**THE Rx's OFFICAL EPIC 2013 OPEN MLB SEASON PREVIEW THREAD** EVERYONE INVITED TO CONTRIBUTE! (This thread will be packed with info to help prepare us

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Okay Ladies and Gentleman, baseball is almost here!!! Its right around the corner and we are going to come prepared
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Without no further ado I now present to you


The Rx's OFFICAL EPIC 2013 OPEN MLB SEASON PREVIEW THREAD.


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EVERYONE is invited to contribute and please don't be shy.
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Myself and others will be previewing the upcoming 2013 MLB season and offering insight and season preview write ups on teams. This is an open thread so please feel free to offer your thoughts on any team you'd like. It doesn't have to be a long winded writeup, but those are definitely encouraged.
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This thread is open for back and forth discussion as well, the more the merrier so please lets discuss this season!!


If you follow a team or a division very closely please offer your thoughts on what you expect from your division or team this year. If you have the time please mention some roster transactions, key signings etc that will help the folks reading have a better grasp of the team you are mentioning.


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If futures are your thing, please mention which ones you like. Such as season win totals or division winners etc.


I will also copy and paste some information and team writeups from members of other sites.



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Okay here we go :)
 
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tonymar's STL season preview:


2013 St.Louis Cardinals

The win total for the ’13 St.Louis Cardinals is set at 87

St.louis comes off a wild ride that led them to 1 game from a return trip to the world series…..
This year’s club has serious issues imo,…..& as I break ‘em down,……it appears that total is set too high for what I expect will be a down yr for the club that has made mistakes w/its roster & has too many question marks in key places

Pitching
Some will minimize the loss of carpenter from the rotation. I think his intangibles will be greatly missed in the clubhouse & pitcher mtgs……
Carpenter was the leader in that clubhouse & the leader in that rotation…..even when he has rehabbing his injury last yr……

The rotation has 2 openings behind staff ace Wainwright, Westbrook, & Garcia……the concerns w/those 3 spots are well known……westbrook is a career .500 starter w/a record of 98-95……garcia is injury prone w/terrible splits…..leads me to think he needs sports psychological help……& wainwright is dealing w/contract extension negotiations that are going nowhere…..& while not heated,..... surprising to see that the cardinals have yet to lock up wainwright in his walk yr……

The 2013 rotation lost lohse’s 16-3, 2.89era production from 2012..... worth noting that lohse had gone 30-11 in the last 2 yrs in stlouis,…..

&

the club will attempt to replace those wins w/a youth movement…..

Lance Lynn lost 40 pounds over the winter in an effort to avoid another 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] half collapse of 2012.... Lynn originally replaced the injured carpenter in ’12 & was successful early…..compiling many wins…..however,…..Lynn faded in august w/an era near 7 he was removed from the rotation……

He is competing for 1 of the 2 open spots in the rotation,……& for my money the 2013 rotation for St.Louis is regressing from ’12 & will be an issue for the club…….

St.Louis does have promising prospects w/their arms……however the #2 and 3 starters are not solid enough to support a youth movement at the back end

The strength of this club’s arms is the bullpen…..

The closer is established and the roles are defined w/boggs being a solid 8[SUP]th[/SUP] inning setup man for motte…..mujica appears to be the 7th inning option w/flame thrower rosenthal as another candidate..... they also added another lh reliever to accompany zep……choate and zep will be the lh relievers in the pen

Hitting
The 2013 St.Louis club is weak up the middle……they received bad news regarding the health of furcal’s throwing arm today……

Furcal has been shutdown indefinitely,…..& it is likely his season is over……

With ss yet again being a huge question mark for a club that avoided signing a free agent to fill that role,…..they looked at signing drew & talked about trading for cabrera,…..then decided to do nothing believing that furcal would be 100% healthy for ‘13…… they have also converted matt carpenter to a 2b to platoon with descalso……Imo,….they are very weak up the middle w/furcal out…..

