Major league Baseball 2010

[W.HI.P]

mlb

al east

new york yankees
its not really the line-up that puts this team into contention this year.
its the starting pitchers.
to add to cc.sabathia, they picked vazquez, who's coming off an outstanding season.
chamberlain makes up a perfect number 3, or even 2 for the future.
i don't think burnett fits this team or ball park.
what is pettite still doing around

tampa bay rays
this is a very serious team that will be dominating this sport throughout this decade.
the line-up is pure insanity
crawford
upton
longoria
pena
burrell
bartlett
zorbist
they picked up one of the best batting catchers in the game kelly shoppach to back up navarro
perez
price will end up this teams number 1 starter.
shields, garza, davis and niemann will win a lot of games with this team.
this rays bullpen is even stronger this season with the addition of rafael soriano.

baltimore orioles
this team is seriously improved, and you could see it coming as this franchise, unlike the jays, made the proper moves and now hold a team that can be competitive.
the line-up is truly elite, the only true questions that arise, are regarding the starting pitchers, who may just end up suprising us.
no doubt the bullpen is in tact with the additions.
i can see them finishing in 3rd place in this division

boston red sox
all 3 teams above have superior line-ups to the boston red-sox this season.
beckett is getting worse as he grows old.
i never liked lackey, even as an angel, another starter on the decline.
lester, matsuzaka, bucholz and wakefield are all under par.
the one and only thing that remains solid in this red-sox team, is the bullpen.
you can completely forget about this team competiting for any pennant anytime soon.


toronto blue jays
wtf is wrong with this team.
i'm willing to wager with anyone, that this blue jays team will finish in last place in this division.
its a non-existant team...its a disgrace to the game.
shame shame.
and to be in this division
other than lind, and maybe hill, there is nothing worth mentioning
there is not a division in baseball that would see this team anywhere but in last place.
this team is clearly, the worst team in baseball.

I'm sticking to whats already written here.
The Rays remain in contention for a world series.
I keep going on about this line-up of Bartlett, Zorbist, Crawford, Longoria, Upton and Pena.
For those of you who watch basebal from a distance, be advised that Longoria is a better bat the Alex Rodriguez, and easily a better fielder than Alex Rodriguez.
Longoria is without doubt or debate, the greatest 3rd baseman in the game.
Crawford is the cheetah of the major leagues, one of the 10 best baseball players in the game.
Upton's speed and Pena's power ....they just need to up their batting average a tad.

The other story in this division, are the baltimore orioles.
Specialists say that the orioles are doomed to battle with the jays for last place, but I guess i just see a little more clear than they do.
Jones, Roberts, Tejada, Markakis and young weiters make a serious line-up.
Starting pitcher Matusz a lot of people don't know yet, but you'll see just how good this kid is.
Meredith and Mike Gonzales should have a good season, making this bullpen a lot more solid than one might think.
I still project the Orioles in 3rd place in this division above the red sox.

al central

chicago white sox
one would have to be nuts to not consider this team in this division.
its a serious team with an elite line-up, complimented by some serious starters and a very strong bullpen.

minnesota twins
i agree with the way the this team has been run.
it should start paying off this year or the next.
the twins hold some of the absolute elite players in the world.

detroit tigers
very interesting moves made in detroit that put them in contention in the near future.... but not quite yet.

kansas city royals
they hold some serious pieces, if they can hang on to them, they will reach and possibly surpass the teams in this division in a few years from now.

clevland indians
this team is far from contention despite the generally weak division.

For me, this easily the best bet of the season.
The Chicago White Sox will win this division.

al west

la angels
i am aware that the gap that existed in this division between the angels and the rest of the teams is getting smaller.... however, they still remain the elite in this division.

oakland a's
this is the team that will eventually overtake the angels
i'm not so sure they'll be ready to do that this season, however, they continue to make the right moves in rebuilding, so they are to be feared in a few years from now, or possibly sooner.

seattle mariners
ichiro suzuki and chone figgins make up the fastest 1-2 in the game. felix hernandez and cliff lee guarentee that this team will be above .500 this year.

texas rangers
power power power....i'm not sure that thats the way to win pennants.
you need some heavy duty starters to win, although i must admit that the rangers line-up is very impressive.
nl east

