Bonsai
Fly like an Igel!
Das Spring Training ist in vollem Gange, die ersten paar Exhibition Games gespielt. Zeit also fuer eine Vorschau auf die kommende Major League Saison mit einem der ersten Rankings.
1. Phillies – Boasting the best starting rotation in baseball with reigning NL Cy Young winner Roy Halladay and 2008 AL winner Cliff Lee leading the way. Philadelphia also has a strong offense with Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley in the middle. Losing Jayson Werth won’t be as big a deal as some would think. Great pitching + lots of offense + solid defense = my favorite out of the gates to win it all.
2. Red Sox – Had great offseason acquisitions in Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez that will help both offensively and defensively. Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz are very good young arms and the bullpen was bolstered as well. Bobby Jenks gives them another solid closer if Jonathan Papelbon struggles or is traded. The Sox should win the division, but if this team wants to contend for a title, they’re going to need Josh Beckett to perform better than he did in 2010, and I believe he will.
3. Giants – The World Series champs bring back an excellent pitching staff headed by two-time Cy Young winner, Tim Lincecum. Miguel Tejada adds a solid shortstop/3B with a little less power than departed Juan Uribe, and they have a good, versatile player in Mark DeRosa. They won it all in spite of an often anemic offense. Repeating will require Pablo Sandoval to get closer to his 2009 production.
4. Twins – Won the AL Central sans Joe Nathan and Justin Morneau, and riddled with injuries to boot. They didn’t do much of anything this offseason, but they didn’t really need to. Good rotation, good bullpen, good offense and defense. In terms of value to a team, Joe Mauer is right up there with Albert Pujols in my book, and the healthy return of Nathan and Morneau will put the Twins on top of the AL Central again.
5. Yankees – Didn’t get the big free agent, Andy Pettitte retired, but the Yankees still have a top ace in C.C. Sabathia. Phil Hughes is very good, but after that, I believe the Yanks’ rotation leaves a lot to be desired. However, Mariano Rivera is still very effective, and with Robinson Cano, A-Rod and the rest of the bats, they’ll score enough to contend for the division.
6. Rangers – Lost Cliff Lee and Vladimir Guerrero, but added a very good player in Adrian Beltre. If Michael Young is willing to DH, this gives them both better bats in the lineup, and better defense at 3B than they had in 2010. With the exception of Lee, the rotation is intact, and the bullpen is very good. I expect them to repeat as champs in the AL West.
7. Braves –The Braves are a team that made the playoffs last season and kept all the major pieces intact. Now Dan Uggla adds a big bat to the lineup. The only question mark here is the lack of a real closer, since it still looks as though Billy Wagner will follow through on retirement. The Braves do have some strong arms in the bullpen as well as added George Sherrill and Scott Linebrink to help with relief duties. I still give them the inside track on the final NL playoff spot.
8. Reds – Cincinnati has an outstanding young core. Joey Votto, Brandon Phillips, Jonny Gomes and Jay Bruce – these guys score a lot of runs. The emergence of Homer Bailey and Travis Wood adds a lot of depth to an already solid rotation. Aroldis Chapman should continue to improve toward unhittable status, and they have a proven closer in Francisco Cordero.
9. White Sox – They lost Bobby Jenks, but still have a decent bullpen if rookie Chris Sale pitches well. The addition of should-be All-Star, Adam Dunn pretty much guarantees 40 HR and 100 RBI at DH. Ozzie Guillen is my favorite manager in the game because he gives great quotes, and his baseball IQ is off the charts. He’ll have this team competing for the division.
10. Brewers – You could make the argument that their 2010 opening day starter, Yovanni Gallardo, is now their third-best pitcher after the additions of Shaun Marcum and Zack Greinke in the offseason. The Brewers are all-in in Prince Fielder’s contract year. With Ryan Braun, Fielder, Casey McGehee and Rickie Weeks, Milwaukee can keep up with the Reds on offense. The only knock on this team is the bullpen, but Marcum and Greinke will eat up innings and take some pressure off there. I expect them to hotly contest for the NL Central.
