The Jays Come Out Of The Gate Flying!
With a country that is now focusing at a playoff run that includes three of the six Canadian squads trying to end Canada’s 16 years playoff drought, the Blue Jays are soaring taking their first two series of the 2009 season.
Unfortunately nobody seems to be noticing. The Jays fans were their normal loud and loyal selves on opening night. Unfortunately a few bad apples decided that with the bases loaded and a seven run lead in the eighth on opening night to participate on a level of stupidity that caused the MLB to threaten forfeit. That was the Ugly. Even more predictable was the dramatic drop off in attendance over the next couple of days.
The Good:
The kids started off scorching hot and were looking to prove that the 12 spot they dropped on the Tigers on opening night was more indicative of the potential offense that they are have. With 46 runs score in the first week and twice knocking out double digits Cito and Gene Tenace seem to have the boys in blue swinging hot sticks right out of the gate.
Adam Lind – Has been on a tare to open his second full big league campaign. He’s managed 12 hits, five for extra bases in just seven games. He’s also shown a knack for the five spot driving in team high 12 runs.
Aaron Hill: Returning for post-concussion syndrome that kept him out of a large chunk of 2008 Hill looks to be back on track to be the player he was becoming, by batting .300 with three double and two long balls. Not to mention he has already knocked in eight RBI from the two spot. Not a proto-type two-spot hitter Hill is capable of creating a lot of excitement with his ability to generate runs.
Vernon Wells: Looking like the guy they gave all that money to, Wells has started the year batting .321 and has also knocked around three doubles and a home run in his first seven games.
The Bad:
Alex Rios: Although Rios seems to have learned the value of a walk with five in his first seven games, he hasn’t exactly been on fire in the three spot. The Jays have scored a league high 42 runs and Rios has driven in six. Combine that with Vernon Wells and you’ve gotten nine RBI out of the 3 and 4 spot. Luckily Hill and Lind has book ended them with 20 out of the two and five spot.
The Pitching: Everyone is enamored with the offense, but people shouldn’t turn a blind eye to the false promise that is this Blue Jays pitching staff. The Jays rank 17thin the majors in ERA. In the American League alone the Jays rate in the top three in average, runs, slg, OBP and OPS on offense. On the reverse, of the 14 teams in the AL they are ninth in WHIP, ERA and tenth in OPS in pitching.
The Ugly:
I’ve discussed my disappointment in the opening day crowd already with their behavior. Lets talk about the fact that on the night the Blue Jays were attempting to take their third straight from the Tigers to start the season (Their best start since 1996) and drew 12,145 or 24% of capacity. Cito Gaston showed measurable improvement in this teams offense last season and opening day did nothing to dispel that. But 24% capacity by the third game of the season is nothing short of embarrassing.
So what do we know?:
After one week the Jays are mashing and their pitching is right on track with what we might have thought. The glut of runs has allowed them to get into the pen with a lead. Camp, Carlson, Downs and Fraser have held down the late innings. The Jays have gotten one quality start out of rookie Rickey Romero and Roy Halladay is 2-0, but Litsch, Purcey and Richmond have been the weak link accounting for the team’s two losses. In four starts and 21 innings the trio has surrendered 14 earned runs.
Are the Jays for real? Well as long as their two, four and five hitter keep up this pace they should be fine, even with this below average pitching. Unfortunately for them I just don’t seem Adam Lind being the first guy in 68 years to crack .400, and knocking out approx. 70 bombs.
Are the Jays better than most thought, it sure looks that way, but their team ERA and WHIP are cause to be concerned that what we have seen so far can not maintained.
Los Angeles Angels Preview
Key Additions:
Bobby Abreu (OF), Brian Fuentes (CL)
Key Subtractions:
Mark Teixeira (1B), Garrett Anderson (OF), Francisco Rodriguez (CL), Jon Garland (SP)
A look at the lineup:
An Angels line up that is full of power with a little speed sprinkled in. The Angels will look for another big year from Chone Figgins in respect to setting the table for the likes of Vladdy, Hunter, Abreu and Napoli.
This squad should fit Scioscia well, as he likes to get out and run and be aggressive on the base paths. He should be able to use the speed of Figgins, Aybar, Kendrick, and get the most out of heads up base runners like Abreu and Rivera.
Catcher: Mike Napoli is now entering his fourth season with the big club. He’s shown a ton of promise. But never amassed more than 268 at bats in a season, even with those numbers limited by injury, in 252 career game and 714 career at bats, Napoli has crushed 46 home runs.
