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NL East Preview/Projection

*The NL East is the only division that can attempt to match the AL East with a lineup of…

Jose Reyes (ss-NYM)-With the epitome of range at SS and speed & OBP now at the top of the lineup

(120-17-68-60-295)

Chase Utley (2b-PHL)-The patience to be the perfect #2 hitter but the greatness to bat anywhere

(115-30-110-13-296)

Hanley Ramirez (lf-FLA)-Talent to bat leadoff or third & now he has Bonaficio and Maybin to drive in

(116-33-106-29-303)

Ryan Howard (1b-PHL)-HR & RBI leader of the MLB last year and again this year with a better AVG

(96-45-135-1-275)

David Wright (3b-NYM)-Has Reyes & Murphy in front and Beltran & Delgado behind; Got to love his line

(112-31-122-20-305)

Carlos Beltran (cf-NYM)-Batting 5^th will hurt his runs but gold glove CF with power & speed combo

(92-26-115-22-279)

Brian McCann (c-ATL)-Great line at Catcher; Another year under his belt and less weight above his belt

(68-24-94-3-298)

Jimmy Rollins (dh-PHL)-Rather Reyes at SS & Hanley in LF, but I’ll take Rollins at DH against the AL East

(119-19-75-39-278)

Jeff Francoeur (rf-ATL)-Gun for an arm and a rebound year for our last OF spot

(77-22-90-3-269)

….and a rotation of:

Johan Santana (NYM)-18 straight starts without a loss and A NEW BULLPEN – 20+ wins?

(20-2.85-1.15-209)

Cole Hamels (PHL)-Same fastball/changeup repertoire that BAFFLES hitters; Health issues?

(16-3.19-1.09-194)

Derek Lowe (ATL)-Durable. That’s all I have to say, but with all his groundouts, he would probably be effective even with Colorado, or Texas.

(14-3.75-1.25-140)

Ricky Nolasco (FLA)-Still underrated? Doubt it, but he’ll be almost as good this year.

(14-3.84-1.21-171)

Josh Johnson (FLA)-Better k-rate than Nolasco with Worse WHIP, but stud if healthy.

(14-3.65-1.33-175)

…and a solid bullpen of Brad Lidge(38sv), Francisco Rodriguez(42sv), JJ Putz(6sv), Mike Gonzalez(30sv), Matt Lindstrom(23sv), Joel Hanrahan(25sv) and let us not forget about ambidextrous Billy Wagner pitching with determination and for another contract later in the year.

*Breaking down the NL East by position and using a sample rank system, I came up with the following (as objectively as possible):

c: McCann(atl-5) – Really no other C in the NL East can compare

1b: Ryan Howard(phl-5pts); Carlos Delgado(nym-4pts); Jorge Cantu(fla-3pts); Adam Dunn(was-3pts); Casey Kotchman(atl-2pts) - Howard is the clear favorite; A somewhat offensive bounce-back from Kotchman is in place; Delgado, Cantu, and Dunn should all be solid again; Cantu is definitely still underrated with Bonifacio, Maybin sometimes, and Hanley Ramirez in front of him.

2b: Chase Utley(phl-5pts);Dan Uggla(fla-3pts);Kelly Johnson(atl-2pts); Luis Castillo(nym-1pt) – Castillo can be an effective 2b still at the 8-spot in the Mets lineup; Kelly Johnson can go 85-17-75-9-287 with maturity and confidence. Obviously, the Nationals have a 2^nd baseman in Anderson Hernandez/Ronnie Belliard – I just don’t think they’re worth writing about.

