Any MLB sleepers this year?
Texas Rangers, easily.
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they have zero pitching and probably zero pen
how will they win 80 games in the al?
id like it, but how?
the only teams i could see coming out of nowhere are the marlins and the cardinalsComment -
They have no pitching, and that will kill them in their ballpark.Originally posted by CrazyLouComment -
KC Royals, Solid as hell really, thats a team that could do exactly what Tampa did last year. Solid players all around and the best closer that no one knows about.Comment -
if royals win 82 games that would be a monumental achievement.Comment -
that might be enough to win the AL CentralOriginally posted by ryanXL977Comment -
They'll make the playoffs by outscoring people, while it won't prove to be enough to send a quality opponent home it will however be enough to coast comfortably to Round 1.Originally posted by tullamoreComment -
i dont see the tigers winning 80, i dont see the chisox winning 80
i do see the tribe winning 85 though. and the twins too, though now mauers hurt again.
who can hit on kc though? who can pitch other than grienke?
rangers better score 1000 runs if they think theyre going to make the playoffs.Comment -
who can hit on KC??Originally posted by ryanXL977
Dejesus, Gordon, Avilas (best your SS in the AL), Jacobs at 1st now
Meche is a solid pitcher, Davies was outstanding down the stretch.
Just think this team is a carbon copy of last years rays.Comment -
I like the Reds to be in the running for an NL Wild Card.
As crazy as Lou's -- no pun intended -- notion about the Rangers might sound, it at least borders on plausible. The Halos are going to be pressed early with the mound injuries, and even the A's are looking at missing Duchsherer and Devine from their pitching staff for a while. We'll see how well Texas' pitching holds up and whether or not it wears down as the temperature rises in that little oven they play in at home.Comment -
Originally posted by Brock Landers
I dont know about the Royals making the Playoffs, but they were profitable for me last year, and think there will be value again.Comment -
Originally posted by Brock Landers
im not sure gordon has proven he cant hit. and if youre expecting 10 wins out of davies, that would be amazing. the guys is garbage. meche is solid, forgot about him. davies is not. jacobs aint bad, dejesus aint bad. but gordon? im not sure id take aviles over jonny peralta. i know soria is awesome thoough. im not sure a nucleus of dejesus, jacobs, and aviles is going to out hit the tribe or twins.Comment -
Originally posted by Willie Bee
over the last 30 years, texas' pitching has held up what? 2 times maybe? and they had pudge, juan, raffy or clark, greer, and some others. they also had wetteland. and i dont think the angels were any good from 1996-1999 either. if youre expecting millwood or padilla or benson to have a better year than last year, in this park, with their historys, good luck. i love them, they are the reason i love sports, but their pitching will be the worst in the al again this yr, no doubt.Comment -
ryan, i guess i am saying you will make a profit betting on this team as they will be alot better than people think and a dog much of the time.Comment -
you are probably correct. im guessing people made money on them last yr too. i hope they are good. but i dont think they have close to the talent of last yrs rays, but maybe.Comment -
Oakland, improved offense, good defense, young talented pitching staff.Comment -
They probably won't. Their poor defense is gonna kill that pitching staff. "Outscoring" opponents never works.Originally posted by CrazyLouComment -
Mariners could be a moneymaker. Great defense, solid pitching at the top of the rotation. Although that Ichiro injury really puts a damper on an already poor offense.Comment -
BravesComment -
i will be shocked if mariners or padres win 70 gamesComment -
Agreed. I think there is good money to be made on the Athletics.Originally posted by element1286Comment -
Fish win NL East.Comment -
You forgot to add "less than 5% of the time".Fish win NL East.Comment -
I agree with the Marlins. They have the talent to make some noise this year.Comment -
Hopefully the Dodgers will get to the WS this season. Manny & Torre need to lead this team to a title.Comment -
Washington 200-1, by Brian Steinberg
Today's Picks
Major League Baseball picks for APR 03 2009 :
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HOME TEAM IN CAPS
All games are listed pitchers unless stated otherwise.
