You really want my vote eh???

I've heard through the grapevine that Upper Deck is running a contest where you can vote for the best sports blog/box breakers/best community on their website. It has been interesting the last few days to watch this catastrophe unfold and I have stood back silently and watched the emails and comments come in asking me to "vote" for their blog/whatever and I have watched comments being spewed out towards people like it was a presidential election year. I've also seen some backstabbing made to others that were just plain rude. Promises being made of sharing of whatever is given to them if they win and some promising to even give out money if they win. Well it's time for "Enough Already" to contribute my two cents.

When Upper Deck posted the available choices on the poll it would appear that some of the blogs that are listed in the voting section are justified to be on the list but then again there are some blogs that are not listed on the poll and that means some of the blogs got the dreaded "short end of the stick". In my honest opinion we are all winners when it comes to blogging. Some of us have articles that literally quench our deepest hobby thirsts while some blogs give us more of a comedic approach to the hobby. Other blogs incorporate trading amongst ourselves and for some blogs it allows them to show to the community their personal collection and a chance to talk about their favorite players. Heck some of us even incorporate our life into our hobby blogs and thus making us feel like a part of their family in a small way. The blogs allow us to be creative whether it be creating our own custom made cards or by showing us just how many idiots are on Craigslist and Ebay. The possibilities are endless and there is no limit as to just how far some people will go with their blogging concepts. There is a person that created blog about a fellow blogger and blabs about how he's "Upper Deck's Tool" and how he's just plain rude with his remarks and he's a fat and lazy hobby ego maniac slob. What a shallow life this man/woman/transgendered person must lead since his goal is to blog about another blogger and his actions. Needless to say it's still a form of creativity and it's a freedom of choice. Say those words proudly, "freedom of choice".

How Upper Deck came up with such a short list is beyond me. Did they label mice and have a race to determine who would be listed? Perhaps they drew names from a hat? I know there are blogs out there worthy of recognition beyond the list that was created. There needs to be a lot more creative thought process for this to happen properly. Upper Deck should have never said a word about giving away products for the winners. They created such a jolt grabbing frenzy that it is compared to the feeling you get from whizzing on the electric fence type of feeling. Would everyone blab out for so much attention if Upper Deck wasn't giving away anything? All Upper Deck did was unleash the creative ugliness thoughts perpetrated by fellow hobbyists. I suppose if you wanted to have an awards program for the best blog/box buster/best community then by all means do so. Just remember that it will be political and it will be fraudulent and somebody is gonna get screwed over.....kind of like the Oscars.

On a closing note I would just like to ask that you would please....for the love of God please....do not send me emails and post comments telling me about how great my blog is and then start spewing your sales pitch blasphemy on why I should vote for you. You are going to receive the following by doing so:

1. A copy of Richard Simmons "sweating to the oldies"
2. A letter from the Dept of Homeland Security
3. Some freshly squeezed gifts courteously of my two dogs Ginger and Bo
4. 1,000 copies of Ki-Jana Carter and Napoleon Kaufman autographed cards
5. BaBa Booey will take you out to the ball game and you will polish his teeth!
6. 200 legs from ladybugs
7. A gift card good for one Roundhouse Kick from Chuck Norris

Thank you for your time my fellow hobbyists.

Auburn at Arizona State, March 12-13

I am extremely late in posting this, but there's this thing called school... Anyway, I went to Packard Stadium a few weekends ago for two Arizona State/Auburn games. The Sun Devils, one of two remaining unbeaten teams in the country, displayed their deep, dangerous lineup. The Devils took Friday night's game, 9-8, on the strength of a six-run 5th inning.

The Sun Devils then routed Auburn on Saturday night, 16-7. They could certainly use injured ace Josh Spence, but the Devs are undoubtedly for real. ASU doesn't have any true boppers, but their lineup is full of patient, line-drive hitters. Packard Stadium is also a legit venue, so this pair of games was spectacular. It doesn't get any better than college baseball.

Barry Bonds, Reggie Jackson, Dustin Pedroia, Andre Ethier, Brett Wallace, Mike Leake...the list of former ASU stars goes on and on.

John Hancocks from ASU ace Josh Spence and stud freshman Andrew Aplin

I also have videos galore from the series, which I will share in an upcoming post.

2010 NL East Preview

Here is my prediction for how the NL East will wind up come October:

1st Place, Philadelphia Phillies

Lineup:
SS Jimmy Rollins
CF Shane Victorino
2B Chase Utley
1B Ryan Howard
LF Raul Ibanez
RF Jayson Werth
3B Placido Polanco
C Carlos Ruiz

Pitching:
RHP Roy Halladay
LHP Cole Hammels
RHP Joe Blanton
LHP Jamey Moyer
RHP J.A. Happ
SU: Ryan Madson
CL: Brad Lidge

The Phillies are really the most stocked team in the NL, but they do have a slight weakness, and that is in their bullpen. Brad Lidge is coming of a monumentally horrible season in which he went 0-8 with a 7.21 era, finishing with 21 saves in 67 games. If he continues to struggle to start 2010, look for Madson to take the 9th inning reigns with Dannys Baez getting consideration too. Other than that though, their lineup is ridiculously strong from 1-7, as all guys can hit 12+ home runs, and all but Ryan Howard can steal you a base if needed. Their rotation is also a huge strength, especially after they added Roy Halladay this winter. J.A. Happ really stuck out after being moved to the rotation last year as well (6-4 with a 2.96 era in 13 starts after the break). Defensively, they are about as good as it gets with reigning gold glovers, or potential gold glovers scattered all over the diamond.

