2013 MLB Thread

Megatron · Feb 19, 2013

Pitchers and catchers reported almost a week ago now, so I think it's time to create the official MLB thread for the 2013 season. Since it's been about 4 months since we saw the Giants capture their 2nd championship in 3 years, here's a little recap of who went where and some important dates for the year.

Tampa Bay Rays trade James Shields, Wade Davis, and Elliot Johnson to the Kansas City Royals for Wil Meyers, Mike Montgomery, Jake Odorizzi, and Patrick Leonard

Miami Marlins trade Josh Johnson, Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle, John Buck, and Emilio Bonifacio to the Toronto Blue Jays for Yunel Escobar, Adeiny Hechavarria, Henderson Alvarez, Anthony DeSclafani, Justin Nicolino, Jeff Mathis and Jake Marisnick

Arizona Diamondbacks trade Justin Upton and Chris Johnson to the Atlanta Braves for Martin Prado, Randall Delgado, Zeke Spruill, Nick Ahmed, and Brandon Drury

Cleveland Indians trade Shin-Soo Choo and Jason Donald to the Cincinnati Reds for Drew Stubbs and Didi Gregorious. Cleveland traded Tony Sipp, Lars Anderson, and Didi Gregorious to the Arizona Diamondbacks for Trevor Bauer, Matt Albers, and Bryan Shaw

Toronto Blue Jays trade John Buck, Travis d'Arnaud, Noah Syndergaard, and Wuilmer Beccera to the New York Mets for R.A. Dickey, Josh Thole, and Mike Nickeas

Don't forget the World Baseball Classic begins in March (if you don't want to watch Spring Training baseball) and that opening day begins March 31 with Texas vs. Houston on Sunday Night Baseball. Use this thread to discuss most of your MLB news and thoughts.

Megatron · Mar 6, 2013

Some news out of Yankeeland today. Mark Teixeira will be out 8-10 weeks with a wrist injury, one reportedly similar to the one suffered by Jose Bautista last year, causing him to be out for a while and have some of his power sapped. With yet another Yankee down, I found this tweet to be quite interesting

ESPN Stats & Info ‏@ESPNStatsInfo

With Mark Teixeira out 8-10 weeks, 8 of Yankees' top 10 HR hitters from 2012 are either injured to start season or gone via free agency.

That just blows my mind. For a team that wasn't getting any younger as it is and didn't spend money on any big free agents, there's a definite cause for concern. The Jays got much improved this year with their trade additions, the Rays still have great pitching and got more young talent with Wil Myers, the Red Sox should conceivably be better next year, even if it's only .500, and the Orioles may take a step back but still have a pretty good manager running the show. The Yankees are have injury concerns at 1st, SS, 3rd (A-Rod is out and Youkilis is always seemingly hurt) and CF. Catcher will be a black hole without Martin. Ichiro is in his late 30s and shouldn't be expected to carry the load, and Gardner was out much of last year with an injury.

So, I ask, how concerned should the Yankees be? Is this the year they fall back to the middle of the pack near .500 and succumb their place to Toronto and Tampa? Will they be able to ride on their strong staff until their offense gets its shit in place? What should we expect out of the 2013 New York Yankees?

Megatron · Mar 24, 2013

Oh man, 1 week until Opening Day!!!!! I'll leave my predictions later in the week, but right now I just wanna talk about how the Tigers offseason fared.

The Tigers didn't make the big splash offseason signing like they did last year with Prince Fielder, but they certainly improved. Torii Hunter was signed to a 2 year deal, effectively ending Delmon Young's time as a Tiger. Although he came up big in the postseason, Delmon was awful for most of the regular season and is limited to only a DH only now (which makes it a bit odd that the Phillies went out to get him), and theoretically Hunter will improve both their OF defense and their #2 spot. Although he got a little more money than I would've hoped, I still liked the signing.

Their other big FA move wasn't a signing, but more of an extension. Annibal Sanchez, acquired in last years trade deadline, received a 5 year 80 million dollar contract from the Tigers. That really solidified their rotation and made it one of the best in baseball. When one of your #4 starters is Scherzer/Fister/Sanchez (depending how Leyland breaks them out) you surely got some depth. I won't be surprised to see the starters at the top of the pitching categories again.

