I always wait a week before i get into my plays for baseball season,but i like to post the way i see it for the 2015 mlb season.this is just a brief outlook on the league so we all know things will change as the season gets into full swing.
AL EAST
BALTIMORE ORIOLES-to me the outfield looks a bit weak except for adam jones,and if somebody is not working out its not hard to replace him with a guy off the bench.
the infield looks in better shape as with chris davis at 1st and machado at 3rd those corner spots are secure.at 2nd base there is j schoop which im not familiar with and j.j. hardy will control SS when he comes off the DL shortly.ryan flaherty is a good utility player that can fill in just about anywhere.
wieters will handle the catching duties but he also is on the DL and will be back soon..
pitching,looks to be just fine as they have nice starters and a decent bullpen with britton as their closer.
ORIOLES may have a slow start as they wait for the key players on the DL to join the team but then they will be a complete team and in contention for the division once again.
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BOSTON RED SOX-bostons outfield looks pretty good and with lots of depth out there.
INFIELD-just about the same as last season except the panda from SF has joined them and will manage the hot corner.
CATCHER-this is not a strong point for them as hannigan will probably get the starting job and base stealers may have a field day against him.
PITCHING-the starting 5 look solid for them as the bullpen looks good also.uhera the closer will be on the DL also to start the season but he should return soon also.
BOSTON looks to be a top contender in the division and if no key injuries pop up they can make a run at the world series.
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NEW YORK YANKEES-their outfield looks suspect at the moment as ellsbury will have to stay healthy out of the 3 of them as beltran being up there in age has shown to be declining and gardner in LF is just your so-so everyday player.
INFIELD-Texeria is back from injury at 1st base but we will have to keep a good eye on him as the last couple years has been cut short due to injuries.S.drew and B.ryan should battle for 2nd base and then D.gregorios at SS and chase headley at 3rd base.how much and what alex rodriguez does will remain to be seen but i expect a DH and split time at 3rd base as headley not the rangey player he used to be.
CATCHER-McCANN will handle the duties behind the plate but he also is key to stay healthy for them.
PITCHING-Tanaka is the ace here,and then you have pineda coming back from injury then c.c.sabithia also back from a injury with Eovaldi which they picked up in the offseason and capuano rounding out the staff.Nova who is a big part of this staff is not expected back until sometime in june,so there's a lot of concern here on the starters.Bullpen i really don't see a true closer and this could be the weakest part of the team from what i see,so there are a lot of if's about the pitching staff.
health is going to be the answer to how far the yankees can go and i myself don't feel comfortable about them and believe they will not be in the race for the division this year.
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TAMPA BAY RAYS-the outfield is suspect to say the least.im not at all thrilled about this position at all.
INFIELD-this looks to be the solid part of the team and once again it will depend on how healthy longoria can stay.
CATCHER-Rivera will handle the duties behind the plate and he should be just fine.
PITCHING-Archer is the top dog here,with cobb,smyle,odorizzi,and kams behind him but smyle already is starting off the season on the DL.Balfour is the closer but the question is how many chances is he going to get if the staff and early relief don't get the job done.
I'M not seeing the rays doing anything this season.they should suffer all year and they also lost their manager joe maddon to the cubs.
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TORONTO BLUE JAYS-this outfield is also one of those so-so groups.Bautista moves over to RF with Saunders in left and Pompey in CF.I'm not familiar with Pompey so ill have to keep an eye on him early on.
INFIELD-THE infield looks pretty good with reyes back at SS,J.Smoak at 1st,donaldson at 3rd and D travis at 2nd base.
PITCHING-this could very well be a sore spot for them,they have hutchinson,dickey,norris,and father time Buehrle,and A.sanchez.lots of question marks here id say.CEICIL manages the closer spot and the rest of the pen is decent enough to get by.
I see the jays hanging around for a while but then fading off as the season goes on.
1.BOSTON,2.BALTIMORE,3.YANKEES,4.TORONTO,5.TAMPA BAY
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AL CENTRAL
THEY SAY THAT THIS IS THE TOUGHEST DIVISION IN BASEBALL RIGHT NOW BUT ID HAVE TO QUESTION THAT.
