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30 MLB Team Power Rankings: Week 11 MLB 2014
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer): Follow @stokes_hunter21
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Well, another few weeks have gone by, and there has been some separation from all the Divisions and the 2nd place squads, except for the NL East dogfight right now between the Nats and Braves.
9 teams are within the top 2 Wild Card Slots in the AL, with the Angels and Mariners holding onto the 1st and 2nd spots respectively.
Preseason NL favorites Los Angeles joins the reigning NL champs ‘The Cards’ at 0.5 Games behind the playoff bar – constituting either Atlanta or Washington (presently in a dead heat) – and the upstart Marlins.
The Reds, Rockies and Pirates are within striking distance as well, but look for the Dodgers and Cardinals to take off from here, leaving the current Division leaders and those 2 as the 5 playoff teams.
Arizona and Houston have at least jumped into the conversation with recent good stretches of play, after brutal starts.
*** Denotes Division Leaders
Records are before play Monday June 9, 2014
RK Team Current Rec Last Wk Rnk () – Last 13 Days Rec
***1. SF 42 – 21: (1) 9 – 3: Must be an even year in the teens of this century. The offense has a different hero everyday.
Playing .667 ball this late into the year bodes well. 9.5 Games ahead of next club in your Division also will land you as slot #1.
***2. OAK 39 – 24: (2) 8 – 4: Brandon Moss and Josh Donaldson both towers of strength and Sean Doolittle is the best Closer no one has heard about 40+SO/1 BB rate is sick.
Billy Beane continues to find gems like Drew Pomeranz, Jesse Chavez – and Kyle Blanks has fitted in well.
The team could still trade for a 2B that can hit, or bring up Billy Burns, flip Jed Lowrie over to 2B.
Record Corrections May Be Coming With Home + Road Splits: Then Again, Maybe Not
Coors Field is still a hitting haven. While the averages have all dipped approximately 10% since the Humidor was placed into the facility over a decade ago, it still remains the premiere place for any of the MLB’ers to bat. Some of the organizational players will not hit as good on the road, with playing in the NL West, in cavernous parks like Dodger Stadium, Petco Park and AT & T Park, however the weight will only affect their overall numbers away from the thin air. Historic players like Larry Walker and Todd Helton displayed good road numbers, despite their gawdy home statistics, however they will never be looked in the same eye. 2014 sees the Rockies lead massively in all categories at home, yet at this point, they have played 10 more games away from Denver. Among the players that are killing it at the park in 2014 are TULO and Charlie Blackmon.
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer): Follow @stokes_hunter21
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If you look at the current home and road records in the MLB Standings, you will see some weird differentials.
Take for instance the Rockies have only logged 23 games at Coors Field, where they are a staunch 16 – 7, meanwhile they have traveled abroad for 33 contests so far, putting forth a clip of 12 – 21.
This is a 10 game difference that could see the ‘Rox’ post a 7 – 3 win-loss record when the games are made up. Read the rest of this entry
Yankees Hanging In the AL East + Wild Card Race
The New York Yankees have managed to stay afloat among injuries, old age and lackluster play at home so far. A lot of it can be attributed to Mashahiro Tanaka, the Bullpen as a whole, timely hits from bench players, a few streaks by Teixeira, and for unheralded players like Yangervis Solarte and Dellin Betances. The Bronx Bombers will have a tough time competing without the likes of Sabathia, Nova and Pineda for the next stretch, and will not see Nova for the whole year.
The Yankees spent $503 MIL on player salaries in the offseason, and half of the roster is comprised of different guys from last year.
It was a team that also splashed the biggest International signing plus posting fee with their 7 YRs/$175 MIL pact with acquiring Masahiro Tanaka.
Going into the second game of a 7 game homestand versus the Twins (3), a makeup game vs Mariners on Monday, then concluding with a 3 game set against Oakland., the Bronx Bombers are 28 – 25, and 2.5 Games Behind AL East leading Toronto.
While it is too early for the standings really, if the playoffs were to start today, the Yankees would be playing against the Angels in the Wild Card playoff spot.
Fresh from a 5 – 4 road trip through Chicago (both teams) and St. Louis, the team did well to salvage the trip after dropping the 1st two contests to begin with.
30 MLB Team Power Rankings: Month Of May
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer): Follow @stokes_hunter21
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*** Denotes Division Leaders
Records are before play Monday May.26, 2014
RK Team Last Wk Rnk () Current Rec – Last 16 Days Rec
1. ***San Francisco Giants 32 – 19 (3) 10 – 4: The Giants have the best team in the Majors record wise, and have done so without dominate pitching, and Buster Posey hasn’t taken off yet.
