Can the Snakes Take a Bite Out of the Dodgers in the NL West?

Can the Snakes Take a Bite Out of the Dodgers in the NL West?

 

Every prognosticator will make one bold prediction when forecasting the season whether it has to do with a player or a team. Well, here is mine for the 2014 season. The Arizona Diamondbacks will win the NL West and very well could go on to represent the National League in the Fall Classic. At this point those of you reading this may think I’m crazy and that’s fine. If the D-Backs finish terribly I won’t hide from the prediction. This is a deep team with a great mix of veterans and young talent and they are being led by a manager who knows what it takes to win.

The Diamondbacks two big offseason moves came in both a trade and a free agent signing. The trade brought Mark Trumbo to the desert, one of the best and youngest pure power hitters in the game. He will be playing left field with perennial MVP candidate Paul Goldscmidt entrenched at first base. His defense in left field will improve but certainly does not grade out to be a strong suit. The DBacks are perfectly fine with this as they have A.J. Pollock in center, a guy who can definitely cover ground and will even be able to shade towards left with Gerardo Parra in right field and arguably the best defensive outfielder in all of baseball. The Diamondbacks want one thing from Trumbo and that is to mash home runs. Paired up with Goldschmidt they form a potent combination I like to call the New Age Bash Brothers.

Also calling Arizona his new home is Addison Reed. Reed will slide right into the closer’s position and shore up the back end of a bullpen that certainly needed some shoring up. He allows everyone else to move up into a spot where they are more comfortable. Joining Reed on the pitching side of things is innings eater and tremendously underrated Bronson Arroyo. Arroyo has done nothing but rank first in the National League in starts, wins, and innings pitched since 2006 and has pitched at least 199 innings in 9 consecutive seasons. He joins Patrick Corbin and Wade Miley to shore up a starting rotation that measures out well in the division. Phenom and top prospect Archie Bradley will be joining them at some point, whether it is to start the season or later on to hold off his arbitration clock from starting too early. Bradley has looked tremendous and will push an already good rotation over the top. He will not have to be the man or the saving grace so there will be no pressure on him. He can go out and pitch with no worries.

In addition to everything that has already been stated the Diamondbacks also have solid veterans such as Miguel Montero, Eric Chavez, Cody Ross, and Martin Prado (possibly one of the best all-around players in the game) to help coach up and develop their young players like Pollock and shortstop combination Chris Owings and Didi Gregorius. Gregorius is the front runner to win the position according to General Manager Kevin Towers, due in part to his superior glove on the defensive end of things. The DBacks also have shortstop prospect Nick Ahmed rising quickly through the ranks. Shortstop is a premium position and having a surplus of talent is not the worst thing in the world. The DBacks could use that trade chip and ship one of these guys off and get back some bullpen help or a backup catcher who can help ease the load of Montero behind the plate.

Summers in Arizona are guaranteed to bring the heat and this Diamondbacks team will kick things up a few degrees in the desert. The already built in rivalry with the Dodgers made those games must watch, but now with this team breathing down their necks and ready to overtake them the season opening set in the Land Down Under cannot get here fast enough.

 We will be back tomorrow with a look at the bright future in Houston. Be sure to follow us on Twitter @changingspeeds for all our coverage of the national pastime.

The South Side Slugger and the Kids of the White Sox

The South Side Slugger and the Kids of the White Sox

 

The Chicago White Sox in my opinion are the most unpredictable team in baseball coming into the 2014 season. They have a very young core with very little experience, which of course is a negative, but if these guys prove to be the players the team thinks they are and can meet or even surpass expectation, this could very well be a wild card team.

Chris Sale is the ace of the staff and one of the top pitchers in the game, and not just from the left side. Behind him in the rotation are certainly not guys who will strike fear into opposing hitters but are serviceable pitchers who can get the job done. The Sox traded for Adam Eaton to be their starting centerfielder and leadoff man and Matt Davidson to man the hot corner. Playing right field will be Avisail Garcia, or as he is most affectionately known, Mini Miggy, for his similar look and build to Miguel Cabrera. The White Sox could only hope and pray for the same type of production.

The biggest question mark and unknown this season for the White Sox is their new first baseman, Cuban defector Jose Abreu. Reading up on expectations for Abreu there are some who say this guy could very well lead the American League in home runs. His raw power and slugging are arguably unmatched in the game and he could burst onto the scene just like fellow Cuban Yasiel Puig. No matter how he performs offensively Abreu is a clear defensive upgrade over an aging Paul Konerko and the corpse of Adam Dunn.

