With how the AL Central is the line of 85 is reasonable... the young pitchers will struggle to throw all those innings once again and there strike out prone offense might catch up to them this year... I look for them to have a set back year but this team will be good for a while... With the White Sox and Indians coming back strong the Tigers will finish third but I don't think the third place team in a division can get 90 wins again do you? That would be insane... also I think the Twins will be around .500 or a little better and there is no way that there can be that many wins in the division... I say the Sox get between 93-96 and win the division indians between 90-93 and make the wild card and the twins and Tigers stay about 500 between 82-90 wins on the year... the divsion has so many good teams that it is hard to put the third best team in the division at 90+ wins... and I know the Tigers went to the world series but the White Sox staff had a career down year and still won that many games... With Buerhle back and healthy and Garland growing... along side of Contreras and the 12-15 that Vazquez can win they should get there division crown but in no way will it be easy... I just like the lineup and balance of Cleveland and the White Sox and this sounds funny, but after watching how the White Sox bounced back from playing that late into the season... I think the two teams missing the playoffs helped significantly... Because the Tigers pitchers are young and young guys will struggle to throw 200 innings in back to back years I mean look at how they finished in the second half... but 77 is unreal... 85-87 wins from the tigers this year
I started it at 88, dropped it down to 87 and settled on 86.5....I thought about how they performed the last 45 days of the regular season and lowered it some....does anyone have win totals out anywhere that you know of?
May as well get this out of the way now, where do you put the Cubs line at 90-what? :lolBIG:
Without giving it a great deal of thought, I would rank the White Sox #1, Cleveland #2, and the Twins #3, Detroit #4...but very very close....I have seen a few people around saying the Sox are going to really drop off now, I just can't see it, and why people think the Sox are going to drop that much.
With the CUbs I put there line at 84-86 and I hate to say that because I hate them... The thing that scares me is that they can win there joke of a division with that record.... The Cubs still lack pitching greatly and for those that wnat to say otherwise I say show me how they don't?
Outside of Zambrano they don't have a proven winner on that team...
Lily is average at best a 3-5 pitcher for sure...
Marquis is one of the worst in the league...
Prior is always injured
Marshall is inconsistent...
Am I missing someone?
But there power in the lineup might be good enough to get them that win total... they still don't have a proven one or two hitter though and the back end of there lineup is very weak... the heart will produce 70% of there runs + which is a bad sign on a baseball team... there bullpen is very solid and they will not blow many leads this year... This team will outscore teams often but I am just not sure they have the pitching to get them anywhere near 90 wins... Pinella and Baker are polar opposites so maybe that will help the team... but Remember LOU hates losing and breaks down when it happens... they have the worst defense in the MLB which will not help there pitching IMO... if you don't think they do then come on your not watching baseball...
There outfield is terrible they have a center field who made 11 ERRORS IN LEFT FIELD! They have a right fielder who is still trying to figure out how to play right in wrigley and a very slow left fielder... they have one of the worst defensive catchers in baseball... a terrible defensive third basemen and a very avg second basemen... there short stop is dynamite with his glove and so is D'LEE but Izturis can't hit the ball period... This team has a lot of wholes but in that divison they may be able to squeak by...
Outside of Zambrano they don't have a proven winner on that team...
Lily is average at best a 3-5 pitcher for sure...
Marquis is one of the worst in the league...
Prior is always injured
Marshall is inconsistent...
Am I missing someone?
But there power in the lineup might be good enough to get them that win total... they still don't have a proven one or two hitter though and the back end of there lineup is very weak... the heart will produce 70% of there runs + which is a bad sign on a baseball team... there bullpen is very solid and they will not blow many leads this year... This team will outscore teams often but I am just not sure they have the pitching to get them anywhere near 90 wins... Pinella and Baker are polar opposites so maybe that will help the team... but Remember LOU hates losing and breaks down when it happens... they have the worst defense in the MLB which will not help there pitching IMO... if you don't think they do then come on your not watching baseball...
There outfield is terrible they have a center field who made 11 ERRORS IN LEFT FIELD! They have a right fielder who is still trying to figure out how to play right in wrigley and a very slow left fielder... they have one of the worst defensive catchers in baseball... a terrible defensive third basemen and a very avg second basemen... there short stop is dynamite with his glove and so is D'LEE but Izturis can't hit the ball period... This team has a lot of wholes but in that divison they may be able to squeak by...
The Sox are much better then they were the year they won the world series... And I am a sox fan... they were just to inconsistent last year at the plate and on the mound... they are hands down the most complete team in the division...
there leadoff spot is in question but Podsednik seems to play well every other year haha... But after that there lineup is the best in the game... besides maybe the yankees...
There pitching staff is deep and has a lot of horses and there bullpen is very very very good... Bobby Jenks is one of the best in the game and there staff seemed to have dead arms after the world series... they will be very hungry this year and they feed off doubters... I think the other teams got better but the Sox just got more complete... they are a very very very good team... I would not be surprised to see them raising the trophy again this year but they still have questions... and the biggest is will they have a 5th starter step up... I can g'tee if they get 11-13 wins out of there fifth starter they will win 95+ games and be in the playoffs... And if htey don't they will be in trouble.
there leadoff spot is in question but Podsednik seems to play well every other year haha... But after that there lineup is the best in the game... besides maybe the yankees...
There pitching staff is deep and has a lot of horses and there bullpen is very very very good... Bobby Jenks is one of the best in the game and there staff seemed to have dead arms after the world series... they will be very hungry this year and they feed off doubters... I think the other teams got better but the Sox just got more complete... they are a very very very good team... I would not be surprised to see them raising the trophy again this year but they still have questions... and the biggest is will they have a 5th starter step up... I can g'tee if they get 11-13 wins out of there fifth starter they will win 95+ games and be in the playoffs... And if htey don't they will be in trouble.
So lets count the ways this year's Sox are better than the WS team based on their offseason:
-Resigned Podsenik (hurt)
-Signed Darin Ersted (always hurt), hasn't done anything since 2002.
-Traded Freddy Garcia away, weakening their SP
-Didn't trade Buherle who will probably walk after this season
-Traded Brandon McCarthy for ?
To Giant Douche, just remember which Sox won the WS last. It is the same team that spanked your Sox in the playoffs too.
uppy:
