BBA Linkfest - Generally in the swing

The General Chapter of the Baseball Bloggers Alliance is feeling so good right now. Baseball season is here and there are games every night. There is lots to talk about and lots of dramatic story lines. There is no season like baseball season. Finish that American Idol recap, pour another coffee and enjoy these links from around our chapter.

The Wolf's Den is watching the Diamondbacks from week to week.

Yu Darvish kicked X-Log's Peter Kosta in the groin. Sounds like an episode of America's Funniest Home Videos.

Dustin Salyer is wondering what is up with Tim Lincecum over at Through the Fence Baseball.

You have to check out Sully of Sully Baseball's comparison of Stephen Strasburg to Gollum. But for a great read, Sully introduces us to Andrew Carignan.

The Replacement Level Baseball Blog tries to talk a fan of the Boston Red Sox off the ledge.

TCM takes a look at two keystone contracts over at The Platoon Advantage. 

Mark Zell of the Pop Fly Boys is coming around on the designated hitter. Good man. 

Old Time Family Baseball doesn't think that Jon Lester is a fan of the Boston Red Sox.

Number One Baseball has a few comments about Ozzie Guillen's comments.

Nik over at Niktig's Baseball Blog has some predictions concerning the Detroit Tigers.

Absolutely loved Jonathan Hacohen's interview of Gregg Olson over at MLB Reports this week. The post of the week IMHO.

Jonathan Mitchell had an insightful look at the Phillies future and doesn't like what he sees over at his MLB Dirt site.

Over at Michael Holloway's Baseball Blog, Michael likes how the Blue Jays can use their speed to win games. Agreed.

Major League A**holes really likes the new Chicago versus Chicago commercial. The commercial is perfect in every way.

Left Field takes a look at the Braves all-time team in a thoroughly enjoyable read.

Theo of Hot Corner Harbor made his prediction last week. And he is still analyzing them. And that's a good thing for us.

The Hall of Very Good caught Cody Ross LoMo-ing. What does that mean? You'll have to check it out to find out.

Grubby Glove has a fascinating new story about Willie Mays. Terrific.

Of the many prediction posts read over the past few weeks, some of the most enjoyable have been from The Golden Sombrero. Justin Abramson's picks are a good example of why.

The Baseball Index reports on Drew Storen's elbow surgery. And no it is not one of those season-ending ones.

For Baseball Junkies rates MLB teams based on offenses only. 

Dugout 24 is not impressed with Ozzie Guillen's comments. Not impressed at all.

TheNaturalMevs of Diamond Hoggers fame took a trip to Cleveland to see Joey Bats and took us along on the enjoyable ride.

Taylor of Crack of the Bat made Yoenis Cespedes the major of bomb city.

Mario Salvini laments the lack of Europeans in the major leagues as we are down to only Alex Liddi. Che Palle!

Call to the Pen's Joe Soriano expertly analyses the Johnny Damon to the Indians deal.

Aaron Somers of Blogging From the Bleachers is getting married! All the best to him and his bride. Hope your marriage will be as wonderful as this Fan and his wife's as been.

Justin Jabs has a new award over at his Baseblog site. It's the Emma Award and this week's winner is David Freese. Looking forward to this award each week and not for just the picture of Emma!

Baseballism is dead on on what baseball does to the soul.

Terry Francona still has hard feelings toward the Boston Red Sox and Baseball Unrated doesn't blame him. Agreed.

Nobody does a game recap like Stevo-sama. Nobody. Check this out over at The Baseball Enthusiast.

The Ball Caps Blog has a fun piece about forgotten heroes of Opening Days.

Sooze over at Babes Love Baseball has another great commercial for our consideration.

85% Sports has all the skinny on the first return home for the reigning World Champions.

Have a great week, everyone. 

Game Picks - Thursday: April 12, 2012

Why doesn't a second straight positive day feel better than it does? On a day when the Athletics and Padres were picked and won, there should be some positive feelings about that, right? Perhaps it was knowing the day it could have been if for some reason Justin Verlander pitched one-hit ball for eight innings on 81 pitches but suddenly looked like putty in the ninth. Perhaps again it was the knowledge of how good it could have been if Joe Nathan hadn't blown another save and George Kottaras hadn't hit that two-run homer in the seventh inning. And it would have been better if it was known that Tim Lincecum would turn into Kyle Davies.

But those are all reasons why picking baseball games is about as slippery an operation as any in sports. So picking nine out of fifteen winners has to supply only a small amount of comfort. Yes, the Blue Jays and Reds were great calls. This picker will take comfort wherever it can be found.

Nine games are on the schedule for Thursday and six of them are daytime starts. That should be fun to watch. 

• The Nationals over the Reds: A tough one right off the bat. Both Gio Gonzalez and Mat Latos did not impress in their debuts for their new teams and this picker still can't get off of the Reds' 2011 season on not being able to win back to back games.
• The Tigers over the Bay Rays: Never know what to make of Jeff Niemann, but that said, the smart pick would be to pick him over a young kid like Drew Smyly. Seriously, how can you take a guy with a emoticon for a last name seriously? But picks like this always kick this picker in the butt. So going against the grain.
• The Angels over the Twins: How can Dan Haren be as bad as his last start? He can't. How can Francisco Liriano be as bad as his last start? He can.
• The Rangers over the Mariners: So Jason Vargas gets like all upset when someone poses after hitting a big home run. The answer? Don't give them up. But he will. And Derek Holland will be good. Let's just hope the Rangers don't need a save.
• The Brewers over the Cubs: Matt Garza can give Zack Greinke a run for his money. That's for sure. But the Cubs always play like crap when Garza pitches. It is uncanny.
• The Giants over the Rockies: As much as we all want Jamie Moyer to win a game, what chance does he have facing a Madison Bumgarner? Besides, the Rockies will be gassed from all that running around the bases last night.
• The Marlins over the Phillies: Roy Halladay had his way with the Marlins last night. But Joe Blanton is not Roy Halladay. You have to like Mark Buehrle's chances in this one.
• The Dodgers over the Pirates: Jeff Karstens is a decent pitcher but should be matched at least by Chis Capuano. The Dodgers have the better offense and that carries the day.

And the Game of the Day!

• The Diamondbacks over the Padres: Never pick against Ian Kennedy. Never. Anthony Bass goes for the Padres.

Yesterday: 9-6

Week: 30-22

Season: 48-40

Games of the Day: 4-3 

Game Picks - Wednesday: April 11, 2012

Finally! A breakthrough day! If it was a warm, sunny day here, it would be a miracle. Only three incorrect picks. The Red Sox lost. The Bay Rays lost and the Cubs lost. But everything else was correct and that's a relief. And the Braves won a game and Chipper Jones was a part of it. What's not to love about baseball?

For only the second time this season, all thirty teams are in action today. Being "getaway day," several of them will occur during the daytime. Sweet. Here are Wednesday's picks:

• The Indians over the White Sox: There are a lot of reservations about Cleveland's offense so far. But Justin Masterson should prevail over John Danks in a good pitching match up. Masterson looked impossible to hit his first time out.
• The Reds over the Cardinals: Lance Berkman has a sore calf and will probably sit. Johnny Cueto was great his first outing and he should be the difference in this one facing Jaime Garcia.
• The Blue Jays over the Red Sox: Maybe this picker is really starting to believe in these Blue Jays. Ricky Romero beats Jon Lester.
• The Tigers over the Rays: Come on. Justin Verlander. Please! No-hitter! Perfect game! Hi! The Tigers will hit at least one rocket off of James Shields.
• The Nationals over the Mets: It's great to see Johan Santana back. But going with Stephen Strasburg even though the Nationals never score any runs for him.
• The Cubs over the Brewers: Perhaps this picker is giving the Cubs too much credit. But Dempster is good at home and Yovani Gallardo was less than inspiring his first time out. Gallardo usually is good against the Cubs though.
• The Athletics over the Royals: Still believe in Brandon McCarthy despite his rough first outing. Bruce Chen, though, is a magician. Could be a stupid pick, but staying with it.
• The Padres over the Diamondbacks: Upset pick of the day. Cory Luebke pitches well at home and the Diamondbacks pitch Joe Saunders for the first time this year. They could regret that.
• The Phillies over the Marlins: The Phillies are struggling offensively and face Josh Johnson. No easy feat there. But you can never pick against Roy Halladay, can you?
• The Yankees over the Orioles: C.C. Sabathia versus Jake Arrieta. It's time for Sabathia to put it into overdrive. The Yankees will need him to go deep as the bullpen is gassed and missing Soriano. Arrieta has looked great so far though.
• The Braves over the Astros: Randall Delgado makes his debut for the Braves and will be countered by Wandy Rodriguez. Wandy is a favorite here, but his team. Oh, his team...
• The Rangers over the Mariners: Have this sneaking suspicion that Kevin Millwood will pitch well tonight in his old haunts in Texas. But Colby Lewis is supposedly the Rangers #1 starter. Though this picker still doesn't believe he should be in the rotation. The Rangers have too much firepower on offense.
• The Giants over the Rockies. Hesitant to trust in Tim Lincecum. There are concerns again about his velocity. But at least he has pitched in Coors Field before and knows what to expect. Jeremy Guthrie has not. Good luck there, Jeremy.
• The Dodgers over the Pirates: There is something different about this Dodgers team this season. They could be a factor. Chad Billingsley was extremely effective his first time out. Erik Bedard goes for the Pirates and he could be effective as well.

