The Braves had a rough 2008, injuries to their rotation coupled with offensive struggles made it very tough for them to stay in games, as they ended the year at 72-90. Jeff Francoeur's troubles lead to some concern about his future, it's not too often that a 24 year old's offensive game completely falls apart, however if he can improve his plate discipline he may be in line for a big rebound in '09. Free agent signings Javier Vazquez, Derek Lowe, and Garret Anderson should help plug some holes.
Projected Lineup:
C - Brian McCann
1B - Casey Kotchman
2B - Kelly Johnson
SS - Yunel Escobar
3B - Chipper Jones
LF - Garret Anderson
CF - Jordan Schafer
RF - Jeff Francoeur
Projected Rotation:
#1 - Derek Lowe
#2 - Javier Vazquez
#3 - Jiar Jurrjens
#4 - Kenshin Kawakami
#5 - Tom Glavine
Closer - Mike Gonzalez
Position Battles:
CF - Three young guns, Josh Anderson, Gregor Blanco, and Jordan Schafer will battle it out in spring training. Schafer, a highly touted prospect, has the most upside of the bunch and appears to now have enough polish to be a productive at the major league level--he should come away with the job.
2009 Outlook: If Kotchman can hit for a little more power, and Francoeur can learn how to take a walk, they, and McCann, Jones, and Anderson should prove to be a solid lineup. Yunel Escobar and Kelly Johnson are one of the best offensive middle infield tandems in the National League and should continue to hit the ball well throughout the year.
Atlanta will feature a completely revamped rotation in 2009, headlined by veterans Derek Lowe and Javier Vazquez. Kenshin Kawakami comes over from the Japan and should be a durable strike thrower with solid control. Mike Gonzalez should handle the closing duties to start the season, he's had injury troubles in the past and if he ends up on the DL, Peter Moylan or Rafeal Soriano should get the first crack at the ninth inning role.
Projected Finish: 3rd Place, NL East.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
2009 Preview: Florida Marlins
The Marlins were simply a mediocre team overall last year, and the finished with a mediocre record at 84-77. Hanley Ramirez continues to make a great case for the game's most exciting player and Dan Uggla has proven himself as a consistent 30 homerun threat. Josh Johnson made an incredibly quick return from Tommy John Surgery and pitched well during the second half of the year. With lots of talent in the minor leagues, the Marlins should only go up from here.
Projected Lineup:
C - John Baker
1B - Gaby Sanchez
2B - Dan Uggla
SS - Hanley Ramirez
3B - Jorge Cantu
LF - Jeremy Hermida
CF - Cameron Maybin
RF - Cody Ross
Projected Rotation:
#1 - Rickey Nolasco
#2 - Josh Johnson
#3 - Chris Volstad
#4 - Anibal Sanchez
#5 - Andrew Miller
Closer - Matt Lindstrom
Position Battles:
1B/3B - If Gaby Sanchez can prove that he can handle the load at first base, then Jorge Cantu will probably play at third base. Young gun Emilio Bonifacio is also threatening at third base; if Sanchez struggles during spring training, Cantu could move over to first base, which would open up a place for Banifacio to play.
2009 Outlook: Hanley Ramirez and Dan Uggla will once again lead the offensive charge, if Cody Ross and Gaby Sanchez can continue to develop into everyday players the Marlins should have enough fire power to compete. Top prospect Cameron Maybin should get the bulk of the playing time in centerfield, he will provide power and speed right away, but he will probably struggle to hit for any sort of average.
The pitching will be led by Johnson and Rickey Nolasco, both can be very effective and are definitely among the better starters in the National League. Flame-thrower Matt Lindstrom should be effective out of the 'pen and sophomore Chris Volstad will look to improve upon his performance in 2008.
Projected Finish: 4th Place, NL East.
