Los Angeles Dodgers

The Dodgers started the year well but then the injury bug hit and they spiralled to a 71-91 record, their worst record since '93 and a long way off the 93-69 record of '04.

Pitching

We could go on about the Dodger Stadium’s ground crew’s reputation for manipulating the field and maybe making the height of the mound closer to the legal limits pre-Bob Gibson but such things are just speculation and the bullpen that has been built by the Dodgers won’t need much help. Eric Gagne should return from injury with his filthy assortment of pitchers that make him the top closer in the NL and behind him Danys Baez and Yhency Brazoban should get him the lead more often the not.

Derek Lowe deserved better than a 12-15 record after posting a 3.61 ERA over 222 innings. He settled nicely into LA and with Brad Penny finally showing he knows how to pitch the Dodgers have a good 1-2 punch. It could be even better if Odalis Perez can return to his ‘04 form. He really struggled to get going last year but certainly has it in him to be a significant contributor.

Defence

Dioner Navarro and Sandy Alomar are solid citizens but basically they’re just holding down the fort till Russ Martin is ready in about a years time and they can do that.

The infield is an interesting bunch with Rafael Furcal with his tremendous range, nitro-glycerine in rocket fuel arm and over-exhuberence at short firing shells at Nomar Garciaparra at first where he has never played before (at least until he gets injured) and turning double plays with the moody statue that is Jeff Kent in the field. Thank God for Bill Mueller and his steady as they come defence at third.

Now assuming that J.D. Drew stays healthy and plays centre with Jose Cruz in right then the Dodgers have two very good fielders to build an outfield on and a platoon of Jayson Werth and Ricky Ledee in left wouldn’t leave them with too many problems. However, we all know Drew will fall into problems some time in the year and then comes the problems as Kenny Lofton is the only natural option in centerfield and he is way past his prime. Cruz could be moved to centre but he is nowhere near as good there as he is at the corners. They’ve even thought about playing Garciaparra in the outfield but who do you think will be injured first, him or Drew?

Offence

Rafael Furcal is a quality lead-off man with bucket loads of speed and knows how to use it. He should revel in the wide open spaces of Dodger Stadium. With Bill Mueller in the second spot the two should give the side a strong and consistent base to score a lot of runs. The only problem being that the club needs Garciaparra and Drew to be around to drive them in but its been a long while since either has lasted a full year. When healthy both consistently hit the ball hard to all fields and could win batting titles.

If the line-up stays healthy then they could be a potent force with Jeff Kent providing his usual 100 runs and 100 RBI and Jose Cruz always plays better when the pressure is off him.

Rookie Watch

Its an interesting time for the Dodgers with a number of their vaunted prospects on the verge of making the big club. The most likely to make it first is Andy LaRoche who is a solid defender and good hitter with power and with the power deficient Mueller ahead of him he should be plugged in as soon as he can prove his ready.

Joel Guzman will join the big club when he shows he can play a position other than shortstop where he plays now. With LaRoche ahead of him on the organisations pecking order at third, he is likely moving to the outfield. He is already a vicious, although sometimes erratic, hitter.

On the fast track to the rotation is Chad Billingsley and it awaits to be seen how the club handles him. Billingsley has a good fastball that sets up his curveball and slider which are both tough pitches that allows him to change plains on hitters and if he gets more consistency with his change then he could be at the front of the Dodger rotation soon.

The most interesting player will be Russell Martin who is the future of the Dodger franchise. He could probably use another year in the minors but with little ahead of him at catcher in the organisation and his array of strong defensive talents, leadership skills and general baseball savvy he could find himself as the here and now of the Dodger organisation very soon.

Management

The Dodgers had a strong team and then Paul DePodestra decided to change things for no reason and the team declined due to the reliance on players who already had a bad history in terms of injuries. Now DePodestra is gone Ned Colletti has been brought in and has already started by acquiring players who fit a more classic Dodgers style i.e. speed and defence. Many are sitting back to see what he does, especially with a lot of great young players just on the cusp.

Grady Little made one real mistake in Boston and it cost him his job even though he took the Sox to consecutive 90+ win seasons. This will be a chance for Little to prove that he is actually a better manager than people remember him as.

Outlook

Its all about health. They have solid pitching and a potentially great offence but too many brittle players in too many key positions and that could be the difference to being contenders for a World Series and being also rans in a sub-par NL West.

Colorado Rockies

In the worst division in baseball last year, the Colorado Rockies were the worst team finishing with a 67-95 record marking their fifth straight year with a sub-.500 record.

Pitching

Lets not beat about the bush, being a pitcher for the Rockies might be the toughest assignment any player can have and if a guy were to post an ERA there of less than 3.50 they should win the Cy without argument. It is easily summed up by Jeff Francis and his rookie year. Francis had a good rookie season looking every bit a major leaguer and won 14 games which is great for a rookie but you wouldn’t think it was a good year if you looked at his 5.68 ERA. That is Coors for you.

Perhaps the only exception to this is Aaron Cook whose career as a Rockie has been abbreviated by injuries but over 13 starts he posted an excellent ERA of 3.67 to go with a 7-2 record.

If not for the rarefied air a rotation of Francis, Cook, Jason Jennings, Byung-Yung Kim and Josh Fogg would probably be a fairly good one. Similarly the bullpen where Jose Mesa, Ray King and Jaime Cerda have come in to help incumbents Mike DeJean and closer Brian Fuentes and if there weren’t all with the Rockies I would be going on about how good that quintet looked with King being one of the top situational lefties around and how Mesa has done a great job for Pittsburgh as their closer the last couple of seasons and how DeJean and Fuentes had done good jobs last year but this is Colorado and it doesn’t take much for it all to go horribly wrong.

Defence

Yorvit Torrealba should finally be given a job to show full time what he can do and he is a good receiver with a strong arm and should give the team a firm base to build their infield upon…at least until Chris Iannetta comes up in 2007.

Up the middle Clint Barmes and Aaron Miles are both solid fielders but nothing special (it’s a good thing Troy Tulowitzki should be ready in 2007), similarly Garrett Atkins…well actually he’s not that good (Ian Stewart should be ready in 2007). At least there’s Todd Helton who is still a quality fielder (no one is taking his spot in 2007 or any time soon).

Matt Holliday is still very rough in left and Cory Sullivan is not too great in centre either. Brad Hawpe is serviceable in right.

Offence

Cory Sullivan is a solid average lead-off man with an OK OBP (.343) and some speed (12 steals) but on a good team he’d be a fourth outfielder.

Everyone was going ape about Clint Barmes until he got injured and when he returned after a long lay off he came back to earth and was the player we always thought he was i.e. a solid and smart contact hitter with occasional pop who slots nicely into the second spot of any line-up.

Garrett Atkins came into the year with the reputation of being a solid hitter who would reap the benefits of The Coors Effect and put up good power numbers. He hit 13 homeruns. Normally I would be saying thank God for Helton but for some reason Helton was almost a non-entity at the beginning of last year (compared to his usually heady standards). He still posted a customary large number of walks (106) which got his .320 average to a .445 OBP. Point is, Todd Helton is still a great all-around hitter and the beginning of last year was a blip.

Rookie Watch

Come back in 2007 when Tulowitzki, Iannetta and the truly studly Ian Stewart should be ready.

Management

Dan O’Dowd is a truly schizophrenic GM. He’s gone from building teams in the Oakland A’s mode to ones built on speed, back to the A’s and pretty much everything in between. He’s also offered stupid money to pitchers in the hope they can counter The Coors Effect and give their team a chance at keeping games from having silly scores and those pitchers have generally gotten out of town as quickly as they could.

In a nutshell he knows he has a problem building a winning team that plays half its games at altitude and has no idea how to solve it but to be fair I’m not sure anyone does.

Clint Hurdle returns for a fifth year and has yet to have a team with a winning record. Its hard to judge him as he has never really had a great team but he is developing a reputation for being quick to make pitching changes which really puts a strain on the bullpen.