The main storyline going into camp was what were the Tigers gonna do with SP Rick Porcello. Due to Drew Smyly's impressive rookie season and the fact that he was a lefty (the rest of the Tigers starters are righties), many anticipated that Porcello would've been traded by now for a closer (since many are unable to trust Rookie Bruce Rondon, who has as many pitches in the majors as I have) but he remains on the team and will likely go to Detroit as the #5. As much as people may want him gone, I've been on the keep Porcello bandwagon all spring for two reasons. Reason 1 is because the Tigers don't have any depth past Smyly and when the injury bug hits I don't want to have to rely on some combination of Casey Crosby (the likely next man in line), Duane Below, or any other small time minor leaguer. Porcello has shown to be durable enough and, with even a slight uptick in K's and better D, could be a decent 3-4 starter. The other reason is because of what may happen in the future. Both Max Scherzer and Doug Fister will be in need of extensions soon, and the Tigers may only be able to afford one. That would be where Porcello can come in and take over, since his contract remains in tact until 2015 and it's likely his extension wouldn't be nearly as pricey (unless he suddenly puts it all together like many thought he would when he was first called up). Porcello's still young and there's still time to improve, so I don't see why the Tigers would be so anxious to give him away for a closer that may only give you 70 innings a year.

Overall, none of the moves done by the other teams in the division has me under the belief that the Tigers won't win the division. Cleveland made some nice adds, sure, but their pitching is still a mess and the Tigers still have a better overall lineup than them. The Twins are in rebuild mode right now. The White Sox didn't do much of anything besides letting AJ Pierzyski go. The Royals made the big trade for James Shields, but other than him their staff has a lot of question marks. I'd mark the Tigers down for 90 wins and wouldn't look back. 3 straight division titles and potentially may make another run at the World Series.

Johnny Q Public · Mar 27, 2013

Well having followed the Houston Astros all my life, I have watched some of the Spring Training, games and all I can say is OUCH! it's going to be a LONG LONG season. I don't see the Astros finishing anything better than 13 games below .500 if they are lucky, so sad that a franchise that used to be a preiennal post season team has fallen so far. Plus no more Milo Hamilton on play by play

. Maybe I should be a Ranger fan. Astros will still draw as it is there first year in the AL, and they get to play the yankess, but they are going to get KILLED.

Megatron · Mar 27, 2013

Yeah the Astros are gonna have a rough year (and likely 2014 as well) but just stay with the plan. Once they get their farm system developed and have budding stars it'll be fun to watch the Astros again. They'll increase their payroll and be able to compete for the long term. Best case scenario, they turn into what the Nationals are now in 3-4 years.

This year will be awful, yes. But look at the positives. No expectations, so any win will be great, and Jose Altuve! You can spend time measuring how many Altuve's something is if you get bored watching a game.

The Butcher · Mar 28, 2013

Megatron said:
...and the Orioles may take a step back but still have a pretty good manager running the show.

Orioles are going to win the East. The team was patchwork last season, and they defied all the odds to come within a game of winning the East against a healthy Yankees team. The Blue Jays are formidable on paper, sure, but so were the Angels last year and a lot of good that did them. Teams have to gel and coalesce. Toronto hasn't had time to do that. The Orioles have their rotation set, something they didn't have at pretty much any point last year, they have healthy Brian Roberts and Nick Markakis, and as you mentioned, the best manager in the game is calling the shots.

Yankees fans will call it the "Showalter Curse" 20 years from now when they're wondering why they haven't won a World Series in that long.

Megatron · Mar 28, 2013

This shall be fun...

Dr. said:
Orioles are going to win the East.

Third at best. Too much luck on their side last year for them not to regress.

The team was patchwork last season, and they defied all the odds to come within a game of winning the East against a healthy Yankees team.

So you think they'll defy the odds again? From mid-July to the end of the year they did play like a good team, +64 RD from the lowest point I've seen. However, they ended up only with a +7 RD, which is equivalent to a 82-83 win team. This was do, in large part, to their 16-2 record in extra innings and 29-9 record in 1 run games. The year before, with the same manager and many of the same players, went 8-8 in extra innings and 22-22 in 1 run games and was last in the division. Shocker. Showalter was able to pull out the pixie dust last year, but don't bank on teams continuously overplaying expectancies because that's not how baseball goes.

