Before I go into my pre-PR intro, I would like to say to those fine readers out there that my blog name is SayHey for a reason. Im not a Yankee fan, nor a Redsox fan, or hell, even a Dodger fan. If you actually took time to read and NOT look at placements of your teams, I am in fact a Giants fan. Hence, the Willie Mays reference in my tag. If you are willing to strike up a debate, then I’m all for it. Don’t knock my rankings and not back it up. That is childish and simply makes you look foolish.
That being said, God I love spring training. To me, its as exciting as the NFL draft. It was AWESOME to see clips of Aaron Rowand (our prize off-season acquisition) snag fly balls out in Scottsdale. Next week we should see some games and really get a good look at new look ball clubs and the "potential" young rookies can bring to the table.
1 (1). Boston Red Sox- Coco Crisp has expressed his desire to leave Boston if he loses the starting OF slot to Ellsbury. I don’t think Red Sox nation is losing sleep over this.
2 (2) Detroit Tigers- Pound-for-pound best offense in baseball. They are also blessed with a weak AL-Central pitching staff. Other than Sabathia, who can stop this wrecking machine of an offense?
3 (3) New York Yankees- For the record, I hate the Yankees. But give credit where credit is deserved. They have a good young pitching staff, and excellent outfield, and A-Rod. Gonzo got me thinking that maybe i was to generous in giving them a 3 seed and I somewhat agree. Let’s just see how Spring Training pans out. Will Joba, Kennedy, and Hughes dominate??
4 (4) Chicago Cubs- The signing of Alex Cintron gives the Cubs great depth. He can play SS and 2b and play it well. They have a dynamite offense and good starters. The only question mark I see is the in bullpen and closer.
5 (5) LA Dodgers- For the record, I LOATHE the Dodgers more than anything on this planet. They may not be sexy but they have great pitching all around. And their lineup, if healthy, is pretty solid to.
6 (6) New York Mets- They bring in another OFer in Brady Clark. O's fans remember that he had a decent rookie year and nothing else. I like the offense alot but even with Santana, I have my doubts about the rest of the rotation.
7 (7) San Diego Padres- For the record, I HATE the Padres (I used to like them, but a certain blogger and his anti-everything bay area, failure to credit teams OTHER than SD of their successes, and SD smugness has made me bitter). They have a great rotation to go along with a pitcher friendly ballpark. That and they built their lineup around getting on base and not hitting homeruns. That kind of adaptability will win games.
8 (8) Cleveland Indians- Seems the Indians have entered into the Brian Roberts trade circle. I don’t think Cleveland has much to offer the O's but they do need a 2b man. Lets see how this pans out.
9 (8) LA Angels- They may have built a solid OF, but their infield lacks alot of depth. But they do have a good rotation and bullpen.
10 (10) Arizona Diamondbacks- I get it, they have a smoking hot rotation, but name someone other than Eric Byrnes that will be run producers. They had a horrible offense last season and did very little to make it better this season. In my opinion, 10 is a generous spot and they could easily lose it.
11 (11) Chicago Whitesox- The only gripe I have with the Sox is that they aren’t getting any younger. Nick Swischer helps but I can’t remember the last time they had an impact player rise from their minor league system. Oh yeh, Aaron Rowand!
12 (12) Colorado Rockies- I get it, they were in the WS but what have they done to improve? To get over the hump? Not a whole lot. They locked up their impact players but failed to address pitching needs.
13 (13) Houston Astros- I don’t think adding Shawn Chacon will help their pitching staff. He failed as a closer and hasn’t been a starter in 2 years. But you have to love their offense.
14 (14) Milwaukee Brewers- All of that successful youth is now major league ready. The only question mark i see is in the bullpen. And, will Gagne be dominant again?
15 (15) Tampa Bay Rays- This team has so much potential one can chock. I know, I hate that term "potential" and thats why I have them at 15. I cannot wait to see this team in Spring Training.
16 (16) Seattle Mariners- The best 1-2 lefty combo in all of baseball. But will Beltre put up 2007 numbers? Can Sexton be good again? There are alot of question marks in the offense.
17 (17) Philadelphia Philly’s- Ryan Howard got his arbitration victory and that’s good news. But can their pitching carry the load? I don’t know. To many "ifs" in the rotation and in the bullpen.
18 (18) Washington Nationals- A new ballpark and right handed power hitters ACHING to prove themselves. I like what the offense can bring to the table this season. Their minor league system is stacked with talent as well. The question is, can John Patterson REALLY be this teams ace and can the rotation stay healthy??
19 (19 Atlanta Braves- I have no confidence in this team right now. But Bobby Cox is that good of a manager to prove me wrong and 2 of his OG's are in the rotation. I don’t like the OF and the bullpen but Cox has performed miracles before.
