2015 MLB Team Preview: Cincinnati Reds

The Cincinnati Reds have been NL Central contenders for the last few years, but Pittsburgh and St. Louis have taken control of the division. The destiny of the Reds rides on the health of Joey Votto, who missed a huge chunk of time in two of the last three seasons.

The Reds will rely heavily on their starting rotation. They do have a slight edge in that category over the top teams in the NL Central. They need their offense to come back (28th in Runs Scored in 2014) in order to take advantage of having aces Johnny Cueto and Homer Bailey.

Can Devin Mesoraco become an elite catcher?

Here is the 2015 MLB season preview for the Cincinnati Reds.

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2015 MLB Team Preview: Chicago White Sox

The city of Chicago has a familiar face back in town. The White Sox traded Oakland for Jeff Samardzija, who once pitched on the North Side. It was one of the few specific upgrades the White made in order to compete in the AL Central.

Jose Abreu was the team MVP in 2014 and was even better than advertised. The team still only won 73 games and saw two teams from their division make the postseason. I’m sure they thought they could do what the Royals did last season with only a few roster tweaks.

Can Chicago’s bullpen get the job done?

Here is the 2015 MLB season preview for the Chicago White Sox.

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2015 MLB Team Preview: Chicago Cubs

The Chicago Cubs are nearing the end of a long-term rebuilding plan. It feels like Theo Epstein has been working on this plan for a decade. Many of Chicago’s young, homegrown players will be called up by the end of the year.

The Cubs made a big splash this offseason by signing Jon Lester to a long-term deal and by hiring Joe Maddon after he opted out of his contract with Tampa Bay. He turned around that franchise and is one of the smartest managers in the game.

Kris Bryant, Javier Baez and Jorge Soler have Cubs fans drooling. The trio make up the corps of young talent Chicago has been developing in the minors.

Can Chicago be a real contender this season or is it a year too early?

Here is the 2015 MLB season preview for the Chicago Cubs.

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2015 MLB Team Preview: Boston Red Sox

Boston went from worst to first to win the World Series…and then went back to worst last season. They dumped Jon Lester and John Lackey at the trade deadline and then added Hanley Ramirez and Pablo Sandoval this offseason.

Boston knows the key to competing year after year in the AL East is to adapt and change what is not working. They realized last year was a wash, so they dumped contracts in hopes of landing some pieces they could flip in return. They turned Yoenis Cespedes (who they got back in the Lester trade) into Rick Porcello.

Will Boston instantly regret giving Pablo Sandoval a huge contract?

Here is the 2015 MLB season preview for the Boston Red Sox.

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2015 MLB Team Preview: Baltimore Orioles

Baltimore managed to deal with a lot adversity and still won the AL East. When Matt Wieters and Manny Machado struggled with injuries, other players stepped up and contributed. They took the motto “next man up” to another level.

The AL East had a down year in 2014, but the Red Sox and Blue Jays added some major talent in the offseason. Baltimore will need some of last year’s magic to contend with them.

Can Wieters and Machado stay healthy in 2015?

Will Chris Davis regain the power and average he showed in 2013?

Here is the 2015 MLB season preview for the Baltimore Orioles.

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2015 MLB Team Preview: Atlanta Braves

The Atlanta Braves are cleaning house. They got rid of Jason Heyward, Justin Upton, Evan Gattis, Kris Medlen and a handful of others. They made a decision to blow up the team.

On paper, Atlanta had a great lineup. Power hitters, on-base percentage darlings, strikeout pitchers and a dominant closer. That is a formula for dominance. The team never lived up to their potential. They ended up being one of the worst scoring teams in the Majors.

Fredi Gonzalez is still Atlanta’s skipper, but can he keep his job while the Braves try to rebuild?

Which players may end up on the trading block?

Here is the 2015 MLB season preview for the Atlanta Braves.

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2015 MLB Team Preview: Arizona Diamondbacks

Arizona comes into the season with new manager Chip Hale. They fired Kirk Gibson after he went 353-375 in four and a half seasons as skipper. The expectations are low for Hale as Arizona isn’t expected to immediately compete for the NL West crown.

