2008 MLB Season Preview [Dodgers Posted, Rockies On Deck!!!]

[eaglesfan536890]

2008 MLB Season Preview

Well the MLB season is almost here, so I decided to "whip" up an MLB Preview for you all. It's nothing big, I just basically talked about the team overall, how I think they'll fair this season, a little about their off season, and about their offense and pitching. I hope you guys enjoy it! All questions, comments and feedback are highly encouraged!
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AL East

1.Boston Red Sox
The Red Sox are defending champions, and it is very possible for them to repeat. They have everything: power, speed, pitching, and way more. The team is lead by none other than the power hitting duo of Manny Ramirez, and David Ortiz, who have proven to be one of the best 3-4 threats in the bigs. And when you add in guys like: Lowell, Pedroia and Varitek, that lineup is one of the best in the league if not the best. A good lineup is nothing without a good pitching staff, which the Red Sox have, in guys like: Josh Beckett, who is a major Cy Young candidate this year, as he is every year, along with Daisuke Matsuzaka and youngster, Clay Buchholz, not to mention Okajima in the bullpen, and Papelbon closing games. Bottomline, this team is more than likely to make the World Series for a 2nd consecutive season, with the great team they have, it's highly possible for them to win over 100 games this season.

MVP: David Ortiz
It was really hard to tell who would be the Red Sox's MVP this season, because of all the great players they have, but I finally decided to go with David Ortiz. Ortiz was great last season, hitting 35 homers, over .300, and over 115 RBI's, along with his leadership skills, and clutch play. Manny Ramirez and Josh Beckett come up just short.


Breakout: Jacoby Ellsbury
Yea, he was great for the Sox last season, but he only played towards the end of the season, this year he's going to get to show his full potential, which is to hit around .325 plus, while hitting around 15 homers, maybe even more.


Rookie: Clay Buchholz
Last year he only started 3 games for the Red Sox, while making a relief appearance in one also, so you can still consider him a rookie. I expect him to make a huge impact in the rotation this season, along with Beckett and Dice-K. Last year Buchholz won 3 games for the Sox, along with a 1.59 ERA, and you can't forget the no-hitter he pitched last season.


Disappointment: J.D. Drew
Drew is a pretty good player, but he's on a team where he won't get to play as much as he should, because of the guys in the same position as him, like Ellsbury, and Crisp, their going to want to see the field too, so that'll take away from Drew. Last year he hit the least amount of homeruns in a season in his whole career, excluding his rookie season where he only got 36 at bats. Not to mention he's getting older, and that's when players, in most cases, come out of their prime.


Notable Arrivals: Bartolo Colon, Sean Casey & David Aardsma
Notable Departures: Eric Gagne, Eric Hinske Matt Clement & Brendan Donnelly

2.New York Yankees
The Yankees go into the season with high expectations, yea, what else is new? After failing to retain Joe Torre, the Ynakees got set for a new era, when they hired Joe Girardi. The Yankees have a great lineup, lead by the league leader in homeruns last season, Alex Rodriguez, along with guys like: Jeter, Cano and Abreu, the Yankees have a great lineup, like every year. But their weakness is pitching, that's a main reason for their terrible start last year, they did something minor though this off season, bringing in veteran LaTroy Hawkins. I think their pitching is going to be a lot better this year though, they have a good bullpen, with Mariano Rivera closing games, and Joba Chamberlain making some relief appearances as well, he is going to switch to a starter later in the year though. They also have a pretty good rotation, lead by veteran Andy Pettite, with youngsters Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy in the middle of it. I expect them to make the playoffs like usual, but I'm not positive if they can make a serious run, it all depends on if their players can come up clutch, and perform at a high level in the playoffs.

MVP: Alex Rodriguez
I think this is an obvious choice, after leading the league in homeruns last season, I would expect the same from him this year. If he can prove himself in the playoffs this year, I think he will be considered one of the best of all time, because that's one area that is holding him back big time.


Breakout: Joba Chamerblain
This was a real tough choice for me, but I finally decided to go with Joba. Last year he did amazing in the bullpen, carrying an 0.38 ERA, which if you didn't know, is amazing. When he makes the transition to a starter later in the season, I think he's going to get even more attention, and he's going to show even more than he has.


Rookie: Phil Hughes
Last year he started 13 games for the Yanks, but I'm going to still consider him a rookie, even though he's not, just because there wasn't really anyone else to put here. Last year he was dealing with injuries, which caused him to miss a lot of the season, so this year he's starting from the beginning, "fresh", if you will. He wasn't the top prospect in the Yankees' system for nothing. Bold prediction right here, Phil Hughes wins 15 games next season.


Disappointment: Jason Giambi
Not that I expect a lot from him, but he has so much power, and I don't think he's going to hit as much homeruns as he has in the past, mainly because of playing time. I really couldn't see anyone else in this spot, so I just went with Giambi.


Notable Arrivals: LaTroy Hawkins, Morgan Ensberg, Jason Lane, Chris Woodward & Heath Phillips
Notable Departures: Roger Clemens, Luis Vizcaino, Doug Mientkiewicz, Ron Villone, Matt DeSalvo, T.J. Beam & Bronson Sardinha

3.Toronto Blue Jays
The Blue Jays are a pretty good team, but they don't get a lot of attention because they play in a tough division. They have a pretty good lineup, Vernon Wells, Alex Rios, who I expect to have a breakout season, not to mention Frank Thomas and Scott Rolen. They have good pitching, they just have a problem of staying healthy, A.J. Burnett hasn't started many games since he's been in Toronto, and B.J. Ryan hasn't really had a lot of chances at closing games either. If they can stay healthy, they can be even better than they have been, but I wouldn't expect them to make the playoffs with the Red Sox and Yankees in the same division.

MVP: Roy Halladay
He's an AL Cy Young candidate, and there's a good reason. Halladay is one of the most dominant pitchers in the AL, and he has a good lineup behind him, I don't really see a reason why he can’t win more than 15 games for the Jays this season, along with more than 150 strikeouts.


Breakout: Adam Lind
You could say Alex Rios here, but I'm aiming for someone less known, which is Adam Lind. Last year, his first year in the bigs, Lind hit 11 homeruns, in only 60 at bats, so if he starts over Red Johnson this year, which is very possible, he has the potential to hit over 20 homers.


Rookie: Curtis Thigpen
There isn't really anyone else you could pick here, I was considering Brian Wolfe, but he pitched 45 innings last season, so I couldn't really put him under rookie. If he starts over Zaun and Barajas, and capitalizes, he can be the Jays future starting Catcher.


Disappointment: Scott Rolen
Rolen has been dealing with injuries the past couple seasons, and even if he is healthy this season, I think he's already past his prime, so I don't think he has a good year. Last year he only had 8 homeruns in 392 at bats, but he is a good fielder though.


Notable Arrivals: Scott Rolen, David Eckstein, Shawn Camp, John Parrish, Ryan Ketchner, Shannon Stewart & Armando Benitez
Notable Departures: Troy Glaus, Reed Johnson & Josh Towers

4.Tampa Bay Rays
The Rays had a pretty productive off season, they added a veteran power bat to their lineup in Floyd, along with a veteran reliever in Troy Percival, and they also acquired young ace Matt Garza, but they did have to give up Delmon Young though. As most of you know, the Rays are a "bad" team, their in sort of a rebuilding phase though, even with the additions of Floyd and Percival. In a couple years the Rays will have one of the best rotations, with Kazmir, Shields, Garza and David Price, and with more development from their young guys, they can be a great team.

MVP: Carl Crawford
Crawford is one of those players who can do it all, hit homers and bat in runs, steal bases, and he's a great fielder. If you have him on your fantasy team, he's going to get you a lot of points. B.J. Upton is another candidate here.


Breakout: Matt Garza
Last year Garza had an ERA under 3.70, which for the most part is really good for your second year in the league. This year Garza has a pretty good lineup behind him, so if he can get good production from his lineup behind his good pitching, I would expect him to get at least 10 wins this season, with him being the 3rd starter in the rotation.


Rookie: Evan Longoria
Longoria is one of the best prospects in baseball. This year he is probably going to start at third base for the Rays, because they can move Iwamura to second base. Longoria has great power, and has a great chance of winning the American League Rookie of the Year Award.


Disappointment: Cliff Floyd
I'm not saying he's going to have a bad year, but I think the Rays are going to depend on him, and expect so much from him, because he's their veteran power bat which they really need. His numbers have been going down the past couple years though, so he may be past his prime, but you never know.


