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

2012 MLB Playoff Prediction: Pre-Postseason

AL Wild Card
Orioles over Rangers 6-5
NL WIld Card
Braves over Cardinals 7-5
ALDS
Yankees over Orioles 3-2
Tigers over Athletics 3-1
NLDS
Nationals over Braves 3-2
Reds over Giants 3-2
ALCS
Tigers over Yankees 4-2
NLCS
Nationals over Reds 4-2
World Series
Tigers over Nationals in 7

Hot Stove Day 1: Lowe, Sabathia, Santos

• Derek Lowe was traded to the Indians and he might have a few good starts but he will be a 4.70 ERa guy who fills the Indians five slot okay and it wasn’t a bad deal on their part but don’t expect a lot from him, he may improve slightly on last season based on his track record but other than that he’s slowly going to get worse.  The Braves need this, now they have a rotation of Hudson, Hanson, Jurrjens, Minor and Beachy full time with Teheran and Delgado to follow soon and they might be able to sign one more piece to help them make the playoffs.  The Braves also got lefty reliever Chris Jones, who could be a nice piece to their bullpen in a  few seasons.  EDGE: Braves
• CC Sabathia agreed to stay with the Yankees which is a win-win.  Sabathia will do good in New York and the Yankees would be in huge trouble without him.
• The Tigers have outrighted Brad Thomas and Omir Santos, though neither will be missed much the Tigers need a new back-up/emergency catcher, I suggest bringing back Matt Treanor and starting him in AAA.  Thomas may do so-so in a new home but will never be a real good reliever and Santos could be a good backup catcher somewhere.

Chance Each Team Has At Winning Qorld Series

Phillies: 55%
Tigers: 35%
Yankees: 30%
Red Sox: 27%
Brewers: 25%
Rays 24%
Rangers: 24%
Diamonbacks: 22%
Braves: 21%
Angels: 15%
Cardianls: 5%
The Phillies are the team to beat and have the toughest postseason roster, after that it’s closely matched but with he Tigers on a roll and the Yankees a good October team they have competition and the Brewers and D’Backs could beat them.  I can’t see the Wild Cards on either side making out of the DS series this year and the Rays have a great team and if they get in could be very underrated and sneak through the playoffs.  I also expect the Cards to be out of the race real soon, especiallyw ith tonight’s loss.

Do The Braves Need To Worry About Pitching

I say no for two reasons, one is that they are going to rebound from this little funk they’re in and do pretty good and they are a scary team.  The only thing that could hurt is injuries
REASON 1: They it all they just need it to come together again but if Hanson can’t come back by the NLDS they could be in a little trouble, they can do without Jurrjens for now
HUDSON: Is a veteran who does good in these situations and is a good, ace type of pitcher.  Watch for him to have a really good NLDS
BEACHY: Can be dominating and I think he will in the playoffs and he just needs to find his groove again, which he can in his next couple starts
MINOR: He’s a good pitcher and impressive and if he has to fill in I think he could do well and maybe not throw and shutout but six or seven really good innings
HANSON: He will just be himself, no changes a solid option who will win games in the playoffs, needs to be here for the NLDS though or Braves are in some trouble
JURRJENS: If he can come back for NLCS he can be money.  If not Braves will have a tougher time getting passed the Phillies or Brewers or D’Backs
Injuries are the only thing that could stop the rotation.  Lowe would have a 50-05 shot or probably less at this point in doing well in a playoff game and Teheran may not be the right choice yet but in an emergency he might surprise them.
RESASON 2: If the starters get healthy they have to go six innings them O’Flathery will take ver and do great, then Venters will and do great and Kimbrel will shut down the other teams hitting with his heat and amazing stuff he’s a very special closer and he will be great for many years but especially this postseason.

