OffThePost.org

Pitchers and Catchers reporting...

Biggest news of the day: The Cards lose their chance to keep Albert Pujols off the free agent market at the end of the season. Brian Cashman now knows his next target.

I'm encouraged about my Rox this year (mostly because I'm anything but encouraged about any other local teams I follow). Ownership FINALLY opened their wallets and paid up to keep the team's two best players, Tulo and CarGo, with the organization for the next seven or so years. They also got a new hitting coach who sounds like he knows that power is not the way to go in Coors Field. Only question is whether or not Ubaldo can build upon his fantastic season last year and whether or not the rest of the pitching staff and bullpen can follow suit.

If baseball were a contact sport I think the Yanks would be surefire champs. Their starting rotation is bigger than some NFL offensive lines.

HERE WE GO! http://nyti.ms/dNrFFh



I can't wait, I think the Giants will walk with the division this year.

My lineup card (not likely the opening day lineup):

CF Andres Torres
2B Freddy Sanchez
1B Brandon Belt
C Gerald Posey
LF Aubrey Huff
3B Pablo Sandoval
RF Cody Ross
SS Miguel Tejada

It wouldn't surprise me if they try to shift DeRosa to 2B, if he can do it. Torres' range mitigates Huff's crumminess in left, who frankly would be better than Burrell anyway. I really hope Rowand is not needed and eventually dealt. Of course Torres is no guarantee, but I think even if his O drops he's still the best defensive CF in baseball. Belt won't start the season in the majors, but like Posey last year he'll be up soon enough. I don't mind waiting a bit on him.

Panda lost 38 pounds in the offseason and personally worked with Barry Bonds on plate discipline. He's only 22 and a year removed from hitting .330, so I think he still has what it takes to be a star.

Not sure what to expect from Huff and Ross compared to last year. I expect Huff to drop and Ross to improve slightly.

Tejada just needs to not suck in the field, I don't care if he hits or not.

Rotation is fine as long as everyone is healthy. There will be plenty of waiver wire dudes if someone goes down, SF is an easy park for pitchers.

In addition to Belt, I get a sense Charlie Culberson's newfound bat prowess might be too tough to resist at 2B by the end of the season.

Anyways, it's a good time to be a Giants fan. I'm not demanding a repeat, but a return to the playoffs is a reasonable expectation.

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Yeah, Giants ST has been one triumph after another. It's hard not to be really excited.

Baseball seems to be getting more unpredictable every year, but here's how I see the haves and have-nots shaking out thus far:

NL Haves: Braves, Brewers, Giants, Phillies, Reds, Rockies
NL Sortas: Cardinals, Dodgers, Marlins
NL Have-Nots: Astros, Cubs, Diamondbacks, Mets, Nationals, Padres, Pirates

AL Haves: Rangers, Rays, Red Sox, Twins, White Sox, Yankees
AL Sortas: Angels, Athletics, Blue Jays, Tigers
AL Have-Nots: Indians, Mariners, Orioles, Royals

Nothing earth shattering there.

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I won't mind not beating the Giants, but if we can't muster some major wins against the Padres, Dodgers, and D-Backs, I'll be pissed.

Absolutely astounding how much life incompetent GMs seem to have in MLB. Jim Hendry continues to ruin the Cubs with no end in sight. Then again I thought Sabean was a complete moron and look what happened there...

http://www.freep.com/article/20110327/S ... t-rotation

I also posted this because Mike Hampton finally announced his retirement. I'm still absolutely astounded at how both his and Denny Neagle's careers completely imploded in Denver. Neagle's life following his failure with the Rox is a really sad story.

The Belt hype is palpable right now. He almost definitely won't start the season with the big club, but spots in left and first will be opening pretty soon for him. Most articles are pegging him the one to watch and a prospective ROY candidate even though he'll spend some time in AAA.

I like the idea of giving Belt a month to get in the right flow of hitting in a less stressful environment rather than starting from scratch right from the beginning.

Ross is hurt though, meaning the Giants lineup might include Rowand in centre and Torres in right. That's not a disaster, as right in San Francisco is an especially tough spot to play because of the wall.

As for the Rockies, their rotation isn't that great after Ubi, and their lineup isn't scaring me beyond CarGo and Tulo.
The Dodgers have tons of holes and no money to fill them.
Padres lost AGon.
The DBacks still suck.

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I like the Rox chances this year. As I've said ad nauseam, they have a new hitting coach who emphasizes making contact rather than just swinging for the fences, which is what Don Baylor wanted. That's not the way you play in post-roid Coors Field. It's a big field. Use it. We should be seeing much better returns from players who were trying way too hard to hit for power, like Ian Stewart. I am, however, very much concerned about our catchers. Chris Ianetta doesn't exactly instill me with any confidence.

