bama45
03-14-2002, 11:23 PM
1.-NEW YORK YANKEES-With the acquisition of Jason Giambi the team has all the power it needs on offense. Robin Ventura is a good choice for third base until Drew Henson is ready. Henson is large at 6-5 220. I'm interested to see how first baseman Nick Johnson does this year. 2001 Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens will head up the pitching staff along with Andy Pettitte, Sterling Hitchcock and Mike Mussina. Don't bet against this team unless they have a lot of injuries.
2.-NEW YORK METS-The Mets did some major improvements during the off-season. Second baseman Roberto Alomar acquired from Cleveland could be the best second baseman in all of baseball. Big Mo Vaughan at first base could hit 30 to 40 homeruns if he remains healthy. Roger Cedeno who was acquired from Detroit adds speed to the team immediately. Mets also acquired outfielder Jeromy Burnitz from Milwaukee. Pitcher Al Leiter needs to step up and be the ace of this team, and newly acquired Shawn Estes could win 15 to 18 games with some run support.
3.-ST. LOUIS CARDINALS-This team could very well end up in the World Series this year. Slugger Mark McGwire is retired, but ex-Yankee Tino Martinez brings new leadership and a good bat. 2001 Rookie of the Year Albert Pujols returns and he should be as good as last season. Jim Edmonds and J.D. Drew will take care of the outfield and provide plenty of offense. Pitcher Rick Ankiel really needs to get his control under control and stay healthy. Pitcher Darryl Kile and Matt Morris both could win 20 games this season. Morris went 22-8 with an ERA of 3.16 in 2001. 22 year old lefty Bud Smith tossed a no-hitter last year and could very well repeat that again. Got to like the Cardinals acquiring closer Jason Isringhausen from Oakland. He had 34 saves in 2001. Pitcher Woody Williams who came over from San Diego last season pitched very effectively for the Cardinals going 7-1 with an ERA of 2.28. I really think St. Louis will win the NL pennant this year.
4.-ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS-Defending World Champs need another good season from starting pitcher Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling. Both are aging quickly. Can they repeat? Barring any major injuries they can. Outfielder Luis Gonzalez probably won't repeat the staggering numbers he had in 2001, but he will still be a very effective hitter. Outfielder Steve Finley needs to stay healthy. It was a bad break, no pun intended, that third baseman Matt Williams broke his leg. He may be ready to go by the end of April. Pitcher Miguel Batista finished 11-8 last season, but needs to improve on that.
5.SEATTLE MARINERS-Not much has changed since last season, with the exception of losing starting pitcher Aaron Sele to Anaheim. Seattle still has a great staff. Freddy Garcia, Jamie Moyer, Paul Abbott, Joel Pineiro and John Halama will make up the starting pitching staff. I really like this kid Joel Pineiro. He's only 23. He went 6-2 with an ERA of only 2.03 in 2001 for the Mariners. 2001 AL Rookie of the Year Ichiro returns. Swings a hot bat and has plenty of speed. I look for him to bat around .320 this season. Second baseman Bret Boone will be hard pressed to repeat his numbers from a year ago, but its possible. Seattle picked up infielder Jeff Cirillo during the off-season. DH Edgar Martinez shows signs of slowing down.
6.BOSTON RED SOX-The Sox have a new owner and a new manager. Grady Little will take charge. He was the bench coach for the Indians. Boston and New York will fight all year for the division title. This will only happen if pitcher Pedro Martinez stays off the DL and shortstop Nomar Garciaparra is 100%. Boston added ex-Oakland Athletic Johnny Damon to their lineup and in the outfield. Damon can hit .300 and hit with some power. They also acquired often injured first baseman Tony Clark from Detroit. He's big at 6-7. Slugger Manny Ramirez hit 41 homeruns with 125 RBI's in 2001. Believe it or not he can improve upon those numbers. He will need too for his team to win it all. Catcher Jason Varitek is back healthy after missing half the season in 2001. Boston's starting pitching is still a little on the weak side. They acquired John Burkett from Atlanta, but Burkett is 37 years old. Frank Castillo returns healthy this spring. A lot of questions about Rolando Arrojo starting and staying off the DL.
7.-ATLANTA BRAVES-Atlanta without a doubt will have the best outfield combination in all of baseball. Gary Sheffield in right field, Andruw Jones in center and Chipper Jones in left. Sheffield was a big acquisition. He can hit 30 or 40 homerun. If Chipper Jones can hit just as many, watch out opposing teams. Andruw Jones is capable of hitting just as many-he just needs to cut down on his strikeouts. Newly acquired Vinny Castilla will handle third base. He played well with Houston last season. The first base job has not been resolved just yet. It's between 40 year old Julio Franco and Wes Helms. I would go with Helms myself. I'm interested in seeing how rookie George Lombard does with the Braves. He's an outfielder, but he could play first. The Braves pitching staff is aging. Greg Maddux seems to wear out by August. Tom Glavine can still be effective most of the time. Kevin Millwood has not returned to his old self quite yet and the Braves are hoping for big things from Jason Marquis. Albie Lopez comes over from Arizona and hopes for a fresh start. Ex-starter John Smoltz will be the closer.