I'm still kinda 50/50 on wether or not the angels can still win this division.
its a bad bet regardless at such a small price.
The only mistake i see i've made in my early projections is on the rangers who's line-up looks amazing.
I'm not sure if they can contend without starting pitchers though

[W.HI.P]

philadelphia phillies
this team is in serious contention.
only injury could hold them back.
the trio of utley, howard and rollins in the infield is truly amazing.
to top that, they hold hamels, halladay and happ, who clearly make up the greatest first 3 starters in the majors.
huge weakness remains the non-existant bullpen.

new york mets
this team has failed in recent years, despite the amazing team they've held.
last year can be blamed on injury.
this year see's the team a tad weaker as far as names go, but with health, they may just string along in this division enough to possibly compete.

atlanta braves
the line-up is looking kinda weak here, but the starting pitching makes up for it.
i hold much respect for this braves pitching staff.
i'm interested to see what wagner and saito have left..... they will determine the strength of this bullpen.

florida marlins
boy do i like this line-up....this team will put up some serious runs this year.
i also kinda like the bullpen, despite its lack of huge names.
what ruins this teams chances this season is the starting pitching.
this team cannot be in a pennant race with these guys starting for them.

washington nationals
i'd love to say something positive about this team, but there's not much there to speak about.

The main reason for making this particular thread is this division here, in which i've completely changed my mind having watched the teams so far this season.
Its in regards to the Atlanta Braves
I've already given the credit to the pitching, my remark was in regards to their weak bats...umm, yeah, they're bats are not so weak after all.
In fact, they are outstanding.
Regardless if chipper jones plays this whole season or not, McCann is one of the 3 best catchers in the game.
Main course for this season though is Jason Heyward.
I've watched a lot of bats in my life....this is the greatest potential i have ever seen.
The swing this young man has me baffled.
quote me on this please ......
Jason Heyward , in time, will be a greater bat than Albert Pujols
Jurrjens is arguably one of the 5 best starting pitchers in the game.
Wagner so far has looked pretty good out there so far, can you imagine how elite this bullpen would be if saito finds his form of 2 years ago.
The Atlanta Braves can be considered a candidate for the world series

nl central

st.louis cardinals
chris carpenter and albert pujols on the same team.
arguably the greatest starting pitcher in the game alongside arguably the greatest bat in the game.
strengh of this team is its pitching, both the starters, but even more so the bullpen.
huge weakness, despite the 3-4 double wammy of pujols and holliday, the line-up completely sucks.

cincinnati reds
the problem with me, is i see to far into the future.
when i see the right moves being made, i point them out, however that usually translates into reality 1-2 years later.
now the reds hold some serious pieces...joey votto, brandon phillips and jay bruce to add to the speedsters in the outfield.
they've got cordero closing, with masset and rhodes setting him up...thats one serious bullpen.
the starters are just gonna get better each year that passes.
volquez, cueto and bailey can seriously throw, while arroyo and harang have proven they can win.
this is well run team, that will end up competing for this division

houston astros
if oswalt can prove to be a worthy number 1 for the astros, than this line-up can win some games.
if this team is around come trading time, this team has been known to make a big move.
it won't take much for a team like this to go over the top in this division.

chicago cubs
i have a lot of questions regarding the condition and health of this line-up.
to add on to that, the pitching staff also seems kinda weak..i'm not crazy for the bulllpen either.
in the end, to be honest, i'd be suprised if this team was still around at the end of the season.

pittsburgh pirates
i like what they're doing with this team...slowly but surely, its just a matter of time.
this team will crawl out of the gutter before long

milwakee brewers
other than the huge 3/4 fielder/braun, this is a very very weak line-up.
who could possibly expect this team to compete with this kind of rotation.
i like the bullpen, but its not gonna work ....you gotta rebuild here...trade one of the big guys in exchange for the future..its the only way to do it.