And the Game of the Day!

• The Angels over the Twins: Albert Pujols has been too quiet. It is time to bust out. Jered Weaver will do his thing and Carl Pavano won't be able to keep up.

Yesterday: 8-3 

Week: 21-16

Season: 39-34

Games of the Day: 4-2

43 Things expected before Zito's shutout

Gosh, baseball is a screwy game. You can watch it for more than fifty years, pour over box scores in all that time, read experts until the cows come home, pour over projections and even seek out roto-experts for what players should perform and STILL be amazed by what happens. This writer has accumulated over 2,700 posts on baseball on this site and others. Never in a million years would a thought be considered that at this point in his career, Barry Zito would throw a complete game shutout at Coors Field no less. That was the Giants' fourth game. The great Tim Lincecum pitched the first game and lost. Matt Cain pitched the second, was ineffective and the team lost. The great phenom, Madison Bumgarner, pitched the third, was not good and lost. Who would win the Giants' first game of the season? Barry Zito. Huh!?

There have been thousands upon thousands of words written about Barry Zito's contract with the Giants. It is the contract that eclipses all others in criticism (Soriano's is a close second). He was so bad last year that the Giants invented injuries to place him on the DL. He might have been one of the last pitchers selected in any fantasy baseball league. And before you can say boom-lacka-lacka, he pitched nine innings at Coors Field and gave up only four hits (three singles and a double), didn't walk anyone and pitched a complete game shutout. Who saw that coming? If you did, please stand up because you, sir or madam, are a genius.

Before Zito did what he just did, here are some things that this long-time observer would have predicted before ever considering predicting Zito would so such a thing:

1. Mark Reynolds would win a Gold Glove at third.
2. Ozzie Guillen would consider his words before he spoke.
3. Derek Jeter would be considered a rangy shortstop.
4. The Tampa Bay Rays would be a rich ball club.
5. The Oakland A's would lead the league in attendance.
6. C.C. Sabathia would be skinny.
7. Jose Canseco would be back in the major leagues.
8. Mark McGwire would be elected to the Hall of Fame.
9. Cardinal fans would stop supporting the team after Pujols left.
10. Phillies fans would be considered gracious.
11. Carlos Zambrano would be considered mild and thoughtful.
12. Juan Pierre would be a power hitter.
13. Vlad Guerrero would lead the league in walks.
14. Ron Washington would go an entire season without calling for a sacrifice bunt.
15. Jeffrey Loria would be considered a good baseball owner.
16. The Houston Astros would be considered to have great prospects.
17. Joe Torre would be given credit for all those Yankee wins.
18. Rick Ankiel would throw the ball like Johnny Damon.
19. Saltalamacchia would be spelled correctly the first time by most sportswriters.
20. Jose Valverde would show no emotion after a successful save.
21. Brian Wilson would be known for not having a beard.
22. Jon Rauch would have laser surgery to remove all his tattoos.
23. Sergio Mitre would be embraced by Yankee fans.
24. Alfonso Soriano would be considered to have soft hands in the field.
25. Dave Cameron would be considered stupid in the statistical world.
26. Joe Maddon would use the same exact lineup for ten straight games.
27. Big Papi would not spit into his hands during an at bat the entire season.
28. Robinson Cano would not walk around the catcher and umpire once all season after a swing and miss.
29. Kevin Youkilis would not consider any inside pitch a personal affront.
30. Petco Park would be considered a good place for a home run hitter.
31. Albert Pujols would run hard on every ground ball.
32. Dustin Pedroia would have the cleanest uniform in baseball.
33. Miguel Cabrera would get fooled by a pitch twice in a row.
34. Joey Votto would stop hitting line drives.
35. Tommy Hutton would be voted baseball's best color man.
36. Hawk Harrelson would never root for the White Sox.
37. James Loney would be considered the Dodgers' best long-term bet at first base.
38. Jonny Venters would be considered a fly ball pitcher.
39. Kyle Davies would be welcomed with open arms as a Royals' starting pitcher.
40. Grady Sizemore would stay healthy.
41. People would consider the Jayson Werth signing by the Nationals a good idea.
42. Robert Andino would be loved by Boston Red Sox fans.
43. Twins' fans would clamor to get Bill Smith back as general manager.

Those are just a few of the things that would have been predicted before ever considering that Barry Zito would pitch a complete game shutout at Coors Field. Ain't baseball great?

Kinsler deal a steal for the Rangers

Three baseball fans are sitting in a sports bar talking baseball. One proclaims, "Cano and Pedroia are the two best second basemen in baseball." The second fan lets out a whoop and raises a beverage. The third, who is sitting with head down on folded arms pondering fantasy baseball picks, adds, "and Kinsler." The first two look at the third like seeing an alien. The first raises a bottle and says, "To Cano and Pedroia!" The second clinks bottles with the first and says, "Yeeeah!" The third raises a head and says more firmly, "And Kinsler!"

Ian Kinsler should always be in the same breath as Cano and Pedroia. He simply is not. Despite the Texas Rangers playing in the past two World Series, Kinsler is considered the third or fourth best player on his own team. Cano is considered the best player on his team. And Pedroia is the little engine that could. According to Tim McCarver, Pedroia is the "soul of the Boston Red Sox." But if you look at the Fangraphs.com leaderboard over the last two seasons, Cano has accumulated 12.1 fWAR despite no love for his defense. Pedroia has accumulated 11.5. Ian Kinsler has accumulated 11.4. In other words, Kinsler is right there with those other two.

Of all second basemen since 2010, Ian Kinsler has the second highest walk rate. The only one higher is Ben Zobrist, who is more a right-fielder these days than second baseman. No second baseman has a lower strikeout rate than Ian Kinsler. Kinsler has stolen more bases than any second basemen. His overall base running skills put him above all others at his position. Kinsler has been the fourth best fielding second baseman. He has scored the second most runs and hit the fourth most homers. He has an all-around game that has few weaknesses.

And that is why, five years at $75 million is a steal for the Rangers. Heck, Ian Kinsler's Fangraphs valuation over the past two seasons has been just shy of $50 million. Only injuries and/or a calamitous falloff in skills can ruin this deal. Ian Kinsler is one of the three best second basemen in all of baseball.

Game Picks - Tuesday: April 10, 2012

The picks are stuck in a Groundhog Day of mediocrity. Another day, another .500 picking record. This is getting somewhat maddening. If a man screams in a basement and nobody hears, did he really scream? Whoa. Did this picker just write that? Where is that coffee? Okay. Everything...is...okay. Well, sure. It is okay. .500 is nothing to sneeze at in this crazy early season where the Braves still have not won a game and an unknown pitcher in Oakland has done something only 25 other guys have done (pitch more than seven innings of shutout ball without striking out anyone) in recent history. But it is not good enough. At least not personally.