Projected Lineup:
C - John Baker
1B - Gaby Sanchez
2B - Dan Uggla
SS - Hanley Ramirez
3B - Jorge Cantu
LF - Jeremy Hermida
CF - Cameron Maybin
RF - Cody Ross
Projected Rotation:
#1 - Rickey Nolasco
#2 - Josh Johnson
#3 - Chris Volstad
#4 - Anibal Sanchez
#5 - Andrew Miller
Closer - Matt Lindstrom
Position Battles:
1B/3B - If Gaby Sanchez can prove that he can handle the load at first base, then Jorge Cantu will probably play at third base. Young gun Emilio Bonifacio is also threatening at third base; if Sanchez struggles during spring training, Cantu could move over to first base, which would open up a place for Banifacio to play.
2009 Outlook: Hanley Ramirez and Dan Uggla will once again lead the offensive charge, if Cody Ross and Gaby Sanchez can continue to develop into everyday players the Marlins should have enough fire power to compete. Top prospect Cameron Maybin should get the bulk of the playing time in centerfield, he will provide power and speed right away, but he will probably struggle to hit for any sort of average.
The pitching will be led by Johnson and Rickey Nolasco, both can be very effective and are definitely among the better starters in the National League. Flame-thrower Matt Lindstrom should be effective out of the 'pen and sophomore Chris Volstad will look to improve upon his performance in 2008.
Projected Finish: 4th Place, NL East.
Monday, March 23, 2009
2009 Preview: Wasington Nationals
Coming into 2008, everyone expected the Nationals to be pretty bad...and they were as they finished the season with the worst record in MLB at 59-102. Injuries to Ryan Zimmerman, Elijah Dukes, and Lastings Milledge forced the Nats to use fringe players for a large amount of the season. A few weeks ago, word broke out about a scandel involving GM Jim Bowden and illegally signing Dominican prospects. On the bright side, Christian Guzman finally showed what he can do when he's healthy.
Projected Lineup:
C - Jesus Flores
1B - Adam Dunn
2B - Anderson Hernandez
SS - Christian Guzman
3B - Ryan Zimmerman
LF - Josh Willingham
CF - Lastings Milledge
RF - Elijah Dukes
Projected Rotation:
#1 - John Lannan
#2 - Scott Olsen
#3 - Daniel Cabrera
#4 - Jordan Zimmermann
#5 - Shaun Martis
Closer - Joel Hanrahan
Position Battles:
2B - Veteran Ronnie Belliard will fight with Anderson Hernandez for time at second base; it should come down to who had the better spring.
2009 Outlook: The Nationals had a controversial yet productive off-season, the signing of power hitter Adam Dunn should pay immediate dividends. Milledge, Zimmerman, Dukes, and Flores are all another year older and another step closer to becoming productive regulars and all-stars. They will still probably end up near the bottom of the offensive catogories, but that is to be expected from such a young lineup. Most of the hitters will need another year or two to deveolp, but once they blossom there could be a new power in the NL East.
As for the pitchers, Washington can make a very good case for having the absolute worst hurlers in the game. Their rotation will be "anchored" by Scott Olsen, the former Marlin who posted a 4.20 ERA last year and struck out just over 100 batters in 200 innings of work. Daniel Cabrera comes over from Baltimore; he has never posted an ERA less than 4.52 and is notorious for walking as many batters as he strikes out. There are two potential bright spot for the rotation, John Lannan posted a 3.91 ERA in 182 innings last year, while it was probably artificially inflated thanks to a .270 BABIP he is only 24 and expected to improve. Top prospect Jordan Zimmerman has pitched great this spring and profiles to be a #1 or #2 starter once he reaches his prime. The bullpen is also afwul, achored by Saul Rivera and Joel Hanrahan, who are above -average at best.
Projected FInish: 5th Place, NL East.
Projected Lineup:
C - Jesus Flores
1B - Adam Dunn
2B - Anderson Hernandez
SS - Christian Guzman
3B - Ryan Zimmerman
LF - Josh Willingham
CF - Lastings Milledge
RF - Elijah Dukes
Projected Rotation:
#1 - John Lannan
#2 - Scott Olsen
#3 - Daniel Cabrera
#4 - Jordan Zimmermann
#5 - Shaun Martis
Closer - Joel Hanrahan
Position Battles:
2B - Veteran Ronnie Belliard will fight with Anderson Hernandez for time at second base; it should come down to who had the better spring.