The San Fran players are using the ‘someone is always on fire’ offense. Even Brandon Hicks is clobbering HRs out of 2B. Depth prevails here. 4 Games up on the Dodgers.
2. ***Oakland Athletics 31 – 20 (2) 8 – 5: The A’s did lose 3 straight to the Blue Jays, however they had scored 76 runs in 11 Games prior, and pasted 10 on the board yesterday.
Brandon Moss is an underrated slugger, and Josh Donaldson has 4 separate game HR streaks this year.
Showing that depth at Starting Pitching can do well even if players go down with TJ Surgery. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers Losing Fielder For The Year May Be A Fatal Short Term Blow: But Maybe Not For The Long Term
Losing Prince Fielder for the year is somewhat catastrophic to the team, but it doesn’t have to be a death sentence to the 2014 year. The big 1B was not part of the 15 – 9 start the team put forth, before a rough 8 – 15 slide since then. Pitching will save the day, and the organization may look to add some players that don’t require a ton of assets to ascertain. If the club has bad next month,, it could also be time to sell some players off and retool for 2015. Fielder will have neck surgery, and when you are talking about possible spinal fusing, it is not an injury to be recovered from quickly
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer): Follow @stokes_hunter21
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The Rangers have quite likely lost Prince Fielder for the year – with pending neck surgery. He joins a long list of players currently on the ‘MASH’ unit.
Derek Holland, Matt Harrison, Leonys Martin, Donnie Murphy, Joseph Ortiz, Martin Perez, Joe Saunders, Tanner Scheppers, Geovany Soto, Dan Robertson Jurickson Profar, Engel Beltre, Kevin Kouzmanoff, Josh Wilson, James Adduci, Pedro Figueroa are all on the sick bay right now.
About half of them are not coming back this year potentially.
Adrian Beltre and Yu Darvish have also spent time on the DL this campaign.
The 16 players currently on the list above could virtually make up 2/3rds of the team. Read the rest of this entry
The Cardinals Struggles In 2014 So Far Might Point To Accumulation Of Roster Changes Since 2011
After St. Louis won the 2011 World Series, they lost their world class 1B Free Agent player in Albert Pujols. It was the right move (10 YRs/$250 MIL is too much), and Michael Wacha was the compensation pick, so one wouldn’t even make the trade for the Cardinals former legend. However much like the Mariners in the late 90’s lost Johnson, Griffey and Rodriguez, that team had a league record 116 wins in 2001. The Cards have back to back NLCS Appearances, and lost the World Series in 2013, however despite being chalked with young talent, is that they still have lost several key components to their team in the last 3 years. Somewhere the franchise might have to slow down for a brief spell.
In no way am I going to slag the best run franchise in the MLB. We are talking about the quintessential template of how to run your team in the modern world of baseball.
All I am projecting in this article is that every team goes through a stretch of play where they may not be performing to capabilities.
Some of these problems may even persist for a whole campaign.
The 2011 Cardinals won the World Series, and then after losing their future hall of fame legend in Albert Pujols, were able to bring in Free Agents Carlos Beltran to help offset the power headed out the door.
The move paved the way for another final four finish. In fact, St. Louis held a 3 – 1 NLCS lead before the Giants won 3 straight.
2013 saw their young players come to fruition at the same time, and it mixed perfectly with their cagey Veteran core.
The organization had 6 players in the top 100 prospects as listed by http://www.mlb.com – and most of them have seen time with the big club thus far. Read the rest of this entry
Oakland Keeps The Magic Elixir Running With Pitching Staff In 2014: Lead The AL In Wins
Billy Beane made some great trades to bolster his Relief Core – and rotation for the 2014 year. Despite 3 of the slated Opening Day starters not currently with the club due to Tommy John Surgeries (Griffin and Parker) + Straily (Optioned to the Minors), added with early Bullpen woes, the team has righted the ship, and lead AL pitchers in collective ERA, (OBP and OPS against). Beane has allocated just around $34 MIL in players salary to his staff in 2014. He also made great judgement calls on departing pitcher Bartolo Colon, Brett Anderson and Grant Balfour – not duplicating key roles in the previous two seasons. Once again the “Moneyball Man” looks like he may come up roses one more year in the Division at least.
Billy Beane knows how to construct a Pitching Staff on a shoe string budget.
Not enough Pitching with double TJ Surgeries to A.J. Griffin and Jarrod Parker to have slowed the Rotation? Nope.
What about the loss of Bartolo Colon? Hell no, that big guy is sporting an ERA of over 5.50 in an easier NL hitting league.
Scott Kazmir a risk? Nope, wrong answer again thus far. The recipient of a 2 YRs Deal worth $22 MIL is a lot of money doled out from the A’s organization for a Free Agent Hurler.
