Thursday, March 31, 2011

MLB Preseason Predictions

In honor of Opening Day I thought i should give you guys my Preseason Picks.

Division Winners-

AL East- Boston Redsox
AL Central- Chicago White Sox
AL West- Oakland Athletics
AL Wildcard- New York Yankees

NL East- Philadelphia Phillies
NL Central- Cincinnati Reds
NL West- Colorado Rockies
NL Wild Card- Atlanta Braves

ALDS- Boston over Oakland
Chicago over New York
ALCS- Boston over Chicago

NLDS- Philadelphia over Colorado
Atlanta over Cincinnati
NLCS- Atlanta over Philadelphia

World Series- Boston over Atlanta

Awards-

AL MVP- Adrian Gonzalez(BOS)
AL CY Young- Jon Lester(BOS)
AL ROY- Michael Pinieda(SEA)
NL MVP- Troy Tulowitzki(COL)
NL CY Young- Roy Halladay(PHI)
NL ROY- Freddie Freeman(ATL)

Sunday, March 27, 2011

The Final MLB Power Rankings

Wow, Kevin and I have done a really bad job recently of keeping this site up to date and we apologize. I promise we will bring some more content soon and try and keep it more consistent. I realize that the MLB regular season is approaching fast so I decided I will release my official 2011 MLB Preseason Power Rankings in full today. I will try to do these once a month, so watch out for that.

1. Boston Red Sox
2. Philadelphia Phillies
3. San Francisco Giants
4. New York Yankees
5. Texas Rangers
6. Chicago White Sox
7. Milwaukee Brewers
8. Colorado Rockies
9. Minnesota Twins
10. Atlanta Braves
11. St. Louis Cardinals
12. Cincinnati Reds
13. Chicago Cubs
14. Oakland A's
15. Tampa Bay Rays
16. New York Mets
17. Detroit Tigers
18. Florida Marlins
19. Los Angeles Angels
20. Los Angeles Dodgers
21. Baltimore Orioles
22. San Diego Padres
23. Washington Nationals
24. Toronto Blue Jays
25. Arizona Diamondbacks
26. Seattle Mariners
27. Pittsburgh Pirates
28. Houston Astros
29. Cleveland Indians
30. Kansas City Royals

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

MLB Power Rankings #9

Well this past week we did not do a podcast. There just wasnt time as Kevin and I were busy taking our midterms. But this week is our spring break so we will try to bring you as much content as we can. We have recorded a podcast, and we may, also I will try to finish my Power Rankings, so look out for a new team every day this week. So now lets dig right in and look at the #9 team.

#9- Minnesota Twins

Rotation-
1. Carl Pavano
2. Francisco Liriano
3. Brian Duensing
4. Nick Blackburn
5. Scott Baker

Bullpen-
CL- Joe Nathan
SU- Matt Capps
SU- Jose Mijares
MR- Alex Burnett
MR- Pat Neshek

Lineup-
1. Denard Span-CF
2. Tsuyoshi Nishioka-2B
3. Joe Mauer-C
4. Justin Morneau-1B
5. Michael Cuddyer-RF
6. Delmon Young-LF
7. Jason Kubel-DH
8. Danny Valencia-3B
9. Alexi Casilla-SS

The Twins have created a model for success that I love, they manage to develop nearly their entire team through their farm system. If you have ever listened to me talk baseball on our podcasts or read any of my ideas about how to construct a winning team, you know that the one thing I preach is to build through the farm. That is the only way to consistently win (with the exception of the Yankees and other successful big market teams.) Their offense is built around a series of homegrown talent in former MVP's Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau and complementary players Jason Kubel, Michael Cuddyer and Denard Span. To me the most interesting piece of this offense to watch in 2011 is the young Japanese shortstop Tsuyoshi Nishioka. He was a stellar player in Japan, but as we have seen in the past that doesn't always translate to the majors (Kaz Matsui, Kosuke Fukudome.) All together they have a solid offensive attack that features some speed with Span, Nishioka and Casilla, and solid power from Mauer, Morneau, Kubel, Cuddyer and Young. The pitching staff is also solid with Carl Pavano and the resurgent Francisco Liriano, both provide top of the rotation stuff supported by a multitude of middle of the rotation arms. They have some room to deal a couple of their middle of the rotation arms if they want to. Then as usual they have a really good pen, hopefully Joe Nathan can come back from injury and return to his dominant form. If not they have insurance with another excellent closer in Matt Capps. What I love about the Twins is they are not excellent in any specific category but are good in every category. But with that also comes their downfall that they never seem to go deep in the playoffs, and the rest of the division got a lot better. So It's not a guarantee that the Twins will win the division or even make the playoffs.

Look out for our next Podcast that Kevin is editing and also look out for the rest of my power rankings.

Chris "Da Franchize" Hart

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

MLB Power Rankings #10

Now we have finally broken into the top 10 teams in my MLB Power Rankings. This is what we have been building up too, so before we get into the #10 team, lets recap what we have so far.

30. Royals
29. Indians
28. Astros
27. Pirates
26. Mariners
25. D-Backs
24. Blue Jays
23. Nationals
22. Padres
21. Orioles
20. Dodgers
19. Angels
18. Marlins
17. Tigers
16. Mets
15. Rays
14. A's
13. Cubs
12. Reds
11. Cardinals

Now lets get into the #10 team in my MLB Power Rankins......

#10- Atlanta Braves

Rotation-
1. Derek Lowe
2. Tim Hudson
3. Tommy Hanson
4. Jair Jurrjens
5. Mike Minor

Bullpen-
CL- Craig Kimbrel
SU- Scott Linebrink
SU- Jonny Venters
MR- Peter Moylan
MR- George Sherrill

Lineup-
1. Martin Prado- LF
2. Jason Heyward-RF
3. Chipper Jones-3B
4. Dan Uggla-2B
5. Brian McCann-C
6. Alex Gonzalez-SS
7. Freddie Freeman-1B
8. Nate McLouth-CF

It's too bad these guys play in the same division as the Phillies, because if it were not for the Phillies the Braves would easily win this division. They have a dominant pitching staff that has a plethora of arms moving up from the minors that also help improve a solid bullpen, and with the addition of Dan Uggla the Braves now have a very potent offense. Now I think this is an extremely strong team but they do have a few flaws. They lack a true ace, Derek Lowe is an innings eater and Tim Hudson may have put up good numbers but his stuff no longer rates as an ace in my eyes. But Tommy Hanson is on the cusp of developing into an ace, he has the stuff and potential to be the anchor of this braves pitching staff for years to come. Johnny Venters and Craig Kimbrel are two exciting young arms that will battle for the closers spot this year and provide a solid foundation for this bullpen. The offense has also improved mightily, Dan Uggla provides the raw power for the middle of the lineup, and Jason Heyward provides the 5 tool talent to pair with Uggla. The Braves have 4 legitimate offensive stars in Martin Prado, Heyward, Uggla and Brian McCann to go along with aging veterans in Alex Gonzalez and Chipper Jones, and up and coming talent in Freddie Freeman. The Braves have a nice balance on offense and on the mound that I think they have a realistic shot at making the playoffs this season, barring some unfortunate injuries. But even if they do not make it this year, the Braves are a team on the rise and should take over when the Phillies begin to decline.

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

MLB Power Rankings #14-#11

I had some time today so I thought I would finish up the bottom 20 teams in my Power Rankings by doing the #14-#11 Teams. Now we are entering the area where I will likely receive the most criticism for my picks, but that's just part of the sports writing business. Well that's enough small talk, lets dive right into the Power Rankings.