Notable Arrivals: Cliff Floyd, Matt Garza, Jason Bartlett, Troy Percival, Eric Hinske, Trever Miller, Mike DiFelice & Scott Munter
Notable Departures: Delmon Young, Brendan Harris, Shawn Camp & Jorge Velandia

5.Baltimore Orioles
I think it's safe to say that the Orioles won't do anything this year, because their clearly in a rebuilding phase, after trading away both, Miguel Tejada, and Erik Bedard. The Orioles do have some great youngsters though, Nick Markakis and Adam Jones being the notable ones. There's not really much more to know, like I said, don't expect them to do anything for a couple years, unless they make a deal, they do have some good young talent though. The Orioles may also deal Brian Roberts, the O's and Cubs have supposovely have trade talks in the works regarding him.

MVP: Nick Markakis
The Orioles don't really have anyone else to put here, so I think Markakis is the obvious pick. Markakis has great power, and I think he has the potential to hit over 30 homers, over 120 RBI's and over .300 this season. It's obvious he won't get much attention, because of how bad the team will be, no offense to O's fans.


Breakout: Adam Jones
He hasn't really gotten a chance to play in his time in the majors, but this year I expect him to start in center for the O's. Jones is a guy who is good with the bat, and can steal bases, who also carries good fielding abilities, you can compare him to Carl Crawford, but not as good.


Rookie: Luis Hernandez
I would expect Hernandez to start for the departed Miguel Tejada. Hernandez can carry a high average, while hitting around 10 homeruns, he is also a great fielder.


Disappointment: Melvin Mora
The Orioles don't really have a lot of "good" bats in their lineup, and Mora is one of the guys the O's c depend on, but I think their going to depend on him just a little too much. Mora's numbers have also decreased the past 2 years, so that's not a good sign.


Notable Arrivals: Adam Jones, George Sherrill, Luke Scott, Matt Albers, Michael Costanzo, Troy Patton & Dennis Sarfate
Notable Departures: Miguel Tejada, Erik Bedard, Corey Patterson, Kris Benson & Paul Bako

AL Central

1.Detroit Tigers
The Tigers went out and had themselves a great off season, acquiring both, Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis, and I think those two acquisitions alone put them a top the AL Central, not to mention they went out and traded for Edgar Renteria too. Along with Miggy and Renteria, the Tigers also have Magglio Ordonez, Curtis Granderson, "Pudge" Rodriguez, Carlos Guillen and Gary Sheffield, that lineup is just scary! They also have great pitching, with Justin Verlander, D-Train, Jeremy Bonderman and Kenny Rodgers. The Tigers are just an all around good team, and I would expect them to at least make the ALCS this up coming post season.

MVP: Miguel Cabrera
Miggy is one of the best players in the bigs. He has a great bat, last year hitting .320, 34 homers and 119 runs batted in, this year he's in a much better lineup, so I would expect those numbers to increase.


Breakout: Joel Zumaya
Yea, Zumaya has already proven himself, I guess you can say, but he has to stay healthy, if he does, I expect him to continue his dominance that he has performed in the past. He throws hard, with a great fastball. He can strikeout batters, and he always carries a low ERA, again, if he can just stay healthy, he will prove himself to be one of the best relievers in the majors.


Rookie: Brent Clevlen
In his short time in the majors, Clevlen has managed 49 at bats, along with 3 homers. I don't expect him to play a whole lot, but I think he's going to be a great bench player for the Tigers, and hit at least 5 homeruns this year.


Disappointment: Ivan Rodriguez
With all the other hitters in the Tigers' lineup, I don't expect "Pudge" to play as a major role as he used to. He's getting older, and I think his numbers are going to start decreasing, because he's entering that point in his career. Although, he's still a great fielder, and you know pitchers love throwing to him.


Notable Arrivals: Miguel Cabrera, Dontrelle Willis, Edgar Renteria & Jacque Jones
Notable Departures: Cameron Maybin, Andrew Miller, Mike Rabelo, Dallas Trahern, Burke Badenhop, Eulugio de la Cruz, Jair Jurrjens, Sean Casey, Chad Durbin & Neifi Perez

2.Cleveland Indians
The Indians surprised a lot of people last season, making the ALCS, although they lost to the Red Sox. They still have a great team though, they have the best catcher, IMO, in Victor Martinez, and Cy Young winner, C.C. Sabathia. I don't see any reason why the Indians won't be able to make the playoffs this year again, unless they don't win the division, and miss out on the wildcard, which would suck, because their a very good team. A main reason why the Indians were so good last season was because of the consistency of their bullpen, if they can continue their success, that will be a main factor of whether they get in, or out of the playoffs.

MVP: Victor Martinez
As I said before, IMO Martinez is the best catcher in the game. I think this up coming season he will hit over .300, over 30 homeruns and over 115 RBI's this up coming season, as he almost accomplished that last year. Martinez is the leader of this Indians' offense. You can also make the case for Grady Sizemore here, but it was a toss up.


Breakout: Asdrubal Cabrera
Last year Asdrubal helped the Indians make te post season. He has a pretty good bat, he's not going to hit much homeruns for you, but he can get on base though. Cabrera also has great fielding skills.


Rookie: Masahide Kobayashi
Kobayashi just adds to the great bullpen the Indians already have, he was obviously dominant in Japan, and for the Indians sake, hopefully he is in the U.S. also. There aren't really any other candidates to put in this spot.


Disapppointment: Travis Hafner
Let me start off by saying I don't think Hafner will have a bad season, I just don't think he will live up tot he expectations that most people have for him. The year before this past season, he hit 42 homeruns and had a .308 average, in 454 at bats, this past season he had 545 at bats, almost 100 more than the previous, but he only hit .266 along with only 24 homeruns, so he had more at bats, but hit 18 less homeruns, and his average dropped 52 points. This may be a sign for things to come, maybe not.


Notable Arrivals: Masahide Kobayashi, Jorge Julio & Brendan Donnelly
Notable Departures: Keith Foulke, Chris Gomez, Kenny Lofton & Trot Nixon


3.Chicago White Sox
After a horrid season last year, the White Sox did a lot this off season to improve; they brought in: power hitting, Nick Swisher, Orlando Cabrera, and relievers, Octavio Dotel and Scott Linebrink. The White Sox are now a good team, it sucks for them, because their in a tough division, so I wouldn't expect them to make the playoffs, but they have a chance to though. The White Sox have a great lineup, especially after the additions of Swisher and Cabrera, they have great power, with Thome, Konerko, Dye and Swisher, not to mention they have guys like: Cabrera, Josh Fields and Joe Crede. They improved their bullpen this season, as I said, they added Scott Linebrink and Octavio Dotel, and they have Bobby Jenks closing games. In their rotation they only really have Mark Buehrle and Javier Vazquez. The White Sox's pitching may hurt them in the long run, their lineup is great, but they need to improve their rotation and bullpen.

MVP: Mark Buehrle
Buehrle is, for the most part, all they have to look at on the pitching side of their team. Last year he only won 10 games, but that was with a pretty bad lineup behind him, this year he has a great lineup to work with, I would expect him to get up to 15 wins this year, depending on how many the bullpen blows for him. I also expect an ERA under 3.60, along with at least 125 strikeouts.


Breakout: Jerry Owens
Owens doesn't have a great bat, but he is one of the best players in the league at stealing bases. Last year he had 32 in his first full season, after this season I think he gets a lot of attention for what he does best. I think Owens is the kind of guy who can hit for a good average too, so he kind of reminds me some of Juan Pierre.


Rokie: Alexei Ramirez
I'm going to be honest, I don't know much about this guy, seeing how he's from Cuba. It looks like he's the front runner to start at second base for the White Sox though, so if he does, then he deserves it, because there really isn't anyone else that serves as a major candidate, so Ramirez gets it.


Disappointment: Paul Konerko
Konerko has good power, but his homerun numbers have decreased the past three seasons, along with his horrible average he had last season. I just see him not making a big impact this year, especially with all the other hitters the White Sox have.