Outlook

Basically the pitching is heavily handicapped and the batting line-up has most of its best bits still in the post. It was a tough year last year and it will prove to be a tough year this year too.

Kirby Puckett (1961-2006)

MINNESOTA, A.L., 1984-1995

A PROVEN TEAM LEADER WITH AN EVER-PRESENT SMILE AND INFECTIOUS EXUBERANCE WHO LED THE TWINS TO WORLD SERIES TITLES IN 1987 AND 1991. OVER 12 SEASONS HIT FOR POWER AND AVERAGE, BATTING .318 WITH 414 DOUBLES AND 207 HOME RUNS. ALSO A PROLIFIC RUN PRODUCER, SCORED 1,071 RUNS AND DROVE IN 1,085 IN 1,783 GAMES. A SIX-TIME GOLD GLOVE WINNER WHO PATROLLED CENTER FIELD WITH ELEGANCE AND STYLE, ROUTINELY SCALING OUTFIELD WALLS TO TAKE AWAY HOME RUNS. THE 10-TIME ALL-STAR'S CAREER ENDED ABRUPTLY DUE TO IRREVERSIBLE RETINAL DAMAGE IN HIS RIGHT EYE.

Those are the words on Kirby Pucketts Hall of Fame plaque.

Kirby really was a once in a lifetime kind of player and he will be missed.

Arizona Diamondbacks

In an anaemic NL West last year Arizona's record of 77-85 landed them in second place. With a new GM and some of their best prospects starting to be Major League ready, there will be pressure on Bob Melvin to improve that record.

Pitching

Brandon Webb is greatly undervalued by many. After a rough sophomore year, which was more down to poor defence behind him than anything, he finished last year with a 3.54 ERA, 14 wins for a poor side and 229 innings pitched which I think are solid numbers for a top of the rotation guy. He’s still got that nasty sinker and this year the club has given him some help with the addition of Orlando Hudson to field those ground balls.

Russ Ortiz is greatly overvalued by many. After a breakout year under the tutelage of pitching guru Leo Mazzone he has been average to poor and seems to create problems for himself by not getting ahead in the count early and the sad thing is that he has the ability to use his fastball to do that. To a lesser extent Orlando Hernandez has a similar problem but with his plethora of arm angles and breaking pitches he seems to do OK.

The bullpen should be interesting with questions as to who will be the clubs closer. Miguel Batista is most likely headed to the rotation but has had success as a closer. Brandon Lyon did a good job for Arizona last year till injury hit and he was supplanted by Jose Valverde who did a better job.

Doug Slaten is the only lefty reliever on the 40-man roster at the moment which is a problem as he’s never pitched in the Bigs.

Defence

Johnny Estrada and Koyie Hill give the defence a strong building block behind the plate. Estrada has a stronger throwing arm but both are solid across the board.

There are question marks as to who the everyday shortstop will be with hot prospect Stephen Drew getting a look during Spring Training. If the club feel they want to give him more time in the minors to develop then Alex Cintron will likely claim the spot. Cintron is probably the stronger defender but both will give Gold Glover Orlando Hudson a good foil at the pivot. Newly acquired prospect Alberto Callaspo could figure into the middle infield mix, he’s one of the many vaunted youngsters the Angels have been brewing and can certainly flash the leather.

The outfield is another interesting situation possibly involving a good young player. The corners will be manned by Shawn Green and Luis Gonzalez and whilst time and injuries have hurt their mobility both are solid fielders with safe hands (although LuGo’s arm is very weak after all the surgeries). Centerfield could be manned by Carlos Quentin as there is no standout player to otherwise man the position. Quentin has great range for a right fielder but not necessarily for a centerfielder and while it’s a less than ideal situation he wouldn’t let the side down out there.

Offence

Craig Counsell should return to the top of the order and he’s a solid performer in that role. He’ll be backed up by an order which could conceivably have the clubs top three prospects in key roles. Conor Jackson will be the clubs first baseman for many years to come. He has tremendous discipline at the plate (some might argue that he is too passive at times) and tremendous strike zone awareness and is an on-base machine but sometimes that comes at the expense of his power.

Carlos Quentin is another player with a great eye and tremendous baseball instincts. He is also not averse to being hit by a pitch either (72 HBP over two years!!) and even though he crowds the plate he still manages to handle the inside pitch and hits to all fields with good pop and the only reason he hasn’t been on the big league roster already has simply been because he has been stuck behind the likes of Gonzalez and Green.

Shawn Green and Luis Gonzalez might not have the power they used to but still provide above average left handed pop in the order and know how to be productive.

Rookie Watch

Stephen Drew is almost a carbon copy of his brother J.D. and pretty much is strong in every aspect of the game. But like his brother is can be prone to injury and questions have been raised about his intensity and work rate but when you are as talented as this people won’t complain until you stop producing but it can’t be easy knowing that it won’t be long till Justin Upton takes his job away.

Whilst Drew will probably start the year back at the farm, Conor Jackson and Carlos Quentin have nothing left to prove in the minors and its time for them to fulfil their promise.

Management

GM Josh Byrnes comes to the club with a reputation of being a very progressive and forward thinking executive have last been assistant GM to Theo Epstein in Boston. He inherits a good farm system but will likely want to imprint his personality on the club and that could make things awkward for Bob Melvin. Melvin watched over the rapid demise of the Mariners and Arizona looked very average under his tutelage last year.

Outlook

Arizona has a lot of good players but no great ones and are generally just an average team. In an NL West that does not seem to have a dominant team and with the unbalanced schedule they certainly have an outside chance at winning the division but so much is reliant on the rookie bats coming through as their pitching just isn’t good enough to carry them.

Kirby Puckett Has Stroke

At the age of 44, Twins great Kirby Puckett underwent surgery yesterday after suffering a stroke and there has been no news of late of his present condition.

Kirby never really had the athletic body of a baseball player but he didn't let that stop him becoming a first ballot Hall of Famer as he took to the field and gave everything he had. That often got him a Gold Glove and MVP consideration and his post-season perfomances for the Twins have gone down into baseball lore.

His career was cut short due to glaucoma leaving him blind in one eye and who knows what more he could have achieved if not for that.

Kirby Puckett has had so much bad luck but he's never let that take him down and lets hope that his drive can get him through this tough time. Either way there are a whole lot of baseball fans around the globe who are thinking of him and willing him to get better.

The world would be a lesser place without Kirby Puckett in it.

Minnesota Twins

After three consecutive division crowns, the Twin dropped to third last year with an 83-79 record. Is this a sign that the power is shifting or can Minnesota get back on track?

Pitching

Johan Santana is the best pitcher in baseball. His fastball and changeup are both dominating pitches and he uses them to dominate anyone they care to put in front of him. He’ll lead the league in strikeouts and his WHIP should stay comfortably below 1.000.

Kyle Lohse continues to disappoint as he uses his considerable talents to be a very average pitcher but Carlos Silva had a breakout year mainly thanks to some amazing control which saw him walk just 9 batters in 188 1/3 innings (must be a typo). Between Silva and Brad Radke hitters really have to earn their way on base. Radke’s 23 walks in 200 2/3 might not be as good as Silva’s but its still fairly awesome.

Joe Nathan has emerged as one of the best closers in baseball and with Jesse Crain and Juan Rincon handling the set-up work the late innings should be safe. The only problem in the pen is the lack of an lefty with experience in the bigs.

Defence

Strong defensive play has been one of the reasons for the sustained success of the Twins in recent years and the acquisition of Luis Castillo is very much in line with that. He’s had problems with leg injuries the last two years and it awaits to be seen what effect playing home games on the Metrodome carpet will have on his body.

Jason Bartlett could be better at short but he’s a steady performer but Tony Batista at third can be erratic so things are less than secure on the left side.

Torii Hunter had his season ended by a broken ankle and those sort of injuries are hard enough to get healed properly, let alone when you have to play on Astroturf too. If he is fully healthy and able to run hard on it then he should once again provide stellar D in the Twins outfield.

