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March 30, 2006
MetsGeek.com Pre-season Predictions
Around this time last year, the writers here at MetsGeek sat down and tried to make some predictions about the season, specifically the winners of the divisions, wild cards, and year-end awards. Many of us nailed some of the obvious ones (Braves, Cardinals, Pujols), though nobody picked the Astros to win the NL Wild Card, Chris Carpenter to win the NL Cy Young, Bartolo Colon to win the AL Cy Young (he shouldn’t have, anyway), etc. Since we did such a great job a year ago, we thought it’d be fun to give it another go-round for 2006. Here’s what we came up with. N a t i o n a l L e a g u e
East Central West Wild Card
Alex Mets Cardinals Padres Braves
Andrew Phillies Cardinals Dodgers Mets
Eric Braves Cardinals Giants Mets
Jeremy Braves Cardinals Padres Mets
Matt Braves Cardinals Dodgers Mets
Mike Mets Cardinals Padres Astros
Comments: Mixed bag of picks to win the NL East this year. Andrew’s been drinking too much of that Ryan Howard Kool-Aid, picking the Phillies for some ungodly reason. Tom Gordon’s arm will have fallen off by the end of May and the Phillies will bring Mitch Williams out of retirement to close games down the stretch. I give Alex and Mike credit for picking the Mets, but I fall in line with the “pick the Braves until they actually lose” crowd. The NL Central is a no-brainer, seemingly. The NL West is up for grabs. The Padres are probably the favorites just for “winning” it last year, but their rotation is suspect after Peavy and their lineup is nothing to write home about (no offense to Mikes Piazza and Cameron). I like Andrew’s Dodgers pick, but I’m predicting Barry Bonds and Jason Schmidt will play enough to carry the G-Men to the title. The Mets are represented on all six ballots, twice as the division winner and the other four times as the Wild Card. MVP Cy Young Rookie of the Year Manager Alex Albert Pujols Jake Peavy Ryan Zimmerman Clint Hurdle Andrew Albert Pujols Jake Peavy Prince Fielder Ned Yost Eric Albert Pujols Chris Carpenter Jeremy Hermida Willie Randolph Jeremy Albert Pujols Tim Hudson Ryan Zimmerman Bobby Cox Matt Ken Griffey, Jr. Pedro Martinez Jeremy Hermida Ned Yost Mike David Wright Roy Oswalt Ryan Zimmerman Ned Yost Comments: Albert Pujols is the favorite for MVP again, Mike is thinking wishfully and Matt still thinks it’s 1995. A mixed bag for NL Cy Young. This award is almost as big a crapshoot as the ROY. I took last year’s winner Chris Carpenter because, hey, why not? Jake “The Snake” Peavy gets a couple of votes, while Jeremy gives Tim Hudson the nod under the tutelage of Roger McDowell in Atlanta. Mike takes Roy Oswalt because, as he puts it, “I love the little Texan”. The Rookie of the Year is nigh impossible to pick most years, because you just never know how a prospect is going to perform in his first real taste of big league action. All three of the guys we chose — Zimmerman, Fielder, Hermida — are likely future All-Stars, but who might be the best this year? Zimmerman plays in a terrible park for hitters, so I have a hard time believing he’ll hit well enough to out-perform guys like Hermida, Conor Jackson, Fielder, etc. I took Randolph as Manager of the Year as a goof, which means he’ll probably win. The Brewers have a good, young ballclub so it’s no surprise to see Yost get some love here. A m e r i c a n L e a g u e
East Central West Wild Card
Alex Yankees Indians Athletics White Sox
Andrew Red Sox White Sox Athletics Indians
Eric Yankees White Sox Athletics Red Sox
Jeremy Red Sox Indians Athletics White Sox
Matt Yankees White Sox Athletics Red Sox
Mike Yankees White Sox Athletics Indians
Comments: Andrew and Jeremy don’t think the Yankees will make the playoffs at all, though everyone is sure that either the Yanks or the Sawx will win the East. White Sox and Indians split the bill in the Central. While I like the Indians, I still give the Red Sox the nod in the Wild Card. No love for the Angels in this one, as everyone picks the A’s to win the Wild West. Angels could very well take this division or the Wild Card. MVP Cy Young Rookie of the Year Manager Alex Travis Hafner Johan Santana Francisco Liriano Eric Wedge Andrew David Ortiz Roy Halladay Francisco Liriano Ken Macha Eric Alex Rodriguez Johan Santana Casey Kotchman Ken Macha Jeremy Manny Ramirez Mark