2009 Outlook: The Nationals had a controversial yet productive off-season, the signing of power hitter Adam Dunn should pay immediate dividends. Milledge, Zimmerman, Dukes, and Flores are all another year older and another step closer to becoming productive regulars and all-stars. They will still probably end up near the bottom of the offensive catogories, but that is to be expected from such a young lineup. Most of the hitters will need another year or two to deveolp, but once they blossom there could be a new power in the NL East.
As for the pitchers, Washington can make a very good case for having the absolute worst hurlers in the game. Their rotation will be "anchored" by Scott Olsen, the former Marlin who posted a 4.20 ERA last year and struck out just over 100 batters in 200 innings of work. Daniel Cabrera comes over from Baltimore; he has never posted an ERA less than 4.52 and is notorious for walking as many batters as he strikes out. There are two potential bright spot for the rotation, John Lannan posted a 3.91 ERA in 182 innings last year, while it was probably artificially inflated thanks to a .270 BABIP he is only 24 and expected to improve. Top prospect Jordan Zimmerman has pitched great this spring and profiles to be a #1 or #2 starter once he reaches his prime. The bullpen is also afwul, achored by Saul Rivera and Joel Hanrahan, who are above -average at best.
Projected FInish: 5th Place, NL East.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
2009 Preview: Chicago Cubs
The Cubs looked poised to make a run at their first World Series title in a century in 2008. With Kerry Wood penciled in as the closer, and rookie catcher Geovany Soto showing signs of an offensive breakout, the Cubs appeared well-rounded and ready to dominate the NL Central. At the end of the season the Cubs were firmly entrenched in first place; Soto became a top-5 catcher, Wood became a 40 save closer, and Mark Derosa and Ryan Theriot had career years. After aquiring starter Rich Harden from the A's, Chicago had their sights set on the World Series. But, yet again, they were bounced from the playoffs by the red-hot Dodgers.
Projected Lineup:
C - Geovany Soto
1B - Derrick Lee
2B - Mike Fontenot
SS - Ryan Theriot
3B - Aramis Rameriz
LF - Alfonso Soriano
CF - Kosuke Fukudome
RF - Milton Bradley
Projected Rotation:
#1 - Carlos Zambrano
#2 - Ryan Dempster
#3 - Rich Harden
#4 - Ted Lilly
#5 - Sean Marshall
Closer - Carlos Marmol
Position Battles:
Closer - Carlos Marmol has incredible stuff and a closer mentality, but Kevin Gregg has experience. They both might get a shot during the season, but Marmol should have the job to himself by the all-star break.
2009 Outlook: The Cubs are going to struggle more than people think on offense. Losing Mark DeRosa especially hurts. Don't expect much out of Milton Bradley, he is perpetually injured as a DH, now that he has switched leagues, he's going to have to play outfield which will add stress and cause him to miss even more games. Derek Lee's power has gone down the drain, Ryan theriot's .307 batting average was mostly fueled by a .340 BABIP, Kosuke Fukudome consistently declined each month (.791 OPS pre all-star break, .640 post all-star break), and Fontenot hasn't proved he can hit leftys. Luckily, Soriano, Soto, and Rameriez should be able to shoulder the load.
Chicago's starting pitching could also end up being a question mark. Carlos Zambrano may be declining early due to the high amounts of innings he threw early in his career, once known as a strikeout pitcher, his K/9 now only resides aroung 6.7; as a result his ERA is now just under 4. Rich Harden has proved time and again that he cannot stay healthy for an entire season, and Ted Lilly is durable but he's on the wrong side of 30. Dempster could anchor the rotation if he can continue to throw strikes, he's 31, but 4 years of closing helped keep his pitches down, which could lead to some longevity as a starter. Jeff Samardzija, Marmol and Gregg should give the Cubs a nice bullpen core.
Projected Finish: 1st Place, NL Central.
