2010 AL West Projections
by thad728 on Apr 2, 2010 1:46 PM CDT
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PrintNothing much to it fellas (and ladies). Everyone keeps requesting a projection post in the AM thread so here you go. Lets just leave this up projections as far as ranking the teams in order of finishing and their record. Someone can create a fanshot or another fanpost for the discussion.
I cannot wait for Monday!! I cannot wait for Monday!!I cannot wait for Monday!! I cannot wait for Monday!!I cannot wait for Monday!! I cannot wait for Monday!!I cannot wait for Monday!! I cannot wait for Monday!!I cannot wait for Monday!! I cannot wait for Monday!!I cannot wait for Monday!! I cannot wait for Monday!!I cannot wait for Monday!! I cannot wait for Monday!!I cannot wait for Monday!! I cannot wait for Monday!!I cannot wait for Monday!! I cannot wait for Monday!!
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Texas 93-69
LAA 91-71
Seattle 84-78
Oakland 78-84
Vladimir Guererro - 2010 AL MVP
C.J. Wilson - 2010 AL Cy Young
Predictions
Texas 88-74
Anaheim 85-77
Seattle 83-79
Oakland 77-85
"He's not coming back. That chick was like, the Pele of anal."
-- Sterling Archer
My Prediction is:
Texas 89-73
Anaheim 86-76
Seattle 83-79
Oakland 74-88
AL West
Oakland 90-72
LAAA 88-74
Texas 83-79
Seattle 77-85
By: Josey Wales
*
Oakland 90-72
LAAA 88-74
Texas 83-79
Seattle 77-85
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
"Ranger players, especially veterans, weren’t surprised that Daniels couldn’t find a deal"
"The Influence continues." Josey Wales (1/18/10)
Slight, slight revision...(still have another hour before the regular season begins)
Oakland 90-72
LAAA 84-78
Texas 83-79
Seattle 77-85
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
"Ranger players, especially veterans, weren’t surprised that Daniels couldn’t find a deal"
"The Influence continues." Josey Wales (1/18/10)
*
Texas 91 -72 (1 game playoff winner)
Anaheim 90-72
Oakland 80-82
Seattle 75-87
Chris Speier for baseball commissioner! ;-)
Who do they play
in that mythical 1 game playoff?
"calmer than you are dude" Walter (Big Lebowski)
by Arlington Stadium Legend on Apr 2, 2010 2:26 PM CDT up reply actions
Mine...
Texas 89-73
Anaheim 84-78
Seattle 80-82
Oakland 78-84
"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates
So who's going to be the first to predict the Rangers don't win the West?
"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates
nathanbaum already did
JD’s like, "you want some fucking pitching? Here’s all the pitching you can stand. Now choke on it, bitches!"- RCCook
Meh, Josey and his sock puppet don't count...
leave is to Cahill and WhipSmart to piss in everyone’s cheerios.
"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates
Sorry,
I think we get outWhataburgered down the stretch by a better manager.
"I don't condone steroids or any other type of growth hormones or anything else, but I could care less, and, for the most part, I don't think the fans give a (bleep). The people that care about it are the people that probably don't like baseball," - Jim Leyland
I think you're putting too much importance...
on the manger there. I think all four teams are very close and any one of the four could take it.
For me it all comes down to what team is able to avoid the injury bug. It’s really a toss up imo.
"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates
Managers that smoke/snort cocaine during a season
and then flunk a drug test bring unnecessary importance / negative influence to their teams.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
"Ranger players, especially veterans, weren’t surprised that Daniels couldn’t find a deal"
"The Influence continues." Josey Wales (1/18/10)
Shut the fuck up...
and take your schtick back to the morning thread where it belongs.
"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates
A little edgy because it's Good Friday?
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
"Ranger players, especially veterans, weren’t surprised that Daniels couldn’t find a deal"
"The Influence continues." Josey Wales (1/18/10)
Of course...
I always get that way when I’m waiting for a giant bunny to drop off my Cadbury Eggs to celebrate my favorite fictional character coming back to life.
"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates
Mummy, I woke up today
And there was a Lincoln Log in me sock drawer!
That’s the story of Jesus!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFfXXuyi2FQ
"He's not coming back. That chick was like, the Pele of anal."