2nd Place, Atlanta Braves *NL Wild Card Winner*

Lineup:
CF Nate McClouth
LF Melky Cabrera
3B Chipper Jones
1B Troy Glaus
C Brian McCann
RF Jason Heyward
SS Yunel Escobar
2B Martin Prado

Pitching:
RHP Derek Lowe
RHP Jair Jurrjens
RHP Tim Hudson
RHP Tommy Hanson
RHP Kenshin Kawakami
SU: Takashi Saito
CL: Billy Wagner

The Braves have quietly constructed a very good ballclub, health impending of course. I like the mix of vets and youngsters they have in their rotation with Lowe and Hudson matched with Hanson and Jurrjens. Their bullpen is veteran heavy, but should be very effective if everyone still has another year in thier arms, which is likely the case. Their lineup will rely on the health of Jones and Glaus, but both have looked healthy this spring. They also have a few youngsters in there to help pick up the slack with Jason Heyward (ROY candidate), Escobar and McCann. McClouth needs to hit more like he did in '08, otherwise I'd try Cabrera or Escobar at the top.

3rd Place, Florida Marlins

Lineup:
LF Chris Coghlan
CF Cameron Maybin
SS Hanley Ramirez
3B Jorge Cantu
2B Dan Uggla
RF Cody Ross
1B Gaby Sanchez
C John Baker

Pitching:
RHP Josh Johnson
RHP Ricky Nolasco
RHP Annabel Sanchez
RHP Chris Volstad
LHP Nate Robertson
SU: Brian Sanches
CL: Leo Nunez

The Marlins have one of youngest teams in baseball, but they should be very competitive. They have the reigning NL Rookie of the Year at the top of the lineup, followed by another guy with tremendous upside in Cameron Maybin. Hanley Ramierz is a top-5 player in all of baseball right now, and he's a guy who can single handily carry a lineup when he's on. Their young rotation is another bright spot, led by 26 year-old all-star Josh Johnson. I also really like Sanchez and Nolasco, and Volstad. The bullpen is the one area where they have some question marks, but Leo Nunez looks like a bright young closer, and there are a couple other nice young arms who will be getting him the ball. The Fish also have a decent defense where only Cantu and Uggla are below league average, but they more than make up for that with their offensive output.

4th Place, New York Mets

Lineup:
SS Jose Reyes
2B Luis Castillo
CF Carlos Beltran*
LF Jason Bay
3B David Wright
1B Daniel Murphy
RF Jeff Franceur
C Rod Barajas

Pitching:
LHP Johan Santana
RHP John Maine
RHP Mike Pelfrey
LHP Oliver Perez
RHP Jonathan Niese
SU: Jerry Mejia
CL: Francisco Rodriguez

*Beltran will miss at least first month of season, Angel Pagan will be in his place

The Mets were recently a powerhouse in the NL East, but they have fallen off mightily in the last few seasons. Most of that is due to injury and inconsistency in their starting rotation. Carlos Beltran will be out until sometime in May, so they're already having to overcome the loss of their best all-around player. The rotation is not only thin, but they have had health issues themselves. Mike Pelfrey led the team in innings last year at 184, and the next closest was Santana at 166. If that happens again, the Mets will once again finish below .500. However, if they get full years out of their starters, and Beltran returns strong and early, they could at least find themselves in the hunt for the wild card.

5th Place, Washington Nationals

Lineup:
CF Nyjer Morgan
RF Willie Harris
3B Ryan Zimmerman
1B Adam Dunn
LF Josh Willingham
C Ivan Rodriguez
2B Adam Kennedy
SS Ian Desmond

Pitching:
LHP John Lannan
RHP Jason Marquis
RHP Livan Hernandez
LHP Scott Olson
RHP Craig Stammen
SU: Brian Brunney
CL: Matt Capps

The Nats are at least on the right path now. They have a couple of youngsters, including phenom right-handed starter Stephen Strasburg, knocking on the door. They also will get former Yankee ace Chien-Ming Wang back around June, so John Lannan and Jason Marquis will get some help in the rotation. Their bullpen is still a major work in progress though, but I think Matt Capps will rebound and have a nice year. The lineup relies a lot on power with Dunn, Zimmerman and Willingham, but the addition of Nyjer Morgan for the hole year will help the top of their order. Still at least a year away from being relevant in the NL East again though.

Giants Extend Cain, Schierholtz Struggling

With us trying to squeeze out the MLB divisional previews before the season starts next week, I haven't been able to do any Giants only posts over the last week. However, there was some big news to come out of camp on Tuesday.

The Giants inked Matt Cain to a 3 year contract extension which will pay the 25 year-old right-hander $27.5 million over the next 3 seasons. Cain had his best season as a pro in 2009, and looks like he's taking that next step. He's threw more strikes in '09 and put himself in favorable counts more often than not. The Giants also extended closer Brian Wilson though the 2012 season, a deal that will pay him $6.5 million then $8.5 during the 2011 and 2012 seasons. They also locked Jeremy Affeldt up thorough 2012 as well.