Of his 177 career hits, 81 have been for extra bases. Last year, Napoli batted .273 which was 25 points higher than his career average. He was fourth among Major League catcher in home runs, first in slugging percentage and fifth in on base percentage among catchers with more that 200 plate appearance in 2008.
Defensively, he is a low spot on an otherwise solid defensive Angel’s squad. Last year Napoli managed to post only 3 errors in 493 total chances, but he gave up 52 stolen bases on 63 attempts for a caught stealing percentage of 17.5 percent.
First Base: Here is one of the biggest question marks of the season.
The Angels aren’t going to make up for the production loss or the gold glove caliber defense that they got from Big Tex last year. The position is a complete mystery to most. It looks like in his fourth year with the Angels, Cuban Kendry Morales is going to have the job to lose coming out of spring training.
Morales has had a few cups of coffee with the big club, and his three previous seasons in Triple A with the Salt Lake Bee’s has show consistent offensive output. Although the power numbers leave something to be desired for a corner infielder, we should see a fairly effective transition to the majors.
In the field the former outfielder seems to be learning and developing everyday with the glove at first base.
Second Base: After three years in Angel red Howie Hendrick might have the fans seeing it, if he takes multiple trips to the DL again. A .306 hitter in his young career, Kendrick has all the tools to be a great table setter for the Halo’s this year.
Especially, in front of what is looking to be a powerful middle of the line up. Although not exceptional range, Kendrick does a solid job defensively, couple that with what projects to a mid to high teens number in stolen bases and many are expecting a break out season from Kendrick.
Shortstop: The other half of the Angels young, injury prone double play combination is Erick Aybar. Again more speed in the Angels line up and we know how Mike Scioscia loves to get out and run. Not as much offensive potential as Hendrick, but much the same story.
Still very young and his development has been stunted by injury. This is also the year that the Angels will take a good hard look in what they have in Brandon Wood. The prospect managed to crush 31 minor league dingers last year, and then added five more in the majors in 150 at bats. Still only 24 Wood will probably be able to steal some at bats if he can improve his plate discipline, he batted .200 with four walks in 150 at bats last season. He also managed 43 strikeouts and only 30 hits.
Third Base: After seven seasons in the majors, and playing more that 140 games in three of the last five, Chone Figgins worked his way from super-sub, to everyday third basemen. He is again going to be expected to set the table for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
With his blazing speed he averages 50 stolen bases out of 66 attempts per 162 games over his sever years in the big leagues. He also averages 179 hits and 65 walks per 162 for a .356 OBP. That being said, even with all his speed and being in a prime run scoring position in the line up Figgins has only cracked 100 runs scored once in a his career.
That coupled with his decline in runs produced in each of the last four years since his career high of 113 in 2005, you may see Figgins moved out of the top spot in the line up at some point this year. But his glove should keep him solidly in an everyday roll. Last year among third basemen with 100 or more games played in he ranked ninth in range factor with a 2.65 and second in fielding percentage.
Left Field: Although the Angels weren’t overly active in free agency they went out and secured a replacement for the departed Garrett Anderson. In many respects, Abreu is a slight upgrade. Both men hit for almost the exact same average with Abreu at .296 to the .293 posted by Anderson.
Abreu leads Anderson by a moderate to slight margin in every offensive category including, runs, hits, doubles, triples, homeruns, RBI, OBP, Stolen bases, Stolen base percentage, SLG percentage, and total bases. In the field Abreu has played a more coveted defensive position in right field most of his career. But should make the transition to left without a problem, and give the Angels the kind of intimidating arm in the outfield that they lack when Vlad has a day off to DH.
Center Field: The Angels have their big free agent signing from 2007 patrolling Center. At 31 years old last year did what Torii Hunter does last season. He won a Gold Glove, and struck out more than 100 times.
What the numbers don’t tell you is his Gold Glove was only accompanied by the 10thbest range factor among centerfielders with more than 100 games played and that his replacement in Minnesota led all center fielders in total chances, put outs, range factor and was fourth in assists at his position with nine.
Although, posting a sparkling 1.000 fielding percentage the numbers seem to show that at 32 years old Hunter is going to play out his huge deal on the down side of his career. At the plate Hunter produced his lowest Totals in Homeruns, RBI in a non injury shortened season. Although his average was up from previous years, as was his on-base percentage. But when looking at a guy hitting in a run producing spot the fall in his SLG percentage is disappointing.
Not quite the center fielder he once was, Hunter needs to have a better year and prove this isn’t a trend.