-- Sterling Archer
You gotta love Bill Hicks...
and damn does his stuff grow on me more and more as the years go by. He truly was one of the few comedians that was ahead of his time.
"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates
Why thanks...
and good luck to you as well.
"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates
Hopefully
some mormons are praying for the souls of your ancestors, right now.
"I don't condone steroids or any other type of growth hormones or anything else, but I could care less, and, for the most part, I don't think the fans give a (bleep). The people that care about it are the people that probably don't like baseball," - Jim Leyland
Prove it.
And then show us the the average number of wins it costs beyond what reliable projections would have caught.
Don't know that you can "prove" it philkid
but I think a pall has been cast over This Thing since last September and that it’s not coincidental a 79-60 team suddenly goes 8-15 when it matters most and then shits the bed in spring training as well.
Give me a different manager this year and I can probably find a way to get to 92 wins.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
"Ranger players, especially veterans, weren’t surprised that Daniels couldn’t find a deal"
"The Influence continues." Josey Wales (1/18/10)
Can you "prove" why the Rockies were so much better
with Tracey than Hurdle last year?
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
"Ranger players, especially veterans, weren’t surprised that Daniels couldn’t find a deal"
"The Influence continues." Josey Wales (1/18/10)
What you can't prove is how much of an effect
Tracey had on the team that was directly attributed to him.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
"Ranger players, especially veterans, weren’t surprised that Daniels couldn’t find a deal"
"The Influence continues." Josey Wales (1/18/10)
If I didn't think they were close
I wouldn’t put much importance on the manager. However, in a league where you could pick any team from a hat and make a reasonable case for why they would win, the manager is one of the difference makers.
If the Rangers were the ‘27 Yankees, I wouldn’t really give a damn about the differences in managers, but they aren’t.
However, with fairly interchangeable teams, I can easily see Scioscia being worth a few games over Cocaine Ron.
"I don't condone steroids or any other type of growth hormones or anything else, but I could care less, and, for the most part, I don't think the fans give a (bleep). The people that care about it are the people that probably don't like baseball," - Jim Leyland
See, I think they're going to be close because of whatever it is that makes the Angels outperform expectations.
I expect a lot of that is Scioscia, so we can go ahead and say it’s the manager.
Anyway, without him, I probably think the Angels end up closer to the A’s than the Rangers (or Mariners). With him I think it’s close, but I’m still going with what I think is the better roster.
If I actually thought the two rosters were really close, I’d probably take Scioscia as the tie breaker, as well. Don’t have any problem with that.
For the record
of course I want Texas to win the division and I think they could. There’s just something in my nature that saw all of the predictions w/Texas on top and had to do something different…
That being said, my prediction, I don’t think, is really that outrageous.
Still rooting for the Rangers, of course.
Grieve: The Yanks have struggled so far. - Lewin: Yeah, cry me a bag of money.
ElectricOkra.com
You're dead to us
go hang out at Halos Heaven for all eternity.
"If the Saints can reach the Superbowl, the Rangers can reach the World Series." - PhilKid
The Animated Ballpark in Arlington
does this mean you won't buy my album?
I recant…
Texas 162-0
LAAAA – 54 – 108
Seattle – 53 – 109
Oakland – Contracted
Grieve: The Yanks have struggled so far. - Lewin: Yeah, cry me a bag of money.
ElectricOkra.com
In all seriousness
this is just a tick less realistic than the folks at Halos Heaven.
"If the Saints can reach the Superbowl, the Rangers can reach the World Series." - PhilKid
The Animated Ballpark in Arlington
I streamed it, I liked it
:)
"Back on the scene, with a gangsta lean" RW
"When you have a weapon on your shoulder like he has, you can be cool." RW on Perez
And the little bastard threw it for a swinging strike three in a 3-2 count. He’s blessed. And ballsy.
danke
Grieve: The Yanks have struggled so far. - Lewin: Yeah, cry me a bag of money.
ElectricOkra.com
you are so funny
i cant contain my laughter.
Now that other people have picked some other teams to win the division, you are going to have to think of a new one.
x
Anaheim 93 – 69
Texas 92 – 70
Seattle 88 -74
Oakland 78 -84
Grieve: The Yanks have struggled so far. - Lewin: Yeah, cry me a bag of money.
