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Top 5 Projected Holds Leaders For The MLB In 2017

a betances and miller

It is one of the harder stats to predict every year, and we are talking about the category of Holds.  Last season the New York Yankees disrupted the flow of the entire landscape.

Since the New York club traded both Andrew Miller and Aroldis Chapman, this affected the chances of Dellin Betances winning the year, with him moving to Closer.

Miller himself finished 2nd in the Majors having worked setup for Chapman – and then predominantly clearing the deck for Indians Closer Cody Allen.

Falling into the same atmosphere was perennial winner Tony Watson coming into the 9th inning role once Mark Melancon was dealt to the Washington Nationals. Read the rest of this entry

Top 5 Projected Save Leaders For The MLB In 2017

Aroldis Chapman appeared in 31 Games for the Yankees in 2016, holding 20 Saves and a crisp 2l01 ERA and WHIP of .867

Aroldis Chapman appeared in 31 Games for the Yankees in 2016, holding 20 Saves and a crisp 2l01 ERA and WHIP of  .867.  This was done in just over 3 months.  With the Yankees kickstarting him up from Spring Training, and without the aid of Andrew Miller as a fallback option, I expect the flamethrowing southpaw to have one of his best seasons ever out of the pen in 2017.

What  a scene it will be at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW in he District today where Aroldis Chapman and Joe Maddon will reunite to celebrate their 2016 World Series Championship.

The big Lefty Cuban should be the favorite to win the 2017 Saves Title for the entire MLB.  It is not that the Yankees will lead the league in wins – heck they may finish 4th in the AL East.  I just believe that with the pop gun offense (say for Gary Sanchez) that the victories will all be closely contested.

I highly thought of Kenley Jansen and Craig Kimbrel for this honor as well, however I like their managers to give them the odd day off ans Save Opportunities.

As of today, we have the Cubs nearing the 100 in plateau again, but just like the aforementioned players above, I think Maddon will use several guys to register Saves for Chicago in 2017 – like Wade Davis, Hector Rondon and Carl Edwards JR.

The reigning World Series Champs are also a lot more prone to blow out teams in a weakened National League where 6 clubs may lose 90 Games or more.

For the sake of preserving arms and fatigue, I would also not be surprised to see a few more SVO’s going to Andrew Miller in lieu of Cody Allen for the AL Pennant winners Cleveland.

(RELATED – Top 5 Home Runs Hitters Projected For The MLB in 2017) Read the rest of this entry

The Mets And White Sox Should Workout A Mega Blockbuster Trade For Chris Sale

The Mets have enough young Starting Pitching talent to acquire Chris Sale. I have gone one step further in propisng them to add Adam Eaton, Todd Frazier and David Robertson as well.

The Mets have enough young Starting Pitching talent to acquire Chris Sale. I have gone one step further in propoisng them to add Adam Eaton, Todd Frazier and David Robertson as well.  The Mets would not be signing Yoenis Cespedes under this potential deal.

Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer/Part Owner) 

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The New York Mets could use a healthy ace pitcher, natural CF, 3B to move David Wright over to 1B, while the White Sox could stand to replenish their squad with a nice lift of young Starting Pitchers.

The Proposed Idea for a Trade:

To the Mets:

SP – Chris Sale

OF – Adam Eaton

3B – Todd Frazier

RP – David Robertson

To the White Sox

SP – Steven Matz

SP – Robert Gsellman

SP – Seth Lugo

INF – Wilmer Flores

1B – Dominic Smith (Minors)

1B – Lucas Duda

CF – Juan Lagares

OF – Michael Conforto Read the rest of this entry

MLB Betting Specials: # Of No-Hitters, Will There Be A Guy With 50 Saves Or 16 Strikeouts In A Game For 2016?

Max Scherzer threw 2 no-hitters in 2015, and carried no - no's into the late innings on a few other occasions. It seems every night there is a no - hit watch, so 4.5 on the over/under for the year seems like a big no-brainer to throw down some cabbage on. In 2015 alone, there were 7 no-hitters hurled out.