Is this the year we see Joe Mauer bring it all together? He always seems to be carrying a knock but he managed to don the armour 116 times last year which is promising. Hopefully he can put in another full year and we should see just what everyone is so excited about.

Offence

I remember when Shannon Stewart stole 51 bases one year and he still has good speed but for some reason doesn’t seem to run anymore. He’s a great disciplined hitter who still gets on base regularly at the top of the order.

The real barometer for success for the Twins this year will be Justin Morneau who had 22 homeruns last year. The club see him as being the big power threat in the order and he has the talent to hit a lot more than 22 a year. Improving the .239 average will go a long way towards him realising his potential.

Joe Mauer continued to develop with the bat displaying a great approach at the plate and combining a .294 average with a .372 OBP. He’s still just 23 and the more at bats he gets the more regularly he’ll hit homeruns. His potential is boundless and he could breakout any time.

Rookie Watch

Francisco Liriano is like a primordial version of Johan Santana as he has all the same tools but not quite the polish. He has a rapid fastball that can get into the high-90’s and complements it well with a great change-up and slider but has had a tendency to try to be too fine at times but working alongside Santana should help him immensely.

Jason Kubel was pencilled in to be the clubs right fielder last year until he picked up a nasty knee injury in the AFL. Kubel has been likened to Brian Giles in terms of his patient approach and ability to use all fields with good pop and he also offers the Twins something their outfield has lacked for a while and that’s a true right field arm.

Management

Terry Ryan and his staff might be the best front office in baseball. Never blessed with much money they have put together a farm system that continually seems to produce big contributors and every now and then they’ll acquire a quality player like Shannon Stewart.

Ron Grudenhire preaches fundamentals and is a staunch preacher of the organisations philosophy of fundamentals and strong defence and does a great job of getting his players to buy into that philosophy.

Outlook

The Twins were undoubtedly disappointing last year and many of the things that held them back last year are still there. They need their stars to stay healthy and to play to the level expected because life in the Central is tough these days and even Santana can’t win games by himself.

Kansas City Royals

Last year KC were officially the worst team in baseball with a 56-106 record. They have brought back mostly the same team and complemented them with below average but high priced "talent".

Pitching

Chris C was recently complaining about the sorry state of the Phils rotation and all I could say was at least they aren’t the Royals although they are improved from last year. Scott Elarton had a solid year in Cleveland and the likes of Joe Mays and Mark Redman once upon a time have shown themselves to be capable big league pitchers…just not recently.

Most of the attention will once again fall on the young shoulders of Zack Greinke who was a one man gang last year with little help from offence, defence or bullpen and got shelled a few times but down the stretch he managed to string along some good performances which saw his ERA drop from being over 6.00 to 5.80. Still just 22 he has all the tools to be a quality Major League starter as his 114 K / 52 BB ratio in 183 innings shows but they really need to get him some help or let him go to another team.

Jeremy Affeldt would actually be among the leagues best closers if they ever got him a lead to save. He and Mike MacDougal would be a good one-two punch but they seem to be caught in a malaise as they rarely get to pitch any worthwhile innings.

Defence

Mark Grudzielanek wowed all the stat heads with his fielding percentage last year but I’ve known shopping trolleys with better range. Doug Mientkiewicz is as slick as they come at first and he’ll need those great hands to rein in those throws from Angel Berroa at short who has really gone backwards since being rookie of the year. Mark Teahen is good at the hot corner.
Joe Buck is an OK catcher and Paul Bako one of the better back ups you’ll find.

What is Reggie Sanders doing here? Sanders has been a lucky talisman for playoff bound teams in recent years and will provide quality glove work in left. David DeJesus and Aaron Guiel are steady enough.

Offence

Mike Sweeney used to be one of the most feared hitters in baseball but now he’s not. Mike Sweeney is probably the best hitter on the roster which sums the Royals up really. Sweeney can still hit for average and take the ball out of the park but he’s far from being someone pitchers won’t challende. Justin Huber could make the team and is a similar hitter.

Reggie Sanders (really, why is he here?) is still a consistent producer and a smart player but simply can’t play every day any more.

Mientkiewicz and Teahen are weak hitters at the corners and Billy Butler can only play one of those positions when he eventually cracks the line-up.

Rookie Watch

The club are itching for Billy Butler to progress quickly through the system. He’ll likely start off at AA but with his power potential the club are likely to make do with his poor D and plug him in as soon as they can (heck, no one else seems to be able to play D in this organisation). He’s already drawing Travis Hafner comparisons.

Management

What exactly does Allan Baird actually expect this team to win? He employs Buddy Bell to manage the side and his management career has basically seen him guide many a team to the basement of their division but at least this time he’s been provided a team of high priced mediocre players and career utility guys.

This team is terrible and has no idea how to get better. How does Baird still have a job?

Outlook

Its absolutely shocking the state of this organisation. The Major League team is probably the worst and there is little to no help on the way through the minors and with limited funds being made available and the rest of the division progressing rapidly the only light at the end of the tunnel is the one which comes after the death of this once proud organisation…head to the light Royals, head to the light!!

Detroit Tigers

Detroit continue their trudge back from the back-to-back 100+ loss years in '02 and '03 but stuttered a bit on their way to a 71-91 record and will hope to improve under a new manager and with a host of blue chip prospects.

Pitching

Jeremy Bonderman almost lost 20 games as a rookie a few years back but he has slowly started to emerge as one of the leagues top performers and its almost bizarre to think he’s still just 23. Expect him to be amongst the leaders in a few categories this year.

Behind Bonderman will be workhorse lefties Mike Maroth and Kenny Rogers whose altercation with a cameraman before the All Star break put him under intense scrutiny in Texas and what started as an All Star season quickly went south with all the distractions. If he likes the new scenery Detroit could have stolen a great pitcher, if he continues to be dogged by controversy they might have gotten themselves an unwanted headache.

Spring Training will see the start of Detroit’s conveyor belt of quality young arms vying for roster slots and while Kyle Sleeth might have to head back to AAA after an injury plagued season in ‘05, Justin Verlander looks set to explode upon the scene.

Joel Zumaya is another rookie looking to crack the line-up but it is still unsure if he’ll be gunning for a place in the rotation or the pen. If he does go to the pen then Detroit should have a respectable and deep pen with flame thrower Franklyn German and lefty Kevin Walker setting up Fernando Rodney who seemed to win the game of musical chairs that was the closer position in Detroit. Troy Percival just never got started last year but is hoping to return this year and end his career on a high note.

Defence

We all know who Pudge Rodriguez is and what he offers on the field. He might not be as mobile as he used to be but he is still a presence out there.

The infield sees the under-rated Carlos Guillen returning to short (another guy better defensively than Jeter but less high profile). He will be surrounded by guys who would likely be utility players on better teams with Brandon Inge at third and Placido Polanco at second. Both are strong defensively at multiple positions but that versatility should be the thing that helps the club rather than tying them down to one position.

In the outfield the Tigers need to work out what they need to do with Nook Logan and Curtis Granderson as both are natural centerfielders and good ones at that. Chances are Granderson’s stronger arm could see him claim the position but they can’t really go wrong with either and we know Magglio Ordonez will play right as long as his legs keep working.

Offence

Logan offers great speed at the top of the line-up but needs to draw more walks to be effective to stay there and be a factor in the offence. If Logan gets on then Polanco becomes that much more effective as few handle the bat as well as he does and his situational nous makes him a great fit in the second spot.

The likes of Dmitri Young, Chris Shelton, Pudge and Carlos Pena should provide some depth to the line-up and Curtis Granderson looked very strong after a mid-season call up but the team needs Magglio Ordonez fit and producing if they are going to get anywhere.

The team doesn’t many people capable of picking up the slack if their starters get injured with Inge and Guillen fairly lightweight for everyday players.

