Wednesday, June 08, 2005
BASEBALL BITS
Let's take a look at a few of the teams in Major League Baseball as we are into the third month of the 2005 season. What have we seen so far and what can we expect to see.
AL EAST
Baltimore- The Orioles continue to play very solid baseball. Before the season started you would have been hard pressed to name any Orioles pitchers not named Sidney Ponson and the only reason you would have remembered Ponson's name so easily was because of his off season troubles with the law. Be honest now, before this season began had you heard of Brian Roberts?
Boston- The Red Sox have not been spectacular this season but they are hanging around near the top of the division. Expect GM Theo Epstein to go out and improve his team before or at the trade deadline just like he did last season. The Sox should be in the hunt right until the end.
New York- The Yankees in no way, shape or form resemble a team that is heading for the playoffs. Randy Johnson is not the same pitcher he was a year ago. Brian Cashman will more than likely be shown the door at the end of the season if the Yankees don't see the post season. With a 200 million dollar payroll this should be a much better baseball team.
Toronto- The Blue Jays are proving that it isn't wise for a small market team with payroll restrictions to have one player making so much money and having to cut corners in other areas of the team. The Jays passed on Carlos Delgado and are having a solid but slightly inconsistent season after a disastrous 2004. Roy Halladay might once again be the best pitcher on the planet.
AL CENTRAL
Chicago- It's the second week of June and the White Sox are the best team in baseball. The emergence of John Garland as a dominant pitcher along with Mark Buehrle and Freddy Garcia and an effective bullpen make the Sox tough to beat on most nights. "Hawk" Harrelson is as giddy as ever up in the Sox broadcast booth and his "He Gone" saying is as annoying as ever. Many are expecting a collapse, but this is a solid team that is going to make sure that the Minnesota Twins are not wrapping up the division early as in previous years.
Cleveland- It has been a disappointing season thus far for the Indians as they were expecting to compete at the top of the division from the start of the season. Their pitching has been excellent including their bullpen which was a disaster last season. It is the bats that have gone cold and in one season the Indians have gone from having one of the most explosive offenses in baseball to being one of the weakest. They have two regulars (Aaron Boone and Casey Blake) batting under .200 and Victor Martinez is having a horrible season.
Detroit- The Tigers spent an awful lot of money in the off season to have what looks like a .500 team at best. It looks like the All Star game at Comerica will be the highlight of the season in Motown.
Minnesota- Still the class of the Central division. The Twins finally have some competition in the Central this season with the White Sox playing at a torrid pace. It looks like a two team race and it should be a dandy.
AL WEST
Los Angeles- This once mighty division now boasts only two good baseball teams and the Angels are one of them. Vlad Guerrero is on the shelf but the Angels have enough talent to run away with this division if they get on a roll. Is anybody getting used to calling them the Los Angeles Angels ( of Anaheim) yet?
Seattle- The Mariners spent over 100 million dollars in the off season on two huge bats in Richie Sexason and Adrian Beltre and they still can't hit. Every time I tuned into a Dodgers game last season Beltre was doing something great. That has not been the case thus far. "Everyday" Eddie Guardado is back and healthy and many teams will be calling about his availability at the trade deadline. The quick fix has failed in Seattle as there is still plenty of work to do.
Oakland- Do A's fans still believe in the genius of Billy Beane? Beane dealt Mark Mulder and Tim Hudson in the off season and the A's find themselves at the bottom of the division. This is still a solid organization that has plenty of talent. The days of A's dominance might be over but they will be a factor in this division more often than not in the next few seasons.
Texas- Would Roger Clemens consider a trade to the Rangers or is he content to finish his career with the Astros who offer Clemens and every other pitcher on the Astros staff very little run support. If the Rangers stay in the hunt and Clemens is willing, then John Hart must make this happen even if it costs him a couple of good prospects. This is a no brainer but it is going to take Clemens approval to make it happen.
NL EAST
Atlanta- It seems like every season there are more and more predictions that the Braves reign at the top of the NL East is going to end and every season they are right back at the top. Bobby Cox is the best manager in the game and Leo Mazzone is the best pitching coach. It's hard to believe that they have only cashed it in once but their thirteen consecutive division titles is still an impressive feat. The Braves have their hands full in what is now the most competitive division in baseball.
Florida- This team is loaded on paper but is playing only a few games over .500. Dontrelle Willis is chasing a Cy Young award but the Marlins are hoping that is not the only trophy to come the Marlins way this season. I still believe this team has the talent to run away with the division if they can get on any kind of a roll.
New York- Pedro Martinez has proven he is worth every penny. Most people thought Pedro was at best a 7 inning pitcher but he has gone the distance twice this season and has an impressive record of 7-1 and a 2.45 ERA. For a player who was touted as the best player in baseball, Carlos Beltran has yet to live up to that billing in Queens.
Philadelphia- The Phillies have put together a nice stretch of baseball in the past couple of weeks and find themselves right back in the thick of things in the division race. If the Phillies do not make it to the post season in 2005 expect both Ed Wade and Charlie Manuel to be shown the door. When the Phillies signed Jim Thome before the start of the 2003 season they were expected to be a force in the NL East and that has not happened.
Washington- The nation's capital inherited a pretty good baseball team and it would not be surprising to see this team playing baseball in October, only adding insult to injury for Expos fans of old.
NL CENTRAL
Chicago- The Cubs appeared to be buried early but they have climbed back above .500 and seem to be the only real threat to the Cardinals dominance of the division. They still do not have enough to overtake the Cardinals who should get another chance at a World Series run this fall.
Houston- Is this really the same team that went on a second half roll last season and made the playoffs as the NL wildcard team? The Astros offense is horrible and has wasted more than one good pitching performance By Astros starters.
St. Louis- The Cardinals are head and shoulders above every other team in the division. It's hard to find a weak spot on their roster and they should be the first team wrapping up a division title later this season.
Milwaukee and Pittsburgh- Both of these teams have to be given some credit for getting the most for their buck. The Brewers and Pirates are at the bottom of major league baseball in terms of payroll but their records don't reflect that. If new Brewers owner Mark Attanasio fulfills his promise to spend more money on the team they could be a force in the coming years. A highly touted minor league system at least gives the Brewers hope for the future.
NL WEST
Arizona- An off season spending splurge has the Diamondbacks right back at the top of the NL West. Is it possible for a team that lost 111 games a year ago to return to post season play so quickly? A mediocre division makes that more than possible. Bob Melvin has proven that good thing happen to nice guys as he has found himself in a nice situation in the desert.
Los Angeles- After a torrid start the Dodgers have cooled. Paul DePodesta continues to mold this team as his own and it remains to be seen what the Dodgers will be willing to do at the trade deadline if they are still in the hunt for the division or if they are still in the wildcard race.
San Diego- After an extremely slow start the Padres went on a tear but have cooled off as of late. Still, the Padres appear to have the most talent in the division and it will be interesting to see what happens upon Sandy Alderson's arrival.
San Francisco- Things have gone horribly wrong for the Giants this season and the team appears to be headed for a losing season. They should have learned from the Seattle Mariners what can go wrong when you hang on to veterans for too long. Brian Sabean is a smart man but not smart enough to right this ship without some sort of rebuild.
posted by Dean Swanton 8:04 PM
