MLB 2016 Season

[DungeonmasterJim]

As a Boston Red Sox fan, hope is on the horizon. But I don't think the additions of David Price and Kimbrel will be enough this season as the starting pitching was just horrid last year. But it's an encouraging start. Maybe next next year the Red Sox might make the play-off's with more pitching additions but I don't think so this year.

[MRP]

As a Boston Red Sox fan, hope is on the horizon. But I don't think the additions of David Price and Kimbrel will be enough this season as the starting pitching was just horrid last year. But it's an encouraging start. Maybe next next year the Red Sox might make the play-off's with more pitching additions but I don't think so this year.

You've got Price for a solid #1. Buckholtz will be a solid #2 for 1/2 a season (expecting him to stay healthy longer than that is foolish). Eduardo Rodriguez looks like the real deal, and will be entrenched as a #3 starter. Porcello and Kelly looked like they finally figured things out in August and September last year, so both should be better and as a #4 and #5 starter they're fine. And they have 4-5 candidates they could throw in to fill in half season for Buckholtz or if one of the other guys falter. Swihart also has a year's experience behind the plate calling games and handling pitchers, and I think his inexperience had a lot to do with the rotation's faltering last season. Vazquez should be back too and that will help. Plus they now have a deep bullpen-Kimbrel anchors the ninth letting Uehara handle set up duties in the 8th. Either Carson Smith or Tazawa will handle he seventh and the other the 6th, so if they can get 5-6 innings out of the starters they're in good position. They added 3 quality arms with Price, Kimbrel and Smith-plus a lefty with potential in the deal that brought Smith, and that allows a lot of guys who were pitching over their head to move into positions better suited to them both in the rotation and the pen. Dombrowski didn't just add an arm or two, he allowed that staff to transform itself into one much more suited to handle the rigors of a 162 game season. They will also have one of the best defensive outfields in the league behind them, all with strong arms which will make it harder for teams to take extra bases and get runners in scoring position. Infield defense outside of Pedey and Boegarts will still be a huge question though. Panda should be better, but I'd be much more comfortable if Travis Shaw were playing first every day rather than Hanley.

Also, no one in the AL East has a blow you away rotation-Orioles are 5 mediocre pitchers, Yanks have potential to be a really good rotation or to set a ML record for games lost on the DL with their rotation and they don't have a lot of depth behind their starters if they do. Tampa has some good arms but they lack experience and depth. The Jays had the best rotation, but the piece they acquired last season that allowed them all to slot where they should be and transformed the rotation midseason, i.e. David Price, is now with Boston and his departure forces everyone on the Jays staff to slot up one spot, which will hurt them long haul. The Jays were not impressive in the first half last season, they struggled without Price allowing them to reset their staff, and now Price is gone and they didn't get a big arm to replace him.

I think the Jays will still be a playoff team, but more for their line up than their staff. The AL East is wide open, and if I were betting I'd say 2 teams come out of the East this year for the playoffs. I think it will be the Jays and the Sox. Not just because of what Dombrowski did, but because of what the other teams in the east didn't do in the off-season. A lot will depend on how strong the Central and West turn out to be and if the East can garner a wild card berth.

But at least the AL will be interesting this year with every team at least competitive, unlike the NL which has 8 competitive teams for 5 playoff spots-which is a complete joke.

-M

[Joker]

This is ground breaking, Mets pitcher Jenrry Mejia has been lifetime banned from Baseball after being caught a third time on PEDs.

3 strikes! Glad MLB is taking serious action against PED use. First full ban!!!

[WestPhillyPunisher]

3 strikes! Glad MLB is taking serious action against PED use. First full ban!!!

But, will that put the fear of god in the hearts of other cheaters? Probably not.

Meanwhile, yesterday was "Truck Day" for my Phillies as the semi loaded with equipment left Citizens Bank Park for Clearwater, Florida. WHOOOOO! A sure sign that spring, and baseball is on the way!

