Upcoming Baseball Season Thread

[Metalthrasher442]

Discuss your predictions, team, and players.

I figure with pitchers and catchers heading to spring training Saturday..the time is near!

[bumpylemon]

come on now..we all know the red sox in 2008 lol. im a red sox fan but more importanly a big time baseball fan. I like detriots team this year. the al East is gonna be a joke. i am excited to see how the Yankees do with 3 rookies in their starting pitching.

[DetroitSportsFan]

My Tigers should be a team to watch this year.

[Metalthrasher442]

Originally Posted by DetroitSportsFan

My Tigers should be a team to watch this year.

Oh? What do you have to say about the Indians and Twins and White Sox to get in your way?

[BLU for Blue]

Originally Posted by bumpylemon

come on now..we all know the red sox in 2008 lol. im a red sox fan but more importanly a big time baseball fan. I like detriots team this year. the al East is gonna be a joke. i am excited to see how the Yankees do with 3 rookies in their starting pitching.

Wow cocky eh? Schilling on the shelf. Beckett due for his every other year injury. Wakefield? haha. Matsuzaka, very hittable. That leaves you with Bucholtz. Yeah he had a no hitter but he is just a prospect so lets look at the rotation

Beckett<Wang
Schilling>Pettitte
Matsuzaka=Chamberlain
Lester=Hughes
Wakefield=Kennedy/Mussina

Looks damn even to me. Add in the offense, the Yankees could be better. I see an upsetting season for Red Sox fans. Injuries plagued the Yankees in 07' and will plague the Red Sox in 08'

Prediction

Yankees win east by 2 games, sweeping the season ending series against the Red Sox in September. Tigers eliminate Red Sox in first round, Yankees get over the hump and eliminate the Angels and defeat the Tigers in the ALCS in 7 games. The AL will win the WS no matter who gets there. And unless your a Met fan, I dont expect anybody to be on their nuts because they arent really that great with santana

[jq71586]

Originally Posted by BLU for Blue

Wow cocky eh? Schilling on the shelf. Beckett due for his every other year injury. Wakefield? haha. Matsuzaka, very hittable. That leaves you with Bucholtz. Yeah he had a no hitter but he is just a prospect so lets look at the rotation

Beckett<Wang
Schilling>Pettitte
Matsuzaka=Chamberlain
Lester=Hughes
Wakefield=Kennedy/Mussina

Looks damn even to me. Add in the offense, the Yankees could be better. I see an upsetting season for Red Sox fans. Injuries plagued the Yankees in 07' and will plague the Red Sox in 08'

Prediction

Yankees win east by 2 games, sweeping the season ending series against the Red Sox in September. Tigers eliminate Red Sox in first round, Yankees get over the hump and eliminate the Angels and defeat the Tigers in the ALCS in 7 games. The AL will win the WS no matter who gets there. And unless your a Met fan, I dont expect anybody to be on their nuts because they arent really that great with santana

Beckett<Wang? Really? Seriously? I know Wang is a great pitcher, but I'd give the slight edge to Beckett. I also think with the Schilling injury and the whole HGH it should be Schilling<Pettitte.

I'd probably give an edge to Hughes over Lester. I live up near Boston. Lester isn't anything special, really. I mean, yeah, he beat cancer but he's not a dominant starter, I was kind of hoping Minnesota would jump on the Lester package for Santana.

But, I'd give the edge to Matsuzaka, he now has a year under his belt and won't tire out as much as he did in the second half last year. His stuff isn't overwhelming but he did strike out over 200 batters last year. Chamberlain's stuff is nasty, there is no doubt about that, but is he ready to pitch 160+ innings this year? He could easily tire out in the second half like Matsuzaka did in 07. I still see him moving him back to the closer's role when Rivera hangs it up, IMO.

I still agree they are about even, I just move the arrows a couple different ways.

EDIT: Forgot my picks.

Tigers over Mets for the World Series.

