Sunday, July 27, 2008

NL Preview THUNDER

My department chair said that you can make any mundane activity exciting by adding the word thunder to the beginning or end. I hate to give him credit for it, but he's right. Now, the AL preview.

HMM: Washington reeled in Mitch Meyers for three years and $34.6m during the off-season, making one of the biggest bargains of the draft a luxury item (Meyers went off demanding in the range of $5m per). As someone who has spent big money on a non-superstar arm in the past, I scratched my head over this one. With this much money on the table, one has to hope that Meyers earns his payday. But, I also think back to J.J. Lambert in S.2. Statistically speaking, Meyers is 26-25 for his career with a 4.55 ERA, 292 Ks, 1.38 WHIP and 398 IP. Is this piece enough to push them over the hump and into first place?

ON THE RIVERFRONT: Lon Costello, Brad Bird, Al Posada and Felipe Balboa are back to front the ever dangerous Cincinnati rotation. One big change for S.3 was the jettisoning of Doug Linton to the junior circuit and the acquision of 80+ rated Ken Giovanola from Portland. Paired with the lineup that constantly scores enough runs to win, it's hard not to expect repeat performance in S.3.

ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH: C-Springs' Rico Johnson was a good pitcher in S.1. In S.2, he evolved into a great one. He added seven wins, subtracted six losses and peeled a quarter of a run off his ERA. He and Pat Stein make a formidable duo upfront. At 32 years old, can Rico carry the Cricket Club to another 94-win campaign?

PREDICTABLE PREDICTIONS:

DIVISION CHAMPS: Cincinnati, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Colorado Springs
WILD CARD: Washington and Santa Fe
LCS CHAMPS: Cincinnati


No comments: