TGP Predicts 2017: The World Series

The drought is over and the Cleveland Indians are your 2017 World Series Champions!! Short, sweet and to the point but that’s how I feel. The Indians are a young team, a deep team and an experienced team after taking the Chicago Cubs to the brink in seven games in the 2016 World Series. Behind the arms of Corey Kluber, Danny Salazar, Andrew Miller and others the Cleveland Indians are just going to be too tough for anyone to handle in my opinion this season.

Don’t get me wrong, the Washington Nationals are tough and they will let the Indians know that they have been in a fight but the bullpen for the Nats may be the difference maker. Without a true closer and without a deep and dominant bullpen that is capable of giving five-plus shutout innings of work on any given night I find it hard to believe that Bryce Harper and company will be able to keep up over a seven game series.

I think this series goes at least six games and may go seven games but at the end of the day I think the World Series championship goes back to Cleveland, finally. The Indians paid their dues last season as the watched Chicago celebrate breaking their curse and drought and now it’s time for redemption. Let me be the first to congratulate the 2017 Cleveland Indians on their World Series victory.

It's Just Money...

A few days ago, the Associated Press reported that the New York Yankees had fallen to third in total payroll behind the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Detroit Tigers.  The AP report put the Yankees 2017 Payroll at $195 million.

Researching another sports contract site (spotrac.com), it appears that the Yankees may still hold second place by a few million.  Spotrac has the total Yankees payroll at $201,539,699.  The figure includes not only the dead contract for Alex Rodriguez (referred to as Retained Salary) of $21 million, but also $5.5 million that the Yankees are paying toward the contract for Houston Astros starting catcher Brian McCann.

There is also money allocated to Ruben Tejada and Ji-Man Choi that count toward the total payroll even though they are not on the major league roster.

CC Sabathia is the highest paid Yankee at $25 million.  But the killer is the total of $34,142,857 the Yankees spend to have the luxury of carrying Jacoby Ellsbury and Chase Headley on the roster (ugh!).  

According to Spotrac, the Boston Red Sox actually have the third highest payroll (just more than $50,000 above the Tigers).  The Red Sox carry the most dollars for “buried” contracts (players currently in the minor leagues) at just over $22 million for Rusney Castillo and Allen Craig.

I had assumed that the Yankees had the most dead contracts with the heavy A-Rod cost, but I was wrong.  The Dodgers have over $38 million, with the majority going toward former outfielder Carl Crawford who is slightly more expensive than A-Rod).  

When you look at just the 2017 cost of the 25-man roster, the Yankees fall to fourth at $168 million although just a couple of million dollars separate them from the leaders (Chicago Cubs, San Francisco Giants, and Detroit Tigers).  The Dodgers fell to seventh with just under $156 million.  

It’s amazing but as of right now, the Yankees are tenth on total payroll for 2018 with $104 million committed.  The plan is playing out exactly as prescribed by Managing General Partner Hal Steinbrenner.  As long as the young Baby Bombers continue to thrive, it should make the possibility of Bryce Harper in Pinstripes more than just a Pinstriped Dream.

CC Sabathia did it.  He pitched his finest opening start in eight seasons with the Yankees to pick up his first win of the year, 5-0 over the Tampa Bay Rays.  CC went 5 strong innings, while only allowing 3 hits, no runs and 2 walks.  He struck out 2.  By the 4th inning, CC was sweating so profusely, it seemed liked it was raining inside of the domed Tropicana Field.  Whatever it takes.

Ronald Torreyes was the unlikely first Yankee to homer this year when he connected for a two run shot off Rays pitcher Jake Odorizzi in the 3rd inning.  I would have guessed anybody but Torreyes, but I am glad that he is proving me wrong.  

Things got a little dicey in the 8th.  Jonathan Holder allowed a couple of baserunners and was pulled for Dellin Betances who walked the first batter he faced to load the bases.  Fortunately, he worked out of trouble and the Yankees escaped the inning without allowing any runs.  

I don’t want to criticize Manager Joe Girardi, but I would have gone with Bryan Mitchell for a second inning rather than bringing in Tyler Clippard in the 7th.  Mitchell, in relief of Sabathia, only needed 9 pitches to record three outs in the 6th.  Bringing in Clippard felt too “formula driven”.  I would have pitched Mitchell in the 7th to give me the option of Clippard or Betances in the 8th.  Plus, if Mitchell is in competition for the fifth rotation spot, it's best to keep him stretched out.  Oh well, it worked out so I’m not going to complain and Girardi knows the pen better than I do.

