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MLB Playoff predictions from the guy who said the Red Sox would win the World Series

Anthony Stalter — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 16:32:58 +0000

My 2011 MLB season predictions were a little off this year.

I said the A’s would win the AL West and they actually finished 22 games out of first.

I said the White Sox would win the AL Central and they just traded their manager to another team, which sums up how well they did this year.

I said the Giants would repeat as National League champions and in doing so I cursed Buster Posey, Pablo Sandoval, Freddy Sanchez and the 900 other players they placed on the DL this season.

I had the Braves winning the NL Wild Card and we all know how that turned out. Yiiiiiikes.

While I did have the Phillies winning the NL East and the Yankees making the postseason as the AL Wild Card, those were gimmies. My only claim to fame was predicting the Brewers to win the NL Central, although when you have the Red Sox winning the World Series and they don’t even make the postseason you have no right to brag about anything.

So if you’re offended by my postseason predictions below, don’t be. Chances are I’ll be wrong anyway.

ALDS: Yankees over Tigers.
I don’t trust the Yankees’ pitching but I trust it more than I trust Doug Fister. Justin Verlander was the best pitcher in the American League this season but he’s had a knack for coming up short on the road throughout the years. Knowing the Yankees they’ll be down in every game of this series and figure out some way to advance. Derek Jeter will be 16-for-18 with 11 doubles and one game-winning home run or something ridiculous.

NLDS: Phillies over Cardinals.
The Phillies did the Cardinals a favor by beating Atlanta but if I were them, I would have wanted the downtrodden Braves to advance. That team would have just been happy to reach the postseason after a miserable September. Nevertheless, the Phillies’ pitching will dominate the hot-and-cold St. Louis lineup and the Cardinals’ pitching will fail them in Philadelphia. They’ve got Edwin Jackson slated to start Game 2 in that bandbox the Phillies’ call a stadium, which should work out well considering he’s a fly ball pitcher. (Read: sarcasm.)

ALDS: Rangers over Rays
I love the Rays and I would rather see a small market team like them reach the postseason in dramatic fashion than an underachieving Boston club. But Texas’ starting rotation is deep and was the first AL team since 1977 to have five pitchers with 13 or more victories. That’s an amazing stat when you consider Cliff Lee is no longer a part of the rotation. On the other side, the Rays will throw two rookies (Jeremy Hellickson and Michael Moore) and a guy in David Price who always seems to come up short in big games. I don’t like this matchup for the feel-good Rays, although Joe Maddon deserves to be the AL Manager of the Year with the work he did in Tampa this season. The guy has done great things despite being handcuffed by a cheap front office.

NLDS: Diamondbacks over Brewers
I get the impression that everyone believes the D-Backs are just happy to be here. But let me tell you something: This team does all the little things right. They pitch well, they steal bases, they play good defense and they get just enough offense to win ballgames. The Brewers have more overall talent but I like the NL West to reach the NLCS again this year.

ALCS: Rangers over Yankees
Again, I just don’t trust New York’s rotation. The Yankees relied on Sabathia and a three-man rotation en route to their last World Series title in 2009 but CC is running out of gas this time around. I know Ivan Nova and Freddy Garcia have good numbers but toss in A.J. Burnett and this rotation seems awfully combustible to me. Without Lee, I thought Texas wouldn’t even make the playoffs. But I’ve seen the error of my ways and like the Rangers to repeat in the American League.

NLCS: Phillies over Diamondbacks
While I do like Arizona’s chances of advancing past the first round I don’t think we’ll see a repeat of last season when Philadelphia’s bats fall silent in the NLCS. The Diamondbacks’ pitching is good but the Giants’ arms were special last October. Plus, I don’t see how the Phils don’t make the World Series with the rotation they have. It’s just too good. Bonus for Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee: No Cody Ross this year.