#14- Oakland Athletics

Rotation-
1. Trevor Cahill
2. Brett Anderson
3. Gio Gonzalez
4. Dallas Braden
5. Rich Harden

Bullpen-
CL- Andrew Bailey
SU- Grant Balfour
SU- Brad Ziegler
MR- Brian Fuentes
MR- Michael Wuertz

Lineup-
1. Coco Crisp-CF
2. David Dejesus-RF
3. Daric Barton-1B
4. Hideki Matsui-DH
5. Josh Willingham-LF
6. Kevin Kouzmanoff-3B
7. Mark Ellis-2B
8. Kurt Suzuki-C
9. Cliff Pennington-SS

I realize some people may think that the A's should be higher on this list, I would agree with them but I am still a bit skeptical about their offense. I am sold on their very talented young pitching staff and their very deep bullpen (maybe to deep if there is such a thing). But I am skeptical to put a team with a questionable offense to high. they could go the route of the Giants or the route of the Mariners, until the season starts we wont know with team they will be. But with the additons of Matsui. Willingham and Dejesus they will be better than the 2010 club that finished .500. So to sum things up they could very well win the world series this year but because they have the chance of collapsing and they are not as proven as some of the teams ahead of them Im ranking them at 14.

#13- Chicago Cubs

Rotation-
1. Ryan Dempster
2. Carlos Zambrano
3. Matt Garza
4. Randy Wells
5. Carlos Silva

Bullpen-
CL- Carlos Marmol
SU- Kerry Wood
SU- Sean Marshall
MR- Andrew Cashner
MR- John Grabow

Lineup-
1. Kosuke Fukudome-RF
2. Starlin Castro-SS
3. Marlon Byrd-CF
4. Aramis Ramirez-3B
5. Carlos Pena-1B
6. Alfonso Soriano-LF
7. Geovany Soto-C
8. Blake DeWitt-2B

I have a feeling this is the pick I will get the most flack for on this post. Yes I am a Cubs fan, so maybe you think I have a bias, and maybe I do but I used a statistical system to devise these rankings and this is were they came out, so whatever bias I may have had no influence on the spots on the Power Rankings. But the Cubs have bolstered their rotation with the addition of Matt Garza and helped the pen by bringing back a true Cub in Kerry Wood. They also hope to add some pop with the Powerful yet strikeout prone Carlos Pena. With a little luck and healthy years out of Ramirez, Pena and Soriano, the Cubs could post similar offensive numbers to their 07' and 08' campaigns. They should be competitive in the division but I would not expect playoffs as the NL Central is very tough this season. The Cubs may be able to look forward to this off season though if Pujols doesn't re-sign with the Cardinals as they are well positioned to offer him a contract.

#12- Cincinnati Reds

Rotation-
1. Bronson Arroyo
2. Johnny Cueto
3. Homer Bailey
4. Edinson Volquez
5. Travis Wood

Bullpen-
CL- Francisco Cordero
SU- Aroldis Chapman
SU- Nick Massett
MR- Bill Bray
MR- Logan Ondrusek

Lineup-
1. Drew Stubbs-CF
2. Brandon Phillips-2B
3. Joey Votto-1B
4. Scott Rolen-3B
5. Jay Bruce-RF
6. Johnny Gomes-LF
7. Ramon Hernandez-C
8. Paul Janish-SS

This is yet another pick I expect to receive some criticism. How can I put the defending NL Central Champions out of the top 10? As I have said before I ran each team through some statistical analysis and the Reds actually came out lower than this but I bumped them up because of last season. I have some serious concerns about how sustainable their success can be with this team. First lets start with the pitching staff, while they have depth they lack elite talent that can pitch you deep into the playoffs. When they do not match up against any of the elite teams in baseball in terms of their pitching staff. They do have some young arms that are on the rise but they really lack the ace at the top. I did not understand why they didn't get in the bidding for Grienke or Matt Garza. That was the main problem I have with the Reds, they basically stood pat during the offseason while their opponents reloaded. Now they do have excellent hitters in Votto, Phillips, Bruce and potentially Drew Stubbs and they do play some of the best defense in the National League. I also like Aroldis Chapman in the bullpen and it looks as if he could be one of the most dominant closers in baseball in the near future, when given the chance. But for now he will be an elite setup man. Don't get me wrong this is a very good team that is a lock to contend for the division in 2011. But unless they develop or acquire a bonafide ace or multiple ones for that matter, I don't see them ever making progress in the playoffs.

#11- St. Louis Cardinals

Rotation
1. Chris Carpenter
2. Jake Westbrook
3. Jamie Garcia
4. Kyle Lohse
5. Open

Bullpen-
CL- Ryan Franklin
SU- Kyle McClellan
SU- Jason Motte
MR- Trevor Miller
MR- Mitchel Boggs

Lineup-
1. Ryan Theriot-SS
2. Skip Schumaker-2B
3. Albert Pujols-1B
4. Matt Holliday-LF
5. Lance Berkman-RF
6. Colby Rasmus-CF
7. David Freese-3B
8. Yadier Molina

I think it's obvious why the Cardinals are not in the top 10. With Wainwrights injury I think this may be a generous spot to place them in the power rankings, but while they may have lost him they still have a potent lineup, solid bullpen and a serviceable rotation. I think they can stay competitive, but i don't think they can keep up in what is going to be a very tough NL Central. They are having to rely on Carpenter, a 36 year old injury prone starter, Jamie Garcia who has one solid major league year under his belt and the oft injured Jake Westbrook. They will also need Kyle Lohse to bounce back and find a suitable fifth starter if they want to compete in 2011. On the offensive side they are also relying on some injury plagued players to stay healthy. Lance Berkman will have to transition back to the outfield and try and stay healthy on some already bulky knees and David Freese needs to stay healthy as well. When this entire team is healthy, they may be able to be in this #11 spot, but more likely than not they will slip down this list as the year progresses.

Now we have completed the bottom 20 teams in the majors. Starting next week I will begin my top 10 countdown to the top team in baseball. Look out for further posts and hopefully once i complete the power rankings we can have a podcast dedicated to them.

Monday, February 28, 2011

Podcast 2-24-11

It took me a while but I was finally able to get this podcast up. Again it is not edited but we have streamlined the show so that it is about 60 minutes long. Today we talk about NBA trades, the impact of Adam Wainwrights injury and about some of the better nicknames in sports. We are continuing to work on improving the show,
hope you enjoy.

Monday, February 21, 2011

Podcast 2-17-11

Sorry it took a little while to upload this one, its been a very busy week. I wanted to get a chance to edit this but I wasn't able to because as I said it was a busy week. But in this podcast we talk about the Albert Pujols contract negotiations and the Carmello Anthony trade saga. There are also 2 new segments that we did but overall this is a shorter show than usual. Hope you enjoy!!!

Sunday, February 13, 2011

MLB Power Rankings #19-#15

After a hiatus we have finally started working on my Power Ranking posts!! To speed up this process a little bit i am going to sum up the #19-#15 teams in this post. Instead of in depth reviews of each i will breifly summarize each team but i will still list their rotation, bullpen and lineup. I am only doing this for these teams and will return to doing each team individually for the top 10. So lets take a look at the #19-#15 teams in my Power Rankings.