Buerhle Ian Kinsler Eric Wedge Matt David Ortiz Felix Hernandez Kenji Johjima Ken Macha Mike Alex Rodriguez Rich Harden Casey Kotchman Eric Wedge Comments: Jeremy picks Manny Ramirez to win the MVP for the second-straight year. Whichever name I try to type for MVP always just winds up spelling A-Rod. Matt sees Ortiz bringing home the hardware or, as he sees it, “Papi claims what is rightfully his.” Travis Hafner is a hell of a hitter, but he’ll have to put up ridiculous numbers to offest the fact that he doesn’t play defense. Last year Randy Johnson was on a lot of ballots, but he struggled in ‘05 and he’s off the docket this year. Johan Santana gets some votes, and Matt picks a dark horse in Felix Hernandez. Again, a touch choice for Rookie of the Year. Matt gives import Johjima the nod because “he’s Japanese and not on the Mets.” It’s a split decision on Manager of the Year, with half of us going for the Indians’ Eric Wedge and the other half picking the A’s Ken Macha. Feel free to put your own choices in the comments and we can come back and revisit these picks after the Mets’ ticker-tape parade next October. Eric Simon has far too much time on his hands. He sleeps upside-down, keeps people as pets, and can be found on the internets at Amazin' Avenue or bothered directly at eric@metsgeek.com. 74 Responses to “MetsGeek.com Pre-season Predictions”Leave a ReplyYou must be logged in to post a comment. |
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NL East: Braves
NL Central: Brewers
NL West: Dodgers
NL Wild Card: Mets
I think the Mets can definitely win the division, but you gotta give it to the Braves until they finally lose.
NL MVP: Andruw Jones
NL Cy Young: Ben Sheets
NL Rookie: Prince Fielder
NL Manager: Bobby Cox
Milwaukee could be very exciting. Prince Fielder can mash. He’ll be better than his dad.
AL East: Red Sox
AL Central: Indians
AL West: A’s
Wild Card: Yankees
The Yankees are going to score a load of runs. Matsui-Giambi-Sheffield-ARod-Jeter-Damon is a pretty ridiculous core of offensive players. Still, the pitching is just so horrific. If Randy Johnson goes down for an extended period of time, they’re probably pretty much done.
AL MVP: Alex Rodriguez
AL Cy Young: Johan Santana
AL Rookie: Kenji Jojima
AL Manager: Eric Wedge
No creative picks there. Francisco Liriano would be my rookie pick, but they’re going to stick him in long relief. He is filthy and will be a great 1-2 punch with Santana someday.
Entertaining read guys:
NL
East: Mets (Picking the Braves til they lose is a losers mentality. In real life, by the time a trend is obvious, its usually about to end anyway)
Central: Cardinals
West: Dodgers (Comeon, added Nomar, Furcal, Seo, and Baez… and Gagne returns)
Wilcard: Braves
MVP: Derrek Lee (to be different)
Cy Young: Pedro Martinez
Rookie: Prince Fielder
Manager: Grady Little
AL
East: Red Sox (They added Crisp and Loretta for basically nothing… Schill will be back)
Central: White Sox
West: Athletics
Wildcard: Twins (Thank you Santana-Liriano-Silva)
MVP: Mark Teixiera
Cy Young: Rich Harden
Rookie: Justin Verlander
Manager: Ken Macha
Mad props to Jeremy for Picking Ian Kinsler for AL rookie of the yr. Yet another guy who has made it to the big leagues that I either played against or watched while riding the pine in high school. The others Ben Diggins, JJ HArdy, Chris Duncan and Scott Hairston.
NL
East: Mets
Central: Cards
West: Dodgers
Wildcard: Cubs
MVP: Albert Pujols
Cy Young: Jake Peavy
Rookie of the yr: Conor Jackson
Manager: Jim Tracy (The bucs are going to surprise people)
Comeback player of the yr: Mike Cameron
AL
East: Blue Jays
Central: White Sox
West: Angels
Wild card: Yankees
MVP: Troy Glaus
cy young: Roy Halladay
Rookie of the year: Ian Kinsler
manager of the yr: John Gibbons
Comeback player of the yr: Jim Thome
Great article guys. And I especially agree with:
For all the whining and debating here about the Mets pitching, has anyone looked at the Yankees starters lately? Pavano and Wright are HUGE question marks. Mussina is in decline. And The Unit’s newly uncovered love child could become a distraction (as if his lack of social skills with the media isn’t enough!). I also think the ongoing steroid scandal will hit the Yanks harder than many expect. Prediction: Yanks will finish 2nd or 3rd and Torre’s entire coaching staff will be fired by August (but Joe will remain).