CHICAGO WHITE SOX-THE OUTFIELD IS SET UP WITH GOOD SPEED AND DECENT ARMS,SO NOT A ISSUE OUT HERE.
INFIELD-ramirez at SS,Abreu at 1st,M.johnson at 2nd,and Gillaspie at 3rd.this also should be a formidable group.
CATCHER-flowers and soto will share the duties here and both handle the position well.
PITCHING-Sale is the ace(starting season on DL)samardzija follows him,then quintana,danks,and nosi.the bullpen closer will be robertson and a decent set up crew in front of him.
The white sox can have some issues if the starters don't pan out and if the young infielders fail to live up to expectations so lets ?? these guys for at least a month to really see what they got.
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CLEVELAND INDIANS-very nice outfield with decent depth,so no problems here.
INFIELD-this looks to be the strong point of the team
CATCHERS-this spot is well in tact also so lets just move on
PITCHERS-SP don't exactly look like a strong point for them,but i see them surprising most people.the bullpen looks decent as Allen is their closer.
The Indians can hit the ball and score some runs thats for sure,so if the pitching rises to the top they will give the tigers a run for the division
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DETROIT TIGERS-THE outfield is good but not in the spectacular range.
INFIELD-this looks like the strong part of the team and should carry them.
CATCHER-another spot that they look just fine at.
PITCHING-SP looks to be strong,but verlander might not start the season on time,but he is not the ace anymore either.the bullpen is led by closerJ.nathan,and the rest of the pen are your everyday grit and grind relievers.
tigers look again like the team to beat here and like i said i like cleveland to give them a run for their money.
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KC ROYALS-outfield has tons of speed again and good arme just like last season.
INFIELD-no changes in the infield at all from last year so they should lead the way for the team.
CATCHER-no problems here either so you can feel safe the plate will be covered.
PITCHING-starters look to be in good shape even though they lost a couple but also filled them spots nicely.Bullpen is led by holland as the closer and the rest are just about the same group that shut teams down last year.
Royals will be in the hunt once again as they filled in their open spots nicely,they once again have a nice hitting team and great fielders.
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MINNESOTA TWINS-the outfield looks weak here as tori hunter is the only guy to mention here.
INFIELD-no real standouts here,just a bunch of guys that know how to play baseball,lets just hope they don't get frustrated with some other part of the team and throw them off their game.
CATCHER-suzuki handles the duties here and he is a good one.
PITCHING-SP is just so-so here as there is really no ace on the staff.so their going to have to do it together to make it work.Perkins is the closer and a good one but the rest of the pen is real iffy if you ask me.
I don't see the twins going anywhere this season but if they do it will be because of their speed on the bases and being successful by hitting and running in key situations.
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AL WEST-
HOUSTON ASTROS-The outfield is made up with a bunch of young talent and love the game.
INFIELD-this group is just like the OF,good group of guys and play with a ton of range getting after the baseball.
CATCHER-pretty young at this position but learning the job fairly well.
PITCHING-Good group of starters here even though they lost a couple.the bullpen has gregerson as the closer and have a nice bunch of guys getting it done in front of him.
The astros just keep improving each year and i don't see that changing this year either.they have a bunch of young hungry guys on this team who love the game,so they will be exciting again so enjoy when you get a chance to watch them.
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LA ANGELS-THE OUTFIELD LOOKS GOOD ESPECIALLY NOW THAT IT LOOKS LIKE HAMILTON WON'T FACE ANY SUSPENSION,AND THEY HAVE NICE DEPTH THERE ANYWAY.
INFIELD-the infield looks good again even though they lost kendricks as they have this young guy stepping in who is supposed to be pretty good,so we shall see.
CATCHER-Iannetta still controls the duties here but not much behind him so he will have to stay healthy.
PITCHING-starting pitching is strong here for them as they are deep at this position,and in the pen street still controls the closer role with a nice set of pitchers in front of him.
ANGELS will be a top contender once again so you better come to play when facing them.I don't see anyone challenging them for their division at all except maybe the mariners but thats it.