#19- Los Angeles Angels

Rotation-
1. Jered Weaver
2. Dan Haren
3. Ervin Santana
4. Scott Kazmir
5. Joel Pineiro

Bullpen-
CL- Fernando Rodney
SU- Scott Downs
SU- Hisanori Takahashi
MR- Kevin Jepsen
MR- Francisco M. Rodriguez

Lineup-
1. Erick Aybar-SS
2. Howie Kendrick-2B
3. Torii Hunter-RF
4. Vernon Wells-LF
5. Kendry Morales-1B
6. Bobby Abreu-DH
7. Alberto Callaspo-3B
8. Jeff Mathis-C
9. Peter Bourjos-CF

The rotation is the strength of this team with 2 top of the rotation arms anchoring several middle of the rotation arms. The bullpen is improved with Takahashi and Downs coming in this season, but the closer situation may be a problem. They need to find an upgrade over Fernando Rodney at closer. The offense should be improved from 2010 with Kendry Morales returning from injury and the addition of Vernon Wells. But they are still a fairly mediocre offense that has power but in terms of getting on base they may struggle. Bourjos should provide some speed but he is only a temporary option in center till Mike Trout reaches the majors which will be sooner rather than later. This is a team that should finish around .500 but it will be tough to compete against the Rangers and A's in 2011.

#18- Florida Marlins

Rotation-
1. Josh Johnson
2. Javier Vazquez
3. Ricky Nolasco
4. Anibal Sanchez
5. Chris Volstad

Bullpen-
CL- Clay Hensley
SU- Leo Nunez
SU- Brian Sanches
MR- Randy Choate
MR- Ryan Webb

Lineup-
1. Chris Coghlan-CF
2. Omar Infante-2B
3. Hanley Ramirez-SS
4. John Buck-C
5. Mike Stanton-RF
6. Gaby Sanchez-1B
7. Logan Morrison-LF
8. Wes Helms-3B

The Marlins are pretty good all around, the staff has an ace in Josh Johnson, they got some help in the pen by trading Cameron Maybin and Hanley Ramirez anchors a powerful offense. The rest of the staff outside of Johnson are good middle of the rotation talent and Javier Vazquez add some experience and more strikeout potential. The bullpen should be pretty good and Hensley looks to be a solid closer in 2011. The best part of this Marlins team in my mind is the offense, there are so many great young players on this roster that are just beginning to blossom. Mike Stanton may very well be the most powerful player in major league baseball and combined with young outfielders Logan Morrison and Chris Coghlan they look pretty good. At third they will likely start Wes Helms to start the year but before the All-Star break we will see top prospect Matt Dominguez. This is a team that has a good long term outlook (as usual) and while they may not go to the playoffs this season, once they get in their new stadium they will have a shot.

#17- Detroit Tigers

Rotation-
1. Justin Verlander
2. Max Scherzer
3. Rick Porcello
4. Phil Coke
5. Brad Penny

Bullpen-
CL- Jose Valverde
SU- Joaquin Benoit
SU- Ryan Perry
MR- Brad Thomas
MR- Daniel Schlereth

Lineup-
1. Austin Jackson-CF
2. Brennan Boesch-RF
3. Magglio Ordonez-DH/OF
4. Miguel Cabrera-1B
5. Victor Martinez-C/DH
6. Ryan Raburn-LF
7. Carlos Guillen-2B
8. Jhonny Peralta-SS
9. Brandon Inge-3B

This is another team that is pretty solid all around. The pitching staff has a legitimate ace in Justin Verlander and Max Scherezer is a very good number 2 starter. There is somewhat off a drop off after those 2 but Rick Porcello has a lot of upside and Phil Coke is an intriguing starting option. The main concern will be the health of Brad Penny as he has a long injury history. The bullpen was bolstered by the addition of Joaquin Benoit and they have a good closer in Jose Valverde. The offense was also bolstered in the off season by adding Victor Martinez to most likely but can catch and play first when needed. With V-Mart now in the lineup we should see Miguel Cabrera's numbers continue to rise and don't be surprised if he finishes as the AL MVP in 2011. It will really depend on if they can keep up with the White Sox and the Twins in a top heavy AL Central.

#16- New York Mets

Rotation-
1. Johan Santana
2. Mike Pelfrey
3. Jonathan Niese
4. R.A. Dickey
5. Chris Young

Bullpen-
CL- Francisco Rodriguez
SU- D.J. Carrasco
SU- Manny Acosta
MR- Pat Misch
MR- Bobby Parnell

Lineup-
1. Jose Reyes-SS
2. Angel Pagan- RF
3. Carlos Beltran-CF
4. David Wright-3B
5. Ike Davis-1B
6. Jason Bay-LF
7. Ronny Paulino-C
8. Ruben Tejada-2B

Some may think this is a little bit of a reach but I think the Mets are a bit of a sleeper team in 2010. They have their faults especially in their rotation but i think the offense is much more talented than what they showed in 2010. Chris Young will be an interesting guy to watch in 2011, if he can stay healthy he could really elevate this staff. The Bullpen is the main area of concern as Francisco Rodriguez has had some off field trouble and they will be relying on some health risks to give them innings in the pen. The offense should rebound as most of these guys experienced injuries last season and most are healthy now. I don't care what you may say about Jason Bay, there is no way he only hits 6 homers again unless he gets hurt. Carlos Beltran is another bounce back candidate for the Mets this season and Jose Reyes is looking to rebuild his value. They have motivation and desperately want to become relevant again so I think they will make a push to be a .500 team in 2011.

#15- Tampa Bay Rays


Rotation-
1. David Price
2. James Shields
3. Wade Davis
4. Jeff Niemann
5. Jeremy Hellickson

Bullpen-
CL- Kyle Farnsworth
SU- J.P. Howell
SU- Joel Peralta
MR- Adam Russell
MR- Andy Sonnanstine

Lineup-
1. Johnny Damon-LF
2. Ben Zobrist-1B
3. Evan Longoria-3B
4. Manny Ramirez-DH
5. Matt Joyce-RF
6. B.J. Upton-CF
7. John Jason-C
8. Reid Brignac-SS
9. Sean Rodriguez

2011 may be a down year for the Rays, but they will still be competitive. They have an extremely tough rotation with ace in the making David Price and up and comers in Wade Davis and Jeremy Hellickson. The bullpen lost almost everyone from the dominant 2010 pen but still looks to be solid although closer may be an issue. The place that took the biggest hit was the offense with the losses of Carl Crawford, Carlos Pena and Jason Bartlett who were mainstays of the Rays franchise. But they brought in some veteran help new young players adjust to the big leagues. Manny should be a huge upgrade at DH and Damon should help offset the loss of Carl Crawford (although he will never be replaced only succeeded). They also have several young stars coming into their own in Reid Brignac, Sean Rodriguez and possibly Desmond Jennings later in the season. As I said this may be a down year but they have excellent management and have plenty of options on the farm to replace what they have lost.

That is the #19-#15 teams on my Power Rankings, I will post my #14-#11 teams later in the week, so look out for that. Before I get into the top 10 i will do a brief recap of all the teams thus far. Please give me feedback on my rankings!!

Chris "da Franchize" Hart

Friday, February 11, 2011

Podcast 2-8-11

It's been a little bit of a gap again but we finally have our next podcast up. Today we recap the Super Bowl, talk about the current College Basketball season, NBA All Star Team snubs, surprises and disappointments of the current NHL Season and the Albert Pujols contract negotiations and Michael Young trade rumors. Hope you enjoy!!

