2016 Season Preview

For What It’s Worth (Which isn’t Much)

Being new to the SLN, I suspect I will likely ruffle a few feathers with the following summation of the teams, as of today (Jan. 16, 2016), but you know what, that’s ok. Every locker room needs postings by idiots to stir up the competitive juices. The same facilities need a backup source of toilet paper in case of emergencies, and I assume this is where my ramblings will likely be put to best use.

I have no magical potions, no scientific formulas from which to draw my conclusions – just a guess and a by golly method for rating your teams. Actually I scan the rosters and rate each of the positions 1 through 5, with 5 being the best and add up the points. Much of my prognosticating is done by using the Almighty John Lamanna predicted Strat numbers. For those of you not familiar with Mr. Lamanna, his projections which usually arrive in my email in November have a tendency to be mostly accurate. Having seen the actual Strat ratings yesterday, I was tempted to make some changes, but decided to stick with the Lamanna version. So here goes.

1. Tampa

Wow!!! The Renegades would appear to be the odds on favorite to be the Beast of the East and nail down a berth in the World Series in October. The pitching – rotation and bullpen – have Renegade fans salivating. The rest of the team ain’t to shabby either. Pujols, Gordon, Hechavaria, Inciarte, Marisnick, Calhoun and Bautista can be pieced together to make a solid lineup. If there is a weakness, it would appear to be the hot-corner, but hey, you can’t be perfect.

2. New York

If you need help at catcher, The Yankees MIGHT be able to work a deal for you. The Bronx Bombers, fantasy edition, has a solid bullpen, good group of starting pitchers and a quartet of backstops that could help any team. Carlos Correa, Joe Panick, Christian Yelich, Stephen Piscotty, and Matt Duffy are just some of the talented young position players heading to the Zoo in 2016. It’s not every day you can afford to shop around a SS-1 to the opposition and not be concerned. The Damn Yankees will be in the hunt for the Eastern division title and likely the American League title as well.

3. Boston

The Brewmasters will flash some serious leather, but it may not be enough to keep them in the chase for the Eastern division crown. With McCutchen roaming CF, coupled with Simmons and Dozier anchoring the middle of the infield, hits from their opponents could be tough to come by up the middle. Morneau, Morales and Morrison will provide at bats and some offense at 1B and DH. The rotation needs a bit of a boost and the pen is ok, but I don’t see the BM’s challenging for the playoffs.

4. Baltimore

King Felix is definitely the royalty on this island. There isn’t much else to choose from and that will keep the Hawks from soaring. David Price joins Hernandez in the rotation for a superb 1-2 knockout combination and Hunter Pence will keep things exciting in the Northeast with his style of play.

1. Detroit

Yeah, yeah, I know, I’ve been called a Homer before and it doesn’t bother me. Former ownership left just enough talent in the cupboard when they departed to make GM Bob Seger’s first venture into the big leagues a potentially profitable one. Bringing a strong KC Royal (Can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em) influence to the clubhouse, the Silver Bullets should thrive on defense with solid gloves at most positions. “We may not have a lot of power,” says the aging rocker, “but these guys (Cain, Moustakas, Dyson and Hosmer) know how to win and will make life exciting in Motown.” The starting pitching may be somewhat suspect, but the bullpen should be strong enough to keep Detroit at or near the top of the division. Harper and Springer won’t hurt either.

2. Cleveland

The Chris Davis-led Steamers have the potential to roll past the Silver Bullets and into the top spot in the Central, but for now I believe they will have to settle for the second spot. Davis has plenty of help with his pitching staff in Clayton Kershaw and a decent stable of starters. Jeurys Familia anchors a bullpen that has talent, but may not have the depth. Starlin Castro, Kyle Seager, Kyle Schwarber and Jorge Soler are all talent on the rise which could make Cleveland a team for the future.

3. Kansas City

The Flying Pigeons will be solid if not spectacular at all positions this summer. Their weakness, however, looks to be the bullpen and that could make for some log summer nights in KC. Machado, Rizzo, Braun – there is some talent on the field, but will it be enough to compete for the top spot in the Central? The rotation will need to carry KC deep in ball games and they have the talent to do it. Keep an eye on the Birds.