Projected Lineup:
C - Geovany Soto
1B - Derrick Lee
2B - Mike Fontenot
SS - Ryan Theriot
3B - Aramis Rameriz
LF - Alfonso Soriano
CF - Kosuke Fukudome
RF - Milton Bradley
Projected Rotation:
#1 - Carlos Zambrano
#2 - Ryan Dempster
#3 - Rich Harden
#4 - Ted Lilly
#5 - Sean Marshall
Closer - Carlos Marmol
Position Battles:
Closer - Carlos Marmol has incredible stuff and a closer mentality, but Kevin Gregg has experience. They both might get a shot during the season, but Marmol should have the job to himself by the all-star break.
2009 Outlook: The Cubs are going to struggle more than people think on offense. Losing Mark DeRosa especially hurts. Don't expect much out of Milton Bradley, he is perpetually injured as a DH, now that he has switched leagues, he's going to have to play outfield which will add stress and cause him to miss even more games. Derek Lee's power has gone down the drain, Ryan theriot's .307 batting average was mostly fueled by a .340 BABIP, Kosuke Fukudome consistently declined each month (.791 OPS pre all-star break, .640 post all-star break), and Fontenot hasn't proved he can hit leftys. Luckily, Soriano, Soto, and Rameriez should be able to shoulder the load.
Chicago's starting pitching could also end up being a question mark. Carlos Zambrano may be declining early due to the high amounts of innings he threw early in his career, once known as a strikeout pitcher, his K/9 now only resides aroung 6.7; as a result his ERA is now just under 4. Rich Harden has proved time and again that he cannot stay healthy for an entire season, and Ted Lilly is durable but he's on the wrong side of 30. Dempster could anchor the rotation if he can continue to throw strikes, he's 31, but 4 years of closing helped keep his pitches down, which could lead to some longevity as a starter. Jeff Samardzija, Marmol and Gregg should give the Cubs a nice bullpen core.
Projected Finish: 1st Place, NL Central.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
2009 Preview: St. Louis Cardinals
2008 was a bit of a disappointment for the Cardinals as they were never really in contention the entire year. Chris Carpenter did not return to previous form and only pitched 15 innings last year. Adam Wainwright, Yadier Molina, and Chris Perez all established themselves as quality major-leaguers.
Projected Lineup:
C - Yadier Molina
1B - Albert Pujols
2B - Skip Schumaker
SS - Khalil Greene
3B - Troy Glaus
LF - Chris Duncan
CF - Rick Ankiel
RF - Ryan Ludwick
Projected Rotation:
#1 - Adam Wainwright
#2 - CHris Carpenter
#3 - Kyle Loshe
#4 - Todd Wellemeyer
#5 - Joel Pineiro
Closer - Jason Motte
Position Battles:
2B - There are questions about Schumaker's defense after converting from the outfield over the winter. If he can't handle it, Tyler Greene should get the first crack at a starting role.
3B - Troy Glaus is expected to miss the first 6-8 weeks of the season, but he should have his job when he returns. David Freese and Joe Mather are the frontrunners to fill in while Glaus is rehabbing. If neither of them can handle it, 2008 draft pick Brett Wallace could even get a chance.
Closer - Tony LaRussa has said that he will probably start the season with a closer by committee system which would include Jason Motte, Chris Perez, and Ryan Franklin. Either Perez or Motte could wrestle the job away by mid-season.
2009 Outlook: St. Louis' offense should have no problem scoring runs thanks to Albert Pujols, Ryan Ludwick and Troy Glaus. Pujols' elbow still has some question marks surrounding it, but that shouldn't stop him from putting up MVP-like numbers yet again. If Khalil Green can find his 2007 power and make more contact, they should especially tough.
The Cardinals pitching staff is a bit more of a question mark, IF Wainwright and Carpenter can stay healthy for a full year, IF Loshe and Wellemeyer can prove 2008 was not a fluke, IF their closer situation gets worked out then might a a chance to make a playoff run.
Projected Finish: 2nd Place, NL Central.
Projected Lineup:
C - Yadier Molina
1B - Albert Pujols
2B - Skip Schumaker
SS - Khalil Greene
3B - Troy Glaus
LF - Chris Duncan
CF - Rick Ankiel
RF - Ryan Ludwick
Projected Rotation:
#1 - Adam Wainwright
#2 - CHris Carpenter
#3 - Kyle Loshe
#4 - Todd Wellemeyer
#5 - Joel Pineiro
Closer - Jason Motte
Position Battles:
2B - There are questions about Schumaker's defense after converting from the outfield over the winter. If he can't handle it, Tyler Greene should get the first crack at a starting role.