Having watched, my opinion in this division has not shifted much, other than a little flash from the pirates who look to be moving along well in thier rebuilding...if i was in charge though, i'd draft again this season regardless if the capabilities opf the team is greater.

nl west

la dodgers
this is a good team all around ......amazing bullpen, seriously, just out of this world.
a little bit of a weakness with the starters, not that their numbers will show it in this kinda ball park, but still.

colorado rockies
another well rounded team, with a little bit of everything.
betancourt for the eighth and street for the ninth, make this bullpen seem as solid as oak.
i like their starters, jimenez, cook, francis, hammel and the hard throwing de la rosa.
they've even got a few bats.
i would not be suprised in the least if this team won this division

san fransisco giants
lincecum and cain easily make up the best 1-2 in baseball.
the one thing thats holding this team back is its line-up, which is without doubt, the weakest in the game

arizona cardinals
these bats are weaker than their numbers show, and this rotation is much stronger than the number show.
they'll need to find some form early on to keep up with the dodgers and the rockies...in the end, i don't think they'll be there.

san diego padres
the padres are still in the building stages....don't judge, adrian gonzalez will most likely not stay here, so as you can understand, the draft would be the main focus for this team

The Giants are catching my eye a little....they'd always have to be considered a danger with that kind of rotation.
If their bats can put up a few runs, they're gonna be winnning a lot more games than they lose.

[W.HI.P]

Early predictions for the world series:

Atlanta Braves vs Tampa Bay Rays
Atlanta Braves vs Chicago White Sox

[W.HI.P]

Atlanta Braves vs Tampa Bay Rays = 110/1
Atlanta Braves vs Chicago White Sox = 165/1

[lumberjim]

baseball is totally fixed.

just a step up from pro wrestling...... a SHORT step...

[Elspode]

The Royals *still* have no fucking bullpen. Blew a five to nothing lead today after 6 shutout innings by Bannister. Our bullpen can't get outs on girl scouts.

[Shawnee123]

QUIT TALKING ABOUT MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL 2010.

[W.HI.P]

Originally Posted by Elspode

The Royals *still* have no fucking bullpen. Blew a five to nothing lead today after 6 shutout innings by Bannister. Our bullpen can't get outs on girl scouts.

The Royals are the kind of team that need their starters to go 8 innings so that the absolute elite closer "Soria" can close the game out.
Grienke can certainly go 8 innings, and you can be sure that he'll be winning 75-80% of his starts this season.
I was talking about Hochevar last season, If he can go 7 innings, he'll be winning over 60% of his starts.
The teams not too bad if you consider the estimated stats of these 2 starters.
If Butler lives up to his potential, him and Guillen make up a solid 3-4.
The division is not so tough beyond the Sox and twins.

[W.HI.P]

Heading towards the first third of the season, this is what the standings look like so far.....

AL East
1)Tampa Bay Rays 29-11
2)NY Yankees 25-15
3)Toronto Blue Jays 25-17
4)Boston red sox 21-20
5)Baltimore orioles 13-28

The Rays have the best record in baseball, and they've yet to really start running.
David Price leading the AL with his 6 wins and 1.81 ERA.
Not to mention Evan longoria leading the AL with 27 RBI's.
The Yankees have to be disapointed with the starters who are well under par.
The Jays are in the same position they were last year where they had their worst season in decades...you can expext the same this season/or worse.
The red sox, as mentioned are not close to contention.
The orioles are still waiting for the return of their lead-off man Brian Roberts.....they should have a good 2nd half.

AL Central
1)Minesota Twins 24-16
2)Detroit Tigers 23-17
3)Chicago White Sox 16-23
4)Kansas City Royals 17-25
5)Clevland Indians 15-24

Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau lead things for the twins while closer Raunch has been a great replacement for the injured Nathan.

AL West
1)Texas Rangers 23-18
2)Oakland A's 20-21
3)LA Angles 19-23
4)Seattle Mariners 14-26

This division looks open, although i would be suprised if texas hangs on to the lead...not that there's some super team in this division waiting to overtake them, its just the rangers have a habbit of falling apart mid-summer.

NL East
1)Philadelphia Phillies 24-15
2)Florids Marlins 22-19
3)Washington Nationals 21-20
4)Atlanta Braves 20-20
5)New York Mets 19-22

the Braves 20 Year old Jason Heyward leads his team with 29 RBI's, 8 Homeruns, batting .288, but with a lot of walks leading to a .406 on base percentage.... so yeah, he's got patience.
Most outstanding feature of Heyward is his clutch preformance as he's had an overwhelming amount of walk off at bats this season.

NL central
1)Cincinnati Reds 23-17
2)St.Louis Cardinals 23-18
3)Chicago Cubs 19-22
4)Milwakee Brewers 18-22
5)Houston Astros 14-26

Look at the Reds!
Voted as most suprising team in the major leagues.....no suprise to me, as i began pointing them out last season.

