for us!

World Series '06 : St Louis v Detroit

2006-10-21T08:35:00.000Z

Its been a funny ol' year with a whole host of crazy and unforeseen things happening. The regular season saw the likes of Cincinatti and Detroit duking it out with the big boys when no one thought they had the legs and the likes of Boston having an hilarious capitulation and Atlanta having a less than funny relinquishing of the NL East.

The playoffs have been no different. In the usual playoff sweepstake on the Five boards, the going has been tough to say the least. Of a possible four points all but one person are tied on one and the other guy has zero. Not good.

I pegged LA and Minnesota to make it at the beginning of the playoffs so naturally that folded like the proverbial Superman on laundry day. However, my prognosticating skills haven't been all bad. At the beginning of the season I said the Yankees would coast through the regular season and then die in the playoffs and I also predicted that St Louis would win the NL and lose the Series...sorry Cards fans but rest assured my year of jinxing surely can't end this soon.

I've said all year that Detroit would fade because of their reliance on a young staff and now I'm thinking this long lay off after dumping Oakland will definately help them so naturally they'll be blown out 15-0 in the first game.

When you look at the two teams you have to say the depth of pitching favours the Tiggers and thats usually a good measure for how a series will go but St Louis has had good showings from the likes of Suppan and Weaver that have carried the side even though Chris Carpenter can't seem to get going. Their pen has come around too of late.

Offensively the Cards have Phat Albert which is a good security blanket to suck your thumb with. The Tigers have a line-up so laden with righties that La Russa likely won't get the opportunity to tinker with his pitching as much as he usually likes to. I can easily see Pujols being the difference maker in a tight series.

The Cards of course have a lot of WS experience in recent years and they know how to lose these big games with the best of them.

This has all the makings of a great series with two storied franchises going head to head in two big sports towns with two flawed teams and plenty of pitchers with great stuff and one of the most dominant hitters of recent years. In this year of surprises there could still be a few more lurking around the corner and it all opens up tonight with two high end young pitchers with plenty of potential to be pitching in games like this for a number of years and their best years ahead of them. Justin Verlander and Anthony Reyes have it in them to spark off a 1-0 eleven inning game (oh imagine how great that would be) or the enormity of the occasion could overwhelm one or both of these young progenies and it could be a five hour blowout (hope not, I've softball to play tomorrow!) but either way the intrigue ahead of game one is palpable.

In the sweeps I've gone for Detroit in five but, lets face it, I've been terrible at this all year. Either team could sweep this series but then again it could go seven. This is the most open World Series I can remember for a long time which, if my predictive skills are anything to go by, will mean it will be rubbish. Hopefully it really will be the classic it looks destined to be.

Buck O'Neil Dies Aged 94

2006-10-07T19:47:00.000Z

I won't write too much now as I am still very much in shock. Maybe I'll come back and write a fuller eulogy for this truly great man. He truly was like a kindly grandfather to baseball and always seemed to have such tremendous lust for life and an almost child like joy for the sport that helped him make his reputation despite the persecution he had to endure because of it during his playing days.

This is a man who never complained about the inequities of his situation and never bore a grudge because of it. This is a man who rose above all the ignorant bigotry and chose to simply embrace what he had.

In this age of college kids holding out for lucrative deals and players jumping from one team to another looking for the next contract it lends great poignancy to the lives of those who played simply because they just loved to do so. Buck O'Neil loved baseball and, while during his life it may not have loved him back so much, I'm sure in death baseball should love him equally as much in return and I just hope wherever he is, he's on some diamond shagging flies to Babe Ruth and rubbing shoulders with John McGraw because he deserves no less than to be amongst legends.

I wish I could better express just how special a man has passed from this world but I just don't know how my words could fully express it. The world is a poorer place without him in it.

My prayers go out to his family and friends for this is a truly sad day.

The Awards Season : Part 3 (Finally)

2006-09-30T10:34:00.000Z

AL Cy Young

If there is one award that is totally sewn up and beyond refute it's this one. Johan Santananananaman is just the best pitcher in baseball today and leads the entire Majors in strikeouts, wins and ERA (the so called Triple Crown of pitching). The only thing that surprises me is that his WHIP is 1.000 which just seems high for him!

NL Cy Young

If there is one award that is totally up in the air it's this one. I reckon there are at least six starters in with a shout and one reliever.

You can't ignore that its been a great year for Hoffman. Despite his advancing years he has been the best closer in the NL and has finally usurped Lee Smith atop the all time saves list. I'm always reluctant to name relievers as Cy winners but it really would be a great way to top this season.

The thing that helps Hoffman's cause is that any one of Harang, Webb, Lowe, Zambrano, Carpenter or Oswalt could easily be considered the top starter in the NL as no one has really had a great season but all have had very good seasons.

Webb still gets the nod from me with his league leading ERA and I can't help but feel that his win total would be around the 20 mark this year if not for his team hitting the skids down the stretch. Ever since he started the year with his 8 game win streak, the rest of the league has always been playing catch up.

I would love to see Aaron Harang get a lot of votes. A lot of attention was thrust upon Bronson Arroyo in the Reds rotation this year but Harang has been an absolute workhorse for that team for the past two seasons. This year he's in the logjam atop the win column and presently leads the league in strikeouts and innings pitched and while his 3.76 ERA might not look as impressive as his rivals, we do need to bare in mind that he plays in one of the most hitter friendly parks in all of baseball.

Honary mention to Carlos Zambrano who is laboured with the truly awful Cubs team but has still won 16 games and has almost a K per IP. He really has done a great job at making people aware that he is the big guy on that rotation and not either of the injured pair people usually talk about.

The Awards Season : Part 2

2006-09-24T19:02:00.000Z

AL Manager of the Year

Jon Grudenhire has done a great job rallying the Twins after last seasons disappointments and a rough start to the year. Since the All Star break there have been few teams better than
Minnesota and they should be confident running into the post-season.

Few will recognise how good a job Joe Torre has done in New York as he has been forced to shuffle his deck countless times due to injuries to some of his key personnel. Of course it helps when your coffers are as deep as the Yankees but any team that loses the likes of Cano, Sheffield and Matsui for long stretches is going to feel it and even through all that, New York has walked the East.

Ultimately there is only one name that needs to be brought up when deciding the top gaffer in the AL and it’s the guy who has sculpted a group of youngsters and cast offs into a pennant winner. Jim Leyland has done wonders for Detroit after spending a few years in the broadcast booth and for most of the year his team had the best record in baseball in the best division in baseball.

NL Manager of the Year

I know I picked Cincinnati to finish dead last in the central but somehow Jerry Narron has made them into a winner. Of course it has helped that GM Wayne Krivsky has scrounged some rough diamonds from here, there and everywhere but this is still a team that really should not have done as well as it has and Narron deserves a lot of credit.

The Marlins, however, were a team picked by many (not me I might say) to finish dead last with his AAA all stars and he has taken them into the last fortnight of the season still with a slight sniff at the playoffs.

The most remarkable thing is how they’ve managed to get so many good performances from so many first year players. It was obvious that the guys they had available had potential and the tools to be good ballplayers eventually and if a couple of the guys had good seasons, a couple more showed flashes and a few showed they needed a little more time on the farm then the organisation would have been moderately happy, its just a shame that they can’t seem to revel in Girardi’s achievements due to a clash of personalities between him and owner Jeffrey Loria (just another person who doesn’t like Loria).

Joe Girardi should definitely be manager of the year and when he’s eventually relieved of his responsibilities by Florida in the off season, you know every team with a managerial vacancy will be beating down his door.

AL Rookie of the Year

What a year for rookie pitching. We’ll start with mini-Johan, Francisco Liriano, who was simply untouchable throughout the middle third of the season. He and Santana really look like they could be the dominant force in the AL for years to come and if not for injuries shortening his season he would definitely have been the guy to get the nod.

Then there’s Boston closer Jon Papelbon who just about qualifies for rookie status after a cup of coffee last year. Failed as a starter and an absolute success as a closer. It took forever for the league to get a run off him and it was tough enough to get a hit.

Really the thing that will determine this years AL RoY will be whether you feel a reliever is as valuable as a starter because Justin Verlander in Detroit has been superb for Detroit. It is always inevitable that rookie pitchers will wear down even more than players in other roles because the demands of the Majors are just so much higher than any other level and Verlander has been a victim of his own success down the stretch. He was just so good in the first half that he rung up a tonne of innings but even with his end of season swoon, he’ll still be amongst the leaders in wins and will have an ERA below 4.00 and few pitchers have been so valuable to their team. If anyone could be an MVP on the Tigers line-up this year its him.

NL Rookie of the Year

We’ll start this with the guy I picked before the season started and that’s Ryan Zimmerman who will win a lot of Gold Gloves in his career, and if not for Scott Rolen he’d be a shoo in this year, and has coupled stellar D with excellent hitting and base-running and will likely finish the year leading all rookies in a fair few offensive categories…I’d give him the award for his defensive contribution alone.

LA blooded a lot of their blue ribbon prospects this year and while Billingsley and Russ Martin (he’s a great player) probably haven’t logged enough time to get serious consideration, Andre Ethier was the guy who stepped up when injuries hit the Dodgers. He has slumped down the stretch (drastic understatement) which will hurt his chances.

How can you talk about rookies and not mention the Marlins? Dan Uggla has come from nowhere, Josh Willingham has shown some great pop, Hanley Ramirez has been igniter supreme at the top of the order but ultimately the rotation has seen Anibal Sanchez and Scott Olsen look superb and then there’s your rookie of the year, Josh Johnson, who is still vying for the ERA crown. Johnson has really made a lot of people forget that Dontrelle Willis has had a sub-par season and if he was on a better side he would likely have won enough games to be in the congested Cy Young race in the NL this year.

What a great year for rookie pitching.

The Awards Season : Part 1

2006-09-23T11:30:00.000Z

The seasons running down so its probably about time I go off about the inequities of who will win and who should win the big awards this year...and maybe I should also think about more original titles to my entries.

AL MVP

The favourite in this category seems to be Derek Jeter but then the favourite always seems to come from Boston or New York. Now I’m not saying that Jeter hasn’t had a great season, but he’s basically just been Derek Jeter this year.

Most of the problems for the Yanks this year has been with an endless stream of injuries to their big RBI men and the guy who has picked up the slack in that department has been Jason Giambi and he’s even had to pick up the slack from a slightly sub-par A-Rod.

For me its hard to pick an MVP out of a line-up that was always expected to score a tonne of runs before the season and if the Yankees got any kind of half-decent pitching they were always going to be a playoff team. For me the MVP should come from someone who does something to lift a line-up from being an alright one to a championship one. Few expected the Twins to score enough runs to make the playoffs but the guy who has anchored the heart of that team and made them genuine contenders is Justin Morneau.

You can say all you want about Joe Mauer and his potential batting crown as a catcher but he wouldn’t have been able to do that without the big guy behind him and Mauer still hasn’t established himself as a serious power bat.

Oh, and by the way I don’t want to hear anything from anyone about Ortiz and how well he has hit for the free falling Red Sox. No one can be seriously considered an MVP when his team collapses that badly, that quickly.

NL MVP

The favourite for the NL gong is probably Ryan Howard and that’s probably the way it should be. About a month ago I toyed with the idea of Carlos Beltran getting the nod, and he has had a great year, but in the most mediocre of Wild Card races, Howard has just gone postal on NL pitchers and dragged the Phils to the very cusp of post-season play.

Of course we should say a word about Phat Albert who was on pace to hit 80 homeruns and drive in 200 runs and also, incidentally, find a cure for cancer but sadly injury curtailed that effort and really Howard has out Albert-ed Albert.

My Baseball Year

2006-08-22T14:45:00.000Z

Beware, this blog entry may contain some serious spazzing out due to serious angst. Please be aware that most of it was written whilst under the influence of heavy sedatives due to various sports injuries and any responsibility for the content of this article is down to the pixies in my head.

I know it’s a little early to be writing some kind of memorandum on the year but I have been really slack on my entries of late so I feel like I owe some kind of explanation to the one or two people who still read this blog.

Its been a funny time. My first year playing in Richmond has been a real mixed bag with steady glove work (at least I think so) except for one foray at short on one of the many days when the side has been let down by guys not showing up. Its generally been a nightmare at the plate and I’m sure going into the season having mysteriously lost a stone didn’t help.

Thank God I’m still running the bases well and my Ty Cobb homerun (a single and then three steals) against Bournemouth was probably the highlight of my year but a gruelling schedule has taken its toll. All our home games were in the first half of the season and all our road games were in the second with only nine or ten players and me carrying my usual plethora of injuries (right knee won‘t bend, right ankle is the size of a softball, the left knee is always sore, the left shoulder has just died). All in all my usual enthusiastic psyche has taken a hit and I barely said a word to the oppositions third base coach last weekend (believe me, that’s a rarity as I talk to everyone down there).

I suppose I should have seen this coming. Life as a baseball fan in Britain has really gone downhill for me since the heady days of a few years back. In fact its never been the same since ‘The Ghetto’ closed (MSN’s baseball chat room). Back then there were endless barnies and general irreverence to be had with baseball fans of all nationalities and ages. Things could get irrational, violent and sometimes just silly and from time to time it would be truly enlightening and fascinating like the time someone came up with the truly original answer to the question of the second best first baseman of all time as Stan Musial).

Thanks to changes of job and a life of odd hours and general running around, I’ve managed to lose track of the Hatr’s (AKA Soxy) and Metzy’s of this world but at least I had the Five forums and, subsequently, the Baseballfan site. Alas, the more and more people have gotten involved in that, the more the opportunity for the masses to brainwash the few. Now the forums are full of likeminded people who agree on everything and the only time an argument or loosely based debate, is allowed to take place is when the Yankee and BoSox fans take over and do the whole ‘my team is better than yours’ type frivolities. At least the Five forums.

I used to love the endless debates and rhetoric of baseball banter but we are descending into a world of white noise furore about nothing.

Even the fantasy leagues are becoming a chore including the league that I’m the commish of. I tried to do something a tad different and it all ended up with people bitching about how it wasn’t the same old thing (I’m paraphrasing of course). I set up this site and called it ‘Spurious Baseball’ which tells you all you need to know about my feelings on toeing the line and maintaining status quo.

Scott Podsednik should have been AL MVP last year but no one would seriously contend my point of view because it was so obvious it should have been A-Rod or Ortiz because that’s what everyone else said it should be…oh and it also lands ourselves back into the comfy world of BoSox and Yankees which of course is what’s really important.

So I write this as a bit of a fed up baseball fan (I still consider myself a baseball nut) but I’m forced to ask why I bother nowadays? I’ve been involved in practically every attempt anyone’s ever had to start a British baseball fanzine and have willingly put up with the megalomaniacs who start them up. I always wrote things I believed in and I always conceded that I wasn’t always rational and certainly wasn’t always right and whenever possible I tried to be contentious, not take things for granted and try to have fun with it (I am most proud of my piece about Rick Ankiel for Strike UK, even if the guy whose site it was wrote a condescending and unnecessary intro to it).

So what is there in this environment for me? I’m the sort of person who will wear a black hat if everyone else is wearing white and I’m dismissed because I try to do things differently and no one seems willing to fight as a true fan of the game rather than just a fan of team.

We exist in a world that wants to know it’s right rather than looking away from black and white and seeing the multi-tonal grey area in between where it has nothing to do with right and wrong. Perception and interpretation are wonderful things to mess around with and if no one wants to challenge what most people take for granted then irrational nutcases like myself can’t help to find new truths or determine that the old ones were right all along. At least all angles would be covered and we might have some fun along the way and above all else this is supposed to be fun. That’s why they call it a game. Can’t we play again? It could be fun. It could be interesting. It could be grey. It could be just about anything.

