Opening Day, few things are so important in sports. Huge hype for the first of 162 games of an incredibly long 6-month season. Immense pressure for starting pitchers that rivals late September playoff run only to be immediately followed by a game that means next to nothing in the big picture of a .60th of a percent of the season. But that is the beauty of baseball, the season is made up of tiny almost insignificant numbers that mean very little alone, similar to one hit, one strikeout or one blown call but when to compound them day after day, month after month they make or break a team.
Today, saw the first use of instant replay by the Cubs that was upheld and the first overturned call by the Brewers.
Grady SIzemore went 2 for 4 with a home run the Red Sox in his first game in 2 years. Always a great player with the Cleveland Indians it is nice to see him play at this level after being plagued by numerous injuries.
Johnny Cueto spent all last year up and down with injury problems, today pitched brilliantly striking out 8 against the NL-Champ Cards.
And speaking of birds:
Nelson Cruz of the Orioles hit a homerun
Kolten Wong of the Cards went 1-3
Jose Reyes left the Jays game with injury
Billy Hamilton started the season 0-4 with 4 strikeouts in a still close 1-0 game in the 9th.
MVP Andrew McCutchen was mortal at only 1-3 in a 10th inning nail-biter.
Stephen Strasburg was knocked around (6 ER) but Anthony Rendon and Adam LaRoche saved his hide. With Rendon hitting a 10th inning 3-run shot.
The Phillies and Rangers pitchers missed the bus and the hitters hit off the tee for the game scoring 24 combined runs. Ryan Sanberg and Jimmy Rollins have no problems right now after a grand slam… but that greatly overshadowed a 1-6 night, ouch. Only one player did not safely get on base, Mitch Moreland, who felt left out and might have faked an injury in the 9th out of shame.
Jose Abreu is hitting .500 with a double after his first pro game with the ChiSox. You have to root for this kid, he comes to America and chooses to play for one of the worst records in baseball. That is love of the game. (I hope this club contends because of this kid some day.)
And another Sox was not too shabby, Chris Sale went 7 innings striking out 8.
Still to play tonight are Mike Trout and Jose Fernandez two of baseballs best players and both players were in diapers when Derek Jeter won his first World Series.
I never thought I would utter these words: Off to watch the Marlins and Rockies.
When I started writing this preview this weekend the division standings looked a lot different. But with the injuries to the Braves pitching staff I’ve had to make adjustments. While Brandon Beechy’s issue is not as dire as Kris Medlin; the problems may be a serious indicator his arm injuries persist and he will miss another season to injury. Even if Beechy can make it to Opening Day it seems only a mater of time before that elbow pops again. Very unfortunate Beechy keeps having these issues, it could put his career on the same path as Mark Prior.
The Nats need to reconsider Werth’s contract. The poor guy can’t even afford a hair cut.
Washington Nationals – Washington has added some good pieces to their roster over the past few months. Nate McLouth coming from Baltimore will now see pitchers from a much more hitter friendly division with more games against the Mets and Phillies and less against the Sox, Yankees and Rays. He could actually win a spot in the outfield or maybe a move to first if Adam LaRorche or Denard Span struggles. After McLouth the Nationals thought their roster was beginning wo mesh and stood pat following a far bellow expected 86-win season.
Jayson Werth and Bryce Harper anchor one of the best hitting corner outfield duos in the NL. The pair will easily hit +.300, 250 RBIs and 60 HRs. Don’t be surprised to see either in the final MVP voting. Harper gets the better press and more recognition for his stats, but look blindly at their stats and just see how good they both are:
A. 118GM .318BA 25HR 82 RBI .398OBP 10SB 101SO
B. 129GM .274BA 20HR 58RBI .368OBP 11SB 94 SO
Both players missed a good amount of time recovering from injury and production suffered slightly. But for the record, Werth is ‘PLAYER A’ and had the edge in every category with the exception of SB per game.