World Series: Phillies over Rangers
Yeah, I’m picking the favorite: what of it? Pitching, pitching, pitching…both of these teams have the starting rotation s to reach the Fall Classic and in the end, I see Texas coming up short again. I really like what the Phillies did at the trade deadline in acquiring Hunter Pence. To think Giants’ GM Brian Sabean gave away one of the best pitching prospects in baseball for a 34-year-old rental in Carlos Beltran when he maybe could have had a 28-year-old Pence for much less is just absurd. (Not to mention a 28-year-old Pence who is under team control.) Phils in six.

D-Backs’ Edwin Jackson pitches MLB’s fourth no-no of the year because, you know, they’re easy to do now

Anthony Stalter — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 12:39:17 +0000

The year of the pitcher continues.

Edwin Jackson became the fourth pitcher this season to throw a no-hitter, after he blanking the Rays 1-0 on Friday night. He walked seven of the first 13 batters he faced and threw a career-high 149 pitches, yet still managed to stay in the game in order to make history in the end. Perhaps what’s most amazing about his feat is that he did it against a very good hitting offense in Tampa.

Just what in the name of David Cone is going on here? It used to be that we would see one or two no-hitters a season, but we’ve already been privy to four this year alone. It’s not even July; we haven’t even reached the All-Star break yet.

Not since the 1991 season has baseball seen four pitchers throw no-hitters in a single year. The Rangers’ Nolan Ryan, the Phillies’ Tommy Greene, the Expos’ Dennis Martinez, the White Sox’s Wilson Alvarez and the Royals’ Bret Saberhagen all threw no-no’s in ’91, while members of the Orioles and Braves each threw combined no-hitters that year as well.

Considering there have already been four thrown this season, we could be looking at a potential record-breaking year for no-hitters. It’s almost like fans are expecting them every month now. I saw that Jackson threw his last night and the first thing that crossed my mind was, “Yeah, that’s about right.”

Not to pile it on, but had Jim Joyce not blown Armando Galarraga’s perfect game in Detroit a couple weeks ago, this year would have already matched 1991’s output. That’s incredible.

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2010 MLB Preview: NL West

Anthony Stalter — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 01:00:54 +0000

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.

Last up is the NL West.

1. Colorado Rockies (7)
Before I wax poetically about the youthful Rockies, I have an axe to grind about the television broadcasting crew of Drew Goodman, Jeff Huson and George Frazier. Those three form one of the most biased, nonobjective broadcasting teams in baseball history. I’m not kidding. The Rockies never get the same calls as their opponents do. The Rockies never get the national recognition like everyone else does. The Rockies are the greatest team to ever walk the planet and if they played a roster compiled of Jesus, Moses, God and the 12 apostles, Colorado should win 5-4 in extras nine times out of 10. If not, the Rockies beat themselves, because there’s no way Jesus and the gang were better. Don’t believe me? Just ask Goodman, Huson and Frazier. All right, now that that’s out of the way – the Rockies are a damn fine club and should leapfrog the Dodgers in the division this year. Their core – Troy Tulowitzki, Ian Stewart, Chris Iannetta, Dexter Fowler and Carlos Gonzalez – are all 27 years old or younger and that doesn’t include 26-year-old stud Ubaldo Jimenez, who is absolutely filthy when he’s on. Throw in key veterans like Todd Helton (a perennial .300 hitter) and Jeff Francis (who could win 15-plus games filling in for the departed Jason Marquis), and Colorado has the tools to make a deep run. The question is whether or not starters Francis and Jorge De La Rosa will keep their ERAs below 5.00 and the young offensive players can move forward in their development and not backwards. But outside of the ultra-annoying broadcast team, I love the Rockies from top to bottom this year and believe they can do some damage in 2010.