They added infield backups that are mediocre at best,.... in ty wigginton & ronny cedeno……cast offs that are warm bodied roster spots……
They have a young hitting prospect in matt adams that will likely hit his way on to the team,…..& is a 1b only which would move craig to rf on days when the aging beltran is given a day off…..

2b prospect wong is not ready,.....to push for a spot on this roster......

Matheny has already said that beltran will not play any cf this yr……& while the OF is the strength w/holliday, jay & beltran……there are concerns over the 36 yr old beltran’s ability to stay healthy……he has already been injured in the 1[SUP]st[/SUP] wk of grapefruit league play……
Backups are mediocre…..aside from craig being a rf option

Molina is the leader on the field & solid behind the plate……imperative that he stays healthy for the ’13 season as his backup cruz is mediocre & they do not have any prospects

Total Play
The cardinals won 88 games in 2012…….

I do not see that total being matched in ’13…….

the 2012 club was 45-32 in the central division……
Gone are the Astros and the 11 wins st.louis compiled vs that awful club……taking out their 11-4 record vs Houston…….the cardinals go from 15 games vs Houston down to 4 interleague gms in ’13……

They also draw the rest of the AL west vs Texas, @ Oakland, & @ Anaheim…..

While st.louis’ saving grace is that they play in the central….. after top heavy Cincy…the rest of the division is questionable…..garza will start the season on the dl for the Chicago….Milwaukee is a team that can hit, can they pitch?…..will the Pirates finally break a 21 yr drought of finishing under .500?.....

I see the 2013 St.louis cardinals as a roster w/too many questions & mediocre talent at key positions……while la russa would get the most out of an up the middle if of kozma, carpenter/descalso……I do not think matheny will achieve the same success in his sophomore season as skipper…..

I am playing Under 87 wins for the 2013 St.Louis club
 
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Nats NATIONALS SEASON PREVIEW:

Nationals over 92 -110

In my opinion, this is the best team in the National League. They outscored their opponents by 137 runs last year, by far the best in the National League. The pitching allowed only 594 runs, second in the league behind the Reds. They also had a top-five offense in the league, despite playing a month without Bryce Harper, and two months without Jayson Werth and Michael Morse. The biggest weak spot in the lineup has been addressed. These Nats are scary good.
More importantly, they are built to win a lot of games during the regular season. The reason they are built this way, and the primary reason I expect them to win a lot of games is the rotation. Every spot in the Nats rotation is filled by a pitcher who is either better than or as good as each spot in the rotation. For example, Stephen Strasburg is one of the top pitchers in the game (obviously) and qualifies as one of the top “number ones”. That translates through the entire rotation, with Gio Gonzales a top number two, Jordan Zimmerman a top number three, Dan Haran (if he is healthy) one of the top fours in the league, and Ross Detwiler as good as any fifth starter in baseball. There won’t be many days where the opposition will start a better pitcher than the Nationals. Even on those odd days where the nationals fourth or fifth starter goes against the opposition’s number one, the Nats will barely be outgunned, if at all.

The Nationals were extremely fortunate in 2012, as they got at least 27 starts from each member of the rotation. Even with Strasburg being shut down in late August, he started 28 games. They probably won’t be as fortunate this year, as Dan Haren’s injury history makes 30 starts look dubious. Strasburg being in only his second season back off the surgery, will probably see a few extra days rest. Although the official word is that the restrictions on Strasburg are gone, it’s hard to believe they’ll let him approach 230 innings. The starting pitching depth was hurt over the winter, as Tom Gorzelanny, Edwin Jackson and John Lannon all left as free agents. The Nats will need their pictures to remain healthy, as there isn’t a ton of depth. They like Christian Garcia, who got a cup of coffee in 2012, and they signed Chris Young and Ross Ohlendorf as free agents. But clearly, the quality is in the starting five.