Down The Stretch : NL

2006-08-21T15:20:00.000Z

Its taken me a while to post this but here are my thoughts on who the movers and shakers in the NL are.

NL EAST

New York Mets

Well, I doubt anyone thinks they won't make the playoffs or win the East. The line-up has been superb with Jose Reyes looking the business at the top of the order, David Wright coming of age and my pick for NL MVP, Carlos Beltran, just looking like the most complete player in the game, but then we knew that anyway.

The problem for the Mets have almost come out of nowhere and its the rotation where Pedro has suddenly taken his customary sabatical to the DL and Tom Glavine's season (and career) looking under threat with a possible blood clot in his pitching arm.

The pen looks solid but would you be happy going into the playoffs with Steve Trachsel as your ace? If Pedro and Glavine are good for the playoffs then this lot are a good bet to go to the Series but without them they could get consumed by the likes of LA and St Lou.

Philadelphia Phillies

The line-up is still great, even without Abreu, and you can be sure Ryan Howard will get the odd vote on MVP ballots but the pitching is still Brett 'the wife beater' Myers and a bunch of guys held together by old chewing gum and damp twigs. It says a lot about the depth of the NL this year that this team is playing to the form of a .500 team but could still make the playoffs.

The Rest

Even the great John Schuerholtz and Bobby Cox have been able to keep the Braves in the race this year. The pen has been awful most of the year but has improved with Wickman and Baez coming in but even they can't help the rotation which has been Smoltz and a bunch of so-so guys. Chuck James has been ok in his rookie year but how disappointed am I in Tim Hudson? A 4.77 ERA is not good enough for a player of his ability.

Joe Girardi should easily be the NL manager of the year after his efforts with the best AAA club in the country. Dan Uggla and Hanley Ramirez look like being a very productive middle infield for years to come and both will be in voters minds for Rookie of the Year and what does it say about Scott Olsen, Ricky Nolasco and Josh Johnson that they've been able to keep the Fish close to .500 in their rookie seasons with Dontrelle Willis having a down year?

Poor Frank Robinson has had a tough year in Washington with almost all his set-up guys in the pen injured most of the year. With even a few of the likes of Ayala and Eischen available things might have been different and lets not even talk about John Patterson and how his absense has effected the rotation.

Alfonso Soriano has had an amazing year and if he were A-Rod he might have a chance at winning the MVP this year (wink wink) but Ryan Zimmerman was my pick for the RoY before the year started and he still gets my nod now. He's up there in most offensive catergories amongst rookies and there are few players who can compare to him defensively at third base. If it weren't for Scott Rolen, Zimmerman would be a lock to win Gold Gloves for the next decade.

NL CENTRAL

St Louis Cardinals

Albert Pujols was on pace to shatter every record in the book until he got injured and while he was on the DL no one could claw the Cards back so its hard to see anyone doing that now. There are still issues with regards to the rotation with only Carpenter really showing anything. Anthony Reyes is doing well but they need their veterans to start producing.

Trust me, the pen is getting better after a horrible start to the year for Izzy.

Cincinatti Reds

Props to rookie GM Wayne Krivsky who has found himself inexplicably at the front of the Wild Card race and has made a whole bunch of great pick ups to boost the bullpen and hasn't really given up much (lets face it, they didn't have much to give away anyway). And as for picking up Brandon Phillips...

Even with Bronson Arroyo coming back down to Earth, he and Harang look a very good one-two punch in the rotation and you know exactly what you're going to get with Junior and Dunn in your line-up. This team could well have more surprises in them.

The Rest

Yes, I am writing off Houston. Yes, even with Jason Hirsh joining an already great rotation and the addition of Aubrey Huff and the red hot Luke Scott and the incredible mediocrity in the Wild Card race. I just don't see who is going to step up and be the guy who takes them to the next level.

The Brewers still seem to have the guys to actually make the push and finally being able to call on Ben Sheets every fifth day should help (once he gets into the swing of things) but with Weeks done for the year and J.J. Hardy on the DL it takes much of the dynamic of the line-up and they probably have too much to do.

Hey everyone, guess what? Thats right Kerry Wood and Mark Prior have been injured most of the year and Juan Pierre has been a disappointment and the Cubs are nowhere me once again!! Who'd have seen that coming?

The Pirates pitching hasn't been that bad this year with Zach Duke and Ian Snell doing well and Paul Maholm rebounding from a truly wretched start to the year and its a shame that the D has been very bad and even Jason Bay hasn't been able to kick start an anaemic offence.

NL WEST

Los Angeles Dodgers

I thought this team were a year away but right now they are my favourites to go all the way to the Series in the NL.

The depth is incredible with the vast array of strong veterans and talented youngsters throughout and even Nomar and J.D. Drew actually healthy. Andre Ethier is a good shout as RoY and I've said for a couple of years that Russell Martin is the future of this organisation.

What a pick up Greg Maddux is looking too. You know he'll be of tremendous benefit to Chad Billingsley.

The only possible weakness could be the bullpen which has suffered some injuries to key guys but thats not to say they aren't a solid group.

Arizona Diamondbacks

There is no more compelling team in baseball right now for me than Arizona as they have set loose a whole bunch of their blue chippers. Carlos Quentin has FINALLY got the call up and along with Stephen Drew and Alberto Callapso who could be THE double play combo in the NL for a while (I apologise for liberal use of capital letters).

Alas I don't think they will make the playoffs with Brandon Webb a good bet right now for the NL Cy and he's all alone, more or less, in that pitching staff. Livan Hernandez seems to be looking more like himself of late but the bullpen is less than inspiring.

San Diego Padres

What has happened to Jake Peavy this year? He and his chums in the rotation have looked very average this year, even with the Petco effect in place. Of course Linebrink and Hoffman continue to nail it down in the pen but you'd expect more from the front end of that staff.

Offence? We no need no stinking offence. Of course Mike Piazza has had a bit of a renaisance offensively and Josh Barfield has really added a spark but they are never going to light it up with half the games in that cavernous park of theirs.

Colorado Rockies

At the beginning of the year I said there was a lot of pitching talent on this team but because of the Coors effect it would all come to nought. Right now Colorado has given up fewer earned runs than any team in the NL and even with sub-.500 records, both Jeff Francis and Jason Jennings deserve Cy Young considerations for what they've done in that uniform as they both have ERA's easily under 4.00. Now if only they could get some consistent offence...

San Francisco Giants

The defence and pitching has been solid but the only reason you can really say they are still in contention is because you never can tell if Barry Bonds will explode or not. Admittedly he looks a shadow of his former self this year and has a whole lotta stuff hanging over him off the field but he's still one of the few guys who can win games by himself. Right now there are plenty better teams than San Francisco.

Graphics, Pages, and Contact Form!

2006-08-20T21:19:00.000Z

... just in case any of you notice any missing graphics, etc. Some of the extra pages and logos, etc, from the blog have been moved to a new server, so if you spot anything missing that should be here, please let us know ..... i aint perfect after all :)

Also, thanks to my hosting service, there have been problems with the contact form too, so if you have been trying to get us, please try again ... it was a problem beyond our control, and we would love to hear from anyone out there who wishes to comment or get involved with the blog

Down the Stretch : The AL

2006-08-12T15:28:00.000Z

Well, we’re heading into crunch time so now seems like a good time to see who’s ready to make the move.

AL East

Boston Red Sox

Boston didn’t really make any big moves at the deadline but sit in pole position in the east.

The duo of Curt Schilling and Josh Beckett have stayed healthy and allows the team to avoid big losing streaks and coupled with the great infield D and another MVP type season from Big Papi the Sox have to feel good about their chances.

New York Yankees

They got Abreu at the deadline which should make their already potent offence even better whether he regains his power stroke or not. Elsewhere the pitching remains unconvincing with Randy Johnson still not clicking and Mike Mussina doing well but not great. Chin Ming Wang has been the most consistent of the starters but he’s far from being a guy you fear facing.

The Yankees probably have more latent talent than any club in the Majors right now and you can’t help but be impressed by how well they’ve done with all the injuries to key personnel. They could easily bring it all together and win it all but they could also play .500 ball and see the other contenders get away from them in a tough AL.

The Rest

The injury to Alex Rios couldn’t have come at a worse time for Toronto and the apparent unrest in the club house also doesn’t bode well. They’ve had a strong year and Halladay and BJ Ryan will likely both get attention on the Cy Young ballot but its tough keeping up with Boston and New York.

Baltimore are blooding some young pitchers and should be an interesting team to watch but they are way out of it…where has Nick Markakis’ power gone?

E6 Upton is up in Tampa and playing third now so that‘ll be an adventure. As per usual it’ll be interesting to see who gets called up for a cup of coffee (Delmon is restless). It also wouldn’t surprise me to see Evan Longoria get some time with the way he’s ploughing through the system.

AL Central

Detroit Tigers

I still think Detroit will hit a wall soon as their young guys run out of steam but they have just played so well and their pitching staff has been so awesome that if they do hit the skids they’ll be so far ahead they’ll make the playoffs anyway.

You have to feel sorry for Justin Verlander as the season he is having would usually see him as a shoo in as the Rookie of the Year in the AL but Papelbon and Liriano are going to make the competition tough.

Chicago White Sox

As with the Yankees all the parts are here to win it all but whereas the Yankees have been hit by injuries, the ChiSox, particularly the rotation, have just looked hung over from last year. Mark Buerhle in particular has been well under par and right now doesn’t look like one of the best pitchers in the game…which he actually is (no, really he is).

The line-up still is plenty potent enough to see them through to the playoffs with Jim Thome, Paul Konerko and Jermaine Dye as good a 3-4-5 combo as anywhere in baseball and Joe Crede is also hitting the ball well which might see him get the Gold Glove he has deserved the last couple of years (hitting shouldn’t count for that but it does).

Minnesota Twins

Up until recently I was really liking the Twins chances of winning the Wild Card and getting to the World Series but with Liriano going on the DL with elbow problems things don’t look quite so rosy.

Of course they still have Johan Santana who is still as dominant as ever and they are also getting steady performances from the back end with Carlos Silva and Brad Radke. Then they have Justin Morneau having a breakout year and providing the club with the big bopper they’ve been missing the last couple of years. Then you bring in Joe Mauer who is looking for a batting title and Luis Castillo setting the table and you know they are still in the hunt…although having Liriano back would definitely help.

The Rest

Cleveland have been a huge disappointment (I’m so understated) as they have missed a lot of the guys who made their pen so good last year and have generally been sloppy in their play. It is good to see Kelly Shoppach, Andy Marte, Jeremy Sowers and newly acquired Shin-Soo Choo getting playing time as they could all fill big holes on that line-up for next season.

I know this sounds weird but I would say that things have gone quite well for the Royals. Of course they are in last place and we all knew that would happen but Billy Butler has looked excellent in Wichita, Zack Greinke seems to be getting his head back in gear in Omaha, they’ve shed some high priced drift wood and they managed to sign #1 draft pick Luke Hochevar so what more could they really have asked for?

AL West

Oakland A’s

Even without Rich Harden the pitching has been superb all year for Oakland but it’s the age old problem of scoring runs that has stopped them leaving everyone out west eating their dust. You just have to look at the corners where Eric Chavez and Nick Swisher are the only barely passable bats for their positions and Bobby Crosby just hasn’t produced either. In summary, they score fewer runs than the Royals.

Their pitching will definitely keep them in the race but they need their hitters to step up or the Angels to implode to win the division because the Wild Card isn’t coming from this division.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim of California of The United States of America of the Earth in the Solar System

Hey everyone, its John Lackey and he’s wondering if it would be OK if people voted for him for the Cy?

Bartolo Colon, Jered Weaver (for now) and the rest of the rotation are finally chipping in and the bullpen is looking solid but the Angels have just been so sloppy this year. In the field they are making easy plays look difficult and are just making terrible decisions and that’s also evident in their base running (even though they lead the league in stolen bases I don't want to know how many times they've made stupid outs trying to advance) and those are not typical characteristics of a Mike Scioscia team. If they can start playing smart ball then the division is theirs.

Texas Rangers

They needed pitching at the deadline so they went out and got Carlos Lee…it’s a plan I guess. What that move does is give the Rangers a great offence (well maybe I should say more great or greater), even with Mark Teixeira not quite showing the thunder we know he has.

The bullpen had problems early on but have come around with Akinori Otsuka closing but questions are still there with the rotation and picking up Kip Wells is either going to be an insane work of genius or just insane. He has shown promise in his young career…just not in the last two years. Maybe it’s a sign of the confidence they have in the first of the DVD boys to be promoted (Edinson Volquez)?

The Rest (well that’s Seattle then)

Seattle aren’t far out but they just have too many good teams already ahead of them.
Ichiro has been his usual superb self and Felix Hernandez has had a fine rookie campaign (can you believe I heard someone go off on one about how much of a let down Felix has been? HE’S ONLY 20!!).

What would the Mets give for Kazmir now?

2006-07-26T15:31:00.000Z

In 2004 the worst trade in recent history took place when a confused (and one would think psychologically unstable) management team at the Mets decided that they should trade their number one prospect.

New York foolishly believed they had a shot at a World Championship so in a logic defying moment proceeded to trade one Scott Kazmir to the Devil Rays for pitcher Victor Zambrano and young relief pitcher Bartolome Fortunato.

The baseball world scratched its head and looked on perplexed.

What were they doing?

First of all the Mets had no chance of a World Series in 2004, and it was so clear that they were being robbed by Tampa that I am surprised Met fans didn't actually file a police report.

Salt was poured into the wound when Zambrano actually arrived in New York injured and made just three starts before he went to the DL for the rest of the season.

Fast forward two years and what do you have?

The Rays sit dead last in the Al east and the Mets seem to be heading to the post season - and how they could do with their young prospect back.

Kazmir is in his most dominating season yet. The young Rays pitcher has silenced his critics and lived up to his expectations already notching 139 strikeouts and 10 wins.
Zambrano is still a fussy pitcher with good stuff but little control and Bartolome Fortunato has faded into obscurity.

I'm sure New York would be willing to offer some nice players to Tampa to re-attain Kazmir's services but it's not going to happen.

Kazmir's year has been so successful that the Rays have put him on the "untouchable" list and have told everyone to keep their greasy mitts off of him.

I wonder that if that horrible trade in 2004 will come back to haunt the Mets this season.
I think they are going to the World Series and if Kazmir was in their rotation they would certainly have three solid starters with Pedro and Glavine.
Without him, or another pitcher of his calibre, I fear they could be dominated by any of the contenders who take the American League.
The Mets certainly seem to have paid a big price Zambrano and Fortunato but they may end up paying an even bigger price come October.

Braves Bolster Bullpen (Hooray for Alliteration)

2006-07-20T19:52:00.000Z

Its been said before but it bares repeating, John Schuerholtz is a genius of a GM. It may have taken a while but Atlanta have finally patched up the back of their bullpen and have given up practically nothing to get it done.

Wickman may be at the end of his career but he has a proven track record closing out games and that goes right into this season and with the depth of young catching talent in the system (McCann was an All Star this year and Saltalamacchia looks like being better) they were able to let go of Maximiliano Ramirez who has some good upside but a long way to go.

Time can only tell if the Atlanta brain trust has pulled it out of the fire again.

Boo A-Rod?

2006-07-07T07:43:00.000Z

OK, before I start I feel I must start by saying I don’t like A-Rod. I don’t like the way he seems to worry so much about how people feel about him which only serves to make him appear a little fake. Now, I dare say he’s a perfectly pleasant and inoffensive guy who no doubt does good work for charitable organisations but the world of sport is a fickle place, especially when it comes to the world of the fan, and I don’t like A-Rod.