Notable Arrivals: Nick Swisher, Orlando Cabrera, Octavio Dotel, Scott Linebrink & Brad Eldred
Notable Departures: Jon Garland, Darin Erstad, Mike Myers, Ryan Sweeney, Gio Gonzalez, Fautino De Los Santos, Andy Gonzalez & Heath Phillips

4.Minnesota Twins
The Twins had, I guess you can say, a pretty productive off season, they acquired Delmon Young, and of course, they traded away Johan Santana, and they let Torii Hunter walk, and let him go into free agency, where the Angels picked him up. The Twins have some great young players in their lineup, they have: Justin Morneau, Joe Mauer and now, Delmon Young, not to mention Michael Cuddyer. As you can see, they have a pretty good lineup, put not so much of a good pitching staff. Their rotation is lead by Francisco Liriano, and who knows how he will perform after missing the whole season last year. If Liriano comes back and performs how he left off, he is supported by: Boof Bonser, Scott Baker, Livan Hernandez and Kevin Slowey, it can shape up nicely, but IMO, it all depends on the performance of Liriano. The Twins have a great bullpen, lead by Nathan closing games, and they have Pat Neshek, Matt Guerrier, Glen Perkins and Dennys Reyes, this is definitely one of the best bullpens in the league. Bottom line, their in a very tough division, and with more development of their young players, they'll be front runners in a year or two.

MVP: Justin Morneau
He was the American League MVP two years ago, and he is still a candidate this year. He's gone back to back years hitting over 30 homeruns, and he's one of the best "young" hitters in the game today. This year I expect around 35 homeruns, and 115 RBI's, while batting around .290.


Breakout: Delmon Young
Last year he had a good rookie season, hitting 13 homeruns, but I think a lot of people expect more from him, seeing how he was the #1 overall pick in the 2003 season. This year I would expect at least 20 homeruns, and an average of at least .290, while driving in more than 90 runs. He's now in a new ballpark and atmosphere, which is a benefit, because he isn't playing in Tropicana anymore, where barely anyone showed up to the games.


Rookie: Glen Perkins
Last year he only pitched 29 innings, so I guess you can still consider him a rookie. In those 29 innings, he had a 3.14 ERA, along with 20 strikeouts. With more development, he can be even better this year for the Twins' bullpen.


Disappointment: Michael Cuddyer
With the rest of the outfielders the Twins have on their roster, I think Cuddyer won't really have a lot of chances to show how he can hit, because guys like Delmon Young will steal his playing time. There Wasn't really anyone else I could think of to put in this spot, so Cuddyer was kind of forced to be here.


Notable Arrivals: Livan Hernandez, Carlos Gomez, Phil Humber, Adam Everett, Mike Lamb, Kevin Mulvey & Deolis Guerra
Notable Departures: Johan Santana, Torii Hunter, Carlos Silva, Rondell White & Jason Tyner

5.Kansas City Royals
The Royals are another team I don't think are going anywhere anytime soon, except last place in the American League. They have some good young talent though, but of course it's going to take time for them to develop, take Alex Gordon for example, last year he rally didn't live up to expectations, but he's still developing, and I expect him to "breakout" this year. The Royals have a pretty nice rotation, with: Gil Meche, Brian Bannister, and of course the former first overall pick, Luke Hochevar and Zack Greinke. The Royals have a pretty good lineup, but they need that one big superstar on their team, they have guys like: Gordon, Butler, DeJesus, and the newly added, Jose Guillen, but they need that one big bat for their lineup, along with an ace for their rotation. Like I said before, I don't expect anything front he Royals the next couple of seasons, but they have some solid young players on their team.

MVP: Alex Gordon
I know he didn't have such a great year last season, but last year gave him more time to develop and get adjusted to the pros, he wasn't selected second overall for no reason. Gordon has good power, and I think he's going to get to show how he can truly perform.


Breakout: Brian Bannister
Last year Bannister had a good season, he was an AL Rookie of the Year candidate, but he didn't even have 100 strikeouts, and barely an ERA under 3.90, I'm not saying he did bad, I'm just saying he can do a lot better. This year I think he proves himself as the ace of the Royals' pitching rotation, and he will stay at that position for years to come.


Rookie: Luke Hochevar
Last year in his short time in the majors, Hochevar was pretty good, posting a 2.13 ERA, in 13 innings. If Hochevar works in the rotation, I think he and Bannister will form a great 1-2 punch in the rotation, and their both young so that's even better. Hochevar was a former first overall pick, so you have to know he has lots of potential.


Disappointment: Jose Guillen
Guillen has a pretty good bat, but I just think the Royals will expect too much of him, as I said before, I think the Royals need that one superstar in their lineup, as in great bat, and I think the Royals are expecting Guillen to fill that role, which I don't think he will, but he will still have a pretty good season though.


Notable Arrivals: Jose Guillen, Ron Mahay, Miguel Olivo, Brett Tomko & Yasuhiko Yabuta
Notable Departures: Mike Sweeney, Odalis Perez, David Riske, Emil Brown, Reggie Sanders, Jason LaRue & John Thomson

AL West

1.Los Angeles Angels
Yet another season where the Angels are winning the AL West division, which for the most part, is a pretty weak division. The Angels had an alright off season, trading for Jon Garland, along with signing Torii Hunter, and they almost acquired Miguel Cabrera from Florida, but he later ended up with Detroit. The Angels have won consecutive divisional championships for a good reason, they've been consistent, and have had a great team year after year, along with great managing from Mike Scioscia. Yet again, the Angels have a great lineup, lead by Vlad "The Impaler", along with the newly added Torii Hunter, and you also have guys like: Chone Figgins, Howie Kendrick, Casey Kotchman and Garret Anderson. The Angels also have a great pitching staff, they have ace John Lackey, and Weaver, Escobar, Garland and Santana behind him, and you have Francisco Rodriguez closing games, and they have good relievers in Shields and Speier. I see nothing different from the Angels this season, they win the division, make the playoffs obviously, and have a great season.

MVP: Vladimir Guerrero
I would expect another great year from Vlad, he has been very consistent year after year. He ha s great bat, he can hit for a good average, and a good amount of homers. Vlad is a team leader too.


Breakout: Reggie Willits
Willits isn't going to do any damage with his bat, although he can hit for a good average, but he is great at stealing bases, and is a good outfielder. Last year he hit .294, so he could possibly hit. 300, and he can steal over 30 bases, after stealing 27 this season.


Rookie: Brandon Wood
He's a highly rated prospect in the Angels' system, and he has a shot to start at shortstop this season for the Angels. Wood has a great bat, and he is a legitimate canditate for AL Rookie Of The Year.


Disappointment: Garret Anderson
Anderson is entering his 15th season in his career. At this point in a players' career, their numbers start falling, and they get closer and closer to retirement, I just see that happening to Anderson. With all the other hitters in the Angels' lineup, I don't see him playing that big of a role anymore.


Notable Arrivals: Torii Hunter & Jon Garland
Notable Departures: Orlando Cabrera, Bartolo Colon & Dallas McPherson

2.Seattle Mariners
I truthfully don't really know what to say about the Mariners, don't let them coming in second place fool you, their not that great of a team, but their a pretty average team though. Excluding the Angels, the division is very weak. The Mariners made a great move this season, acquiring Erik Bedard from Baltimore, now they have King Felix, and Bedard as their 1-2 punch in the rotaion, which is amazing, because their both great, and young. In the rest of their rotation they have: Jarrod Washburn, Miguel Batista and Carlos Silva, their not great, but they make hell of 3-5 starters in the rotation. In their bullpen they have arguably one of the best closers in the league, in J.J. Putz, and 2 good, young relievers in Brandon Morrow, and Eric O'Flaherty. As for the Mariners' lineup, it's alright, of course they have Ichiro, along with Kenji Johjima, emerging Yuniesky Beatancourt, who is also great in the field, and Adrian Beltre, and you can't forget Richie Sexson, who can hit hoemruns, but he hits for a low average. I don't see the Mariners making the playoffs, their just in too good of a league, I don't see them beating out the Angels, or a team for the wildcard.

MVP: Felix Hernandez
Felix, without question, is probbaly the most valuable players on the Mariners, he just has great stuff. Last year he on 14 games for the Mariners, while striking out 165 batters in 30 starts, along with a 3.92 ERA.


Breakout: Brandon Morrow
Morrow is a former fifth overall pick, so he definitely has tons of potential. Last year in his first MLB season, he pitched 63 innings, and he had a 4.12 ERA with 66 strikeouts, so he can get strikeouts, and I would expect his ERA to get even lower this season, because he's gotten more experience. I think Morrow has a monster year this season, and he proves himself as one of the best young relievers in the game.


Rookie: Jeff Clement
Clement was the third overall pick back in 2005, and he may get soem playing time at catcher this season, he definitely should. Last year in only 16 at bats, Clement hit 2 homeruns with 3 RBI's, and he had a .375 average, so you can see he has a great bat, and with enough playing time, he is a major canditate to win the AL Rookie of the Year award.