3b: David Wright(nym-5pts); Chipper Jones(atl-4pts); Ryan Zimmerman(was-3pts) Emilio Bonifacio (fla-3pts) – Chipper does deserve 5 points along with Wright if he could just stay healthy enough; If Bonifacio sticks to leadoff he can be a runs and sb stud; and Zimmerman should have a 85-20-85-5-285 line. His defense is fantastic and he has potential for 85-25-95-5-290. Pedro Feliz isn’t worth ranking albeit solid defense.

ss: Hanley Ramirez(fla-5pts); Jose Reyes(nym-4pts); Jimmy Rollins (phl-4pts); Yunel Escobar(atl-2pts) – I wanted to give 5 points to both Rollins and Reyes as well, but It’s true that Hanley is in an offensive class all by himself since he’ll have lots of rbi opportunities this year; I personally think Reyes can belt 19 home runs this year, but 16hr + 60sb is beautiful with a stellar .293-.297 avg.

lf: Raul Ibanez(tilde over the n)(phl-5pts); Daniel Murphy(nym-4pts); Matt Diaz(atl-3pts); Josh Willingham (was-2pts) – I love Daniel Murphy batting 2^nd in the Mets lineup. I think a very healthy 90-17-75-7-286 is very possible; Ibanez will be stellar there in the Phillies Lineup; Matt Diaz with playing time can be very good. Along with Brian McCann, he slimmed down a bit.

cf: Carlos Beltran(nym-5pts); Shane Victorino(phl-4pts); Cameron Maybin(fla-3pts); Lastings Milledge(was-2 pts); Jordan Schaeffer (atl-2pts) – Jordan Schaeffer is young and good. He’s already got 2 hr this year. He could switch with Kelly Johnson/Yunel Escobar for the top of the lineup if slow starts occur for either of the 2 or when Chipper sits (which will be enough) and Omar Infante is in the lineup. I think he can be good for 17hr-15sb. Maybin should bat 2^nd but may find himself at the bottom of the lineup enough to hurt. His lineup spot should have the following breakdown: 50% batting 8^th, 35% batting 2^nd; and 15% batting lead-off. A line of 85-15-65-25-269 seems great for where he went in drafts; Like I said prior, Beltran will lose out on runs and protection batting 5^th, but he should bat 4^th enough against lefties when Delgado bats 5^th.

rf: Jeff Francoeur(atl-5pts); Jayson Werth(phl-4pts); Jeremy Hermida(fla-2pts); Elijah Dukes-Austin Kearns(was-2pts); Church-Sheffield(nym-2pts) – Hermida was regarded very highly just a few years ago, and the rbi opportunities are there. He could get time batting 2^nd as well. I actually like him for a line of 75-18-75-6-260; Werth should be very good when healthy since right field is his. I see 24hr-15sb due to injury concern; Platoons and split-time between the Mets and Nationals right field situations should yield above average numbers. The difference between them and Francoeur however is obviously not nearly as great between say Chase Utley at 2b and Ronnie Belliard at 2b so I think they deserve 2 pts to Francoeur’s 5 pts.

sp1: Johan Santana(nym-5pts); Cole Hamels(phl-5pts); Derek Lowe(atl-4pts); Ricky Nolasco(fla-4pts)

sp2: Josh Johnson(fla-5pts); Javier Vazquez(atl-3pts); Brett Myers(phl-3pts); Maine/Pelfrey/Perez (nym-3pts) – To me, Josh Johnson is clearly the best #2 starter here with the other 3 teams having fairly similar numbers at the #2 rotation spot. The thing with the Mets is I’m not sure who the #2 will be by year’s end – same for their number 3 and 4 starters, and I’m a Mets Fan; Brett Myers Could be good at times and a mess at others. I think he’s better than Moyer this year (even though Moyer may be ageless the way he pitches) so I’ll put him here and Moyer in the 3-whole.

sp3: Jair Jurjjens(atl-4pts); Jamie Moyer(phl-3pts); Maine/Pelfrey/Perez(nym-3pts); Volstad(fla-3pts)

sp4: Joe Blanton(phl-4pts); Kenshin Kawakami(atl-3pts); Maine/Pelfrey/Perez(nym-3pts) – I think Kawakami can be as effective as the teams’ other #4’s since no one has seen him.

sp5/Minor League P call-ups: Tommy Hanson(atl-4pts); Jordan Zimmerman(was-3pts); Carlos Carrasco(phl-3pts); Jon Niese(nym-1pts) – the Phillies, Nat’s, and especially the Braves have a future Ace or #2 in the whole, while the Mets, to me have a future #4. I think the Phillies will need Carrasco quicker than the Mets need Niese or Braves need Hanson, but Hanson is the best among the new wave of NL East Starters. Jordan Zimmerman could and should put up better than league average numbers in his first season.

