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Started By
Message
Biggest Surprise in Baseball this Upcoming Season
Posted on 3/2/14 at 3:44 pm
Posted on 3/2/14 at 3:44 pm
I'll start with a few teams I think could surprise and make a run along with some reasons....
Toronto Blue Jays:
This is a team loaded with talent, the issue is and will always be health.
They have All-Stars in Jose Reyes, Jose Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion, and a nice combination of good players ranging from Adam Lind, Colby Rasmus, Brett Lawrie and even Melky Cabera.
Last year Reyes, Melky, Rasmus, Lawrie, and Bautista combined to play in 524 out of 810 possible games. So that is a lot of offense missing from the team.
The pitching staff is anchored by RA Dickey and Mark Buehrle who each struggled in their first season with the Jays. However, post All-Star Buehrle posted a 3.18 ERA and Dickey a 3.56 both respectable numbers. They also have some young guys with potential in JA Happ and Kyle Drabek plus Brandon Morrow who again can't stay healthy.
If healthy this is a team that could potentially challenge in a wide open AL East and at the very least compete for the #2 Wild Card spot.
White Sox:
This is a team that completely remade their offense, they brought in Garcia last year along with Eaton and Abreu this year. If those guys hit and Beckham, De Aza, Ramirez, and Korenko can bounce back to have league average seasons this offense could be good.
I like their pitching staff with Chris Sale as the ace, Jose Quintana had a solid season last year and slides in as a solid #2 option for the Sox. The back end of the rotation has Danks, Paulino, and Johnson, Danks needs to find his 2010 form but that may never happen again but he can be an innings eater back of the rotation option if he can stay healthy. Johnson is a young guy who posted a nice little ERA in 5 starts last year but that is a small sample size.
This team 2 years ago was challenging the Tigers for the division and was a nice surprise team and they could be again.
Diamondbacks:
This team has an MVP Candidate with Goldschmidt already and they have some solid players in Parra, Prado, Hill, and Trumbo. The pitching staff is a talented on with Miley, Corbin, McCarthy, Arroyo, and Cahill and one I think could surprise. They have a lot of depth with that starting 5 if McCarthy and Cahill can make more than 25 starts, so again health is a factor here. The offense should do enough to produce and this is a team that could challenge for the #2 Wild Card spot. Being in the NL doesn't help as the National League has the Nationals, Braves, Cardinals, Pirates, Reds, and Dodgers who will all be good and all young enough to remain good so the DBacks will need another player to step up and take some of the burden off Goldschmidt.
Toronto Blue Jays:
This is a team loaded with talent, the issue is and will always be health.
They have All-Stars in Jose Reyes, Jose Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion, and a nice combination of good players ranging from Adam Lind, Colby Rasmus, Brett Lawrie and even Melky Cabera.
Last year Reyes, Melky, Rasmus, Lawrie, and Bautista combined to play in 524 out of 810 possible games. So that is a lot of offense missing from the team.
The pitching staff is anchored by RA Dickey and Mark Buehrle who each struggled in their first season with the Jays. However, post All-Star Buehrle posted a 3.18 ERA and Dickey a 3.56 both respectable numbers. They also have some young guys with potential in JA Happ and Kyle Drabek plus Brandon Morrow who again can't stay healthy.
If healthy this is a team that could potentially challenge in a wide open AL East and at the very least compete for the #2 Wild Card spot.
White Sox:
This is a team that completely remade their offense, they brought in Garcia last year along with Eaton and Abreu this year. If those guys hit and Beckham, De Aza, Ramirez, and Korenko can bounce back to have league average seasons this offense could be good.
I like their pitching staff with Chris Sale as the ace, Jose Quintana had a solid season last year and slides in as a solid #2 option for the Sox. The back end of the rotation has Danks, Paulino, and Johnson, Danks needs to find his 2010 form but that may never happen again but he can be an innings eater back of the rotation option if he can stay healthy. Johnson is a young guy who posted a nice little ERA in 5 starts last year but that is a small sample size.
