Showing posts with label San Francisco Giants. Show all posts
Showing posts with label San Francisco Giants. Show all posts
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Don't skim the truth with Melky
After Melky Cabrera's stellar year, not to mention his winning the all star game MVP, many fans have faulted the Yankees for letting Cabrera go. Lets be clear hear if you think this you are wrong, Melky then and Melky now are two completely different players and it also requires you to ignore significant parts of how Cabrera came to be where he is now. Melky was a 4th outfielder thrust into the starting center field role in 2009 over Brett Gardner and quire frankly having him start over Gardner was the wrong move. Cabrera was liked for his clutch hits and some amazing catches but he never hit very consistently and was a bad fielder. He was traded to Atlanta as part of the package for Javier Vazquez and was one of the worst players in baseball, he was then released by the Braves at the end of the year. Melky had always been called lazy and apparently he took his release from the Braves as a sign that he needed to change his attitude, he got in shape and signed with the Royals. Melky has tore it up ever since and this off season he is going to get a big contract. If the Yankees had kept Melky he would not have become the player he is today and so faulting them for not keeping his is ridiculous. Melky Cabrera's offensive WAR in his five year career as a Yankee was 3.5, in one year with the Royals he had 4.7 and so far in 85 games with the Giants he has 3.2. Unfortunately many fans have this problem where they see the success of former Yankees and feel that it is success that the team has cost itself. Also to anyone who thinks the Yankees will acquire Melky through a trade or in the off season your wrong, its just not going to happen.
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Best Moves for the NL West!
The Last two years have been weird for the NL West with the Padres winning for almost the entire year, but then the Giants surged past the Padres who were slumping big time. This Year the Rockies and Giants looked like they would battle for the NL West, instead the Diamondbacks surprised everybody and won. Next year it could be anybody especially with the Dodgers ownership situation likely becoming clear relatively soon.
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Dodgers should be in play for Ramirez, Fielder and several other top free agents, but I doubt that their ownership situation will be solved in time for them to do almost anything but try and lock up Kemp and Kershaw. They will likely look for a deal in the Starting pitcher market and they are really only a few key pieces from running away with the division. Carlos Pena would be a good signing for the Dodgers, but the best fit would be Fielder if they can afford him.
Arizona Diamondbacks
The Diamondbacks don't really have any area where they need to acquire someone but they have a lot of places where they could upgrade especially the middle of the rotation and 1st base. They could upgrade the mid rotation, but I suspect that they will leave 1st to Paul Goldschmidt and see what happens. They also should try and resign Aaron Hill who played well for them and they really should get a lefty who is not named Zach Duke. The Diamondbacks will need to do something about the back of their rotation and they may look to trade Joe Saunders for a pair of lesser arms that can still eat innings. The D-backs had a constant cycle at the 5th starter spot and even if they do not trade Saunders they should be able to find someone who can make 30+ decent starts over the season. The team may try for starters such as Rich Harden, Freddy Garcia or Kevin Millwood.
San Diego Padres
The biggest move for them will likely be trying to resign Heath Bell and they could try for a lower level impact bat and hope that their prospects develop like they want them to. I still don't understand why they declined Harang's option because now they will have to fill another rotation spot and Harang pitched well for the Padres.
Colorado Rockies
The Rockies are a weird team that always seems like they have too many good players to not win more, but they have some serious holes and really no starting pitching. I expect that the Rockies will try and find gold with some underrated Starting arms and try for either Ramirez or to trade for a third baseman like Michael Young or David Wright. They have a lot of replacement level players in the everyday lineup and need to change that before they will contend. Young would really be perfect for them as would an upgrade in Left Field with Josh Willingham. I expect them to take some chances on the free agent market for starting pitching and it will be a big part of how their year will turn out, some good players might be Roy Oswalt, Freddy Garcia, Bartolo Colon or Paul Maholm.
San Francisco Giants
The Giants pitching is arguably the best in all of baseball but they have no offense. If they want to win the division they will need to retain Beltran, have a healthy Buster Posey and find a position for Brandon Belt. They also are going to need a shortstop and could pursue bay area native Jimmy Rollins or the big name free agent Jose Reyes. The Giants are looking to make some moves but they have $44 million tied up in bad contracts and will need to extend Lincicum and Cain soon. Signing Beltran and a decent Shortstop could be all they need to win if Buster Posey can come back healthy. A good backup catcher is key for the Giants and if they keep Beltran then they probably can just stick with an outfield tandem of Cody Ross, Nate Schierholtz and Andres Torres in Left and Center field. If they miss out on Beltran its very possible they will go after Coco Crisp
The Only team I would count out of the Division title would be the Padres because any of the teams could end up winning if things go right for them.