Just recently Yankee fans have taken to booing Rodriguez and I ask the question, why? Any fan of a team wants their boys to succeed and A-Rod was the MVP of the league last year so you can’t say he’s deadwood and even though I don’t like the guy I can’t deny that he is one of the very best players in the game so why boo the guy? Its ridiculous, he may have the personality of the fluff I find in my belly button but he’s always a good bet to finish amongst the leaders in every offensive category that matters and while no one is worth the money he gets paid, few get as close to that as he does.

What do people really want from him? Does he have to be a mixture of Rickey, The Wizard and The Babe? Newsflash people, no one will EVER be that. Is he the next Mike Schmidt? Is it fair to really expect that from someone? Can’t people just look at the things he does rather than constantly try to fit him into some kind of predetermined notion of what they think he should be? As much as my friend Neil wants to believe A-Rod is a Gold Glove calibre fielder, he really isn’t but then again he’s not awful and he doesn’t really need to be that good because he’s there to be an offensive juggernaut and players should be used to their strengths.

I could understand if it were road fans who were booing him or if A-Rod had gone out and said how much the Yankees suck (if he said that I think his overall popularity might sky rocket) but for his own fans to boo him is ludicrous. I don’t see Twins fans getting on Santana’s back or Braves fans getting on Smoltz. Besides, there are too many big profile players on that roster that the performance of one guy shouldn’t be the be all and end all for that team.

Yankee fans, show some class because I don’t want to be defending Yankee players, especially ones I really don’t like.

Final Votes For All Star Game

2006-07-06T07:22:00.000Z

So the bulk of the All Star teams have been selected and the fans get to pick the last of the players who will represent their league. The National League is fairly straight forward with a Nomar Garciaparra playing much like he did when he was winning batting crowns (except for the D). Many, including myself, thought that Nomar was well passed his best and he has certainly been dishing out the humble pie. He is a fairly obvious choice and it really says a lot about the process that a Bobby Abreu with a sub-.500 slugging percentage is even on the ballot. The Phils should plug him into the leadoff spot or deal the guy.

The AL selection is a lot tougher. The idea that we have to select one of Francisco Liriano, Travis Hafner and Justin Verlander because none of them are in the team already is crazy, especially when Mark Redman is there just because we need a Royal. Even Ramon Hernandez probably feels bad because he’s having a career year and a Pudge Rodriguez on the wane gets voted in ahead of Joe Mauer.

I really want Justin Verlander to be there mainly because I had him pegged as the Rookie of the Year before the season started and it’d be nice to massage my ego a bit. What you can’t deny is that 10 wins by the All Star break for a rookie is just outstanding and The Tigers wouldn’t be where they are without him. Having said all that, as good as Verlander has been Liriano has been better and right now he might be the best pitcher in baseball. A sub-2.00 ERA, a WHIP below 1.00, almost five times as many strikeouts as walks and well over a K an inning and you have mini-Santana and the guy who must be voted in.

It would be wrong to talk about the nominees and not wax lyrical about Travis Hafner who has once again been prodigious in the heart of the Indians line-up but I guess he’s destined to be the rough diamond waiting to be cut and dazzle the baseball world in many a pennant race during his career. It is the plague of playing in middle-America rather than in the big cities that someone with this much ability fails to be plugged in automatically. At least we don’t have the Russian roulette of hoping the worthy get in ahead of a Yankee or BoSox player this year.

Get Well Soon Mr Gammons

2006-06-28T19:10:00.000Z

Peter Gammons has undergone surgery after suffering from a brain aneurysm and is listed as being in good condition (all things are relative I guess).

Gammons is one of the few truly great baseball writers of the modern era and really hearkens back to the glorious writers of years past like Shirley Povich and Hugh Fullerton. The warmth of his words might not be so apparent in his tv appearances for ESPN but few writers seem to truly 'get it' like he does. He treats it like a game rather than a business, a friend instead of just a simple subject matter.

Unsurprisingly there is has been an overwhelming wave of support from all corners of baseball wishing him a speedy recovery and we at Spurious Baseball certainly would like to add our voices to that cause. There has been so much lore written about this great sport and that lore has turned into poetry in the hands of the great sports writers and in this turbulent time we need more poetry from Peter Gammons.

Get well soon.

Royals Getting Brave?

2006-06-06T19:57:00.000Z

Its draft time everyone and with the #1 pick the Kansas City Royals showed us all what the plan is for the new regime. By selecting pitcher Luke Hochevar they have gone for someone who is almost the finished product with a variety of power stuff that could have seen him go #1 last year but of course that was curtailed by the infamous Scott Boras.

The Dodgers drafted Hochevar last year with the 40th overall pick and threw a lot in his direction but they never quite managed to get him to ink the contract and you have to think KC will have a similar battle on their hands.

If KC are willing to break the bank then its not too hard to think that they intend to go into a three to five year plan as they hope to build a rotation around Greinke and Hochevar and seak to complement Alex Gordon in the line-up. It might not be much but it's a start.

Rocket Sets Record For Un-Retiring

2006-06-02T07:42:00.000Z

In perhaps the least surprising surprise of the season, Roger Clemens has re-signed with the Astros for a whole lotta semolians.

Some foolhardy folks seemed to think he might end up in New York or Boston but this really was the only move he was likely to make. With his ‘arrangement’ that he doesn’t have to turn up to the ballpark every day like any other player and the advantage of being close to home and family, it was unlikely to really work anywhere else.

The Rocket will continue his Hall of Fame career at first in A ball where he will briefly be united on the field with his son and then is scheduled to move up a level each start, assuming everything goes well. In fact the only concern in bringing back Clemens this far into the season is how quickly he regains his sharpness because we all know how vigilant he is with regards to his conditioning. I don’t know what he’s been up to since pitching in the WBC but it will be hard to really come in and be the pitcher Clemens is expected to be (and the pitcher he’s being paid substantially to be) without having that Spring Training-esque opportunity to get back in sync with his team mates and dust off the cobwebs.

Of course the ultimate litmus test down the line will be if Houston manage to get to the playoffs (why else would you make such an investment?) and even if Clemens pitches well (a repeat of last year is a bit much to ask) and, as predicted, Pettitte and other players up their game, I still find it hard to see them going back but, as much as I dislike Clemens, having him on board certainly won’t hurt their chances.

Bye Bye Bairdy

2006-06-02T07:40:00.000Z

Well, the architect of futility has finally been replaced as Allan Baird is to be usurped by Dayton Moore and if anyone is in a position to finally get something started with The Royals, it’s the former assistant to The Braves GM John Schuerholtz who might be the best there is today.
Moore won’t take over the full time job until after the upcoming draft but many will be looking very closely at what The Royals do with the #1 overall pick. That will give everyone an indication as to whether he will emulate what The Braves have done in recent years and build from the bottom up, or will they look to try and pick someone who can make an impact within the next three years?

He certainly doesn’t have a lot to work with as the farm system lacks more than maybe a couple of guys who could eventually make an impact and the big league roster has the recent acquisitions of overpaid guys who are way passed their prime (Baird’s final legacy) and the most promising pitcher in terms of ability and up side is out indefinitely with what can only be described as psychological problems he might never come back from.

Basically, the club is a mess and a long, long, long, long, long way from where they were maybe fifteen to twenty years ago and they really need to look at practically every other team in their division and how they’ve developed their talent from within if they are to scrape themselves off the very bottom of the MLB ladder. Dayton Moore has a reputation as being a very savvy character and he’ll need to be to meet this ‘challenge’.

What you trying to prove?

2006-05-30T08:04:00.000Z

First of all I would like to congratulate Barry Bonds on hitting home run number 715 and overtaking the babe to take the number two spot on the all time home run list.

Second of all I would like to instruct the world's media and any baseball fans who have a problem with Bonds to wake up and smell the Vino.

Seriously, I'm fed up with hearing "he's so arrogant", "he is a bad role model", "he is a drug user" etc etc etc. What if he is all these things? He has just hit number 715 and there is nothing you can do about it.

Do you know what I think? I think you are all scared.

I think you're scared that because this man has surpassed the Babe with his home run record that it will somehow endanger the legacy of Mr Ruth.

I think you're scared that Bonds has somehow cheapened Ruth's career and nothing could be further from the truth. The media, the fans, and indeed Barry himself has made sure that he will never be remembered as the enigmatic and revolutionary player that Ruth was.

Bonds' manner with the media and subsequently the way those behind the cameras portray him means that he has become the symbol for everything that is wrong with the game.

If you hate Bonds, then fine, go ahead and hate him, but reiterating the same points over and over again will not take away the fact that he has hit more home runs than the biggest player to ever play the game.

It's futile and petty to keep preaching to the converted.

One hundred years from now it may well be the case that every statistic that the Babe ever achieved could be completely destroyed by better players but we all know that it won't really mean a thing.

No one could ever take away what the Babe means to the game and what he did for the sport. His legacy will live on and will remain one of the biggest chapters in the book of baseball.

So please all you Bonds haters, shut up, you've made your point and the vast majority of us agree with you.
If you really don't like Bonds stop giving him all the publicity and attention that he wants.

Colorado v Toronto : Whoop-Dee-Doo

2006-05-23T07:55:00.000Z

Its that time of year again and interleague play is upon us which means another diatribe on how much I hate it.

What is the point of interleague play exactly? In most games its a two game swing as you not only win but cause someone else in your league to lose, thus doubling your advantage. When teams like New York and Boston play this becomes even more significant but when you have The Yanks playing The Mets all you get is a win, you don't press home any advantage against a rival.

Basically, interleague play is just a gimmick. It doesn't actually add to MLB, all it does is boost PR with the handful of big local matchups, but for every Bay Area or I-90 match up there are a dozen Colorado/Toronto or Boston/Philadelphia games that no one really cares about but are merely there for the sake of interleague play. Also, so much is made of the ChiSox v Cubs but do you really think the Sox would rather beat the Cubs or do over the Twins, Indians or Tigers?

Another thing we lose out on are the non-divisional rivalries. Because of the added fixtures involving teams in the other league, sides with old rivalries based on decades of competition either in the old two division scheme or post-season play, don't see each other as much as they maybe would if interleague play didn't exist. Being a Toronto fan its bad enough the Leafs don't play the Wings too often anymore but the Jays don't face the Royals that much and those games always used to be interesting (well, when the Royals weren't the worst team in baseball at least).

I know that people will talk about how attendances are always high during interleague but is there a practical benefit to it? Does anyone else miss the lack of a track record to look back on when teams match up in the World Series? I know free agency means that a lot of players have spent time in both leagues and there is a level of familiarity anyway but its not the same as two teams being familiar with each other. Also, the World Series used to be the best team in the AL playing the best team in the NL but now that is slightly sullied because you are not just going to face teams from your league but a selection of teams from the other and who knows how good or bad your luck will be in terms of who you get to play? You think the likes of St Louis and Houston aren't grateful for games against KC? Similarly, you know Washington and Florida aren't best pleased with seeing the Yankees and BoSox. Its all a crap shoot. If we're going to have teams play interleague then why not just go the whole hog and have everyone play everyone at least once? Its the only way we can make this fair as right now the schedule is always going to benefit some teams more than others and do we want Wild Cards decided by virtue of one team having to play Florida and one getting San Francisco? I'd rather the playing field be level.

So whats so good about interleague play? It messes up the schedule, skews the standings, cheapens the World Series, takes away from more traditional rivalries and generally ruins the balance of play but I guess so long as there are bums on seats and the people of New York are happy then its OK.

How's Delmon Doing? He's Very Lucky

2006-05-09T18:59:00.000Z

Delmon Young has been suspended for 50 games for his petulent bat throwing antics and all I can say is he's very, very fortunate thats all he got. He also has to do some community service too (50 hours) but is this really the sort of message we want to send out? I'm sure it won't help ease the friction between minor league baseball and the minor league umps.

I have long been a fan of Mr Young and have been going on and on for a few years now as to just how good he could be (I did the same thing with Rick Ankiel so a jinx may be in action) but even I can't believe he wasn't done for the year. Not only has he thrown a bat at an umpire but he also has a history of bad conduct towards the officials and he needs someone to really give him an attitude check before he blows his career away before its even started.

About Time!!

2006-05-03T21:30:00.000Z

At last after over four years of limbo and abuse the Nationals/Expos have finally got a new owner as a group headed by real estate moguls Theodore and Mark Lerner secured the team for a reputed $450m.

The group will likely take full control of the team after the owners have their quaterly meetings on the 17th and 18th of May.

Maybe now the team can actually look to build upon the young nucleus they have and put the infrastructure back together so they can get back to being the organisation that produced the likes of Randy Johnson and Moises Alou amongst many others.

How is Delmon Doing? Not Good

2006-04-27T21:24:00.000Z

Spurious favourite Delmon Young was a bit disappointed when he didn’t get his call up last September (wild understatement) and he might have to wait a while longer for his trip to Tampa and he’s only got himself to blame.

In a game in Pawtucket, Delmon was rung up on a called third strike which he wasn’t happy with and glared at the blue refusing to leave the batters box. After taking a couple of backward steps back to the dugout he was tossed from the game but took it in his stride and flipped the bat at the ump catching him in the chest.

Unsurprisingly the uber-prospect has been suspended indefinitely and after bumping another ump (pretty sure it was a different guy) last May you have to wonder how hard the league will come down on him?

Kendrick Gets a Shot

2006-04-25T23:23:00.000Z

With Maicier Izturis on the DL, Howie Kendrick has been given a shot at the Bigs.

Not one for a walk but he knows how to hit and has been a big part of a strong start to the season for the Salt Lake Bees. Kendrick is hitting .386 after a truly torrid start that had him comfortably above .400 for much of the season so far so he might be moving up whilst on a slight downward turn.

It's unlikely he'll get many starts at second and as soon as Izturis returns a return to the PCL is likely but anyone who has had his approach to hitting compared to Tony Gwynn (I don't think anyone would actually say he's actually the next Gwynn) certainly warrants some attention and you just never know what might happen.

NEW! Spurious Forums

2006-04-13T22:23:00.000Z

Click on the link in the right hand column to check out the new Spurious Forums. Register, join in, and have your say!

Is This The Beginning of Something?

2006-04-13T19:16:00.000Z

Well, we're a week or so in and what can we read into this young season?

Perhaps the most surprising thing is that so far there have been no real surprises. The Yanks, BoSox, ChiSox and Cards have all started solidly and the Marlins and Royals have started badly. Anyone could have seen that coming.

Detroit got off to a hot start behind the work of Chris Shelton but of course that seems to be cooling off now the champs have come to town. Similarly Milwaukee have lost the three after winning the first five but what was most surprising about that was how they seem to be doing ok without staff ace Ben Sheets.

Colorado have done well against their division rivals with a lot of input coming from Garrett Atkins who won the player of the week honours and is obviously feeling the pressure of Ian Stewart being on his coat tails. Stewart was simply inhuman during ST and is merely polishing off the rough edges down in Tulsa right now. He has cooled off considerably and is merely batting .308 with a .419 OBP and .692 slugging.

The thing I always look for at the beginning are the rookies and especially with so many vaunted prospects busting through this year.

My picks for rookie of the year in both leagues have had mixed results with Ryan Zimmerman getting his first career homerun off Billy Wagner to tie the game in the clutch but has yet to really find a rhythm and Justin Verlander pitched a stellar seven innings in the first start and then gave up seven against Chicago. I still hold high hopes for both.

Conor Jackson has continued where he left off in the minors posting a less than impressive slugging percentage for a first baseman but a freaky high OBP. Kenji Johjima has looked more Ichiro than Kaz Matsui thus far but so far the pick of the rookies has been Hanley Ramirez. Ramirez has been dynamic at the top of the young Marlins line-up and it's always impressive when a guy can post a .697 slugging percentage without hitting any homeruns. With the way the Marlins are set up this season there will be plenty of opportunity for guys like Ramirez, Josh Willingham and Jeremy Hermida to show what they can do.

