Since today is opening day I wanted to post my predictions for the season.
NL
East
Nationals
*Braves
Mets
Phillys
Marlins
Central
Cardinals
*Brewers
Pirates
Reds
Cubs
West
Dodgers
Diamondbacks
Giants
Rockies
Padres
AL
East
Rays
*Yankees
Red Sox
Blue Jays
Orioles
Central
Tigers
Indians
Royals
White Sox
Twins
West
Rangers
*Angels
Mariners
Athletics
Astros
If you haven't guessed the teams with the asterisks are the wild card teams.
WS
I will take the Dodgers over the Rangers in the world series.
Awards
NL Cy Young - Stephen Strasburg
AL Cy Young - CC Sabathia
NL MVP - Bryce Harper
AL MVP - Prince Fielder
Manager of the Year - Ron Washington
Comeback Player of the Year - Josh Hamilton
Rollaid Relief Man of the Year - Addison Reed
Happy Opening Day Everybody. Here's to hoping that this year is your teams year.
Monday, March 31, 2014
Sunday, March 30, 2014
MLB Sleepers for 2014
As this is the day before the REAL Opening Day for 2014 (No, I don't count the two games played on a cricket field on Australia or the game tonight), I figured I would make it official by releasing my "Sleeper" picks for the 2014 season. These are guys I believe will perform above their expectations.
Some rules I made for myself were to only take one player at each position, and only one player from each team. While I do think both the Padres and Rangers have a few guys who I think will come out of nowhere to surprise a lot of people, I wanted to give some other teams a shout-out as well. I also avoided superstars coming off of bad years (Kemp, Pujols, Verlander, etc.).
So, here we go. My 2014 "Sleepers" are:
C - Matt Wieters (BAL) - Wieters is one of those names that falls into the category of proven guys off of bad years, but he was never a superstar. Look for 20+ home runs from Wieters, and if he can hit close to .250, you might see 80+ RBIs from him as well in that stacked offense.
1B - Jose Abreu (CWS) - A ton of scouts are talking about his power, and this is the position you want your power from. 25+ home runs is not out of the question, as the wind will be blowing out in the summer. The RBIs may be tricky to guess in that streaky offense, but if guys like Adam Eaton can perform as well as they can, 85 is a number I'd feel comfortable with.
2B - Kelly Johnson (NYY) - Yes, he is currently listed as the starting third basemen on the Yanks' website, but he carries second base eligibility this season. Power is hard to find up the middle, and this guy could easily top 20 homers at Yankee Stadium. If he can hit around the .250 mark, you could see 20 homers, 60 RBIs, 80 runs, and 15 steals from him. And those are conservative estimates.
3B - Mike Olt (CHC) - Yes, we all know about his vision problems, but we seem to forget that he was once a top prospect and considered untouchable by the Texas Rangers. His vision seems to be better, as he smacked the ball around a bit in Spring Training, and has made the Opening Day roster for the Cubs. If he can hit better than .230, I wouldn't be surprised to see him hit 20 home runs and drive in 70. Not too bad for a guy who is only owned in 7% of leagues.
SS - Andrelton Simmons (ATL) - This is a guy who is on the rise, and fast. He hit 17 homers last season, while hitting below .250. I'd like to see him raise that batting average to around .270, which is not out of the question. He hit much better than that in the minors. If he does, expect 20+ home runs, 65+ RBIs, double digit steals, and close to 90 runs. For example, that's close to the numbers that Ian Desmond put up a couple years ago, and got him a third round draft price the next season.
OF - Khris Davis (MIL) - Davis is currently a starting outfielder in a Brewers offense that is loaded with potential. They have solid guys like Braun, Lucroy, and Ramirez, as well as Carlos Gomez, whose production has risen every year. Davis hit 11 home runs in just 56 games with Milwaukee last year, so we could easily see 25+ from him in a great hitters park. I'd like to see him run a little more, as he had just 13 stolen base attempts last year between the minors and the majors. If he can raise that number to 20 or more, we can see double digit steals as well.
