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Nats Need Stellar Years From Scherzer/Strasburg Similar To Johnson/Schilling Duo In 2001 – To Win The World Series

Max Scherzer was filthy in the 1st half of 2015 - with a 2.11 ERA heading up to the ALL - Star Break, and Stephen Strasburg ended the 2nd half of the year with a 1.90 in his Post ALL - Star games. If these 2 day aces can be in top form for the whole year, and then carry through to the playoffs, it would go a long with their chances to win a World Series. Since Jordan Zimmermann and Doug Fister left, the rotation is not as deep as it once was, yet these guys could make for an unforgettable 1 -2 punch in the postseason, and combined with Bryce Harper, potentially win the Fall Classic this year.

Max Scherzer was filthy in the 1st half of 2015 – with a 2.11 ERA heading up to the ALL – Star Break, and Stephen Strasburg ended the 2nd half of the year with a 1.90 in his Post ALL – Star games. If these 2 day aces can be in top form for the whole year, and then carry through to the playoffs, it would go a long with their chances to win a World Series. Since Jordan Zimmermann and Doug Fister left, the rotation is not as deep as it once was, yet these guys could make for an unforgettable 1 -2 punch in the postseason, and combined with Bryce Harper, potentially win the Fall Classic this year.

Chuck Booth (Owner/Lead  Analyst) 

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With Zack Greinke flying the coop in Los Angeles over the winter, all of a sudden, this dynamic pair of Nationals chuckers should be the best back to back starting tandem in the Majors right now.

It is a walk year for Stephen Strasburg.  He has shown flashes of brilliance, but has yet to put it together for the whole year.  You could say his career has kind of been like Schilling’s prior to his arrival in Arizona.

I think both guys could near 20 wins each. have mid 2 ERA’s – and both compete against the NL’s elite for the NL Cy Young Award.

If they have great seasons, it should equal a playoff berth – and if not the NL East Division.  Strasburg’s best two years were in 2012 and 2014, so maybe he is just a better even year pitcher himself.

Scherzer is 53 – 20 with a near 1.00 WHIP and ERA of 3 since the start of the 2013 season.  No doubt these 2 guys will pull up awesome numbers in playing the Marlins, Phillies and Braves for almost 40% of their total games.  Add in the Brewers, Reds, Padres, Rockies to the fold, and that becomes half of the year.

Should Washington make the playoffs, that is exactly why they doled out $210 over 7 years for Scherzer in the first place.  The former Tigers pitcher was pretty damn good in the 1st RD of the postseason for Detroit, going 3 – 1, with an ERA of 2.79 and WHIP of 1.034 in 29 Innings worth of work in the LDS rounds.  I think he could take the next step beyond that.

Last year Scherzer threw 2 no-hitters and nearly tossed 2 more.  He has shown he can last longer than ever before.  He was a workhorse with his 228.2 IP. It was a career high, just like his 276 Strikeouts in that timeframe and his incredible WHIP of 0.918 were.

It is time to for Strasburg to leave it all on the table.  Much like his 34 Game Starts in 2014, where he logged 215 Innings and a NL Leading 242 Strikeouts, the former #1 overall pick could really make a fortune in Free Agency with a banner year. At Age 27 until late July when he turns 28, he is still in his prime years coming for the next few campaigns. Read the rest of this entry

Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – March 26, 2016

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The Washington State Cougars baseball team is not where they should be, the Diamondbacks want a new park and Tony Womack deserves more love.

Plus I refer to “The Triceratops in the MiniFridge” on this episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast

Here is the clip of Tony Womack’s hit.

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Sully Baseball Daily Podcast Archives Oct. 24, 2012 – Nov.30, 2012 (Lost Eps 1 – 38)

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Paul Francis Sullivan (please call him Sully) does a podcast 365 days a year – unless it is a leap year – then he will do another 1. He has done a show everyday since Oct.24/2012. This to date represents a streak of 1214 days consecutively!

Past the CLICK TO READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY are Sully’s 1st 38 episodes of the Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.

Sully starting posting his daily podcasts at the mlbreports.com on Feb.6, 2013. So we will add the dates between Oct.24, 2012 and Feb.6, 2013 in case you missed any of his awesome 1st 103 episodes.

But we will also archive all of his podcasts to date (in coming weeks) so they are easily accessible for all his fans.

Our website followers have grown larger each year for his podcast.

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To subscribe on iTunes, click HERE.

To subscribe on SoundCloud, click HERE. Read the rest of this entry

Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – June 25, 2015

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Podcaster, Fan Duel Insider and Oakland A’s fan Jessica Kleinschmidt is my guest today.

We talked about the state of the 2015 A’s, the different directions they can go in and how we feel when we find ourselves rooting for teams other than our own.

It is an East Bay Bias Episode 974 of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.

