CarterHud

       With a record of 68-94, the Tampa Bay Rays finished last in the AL East, 25 GB of the first place Boston Red Sox. They were the only team in the division that weren\’t in the playoff hunt. To fix that, GM Erik Neander needed to either start the big rebuild, or trade for stars in the offseason. Let\’s see what Neander did.

        Key additions: Cs Wilson Ramos, Derek Norris, Jesus Sucre, OFs Colby Rasmus, Mallex Smith, Peter Bourjos, RPs Shawn Tolleson, Jumbo Diaz, SP Nathan Eovaldi.
        Key subtractions: 2B Logan Forsythe, SP Drew Smyly, OFs Desmond Jennings, Mikie Mahtook, RP Enny Romero, Steven Geltz, Kevin Jepsen, C Bobby Wilson.

       
        Biggest move: The Rays made one of the biggest trades in the offseason. They acquired a big SP prospect in Jose De Leon from the Los Angeles Dodgers for 2B Logan Forsythe. De Leon can be a star when he eventually makes the team, but not this year.
        X-factor: With the Forsythe trade, the Rays needed to move 1B Brad Miller to 2B. Logan Morrison will be their 1B. \”LoMo\” is a career .230 hitter. They need him to produce in a starting role.
        Biggest bounce back: Going in to the 2016 season, Shawn Tolleson had the closer job in Texas locked up after 35 saves in 2015. But he struggled mightily, with a 7.68 ERA. In the offseason, Tolleson signed with Tampa. As a set up man, they need him to pitch well.
         Biggest breakout: In 2016, now 24 year old Blake Snell made his MLB debut, with a 3.54 ERA and 98 Ks in 89 innings. He will be their 4th starter in 2017. Expect big numbers for the top prospect.
         Guaranteed star: Though he had a weaker 2016 than 2015, Chris Archer is a career 3.25 ERA guy and for the second year in a row, he posted over 230 Ks. he\’s a star, there\’s no doubt about it.
          The Rays lineup should look like this.

1. CF: Kevin Kiermaier
2. SS: Matt Duffy
3. 2B: Brad Miller
4. 3B: Evan Longoria
5. LF: Corey Dickerson
6. DH: Steven Souza Jr.
7. RF: Colby Rasmus
8. C: Derek Norris
9. 1B: Logan Morrison
            Their rotation will probably be this.

1. Chris Archer
2. Jake Odorizzi
3. Alex Cobb
4. Blake Snell
5. Matt Andriese

             OF Mallex Smith, SSs Tim Beckham and Rickie Weeks and C Jesus Sucre will be on the bench.
             Alex Colome will be their closer, with Brad Boxberger (currently injured) and Shawn Tolleson setting him up.

              Finally, for my prediction, I think the Tampa Bay Rays will finish last in the AL East again, and eventually enter the tough years of the rebuild.

      With a record of 86-76, the St. Louis Cardinals finished 2nd in the NL Central, 17.5 GB of the first place Chicago Cubs. They also saw the Cubs win the World Series. They suffered a big drop-off in 2016. They were expecting a huge season out of prospect Alex Reyes, but Tommy John surgery will keep him from playing in 2017. If the Cards want to keep up with the Cubs in 2017, GM John Mozeliak needed to do big things. Let\’s look at what Mozeliak did.

       Key additions: OF Dexter Fowler, RPs Brett Cecil, John Gant, Jordan Schafer.
       Key additions: OFs Matt Holliday, Brandon Moss, Jeremy Hazelbaker, SP Jaime Garcia, RPs Seth Maness, Dean Kiekhefer.

       Biggest move: For most teams, signing RP Brett Cecil to a 4 year, $30.5 million deal would be their offseason\’s highlight. But the Cardinals didn\’t just sign Cecil, they also signed OF Dexter Fowler to a 5 year, $82.5 million deal. A big part of the Cubs 2016 World Series win wasn\’t just Fowler, it was also John Lackey and Jason Heyward, two former Cardinals, who previously signed with the Cubs. It\’s really nice for the Cardinals to get revenge on their archenemy.
       X-factor: On their active roster, the Cardinals only have one catcher in Yadier Molina. Molina is now 34, and hasn\’t hit double digit homers since 2013. The Cards need \”Yadi\” to not get hurt in 2017.
       Biggest bounce back: In 2014, Adam Wainwright was a top pitcher in the game with his 2.38 ERA and 179 Ks in 227 innings. But an injury kept him out for all but 28 innings in 2015. In 2016, he had a bad year, with a 4.62 ERA in 198.2 innings (his first full season with less than 200 innings since 2012, where he also pitched 198.2 innings). Carlos Martinez is now the opening day starter, and Wainwright badly needs to get things together.
        Biggest breakout: If it wasn\’t for the injury, Reyes would definitely be here. But, I\’ll be forced to put someone else here. The man I\’ll put here is someone who was supposed to sub at SS for Jhonny Peralta for a month after Peralta was injured. Aledmys Diaz took that chance, and performed nicely, forcing manager Mike Matheny to move Peralta to 3B. Diaz finished the season with a .300 average and 17 HRs. 20 HRs seems ideal for the 26 year old in his second season.
        Guaranteed star: One thing the Cardinals don\’t necessarily have is a real number one guy. The are very well rounded. The guy I\’ll highlight is Matt Carpenter. Carpenter is a utility player. He\’s moved from 2B to 3B to now 1B. He also hits 20 bombs a year. He\’s no superstar, but he\’s a solid player to have.
          The Cardinals lineup should look like this.