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

MLB Power Rankings #20

Again there has been a bit of delay in posting. I apologize for making you wait so long for the #20 team but we did get a new podcast up and hopefully will record another one this week. I also plan on doing some sort of fantasy baseball preview that may include podcasts throughout the season. But today we have finally reached the #20 team in my power rankings, and there is a bit of a jump in quality of teams at this point. This is a team that could very well win their division and go to the playoffs but based on my statistical evaluation i think they fall in this spot. This team would be the Los Angeles Dodgers, they have made several moves in this off season that set them up to compete in 2011 but I'm not sure they stand up against the competition ahead of them. Lets take a more in depth look at the Dodgers.

1. Clayton Kershaw
2. Chad Billingsley
3. Ted Lilly
4. Hiroki Kuroda
5. Jon Garland

This is by far the best pitching staff we have looked at thus far. They have a top of the rotation starter in Clayton Kershaw who may become one of the most dominant left handed starters in the game. He may regress some this season because of increased workloads and just being a young pitcher but he should still be a solid top of the rotation arm. Chad Billingsley is a guy who looked like he was becoming the ace of this team after a stellar 08' season. But regressed in 09' and got better in 10' but not to the level he was at before. He is a solid middle of the rotation arm who may have some upside but it looks as if 08' was a fluke. Ted Lilly came over from the Cubs at the deadline last year and was dominant for the Dodgers. He is another solid middle of the rotation arm who doesn't have great velocity and is homer prone but he is a bulldog and can be dominant at times. Hiroki Kurdoa is another solid middle of the rotation arm who will post solid ERA's and strikeout totals and should fit perfectly in the number 4 spot in the rotation. Jon Garland is a solid back of the rotation starter who's success is driven from his ability to induce ground balls. This is a very deep rotation that could easily get a team to the playoffs, it just depends on how the rest of the team performs.

Pen-
CL- Jonathan Broxton
SU- Hong-Chih Kuo
SU- Matt Gurreir
MR- Kenley Jansen
MR- Ronald Belisario

Jonathan Broxton had his struggles last season but i think he has enough of a solid track record to suggest he could be good again this season. He has some nasty stuff and he is a bulldog on the mound, he should be able to rebound. Hong-Chih Kuo was excellent in a setup role last season posting a 1.20 ERA in 60 IP with solid peripheral stats. Matt Gurreir was the big addition to the pen this year after being one of Minnesota's dominant set up man since 2005. Kenley Jansen was excellent last season as well, posting a .67 ERA in 27 IP. He should prove to be a solid middle relief option for this pen. Ronald Belisario struggled in his second season, posting a 5.04 ERA with a minimal amount of strikeouts. He could be better this season as middle relievers are some of the most unpredictable players in baseball. This bullpen is improved from last and should prove to be one of the better ones in the league.

Lineup
1. Rafael Furcal-SS
2. Matt Kemp-CF
3. Andre Ethier
4. James Loney-1B
5. Juan Uribe-2B
6. Casey Blake
7. Rod Barajas-C
8. Jay Gibbons-LF

There be some big names on this roster, but overall this is the weakest part of the Dodgers roster. Rafael Furcal is a solid leadoff hitter, he can hit .300 with a solid OBP and good speed. Matt Kemp was being counted on to be one of the young stars of this team, but failed to do so in 2010. He has pop and speed but didnt get on base enough and played horrendous defense last season. Kemp is a guy that the Dodgers need to bounce back if they want to be competitive in 2011. Andre Ethier was outstanding early on in the season in 2010, but an injury knocked him out for a while and he wasn't the same after his return. The dodgers need to do better than Loney at cleanup and at first base. He can drive in runs but as you know RBI's are a worthless statistic in terms of talent evaluation. He is a middle of the pack hitter who is being relied to do more than he can. Juan Uribe is a nice addition to this offense, he doesn't get on base enough or hit for a high average but he has good pop for a middle infielder and has great versatility. His bat should add some punch to a lineup that really lacks it. Casey Blake is on the downside of a solid career and we are really beginning to see his production fall of here as the average went below .250 last season. He still can play defense and has some pop but he is on the decline. Rod Barajas was effective at the end of the season for the Dodgers last season and has replaced the former star catcher Russell Martin, whose production really fell of this past season. Barajas provides solid pop behind the dish but he isn't going to hit for a high average and is on the downside of his career. The true weak link of this team is in Left Field were they are attempting to platoon a washed up Jay Gibbons and Marcus Thames. Thames can provide some pop but Gibbons hasn't played a full major league season since 2005. His minor league numbers last season look good and he played effectively when brought up last season and if he is effective he should provide some nice pop. But more likely than not Left Field is going to be a problem area for the Dodgers. The Dodgers could be a playoff team if their offense plays to its upside and if the pitching stays healthy. But worse case scenario i think they are around a .500 team.

Rotation

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Podcast 1-27-11

In this podcast we discuss the Super Bowl, react to what happened in the playoffs, discuss the Tampa Bay Rays moves, The Bulls, Heat and Spurs successes and failures and Tiger Woods fall to the #3 golfer in the world. Hopefully you will enjoy!

Thursday, January 20, 2011

MLB Power Rankings #21

Before i even get into who the number 21 team is in my power rankings i wanted to make a change in my previous rankings. Due to the Nationals acquiring lefty starter Tom Gorzelanny from the Chicago Cubs the Nationals have been bumped up a spot in the rankings to number 23. So here is a look at the current rankings we have so far.

30. Royals
29. Indians
28. Astros
27. Pirates
26. Mariners
25. D-Backs
24. Blue Jays
23. Nationals
22. Padres

Now we can move on to the number 21 team in my power rankings. This is a team that has greatly improved from being one of the worst teams in the American League to being a competitive team. This team would be the Baltimore Orioles, with a plethora of off season moves they have put themselves in the race in the AL East. But unfortunately they play in one of the toughest if not the toughest divisions in baseball. There is absolutely no way the Orioles will win this division as the both the Yankees and the Red Sox are in the top 10 teams in baseball. But they should be able to give the Rays a run for there money for the 3rd place spot in the AL East. Lets take a deeper look at the Baltimore Orioles.

Rotation
1. Jeremy Guthrie
2. Brian Matusz
3. Brad Bergesen
4. Chris Tillman
5. Jake Arrieta

This is what is preventing them from truly competing in the AL East, as they have one of the weakest rotations in the division. Jeremy Guthrie is a solid middle of the rotation arm who has been forced to be the ace of this team the past few years. Brian Matusz is the key to the Orioles season, he has the stuff to become an ace. But he is still in the early stages in his development and can not be expected to carry this team. Brad Bergesen is another young arm but does not have the high ceiling that Matusz has. He could become a solid middle of the rotation starter but he this season he is more of a back of the rotation type in terms of his production. Chris Tillman is yet another young arm who is in between Matusz and Bergesen in terms of potential but has had the least success of the group at the major league level. Jake Arrieta is another young arm who in my opinion has equal potential to Chris Tillman and could become a solid major league starter. This staff has a ton of potential but outside of Guthrie they do not have a dependable veteran to mentor these young pitchers. This is really a boom or bust situation, either these young arms will develop and become a good pitching staff or these guys will implode and bring the team down with them.

