Comments | wlight: First baseball post

wlight

First baseball post

Feb 03, 2006 14:22

2006 AL Power Ranking, Pre-ST version

1. White Sox I was not a believer last year, but the improvements they've made to a WS champ are unbelievable. Major weaknesses include holes in the lineup at 3B and SS, injury risks at the power positions DH and RF. Major strengths include offensive depth (Mackowiak was a huge, and underrated, acquisition, ( Read more... )

Comments 18

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wlight February 3 2006, 23:18:08 UTC

Man. I thought this was gonna be some crack about the Junior Circuit and my embarrassing lack of knowledge about the NL any more. Good thing I slipped that "typo" in there to distract you, eh?

postmoderngirl February 3 2006, 23:19:05 UTC

Giants are gonna suck. They haven't done shit. Depressing.

wlight February 3 2006, 23:20:14 UTC

Stay on the bandwagon!

Thread 5

About the Indians winnowill2 February 3 2006, 23:26:00 UTC

I'm embarrassingly behind in my off-season watching. I only know what's gone on with the Tribe.

It's "Pronk" Hafner. Not "Plonk." It stands for "part project, part donkey." Also, the Indians signed Perez to platoon with Broussard, so the lefty issue is diminished. Plus, even though, as you point out, they lost Millwood (and Elarton and, more painful, Howry), they did do a pretty decent job replacing them. I've always rather liked Jason Johnson, and I think Byrd will be this year's Millwood. Interesting e-newsletter here from my favorite Cleveland sportswriter about the Crisp trade.

I need to start studying. I canNOT finish last in my own damn league again!

Re: About the Indians wlight February 4 2006, 05:22:02 UTC

I'm going a little overboard this year, because I essentially ignored the football season completely.

I think Wickman's time is running out; I didn't like that signing much. I've always liked Byrd, and he did finally complete a season last year; I've unconsciously had him in my "recovering from injury" bin since that season he missed between the Royals and Braves, what was that, 2002?

Thanks for the correction on Hafner... I guess it doesn't pay to try to show off your insider knowledge of other teams when you screw it up, eh?

Re: About the Indians winnowill2 February 4 2006, 05:28:23 UTC

Well, they did go after two other closers (Ryan and Percival) before turning to Wickman again. And Wickman's been solid, if scary, for years. He led the league in saves last year, didn't he? If not, he was darn close. Granted, he only pitches well, it seems, when he's got men on base, but it's not often he blows a save.

I believe Byrd missed parts of '03 and '04, but I could be wrong - I'm going off the top of my head, and I know it was more recent than '02. But, of late, the Indians have done a pretty good job of taking pitchers that other teams were afraid of because of recent injury, signing them cheap, and doing very well with them. Millwood and Howry most notably, but they've done this a couple years running.

Re: About the Indians wlight February 4 2006, 05:24:19 UTC

P.S. I swear this is almost the last time I bring it up, but I am SO DAMN BITTER that I didn't draft Peralta last year.

Actually it might be for the best, I might have dropped him before the ASB if I had drafted him, and then I'd feel worse. Like I did the year before with JOHAN FREAKIN SANTANA! Argh!

Thread 6

steaksammich February 4 2006, 02:27:45 UTC

6. Tigers. Call me crazy.

You're crazy.

(although I'm liking their chances at having a pretty decent rotation...)

I agree with mostly everything else though. I think I'd probably put the Sox (Red ones) at number 2 though. I could never trust kids. And both teams have too many. Oakland had a great rotation last year, but I want to see it two years in a row before I believe it. And Cleveland had an awful start and finish to last year...they need a little more consistancy (and another starter or two) to be among the AL's elite. I do think they're making the play offs though.

wlight February 4 2006, 05:17:14 UTC

I don't think there should be too much doubt that the WC will come from the Central this season ( ... )

pokee February 4 2006, 04:23:28 UTC

Yes, jump on my Kirk Saarloos bandwagon.

wlight February 4 2006, 05:09:19 UTC

I'd obviously have to fact-check this assertion for it to carry much weight, but I'm confident that he had the worst K/BB ratio of any pitcher in the AL with at least as many IPs as he had in 2005.

pokee February 4 2006, 19:10:42 UTC

I'm not going to fact-check, because I will always have this and this (I was at the first game in 2002, the one he lost that year) to carry me through.

And that second site lists him at 53/54 in k/bb, which is not good for himself, but not too shabby in the real world, right?

xo_kizzy_xo February 4 2006, 15:40:23 UTC

Needless to say, I'm always on the Red Sox bandwagon, even if Damon jumped ship. I saw a newsclip earlier where he was quoted as being very disappointed because the Sox management wouldn't up his salary. Somewhere in there his kids were crying because he's now a...Yankee *gulp*.