[cruzing vato]

DLR, ubaldo, shields, kuroda..

[cruzing vato]

Cha in, Zimmerman, gio g., arroyo, harden..

[cruzing vato]

Chacin, dan haren , Hughes

[FrozenMAN]

jose Fernandez is a CY Young STUD.....within next 3 years he'll win the CY

[stevenash]

jose Fernandez is a CY Young STUD.....within next 3 years he'll win the CY

Love him, but not as long as Kershaw is in the league.

[Big Bear]

Spot play live dogs and make a killing.
Easiest sport for me, well I crunch numbers for a living, I enjoy that stuff.

so you think its best to be a spot bettor in MLB?

how many games do you recommend betting a week on average?

[daneblazer]

Once you hit that 20-25 spot there's about 30 pitchers you can argue for or against.

Pitching is so deep now and it's due to several factors. The way pitchers are brought up and handled now. No longer do you see a Randy Johnson pitching 9 innings of 140 pitches. You use to have to get a crane to get that guy off the mound. We don't have many guys that go deep into games anymore. Kershaw, Verlander, Wainwright...really only a handfull. Most pitchers go 6-7IP and they hand it over to the pen.

The defensive shift has been big too. Now you can take a guy like Teixeira, shift your defense and make him try to place the ball where the fielders aren't. Some of these guys just can't do it.

[BigDeem5]

Jose Fernandez followed by
Salazar should be mentioned if we are talkin young studs.

Sonny gray and cingrani lol

[Bagman5]

Jose Fernandez followed by
Salazar should be mentioned if we are talkin young studs.

Sonny gray and cingrani lol

All four look like they have a very bright future.

[Big Bear]

Yeah all 4 are really good.

i am kind of surprised the A's havent tried to add a free agent this off season other than Kazmir.

The A's are right on the verge of a world series championship and they are asking a lot for Sonny gray to be the ACE in his 1st full season.

[Hench]

Has Iwakuma been mentioned yet?

[Ralphie Halves]

If healthy, Minor should crack the top 10 this year. He has everything. He just needed control, and he found it last year.

[The Kraken]

Houston Street

[lesterdymond]

How do ya forget Chris Sale Bear?

I don't get it

[broadway6]

Wacha is not a top 10 pitcher. He throws a nice fastball and a + change up but he will need a third pitch to crack a top 10. He's been working on his curveball, but he has a ways to go.

Omission of bumgardner on any list is poor.

[Big Bear]

let me ask yall this if you had to pick one of these listed teams to win the world series who would you take

Nationals- Great pitching. But do they have an offense that can score on elite pitchers like Verlander and Kershaw in the playoffs?

Dodgers- Loaded with talent but how far will any team go that has Dan Haren as one the starters?

Cardinals- Loaded with RHP good coach, reputation of being clutch in playoffs

Reds- Lots of depth on this team but not sure if they have starters that can match up with the ones they will face in post season..

Tigers- Why are Dirks and Kelly still on this roster? and is this new skipper worth a damn?

Yankees- Finally win in Jeters last year? Old and fragile team but if they stay healthy they DO have the talent.

A's- are they a super star away from getting to the next level?
Just mind boggling they are so fukkin cheap that all they do is add scott kazmir.... but watch Kazmir win 20 this season lol

Mariners- Got the starting pitching but will they score enough runs?
How good is their bullpen?


reason i dont have a few contenders included
Rangers- zero pitching behind Darvish
Braves- Choke every year in October
Red Sox- Just dont think they repeat
Rays- Not enough offense
Giants - not enough offense
D-Backs/ Rockies/ Brewers- not enough pitching
Pirates- Not enough offense
Angels- not enough pitching
Indians- good all around team but lack a super star
Orioles- great offense. Piss poor starting rotation. Same with Jays.
Phillies- On paper they look pretty good but how long before Utley or Howard get injured again and it all falls apart?

[BennyBigNuts]

jose Fernandez is a CY Young STUD.....within next 3 years he'll win the CY

Love him, but not as long as Kershaw is in the league.

I'll take that bet Nasher.
Jose will definitely win one in 3 years with Harvey going down.

[daneblazer]

l
D-Backs/ Rockies/ Brewers- not enough pitching

I think the Dbacks pitching is okay now.

How do you pick the AL? Could make a case for about 13 teams

[broadway6]

let me ask yall this if you had to pick one of these listed teams to win the world series who would you take

Nationals- Great pitching. But do they have an offense that can score on elite pitchers like Verlander and Kershaw in the playoffs?

