April 24th: Contenders and Pretenders

The Major League Baseball season is wrapping up it’s third week, and teams are beginning to realize that the pleasant optimism of March doesn’t always carry over into the season. Some teams have come out as surprises, while others have faltered to a disappointing open. Which teams are legit? Which teams will fade down the stretch? The ZP: Left Fielder looks at which teams will continue as they are and which will turn things around, whether for the better or not.

Real Contenders:

American League - Detroit Tigers

This offense is terrifying. Yoenis Cespedes looks to be a perfect addition to a lineup that already included Miguel Cabrera, J.D. and Victor Martinez, and Ian Kinsler. The pitching has also been stellar, as Alfredo Simon looks to be continuing to develop into the All-Star he was last season. A healthy Justin Verlander would be the icing on the cake. Also, is Jose Iglesias even human? His defense is some of the most fun to watch in baseball.

National League - San Diego Padres

I’ve had issues with the revamped Padres, who have a lineup that, while daunting, doesn’t necessarily look like it will gel together. San Diego has come out looking strong, though, and seem to be in contention for the West. Most importantly, the pitching staff has the potential to be filthy dominant, with Tyson Ross as a nasty game-changer.

Pretenders:

American League - Houston Astros

Raise your hand if you expected the Astros to be leading the division after the first three weeks? I thought not. Unfortunately, this isn’t going to continue very long. As the rest of the division heats up and the young Astros squad comes back to earth, this team will fade out a bit. This might be a sign of things to come, though, and a reason to get excited in Texas for the future.

National League - New York Mets

The Mets are baseball’s hottest team, with a long win streak under their belts. The excitement surrounding this team is huge, and will definitely drive them forward. Unfortunately, like the Astros, the rest of the division will soon heat up, and the loss of David Wright (again) leaves New York vulnerable to a downward spiral. It won’t be devastating, but this team is gearing up for a drop-off.

Real Bad:

American League: Chicago White Sox

The White Sox were supposed to be the greatest thing to ever happen to baseball after a busy offseason, but that hasn’t been the case. They were absolutely knocked around by the Royals early on, and haven’t gotten their feet set. The return of Chris Sale will help, but this team is not the powerhouse many expected. Expect us to be talking about this team as the biggest disappointment of the year come the offseason.

National League: Milwaukee Brewers

We knew the Brewers would fall from their pedestal after last season’s epic run and eventual fall. But did anyone see this coming? The Brewers can’t seem to win anything, and they have been the punching bag for an angry Cincinnati team this week. Don’t expect things to get any better now that Jonathan Lucroy is out with foot injury.

Slow Starts:

American League: Los Angeles Angels/Seattle Mariners

These two are expected to be the clash of titans on the West Coast deep into September. That being said, both have records with something left to be desired. The Angels’ Tuesday night beatdown of the As is a big sign of things to come, though, while the Mariners have a long list of perennial All-Stars that just haven’t heated up yet (yet being the key word). These two will turn into everything baseball fans expect, and leave their slow starts behind them.

National League: Washington Nationals

The Nationals were supposed to be unbeatable, and yet they sit just around .500 at the 10% mark of the season. Denard Span and Jayson Werth have come back from injuries, though, and a big walk-off win on Tuesday night could be enough to get the swagger going in D.C. This team is going to be formidable, it is just a matter of when.

April 2nd: MLB West Division Predictions

We wrap up our breakdown of every team in baseball with the West divisions. With the Mariners surging and the Astros growing ever-closer to their 2017 World Series date, the AL is full of excitement. Meanwhile, the NL holds the dominant Dodgers and the defending World Champs. The West will most certainly be wild this year.

American League West:

1. Angels

Everyone wants to declare the Angels secondary in their division, but that lineup is fierce. Having the greatest player on the planet helps, and I see Albert Pujols continuing to rebuild his career as he learns what it means to be an older player. The pitching is the one area of question, but this team is going to be better than anyone is giving them credit for.

2. Mariners

This looks to be the preeminent favorite to come out of the American League in October. I am not so sure, though, as the Mariners have a lot of growing and learning to do. Strong on all sides of the ball, the Mariners will be fun to watch this year, but we all need to keep our enthusiasm in check a little bit, as there is a lack of experience on this team that could cause a hiccup down the stretch.

3. Astros

Don’t look now, but the Astros look like they are getting to compete sooner rather than later. George Springer is going to be a star in this league, while the rest of the lineup saw great improvement with some wise offseason moves. The pitching is an area of concern, but the Astros are trending up, and could turn a lot of heads.

4. Athletics

Every year I predict the A’s won’t be as good as we expect, and every year the A’s are better than we expect. This year might just be the first time I’m right. A full blown fire sale left almost no one you’ve ever heard of on this team, and, while Billy Beane has always been a genius, his selling may have caught up to him this time.