3B - Troy Glaus is expected to miss the first 6-8 weeks of the season, but he should have his job when he returns. David Freese and Joe Mather are the frontrunners to fill in while Glaus is rehabbing. If neither of them can handle it, 2008 draft pick Brett Wallace could even get a chance.
Closer - Tony LaRussa has said that he will probably start the season with a closer by committee system which would include Jason Motte, Chris Perez, and Ryan Franklin. Either Perez or Motte could wrestle the job away by mid-season.
2009 Outlook: St. Louis' offense should have no problem scoring runs thanks to Albert Pujols, Ryan Ludwick and Troy Glaus. Pujols' elbow still has some question marks surrounding it, but that shouldn't stop him from putting up MVP-like numbers yet again. If Khalil Green can find his 2007 power and make more contact, they should especially tough.
The Cardinals pitching staff is a bit more of a question mark, IF Wainwright and Carpenter can stay healthy for a full year, IF Loshe and Wellemeyer can prove 2008 was not a fluke, IF their closer situation gets worked out then might a a chance to make a playoff run.
Projected Finish: 2nd Place, NL Central.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
2009 Preview: Toronto Blue Jays
The Blue Jays had a very good year in 2008, but the fact that they play in the incredibly tough AL East took away from their good season. Roy Halladay was unbelievable for Toronto by winning 20 games and having a sub 3 ERA. AJ Burnett finally stayed healthy and showed how good he can be by winning 18 games and having 231 strike outs. Also, the baseball world was introduced to 20 year old Travis Snider and he did not disappoint. Snider hit .301 in 78 ABs, had 2 homeruns, 13 RBIs, and 9 runs. He made the most of the short time that he was in the majors. If the Blue Jays were in the NL West they would have won the division with their 86 - 74 record.
Projected Lineup:
C - Rod Barajas
1B - Lyle Overbay
2B - Aaron Hill
SS - John McDonald
3B - Scott Rolen
LF - Adam Lind
CF - Vernon Wells
RF - Alex Rios
DH - Travis Snider
Projected Rotation:
#1 - Roy Halladay
#2 - Jesse Litsch
#3 - David Purcey
#4 - Scott Richmond
#5 - Casey Janssen
Closer - BJ Ryan
2009 Outlook: The Blue Jays lost AJ Burnett in the off-season and that is a big loss for them because when he is healthy he is one of the top pitchers in the league. Roy Halladay should get close to 20 wins again and pitch well, Litsch should get to double digit wins, but nothing special, and David Purcey could get double digit wins as well, but again nothing special. After those three it is really down hill in the pitching department. Scott Richmond and Casey Janssen could get roughed up a lot in 2009 and that is going to hurt Toronto big time. They need as many wins as possible to compete with Tampa, Boston, and New York.
The offense looks as if it should be really good in 2009. Travis Snider will have more experience and only get better as the season goes on. Two big questions that Toronto has are with Alex Rios and Vernon Wells. Can Vernon Wells stay healthy and can Alex Rios make up his mind? Alex Rios either steals a lot of bases and does not hit homeruns or he hits homeruns and does not steal bases. He switched midway through the 2008 season. If Wells can stay healthy and Rios choses what he wants to do, then the offense will be ok, but the pitching will still hurt the team.
Projected Finish: 4th Place, AL East
Projected Lineup:
C - Rod Barajas
1B - Lyle Overbay
2B - Aaron Hill
SS - John McDonald
3B - Scott Rolen
LF - Adam Lind
CF - Vernon Wells
RF - Alex Rios
DH - Travis Snider
Projected Rotation:
#1 - Roy Halladay
#2 - Jesse Litsch
#3 - David Purcey
#4 - Scott Richmond
#5 - Casey Janssen
Closer - BJ Ryan
2009 Outlook: The Blue Jays lost AJ Burnett in the off-season and that is a big loss for them because when he is healthy he is one of the top pitchers in the league. Roy Halladay should get close to 20 wins again and pitch well, Litsch should get to double digit wins, but nothing special, and David Purcey could get double digit wins as well, but again nothing special. After those three it is really down hill in the pitching department. Scott Richmond and Casey Janssen could get roughed up a lot in 2009 and that is going to hurt Toronto big time. They need as many wins as possible to compete with Tampa, Boston, and New York.
