-
Welcome to Smogon! Take a moment to read the Introduction to Smogon for a run-down on everything Smogon, and make sure you take some time to read the global rules.
-
Congrats to the winners of the 2023 Smog Awards!
MLB 2013 Season Thread
- Thread starter Mr.E
- Start date
living in Houston, I might actually go if they still have their $5 'standing-room only' tickets available at the door like they usually do. with the astros, even though they say standing room only, they usually end up being first deck seats (front row on the visitors side dugout, even, if you wanted)
Houston in 1st place for the first time since 2007!!!!!!
#Stros2013Champs
#Stros2013Champs
Gonna sneak my predix in here-
AL West-
Angels
Rangers
A's
Mariners
Astros
I'm 100% torn on Angels vs Rangers. The difference maker for me is the rotation and I don't think Joe Blanton and Tommy Hanson will crack in the rotation like a lot of people are expecting. As a Dodger fan I know after Blanton got blown up here he will succeed elsewhere and its showing as he has earned the #3 rotation spot (this is especially odd when it means he pitches the opening series in Cincinnati as a flyball pitcher). Hanson looked sharp enough in his spring start last night to convince me that his arm isn't falling off anymore, against his fastball velocity trends of the last few years.
I think the A's are close on paper, and I really like their habit of platooning, but I think the reliance of younger pitchers in the rotation without an established Darvish or Weaver at the top will make it hard for them to keep up. On top of that the Rangers have so many "good problems" in young position prospects who will give them trade and injury replacement flexibility. I think the Mariners can surprise people this year, but not so big of a surprise that they take a playoff spot. Their new offensive parts have been bombing in spring and apparently Jason Bay found his stroke again, but I don't think that'll overcome the all around game a lot of players in the upper 3 have.
AL Central-
Tigers
Royals
White Sox
Indians
Twins
The Tigers are just too good to even think about removing from #1 IMO. I don't mind the Myers-Shields trade on the part of the Royals as much as a lot of people do. I just don't stock in teams going deep into the playoffs without a guy like that at the front of the rotation, I think the whole rotation will be much better and it sends a good message to the strong young core of players they have. If shopping Myers was the only way to get a front man then by all means go for it. I see the argument that Francouer is terrible in RF even compared to Myers as a rookie, but I don't think he will post a negative 2 WAR again (on the same note I think Hosmer will have a better year too). The kool-aid reports say he is taking his spring at bats with a purpose and I'm drinking. It would be really cool if they sent the huge arm to the mound and picked up another RF but that just won't happen :(
With the White Sox I worry that their core lineup guys in Konerko and Dunn are probably going to have regressions this year, on top of Pierzynski being gone. Sale / Peavy isn't a half bad 1-2 punch though. I like the Indians offseason a lot and think they could jump in front of the Royals, but I think the Royals have better chances, the main reason being that I'm not buying into Ubaldo Jimenez having a bounce back year. I will be watching out for Scott Kazmir who has somehow not only come back but earned the #5 rotation spot. I think the Twins pitching makes it clear they don't want to compete, but it could be fun to watch Aaron Hicks in center. The fact that they were willing to trade Span and young Ben Revere to start him this year speaks about their faith in him.
AL East-
Blue Jays
Yankees
Red Sox
Rays
Orioles
If you hadn't noticed by my last predix I am huge on a good rotation and a strong guy at the front. The division was hard enough to form an opinion on but having R.A. Dickey in the mix just makes it harder. Any fan should be excited to see him with a dome available, but CC is earning his contract and gives competition. Going down each teams top 4 doesn't help me seperate because I like both of them a lot. In the end I think there's just too much established thump in the Jays lineup to put the Yankees above them, especially with the huge injuries. I think the Yankees can hold off the other teams with its top 4 in the rotation, Gardner going to leadoff where I think he should be, and Youk / Hafner / Wells coming back and being productive. I put less faith in WAR than most people do but it does strike me that Gardner put up 7 wins a couple of seasons ago, then called his numbers repeatable this spring. The Sox I could put anywhere 1-3, Lester seems hungry to become the new face of the pitching staff, and the lineup is something special. Ellsbury / Pedroia / Ortiz / Napoli / Middlebrooks / Victorino / Gomes / Drew / [Salty / Ross]. I should point out that I expect Victorino to have a solid year (maybe even flirt with .300) but overall I think that lineup jumps out to anyone. Ortiz being out early and Ellsbury coming off injury is the difference maker for me to put them lower but I think they'll find a way at some point through the season.