Now onto my predictions:
NL East:
1. Mets
2. Phils
3. Braves
4. Nats
5. Marlins
West: Padres
Central: Cards
Wild Card: Astros
NL MVP: Carlos Delgado
NL Cy Young: Pedro Martinez
(yes, a first-time Mets sweep!)
AL East: Red Sox
AL Central: White Sox
AL West: Angels
AL Wild Card: Indians
Emad’s entirely uninformed opinion:
NL
East: Mets
Central: Cards
West: Dodgers
Wild Card: Brewers
MVP: Chase Utley
Cy Young: Jake Peavy
Rookie of the Year: Prince Fielder
Manager of the Year: Ned Yost
Comeback Player of the Year:
Barroid BondsScott RolenAL
East: Red Sox
Central: Indians
West: A’s
Wild Card: Angels
MVP: Alexander The Great
only during the regular seasonCy Young: Johan Santana
Rookie of the year: Andy Marte
Manager of the Year: John Gibbons
Comeback Player of the Year: Curt Schilling
But the Yankees offense will score more runs than God and indulge in more steroids than the man in the sky would ever dream of.
NL
East: Mets
Central: Cards
West: Dodgers
Wildcard: Phillies
MVP: Albert Pujols
Cy Young: Carlos Zambrano
Rookie: Josh Willingham
Manager: Charlie Manuel
AL
East: Yankees
Central: Indians
West: Angels
Wildcard: White Sox
MVP: Grady Sizemore
Cy Young: Johan Santana
Rookie: Scott Baker
Manager: Mike Scoscia
The Braves will win 88 and miss the playoffs, while the Red Sox will win 91 and also miss out. Brett Myers and Hideki Matsui will do the heart-breaking.
NL East: Mets
NL Central: Cardinals
NL West: Giants
NL Wild Card: Braves
NL MVP: Albert Pujols
NL Cy Young: Roy Oswalt
NL Rookie: Conor Jackson
NL Manager: Bobby Cox
AL East: Yankees
AL Central: Indians
AL West: Athletics
AL Wild Card: White Sox
AL MVP: Alex Rodriguez
AL Cy Young: Barry Zito
AL Rookie: Brian Anderson
AL Manager: Ken Macha
Oh and by the way, did anyone win that “Free Agent Contest”? I want my autogrpahed Eric Simon picture…
And to Mike, I don’t think Casey Krotchman is elegible for the ROY, he’s had too many AB’s.
AL
East: Yankees
Central: White Sox
West: Athletics
Wild Card: Indians
MVP: Alex Rodriguez (ugh)
Cy Young: Rich Harden
Rookie: Francisco Liriano
Manager: Ken Macha
NL
East: Braves
Central: Cardinals
West: Dodgers
Wild Card: Mets
MVP: Albert Pujols
Cy Young: Jake Peavy
Rookie: Jeremy Hermida
Manager: Grady Little
Willie as manager of the year Eric? Firewillie is going to be appalled (where is he by the way?) NY Met managers never get seriously considered for that award. Even Davey never won it. The problem is the expectations get so high that the team is expected to do well, so no consideration. Now if expectations were low and they won the division, he could win, but too many “smart” people expect this team to excel.
Mike is not the only one thinking Wright could win MVP. A few guys on ESPN and in NY think the same. Problem is that if Delgado puts up good numbers, David will lose votes (like Ventura/Piazza a few years back).
I for one am picking Bannister for ROY. I think he wins 15 (i know, that is expecting a lot, just have a feeling) with around a 3.50 ERA.
Mets for the division, but fall in the LCS. Braves - out of the playoffs.
Yanks for WC, but fall in the first round to the Angels (again).
