Power Rankings: 5/5/13

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

MLB Power Rankings: 4/17/13

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

2013 MLB Predicitions

TEAM	W	L
TOR	98	64
TB	94	68
NYY	87	75
BAL	79	83
BOS	77	85
	W	L
DET	95	67
CLE	82	80
KC	78	84
CHW	74	88
MIN	70	92
	W	L
LAA	94	68
OAK	88	74
TEX	84	78
SEA	76	86
HOU	54	108
	W	L
WSH	96	66
ATL	93	69
PHI	82	80
NYM	69	93
MIA	65	97
	W	L
STL	95	67
CIN	92	70
PIT	83	79
MIL	77	85
CHC	71	91
	W	L
LAD	97	65
SF	88	74
ARZ	83	79
SD	73	89
COL	67	95
PLAYOFFS
WC	ATL	over	CIN
	TB	over	OAK
NLDS	ATL	over	LAD in 5
	WSH	over	STL in 4
ALDS	TB	over	TOR in 5
	DET	over	LAA in 5
NLCS	ATL	over	WSH in 7
ALCS	DET	over	TB in 6
WS	DET	over	ATL in 6
AWARDS	WINNER	SECOND
AL MVP	Fielder	Cabrera
AL CY	Verlander	Hernandez
AL ROY	Myers	Bauer
AL MAN	Maddon	Gibbons
NL MVP	Votto	Ramirez
NL CY	Bumgarner	Kershaw
NL ROY	Fujikawa	Brantly
NL MAN	Gonzalez	Johnson
AL/NL CP	Ellsbury	and	Votto

MLB Pick’em: Opening Day 2013

WINNER	LOSER
Yankees	Red Sox
Marlins	Nationals
Mets	Padres
Pirates	Cubs
Brewers	Rockies
Reds	Angels
White Sox	Royals
Dodgers	Giants
Braves	Phillies
Athletics	Mariners
Diamondbacks	Cardinals
Tigers	Twins

2013 MLB Bold Predictions: One for every MLB Team

Boston: Jon Lester finishes the Year with an ERA under 3.20
New York: They fail to make the playoffs for the first time since 2008
Tampa Bay: Price, Hellickson, and Moore become three of the top pitchers in the MLB
Baltimore: Manny Machado leads the team in most offensive categories
Toronto:  Lead the league in ERA and Home Runs

Detroit: Fielder and Cabrera combine for over 80 homers and Verlander wins 23
Kansas City: Eric Hosmer breaks out in Freddie Freeman type fashion
Cleveland: Drew Stubbs contends for a 30-30 season
Minnesota: The team finds an ace mid season- Kyle Gibson
Chicago: Addison Reed emerges as an elite closer

Houston: They start off decent, but do what everyone expects after, then call up their prospects and go .500 in September
Oakland: The rookies don’t have sophomore sumps and they stay hot
Texas:  The offense weakens and is one of the worst in the league
LA Angels: Their offensive saves them and they lead the league in walk-off victories
Seattle: Jason Bay is one of their top hitters

Atlanta: The whole outfield has 20-20 seasons
Washington:  Win 100 games
Philadelphia: Ben Revere steals 60 bases
New York: David Wright gets 200 hits, 30 HR, and is second best 3B in baseball
Miami: Jacob Turner becomes their ace

St Louis: They find a way to scrap out another division title despite the injury plague
Chicago: They improve by 10-15 wins
Cincinnati: Zack Cozart becomes a breakout star
Milwaukie: John Axford and Rickie Weeks repeat their 2011 seasons
Pittsburgh: Garrett Jones dries in 100 runs and leads the team to 83 wins

LA Dodgers:  Kershaw and Grienke become top 1-2 pitching punch in baseball quickly
San Francisco: Miss the postseason the year after winning it all, like they did in 2010
Colorado: The offense is top 5 in the NL
Arizona: The starters have a combined ERA under 3.50
San Diego: Andrew Cashner and Yonder Alonso become the starts of the Padres

Top 10 Right Now- Team (Tigers, Royals, Indians)

Tigers

1. 3B Miguel Cabrera
2. SP Justin Verlander
3. 1B Prince Fielder
4. CF Austin Jackson
5. DH Victor Martinez
6. SP Max Scherzer
7. RF Torii Hunter
8. SP Doug Fister
9. SP Anibal Sanchez
10. RP Joaquin Beniot

Royals

1. LF Alex Gordon
2. DH Billy Butler
3. SP James Shields
4. 1B Eric Hosmer
5. 3B Mike Moustakas
6. SS Alcides Escobar
7. SP Jeremy Guthrie
8. RP Greg Holland
9. CF Lorenzo Cain
10. SP Wade Davis

Indians

1. RF Nick Swisher
2. 2B Jason Kipnis
3. CF Michael Bourn
4. SS Asdrubal Cabrera
5. SP Ubaldo Jimenez
6. RP Chris Perez
7. C Carlos Santana
8. 3B Lonnie Chisenhall
9. RP Vinnie Pestano
10. SP Justin Masterson

 