Of course all this statistical analysis (if this even qualifies as that) is a bit redundant so early in the year but it is always fun to see how silly some peoples numbers are. Right now I'm getting a lot of laughs at how Howie Kendrick seems to go 2/5 every night but his average is going down (.452 at present)!! I still find it amusing that a AAA club can have an infield sporting guys of the claibre of Kendrick, Kendry Morales, Dallas McPherson and Erick Aybar but then thats life at Salt Lake. They might have to make room for Brandon Wood soon (by the way his OPS is a mere 1.319 at the moment).

Of course the one thing we can say about the season so far is that it can all change very quickly (come on, how long do you think Pujols' average will be below .320?) but I leave you for now with my pick for the top performance of the young season. On Wednesday the Frederick Keys had four guys combine on a no-no down in Salem against the Avalanche with Russell Petrick, Jeff Montani and Casey Cahill sharing four innings in relief of Radhames Liz who went five innings striking out 13. Not a bad way to start your season, eh?

Alternate Punishments to Drug Use

2006-04-13T12:33:00.000Z

I'm sick of this whole 'drugs in baseball' topic, its annoying the hell out of me.

Every time I sit down to watch a game I have reporters screaming how Barry Bonds ALLEGEDLY took a cocktail of drugs to beef him up even though he did so WHEN THERE WERE NO RULES AGAINST IT.

Mr Selig and his cronies are determined to have a thorough investigation into drugs in baseball and want the punishment to fit the crime.
With that in mind I've taken to suggesting a few alternative punishments that would make players think twice before popping pills and get the topic off my television screen.

1. Players who use drugs should not have an asterisk next to his records. Instead the records should be printed in hieroglyphics so no-one can understand them.

2. All players who have been proven to have taken drugs should have to wear the number 666 on their Jersey.

3. Cheering, sound effects, fireworks and any other such celebrations are banned whenever a drug using player hits a homerun. Instead complete silence from the crowd and tumbleweed should be employed.

4. Once a player has been proven to have been taking drugs they should not be allowed to stop. Instead make the taking of more drugs mandatory so the player becomes a dribbling mess.

5. One strike for a strike-out against any batter who has taken drugs - they have an unfair advantage so why shouldn't the pitcher? It would also make them unemployable.

6. Drug user's bats should be designed to replicate a giant syringe.

7. Pitchers who take drugs have to throw underarm. Their gloves should also be removed so everybody knows what pitch they are going to throw.

8. Drug users should have to work as bat boys and serve refreshments to both the home and away team.

9. Catchers who abuse steroids should be shoulder tackled every time a runner comes home.

10. Extremely over weight players should be used to run for every drug using player that gets on base.

Let's see some action Selig!!!

10 Spurious Rumours

2006-04-06T20:38:00.000Z

In the spirit of the McCarthy-esque witch hunt that is pervading baseball at the moment I thought I’d enter some other totally spurious and unproven accusations into the world. I wonder if any will be picked up and carried forth like the Bonds one or if people will just keep flogging the dead horse?

10 Roger Clemens is a devil worshipper and made a Faustian pact in 1997 to resurrect his career and on those days when he can’t be bothered to go to the game its nothing to do with spending time with the family but about affording himself the opportunity to gorge on human flesh.

9 Robinson Cano is the resurrection of Charlie Chaplin and his antics in the field are just his way of proving to everyone that he can still kick his hat away in the same comedic fashion as he did in the early days of cinema.

8 Tony Womack’s eyebrows aren’t real eyebrows but prosthetics designed to hide the scars from when aliens abducted him and removed his hitting gene. The only reason he hasn’t mentioned it before is because the aliens said they would return John Rocker if he did.

7 The real reason Billy Beane doesn’t want his A’s to steal bases is because he fears that too much running will wear down their shoes and he doesn’t want to have to be burdened with additional expenses for new footwear as its tough enough for mid-market teams to survive in the present fiscal make-up of the modern game.

6 Bud Selig wishes he was an Oscar Meyer Weiner. That is what he’d truly love to be.

5 The reason Cincinnati went from turf to grass is because they needed something to wrap Marge Schott in when they dumped her in the river (that might be in poor taste but she was a racist bigot).

4 Alex Rodriguez is a robot and if you open up his head you will find that he is powered by two hamsters working in tandem on a wheel. Scientists are working round the clock to find a more efficient power source in hopes that they can find the energy to power the personality sub-routines but as of yet no progress has been made as of yet.

3 The reason Hank Blalock is so slow is because he is weighed down with rubble that he must gradually disperse in the field. The rubble is from a tunnel that he is digging to Kansas City in a hope that he can rescue some of those poor guys from that horrible asylum. Other members of this movement include Sean Casey, Frank Thomas and Mike Piazza.

2 Pedro Martinez runs an underground network of male only clubs where men bond through the act of bare knuckle fighting and antiestablishment vigilantism but the first rule is he can’t talk about it.

1 Pete Rose didn’t do anything wrong …actually that last one is just too silly. I mean, who will believe that?

If you've got any rumours you'd like to start let us know. We'll always find space for them here.

The post says it all ...

2006-04-01T14:32:00.000Z

Well folks ..... winter is gone, spring training is nearly complete, and Pete finished his Previews in record time.

Come tomorrow it will be time to sit down, flick over the tv to Channel Five, and sit back and watch the action unfold once more.

What more can be said, than ....

Bring it on!!!

Fantasy Baseball : Where Steve Balboni Wouldn't Have Been So Bad

2006-03-30T08:09:00.000Z

With the new season looming upon us but not already here, the majority of us will find ourselves in fantasy baseball meltdown with pre-draft rankings and all sorts of statistical analysis being undertaken on order to ensure that you finish atop the league and secure bragging rights over your friends. After all, isn’t that why we play? To get one over on our amigos?

Fantasy baseball is fun and while this is just my second year of playing, I am already hooked but I do worry about the dark underbelly of the fantasy game. The insidious and hidden beasty under the bed or in the closet just waiting to attack as soon as mummy has left the room and turned off the lights.

The thing that concerns me is when people don’t seem to be able to see the difference between fantasy and reality and all the obsessive stat crunching and forecasting starts to erode and warp the mind into making people think that fantasy rankings represent the breakdown of actual talent in the league. The guys who take the field and sweat in the sun get transformed from flesh and blood athletes into little more than numbers and countless people end up watching the game and seeing something akin to the code in The Matrix.

Can you believe there are actually think that Jeff Kent is the greatest 2-bagger of the last decade? Or that Mike Piazza is a great catcher who should not be confused, when in the field, with some sort of novelty garden gnome? Yes, this is the dark shadow of fantasy baseball. The big downer after the sugar rush.

A case in point is that of Victor Martinez. Now, I have joined two fantasy leagues and in both I made it a priority to draft Martinez and he was a second rounder for me in both. Martinez is a great hitter and should be streets ahead of any other catcher in baseball in terms of offensive production (hence the high fantasy value I place upon him) but if this were real life would I draft him so high? Not likely. In the real world give me a Molina (any of the three really) or a Mike Matheny any day of the week. I’m not saying Martinez isn’t a great player and he would easily be in my top 10 catchers (maybe even top 5) but a good catcher isn’t all about the bat.

Of course the likes of Albert Pujols and Johan Santana are great fantasy players as well as being great players in general so don’t think I feel there is no correlation between the real world and that of fantasy leagues but if you look at someone like Mo Rivera it might become clearer. Rivera is arguably the best closer in baseball but will he record the most saves this year? Again, not likely because his team will be such an offensive juggernaut that he won’t get as many save opportunities as someone like Joe Nathan or Brad Lidge. This all ends up being linked to the whole lies and statistics debate.

As much as I dislike all of Bill James statistical shenanigans I do understand what he is hoping to achieve as all his permutations are based on the fact that its not one or two stats that dictate a good player from bad but a combination of several variables and some are more important than others but all need to be weighed into the equation. Its like a physicists quest to discover dark matter, you try to find that hidden variable that brings all the other parts together to form something palpable that makes everything more complete, decisive and conclusive and you do your best to express those findings.

Of course we must also take account for the scoring system which is possibly the biggest factor in sculpting how we measure the value of players in the fantasy world. In standard 5x5 leagues our offensive players are generally ranked in terms of runs, homeruns, RBI, stolen bases and batting average. Now a good leadoff man might rack up a good average (although the greatest of all time only had a lifetime average of about .279 but the second most walks ever always helps pad your OBP), swipe a few bags and score runs and in doing so will be as valuable to his team in the real world as any of the guys batting behind him but those sluggers will be looking to hit homeruns (not the job of the guys ahead of them), drive in runs (those runs our table setters will be scoring), will also be looking to hit for average and will score runs by driving themselves in (homerun hitters will do that). So even though good leadoff men are rarer creatures in the modern game and are the sparkplugs that power hitters feed off, they will only likely be scoring in two or three categories whereas those big, greedy power hitters will be looking to rack up stats in four of the five statistical groups. In fact the homerun itself will boost your numbers in the runs scored and runs batted in so in essence it counts triple so how is that really fair?

Lets face it, fantasy baseball loves the long ball. In fact in standard 5x5 the triple doesn’t count at all and triples are harder to come by so that’s another dig at the fast guys and not just the fast guys. Remember the year Albert Belle had 50 HR and 52 doubles in just 143 games? Well as incredible a year as that was for Albert, those 50 doubles mean jack to a lot of fantasy owners. Shouldn’t this be a matter of judging offensive output? Isn’t that how fantasy baseball is supposed to work?

We could also go on about how its more impressive for a catcher to hit 30 homers than for a first baseman and how that really doesn’t factor into an extrapolations but that might be seen as being picky but imagine if there was a way to place value on defensive ability and you could have each position with different statistical weightings based on the position a player played. That would be a tough league!

But as much as fantasy ball loves the long ball, it is absolutely enamoured with the K. With the standard 5x5 categories of wins, saves, strikeouts, ERA and WHIP a good pitcher of any type will do well in most of those but only a power pitcher will get the strikeouts. So even though one guy can record three outs on three pitches which carries the same relative results as someone striking out three straight guys, the power guy will be of more use to a fantasy owner. So it becomes less about results or performance and more about stat accumulation.

The really funny thing is that you don’t even need to be a good pitcher to put up a fair few strikeouts. 153 K’s is not a bad total but Daniel Cabrera matched that with an ERA of 4.52 which isn’t so great. Similar story with Javier Vasquez (192, 4.42) and more relievers than you can shake a stick at. In fact every pitcher will strike out some guys over a year.

Of course the capital crime of fantasy baseball lies in the inherit inability to formulate a fair statistic to judge defensive ability and as a result it gets ignored. I get so fed up with people who just don’t seem to realise that baseball is really a team sport and if you carry a bat then you carry a glove. Then you realise that someone like Andruw Jones will take away as many runs as he will score but people don’t realise that not every outfielder can make the grabs he does but then those people have probably never seen Roger Cedeno in the field. Strong defence wins games in the real world but not in fantasy baseball.

Championship teams are built up the middle but fantasy teams are scrambled together from here there and everywhere. You don’t even need to mix up lefties and righties or put together platoons or play match-ups so if you don’t come on top of your league and your friend tries to convince you that he’s the man just remind them that if this were the real world your boys would have had the right blend of team chemistry and timely hits to carry you to the promised land and that fantasy baseball is just a bit of fun and nothing much else…at least that’ll be my excuse…not that I need one because my teams kick donkey. Always good to have an alibi though.

Toronto Blue Jays

2006-03-26T08:05:00.000Z

No one made more noise in the off season than Toronto and they will be hopeful that the investment can help to improve last seasons 82-80 record and do the unthinkable and contend in the East.

Pitching

As per usual last year Roy Halladay was one of the best pitchers in the AL and then injury hit. He truly is one of the very, very best and if he was playing for a higher profile team he might get more credit for it.

So much was made of AJ Burnett all the way through the off-season as Toronto won the race to sign him but he has never fully realised his potential thus far in his career. He possesses one of the very best fastballs in the game but he just doesn’t challenge hitters enough and walks far too many batters. I hope Jays fans don’t expect too much out of him. I also hope Jays fans don’t expect too much out of sophomore pitcher Gustavo Chacin who had a tremendous start to his rookie campaign but the ERA gradually climbed the longer the season wore on.

Competition for the spots in the rotation should be hot with Josh Towers coming off a solid season, Ted Lilly looking to reassert himself and Dustin McGowan lurking in the wings.

You don’t see too many hard throwing lefties and Toronto picked up one of the best to nail down the ninth for them. BJ Ryan struck out 100 in 70 1/3 innings whilst picking up 36 saves in Baltimore last year and there should be little doubt he can repeat that showing. The rest of the pen is an interesting bunch with a pair of solid veteran lefties in Scott Schoeneweis and Scott Downs and righty Justin Speier joined by youngsters Brandon League and Jason Fraser.

Defence

Between Greg Zaun, Guillermo Quiroz and Bengie Molina the Jays are as strong as anyone at catcher and Molina in particular is probably the best in the AL once he dons the armour.

The outfield also has one of the best in the business with Vernon Wells looking for his third straight Gold Glove in centre. Having him out there certainly helps out the left field platoon of Frank Catalanotto and Reed Johnson who are both unspectacular to say the least. Alexis Rios is blooming nicely in right.

The infield is the clubs biggest question mark after a major reshaping which sees Russ Adams as the only guy returning to the same position. There has long been a question of how the Jays would handle Adams and Aaron Hill and with Hill moving to second to replace Orlando Hudson we shall soon see if the club made the right decision. Both are athletic but have average range.
Troy Glaus has been slowed by injuries but still plays a good third base when he’s healthy.

Offence

The key to how successful this team is this year is the health of Glaus who is as fearsome a slugger as you will find. If he lasts a whole year he has enough power to register close to 50 HR. With him on board the likes of Vernon Wells and Lyle Overbay should be more effective as pitchers will be more inclined to pitch to them to avoid the big bruiser.

Russ Adams had a hit and miss season but looked far more comfortable once inserted into the leadoff spot towards the end of the year. He will need to carry that over to this season.

Alexis Rios gets better and better but he still hasn’t discovered that power the club are convinced he has and at age 25 this is the time when he should be reaching his physical prime.
Shea Hillenbrand, Eric Hinske, John-Ford Griffin and Catalanotto give the team depth but if Glaus goes down there really isn’t another out and out power threat to replace him.

Rookie Watch

Its not been a smooth journey for Dustin McGowan but as soon as his elbow got healthy he started looking like a pitcher capable of dominating hitters. He’ll return to the minors to start the year with all the depth in starting pitching the Jays have, but should be first in line for a call up. He has a good assortment of power pitches including a nasty slider he can clock up to 88 mph.

Brandon League is reminiscent of former Jays prospect Billy Koch in that he has an incredible raw power arm capable of triple digits on the gun but somehow remains far too hittable. The club are hopeful that he can refine his mechanics and get a more consistent release point so that his location will improve and his electric stuff can become more effective.

Management

JP Ricciardi took a sledgehammer to this team when he first came to the club and after knocking it down he has started to build shiny new things. He may have overspent to bring in guys like Burnett and Ryan but they are far from being bad pick ups and the Jays farm system is fast becoming one of the best in baseball.

John Gibbons has had good success throughout the years as a minor league coach in the Mets system and did quite well guiding the Jays to an 80-82 record in his first full year. In fact if not for injuries to key players (most notably Halladay) it could have been better.

Outlook

The core of this team is still very young but all the pieces are there. Conceivably there aren’t any glaring holes in this unit and they will be especially confident with their pitching and if Glaus can provide the power all year then don’t be surprised to see the Jays in the post-season for the first time since they won it all in ‘93.

