Despite going the distance and throwing only 95 pitches, Cliff Lee took the loss in his Rangers’ debut on Saturday, dropping a 6-1 decision to the Orioles. Nick Markakis, Cesar Izturis and Adam Jones all took him deep in his first experience playing in Arlington.

From SI.com:

” It was an electric atmosphere. They got a lead early and never lost it. That kind of kills that a little bit,” Lee said. ” They came out swinging. You have to tip your hat to them for their approach.”

Lee, the 2008 AL Cy Young winner the Rangers got from Seattle in a six-player deal Friday, still threw his AL-best sixth complete game.

” It was just one of those weird games, every swing they took turned into a run somehow,” said Ian Kinsler , the Rangers’ All-Star second baseman.

” Cliff showed exactly what he’s capable of doing,” Michael Young said. ” He had to be tired from all the travel and all that’s been going on for the last couple of days, but he showed exactly what he’s capable of giving us. … We’re all excited about what we have.”

If this game were in Seattle, I highly doubt Lee would have given up six runs, but them are the breaks pitching in Texas. While the score suggests otherwise, he was highly efficient, striking out two and walking none. The complete game was his fourth in his last five starts.

Depending on how manager Ron Washington sets his rotation after the All-Star break, Lee will face either the Red Sox or Tigers in his next outing.

In order to help get you ready for the MLB season, we’re doing division-by-division rankings with quick overviews on how each club could fair in 2010. Next to each team, you’ll also find a corresponding number written in parenthesis, which indicates where we believe that club falls in a league-wide power ranking. Be sure to check back throughout the next two weeks leading up to the season, as we will be updating our content daily. Enjoy.

All 2010 MLB Preview Content | AL East Preview | AL Central Preview | AL West Preview | NL East | NL Central | NL West

First up is the AL East.

1. New York Yankees (1)
If you think I would get cute in these rankings and suggest that some upstart team would derail the Yankees this season, then you sir, are sadly mistaken. I just don’t have the conjones to bet against them, especially after they added Curtis Granderson, Javier Vazquez and Nick Johnson to their already stacked roster. Sure they lost World Series MVP Hideki Matsui and Johnny Damon, the latter of which loved to work the count and provided the Yanks with some pop over the last couple of seasons. But thanks to Granderson, Johnson, Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Mark Texeira, Robinson Cano and Jorge Posada, the lineup is still stacked from top to bottom. Vazquez, CC Sabathia, AJ Burnett and Mariano Rivera will once again highlight a strong pitching staff and assuming they don’t suffer any major injuries, there’s nothing to suggest that the Bombers won’t make another championship run. That said, let’s not be oblivious to the potential problems that could arise for the Yanks this season. Age is a factor, as is the fact that Granderson can’t hit lefties and will be under the spotlight as the club’s biggest offseason acquisition. Plus, for as good as Vazquez was over the past couple of years, he was a disaster the last time he wore pinstripes (Boston fans remember this well.) Should the Yankees win another World Series? Yeah – especially considering they have the best-purchased roster in baseball. But just like last year, they still have to prove it between the lines and they’re not immune to hurdles getting in their way.

2. Boston Red Sox (3)
Based on the moves they made this offseason, you either love the Red Sox’s chances this year or you’re willing to write them off like your favorite tax exemption. The club acquired ace John Lackey, outfielder Mike Cameron and infielders Marco Scutaro and Adrian Beltre last winter. Every player will be counted on to contribute this season, but they all come with question marks as well. When healthy, Lackey is virtually guaranteed to win 15-plus games and pitch over 200 innings. But he has to stay healthy. Cameron is a huge upgrade over Jason Bay in the outfield, but he won’t fill Bay’s shoes offensively. Scutaro is coming off a career year but the law of averages suggest that he’ll take a step back in 2010 and there’s no telling what Boston will get out of Beltre after he only appeared in 111 games last season due to an injury. Plus, will Big Papi carry over his production from June to September last year or will he struggle as he did at the start of 2009? That said, the BoSox are still stacked. Along with Lackey, Josh Beckett, Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz give Boston the best pitching staff in the division and their bullpen is solid as well. Ortiz, Beltre, Cameron, Jacoby Ellsbury, J.D. Drew, Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis and Victor Martinez comprise an offense that should help Boston win over 95 games this season and compete for a postseason berth. Their defense has also improved dramatically with the addition of Cameron and Ellsbury’s move from center to left. Do they have unanswered questions? Of course – all clubs do at this time of year. Will they overcome the Yankees? Maybe. Will they compete? Most definitely.

