Some thoughts as I flip through this weeks Sports Illustrated MLB Preview ’15…
(projections by Rotowire.com)
– Salvador Perez and Greg Holland are on the cover for my regional issue. SI picks the Royals to finish 4th in the AL Central. Says a lot about the state of baseball in Texas.
– SI is choosing Cleveland to win it all. Last time SI did that it was 1997 and the Indians finished last.
– 88 wins was enough for the Giants to win the WS last year. 100 win teams are a thing of the past in this era of competitive balance. In the past decade there were 4 100 win teams. The decade before that there were 17. I think that 90 is our number.
– SI predicts that only 3 AL teams will win more than 90 games. The Tigers sneak in as the 2nd WC winner after finishing 87-75. Doesn’t sound too unreasonable to me. Our window is closing. We gotta get to the end of the season with no holes in the lineup and a bullpen.
– Rick Porcello is slotted as the #2 starter for Boston, and he’s predicted to win 14 games and finish with a 3.68 ERA and 1.23 WHIP. JV has been given the same amount of wins, but a worse ERA and WHIP. Though Porcello has a much better defense behind them, so I’m not ready to say that the computer thinks Porcello is a better pitcher.
– SI has 5 Tigers penciled in for 79+ RBI (Kins, Miggy, VMart, Cespedes, J.D). The scout who spoke about the Tigers says that Miggy’s in his best shape in years. Lots of talk about how bad the bullpen is, with some hope that Rondon can be the savior. Verlander’s K/9 prediction is 8.0. I would be thrilled with that.
– White Sox are picked to finish third in the Division. Everyone really likes Cabrera/LaRoche/Samardzija/Robertson. Man would I have loved to get a guy like Robertson.
– Based on the individual predictions, I don’t really see why the Royals would be any worse this year than last. But SI has them at 78-84.
– Matt Joyce is slotted to bat 4th for the Angels. A modest .753 OPS, but still, 4th.
– The bottom of the AL West is going to be bad. My hometown Rangers and the Astros are going to run a lot of guys out there this year.
– SI doesn’t predict any pitcher in the AL to have more than 15 wins. Price is one of the 15 game winners.
Good write up Kevin. Last year, when I subscribed to SI (the neighbor kid sold me a subscription), they strongly predicted the Tampa Bay Rays to win the WS beating the Dodgers or Nats. Every year SI zigs when common belief zags; its what sells magazines.
Meanwhile I am concerned about Detroit pitching that includes are starters. If we make it to the All Star break and are still in contention all should be ok. If not, I fear only worse. Always a Tiger, OTFiM.
Another starter getting shelled today. And JV looks like he may start the season on the DL.
Same outcome on April Fools Day. Maybe I need to move my forecast up to the end of April for assessing the Tigers 2015 season?
The Tigers have one of the best, if not the best starting lineup in all of baseball. But, can this lineup score enough runs to overcome the pitching issues and Smokey Jr’s managing? Let the games begin!
Miggy, apparently, is in the best physical shape he’s been in since he’s been a Tiger. Not that it’s going to make him better, because he can’t get much better than he’s been. But you’ve seen Concerned Face Miggy who is fighting through various physical issuse. Having Happy-Fun Miggy on the bench could be a huge lift to the team.
The Key guy is Cespedes, who keeps knocking on the door of greatness, only to nap on the doorstep when nobody answers. I think this is the year for him, or this is not the year for the Tigers.
“The Key guy is Cespedes, who keeps knocking on the door of greatness, only to nap on the doorstep when nobody answers”
I have no idea what that means, but I will definitely use it again.
since Cespedes is in his last year before free-agency, let’s hope that ($) motivation propels him to that elusive ‘greatness’…
Only Tiger Fan in Mississippi’s 49th Annual Open Day Schedule
Minnesota Twins vs. Detroit Tigers
Monday, April 6, 2015
0500CDT: Awake
0630CDT: At Work
0710CDT: Coffee Cool-down with Clarke and other misled Red Sox Fans
0800-0830CDT: Manpower Survey Overview
0830-1030CDT: 013B Manpower Survey documentation critique
1100CDT: Depart Work
1115CDT: Brats Cook Up for Clarke and other invited guests
1140CDT: Pre-Game Show, WXYT Radio
1200CDT: National anthem: Legendary Motown group the Four Tops (Ain’t no Country like the one I love!)
1204CDT: First pitch: Metro Detroiter and acclaimed actor J.K. Simmons
1208CDT: Game Time David Price v. Phil Hughes
1530CDT: Tiger Cooldown/Walking the Vicksburg National Military Park
“For behold, the winter is past; the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land.” Song of Solomon 2:14
A Must Watch of Ernie Harwell’s Description of Baseball: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHVsFU4sSho
I am ashamed to say that I learned something from your post…I did not know, somehow, that Mississippi was in the Central time zone!
I’ve got an Opening Day double-header. Triple header, really:
1. Drink coffee, write DTW game day post.
2. Watch game, drink…something else, and wish I’d written a better game day post.
3. Celebrate Tigers victory from Great American Ballpark (going to Reds opener).
Actually, a quadruple-header, now that I think about it:
4. Rush back to watch MSU beat Kentucky to win the NCAA tournament.
re: #4 – might as well dream big, and make it a MSU – Whiskey, Finals matchup… though i strongly suspect neither of them (MSU or UW) will be in the Finals
I was also hoping for a Big 10 championship tilt, but I will take 1 out of 2. I watch Big 10 basketball all season, I know a lot of folks who do not care for the style of play, but I like it. We really wanted Duke to lose since they beat our local heroes( Gonzaga) and I think Coach Izzo is an excellent person on many levels. SO, now it is time to play ball for real, I am going to predict a 89 win season for the boys, and will sneak over to Seattle to see them in July. PLAY BALL!