Aroldis Chapman was his usual stellar self in the 9th even though it was a non-save situation.  It was his first regular season game since winning the World Series last fall.  He looks much better in the Yankee Road Gray uni over Cubs gear.

For the game, Matt Holliday added a RBI in the third.  It was an unusual play in that the Rays left fielder Peter Bourjos, a newcomer to Tropicana Field, lost sight of the ball in the rafters and it fell for a double.  Chase Headley also homered and drove in a total of 2 runs.  Gary Sanchez had another 0-for-5 day, with 2 strikeouts.  The strikeouts that Aaron Judge has eliminated have seemed to found their way to Gary’s bat.  

The Yankees can take the 3-game series in today’s getaway game with the Rays.  Michael Pineda gets the start and will face right-hander Alex Cobb in the 7:10 pm EST game.  Good thing the Yankees have the day off tomorrow with the travel to Baltimore, Maryland.

Have a great Wednesday!

Can CC make it 2 opening wins in a row?…

Today could very well be the start of the final season in pinstripes for Carsten Charles Sabathia, Jr.  With his contract expiring at the end of the year, I can easily see the Yankees opting to pay a cost-controlled young pitcher to take Sabathia’s spot in the rotation as opposed to shelling out the $10 million or so that it will take to re-sign the soon-to-be 37-year-old Sabathia.

CC has been one of the most revered members of the Yankees clubhouse and he’s made his mark on a franchise that will ensure he’s invited to many future Old Timer’s Days.  

CC was an undisputed ace when he originally signed with the Yankees prior to the 2009 season.  His arrival, along with A.J. Burnett and Mark Teixeira, helped power the Yankees to their last World Championship. 

Credit:  Andrew Theodorakis, New York Daily News

The first four years of CC’s contract were good.  He had records of 19-8, 21-7, 19-8, and 15-6, respectively.  Then age and injuries hit.  In the last three years combined, CC has won less games than he did in any single year between 2009 and 2011. 

Until last year, CC had never won his first start of the season.  I took a look back at his first starts and the results are ugly.  In his first seasonal starts covering eight years, CC is 1-4, with 3 no decisions.  It doesn’t bode well for today but like last year, he could surprise or at least I hope he does. 

April 6, 2009

Baltimore Orioles 10, New York Yankees 5

4 1/3 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 5 BB, 0 SO (Loss)

April 4, 2010

Boston Red Sox 9, New York Yankees 7

5 1/3 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 4 SO (No Decision)

March 31, 2011

New York Yankees 6, Detroit Tigers 3

6 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 SO (No Decision)

April 6, 2012

Tampa Bay Rays 7, New York Yankees 6

6 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 3 BB, 7 SO (No Decision)

April 1, 2013

Boston Red Sox 8, New York Yankees 2

5 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 4 BB, 5 SO (Loss)

April 1, 2014

Houston Astros 6, New York Yankees 2

6 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 1 BB, 6 SO (Loss)

April 9, 2015

Toronto Blue Jays 6, New York Yankees 3

5 2/3 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 8 SO (Loss)

April 9, 2016

New York Yankees 8, Detroit Tigers 4

6 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 4 BB, 3 SO (Win)

If CC plays true to form, he’ll go about 6 innings and give up approximately 8 hits and 5 or 6 runs. 

I hope Gary Sanchez has better results waiting in his bat than an 0-for-5 performance like Opening Day.  We’ll need the offense.

Given this may be CC’s last year, I am hopeful that he provides one of his best season opening starts for his time with the Yankees.  I know that Mark Spitz once said “Past performance speaks a tremendous amount about one’s ability and likelihood for success”, but it doesn’t have to be.  I prefer the quote “Do not give your past the power to define your future.”  If this is indeed CC’s farewell season in Pinstripes, here’s hoping that he provides us with some vintage Sabathia (just not the 'first start of the season' variety).  

Turn back the clock, and let’s go.  

Have a great Tuesday!  A winning Tuesday works for me.

2017 NL East Predictions

Today,we conclude our annual prediction series with the only division yet to be covered; the National League East. With so many questions throughout this division, predicting the order for the end of the year may not be as obvious as you might think. Will the buzz of a new ballpark be enough to bring Atlanta into the playoff picture? Will we see the fruits of the rebuild in Philadelphia this season? Can Miami overcome the loss of their team leader and staff ace? Does New York have enough offense to stay relevant and can Washington get the monkey off their back and win a playoff series? Let's talk NL East baseball.