As far as on-field performance goes, Nate Schierholtz has really tanked over the second half of the spring. Nate is hitting .236 with a homer and 7 RBI. He hasn't exactly taken the bull by the horns like the Giants were hoping he would. Also, John Bowker is carrying over his 2009 AAA success into 2010, as he leads the team with 5 homers and 20 RBI. The next closest in each category is 3 hr (Huff, Lewis) and 12 RBI (Huff). Bowker is showing that obviously he deserves to get a chance to carry this success over into the regular season. I think they should stick with Schierholtz for the first couple weeks of the season though, but Bowker needs to be getting at-bats as well. Nate's defense would be a huge asset in right field, he's much better than Bowker with the glove and has a cannon arm. One option to get Bowker into the lineup a little more could be giving DeRosa more time at second and putting Bowker in left a few times a week, then he could get at least 1-2 starts in right and be getting basically full-time at-bats. I'm a little surprised he didn't get more of a chance last year after his 10 homer, 43 RBI rookie 1/2 season.

On the mound, Jonathan Sanchez looks like he's in regular season form after striking out 11 batters, and allowing just 1 run on 3 hits over 6 innings vs. the Brewers Monday. A re-assuring outing for a Giants rotation that has struggled as a whole this spring.

Freese and Garcia named starters for the Season

                                                                                                        

                                                                         
    Manager Tony La Russa broke some good news to two players Tuesday morning before the team bus left for Port St. Lucie.

La Russa made it official when he told David Freese that he will be the Opening Day starter at third base. Freese had been assumed to be the everyday third baseman coming in to camp, but the Cardinals' manager was adament the position was not etched in stone.

Along with breaking the news to Freese, the Cardinals skipper also called pitcher Jaime Garcia into his office to tell him he would be the fifth pitcher in the starting rotation, something assumed by many but never confirmed by club officials.

 Source: Brendan Marks  

2010 AL West Preview

With the MLB's opening day just 5 days away, I will be posting at least one post per day leading up to Monday's Giants' opener. So stay locked here cause we're going to have plenty of info over the next five days. Here's our AL West Preview:

1st Place, Los Angeles Angels

Lineup:
SS Erick Aybar
RF Bobby Abreu
CF Torii Hunter
1B Kendry Morales
DH Hideki Matsui
LF Juan Rivera
2B Howie Kendrick
3B Brandon Wood
C Mike Napoli

Pitching:
RHP Jered Weaver
LHP Scott Kazmir
RHP Ervin Santana
LHP Joe Saunders
RHP Joel Pinero
SU: Fernando Rodney
CL: Brian Fuentes

The Angels lost thier offensive centerpiece over the winter when Vladimir Guerrero signed with Texas, but the emergence of Kendry Morales (.306/34/108) and Juan Rivera (.287/25/88) should make Vlad's absence easier to overcome. The tougher loss for them in my mind was Chone Figgins, who anchored their leadoff spot over the last 5 years and could play all over the diamond. Their starting rotation is very experienced, yet very young. Joel Pinero is the only one over 30 years of age, but everybody in the rotation has at least 3 seasons under their belt. If Kazmir and Santana both pitch up to their capabilities, the Angels should have one of the best rotations in the AL. They also added hard-throwing, late inning specialist Fernando Rodney, to help get the ball to Brian Fuentes, and possibly get a few save opportunities himself. I also like the way they set up defensively. That outfield of Abreu-Hunter-Rivera is about as solid as it gets.

2nd Place, Seattle Mariners

Lineup:
RF Ichiro Suzuki
2B Chone Figgins
CF Franklin Gutierrez
LF Milton Bradley
3B Jose Lopez
DH Ken Griffey Jr.
1B Casey Kotchman
SS Jack Wilson
C Rob Johnson

Pitching:
RHP Felix Hernandez
LHP Cliff Lee
RHP Ian Snell
RHP Ryan Rowland-Smith
RHP Jason Vargas
LHP Erik Bedard*
SU: Mark Lowe
CL: David Aardsma

* Out until mid-May

The Mariners are a team very much on the up. I like their addition of Chone Figgins to the top of the lineup to team with Ichiro, and I'm expecting a bounce back year from Milton Bradley. The bottom of their lineup lacks punch, but they should be able to make up for that with their strong defense. Their rotation is kind of in shambles entering the year, as both Erik Bedard and Cliff Lee will start the year on the DL, leaving them with just 3 experienced starters to begin the year with. Their bullpen is a bit of a question mark, and their closer has struggled this spring, but Aardsma is coming off a season in which he posted a 2.52 era and saved 38 ballgames. Again though, the AL West is a division that is improving, and unless they get their pitching staff healthy and going, they could find themselves at the bottom of the division.

3rd Place, Oakland Athletics

Lineup:
CF Coco Crisp
LF Rajai Davis
C Kurt Suzuki
3B Kevin Kouzmanoff
DH Jack Cust
1B Eric Chavez
RF Ryan Sweeney
2B Mark Ellis
SS Cliff Pennington

Pitching:
RHP Ben Sheets
LHP Brett Anderson
RHP Justin Duchscherer
LHP Dallas Braden
RHP Trevor Cahill
SU: Joey Devine
CL: Andrew Bailey

I really like the A's pitching staff, from top to bottom, from Ben Sheets and Brett Anderson all the way down to the guys closing the door in Joey Devine, Michael Wuertz and Andrew Bailey. Their lineup though, leaves a lot to be desired. Any team that has Kevin Kouzmanoff hitting in the cleanup spot definitely has some holes offensively. Still though, I think their offense is just good enough to support that strong pitching staff and keep the A's right around .500. Give them a couple of legit middle order hitters and they could realistically become division favorites. The key for the A's will be their players who missed all of or most of 2009 with injury. If Crisp, Sheets and Chavez all perform near their career norm, the A's will be even better than just a .500 ballclub.