3. Tampa Bay Rays (7)
The Rays stumbled out of the gates last year, although they fought through injuries in order to finish with a respectable 84-78 record. But they didn’t make any moves this offseason, so it’s hard to figure out whether or not they’re going to compete for a postseason berth or finish with roughly the same record as they did in 2009. If BJ Upton stays healthy for an entire season and rebounds, then the Rays have more than enough offense in him, Carl Crawford, Evan Longoria, Carlos Pena and Ben Zobrist to compete. And if a No. 1 emerges out of David Price, Matt Garza, Jeff Niemann or James Shields, then the Rays will compete. If, if, if, if. I want to believe that the Rays are the perfect team to unseat the Yankees and Red Sox (two teams that have had more than enough time at the top) in the division. But there’s no question that they’ll have to overachieve again like they did in 2008 in order to make the postseason. They have the talent, but they need an ace to emerge, Upton to be productive again and for Crawford (whose contract is up at the end of the year) to stay happy or else they’re destined for another third place finish.

4. Baltimore Orioles (22)
The O’s have several pieces that will get your heat pumping just like the time you stole that car and led the police on a two-hour joy ride down the interstate. Wait…what? Nick Markakis is already a fine ballplayer, Adam Jones showed his vast potential last year before getting hurt and Matt Wieters is already being described as the next Joe Mauer (only with more power). The club also improved in a couple of areas over the offseason, namely at third base with the acquisition of Miguel Tejada, at first base with Garrett Atkins and in their starting rotation with Kevin Millwood. But it’s hard to measure how good this club will be when they play in the AL East and their pitching still has the potential to be down right hideous again. It says a lot about a team’s starting staff when the team leader in ERA finished with a 5.04 mark (Jeremy Gutherie). Maybe Chris Tillman, Brian Matusz and Jake Arrieta will surprise and overachieve this season, but chances are Baltimore will top out around 75-80 wins in 2010. They should be improved, but again, their division will keep them from competing for a postseason berth again this year.

5. Toronto Blue Jays (27)
Mom always said that if you don’t have anything nice to say then you shouldn’t say anything at all. But mom doesn’t have to complete this preview now does she? The Blue Jays traded away ace Roy Halladay in the offseason and while they may benefit from the deal down the road, they don’t have anyone to pick up the slack in 2010. They also lost one of their top offensive pieces from last year in Marco Scutaro and replaced him with Alex Gonzalez. That’s great news if you’re into defensive wizards that can’t hit over .250 on a consistent basis. The club does have a couple of nice/promising/okay/whatever pieces Vernon Wells, Ricky Romero, Brandon Marrow, Aaron Hill and Travis Snider, but the bottom line is that the Jays are in rebuilding mode and will wind up collecting dust all season in the basement of the AL East. They’re going to be horrible and there’s very little to like about their chances to succeed in 2010. Sorry, Mom.

Photo from fOTOGLIF
]]> http://www.scoresreport.com/2010/03/22/2010-mlb-preview-al-east/feed/ 1 http://www.scoresreport.com/2010/03/09/2010-fantasy-baseball-preview-outfielders/ http://www.scoresreport.com/2010/03/09/2010-fantasy-baseball-preview-outfielders/#comments Tue, 09 Mar 2010 13:00:29 +0000 Anthony Stalter http://www.scoresreport.com/?p=35916

All 2010 Fantasy Articles | 2010 Position Rankings

What’s great about the outfield position in fantasy baseball is that it’s like Wal Mart: you can get whatever you need and you’ll always be greeted with a friendly smile and a hello.

