MLB '08 Season Discussion

[Doombard]

Was lookin around to see if there was a baseball discussion forum and I don't think there is!

Whats everyones take on the 08 season so far.

What are the chances that Chipper Jones bats over .400 this season?

[omgaggrohelpme]

some really good hitting and some really shitty pitching so far..

Berkman, Chipper, Utley, Soriano, and even Furcal have been hitting the ball way over their norms, I can see maybe Berkman hitting 350ish because hes hit as high as 340 before, but I don't see Chipper continuing to hit 400, he'll come back down and hover about 340-360 IF that, he has had a great month and a half, but he is just not built to hit that much. I think Utley will slow down and Hanley Ramirez will end up being the most influential Middle Infielder for this year.

Don't think the D-backs are as good as advertised, but wth happened to the NL WEST, that part is just a black hole ATM, Dodgers can't hit, can't pitch, can't catch... Rockies are like the the old Marlins, went to WS or won one, and then loose 95+ games lol.. the Padres are like the Bad News Bears and can't do much.. the Giants are abit over-achivers IMO, and should come back down to 400 ball.. AL East is surprising in that the TB have a better record that the Yanks and are closer to 1st than last.. I think they end up 3rd beating the Jay's and "Oh shit," Baltimore team..

AL Central is out of whack, and Cliff Lee is still out of his orbit.. I think Lee goes back down the earth just about the time the Tigers find out how to get on base and not wait for a 3-run bomb...

[Viq]

Was lookin around to see if there was a baseball discussion forum and I don't think there is!

Whats everyones take on the 08 season so far.

What are the chances that Chipper Jones bats over .400 this season?

1) There is, but most people on BG really only post during playoffs, so the MLB thread is well buried.

2) I <3 great pitching, and this year has seen plenty of it. Obligatory go Sox, wtf Tigers/Padres/Rays, lol<insert team you don't like here>

3) Slim to none. As Chipper himself said, "A .310 career hitter is probably going to end up hitting about .310"

[Brill Weave]

I live in Pittsburgh. Baseball is dead to me.

[Doombard]

A lot of teams are performing better than expected, I"m a cards fan and even I expected them to sit @ the bottom of the NL central this year but they're fighting with the cubs and the astros have crept up also. They have lost a lot of games as of late though. Jim Edmonds being a cub makes me sick.

[Cephius]

There was a thread about the MLB when the season started, but I can't find it either, so whatever.

I think overall I'm surprised at how many notoriously crappy teams are on the top of their leagues. The Marlins are winning in the NL east, the Rays and Orioles are winning the AL east, the Cards in the NL central, and the As are near the top in the AL West. It's been pointed out on ESPN and elsewhere how much the offensive numbers in the entire league have trailed off since the league and congress have started investigating steroid allegations. Seems like we may be in for a season where pitchers dominate and offense takes a second seat.

[Headspace]

Cincinnati's on a roll and Volquez is hot shit.

That's the only team I follow so that's all I can contribute lol

[Doombard]

Cincinnati's on a roll and Volquez is hot shit.

That's the only team I follow so that's all I can contribute lol

Griffey will most likely be traded this season I think. Probably go to a contending AL team. I think it would be sweet if Seattle picked up their game and got on top of their division and traded for him.

[Headspace]

Cincinnati's on a roll and Volquez is hot shit.

That's the only team I follow so that's all I can contribute lol

Griffey will most likely be traded this season I think. Probably go to a contending AL team. I think it would be sweet if Seattle picked up their game and got on top of their division and traded for him.

Once he hits 600 he's on the trading block.

Really shitty too, but he needs to be on a winning team.

[SwampdonkeyPLD]

Cincinnati's on a roll and Volquez is hot shit.

That's the only team I follow so that's all I can contribute lol

Griffey will most likely be traded this season I think. Probably go to a contending AL team. I think it would be sweet if Seattle picked up their game and got on top of their division and traded for him.

Once he hits 600 he's on the trading block.

Really shitty too, but he needs to be on a winning team.

It's a shame he got hurt so often. He might be hitting 700 instead of 600 and we'd have a legit home-run king in the near future.

[Viq]

the Sox are winning the AL east

fix'd

[blister1]

Watching the Yankees flutter in the sand without ARod and Posada for the last three weeks has been awesome. We went from the best offense in the majors to one of the worst in a heartbeat.

