The regular season and 1st round of the playoffs are over, and I can't say I'm surprised by anything that has happened so far. The New York Yankees spent 400 million dollars on free agents this off-season, and as a result they have a team that is loaded with power hitters who can rake in the friendly confines of the wiffle ball field known as "New Yankee Stadium". The Yankees made short work of the Twins in round 1, and I expect them to do the same to the Angels in the ALCS.
Prediction for the ALCS:
Yankees in 5 over the Angels
Prediction for the NLCS:
Dodgers over Phillies in 7
Season Awards
MVP: AL- Joe Mauer, and anyone that does not vote for him should have their vote's taken away for any future MVP balloting. His numbers dwarf the next closest players, and he's been the best player in the AL from his first plate appearance to his last.
NL- Albert Pujols, and it's the same thing as Joe Mauer. His numbers are so much better than the next closest contender, and he gets pitched around more than any non steroid player of this century. Prince Fielder can make an argument but his team fell short of the post season by a healthy margin.
CY Young: AL- Felix Hernandez, now I know people are gonna go nuts for Zach Grienke, and they should, but Felix was just as dominant but ended up with 19 wins. His 2.49ERA 217K's and 1.14 WHIP seem to say he should be the favorite to win the CY Young.
NL- Tim Lincecum, Chirs Carpenter has been great, but Lincecum has been the most dominating pitcher in the NL for 2 years running.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
DRS Preview
Red Division: Elko, Lonsdale, Montgomery, Webster.
Elko: The returning state champs return a loaded squad headed by the best group of pitchers in the DRS. Brian Muell, Josh Roiger, Rob Brick, Andrew Lyke, Glen Parker and Jeremey Chaln give the Express 6 quality arms that should equal a ton of W's. Muell and Roiger are both capable of shutting down any team in the DRS, and should give hitters fit all season long. A lineup that features Justin Bailey, Ash Larsen, Nick Davis, Josh Thom, and Nick Judkins should put up plenty of runs to win the Red Division crown.
Lonsdale: Division champs a year ago, Lonsdale returns most of their roster from last season. Losing Chad Hoffman is going to hurt an already slim pitching staff, but they still feature perennial DRS ace Mike Jirik, as well as Phil Tisdel, Derek Christenson, and up and comer Zac Sirek. Depth should be a concern, but Jirik should still win plenty of games. Scoring runs might also be a problem for Lonsdale this season, because outside of Chad and Brian Vosejpka, their lineup struggles to feature many talented bats. Tom Popp is still a capable bat and good team guy, but they look to be a team in search of young talented bats.
Montgomery: It looks to be a down year for the Mallards, in terms of talent and number of players. It has been rumored that they struggled to find enough players to field a team this year, and their website doesn't even have an up to date player roster. Preview pending for now.
Webster: The Webster Sox struggled last season, and with holes in their lineup and pitching staff, things aren't looking the greatest for this season either. They have some quality players in Jay Chaln, Brett Hoffman, and Nate Nielson, but overall depth will ultimately be their down fall.
Projected Order of Finish:
1. Elko
2. Lonsdale
3. Montgomery
4. Webster
White Divison: St. Benedict, New Prague, Shakopee, St. Patrick
St. Benedict: After being a very competitive team in 2008, the Saints look to take another step forward to winning the White Division. The losses of Joe Lucas and Brad Lawson could prove to be detrimental to the pitching staff and lineup. Lucas and Lawson were quality arms and bats for the Saints in 08, and if they look to compete a high level this season they are going to need Steve Weiers to log quite a few innings.
New Prague: The O's are a very young team again, and much like last year are going to rely on Dan Novak and Dan Meger to eat up the bulk of the innings on the mound. Their lineup looks identical to last season's, featuring Dan Shetka, Dusty Steinhoff, Ross Skluzacek, Aaron Shetka and Steve Olson. They should be a solid defensive team overall, and they should challenge for the division crown.
Shakopee: Greg Sayuk, Matt Grieble, Ben Lazzari, Scott Greening and Nick Randall figure to throw the bulk of the innings for the Coyotes, and they should remain competitive throughout the 2009 season.
St. Patrick: The 5th place finishers from 2008 look to get back to the State Tournament once again in 2009. The defections of Derek Bergstrom and Luke Hunzel leave a few open spots on the Irish roster, but the roles abandoned by those 2 will be filled by new addition Seth Ambroz, and the return of Craig Boser at 3b. Replacing Bergstrom on the hill won't be an easy task, but with State Tournament team selection Bill Dunker anchoring the staff, don't expect a large drop off in wins for 2009. Josh Simon, Dom DeLuca, Jake Malz and Seth Ambroz will bide for the innings left by Bergstrom on the mound, with the possibility of Matt Pexa seeing some time as well. The lineup will still be intact with Mike Goldsmith, Josh Simon, and Matt Pexa providing the bulk of the offense on a team that features a very deep lineup.
Projected Order of Finish:
1. St. Patrick
2. New Prague
3. St. Benedict
4. Shakopee
Blue Division: Prior Lake, Vesili, Union Hill, New Market
For what figures to be the toughest division in the DRS this season, the Blue Division features 4 teams capable of winning the division crown.
Prior Lake: Without a online roster to speak of, it is difficult for me to list the players who should contribute this summer. Having said that, PL still has Jake Schmidt, the man who is universally known for loving tennis ball sized Copenhagen snuffs while carving up DRS lineups. Schmidt gives the Mudcats a legitimate #1 pitcher, and he should win plenty of games this summer.
Vesili: A solid group from a year ago, the Warriors figure to be one of the most improved teams in the league this season. Joe Friedges and Luke Giesen figure to log the most innings, but the addition of Matt Perkinson gives them another quality arm to rely on. The lineup has some question marks, but Justin Novak and Eric Steinhoff figure to be their offensive stars for the season.
Union Hill: Falling 1 game short of the state tournament last season, the Bulldogs were left with a bitter taste in their mouth watching their arch nemesis(The Irish of course) make a deep run into the state tourney. Losing Rick Bell and Matt Sticha will make a return trip to regions very difficult this year. They still have quality arms in Matt Beckius and Brad Weiers, but with losing 2 guys who logged over 140innings last year, finding replacement arms could prove to be difficult. UH should still score runs with relative ease. Jesse Bastyr, Tony Kubes, Dan Smith, Eric Bisek, Kyle Johnson and the return of DRS legend Pat Russo gives the Bulldogs a solid group of mashers.
New Market: A complete overhaul of the Muskies roster has left them with a much improved squad compared to last year's group. Derek Begstrom was their biggest get, as he was a dominant pitcher for the Irish in the 2008 season. Pairing him with Kyle Bergstrom gives the Muskies a formidable group of pitchers that should win plenty of games this summer.
