Bryan LaHair: His Monster April

Bryan LaHair has been amazing this season.  He’s hitting .390 and has 5 home runs.  His power is greater than that even and his average will go down, but he has proven to be a keeper and even when Anthony Rizzo comes up LaHair can play the outfield.  He fits in at Wrigley and he has hit 23-34 when he doesn’t strike out and he may not cut those down a lot, but if he can work pon that, he can become even better and more valuable.  LaHair should keep up on his good season, especially in the first half.  He may see a slight drop in production after that, but he should still be good.  You should snag him off the waiver wire if still available in your fantasy league too.  He may be the Cubs best player this year, besides maybe Starlin Castro, and he should continue to hit huge homers and be very clutch.  He has flaws but with his swing and ability he should always be able to work around that a little bit and I think he could be like Nelson Cruz, maybe not as good, but a guy who mashed at AAA and broke out a little later than normal.  LaHair is a good player and his offense should always help the CUbs, even with some of his minor flaws.  If I were to pick the next LaHair, the guy who comes to mind is Brad Eldred, he can just mash, but really there’s only a slight chance of that happening.

Miami Marlins April Recap

Who’s Hot?:
Omar Infante: He has not only been a top performer and been a huge power hitter and just been the Marlins best hitter and he’s been able to hit in multiple spots in the order.  He’s been what they need and saved the team.  He’s the April Team MVP.
Anibal Sanchez: His stuff has been great and he picked up where he left off in 2011, which is a good thing.  He may really breakout this year and be huge for the Marlins all season long.  He’s a been a great starter.
Mark Buehrle: He’s done more than kept the Marlins in the game and been the ace while Johnson has been trying to recover from his injury.  He will do his job for the Marlins and more so far and he can continue that
Who’s Cold? and will they recover?
Hanley Ramirez- Yes (Most of his hits have big though)
Josh Johnson- Yes, can be the ace he is still
Heath Bell- Yes, He will get better
Edward Mujica- Yes, for the most part
John Buck- No
Emilio Bonifaco- Yes
Jose Reyes- Yes
Notes

• Ricky Nolasco might have finally figured it out
• Logan Morrison should have a similar season to what his April has shown
• Gaby Sanchez has to step up and it’s 50-50 that he can
• I wouldn’t worry too much about Heath Bell yet

Recap: The month of April was disappointing but it’s just one month and the Marlins at least finished it in a shape where they can bounce back with a good May.  They need to get it going soon though.  The pitching has been great and maybe the won’t be as good in May, but they will still be a top-notch rotation and bullpen.  The offense needs to step up more than anything and it can.  I wouldn’t worry if I was a Marlins fan, just be concerned.  They played some good teams, and won some good games too, but they lost some games they shouldn’t have.  I’d expect May to be a lot better

Bryce Harper’s Debut

Prediction: 3-4 HR, 3 RBI, R
Debut’s are just one game and Harper could go 0-4 and still be good, but his debut feels like it could be like Strasburg’s but for a hitter, but he could impress people in the same way and there is a chance he could play so good he could stick for the rest of the year. He should also show how good he can play defense in the outfield and how good of an arm he has. Even if his stats aren’t there in this stint, which they should be, he should impress and help the already good Nationals even more. His offense should have a big impact on the team and I could see him helping the teams offense a ton. He could hit anywhere from .280 to .350 and his power and RBIs should Help the Nats a ton. Harper is ready and will show in the next two weeks and maybe beyond

What Is Wrong With The Tigers?