NL West
1)San Diego Padres 24-16
2)San Fransisco Giants 22-17
3)LA Dodgers 22-18
4)Colorado Rockies 19-21
5)Arizona Diamondbacks 17-24

The Padres will not remain on top here, this will end up a three horse race at most between the Dodgers, giants and rockies pending injuries.

[W.HI.P]

Half way through the season now, and this is how the divisions look.
Highlighted in Green are my pre-season picks.

AL East
1)New york Yankees --
2)Tampa bay Rays -2
3)Boston Red Sox -5
4)Toronto Blue Jays -11.5
5)Baltimore Orioles -28

The Rays will end up winning this division.
The Yankees should also make the post-season as the wild card, unless the tigers challenge them a little.
The Red Sox have not done that bad, but key injuries (Martinez, Ellsbury),and the general age of the players, forbid any hope for anything more than an above .500 record.
The Jays simply suck....there's not much more to say about them..... their batting average, their rotation, their bullpen, their closer, their best players age ...there's just nothing there, its a disgrace.
The baltimore orioles, since the start of the season, have been without their lead-off man speedster brian Roberts, and without their closer Mike Gonzales, so it looks like another drafting season....and good for them, its the only way they're ever gonna be able to compete in this division.

AL Central
1)Detroit Tigers --
2)Chicago White Sox -0.5
3)Minnesota Twins -2
4)Kansas City Royals -8
5)Clevland Indians -14

After a very weak start, the Chicago White sox have been on a tear, and now have caught up, and will eventually take the lead in this division.
It won't be without competition though....i must admit, that i underestimated this tigers team a little bit.
Miguel Cabrera is having the season of his life!! Austin Jackson came out of nowhere, and is a very good lead off man.
Boesch has also come out of nowhere, and has added a serious bat to this line-up.
I can't say they came out of nowhere as they did catch my eye at the start of the season, its just that i didn't expect them both to be in such form early on.
All this though will fall short as the Tigers face some serious pitching problems, both in the rotation, as well as their bullpen.
103 mile/per hour throwing relief pitcher Zumaya is out!
Other than Verlander and perhaps Sherzer, the tigers simply do not have starting pitchers capable of keeping this team in contention for this season.
The Twins are still there, despite their recent slump. Should Mauer find his power again, i wouldn't put it past this team to be around at the end of the season.
Royals fans are starting to feel good about this team.....they should start losing some games though as the they should be considering some of these draft targets.
The Clevland Indians are rebuilding at this time, but are at a very early stage.

AL West
1)Texas Rangers --
2)LA Angels -5.5
3)Oakland A's -9.5
4)Seattle Mariners -16

I did predict the fall of the Angels, but I thought it would probably be the A's that took them over.
For now, early July, its the heavy hitting Rangers, who just added Cliff Lee to their rotation.
Lets keep in mind how weak texas has played in late summer these past seasons.
This division is still open, even to my injury struck angels.
The A's, despite being 9.5 games behind, are a very serious young team, that just keep making the right moves for the future.
The Mariners got the right idea adding speedster figgins to the start of the batting order to compliment ichiro suzuki, but they forgot to add some power in there, so there's no one to bring them in.
Lets see if this team collapses or rebuilds in the off-season.

NL East
1)Atlanta Braves --
2)New York Mets -4
3)Philadelphia Phillies -5.5
4)Florida marlins -10.5
5)Washington Nationals -12.5