Projected Order of Finish:
1. Prior Lake
2. New Market
3. Union Hill
4. Vesili
Elko: The returning state champs return a loaded squad headed by the best group of pitchers in the DRS. Brian Muell, Josh Roiger, Rob Brick, Andrew Lyke, Glen Parker and Jeremey Chaln give the Express 6 quality arms that should equal a ton of W's. Muell and Roiger are both capable of shutting down any team in the DRS, and should give hitters fit all season long. A lineup that features Justin Bailey, Ash Larsen, Nick Davis, Josh Thom, and Nick Judkins should put up plenty of runs to win the Red Division crown.
Lonsdale: Division champs a year ago, Lonsdale returns most of their roster from last season. Losing Chad Hoffman is going to hurt an already slim pitching staff, but they still feature perennial DRS ace Mike Jirik, as well as Phil Tisdel, Derek Christenson, and up and comer Zac Sirek. Depth should be a concern, but Jirik should still win plenty of games. Scoring runs might also be a problem for Lonsdale this season, because outside of Chad and Brian Vosejpka, their lineup struggles to feature many talented bats. Tom Popp is still a capable bat and good team guy, but they look to be a team in search of young talented bats.
Montgomery: It looks to be a down year for the Mallards, in terms of talent and number of players. It has been rumored that they struggled to find enough players to field a team this year, and their website doesn't even have an up to date player roster. Preview pending for now.
Webster: The Webster Sox struggled last season, and with holes in their lineup and pitching staff, things aren't looking the greatest for this season either. They have some quality players in Jay Chaln, Brett Hoffman, and Nate Nielson, but overall depth will ultimately be their down fall.
Projected Order of Finish:
1. Elko
2. Lonsdale
3. Montgomery
4. Webster
White Divison: St. Benedict, New Prague, Shakopee, St. Patrick
St. Benedict: After being a very competitive team in 2008, the Saints look to take another step forward to winning the White Division. The losses of Joe Lucas and Brad Lawson could prove to be detrimental to the pitching staff and lineup. Lucas and Lawson were quality arms and bats for the Saints in 08, and if they look to compete a high level this season they are going to need Steve Weiers to log quite a few innings.
New Prague: The O's are a very young team again, and much like last year are going to rely on Dan Novak and Dan Meger to eat up the bulk of the innings on the mound. Their lineup looks identical to last season's, featuring Dan Shetka, Dusty Steinhoff, Ross Skluzacek, Aaron Shetka and Steve Olson. They should be a solid defensive team overall, and they should challenge for the division crown.
Shakopee: Greg Sayuk, Matt Grieble, Ben Lazzari, Scott Greening and Nick Randall figure to throw the bulk of the innings for the Coyotes, and they should remain competitive throughout the 2009 season.
St. Patrick: The 5th place finishers from 2008 look to get back to the State Tournament once again in 2009. The defections of Derek Bergstrom and Luke Hunzel leave a few open spots on the Irish roster, but the roles abandoned by those 2 will be filled by new addition Seth Ambroz, and the return of Craig Boser at 3b. Replacing Bergstrom on the hill won't be an easy task, but with State Tournament team selection Bill Dunker anchoring the staff, don't expect a large drop off in wins for 2009. Josh Simon, Dom DeLuca, Jake Malz and Seth Ambroz will bide for the innings left by Bergstrom on the mound, with the possibility of Matt Pexa seeing some time as well. The lineup will still be intact with Mike Goldsmith, Josh Simon, and Matt Pexa providing the bulk of the offense on a team that features a very deep lineup.
Projected Order of Finish:
1. St. Patrick
2. New Prague
3. St. Benedict
4. Shakopee
Blue Division: Prior Lake, Vesili, Union Hill, New Market
For what figures to be the toughest division in the DRS this season, the Blue Division features 4 teams capable of winning the division crown.
Prior Lake: Without a online roster to speak of, it is difficult for me to list the players who should contribute this summer. Having said that, PL still has Jake Schmidt, the man who is universally known for loving tennis ball sized Copenhagen snuffs while carving up DRS lineups. Schmidt gives the Mudcats a legitimate #1 pitcher, and he should win plenty of games this summer.
Vesili: A solid group from a year ago, the Warriors figure to be one of the most improved teams in the league this season. Joe Friedges and Luke Giesen figure to log the most innings, but the addition of Matt Perkinson gives them another quality arm to rely on. The lineup has some question marks, but Justin Novak and Eric Steinhoff figure to be their offensive stars for the season.
Union Hill: Falling 1 game short of the state tournament last season, the Bulldogs were left with a bitter taste in their mouth watching their arch nemesis(The Irish of course) make a deep run into the state tourney. Losing Rick Bell and Matt Sticha will make a return trip to regions very difficult this year. They still have quality arms in Matt Beckius and Brad Weiers, but with losing 2 guys who logged over 140innings last year, finding replacement arms could prove to be difficult. UH should still score runs with relative ease. Jesse Bastyr, Tony Kubes, Dan Smith, Eric Bisek, Kyle Johnson and the return of DRS legend Pat Russo gives the Bulldogs a solid group of mashers.
New Market: A complete overhaul of the Muskies roster has left them with a much improved squad compared to last year's group. Derek Begstrom was their biggest get, as he was a dominant pitcher for the Irish in the 2008 season. Pairing him with Kyle Bergstrom gives the Muskies a formidable group of pitchers that should win plenty of games this summer.
Projected Order of Finish:
1. Prior Lake
2. New Market
3. Union Hill
4. Vesili
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
MLB Season Preview and Predictions- AL East
The most competitive division in all of baseball got even more competitive after the 3rd place Yankees spent close to a half a billion dollars this off-season. Adding to that the Red Sox added scary depth to their pitching rotation, and the Rays sured up their lineup concerns by adding another bat. The 4th best team in the division last year in the Blue Jays would be a contender to win any other division in baseball, scary.
Tampa Bay Rays: After winning 97 games in 2008, what can the Rays really do for an encore? Well they lost Cliff Floyd and Rocco Baldelli to free agency, but they replaced them with Pat Burrell and Matt Joyce. Pretty much a push in terms of production over the past 2 years. Their pitching rotation will be the key to the Rays having a shot to repeat as AL East champs. At the top they bring back electric oft injured lefty Scott Kazmir. Kazmir is an ace when he's healthy, but when he's dinged up he's a very hittable south paw. Behind him they have Matt Garza, James Shields, David Price and Andy Sonnanstine. Not only is this group ridiculously young, but they are also ridiculously talented. Garza showed in the playoffs last year that he can be ace when needed to, and Shields keeps defying the odds despite having marginal stuff. David Price is the wild card, he was lights out from the bullpen last season, but so was Joba Chamberlin for the Yankees and we all know how that's worked so far. I like Price, but he relies too much on his fastball slider combo, which is great for a closer but not so much for a starter. Sonnanstine probably won't end up the year as the 5th starter. He's simply not that talented and he gets by on guts and guile rather than actual ability. Look for another uber prospect in Jeff Niemann to be starting by July. The Rays lineup looks strong at through the 7 spot. They feature great power threats in B.J. Upton, Evan Longoria, Carloas Pena, Pat Burell in the 2-5 spots, and a great leadoff hitter in Carl Crawford. After the 5 hole they might have some problems with Diener Navarro, Gabe Gross, Aki Iwamura and Jason Bartlett. Regardless of the weak bottom half, the Rays should still challenge for the AL East crown.