I personally see Abreu finishing somewhere in the .255-.265/23-26HR/84-90RBI range for his first season. Getting acclimated to Major League pitching, the 162 game schedule, and the travel that comes with being a big leaguer will drag his numbers down some. I definitely see him drawing his fair share of walks with his patient approach and pitchers unwillingness to give him anything to hit especially with men on.

I don’t see this being the year for the White Sox as far as making the playoffs is concerned but they will definitely be a fun team to watch develop. They need one more top of the rotation pitcher to pair with Sale and need their young core to keep maturing and progressing. The Windy City is certainly blowing in some change on both the South Side and the North Side (that’s a matter for another day) and it is an exciting time for baseball in Chicago.

We will be back tomorrow with a look at the Arizona Diamondbacks and if they’ve done enough to compete with the Dodgers in the NL West. Be sure to follow us on Twitter @changingspeeds for all our coverage of the national pastime.

All Eyes on Ryan Braun

All Eyes on Ryan Braun

 

Opening Day 2014 will mark the first time since last July that Ryan Braun’s name will appear on a Brewers lineup card. Braun will face a tremendous amount of scrutiny and pressure this season, (well deserved by the way, as he brought all of this on himself) and many are wondering not only how he will react but what type of player will we see. There’s no question Braun is talented and has the ability to be the player he was before, even if those stats and numbers were somewhat inflated by PEDs. He can return to being a premiere player in this league but his road to redemption will surely be a tough task. Before getting into what to expect from Braun statistically we will first look at what he needs to do to repair his image.

Since the first day of news breaking about Braun failing a test this whole saga has been a complete and utter fiasco. From Braun’s outright denial to his lawsuit and overturned suspension to his lies about why his name appeared in books belonging to Anthony Bosch about payments, the circus was in town and Braun was the clown entertaining the masses. Braun would eventually admit to making mistakes and not being perfect, however, there was no true admission of guilt, just an apology and acceptance of his punishment which would turn out to be the remainder of the regular season. Friends, teammates, and the Brewers front office felt slighted and lied to as they stood by Braun and pledged his innocence throughout the whole process. This was no ordinary player caught in a cheating scandal. This was one of the top 3-5 players in the game and an MVP Award Winner. Braun’s actions brought unwanted attention on both him and the game. By not accepting blame from the beginning and getting out in front of the mess, Braun ruined his name in the sport. Guys like Andy Pettitte and Jason Giambi do not walk around with the stigma and scarlet letter of cheaters because they came clean and admitted doing so. We as a public are very understanding and forgiving when it comes to the truth. Be open and honest about it and all is forgiven. Lie about it left and right only to admit guilt later, or even worse, keep defending your innocence (Hello A-Rod and Bonds) and forget it, you’re done as far as the public is concerned.

Braun will face a hard time in his own clubhouse; never mind what he will go through on the road with opposing fans and players. He will say he’s strong enough to handle it and will zone out negativity but we all know that’s a lie. He will hear every boo and every insult and it will make him press to prove people wrong. In addition to that, this Brewers team is not nearly as strong as previous clubs they’ve fielded so Braun’s numbers will take a dip from that also. With a weaker offense around him, mediocre pitching, and competition from St. Louis, Cincinnati, and Pittsburgh, this will be a lost season for Braun and the Brew Crew.

This summer in Milwaukee they will be witness to a soap opera and a swarm of media thanks to the black cloud hanging over them. The fans just need to hope that cloud is passing through and not a sign of the heavens opening to unleash a downpour on the city and the rest of the team.

 

We will be back tomorrow with a look at Jose Abreu and the impact he can have on the White Sox. Be sure to follow us on Twitter @changingspeeds for all our coverage of the national pastime.

Oh Captain! My Captain! Reflections of a Hero

Oh Captain! My Captain! Reflections of a Hero

 

We all know the story of Neverland and its famous residents. Peter Pan, Tinkerbell, and the Lost Boys all call it home, and today I wish I did as well. If I lived in Neverland I would never have to grow up. My childhood would be an endless loop of current memories playing out over and over again in real time.  What exactly does Neverland have to do with baseball you ask? Let me explain.