Wow! The Braves are ranked #1 in the National league! ....all this, without their #1 bat Jason Heyward, who has been on the DL these past few weeks...He's on his way back as we speak.
The Braves are 5.5 games ahead of their main rivals Philies!
The Mets have found some form from some unexpected pitchers in their rotation.
I always liked Pagan to be a lead-off man, and here he is doing it.
Jose Reyes, still faces some health issues.
David Wright is looking pretty good out there, and is the main reason why this team is still around coming into mid-season.
I'm not suprised that the Mets are in 2nd, and i won't be suprised if they end up in 2nd.
The reason is that the Phillies have some serious issues.
Halladay, who always been overated, is proving to be less than people thought.
Hamels still has a year or two before he reaches his full potential.
J.A Happ has been on the DL since day 1, and despite his rehab, does not look to be his old self.
The rest of the rotation have no buisness in the major leagues.
The line-up see's the God of 2nd basemen Chase Utley on the DL for another month.
Rollins is just a mediocre shortstop, despite his great season a couple years ago.
What exactly does that leave in the line-up? Howard? ...sure, but one powerfull strike-out batter is not gonna win any pennant for you.
Especially when the team you're playing for has a non-existant bull pen.
The Phillies bullpen is sooo weak, that they've got starting pitcher Contreras as the main man....like wtf dudes, get some relief!!
So yeah, forget the phillies.
The Florida Marlins, despite their under .500 record, are looking pretty good!
If this team can hold on to Hanley Ramirez for a couple more years, and fill in some of the holes in their rotation and bullpen, they might just be the team to take command in this division in the up-coming years!
Finally some good news in Washington!
Young superstar starting pitcher Strasburg is selling out the park in Washington, and wherever else he pitches.
He is a strike-out artist who has everyone convinced that he will be one of the absolute elite pitchers in baseball for years to come!
Not much else to say about the team, but its a good start.

NL Central
1)Cincinnati Reds --
2)St.Louis Reds -3
3)Chicago Cubs -10.5
4)Milwakee Brewers -11.5
5)Houston Astros -13.5
6)Pittsburgh pirates -18

Now here's something to feel proud about!
The Reds are 11 games ahead of the 3rd place cubs, and are currently in a two horse race for the NL central!
Phillips, Votto and Bruce are getting it done producing runs like theres no tommorow.
The bullpen, as mentioned before is elite, with Cordero, masset and Rhodes.
The Reds find themselves in this position, playing half the season without their #1 starter Volquez, who is in re-hab as we speak, and should be returning to the rotation just after the mid-season break!
The Cardinals are clearly not the favorite to win this division.
The line-up is overall weak despite the 2 heavy bats.
It was the rotation that was gonna put them in contention, and its not looking quite as good as it did when the season started.
Garcia started off the season as their best starter(Quoting the cardinals general manager), and he was....but he's lost something out there, command, velocity, and i don't think he'll keep it up.
Chris Carpenter is clearly not the pitcher he was last season, so, as you can see, this cardinals team is not as strong as they seemed.
The rest of the division is kinda weak.....the Cubs, the Brewers, the Astros, all on the decline......while the pirates seem to be doing all the right things(Drafting), and will be above these other teams in the next couple seasons.

NL West
1)San Diego Padres --
2)LA Dodgers -3
3)Colorado Rockies -3
4)San Fransisco Giants -5
5)Arizona Diamondbacks -17.5

I could say that i underestimated the Padres, but i don't think i did.
To me, the Padres remain one of the worst teams in baseball, and will finish this season in 4th place in this division.
If i ran the team, i would be dead last rubbing my hands together looking at the draft.
The Dodgers and the Rockies are the real contenders.
I wouldn't be suprised if the rockies won it in the end should Tulowitzki come back from the DL in full form.
The Giants depend a lot on Lincecum, who has faced a few problems this season......Giants, get some bats!
I'm not fond of the way the Diamondbacks are being run.

[W.HI.P]

Here are rankings, by position, of the most coveted players in the major leagues.
The considerations of these rankings, are based on potential, age, value, and salary.
This is the present and future of baseball.
It'll give you a better grasp on who holds the most valued prospects for the future of the game:


Pitching - Starters
1) Stephen Strasburg (Washinton Nationals)
2) Tim Lincecum (San Fransisco Giants)
3) David Price (Tampa Bay Rays)
4) Aroldis Chapman (Cincinnati Reds)
5) Drew Pomeranz (Clevland Indians)
6) Josh Johnson (Florida Marlins)
7) Mike Leake (Cincinnati Reds)
8) Barret Loux (Arizona Diamondbacks)
9) Aaron Crow (Kansas City Royals)
10) Brian Matusz (Baltimore Orioles)

Young is where its at when it comes to starting pitching.
Older experience starters are overpaid and with lingering injuries as arms tend to wear and tear.

Catcher
1) Joe mauer (Minnesota Twins)
2) Yasmani Grandal (Cincinnati Reds)
3) Matt Weiters (Baltimore orioles)
4) Justin O'Connor (Tampa Bay Rays)
5) Kellin Deglan (Texas Rangers)

A lot of good young catchers coming up.