Beyond Jimenez we have Cook, De La Rosa, Hammel, and Chacin. I'm not 100% sure what the exact rotation is but I believe that's our starting 5. The big question is whether or not Cook and Hammel can stay healthy and consistent over the course of the season. Chacin is still an unproven commodity, but I think De La Rosa is as good as any middle-of-the-rotation pitcher out there.

The Rockies' biggest weakness last season IMO was their bullpen, largely due to injuries to key relievers. Those guys SHOULD be healthy now, and hopefully they've finally figured out what in hell to do with Franklin Morales. Dude's got the heat, but no control. I'm hoping he can be a good setup/closer type.

Anyhow, we should be good enough to beat most all the teams in the West with the exception of San Fran. The Padres still have a pretty talented rotation so I imagine we'll still struggle with them on occasion, but dammit we'd better beat the living shit out of the D-Bags and Dodgers.

Brandon Belt made the big club!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Okay, time for predictions. I'd like to say things will be really surprising this year, but they probably won't.

NL: Phillies, Cubs, Giants, (Braves)
AL: Red Sox, White Sox, A's, (Yankees)

WS: Giants vs. A's

Winner: Giants

That's right, I'm betting on a repeat. Sue me.

Surprise playoff contenders: Marlins, Blue Jays
Surprise disappointments: Brewers, Rangers
Last place: Astros, Indians

MVP: Buster Posey, Adrian Gonzalez
Cy Young: Roy Halladay, Justin Verlander
ROY: Brandon Belt, Jeremy Hellickson
Comeback: Pablo Sandoval, Aaron Hill
Disappointments: Alex Gonzalez, Carl Pavano

I'm not sure about the A's hitting, but they clearly have the best pitching staff in the AL. The NL Central is a total dump, but I like the Cubs' additions of Garza and Pena. Colvin and Castro are stars in the making. The Phillies are getting older, but they're still better than the Braves and Marlins. I like the White Sox, even if Peavy doesn't come back. The Rays might finish fourth in the AL East - that bullpen looks lousy on paper.

Don't doubt the Giants. I'm concerned about all the extra playoff innings pitched by the staff, but Bochy is good at managing arms and they have a deep bullpen. Belt's the real deal and Panda looks great. If they hit well and Huff and Torres don't stink it up, their lineup might actually look pretty scary.

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http://joeposnanski.si.com/2011/03/31/t ... -for-2011/

Joe Posnanski ranks the 32 best players for 2011. When you inevitably get to Albert Pujols, it's pretty fucking amazing when you read what his career has been to date.

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Injustice? Cobain died and Eddy Fucking Vedder lived to haunt us with his shitty fucking voice, trite lyrics and his Eddy Vedderness.



- Ancient Chinese Proverb

Pujols is amazing, but he's at least three years older than he claims, at least according to most baseball experts I've read.

Giants rolling with this opening day lineup:

CF Torres
2B Sanchez
RF Huff
C Posey
LF Burrell
SS Tejada
1B Belt
3B Panda
P Timmy

I'm guessing hitters 7 and 8 will move up the order quickly. The Giants are betting on Torres to repeat last season, where he was possibly the most complete CF in the NL. The D makes him worth starting, but if he can't leadoff there aren't really any great alternatives, and the Giants have conceded Rowand can't be an everyday player anymore and might be cut when Cody Ross returns.

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I like this too:

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Thanks Chuck, E.L. and Harmy!

Either Kinsler has paid off Salty or Salty still thinks he plays in Texas. Freakin pitch was down the middle of the plate! My 8 yr old son would have raked that thing!

Ubaldo Jimenez gave up 5 ER in his first start of the season and might miss his next one due to a cut on his cuticle.

Jorge De La Rosa was pulled early in tonight's win against the D-Bags because of a blood blister under his thumb.

Of course Mikael Renberg once had to be hospitalized after getting his finger cut on a skate lace eyelet, so...

I doubt Salty put down the finger signal for "batting practice hanger"

Awesome footwork from Jack Wilson:

http://seattle.mariners.mlb.com/video/p ... 7&c_id=sea

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Thanks Chuck, E.L. and Harmy!

0-6 for the Bosox, I can understand getting swept by Texas but the Indians...now thats just sad

The Rays are 0-6 too, and unlike the Sox are not good enough to get out of any hole. Didn't see the hoopla surrounding the Rays: lost their second best player and the entire bullpen. That lineup looks like shit, especially with Longoria on the DL.

The Sox will rebound, but suddenly their rotation is looking more like a weakness than a strength. Maybe Beckett and Lackey's 2010 seasons were more than just an aberration?

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http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/Slug ... ?GT1=39002

Manny Ramirez calls it a career rather than face a 100-game suspension.

Good news for Giants, Rockies, Padres, and Diamondbacks fans...

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/Majo ... ?Gt1=39002

...bad news for baseball as a whole. I still think Selig is as dirty as they come, but I applaud him for this move at least.