Today will be a better day. Are you listening, Norman Vincent Peale? There are twelve games on Tuesday's schedule, which is a strange number for a Tuesday. Here are the picks:

• The Bay Rays over the Tigers: This is a good match up between Matt Moore, the wunderkind of the Rays' pitching staff, and Rick Porcello, who is in the best shape of his life. Can you believe Porcello is only 23 years old? How is that possible? This is his fourth season. Wow. Anyway, both pitchers will be tough, but Moore will be better.
• The Dodgers over the Pirates: Clayton Kershaw looked just as good as always in his first start, but only lasted three innings because of a flu. He should have no trouble with a still suspect Pirates' offense. Kevin Correia of the Pirates still remains a fungible pitcher.
• The White Sox over the Indians: Phil Humber against Jeanmar Gomez. Gomez had a great spring, but seriously? Humber has at least a track record of respectability in the majors.
• The Yankees over the Orioles: Freddy Garcia will break but not bend for his six innings of work. The Orioles will start Wei-Yin Chen, the Korean who will make his major league debut. Chen is left-handed and Jeter and the Yankees love them some of that lefty stuff.
• The Red Sox over the Blue Jays: Frankly, this game is confusing. How will Daniel Bard do as a starter? Kyle Drabek's big problem is finding the strike zone and faces a team that is notoriously patient. That has to swing the vote.
• The Cardinals over the Reds: This picker loves Mike Leake. But Kyle Lohse looked awfully good his first time out.
• The Nationals over the Mets: The Mets are not going to win 162 games. So the law of averages is against them. Dillon Gee had a great spring, but this is Ross Detwiler's big chance and he is going to run with it.
• The Braves over the Astros: Conversely, the Braves are not going to lose 162 games this season. Tommy Hanson outguns Kyle Weiland.
• The Cubs over the Brewers: Paul Maholm is a sketchy pick, but he does pitch well in Wrigley. The pick is for him because Chris Narveson is just as sketchy or sketchier.
• The Rangers over the Mariners: Blake Beavan? No...cannot go there. But he does face Neftali Feliz, who is an unknown as a starter. How will this little experiment go? Personally, it won't go well. But the Rangers will score too many runs at home for it to matter.
• The Royals over the Athletics: Daniel Duffy needs to step up to the hype that has fallen flat thus far in his career. Death Valley in the Oakland Coliseum should help him do that. He is faced by Graham Godfrey. Who the heck is that!? This picker really needs to sit down and figure out who these Athletic players are.

And the Game of the Day!

• The Diamondbacks over the Padres: Trevor Cahill is a bit over-hyped, but he should win over Edinson Volquez, who seems to be his own worst enemy since the beginning of last season.

Yesterday: 6-6
Week: 13-13
Season: 31-31
Games of the Day: 3-2

Ho hum - Aroldis Chapman

The game on Sunday between the Cincinnati Reds and Miami Marlins was exciting. The seesaw game went back and forth as the lead changed hands a couple of times. Jay Bruce hit two homers including the game tying shot off of Heath Bell to tie the game in the ninth. The 37 year old Scott Rolen gave the Reds the victory with a well-placed smash down the third base line that Hanley Ramirez had to eat while the winning run scored. The hometown fans in Cincinnati went wild. A trip to MLB.com to view the highlights saw the winning hit, both of Bruce's homers, Brandon Phillips' 1,000th hit, a few of the Marlins' offensive highlights and that was it. There were no Aroldis Chapman highlights. Ho hum. All he did was pitch two innings to luck into the win. Nothing to see there.

From there it was to Yahoo sports for the game recap. Aroldis Chapman got one line. One line. The line: "Left-hander Aroldis Chapman (1-0) pitched two shutout innings of relief." Nothing special there. Move along. We have other things to talk about. But was there anything more important to this victory than the two innings Chapman pitched? Not in this mind, there wasn't. Chapman shut the door spectacularly and allowed the Reds the chance to come back in the game. His innings were pivotal. 

Chapman has come a long way since his struggles of a year ago. 2011 was a year of emotional upheaval for the Cuban pitcher we've been told. Apparently that upheaval cost him his ability to pitch in the strike zone. Chapman walked 41 batters in 50 innings of work in 2011. That is a rate of 7.4 walks per nine innings. Mixed in those wild results were records of throwing the ball 105 MPH. Nobody had recorded a pitch going that fast before. But Chapman's 2011 season, much like the Reds' 2011 season was a lost one. He did a short stint in the minors and came back more effective though.

There was talk this spring of moving Chapman into the starting rotation. In fact, four of his five spring appearances during Spring Training were starts. The results were encouraging: 17 innings, a 2.12 ERA with 18 strikeouts and just two walks and a WHIP of 1.12. But those plans were scrapped because the Reds, in their infinite wisdom felt that Bronson Arroyo and Homer Bailey were better fits in the rotation. Well, alrighty then.

And thus, the Reds put Chapman in the bullpen. Sunday marked his first appearance. It was spectacular whether or not anyone noticed. He threw 27 pitches and 21 of them were strikes. His average fastball was 98 MPH with a vertical break of 10.66. 10.66! His fastest pitch was 100.3 MPH. The slacker. Only two of his pitches were more than 100 MPH. Perhaps that doesn't excite anyone. Chapman threw two innings and his line was one hit, no walks and three strikeouts. Would the Reds have had a chance in this game without that? Doubtful.

Just to give you a pictorial idea of how effective Chapman was, here is his game's strikezone plot via Brooks Baseball. Talk about pounding the strike zone! Chapman was a beast on Sunday for the Reds. Too bad nobody noticed.

Game Picks - Monday: April 9, 2012

Another day at .500 with a 7-7 picking record. And the game of the day feature clanked meaning that everything across the board sits at a .500 record. How bland! How boring. Of course, it's better that a blog feature is boring and not the baseball season. That has been spectacular so far. The Red Sox, Yankees, Braves and Giants are all 0-3. Wow. The Phillies are 1-2. Blown saves are everywhere. Pitchers are taking no-hitters deep into games and others can't get anyone out. Unless your team has been on the wrong side of the games scores, this week has been loads of fun.

And for a Monday, there is a pretty good schedule of games going with twelve games to be played. You have to like that for what is usually an off day. Let's see if this picker can get with the program here and have a good picking day. Lord knows, this mediocrity is starting to get inside the head a little bit. Here goes:

• The Phillies over the Marlins: Things are starting to get a little dicey for the Marlins. Ozzie got his mouth in trouble again. Their high-priced closer lost a big game and the team is now 1-3 to start the season. Things won't get much easier as they face Cole Hamels. The Marlins do have a chance in this one as the Phillies aren't scoring runs and Anibal Sanchez can be terrific. But the feeling here is that Hamels will be too tough to handle and the Phillies' offense will break out a bit.
• The Angels over the Twins: The Angels had kind of a tough weekend, but should get righted on facing the Twins, who truth be told, are a pretty bad team. Nick Blackburn had a great spring. But that was spring. C.J. Wilson gets his first start in an Angels' uniform and should win this one.
• The Rockies over the Giants: The Giants haven't won a game yet and go into game four of the season with Barry Zito pitching in Coors Field. Not ideal. Jhoulys Chacin isn't exactly a lock either. But Chacin should give up less runs than Zito.
• The White Sox over the Indians: Chris Sale gets his first major league start. He was impressive in the spring with 22 strikeouts against only two walks. But again, that was spring. We'll see how he does in the real games. Josh Tomlin starts for the Indians. He is a BABIP pitcher so it all depends on where the ball bounces.
• The Cubs over the Brewers: Chris Volstad is one of this picker's picks for a comeback season. He should thrive in Chicago. The Brewers go with Shaun Marcum who had some shoulder problems during the spring. The Brewers did not have a good weekend against the Cardinals.
• The Yankees over the Orioles: The Yankees have to win some time and the Orioles have to lose some time. That convergence could happen here. Brian Matusz had a nice spring, but it is hard to forget how much damage the Yankees did to him last year. Ivan Nova really needs a big stop for the Yankees to get them going.
• The Red Sox over the Blue Jays: Really want to pick the Blue Jays in this one but they are due for a win after a tough series in Detroit. All will depend on Felix Doubront for the Red Sox and Henderson Alvarez for the Blue Jays. The feeling here is that Boston's killer lineup will be too much for Alvarez to handle and they will wear him down by the fifth inning or before.
• The Cardinals over the Reds: Another series for two teams that hate each other. So it should be fun. Both have sported good offenses thus far. The difference in this one is that Jake Westbrook has a better chance to pitch a decent game than Homer Bailey who got murdered all spring.
• The Nationals over the Mets: The Mets' early success has been good for an organization that has had difficulty in the past two years. The only problem is Mike Pelfrey. He simply has looked awful since the middle of last season and it carried over into the spring. The Nats got Edwin Jackson for this very reason, to deepen their rotation and that should be the difference in this game.
• The Braves over the Astros: The Braves need to get off the pavement here and Brandon Beachy could be just the guy to do it. The Astros counter with J.A. Happ, who simply doesn't scare anyone.
• The Royals over the Athletics: Luis Mendoza is much maligned by some KC bloggers and they have a point. He's been pretty lucky to this point and it has to catch up with him sooner or later. Unfortunately for the A's, the only batter Mendoza has to fear is Yeonis Cespedes. Tom Milone has looked terrific for the A's and is a bright prospect. But he faces a KC lineup with great prospects of their own.