MVP - AL - A-Rod
MVP - NL - Ryan Howard

Cy Young - AL - Beckett
Cy Young - NL - Santana ( my dark horse special for this is Haren)

[Metalthrasher442]

Originally Posted by BLU for Blue

Wow cocky eh? Schilling on the shelf. Beckett due for his every other year injury. Wakefield? haha. Matsuzaka, very hittable. That leaves you with Bucholtz. Yeah he had a no hitter but he is just a prospect so lets look at the rotation

Beckett<Wang
Schilling>Pettitte
Matsuzaka=Chamberlain
Lester=Hughes
Wakefield=Kennedy/Mussina

Looks damn even to me. Add in the offense, the Yankees could be better. I see an upsetting season for Red Sox fans. Injuries plagued the Yankees in 07' and will plague the Red Sox in 08'

Prediction

Yankees win east by 2 games, sweeping the season ending series against the Red Sox in September. Tigers eliminate Red Sox in first round, Yankees get over the hump and eliminate the Angels and defeat the Tigers in the ALCS in 7 games. The AL will win the WS no matter who gets there. And unless your a Met fan, I dont expect anybody to be on their nuts because they arent really that great with santana

I don't see the Tigers eliminating the Bo Sox. The Red Sox have too much expirience.

[BLU for Blue]

Originally Posted by jq71586

Beckett<Wang? Really? Seriously? I know Wang is a great pitcher, but I'd give the slight edge to Beckett. I also think with the Schilling injury and the whole HGH it should be Schilling<Pettitte.

I'd probably give an edge to Hughes over Lester. I live up near Boston. Lester isn't anything special, really. I mean, yeah, he beat cancer but he's not a dominant starter, I was kind of hoping Minnesota would jump on the Lester package for Santana.

But, I'd give the edge to Matsuzaka, he now has a year under his belt and won't tire out as much as he did in the second half last year. His stuff isn't overwhelming but he did strike out over 200 batters last year. Chamberlain's stuff is nasty, there is no doubt about that, but is he ready to pitch 160+ innings this year? He could easily tire out in the second half like Matsuzaka did in 07. I still see him moving him back to the closer's role when Rivera hangs it up, IMO.

I still agree they are about even, I just move the arrows a couple different ways.

EDIT: Forgot my picks.

Tigers over Mets for the World Series.

MVP - AL - A-Rod
MVP - NL - Ryan Howard

Cy Young - AL - Beckett
Cy Young - NL - Santana ( my dark horse special for this is Haren)

My bad Beckett is better than Wang. I did my signs wrong

Beckett>Wang
Pettitte>Schilling

[BLU for Blue]

Originally Posted by jq71586

Beckett<Wang? Really? Seriously? I know Wang is a great pitcher, but I'd give the slight edge to Beckett. I also think with the Schilling injury and the whole HGH it should be Schilling<Pettitte.

I'd probably give an edge to Hughes over Lester. I live up near Boston. Lester isn't anything special, really. I mean, yeah, he beat cancer but he's not a dominant starter, I was kind of hoping Minnesota would jump on the Lester package for Santana.

But, I'd give the edge to Matsuzaka, he now has a year under his belt and won't tire out as much as he did in the second half last year. His stuff isn't overwhelming but he did strike out over 200 batters last year. Chamberlain's stuff is nasty, there is no doubt about that, but is he ready to pitch 160+ innings this year? He could easily tire out in the second half like Matsuzaka did in 07. I still see him moving him back to the closer's role when Rivera hangs it up, IMO.

I still agree they are about even, I just move the arrows a couple different ways.

EDIT: Forgot my picks.

Tigers over Mets for the World Series.

MVP - AL - A-Rod
MVP - NL - Ryan Howard

Cy Young - AL - Beckett
Cy Young - NL - Santana ( my dark horse special for this is Haren)

Matsuzaka was shown as hittable throughout the whole season, he didnt have anything special, nothing near what was paid for him. Chamberlain is a starter and nothing else. We have Mark Melancon and Humberto Sanchez who will with the role of SU to CL

[BLU for Blue]

Originally Posted by Metalthrasher442

I don't see the Tigers eliminating the Bo Sox. The Red Sox have too much expirience.