Boston Red Sox: The Red Sox lost the ALCS last year because they couldn't avoid the injury bug. Despite being down the best post season pitcher of our generation(Josh Beckett), and the best post season clutch hitter(David Ortiz), the Red Sox took the Rays to a decisive game 7. They were also without 2007 WS MVP Mike Lowell, and yet they still looked every bit as good as the eventual losers of the WS the Tampa Bay Rays. For the 2009 season, the Sox will feature the deepest starting rotation in all of baseball. Josh Beckett will anchor the top end of staff that features 3 ace caliber arms. Jon Lester, Daiuske Matszuzaka, Brad Penny, Tim Wakefield, Clay Buchholz, John Smoltz, Justin Masterson and Michael Bowden will compete for the remaining 4 pitching spots. The likely rotation to start the year will be Beckett, Lester, Dice K, Penny and Wakefield, but by June look for Smoltz and Buchholz to fill the last 2 spots. Regardless of who the 5 guys are, the Red Sox should have no problem getting a ton of quality innings from their starting pitching. The Bullpen is also loaded top to bottom. With the addition of Ramon Ramirez from the Royals, the Sox feature Manny Delcarman, Javier Lopez, Justin Masterson, Hideki Okajima, Takashi Saito and Jonathan Papelbon. Offensive is the only question mark on the Red Sox upcoming season. They have great young bats in Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis and Jacboy Ellsbury, but they also have aging vets who haven't been 100% healthy the past few years in David Oriz, Mike Lowell and JD Drew. Not to mention the black hole in their lineup named Jason Varitek, the Red Sox offense has some question marks despite returning all 9 playoff starters that scored the most runs in the AL last year. This team has the potential to be a 100 win team if they stay healthy, should be a great run.
New York Yankees: After spending close to 500million dollars this past offseason, the Yankees look to make it back to the post season after missing it in 2008. Their biggest strength(much like every other team in the AL East)is the potential to have dominant starting pitching. CC Sabithia was lights out last year after getting traded to the National League, but he lost his muster in the post season(like usual). Following CC will be AJ Burnett, Chien-Ming Wang, Joba Chamberlin and Andy Pettite. Each one of these 4 save for maybe Pettite has #1 pitcher potential barring injury. All 4 save no one has been healthy for a full season more than once in the past 3 years. They also have serviceable young arms to turn to in Ian Kennedy and Philip Hughes should one of those 5 go down with injury, but they would provide no where near the quality of innings. Despite the hype the Yankee lineup has been receiving, it still has big holes. Trusting Johnny Damon to be a consistent lead off hitter is tough to do, as is expecting Derek Jeter to hit .300 again. The 2 things they can count on is for Mark Texiera and Alex Rodriguez to hit a combined 80HRs and drive in over 200RBI. Jorge Posada, Nick Swisher, Robinson Cano, Melky Cabrera, and Hideki Matsui represent the rest of the Yankee lineup, hardly a Murderers Row type of squad. They will struggle early on, especially if A-Fraud gets rattled by the boos.
Toronto Blue Jays: By winning 86 games last year, the Blue Jays proved they were more than just a whipping boy for the big 3 in the AL East. Well that will happen when you have Roy Halladay on your team. Halladay is the best pitcher in the AL, he was last year and he should be again this year. Despite losing AJ Burnett to the Yankees, the rest of the Jays rotation is solid. Jesse Litsch, David Purcey, Casey Janssen and Matt Clement round out this 5 man group. While not overly flashy, this rotation has been good in the past, and have posted solid K/BB ratios as well as eating up alot of innings. BJ Ryan anchors a pretty good bullpen with Jason Frasor and Scott Downs as set up men. The lineup will be the difference in how far the Jays can go this year. Aaron Hill and Alex Rios will leadoff what should be a pretty potent top of the order. Followed then by Vernon Wells, Scott Rolen, rookie Travis Snyder and Lyle Overbay, the Jays lineup could score with the big boys barring a major injury.
Baltimore Orioles: The O's sucked last year, and they will suck again this year. The reason behind it is lack of talent up and down the system. Their starting rotation is garbage, featuring Jeremy Gutherie as the #1 guy, and then a combination of Mark Hendrickson, Rich Hill, Koji Uherea and Brad Hennesey. This rotation will struggle to produce a single 10 game winner among the bunch, and that's just sad. George Sherril should still be a solid closer, but with no other quality arms in front of him, the O's put together one of the worst pitching staffs in all of baseball. The lineup isn't much better than the pitching staff. Aubrey Huff, Brian Roberts, Adam Jones and Nick Markakis are all capable of hitting close to a .300 clip with 20HRs or so, but they would need all of them to do so to have a shot at finishing above 70 wins. The only thing for O's fans to look forward to this season is the beginning of what should be an All-Star laden career of catching uberprospect Matt Wieters.
Projected Finish:
Red Sox- 97 Wins
Rays- 95 Wins
Yankees- 90 Wins
Blue Jays- 83 Wins
Orioles- 65 Wins
Tampa Bay Rays: After winning 97 games in 2008, what can the Rays really do for an encore? Well they lost Cliff Floyd and Rocco Baldelli to free agency, but they replaced them with Pat Burrell and Matt Joyce. Pretty much a push in terms of production over the past 2 years. Their pitching rotation will be the key to the Rays having a shot to repeat as AL East champs. At the top they bring back electric oft injured lefty Scott Kazmir. Kazmir is an ace when he's healthy, but when he's dinged up he's a very hittable south paw. Behind him they have Matt Garza, James Shields, David Price and Andy Sonnanstine. Not only is this group ridiculously young, but they are also ridiculously talented. Garza showed in the playoffs last year that he can be ace when needed to, and Shields keeps defying the odds despite having marginal stuff. David Price is the wild card, he was lights out from the bullpen last season, but so was Joba Chamberlin for the Yankees and we all know how that's worked so far. I like Price, but he relies too much on his fastball slider combo, which is great for a closer but not so much for a starter. Sonnanstine probably won't end up the year as the 5th starter. He's simply not that talented and he gets by on guts and guile rather than actual ability. Look for another uber prospect in Jeff Niemann to be starting by July. The Rays lineup looks strong at through the 7 spot. They feature great power threats in B.J. Upton, Evan Longoria, Carloas Pena, Pat Burell in the 2-5 spots, and a great leadoff hitter in Carl Crawford. After the 5 hole they might have some problems with Diener Navarro, Gabe Gross, Aki Iwamura and Jason Bartlett. Regardless of the weak bottom half, the Rays should still challenge for the AL East crown.
