Tag Baseball

Concern in New York

Danny Vinik 1 Comment

The Yankees faced the Orioles in Baltimore today and they sent C.C. Sabathia, their superstar offseason signing, to the hill. The most coveted free agent, Sabathiaarrived in New York to high expectations and in his first game of the spring, Sabathia struggled. He last just 4 1/3 inningsYankees Orioles Baseball, giving up 8 hits, 5 walks, and 6 runs (all earned) without a strikeout. That’s what the Yankees wanted.

The biggest concern for any star coming to New York is adjustment. How well will they handle the big city? The constant scrutiny? Well Sabathia better get ready for some criticism, because after that opening start, he deserves it. The New York media will jump on Sabathia about not living up to his contract. They will attack him saying, “He’s not ready for New York. Sure, he can play fine in a small city like Milwaukee, but New York is a whole different ballgame” Continue reading “Concern in New York” →

2009 MLB Preview

Danny Vinik Leave a comment

Now that I have previewed all 30 teams and predicted the standings for all 6 divisions, it is time to reveal my playoff predictions and award winners.

American League

East: Boston Red Sox
Central: Cleveland Indians
West: Los Angeles Angels
Wild Card: New York Yankees

ALDS: Red Sox over Indians, Yankees over Angels
ALCS: Red Sox over Yankees

AL MVP: Miguel Cabrera
AL Cy Young: C.C. Sabathia

National League

East: New York Mets
Central: Chicago Cubs
West: Los Angeles Dodgers
Wild Card: Florida Marlins

NLDS: Mets over Dodgers, Cubs over Marlins
NLCS: Mets over Cubs

NL MVP: Hanley Ramirez
NL Cy Young: Johan Santana

And finally, the moment you’ve all been waiting for

My World Series Champion is:

The Boston Red Sox

So there are all my predictions. Now, I cannot guarantee that those will all be right. I can’t guarantee that any of those will be right. I can guarantee that many of those will be wrong though. But for now, let’s play baseball!

2009 American League West Preview

Danny Vinik Leave a comment

Last, but not least, the AL West:

Predicted Standings
1. Los Angeles Angels
2. Oakland Atheltics
3. Texas Rangersvlad
4. Seattle Mariners

Best Hitter: Vladimir Guerrero
Best Pitcher: Joe Saunders

Angels
The Angels lost some key members of their 2008 team, but still have a strong starting staff and experienced lineup that gives them a great shot to repeat as AL West champions. With Torri Hunter, Vladimir Guerrero. and Chone Figgins, the Angels’  lineup will not have a problem scoring runs. Add in Bobby Abreu and Juan Rivera and this batting order puts fear into opposing pitchers. The rotation may be a little more shaky with Joe Saunders leading the staff, but Dustin Moseley and Shane Loux are question marks in the 2-3 spots. The health of John lackey is also a concern for the Angels as he will start the year on the DL. The loss of K-Rod in the offseason will hurt Los Angeles as well, but picking up Brian Fuentes leaves the Angels with a more-than competent closer to hold leads and bring the Angels back to the playoffs.

Athletics
Oakland’s acquisition of Matt Holliday in the offseason gives the A’s a strong offense, but a rotation of unknown pitchers leaves the Athletics with a lot of question marks. Holliday, Mark Ellis, and Jack Crust lead the offense, and even though it is not as powerful as the Angel’s offense, Oakland will still score plenty of runs. The rotation is the concern as prospects Trevor Cahil and Brett Anderson will get thrown into the fire right away and how they react to being in the majors will likely make-or-break the A’s season. If they excel, look for Oakland to compete for the division title, but if they struggle, the Athletics are going to be looking at the bottom of the division. Continue reading “2009 American League West Preview” →