And the Game of the Day!

• The Rangers over the Mariners: The Mariners are going to hit a lot better this season if early indications are correct. But this is the grand opening of the phenomenon called, Yu Darvish. Everyone will be watching this game. Hector Noesi is solid if unspectacular and gets the start for the Mariners.

Yesterday: 7-7

Week: 7-7

Season: 24-24

Games of the Day: 2-2

It's early, but dang, Chone Figgins!

The Seattle Mariners have only played four games. All of them have come against the Oakland Athletics. As such, it seems rather absurd to get too excited over anything that has happened thus far. But, gosh, isn't it kind of exciting to see Chone Figgins play the way he is? Figgins has been the colossal bust in Seattle since signing that four year, $36 million dollar contract after his 6.9 fWAR season for the Angels in 2009. He fell hard in 2010 but still had a semblance of value. But last year he really bottomed out becoming one of the least valuable players in all of baseball. And then his manager, Eric Wedge, proclaimed before the start of Spring Training that Figgins would lead off and Ichiro Suzuki would bat third. We all scoffed. This space said that Wedge had lost his mind. Again, it is very early, but don't we all look pretty stupid right now?

After four games, Chone Figgins is batting .412 after starting the season seven for seventeen. In yesterday's win, Figgins went three for five with a double and a triple. He is the Mariners' early leader in RBIs despite his lead off spot. This looks like the 2009 Chone Figgins, doesn't it? And if it is, how much difference does that make this Seattle Mariners team? A big difference.

Why? Because as predicted in this space, Ichiro Suzuki is going to bounce back from last season despite his advanced age, Dustin Ackley is going to hit a ton and Justin Smoak and Jesus Montero really haven't gotten going yet. When they do, this could be a vastly improved offense than we have seen in Seattle for the past couple of seasons and Figgins is the key to it all. Kyle Seager and Michael Saunders are off to good starts as is Brendan Ryan at short. This offense could be on to something.

And it all starts with Chone Figgins. If the Mariners can get something close to the 2009 version of Figgins instead of the 2010 and 2011 versions, then this could be a lot more fun a season for Mariners' fans than previously thought. To continue our Easter theme, thus far Chone Figgins is like Lazarus--back from the dead.

Game Picks - Sunday: April 8, 2012

We are now 34 games into the 2012 MLB season and the picks sit squarely at .500. This comes after the first full day of picking that ended up with a 7-8 tally. The words of the Book of Revelation come to mind on this Easter Sunday morning: "You are neither hot nor cold..." So yes, the picking has been, "lukewarm." 

The final score of yesterday's picks is somewhat surprising in light of correctly picking the Yankees and Red Sox to start their seasons 0-2 (let the panics begin!) and successful predicting a dominating day by Zack Greinke. But enough other bad picks ultimately had the day in the negative column including a surprising win by the Pirates on a day that Cliff Lee was starting for the Phillies. The Phillies' offense is officially a concern, though it is awful early to get too excited about it.

There are fourteen games on today's schedule instead of fifteen, which is odd for a Sunday. The Mariners and Athletics' weird schedule continues as those two teams have today off. Here are the picks:

• The Tigers over the Red Sox: This is a confusing game to pick. The Red Sox are not nearly as bad as they have played. Clay Buchholz wins over 70 percent of his road games historically but has not fared well against the Tigers in three starts at Comerica. Max Scherzer says that this is the best he's ever felt in the spring. So that will be the pick.
• The Indians over the Blue Jays: Derek Lowe should keep the ball on the ground for the Indians so only BABIP will come in to play in whether he wins or loses. This is the dicier part of the Blue Jays' rotation as young Joel Carreno gets the start.
• The Mets over the Braves: Can the Mets really start 3-0? They have arguably their best pitcher on the mound in Jon Niese. Mike Minor could be tough for the Braves though. David Wright is killing the ball in early going for the Mets as is Luke Duda.
• The Marlins over the Reds: As Ozzie backpedals from his Castro episode, which is quite comical considering the Marlins' new stadium is in the heart of Little Havana, his team will get a win as Carlos Zambrano squares up with Bronson Arroyo. Arroyo is fresh off a season where he had the third highest homers allowed in history.
• The Orioles over the Twins: Anthony Swarzak has to make an emergency start after Liam Hendriks came down with food poisoning. Swarzak can twirl a good game here or there. Jason Hammel goes for the Orioles and should have an early benefit of being unknown to the AL his first time around.
• The Pirates over the Phillies: John McDonald needs to pound the strike zone. If he does, he wins. Vance Worley goes for the Phillies. Why is he third and not Hamels?
• The Yankees over the Bay Rays: Jeremy Hellickson versus Phil Hughes. Hughes had a great spring and everyone is counting on him to have a good season. Today will be quite the test to pull at least one win out of this series.
• The Rockies over the Astros: Bud Norris can be really good, but you have to root for Juan Nicasio in this one coming back from a broken neck.
• The Brewers over the Cardinals: The last time the Cardinals saw Randy Wolf, he pitched effectively against them in the playoffs. He seems a better bet in Milwaukee than Lance Lynn who has yet to prove himself as a starter.
• The Cubs over the Nationals: Perhaps the Cubs will try somebody different in the bullpen today after Jeff Samardzija builds a lead. Jordan Zimmermann can be a stud but has struggled against the Cubs.
• The Angels over the Royals: More trust is given in this one to Ervin Santana than to the Royals' starter, Jonathan Sanchez. That's just the feeling here. Early results show Kendrys Morales to be doing just fine on those wheels of his.
• The Dodgers over the Padres: Aaron Harang should be comfortable pitching at Petco after pitching his home games there last season. Clayton Richard just doesn't seem like a big league starter. The Dodgers should jump on him.
• The Rangers over the White Sox: Gavin Floyd is a mystery to this picker. Never know what to do with him. Matt Harrison, on the other hand, is a very underrated starting pitcher. He gets the win. Adrian Beltre is due to do something with the bat.

And the Game of the Day!

• The Giants over the Diamondbacks: Will take Matt Cain over Josh Collmenter pretty much every time out. 

Yesterday: 7-8

Last week: 16-16

Season: 17-17

Games of the Day: 2-1

Enjoy the day in however you celebrate it.

Game Picks - Saturday: April 7, 2012

Tough day for the old picker yesterday. With only four correct picks in nine attempts, a couple of upset picks did not pan out and Mariano Rivera blew a save. Is this going to be a long season in San Diego? Only four players have had any hits for that team in the first two games. They may never score a run. Brandon McCarthy wasn't as good yesterday as expected and the Mariners scored seven runs in their game against Oakland. At least Yoenis Cespedes hit another homer to give the A's fans something to talk about. The Game of the Day feature is 2-0 so far. The Angels did indeed dispatch the Royals, but it wasn't Bruce Chen's fault. He blanked the Angels for six innings. It was the KC bullpen that gave up the game. Jered Weaver was fabulous.

