» Matt Diaz

Oh, the end to the 2009 regular season was heartbreaking. But there were many wonderful accomplishments. I’m going to write down some of those accomplishments:

• Congratulations to Jair Jurrjens who was named September NL Pitcher of the Month.
• Garret Anderson got his 2500th hit on 1 October 2009. Go Garret!
• My favorite Peter Moylan was phenomenal after the All-Star Break, having an ERA under 1.00 (considering that he had a 145.00 ERA by the time he got his first out, that’s very impressive). He surpassed Chris Reitsma on the Franchise All-Time appearances with 87! I’m very proud of Pete, considering all he went through to come back. If it weren’t for Chris Carpenter, I’d totally say Pete was going to be NL Comeback Player of the Year! And did I forget to mention that he didn’t give up a single homerun in 09? Go Pete!
• Tim Hudson was very, very awesome his first time back. He had two wins, though I’m sure he deserved more. I really hope he’s around next year. He’s a good person and a great pitcher.
• Tommy Hanson had a wonderful rookie year. I so hope that he wins Rookie of the Year.
• Matt Diaz was just awesome this year! Despite a base-running blunder to end a game against the Marlins, I have very little complaints about how well MattE D did this year.
• Kris Medlen, though I can’t say he was remarkable, was pretty good. I just love Little M, for more personal reasons, but you know me.
• Martin Prado had an outstanding year. I really like Kelly Johnson, but Martin is my choice for 2B next year!
• Yunel Escobar, besides a few attitude problems, was just fantastic this year. I really hope we can see more of Yunel has got!
• And finally, Javier Vazquez has been amazing. I hear his name is popping up in Cy Young Award discussions, so let’s see how Javy does!

Though the end of the season was disasterous, I’m still faithful to the Braves and cannot wait for next year. One last year of Bobby Cox, which I still have mixed about. The boys really had me excited about the NL Wildcard race, and although they didn’t win, this was ten times better than last year. In 2010, we’re a force to be reckoned with. No doubt it my mind.

Also, both Mike Gonazlez and Rafeal Sorianoare free agents this year. I hear there is a fifty-fifty chance on keeping Gonzo and little chance of keeping Soriano, but the other day at a season ticket holder’s event, Frank Wren mentioned (without realizing it) that they would have to replace both. I’m very curious as to how this works out. Because I also hear that my favorite Peter Moylan could possibly replace them as closer. You probably can guess my opinion, but if they don’t re-sign Gonzo, well then I’ll be upset. I love his fire, his excited air that he gives off. Though, Yunel should be able to fill that whole :p.

One last note, Mr. and Mrs. Kelly Johnson are expecting their first child in December, according to Chop Talk! Though I don’t think Kelly will be around next year, that is very exciting! I have no doubt the child will be as adorable as daddy dearest.

Until next time!

Despite the loss and the fact that Mike Gonzalez got hurt (and hopefully that’s not major- even though I’m sure Gonzo could use some rest), the game today was fun. Barry Zito was really good, and so was Kenshin Kawakami.

What else can I say? Oh yeah, my boys have been on a roll! They’re currently in second place in the NL East and hopefully that’ll stay the same! I’m gonna go into individual people and their awesomeness, then assess the team as a whole! Fun, right?

Peter Moylan

Yes, that’s right, my favorite goes first! Although he’s been shaky and inconsistent, I’m very thankful he’s on the team. I still find it impeccable that he tried so hard to be ready for the season- even though he wasn’t even twelve months into his Tommy John rehab. I think he’s a little over-used, and with some more rest he could be the reliever he was in ‘07! Maybe I’m just saying that because he’s my favorite, but either way, I still believe it!

Tommy Hanson

He’s been amazing up here! He’s 5-0 and still going! I can only imagine how much better he’s going to be with more Major League experience! GO TOMMY!

Jair Jurrjens:

All I have to say about JJ is that the other team needs to look out! I mean seriously, he out-pitched Tim Lincecum! I still don’t get why he wasn’t an All-Star, but I guess I’ll never know! Jair is definitely my favorite starter, I’ve had the pleasure of meeing him and he was as sweet as can be, and beyond that, he’s got some skills! I look forward to see what he’s like in the next three or four years, because I have no doubt he’ll be lights out!

Yunel Escobar

Oh Yunel! He has a bit of an attitude problem, but aside from that, he’s been amazing! Esco is fantastic! My goodness, as of right now he’s the defending National League Player of the week and I’m sure he’ll be in considerations if he doesn’t get the title again! Go Yunie!