The infield is solid offensively with Anthony Rendon now everyday second baseman after a solid rookie season that was overshadowed by several awesome rookie campaigns across the league. His numbers should continue to improve. Ian Desmond is quietly becoming one of the best hitting shortstops in all of baseball after his last two seasons.
Hard hitting Ryan Zimmerman will add to an already increasing home run tally and this team could be a dark horse for one of the top long ball teams in the league in 2014.
Adding Doug Fister to the rotation gives the National solid depth and a much more competitive 1-2-3 with Stephen Strasburg and Gio Gonzalez.
2014 is a turning point for Strasburg where he will either earn the tag of potential or emerging ace. After rising to the majors as the top pitching prospect Strasburg struggled with injury only to shine in his first full season which was unfortunately followed up by a dud 8-9 in 2014. With this lineup Strasburg will be expected by fans and probably his organization to throw a gem season or he may begin to draw comparisons to the likes of Dontrelle Willis, Rick Ankiel, or Daisuke Matsuzaka.
This season is a must win for the Nationals who are boasting huge stars with little return. Confidence they could build from extra wins due to Atlanta’s injuries could turn the Nationals into the team to beat in the NL East for some seasons to come.
Miami Marlins – Miami’s offense will grow this year with the addition of Rafael Furcal and Jarrod Saltalamacchia both veterans from winning teams who can help mold the mass of young talent that is growing in South Florida.
Giancarlo Stanton is Miami’s biggest threat. Healthy and with the pressure of him being the senior bat at only 4 seasons off his shoulders he will now relax and find the stroke that seen him hit just below .300 with 37 homers in 2012. With a more consistent lineup there should be some protection for Stanton’s bat to see some more pitches.
Marcell Ozuna and Christian Yelich round out the outfield, both fresh off decent rookie seasons can now look to the new vets for patience at the plate. Neither can hit much for power, but if they can develop into good base hitters there is enough talent on this team to create some traditional runs.
Adding Garrett Jones at first from the Pirates could prove to be worthwhile if he finds the power he had in seasons passed where he hit 20+ home runs in three of four full seasons with the Bucs.
Adeiny Hechavarria has yet to find his major league swing, but the reason he is the Opening Day starter as a .227 hitter is his speed and amazing range at shortstop. Think Omar Vizquel.
Salty’s biggest impact will be giving the young pitching staff a catcher who can call a game and can take control and develop the young staff into the rotation he held down in Boston for several seasons. Baseball’s best young arm sits in Miami barely able to legally drink with his teammates.
Don’t expect to see a sophomore slump from Jose Fernandez, expect him to go from winning the Rookie of the Year award to contending for the Cy Young for the next 10 years. At 6’2 his delivery uses the full extension of his long legs putting him at the end of the mound delivering a devastating fastball that barely develops as it approaches the batter making it so hard to chase.
Steve Cishek has blossomed into a consistent closer able to convert 34 of Miami’s 62 wins into saves (2 blown saves). Tossing 74Ks in only 69 innings indicates that if Miami can get into the 9th he offers them a fighting chance to take down any lineup.
Atlanta Braves – Losing Kris Medlen is one of those injuries you just can’t replace. After breaking out as a first year starter in 2012 and going 10-1, Medlen kept rolling in 2013 with 15-wins and 157 strikeouts. Just one full season is all it took to declare Medlen the next ace in a legendary run of pitchers in Atlanta; now at 28-years old he is looking at his second Tommy John surgery.
The future of Braves pitching is in this man’s hands.
With all these pitching problems the one guy the Brave’s can count on is future ace of the staff Julio Teheran who in his first full year was 15-9 with 184Ks. The only reason he is not the ace is likely his age, at 23 he is the future of Braves pitching. Unfortunate, the Braves can only put him in the game once every 5 outings. Be sure to pencil most of these outings as wins. Along with fellow NL East’er, Jose Fernandez they are not only the newest pitchers, but the best pitchers in this division, Top 10 in baseball in 2014.