Rookie Watch

Justin Verlander has an awesome fastball already, a great curveball and a good change. In a spot start Verlander got overexcited in the first inning against Cleveland and they put four runs against him but in the next four innings he settled down and shut them down even though he didn’t have control of his curveball. He could be special.

Joel Zumaya has been striking guys out for fun in the minors (199 in 151 innings last year) and can really dial it up with his fastball and regularly pitches in the high-90’s. When he’s got his curve going two he is even tougher. Some feel he is more likely to turn to the bullpen as his delivery puts too much strain on his body but having the downside of being the next Billy Wagner isn’t too bad a thing to settle for.

Management

Jim Leyland returns from the wilderness to take control of his first club in six years. He has been there, seen it and done it all with three division titles and a World Series mixed into his 1,069 career wins.

Dave Dombroski was very aggressive in his attempt to rebuild a team that lost 119 games in 2003 and spent more money than he should have to lure the likes of Rodriguez and Ordonez to the club. The main issue is rebuilding the clubs credibility and the young pitching staff they’ve assembled through the system should go a long way to doing that…shame only the overachieving Curtis Granderson will score runs for them. For a team looking to build you’d think more investment would have been put into the farm.

Outlook

There is so much potential in the pitching staff that you’d be a fool to dismiss them but their offence and guys like Granderson and Logan will really need to come up huge if Detroit are to compete in a strong AL Central.

Chicago White Sox

Chicago finished with the best record in the AL (99-63) and went 11-1 in the playoffs en route to a World Series sweep of the Astros.

Pitching

Simply put the rotation of Mark Buerhle, Jon Garland, Jose Contreras, Freddy Gonzalez and Javier Vazquez is the best in baseball and if any of them go down they still have Brandon McCarthy waiting in the wings and he is more than capable of stepping in.

The ace of the staff will once again be Mark Buerhle who must be an absolute dream to play behind as he works quickly and pitches to contact which keeps fielders always ready and on their toes. He is a consummate control pitcher allowing just 40 walks in a work horse like 236 2/3 innings and takes the mound every fifth day expecting to go nine. There are few who are better.

The pen has some dominant set-up men including hard throwing lefty Neal Cotts, hard throwing righty Cliff Politte and erstwhile close Dustin Hermanson and once you get through them you have to face their big closer, all 270lbs of Bobby Jenks who can struggle to control his wicked sharp breaking curveball but he rarely needs to use it because his fastball is so good. He’s one of those guys you always look at the radar gun to see if he can get into triple digits.

Defence

Strong defence was one of the calling cards of Ozzie Guillen’s Go Go Sox team and all the main pieces remain. AJ Pierzinsky is an absolute gamer who doesn’t care how he gets the job done so
long as his team finish on top. He’s a good receiver with a good arm.

Joe Crede is the best defensive third baseman in the AL and only his lack of hitting stops him winning Gold Gloves. He has great range and makes the throws from all angles and few attack bunts like him.

Tadahito Iguchi and Juan Uribe grew as a partnership more and more as the season went on. Iguchi makes the transfer quickly and efficiently and Uribe is an athletic and rangy complement to him.

Scott Podsednik isn’t the most efficient of fielders but knows how to use his explosive speed to track the ball down and he Jermaine Dye and Brian Anderson will cover a lot of ground in the outfield.

Offence

It all starts with Podsednik. When he was in the line-up the White Sox were the best team in baseball and when he wasn’t they were just a good team which is why I thought he deserved MVP consideration. He shows the difference between having speed and knowing what to do with it as he will slap and bunt his way on and once there he terrifies defences in a way classic base stealers of the past like Vince Coleman and Rickey Henderson used to because you know he’s going but you know he’s still going to be hard to stop.

This is a team that is built on small ball and fundamentals but still needs the power threat to keep teams honest and Paul Konerko was the muscle that forced opponents to respect Chicago and GM Ken Williams made sure he re-signed because without Konerko the line-up doesn’t work as well. Jim Thome’s addition should also help in this regard as there aren’t many other true power threats.

Jermaine Dye, Brian Anderson, Iguchi and Uribe are all capable of hitting a homerun or stealing a bag and these are the guys who really allow Ozzie Guillen’s vision to work.

Rookie Watch

Aaron Rowand was a key part of the World Series winning team but the club let him go because they knew they had Brian Anderson waiting in the wings. Anderson might not be Rowand’s equal in the field but he offers more upside at the plate and is ready to contribute at the big league level and he’ll have to because he has Jerry Owens breathing down his neck on the depth charts.

Management

Ozzie Guillen came to the White Sox as their manager with a plan of how he wanted to play the game and it was built upon speed, defence and pitching and GM Ken Williams went out and got him the players to play the system and as a result Chicago won its first World Series since 1917.

Guillen is a true leader who knows when to encourage and when he needs to get in someones face and has instilled a real winning attitude into his players. He likes his starters to go as long as they can and get themselves out of their own problems and knows he has the guys to do it and is not afraid to even have his sluggers bunt a runner over if its what the team needs. This guy is all about TEAM.

Ken Williams did all he needed to do over the off season by re-signing Konerko. He has really done a good job getting Guillen the players he needs but still has a reputation for making questionable moves at the most inopportune times but maybe he’s starting to shake that off.

Outlook

They still have the blue ribbon pitching staff and that alone will take them a long way but their offence has been smartly crafted and is capable of scratching out close games or blowing away the opposition making this team more than capable of repeating.

Cleveland Indians

After a slow start the Indians were as hot as anyone down the stretch and narrowly missed the playoffs with a 93-69 record.

Pitching

The Indians staff lead the Majors in ERA last year and even though they lost league leader Kevin Millwood they still return with a strong group. Once again much will be expected of 25 year old lefty CC Sabathia who should be coming into his prime and the club has waited patiently for him to realise his potential.

Perhaps the biggest surprise last year was the emergence of Cliff Lee who lead the team with 18 wins and along with Sabathia gives the team two quality left handers to stagger the rotation around Jake Westbrook who continues to log quality innings and if not for a slow start by the Indian hitters could easily have won more than the 15 games he did.

The bullpen has received a minor overhaul but should still remain strong. Bob Wickman returns as closer after saving 45 games and will be set up by the clubs closer in waiting Fernando Cabrera whose 1.47 ERA in his 15 game audition gave good portents to his future with the club.

The rest of the pen includes dominant set-up men Rafael Betancourt, Guillermo Mota and lefthander Scott Sauerbeck.

Defence

Victor Martinez is not the strongest defensive catcher with below average tools but newly acquired Kelly Shoppach should offer plenty of respite. Shoppach had long been groomed as Varitek’s replacement in Boston and displays many of the same tools including good mechanics, a strong arm and great presence on the field.

The infield is flat out average with only first baseman Ben Broussard displaying above average tools. Jhonny Peralta (I wonder about that spelling some times) and Ronnie Belliard aren’t the most dynamic double play partnership although neither can be described as poor fielders. Andy Marte completes the infield and has some potential in the field and could provide the infield with a boost.

A very good outfield will be anchored by Grady Sizemore whose first full year garnered him MVP consideration (on this site at least). He is a smart outfielder who might not have the greatest speed but still covers ground.

Offence

The Indians bats just weren’t ready at the start of the year and that’s the only reason they didn’t make the playoffs. The clearest example of this was Victor Martinez who hit close to .200 for the first few months miraculously ended the year with a .305 after going on a tare down the stretch and best hitting catcher in baseball is ready to explode.
Backing him up will be Travis Hafner who is as consistent as they come and should be counted on for 30 HR, 100 RBI and a .300 average.

Further production can be expected from a steady group of professional hitters. Jhonny Peralta, Ronnie Belliard, Ben Broussard, Casey Blake and Jason Michaels are all solid hitters with occasional power.

The fortunes of the team turned around almost as soon as Grady Sizemore was placed at the top of the order. The 23 year old had a 20/20 year and combined that with a .348 OBP that should rise.