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OAKLAND A's-well the outfield was looking good until crisp got hurt and will miss about 2 months they say,so if they can hold on til he gets back they will have dodged a bullet.
INFIELD-they will have mostly new guys here as they traded a few away in the offseason ,so the newcomers will have to really step up if they want to be respectable.
CATCHER-looks like vogt will be the guy here as i see them thin at this position.not really sure how good vogt is so we'll have to wait and see.
PITCHING-here is another position that has been shook up by trades as they only have GRAY AND KAZMIR returning and then its the newcomers.the closer role will either be shared by doolittle/clippard or one of them will be given the job until they are unsuccessful.the rest of the pen is a question mark so it can be a long season for the A's this year.
OAKLAND is going to be a middle of the pack team i believe,but remember 2 years ago we all said that and they surprised us big time,so who knows with this team as they are known for making people shake their heads.
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SEATTLE MARINERS-outfield is young and fast with no real household names but i see them really getting the job done here.
INFIELD-no worries here as the infield looks intact and they do have some depth there also so they should be fine here.
PITCHING-FELIX THE CAT leads this staff once again and is just one hell of a pitcher.he has a bunch of nice arms behind him also so look for them to be challenging LA for the division.
SEATTLE made a few offseason moves to try and keep up with the ANGELS and i believe they have done that,so don't be surprised of their success if everything clicks this season
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TEXAS RANGERS-this outfield is suspect to say the least as there are no real big names like in the past out there.there may be several different lineups to see who actually clicks together to make it a steady everyday group.
INFIELD-the infield looks to be the strong point of the team,so lets hope they stay healthy and no mess that up.
CATCHER-anyone's guess here as to who will be the everyday catcher as 3 guys will be trying to land this job.
PITCHING-as if nothing else needed to go wrong they lose darvish for the season before it even gets underway.so the newcomers and the leftovers are going to really have to step up here if they are going to have a half decent season.In the pen,feliz is still the closer,but after him its not real good looking.maybe some will surprise and work out and that would be the best case for them to have happen.
TEXAS,is not a team im expecting much from.they have a mix of good young players but i don't think its going to all come together for a couple years.
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I will try and put together the national leag
AL EAST
BALTIMORE ORIOLES-to me the outfield looks a bit weak except for adam jones,and if somebody is not working out its not hard to replace him with a guy off the bench.
the infield looks in better shape as with chris davis at 1st and machado at 3rd those corner spots are secure.at 2nd base there is j schoop which im not familiar with and j.j. hardy will control SS when he comes off the DL shortly.ryan flaherty is a good utility player that can fill in just about anywhere.
wieters will handle the catching duties but he also is on the DL and will be back soon..
pitching,looks to be just fine as they have nice starters and a decent bullpen with britton as their closer.
ORIOLES may have a slow start as they wait for the key players on the DL to join the team but then they will be a complete team and in contention for the division once again.
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BOSTON RED SOX-bostons outfield looks pretty good and with lots of depth out there.
INFIELD-just about the same as last season except the panda from SF has joined them and will manage the hot corner.
CATCHER-this is not a strong point for them as hannigan will probably get the starting job and base stealers may have a field day against him.
PITCHING-the starting 5 look solid for them as the bullpen looks good also.uhera the closer will be on the DL also to start the season but he should return soon also.
BOSTON looks to be a top contender in the division and if no key injuries pop up they can make a run at the world series.
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NEW YORK YANKEES-their outfield looks suspect at the moment as ellsbury will have to stay healthy out of the 3 of them as beltran being up there in age has shown to be declining and gardner in LF is just your so-so everyday player.
INFIELD-Texeria is back from injury at 1st base but we will have to keep a good eye on him as the last couple years has been cut short due to injuries.S.drew and B.ryan should battle for 2nd base and then D.gregorios at SS and chase headley at 3rd base.how much and what alex rodriguez does will remain to be seen but i expect a DH and split time at 3rd base as headley not the rangey player he used to be.
CATCHER-McCANN will handle the duties behind the plate but he also is key to stay healthy for them.