Tampa Bay Devil Rays

2006-03-25T09:15:00.000Z

Tampa finished with a 67-95 record last year and once again finished dead last in the AL East. Only once in the teams eight year history have they avoided this 'honour'.

Pitching

Lets kick things off with the good and that’s Scott Kazmir is back and will be heading the rotation and if he can cut down on the walks he could have a great year. The bad is Jeff Niemann and Edwin Jackson probably still need more time in the minors to fine tune their talents. If all three come out of Spring Training (that’s a huge ‘if’) then Tampa could have the best rotation in franchise history and it will get better as it matures with time.

The ugly is that Mark Hendrickson, Doug Waechter and Casey Fossum are likely going to be integral to any success the team might have and none has ever really done much.

The bullpen is also sketchy especially with Danys Baez and Lance Carter both gone in the off season. Dan Miceli has been brought in and long before he got hit with the injury bug he was a good closer in Arizona but the club hope he will be setting up rookie Chad Orvella and while he looked good after his call-up last year, it might be a bit much to expect him to close in his first full season.

Trever Miller is a solid lefty specialist but the rest of the pen looks unconvincing to say the least.

Defence

Take your pick of Carl Crawford, Rocco Baldelli, Joey Gathright, Aubrey Huff and Delmon Young and you’ll have a good outfield shame the same thing can’t be said about the infield. Sean Burroughs and Travis Lee are solid citizens at the corners but Jorge Cantu is a prototypical “he’s there for his bat” type guy. Julio Lugo is a solid shortstop but the club will be hoping BJ Upton can finally lay claim to his spot in the bigs and he’s not so good. Round here we call him ‘E6’ Upton.

Kevin Cash could be a Gold Glover if he could hit and as a result he’ll be backing up Toby Hall who calls a good game but is straight average across the board.

Offence

The Rays have been very protective of their blue chip prospects (overly so to be honest) and this should be the first year when all those guys finally play together in Tropicana Field. Carl Crawford is stupid fast and with his maturing body and improved patience his power numbers should go up and he is not far from just exploding.

Jorge Cantu surprised everyone when he hit 28 homeruns and drove in a team high 117 RBI and he’ll be looking to prove it wasn’t a fluke and his double play partner could be equally productive. BJ Upton has been held back because of his defence but his bat has been ready for a couple of years. He has tremendous speed and great hands that should see him produce a truckload of offence when he gets the call.

Aubrey Huff is another guy who could have a strong year with all this added support this year and when you mix in Rocco Baldelli back from injury you have an offence with the potential to score a lot of runs both through power and with speed. Tampa won’t be a pushover this year.

Rookie Watch

Where to start? Delmon Young has started slowly at every level he has played at and then has soon made the adjustments and dominated. He has such a great approach to hitting for someone his age and he can still get better. He has a good eye and drives the ball to all fields with authority and is a good bet for Rookie of the Year honours when he finally gets his shot. There is nothing he is not capable of doing on a baseball field.

Chad Orvella has a lively fastball and a good changeup and the mentality to be an effective closer one day and that day might have to be opening day with all the personnel changes in the off-season.

Before Scott Kazmir was acquired Jeff Niemann was the future of the D-Rays rotation but injuries have slowed his progress considerably. He has all the stuff, including a nasty slide piece, but with all the time he’s missed he still needs fine tuning and you’re never sure how long it will be till the next injury. He likely will start the year in the minors but should see time in Tampa some time this year.

Management

With the club under new ownership the whole front office was totally gutted and revamped and the clubs desire to finally start moving up in the world was most evident when the club announced that Gerry Hunsicker would be the new GM.

Hunsicker made the Astros perennial contenders on a budget and is one of the most savvy executives you will find. You can also be sure he won’t sit on his big time prospects like the previous regime did.

Sadly the club could not hold onto Lou Piniella’s services during the shake up. Rightly fed up with the way the club was run he got out of dodge and has been replaced by Joe Maddon who has been plying his trade as Mike Scioscia’s bench coach in Anaheim which is not a bad place to be learning.

Outlook

Their pitching is still too thin right now but the pieces are starting to look like they are about to start falling into place. The offence (particluarly after the inevitable mid-season call ups) should see them up their win total from last year and don’t be surprised if they go through a spell here or there where they start beating a lot of good teams but they are still a side looking just to not finish last in the East.

New York Yankees

2006-03-24T08:34:00.000Z

Despite injuries and underperforming players the Yankees managed to secure their 39th division crown and their 8th in a row but the biggest team in baseball still fell at the first hurdle to a similarly underperforming Angels side in the playoffs.

Pitching
Before the start of last season the Yankees splashed a lot of cash on pitching and they really didn’t get anywhere near the kind of production they had hoped for. Jaret Wright spent most of the year on the DL and was poor when healthy. Carl Pavano also spent a lot of time out and was very average when he did play and Randy Johnson was good, especially down the stretch, but you don’t get a guy like Johnson just to be good. The Big Unit will be 42 next year and he needs show people that he’s not on the wane and that he can still be the fearsome and dominating pitcher who won four straight Cy’s not too long ago.

The most consistent starter was Chien-Ming Wang who emerged as an unlikely ace to the staff till shoulder problems hit him late on. He showed great poise and was totally un-phased by the bright lights and high scrutiny that comes with being a Yankee and he’ll be looking to build upon last seasons success and there’s no reason to think he won’t.

The bullpen is once again anchored by the amazing Mariano Rivera who had one of his best seasons to date last year. When he comes in the game is over and his cutter is as good a pitch as you’ll see.

The set-up staff behind Rivera is much improved from last year with righties Kyle Farnsworth and Octavio Dotel both possessing dominating, high velocity stuff that has seen them close at times in their careers (to varying levels of success) and lefties Mike Myers (I’m sure he wants to retire having played for every team in baseball) and Ron Villone both capable of logging innings and being tough in situational work. Tanyon Sturtz will likely once again be the swingman handling long duty and taking spot starts where needed.

Defence

The infield D should be an adventure with Robinson Cano carrying his iron glove to the right side with the mobility challenged Jason Giambi. Cano is one of those guys who will go through his whole career having people say he will be moving to a new position.

The left side of the infield has Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez who both have average range but secure hands and strong arms. All in all there will be holes on the infield for hitters to poke through.

Jorge Posada is showing his age behind the plate. He has a strong enough arm to keep runners honest but his footwork is often very laboured.

Bernie Williams has always had good range but has been heavily criticised due to his poor arm and now the Yankees have replaced him with Johnny Damon who has always had good range but has a very poor arm. If you put the two together you might get a passable Major League arm. In left field Hideki Matsui regressed a lot last and looked robotic in his movement. With all the ground to cover in left at Yankee Stadium he needs to up his game.

Offence

This line-up will probably lead the universe in runs scored this year.

Johnny Damon’s OBP is nowhere near as good as his high profile would suggest but he managed to be productive enough in Boston in front of some big bats and he has plenty of muscle backing him up in Yankee town too. With Jeter also helping to set the table this meaty line-up will have plenty to gobble up this season.

A-Rod will once again challenge for the homerun crown this year and Jason Giambi started to show the form that made him a league MVP before all the drugs furore. Robinson Cano had an impressive rookie year too and showed himself to be a smart hitter with occasional pop who uses the whole field.

The best hitter on the team remains Gary Sheffield who has the quickest hands in the game. He hits all pitches hard and on a line and the only thing that stops him hitting more homeruns is because he hit’s the ball so truly it doesn’t get elevated enough. There is no one out there who can get a fastball by him.

Rookie Watch

This is the Yankees. They only seem to produce home grown impact players by accident these days (they only turned to Wang and Cano last year only after they had tried everything else first). They tried to plug Melky Cabrera into the line-up to solve their centerfield problems and he was totally overwhelmed and not ready and now no one is sure what he’ll end up doing.

There is an outside shot we will see Eric Duncan some time this year but with the corner infield positions well covered at the big club we might not see him in a Yankee uniform. Duncan is an average third baseman who probably will end up at first or the outfield. He’s a smart hitter with a good left handed stroke that should get him homeruns at the big league level.

Management

You cannot understate the job Joe Torre has done as manager of this team of superstar multi-millionaire egos. You very rarely hear his players complain about playing issues and fewer say anything bad about him. He’s pretty much done it all and is as good as they come but he still doesn’t seem to be able to wear his hat properly (have a look, its like he’s not so much wearing it but balancing it on his head).

GM Brian Cashman has long been seen as George Steinbrenners glove puppet or had his efforts dismissed due to the huge payroll he handles. The thing I would question is why he changed the team set-up from the one used when they were winning World Series? They didn’t really have any big sluggers on those teams but had a bunch of character guys, many developed within the system, who played strong defence and knew fundamental baseball and many of those qualities have been abandoned with a thin farm system, a bevy of immovable contracts and a lot of average glovemen and stoic sluggers. Why change a system that works so well?

Outlook

Once again this team is built to roll through the regular season with a fearsome batting order that will bully the lesser teams in the league and with Jeter and Damon at the top of the order they might be able to sustain that into the post-season but the real question lies in the rotation where high priced players need to play like they can otherwise they will be disappointed again come October.

2006 Predictions!

2006-03-23T20:11:00.001Z

Just thought i'd interupt Pete's excellent previews for a minute (Sorry Pete!) to announce that the Spurious Blog Team's 2006 Predictions are now online. Just click on The Predictions in the right-hand menu to laugh at ..... erm, i mean to study them, of course!!!

Also, don't forget, we'd love to hear from more of you - so if you want to submit your own set of predictions, please do so via the Contact the Blog, and we will add them to the page!

Boston Red Sox

2006-03-23T08:32:00.000Z

Even with the injuries last year, the Red Sox had plenty of opportunity to walk away with the East but never did. Their 95-67 record won them the Wild Card and a quick playoff exit at the hands of the eventual champs.

Pitching

On paper the rotation should be as good as any with Curt Schilling, David Wells and Matt Clement joined by newly acquired Josh Beckett but Schilling and Beckett are serious health concerns (Wells too but in a different way) and while Clement was awesome in the first half of last season he was awful in the second and that might be an understatement. Elsewhere Tim Wakefield can log good innings but if Schilling and Beckett go down again then he and Jon Papelbon aren’t really capable of picking up the slack.

Whereas the bullpen imploded in on itself last year they have worked hard to patch it up but much still relies on the health of Keith Foulke who missed a large chunk of time due to injury and wasn’t that effective when he was healthy. The form of Mike Timlin helped the team cover for the loss of Foulke and he is one of the few who returns and with the likes of David Riske, Craig Hanson, Rudy Seanez and Jon Lester the club is now much better prepared if injuries hit.

Defence

The Red Sox infield defence hasn’t been good for a while and that includes their World Series winning team but that should change after a drastic makeover with Gold Glove winners Alex Gonzalez, JT Snow and Mike Lowell all coming in and along with Mark Loretta and Alex Cora there is no shortage of quality glove work on the roster. Throw in club general Jason Varitek behind the plate and you have more than enough to make any pitcher feel secure.

The addition of Coco Crisp to the outfield also improves the defence from last year and with Trot Nixon safely patrolling right he can more than cover for Manny Ramirez and his eccentric outfield play.

Offence

Manny will always be Manny and he came under a lot of scrutiny after saying he wanted to be traded but if it effected his performance then he is much better than I ever thought with his 45 homeruns and 144 RBI again proving he is as good a run producer as has played the game for decades and combined with David Ortiz and his 47 homeruns and 148 RBI and you have a problem if you’re the pitcher facing this team.

The team may have lost Johnny Damon at the top of the order but whereas Coco Crisp might not have Damon’s eccentricities and profile he doesn’t fall too far off in terms of talent and posted similar numbers to Damon despite a slow start and Crisp is coming into his prime. Mark Loretta is also adept at getting on base in the second spot and is a versatile bat handler who has lots of quality at bats.

There are fears that Boston’s offence has taken a hit over the off season but if there was one team in MLB who could afford to maybe loosen the belt it was Boston and they still have good hitters all the way down with Jason Varitek and Trot Nixon consistent performers and Mike Lowell will be eager to put last year behind him. Boston should once again score plenty of runs.

Wily Mo Pena seems to have walked out of one outfield logjam and into another but he will provide plenty of pop when he’s playing. He has been begging to be given more playing time and maybe he’ll get it in a league with the DH.

Rookie Watch

Boston sacrificed a lot of high ceiling prospects in the off season and most their better farmhands are a year or two away (not that they are a team who build from within). Craig Hansen has the best chance of cracking the line-up and having an impact. He will one day be the teams closer but will likely be used in set-up duty. He’s only had a year of professional ball but he already has one of the nastiest sliders in the minors and it complements his mid-90’s fastball well.

Management

Does anyone really know what happened to Theo Epstein? He disappeared for a few months and the team started haemorrhaging talent left right and centre and since he decided to come back he has frantically tried to piece together guys to plug the holes in the side. There are few more aggressive GM’s in baseball and he usually finds a way to get what he wants but his sabbatical hasn’t helped his team.

Terry Francona has had great teams to put on the field in his time with Boston and he has done a good job of not interfering and keeping things simple and just allowing his players to do their jobs. He maye doesn’t have the depth of talent he might have gotten used to so we shall see how he fares if injuries start to hit his more brittle stars.

Outlook

As goes the pitching so goes the Red Sox. Beckett, Schilling and Foulke need to be healthy for the majority of the year and producing for this team to be what the fans have come to expect. It won’t take much to get this team stumbling.

Baltimore Orioles

2006-03-22T08:59:00.000Z

After a tremedous start last year Baltimore slumped big time in the second half and finished fourth in the East with a 74-88 record after some thought they might oust Boston or New York from a playoff spot.

Pitching

Erik Bedard, Bruce Chen, Daniel Cabrera and Rodrigo Lopez can all be summed up as solid starters. Over the course of a season they’ll all end up with OK numbers but nothing special. Of course the addition of Leo Mazzone to the coaching staff could well have an impact on some of these guys, particularly Bedard.

There are a few wild cards in the mix for the rotation number one being Kris Benson who was acquired in a trade with the Mets after never really being as good as they hoped he would be in Pittsburgh. He locates his fastball well and has a very good curve which are exactly the sort of things that Mazzone knows how to utilise.

The other bonuses for the O’s could be youngsters Hayden Penn and Adam Loewen who might not quite be ready for the big time but should factor in at some point this year. Loewen in particular impressed during the recent WBC.

The pen is a bit of a mystery with the departure of BJ Ryan. LaTroy Hawkins and Todd Williams are the only guys who have logged serious time in the Majors but both have proven in that time that they are better suited to set-up roles. Chris Ray could assume the role in his first full year after a promising spell towards the end of last season.

Defence

Melvin Mora, Miguel Tajada and Brian Roberts are as good as it gets on the infield and should make people forget that its only Kevin Millar at first. I have been amazed how Tejada has been overlooked for the Gold Glove the last two seasons (well I don’t know how a few guys got overlooked in place of Jeter).

Corey Patterson has been much maligned in his Major League career up to this point but that has had nothing to do with his defence where he covers an impressive amount of ground similarly Luis Matos and whoever starts in centre gives the team plus defence.

Jay Gibbons is forgettable in the outfield which isn’t as bad as it might seem because we all remember the guys who make the mistakes as much as we do the ones on the highlight reels.
Ramon Hernandez and Javy Lopez are very similar defensively as both have strong arms and average to below average mechanics but Hernandez will likely get the majority of starts here due to his play calling and his general ability to handle pitchers.

Offence

Mora, Tejada and Roberts are guys you can build an order around. Roberts won the batting crown last year and he has emerged over the last two years as one of the best lead-off men in the AL.

