It’s been a long time. I failed to get the last three breakdowns out and I never posted on Spring Training. I was, sadly, either very busy and/or sick. So anyways let’s kick this season off!

There were some things that impressed me with both pitching and hitting from the Red Sox. We opened the night out with Beckett and CC retiring the sides. Beckett got nailed with two homers, CC allowed one run. Beckett got nailed for four more runs, and CC stood strong. It was a classic pitching falters and the hitting was going to not make it happen night we saw last year and what I expected this year. Well if this is what the Sox can do, I was dead wrong.

Youk and Pedey delievered, Youk went 3/4 with two doubles and a triple. He also scored the go-ahead run. On the hitting front, the new trio (Beltre, Cameron, and Scutaro) impressed. Beltre knocked in two runs, Cameron scored the insurance run for Pap, and Scutaro looked good getting on base and doing something the 9 slot for the Sox last year could not do.

On the pitching front Beckett got nailed. To be frank, Beckett is a streaky pitcher, when he’s on he just might be in the top 3 of MLB pitchers. When he’s not he gets nailed, which is why his stats are forever mis-leading. Now the bullpen impressed in the 7-9th innings. Okajima looked solid, Bard made it look easy, and Pap looked like he was ready for another great season sealing a great victory for the Sox.

Defense looked good for all but V-Mart’s double steal mistake. Cameron and Ellsbury are going to basically mean from left to center not many balls are coming down and don’t think JD Drew is going to let too many hits on his right side either. Scutaro, Beltre, Pedroia, and Youk impressed in the infield and overall the Sox made me believe defense can help, but I’m still not one to say it’ll get them a ring this year.

Now for the Yankees I’d be scared if I’m a fan of them. I’m not saying their bad or ok, their still the scariest team out there, but what the Yanks fan should be scared of, is that they were not vintage Yankees at the plate. Yeah they scored seven runs, but they looked like the 09 Sox out there! They did not deliever late, they got runners on more then enough to score 10-12 runs, and they just got stopped. They weren’t clutch.

On the hitting end the Yankees were wrong, Damon and Matsui will be missed. Those two were great last year, but more importantly, clutch. Now on the pitching end Chan-Ho-Park looked off, just off, Marte was wild (per usual) and Joba’s velocity has dissapeared making him far less dangerous then when he was a year ago. I’m pretty sure this bullpen will be great soon, but Giradi has some work to do to get everything in order.

CC is not an April guy, then again neither is Texiera. I’m going to say for both Beckett and CC is that they are aces of their staffs and they will deliever, just give them time. What I’m scared of is if the Sox back off on the extension because if they do we can kiss Beckett goodbye. I’m pretty sure they won’t, but look at Jason Bay, they agreed and they jumped off the bandwagon.

My final thoughts on opening day are this, the Sox have made me optimistic. I’m not saying I think this team is geared for a World Series run, but heck this is something I didn’t see coming. Not only just a win, but a comeback win over the best team in the MLB. It’s good to see the Sox play this way early, and if they keep it up and get A-Gon later in the year or a different power bat, then this team could be ready for a run at a trophy.

Impressive by both teams. Should be another great one on Tuesday. Go Sox!

I know this is not my surprisingly popular breakdowns, but I’m having trouble getting those through right now. So for now how about we go over the Sox going into Spring Training and the Sox farm system?

So we know the basics of the Red Sox offseason. Jason Bay gets screwed over by the Sox, then Jason Bay screws over the Sox, then Sox sign Lackey and Cameron (honestly thinking about this was no where near the best option out there, but we have him anyways), and then they sign Adrian Beltre to go along with Lackey and Cameron as well as early moves Scutaro and Hermida. So now what is left is smoothing out the roster and Mike Lowell.

Speaking of Mikey we honestly have to wonder why we should trade him. He owns the Yanks, he still has a bat, and my idea is if Beltre bombs by the All-Star break give Mikey a chance at third, if he still can’t field fine then put Beltre back in, but lets say he shows he’s back in tip top form, then heck we have a great bat and fielder! Of course Theo needs his daily diet of stupid regret later moves (like Jason Bay).

