Why Basista? – The Phillies are powerful. They have power everywhere. Ryan Howard (45 Hr, 141 RBI), Chase Utley (31 HR, 93 RBI), Jimmy Rollins (21 HR, 77 RBI
) , Jayson Werth (36 HR, 99 RBI), Shane Victorino (10 HR, 62 RBI), Raul Ibanez (34 HR, 93 RBI)and now with Palcido Polanco at 3rd, these big boppers have someone to hit in. The Phillies are also like Batista in the sense that they are not hated nationally like some teams, but nor are they loved like some teams (See: Yankees, Red Sox, Cubs). This can be seen by the 2008 and 2009 World Series. Against the Rays they are rooted against, but against the Yankees they were supposed to be the savior to stand up to them.
) , Jayson Werth (36 HR, 99 RBI), Shane Victorino (10 HR, 62 RBI), Raul Ibanez (34 HR, 93 RBI)and now with Palcido Polanco at 3rd, these big boppers have someone to hit in. The Phillies are also like Batista in the sense that they are not hated nationally like some teams, but nor are they loved like some teams (See: Yankees, Red Sox, Cubs). This can be seen by the 2008 and 2009 World Series. Against the Rays they are rooted against, but against the Yankees they were supposed to be the savior to stand up to them. What I like – I Love the lineup as I mentioned. When watching the Phillies play, such as in the NLCS last year against the Dodgers, it feels like every inning they could score 4-5 runs. It is a modern day Murder’s Row. I am thinking Ibanez will not match last year’s numbers, but there is no reason to believe Howard, Utley and Werth should not continue to pound the ball.
The pitching staff is also very solid. Roy Halliday, Cole Hammels, Joe Blanton, J.A. Happ and Jamie Moyer all won over 10 games last year. I have my doubts about Moyer because of his age, and Blanton is far from unhittable. The key to the Phillies pitching success rests with how Hammels pitches. Will he be the 2008 Cole Hammels or the 2009 Cole Hammels? He had moments of his former self last season, but he also suffered in some games in 2009. Also, is it just me, or does anybody else secretly wish Roy Halliday gets either injured or just has an out of character bad year? The Phillies wanted him so bad last year, then had to “settle” for Cliff Lee, who turned out to be their ace and a tremendous playoff pitcher. Then, they trade Lee, bring in Halliday, and think they have it all figured out. Can Halliday really be any better than Lee was in a Phillies uniform? I don’t see it happening. He could be an 18 game winner, and he still wouldn’t equal the success Lee has with Philly.
Questions – The main question for the Phillies exists in the bullpen. Brad Lidge will not break camp with the team it is being reported, so it appears Ryan Madson will start as the closer. He is shaky in my eyes. The other question is age of the lineup. Can Utley, Rollins and Ibanez stay healthy for the whole year and produce at the rate they did last year?
2009 Record – 93-69
2010 Prediction – 95-67
Atlanta Braves – The Undertaker
W
hy The Undertaker? - The Braves were the un-dying team in the 90’s and 2000’s. They won 14 straight division titles, and seemed to always win them the same way: solid hitting and great pitching. The Braves streak rivals that of The Taker’s 18-0 Wrestlemania streak. It is debatable if The Undertaker is in fact dead, which is also debatable regarding Bobby Cox. This is Cox’s farewell tour, and it will remain to be seen if they can raise from the dead once again and upset the Phillies for the Division crown.What I like – The Braves pitching should be much improved. Derek Lowe always seems to be underrated coming into the season and always produces. A lot of hype surrounds Tommy Hanson’s young arm, and Tim Hudson has been lights out in the spring. The lineup still poses questions, but the addition of Jason Heyward should help produce runs and put butts in the seats. Cox compared Heyward to a young Hank Aaron. With a healthy Chipper Jones and the young Heyward they should produce more runs than last year.
Questions – Can Nate McLouth hit better than the .257 he hit last year? Can Billy Wagner effectively close games? Also, I’m not quite sure about the Troy Glaus addition at third, and the Melky Cabrera addition to the outfield.
2009 Record – 86-76
2010 Prediction – 89-73
Mets – The Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase
Why DiBiase? – The Mets also spend a bunch of money, much like Dibiase, yet, they always underachieve. Not to say The Million Dollar Man underachieved, but he never won the big one. Never got over that hump. The Mets better get over that hump soon before their stars begin to age.
What I like – The 3-4-5 of the Mets is as good as any team in baseball with Jason Bay hitting behind David Wright and Carlos Beltran. Jose Reyes is still one of the best shortstops in baseball when he is on. I still like K-Rod closing, but he no longer has J.J. Putz to set him up.
Questions – Will Jose Reyes be on? His 2009 season was a mess of bad play and injuries. He only played 36 games, but during those games only hit .279. I also question the pitching staff. Johan Santana has looked shaky all spring and after him the rotation suffers. Santana has to be a 20 game winner for the Mets to make a division champion or title push. How will they adjust to Carlos Delgado leaving town? Are they used to Citi Field yet? Lots of questions surrounding the Mets.
2009 Record – 70-92
2010 Prediction – 84-78
Marlins – Rey Mysterio
Why Mysterio? – The Marlins are that little scrappy team who always seems to overachieve. Their payroll is small, as is Mysterio. The Marlins are also somewhat of an exciting team because they are scr
appy under manager Freddi Gonzalez. Their teal colors are also reminiscent of some hideous ring attire Mysterio might wear. Speaking of which, his costume at Wrestlemania 26 looked like former WWF wrestler Max Moon was an Avatar. Awful. What I Like – Hanley Ramirez. Hanley Ramirez. Hanley Ramirez. I love Ramirez and would love to see the Marlins build around him instead of letting him be swayed eventually by the Yankees or Red Sox. With the new stadium coming to downtown Miami, it almost seems like they need Ramirez to be the face of their franchise, much like the Twins figured out with Joe Mauer. I also like Jorge Cantu and Josh Johnson, but those three are not enough to win them many games in the tough NL East.
Questions – The Bullpen is basically a bunch of unknowns. It remains to be seen what they have in the pen. Ricky Nolasco, Chris Volstad, Sean West and Andrew Miller round out the rotation. The question then becomes: Who the hell is Ricky Nolasco and why is he a #2 starter.
2009 Record – 87-75
2010 prediction – 81-81
Nationals – Sgt. Slaughter
Why Slaughter? – The Nationals franchise saw their better days as the Montreal Expos; much like Slaughter saw his best success as an “Iraqi sympathizer”. The U.S.A. just did not bring out the best in these two. Also, much like Slaughter, they Nationals are pretty f
ucking boring. Maybe Stephen Strasburg can change that. What I like – Not a whole heck of a lot. Ryan Zimmerman is a star. He is a great ball player, but he isn’t the most exciting player in the world, and I don’t see many people lining up to buy tickets to see Ryan Zimmerman. I also like Nyjer Morgan. I love his rolled up pants and hustle. He is like a young Juan Pierre when Pierre was good.
Questions – When will Strasburg come up? That’s the question surrounding the Nationals and will be 90% of Nationals talk until it actually happens. Another question is why Jim Riggleman got another managing job? Also, will Ivan Rodriguez receive his salary plus Medicare this year?
2009 Record – 59-103
2010 Prediction – 62 - 100
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