213 Miles From Shea

This is the preview that we all have been waiting for on this site, the NL East. Just to start out, this will be a light preview for the Mets, because they will get their own preview entirely (makes sense, this is a Mets site). Anyway. The stories are known in this division. In 2007 the Mets collapsed. I still feel the Mets didn't collapse in 2008, without a closer in the pen for two months, plus the Phillies had a huge lead at one point, it would have been more of a “disappointment” if the Phils didn't make it in. Anyway, things in the division are really heating up because a lot of key players have entered the division this year. For the Mets that means Krod and Putz, for the Phils it means Ibanez (and now possibly Sheffield), the Braves brought in Lowe after losing out on Burnett, and the Nationals brought in Dunn. This division will be the closest in the NL East with so much talent (The three best Short stops are in this division for example). Anyway, here are my predictions:
1) Mets
2) Phillies
3) Marlins
4) Braves
5) Nationals

1) Even without my bias, you have to like the Mets this year. The reason being is that each part of the team is now complete. The rotation is complete (would not have been without Perez), the bullpen now has defined roles, something we have not seen since 2006, and the lineup looks really good, and has youth in it, something that has been missing from this team since Wright and Reyes came in (I'm not saying Wright and Reyes are old, but they are Veterans, sometimes a team needs some youth to keep everything going). The Mets are the most balanced team in this division, and that is why they are going to get the division crown.

2) The Phillies are very close to being balanced, which means they are very close to being number 1. They are missing Romero from the pen for at least 50 games, which makes the staff that much weaker because even how good Lidge was for them, he will really need to be on without Romero. The rotation has a similar issue, it can be very good, but it runs a lot of risks. Moyer is old and could wear out and Myers really struggled at the start of last year before he turned it on. So they can have the best pitching staff in the division if they want, but it can also fade in mediocrity. Today they released Genkins, possibly to get Sheffieild, whcih might be a big mistake because of the boost that Genkins gave this team.

3) The Marlins get third but are easily the dark horse team in this division. They have so much talent coming through the system, and with batting Hanley third, they can have a good year. This is also surprising because they took out a huge bat in Jacobs and their closer but it will pay off for them. Jacobs striked out a lot, and now they will have a more contact oriented lineup, which is what they need because of their speed. The pitching staff is young, but it is also talented. Their main concern will be the closer situation. Lindstrom has it for now but that might flip with injuries and if he doesn't perform.

4) The Braves fixed their biggest problem in the offseason and that was their rotation with Lowe. The problem for the Braves is that their lineup can also be engmatic at points, with people straight up forgetting how to hit. The key for them, if the rotation holds through, will be Chippers health and if Escobar and Kelly can have big years. Escobar in my opinion is a highly underated player, and it feels like Kelly is very clutch. Their pen is alright with everyone projecting to have pretty good years. They can just as easily as the Marlins take a playoff spot from the top two (basically what I'm saying is that it is almsot certain that the Wild Card champion will come from this team).

5) The Nationals have some big talent coming their way, but right now things are two congested. For example, Nick Johnson and Dunn? Dunn is better than Johnson, but was he a necessary pick up with the crowded behavior of the team? I am most interested in seeing Dukes and Milledge, because if they can mature as people, they will mature as hitters. Also, Zimmerman will need to return to rookie form at the plate (do you remember before 2006 people were projecting him better at the plate than Wright?) Anway, best of look to the Nationals in this tough decision.

Quick Recap:
    Best Rotation: Mets, Phillies 2nd
    Best Lineup: Mets, Phillies 2nd
    Best Pen: Mets, Phillies 2nd
(Ok, so that part was probably really biased)

We are down to the two toughest divisions now in baseball, the NL East and the AL East. They got so much tougher over the winter because big names from other parts of the country headed East and the young players on these teams are still looking at their upsides. The big surprise last year was the Rays. Last year I said they would be a dark horse but I didn't expect them to play the way they did all the way to the World Series. The Yankees brought in a lot of talent and the Red Sox still have lots of talent. This division really has a three headed monster at the top that will battle it out till the end. The Orioles and the Jays though probably have no shot. Since the talent is so concentrated in these three teams, there is no dark horse for this division because in reality no one will be surprised if the Rays are champs here, or if the Red Sox are champs or if the Yankees are champs. Here are my predictions:
1) Rays
2) Red Sox
3) Yankees
4) Orioles
5) Jays