Dodgers- Loaded with talent but how far will any team go that has Dan Haren as one the starters?

Cardinals- Loaded with RHP good coach, reputation of being clutch in playoffs

Reds- Lots of depth on this team but not sure if they have starters that can match up with the ones they will face in post season..

Tigers- Why are Dirks and Kelly still on this roster? and is this new skipper worth a damn?

Yankees- Finally win in Jeters last year? Old and fragile team but if they stay healthy they DO have the talent.

A's- are they a super star away from getting to the next level?
Just mind boggling they are so fukkin cheap that all they do is add scott kazmir.... but watch Kazmir win 20 this season lol

Mariners- Got the starting pitching but will they score enough runs?
How good is their bullpen?


reason i dont have a few contenders included
Rangers- zero pitching behind Darvish
Braves- Choke every year in October
Red Sox- Just dont think they repeat
Rays- Not enough offense
Giants - not enough offense
D-Backs/ Rockies/ Brewers- not enough pitching
Pirates- Not enough offense
Angels- not enough pitching
Indians- good all around team but lack a super star
Orioles- great offense. Piss poor starting rotation. Same with Jays.
Phillies- On paper they look pretty good but how long before Utley or Howard get injured again and it all falls apart?

Nationals will be tough this year. Not as much pressure as last year. Interested to see how the Williams does as manager.

[Resler]

Andrew Cashner will be a beast this year. Your first list was pretty garbage, you missed so many.

[stevenash]

so you think its best to be a spot bettor in MLB?

how many games do you recommend betting a week on average?

Did you tail me in '12?
I was hitting on the average of two +150 doggies a week, I was betting about five games a week.

I will never have another season like that again, I was hitting those +190 Balitmore doggies and everything.
Last season was ordinary for me, pretty much broke even, but I bet between 4 and 6 doggies a week, I will only bet run line with top tier pitchers on the road only.

[stevenash]

Andrew Cashner will be a beast this year. Your first list was pretty garbage, you missed so many.

Cashner did me proud that one game late in the season at +155 or something like that, I got to look it up, but he made me some coin.

Tail Cingranni too this year, Beachy is another, only if 100 percent.

[Bagman5]

I like the Nationals this season. Dodgers and Cards will be there again in the NL. I think that the Giants will be back in the think of things this season. In the AL, I think the Red Sox have a very good shot again. Rays will be very tough because of their pitching. A's and Tigers win their division and Mariners surprise and get a Wild Card spot. Way too early prediction:

AL
1. Red Sox
2. Tigers
3. A's
4. Rays
5. Mariners

NL
1. Dodgers
2. Nats
3. Cards
4. Reds
5. Giants

[Bagman5]

Andrew Cashner will be a beast this year. Your first list was pretty garbage, you missed so many.

I like Cashner a lot. It was tough to keep him off my list.

[Resler]

Cashner did me proud that one game late in the season at +155 or something like that, I got to look it up, but he made me some coin.

Tail Cingranni too this year, Beachy is another, only if 100 percent.

Beachy could have an amazing year. I am targeting him in all my fantasy drafts because I think he will be so undervalued. He is in that prime position for 2 years after Tommy John.

[Big Bear]

Andrew Cashner will be a beast this year. Your first list was pretty garbage, you missed so many.

Cashner is good he gets a lot of movement on his fastball. The Padres IMO will finish in last place but i would bet on them at + money in a lot of games..

Josh Johnson may really benifet from pitching in that pitcher friendly park as well... people have kinda written him off after last season but just a few years ago he was widely regarded as one of the best.

[crackerjack]

let me ask yall this if you had to pick one of these listed teams to win the world series who would you take

Nationals- Great pitching. But do they have an offense that can score on elite pitchers like Verlander and Kershaw in the playoffs?

Dodgers- Loaded with talent but how far will any team go that has Dan Haren as one the starters?

Cardinals- Loaded with RHP good coach, reputation of being clutch in playoffs

Reds- Lots of depth on this team but not sure if they have starters that can match up with the ones they will face in post season..

Tigers- Why are Dirks and Kelly still on this roster? and is this new skipper worth a damn?

Yankees- Finally win in Jeters last year? Old and fragile team but if they stay healthy they DO have the talent.