Rookie Watch

Fernando Cabrera mixes a lively mid-90’s fastball with a good splitter and has a slider when he needs it. He has dominated at all levels and has ice in his veins and could close games if Wickman gets injured.

Kelly Shoppach will allow Martinez to DH more and go easy on his body. Shoppach has all the tools you would want in a catcher and is a solid hitter to boot with occasional power and Boston could well rue the day they let him go. Similarly Marte who was also acquired in the Crisp deal and could emerge as one of the top third basemen in the league. He has growing tools defensively and has an advanced approach to hitting which boosts his power potential.

Management

Eric Wedge got a lot of praise last year but you still have to remember that he had a very talented side last year that failed to make the post-season because it was poorly prepared at the beginning of the year. If they hadn’t spotted Chicago such a head start who knows what might have happened? Now its obvious how good they could be there will be less forgiveness if they don’t play hard right out of the blocks.

Cleveland last went to the post-season in 2001 and that was the year they purged the payroll and went into a rebuilding mode. Since then Mark Shapiro has done an exceptional job rebuilding the team from the grass roots up and has come up with a young and talented unit capable of emulating those great sides of the late 90’s. This team is already a contender and with the core being so young there is still room for internal growth and a position amongst MLB’s best for a fair few years.

Outlook

Once they did got going last year Cleveland had to dig themselves out of a deep hole and the fact they made it close showed just how good a team they really had and if they had been better prepared it might have been them in the Fall Classic. If they hit the ground running this year they should be strong contenders for the pennant and beyond.

Washington Nationals

Washinton may have finished in fifth place in the NL East but their 81-81 record was respectable and for a while they looked liked snapping Atlanta's streak.

Pitching

For the umpteenth time Livan Hernandez lead MLB in innings pitched and that was whilst carrying a few niggling injuries down the stretch. He is a workhorse and an under-rated ace and should continue to be the bedrock for the whole pitching staff.

John Patterson showed glimpses of being an emerging star last year and was a huge reason why the Nationals stayed atop the East for much of the early part of last season. If it was a case that he ran out of gas rather than the league catching up to him he should be able to build on that performance.

The back end of Washington’s rotation will likely be comprised of Tony Armas, Ramon Ortiz who are all pitchers who have never fully fulfilled their promise. Brian Lawrence would have been a big part until he tore his labrum in ST and is now out till August but even he took a backward step in his development last year while pitching in the friendly confines of Petco Park so who knows what he‘ll be like when he returns?

The Nationals bullpen was solid last year and much of that was down to the emergence of Chad Cordero as one of the NL’s elite closers. He doesn’t have the most electrifying stuff but uses great control and savvy to shut down opponents and is practically automatic.

Defence

Brian Schneider has lived in relative obscurity playing for the Expos/Nationals but he is slowly emerging as one of the better catchers in the NL. His mechanics might not be the smoothest but he has a strong arm and keeps runners honest. When Schneider’s not behind the plate Robert Fick can deputise and he’s a good defender, at worst, at several positions.

The left side of the infield will be a strength for Washington. Cristian Guzman is a rangy shortstop, especially on artificial turf, with a strong arm and at third Ryan Zimmerman will start winning Gold Gloves every year once Scott Rolen is out the way. On the right side Jose Vidro might not be the most mobile (well he really isn’t mobile at all) but he makes the plays on the balls he gets to and while Nick Johnson might have lapses in concentration he is a decent first baseman when his brain is in gear.

It’s a wonder that Jose Guillen is not a bigger name, he has a cannon for an arm and could easily play centre if Marlon Byrd isn’t hitting or if they want to move Ryan Church to right. No matter what they will have good depth which leaves the question where does Alfonso Soriano play? The obvious choice would be left where he has never played before but he is athletic enough to play and with his speed he should outrun any bad reads he might make whilst adapting to his new role.

There is impressive depth with Damian Jackson, Royce Clayton and Michael Tucker all capable of playing multiple positions to a high standard.

Offence

When on, Guzman is a triples machine and a good table setter but has developed a reputation for having a poor work ethic in recent years. If he wants to, Guzman can be an igniter for this offence but if he can’t do the job things become less clear with Marlon Byrd the only other real option but he was chased out of Phillie because he couldn’t do the job there.

Jose Vidro has spent a lot of time on the DL the last two years and questions are starting to arise as to whether or not he’s still the hitter he was a few years back when he was an All Star. The addition of Soriano will add to the pressure for Vidro to perform. He may not be the most disciplined hitter but Soriano will still rack up offensive numbers and is usually a good bet for a 30-30 season.

Ryan Church has a classic swing which should see him up his power numbers from last year. If he can’t provide a boost offensively then Washington will need Larry Broadway to emerge and replace Johnson at first. Johnson posted respectable RBI numbers last year but he is short of the power you’d expect from a first baseman.

Rookie Watch

Ryan Zimmerman cracked the Major League roster less than a year after being drafted and given his age (21 at the start of the season) he can still improve. He’s already a Gold Glove calibre fielder and the club have tried him at shortstop but third is his natural position.

At the plate he has a very advanced approach to hitting for someone his age with good discipline and pitch recognition and as he gets older, more experienced and stronger he should post very good offensive numbers. He is the complete package and a good bet for Rookie of the Year honours.

Larry Broadway should be given a good look at first during Spring Training. He plays a solid first base and has decent enough power to bat in the middle of the line-up and with a team that lacks a bonafide slugger and is carrying a first baseman who does well to hit 20 long balls a year, at age 25 the time is now for Broadway to make his claim to a big league job.

Management

Frank Robinson’s managerial career seems to have gone like his playing career; he does a great job but somehow seems to be overlooked. Signed up by MLB to manage the Expos whilst they asset stripped the organisation and in all that chaos he still managed to keep them respectable. Now with a team that is far more stable (not hard) than it was he still manages to make this team a tough one to face even with all the injuries and a lack of any real superstars. When will people start giving him credit?

The front office is headed by Jim Bowden who built a pennant winning team in Cincinnati when he had serious money to spend but as soon as the money stopped being made available the team went on a steady decline into mediocrity. He has earned the nickname ‘Trader Jim’ and is prone to making plenty of moves which is maybe not the best thing for a team looking to gain some stability.

Outlook

The pieces are here for a potential playoff push but young players need to come through and someone needs to stand up behind Hernandez in the rotation. Robinson should be able to get the youngsters going but how much patience will Bowden have if things don’t go right?

Philadelphia Phillies

Philadelphia finished with an 88-74 record and missed out on the playoffs yet again despite a lot of investment in recent years. Now a new GM has been brought in to get the team where they want to go.

Pitching

The rotation has the potential to be solid and deep but it also has the potential to be a disaster and form seems to point towards the latter.

Jon Lieber will again be expected to be the ace but after a strong start he struggled greatly last year. Behind him the likes of Cory Lidle, Brett Myers and Randy Wolf have shown they can be solid performers and will need to have good seasons if Phillie are going to get anywhere. More importantly the enigmatic Gavin Floyd needs to step up and be counted and show that his billing as one of the top pitching prospects in baseball is merited.

The bullpen may have lost Billy Wagner but Tom Gordon should be an able replacement. There is some worry that he may have some fatigue in his shoulder after a couple of heavy years with the Yankees but he has the ability and definitely has the temperament.

Gordon will be set up by the lefty-righty combination of Arthur Rhodes and Ryan Madson and between the three of them many a game will be shortened and with the added depth provided by Rheal Cormier and Julio Santana Phillie should be a tough team to come back against.

Defence

Aaron Rowand’s addition to the team greatly improves the outfield and he should have no problem bridging the gap between Pat Burrell, who runs out every play but lacks the athleticism to be effective, and Bobby Abreu whose mobility is in decline as his body thickens.

The infield is anchored by the double play combo of the rangy and athletic Jimmy Rollins and sure fielding Chase Utley. They will combine to form one of the best keystone tandems around and with David Bell at third Phillie should have few worries.