P.S. Livan Hernandez will be horrendous for the Mets. Hopefully they sign Pedro Martinez or Jon Niese and Tim Redding can be effective enough. However, I do see a deadline SP deal for the Mets, which comes later in the post.

closer: Brad Lidge(phl-5pts); Krod(nym-5pts); Mike Gonzalez(atl-3pts); Matt Lindstrom(fla-2pts); Joel Hanrahan(was-2pts)-Krod and Lidge will be great again. Gonzalez is underrated and can save 35 games without Rafael Soriano getting a chance. Tommy Hanson could get some opportunities if both Gonzalez and Soriano are unhealthy, but I think they’ll keep him as a SP as he sores to the Majors. Lindstrom can be very good with his 100mph fast ball and slider so long as he stays healthy. Per pitch, he was the hardest thrower in the majors last year, and let’s not forget about Jon Broxton/LAD or Joel Zumaya/DET.

setup: JJ Putz(nym-5pts); Rafael Soriano(atl-2pts) – If Krod goes down, the Mets should still be OK because of JJ Putz - just OK. JC Romero of PHL could have been here if he didn’t get suspended for substance abuse, but hey thanks for helping the Phillies win the World Series and thanks for playing in the World Baseball Classic. Horrendousness.

Figure 1.0: Results

	nym	phl	atl	fla	was
c	1	1	5	1	3
1b	4	5	2	3	1
2b	1	5	2	3	1
3b	5	1	4	3	3
ss	4	4	2	5	1
lf	4	5	3	1	2
cf	5	4	2	3	2
rf	2	4	5	2	2
sp	5	5	4	4	1
sp	3	3	3	5	1
sp	3	3	4	3	1
sp	3	4	3	1	1
sp	1	3	4	1	3
rp	5	5	3	2	2
rp	5	1	2	1	1
	51	53	48	38	25

Point-Breakdown:

*Obviously, this is a very basic statistical way (almost a weight system) of ranking the NL East, but still feasible. Those not ranked, still received 1 pt for the contingent positions. The above system ranks each team as follows: Phillies (53pts) Mets (51pts) Braves (48pts) Marlins (38pts) and of course lastly, the Nationals (25pts). So here, the Phillies rank 1^st. However, there are definitely contingencies this year, such as how the Braves play against the Phillies. They were 4-14 against the Phillies last year. The Braves rotation with Lowe, Vazquez, Kawakami, and Hanson later on in the season, will be much much better, and their offense should pick up quite a bit as well. Most Importantly – The Mets. They had the 3^rd most blown saves last season with 29 (Both the Cardinals and Mariners had 31). The additions by subtractions and additions by great additions/call-ups (Krod, Putz, Sean Green, Brian Stokes, Bobby Parnell) should subtract at least 15 of those 29 blown saves – and probably many more!!! All three referenced NL East teams need to watch out for the Marlins, but I don’t think they have the bullpen and rotation depth to compete for 162 games in the 2^nd best division in the Major Leagues for 2009.

Mets Trade Rumors:

*Lastly, there will always be trade rumors throughout the season, and at the deadline. It may be more intense this year than last due to the economy, and some non-competing teams may be very willing to rid of their expensive talent. I think the Mets will be big players in a sundry of discussions – mainly with the Blue Jays, Mariners, and potentially the Padres. I think Erik Bedard (sp) along with Jose Lopez (2b), Roy Halladay (sp), as well as Jake Peavy(sp) would be fantastic additions after Johan Santana in the Mets Rotation. Another interesting difference this year, can be the Mets POTENTIAL willingness to trade Fernando Martinez, the Mets top OF prospect since they found a stud in Daniel Murphy. I think an offer like Fernando Martinez(of), Jon Niese(sp), and either a Reese Haven(ss) or Brad Holt(p) + Nick Evans (of) could potentially help us land a Roy Halladay or Erik Bedard. If we can land Jose Lopez for 2b along with Erik Bedard, I don’t see how the Mets wouldn’t easily win the NL East.