A's- are they a super star away from getting to the next level?
Just mind boggling they are so fukkin cheap that all they do is add scott kazmir.... but watch Kazmir win 20 this season lol

Mariners- Got the starting pitching but will they score enough runs?
How good is their bullpen?


reason i dont have a few contenders included
Rangers- zero pitching behind Darvish
Braves- Choke every year in October
Red Sox- Just dont think they repeat
Rays- Not enough offense
Giants - not enough offense
D-Backs/ Rockies/ Brewers- not enough pitching
Pirates- Not enough offense
Angels- not enough pitching
Indians- good all around team but lack a super star
Orioles- great offense. Piss poor starting rotation. Same with Jays.
Phillies- On paper they look pretty good but how long before Utley or Howard get injured again and it all falls apart?

You can eliminate Reds right now...narrow it down a little. They won't even make the playoffs. Also Phillies look horrible on paper. I actually think Dodgers vs Seattle is a possible WS match up.

[Big Bear]

You can eliminate Reds right now...narrow it down a little. They won't even make the playoffs. Also Phillies look horrible on paper. I actually think Dodgers vs Seattle is a possible WS match up.

phillies have 2 really good starters in Lee and Hamels and that line-up man is stacked. Revere , domonic brown, ruiz, Utely, and Howard can all hit. J-roll still got a little something left in the tank too.


why do you say Reds will have a bad year? Great bullpen which is key and should be a smoothe transition with the new skipper Bryan Price former pitching coach.

Line-up pretty potent. Latos, Cingranni, Bailey, Cueto, and Leake aint bad..

i'd like to see them add Ervin Santana or Ubaldo Jimenez for insurance though b/c Cueto is injury prone and has shaky mechanics and i'm not totally sold on Leake.

[stevenash]

Beachy could have an amazing year. I am targeting him in all my fantasy drafts because I think he will be so undervalued. He is in that prime position for 2 years after Tommy John.

Yeah, I am hoping Beachy is still hanging around in late.
I'm in a masters league, 12 teams, very deep, 10 pitchers, if I can get 3 rock solid closers, I'll start 7 starters, providing my three closers get me 85 + saves.
Would love to get Kimbrel, Chappman, and say a Robertson or somebody like that, then I would go with seven starters.

I got my first round strategy mapped out, I go Trout if I get #1, get Trout/Miggy leftover if I get #2.
I got Goldy #3, McCutchen #4, if I got the eighth, ninth or tenth overall first round pick, and Kershaw is still on the board, it would mark the first time in my FBB life I draft a SP in round 1.

Remember, you can not win a fantasy season with your first round pick, but you can lose one with a bad first round pick.

[stevenash]

You can eliminate Reds right now...narrow it down a little. They won't even make the playoffs. Also Phillies look horrible on paper. I actually think Dodgers vs Seattle is a possible WS match up.

Why eliminate the Reds?
If the Reds coaches drill into Hamiltons head that a walk is as a good as a hit, and drill patience is a virtue into his head, that sets the table for Phillips, Votto and Bruce, which is a rock solid meat of the order.

If Reds were smart, they would bat Votto second, I can write a book as to why, but the main reason Votto should hit second is because the teams best OBA/hitter ideally should hit second as to cluster the bases for the Bruce, Phllips and the rest.
I have a database chock full of mind numbing numbers to make my case, but I'm not in the mood for tying it all out right now.

But I digress, the Reds have a rock solid order 1-5, they have a top three NL rotation with Cueto, Latos, Bailey, Cingranni, and Leake, they are five deep in starters, most teams are barely three deep.

The Reds main three out of the pen is as good as it gets with Broxton, Marsahall and Chapman.

They got super bench man Schumakker who can play middle infield, outfield, and piss you off with a clutch pinch hit single.

Now the Reds have a few flaws, all teams do, but they can very easily go toe to toe with the Cards.

Throw out the Reds? No, you have to strongly consider the Reds.

[crackerjack]

Why eliminate the Reds?
If the Reds coaches drill into Hamiltons head that a walk is as a good as a hit, and drill patience is a virtue into his head, that sets the table for Phillips, Votto and Bruce, which is a rock solid meat of the order.

If Reds were smart, they would bat Votto second, I can write a book as to why, but the main reason Votto should hit second is because the teams best OBA/hitter ideally should hit second as to cluster the bases for the Bruce, Phllips and the rest.
I have a database chock full of mind numbing numbers to make my case, but I'm not in the mood for tying it all out right now.

But I digress, the Reds have a rock solid order 1-5, they have a top three NL rotation with Cueto, Latos, Bailey, Cingranni, and Leake, they are five deep in starters, most teams are barely three deep.

The Reds main three out of the pen is as good as it gets with Broxton, Marsahall and Chapman.

They got super bench man Schumakker who can play middle infield, outfield, and piss you off with a clutch pinch hit single.