NL East: Mets
NL Central: Cards
NL West: Dodgers
NL WC: Brewers
NL MVP: Barry Bonds
NL Cy Young: Jake Peavy
NL ROY: Ryan Zimmerman
NL Manager: Ned Yost
AL East: Yankees
AL Central: Twins
AL West: Angels
AL WC: Blue Jays
AL MVP: Alex Rodriguez
AL Cy Young: Johan Santana
AL ROY: Brian Anderson
AL Manager: Ron Gardenhire
I guess basically I’m predicting a pretty wacky year all the way around, with some surprising results.
National League:
East: Mets
Central: Cardinals
West: Dodgers
WC: Phillies
MVP: Albert Pujols
CY: Brett Myers
ROY: Matt Murton
Manager:
Mookie WilsonCharlie ManuelAmerican League:
East: Yankees
Central: White Sox
West: Angels
WC: Indians
MVP: Vlad Guerrero
CY: Rich Harden
ROY: Jon Papelbon
Manager: Eric Wedge
Oh, and fuck the fucking Braves!!!
NL East: Mets
NL Central: Brewers
NL West: Dodgers (by default)
NL WC: Cardinals
NL MVP: Albert Pujols
NL Cy Young: Pedro Martinez
NL ROY: Prince Fielder
NL Manager: Ned Yost
AL East: Red Sox
AL Central: Indians
AL West: A’s
AL WC: Angles
AL MVP: Alex Rodriguez
AL Cy Young: Rich Harden
AL ROY: Kenji Johjima
AL Manager: Terry Francona
Bickity Bam
I didn’t pick Zimmerman for the homers. He won’t hit a lot this year, but he’ll hit for high average, a lot of doubles, and near gold glove defense. For that and starting from day #1 in the starting lineup, he’s my guy. Fielder was a close pick, but Zimmerman is disgusting.
I have Fielder and Zimmerman as relatively low picks on my fantasy team!!! I’m pumped for them.
NL: Mets, Cards, Dodgers, WC: Braves. MVP: Pujols CY: Peavy ROY: Zimmerman (Matt Murton as a sleeper if he’s still eligible)MOY: Yost
AL: Blue Jays (I don’t really believe it but here’s hoping), Indians, Angels WC: A’s MVP: David Ortiz (Sleeper: Victor Martinez, CY: Halladay ROY: Delmon Young (He’ll be up soon and I have first waiver priority). MOY: Wedge
From Rotoworld:
The Tampa Tribune reports that the Devil Rays may try to trade for Aaron Heilman, likely offering the Mets Julio Lugo in return.
Heilman would likely start immediately in Tampa Bay and New York could use Lugo at second base. The two teams are also reportedly talking about a smaller deal involving Heath Bell. Mar. 30 - 10:21 am et
Source: Tampa Tribune
I would laugh if they traded Heilman now…then slowly begin to cry.
NL West: Padres
NL Central: Cardinals
NL East: Mets
NL WC: Braves
NL CY: Roy Oswalt
NL MVP: Albet Pujols
NL ROY: Jeremy Hermida
AL West: Angels
AL Central: Indians
AL East: Yankees
AL WC: White Sox
AL Cy Young: Johan Santana
AL MVP: Vladimier Guerrero
AL ROY: Fransisco Liriano
The trend was obvious about 8 years ago. Now, I hate the Braves, but you have to respect what they’ve been able to do. As much as I hope the Mets can topple the Braves NL East reign, I think they’ve proven that despite the turnover in their organization, they remain the ones to beat until proven otherwise. Here’s hoping the “trend” ends.
The Mets are so desperate for Heileman to bail out their supposedly-rebuilt bullpen that they risk delaying his development, alienating him, and running a Triple-A guy out on the hill every five days. And now they’re supposed to be trading Aaron for a nothing-special middle infielder despite the availability of Anderson Hernandez, Jeff Keppinger, Chris Woodward and (eventually) Kaz Matsui to fill the critical 8-slot.
This is so moronic, it seems like something the Mets would do.
The Mets reputation as garbage and has-beens is only solidified every time we get duped in a trade by one of the worst teams in the league. Our trading partners are always bottom dwellers… Pirates, Devil Rays, Marlins, Rockies. Coincidence?
Relax, all, it’ll never happen.
Bell for Lugo I’d do in a heartbeat.
Some interesting news: Selig’s newly formed panel to investigate steroids in baseball will apparently focus on all of the players involved in the Balco case (and others, apparently).
Enjoy the season, Skankee fans!