All the 30 Year Old LHP has done in 2014, is lead the AL with a WHIP of 0.974, carried forth a 5 – 1 record, and a sparkling 2.28 ERA to date.
How about sophomore Sonny Gray having a tougher time peddling through the league for a second time? Not a chance.
Gray is 3rd in the AL – with an ERA of 2.17, and has a 4 – 1 record himself. Read the rest of this entry
Angels Last Remaining Team To Be Bageled In 2014, But The Offense Is Struggling Of Late
DiPoto has constructed a team that has great power when healthy, and have the best player in baseball in Mike Trout, but this club has a tough time not striking out, and worse is that they also don’t draw Walks. Their last few year offensive acquisitions in Ibanez, Stewart, Freese, Cowgill and Iannetta have fanned 123 times in just 371 total AB in 2014, while only walking 41 total combined times in the same time frame. They have only attributed 11 HRs and 47 RBI for their efforts as well. The Slash Line is .202/.292/.340 for those guys. Can the core guys of Trout, Pujols, Hamilton (when back), Kendrick and Aybar make up for the anemic production they are receiving?
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer): Follow @stokes_hunter21
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Last night the Rangers finally did what no one else has done in 2014 thus far, Shutout the Rockies 5 – 0.
While Nolan Arenado was able to extend his hitting streak to 28, the Rox failed to plate a runner.
This leaves the Los Angeles Angels as the only team left in the MLB to not have suffered zero runs in a game.
I am not giving the title to LA yet, as they have played 4 less game than the Rockies. Technically calendar wise, the Halo’s pulled of the feat, but lets see if they can make it through the weekend in Canada without being Shutout.
I think Los Angeles has a great chance in the next 4 games to score at Skydome, so if I could place a wager on the thing I would. Read the rest of this entry
The Rockies Exploding 2014 Offense – A Bigger Advantage Than Ever At Home: This Team Is Lethal
Coors Field is one of the better places in the MLB to watch a game – and this year (much like the last 21 years) the team is crippling opposing pitching. With run prevention beginning to reign supreme in the MLB realms, the offense attack put forth by Colorado may be enough of an advantage to outslug teams. The Rockies have potential ALL – Stars at many of the positions, and just a sick amount of speed, defense plus power. The team just needs to receive adequate pitching and to remain healthy, and this could be the best year in Denver since 2007!
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer): Follow @stokes_hunter21
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I always have likened the Colorado Rockies to a heavyweight puncher that is capable of a knockout blow when you are least expecting it.
In 2014, they are making their best 45 Year Old George Foreman impression vs. James Buster Douglas!
If they have all of their players performing on the field like Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez, then look the hell out.
You add in ALL – Star performances from Justin Morneau (looking like a Todd Helton clone circa 2007), Charlie Blackmon (putting up Dexter Fowler‘s best numbers) – and torrid play on defense and offense from 26 game hitting streak man ‘Nolan Arenado,” and you are talking about some haymakers being thrown.
The club assembled a decent Bullpen, and have an array of Starting Pitchers throw well on the bump. Read the rest of this entry
30 MLB Team Power Rankings: Week 6 – May. 2014
The Motown Boys won all 4 games they played this week and have opened up a 4 game lead on the Royals. This team has the easiest schedule left on the board. The squad also announced they have picked up Reliever Joel Hanrahan, This is a great depth move on their part, and insurance for the Closers position.
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer): Follow @stokes_hunter21
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As we enter the 2nd month of play in the Major League Baseball, we really start to delve into who is playing good and who is playing bad.
How about we begin with the National League holding a 26 – 17 record versus the American League in Interleague play.
The last stat is the main reason why there is only 3 teams out of the 15 with a positive Run Differential. (No team in the AL East has a club in the plus, and only the Tigers have one in the AL Central.
The Angels and A’s also yield nice Run Differentials – however a lot of that was from beating up the Houston Astros.
The NL possesses 9 clubs with a positive mark.
The NL East has all 5 teams with a .500 clip or better heading into today’s action. Read the rest of this entry
Baltimore Orioles Early Season Grades
By Nicholas Delahanty (MLB Reports Writer) Follow @Nick_Delahanty
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As the first full month of the season reaches its final week, the Orioles need to get away from the .500 baseball they have been playing in order to make a push towards the 2014 postseason.
Of course, the season is still very young, as there are about 140 games left to play.
The O’s got an early taste of the competitive AL East Division, as six of their first seven series were against division rivals, including two series verse the defending World Series Champion Boston Red Sox.