But back to topic if we wanted to go by video game ratings the Sox have ninety-four pitching and seventy-nine batting with an overall of eighty-six. The Yanks have ninety-five batting and eighty-one pitching with an overall of ninety-one. See not that hot when faced with the Yanks are we? So why trade Mike Lowell for some worthless prospect and maybe keep him to give us a plan B at third and also some added batting skill. Then there is the curious case of David Ortiz.

 Honestly I don’t think roids had a huge impact on his career. Maybe his first year, but honestly yeah what he did was wrong but I don’t think he needed them to be as good as he was. Since his knee surgery he has been injury prone and he hasn’t had that deep crouch key to his power since then. So will he be the 07 strong 300/35/100 bat or will he be the off and on bat of the last two years and then dying in the postseason? Should be interesting to watch him in Spring Training.

  Then the farm system which can be argued as the best system or just a solid one. With West, Anderson, Kelly, Iggy, and Kalish heading the list of prospects now throw in Hernandez and they have a deep system. No where near as good as the star machine Marlins, but they are strong and while I’m tired of his stupid after they lose and get knocked out of the hunt “wait till 2012″ Theo has a point the Sox are primed to have four five battings stars and two three pitching star to be ready by then. Throw is Lester and Lackey in pitching and Pedey, Youk, and Ellsbury in batting it makes them look ready to be maybe even better then the Yanks by then.

So with all this in mind Spring Training should be interesting to see what happens. Who will impress and who will not? Well only time will tell. Till then guys. Go Sox!

I was almost done with NL East when I
noticed I had been coughing way more then I should be. So
then of course I learned I had a fever so now for the next
few days I won’t be writing posts. So the only way to make
this up to you guys who follow this blog is doing the entire
NL as promised and then catch up on what has happened around
the MLB and also my thoughts of the Red Sox prospects. So a
couple more days of wait and you guys will the NL and loads
of other stuff. Until then guys. Go Sox!

Forgive me for the posts or lack there of I
have had many things come up that have delayed new posts. So
as a treat for you guys tomorrow you will get all of the NL!
Until then guys. Go Sox!

In part 3 we wrap up the AL with the small market Central. The teams are the CHI White Sox, DET Tigers, MIN Twins, KC Royals, and CLE Indians. Some of these teams have made world series runs at late. The Tigers, Indians, and White Sox have all made strong pushes and the White Sox won it all. So will they finally break through the AL Central?

 this year? Or will they stay as the one and out teams of the past year or so?

The Tigers have made some major changes over the off-season. Trading Granderson and shopping Miggy were the most major as they were the top 2 hitters on the team. Granderson left and Miggy stayed because teams found him too pricey in terms of prospects. Much like the big middle of the order bat A-Gon Miggy could not be shopped because nobody wanted to give up a third of their best prospects for one great bat. So here is what is left of the DET Tigers batting lineup.

Miggy and Ordonez are the top 2 bats now with Granderson’s trade. Ordonez late found his hitting touch, but for most of last year he was a 270 bat with little to no pop. Miggy of course struck fear into a pitcher each time he stepped up to the plate. The Tigers lost Polanco too to the Phils so they have lost what was their number’s one and two through FA and trades. It has been a rough ride for the Tigers and their batting lineup has felt the impact the most. While small time players such as Adam Everett, Brandon Inge, and Carlos Guillen could help out all of them in the end just can not make up for the losses of Polanco and Granderson. While the Tigers may have a big power bat if Inge can do what he did for the first half last year for the whole season the Tigers will still miss Granderson. There are still some players that the Tigers could pick-up, but for now bottom line the Tigers have an above average batting lineup.

