Thursday, October 4, 2012

2012 MLB Playoffs Schedule

Here is the schedule for the playoffs in case anyone is interested courtesy of mlb.com

The picture version took over the blog for some reason so you will have to click the link to see it, sorry guys.


Postseason Batters

EDIT: With the news that Jayson Nix is healthy enough to play, then I would take him over either Jones or McGehee. Not that Nix hits well, but having the extra IF would be better, due to having Gardner being able to play any OF position, and Nunez having gotten some reps out there too.

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I don't like doing the same thing as other writers, but I can't resist sharing my thoughts on the postseason roster. I already went over the pitching staff, so now it's time for the positional players.

The first nine are clear...

Colonel Jessup: Are we clear?
Me: Yes sir.
Colonel Jessup: Are we clear!?
Me: Crystal.

That would leave five spots on the bench, assuming the Yankees do what I said yesterday and only carry 11 pitchers on the postseason roster. And actually, that's what they've done recently anyway, so I think that too is clear.

Colonel Jessup: ARE WE CLEAR!?!?
Me: YES!

Chris Stewart and Francisco Cervelli are the only real options for backup catcher, and it's not a contest between the two. Stewart is hardly a big threat with the bat, but he's a good defensive catcher, and you can't ask for much more out of that spot.

Eduardo Nunez gets the nod as the primary infielder off the bench, and  he's hit the ball well this season (.292/.330/.393, with 11 SB). The only other option for this spot would have been Jayson Nix, but due to Jayson's hip injury that won't happen. Not that it really mattered in my mind, as Nix hasn't exactly wowed anybody (.243/.306/.384).

Finally, the other clear (shut up, Colonel!) player for the bench is Eric Chavez. Chavez has played mostly at 3B, thanks to ARod missing a chunk of time, and has done a good job. He can field well, and has hit .281/.348/.496 with 16 home runs on the season.

And look at those moves!

That leaves two more spots on the roster. One of those, I believe, will be Brett Gardner. Girardi likes having a speedy pinch-runner available, and for good reason, and you can hardly ask for better than Brett. Now that he's also been cleared for all baseball activities, including hitting, then I wouldn't bet against Gardner at all.

We come to the 25th man, and to be honest I don't think it matters, because there is not a good choice left. I originally penciled in Chris Dickerson on the bench, as the kid (I know his age, but he's still a kid in my mind) has done a great job with his less-than-should-have-been playing time. However that would leave the bench with only two right-handed bats on the bench (Stewart and Nunez) against a right-handed starter, and only one against a left-handed starter (I see Nunez starting at DH over Ibanez versus left-handed starters). So we're left choosing between Casey McGehee (*cough* crap *cough*) and Andruw Jones (*cough* crappier *cough*). I'm not even going to dignify that question with a response. Pick a name out of a hat, flip a coin, play Rock-Paper-Scissors-Lizard-Spock... I don't care. I just don't want to see either of those guys take one step out of the dugout, unless it's to celebrate a victory.

Where do you think you're going?

To wrap it up, here are the 25 men I'd like to see the Yankees bring to the postseason...

Pitchers
CC Sabathia
Andy Pettitte
Hiroki Kuroda
Phil Hughes
Rafael Soriano
David Robertson
Joba Chamberlain
Boone Logan
Clay Rapada
David Phelps
Derek Lowe

Hitters
Russell Martin
Mark Teixeira
Robinson Cano
Alex Rodriguez
Derek Jeter
Ichiro Suzuki
Curtis Granderson
Nick Swisher
Raul Ibanez
Chris Stewart
Eric Chavez
Eduardo Nunez
Brett Gardner
Andruw Jones/Casey McGehee Jayson Nix

My Preseason World Series Prediction Looks Good

I posted my division winners and World Series predictions before the season, seen here, and my World Series is still intact with the Yankees and Braves both in the postseason. Here is the original post.


World Series Winner Told Here

With the Yankees this close to the regular season and spring being over I decided I would throw my hat in the predictions ring of division winners, wild card winners, and playoff winners. SO here we go.

AL East : (1)New York Yankees (Shocker)
AL Central : (2)Detroit Tigers (Shocker)
AL West : (3)Los Angeles Angels (of whatever)
Wild Card #1 : (4)Tampa Bay Rays
Wild Card #2 : (drum roll please) (5)Kansas City Royals!!!!!

The Royals have a ton of young guys that are just posed to have break out and monster seasons. When that happens all at once you get this one year wonder team that runs through everybody but falters in September, see the Padres a couple years back. If the Padres had that second wild card team though , without looking at the standings to really see, I bet they would have still made the playoffs. Go Kansas City in 2012. Also, yes I do realize I left the Buffalo Bills of Baseball, the Texas Rangers, out of the playoffs. 
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NL East : (1)Philadelphia Phillies (until someone says otherwise)
NL Central : (3)St. Louis Cardinals
NL West : (2)Colorado Rockies
Wild Card #1 : (4)Atlanta Braves
Wild Card #2 (5)Washington Nationals

I think both the Eastern divisions are absolutely stacked, but none more then the NL East. Every team besides the Mets have a legitimate shot at winning a division and/or making the playoffs. The problem with that is they are going to have to beat up on each other all season long a lot until the schedules change next season with year round interleague play. I expect a lot out of the Nationals pitching staff this season and expect them to be carried by it. I also expect Jayson Heward and especially Freddy Freeman to carry the Braves to the post season and beyond with monster seasons from both. The Colorado Rockies have a ton of young pitching and I think they will go far in a very weak division. 

