Featuring Colin Hecht & Trevor Utley
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Featuring Colin Hecht & Trevor Utley
By Trevor Utley featuring Josh Souza, Colin Hecht, Matt Sieczkiewicz, Andrew daSilva, & Andrew Sanford Before each baseball season myself and my friends would make our picks for the upcoming baseball season. This year we actually documented our selections on the site so that at the end of it all we could not only mock each other for such horrible prognosticating skills, but you the reader could do the same. So take a trip down memory lane with us and let's recap the sheer stupidity we exuded during Spring Training. ALL STAR SELECTIONS We'll get this one out of the way early because this was entirely a solo mission on my part. We may expand it to include everybody next year just so I don't feel like an even bigger idiot than I already do. If you went through any of the 30 Teams in Under 30 Days articles ahead of the 2015 season, you would have seen my picks for All-Stars from each team at the bottom of each article. I was looking to improve from my performance from last year in which I hit on 45% on the American League All-Stars and 37% on the National League All-Stars. I know that isn't setting the bar very high, but even that low leap was too much for me to handle. I regressed significantly to 36% for the AL and 33% for the NL. While there was plenty of pats on the back for nailing sneaky selections like Tampa Bay closer Brad Boxberger and Yankees set-up man Dellin Betances, there were ten times as many "What the fuck were you thinking?" picks made. Here are some of the best gems from the NL:
Somehow the American League was so much worse...
AWARD SELECTIONS Now that my individual shaming has been completed, let's go on to the group humiliation portion of the article! Between the six of us we were able to only get three awards picked correctly. It was a parade of failure as you scrolled down to each successive block of embarrassing forecasts. Well, here's the first float now! MVP I'm just going to say now that Sanford picked Joe Kelly for every award. So when you see me completely ignoring his input over the next several paragraphs, that is why. American League MVP was an award that we all went all in on. It was Mike Trout or bust for the BYC boys and Josh Donaldson made sure we all suffered the bust half of that equation. On the National League side, Josh was the only person with the vision to see Bryce Harper morph from a floppy haired doofus to a floppy haired doofus with an MVP trophy on his mantle. Colin had a big swing and a miss with Yasiel Puig. A freak injury wiped out what would have been a solid pick for Matt and Andrew in Giancarlo Stanton. My pick of Andrew McCutchen placed fifth in the voting. Light golf clap for myself. CY YOUNG In all the years we have been making picks as friends, we've never learned not to trust the Seattle Mariners. Again King Felix did the majority of us in. The other non-Joe Kelly selection made was Corey Kluber by Andrew. Kluber couldn't quite recapture the magic of his 2014 Cy Young win, but was better than his 9-16 record suggested. Our two guys finished with 13 combined Cy Young vote points, which would have been good enough for fifth. Me and Colin got burned by Johnny Cueto's trade in the NL Cy Young, but that is shame on us for not thinking that a guy who had been on the trade block for five years wasn't finally going to get shipped in his contract year. The other three actual pickers made respectable misses in Clayton Kershaw and Max Scherzer. I don't think Jake Arrieta or even Zack Greinke came up in any of our preseason conversations. Boo us. ROOKIE OF THE YEAR Rookie of the Year is always one of the hardest awards to project and in the AL this year it was no different. There was such an influx of rookies that not one of us picked the same guy to take home the prize. Not one of us picked the right guy, Houston's Carlos Correa, either. Well at least the majority of us had that puncher's chance. Josh's pick of Francisco Lindor even finished second to Correa. Colin though...oh Colin, Colin, Colin...he picked Mookie Betts, a player ineligible to win the award. Yup that about wraps that up. The National League ROY was much easier. Just pick a Cub. The majority of us for once actually picked the right one as Kris Bryant took the league by storm, made the All-Star Team and won the award unanimously. Point at laugh at Andrew! Not the one that picked Joe Kelly, the one who went against the grain and picked the wrong Cub Jorge Soler. MUAHAHHAHAHA! It's nice to laugh at someone else's terrible picks for once. MANAGER OF THE YEAR We continued the time honored preseason picks tradition of picking a Manager of the Year that ends up being fired. Just a week after the season ended, Mariners' manager Lloyd McClendon (whom three of us picked to win Manager of the Year) got the axe. Can't trust the Mariners...blah blah blah...we never learn...yada yada yada. Colin actually came the closest for once with his pick of Toronto manager John Gibbons. He finished fourth in the voting and even got a first place vote! Way to go Colin! We strive for mediocrity! The NL Manager of the Year picks showed that the two NL fans in the lot didn't know as much about the NL as we thought we did. While the three AL fans all picked correctly with Joe Maddon, the two NL fans watched their pick Matt Williams get a pink slip after Washington failed to make the postseason. Oh Washington, you and your miserable 2015 is going to feature very heavily in this next segment. LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP AND WORLD SERIES SELECTIONS The Royals proved 2014 was no fluke as they returned to the World Series and won the whole damned thing. None of us picked Kansas City to even LOSE in the ALCS. The Indians, Orioles, Angels, Red Sox, and those pesky Mariners all factored into our choices coming out of the AL, but the champs didn't even get a sniff. The only thing you are sniffing right now is the putrid stench coming from said choices. The Mets came out of left field this year to take the National League, besting the Cubs and Dodgers on their way to the Fall Classic. So of course the kid who picked Joe Kelly to win every award was the only one to choose the Mets to win the National League. We'll ignore that he had them beating the Marlins in the NLCS and give credit where it is due. Colin and Matt both at least had playoff teams in those Cubs and Dodgers, although they each picked them to win it all. Myself, Josh, and Andrew though fell victim to the Nationals hype machine. Not only did we pick the Nats to take the NL, we picked them to win the whole shebang. I can't even make fun of Sanford's Red Sox pick right now I feel so downtrodden. I miss baseball. I am already looking forward to making horrendous picks next spring. At least I have our EPL picks to hang on to in the mean time. Oh wait, I picked Manchester City to finish outside the Top 4? FUCKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK! By Trevor Utley Since yesterday's technological mishap, I've become incredibly paranoid about writing this piece again. In fact, this is being typed in a word document and also being transferred onto a NotePad. The computer NotePad not pen and paper, yet some of you know my affinity for writing every inane detail down. To avoid the near psychological break I underwent yesterday, I am just going to combine all five articles into little blurbs and be done with it. Opening Day's already come and gone so you already know who's down what and where with the four teams left. I've already been proven way off base with some of my other 26 previews. Without further adieu, or catastrophic mental meltdown, the top four of 30 Teams In Under 30 Days as well as our picks for the 2015 MLB awards, pennants, and World Series champions. #4- Los Angeles Dodgers: My beloved boys in blue are the class of the NL West. They'll win the division going away and showed yesterday that they have a pretty damn resilient team even with that pesky Matt Kemp going all ghost of Christmas past on them. I swear to you I had Jimmy Rollins listed as an All-Star before that three run home run gave me a chub in the middle of my weeping. In the end, how far the Dodgers will advance will depend on whether or not old #22 can stop being #2 come postseason. LAST YEAR'S RANKING: #3 (DOWN 1) PREDICTED RECORD: 94-68 PREDICTED ALL-STAR REPS: Clayton Kershaw (starting pitcher), Zack Greinke (starting pitcher), Adrian Gonzalez (first baseman), Jimmy Rollins (shortstop), Yasiel Puig (outfielder) #3- Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim: They may have lost on Opening Day, but it was to King Felix so don't read too much into it. The Angels flipped the switch in the middle of last year and I think it will have a carry-over effect into 2015. Mike Trout will probably finish Top 3 on the AL MVP ballot for the next ten years barring a contraction of Ebola or a fling with a Kardashian. Garrett Richards will be even better than last year when he recovers from surgery. It is World Series or bust this year. Scroll down to see if I busted them or not. LAST YEAR'S RANKING: #9 (UP 6) PREDICTED RECORD: 95-77 PREDICTED ALL-STAR REPS: Mike Trout (outfielder), Garrett Richards (starting pitcher), Albert Pujols (first baseman), Huston Street (relief pitcher) #2- Baltimore Orioles: We all slept on the Orioles last year and all ended up looking like fools. If I am going to look like a fool, I'd rather it be because I overrated a team rather than underestimating them. The Orioles have already started their baseball bashing ways and none of