Rafael Soriano

He definatley has impressed me this year, I honestly didn’t expect him to throw a pitch at all! I’m very glad he’s proved me wrong, though.

Martin Prado

Oh, Martin has always been one of my favorites! I’m glad he’s doing so well, even if that puts Kelly Johnson on the bench! He’s proved he can be a producing starter and I don’t see that changing anytime soon! I wish Martin all the best!

Matt Diaz

You all know of my fondness of MattE D, so I’ll keep this short. He’s been pretty hot lately and I’m never upset to see him in the line-up or at the plate (not that I ever have been, I always love seeing Matt play)! Matt is definitely amazing, and right now he’s playing as well as his brother can sing (which is pretty good! I met Jonny Diaz the other day, he’s awesome, actually)

The 2009 Atlanta Braves

The other night on Braves Live! Fred Hickman called the Braves “consistently inconsistent”, which pretty sums it all up. This year is for sure an improvement than last year, but Fred totally nailed this season with that comment. They’d win two, then lose three, when three, and lose four. I really hope that they’re consistently winning this half of the season, because I’d love to see the Braves in the play-offs. So far, they’re doing a good job, but it’s only July. There’s two months left to go, so let’s all hope the starters can pitch deep, the bullpen can be awesome, and that offense can stay hot, because let’s face it, I love the Red Sox, but I really don’t wannna be watching only them in mid-October (plus, who really wants to see the Phillies in the post-season?)

Till next time,

GO BRAVES!

EDIT 7/24/09: I was wrong! Yunel was National League Player of the week until the 19th. I need to do my research next time

The other night was… awful. I didn’t catch most of the game, I was with some friends ”chilling” (more like playfully yelling at each other) on one of the ramps.

I just need to tell you, my patience with Jeff Bennett and Buddy Carlyle are growing thin. I love Buddy, I’ve had some awesome personal encounters with him and also one with his adorable son, Carter. This is the second time this year that Buddy has given up a GRAND SLAM. I mean, all of the pitchers last night gave up an unearned run, but this is just ridiculous.

Jeff Bennett walked in a run. That’s like the fifth time that’s happened this year and it’s getting extremly ticked off. Either Bennett gets the job done, or he leaves. And he’s not getting the job done!

Kenshin Kawakami did pretty well, I know a lot of people are losing their faith in him, but I’m not making my mind up just yet. I think once he settles down and gets more used to American baseball, he will be lights out. Let’s wait and see.

Last night’s game was rain delayed and I’m a little thankful. I think our boys needed some time off after that terrible loss on Saturday (even though they’re losing right now).

So onto something semi-Braves related: the other night on Atlanta Braves: Straight Up 3, Matt Diaz talked about his brother who is a singer, Jonny. I looked Jonny up and he’s absoloutley incredible. I can’t even begin to describe how good his music is, so I’m encouraging you all to go look him up and tell me what you think. His website is JonnyDiaz.com and his MySpace is myspace.com/jonnydiazband. Hope you like him!

That’s it for me. Bye!

Last night’s game was weird. It was fun to watch but really weird too. Jon “Boog” Sciambi and Joe Simpson cracked me up the whole time (as Boog taught us he could do math) but it was impossible to tear away.

I mean, I can’t remember when we accepted two staight bases loaded walks! Yunel Escobar’s little  bench and bullpen clearing “show” in the third inning was… kinda awesome in a weird way. There are times when I just love Yunel’s fire. It made the game ten times more interesting. Jeff Francoeur continues to remind us why we loved him so much before his slump last year (and why some of us continued to love him even during the slump) with his solo homer in the fifth plus Matt Diaz with his RBI. The Braves are starting to look better, so we’ll watch this work out.

Pitching Notes:

• Mike Gonzalez got the save! Now he has two! Go Gonzo!
• Rafael Soriano gave up his first run of the season.
• Peter Moylan got charged with an error but managed to not give up a run, and now has in ERA in the single digits! Go Moylan!
• Javier Vazquez is now 2 and 1. Go Javy!

Team Notes:

• Garrett Anderson is on the DL. Get well!
• The AJC’s David O’Brien expects Brian McCann to go on the DL and he’ll have a surgery to fix the left eye that has been giving him problems. Get well soon Mac!
• Chipper turned 37 years old yesterday! Poor guy didn’t have a hit though! Happy belated birthday!
• On the McCann note, Clint Sammons is expected to be called up! As much as I hate to lose Mac, I love Clint! Wooo!