The Tigers pitching has done well this off-season. Adding some small players like Phil Coke they have kept Justin Verlander and seem to be able to sustain a ok to solid pitching staff. However the question marks could throw a major sword through their chests. Dontrelle Willis has gone from the next ace in the Marlins staff have then Marlin Josh Beckett’s name began to surface as trade bait. Willis played great in his time their until he was shipped like Beckett to an AL team. Beckett has pitched like an all-star and ace like he was still in the NL with the Boston Red Sox. Willis has been an injury mess and below average pitcher since his time began in the AL. The Tigers rotation rounds out with a ton of question marks. Will Zach Miner be a starter? Joel Zumaya? Bedard and Sheets still are in FA. Do they take that risk? Bottom line the Tigers have an average pitching staff

 The Twins had a great comeback season as they fought tooth and nail to crawl to the AL Central victory only to be knocked into the minors by the NY Yankees in the ALDS. They were missing some key bats, but it was no reason to have not put up a fight vs the Yankees. However with the team fully healthy and pick-ups such as Hardy the Twins made small moves that could be a huge help as the twins were dry towards the end of the batting order last year. The Hardy move could just help with that.

The Twins have a very good batting lineup right now. Mauer, Morneau, Hardy, Cuddyer, Span, Gomez, and Kubel are all very good to great bats. Mauer is now defending AL MVP, Morneau is somebody who was in the race who had injuries that kept him from winning the MVP, Cuddyer led the team in homers, Kubel added also a nice power touch, Span added some speed, Gomez the same, and Hardy will be a nice end of the order bat who can drive in runs or keep the inning alive. The Twins look good on the batting order. Bottom line the Twins have a very good to great lineup.

Pitching for the Twins is a major question. With Kevin Slowey returning and Liriano and Pavano getting set will we see two great pitchers (Slowey and Liriano) and a great team behind them (Baker and Pavano) or will we see an injury riddled mess that keeps this talented staff from being great. Duensing also showed he could be a decent pitcher at times last year. The twins will be somebody to look for if the pitching staff steps it up. In the end though it comes down to Liriano and Baker pitching the way they can not the way they did last year. Bottom line the Twins have a good to rock solid rotation.

 It is now going on three years since the Indians were one win away from going to the world series, but then buckled and watched the BOS Red Sox steal it from them and then go on themselves to a world series win. CLE has not been good since. Trading Sabathia was only the start of several major mistakes on their part. Then V-Mart was traded to the Red Sox. Then they lost this man and this man. Their abuse of the trade deadline by getting rid of “pricey players” has turned this team into a piss poor team at late. Will their future be bright? Or will they stay the laughing stock of the MLB for a few more years?

The teams once brilliant batting order has lost key pieces. After shipping Cliff Lee to the Phils and V-Mart to the Red Sox it was clear the Indians were trying to get worse not better as a team. Both players the hearts of their places V-Mart on offense and Lee on defense as the ace of the pitching staff. With these losses the Indians batting order has little to no flare. While the Red Sox are perfectly happy to have V-Mart as their new catcher and number 3 bat the Indians will miss his power and RBIs. Big time. While some players like Sizemore and Hafner could put up the homers and drive in runs. They would much like having three other then two or unless Hafner gets his groove back 1. Bottom line the Indians have a train wreck for an offense.

The Indians pitching went from a CC Sabathia and a 18 win Fausto Carmona to then a sucky Carmona and ace level Lee to now just a sucky Carmona. With now no good catcher to have a connection with him and no good support well things look bad for the Indians staff. Carmona is the lone wolf, but even if he does return to glory he will be nowhere nearly enough to carry the team’s staff. Bottom line the Indians have a train wreck for a pitching staff.

CHI White Sox have been a weird team for the past now 5 years. From world series champs to then below average team to then good team to then very good team to then back to below average it has been a real thrill ride with the White Sox. With the team nearly getting back to the post-season lasy year could they finally return to form. Or will the Twins and Tigers be too good for them?

The White Sox have what some might consider a decent batting order. They have a very good one when they have Dye however his fate is unkown. Thw White Sox have Quentin who when healthy is a very productive bat. They have Alexi Ramirez who when on is a very good bat. Dye usually rounds out their top bats, but again his fate is unkown. I can not say much since the White Sox are a team that still seems to be getting ready to make a move probably to the batting order. So for now bottom line the White Sox have a decent batting lineup.