Admitted long-shot but not impossible NL MVP: Carlos Beltran…
with 30/30 110rbi 120runs .310avg gold glove caliber CF
Enough Mets bashing, already! Are you guys closet Braves or Yankee fans?!?!
What has Minaya (not his predecessors) done to warrant this negativity?
Give Hernandez a shot to prove himself before we make another trade, especially with a talented pitcher. Now if it was Matsui for Lugo, great!
I know, that guy ruled.
ROY Bannister
Cy Young Pedro
MVP Pujols
Manger Cox
ROY Papelbon
CY Santana
MVP Vlad
Manager Scioscia (sp)
Winners
Mets
Cards
LAD
WC Brew
Yanks
Chisox
LAA
BJs wc
Comebackers of yr
Beltran
Wells
hey a sidenote………that has nothing to do with this post. There has been a some great Ricky Henderson stories floating around and if you haven’t heard this one it’s pretty funny…….When Ricky jioned the team, in Spring Training he came up to a guy playing first base and noticed that he was wearing a helmet in the field. Ricky found this interesting and went up to this gentleman and mentioned that he played with a guy back in the day who wore a helmet in the field as well. So then John Olerud says “Ricky we played together for three years in Toronto, that was me.”
You are not the only one. If Bannister wins 15 (which I think is possible) and has an ERA of around 4.00, he should be ROY. The only thing that would rob him is 35 HRs by Fielder.
Can anyone think of a NL rookie class this deep? Fielder, Hermedia, Zimmerman, and Bannister are the four we know about. There will undoubtedly be a 2006 version of Clint Barmes as well.
As far as Eric, Jeremy and Matt picking the Braves — you should all be absolutely ashamed of yourselves! You call yourselves fans?! In spring I always pick the Mets to win the division (and always eat my words - but hey, spring is the time for optimism).
But, in all seriousness, the Mets rotation is shaky, but so is the Braves, they are a blow elbow to Smoltz away from .500. We would survive losing Pedro better than they could lose Smoltz. The Mets bullpen is 1000X better than the Braves. I mean, by adding Heilman back to the pen, you can now say (with a straight face) that the Mets pen is the best in the NL and might be as good as Anahiem’s.
The Mets starting line-up is a lot better too. I will take Beltran-Delgado-Wright-Floyd over Renteria-Jones-Jones-Franceour ANY DAY.
This doesn’t even discuss the loss of Mazzone, whose impact will be felt on the middle-tier pitchers who always succeeded in Atlanta (i.e. Jorge Sosa).
I will say that not only will the Brave NOT WIN in NL East, they won’t make the play-offs!
Anyway…my predictions:
NL East - Mets
NL Central - Cardinals
NL West - Dodgers (hate to admit it, I still hate them from 1988, but SD could challenge)
NL WC - Brewers (best young team in the NL, hope we don’t meet them in the play-offs)
AL East - Red Sox (Yankees are too disfunctional and have a shitty pitching staff)
AL Cent - Indians (best young team in baseball)
AL West - A’s (which is good, we won’t be able to trade Milledge for Zito)
AL WC - Angels if there young players step up; otherwise, Yankees
NL MVP - Mr. David Wright (go with the home team - he will finish top 3); Carlos Lee on the (not to me) suprising Brewers
NL Cy Young - Oswalt - he finally won’t get robbed by the voters (Pedro will make a lot of noise with 20+ wins, but Oswalt will win b/c he got screwed the past two years)
NL ROY - Three way race, but finish in this order - Bannister, Fielder, Zimmerman; COnnor Jackson will get no love b/c the DB’s suck
AL MVP - Eric Chavez (with Frank Thomas and Milton Bradley, will have a monster year)
AL Cy Young - Rich Harden; sweep for the A’s who run away with AL west
AL ROY - Liriano (if he starts by May) else Johmija
great, great inning of spring training ball going on
Looper pitching the bottom of the fifth for the Cards (and not for the Mets!!!)
Nady goes the other way against a rightie for a single
Nady steals second on Molina!
A-Hern singles to go 3-3 on the day
Jose takes a walk
Lo Doca deep sac fly
Beltran singles in another run
Delgado takes a walk
Mets up 6-1 - Loopy gets yanked!
(plus on mlb.tv during the pitcher change you can hear them playing Jack Johnson at the stadium)
love it.
Nice day for Ahernz and LoDuca…i like it.
Maybe Nady will finally get his act together right before the games start counting.
Reyes’s first walk of the spring!!!