Max Scherzer threw 2 no-hitters in 2015, and carried no – no’s into the late innings on a few other occasions. It seems every night there is a no – hit watch, so 4.5 on the over/under for the year seems like a big no-brainer to throw down some cabbage on. In 2015 alone, there were 7 no-hitters hurled out.  At +115, it will pay you $1.15 for every dollar wagered

Hunter Stokes (MLB Reports Part Owner + Chief Writer) 

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# Of No-Hitters For 2016 MLB Over/Under 4.5

Yes:  +115  or No: -115

This is a resounding yes in my view.  In 2015, Max Scherzer threw 2 no-no’s, and could have easily thrown 2 more.  This was 2 of 7 doled out last campaign.

Mike Fiers, Cole Hamels, Jake Arrieta, Hisashi Iwakuma and Chris Heston also cemented their place in history by accomplishing the feat.

There are so many teams that are loaded with HR happy clubs that have plenty of swing and miss candidates like the Houston Astros and Baltimore Orioles.  This also brings us to our next stat. Read the rest of this entry

Projected Top 5 Save Leaders In The American And National League For MLB 2016

Craig Kimbrel is still about as filthy as they come in nailing down games in the Majors. With 225 Saves and a 1.63 ERA in the last 5 years of his career, this 27 year old flamethrower brings his talents to Beantown and a top rated club. Last year was the 1st season he didn't lead the National League after four consecutive years of leading the Senior Circuit. He still managed 39 Saves for a 74 win San Diego team. Since the Red Sox are going to be somewhere in the 90 win range, Kimbrel should at least be in the mid 40's in Saves again for 2016.

Craig Kimbrel is still about as filthy as they come in nailing down games in the Majors. With 225 Saves and a 1.63 ERA in the last 5 years of his career, this 27 year old flamethrower brings his talents to Beantown and a top rated club. Last year was the 1st season he didn’t lead the National League after four consecutive years of leading the Senior Circuit. He still managed 39 Saves for a 74 win San Diego team. Since the Red Sox are going to be somewhere in the 90 win range, Kimbrel should at least be in the mid 40’s in Saves again for 2016.

Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer/Part Owner) 

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Figuring out the Saves Leaders for the 2016 year is a lot easier to project than the Holds Leaders we did last week.  Perhaps the easiest to discern is also the National League.

Since I projected 7 teams will win 90+ games in the Senior Circuit I have listed 5 teams with their Closer out of the fold there.  I did however, leave out Hector Rondon and Mark Melancon.

I feel the Bucs may trade Melancon despite being in a position to make the playoffs.   I also think the Cubs will blow out a ton of clubs this season in games, and therefore not need Rondon to lockdown a 3 run or under lead.

This is the same reason why I won’t label Roberto Osuna for the top 5 in the American League either.  It is also not unfathomable to see the Jays go with Drew Storen to close down games.

I fully think that Craig Kimbrel will lead the entire Major Leagues for the Boston Red Sox as their Closer.

I may have gone with Aroldis Chapman on the list as well, however his pending suspension for his domestic violence call in should see him riding pine for at least 25 games.  The New York Yankees should still lead the Junior Circuit for total team Saves.
Read the rest of this entry

New York Mets State Of The Union For 2016

The Mets made it to the World Series in 2015 after a subpar start heading into the Trade Deadline. With a ton of pitching and some decent positional players still on the roster, they could set themselves up for a lengthy run in the NL East. Especially if they can coordinate a couple of trades (Pitching for hitters).

The Mets made it to the World Series in 2015 after a subpar start heading into the Trade Deadline. With a ton of pitching and some decent positional players still on the roster, they could set themselves up for a lengthy run in the NL East. After tinkering with average players in acquisitions (other than Neil Walker – who is a comparable replacement for Daniel Murphy), it looks like GM Sandy Alderson is done constructing the offense for 2016.  I think this is a critical error.