5. Miami Marlins
I realize you might be thinking, "how can a team with an offense like Miami finish last?" Well, the offense in South Beach isn't the problem, it's the pitching. Actually, the Marlins offense is pretty damn good; with guys like Dee Gordon and Martin Prado to set the table at the top. Christian Yellich looks like he could win a batting title someday and Giancarlo Stanton is a fully healthy season away from challenging some of baseball's all-time homerun marks. And Marcel Ozuna, J.T. Realmuto and Justin Bohr all had quality 2016 campaigns and look to build off of that success this season. But, the loss of team captain and staff ace Jose Fernandez not only left a hole in the heart of his teammates but has also left an even larger hole atop the Marlins rotation. With Fernandez, the rotation already looked thin. Now without him, it looks damn near barren. Newly acquired Edison Volquez was named Opening Day starter, followed by former Orioles lefty Wei-Yin Chen. Adam Conley, Tom Koehler and Jeff Locke make up the remainder of the Marlins below-average starting staff. And even if the starters exceed expectations, Miami has only Brad Ziegler to rely upon in the pen. You can have all the offense you want; but when you can't pitch, you can't win.

4. Philadelphia Phillies
Last year, we had a chance to see some of what the future will look like in Philadelphia and should see much of the same in 2017. The Phillies smartly added a few veterans on both sides of the ball to help in the development of their young and potential-laden roster. On offense, the addition of Howie Kendrick to the infield provides a quality bat to an already talented infield: including Cameron Rupp, Tommy Joseph, Freddie Galvis and Maikel Franco. If they stick him in the outfield, Kendrick will play along side to up and coming youngsters: the speedy Oduble Herrera and the power-hitting right fielder Aaron Altherr. On the mound, they also added Clay Buchholz to bring a championship mentality to Philly. But, breaking into a rotation that already includes Jeremy Hellickson, Vincent Velasquez, Jared Eickoff, Adam Morgan and Aaron Nola may be too steep a challenge for the aging veteran. In the bullpen, Philadelphia brought on Joaquin Benoit to be the bridge to their newly named closer Jeanmar Gomez. Despite all the potential, I believe they're still at least one year away from truly being competitive.

3. Atlanta Braves
As they start playing ball in the new SunTrust Field, the team on the field might be a whole lot better than people realize. Atlanta was first to act this winter when they signed starting pitchers Bartolo Colon and R.A. Dickey to add to their rotation that is headed by the Dominican right-hander Julio Teheran. The Braves also added the services of former Cardinal left-hander Jaime Garcia to fill the fourth spot in the rotation. Now, Atlanta's fifth spot will be filled by one of a handful of capable starters: including Aaron Blair, Matt Wisler and Mike Foltynewicz. Mauricio Cabrera proved last year that he has some quality tools to be a special part of their bullpen. Add him to a pen with the likes of Josh Collmenter and Jim Johnson, and you've got plenty of bridge to get to the electric righty Arodys Vizcaino.  On the offensive side of the ball, Braves fans will quickly fall in love with the new second baseman acquired via trade with the Cincinnati Reds, Brandon Phillips. Phillips still has plenty left in the tank, both on offense and in the field. His bat will fit in perfectly to the top of a strong lineup that includes Nick Markakis, Matt Kemp, Ender Enciarte and Freddy Freeman. And his glove and talent will help get the most out of their extremely talented shortstop Danzby Swanson. The more this team plays together, the more dangerous they will become. Though they won't be postseason relevant, look for the Atlanta Braves to turn some heads this season.

2. New York Mets
When I think of the New York Mets, two words come to mind: starting pitching. This Mets rotation is chocked full of young studs, and we haven't even seen all of what they can do yet. Noah Syndergaard, also known as Thor, is the ace of the staff and brings no-hit type stuff every time he takes the mound. Jacob deGram is looking to rebound from an injury marred 2016 in the two hole, and so to is the case for Matt Harvey in the three spot. Left-hander Stephen Matz looks to improve upon an average 2016 as the fourth starter. And remember when Carlos Beltran was traded to San Francisco a few years ago? Well, the big piece of the return package, Zach Wheeler, has yet to experience a full year in the majors and is looking to showcase why he was once so highly sought after.  And speaking of old familiar faces, New York immediately reaped the benefits of signing their old shortstop Jose Reyes last season, and now he seems to be a key component at the top of the lineup in 2017. If the Mets could get healthy years out of Jay Bruce, Neil Walker, Curtis Granderson and Yoenis Cespedes, New York could finally have a legitimate scoring offense. Where I think they will come up short, however, is in the bullpen. Though they have Addison Reed to take over as the closer until Gerys Familia finishes his DV suspension, the rest of the pen leaves a lot to be desired. Unless they can make a move or two to shore up the back end, New York will be on the outside of the playoff picture looking in.