1. Phillies – Boasting the best starting rotation in baseball with reigning NL Cy Young winner Roy Halladay and 2008 AL winner Cliff Lee leading the way. Philadelphia also has a strong offense with Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley in the middle. Losing Jayson Werth won’t be as big a deal as some would think. Great pitching + lots of offense + solid defense = my favorite out of the gates to win it all.
2. Red Sox – Had great offseason acquisitions in Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez that will help both offensively and defensively. Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz are very good young arms and the bullpen was bolstered as well. Bobby Jenks gives them another solid closer if Jonathan Papelbon struggles or is traded. The Sox should win the division, but if this team wants to contend for a title, they’re going to need Josh Beckett to perform better than he did in 2010, and I believe he will.
3. Giants – The World Series champs bring back an excellent pitching staff headed by two-time Cy Young winner, Tim Lincecum. Miguel Tejada adds a solid shortstop/3B with a little less power than departed Juan Uribe, and they have a good, versatile player in Mark DeRosa. They won it all in spite of an often anemic offense. Repeating will require Pablo Sandoval to get closer to his 2009 production.
4. Twins – Won the AL Central sans Joe Nathan and Justin Morneau, and riddled with injuries to boot. They didn’t do much of anything this offseason, but they didn’t really need to. Good rotation, good bullpen, good offense and defense. In terms of value to a team, Joe Mauer is right up there with Albert Pujols in my book, and the healthy return of Nathan and Morneau will put the Twins on top of the AL Central again.
5. Yankees – Didn’t get the big free agent, Andy Pettitte retired, but the Yankees still have a top ace in C.C. Sabathia. Phil Hughes is very good, but after that, I believe the Yanks’ rotation leaves a lot to be desired. However, Mariano Rivera is still very effective, and with Robinson Cano, A-Rod and the rest of the bats, they’ll score enough to contend for the division.
6. Rangers – Lost Cliff Lee and Vladimir Guerrero, but added a very good player in Adrian Beltre. If Michael Young is willing to DH, this gives them both better bats in the lineup, and better defense at 3B than they had in 2010. With the exception of Lee, the rotation is intact, and the bullpen is very good. I expect them to repeat as champs in the AL West.
7. Braves –The Braves are a team that made the playoffs last season and kept all the major pieces intact. Now Dan Uggla adds a big bat to the lineup. The only question mark here is the lack of a real closer, since it still looks as though Billy Wagner will follow through on retirement. The Braves do have some strong arms in the bullpen as well as added George Sherrill and Scott Linebrink to help with relief duties. I still give them the inside track on the final NL playoff spot.
8. Reds – Cincinnati has an outstanding young core. Joey Votto, Brandon Phillips, Jonny Gomes and Jay Bruce – these guys score a lot of runs. The emergence of Homer Bailey and Travis Wood adds a lot of depth to an already solid rotation. Aroldis Chapman should continue to improve toward unhittable status, and they have a proven closer in Francisco Cordero.
9. White Sox – They lost Bobby Jenks, but still have a decent bullpen if rookie Chris Sale pitches well. The addition of should-be All-Star, Adam Dunn pretty much guarantees 40 HR and 100 RBI at DH. Ozzie Guillen is my favorite manager in the game because he gives great quotes, and his baseball IQ is off the charts. He’ll have this team competing for the division.
10. Brewers – You could make the argument that their 2010 opening day starter, Yovanni Gallardo, is now their third-best pitcher after the additions of Shaun Marcum and Zack Greinke in the offseason. The Brewers are all-in in Prince Fielder’s contract year. With Ryan Braun, Fielder, Casey McGehee and Rickie Weeks, Milwaukee can keep up with the Reds on offense. The only knock on this team is the bullpen, but Marcum and Greinke will eat up innings and take some pressure off there. I expect them to hotly contest for the NL Central.
... Jetzt hast Du mir ne Flause in den Kopf gesetzt 
) und die Teams haben wirklich hart gefightet!