Right Field: After 13 years in the Major was is left to say about The Impaler? You know what you’re getting .310/30/110.
I realize the stat line is a little short as Vlad no longer has the legs or should I say knees to be a 40-40 man. But is as feared as any man at the plate. He’ll probably see about see about 100 to 110 games in the field and another 40-50 in the DH spot if the past two to three years is an accurate predictor.
That being said, he has been slowed in right by chronic knee pain in the last couple of years seeing his range factor fall below 2.0. Although the arm is still there, it is less of weapon as everybody in the major is aware of it and Guerrero simply can’t get to many balls anymore.
He maybe turned into more of a permanent DH if Abreu is slipped to right, or we may see either Juan Rivera, or Gary Matthews Jr. as a viable option in right if either one of them can prove to stay health this year.
Designated Hitter: The DH job looks to belong to Juan Rivera if he can stay on the field. That is a big IF considering Rivera has managed to play in 103 games in the last two years. Now at the age of 30 the Angels are hoping that he can recapture a little of his 2006 magic when he posted 27 doubles, 23 homeruns, batted .310 with an OBP of .362 and slugged .525.
That being said I don’t think we should expect Rivera to top 120 starts at DH with the Angels looking to rest Vladimir Guerrero’s knees, while keeping his bat in the line up. Another option the Angels may look at is to mix Juan into the outfield rotation as he has played all three outfield spots in his career.
A look at the pitching:
Starters: The pitching again looks to be the strength of this Angels team, with a rotation that features Lackey, Santana (not Johan, the other one that’s pretty good) and Joe Saunders. We will see this group attempt to propel the Angels back to the top of the division.
Some of the performances from a year ago are repeatable; some I wouldn’t have as much faith in. To their credit the starting five combined for 73 wins (first in the MLB last year). Although they are sure to miss Jon Garland’s 14 wins and almost 200 innings pitched this year.
At age 30, John Lackey should be back and as productive as ever. He did miss the first six weeks of 2008 with triceps issues. But after he came back he produced yet another solid year. He went 12-5 with an ERA of 3.75, average seven plus strikeouts per nine innings and a 3.25 to one K to walk ratio.
The concern with Lackey might be revealed by his season split at the all-star game. Even while missing the first month plus of the year he went 6-2 with a sub 3 ERA (2.56) and then turned around and managed a second half record of 6-3 where he ERA ballooned to 4.99, and he gave up 17 of his 26 long balls. Lackey only made 24 starts last year, compared to 2008 when he gave up 18 homeruns in 33 starts, and 2004 he served up 14 in 33 starts.
Lackey is starting to look more and more like a quality pitcher prone to the monster inning. That being said, I believe there is no reason to believe that Lackey won’t stay health enough to make his customary 33 starts, and with a winning percentage of more than .670 in three of the last four year(over .700 twice) there is no reason to believe that Lackey won’t continue to win between 15-20 games like clock work
In 2008, Ervin Santana finally produced the kind of numbers that Angels had been waiting for since he produced a 16 win campaign in 2006. In 2008 Santana managed to bounce back from a dreadful 7-14 2007. Not just right the ship but show that he has finally got command of the electric stuff that could make him a front line starter in the majors.
With a pair of plus plus pitches in his fastball and slider Santana managed a walk to K ratio of 4.55 to one. He also managed almost a strikeout per inning in a year where he produced a yeomen like 219 innings the highest total in his career, and good for ninth in the majors last year.
Santana with confidence in that slider has the ability to repeat his 16 win performance if not exceed it. If he starts trying to get hitters out with his developing change up again, a repeat of 2007 isn’t out of the question.
After bursting on the scene in 2006 with an 11-2 record in 19 starts, Jared Weaver the 6’7 hurler from Northridge, California came back to reality with an 11-10 mark in 2008. He has never logged 200 plus innings in a big league campaign. Now this may read like tough review on a pitcher that many believe to be the future in Anaheim.
But the fact of the matter is, that since he burst onto the scene his K’s per nine (7.74 in 2008 vs 7.27 his career average) hasn’t changed much, nor that his strike out to walk ratio (2.82 in 2008 vs 2.82 his career average).
Manager Mike Scioscia is looking for Weaver to give the Angels more innings in the big leagues, but with a pitches per inning up over 17 last year and 16.7 for his career it doesn’t look like that can happen. We’ve heard about his maturing, but his 2006, 2008 and career numbers in pitcher per game, per inning and per plate appearance show no difference.