ElectricOkra.com
I've been going back and forth on my projections.
Between trying to be as accurate as possible on the records and trying to go for a projection that reflects what the season will probably look like. For example, I think the Rangers most likely record is around 86 wins, but I also think they’re most likely to finish first and I think the division winner is most likely going to be about 89-91 wins. In other words, instead of going for the average of 1,000 seasons or w/e, trying to capture one of those seasons that I specifically think is more likely than the rest. I think I’m going to go with “looks like reality” but hopefully not make it too much more inaccurate by doing that.
Anyway, since this is just projecting four teams, I’ll post what both would look like.
One Season
Texas 90-72
Los Angeles 88-74
Seattle 82-79
Oakland 70-92
Average Seasons
Texas 86-76
Los Angeles 85-77
Seattle 81-81
Oakland 73-89
x
Texas 93-69
Anaheim 87-75
Seattle 81-81
Oakland 74-88
"He uses statistics as a drunken man uses lamp-posts... for support rather than illumination." - Andrew Lang (1844-1912) also -
"Telephone, n. An invention of the devil which abrogates some of the advantages of making a disagreeable person keep his distance."
~Ambrose Bierce
by Ed Coffin on Apr 2, 2010 2:48 PM CDT reply actions
Angels 86-76
Texas 85-77
Seattle 81-81
As 77-85
"I don't condone steroids or any other type of growth hormones or anything else, but I could care less, and, for the most part, I don't think the fans give a (bleep). The people that care about it are the people that probably don't like baseball," - Jim Leyland
I can't say I get the Athletics love...
They’re the worst team in the division by a comfortable margin.
As far as an actual prediction…
TEX: 93-69
LAA: 92-70
SEA: 86-76
OAK: 70-92
A's have the potential to have their SP break out.
I think people’s picks are trying to reflect a fully resurgent Sheets with a Cahill breakout.
If Brad Pitt is playing Beane who do you want playing you?
JD: Eddie Guardado.
Texas: 97-65
Seattle: 90-72
LAA: 85-77
Oakland: 82-80
In the interest of quicker games Ron should just tell the ump he's pulling the Feliz card and the ump should rule the inning over.--Sherman McCoy on Sept. 4, 2009
In his defense, you are a retarded cuntbag by LiamP on Mar 4, 2010
don't be scared.
"Sometimes you just want to sit back and watch somebody throw 100." - Jeff Passan on Neftali Feliz
"Baseball's all that's real" - JB
LOL who me?!
In the interest of quicker games Ron should just tell the ump he's pulling the Feliz card and the ump should rule the inning over.--Sherman McCoy on Sept. 4, 2009
In his defense, you are a retarded cuntbag by LiamP on Mar 4, 2010
yeah, don't be scared to predict 97 wins, I like it.
"Sometimes you just want to sit back and watch somebody throw 100." - Jeff Passan on Neftali Feliz
"Baseball's all that's real" - JB
It all depends on the start
If they have a really good April 97 wins are in play. I really thinks this team will comeout of the gate on fire.
In the interest of quicker games Ron should just tell the ump he's pulling the Feliz card and the ump should rule the inning over.--Sherman McCoy on Sept. 4, 2009
In his defense, you are a retarded cuntbag by LiamP on Mar 4, 2010
Book it, bitches
Texas 91-71
Anaheim 90-72
Oakland 75-87
Seattle 74-88
Seattle’s going to lick taint this year.