5. Rangers

The Rangers were baseball’s least lucky team last year, and this year doesn’t look to be much better. The end to Yu Darvish’s season is a huge blow, and the Rangers are putting a lot of love behind Prince Fielder, who is coming off a serious injury. This team could be much better than I expect, but, if we learned anything from last year, it’s that you can’t get your hopes up in Arlington.

National League West:

1. Dodgers

The Dodgers had a dominant 2014 campaign come to a dramatic end, as Clayton Kershaw fell from grace in the postseason. This year, the team will bide their time until they can get their October revenge. A great lineup and a great rotation means this team will have no problem finding their way into the playoffs. What they do from there will define them.

2. Giants

Three championships in five years? This team is a dynasty, and Buster Posey is the reason why. While it would be clever to claim that this will be a down (odd numbered) year, the Giants will be competitive, and will be led by two of the brightest young stars in the sport in Posey and MadBum. The Giants aren’t as strong as they were in October, but they will still be a force.

3. Padres

The Padres will have six new starters on Opening Day, causing many to declare the Padres ready for contention. I’m not entirely sure that all of the pieces will come together as nicely as others might believe. This team will hit plenty of home runs, and the pitching will keep them competitive, but this will be the biggest disappointment of the season by a wide margin.

4. 
   Diamondbacks

I’ve loved the moves the Diamondbacks have made since Tony La Russa took over. If I were a pitcher, I would hide under the bed at the thought of Goldschmidt, Trumbo, and Thomas back to back to back. The young outfield corps is also very intriguing, and will give this team a spark. If it weren’t for a dreary pitching staff, I would boldly predict that this team would be my sleeper pick. Maybe next offseason they’ll be ready to finish the rebuild.

5. Rockies

The Rockies are a team full of parts, none of which can bring together the finished product. Tulowitzki, Gonzalez, Morneau, Blackmon, Arenado; there is plenty of star power, but nothing to show for it. This team needs to aggressively commit to rebuilding, and actually put together a product that can compete in all phases of the game.

Check back tomorrow for a look at the playoff picture and a full prediction. Who will come away with the Commissioner's Trophy in October? You’ll find out tomorrow!

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February 28th: American League Preview

Last week, ZPLF made predictions about the 2014 National League results. This week, it’s the American League’s turn.

AL EAST:

1. Boston Red Sox: Logic says that a team that wins the World Series and keeps its roster pretty much intact should be the favorite to make another run. The 2014 Red Sox should look pretty good, with Dustin Pedroia leading the club both on and off the field. Another AL East title is well within grasp.

2. New York Yankees: The Yankees missed the playoffs for the second time in the last 20 years, and, as they did after the 2008 season, went out and spent a ton of money. The starting lineup features 5 new faces, with 18 All-Star games between them. The only fly in the ointment is that the Yankees are an old team, with every player over the age of 30. This team is totally dependent on the new guys being able to play Yankees style ball.

3. Tampa Bay Rays: We’ve all made the mistake of thinking the Rays will slide. On paper, they shouldn’t be as competitive as they are. They will, though, remain competitive in the tough AL East, but they may be missing the star power to overtake the bigger superpowers of the Red Sox and Yankees.

4. Baltimore Orioles: Last year was a disappointment after the excitement of a 2012 playoff appearance. This off-season, the Orioles added some significant pieces, including Nelson Cruz and Ubaldo Jimenez in the past few weeks. This would be a playoff team in most other divisions, but this looks like a fourth place finisher.

5. Toronto Blue Jays: Oh, what a difference one year makes. Last year, this team was the disappointment of the season after a big off-season left them looking like contenders. This year, it appears as though very little was done to improve a team that finished at the bottom of a stacked division. If 7 big time new players can’t help this team win, I’m not sure anything can.

AL Central:

1. Detroit Tigers: New manager Brad Ausmus has huge shoes to fill, but having a two-time reigning MVP on your team can’t hurt. The pitching remains dominant, the lineup looks solid, and there are no gaping holes in a team that has won three straight division titles. Barring unforeseen circumstances, it doesn’t look like anything is going to change that.

2. Kansas City Royals: A young nucleus with a focus on defense, the Royals look primed for a long run of success. Eric Hosmer and Mike Moustakas will decide how far this team goes, as they attempt to blossom into the superstars everyone is expecting from them. This is my pick for most exciting team to watch.

3. Cleveland Indians: A brilliant run to the playoffs last year left the city of Cleveland hopping with excitement. The arrival of hometown hero Nick Swisher has revitalized the city and brought hope for the future. Unfortunately for the Tribe, not a lot was done to improve upon last year’s Wild Card game losing team. Another good season appears in the books, but not a good enough one for another Cinderella story.

