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2007 MLB Pre-Season Predictions


Blue Jeans

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NL East

 

New York Mets - It's hard to go against a team that won 97 games last year, tied for most in the majors and by far the most in the NL with second being the Padres with 88 wins. The Mets still have the strongest lineup in the National league with the only change being Moises Alou over Cliff Floyd. You can't expect him to be healthy all year but Moises Alou is a good hitter, better than Floyd ever was, and will definitely help offensively. Defensively, good thing Beltran is in center field. The team's core is only getting stronger with Wright hopefully recovering from a second half collapse and Jose Reyes taking this seriously enough to pack on muscle this offseason. Beltran claims that he'll start running again, and he can steal 40 bases, but take that with a grain of salt because of his spot in the batting order. Still, he stole 18 last year and only got caught 3 times and teams love good basestealing ability like that. With a strong bullpen, the Mets should be able to survive their deficiency in starters but at least they're being intelligent about it and giving young guys chances unlike the Twins who are starting Carlos Silva and Sidney Ponson over the likes of Garza and Baker. Remember, the Mets won 97 games last year with consistent turmoil in the starting rotation and with their AL style offense, they can do it again.

 

Philadelphia Phillies - This should be an interesting race all summer...the Phillies, I would say, may be a more complete team than the Mets in that they have starting pitching and a lot of potential in the rotation. They possibly have the second strongest offense in the NL just in the strength of their infield with the game's best second basemen, Chase Utley, the game's second best first baseman, Ryan Howard, and possibly the game's third best shortstop (clumped with Jeter, Young, and Ramirez after Reyes) in Jimmy Rollins. I really like the look of Cole Hamels and despite all the whining about him, Pat Burrell still had a pretty good season and can do it again with hopefully a little bit more luck. They can pitch ballgames and win a few slugfests if need be.

 

Atlanta Braves - As much as I'd love to put the Marlins here, I gotta lean towards the Atlanta Braves who a lot of people are writing off. I know there's some bad news out of Spring Training about Chipper Jones but one still has to like the look of the Braves with all these young guys and adequate-solid rotation. I think the Marlins have a lot more potential but they're a much younger and spontaneous team while the Braves, despite last year's hiccup, have consistency on their side. Add to that their tremendous bullpen now with the additions of Rafael Soriano and Mike Gonzalez and you have yourselves a contender.

 

Florida Marlins - I do like the look of this young team but as I said before, they're young and we don't know how they'll react to the new manager. But still, the Mets have one of the top young rotations in the game that will obviously encounter growing pains but could go through some streaks of greatness. The lineup is solid, with center field being an obvious hole, a problem that they'll eventually (hopefully) fix by sending young pitching to the Devil Rays for one of their many OF prospects...which would be great for both teams and baseball as a whole. But yah, Miguel Cabrera, who may have went unnoticed last year because he only hit 26 HRs despite being in the BA race until the last day and greatly improving in reducing strikeouts and increasing walks. Also, don't forget everyone's ROY pick last year, Jeremy Hermida, who could come back with a vengeance and make this young team even stronger.

 

Washington Nationals - 'Nuff said. They have one set guy in their starting rotation, John Patterson, the oft injured ace, and Nick Johnson will never be healthy. The only exciting people to watch are Chad Cordero and the defensive whiz and maturing hitter that is Ryan Zimmerman.

 

I'll come back and do the rest of the NL later.

 

About the Mets... I don't think Wright collapsed in the second half. Power outage, yes, but he still led the team in RBI and finished 6th in the league in BA with runners in scoring position. He did struggle after he signed his deal and maybe was a little distracted by all the attention he was suddenly receiving. Hopefully, he's used to it now and he'll continue to grow as a player. He makes some outstanding plays at third, but his throwing is a little shaky at times, especially when he has time. I also think the starting rotation will not be bad. I am a firm believer that Rick Peterson really knows what the hell he is doing. He's the only good thing that came out of the Art Howe Experience. I love that we finally have some young, talented arms, and I believe that Oliver Perez will surprise alot of Met fans this season.

 

As for the Yanks/Sawx rivalry.... well, it will be a bloodbath, once again. I'm looking forward to seeing what Dice-K can do.

