MikeO's MLB season predictions

[SpurzN703]

Originally Posted by djfresh47

Still alot of ball to play. Though who had Jermaine Dye and Josh Hamilton as IMO the front-runners for MVP. I'm a ChiSox fan and Dye's numbers are just better than Quentin's. I thought the Diamonbacks would be the class of the NL but they can't score but they're a tough out with Haren and Webb. The AL Central which I focus on because i'm a Sox fan has been turned upside down. Minnesota and the Sox were figured to go 3-4. Marlins were figured to be in the bottom of Al East. I'll eat crow the Rays got the players to be in it to the end. The Cardinals are winning with Kyle Lohse as there ace. It's been as interesting of a year as I can remember. I'm the biggest Billy Beane fan but they better win a WS in the next 3 years with the deals they've made. I get trading guys if you're not in contention but with trading Harden I think they've took themselves out of it. The Tigers I believe will get themselves back in it.

This is a side note but Jason Varitek making the all-star game is ridiculous. Pierzynski is hated but he deserved it if they wanted three catchers. Though Dye should've gotten that spot.

Varitek making the AS Game is definitely ridiculous but you know he's on the Sawx so there you go.

[djfresh47]

Originally Posted by SpurzN703

Varitek making the AS Game is definitely ridiculous but you know he's on the Sawx so there you go.

If he was voted on by the fans than I get it. Though he was selected by the players. It's not like he's an all-time great who is selected as an honor.

[MikeO]

Yeah I was drinking the Seattle Kool-Aide before the season. You would think going in with Bedard and King Felix that this team would have a 1-2 punch that would be tough to beat. And in that crappy division nonethless. Oh well.

And they traded for Bedard and gave up a great CF player in Jones. Now they can't wait to move Bedard after only having him a few months. Pay the guy and keep him, just because he is having one down year doesn't mean you bail on him.

And they cut Richie Sexon too. Who would have thought 3 or 4 years ago someone like Sexon would have been cut mid-season by a last place team. LOL LOL. Unreal. Boy has he fallen off the face of the earth.

[MikeO]

Originally Posted by djfresh47

Still alot of ball to play. Though who had Jermaine Dye and Josh Hamilton as IMO the front-runners for MVP. I'm a ChiSox fan and Dye's numbers are just better than Quentin's. I thought the Diamonbacks would be the class of the NL but they can't score but they're a tough out with Haren and Webb. The AL Central which I focus on because i'm a Sox fan has been turned upside down. Minnesota and the Sox were figured to go 3-4. Marlins were figured to be in the bottom of Al East. I'll eat crow the Rays got the players to be in it to the end. The Cardinals are winning with Kyle Lohse as there ace. It's been as interesting of a year as I can remember. I'm the biggest Billy Beane fan but they better win a WS in the next 3 years with the deals they've made. I get trading guys if you're not in contention but with trading Harden I think they've took themselves out of it. The Tigers I believe will get themselves back in it.

This is a side note but Jason Varitek making the all-star game is ridiculous. Pierzynski is hated but he deserved it if they wanted three catchers. Though Dye should've gotten that spot.

I have been here for years saying this. Nice to see more are jumping on board. Billy Beane and the Oakland A's are a total joke. They run that team like garbage. That was a horrible trade for Oakland.

This is a franchise that is in the playoffs all the time. And they always choke like dogs. Then they do bonehead moves like NOT trading Zito and getting anything in return for him. He sucks, so they let him play out his deal. And a guy like Harden they move, he is someone they should have kept or at least play it out and try to keep.

I mean you can't cry poor all the time. At some point you gotta pony up and pay somebody!! Hell, even KC opens their wallet once in a while.

[ChambersWI]

Originally Posted by MikeO

Yeah I was drinking the Seattle Kool-Aide before the season. You would think going in with Bedard and King Felix that this team would have a 1-2 punch that would be tough to beat. And in that crappy division nonethless. Oh well.

And they traded for Bedard and gave up a great CF player in Jones. Now they can't wait to move Bedard after only having him a few months. Pay the guy and keep him, just because he is having one down year doesn't mean you bail on him.