1) A lot of people are counting out the Rays this year because of the improvements to the Yankees and the Red Sox. Well, don't because that would be stupid. The Rays have been building for this moment for years now and they, believe it or not, have more key pieces on the way this year, which could lead to a homegrown dynasty. It starts off with the the rotation which will be another year stronger, and they all look to repeat the success they had last year. The real key for them though is the lineup. Longoria should be there for the full year now and Upton should be even better. Burrell adds a key bat to that lineup and some veteran leadership. They should all have another great year. The reason they have a big shot of repeating is that when pieces go down this year, they have high talent in the minors ready to surface. Something happens in the rotation, Wade Davis will make his debut. They have OF talent in Jennings and Perez, and in a couple of years they will see Tim Beckham. There is too much not to like, they really should repeat.

2) Despite all of the changes to the Yankees, and despite not getting Tex, the Red Sox will finsih second and more than likely get the Wild Card. They have the second best rotation to the Rays and their lineup is still very good. The bullpen is overall the best. If there was a team with the best chance of taking over the number one spot in this divison it would have to be the Red Sox based on the balance on the whole team, they really don't have too many wak points. For them, the big question will be the back end of the lineup, but they should still finsih ahead of the Bronx Bombers.

3) The Yankees spent, spent, spent this offseason and they will not make the playoffs. They have a really good rotation on paper, but its rotation that is begging for injuries. The other big disadvantge they have now is really if someone gets injured in the field or on the mound, they don't have much for back up. They really have messed up Hughes and Kennedy so far and their lineup needs to stay healthy to be productive. What is stopping this lineup from being in the top two in this divison is already we see the probables that injries cause. Without Arod for two months, they will dig themselves into a whole. They better hope the Rays and the Red Sox trip, because if they do, then they can make a playoff run.

4) The Orioles are not as bad as everyone makes them out to be. Their main weakness is their pitching staff. In all honesty, their lineup is really good and will get better once Wieters joins the team. If the rotation can keep it together this year, it might not be so bad in Baltimore because pen got a little stronger. Sherrill closed the gap left by BJ Ryans ages ago and Ray will be back this year to set him up. Jim Johnson isn't the ideal 7th inning man, but he will pass. Going back to the lineup for a second, the OF looks scary with Markakis there and Jones bringing up his upside. If Pie also has a big year, then this could be a lineup that can hurt weak pitching teams.

5) The Jays basically said this year, and I am pretty sure they literally said it too, that they “Give Up” when the Yankees got Texeria. They should be entering a rebuilding mode, sell high on Holliday and see what they can bring into the team. The problems stem from a few key players having bad seasons last year and the need to bounce back. Players like Rios, Wells and Rolen have to get off on the right foot. Prospect Travis Snider is sure to make a splash this year as well.

Quick Recap:
    Best Lineup: Red Sox, Rays
    Best Rotation: Rays, Red Sox
    Best Pen: Red Sox, Rays

The Mets beat the Orioles tonight in a tight contest, by the score of 2-1 tonight. Perez looked a lot better tonight but he still has some issues that the SNY crew pointed out. Mainly, he might just not be ready yet. He is consistently hitting 86 with his fast ball which last season floated around 91 to 93. This really a sign of his arm just not being strong enough yet. Anyway, here are some box highlights that show off the Mets great pitching tonight, and some nice hitting by Dan the Man Murphy:
The Good:
     Murphy 2-4, R, HR, 2B, RBI
     Wright 1-3, BB, SB
     Perez 6.2 IP, 4H, ER, BB, 3K
     Putz 1.1 IP, H, Win
     Parnell 1.0 IP, BB, K, Save
The Bad:
     Reyes 0-4
     Delgado 0-3
     Church 0-3
     Castro 0-3
Even with the weak fastball tonight, Perez really handled the Orioles which, if you don't follow the AL East, are actually a pretty good hitting team (they just suffer from usually terrible pitching, which wasn't true tonight, the guy they had tonight was very good). The other big story on the mound tonight besides Perez was Putz. Putz went out their for four outs which was great to know he can. Now we know that both Krod and Putz can do it, and both of them will probably be called on that at some point in the season. Its a great feeling to have that confidence in the pen. At the plate to night Murphy was just on fire, which was great because the other Mets starts for the most part were not. Reyes, Delgado, Church all struggled. Castro also struggled tonight. Less than a week to go!