Today is baseball's official Opening Day. Well...that should be rephrased. Baseball doesn't consider today Opening Day but this picker does because it will be the first time all 30 teams will be in action. Now that is Major League Baseball! For the first time this season, fifteen picks can be pondered. How much fun is that!? Here goes:

• The Blue Jays over the Indians: Brandon Morrow is better on the road than he is at home and the game is in Cleveland. Ubaldo Jimenez gives no confidence these days and can't be trusted.
• The Cubs over the Nationals: Gio Gonzalez will be fine for the Nationals, but Matt Garza will be too much for the Nationals to handle. Garza is going to have a big year for the Cubs. The only question is if the Cubs' bullpen can bounce back from a horrid opening day.
• The Braves over the Mets: Jair Jurrjens is a bit of a concern, but look for Dan Uggla or Freeman to go deep on Dickey.
• The Tigers over the Red Sox: Is Doug Fister the second coming of Greg Maddux? He sure seemed like it last year for the Tigers. Meanwhile, Josh Beckett has a bad thumb on his pitching hand and is a bit dubious to take here.
• The Angels over the Royals: The feeling here is that Luke Hochevar is going to have a good season. But even so, Dan Haren should be better and shuts down the Royals' offense.
• The Diamondbacks over the Giants: Madison Bumgarner is now the Giants' best pitcher. But he faces the tough Daniel Hudson who also pitched well against the Giants last year. But those Giants did not include Buster Posey and Melky Cabrera. Still can't believe the Melkman is this good!
• The Brewers over the Cardinals: Haven't picked the Cardinals yet this season and they are 2-0. This picker should learn from mistakes, right? But Zack Greinke is going to be a Cy Young Award candidate this season, just watch. Adam Wainwright makes his debut for the Cardinals after missing all of last season.
• The Rockies over the Astros: It would go against every rooting Fan grain to pick against Jamie Moyer. It just would. And he has an excellent chance to win against an Astros team that can't hit and made four errors in their debut game yesterday. Lucas Harrell goes for the Astros.
• The Twins over the Orioles: The Orioles are the better team, but Francisco Liriano looked great in the preseason and Tommy Hunter never inspires much confidence.
• The Reds over the Marlins: Mat Latos is really good. And he makes his season debut for the Reds. Ricky Nolasco looked better this spring than he did last year, but the Reds' offense should get to him in that bandbox of a stadium. Look for Votto to do some damage. This picker's early view of the Marlins as contenders is starting to dry up.
• The Bay Rays over the Yankees. Hiroki Kuroda makes his debut for the Yankees and should do well enough. David Price goes for the Bay Rays. Price hasn't seemed as dominant, but Joe Girardi is trying to prove he is as good a manager as Joe Maddon and it is not working. His cute line up today is a case in point.
• The Rangers over the White Sox: Derek Holland is really good. Much better than people think. Jake Peavy was once really good. Now he's just a guy throwing junk and trying to prolong his career. Adam Dunn seems like he is back though.
• The Dodgers over the Padres: The Padres may never score a run this season. The Dodgers are starting to look like a team that can have a surprisingly good season. Chris Capuano is going to like pitching in the west. Dustin Moseley goes for the Padres and gets yet another hard luck loss.
• The Mariners over the Athletics: Bartolo Colon really shut down the Mariners his first time out. What are the odds of a repeat? Long. Felix Hernandez goes for the Mariners. He should get the win.

And the Game of the Day!

• The Phillies over the Pirates: Cliff Lee. Hate the guy. Just hate him. But he is very, very good. So the respect is there. He will beat Jeff Karstens and the Pirates. The prediction here is that the Pirates get four hits, tops.

Yesterday: 4-5

Week: 9-8

Season: 10-9

Games of the Day: 2-0

Pitching dominates Thursday

Following MLB's third Opening Day was fantastic with a combination of televised games and talk on Twitter. What was truly fascinating about the day was that it took the New York Mets to score a run to end all the talk about the scoreless innings that began the day. In those early games, the score was 0-0 through three or four innings in all of them. It was a day of pitching magnificence.

While the Pittsburgh Pirates will not be anyone's idea of a high-scoring machine, Roy Halladay threw a gem. During Spring Training, there was all this concern about his velocity being down. And in all reality, Brooks Baseball showed his fastball below last year's average in the first game. But when you can pitch with the precision that Halladay does, what does velocity mean? He still managed twelve swinging strikes en route to five strikeouts with no walks and only two hits allowed in eight innings of work.

Erik Bedard was nearly as good for the Pirates. Or, the Phillies' offense is exposed for what it is, which could be a problem. Bedard didn't have much of a fastball (88.14 average) and didn't miss many bats (seven), but only gave up one run in his seven innings of work, giving up the only run of the game on a sacrifice fly. Jonathan Papelbon got his first save in a Phillies uniform.

Last year's Cy Young Award winner, Justin Verlander, was brilliant against the Red Sox. He topped out at 98 MPH and seemed to be able to ratchet up the heater when in tough situations or ahead in the count. The Red Sox are a great hitting team and thus Verlander only missed six bats in his eight innings. But he kept the Red Sox off balance with his terrific curve and change up and only yielded two hits and a walk in eight innings. Unfortunately for him, after going a perfect 49 for 49 in save opportunities in 2011, Jose Valverde blew his first opportunity of 2012. So give Verlander 23 wins this season instead of 24.

Jon Lester was good for the Red Sox, but not terrific. He only gave up one run in his seven innings, but had far too many three-ball counts and was helped by three double plays. Lester always seems preoccupied with the strike zone he is getting from the umpire. He needs to forget all of that and just pitch his game.

Stephen Strasburg did not disappoint in his first outing against the Cubs. Strasburg went seven innings and allowed one run on five hits and a walk. He averaged almost 96 MPH on his four-seam fastballs and almost 95 on his two-seamers. And he threw his curve for strikes 79 percent of the time. Strasburg struck out five and walked one. The strikeouts came in bunches late in his outing. 

Strasburg was matched by Ryan Dempster. Dempster only averaged around 89 MPH with his fastball but fought out of two jams by getting batters to miss his slider or tap it weakly. He left with two outs in the eighth and a runner on base after allowing only two hits and three walks. Unfortunately, Kerry Wood walked three batters to force Dempster's runner to score and tie the game. A Twitter bud said that Wood was getting squeezed by the home plate umpire but the Pitch/FX data does not support that theory. Only two of his thirteen non-strikes were borderline, one at the top of the strike zone and one at the bottom. Carlos Marmol then gave up the winning run in the ninth.

It was nice to see Brad Lidge get the save for the Nationals in his return after a lost season last year with the Phillies. Lidge struck out two in the ninth. He has lost his fastball which is now in the 89 MPH range but his slider is his go-to pitch now and--at least for yesterday--got the job done.

Johnny Cueto blanked the Miami Marlins to give the Cincinnati Reds their first win of the season. Cueto didn't miss many bats with only seven swinging strikes in his seven innings, but he did strike out four, allowing three hits and two walks. It did not help the Marlins' cause when Jose Reyes was thrown out stealing and Emilio Bonifacio was picked off. Perhaps it was a bit of a BABIP game for Cueto and aided by bad base-running, but the bottom line is that no runs scored.

Perhaps the most impressive pitching display was the eleven scoreless innings thrown by the Toronto Blue Jays' bullpen. Last year's bullpen was such a mess for the Blue Jays that this performance has to give the team hope that a weakness has been turned into a strength.

The same couldn't be said for the Indians as Chris Perez blew the save and ruined a fantastic outing from Justin Masterson. The latter pitched eight innings of two-hit, one-walk ball and struck out ten Blue Jays. His only blemish was a bomb by Jose Bautista. But he is hardly the first pitcher to have that happen these past few seasons. Of Masterson's 27 batters faced, ten of them struck out and ten of them hit ground balls. It was a wasted brilliant performance.

Offense has been down the last two seasons and if Thursday was any indication, this season won't be any different. Pitching had the upper hand all day.

Game Picks - Friday: April 5, 2012

Thursday was fun, wasn't it? There were pitcher's duels and diving stops, walk off hits, blown saves, and even a sixteen inning game. Welcome to MLB baseball where there are no grapefruits nor cactus. The season has arrived and today was terrific. Let's all sigh together in relief and happiness! And the picks didn't go so bad either. The only two incorrect picks were the Reds beating the Marlins--a game when picked was said could go either way--and a win by the Nationals over the Cubs. The pick was correct that Stephen Strasburg would get no run support, but Kerry Wood and Carlos Marmol of the Cubs ralphed the game away for the Cubbies.

There are nine games on the schedule today including all of the teams that didn't play yesterday plus the Padres and Dodgers not getting a day off like all of the other Thursday teams. Here is how they should go:

• The White Sox over the Rangers: The Chisox ruin the Rangers' home opener as John Danks pitches better than Colby Lewis. Some of the Rangers are a little dinged up and they won't be yet firing on all cylinders. Robin Ventura wins his debut as manager.
• The Orioles over the Twins: A battle of two teams that will probably have difficult seasons. The match up of Jake Arrieta versus Carl Pavano is pretty much a wash. The Orioles' bullpen should pull the win out in this one.
• The Yankees over the Bay Rays: Both CC Sabathia and James Shields pitched well against the teams they are facing last season, but both had losing records too. They should cancel each other out. If it becomes a battle of bullpens, the Yankees win that battle. John Maddon will have Keppinger batting cleanup. Say what?
• The Brewers over the Cardinals: The Brewers match up well against Jaime Garcia. The outcome will depend on how well Yovani Gallardo pitches for the Brewers.
• The Rockies over the Astros. The temptation is not to bed against Wandy Rodriguez who starts for the Astros. But the 'Stros have little offense to offer against Jeremy Guthrie who should thrive in a new league against a team that knows him not.
• The Diamondbacks over the Giants: Ian Kennedy is this picker's man-crush. Plus, he beat a bunch of tough match ups last year. Going with the Diamondbacks over Tim Lincecum.
• The Padres over the Dodgers: Hey, this picker has been boosting Cory Luebke all spring. So he has to come through. Clay Billingsley can be had at times. Both these teams look like .500 teams in the NL West. Might as well have that record after two games.
• The Athletics over the Mariners: The M's will beat a hundred ground balls to the infielders against Brandon McCarthy and Jason Vargas does little to inspire confidence.