As we are about 1/8th through the season, I decided to grade the Orioles up to this point of the season, looking for ways for them to improve. Read the rest of this entry
With Moore Out For TJ Surgery – The Rays Should Hold Onto Price Through 2015
Matt Moore finished 17 – 4 with a 3.29 ERA in 2013, but was off to an even better start in the 1st half before he had some elbow soreness. Losing this LHP to TJ Surgery hurts the club, however the team was deep with Price, Archer and Cobb still manning the 1 – 3 slots in the rotation. That was, until Cobb went down with an injury himself. The squad will have to weather the storm for a few months with some organizational players that might include the players: Erik Bedard, Nate Karns or Cesar Ramos. With the teams projected #2 Starter being down for the next 12 – 18 months from his very best, the franchise should not trade Price at any cost in 2014 and 2015.. Moore is under Team Control through the 2019 year, and when he comes back to the fold at 100% in 2015, hopefully the Rays will be vying for another postseason berth in the second half.
By Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner): Follow @chuckbooth3024
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Lets face it. The Tampa Bay Rays have had an incredible run at it. The Florida squad trails only the Yankees for wins since the start of the 2008 season in baseball.
The club has made it to the postseason 4 out of the last 6 years, and possess 5 out of 6 years with 90+ Wins.
All of this with a shoestring budget, and incredible use of stretching dollars on player talent.
Every year, Andrew Freidman finds a bargain Free Agent that becomes an ALL – Star once he dawns the blue and purple. Read the rest of this entry
The Tigers Bullpen Has Had A Brutal Start For The 2014 Campaign
Even with his early season woes, Joe Nathan is still one of the best closers the game of baseball has ever seen. The 39 year old came off one of his best seasons in 2013, registering a WHIP of .90 and an ERA of 1.33 amidst his 43 Saves and 74 SO. Nathan will also bring plenty of playoff experience to Detroit. Lets just hope if the Tigers make it back to the playoffs, that he can improve in his career postseason ERA of 9.00 in 9 IP. Nathan was inked to a 2 YR Deal this past winter, worth $20 MIL, with a Team Option of $10 MIL for 2016. This doesn’t end all of the teams Relief problems, but it gave them the best Closer that was on the Free Agent Market. There is still plenty of work to do
By Matthew Lafave (Tigers Correspondent) Follow @MatthewLafave
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The bats are rolling, the starters are clicking, and the bullpen is failing.
It’s no secret that the Detroit Tigers bullpen is struggling. Through the first five games of the season they have allowed 9 runs. To make it even worse, all 9 have come in the 9th inning.
That’s 9 runs on 18 hits through only 13.1 innings for the bullpen. To put that into a harsher perspective, the starters have given up 8 runs on 20 hits through 32.2 innings.
Yes, the bullpen has given up more runs and almost as many hits through less than half the innings. Read the rest of this entry
30 MLB Team Power Rankings: April
The Tigers fought off a tough KC club in the 1st series and now have battled their own bullpen and injury woes against the Orioles – to be the only unbeaten team left in the MLB a. Add that to one of the weaker divisions, and you see the #1 ranked team in our list this week.
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer): Follow @stokes_hunter21
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Well, we have seen one week come and go. It is important to realize that only about 3% of the entire season has gone by.
People tend to panic when their team isn’t doing so well, and some fanbases are ready to project their club as a playoff contender.
While it is still a good idea never to bury yourself with a bad first few week or 2, as long as you are hovering around the .500 clip, you should be fine.
How we do these rankings at the MLB Reports is based on 1 thing. The chances of the club winning the World Series.
After all, that is why we have 45 days of Spring Training, 186 days in the regular season, and another 30 or so in the playoffs.
Some teams will have their number predicated on the strength of their divisions are not.
Nearly 47% of any teams schedule is within their own division. So the AL East and NL West would be tough divisions.
The NL East and AL Central have 2 playoff contenders in each division, while 3 teams may be easier opponents. Read the rest of this entry
The Nats Restructured Bullpen
There isn’t much difference between the Opening Day 2013 Nationals bullpen and the 2014 variety, but even small changes can have major impacts.
Gone are Zach Duke, Henry Rodriguez, and Ryan Mattheus replaced by Ross Detwiler, Aaron Barrett, and Jerry Blevins.
Add that to the incumbents Rafael Soriano, Drew Storen, Tyler Clippard, and Craig Stammen and the Nationals bullpen doesn’t have a bad choice.
It is early in the season and perhaps the dreaded blower will emerge as the season progresses but the Nationals bullpen is full of both talent and pedigree and if all the relievers pitch to their expected averages then the bullpen will be a strength of the team.
Compare this to last season where there were definite bad choices.
Henry Rodriguez was a project and a mop-up man to be avoided in a close or tied game and Zach Duke was a long reliever that lacked the stuff to even make it through three outs without surrendering multiple runs.
