Previewing the NL Central in 2010

A division dominated by the St. Louis Cardinals, who finished with a 7.5 game lead over the second place Cubs. This year, I expect the Cards to stay atop the division.

1. St. Louis Cardinals
By far the class of the division, the Cardinals have two great offensive stars in Albert Pujols and Matt Holliday. Holliday will play in an outfield with Colby Rasmus and Ryan Ludwick, which is definitely a solid outfield. The infield contains Pujols, Brendan Ryan, and David Freese. At second base, there could be a battle between Skip Schumaker and Felipe Lopez, which I think Lopez will win. Yadier Molina will be the man behind the plate, and will return as one of the best defensive catchers in baseball. The bench will not be anything special, so health could be an issue for the Cards. The rotation will once again carry the great duo of Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainright, two Cy Young candidates from last year. Behind them will be veterans Brad Penny, Kyle Lohse, and Jaime Garcia. The bullpen will likely be book ended by closer Ryan Franklin, with Jason Motte and Kyle McClellan will be strong arms in the pen. Overall, I can see the Cardinals making another playoff appearance this year.

2. Milwaukee Brewers
The Brewers have always been a team in the playoff race, but have never been able to take the division. This year I think they will close the gap between them and the Cardinals, and be in the Wild Card hunt and possibly even the division hunt. The Brewers outfield is led by corner outfielders Ryan Braun and Corey Hart, two outstanding hitters, with recent acquisition, speedster Carlos Gomez in center. In the infield big Prince Fielder will start at first, with Rickie Weeks at second and Casey McGehee at third. The trade of JJ Hardy (to the Twins for Gomez) opened up the shortstop spot to top prospect Alcides Escobar, who will get his first full season at the major league level this year. Behind the plate is veteran Gregg Zaun, but catching prospect Jonathan Lucroy could come up late this year or early next year. The pitching in Milwaukee leaves tons to be desired, but should be made up for by the powerful offense. Yovani Gallardo is their ace, followed by veteran lefties Doug Davis and Randy Wolf, then Dave Bush and Manny Parra. The bullpen looks solid, with Todd Coffee, Mitch Stetter, and LaTroy Hawkins, followed by Trevor Hoffman to close out games. The Brewers have a solid team, but injuries and pitching depth could hurt them down the stretch.

3. Chicago Cubs
Year 102 for Cubs fans, and this year could be a year where the Cubbies make the playoffs. The outfield is led by Alfonso Soriano and Kosuke Fukudome at the corners, with Marlon Byrd in center. The infield has stayed the same this year, with power hitting corner guys Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez, and Mike Fontenot and Ryan Theriot provide solid defense up the middle. Geovany Soto will be behind the plate and will try to bounce back and return to 2008 form where he was rookie of the year. Carlos Zambrano and Ryan Dempster will lead the rotation, followed by 12 game winner Randy Wells, then Carlos Silva (acquired from Mariners for Milton Bradley) and Tom Gorzelanny finish off the rotation. The leading arms out of the bullpen this year will be Jeff Samardzija, Sean Marshall, and John Grabow. Carlos Marmol will likely do the closing for the Cubs this season. In the end, I think the cubs will a solid season, but might not make the playoffs.

4. Houston Astros
The Astros have a chance at staying in the playoff race later in the year, and could play one of their best season in a while. Their outfield is led by Hunter Pence and Carlos Lee, two dangerous hitters in the middle of their lineup. Speedy Michael Bourn starts in center, and will retain his role as leadoff man. The infield isn't as good as many, with Pedro Feliz at third, Tommy Manzella at short, Kazuo Matsui at second, and Geoff Blum will start the year at first, but will move out of the lineup when Lance Berkman returns from injuries. Behind the plate will be Humberto Quintero. The bench consists of JR Towles, Jeff Keppinger, Chris Johnson, Cory Sullivan, and Jason Michaels. The rotation is anchored by the aging Roy Oswalt, whom injuries are becoming a major concern for. Wandy Rodriguez will hope to build off of a solid season last year, followed by Brett Myers. Bud Norris and Felipe Paulino are two young pitchers with potential for high strikeout numbers, but sometimes struggle to get the ball in the zone. Sammy Gervacio and Chris Sampson will be arms out of the bullpen, as well as whoever doesn't get the closer job between Brandon Lyon and Matt Lindstrom. Overall, the Astros could have a good future, but they aren't ready for serious playoff contention yet.