Disapontment: Richie Sexson
Sexson's average is atrocious, but he can still hit homeruns, but I think his power starts going downhill. I've been saying this a lot, "He's just at that point in his career where he starts, pretty much, sucking, even more in Sexson's case. I really don't even see him hitting over 15 homeruns.


Notable Arrivals: Erik Bedard, Carlos Silva, Brad Wilkerson & Miguel Cairo
Notable Departures: Adam Jones, George Sherrill, Jose Guillen, Jeff Weaver & John Parrish

3.Texas Rangers
The Rangers are another team I don't think are going to the post season anytime soon, their in an obvious rebuilding mode, but for now, the main thing that's holding them back is their pitching, which for the most part, is horrible. Last year, after they traded away Mark Teixeira, they took a big hit to their lineup, but they have a pretty nice lineup for this up coming season. Their lineup is lead by Michael Young, who is an overall great hitter, he can get on base, and hit a few homeruns, along with driving in some runs too. Other notable guys in their lineup are: Ian Kinsler, who should have another great season, after more development this off season, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, who has good power, Hank Blalock, when healthy, has pretty good power, and they also went out and acquired outfielders, Josh Hamilton and Milton Bradley. Now for the pitching, which sucks for the Rangers, they don't have that one dominante guy on their team, which I think they need, because they have good supporting guys, for example, Kason Gabbard and Brandon McCarthy. After those two, it's not certain who the other starters will be, there's always Kevin Millwood, Jason Jennings and Vincente Padilla, but they had horrible years, so other options would be Kameron Loe and Robinson Tejada, but I doubt they get a spot in the rotation. Again, i don't think the Rangers have a shot at the playoffs this season, mainly because of how bad their pitching is, they should definitely look to improve it at the trade deadline this season.

MVP: Michael Young
Young is one of the best pure hitters in the American League. As said before, he can hit for a high average, along with hitting some homeruns and driving in runs. Young is a true team leader, it's ashame they couldn't provide him with more talent.


Breakout: Kason Gabbard
Gabbard is the ace of the Rangers' pitching staff, but that's not a huge compliment, because they have a pretty bad rotation. Last year Gabbard went 6-1 with a 4.65 ERA, and with more development this off season, I see him improving. Gabbard was a key acquisition in the Eric Gagne trade last season.


Rookie: David Murphy
Murhpy may not play a lot next season, mainly because of the depth in the outfield the Rangers have. In a little over 100 at bats, Murphy recorded a .343 batting average, along with 2 homeruns and 14 RBI's, so he is a very good hitter. He also came over in the Eric Gagne trade. I'm pretty sure he is still considered a rookie.


Disappointment: Milton Bradley
Last year Bradley had a very good season, but this year he's in a new enviorment. He's not exactly a fan favorite, so if he doesn't start off hot, the fans may turn on him impacting his play for the worse, and not to mention the depth in the outfield they have, so they can easily replace him too. I could't really see anyone else in this spot either, because I don't think the Rangers are expecting much from many of their players.


Notable Arrivals: Josh Hamilton, Milton Bradley, Kazuo Fukumori, Jason Jennings, Kevin Mench, Eddie Guardado & Sidney Ponson
Notable Departures: Akinori Otsuka, Sammy Sosa, Brad Wilkerson, Jerry Hairston Jr., Nick Gorneault, Edinson Volquez & Danny Herrera

4.Oakland Athletics
The Athletics did a lot this off season, they traded a lot of their key guys, including: Dan Haren to Arizona, Nick Swisher to Chicago (White Sox) and Mark Kotsay to Atlanta. In exchange, they did get some good young talent, so it wasn't as big of a loss at it seems, the A's are establishing a great farm system. With all that said, I don't think the A's are ready to win yet, their just going to have to wait for their young players to fully develop. Another A that may be on the move, is Joe Blanton, I know they've been recently shopping him around. The Athletics have an alright lineup, but noone really stands out, they have a lot of supporting guys, they just need that one power bat, which is why I think they should sign Barry Bonds, because he fills that need, and wills till play in California. In their lineup they have, of course Eric Chavez, but after him, they have good power hitters in Jack Cust and Dan Johnson. Outfielder Travis Buck looks like a pretty promising player. Daric Barton, without a doubt, is a top 15 prospect in the league, and will surely have a breakout season, and will be a huge contributor in the A's lineup. In their rotation, the A's have Rich Harden and Joe Blanton, who I said earlier may get traded, but their the top guys, along with Chad Gaudin, after them, they don't really have much. They do have one of the bets closers though, in Huston Street. In their bullpen, they don't really have much, ANdrew Brown is alright, and Kiko Calero has been inconsistent, but he can maybe have a good year, the same goes to Justin Duchscherer. Alan Embree had an alright year last season, but I don't know if he can do the same, because of him getting older. As said before, I don't think this team is going to be making the playoffs until full development of their top farm players.

MVP: Huston Street
With Chavez's bad year last season, I don't see him being the team's MVP, so I select the team's best player, IMO, which is Huston Street. Street is one of the best closer in the game. He only had 16 saves last year, but if I'm not mistaken, he was injured for some part of the season. He only allowed a .190 batting average against, and a 0.94 WHIP.


Breakout: Daric Barton
As said before, Barton is one of the best prospects in the game. Last season he hit .347 in 72 at bats, with 4 homers and 8 runs batted in. I think after this year he proves himself as the future power bat in the A's lineup.


Rookie: Joey Devine
Last year he pitched about 8 innings, and had a good ERA, which was 1.08. With more development, he can be a lot better this year, especially since the A's don't have a great bullpen, so he can be clalled on a lot if he does good.


Disappointment: Eric Chavez
Last year Chavez had a horrible year, he batted .240, while only hitting 15 homeruns, he's expected to do much more than that. He mayb be a good leader, but he's not living up to his role on the team.


Notable Arrivals: Carlos Gonzalez, Dana Eveland, Chris Carter, Brett Anderson, Greg Smith, Aaron Cunningham, Joey Devine, Ryan Sweeney, Gio Gonzalez, Fautino De Los Santos, Mike Sweeney, Emil Brown & Keith Foulke
Notable Departures: Dan Haren, Connor Robertson, Mark Kotsay, Nick Swisher, Mike Piazza, Shannon Stewart, Jeff DaVanon & Jose Garcia
_________________

2010 NFL Draft Thread
255+ prospects scouted, rankings & scouting reports

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NL East

1.New York Mets
The Mets are most known for going out and getting Johan Santana this off season, and it was a great acquisition for them, I mean, they didn't even have to give up, Fernando Martinez, who in my mind, is the best prospect on the Mets, that proves how great of a GM Omar Minaya is. The Mets have some "oldies" in their lineup, but they also have some great "youngesters". Some "oldies" are: Carlos Delgado, Moises Alou and Carlos Beltran and Luis Castillo are getting there. Delgado still has a great power bat, but I would expect his average to start going down, as it has done in the past couple of seasons, IMO, he's definitely past his prime, but as I said, he still plays an important role in the Mets' lineup. 41 year old, Moises Alou, had a quiet, but great season last year, hitting over .340, and hitting almost 15 homers, he provides great veteran leadership for the Mets. If Carlos Beltran starts suffering injuries this year, I could definitely see his career start going downhill, along with Delgado, I also think he's past his prime too. Beltran still provides a decent power bat, and has alright speed, and can get on base, but with him becoming older, and getting more injury prone, I also see his numbers decreasing, but still playing an important role in the Mets' lineup. Someone else I really like in the Mets' lineup, is Luis Castillo, he doesn't get much credit though. He can get on base, he hit over .300 last season, and can steal bases too, he's definitely going to score a lot of runs this season. You can't forget David Wright and Jose Reyes, who are a great young tandem in the lineup, and the left side of the baseball diamond. Their lineup is good, but I think it depends on the play of the older players, if it's going to be "great" or "good". Now for the pitching, the Mets have an amazing staff, of course they have Johan as their #1, Pedro as the #2, if he is fully recovered, and return to his old form, just that 1-2 punch of Santana and Martinez is going to be scary, and then you have John Maine and Oliver Perez, who were solid last year, and Orlando Hernandez as the #5 starter. That's one scary roation. Their rotation isn't as strong as their rotation, but it's still alright, with guys like: Ambiorix Burgos, Pedro Feliciano, Aaron Heilman and Joe Smith contributing, and of course, Billy Wagner closing out games, pretty udnerrated if you ask me. I can definitely see this team representing the NL in the World Series, if their pitching is concistent, as well as the play of the old players in their lineup.

MVP: David Wright
Without a doubt, one of the best 3rd basemen in the game. He can hit over 30 homers, while batting over .325, and driving in over 100 runs, like he did last year, I expect the same from him this year, maybe even an improvement. He has a legitimate chance at winning the NL MVP award this season.