2. Los Angles Dodgers (12)
Dodger fans are probably thinking to themselves, “Hey clown face – nothing has changed. This is the same team that won 95 games last year, so what’s with this second place nonsense?” And they would be right to think that – I do have a clown face. But whether fans want to admit it or not, owner Frank McCourt’s divorce from wife and former CEO Jamie McCourt will have an affect on their club this season. In fact, it already has seeing as how the Dodgers’ spending was limited this winter. Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier, Clayton Kershaw, Chad Billingsley, Manny Ramirez and Casey Blake should keep L.A. competitive throughout the season and there’s likely to be a knock down, drag out fight between them and the Rockies for first place. But what happens when Kershaw, Billingsley, Vicente Padilla, Hiroki Kuroda and James McDonald start making trips to the DL? Ownership certainly isn’t going to spend money on replacements, so experienced players may have to step up and that usually spells trouble. Plus, if guys like Rafael Furcal, James Loney and Russell Martin don’t rekindle the magic they had earlier in their careers, Kemp, Ethier and Blake may find it harder to keep the club afloat by themselves. Don’t forget that Manny only hit .255 after taking a pitch off the wrist in late July last year, so his best days are likely behind him as well. Do the Dodgers boast the same roster as the one that was so successful last year? Yes, but the power has seemingly shifted in the division.

3. San Francisco Giants (15)
Watching the Giants on a nightly basis is like watching a unicorn, in all its mythical wonderment and greatness, frolic around an empty field for three hours, only to be intermittently beaten by some idiot caveman with a club. Only, the ironic thing is that the caveman doesn’t really know how to use the club, so he just flails at the unicorn for three hours until both of them tire out and collapse. San Fran’s pitching staff, in all its mythical wonderment and greatness, is outstanding, but its offense continues to be a cross between a used baby diaper and hot garbage. Reigning two-time Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum is the best pitcher in baseball and 25-year-old Matt Cain is a Cy Young-contender in the making. When his heads on right, Jonathan Sanchez can be equally frustrating to hitters and his ’09 second half (which included a no-hitter) suggests that he has a bright future. Barry Zito will never live up to his contract, but he was productive and reliable for the first time in a Giants’ uniform last year and fifth starter Todd Wellemeyer had a great spring. The problem is that GM Brian Sabean hasn’t a clue when it comes to positional talent. With exception of the fun-loving star-in-the-making Pablo Sandoval and future prospect Buster Posey, the Giants don’t have any hitters that will keep opposing pitchers up at night. The offseason additions of Mark DeRosa and Aubrey Huff, as well as the re-signings of Freddy Sanchez and Juan Uribe should help, but all four of those players are complementary pieces on a good team. On the Giants, they’ll all be counted on as key contributors, which is a problem. This club won 88 games last year – more than any team that didn’t make the postseason. Their starting pitching, Sandoval and their bullpen are rock solid, but if the G-Men hope to make the playoffs this year, then guys like Aaron Rowand, Bengie Molina, Edgar Renteria and Nate Schierholtz (who will finally have the opportunity to play full time) have to step up in a big way. We’ll see if Sabean did enough this offseason to give the Giants a shot.

4. Arizona Diamondbacks (19)
In Brandon Webb and Dan Haren, the D-Backs have an outstanding 1-2 punch at the top of their rotation but the problem is that Webb isn’t healthy. He hopes that his shoulder injury will heal soon and is targeting a late April return, but that might be a little optimistic. Edwin Jackson was a nice offseason pickup, but ‘Zona has to hope that he’ll pitch closer to his first half production of last year (2.52 ERA) and not his second half (5.02). If Webb returns quickly and Jackson pitches well, then the D-Backs have enough pitching to challenge anyone. But there’s a ton of question marks surrounding the rotation (outside of Haren obviously) entering the season. Offensively, youngsters Justin Upton and Mark Reynolds will supply plenty power, while the return of Conor Jackson and newly acquired Adam LaRoche should boost the offense as well. But the key might be outfielder Chris Young, who had a great September after being demoted to the minors earlier in the season to fix his swing. If his September production wasn’t an anomaly, then Arizona certainly has enough offense to compete for the Wild Card. I just don’t trust the pitching and for as good as the offense could be, the D-Backs have several hitters that struggle to get on base on a consistent basis. If Webb were healthy, I could envision this club finishing higher than this. But I don’t think they’ll get out of the gates strong and it could sink their season.

