Category Archives: Bryce Harper

2018 MLB Season Preview: Washington Nationals

The Washington Nationals won the NL East for the second-straight year, but fell to the Chicago Cubs in the NLDS. Their starters just didn’t have a very good series and they were rocked.

The Nationals didn’t make many moves this offseason as they are most likely saving their money to re-sign star outfielder Bryce Harper. Will that hurt them this season? I don’t see it being a huge issue, but if they do trade for a starter this season, they may look to only acquire a rental with no salary obligation next season.

Washington dealt with injuries to Adam Eaton early last season and both Trea Turner and Bryce Harper missed 50+ games each. They still won 97 games. As long as they stay healthy, they should be one of the best teams in the National League.

Here is the 2018 MLB season preview for the Washington Nationals.

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2018 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Top 150 Outfielders

We couldn’t figure out the right total of outfields to rank for our fantasy baseball coverage is year. We decided that 150 was the right (and lofty) total.

There have been some top-ranked outfielders join new teams this offseason. The Yankees added Giancarlo Stanton, the Cardinals added Marcell Ozuna while the Red Sox paid big bucks for J.D. Martinez.

Which of these new faces make the biggest impact?

Which late-round sleepers have the best odds of success?

My rankings are based on a standard 5×5 league. If you have any specific questions about a different league, email me BobbyMcrib@gmail.com.

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2017 MLB Season Preview: Washington Nationals

2017 MLB Season Team Preview Washington Nationals Adam Eaton funnyThe Washington Nationals bounced back after a forgettable 2015 season. They won the AL East by eight games, but lost to the Dodgers 3-2 in the NLDS.

The Nationals realized their current roster wasn’t good enough to take their team to the next level, so they made one of the biggest trades of the Winter. They sent some good prospects to the White Sox for outfielder Adam Eaton. A trade that brings them talent and a player who is under team control until 2020.

The Nationals were unable to retain closer Mark Melancon this offseason. Will have issues closing games in 2017?

Here is the 2017 MLB season preview for the Washington Nationals.

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Is Las Vegas a Good Fit for MLB?

bryce harper las vegas mlbMajor League Baseball is toying with the idea of having an expansion team in Las Vegas, which is something that has residents of the area and some players excited about the possibility of playing in Sin City. While the news won’t have an impact on baseball betting lines, it might in the future if the commissioner decides to award the city a team.

MLB isn’t the only sports league considering having a team in Las Vegas, earlier this year, the Oakland Raiders, who haven’t been able to secure a new stadium in Oakland, said they are seriously considering moving the franchise to Las Vegas.

The NHL recently also announced interest in moving a franchise to Las Vegas or awarding an expansion franchise to the city.

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2016 MLB Season Preview: Washington Nationals

Daniel-Murphy-Washington-Nationals-season-preview-mlb-2016-americas-white-boyThe Washington Nationals had a forgettable 2015 season. They were one of the favorites to win the National League pennant, but they didn’t even end up making the postseason.

Bryce Harper had his best season as a pro last year. He took home the National League MVP award and it was the first time since his rookie season that he stayed healthy enough to have 500+ at-bats. If he avoids running into outfield walls, this could be a yearly occurrence for the 23-year-old.

Can Dusty Baker push the Nationals to an NL East crown?

Here is the 2016 MLB season preview for the Washington Nationals.

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2015 MLB Team Preview: Washington Nationals

Washington Nationals 2015 MLB team preview bryce harper shirtless funny weirdThe Washington Nationals season ended in the NLDS when they were defeated by San Francisco. The Giants was a team of destiny and went on to win the World Series. The early exit doesn’t look as bad when the team that defeated you goes on to win the title…but Washington really needs to get to a World Series while this core group of guys are all in their prime.

Bryce Harper is fun to watch (even if his peers think he’s overrated). He goes all-out on defense and often swings for the fences when he’s at-bat. Unfortunately, his playing style could lead to his early demise. He has missed 108 games the last two seasons due to injuries suffered in the outfield. If he can stay healthy for a full season, he could put up big numbers…but that’s a huge ‘if.’