The Cubs are the only team in the MLB, in my opinion, that have a lock on the division. They will rise above again. The rest of the division is a little harder to predict because each team not named the Cubs are missing large parts of the team (either rotation problems, pen problems or lineup problems). The rest of the teams need to figure out how to fix their problems to have a shot of taking the wild card. With that, here are my predictions for the NL Central.
1) Cubs
2) Astros
3) Cardinals
4) Reds
5) Brewers
6) Pirates

1) The Cubs have not had a title in over 100 years now and look to make a run at it again this year. If they stay healthy they will be division champs again. Additions of Miles and Bradley will take pressure off of Lee and Fukudome. Soto and Ramirez look to have big years again. The question for them is how good can the rotation be. Zambrano is imposing, Lilly isn't bad, and Dempster was impressive but the forth and fifth spot (Basically Harden and revolving door) have durability issues. That being said, the should still run away with this division.

2) The Astros nudge out the Cards thanks to the late addition of Pudge and become a dark horse team for this divison. If Matsue (yes, that Matsui) stays healhty, and Berkmam and Lee have good years then this team has a good chance at the Wild Card. They will also need big performances from Pence and Bourn. The Rotationa dn bullpen have to be on though. Hampton must stay healthy and Hawkins must be good for this team to have a chance.

3) It was really hard to put the Cardinals in third place, but I feel it was warranted. Pujols is going to carry this team but if anything happens to him, this team is done. More worrying is that the rotation basically has Wainright and then everyone else could easily have terrible years. The Bullpen also seems week. The lineup will have to carry them this year if they want anyshot of overtaking the Astros for a shot at the Wild Card.

4) The Cards and the Astros possibly should keep looking back at the Reds because they, in a division were 2-6 are very similar, they have a lot of upside and that is because they bring a lot of prospects to the table, and a lot of prospects that can be very good. Bruce, Votto, Volquez and Cueto can take the league by storm if they all breakthrough this season. Bruce and Votto really do pack a powerful punch, for the Reds to be successful though, the success will have to be in the rotation, which trailed off in the latter part of the season.

5) The Brewers could have a very dark year. Their lineup still packs a powerful punch but literally their rotation is bare. They lost CC due to a trade, and Sheets is out with injury (plus free agency). Really this team will go as fire as its rotation and pen can take them, which looks pretty shallow.

6) The Pirates always seem to be on the fringe of turning it around, but for them, their young pitchers in the rotation never really have stepped up and Capps in the pen can be so good but also so bad. Their lineup is not strong enough, even with McClouth, to be able support a flailing pitching staff. Looks to be another long season in the steel city.

Quick Recap:
    Best Lineup: Cubs, Astros 2nd
    Best Rotation: Cubs, no 2nd
    Best Pen: Cubs, Astrons 2nd

Last Friday we had our baseball draft for the battle of the blogs, and finally this year I didn't have the last pick, I had the forth. With the forth pick I was expected either Pujols or Hanely because I just assumed in a Mets league Wright and Reyes would be drafted first but lucky for me I was wrong and Wright was left of the top 4 when it came to my pick, so I took the obvious pick with Wright. anyway, here is my team. Each player is listed by position, then after their name are the other positions they can play, the round they were drafted and the pick overall. It goes without saying that any infielder can also play in the IF spot and any outfielder can also play in the OF spot. Heres the team that will hopefully win the battle:
    C- Russ Martin (3B) (5,52)
    1B- Conor Jackson (LF) (12,141)
    2B- Pedroia (2, 21)
    3B- Wright (1,4)
    SS- Jeter (11,124)
    IF- Guillien (1B, 3B) (15, 172)
    LF- Lee (3, 22)
    CF- Wells (9, 100)
    RF- Ordonez (8, 93)
    OF- Chris Young (CF) (16, 189)
    UT- Orlando Cabrera (SS) (18, 213)
    BN- Polanco (2B) (19, 220)
    BN- Saltalamaccia (C) (20, 287)
    BN- Bourn (CF) (21, 244)
    BN- Harriston Jr (2B, SS, LF, CF, RF) (After Draft Add)
    SP- Felix Hernandez (6, 69)
    SP- Cain (10, 117)
    SP- Garza (13, 148)
    SP- Jered Weaver (17, 196)
    RP- Nathan (4, 45)
    RP- Soria (7, 76)
    P- Capps (14, 165)
    P- Gutherie (22, 261)
    BN- Edwin Jackson (After Draft Add)