The Blue Jays are formidable on paper, sure, but so were the Angels last year and a lot of good that did them. Teams have to gel and coalesce. Toronto hasn't had time to do that.

Fair argument, but they were also stricken by injuries quite a bit last year to their staff and shouldn't have that much unfortunateness again. And that offense will rake from day 1. They always do. If they can pitch, they'll be in the playoff hunt.

The Orioles have their rotation set, something they didn't have at pretty much any point last year, they have healthy Brian Roberts and Nick Markakis, and as you mentioned, the best manager in the game is calling the shots.

Aside from Hammel, who I think could be a high 3-low 2, there's not many Orioles pitchers I'm a fan of in their current rotation. Chen I guess would be alright as a back end guy, but he's going in as their #2. Gonzalez and Tillman are two examples of regression candidates, outpitching their ERA by a full run or more. Arrietta is admittedly opposite of that, having great peripherals and some poor luck (abnormally low LOB%, .320 BABIP, xFIP 3.65 compared to 5+ ERA). Still, there's not a lot of WOW in that rotation. Plus injures will inevitably occur as they do for almost every rotation.

And relying on Roberts? A guy that's not even played a combined full season in the last 3 years? Alrighty. Markakis, if healthy, could be a solid RF for them I agree. Not great, but starter worthy.

Yankees fans will call it the "Showalter Curse" 20 years from now when they're wondering why they haven't won a World Series in that long.

Erm, did you just forget about Tampa or are you already counting them out? They have the best rotation and best manager (yes, better than Buck) and if Longo isn't hurt and they call up Meyers sooner rather than later, their offense will be more than enough potent. For the record, I have them winning the division. Toronto 2, New York 3, Baltimore 4, Boston 5.

Richard Blonoff · Mar 28, 2013

Am I the only one who thinks people are drastically overrating the Angels?

They will probably be the best offense in the league, but their pitching isn't all that great. Weaver is good, but I think he has regressed a bit the last couple of seasons, CJ Wilson is a decent #2, Joe Blanton has always been average, Jason Vargas is unproven, and as a Braves fan I can honestly say Tommy Hanson is not as good as his first few seasons. His velocity is down since his surgery and he has at ERA of 8 this spring.

I think they can be a playoff team as I doubt the A's get back and I don't think the Rangers will be as good as recent years, but people are calling them early favorites to win it all.

The Butcher · Mar 28, 2013

Megatron said:
Third at best. Too much luck on their side last year for them not to regress.

Sometimes you make your own luck. The Orioles believe.

So you think they'll defy the odds again? From mid-July to the end of the year they did play like a good team, +64 RD from the lowest point I've seen. However, they ended up only with a +7 RD, which is equivalent to a 82-83 win team. This was do, in large part, to their 16-2 record in extra innings and 29-9 record in 1 run games. The year before, with the same manager and many of the same players, went 8-8 in extra innings and 22-22 in 1 run games and was last in the division. Shocker. Showalter was able to pull out the pixie dust last year, but don't bank on teams continuously overplaying expectancies because that's not how baseball goes.

I've followed this team long enough to know better than to base my expectations off of pixie dust or anything along those lines. You said it yourself, from mid-July to the end of the season, the Orioles were not smoke and mirrors. This team is legit. Many of the same players as in prior seasons, sure, but let's not discount the fact that many of these "same players" are talented ballplayers. Guys like Adam Jones, Matt Wieters, J.J. Hardy, and Nate McClouth have just started to play up to what was expected of them as prospects, and in Wieters' case he's going to get much, much better. Manny Machado being there finally gives them stability at the hot corner that they didn't have until he got there last season, and Chris Davis at 1st is a downgrade in power to Mark Reynolds, but oh so much more steady and reliable at the plate. The guy's a decent pitcher in the 16th inning as well.

Fair argument, but they were also stricken by injuries quite a bit last year to their staff and shouldn't have that much unfortunateness again. And that offense will rake from day 1. They always do. If they can pitch, they'll be in the playoff hunt.

Fair argument back at you, and I'm not discounting the Jays as a contender. Frankly, I think it'll be them and O's racing for the AL East crown. And after all these years, I'm more than fine with that.