OF - Peter Bourjos (STL) - Not much power from this guy, but 10+ home runs is about what is expected. You're not here for the homers, though. The Cards love to run, and Bourjos has the speed to steal over 40 bases. A ton of people are high on Billy Hamilton this year, and rightfully so. He can run. But so can Bourjos, and the Cards obviously think highly of him, as they gave up David Freese to get him.
OF - Leonys Martin (TEX) - Another guy who brings you steals, and is in an offense that will allow him to score runs as well. I think the power improves a bit this year, and he hits 15+ home runs. If he stays around the 10 homer mark, don't worry. The price tag isn't too high, and he still has a ton of speed and is surrounded by talent.
SP - Andrew Cashner (SD) - This man can flat out pitch. He has one of the best fastballs in the big leagues that you never hear of, and he pitches in maybe the best park in the majors. If he can get the run support, expect 12+ wins and 175+ Ks.
RP - Rex Brothers (COL) - LaTroy Hawkins is currently the closer in Colorado. Oh, you still need to hear more? Well, Hawkins' career ERA is well over 4, and his WHIP is over 1.40. Still need more? Brothers has a career ERA of 2.82 and a WHIP below 1.40. Brothers is simply the better option. He takes the closing job before the end of May and gets close to 30 saves, if not more.
Some rules I made for myself were to only take one player at each position, and only one player from each team. While I do think both the Padres and Rangers have a few guys who I think will come out of nowhere to surprise a lot of people, I wanted to give some other teams a shout-out as well. I also avoided superstars coming off of bad years (Kemp, Pujols, Verlander, etc.).
So, here we go. My 2014 "Sleepers" are:
C - Matt Wieters (BAL) - Wieters is one of those names that falls into the category of proven guys off of bad years, but he was never a superstar. Look for 20+ home runs from Wieters, and if he can hit close to .250, you might see 80+ RBIs from him as well in that stacked offense.
1B - Jose Abreu (CWS) - A ton of scouts are talking about his power, and this is the position you want your power from. 25+ home runs is not out of the question, as the wind will be blowing out in the summer. The RBIs may be tricky to guess in that streaky offense, but if guys like Adam Eaton can perform as well as they can, 85 is a number I'd feel comfortable with.
2B - Kelly Johnson (NYY) - Yes, he is currently listed as the starting third basemen on the Yanks' website, but he carries second base eligibility this season. Power is hard to find up the middle, and this guy could easily top 20 homers at Yankee Stadium. If he can hit around the .250 mark, you could see 20 homers, 60 RBIs, 80 runs, and 15 steals from him. And those are conservative estimates.
3B - Mike Olt (CHC) - Yes, we all know about his vision problems, but we seem to forget that he was once a top prospect and considered untouchable by the Texas Rangers. His vision seems to be better, as he smacked the ball around a bit in Spring Training, and has made the Opening Day roster for the Cubs. If he can hit better than .230, I wouldn't be surprised to see him hit 20 home runs and drive in 70. Not too bad for a guy who is only owned in 7% of leagues.
SS - Andrelton Simmons (ATL) - This is a guy who is on the rise, and fast. He hit 17 homers last season, while hitting below .250. I'd like to see him raise that batting average to around .270, which is not out of the question. He hit much better than that in the minors. If he does, expect 20+ home runs, 65+ RBIs, double digit steals, and close to 90 runs. For example, that's close to the numbers that Ian Desmond put up a couple years ago, and got him a third round draft price the next season.
OF - Khris Davis (MIL) - Davis is currently a starting outfielder in a Brewers offense that is loaded with potential. They have solid guys like Braun, Lucroy, and Ramirez, as well as Carlos Gomez, whose production has risen every year. Davis hit 11 home runs in just 56 games with Milwaukee last year, so we could easily see 25+ from him in a great hitters park. I'd like to see him run a little more, as he had just 13 stolen base attempts last year between the minors and the majors. If he can raise that number to 20 or more, we can see double digit steals as well.
OF - Peter Bourjos (STL) - Not much power from this guy, but 10+ home runs is about what is expected. You're not here for the homers, though. The Cards love to run, and Bourjos has the speed to steal over 40 bases. A ton of people are high on Billy Hamilton this year, and rightfully so. He can run. But so can Bourjos, and the Cards obviously think highly of him, as they gave up David Freese to get him.