Stephen Strasburg threw 200+ innings for the first time in his career in 2014. Can do it again this season?

Here is the 2015 MLB season preview for the Washington Nationals.

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2014 MLB Team Preview: Washington Nationals

Barack Obama 2014 Washington Nationals MLB Team PreviewThe Washington Nationals season ended when Bryce Harper went ‘balls out’ crashing into the outfield wall. He injured his knee and just about everything else. The injuries lingered and was never the same. He gained muscle this offseason and looks like he should go pee in a cup for someone. He’s bound to have a breakout year.

The Nationals missed the playoffs by a few games and they kept every key player. They didn’t go out and break the bank on free agents. The front office knows that they just had a down year and the current roster could compete for a World Series ring this season.

Can Stephen Strasburg’s new slider be the missing piece for a Cy Young award-winning campaign?

Here is the 2014 MLB season preview for the Washington Nationals.

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2014 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Top 100 Outfielders

Mike Trout Shirless Los Angeles Angels 2014 MLB Fantasy Baseball Rankings OutfieldersSince most of us play in fantasy leagues that start five outfielders, I decided to super-size my rankings for outfielders. We all know Mike Trout is the best fantasy player in baseball, but the rest of the field is very deep. There are a dozen guys who can help you in every category in a 5×5 standard roto league.

My outfield fantasy baseball rankings are based on a standard 5×5 league. If you have any specific questions about a different league, email me BobbyMcrib@gmail.com.

1. Mike Trout – Los Angeles Angels – Trout is the consensus #1 overall fantasy player this season. He’s a yearly threat to be a 30/30 player and who knows, he could be a 40/40 player at some point. He’ll be an MVP candidate and be near the top of every major offensive category.

2. Andrew McCutchen – Pittsburgh Pirates – The reigning National League MVP should meet or exceed last year’s numbers. He’s in his prime and could even top 30 home runs this season.

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2012 MLB: What We’ve Learned So Far…

If Matt Kemp was the MVP of April, the May award would go to either Giancarlo Stanton, Melky Cabrera, or Carlos Gonzalez. Their bats started to heat up as the degrees raised on the thermometer.

If I had to chose between Stanton, Cabrera, and Gonzalez, I would have to go with Stanton. He hit a grand slam that hit the scoreboard. It made a large portion of the scoreboard go black. If the Miami Marlins want to keep a left-field scoreboard, they may want to move it deeper into the park.

May is a month when teams start getting an idea if their roster needs tweaked. Players start getting called up from the minors and veterans begin to get “designated for assignment.”

Here are some things that we learned in May…

Jamie Moyer is a bad ass. Yes, a middle school pitcher could beat him on the radar gun, but you have to respect what he has done. The Colorado Rockies released him last week, but he set the age records for wins and oldest person to get an RBI. I hope a team gives him an opportunity to pitch at age 50 next season.

– No one can hit Ernesto Frieri. The Los Angeles Angels reliever did not allow a hit during the entire month of May. He has registered 30 strikeouts in 14 innings and saved his first game. He currently shares the role of closer with Scott Downs. I have a feeling that Frieri will have that job by himself if he keeps this up.

– Aroldis Chapman? (see: Ernesto Frieri)

– Matt Kemp’s hamstring pisses him off. He spent nearly the entire month of May on the disabled list. He came back, but re-injured his hamstring and will be out the entire month of June. Kemp was so mad that he had a mini-tirade in the dugout.

– Bryan LaHair falls back down to Earth. He was the only Chicago Cubs offense in April. He looked to have a stranglehold on the first-base job and block Anthony Rizzo from being called up. He is now stuck in a platoon with Jeff Baker and sits when the Cubs face a left-handed starting pitcher.

– Alfonso Soriano found the Fountain of Youth. He reduced his bat weight by an ounce and a quarter and his power has returned. He hit eight home runs in the last 30 days. The Cubs are hoping that he can keep this up so they can finally trade him.