Pen
CL- Kevin Gregg
SU- Koji Uehara
SU- Mike Gonzlaez
MR- Jeremy Accardo
MR- Alfredo Simon

The big addition this off season was the pickup of veteran closer Kevin Gregg. While he may not be the best in the business he has proved over the years to be a consistent and dependable closer. But he will have to battle Koji Uehara for the job, as Uehara was very effective as the teams closer last season. But no matter who wins the job the other will be a useful setup man. Mike Gonzalez was expected to become the closer for the Orioles last season after a successful career in Atlanta but failed to live up to expectations. Jeremy Accardo is an intriguing option as he has not pitched a full season since 2007 when he was the Blue Jays full time closer. But if he can come back healthy he could be a vital middle relief arm for the Orioles. The rest of the Pen after those guys is a jumble of mediocre pitchers who likely wont contribute much. Overall this is a pretty average pen as they have some good pitchers in the late innings but lack depth.

Lineup
1. Brian Roberts-2B
2. Nick Markakis-RF
3. Derrek Lee-1B
4. Mark Reynolds-3B
5. Luke Scott-DH
6. Adam Jones-CF
7. Matt Wieters-C
8. J.J. Hardy-SS
9. Felix Pie-LF

The Orioles really revamped their offense during the off-season with the additions of Derrek Lee, Mark Reynolds and JJ Hardy.All three of these guys should elevate the offense to one of the best in the league. Roberts is a veteran lead off hitter who may not be the best in the league but has experience. Markakis may not be an elite power hitting outfielder but he is a good OBP and RBI guy who fits perfectly in the 2 hole. Derrek Lee had a disappointing 2010 season and was traded from the Cubs to the Braves and can still hit .280-20-80 with a plus glove. Then they have a big power hitting 3rd baseman in Mark Reynolds, the only downside is that he has the top 3 spots for the single season strikeout record. So with that power comes a low average and a lot of useless at bats. Luke Scott is a consistent DH who can play 1st and corner outfield and he may have to move there as there are rumors that Vlad Guerrero may be coming to the Orioles. Adam Jones continues to develop into a solid center fielder, I'm not sure he will ever become a superstar but he has the talent to become one. Matt Wieters is another young player who we are waiting on to live up to his talent. But even if he maintains his level of play he is still one of the top catchers in the AL. JJ Hardy managed to bounce back from a rough 2009 to post a solid .268/.328/.394 stat line. Hopefully his power will return to its 07' and 08'(26 HR, 24 HR) levels in Camden Yards. Felix Pie is a solid outfielder who plays great defense but he may lose his job if they acquire Guerrero and have to move Scott to LF. This team will hit a lot of home runs and have some players who should get on base, so look for them to be one of the top offenses in the league. If only the Orioles could improve their pitching they would be one of the elite teams in the league. But until they do they will be in the middle of the pack and battle the Rays for 3rd place in the AL East.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

MLB Power Rankings # 22

Again there has been a little bit of a gap in between posts and i apologize for that. I have been sick the past few days and to tell you the truth I've just been extremely lazy. But for some reason i just got really motivated to work on these power rankings. So today we are going to take a look at the #22 team on my power rankings list. This is a team that almost made the playoffs and then lost there superstar player in the off season. By now I'm sure you can guess that I'm talking about the San Diego Padres. With the loss of Adrian Gonzalez they go from being a competitive team to being a mediocre team. They still have some nice pieces and they have constructed a team that should play well at their ballpark but they will not be a "competitive" team in 2011. Lets take a more in depth look at the Padres.

Rotation
1. Matt Latos
2. Clayton Richard
3. Aaron Harang
4. Wade LeBlanc
5. Dustin Mosley

The Padres have a pretty good pitching staff led by one of the better young pitchers in the game in Matt Latos. He put up excellent numbers in his second season in the big leagues but because of the the increased work load in 2010 we may see some regression. Clayton Richard is another promising young pitcher who the Padres acquired in the Jake Peavy deal from Chicago and looks to be a solid number 2 starter. The major free agent signing for the Padres this off season was acquiring Aaron Harang, who was one of the premier starters in the league in 06' and 07' but has fallen off since. But playing in the spacious confines of PETCO Park he could see his numbers get better. Wade LeBlanc is another young pitcher who may not have pitched as well as some of the Padres other young arms but has potential to be a solid major league starter. Dustin Mosley fits the role of back of the rotation starter but likely wont contribute more than that. This is a solid staff that has an ace in the making in Latos and some other nice young arms but they cant compete with the better teams in the league.

Pen
CL- Heath Bell
SU- Tim Stauffer
SU- Mike Adams
MR- Luke Gregerson
MR- Joe Thatcher

This is one of the best pens in the league, with a dominate closer, dominate set up men and really good middle relievers they can play with the best in the league. Even with losing some depth in the Cameron Maybin deal they still have enough depth to rank them in the top 5 bullpens in the league. Bell is a dynamic closer who likely will hit free agency after this season but there are plenty of options to replace him. Stauffer, Adams and Thatcher all had ERA's under 2 and I think Adams could be the future at closer. But all in all this is a top flight bullpen that can keep there team in any game.

Lineup
1. Jason Bartlett-SS
2. Orlando Hudson-2B
3. Brad Hawpe-1B
4. Ryan Ludwick-RF
5. Chase Headley-3B
6. Will Venable-LF
7. Nick Hundley-C
8. Cameron Maybin-CF

This may be the weakest part of the team with the loss of Adrian Gonzalez as he was the cog of this offense. They will attempt to replace his production with Brad Hawpe and eventually Kyle Blanks when he returns from injury. The additions of Bartlett and Hudson should help as well as they will try to play small ball more often. Both are guys who can get on base and have some speed but neither are elite at either of those things. Ludwick will attempt to be the power guy for this team but he struggled after being traded so we will likely see something similar to what happened to Brian Giles happen to Ludwick. Headley and Venable both need to contribute more at the plate and if they do it could really improve this offense. Hundley will finally be the full time catcher and should provide average offense at the position. The real wildcard is Cameron Maybin who the Padres acquired from the Marlins for a couple of relievers. Maybin has always been extremely talented and has all of the tools to be an elite center fielder/lead off hitter with decent power but has failed to live up to the hype. Maybe a change of scenery will help him get on the right track but no matter what he should be an upgrade over Tony Gwynn jr. This offense has some potential but even at its highest potential it cant compete with the better NL teams. Worst case scenario the Padres finish last in the division, best case they finish second to last.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

MLB Power Rankings # 23

Before i get into who is the #23 team in the power rankings i would like to briefly recap the previous teams for those who have missed the previous posts.
#30- Kansas City Royals
#29- Cleveland Indians
#28- Houston Astros
#27- Seattle Mariners
#26- Pittsburgh Pirates
#25- Arizona Diamondbacks
#24- Washington Nationals

And the #23 team is.........the Toronto Blue Jays. Now i realize some people may not agree with this position, stating that they finished with a 85-77 Record and have a solid foundation of players to build from. I realize all of those things but the division got better so i doubt they will be as successful against their division foes as they were last season. They also had several players who had career years (Jose Bautista?) and they lost Shaun Marcum to the Brewers which will hurt their pitching staff. But this team is significantly better than the teams bellow it on the power rankings, and with a little luck could be an upper echelon team. Lets take a little bit deeper look at the Blue Jays.