The White Sox pitching is considered their low point as they struggle with the bullpen and in the rotation. While on paper they should be one of the worst pitching teams their pitching seems to hold up decently and usually will keep their team in the ball game. Of course with all teams sometimes the bats and the pitchers will screw up at least five or six games a year like ten runs allowed or 0 runs scored. However to much surprise the pitching at least last year only blew games when they had to bring the bullpen out. Wonder what could happen if the bullpen got thing together. Bottom line a ok pitching staff that if the bullpen steps up could be solid.

The KC Royals have well been below average to poor for the last decade or so. Will this decade finally bring KC back to at least ok play? Or do they have anothet ten year ride of top ten picks to go through? Well Zach Greinke was a great start. The KC Royals batting lineup is going to be short and sweet. They have basically nobody. Only when John Smoltz Red Sox term were they able to smoke 8 runs in. While last year’s Red Sox pitching did pad their offensive stats overall they played poorly. While talent is in their barley anybody has stepped up to help them at the plate. Once great bats now cannot get it done for them and the young are still far from being ready for the MLB. Bottom line the Royals have a poor batting order.

In pitching the Royals had what could be the next everybody wants him pitcher in Zach Greinke. His Cy Young performace was a real stunning year and he just missed out on a below 2.00 era season. Below 2.00! Gil Meche and some other pitchers show flashs, but have yet to step up for the Royals, but getting an ace is the start on how to build your pitching staff. While they will have more chances to get talented pitchers because of the draft system they have gotten many top 10 picks so maybe they will be able to have a great pitching team in the coming years. Bottom line the Royals have a currently decent pitching staff with lots of talent.

Thanks for reading part three with part four we begin the NL.  

In part two of six in this Fenway news event we look at my fav divison as it should be the most fun to see what happens. The AL West. The Angels have had quite the decade known for being beaten up until 2009 by the Red Sox, winning a world series, and having some of the most well known names of this era, but now the SEA M’s and the TEX Ranges seem to be on the outside looking in at the throne. What shalt happen this fine year? Well let us take a look.

The Angels lost John Lackey, Vlad, Figs, what was left of their bullpen, and last year through a tragedy Nick Adenheart who was going to be a star in some eyes. It has been tough for the Angels since that death and it has not gotten any easier. However in this time the Angels still have some fire left, will they be able to make a run?

On the batting end the Angels have lost some… ok a lot of hits, SB, and homers. Matsui is just a idiotic move as he is coming off of a career year and at his age they don’t keep coming they stop. Figs was the heart of the bats with his base stealing. The leadoff man sets the tone, Figs set it well. and now it may be tough to set the tone this year for the Angels. With Tori Hunter, Kendy Morales, Howie Kendrick, and Matsui there is promise, but it will not be the same without Vlad and Figs. Bottom line the Angels are just a yard away from great and they need to hope somebody steps up.

The Angel’s pitching has gone from Lackey, Weaver, Kazmir, and two other pitchers aka whoever they threw our there to now Weaver and Kazmir and three pitchers they throw out there. I do like Joe Saunders to step up though this year as he showed great signs last year. Now if Kazmir can step it up he is an ace and Weaver has shown signs of being an ace had they kept Lackey that would have been a great pitching staff. Instead they have a slightly above average to solid pitching staff on paper. Bottom line a solid pitching staff with signs if somebody steps it up to be a great one

The M’s were a busy team this off-season. Figs, Cliff Lee, and not trading King Felix showed the M’s were serious about a World Series run. No doubt they have added a lot more then lost. Adrian Beltre was a small loss for them since he could not hit in Safeco field and neither should any power hitter. Let us take a look at how things have gone for them.

