Two weeks of the 2015 season have already come and gone, and quickly we can see which teams are headed in the right direction and which teams are not. There are a few teams and individuals that are doing a lot better than people have anticipated, and should get the credit they deserve.
Surprise teams so far:
New York Mets.
I have since the beginning of spring training liked the Mets rotation, Bartolo Colon, Matt Harvey, Jacob Degrom, Zack Wheeler and potentially Noah Syndergaard (one of the Mets top prospects) and the back end of their bullpen seemed pretty solid with Jenrry Mejia. But once I found out that Wheeler was getting Tommy John, Mejia got suspended for PEDs and David Wright went on the DL, that this would just end up being another injury plagued season for the Mets. They have proved me wrong. The surging team from Queens is in the mixed of an 8 game winning streak with and early 4 game lead in the division over World Series favorite the Washington Nationals. Their pitching has been lights out and their offense has been potent throughout the streak. Keep an eye on the Mets this season.
Chicago Cubs.
Now on paper this should be a good team, and we have learned in the past couple years thag being good on paper is never the same result on the field. The Cubs are started to defy that trend. They spent most of last week in first place, with the help of their well powered offense, and young talent showing what they have to offer. With call up Kris Bryant now finally in the big leagues, the Cubs are bound to keep scoring and take a lot more pressure off their pitching staff. So far they are getting great contributions from new comers Dexter Fowler and Miguel Montero. I am quite disappointed in the first 3 starts by super high paid Ace Jon Lester, who has given up 24 runs in his first 3 starts. As soon as he turns the corner, the Cubs are going to be a scary team to play.
Atlanta Braves.
Trade away all your power, let two of your more dominant pitchers go, and trade away the best closer in the game and what do you get? An 8-4 start to the season and only a game out of first in the NL East. The Braves have so far defied the logic behind all the moves that have been made this offseason by their GM, a team that most believed would being bringing up the rear of the division along with the Phillies are now shocking everyone. They are going at it with a very balanced attack of hitting and pitching, led by slugger Freddie Freeman and newcomer pitcher Shelby Miller. Freeman already has 4 home runs and 8 RBIs, with the supporting cast of Johnny Gomes and Nick Markakis helping power the Braves offense. The Braves have also thrived off the revitalization of reliever Jim Johnson and Jason Grilli who is 6 for 6 in saves this season. We will see how long the Braves are able to sustain this hot start.
Surprise Players
Alex Rodriguez.
Yes, ARod. The man who has been attacked his entire career for his use of performance enhancing drugs has returned to the baseball field after serving his suspension. He has not missed a beat. He is surprising everyone with his hot start to the season, on a team that spent a lot of money on Chase Headley in the offseason to be his replacement and be there when the Yankees believed ARod would struggle. Out of spring training he won his spot in the Yankees opening day roster and has not looked back. He is batting .316 with 4 HR, 11 RBIs, 10 R, and an OBP of .447. Definitely doing a lot better than even I expected, I thought it would be hard for him to readjust to the speed of the game after having not played for over a year.
Shelby Miller.
The forgotten part of the trade that sent slugger Jason Heyward to the Cardinals has been the Braves best pitcher so far this season, he has helped add to their rotation in a big way. He leads the Braves with a 1.69 ERA through his first 3 starts and is sporting a 2-0 record with 11 strikeouts in 16 innings. He has opponents hits a cool .211 off of him so far and is helping the Braves to their surprisingly fast start.
Joey Votto.
Welcome back Votto. The talented Reds slugger was quiet last season as he struggled in an injury plagued season. He has turned that around to start 2015. Votto has changed his batting stance and is putting more emphasis on his back leg which helps him drive and turn on pitches that he missed last year, along with that he is pulling the ball a lot more which helps him expand his power to all fields. He has also become a lot more aggressive, he was a guy that took a lot of pitches in power counts which put him behind quickly. Votto is hitting .364 with 4 HRs, 10 RBIs, and a sizzling 1.209 OPS. Sitting comfortably in the 2 spot of the Reds order, Votto looks to help keep the Reds in the hunt this season.
Monday, April 20, 2015
Saturday, April 11, 2015
Welcome to the 2015 Baseball season
Baseball is back! The moment fans have been waiting for since Pablo Sandoval caught that ball in foul territory in the 2014 World Series which helped the San Francisco Giants capture their 3rd Crown in 5 years. Now everyone has a clean slate and the trophy is up for grabs.