Behind the dish Mike Lieberthal has had one too many injuries and is a long way from the form that won him a Gold Glove in ‘99. His movement is at times laboured and while he still has the arm strength, his footwork doesn’t allow him to make the most of it. The club will hope that Carlos Ruiz can emerge and take some of the load.

Offence

Ryan Howard is a monster at the plate. He has a disciplined approach and when he gets a pitch he likes he takes some of the most vicious cuts you will see. This guy will be one of the leagues top sluggers for years to come.

The middle of the order gets even more formidable when you factor in Burrell and Bobby Abreu, who is one of the very best hitters in baseball. Abreu dons the jewellers eyepiece at the plate and sees more pitches per at bat than anyone. He’ll hit for a high average with good power whilst drawing walks and using good savvy on the bases to rack up the steals. He truly is a complete player.

Once you get past the heart of the order there isn’t a lot of depth. Lieberthal and Bell have good power but don’t make contact enough to be consistent providers and if any of the other starters go down then there is the question of who will pick up the slack? Tomas Perez remains one of the best pinch hitters and utility men around but he isn’t a long term solution.

The key to the line-up will be Jimmy Rollins who has great speed and the hand eye coordination to slap and bunt the ball around and make the most of it. The only problem is a lack of discipline which means he doesn’t walk as often as he could. He does work hard, which is a quality that has made him a true leader, and when he gets on a hot streak the whole team goes with him.

Rookie Watch

Carlos Ruiz will be looking to try and take some playing time away from Lieberthal. Originally a second baseman, the Phillies quickly converted him to a catcher due to his lack of mobility. Now he uses his middle infield footwork and a strong work ethic to make the plays behind the dish and he’s developing across the board.

Management

Few GM’s have the track record of Pat Gillick. A long term GM of the Blue Jays when they were new to the league, he made them into a dominant force in the AL that culminated in the back-to-back championship years of ‘92 and ‘93. He then moved on to Seattle where he built a team that won 116 games in ‘01. He comes to a Phillies team that has underachieved in recent years and doesn’t have many high end prospects anywhere near the Majors and Gillick usually likes to build strong farms so we shall wait and see how soon his effect will take to come into effect.

Charlie Manuel has a reputation for being and easy going guy who works well with veterans and developing hitters which makes you wonder how he fits in with this team right now and its easy to envision him being sacrificed under the new regime. He’s not a bad manager, he’s just in a bad situation.

Outlook

The pitching depth is a huge worry and the lack of depth at any position and no help from the farm makes it unlikely that the Phillies will trouble anyone in the East unless a lot of things start going right and they haven’t gone right in Philadelphia for a while.

WBC - A good thing for the wrong reasons?

Forget the crazy rules, etc ... it seems that more and more players are continuing to pull out of this tournament, and it really does seem to be turning into a farce!

However ...

... you only learn from your mistakes, so will they learn from this tournament? Firstly i think they have to try hard to change attitudes from the big players - surely it IS a big honour to represent your country. Secondly, i think they have to realise that holding it at this time of the year isnt really clever - too many people wanting to concentrate on spring training, pulling out of the WBC due to knocks received in spring training, etc, etc!

I think they really need to look at the whole organisation and concept of this tournament...it does seem have been riddled with probs from the start, but who knows, if they can learn from the mistakes then maybe the WBC does have a future ... or of course, they might just bin it and give up!! I hope personally that they at least try to persevere!

New York Mets

The Mets finished with a 83-79 record to finish fourth in a tough NL East but they have once again made some big moves to try and get to the post-season.

Pitching

It awaits to be seen how productive aging veterans Steve Trachsel and Tom Glavine will be this year. Glavine had a typically solid year posting 13 wins and 211 1/3 innings but at age 40 it can’t be long till he calls it a day and starts writing his Hall of Fame speech

People keep wanting to write off Pedro Martinez but he is still one of the leagues best and he can still use that amazing change-up of his to dominate any line-up, any time. He can be flaky but he is more than comfortable being the ace of a staff and that’s what he’ll need to be if the Mets are to contend.

The bullpen was one of the principle reasons that this team failed to maintain a credible playoff push last season and Omar Minaya addressed this in the off-season. Not only did he pick up Chad Bradford who, if fully healthy, is as tough a righty specialist as you will find, but he also acquired an elite closer in Billy Wagner. Wagner might not get into triple digits like he used to but he’s still too much for most to handle.

Jorge Julio adds more right handed depth out of the pen but there’s not much pedigree from the left side with Royce Ring and Juan Perez the only present options.

Defence

Paul Lo Duca is a fairly solid all around catcher. He makes the plays he should and while he won’t win a Gold Glove he won’t let you down. His main asset however is his leadership on the field and his ability to handle his pitchers and he is certainly an upgrade over Mike Piazza.

The Mets’ infield is solid average across the board. You feel Kaz Matsui should do more in the field but he is solid enough and David Wright might not have the greatest mobility but he makes the plays he gets to. Of course they are complemented by Jose Reyes who is on the verge of becoming the most prodigious defensive talent in all of baseball. He has that rubber-like quality that Ozzie Smith used to have and not only does he have the great range and the athleticism to get to more than his fair share of balls, but he also is able to get back to his feet quickly and still make plays from deep in the hole.

Even if Lastings Milledge isn’t ready to play every day, between Xavier Nady, Cliff Floyd, Endy Chavez and Victor Diaz there is more than enough solid play to clean up anything that Carlos Beltran can’t get to. While he has been much maligned in New York since his highly publicised arrival, you cannot fault his glove work. He isn’t far off being Andruw Jones out there.

Offence

There’s a reason why everyone was surprised by Cliff Floyd’s production last year and that’s because it was a rare year where he avoided spending significant time on the DL. Once again if he stays healthy he will be productive but even if he does get injured newly acquired Carlos Delgado is one of baseballs most consistent and productive hitters. Now he’s away from pitcher friendly Pro Player, expect Delgado to return to his .300, 40 HR, 100 RBI, 100 R form.

Carlos Beltran is a man who was almost expected to be the next Willie Mays when he arrived in New York but a lot of niggling injuries curtailed much of his production at the beginning of last year and he never really had a chance to get going on all cylinders. When he’s healthy there is nothing he can’t do on the field with a disciplined approach at the plate which gets him on base and good pitches to hit and hit hard. There is little doubt in my mind that Carlos Beltran is the best base runner in baseball today, he is always aware of the situation and rarely gives up an out on the base paths.

There is a lot of offensive depth on the roster with David Wright a likely All Star, Paul Lo Duca is very good hitter for a catcher and the likes of Nady, Diaz, Julio Franco (he’ll play till he qualifies for a bus pass) and Jose Valentin providing Willie Randolph plenty of options.

The only issue is at the top of the order where Jose Reyes will need to be more disciplined and cut down on his strikeouts to make the most of his speed and set the table for the sluggers. If he can then this line-up goes from being a good one to an awesome one.

Rookie Watch

The Mets have had many offers of many a quality player but Lastings Milledge is still in New York. He may have a propensity for striking out but has great bat speed which affords him time to stay back on pitches and hit the ball with authority. Add to the package a plus arm and good range in the outfield its easy to see why the Mets were so eager to keep hold of him.

Management

Omar Minaya was a big part of the Expos organisation when they were producing a conveyor belt of All Stars through their farm system and as the GM he even kept the team in contention whilst MLB liquidised them. Now as the GM of a team with money and a desire to succeed he is gradually putting together a strong young team. Some have questioned the way he has handled his draft picks but in his first year he was able to sign the top pitching free agent (Pedro Martinez) and the top free agent hitter (Carlos Beltran) and this year he repeated the feat with Carlos Delgado and its tough to argue with that.

In his first year as a manager, Willie Randolph had an up and down year but it would be easy to put down the inconsistency to the erosion of faith in the bullpen but with a proven closer and a couple of other acquisitions out there, he will need to start putting a winner on the field if he wants keep his job.