1. Washington Nationals
With The impending free agency of 2015 MVP Bryce Harper looming around the corner, the mindset of "win now" has never been more alive then it is now in Washington.  Offensively, they're absolutely loaded from top to bottom. With the addition of centerfielder Adam Eaton, Trey Turner can now move to his more natural position of shortstop.  And if his debut was any indication, the nationals have themselves a real gem atop their order. Behind Eaton and Turner is the aforementioned Harper, the extra-base machine Anthony Rendon and the most clutch hitter in baseball now that David Ortiz is retired, Daniel Murphy. Jayson Werth is definitely looking to over perform in a contract year and the longest tenured National Ryan Zimmerman still finds a way to get it done for the only team he's ever known. And with the additions of left-handed first baseman Adam Lind and catcher Matt Wieters, Washington can easily fill the designated hitter role whenever they find themselves in an American League ballpark. And as good as their offense is, their pitching staff might be even better. 2016 Cy Young winner Max Scherzer is not only their ace but is a top three pitcher in all of baseball. Stephen Strasburg is hoping to return to his dominant form after an injury cut is 2016 campaign short. WBC team USA pitcher Tanner Roark sits in the three hole, the innings eating left-hander Geo Gonzalez is in the four spot and Joe Ross and all his talent rounds out the rotation. Washington also added the services of journeyman reliever Joe Blanton to go along with the likes of Koda Glover and Shawn Kelley to serve as the bridge to newly named closer Blake Treinen. And though little known, Treinen was second only to the impressive Zach Britton in ground ball rate a season ago. With those skills, he could definitely be the ninth-inning man they have been looking for and was in their system all along. This team is loaded and ready to go, and looks poised to be the last team standing in 2017.

Can the Yankees take a Mulligan?...

Credit:  Brian Blanco, Getty Images

It was exciting to finally see Opening Day…for a couple of minutes.  

Masahiro Tanaka sailed through Spring Training with a 0.38 ERA in 23 2/3 innings of work, only relinquishing runs in his final start (with only one earned).  For the first game of the regular season, the results were substantially different.  Tanaka was tagged for three runs in the first, and was out of the game in the third inning after surrendering a total seven runs.  He took the loss as the Yankees fell to the Tampa Bay Rays, 7-3, and he starts the year with an ERA of 23.63.  It was perhaps his worst start as a Yankee.

As a sign for the game to come, the Yankees lost a replay challenge in the top of the first inning when it appeared that Matt Holliday barely beat out a throw to first.  If he had been ruled safe, the Yankees would have had two runners on base with Jacoby Ellsbury coming to the plate.  Instead, it was the end of the inning and the Rays proceeded to wallop Tanaka who seemingly had no command of his pitches.

Gary Sanchez was 0-for-5 and he left five runners stranded. 

Both Starlin Castro and Chase Headley were 3-for-4 but it wasn’t enough.

This Spring, while running up Major League Baseball’s best exhibition season record, the Yankees seemed to be very loose.  On Opening Day, they felt tight.  They need to relax and move on.  It was just one game and there will be better days.

The Yankees begin the year 0-1 (with 161 to go) and now have a day off today before resuming the series with the Rays on Tuesday.  CC Sabathia will take the mound for the Yankees versus Jake Odorizzi.  As ugly as yesterday’s loss was, the Yankees can still take the series with two wins.  

In the category of misery loves company, the Yankees shared Opening Day losses with the San Francisco Giants and Chicago Cubs, two pretty good teams.  The Giants lost despite two home runs from their starting pitcher, Madison Bumgarner.

Of the two Rule 5 draftees that I was hoping to get back, the Pittsburgh Pirates did return lefty pitcher Tyler Webb to the Yankees.  He was assigned to AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.  The other, catcher Luis Torrens, made the Opening Day Roster for the San Diego Padres.  The Padres are carrying three Rule 5 draftees on their roster, including the 20-year-old Torrens.  Torrens only hit .167 with a 26% strikeout rate this Spring, but the Padres kept him as backup catcher.  They also have Christian Bethancourt as backup catcher, but Bethancourt has also been working on pitching too.  Time will tell if the Padres retain Torrens all season long.  If they don’t, he’ll have to be offered  back to the Yankees.