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Dodgers should be in play for Ramirez, Fielder and several other top free agents, but I doubt that their ownership situation will be solved in time for them to do almost anything but try and lock up Kemp and Kershaw. They will likely look for a deal in the Starting pitcher market and they are really only a few key pieces from running away with the division. Carlos Pena would be a good signing for the Dodgers, but the best fit would be Fielder if they can afford him.
Arizona Diamondbacks
The Diamondbacks don't really have any area where they need to acquire someone but they have a lot of places where they could upgrade especially the middle of the rotation and 1st base. They could upgrade the mid rotation, but I suspect that they will leave 1st to Paul Goldschmidt and see what happens. They also should try and resign Aaron Hill who played well for them and they really should get a lefty who is not named Zach Duke. The Diamondbacks will need to do something about the back of their rotation and they may look to trade Joe Saunders for a pair of lesser arms that can still eat innings. The D-backs had a constant cycle at the 5th starter spot and even if they do not trade Saunders they should be able to find someone who can make 30+ decent starts over the season. The team may try for starters such as Rich Harden, Freddy Garcia or Kevin Millwood.
San Diego Padres
The biggest move for them will likely be trying to resign Heath Bell and they could try for a lower level impact bat and hope that their prospects develop like they want them to. I still don't understand why they declined Harang's option because now they will have to fill another rotation spot and Harang pitched well for the Padres.
Colorado Rockies
The Rockies are a weird team that always seems like they have too many good players to not win more, but they have some serious holes and really no starting pitching. I expect that the Rockies will try and find gold with some underrated Starting arms and try for either Ramirez or to trade for a third baseman like Michael Young or David Wright. They have a lot of replacement level players in the everyday lineup and need to change that before they will contend. Young would really be perfect for them as would an upgrade in Left Field with Josh Willingham. I expect them to take some chances on the free agent market for starting pitching and it will be a big part of how their year will turn out, some good players might be Roy Oswalt, Freddy Garcia, Bartolo Colon or Paul Maholm.
San Francisco Giants
The Giants pitching is arguably the best in all of baseball but they have no offense. If they want to win the division they will need to retain Beltran, have a healthy Buster Posey and find a position for Brandon Belt. They also are going to need a shortstop and could pursue bay area native Jimmy Rollins or the big name free agent Jose Reyes. The Giants are looking to make some moves but they have $44 million tied up in bad contracts and will need to extend Lincicum and Cain soon. Signing Beltran and a decent Shortstop could be all they need to win if Buster Posey can come back healthy. A good backup catcher is key for the Giants and if they keep Beltran then they probably can just stick with an outfield tandem of Cody Ross, Nate Schierholtz and Andres Torres in Left and Center field. If they miss out on Beltran its very possible they will go after Coco Crisp
The Only team I would count out of the Division title would be the Padres because any of the teams could end up winning if things go right for them.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
2011 Prediction
I decided that the day before the Season began was the best time to do a prediction of the Division Winners and wild card team for each league.
NL East: Philadelphia Phillies
The Phillies are going to suffer from injuries all year long and like last year the healthy parts of the lineup will struggle to try and provide all the offense for the team just as they did last year. However in the end the teams pitching staff will allow them to win the NL East despite a valiant attempt by the Atlanta Braves. Even if Chase Utley misses the whole year the Phillies rotationis good enough that they will still be able to win the NL East. The only move i can see the Phillie making is if Brad lidge continues to struggle or remain healthy then you could see the Phillies try and trade for someone who can fill in, much like the Twins did with Matt Capps last year.
NL Central: Milwaukee Brewers
Most people seem to be thinking the Reds right now but Prince Fielder is in a contract year and the Brewers have their first legitimate rotation since Sabathia was one all by himself in 2008. I know that Greinke and Hart will start the season on the DL but if the Brewers can wait for these guys to get healthy then they could take advantage of a weakened NL Centrall and take the division away from the Reds. Plus this is an all or nothing year for the Brewers as Fielder will walk after this year and they have emptied their farm system to try and win now.