Chuck Booth (Owner/Lead  Analyst) 

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It has been a decent offseason for the New York Mets so far.  They have resigned Bartolo Colon, filled in the spot at 2B with an almost equal amount of talent for Daniel Murphy, while adding Asdrubal Cabrera is also a wise move.

The organization even resigned Jerry Blevins to the Relief Core.  There is still potential to add another arm or 2 for late innings in the Bullpen.

On Tuesday, it was announced the OF Alejandro De Aza has joined the club for a one year deal at $5.75 MIL (and $1.25 MIL in incentives).  This guy can play all 3 OF positions, but he really should be a 4th OF on a championship team caliber style of team. Read the rest of this entry

New York Mets Payroll In 2016 + Contracts Going Forward

New York Mets

Chuck Booth (Owner/Lead Analyst): 

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So you are the New York Mets, and you have just lost the World Series, what is next?  First off, you have several Free Agents walking out the door that you may not be able to re-sign.  Most notably Yoenis Cespedes and Daniel Murphy.

Forget about the postseason in which the man was banged up, Cespedes was one of the biggest reasons you even made it to the playoffs to begin with.  The Mets should try to sign him.

Daniel Murphy carried you through two rounds of the postseason – but looked horrible in the field during the World Series.  So what is the prognosis on his status with the club?  Let him walk… His playoff numbers, coupled with a high need for second baseman in the Majors may well skyrocket his next deal.

At first glance though, this is not the end of the world for the Wilpon led New York franchise.  The entire Starting Staff could be composed of team controllable salaries.  Bartolo Colon is a Free Agent now too, but maybe he would sign a small guaranteed contract with incentives. Read the rest of this entry

The Mets Should Do Whatever It Takes To Sign Yoenis Cespedes This Winter

Yoenis Cespedes is a superstar player that has shown he loves the New York spotlight. With some progressive thinking, and a great amount of their young pitching superstars under team control for several years, the Mets have the wherewithal to sign the big Cuban OF. It is my idea that they outbid everyone to sign him, and then trade Curtis Granderson to create enough room in the OF, so that he can move over to a permanent spot in RF in Flushing Meadows.

Yoenis Cespedes is a superstar player that has shown he loves the New York spotlight. With some progressive thinking, and a great amount of their young pitching superstars under team control for several years, the Mets have the wherewithal to sign the big Cuban OF. It is my idea that they outbid everyone to sign him, and then trade Curtis Granderson to create enough room in the OF, so that he can move over to a permanent spot in RF at Flushing Meadows, NY.

Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer) 

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There are few players deserving of 100 Million Dollar Plus contracts in the game of baseball right now.  Yoenis Cespedes has played himself into consideration for this honor with his second half of play.

Vastly underrated, and a main cog in the A’s renaissance from the time he was there, he has done the same thing in Flushing Meadows.

The Mets are a different kettle of fish with the Big Man in their lineup.

How do you like a .287/.337/.604 3 Slash line with 31 Extra Base Hits and 44 RBI in 57 Games Played with the Mets?  Before you think this is just a blip on the radar, the man averages over 70 Extra Base Hits – with 30 HRs and 103 RBI over his 162 Game average for his career thus far. Read the rest of this entry

The Mets Are Rolling, But Where Have We Seen This Act Before

The Mets are off to a fast start - with Matt Harvey, Bartolo Colon and Jon Niese going a combined 10 - 0 so far in their starts.  Add in a great start for Jacob deGrom, and this club has the bet record in the MLB.  The news is not all good though, with injuries to David Wright. Travis d'Arnaud and many key pitchers, it is only a matter of time before their depth is tested.  It should be the brass's job to add more depth to this club via trade, but that wont be the case.  The Mets also play stiffer competition in the next 2 weeks.  Are they 13 - 4 good?  Probably not, but if they ca go the rest of the year .500, they should nail down a playoff spot with 85 -86 wins in the NL.