The Braves will get out of this funk and likely soon but they need Jurrjens and Hanson healthy to go deep, if they do the Braves have a real shot, almost everybody slumping will stop on pitching (except Lowe)

Ranking Playoff Contenders Rotataions

1. Phillies- They have actually outperformed this year and Lee, Hamels, Oswlat, and Halladay will be tough in any series and don;t forget Worely who will figure in somewhere
2. Brewers- Grienke is finally stepping up and Gallardo is talented and won’t crumble in the playoffs add that to a consistent Marcum and you have a good rotation
3. Giants- Their rotation will win it for them.  Lincecum can come up and so can Cain.  Vogelsong could fade a bit but he will be good and so will Sanchez when he comes back. 
4. Braves- A nice mix and Hanson, Beachy, Lowe, Hudson or Jurrjens could pitch well and that’s why I think this team can go deep with no trouble.  Jurrjens will be the best though
5. Rangers- Not the prettiest but it will get the job done for them.  Ogando and Wilson doing the biggest part and Harrison right behind them and Lewis should do well under pressure though he can be hit off of
6. Diamondbacks- Kennedy is an ace, Hudson is a good co-ace/number two and Collmenter could stay a surprise breakout and add that with an average veteran like Joe Saunders and you will get a decent rotation that can hold up
7. Tigers- Verlander is money and he will start every possible game he can and can win most.  Scherzer is starting to heat up and Fister will do what he always does and Penny may take a spot though Porcello could heat up, Porcello couldn’t be in the playoff rotation right now, but that could easily change.
8. Red Sox- After Beckett and Lester they don’t strike any fear and Lester or Beckett may lose once in a while.  If anything brings them down the playoffs, it’s their rotation
9. Yankees- CC and maybe some good work from veterans but the only guy I can see doing well besides CC is Nova and that’s not even set in stone, if they don’t fix that fast they are in trouble

MLB Power Rankings 8/19/11

1. Phillies- The best, no question
2. Red Sox- Really Good, easily better than the Yankees
3. Braves- I can’t find many negatives
4. Yankees- Starters and Injuries a concern but a good team
5. Brewers- Hottest in baseball and Weeks isn’t even back yet
6. Rangers- Ready for another deep postseason run
7. Diamondbacks- Look better than the Giants but not very established yet
8. Giants- Lincecum has been a n ace as has Cain and Vogelsong and Sanchez have been a great supporting cast.  No offense though
9. Tigers- If the starters can come around they are a pretty deep team
10. Rays- The wrong division, one of the most talented teams in the MLB, bright future
11. Cardinals- Berkman, Holliday and Pujols won’t make it easy on Brewers but Garcia struggles are big trouble
12. Indians- Ubaldo will help but just aren’t THAT good
13. Angels- Wells is killing them but Santana is hot and Trumbo is a very talented player
14. White Sox- If Dunn comes around, watch out, Humber being out hurts though
15. Blue Jays- Above average but this isn’t their year to shine
16. Pirates- A .500 team, finally.  If Alvarez comes around and they stay healthy could be much, much more
17. Reds- Could climb up the list and come back very strong
18. Rockies- Another team that had just one bad year and Tulo could light up September
19. Marlins- Should being doing a lot better but dumb moves like demoting Morrison hurt
20. Mets- Not a bad team but not a contender, yet
21. Nationals- Could be next year’s surprise team with Strasburg back, both Zimmerman(n)s and a good year from Werth, don’t forget Harper, at the end of the year, either
22. Twins- Need to come out the gate better but Nishioka is a bust and an easy out, the double play combo needs work
23. Athletics- They look very good and I can’t see them not improving a lot next season
24. Padres- Have some young and promising players but still a few years away
25. Dodgers- Kemp is an MVP candidate and Ethier should come back strong starting this year
26. Mariners- The starters look good and Wells and Carp look like future players but after that it’s hazy
27. Orioles- Not a really good team and still years away from contending
28. Cubs- With Hendry gone it could get better from here
29. Royals- Their outfielders all look good and prospects are bright a better record is ahead
30. Astros- Not much other than Altuve

Braves Acquire Michael Bourn

The Braves have acquired Michael Bourn for Jordan Schafer, Paul Clemens, Brett Oberholtzer, and Juan Abreu.  Bourn will hit leadoff in Atlanta and should keep producing like he did in Houston.  He gives the Braves speed and defense and a good center fielder, which is what they need, so the Braves did a good job here,  Bourn will make the outfield better on defense along with Heyward and will steal another 20 bases at least this season.  Him hitting leadoff bumps Prado to the two hole which is good too because that’s where Prado needs to hit.  Bourn will play great for the Braves this year and beyond.  The Astros got Jordan Schafer to take over center field duties and he looks good and could very well breakout and show us all of his tools in Houston and in that park he will show a ton of power and just play really well.  The Astros also got Oberholtzer who looks like he will be a good pitcher but nothing really special.  The Astros also got Paul Clemens, who looks really good and could rocket through the system and have some good years in Houston and Juan Abreu who will be decent and has major league potential, it’s a good haul for the Astros.  Bourn should always have higher stock than Schafer and do some great stuff in Atalanta.  His speed will solve a lot of problems.  EDGE: Braves