And they cut Richie Sexon too. Who would have thought 3 or 4 years ago someone like Sexon would have been cut mid-season by a last place team. LOL LOL. Unreal. Boy has he fallen off the face of the earth.

from what I've heard with Bedard is he doesn't like it in Seattle and he doesn't want to be counted on as the savior of a staff. Thing is, The Mariners gave up a lot for Bedard (Jones was the main piece, but they gave up a lot more), and they won't get anywhere near that value from another team (example, St. Louis asked what the price would be and they were told John McClellan, Colby Rasmus, and Bryan Anderson. The Cards' laughed and hung up the phone)

[djfresh47]

The thing that I hate about the A's Harden deal is that I think they could've got more. Now he'll probably miss about half his starts, though his stuff is as good as anybodies. With a new stadium coming I think they've gotta start keeping some of there own players. Fans can complain about teams that spend money but atleast there owners are committed to winning. The Yanks and Sawx get all the media attention but atleast they're interested in winning. While other teams are interested in the Yanks and Sawx making them money.

[MikeO]

Originally Posted by djfresh47

The thing that I hate about the A's Harden deal is that I think they could've got more. Now he'll probably miss about half his starts, though his stuff is as good as anybodies. With a new stadium coming I think they've gotta start keeping some of there own players. Fans can complain about teams that spend money but atleast there owners are committed to winning. The Yanks and Sawx get all the media attention but atleast they're interested in winning. While other teams are interested in the Yanks and Sawx making them money.

The Yanks and Red Sox keep at least 5 teams alive in MLB. That's not counting the other big spender teams like LAA, Mets, and Dodgers.

If there was EVER a salary cap in MLB you can kiss about 5 teams good bye. And the Oakland A's would be one of them. They would go under. Not be anymore. They would fold. Because with a salary cap, there is no more revenue sharing. And with no more revenue sharing and the Yanks and Sox throwing $70-90 mill each, in the pot every year, these teams have no money. They have cheap owners. And they will die off.

People get confused. Just because there is a salary cap doesn't mean teams HAVE to spend money. If a team is spending $40 mill on payroll now. Just because there is a salary cap doens't mean they will magically start spending $80 mill a year on players. No, they will still spend $40, and without the FREE money from revenue sharing, they will probably spend less cause they will have less

[MikeO]

Here are my 2nd half predictions .......

1) Detroit will fight and crawl and get back into the playoff race. They will be playing meaningful games the last week of the year for the division or wild card.

2) By Sep 1 Tampa Bay will be dead to rights.

3) The NL West will still suck (lol). That division can't get out of its own way.

4) I think if the Mets can find one more big bat, they could run away with the National League in the 2nd half of the year and be a force in the playoffs.


Let's see how these pan out...lol lol

[GreenMonster]

Originally Posted by MikeO

I have been here for years saying this. Nice to see more are jumping on board. Billy Beane and the Oakland A's are a total joke. They run that team like garbage. That was a horrible trade for Oakland.

This is a franchise that is in the playoffs all the time. And they always choke like dogs. Then they do bonehead moves like NOT trading Zito and getting anything in return for him. He sucks, so they let him play out his deal. And a guy like Harden they move, he is someone they should have kept or at least play it out and try to keep.

I mean you can't cry poor all the time. At some point you gotta pony up and pay somebody!! Hell, even KC opens their wallet once in a while.

LOL, Beane is a joke. If so plz spin these facts for me. Consider this since 2000 the Yankees have 24 more wins than the A's, or like 3 more wins a year, and no WS titles. The Yanks have spent 1.480 Billion since 2000, the A's 457 million. Since 2000 the A's have had 220+ more wins than the Royals, and they seem to open the checkbook more too, the Royals only spending 400 million. The A's have the best young pitchers outside of the D-Rays at this time, anyone watch the Futures game (Cahill, Anderson, Rodriguez 101mph). The A's did recieve 2 supp. 1st rounders for Zito, or they could have had Lastings Milledge who is hitting .242 for the Nats with a .312 OBP. Many people believe Gallagher will be a 1-2 starter he is only 3 months older than Joba, and the rest of the guys they got aren't scrubs. The A's have 51 wins right now, the Yankees 50. This Billy Beane hate his funny, teams like the Royals dream about being the A's.

These lines are also amusing. "Billy Beane and the Oakland A's are a joke. They run that team like garbage" ....... followed by "This is franchise that is in the playoffs all the time"

[Breed]

Originally Posted by MikeO

Yeah I was drinking the Seattle Kool-Aide before the season. You would think going in with Bedard and King Felix that this team would have a 1-2 punch that would be tough to beat. And in that crappy division nonethless. Oh well.

And they traded for Bedard and gave up a great CF player in Jones. Now they can't wait to move Bedard after only having him a few months. Pay the guy and keep him, just because he is having one down year doesn't mean you bail on him.