The Mets are off to a fast start – with Matt Harvey, Bartolo Colon and Jon Niese going a combined 10 – 0 so far in their starts. Add in a great start for Jacob deGrom, and this club has the bet record in the MLB. The news is not all good though, with injuries to David Wright. Travis d’Arnaud and many key pitchers, it is only a matter of time before their depth is tested. It should be the brass’s job to add more depth to this club via trade, but that wont be the case. The Mets also play stiffer competition in the next 2 weeks. Are they 13 – 4 good? Probably not, but if they cam go the rest of the year .500, they should nail down a playoff spot with 85 -86 wins in the NL.  The squad saw their 11 game winning streak (1st time since 1990) be derailed by the crosstown Yankees last night.  They seek revenge today when Harvey goes up against CC Sabathia in the Bronx.

Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer) 

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The Mets lost their 1st game in 12 contests last night versus the Yankees.  Sure, they own the best record in the Majors at 13 – 4, but are they really this good?

The answer is no.  Don’t get me wrong, the club out of Flushing Meadows, NY is decisively better than they have been since moving into Citi Field.   The basis of me saying they are not better is due to injury troubles.

Zack Wheeler is out for the year with Tommy John Surgery, along with Josh Edgin from the Relief Core.  Add in the suspension to Jenrry Mejia, with waiting for Bobby Parnell, and the clubs pitching should be less equal than they were in 2014.

David Wright and Travis d’Arnaud are also on the DL. Read the rest of this entry

The Top 5 Holds Leaders In The MLB For 2015

joba chamberlain 2

Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer): 

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Holds is a category that is starting to garner more respect each and every campaign in the MLB.  Having said that, it doesn’t always mean the pitcher is throwing well if he owns a lot of them for the year.  It is just one stat that should be accompanied by others.

When searching to figure out who will have the most of these in a season, it is important to see the amount of games the guy will enter.

For the last several years, Tyler Clippard has dominated in the National League  With his trade to the American League, it opens up the leaderboard for this campaign.

It has been said, that the former Nationals Reliever will see some mop-up duty as a closer for the A’s to start the year.  Had Sean Doolittle been healthy from the start of the year, I would have placed a massive wager that Clippard would lead the MLB in Holds one more time.

Instead, I will go with his teammate Eric O’Flaherty to make the top 5 on the list.  I also don’t think it would be a foreign idea to see  Ryan Cook push the top Bullpen Holds Leaders by years end. Read the rest of this entry

New York Mets State Of The Union: 2014 Preview

The Mets are destined of another catastrophic year in Flushing Meadows.  The only saving grace may lie with the young players starting to flourish in 2014, and the 10 Year Stalwart David Wright.  A bad Bullpen. shaky rotation dependent on health, and a Strikeout laden club, with HR power, but low OBP fuels a fan to think 'what the hell is the ownership doing?

The Mets are destined for another catastrophic year in Flushing Meadows. The only saving grace may lie with the young players starting to flourish in 2014, and the 10 Year Stalwart David Wright continue to stake his claim as an ALL – Time Met. A bad Bullpen. shaky rotation dependent on health, and a Strikeout laden club, with HR power, but low OBP –  fuels a fan to think ‘what the hell is the ownership doing?  As tough a situation as it has been for the teams brass, Sandy Alderson and Moneyball’s Paul DePodesta’ have actually done spade work in rebuilding the Minor League System and big club with prospects.  I am afraid 2014 will be another dull year at Citi Field.

Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer): 

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To fully describe the current state of the ‘Big Apple’ franchise we must go back to Sept of 2013.

New Team icon, and filthy dominant Right Handed Pitcher, Matt Harvey was looking to put up an awesome end to his 2013 campaign, and give the Mets fans full fledged hope for the following season.

Harvey underwent Tommy John Surgery just a few months later, which has both curbed expectations, but also excitement at the same time for the upcoming year.

Sandy Alderson pursued Curtis Granderson and landed him on a 4 YRs/$60 MIL deal, and also signed SP Bartolo Colon to a 2 YR Deal worth $20 MIL.