The Rays have competed on a budget for longer than anyone could've expected them to,
but I think this is the year where they'll wish they had more money in the lineup. I like the Orioles on paper, but this division is borderline Uber. Their run differential didn't match their record last year and I don't put much faith in them repeating it.
AL Wild Cards-
Yankees
Red Sox
It is time for us to be graced with a Yankees / Red Sox one game playoff. I think the Rangers / A's / Royals / Rays will be the other teams sticking in the race the most in September and won't be surprised in particular if the first two get in playing the Astros more.
NL West-
Dodgers
Giants
Diamondbacks
Padres
Rockies
Before reading note I am biased towards the Dodgers. Besides the top 2, I don't think there's much debate. The general opinion everywhere seems to be the Dbacks look decent, the Padres do too but less so and Headley is out for a while, and the Rockies aren't getting anywhere with that pitching staff. I'm as sure that Crawford will be huge for the Dodgers this year as anything in the game, and that the pitching / defense all around is as solid as it gets anywhere. The infield (granted with Sellers's lack of offense to this point) is mostly accepted as elite, and the outfield has a couple gold gloves next to Crawford who will cover ground. Kershaw / Greinke / Bills / Ryu / Beckett I think rivals the Nationals for the best rotation in the game and the bullpen is stacked too IMO (ignoring the 3 extra starters in there). I was excited to see Hanley this year with his WBC play having me think he'd hit more like old Hanley, his thumb injury dampened that down but he could still surprise. I expect Luis Cruz and Juan Uribe to be good surprises, I don't expect All-Star appearances, but Cruz has me thinking he can hit near the level he did late season last year, and since Uribe has been smiling and not looking dead at the plate I expect him to break the Mendoza line.
However, the Giants keep winning. The lineup 1-8 / rotation / bullpen are all solid and blended together through playoffs to the point where I might have predicted them to win if not for being a Dodger fan. I think the Dodgers will need Schumaker / Punto / Uribe / Hairston to be doing things off the bench to take this one. That being said, if Spring Training .517 hitter in almost 30 games Yasiel Puig ends up on the team in any way, there's no contest.
NL Central-
Reds
Brewers
Cards
Pirates
Cubs
The Reds are obviously everyone's favorite, but I think the Brewers are the most underrated team in the game. I don't think the Red's pitching slowing down enough for the Brewers to catch them, but with Gallardo / Lohse at the top and last year's highest scoring offense in the league I think they will put pressure on them. The Cardinals have a nice team, but I think the top 2 teams are on a higher level right now. I don't think the Pirates have the pitching to break their sub .500 streak. The Cubs aren't the Astros but they are the Cubs. Jeff Samardjiza / Anthony Rizzo will be especially interesting to watch though in their 2nd year with their new jobs.
NL East-
Nationals
Braves
Phillies
Mets
Phillies
This is definitely a set of predictions all of you have seen for this division. The Nats are just too all around good to not be 1st, Upton / Upton / Heyward / Freeman core in Atlanta is excellent, Halladay looks like he's passed his years an ace which the Phills would need to keep up, and the Mets / Marlins are in various lower stages of rebuilding. I saw Placido Polanco hitting cleanup in a recent Spring Training game.
NL Wild Cards-
Giants
Braves
This will be fun to watch. I expect the Brewers to be the 3rd team in this race. Outside of those 3 teams and the division winners I think it's a long shot for any other team to make the playoffs.
Gonna bitch out on Award / Playoffs predictions because that's just buying lotto tix.
AL West-
Angels
Rangers
A's
Mariners
Astros
I'm 100% torn on Angels vs Rangers. The difference maker for me is the rotation and I don't think Joe Blanton and Tommy Hanson will crack in the rotation like a lot of people are expecting. As a Dodger fan I know after Blanton got blown up here he will succeed elsewhere and its showing as he has earned the #3 rotation spot (this is especially odd when it means he pitches the opening series in Cincinnati as a flyball pitcher). Hanson looked sharp enough in his spring start last night to convince me that his arm isn't falling off anymore, against his fastball velocity trends of the last few years.