One of the team’s biggest strengths in 2012 was the bullpen. They really strengthened it this year by adding Rafael Soriano, who will probably pitch the ninth inning. That means that unlike most teams, the nationals are loaded for the sixth, seventh, and eighth innings with Tyler Clippard, Drew Storen, Ryan Matheus. Henry Rodriguez and Craig Stammen. That is one fine collection of arms. There is however one glaring weakness. The only lefty in the bullpen as of right now is Zach Duke. For some reason, they allowed Sean Burnett to leave as a free agent. In a division with Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, I Davis, Brian McCann, Freddie Freeman and Jason Heyward, a left-handed specialist to get these guys in a big spot is a necessity. I cannot even imagine the Nets go into the season without picking up a solid left-handed arm for the bullpen.

The Nationals are obviously built to win with pitching, but the lineup is also very good. The biggest hole last year was the leadoff spot. That has been addressed with the acquisition of Denard Span from the Minnesota Twins. Span scored 71 runs last year despite missing 35 games. His on-base percentage was over .340. He struck out only 62 times in over 500 at bats. With his ability to get on base, he will improve this lineup tremendously. Bryce Harper now fits comfortably in the two hole, and there will be plenty of base runners for Ryan Zimmerman, Adam LaRoche and Jayson Werth. Michael Morse will be missed, but Jayson Werth moves down to the number five hole, where he had a lot of success in Philadelphia. Now that the team is winning the pressure on worth to fulfill his contract is gone. The double-play combination of Ian Desmond and Danny Esposito will hit sixth and seventh. There is also decent depth on the bench with Tyler Moore, Roger Bernadino and Chad Tracy.
Although the nationals were a top-five offense in 2012, nobody other than Adam LaRoche had what could be considered a career year. Other than LaRoche and Danny Esposito, no one played in more than 145 games. Bryce Harper probably avoids the sophomore slump, Werth moves to a more comfortable position in the lineup, and all of the young players have another year’s experience. None of the regulars had an OPS over .855. This is still a young team and there is plenty of room to get better.
Last year’s outfield defense was a train wreck, but that was addressed by the acquisition of Denard Span from the Twins. With Span in centerfield and Bryce Harper moving to left, the outfield defense should be much improved. Overall the defense should not be a problem. The infield defense is underrated as all four spots are slightly above average.
The schedule isn’t bad as they play most of the AL Central and of course the Orioles in interleague matchups. The division includes the Marlins and Mets. The nationals were fortunate in 2012 as they lost very few men games to injury. If the team’s health holds up through the season, I fully expect this team to challenge 100 wins again.
 
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Here is my Dodgers preview:


2012 was an odd season for the Dodgers.. Owner changes and lots of transactions, lots of spending. So lets see what the 2013 Dodgers will look like.

Rotation wise the Dodgers have the potential to be stellar but their are some questions.. Kershaw is no doubt the ace and a top 5 pitcher in all of baseball and is entering his prime. Greinke is a stud and likely makes the Dodgers have the best #1, #2 in all of baseball if Zack is mentally healthy though.. Ryu is a foreign arm that is touted as being really solid. Beckett should be above avg, the Dodgers have a ton of depth in their rotation. Lily, Billingsley, Cap, Harang. I expect them to move one of these guys before the season and most likely Harang who I hear the Brewers and O's are looking into.. But nonetheless rotation wise the Dodgers are definitely solid and they have plenty of depth. Again potentially the best 1-2 in all of baseball and come playoff time that will be dangerous.




Lets look at their projected lineup:
Projected Starting Lineup

1. Carl Crawford – LF
2. Hanley Ramirez – SS
3. Adrian Gonzalez – 1B
4. Matt Kemp – CF
5. Andre Ethier – RF
6. Mark Ellis/ Skip Schumaker – 2B
7. Luis Cruz – 3B
8. A.J. Ellis – C
9. Pitcher Spot



I mean you have to admit this lineup is extremely intimidating. If they can put it all together skys the limit. Power and speed.