First Base
1) Justin Smoak (Seattle Mariners)
2) Joey Votto (Cincinnat Reds)
3) Miguel Cabrera (Florida Marlins)
4) Adrian Gonzales (San Diego Padres
5) James Loney (LA Dodgers)

I'm sure a lot of people would ask where is albert pujols, Ryan howard and Prince Fielder?
You gotta go young, and consider all things when ranking the value/ability/age/cost of a player.
Billy Butler would probably be ranked 6th or 7th.
A lot of teams sacrifice their future for a pennant run.
A great example can be seen in this latest Texas Rangers/Seattle Mariners trade, where texas got starting pitcher Cliff lee and gave up Justin Smoak and then some. The Mariners obviously need his power... but overall, when you look back at the trade in a year or two, you'll see that Seattle, by far, won in that trade.

2nd Base
1) Chase Utley (Philadelphia Phillies)
2) Brandon Phillips (Cincinnati Reds)
3) Robinson cano (NY Yankees)
4) Ian Kinsler (Texas Rangers)
5) Kolbren Virtek (Boston Red Sox)

these 2nd basemen are rare in a day of mediocre 2nd basemen.

3rd base
1) Evan Longoria (Tampa Bay Rays)
2) Pedro Alvarez (Pittsburgh Pirates)
3) Ryan Zimmerman (Washington Nationals)
4) Zach Cox (St.Louis Cardinals)
5) Pablo Sandoval (San Fransisco Giants)

These are some serious bats!
Alex is not in the top 10 with all things considered

Short Stop
1) Tim Beckham (Tampa Bay Rays)
2) Manny Machado (Baltimore Orioles)
3) Troy Tulowitzki (Colorado Rockies)
4) Elvis Andrus (Texas Rangers)
5) Eric Aybar (Anaheim Angels)

Hanley Ramirez could have just as easily been placed in 1st place here, but an owner would go with these players for various reasons.

Outfield
1) Jason Heyward (Atlanta Braves)
2) Bryce Harper (Washington Nationals)
3) Carl Crawford (Tampa Bay Rays)
4) Ryan Braun (Milwakee Brewers)
5) Austin Jackson (Detroit Tigers)
6) Donovan Tate (San Diego Padres)
7) Jacoby Ellsbury (Boston red Sox)
8) Jay Bruce (Cincinnati Reds)
9) BJ Upton (Tampa Bay Rays)
10) Justin Upton (Arizona Cardinals)

You could argue with conviction about a lot of players not in this list.

Pitching - Relief
1) Johny Venters (Atlanta Braves)
2) Tyler Clippard (Washinton Nationals)
3) Daniel Bard (Boston Red Sox)

There are a lot of young relief pitchers that i've yet to mention, but you gotta understand that pitchers at a young age, often alter their careers based on the needs of the team they play for (Starters, relievers,closers)

Pitching - Closer
1) Jonathon Broxton (LA Dodgers)
2) Joakim Soria (Kansas City Royals)
3) Leo Nunez (Florida Marlins)

You still go young here, but a little experience is a must.
These are the most dominant young closers in the game at the moment.

[W.HI.P]

To put all on one list for you, I'll go with the top 25 coveted players in Major League Baseball
(According to W.HI.P)

1) Evan Longoria 3rd base Tampa Bay Rays
Still only 24 years old, coming off a 100 run, 33 homer run, 113 RBI season.
His batting average is up to .300 this season and he has started stealing bases (13)
On the defencive side, there is no 3rd baseman close to being as good as Evan.
This is the most coveted players in baseball!

2) Jason Heyward Out Field Atlanta Braves
Jason's swing is as fast as a swing can be, and his power is evident.
Although only 20 years old, he's a very patient hitter, walking already 42 times in his first season.
Heyward's gonna be around for a very long time, so get used to him.

3) Joe Mauer Catcher Minnesota Twins
Even though this guy is 27, he remains the tiger woods of catchers.
He holds a career .323 batting average, coming off a remarkable .365 batting average season.
He's probably one the favorite catchers to throw to.
One could argue that he is the most coveted asset in the game.