4. Chicago White Sox: The Sox were a confusingly, atrociously bad team last year. Make that the third worst team in Major League Baseball. The off-season brought some good young talent, including the hopeful superstar Jose Abreu. The pitching staff looks weak, except for Chris Sale, who was the one bright spot on last year’s team. This team will be streaky and most likely downright mediocre.

5. Minnesota Twins: How often does a team get considerably better, yet move down in the standings? This appears to be what will happen to the Twins, as the addition of pitchers Phil Hughes and Ricky Nolasco won’t be enough to bring the team to contention. The future looks bright, though, as prospects Oswaldo Arcia, Byron Buxton, and Miguel Sano patiently await their arrival in the Bigs.

AL West:

1. Texas Rangers: The Ranger have proven time and time again that they are going to beat you with the bat, and let the pitching staff figure itself out. The additions of Prince Fielder and Shin-Soo Choo add two of the most important ingredients to a powerful offense. There will definitely be a void in leadership after the departure of Ian Kinsler, but as long as the team finds a way to come together, things should be looking big in Dallas.

2. Oakland Athletics: Don’t ask me to name three members of the Oakland A’s organization, because I probably can’t. I haven’t been able to name a non-Cuban or non-cereal character in the last three years, yet that hasn’t keep the A’s from winning two straight division championships. It has become impossible to count this team out, but they aren’t in a place worth predicting big things consistently yet, either.

3. Los Angeles Angels: Having the best player in baseball will do great things for an organization. The Angels have been disappointing for the past two years, but a healthy Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton in the same lineup as Mike Trout make a team impossible to ignore. The pitching has been the issue, and there hasn’t been much done to make it better. We’ll see if Tyler Skaggs can make this team a viable contender.

4. Seattle Mariners: The Mariners win the award for most busy off-season, but that doesn’t necessarily translate into regular season success. Robinson Cano will sell tickets, but he isn’t enough to launch this team into a real division race. I expect the Mariners to serve as spoilers for the race between the Rangers and A’s.

5. Houston Astros: The rebuilding process is a long a tired one for Astros fans. The addition of Dexter Fowler will make this team a little better than the 111 loss team from a year ago. Plus, the development of double-play combination Jose Altuve and Jonathan Villar looks to be one to watch. This will be bad in 2014 for Houston, but not as bad as many might believe.

Twin Billing?

As the Hot Stove starts to heat up, MLB teams are attempting to decide the direction to take their organizations. Whether to pursue the hottest free agents or seek a trade, to look outside for help or to focus on internal matters to strengthen the team, teams have a big few months ahead of them.

For the Minnesota Twins, this is a question that requires some fan input. Last week, the Twins posted on their Twitter account “Give us your list of the top 3 free agents you think the Twins should pursue using #TwinsHotStove. We’ll talk about fan answers on the show.”

While representing a small social media gimmick, the Twins get to the heart of a very important question in putting together a team from year to year. What is the role of the fan? Do the ticket holders have a part in constructing the team that will take the field 162 times?

The reality is that the Twins will most likely do very little, if anything, with the information they receive from their twitter account. Fans aren’t really qualified to make organizational decisions, especially when they are playing with hundreds of millions of dollars. At the same time, though, those dollars originated, at least partially, in the pockets of the fans, and thus, they have an argument for contributing.

While baseball has blossomed into a trillion dollar industry, it’s true intent is to entertain. The fans are, or at least should be, the focus of the organization. This doesn’t appear to be the case when you view negotiations with players that include no-trade clauses and contract incentives and stipulations. The game has shifted to focus instead on the players and the front office.

While asking fans which players in particular they would want to see in their teams uniform may not be realistic, it is not unreasonable to ask what kind of team they would like to see. Take a look at the Houston Astros. Who in their right minds is excited about the Astros? Their fan-base is the pity of everybody, except maybe the loveable losers of Chicago, and the future doesn’t look particularly bright. The front office is promising that things will get better, but that doesn’t appear to be happening any time soon. The money that is being spent is being done in a way that will replenish the farm system and get the team ready for the future. At the same time, though, that means that being an Astros fan, at least for the next, oh, half decade is going to be an abysmal thing.

For fans to be able to select the overall direction of the team, whether it be rebuilding for the future as the Cubs appear to be doing or a win-now mentality the likes of which the Yankees almost always embody, is not an unrealistic request. If teams really expect to see fans pay their dollars to see their organization, it is not unrealistic to expect that they would have some kind of input.

This is unlikely to become a reality any time soon in any of the major sports fields, but that twitter is as good a place as any to start.