 

Marco Estrada, Jimmy Nelson, Brett Lawrie, Yasmany Tomas, Adam Eaton, Nathan Karns, Shelby Miller and Giancarlo Stanton all added to their totals for Who Owns Baseball?

Follow Jessica on Twitter by clicking HERE

Read Jessica’s work on Fan Duel by clicking HERE
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Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – May 9, 2015

Getty Images

Getty Images

Remembering the moments where both teams had a chance to clinch at the same time. Plus my brother witnesses another grand slam

It is a paying respect Episode 928 of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.

Jered Weaver, Cole Hamels, Ian Kinsler, Bryce Harper, Alex Gordon, Jimmy Nelson, Ryan Braun and Roberto Hernandez all added to their totals for Who Owns Baseball?

The link to my article about clinching can be found here.

 

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Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – January 8, 2015

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Lisa Swan, creator of Subway Squawkers and Jason Keidel of WFAN both return the podcast to talk Yankees.

Actually we started talking about the Yankees but wound up talking about The Facts of Life, The Blues Brothers, WKRP in Cincinnati and whether or not they should remake The Bonfire of the Vanities.

It is another “Let’s see where it goes!” discussion on The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.

Follow Subway Squawkers on Twitter by clicking HERE.

Follow Jason Keidel on Twitter by clicking HERE.

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Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – November 6, 2014

AP Photo

AP Photo

Alfonso Soriano is calling it a career. And it was indeed a fine career.

But if Nomar Garciaparra had accepted a contract extension from Boston, Soriano would have been a revered Yankee legend.

Trust me. It makes sense in this episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.

 

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Odds To Win The 2014 MLB World Series (All 10 Playoff Teams)

The Washington Nationals/Montreal Expos franchise still has never appeared in the World Series.  That didn't stop the oddsmakers from giving them the #1 favorite status heading into the playoffs today.  They are the deepest team on both offense and defense, and only lack postseason experience.  The Stephen Strasburg decision of a few years  back, will never be put to rest until this club wins a title.  Despite them being favored, I am not sure the ranking is justified, as the Dodgers reside in the same league.

The Washington Nationals/Montreal Expos franchise still has never appeared in the World Series. That didn’t stop the oddsmakers from giving them the #1 favorite status heading into the playoffs today. They are the deepest team on both offense and defense, and only lack postseason experience. The Stephen Strasburg ‘decision’ of a few years back, will never be put to rest until this club wins a title. Despite them being favored, I am not sure the ranking is justified, as the Dodgers reside in the same league.

Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer): 

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It is time to place your bets on the World Series. The Washington Nationals are your favorites to win the whole thing at +450.  The Tigers, Angels and Dodgers are both next at all tied for +500.

To round out the teams in sequence…5 –  Baltimore is at +700, 6 –  St. Louis at +900, 7 – Oakland at +1100, 8 – San Fran at +1400, and the Royals and the Bucs are the biggest odds on the board at +1600 for 9th.

At first glance I see the pattern.  The Nationals are the most deep team across the board, with having all 4 starters as potential aces in Stephen Strasburg, Jordan Zimmermann, Gio Gonzalez and Doug Fister.

Each one of the players in the positional lineup, were over right near of plus.400 for Slugging Percentage, and this doesn’t even include Ryan Zimmerman – who will be an awesome bat off the bench at least to start. Read the rest of this entry

MLB Reports Playoff Predictions 2014

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Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer): 

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The playoffs are upon us, and since we had such a great year predicting a lot of stuff, both Chuck Booth and I are putting our postseason prognostications up.

In other blogs we will take a look at the series and everything, but this is just pure bets.

American League

American League Wild Card Game

Oakland -104 @ Kansas City -106 (Jon Lester @ James Shields)

Chuck – Oakland, Hunter, Oakland

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Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – September 1, 2014

Nathaniel Chadwick/NBC

Nathaniel Chadwick/NBC

One of my devoted listeners sent me a Tweet.

This terrific Deadspin article accurately looked at baseball’s inability to sell itself.

I took it a few steps further, put part of the blame on Bud Selig, who I compared to Jay Leno and William H. Macy’s character in Fargo.

But hope for baseball comes, in all places, The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.

Trust me, it all makes sense in this episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.

Pablo Sandoval, Clay Buchholz, Mike Trout, Alex Wood, Bryce Harper, Alex Cobb, Francisco Liriano and Brett Gardner all added to their totals for Who Owns Baseball?

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Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – February 7, 2014

Boston Globe/WOR TV

Boston Globe/WOR TV


Today on The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast, I pay tribute to two men.

Curt Schilling played the role of the villain in baseball perfectly.

Ralph Kiner lived a full baseball life and was my connection to many facets of the past that are now gone.

To subscribe to The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast on iTunes, click HERE.

