Finally, let's take a look at the team that has been sitting atop the AL Central for the past couple of years. The Detroit Tigers. Of course I'm going to try and write an unbiased post, but that won't always be the case as I am a Tigers fan. But then again, this is a personal blog sooooooo.....
Last year, the Tigers were never really in doubt of winning the AL Central. By the time they had clinched the division at the end of the year, they had a ten game lead. The division is weak compared to other divisions in baseball, but that is what happens when you group smaller market teams together. After years and years of dealing with a horrible team, it feels great to have a team that is winning on a constant basis.
Their pitching staff is one of the best in the league. For some reason, Doug Fister was traded this offseason which hurt their profile, but I have faith in Drew Smyly who is suppose to be taking up the fifth spot in the rotation. The success or failure of the rotation is going to hinge on one person: Rick Porcello. So how does Porcello do well? It revolves around the defense. He is known as a ground ball/contact pitcher. He gets outs by getting the ball in play and having the defense help him out. That sounds like a horrible idea, but he throws a sinker which is suppose to result in ground balls. So, with the upgraded defense the Tigers now have, he should have a breakout season. My opinion is that he has started to breakout, he is going to be a gradual breakout pitcher. It is going to take place over last year and this year. Most people won't notice because of the three guys that are in front of him in the rotation. I have loved Porcello ever since he earned a spot in the rotation back in 2009, but I think this is the year everyone else jumps on the bandwagon.
The lineup is up near the top of the league as well. Thanks to a couple of big bats in Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez. Along with those bats there are a couple of professional hitters that can put the ball in play when it is needed. It's a whole new team because there is going to be a focus on small ball. Running the bases, getting steals, going first to third. It is something new and different. And it is exciting. With Kinsler, Iglesias, and Rajai Davis on the team now, the Tigers are no longer going to be at or near the bottom of stolen bases. Again, this makes me happy. It is something different over what we have seen the past five years.
The farm system is in question, as it has been over the past four years. The top prospect, Nick Castellanos, has been brought up for this season. After Castellanos, there are no big names ready to make the leap up to the majors. Even before the call up, Castellanos was ranked at number thrity two on ESPN's top one hundred prospects list (if you can put any money on that). The next Tigers prospect is....no one. Not one player on the top one hundred. The Fister trade did bring over Ian Krol and Robbie Ray. Ray is a prospect whereas Krol is going to be pitching this year.
I don't always put a lot of stock in these lists, but everyone knows the Tigers' farm system is one of the worst in the league. They are built to win now. Brad Ausmus is going to bring a new view of the game to the team. I love Jim Leyland and he helped bring the Tigers out of the basement of the major leagues and to the forefront and helped to make them contenders. The money that was spent on free agents and some of the trades that have been made (same trades that emptied the farm system of prospects) also helped the team out. This year, the Tigers are going to win the AL Central again. They are a strong, solid team that many think they can win ninety games or more. I'm always scared to make predictions for a team I follow, but I think right around ninety games sounds right. It helps to play in a weak division. The next two or three years in the AL Central are going to be interesting with the Royals players developing and the Twins (yes, Twins) prospects making their way to the majors. Can the Tigers hold on three years from now? Who knows. I surely hope so.
17/120
Showing posts with label rivals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rivals. Show all posts
28 February 2014
19 February 2014
Cleveland Slides Back
Pitchers and catchers have reported. The rest of the players are starting to roll in and full team workouts have begun. Pictures of sunny Florida and Arizona have been posted on social media. I'm such a happy little camper right now. If only April would show up right about now, that would be great.
Last year, the Cleveland Indians sneaked their way into the playoffs. And the city was excited. And they sold a ton of tickets after being an attendance joke for the entire year. And then lost to Tampa Bay. What a joke. Everyone credits Terry Francona with getting the team turned around and heading in the right direction. I think that they are a one hit wonder. If you look at the final standings last year, Detroit won the division by just one game. ONE GAME! Cleveland was so close. Well, not really. Once the division was locked up, Detroit kind of shut it down. Plus, Cleveland ended the season on a ten game win streak (good for them). However, it was against Houston, Chicago, and Minnesota. Oh. In that case, that's not that impressive. That's like being impressed when the Harlem Globetrotters beat the Washington Generals. Come on now.