I don't get it though, we've had better pitching than Boston (ERA's don't tell the tale as its skewed by Hughes/Kennedy/Igawa) but the faggots keep winning somehow.

[Akiyama]

Braves are a mixture for me. They're not performing up to snuff, but there's a couple guys (Frenchy for one) who aren't performing worth shit, so their future could still be bright. Should have known better than to count on Mike Hampton for more than one start (didn't make one), Smoltz went down with an injury and will be coming back sometime next month to the bullpen, and we are riddled with injuries as is. When we do get Smoltz back, we'll have Soriano, Smoltz, and Gonzalez at the tail end of our bullpen. If our starters can go at least 5 innings with a lead, then all will be well. Hudson has done alright (except for sucking in interleague play as usual) and Jair Jurrjens has done fantastic. I bet the Tigers wish they had kept him instead of acquiring Renteria. Chipper, Escobar, McCann, and even a couple pickups like Omar Infante, Gotay, and Nortan are doing pretty well. As soon as Francoeur and Teixeira get it rolling, their offense will at least be a bit more stable. Right now, they either score 5+ runs or less than 2. It's pitiful.

As far as my surprises go, the Rays, Marlins, and the AL Central/NL West are my surpises. The Rays have been playing great, and you know what? I think they could be the real deal. It's a shame they are in the AL East though as the Red Sox own that division until they are dethroned. I could see them possibly finishing 2nd to the Sox though.

The Marlins are a really surprising team. Hanley Ramirez could easily be a 40/40 (HR/SB) guy this year, and one of the best players in the MLB. He's got such great talent. Then they have Uggla, Cantu, Jacobs, and Jeremy Hermida all performing great. I'm not sure they can keep it up all year though as I think they are overachieving with their pitching at times (Scott Olsen), and they play out of their mind on the Road. I guess Road games are probably more fun than Home games for them since fans actually come to the games. I also don't think their hitting will stay as consistent as proven by the Kansas City Royals. I still think the Phillies could win the division if they can straighten out a pitcher other than Cole Hamels and Jamie Moyer occasionally. It sucks to admit the Phillies are better than the Braves, but I'm not one of those typical homers. I'd like to get into sports broadcasting or writing, and I don't feel there's a place for homers in the business, even if they are everywhere. =[

The AL Central... wow. Here I thought the Indians and Tigers would once again run away with the division. Oops? The Indians have a great pitching staff all the sudden that could possibly be six deep with Westbrook coming back (and them already having Sabathia, Carmona, Lee, Byrd, and Laffey), but their offense is so pitiful. Hafner sucking ass doesn't help. The Tigers are probably one of the most disappointing teams in some time. All that money, all that great, young talent (other than a couple players) and they're in dead last. Their pitching (I'm looking at you, Verlander) is horrendous, hence why I think they regret getting rid of a young talent in Jurrjens. I think if they could take that trade back, they would. I honestly think they are as good as their record details. With their pitching being in the dumps the way it is, they'll need to score a ton of runs to get wins, and right now.. they don't seem in sync.

The NL West is a bit deceiving. The D-Backs are atop the division, and one of the best teams in baseball. Not so fast! They are 20-5 against their own weak division which makes them 8-11 versus everyone else. The Dodgers are really random. The Rockies are horrible. The Giants are overachieving. The Padres can't score to save their life, and the did I mention the Rockies are horrible? I think I did. I think once the D-Backs start going through the other divisions, we'll see if they are for real or not. They do have one of the best rotations in baseball with Webb, Haren, Randy Johnson (old man is old), Micah Owings (known more for his hitting), and with Doug Davis coming back to replace a stud in Max Scherzer. It's scary that they will probably send him back to the minors when other teams out there would probably die to have him in their rotation. They are that good in terms of pitching. Their hitting though, while scoring a ton of runs, is suspect. I suppose it's just due to how young they are. They come to Atlanta for a 4 game series pretty soon, and I guess we'll see how good they are up close and in person. I'm hoping for at least a split, but I'm sure we'll draw both Haren and Webb, which will turn out badly for Atlanta.