I suspect that unless Weaver changes something dramatically and learned to work deeper into games (he averaged fewer than 6 complete innings per start last year) he’ll never fulfill all that promise we saw two seasons ago.
Joe Saunders went 17-7 with a 3.41 ERA. But let’s put him on the list of pitchers where those two numbers don’t tell the entire story. Saunders strikeout numbers are less than stellar at 4.68 per nine, and he offers up a free pass for every 1.94 strikeouts. He held opponents to a batting average of .253 against him, but he is relinquishing and OBP of .308.
Although, people point to the fact that he has the intangible ability to get out of jams. That being said, conventional wisdom says he allows too many balls to be put in play and should suffer for it in 2009.
The fifth spot in the rotation is a battle between veteran Kelvim Escobar and Dustin Moseley. In Moseley the Halo’s have a pitcher that went 2-4 last year with a 6.79 Era in 12 appearances (10 starts) last year. Moseley has had two other chances to stick with the starting rotation, but it hasn’t happened yet.
The other option to fill the last spot is more of a known quantity in Escobar but he won’t be ready until after the all-star break. I wouldn’t be surprised to him usurp the 5th spot in the rotation when he returns.
Bullpen: Jose Arredondo has closer potential stuff and looked to be on his way to securing the job left open by K-Rod’s departure. His ERA was 1.62 and the opponents hit .190 vs Arrendondo in 61 innings. He also averaged almost a strikeout per inning; Scott Shields has been a staple in the Angels pen since 2001.
Over that time he’s always been able to get the big strikeout, but over the last three seasons his walks per nine has gone from 2.5 in 2006 to 3.9 in 2007 to 4.1 last season. It’s also noticeable his innings are down every year since 2004. Darren Oliver had a great season with the Angels last year, 54 appearances, 72 innings, and an ERA of 2.88 and a WHIP of 1.15.
The other big off-season acquisition is Brian Fuentes, brought in from Colorado to replace single season saves record holder Francisco Rodriguez. In the past four years Fuentes has blown three, seven, six, and three per season respectively. In this career Fuentes has 113 saves in 139 attempts.
That compares favorably to K-Rods totals of seven, six, four, and five saves blown in the same time frame. For his career K-Rod has 208 saves in 241 attempts. So in conversion percentages Rodriguez is about 86 percent to Fuentes’ 81percent. The rest of the pen is a complete unknown. Will Moseley or Escobar end up in the pen? How about Jason Bulger? We expect to see him start the season with the big club. But that’s all I can tell you for sure.
Outlook:
The Angels are a hundred win team from a year ago, and their roster looks a lot the same and that could be the problem this year. They lost their closer, a starting pitcher that won 14 games, an MVP and Gold Glover at first base, and their steady left fielder.
They brought in Bobby Abreu and Brian Fuentes to fill two of those holes admirably. At the end of the day, there was no way to compensate for the departure of Mark Teixeira and couple that with an aging offence and this year we should see significant diminishing returns.
They are as good as anyone at the top two in their rotation spots with a pair of potential all-stars. Unfortunately, the rest of the numbers don’t speak so highly of the rest of the rotation. Although, it is still young and has shown promise.
The bullpen is an area the Angels have been rock solid in the past year, but staples like Scott Shields are starting to show their age. Based on the 162 game averages of the Angels I’d expect them to score about 738 runs (number deprived from the 162 averages of the projected starting line up and using Bill James’s runs created formula), and the rotations fielding independent ERA reads out around 5.98 for 2009.
Prediction:
Those numbers don’t impress nor do the moves to try to cover their losses. I see the Halo’s as the second best team in the AL West and finishing competitive in the Wild Card race at 92-70
ARod Cooperative In Interview With MLB Investigators
MLB investigators and Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez met Sunday to discuss the slugger’s admission to the use of steroids during the 2001-2003 time period while playing for the Texas Rangers. During the two hour session, Rodriguez was deemed to be very “cooperative” and helpful to representatives from the MLB’s Department of Investigations and Labor Relations Department.
The investigators seemed to be interested in a few details including where the steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs were exactly administered, and a few security issues involving a trainer from the Dominican Republic. Major League Baseball has announced that no further comments about today’s interview will be made or released.
Before the so-called scheduled interview, ARod followed the normal Yankees Spring Training schedule, taking part in the game against the Cincinnati Reds earlier in the day. He was also expected to arrive in Jupiter, Florida Sunday night to meet with the Dominican Republic team that he intends on playing with in the World Baseball Classic.