With the Tigers sitting comfortably on top of the division and the Royals clearly ready to take the next step, the Indians will be the odd man out. Not just this year, but in the upcoming years. That's my hope at least. If there is one team I despise not named Chicago White Sox it's the Cleveland Indians. Why you ask? Because of their racist little mascot. Also, Ohio. So, how does their team really stack up?
They do have a young pitching staff. Corey Kluber, Justin Masterson, and Zach McAllister are a serviceable top three. All three have combined have eight years of service under their belt. Plenty is also riding on Danny Salazar's development as well. Don't get me wrong, I think Salazar is legit. He did strike out Miguel Cabrera three times in one game before Miggy turned the table on him and did this. This young pitching staff has the stuff to keep them in games, but they will also make mistakes against professional hitters like Salazar did in that video. If they can keep three of the four of those pitchers for a long period of time, look out. That staff will be formidable against any lineup.
The batting lineup does not jump off the page at you. They don't have any big name players and at a glance, no one is that one batter that can change the game every game. Well, maybe Carlos Santana or Jason Kipnis, but they aren't players that are going to be top tier all year long. Oh, and how could I forget about Dude Bro Swisher?! Very easily. So, if there is a lineup that doesn't have big names stay in the hunt for a playoff spot? Just because there are no big name players, that doesn't mean the lineup isn't solid. They have players that put the ball in play. They have players that can run the bases. They have players that play the game the right way. Selfishness doesn't exist in the Cleveland clubhouse. One game, you could see Asdrubal Cabrera could win it for the team. The next day it could be Michael Brantley. This is one of those teams where any hitter can run into the right pitch and win the game. Because they are coached well.
While they may challenge for the division for parts of the season, I don't see them sticking out until the very end. Which is fine with me. Their future is a little hazy. They don't have the best team or the best farm system, but they are solid. They are a middle of the pack team on paper but can surprise a year here and a year there. They might end of being a team that will never fully get over the hump of being that middle of the pack team. Which, again, is fine by me.
14/120
Last year, the Cleveland Indians sneaked their way into the playoffs. And the city was excited. And they sold a ton of tickets after being an attendance joke for the entire year. And then lost to Tampa Bay. What a joke. Everyone credits Terry Francona with getting the team turned around and heading in the right direction. I think that they are a one hit wonder. If you look at the final standings last year, Detroit won the division by just one game. ONE GAME! Cleveland was so close. Well, not really. Once the division was locked up, Detroit kind of shut it down. Plus, Cleveland ended the season on a ten game win streak (good for them). However, it was against Houston, Chicago, and Minnesota. Oh. In that case, that's not that impressive. That's like being impressed when the Harlem Globetrotters beat the Washington Generals. Come on now.
With the Tigers sitting comfortably on top of the division and the Royals clearly ready to take the next step, the Indians will be the odd man out. Not just this year, but in the upcoming years. That's my hope at least. If there is one team I despise not named Chicago White Sox it's the Cleveland Indians. Why you ask? Because of their racist little mascot. Also, Ohio. So, how does their team really stack up?
They do have a young pitching staff. Corey Kluber, Justin Masterson, and Zach McAllister are a serviceable top three. All three have combined have eight years of service under their belt. Plenty is also riding on Danny Salazar's development as well. Don't get me wrong, I think Salazar is legit. He did strike out Miguel Cabrera three times in one game before Miggy turned the table on him and did this. This young pitching staff has the stuff to keep them in games, but they will also make mistakes against professional hitters like Salazar did in that video. If they can keep three of the four of those pitchers for a long period of time, look out. That staff will be formidable against any lineup.
The batting lineup does not jump off the page at you. They don't have any big name players and at a glance, no one is that one batter that can change the game every game. Well, maybe Carlos Santana or Jason Kipnis, but they aren't players that are going to be top tier all year long. Oh, and how could I forget about Dude Bro Swisher?! Very easily. So, if there is a lineup that doesn't have big names stay in the hunt for a playoff spot? Just because there are no big name players, that doesn't mean the lineup isn't solid. They have players that put the ball in play. They have players that can run the bases. They have players that play the game the right way. Selfishness doesn't exist in the Cleveland clubhouse. One game, you could see Asdrubal Cabrera could win it for the team. The next day it could be Michael Brantley. This is one of those teams where any hitter can run into the right pitch and win the game. Because they are coached well.