All right, so you won’t be greeted with a smile when you select outfielders in your draft. In fact, that doesn’t even make any sense so just forget we wrote it. The point we’re trying to make is that whatever you wind up needing for your team on draft day, you can usually find it in the outfield section. Need speed? The outfield has you covered. Need power? It has that too.

Below are a group of players that fit into certain categories based on need. You know that a guy like Ryan Braun is going to get you production across the board, same with Matt Kemp, Matt Holliday, Grady Sizemore and Carl Crawford. But the guys we’ve outlined below are players you can target in the middle to late rounds that will give you a boost in certain areas. You’re not going to get production in every category if you draft these players, but hopefully you’ll be satisfied in the specific categories we’ve highlighted.

Power Boosters:

Adam Lind, Blue Jays
Perhaps the most encouraging thing for fantasy owners about Lind’s breakout 2009 campaign, was that he was consistent throughout the entire season and hit right-handed pitching as well as he hit lefties. After hitting 35 home runs and driving in 114 RBI last season, we think Lind will be more apt to match those numbers (or even improve on them) this season than he will be to crash and burn.

Nick Markakis, Orioles
Even though he battled some major slumps last season, Markakis still wound up with decent numbers while hitting .293 with 18 home runs, 101 RBI and scoring 94 runs. At 26, there’s a good chance that he’ll finish right around his 2009 totals, which certainly isn’t a bad thing but if you’re expecting more out of the right fielder then you should probably lower your expectations.

Andre Ethier, Dodgers
Ethier changed his approach at the plate last year and it worked wonders for him in terms of production. He concentrated on hitting more line drives into the gap and his power numbers rose. We like him to hit roughly the same amount of home runs (31) as he did last year, but with a higher average (he hit .272 in 2009) and more runs scored (92).

Josh Hamilton, Rangers
Let’s not sugarcoat things: Hamilton is coming off a tough year and we’re pretty sure he’s made out of chandelier glass. But he’s also only 28 and is two years removed from hitting 32 home runs and driving in 130 RBI. Do we think he’ll match his 2008 numbers this year? No. But he should at the very least hit 20-plus home runs and drive in 80-plus RBI.

Adam Dunn, Nationals
Ah, Adam Dunn. How we love your 40-home run production and 100-plus RBIs, but absolutely loathe your batting average. You bring fantasy owners so much joy and yet so much grief every single year.

Adam Jones, Orioles
We love this kid and his potential, although it would be nice if he would develop into more of a base stealer. (We think he has the potential, although he’ll probably finish right around 12-15 steals again this year.) Jones missed virtually all of September last season with a strained ankle, but he should be ready to go by the start of the season and considering he’s only 24, we see plenty of upside in the young Baltimore outfielder. If he can stay healthy, we like him to hit between 20-25 home runs and max out at around 85-90 runs and 75-80 RBI.

Nelson Cruz, Rangers
There seems to be a mixed reaction when it comes to projecting Cruz’s worth, but count us among those that are high on the Rangers’ outfielder. We like him to beat the 33-home runs, 76 RBIs and 75 runs he produced last year and as an added bonus, he’ll steal 15-20 bases as well.

Carlos Quentin, White Sox
Here’s the bad: Quentin spent a ton of time in the trainer’s room last year while batting foot and wrist injuries, limiting his overall production. But here’s the good: he still managed to slug 21 home runs when he played. If he can stay healthy, there’s no reason he can’t hit 30 dingers.

