March 31st: MLB East Division Predictions

The greatest day of the year is fast approaching: Major League Baseball Opening Day! As we start the season, every team believes they are about to embark on a playoff chase, and hope is in the air.

There is an old saying: Everyone is going to win 54 games. Everyone is going to lose 54 games. It is what you do with the other 54 that really counts. This week, the ZP: Left Fielder is going to attempt to decide how each team will fare in the coming season. Division by division, we will break down the playoff predictions and final standings, attempting to guess at what the next six months have in store for us.

Today, we will take a look at the East divisions in the American and National Leagues. Tomorrow we will tackle the Central, and, finally, on Thursday the West. Friday will feature the final playoff predictions.

Let’s get started!

American League East:

1. 

   Old and new faces will help lead Boston back to contention.

   Red Sox

The Red Sox have made a habit out of going from worst to first and back again. After an abysmal 2014, Boston went out and spent the money to revamp the team. The outfield is not only crowded but abundantly talented, and Dustin Pedroia anchors a solid infield. This team is deep, and, despite the lack of a single, dominant ace, the pitching will keep the offense in ball games.

2. Orioles

The offseason was not kind in Baltimore, as the team struggled to replace the big bats that departed. The pitching remains to be an area of strength, and the Orioles maintained their centerpieces with Adam Jones and Manny Machado, but there should be a little bit of a slip for the defending AL East Champs.

3. Yankees

Now that the Derek Jeter festivities are over and gone, the Yankees will have to find a new way to entertain fans. Winning would be a nice place to start. The team has some of the best talent in baseball, but age and health are problems that leads the Yankees to be one of the most polarizing teams to predict. They will either be great or terrible, and it’s hard to tell which.

4. Blue Jays

Things were finally looking up for Canada’s team. The signing or Russell Martin made it seem like they were finally serious about winning. The young guns in the system were looking like they were ready to have an impact. Then, Marcus Stroman went down, and gloom set in. This team will be in the hunt until the first week of August, and slowly start to sputter from a lack of experience in a playoff race. Maybe next year, Blue Jays fans.

5. Rays

If any team can make something out of the nothing going on in Tampa, this may be the one. That being said, it is impossible to have too much faith in a team that looks like a minor league spring training team forgot to head north. This will be a rebuilding year, but that could mean big things for the future Rays. The future looks bright, just not in 2015.

National League East:

1. Nationals

The Nationals had one of the best rotations in baseball last year. Then they added Max Scherzer. This team will be absolutely dominant in the National League, and an overall weak division will lead Washington to the playoffs by a wide margin. Expect Bryce Harper to bounce back and have an MVP-caliber season.

2. Marlins

The Marlins are a popular pick for a team looking to hit it’s stride. It may be a little early yet, though. Stanton had a monster year last year, and Dee Gordon was a good addition to the infield. Overall, the Marlins are intriguing, but a young team is bound to have growing pains, so we might need to keep our expectations reasonable.

3. Mets

The Mets look to be a shortstop away from contention. Well, that shortstop has proved elusive, and David Wright has proven that, despite flashes of brilliance, his health is the thing standing between him and leading this team to the promised land. The young pitching will make this team interesting, but the Mets need to keep adding to the mix at a little more aggressive of a pace.

4. Braves

I’m not entirely sure what the Braves did this offseason. They looked like they were in full-blown rebuild mode, but also signed Nick Markakis to a relatively large contract. The team has a franchise player in Freddie Freeman, but is going to have to go through a few tough months before there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

5. Phillies

Three years ago, the Phillies were the most terrifying team in the National League. Now, they are scary bad. They did little this winter to help their case, and the rebuilding process doesn’t look to be going very well. The Phillies will have a season to forget, and will try to sell everyone they possibly can come July.

Check back in tomorrow for the Central Divisions predictions!

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July 31st: MLB Trade Deadline Review

The Major League Baseball trade deadline is by far my favorite couple of days of the year. Leading up to July 31st at 4 pm, the internet is abuzz with insight, speculation, and rumors. Every team seems to be involved at some level.