PITCHING-Tanaka is the ace here,and then you have pineda coming back from injury then c.c.sabithia also back from a injury with Eovaldi which they picked up in the offseason and capuano rounding out the staff.Nova who is a big part of this staff is not expected back until sometime in june,so there's a lot of concern here on the starters.Bullpen i really don't see a true closer and this could be the weakest part of the team from what i see,so there are a lot of if's about the pitching staff.
health is going to be the answer to how far the yankees can go and i myself don't feel comfortable about them and believe they will not be in the race for the division this year.
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TAMPA BAY RAYS-the outfield is suspect to say the least.im not at all thrilled about this position at all.
INFIELD-this looks to be the solid part of the team and once again it will depend on how healthy longoria can stay.
CATCHER-Rivera will handle the duties behind the plate and he should be just fine.
PITCHING-Archer is the top dog here,with cobb,smyle,odorizzi,and kams behind him but smyle already is starting off the season on the DL.Balfour is the closer but the question is how many chances is he going to get if the staff and early relief don't get the job done.
I'M not seeing the rays doing anything this season.they should suffer all year and they also lost their manager joe maddon to the cubs.
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TORONTO BLUE JAYS-this outfield is also one of those so-so groups.Bautista moves over to RF with Saunders in left and Pompey in CF.I'm not familiar with Pompey so ill have to keep an eye on him early on.
INFIELD-THE infield looks pretty good with reyes back at SS,J.Smoak at 1st,donaldson at 3rd and D travis at 2nd base.
PITCHING-this could very well be a sore spot for them,they have hutchinson,dickey,norris,and father time Buehrle,and A.sanchez.lots of question marks here id say.CEICIL manages the closer spot and the rest of the pen is decent enough to get by.
I see the jays hanging around for a while but then fading off as the season goes on.
1.BOSTON,2.BALTIMORE,3.YANKEES,4.TORONTO,5.TAMPA BAY
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AL CENTRAL
THEY SAY THAT THIS IS THE TOUGHEST DIVISION IN BASEBALL RIGHT NOW BUT ID HAVE TO QUESTION THAT.
CHICAGO WHITE SOX-THE OUTFIELD IS SET UP WITH GOOD SPEED AND DECENT ARMS,SO NOT A ISSUE OUT HERE.
INFIELD-ramirez at SS,Abreu at 1st,M.johnson at 2nd,and Gillaspie at 3rd.this also should be a formidable group.
CATCHER-flowers and soto will share the duties here and both handle the position well.
PITCHING-Sale is the ace(starting season on DL)samardzija follows him,then quintana,danks,and nosi.the bullpen closer will be robertson and a decent set up crew in front of him.
The white sox can have some issues if the starters don't pan out and if the young infielders fail to live up to expectations so lets ?? these guys for at least a month to really see what they got.
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CLEVELAND INDIANS-very nice outfield with decent depth,so no problems here.
INFIELD-this looks to be the strong point of the team
CATCHERS-this spot is well in tact also so lets just move on
PITCHERS-SP don't exactly look like a strong point for them,but i see them surprising most people.the bullpen looks decent as Allen is their closer.
The Indians can hit the ball and score some runs thats for sure,so if the pitching rises to the top they will give the tigers a run for the division
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DETROIT TIGERS-THE outfield is good but not in the spectacular range.
INFIELD-this looks like the strong part of the team and should carry them.
CATCHER-another spot that they look just fine at.
PITCHING-SP looks to be strong,but verlander might not start the season on time,but he is not the ace anymore either.the bullpen is led by closerJ.nathan,and the rest of the pen are your everyday grit and grind relievers.
tigers look again like the team to beat here and like i said i like cleveland to give them a run for their money.
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KC ROYALS-outfield has tons of speed again and good arme just like last season.
INFIELD-no changes in the infield at all from last year so they should lead the way for the team.
CATCHER-no problems here either so you can feel safe the plate will be covered.
PITCHING-starters look to be in good shape even though they lost a couple but also filled them spots nicely.Bullpen is led by holland as the closer and the rest are just about the same group that shut teams down last year.
Royals will be in the hunt once again as they filled in their open spots nicely,they once again have a nice hitting team and great fielders.
