PREDICTED RECORD: 77-85
PREDICTED ALL-STAR REPS: Paul Goldschmidt, first baseman; Mark Trumbo, outfielder
Image Credit: Diamondbacks logo (sportslogos.net)
By Trevor Utley Arizona finished even last year for the second consecutive season. They overachieved on the back of a herculean effort from first baseman Paul Goldschmidt and a stellar debut from left handed starter Patrick Corbin. They addressed two of their biggest weaknesses this offseason by adding Angels slugger Mark Trumbo and White Sox closer Addison Reed. Why are they all the way down at #20 then? Paul Goldschmidt proved last year that one man does not a lineup make. Even the addition of Trumbo does not give this lineup a level of imposition against the elite pitchers of the NL West. They have little to no speed to speak of and that affects them both in the batter's box and the basepaths but the field as well. Even when they get baserunners they do an awful job of bringing them home. Though the addition of Reed is a good move, it does not clear up a murky closer situation that led to 29 blown saves in 2013. As many as five different arms could claim the role and closing by committee is never a beacon of success. GM Kevin Towers and manager Kirk Gibson are both no longer in lame duck situations but they may be back under fire next off-season after finishing under .500 for the first time since 2010. PREDICTED RECORD: 77-85 PREDICTED ALL-STAR REPS: Paul Goldschmidt, first baseman; Mark Trumbo, outfielder Image Credit: Diamondbacks logo (sportslogos.net)
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By Trevor Utley It ain't easy being the Mets. Ever since Carlos Beltran looked at a called strike three from Adam Wainwright in 2006 the Mets have encountered one calamity after another. Whether it be two consecutive September collapses or the Bernie Madoff Ponzi scheme the Mets have been snake bitten since that fateful curveball. The latest bit of venom was the injury to burgeoning superstar starter Matt Harvey, the NL starter of the 2013 All-Star Game, which required Tommy John Surgery and will wipe out his entire 2014. GM Sandy Alderson has temporarily plugged the gaping hole Harvey's injury left in the rotation with the ageless Bartolo Colon who pitched lights out for the Athletics last year after being dealt a 50 game suspension for PEDs the year prior. 2014 could also be the year that the Mets unleash their latest pitching dynamo, Noah Syndergaard, who came over in the R.A. Dickey trade. Zack Wheeler, Dillon Gee, and Jon Niese round out a very capable rotation. Even with these positives the Mets are an incredibly flawed squad. On offense, Ruben Tejada is still slated to be the Opening Day shortstop even though his normally steady defense is starting to erode and he can't hit his way out of a wet paper bag. Young Travis d'Arnaud is lauded for his potential but in the next breath vilified for his fragility. Curtis Granderson was brought in to be a new power source behind David Wright (who missed 50 games himself) but only played a little over a third of his team's games last year and Citi Field is where lefty power goes to die. Speaking of lefty power dying, the Ike Davis era continues (from the bench now) but his value is at an all-time low after his .205 average in 2013. Manager Terry Collins will trot out Bobby Parnell as the closer again but the rest of the bullpen is not entirely set in stone. The Mets will win more than the 74 they won last year but their streak of under .500 season will continue. PREDICTED RECORD: 76-86 PREDICTED ALL-STAR REPS: David Wright, third baseman; Bartolo Colon, starting pitcher By Trevor Utley Recently, the Padres are that team never is bad enough to bottom out completely but aren't talented enough to make a decent postseason run. They have a pitching staff with names you wouldn't know unless you played fantasy baseball and a lineup with no real star power. Alas, every year the Fathers win at least 70 games and make a September run that makes you believe that next year is the year they breakthrough. Is this finally that year? Uh...no. Their lone addition to a mediocre starting rotation was Josh Johnson, who pitched to the tune of 2 wins and a 6.20 ERA in 2013. They added a big bullpen piece in Joaquin Benoit after trading steady setup man Luke Gregerson. Why is mentioning the pitching not even worth it though? The hitting is atrocious and they did nothing to improve upon it. The man they acquired for Gregerson, Seth Smith, is a bit player at his finest. Only two players broke .280 in 2013: Everth Cabrera (.283) who received a 50 PED suspension and Yonder Alonso (.281) who missed over sixty games with a broken hand. Manager Bud Black hopes Chase Headley can be more like 2012 Chase instead of 2013 Chase but either way I don't see San Diego scoring enough to compete. What I can see is them doing the same September surge this year, assuring that we are having this same dialogue in 2015. PREDICTED RECORD: 76-86 PREDICTED ALL-STAR REP: Huston Street, relief pitcher Image Credit: Padres logo (sportslogos.net) By Trevor Utley The Blue Jays were a sexy pick to win the AL East last year after they made a bevy of trades (including a big one with the #24 Marlins) and several marquee free agent acquisitions. They lost the majority of that sex appeal with a 10-17 April and injuries put the proverbial bag over their heads. The expectations for the 2014 Blue Jays have been substantially