My favorite part is watching what actually happens, as compared the the wild rumors that lead up to the event. With that being said, ZP:Left Fielder is reviewing the deals that happened, and commenting on some of the deals that should have.

Best Move:

• David Price to the TIgers: Of course, as it should be. The Tigers now have the past three AL Cy Young Award winners. They made this move to compete with the Oakland As. The difference between the As and the Tigers? The Tigers have four starters with World Series experience. The As have two. Price makes the Tigers the favorite in the AL.

Move That Should Have Been:

• Marlon Byrd to...ANYWHERE: WIth the second Wild Card spot, more teams are looking to get ready for playoff runs. That being said, there aren’t that many bats available. Byrd would have been a good addition for the Reds, Mariners, Yankees, or, frankly, anyone else. This was a waste by the Phillies, and a missed opportunity for the rest of the middle-range contenders.

Deal I’m Glad Didn’t Happen:

• Matt Kemp leaving Los Angeles: I’ve been a Kemp fan since the beginning, and hoped he would turn things around. While there is a full outfield in Los Angeles, no team has ever complained from having too many stars in preparation for the playoffs. Kemp has the ability to explode offensively at any time. The Dodgers may be very happy they didn’t do something drastic come October.

Best Move, Worst Location:

• Emilio Bonifacio to the Braves: Plenty of teams could have used a speedy middle-infielder with experience. Well, frankly, all teams could have used him. To give him and a top notch lefty reliever go for just a single-A catcher was a bummer for the Cubs, who started off the deadline so boldly.

Move They’ll Wish They Could Take Back:

• 
  John Lackey to the Cardinals: The Cardinals seem to forget that Lackey has been the worst pitcher in baseball in the not-so-distant past. Giving up last year’s best hitter and a big-future pitcher for an aging veteran may be a short-sighted answer that will come back to bite them. Despite Craig and Kelly’s struggles this year, they will have better long-term success than Lackey will provide short-term.

Biggest Winners:

• The 2015 Red Sox: While this year may be a lost cause, the Red Sox traded this year like a team that knew they were going to be back in contention soon. Two big-hitting outfielders, and a pitching prospect that has a high ceiling, the Sox look like they are getting ready for a rebound. Lester has even talked about coming back in a few months. This team won’t go away for long.
• The Chicago Cubs: Yes, you read that right. The Cubs were able to do what every team hopes to do in April: sign a whole bunch of older talent for dirt cheap and flip them in July. They’ve now done it three years in a row, acquiring their current ace, their future superstar, and their top set-up man that way over the past three years. To give away Hammel and Bonifacio for top level minor league talent is something of a 2016 coup d'etat.
• The 2015 Twins rotation: See a pattern here? While teams are going crazy trying to put winners together for this year, a few teams are quietly getting ready for the future. A new deal with catcher Kurt Suzuki and acquiring Tommy Milone are just that for the Twins. Has anyone noticed the Twins have a nice little rotation going with Milone, Correia, Hughes, and Nolasco? Not Oakland or Detroit, but it’s a start.

Biggest Losers:

• Yoenis Cespedes: How must it feel to go from the cleanup hitter on a World Series favorite to a last-place team? Cespedes is an incredible hitter who has gone from the top to the bottom. Next year may be a fun time (MAYBE), but for the remainder of the 2014 season, this is going to be a miserable team. It will be hard to watch his old team make a long postseason run while he’s watching from home.
• The Pirates and Brewers: If any year were the year to beat out the Cardinals, it was this one. The pieces were available to improve their teams, and both sat relatively quietly at the deadline. The Cardinals moves weren’t great, but they will probably be enough to beat the their two divisional foes.
• The National League: Sorry guys. Whether the biggest winners were the Tigers or the As, the biggest loser was whichever National League team has to try to win the World Series against either of the best rotations in baseball. Can Clayton Kershaw pitch seven games in a row. Cygh...

February 22nd: National League Preview

The 162 game baseball season is a marathon. Yet, in Spring Training, it is easy enough to let the excitement get the best of you. Everyone is trying to guess where the standings will wind up September 29^th. In this case, the Zoot Perspective Left Fielder will attempt to predict the standings for the 2014 baseball season. This week we’ll tackle the National League, next week the American League.