Projection Systems
CHONE (Depth Chart Method)
Texas 86-76
Los Angeles 81-81
Oakland 81-81
Seattle 78-84
CHONE (Starting Lineup Method)
Texas 85-77
Los Angeles 83-79
Oakland 79-83
Seattle 77-85
CAIRO
Seattle 83-79 (30% Champs)
Texas 81-81 (27% Champs)
Los Angeles 81-81 (25% Champs)
Oakland 78-84 (18% Champs)
ZiPS
Seattle 87-75 (47% Champs)
Texas 84-78 (30% Champs)
Oakland 81-81 (20% Champs)
Anaheim 76-86 (3% Champs)
Marcel (Via Diamond Mind)
Texas 85-77 (34% Champs)
Seattle 84-78 (32% Champs)
Los Angeles 79-83 (17% Champs)
Oakland 79-83 (17% Champs)
PECOTA
Oakland 83-79
Texas 83-79
Seattle 82-80
Los Angeles 78-84
Oliver (Via Diamond Mind)
Texas 88-74 (45% Champs)
Seattle 81-81 (22% Champs)
Oakland 78-84 (16% Champs)
Los Angeles 78-84 (16% Champs)
RLYW Diamond Mind Blowout
Texas 84-78 (73-94 Wins, 35% Champs)
Seattle 81-81 (70-91 Wins, 26% Champs)
Oakland 79-83 (68-89 Wins, 21% Champs)
Los Angeles 78-84 (67-88 Wins, 19% Champs)
Average Standings
First 89-73
Second 84-78
Third 79-83
Last 73-89
Footnote
The Angels outperform their RLYW blowout projection by an average of 10 wins a year. 13 and 12 the last two years, I believe.
My guess is
because they have far and away one of the best managers in baseball.
"I don't condone steroids or any other type of growth hormones or anything else, but I could care less, and, for the most part, I don't think the fans give a (bleep). The people that care about it are the people that probably don't like baseball," - Jim Leyland
I find it very hard to believe one manager is worth that much.
And while I do suspect Scioscia is likely one of the best managers in baseball, if not the best, I don’t think it’s an inarguable to a point that that’s certainly the explanation.
maybe not
12 or 13 but I think he can easily be worth 5-10 games over the course of a season.
"I don't condone steroids or any other type of growth hormones or anything else, but I could care less, and, for the most part, I don't think the fans give a (bleep). The people that care about it are the people that probably don't like baseball," - Jim Leyland
I don't, either.
At least the 5 end of that.
And I’m not saying it can’t be 10, just that I struggle to believe it.
Other than guys
who have been complete assholes, can you think of a single manager that has had that much impact on a team?
"If the Saints can reach the Superbowl, the Rangers can reach the World Series." - PhilKid
The Animated Ballpark in Arlington
Billy Martin
Who was a complete asshole, but I think you meant guys who had a negative effect.
by Adam J. Morris on Apr 2, 2010 6:25 PM CDT up reply actions
Rob Neyer put up a post on this subject a while ago with the help of the Great Bill James.
I can’t remember the methodology, but it was essentially how much better a team did than expected and attributing those wins to a manager to see how it turned out.
I know Martin was awesome, and I think Piniella was like 3rd all time (in the years they could measure). I can buy that. Doesn’t mean I’m going to assume they’re really the difference, but it’s at least a believable scenario.
Martin
The thing with him was, his impact was basically for a season or two. And when we talk about armslaggers, go look at the 1980 A’s rotation, and look what happened to their careers after that season.
by Adam J. Morris on Apr 2, 2010 6:59 PM CDT up reply actions
I think Mickey Lolich pitched 376 IPs
one year for Martin.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
"Ranger players, especially veterans, weren’t surprised that Daniels couldn’t find a deal"
"The Influence continues." Josey Wales (1/18/10)
x
Texas 94-68
Angels 85-77
Seattle 85-77
A’s – 71-91
Hammy MVP
Feliz ROY
Now performing in the Mark Holtz room, Elvis sings you ain't nothing but a groundball.
Well...
I think it’s either that or another season like ‘09. I don’t know if there’s a lot of middle ground with Josh.
I think I speak for all Rangers fans when I say please let Big Guns be right on this one.
"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates
x
LAAA 90 – 72
TEX 88 – 74
SEA 85 – 77
OAK 80 – 82
pizzow
Rangers 88-76
Angels 86-78
Mariners 81-81
Athletics 78-84
"Sometimes you just want to sit back and watch somebody throw 100." - Jeff Passan on Neftali Feliz
"Baseball's all that's real" - JB
shishishyah
Rangers: 94-68
Angels: 88-74
Mariners: 86-76
Athletics: 78-84
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
"I am one of the biggest Texas Ranger fans out there but I'm also one of the smartest. Deal with it."
-The Outlaw
x
TEX 91-71
LAA 84-78
OAK 81-81
SEA 77-85
by Randy Richardson on Apr 2, 2010 5:18 PM CDT reply actions
x
Rangers 84-78
Angels 83-79
Mariners 80-82
A’s 77-85
"There's not a man alive who can whup me. I'm too fast. I'm too smart. I'm too pretty. I should be a postage stamp. That's the only way I'll ever get licked." --Muhammad Ali
Keith Law submitted his predictions today.
