Opening Day Excitement

Opening day has finally come and gone.  The weather could not have been better and the games likewise.  Sunday night the Red Sox come from behind on the strength of Kevin Youkilis’ three extra base hits and a solo shot from Dustin Pedroia to beat the hated Yankees.  Yesterday, Jason Heyward hits a long homerun on his first swing ever as a major league player and the Braves spanked the Cubs who tied an opening day record by allowing 16 runs.  Sir Albert Pujols hit not one but two opening day homeruns which puts him on pace for 324.  It could be a good season.  Roy Halladay pitched a gem in Philly as the reigning NL champs look to repeat.  Tim lincecum struck out 7 and gave up only 4 hits through 7 innings in a Giants 5-2 win over Houston.  Perhaps the play of the entire season has already occurred.  Mark Buerhle kicked a ball that was hit back at him, then chased it down as it careened toward the first base line between the pitcher’s mound and first.  He crosses the base path right in front of the baserunner and in one motion, scoops the ball with his glove and flicks it between his legs underhand to first to get the runner by about a half step.  WOW!  What does day two have in store?

2010 Predictions: AL East

First in the East this year should be a battle.  I went with the Red Sox due to their off-season activities.  After being swept in the first round of the playoffs last year, the Sox made some improvements.  Although Jason Bay departed for the Mets (and the money), the Sox signed Mike Cameron to take over in Center and moved Jacoby Ellsbury (my guy) to Left.  Cameron may be a slight downgrade from Bay, but the Sox also added Adrian Beltre at third and Marco Scutaro to fill the void that has been at short for awhile now.  With the trade of Lowell to Texas falling through, the Sox benefit with his services as a pinch hitter.  As long as Ortiz continues like he left off last season and Youkilis, Pedroia and Martinez stay on course, the Sox will put up good to great offensive numbers.  I didn’t mention JD Drew because 1)I’ve never been a big fan and 2)he can’t seem to stay of the DL but anything he can contribute will be a bonus.  The pitching staff easily rivals there New York counterparts.  Lester, Beckett, Lackey, Dice-K and Bucholtz is a dream rotation.  Wakefield can easily step into that 5th spot if Bucholtz struggles.  And Papelbon and Rivera might be 1 and 1a in the AL.

 

The Yankees slide back to second (maybe).  The loss of Damon and Matsui was not offset with the signing of Curtis Granderson.  Granderson should replace Damon well enough but there is still the hole left by World Series MVP Hideki Matsui.  Jeter is still putting up great numbers and plays a great shortstop but Posado is starting to show his age.  Cano should come back down to Earth a little since he showed some career numbers last season.  Arod and Teixeira will put up big numbers, of course, and Nick Swisher has the ability to although he strikes out a lot.  CC, AJ, Pettite, Vasquez, and Joba are sure to cause headaches for a lot of teams this year.  The jury is still out on Joba, but this is one of the premiere rotations in the league.  Rivera has shown no signs of slowing down at 40, but I’ve got to think he has to drop of a little.  Not to worry Yankee fans, the AL Wildcard will once again come out of the East so there is still post season play in your future.

 

The Tampa Bay Rays are unfortunately in the East with the big boys.  Stick them in the Central and they win the division every year.  The clock is ticking in Tampa and the pressure will actually make it harder for the Rays to contend this season.  The offense has a nice mix of power and speed.  Longoria, Pena, Upton and Crawford are going to put up numbers but Shields, Garza, Niemann, Price, and Davis can not compete in the AL East.  Look for Kelly Shoppach to take over at catcher to add some power to the lineup but the Rays are destined to finish 3rd again.

 

The Orioles are young but should make a bit of a splash this season.  The birds signed Kevin Millwood to anchor the rotation and give some leadership to their young pitching staff.  The O’s have a decent offense with Markakis, Roberts, Jones and Reimold.  I would expect Weiters to improve over last season and Tejada is still serviceable but his better days are behind him.  This team could stir up the pot in the East in the next couple of years but this is still a growing year.

 

The Blue Jays lost Alex Rios and Roy Halladay this offseason.  I could stop here and no one would question why.  Adam Lind, Aaron Hill and Vernon Wells will give Jays fans something to be excited about although Vernon Wells best days are in the past.  Kevin Gregg should be a nice addition in the bullpen to hold those late inning leads (assuming they have some).  Ricky Romero looks to be the bluebirds ace this season which won’t bode well for him.  Although Romero is a good pitcher, I would look for his numbers to drop off a little this season.

2010 Predictions: NL East

The NL East has a clear winner and a clear bottom dweller.  However, the middle is tough to pick.  Obviously, the three-time defending NL East Champion Philadelphia Phillies, who added Roy Halladay to an already stacked rotation, are not only my favorite to win the East again but also my pick for the National League representative in the World Series. 

At the bottom, once again, are the lowly Nationals that have a young pitching staff and added an aging (old) Pudge Rodriguez.  Ryan Zimmerman and Josh Willingham should offer the fans some excitement and although I’m not a big fan, I suppose Adam Dunn does provide some power.  The big event this year for the Nats should be when rookie Stephen Strasburg gets the call to throw some for the big club.

The middle three were essentially a toss-up for me.  I made the safe bet and chose the Mets to finish second almost exclusively off of name recognition.  With guys like Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran, David Wright and the addition of Jason Bay, you have to expect good things to happen.  The starting rotation brings the expectations back to Earth.  After Johan Santana, there are a lot of questions.  Francisco Rodriguez needs the game to be close to even have a chance of helping.  If the Mets can avoid the injury and the offense can put up some numbers, they have a chance to finish high in the standings but probably won’t have enough to earn the NL Wild Card.

The young talent in Florida could help the Marlins have a decent season.  Somehow they manage to hang around for most of the year, so with guys like Hanley Ramirez, Dan Uggla, Josh Johnson and Ricky Nolasco coming back with another year’s experience, perhaps they can make a viable run at that second spot.

The Braves outfield production was well below what was expected last year.  If Nate McLouth can bounce back and Melky Cabrera can bring New York-esque numbers with him, the Braves have a legitimate shot at second as well.  The addition of Billy Wagner could help shutdown the opposition late in the game to give the Braves the edge they need.  And of course there is always the Bobby Cox factor.  I’m sure this team wants to send him out on top, but the question is, can they?

Is the Halladay Frenzy Over?

Roy Halladay appears to be headed to Philadelphia in a three-way trade with Toronto-Philly-Seattle. What does this mean for the Sox and Yanks? With the apparent signing of John Lackey to a 5-year deal, I think the Red Sox have one of the strongest rotations in baseball with Beckett-Lackey-Lester-Matsuzaka and Wakefield. With a healthy Matsuzaka and Wakefield providing double digit wins, this Red Sox rotation may even be better than their inter-division foe New York Yankees. The Yankees send the formidable trio of Sabathia-Burnett-Pettitte out at the front end of the rotation but then where do they turn? Joba has proven to be anything but reliable and who do you follow him up with? Sergio Mitre? Who? As a Sox fan, I’m ok with Halladay heading to the National League and out of the AL East. Although they won’t be facing Doc multiple times in the 19 games against the Jays, the Sox do make a trip to Philly in June. Now the Sox can focus on Mike Cameron to replace the soon to be departing (and therefore demonized) Jason Bay. Now what about third/first base?