4th Place, Texas Rangers

Lineup:
LF Julio Bourbon
3B Michael Young
2B Ian Kinsler
CF Josh Hamilton
DH Vladimir Guerrero
RF Nelson Cruz
1B Chris Davis
SS Elvis Andrus
C Jarrod Saltalamacchia

Pitching:
RHP Rich Harden
RHP Scott Feldman
LHP C.J. Wilson
RHP Matt Harrison
RHP Colby Lewis
SU: Neftali Feliz
CL: Frank Francisco

If you could take the Rangers lineup and team that with the A's pitching staff, you'd definitely have something. Like the A's pitching staff, the Ragners lineup is stocked with young hitters just entering their prime, who've been around for a little while. Ian Kinsler, Josh Hamilton are franchise cornerstones. Julio Bourbon, Chris Davis and Elvis Andrus are all young, potential all-star caliber players ready to take that next step. Oh yeah, they also have the top first base prospect in baseball (Justin Smoak) knocking on the door. However, their pitching staff, again, is a weakness. I like how they added Rich Harden, and Scott Feldman looks good, but after that they're extremely thin. They do have a couple real young, potential stud arms in Neftali Feliz (starting year in bullpen) and Derek Holland (AAA rotation) and those two can really help rebuild the Rangers staff.

The Great Karnack says.....PT 5 Matt Laporta goes down!

National League Central
1. St. Louis (100-62)
2. Milwaukee (91-71)
3. Pittsburgh (90-72)
4. Houston (81-81)
5. Cincinnati (79-83)
6. Chicago Cubs (70-92)

National League West
1. LA Dodgers (101-61)
2. Colorado (92-70)
3. Arizona (88-74)
4. San Fransisco (79-83)
5. San Diego (62-100)

That wraps it up on how I see the teams will fair this season. Hopefully there will be some surprises this year so who really knows how things will turn out. I do see some bright spots as I look for Pittsburgh and Arizona to make some serious improvements this year and could have the potential to make some noise. It's also possible that we could see Atlanta take back the NL East crown from Philadelphia. Will the Red Sox choke? Will Jeter and Rodriguez finally have their marriage? Will Clemens come clean this year like McGwire did? Will Pittsburgh break 3,500 in attendance for one game? Will the Mets blow another 13 game lead? Will Adam Lind continue his hot streak and game improvements? Let the 2010 season begin and we shall see!

On a side note:
I found it rather amusing that everyone thought Matt Laporta was GOD and there was a lot of those goobers on the message boards that swear he was the NEXT BIG THING! Well let me ask you guys, "how did that turn out"? However it looks like the crown has been passed to Jason Heyward who is supposed to be an "Outfield Albert Pujols". I guess only time will tell.

2010 AL Central Preview

Here is our projection for how the AL Central will look in 2010. Also, we have some Giants news at the bottom of the post with the recent trading of Kevin Frandsen:

1st Place, Chicago White Sox

Lineup:
LF Juan Pierre
SS Alexei Ramirez
2B Gordon Beckham
RF Carlos Quentin
1B Paul Konerko
CF Alex Rios
C A.J. Pierzynski
DH Andruw Jones
3B Mark Teahan

Pitching:
RHP Jake Peavy
LHP Mark Buerhle
RHP Gavin Floyd
LHP John Danks
RHP Freddy Garcia
SU: J.J. Putz
CL: Bobby Jenks

The veteran-heavy White Sox should win the Central, especially with the Twins missing Joe Nathan for the year. They have a strong offensive lineup with Juan Pierre and Alex Rios bringing in some much needed speed. All hitters in that lineup after their leadoff guy are capable of hitting 15+ home runs per year as well, so they have the proper mix of speed and power. They also have a nice mix of effective vets and productive youngsters in their rotation and bullpen. If they can keep Peavy and Buerhle healthy, and their lineup performs as it should, they'll cruise to an easy division championship. I'm curious to see as to how Jake Peavy takes to the American League. He was one of the top arms in the NL for much of the last decade but he's really been hit hard by the injury bug over the last couple of seasons.


2nd Place, Minnesota Twins

Lineup:
CF Denard Span
2B Orlando Hudson
C Joe Mauer
1B Justin Morneau
RF Michael Cuddyer
DH Jason Kubal
LF Delmon Young
SS J.J. Hardy
3B Brendan Harris

Pitching:
RHP Scott Baker
RHP Nick Blackburn
RHP Kevin Slowey
RHP Carl Pavano
LHP Francisco Liriano
SU: Matt Guerrier
CL: Pat Neshek

The Twins suffered a huge loss with Joe Nathan going down for the year. The only other guys who were as important to this team as Nathan are Morneau and Mauer. The Twins also have some question marks in their rotation as nobody in it is coming off of a real solid year. Their lineup, however, looks about as good as it's been in recent years, especially if J.J. Hardy returns to pre-2009 form, which I believe will happen. I'm envisioning a breakout year for Delemon Young, who's under-achieved so far in his young career. Without Nathan though, it looks like it's going to be Pat Neshek, Matt Guerrier and Jon Rauch all getting save opportunities as Ron Gardenhire tries to find the best fit. If he's healthy, Neshek (2.91 era, 0.96 WHIP, .188 BAA in career) would be my first choice as Nathan's replacement.