And the Game of the Day:

• The Angels over the Royals: Shouldn't Jered Weaver beat Bruce Chen nine out of ten times? That seems like it would be the case. Besides, Albert Pujols makes his first start for his new team at home. He has to do something dramatic, right?

Just a reminder, the Game of the Day isn't about the most exciting game, but the pick most likely to be correct.

Yesterday: 5-2

Week: 5-3

Season: 6-4

Games of the Day: 1-0

BBA Linkfest - Opening Day Edition

Hey! It's Opening Day. Sort of. Well, it is for some teams. But anyway, at least there is more than one real baseball game on the schedule. Let's put this on a more positive spin. It is Opening Week! Okay, that is better. And it seems fitting for our weekly links post from the General Chapter of the Baseball Bloggers Alliance to occur today. After all, these great folks have been churning out great content all off season in anticipation of this week right here. If these writers have been this good without baseball being played, how good are they going to be now that the season is underway!? Here are this week's links:

Eugene Tierney of 85% Sports has been doing an awesome job with his team previews for 2012. His latest is on the Colorado Rockies.

Ryan Sendek has been doing amazing work helping folks get ready for the fantasy baseball season all off season on his Analysis Around the Horn site. He wraps it all up with one final update. He's done the work, now it's up to you.

Babes Love Baseball had a preview for the Marlins opening night against the Cardinals that included a Twitter quote from LoMo. Plus, if you haven't already, go back and read all of Sooze's Haiku team previews. Wonderful.

The Ball Caps Blog re-blogged a mutual friend of ours post on why baseball is better than football. It's worth the click and the re-click for sure.

Stevo-sama recaps a college baseball game like only he can over at his The Baseball Enthusiast site.

Baseball Unrated offers you the chance to pick the outcome of the American League Central division.

Baseballism recaps and comments on the big Matt Cain and Joey Votto deals.

Justin Jabs takes some stabs (just wanted to type that) at predicting the NL Central. Take a look over at BaseBlog.

Aaron Somers writes his excellent Blogging from the Bleachers site between his regular assignment of covering the Washington Nationals. Check out his AL East preview.

There is always so much great content over at Call to the Pen that it is a daily baseball buffet. The post selected this week is Blaine Blontz's reaction to John Lannon's trade request.

Mario Salvini of Che Palle! celebrates opening day and whether your Italian or any other heritage, he is right: "This is our game."

Matt Whitener of Cheap.Seats.Please. previews the newly interesting NL East. 

The Crum-Bum Beat staff put all their creatively-named heads together to come up with their bold predictions for the 2012 season.

Diamond Hoggers celebrates Opening Day as only TheNaturalMevs can do it. Cool elephant too.

Dugout 24 puts their own unique and comical spin on why baseball is better than any other sport.

The Cole Hamels situation with the Phillies will be one of the most interesting stories in 2012. For Baseball Junkies speculates on the outcomes.

The Baseball Index has had great fun predicting the major award winners in baseball this season. The latest is on the MVP Award.

Probably this Fan's favorite regular blog feature is The Golden Sombrero's look-alikes feature. This week's is a stunner.

Grubby Glove participated in a podcast! The story behind the event is just as entertaining as the podcast itself!

The Hall of Very Good has a brilliant re-post of Sully's this week on numbers that are long overdue to be retired by the player's teams. The post is dead on. And for the record, this Fan screamed for the Red Sox to retire Wade Boggs number a long time ago. Maybe the HOVG and Sully can finally help get it done.

Hot Corner Harbor used the occasion to make the site's thorough 2012 predictions. Can't disagree with any of them.

How do you describe Left Field's posts? They are impossible to buttonhole other than to state that no finer writing occurs on the Internet. Here is his latest.

Peter Verniere of Major League A**holes has questions concerning his favorite team, the Chicago White Sox. He is cautiously optimistic though.

Andrew Martin easily wins the post of the week award on one of the most fascinating stories this Fan has read in a while. The Fan should have a post show up  over at MLB Dirt today too. So check that out.

Love, love, LOVE little Haley Smilow's interview of Eric Young, Jr. over at MLB Reports. 

Nik of Niktig's Baseball Blog has a big and important question about the Miami Marlins.

Erik and Jana have started up their Off the Bat podcasts on BlogTalk Radio. Check out Number One Baseball for the link.

Somebody has to keep track of such things. Leave it to Old Time Family Baseball to notice the first stirrup sighting of the season. 

Matthew Melton of Pop Fly Boys has a fascinating post on how each team can win the World Series.

The Sports Banter is back! Check out the sites 2012 MLB predictions.

Sully of Sully Baseball has a really interesting take on the Miami Marlins.

Chol Souders celebrates Opening Day over at Through the Fence Baseball. Right there with you, buddy!

Muhammed Ali made Joey Smith of the X-Log very sad. Yes. Agreed.

One programming note: One of this Fan's favorite sites, The Platoon Advantage, is moving to the Bloguin Network. Congrats on the new home, folks. You can still find them by going to the same web address. You'll have to do the Blogger redirection thingy, but once that is accomplished, you will be welcomed into the arms of the same fine writers you've always known.

Happy baseball season, everyone!

Game Picks - Thursday: April 5, 2012

Well played, Kyle Lohse. Well played indeed. And doesn't this picker look like a dope. To pull up the old saw by the hemp rope, "That's why they play the game." If you count the two preseason games against the Yankees, the Marlins are now 0-3 in their new ballpark. That's not good. And what a drag that they didn't get to shoot off that home run contraption.

It's been decided here that Saturday will be the official Opening Day. After all, that will be the first time there will be fifteen games on the schedule. Today is just another preview. But the games count and they have to be picked. So let's get to it, shall we?

• The Tigers over the Red Sox: Justin Verlander versus Jon Lester is a terrific opening day match up. Two terrific pitchers. One of them has to win. Verlander at home is just too tough to pick against. Have to go that way.
• The Mets over the Braves: Tommy Hanson just doesn't strike fear in the heart like he used to. Besides, Johan Santana is the heart pick for this one as he makes his first start back after a long, long road. Ike Davis has been mashing the ball. The Mets open with their new dimensions. Santana throws enough change ups to fool enough Braves batters and the Mets get to Hanson.
• The Phillies over the Pirates: People keep predicting Roy Halladay will not be as dominating this year as the past two. That will be believed when and if it actually happens. In the meantime, he is the best pitcher of this generation. Don't bet against him. Erik Bedard goes for the Pirates who are at home.
• The Cubs over the Nationals: Stephen Strasburg is the bomb. But doesn't it seem like his team plays tight whenever he pitches? It seems the offense is never there. Ryan Dempster is not a peach to pick, but he is better at home. The Cubs win their first game of the Theo era.
• The Blue Jays over the Indians: Ricky Romero over Justin Masterson. The Blue Jays are going to make this picker look like a genius this season. Can you feel it? Masterson hasn't quite put things together yet. He will. But not yet. Romero is a tough hombre and tough to beat.
• The Marlins over the Reds: Mark Buehrle is going to drive the Reds crazy with his slow and slower stuff thrown every five seconds before they can get comfortable. He'll have to keep the ball inside that cozy park in Cincinnati though. Johnny Cueto can be untouchable at times. So this game can go either way.

And the Game of the Day!

• The Dodgers over the Padres: Clayton Kershaw begins his defense of his Cy Young Award and does so against a poor offense. The Dodgers will score at least three on Edinson Volquez and that will be enough.