In hitting the addition of Figs was a great pick-up. Surely they would have loved Jason Bay too, but they’ll take what they get. In hitting Ichiro and Figs going back to back is scary since one is going to get on and one is going to cause havoc on the bases. Throw in some decent power and the M’s have made their lineup rock solid. The off-season was busy for them and it will pay off in the end. Also Kotchman is now their starting first baseman and he is a gold glove, but nobody made more amazing plays with the glove then Beltre. However they still do not have a not of great hitters so it will be down to Figs and Ichiro stealing and getting runs, but that is very possible if not likely. Bottom line the M’s have a solid lineup with outside shot of being a very good lineup.

Pitching is where the M’s shine now. King Felix, Cliff Lee, and maybe if they resign him Jared Washburn is a great rotation with or without Washburn. After doing great in the pitcher friendly Safeco field I could see Washburn coming back to the M’s actually, but that is just an opinion. Now onto the real info. Felix and Lee right there make their rotation tight so the bullpen and those who come after will be key and I think the M’s have what it takes. They do need some extra depth and maybe another starter. Hell knowing the chances I bet the M’s make one or two more moves. Bottom line the M’s have an air tight rotation and two aces.

OAK is going to be a short read sadly since there is not much to talk about here. The A’s have done a poor job this off-season after seeming like they were ready to pay big cash. In fact at one point Lackey looked like he might be signed by the A’s. Beyond that the A’s are weak in major areas Defense, Hitting, and pitching. Can anybody believe Dan Haren and Harden were A’s?

Their hitting is below average and it seems to have gotten worse. That is really the problem here is they have not made either big signings or re-signings which is sad. Too much talent has going to leave their lineup and in the end their big bats are no longer big. Chavez is injury prone, Giambi is gone, and can we really think that Cust will hit well again? That is if he stays with the team. after those names there was nothing on this team before and now nothing after. Bottom line the A’s have a below average lineup.

The A’s pitching is just as bad if not worse then their hitting. However Andrew Bailey might be the next big closer and shows promise. They have some talent in the minors so their pitching might be in a better position then their hitting. Not much more to say here other then that. They re-signed some players on the pitching staff, but none will make any huge difference. Bottom line the A’s have one of the weakest pitching staffs in the MLB.

Now the Rangers a team that will be a real interest for me because they have been on the cusp of good now for a couple years. Will they finally reach the post-season?

The Rangers have a great batting lineup. Sadly they lost Byrd, but just a small loss if Josh Hamilton steps back into the 30 homer bat shoes he wore two years ago. Their hitting is very good in base stealing, homers, single/doubles, and driving in runs. A complete offense that can beat you anywhere and anytime. Now what will be something to look for is if some of the young blood from last year continue’s to play well. That might be their breaking point.

The Ranger’s pitching is bad. The loss of Millwood was a big hit to the team’s pitching staff. He was their ace sort of and since their staff was weak to begin with they needed to make sure they lost nobody. Their pitching could be what keeps them from making a huge push for the world series and in the end the M’s and Angels just will be able to out pitch the Rangers to W’s. However with their bats if the the pitching can average maybe 3 runs or 4 runs allowed per game that might be ok. Bottom line the Ranger’s have a below average pitching staff.

Thanks for reading part 2 of 6. This was a bit of short one, but I think the AL West will be a fun divison this year. We’ll round out the AL in part 3.  

In part one of a six part series we begin with the AL East. The teams are the NY Yankees, BOS Red Sox, TOR Blue Jays, TB Rays, and BAL Orioles. The AL East has been the AL kings for three years now with the Red Sox, Rays, and Yanks and two of those three years the AL East team won. Now coming into 2010 the Yanks are the defending champs and are favs for the AL East and the AL crown. With their more then amazing bats and good enough pitching they dominated the post-season last year and have everything to gain and nothing to lose this year as they have taken the throne as the best team in the MLB.

The Yanks are led by Derek Jeter who is without a doubt the best SS in MLB right now. A Gold Glove, leadership, and a 300, 25, 100 bat makes him the best player on the Yanks. In power A-Rod and Tex lead the charge with their 290-300, 40, 100 bats and solid to great glove work they round out as the best bats on the team. Cano, Posada, and Gardner seem to be the scary late in the order bats. While the loss of Melky was nothing, the loss of Damon could be something. Nick Johnson good as he is will not have those clutch homers, those ”how the heck did that happen!” hits when they were most needed, and the kind of up-lifting leaders you need in the bench when watching the game progress. Bottom line is that the NY Yankees have the best batting lineup in MLB.