Rotation
1. Ricky Romero
2. Brandon Morrow
3. Brett Cecil
4. Kyle Drabek
5. Jesse Litsch

The loss of Shaun Marcum is going to sting a little but hopefully a full season of Kyle Drabek will offset that loss. This staff definitely overachieved in 2010 but they still have enough talent to be better than any of the staffs bellow them and many of the teams above them. Ricky Romero may not be an ace but he is a solid 1/2 type starter, Brandon Morrow has great stuff but he needs to learn to keep it under control. Brett Cecil was a bit of a surprise in 2010 but his innings went up significantly and he is a young guy so we could see some decline in 2011. The wild card in this group is Drabek, he was the centerpiece of the Roy Halladay trade and we will finally get an idea of how good the trade was for the Blue Jays. Then Jesse Litsch is another interesting option as he was a effective in 07' and 08' but has battled injuries the past few seasons. He could be another surprise in 2011, if Drabek and Litsch meet or exceed expectations this could be a very good staff. But if they flop or some of the other starters regress this could be a very average pitching staff.

Pen
CL- Octavio Dotel
SU- Shawn Camp
SU- Jason Frasor
MR- David Purcey
MR- Casey Janssen

They lost Kevin Gregg, but they replaced him with Octavio Dotel. Dotel does not necessarily have the closer job wrapped up, he will have to battle Shawn Camp and Jason Frasor for the job but Dotel has the experience so i think he will get the job. Both Camp and Frasor are very effective relief pitchers who are dominant set up guys and Janssen and Purcey are solid middle relief options. But projections are predicting that Frasor and Camp take a fall this season so beware. I think this group could be very good but again they overachieved in 2010 so there has to be some regression.

Lineup-
1. Rajai Davis-LF
2. Yunel Escobar-SS
3. Jose Bautista-RF
4. Vernon Wells-CF
5. Adam Lind-1B
6. Aaron Hill-2B
7. Travis Snider-DH
8. Edwin Encarnacion-3B
9. J.P. Arencibia

This was a very home run driven offense and likely will be again in 2011. And although you have to expect some regression by Bautista, players like Adam Lind and Aaron Hill who had rough 2010 seasons may bounce back and make up for Bautista's regression. I think this offense will be equally as good as the 2010 offense but there is a chance that this team could be even better. Davis gives the Jays a strong lead-off hitter and Escobar is the ideal #2 hitter and hopefully will bounce back from a disappointing 2010. Wells will likely continue to put up the same numbers and we are still waiting for Travis Snider to play up to his potential. Edwin is always a power threat but he is extremely streaky and J.P. Arencibia will battle Jose Molina for the starting catcher job. This is a solid offense that will rank near the top of the league in home runs but they are not the best at getting on base. The more I look at this team the more i feel that they deserve to be higher. So i will put in this ranking a disclaimer that i think they could easily move up as high as 13-14 in the rankings. But for now I will keep them at 23 with the idea that they could work there way up. This is a team with promise and probably a bright future ahead but they are in the toughest division in baseball so for them to get to the playoffs it is going to be tough.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

MLB Power Rankings # 24

Since there was such a big gap between my 26th and 25th teams i thought i would give you 2 teams today. So now we will take a look at the #24 team on my power rankings, the Washington Nationals. This is a team that made some significant changes, although they were not able to change in their one major weak area, pitching. I think they may have added a few wins this season but overall they have overpaid to only be marginally better and will likely still be at the cellar of the division this season. Lets take a little bit deeper look at the Nationals.

Rotation
1. Livan Hernandez
2. John Lannan
3. Jason Marquis
4. Jordan Zimmerman
5. J.D. Martin

Like many teams this far down in the rankings they lack a true ace at the top of their rotation. That is not necessarily a death sentence but they do not even hold a number 1 or even a number 2 type starter. Livan Hernandez and John Lannan could both make cases to be middle of the rotation type starters but Hernandez is past his prime and Lannan struggled some last season (although he came on strong in the second half). Jason Marquis was a disappointment last season as he was expected to bring some stability to this rotation but was hurt and struggled, hopefully he can rebound. Jordan Zimmerman was also injured last season and has the potential to be a nice middle of the rotation starter and is a player i really like. J.D. Martin is kind of the fill in the blank type player that will likely fill the back end of this rotation and we will likely see many mid-level prospects pitching in this spot. Overall its not the worst rotation but it is worse than some of the rotations of teams that are behind the Nationals in the power rankings.

Pen
CL- Drew Storen
SU- Tyler Clippard
SU- Sean Burnett
MR- Doug Slaten
MR- Craig Stammen

I actually think that this bullpen will end up being the strength of this team this season. I am a big fan of Drew Storen and he looked legit in the 54 games he pitched this season. Sean Burnett and Tyler Clippard are both effective relievers who both profile pretty well as set up guys. Although Sean Burnett is projected to take a little bit of a fall. Doug Slaten and Craig Stammen are both guys who should provide some pretty effective innings, and Stammen may flip between the rotation and the pen. I think this is a very solid group of young pitcher who will get a lot of innings as the rotation will struggle, and i think they will step up to the challenge.

Lineup
1. Nyjer Morgan-CF
2. Ian Desmond-SS
3. Ryan Zimmerman-3B
4. Jayson Werth-RF
5. Adam LaRoche-1B
6. Rick Ankiel-LF
7. Ivan Rodriguez-C
8. Danny Espinosa-2B

This team definitely has some stars, but they are not deep enough to stack up against the better teams in the league. They made some big moves in the off-season, acquiring Jayson Werth, Adam LaRoche and Rick Ankiel. But they also lost talented players in Adam Dunn and Josh Willingham. Werth should offset the loss of Dunn, and LaRoche will offset the lose of Willingham and maybe add a little bit more value. But overall they will likely be as productive as before in terms of their offense, but they should improve defensively which will benefit their pitching. Morgan is a prototypical lead-off hitter with blazing speed and the ability to bunt but he does not get on base enough or hit enough to be a great lead-off hitter. Ian Desmond was a bit of a surprise in 2010 and hopefully should continue his progression and become one of the top offensive shortstops in the game. Ryan Zimmerman is really the main cog of this team on both offense and defense. He is one of the premier defensive third baseman in the league as well as one of the top hitters in the game. Without Zimmerman this team would lose 100 games, so if he gets hurt they are done. Rick Ankiel is always an interesting power option and maybe moving back to the NL will help him rebound from a rough 2010 campaign. At the back end of the lineup Pudge Rodriguez should continue to hit and hopefully get to 3,000 hits very soon, and Danny Espinosa could be the key to the Nationals success in 2011. If he hits to his potential and has a good season he could propel this offense and team to at least be competitive. I think this Nationals team resembles everything the Expos used to be, a very mediocre team that isn't horrible but isn't good either. They could move up a few slots in the rankings or move down but they will not be a really bad team or a really good team.

MLB Power Rankings # 25

I know its been a while, and im sure all of our faithful readers have been dying to find out what the #25 team is in my power rankings. Well i will skip all the pleasantries and jump right into it. The #25 team is the....Arizona Diamondbacks. After losing the 2007 NLCS this team has steadily declined, falling to a 65-97 record in 2010. This resulted in a change of GM's to former Padres GM Kevin Towers. He has already begun to revamp this team, making an effort to cut down on strikeouts. While they may do that in 2011 they are a much weaker offense overall without the powerful Mark Reynolds at the heart of their lineup. They will have to rely on a multitude of young players to come into their own if they want to improve. Lets dig deeper into this 2011 Arizona Diamondbacks team.

Rotation
1. Ian Kennedy
2. Joe Saunders
3. Daniel Hudson
4. Barry Enright
5. Zach Duke

There are definitely some solid pitchers in this rotation, but they lack a true ace. Ian Kennedy and Daniel Hudson look to be the foundations of this pitching staff for years to come, but they are not near their full potential yet. Joe Saunders is a nice innings eater type pitcher but again not a guy who can carry your team. Barry Enright is a very weak #4 starter, but i do like Zach Duke as the 5th starter. He has been effective before but a had a rough 2010 campaign, i would look for him to rebound to at least be a solid back of the rotation option. This is not a bad staff but it needs some work, hopefully in the next year or so we can get a look at D-Backs top pitching prospect Jarrod Parker. But even then they need to get some more arms to bolster this rotation before they can contend again.