Yesterday: 0-1

Season: 1-2

No Pujols. No La Russa. No problem

The St. Louis Cardinals begin their defense of their world championship today in Miami against the new-look Marlins. The team comes into the season minus Albert Pujols who could not resist the carrot dangled by Arte Moreno. Tony La Russa has retired as manager after being an institution in St. Louis and the author of two championships. Those two losses would seem grim for just about anyone but the Cardinals. This seems to be a resilient and upbeat bunch and their new manager, Mike Matheny is home grown and could have the easiest ride of any new manager in quite some time.

Not that the Cardinals 2012 season will be easy. The Brewers are still a potent team and the Reds have lots of talent as well. But the Cardinals should be fine. They still have the best catcher in baseball. Adam Wainwright is back. And the team has a battle-tested bullpen that wowed the world last October. What's not to love about where this team is going into the new season?

Yes, they lost Albert Pujols. It's hard to think about the Cardinals without him. For ten years, he has been the best player on the planet. But he was not without a certain amount of baggage. Pujols had an enigmatic persona and was treated differently than other players. At times, it seemed as if his teammates had to tip-toe around him. His leadership skills were questionable for a player of his stature. He failed to hustle on ground balls and we can never forget how he skipped out on reporters in the playoffs leaving his teammates to hold the bag without him. It is possible that a Cardinal team without Pujols could be more cohesive and have a whole lot more fun, especially with Lance Berkman around to lead the comedy troupe.

Speaking of Berkman, his 2011 season was one of the biggest stories of last season. His performance was breathtaking despite being misplaced in right field. He has always been a better than average first baseman and the Cardinals will not lose anything defensively from having him at first base. If he hits like last season, then Pujols' numbers from last season are covered.

Carlos Beltran was a perfect signing. Yes, we will have to see how it all turns out, but on paper, it is perfect. He will be a win better as a right fielder than Berkman was and his offensive production combined with a bounce-back season from Matt Holliday would offset any lingering wins lost by losing Pujols. This space is not a big fan of John Jay in center. But he has his moments at the plate and gives the team more consistency than what they had in the past. Look for this position to be in transition during the season though.

Despite his struggles this spring and his track record the past two seasons, Rafael Furcal is a huge upgrade starting the season than where the Cardinals were a season ago. If he mans his position effectively, the Cardinals should continue to cover any lack he provides on offense. Second base is also a transition as Daniel Descalso has been handed the starting position. There are many who feel that Tyler Greene can be a top notch infielder and made the team as a backup if Descalso falters. Descalso displayed terrific patience at the plate this spring and that could be a big factor during the season.

David Freese has had a tough spring and Cardinal fans will always hold their breath concerning his health. But the thought here is that the post season and his heroics therein should fill him to the brim with confidence and allow him to become one of the best third basemen in the National League. If he does not make the All Star team this season, it would be a huge surprise.

The Allen Craig injury is a problem and is unfortunate. He really does have the makings of a star and if he returns mid-season, it could be like making a huge trade deadline deal.

Chris Carpenter starts the season on the disabled list and that's a problem. His bulging neck leaves his season in uncertain status. To see he and Wainwright again anchoring the rotation would make the team's prospects that much brighter. But this could be an opportunity for the Cardinals. Carpenter is getting up there in years and won't be around that much longer anyway. This could give guys like Lance Lynn an opportunity to become the next great starting pitcher in the league.

Jaime Garcia does not bring a level of comfort. Watching him perform has never induced a wow factor here. And Kyle Lohse and Jake Westbrook are just serviceable pitchers who eat innings and keep the team in most of the games they pitch. As long as the rotation can keep the game close, the offense and deep and talented bullpen should win their share of games.

It seems hard to imagine that a team can lose a Hall of Fame manager and the best player of his generation and still be the team to beat in their division. Yet, they are. They have an intelligent and capable coaching staff, a general manager now out of La Russa's shadow and contention and a still potent and talented team. They are the world champions until they are not. And the NL Central will have to prove the St. Louis Cardinals are not every bit as scary as they were a season ago.

Game Picks - Wednesday: April 4, 2012

The 2012 MLB season is starting like a dwarf-gathering at Bilbo Baggins' door. A couple of dwarfs show up in Japan and then another one in Miami, a few more on Thursday and a few more on Friday before all dwarfs are in the sitting room by Saturday. It's a heck of a tease and frankly, it is an unwelcome way to start a season. In this mind, Opening Day should be this nationwide party celebrated all over baseball on the same day and in the same way. And Opening Day should never include night games. And why would there be twelve teams playing on Thursday that do not play again until Saturday? Opening Day should be a grand event and we should all celebrate it together. 

Okay, rant over. There is a game to pick. The St. Louis Cardinals play a one game series with the Miami Marlins who officially start their home season in their new ballpark. Why the Cardinals? And why one game? Who knows. It's not because the Cardinals are the World Series champs. This schedule was dreamed (spell check is saying that "dreamt" is not a word. Pshaw.) up long before the outcome of the Fall Classic (which is really the winter classic if you live in Maine).

Well, it was thought the rant was over. Perhaps now it is as there is still a game to pick. So come on then, pick it, William. 

• The Marlins over the Cardinals: Opening Day is when each team puts out its Number One starter. The Marlins are going with Josh Johnson. Okay. That sounds fine. The Cardinals are going with Kyle Lohse. Kyle Lohse!? Well, yeah, Carpenter is a pain in the neck. What? Oh. He has a pain in the neck. Wainwright missed all of last season. So what he did before doesn't count. ?? Soooo...The Marlins open the Fish Tank with a win. Logan Morrison deposits a drive into the seats to set the Home Run Machine spinning and the world champs start 0-1.

Bob Netherton will be happy. He has the psychotic notion that picking against the Cardinals in this space is like some reverse luck thing. Actually, it's just another pick. Interpret as you see fit.

Season: 1-1

Curt Schilling undercuts Valentine

Curt Schilling has become one of the most bombastic former players ever. The former pitcher seems intent on flapping his gums and being as controversial as possible. He has become the Rush Limbaugh of ex-players. And that is just fine. It is a free country and people can say what they want. But what he recently said about his former team and the Red Sox' new manager went over the line. After all, he is only five years removed from that team and some of his former teammates still play there. Schilling just made himself the bad shoulder angel in the heads of some of his former teammates. He has thrown Bobby Valentine under the bus before the bus can even leave the parking lot.

Let's pick apart some of Schilling's statements. First, he said that baseball has changed and the manager has little to do with what happens on the field during a game. He calls them babysitters who manage personnel. Oh really? So it matters not whether a manager lets a pitcher continue when struggling? It matters not if a manager pinch hits for somebody based on match ups? This is the ultimate deconstructionism. This is a former player stating that only players matter during the outcomes of games. This is ego talking. While it is true that players will make a manager successful or unsuccessful, it does matter what decisions a manager makes during a game.

And it goes further than that. Schilling is basically stating that a manager has no effect on the team's psychology. In Schilling's world, the manager cannot "fire up" his team or make the players feel better about themselves. The manager cannot encourage his players or keep them going through hard times. All the manager does in Schilling's world is babysit players. How disrespectful can you be? In Schilling's world, player accountability is only the responsibility of the players.

Schilling goes on to state that the small details do not matter anymore and that Valentine lives in the small details. Again: Oh really? There might be just a game or two difference between four teams in the American League East. Wouldn't doing something fundamentally correct at just the right moment account for a win here or there? Couldn't that one win mean the world of difference? The Red Sox lost out on the playoffs last year by a single game. Little things do matter. 

Schilling's remarks conclude that he believes the Red Sox have created an oil and water situation between the manager and his players. How can you say that before Valentine's tenure even begins? And how did the oil and oil situation work out for the Red Sox last season? What Schilling's statements have created is the opportunity for doubt in the minds of the Red Sox players. This is a guy they used to play beside. His words resonate to those teammates. If just one of these players develops a little doubt in the back of any of the players minds, Schilling has done a great disservice here to his former team.

Schilling is trying to keep himself relevant since his career ended. The former pitcher likes to be the story. As such, he enjoys making large statements that get a lot of coverage and attention. Bobby Valentine's tenure as the manager of the Red Sox will only be evaluated after the fact. That tenure does not even begin until later this week. Undercutting Bobby Valentine before the season even begins in unfair and uncalled for. Can we at least see how the season unfolds before we start criticizing Bobby Valentine?

Is Michael Young the next Paul Molitor?