Mets Roster Additions:

*I think Sheffield was actually a good right-handed bat of the bench for the New York Mets, and

can be a great platoon with Ryan Church (left-handed). Livan Hernandez/sp just won’t be effective anymore, and the Mets should attempt to woo Pedro Martinez for 1 year at 2.5 million.

*2009 NL East Projections: (Honestly I think the Phillies and Braves are Interchangeable)

1- New York Mets (91-71)

2- Philadelphia Phillies (88-74) – WC

3- Atlanta Braves (87-75)

4- Florida Marlins (85-77)

5- Washington Nationals (63-99)

*Very Early 2009 MLB Playoffs Projections:

Mets vs. Dodgers

Phillies vs. Cubs

NL Championship: Mets vs. Cubs

WS Championship: Mets vs. Red Sox

WS Champions: Red Sox

AL Championship: Boston vs. Yankees

Red Sox vs. Angels

Yankees (WC) vs. Twins

Did You Know:

Did you know in college, Mike Lieberthal had a Homerun Cycle – He hit a grand slam, a 3-run homerun, a 2-run homerun, and a solo shot.  I read this on the back on his 1991 Topps Rookie Card! Amazing!!!

Did you know – The founder of this Site, Jeff Gross’, Favorite player was [LAD/TEX/ANA/TOT/CHC/SEA/SAN/FLA Pitcher] Ismael Valdez. Fantastic.

Also Fantasy-eers – Don’t forget Brandon Inge/c-3b on the Tigers is eligible at CATCHER! But make sure you have Pujol’s avg on the team, b/c Inge will hurt that badly!

RIP Nick Adenhart. Best wishes to the Angels (no corny joke), his friends, and most importantly, his family.

You're a MLB Pro..Thanks For Coming Back!

Hello All,

I received an awesome email from a loyal site visitor yesterday. I feel it fits into the current mood perfectly, so I wanted to post it right here for you all to see!

It is my understanding that as a supposed tribute to Jackie Robinson,
Bud Selig is permitting the use of Jackie Robinson\’s number by major
league players.  But on a memorable occasion in 1997, he pledged to
tens of thousands of listeners at Shea Stadium with Mrs. Robinson and
President Clinton standing right there that no major league player
would ever wear that number.  That pledge is a greater and well
deserved honor for Robinson.  It is an honor bestowed on no other
player.  I believe that that honor should be reinstated now at the
opening of the 2009 season.

Read below and let major league baseball know what you think.

The year 1997 marked the 50th anniversary of that great moment when
Robinson first walked out on a major league field.  I was sitting in
my club, George\’s, the luncheonette across the street from my office
on Cutter Mill Road in Great Neck, reading that on that very evening,
during the game at Shea Stadium, the home of the Mets (a pale
imitation of the Dodgers), the anniversary would be marked by
President Bill Clinton, Mrs. Robinson and the President of Major
League Baseball, Bud Selig.  Robinson had retired in 1957 and had died
in 1972.  I tried to interest about half a dozen people into going to
the game and ceremony but the notice was too short for them to change
their plans.

I felt that I had to be there.  It was a fulfillment of my theory
that that there are times when one more warm-blooded person makes a
difference.  Just being there is important.  Even though there may be
no other role to play, adding one more person sends a message.
Especially since the newspaper had predicted less than a sell out
event.

I drove alone to Shea Stadium that evening, bought a good seat, and
participated in history.  It was night. The field was brilliantly lit.
The stadium looked full to me.  Police officers were stationed at
every aisle between the steeply pitched seats, their backs to the
field, scanning the crowd.  Even with that protection, I thought it
courageous for the president to walk out, only with Mrs. Robinson and
Selig, to the pitcher\’s mound, to speak to the assembled tens of
thousands, his body more clearly delineated than it would have been
even in bright sunlight.

What made history that night were not the words of Bill Clinton or
Mrs. Robinson.  They performed well and said what would have been
expected.  What came next was what was probably the most emotional
moment in baseball history since Lou Gherig called himself the
luckiest man on the face of the earth in his Yankee Stadium farewell
to baseball and to life.