8.-TEXAS RANGERS-The Rangers did a lot of wheeling and dealing during the winter to improve their team and they did. They picked up moody outfielder Carl Everett from Boston, slugger Juan Gonzalez from Cleveland, controversial closer John Rocker from Cleveland and pitcher Chan Ho Park from Los Angeles. Future slugger Jason Hart was also acquired from Oakland. I really like this kid. Shortstop Alex Rodriquez should be good for 50 homeruns again. He knocked in 135 runs last year. Also it is hoped that Ivan Rodriquez can stay injury free. Texas' starting pitching is still lacking, even with the addition of Park, but it is hoped that Kenny Rogers will contribute more this year and maybe Dave Burba also acquired from Cleveland has one good season left in him. Texas led the league in total bases, slugging and homeruns hit. Those numbers should increase this season. This should be a fun team to watch in 2002.
9.-CHICAGO CUBS-The Cubs were in and out of first place in the NL Central last season and they are hoping to stay in first place now that they have outfielder Moises Alou. Alou was picked up from the Houston Astros. Alou brings a hot bat with him. He batted .331 last season and knocked in 108 runs. Sammy Sosa and Alou in the outfield and at the plate will spell danger for opposing pitchers. First baseman Fred McGriff is back and can be just as dangerous. McGriff has 448 career homeruns. Sosa has 450. Chicago needs a good year from catcher Todd Hundley. He can hit 30 or more homeruns when in the right groove. A lot is expected of young outfielder Corey Patterson. The Cubs have a good starting pitching staff with 20 game winner Jon Leiber returning. Kerry Wood should be 100% in 2002. Jason Bere has great potential. Sit back and see what rookie Juan Cruz can do. It appears that closer Tom Gordon will be out for two months due to an injury. Jeff Fassero and Kyle Fawnsworth will need to step up.
10.-SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS-Homerun slugger Barry Bonds wants a World Series ring more than hitting 70 or more homeruns. This could be their year. Bonds shows no signs of slowing down. The Giants acquired outfielder Reggie Sanders from Arizona. He hit over 30 homeruns last season. The rest of the team is almost entirely intact. Pitcher Shawn Estes is gone, but the Giants are high on pitcher Jason Schmidt. Schmidt went 7-1 as a Giant last year. Rookie pitcher Kurt Ainsworth is expected to contribute this season. He was 10-9 with Fresno State in 2001, but he has great potential. His slider is one of the nastiest in the minors. He can throw a 93 MPH fastball.
Written by Keith Thronson-bama45
2.-NEW YORK METS-The Mets did some major improvements during the off-season. Second baseman Roberto Alomar acquired from Cleveland could be the best second baseman in all of baseball. Big Mo Vaughan at first base could hit 30 to 40 homeruns if he remains healthy. Roger Cedeno who was acquired from Detroit adds speed to the team immediately. Mets also acquired outfielder Jeromy Burnitz from Milwaukee. Pitcher Al Leiter needs to step up and be the ace of this team, and newly acquired Shawn Estes could win 15 to 18 games with some run support.
3.-ST. LOUIS CARDINALS-This team could very well end up in the World Series this year. Slugger Mark McGwire is retired, but ex-Yankee Tino Martinez brings new leadership and a good bat. 2001 Rookie of the Year Albert Pujols returns and he should be as good as last season. Jim Edmonds and J.D. Drew will take care of the outfield and provide plenty of offense. Pitcher Rick Ankiel really needs to get his control under control and stay healthy. Pitcher Darryl Kile and Matt Morris both could win 20 games this season. Morris went 22-8 with an ERA of 3.16 in 2001. 22 year old lefty Bud Smith tossed a no-hitter last year and could very well repeat that again. Got to like the Cardinals acquiring closer Jason Isringhausen from Oakland. He had 34 saves in 2001. Pitcher Woody Williams who came over from San Diego last season pitched very effectively for the Cardinals going 7-1 with an ERA of 2.28. I really think St. Louis will win the NL pennant this year.
4.-ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS-Defending World Champs need another good season from starting pitcher Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling. Both are aging quickly. Can they repeat? Barring any major injuries they can. Outfielder Luis Gonzalez probably won't repeat the staggering numbers he had in 2001, but he will still be a very effective hitter. Outfielder Steve Finley needs to stay healthy. It was a bad break, no pun intended, that third baseman Matt Williams broke his leg. He may be ready to go by the end of April. Pitcher Miguel Batista finished 11-8 last season, but needs to improve on that.