Go mets!
Ahernz with 3 put-outs and 7 assists.
What exactly is an assist? can anyone explain it in common-man speak?
If there’s a rundown can a player get multiple assists on one play?
how can an oakland a’s manager win manager of the year? seriously.
From what i remember of Nady on the Padres, he was always a very streaky hitter who would start pretty hot, hit a bunch of home runs in a week, but would get in a slump and then have his playing time reduced and be a bench player for the rest of the year. I’m curious how he will do as a full time starter. I am expecting a pretty good output but i also think he will slump badly at times (like this spring).
Vorn, I remember reading that Rickey story in Sports Illustrated a long time ago. It’s amaazingly hilarious, but i have heard that some people don’t think it’s true. A recent article on Yahoo Sports has a funny one where Rickey was getting on a bus when he was playing for San Diego and Steve Finley says “take any seat you want, you have tenure.” and Rickey responds “Ten year? Rickey’s got 17 years years!” It’s classic.
Perish the thought.
Note I said “something the Mets might do”, not Omar. I’m on board with just about all of his moves thus far. It’s just that after decades of horrendous player moves (I’m old enough to remember them all, from the Midnight Massacre, to Mickey Lolich, to Juan Samuel, to Jeff Musselman, through Kazmir) I hold this innate fear that there is no deal dumb enough for management to turn down. Hopefully that era is past, and (fr’ instance) Lastings Milledge will still be playing here as a grizzled vet while I collect social security.
Here’s the whole article (if i linked it correctly). The one with Rickey refusing to give the autograph is more fun than should be allowed at work.
Wow, I thought I knew little about defensive stats! (Just kidding!)
An assist (in general speak) is when a player fields the ball and throws the batter out at another base. So, SS and 2B usually have the highest number of assists.
A put-out is when the runner is tagged or forced out by the player catching the ball - hence a 1B usually has the most put-outs. (This doesn’t count a catcher who I believe gets credited with a put-out on a K).
The real positives from today’s game are that Lima probably sealed the fact that he is going to Norfolk if not released.
The fact that Oliver pitched well is a tad bit scary.
But, the best pitching news is Bell’s line. I think if the Mets go north with 12 pitchers, Bell is the man and Diaz is hosed. If they go north with 11, Diaz goes north and Bell gets hosed.
Iriki will be in Norfolk (I guess he might be a good emergency starter - if he can learn a little more control) along with Lima. I guess we will see if Oliver agrees to Norfolk or opts to be a FA.
Darren Oliver has been in Camp 2 weeks longer than I expected. He’s looked real good. Did he drink from both the fountain of youth and the fountain of good pitching?
He should be, but he won’t be. See the votes in 2000 and 2003, when incredibly effective pitchers (Ankiel and Webb) got passed over because other guys did something more glamorous.
Maybe Oliver is this year’s Roberto Hernandez…who knows…he has pitched well, you can’t deny that, and yes having him on your team is scary, that is undeniable as well.
Thanks Slew…and no worries, I fully understand that I don’t know jack about stats, especially defensive ones…So on a doubleplay ball say SS to 2B to 1B…the 2B gets a putout and an assist?
Are there assists rewarded in rundown plays? Ahernz defensive line just seemed high from today and I was looking for some help understanding it.
And hey…if my ineptness at stats makes you feel smarter than I feel good about myself!! :)
I can not imagine how much our lives would change if the Yankees fell short of the playoffs. That would have to be the best case scenario for 2006. Tambien, David Ortiz will not win the MVP because he is not a player at all. Designated Hitters are the worst thing to happen to the game of baseball since corked bats, scuffed balls, steroids, racism, bench-clearing brawls, Coors Field, millionaire athletes and gambling. “Big Papi” should be playing a much bigger role on his team if he wants to deserve the MVP title. Twice as many factors can affect your stats when you actually PLAY BASEBALL to your full potential and do so regularly. My off-topic point is: The position of the designated hitter should be abolished. These players deserve about 33% percent of the respect and recognition that they get on a daily basis.
Bannister doesn’t deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as those other guys. Hermida, Fielder and Zimmerman are the cream of the crop. Baseball America has them ranked 4th, 11th, and 15th respectively on their top 100 list. Bannister on the other hand didn’t even make the top 100, I’d be surprised if they even considered him. A 25yr old projected 5th starter with really only 1 good year in the minors is not much to write home about. I want him to succeed just as much as the next guy but names like stephen drew, conor jackson, matt cain, hanley ramirez, scott olsen and more are candidates for NL ROY. Not brian bannister :(
Yes to the first, and I don’t know on the second!