Speed Boosters:

Shin-Soo Choo, Indians
Bobby Abreu, Angels
Shane Victorino, Phillies
Andrew McCutchen, Pirates
Michael Bourn, Astros
Nyjer Morgan, Nationals
Rajai Davis, A’s
Julio Borbon, Rangers
Juan Pierre, White Sox
Dexter Fowler, Rockies
Drew Stubs, Reds
Michael Brantley, Indians

Speed kills and any one of the players listed above should be good for anywhere between 30 and 55 steals this season. So if you find yourself hurting in the speed department later in your draft, scooping up one of these players will add major value to your team. Just don’t expect much in the power department.

Below is our official ranking of outfielders. As we mentioned above, after you snag one of the top players to be your No. 1, there are plenty of players that can give you a boost in specific areas of production.

1. Ryan Bruan, MIL
2. Carl Crawford, TB
3. Matt Kemp, LAD
4. Matt Holliday, STL
5. Justin Upton, ARI
6. Jacoby Ellsbury, BOS
7. Grady Sizemore, CLE
8. Jayson Werth, PHI
9. Ichiro Suzuki, SEA
10. Jason Bay, BOS
11. Adam Lind, TOR
12. B.J. Upton, TB
13. Curtis Granderson, NYY
14. Nick Markakis, BAL
15. Andre Ethier, LAD
16. Josh Hamilton, TEX
17. Adam Dunn, WAS
18. Adam Jones BAL
19. Bobby Abreu, LAA
20. Shane Victorino, PHI
21. Carlos Lee, HOU
22. Manny Ramirez, LAD
23. Nelson Cruz, TEX
24. Shin-Soo Choo, CLE
25. Ben Zobrist, TB
26. Carlos Quentin, CHW
27. Hunter Pence, HOU
28. Andrew McCuthen, PIT
29. Nate McLouth, ATL
30. Torii Hunter, LAA
31. Nyjer Morgan, WAS
32. Raul Ibanez, PHI
33. Alfonso Soriano, CHC
34. Michael Bourn, HOU
35. Carlos Beltran, NYM
36. Jay Bruce, CIN
37. Denard Span, MIN
38. Jason Kubel, MIN
39. Johnny Damon, DET
40. Brad Hawpe, COL
41. Alex Rios, CHW
42. Michael Cuddyer, MIN
43. Garret Jones, PIT
44. Juan Pierre, CHW
45. Carlos Gonzalez, COL
46. Franklin Gutierrez, SEA
47. Dexter Fowler, COL
48. Rajai Davis, OAK
49. Ryan Ludwick, STL
50. Vernon Wells, TOR
51. Chris Coghlan, FLA
52. Julio Borbon, TEX
53. Nolan Reimold, BAL
54. Delmon Young, MIN
55. Lastings Milledge, PIT

Photo from fOTOGLIF

It’s getting down to pennant race times and there are some incredibly tight races and a lot of teams that are at least in contention. Here we’ll take a look at who we think the Top 5 teams are right now and who the Bottom 5 are as well.

Top 5

1. New York Yankees (73-43)—Not only did the Yankees sweep the rival Red Sox last weekend and make quite a statement, they’ve won 10 of 11 and are 22-6 (.786) since the all-star break. That is just scorching.

2. Los Angeles Angels (68-45)—You have to feel for the surging Rangers and even the Mariners, because neither one is going to catch this fundamentally sound team. If Mike Scioscia isn’t the best manager in baseball, he’s surely the most underrated.

3. St. Louis Cardinals (65-52)—The Cards grabbed Matt Holliday before anyone else could and he’s batting .493 with a slugging percentage of .813 in his first 75 at-bats with St. Louis. Pujols/Holliday has got to be the most fearsome 3-4 tandem in baseball.

4. Los Angeles Dodgers (69-47)—The Dodgers hung on without Manny for a few months, and then cooled off when he returned. They’ve lost 7 of 11 but still lead their division by 5 games and are 32-14 against NL West opponents.

5. Philadelphia Phillies (65-48)—Suddenly with Cliff Lee and Pedro Martinez, and Jimmy Rollins finally finding his stroke, the defending champs are poised to make another run deep into October and possibly November.