Despite his wrong doings, ARod has admitted to his mistakes and has begun the long journey needed to help heal the game of baseball by showing his willingness to cooperate. We really need to step back and see what exactly ARod is giving back to America’s Pastime, something I believe is being seriously overlooked.
Mike Clay reported last month; The best way to judge an era’s impact is to imagine how it will be looked upon in the future. When I’m 80 years old, sitting in my rocker daydreaming about this era, I won’t be smashing holes through my wall with my cane as a result. Like all of you, I’ll never completely forget the steroids and the related controversy, but more so, I’ll remember feeling like a 10 year old as I sat behind the Braves’ bench at Spring Training in Florida last year. I’ll remember meeting Nate McLouth last season at a Pirates game and getting him to sign my all-star shirt with his name on it. I’ll remember chatting with guys like Ryan Howard, Cole Hamels, Gavin Floyd, Robinson Cano, Dustin Pedroia, and Jon Lester while they were still playing Double-A ball. I’ll remember paying almost $100.00 for MLB TV so I can watch every afternoon game of the season at work.
Breaking: $1.5 Million Seperates Manny, Dodgers
After contact between Manny Ramirez, and the Dodgers has remained continuous through the arms of Scott Boras over the last 3 days, SI.com is now reporting that the two sides are supposedly $1.5 million dollars apart from reaching an agreement.
Jon Heyman reports that Manny is asking for a two year contract worth $43.5 million while Manny’s previous request was for two years at $45 million. The information comes from an email allegedly sent to the media by Scott Boras.
Dodgers owner Frank McCourt recently announced that all deals were off the table and that the two sides needed to start from scratch.
Boras has been known to conduct similar acts of trickery before, but hopefully this time it is not just another act of “confusing the media”.
More updates to follow….
RBI Magazine To Preview All Teams For 2009 Season
Welcome to RBI Magazine’s first annual Season Preview Edition. Over the next two weeks RBI Magazine will focus on previewing each individual team for the upcoming 2009 Season.
The previews will include; Key Additions, Key Subtractions, and in-depth looks at the lineup and pitching rotations. We will also be including a season outlook along with predictions of what we expect from each organization.
Please feel free to comment and share these fantastic articles written by our finest authors at RBI Magazine. As each preview is posted, a link will be provided below. You will also be able to view each preview from our homepage.
Seattle Mariners Season Preview
Breaking: Manny Signing With The Dodgers This Week!
A report today from 570 AM in Los Angeles says that an agreement has been reached between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Manny Ramirez camp. The flagship AM radio station for Fox Radio is saying that it is a two year contract with an option for a third year. The official announcement is supposed to come later this week.
The third year option is said to be heavily laden with incentives. This is exactly what people expected, and third or fourth year with massive incentives. Of course I would also expect a J.D. Drewesque out clause negotiated in there by Scott Boras, Manny’s agent. It appears that the Dodgers strategy this off season has really paid off big time! Getting Manny on two years with a third year option is a great deal for them. Of course the numbers have not yet been announced; let’s just hope that they are near or below the earlier offer of two years at $45 million.
This is great news for Dodgers fans as it automatically catapults the team into the top echelon of the National League. Their only perceived weakness so far seems to be pitching because of the lack of experience on the staff. But the team is laden with young talented arms that are both ready for this season and many that are still marinating in the minors. I expect the Dodgers to have some exceptional homegrown pitching talent come of age this year and the coming years as well.
Adding Manny also makes Pierre somewhat expendable. That and a logjam at certain positions internally put the Dodgers in a great spot to trade for some pitching as the season unfolds if necessary. I feel that the Dodgers are prepared to run their kids out there this year and see what they can do. And of course there are a slew of veterans trying to resurrect their carrers as well. People like Vargas, Schmidt, Estes, Weaver, and Milton are all seasoned vets that could turn things around.
All said, the Dodgers lineup is looking mighty scary at this point and I am sure that Dodgers fans around the world are looking forward to the coming season!
5 NL East Players To Watch For 2009
It’s been a wild offseason for the National League East.
The Mets welded their leaky bullpen by signing two closers. The Braves loaded up on starting pitching by grabbing 365 wins off the market and recently added a hall of famer. Florida locked up their franchise player, Hanley Ramirez, to a six-year contract. Even the lowly Nationals got involved, stealing Adam Dunn for $20 million. The World Champion Phillies found themselves a new left fielder and brought back the majority of the 2008 squad.
Even though the spring is just starting, it will be April before long and each of these teams will be looking to a special player to lead them.
Each NL East team has to incorporate a new player or players into their plans and some will work out, and some won’t. Here is a look at five players to keep an eye on in the NL East for 2009.
