Tag Archives: mlb

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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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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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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What the Heck are the Padres Doing This Offseason?

The San Diego Padres aren’t trying to use a slow-build process to rebuild their team. New general manager A.J. Preller is charging out of the gate. He was a scouting director for the Texas Rangers for the last decade. During his time there, Texas used their farm system to trade for MLB-ready bats and arms.

He appears to be trying to use the same method in San Diego.

The Padres have already traded for former All-Stars Matt Kemp & Justin Upton, former top prospects Wil Myers & Will Middlebrooks and acquired underrated talents like Derek Norris and Brandon Morrow.

Can the San Diego Padres instantly contend with the Dodgers and Giants in the NL West or will they need a year to tinker with their current roster?

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Jon Lester signs with Cubs, Fans Fear How This Will End

I’m a life-long fan of the Chicago Cubs. I’ve been through it all. I was born in 1980 and one of my earliest baseball memories was the Cubs’ 1984 playoff collapse. I dealt with numerous inept managers, a handful of ‘this is our year’ years and the whole Steve Bartman ordeal. The Cubs now have a stockpile of blue-chip prospects, but nearly all are position players. Chicago needs quality pitching and they just signed the biggest name this offseason.

Jon Lester, formerly of Boston and Oakland, signed a six-year $155 million dollar deal (with an option for a seventh year).

Theo Epstein and recently-named assistant Ryan Dempster both have a relationship with Lester. It gave them a much-needed edge.

I breakdown this signing and a few other ramblings about the upcoming Chicago Cubs season. Also, gaze upon my awesomely horrible MS Paint skills.

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The Red Sox Will Regret Overspending for Pablo Sandoval

The Boston Red Sox opened their checkbook and signed shortstop Hanley Ramirez (who they will turn into a left fielder) and World Series MVP third baseman Pablo Sandoval. Ramirez received a four-year deal worth $88 million and Sandoval is walking away with a five-year deal worth $95 million (with a sixth-year team option for $17 million).

Sandoval’s post-season success is the reason teams were hoping to land ‘Kung Fu Panda’. He’s a career .343 in the post-season with a .400+ batting average in the World Series…the best in baseball history with at least 150 postseason at-bats.

Sandoval is a nice asset to have in the playoffs, but is he worth $95 million on team who drastically needs pitching?

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How Did We Do?: 2014 MLB Team Win Over/Under

It’s time to pop the champagne, guys!

Before the season began, we wrote a team preview for each MLB team. We broke down all the new players, former players, possible fantasy sleepers and (most importantly) picked an over/under win total.

We’ve always done really well with our MLB Over/Unders in the past and we kicked ass in 2014.

We went 19-11 on the year. We hit on all the sleepers, but missed horribly on the Texas Rangers. Vegas definitely cleaned house on them this year. I don’t know a single person who picked their under win total.

We list all the teams and what their over/under win totals were at the beginning of the 2014 MLB season. See which ones we hit and missed on this year.

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Sports Crush: Jenny Dell

We’ve written a handful of ‘Sports Crush‘ posts since we launched America’s White Boy. We’ve spotlighted female MMA fighters, WWE Divas and female sports reporters like MLB Network’s Heidi Watney and NFL Network’s Erin Coscarelli. We decided to profile another female sports reporter, former NESN reporter and current NFL on CBS sideline reporter Jenny Dell.

Dell first made national news when NESN decided to let her go after her relationship with Boston Red Sox third baseman Will Middlebrooks was made public. They are now engaged and her career couldn’t have gone in a better direction. She is now a sideline reporter on CBS during NFL telecasts.

We are crushing on Jenny Dell and once you look at our photo gallery, you will understand why.

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