The offense looks as if it should be really good in 2009. Travis Snider will have more experience and only get better as the season goes on. Two big questions that Toronto has are with Alex Rios and Vernon Wells. Can Vernon Wells stay healthy and can Alex Rios make up his mind? Alex Rios either steals a lot of bases and does not hit homeruns or he hits homeruns and does not steal bases. He switched midway through the 2008 season. If Wells can stay healthy and Rios choses what he wants to do, then the offense will be ok, but the pitching will still hurt the team.
Projected Finish: 4th Place, AL East
Saturday, March 14, 2009
2009 Preview: Baltimore Orioles
2008 was a bad year for the Orioles, plain and simple. They lost nearly 100 games, the pitching was awful, and every Sunday was an embarrassment in Baltimore. The only real positive was the offense they created, but even that could not cancel out the terrible pitching. The Orioles look to try and improve on their 68 - 93 record in 2008.
Projected Lineup:
C - Matt Wieters
1B - Aubrey Huff
2B - Brian Roberts
SS - Cesar Izturis
3B - Melvin Mora
LF - Felix Pie
CF - Adam Jones
RF - Nick Markakis
DH - Luke Scott
Projected Rotation:
#1 - Jeremy Guthrie
#2 - Koji Uehara
#3 - Chris Waters
#4 - Rich Hill
#5 - Radhames Liz
Closer - George Sherrill
Position Battles:
#4 and #5 Starters - Mark Hendrickson and Adam Eaton have a chance at the last two spots in the rotation. Whoever has the better spring should get the job.
Closer - George Sherrill struggled in the second half of last year and Chris Ray is returning from Tommy John Surgery, so they may split the closer duty throughout the season.
2009 Outlook: People have some reason to be excited in Baltimore, but not because of the performance of the team, but because of one player. Matt Wieters. He is one of the top prospects in all of baseball and he has everyone talking. Wieters is a switching hitting catcher who can hit for power and average and play his position well. Other than Wieters the team does not really look any better than it did last year. Jeremy Guthrie is their number one starter, so that shows you that the pitching staff is still not very good and the offense consists of either old players (on the decline) or young players that have not panned out. So it does not really look like another good season for the Orioles, especially playing in the AL East.
Projected Finish: 5th Place, AL East
Projected Lineup:
C - Matt Wieters
1B - Aubrey Huff
2B - Brian Roberts
SS - Cesar Izturis
3B - Melvin Mora
LF - Felix Pie
CF - Adam Jones
RF - Nick Markakis
DH - Luke Scott
Projected Rotation:
#1 - Jeremy Guthrie
#2 - Koji Uehara
#3 - Chris Waters
#4 - Rich Hill
#5 - Radhames Liz
Closer - George Sherrill
Position Battles:
#4 and #5 Starters - Mark Hendrickson and Adam Eaton have a chance at the last two spots in the rotation. Whoever has the better spring should get the job.
Closer - George Sherrill struggled in the second half of last year and Chris Ray is returning from Tommy John Surgery, so they may split the closer duty throughout the season.
2009 Outlook: People have some reason to be excited in Baltimore, but not because of the performance of the team, but because of one player. Matt Wieters. He is one of the top prospects in all of baseball and he has everyone talking. Wieters is a switching hitting catcher who can hit for power and average and play his position well. Other than Wieters the team does not really look any better than it did last year. Jeremy Guthrie is their number one starter, so that shows you that the pitching staff is still not very good and the offense consists of either old players (on the decline) or young players that have not panned out. So it does not really look like another good season for the Orioles, especially playing in the AL East.
Projected Finish: 5th Place, AL East
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