So that’s it! The game starts at 1:10 EST, be sure to check out those Bravos! Wooo! Go D. Lowe! Woo!

Man-oh-man-oh-man! I can’t help but think that Kelly Johnson is the awesomest person in the world- ever. (Now I know you might think my Peter Moylan love is dying. Well, if you’re that concerned, it’s not. Pete’s accent gives him a major advantage over KJ)! Okay, so, Kelly. I swear I felt so happy when he walked and “drove in” that run last night, the only run of the game in the Braves-Nationals finale. I must say, if we had been swept by the Washington Nationals I would have been extremly worried. Last night’s game was has so much suspense in it, I would have thought I was watching a murder mystery.

Jair Jurrjens was great as always and his performance last night makes me wonder what he’ll be like in his late twenties or early thirties and its hard to think of him as 23, a year younger than my brother. This is two starts for him in a row where he could probably get the win if there had been some run support. Well, at least we won last night. That gives most of us some peace of mind on this long and boring off-day.  It seems like every two days we have an off day and that just stinks. So let’s look at some key points for this series with the Reds.

Brian McCann

That specialized contact lense he has will has… helped. He was one for four last night and one for two the night before, his first two hits in five games. Mac is essential to the line up and without him, lose a powerful, powerful element.

Chipper Jones

He needs to stay healthy. The Braves tend to play better with him in there. There is no doubt about it, so we need to keep Chipper as healthy as possible- that’s vital.

The Bullpen

We have three surgerically repaired relievers in Rafael Soriano, Peter Moylan, and Mike Gonzalez as the top relievers, they need to stay on top. Moylan has had a shaky beggining, but he’ coming back. His ERA went from 135.00 to 10.80 in six games, so I have no worries for him. As long as he keeps the ball in the strike zone, most of his earned runs have been walked in, so he needs to work on some control, but he looks pretty good considering he came back a month early from Tommy John Surgery. Gonzo needs to be his usual FANTASTIC self and be the closer he was last year after comming back from TJ. Sori, well, Sori’s fine. He needs to stay healthy. That’s all. The rest of the bullpen is pretty awesome. Eric O’Flaherty is really starting to impress me and (I’m hoping) other fans. Of course, Blaine Boyer is gone so these other guys will have to deal with the two guys who had the most appearances last year being gone (the other being Will Ohman, of course. I miss him and his hilarious self)!

Major Offense

We need to be able to protect our leads with good defense, yes, but adding isurance will definatley help that too. We need to be able to score runners that are in scoring positon and get guys on base. So far, Matt Diaz, Jeff Francoeur, Kelly Johnson, Chipper, and Yunel Escobar aren’t concerning me so much. MattE isn’t a regular like the rest, but he’s played more than Garrett Anderson this year (or it seems like it at least)!

With all this mind, I hope the Braves can start winnning. We have potential, but can we live up that potential…? That is the question.

(PS. I really wanna think of some nick names for the boys, espacially Moylan, Diaz, O’Flaherty, Schafer, KJ, and Kenshin- my favorites. Any suggestions?)

They finally snapped the losing streak! Not only that, they handed Zach Duke his first loss of the season (on his birthday! I kinda feel bad for him here!) and gave Javier Vazquez his much deserved first win. It was a shut out until James Parr hit a batsman with the bases loaded and made the score 11-1. I like Parr, he was amazing after his September call-up last year, but he’s worrying me this year. I know it’s only his second game of the year, but still, this was not the Parr we saw last year.

Brian McCann and Kelly Johnson didn’t play today (Mac for the eye!) but Chipper Jonez was in the line-up for the first time since the first game of the Marlins series. Mac’s and KJ’s replacements had great days, both shooting in three run homers. Jeff Francoeur, Matt Diaz, and Casey Kotchman also had RBIs, Frenchy with three, Kotchman and Diaz with one. The Bravos had a fifteen-hit, eleven run game and the Pirates had a seven hit, one run game. Both teams had one error. Peter Moylan continues to make his ERA smaller and I see him coming back to his 2007 self- minus the geeky glass of course and of course with more tattoos (which seems to be a subject in just about any interview he does, by the way). Jeff Bennett seemed to get around the jam he created for himself after the triple he could have prevented, but Javy Vazquez was by far the most amazing pitcher today! He went six shut out innings in awesome style! Go Javy! Go Braves!