Boston Red Sox: The Red Sox lost the ALCS last year because they couldn't avoid the injury bug. Despite being down the best post season pitcher of our generation(Josh Beckett), and the best post season clutch hitter(David Ortiz), the Red Sox took the Rays to a decisive game 7. They were also without 2007 WS MVP Mike Lowell, and yet they still looked every bit as good as the eventual losers of the WS the Tampa Bay Rays. For the 2009 season, the Sox will feature the deepest starting rotation in all of baseball. Josh Beckett will anchor the top end of staff that features 3 ace caliber arms. Jon Lester, Daiuske Matszuzaka, Brad Penny, Tim Wakefield, Clay Buchholz, John Smoltz, Justin Masterson and Michael Bowden will compete for the remaining 4 pitching spots. The likely rotation to start the year will be Beckett, Lester, Dice K, Penny and Wakefield, but by June look for Smoltz and Buchholz to fill the last 2 spots. Regardless of who the 5 guys are, the Red Sox should have no problem getting a ton of quality innings from their starting pitching. The Bullpen is also loaded top to bottom. With the addition of Ramon Ramirez from the Royals, the Sox feature Manny Delcarman, Javier Lopez, Justin Masterson, Hideki Okajima, Takashi Saito and Jonathan Papelbon. Offensive is the only question mark on the Red Sox upcoming season. They have great young bats in Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis and Jacboy Ellsbury, but they also have aging vets who haven't been 100% healthy the past few years in David Oriz, Mike Lowell and JD Drew. Not to mention the black hole in their lineup named Jason Varitek, the Red Sox offense has some question marks despite returning all 9 playoff starters that scored the most runs in the AL last year. This team has the potential to be a 100 win team if they stay healthy, should be a great run.
New York Yankees: After spending close to 500million dollars this past offseason, the Yankees look to make it back to the post season after missing it in 2008. Their biggest strength(much like every other team in the AL East)is the potential to have dominant starting pitching. CC Sabithia was lights out last year after getting traded to the National League, but he lost his muster in the post season(like usual). Following CC will be AJ Burnett, Chien-Ming Wang, Joba Chamberlin and Andy Pettite. Each one of these 4 save for maybe Pettite has #1 pitcher potential barring injury. All 4 save no one has been healthy for a full season more than once in the past 3 years. They also have serviceable young arms to turn to in Ian Kennedy and Philip Hughes should one of those 5 go down with injury, but they would provide no where near the quality of innings. Despite the hype the Yankee lineup has been receiving, it still has big holes. Trusting Johnny Damon to be a consistent lead off hitter is tough to do, as is expecting Derek Jeter to hit .300 again. The 2 things they can count on is for Mark Texiera and Alex Rodriguez to hit a combined 80HRs and drive in over 200RBI. Jorge Posada, Nick Swisher, Robinson Cano, Melky Cabrera, and Hideki Matsui represent the rest of the Yankee lineup, hardly a Murderers Row type of squad. They will struggle early on, especially if A-Fraud gets rattled by the boos.
Toronto Blue Jays: By winning 86 games last year, the Blue Jays proved they were more than just a whipping boy for the big 3 in the AL East. Well that will happen when you have Roy Halladay on your team. Halladay is the best pitcher in the AL, he was last year and he should be again this year. Despite losing AJ Burnett to the Yankees, the rest of the Jays rotation is solid. Jesse Litsch, David Purcey, Casey Janssen and Matt Clement round out this 5 man group. While not overly flashy, this rotation has been good in the past, and have posted solid K/BB ratios as well as eating up alot of innings. BJ Ryan anchors a pretty good bullpen with Jason Frasor and Scott Downs as set up men. The lineup will be the difference in how far the Jays can go this year. Aaron Hill and Alex Rios will leadoff what should be a pretty potent top of the order. Followed then by Vernon Wells, Scott Rolen, rookie Travis Snyder and Lyle Overbay, the Jays lineup could score with the big boys barring a major injury.
Baltimore Orioles: The O's sucked last year, and they will suck again this year. The reason behind it is lack of talent up and down the system. Their starting rotation is garbage, featuring Jeremy Gutherie as the #1 guy, and then a combination of Mark Hendrickson, Rich Hill, Koji Uherea and Brad Hennesey. This rotation will struggle to produce a single 10 game winner among the bunch, and that's just sad. George Sherril should still be a solid closer, but with no other quality arms in front of him, the O's put together one of the worst pitching staffs in all of baseball. The lineup isn't much better than the pitching staff. Aubrey Huff, Brian Roberts, Adam Jones and Nick Markakis are all capable of hitting close to a .300 clip with 20HRs or so, but they would need all of them to do so to have a shot at finishing above 70 wins. The only thing for O's fans to look forward to this season is the beginning of what should be an All-Star laden career of catching uberprospect Matt Wieters.
Projected Finish:
Red Sox- 97 Wins
Rays- 95 Wins
Yankees- 90 Wins
Blue Jays- 83 Wins
Orioles- 65 Wins
MLB Season Preview and Predictions- AL Central
With Spring Training getting underway today I think it's appropriate to take a look at the upcoming 2009 baseball season. After a very competitive year around the league last season, look for the competition to be even stiffer this year. Let's start by going division by division.
AL Central:
Last year was a tight race that ended with the White Sox edging the Twins in a 1 game playoff. I could argue day and night why the Twins were the better team and deserved to play that game at home, but instead let's just put it behind us and look ahead to this season.
Chicago White Sox Preview: The White Sox traded Javier Vasquez to the Atlanta Braves leaving their starting pitching a bit thin. Anchored by veteran left hander Mark Buehrle, the White Sox pitching staff will struggle this year with a lack of depth and overall talent. Jon Danks and Gavid Floyd have shown signs of being steady middle of the rotation guys, but they are still brutally inconsistent. Bartolo Colon is slated to be the #4 or #5 guy, and while he pitched good in a short stint with Boston last year, word is that he got lazy this offseason. The White Sox will also struggle to maintain their high level of offensive production that they showed in years past. Losing Joe Crede won't hurt that bad, but replacing him with a college quarterback named Josh Fields will. Fields has good pop, but struggles with a high strikeout/walk ratio. Jim Thome and Paul Konerko will each get their 30HRs, but not without the cost of striking out 130+ times and hitting below .270. Carloas Quinten and Jermaine Dye are the 2 bats that anchor the White Sox lineup, and I'm just not sure if Quinten can have the same kind of production 2 years in a row. Nonetheless I still see the White Sox as an AL Central contender and a team that could win 90games if the chips fall right.
