go astros

I like the Orioles over the Blue Jays this year, too. 1-9, they have a very impressive lineup. They improved a lot this offseason. The Jays improved in that they freed up a lot of money, but in terms of players on the field, this team would be better with Wells than without him.
I can see the Orioles breaking .500 this year and challenging for third.

I am clueless on the Rays. They were such a great team last year, and they're a really good organization. Even before 2008 when they began to win, you could tell that the Rays were on the verge of breaking out. Was that just a lucky crop of young guys or an indication of organizational strength and know-how, a franchise that can do a lot with a little?
I just think they lost too many important pieces in one year to do well. Even with a smart front office and good coaching, it'll be tough to get over the loss of their franchise face and almost the entire bullpen. Tough call on the Rays this year.

I hadn't really paid attention to what the Orioles did in the offseason, but christ, the AL East was tough enough already, and now we have to worry about the Orioles too?

There is barely any need for worry. They were able to hold on to the four good pieces of their lineup (Markakis, Adam Jones, Luke Scott, and Brian Roberts). Plus, they added some risky offensive pieces with big upsides in Derrek Lee, Vlad Guerrero, Mark Reynolds, and JJ Hardy. Plus, I'm personally still of the belief that Matt Weiters is going to become an All-Star catcher someday. So, 1-9 the ability is there.
They have a couple good arms in the rotation in Brian Matusz and Guthrie. If they can get 150 innings out of Duchsherer over the course of this season, they'll be lucky, but that may be good enough. They have a couple of young arms that at least show a little bit of promise, and may be good enough to keep the relatively strong offense in the game.
In the bullpen, they have two great arms in Uehara and Gregg. I don't know who is going to have the closer role, but both are good.
The pieces are all there for a third place finish, but like Milwaukee, they can't afford many stumbles.

nice to see the mets ranked below the nats, for once. i think the mets could be bad enough this year to replace the nationals as the NL East cellar dwellers (and possibly for years to come, if the nats build wisely around werth, harper, and strasburg).

Gregg shouldn't be counted on as a closer in anything more than a platoon role. I don't know what he's been like historically, but last night he was miserable unless he had a days rest between appearances. If the O's can limit his usage on back-to-back days, he should be more effective than last year's numbers suggest.

Kevin Gregg is just awful. Awful. I despise him.

The Mets have little hope for 2011, but I can see them rebounding for 2012, after Beltran, Perez, Castillo, (and Reyes?) are off the books.
They actually hired a lot of new, talented guys in the front office this year. They just didn't have any money to work with, so it'll have to wait until next year.

yeah, a reyes contract extension looks unlikely, as of now. i'm sure they'll have the money to compete for some big names in 2012, but still feel like they're at least a few years away from building the program into respectability again. they don't have much depth at all. once those old guys walk or retire, there's almost nothing but scraps left. and the farm system doesn't figure to yield much any time soon. at least they have ike davis.

Lucas Duda: star of the future. I saw him play three games at the beginning of last season when he was at AA Binghamton, and I became a fan. When he got called up in September, he started 1 for 33 I think, but ended up doing a bit better, with 10 of his 17 hits going for extra bases, and an AVG just over the Mendoza line. His fielding is a lot better than people give him credit for, too. I'm no expert, so maybe he makes the easy plays look hard, but I liked what I saw of him in left field, at Binghamton and at the majors in September.

you clearly just made that up

No, I have real faith in Duda. The Mets just have too many big contracts in the outfield to give the guy a shot.

I can't wait for the Tigers and White Sox to annihilate the Twins this year.

Haha. Good luck.

People say the same thing every spring: "the Tigers and the Sox made big upgrades this year. They are both better then the Twins". This kind of stuff just makes me laugh. The Tigers have NEVER won the AL Central. I repeat, NEVER. Their lat title was in the AL East in the '80s. The Sox always pound the ball, always seem to have good enough pitching and always seem to under achieve (except for the World Series year, which is a big "except"). The Twins on the other hand never seem to be the favorites but are always consistent and perform well in every aspect of the game. Over the full 162 game schedule it has shown that the Twins put together the best product year in and year out. Six division titles in the last nine seasons is a pretty damn good mark. I expect nothing less in 2011.

Justin Morneau returned to the field for the first time since a concussion ended his 2010 season last July 19. The Former MVP went 1 for 2 with a bases clearing double and three RBI in three innings. He also played first base and was seen making plays with the glove and sliding on the base paths. Morneau reported no ill affects after the game. This is a big step in the return of the superstar to the Twins' lineup by opening day. Morneau will take the day off on Wednesday and is scheduled to return to the field for Thursday's game.



From espn.com :

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Minnesota Twins star Justin Morneau hit a three-run double in a spring training "B" game Tuesday, the first time he's played since a concussion sidelined him in July.

The 2006 AL MVP was at first base a day after he received medical clearance from his doctor following an hour-long conversation.

"We figured now is as good a time as any to see if my body was ready for this," Morneau said. "I'll have a day off tomorrow. Then I'll come back and get some more work.

"I'm not more at risk than anybody else with a fastball to the head or anything else. That was kind of what I needed to hear."

Facing the Pittsburgh Pirates on a back field at Lee County Sports Complex in a morning game, Morneau grounded into a fielder's choice in his first at-bat. He then drove in three runs with a double down the line.

Morneau said he's happy to finally take that important step, but he's still mixing caution with his optimism.

"When I see myself in the lineup on April 1, I think that will be when I'm 100 percent," he said. "I just don't want to get totally excited. It's great to be out there, don't get me wrong. But I've been through some setbacks along the way."

Morneau was kneed in the head sliding into second base against the Toronto Blue Jays just before the All-Star break and has been working his way back the past eight months. Now that he's no longer considered at risk for re-injury, he'll be focusing on his conditioning.

"I just have to get my body used to being in that environment," Morneau said. "It feels good for me to be approved. It's still a process. Until I play nine innings and go home at the end of the day and not feel like I need a three-hour nap or anything like that, that's normal. That's where we need to be. It's one of those things where it's going to take some time to get back into game strength."

Twins left fielder Delmon Young, who has yet to participate in a regular exhibition game this spring training because of turf toe, also played in the "B" game.

Yeah, but the Sox and Tigers each have a World Series year (a win, and a loss respectively). The Twins, for all their division titles can't make it out of the first round. Id take a world series appearance once over 6 first round exits. The Twins only above average starter has had tommy john surgery, and isnt as dominant as he was before it (although he looks to be on his way).

Well, you can move my Brewers down a few spots to start the season. Greinke is out at least a month with a cracked rib, from a pickup basketball game that happened a few weeks ago.

Typical Brewers luck

Seriously, not every post you have has to be a new thread.

I would totally take the World Series over Division too. I grant you that. The argument here is regular season. The Twins are far superior there. Once in the post season they have been abysmal. At least they give themselves a shot (almost) every year. They just need to stop running into the kryptonite that is the Yankees in the first round.