And they cut Richie Sexon too. Who would have thought 3 or 4 years ago someone like Sexon would have been cut mid-season by a last place team. LOL LOL. Unreal. Boy has he fallen off the face of the earth.

The A.L. West is a crappy division?

Winning % by division:
A.L. East: .536
N.L. Central: .518
A.L. West: .512
A.L. Central: .503
N.L. East: .491
N.L. West: .439

The Angels, A's and Rangers are a combined 158-128 (.553 winning %), so I'd say the Mariners have been facing some pretty tough competition.

Originally Posted by GreenMonster

LOL, Beane is a joke. If so plz spin these facts for me. Consider this since 2000 the Yankees have 24 more wins than the A's, or like 3 more wins a year, and no WS titles. The Yanks have spent 1.480 Billion since 2000, the A's 457 million. Since 2000 the A's have had 220+ more wins than the Royals, and they seem to open the checkbook more too, the Royals only spending 400 million. The A's have the best young pitchers outside of the D-Rays at this time, anyone watch the Futures game (Cahill, Anderson, Rodriguez 101mph). The A's did recieve 2 supp. 1st rounders for Zito, or they could have had Lastings Milledge who is hitting .242 for the Nats with a .312 OBP. Many people believe Gallagher will be a 1-2 starter he is only 3 months older than Joba, and the rest of the guys they got aren't scrubs. The A's have 51 wins right now, the Yankees 50. This Billy Beane hate his funny, teams like the Royals dream about being the A's.

These lines are also amusing. "Billy Beane and the Oakland A's are a joke. They run that team like garbage" ....... followed by "This is franchise that is in the playoffs all the time"

Agreed on all your points.....

BTW, Texas was originally supposed to have 5 players in the futures game. Neftali Feliz didn't make the roster because it was thought the Rangers already had too many players in the game (Chris Davis, Max Ramirez, Elvis Andrus, Taylor Teagarden) when the rosters were being made. As it turned out, Davis (Josh Hamilton like power to all fields, and is a plus defender at 1B) and Ramirez were called up to the big leagues, so they couldn't make the futures game either.

The 22 year old Crhis Davis went through the Rangers farm system very quicklly. Between AA and AAA he hit .333, with a .386 OBP and a .643 SLG (1.029 OPS). The most impressive thing about him was his ability to adjust and get better with each promotion. In AA, Davis averaged a HR once every 14.31 at bats (.995 OPS). In AAA, Davis averaged a HR once every 11.1 at bats (1.086 OPS). Davis is averaging a homerun once every 9.67 at bats with the Rangers (.983 OPS), granted, he's only had 58 at bats. I remember writing him off as a longshot before the season because of his terrible K rate in Advanced A, he's obviously improved since then. His judgement of the strike zone still needs improving, but he's got about as much upside as any player in baseball. Realistically though, few players ever reach their upside, I'd be happy if he developed into a Mark Teixeira caliber player in the near future.

Max Ramirez is another one of my favorite players that has come up this year. His defense leaves a lot to be desired at both catcher and 1B, but he can flat out hit. Even with his defensive short comings, I'd like to see him as the Rangers future catcher (over Saltalamacchia, who I think should be trade bait) with Teagarden as his backup. In 67 games at the AA level, Ramirez hit .363, with a .457 OBP, and a .662 SLG (1.120 OPS). While Ramirez probably doesn't have quite the power that Davis has, he did hit a 500+ foot HR earlier in the year. Quite impressive for someone under 6 feet tall (5-11, 170 pounds). I'd compare Ramirez to a young Edgar Martinez.

Neftali Feliz (12th best prospect in all of baseball according to BA) recently made his AA debut and he hit 100 mph several times, and was recorded at 101 mph at least 3 times. Feliz has an effortless delivery, and solid command for a young pitcher that throws so hard.

The Rangers farm system is stacked, without a doubt one of the 5 best farm systems in baseball, even after the Hurley, Harrison (some scouts like him, but he's too hittable for my tastes, more of a back of the rotation starter, IMO), Davis and Ramirez promotions.

Pitching has always been a problem in Texas, but these past 5 years or so, Texas has really done a fine job at developing their minor league pitching. It's just too bad they traded away all their quality MLB starting pitching. John Danks, Chris Young, Edinson Volquez were all primarily developed by the Rangers. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that no MLB organization has as much quality pitching as the Rangers have in their farm system right now. The Rays have two of the top pitching prospects in David Price and Wade Davis, but I think the Rangers have a better combination of quality and quanity.