I don’t know how anyone can dispute Tejada as the best shortstop in baseball and its testament to his ability that a .304, 26, 98 season could be construed as a sub-par season. Though there has been much said about how happy or unhappy he is in Baltimore he still will produce.

Melvin Mora continues to go unnoticed. He hits for good power whilst being a patient and disciplined hitter and has quintuplets waiting at home.

Javy Lopez is a very good hitting catcher with power and in fact there are plenty of guys who can take the ball out of the park up and down the roster with Gibbons, Matos, Nick Markakis and Millar all with good pop the only problem is there isn’t one guy who really stands out as the big bopper to anchor the group.

Rookie Watch

Nick Markakis is the clubs top farmhand and the lack of depth in the Orioles outfield could see him on the opening day roster. He’ll be 22 on opening day and hasn’t quite grown into his power yet but he’s hits to all fields and has good athleticism and speed which helps him both on the bases and in the field. He figures to develop into a true five tool player.

Chris Ray has every chance of being the clubs closer with his mid-90’s fastball, hard slider and the attitude that means he won’t back down from anyone. All the right ingredients to be a good closer.

Management

New manager Sam Perlozzo’s best value might end up being his friendship with Leo Mazzone. Perolozzo showed great poise as the team did its customary melt down in the stretch and with Mazzone to sort out the pitchers this could conceivably be a step in the right direction.

Of course the big issue here is owner Peter Angelos who handcuffs his front office more than any other owner and it really inhibits the teams ability to develop any continuity and stability and even impacts how the club drafts its players. Basically the infrastructure of the team is a mess and that’s why they haven’t had much success over the last decade. They don’t even have an official GM right now with Mike Flanagan promoted to Vice President of Baseball Operations.

Who would want to be the GM of this club?

Outlook

They have the ability to score runs consistently although maybe not in big bunches but even if Mazzone weaves his magic there might not be enough pitching talent here, especially in the pen, to truly be competitive in a tough division and it would take a lot of things to go right to make the playoffs.

St Louis Cardinals

2006-03-21T09:12:00.000Z

Despite injuries to key players, the Cards still finished the year with the best record in baseball (100-62) before a bizarre meltdown in the NLCS against Houston that cost them a deserved World Series berth.

Pitching

Even though Chris Carpenter has had two great seasons back-to-back I still can’t help but feel its only a matter of time until injury hits again. You only have to look at last years numbers to see how good he can be when healthy and he was the best pitcher in MLB last year and will be integral to the Cards push this year.

Mark Mulder has come under some criticism in recent years for being a bit brittle but he still managed to put together 205 innings. He’s still got the ability to be one of the best in the league and when you look at how much the Cards got out of Jason Marquis and Jeff Suppan you have to believe they can get more out of Mulder.

The big challenge will be what can the club get out of Sidney Ponson who has shown that he can be a good starter but doesn’t seem to have the dedication to his conditioning to make the most of his ability and add to that a series of off the field incidents you have to wonder what Walt Jockety had in mind when he signed him?

The key to much of the success of St Louis in recent years has been down to the bullpen where Tony La Russa goes to often. It is anchored by Jason Isringhausen who never seems to be given the credit he deserves. He is easily amongst the top three closers in the National League and the lefty righty combo of Ricardo Rincon and Braden Looper should get him the lead safely. Looper is a classic Jocketty pick up, a maligned player who was asked by one team to do one thing and then signed by St Louis to do what he is more suited to. He dominates right handers.

Defence

Scott Rolen is the best defensive third baseman since Mike Schmidt and as much as people want to criticise David Eckstein he is still a good shortstop and the left side of the infield will continue to be strong…that is unless Rolen gets injured again.

The right side of the infield will see a fight to play second during Spring Training between Aaron Miles and Junior Spivey and both are capable glovemen. There is an outside shot that Travis Hanson might break the line-up but he is still learning how to play second. Albert Pujols at first is the best player in the game and his D could earn him a Gold Glove in the not too distant future.

Jim Edmonds plays for the cameras but somehow manages to get away with it. He patrols centerfield with the best of them and he’s flanked to his right by the superb glove work of Juan Encarnacion. It is unsure who will play left but there are good options in So Taguchi and Larry Bigbie

The mid-west branch of the Molina catching group is the youngest and has every chance to be the best. He threw out base runners at a frightening rate last year and you can be sure less people will be trying their luck this year. As with all those Molinas (I wonder if Alfred has considered a career move?) he just does everything well back there.

Offence

Albert Pujols is the best player in baseball and his approach to hitting is simply incredible. He makes quick adjustments, his hands are as good as it gets, I could go on for hours on all the things that make this guy special. He even stole 16 bases last year. Best player in baseball.

David Eckstein will set the table and is a very smart ball player who knows all the tricks to get on base and make a nuisance of himself and once he’s on its not just Pujols the opposition needs to worry about. Ideally they’d have an extra left handed bat but when you have to go through Pujols, Edmonds, Rolen and Encarnacion that’s a tough ask for anyone.

Rookie Watch

Anthony Reyes had one start for St Louis last year after his call up and went 6 1/3 and allowed two hits…which isn’t bad I suppose. In fact he only allowed 6 hits in the full 13 innings he was up and struck out 12 and should have an inside track to the fifth spot in the rotation. He attacks hitters and has great control of some lively stuff and should give the Cards even more depth to an already deep staff.

Management

Tony La Russa has a reputation for being one of the best in the game and while I might dispute that I do have to admit he has had a great deal of success everywhere he goes. He plays the situational game as much as anyone and it always amazes me how well the Cards bullpen has been in recent years because he goes there so often that you’d think he’d burn them out. He did a great job with a bunch of bit players last year when injuries hit key players.

If there’s a move to be made then Walt Jocketty will make it. There are few other GM’s who seem to have the knack of picking up exactly the right player at exactly the right time but it has often come at the expense of the farm system where depth is a serious issue. They have managed to produce a few impact players (that Pujols guy is pretty good) but they have mishandled guys like Bud Smith and Rick Ankiel and very few role players seem to ever come from within.

Outlook

They are still the team to beat in the Central but competition will continue to be tougher than it has been. If they continue to make the most of their pitching and nothing happens to MVP-until-someone-does-something-about-it Pujols then they could again be on the path to the World Series.

Pittsburgh Pirates

2006-03-20T08:49:00.000Z

The last time this team had a .500 record was when Bonds was in town and they have a lot of work to do if they are going to hit that mark this year after a 67-95 year that saw them rock bottom of the Central.

Pitching

Lets say this right of the bat so there’s no confusion or misunderstanding, Zach Duke will not be as good this year as he was last, its just not possible that he can keep his ERA under 2.00. The real question is what sort of standard can he maintain over a full year? The first month of the season will probably give us an idea if the league has figured him out over the off-season and if he really will be an ace for years to come.

There is so much promise in the Pirates rotation with Duke being accompanied by Paul Maholm, who looked very good in a late season cameo and John Van Benschoten who was slated to be the impact rookie in the rotation last year before three arthroscopic shoulder surgeries ruled him out for the year. Perhaps the biggest question Pirates fans will be asking is which Oliver Perez will show up this season? The one who dominated hitters in ‘04 or the one who showed up out of shape for ‘05? Word has it the Pirates had him on a strict regimen over the winter in order to ensure the former turns up.

Much was expected of Kip Wells last year and while he showed spells of being the pitcher we know he can be, there were longer stints of ordinariness and 182 innings isn’t a good return for someone you were looking to build a staff around, especially when you walk 99 guys during those 182 innings.

Jose Mesa has jumped ship which will mean there will be a quick rethink of the bullpen. Roberto Hernandez and Damaso Marte have both been brought in and have experience closing games and either could be the stopgap until the club feels Matt Capps is ready. The rest of the pen is relatively young and inexperienced with lefties Mike Gonzalez and John Grabow coming off solid seasons but its all a matter of wait and see.

Defence

Jose Castillo and Jack Wilson give the infield a strong anchor and Joe Randa at third is a plus defender but may have to share time with Jose Bautista if the offence is struggling. Brad Eldred is solid first baseman and gives a big target for his team mates to hit.

The likes of Jason Bay, Jeromy Burnitz, Nate McLouth and Jody Gerut are all solid outfielders but none is really a true centre fielder. The likely result will be that the team will select the best three bats for the line-up and then plug them into defensive positions which means Craig Wilson will be plugged in somewhere and he’s really a first baseman/DH.

The likes of Humberto Cota and Ryan Doumit are solid and passable at catcher. They really are just holding down the fort till Neil Walker is ready.

Offence

Jason Bay is an excellent hitter combining discipline (95 BB) and good power (32 HR) but he’s not really the power bat that can strike fear into a pitcher when you look at an order and for much of last season Bay was it. However this year he has monster masher Brad Eldred behind him and he can send the ball a long, long way. Jeromy Burnitz has been brought in to give even more added muscle, and Craig Wilson gets very hot from time to time but this is still a lightweight line-up. They will be hoping that Jose Bautista develops quickly and can contribute.

If this team is to score enough runs to move on in this league they will need consistency at the top but who will do that? Nate McLouth and Rajaj Davis maybe are the best options and maybe Jose Castillo but its all a bit uncertain.

Rookie Watch

Brad Eldred has a lot of Jim Thome about him in that he’s big, swings hard and when he makes contact he can send them into orbit. He’s also a solid defender and the club will be hoping he can be an impact player this year in a side desperate for power bats.

Paul Maholm posted a 2.18 ERA in six starts last year which might be a tad crappy considering what Duke was able to do but I’m sure the Pirates feel confident he can produce for the team this year. He’s not the hardest thrower around but he does have a good assortment of pitches and excellent control.

He may be a long shot to crack the roster to start the year but Jose Bautista is the clubs third baseman of the future. He needs to work on his D but his bat is what will carry him where he wants to go.

Management

GM David Littlefield inherited a mess when he took over but Pittsburgh are working hard to build a strong foundation and this commitment to youth is well illustrated by a very young big league unit built primarily around guys who have played less than three years. The thing that has impressed me over the off-season is the way Littlefield has brought in a handful of savvy veterans with strong leadership skills with the likes of Roberto Hernandez who has done it all in his day and ‘The Mayor’ Sean Casey who will be a tremendous influence on the youngsters.

Casey is one of baseballs great characters who has built a career on doing the things people said he couldn’t do and will be a tremendous asset for Jim Tracy whose small ball tendencies will be invaluable for this team. Tracy preaches fundamentals and did well in LA with a team built on pitching and defence and not a lot of fire power.

Outlook

The NL Central will be tough this year and if the Pirates are going to stick around they need their pitching staff to carry the load and that’s a lot of pressure to put on a young group. Their offence needs a lot of things to click.

Milwaukee Brewers

2006-03-19T10:57:00.000Z

The Brewers made large strides last year. After three consecutive last place finishes (four straight 90+ loss years) they finished third in the division with an 81-81 record. With their youngsters gaining experience all the time, they could be in line for further gains.

Pitching

2005 was a breakout year for Chris Capuano that saw him gaining votes on the Cy Young ballot. If he can keep up that level then that will give the Brewers three great pitchers to build a rotation upon with southpaw Doug Davis and ace Ben Sheets who has as good stuff as anyone in the league and he knows it. He will pour it on, throwing strikes and forces hitters to beat him and with that curveball of his few do.

The back end should be solid with Tomo Okha and David Bush able starters and rookie Dana Eveland looking like the fifth starter. The club hope Jose Capellan can lay claim to a starting role with his power stuff but it looks increasingly like he is destined for a career in the bullpen.

Derrick Turnbow came out of nowhere to emerge as a tough closer posting 39 saves and a 1.74 ERA and he’ll want to prove those numbers weren’t a fluke. If he can’t repeat then Capellan has the stuff to be effective in that role and Dan Kolb has proved before that he can close for the Brewers and will be wanting to prove himself after a disappointing season in Atlanta. Justin Lehr and lefties Jorge De La Rosa and Manny Parra give an impressive amount of depth to go to.

Defence

Bill Hall and J.J. Hardy give the left side of the infield a sturdy look but questions will be asked on the right side where Prince Fielder is not that much more mobile than his father was (remember BIG Cecil?) and Rickie Weeks, although athletic and speedy, can make simple plays look hard but he is working hard to improve.

Geoff Jenkins and Brady Clark are both good fielding outfielders capable of playing centre although their arms may be a little shorter than ideal in right but with Carlos Lee in the line-up neither are going to play left. Lee works hard but bless him, he’s just not that great a fielder.

Damian Miller has a history of working well with good pitching staffs and he certainly has one here. He may not have the strongest arm or be the most mobile but he calls a good game.

Offence

For a good while last year you could have given Carlos Lee serious MVP considerations with the way he was raking the ball. Even though he tailed off towards the end he still ended up with 32 homers and 114 RBI and seemed to enjoy the added responsibility he’s been given since leaving the White Sox.

Lee will be given plenty of support in the line-up with Jenkins back again and Prince Fielder who should be an early favourite for Rookie of the Year honours. Fielder has good plate presence and power to all fields.

The most exciting player on the roster could be sophomore Rickie Weeks who was impressive after being called up last year with his combination of speed and power. His average plummeted during the final month but that had a lot to do with a badly injured thumb that needed surgery after the season. He has a lightning quick bat and watch out for him this year.

The top of the order will be looked after by Brady Clark who had a solid year in the leadoff spot that was rewarded recently with a contract extension.

Rookie Watch

Prince Fielder is a fearsome hitter and really looks like he could be every bit as good as his father was although he shouldn’t have to wait as long for a stolen base. There are fears that he could emulate his father in terms of weight gain too but maybe that is down to genetics.

Management

Under the direction of GM Doug Melvin, the Milwaukee Brewers have emerged as one of the best run organisations in baseball with an absolute bevy of young talent bursting from every level and the plan of building a contender from within looks like its about to bare fruit in the not too distant future.

Manager Ned Yost has a reputation of standing by his players and working well with young players. He strongly believes that players learn by doing and working through problems. With the team starting to come together his game management skills will come under the microscope and if he fails there the team could look elsewhere in order to take them to the next level.

Outlook

There is so much promise on this team and the rotation alone makes them a contender but if the players who emerged last year continue to develop and the guys promoted this year do well then this is a team that could surprise a lot of people.

Houston Astros

2006-03-18T09:00:00.000Z

The Astros got hot at almost exactly the right time last year and rode a rich vein of form down the stretch to win a division crown (89-73) and get to the World Series.

Pitching

I’m sure they’d love to have Clemens back (lets face it he’ll take a month off after the WBC and then he’ll have a big cheque placed in his hand and he’ll be back) but with or without him Roy Oswalt and Andy Pettitte will carry the load logging a tonne of quality innings.

Brandon Backe should provide solid innings behind the big two and then its down to two of three youngsters with Wandy Rodriguez and Ezequiel Astacio first in line after call ups last year but top prospect Jason Hirsh is waiting in the wings.

Middle relief was sometimes a question mark last year but Chad Qualls and Brad Lidge nailed anything that got to the 8th. Lidge might have hit a wall come the World Series and his workload might have to be watched but his combination of a hard fastball and a sharp breaking slider is intimidating and often un-hittable.

Defence

Its amazing how Brad Ausmus keeps coming and back and remains among the very best catchers around. He might not be able to play as many games as he used to but there are very, very few who have his nimbleness behind the dish.

The infield should be solid with Morgan Ensberg and Chris Burke both capable at third and second respectively. What was refreshing last year was that Chris Everett got to play regularly as he is an excellent shortstop but was usually the first victim when the team felt they needed more offence.

The arrival of Preston Wilson gives the team a lot of options in the outfield and most of them improve upon last years trio. Wilson can play both centre and right to a high standard and whether they are happy with Willy Taveras in centre or would like to move him to left they will have a natural set of outfielders for the first time in a long while.