lowered but they return a fairly similar squad. Gone from a disappointing staff is Josh Johnson, who after coming over in the Toronto/Miami firesale saw his ERA balloon to over 6.00 before injuries cut yet another season of his short. R.A. Dickey disappointed in his followup to winning the Cy Young with the Mets and the equally disappointing Mark Buehrle returns as the only other Blue Jay to make 25 starts. The pickings are slim down on the farm but don't be surprised if either Aaron Sanchez or Marcus Stroman are handed a rotation spot at one point or another in 2014. From the lineup, hit it a mile or miss it by the same margin catcher J.P. Arencibia is replaced by journeyman Dioner Navarro. Jose Bautista, Jose Reyes, and Edwin Encarnacion are supposedly fully fit, a good thing for Blue Jay fans and second term manager John Gibbons. If Toronto can stay healthy they could easily move up on this list and contend for one of the wild card spots in the American League. I just don't think they will and that is why I have them 23rd in this countdown and last in the AL East. PREDICTED RECORD: 73-89 PREDICTED ALL-STAR REPS: Jose Bautista, outfielder; Jose Reyes, shortstop Image Credit: Blue Jays logo (sportslogos.net) By Trevor Utley The Marlins were the second worst team in the Majors last season with a final record of 62-100. They were middle of the road in almost every pitching category and featured the 2013 NL Rookie of the Year Jose Fernandez. Fernandez took the league by storm posting a 12-6 record (the only Marlin above .500) with a sparkling 0.98 WHIP and 2.19 ERA. The Marlins' offense was so putrid however that a rotation of five Fernandezes weren't making much of an impact. They hit an abysmal .231 as a team and scored 85 less runs than the second worst offense, the White Sox. Giancarlo Stanton once again missed significant time due to injury but somehow managed 24 home runs. How did Miami address their hitting deficiencies this offseason? Garrett Jones (.254 career average), Jeff Baker (.267), and Jarrod Saltalamacchia (.246) were all brought in on multi-year deals. Rafael Furcal was signed to a one year pact but will make the move to second base for the first time since 2004, and even then that was five sporadic appearances over three seasons. They'll be better this year but they'll strike out a ton which may not matter since you can't score runs with nobody on base. The offense's future looks bleak too. All of the Marlins' main Minor League talent is pitching and unless they can woo a big name to come to South Beach like the Heat did in the NBA, that gaudy home run sculpture in centerfield won't be lighting up any more this season than last. PREDICTED RECORD: 71-91 PREDICTED ALL-STAR REP: Jose Fernandez, starting pitcher Image Credit: Marlins logo (sportslogos.net) By Trevor Utley It has been a rough go of it for Milwaukee since the fiasco surrounding Ryan Braun came to a head. The Brew Crew were division champs in 2011 but since then have seen their stars leave or dimmed. Doug Melvin has fought admirably with a new crop of talent but in the ubercompetitive NL Central, a lack of depth will do you in. Aramis Ramirez and Rickie Weeks continued their declines in 2013 with no suitable replacements in sight. Jean Segura was an All-Star in 2013 but he faded down the stretch, understandably after managing over 100 games in the Minors just twice. Carlos Gomez finally reached his potential last season and will get the chance to repeat that while being flanked in the outfield by the enigmatic Braun and a burgeoning slugger in Khris Davis, not to be confused with Orioles first baseman Chris Davis, who hit 11 home runs during a September call-up. The starting staff is again spearheaded by Yovani Gallardo and Kyle Lohse but is quite unproven after that and has no left handers to speak of. Top prospect Jimmy Nelson may help out a bullpen in flux this season but will surely be a rotation staple going forward. As with any team this far down the rankings, one always looks to the possible success in the future. Until then, the Brewers will try to bridge the transitional gap in one of the toughest divisions in the game. PREDICTED RECORD: 71-91 PREDICTED ALL-STAR REPS: Ryan Braun, outfielder; Carlos Gomez, outfielder Image Credit: Brewers logo (sportslogos.net) By Trevor Utley See, it didn't take long for me to get to the second Chicago team on the countdown. The Cubs are a little better off than their citymates but being better than putrid is still nothing to write home about. The Cubs have finished dead last in the NL Central four years running and I reckon this year will be no different. The Cubs' prized asset in the Minors (Javier Baez) plays the same position as one they're in the midst of a 7 year, $60 million pact with (Starlin Castro). The rest of their potential reinforcements like the much ballyhooed Kris Bryant and Jorge Soler are years away. Until then, the Cubs must make due with the second lowest scoring offense in the National League. The lack of offensive punch garnered Travis Wood a mere nine wins during his breakout campaign. Ace Jeff Samarzija had but only eight and the only starter to break .500 was midseason acquisition Jake Arrieta. The bullpen was bad when Carlos Marmol was there. It was worse when he left. It isn't any better now and it is going to take a massive overhaul for that to change. Even with all this horribleness being said, Wrigley will be packed every