 

That's all I have... baseball is way too unpredictable to predict.... :confused:

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About the Mets... I don't think Wright collapsed in the second half. Power outage, yes, but he still led the team in RBI and finished 6th in the league in BA with runners in scoring position. He did struggle after he signed his deal and maybe was a little distracted by all the attention he was suddenly receiving. Hopefully, he's used to it now and he'll continue to grow as a player. He makes some outstanding plays at third, but his throwing is a little shaky at times, especially when he has time. I also think the starting rotation will not be bad. I am a firm believer that Rick Peterson really knows what the hell he is doing. He's the only good thing that came out of the Art Howe Experience. I love that we finally have some young, talented arms, and I believe that Oliver Perez will surprise alot of Met fans this season.

 

As for the Yanks/Sawx rivalry.... well, it will be a bloodbath, once again. I'm looking forward to seeing what Dice-K can do.

 

That's all I have... baseball is way too unpredictable to predict.... :confused:

 

True, not a collapse, and I've talked about this in other threads, but he still has a lot of room for improvement in maintaining his numbers over the long season. The major problem in the second half was a collapse in power and I'm not gonna lie, I'm a bit bitter because he was on my fantasy team...but I'd have no problem with drafting him again. I sort of wish I could check situational stats split between pre and post ASB to see if he just wasn't knocking guys in or if there just wasn't anybody on base for him in the second half.

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True, not a collapse, and I've talked about this in other threads, but he still has a lot of room for improvement in maintaining his numbers over the long season. The major problem in the second half was a collapse in power and I'm not gonna lie, I'm a bit bitter because he was on my fantasy team...but I'd have no problem with drafting him again. I sort of wish I could check situational stats split between pre and post ASB to see if he just wasn't knocking guys in or if there just wasn't anybody on base for him in the second half.

 

I watched just about every Met game last season, and I can tell you, he did struggle mightily for about two months. There were alot of opportunities for him to drive in runs, and he just didn't. His average dipped into the .280's I believe. He got hot again in September, though, raising his average to .311 to finish the season. Too bad he was the David Wright of August in October. :cwy:

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True, not a collapse, and I've talked about this in other threads, but he still has a lot of room for improvement in maintaining his numbers over the long season. The major problem in the second half was a collapse in power and I'm not gonna lie, I'm a bit bitter because he was on my fantasy team...but I'd have no problem with drafting him again. I sort of wish I could check situational stats split between pre and post ASB to see if he just wasn't knocking guys in or if there just wasn't anybody on base for him in the second half.

 

I watched just about every Met game last season, and I can tell you, he did struggle mightily for about two months. There were alot of opportunities for him to drive in runs, and he just didn't. His average dipped into the .280's I believe. He got hot again in September, though, raising his average to .311 to finish the season. Too bad he was the David Wright of August in October. :cwy:

 

 

After I posted this ^^^ I went and looked at some stats. Wright hit .245 in August, but drove in 21 runs, his second highest total for one month (28 in June) last season. So I guess we can say that the guys were on, he just failed to deliver during that period. I wonder what his average was with RISP during that time. He could have been well over 125 RBI for the season if he had not slumped badly that month, but that's baseball.

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I watched just about every Met game last season, and I can tell you, he did struggle mightily for about two months. There were alot of opportunities for him to drive in runs, and he just didn't. His average dipped into the .280's I believe. He got hot again in September, though, raising his average to .311 to finish the season. Too bad he was the David Wright of August in October. :cwy:

After I posted this ^^^ I went and looked at some stats. Wright hit .245 in August, but drove in 21 runs, his second highest total for one month (28 in June) last season. So I guess we can say that the guys were on, he just failed to deliver during that period. I wonder what his average was with RISP during that time. He could have been well over 125 RBI for the season if he had not slumped badly that month, but that's baseball.

 

Hey, man, he's still one of the best players in all of baseball who has a tremendously bright future. I don't think he'll ever be the best, because that's quite a distinction, but thinking not just in fantasy terms but real life terms, he'll be top 10 for a decade at least.