NL West: San Francisco Giants
This one is actually pretty hard as the Rockies will give the Giants a run for their money, but the Giants Rotation is arguably the the best in baseball . That being said their offense needs to step up and the Giants are probably going to have to look for a better solution at Shortstop than Miguel Tejada. If the Giants offense struggles then the Pitching staff can carry them, but only for so long and Buster Posey can't do it all.
NL Wild-card: Atlanta Braves
If it were not for the Phillies reacquisition of Cliff Lee then I think the Braves would be able to dethrone the Phillies and claim the NL East for themselves. The Braves took their already strong offense and added Dan Uggla for a utility infielder and a reliever because Jeff Loria (owner of the Marlins) is trying to see if he can completely destroy any chance of their being a fan base for the Marlins. The Braves rotation led by Derek Lowe is formidable, but not to the same level as the the Phillies and because of that they will fall short of the Division title, but they will capture the wild-card.
AL East: Boston Red Sox
The Red Sox were already a formidable team that contends every year, but then they went out and traded for Adrian Gonzalez who if healthy will be an absolute beast in Fenway park. The Red Sox, being the scrappy small market team that they are, were able to scrounge up some change and pay free agent Carl Crawford $142 million over 7 years. Last year the Boston bullpen struggled so the Sox acquired Dan Wheeler and Bobby Jenks to bolster their pen and possibly take over for Pappelbon if he proves to be unreliable. The Red sox have a great rotation, but after Lester every one of them has question marks as Beckett and Dice-K have had recent injury problems, Lacky suffered from being mediocre and over hyped and Buchholz stats suggest he will regress this year.Even if the Rotation has problems the Red Sox have good rotation depth and their offense should be able to overcome any pitching problems and win them games.
AL Central: Chicago White Sox
The White Sox will finally be able to beat the twins and capture the Central division title. The White Sox upgraded their offense considerably by adding Adam Dunn to their lineup who will crush the ball in U.S cellular park. The White Sox also have probably the best rotation in the AL central and I believe that the race will end up being between them and the Twins as the Tigers lack the necessary starting pitching depth to compete and will fade early. The biggest concern for the White Sox is their bullpen as the Sox were unable to bolster their bullpen and they will need to either hope it gets better on its own or they bolster it through trade if they want to be sure to get the division this year.
AL West: Texas Rangers
This is probably my most uncertain pick as i was trying to decide between the Rangers with their offense and almost no starting pitching versus the A's with their starting pitching and almost no offense. I was starting to lean toward the A's who went from no offense to almost no offense this off-season with their acquisition of Hideki Matsui and Josh Willingham and a great group of young pitchers. However I was swayed by Rangers owner Nolan Ryan who stated that the Rangers will upgrade their starting pitching and will not be afraid to make a trade like last years for Cliff Lee. The Ryan ownership group wants to win, while the Athletics want to move, the Mariners stink and the Angels are just trying to confuse people. The Rangers also improved an already potent offense by adding Adrian Beltre and Mike Napoli and the Rangers lineup should be able to produce enough runs to keep themselves in games and the acquisition of a top of the rotation starter will enable them win the AL west again in 2011.
Al Wild-card: New York Yankees
The Yankees will look to stay in contention until they are able to acquire another starting pitcher to bolster their rotation and their offense and bullpen should be able to keep them close to the Sox and ahead of the Rays. The Yankees will have to fight off the Rays, the Jays and the Fighting Showalter to keep themselves in second, but I have a feeling that the Yankees offense is going to keep pace with the Red Sox and their ability to score runs will hold off the non-Sox teams in the division.There is also the fact that besides the Rays I don't see any other team in the American League that could possibly beat the Yankees the wild-card and not win their own division. When the Yankees acquire a starting pitcher they will likely give the Sox a run for the Division but I doubt that they will be able to capture the Division.
NL East: Philadelphia Phillies
The Phillies are going to suffer from injuries all year long and like last year the healthy parts of the lineup will struggle to try and provide all the offense for the team just as they did last year. However in the end the teams pitching staff will allow them to win the NL East despite a valiant attempt by the Atlanta Braves. Even if Chase Utley misses the whole year the Phillies rotationis good enough that they will still be able to win the NL East. The only move i can see the Phillie making is if Brad lidge continues to struggle or remain healthy then you could see the Phillies try and trade for someone who can fill in, much like the Twins did with Matt Capps last year.