Aside from Hammel, who I think could be a high 3-low 2, there's not many Orioles pitchers I'm a fan of in their current rotation. Chen I guess would be alright as a back end guy, but he's going in as their #2. Gonzalez and Tillman are two examples of regression candidates, outpitching their ERA by a full run or more. Arrietta is admittedly opposite of that, having great peripherals and some poor luck (abnormally low LOB%, .320 BABIP, xFIP 3.65 compared to 5+ ERA). Still, there's not a lot of WOW in that rotation. Plus injures will inevitably occur as they do for almost every rotation.

Hammel, Gonzo, and Chen are going to be fine. Gonzo and Chen held it down all last year with guys dropping like they were walking through a minefield all around them. Stability will bring with it confidence. Let's not forget or discount the value of the O's bullpen and closer, which is a bigger part of the reason they were awesome in 1-run and extra-inning games last year than luck.

And relying on Roberts? A guy that's not even played a combined full season in the last 3 years? Alrighty. Markakis, if healthy, could be a solid RF for them I agree. Not great, but starter worthy.

I'll give you Roberts. I'm excited for his return to the lineup, and his health is a big "if." However, I'm confident that if he stays healthy he'll be a solid lead-off man and a reliable infielder. He's not so beat up that he can't get on-base, steal one where needed, and dive for a hot ground ball. As far as Markakis-- the O's would've beaten the Yankees in the Divisional round last year if Nick were in the lineup. I don't have a tab opened to baseball-reference, but I'd put Nick's fielding and batting up against a vast majority of RFs in MLB. "Great" is one of those terms. How many "great" players are out there right now? What's the criteria for "great?" I don't necessarily need "great" at RF, I need solid. Markakis is more than solid.

Erm, did you just forget about Tampa or are you already counting them out? They have the best rotation and best manager (yes, better than Buck) and if Longo isn't hurt and they call up Meyers sooner rather than later, their offense will be more than enough potent. For the record, I have them winning the division. Toronto 2, New York 3, Baltimore 4, Boston 5.

I haven't forgotten about the Rays at all. Trust me. Maddon is a great manager (better/worse than Buck is negligible- a quibbling argument at best). Best rotations haven't been collecting a lot of World Series trophies in recent years-- gotta swing the bat too. The Giants bats sure did a number on JV and your crew last October. No disrespect, your guys made it to the dance, but let's not act like the best rotation has won out in recent years. They haven't. Anyway, we saw the mighty Rays offense without Evan Longoria last year. If it's a pitcher's duel, I like the Orioles chances in a 1-run game.

I wouldn't be in here chest thumping if I didn't like my team's chances. I'm generally pretty muted in the sports forum here. I talk wrestling because I don't talk wrestling IRL; I talk sports enough to where I don't need the outlet here. That said, though, I'll pop in and out just to make sure my Birds are getting their due respect. Everyone counted the Ravens out, too. I think people just don't like Baltimore. Too much The Wire.

O's 1, Jays 2, Rays 3, Yanks 4, Sox 5

Opening Day is literally right around the corner. We won't have to wait long to find out.

The Butcher · Mar 28, 2013

Rainbow Yaz said:
Am I the only one who thinks people are drastically overrating the Angels?

They will probably be the best offense in the league, but their pitching isn't all that great. Weaver is good, but I think he has regressed a bit the last couple of seasons, CJ Wilson is a decent #2, Joe Blanton has always been average, Jason Vargas is unproven, and as a Braves fan I can honestly say Tommy Hanson is not as good as his first few seasons. His velocity is down since his surgery and he has at ERA of 8 this spring.

I think they can be a playoff team as I doubt the A's get back and I don't think the Rangers will be as good as recent years, but people are calling them early favorites to win it all.

I'm sure you're not alone, but "drastically" may be pushing it. I think their offense and fielding will offset any pitching deficiencies they have. I think they'll win the West by a fair margin, and they're my pick to represent the AL in the World Series. I'd be more than happy to be wrong in this case, though.

And for my Jays, Rays 2/3 above, that can go either way, and I do think a Wild Card will come out of the East. So, O's, Jays, and/or Rays will be making the tournament for my picks.

Megatron · Mar 28, 2013

Rainbow Yaz said:
Am I the only one who thinks people are drastically overrating the Angels?

