Well, here we are again, another opening day which means my now one post per year – the standings and awards predictions! Last season’s predictions were not too bad. My biggest miss for a winning team was the Giants (but they were EVERYONE’s, and the worst call on a losing team was having Cincinnati winning…
Category: Texas Rangers
Standings, Playoffs & Awards Predictions – 2021
Last season, this piece was all queued up and ready to go and then BANG… the world shut down and baseball wouldn’t return until July. With all the optimism surrounding a full season in 2021, we’re excited to again let our predictions shine (or not) over 162 games plus playoffs. Here is how we see…
Top 10 Right Now – Center Fielders
You know we’re in the age of teams thinking outside the box when both Joey Gallo and Mark Canha are candidates for the center field list. It must be working because both had statistically top-10 seasons. Where do they rank heading into 2020? Read on. A new list will be published each Monday leading up…
Top 10 Right Now – Right Fielders
Right field is loaded with superstars. Every season there are a few positions that overwhelm with talent and this corner outfield spot is one of those heading into 2020 thanks to the additions of Christian Yelich (previously LF), Cody Bellinger (CF) and Charlie Blackmon (CF). A new list will be published each Monday leading up…
The Good With The Bad – Preseason Predictions in Review (just finish when awards come out)
Each year I have fun making predictions for the coming season, and this campaign was no exception. I’m often quite happy with how they turn out since I probably put a little more effort into it than most industry insiders (that’s not a dig on them, I just probably take it a little too seriously…
Mid-season power rankings
Hard to believe the season is already half-complete. It tends to go by very quickly and then the offseason drags on. But, let’s appreciate that there is still 50% of the 2019 campaign to complete. Here are the power rankings as we look toward the second-half. 1.) Los Angeles Dodgers 2.) Houston Astros 3.) New…
2019 Quarter-Season Power Rankings
Most teams are at or just beyond the quarter-mark of the season which makes it a great time to take stock of the standings with a power ranking. Here, we rank the teams not just simply on their place in the standings but projections, run differential and other factors are also considered. How does your…
The Winning (Or Losing) Spring: What Preseason Records Actually Mean
You hear it every year: spring training records and numbers don’t mean anything. Whether that’s true or not, I’m not sure anyone can really prove it one way or another. Now that we’ve wrapped another spring, we’re going to set out to (hopefully) prove or disprove that notion. This challenge can be difficult for a…
Standing, Playoffs and Awards Predictions – 2019
I have been confident; I have been cocky. I have been attempting to go all “Sports Illustrated” and predict a 2019 World Series win for the Phillies several years out. Shortly after they traded Cole Hamels to Texas in 2015, I looked at the farm system and declared Philadelphia 2019 champs. Even as recently as…
Top 10 Right Now – Shortstops
The final of our positional lists (with only the Ultimate Top 10 to come next week), shortstop is absolutely loaded. Remember the group that included Jeter, Rodriguez and Garciaparra? This class is deeper. A new list will be published each Monday leading up to pitchers and catchers reporting in February. The lists will highlight the…
Top 10 Right Now – Relief Pitchers
Considering the amount of players at the position and variance from season to season, it would probably easier to do a top 15. That’s not the name of the series, however, so we’re sticking with the top 10 format for relievers. A new list will be published each Monday leading up to pitchers and catchers…
Top 10 Right Now – Right Fielders
This was the most difficult list to compile – specifically spots 5 through 10 – due to so many players and many of similar skills/numbers/projections. I’m happy I believed in Andrew McCutchen last year because he rewarded us with a solid year thus the Phillies rewarding him this offseason. But does he crack our top…
The Long Reliever 