Post by RoyalsGM on May 12, 2013 2:57:31 GMT -5
So we're just a few weeks away from the post season. Currently we have some great stories making headlines throughout the league.
The American League has been the haves (Boston, Chicago, Oakland) the almost was' (Kansas City, Milwaukee, Baltimore, New York, Anaheim) and the have nots (everyone else)
The Royals were impacted directly by injury as their best player, Ronnie Belliard, went down for the season and the Royals sank faster than a famous ship in the frozen Atlantic.
Largely, the American League is a three team race with the aforementioned Red Sox, Pale Hose and Athletics. The three clubs are poised to carry into the playoffs a seamless winning trend. It will be difficult for any team to defeat these three clubs as they have elite talent, top to bottom.
Outside looking in are the Angels who carry with them a heavy handed lineup, with a solid team batting average, speed...a good run scoring team. Quite young in key spots with youngsters Garret Anderson, Darin Erstad, and annual All-Star Jim Edmonds. The key for the Halos will be pitching...and if they can find their stride they could do some damage in the post-season.
The only other American League team with a legitimate shot are the Orange Birds. This is not your fathers Orioles club. This team pitches, pitches more and pitches again. They are currently holding the second best BA against in the AL and are led by potential Hall of Famer, Mike Mussina. Mussina is poised to complete his FOURTH consecutive 20 win season, and potentially, another 300 Innings Pitched season, which is remarkable. The Orioles are disciplined offense, but they will need to give Mussina a lot help down the stretch to remain a playoff quality club.
It will be interesting to see how this unfolds in AL, the Jeter led A's standout with solid leadership and strong pitching. The Sox carry a lot of lumber and the Red Sox could be the most balanced team in baseball.
Some key players in the American League will have much to say about how the playoffs shake out. Consider the White Sox lineup for a moment, loaded with power and led by the great Frank Thomas. Thomas, at the time of this article has 44 home runs and a a whopping 151 runs batted in. He's simply a monster this year and if it wasn't for Ken Griffey Jr. having a 47 home run clip, Thomas would be a solid threat for the triple crown.
Boston's Pedro Martinez and Buddy Groom have a combined 53 quality starts...in a combined 68 starts. Yeah, taking the rubber and dominating back to back. Rough! Throw in Mike Timlin and his 34 saves, the Sox have a strong combination on both sides of the pitching staff.
In New York, the Yankees and GM Jeff Erbes have assembled a solid pitching staff, but the offense is lagging after trading cornerstone players like Jorge Posada and Derek Jeter. The Yankees won't be a player in this division until they address the lineup.
The A's and Angels hit well and pitch well, but the A's have the leadership factor and they will likely battle it out until the end of the season.
Projection:
Division Winners: Boston, Chicago, Oakland
WC - Anaheim
Now over to the Senior Circuit!
The National League Central is shaping up to be a dogfight. Our only truly competitive division at this point, the Houston Astros trail the powerful Chicago Cubs by just 2 games. In that battle, the Cubs are lead by one of the most formidable pitching staffs ever assembled. John Santana, Brian Stephenson, Kerry Wood, Paul Wilson and newcomer Livan Hernandez have combined for an incredible near 1.00 WHIP, so basically the rotation is un-hittable and if you get a walk, save the ball because they have impeccable control. So how will the Astros battle? Simple, one of the most disciplined and balanced lineups in baseball, that's how. The team has walked more than any other, and is second in average, runs and third in home runs. The pitching is pretty solid too in Houston and they will be led by Jeff Bagwell, Mike Piazza and 22 year old pitching star Roy Oswalt. The battle for the National Central will be a great one to watch.
The other two divisions shape up pretty simply, the Braves in the East and the Giants in the West have a strong foothold there. The challenging Rockies could make a run in the West, but they will need to resolve their ineffective bullpen for that to happen.
The Rockies can hit though, as always, and the Giants will need to be consistent in the pitching department. The Giants use the 4 man rotation have been very strong throughout the season, and rely on a veteran bullpen.
The Braves depend on their 14 game lead over Philadelphia to continue, and it likely will with a very balanced team led by Chipper Jones, Javy Lopez and the timeless Greg Maddux. The Braves will continue to build around these veterans and will remain competitive for as long they can stay healthy.