day in and outside the friendly confines. PREDICTED RECORD: 69-93 PREDICTED ALL-STAR REP: Jeff Samardzija, starting pitcher Image Credit: Cubs logo (sportslogos.net) By Trevor Utley The first team from the National League on our list is one up until recently would have been on the other end of such a countdown. Nevertheless the Fightin' Phils have morphed from a team of seasoned veterans to a bunch of old guys rather quickly. They still feature a glut of the familiar names that brought home the World Series in 2008 but those names are not what they used to and the bad thing is they aren't going anywhere. Eighty percent of their infield is 34 or older with the one outlier being the winner of the third base job, Cody Asche or Spring Training invitee Reid Brignac. The outfield is halfway decent with the triumvirate of Domonic Brown, Marlon Byrd, and Ben Revere but all three have had health concerns in recent years. The starting pitching is still good at the top with lefties Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels but starters three to five leave a great deal to be desired with the retirement of Roy Halladay. A.J. Burnett is only on a one year deal. Cuban defector Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez (not to be confused with the Orioles righty) had his deal with the club slashed 75% after concerns over his elbow arose. Phillies' fans are still waiting for Kyle Kendrick to get it. The artist formerly known as Fausto Carmona, Roberto Hernandez, doesn't bring a skill set primed for success in a park where a ton of home runs get hit. Hernandez gave up 24 dingers last season in Tampa. GM Ruben Amaro has given the fans a couple more years of nostalgia by keeping around the players that won it all. It is too bad though that he is sacrificing future success because of it. PREDICTED RECORD: 69-93 PREDICTED ALL-STAR REPS: Cliff Lee, starting pitcher; Jonathan Papelbon, relief pitcher By Trevor Utley The people of Chicago have the luxury of two teams to choose from in their fair city. I've been to both stadiums and the atmosphere surrounding baseball in the Windy City is rarely paralleled. Unluckily for Chicagoans these days both of their teams are quite the drizzling shits. We stay in the AL Central on our countdown as the South Siders will just be a bit more terrible in 2014. After a 7-21 September put them on the precipice of 100 losses last year (they were 63-99) GM Rick Hahn knew he had to make a splash in free agency to bring the 2005 World Series champions back to the postseason. That splash was Cuban slugger Jose Dariel Abreu who raked a cool .392 with 133 homers and 337 RBI in his past 346 Cuban league games. A great deal will be asked of the 27 year old as he slides into the heart of an order that scored the second least runs in the Majors a season ago; even with Adam Dunn's 34 home runs and 86 runs driven in. No ChiSox player should be happier about a potential 40 home run guy entering the fray than ace Chris Sale. Even with a 3.07 ERA and an AL best four complete games, Sale could only muster a 11-14 record (not including his win in the All-Star Game) on the second lowest run support in the entire MLB at 3.20. Who had the lowest? Cub Travis Wood. We'll get to the Cubbies soon enough though don't worry. As for now, I'll let it sink in for White Sox fans that this season will be another lost one; but if Abreu is as advertised and some of their young guns such as Matt Davidson, Adam Eaton, and Avisail Garcia take a step forward Chicago could be back in the postseason sooner rather than later. PREDICTED RECORD: 68-94 PREDICTED ALL-STAR REPS: Chris Sale, starting pitcher; Jose Dariel Abreu, first baseman Image Credit: White Sox logo (sportslogos.net) By Trevor Utley Minnesota had been a regular participant in the postseason for the majority of the 2000s. They relied heavily on the three J's: Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau, and Johan Santana. Johan left for the Mets in 2008 and former MVP Morneau had become a shell of himself due to injury before being shipped out himself at last year's waiver deadline. Mauer is the last man standing now at Target Field will be doing more standing as league's highest paid catcher won't be spending any more time behind the plate as he shifts to first base. Coming off their third straight 90+ loss season, the Twins made two big splashes in free agency in pitchers Ricky Nolasco (4 yrs./$49 mil) and Phil Hughes (3 yrs./$24 mil). Last year on the Dodgers, Nolasco was a vital part in their turnaround after his acquisition from Miami. Questions were asked though after he faded in September and those same questions will be asked this year if Nolasco falters as the anchor of a mishmash Twins staff. The person who will surely be following Nolasco in the rotation is the aforementioned Hughes, who comes over after years of unfulfilled promise in the Bronx. Will Hughes finally shine outside of the big city lights? He may but it will all be for naught if the Twins can't improve on their second to last rated offense from 2013. Things may change once consensus Major League top prospect Byron Buxton makes it to the Bigs but until then they'll be heavily reliant on a lineup with little power or speed to compete in a division rife with it. PREDICTED RECORD: 66-96 PREDICTED ALL-STAR REP: Joe Mauer, first baseman Image Credit: Twins logo (sportslogos.net) |
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