They will probably be the best offense in the league, but their pitching isn't all that great. Weaver is good, but I think he has regressed a bit the last couple of seasons, CJ Wilson is a decent #2, Joe Blanton has always been average, Jason Vargas is unproven, and as a Braves fan I can honestly say Tommy Hanson is not as good as his first few seasons. His velocity is down since his surgery and he has at ERA of 8 this spring.

I think they can be a playoff team as I doubt the A's get back and I don't think the Rangers will be as good as recent years, but people are calling them early favorites to win it all.

The Angels do have definite concerns about their rotation. Weaver is good, but he's clearly a step below the best pitchers (JV/Felix/Kershaw/Strasburg) and Wilson should be better in year 2. Vargas is an alright piece, but he's more of a pitch to contact guy with only an average of 5 K/9. Blanton is about as average as you can get. He'll be in the ballpark of 2-3 WAR, which is fine for your 4/5. I'll take your view over Hanson over mine, as I really haven't seen the guy pitch all that much. The Angels, much like the Jays, will likely be carried by their offense in the regular season. If they don't screw it up they should be right in playoff contention since they do get all of those games against the Astros.

I do like the A's to continue what they did, though. They don't have many stars aside from Cespedes - a potential top 10 OF right now - but they have good pitching and depth there along with good platooners. They're my pick to win the division right now. I'm not too confident in it, but I trust them more than the Angels rotation or the Rangers growing age concerns.

Dr. said:
Sometimes you make your own luck. The Orioles believe.

I'm sure everyone on every team believes. I'm just saying, it's quite unsustainable for the Orioles to play 20 games above .500 in 1 run contests and be 16-2 in extra inning play. Law of averages says that will regress quite a bit.

I've followed this team long enough to know better than to base my expectations off of pixie dust or anything along those lines. You said it yourself, from mid-July to the end of the season, the Orioles were not smoke and mirrors. This team is legit. Many of the same players as in prior seasons, sure, but let's not discount the fact that many of these "same players" are talented ballplayers. Guys like Adam Jones, Matt Wieters, J.J. Hardy, and Nate McClouth have just started to play up to what was expected of them as prospects, and in Wieters' case he's going to get much, much better. Manny Machado being there finally gives them stability at the hot corner that they didn't have until he got there last season, and Chris Davis at 1st is a downgrade in power to Mark Reynolds, but oh so much more steady and reliable at the plate. The guy's a decent pitcher in the 16th inning as well.

Jones is a nice player, but aside from his first two months when he was an MVP candidate, he played as the Adam Jones we knew the 3-4 seasons before that (just check his OPS month by month). Wieters is a top 5 catcher at first glance, yes. Hardy is now 30 and wasn't much for an offensive produce, but his D at least salvaged his value. And consider me skeptical on McClouth. He's 31 and the two years before his small stint with Baltimore he was quite forgettable. I'll hesitate on him being an important part on account of small sample size. Machado will be a star of the future, but at age 20 he's not ready to carry these guys. Davis is alright, I guess.

Hammel, Gonzo, and Chen are going to be fine. Gonzo and Chen held it down all last year with guys dropping like they were walking through a minefield all around them. Stability will bring with it confidence. Let's not forget or discount the value of the O's bullpen and closer, which is a bigger part of the reason they were awesome in 1-run and extra-inning games last year than luck.

Their bullpen was better than most last year and I would give them some credit to being apart of their late game success. They won't be AS successful, results wise, compared to last year, but they'll hold down the fort for sure. They still may finish ahead in Extra inning and 1 run games, but not nearly as high. And Gonzalez I have to say is a hard buy. The mediocre K/BB and K/9 rate, along with his quite fluky .260 BABIP makes me think there'll be a bit of regression for him.

I haven't forgotten about the Rays at all. Trust me. Maddon is a great manager (better/worse than Buck is negligible- a quibbling argument at best). Best rotations haven't been collecting a lot of World Series trophies in recent years-- gotta swing the bat too. The Giants bats sure did a number on JV and your crew last October. No disrespect, your guys made it to the dance, but let's not act like the best rotation has won out in recent years. They haven't. Anyway, we saw the mighty Rays offense without Evan Longoria last year. If it's a pitcher's duel, I like the Orioles chances in a 1-run game.

Longoria has only missed time once so far in his career, and it was last year. I'll take my chances on their offense with him healthy.