5. San Diego Padres (24)
For a team that was forced to cut costs, the Padres finished a respectable 75-87 last season. Adrian Gonzalez, Kyle Blanks, Chase Headley and Everth Cabrera comprise and solid offensive core, but the problem is that their starting pitching is beyond suspect after the club traded Jake Peavy to the White Sox last year. Mat Latos may soon assume the No. 1 role, but he his little big league experience and there’s just not an ace among Jon Garland, Kevin Correia and Clayton Richard. Those three can certainly eat innings, but none of them are the top of the rotation arm that the Padres need to replace Peavy. The bottom line is that the Pads could surprise this season, but if Gonzo is traded at the deadline like many expect, then San Diego will sink to the bottom of the NL West. And even if he isn’t dealt, the Padres might still fail to get out of the West basement due to their starting pitching (or lack their of).

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2010 Fantasy Baseball Preview: Starting Pitchers

Anthony Stalter — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 01:20:25 +0000

All 2010 Fantasy Articles | 2010 Position Rankings

Sometimes it’s difficult to evaluate what kind of production a player will have when he changes teams over the offseason. This is especially true when it comes to starting pitching, because not only can an unfamiliar ballpark play a role in how a starter fairs, but also what kind of offensive production he can expect from his new lineup and whether or not he’ll have a good spot in the rotation.

Below are eight starting pitchers that either changed teams at the tale end of the 2009 season or will be playing for a completely different club in 2010. We’ve outlined some factors that the pitchers will be facing in their new situation and try to project how they’ll fair in 2010. Some players (like Roy Halladay for example) can be counted on to be great no matter what team they wind up on. But what about guys like Jake Peavy (who will now have to pitch in the AL for a full season for the first time in his career) or Max Scherzer (a strikeout pitcher that is moving to a tougher AL after playing the past couple seasons in Arizona)?

Let’s take a look.

Roy Halladay, Phillies
You’re going to draft Halladay for the same reasons the Phillies parted with multiple players (including Cliff Lee and a couple of key prospects) in order to acquire him from the Blue Jays last winter: he’s outstanding. Halladay finished with 47 complete games last season and 14 shutouts, while also ranking 11th in innings pitched. Now that he’s playing in the NL on a team with a potent offense, he should have no problem winning 17-plus games and notching another 200 strikeouts. The only knock against Halladay’s new home is that the Phillies play in a hitter-friendly ballpark. But we’re thinking the veteran pitcher will adjust fine to his new digs.

Cliff Lee, Mariners
Lee felt he was shafted when the Phillies unloaded him in order to acquire Halladay last winter, but he should love his new surroundings. He’s walked fewer than two batters per nine innings in each of the past two seasons and will now have the luxury of having a solid defensive outfield at his back. He’s used to pitching in the AL from his days in Cleveland, so the league change won’t hurt him one bit. Lee is a top-notch fantasy starter.

Javier Vazquez, Yankees
The last time Vazquez was in pinstripes he finished with a 4.91 ERA and a horrendous showing in Game 7 of the ALCS against the Red Sox in 2004. But Vazquez has been solid since then and is coming off a year in which he racked up 15 wins, 238 strikeouts, a 2.87 ERA and a 1.03 WHIP. Don’t overvalue him on draft day because pitching in Yankee Stadium will surely cause his ERA to travel north of 3.00, but don’t undervalue him because he’s pitched well over the past couple years and will get plenty of offensive help from the Bombers’ stacked lineup.

John Lackey, Red Sox
There are two concerns about Lackey and one doesn’t really have anything to do with him moving to Boston. Over the last two seasons, arm issues have limited him early in the year and have prevented him from making 30 starts. But considering the Red Sox gave him a lucrative deal during the offseason, it appears that they aren’t concerned with his arm and neither should fantasy owners. Another potential concern is that he’s moving to a division where pitchers had a 4.83 ERA facing AL East clubs last year (compared to 4.22 against other teams), but Lackey remains a candidate to win 15-plus games this year and finish with an ERA around 3.60. He should also benefit from Boston’s solid offensive production and defense. (The addition of Mike Cameron boosts the club’s defense in the outfield.)