5. Cincinnati Reds
The Reds made some expensive offseason moves (Aroldis Chapman 6/30.25 million), and are looking to improve. The outfield features power hitting RF Jay Bruce along with young Chris Dickerson and Drew Stubbs. The infield is pretty solid, with the right side containing the Reds' stars, Brandon Phillips and Joey Votto, with the left side showcasing the defensive talents of veterans Scott Rolen and Orlando Cabrera. Ramon Hernandez will do most of the catching for this ballcup this year. The bench contains Jonny Gomes, a solid hitter against left handed pitching, Laynce Nix, Juan Francisco, a third baseman with some potential, Paul Janish, Miguel Cairo, and Ryan Hanigan. The pitching rotation starts with two veterans in Aaron Harang and Bronson Arroyo, followed by youngsters Johnny Cueto, Homer Bailey, and Mike Leake. Leake was the eight pick in the first round of the 2009 draft, so he is really on a fast track. Aroldis Chapman, the Cuban defector signed in the offseason, will start the year in AAA and could come up early in the year. Edinson Volquez missed last year with Tommy John surgery, and had some setbacks in recovery putting his return later in the year than expected. Arthur Rhodes, Nick Masset, Daniel Ray Herrera, and Micah Owings will lead into solid closer Francisco Cordero. Youth and potential give the Reds high hopes for the future, but like the Astros need to let their young talent develop before they are serious contenders.

6. Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pirates are the basement of the NL Central, one of the worst teams in baseball, a team notorious for trading away stars to contenders right when they become all stars. The outfield has very solid potential, with Garrett Jones and Lastings Milledge, and future superstar Andrew McCutchen starring in the grasses of PNC Park. Andy LaRoche, Ronny Cedeno, Jeff Clement, and new addition Aki Iwamura star in an improved infield, and the catcher will be Ryan Doumit, who has enjoyed periods of success offensively in previous years. The bench will contain a good bat in Ryan Church, as well as Delwyn Young, John Raynor, Bobby Crosby, and Jason Jaramillo. Zach Duke, Paul Maholm, Ross Ohlendorf, Charlie Morton, and Daniel McCutchen make up the Pittsburgh rotation. Brendan Donnelly is a good acquisition for the bullpen, and Octavio Dotel will do the closing this year. The Pirates could have a bright future, but right now they don't have the pieces to rise from the bottom of the division.

So now that the Central is finished, the next preview will be about the NL East, followed by the AL division from West to East. Enjoy some great baseball this week!

Spring Training Previews: NL West

With Spring Training well under way and the regular season to start soon, baseball is definitely in the air. To get ready for the upcoming season, I am going to preview each division in the Majors, starting with the NL West and working my way through to the NL East. Teams will be ranked by where I think they will finish in the division.

1. Los Angeles Dodgers
The Dodgers had a very quiet offseason after their NLCS departure in the playoffs last year, mainly due to the high profile divorce of owners Frank and Jamie McCourt. Jamey Carroll was one of the Dodgers only signings, and he will most likely be used is a similar capacity as departed Juan Castro. Juan Pierre was traded to the White Sox leaving the Dodgers with Xavier Paul and Jason Repko to back up the outstanding outfield trio of MRamirez, Kemp, and Ethier. On the infield Rafael Furcal will hope to bounce back from his struggles from the previous year, and James Loney will have to look for a better offensive season. Ronnie Belliard should start at second but will receive pressure from Blake DeWitt and Chin Lung Hu for his job this year, similar to what Belliard did last year to Orlando Hudson. At third Casey Blake looks to stay the consistent bottom of the order hitter he's been for the Dodgers since he was traded from Cleveland two years ago. Russell Martin will try to improve after a horrid season last year. In the rotation, Clayton Kershaw will look to solidify himself as an ace in the NL, while Hiroki Kuroda and Vicente Padilla should remain as solid arms in the 2 and 3 slots. Chad Billingsley will be one of the main questions heading into the year, after a great first half, followed by a second half in which he was removed from the rotation in October. The fifth starter seems to have been given to knuckleballer Charlie Haeger, who looks to be impressive this year. The bullpen should be solid with Sherrill and Broxton at the back, but injury concerns with Hong-Chih Kuo and Ramon Troncoso could hurt the team. Overall though, the offensive ability of this team should lead them to another division title.