The Butcher · Mar 28, 2013

You're on the ball, Megatron. I hope the O's can back up my boast; if not, I'll be happy with another wild card. I can tell you're big on pitching, not a surprise and not a bad philosophy, whereas I see the modern MLB leaning more towards offense carrying teams to titles. The Yankees were more about offense than pitching last year, the Rangers teams of the last 2 years were more offense than pitching, and the eventual champions of recent years have been pretty balanced, but skewed offensively. I certainly can't say the O's are amazing at either, but I love their intangibles. Grit and determination play a big part over 162 games.

The Butcher · Mar 29, 2013

I'm sure you've got an ear-to-ear grin right now Megatron:

ESPN.com said:
Justin Verlander and the Detroit Tigers have reached agreement on a new contract that could exceed $202 million, sources told ESPN's Buster Olney.
Verlander's deal, which would make him the highest-paid pitcher in the game, is for seven years and worth $180 million, sources said. A vesting option for an eighth year could push the deal to $202 million.
"I love this city & the fans -- couldn't be more excited to spend my career here! We're going to bring a World Series to Detroit!!!" Verlander tweeted.

JV's not showing any signs of slowing down, either. Great news for the Tigers, bad news for batting averages.

Megatron · Mar 29, 2013

That will make him a Tiger for life. Sure, he's got some miles on the engine, but he should live up to at least the first few years of those deals. 6-7 years will be rough with all that money to Verlander and Fielder, but it'll be great to see him retire as a Tiger for his whole career.

Richard Blonoff · Mar 29, 2013

I'm not going to say Verlander is the best pitcher in the game, because I think a case can be made for King Felix, David Price, Verlander, Clayton Kershaw, or Matt Cain, but damn it if he isn't great. I'm glad I have no rooting interest in the AL Central or I would hate the guy.

Megatron · Mar 31, 2013

Oh man, finally some real baseball! Here's a quick rip of my picks:

AL East: Rays
AL Central: Tigers
AL West: Angels (switched at last second)
Wild Card: Jays and A's

NL East: Nationals
NL Central: Reds
NL West: Giants
Wild Card: Diamondbacks and Braves

AL MVP: Evan Longoria
AL CY: Justin Verlander
AL ROY: Wil Meyers

NL MVP: Joey Votto
NL CY: Stephen Strasburg
NL ROY: Shelby Miller

ALCS: Tigers over A's
NLCS: Braves over Giants
WS: Tigers over Braves

The Crock · Mar 31, 2013

Here are my picks:

AL East: Jays
AL Central: Tigers
AL West: Angels
Wild Card: Yankees and Athletics

NL East: Nationals
NL Central: Reds
NL West: Dodgers
Wild Card: Giants and Braves

AL MVP: Mike Trout
AL CY: David Price
AL ROY: Jurickson Profar

NL MVP: Buster Posey
NL CY: Stephen Strasburg
NL ROY: Travis D'Arnaud

WS Champs: Washington Nationals

Harthan · Apr 1, 2013

The Crock said:
Here are my picks:

AL East: Jays
AL Central: Tigers
AL West: Angels
Wild Card: Yankees and Athletics

NL East: Nationals
NL Central: Reds
NL West: Dodgers
Wild Card: Giants and Braves

AL MVP: Mike Trout
AL CY: David Price
AL ROY: Jurickson Profar

NL MVP: Buster Posey
NL CY: Stephen Strasburg
NL ROY: Travis D'Arnaud

WS Champs: Washington Nationals

Oh boy. Now that we've gotten to this point, I too would like to revise my predictions.

AL East - Toronto Blue Jays. Too good to lose, assuming health. Project All-Star performances from Bautista, Reyes, and Lawrie, and a really good rotation, though it'll lack an ace unless Johnson can throw 200 innings.

AL Central - Detroit Tigers. Yeah, yeah, alright. The rest of the division has improved, but probably not enough to catch them (in the most likely of all scenarios). If they make any missteps, however, this division could be pretty chaotic, and traditional catching up and winning the division in August/September may not work for them like it did the last two years.

AL West - Los Angeles Angels. Texas will be just a step back, but the Angels are just too ridiculously good. Too much firepower not to win, led by the amazing Mike Trout.

Wild Cards: Texas, Tampa Bay

Take the Jays coming out of the AL for me, but every team has a legitimate shot here.

AL MVP - Mike Trout. Deserved it last year. Will probably deserve it this year, too, with the benefit of a full season and a probable playoff appearance.