Pen
CL- J.J. Putz
SU- Juan Gutierrez
SU- Sam Demel
MR- David Hernandez
MR- Blaine Boyer

This is a major weakness of this team, but it was addressed somewhat by the Mark Reynolds deal. They are hoping that David Hernandez can become a solid set up man to Putz. The JJ Putz deal doesn't make a lot of sense for a team like the Diamondbacks who are clearly in a rebuilding mode. Closer is a area that rebuilding team do not need to spend money as they likely wont get many opportunities. The rest of the bullpen is made up of league average arms that they could easily replace, but Towers does have a reputation for building good bullpens. So by the end of the season this may be one of the better pens in baseball, but right now i think they are a very middle of the road group.

Lineup-
1. Chris Young-CF
2. Stephen Drew-SS
3. Kelly Johnson-2B
4. Justin Upton-RF
5. Miguel Montero-C
6. Melvin Mora-3B
7. Xavier Nady-LF
8. Brandon Allen-1B

There is some really good talent on this offense, but i don't think there is enough to keep them competitive in the NL West this season. Chris Young is not an ideal leadoff hitter as he does not get on base enough and hits for more power, but he does have good speed and provides some explosiveness similar to Alfonso Soriano a few years ago. Stephen Drew is a one of the elite shortstops in the game and fits perfectly in the 2 hole and could leadoff depending on Chris Young's performance. The big surprise for this team in 2010, was the emergence of Kelly Johnson. After a dissapointing 2009 in Atlanta the D-Backs picked him up from the bargain bin and they got more than there moneys worth. He posted career highs in HR,R,RBI,SB,and SLG and was the teams most valuable player in 09'. He likely wont repeat but he should at least remain one of the better offensive second baseman in the league. This biggest disappointment for this team in 10' was Justin Upton, after stellar sophomore season his numbers declined in almost every category. He will need to cut down the strikeouts if he ever wants to live up to the hype or else he risks becoming like his brother BJ Upton. The rest of the offense with the exception of stud catcher Miguel Montero is very middle of the pack. With veterans Melvin Mora and Xavier Nady manning third base and left field respectively. The most interesting position will be first base were Brandon Allen and Juan Miranda will battle for the starters job. Both are prospects who have seen little time at the big league level so they really are the unknown piece of this Arizona lineup. While Arizona has some nice pieces they have little to no chance to contend in 2011, they need to focus on rebuilding for 2012 or 2013. But they are a step up from the teams below them. I will try to get the rest of these rankings up a little quicker but things have been pretty busy lately.

Chris "Da Franchize" Hart

Friday, January 7, 2011

MLB Power Rankings # 26

I thought i would try and fit in one more team on my power rankings before i have a very busy weekend. Today we will look at a team that many thought would be a contender in 2010 but failed to even be .500. That would be the Seattle Mariners, as they come in at #26 in my preseason power rankings. As i mentioned in my previous post, the Mariners had been ranked 27th but with the addition of Miguel Olivo i bumped them up to 26th. Lets take a more in depth look at the Mariners.

Rotation-
1. Felix Hernandez
2. Jason Vargas
3. Doug Fister
4. Erik Bedard
5. Luke French

This staff is headlined by CY Young winner Felix Hernandez, who is by far one of the top pitchers in the game right now. But after Hernandez their is a steep drop off, Vargas and Fister may be valuable back of the rotation guys but not top of the rotation guys. Erik Bedard is the wild card of the group he has yet to really be healthy for the Mariners but when he's healthy he can be very good. But don't count on a healthy season, and Luke French is a 5th starter nothing better. David Pauley could become the 5th starter and may be a better option. This staff is similar to the Royals last year, were they have an ace at the top with nothing else of good value.

Pen-
CL- David Aardsma
SU- Brandon League
SU-Garrett Olsen
MR- Shawn Kelly
MR- Danny Cortes

The only arm that is really good here is Brandon League, especially with David Aardsma's injury. He will likely miss opening day and wont pitch for a few weeks allowing League to get some save opportunities. The rest of the Pen has some potential but none are proven relievers who will do much to help this team. This is a mediocre pen that might hold a few surprises but outside of League im not a fan of any of these guys.

Lineup-
1. Ichiro Suzuki-RF
2. Chone Figgins-3B
3. Franklin Gutierrez-CF
4. Jack Cust-DH
5. Miguel Olivo-C
6. Justin Smoak-1B
7. Michael Saunders-LF
8. Brendan Ryan-SS
9. Josh Wilson-2B

I will give them credit, they did add some pop to this lineup (Cust and Olivo). But it will not be enough to compete with the teams in their division. Ichiro is aging and at some point will show some signs of decline. That being said Figgins should play better this season which could help for any regression that Ichiro may show if any. Gutierrez was supposed to be their next superstar and he failed to produce, he did play well defensively but he needs to bounce back on offense. Cust and Olivo will add some solid power to the middle of the lineup, and Smoak was a heralded prospect who hopefully will come through in 2011. The bottom of the lineup is kind of weak with light hitting middle infielders Ryan and Wilson but that usually is a weak part of a lineup anyways. Overall this offense will improve in 2011, but the question is by how much. Even if they improve a lot the pitching outside of Hernandez is not good enough to push them to contention. But they could take steps to respectability in 2011 and no matter what they will not be the worst team in the MLB.

Complete NFL Playoff Predictions

We had to put the MLB Preseason power rankings on hold for a little while so we could do our complete NFL Playoff Predictions. Kevin will probably beat me as he made his picks first and i had to struggle to make mine different. Kevin wanted to write this on his own but was unable because he is currently in the hospital, so lets wish him a speedy recovery. Now to dive in to the predictions starting with Kevin's.

Kevin's Picks
Wildcard

Ravens over Chiefs
Colts over Jets
Saints over Seahawks
Packers over Eagles

Divisional Playoffs

Patriots over Ravens(Close Game/OT)
Steelers over Colts
Falcons over Packers (Close Game/OT)
Saints over Bears

Conference Championships

Falcons over Saints
Patriots over Steelers

Superbowl

Patriots over Falcons

Chris's Picks
Wildcard

Ravens over Chiefs
Jets over Colts
Saints over Seahawks
Packers over Eagels

Divisional Playoffs

Ravens over Steelers
Patriots over Jets
Falcons over Packers
Saints over Bears

Conference Championship

Ravens over Patriots (Close Game/OT)
Falcons over Saints

Super Bowl

Ravens over Falcons

The reason i decided to pick the Ravens for the Superbowl is mainly because they were my preseason pick (The Patriots were Kevin's). After the playoffs we will compare our picks and see who did the best. And if your doing a pool use Kevin's picks not mine (unless you are trying to lose).


Chris "Da Franchize" Hart

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

MLB Power Rankings # 27

Some moves have been made over the past few days that have made me have to adjust my rankings, which is why it has taken a little longer to get these out. This next team just moved down a spot because the team that was previously at #27 added a piece that bumps them up a spot. This team is slightly better than the Astros but not by a ton, and easily could slip behind them not only in the rankings but in the division. So I'm sure you can guess who this is, I am talking about the Pittsburgh Pirates. Lets take an in depth look at this team.