    Drop- Reynolds (23, 268)
    Drop- Tillman (24, 285)

The Roster pretty much speaks for itself, but there are two notes I want to make. First on the topic of Jeter, which the other Mets Bloggers ribbed me for and they had every right to for that pick. It was getting late in the draft, and I needed a SS, the only other good SS left was Hardy, but he doesn't hit for average or runs, and thats what I needed at that point in the draft. So I picked, with pick 124 Jeter, which is still really late for him because he goes early in most drafts. I feel dirty, and trust me I wont be rooting for him, I will be rooting for utility SS Cabrera to have a good enough year for him to start SS, and then move Bourn to the UT spot. Anyway the other note I wanted to make was that isn't it something that I had the 213th pick in the draft (if you don't get it, check the name of the website), thats pretty awesome. (Which was also Cabrera, the player vs Jeter, man this is a story with strange, strange details).

The Mets played Spring Training Game 30 today (number includes exhibition games) and I am so ready for the regular season to start, especially after games like today. Pelfrey was supposed to start today, he got an out in before the rain started, so the Mets are not going to put him back in after a long delay. The rest of the game was pretty much dull. The Mets had very few starters in the game (it was an away game by the way) and they lost by the score of 5-1. Anyway here are some highlights:
The Good:
    Church 2-4, RBI, 2B
    Evans 1-3, BB
    Reed 1-2, 2 BB
    Stokes 2.2 IP, 2H, 2BB
    McNabb 1.0 IP, H
The Bad:
     Malo 0-4
     Kielty 0-4
     Green 1.0 IP, H, ER, K, HR
     Fossum 2.2 IP, 6H, 3 ER, 2K
As you can see, not much going on in this game. Quick notes are that Reed is almost certainly going with the Big League club and Kielty has really cooled off as of late, and this is the wrong time to cool off. I think his disadvantage is the Mets have a lot of players who play in the OF already, and they are going to need more middle infielders going up north. Green made one mistake today and that was the run, but overall on the Spring he has been very very good….Is it Monday April 6th yet?

Its time for part three of the 2009 MLB Preview series here and this time we have the interesting case of the AL Central. Last year at this time, we were all talking about if the Tigers could score 1000 runs as  team, and they just all together failed. Their problems have continued over the offseason and things do not look good for them. That leaves the division open for three teams that would love that spot. The White Sox would love to repeat, the Twins and the Indians think they have the talent to stop them.

Predictions:
1) Cleveland
2) Minnesota
3) Chicago
4) Kansas City
5) Detroit

1) The Indians will be battling out the division up until the end of the season, and ultimately they will get it. I think the arrival of DeRosa will give Sizemore more quality AB and will also help out Hafner and Martinez more valuable AB and thats where the fate of this team lies, those two guys. If they return to form, this team can take this division. Their rotation will be solid with Lee and Carmona will bounce back and thei bullpen seems pretty solid, especially with our guy Joe Smith there. One of the reasons they win is because the Twins are young and I think they will fizz out as the season goes on.

2) The Twins are going to be fast this year and they have a very good chance of winning this division. Mauer, Morneau, Cuddyer are a very good set in the middle of the lineup but the problem is the players around them can be pretty week. The key player in the lineup for them will be Gomez who needs to produce to help out this team. Their rotation worries me and can hold them back but their closer in the back of the rotation will help them out.

3) The White Sox are the dark horse in this division. Basically they need Alexei Ramirez to have a big year and help out Carlos Quentin, together they can revitalize the lineup. Once again though, they have the same problem that the Twins have with a shakey rotation but a good bullpen. So we will have to see if the pitching can carry this team into October.

4) The Royals will not be last this year. Thier offense is not terrible and their pitching is better thand the Tigers that they will bounce back. There are some players that will make noise in KC and they include Guillen, Jacobs and Soria. Soria is an ideal closer and probably would get more national attention if he played for a better club. Another plus for the Royals, their stadium has had some pretty major renovations and feels like a new stadium.

5) The Tigers will be at the bottom this year. Their lineup still is probably the best in the division but really they have no pitching. Verlander lost it last year, Bonderman won't start in the rotation, Willis is back on the DL again things do not look good for them. Their bullpen has a closer who has been in the big leagues for six years but only has pitched 50 games, they are missing Zumaya and they a failing Robertson. This team needs help.