Texas 87-75
Angels 83-79
Mariners 81-81
Athletics 77-85
Looks roughly like a combination of the statistical projections and a little bit of human imput.
My predictions
Rangers 87-75
Angels 84-78
Mariners 83-79
Athletics 79-83
Lewis establishes himself as a solid rotation piece, Feliz spends the first two months as a setup man, then becomes a starter and puts up solid numbers (4 ERA). CD puts up an improved but subpar year (820ish OPS), but a Hamilton and Kinsler resurgence (when healthy) and continued excellence from Nelly Cruz elevate the team into October.
Where they lose in round 1 to Boston.
http://oursaviorchuck.ytmnd.com/
Here goes
Rangers 91-71
Mariners 85-77
Angels 81-81
As 76-86
Josh bounces back to a great season, Ian is somewhere between his 2008 and 2009, Vlad does well enough, but not the Impaler levels.
Davis does well enough (.830-.850 OPS), but is traded at the deadline to a team that lost out on the Adrian Gonzalez sweepstakes. Rich Harden pitches 150 decent innings. Matt Harrison becomes this year’s Tommy Hunter.
"If the Saints can reach the Superbowl, the Rangers can reach the World Series." - PhilKid
The Animated Ballpark in Arlington
Okay
Anaheim — 90-72
Texas — 88-74
Seattle — 77-85
Oakland — 76-86
Texas hangs in until the last weekend, but can’t quite get there, as the bats fall short again.
Anaheim gets a boost by dealing for Cliff Lee in late July, with Seattle hanging around .500 until then, and then dropping games late as they go into rebuilding mode.
WHat does the Angels
have to get Cliff Lee from a division rival?
"If the Saints can reach the Superbowl, the Rangers can reach the World Series." - PhilKid
The Animated Ballpark in Arlington
Hank Conger, Brandon Wood, and Mike Trout
by Adam J. Morris on Apr 2, 2010 6:19 PM CDT up reply actions
With...
…Izturis replacing Wood at 3B.
by Adam J. Morris on Apr 2, 2010 6:19 PM CDT up reply actions
A very underwhelming list
"If the Saints can reach the Superbowl, the Rangers can reach the World Series." - PhilKid
The Animated Ballpark in Arlington
FUCK YOU SEATTLE
That trade would make me rage.
Unless Lee doesn’t recover from the abdominal strain.
asdf
Rangers 89-73
Angels 86-76
Mariners 86-76
A’s 80-82
"You promised me, Eckstein, that if I followed you, you would walk with me always. But I noticed that during the most trying periods of my life, there have only been one set of prints in the sand. Why, when I have needed you most, have you not been there for me?" David Eckstein replied, "Because my little legs had gotten tired, and you were carrying me." And I looked down and saw that I was still carrying David Eckstein.
Then he grounded out weakly to second.
close one
Rangers 88-74
Angels 87-75
Mariners 83-79
A’s 78-84
Crush hits good enough with top notch defense at 1B, Smoak heats up in OKC, forces a struggling Vlad out of the DH spot, Holland heats up, takes the spot of a struggling Colby Lewis
And mankind is naught but a single nation - Qu'ran 2:213
Reinforcing the stereotype
So far, the predictions are:
27 people have the Rangers winning the division
5 have the Angels
1 has Seattle
1 has Oakland
Pretty funny. Let’s hope everyone is right!
The Rangers obviously aren't 77% likely to win.
But you could argue they’re the favorites. Even if it’s only by a little, everyone picking the favorites isn’t necessarily out of line.
It gives those Angels and Mariners people a better chance to stand out with nearly as close chances of being right, though.
You could argue anything. You could argue that the Nationals are the best team in baseball. You would be wrong, but you could argue it. Just because you could argue it doesn’t mean that its necessarily right. I have not read many things that indicate anything other than this division should be extremely close. And since its going to be close, it just is funny to me that the large majority of people here are picking the rangers.
I’d be interested to see if a similar thing was done on the other AL West blogs whether a similar percentage of people would pick their team. I’d bet so, since you’re right and you can make legitimately solid cases for three teams winning this division.
