Almost Cooperstown 7th season debut - Season preview for all 30 teams - Ep. 701

Season seven of almost Cooperstone Gordon congratulations. We made it through six seasons. We haven't had enough more So we made it through the winner and opening day is finally upon us. ⁓ man. It's been too long We've been waiting for this We're back with a great season the world basketball classic was a thriller and we're so happy that you're joining us one more time So, I picked

the USA to win. You were almost blindly confident in that victory. I was kind of surprised how you were just... I tried to put it out there, you know, and I tried to... I really felt that the US was going to hit some time during the... Yeah, yeah. was like, well, half the time in the whole tournament, surely they're doing now. And then that so teaches you that, you know, I guess what looks like is happening keeps happening. And the fact that, you you're expecting to turn it around in a tournament like that.

Dominican Republic had somehow come back to win that 2-1 game. They would have won the final. They would have. I don't think they would have had another quiet offensive game. That would have been an aberration. was just, mean, it wasn't like Colorado suddenly didn't start hitting in the final. literally didn't hit. So we're gonna get to our picks, our division picks, and we'll pick every team in the major leagues. And we're gonna do it with five minutes per division. That's our goal. So that'll keep this from being too long. But I think the WBC,

talking about Olympics in 2020-2028. The US has been criticized a little for not having quite the enthusiasm that they saw from Venezuela and from the Dominican Republic and from Puerto Rico. Even Italy had more. mean, I don't know what... for basically every other team, that was like... The US tried to go... They tried to play this kind of narrow line of professional, like, okay, we're here. This is business. This is important. We're serious about this. You know, they kept talking about...

like Paul Skeens and his Air Force stuff. Why are we linking the military to this? That was hard. I remember I tried the whole thing of going with, will the US be more into it because they won the world hockey. It certainly didn't seem like it. It didn't seem like it and I will never. In a tournament like this, great for Venezuela. They deserved it. I think they showed that they wanted it more if I had to make any overall observation about what it looked like to me. So great for them. I'm sure the US wanted to win.

didn't let's move on. I would be saying the same thing if they had won. Yeah. Yeah. I wouldn't I wouldn't like I'll be going well. Yeah, we've certainly proved that the US is the best in the world because they won the world baseball classic this year. No, I wouldn't think that either. I think the US still has the most baseball players, but I didn't get to say it. I was wrong. Wrong. Right. And that's what it is for a lot of people. like, yeah, sure.

You might want to say all that, it doesn't matter, but you don't get to say you're the best. That's something Venezuela gets to say. Exactly. You to wait until I guess the Olympics and then before the next WBC, which may or may not be in 2029. Playing it in the summertime, I think creates logistical problems if you try to do that, but we'll see what they end up doing. And let's be real here, opening day is not any less exciting because we've had the WBC. It's more exciting because I'm really charged up to watch more baseball. I'm like, oh yeah, it's

baseball will have a ripple effect through the league. The Yankees and the Giants now managed by Tony DiTello will open the season on Wednesday. That'll be the major league sort of game of the week, if you will. And I think it's going to be challenging for fans this year to find where to watch the games because we've got a bunch of different places these games. Netflix is now going to be bringing some games to people. So you're going to have to check every place to try to find where the games are sometimes. That's going to be different for fans. ⁓ I wanted to just...

talk about really the only difference this year rule wise that of any significance and it's significant is is the adoption of the challenge system. We call it ABS but it's not a challenge system. Teams are going to get two challenges per game if you successfully if you if it's a successful challenge you retain it so I guess that means in theory you have unlimited challenges if you keep getting it right so it'll very interesting to see what happens the first time we have a once the teams and players start getting a

for it or we can have games where guys are just firing it off left and right because they were like okay yeah ump just doesn't have the zone today. And since we've talked about it before we won't go into it too much other than to say that you know the the idea that I guess I thought that pitch framing would go away completely and it won't in this scenario right pitch framing would only go away completely in a completely entirely called you know. because there's still going to be a very high percentage of balls and strays called by the umpire.

that are probably framed that we're on the borderline that the batter is going to be. I ain't risking my challenge on that.