While they may challenge for the division for parts of the season, I don't see them sticking out until the very end. Which is fine with me. Their future is a little hazy. They don't have the best team or the best farm system, but they are solid. They are a middle of the pack team on paper but can surprise a year here and a year there. They might end of being a team that will never fully get over the hump of being that middle of the pack team. Which, again, is fine by me.
14/120
12 February 2014
The Sox Still Stink
Excitedly, the baseball season is slowly approaching. It cannot come soon enough. Pitchers and catchers are reporting in the next couple of days if they have not already. With that in my mind, let's delve into the rest of the AL Central shall we?
After having some success in the mid-2000s, the Chicago White Sox have slowly found their way to the basement of the AL Central. Which is where everything Chicago should be. I can't stand any of their sports teams. You know, I do my best to cheer for teams from the same league/conference/division if the team I usually cheer for is not in the playoffs. Mainly because it is great to see the league/conference/division you root for succeed. With Chicago teams, not so much. I am happy to see them all fail.
The White Sox have been a roller coaster of a team contending for the division one year only to take two steps back the next. Sadly, though, they have won a World Series more recently than the Tigers in 2005. Ever since then, they have been inconsistent at best. There have been years where they have challenged for the division lead only to collapse at the end of the year. There have also been years when they started in last place in the division and never left.
They have started to rebuild their team with acquisitions and through developing their prospects. They have three prospects from their farm system (Matt Davidson, Erik Johnson, Marcus Semien) ready to contribute this season. They signed Jose Abreu out of Cuba this off season and he will be an upgrade over the aging Paul Konerko. The retooled offense is ready to keep the team in games, but their pitching staff is going to lose them games. When the ace of your staff goes 11-14 in 2013, you know you're team is in trouble. The positive you might find if you are an unfortunate fan of the White Sox is that the pitching staff is young and developing.
While they have a young pitching staff and a young team, unfortunately their farm system is not ready to go. They have been drafting fairly well by all accounts, but they will need a lot of time to get big league ready. Fans of the Sox are going to have to suffer through more years of basement dwelling before they are ready to compete again. And hopefully, those of us who are not their fans, will get many more clips of a sad Hawk Harrelson. Those sound bites are the best, are they not?
12/120
After having some success in the mid-2000s, the Chicago White Sox have slowly found their way to the basement of the AL Central. Which is where everything Chicago should be. I can't stand any of their sports teams. You know, I do my best to cheer for teams from the same league/conference/division if the team I usually cheer for is not in the playoffs. Mainly because it is great to see the league/conference/division you root for succeed. With Chicago teams, not so much. I am happy to see them all fail.
The White Sox have been a roller coaster of a team contending for the division one year only to take two steps back the next. Sadly, though, they have won a World Series more recently than the Tigers in 2005. Ever since then, they have been inconsistent at best. There have been years where they have challenged for the division lead only to collapse at the end of the year. There have also been years when they started in last place in the division and never left.
They have started to rebuild their team with acquisitions and through developing their prospects. They have three prospects from their farm system (Matt Davidson, Erik Johnson, Marcus Semien) ready to contribute this season. They signed Jose Abreu out of Cuba this off season and he will be an upgrade over the aging Paul Konerko. The retooled offense is ready to keep the team in games, but their pitching staff is going to lose them games. When the ace of your staff goes 11-14 in 2013, you know you're team is in trouble. The positive you might find if you are an unfortunate fan of the White Sox is that the pitching staff is young and developing.
While they have a young pitching staff and a young team, unfortunately their farm system is not ready to go. They have been drafting fairly well by all accounts, but they will need a lot of time to get big league ready. Fans of the Sox are going to have to suffer through more years of basement dwelling before they are ready to compete again. And hopefully, those of us who are not their fans, will get many more clips of a sad Hawk Harrelson. Those sound bites are the best, are they not?
12/120
29 January 2014
Are the Twins Still a Joke?
After finishing my post on the Kansas City Royals, I thought that writing a little bit about the rest of the American League Central would be a fun idea. Like most fans of the game, I am getting needy for baseball. Most people look at the AL Central as a bit of a joke because there is not much competition. It's a fair assessment. Three of the five teams are rebuilding. The other two are going to fight for the division while the rest slowly creep up on them. But they won't creep up on me. I'm always watching out for teams with great farm systems. Great farm systems means that they have great players that will one day be ready.