Topics: Granderson, Debuts, Marlins

• Curtis Granderson has gotten off to a great start with ten homers and he’s hitting pretty good right now to, plus in Yankee Stadium he will cover any piece of ground this year.  I expect his power to stay up and for him to hit around .265 this year.  He will start to hit lefties a little better and playing in Yankee Stadium ad in this line-up will take its toll.  I wouldn’t be surprised if he hit 335 bombs and he’s an all-star.  He will be a pain for rivals this season too and should do really good somewhere in this line-up and when Jeter starts to improve he should move up to the two sot for good and rake.  He will be one of the Yankees best players this year.
• Eric Hosmer walked in his first plate appearance which he will do a bit of, his debut is just the start and he will improve every game, with his hitting and power and by the end of the year he will be doing really good.  Julio Teheran made his debut and gave up three runs in 4.2 innings, he will get better with each start but may need some more seasoning before everything gets better and he will do pretty good this season and improve a lot for future seasons.
• The Marlins have a great shot to challenge the Phillies with the Braves all season and are a great team.  If Hanley starts to rake they will be real legit, especially with their pitching.

Fake or Real?: Teams

THE GOOD
INDAINS(11-4): FAKE- They are taking a step forward but every team goes through big win streaks and this is their’s for the year.  After this streak is over there should be a lot of loses for the Indians and this streak will only give them a few more wins than most expected.  They have a decent future but they need their pitching to develop some more and other than Chris Perez it won’t there this year.  Their offense should win them some games though and I believe Choo and Asdrubal Cabrera will have their best season yet and Sozemore could come back strong with Santana but it just won’t all come together and at best they are a 70 win ball club.
MARLINS(8-6): REAL- They will be wild card contenders but ti will be tough and their offense might not be good enough.  They need Mike Stanton to do really good though and with their young players they can stick in it.  Morrison’s start is for is legit as is his power.  Hanley and Johnson will be top players and the rest of the team will do very good.  Javier Vazquez could be one of the best under the radar moves and their bullpen will be awesome.  A lot to like and they will be consistent and win 85-90 games.
ROYALS(10-5): FAKE- There is a very tiny  chance they could surprise and I like how this team is built to do okay now and ompete in a couple of seasons.  The streak could last as long as month and they are better than the Indians and will have a longer streak.  Their starters will bring them down because they won’t do that well after a while.  They could get 75 wins at most still and could take a large step towards competing next year.
ROCKIES: REAL- They are good but the question is how good.  They are good enough to win the NL West, I think.  They just need to keep their pitching up and their offense needs to do great when the pitching falters and they have done that so far and there is no reason they won’t for most of the season.  With Tulo playing like this they can’t have a bad game on offense and Tulo will could be the MVP and Cargo could too he just needs to start.  They will have a tough road but with their second half success and this start it will be hard to fail.  Just need Fowler and De La Rosa all season and they could never look back.
ANGELS: REAL- I can see them finishing second and being a few games over .500 with their team, especially will Scioscia at the helm.m  Their starters could be awesome as long as Haren and Santana show up because I know Kazmir won’t at all.  Their hitting will keep them there and I think they can stay.  There key is that they need to play the A’s and Rangers to at least a .500 record to stay in contention, which I don’t see them doing but their record is real. 
THE BAD
RED SOX(4-10)- FAKE- Duh, but I think it shows they don’t have enough pitching they need to be champions, Lackey could turn around or Beckett but no guarantees.
TWINS(5-10)- FAKE- They will surge back at some point, they have a great team and everything looks ok except they could have some more pitching issues and the injuries hurt which should keep them in third but they will get out of this hole and still have a winning record.
RAYS(6-9): FAKE- They should still finish in third they just need some more time to mesh together and when they do I think they will be a very tough team.  Their depth and pitching is very good.
BREWERS(7-8): FAKE- Just give them time they are going to be in the playoffs or close.  They are 7-4 since their bad start and their 1-6 hitters are some of the best in baseball to go with their starters and everything else.
BRAVES(7-9): FAKE- Same case as the Brewers exactly.  Except they have a better shot at the playoffs, they may rebound just a tiny bit slow though.