Now the Reds have a few flaws, all teams do, but they can very easily go toe to toe with the Cards.

Throw out the Reds? No, you have to strongly consider the Reds.

They do have a good rotation, although Cingranni is an unknown for me. He pitched well but wasn't a regular in rotation starter (started then went to relief for a bit then started again). I don't expect Bailey to even break .500 this year. He gives up a lot of home runs and just is too inconsistent. He had a decent season and was 11-12. But he is probably better than Leake, who is due for some digression. I think Leake will have an ERA over 4.00...

The problem even with good pitching is run support. I don't think the Reds will get much. And I think losing Choo will really sting, more than people realize. Who will replace him? Billy Hamilton. An unproven player who may or may not succeed. Votto is a star. Phillips needs people on base to be successful. He's BA of .261 was ho hum...he had a lot of RBI because Choo and Votto were studs in getting on base. They've lost half that duo. Bruce has power, but after Votto, Bruce and Phillips, there is nobody. If one of that trio gets hurt, they are in real trouble.

I'm betting the under in win total for the Reds. Depending on posted total, it might be my largest o/u bet. I know I'm going against the grain on this one and a lot of people like them, just not me. I think they'll be a lot like the Phillies of a few years ago...some great pitching (Hamels, Cliff Lee) but not enough offensive firepower to really put together a championship run. The question was who could win a World Series and of the teams Big Bear listed, I think they have the least chance. They'd need a magical season...I don't think it's there.

[Big Bear]

looks like Dan Haren may not be in the Dodgers rotation afterall with the signing of Malhom

[crackerjack]

phillies have 2 really good starters in Lee and Hamels and that line-up man is stacked. Revere , domonic brown, ruiz, Utely, and Howard can all hit. J-roll still got a little something left in the tank too.


why do you say Reds will have a bad year? Great bullpen which is key and should be a smoothe transition with the new skipper Bryan Price former pitching coach.

Line-up pretty potent. Latos, Cingranni, Bailey, Cueto, and Leake aint bad..

i'd like to see them add Ervin Santana or Ubaldo Jimenez for insurance though b/c Cueto is injury prone and has shaky mechanics and i'm not totally sold on Leake.

Lee and Hamels were great last year, and the team still lost 89 games. The biggest problem with the Phillies is age. Man they are old... This team has gone from 102 wins to 81 to 73. Even if they turn that trend around and improve 10 wins, that would unlikely be good enough for even a wild card. I can't see them being better than even third in their division, as I expect Washington to do well and Atlanta is always in the mix (and I rank them as a better team than the Phillies). I really think their only hope is if Howard has an MVP like season, which I'm betting against.

[Big Bear]

They do have a good rotation, although Cingranni is an unknown for me. He pitched well but wasn't a regular in rotation starter (started then went to relief for a bit then started again). I don't expect Bailey to even break .500 this year. He gives up a lot of home runs and just is too inconsistent. He had a decent season and was 11-12. But he is probably better than Leake, who is due for some digression. I think Leake will have an ERA over 4.00...

The problem even with good pitching is run support. I don't think the Reds will get much. And I think losing Choo will really sting, more than people realize. Who will replace him? Billy Hamilton. An unproven player who may or may not succeed. Votto is a star. Phillips needs people on base to be successful. He's BA of .261 was ho hum...he had a lot of RBI because Choo and Votto were studs in getting on base. They've lost half that duo. Bruce has power, but after Votto, Bruce and Phillips, there is nobody. If one of that trio gets hurt, they are in real trouble.

I'm betting the under in win total for the Reds. Depending on posted total, it might be my largest o/u bet. I know I'm going against the grain on this one and a lot of people like them, just not me. I think they'll be a lot like the Phillies of a few years ago...some great pitching (Hamels, Cliff Lee) but not enough offensive firepower to really put together a championship run. The question was who could win a World Series and of the teams Big Bear listed, I think they have the least chance. They'd need a magical season...I don't think it's there.

I think not re-signing Choo says a lot about how much the Reds think of Billy Hamilton. If he can get on base he is going to rack up a ton of steals. I agree with Nash Votto should bat second.

1. Hamilton- CF
2. Votto -1B
3. Bruce- RF
4. Phillips- 2B
5. Ludwick-LF
6. Frazier- 3B
7. Cozart -SS
8. Messoraco- C

pretty damn good line-up if healthy and if Hamilton pans out.

Messoraco might be the best #8 hitter in all of baseball

[daneblazer]

Billy Hamilton's problem may be that you can't steal first..