AL Cy Young - Felix Hernandez. Improved offense in Seattle should help his win total, which has historically hurt him in voting. He's too good to be overly affected by the fences moving in, as well. If the Mariners manage to be in competition for a playoff spot, you can also expect his stock to rise.

AL Rookie of the Year - Jackie Bradley Jr. So hard to call, because who gets enough plate appearances to make it? Sure, if Profar was an everyday shortstop, no problem. But will he get the majors before the summer? The only guys you can really wager on are the ones with jobs right now - Brandon Maurer, Aaron Hicks, and Jackie Bradley Jr. Bradley will have the Boston media advantage, so if he just performs to expectation the media wave will carry him to the award.

NL East - Washington Nationals. Full year of Strasburg and good offseason means they're just as good if not better than last year. Atlanta made upgrades, but Washington has the obvious path to the top.

NL Central Cincinnati Reds. Choo is a nice pickup but his defensive liability at center could offset his benefit to them, though he still improves on Stubbs. Otherwise the Reds are pretty much intact, and while the Cardinals will make a run at it, I figure that the Reds have the best shot.

NL West Los Angeles Dodgers. Throwing money at your problems helps. The Giants won't be far behind though.

Wild Cards - San Francisco, Atlanta.

I choose Washington out of the NL, but once again, it's pretty darn close among all of them.

NL MVP - Buster Posey. Again. Stanton could have a monster year and might deserve it, but being in Miami will hurt him unless he obviously blows his competition out of the water, which he probably won't. Posey is poised to do it again in 2013.

NL Cy Young - Clayton Kershaw. Contract year, all eyes are on him, the Dodgers will probably go to the playoffs. He should dominate and win this award.

NL Rookie of the Year - Shelby Miller. Eaton would have had it before his injury. He just doesn't have enough time to make up the ground on the competition, though. I think that Miller is going to have an excellent rookie year and edge out his fellow rookie pitchers and competition like Jedd Gyorko.

And I take the popular pick of the Nats in the WS. They're one hell of a team, folks.

Also, I must once again reiterate that the Rangers should really just acquire Price from the Rays. They intend to extend Andrus, and they have Kinsler at second. Trade Profar and Olt to get Price and they'll cement themselves at the top of the division again.

RManske2 · Apr 1, 2013

So I briefly watched about 5-10 minutes of the Rangers/Astros game as I was flipping through the channels and a few things...

1) They said the Astros have a team payroll of like $18 million, that is just mind blowing and that there are lots of players, some not really worth it (I'm looking at you A-Rod) that make more than the whole team will make. Then again, I only recognized about 2 names in the starting lineup.

2) The Astros in the American League is going to take me a while to get used to...

The Butcher · Apr 1, 2013

RManske2 said:
So I briefly watched about 5-10 minutes of the Rangers/Astros game as I was flipping through the channels and a few things...

1) They said the Astros have a team payroll of like $18 million, that is just mind blowing and that there are lots of players, some not really worth it (I'm looking at you A-Rod) that make more than the whole team will make. Then again, I only recognized about 2 names in the starting lineup.

2) The Astros in the American League is going to take me a while to get used to...

I caught the first 5 or 6 innings, and I'm glad the 'Stros sent the fans home happy. I think very highly of Jose Altuve, and although their team is made mostly of youngsters and journeymen, there are signs of life that the franchise didn't have as recently as two or three seasons ago. For some reason I get a good vibe from Bo Porter as well. I hope he works out for them.

Personally, I'm already over them being moved to the AL. I'm sure Houstonians feel differently, but as bad as they've been for the last 2 years, I'd imagine that Houston residents have grown a pretty thick callous as it relates to their home team.

The list of players who make more than the Astros payroll is indeed pretty staggering. A-Rod, Mark Texiera, CC Sabathia, Albert Pujols, Justin Verlander, Joe Mauer, Vernon Wells, Johann Santana, and quite a few more. There are certainly a few on that list who it can be argued aren't worth the money, but that's just where MLB is.

It was just nice watching some baseball.

Harthan · Apr 1, 2013

Dr. said:
I caught the first 5 or 6 innings, and I'm glad the 'Stros sent the fans home happy. I think very highly of Jose Altuve, and although their team is made mostly of youngsters and journeymen, there are signs of life that the franchise didn't have as recently as two or three seasons ago. For some reason I get a good vibe from Bo Porter as well. I hope he works out for them.

