9 Innings of MLB Preview

Even though the MLB had it's 1st games in Japan between Oakland and Seattle, I decided to do my season preview before most of the other teams start their seasons.


Inning 1: Kansas City Royals

Billy Butler and Alex Gordon are key players
on the Royals
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For the last couple of years, Kansas City has been described as a team that is a few years away from success. This year might be the year for success. The Royals have 5 of their 6 1st Round Draft Picks from 2005-2009 on the team (Alex Gordon, Luke Hochevar, Mike Moustakas, Eric Hosmer, and Aaron Crow). Alex Gordon led the team in WAR with 5.9. That also put the 2nd pick in 2005 Draft at 7th in the WAR category. Both Hosmer and Butler had 19 home runs. Moustakas had 89 hits in 89 games. 


Pitching might keep them from being in the playoffs for the 1st time since 1985 (They won their only World Series in '85). Closer Joakim Soria is out for the year. Aaron Crow was an All-Star as a reliever. They signed a good starter in Jonathan Sanchez. Hochevar was 11-11 last year and is likely to improve on that. They have Jonathan Broxton and Greg Holland. This Royals team might not make the playoffs but it may be a big year for their development. I think that they might have their 1st winning season since 2003. The improvement of the record, team and  hosting the All-Star Game, means success for Kansas City.


Inning 2: Houston's Last Year in the National League

The Astros were terrible last year. They got rid of their best players and won 56 games. Of their top 3 RBI producers, Carlos Lee led the team with 94, Hunter Pence had 62 before being traded, and Chris Johnson had 42. Carlos Lee is the only good hitter on this roster. Wandy Rodriguez is a good pitcher that will get them double-digit wins. The team gave up an average of 4.91 runs per game an had an a 4.51 ERA. 2011 is Houston's last season in the National League. It may be a season that will want to quickly forget.


Inning 3: The Twins


Last year, the Minnesota Twins dropped from 1st Place in the AL Central to last place in not only the their division, but in the entire AL. They were injury plagued. Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer, the Twins best players, were injured for a good part of the season. And it wasn't just those stars, Denard Span and Tsuyoshi Nishioka each played less then 70 games while Jason Kubel played less then 100. For the Twins to be successful, they must stay free from injury and play like they did when they made the playoffs in 2010 and 2009. 


Inning 4: The Washington Nationals

Gio Gonzalez was a big acqusititon for the Nationals
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The Nationals finished last season in 3rd place. This finish was their best in their 1st 7 seasons. It may not seem like a big jump but they came close to a winning record, 80-81. The Nationals gained 21 wins in the last 3 years. They upgraded their pitching staff in all type of ways. They will have 2 #1 starters in Stephen Strasburg and Gio Gonzalez. Last year, Strasburg, the number 1 pick in the 2009 Draft, was recovering from Tommy John and Gio Gonzalez was received in a trade. Jordan Zimmerman, Edwin Jackson, and Chien-Ming Wang are all decent starters. They have a two good set-up in Tyler Clippard and Brad Lidge. The Nats closer, Drew Storen, had 43 saves last year.


The are also very powerful in the hitting department. DC's most consistent player, Ryan Zimmerman, signed on for 6 years over the winter. Last season, Jayson Werth had an off year and he continues to struggle, the Nationals will a tough year. 2B Danny Esponsa had a great rookie season and will look to prove it was no fluke. Micheal Morse was the team leader in WAR (Wins Above Replacement) last year. Ian Desmond led the team in steals with 25 in 2011. Phenom Bryce Harper is starting the season at Triple A and when he get's to the Big Show, everyone's expectations are going to be through the roof. The record of the Nationals will be not be a good example of how well they will play, because of their division. The Phillies, Braves, and Marlins are all top teams in the NL, while the Nationals are a middle of the pack team. 


Inning 5: The Wild, Wide Open West 


During the last 3 seasons, a different division champ has risen from the NL West. The Dodgers in 2009, the Giants in 2010, and the Diamondbacks in 2011. This year might be as crazy as it has ever been. The Diamondbacks are looking to prove that their 2011 campaign was no fluke. The Giants are healthy and with Buster Posey back behind the plate and in the line-up, they are looking to return to the World Series. The Dodgers have new ownership that could spark the team. The Rockies are like foxes. They sneak into the playoff hunt and then make a run. The Padres are not likely to do anything. 

Each team has a player that will be an x-factor. The Diamondbacks is Aaron Hill. He needs to bounce back from an off year and hit like he has in previous seasons. The Giants have Pablo Sandoval. If Sandoval can hit 25 home runs for the Giants, they will be in good position for a run at the title. Los Angeles needs a good year out a Andre Either to make him and Matt Kemp a great duo. Colorado's x-factor is Jhoulys Chacin who is going to be the team's number 1 starter. They need 12+ wins from him this year.

Inning 6: Uniform/Logo Differences 

The new Blue Jays uniforms with the new logo in the backround
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The big uniform/logo news of the offseason was the rebranding of the Florida Marlins to the Miami Marlins. With the city/state name change, they also got all new logos, uniforms, and color scheme. They new colors are yellow, blue, orange, white, and black. The Toronto Blue Jays also made a cool change to their logos and uniforms. Their new logos are like the original logo from 1977. San Diego also changed their logo and uniforms. The home plate logo is gone and has been changed to a circle which has an interlocked SD is inside. The Dodgers slightly changed their logo. The lines are larger and the font is slightly different. The Orioles went retro in their new cap with the smiling Oriole. The Diamondbacks took away the team name of their logo so it is just the big A. There were many other additions and changes but these were the more notable. 


Inning 7: The 2nd Wild Card


The 2nd Wild Card will be in place for the 1st time ever this season. The 2 Wild Card teams will play a winner take-all game at the end of the season to see who will make the next round of the playoffs.


The American League looks to have 6 great baseball teams, the Yankees, Rays, Red Sox, Tigers, Angles, and Rangers. Not to mention the other 8 teams that could sneak up and take a spot away from these teams. Every team has a chance to make the playoffs. But, they have 1 game to really make it. Just imagine, a winner-take-all Rangers-Rays or Angles-Yankees, or even Red Sox-Yankees. There might not be a better game. Those are only a few of the great game options for the AL. 


Inning 8: Big Names, Big News

Both Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder left the NL to
go to the AL
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Ryan Braun won the NL MVP last year. But, he was given a 50 game suspension for PED usage. The suspension was later taken away due to the sample being mishandled. Braun is going to get a lot of media attention that could affect his season. Ichiro had a career low year last year. For the 1st time ever in his MLB career, he didn't get 200 hits or a .300 average. He also didn't make the All-Star Game and win a Gold Glove. He's getting up there in age (38) and wants to have one more good season. Yu Darvish is coming over from Japan and is looking to prove he is worth the big buck he is earning. Yoenis Cespedes is a Cuban defector looking to prove himself in Oakland. He hit is 1st 4 bagger in the 2nd game of the year in Japan. Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder both got big contracts and left the teams they were on your team last year. If they don't produce, they are going to get some heat.


Inning 9: Playoffs


Last season, 4 teams that missed the playoffs in 2010 made the playoffs. Those teams were the Arizona Diamondbacks, Detroit Tigers, Milwaukee Brewers, and World Series Champion St. Louis Cardinals. The teams that were replaced were the Atlanta Braves,  Cincinnati Reds,  Minnesota Twins, and San Francisco Giants. The teams that made it both years are the New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Tampa Bay Rays, and Texas Rangers. All of these team and a few more, like the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Boston Red Sox, and Miami Marlins, have a chance of making the playoffs. The extra wild card has made the race wide open. Thats means a great year of baseball.