Raul Ibanez, Philadelphia Phillies LF
-Ibanez really the no-brainer choice for the Phillies being the newcomer. He takes over for Pat Burrell in left field and has to bring the offense east.
The former Seattle Mariner is a steady bat and run producer, and although he lacks the power of Burrell, he was hardly housed in a launching pad at Safeco Field. Ibanez has a career batting average of .286, and has not dipped below 100 RBI’s in the past three seasons. Consistency was not a word in Pat Burrell’s vocabulary, so that part of Ibanez’s game will be welcomed.
For the Phillies to remain the cream of the crop in the National League, Ibanez will have to bring that stability to Philadelphia. As of now, it looks like the six hole suits Ibanez best, and he could very well knock in a ton of runs in that spot.
If his track record is any indication of what he can provide this year for the Phils, everyone should be in for a treat. Ibanez hit .327 with runners in scoring position, over 100 points higher than Burrell. While Burrell was leaving his friends on the island, it’s safe to say Ibanez should bring them home.
There are many positives in the upgrade of Ibanez, one however, is not age. He is going on 37-years old and seems to be aging well. The Phillies need him to fend off father time for a few more years.
Dallas McPherson, Florida Marlins 3B
-If you’re a diehard fan, you may remember this name. The guy was supposed to be a stud, but has played like a dud.
McPherson started out with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and was destined for stardom. The third baseman of the future in Anaheim, McPherson smashed 40 homers between double-A and triple-A in 2004, and was poised to make the leap to the pros in ’05. But over the next three seasons, McPherson did little in the bigs, and people began to call him a quadruple-A player.
He has since moved to Miami and is still the third baseman of the future, but now is 28-years old. At 6’4”, 210 pounds, McPherson should be a perennial 35-homer guy, but it hasn’t panned out that way. Instead, he is hoping to stay at the major league level for an entire year, something he has yet to do.
McPherson is yet another project player the Marlins so often find on their hands. He is a reclamation story hoping to hit it big on a team filled with young players and castaways. And even though the Marlins look shoddy on paper, they always find a way to be involved in the NL East. McPherson will be an need to be the power in the middle of the order, because the Marlins just don’t have anyone else. Besides their franchise player Hanley Ramirez, they have traded both Josh Willingham and Mike Jacobs and Jeremy Hermida has not been able to put it all together.
Hopefully the kid is ready for stardom, because the Marlins are in need of that big bat.
Jeff Francouer, Atlanta Braves RF
-The dude has an absolute cannon for an arm, which has not changed. What has changed for Jeff Francouer is his ability to hit.
Looking like an all-star caliber outfielder in 2006, Francouer went 29/103 and the sky was the limit. In ’07 his home runs dropped (19), but his RBI’s went up (105) and he was still a special player in the making.
2008 was an entirely different story for kid with the killer arm. Francouer struggled so mightily last year that he was sent down to the minors briefly in an attempt to wake up the sleeping bat. Nothing worked and the slugger limped to the finish with this line: .239/11/71.
This year, the Braves need the Jeff of old if they want to compete. Complete with a refurbished rotation, Atlanta needs an offense to work with. Chipper Jones has been the focus of the lineup for more than a decade and while injuries continue to hinder him, they have yet to find someone else to produce consistently in front of, or behind him. Brian McCann has been one of the best catcher in baseball, but he is a catcher and they aren’t known for their bats. Yunel Escobar is a nice player, but still has holes he needs to fix.
It all rests on the wide shoulders of Jeff Francouer to take over as “the” guy.
Ryan Zimmerman, Washington Nationals 3B
-Last year was a long one for everyone involved in DC. Zimmerman has suffered through three straight dismal seasons, with 2008 being the worst. The Nats went 59-102, never really showing much promise with a group that was thought to be on the up and up.
None of that was true, and no one suffered more than Zimmerman, who fought through injuries and played just 106 games. His numbers hit three-year lows as he managed to hit just 14 home runs, which happened to be the most on the team. How’s that for low.
Zimmerman was the fourth overall pick in the 2005 draft, and in his first full year in the bigs he looked like the real deal. His 20/110 line was “star in the making” type stuff, and his second season was almost as nice, going 24/91. But last year was an abomination, as the team tried to fly, but couldn’t get off the runway. One of the main reasons was their ailing third baseman.