Today, February 12, 2014, is a day I saw coming but never wanted to reach its destination. Today was the day that Derek Jeter announced he would be ending his career after this season. I have been a lifelong Yankee fan, and Derek Jeter became a part of my life at the age of 10. When you’re 10 years old you don’t have a care in the world. Adulthood is so many exits away on the highway it doesn’t matter how long the drive is. Take it slow, take it all in, and most importantly, cling to adolescence as hard as you can for as long as you can. I’m almost 29 now and adulthood is front and center sucking the life out of me one day at a time. Gone are the days of Little League and Power Rangers. So too are the days of playing outside until the street lights came on. Everything I loved at age 10 was now an afterthought; everything except for Derek Jeter.

Yankee fans have some practice with having to let go of childhood idols. Last season it was Mariano Rivera who bid us farewell, but this season it’s different. It’s Derek. Maybe it was getting to see him play for 9 innings every day that made him stand out more in relation to Mo. Either way, this one is going to hurt more. The last remaining piece of childhood those my age had left will be no more.  The fight with adulthood was pretty even, with just the slightest advantage to the opposition. However, adulthood has now tired us out and is ready to deliver the knockout punch.

This is where Neverland comes in. If I could live there the end wouldn’t be near. I could continuously live out opposite field base hits, jump throws, The Flip, and The Dive. I would never grow old and neither would Derek Jeter.

The sad part is, just like every other place we wish we could be, or every other path we wish we could have taken in life, its wishful thinking. We grow up, players grow old, times change, it’s inevitable and there’s no stopping it.  

I could go on and on about the stats, the championships, and the class, but we all know full well about that. This isn’t about that. This is about a hero going out on his own terms and taking a piece of all of us with him.

“Never say goodbye because goodbye means going away and going away means forgetting.” This quote from Peter Pan is as good of a way to wrap things up as any. We will not be saying goodbye Derek because we refuse to let you go away or be forgotten. You may not be on the field again starting a baseball game after September 28^th, but you will forever be starting in our hearts and in our minds. “Heroes get remembered, but legends never die.”

 

 

The More Things Change the More They Stay the Same

The More Things Change the More They Stay the Same

 

The old saying goes, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Logic would then tell us that if it is broke, fix it. The sad thing is though, when it comes to the Baseball Hall of Fame, logic left town a long time ago and has yet to resurface. No matter the results of today’s Hall of Fame vote, deserving candidates will  be left out in the cold, and those in the camp of believers that PED users deserve inclusion will be up in arms. There’s no pleasing everyone and there is no happy medium but the point still stands. The Baseball Hall of Fame voting process is broken and no one is allowed to fix it.

Before discussing this year’s inductees and omissions I want to first talk about PEDs. Anyone who has admitted to using PEDs and anyone being followed around by a cloud of suspicion will never get inducted because the Baseball Writers and fans as well have become the morality police. Stop and Frisk is a big problem here in New York City, but in Cooperstown and all across America, Stop and Judge is far worse. Now don’t get me wrong, I am certainly not condoning players usage of PEDs and steroids, but I would like to know why it’s ok to live in a world where these players stories are not a part of the baseball narrative. They cannot be treated as nonexistent, non-contributing entities.

If not for Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa in 1998 who knows what the state of baseball would be now. The strike of 1994 put baseball in the cellar as far as popularity and attendance. McGwire and Sosa brought fans and excitement back to America’s Game. Yes, we now know they cheated, but the debt of gratitude they deserve for helping rescue baseball cannot go unrecognized. Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens get shunned and blackballed for being cheaters even though A) they were Hall of Fame worthy players before picking fruit from the poisonous tree and B) Gaylord Perry gets inducted and celebrated even though he doctored more balls than an urologist. Cocaine was a huge problem in baseball at one time but the players from the coke era could do no wrong when it comes to the “old school thinkers.”So doctoring balls and narcotics are good, but needles are bad.

In television and movies we love the heroes who bend the rules and do whatever it takes to get the job done but on the baseball diamond everyone must be an altar boy who grows up to be a priest, who then performs miracles and ends up being canonized. Baseball may well be America’s pastime, but let’s stop putting it on a pedestal as the be all and end all in judgment.

I’m not even sure there’s reason enough to go into what it will take to fix the process because not only am I not that smart, but even if someone were to come up with a fantastic idea that would be beneficial to all, the curmudgeons will attack in full force because, NO CHANGE!!!!