Outlook

There is not the depth in either the rotation or bullpen right now for them to be among the favourites for honours this year but there is enough talent for them to be in the mix.

Florida Marlins

Last year Florida had a 83-79 record and finished third in the NL East. Owing to a salary purge much has changed.

Pitching

We all know about the almighty salary purge the Marlins undertook this off-season but with the apparent reliance on youth, the spacious Pro Player Stadium should make things easier and more forgiving for their pitchers.

Jason Vargas and Brian Moehler return after posting solid seasons and Vargas in particular will be expected to step up and become the no. 2 behind staff ace Dontrelle Willis and he has the stuff to do it. As for Willis he is as exciting a player to watch as there is in baseball. Few have the same enthusiasm and obvious effervescence and the only thing that might hold him back from contending once again for the Cy is the fact his team is obviously rebuilding and wins might be hard to come by.

The pen could be a problem. Joe Borowski will likely get first dibs at closing but his inability to step back into that role is the main reason he’s no longer a Cub. Nate Bump will be the principle lefty and is a solid performer in middle relief and the club will be hoping Travis Bowyer can step in and shake off the health concerns long enough to harness the potential in his arm.

Defence

Miguel Cabrera and Jeremy Hermida are both guys who are working hard to improve their defence but neither are likely to win Gold Gloves any time soon. If Chris Aguila can prove himself worthy of more playing time Cabrera could play third base where he appeared more comfortable but unless he can commit to one position Florida won’t get the most out of his glove.

Another option in left would be Josh Willingham but he is the very definition of an offensive minded player and no matter where he carries his glove onto the field you shouldn’t expect more than a Canseco out there.

Eric Reed will likely step into the vacated centre field position and he has similar speed to Juan Pierre but unlike Pierre, Reed takes good jumps and doesn’t need to endlessly run down his mistakes.

Pokey Reese is as good as it gets at second and playing every day should see him get another Gold Glove for his mantel. Across the keystone will be former Red Sox no.1 prospect Hanley Ramirez who can be lethargic at times but has as much raw talent as you could hope to find. If he’s motivated he could give Florida a dynamic double play partnership…if he’s motivated.

The worst case scenario for Florida would be if Willingham plays catcher. Lets just say he’s not very good there. Miguel Olivo is a solid performer and Matt Treanor is an excellent back up.

Offence

Eric Reed will likely be asked to bat lead-off but while he undoubtedly has the speed, many wonder if he has the plate discipline as he has developed a reputation for striking out more than is ideal.

Much is expected of Hermida who has an uncanny eye at the plate with good power (he did hit a grand slam in his first big league at bat) and with him batting lefty ahead of right handed hitter Miguel Cabrera the Marlins will have a good one-two punch. Cabrera continues to amaze as he develops into becoming almost a mini-Pujols.

Potential is the key word here with Willingham looking like he could become an outstanding DH if he moved to the AL, Aguila often looks over matched but has good raw power and Wes Helms and Mike Jacobs both have shown they can go long at the big league level.

Much will be expected of Hanley Ramirez who can hit the ball hard consistently but the questions with him are more in his mentality and approach than with his skills.

Rookie Watch

Scott Olsen and Yusmeiro Petit have long been cited as two of the top pitching prospects in baseball and will be given every opportunity to show what they can do. The Fish are confident that Olsen can shake off the elbow problems that shortened last year but Petit had a very rough time when the Mets moved him to AAA. Not overpowering, Petit relies on location and changing speeds and as a result his margin of error isn’t very high but he didn’t let that stop him absolutely dominating at every level he has ever played in before that.

This whole team is stacked with rookies who could be contributors and maybe even compete for Rookie of the Year honours. Josh Willingham, Hanley Ramirez, Jeremy Hermida and Eric Reed all have plenty of potential but to expect them all to come through at the same time is a bit too much of an ask.

Management

Joe Girardi has been given a lot of work to do but throughout his playing days people had earmarked him as a potential big league manager and you cannot downplay his role as part of those great Yankee teams of the late 90’s. If he’s given the time he could do a good job but then that’s the story with the whole of the Marlins team really.

Larry Beinfest has proven that he can put together a winner and while he was asked to dump a lot of talent in the off-season, he managed to get a lot of blue chip prospects in return and he seems to have a clear idea of how he wants to go about getting Florida back to the top.

Florida have drafted well in recent years and few teams have the track record they do at developing talent through their farm from Edgar Renteria and Mark Kotsay all the way through to Dontrelle Willis, Josh Beckett, Miguel Cabrera and Jeremy Hermida.

Outlook

As I said before it would be a lot to expect so many young players to realise their full potential all at the same time. While there is undoubted talent in the roster, it is mostly very raw and in need of fine tuning and experience.

Don’t be surprised to see flashes of brilliance from time to time but also don’t be surprised to see over 90 losses this year. I just hope the fans in Florida can stand by their team long enough to see them through this rebuilding process.

Atlanta Braves

Atlanta finished last year with a 90-72 record and won their fourteenth straight division crown (well its actually eleven if you count the strike year but its still impressive).

Pitching

The rotation has a lot of quality arms battling for places. Between Mike Hampton, John Thomson, Kyle Davies and Horacio Ramirez you have four guys who have proven they can rack up quality innings in the Major Leagues but the real keys lie in the health of Tim Hudson and John Smoltz.

Hudson is as good as they come but missed substantial time last year with one knock after another. If he can stay healthy he will be the ace of the rotation and that’s saying something when you have John Smoltz on your roster. We’re still waiting to see how many more innings Smoltz has left before that elbow finally gives out but until then he is a fierce competitor with one of the best sliders around.

The bullpen doesn’t seem to have been improved upon from last year and last year it wasn’t too great. Chris Reitsma seems favourite to be the closer but he was less than convincing in that role last year. He will be backed up mainly by those that don’t crack the rotation but without Leo Mazzone pulling the strings we shall have to wait and see how things pan out. This will be a concern.

Defence

Jeff Francoeur is a quality right fielder with a strong arm and Langerhans isn’t too shabby in left but they don’t need to be that good when they’re out there with Andruw Jones. He is still incredible in centre and you’ll be hard pressed to find better.

The infield will be as good as Edgar Renteria. If he can put his disappointing year in Boston behind him and return to the form that made him a perennial NL All Star then he could prove to be a shrewd acquisition and Chipper Jones lack of quality with the glove won’t be so apparent.

The Braves should turn their fair share of double plays. Adam LaRoche has soft hands at first and Marcus Giles is fearless making the pivot at second. No one hangs in there longer and he doesn’t get the credit he deserves.

Is Brian McCann ready to carry the load? Pitchers seem to enjoy throwing to him but his footwork can let him down. Todd Pratt is a capable reserve but you don’t want to have to rely on him as the primary receiver.

Offence

Andruw Jones absolutely carried the line-up last year and many a year he’d have won MVP honours for it. The only question is can he carry it over to this year?

There is plenty of potential elsewhere in the line-up with Renteria being a versatile hitter throughout his non-Boston career, Marcus Giles fits nicely into the second spot and Chipper Jones is still Chipper Jones and should still be a good bet for 30 HR and 100 RBI.

Adam LaRoche is still a little lightweight a hitter for an everyday first baseman as is Ryan Langerhans for a left fielder although he could share time with Kelly Johnson who showed some quality last year at the plate.

Brian McCann has plenty of potential with the bat but we’ll see how he does. The key to the success of the Braves line-up could be Jeff Francoeur who makes consistent hard contact with good pop but as much as he hates to work counts he’ll need to if he’s going to make the most of his talents and stick around in this league. Sometimes he almost seems like to take a walk would be a personal affront to his character.

Who’s batting lead-off? There doesn’t seem to be too many guys who really fit the mould and unless everyone plays to their full potential, The Braves will struggle to score consistently unless someone can fill that role. There’s not much speed here and Furcal has been a key contributor over the years in that role.

