Sunday, June 15, 2008

MLB SEASON REVIEW - NEAR HALF-WAY MARK


WILL THE WORLD SERIES VISIT WRIGLEY FIELD THIS SEASON??

A few surprises so far as we near the mid-season point. On the positive side, why not lead-off with the Rays who are playing at a 90-95 win pace? This should be enough to put them in the playoffs for the first time in team history. That qualifies them as the biggest positive surprise in baseball so far.

Next, as strange as this sounds, even though I picked the Cubs to win their division and advance to/win the World Series, their best record in baseball status qualifies them as the next biggest positive surprise.

Not to be outdone, the South side Chicago entrant, the White Sox, leading the AL Central has to put them at or near the top of the positive surprises this season as well. A Chicago vs. Chicago World Series would certainly be a great match up. But, there's a long way to go.

The other positive also-rans so far would have to be the Cardinals, the A's in the AL West, and the Astros.

OK, the Giants too. By using some form of twisted, convoluted logic, since they are not on a 100+ loss pace, are currently in third place in their division, they have some credibility to claim themselves as a positive surprise. This does seem like damning the team with faint praise though, does it not? Also, the fact that they are in third place in their division says more about the fortunes of the Padres and the Rockies this season than the Giants......

Which provides a smooth transition to the negative surprises this season.

The Rockies and the Padres, by virtue of their being behind the Giants in the standings, have got to be the front-runners. You don't see anyone else struggling behind the Royals or the Pirates or the Nationals now, do you? So who else should I pick?

Maybe from amongst the Tigers, the Indians and the Brewers? Fair enough, but only on the basis of their pre-season expectations. And in fairness, all three of these would be contenders have started to show signs of life lately, especially the Tigers.

How about the New Yorkers, with both the Mutts and the Yankees treading water around the .500 mark? Perhaps, but I'm not sure either of these two have or had much more to give then that. They seem to be right about where you would have expected them to be.

Give the salary and the expectation level, how long will it be before either of these two teams start making serious roster moves? My guess is the All-Star break, plus or minus a couple of games.
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In fairness, I had the Cubs and D-Backs as Division winners :) along with the Mutts :(, with the Brewers in the Wild Card spot. Hey, two for four so far.

In the AL, we had the Angels and Red Sox as Division winners :), with the Tigers :(, and the Indians as the Wild Card, damn White Sox. Again, two for four.
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Giants Top Minor League Prospects

  • 1. Joey Bart 6-2, 215 C Power arm and a power bat, playing a premium defensive position. Good catch and throw skills.
  • 2. Heliot Ramos 6-2, 185 OF Potential high-ceiling player the Giants have been looking for. Great bat speed, early returns were impressive.
  • 3. Chris Shaw 6-3. 230 1B Lefty power bat, limited defensively to 1B, Matt Adams comp?
  • 4. Tyler Beede 6-4, 215 RHP from Vanderbilt projects as top of the rotation starter when he works out his command/control issues. When he misses, he misses by a bunch.
  • 5. Stephen Duggar 6-1, 170 CF Another toolsy, under-achieving OF in the Gary Brown mold, hoping for better results.
  • 6. Sandro Fabian 6-0, 180 OF Dominican signee from 2014, shows some pop in his bat. Below average arm and lack of speed should push him towards LF.
  • 7. Aramis Garcia 6-2, 220 C from Florida INTL projects as a good bat behind the dish with enough defensive skill to play there long-term
  • 8. Heath Quinn 6-2, 190 OF Strong hitter, makes contact with improving approach at the plate. Returns from hamate bone injury.
  • 9. Garrett Williams 6-1, 205 LHP Former Oklahoma standout, Giants prototype, low-ceiling, high-floor prospect.
  • 10. Shaun Anderson 6-4, 225 RHP Large frame, 3.36 K/BB rate. Can start or relieve
  • 11. Jacob Gonzalez 6-3, 190 3B Good pedigree, impressive bat for HS prospect.
  • 12. Seth Corry 6-2 195 LHP Highly regard HS pick. Was mentioned as possible chip in high profile trades.
  • 13. C.J. Hinojosa 5-10, 175 SS Scrappy IF prospect in the mold of Kelby Tomlinson, just gets it done.
  • 14. Garett Cave 6-4, 200 RHP He misses a lot of bats and at times, the plate. 13 K/9 an 5 B/9. Wild thing.

2019 MLB Draft - Top HS Draft Prospects

  • 1. Bobby Witt, Jr. 6-1,185 SS Colleyville Heritage HS (TX) Oklahoma commit. Outstanding defensive SS who can hit. 6.4 speed in 60 yd. Touched 97 on mound. Son of former major leaguer. Five tool potential.
  • 2. Riley Greene 6-2, 190 OF Haggerty HS (FL) Florida commit.Best HS hitting prospect. LH bat with good eye, plate discipline and developing power.
  • 3. C.J. Abrams 6-2, 180 SS Blessed Trinity HS (GA) High-ceiling athlete. 70 speed with plus arm. Hitting needs to develop as he matures. Alabama commit.
  • 4. Reece Hinds 6-4, 210 SS Niceville HS (FL) Power bat, committed to LSU. Plus arm, solid enough bat to move to 3B down the road. 98MPH arm.
  • 5. Daniel Espino 6-3, 200 RHP Georgia Premier Academy (GA) LSU commit. Touches 98 on FB with wipe out SL.

2019 MLB Draft - Top College Draft Prospects

  • 1. Adley Rutschman C Oregon State Plus defender with great arm. Excellent receiver plus a switch hitter with some pop in the bat.
  • 2. Shea Langliers C Baylor Excelent throw and catch skills with good pop time. Quick bat, uses all fields approach with some pop.
  • 3. Zack Thompson 6-2 LHP Kentucky Missed time with an elbow issue. FB up to 95 with plenty of secondary stuff.
  • 4. Matt Wallner 6-5 OF Southern Miss Run producing bat plus mid to upper 90's FB closer. Power bat from the left side, athletic for size.
  • 5. Nick Lodolo LHP TCU Tall LHP, 95MPH FB and solid breaking stuff.