I don't think arguing the Rangers are the favorites in the division is the same as arguing the Nationals are the best team in baseball.
Considering the Rangers are projected to win by the most reliable sources more often than not and the Nationals are never projected to be the best team in baseball.
I agree
But you said you “could” argue that the rangers were the favorites. Just like I “could” argue that the Nationals were the favorites. The Nationals are the favorites. there I just did it.
And if everyone at HH picks the Angels, that also makes a lot of sense.
Every A’s fan picking the A’s is entirely bias, instead of logical bias.
Using a percentage example:
If every team is about 25% likely to win, but the Rangers are 26% and the As are 24%, every single person picking the Rangers is being sensible, even if there’s almost a 3/4 chance they’re wrong.
Not necessarily disagreeing with you, though.
Ya I get your point
If you could break it down into percentages like that then it would be sensible, but its impossible to do that. I think that if you took a general look at the predictions of “experts” or machines, they would not say the Rangers were the favorites. That’s the issue. Some do, but the majority that I have seen do not.
But a general look at the major projection systems do install the Rangers as the favorites.
Not all of them do, but both the most reliable (available) projection over the last several years (CHONE) and the Diamond Mind Blowout have the Rangers as the favorites.
Yep
My prediction was exactly the DMB’s, with fractional wins shaded to the homer side :)
"Back on the scene, with a gangsta lean" RW
"When you have a weapon on your shoulder like he has, you can be cool." RW on Perez
And the little bastard threw it for a swinging strike three in a 3-2 count. He’s blessed. And ballsy.
AL West
Mariners – 90 – 72
Angels – 86 – 76
Rangers – 84 – 78
A’s – 78 – 84
I think this will be one of the tightest divisions in baseball next year. Hoping the Rangers win it but too many questions about key players. If Harden and Hamilton stay healthy and Cliff Lee doesn’t then everything changes. My concern with the Angels is that they will be in the hunt and then pull the trigger on a big deal to keep them in it to the end. Also think if the Rangers get off to a slow start again this year then Wash is gone and Bobby Valentine (if available) becomes the manager. If Bobby V is already signed it becomes Hurdle’s job.
Foolish consistency is the hobgobblin of little minds - Emerson
x
Angels: 89-73
Mariners: 87-75
Rangers: 85-77
Athletics: 80-82
I have to assume whatever can go wrong will go wrong for us, so the status quo in the West will remain preserved for another year.
Ron Washington is: The Bad Manager - Port of Call New Orleans
i think
the division can be won in the mid-80’s. don’t think kendry morales is going to hit like an mvp candidate and don’t think erik aybar is going to hit .320 again for anaheim. rangers rotation looks pretty frightening banking on glass harden, feldman duplicating last year, cj wilson in the rotation (yikes). seattle’s flashy offseasons always fail, oakland is too young.
Tipping point?
July, Aug, and Sept feature many division games. If one or two fall out of the race and trades assets, they will likely be weaker for those games.
"Back on the scene, with a gangsta lean" RW
"When you have a weapon on your shoulder like he has, you can be cool." RW on Perez
And the little bastard threw it for a swinging strike three in a 3-2 count. He’s blessed. And ballsy.
Would someone go over to Halos Heaven and correct Halowood's fanpost on the Rangers?
(I haven’t applied for a membership, so I can’t post for a day)
The Rangers will NOT contend
- Not that the over rated Ranger arms had a chance in the first place. The only ones who believe the Rangers pitching staff is really that good is ESPN (Can I have a dollar?). Staff ace Rich Harden gets hit hard in the NL and all of sudden he goes to a hitters paradise in the AL and he’s supposed to get better and stay healthy? Scott Feldman’s ERA goes up a half run after the all-star break and reaches 5 in September. CJ WIlson as a starter? Yeah that’ll totally work. Colby Lewis hasn’t pitched in the majors since 2007 where he was lit up in Oakland. But his success in Japan will translate right? Who will rescue them? Matt Harrison and his 6 ERA?
There’s a reason the Rangers won 87 games last year and it sure wasn’t the hitting. The Rangers have awesome SP depth.
- They are heavily depending on Chris Davis in the 5 hole behind Guerrero. That would be like us depending on Wood to leadoff. There’s a place and time for these guys to bat, throwing them in the most important portion of the lineup before they’ve proven capable leads to failure more often than not.