Rookie Watch

Joey Devine and Chuck James will both be given a chance to crack the rotation in Spring Training. Devine rocketed through the system in his first pro season and even made it onto Atlanta’s post-season roster but James was as good as any pitcher in the minors last year. He’s a crafty lefty with a knack for pitching but his under whelming stuff and a propensity towards allowing fly balls might make the Majors a tougher challenge for him.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia is still the class of the system, he’s a strong hitter and leader with solid average defensive skills. He’s still probably a year away but he’s a potential All Star for many years to come.

Management

What can you say about Bobby Cox? He took a team of kids and a line-up decimated by injury into the post-season and won yet another division crown. There aren’t many better at motivating a team and knowing when to push buttons the only question about him is how will he react without his long term confidant Leo Mazzone?

What can you say about John Schuerholtz? Few teams seem to have the turnover of players that Atlanta do but they still keep winning and still keep producing players through the farm. There are few better GM’s better than Mr Schuerholtz and if Atlanta need to make a deal, you know he’ll make a good one.

Outlook

The thing is that Atlanta have done so well for so long that you can never count them out. Even with the apparent holes in the bullpen and at the top of the order the Braves brain trust always seems to find a way to make what they’ve got work.

In theory they should be a solid team that will finish on the happy side of .500 and they’ve gotta slip up some time but they won the division last year with the majority of these players and now they’re more experienced for it and as a result its still their division to lose.

Blog Update - New pages ... and other stuff!

Just a quick post to let you know of some new blog features that are now available. In the right-hand column, as well as the usual links, archives, etc, you will also see 2 new links:

2006 Previews: Pete J will be posting his season previews on the blog, and this page has just been designed as a handy link so you can check up on your team's review without having to search the archives, and also so you can check up anytime throughout the 2006 season. Just look out for the highlighted teams in the list, and then click on them to go straight to the review - Previews should start appearing within the next few days.

The Predictions: This is where the blog team will stick their necks out and give their season predictions! ... but it isn't all about us - If you fancy dropping in your predictions for the 2006 season, then get in touch via the contact form, select 'give my predictions' from the drop-down menu, and send them in. We shall add them all to our prediction page for 2006! - Predictions should appear on this page in late March.

Also, remember to click on Contact the Blog if you want to get in touch with us for any reason: If you wish to submit an article, volunteer your services, give your predictions, have an idea for the blog, or just wanna say 'hello'. Don't forget also, that you can add the blog to an XML/RSS reader, or click the add to My Yahoo or Google buttons to make it even simpler.

Also meant to add: To return to the main blog page at any time, just click on the header logo!

The WBC - Baseball's Busmans Holiday

Well its been a while since I piped up with something on the WBC and sadly the more information I get the less enthused I am about the whole thing.

The whole tournament was billed as being a big advertisement for baseball around the globe with all the best players coming together to represent their countries in a competition to see who is the best. What we are slowly starting to see is that a lot of the best players are dropping out either with the disappointing but fair excuse of not wanting to push it too far after having serious time off with injuries the previous year e.g. Tim Hudson or Barry Bonds, but there are also the sad peons who just don’t give a rats ass and simply want to focus on their club performances because that’s where the green is e.g. Hideki Matsui.

On top of the diminishing returns in terms of talent involved the tournament organisers have also devised a whole clutch of rules designed to make sure no one tries too hard. Severe pitch counts have been mandated that can only be extended in order to finish an at bat (at least they have used a modicum of common sense there). In the first round pitchers will be limited to 65 pitches and if they have more than 50 they are made ineligible for the next four days. If they exceed the 65 pitches the ‘Game Operations Technical Committee’ will report it to the umpire who will have the ability to order a pitching change!! It’s tough enough that managers have to figure out when to change the pitcher and now the umps are doing it too?

30+ pitches see you suspended for a game (why not call it what it is?) and if you pitch on consecutive days that’s a suspension too.

The limits go up in the later rounds with an 80 pitch limit in round 2 and 95 in the semis and final. Anyone get the idea this whole thing is being skewed to benefit the major leaguers? Why should the Cubans or the Dutch have to worry about how much work their pitchers get? If big leaguers want to protect themselves for the benefit of the signatories of their cheques instead of giving their all to their country then fine but why handicap teams that don’t have the benefit of these superstars?

At least we won’t have long drawn out blowouts (lets face it they are going to happen) with the introduction of a mercy rule which will see games finish early if a team is leading by fifteen after five or 10 after 7 so maybe we might get a complete game shutout from some efficient pitcher but I won’t put any money on it.

On the whole the whole idea of this being a competition is being blown by the wayside as it becomes more and more friendly. How long till it just becomes a curiosity where not even baseball fans are particularly interested let alone an interest being sparked amongst people on the fringes in places where baseball isn’t that fashionable. This good idea is fast becoming undermined and few of the hopes surrounding its inception are looking to be realised.

How about this for an idea more befitting this tourney? We have kegs at the corners and every time you stop at first or third you must drink. We’re not far from that now and it’s either that or we just use normal baseball rules and let the players play until the best team wins by hook or by crook. Would that be so crazy?

NASN ... channel-bundling or channel bungling?

I'm sure most UK Baseball fans will have been keeping an eye on this one!

NASN have decided to **bundle their package with the other Setanta sports packages on Sky, and this will mean an increase of £3 per month for people who may have only subscribed to NASN for US sports and don't want the other channels which let's face it, are mainly weekend channels, and offer European and Scottish football (i'm a Scottish football fan, but i DONT want the Setanta channels, i think they are poor!!) Whether this is to help fund a new ESPN deal, no one knows, but i do know it ISNT popular!

So is this a big mistake by NASN? Personally i think they might just live to rue this one - when NASN started it was seen as a god-send to a lot of people who didnt want Sky sports, and were very happy to see a channel concentrating purely on US sport, so surely bundling a channel with non-US sports channels will only irk such people. Also, you have to consider that certain people (myself for one) really only subscribe for the one sport - surely people such as that are not going to be happy shelling out another £3 per month just to watch that one sport ... outlets such as MLB.tv will become far more attractive, especially as high speed broadband is so much more common these days. NASN also seem to forget the whole financial aspect of having to raise another £3 per month, especially given the high level of following US sports have amongst students, etc. I'm not really convinced that they have thought this through properly!!

Over a year ago i made a suggestion to NASN that was treated with the usual standard uninterested email reply - i suggested that they should consider offering 'season ticket' packages for people only wishing to sub for one sport: the example would be me wishing to sub for the baseball season. They could charge me a set amount per month, say £10, and i would tied into this contract for the length of the ball season, so NASN would get £70 from me. Surely this is better than trying to tie me in for a whole year at £14 per month, because let's face it, im NOT gonna pay that £168 per year charge when im only interested in Baseball - i'd go to MLB.tv instead! So there you have it - £0 or £70 - which would be best for NASN? You do the maths!!!

It will certainly be interesting times ahead to see how this situation develops. I will be ok for the mo, as i can still sub monthly (and cheaper) on Cable, but i can only see this price increase succeeding for NASN if good old shoulder shrugging British apathy takes over as usual, and people just accept it! I would love to be a fly on the wall if the cancellations start flooding in!

** It should be noted that this only affects Sky customers from what i have heard so far - Cable customers are unaffected by this change ... for now!

Oh Rickey You're So Fine, You're So Fine You Blow Your Mind Hey Rickey

Rickey is back with the Mets.

Having not played in the Bigs since 2003, Rickey Henderson is back as an instructor and Mets GM Omar Minaya is hoping he can take Jose Reyes under his wing and teach him a thing or two but Rickey has no thoughts about retiring and taking his much belated place amongst baseballs greatest in Cooperstown. "I love playing the game, but right now I haven't had the opportunity to go out and play. I feel that I have a lot to give back to the game."

This might not really be the most incredibly sweeping news story but Rickey is always Rickey and nothing about Rickey can ever be boring which is why Rickey can be put into one sentence so many times.

Lets hope he finds a team willing to let him pad out his already staggering records and we can have more great Rickey stories.