The Tigers find themselves back where they were in 2011, at a 10-10 record 20 games through the season, they have lost 5 straight though.  There is no reason to panic though because Prince Fielder, Alex Avila, and Jhonny Peralta, and Brennan Boesch will soon join Austin Jackson and Miguel Cabrera hitting well.  Verlander’s worst month will always be April and he will warm-up and Porcello is just getting more experienced and he and Scherzer could start doing well at any way.  The major problem so far has been the bullpen, the Tigers need to find another arm that will fit with the 5 good ones they have now, that arm could be a guy like Putkonen or a free agent like Mike Gonzalez.  Still things are at their absolute worse right now and everything should start to change.  The Tigers are a deep team that will win.  Every team goes through a bad stretch in a season, and I wouldn’t be surprised if this was it for the Tigers and they won’t get this cold again.  Delmon Young also needs to come back and start hitting as soon as he is removed from the restricted list following his arrest.  This team will shape up and be what we thought they would, they have too many talented players not to.  Last year the Tigers lost 5 straight twice and still won 95 games.  There is no reason for panic this early and they can easily still win even 100 games.  Nothing major is wrong, just a cold streak.
TODAY: Drew Smyly is the perfect guy to bring the Tigers out of this losing streak, he has been good and I think he can survive Yankee Stadium have a decent start at least, and the Tigers can hit Garcia really hard and beat him like they did the last time they faced him in Game 2 of the ALDS at Yankee Stadium

MLB Power Rankings 4/27/12

1. Rangers
2. Nationals
3. Dodgers
4. Cardinals
5. Rays
6. Yankees
7. Tigers
8. Braves
9. Blue Jays
10. Giants
11. Phillies
12. Red Sox
13. Diamondbacks
14. Orioles
15. Mets
16. Indians
17. Reds
18. White Sox
19. Marlins
20. Brewers
21. Rockies
22. Athletics
23. Mariners
24. Pirates
25. Angels
26. Cubs
27. Astros
28. Royals
29. Padres
30. Twins

NOTE: Tigers should rebound quickly and Nationals are for real

A Look At Brandon Inge’s Tigers Career

Brandong Inge may not have been the best Tigers player ever, but he had some good seasons and was a valuable player for many seasons.  His 12 year run as a Tiger was ended today by his release from the team.  His time with the Tigers was filled with great bdefensive plays, power and some very good seasons.  He was also a very team oriented player and deserves a spot in Tigers history.  He was second on the team in home runs in 2006, with 27 and was a leader on that team.

Ranking His Years

1. 2006
2. 2009
3. 2004
4. 2005
5. 2007
6. 2010
7. 2003
8. 2002
9. 2008
10. 2011
11. 2001
12. 2012

He also hit many walk-ff home runs and had 6 two home run games.  He hit 76 Home Runs at Comerica Park, second only to Miguel Cabrera and he should be remembered in a good way, he was a good player and a very underrated defender.  He may latch on another team and he can make contributions still, so best of luck to him.

Mariners Thoughts

Felix Hernandez: He had a rough first inning at the game today but he got better as the game went on and he looked like the Cy Young winner and should do even better than he did in 2010 if he can have his best control like he did after the first inning
Justin Smoak: He’s needs work but looks good, and his swing and power are very good
Jesus Montero: He is going to be big and good in seattle and he doesn’t just hit for power, he is a good well polished hitter when not hitting monster home runs
Ichiro Suzuki: He still is a very good hitter and the same hitter he’s always been, he will have another good year
The Offense: It can have some good streaks but needs work and the mariners need to get on like they did in tonight’s game vs Detroit, their offense will get better and I like their young hitters like Ackley and the amount of power and some depth that they have
Alex Liddi: The power is unreal too, him and Montero could hit 30 homers if they live up to their potential and playing time
Dustin Ackley: Just a great hitter