The president of the major leagues called the attention of the over
50,000 present to the left field wall at the end of the foul line
extending from home plate to third base and beyond.  There were listed
the names of the outstanding Brooklyn Dodger ballplayers whose numbers
were retired, the numbers they wore on their baseball uniforms would
never again be worn by a Dodger.  The likes of Pee Wee Reese and Duke
Snider and Roy Campanella and Sandy Koufax.

Then he asked that Jackie Robinson’s number be unveiled.  In fact,
Robinson’s number had been retired since 1972 so that his number,
too, could not be worn by any Dodger.  Then Selig intoned words that
had never been spoken before.  Number 42, Jackie Robinson’s number,
he said, would never be worn again by any player on any team in the
major leagues.  That honor was never given to any ballplayer before
nor has it been since Jackie Robinson was honored in that way on that
night.

Let’s keep that pledge.

Micah Hoffpauier picked up where he left off last spring hitting a grand slam to lift the Cubs past the Dodgers 5-3 on Wednesday. Micah will likely be counted on to be the main left handed power threat off the bench, and he did his chances of making the club a world of good in the first spring game of the new season.

Jeff Samardzija pitched 2 innings for the Cubs giving up 2 runs and 3 hits. Mitch Atkins pitched 2 innings and gave up one run on 3 hits.

Sean Marshall will take the ball today for the Cubs as they play host to NL Central rivals the Milwaukee Brewers.

With the opening game in the cactus league just 2 days away, pitchers are starting to be designated games to pitch over the coming week. As i stated in my last post, Jeff Samardzija will pitch the opening Cactus League game on Wednesday at HoHoKam park against the team that swept the Cubs out of the play-offs last season. Mitch Atkins, who impressed at AAA last season will also pitch two innings in the game against the Dodgers.

Sean Marshall who like Jeff Samardzija is battling for the 5th starters role will pitch Thursday against the NL Central division rival Milwaukee Brewers. Marshall who many believe to be the early favorite for the rotation will have stiff competition, and will have to watch one of the competition perform first in Jeff Samardzija before he takes the mound.

Ted Lilly is slated for his only cactus league action Friday against the Texas Rangers. Ted Lilly will join team USA ahead of the WBC. The 17 game winner is one of the few Cubs players sill participating in the event.

Carlos Zambrano and Ryan Dempster are not slated to start in the first round of rotation starts, pitching coach Larry Rothschild said that there were no problems with the pitchers. Rich Harden continued to throw off a mound with no problems, however he is a week behind other pitchers. Andrew Cashner impressed cubs management with his smooth arm action, and asked Cus hitter David Lee about his change-up that he has been working on, positive feedback was given.

Two day’s to go ladies and gentlemen.

 The Dodgers are apparently now in talks with free agent second baseman Orlando Hudson.  Hudson has reportedly lowered his asking price from $10 million since, with todays market, there are no teams willing to pay that for him. 

Colletti told dodgers.com that he wasn’t necessarily looking to replace Blake DeWitt, but more or less looking at options.  The article on dodgers.com said if Manny doesn’t sign we could always use Hudson at second, move DeWitt to third, and Casey Blake to left. 

Personally, I would like the signing, as Hudson is a proven second baseman, a 2 time gold glove, and he can hit.  Last year Hudson hit .305 while only playing in 107 games due to an injury, but if you look at his stats, his average has gotten better every year.  I don’t know how much I would like the musical chairs of players, especially since, if Manny doesn’t sign, we have a perfectly healthy Juan Pierre to play left, and while he doesn’t add the power that even Blake has, he has batting average and speed.

Ideally, we could sign both Hudson and Manny and have an even better offense than last year.  I’d like to see Hudson as an everyday 2B and let DeWitt and Blake fight it out for 3B/utility IF.  Granted, there would be many options that Torre could look into with this signing, and would be nice to add another bat to our lineup.

While we all look forward to this upcoming season after an NL West title and a postseason victory, this year’s Dodger team is going to look a little different than we’ve come to expect over the past few seasons.