NL East:

     1,  Washington Nationals: Last year was a season to forget in DC. With their mysterious hitting woes behind them, the Nationals should prove why they were such heavy favorites to win last year. One of the strongest starting rotations allows even a rough start for the lineup to remain a scary threat for the division title.

     2. Atlanta Braves: The first team to clinch last year has a lot of question marks, including which pair of Upton brothers will show up. This team will live and die by the bat of Freddie Freeman, who is out to prove that his big new contract was no accident.

     3.   New York Mets: Young pitching leads another new wave of Mets, led by Dillon Gee and Zack Wheeler. Missing Matt Harvey will hurt, though, and David Wright’s questionable durability may be the difference for a franchise that lacks the offense to put up big numbers. Another mediocre year awaits.

     4. Philadelphia Phillies: The past few years have not been kind to the aging Phillies, as the 2008 World Series is shrinking in the rearview mirror. An identity crisis is in the cards as Philadelphia attempts to decide whether they want to compete now or rebuild for their future.

     5.  Miami Marlins: An offseason of smart moves makes this Marlins team better than the terrifyingly bad on from a year ago. Jarrod Saltalamacchia does not make you a champion, though. This team will be better, but not by much.

NL Central:

      1. St. Louis Cardinals: The Cardinals are perennial threats to make the playoffs, and this year appears to be no exception. A strong core of talent and some offseason improvements from last year’s NL pennant winners should put them in contention to return to the World Series. The one question mark will be to see how young pitchers Michael Wacha and Shelby Miller respond to their sophomore campaigns.

     2. Pittsburgh Pirates: The loss of some key rentals from last year’s playoff team could bode badly for the Buccos. The taste of victory is on the lips of Pittsburgh fans, though, so the club should be hungry for more. Having defending NL MVP Andrew McCutchen and rising stars OF Starling Marte and SP Gerrit Cole should make this team contenders for quite a few years to come.

     3.  Cincinnati Reds: Two years ago, this team won the division in stunning fashion. Last year, they fell in the Wild Card game. Unfortunately, the slide may continue for a team that is relying heavily on the production of some young stars. This will be a good ball club, but most likely not a great one.

     4. Chicago Cubs: The future looks bright in Chicago. The question is, how long will fans have to wait? Bounce-back years from Starlin Castro and Anthony Rizzo should lead a young team into a more comfortable place. This year isn’t the year, but it’s going to be good practice for the very exciting 2015 season.

     5.  Milwaukee Brewers: Although stealthily subtle moves to improve the rotation have helped, the Brewers are far removed from the days of competing in the NL Central. This team will most likely flounder unless Carlos Gomez can continue to rise and Ryan Braun can return in full form (minus the steroids).

NL West:

     1.  Los Angeles Dodgers: The biggest question facing the Dodgers is who will be the odd man out in a too-talented outfield. That’s a good problem to have. Starting pitching and young talent headline a team with an expectation for a World Series win. This team looks like the real deal.

   

     2. San Fransisco Giants: A team that wins the World Series and returns almost the whole lineup should do pretty well, right? Apparently not, as last year’s Giants proved. This year, though, things should be back to normal, as the Giants take a stab at the wild card or even a chance to unseat the Dodgers. Either way, that rivalry will be fun this summer.

     3.  Arizona Diamondbacks: This team is going to be hard to predict. The potential is there for a real playoff threat, while there is also the chance for a big flop. The big questions are whether Mark Trumbo can provide some support for Paul Goldschmidt, and whether or not the starting pitching can keep the Diamondbacks going.

     4. San Diego Padres: A very similar group from the 2013 squad, this team is supposed to develop into a solid core of players. Key words: supposed to. Expectations are high and, unless someone steps up as the star of this team, they will most likely not be met.

     5.Colorado Rockies: Some young stars exist in Nolan Arenado and Wilin Rosario, and Carlos Gonzalez will continue to be a yearly MVP candidate, but otherwise this team appears a little lackluster. In an otherwise strong division, this team just doesn’t look to have what it takes to make a big impact on the race come August or September.