Now, we’re going to visit the Nationals! Let’s sweep them again!

If your fantasy leagues have waiver wire/free agent addition restrictions like all my leagues do, there is a strategy I like to attend to, and I’ll give you the reasoning. Most of my league-mates make fun of me for picking up an infinite amount of players as soon as possible and only having 5/10 additions allowed left by the season’s end. In a standard 12 team 5×5 Rotisserie League, we started off with 100 waiver moves allowed. This turned into 75, 60, and then 50. So I’ll focus on 50 free agency moves allowed. I think a good strategy is to use 75% (~37 free agents) of your waiver limit (if needed of course) in the first 2 months (even during or after the first month) of the season. I think you get a fantastic idea of how players are doing and what players have become and will stay hot ala Carlos Quentin and Nate McLouth (for ¾ of the season at least) in 2008. Most likely you won’t need to spend 75% of your free agent additions by this time, but I say don’t be scared wasting many of your additions by this point. Obviously, you should save 10-15% (~5-7 additions) of your waiver additions for the end of the season contingent on what statistics you may need, and this still allows you 10-15% (~5-7 additions) when you have certain player/positions go to the DL. If you think about it, most players that readily help a team won’t be there by season’s end other than top prospects called up to help a team (David Price in 2008) – I never said waste your waiver order on all these free agents. Make sure if you drafted last and you have the number 1 waiver spot, you save that for when a David Price-Type player in 2009 does become available (Tommy Hanson of the Braves if he lands a Starting/Closing Role) or an Evan Longoria-Type position player (Matt Wieters/Catcher from the O’s if he somehow is still available on your waiver-wire) becomes available.

By using this strategy, you could have added free agents Mark Reynolds/3b, Carlos Quentin/of, Nate Mclouth/of, Alexei Ramirez/mi, and Evan Longoria/3b in 2008. Once a few starters get some innings under their belts and you’re hopefully looking at their whip and k/bb ratio, you could have landed Cliff Lee, Edinson Volquez, Kevin Slowey, and Scott Baker, or even Liriano by season’s end if you were quick enough. These guys helped in almost every pitching category. There’s still 2/3 category pitchers you could have had like Jamie Moyer (wins-16, era, whip) and Mile Pelfrey (wins-13, era) as well.

Here is the following team that could have been drafted either very late or not at all and some potential 2009 breakout candidates per position:

The 2008 All Fantasy Undrafted/Late-Drafted Fantasy Team (& 2009 Potentials):

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

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.

     First off, who else thought that Javier Vazquez’s Braves Debut was awesome? I have to admit, when the Braves traded Brent Lillibridge for him, I was pretty upset. Looking back on today, I don’t know where I stand now, Lillibridge was one of my favorites but it seems to me that Javy can be pretty valuable to the starting rotation! Today, for example, he gave up three runs in six innings against the 2008 World Champs, the Phillies.

      The bullpen is something I couldn’t say the same about. When Vazquez left the gam after the sixth inning, the score was 10-3 Atlanta. In the seventh, the Phillies scored eight runs, gaining the league. The only real highlight about it was Peter Moylan’s first appearance coming back from Tommy John Surgery. He gave up four runs, but you can guess he was over-excited.  He told Mark Bowman that he was, and that his mechanics were off. Which explains the two walk in runs. He’s a nice guy, I really have to give him credit. When I saw him at Autograph Fest in January, he was sweet to both me and my nephew and he’s one of my favorites. Blaine Boyer, he’s not someone I really trust in any game. I suppose that’s not fair, but that’s just my opinion. He also walked in four runs and until Jorge Campillo ended the inning  after giving up a run, the nightmare seemed endless.

     Even with the poor bullpen support, the Braves still had a decent day with the bat. Both Chipper Jones and Garrett Anderson were scratched from the starting line-up, but even that couldn’t silence Brian McCann, Jeff Francoeur, Jordan Schafer, Matt Diaz and the rest of the line-up. McCann, Diaz, and the rookie Schafer each had homered. Diaz was making his first appearance of the season in Anderson’s place. Oddly enought, after Diaz’s two-out ninth inning homer gave the Bravos some hope, Anderson struck out to end the game. So the Braves walked away with the series, not the sweep.

     Now, Atlanta will come home and open up for their hometown fans against the Nationals on Friday after they have Thursday off. I’ll be at Friday’s game and will definatley share picutes and any stories.