4) Jonathon Broxton Closer LA Dodgers
This 26 year old, is the best pitcher in the game.
He's a closer, so he dosent' have to stay out there, but while he's up on the mound, he is the most dominating of them all.
Since pitching in the major leagues, he has 475 strike-outs in 355 innings,
Without argument, he is the best closer in the game.

5) Stephen Strasburg Starting Pitcher Washington Nationals
When this 21 year old takes the mound, everyone watches.
He's the most watched starting pitcher since he joined the major leagues, and he has not disapointed.
2.32 era, 1.01 whip, and 61 k's in 42.2 innings pitched.
Whats most remarkable about his pitch is its movement.
Strasburg has surpassed Lincecum as the #1 Starter in the game

6) Bryce Harper Outfield Washington Nationals
This is the youngest player on this list (17).
Although little has been seen from him, he is probably, the most coveted player in baseball.

7) Carl Crawford Outfield Tampa Bay Rays
This is one of my favorite players in baseball.
He's an all rounder with speed, power, fielding, and an overall perfection in all aspects of his game.
he's batting .321! He led all players in stolen bases with 60!
He's looking to better that as he has 31 half way through this season.

8) Tim Lincecum Starting Pitcher San Fransisco Giants
This 26 year old is a strike-out artist.
He has 807 strikouts in 715 innings pitched since joining the major leagues.
He's got a 2.94 era and a 1.17 whip.
His pitches have great movement, and his style of throwing is awesome.

9) Ryan Braun Outfield Milwakee Brewers
I'm not a fan of Braun, but i can't not put him in this list.
He's 26 years old, and is one of the abolute elite bats in the game.
He's got a career 305 batting average, and has 106 homeruns so far.

10) Joakim Soria Closer Kansas City Royals
One of the dominating pitchers in the game.
26 years old, with a career 2.13 era and 0.9 whip.
He records more than a strikout per inning

11) Tim Beckham Short Stop Tampa Bay Rays
Now here's a guy i'd want on my team!
This 20 year old is one of the best short stops i've seen play.
He's got speed, power, and elite fielding ability.
He's yet to join this world series rays team, but all eyes will be on him when he makes his anticipate debut!

12) Pedro Alvarez 3rd base Pittsburgh Pirates
This 23 year old has amazing abilities!
He just needs a little time in the major leagues to find his proper powerfull swing.
One may argue that Zimmerman would be a better option at 3rd base,
but I'd go with this guy who seems to have greater potential.

13) Manny Machado Short Stop Baltimore Orioles
This 18 year old is about as good as a prospect can get.
He's an all round player... should make his debut in the majors at 20 years old.
Watch out for this guy!

14) David Price Starting Pitcher Tampa Bay Rays
I've been talking about this guy for the past couple years.
He's 24 now, having the season of his life.
He's 12-4 with a 2.42 era this season!

15) Ryan Zimmerman 3rd base Washington Nationals
Ryan makes it 3 nationals in the top 15.
I suppose we should be seeing Washington in a pennant race in the next couple years?
Ryan is a .300 hitter over 100 run and 100 rbis, 33 homerun kinda guy.
He's 25, and a rare, good 3rd baseman.

16) Troy Tulowitzki Short Stop Colorado Rockies
Just like Ryan above, he's also a .300, 100 run/rbi 33 homerun kinda guy.
He's also 25.

17) Aroldis Chapman Pitcher Cincinnati Reds
At 21, he's about to make his major league debut with the reds.
Aroldis is clearly a starter, however, due to the multiple starters that the reds have, he may just start his career in the pen.
In time, he will get in the reds rotation.
His start is highly anticipated, and my bet is that he will not disapoint!

18) Austin Jackson Outfield Detroit Tigers
This 23 year old has a .300 batting average in his debut year for the detroit tigers.
He's the tigers lead-off man this season, doing a good job in center field.
Jackson has respectable speed.

19) Johny Venters Relief Pitcher Cincinnati Reds
Johny made his debut this year at 25, but he's been amazing!
He's got a 3-0 record with a save and a 1.30 era and a 1.10 whip.

20) Justin Smoak 1st base Seattle Mariners
He just made his debut in the majors at 23.
There's no doubt he's got power, he's just struggled a little bit so far, facing these major league starters.
I like what i've seen so far from this guy.....give him some time.

21) Elvis Andrus Shortstop Texas Rangers
At 21, this guy is ready for the majors!
He's fast, with fielding ability, and he's not afraid to swing the bat, recording 92 hits in 84 games this year.