Right, right. And I'll say this, I've been watching some tennis and shout out to my friend Anthony Revere who hosts the Subway for Shea podcast. He's a big tennis fan. And then watching tennis and since they have gone to automatic line calls, I think what you get in tennis is you lose a little of the humanity and a little of the sort of energy that you get when players use the challenge calls, maybe not in the way that Macron did and some of the, you know, the bad, you know, actors in tennis. said, but what you concentrate now when you watch the tennis is that there's no call

a carryover. So if you get a bad call and you think, got ripped off from that call, you're going back to the line, you're playing the next phase, and you're ticked off that you got a bad call, and that could affect your play. That's gone from the game. You get a better game. because it's strictly a contest of basically the game itself. It's easy to say, you don't have calls influencing the outcome of game that are incorrect. We've seen it happen in baseball games, or umpires have blown calls and they influence the outcome of games. So I think that's purely why we're gonna end up with

ABS eventually is because everybody's gonna look you're gonna look at it go well Why would I want to get it wrong if we can get it right and do we really like you know need to have somebody screaming out of that was a strike that wasn't straight you imagine like Bryce Harper's no longer gonna be rolling his eyes when ⁓ Once it's automatically called all the time. He's like, okay, there's a strike get thrown out of the game for arguing with referees good for baseball No, it's not I did I did think of something I today when they mentioned that you know a crouch is not gonna have the same effect, you

because it's based on your height. It shouldn't. Right? So Ricky Henderson, of the late Ricky Henderson Hall of Famer and whatnot, so he had an exaggerated crouch. I don't know that you can't hit out of a crouch like that anymore because there's zero benefit to doing that. Well that's the whole... Because you're gonna be swinging it both in your eyes and strikes. Well that's because there shouldn't have been any benefit to it in the first place. Because it wasn't like Ricky Henderson actually hit out of that squat. He rose up and hit like a normal person. He just squatted down before the pitch because it messed with the umpire's line of sight and kind

I'm sure got him calls all the time. So that's not exactly he was not like part of his natural hitting motion and if it didn't still it shouldn't impact it that's not a strike zone. And Eddie Giddell the midget who played baseball back in 1951 for Bill Beck okay you know the pitcher tried to throw strikes and the guy was three foot seven and he had a minuscule strike zone so that's the only time where that's actually going to be the case you're have to send a midget out there. Right right but that's how it should be is that unless you've got somebody you know Aaron Judd we've talked about it for years and he probably gets her off because he

so many more pitches called against him that are strikes that aren't strikes because of how big he is. So let's do a few of the news items before we make our picks and you mentioned Aaron Judge so I noticed today that over the past three seasons right since 2023

I guess since 2023, four and five. Aaron Judge has fewer home runs than Shohei Otani. And that really surprised me actually. Shohei has 153 and Aaron Judge has 148. I think you would asked me to bet on that. would have, there's no way. Because he has 62 home runs when you have I don't know. Watching him in the world baseball class, I could believe that a little bit more. So those two guys. And if you had to take Aaron Judge and Shohei Otani as MVP candidates in 2026,

against the field against everybody else which way would you would you lay I would say I would probably 100 % pick the field against Ohtani I have a I feel like he's not gonna win it this year just for whatever reason and we're gonna pick our we're gonna pick our next podcast judge I don't know yeah

Yeah, more so because what it would take in there, you know, I don't want to get into it too much because it's also going to always there's two guys that come to mind that could be done right now that immediately come to mind because if Cal rally season didn't do it last year, you have to do something a little bit even more special.

And I think the Yankees are in such a tough division as long as they're good, judgably good, and that means he's got a chance at winning the MVP. Okay, let's see, other notes. Tyler O'Neill of now the Orioles, and he's gonna play in the outfield there, has hit a home run on opening day for the past seven years in a row. That's gotta be one of the quirkiest stats that you're ever gonna see, and I am rooting for him to hit another one. I That would be great, but interestingly, it has the same percentage chance

as a stress factor in the stress fracture I say in his throwing elbow so he's gonna start on the IL and if you remember how many innings Berrios pitched in the playoffs last year that would be zero so this guy has had a great year last year and they rely on him and they just can't seem to counter him. Well same with Shane Bieber who's now going to be out and so already we don't want to get too much more into the Blue Jays but you're starting to look at that they also have one of the rookie of the year eligible candidates because we have a ton of guys this year

because they've got Kazukamado playing third base for them. Makimoto and Yasavage if he comes back at pitches. His biggest issue is going to be this year. There's so many good young players between JJ Weatherhill of the Cardinals, McClain on the Mets, Yasavage, Basalo on the Orioles, McGonagall of the Tigers, Al Stewart for the Reds. There are so many guys that are going to be good rookies that missing two months of the season this year for Yasavage could just cost them based on the fact that he doesn't have the other statistics guys are going to have.