Personally, I'm already over them being moved to the AL. I'm sure Houstonians feel differently, but as bad as they've been for the last 2 years, I'd imagine that Houston residents have grown a pretty thick callous as it relates to their home team.

The list of players who make more than the Astros payroll is indeed pretty staggering. A-Rod, Mark Texiera, CC Sabathia, Albert Pujols, Justin Verlander, Joe Mauer, Vernon Wells, Johann Santana, and quite a few more. There are certainly a few on that list who it can be argued aren't worth the money, but that's just where MLB is.

It was just nice watching some baseball.

It's amusing how everyone keeps thinking long term, big money deals are a good idea when A-Rod, Vernon Wells, and Johan Santana exist. Tex is getting close to being a cautionary tale himself. This next generation of contracts could turn real ugly, real quick. Verlander, Felix, Pujols, Fielder all in five years? That'll be real fun.

Megatron · Apr 1, 2013

Problem is many of them are paying for past performances instead of the future. If I was an owner I'd try to frontload it where your chances of the player still being elite are high. Instead, guys like Verlander and Fielder will be making $20 million plus when they're in their mid-late 30s. Don't get me wrong, I want them on my team, but about 5-6 years from now this team could be hurting financially.

Thriller Ant · Apr 1, 2013

Megatron said:
Problem is many of them are paying for past performances instead of the future. If I was an owner I'd try to frontload it where your chances of the player still being elite are high. Instead, guys like Verlander and Fielder will be making $20 million plus when they're in their mid-late 30s. Don't get me wrong, I want them on my team, but about 5-6 years from now this team could be hurting financially.

That's why the Cardinals ended up not re-signing Albert Pujols. They weren't willing to handcuff the team financially to get one player on the wrong end of his prime. If we gave him the money he thought he deserved, we wouldn't have been able to sign Carlos Beltran, re-sign Adam Wainwright, and/or find somewhere for Allen Craig to play.

Megatron · Apr 1, 2013

I can understand why mid-market teams aren't willing to dish out that much for guys in their 30s, but it just wouldn't have been the same to see Verlander in another uni. He needs to go down as the Tigers best pitcher ever, and ultimately (barring injury) will.

smizzy · Apr 1, 2013

AL East - Blue Jays; This will be down to the Rays and Jays, but Toronto's rotation gives them the edge.
AL Central - Tigers; No real explanation necessary really. Maybe the White Sox, Indians or really even the Royals could make a run if the Tigers lose a core player, but one of the Wild Cards are more realistic for them because the Tigers are going to take this division.
AL West - Angels; You know what? Fuck these guys. Except Trout, he's a good dude. Ever since they swayed my Albert Pujols to leave St. Louis, I've sincerely despised this organization. But regardless, they are better poised for success this season than the Rangers.
AL Wildcards - Rangers & Rays

NL East - Nationals; I want to take the Braves here, but I really have to take Washington. They're well-rounded everywhere but it's going to be a close race.
NL Central - Cardinals; Look, I know what my team is capable of. Our only truly weak area is short stop, but our farm system is so deep that we could easily trade for better production there and not barely put a dent in our depth. There are young pitchers and offensive catalysts just waiting to bloom in the Majors should one of the regulars go down with an injury.
NL West - Giants; I'm not sold on the Dodgers. They have big names but I have a feeling that their fans will be disappointed in the production that they'll actually get out of them.
NL Wildcard - Reds & Braves; Both are viable options to win their divisions.

World Series - Tigers over Nationals

AL MVP - Miguel Cabrera; I don't like picking repeats but he's the best hitter on the planet right now with a great team behind him.
AL Cy - David Price; Going to be huge in helping get the Rays into October baseball.
AL RoY - Manny Machado

NL MVP - Allen Craig; All he does is drive in runs. If he gets a full season, he's going to put up MVP numbers.
NL Cy - Stephen Strasburg; He's unleashed this season. I'm excited to see what kind of numbers he can put up.
NL RoY - Oscar Taveras; He's coming. He's going to hit, and hit a lot.

2013 MLB Thread

Justin Verlander > You

Justin Verlander > You

Justin Verlander > You

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WOO!

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