Anything can happen in the playoffs. Didnt the Phillies, and Diamondbacks have too much experience over the Rockies to get swept?

[Metalthrasher442]

Anything can happen before the playoffs too. There's a good chance the Tigers won't even make it in the playoffs. If the Red Sox win the East..then the Indians Tigers Twins Yankess..and my White Sox battle for wildcard. The Indians probably the strongest team in my opinion.

[jq71586]

Originally Posted by BLU for Blue

Anything can happen in the playoffs. Didnt the Phillies, and Diamondbacks have too much experience over the Rockies to get swept?

The Diamondbacks certainly didn't have more experience people just thought they were better, weren't they called the "Baby Backs" all season. It'll be good to see Justin Upton play all year for their team.

I just think there is so much parody in the playoffs for these reasons.

1. The NL sucks. Flat out. So, if any team but the Mets made it to the World Series last year we were going to hear the "nobody believed in us" card. There has always been less parody in the AL for the exception of the Tigers and maybe the Angels of 02 for the past decade. It seems like every team that surprises is out of the NL.

2. Every team has a 1/4 chance of making the World Series, much greater odds than hockey, and basketball. Football is either 1/6 or 1/4, but the games are so much more pressurized because it's one and done, and the fact that the road team is on the road and doesn't get at least 2 home games in a baseball playoff series.

[DetroitSportsFan]

Originally Posted by Metalthrasher442

Oh? What do you have to say about the Indians and Twins and White Sox to get in your way?

Since you practically named the whole division, why leave out the Royals?

[Metalthrasher442]

Well I'll admit the Sox shouldn't be in there..but I have to put my team in!

I was just stating that even though the Sox have kind of fell off the charts...it's still a really strong division and the Indians are a great team.

AND GOOD POINT MAYBE THE ROYALS WILL WIN IT!!!!!

smartass

[jq71586]

Originally Posted by DetroitSportsFan

Since you practically named the whole division, why leave out the Royals?

Unless Bret Saberhagen and George Brett are walking through that door, they should be left out of everything lol.

They have a pair of good hitters in Gordon and Butler, but I'm sure they'll leave as soon as they possibly can.

[Metalthrasher442]

Originally Posted by jq71586

Unless Bret Saberhagen and George Brett are walking through that door, they should be left out of everything lol.

They have a pair of good hitters in Gordon and Butler, but I'm sure they'll leave as soon as they possibly can.

There time will come eventually.. Remember how bad the Tigers were and now they're always considered one of the best in the AL.

It doesn't look like their time is coming too soon though.

[jq71586]

Originally Posted by Metalthrasher442

There time will come eventually.. Remember how bad the Tigers were and now they're always considered one of the best in the AL.

It doesn't look like their time is coming too soon though.

Yeah, but the Tigers also got a few key free agent pieces. I don't think Kansas City wants to do that.

I think they signed Jose Guillen this year. Maybe it's a step in the right direction.... lol

[Metalthrasher442]

Then maybe a new owner is needed. They have some good young talent. Some veteran free agents would be the trick..some more trades.. a couple more years they could have it.

Whatever..the last thing the AL central needs is another good team lol.

[jq71586]

Originally Posted by Metalthrasher442

Then maybe a new owner is needed. They have some good young talent. Some veteran free agents would be the trick..some more trades.. a couple more years they could have it.

Whatever..the last thing the AL central needs is another good team lol.

That's true, it is a packed division. I'd watch out for Delmon Young this year, he is about ready to open up.

[Metalthrasher442]

I'd watch out for the Sox. I wanna say they'll surprise everyone..but I don't have any faith in the starting rotation. But the line-up is so solid.

Sorry just trying to bring them into conversation lol.

Who's winning the AL central jq?