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Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – February 7, 2014

Arizona May Have To Rethink Their Team Salary In The NL West With High Spending LA + SF

The Arizona Diamondbacks didn't have the type of year in 2013 that they had wished for, however the future looks really strong.  Aided by a slugging 1st Baseman (Paul Goldschmidt), and great young Staring Pitching like Wade Miley and Patrick Corbin, added with Veterans Miguel Montero, Martin Prado and Aaron Hill, with prospects A.J. Pollock and Adam Eaton being the future core, this team should see some heavy duty improvement from year to year.

The Arizona Diamondbacks didn’t have the type of year in 2013 that they had wished for, however the future looks really strong. Aided by a slugging 1st Baseman (Paul Goldschmidt), and great young Staring Pitching like Wade Miley and Patrick Corbin, added with Veterans Miguel Montero, Martin Prado and Aaron Hill, with prospects A.J. Pollock and Adam Eaton being the future core, this team should see some heavy duty improvement from year to year.  Having said this, they compete with the two most expensive payrolls in the NL – in their Division with the Dodgers and Giants.

By Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner):

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Chase Field is a pretty cool ballpark.  The Diamondbacks have been often voted as one of the better organizations in the MLB for how they treat their fanbases for guest services, value and overall baseball experiences.

While the D’Backs finished in 14th for NL Attendance this year, they cracked the 2 Million fan barrier for the 15th straight year since entering the league.

Over the last 8 years, the team has kept comfortably between 2.0 MIL and 2.5 MIL.

Back in the first few seasons of MLB in the desert, the franchise was drawing well over 3 Million fans..

Paul Goldschmidt 2013 Highlights

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The Arizona Diamondbacks Best Hitters (1998 – 2013): Part 2 Of A 3 Part Series

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Friday July.26th/2013

The Arizona Diamondbacks are only 6 games behind .500 for the franchises existence, and are just fraction percentages away from the LA Angels for the best record all time by an expansion franchise.  They have a solid crop of young players that could end up on this list a  few years down the road.

The Arizona Diamondbacks are only 6 games behind .500 for the franchises existence, and are just fraction percentages away from the LA Angels for the best record all time by an expansion franchise. They have a solid crop of young players that could end up on this list a few years down the road.  Chase Field has seen some great offensive seasons from its players.  Whether it was Luis Gonzalez blasting 57 HRs in 2012 (3rd  ALL Time Single Season Best for an NL LHB, behind Barry Bonds 73 – 2001 and Ryan Howard’s 58 in 2006), or Mark Reynolds cracking 44 Round Trippers, while Striking out 223 times for a MLB Record in 2009, it hasn’t been dull in the desert for the clubs offense.

By Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner):

The Arizona Diamondbacks have been one of the better franchises in the last 15 years, despite being one of the newest teams.

Unlike their expansion cousins the Tampa Bay Rays, that went through 9 years, before reeling off 5 straight winning seasons, the DBacks won the World Series in just their 4th year of existence.

The team has been able to make 5 playoff years in their 14 years.  This year, they are right in the thick of the race, so they could possibly add a 6th Post Season Birth to their resume.

The team has lacked a lot of long – term hitters for the club, however they have had their share of big seasons.

From “Gonzo” to “Goldy”, we will honor all of these guys in this post.

For Part 3 Of the 3 Part Series: The Franchise Pitchers – click here

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The Arizona Diamondbacks: The Best Pitchers 1998 – 2013: Part 3 Of A 3 Part Article Series

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Friday, July.12, 2013

Johnson is by far the most illustrious pitcher that has pitched for the franchise. He holds multiple pitching records for the team, and it will take some time for someone to even come close to breaking those records. He came to the desert in 1999, and his impact was felt immediately, by him winning 17 games in his first season with 271.2 innings pitched and he struck out 364 batters. he would go on to win the CY Young Award his first four seasons with the club, while averaging 354 strikeouts per season in his first four years in Arizona. Johnson is 2nd all-time with 4,875 career strikeouts.He along with Curt Schilling was crucial was in brining a World Series title to the desert.

Johnson is by far the most illustrious pitcher that has pitched for the franchise. He holds multiple pitching records for the team, and it will take some time for someone to even come close to breaking those records. The “Big Unit” came to the desert in 1999, and his impact was felt immediately, by him winning 17 games in his first season with 271.2 innings pitched and he struck out 364 batters. he would go on to win the CY Young Award his first four seasons with the club, while averaging 354 strikeouts per season in his first four years in Arizona. Johnson is 2nd all-time in MLB history with 4,875 career strikeouts.He along with Curt Schilling was crucial was in bringing a World Series title to the desert in 2001. He had a SO/9 of 11.5 during the eight seasons he spent with the Diamondbacks.