yesterday's three homers even came from Chris Davis or Adam Jones. There is a good chance when you drafted your fantasy baseball team, you bypassed every Oriole outside of the aforementioned duo or Manny Machado. The Orioles will be living the real life fantasy though as they cruise to the division title once again. LAST YEAR'S RANKING: #19 (UP 17) PREDICTED RECORD: 95-77 PREDICTED ALL-STAR REPS: Adam Jones (outfielder), Travis Snider (outfielder), Zach Britton (relief pitcher) #1- Washington Nationals: By process of elimination you knew this was going to be Washington. Everybody picked Washington. Why should my dumb ass be any different? They have an All-Star team for a starting rotation. They have a dynamic lineup. They also trotted out Dan Uggla as their Opening Day second baseman. The Giants had Dan Uggla on their team last season. The Nationals are winning the World Series. LAST YEAR'S RANKING: #6 (UP 5) PREDICTED RECORD: 98-64 PREDICTED ALL-STAR REPS: Max Scherzer & Stephen Strasburg & Jordan ZImmermann & Doug Fister (starting pitchers), Bryce Harper (outfielder), Ian Desmond (shortstop) 2015 BLEEDING YOUR COLORS AWARD WINNERS AND PENNANT SELECTIONSThanks to all that came along for another journey through the 30 Major League teams in under 30 days time. Special thanks to Josh Souza, Colin Hecht (even though he picked an ineligible ROY in Mookie Betts), Matt Sieczkiewicz, Andrew daSilva, and Andrew Sanford (who picked Joe Kelly for all he could) for making picks. Give those fine gentlemen a follow on Twitter. Check back throughout the 2015 Major League Baseball season for more from me, and hopefully others, here on Bleeding Your Colors. PLAY BALL! Image Credits: All team logos (sportslogos.net); Trout, Kelly, Hernandez, Kershaw, Cueto, Puig, Stanton, McCutchen, Kluber, Soler, Bryant, Lindor, Betts, Sanchez, Harper, Scherzer (espn.com); Souza Jr. (statliners.com); Rodon (southsideshowdown.com); Francona (hardballtalk.nbcsports.com); Gibbons (jaysjournal.com); McClendon (seattlepi.com); Maddon (thebiglead.com); Williams (pixshark.com) By Trevor Utley We've come so far here on 30 Teams In Under 30 Days. This is the final profile of a non-playoff team, in my humble opinion of course. This team is the third straight double digit spot riser from last year's rankings: the Toronto Blue Jays. Remember three spots ago when I said the Mets were my biggest reach? I definitely forgot where I put Canada's favorite team. They have already been dealt a huge blow with the season ending ACL tear to star pitcher Marcus Stroman. They have had a good yet not remarkable Spring Training. I can tell you one thing though--Torontonians are going to see a lot of runs scored this year. The first big free agent move of this winter was Russell Martin returning to his native Ontario, Canada on a 5 year, $82 million deal. Martin was a key part in a Pirates' team who made the playoffs two consecutive years. At 32, a five year contract is a very risky proposition for the Blue Jays. They are hoping that his leadership and offensive repertoire don't fail them until at the worst the tail end of the deal. Edwin Encarnacion is looking to "recover" after his first season in three in which he didn't drive in 100 runs. He only got to 98 RBIs in 128 games in 2014 but still cleared the 30 home run mark for the third straight campaign. He'll be able to focus more on hitting as he'll serve as the primary designated hitter in Toronto. He'll have that defensive burden taken off him most days because of the arrival of Justin Smoak. Smoak will never hit for average, but when healthy he can hit some home runs. A move to a more hitter friendly Rogers Centre after half a decade at Seattle's Safeco Field can't hurt. After a eye opening Spring Training, Devon Travis will be the starting second baseman on Opening Day. Acquired from Detroit in November, Travis has shown a hint of power as well as above average speed in each Minor League stop. Jose Reyes remains at shortstop and at the top of the Jays' batting order. Various leg maladies threatened to derail Reyes' running game in 2013. He made sure to qualm supporter's fears with 30 swiped bags last year. The return of the speed is nice, but the Blue Jays will be asking for a little more for the $66 million guaranteed he's owed over the next three years. Third base features the biggest addition that Toronto made over the offseason, Josh Donaldson. Donaldson was the engine that made the Athletics' lineup go the past two years. He racked up 53 HR, 189 RBI, and finished in the top 10 in AL MVP voting the past two seasons. Expect even more offense in this improved lineup. While the infield is quite well rounded, the outfield is Jose Bautista and a gaggle of question marks. Joey Bats won his third Silver Slugger award in 2014 after a return to form of 35 HR, 103 RBI, 104 BB/96 