You forget that Bannister will be pitching in NY — giving him a HUGE leg up in the voting. If he wins 15 with a sub-4.00 ERA, only 35+ HRs from Fielder AND the Brewers being in the play-off hunt will outshine Bannister.
Webb pitched in obscurity in Ariz, and even Ankiel didn’t get the press he could have on that team.
damn we traded Kris Benson too soon. We could of got more for him now that him and anna are getting divorced.
Methinks that’s asking just a bit too much. Bannister’s stuff is very fringy, so he’ll be more likely to hit the 12 win/4.20 ERA mark, assuming he survives April.
For all the bashing the Mets took for putting RoHernandez on the roster last spring (from myself included), I wouldn’t be one bit surprised if Oliver actually does make a resurgence. Remember, RoHernandez also seemed like a very scary idea around this time last year!
Off topic, but today I got my opening day tickets from a vendor I work with: field level, section 79, a few rows back! I am soooo psyched! Who else here is going??
Let’s Go Mets!!
I’m beginning to feel the same way, sweetlew….I think too many people (esp, in the media) are giving the Braves a huge pass this year, when IMHO, they really look like they have a lot more holes than the Mets do.
Did anyone catch the News and Post predictions today? Geez, they think Johnny Damon is the missing link and annointing him the savior! I say the Red Sox take the East this year and the Yankees flounder.
NL East - Mets (Will be a three team race all year, w/the Bravos & Phillies)
NL Central - Cardinals
NL West - Dodgers (By default)
NL WC - Braves (Barely beat out the Phils by 1.5 games)
AL East - Yankees (They already got the offense and bullpen, George will get them the SP’s)
AL Cent - W/Sox (Best starting staff in MLB)
AL West - Angels (What do the A’s have on them ?)
AL WC - Indians (Bo Sox & A’s don’t even make the playoffs)
NL MVP - David Wright (takes it to the next level this season), Ryan Howard also gets votes
NL Cy Young - Roy Oswalt
NL ROY - Ryan Zimmerman (Mad Skillz)
AL MVP - A-Rod (Safe pick)
AL Cy Young - Johana Santana (Safe pick)
AL ROY - Kenji Johjima (Seattle knows how to pick the diamonds of the Japanese league)
‘Berto had a “resurgence”, because he used to be good. If Oliver is good in ‘06, it will be the first time ever for him.
Ha! You know what, you’re probably right.
Better Late than never, here are my predictions
NL East: Mets
West: Dodgers
Central: Cards
Wild Card: Braves
NL MVP: Albert Pujols
NL Cy Young: Jake Peavy
NL ROY: Prince Fielder
AL East: Red Sox
AL Central: White Sox
AL West: Angels
AL Wild Card: Yankees
AL MVP: David Ortiz
AL Cy Young: Bartolo Colon
AL ROY: Fransisco Liriano
Anyone know Heath Bells’ splits against lefties? The guy has been amazing all spring and really deserves the chance to be on the big league club.
Not sure if it means anything or not, but on the Mets official homepage depth chart they already have the team cut down to 25 players. And both Heath Bell & Yusaka Iriki are still listed in the bullpen.
Interesting…
I’d be very surprised if the Mets took 12 pitchers and neither Feliciano or Oliver, though.
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/
Are you kidding me… Bannister and Milledge for Zito?
Stubz, do you feel that a slugger such as Ortiz should get much more respect for playing an immobile 1B than for DHing?
I also dislike the DH rule, but I don’t think it should be held against players who would be in the lineup regardless — their contributions should be respected in the same way as bad defensive players. And there are plenty of MVP awards and HOF votes that have gone to bad defensive players.
Perhaps your point applies better to someone like Edgar Martinez, who was not a bad defender, but was ridiculously brittle, and would never have accumulated many plate appearances if he’d had to take the field every day. I guess one could say the DH rule gave him an advantage over other hitters which made up for his natural disadvantage in being fragile, and one could argue that that’s unfair… But I dunno if I agree with that either. Any player can theoretically become a DH, but he has to earn it with his bat. You have to hit that much better to get a spot if you suck in the field. Doesn’t seem too unfair to me…
Most baseball writers in the NY market are bald-faced yankee shills. I’d say Joel Sherman and Bill Madden are the worst.