As far as Chipper Jones and Lance Berkman are concerned, they are playing out of their mind. As a Braves fan, seeing Chipper hit .400+ would be awesome, but it won't happen for two reasons. One, it's nearly impossible to do now anyway with the assortment of pitchers that batters have to face. Some pitchers that batters have to face late in games are specialized to face a specific type of batters, and the batters most likely haven't seen them before. Two, he can't stay healthy for the life of him. If he gets in 135 games this year, I think it'd be a miracle. The man is as tough as paper it seems. It's always a groin strain, quad injury or something else bothering him. It's a shame really. He's such a great 3B. If he could stay healthy, no telling the numbers he could put up. I can see him hitting .335-.345ish which is what he put up last year when he lost the batting title to Matt Holliday.

Lance Berkman is fucking insane. I think during his 17(?) game hitting streak, he's hitting over .500 with something like 7 or 8 homers and a ton of Runs scored/RBI. I'm sure he'll come back down to earth eventually as well. It's funny though. An announcer said "I wonder how it feels to wake up with a .399 Batting Average and be second in hitting."

Long post is looooong, but I love baseball so fucking much. D: So sue me!

Oh, also... lolYankees. Missing Torre yet? At least they get A-Rod back this week, I believe. They are god awful. Didn't mention the Mets either, but how's the Santana trade working? I still think he gives up a ton of homers. I'm sure he'll win ~18-19 games, but not the 22 that people are predicting. The National League isn't that bad this year.

I hope Griffey Jr. goes back to Seattle to finish his career. Would be nice for them, seeing as nothing else is going right out there.

[Cephius]

the Sox are winning the AL east

fix'd

Whatever, my point was that no one expects the Rays to be anywhere near the top of the AL east They sure do have a good team though, some good pitching and a lively bunch of young kids.

Oh, also... lolYankees. Missing Torre yet? At least they get A-Rod back this week, I believe. They are god awful.

Torre has nothing to do with it. The Yankees had an equally slow start last year, even with A-rod having a crazy beginning to his season. If the Yankees don't hit like they are right now so be it, but I'd be shocked if the offense continues to struggle the way it has. Even if you conceed the Red Sox winning the division, their only competition for the wild card right now (Detroit - 10 games under, Seattle, 9 games under, Cleveland, .500 despite amazing pitching performances) aren't doing well at all. I'm not ready to buy into the Rays and Orioles as legit contenders for the wild card, so I still think the Yankees can go on another tear and get into the postseason again. They have the money to go sign a veteran pitcher to soak up innings, and if their offense hits the way they are capable of, they can get hot in hurry. We'll see.

[Akiyama]

the Sox are winning the AL east

fix'd

Whatever, my point was that no one expects the Rays to be anywhere near the top of the AL east They sure do have a good team though, some good pitching and a lively bunch of young kids.

Oh, also... lolYankees. Missing Torre yet? At least they get A-Rod back this week, I believe. They are god awful.

Torre has nothing to do with it. The Yankees had an equally slow start last year, even with A-rod having a crazy beginning to his season. If the Yankees don't hit like they are right now so be it, but I'd be shocked if the offense continues to struggle the way it has. Even if you conceed the Red Sox winning the division, their only competition for the wild card right now (Detroit - 10 games under, Seattle, 9 games under, Cleveland, .500 despite amazing pitching performances) aren't doing well at all. I'm not ready to buy into the Rays and Orioles as legit contenders for the wild card, so I still think the Yankees can go on another tear and get into the postseason again. They have the money to go sign a veteran pitcher to soak up innings, and if their offense hits the way they are capable of, they can get hot in hurry. We'll see.

Hey! I respect the Rays! I said they have the talent to at least finish 2nd! D:

Also, I know Torre doesn't have anything directly related to it, but I feel his presence in the locker room is better than that of Girardi and what not. They just seem to be going through the motions. I'm sure they'll pick it up and do well. They are just getting old and listless.

As far as Wild Card teams go, right now, I think it is pretty wide open. I can see the Rays making a run for it if they can maintain this level of performance. I'm not really burying the Yankees. I never have. That'd be insane, but I just don't think they'll be that great. I'm sure the Tigers won't suck ALL year. Their offense will pick up too. Hell, their offense is better t han the Yankees, but right now, both are struggling. Oh well, we'll indeed see how it is at the end of the marathon season.

[pohibaba]

The Giants are overachieving.