Washington over 71½ -1.26 PINNACLE
If you’ve been a reader of this site over the years then you’re fully aware that I never use the words “lock” or “cinch” but man, this is about as close to a sure thing as I’ve ever posted in the last seven years or so. Not only will the Nats crush this number, they actually have a chance to win the division. That’s right, they have a chance to win the division. The Nats biggest problem last season was scoring runs but they’ll score a ton more this season. In a recent spring training game, Manny Acta's first five hitters were Nick Johnson, Elijah Dukes, Ryan Zimmerman, Adam Dunn and Josh Willingham. The oldest two are 30. Four have had seasons with 23 or more homers; Dukes clearly could. Lastings Milledge and Jesús Flores, both good hitting prospects, didn't play. Austin Kearns, one year removed from being considered a pro's pro, can't get mentioned here. Neither can Dmitri Young, a career .292 hitter. "Last year, we never had enough pieces for a [good] lineup," Kearns said. "Now, we have extra ones." Ryan Zimmerman and Elijah Dukes could both have monster years with hitters around them. As for the pitching, well, it just might be the best in the business. Daniel Cabrera came over from Baltimore and everyone knows he has some of the nastiest stuff in the league. With the right guidance he could easily be a 15-game winner or better, especially in this park. Scott Olsen came over from Florida and he, too, is a quality starter. Then there’s Jordan Zimmerman, one of the best pitching prospects in some time. The kid can downright bring it and he’s been phenomenal in the spring. In one of his first innings, Zimmermann faced Carlos Guillén, Magglio Ordóñez and Miguel Cabrera and, on eight pitches, seven of them strikes, fanned the first two, then got a first-pitch dribbler to shortstop. John Lannan and Shairon Martis round out the rotation and both are extremely talented. In fact, Lannan is the opening day pitcher after throwing 182 frames last season and allowing just 172 hits for a BAA of .252. The pen is decent, as is their bench and with a new attitude, new staff and coaches, these Nationals are going to very competitive indeed and even if everything goes wrong they’ll still get well over 71 wins. Play: Washington Nationals over 71½ -1.26 (Risking 5.02 units to win 4).
Washington to win the World Series @ 200-1 PINNACLE
Although it’s highly unlikely, it’s still worth a bet, as a lot of good things can happen for this team, especially in a pitcher friendly park like the one they play in where arms will not get as worn out like they do in other places. Several players have the potential to have career years and if they get off to a good start and gain some confidence they could be very dangerous. This is a young team with a ton of potential and I’ll acknowledge that there are a lot of “ifs”. However, if you want a “throwaway” bet with a chance for a huge return, this is it. Play: Washington to win the World Series +200.00 (Risking 0.5 units to win 100).
Washington to win NL East +34.00 SPORTSINTERACTION
This is another value bet, as the NL East is definitely up for grabs this season and the Nats have just as good a chance as anyone. The Mets are the favorites but their starting pitching is average at best. After Santana and Pelfrey, the 3, 4 and 5 spots will be filled by Darren Oliver, Livan Hernandez and John Maine. Oliver and Hernandez are both big innings waiting to happen and are way past their prime. Still, the Mets addressed their pen problems by picking up JJ Putz and Francisco Rodriguez and they'll be tough for sure but in no way are they 32-1 better than the Nats. Philly could suffer from a World Series hangover and that leaves the Braves and Marlins and either one of them could finish first also. However, the Braves are about 4½-1 and the Fish are 13-1, which leaves great value on the Nats. Play: Washington to win NL East (Risking 2 units to wim 68).Comment -
Not a sleeper... I think a big flop will be the White Sox...Comment -
Less if the PECOTA projections come to fruition. While BP's projections are accurate more often than not, this is one instance where I disagree quite a bit.Originally posted by donjuan
Now, do I give the Marlins the same probability of winning the division as the Mets or Phillies? Of course not. But do I think they're a team that will exceed the win total based on the current market price and contend in the NL East much of the year? Yes, hence the above post.Comment -
Jacobs is trash.Originally posted by Brock LandersComment -
THT, too. CHONE is around 5% using imperfect info.Less if the PECOTA projections come to fruition. While BP's projections are accurate more often than not, this is one instance where I disagree quite a bit.Comment -
I can not believe this article wasn't written on April fools day.
This is 110% LAUGH OUT LOUD worthy. OLIVER PEREZ is the starter for the Mets, and at 28 is nowhere close to well past his prime.Originally posted by Doug
DARREN OLIVER is indeed old and past his prime at 39. The problem is, he hasn't been on the Mets since 2006. He's spent the last two years pitching out of the bullpen with the Angels.
Talk about piss-poor research. I mean come on. I'm all about lazily looking up players and stats and pretending like you know what you are talking about, but this is flat out terrible.Comment -
Not mention of Coco Crisp, Billy Butler, or Jose Guillen?Originally posted by Brock Landers
This team isn't anything close to a carbon copy of the Rays. They do have a lot of young talent, and a step forward this year isn't out of the question, but they don't have close to the starting pitching or the bullpen the Rays had, even with Soria at the helm.Comment -
It's no worse than anything else that has been posted on this forum regarding baseball futures. Not that it makes it worth the bandwidth wasted on it, of course.I'm all about lazily looking up players and stats and pretending like you know what you are talking about, but this is flat out terrible.Comment -
I'd have to disagree. While I'm sure you have a low opinion of me and anyone else who writes out their predictions on futures, I'd like to see you come up with one example where in any futures write up on this site the guy mentions a pitcher who hasn't been on the team for 3 years as IN the starting rotation, and then goes ahead and confirms it wasn't a typo by alluding to said players age.Originally posted by donjuan
The guy doesn't know anything about the Mets, so he pulled up a depth chart and saw the name Oliver. He searched the name Oliver, saw the guy was old, so he tosses in the sentence "He is way past his prime". Pathetic. What makes it even funnier is that Darren Oliver pitched very well out of the Angels bullpen last year.
You can argue that other futures are pointless or poorly written all you want, but at least they get the rosters right.Comment -
Florida Marlins OVER 76.5 Wins +115
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