MLB P&C Report

So pitchers and catchers begin to report this weekend for many of the leagues franchises and although my mind is still firmly fixed upon hockey with the Caps still doing very well, I decided to put down some initial thoughts pre-preseason on some of the teams.

No particular order or season predictions quite yet to these just some thoughts on how things look from the off-season moves in quick little capsules not meant to fully dissect.

AL-E

NYY – The so-called evil empire spent the baseball equivalent of the TARP. Let’s see if the Yankees invested it any better than the US government once the season starts. They attempted to resolve the holes in the pitching rotation that plagued them in the last few seasons by inserting a few big names, in CC and AJ, but as was shown in the past with pitching investments that just because you can pitch, it doesn’t always mean you can pitch in New York. #5 starter looks, at first, to be Chamberlain, but with the enormously glaring holes in the bullpen that lightening arm might be better suited to plug up a gushy 7th and 8th inning rather than pushing 1 through 6 out. The overcrowding in the outfield continues to be confounding. Apart from Nady, who seems like the most consistent to hit and field, the rest have question marks galore. Who is hitting where in the order and how long will everyone’s knees and backs hold out… Add in the A-rod fiasco and second year manager Joe Girardi’s sketchy relationship with the press, there’s enough room for off-the-field drama too. Everyone is on the hot seat to perform, not because of the paychecks as much as righting the ship that sailed astray last season when they missed the playoffs. Volumes could, and already have been written, critiquing and no player has yet to step on the field. Can they do it? On paper, it is a strong team to field, but the reality can and probably will be something different.
Question: Evil Empire or pitiful paper tiger??

BoSox -They strengthened an already strong rotation to the point of taking their version of the killer Bs in their three best prospects and give them even more time to develop. There’s a tonne of depth across the board with the team even beyond the strength of the rotation and bullpen. The rest of the staff remains fairly intact, including finally coming to terms with their heart-and-soul captain. Questions about Ortiz, both in health and in missing Manny as protection in the batting order remain some of the few floating around. The shortstop platoon of Julio Lugo/Jed Lowrie is a little concerning but there are some interesting story lines to follow considering there’s talent to be used there. Otherwise this is a team poised to do well and repeat the performances they’ve been putting up at the top of the standings.
Question Are they Boston baked or or is the beantown brawn really back?

Rays
They bedeviled the devil last year and took it to a conclusion that almost no one could have conceived. Now comes the hard part…Encore? They are good, no doubt, but in the AL-E is good good enough to do it again? Adding Pat Burrell gives them pop in a right handed bat and Price will bring a zippy fastball to the mound to make them even more of a force. Will the lack of being an underdog give them less to fight for? Will the team face a sophomore slump under their new moniker? The changes they made just might be enough to compete with the Northeast’s big boys but it’s more a battle of wills than skills at that point. How much is left in last year’s little engine that could? Only time will tell how well they crest the mound.
Question Sink, swim, sting?

Jays – The potential is still there in the return of Wells, Overbay and Halladay, Rolen is set up to be a surprise rebound and Litcsh could just be a surprise as is… there’s some good depth and breath to the staff despite some off-season losses, including Burnett’s defection to the Yanks. If you picked up the Jays and dropped them anywhere else in the league apart from the ALE they wouldn’t just be contenders, they would probably be downright dominant. However, they languish under their Nor’east neighbors and worse now, below the Rays struggling not to get close to the wildcard but moreso now to continue to stay flying above .500. What’s left to do is for them to find a heart and soul to inspire then because the talent won’t be enough to overcome
Question Blue days for blue jays again this year or might they flight a little higher?

Os – Baltimore’s years of mismanagement can’t and won’t be undone in one season. There are so many elements that need to be addressed that even with some of the off-season moves they will hardly be competitive in the ALE and will most likely continue to struggle throughout the season against all the American League rivals. The beauty of the park is fading with each failure season they feature in it and that is sad considering what they have to work with there.
Question Is than an O or a 0 we’re looking at?

~ by thedoormouse on 17 February 2009.