Jake Peavy, White Sox
Proceed with major caution. Not only has Peavy had injury issues over the past two seasons, but he’s also moving to the American League where hitters are tougher and to the homer-friendly U.S. Cellular Field will be a stark different from playing in the spacious Petco Park for so many years. We’re not suggesting that Peavy won’t be solid this season; on the contrary, we believe he’ll wind up right around 15 wins if he stays healthy. But don’t overvalue him on draft day – especially considering his ERA is likely to suffer a spike given his new surroundings.

Max Scherzer, Tigers
Scherzer still has plenty of upside and given his penchant for striking hitters out, he’ll be valuable to many owners on draft day. But there were some in the Diamondbacks’ organization that felt he would continue to be a pitcher that can’t work deep into games and would only be a five-inning starter. Moving to the AL doesn’t bode well for his fantasy production, but he could be a pitcher that is eventually worth the risk in the later rounds.

Edwin Jackson, Diamondbacks
Here’s the good news: Jackson had an outstanding first half last year, compiling a 2.52 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP. Here’s the bad: he fell apart in the second half of the season, racking up a 5.07 ERA and a 1.53 WHIP. Moving to the NL will certainly help his value (he’ll get to face the Giants and Padres’ weak offenses a couple times a year), but his overall production will likely fall right in between his first half success last year and his second half failures. You might be better off having some other owner draft him and then scooping him up later if he becomes available on the waiver wire.

Rich Harden, Rangers
Buyer Beware on Harden: just because you’ll likely get him in the later rounds and will love his strikeout numbers, doesn’t mean he’s necessarily a bargain. His home run rate doubled last year and with it came a spike in his ERA. His move to the American League doesn’t help much and neither does pitching in a homer-friendly Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. Harden certainly isn’t a bad third or fourth starter, but just be aware that he’s always an injury waiting to happen and with the move to Texas, he might be worth a pass.

Below is our official ranking of starting pitchers.

1. Tim Lincecum, SF
2. Roy Halladay, PHI
3. Felix Hernandez, SEA
4. Zach Greinke, KC
5. CC Sabathia, NYY
6. Dan Haren, ARI
7. Justin Verlander, DET
8. Cliff Lee, SEA
9. Jon Lester, BOS
10. Adam Wainwright, STL
11. Johan Santana, NYM
12. Chris Carpenter, STL
13. Yovani Gallardo, MIL
14. Matt Cain, SF
15. Josh Beckett, BOS
16. Javier Vazquez, NYY
17. Clayton Kershaw, LAD
18. Tommy Hanson, ATL
19. Josh Johnson, FLA
20. Ubaldo Jimenez, COL
21. John Lackey, BOS
22. Cole Hamels, PHI
23. Ricky Nolasco, FLA
24. Wandy Rodriguez, HOU
25. Chad Billingsley, LAD
26. Jake Peavy, CHW
27. Jair Jurrjens, ATL
28. Scott Baker, MIN
29. A.J. Burnett, NYY
30. Jered Weaver, LAA
31. Matt Garza, TB
32. John Danks, CHW
33. Roy Oswalt, HOU
34. Brandon Webb, ARI
35. Brett Anderson, OAK
36. Tim Hudson, ATL
37. David Price, TB
38. Max Scherzer, DET
39. Scott Kazmir, LAA
40. Edwin Jackson, ARI
41. J.A. Happ, PHI
42. Clay Buchholz, BOS
43. Rick Porcello, DET
44. Gavin Floyd, CHW
45. Jorge De La Rosa, COL
46. Ryan Dempster, CHC
47. Rich Harden, TEX
48. Mark Buehrle, CHW
49. Ervin Santana, LAA
50. Jonathan Sanchez, SF
51. Brian Matusz, BAL
52. Jeff Niemann, TB
53. Ted Lilly, CHC
54. James Shields, TB
55. Wade Davis, TB

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Yankees acquire Curtis Granderson in three-team deal

Anthony Stalter — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 20:36:18 +0000

According to Jon Morsoi of FOXSports.com, the Yankees have acquired outfielder Curtis Granderson from the Tigers as part of a three-team deal that also includes the Diamondbacks.