OF - Leonys Martin (TEX) - Another guy who brings you steals, and is in an offense that will allow him to score runs as well. I think the power improves a bit this year, and he hits 15+ home runs. If he stays around the 10 homer mark, don't worry. The price tag isn't too high, and he still has a ton of speed and is surrounded by talent.
SP - Andrew Cashner (SD) - This man can flat out pitch. He has one of the best fastballs in the big leagues that you never hear of, and he pitches in maybe the best park in the majors. If he can get the run support, expect 12+ wins and 175+ Ks.
RP - Rex Brothers (COL) - LaTroy Hawkins is currently the closer in Colorado. Oh, you still need to hear more? Well, Hawkins' career ERA is well over 4, and his WHIP is over 1.40. Still need more? Brothers has a career ERA of 2.82 and a WHIP below 1.40. Brothers is simply the better option. He takes the closing job before the end of May and gets close to 30 saves, if not more.
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
Monday Trivia
Name all the players on the Bulls to have their number retired. You can ignore the non player banners.
Sunday, March 16, 2014
Pre-Bracket Bracketology
Andrew, Dan, and I came up with as bracket at about 2:00 PM CT. The link is below.
http://betterbracketmaker.com/#!/85010be4f5235
http://betterbracketmaker.com/#!/85010be4f5235
Friday, March 14, 2014
Weekend Watch 03/14/2014
Welcome back to the weekend watch. It’s been awhile but
let’s jump into it.
All Weekend
Conference Tournaments
I will be watching lots of college basketball this weekend
and will highlight a few of the championship games below, but the point is,
even though I’m only going to highlight the Championship Games of the
tournaments, I will be watching more rounds then just that.
Friday
8 PM EST: Nashville Predators vs Chicago Blackhawks (Comcast
Sports Net)
This game shouldn’t be much of a game as the Blackhawks are
2nd in their division, 3rd in the conference while the
Predators are last in the conference and 3rd to last in the
conference. Saying all that, Nashville always gives the Blackhawks trouble, I
would keep an eye on this game because it might be closer than it should be.
Who I want to win: Chicago Blackhawks
Who I think will win: Chicago Blackhawks
Saturday
NCAA Conference Championship games
Sunday
Of all sports days this weekend, Sunday looks the best.
1 PM EST: NASCAR Food
City 500 @ Bristol Motor Speedway (FOX)
I know you guys are thinking I’m still drunk on NASCAR after
my trip to Daytona for the 500. While that might be the case, Bristol is one of
the better races of the year that I used to watch before I started going to
Daytona. It’s a .5 mile track with 43 Cars on it. Even though it’s not as fun
since the track has been repaved, there is always a lot of action, passing and
wrecking. If you are nursing a St Patrick’s Day celebration hangover and want
to watch something other than College Basketball, try and catch the last 30
laps of this race, I think you will enjoy.
Who I want to win: Tony Stewart
Who I think will win: Kyle Busch
NCAA Basketball
Selection Show (CBS)
QUEUE THE MUSIC
Now that you are as jacked up as I am, this is the best
non-sport sports event of the year outside the NFL Draft. Who’s in, who’s out,
who are you going to pick for your brackets, just a great show.
Who I want to win: Indiana, ok they need a miracle to get in
but whatever
Who I think will win: It’s too early still, but screw it
I’ll say Kansas
7:30 PM EST: Detroit
Red Wings vs Chicago Blackhawks (NBC)
Now that Detroit and Chicago are in different divisions and
missing out on more rivalry games we should cherish the ones we get. Both teams
are playing for something as Chicago is trying to catch St Louis (I don’t think
they will) for the top seed in the division while Detroit is trying to make the
playoffs as a number 8 seed. This was a fantastic series in last years
playoffs, well at least for Blackhawks fans, and I’m looking forward to this
one as well. I will leave Jeremy Piven to have the last words on this game here.