22) Joey Votto 1st base Cincinnati Reds
One of the absolute elite 1st basemen in the majors.
At 26, he's got a .311 career batting average.

23) Tyler Clippard Relief pitcher Washington Nationals
I've been watching 25 year old Clippard over the past couple years.
If this guy ever sorts out some of the control issues that he has, he'll be lights out!

24) Donovan Tate Outfield San Diego padres
What an athlete this 19 year old is!
Top of the line. he can do anything!
It might be a year or two before we get to see him in the majors, but i'll be watching!

25) Drew Pomeranz Starting Pitcher Clevland Indians
Pomeranz is a 21 year old left handed pitcher.
I've seen him a couple times, and i can tell you that he's more than worthy of being on this list.
I highly await his major league debut!

[W.HI.P]

Originally Posted by W.HI.P

Atlanta Braves vs Tampa Bay Rays = 110/1
Atlanta Braves vs Chicago White Sox = 165/1

When you see me giving long term betting tips, make the bets.
These two above that i gave now have a different value

Atlanta Braves vs Tampa Bay Rays = 9/1
Atlanta Braves vs Chicago White Sox = 40/1

[W.HI.P]

Heading towards the last stretch of the season, these are the standings two thirds into it.
Highlighted in Green are my pre-season picks

AL East
1)New york Yankees --
2)Tampa bay Rays -1.5
3)Boston Red Sox -6
4)Toronto Blue Jays -10
5)Baltimore Orioles -31.5

Nothing has changed here at all, 2nd place will clearly be the wild-card.
The Red-sox are plagued with injuries as their best bat is out for the season.
The jays condemn themselves more by neglecting to draft.....again.
The orioles on the other hand, find themselves in a very interesting position as they're in a race for the #1 pick!

AL Central
1)Chicago White Sox --
2)Minnesota Twins --
3)Detroit Tigers -9
4)Kansas City Royals -16
5)Clevland Indians -16

Nice little battle here between the sox and the Twins.
The white sox have the clear edge here, as Morneau is injured for Minnesota.
The Tigers have fallen from contention as anticipated.
Things are not quite as bad as they look in Kansas and Clevland....the future looks a little brighter with some of the moves that were made, especially in Clevland.

AL West
1)Texas Rangers --
2)Oakland A's -8
3)LA Angels -8.5
4)Seattle Mariners -22

The A's have picked it up a little bit of late, and look pretty good, despite their weaker bats.
i would not be suprised if the A's pitching made this division a race by the end of the season.
The Rangers usually slow down in the hot months.


NL East
1)Atlanta Braves --
2)Philadelphia Phillies -1
3)New York Mets -8.5
4)Florida marlins -9
5)Washington Nationals -15

The Braves are remarkable.
I know i projected them to win the national league, but i must say that i'm more optimistic now.
Prado's on his way back to the top of the line-up as we speak, and all aspects of pitching are elite at this time.
The phillies find themselves, despite some late form, in a very tough predicament, as both Utley and Howard face health issues.
The Bullpen remains a reference to the weakest in the league.
The Mets are falling, while the Marlins are probably leaving it a little too late to make a run.
Lets see how fast things can change in baseball, as i project the nationals on top of this division by 2013.

NL Central
1)Cincinnati Reds --
2)St.Louis Cardinals -1
3)Milwakee Brewers -11
4)Houston Astros -15
5)Chicago Cubs -16
6)Pittsburgh pirates -24

This remains a two horse race.
Experts are NOW jumping on the Reds band-wagon.
It will be interesting to watch how this evolves.
The reds all round play vs the cardinals elite starters and weak bats.
I still give the edge to the Reds.
Out of the rest of the teams in this division, the Pirates look to be contending by 2012

NL West
1)San Diego Padres --
2)San Fransisco Giants -2
3)Colorado Rockies -6.5
4)LA Dodgers -7
5)Arizona Diamondbacks -21.5

Huge leap from the Giants, as Lincecum and Cain find their form.
The Padres should be caught here, I can't contemplate them winning this division.
I expect the rockies or the dodgers to be close to the giants before the end of the season, making this a 3 horse race.

[Shawnee123]

So, ever went to a baseball game and a hockey game broke out?