When it comes to the rotation people do question the Yankees. With CC Sabathia being the top of the rotation guy they seem to be thin at pitching. AJ B, Javier V, Joba C, and Phil H being the rotation at a glance it would be easy to stomp on the rotation, but they are better then they appear. When on all of these pitchers can be lethal and should not be taken lightly. Sabathia’s helluva performance in last year’s post-season formed him as the all-around badass everybody thought he could be if he got off of his post-season woes. AJ, Javier, and Joba all have good and bad days, but when good few teams can hit on them. While these starts are few and far between they are still there. Bottom line great talent, but too much on and off pitching says the Yanks have a sold pitching rotation just south of great.

The Boston Red Sox may be more famous for Bill Buckner’s blunder then there World Series banners, but the first decade of the 2000s was as good as it gets. Two world series wins and most of the time always in the hunt the Sox shattered the curse and began a future that has promise. While that may be the past 2010 has promise and could be the return of a great Red Sox’s team.

The bats have been a major concern when it comes to this team. The loss of Jason Bay has been also the loss of their most productive bat. The additions of Marco Scutaro, Adrian Beltre, and Mike Cameron were all solid pick-ups that could either be screw ups or great additions that boost the bats big time. With our top three bats being Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youklis, and V-Mart with Papi, Jacoby Ellsbury, and Beltre all having chances of having great years. Pedy, Youk, and V-Mart are slightly underrated as a bats as all three are great hitters. All can hit 300 two can knock in 30 homers and the other is a former MVP who had a solid year while having his child and wife on his mind. Papi could always return to being a great DH bat. In their last world series run he batted 300 and 30 bombs. Beltre, Ellsbury, and Scutaro I like as the wild cards. Ellsbury proved he is the next Ichiro type bat. Speed, average, and fielding in one player. Beltre has a shot as being the Jason Bay replacement (and hey how about the Sox nixing Bay in July because of the legs, eh?). Bottom line the Boston Red Sox having a solid lineup that could be a great one.

The Red Sox have what most consider the best rotation in baseball. With a steep depth by name as Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, John Lackey, Dice-K, and Clay Bucholtz with Wake as a sixth pitcher slash long relief the Sox are stacked in pitching. With three aces, two number two pitchers, and a 10-15 win machine in Wake the Sox have a 80-90 win potential. It may scare some, but with the rivals the Sox are faced with pitching could either make them the team in the AL East or hurt them. With a bullpen that some think good enough much like the Yankees some wonder who will be able to hold up longer in a game the Red Sox or the Yankees? Dice-K will be a key as to how the rotation plays. If he becomes the player of old the Sox will be one of the best rotations in maybe baseball history. Lackey does not have to carry the staff and be the go to guy. Pressure off so now it is just about him doing his job and doing it well, but nobody knows what will happen anytime soon. Heck the Sox could end up with the most runs batted in this year. It is just that kind of sport. Only time will tell. Bottom line Red Sox have the best rotation in baseball.

The Tampa Bay Rays have been a strange case the last few years going from the worst to the best to the in between of the AL and MLB. Some think the 2010 Rays have huge talent from pitching to the lineup. Others will say the Rays have no pitching which will keep them from winning the Wild Card or East. Which team shall show this year? Let us see what could happen.

In batting the Rays are right there with the Yankees. Carlos Pena, BJ Upton, and Carl Crawford all scare you when they take to the plate. While all of them other then Crawford were up and down they all should be set to have great years in 2010. When throwing in their other bats you can’t help but think Pat Burell and Evan Longoria. Longoria might be the next huge 3B in baseball too. Bottom line the Rays have a great lineup.