Who I want to win: Chicago Blackhawks
Who I think will win: Chicago Blackhawks
Scouting Report 14 - Dee Ford - DE #3
So, I'm obviously a little bit behind here. I'm going to try to get 3 in today. The first guy I'm going to look at is Dee Ford. He is the third ranked defensive end. Here are his vitals:
Name: Dee Ford
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 240 lbs
Position: 3-4 OLB/4-3 DE (probably a better fit at 3-4 OLB)
College: Auburn
Stats: 31 tackles, 10.5 sacks (only played in 12 of 14 games)
Projected Round: 1-2
The first game I'm going to look at is Auburn vs. Florida State (this past year's national title game). In that game Dee Ford had 3 tackles and 2 sacks. The game took place on January 6, 2014.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSxiVqlYFY8
Dee Ford appears to be really quick. It looks like as soon as he is out of his stance he is able to explode towards the line of scrimmage. Having said that, he appears to have average reaction time to the ball being snapped. But his quickness allows him to overcome this. He also uses several moves to beat offensive linemen, including his speed. He is able to over power linemen with his strength, he uses his hands well, he has a spin move, and he has a swim move. He is able to generate consistent pressure with these moves. He also appears to be a smart player, and not easily duped into biting on misdirection plays.
Having said that, he doesn't appear to maintain his gap integrity on running plays. I wouldn't call him a good run defender by any mans. He also seems to tackle high, which will lead to a lot of broken tackles in the NFL. While he seems to have good speed and quickness, I didn't notice good closing speed. I'm not sure if that means he takes poor angles or what, but he just doesn't appear to have that ideal closing speed. Finally, he looks like he gives up on running plays once they are beyond him.
The next game I'm going to look at is the 2014 senior bowl with Dee Ford.
In this game it looks like he has the very rare ability to fly off the at the snap. He was consistently the first out of his stance at the snap, sometimes he was running before the linemen even broke out of their stance. His speed and quickness were also on display. He managed to grab two sacks. He relied mostly on his edge rush in this game. He also does a good job of recognizing when he's not getting to the quarterback and getting his hands up. He does a good job of reading option plays as well. he appears to be a smart player. On running plays, he appears to play more conservative as well.
The more I see of him, the less concerns I have. However, he appears to have two major issues: 1) He doesn't take great angles when he's pursuing ball carriers. This allows ball carriers to gain a few extra yards. Those extra yards are important. 2) He tackles way to high. It's going to be a huge problem in the NFL. Especially against huge QB's and running backs. In this game a running back runs right through his attempt at a tackle because he is trying to bring him down at his shoulder pads. He needs to get lower.
The final game I'm going to look at is Auburn vs. Clemson from 2012.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWL6ILIE60M
His ability to speed rush is on display again. I've also failed to mention, but noticed in each game, he does display good balance. I'll repeat it again as well, he has a plethora of moves to work with in the pass rushing game, which makes him all that more effective. But is strength is his speed. When he is lined up as a wide-9 DE or the LEO he flies around the edge. He also looks great when he's standing up and rushing the passer off the edge. However, he's not as effective when he's lined up as a pure 4-3 DE. With that said, he still manages to get good pressure.
Another thing I noticed is that he really needs to improve his pad level. It may help with his tackling, but he seems to come up to the offensive linemen with a slightly high pad level. He also gets manhandled in the running game. The offensive linemen just move him out of the way. In this game, he also seemed to be overly aggressive. To his credit, this was over a year ago, and he did seem to vastly improve in that area. But, he was consistently getting beat in the running game and on misdirection plays.
Overall, I think he can be a very effective pass rusher in the NFL if he is a 3-4 LB. I don't think he's ready to be an every down player at this point, because he really needs to improve his strength when he takes on blockers in the running game. Having said that, he does display the elite ability to pressure the QB. He is quick off the snap, very athletic, and pretty sound on his fundamentals. He needs to improve his tackling and his pad level as well, and the angles he takes when chasing down ball carriers. I don't think the Bears will draft him because he appears to be a 3-4 guy solely. Having said that, I could see him getting around 10-12 sacks consistently in the NFL.