Bottom 5

1. Washington Nationals (41-75)—They recently won eight in a row but still trail the Phillies by 25.5 games and the fourth place Mets by 13.5. So yeah, they’re still the worst team in baseball.

2. Pittsburgh Pirates (46-69)—The Pirates actually looked half decent early in the season, but they did what they always do in July—made a whole bunch of trades and pretty much surrendered the season as well as the next three seasons, as they’ve lost 11 of their last 13 games.

3. Kansas City Royals (45-70)—Remember the Royals were 14-12 and everyone started talking about this team being decent for the first time in two-plus decades? We remember, but then they remembered that they were the Royals.

4. Baltimore Orioles (48-67)—This team has some great young players like Adam Jones and Matt Wieters and Nick Markakis, but playing in that division is almost unfair.

5. Cleveland Indians (49-66)—Once again, the Indians have disappointed and started selling off players. Cliff Lee, like CC Sabathia last year, is the reigning AL Cy Young winner, and the Tribe also dumped popular catcher Victor Martinez and infielder Ryan Garko. Next year sure has a familiar ring on Lake Erie.

Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports recently discovered FanGraphs, a great baseball website which uses complicated algorithms to determine attributes about players. Passan compiled 25 intriguing stats that the common fan would never realize unless they went to this site.

1) The best fastball in baseball is 88.4 mph.

And it belongs to Jarrod Washburn. He also throws a slider, cutter, curveball and changeup, but his average-velocity fastball is the dagger of the bunch. At 22.4 runs above average this year, it has been more effective than the fastest (Ubaldo Jimenez) and the slowest (Jamie Moyer). The most amazing part: Washburn’s fastball was actually 8.3 runs below average last year.

6) The best pitch in baseball is a changeup, and you’ll never guess who throws it.

Tim Lincecum came up heralded for his blazing fastball and hammer curveball, and neither is close to his best pitch. Lincecum’s changeup has been 27.5 runs above average this year, the highest total for any pitch and almost double the second-best change, Brian Tallet’s 14-runs-above special. It’s not like Lincecum piles up the runs above average by throwing the changeup egregiously. His 5.62 runs above per 100 changeups thrown is also the best for that pitch.

15) One person has three pitches that are among the five best in runs above average.

More evidence that Dan Haren is the business: He’s got the best splitter in baseball (7.2 runs above average), the fourth-best cutter (13.7 above average) and the fifth-best fastball (19.3 above average).

25) Six players in baseball do not have a weakness on a specific pitch.

As you know, Pujols isn’t one of them. Joe Mauer is an easy guess, and it would be correct. Same with Cabrera, who has the privilege of being the only player above average in all six categories – knuckleball included. Torii Hunter(notes) just makes it, one-one hundredth a run in the black on curveballs, and his center field peer Adam Jones(notes) joins him. The two National League representatives come from the Central Division. Cincinnati first baseman Joey Votto(notes) is a monster. The other is not. He hits .292. He slugs .386. He is the epitome of utility. The final player without a weakness: Skip Schumaker(notes).

If I’m a professional baseball player, I’m checking this site everyday, as it reports useable statistics scouts are even missing. The people they have contributing to the site are all very serious and spend days mapping out an athlete’s progression or regression in various areas. Be sure to check out Passan’s entire list as well as the FanGraphs page.

And what about that Dan Haren? These stats show that he has the stuff of a Cy Young-worthy pitcher. It should either be he or Lincecum who ends up with the award in the NL. While the Diamonbacks have no chance of making the playoffs, at least Haren can accomplish this feat on his own. As for Lincecum, his team is looking better by the day.

At only 24 years of age, Adam Jones is already one of the top riders in professional motocross. Interestingly enough, the Warrendale, PA, native didn’t get on a bike until he was 10 years old. Since then, however, it’s been all uphill. Jones spent seven years in the racing scene before an injury forced him to take a year off. He used that time to re-evaluate his perspective on racing. Realizing that he was taking the sport too seriously, he came back with the attitude of trying to have more fun. It was then that Jones decided to take his chances on the IFMA Freestyle Motocross Circuit.