Hairston, Punto, Gordon will be coming off the bench.. Hairston can play any position basically and Gordon is the fastest player in all of MLB.

The only thing that bothers me is the fact that a lot of their hitters are streaky. Either and Gonzo are extremely streaky, Kemp and Cruz also. Even Hanley so the Dodgers will need consistency from the lineup. They can't afford to have 2-3 guys at a time going through a rough patch. But if the murders row are hitting on all cylinders then this team will be basically unstoppable. This lineup could have 3 different players end up with 30+ HR's, 4 guys could easily have 20+. In fact I expect Hanley, Kemp, Either and Gonzo to all have 20 HRs even if they play half their games at Dodger Stadium. Hopefully Cruz delivers what he did last year, he almost hit .300 and was a good fielder. AJ Ellis is one of the better hitting catchers in the league and a solid #8 bat. I really hope the Dodgers have Gordon in the everyday roster cause his speed alone is a dangerous asset, he is a stolen base waiting to happen. Great guy to pitch run late in games if you need a run. But overall the Dodgers bats should be solid and powerful.


Dodgers have a very good prospect waiting in the wings, Puig. I've been touting this guy for quite some time. Dodgers really don't have any room for him but when they do watch out. They signed him from CUBA for 7 years 42 mil. He's been lighting up in spring. Dodgers are stacked.


Lets look at their BP.

Dodgers BP
Brandon League will be closing and he did a fine job last season, it looks like Kenley Jansen will be setup guy and they have solid guys like Belisario and Guerra Guerrier, Howell and starters who can come in too do long relief. I LOVE THE DODGERS BP. I think Jansen is a stud and should be the closer but League is rock solid and the Dodgers signed him for 3yrs 22 mil so they think he's the guy. If League does a good job the Dodgers will not lose many 7th inning leads.

I'm thrilled with the BP.


Bottom line:

The Dodgers definitely have the pieces to contend for a World Series. They have a lethal 1-2 punch in their rotation, depth as well. A lineup with power and speed and plenty of options. Some really good guys off the bench. BP looks rock solid, I LOVE IT!! I'm expecting big things from the Dodgers this season if the lineup can be more consistent. Kemp, Gonzo, Either have the tendency to be erratic at times. The Dodgers won't do well if 2 or more of their key players are stinking up the joint and I've seen on occasion their key batters have bad runs. Skys the limit for the Dodgers, on paper they have it and you know they will be spending before the trade deadline.

I expect the Dodgers to win 95-100 games this season if they avoid numerous serious key injuries and Zack and Ryu pitch above avg. 91-94 if they get injury bug and Zack and Ryu pitch avg. Giants will be solid again this season and will put up a fight. I like AZ but think they are a notch below. SD's rotation is garbage and I don't understand why anyone likes them. COL will be similar to last season, probably a lot of overs with them.

Dodgers will be really solid this season.
 

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SEATTLE MARINERS PREVIEW.

I see a good news - bad news scenario for the Mariner faithfull this year.

The good news is : their offensive productivity should pick up this year. Last year the Mariners averaged a paltry 3.2 rpg at home , while managing to average 4.5 rpg on the road.

They've shortened the fences in one section and lowered the fence in another section , but most importantly is that (on paper) they've greatly improved their offense with the additions of Kendrys Morales , Raul Ibanez , Jason Bay , and Michael Morse.

The bad news may be that an already weak pitching staff may be worse for ware this year. They lost Jason Veras and Kevin Millwood , and while i dont consider either to be aces , they diid eat up a lot of innings combining for 378 innings pitched. I dont really see any other 2 pitchers in holes 2-4 that will combine for that many innings this year , although they did get Joe Saunders.

Here's a look at "my" projected lineup for this year...

1B : Kendrys Morales. He ended August and September with a bang , and if he's back to full strength and health he'll provide lots of fun and offense for the Mariners this year.

2B : Dustin Ackley. Dustin wasn't much on offense ladt year but he did play most of the year with bone spurs and is supposed to be healthy this year.