This team 2 years ago was challenging the Tigers for the division and was a nice surprise team and they could be again.
Diamondbacks:
This team has an MVP Candidate with Goldschmidt already and they have some solid players in Parra, Prado, Hill, and Trumbo. The pitching staff is a talented on with Miley, Corbin, McCarthy, Arroyo, and Cahill and one I think could surprise. They have a lot of depth with that starting 5 if McCarthy and Cahill can make more than 25 starts, so again health is a factor here. The offense should do enough to produce and this is a team that could challenge for the #2 Wild Card spot. Being in the NL doesn't help as the National League has the Nationals, Braves, Cardinals, Pirates, Reds, and Dodgers who will all be good and all young enough to remain good so the DBacks will need another player to step up and take some of the burden off Goldschmidt.
Posted on 3/2/14 at 3:48 pm to NorthshoreTiger76
quote:
Marlins will get a WC spot
I'll agree with this.
Posted on 3/2/14 at 3:49 pm to BAMA_2016
Frank Thomas comes back, plays for the Cubs, hits 82 HR's, and cubs still lose the World Series........damn it.
Posted on 3/2/14 at 3:50 pm to NorthshoreTiger76
NL is stacked, you have so many teams fighting for 5 positions... As I said I think Nationals/Braves win the east and other gets a WC, Reds/Cards/Pirates in Central, and Dodgers in the West..... Then the Giants could also surprise if Matt Cain regains his form that earned him that contract
Posted on 3/2/14 at 3:54 pm to NorthshoreTiger76
Marlins will get a WC spot
This is not that far-fetched with their pitching.
This is not that far-fetched with their pitching.
Posted on 3/2/14 at 3:59 pm to tduecen
Well if recent history holds up, the Giants are due to win a WC this year
Posted on 3/2/14 at 4:20 pm to tduecen
Pirates picking up where they left off. WS.
Posted on 3/2/14 at 4:21 pm to tduecen
quote:
Reds/Cards/Pirates in Central
toughest division in baseball this year, same as last.
Posted on 3/2/14 at 4:24 pm to MisterSenator
AL East >> NL Central
They have no team as bad as the Cubs
They have no team as bad as the Cubs
Posted on 3/2/14 at 4:25 pm to tduecen
Phils and O's both make it back to the postseason
Posted on 3/2/14 at 4:26 pm to MisterSenator
quote:
Posted by MisterSenator quote: Reds/Cards/Pirates in Central toughest division in baseball this year, same as last.
And the brewers could very well end up being the best team in that division
Posted on 3/2/14 at 4:28 pm to GynoSandberg
Garza will help that rotation along with Braun being back. Will Segura keep up the production a whole year or fall off the second half again? Also what will we see with Weeks
Posted on 3/2/14 at 4:28 pm to tduecen
quote:
AL East >> NL Central
They have no team as bad as the Cubs
true, but three teams all within like 3 games of eachother, beating the snot out of eachother, and only two going on to the bs play-in game is as competitive as it gets
Posted on 3/2/14 at 4:28 pm to tduecen
Dan Uggla will hit above .200
Posted on 3/2/14 at 4:29 pm to TH03
quote:
Dan Uggla will hit above .200
Posted on 3/2/14 at 4:37 pm to SoFla Tideroller
The marlins will suck. Their pitching isn't that good and they have no offense
Posted on 3/2/14 at 4:56 pm to Lester Earl
yeah they'll be worse than the astros imo
I also am not sure why people are buying in to the brewers so much. I don't trust their pitching at all, and while Braun and Gomez can both be stars, lucroy is very good, and segura can also be very good, they're fill of holes and question marks everywhere else. they might win 80
the blue jays don't have near the pitching to compete in the east
I also am not sure why people are buying in to the brewers so much. I don't trust their pitching at all, and while Braun and Gomez can both be stars, lucroy is very good, and segura can also be very good, they're fill of holes and question marks everywhere else. they might win 80
the blue jays don't have near the pitching to compete in the east
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