5.SEATTLE MARINERS-Not much has changed since last season, with the exception of losing starting pitcher Aaron Sele to Anaheim. Seattle still has a great staff. Freddy Garcia, Jamie Moyer, Paul Abbott, Joel Pineiro and John Halama will make up the starting pitching staff. I really like this kid Joel Pineiro. He's only 23. He went 6-2 with an ERA of only 2.03 in 2001 for the Mariners. 2001 AL Rookie of the Year Ichiro returns. Swings a hot bat and has plenty of speed. I look for him to bat around .320 this season. Second baseman Bret Boone will be hard pressed to repeat his numbers from a year ago, but its possible. Seattle picked up infielder Jeff Cirillo during the off-season. DH Edgar Martinez shows signs of slowing down.
6.BOSTON RED SOX-The Sox have a new owner and a new manager. Grady Little will take charge. He was the bench coach for the Indians. Boston and New York will fight all year for the division title. This will only happen if pitcher Pedro Martinez stays off the DL and shortstop Nomar Garciaparra is 100%. Boston added ex-Oakland Athletic Johnny Damon to their lineup and in the outfield. Damon can hit .300 and hit with some power. They also acquired often injured first baseman Tony Clark from Detroit. He's big at 6-7. Slugger Manny Ramirez hit 41 homeruns with 125 RBI's in 2001. Believe it or not he can improve upon those numbers. He will need too for his team to win it all. Catcher Jason Varitek is back healthy after missing half the season in 2001. Boston's starting pitching is still a little on the weak side. They acquired John Burkett from Atlanta, but Burkett is 37 years old. Frank Castillo returns healthy this spring. A lot of questions about Rolando Arrojo starting and staying off the DL.
7.-ATLANTA BRAVES-Atlanta without a doubt will have the best outfield combination in all of baseball. Gary Sheffield in right field, Andruw Jones in center and Chipper Jones in left. Sheffield was a big acquisition. He can hit 30 or 40 homerun. If Chipper Jones can hit just as many, watch out opposing teams. Andruw Jones is capable of hitting just as many-he just needs to cut down on his strikeouts. Newly acquired Vinny Castilla will handle third base. He played well with Houston last season. The first base job has not been resolved just yet. It's between 40 year old Julio Franco and Wes Helms. I would go with Helms myself. I'm interested in seeing how rookie George Lombard does with the Braves. He's an outfielder, but he could play first. The Braves pitching staff is aging. Greg Maddux seems to wear out by August. Tom Glavine can still be effective most of the time. Kevin Millwood has not returned to his old self quite yet and the Braves are hoping for big things from Jason Marquis. Albie Lopez comes over from Arizona and hopes for a fresh start. Ex-starter John Smoltz will be the closer.
8.-TEXAS RANGERS-The Rangers did a lot of wheeling and dealing during the winter to improve their team and they did. They picked up moody outfielder Carl Everett from Boston, slugger Juan Gonzalez from Cleveland, controversial closer John Rocker from Cleveland and pitcher Chan Ho Park from Los Angeles. Future slugger Jason Hart was also acquired from Oakland. I really like this kid. Shortstop Alex Rodriquez should be good for 50 homeruns again. He knocked in 135 runs last year. Also it is hoped that Ivan Rodriquez can stay injury free. Texas' starting pitching is still lacking, even with the addition of Park, but it is hoped that Kenny Rogers will contribute more this year and maybe Dave Burba also acquired from Cleveland has one good season left in him. Texas led the league in total bases, slugging and homeruns hit. Those numbers should increase this season. This should be a fun team to watch in 2002.
9.-CHICAGO CUBS-The Cubs were in and out of first place in the NL Central last season and they are hoping to stay in first place now that they have outfielder Moises Alou. Alou was picked up from the Houston Astros. Alou brings a hot bat with him. He batted .331 last season and knocked in 108 runs. Sammy Sosa and Alou in the outfield and at the plate will spell danger for opposing pitchers. First baseman Fred McGriff is back and can be just as dangerous. McGriff has 448 career homeruns. Sosa has 450. Chicago needs a good year from catcher Todd Hundley. He can hit 30 or more homeruns when in the right groove. A lot is expected of young outfielder Corey Patterson. The Cubs have a good starting pitching staff with 20 game winner Jon Leiber returning. Kerry Wood should be 100% in 2002. Jason Bere has great potential. Sit back and see what rookie Juan Cruz can do. It appears that closer Tom Gordon will be out for two months due to an injury. Jeff Fassero and Kyle Fawnsworth will need to step up.
10.-SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS-Homerun slugger Barry Bonds wants a World Series ring more than hitting 70 or more homeruns. This could be their year. Bonds shows no signs of slowing down. The Giants acquired outfielder Reggie Sanders from Arizona. He hit over 30 homeruns last season. The rest of the team is almost entirely intact. Pitcher Shawn Estes is gone, but the Giants are high on pitcher Jason Schmidt. Schmidt went 7-1 as a Giant last year. Rookie pitcher Kurt Ainsworth is expected to contribute this season. He was 10-9 with Fresno State in 2001, but he has great potential. His slider is one of the nastiest in the minors. He can throw a 93 MPH fastball.
Written by Keith Thronson-bama45