Let's talk about the Minnesota Twins. As of late, they have been sitting at the bottom of the AL Central. And after game 163 (Tigers fans understand), they belong there. All anger aside, I enjoy the way the Twins have played the game for the past couple of years. Relying more on running and contact hitting as opposed to trying to get all the runs with monster swings. I like the way the organization is run. Producing and developing their talent from within. Being a small market team, much like the Kansas City Royals, they have to develop their players as opposed to going out and signing the big name free agents. They pick up a few players here and there, but it isn't anything that turns heads. The problem is that once the talent is developed, there is a small window of opportunity with these players. Once they are able to hit the free agent market, they go for the money. Not for love of the game. A statement about the sporting world if there ever was one.
One of the smartest things that the Twins did this offseason is move Joe Mauer to first base. The man is your franchise player and has been absolutely destroyed the past two years behind the plate. With concussion problems and knees issues, this was the smartest thing they have done since letting Jack Morris pitch in the tenth inning in '91. His career is going to be extended quite a few years because of it. Last year, Justin Morneau and the Twins parted ways. It was that move that let everyone know that they were ready to start rebuilding. Morneau, much like Mauer, was a mainstay in the Twins lineup.
Big questions surround their pitching rotation. The rotation is pieced together right now until their pitching prospects are ready to go in a couple of years. But they need to hurry because watching the current rotation is painful, even for a casual fan. Their two key offseason signings were Ricky Nolasco and Phil Hughes. Not major signings, but veteran guys that can help some of the younger pitchers (although Hughes is coming off a horrible season, so they may not look to him for advice). Not the best signings, but it gives the prospects at least another year.
So, are the Twins any kind of threat? Not this year. Or the next. Or the one after that. Despite the fact that they have one of the better farm systems in the league, that doesn't always equal MLB ready. Their top two prospects (Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano) are close to being ready, but still a few years away in my opinion. The Twins might not want to rush their prospects after what happened to Aaron Hicks last year. This is one of those teams that five to seven years down the road, if everything pans out for them, that can contend again. At least within the division.
9/120
Let's talk about the Minnesota Twins. As of late, they have been sitting at the bottom of the AL Central. And after game 163 (Tigers fans understand), they belong there. All anger aside, I enjoy the way the Twins have played the game for the past couple of years. Relying more on running and contact hitting as opposed to trying to get all the runs with monster swings. I like the way the organization is run. Producing and developing their talent from within. Being a small market team, much like the Kansas City Royals, they have to develop their players as opposed to going out and signing the big name free agents. They pick up a few players here and there, but it isn't anything that turns heads. The problem is that once the talent is developed, there is a small window of opportunity with these players. Once they are able to hit the free agent market, they go for the money. Not for love of the game. A statement about the sporting world if there ever was one.
One of the smartest things that the Twins did this offseason is move Joe Mauer to first base. The man is your franchise player and has been absolutely destroyed the past two years behind the plate. With concussion problems and knees issues, this was the smartest thing they have done since letting Jack Morris pitch in the tenth inning in '91. His career is going to be extended quite a few years because of it. Last year, Justin Morneau and the Twins parted ways. It was that move that let everyone know that they were ready to start rebuilding. Morneau, much like Mauer, was a mainstay in the Twins lineup.
Big questions surround their pitching rotation. The rotation is pieced together right now until their pitching prospects are ready to go in a couple of years. But they need to hurry because watching the current rotation is painful, even for a casual fan. Their two key offseason signings were Ricky Nolasco and Phil Hughes. Not major signings, but veteran guys that can help some of the younger pitchers (although Hughes is coming off a horrible season, so they may not look to him for advice). Not the best signings, but it gives the prospects at least another year.
So, are the Twins any kind of threat? Not this year. Or the next. Or the one after that. Despite the fact that they have one of the better farm systems in the league, that doesn't always equal MLB ready. Their top two prospects (Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano) are close to being ready, but still a few years away in my opinion. The Twins might not want to rush their prospects after what happened to Aaron Hicks last year. This is one of those teams that five to seven years down the road, if everything pans out for them, that can contend again. At least within the division.