If I Voted: Hall of Fame 2013

UPDATE: This post never published due to a glitch, I found it and hope you still enjoy
I voted for 10 guys, which is the max.  I took the steroids out of the equation and looked at the player and how he did without steroids.  Bonds would’ve been in the Hall of Fame even without the steroids.  So here is the ballot…
Close but no cigar: Bernie Williams, Lee Smith, Larry Walker, Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire,Dale Murphy, Don Mattingly
Not a Shot: Rafael Palmerio, Kenny Lofton, David Wells, Steve Finley, Julio Franco,Shawn Green, Reggie Saunders, Woody Williams, Jeff Cirillo, Rondell White, Jeff Conine and the others
TIM RAINES: He earns my vote as a good speedster and hitter and one of the best players of the 80s
CURT SCHILLING: His regular season numbers are good enough but his postseason heroics for the Diamondbacks and Red Sox  was just amazing and his stats may not be the best ever, but they’re hall of fame numbers
JEFF BAGWELL: One of the most feared sluggers.  He had a great career and his power game was one of the best in MLB history
ALAN TRAMMELL: Shortstops that are this great only come once and a while, and when you compare him to guys like Cal Ripken and you’ve seen his highlights and stats, you’d be sold on him.
JACK MORRIS: His ERA was high and wins are overrated, I agree, but Morris won a World Series everywhere he went, and he was the ace almost all th time and he was one of the best pitchers, if not the best of the 80s, I’d let the ERA slide
CRAIG BIGGIO: Most likely to get in and rightly so, deserves it and has the magic 3,000 hits
EDGAR MARTINEZ: The DH is a position and Martinez is the best DH in MLB history and an extraordinary hitter.  The best player ever at every other position is in the Hall of Fame, Martinez should be too
FRED MCGRIFF: He just missed 500 homers, just by a small amount and he was another one of the best power hitters ever.  He was a great number four hitter for many great teams also
ROGER CLEMENS: He would’ve been great without the steroids and his rocket arm will forever live in MLB history
BARRY BONDS: Hall Of Famer, steroids or no steroids.  Hands down.

Grading Each Team Overall Going Into Spring Training

A= Playoff B=Good C=Average D=70 win F=bottom feeder
Yankees: B
Blue Jays: A-
Rays: B
Red Sox: C-
Orioles: B
Tigers: A
Indians: D+
White Sox: C
Royals: C
Twins: D
Rangers: B-
Angels: A
Athletics: B+
Mariners: D
Astros: F
Braves: B+
Nationals: A
Mets: D
Marlins: F
Phillies: C+
Cardinals: B+
Reds: B+
Pirates: C-
Brewers: C-
Cubs: D-
Dodgers: B+
Giants: A-
Rockies: D-
Padres: D
Diamondbacks: C

Free Agent Profile: Grady Sizemore

OVERVIEW: Sizemore became the Indians best and most popular player after coming up in 2004.  He could do it all and was one of the top young players in the AL Central and AL.  He can still help a team out a ton but after getting injured in August 2009 he was unable to stay healthy.  One injury after another ha derailed the past 3 years of his career.  He’s only 30 and he can still play center field well but after being injured all of 2012, he will have to settle for a smaller contract.  For the production he can put up I’m kind of surprised that a team hasn’t taken a flyer on Sizemore yet.  He can still hit and could regain his old form for a couple of years.  Sizemore can help a team out if he can stay healthy and he’s worth a look even if you have a packed outfield.
STATS: In a full season he could hit 25-30 HR and get at least 70 RBI, it all depends on where you put him in the line-up.  Near the top he could be a big run scorer too.  If he stays healthy for a whole year, his numbers could closely resemble his old numbers.  The only thing is his average has dipped and he won’t likely bring it up a ton, but he could still not have an atrocious average and he can get on base well.
FITS
Rangers- This is his perfect fit, he could hit well here and help Texas stay competitive since they lost Hamilton and need an OF BEST FIT
Indians- He is one of their better players in the past 10 years
Yankees- Seems like a place he could do some damage but he would be more of a role player
Cardinals- He would be a decent fourth outfielder in St. Louis
Orioles- They missed out on Nick Swisher, but he may be a bargain if they get him
Rays- They just lost J Upton, a sleeper fit for Sizemore
IDEAL CONTRACT: 1 year, 4-6 Million 3-5 Million in incentives
CAN HE STAY HEALTHY?: That’s a matter of luck and how your body is built.  Sizemore can stay healthy for a whole year as he’s played 162 games more than once and if he does, he could put a little bit of fear back into pitchers
BOTTOM LINE: A former All-Star CF, who might just still be one.  Pick him up

Face Of The Franchise MLB

On MLB Network’s show Hot Stove they’ve set up something called face of the franchise where each day a team is picked and the fans vote for the face of their favorite team.  I’ve made my list.  This includes no players who used to play for the team (ex. Pujols, Cardinals) or all-time figures (ex. Banks, Cubs)

Yankees: SS Derek Jeter
Red Sox: DH David Ortiz
Rays: 3B Evan Longoria
Blue Jays: RF Jose Bautista
Orioles: C Matt Wieters
Tigers: SP Justin Verlander
Twins: C Joe Mauer
Royals: OF Alex Gordon
Indians: 2B Jason Kipnis
White Sox: 1B Paul Konerko
Angels: OF Mike Trout
Rangers: 2B Ian Kinsler
Athletics: OF Yoenis Cespedes
Mariners: SP Felix Hernandez
Astros: 2B Jose Altuve
Braves: OF Jason Heyward
Marlins: OF Giancarlo Stanton
Nationals: 3B Ryan Zimmerman
Mets: 3B David Wright
Phillies: SP Roy Halladay
Cardinals: C Yadier Molina
Reds: 1B Joey Votto
Brewers: OF Ryan Braun
Pirates: OF Andrew McCutchen
Cubs: SS Starlin Castro
Diamondbacks: OF Justin Upton
Giants: SP Matt Cain
Dodgers: OF Matt Kemp
Rockies: OF Carlos Gonzalez
Padres: 3B Chase Headley
I believe the face of the franchise is a little different than being the franchise’s best player or prospect.  Here’s a list of the best who weren’t the face…..yet

C Buster Posey Giants
3B Miguel Cabrera Tigers
1B Albert Pujols Angels
SS Troy Tulowitzki Rockies
SP David Price Rays
and more that didn’t make the cut