2. San Francisco Giants
The Giants had a good season last year, but did not end with postseason play. This year they signed utilityman Mark DeRosa, who should give them something either off the bench or in the lineup. The rotation will be the strong suit for Bruce Bochy's club, led by starters Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain. Barry Zito and Jonathan Sanchez finish out a possible four man rotation. If they go to a five man, it looks like Todd Wellemeyer, a spring training surprise would be added to the rotation. On the hitting side, San Francisco will likely struggle as much as they did last year. Pablo Sandoval and Bengie Molina return as their heavy hitters, and Aubrey Huff and Mark DeRosa are welcome additions that have solid sticks. Freddy Sanchez looks to return to the top form he was in a few years ago in Pittsburgh at second base, and Edgar Renteria returns at shortstop. Aaron Rowand and Nate Schierholtz close out the outfield. The bench is highlighted by speedy Eugenio Velez and utilityman Juan Uribe. Travis Ishikawa, Fred Lewis, and John Bowker could also see some time off the bench. Overall, San Francisco should compete for a playoff spot behind their strong rotation.

3. Colorado Rockies
After firing Clint Hurdle last year, the Rockies named Jim Tracy, former Dodgers and Pirates manager, and went 74-42 in his tenure, ending with a loss the the Phillies in the NLDS. Troy Tulowitzki looks to have another strong season at short, while Todd Helton and Chris Ianetta should be solid hitters in the lineup. Ian Stewart and Clint Barmes round out the infield. In the outfield Brad Hawpe looks to be a powerful hitter from the left side, as he killed the Dodgers last season. Dexter Fowler and Carlos Gonzalez will have a good battle over the centerfield spot, and Seth Smith takes the field in left. The rotation in led by flameballer Ubaldo Jimenez, followed by Jeff Francis and Aaron Cook. Jorge De La Rosa had a strong season last year before getting hurt just before playoff time and Jason Hammel returns after eating up 176 innings last year. The bullpen is led by Huston Street and Manny Corpas, as well as Taylor Buchholz. Ryan Spilborghs and Carlos Gonzalez lead the bench, followed by veterans Miguel Olivo, Jason Giambi, and Melvin Mora. Look for the Rockies, Giants, and Dodgers to be involved in a heavy fight for tops in the division.

4. Arizona Diamondbacks
The D'Backs are led by their young core of Upton/Reynolds/Drew, and looks to be built around Dan Haren in the rotation. Kelly Johnson and Adam LaRoche make up the left side of the infield as good additions to the team. Miguel Montero looks to be the starter at catcher, and Conor Jackson and Chris Young round out the outfield. The rotation looks to be led by Haren, and offseason acquisitions Edwin Jackson and Ian Kennedy. Rodrigo Lopez should be in the rotation, and the 5 spot should be up for grabs. Bob Howry and Aaron Heilman join Chad Qualls in the bullpen containing many young unproven pitchers. The bench consists of Gerardo Parra, Ryan Roberts, Rusty Ryal, Augie Ojeda, and Chris Snyder. Big first baseman Brandon Allen will likely start in AAA, but could come up this year. The Diamondbacks have a solid future, but right now they need to let their young pieces grown and develop.

5. San Diego Padres
The Padres struggled through last season, and with talks of dealing bright spot first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, the Padres are still the bottom of the NL West. Aside from Gonzalez, a power hitting first baseman, the infield consists of David Eckstein, Everth Cabrera, and Chase Headley. Yorvit Torrealba will likely get the nod behind the plate over Nick Hundley. Kyle Blanks leads the outfield, a powerful rookie who could be their best hitter aside from Gonzalez. Will Venable and Tony Gwynn Jr. provide speed and fielding in the outfield for the Pads. The rotation is led by Jon Garland and Chris Young. Kevin Correia will take the third spot, and young pitchers Clayton Richard and Mat Latos finish off the rotation and could develop into solid players. Heath Bell could finally step in to elite status as their closer, and Edward Mujica and Joe Thatcher should be the go-to arms in the bullpen. Oscar Salazar will be an extra infielder, and the two Hairston brothers (Scott and Jerry) will play good roles in the utility roles. The Padres have a developing farm system, and could rise in a few years, but for now, they are perennial bottom feeders.

The NL West should provide three solid teams this year, followed by developing teams in the D'Backs and Padres. Next we will take a look at the NL Central, and see if anyone can challenge Albert Pujols and the Cards.

Previewing the Final Four

Four teams remain after another great weekend of college basketball. Let's take a look at the Final Four matchups.