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NOW FOR THE PLAYOFFS:

Tampa Bay Rays vs Kansas City Royals

The good luck and team that everyone loves goes down here. Everyone roots for the underdog but David Price will be too much for this team.

New York Yankees Vs Tampa Bay Rays

In a short series this worries me as a Yankees fan but if the Yankees pitching staff works out the way we all expect it to then the Rays would potentially have to beat Sabathia twice, Kuroda, Pineda, or a combination of the Nova/Hughes/Pettitte/Garcia combo. Thats just too much in a short series. Yankees win

Detroit Tigers vs Los Angeles Angels Of Disney Land In Orange County Outside Of Anaheim

The Angels pitching will just be too much in this series for the Tigers. The Tigers defense will give away one too many runs and the Angels will prevail. The rally monkey lives!

New York Yankees vs Los Angeles Angels of San Francisco in the good part of town in Covina but not in Oakland because Oakland is a bad part of town.

The Yankees seem to be the team to beat and me, and my very heavily biased opinion, should not be the one to count against that. With a great pitching staff mixed in with a great bullpen the Yankees just need that timely hitting that escaped them in last years playoffs. The Yankees will win this series but this should be the series of the century so far. You're four best vs our four best and let us see who's bullpen falters first. If it comes down to a Jordan Walden vs Mariano Rivera battle... I cannot pick against us.

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Atlanta Braves vs Washington Nationals.

Stephen Strasburgh vs Tim Hudson (assuming health). As much as my gut tells me the Nationals would run all over this team it is a totally different ball game when it is the playoffs and the Nats have never been there. Braves win reluctantly.

Philadelphia Phillies vs Atlanta Braves

Until someone knocks them off their perch I dont see how you could pick against the Phillies here... unless you're me. The Braves will knock off the Phillies in a hell of a 7 game series and continue the Phillies "super team " failures. The curse of Roy Halladay is born, lol.

Colorado Rockies vs. St Louis Cardinals

This is so hard to predict because we do not know how Adam Wainwright is going to come back and we do not know IF Cris Carpenter is going to be back. We also do not know how Drew Pomeranz is going to pitch this season so I am going to take a wild shot in the dark and use depth and pitching as a reason that the Cardinals win here. I also expect Roy Oswalt to be a Cardinal by the time this all happens so that helps.

Atlanta Braves vs St Louis Cardinals

I really think the Braves are going to be a special team this season with just way too much pitching to lose this time around. I expect the Cardinals to put up a fight, maybe even into a 6th game, but ultimately I expect the Braves to be National League Champions.

So much for this new playoff system HURTING the wild card teams huh?

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New York Yankees vs Atlanta Braves

Two teams that have not met in the World Series since the 1999 World Series. This is going to be another dog fight but I think the Angels pitching staff is a little better then the Braves pitching staff so I cannot pick against my Yankees here. #28

Yankees Win!!!! TTTTTHHHHHAAAAA Yankees Win!

Do not get me wrong, I did not expect the Yankees to win the World Series last year. There were many years that I did not expect the Yankees to win the World Series so it is not just because I am a fan and a blogger for them that I expect them to win. I just love this team it has a great mixture of depth, role players, youth, experience, moneyball players, power hitters, and aging guys that would love just one more ring. Yankees or bust in 2012.

Looking Back At My Preseason Predictions

I posted this here before the season started looking at how I thought all the players would finish. See how close I got and how I miserably failed in others.


Projecting the Yankees in 2012

Russel Martin- .243/18 HR/ 64 RBI/ 12 SB 
Mark Texeira- .268/36 HR/102 RBI 2 SB 
Robinson Cano- .314/31 HR/ 117 RBI/ 9 SB 
Derek Jeter- .289/ 6 HR/ 59 RBI/ 11 SB 
Alex Rodriguez- .285/ 28 HR/ 102 RBI/ 7 SB 
Brett Gardner- .302/ 4 HR/ 71 RBI/ 51 SB 
Curtis Granderson- .271/ 35 HR/ 109 RBI/ 17 SB 
Nick Swisher- .265/ 26 HR/ 81 RBI/ 6 SB 
Raul Ibanez- .237/ 14 HR/ 53 RBI
Eric Chavez - .219/ 3 HR/ 38 RBI
Andruw Jones- .241/11 HR/ 37 RBI 
Eduardo Nunez- .243/ 3 HR/ 28 RBI/ 22 SB

CC Sabathia- 20-7/ 3.13 ERA/ 216 K's 
Ivan Nova- 12-11/ 4.14 ERA/ 108 K's 
Hiroki Kuroda- 14-11/ 4.04 ERA/ 112 K's
Michael Pineda- 13-8/ 4.22 ERA/ 141 K's
Phil Hughes- 10-7/ 4.15 ERA/ 100 K's
Freddy Garcia- 5-3/ 4.69 ERA/ 49 K's
Rafael Soriano- 48 IP/ 3-4/ 2.97 ERA/ 53 K's 
David Robertson- 71 IP/ 3-1/ 2.48 ERA/ 70 K's 
Mariano Rivera- 51 IP/ 3-2/ 2.19 ERA/ 68 K's/ 39/44 SV