Name: Dee Ford
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 240 lbs
Position: 3-4 OLB/4-3 DE (probably a better fit at 3-4 OLB)
College: Auburn
Stats: 31 tackles, 10.5 sacks (only played in 12 of 14 games)
Projected Round: 1-2
The first game I'm going to look at is Auburn vs. Florida State (this past year's national title game). In that game Dee Ford had 3 tackles and 2 sacks. The game took place on January 6, 2014.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSxiVqlYFY8
Dee Ford appears to be really quick. It looks like as soon as he is out of his stance he is able to explode towards the line of scrimmage. Having said that, he appears to have average reaction time to the ball being snapped. But his quickness allows him to overcome this. He also uses several moves to beat offensive linemen, including his speed. He is able to over power linemen with his strength, he uses his hands well, he has a spin move, and he has a swim move. He is able to generate consistent pressure with these moves. He also appears to be a smart player, and not easily duped into biting on misdirection plays.
Having said that, he doesn't appear to maintain his gap integrity on running plays. I wouldn't call him a good run defender by any mans. He also seems to tackle high, which will lead to a lot of broken tackles in the NFL. While he seems to have good speed and quickness, I didn't notice good closing speed. I'm not sure if that means he takes poor angles or what, but he just doesn't appear to have that ideal closing speed. Finally, he looks like he gives up on running plays once they are beyond him.
The next game I'm going to look at is the 2014 senior bowl with Dee Ford.
In this game it looks like he has the very rare ability to fly off the at the snap. He was consistently the first out of his stance at the snap, sometimes he was running before the linemen even broke out of their stance. His speed and quickness were also on display. He managed to grab two sacks. He relied mostly on his edge rush in this game. He also does a good job of recognizing when he's not getting to the quarterback and getting his hands up. He does a good job of reading option plays as well. he appears to be a smart player. On running plays, he appears to play more conservative as well.
The more I see of him, the less concerns I have. However, he appears to have two major issues: 1) He doesn't take great angles when he's pursuing ball carriers. This allows ball carriers to gain a few extra yards. Those extra yards are important. 2) He tackles way to high. It's going to be a huge problem in the NFL. Especially against huge QB's and running backs. In this game a running back runs right through his attempt at a tackle because he is trying to bring him down at his shoulder pads. He needs to get lower.
The final game I'm going to look at is Auburn vs. Clemson from 2012.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWL6ILIE60M
His ability to speed rush is on display again. I've also failed to mention, but noticed in each game, he does display good balance. I'll repeat it again as well, he has a plethora of moves to work with in the pass rushing game, which makes him all that more effective. But is strength is his speed. When he is lined up as a wide-9 DE or the LEO he flies around the edge. He also looks great when he's standing up and rushing the passer off the edge. However, he's not as effective when he's lined up as a pure 4-3 DE. With that said, he still manages to get good pressure.
Another thing I noticed is that he really needs to improve his pad level. It may help with his tackling, but he seems to come up to the offensive linemen with a slightly high pad level. He also gets manhandled in the running game. The offensive linemen just move him out of the way. In this game, he also seemed to be overly aggressive. To his credit, this was over a year ago, and he did seem to vastly improve in that area. But, he was consistently getting beat in the running game and on misdirection plays.
Overall, I think he can be a very effective pass rusher in the NFL if he is a 3-4 LB. I don't think he's ready to be an every down player at this point, because he really needs to improve his strength when he takes on blockers in the running game. Having said that, he does display the elite ability to pressure the QB. He is quick off the snap, very athletic, and pretty sound on his fundamentals. He needs to improve his tackling and his pad level as well, and the angles he takes when chasing down ball carriers. I don't think the Bears will draft him because he appears to be a 3-4 guy solely. Having said that, I could see him getting around 10-12 sacks consistently in the NFL.
Monday, March 10, 2014
Monday Trivia
Since Ryan has actually started posting on the Blog and I’ve
realized we’ve had this Blog for 5 years and used to post 300+ posts a year when
we started I am going to try and bring back 2 of my old recurring themes, no no
no I’m not going to finish the countdown of my top Top 10 sports moments,
although I should (Even though it wasn’t a post associated
with that countdown, the perfect game post was my number 1 moment). Also, Top Chef is out
of season right now so it won’t be Power Rankings.
I am going to bring back Monday Trivia and the Weekend Watch
on Friday Mornings. So here we go with Trivia
Of the four Major Sports, the City of Chicago has won 25
Championships. Name the Teams and the Years they won them.
As always, Answers will be in the comments.
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