No matter the player and no matter the road they took to get to the final destination, if they are Hall of Fame worthy they deserve to be in one way or another. Now onto the Class of 2014. Three excellent candidates will gain enshrinement and any arguments for other players, no matter how deserving, should diminish their moment and their glory. Congratulations to Tom Glavine, Frank Thomas, and the greatest right handed pitcher of my lifetime, Greg Maddux. You have entered Heaven without a stay in purgatory and are now Gods walking amongst us mere mortals.

Tribute to a Legend

Tribute to a Legend

 

“If a man can bridge the gap between life and death, if he can live on after he’s dead, then maybe he was a great man.”

 James Dean was the author of that quote, and not only is it a fitting quote to describe his life since his passing, but exemplifies the life of the one and only Jerry Coleman. The average baseball fan may not know who Jerry Coleman was, but to hardcore fans and people who love the game like no other, Jerry Coleman was the standard.

Coleman’s career was postponed at the start when World War II duty called, and later put his career on hold to serve in the Korean War. He is the only player to ever fly combat missions during two wars. He won numerous medals for his service time and achievements accomplished during. Besides being a great baseball player, he was a great American.

When he was playing baseball and not serving his country, Coleman was named the Rookie of the Year in 1949, and followed that campaign up with an All-Star selection in 1950, as well as the Babe Ruth Award, for the Most Valuable Player in the World Series. Coleman would win 4 World Series championships, all with the Yankees, with whom he spent his entire playing career.

Coleman never considered a career in broadcasting once his playing days were over, but a meeting with the great Howard Cosell changed all that. The man who never really thought about broadcasting would go on to win the Ford C. Fricke Award in 2005, given annually by the Baseball Hall of Fame to a broadcaster for major contributions to the game.

 

Jerry Coleman Accomplishments

1949 Rookie of the Year

1950 All-Star and World Series MVP

2005 Ford C. Fricke Award Winner

2007 National Radio Hall of Fame Inductee

2011 International Aerospace Hall of Fame Inductee

2012-Statue erected outside of Petco Park

Recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross

Recipient of the Air Medal

Recipient of the American Campaign Medal

Recipient of the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal

Recipient of the World War II Victory Medal

Recipient of the National Defense Service Medal

Recipient of the Korean Service Medal

Recipient of the United Nations Service Medal

Recipient of the Philippine Liberation Medal

 

When I look at a career, and more importantly a life that fulfilling I can’t help but feel a great loss and a terrible sadness for his family. Even though I didn’t personally know Mr. Coleman, hearing his voice calling games, and hearing the kind anecdotes of every person who did know him, I felt as if I did. The baseball world and the United States of America lost a great man. Rest in Peace Mr. Coleman. You lived a life that most of us could only dream of, and one that makes us say, “Oh doctor! You can hang a star on that baby.”

The Time Has Come

The Time Has Come

Countless innings, at bats, injuries and storylines have finally brought us to where we want to be. The final two teams left standing battling it out in the Fall Classic. Tonight in Boston the World Series begins, pitting two of the most well-known and traditionally rich franchises in baseball history. The Boston Red Sox and the St. Louis Cardinals will battle it out under the lights for the right to be called the best.

This matchup could not embody an old school versus new school dynamic any better. The Cardinals attack the game with an old school ferocity, with a business like demeanor and a traditional throwback approach unlike many others today. Then in the other dugout sits the Red Sox, with their Dirty Water, Idiot 2.0 vibe and facial hair that would help them fit right in at Hipster Heaven. Despite the different dynamics, these two teams couldn’t be any more evenly matched. Great pitching, including a lights out bullpen, timely hitting, and managers that have a tremendous feel for their team and push all the right buttons.

I give the Cardinals a slight edge in the series because Wainwright and Wacha are far superior to any pitcher that Boston will throw out there. These men are on a roll, riding a wave of momentum and a hot streak that should help carry this team to victory. Additionally, Allen Craig’s return will deepen an already strong lineup, and give the Cardinals that spark they need to return to regular season form when it comes to hitting with runners in scoring position. I personally am looking forward to seeing the battle of clutch play out in the form of Carlos Beltran and David Ortiz. No longer having to face Adam Wainwright, Beltran continuously comes through in the clutch when the lights are brightest, and Papi Ortiz, well he's no slouch either.

No matter the outcome of the series it will certainly be one to remember. These teams will throw everything they have at each other and respond accordingly. Body shots and jabs will land with regularity, but let’s see who delivers the official knockout blow and stands victorious. My money is on the Cardinals.