SS : Brendan Ryan. Brendan is one of the better defensive players in the game , but not much of a hitter , hitting just 194 last year. I expect him to bat 9th.

3B : Kyle Seager. Seager showed plenty of power last year hitting 20 homers and 86 rbi's , with more offense around him i would expect even better numbers this year.

C : Jesus Montero. Montero hit 15 homers last year in his first full season , as long as there's not a sophmore slump there's no reason to think he can't improve this year. Not bad defensivlely either.

LF : Michael Morse. Morse only played about 100 games last year , but in 2011 he had an average of 303 and over 30 homers for the Nat's. Great pick up for Seattle as Morse returns home.

CF : Franklin Gutierez : Gutierez is a very talented player but the injury bugaboo has not been kind to him the past 2 seasons. The Mariners really need him to give a full season.

RF : Michael Saunders: A 432 slugging % and 19 homers last year.

And of course Raul Ibanez and Jason Bay are available for DH and outfield duties. ... SHOULD BE A GREAT LINE-UP.

Projected rotation

(1) King Felix. He's certainly happy and should give a Cy Young run this year.

(2) Hisashi Iwakuma. He went 8-4 in 15 starts during the 2nd half of last year , BUT , can he do it over a full season ?

(3) Joe Saunders. The good news is Saunders is an inning eater , bad news , always a losing record and not great era.

(4) Erasamo Ramirez. ???? He had 4 starts and a relief appearance last year.

(5) Blake Beavan. He was a respecable 11-11 last year which is fine for a number 5 man , but he may be depended on to move higher up the ladder if some of the others don't work out.

My guesstimate for the Mariners in 2013 is 4th place in the AL West winning around 75-80 games.

...But , if i had to pick a sleeper to be this year's Oakland A's , it would either be Seattle or KC. I just think this weak pitching staff is going to be hard to overcome.
 
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I actually like the M's for a value team this season TY. Seattle was dogshit last season, this season I think they will be decent. Lineup was brutal last season, this season its much more respectable. Rotation is somewhat of a patchwork but there is somethings to like, starting with the ACE. The Japanese pitcher has potential, Beaven could be ok.. BP should be solid. I can see myself taking SEA @ +150 or more on the road a few times this season and cashing.

I think they could win 80 games. in 2+ years they will be dangerous.
 

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idk if someone is doing a braves write-up, but if they are i am extremely excited about it.
 

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I actually like the M's for a value team this season TY. Seattle was dogshit last season, this season I think they will be decent. Lineup was brutal last season, this season its much more respectable. Rotation is somewhat of a patchwork but there is somethings to like, starting with the ACE. The Japanese pitcher has potential, Beaven could be ok.. BP should be solid. I can see myself taking SEA @ +150 or more on the road a few times this season and cashing.

I think they could win 80 games. in 2+ years they will be dangerous.

I agree.
 

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gyno - great thread! Great write-ups from everyone that has contributed. I suck at write-ups but will do my best to add something, I am a Twins man. I won't do a true write-up, just some info.

Starting Pitching: the Twins had the 3rd worst ERA in the majors last year and it will not improve this up-coming season. They added Correia and Pelfrey...big whoop they are basically the same type of pitcher that already fills the staff, non-strike out pitchers! If pitch to contact is idea (it is) this staff will get ruffed up!

Probable: Worley, Correia, Hendricks, De Vries, and Duesing.

Twins had the 4th worst record in last year.

more later.
 

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oh, and I am super pissed that they traded D. Span and B. Revere. Those guys were the hustle guys of the squad, get on base and make things happen in front of your sticks...will be missed, mark my words. Oh, neither one sucked in the field either. Trading those guys should let anyone know what the club thinks of this coming season.
 
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Al central is a tough division... Detroit was in ws, cws are solid, kc and Cleveland are vastly improved.

Twins didn't do much in the off season so they are totally eyeing 2014...