The Yankees also placed Didi Gregorius (10-day) and Tyler Austin (60-day) on the Disabled List, and signed shortstop Pete Kozma to a major league contract, adding him to the 40-man and active rosters prior to yesterday’s game.

Lastly, the Yankees have fallen to third in total payroll.  After years of being the payroll leader before being unseated by the Los Angeles Dodgers (The Greedy Blue?), the Yankees have slipped to third behind the Detroit Tigers.  Dodgers still lead with total payroll of $225 million, but even they have been borrowing a chapter from Hal Steinbrenner’s play book for salary reduction as they’ve reduced it by $45 million over the last couple of years.  The Yankees came in at $195 million, while the Tigers are at $199.75 million.  Remove the dead contract of Alex Rodriguez and the Yankees are only at $174 million.  Have to save those pennies for Bryce Harper!

Have a great Monday!

Tanaka Gets Lit Up In Season Opener, Yanks Fall 7-3

  First things first, Happy Opening Day Yankee family! In St. Petersburg this afternoon, the New York Yankees kicked off their 2017 season against the division rival Tampa Bay Rays. On the mound for New York this afternoon was staff ace Masahiro Tanaka, who was 14-4 with a 3.07 ERA in 2016. Tanaka surely could have used some of the 2016 magic, as he was hit hard early and often this afternoon. Tampa's ace Chris Archer (9-19, 4.02 ERA in 2016) was the polar opposite of Tanaka today, pitching deep into the ball game and leading his team to their first victory of 2017.

Tanaka found himself in trouble immediately in the bottom of the first. Corey Dickerson started the frame with a base hit to right, advancing to third on a double by centerfielder Kevin Kiermaier. The next batter Evan Longoria lofted a fly ball into right field that plated Dickerson from third on the sac fly, 1-0 Tampa. Trouble continued as the next batter Brad Miller reached base on a generous infield single, that probably should've been called an error on first baseman Greg Bird. Tanaka went on to load the bases by walking Stephen Souza Jr.. Logan Morrison then put two more runs on the board when he shot a ground ball up the middle of the diamond, extending their lead to 3-0. Tanaka was finally able to get out of it by striking out left fielder Malik Smith to end the frame.

The Yankees were quick to respond, striking for two runs in the top of the second. Starlin Castro got things going with an infield single to second baseman Brad Miller with one out. Chase Headley then lined a single to left, advancing Castro to second. And then the winner of the every day right field spot Aaron Judge came through as he smoked a double into the left field gap, scoring Castro and pulling the Yanks to within two. Ronald Torreyes followed with a ground out to short, scoring Headley from third and shrinking their deficit to just one.

But Tanaka's opening day jitters continued as he served up a two-run shot to Evan Longoria in the bottom of the second, pushing the Rays lead back out to three. The long ball for the Yankee killer Longo was the 33rd of his career against New York.

The Fish kept their foot on the gas pedal as they knocked Tanaka out of the ball game in just the bottom of the third. With one out, Tanaka coughed up a solo shot to Logan Morrison to extend Tampa's lead to 6-2. Tim Beckham doubled down the left-field line, scoring when Malik Smith laid down a perfect bunt that saw Gary Sanchez launch the throw to first base into right field, 7-2. After getting Derek Norris to fly out, Tanaka was pulled for left-hander Tommy Layne who came out to face the left handed Corey Dickerson. After having such a solid spring, Tanaka was miserable in his 2017 debut; departing with a rough final line of 2.2 innings pitched, allowing seven runs on eight hits while walking two and striking out three.

Contrastly, Chris Archer was really good today,  ending his afternoon by getting Gary Sanchez to ground out with the bases-loaded in the seventh. Archer was lifted for Danny Farquhar to begin the eighth, departing with the final line of seven innings pitched, allowing two runs on seven hits with one walk and five punchouts.

One big positive to take away from this afternoon was the performance of the bullpen, especially Adam Warren. With Tanaka having to depart extremely early, a combination of Layne, Warren, Jonathan Holder and Chasen Shreve kept the Rays off the scoreboard throughout the rest of the game. Most notably, Adam Warren was perfect in his 2.1 innings of work as he retired all seven men he faced while striking out two.

The Bombers definitely didn't go quietly, as they loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the ninth, forcing manager Kevin Cash to call on his closure Alex Colome to close the door. Chris Carter was called on to pinch-hit for shortstop Pete Kazma and promptly hit a sacrifice fly to left that made the score 7-3 Tampa. Gary Sanchez then struck out, ending his day at 0-for-5 while stranding five runners on base. And then Greg Bird ended the game by flying out to center field, preserving the win for Archer and the Rays on opening day.