Breakout: Joe Smith
He's a huge part on why the Mets' have a good bullpen. Last year in 44 innings, he held a 3.45 ERA, while striking out 45 batters. With more development, I think he proves himself as a leader in the Mets' bullpen, because of a great year, which I expect. He also has a great delivery.


Rookie: Fernando Martinez
As I said before, IMO, he's the Mets best prospect, and with Alou aging, I think he's going to get a lot of playing time in left field, maybe even in right field this year, if he performs well in AAA, which I think he will. He's a good fielder, with a good bat, and speed.


Disappointment: Carlos Delgado
As I said before, he s still a good power hitter, but his average has been dropping the past couple seasons, and I would expect the same this season. I think after this year, he is going to heavily consider retirement.


Notable Arrivals: Johan Santana, Brian Schneider, Ryan Church, Matt Wise & Tony Armas
Notable Departures: Carlos Gomez, Philip Humber, Kevin Mulvey, Deolis Guerra, Lastings Milliedge, Tom Glavine, Shawn Green, Paul Lo Duca, Johnny Estrada, Sandy Alomar Jr., Aaron Sele, Ruben Gotay & Mike DiFelice

2.Philadelphia Phillies
Last year the Phillies came up huge, by beating out the Mets very late in the season to steal the NL East title. The Phillies have had back-to-back MVP Award Winners with Ryan Howard and Jimmy Rollins, and it's very possible for Chase Utley to win an MVP award, as I think he's the best second basemen in the league. The Phillies have a great lineup with the players I just talked about in: Rollins, Utley and Howard, but there are some guys you may not know about, for instance, Shane Victorino, who I think will have a breakout season, Pat Burrell, who can of course, hit homeruns, but I think he's going to be the "disappointment" on the Phillies this year though, and Geoff Jenkins was a nice addition in the off season, they also have Pedro Feliz, who was also a good pickup. The Phillies pitching isn't as strong as their lineup, but it's alright, lead by the great, Cole Hamels, who I had the pleasure of seeing play in A, Kyle Kendrick had a good rookie season, and can play as a grat #2 behind Hamels, Kendrick was actually almost dealt to Japan. If Brett Myers is in the rotation, they'd make a good top 3. After them 3, there's really noone, Adam Eaton had a horrible season with an ERA over 6, and I think Jamie Moyer is done after this season. For their bullpen this off season, they added Bad Lidge in a trade with Houston, they also added lefty, J.C. Romero who had a great season last year. Tom Gordon is alright, not as good as seasons he's had in the past couple years, and Ryan Madson should have another good season. I think their pitching is pretty underrated, but it wouldn't hurt to try and improve it to support their great lineup. It's very possible for the Phillies to win their division, but it's going to be tough with the Mets and Braves in it too.

MVP: Chase Utley
As I said before, Howard and Rollins have won back-to-back MVP awards, but now it's Utley's turn.. on the Phillies at least. He's the best second basemen in the league, as I said before. Last year Utey hit over .330, over 20 homeruns, drove in over 100 runs, scored over 100 runs, and stole almost 10 bases, great, I know, I wouldn't expect anything less than that this season. Plus, he's a great fielder. Bold prediction right here, Utley get's over a 30 game hitting streak this year.


Breakout: Shane Victorino
I know he has power, but he hasn't unleashed it yet, he has so much potential with his bat, and this year I think he shows it to everyone. He has a good bat, but that's not it, he can steal bases, almost getting 40 last year, which I think he can achieve this season.


Rookie: Kyle Drabek
Like Cole Hamels, I've seen Drabek pitch in A as well. I think Drabek is a greta pitcher, and one of the best prospects the Phillies have. If the Phillies' rotation is doing bad at anytime in the season, I can see him being called on to make some starts, and I think he will do fine.


Disappointment: Pat Burrell
Last year he had a down year, average wise, but he still hit a lot of homeruns, but with him aging, I think he does even worse than last year. This up coming year, I think he has an average a little over .240, while hitting a little 20 homeruns. He may not be as depended on in the Phillies' lineup as he previously was though, with the other players they have.


Notable Arrivals: Brad Lidge, Eric Bruntlett, Geoff Jenkins, Pedro Feliz, Kris Benson, So Taguchi & Chad Durbin
Notable Departures: Michael Bourn, Geoff Geary, Michael Costanzo, Aaron Rowand, Tadahito Iguchi, Freddy Garcia, Jon Lieber, Kyle Lohse, Rod Barajas, Jose Mesa, Antonio Alfonseca & Abraham Nunez

3.Atlanta Braves
The Braves are a very good team, but their caught in a very tough division, just like the Toronto Blue Jays, and the AL East. The Braves have a very solid lineup, with many underrated players in it, Kelly Johnson, Yunel Escobar and Matt Diaz being the most notable, and of course, they have the "big guns" in Chipper Jones, Mark Teixeira, Brian McCann and Jeff Francoeur leading their lineup. As I said, that's a very solid lineup, and pretty underrated. And for their pitching, this off season they went out and got Tom Glavine back in Atlanta, and they also have John Smoltz and Tim Hudson, who make their top 3, but the only thing I worry about is the age, all 3 of those pitchers are over the age of 30, with Smoltz being 40, Glavine being 42, and Hudson the youngest, being 32. After those 3, the Braves have Chuck James, Jair Jurrjens, and Mike Hampton, if he can stay healthy for once. Pretty good rotation, if the veterans can stay consistent. Their bullpen is pretty good as well, with guys like: Manny Acosta, who is another dunerrated player, Blaine Boyer could have a good year, Mike Gonzalez is a great lefty, Peter Moylan is someone else who is underrated, he had a great season last year, Royce Ring is alright and Rafael Soriano was consistent all of last year. Pretty good, and definitely underrated bullpen. Like chipperboy1 has said in this thread somewhere, the Mets don't really have any major weaknesses, they just need to stay consistent if they want to make the playoffs in a tough division. The Braves are my "surprise team" pick of this year, even though I don't have them making the playoffs, their without a doubt, the most underrated team in the league.

MVP: Mark Teixeira
Last year he was a solid pickup for the Braves. Last year he hit over .300, over 30 homeruns, and drove in over 100 runs, and I'd expect the same this year, with more development year after year.


Breakout: Matt Diaz
Diaz is going to start in left field the whole year for the Braves, and he deserves it. Last year he had a monster average, .338, and he hit 12 homeruns in the porcess, along with 45 runs batted in. I think his power numbers are going to increase, meaing his homerun total, and runs batted in, if he can keep his average up there, and hit over 15 homeruns, he'll be considered a great outfielder in the majors.


Rookie: Manny Acosta
He only pitched 23.2 innings, so he's still considered a rookie. Last year he had an ERA under 2.30, and he got 22 strikeouts too. With more development, I see him playing a major role in the Braves' bullpen.


Disappointment: Tom Glavine
He's 42 now, and I see this being his last year in baseball, meaning he will retire after this year. He's surely not who he used to be with the Braves, so I see him being a disappointment just because of his aging really, and players usually start going downhill at this age.


Notable Arrivals: Tom Glavine, Ruben Gotay & Matt DeSalvo
Notable Departures: Andruw Jones, Octavio Dotel, Ron Mahay, Willie Harris, Chad Paronto, Chris Woodward & Julio Franco

4.Florida Marlins
You might think the Marlins had a bad off season, because they traded away Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis, but they got great player sin the deal, with ace, Andrew Miller, and top prospect, Cameron Maybin being the most notable out of everyone else they acquired in the trade. The Marlins don't have an amazing lineup, but it's not horrible either. Hanley Ramirez is one of the best shortstops in the league, if not the best. They also have Dan Uggla, who has hit over 25 homeruns in both of his years in the majors, but he hits for a low average though, and they have top prospect, Cameron Maybin. Other than them three, there's not relaly anyone that jumps out at you Mike Jacobs is alright, Jeremy Hermida is good, Josh Willilngham is alright, luis Gonzalez adds good veteran leadership and Cody Ross had a pretty good season last year. Like I said, their lineup isn't anything special, but they have a hell of a player in Hanley Ramirez. The Marlins have an alright rotation, Andrew Miller, IMO, being the ace, even thoughhedidn't have all that great of a seaosn last year. Other than him, they don't really have anyone else, but Sergio Mitre is alright, and same with Anibal Sanchez, butifhe can bounce back from his surgery, I think he canbe great likehe was 2 seasons ago. As for their bullpen, it's novery underrated, they have one of the most underrated relief pitchers in it, with Lee Gardner, who pitched 74 innings last year, and had an ERA of 1.94. Kevin Gregg is a great relief pitcher, Logan Kensing is alright, he may be in the bullpen this year, rather than starting, Carlos Martinez and Justin Miller had decent years last season, Henry Owens had a 1.96 ERA in 23 innings last season, and Renyel Pinto and Taylor Tankersley were alright last season. As you can see, their a bunch of "no names", but they surprisingly didpretty good last year, referring to their bullpen. I don't see the Marlins making the playoffs for a couple years, unless they improve their lineup and rotation a little bit, and get some development form their younger players.