(5) Butler vs. (5) Michigan State
Butler is in a similar position that the Spartans were in last year, playing in front of a hometown crowd. Butler topped Kansas State in their regional final, and beat Syracuse in their semifinal. Michigan State beat Tennessee in the Midwest Regional Final. Overall I think Butler will advance to their first national title appearance.

(1) Duke vs. (2) West Virginia
The one final four matchup that many predicted features top seeded Duke against the second seeded West Virginia. The Blue Devils topped Baylor in their region, and West Virginia knocked off Kentucky, who was a national contender. I think Duke advances to take on Butler in the championship game.

Previewing the Sweet Sixteen

After two great rounds of college basketball, we now have the final sixteen teams of the NCAA tournament. Let's take a look at each matchup.

Midwest Region:
(9) Northern Iowa vs. (5) Michigan State
The Panthers are a huge Cinderella story after knocking off #1 seed Kansas, and they will take on Tom Izzo and his Michigan State Spartans. Kalin Lucas may have torn his Achilles against Maryland, and that will set back MSU. I still think the depth of MSU will lead them over Northern Iowa.

(6) Tennessee vs. (2) Ohio State
Ohio State has played well so far, but Tennessee has looked very good in their previous games, albeit against San Diego State and Ohio. I'll take the upset and predict a Tennessee win.

East Region:
(12) Cornell vs. (1) Kentucky
Cornell, the Ivy League champs, are one of the many Cinderella's left. With Kansas out, Kentucky is a very popular pick to win it all. I think the Big Red will stick with UK, but in the end, John Wall and Co. will pull out.

(11) Washington vs. (2) West Virginia
The Huskies are showing many people how good they can be, despite a tough season for Washington. West Virginia is a very solid team, and is definitely a contender for the title. As much as I want a Pac-10 team to win, I'll go with West Virginia in this one.

West Region:
(5) Butler vs. (1) Syracuse
Butler has looked good in their first two games, but Syracuse is getting a great contribution from star forward Wesley Johnson, who scored 31 points for them in their rout of eight seed Gonzaga in round 2. I'll take Syracuse over the Bulldogs.

(6) Xavier vs. (2) Kansas State
Xavier has been one of the most consistent teams in the country the past few years, reaching the sweet sixteen for the past three years. Kansas State has quietly been playing a great tournament, led by Jacob Pullen and Denis Clemente. I'll take K-State in a close one over Xavier.

South Region:
(4) Purdue vs. (1) Duke
Purdue slid by Texas A&M and Siena, and have looked different without standout forward Robbie Hummel. Duke has played very well in the tourney, and looks to be firing on all cylinders. I'll take Duke to advance into the elite eight.

(10) St. Mary's vs. (3) Baylor
Another Cinderella team, St. Mary's shocked many by stunning 2 seed Villanova in the second round. Baylor has been led by Tweety Carter, and have so far beaten expectations in the tournament. I'll take Baylor in a tight one.

NCAA Tournament Wrap Up: Thursday (3/18)

Sorry for the lack of posts recently, I've had a lot of basketball and school work. I will try to do a wrap up for each day of the tournament from now on, and starting tomorrow night I will rank the remaining teams in the tournament. Let's take a look at some of the games from this afternoon and evening.

East Region
(1) Kentucky 100, (16) East Tennessee State 71
Kentucky dominated this game and showed why they were a top-ranked seed. Eric Bledsoe led the Wildcats with 29 points and Patrick Patterson had 22. John Wall contributed with a double-double (17 points and 11 assists) to lead Coach John Calipari's team to a second round berth.

(11) Washington 80, (6) Marquette 78
The Pac-10 champion Huskies won this one in dramatic fashion, as senior Quincy Pondexter sunk a game-winner with 1.7 second left in the game. Marquette failed to make a field goal in the final 4:33 of the game. Pondexter had 18 points for Washington, and Isaiah Thomas had 19 points and eight assists.

(9) Wake Forest 81, (8) Texas 80 (OT)
A last second shot from Ishmael Smith won it for the Demon Deacons.

(3) New Mexico 62, (14) Montana 57
The Lobos avoided a huge upset from the Grizzlies.

Midwest Region
(9) Northern Iowa 69, (8) UNLV 66
The Panthers, conference champions of the Missouri Valley conference, took on the Runnin' Rebels in one of the more anticipated mid-major matchups of the day. Ali Farokhmanesh led UNI with 17 points and 3 assists. The Panthers will likely play a number one seed on Saturday barring a huge upset in tonight's Kansas-Lehigh game.