I know we're not a great team, but you think a .378 winning percentage and being 11.5 games back is overachieving?

[Kooldac]

-

Since you impressed me and seem to know your shit, i'll quote you.

First off, great start to the season imo. I love pitching and to see all these aces perform is amazing. I don't know where Cliff Lee came out of but I wanna live in whatever bush he came from. Being a DBacks fan, a baseball fan, and a pitching fan I hope and pray Webb takes this as long as possible. Possible CY Young by all-star break anyone?

As far as my surprises go, the Rays, Marlins, and the AL Central/NL West are my surpises. The Rays have been playing great, and you know what? I think they could be the real deal. It's a shame they are in the AL East though as the Red Sox own that division until they are dethroned. I could see them possibly finishing 2nd to the Sox though.

Am loving the Marlins right now. Great to see young prospects mature. What can be said about H. Ramirez? So much talent in that guy. He will be great stuff for a long time. Ugga? geez nice tear you are on right now but you'll be slowing down soon. I certainly did not expect the Cubs to do this good. I knew they were above average but damn at their offense. Maybe for once they can be WS contenders. Boy I sure would love to hear all the Cubs' fans stfu and win a WS finally.

The AL Central... wow. Here I thought the Indians and Tigers would once again run away with the division. Oops? The Indians have a great pitching staff all the sudden that could possibly be six deep with Westbrook coming back (and them already having Sabathia, Carmona, Lee, Byrd, and Laffey), but their offense is so pitiful. Hafner sucking ass doesn't help. The Tigers are probably one of the most disappointing teams in some time. All that money, all that great, young talent (other than a couple players) and they're in dead last. Their pitching (I'm looking at you, Verlander) is horrendous, hence why I think they regret getting rid of a young talent in Jurrjens. I think if they could take that trade back, they would. I honestly think they are as good as their record details. With their pitching being in the dumps the way it is, they'll need to score a ton of runs to get wins, and right now.. they don't seem in sync.

Seriously wtf with the Tigers? I knew their bullpen sucked but what the hell. Everything is sucking right now save Maggs' average. No one is hitting. So much talent on that time I really cannot explain how they are doing this poorly. Verlander's no-hitter last year is about all he has going for him, really.

The NL West is a bit deceiving. The D-Backs are atop the division, and one of the best teams in baseball. Not so fast! They are 20-5 against their own weak division which makes them 8-11 versus everyone else. The Dodgers are really random. The Rockies are horrible. The Giants are overachieving. The Padres can't score to save their life, and the did I mention the Rockies are horrible? I think I did. I think once the D-Backs start going through the other divisions, we'll see if they are for real or not. They do have one of the best rotations in baseball with Webb, Haren, Randy Johnson (old man is old), Micah Owings (known more for his hitting), and with Doug Davis coming back to replace a stud in Max Scherzer. It's scary that they will probably send him back to the minors when other teams out there would probably die to have him in their rotation. They are that good in terms of pitching. Their hitting though, while scoring a ton of runs, is suspect. I suppose it's just due to how young they are. They come to Atlanta for a 4 game series pretty soon, and I guess we'll see how good they are up close and in person. I'm hoping for at least a split, but I'm sure we'll draw both Haren and Webb, which will turn out badly for Atlanta.

This is the only part I disagree with but i'm sure it's partially biased. Definitely true that the NL West is biased currently with the DBacks division success. This is without a doubt the weakest division in all of MLB currently and prolly throughout this season imo. However, the next few weeks should be the DBacks' test to see how they perform away from their division. I truly do have a lot of faith in the young players they have. I certainly love to see the old school method of a farm system being used and developing young hitters. Drew, give him probably 2 more years and I think he'll be an every year All-star with great defense and hits for average/par power. Young, the kid has great speed, great power, and once he learns the strike zone in a couple years and improves on recognizing the breaking ball, the sky is the limit. Upton... um... he is 20 fucking years olds for pete's sake. He has the second best average on the team so far, can flat out field, has a cannon for an arm, and basically tons of potential. They have arguably the best pitching rotation in the MLB. Oakland is moronic for giving us Haren. Thanks btw. Oh and Davis is about to come back. Melvin has a hell of a decision with him and what to do with Sherzer.