 The Yankees have the day off tomorrow(even though we're starting the season in a dome and have no need for a scheduled rainout makeup day) and look to get in the win column on Tuesday against these same Rays, with first pitch scheduled for 7:10 PM/EST.

2017 NL Central Predictions

As we are just hours away from first pitch of Opening Day for our New York Yankees, we've reached the penultimate piece of the six-part predictions series: the National League Central. In 2016, the Chicago Cubs absolutely ran away with the division in route to breaking a 108 year curse, bringing home a world championship in what turned out to be one of the most exciting World Series in my lifetime. This season, there doesn't seem to be any reason to think that 2017 will go any differently. Normally, it's not smart to EVER count out the St. Louis Cardinals and their ability to overcome adversity and make their way into the playoff picture. But, is there any team really capable of getting in Chicago's way? All aboard. 

5. Milwaukee Brewers 

When you think of the best teams in major league baseball, this is not one of the teams that would make your list. The Milwaukee Brewers are comprised of a roster that has a few blossoming pieces but is mostly full of youth and inexperience. One bright spot is the second baseman Jonathan Villar, who really came into his own atop the Brewers batting order where he lead baseball with 62 stolen bases a season ago. Villar was moved from short to second because of Orlando Arcia, one of the afore mentioned rising stars coming up to take over shortstop.  Another player worth mentioning on the infield at first is Korean Baseball League import Eric Thames. Thames was known in the KBL for his tape measure homeruns, which were convincing enough for Milwaukee to let the NL homerun champ from a season ago, Chris Carter, hit the free-agent market. In the outfield, Keon Broxton is quickly making a name for himself in centerfield, both with his exceptional defense and his quick bat. Not a fan of the guy, but left fielder Ryan Braun is still the focal point of the Brewers offense. On the mound, Matt Garza, Wily Peralta and Jimmy Nelson hold the top three spots in the rotation. The final two spots will be filled by two of several rookies competing for jobs, headed by Junior Guerra. Gone are the days of Francisco Rodriguez or even John Axford, as their bullpen is far and away their biggest weakness and will most definitely be a bullpen by committee. Expect 2017 to be a continuance of the rebuild process in Milwaukee 

4. Cincinnati Reds 

The Reds started to rebuild a little over a year ago when they traded Todd Frazier to the Chicago White Sox, and are continuing that rebuild process into this season. After shipping Aroldis Chapman to the Bronx, Jay Bruce to the Mets and fan favorite Brandon Phillips to the Braves this winter, the Reds are left with a lot of money and even more question marks on their roster. Cincinnati still has a handful of key veterans in this lineup to aid with the youth movement: including Joey Votto, Billy Hamilton, Adam Duvall, Zack Cozart, Devan Mesoraco and newly acquired Scooter Gennett. Gennett was brought on to fill second base while their two high-ceiling prospects Dilson Herrera and Arismendy Alcantara get acclimated to life in the show. Similar to Ginnett, they also signed Scott Feldman in the off-season to go along with Homer Bailey to help with the development of Brandon Finnigan, Anthony DeSclefani and Razel Iglesias; all of which had moments of real promise in 2016. As is the case in Milwaukee, Cincinnati has no real potential in the bullpen of which to speak. And just like the Brewers, the Reds have no real shot of finishing anywhere other then at the bottom of the division this season.  

3. Pittsburgh Pirates 

After losing the Wild Card game in two of the last three years, the Pittsburgh Pirates are 

 still trying to figure out how to take it to the next level. Their offense shouldn't be a problem, as they have productivity all throughout their lineup. Gregory Polanco and Jon Jaso have plenty of ability to get on base and set the table for the middle of the order. Last season; in the middle of the order, Starlin Marte seems to be getting better every year and Andrew McCutchen surely hopes to rebound from an atrocious 2016 campaign. If Jung-Ho Kang is ever allowed to return stateside after a DUI incident has kept him overseas, his 25+ homerun a year power would certainly help. Josh Harrison, David Freese and Francisco Cervelli round out what should be a pretty potent lineup. While not as strong as the lineup, the rotation also has some decent potential. Staff ace Gerritt Cole has electric stuff and just needs to hone in his control to be considered amongst the elite. Similarly, Pittsburgh is expecting big things out of their promising young right-hander Jameson Taillon. Former Yankee Ivan Nova, Juan Nicasio and Drew Hutchison round out the rest of the rotation. But, outside of Tony Watson, the bullpen is a work in progress and is one of the main reasons that Pittsburgh will be on the outside looking in come October. 