(14) Ohio 97, (3) Georgetown 83
In one of the major upsets of the day, the Ohio Bobcats topped Georgetown in a high scoring game. The Bobcats were led by Armon Bassett with 32 points and DJ Cooper with 23 points. The Bobcats will take on the winner of the Tennessee-San Diego State game.

(6) Tennessee 62, (11) San Diego State 59
A close game all the way through, Tennessee pushed through at the end with fastbreak points.

(1) Kansas 90, (16) Lehigh 74
Lehigh stuck in this game for most of the second half, but the Jayhawks pulled away.

South Region
(11) Old Dominion 51, (6) Notre Dame 50
Another loss in a rough day for Big East as the Fighting Irish fall to the Old Dominion Monarchs. Frank Hassell had 15 points and 9 rebounds for ODU.

(2) Villanova 73, (15) Robert Morris 70
Villanova avoids a huge upset.

(3) Baylor 68, (14) Sam Houston State 59
Baylor looked sharp in tourney debut

(10) Saint Mary's 80, (7) Richmond 71
St. Mary's led by Omar Samhan move to ply Villanova.

West Region
(7) BYU 99, (10) Florida 92 (2OT)
Shootout won by Jimmer Fredette and the Cougars.

(13) Murray State 66, (4) Vanderbilt 65
Major upset as the OVC champs top Vandy on a buzzer beater

(2) Kansas State 82, (15) North Texas 62
K-State looked in Final Four form with 20 point rout of the Mean Green

(5) Butler 77, (12) UTEP 59
Butler takes care of business against Miners who were a popular upset pick.

NCAA Tournament Predictions

It's Selection Sunday in the college basketball world, and with conference championships wrapping up today, it's all leading up to the Selection Show tonight on CBS at 3 Pacific time. Let's take a look at who I think will make it into the Big Dance.

In the Field
America East: Vermont (1)
ACC: Duke, Clemson, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, Florida State, Maryland (6)
A Sun: East Tennessee State (1)
A-10: Temple, Xavier, Richmond (3)
Big East: West Virginia, Villanova, Syracuse, Georgetown, Pitt, Marquette (6)
Big Sky: Montana (1)
Big South: Winthrop (1)
Big 10: Ohio State, Michigan State, Purdue, Wisconsin, Illinois (5)
Big 12: Kansas, Texas, Kansas State, Baylor, Missouri, Texas A&M, Oklahoma State (7)
Big West: UCSB (1)
CAA: Old Dominion, William and Mary (2)
C-USA: Houston, UTEP (2)
Horizon: Butler (1)
Ivy: Cornell (1)
MAAC: Siena (1)
MAC: Ohio (1)
Mid-East: Morgan State (1)
MVC: Northern Iowa (1)
MWC: San Diego State, New Mexico, UNLV, BYU (4)
Northeast: Robert Morris (1)
Ohio Valley: Murray State (1)
Pac-10: Washington, California (2)
Patriot: Lehigh (1)
SEC: Kentucky, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Mississippi State, Florida (5)
Southern: Wofford (1)
Southland: Sam Houston State (1)
SWAC: Arkanas-Pine Bluff (1)
Summit: Oakland (1)
Sun Belt: North Texas (1)
WCC: St. Mary’s, Gonzaga (2)
WAC: New Mexico State, Utah State (2)

The Big 12 gets the most teams with 7, while the ACC, Big 10, and Big East each get 6 teams in. The Mountain West gets 4 teams, and a few mid-majors get more than one team. The WAC got two teams, and so did the Colonial Athletic. These are just predictions, and I will post later with my thoughts on the tournament field once it is announced.

EDIT: Minnesota just played themselves out the tournament with a 90-61 loss to Ohio St in the Big 10 championship. The top 65 has been adjusted to reflect this, as Florida is now in.

March Madness Blind Resume Game: Part 1

Today I've decided to play a game one this blog. I'll give you three teams who are on the bubble, give you the strength of schedule, RPI rank, overall record, and conference record. In the comments, tell me which one of the three teams would make it to the tournament if it came down to those three.

Team A
Overall Record: 17-14
Conference Record: 7-11
RPI: 55
SOS: 3

Team B
Overall Record: 22-8
Conference Record: 11-5
RPI: 33
SOS: 73

Team C
Overall Record: 24-5
Conference Record: 11-3
RPI: 45
SOS: 142

In the comments, tell me which of the teams you believe should make the tournament. Remember only pick one. After a few comments I'll reveal the identity of the three teams.