The Diamondbacks were dealt with injuries to many of their top stars. Paul Goldschmidt and Mark Trumbo both missed time and pitchers Daniel Hudson and Patrick Corbin didn’t start a single game in 2014 due to both needing Tommy John surgery.

Can Arizona’s young talent speed up Arizona’s rebuilding process?

How will Cuban slugger Yasmany Tomas transition to the Majors?

Here is the 2015 MLB season preview for the Arizona Diamondbacks.

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2015 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Top 50 First Baseman

First base is EXTREMELY deep this season. It’s a loaded position with a lot of power and many of the rankings are based on personal preferences. Players with upside usually take precedent over consistent players with little to no upside.

Can you handle a first baseman with power, but a sub-.225 batting average? Do you want to go safe with a player like Adrian Gonzalez or Freddie Freeman?

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.

1. Miguel Cabrera – Detroit Tigers – Most have Miggy as a top-five fantasy first baseman, but I think they are selling the former MVP short. He dealt with injuries for most of last year and he still knocked 25 homers and hit .313. I believe he’ll have another season of at least 35 homers and .310+. I just couldn’t pick another first baseman if Miggy is still on the board.

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Which Wrestlers in NXT are Ready for WWE’s Main Roster?

Pro wrestling is cyclical. Major stars tend to have 10+ year runs at the top and then fade into the mid-card. WWE had issues in the past trying to build homegrown young talent able to take the next step when the time is right.

Triple H is semi-retired from competing in the ring and is now the Chief Creative Officer for the WWE. He decided to focus on talent development. They opened the WWE Performance Center and rebranded their developmental territory (Florida Championship Wrestling) into NXT. The results have spoken and it has exceeded all expectations.

Bray Wyatt, Seth Rollins and Paige have all had success since graduating from NXT to WWE’s main roster. Which stars are ready to take the leap?

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2015 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Top 30 Catchers

It’s time to kick off our yearly preseason fantasy baseball rankings.

The catcher position is quite intriguing. Many of the top catchers are young. You still have guys like Yadier Molina, but the position has gotten younger. There are catchers you can get late in the draft that still have upside.

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.

1. Buster Posey – San Francisco Giants – Posey is possibly the most consistent fantasy catcher since Yadier Molina in his prime. I thought about mentioning Joe Mauer, but he had that one crazy power year. Posey gives you average, power and plenty at-bats to stack your roto categories. Enjoy him at catcher while you can. I have a feeling the Giants will move him to first base before he hits 30 years old.

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Hawks, Predators Lead the Way in Stanley Cup Online Betting

As the NHL regular season reaches the 60-game mark, the race for top spot is heating up, both in the NHL standings and Stanley Cup futures betting odds at the online sportsbooks.

The Chicago Blackhawks continue to lead the way as 6/1 favorites in Stanley Cup betting favorites at sportsbooks available through www.bettingsports.com. The Hawks’ odds have held steady since opening the regular season at 13/2, despite their struggles at times to keep pace in the competitive Central Division.

The Nashville Predators currently sit atop the Central, entering the final week of February with a 12-point lead over Chicago in the divisional standings. The Preds have seen their Stanley Cup betting stock rise since acquiring defenseman Cody Franson and forward Mike Santorelli in a blockbuster trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

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Baseball America’s 2015 Top 100 Prospects

Baseball America just released their yearly list of Major League Baseball’s top 100 prospects.

I’m a huge baseball fan and I love reading about prospects. I look forward to Baseball America’s list. I always buy Baseball America’s Prospect Handbook as well as the annual book by Baseball Prospectus.

If you play fantasy baseball, reading about baseball’s next generation is essential in both yearly draft leagues and keeper leagues.

Many of the top prospects will see time in the Majors at some point this season. General managers have fallen in love with draft picks since they implemented a luxury tax and revenue sharing.

He is Baseball America’s 2015 list of Top 100 Prospects.

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