Here’s how the trade breaks down:

Yankees Get:
Curtis Granderson (Tigers)

Tigers Get:
Max Scherzer (Diamondbacks)
Daniel Schlereth (Diamondbacks)
Phil Coke (Yankees)
Austin Jackson (Yankees)

Diamondbacks Get:
Edwin Jackson (Tigers)
Ian Kennedy (Yankees)

The Yankees and Tigers did very well in this deal. The Bronx Bombers get a five-tool player in Granderson, who can play either center or left field depending on whether or not the club re-signs Johnny Damon this winter. Granderson struggles hitting lefties, but he’s only 28-years old and his potential is still very high.

The Tigers, meanwhile, get financial flexibility by trading Granderson and also hauled in a coup of young talent. Austin Jackson was highly regarded as the Yankees’ centerfielder of the future. He’s 22 and hit .300 with four home runs, nine triples, 23 doubles, 65 RBI and 24 stolen bases in 132 Triple-A games last year. If he continues to develop, he might turn out to be Detroit’s next Granderson.

Scherzer is a 25-year old, hard-throwing right-hander who can eat up innings and is a workhorse. Schlereth was Arizona’s 2008 first round pick and saw some game action late last season and Coke already has experience at the big league level himself.

Not to take anything away from the Edwin Jackson, but this seems like a lateral move for Arizona. Scherzer is just as talented as Jackson (if not more talented), so why part with him and Schlereth to complete this deal? They better hope Kennedy starts fulfilling some of his potential or this might look like a bad deal for the D-Backs in a couple years.

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MLB Daily Six Pack 4/8

Anthony Stalter — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 14:40:23 +0000

1. Nice start for Josh Beckett
This season hasn’t gone the way of the ace so far, with CC Sabathia, Cliff Lee, Justin Verlander and Tim Lincecum all struggling for their respective teams. But one No. 1 that didn’t struggle in his ’09 debut was Boston’s Josh Beckett, who fanned 10 in the BoSox’s 5-3 victory over the Rays on Tuesday. You hate to make claims that a pitcher is already in midseason form after only one outing, but Beckett’s two-hit, one-run effort against Tampa was impressive.

2. Speaking of Tim Lincecum…
Boy did he struggle yesterday for the Giants. But the good news for San Fran and the reining NL Cy Young winner is that his velocity wasn’t down, it just looked like he had a major case of the yips in his Opening Day debut. He looked too pumped up from the start and just never settled down. Fortunately, Aaron Rowand, Bengie Molina, Travis Ishikawa and the rest of the G-Men offense helped Lincecum out as SF romped the Brewers 10-6. Huh, what a concept – the Giants offense bailing out the pitching for once…who would have thought?

3. Dombrowski better be taking heat today in Detroit
In the offseason, Tigers’ GM Dave Dombrowski’s answer to solving the bullpen issues in Detroit was signing former Arizona closer Brandon Lyon instead of pursuing other avenues like J.J. Putz (who is now a setup man for the Mets). At least for one day, the decision backfired as Lyon blew Edwin Jackson’s (7.1, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 4 K) gem in Toronto by giving up three runs on three hits as the Jays knocked off the Tigers 5-4. Granted, Lyon has plenty of time to bounce back but if he doesn’t, the Tigers will be left with mental midget Fernando Rodney to close games, who didn’t necessarily earn the role this spring with a 7.00 ERA. Considering Joel Zumaya may never pitch again due to freak injuries and Nate Robertson (who Dombrowski just gave a 3-year, $21 million deal in January of ’08) is pissed about being taken out of the starting rotation, Dombrowski has quite a mess brewing in Detroit.

4. Speaking of Dave Dombrowski mistakes…
On October 29 of 2007, Dombrowski traded outfielder Gorkys Hernandez and pitcher Jair Jurrjens to the Braves in exchange for shortstop Edgar Renteria. Long story short, Renteria started for the Giants in San Francisco on Tuesday following one horrible season in Detroit, while Jurrjens shut down the Phillies in Philadelphia by allowing four hits and no runs in 5.2 innings of work. Jurrjens looks like one of the better young arms in baseball and it looks like people better keep an eye on Atlanta this year in the NL East.