3rd Place, Detroit Tigers

Lineup:
LF Johnny Damon
CF Austin Jackson
RF Maglio Ordonez
1B Miguel Cabrera
DH Carlos Guillen
3B Brandon Inge
C Gerald Laird
2B Scott Sizemore
SS Adam Everett

Pitching:
RHP Justin Verlander
RHP Rick Porcello
RHP Max Scherzer
LHP Dontrelle Willis
LHP Nate Robertson
SU: Joel Zumaya
CL: Jose Valverde

The Tigers don't quite match-up with Chicago, but they have a decent squad heading into the 2010 season. Johnny Damon kind of fell on their lap at the tail end of the offseason, which really strengthens the top part of their lineup. Their rotation is rock solid 1-3, but then 4 and 5 pose some questions. It looks like Dontrelle Willis will get another shot, as he's put together a very good spring so far, and Nate Robertson has looked much better than Jeremy Bonderman. Justin Verlander is a Cy Young candidate and Porcello and Scherzer are two of the brightest young arms in the league. If Robertson and Willis pitch like they did a few years back, then the Tigers will be a force. I really like their bullpen as well with the add of Valverde, one of the more underrated closers in the game.

4th Place, Kansas City Royals

Lineup:
LF Scott Podsednik
RF David DeJesus
2B Alberto Callaspo
1B Billy Butler
DH Jose Guillen
CF Rick Ankiel
3B Alex Gordon
SS Yunieski Betancourt
C Jason Kendal

Pitching:
RHP Zack Greinke
RHP Gil Meche
RHP Brian Bannister
RHP Luke Hochevar
RHP Kyle Davies
SU: Juan Cruz
CL: Joakim Soria

The Royals will continue their playoff drought in 2010. They don't have themselves a bad top of the lineup, but the bottom half is huge question mark. They're hoping this is the year Alex Gordon and Luke Hochevar, both huge disappointments after being taken as number 1 picks. Those 2 need to start paying off for the Royals, otherwise they'll stay stuck in 4th-5th place mode. Zack Grienke is one of the best pitchers in the AL, but after that, the rotation is filled with guys who posted double-digit loss numbers a year ago. In the bullpen, I really like their closer, Joakim Soria, who reminds me a ton of a young Mariano Rivera. It's just too bad the rest of the bullpen is below average and he'll be lucky to get 40 save chances in '10. Defensively, the Royals have are actually above average though, so at least they have that going for them

5th Place, Cleveland Indians

Lineup:
CF Grady Sizemore
SS Ascrubal Cabrera
RF Shin-Soo Choo
DH Travis Hafner
3B Jhonny Peralta
1B Matt LaPorta
2B Luis Valbeuna
LF Michael Brantley
C lou Marson

Pitching:
RHP Jake Westbrook
LHP Aaron Laffey
RHP Fausto Carmona
LHP Jeremy Sowers
RHP Justin Masterson
SU: Chris Perez
CL: Kerry Wood

The Indians are in pretty rough shape entering the year. Their closer, Kerry Wood, is probably out for the first month of the year, and although Chris Perez should be a fine fill-in, that bullpen is very shallow and will miss Wood dearly. Their rotation is even weaker than KC's, as the Royals at least have themselves and ace and some guys with potential. Cleveland's offense is average to below average. I like Sizemore a lot, and Cabrera, Choo and LaPorta are nice talents, but they have one guy who hit 20 homers last year, and only had 2 hitters hit above .258. They were also lead in wins by a reliever (David Huff with 11) in 2009 as well. Just goes to show exactly how poor of a roster the Indians will be trotting out in 2010.

*Giants Note: Kevin Frandsen finally got his wish on Friday, as the Giants sent the 27 year-old infielder to the Boston Red Sox for a player to be named later. Frandsen had a minor league option left, but was behind Matt Downs, Manny Burriss, Ryan Rohlinger and Brandon Crawford on the organizational depth chart. Frandsen never really got a good look after his solid showing in September of 2007, at which time he looked to be the 2nd basement of the future. Injuries and disagreements with management kept him from getting much playing time in 2009. I wish Frandsen the best, as he's now a candidate to back-up at second and short for a legit World Series contender.

The Great Karnack says.....PT 4

National League East Predictions:

1. Atlanta (90-72)
2. Philadelphia (80-80)
3. NY Mets (71-91)
4. Florida (70-92)
5. Washington (55- 107)

2010 AL East Preview

As we do towards the end of every March here at the Giants Baseball Blog, with the regular season quickly approaching, we're going to start the division-by-division preview and standing predictions for the upcoming 2010 season. Starting as always in the AL East, and finishing up in the NL West, so here we go:

1st Place, New York Yankees
Lineup:
SS Derek Jeter
DH Nick Johnson
1B Mark Teixiera
3B Alex Rodriguez
C Jorge Posada
2B Robinson Cano
LF Curtis Granderson
RF Nick Swisher
CF Brett Gardner

Pitching:
LHP CC Sabathia
RHP AJ Burnett
RHP Javier Vazquez
LHP Andy Pettite
RHP Phil Hughes
SU: Joba Chamberlain
CL: Mariano Riveria

The reigning world champs have again improved themselves over the offseason, bringing Nick Johnson back to the Bronx and trading for the versatile Curtis Granderson. Those two offset the loss of Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui, so the offense should once again be one of the league's best. With Damon out and Brett Gardner in, their outfield defense improves greatly too. I really liked the addition of Javier Vazquez (2.87 era, 15 W, 238 K's in '09) to an already strong starting rotation. Vazquez teamed with Burnett and Sabathia make the Yanks very tough to beat in a playoff series, and that bullpen should once again be solid, led by the ageless wonder, Mariano Rivera.