Yeah, yeah, the rookie for the Pirates, pitcher Bubba Chandler, is a guy that most fans don't know too much about, but he is going to be, I think, the number four in their rotation behind Jared Jones, Mitch Keller, and obviously Paul Steele. And they sent down their superstar young shortstop, Connor Griffin. He's going to start the season in the minor leagues. I don't imagine that's going to last for No, and you know, not too many teams, like the Mets are probably going to put Carson Benj in the opening day lineup because they had an injury to a guy who might

been the right right field there Mike Taufman and I I and I like it when teams do that and still there still are teams that are sending their guys down for a little

I think probably a bit of it is that the fear is that if you put the kid in the major league roster to start and he hits off to a bad start, you're in a very dangerous set of having him get into a bad mental funk for the beginning, like if he struggles, now you have to send him down to the minors and have him find himself and some guys don't respond well to that, you'd rather have him start the year in the minor leagues and bring him up when he's hot and seeing the ball well so that he's not being like, okay, let's start the season in the major

leagues and really take that jump. know this old baseball fan and I wasn't alive when this happened but when Willie Mays came up I think it was in 1951 he went something like 0 for 21 or 1 for 22 or something just horrible to the point where he thought that you know Mr. DeRosha should send him back to the minor leagues and Leo DeRosha famously was said to have mentioned that you're my center fielder you're my guy and Warren Spahn gave him a home run to Willie Mays like in the next game and then that was the rest of it.

always would say afterwards going, if I hadn't given up that home run. The biggest difference between now is there's 500,000 people on Twitter when Willie Mays is going 0 for 21 screaming about how he needs to go back to the monitor. That's an excellent point. You can't do it quietly or... Right, if you're going to be in the majors, especially if you're on a big market team, you're going to be under the microscope if you're a heralded prospect. So you really want the guy to be feeling good about himself because he comes up because you don't...

Maybe a week maybe two unless you're a really well-known guy before fans are gonna start being like why is this guy up here? him down to the minors. He's not ready last couple of things I Put a note in here that the major leaguers stole five percent fewer bases last year than they did the year before When they have loosened up obviously the the base throwing over and things of that nature So I think that's really interesting and the prediction is is that it's gonna go the other way this year and people are gonna run like mad they're gonna actually

outdo 2024. I think teams, I think what you saw last year were teams that had made a concentrated effort to try and hold off the running game more. And I think what teams realized like the Mets is, ⁓ but that doesn't really matter as long as you're smart about not getting picked off of first base. And I think teams do not aggressively try and force pick off throws out of pitchers enough. It's something that has always baffled me about it because just purely if you're looking at it like a game, like, you know, like I play a lot of

video games looking at it like a he can only throw over twice right so the moment you get him to throw over once you immediately start pulling away he could throw over three times but if he doesn't get you on the third time you get second base so you really as soon as you make him throw over once now he's in a really awkward situation because he wants to throw over and he also doesn't want to throw over because the moment you've thrown over twice right you're screwed and and you know you had a guy on the Mets last year in one Soto who tied for the National League League in stolen bases and there is no

No,

Metfin, that's going to say that Juan Soto is a fast runner per se. Right, no, but he was really, he seemed to be the one that kind of got it. He's like, oh, okay, wait a second. I can abuse the situations where I know pitchers aren't paying attention to me and are going home and I'll just take off every single time. And he was just having no issue because of that. Okay, well, last couple of notes. Only seven players hit 300 last year, or better. Aaron Judge led the league with at 331. That's kind of surprising that it was only seven.

and only three hurlers had 200 innings pitched. Okay, well, that's less surprising. That's less surprising because we've been hitting in that direction for a long

time and there were no 20 game winners last year Max Fried of the Yankees won 19 he had the most and there haven't been any they've only been three 20 game winners since 2020 so we can see the trends you know it's clear that you know this is happening and I don't know that I would pick any pitcher in particular to win 20 games this year. it's because we've gone to six-man rotations in part because what we consider acceptable for a starting pitcher has changed because let's be honest if you look back and even when you know the 90s and right

You'd have guys on your rotation your fourth and fifth starters would be going out there every every four or five year right right today You you would you would be losing your mind if your team would you read it that all the time last year the Mets were trying out guys that were terrible Oh my god, he's got like a five something year, right? How can we be putting them out there teams used to do that all the time? would put them out there 11 for 200 innings the other changes I think is is that we can't possibly let it receive a pitcher the third time through the order that seems like a big change that you

didn't used to think about as much and maybe because statistically didn't have the data to support to him. Oh my God, this guy gets crushed the third time through the order. Right. And specifically, it's also there's the difference now because back, you know, before it was now you have the relievers to bring in that are good enough in that situation. We were like, okay, wait a second. I'd rather have a reliever as opposed to the formerly failed starting pitcher who's a reliever. Right. Yeah. That's that's a great point. So how do you want to do this on let's start in the American league. Yeah. I like to start in the American league too. Um, and, you start with the A.