MVP: Hanley Ramirez
Arguably the best shortstop, and young playerin the game. He can hit over .325, over 30 homeruns, over 80 RBI's, probably more if he was in a better lineup, and steal over 50 bases, plus he's a great fielder, and young leader. He's a no doubt 30-30 club guy for me. He's a legit NL MVP candidate.


Breakout: Andrew Miller
He's been a highly rated prospect for some time now, and this year he will serve as the ace of the Marlins rotation, and I don't see why he wouldn't for a long time. He was the 6th overall pick in 2006, so you know he has potential. With more development this off season, I think he'll have a great year.


Rookie: Cameron Maybin
Like Andrew Miller, Maybin is also a highly rated prospect, and also came over in the Miguel Cabrera trade. Maybin didn't do all that great last season, but he has potential, andwith more development, I think he, and Hanley Ramirez will be great for the Marlins lineup for years.


Disappointment: Luis Gonzalez
Gonzalez is pretty much the only veteran on the Marlins, so I think they will expecta lot from him, not only his on field performance, which I don't think he'll do all that great at, but he'll be expected to be a leader, which I think he cando though, but I don't think he can play good anymore, he's getting older, he's already 40 years old.


Notable Arrivals: Cameron Maybin, Andrew Miller, Mike Rabelo, Dallas Trahern, Burke Badenhop, Eulugio de la Cruz, Luis Gonzalez, Dallas McPherson & Mark Hendrickson
Notable Departures: Miguel Cabrera, Dontrelle Willis, Armando Benitez, Aaron Boone, Miguel Olivo & Byung-Hyun Kim

5.Washington Nationals
It's going to be a toss up on who finishes 4th in the NL East, between the Marlins and Nationals, but I went with the Marlins because I love their good young core. The Nationals had a pretty good off season, trading for young outfielders, Lastings Milledge and Elijah Dukes. They also acquired veteran catchers, Paul Lo Duca and Johnny Estrada. The Nationals lineup is lead by young stud, Ryan Zimmerman. they had a pleasant surprise last year in Dmitri Young. Like I said, they added two young guys in Milledge and Dukes this off season. The Nats lineup is nothing special, but I guess you can say their still in a rebuilding process. Their rotation could use a lot of work, but their bullpen is pretty underrated. I don't see the Nationals going to the playoffs anytime soon, they can use some young prospects to build on though, and go with Zimmerman int he lineup, they've partially done that by acquiring Milliedge and Dukes.

MVP: Ryan Zimmerman
Zimmerman is the best player on the Nationals. He has a great bat, and can hit over 25 homeruns a year. He's a good fielder as well, and has good leadership skills. the only thing that I have a problem with in his game is his average, if he can improve that, he can be one of the best in the majors.


Breakout: Lastings Milledge
In his first two years in the bigs, he's been a decent player. His power is improving, as well as pretty much, the rest of his game. I like his fielding abilities too. I think he, Zimmerman and Dukes will make for a pretty solid lineup for the Nats, if they can all stay consistent. I would be surprised to see Milledge hit over 15 homeruns this year, and play a major role in the Nationals lineup.


Rookie: John Lannan
There weren't relaly any other options here, but Lannan surprised a lot of people last year, holding a 4.15 ERA, and only allowing 3 HR's in 35 innings pitched.


Disappointment: Paul Lo Duca
I think their going to be too dependent on him, they have never really had a consistent catcher behind the plate. Lo Duca can be a good play caller for the young pitchers the Nats have, but he's getting older, and I think his productivity will go down.


Notable Arrivals: Lastings Milledge, Elijah Dukes, Paul Lo Duca, Aaron boone, Willie Harris, Odalis Perez, Johnny Estrada, Ray King & Rob Mackowiak
Notable Departures: Brian Schneider, Ryan Church, Glenn Gibson, Tony Batista, Robert Fick, Nook Logan, D'Angelo Jimenez & Mike O'Connor

NL Central

1.Chicago Cubs
The Cubs haven't won a World Series in one hundred years, but I think this year they have a huge possibility to achieve that. They have one of the best lineups in the National League, and their pitching is pretty great too. This off season they brought in outfielder, Kosuke Fukudome from Japan, and this move made a great lineup, even better. They have Soriano, who is always a candidate for the MVP award, with his ability to hit homeruns, and steal bases, and he's also improving as an outfielder. They also have power bats, Derrek Lee, and Aramis Ramirez, who both hit over 20 homeruns, and hit for over an average of .310 last year. Then you got the young rookie in Geovany Soto, who is probably the best cathcing prospect in baseball. Then you have guys who aren't going to do anything huge, but stil contribute, like Ryan Theriot stealing bases, last he had over 25, Mark DeRosa, he had a good average last year, and hit 10 homeruns, Matt Murton has an alright bat, daryle Ward has about a .320 average last year, Mike Fontenot is also progressing pretty nicely. This Cubs lineup is just solid in pretty much every way you look at it. Their pitching is pretty solid too, with ace Carlos Zambrano, Rich Hill after him, who is probably going to have a "breakout year" if you don't consider last year one, Ted Lilly and Sean Marshall were good last year too, and they have Jon Lieber and Jason marquis fighting for the #5 spot in the rotation. Their bullpen is phenomenal, pretty much everyone else in their bullpen is good: Ryan Dempster, Scott Eyre, Angel Guzman, Kevin Hart, Bob Howry, Kerry Wood and Michael Wuertz. This team doesn't really have any weakness, I could definitely see them winning the World series this year. You know what they say, 100th year is a charm.

MVP: Alfonso Soriano
Soriano is one of the best all around oplayers in the majors. He's got a great power bat, and can hit for an average around .300, and can steal 20 bases. He's also improving as a fielder in the outfield.


Breakout: Carlos Marmol
I don't think Marmol is getting enough attention around the big leagues, and this year he is most likely the Cubs closer, I see him getting the attention he deserves. Last year he had a 1.43 ERA, and struck out 96 in 69 innings, he's just got great stuff.


Rookie: Geovany Soto
Soto is one of the best prospects in the game, and IMO the best catching prospect. Last year in 54 at bats he hit .389, with 3 homeruns and 8 RBI's. He's a legitimate candidate for the NL Rookie of the Year this season. He's going to emerge as one of the best catchers in the game this season.


Disappointment: Derrek Lee
I truthfully don't know who to put here, I couldn't think of anyone, so I just stuck Lee here. I still see him having a good year, just not as a good as last year, because that was one of his best seasons in a long time, plus he's getting older.


Notable Arrivals: Kosuke Fukudome, Jon Lieber & Reed Johnson
Notable Departures: Cliff Floyd, Mark Prior & Jason Kendall

2.Milwaukee Brewers
The Brewers have a solid young core, which make up their team, especially their offense. They have some great young power guys, with Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun being the notables, after those two guys, they have some underrated players, including: J.J. Hardy, who hit oveer 25 homeruns last year, Rickie Weeks, although he had a horrific average last season, Corey Hart had about 25 homeruns, and hit almost .300 last season, they also picked up veteran Mike Cameron this off season. That's a pretty solid lineup, and mostly young too, but they just need to improve on their batting averages, then they'll be even better. Their rotation is alright, lead by Ben Sheets, whose been injury prone the past couple seasons, but if he can stay healthy, I expect him to do great, and he's followed by young stud, Yovani Gallardo, who I expect to breakout this season, after that, they don't really have anything special, Chris Capuano, Jeff Suppan, who all had ERA's over 4.50 last season, but I would expect Manny Parra to steal a spot int he rotation from one of them. The Brewers bullpen is pretty solid, they picked up Eric Gagne in the off season, as well as David Riske, they also have: Seth McClung, Brian Shouse and Carlos Villanueva who were pretty solid last season. I expect the Brewers to make a run at a playoff appearance, but come up short because of the Cubs in front of them, and the wildcard maybe coming from the NL East or West.