Ranking Week 4’s Two Start Pitchers

1. Matt Cain at CIN (Latos), SD (Richard)
2. Madison Bumgarner at NYM (Santana), SD (Bass)
3. Gio Gonzalez at SD (Richard), at LAD (TBD)
4. David Price LAA (Santana), at TEX (Holland)
5. Jon Lester at MIN (Marquis), at CWS (Peavy)
6. Zack Grienke HOU (Harrell), at STL (Garcia)
7. Jordan Zimmermann at SD (Richard), at LAD (Capuano)
8. Bartolo Colon CWS (Peavy), at BAL (Hunter)
9. Matt Garza STL (Garcia), at PHI (Kendrick)
10. Jaime Garcia at CHC (Garza), MIL (Greinke)
11. Johan Santana SF (Bumgarner), at COL (Guthrie)
12. Derek Holland NYY (Kuroda), TB (Price)
13. Mark Buehrle at NYM (Dickey), ARI (TBD)
14. Mat Latos SF (Cain), HOU (Harrell)
15. Brandon Morrow at KC (Chen), SEA (Millwood)
16. Max Scherzer SEA (Vargas), at NYY (Kuroda)
17. Jake Peavy at OAK (Colon), BOS (Lester)
18. Ervin Santana at TB (Price), at CLE (Lowe)
19. Jair Jurrjens at LAD (Capuano), PIT (McDonald)
20. Josh Beckett at MIN (Swarzark), at CWS (Floyd)
21. Jason Vargas at DET (Scherzer), at TOR (Alvarez)
22. Chris Capuano ATL (Jurrjens), WAS (Zimmermann)
23. Henderson Alvarez at BAL (Hunter), SEA (Vargas)
24. Gavin Floyd at OAK (Milone), BOS (Beckett)
25. Hiroki Kuroda at TEX (Holland), DET (Scherzer)
26. Kyle Kendrick at ARI (Miley), CHC (Garza)
27. RA Dickey MIA (Buehrle), at COL (Moyer)
28. Jonathan Sanchez at CLE (Lowe), at MIN (Marquis)
29. Bruce Chen TOR (Morrow), at MIN (Liriano)
30. Clayton Richard WAS (Zimmermann), at SF (Cain)
31. James McDonald COL (Moyer), at ATL (Jurrjens)
32. Jason Marquis BOS (Lester), KC (Sanchez)
33. Tommy Hunter TOR (Alvarez), OAK (Colon)
34. Jamie Moyer at PIT (McDonald), NYM (Dickey)
35. Derek Lowe KC (Sanchez), LAA (Santana)
36. Lucas Harell at MIL (Greinke), at CIN (Latos)

Numbers 1-14 are go’s for sure, numbers 15-24 are okay bets, and 25-30 only if you need it, rest are no goes.

Thanks to Yahoo Sports for the list and matchups

MLB Power Rankings: 4/21/12

1. Rangers
2. Dodgers
3. Nationals
4. Cardinals
5. Tigers
6. Yankees
7. Braves
8. Phillies
9. Rays
10. Blue Jays
11. Indinas
12. Brewers
13. Mets
14. Angels
15. Diamondbacks
16. Giants
17. Orioles
18. Marlins
19. Reds
20. Rockies
21. White Sox
22. Red Sox
23. Athletics
24. Twins
25. Pirates
26. Astros
27. Mariners
28. Royals
29. Cubs
30. Padres

My Take: Chris Sale

Chris Sale is a very good left handed pitcher, who in the future could be an ace or a great closer. He’s a better starting and has impressed me. He looks kind of like Randy Johnson on the mound, like FSN Detroit analysts Mario Impemba and Rod Allen said, not that he will be Johnson just that he can be like him in some ways and he gives the same presence and feel. He can hold his own and shut down an offense with his stuff but he needs work and is still a few years down the road from reaching his potential. He will strike you out often too. He is a stud pitcher to say the least and I would be surprised if he didn’t have a good career. You should see many glimpses of that in 2012 and in 2013 he could make a small breakout. The White Sox will have an ace and losing Buehrle will be eased by this guy. Sale and Reed will make a good starter-bullpen combo too. Sale could be one of the best soon and you should keep your eye out for him too because he can do a lot right in a game and shut your team down. His numbers and what he can do are amazing and his ERA should almost always run low. His first two starts of 2012 are what he’s going to be this year minus a few bad starts he will have.