Offence

Chris Burke has long been groomed as Craig Biggio’s heir in the leadoff spot but the team might be reluctant to put him there after posting a mere .309 OBP in his first full year. Taveras gives them another option and failing that Biggio is still around to take it off the elbow.

Preston Wilson was a good addition as he should provide additional power in support of Lance Berkman and Ensberg who were often asked to carry the offensive load last year but still the depth is questionable. Mike Lamb and Jason Lane can provide some pop but there’s not much else.

Rookie Watch

Jason Hirsh is 6-8 and 245 lbs i.e. a big lad, and he exploded up the charts last year. He has a good change to go with a hard slider and mid-90’s fastball that came on leaps and bounds last year as he started to focus more on location than velocity.

Its likely he’ll start the year in AAA but if Clemens doesn’t come back then a spot on the big league roster might be his.

Management

Phil Garner had never really had any real success before last year but had developed a reputation as a players coach. He was brought in as a temporary measure and then stuck when he managed to get this team really playing well. If you take a team to the World Series you can’t be that bad.

Tim Purpura had a tough task following former GM Gerry Hunsicker and spent most of his first off-season handcuffed by trying to work a deal with Carlos Beltran and the team were left in a hole when Beltran signed with the Mets. Much of the top talent from the Astros farm is either with the big club or a few years away so there’s plenty of opportunity for Purpura to make his mark on the club but for now this is still Hunsicker’s team.

Outlook

The Astros had a weak offence last year but still managed to ride career years from Clemens and Pettitte and the usual efforts from Oswalt and Lidge but they also had a lot of luck down the stretch by avoiding injuries and found ways to just stay ahead. Competition will be even tougher this year but while they don’t look that impressive on paper they still managed to get to The Series last year with a similar team so you can’t count them out.

Chicago Cubs

2006-03-17T09:13:00.000Z

Even with an MVP calibre season from Derrek Lee and, on paper, one of the most gifted rotations in baseball, the Cubs struggled to a 79-83 record for fourth in the Central...maybe those pitchers can make it off the paper and onto the mound.

Pitching

Every year it’s the same thing, if Kerry Wood and Mark Prior stay healthy then the team has a chance to win the division. They are both as good as anyone around and capable of dominating any line-up on any day. Of course the question is how will Dusty Baker use Wood as rumours are abound that he will work exclusively out of the pen and if that’s the case then it will be formidable with Scott Williamson, Glendon Rusch and Will Ohman helping to set up Ryan Dempster who looked excellent once placed in the closers role.

With Wood in the pen the Cubs rotation isn’t as great on paper as it has been in previous years but a healthy Prior and the oft forgotten Carlos Zambrano still gives them as good a one-two punch as anyone around. Zambrano has been a stabilising and consistent force over the last few years while all those around him seem to fall and expect another year of 15 wins, 200 K’s and an ERA below 3.50 but this time lets give him credit for it.

Greg Maddux is a first ballot Hall of Famer who has seen and done it all but he’s at the back end of his career now. You can still count on him to throw 200+ innings and he still won’t walk many but his amazing streak of 15 win seasons ended at seventeen last year (a truly incomprehensible record) and a 4.24 ERA is a long way from the sub-2.00 marks he used to hit in his prime. He’ll give you a chance to win but he can’t do it by himself any more.

Is Jerome Williams ready to be a full time starter? He showed glimpses that he is last year but he’s still young and you wonder if he has the endurance to stay around for 30 starts.

Defence

An outfield of Juan Pierre, Jacque Jones and Felix Pie won’t leave Chicago lacking in range. Jones is back in his favoured position in left where his average arm is less of an issue and Pierre is lucky he has serious gas because his reads and routes are not good and he needs that speed to recover. Pierre has no arm.

The infield boasts tremendous talent at the corners with the always improving Aramis Ramirez at third and some of the softest hands in the business at first with Derrek Lee. Neifi Perez has always been a quality fielding shortstop but could find himself at second if Ronny Cedeno earns a starting spot and Cedeno can certainly make the plays at short.

Todd Walker at second moves only enough to let us know he is still awake.

Henry Blanco is a strong defensive catcher with a great arm and surprising mobility behind the dish but Michael Barrett isn’t far off being a star in this league. He calls a great game, moves well in the armour and his footwork allows his above average arm to be a weapon.

Offence

Juan Pierre and Ronny Cedeno should give Chicago a presence at the top of the order they haven’t had for a good while. Both have great speed and plenty to prove.

Aramis Ramirez is emerging as one of the best RBI men in baseball and his 92 RBI in just 123 games is testament to the ability he has. If the guys get on ahead of him I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets close to 140 RBI this year but then that also has a lot to do with if Derrek Lee is taking away the RBI opportunities ahead of him with an encore performance to his monster 2005 season. I’m not convinced he can continue to hit 60 points above his career average but if he keeps hitting over .300 then the Cubs will be happy.

Walker, Pie, Jones and John Mabry give some depth to the offence.

Rookie Watch

Felix Pie is the very definition of a guy with tools and they have been sharpening those tools since he was 17. He has great range and a strong arm in the outfield and while he figures to end up in centre eventually, he can easily adjust to right field to accommodate Pierre.

Pie has a reputation for being a tad reckless at the plate because he has so much confidence in his ability to make consistent hard contact. He has nothing left to prove in the minors and there is plenty of room for him in the Cubs outfield.

Ronny Cedeno is a slick fielding shortstop with a cannon arm and great athleticism. It took him a while to find himself with the bat but so long as he doesn’t get too overeager he should do OK and help the ball club.

Keep an eye out for lefty Rich Hill, he has a great 12-6 hook that could land him in the rotation.

Management

Dusty Baker is one of the most respected managers in the game but the lack of success in Chicago has lead many to question how good he is with younger players. He’s a steady presence who expects the best from his players and if he wants to make his point, he knows how to make sure you hear him.

General Manager Jim Hendry has put together a strong team and can’t be blamed for the injuries that have hampered the progress of the side. The collection of talent in their minor league system is also formidable with a lot of focus placed on scouting youngsters from all over and taking their time to develop them.

Outlook

Its all about the health of the rotation, if Prior can stay healthy all year and they can get some starts out of Wood down the stretch then they will be there or thereabouts come September. If the starters falter then the offence definately does not have the clout to carry them through.

Cincinnati Reds

2006-03-16T08:42:00.000Z

The Reds are a team that has gone nowhere in recent years and usually winds up hovering around the 70 win mark near the base of the division. Last year they were fifth in the Central with a 73-89 record.

Pitching

Where to start? The rotation last year was pretty bad (I’m being kind there) and he only thing that has really changed from last year is that Ramon Ortiz is gone. The likes of Eric Milton, Luke Hudson and Brandon Claussen were basically serving up BP in the Cincinn bandbox giving up 100 long balls between them with supposed ace Milton hogging the limelight with an incredible 40 HR allowed.

The Reds can be thankful for Aaron Harang who had a strong season leading the team in innings pitched (211 2/3), wins (11), ERA (3.83) and strikeouts (163). If he can keep that up this year Cincinnati will have many GM’s calling come the trade deadline.

If your closer has 11 decisions to his name you know he’s not a permanent answer. Dave Weathers has been shoe horned into handling the few games where The Reds have had a lead going into the ninth and did alright but basically he was the best of a mediocre to poor bunch.

Kent Merker and Chris Hammond should provide solid set-up work from the left side but how the rest of the pen will fare is anyones guess.

Defence

To prove we’re not picking on the Reds I will say that their outfield is fairly good. Wily Mo Pena has a great arm and covers ground and while Junior Griffey might not have the speed he used to, he is still Junior Griffey and still takes those perfect routes and is always willing to sacrifice his body (which is sadly why he’s had so many injuries in recent years). Between the pair of them centre and right field are covered and if Austin Kearns is healthy and in left then anything that doesn’t go over the fence has a good chance of being fielded quickly and cleanly.

Jason Larue always seems to flatter to deceive as he gives glimpses of being a plus defender and then he’ll let a whole bunch of balls behind him or get in a mess with his feet and we start to reminisce about how Johnny Bench did actually used to play for this club. Miguel Perez and Dan Sardinha will get a look in Spring Training and the club have long raved about their defensive abilities.

The infield has potential with Felipe Lopez and Edwin Encarnacion both having all the tools to be great fielders and with their cannon arms they throw the ball into the stands as well as anyone.

Rich Aurilia is getting on in age but is a solid customer whereas youngster William Bergolla is a flashy and nimble fielder reminiscent of Pokey Reese and is capable of playing short or second.
Its Tony Womack everyone. He may not be Roger Cedeno but few are.

Offence

I think it was Frank Sinatra who sang ‘All Or Nothing At All’. Whoever it was I think the Reds front office like it because that’s how they seem to have built their team with Adam Dunn the very personification of this ethos. Its kinda sad when 168 strikeouts is a significant improvement (he does hold the single season record) but he does balance that off with good discipline (114 walks) which boosts his paltry .247 average to a very solid .387 OBP.

Only another injury to Griffey kept the team from having six players with over 100 K’s which isn’t all that bad as I had predicted before last year that they would have seven guys pass the century mark. They still could make it seven as Encarnacion is another slugger to go with Pena, Kearns, Lopez and LaRue who swings hard and swings often.

There isn’t an obvious table setter on the roster, although Womack and Freel should give them good speed in utility roles, but this is not a team built around scratching out runs.

Rookie Watch

Strictly speaking he’s not a rookie but Edwin Encarnacion could be a future All Star and this is his first full year. He has some rough edges but he handles the hot corner well and has great raw power. Still just 23 he is a hard worker with developing patience and expect his 16 HR in 69 games last year to be a sign of things to come.

Miguel Perez and Dan Sardinha are very similar in that they have well developed defensive tools but are lacking a little offensively. Perez is probably higher up the pecking order thanks to his rocket arm but both are likely to start the year in the minors but if either Valentin or LaRue get injured or fail to perform expect one or other to get a call some time this year.

Management

Jerry Narron hasn’t really done much in management but after being named manager of the Reds halfway through last season he managed to get them playing .500 ball and kept them out of the bottom spot.

Wayne Krivsky is in his first year as a GM but has spent time working for the front office of both Texas and Minnesota where he was heavily involved in scouting and you can’t argue that the Twins have done a great job there over the years.

Outlook

It’s a fact of life that you don’t win a lot of games unless you have good pitching and while you can expect a lot of fireworks from their offence they are likely to give up a lot of runs too. Should be interesting.

Texas Rangers

2006-03-15T08:31:00.000Z

The Rangers took a step backwards after a breakout '04. They finished third in the West with a 79-83 record after many tipped them for a playoff birth.

Pitching

The club tried to patch up the rotation by getting last years ERA king Kevin Millwood but he has struggled whenever he’s been asked to be an ace and you can be sure his numbers won’t get better in Arlington but the real question is how much has he matured since those days in Phillie?

The back end of the rotation looks like its waiting for the likes of John Danks, Edison Volquez and Thomas Diamond to mature and only Volquez really looks likely to see time in Texas this year.

None of the returning starters had an ERA of less than 5.50 last year.

The bullpen should be strong with top tier closer Francisco Cordero joined by Akinori Otsuka who could close if needed. The rest of the pen is less inspiring with the likes of lefty Brian Shouse and righty Kameron Loe who had a good first year.

Defence

In general the Rangers team D looks decidedly average. Rod Barajas is a good catcher but would usually be a reserve on a good team, Michael Young is a standout on the infield and needs to be playing alongside Hank Blalock who is probably the most immobile player in baseball today. The outfield will be lead by Brad Wilkerson in centre but he is middle of the road in terms of Major League centerfielders.

Offence

Mark Teixeira, Mark Teixeira, Mark Teixeira. That’s pretty much what you need to know when you face the Rangers. He really has stamped himself among the elite sluggers in baseball combining power (43 HR, 144 RBI) with average and a good approach (.301 avg, .379 OBP). Expect more punishment from his big bat this year too.

The top of the line-up should give Teixeira plenty of opportunity to rack up the RBI. Even though the leadoff spot was a bit of a revolving door last year it yielded good results and Michael Young won himself a batting crown batting second.

Hank Blalock may be slow but he can hit. He is plenty capable of hitting more than the 25 long balls he had last year and along with Phil Nevin will be the main support behind the big man, not that the likes of Kevin Mench, Gary Matthews, David Dellucci and Mark DeRosa can’t carry their fair share as well. I’m sure Nevin is chomping at the bit to strut his stuff away from Petco and he could hardly have gone somewhere more contrary to his former home field.

Rookie Watch

Ian Kinsler is a front runner to claim the second base job at the beginning of the year. He isn’t the most gifted of athletes but he has developed a reputation for having a strong work ethic and for making the most of what he’s got. He will likely only be a stopgap measure until Joaquin Arias is ready and he is a livewire with great speed and great defensive skills.

Thomas Diamond and John Danks might get a late season call up in view to trying to crack the rotation in ‘07 but Edison Volquez should get see time if there is an injury or if his form simply demands it. He has a good fastball with good sink that gets into the mid-90’s and he’ll pull the chord on a great change-up that baffles hitters. He struggles a little with his curveball but some people are already comparing his mix of stuff, personality and his slight build to none other than Pedro Martinez…that might be a bit of a stretch though.

Management

Buck Showalter is one of the most respected managers in baseball and certainly has a keen baseball mind but the club took a bit of a backward step last year as the pitching staff failed to respond. Showalter knows how to motivate his players and if he gets the guns he knows how to fire them.

John Hart built a powerhouse in Cleveland and then came to Texas and he really hasn’t been able to get it right. He’s doled out big money to pitchers who haven’t performed as hoped (Chan Ho Park was always a fly ball pitcher so why sign him to play games in a homer friendly park?) and has seemed reluctant to deal from his dearth of hitting talent to help the rotation. You also have to wonder about the decision to lose assistant GM Grady Fuson who had implemented a strong farm system that was starting to produce a number of quality arms. Without Fuson controlling the farm a lot of their best pitchers looked like they might have been pushed too high too soon.

Outlook

This team will score runs and not just in the launching pad that is Arlington but the rotation is still awaiting most of its key components and as it stands lacks the quality to carry them into the post-season. They have enough that they could beat up on lesser teams and play .500 ball.

Seattle Mariners

2006-03-14T09:09:00.000Z

Seattle are coming off their second straight last place finish in the AL West but showed some signs of improvement with the additions of some late season call-ups, including arguably the hottest prospect in all of baseball. They should improve upon last years 69-93 record but can they catch the rest of the West?

Pitching

Joel Pineiro took a big step backwards last year and Jamie Moyer started to show his age and that was the main reason Seattle struggled for much of the year. The club has made moves to solidify the rotation by adding Jarrod Washburn to the rotation and he should provide plenty of quality innings in Safeco when he’s healthy, but they will need Pineiro if they are to keep in touch in the West.

With Shiggy Hasegawa retired and Ron Villone a Yankee the pen took a big hit. Eddie Guardardo continued to be Steady Eddie and JJ Putz and Rafael Soriano are developing into formidable set-up men but if the rotation can’t log innings then the middle relief does look lightweight.

Defence

The infield has promise with Jose Lopez and the impressive Yuniesky Betancourt up the middle. Betancourt has already shown he can flash the leather in the Majors after a strong showing as a September call-up.

Ichiro Suzuki is a phenomenal outfielder whose mix of range and instincts are only comparable to Andruw Jones and as good as Jones’ arm is Ichiro’s is better. He throws harder and more accurately than anyone. No one runs on Ichiro.

Jeremy Reed is a good centerfielder who is probably better suited to left. It awaits to be seen if Sin-Soo Choo or Chris Snelling gets the call to play left or if the club will stick with Matt Lawton after his suspension for substance abuse.