K, and a .924 OPS. Even when he's not 100%, you can still count on Bautista to put the ball over the fence. The two other members of the Toronto outfield aren't sure things by any means. Center fielder Dalton Pompey had a meteoric rise in 2014, starting in Class A Advanced Dunedin and ending on the big club. He stole 44 bases along the way and showed great plate discipline. He'll be a great table setter in a few years. For now, he strengthens the bottom of the Blue Jays batting order. Left field is the biggest question mark. I don't think Kevin Pillar or uber-utility man Steve Tolleson will provide anything more than an instant out while Toronto waits for Michael Saunders to recover from an MCL injury. Even Saunders himself is no sure thing as he has a past littered with different injuries. GM Alex Anthopolous may use want away catcher Dioner Navarro as a trade chip to solidify this position. The starting staff is significantly less imposing than the lineup. Outside of the aging R.A. Dickey and Mark Buehrle, the 2015 Blue Jays rotation is also going to be very young and volatile. Marcus Stroman's injury thrusts a much heavier workload into the lap of Opening Day starter Drew Hutchison. In my opinion, Hutchison does not have an ace mentality. He is a high volume strikeout guy, one per inning in 2014, but struggles with his command. Hutchison also gave up 23 home runs in 2014, a number that needs to come down when he's getting the opposition's best starter. Hutchison wasn't even the worst offender on his team in terms of giving up taters. That distinction belongs to R.A. Dickey. Dickey gave up 26 bombs in 2014 although that was an improvement from the hideous 35 he served up in his first year in Toronto. Dickey is basically a lock to pitch 200 innings a year as a knuckleballer but don't expect the 2012 NL Cy Young Dickey to ever return. It'll be more likely that he once again finishes the season at 14-13, his record in each of the past two years. Mark Buehrle defied time with his 2014 campaign. He made his first All-Star team since 2009 and finished 13-10 with a 3.39 ERA, his best mark since 2005. He is making $20 million in the final year of his contract so he will want to impress to get a final multi-year deal, whether it be in Toronto or elsewhere. The final two rotation spots will be held by Toronto's top two pitching prospects, Daniel Norris and Aaron Sanchez. Norris is more known as the pitcher who lives in a van but he'll soon be known as a front line MLB starter. He whiffed 163 batters in 124 2/3 minor league innings last year making the same eventual leap as Dalton Pompey from Dunedin to Toronto. Aaron Sanchez got a longer look from the big club in 2014 and did not disappoint. He was used exclusively out of the bullpen and was utterly dominant. He finished with a 1.09 ERA, 0.697 WHIP, and 3 saves. He may struggle at first but I see Sanchez as a key cog in this rotation for a good long time. The bullpen differs from your standard idea of a bullpen because the two most important pitchers are left handed. The closer, Brett Cecil, and primary set-up man, Aaron Loup, both attack hitters from the left side. Cecil actually works better against right handers (.213 BAA) than lefties (.247 BAA). He'll get to face more right handed hitters in his first full season as Toronto closer. Loup on the other hand, owned lefties to the tune of a .159 BAA. He'll get his share of save opportunities as well. The Jays are very young from the right side in the late innings with the demotion of 2013 All-Star Steve Delabar. This was to make room for 21 year old Miguel Castro and 20 year old Roberto Osuna. Manager John Gibbons is taking a big risk with these two young fireballers. With that being said, Gibbons has plenty of experienced reinforcements in former starters Todd Redmond, Liam Hendricks, and Marco Estrada if his two young arms can't hang. The Stroman injury takes a big bite out of the excitement I had for the 2015 Blue Jays. They improved enough to not drop in the American League East standings but until their youngsters show me something, I can't bump them up. The Jays will finish third again and miss the final AL Wild Card by the slimmest of margins. Like a lot of these teams just outside the playoffs, the future looks bright. It is just whether or not impatient Blue Jays fans can wait for said future that remains to be seen. LAST YEAR'S RANKING: #23 (UP 12) PREDICTED RECORD: 87-75 PREDICTED ALL-STAR REPS: Jose Bautista (outfielder), Edwin Encarnacion (designated hitter), Josh Donaldson (third baseman), Russell Martin (catcher), Aaron Loup (relief pitcher) Trevor Utley wants to go to Canada but nowhere near the Frennnnnnnch. Image Credit: Blue Jays 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) |
OPPOSITE FIELD
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