As far as Chipper Jones and Lance Berkman are concerned, they are playing out of their mind. As a Braves fan, seeing Chipper hit .400+ would be awesome, but it won't happen for two reasons. One, it's nearly impossible to do now anyway with the assortment of pitchers that batters have to face. Some pitchers that batters have to face late in games are specialized to face a specific type of batters, and the batters most likely haven't seen them before. Two, he can't stay healthy for the life of him. If he gets in 135 games this year, I think it'd be a miracle. The man is as tough as paper it seems. It's always a groin strain, quad injury or something else bothering him. It's a shame really. He's such a great 3B. If he could stay healthy, no telling the numbers he could put up. I can see him hitting .335-.345ish which is what he put up last year when he lost the batting title to Matt Holliday.

Chipper and Berkman flat out are not this good and I think everyone realizes it. Utley as well. He is definitely a damn good 2B but I don't think he'll be keeping this up as his numbers are already starting to show with his average dropping close to 300. Laugh at Prince Fielder as well. I don't know why people seem to think he is good. Congrats you'll get above average HRs. Nice K and AVG numbers tho. Glad to see Ortiz getting back into his form. Didn't like seeing him below the Mendoza line.

[Akiyama]

The Giants are overachieving.

I know we're not a great team, but you think a .378 winning percentage and being 11.5 games back is overachieving?

Yeah. I think they are overachieving with a 38% winning percentage. I still picked them to finish last in the division, and they are 3rd right now. That shouldn't hold. They are way too spotty.

Also, Kooldac, wow. You actually read my entire post? Props to you, good sir.

I do agree with you about the D-Backs in some aspects. They are a young team and will be good for years to come, but with their young age comes inexperience. I think their hitting will hit slumps, but that comes with young guys. Chris Young does have some nice power, but I think he's still learning his strikezone. Justin Upton's average is great. I think he'll maintain a .300+ batting average (.305-.315 possibly) at least and hit for some power like his brother (B.J. Upton), but I don't see a .330+ batting average. He's still young and learning the game. Conor Jackson has been a huge surprise in terms of his contact, and you're right about Stephen Drew. It'll take him a little bit to really get used to the big leagues.

In terms of your pitching, I basically agreed with your points. You do have strong, strong pitching, but it's not like Webb is going to go 30-0. He started off great the last few years with an 8-0 record to start in 2006, a 7-0 record in 2007 (I think), and 9-0 this year. It's only a matter of time before he cools off a little, but he's a legit 20 game winner for sure. Dan Haren's going to be good over in the NL, Randy Johnson is 44 years old, so we know that won't keep up. Micah Owings is nice, but I like his hitting more than his pitching if that tells you anything. Doug Davis, I don't know. He's a great story with his overcoming cancer, but who knows how he'll do all year while pitching. Max Scherzer is one of the best young pitchers I've seen in a while, but I hope they don't wear him out like Lou wore out Kerry Wood early in his career.

Good points though and nothing wrong with defending your team! I defend the Braves, but I'm not heavily biased toward my own team because I know in sports, you have to defend both sides.

[Viq]

With all this D'backs talk, I think it's interesting to note that MLB's haphazard interleague schedule has the Red Sox and Diamondbacks playing for the 2nd consecutive year. JD vs. Stephen in Drew Battle 2!

[Kooldac]

Also, Kooldac, wow. You actually read my entire post? Props to you, good sir.

I do agree with you about the D-Backs in some aspects. They are a young team and will be good for years to come, but with their young age comes inexperience. I think their hitting will hit slumps, but that comes with young guys. Chris Young does have some nice power, but I think he's still learning his strikezone. Justin Upton's average is great. I think he'll maintain a .300+ batting average (.305-.315 possibly) at least and hit for some power like his brother (B.J. Upton), but I don't see a .330+ batting average. He's still young and learning the game. Conor Jackson has been a huge surprise in terms of his contact, and you're right about Stephen Drew. It'll take him a little bit to really get used to the big leagues.

Good points though and nothing wrong with defending your team! I defend the Braves, but I'm not heavily biased toward my own team because I know in sports, you have to defend both sides.

Oh god yes. I don't have numbers in front of me but I'll take a hefty bet that they have the most strikeouts of any team in the MLB. Doubt they will win any pennants this year or next, but I see great things in their future as long as management doesn't fuck up and start using the young guys as veteran trade bate.