Offence

Ichiro is still a great lead-off man despite his aggressiveness and will once again challenge for the batting title and swiping plenty of bags. They are still waiting for Reed to be the hitter he projected to be when he was a top prospect in the White Sox system. A .254 average with 15 steals and only 3 HR won’t keep him as a starter for long.

Richie Sexson was a huge presence in the Mariners line-up last year posting 39 HR and 121 RBI and that was without the help of fellow big money free agent Adrian Beltre who returned to the form he showed in his non-contract years with 19 HR, a .255 average, a lot of K’s and not many walks.

Rookie Watch

Ladies and gentlemen. Boys and girls I give you Felix Hernandez the next great pitcher. Aged just 19 he got his call up and dominated. He has a mid-to high-90’s fastball, a nasty curveball, an improving change and a devastating hard slider that can touch 90 mph. He’s already tough and as he gets older and fills out he could start throwing harder which is a really scary thought.

Chris Snelling is a true professional hitter with great hands and a great eye and would be a major leaguer now if not for numerous injuries, most notably injuries to his left knee which has sapped him of his speed. Some question if he can stay an everyday player playing the corner outfield positions with below average power but he needs to find his niche soon.

The club are waiting on Jeff Clement to be the catcher of the future but for now Kenji Johjima will fill the role. He has a reputation as a strong defender with a strong arm and he’s apparently eager to learn English so he can work more effectively with his pitchers. He also factors in to being a solid hitter in the Benji Molina/Mike Matheny mould.

Management

Mike Hargrove’s success has unsurprisingly been heavily linked to the strength of the franchise he has managed for. In Cleveland he had a strong set-up around him and he developed a good young team into a powerhouse that won five straight division crowns. In Baltimore he had to endure the mess that is the Peter Angelos Orioles and the only thing that kept them from four straight last place finishes was the expansion Devil Rays.

Bavasi had an up and down time as GM of the Angels but was an integral part in putting the pieces together that won them the World Series in 2002 (although he was no longer a part of their front office at the time). Since leaving Anaheim he has been the Director of Player Development for the Dodgers and now they have one of the richest farm systems in the game. Time will tell if he is capable of being a GM or if he’s better suited to less high profile front office jobs.

Outlook

Its not inconceivable that Seattle will contend this year with good talent in key places on the roster but there are a lot of youngsters looking to establish themselves and a few key veterans looking to rebound from poor years. The depth of the team could also be better so don’t expect them to do too great but just don’t be surprised if they bump off a big club from time to time. In Seattle he will inherit some good young talent and plenty of building blocks to make a winner. In fact the reason GM Bill Bavasi hired him was because of the similarities between Seattle now and Cleveland in the early 90’s.

Oakland A's

2006-03-13T09:08:00.000Z

The A's have had a steady decline in wins in each of the last four seasons (not that an 88-74 record and second in the West is bad). There is a good crop of youngsters coming through who will be looking to end that trend.

Pitching

Few teams can compare to Oakland in terms of young pitching talent with Danny Haren and Joe Blanton both looking like the finished product at just 25, but the real stud of the rotation is Rich Harden. Harden looks better every time you see him and every time you see him he looks awesome. He has a tremendous fastball that he can locate and dominate hitters with and set up his other pitches. As a 23 year old he went 10-5 with a 2.53 ERA, lets see what he does aged 24.

Barry Zito was once slated to be the ace of the staff but ever since winning the Cy Young award he has been up and down. His effectiveness always lies in how much he uses his great hook. As good a pitch as it is he does tend to go to it too often and no matter how good a pitch is it will always be hittable if you know it’s coming.

Huston Street was very worthy of his Rookie of the Year award but the real test will be to see if the 22 year old can repeat the trick.

Justin Duchscherer, Jay Witasick and Kiko Calero are solid relief pitchers but they will miss lefty Ricardo Rincon. Joe Kennedy is likely to be the one to pick up Rincon’s slack.

Defence

Jason Kendall is the starting catcher but despite his natural athleticism he is not a good receiver. His arm is average and his footwork is not good enough to compensate.

Things get better in the middle infield where Bobby Crosby and Mark Ellis make a solid combo. Crosby in particular works hard to improve all the time and is developing into one of the most dependable shortstops in baseball.

Mark Kotsay never gets the credit he deserves in the outfield. He has possibly the most accurate outfield arms around and it’s a strong one. Add to that tremendous reads which gives him great range and you have a complete outfielder. The only question is who will be in centre out of him and Milton Bradley? Both are great fielders capable of playing both positions to a high standard…at least until Bradley throws a strop.

Offence

Jason Kendall, Mark Kotsay and Mark Ellis all have a good enough approach to hitting and enough speed to be effective at the top of the order but none is a true lead-off hitter.

The team relied heavily on Bobby Crosby and Eric Chavez to generate their offence but both have had injury concerns in recent years and even though the addition of Frank Thomas should give the order more pop he too has become an injury concern in recent years. If those three miss significant time then more pressure will be put on the inconsistent bats of Nick Swisher and Bobby Kielty. Swisher’s 21 homers got him RoY consideration but his .236 average soon quashed that.

Rookie Watch

Santiago Casilla could be this years Huston Street. He has a few issues with re-obtaining a work visa after it turned out his name wasn’t Jairo Garcia and he was almost three years older than he said he was.

He already has awesome stuff including a high-90’s fastball with movement and a filthy slider with some serious tilt. If they can get him to the majors he will make Oakland an incredibly tough team to come back on.

The clubs top prospect is Daric Barton and he'll be looking for a mid to late season call-up. A prodigious hitter with a textbook approach at the plate, his bat might be Major League ready now. The only issue is will he provide enough power at first base? Oakland thinks he will but only time will tell.

Management

Well we all know about Billy Beane and his theories about getting bang for the buck but what often gets overlooked is the incredible work of the farm system he has developed. Not only do they produce a bevy of great pitching talent but every hitter is drilled to be an Oakland A’s hitter and that singular ethos makes it very easy for guys to rise through the system and adapt quickly as they progress.

The clubs insistence upon playing a static non-running game seemed to diminish last year with Ken Macha at the helm and the team looked much more effective because of it. Macha recognised that there just isn’t enough power to keep up the ‘two walks and the three run homer’ mentality. Once he got his big players back the team played some great ball.

Outlook

With their array of arms they will always be in contention but the litmus test will, as always, be how consistently they can score runs. If they can be at least middle of the pack in terms of runs scored in the league then they should be there or thereabouts come September.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

2006-03-12T09:32:00.000Z

Anaheim never really seemed to take off last year but still manged to win the West comfortably with a 95-67 record. They will hope more energy can be provided by an influx of supremely gifted youngsters can take them back to the promised land.

Pitching

Some people seemed to question whether or not Bartolo Colon deserved to be the Cy Young winner last year (well lets face it Mo Rivera and Johan Santana were pretty damned good last year) but when you actually saw how his season evolved its easy to see why he won it. At the beginning of the year he was dominant and an absolute workhorse and it was only when he started picking up a few niggling injuries towards the end of the season that things started to plateau. He is an ace and will continue to be a rock for the Angels.

Colon’s main support will come from John Lackey who finished amongst the leaders in strikeouts and had a real come out season. Always known as a big game pitcher, he finally showed that he can be a good starter in all the ordinary games that actually get you to the big games in the first place.

The back end of the rotation could conceivably be a family affair with Jeff and Jered Weaver although Jered is likely to log a few innings in AAA before he gets called up. Jeff has had a tough time shaking off a reputation he built during some shaky years in The Big Apple but he regained his confidence in the vast expanses of Dodger Stadium and started looking like the guy we all expected when he was as a youngster in Detroit. It awaits to be seen if he can continue to be effective in a less pitcher friendly park but he still has the ability and the curveball to put in consistent starts.

Ever since Anaheim started their renaissance a few years back, their bullpen has been amongst the very best in baseball and Brendan Donnelly, Scott Shields, Hector Carrasco and JC Romero should have no problem holding leads for Francisco Rodriguez to close out. Rodriguez might have the most explosive stuff in baseball but he had troubles when he had to work a lot of games in succession. He’s still young and you’d expect his conditioning to improve but the club will need to keep an eye on his workload.

Defence

They lost possibly the best defensive catcher in baseball during the off season but then again they always had a spare Molina in their closet. Jose is your typical Molina in that he has the strong arm and great mechanics and he’ll be complemented by Jeff Mathis who is another of the endless line of great players that the Angels seem to be developing at the farm.

Anaheim seems to have an endless line of great middle infield talent too. Orlando Cabrera is a Gold Glove calibre fielder and Adam Kennedy at second also plays to a high standard. Next up is Erick Aybar who is a slick fielding shortstop with great range, athleticism and a strong arm and Brandon Wood behind him isn’t bad either. Howie Kendrick doesn’t really offer much defensively at second but if all else fails then they have Edgardo Alfonzo and Chone Figgins who have both played up the middle to good effect.

As things stand now Figgins will start at third unless Wood proves he is too good now not to be with the big club. This team is stacked on the infield in a major way.

Darin Erstad won Gold Gloves in the outfield then he went to first and won Gold Gloves there but now he’ll be asked to go back to the outfield. He’s a special player who brings maximum effort to everything he does and the supporting cast of Vlad Guerrero and Garret Anderson isn’t bad either. Guerrero seems to have toned things down in recent years and whereas he always wanted to show off his incredible arm in years past, nowadays those throws find his team mates more consistently. Few try to take the extra base on anything hit to right.

Offence

Vladimir Guerrero is a fearsome hitter. He will swing at anything he can reach and he swings hard and its truly testament to his incredible talents that even with that approach he never strikes out much (61 whiffs last year), he hits for a high average (.317) and he hits for power (32 HR). This guy is a freak who no one should try to emulate but everyone should marvel at.

It awaits to be seen who lays claim to the lead-off spot this year with Chone Figgins emerging as a hitter and with the best speed on the club (62 steals) should have the inside track. But Erstad has long been very effective there and could easily fill the post. The real wild card is Erick Aybar who really flourished as a hitter once he was plugged into the top of the order and combined well with Howie Kendrick who would batted behind him.

Kendrick is a great contact hitter who has always been one of the top hitters at every level he’s played at.

Rookie Watch

The general rule is that if they play middle infield and have come up through the Angel farm system they’re pretty good. Kendrick plays second and could have batting titles in his future, Aybar is a probable Gold Glover and lead off man and then you have Brandon Wood.

It’s unlikely Wood will start the year with Anaheim especially with the great depth at short but if he continues to rip the cover off the ball like he did last year then he could find himself at third base very quickly. Wood has all the tools to be a shortstop but many see him getting too big to stay there but his bat is plenty good enough to play anywhere (a .672 slugging percentage at Hi-A Rancho Cucamonga including 43 HR).

Jered Weaver is a high energy guy with a good assortment of pitches and was at times dominant in his first pro season and he quickly moved to AA where it wasn’t all plain sailing. He has a propensity to give up a lot of fly balls and often they fly out of the ball park. If he can refine his mechanics and be more consistent with his slider that could all change and he could be in the majors too.

Management

Mike Scioscia is one of the most aggressive managers in baseball. He loves to put runners in motion and forces opponents to make plays. He only cares about results and will go with what works rather than fussing over match-ups and statistical models.

Between Bud Black, Mickey Hatcher and Ron Roenicke the Angles have one of the best support staffs you will find.

The infrastructure of this team is the best in baseball. From rookie ball to the senior club this team is stacked with talent and not only do they draft well but they do a great job of making the most of that talent. Then Bill Stoneman goes out and gets Vlad Guerrero and he becomes an MVP and then Bartolo Colon who turns into a Cy Young winner. This is a franchise with the golden touch.

Outlook

The rotation might not be as deep as some but there are no obvious weak spots but the pen is among the best and the depth of position players is unparalleled in baseball and its not even close. If the team has injuries it can easily cover them and if the club wants to strengthen a certain area it has the chips to deal.

This is how a club should be run and they should be amongst the big contenders in the league for years to come.

San Francisco Giants

2006-03-11T10:08:00.000Z

With Bonds and Schmidt firing on all cylinders in '04 the Giants won 91 games. Last year Schmidt was off form and Bonds was injured for much of the year and they posted a 75-87 record. Its easy to see where Giants fans hopes lie.

Pitching

Last year Jason Schmidt was well off par for whatever reasons and as a result the team struggled to be consistent all season. It is so important that Schmidt gets back to his best if the Giants are going to go anywhere as he is the second most important part of the team behind Bonds.

As important as Schmidt is, don’t be fooled into thinking that the Giants lack depth in the rotation with Matt Morris being brought in to give some stability and youngsters Noah Lowry and Matt Cain figuring to play strong roles this year.

The bullpen also looks strong with Steve Kline among the best lefty relievers around and the return of Tim Worrell and emergency closer Tyler Walker in support of flame throwing closer Armando Benitez. Jeff Fassero will also be a key player in a swingman role.

Defence

I said it last year and I’ll say it again, if all these guys were in their prime then this group would be awesome in the field. Omar Vizquel is still one of the better shortstops around and it’s a shame he’ll likely be paired with the sporadic Ray Durham at second. Steve Finley is another who is still very good defensively but just not what he was and his range in centre will help greatly in support of Bonds and Moises Alou.

Mike Matheny is still an outstanding catcher who just does it all and is a joy to watch in the armour. He has the strong arm but its all the other things that mark him out that often get ignored. He calls as good a game as any catcher and he is just so nimble that you have to be extremely wild to get one to the backstop. His footwork is the best in baseball. Truly a special player.

The bench has good depth with Randy Wynn and Jose Vizacaino able to cover practically every position between the pair of them to a good standard.

Offence

You may have heard of Barry Bonds. He’s going after some record and is just the most terrifying hitter in baseball. Its simple, make quality pitches to him or he’ll take you over the fence, he just doesn’t miss. Watching him at times makes you think what it must have been like to watch Babe Ruth.

Ray Durham is a good lead-off hitter (not great but good) with speed and Vizquel has tremendous bat control hitting second that enables the team to run a lot of situational stuff. Vizquel is as good as it gets at hit and run.

Moises Alou, Lance Niekro and Pedro Feliz give good depth to the line-up and if Finley can regain his stroke then the Bonds support should be in good hands.

Rookie Watch

Matt Cain came up for his cup of coffee and looked like he owned Starbucks. He has a great fastball and good curveball and could be a dominant pitcher this year. As good as he is now and as good as the natural development of his body and experience will make him, he still works hard to be better and has already impressed with his attention to detail and his overall approach to each and every game.

Management

Felipe Alou has a reputation of working well with veterans and knowing what buttons to push but that’s easy when you have guys like Schmidt and Bonds on top of their games. Since leaving the confines of Montreal he hasn’t really had to do much in the years the Giants have been good and hasn’t done much in the years the Giants have been bad.

Brian Sabean has done a lot of good over the years but he has been stuck in a quandary recently as he knows he’s only got so many more years with Bonds around and he has been trying to patch together a World Series winner around him when he knows he should be rebuilding the side.

Outlook

Any team with Barry Bonds on board always has a chance to win and if Schmidt is back on form and the likes of Morris and Cain can play like they’re capable then this is a team that could coast into the post-season.

The Spurious World of Baseball

Season Preview : Toronto Blue Jays

Season Preview : Oakland A's

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The Baltimore Fourth Place Finishers

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The Milwaukee Ouch That's My Hand, Leg, Arm, etc...

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Mike Matheny Calls It A Day

Blog update - Feb 2007

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2007 Hall of Fame Ballot

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Spurious Baseball's Predictions ...... The results!!

The All Spurious Team '06

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The Awards Season : Part 3 (Finally)

The Awards Season : Part 2

The Awards Season : Part 1

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Down the Stretch : The AL

What would the Mets give for Kazmir now?

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