Pitching is considered the low point in the Rays system. Shields and Garza currently battle for the ace slot of the team and both would be second or third option on other teams. The Rays still have gotten better though with its bullpen pick-ups this offseason. The Rays trading of Scott Kazmir would be considered a mistake and I would agree with this. Why weaken the weak? Bottom line the Rays are thin at pitching and might need a mid-season addition if they want to win.

TOR trading Roy Halladay was the talk of the town as they looked to improve their future instead of pad their present. TOR has not been good in a while and we shall look at what they off on both sides of the triangle.

Batting can not be considered good or bad as it is ok or average. Alex Rios gone they no longer have a big name or big bat anymore as many they had are gone. Scutaro and Rios highlight the losses. Adam Lind, Overbay, and Davis round out their batting lineup. They are not horrible at the plate just not good. Bottom line the Jays are weak at the plate, but have just enough to survive.

With the loss of Roy Halladay through the trade their pitching cannot be considered good, but while their is not much to look foward too this season they have gained greatly in terms of the future of the team. While nobody really comes to mind for the Jays they do have a decent bullpen with some talent in the rotation. Then again there are also some starters left in FA. Bottom line the Jays have very little pitching and need to hope their prospects grow soon if they want to win any time soon.

Now we finish with the BAL O’s. The O’s have improved at the bats, but can they be any good this year? Well the decade was not too kind late for O’s and when they lost Tex which surprised the nation things looked bad for the O’s for years to come. However they have done well this year in FA.

When it comes to hitting the O’s were a laugh and a half last year, but with the pick-ups of some well known bats and the all-star talent that is Adam Jones the O’s look decent this year. Jones, Atkins, and Roberts with several other good bats the O’s lineup seems strong enough to maybe carry the team a little. While not something that will scare the Yanks or Sox they might give some other teams a run for their money. Bottom line a improved lineup gives the O’s a solid offense.

The O’s pitching can be considered the worst in baseball while I’d disagree, it is not a good. It is closer to a minor’s rotation. With no ace and maybe no number two option in that rotation they have a bunch of 3′s and 4′s which makes them scary for other teams. Scary as in when will we be able to go,home and eat because the hits will keep coming and coming. Bottom line the O’s have one of the worst pitching staff’s in the MLB.

Thanks for reading part 1 of this six part event from Fenway News from a Red Sox fan.      

well I have had now two non me comments
which is a great thing for me. By luck I have gotten
commented on by one of the biggest MLB blogs all-stars Jane
Heller. She may be a Yankee fan, but she is a nice person.
The second one was a Red Sox fan named Fenway Bleacher
Creature. He agreed with my Lackey and offseason thoughts and
I’d check his blog out very cool. I know that in what few
comments I have I at least have them so life is good. Also I
said there will be no offseason posts because well there is
very little to talk about until Spring Training so I will be
doing my thoughts on the divisions starting with of course
the AL East. Continue to enjoy the new year everybody and go
Sox!

Well too late to get A-Gon. Unless the Sox want Beltre being the back-up after going through all that trouble and time to get him. Bedard went out the window when Lakey was signed. Damon could play in Fenway because LF is so short, but why sign Cameron and then get Damon and then switch Ellsbury from CF to LF then in a matter of weeks back to CF? The offseason is all but over. They made their moves. This was Theo’s year. The Sox made the big move (Lackey) the low risk high rewards (Beltre, Scutaro, and Cameron) and the pad the bench and bullpen (Shouse, Hall, and Hermida just to name a few) moves to make them an overall better team. They have defense and pitching and if the low risks become high rewards the bats will be great too. FA still has some talent left, but the Sox are too stacked. Damon, Sheets, Bedard, and Delgado are all decent to solid players. Some high risk high rewards and other low risk high rewards, but none of them fit the Sox right now. The Sox could just keep Mikey if they want another 20 homers DH bat so badly which is Delgado. Sheets and Bedard would have been cheap, but might as well go with the safe bet and pay more then do another Brad Penny, Smoltz trip again. As for Mikey well I’d keep him. Let us say in all chance that Ortiz sucks and they need some one who can hit 280 and 20 homers? Mike Lowell maybe? I have no doubt that Ortiz will do fine he is two slump months removed from a monster year take those months out this year and he will be a great DH once more, but Mikey played great at DH last year. When at third he didn’t bat great and his once gold glove was now an error glove. At DH is numbers at the plate were very good. 

