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 1st: AL and NL Central Division Preview

Yesterday, we took a look at the National League and American League East Divisions. Today, it’s the Central’s turn. Both Chicago teams saw great improvement over equally abysmal years last year, while the Tigers and Cardinals look to maintain their firm grip at the top. How will things shake out? The ZP: Left Fielder predicts!

American League Central:

1. Tigers

Four time defending Central Champs has a nice ring to it. The Tigers have a solid rotation, a deep lineup, and a manager who has already seen success after just one year in the Majors. The addition of Yoenis Cespedes is huge, as he is one of the premier bats in the American League, and will benefit from protection from Cabrera and Martinez.

2. Indians

Everyone tried to forget about Cleveland, but the Tribe kept fighting last year, falling only a few games short of a Wild Card spot. Corey Kluber is a dominant, filthy pitcher, who will anchor an otherwise unpredictable staff. The roster looks to have the depth to keep the Indians in contention for the long hall. This is going to be one of the most intriguing teams to watch this year.

Michael Brantley was a force for the Indians. He will be a huge
part of the success for this year's Tribe.

3. Royals

Baseball’s greatest feel-good story of the past decade, the Royals came 90 feet away from the greatest postseason story anyone could have imagined. The emergence of Eric Hosmer, Salvador Perez, and even Mike Moustakas as young talents in the AL only bodes well for the future in Kansas City. This year, they will have to balance great talent with even greater expectations.

4. White Sox

Everyone is jumping on the White Sox bandwagon, and for good reason. A huge offseason left the made-over White Sox looking like contenders. The problem is that many of these additions will not be able to add up to team success, and will instead lead the Sox to flounder come July. Look for great individual performances from many, but very few collective wins.

5. Twins

Minnesota has embraced the full-scale rebuild mode, and has made some great moves to help make the process more successful in years to come. The addition of Torii Hunter gives the young guys a role model to admire, and should lead to an even brighter future. All that being said, don’t go looking for any kind of winning at Target Field this year.

National League Central:

1. Cardinals

It brings me great sadness to put the Cardinals at the top of anything. A team that made it to the NLCS for the fourth straight year, though, is hard to vote against. The addition of Heyward adds to their threatening lineup, but the rotation is an area of concern. Look for the Cardinals to be sweating it out late in September.

2. Pirates

My vote for best outfield in baseball goes to the Pirates, who have five-tool players at all three positions. The Pirates are fun to watch and go about the game the right way. They will compete with the Pirates til the very end, but still may be a transcendent ace away from stealing the Central.

3. 

   The arrival of Bryant will be the most
   anticipated event of the summer.

   Cubs

Who doesn’t want to be a Cubs fan right now? Chicago has made it known that they are done dwelling in the cellar, and that they want to compete. The greatest young talent in the game makes that a very real possibility. This team doesn’t even need ALL of the stars to pan out, just a few to make this team scary. Kris Bryant’s arrival the first week in May will be a sight to see. Bold prediction: This is a playoff team.

4. Reds

The Reds are getting no respect. They have the best righty in baseball, a former MVP coming back from injury, and a third baseman who, I believe, is ready to be a superstar. The Reds don’t have the depth to stay competitive for the entire season, but they will be a factor in a very competitive NL Central.

5. Brewers

The Brewers were in first place for much of last season and came away with nothing. Now, the jig is up. This team is not nearly as talented as they pretended to be, and Jonathan Lucroy is not enough of a superstar to carry this team by himself. This team is going to sink like a stone, and will serve as the punching bag for the far more talented competition in the NL Central.

Check back tomorrow for the breakdown of the AL and NL West!

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June 5th: Guess Who the White Sox are Playing?

Jose Quintana's defense couldn't play any better
than their broadcasters could call the game.

I know it’s a rough day at the gym when I’m so desperate for something to watch on TV that I actually turn to a White Sox game. This was the predicament I was in yesterday. To make matters worse, it wasn’t even a real White Sox game; it was a replay of a game played the day before.

It was the last 10 minutes on the elliptical, though, and I needed to keep my mind off of the burning in my legs, so I stuck with it. The Dodgers were having a big inning (I knew that before it happened, because I had seen the highlights that morning). Over the course of the ten batter inning, the White Sox committed four defensive blunders resulting in a 5 run rally by LA. Jose Quintana, the starter for the White Sox, just couldn’t catch a break.

As it turned out, neither could I. It dawned on me that, for the entirety of the 15 minutes I watched the game, the announcing team hadn’t once mentioned that there was another team on the field. The coverage was 80% discussing (or should I say lamenting) the play of the White Sox, and 20% telling me what was actually happening on the field. Of course, not that the Dodgers had just recorded a hit: the White Sox had let up the hit. If this had been a radio broadcast, I would have had no idea who the opponents were; they were never mentioned by name or by likeness.

As a baseball fan living outside of his home market, I saw a lot of baseball last year, some nationally televised, others on local broadcasts that I was able to find on MLB.com. Having heard plenty of announcing crews and their style of describing baseball, Ken “Hawk” Harrelson and Steve Stone must have been the worst I’ve ever experienced.

I know everything I say about the White Sox needs to be said with the caveat: I hate the Sox. I’m a true Cubs fan who can’t stand what they Sox stand for. But as a fan of the game of baseball, I’m objective enough to say things like “Jose Abreu is a monster,” and “Paul Konerko is a class act,” and “Chris Sale can flat out pitch.” In the same breath: The Sox TV crew suck.

Gordon Beckham's defensive struggles made for an LA
big inning. Not that you would have known it was LA...

I understand that Hawk is one of the most iconic announcers in the game. We’ve all come to know, if not love, his phrases, like “He gone,” for a strikeout, or a hearty “YOU CAN PUT IT ON THE BOARD!!! YES!!!” for a dinger. But being so narrow-minded that you don’t even acknowledge the other team on the field is a real disappointment for any fan trying to really take in a ballgame.

For any game, you want to hear a little bit about the other team. Who are their stars? How are they doing this year? What style do they play? This is even more magnified in the case of inter-league play. Sox fans don’t often get to see an NL West foe. None of that happened, though, as Hawk and Steve spent their entire air-time talking about their own team.

Good broadcasting is telling a story. A baseball story is not complete with only one side of the game, and while their paychecks are coming from the White Sox, they aren’t paid on commision for the number of times they mention the team name.

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.