Category Archives: MLB

2012 MLB Preview: Texas Rangers

29 Thursday Mar 2012

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The Texas Rangers are currently in the most successful period in the organization’s 50-plus year history. After making three playoff appearances with zero series wins through 2009, the team has won the American League West in consecutive years and gone to the World Series both times before falling to the San Francisco Giants in 2010 and the St. Louis Cardinals in 2011. In 2012, the Rangers return a strong group of players that is more than capable of making another run to the World Series with a chance to win it. At the same time winning the AL West will be tougher than it has been the past two years with an improved Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim team lurking and looking to overtake the Rangers. It will be far from easy, but the Rangers have the talent to claim Major League Baseball’s ultimate prize. Continue reading →

2012 MLB Preview: Milwaukee Brewers

29 Thursday Mar 2012

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The Milwaukee Brewers claimed its first division title since 1982 last season; it was only the second playoff appearance in that time period (*). The 2011 season was a great one for the club. Many thought they were primed for a possible World Series championship. Ultimately, the team lost in the National League Championship Series to the eventual World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals. A season with the highest of hopes was nearly realized. The offseason did not bring what the organization was hoping for as Prince Fielder decided to move on and join the Detroit Tigers. The loss of Fielder hurts for a variety of reasons on-and-off the field but the team still has a decent group of players in a division up for grabs. Continue reading →

2012 MLB Preview: Detroit Tigers

28 Wednesday Mar 2012

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The Detroit Tigers semi-unexpectedly won the American League Central division last season. The team then beat the mighty New York Yankees in the first round of the playoffs before being taken out by the Texas Rangers for the AL pennant. 2011 was the organization’s first division title since 1987. In a weak division and with one big impact addition the Tigers are primed to repeat as division champions in 2012. Continue reading →

2012 MLB Preview: Philadelphia Phillies

27 Tuesday Mar 2012

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Led by their four all-star caliber starting pitchers and a capable offense, the Philadelphia Phillies posted the best regular season record of any Major League Baseball team in 2011. Unfortunately for Philadelphia regular season success was not realized in the postseason as the team was bounced in the first round of the playoffs by the eventual World Series champions, the St. Louis Cardinals. 2011 marked the fifth consecutive National League East division title for Philadelphia. In 2012 it will be more difficult for the Phillies to continue their stranglehold on the division. Miami and Washington are improved and Atlanta still lurks while Philadelphia is headed closer to the pack due to losses on the roster and age. Continue reading →

2012 MLB Preview: New York Yankees

23 Friday Mar 2012

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The New York Yankees, Major League Baseball’s most successful franchise in history, continue to be a top-tier organization. Having a $200+ million payroll, about $40 million larger than the next highest team, certainly helps. But one has to give the Yankees some credit for spending their money well enough to field a team with a chance to win the World Series every year. In the past 17 seasons the Yankees have made the playoffs 16 times, winning the World Series five times. Recent years haven’t been as successful by Yankees’ standards. Since the Boston Red Sox epic comeback against New York in 2004 the team won one World Series (2009), but also missed the playoffs for the only time during that 17-year stretch and was bounced in the first round four out of six trips. Again, these are by Yankees standards, not a normal team. In 2012, the Yankees are positioned once again to make a playoff run. Continue reading →

2012 MLB Preview: Arizona Diamondbacks

22 Thursday Mar 2012

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Following consecutive last place finishes in the National League West, the Arizona Diamondbacks came out of nowhere to capture the division in 2011. The D-Backs had a 29 game turnaround with a team that was largely the same from the previous year. This wasn’t the first time the young franchise had done this. In its 14-year history, Arizona has won the division five times (and the World Series once). Four out of the five times the team won the division, it finished third or worse the year before. In 2012, the Diamondbacks will look to build off of an improbable run to the playoffs and repeat as division champions. NL West history tells us this will be tough. In the 17 seasons since re-alignment, only three teams have repeated as champions of the division. Arizona has a good enough team to do it but the competition should be improved from a year ago. Continue reading →

2012 MLB Preview: Tampa Bay Rays

21 Wednesday Mar 2012

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The 2011 Tampa Bay Rays went on an improbable run to the playoffs. The team began September 8.5 games out of a playoff spot. The Rays went 17-9 during the final month and, coupled with the Red Sox collapse, were able to pass Boston on the final day of the regular season to secure the AL Wild Card. Tampa Bay was then dispatched by the eventual AL champion Texas Rangers in the first round of the playoffs. The Rays are a young franchise with only 14 years of history. For a relatively recent expansion team with little money to spend in the toughest division in Major League Baseball, the franchise has been more successful than anyone could expect. The team finished in last place in the AL East nine times in its first 10 seasons; in that period the closest the team finished to first place was 18 games back while its average finish was 34 games back of first place. But the franchise turned it around in 2008 finishing in first place and winning the American League pennant. The Rays are one of the most well run organizations in MLB and have made the playoffs three of the past four seasons. In 2012, the team has a good chance to make it four playoff appearances in five seasons.  Continue reading →

2012 MLB Preview: Boston Red Sox

20 Tuesday Mar 2012

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The Boston Red Sox came into the 2011 season as one of the most hyped Major League Baseball teams in recent history. At the beginning of September last season the team found itself atop the American League East with an 83-53 record, 1/2 game ahead of the New York Yankees, nine games up on the Tampa Bay Rays. Then everything went wrong. The team had a 7-19 record in the month, finished seven games behind in the division and, more importantly, were passed up by the Tampa Bay Rays on the final day of the regular season thus missing out on the playoffs (*). The Red Sox collapse led to change throughout the organization (**). General Manager Theo Epstein left for the Chicago Cubs; Ben Cherington takes over. Manager Terry Francona was let go in favor of Bobby Valentine. The roster had a lot of turnover outside of its core players. Even with all the change in the offseason, Boston still has a strong roster. Continue reading →

2012 MLB Preview: Atlanta Braves

19 Monday Mar 2012

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Going into September last season the Atlanta Braves were all set to make their second consecutive trip to the postseason. The team had a comfortable 8.5 game lead on the St. Louis Cardinals for the wild card. That lead soon turned out to not be so comfortable. The Braves struggled the entire month with an 8-18 record (including losing the last five games of the season) and were passed from behind by the eventual World Series champion Cardinals on the memorable last day of the regular season. Atlanta collapsed, missing the playoffs for the fifth time in six seasons after winning their division 14 straight times from 1991-2005 (*). In 2012 the Atlanta Braves will look to turn the page from last season’s finish and focus on competing in an improved division from a year ago.  Continue reading →

2012 MLB Preview: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

16 Friday Mar 2012

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The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim had a pretty quiet offseason. By quiet I mean the organization made the single biggest free agent splash in Major League Baseball in more than a decade. Albert Pujols is an Angel. So is the most coveted free agent pitcher from the offseason C.J. Wilson (*). Under Owner Arte Moreno and new General Manager Jerry Dipoto (**), Anaheim has transformed into one of the league’s powerhouses. The franchise’s payroll is approaching (and in the near future) will exceed $150 million. In 2012, the Angels will have the fourth highest payroll in MLB – behind New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, and Philadelphia Phillies. From 2002 through 2009 the team made the playoffs six out of eight years before missing out the last two seasons. With the offseason the team had, Anaheim put itself in great position to end their two-year postseason drought.

(*) Crazily they agreed to terms with the organization on the same day. 

(**) Throw in a new lucrative television rights deal as well. Continue reading →