Bringing in Ervin Santana is not a savior for this staff, he is a temporary band-aid and someone who likely could not have made this rotation if not for 1 injured pitcher and another that shows caution to be worried about his longevity over the long season.
Jason Heyward is looking to rebound and should for that matter. The Braves don’t make foolish moves, so if signing him for 2 years doesn’t make you think they are sending him a message, they are. At 24 Heyward is one of the best young outfielders in the league. But he needs more discipline and patience to grow into a great veteran. If the Braves could find an aging bat to bring on board and coach Heyward he would surely be one of the top go to right fielders in free agency in 2016.
The two Uptons experiment needs to stop, showing loyalty to keep BJ to make Justin happy is hurting the team. BJ hit a measly .184 last year and this is not a bench player, this is their starting center fielder. Hitting above .270 just once in 9 seasons and sporting a .248 lifetime average is enough to relegate most players to the minors. Bringing in both brothers in 2013 had to have been a condition of Justin signing a contract with the Braves, there is no other explanation. Justin’s 27 home runs in 2013 was the second highest of his career, and with such weak pitching in the bottom of the NL East he could beat his career best 31HR and 88RBI in 2011.
The infield will live and die by Andrelton Simmons. The young phenom came into Atlanta and just took over short. His ability to play the field far outweighs his hitting and his hitting is fairly solid, but Simmons could breakout as the best defensive shortstop this season.
Fresh off a huge contract Freddie Freeman will look to hit better than he drives in the snow [HERE]. Freeman will not disappoint fans, averaging 23 HR and nearly 100 in his 3 full seasons, Freeman is the real deal.
Along with Heyward, Justin, and Chris Johnson the middle of the Braves line up should really terrorize some pitching staffs. Evan Gattis had a great thing going while Brain McCain was injured, good enough that he continued to platoon with the all-star when he returned. Gattis’s hitting should continue to improve, but is a young catcher able to manage the turmoil that will weigh on the staff this year. Gattis may be the most important Brave this year. The Braves have the ability to manage their own destiny, don’t be too surprised to see them pull a fast one and find a way to win the NL East, they always do.
Philadelphia Phillies – I really struggled with who to put in last place in the East and actually had the Phillies as my last place team in the working copy. My decision to move Philly up was solely due to their pitching staff. Cole Hamels, Cliff Lee, AJ Burnett and Kyle Kendrick are all better pitchers than any Mets starter.
After Dominic Brown the Phills offense is pretty scary. There are some very recognizable names in Ryan Howard,Jimmy Rollins, Marlon Byrd and Chase Utley but all those guys are all on the wrong side of 35. The Philadelphia offense is aging and their only OBP threat is Ben Revere who is a line drive singles hitter, unfortunately he will be left on base many times in 2014.
The official New Era cap of the New York Mets
New York Mets – A 40-year old is the best pitcher the Mets have, a 40-year old. Let that sink in. Sure a he had two decent years in Oakland but he was on a great pitching staff and expectations were low and he pitch a lot of games against Houston and Seattle last year. The Nationals, Braves and even the Marlins will light up the old man. This will not be a good year for the Mets fans. Curtis Granderson hopped on a bus and mover from the Bronx to Queens, he should have kept moving. Many teams could have used his bat and several teams have the depth protection if he is injured again. Granderson will hit 40 home runs easily once again, but don’t expect much of an RBI total as no one but David Wright can regularly get on base in front of him. Get those paper bags ready.
Giancarlo Stanton is Miami’s biggest threat. Healthy and with the pressure of him being the senior bat at only 4 seasons off his shoulders he will now relax and find the stroke that seen him hit just below .300 with 37 homers in 2012. With a more consistent lineup there should be some protection for Stanton’s bat to see some more pitches.
Destination: OCTOBER 