2. St. Louis Cardinals 

After watching Jayson Heyward sign with the rival Cubs last offseason, the Cardinals returned the favor  by signing Chicago's former centerfielder Dexter Fowler. Fowler will be at the top of a lineup that, even missing Matt Holiday, has some real talent. For starters, third baseman Matt Carpenter is an MVP waiting to happen. Matt Adams and Jhonny Peralta are the resident sluggers of the middle of the order. And Stephen Piscotty, Kolton Wong and Randal Grichuk are three guys ready to make some hay in St. Louis's lineup. Every team wishes they could have a player like Yadier Molina to lead their team and guide their rotation the way the lifelong Cardinal always has done. Speaking of the pitching staff, Adam Wainwright is the seasoned staff ace but Carlos Martinez has the best stuff on the team and should take over the top spot in the very near future. Rotation spots 3-5 will be filled by some combination of Mike Leake, Michael Wacca, Marco Gonzalez and John Grant.  In the bullpen, the Cards added Brett Cecil as the left-handed compliment to Jonathan Broxton as the bridge to their outstanding closer Trevor Rosenthal. Strong lineup, good rotation and a good bullpen will lead to St. Louis staying in the hunt all season long. 

1. Chicago Cubs 

 There isn't much more to be said about the 2016 World Series champion Chicago Cubs that hasn't already been said. Offensively, they are absolutely loaded at every single position. Wilson Contreras  was called up last year and was immediately impactful, both behind the dish and at the plate. Addison Russell is a top five two-way shortstop, Anthony Rizzo might be the best first baseman in baseball and Kris Bryant won the MVP last year. When super utilityman Ben Zobrist needs a day off at second, the  unbelievable Javy Baez is there to take over. The outfield has World Series stud Kyle Schwarber, gold glover Jayson Heyward and even acquired Jon Jay to man centerfield. As for their pitching staff, 2015 Cy Young Award winner Jake Arieta is the staff ace, followed by Jon Lester and John Lackey. Kyle Hendricks may have the best stuff on the staff and you won't see him until game three or game four. The last spot is set to be taken by free-agent acquisition Brett Anderson.  And he wasn't the only addition this off-season, as Chicago signed former Red Sox closer Koji Uehara and traded The slugging outfield rising star Jorge Soler to the Kansas City Royals for closer Wade Davis. Like I said, talent at absolutely every position. Not only are they going to win the division, but it wouldn't surprise me to see this club as the last team standing for the second straight year.

Let me have it. 

It’s time for Yankees Baseball…

Daniel Burch has posted the official TGP Predictions for the 2017 season with the World Series prediction scheduled for later today but that isn’t going to stop me from posting my “unofficial” predictions.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Wild Card:

Seattle Mariners over Toronto Blue Jays

ALDS:

Cleveland Indians over Seattle Mariners

Houston Astros over Boston Red Sox

ALCS:

Houston Astros over Cleveland Indians

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Wild Card:

San Francisco Giants over New York Mets

NLDS:

Chicago Cubs over San Francisco Giants

Los Angeles Dodgers over Washington Nationals

NLCS:

Los Angeles Dodgers over Chicago Cubs

WORLD SERIES

Championship:

Los Angeles Dodgers over Houston Astros

I’d love to go with the homer pick and insert the Yankees but I think we’re still a year away.  So, unlike the official TGP picks, I had to leave the Pinstripers off my forecast.  But could the Yankees snag a Wild Card spot?  Sure, anything’s possible if the Baby Bombers continue to play at Gary Sanchez-level and a few of the veterans provide significant contributions.  Pitching, pitching, pitching…how will the guys behind Masahiro Tanaka perform?  That’s really the answer that will shape the 2017 season.

In honor of Opening Day, I thought I’d take a look at the birthplaces of the 2017 New York Yankees, including the coaching staff, the General Manager, and the Managing General Partner/Co-Chairman.  With so many international players in the game today, I am surprised that the high percentage of the team was born in the United States.  Makes sense, but I was still surprised.  The Dominican Republic is the only other country that boasts multiple players on the roster.  Dellin Betances and Brian Cashman are the only native-born New Yorkers.

