Baseball 2010

[shoreman1782]

I figured, in honor of my 2008 MLB World Champion Philadelpia Phillies, I ought to start the 2009 thread.

Any predictions? Surprises from the offseason? What the hell happened to the free agent market? Why is Manny not signed? WTF, A-rod?

I think the Phils may be a better team this year than last, but I'm not going to predict a repeat. Their offense actually had an average year in 2008; it was the pitching that carried them, and I'm not counting on that happening again.

 

[Slopho]

The Baltimore Orioles have the best young outfield in all of Baseball. They have the best young catcher who will turn out to be better than Joe Mauer. They just don't have any pitching that's above AA that you could consider decent.

 

[JSC437]

Originally Posted by Slopho

The Baltimore Orioles have the best young outfield in all of Baseball. They have the best young catcher who will turn out to be better than Joe Mauer. They just don't have any pitching that's above AA that you could consider decent.

Wieters will be good.... The pitching staff is by far the worst in all of baseball. They have one pitcher (J.Guthrie). The other guy with the weird last name (Matusz) wont be ready until next year.

And really... The Yanks, Rays, Red Sox and Blue Jays will beat the hell out of the Orioles. The Orioles are like a punching bag. The outfield blows... other than Markakis. Adam Jones is pretty good and Felix Pie is an enormous bust.

I think this is the Red Sox year. Yanks got the big name players... but a ****** manager (should have kept Torre). The Red Sox did a lot of great bargain hunting in Free Agency that will pay off big time (Smoltz, Penny, Saito, etc..).

Although... i am a Mets fan. Mets suck

 

[MetroStyles]

Originally Posted by JSC4President

Although... i am a Mets fan. Mets suck
Mets will be a lot better than last year. They addresses their only glaring weakness: the bullpen. If games ended after 6, 7, or 8 innings last year, the Mets would have run away with the division. Clearly starting pitching and offense was not an issue; it was was the bullpen. And they fixed it, barring catastrophic injury. EDIT: I have a feeling I will be the only one to provide a rational view on the Mets in this thread, but I'm open to being proved wrong.

 

[Slopho]

Originally Posted by JSC4President

Wieters will be good.... The pitching staff is by far the worst in all of baseball. They have one pitcher (J.Guthrie). The other guy with the weird last name (Matusz) wont be ready until next year.

And really... The Yanks, Rays, Red Sox and Blue Jays will beat the hell out of the Orioles. The Orioles are like a punching bag. The outfield blows... other than Markakis. Adam Jones is pretty good and Felix Pie is an enormous bust.

I think this is the Red Sox year. Yanks got the big name players... but a ****** manager (should have kept Torre). The Red Sox did a lot of great bargain hunting in Free Agency that will pay off big time (Smoltz, Penny, Saito, etc..).

Although... i am a Mets fan. Mets suck

That's just crazy. Pie got no playing time for a team trying to win a pennant and Jones is only in his second year. Both are poised for break out years.

You are right when you say the Mets suck (except for Carlos Beltran). One of the biggest mistakes Baltimore made was sending you John Maine for Kris Benson. Teams should never trade for a player with a history of shoulder problems, elbow problems maybe, but never shoulder problems.

 

[JSC437]

Originally Posted by MetroStyles

Mets will be a lot better than last year. They addresses their only glaring weakness: the bullpen. If games ended after 6, 7, or 8 innings last year, the Mets would have run away with the division. Clearly starting pitching and offense was not an issue; it was was the bullpen. And they fixed it, barring catastrophic injury.

EDIT: I have a feeling I will be the only one to provide a rational view on the Mets in this thread, but I'm open to being proved wrong.


I agree the Mets pitching should be good. The hitting will be average.

I like what the Mets did by adding lots of depth to the back end of the rotation... Freddy Garcia, Redding, Livan Hernandez, etc... over 162 games, those moves pay dividends. Better than putting John Niese in a pressure situation at a young age.

Mets needed to get a good corner outfielder in my opinion... I am no fan of the Fernando Tatis, Ryan Church, Daniel Murphy, Corey Sullivan, Jeremy Reed corner outfield situation. I think they should have ditched Luis Castillo, moved Daniel Murphy to 2b and added a real outfielder (such a Manny Ramirez) to the mix.