[DungeonmasterJim]

MPR - A pretty decent run down of the team. As you said, Price should be solid. But I'm already nervous with Buckholz as the #2. As you said, he's so fragile. I've always felt he's been to unpredictable to be reliable. That would make relying on E-Rod as the #2. I like E-Rod but that would seem to be a lot of pressure especially in Boston. Porcello, I believe, had the highest ERA of any starter in the league. I didn't think he was a good signing and last season just confirmed it. I've always liked Joe Kelly but he is too much like Buckholz - full of potential but never living up to it with any real consistency. Wade Miley of all people seemed to be the most consistent starter on the team and I don't think anybody is going to rave over Wade Miley to save a team.
The bullpen help should better than I'm probably giving credit for. Tazawa and Ueharra are getting old. Myabe Kimbrel and Carson can take enough heat off them to make the end of the bullpen pretty solid.
I hope it will be a good if not great season but we'll see. We all know it's a long season and who knows what will happen.

[Joker]

Pitchers and Catchers reporting today for several teams, with the rest reporting over the next few days!

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Pitchers and Catchers reporting today for several teams, with the rest reporting over the next few days!

P's and C's for my Phillies reported down in Clearwater today. Even though this is shaping up as another 90 plus loss season, I'm jazzed for the return of baseball!

[Joker]

It's hard not to get a little excited about baseball's return, even if you don't have much to look forward to. I know the feeling.

Still just hoping for a wild card spot for the Mariners. Really, beyond that, I'm just hoping this line up gels as a team, better than last year.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

It's hard not to get a little excited about baseball's return, even if you don't have much to look forward to. I know the feeling.

Still just hoping for a wild card spot for the Mariners. Really, beyond that, I'm just hoping this line up gels as a team, better than last year.

Wild Card? Hell, I'd be elated if my Phillies reach the rarified air of .500 this season.

[Joker]

Yes, ending at least at .500 would be great. A winning record, wild card, those things are possible this year, so I hope they pull it off.

You got a hard road ahead of you, but baseball is a weird game, so you never know what'll happen!

[MRP]

Wild Card? Hell, I'd be elated if my Phillies reach the rarified air of .500 this season.

Well with the Reds, Braves, Rockies, Brewers, and other teams all trying to tank the season in rebuilding mode, some teams might find a few more wins than they expected (or wanted) at the expense of teams trying to get into a better draft pick. Someone has to win those games between terrible teams.

-M

[Joker]

M's pitchers and catchers reported today. A few have been down there early, and a few position players showed up early today for physicals.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

From Clearwater (spring training home of my Phillies): Pitcher Jerad Eickhoff, expected to be part of the rotation in 2016 broke his thumb during a bunting drill yesterday, but manager Pete McKannin said Eickhoff should be ready for Opening Day. At the risk of sounding like a whiner, this is just one more reason for the DH to be brought to the National League.

[DungeonmasterJim]

Here's a shocker, Pablo Sandoval showed up to the Boston Red Sox spring training overweight.

Also, former Boston player now sports talk media personality Lou Merloni is in Florida to cover the Boston Red Sox spring training. He reported that Hanley Rameirez did not take any extra training to learn how to play first base on the first day of training.

The implications in editorials are that both players who each have $88+ million in guaranteed contract money have no incentive to improve or maybe even try to improve their game abilities.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Here's a shocker, Pablo Sandoval showed up to the Boston Red Sox spring training overweight.

Also, former Boston player now sports talk media personality Lou Merloni is in Florida to cover the Boston Red Sox spring training. He reported that Hanley Rameirez did not take any extra training to learn how to play first base on the first day of training.

The implications in editorials are that both players who each have $88+ million in guaranteed contract money have no incentive to improve or maybe even try to improve their game abilities.

There's a reason Sandoval was nicknamed "Kung Fu Panda", because he's shaped like one. The only six-pack he'll ever have is the one under his arm from a beer distributor. As for Ramirez, I've heard talk that he's always been something of a douchebag. If those guys are already slacking with those hefty contracts, the Red Sox could be in for a spot of bother.