1. CF: Dexter Fowler
2. 1B: Matt Carpenter
3. RF: Stephen Piscotty
4. LF: Randal Grichuk
5. SS: Aledmys Diaz
6. 2B: Jedd Gyorko (platoon)
7. C: Yadier Molina
8. 3B: Jhonny Peralta
9. Pitcher
              Their rotation will probably be this.

1. Carlos Martinez
2. Adam Wainwright
3. Mike Leake
4. Michael Wacha
5. Trevor Rosenthal

                2B Kolten Wong (platoon with Gyorko), 1B Matt Adams and SS Greg Garcia will be on the bench.
                Seung-Hwan Oh will be their closer, with Brett Cecil and Kevin Siegrist setting him up.

                Finally, for my prediction, I think the Cardinals will improve in 2017, and make the NL wild card game. But, they will lose in it to the San Francisco Giants.

 

With a record of 86-76, the Seattle Mariners finished 2nd in the AL West, 9 GB of the first place Texas Rangers. They had many players with nice seasons, including 2B Robinson Cano, who showed many that he was the same player that he was for the New York Yankees. 23 year old closer Edwin Diaz had a nice rookie season, with a 2.79 ERA and 18 saves in 51.2 innings. But if they wanted to make the playoffs, GM Jerry Dipoto needed to make some moves. Well, Dipoto made many trades, changing the team. Let\’s look at what Dipoto did.

    Key additions: SS Jean Segura, OFs Jarrod Dyson, Mitch Haniger, 3B Danny Valencia, SPs Drew Smyly, Yovani Gallardo, Chris Heston, RPs Mark Rzepczynski, Casey Fien, James Pazos, Shae Simmons, Cs Carlos Ruiz, Tuffy Gosewisch.
    Key subtractions: SPs Taijuan Walker, Nathan Karns, SS Ketel Marte, OFs Norichika Aoki, Seth Smith, Franklin Gutierrez, 1B Adam Lind, C Chris Iannetta, RPs Drew Storen, Vidal Nuno, Tom Wilhelmsen.

    Biggest move: The Mariners and the Arizona Diamondbacks pulled off a blockbuster. It sent outfielder Mitch Haniger and SS Jean Segura to Seattle, and SP Taijuan Walker and SS Ketel Marte to Arizona. With 20 HRs and 33 SBs last season (HRs a career high), Segura is a really good player. He was last year\’s NL hits leader with 203.
    X-factor: When it comes to the best base stealers, Jarrod Dyson is a top 5 guy who comes to mind. Last year, he had a career high in ABs with 299, and still stole 30 bases. After being the Royals 4th outfielder for his entire career, Dyson will get a starting role in Seattle. I\’d be surprised if he didn\’t put up 40 steals.
     Biggest breakout: Many expected 2016 to be the year SP James Paxton broke out. He had a solid year, with a 3.79 ERA in 121 innings. Maybe 2017 is the year we were looking for out of Paxton last year.
     Biggest bounce back: Felix Hernandez will be a hall of famer eventually. But in 2016, he might of had his worst season yet. He had a 3.82 ERA (highest since 2007) in just 153.1 innings (his first non 200 innings season since 2007, and lowest amount of innings since his rookie season of 2005). If the Mariners want to make the playoffs in 2017, they need \”King Felix\” to bounce back in 2017.
     Guaranteed star: In 9 years with the Yankees from 2005 to 2013, 2B Robinson Cano hit 25 or more HRs 5 times, 100 or more RBIs 3 times and an average over .300 7 times. After signing a huge 10 year, $240 million deal with the M\’s in before the 2014 season, Cano hit a total of 35 HRs in two years. But in 2016, Cano set a career high in HRs with 39, and hit over 100 RBIs (103) for the first time in Seattle.
      The Mariners lineup should look like this.

1. CF: Leonys Martin
2. SS: Jean Segura
3. 2B: Robinson Cano
4. DH: Nelson Cruz
5. 3B: Kyle Seager
6. RF: Mitch Haniger
7. 1B: Danny Valencia
8. LF: Jarrod Dyson
9. C: Mike Zunino
         Their rotation will probably be this.

1. Felix Hernandez
2. Hisashi Iwakuma
3. James Paxton
4. Drew Smyly
5. Yovani Gallardo

           C Carlos Ruiz, OF Guillermo Heredia and SS Shawn O\’Malley will be on the bench.
           Edwin Diaz will be their closer, with Steve Cishek (currently injured) and Nick Vincent setting him up.
  