Matt Williams could draw names out of a hat and it would be a good choice whereas Davey Johnson had pitchers that could only be used in loses and that isn’t the type of bullpen he envisioned.
In 2013 Davey Johnson would call-up relievers when he shouldn’t.
He used Henry Rodriguez in extra innings of a tie game, Yunesky Maya in a game in which Maya was only called up as a possible emergency long reliever in case the starter couldn’t go five, and both Craig Stammen and Drew Storen appeared in their most games when they were struggling at their worst.
That last one has little to do with the talent of the players and it is yet to be seen how Matt Williams handles struggling relievers but with the bullpen he has been given he has the ability to stay away from reliever in a slump when he needs to.
It is always easy to use a bullpen when everyone is going right, and to start the season the Nationals have seen reliever after reliever come in and dominate.
It has only been one series but Drew Storen looks to have picked up where he left off in 2013 and a refreshed Drew Storen is a strong weapon the 2013 bullpen lacked. When you think about that bullpen of the first few months of 2013 it really only had three reliable pitchers.
With the project of Henry Rodriguez and Zach Duke as the long reliever the Nationals were already down to five relievers they could use in close or tie games and when Storen and Mattheus struggled that number fell to three.
Replacing Duke and Rodriguez with Detwiler and Blevins strengthens the Nats bullpen by immeasurable degrees. Add to that a productive Drew Storen and the young Aaron Barrett and the Nats bullpen is seven deep.
Players will struggle as the year goes along, but the depth of the Nationals bullpen is better in 2014 than it was in 2013. The Nats had to rely on Astros cast-off Fernando Abad and rookie Ian Krol for much of last season.
Both had their moments but weren’t great overall. When the Nationals need to call on an extra reliever this year they have the option of going to Ryan Mattheus, Christian Garcia, Mike Gonzalez, and Xavier Cedeno who all have major league experience or they could go to prospects Richie Miroswski or Blake Treinen.
The Nationals 2014 bullpen has started stronger than 2013, is more talented than 2013, and the depth in minors is better than it was in 2013.
A Nationals bullpen that let too many opponents back into games and couldn’t hold ties in extra innings has been restructured and is much stronger in 2014. Early signs indicate that what was a weakness for the 2013 Nationals is going to be a strength of the 2014 Nats.
-David Huzzard
There isn’t much difference between the Opening Day 2013 Nationals bullpen and the 2014 variety, but even small changes can have major impacts. Gone are Zach Duke, Henry Rodriguez, and Ryan Mattheus replaced by Ross Detwiler, Aaron Barrett, and Jerry Blevins. Add that to the incumbents Rafael Soriano, Drew Storen, Tyler Clippard, and Craig Stammen and the Nationals bullpen doesn’t have a bad choice. It is early in the season and perhaps the dreaded blower will emerge as the season progresses but the Nationals bullpen is full of both talent and pedigree and if all the relievers pitch to their expected averages then the bullpen will be a strength of the team.
Compare this to last season where there were definite bad choices. Henry Rodriguez was a project and a mop-up man to be avoided in a close or tied game and Zach Duke was a long reliever that lacked…
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The MLB Opens On Saturday With ARI/LAD Playing In Sydney: Opening Series Prediction
The Dodgers open up the year against the DBacks in the MLB Opening Series. For those hardcore home fans, the games start at 1 AM PST and 7 PM PST on Saturday. Look for an article on Friday that will have an in depth look at some of the bets that will be available for this 2 game set. This series does scream a split between the feel of a Doubleheader, and the weirdness of the neutral site and country.
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer): Follow @stokes_hunter21
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It should have been Clayton Kershaw vs Patrick Corbin in Game #1, and Zack Greinke and Trevor Cahill in Game #2 in Sydney this Saturday.
While technically it is two different days in Sydney, the games are held at 4:00 AM and 8 PM EST on Saturday Mar.22.
For those brave enough to watch the early game, it is listed as Kershaw vs TBD (MLB.com not listing it, although Miley has been named., and Game #2 is listed as Hyun-jin Ryu vs Trevor Cahill. Read the rest of this entry
The Braves Continue To Step Up To The Plate In The Ervin Santana Signing
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer): Follow @stokes_hunter21
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It was a move that had to be done in my view. Atlanta has 60% of its Starting Rotation currently in the sick bay, or has questionable thoughts to whether it could pitch near Opening Day.
In the end it is a Win/Win situation for all above.
The Braves acquire a top end of the rotation guy, and it serves as great insurance, and Santana is able to play for a full season trying to re-establish his worth on next winter’s open market.
Sure Atlanta sacrifices a 1st RD pick, but they are still receiving the compensation Pick from the Yankees for the Brian McCann signing.