MVP: Prince Fielder
In my mind the best power hitter in the National League. He broke out last season, hitting 50 homeruns, I'd expect the same from him this year, because he has a slightly better lineup behind him, and he has more development.


Breakout: Yovani Gallardo
Yea, he had a great rookie season, but I think this year he emerges as a true #1 in the rotation, which they may need, because Sheets could be dealing with injuries again, that's always a possibility. Gallardo was good last season, with a 3.67 ERA and 101 strikeouts.


Rookie: Manny Parra
If he does win a spot int he rotation, I think he's going to do great. Last year he started 2 games, and had a 3.76 ERA, with 26 strikeouts, in 26 innings. He's had more development this off season, and I think he'll do great in the rotation, especially with a good lineup behind him.


Disappointment: Mike Cameron
I couldn't really think of any other options, so I just chose Cameron. He's getting older, starting to get bit by the injury bug, I just don't see him making an impact on the Brewers' lineup at all this season.


Notable Arrivals: Eric Gagne, David Riske, Mike Cameron, Jason Kendall, Russell Branyan, Abraham Nunez, Guillermo Mota & Salomon Torres
Notable Departures: Francisco Cordero, Geoff Jenkins, Corey Koskie, Scott Linebrink, Kevin Mench, Matt Wise, Damian Miller, Tony Graffanino, Ray King, Claudio Vargas, Johnny Estrada, Marino Salas & Kevin Roberts

3.Houston Astros
The Astros did a lot this off season, they acquired Miguel Tejada from the Orioles, they also acquired Jose Valverde from the Diamondbacks, and Michael Bourn from Philadelphia, along with Geoff Geary. In free agency, they got Kaz Matsui. The Astros have a pretty good lineup, lead by: Lance Berkman, Carlos Lee, young stud Hunter Pence and Miguel Tejada. That right there would make up a pretty good lineup alone, and thy have small pieces in their lineup too, such as: Michael Bourn, who is going to steal more than 20 bases, and can be good in the leadoff spot, Kaz Matsui isn't going to contribute greatly, but he's not horrible, same goes for Mark Loretta, Ty Wigginton and J.R. Towles, who I expect to take over the starting catching job, and breakout this season. The Astros' rotation is nothing great, but their pretty underrated, lead by ace Roy Oswalt, after him, there's nothing special, they have Brandon Backe, who did pretty good last season, in 5 starts, they also have Wandy Rodriguez, who did alright last season, Chris Sampson was alright, and Shawn Chacon may win a spot in the rotation, but that seems unlikely at this point. If they got a good #2 to go along with Oswalt, thei rotation would be great. As for their bullpen, they traded away Brad Lidge this off season, to the Phillies, but they did acquire Jose Valverde, to be their closer, who had over 45 saves last season. Doug Brocail did good last season with the Padres, Geoff Geary and Oscar Villarreal were alright last season. Their pitching is nothing special, but they may fair well this season, especially with a pretty good lineup behind them. I don't see the Astros making a run for the playoffs at all, if they improved their pitching a little, then I could see it.

MVP: Carlos Lee
Last year he did great, hitting 32 homeruns, 119 RBI's and he also had over a .300 average. I expect him to keep that up, now that he's in an even better lineup this season.


Breakout: Chris Sampson
I could see him stepping up in the Astros' rotation this year. In his first 2 years in the league, Sampson hasn't been bad at all, he has a career ERA of 4.05 so far.


Rookie: J.R. Towles
I could see him winning the catching job this season for the Astros, basically because Ausmus isn't that good, and neither is Humberto Quintero. Last year he hit .375 with 1 homeruns and 12 RBI's in 40 at bats.


Disappointment: Miguel Tejada
His homerun total hs been dropping the past 2 seasons, and he's getting older, he's been accused for steroids, I just see this being a down year for Tejada. I would expect him to get only a little more than 15 homeruns this year, maybe even less.


Notable Arrivals: Miguel Tejada Jose Valverde, Michael Bourn, Geoff Geary, Kaz Matsui, Darin Erstad, Doug Brocrail, Shawn Chacon, Geoff Blum, Chad Paronto, Jack Cassel & Nick Gorneault
Notable Departures: Luke Scott, Matt Albers, Michael Costanzo, Troy Patton, Dennis Sarfate, Chris Burke, Chad Qualls, Juan Gutierrez, Brad Lidge, Eric Bruntlett, Mike Lamb, Jason Jennings, Adam Everett, Trever Miller, Orlando Palmeiro & Woody Williams

4.Cincinnati Reds
I'm going to be truthful, I don't think the Reds have a chance this season, although they did improve a bit this off season, mostly in their pitching, which hurt them the most last season. Their offense is alright, lead by the powerful Adam Dunn, who does strikeout a lot though, the past 3 seasons Dunn has hit 40 homeruns, and they have Ken Griffey Jr., whose now 38, Brandon Phillips, Edwin Encarnacion can hit some homeruns for you and hit for an alright average, and they have 2 young guys that I really like, Joey Votto, and Jay Bruce, who is, IMO, the best prospect in all of baseball. Their lineup is alright. Now for their pitching, which they slightly improved on this off season, by adding: Francisco Cordero in free agency, and acquiring Edison Volquez from Texas. Their rotation could still use a little work, but they have someone decent in Aaron Harang, and after him is Bronson Arroyo, after them two, they got Edison Volque,z, who i think is set for a breakout season, Josh Fogg, and Matt Belisle, who did pretty bad last year, like I said, they can use some work in their rotation. For their bullpen, as I said they signed closer, Francisco Cordero, they also signed Jeremy Affeldt who had a good season last year with the Rockies. Jared Burton had a quiet season last year, he had a 2.51 ERA in 43 innings. David Weathers has been consistently good over the past couple season, even though he's getting older. Like I said before, I don't think they have a chance for the playoffs, they should work on improving their pitching.

MVP: Adam Dunn
Even though he strikesout a lot, he still has great power, and he's hit 40 homeruns the past 3 seasons. I could see him possibly leading the NL in homeruns this season.


Breakout: Joey Votto
Last year he hit 4 homeruns in 8 at bats, and he also had a .321 average. I can see him hitting over 20 homeruns this year, and solidifying himself as one of the great young hitters in baseball.


Rookie: Jay Bruce
He's the best prospect in all of baseball, IMO. He just has sucha great bat, and is good in the field too. I can definitely see him winning the NL Rookie of the Year Award this season.


Disappointment: Ken Griffey Jr.
He's now 38 years old, I don't see him contributing in the Reds' lineup as greatly as he has years before, although he had a pretty good season last year, I just see his career falling off track from here.


Notable Arrivals: Edison Volquez, Danny Herrera, Francisco Cordero, Jeremy Affeldt, Corey Patterson, Josh Fogg, Jerry Hairston Jr. & Paul Bako
Notable Departures: Josh Hamilton, Eddie Guardado, Eric Milton, Brad Salmon & Mike Stanton

5.St.Louis Cardinals
The Cardinals have another horrible season., their team is just not ingood shape right now. They have so many injuries right now, mostly starting pitchers, Chris Carpenter only pitched 6 innings last season, because of his right shoulder and Mark Mulder just got surgery on his rotator, those are the most notable injuries, other then Albert Pujols, who could miss the whole entire season, which would make the Cardinals even worse, but I thinks he has elected to skip the surgery. The Cardinals lineup isn't anything special, they have the ever dangerous Albert Pujols, but after him there really isn't anyone, they traded for Troy Glaus this off season, in exchange of Scott Rolen. Rick Ankiel broke out as a hitter last season, hitting 11 homeruns in only 172 at bats. Chris Duncan can hit over 20 homeruns for the Cards. Ryan Ludwick can hit around 15 homeruns. Yadier Molina is improving as a hitter. They also have a great prospect in Colby Rasmus. Like I said, nothing special, but it can be pretty good if it can be consistent. The Cardinals pitching isn't much either, they have Chris Carpenter, who i think will be the Comeback Player of the Year this season, after pitching only 6 innings last year, after him they have Adam Wainwright, who is just going to keep improving, they signed Kyle Lohse.After them three, there area couple options: Mark Muder, Joel Pineiro, Braden Looper, Anthony Reyes, their all fighting for the #4 and #5 spots in the rotation. The Cardinals' bullpen isn't amazing either, they have veteran, Jason Isringhausen closing out games, Randy Flores was alright last season, Ryan Franklin did pretty good last year, and Russ Springer did very well. They need some more stars on their team, and then I think they'll get back in the hunt.