4. Minnesota

Minnesota definitely has some nice young talent, just not enough to compete in the AL or in the Central even. With over $40 million left on the table, the question is – where was Billy Heywood during the Free Agent frenzy? There was enough cash there to make this team much better than what it is today.

1. Houston

Talk about an overload of young exciting talent. Bryant and Donaldson at the corners (that’s how I would do it anyway), Aybar at Short Stop, Cespedes, DeShields, Choo in the Outfield and Bryant on occasion, and you get the picture. The rotation includes Keuchel, Iwakuma, Lewis and more. The bullpen may be a little thin, but in this division it could be enough to put the Astros over the top. BUT look out below.

2. Oakland

OK, here is my chance to be a Homer again. Nah, I like to keep the young pups beat down. Rookie owner Matt (I love my Vikings even when they choked yet again) Hoffman has assembled a respectable crew with which to try and win over Raider Nation fans looking for an option to lousy football. Plucking Sal Perez off Free Agency allowed the Mean Green to move Buster to 1B where he has been given a 1b-2 by the Strat gods. Pencil in Jose Altuve every day and you have the beginnings of a competitive lineup. Maybin, DeAza and Cabrera may not get anyone jazzed up, but they will provide solid offense and decent D for a host of so-so starters. The bullpen looks more than adequate. Will the mean Green have enough to challenge Houston and repeat as division champs? – doubtful, but they could be in the hunt and make them sweat.

3. Seattle

Seattle could just as easily been tabbed as the favorite in a division that appears to be “up for grabs.” The M’s would appear to be a little light in the outfield and that may be enough to hold them down. But any team with Miguel Cabrera in the middle of the lineup is dangerous.

4. Texas

I may have tabbed the Usagis’ as cellar dwellers, but they are not far away. The talent may be a year away from a serious challenge, but it appears to be coming together in the Lone Star state. The bullpen looks to be the Achilles heel for the Twangers in ’16 and we all know what that means. Michael Brantley heads a young promising outfield and Ryan Zimmerman and Jose Reyes will anchor the infield. Steven Souza and Cory Seager represent a solid rookie draft giving Texas a bright future.

1. Atlanta

Worst to first again? It could happen. Power, power and more power. No wonder the chant has already started in Atlanta. The Tomahawks are loaded and should have enough to wrest the division crown away from the Marlins. Cano, Heyward, Cruz and Encarnacion will scare a lot of pitching staffs – real and fantasy. Mix in a solid group of pitchers and some role players and all roads point to Atlanta in the East. If this club has a weakness, it’s in the pen, but it may not matter if they pile up enough runs.

2. Miami

The defending champions have plenty of talent returning for a chance to repeat, but Atlanta has other ideas. The Marlins have a deep and talented pitching staff, a solid outfield and adequate infield. AJ Pierzynski has had his best days behind the plate and Mauer and Belt won’t supply the power most first basemen do, but the Marlins will make it tough on the Tomahawks and could pull off the repeat.

3. Washington

Freddie Freeman, Evan Longoria, Yasiel Puig, Randal Grichuk, Yordano Ventura, Erasmo Ramirez………sounds like a pretty solid unit to build around, and it is. The Degenerates have a lot of talent, but they also have several holes to fill and that will likely hold them back in the tough NL East. After Ventura and Ramirez, the quality of the starting staff slides quickly. The bullpen will be tested often and there are many questions there as well. Freeman and Longoria will provide plenty of pop for the Degen’s at the corners, while Puig and Grichuk will solidify the lineup (on limited at bats). Pencil in Ryan Goins in the middle as often as possible and the lineup looks decent.

4. Philadelphia

The Phillies are a mixed bag and tough to rate. Any team with Mr. Trout and Giancarlo Stanton sitting in the middle of the lineup commands respect. Throw a pretty good staff of starting pitchers (Cole, Wood, Harvey, Jiminez) and the potential to win games is always there. Unfortunately, Philadelphia resides in arguably the toughest division in the league and there doesn’t appear to be enough surrounding those guys to keep them in the hunt. The bullpen is thin and the infield won’t scare a lot of pitchers when they venture to the plate.