Minnesota Twins: The Twins have to be disappointed after last year's should've been division title. They return essentially their entire team that won 88 games last season, and the core of that team is in their mid 20s. The pitching staff will be headed by potential all-stars Scott Baker and Francisco Liriano, both of whom will make a run at 18 wins and a sub 3 ERA. The bottom 3 guys in Slowey, Blackburn and Perkins are one of the better back 3s in the game today. Slowey is kind of a Derek Lowe type of pitcher, a guy who relies on his sinker and great control to get a ton of groundballs. I expect him to be a 15 game winner this year. Blackburn showed signs of being an ace last year, but he also showed how young he was and his lack of feel for a changeup. When his cutter was flying around he was unhittable, but when it was left up he was exposed. I think he has a shot to win 13 or 14, but his ceiling is much higher. As for Perkins, he's kind of an enigma, he has great stuff but he's got a 10 cent brain, I believe the Twins would be better of trading him while his stock is maxed out. On offense I expect the same thing as last year for the Twins. They will hit for a high average, hit well with RISP, but they will finish near or at the bottom of the league in Home Runs. This is the story of most years for the Twins so it won't come as a surprise when it happens again in 2009. Morneau will get 25-30, Kubel 15-20, Young 15-20, and Crede(playing 140 games) would get 10-15. Now other than those 5 guys, the likelihood of anyone else getting double digits is close to zero. That being said they should still win a ton of games with game management and small ball.
Cleavland Indians: Last year was a disaster after coming off a ALCS appearance in 2007. They traded CC Sabithia for overrated 3B prospect Matt Gamel, and Fausto Carmona reverted back to his 2006 form of walking a ton of guys and giving up a bunch of dingers. If Carmona is CY caliber again this year they have a shot to be above .500, and if not they are going to be a bottom dweller in the AL Central. Cliff Lee will not repeat his dominance of 2008, but he should still be solid. After those 2 they have Carl Pavano, Anthony Reyes and Adam Miller. Correct me if I'm wrong but not one of those guys has thrown over 50 innings in a season in a few years. Those are just spare parts being thrown on a major league roster. The Indians rotation is going to struggle throughout the year, and as a result they will need a miracle to make the playoffs. On offense they have some good bats, but not near enough to be a contender. Victor Martinez will be healthy and should get back to hitting .300/25/100, while Travis Hafner MIGHT get back to his 2006 form of slugging over .650. Other than those 2 guys all they have is centerfielder Grady Seizmore. While Seizmore is a very good all-around toolsy player, he's a bit overrated at this point in his career. Sure he hit 30HRs last year, but he hit .260 as a leadoff guy. He has all the tools to be a star but at this point he hasn't put it all together, and until he does Cleavland will struggle to score runs consistently.
Kansas City Royals: Call me crazy, but I think the Royals can win 80 games this year. Having a starting rotation with Gill Meche, Zach Greinke, Brian Bannister, Luke Hochevar and Kyle Davies should eat up a ton of innings taking the pressure of their bullpen. Meche has always been a solid guy, and Grienke, Bannister and Hochevar were all high draft picks with live arms. I honestly think their rotation could be the 2nd best in the division behind the Twins. The bullpen will be very shaky after dealing Ramon Ramirez to the Red Sox, but the closer role will be great with young sensation Jokaim Soria. The biggest concern has to be if Soria goes down, because the next guy in line is Kyle Farnsworth, yikes. On offense adding Mike Jacobs and Coco Crisp should add some much needed power and speed to their anemic offense. Add those 2 guys with a lineup already including Alex Gordon, Jose Guillen and Billy Butler, and I think you have an offense that can score with the Twins and White Sox.
Detroit Tigers: Talk about a proof positive that spending a ton of money will not guarantee you anything. The Tigers spent more money than any team last offseason, and yet they failed to win 75 games. With ESPN and every major media source pimping that great offense in the beginning of the year, it was hard to realize that their starting rotation SUCKED, and most knowledgeable sports fans knew that. Justin Verlander has a very live arm and a ton of potential, but he also lacks a solid 3rd pitch after his fastball and curve, leaving me(and many others) to believe he'll end up a closer down the road. After Verlander their rotation is abysmall. Armando Gallaraga, Jeremey Bonderman, Edwin Jackson and then a combination of the D-Train/Nate Robertson and Zach Miner(and possibly 20 year old phenom Rick Porcello come August). Talk about a team who should maybe hold on to a few pitching prospects once in a while. That rotation is brutal, and they'll be lucky to win 80 games again this year. The bullpen is solid but lacks a true closer. Brandon Lyon has a good arm, as does Joel Zumaya, but nobody with enough experience to feel truly confident in. The lineup should produce nice power numbers once again with Granderson, Magglio, Cabrera, Sheffield Laird and Guillen, but they have a big hole at short with Adam Everett. All in all they will score a lot of runs but give up even more.
Predicted Order of Finish:
1. Minnesota
2. Chicago
3. Detroit
4. Kansas City
5. Cleavland
AL Central:
Last year was a tight race that ended with the White Sox edging the Twins in a 1 game playoff. I could argue day and night why the Twins were the better team and deserved to play that game at home, but instead let's just put it behind us and look ahead to this season.
Chicago White Sox Preview: The White Sox traded Javier Vasquez to the Atlanta Braves leaving their starting pitching a bit thin. Anchored by veteran left hander Mark Buehrle, the White Sox pitching staff will struggle this year with a lack of depth and overall talent. Jon Danks and Gavid Floyd have shown signs of being steady middle of the rotation guys, but they are still brutally inconsistent. Bartolo Colon is slated to be the #4 or #5 guy, and while he pitched good in a short stint with Boston last year, word is that he got lazy this offseason. The White Sox will also struggle to maintain their high level of offensive production that they showed in years past. Losing Joe Crede won't hurt that bad, but replacing him with a college quarterback named Josh Fields will. Fields has good pop, but struggles with a high strikeout/walk ratio. Jim Thome and Paul Konerko will each get their 30HRs, but not without the cost of striking out 130+ times and hitting below .270. Carloas Quinten and Jermaine Dye are the 2 bats that anchor the White Sox lineup, and I'm just not sure if Quinten can have the same kind of production 2 years in a row. Nonetheless I still see the White Sox as an AL Central contender and a team that could win 90games if the chips fall right.