Rotation-
1. Paul Maholm
2. Ross Ohlendorf
3. James McDonald
4. Kevin Correia
5. Charlie Morton

This is there huge weakness, i actually kind of like their offense but they have BAD pitching. Maholm is an okay lefty who can eat innings but he is not a number one starter. James McDonald looked good when he came over in a trade from the Dodgers but he is not a guarantee. The rest of the staff is garbage, Ohlendorf might be useful but Correia struggled at the most pitcher friendly park last season and was a back of the rotation starter to begin with. The fifth spot could be filled by Charlie Morton, Daniel McCutchen or players off the AAA team. This staff is not as bad as the Royals but they are pretty close.

Pen-
CL- Joel Hanrahan
SU- Evan Meek
SU- Chris Resop
MR- Sean Gallagher
MR- Scott Olsen

Their pen is not as bad as their staff but it is not a good bullpen. Joel Hanrahan could be a fantastic reliever in my opinion, but he needs to limit his walks. The rest of the relievers in this pen they basically got at the bargain bin at Walmart, some might surprise us and then be used as trade bait mid season and the rest will be bad. This is another area the Pirates need to improve upon if they want to ever have a winning season again.

Lineup-
1.Andrew McCutchen-CF
2.Jose Tabata-LF
3.Neil Walker-2B
4.Pedro Alvarez-3B
5.Lyle Overbay-1B
6.Garrett Jones-RF
7.Chris Snyder-C
8.Ronny Cedeno-SS

The Pirates offense will be there best area in 2011, as they have some promising young talent that should continue to get better. McCutchen has been the star of this team for the past 2 seasons and has proved to be a solid top of the order hitter who is a true 5 tool talent. His time as the star of this team is ending as Pedro Alvarez has reached the Big Levels and didn't disappoint in 2010. Expect Alvarez to lead this team in HR and RBI for years to come and be a perennial All-Star. Besides those 2 stars, Neil Walker and Jose Tabata also emerged as reliable contributors on this team. With those young stars and the addition of veteran first baseman Lyle Overbay this should be an above average offense. This will not get them to a winning season but they should be a bit more respectable than in years past. Its hard not to root for this team as it would be nice to see them break that streak of losing seasons but I dont think this is the team to do it.

MLB Power Rankings # 28

Today we will take a look at my number 28 team which i am surprised that they are this low. Its not that it's a great team but i didn't think they would fall this low. This team would be the Houston Astros, i think they have improved their team from last year in terms of overall talent. But I dont think they can rely on Brett Myers to put up the numbers he did in 2010. Lets take a more in depth look at the 2011 Houston Astros.

Rotation-
1. Brett Myers
2. Wandy Rodriguez
3. J.A. Happ
4. Bud Norris
5. Nelson Figueroa

While they may lack a true ace at the top of the staff, their top 4 starters are pretty solid. As i mentioned before Brett Myers had a terrific 2010 season and i doubt he can repeat those numbers. But as long as he can pitch effectively this team can be a solid staff. Wandy Rodriguez has been pretty consistent the past few seasons and is a solid middle of the rotation guy. J.A. Happ came over in the Roy Oswalt trade and is another guy who should be able to eat some innings and be a solid middle of the rotation guy. Then you have Bud Norris who can put up decent strikeout totals but will need to get his walks down if he wants to improve. But again he is a guy who can be a solid middle of the rotation guy. The only real weak spot is that they lack depth and if there are some injuries they could struggle. But this is definitely not the weakest staff in the division.

Pen-
CL- Brandon Lyon
SU-Alberto Arias
SU-Wilton Lopez
MR- Mark Melancon
MR-Jeff Fulchino

The bullpen is going to be the weak spot of this team, with the exception of closer Brandon Lyon this is a garbage pen. Some of the relievers may be serviceable but you could probably pick up someone of the scrap heap and get equal value. It's too bad they had to give up Matt Lindstrom, i have always been a big fan of him.

Lineup-
1. Michael Bourn-CF
2. Clint Barmes-SS
3. Chris Johnson-3B
4. Carlos Lee-LF
5. Hunter Pence-RF
6. Bill Hall-2B
7. Brett Wallace-1B
8. Jason Castro-C

This is not a horrible offense and while it may not have any huge glaring holes at a particular position. It is an offense that lacks true star power, Hunter Pence who should be more of an ancillary piece is being asked to be the offensive star along with a washed up Carlos Lee and inconsistent Bill Hall and a number of young players. The one thing I will say about the Astros is that every year they seem to overachieve compared to expectations and manage to stay in the race. They could definitely do that with this roster considering the talent of the previous teams but i doubt it. This team is significantly better than the two previous teams on my rankings, but don't expect the Astros to be in contention and likely will be at the bottom of the division.

Saturday, January 1, 2011

MLB Power Rankings # 29

I have finally completed the Power Rankings so i will be able to release one a day. I think they may cause some controversy as I took some risks on them this year. But today we are going to look at the #29 team, they are not going to be as bad as the Royals but are still going to be pretty bad. Actually it is a team in the same division as the Royals, The Cleveland Indians. While the Indians finished with 69 wins last year they will likely finish around the same record despite being a better team. They have some nice young pieces but are a while away from contention and they do not have a farm system like the Royals to help in the near future. Lets take a more in depth look at the Indians.

Rotation-
1. Fausto Carmona
2. Justin Masterson
3. Jeanmar Gomez
4. Carlos Carrasco
5. Josh Tomlin

I do like the top 2 starters on their staff, Carmona may not be an ace but he is a capable starter who can eat innings effectively. Masterson is my favorite pitcher of the bunch, he has a decent strikeout potential but may struggle with walks. He fits well as a middle of the rotation starter, but the back of the rotation is not as good as the top. Of the back end starters i like Carlos Carrasco the most as he has the most strikeout stuff and was a solid prospect. But this is a staff that lacks experience outside of Carmona and will take some beatings this season.

Bullpen-
CL-Chris Perez
SU-Tony Sipp
SU-Rafael Perez
MR-Joe Smith
MR-Jensen Lewis

Chris Perez looks to be a very good closer as he went 23 for 27 in save opportunities in 2010. He put up good numbers across the board and is only 25 so the Indians have their closer for a while. The rest of the Pen is solid but unspectacular, they should get the job done but will blow their share of leads. None of the other relievers stand out as being really good or bad so they are in better shape then a lot of pens.

Lineup-
1. Grady Sizemore=CF
2. Asdrubal Cabrera-SS
3. Shin-Soo Choo-RF
4. Travis Hafner-DH
5. Carlos Santana-C
6. Matt LaPorta-1B
7. Luis Valbuena-2B
8. Michael Brantley-LF
9. Jayson Nix-3B

Getting Grady Sizemore back should be a huge boost to this offense, but he is coming off some injuries so his production may not be the same. A full season of young Catching prospect Carlos Santana will be another boost to this offense that has lacked star power. The most consistent player on this team the past few years and most productive has been Shin-Soo Choo. He has been able to post lines around .300/.400/.450 consistently while playing good defense. Outside of those 3 players they will be relying on some young players to live up to their potential such as Matt LaPorta, Michael Brantley, Jason Donald and Trevor Crowe. This offense has the potential to be pretty good but they will need the young guys to contribute and Grady Sizemore to bounce back from several injury plagued seasons. This team could very well move up in the rankings as the season goes on they just need a little luck. But they do have more potential than several teams ahead of them.