I think the A's are close on paper, and I really like their habit of platooning, but I think the reliance of younger pitchers in the rotation without an established Darvish or Weaver at the top will make it hard for them to keep up. On top of that the Rangers have so many "good problems" in young position prospects who will give them trade and injury replacement flexibility. I think the Mariners can surprise people this year, but not so big of a surprise that they take a playoff spot. Their new offensive parts have been bombing in spring and apparently Jason Bay found his stroke again, but I don't think that'll overcome the all around game a lot of players in the upper 3 have.
AL Central-
Tigers
Royals
White Sox
Indians
Twins
The Tigers are just too good to even think about removing from #1 IMO. I don't mind the Myers-Shields trade on the part of the Royals as much as a lot of people do. I just don't stock in teams going deep into the playoffs without a guy like that at the front of the rotation, I think the whole rotation will be much better and it sends a good message to the strong young core of players they have. If shopping Myers was the only way to get a front man then by all means go for it. I see the argument that Francouer is terrible in RF even compared to Myers as a rookie, but I don't think he will post a negative 2 WAR again (on the same note I think Hosmer will have a better year too). The kool-aid reports say he is taking his spring at bats with a purpose and I'm drinking. It would be really cool if they sent the huge arm to the mound and picked up another RF but that just won't happen :(
With the White Sox I worry that their core lineup guys in Konerko and Dunn are probably going to have regressions this year, on top of Pierzynski being gone. Sale / Peavy isn't a half bad 1-2 punch though. I like the Indians offseason a lot and think they could jump in front of the Royals, but I think the Royals have better chances, the main reason being that I'm not buying into Ubaldo Jimenez having a bounce back year. I will be watching out for Scott Kazmir who has somehow not only come back but earned the #5 rotation spot. I think the Twins pitching makes it clear they don't want to compete, but it could be fun to watch Aaron Hicks in center. The fact that they were willing to trade Span and young Ben Revere to start him this year speaks about their faith in him.
AL East-
Blue Jays
Yankees
Red Sox
Rays
Orioles
If you hadn't noticed by my last predix I am huge on a good rotation and a strong guy at the front. The division was hard enough to form an opinion on but having R.A. Dickey in the mix just makes it harder. Any fan should be excited to see him with a dome available, but CC is earning his contract and gives competition. Going down each teams top 4 doesn't help me seperate because I like both of them a lot. In the end I think there's just too much established thump in the Jays lineup to put the Yankees above them, especially with the huge injuries. I think the Yankees can hold off the other teams with its top 4 in the rotation, Gardner going to leadoff where I think he should be, and Youk / Hafner / Wells coming back and being productive. I put less faith in WAR than most people do but it does strike me that Gardner put up 7 wins a couple of seasons ago, then called his numbers repeatable this spring. The Sox I could put anywhere 1-3, Lester seems hungry to become the new face of the pitching staff, and the lineup is something special. Ellsbury / Pedroia / Ortiz / Napoli / Middlebrooks / Victorino / Gomes / Drew / [Salty / Ross]. I should point out that I expect Victorino to have a solid year (maybe even flirt with .300) but overall I think that lineup jumps out to anyone. Ortiz being out early and Ellsbury coming off injury is the difference maker for me to put them lower but I think they'll find a way at some point through the season.
The Rays have competed on a budget for longer than anyone could've expected them to,
but I think this is the year where they'll wish they had more money in the lineup. I like the Orioles on paper, but this division is borderline Uber. Their run differential didn't match their record last year and I don't put much faith in them repeating it.
AL Wild Cards-
Yankees
Red Sox
It is time for us to be graced with a Yankees / Red Sox one game playoff. I think the Rangers / A's / Royals / Rays will be the other teams sticking in the race the most in September and won't be surprised in particular if the first two get in playing the Astros more.