Minnesota Twins: The Twins have to be disappointed after last year's should've been division title. They return essentially their entire team that won 88 games last season, and the core of that team is in their mid 20s. The pitching staff will be headed by potential all-stars Scott Baker and Francisco Liriano, both of whom will make a run at 18 wins and a sub 3 ERA. The bottom 3 guys in Slowey, Blackburn and Perkins are one of the better back 3s in the game today. Slowey is kind of a Derek Lowe type of pitcher, a guy who relies on his sinker and great control to get a ton of groundballs. I expect him to be a 15 game winner this year. Blackburn showed signs of being an ace last year, but he also showed how young he was and his lack of feel for a changeup. When his cutter was flying around he was unhittable, but when it was left up he was exposed. I think he has a shot to win 13 or 14, but his ceiling is much higher. As for Perkins, he's kind of an enigma, he has great stuff but he's got a 10 cent brain, I believe the Twins would be better of trading him while his stock is maxed out. On offense I expect the same thing as last year for the Twins. They will hit for a high average, hit well with RISP, but they will finish near or at the bottom of the league in Home Runs. This is the story of most years for the Twins so it won't come as a surprise when it happens again in 2009. Morneau will get 25-30, Kubel 15-20, Young 15-20, and Crede(playing 140 games) would get 10-15. Now other than those 5 guys, the likelihood of anyone else getting double digits is close to zero. That being said they should still win a ton of games with game management and small ball.
Cleavland Indians: Last year was a disaster after coming off a ALCS appearance in 2007. They traded CC Sabithia for overrated 3B prospect Matt Gamel, and Fausto Carmona reverted back to his 2006 form of walking a ton of guys and giving up a bunch of dingers. If Carmona is CY caliber again this year they have a shot to be above .500, and if not they are going to be a bottom dweller in the AL Central. Cliff Lee will not repeat his dominance of 2008, but he should still be solid. After those 2 they have Carl Pavano, Anthony Reyes and Adam Miller. Correct me if I'm wrong but not one of those guys has thrown over 50 innings in a season in a few years. Those are just spare parts being thrown on a major league roster. The Indians rotation is going to struggle throughout the year, and as a result they will need a miracle to make the playoffs. On offense they have some good bats, but not near enough to be a contender. Victor Martinez will be healthy and should get back to hitting .300/25/100, while Travis Hafner MIGHT get back to his 2006 form of slugging over .650. Other than those 2 guys all they have is centerfielder Grady Seizmore. While Seizmore is a very good all-around toolsy player, he's a bit overrated at this point in his career. Sure he hit 30HRs last year, but he hit .260 as a leadoff guy. He has all the tools to be a star but at this point he hasn't put it all together, and until he does Cleavland will struggle to score runs consistently.
Kansas City Royals: Call me crazy, but I think the Royals can win 80 games this year. Having a starting rotation with Gill Meche, Zach Greinke, Brian Bannister, Luke Hochevar and Kyle Davies should eat up a ton of innings taking the pressure of their bullpen. Meche has always been a solid guy, and Grienke, Bannister and Hochevar were all high draft picks with live arms. I honestly think their rotation could be the 2nd best in the division behind the Twins. The bullpen will be very shaky after dealing Ramon Ramirez to the Red Sox, but the closer role will be great with young sensation Jokaim Soria. The biggest concern has to be if Soria goes down, because the next guy in line is Kyle Farnsworth, yikes. On offense adding Mike Jacobs and Coco Crisp should add some much needed power and speed to their anemic offense. Add those 2 guys with a lineup already including Alex Gordon, Jose Guillen and Billy Butler, and I think you have an offense that can score with the Twins and White Sox.
Detroit Tigers: Talk about a proof positive that spending a ton of money will not guarantee you anything. The Tigers spent more money than any team last offseason, and yet they failed to win 75 games. With ESPN and every major media source pimping that great offense in the beginning of the year, it was hard to realize that their starting rotation SUCKED, and most knowledgeable sports fans knew that. Justin Verlander has a very live arm and a ton of potential, but he also lacks a solid 3rd pitch after his fastball and curve, leaving me(and many others) to believe he'll end up a closer down the road. After Verlander their rotation is abysmall. Armando Gallaraga, Jeremey Bonderman, Edwin Jackson and then a combination of the D-Train/Nate Robertson and Zach Miner(and possibly 20 year old phenom Rick Porcello come August). Talk about a team who should maybe hold on to a few pitching prospects once in a while. That rotation is brutal, and they'll be lucky to win 80 games again this year. The bullpen is solid but lacks a true closer. Brandon Lyon has a good arm, as does Joel Zumaya, but nobody with enough experience to feel truly confident in. The lineup should produce nice power numbers once again with Granderson, Magglio, Cabrera, Sheffield Laird and Guillen, but they have a big hole at short with Adam Everett. All in all they will score a lot of runs but give up even more.
Predicted Order of Finish:
1. Minnesota
2. Chicago
3. Detroit
4. Kansas City
5. Cleavland
Monday, February 2, 2009
Organizational and Player Rankings- NFL Style
Well the season is over and the Pittsburgh Steelers won a thrilling super bowl filled with tons of big plays and poor officiating. Now that the season has come to a close I see it fit to rank the top 32 players at each position on the field, as well as the most talented teams in the NFL.
Let's start with the Quarterbacks:
1. Peyton Manning
2. Tom Brady
3. Drew Brees
4. Kurt Warner
5. Tony Romo
6. Carson Palmer
7. Eli Manning
8. Jay Cutler
9. Donovan McNabb
10. Philip Rivers
11. Aaron Rodgers
12. Matt Rtan
13. Matt Schaub
14. Chad Pennington
15. Ben Roethlisberger
16. Matt Cassell
17. Matt Hasselback
18. Brett Favre
19. Kyle Orton
20. Marc Bulger
21. Tyler Thigpen
22. David Garrard
23. Brady Quinn
24. Jake Delhomme
25. Joe Flacco
26. Jeff Garcia
27. Kerry Collins
28. Shaun Hill
29. Trent Edwards
30. Jason Campbell
31. Gus Freotte
32. Jon Kitna
Running Backs:
1. Adrian Peterson
2. Brian Westbrook
3. Michael Turner
4. Frank Gore
5. Marion Barber
6. Steven Jackson
7. Clinton Portis
8. Brandon Jacobs
9. Deangello Williams
10. Chris Johnson
11. Ronnie Brown
12. Steve Slayton
13. Matt Forte
14. Merishawn Lynch
15. Willie Parker
16. Jonathan Stewart
17. Reggie Bush
18. Darrin Sproles
19. Lyndale White
20. Chester Taylor
21. Derrick Ward
22. Ricky Williams
23. Ryan Grant
24. Kevin Smith
25. Mewelde Moore
26. Larry Johnson
27. Ladanian Tomlinson
28. Josepth Addai
29. Justin Fargas
30. Michael Bush
31. Earnest Grahm
32. Leon Washington
Wide Recievers:
1. Larry Fitzgerald
2. Randy Moss
3. Calvin Johnson
4. Andre Johnson
5. Roddy White
6. Steve Smith
7. Plaxico Burress
8. Wes Welker
9. Reggie Wayne
10. Anquan Boldin
11. Braylon Edwards
12. TJ Houseyourmomma
13. Brandon Marshall
14. Greg Jennings
15. Dwayne Bowe
16. Eddie Royal
17. Derrick Mason
18. Santana Moss
19. Terrell Owens
20. Antonio Bryant
21. Steve Breaston
22. Jericho Cotchry
23. DeSean Jackson
24. Bernard Berrian
25. Lee Evans
26. Torry Holt
27. Issac Bruce
28. Vincent Jackson
29. Steve Smith
30. Kevin Walter
31. Ted Ginn Jr.
32. Ocho Sinco Johnson
Let's start with the Quarterbacks:
1. Peyton Manning
2. Tom Brady
3. Drew Brees
4. Kurt Warner
5. Tony Romo
6. Carson Palmer
7. Eli Manning
8. Jay Cutler
9. Donovan McNabb
10. Philip Rivers
11. Aaron Rodgers
12. Matt Rtan
13. Matt Schaub
14. Chad Pennington
15. Ben Roethlisberger
16. Matt Cassell
17. Matt Hasselback
18. Brett Favre
19. Kyle Orton
20. Marc Bulger
21. Tyler Thigpen
22. David Garrard
23. Brady Quinn
24. Jake Delhomme
25. Joe Flacco
26. Jeff Garcia
27. Kerry Collins
28. Shaun Hill
29. Trent Edwards
30. Jason Campbell
31. Gus Freotte
32. Jon Kitna
Running Backs:
1. Adrian Peterson
2. Brian Westbrook
3. Michael Turner
4. Frank Gore
5. Marion Barber
6. Steven Jackson
7. Clinton Portis
8. Brandon Jacobs
9. Deangello Williams
10. Chris Johnson
11. Ronnie Brown
12. Steve Slayton
13. Matt Forte
14. Merishawn Lynch
15. Willie Parker
16. Jonathan Stewart
17. Reggie Bush
18. Darrin Sproles
19. Lyndale White
20. Chester Taylor
21. Derrick Ward
22. Ricky Williams
23. Ryan Grant
24. Kevin Smith
25. Mewelde Moore
26. Larry Johnson
27. Ladanian Tomlinson
28. Josepth Addai
29. Justin Fargas
30. Michael Bush
31. Earnest Grahm
32. Leon Washington
Wide Recievers:
1. Larry Fitzgerald
2. Randy Moss
3. Calvin Johnson
4. Andre Johnson
5. Roddy White
6. Steve Smith
7. Plaxico Burress
8. Wes Welker
9. Reggie Wayne
10. Anquan Boldin
11. Braylon Edwards
12. TJ Houseyourmomma
13. Brandon Marshall
14. Greg Jennings
15. Dwayne Bowe
16. Eddie Royal
17. Derrick Mason
18. Santana Moss
19. Terrell Owens
20. Antonio Bryant
21. Steve Breaston
22. Jericho Cotchry
23. DeSean Jackson
24. Bernard Berrian
25. Lee Evans
26. Torry Holt
27. Issac Bruce
28. Vincent Jackson
29. Steve Smith
30. Kevin Walter
31. Ted Ginn Jr.
32. Ocho Sinco Johnson
Thursday, January 29, 2009
2009 NFL Draft
As the season closes it's time for the teams to revamp their teams with the addition of highly touted rookies from the NFL Draft. This year's draft class is extremely talented, and there is no reason for a team like the Vikings(picking at #22) to not get an instant impact player.
I made my own "Big Board" with the top 45 players I feel are available for this year's draft.
1. Eugene Monroe- LT, Virginia
2. Aaron Curry- OLB, Wake Forest
3. Mark Sanchez- QB, USC
4. Andre Smith- LT, Alabama
5. B.J. Raji- DT, Boston College
6. Malcolm Jenkins- CB, Ohio State
7. Rey Maualuga- ILB, USC
8. Matthew Stafford- QB, Georgia
9. Everette Brown- DE, Florida State
10. Michael Crabtree- WR, Texas Tech
11. Vontae Davis- CB, Illinois
12. Knowshon Moreno- RB, Georgia
13. Jason Smith- LT, Baylor
14. Chris Wells- RB, Ohio State
15. Brian Cushing- WLB- USC
16. Brian Orakpo- DE, Texas
17. Michael Oher- LT, Ole Miss
18. D.J. Moore- CB, Vanderbilt
19. Alex Mack- C, Cal
20. Percy Harvin- WR/KR/PR/RB, Florida
21. LeSean McCoy- RB, Pitt
22. Brandon Pettigrew- TE, Oklahoma State
23. Aaron Maybin- DE/3-4 Bookend, Penn St
24. Larry English- DE, Northern Illinois
25. Peria Jerry- DT, Ole Miss
26. Kenny Britt- WR, Rutgers
27. Tyson Jackson- DE, LSU
28. Hakeem Nicks, WR, North Carolina
29. Max Unger- C, Oregon
30. Brandon Gibson- WR, Washington State
31. Michael Johnson- DE, Georgia Tech
32. Rashad Johnson- SS, Alabama
33. Clint Sintim- DE/OLB, Virginia
34. Duke Robinson- G, Oklahoma
35. Phil Loadholt, RT, Oklahoma
36. Fila Moala- DT/3-4 DE, USC
37. James Davis- RB, Clemson
38. Kyle Moore- DE, USC
39. Jairus Byrd- CB, Oregon
40. Darrius Heyward-Bay- WR, Maryland
41. Victor Harris- CB, Virginia Tech
42. Chase Coffman- TE, Missouri
43. Jeremy Maclin- WR, Missouri
44. Josh Freeman- QB, Kansas State
45. Rhett Bomar- QB, Sam Houston State
With the use of ESPN 360 and You Tube I was able to watch games of every player on here. It was a long and grueling couple of days, but I think it will help me in getting pissed off at the Vikings for over valuing a player and reaching at some point in the first 2 rounds.
The Vikings don't have any glaring needs outside of the quarterback position, and if they choose to take a guy in this year's draft they are going to need someone in the top 10 willing to trade down. If they can somehow manage to move up to either #3 or #10 they should guarantee either Mark Sanchez or Matthew Stafford being available. My preference is Mark Sanchez because I feel he will be the better QB down the road, but Matthew Stafford would probably have a better shot at making a deep run in the playoffs based on his experience.