For this to be a positive year, and anything can be positive after a 59-win campaign, Zimmerman must be healthy and be the leader the Nationals drafted him to be. He is the heart and soul of this franchise and although they have another big bat in the clubhouse these days, it’s still his squad. Adam Dunn will join Zimmerman in the lineup and the two could have a huge impact on how Washington does in the criminally tough NL East. But, it could go south just as easily as last season.
Washington still has questions in the rotation and in their crowded, but underachieving outfield. The one constant they need is Zimmerman. He’s the engine that makes this club run.
JJ Putz, New York Mets RP
-It’s funny that a relief pitcher would be one of the most influential players in an entire division, but such is the case when you’re a New York Met. Last season, the Mets were second in the league in blown saves with 29. The back end of their bullpen was a leaky faucet and the offense couldn’t have been happy about that.
The Mets bats did their job, and the starting pitching wasn’t half bad either. New York was tied with the Philadelphia Phillies for the second most runs in the NL with 799. It clearly was not the offense that let them down. The rotation was stellar as well, as the starters had a cumulative ERA under four in 2008.
The bullpen was where the blame shall lay. JJ Putz and Francisco Rodriguez have combined for 309 saves in their careers, and each have been an all-star. They will now team up and anchor a bullpen that crumbled down the stretch last year and took their playoff hopes down with it. Putz is the key here.
Putz right now is slated to be the eighth inning guy, but his role is just as important, if not more so, than the closer. They now have a veteran presence that can actually get the game to the ninth inning, rather than blowing it after six or seven, which was the norm. Putz may also need to step in for K-Rod once in a while, and it’s nice to count on another solid arm if that is the case. The Mets should feel comfy with a lead after seven innings, because with two closers, they hope it will be game over.
Patrick Gallen is the Philadelphia Phillies Examiner for examiner.com. He also hosts his own internet radio show, “Basketball Roundup” on the Sports Journey Broadcast Network. The show airs Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10am-12pm est.
Ken Griffey Jr. Confirmed To Be Braves Prime Target
There have been plenty of players in the MLB over the last decade with just amazing swings that every kid in the country tries to mimic and perfect as they dream of playing under the lights of their favorite ballpark.
There is Albert Pujols in St. Louis who has a sweet smooth swing that looks at times like he doesn’t even feel the baseball when he blasts it into the stands. Then there is Manny Ramirez who always finds a way to take the ball yard with his pretty swing. Ryan Howard is another slugger that has amazing bat speed and loves to hit the long ball. 
All these guys are awesome players with sweet swings, but none of them come close to the beauty of Ken Griffey Jr’s swing!
When I was a kid growing up in California I absolutely loved the Los Angeles Dodgers and Daryl Strawberry. The Straw had the swing I always wanted with his patent left lift before his powerful swing, but the second I saw Ken Griffey Jr. swing a bat I was hooked.
Over the last five years or so Ken Griffey Jr has taken somewhat of a back seat to the great up and coming hitters in the MLB like Pujols, Howard, and Manny (even though he has been in the league forever). The reason Griffey taking a step back wasn’t due to lack production, but because he just couldn’t stay healthy with injury after injury.
When Griffey actually had some significant playing time he made the best of it, but it wasn’t enough to get back into the spotlight as he couldn’t help the Cincinnati Reds to successful seasons.
There was some light at the end of the tunnel for Griffey when he was moved to a contender in the Chicago White Sox. Unfortunately, the Sox didn’t end going anywhere and unfortunately had no intentions in keeping him on in 2009.
Recently the Seattle Mariners reached out to their former superstar outfielder and started up talks with the former golden glover playing in Seattle to finish out his career. The Mariners have only really had a couple successful seasons after Griffey left, but they have never gotten back to where they were with him playing centerfield.
Although it seemed to be a done deal for Griffey to return to Seattle, the Atlanta Braves have made a late push to sign the slugger and lure him away from his former team.
Fortunately for the Braves, Griffey will probably lean toward playing in Atlanta due to his close relationship with Bobby Cox, the desire he has had in the past to play with the Braves and the fact that he lives in Orlando which is a much shorter trip than it would be to go back and forth from Seattle.
With the Braves recent additions like Derek Lowe and their pursuit of Tom Glavine, the Braves would give Griffey a much better chance of making a run at a World Series.
For the Mariners, Nostalgia Does Not Guarantee Winning
Ken Griffey Jr. is probably the greatest Mariner of all time. Besides being considered one of the greatest players of all time, he is also the main reason the franchise has the fan base it does. So, with the news that he will most likely be coming back to the house that he built, Mariners fans should be ecstatic. Or should they?