Santana flies right out the American League, and will look to pad his stats versus the likes of the Mets and Marlins this year, and to avoid the AL Beast, the only teams that were coveting him that he mutually was talking with Read the rest of this entry
White Sox What Ifs: 2014
Jose Abreu signed the most lucrative contract for an international signee in MLB history – at 6 YRs/$68 MIL, before Tanaka eclipsed his deal (7 YRs/$155 MIL). He’ll more than likely start the 2014 season with the big club, rather than starting in the minors. He’ll spend most of his time at first base, with (more than likely) some occasional starts at DH.
By ‘White Sox Correspondent’ Brian Madsen Follow @brianm731
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Let’s play a game. Let’s play “White Sox What Ifs” 2014 version. And let’s assume that if 7 out of these 10 What Ifs come to fruition, our White Sox are going to the postseason in 2014. So let’s start….
(1.) What If Adam Eaton becomes the on-base machine it appears he could be so far in Spring Training? The White Sox haven’t had a lead-off hitter of his caliber since Scott Podsednik.
Not only can Eaton get on base with regularity, he can steal bases. He can stretch singles into doubles, and doubles into triples. He’s everything a lead off hitter should be. And he can bunt. Enough said.
Your mouth waters with just the above? Wait. He can play defense, unlike your beloved Scotty Pods (who also had the limp arm of an 8 year old). Eaton possesses similar daredevil-type maneuvers that Aaron Rowand possessed.
Though Rowand would often mis-judge fly balls and make up for it with above average speed in CF to make a great catch,
Eaton has the speed and instincts to make a great grab in front of him, to his left or right, and over the shoulder. Very excited! Read the rest of this entry
30 MLB Team Power Rankings MAR 2014
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer): Follow @stokes_hunter21
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Okay, not much has changed in the last month.
They are about 20 unsigned Free Agents left in the open market pool, Baltimore inked Nelson Cruz and Ubaldo Jimenez – and Chris Capuano is with the Red Sox, Paul Maholm replaces him LA for the 2014 campaign.
Of note of the things I am watching in Spring Training. The Dodger Blue is also experiencing many injuries – and Yasiel Puig showed up to camp overweight.
LA is talking about not sending Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke to Australia in a few weeks.
I can understand with the RHP because he was yanked after four pitches last week, but withholding your star ace from the season opener, and possibly the North America starter the following week. Read the rest of this entry
The O’s Add Nelson Cruz + The AL Beast Just Got Stronger!
Nelson Cruz is 34 – and has a long history of injuries – and now of PED use. In the last 5 years, he has only played over 128 games for the season once. Now he was on pace to top that in 2013 – before his PED suspension from the Biogenesis Scandal. I thoroughly believe he should just be a permanent DH. He will likely be used in that role with the O’s. With a full season of AB, this slugger should probably hit between .260 – .270, with 25 – 30 HRs and range from 80 – 90 RBI. To sign this guy to a 1 Year Deal – worth $8 MIL, when he was already given the Qualifying Offer by Texas is a fantastic acquisition for the Orioles. It also comes in the same week they picked up Ubaldo Jimenez and Korean chucker Suk-Min Yoon. Baltimore just entered back into the Division race!
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer): Follow @stokes_hunter21
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Dan Duquette has announced his presence with authority this week.
From Suk-min Yoon (3 YRs/$5.6 MIL), Ubaldo Jimenez (4 YRs/$48 MIL), to then flat out rob Nelson Cruz for a 1 YR/$8 MIL deal, the GM has served notice that the franchise is here to compete.
Frankly, this was a long time coming. The team has now thrust its name into the conversation with the Rays, Red Sox and Yankees.
On the clock is the Toronto Blue Jays!! Read the rest of this entry
How Winning Teams Are Built: How It Applies To The Nationals In 2014
The Nationals failed to meet expectations as the Preseason favorites to lock down the World Series in 2013. Heck, they didn’t even qualify for the playoffs. Whether it was injury, or complacency, the talent of this team didn’t maximize their potential this year. However, the club did go 24 – 12 in their last 36 Games Played, and made a late charge at the 2nd Wild Card Spot. Most of the nucleus is coming back for the 2014 year. Their Starting Pitching Staff could have 3 potential Cy Young Winners, and Rafael Soriano is among the top Closers in the game of baseball.
By David Huzzard (Nationals Correspondent via Citizens of Natstown.com – view website here): Follow @davidhuzzard
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Last week I wrote about the dangers of the WARpire (VoRPire) and why it is important to have a bottom of the roster that won’t cost a team any games, or to word it a different way won’t cancel out the contributions of the top of the roster.
Having a 5.0 fWAR player means nothing if there are enough negative players to cancel that out. The middle and bottom of the roster are the foundation upon which the stars stand.