MVP: Albert Pujols
How can he not be the MVP, he's one of the best overall hitters in the game. If he's not dealing with that injury this season, he's going to continue his hitting excellence.


Breakout: Brendan Ryan
Last year in 180 at bats he hit 4 homeruns, with an average of .289. He can play both shortstop and third base, so if Glaus is injured at all, he can take his place. He can also steal a couple bases.


Rookie: Colby Rasmus
He's one of the best prospects in the game, even though he's not strating off in the majors, I think he's still going to get called up early, and make a great impact on the Cardinals' lineup.


Disappointment: Troy Glaus
I don't really know why they swapped with Toronto, that trade seemed pointless to me, I think their expecting a lot from Glaus, since they did that trade, and with him gettting older, I don't think he's going to deliver. Plus, he was injured last season, which could be even worse.


Notable Arrivals: Troy Glaus, David Freese, Kyle Lohse, Cesar Izturis, Matt Clement, Ron Villone, Jason La Rue & D'Angelo Jimenez
Notable Departures: Scott Rolen, Jim Edmonds, Troy Percival, David Eckstein, Kip Wells, So Taguchi, Preston Wilson, Gary Bennett, Miguel Cairo, Russell Branyan & Kelly Stinnett

6.Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pirates have been one of the worst teams in the MLB for the past couple of years, and I don't see that changing this year, they didn't really do anything to improve theirselves this off season. They don't really have any big guns in their lineup, other than Jason Bay, and Freddy Sanchez is a solid hitter. They also have Adam LaRoche and Xavier Nady who can hit over 20 homeruns for the team. As for their pitching, it's not horrible, but it's nothng great. They have a pretty underrated starter in Tom Gorzelanny, they also have Ian Snell. Those are really the two only guys I like in their rotation, everyone else had an ERA over 5.00 last season, but Zach Duke and Paul Maholm are still young, so they could have developed more over this off season, as for Matt Morris, I think he's garbage. Matt Capps is a good closer, he had a great season last year. They have a great left hander in Damaso Marte, and John Grabow is alright. They also have Franquelis Osoria, who is alright as well. As I said before, the Pirates will not make the playoffs anytime soon, they didn't do much to improve this off season, their just not a good team, as the past couple seasons have shown.

MVP: Jason Bay
He didn't do too great last seaosn, but he's still a great player, IMO. He ha s agood bat, and he's a prety good player, he can hit 35 homeruns, as he proved in 2006.


Breakout: Tom Gorzelanny
He has been very good the past 2 years, but he definitely isn't known around the league. I think he explodes this year, in a good way, and proves to everyone he can be a great pitcher, even on a bad team.


Rookie: Phil Dumatrait
He's a former first round pick, he has potential. I think he eventually makes the rotation this season, caused by the poor play of Matt Morris. He's gotten time to develop this off season. He will add even more youth to the Pirates rotation.


Disappointment: Adam LaRoche
I truthfully don't know where to put here, I don't see the Pirates expecting much from any of their players, so I just chose LaRoche. He tied Jason Bay last year to lead the Pirates in homeruns, so I think their going to expect him to do something similar again, which I don't know if he can do it again.


Notable Arrivals: Tyler Yates, Chris Gomez, Doug Mientkiewicz, Elmer Dessens, T.J. Beam & Jorge Velandia
Notable Departures: Todd Redmond, Cesar Izturis, Shawn Chacon, Byung-Hyun Kim, Tony Armas & Brad Eldred

NL West

1.Los Angeles Dodgers
I see the Dodgers winning the tough NL West division this season, they added Andruw Jones in the off season, and they also got a great manager in Joe Torre. The Dodgers have a great lineup, lead by young catcher, Russell Martin, who IMO, is the best catcher in the National League. After him they have the powerful Anduw Jones. They have Rafael Furcal who can steal a lot of bases, and still be a pretty decent hitter. Jeff kent isn't as good as he use to be, but he still adds good veteran leadership, and he can hit a little more than 15 homeruns, same with Nomar Garciaparra, except I don't expect him to make an impact with his bat, as he has been injured a lot for the past couple seasons, and he is getting older. The Dodgers do have a lot of young guys though, including: James Loney, Andy LaRoche, Matt Kemp, Delwyn Young and Blake DeWitt. They also have Juan Pierre, who can steal loads of bases, and Andre Ethier adds another good bat. That's one very good lineup, especially with the youth they have. Now for their pitching, they have a great ace in Brad Penny, after him they have: derek lowe, he had a pretty good season last year, Hiroki Kuroda had a pretty good Spring, from what I saw of him, Chan Ho Park didn't suck last year, which is surprising, so he may start some games this year, same with Chad Billinglsey. The Dodgers have a great closer in Takashi Saito. The rest of their bullpen is pretty good, Joe Biemel is a good lefty, Jonathan Broxton is one of the best relievers in the game, and they have Scott Proctor. I see the Dodgers barely winning the NL West, as it's a very tough division.

MVP: Russell Martin
He's one of the best catchers in the game, if not the best. He can hit over 20 homeruns for the Dodgers, and this year he's in a better lienup, so his production should go up. He's also a great defensive catcher, and has good leadership skills.


Breakout: James Loney
Last year you could say he brokeout, but this year I think he will 'majorly' breakout. He's in a great lineup, and he has great power, and a lot of potential. Last year he hit 15 homeruns, I can see that doubling this year. he also hit for a high average too, which eas .331


Rookie: Andy LaRoche
I can see him starting at third base this season for the Dodgers, when he's not injured of course. LaRoche is a highly rated prospect, and he can really breakout with a new managaer, and in a great lineup.


Disappointment: Jeff Kent
He's getting older, and his production has been slipping. He's not the same power hitting second basemen he once was, and who knows if the Dodgers know that yet.


Notable Arrivals: Andruw Jones, Hiroki Kuroda, gary Bennett, Nook Logan & Mike Myers
Notable Departures: Randy Wolf, Luis Gonzalez, David Wells, Mike Lieberthal & Mark Hendrickson
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2010 NFL Draft Thread
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[eaglesfan536890]

Reserved
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2010 NFL Draft Thread
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[A.J. Hawk Fan]

Colon signed with the Red Sox?

I'm pretty sure he's going to sign with the other Sox.
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"Well being as there's no other place around the place, I reckon this must be the place, I reckon."
Baseball season couldn't come soon enough...

[chipperboy1]

He signed a minor league deal with Boston today.

Good stuff Eaglesfan, but when you get to the NL East, don't forget about the Braves. Don't be one of the many to severely underestimate the depth of the pitching staff, the bullpen, and the best lineup top to bottom in the division.
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[TheFootballKing]

Great stuff.

I think your analysis of Luis Hernandez for the O's might be a bit generous. He did well in limited playing time last season, but it was most certainly limited. Great glove, but nobody expects him to hit much.

I'd also add Jaret Wright to the Notable Departures for the O's.
And add Steve Trachsel and Guillermo Quiroz to the Notable Arrivals. Both seem to be set to contribute this season. Quiroz will most likely be the backup catcher this season and Trachsel will most likely end up as the 4th "lock" in the rotation.


I think that the teams expected to finish 4th and 5th in this division are actually the teams to watch this season. But there are exciting things on all fronts in the AL East.

[eaglesfan536890]

AL Central posted.
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[_broncos4life__]

love the post but zumaya cant be the breakout player for the tigers if hes out the first four or five months of the season
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[gatoralex911]

Just to tell you Carlos Pena is are power and Gomes who will hit 25 homers see my thread I just posted.
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[eaglesfan536890]

[BillsGuy82]

I couldnt disagree more, I think the Blue Jays have a legit shot at surpassing the Red Sox and the Yankees. If Roy Halladay rounds back to Cy Young form like you think hes gonna and Vernon Wells and Frank Thomas have bounce back years this team will make alot of noise. The Blue Jays have arguablly the best Bull Pen in the majors.

Prediction - Scott Rolen Comeback Player of the Year

Scott Rolen 2008 Line: .305 23 105 2

The Jays will be this years Cleveland Indians

[eaglesfan536890]

Los Angeles Angels and Seattle Mariners posted.

Rangers and Athletics will be up by Friday at the latest.
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[_broncos4life__]

Dude people say stuff like this all the time about the jays and guess what they amount to nothing each year and have no chance against the sox and yanks
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[Houshyamomma]

Nice write-up, I enjoy seeing your preview of the Mets. Hopefully it isn't too biased
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[frye to edwards]

good write up man

i disagree on the Hafner thing though.
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Rest In Peace crakburn and B2TB :: '08 AND '09 Footballs Future Fantasy Baseball Keeper League Champion