Then again, there are 3 things against any of the quality Rangers pitching prospects from reaching their upside.

Ballpark: Although the ball carries from time to time (specifically during summer day games) to all fields, the RBiA tends to favor lefty pull hitters because of the jet stream in right center field. Combine that with the fact that it is also a spacious (not to the extent of Coors Field, but still....) and has a fast playing infield, and you get a park that also is probably more friendly to a hitter's AVG than his HR total (unless you're Raffy).

Off subject for a moment, the advantage Rangers hitters have had playing half their games in a hitters park is somewhat offset by the fact that they play a substantial part of their schedule against the Angels, A's and Mariners, all of whom had some of the better pitching the A.L. has had to offer since around 2000. 2 of those parks happen to be pitchers parks, which helps explain the differential between many of the Rangers home/road splits.

Speaking of home/road splits, how about Soriano's 2005 season?

Home: 1.011 OPS
Away: .639 OPS

Defense: For a pitching staff as dependant as the Rangers are on ground balls, the Rangers sure do have a weak defensive infield. When healthy, Blalock has well below average range at 3B (he does have a really good bat when healthy though), Young is a SS with 3B like range, and while Kinsler does have plus range, he makes a lot of mental mistakes which explains the poor fielding %.

Hamilton and Murphy are both inadequate defensively in centerfield, but they are both solid corner outfielders. The only guy that plays a good centerfield can barely hit his weight, doesn't walk, and has little power (Byrd).

Again, with the Texas heat, it makes are infield hard and makes it a very fast playing surface. There is hope though, if the Rangers play it right (yeah right). A lot of it depends on Young's willingness to move to 3B at some point within the next couple of years. Also, Elvis Andrus and Jose Vallejo need to be able to hit MLB pitching (they certainly have the ability). Andrus and Vallejo already have all the tools they're ever going to need to play excellent defense (SS/2B).

Their MLB pitching coach, Mark Connor: There's a reason the Rangers have 8 pitchers on the DL, and why pitchers tend to lose velocity the more time they spend on the big league club. Connor is horrible pointing out mechanical flaws. I've also seen one of our pitchers go a couple of weeks pitching, all the while he was tipping his pitches. That's usually the sort of thing that gets corrected during a mound visit.

[MikeO]

The AL West blows.

Seattle is the worst team in baseball

Oakland traded away their best player. They will probably also trade Blanton and some others. They have given up on this season.

Texas has zero piching. Their lineup is good but that team is average at best.

LAA is the best of the bunch but they can't hit for anything. Vlad is old. Anderson is older. Tori Hunter has been a dissapointment. Escobar is not coming back this year. They are a good team not a great team.

It's a bad division. I don't care what the numbers say. It's only halfway through the year lets compare numbers come October.

[ChambersWI]

If the Rangers resign Bradley and either Hurley or Diamond become good pitchers, they can cause some trouble.

If'm I'm then, I'd try to get a premier pitcher/pitching prospect by trading either Salty,Teagarden, or Ramirez

[GreenMonster]

Originally Posted by MikeO

The AL West blows.

Seattle is the worst team in baseball

Oakland traded away their best player. They will probably also trade Blanton and some others. They have given up on this season.

Texas has zero piching. Their lineup is good but that team is average at best.

LAA is the best of the bunch but they can't hit for anything. Vlad is old. Anderson is older. Tori Hunter has been a dissapointment. Escobar is not coming back this year. They are a good team not a great team.

It's a bad division. I don't care what the numbers say. It's only halfway through the year lets compare numbers come October.

I am still waiting to know why you and now others think Billy Beane is a bad GM. Is it because you think the AL West is a bad division (its not)? Name 5 better GM's with a track record and you can't include Epstein because we know you think he is garbage.

[MikeO]

Originally Posted by GreenMonster

I am still waiting to know why you and now others think Billy Beane is a bad GM. Is it because you think the AL West is a bad division (its not)? Name 5 better GM's with a track record and you can't include Epstein because we know you think he is garbage.

If he's so good why can't he win anything in Oakland? There have been years he has had Boston and NY dead to rights in the playofffs. Had them beat, and the A's choke. Now, can you blame the GM..well yeah he takes some of the blame!!

I also find it hard to take this guy seriously when every year around late July he decideds to take a European vacation. I mean right at the trading deadline you need to take your vacation every year???? That is your lets just say..."busy season" and your overseas every year??

5 better GM's I would take........ Omar Minya, Mark Shapiro, Pat Gillick, Dave Dombrowski, and Walt Jockety.