A team needs that bottom of the roster in order to win because without them the stars cannot flourish. ‘
Think about the Red Sox and the changes they made going into 2013.
Mike Napoli, Shane Victorino, and Jonny Gomes aren’t stars, but they aren’t negative assets either and their presence on the roster allows David Ortiz and Dustin Pedroia contributions to matter. Read the rest of this entry
Orioles Finally Make A Free Agent Splash To Salvage Winter
By Nicholas Delahanty (MLB Reports O’s Writer) Follow @Nick_Delahanty
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Orioles Sign Ubaldo Jimenez
The Orioles could not catch a break this off-season, as they lost out on free agents that they coveted as well as missing out on closer Grant Balfour , after he failed the team’s physical.
Bronson Arroyo balked at even going for a physical seeing what happened to the Aussie – opting to sign with the D-Backs even though the money was similar, rather than have his worth devalued by flunking the doctor’s visit from the O’s.
Tyler Colvin also fell victim to Baltimore’s stringent doctors, while Grady Sizemore didn’t have a chance to pass a physical with the club either despite Orioles interest.
Orioles fans all over wondered what the team’s intentions were, as many felt the team could be a serious contender with the core they have in place, but some moves needed to be made to bolster the roster.
On Monday night, the Orioles finally made a big splash in free agency that everyone anxiously awaited. The team announced they agreed to a four-year, $48 MM deal with pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez.
This is a huge move for the Orioles as an organization, as it now shows their fan base that they are willing to spend big money on key free agents.
The O’s have been linked to many of the big name free agents throughout the offseason, only to come up short when it came to signing them.
Bold Predictions For MLB Players/Teams In 2014
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer): Follow @stokes_hunter21
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It is time for bold predictions for players in 2014. I personally think it is going to be the most exciting season ever in the MLB.
My enthusiasm is tempered a little by the high payroll teams starting to flex their muscles around.
When will the MLB wake up and realize they should have a more equal playing field for the teams?
Anyways that is a different blog for another time. Read the rest of this entry
Just How Good Is The Washington Nationals Rotation?
By David Huzzard (Nationals Correspondent via Citizens of Natstown.com – view website here): Follow @davidhuzzard
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Around this time of year for the past three seasons this column has been written.
It was first sparked in 2012 when Davey Johnson said that the Nationals rotation was every bit as talented as the Phillies.
Then again in 2013, because Gio Gonzalez was coming off a third place Cy Young finish, Stephen Strasburg wasn’t being shut down, and the Nationals had signed Dan Haren.
This year it is time to once again explore the great question of how good is the Nats rotation because newly acquired Doug Fister says he believes them to be better than the Tigers.
This sounds a lot like Doug Fister believing in Doug Fister and that he was the key difference in making the Tigers’ rotation the best in baseball. Read the rest of this entry
2014 Prognostications As Of Right Now In The MLB
The Royals may be the benefactors of a vaunted AL East Division – and a massively improved AL West this year. I think Cleveland, Minnesota and Chicago will struggle to nail down 70 wins, and Detroit may also regress a couple of wins. This could help Kansas City break a 29 year playoff drought – via a Wild Card Berth..
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer): Follow @stokes_hunter21
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Okay, yes these may very well change in the next two months, however I must report on the early front runners to how things are shaping up from where teams stand today.
It is important when you are looking over people’s predictions that the sum of all wins equals 2430 wins. The reason is because that is the number of games played in the Majors each year.
The ‘MLB Fancave’ in New York may have been the first ones to make that mainstream knowledge, yet smart baseball handicappers have been figuring this out for years. Read the rest of this entry
For Those Thinking The Yankees Are So Much Older Than The Red Sox, Think Again
With spending $503 MIL on contracts this winter, however they are not as old of a club as they were last year. That doesn’t mean the problem won’t come back in future years, it just means this is their best year to compete for some time.
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer): Follow @stokes_hunter21
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I am not a Yankees fan, and am definitely not a Red Sox fan either, however it is funny how this rivalry has captivated most baseball followers.
After this winter signings have occurred, I finally decided to do some investigating, because of all the venom fired towards the Bronx Bombers.
Immediately after Carlos Beltran signed, you saw, ‘hey, the Yankees are signing old fogies again.’
I also watched as Boston Red Sox Nation piled on the New York franchise for this.
So after reviewing both rosters, guess what….Both teams have similarly aged players. It is almost dead on. Read the rest of this entry
Milwaukee Brewers State Of The Union For 2014
The Milwaukee Brewers had a modest 2013 season, yielding a 74 – 88 record. They finished 23 games back in the NL Central (ahead of only the Chicago Cubs) which saw three of its five teams reach the playoffs. The farm system cupboards are bare, with not one single top 50 prospect in it’s ranks. A rebuild is necessary but general manager Doug Melvin seems more in tune with adding free agents instead of using home grown youth (Although they do have a few on their current roster). The Brewers are picking a respectable 12th in this years Major League draft, and every effort must be make to start making those picks count, or the club may find themselves on the outside looking in while division opponents Cincinnati and Pittsburgh regularly see post season play.