The preseason favorites by many people to hoist the 2015 World Series Trophy are:
Washington Nationals
Los Angeles Dodgers
Detroit Tigers
Boston Red Sox
Los Angeles Angels of Anahiem
Storylines:
San Diego Padres, with new GM A.J. Preller have made the baseball world notice that they are not afraid to make a big splash and give their fans something to cheer about. He was constantly working out new deals to acquire the best the league has to offer. His acquisitions included, Justin Upton, Matt Kemp, Derrick Norris, James Shields, Will Middlebrooks, Wil Meyers, Melvin Upton Jr, and Craig Kimbrel. This makes the Padres an immediate force in the National League West and puts them up there with the Giants and Dodgers. We will see what happens and how these players gel together as the season goes on.
Boston Red Sox, one of the most interesting teams in baseball, they finished in last place in 2012, then they came back and won the World Series in 2013. They went back to the cellar in 2014, but they have stocked up this offseason and are now back as favorites to win the World Series in 2015. Some of the key moves they made this offseason were acquiring Pablo Sandoval, Hanley Ramirez, Rick Porcello, an Wade Miley. This has made their lineup a force and their offense poised to keep their team out of the cellar in the AL East. Now we will watch and see how their pitching staff holds up as the season progresses.
Chicago Cubs, yes the Chicago Cubs are making moves and the time is now for fans of the team that has not won a World Series in over 100 years to get excited. An overhaul of prospects for the Cubs are now ready to be called up and they are ready to get the Cubs out of the basement in the NL Central. Players to watch in 2015: Jorge Soler, Kris Bryant, Javier Baez, Mike Olt, Arismendy Alcantra and Anthony Rizzo. GM Theo Epstein did not leave his team with just prospects, he was busy this offseason as he acquired Jon Lester, Jason Motte, Dexter Fowler and Miguel Montero. I personally think that this team will be improved but is not at the point where they will compete for the playoffs just yet. This young players need to grow, but they will definitely open the eyes of many and get peoples attention.
Oakland Athletics, I feel like this team could be on this list every year just because they have their GM Billy Beane. No matter what anyone says about the guy, he knows what he is doing, and I will give him credit for pulling off the gut-wrenching moves that he did while having his teams fan base screaming in his ear. It was a shipping out party for the team that held the best record in baseball for a long period of time in the season last year. Players gone: Josh Donaldson, Brandon Moss, Jeff Samardzija, Jed Lowrie, Alberto Callaspo, Jason Hammel, Jon Lester, John Jaso, Geovany Soto, Daric Barton, Nick Punto, and Johnny Gomes. With all these losses Beane worked his magic and got players that he knows has potential that nobody else believes is true. These additions are: Tyler Clippard, Kendall Graveman, Brett Lawrie, Ike Davis, Billy Butler, Mark Canha, Marcus Semien, Ben Zobrist and Cody Ross. It will be interesting to see how this season plays out for the green and gold.
Chicago Cubs, yes the Chicago Cubs are making moves and the time is now for fans of the team that has not won a World Series in over 100 years to get excited. An overhaul of prospects for the Cubs are now ready to be called up and they are ready to get the Cubs out of the basement in the NL Central. Players to watch in 2015: Jorge Soler, Kris Bryant, Javier Baez, Mike Olt, Arismendy Alcantra and Anthony Rizzo. GM Theo Epstein did not leave his team with just prospects, he was busy this offseason as he acquired Jon Lester, Jason Motte, Dexter Fowler and Miguel Montero. I personally think that this team will be improved but is not at the point where they will compete for the playoffs just yet. This young players need to grow, but they will definitely open the eyes of many and get peoples attention.
Oakland Athletics, I feel like this team could be on this list every year just because they have their GM Billy Beane. No matter what anyone says about the guy, he knows what he is doing, and I will give him credit for pulling off the gut-wrenching moves that he did while having his teams fan base screaming in his ear. It was a shipping out party for the team that held the best record in baseball for a long period of time in the season last year. Players gone: Josh Donaldson, Brandon Moss, Jeff Samardzija, Jed Lowrie, Alberto Callaspo, Jason Hammel, Jon Lester, John Jaso, Geovany Soto, Daric Barton, Nick Punto, and Johnny Gomes. With all these losses Beane worked his magic and got players that he knows has potential that nobody else believes is true. These additions are: Tyler Clippard, Kendall Graveman, Brett Lawrie, Ike Davis, Billy Butler, Mark Canha, Marcus Semien, Ben Zobrist and Cody Ross. It will be interesting to see how this season plays out for the green and gold.
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