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Hey, man, he's still one of the best players in all of baseball who has a tremendously bright future. I don't think he'll ever be the best, because that's quite a distinction, but thinking not just in fantasy terms but real life terms, he'll be top 10 for a decade at least.

 

Hope so. He definitely has the right attitude and you can tell he just loves everything about being a big leaguer. He has a knack for getting hits with 2 strikes, and is a very good opposite field hitter. I love the kid, and also think he will be one of the game's best for alot of years.

 

I just think he had a little too much on his plate last season, and it got to him a little. I could be wrong, but he did go on a slide after he started receiving ALOT of attention and signed a new contract. Maybe he felt like he had to do too much. Even when he was in his slump though, I still had all the confidence in the world in him when the game was on the line.

 

It's about damn time we (Met fans) have a player like this to talk about. Young... talented... endless potential...

 

Make that TWO, Wright and Reyes.

:rock:

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  • 2 weeks later...

AL West

Oakland (Even wtthout Zito, "Moneyball" wins.)

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

Seattle ( Trade bait: Ichiro.)

Texas (Pitching, pitching, pitching.)

 

AL Central

Cleveland

Minnesota: (After Johan Santana, then who? )

Detroit

Chicago White Sox: (fading fast)

Kansas City:

 

AL East:(yawn)

New York: (Shored up pitching, A-Rod and Abreu bounce back, lookout...)

Boston:

Toronto:

Tampa Bay:

Baltimore :(Miguel Tejada goes back to Oakland)

 

AL Wild Card: Minnesota

ALDS:

Oakland over Cleveland

New York over Minnesota

ALCS: Yankee's beat A's

-------------------------------------------------

NL West

Los Angeles

Arizona (plenty of pitching, no bats)

San Diego (see above)

San Francisco (sigh, my Giants, it will be a good allstar game.)

Colorado:

 

NL Central

Chicago (lovable losers no more, they go wire to wire )

Houston

St. Louis (getting too old)

Milwaukee: (If Ben Sheets is healthy, maybe wildcard)

Cincinnati

Pittsburgh:

 

NL East:

Philadelphia (Ultey, Howard, Rollins + solid pitching )

New York (No Pedro until June,earliest.)

Florida (Girardi would have had them in wildcard)

Atlanta

Washington

 

NL Wild Card: NY Mets

NLDS:

Chicago over Mets

Philly over Dodgers

NLCS: Cubs win!!!

 

 

World Series Champ: Chicago over NY Yankees- Bartman throws out the first ball and hits jeffrey maier in the head.

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AL East - Yankees, Blue Jays, Red Sox, Orioles, Devil Rays

AL Central - Twins, Tigers, White Sox, Indians, Royals

AL West - Athletics, Angels, Rangers, Mariners

NL East - Mets, Phillies, Braves, Marlins, Nationals

NL Central - Cardinals, Cubs, Brewers, Reds, Astros, Pirates

NL West - Dodgers, Padres, Diamondbacks, Giants, Rockies

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AL West

Oakland (Even wtthout Zito, "Moneyball" wins.)

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

Seattle ( Trade bait: Ichiro.)

Texas (Pitching, pitching, pitching.)

 

AL Central

Cleveland

Minnesota: (After Johan Santana, then who? )

Detroit

Chicago White Sox: (fading fast)

Kansas City:

 

AL East:(yawn)

New York: (Shored up pitching, A-Rod and Abreu bounce back, lookout...)

Boston:

Toronto:

Tampa Bay:

Baltimore :(Miguel Tejada goes back to Oakland)

 

AL Wild Card: Minnesota

ALDS:

Oakland over Cleveland

New York over Minnesota

ALCS: Yankee's beat A's

-------------------------------------------------

NL West

Los Angeles

Arizona (plenty of pitching, no bats)

San Diego (see above)

San Francisco (sigh, my Giants, it will be a good allstar game.)

Colorado:

 

NL Central

Chicago (lovable losers no more, they go wire to wire )

Houston

St. Louis (getting too old)

Milwaukee: (If Ben Sheets is healthy, maybe wildcard)

Cincinnati

Pittsburgh:

 

NL East:

Philadelphia (Ultey, Howard, Rollins + solid pitching )

New York (No Pedro until June,earliest.)