And in the end do we really think Papi can do 162 games? Why not have a solid DH bat? Well that is my Lowell rant for the night. Now onto what the Sox could do they have two options. A ship Lowell off for solid talent or another Bill Hall type (like we need one though) either way it helps the team. B they look at JD Drew and say “you know Jermaine Dye is a 30 homer bat let’s try and do something with Drew and get Dye in RF” which could happen, but is unlikely. I’d like the Dye move, but it is possible and likely that neither move happens because 1 the Sox have made Lowell look like an injury prone high risk low reward bat who can not field anymore and nobody will take him and 2 for the either move Drew has too much money on his plate to deal and then bring in another player. So this is my last rant on the offseason. Nothing left I have covered the deals and the whole shbang. Got nothing left to talk about. Unless out of nowhere I hear A-Gon is a Sox the offseason is done and so are my offseason posts. Well Spring Training is soon and the Sox will be getting ready for the opening game vs the Yanks and it will be the perfect time to face them. CC and Tex are not that great in April so that would be the series to pounce on the Yanks. Go Sox! 

Well it is clear that the Red Sox will hit a homerun. What is not clear is if they will hit 100. Beltre has pop and so does Cameron and so does this guy and this guy. V-Mart could make up for the loss of Jason Bay with a full year in Fenway, but let us be real here. Can the Red Sox survive the AL East as an NL team? Clearly pitching is amazing. Lester, Beckett, Lackey, Dice-K, and Bucholtz are all either aces or number 2′s when they are playing at their best. Throw in Wake’s usual 10-15 wins and that is a tight rotation. I like Lackey. He has some small problems, but I think he will do better because he is not THE guy in the rotation. Lester is with Beckett being the kind of guy who if he can pitch like he did from May to June for the whole year is one of the best pitchers in the AL if not MLB. Lackey is the third option. He will be facing a team’s third pitcher in the post-season. It is perfect for him.

Here is the main thing that bothers me. Which Ray’s team will show up this year? Will we see a team that does not have enough pitching depth and just enough hitting too keep them in the playoff picture? Or will we see the great rotation and bullpen with top five hitting team that can beat the Yanks and Sox often? If it is the too little pitching the Sox should be number 2 or 1 in the AL East. However with the Rangers and now the M’s good the AL East may not have the Wild Cad. Of course the Yanks and Sox both look like they could win 100 games so maybe it will stay in the East’s court. Angel’s look they are dead though in the water no ace, no bullpen, lost Vlad and Figs. Not very good offseason for the Angels. As for the Yanks well they did not have either a good or bad offseason.. They got Granderson, but lost Damon. They got Vazquez, lost Melky. Got Nick Johnson and that was their only real gain with no loss. Granderson is an upgrade over Melky, but Johnson is not an upgrade over Damon and clearly Vazquez is a hit or miss in the AL and could either boost their weak rotation or actually hurt their rotation.

In terms of where we stand vs the East we have the chance if Scutaro, Cameron, and Beltre play well to win the East because of our insane good pitching. We have a solid chance of winning the Wild Card in the end that comes down to the M’s and Rangers with the Rays on the outside looking in. The Sox should play well vs both as our pitching hurt us last year vs the Rays and our hitting hurt us vs the M’s, but our lineup could be better if as I said Cameron, Beltre,and Sctuaro play well. Bottom line. The 2010 Sox look good, but we have to play the games to know for sure what our team will be like this year. My opinon the playoff picuture could be.

ALDS: Sox-M’s

ALDS-Yanks-Tigers

NLDS-Phils-Rockies

NLDS-Dodgers-Cards

I know basically last year’s post-season, but that is how it looks right now. Should be a fun season and opening day continues to creep closer. Go Sox!