Mike Lupica is a refreshing exception.
Thanks for backing up my point, MrJ. The Post went so far as to say Damon will bring them the ring! Meanwhile, I’ve heard more than a few scouts say he’s overrated and will show many flaws in the vast unknown of the Skankee Stadium centerfield.
But this is a Mets’ site (screw the Yankees!!), now back to business….
Barry Zito for Bannister/Milledge??? Hmmm, I have to say that is VERY tempting, guys! I recall reading one of the regulars in here being somewhat down on Milledge and I sort of agreed with some of the points he made. I can’t remember the poster….??
NL East - Braves
NL Central - Cardinals
NL West - Giants
NL WC - Mets
AL East - Yankees
AL Cent - Indians
AL West - A’s
AL WC - Red Sox
NL MVP - David Wright
NL Cy Young - Ben Sheets
NL ROY - Ryan Zimmerman
AL MVP - David Ortiz
AL Cy Young - Johan Santana
AL ROY - Ian Kinsler
NL
East
1. Braves
2. Phillies
3. Mets
4. Marlins
5. Nationals
Central
1. Cardinals
2. Astros
3. Brewers
4. Cubs
5. Pirates
West
1. Giants
2. Dodgers
3. Padres
4. Diamondbacks
5. Rockies
WC: Phillies
AL
East
1. Blue Jays
2. Yankees
3. Red Sox
4. Devil Rays
5. Orioles
Central
1. Indians
2. Twins
3. White Sox
4. Tigers
5. Royals
West
1. A’s
2. Angels
3. Rangers
4. Mariners
WC: Red Sox
Playoffs
Cardinals over Phillies
Braves over Giants
Braves over Cardinals
A’s over Red Sox
Blue Jays over Indians
A’s over Blue Jays
Champion: Braves over A’s
MVP - NL: Pujols; AL: Hafner
Cy Young - NL: Oswalt; AL: Halladay
ROY - NL: Fielder; AL: Palpelbon
I’ll back this up, too. It is tempting, IF we can sign Zito to an extension. This will set us up quite nicely for a championship run this year and should give us really solid starting pitching for the length of Zito’s contract, assuming Pelfrey starts for us in ‘07.
However: that will pretty much clean the cupboard of prospects and leave us in need of major corner outfield help when (if?) Floyd departs after this year. Run-producing corner outfielders are usually easier to come by than lefty aces, but if Zito is less than an ace and LM comes close to expectations it could be a real disaster.
Finally, I don’t see Oakland doing this deal at this point. They’re set up for a championship run of their own this year. At the trade deadline, maybe, if they’re completely out of it, but I don’t see that happening.
DT, You can’t pick the Red Sox for third place in their division and also pick them for the wild card. That’s impossible.
I think DT might have been the first one on this site to not pick the Mets to the playoffs. I am glad to see that we are all optimistic about the coming season. That’s the way Spring should be.
Stel Og Stem ……….thanks for the link. I love Rickey!!! I was hoping for more of a response from the other bloggers, but hey thanks for the recognition.
NL East: Mets
NL Central: Cardinals
NL West: Dodgers
NL Wild Card: Braves
NL MVP: David Wright
NL Cy Young: John Smoltz
NL Rookie: Hanley Ramirez
NL Manager: Willie Randolph
AL East: Red Sox
AL Central: Indians
AL West: Rangers
AL Wild Card: White Sox
AL MVP: Coco Crisp
AL Cy Young: Roy Halladay
AL Rookie: Howie Kendrick
AL Manager: Eric Wedge
If the Mets topple the Braves this year imagine the news that will generate… The Mets crush the Braves and storm into the Playoffs… Look out!
NL
MVP Pujols
CY Young Peavy
ROY Conor Jackson
AL
MVP Sizemore, Martinez, Chavez (Indians have a great offense and the A’s are gonna be better with Bradely Thomas and Crosby to protect Chavez)
CY Young Halladay Sabathia
ROY Kotchman
NL
MVP Pujols
CY Young Peavy
ROY Conor Jackson
AL
MVP Sizemore, Martinez, Chavez (Indians have a great offense and the A’s are gonna be better with Bradely Thomas and Crosby to protect Chavez)
CY Young Halladay Sabathia Santana
ROY Kotchman
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