2nd Place, Boston Red Sox (*AL Wild Card Winner*)
Lineup:
LF Jacoby Ellsbury
SS Marco Scutaro
2B Dustin Pedroia
C Victor Martinez
3B Kevin Youkilis
DH David Ortiz
3B Adrian Beltre
RF J.D. Drew
CF Mike Cameron

Pitching:
RHP Josh Beckett
LHP Jon Lester
RHP John Lackey
RHP Daisuke Matsuzaka
RHP Clay Buchholtz
SU: Daniel Bard
CL: Jonathan Papelbon

The Red Sox should again be right there on the Yankees heels, but I just don't think they have quite the offensive firepower to overtake the "Bronx Bombers". The two key players on that roster, in my opinion, are David Ortiz and Adrian Beltre. If both rebound after rough '09 seasons, and play closer to their potential, then the Sox will force themselves into the playoffs one way or another. Another strong point for Boston is their defense, as they have one of the top-5 team defenses in the game right now. They have the best bench in baseball, with potential starters Jeremy Hermida, Bill Hall, Jason Varitek and Mike Lowell. That rotation is lining up to be one of the best in the game, if healthy, and their bullpen has notoriously been one of the AL's best.

3rd Place, Tampa Bay Rays
Lineup:
SS Jason Bartlett
LF Carl Crawford
3B Evan Longoria
1B Carlos Pena
2B Ben Zobrist
CF B.J. Upton
RF Matt Joyce
C Dioner Navarro

Pitching:
RHP James Shields
RHP Matt Garza
RHP Jeff Niemann
LHP David Price
RHP Wade Davis
SU: J.P. Howell
CL: Rafael Soriano

In just about any other division in baseball, the Rays would be serious contenders, as they have a nice lineup, a decent starting rotation, and an up-and-coming bullpen. B.J. Upton has the talent to be one of the top 20 players in baseball, but he had a bad season in 2009, and needs to revert back to his 2008 playoff form, when he hit 7 homers, drove in 16 runs and stole 6 bags in 16 ballgames. I also believe Carl Crawford could be the most underrated player in baseball as he has the potential to hit 25 home runs and steal 60 bases. Their young rotation and bullpen should be solid, though they'll likely encounter some growing pains throughout the year. I'm just not quite sure about Soriano as a full-time closer, as he has too much trouble staying on the field.

4th Place, Baltimore Orioles
Lineup:
2B Brian Roberts
CF Adam Jones
RF Nick Markakis
3B Miguel Tejada
DH Luke Scott
C Matt Wieters
LF Nolan Reimold
1B Garrett Atkins
SS Cesar Izturis

Pitching:
RHP Kevin Millwood
RHP Jeremie Guthrie
RHP Brad Bergesen
LHP Brian Matusz
RHP Chris Tillman
SU: Jim Johnson
CL: Mike Gonzalez

The Orioles are a year or two away from really starting to make a push in the AL East. They have their young positional core going with Nick Markakis, Adam Jones, Matt Wieters and Nolan Reimold who are all 26 years of age or younger. They also have a few young arms that are ready to work at the big league level in Brad Bergesen, Brian Matusz and quite possibly their future ace, Jake Arrietta, knocking on the door. They remind me of what the Rays looked like one year before they made their push to the world series. They don't have quite the quality pitching that the Rays have accumulated, but they're on the right track. They can also catch and throw the ball very well, right up there with Boston. Keep an eye on Baltimore, as they should show glimpses this year of what they can be a few years down the road.

5th Place, Toranto Blue Jays
Lineup:
RF Jose Bautista
1B Lyle Overbay
2B Aaron Hill
DH Adam Lind
CF Vernon Wells
3B Edwin Encarnacion
LF Travis Snider
SS Alex Gonzalez
C John Buck

Pitching:
RHP Shawn Marcum
LHP Ricky Romero
RHP Brandon Morrow
LHP Marc Rzepczynski
LHP Brett Cecil
SU: Jason Frasier
CL: Kevin Gregg

The Blue Jays are significantly weaker team than they were at the start of last year. They've lost Alex Rios, Roy Halladay, Marco Scutaro and Rod Barajas. They're counting on in-experienced arms to carry their rotation, as Ricky Romero is the only returning starter to start at least 20 games in 2009. Shawn Marcum and Brandon Morrow should be solid, but are both question marks. Their lineup needs a lot of work too. They have a decent middle order, but the top and bottom of their lineup really needs some work. Jose Bautista (career .238/.329/.729) is hardly your ideal leadoff man and they're really going to miss Scutaro at the top of the lineup. Their bullpen is also a question mark as they still don't have a clear cut closer, although they do have a few legit set-up guys.

