I have been looking forward to baseball season from the time the Cubs got swept by the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Cubs first Spring Training Game is this Thursday and although I am filled with much anticipation for the Cubs season, there are many intriguing storylines I look forward to following throughout the year.
Same Faces, New Places
It is always fun look at the same players in different uniforms. This offseason has been fairly active and has made some teams and divisions much different.
1) I am most looking forward to watching the 2008 Detroit Tigers. Dontrolle Willis and Miguel Cabrera are key additions. I don't look for Willis to be a dominating pitcher, especially in the AL where the hitters are better, and he can't hit. He will add some depth to their staff that has been oft injured the past few years. To me, Dontrolle Willis was free for the Tigers, the key to that trade was Miguel Cabrera. I have always been a big fan of Cabrera and I seriously believe he has the ability to win the American League MVP maybe not this year but possibly in the next few years, especially with this lineup in which Pudge Rodriguez could be hitting 8th or 9th! Oh yeah they improved at shortstop where they added another former Marlin Edgar Renteria.
2) The second best pitcher in the game has been traded to the National League. Johan Santana, who most refer to as the best pitcher in the game will undoubtedly change the National League and the Mets. To me, Josh Beckett is the best pitcher in the game right now. Santana had a down year by his standards last year (15-13, 3.33 ERA, 219 IP) and I look for him to improve on those numbers this year being in the NL and with the Mets. However, I don't think this move is as huge as everyone says. Santana's innings I think will be right around 200 this year because there will be games when he must be replaced in a game for a pinch hitter. The move will certainly improve the Mets and put the NL East winner at around 93-94 wins. I look for Santana to put together a season of around 19-7, 3.01 ERA and roughly 200 IP. He will get a few wins with poor performances simply because the Mets will score some runs and they have the Cabrera/Willis-less Marlins and the Nationals in their division.
3) Fukudome could be a great addition for the Cubs. Or he could turn out like the rest of the Cubs additions. I think he will have a good year after a slow start adjusting to the MLB. It makes the Cubs lineup more of a threat and adds some speed. It sounds like Pinella will use him in the third spot followed by Derek Lee and Aramis Ramirez. Pinella wants to add some speed to the top of the lineup with Soriano, Theriot and Fukudome followed with the power of Lee, Ramirez and rookie catcher Geovany Soto. I still would like to see Lee in the third spot, he is the best pure hitter the Cubs have and his power numbers were down last year. It will interesting to see it play out.
Players to Look For:
John Maine (SP NYM): With the addition of Santana and the health of Pedro Martinez, Maine will no longer be opposed with front-line starters and will have a chance for more victories. Maine still managed 15 wins last year couple with 10 losses and a 3.91 ERA. I look for him to add a few wins and subtract a couple losses with the Santana trade and lower his ERA just a titch. Maine is a young solid pitcher and will be overshadowed by Santana most of the year which could be an advantage for him. I look for statistics around 17-8 with a 3.75 ERA.
Hanley Ramirez (SS FLA): Ramirez will lose some protection and runs with the loss of Cabrera but Ramirez who came to FLA in the Josh Beckett trade is one of the best young players in the MLB. Ramirez is another guy I look for to potentially win an MVP if placed on a good team. His statistics last year (.332 BA, 29 HR, 81 RBI, 51 SB) from the leadoff spot were very solid. The Marlins are considering moving him to the three hole which I think could hurt his BA and SB but improve his HR and RBI. I look for him to have about the same statistics if left in the leadoff spot with fewer RBI's. His teammate Cameron Maybin could be a candidate for NL Rookie of the Year along with Cubs catcher Geovany Soto.
Chad Qualls (RP ARI): Traded from the Astros to the D-Backs for Jose Valverde, Qualls is one of the best set-up men in the league. Put on a good team in the Diamondbacks he will have an opportunity to record the oh-so valuable hold quite often. The Diamondbacks were smart in realizing how overrated the save statistic is and just rewarded themselves with an 8th inning shut-down man. He had a 3.04 ERA with 84 K's last year in just about 85 innings pitched last year. He could post an ERA below 3, very good for a set-up man, and compete for the prestigous Rolaid's Relief Award.
I'll include my predictions for the season as Opening Day comes closer.
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What's the deal with the Detroit Tigers acting like a big market team? They keep throwing money at players every year. I think they might be losing sight of how they did it a couple years ago. Cabrera is a good, young talent. However, a fat Miguel is less than spectacular. Willis hasn't been the pitcher that he was a couple years ago, but he'll be good.
You just had to put Chad Qualls in there, didn't you. Houston has had some of the best relief pitchers in the game over the past five years - Brad Wagner, Brad Lidge, Octavio Dotel, Chad Qualls and lesser so, Ricky Stone, Dan Micelli, Mike Gallo, Dan Wheeler. Now who do they have to close? Or get them to the closer? For pitchers, they basically only have Oswalt, and don't have any prospects.
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