First of all, we’ve lost 2 of our starters in Derek Lowe and Brad Penny, as well as mid-season acquisition Greg Maddux who finally hung up his cleats.  Our bullpen also took a hit losing the likes of Chan Ho Park, Takashi Saito, Scott Proctor.  We also released CF Andruw Jones and long time 2B Jeff Kent retired.  So, there are a lot of people we’re used to seeing in Dodger Blue who won’t be here anymore.

We also do have several who we may or may not be losing, as they’re still free agents.  The biggest one would be Manny Ramirez, who we’ve made several unsuccessful offers to, but I really think will be wearing Dodger Blue by the beginning of the season.  Some others who I’m not so sure about are Nomar Garciaparra, Joe Beimel, and Mark Sweeney.  All three of them kinda suffer from the “odd-man out” though I know a lot of fans who wouldn’t mind seeing Nomar back, and Beimel could help out our bullpen, but not really sure if Ned plans to even negotiate with them.

With all those departures, we have some new people coming in, mostly pitchers.  Recent signings of ex-Dodger Jeff Weaver along with Shawn Estes, Randy Wolf, Eric Milton and Claudio Vargas will be competing for roster spots.  Wolf will likely be our 4th starter and Estes will likely try to compete for the 5th spot or maybe a bullpen spot along with Vargas.  Weaver was signed to a minor league deal along with Milton, but I’d expect both to be in LA at some point in the season.  In addition to career starters, we’ve also signed ex-Dodger reliever Guillermo Mota to sure up the pen.  So we have a lot of pitching to compete for the open slots and I’m excited to see how they all perform.  As for our offense, it will be the same lineup we’ve been used to (assuming Manny re-signs) but we have added a few reserves to help out in backup catcher Brad Ausmus and utility infielders Mark Loretta and Juan Castro. 

So, there have been a lot of moves that the Dodgers have made, and it’s going to be an interesting season, hopefully ending with another NL West crown. 

Hello Dodger fans, and welcome to majorleagueblogging, I’ll be covering your Los Angeles Dodgers this season. 

I thought I would start out by telling you a little about myself.  My name is Jimmy and I’ve been a Dodgers fan ever since I can remember watching baseball.  I’m from CT, so not a local but I never miss a game on mlbtv and keep up with all the team news religiously. 

In the upcoming weeks, I’ll try to post some info on our outlook for the upcoming season and try to highlight some of our key players and transactions.  If there are any topics you specifically would like me to cover, feel free to let me know.

After Randy Wolf returned to the rotation, the Dodgers brought back another familiar face to vie for the bullpen slot.

Jeff Weaver, winning 27 games while making 68 starts for the Dodgers during the 2004-05 season, signed an ML contract, plus a slot in Spring Training this Saturday at the club’s new Camelback Ranch-Glendale facility in Arizona.

Weaver contacted the Dodgers, telling the team of him pitching out of the bullpen after pitching in the Minor League in 2008. In turn, he will be earning $500,000 if he makes the roster.

Originally acquired by the Dodgers from the Yankees in a Kevin Brown trade, wanted a big deal after the 2005 season that wasn’t coming from the Dodgers after pitching 224 innings. Noticing that his market was limited, he signed a one year contract with the Angels in mid February of 2006.

By the end of June, a 3-10 Weaver was traded to St. Louis, where he was a different player. He pitched at the World Series clincher and despite the recovery, he was allowed to leave by the Cardinals and signed with Seattle in 2007, but with shoulder problems, Weaver finished the season at 7-13.

Being a free agent last 2008, he had Minor League stints with Milwaukee and Cleveland, but no Major League appearance. After leaving the Dodgers, his composite ERA for both leagues was at 6.00.

Also expected to be in the Dodgers’ huddle this year are relievers Relievers are Jonathan Broxton, Hong-Chih Kuo, Cory Wade, James McDonald, Guillermo Mota and Scott Elbert. The Dodgers are also considering Will Ohman, Dennys Reyes and Jamey Wright to be in the bullpen.

The club also announced that they are in terms with left-hander Shawn Estes and right-handers Ronald Belisario, Charlie Haeger and Tanyon Sturtze, all on Minor League deals with big league camp invites.