Posts Tagged ‘NL predictions’
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May-jor League Thoughts.May 30th, 2008
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The Indians are um, not good right now. So, instead of saying things like, “they need to make a trade (or four),” I have no confidence in any player unless they have an ‘SP’ in front of their name (besides Paul Byrd),” and “five of the worst fifteen (qualifying) batting averages in the American League belong to Indians hitters,” I decided to provide some miscellaneous thoughts from around the league from May. Also, a seriously-too-long rant in the middle that really gets me worked up:
There’s no way this and that aren’t related. In case you are too lazy to click, the first is a story about the government trying to subpoena 104 MLB players that tested positive for steroids in 2003. The second is a fantasy analysis on the state of relief pitchers in baseball, namely closers and their inability to, um, not suck. Hey, here’s a question: why are a lot fewer relievers throwing 95-100 mph? Everybody seems to be in the 88-95 mph range these days. Plus, they aren’t as effective as they once were, like 5 years ago. Also, on a completely different topic, over 100 players tested positive for steroids in 2003. That’s over 3 players per team. And that doesn’t even account for HGH. Must be a coincidence. Read more
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NL PredictionsApril 7th, 2008
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Without further ado, here are my NL predictions:
Arizona Diamondbacks: They have a solid rotation, solid bullpen, and solid core of young stars in their lineup. In a word, they are: solid. Unfortunately, solid won’t win them the division in the really-good West, and they’ll end up in second place. Fortunately, they’ll grab the Wild Card.
Atlanta Braves: The Braves are a trendy pick to win the East, but I don’t buy it. They have a good lineup, but their pitching staff is old and their bullpen is iffy. If the old guys in their staff can hold up (they can’t) for a good season, they could win the division like all the pundits think. Of course, they won’t, because the Mets will be too good. Prediction: second in the East.
Chicago Cubs: Here’s the thing: it’s been 100 years since they won the World Series, and lots of people are picking them to win it this year. But here’s the problem: it’s been one-hundred years. Maybe you see a pattern developing or something? We have a pretty big sample size by now (like the entire history of baseball). I say: they’re overrated and finish second in the Central, missing the Wild Card by two games.