NL Central: Milwaukee Brewers
Most people seem to be thinking the Reds right now but Prince Fielder is in a contract year and the Brewers have their first legitimate rotation since Sabathia was one all by himself in 2008. I know that Greinke and Hart will start the season on the DL but if the Brewers can wait for these guys to get healthy then they could take advantage of a weakened NL Centrall and take the division away from the Reds. Plus this is an all or nothing year for the Brewers as Fielder will walk after this year and they have emptied their farm system to try and win now.
NL West: San Francisco Giants
This one is actually pretty hard as the Rockies will give the Giants a run for their money, but the Giants Rotation is arguably the the best in baseball . That being said their offense needs to step up and the Giants are probably going to have to look for a better solution at Shortstop than Miguel Tejada. If the Giants offense struggles then the Pitching staff can carry them, but only for so long and Buster Posey can't do it all.
NL Wild-card: Atlanta Braves
If it were not for the Phillies reacquisition of Cliff Lee then I think the Braves would be able to dethrone the Phillies and claim the NL East for themselves. The Braves took their already strong offense and added Dan Uggla for a utility infielder and a reliever because Jeff Loria (owner of the Marlins) is trying to see if he can completely destroy any chance of their being a fan base for the Marlins. The Braves rotation led by Derek Lowe is formidable, but not to the same level as the the Phillies and because of that they will fall short of the Division title, but they will capture the wild-card.
AL East: Boston Red Sox
The Red Sox were already a formidable team that contends every year, but then they went out and traded for Adrian Gonzalez who if healthy will be an absolute beast in Fenway park. The Red Sox, being the scrappy small market team that they are, were able to scrounge up some change and pay free agent Carl Crawford $142 million over 7 years. Last year the Boston bullpen struggled so the Sox acquired Dan Wheeler and Bobby Jenks to bolster their pen and possibly take over for Pappelbon if he proves to be unreliable. The Red sox have a great rotation, but after Lester every one of them has question marks as Beckett and Dice-K have had recent injury problems, Lacky suffered from being mediocre and over hyped and Buchholz stats suggest he will regress this year.Even if the Rotation has problems the Red Sox have good rotation depth and their offense should be able to overcome any pitching problems and win them games.
AL Central: Chicago White Sox
The White Sox will finally be able to beat the twins and capture the Central division title. The White Sox upgraded their offense considerably by adding Adam Dunn to their lineup who will crush the ball in U.S cellular park. The White Sox also have probably the best rotation in the AL central and I believe that the race will end up being between them and the Twins as the Tigers lack the necessary starting pitching depth to compete and will fade early. The biggest concern for the White Sox is their bullpen as the Sox were unable to bolster their bullpen and they will need to either hope it gets better on its own or they bolster it through trade if they want to be sure to get the division this year.
AL West: Texas Rangers
This is probably my most uncertain pick as i was trying to decide between the Rangers with their offense and almost no starting pitching versus the A's with their starting pitching and almost no offense. I was starting to lean toward the A's who went from no offense to almost no offense this off-season with their acquisition of Hideki Matsui and Josh Willingham and a great group of young pitchers. However I was swayed by Rangers owner Nolan Ryan who stated that the Rangers will upgrade their starting pitching and will not be afraid to make a trade like last years for Cliff Lee. The Ryan ownership group wants to win, while the Athletics want to move, the Mariners stink and the Angels are just trying to confuse people. The Rangers also improved an already potent offense by adding Adrian Beltre and Mike Napoli and the Rangers lineup should be able to produce enough runs to keep themselves in games and the acquisition of a top of the rotation starter will enable them win the AL west again in 2011.
Al Wild-card: New York Yankees
The Yankees will look to stay in contention until they are able to acquire another starting pitcher to bolster their rotation and their offense and bullpen should be able to keep them close to the Sox and ahead of the Rays. The Yankees will have to fight off the Rays, the Jays and the Fighting Showalter to keep themselves in second, but I have a feeling that the Yankees offense is going to keep pace with the Red Sox and their ability to score runs will hold off the non-Sox teams in the division.There is also the fact that besides the Rays I don't see any other team in the American League that could possibly beat the Yankees the wild-card and not win their own division. When the Yankees acquire a starting pitcher they will likely give the Sox a run for the Division but I doubt that they will be able to capture the Division.
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