Yadier Molina Injured

Albert Pujols returned to the St. Louis lineup Wednesday, but the Cardinals lost All-Star catcher Yadier Molina to injury during a 4-2 victory over the Baltimore Orioles.Molina left the game in the second inning with a strained right oblique and will be reevaluated on Thursday.
"It wasn't that bad, but I didn't want to make it worse," Molina said. "I don't know how long it will take to recover. Hopefully it's only a couple of days."
Molina injured his oblique while sliding into second on a double. He advanced to third on David Freese's single to center but did not try to score. He left the game immediately thereafter, walking off the infield holding his right side.
The loss of Molina concerned manager Tony La Russa, who only hours before was eagerly anticipating Pujols' return to lineup.

AP

The Great Karnack says.....PT 3

American League West Predictions:

1. Texas (97-65) team MVP: Ian Kinsler
2. LA Angels (90-72) team MVP: Kendry Morales
3. Seattle (88-74) team MVP: Felix Hernandez
4. Oakland (80-82) team MVP: Jack Cust

Giants Continue Strong Play In Cactus League

After the Giants most recent victory on Monday vs. Texas, they have bumped their record up to 15-6 this spring after totaling just 9 wins during the 2009's Cactus League. Again, these numbers and wins during March don't mean much, but I do like a lot of what I'm seeing go on with this Giants club, spring training or not.

Giants fans have to be pleased with what they've seen out of the Giants' top two offensive free-agent signees so far, with Aubrey Huff leading the team with 3 homers, second with 9 RBI and is carrying a .380 batting average. DeRosa missed the first half of the spring schedule, but has looked solid in his seven games played since, hitting .300 with a pair of RBI's. Also, Edgar Renteria has looked moderately better than he was last year, and apparently looks like he's a little bit quicker in the field. They don't really have an everyday player, minus Freddy Sanchez who is still out with that shoulder recovery, who is having a bad spring. Aaron Rowand has really heated up over the last few games and is now sporting a team best .500 batting average. The only projected regular who isn't performing up to expectation is the one guy that needs to in order to secure his starting spot and that is Nate Schierholtz. Their defense has actually been a little bit better than expected as well. They've only committed 5 errors as a team all spring long, and Huff, who's never been known for much of a defender, has really put everyone at ease with the way he's played there so far. He's even got J.T. Snow's stamp of approval.

The only thing I want to see Bruce Bochy do more of as the spring wears on is to continue to get their top youngsters into as much game action as possible. I understand that it's getting to the point in spring where the regulars are going to start getting stretched out a little more as the regular season is just 2 weeks away, but I would like to see much more of Darren Ford and Brandon Crawford. Ford showed his wheels again in Monday's game, hitting a stand-up triple in the ninth inning vs. the Rangers, and ended up scoring the game-winning run on a sac fly. Goes to show you what speed can do to a ballgame, and the Giants desperately need it. As far as the young pitchers go, the guy I've been monitoring closely is lining up to get his first start of the spring on Wednesday as the Giants split up to take on Kansas City and Cincinnati. Sosa has yet to allow a run this spring and has been very impressive with velocity and location. He's my dark horse pick to get one of the final bullpen spots, as he can both start and relieve for Boch.

Note: Our Annual MLB Divisional Previews start Tuesday or Wednesday and will probably run through the beginning of April, as I'll break down each division in baseball and pick the winners. It's one of the rare times here at the Giants Baseball Blog in which I'll touch on topics having nothing to do with the Giants, but I'll be sure to report on any big news or happenings with the club as it happens!

College Top 25 Rankings, 3/22

Baseball America Poll

1. Virginia

2. Arizona State

3. Texas

4. Georgia Tech

5. Louisville

6. Florida State

7. LSU

8. UCLA

9. Florida

10. TCU

11. Coastal Carolina

12. Clemson

13. UC Irvine

14. Arkansas

15. Ole Miss

16. Alabama

17. Miami

18. Cal State Fullerton

19. Oregon State

20. Oklahoma

21. Stanford

22. South Carolina

23. Texas A&M

24. East Carolina

25. Rice

Next Tier

Southeastern Louisiana

Western Kentucky

Arizona

North Carolina

Oregon

Nice Work

UConn is emerging as a big-time sleeper team. The Huskies kept rolling with four wins this week and look very much like a regional contender. Connecticut has a bevy of weapons in OF George Springer, 3B Mike Olt, SS Nick Ahmed, 2B Pierre LaPage, and LHP Elliot Glynn. The Big East is way up this season and will be fun to watch. UConn travels to Louisville for the upcoming weekend.

Arizona wasn't on any radar screens entering the season, but the Wildcats sure are now after a 16-4 start. The Wildcats are one of the youngest teams in the nation, starting a lineup almost completely composed of underclassmen. Sophomores Jett Bandy (.506/.570/.790!) and Steve Selsky (.438/.500/.584), and freshman Robert Refsnyder (.458/.529/.569) and Joey Rickard (.386/.449/.580) are red-hot offensively. Imagine if the Wildcats had retained drafted recruits Tommy Joseph, Randal Grichuk, Ian Krol, Trent Stevenson, and Matt Helm (as well transfer Donn Roach, who has a 2.93 ERA at CC of Southern Nevada).