9/120
23 January 2014
On Why Kansas City Scares Me
I am stringing together quite a few posts on baseball right now. Mainly because the season is getting closer. So close you can almost smell the fresh cut grass...once you get all the snow off the baseball field. So close you can hear the crack of the bat just as well as you can hear the ice scrapers on the windshields of all the cars. So close you can hear the beer and hot dog vendors just as well as you can hear all the cars running for ten minutes before leaving. Okay. So we aren't very close to Opening Day. But we can all dream.
Since the mid-90s, the Kansas City Royals have not been a good team. One or two seasons aside, they have floundered for close to two decades. One side note: they have won a World Series more recently than the Detroit Tigers, so good for them (sad panda moment for Tigers fans). Being a smaller market team, they are not ever really in the picture when it comes to big name free agents because they don't have the money to lure these players to America's heartland.
They have the bats to keep them in games. One of the benefits of being so bad for so long is you get early draft picks. Draft picks do not always pan out, but when they do, and when the players have time to develop, look out. The Royals have a corp group of young players that, if they can keep them all together, could be tearing up the American League for the better part of the next decade. They have the corner infielders in Hosmer and Moustakas that can anchor them for a long time. Up the middle they have solid defenders. Their outfield is young and full of speed. And the designated hitter is a true pure hitter. They are young and full of potential. And as a fan of a divisional rival, this scares me.
They have some pitching, but their starting rotation is not near the top of the league. Two veterans and three youngsters make up their starting rotation. As an organization, they seemed to have spent a lot of time developing their offense. Their bullpen on the other hand, puts shit on lockdown. Everyone raves about Atlanta and Boston, but Kansas City flies under the radar when it comes to the seventh inning onward. While not a pitching staff that will wow everyone, it is serviceable. And serviceability can get the job done.
Their roster is ready to go for the next few years, so why are more people afraid of this team? It has to do with money. All these former high draft picks are high draft picks for a reason. They have talent. And talent doesn't stay in Kansas City these days. They want to get paid. Once their contracts run out, unless they fall in love with the city of Kansas City, they are most likely going to be leaving. So the Royals spend all this time and effort developing these players and before they can get into their prime, they are gone.
I don't know how the season will shake out in the AL Central. I would like to think that the Tigers will sit on top once again this year, but Kansas City is slowly closing the gap on them. And if the Tigers want to stay on top, they need to keep developing their talent. And draft for the future, which is coming quickly.
7/120
Since the mid-90s, the Kansas City Royals have not been a good team. One or two seasons aside, they have floundered for close to two decades. One side note: they have won a World Series more recently than the Detroit Tigers, so good for them (sad panda moment for Tigers fans). Being a smaller market team, they are not ever really in the picture when it comes to big name free agents because they don't have the money to lure these players to America's heartland.
They have the bats to keep them in games. One of the benefits of being so bad for so long is you get early draft picks. Draft picks do not always pan out, but when they do, and when the players have time to develop, look out. The Royals have a corp group of young players that, if they can keep them all together, could be tearing up the American League for the better part of the next decade. They have the corner infielders in Hosmer and Moustakas that can anchor them for a long time. Up the middle they have solid defenders. Their outfield is young and full of speed. And the designated hitter is a true pure hitter. They are young and full of potential. And as a fan of a divisional rival, this scares me.
They have some pitching, but their starting rotation is not near the top of the league. Two veterans and three youngsters make up their starting rotation. As an organization, they seemed to have spent a lot of time developing their offense. Their bullpen on the other hand, puts shit on lockdown. Everyone raves about Atlanta and Boston, but Kansas City flies under the radar when it comes to the seventh inning onward. While not a pitching staff that will wow everyone, it is serviceable. And serviceability can get the job done.
Their roster is ready to go for the next few years, so why are more people afraid of this team? It has to do with money. All these former high draft picks are high draft picks for a reason. They have talent. And talent doesn't stay in Kansas City these days. They want to get paid. Once their contracts run out, unless they fall in love with the city of Kansas City, they are most likely going to be leaving. So the Royals spend all this time and effort developing these players and before they can get into their prime, they are gone.
I don't know how the season will shake out in the AL Central. I would like to think that the Tigers will sit on top once again this year, but Kansas City is slowly closing the gap on them. And if the Tigers want to stay on top, they need to keep developing their talent. And draft for the future, which is coming quickly.
7/120
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