I could also see the Vikings trading the #22 pick to the Patriots in exchange for Matt Cassell. I'm not entirely sold on Cassell's overall ability. Cause let's face it, he was throwing to Randy Moss and Wes Welker last year, making his numbers seem better than they would have been with the playmakers the Vikings have. Bottom line though is that Cassell is better than any QB on the Vikings roster, and if we fail to trade up to land one of the Big 2 QBs in this draft I expect the #22 pick to be used as a trade piece for an experienced QB.
Other options at QB in free agency would be Kurt Warner and Jeff Garcia. I wouldn't mind signing Warner and drafting either Sanchez or Stafford, but if we failed to land a younger QB along with Warner I feel like we would just be getting a band aid for 1 season.
Another route the Vikings could take at #22 is drafting a replacement for either Ben Leber or Pat Williams. I love Pat but let's face it, he's old. There aren't many great DT prospects in this year's class, but a guy like Fili Moala from USC would be a nice fit next to K-Will, and would give the Vikings another pass rushing threat along side Jared Allen. A replacement for Leber would be a much more viable option at pick 22, due to the abundence of quality at the OLB position. If Brian Cushing falls all the way to us we have to take him. He's simply too talented to pass over.
The only other route I could see the Vikings take is drafting a CB. Alphonso Smith, Vontae Davis, and DJ Moore are very talented guys who project as future #1 CB's in the NFL. By drafting one of these 3 would signal the end of Cedric Griffen's days as a #2 corner, and would probably push him to his more natural role of a nickelback.
I made my own "Big Board" with the top 45 players I feel are available for this year's draft.
1. Eugene Monroe- LT, Virginia
2. Aaron Curry- OLB, Wake Forest
3. Mark Sanchez- QB, USC
4. Andre Smith- LT, Alabama
5. B.J. Raji- DT, Boston College
6. Malcolm Jenkins- CB, Ohio State
7. Rey Maualuga- ILB, USC
8. Matthew Stafford- QB, Georgia
9. Everette Brown- DE, Florida State
10. Michael Crabtree- WR, Texas Tech
11. Vontae Davis- CB, Illinois
12. Knowshon Moreno- RB, Georgia
13. Jason Smith- LT, Baylor
14. Chris Wells- RB, Ohio State
15. Brian Cushing- WLB- USC
16. Brian Orakpo- DE, Texas
17. Michael Oher- LT, Ole Miss
18. D.J. Moore- CB, Vanderbilt
19. Alex Mack- C, Cal
20. Percy Harvin- WR/KR/PR/RB, Florida
21. LeSean McCoy- RB, Pitt
22. Brandon Pettigrew- TE, Oklahoma State
23. Aaron Maybin- DE/3-4 Bookend, Penn St
24. Larry English- DE, Northern Illinois
25. Peria Jerry- DT, Ole Miss
26. Kenny Britt- WR, Rutgers
27. Tyson Jackson- DE, LSU
28. Hakeem Nicks, WR, North Carolina
29. Max Unger- C, Oregon
30. Brandon Gibson- WR, Washington State
31. Michael Johnson- DE, Georgia Tech
32. Rashad Johnson- SS, Alabama
33. Clint Sintim- DE/OLB, Virginia
34. Duke Robinson- G, Oklahoma
35. Phil Loadholt, RT, Oklahoma
36. Fila Moala- DT/3-4 DE, USC
37. James Davis- RB, Clemson
38. Kyle Moore- DE, USC
39. Jairus Byrd- CB, Oregon
40. Darrius Heyward-Bay- WR, Maryland
41. Victor Harris- CB, Virginia Tech
42. Chase Coffman- TE, Missouri
43. Jeremy Maclin- WR, Missouri
44. Josh Freeman- QB, Kansas State
45. Rhett Bomar- QB, Sam Houston State
With the use of ESPN 360 and You Tube I was able to watch games of every player on here. It was a long and grueling couple of days, but I think it will help me in getting pissed off at the Vikings for over valuing a player and reaching at some point in the first 2 rounds.
The Vikings don't have any glaring needs outside of the quarterback position, and if they choose to take a guy in this year's draft they are going to need someone in the top 10 willing to trade down. If they can somehow manage to move up to either #3 or #10 they should guarantee either Mark Sanchez or Matthew Stafford being available. My preference is Mark Sanchez because I feel he will be the better QB down the road, but Matthew Stafford would probably have a better shot at making a deep run in the playoffs based on his experience.
I could also see the Vikings trading the #22 pick to the Patriots in exchange for Matt Cassell. I'm not entirely sold on Cassell's overall ability. Cause let's face it, he was throwing to Randy Moss and Wes Welker last year, making his numbers seem better than they would have been with the playmakers the Vikings have. Bottom line though is that Cassell is better than any QB on the Vikings roster, and if we fail to trade up to land one of the Big 2 QBs in this draft I expect the #22 pick to be used as a trade piece for an experienced QB.
Other options at QB in free agency would be Kurt Warner and Jeff Garcia. I wouldn't mind signing Warner and drafting either Sanchez or Stafford, but if we failed to land a younger QB along with Warner I feel like we would just be getting a band aid for 1 season.
Another route the Vikings could take at #22 is drafting a replacement for either Ben Leber or Pat Williams. I love Pat but let's face it, he's old. There aren't many great DT prospects in this year's class, but a guy like Fili Moala from USC would be a nice fit next to K-Will, and would give the Vikings another pass rushing threat along side Jared Allen. A replacement for Leber would be a much more viable option at pick 22, due to the abundence of quality at the OLB position. If Brian Cushing falls all the way to us we have to take him. He's simply too talented to pass over.
The only other route I could see the Vikings take is drafting a CB. Alphonso Smith, Vontae Davis, and DJ Moore are very talented guys who project as future #1 CB's in the NFL. By drafting one of these 3 would signal the end of Cedric Griffen's days as a #2 corner, and would probably push him to his more natural role of a nickelback.
Super Bowl Time
Well the long season is about to come to an end, and that means it's time for me to enhance my playoff prediction winning %. I haven't picked the Cardinals to win a game yet, and they continue to defy the odds and beat very good teams. I am going to pick against them again, but not for the same reasons as before. I believe Pittsburgh is a very very good team, but they lack playmakers on offense and consistency from Ben Roethlisberger. Arizona has the advantage at every offensive position, and I would also argue that the Cards' D-line is better than Pittsburgh's. So why am I picking the Steelers? Simply put, I want the Cards to win, and therefore I will pick against them like I have the previous 3 games.
Prediction: Steelers 27 Cardinals 17
Prediction: Steelers 27 Cardinals 17
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)