20 (20) Minnesota Twins- I don’t really have much to say here. They locked up their MVP and other supporting offensive guys but they have no starters to brag about. They do, however, have a good bullpen and Joe Nathan.
21 (21) Toronto Blue jays- The more I think about it, the more I regret placing them here at 21. On paper, they do have a better team than the Rays. But all of their impact players spent significant time on the DL last season. That carries alot of weight for me.
22 (22) Cincinnati Reds- They won the "Josh Fogg" sweepstakes. Here’s the thing, I never thought he was THAT good. But I think he will do good things in Cinci.
23 (23) San Francisco Giants- I do like the direction we are going in for now. But I do weep. I can’t help but think we will occupy the NL West basement for the entire season. I do LOVE LOVE LOVE our starting rotation, but the bullpen still sucks. We do have 2009 to look forward to when we drop about 20 million in payroll!
24 (24) Oakland A's- They have heard alot of GREAT offers for pitcher Joe Blanton. Dodgers offered Either and LaRouche, while Cinci offered Baily. This trade I do support. They have little to look forward to this season however.
25 (25) St Louis Cardinals- For your Cardinal fans, talk to me. Why should they move up? Yes, they HAD Carpenter but he does need to prove himself this season.
26 (26) Pittsburgh Pirates- I give them the benefit of the doubt. NL Central, New GM, new coach. At least they are trying.
27 (27) Texas Rangers- No pitching whatsoever. Millwood is their ace and he spent alot of time on the DL, as did Padilla. Nuff said.
28 (28) Kansas City Royals- Time will tell as to the value of last seasons rookie class. But they have no impact players. I’m starting to like the rotation, but its very iffy none the less
29 (29) Florida Marlins- They lost their talent but still managed to scrape the bottom of the barrel in terms of replacements. I like the rotation and they signed alot of IFers. This will force them to play at the height of their ability and earn spots.
30 (30) Baltimore Orioles- For the record, i DO like Baltimore. They may be better than a couple of teams ranked in front of them. But they are in the AL East and will lose more games because of that. I don’t want Roberts to go, but you, fine people, are convinced that its necessary. Fair enough.
11 comments:
SayHey, looks like Anibal Sanchez is out until at least the All-Star Break (probably more with the setbacks he keeps having with his shoulder), and Scott Olsen is the favorite to be the "ace" of the Marlins at the moment (with Dontrelle gone)...
If thats not enough to get the O's past them, I dunno man :)
We'll see. I still like Andrew Miller. He could be a solid #2 guy.
btw- Anibal Sanchez is not a PR deal breaker.
I'm buying a Royals hat.
Kansas City Royals: At least we aren't the Pirates!
LOL nice......
I think that we should "adopt" either the Royals or the Pirates for the 2008 season. Give a weekly update on them, try to hype them, cause no one else really will. Then we can maybe sell t-shirts with the Royals: At least we aren't the Pirates! slogan (or vice versa)
I agree, why dont we all adopt a bad team and report on them? Obviously Dews gets the O's, Gonzo gets the A's, and I get the Giants.
Thoughts...
don't we support the Nats for that reason?
Astros are WAY too high, I wouldn't put them above 20
Phillies aren't high enough
The Astros are not above 20. Are you saying they shouldnt be lower than 13?
Phillies have 1 solid starter in Hamels. Myers was not an effective starter and he is their 2 guy. Kris Benson hasnt pitched in a year, and the rest are rookies who have potential, but havent really done anything in the majors to impress me. That, and the bullpen is shacky and Lidge is a damaged goods closer.
the rationale though for having the Devil Rays ahead of both the Phillies and the Blue Jays doesn't make much sense to me though...
I mean, you say you don't want to judge on potential, but I can't see why else you'd have the Devil Rays above either of those teams.
Granted, they are stocked with very promising talent, but its unproven for the most part.
Good point.
I have the Rays higher than I should mainly because there rotation is rather solid in Shields, Kasmir, and Garza (Granted they need to stay healthy). That and Upton, Iwamura, Crawford, and Pena had a Phen-aminal 2007 season. They got better with the add of Bartlett, Zobrist, and I Floyd along with Aybar for depth.
The guys i mentioned arent rookies and they did manage to prove their metal last season.
As for the Bluejays, your right. They should be higher. But the fact all of there major players (Rolen, Ryan, Thomas, Burnett) had significant injuries leaves me a bit hesitant. I need some ST games to begin so i can really judge whether or not they are at full strenght or not.
I do think I will move them next week. I thought Wells missed some time last season. He did, however, have an awful season.
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