– Justin Smoak can be called “The Smoak Monster” once again. He started the season off horribly, but he had seven home runs and a .280 average in the month of May. He now has a .241 average, which is much better than hitting around the Mendoza line.

Bryce Harper and Mike Trout are really, really good. No one thought they would hit this well so early in their careers. Harper is a ball of energy and is a threat with his bat and his cannon of an arm. Trout looks like he could turn into a 30/30 guy. He will definitely have over 30 stolen bases this season, since he has nine in only 127 at-bats.

Mark Trumbo ate Albert Pujols. Going into the season, analysts had written off Trumbo. They thought that he could end up in a platoon with an outfielder and spell Pujols at first-base. Trumbo currently has a line of 10/27/.331 and Pujols has a line of 8/23/.238. Pujols hit all of those homers in May, so he is headed in the right direction.

Jared Weaver and Roy Halladay are human. Both pitchers started off the year very hot. Weaver pitched a no-hitter earlier this season and Halladay had a few games in which he has no-hitter stuff. They both landed on the disabled-list at the end of May. Weaver will only miss a couple starts, but Halladay’s season is at risk. He is having a second opinion on his shoulder and could need surgery.

– The Pittsburgh Pirates have a talented pitcher? James McDonald came out of nowhere and has been phenomenal. In May, he had 39 K’s in 35 innings with an ERA of 1.54 and a WHIP under 1.00. His BABIP doesn’t do him any favors by showing that he has had a bit of luck. His K/BB is currently at 63/19, a rate that he needs to keep up if he wants to continue his early success.

– The AL East is too close too call. In the month of May, every team in the division were either 15-13, 15-14, or 14-14. You can’t get any closer than that.

– Will Middlebrooks made Kevin Youkilis expendable. Middlebrooks is a younger version of Youk, but with more power. The Boston Red Sox will get a nice return for the “Greek God of Walks”.

– The Chicago White Sox are showing that they could be a playoff team. They went 18-11 with a +34 run differential in the month of May. Davan Viciedo, Alejandro De Aza, Alex Rios, Gordon Beckham, and Paul Konerko all lead a stat category for their position in May. The 2012 roster is almost a mirror image of last year’s team. They are responding to a new message and probably grew tired of Ozzie Guillen’s method. Robin Ventura is getting the most out of the team.

– The NL East is as close as the race in the AL East. The Washington Nationals are currently leading, but only 3.5 games separate them from last place. I can see this race still being a three or four team race at the trading deadline.

– The St. Louis Cardinals are confusing. They have a +52 run differential but are only one game over .500. The Cincinnati Reds are looking like the team to beat, but don’t count out the Pirates. This is definitely a three team race.

–  The NL West will be won by either the Los Angeles Dodgers or the San Francisco Giants. The Arizona Diamondbacks aren’t getting as many balls fall as they did last year. The pitching staffs for the Dodgers and Giants look dominant. The NL Cy Young winner could be won by a pitcher in this division. Matt Cain, Ryan Vogelsong, and Madison Bumgarner and the Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw in the discussion.

The following pictures are a monthly treat for my female readers. I’m not a huge fan of this section of the post, but it has been a hit. Female sports fans have been very kind to this site, so here’s a little eye candy for the ladies…I hope you enjoy shirtless photos of Hunter Pence, C.J. Wilson, Ryan Braun, Jacoby Ellsbury, and Lance Berkman. (yeah, sorry about the Berkman photo)

Sorry about that guys! I promised a female reader that I would do this once every month during the baseball season. Shirtless photos are my limit…no one could handle seeing a nude photo of Berkman.

By: TwitterButtons.com

A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.

Sweetbob’s Fantasy F/M/K – May 7th

FuckMarryKill

It has been over a month since you’ve had your fantasy baseball draft. If you are like me, you have given your players ever chance  to succeed. This is the time of year that teams start to make roster moves and you should do the same. You probably feel dumb for drafting Carlos Marmol…so make up for it by picking up someone better! This is the first of many weekly columns to help you win your fantasy leagues.

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