1. Chicago

JD Martinez leads an impressive lineup that also includes Dustin Pedroia and AJ Pollock, plus defensive whiz kids Kevin Kiermaire and Giants Gold Glove winning SS Brandon Crawford. Even with all of this offensive talent and defensive ability, the Pizza Makers may struggle on the mound, and that could mean their demise. The starting pitching is as thin as in the pen. Garrett Richards, Tom Koehler and Jose Quintana will be counted on to carry the bulk of the innings. Hector Rondon and Joaquin Benoit will get plenty of call from the bullpen.

2. St. Louis

The Redbirds are loaded with players I want on my team. Some because they are current or former Minnesota Twins, and some just because they are damn good. The offense has the potential to be explosive and the defense is better than adequate. Pitching could be the shortcoming for St. Louis. They have a few solid hurlers, but it just doesn’t look like enough to sneak past Chicago in the Central. Enjoy Miguel Sano.

3. Pittsburgh

The Sharktopus have talent, but it won’t be enough to keep them in the hunt for the Central crown. Chicago and St. Louis are just too good at this point. Pittsburgh has some very interesting talent and could be a fun bunch to watch. Among the most watched this summer will likely be Yu Darvish. If he can come back from his arm ailments and the rest of the staff perform as hoped, look out for Pittsburgh in 2017.

4. Milwaukee

Maybe I need to have my vision checked, but the Wallbangers appear to me to be headed for a long hot summer. Scenes from the original film Major League are racing through my mind when gazing at the Milwaukee roster. I can hear Lou Brown telling the GM “It’s my kind of team Charlie, my kind of team.” Harry Doyle could be “in the bag” by June with this collection of has been and wanna be’s. Ok,ok. Enough, and my apologies to Milwaukee ownership. Just had to have fun with the movie stuff.

The Wallbangers have some nice players, but this division is tough and they will be challenged to remain in the race. David Wright and Josh Harrison will make a notable tandem at 3B, the 1B quartet of Napoli, Bour, Ruf and Paulson is solid offensively, and Rosario and Orlando are two outfielders I wish I could claim as my own. Pitching will be an issue for Milwaukee; good arms, just not enough. One last quote, can’t resist.

"I've never heard of half of these guys and the ones I do know are way past their prime."

"Most of these guys never had a prime." "This guy here is dead!"

1. San Francisco

The best in the West is in the City by the Bay. There should be no doom and gloom in the Bay Area this summer. It would be difficult to have a bad attitude when you know you’d be going to the park to watch Goldy, Phillips, and Y. Escobar take over the infield every day. Add in a bit of Tulow and a good young outfield and it could be trendy to be a Gloom fan. Despite big innings, Lance McCullers will anchor the San Francisco staff before turning the baseball over to an awesome bullpen.

2. Arizona

Good starting pitching, a decent bullpen and hitters like Joey Votto will give Arizona a chance to challenge for the West title. The middle of the diamond is solid defensively with Kinsler at 2B and Rollins still making plays at SS. Zimmerman, Archer and Bumgarner head up an impressive rotation and Houston Street and Wade Davis lead an otherwise thin bullpen. That staff could take the 66ers farther than I think though.

3. Los Angeles

Adrian Gonzalez and Zach Greinke will make the Dodgers a formidable opponent. Greinke heads up an average starting staff that includes Brett Anderson, Jason Hammel and Matt Garza. The bullpen is anchored by Zach Britton and includes Tony Watson and Roberto Hernandez and Jared Hughes. There is little or no depth and that will hurt them in the long run. Alcides Escobar will dazzle the star struck fans of LA with his nightly web gems and Andre Ethier and Nick Markakis will keep right-handed hurlers hopping. But winning 79 games again may not be in the stars for this team, especially with the apparent strides made in the Desert and the Bay Area.

4. San Diego

The Breeze will go as far as their pitching staff will carry them. Period. If Max Scherzer, James Shields, Chase Anderson, Alfredo Simon and Joe Kelly can keep the opposing hitters at bay, the Breeze could be a formidable opponent. Runs will likely be at a premium in San Diego. Jung Ho Kang should provide plenty of spark. The Korea-born infielder burst on the scene last summer with a second half similar to sluggers Josh Donaldson and Chris Davis. Pretty high praise for a SS. Drew Storen will be counted on to carry a heavy load out of the bull pen. Pitching should make San Diego competitive, but they won’t challenge for the division or playoffs.

AL champion - Tampa

NL champion – Atlanta

World Series winner – Tampa