NL West-
Dodgers
Giants
Diamondbacks
Padres
Rockies
Before reading note I am biased towards the Dodgers. Besides the top 2, I don't think there's much debate. The general opinion everywhere seems to be the Dbacks look decent, the Padres do too but less so and Headley is out for a while, and the Rockies aren't getting anywhere with that pitching staff. I'm as sure that Crawford will be huge for the Dodgers this year as anything in the game, and that the pitching / defense all around is as solid as it gets anywhere. The infield (granted with Sellers's lack of offense to this point) is mostly accepted as elite, and the outfield has a couple gold gloves next to Crawford who will cover ground. Kershaw / Greinke / Bills / Ryu / Beckett I think rivals the Nationals for the best rotation in the game and the bullpen is stacked too IMO (ignoring the 3 extra starters in there). I was excited to see Hanley this year with his WBC play having me think he'd hit more like old Hanley, his thumb injury dampened that down but he could still surprise. I expect Luis Cruz and Juan Uribe to be good surprises, I don't expect All-Star appearances, but Cruz has me thinking he can hit near the level he did late season last year, and since Uribe has been smiling and not looking dead at the plate I expect him to break the Mendoza line.
However, the Giants keep winning. The lineup 1-8 / rotation / bullpen are all solid and blended together through playoffs to the point where I might have predicted them to win if not for being a Dodger fan. I think the Dodgers will need Schumaker / Punto / Uribe / Hairston to be doing things off the bench to take this one. That being said, if Spring Training .517 hitter in almost 30 games Yasiel Puig ends up on the team in any way, there's no contest.
NL Central-
Reds
Brewers
Cards
Pirates
Cubs
The Reds are obviously everyone's favorite, but I think the Brewers are the most underrated team in the game. I don't think the Red's pitching slowing down enough for the Brewers to catch them, but with Gallardo / Lohse at the top and last year's highest scoring offense in the league I think they will put pressure on them. The Cardinals have a nice team, but I think the top 2 teams are on a higher level right now. I don't think the Pirates have the pitching to break their sub .500 streak. The Cubs aren't the Astros but they are the Cubs. Jeff Samardjiza / Anthony Rizzo will be especially interesting to watch though in their 2nd year with their new jobs.
NL East-
Nationals
Braves
Phillies
Mets
Phillies
This is definitely a set of predictions all of you have seen for this division. The Nats are just too all around good to not be 1st, Upton / Upton / Heyward / Freeman core in Atlanta is excellent, Halladay looks like he's passed his years an ace which the Phills would need to keep up, and the Mets / Marlins are in various lower stages of rebuilding. I saw Placido Polanco hitting cleanup in a recent Spring Training game.
NL Wild Cards-
Giants
Braves
This will be fun to watch. I expect the Brewers to be the 3rd team in this race. Outside of those 3 teams and the division winners I think it's a long shot for any other team to make the playoffs.
Gonna bitch out on Award / Playoffs predictions because that's just buying lotto tix.
As a Stallion fan, I'm hurt :x
The Astros have fans?
@TrollFreak - you and I both. Not just as the biggest Darvish and Rangers fan but as a baseball fan too :-(
There's only like six of us. We have little get-togethers where we play Yahtzee and eat Easy Mac.
That's what Yu gets when Yu let's Gonzalez win
whoa, oh, ah oh, oh
(okay that was horrible I'll stop)
Yu could have prevented this.
I know this is sarcasm and all (after all it's two games), but can we please say that the Angels are the most overrated team ever for real? Forget being division rivals, any roster with smug motherfuckers like Weaver, Hamilton and Wilson combined with not having won a division title in years means that for me, they're far and away the most overrated.
PS More like Sergio Santos is a terrible reliever who shouldn't be in the majors amirite
BURN THE HOUSES DOWN, NESTOR MOLINA WOULD'VE GOTTEN THAT OUT.
tbh every team is overrated considering the true talent level of teams maxes out at around 95 (and by that I mean like the late ninety Yankees teams and the 2001 Mariners) and it just depends on how luck goes. but yeah, the Angels lack severe pitching depth, and Weaver receives a lot of generousity with his home park and outfield perfectly suited for him. I think they're overrateed just because hitting bombs is overvalued by the general public, but it's not OUTRAGEOUS (at least I don't think). I can definitely understand your frustration as a Rangers fan :P the Rangers are getting no love even though they haven't really lost anything... dumb media.