UNITED STATES

Tyler Austin (DL), Conyers, Georgia

Dellin Betances, New York, New York

Greg Bird, Aurora, Colorado

Chris Carter, Redwood City, California

Tyler Clippard, Lexington, Kentucky

Jacoby Ellsbury, Madras, Oregon

Brett Gardner, Holly Hill, South Carolina

Chase Headley, Fountain, Colorado

Aaron Hicks , San Pedro, California

Jonathan Holder, Gulfport, Mississippi

Matt Holliday, Stillwater, Oklahoma

Aaron Judge, Linden, California

Pete Kozma, Tulsa, Oklahoma

Tommy Layne, St Louis, Missouri

Bryan Mitchell, Reidsville, North Carolina

Austin Romine, Lake Forest, California

CC Sabathia, Vallejo, California

Chasen Shreve, Las Vegas, Nevada

Adam Warren, Birmingham, Alabama

Joe Girardi (Manager), Peoria, Illinois

Alan Cockrell (Hitting Coach), Kansas City, Kansas

Marcus Thames (Asst Hitting Coach), Louisville, Mississippi

Larry Rothschild (Pitching Coach), Chicago, Illinois

Mike Harkey (Bullpen Coach), San Diego, California

Brian Cashman (General Manager), Rockville Centre, New York

Hal Steinbrenner (Managing GP), Culver, Indiana

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

Starlin Castro, Monte Cristi, DR

Michael Pineda, Yaguate, DR

Gary Sanchez, Santo Domino, DR

Luis Severino, Sabana de la Mar, DR

Tony Pena (1st Base Coach), Monte Cristi, DR

CUBA

Aroldis Chapman, Holguin, Cuba

NETHERLANDS

Didi Gregorius (DL), Amsterdam, Netherlands

JAPAN

Masahiro Tanaka, Itami, Japan

VENEZUELA

Ronald Torreyes, Libertado de Barinas, Venezuela

PUERTO RICO

Joe Espada (3rd Base Coach), Santurce, San Juan, PR

CANADA

Rob Thomson (Bench Coach), Sarnia, Ontario

It seems like pitchers and catchers were just reporting to Tampa for training camp and here we are at Opening Day.  In mere hours, Brett Gardner will step into the batter’s box to face Tampa Bay’s Chris Archer to signal the start of the 2017 season for the New York Yankees.  Game 1 of 162.  It’s an exciting time and we are ready for the next chapter with Baseball’s most storied franchise.  There will be happiness and there will be sadness, but overall, it’s an exciting step forward toward an eventual twenty-eighth World Championship within the next few years.

Let’s do this…

This Day in New York Yankees History 4/2: Todd Zeile & His Yankees Home Run

On this day in 2003 Todd Zeile hit a home run in his first at bat as a Yankee becoming the only major leaguer to hit a home run for ten different teams passing Tommy Davis and his nine clubs. Zeile's list of teams he has homered with includes the Yankees, Cardinals, Cubs, Phillies, Orioles, Dodgers, Marlins, Rangers, Mets, and Rockies.


Also on this day in 2001 on Opening Day Roger Clemens became the all-time American League strikeout leader moving ahead of Walter Johnson when Roger struck out the Kansas City Royals Joe Randa for his 3,509th K of his career. Roger was now in seventh place in Major League history in strikeouts.


Also on this day in 1996 Derek Jeter hit a home run off Dennis Martinez in a Yankees 7-1 victory over the Indians. The 22 year old infielder became the first rookie Yankee shortstop to start the season since 1962 when Tom Tresh filled in for Tony Kubek. Joe Torre also won his first game as the Yankees manager on this day, the first of 1,173 victories in his 12 season tenure.



Finally on this day in 1972 New York Mets manager Gil Hodges suffers a fatal heart attack and dies after a round of gold in West Palm Beach. The Mets would name Yogi Berra as the manager to run the team after the strike ends.

TGP 2017 MLB Predictions: The Playoffs

All predicted winners will be BOLDED

AL Wild Card Round

Toronto Blue Jays vs. New York Yankees

NL Wild Card Round 

New York Mets vs. St. Louis Cardinals

American League Division Series 

Cleveland Indians vs. New York Yankees

Boston Red Sox vs. Houston Astros

National League Division Series 

Chicago Cubs vs. St. Louis Cardinals

Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Washington Nationals

American League Championship Series

Cleveland Indians vs. Boston Red Sox

National League Championship Series

Chicago Cubs vs. Washington Nationals

Congratulations to the Washington Nationals and the Cleveland Indians on their successful 2017 seasons that both resulted in winning their pennants. Now onto the World Series!

And tomorrow after the game… our World Series predictions!!!! Stay tuned for those!