Projection:
Division Winners: Atlanta, Chicago, San Francisco
WC: Houston Astros
The American League has been the haves (Boston, Chicago, Oakland) the almost was' (Kansas City, Milwaukee, Baltimore, New York, Anaheim) and the have nots (everyone else)
The Royals were impacted directly by injury as their best player, Ronnie Belliard, went down for the season and the Royals sank faster than a famous ship in the frozen Atlantic.
Largely, the American League is a three team race with the aforementioned Red Sox, Pale Hose and Athletics. The three clubs are poised to carry into the playoffs a seamless winning trend. It will be difficult for any team to defeat these three clubs as they have elite talent, top to bottom.
Outside looking in are the Angels who carry with them a heavy handed lineup, with a solid team batting average, speed...a good run scoring team. Quite young in key spots with youngsters Garret Anderson, Darin Erstad, and annual All-Star Jim Edmonds. The key for the Halos will be pitching...and if they can find their stride they could do some damage in the post-season.
The only other American League team with a legitimate shot are the Orange Birds. This is not your fathers Orioles club. This team pitches, pitches more and pitches again. They are currently holding the second best BA against in the AL and are led by potential Hall of Famer, Mike Mussina. Mussina is poised to complete his FOURTH consecutive 20 win season, and potentially, another 300 Innings Pitched season, which is remarkable. The Orioles are disciplined offense, but they will need to give Mussina a lot help down the stretch to remain a playoff quality club.
It will be interesting to see how this unfolds in AL, the Jeter led A's standout with solid leadership and strong pitching. The Sox carry a lot of lumber and the Red Sox could be the most balanced team in baseball.
Some key players in the American League will have much to say about how the playoffs shake out. Consider the White Sox lineup for a moment, loaded with power and led by the great Frank Thomas. Thomas, at the time of this article has 44 home runs and a a whopping 151 runs batted in. He's simply a monster this year and if it wasn't for Ken Griffey Jr. having a 47 home run clip, Thomas would be a solid threat for the triple crown.
Boston's Pedro Martinez and Buddy Groom have a combined 53 quality starts...in a combined 68 starts. Yeah, taking the rubber and dominating back to back. Rough! Throw in Mike Timlin and his 34 saves, the Sox have a strong combination on both sides of the pitching staff.
In New York, the Yankees and GM Jeff Erbes have assembled a solid pitching staff, but the offense is lagging after trading cornerstone players like Jorge Posada and Derek Jeter. The Yankees won't be a player in this division until they address the lineup.
The A's and Angels hit well and pitch well, but the A's have the leadership factor and they will likely battle it out until the end of the season.
Projection:
Division Winners: Boston, Chicago, Oakland
WC - Anaheim
Now over to the Senior Circuit!
The National League Central is shaping up to be a dogfight. Our only truly competitive division at this point, the Houston Astros trail the powerful Chicago Cubs by just 2 games. In that battle, the Cubs are lead by one of the most formidable pitching staffs ever assembled. John Santana, Brian Stephenson, Kerry Wood, Paul Wilson and newcomer Livan Hernandez have combined for an incredible near 1.00 WHIP, so basically the rotation is un-hittable and if you get a walk, save the ball because they have impeccable control. So how will the Astros battle? Simple, one of the most disciplined and balanced lineups in baseball, that's how. The team has walked more than any other, and is second in average, runs and third in home runs. The pitching is pretty solid too in Houston and they will be led by Jeff Bagwell, Mike Piazza and 22 year old pitching star Roy Oswalt. The battle for the National Central will be a great one to watch.
The other two divisions shape up pretty simply, the Braves in the East and the Giants in the West have a strong foothold there. The challenging Rockies could make a run in the West, but they will need to resolve their ineffective bullpen for that to happen.
The Rockies can hit though, as always, and the Giants will need to be consistent in the pitching department. The Giants use the 4 man rotation have been very strong throughout the season, and rely on a veteran bullpen.
The Braves depend on their 14 game lead over Philadelphia to continue, and it likely will with a very balanced team led by Chipper Jones, Javy Lopez and the timeless Greg Maddux. The Braves will continue to build around these veterans and will remain competitive for as long they can stay healthy.
Projection:
Division Winners: Atlanta, Chicago, San Francisco
WC: Houston Astros