Michael Young was a fashionable pinata after the 2010 season. The Texas Rangers had just signed Adrian Beltre to play third and Mike Napoli to split time between catching and first base. Michael Young was going to be the designated hitter. Michael Young was not happy and requested a trade. He was skewered by this space and by others around the Web. After his 2011 season, nobody is laughing now. Sure, Young still makes a lot of money from an ill-advised contract. Sure, you really should not give him a glove. But boy, the guy handled the transition after his initial pout and quietly put up a monster offensive season. It was a season that rivaled the 34 year old season of a Hall of Fame designated hitter, Paul Molitor.

Molitor, like Young, had a difficult season at age 33. But both came back with a vengeance at age 34. Compare the numbers:

• Molitor (1991 - Twins): .325/.399/.489 .888 OPS. 752 plate appearances. 216 hits
• Young (2011 - Rangers): .338/.380/.474  .854 OPS. 689 plate appearances. 213 hits

Pretty similar seasons, eh? Molitor continued on a tear for several more seasons. He played seven more seasons after his age 34 season and collected 1,233 more hits to cement his Hall of Fame ticket. While not predicting Michael Young as an eventual Hall of Fame candidate, the two players were at a similar crossroad before their age 34 season. Molitor was a designated hitter long before Young in his career. But Molitor had never had quite a season like his age 34 season before. He famously shortened his swing and well, he just went crazy. 

Are we seeing a similar life change for Michael Young? It's possible. Young cut his strikeout rate from 16 percent in 2010 to 11.3 percent in 2011. Paul Molitor struck out less than Young and walked more. Molitor had a slightly higher career wOBA and wRC+. And Molitor played in an era that was less of an offensive era. Thus, his OPS+ was higher than Young's. But their age 34 seasons seem otherwise to be so strikingly familiar. And Young is creaming the ball again this spring training. So again, is Michael Young the next Paul Molitor?

One last comparison for you. After Molitor's age 34 season, he had compiled 2,086 hits. Michael Young after his age 34 season now has 2,061 hits. Who is to say that Young can duplicate Molitor's amazing 1,233 hits after his age 34 season. But who is to say he can't? 

The Crystal Ball tells all for 2012

For several years now, this site has featured a prediction post. Heck, everyone does that. But unlike most sites that base theirs on baseball smarts, spreadsheets, simulations and math skills, this one relies on the mysterious crystal ball that has long been a family heirloom. Legend has it that the dome came with this author's grandfather from Sicily and that he almost didn't get it by customs and only did so by stating through and interpreter that it was a paperweight. This post almost could not be written. The artifact had to be retrieved from the pawn shop. It's been that kind of year. Luckily, nobody wanted such a gaudy paperweight and it was available for repurchase.

Last year's post was long forgotten. And so a quick search for it this morning was successful and some of the findings were sort of amazing. Sure, there was some things that did not come to pass, but credit that to the gazer into that sphere and not the crystal ball itself. Human eyes can misinterpret, but that doesn't mean the thing is fallible. Some of the amazing readings:

• Pablo Sandoval's resurgence was predicted correctly.
• Predicted Ichiro Suzuki would not reach 200 hits and the team would still score more runs. He didn't. They did.
• Albert Pujols would leave the Cardinals after the season. He did.
• That Jose Bautista's 2010 season wasn't a fluke. It wasn't.
• Jim Hendry would be fired. He was.
• The Padres would sink back to last place. They did.
• Scott Rolen wouldn't be a factor for the Reds. He wasn't.
• Eric Hosmer would be the first big time rookie to get the call. He was.
• Jose Reyes would outhit David Wright. He did. It seems a given now, but not before the 2011 season.
• Jordan Zimmerman would have a breakout season. He did.
• Elvis Andrus would hit a homer after going homer-less in 2010. He did.
• John Mayberry Jr. would get more playing time than Ben Francisco. He did.
• Roy Oswalt would get hurt. He did.
• J.J. Hardy would be one of the best shortstops in the AL. He was.
• Bartolo Colon would be the Yankees' fifth starter. He was. 
• Defense would betray the Twins. Uh, yeah. Among other things.
• Russell Martin would return to being one of the best catchers in baseball. He did.

So, yeah, there were some goodies in there. And so it is time to once again gaze into the crystal ball and see what it tells us. Breakfast was avoided so perhaps the gazer will interpret the signs a little more clearly. Here we go:

In 2012:

• Matt Holliday will hit 30 homers and drive in over a hundred runs and make people forget all about the moth in his ear.
• Carlos Zambrano will in 16 games for the Miami Marlins and will be nothing but happy.
• The season will start and some time in May, Michael Pineda will make his first start and get the win and go on to win 12 games.
• The Milwaukee Brewers will win the NL Central and ask, "Prince who?" But they will still get beat in the playoffs by the Cardinals who again get in as the wildcard.
• Daniel Hudson and Ian Kennedy will again win more than 16 games each.
• Joe Mauer has a nice comeback along with Buster Posey and both will be on the All Star squads.
• Josh Johnson will pitch all season and contend for the Cy Young Award.
• But the NL Cy Young again goes to Clayton Kershaw.
• The AL Cy Young Award will be won by Yu Darvish who also wins the AL Rookie of the Year Award.
• Despite Albert Pujols, the Texas Rangers win the AL West over the Angels.
• Hanley Ramirez will win the NL MVP Award and the Marlins win the NL East.
• Both Alex Rodriguez and Kevin Youkilis will play more than 130 games and put up good numbers.
• Pitching will keep the Red Sox out of the playoffs again and the press will skewer Bobby Valentine.
• The Astros and the Athletics will lose 100 games. The White Sox and Twins lose 90+.
• Bryce Harper will be in the majors by the All Star Game.
• Ichiro Suzuki will bat over .300 again after batting in the .270s last year.
• Miguel Cabrera will be the AL starter at third base in the All Star game. Both he and Prince Fielder hit 30+ homers.
• Brian Matusz will have a very good season. But the Orioles will still lose 90 games.
• Troy Tulowitzki will win the NL MVP.
• Albert Pujols will hit 40 homers and have a great season. But is beaten out for MVP by Miguel Cabrera.
• Jered Weaver will have a disappointing season.
• At least one umpire will ask Josh Beckett to pick up the pace of his pitching prompting Bobby Valentine to be tossed from the game.
• A.J. Burnett has a nice season for the Pirates.
• Tampa Bay's offense will keep them from the playoffs and finish behind the Toronto Blue Jays who gain a wild card berth.
• Juan Pierre will get 400 at bats for the Phillies.
• Jim Thome or Jason Giambi will be traded to the Yankees at the trade deadline.
• Daisuke Matsuzaka will pitch for the Red Sox after the All Star break, will pitch well and still the Red Sox fans will hate him.
• Mariano Rivera will have one last sparkling season and then retire.
• Terry Francona will draw raves for his work on Sunday Night Baseball and Orel Hershiser won't be happy.
• Jonathan Papelbon will save 40 games for the Phillies.
• Chase Utley will run off to Europe to see A-Rod's doctor.
• Brett Gardner will fail to hit above .255.
• Alex Gordon will confirm that he is the next superstar and put up tasty numbers along with Eric Hosmer. The Royals don't have enough pitching though and it won't be enough.
• Dee Gordon wins the NL Rookie of the Year and the Dodgers will be surprisingly good this season.
• Zack Greinke finishes second in NL Cy Young Award voting.
• C.J. Wilson will be the best pitcher for the Angels and have a better year than Weaver and Haren.
• Madison Bumgarner will be the only Giants' pitcher on the All Star team and will be that team's best pitcher.
• Francisco Liriano will have a good year. Rod Gardenhire will not.
• Cory Luebke and Tim Stauffer have excellent seasons and push the Padres over .500.
• The Diamondbacks repeat as NL West champions and will represent the NL in the World Series.
• Kyle Weiland will be the next Astro after Jeff Bagwell for the Red Sox fans to say a good one got away.
• This will be the year that Luke Hochevar puts it together.
• Scott Feldman is in the Rangers' rotation by mid-season. Or perhaps in someone else's rotation by the trade deadline.
• Johan Santana wins thirteen games and wins Comeback Player of the Year.
• Russell Branyan will hit at least one homer as a Yankee.
• Brandon Morrow wins at least seventeen games for the Blue Jays.
• Justin Verlander will win eighteen games.
• Yoenis Cespedes will finish with 20 homers, a .260 batting average and over a hundred strikeouts.
• Curtis Granderson will hit 35 more homers for the Yankees.
• And finally...yes...the Yankees will win the World Series.