Kinsler is hitting 5th when he’s off the DL. Davis is hitting 7th with a possible switch with Cruz up to 6th if he hits well. Get the facts straight.
- Ian Kinsler is hurt to start the year. Joaquin Arias will be their starting 2B….WHO? Yeah, exactly.
Andres Blanco will be starting at 2nd. Also, I highly doubt that Kinsler being on the DL for 5 days will significantly affect the Rangers’ chance at contending this year.
- In order to even compete, Josh Hamilton would not only have to stay healthy, he’d have to produce like it’s 2008.
Who said the offense hinges on Hamilton that much? The Rangers don’t need 2008 Hamilton to be contenders, just a solid year.
- Justin Smoak to the rescue? Let me know when your power hitting 1B hits more than 10 HR’s a year in the minors and manages to hit over .250 in AAA, then maybe we’ll talk.
He had an oblique strain. He has hit over .300 at the other minor league levels. He’s a consensus top 15 prospect in baseball. He’s more talented than any prospect the Angels have.
Feldman should be as good as Joe Saunders.
A joke?
To be fair, he does have a “The Rangers WILL contend” section that is ok, but his “will NOT” section really pissed me off. I’m surprised some Ranger fan hasn’t already curb-stomped this MFer, because he seriously must have done no research for the fanpost. The LAAoA fans hate the guy too, so the fanpost comments are heated, but then the fans proceed to state that Andrus isn’t that good of a defensive SS. I want to correct some of those idiots, but I have to wait a day to post. Someone please go over there and correct those fools for me. Scrub yourselves of the fecal smells before you come back.
It's not worth it.
You’d be better off trying to correct folks over at the DMN blog.
Ron Washington is: The Bad Manager - Port of Call New Orleans
by LSJ on Apr 3, 2010 1:38 AM CDT up reply actions
And if you read the comments...
to that post over on HH, you’ll see the HH regulars are having a hissy fit over their belief that this Halowood guy is being too generous to the Rangers in his Fanpost.
They’re incredible.
by ghostofErikThompson on Apr 3, 2010 1:44 AM CDT up reply actions
Their comments are pretty idiotic.
Almost as idiotic as some Mariners fan in the ’90s telling me that “Dan Wilson is a better catcher than Pudge.”
I like the heated argument over whether or not Andrus is an elite fielder. . .
. . . which boils down to “fielding percentage” vs. “stats don’t tell you everything.”
I love how...
his initial point for the Rangers contending is their two young catchers with promise. That was as far as I could make it.
So he basically starts by ripping on the Rangers strength – their deep pitching. Then later praises their young promising catching and says MY should compete for a batting title? That’s why they would contend?
The guy is a total moron who knows jack shit about baseball. It’s not even worth the time or energy to go over to that site. In fact I’m already upset that I clicked on your link.
If you delete this post AJM I will ban you!
"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates
You shouldn't ever read Halos Heaven
it is, bar none, the worst blog on SBNation. It’s an embarassment
Go Rice Owls!
I don't necessarily disagree
with his point about Josh Hamilton, although it is stated too strongly for my taste.
meta-signature
x
TEX 92-70
LAA 90-72
SEA 80-82
OAK 80-82
by seanathan on Apr 3, 2010 3:25 AM CDT via mobile reply actions
My homeriffic prediction
Texas 90-72
LAA 86-76
Seattle 85-77
Oakland 80-82
I feel like the Angels have gotten so used to outperforming their pythag that the front office has gotten arrogant. You can’t just throw whomever you want out there and expect to win the division. (Disclaimer: I know this is not actually the case, but it sure seems that way, doesn’t it?)
Seattle overachieved so much last year that all the positive moves are pretty much a wash in my mind. Lee’s early absence will really expose the back end of that rotation.
Oakland will be better, but it’s hard to project a plus-.500 record for a team that has such an anemic offense.
meta-signature
I think it's gonna be close 'til Sept., but...
Texas 90 – 72
Anaheim 88 – 74
Seattle 85 – 77
Oakland 85 – 77
Gotta have faith!
Here we go
I would like to point out that I picked the Rangers to win the AL West last year but….