In a smaller move, he also inked Chris Young to a deal for one year. Read the rest of this entry

The New York Mets Payroll In 2014, Organizational Affiliates, Prospects, Depth Charts, (MLB + MiLB)

 

Citi Field is one of the newest Ball Parks in the Majors and was the host to the 2013 ALL - Star Game.  It is light years ahead of where Shea Stadium was.  Despite having a great young core of players - including a dynamic young Starting Rotation, the team is 12th in Home Attendance.  A lot of the problems stem from poor ownership over the last few seasons.  The Wilpons are lucky enough to have a plethora of young controllable Infielders and Pitchers, the big need is for the OF going forward.  The club should definitely invest some money in this area for 2014.  Lucas Duda, Kirk Niewenhuis, Eric Young Jr, are simply not starting OF at the present time.  Their best patrolling player beyond the grass this campaign has been Marlon Byrd - and he is a Free Agent in 2014.

Citi Field is one of the newest Ball Parks in the Majors and was the host to the 2013 ALL – Star Game. Despite having a great young core of players – including a dynamic young Starting Rotation, the team is 12th in Home Attendance. A lot of the problems stem from poor ownership over the last several seasons. The Wilpons are lucky enough to have a plethora of young controllable Infielders and Pitchers, the big need is for the OF going forward. The club should definitely invest some money in this area for 2014. Lucas Duda, Kirk Niewenhuis, Eric Young Jr, are simply not starting OF at the present time. Their best patrolling player beyond the grass this campaign has been Marlon Byrd – and he is a Free Agent in 2014.  Juan Lagares, Andrew Brown, Mike Baxter have also seen time out there in 2013.  None of them have had resounding success – that would translate into a playoff contender.  While some of them could improve, spending some $$ on proven OF talent, could be the right elixir to contend even in 2014.

By Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner): and welcome Jeff Kleiner (Salary, Roster and Depth Chart Expert for the MLB) – visit his website  here  

You guys are all in for a treat.  Jeff Kleiner recently contacted me about a partnership merge for the website.  He has developed a site (prosportsrosters.com) that covers all organizational affiliates in the Minors for all of the Major League Baseball Clubs. 

We are going to combine efforts to bring you the best look at salaries, current 25 Man Player Rosters and Depth Charts for all 30 teams. 

Jeff is going to provide the documents in form of spreadsheets and I am going to accompany the posts with deep analysis of what the numbers tell us from my perspective. 

If you can’t wait for all of my assessments for each club, go and visit Jeff’s website over at http://www.prosportsrosters.com.

In Speaking with Jeff, he is one of the more passionate fans I have come across towards the game of baseball.  He spends enough time in updating his MLB Facts for it to be a Full-Time Job. 

So after the usual Video Clip and READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY button, you will find some serious &*!@?!#!

Jeff updates this page below on a daily basis.  After you click on it….Bookmark it.  There is a 3 year salary forecast and stats not listed here on this page.  Jeff updates these pages daily and these changes include any Roster moves!

For a Full 3 year Salary Outlook plus last years Stats for every player in the Mets Organization click here.

Read the rest of this entry

Mets Ownership: The Wilpons Have To Start Spending To Compete!

Monday November 26, 2012

Owner of the Mets Fred Wilpon

Kyle Holland (MLB Reports Intern):

It’s no secret that the New York Mets are in a tough division to compete with. They are way behind the payroll of the Phillies and look up to the Nationals and Braves talent wise. So where exactly did the Wilpon’s, majority owners of the Mets, go wrong in building a talented team?

First, lets look at the payroll situation. In 2012, the Phillies ranked number 2 in payroll with approximately $173,459,000. The Mets were ranked at number 14 with their payroll at approximately $93,357,000. How can the Mets compete in a division where the top payroll in the division is about $80,000,000 more? They can’t, that’s why they have finished in the bottom 2 of the division every year since 2009. Read the rest of this entry

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