Auburn blasted Georgia this weekend and notched a conference sweep. The Bulldogs are scuffling mightily, but the Tigers (who are hitting .353/.432/.574 as a team) have some potential. High-profile junior first baseman Hunter Morris went 5-for-6 with a pair of home runs on Sunday and is now hitting .425/.462/.793 with 8 homers on the season. OF Brian Fletcher is at .412/.481/.809. (Looking towards their professional futures, however, Fletcher's 7-17 and Morris's 5-18 BB-K ratios aren't encouraging.)

Texas A&M's Michael Wacha is proving to be a dominating freshman. The 6-6 right-hander has a 1.38 ERA and a 41-4 K-BB ratio. The Aggies as a whole have been a very nice surprise this season and moved into the rankings this week.

Texas's offense is not clicking on fully cylinders, but the Longhorns have received strong contributions from a pair of ballyhooed freshmen. OF Cohl Walla, who was recently inserted into the starting lineup, is hitting .351/.359/.432. C/1B/OF Jonathan Walsh is hitting .435/.481/.739 in limited action.

Needs Work

Cal Poly has stumbled to a 7-11 start, including a series loss versus Cal this weekend. The Mustangs were on the cusp of my preseason rankings, but have not found any consistency on the mound or at the dish. Freshman OF Mitch Haniger has been a bright spot, but bats such as Matt Jensen and J.J. Thompson have some heating up to do. Losing projected ace righty Steven Fischback for another season was also a big blow for CP, and hurlers Matt Leonard and D.J. Mauldin haven't been able to carry the load.

North Carolina lost two of three to ACC foe Florida State over the weekend, UNC's second consecutive series loss. The Tar Heels uncharacteristically struggled on the mound, receiving underwhelming starting performances from Matt Harvey, Colin Bates, and Patrick Johnson. While competitive, they simply aren't as talented as their last 4 College World Series teams.

My 2010 MLB Predictions

We are inching closer towards the beginning of the 2010 MLB season. So it is time to go ahead and put out my picks on who will finish first and who might win MVP or CyYoung for the NL and AL.

Here we go: 
AL West: Mariners
AL Central: Twins
AL East: Yankees
AL Wild Card: Rangers

NL West: Dodgers
NL Central: Cardinals
NL East: Braves
NL WC: Phillies


World Series: Cardinals vs Yankees
World Series Champions: St. Louis Cardinals!!!


AL Awards:
MVP Joe Mauer
Cy Young Jon Lester


NL Awards
MVP Albert Pujols
CyYoung: Adam Wainwright
      
 

Reds at Cubs, March 13

I went to see the Reds/Cubs game last Saturday at HoHoKam Park in Mesa. (Here is the box score from the game, which the Cubs won handily.) This NL Central contest was a real delight to take in, due in no small part to the numerous prospects and young big leaguers who played.

I was pumped to see Starlin Castro and Yonder Alonso in the starting lineups

I arrived nearly 3 hours before game time and had ample time to kick back and watch batting and infield practice

Cubs shortstop Starlin Castro was my primary focus. The Dominican Republic native has been anointed as the team's top prospect, and some want the 19-year-old to begin the season in the majors. (I would give Castro at least a few more months of minor league seasoning. He only has 120 plate appearances above Single A and can only offer the Cubs an empty batting average at this point. Castro makes contact with ease and his wOBA last season hovered around .340, but he has yet to post a .400 SLG or a walk rate above 6.0% in full-season ball. Chicago should keep the talented youngster in the minors rather than unnecessarily rushing him, but I digress.) Castro has a knack for contact, and while he hasn't developed much power yet, he had a solid showing in BP.

Castro grounded out thrice in actual game action:

Castro's defense is generally praised, but the 6-0, 190-pounder is not an above-average runner and whether he possesses the range necessary for shortstop remains to be seen. Here he is taking grounders before the game:

Starlin Castro

Starlin Castro (alongside Aramis Ramirez)

Hak-Ju Lee, Chicago's other premier middle infield prospect, also received a couple at-bats in the game. Lee hit .330/.399/.420 with 25 SB in the Short-Season Northwest League in 2009.

I snapped lots of photos of Cincinnati players, but unfortunately didn't see Aroldis Chapman.

OF Drew Stubbs

OF Chris Heisey

3B Juan Francisco and OF Wladimir Balentien

Jim Adduci, an unheralded 24-year-old outfielder with limited power but who put up a .362 wOBA in Double-A last season, started in right field for the Cubs. Spring results are meaningless, but Adduci put good swings on a few pitches.

Juan Francisco provided the fireworks for the Reds. I still doubt a player with a career MiLB 3.8 BB% and .311 OBP will be an above-average big league bat, but Francisco's power is simply prodigious and he put it on display with a pair of homers against the Cubs:

Contrary to what the pre-game lineup stated, Logan Watkins did not get the start for the Cubs. Instead, Darwin Barney got the nod at second base. Barney looked good with a diving stop and a couple of line drives, but I was hoping to get the chance to see Watkins. Both are promising middle infield prospects with steady defensive skills, but ultimately I wonder if their bats will be loud enough for them to surface as big league regulars. Watkins (.065) and Barney (.076) had meager showings in the IsoP department in 2009. The former entered Saturday's game for one AB and went down looking:

Logan Watkins at second base

Hard-hitting 1B Yonder Alonso, Cincinnati's #1 prospect:

Here are a couple more vids and pics from the game.

Todd Frazier

Drew Stubbs

Yonder Alonso