Heading into the 2009 season, it’s safe to say that the Mariners are mired in a rebuilding stage and Ken Griffey Jr. is not the player he used to be. One thing is true about the Griffey deal: it’s not at all a baseball move, but purely a marketing move.
The Mariners have a couple good young bats that should be seeing regular time in the Majors, including Jeff Clement and Wladimir Balentein. Griffey will most likely see most of his at bats from the DH spot, due to his sharp decline in the field. This means playing Griffey will certainly take time away from these young players that could be a key to the Mariners future.
General Manager Jack Zduriencik has put together a ballclub that has potential to surprise. Right now the team looks like an 75-80 win team on paper, the addition of Griffey at best may only gain them another win or so. Zduriencik’s additions of Endy Chavez, Franklin Gutierrez, and Russell Branyan show that he understands how to put together a ballclub that can play defense, win some games, and get good value from underrated players. He has been able to do this without costing the franchise nearly as much as teams of their recent past. His moves have made sense looking to the future, building from within, and using trades to boost their overall depth. The Griffey signing does not seem to fall in to line with this logic.
The Griffey deal is purely a public relations move, exciting fans with the possibility of Griffey returning to his glory years. But while this may get the fan base excited, a player projected by MARCEL to hit .248/.336/.434 (.771 OPS) this year is replaceable. The Mariners had been linked to Bobby Abreu until he was signed by the Angels, and seemed to be in trade discussions with the New York Yankees about the availability of OF/1B Nick Swisher. Both of these moves would have made me a bit more pleased, and both would be positive moves that generate wins, without hurting the future.
Jack Zdurienck’s offseason has been called a complete disaster by many, including Steve Phillips, but these same people will probably call the Griffey signing a success. In an offseason where he was financially handcuffed, stuck with the awful contracts of Jarrod Washburn, Miguel Batista, and Carlos Silva, Zdurienck’s moves have all made sense for this ballclub. This is the first deal I’m not sold on from purely a baseball standpoint. Dissecting this deal as an analyst I see an aging and replaceable outfielder, who can’t quite cut it playing every day in the field. But, what is not replaceable about that player is the name on his back.
The signing seems all but inevitable now, and I’m beginning to accept it. When I look at this purely as a fan, that part of me can not help but be a little excited to see #24 take the field in blue and teal again. Good luck and welcome home, Junior.
8 Game Rollercoaster Awaits NL EAST
By: Vincent Anzideo
September 20, 2008
[RBI Magazine] – The battle has begun with less than 8 games remaining; the Phillies and the Mets are once again in a last lap dash to see who will become the NL East division champions. Can the Phillies stay on their hot streak and will the Mets continue to avoid an inevitable collapse like last year?
History does repeat itself and if you can remember on Sept 12th of last year we saw the Phillies fall 7 games back from the Mets, then within a matter 5 days they were only 2.5 games out of first in the NL East. This year on Sept 10th the Phillies were 3.5 games back and in 7 days they passed right by the Mets taking the lead by a half a game.
What is up with the Mets? The Mets made improvements with the addition of Johan Santana during last years off-season hoping to strengthen the pitching rotation and help stabilize the Mets come October. However, the only time the Mets seem to be stable is when the offense is hitting the ball.
Last night against the Braves, Johan Santana cruised through 7 innings striking out eight while Brian Schneider had one of his best outings at the plate this season. Schneider lead the 11-hit attack with his second ever multi-homerun game of his entire career crushing the Atlanta Braves. If the Mets can balance pitching with their offensive strategies throughout the remainder of the season, they will have two opportunities to make playoff baseball by advancing through the NL East or the Wild card. One thing is certain, another monumental collapse needs to be avoided by the Mets organization as the final games of the 2008 season come to a close.
So what exactly are the Phillies doing that they were not doing before? For one, their pitching staff is smoking in public. Brett Myers is back in sync and unstoppable. Since Myers was bumped back up from the minors he seems like the old Brett Myers Phillies fans know – on target and absolutely on fire! The last game against the Brewers is proof that Myers is back to his old self with a full gamed pitched allowing only 2 hits.
The Phillies also seem to be working the bats as good as any team can in September. The Phillies need to repeat what they accomplished near the end of last season by keeping their pitching and hitting consistent. During the last few weeks it seems as though everyone is contributing their part to the Phils defensive and offensive attacks. In the last six games Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino, Jason Werth and Ryan Howard all have an average over 400. Seems like they are doing something right and if they can keep it that way they will be calling themselves the NL East Champions once again. The Fightin Phils are ready to fight.