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MINNESOTA TWINS-the outfield looks weak here as tori hunter is the only guy to mention here.
INFIELD-no real standouts here,just a bunch of guys that know how to play baseball,lets just hope they don't get frustrated with some other part of the team and throw them off their game.
CATCHER-suzuki handles the duties here and he is a good one.
PITCHING-SP is just so-so here as there is really no ace on the staff.so their going to have to do it together to make it work.Perkins is the closer and a good one but the rest of the pen is real iffy if you ask me.
I don't see the twins going anywhere this season but if they do it will be because of their speed on the bases and being successful by hitting and running in key situations.
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AL WEST-
HOUSTON ASTROS-The outfield is made up with a bunch of young talent and love the game.
INFIELD-this group is just like the OF,good group of guys and play with a ton of range getting after the baseball.
CATCHER-pretty young at this position but learning the job fairly well.
PITCHING-Good group of starters here even though they lost a couple.the bullpen has gregerson as the closer and have a nice bunch of guys getting it done in front of him.
The astros just keep improving each year and i don't see that changing this year either.they have a bunch of young hungry guys on this team who love the game,so they will be exciting again so enjoy when you get a chance to watch them.
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LA ANGELS-THE OUTFIELD LOOKS GOOD ESPECIALLY NOW THAT IT LOOKS LIKE HAMILTON WON'T FACE ANY SUSPENSION,AND THEY HAVE NICE DEPTH THERE ANYWAY.
INFIELD-the infield looks good again even though they lost kendricks as they have this young guy stepping in who is supposed to be pretty good,so we shall see.
CATCHER-Iannetta still controls the duties here but not much behind him so he will have to stay healthy.
PITCHING-starting pitching is strong here for them as they are deep at this position,and in the pen street still controls the closer role with a nice set of pitchers in front of him.
ANGELS will be a top contender once again so you better come to play when facing them.I don't see anyone challenging them for their division at all except maybe the mariners but thats it.
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OAKLAND A's-well the outfield was looking good until crisp got hurt and will miss about 2 months they say,so if they can hold on til he gets back they will have dodged a bullet.
INFIELD-they will have mostly new guys here as they traded a few away in the offseason ,so the newcomers will have to really step up if they want to be respectable.
CATCHER-looks like vogt will be the guy here as i see them thin at this position.not really sure how good vogt is so we'll have to wait and see.
PITCHING-here is another position that has been shook up by trades as they only have GRAY AND KAZMIR returning and then its the newcomers.the closer role will either be shared by doolittle/clippard or one of them will be given the job until they are unsuccessful.the rest of the pen is a question mark so it can be a long season for the A's this year.
OAKLAND is going to be a middle of the pack team i believe,but remember 2 years ago we all said that and they surprised us big time,so who knows with this team as they are known for making people shake their heads.
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SEATTLE MARINERS-outfield is young and fast with no real household names but i see them really getting the job done here.
INFIELD-no worries here as the infield looks intact and they do have some depth there also so they should be fine here.
PITCHING-FELIX THE CAT leads this staff once again and is just one hell of a pitcher.he has a bunch of nice arms behind him also so look for them to be challenging LA for the division.
SEATTLE made a few offseason moves to try and keep up with the ANGELS and i believe they have done that,so don't be surprised of their success if everything clicks this season
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TEXAS RANGERS-this outfield is suspect to say the least as there are no real big names like in the past out there.there may be several different lineups to see who actually clicks together to make it a steady everyday group.
INFIELD-the infield looks to be the strong point of the team,so lets hope they stay healthy and no mess that up.
CATCHER-anyone's guess here as to who will be the everyday catcher as 3 guys will be trying to land this job.
PITCHING-as if nothing else needed to go wrong they lose darvish for the season before it even gets underway.so the newcomers and the leftovers are going to really have to step up here if they are going to have a half decent season.In the pen,feliz is still the closer,but after him its not real good looking.maybe some will surprise and work out and that would be the best case for them to have happen.
TEXAS,is not a team im expecting much from.they have a mix of good young players but i don't think its going to all come together for a couple years.
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I will try and put together the national leag