Recap:
Best Lineup: Tigers, Indians 2nd
Best Rotation: Indians, no 2nd
Best Pen: Twins, Indians 2nd

In this addition of baseball notes, there is a lot to go over. First thing up is if you get an email talking about Passover and all of the people who celebrate it, including Theo Epstein, part of the email is very, very false. The email has been circulating for a while now, I have heard since February 2nd, and it claims that because of Jewish ball players on the Red Sox, Theo Epstein, and other people in his box, they have moved the Red Sox homestand back a week for after Passover. This can be debunked pretty easily because one, they still have a homestand during passover, there is no press release about that and we all know its impossible to change the schdule around. No Koufax like movements this year.

You probably have heard by now but Hanley Ramierez had a flip out in the locker room the other day. The Marlins instituted a no long hair or jewerly rule, so Hanley came into the locker room with a message written in pernament marker on his chest saying that this was (explective). The best part after the team President calmed him down? The newspapers and media in Florida agreed with Hanely.

The Roster for the Mets is looking clearer now with another round of cuts. Most notable in my mind was Sullivan was sent down, which was expected, and that basically gives Reed a lock on the roster, which he should get because he play all three outfield spots better than Sullivan and has a better bat. In Pen, Dessens is going to have to beat out Stokes to get the longman job and be the second leftie in the pen. Its going to be tough because Stokes is out of options.

Yesterday during the game broadcast they did an interview with Putz which was awesome. He gave very short answers and you can see he was trying to be intimidating. This also reminds me of a promotion the Mariners ran last year where they gave everyone a JJ Putz soul patch to put on their chin for the game (I hope the Mets are listening).

With today's win over the Marlins, the Mets move back to .500 for the Spring, which is great to be because you don't have to win, but you still want to win enough to remember how to win when the season starts. Anyway, the first story line of today's game was Dillon Gee who was moved to pitch from the minor league to the big league game because Manuel wanted to see him again. He didn't have a good day but he didn't have a bad day he was doing fine until he ran out of gas. His weakness today was mainly two solo shots, and it was his longest outing of Spring going up to 3.1 innings where he walked two and then struck out 4. Both walks came in the forth inning after allowing a solo homer and getting out, so his really just ran out of stuff. When he was on though for the first three innings, he allowed only one run and he was really getting those strikes. I am still excited to see how he does this season in the minors. Anyway, here are some box highlights from today's 5-4 win:
The Good:
    Reyes 1-4, R, 2 RBI
    Murphy 1-3, 2B, R, RBI, BB, SB
    Delgado 2-4, RBI
    Malo 2-4, R
    Green .2 IP, Hold
    Feliciano 1.0 IP, BB, K, Hold
    Krod 1.0 IP, H, K, Hold
The Bad:
    O'day: 1.0 IP, 2H, ER, Save
    Wright 0-4
     Beltran 0-2
Murphy can really do everything. He got a hit, which was an extra base hit, he then on the throw went to third, he scored a run, he drew a walk, he then stole a base. I am really excited to see what he can do for the club during the season, and hopefully he can be our X factor this season. Malo has been getting a lot of playing time recently and you have to wonder if Manuel is thinking about for down the road late in the season (think Ramon Martinez last season). Finally, the bullpen of Green, Feliciano and Krod were spot on today and they all kept their holds. Feliciano got to use his new pitch, the cutter, on right handed bats. I like to see him as a specialist but if he is going to be the only leftie in the pen, then he has to get that cutter down, and he seems to be doing a good job at it. The clock for Spring Training is winding down and so is the month of March.

This year, thanks to Priced Out of the Citi, 12 Mets blogs will be competing for bragging rights in the blogosphere. We had our draft last night, which was a lot of fun, and the season starts with the regular season. Later in the day or maybe tomorrow I should post my roster for the team. Here are the Blogs, that are  in the league:
     Amazin Avenue
     Brooklyn Met Fan
     The Daily Stache
     Ed Kranepol Society
     Hotfoot
     Metslifer
     Mets Merized Online
     Metstradamus
     Priced Out of the Citi
     The 'Ropolitans
     We're The Team To Beat
     (and 213 Miles From Shea)
Let's Get This season going!