            Finally, for my prediction, I think the Seattle Mariners will tie with the Houston Astros for second in the AL West, but miss the playoffs in 2017.

   

Of the many new advanced metrics in the NHL (or any hockey league), shot blocking is a very important one. Defensive skaters like to block opponents\’ shots, so their goaltender doesn\’t have to. Each NHL team wants to block shots. On the New York Islanders, no one wants to block shots more than defenseman Calvin de Haan. The Carp, Ontario native is 4th in the NHL in blocked shots, with 175. The Islanders drafted him 12th overall in the 2009 draft, after trading up for him. de Haan, 25, has 65 points (11 goals and 54 assists) in 263 career NHL games. He has career highs in goals (5), assists (16), and of course points (21) this season (2016-17). In 2016-17, the Islanders have watched de Haan change from a 4/5th defenseman to their 3rd best d-man.
     At his teammate Anders Lee\’s Kan Jam event, I was able to catch up with de Haan. Here\’s what I asked him.

     Me: \”How has the team changed from December to now?\”
     de Haan: \”Not at all, really. It\’s something that was one of our goals at the start of the season was to make the playoffs. We didn\’t have the greatest start that we wanted. We\’ve been working hard lately. We\’ve been fortunate enough to get back into the race.

     M: \”How has blocking shots become a big part of your game plan?\”
     dH: \”It\’s something I\’ve always taken pride in. The less work the goaltenders have to do, it\’s one thing that\’s better. It\’s part of our system. It\’s not just me, there\’s a lot of guys who do that on our team.\”
  
      M: \”What do you feel about this event Anders Lee is running?\”
      dH: \”It\’s for a great cause. It\’s the least we can do. Obviously some [people] are in unfortunate positions. We\’re just trying to help out children and other individuals who may not be as fortunate as we are. Those kids don\’t take things for granted, and it\’s nice to see them smile.

   

With a record of 87-75, the San Francisco Giants finished second in the NL West, 4 GB of the first place Los Angeles Dodgers. In the NLDS, the Giants lost to the Chicago Cubs in 4 games. The Cubs eventually won the World Series. The Giants needed a new closer, after old closer (and he wasn\’t even that great of a closer) Santiago Casilla left as a free agent. So, GM Bobby Evans needed to do big things in the offseason. Let\’s see what Evans did.

     Key additions: RP Mark Melancon, C Nick Hundley, SS Jimmy Rollins, 2B Aaron Hill, RPs Bryan Morris, Neil Ramirez, Cs Josmil Pinto, Tim Federowicz, OFs Michael Morse, Justin Ruggiano.
     Key subtractions: SPs Sergio Romo, Santiago Casilla, Joe Nathan, OF Gregor Blanco.

     Biggest move: Remember when I said the Giants needed a closer? Well they got one in Mark Melancon. They signed him to a 4 year, $62 million deal. It was the highest contract a relief pitcher had signed in MLB history (well, for a week). He can really help them in 2017.
     X-factor: The Giants made a couple of moves at last year\’s trade deadline. One was trading 3B Matt Duffy to Tampa Bay. To replace him, the Giants brought in Eduardo Nunez. Nunez, who hit career highs in 2016 in HRs (16), RBIs, (67) and ABs (553), needs to show management that they made the right move in choosing him over Duffy.
      Biggest bounce back: Matt Cain was a Cy Young pitcher. But, now he\’s barely a starter. In 2017, he\’ll need to fight for the 5th rotation spot. He hasn\’t pitched in 100 innings since 2013. In the last 2 seasons, he has an ERA over 5.60. It\’s clear, Cain needs to put things together to save his career.
      Biggest breakout: Two guys: Jarrett Parker and Mac Williamson are fighting for the starting left field job. I think Parker will get it. He\’s yet to show what he can really do in the MLB, with his career high in ABs in a season being 127 (set last year). It would be nice for Parker to break out in 2017.
      Guaranteed star: If it weren\’t for Clayton Kershaw, Madison Bumgarner would be the top pitcher in the MLB right now. His worst career ERA is 3.37 (which is still pretty good), something set in 2012. He\’s also a better hitter than most, taking Kershaw deep last season.
      The Giants lineup should look like this.

1. CF: Denard Span
2. 2B: Joe Panik
3. C: Buster Posey
4. 1B: Brandon Belt
5. RF: Hunter Pence
6. SS: Brandon Crawford
7. 3B: Eduardo Nunez
8. LF: Jarrett Parker
9. Pitcher
       Their rotation will probably be this.

1. Madison Bumgarner
2. Johnny Cueto
3. Jeff Samardzija
4. Matt Moore
5. Matt Cain

        C Nick Hundley, 3B Conor Gillaspie, RF Mac Williamson (injured) and 2B Kelby Tomlinson will be on the bench.
        Mark Melancon will be their closer, with Hunter Strickland and George Kontos setting him up.

        Finally, for my prediction, I think the Giants will improve in 2017, but still finish in the Wild Card.