Twins will be horrible again.. Although their offense might be surprisingly good...

Rotation, tough division, injury prone team all signs it will be long year..
 

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ATLANTA BRAVES PREVIEW

Braves fans are very optimistic entering 2013 , mostly due to the aquisition of the Uptons.

I agree with this optimism and think they 'could' win the world series , but , there are some concearns on paper. (mostly being the Nat's still look better) Those concearns are ...

(1) Brian McCann. Last year McCann was injury plagued and missed time as well as playing hurt. Catcher is a tough posistion and he's now a veteran , i dont see his health staus changing much this year. I would expect the same type numbers from last year.

(2) Dan Uggla. He's one of the ALL TIME great power hitting 2nd basemen but last year he hit .220 with 19 homers. I would be concearned of more of the same.

(3) Replacing Chipper Jones.

projected line-up

1B : Freddie Freeman. A great bat handler , especially for sac flies. Last year lead the Braves with 94 rbi , even though he hit .259

2B : Dan Uggla. Great power hitting 2nd basemen on the down slide of his career. Look for him to be lower in the batting order this year.

ss : Andrelton Simmons. Kid has a great arm , good scooper and thrower (maybe a liitle pop in the bat too)

3B : Juan Francisco. I'm not up to snuff on the Braves farm system , but this guy is getting the nod b/c he can hit , but if there's any defensive problems i wouldnt be surprised to see someone else.

C : Brian McCann. The most popular Brave now that Chipper retired. Hopefully his .250 and 15 homers will be clutch ones.

RF : Jason Heyward. MVP candidate and future hall of fame candidate. I expect 30+ homers and 20+ stolen bases.

CF : BJ Upton. The Uptons not only bring offense and defense , but they bring special teams (haha) a certain type spitual bond that will mesh really well with the culture of the fan base.

LF : Justin Upton. Like a lot of Braves his numbers arent expected to be what they used to be , BUT , they got him foe Martin Prado (SLAM DUNK BRAVES)

pRojected rotation

Kris Medlen. He came out of nowhere to be the Braves ace. ???

Tim Hudson. Needs to be an iron man. An injury to him would really hurt

Paul Maholms. He went 4-5 after coming to the Braves last year. That's about what i would expect over a full season , 8-10

Mike Minor. He was red hot at the end of the year going 7-4 with a 2.21 era , but he wasnt that good over the 1st half of the season. Can he put it together ?

Teheran and Delgado should be in the running for the 5th starter , although again , not sure what's on the farm.

My guesstimate is 90 wins and a wildcard spot. ... Gotta keep some people healthy though.
 

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^ sorry i forgot about Kimbrel ...

Craig Kimbrel , 42/45 saves , 1.01 era , 116 k's in 62 innings.

If the Braves are leading going to the 9th , you've got 1 chance : NONE !
 

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I like the Braves but I don't trust their rotation. Do we trust Medlen to be a legitimate ace? Hudson is injury prone. Maholm is average, Minor is erratic.. I don't feel good about this rotation.
 

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i think Medlen can be an ace, but even if hes not all he has to do is be good to record 15+ wins with this team. Hudson is pretty solid but again not someone i personally would be relying on to get this team W's more of a he has to not loss them games. Same thing goes for Minor and Maholm who are average. And their 5th Teheran (Delgado was moved in the Upton trade to the Dbacks) was a huge prospect coming into 2012. He had a terrible year but the guy dominated triple A and is only 22. A ton of upside from this kid.


Last year Hudson won 16 games (most on the team), next was Hanson with 13, Minor with 11, Medlen with 10. and the team won 94 Games. IMO Medlen will be right around that 16 games won at worst, Hudson over 13, Maholm over 11, Minor over 10, and Julio could realistically win 10+ pretty easily as well. And Then dont forget in the 2nd half they get back one of their better younger arms in Beachy. I think this team can get the same if not more Wins from its staff this year, with an increased offense and essentially the same dominating pen.
 

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