And to the Orioles fan.... Felix Pie = Bust

 

[Shakermaker]

Originally Posted by shoreman1782

I figured, in honor of my 2008 MLB World Champion Philadelpia Phillies, I ought to start the 2009 thread.

Any predictions? Surprises from the offseason? What the hell happened to the free agent market? Why is Manny not signed? WTF, A-rod?

Manny isn't signed because he is a greedy pig with zero work ethic.

 

[NH_Clark]

Originally Posted by Shakermaker

Manny isn't signed because he is a greedy pig with zero work ethic.

+1 and a POS agent

 

[MetroStyles]

Originally Posted by JSC4President

I agree the Mets pitching should be good. The hitting will be average.

I like what the Mets did by adding lots of depth to the back end of the rotation... Freddy Garcia, Redding, Livan Hernandez, etc... over 162 games, those moves pay dividends. Better than putting John Niese in a pressure situation at a young age.

Mets needed to get a good corner outfielder in my opinion... I am no fan of the Fernando Tatis, Ryan Church, Daniel Murphy, Corey Sullivan, Jeremy Reed corner outfield situation. I think they should have ditched Luis Castillo, moved Daniel Murphy to 2b and added a real outfielder (such a Manny Ramirez) to the mix.

And to the Orioles fan.... Felix Pie = Bust

Honestly, at this point it's really a toss-up for the NL East, between the Mets and the Phillies. Not so sure about the Braves, but I wouldn't be surprised to see them in the mix. The Nats will also be better than last season. The Marlins will regress and finish last.

 

[bcate3]

Originally Posted by Shakermaker

Manny isn't signed because he is a greedy pig with zero work ethic.

Joe Torre expressed surprise about how much Manny works on his hitting. No comment on his defense. Manny isn't signed b/c the big spenders (Red Sox, Yankees & Mets) don't want him or need him. He's left dealing with the Dodgers and its rumored cash-strapped owner. There were rumors about the Giants swooping in, although I'm told its owners/management have tried to quell such talk. I'm a Dodger fan and would love to see him in blue for the next 2 or 3 years, but not the 4 or 5 sought by Boaras. Manny will still be a great hitter, but his defense will be a big liability as he ages. Apart from the Dodgers, I would love to see him as a DH with one of those young, smart, small market AL teams like the Rays or A's.

 

[MetroStyles]

Originally Posted by bcate3

Joe Torre expressed surprise about how much Manny works on his hitting. No comment on his defense. Manny isn’t signed b/c the big spenders (Red Sox, Yankees & Mets) don’t want him or need him. He’s left dealing with the Dodgers and its rumored cash-strapped owner. There were rumors about the Giants swooping in, although I’m told its owners/management have tried to quell such talk. I’m a Dodger fan and would love to see him in blue for the next 2 or 3 years, but not the 4 or 5 sought by Boaras. Manny will still be a great hitter, but his defense will be a big liability as he ages. Apart from the Dodgers, I would love to see him as a DH with one of those young, smart, small market AL teams like the Rays or A’s.
No way Manny gets more than 3. I would be very surprised if he signed for more than 2. At this point he just has no leverage. This could blow up worse in Boras' face than the Arod contract extension with the Yankees did.

 

[Tokyo Slim]

The M's got KGJ back... Just what we needed, a 40 year old, slow .223 designated hitter with a recent history of leg injuries. Especially one who hated the ballpark so much nine years ago in his prime that he lobbied successfully to leave.

It will put butts in the seats for sentimental reasons, but i expect very little baseball noise out of junior.

 

[quevola]

MLB can blow me. These Motherf*ckers have seen the last cent from me. Not until the players union, team owners and commissioner agree to test and enforce a ban on all performance enhancing substances, will I support their product again. IMO they've ruined the game.

 

[MetroStyles]

Originally Posted by quevola

MLB can blow me. These Motherf*ckers have seen the last cent from me. Not until the players union, team owners and commissioner agree to test and enforce a ban on all performance enhancing substances, will I support their product again. IMO they've ruined the game.

Dude, it's just entertainment. Take a chill pill!

 

[quevola]

Originally Posted by MetroStyles

Dude, it's just entertainment. Take a chill pill!

Bullsh*t it's entertainment - it's a dirty business full of greedy bastards.

But that's enough of my opinion - don't want to crap on Shore's thread.