Milwaukee Brewers State of the Union: A Long Road Ahead
By Robert Villarreal (MLB Reports Columnist): Follow @RobMVillarreal
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As recently as 2011, the Brewers held the National League Central Division title.
Historically the fans are still biding their time though, having not seen a pennant since the Brewers were in the American League and won it in 1982.
Milwaukee’s own Robin Yount won the AL MVP that year, but the Brewers inevitably lost out in the World Series to the St. Louis Cardinals.
Besides a 2008 Wild Card birth – and a 2011 NLCS appearance – it’s been a rough ride for this ball club for the last 32 years.
Milwaukee Brewers 2013 Highlights
Nationals GM Mike Rizzo: January Man
By David Huzzard (Nationals Correspondent via Citizens of Natstown.com – view website here): Follow @davidhuzzard
Follow MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
It was an innocent enough radio interview. The standard with Mike Rizzo late in the off-season with nothing happening.
He was asked if everything on the checklist had been marked off and answered in the affirmative and then was asked if there were still moves left to be made.
To this question Mike Rizzo gave the standard and cliched GM answer of anytime we can do anything to improve the club that makes sense for blah blah blah. You get the idea.
There was nothing special at all about this interview. It was a time filler between Redskins talk on a local Washington DC radio station, but there was something in Mike Rizzo’s voice.
He sounded ecstatic while talking about improving the team. Reading between the lines it was as if he was smirking into the phone and really saying watch what I’m about to do. Read the rest of this entry
The Chicago Cubs Should Pass On Tanaka
The Chicago Cubs are currently in the running for Masahiro Tanaka, the best pitcher in Japan over the last few years. In fact, near the end of this week he will be visiting Chicago to speak with both the Cubs and White Sox about his future employment, possibly with one of these teams. However the Cubs are currently on a path set for building, and shouldn’t put themselves in a position to throw off those plans by acquiring someone who’s ready for a “win now” type of team.
Chicago Cubs: Just Let Tanaka Go
By Robert Villarreal (MLB Reports Cubs Writer): Follow @robmvillarreal
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Let me start by saying this: I have never seen Masahiro Tanaka play but from the footage I’ve seen I’d love to see him in Cubbie blue.
He’s an incredible talent; So good in fact that once Yu Darvish left for America and the Major Leagues, he automatically became the best pitcher currently in Japan.
There are only 17 more days left in Tanaka’s 30-day signing period, with multiple teams anxiously awaiting a shot at the next pitching phenom.
However it would be in the Cubs best interest to pass on Tanaka at this time, no matter how incredible that argument may seem right now.
Don’t Believe Everything You Read: A Response to The New Normal For the New York Yankees- Part II
Alfonso Soriano came back to New York – and thrashed on the competition, with 17 HRs and 50 RBI – in just 58 games with the Bronx Bombers. He also snuck in 18 SB for the campaign, but nobody even noticed. Still the experts have failed to recognize that the offense was significantly better once this man entered the fray. Even with his 38 year old season coming up, it is entirely possible he could club another 25 – 30 HRs and approach 85 – 95 RBI out of the DH slot. Along with McCann, Beltran, Ellsbury, a potentially full year of Teixeira and Jeter, this lineup is a hell of a lot different from the team that limped to a 85 – 77 mark for the 2013 year.
By Nicholas Rossoletti (Yankees Correspondent/Trade Correspondent): Follow @nross56
Follow MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
As with the first part of this piece, this article is in response to a piece written for Grantland by Rany Jazayerli (which can be found here) that paints a fairly negative picture of the near-future for the New York Yankees.
Once again, I would encourage everyone to visit Grantland.com as it is a one stop shop for some of the best internet based writers on the planet.
Again, a quick thank you to Fangraphs.com and Baseball-reference.com.
Those organizations are a huge reason for the increased understanding and intelligent discussion relating to baseball over the last decade, and they are used throughout as resources for all advanced statistics.
If you aren’t reading the content on those sites, I would strongly suggest you do.
We will start with our Point/Counter-Point structure with a discussion of the new Yankee line-up, and more so, the effect of the departure of Robinson Cano on that lineup.
For Part 1 Of Don’t Believe Everything You Read: A Response to The New Normal click here.
Alfonso 2013 Highlights as a Cub and a Yankee – Mature Lyrics so Parental Guidance Is Advised
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