Jones first garnered some attention at an IMFA X Games qualifier where he performed well enough to take the last position. This was to be the start of Jones’ success. Jones took a gold medal at the 2007 X Games and it remains the crowning achievement in his career. Adam’s dominance in 2007 was recognized as he was named the 2007 International Rider of the Year as well as the prestigious 2007 Transworld Motocross Rider of the Year. Since then, Jones has consistently finished in the top three positions at most of the competitions he enters.

Jones has been criticized in the past for sometimes giving a lackluster performance. Some days he might leave everyone in awe while others he simply leaves the fans wanting more. Nevertheless, when he’s on his game he is obviously one of the most creative riders out there. Jones’ repertoire includes great let-go stunts, big bar tricks, and excellent extension.

Adam’s sponsors are Fox Racing, DC Shoes, Smith Optics, Monster Energy Drink, OGIO, Maxxis, Pro Taper, Pro Circuit, Factory Connection. He rides a Yamaha YZ 250.

News and Commentary

Official website

Jones wins the Vans Invitational

GrindTV.com page

Jones in Vienna

Videos

X Games 13 Gold Medal Run

X Games 12 Best Trick Finals

Axe advertisement

ESPN previews four different events…

Skateboarding: “A confluence of factors makes this year’s Street competition one of the most fascinating to date. To begin with, there’s Ryan Sheckler. Arguably the most recognizable skater on earth, Sheckler comes to Los Angeles hot off a Dew Tour win, and the prototype for competition dominance. But a sagging economy has lured hardcore street skaters who normally focus on producing film segments to take a shot on the sport’s biggest stage. Can guys like Mike Mo Capaldi, Darrell Stanton and Nick Dompierre establish a new competition benchmark? And can any of them stop 15-year-old Chaz Ortiz from making the whole field look old?”

Moto X: “In an event known for big names, perhaps none is bigger than James Stewart. The 23-year-old motocross superstar is on pace to shatter the all-time record for Supercross wins, but first he’s making his first pit stop at X Games. James is known internationally not just for his dominance, but also his breaking down of racial barriers as the sport’s first African-American champion. The X Games gives Stewart the opportunity to test his newfound acceptance of his own fame with a whole new fan base.”

BMX: “Now that Dave Mirra has joined the Action Sports Retirement Tour (otherwise known as the Rally America Championship), it would seem he’s ready finally to cede the X Games BMX stage to other riders, except he’s still competing in both Park and Big Air and remains a gold-medal threat in both. He’s already the most decorated BMX rider in X Games history; will he pad his lead at XG15?”

Rally: “Travis Pastrana has won two of the three X Games Rally events, and his healthy lead in the 2009 Rally America Championship indicates he’s driving as well as ever. The flip side of Pastrana’s consistency is Ken Block, who’s considered the fastest driver in North America, but with a reputation for recklessness that has cost him wins in the past. In six Rally America championships this year, Block has won twice, finished second once and failed to finish three times. Whether or not he can finally break through for X Games gold after winning two bronzes and a silver in the past three might be the most fascinating question at XG15.”

ESPN also has coverage of the ever-elusive front flip, marketing guru Ken Block, 15-year-old skateboarder Chaz Ortiz, supercross star James Stewart and BMXer Van Homan.

You can watch a well-made trailer right here as well.

The Los Angeles Times has also run a series of stories detailing the this year’s events.

On risk, injury, and death…

On James Stewart’s debut…

On women’s skateboarding…

On Jake Brown’s aerial displays…

Lastly, I think James Stewart sums up the excitement of the events perfectly in this quote:

“The average person always thinks soccer, football and basketball players are the toughest athletes. But man, I think the guys that come to the X Games are probably some of the most gnarly and talented athletes in the world.”

You can catch the games all week on ESPN and ESPN2.