Kind of irrelevant, but the A's won't finish behind Seattle. They just traded their 2nd best pitcher and have no one outside Felix. Montero is good, but he won't hit for much power at safeco.
Kind of irrelevant, but the A's won't finish behind Seattle. They just traded their 2nd best pitcher and have no one outside Felix. Montero is good, but he won't hit for much power at safeco.
Which is somehow worse than Oakland trading their 2nd and 3rd best starting pitchers and their closer?
__________________ <-- Credit goes to The Nemesis.
I don't really buy the Nationals either. They are a team people pick to make noise every year it seems but until I see them make significant improvement, I can't really pick them any higher than 4th in that division. I think the Phillies, Marlins and Braves (in no particular order) are all better right now to be honest
I don't really buy the Nationals either. They are a team people pick to make noise every year it seems but until I see them make significant improvement, I can't really pick them any higher than 4th in that division. I think the Phillies, Marlins and Braves (in no particular order) are all better right now to be honest
I think they definitely have improved their pitching, which was definitely their weak point. Strasbourg will hopefully pitch the whole season and he looked electric when he was healthy. They added Gonzalez and Jackson on top of Zimmerman, who was never bad, and they have a slew of other pitchers to choose for the 5th spot. They added depth to their bullpen, and veteran depth, too. I think Jayson Werth will rebound slightly, and I think Morse will continue to develop. I think they could make some noise.
That said, Miami looks strong this year too; they'll have a heckuva lineup. However, their pitching still is a little bit suspect to me. Their starters look good, I love Johnson and Buehrle, and Zambrano could easily bounce back and be a top of the line starter, but outside of Bell, their bullpen doesn't scare me whatsoever.
Atlanta is interesting. They always have great pitching and good pitching prospects. It's pretty impressive what they can do and their rotation is scary deep. Hudson, Beachy, Jurrjen, Hanson, Minor all could have fantastic years, and then they have Teheran who probably deserves to be in the MLB. Their bullpen was also fantastic last year. However, their lineup doesn't scare me. Jones is getting old, and I don't think he'll have a good year. Uggla will hit for a better average, but I don't think he'll repeat his power numbers. Freeman will improve slightly on last year, and Heyward should repeat his rookie year numbers, but they don't really have enough depth in that lineup.
It still doesn't explain how the A's losing Gonzalez and Cahill is not as bad as Seattle losing Pineda.
And Felix and Pineda look fine in terms of developing pitchers.
Especially considering the positional players Seattle has, ie Ackley, Montero and Smoak.
Did the Mariners get a good pitcher in return? No. Noesi is nothing special. A's got Jarrod Parker A.J. Cole, Brad Peacock and Tommy Milone.
Montero is a great young player, but like I've said before, he'll have a hard time producing at Safeco, like many before him. Ackley is solid, but Smoak has yet to have a solid season in the majors.
Did the Mariners get a good pitcher in return? No. Noesi is nothing special. A's got Jarrod Parker A.J. Cole, Brad Peacock and Tommy Milone.
Montero is a great young player, but like I've said before, he'll have a hard time producing at Safeco, like many before him. Ackley is solid, but Smoak has yet to have a solid season in the majors.
How many of those pitchers will make an impact this season?
Montero will be worth more than any of those pitchers this season due to the fact that he is more major league ready.
It's not about who got what return, but this season, the A's have a much higher chance of finishing below the Mariners.
How many of those pitchers will make an impact this season?
Montero will be worth more than any of those pitchers this season due to the fact that he is more major league ready.
It's not about who got what return, but this season, the A's have a much higher chance of finishing below the Mariners.
Actually, the only one who doesn't have much of a shot at the bigs is A.J. Cole. Peacock, Milone and Parker all have experience in the bigs prior to this season. Peacock and Parker are both going to compete for a spot in the rotation.
facepalm all you want, but the A's have a better team than the Mariners and will finish better in the standings.
So? It's dumb. You're arguing who sucks a little less between two crap teams lol
And the Giants have a helluva better chance than the AAA's on the playoffs, but that's obvious. Nice attempt at a jab though.
You have to be a fan of your team through good and bad. . The argument is relevant to me because it involves my favorite team. Of course I want my team to make the playoffs, but if that's the only reason I'm a fan of them or the only reason to talk about them, then i'd be a fanboy.
And with the Giants hitting (or lack of), I have a hard time believing they'll make the playoffs.
Atlanta is interesting. They always have great pitching and good pitching prospects. It's pretty impressive what they can do and their rotation is scary deep. Hudson, Beachy, Jurrjen, Hanson, Minor all could have fantastic years, and then they have Teheran who probably deserves to be in the MLB. Their bullpen was also fantastic last year. However, their lineup doesn't scare me. Jones is getting old, and I don't think he'll have a good year. Uggla will hit for a better average, but I don't think he'll repeat his power numbers. Freeman will improve slightly on last year, and Heyward should repeat his rookie year numbers, but they don't really have enough depth in that lineup.
Did you forget McCann and Bourn?
And Uggla might not get 36 HRs but he should at least get 30.
You have to be a fan of your team through good and bad. . The argument is relevant to me because it involves my favorite team. Of course I want my team to make the playoffs, but if that's the only reason I'm a fan of them or the only reason to talk about them, then i'd be a fanboy.
And with the Giants hitting (or lack of), I have a hard time believing they'll make the playoffs.
Never said not be a fan of your team. It just looks silly when you get into an in-depth debate on who will finish last, or second to last in a division. That's just me though..
As for the Giants, if Buster and F. Sanchez are back healthy they should have no problem putting up enough runs for that staff. They don't need to score 5/6 runs a game. 3/4 will get it done most nights. Giants were only 4 games out of a playoff spot last season w/ those big injuries anyway..
Never said not be a fan of your team. It just looks silly when you get into an in-depth debate on who will finish last, or second to last in a division. That's just me though..
As for the Giants, if Buster and F. Sanchez are back healthy they should have no problem putting up enough runs for that staff. They don't need to score 5/6 runs a game. 3/4 will get it done most nights. Giants were only 4 games out of a playoff spot last season w/out them the majority of the year.
I don't have faith in some of the Giants, especially Melky Cabrera. He struggled in his 1 year in the NL and has had more mediocre years than good years. Him, Schierholtz and Pagan are the projected OF. If their OBP is good, they might be all right. But, not a single one of them is a legit HR hitter. the only ones that are on the entire team are Posey and Sandoval. Huff needs to prove he's still got it.
I think Arizona takes the division again. But, I hope I'm wrong.
And Uggla might not get 36 HRs but he should at least get 30.
Bourn steal a lot of bases, but also gets thrown out a lot. McCann is good, but once again, you got Uggla, Heyward, and McCann, and Freeman. Bourn's a solid leadoff guy, but the rest of the lineup is not exactly awe-inducing.
<-- Credit goes to The Nemesis.