5. Speaking of the Phillies…
I absolutely love the panic surrounding the defending champs already. They’re 0-2 and have scored just one run in two games, which of course has led to ESPN and every other media outlet to ask, “What’s wrong with the Phillies?” Let’s relax a little, shall we? No, this isn’t a good start for the World Series champs, but there’s still 160 games left in the season. Maybe these first two games are an indication of things to come, or maybe this is just a slow start and we should let the season roll on little before everyone hits the panic button.

6. Who the hell is Emilio Bonifacio?
If you’re a baseball fan, how do you not like the Marlins? Every year this team rolls out new young talent and this year looks no different. In November of last year, Florida traded pitcher Scott Olsen and outfielder Josh Willingham to the Nationals in exchange for Jake Smolinski, P.J. Dean and a young infielder named Emilio Bonifacio. In his first two games of the season, Bonifacio hit an inside the park home run and is 6 for 11 with three steals, four runs scored and has driven in four. He still might drop off the face of the earth soon, but you gotta love this kid’s start – and the Marlins’, who have started off 2-0.

2009 MLB Preview: #12 Detroit Tigers

Anthony Stalter — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 16:00:32 +0000

Click Here to see Previews of all 30 MLB Teams

Offseason Movement: The Tigers didn’t make a ton of offseason moves, but they did add shortstop Adam Everett, catcher Gerald Laird, pitchers Edwin Jackson, Brandon Lyon and Juan Rincon.

Top Prospect: Rick Porcello, RHP
Porcello, who is widely considered one of the best pitching prospects in baseball, was selected with the 27th overall pick in the first round of the 2007 draft. He has a low-to-mid 90s fastball, a slider, changeup and a curve, but it’ll take time for that array of pitches to be mastered. Some believe that the 20-year old is ready now, but there are signs (mostly his K/IP ratio) that another year or two in the minors would do him good. Unless Jeremy Bonderman starts the season on the DL, Porcello will likely start in Double-A this season to gain more experience.

The Big Question: Can the pitching bounce back?
There’s no doubt that if the lineup stays healthy, the Tigers will score plenty of runs this season. But this club produced a 4.90 ERA last season, which was good for third worst in the AL and 27th overall. After amassing an 18-6 record in 2007, ace Justin Verlander sputtered to an 11-17 record and a 4.84 ERA. Verlander struggled mightily with his control (he walked 87 batters in 201 innings) and it’s unclear if he was battling arm/shoulder injuries or if he just had a bad year. Regardless, he’ll need to bounce back in a big way this season and lead a rotation that posts uncertainties in Jeremy Bonderman, Nate Robertson and Dontrelle Willis. The lone bright spot last year was Armando Galarraga, who led the club in wins with 13. But 2009 marks only his second full season in the big leagues.

Outlook: Two major factors will likely play into whether or not the Tigers bounce back after underachieving greatly in 2008. The first was discussed in the aforementioned “The Big Question” section; the Tigers need the starting five to rebound from a disastrous ’08 campaign and it all starts with ace Justin Verlander. The second factor is the overall health of the club, which was a major issue last season. Curtis Granderson, Jeremy Bonderman and Gary Sheffield all missed significant time last year and it sunk this team’s fortunes. The lineup is absolutely stacked from top to bottom and offers an excellent balance of speed, power and average. When healthy, Granderson, Placido Polanco, Magglio Ordonez, Miguel Cabrera, Carlos Guillen and Gary Sheffield comprise one of the best offenses in all of baseball. But again, is this club destined to stay healthy all season? Can the starting pitching produce like it did during the Tigs’ World Series run a couple years ago? The Tigers are definitely contenders and with the uncertainty surrounding the Indians, Twins and White Sox in the AL Central, Detroit could easily win the division. But they’re going to find out quickly if they’re a balanced club or if the offense will have to carry them throughout.

Projection: 2nd AL Central