Anaheim 93-69
Seattle 85-77
Texas 80-82
Oakland 77-85
by LoneStarBallUser on Apr 3, 2010 1:56 PM CDT reply actions
x
TEX 91-71
LAA 88-74
SEA 81-81
OAK 78-84
If Brad Pitt is playing Beane who do you want playing you?
JD: Eddie Guardado.
MLB Predictions:
AL East:
New York Yankees 101-61
Tampa Bay Rays 97-65*
Boston Red Sox 94-68
Baltimore Orioles 79-83
Toronto Blue Jays 75-87
AL Central:
Cleveland Indians 87-75
Chicago White Sox 86-76
Minnesota Twins 84-78
Detroit Tigers 78-84
Kansas City Royals 69-93
AL West:
Texas Rangers 91-71
Oakland Athletics 89-73
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 85-77
Seattle Mariners 80-82
*=Wild Card participant
National League
NL East:
Philadelphia Phillies 94-68
Atlanta Braves* 90-72
Washington Nationals 79-83
Florida Marlins 78-84
New York Mets 70-92
NL Central:
St. Louis Cardinals 97-65
Milwaukee Brewers 88-74
Cincinnati Reds 87-75
Chicago Cubs 81-81
Pittsburgh Pirates 73-89
Houston Astros 64-98
NL West:
Colorado Rockies 92-70
San Francisco Giants 89-73
Los Angeles Dodgers 86-76
Arizona Diamondbacks 74-88
San Diego Padres 67-95
*=Wild Card participant
Awards:
AL MVP: Josh Hamilton (Kind of a homer pick, but if the Rangers do win the division I think Josh has to have a big year, and if he does, he’ll get votes)
AL Cy Young Award: Felix Hernandez (He’s going to start winning a lot of these)
AL Rookie of the Year: Wade Davis (Becomes the Rays best starter down the stretch)
AL Manager of the Year: Manny Acta (Managers of the surprise team of the league usually do well in this vote)
NL MVP: Albert Pujols (Well, duh)
NL Cy Young Award: Roy Halladay (I’m afraid of what he can do in the NL with that offense)
NL Rookie of the Year: Jason Heyward (I don’t think he’ll win by a landslide, but he’ll win it)
NL Manager of the Year: Bobby Cox (The BBWAA sentimental pick)
Postseason Predictions:
American League:
ALDS: Yankees over the Indians in 3
ALDS: Rays over the Rangers in 4
ALCS: Rays over the Yankees in 7
National League:
NLDS: Cardinals over the Braves in 5
NLDS: Phillies over the Rockies in 4
NLCS: Cardinals over the Phillies in 6
World Series:
Rays over the Cardinals in 5
And finally…
Rangers Surprise:
C.J. Wilson is selected for the All Star Game
by ghostofErikThompson on Apr 3, 2010 6:13 PM CDT reply actions
Sweet!!!
The Rangers will double their playoff game win total.
by LoneStarBallUser on Apr 3, 2010 6:25 PM CDT up reply actions
Well...
…if that comes true, then every team the Rangers had ever played in the playoffs went on to win the World Series. In the late 1990’s they were over-matched in the playoffs but it was by a dynasty. If the Rangers had played chumps back then who knows? Anyway, I’m not embarrassed by the “1 playoff win” thing. I’m embarrassed that they haven’t been back to try again in over a decade.
by Black Francis on Apr 3, 2010 8:16 PM CDT up reply actions
After which...
it will be your final year of failure as well as you won’t have anything to talk about.
by ghostofErikThompson on Apr 3, 2010 6:36 PM CDT up reply actions
Who's Jon Daniel?
"Don’t want to spend my night waiting in line unless it’s for more beer."
--EssBee, on LoneStarBall, Jan. 21, 2010
Late to the party.
Texas 88-74
Seattle 86-76
Los Angeles 81-81
Oakland 76-86
Though I am pretty unconfident in this particular prediction, I am comfortable in saying that the Rangers will contend and it will be tight down the stretch.
"Don’t want to spend my night waiting in line unless it’s for more beer."
--EssBee, on LoneStarBall, Jan. 21, 2010
And another
TX 92-70
AA 85-77
SE 85-77
OAK 80-82
by Whiskey in my Whiskey on Apr 4, 2010 7:06 PM CDT reply actions
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