Florida (Girardi would have had them in wildcard)

Atlanta

Washington

 

NL Wild Card: NY Mets

NLDS:

Chicago over Mets

Philly over Dodgers

NLCS: Cubs win!!!

World Series Champ: Chicago over NY Yankees- Bartman throws out the first ball and hits jeffrey maier in the head.

 

 

What about Texas' pitching makes you think they'll finish worse than last year?

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Understood, I think we should make a bet based on who's team finishes higher in their division. :)

if it isn't first or wild, what's there to be proud of? make sure you join the sortswrath march madness contest, btw.

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True.

Nah, I'm not a college basketball fan, and I don't know the first damned thing about it.

you'll probably do better that way, believe me. it's a lot of fun. join after they announce the brackets tonite:

 

In order to join the group, follow the link above, or go to the game front page and click on the "Join Group" button. When prompted, enter the following information:

 

Group ID#: 57519

Password: boohyah

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  • 3 weeks later...
AL EAST.

1. Red Sox

2. Yankees

3. Devil Rays

4. Toronto

5. Baltimore

 

AL Central

1. White Sox

2. Twins

3. Indians

4. Tigers

5. Royals

 

AL West

1. Angels

2. Rangers(WC)

3. A's

4. Mariners

 

NL West

1. Dodgers

2. Padres

3. Giants

4. D-Backs

5. Rockies

 

NL Central

1. Cardinals

2. Reds

3. Astros

4. Cubs

5. Brewers

6. Pirates

 

NL East

1. Mets

2. Phillys(WC)

3. Marlins

4. Braves

5. Nats

 

Ok heres my post season pics:

 

Angels over Rangers(WC)-ALDS

W.Sox over R.Sox-ALDS

 

Dodgers over Phillys(WC)-NLDS

Mets over Cards-NLDS

 

Angels over W.Sox- ALCS

 

Mets over Dodgers-NLCS

 

Mets over Angels- WS

 

 

No homerism here, Yanks are bound to miss the postseason sooner or later, and this is just as good a year as any. :brooding:

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No homerism here, Yanks are bound to miss the postseason sooner or later, and this is just as good a year as any. :brooding:

 

It's bound to happen eventually, you're right, and your rotation will most likely be the downfall this year. Your offense should be fine even with Jeter and Cano losing some BA because of a full year of Matsui and Abreu and even Damon. Thing is, when Carl Pavano is your opening day starter, something's wrong. Just do your best to stay out of third place or you'll never hear the end of it.

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  • 2 months later...
  • 3 months later...
AL West

Oakland (Even wtthout Zito, "Moneyball" wins.)

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

Seattle ( Trade bait: Ichiro.)

Texas (Pitching, pitching, pitching.)

 

AL Central

Cleveland

Minnesota: (After Johan Santana, then who? )

Detroit

Chicago White Sox: (fading fast)

Kansas City:

 

AL East:(yawn)

New York: (Shored up pitching, A-Rod and Abreu bounce back, lookout...)

Boston:

Toronto:

Tampa Bay:

Baltimore :(Miguel Tejada goes back to Oakland)

 

AL Wild Card: Minnesota

ALDS:

Oakland over Cleveland

New York over Minnesota

ALCS: Yankee's beat A's

-------------------------------------------------

NL West

Los Angeles

Arizona (plenty of pitching, no bats)

San Diego (see above)

San Francisco (sigh, my Giants, it will be a good allstar game.)

Colorado:

 

NL Central

Chicago (lovable losers no more, they go wire to wire )

Houston

St. Louis (getting too old)

Milwaukee: (If Ben Sheets is healthy, maybe wildcard)

Cincinnati

Pittsburgh:

 

NL East:

Philadelphia (Ultey, Howard, Rollins + solid pitching )

New York (No Pedro until June,earliest.)

Florida (Girardi would have had them in wildcard)

Atlanta

Washington

 

NL Wild Card: NY Mets

NLDS:

Chicago over Mets

Philly over Dodgers

NLCS: Cubs win!!!

World Series Champ: Chicago over NY Yankees- Bartman throws out the first ball and hits jeffrey maier in the head.

well i had the cubs right, anyway.

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