By Chris Lacey (Lead Baseball Columnist/Minority Website Owner)

The Diamondbacks have had good years and bad years in terms of pitching for their club. The first season for the club which was in 1998, they lost 97 games and 69 of those losses were from the rotation, which caused to finish last in the National West Division.

Their rotation consisted of Andy Benes, Brian Anderson, Omar Daal, Willie Blair, Amaury Telemaco, and Jeff Suppan. The closer for them that season was Gregg Olson.

Click the Link Below to see the Hitters version

The Arizona Diamondbacks Best Hitters (1998 – 2013): Part 2 Of A 3 Part Series

Luis Gonzalez’s walk off hit Game 7 World Series 2011

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Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – June 25, 2013

Amy Sancetta/AP

Amy Sancetta/AP

Should fans combine their love for a team with the need to heal from a tragedy? Some fans do. Others don’t. And both sides should respect the other.

That topic and more on today’s episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.

I give a shout out to the great Susie Felber.
Yasiel Puig, Jeremy Hellickson, Cliff Lee and Michael Brantley all owned baseball on June 24, 2013.
To see the up to date tally of “Who Owns Baseball?,” click HERE.

Subscribe on iTunes HERE.

Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – June 25, 2013
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Arizona Diamondbacks: How Good Can Their Rotation Become?

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Friday, May.31/ 2013

Wade Miley might have won the NL Rookie of the Year in a lot of other seasons.  The NL ALL-Star in 2012 had to settle for 2nd place to Bryce Harper.  Now he is part of a young formidable Starting Rotation that features Patrick Corbin and Tyler Skaggs.  Only a few years ago, the club had a trio set of Starters that looked front line.  One guy never played again (Webb) - while Haren was traded for a 3 prospects.  Arizona picked up Corbin and Skaggs in that trade for Haren by way of Los Angeles

Wade Miley finsihed 2nd in the NL Rookie of the Year in 2012.  Now he is part of a young formidable Starting Rotation that features Patrick Corbin and Tyler Skaggs. Only a few years ago, the club had a trio set of Starters that looked front line. One guy never played again (Webb) – while Haren was traded for 4 prospects. Arizona picked up Corbin and Skaggs in that trade for Haren by way of Los Angeles. Randy Johnson was the 3rd member and soon retired.

Jake Dal Porto (Baseball Writer)

The Arizona Diamondbacks aren’t generally known for pitching, specifically starting pitching, but a trio of young southpaws could remove that reputation.

Of course, I’m talking about Wade Miley, Tyler Skaggs and Patrick Corbin. All three are under the age of 26, and none of them sport more than three years of experience at the major league level.

Miley boasts the most experience of the three with a little less than 1.5 years under his belt. Corbin has made 27 career starts (32 games), and Skaggs made six starts last year and one so far this year. At 21, he’s the youngest and perhaps most intriguing of the bunch.

So, we’re talking about three pitchers that are affordable and under Arizona’s terms through 2018. By that time, the scope of Arizona’s rotation could be entirely different. Trades are never out of the question, but for the present, the Diamondbacks’ future from a pitching standpoint surely looks brighter than it’s been in recent years.

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Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – April 25, 2013

New York Mets Photo Day

The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast today salutes the long and memorable career of Mets reliever LaTroy Hawkins. He has pitched for nearly 20 years, surviving in the game and becoming teammates with some of the game’s best.

Edinson Volquez, Jordanny Valdispin, Alex Cobb and J. P Arencibia  owned baseball on April 24, 2013.

To see the up to date tally of “Who Owns Baseball?”, click HERE.


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Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – April 25, 2013

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Arizona DiamondBacks Roster In 2013: State Of The Union

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Saturday, February.16, 2013

The Diamondbacks will look to regain the the magic that aided them in winning the division in 2011.

The Diamondbacks will look to regain the magic that aided them in winning the division in 2011.

By Chris Lacey (Diamond Backs Correspondent)

Arizona Diamondbacks fans had some high hopes coming into the 2012 season after winning the division in 2011 and making their way back to the playoffs for the first time 2007. The 2012 off-season saw them bring in free agent OF Jason Kubel. The season started off great with a three game sweep of the San Francisco Giants, but when CF Chris Young went crashing into the wall to catch a deep ball against the Pittsburgh Pirates the team was never the same. The Diamondbacks are in tough division the NL West, which is known for pitching. They will have to rely on their young starters if they hope to compete with San Francisco Giants & Los Angeles Dodgers. The offense will have to get better with manufacturing runs and instead of depending on the long ball to score runs. They traded away RF Justin Upton and 3B Chris Johnson, but they brought in versatile player Martin Prado and pitching prospect Randall Delgado.

Game #7 of the 2001 World Series – Gonzalez Game Winner – Can the 2013 DBACKS get back to the WS?


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