So

east to west I think I think we're gonna I think when you look at the AL East It's probably one of the more interesting divisions in baseball because two through four you can really talk about I feel like one of this division is pretty set in those people's minds Five is pretty set in those people's minds. I'm with you on five I think there's a possibility that four teams out of the AL East could be in the playoffs You could get three wild-card teams out of the AL East that is entirely possible. I don't think so

and they beat up on each other. it's really hard. But I think if I'm starting at the top, the team that I know is going to be a playoff team, the team that I have winning the division, think almost everyone will have winning the division, is the Toronto Blue Jays. They went out and spent more money this offseason than even the Dodgers. They have a loaded lineup. have, when they're all back from injury, a loaded rotation. Realistically, the weakest part of their team is maybe the back end of their bullpen, and that's... Traditionally, that's been the weakest part, and it still is. They got rid of Jeff Hoffman. Right, but if you look at that team...

up and down they're a very good team. Yeah and you know they have a guy in Eric Lauer who I've always liked came over from the Reds last year and you know you lose you Savage you lose Barrios you lose Bieber and this Eric Lauer is gonna slide in I think in the five hole which you know that's a pretty good guy to have you know yeah to have there as a you know as a guy who's you know gonna be on the contribute. You lose you Savage you lose Barrios to start of the season but oh yeah you went out and you got Dylan Cease to be your number one and that makes it feel a little better and oh yeah you still got Vladdy

At first base. Yeah. Yeah. I mean you bring in Cody Ponce who pitched in Korea last year and that Scherzer, know, like I said before you only you for a couple of months You don't need max to be great for the whole season. I think that's the most important thing there Who do you have then if you're gonna sort of slot them out two three and four because I'm assuming you're gonna pick the Rays for a rise the Rays I think like most people where you're picking them last the division not even that they're necessarily that bad. Well

I thought about that. have their lineup. have Yendi Diaz, have Jonathan Aranda, and you have Junior Caminero. That's it. And they away Shane Bass. They traded away Shane Bass. The rest of that lineup is really nothing you need to worry about. Well, when I say they're not that bad, they're not that bad in comparison to the other truly bad teams Oh, yeah. Yeah. And then the Rays. They're resourceful. They're a competent baseball team. And they're going to play in the Dome again this year, which they're very excited about now. They're not the twins.

White Sox or the Angels. So yeah, I read stories about the Rays going how hot it was in Tampa last year, how it just, you guys would go through like four jerseys in a game. So this is where I think when you get to ALE's number two team, this is where you immediately start having a lot to talk about because I have the Yankees second. I have the Red Sox second, believe. Yes, I have the Red Sox second. And why do you have the Yankees second? Because they were second last year and they're bringing back Eric, they're bringing back, ⁓ okay, Gator Cole. Yeah.

So here's why I doubt about the Yankees. Running it back and having watched the Mets try to do that last year with virtually the same cast of characters doesn't seem to work.

The Yankees didn't feel like they were as boosted as by divine providence as that Metzeron was last year. Well that was two years ago. Two years ago, right. Well going into last year. I will say obviously when the Yankees are asking a lot of concern, got a crazy year out of Trent Brisham last year that you can't really have any chance of expecting again. And what are you going to get out of Goldschmidt at first base? But... He won't play much. Right, but I think that the starting pitching will be better. Yes. And I think that's going to be their biggest thing. They have enough guys at the top of that rotation.

Where they don't need the lineup to match for them to win a lot of games. I'm not sure I'm buying that because you know Rodan is still you know I've got to come back from injury along the lines of what Garry Cole does. Luis Hille is not even close to the pitcher that he was a couple of years ago and he hasn't looked great in the spring they need him to be good. It's kind of interesting how he fell off. pitcher, like him, think he's gonna be a stalwart in that rotation so I definitely and I like their pitching you know I just think

Once you get past Aaron Judge and you want to throw Cody Bellinger in there, that lineup is like, know, Jazz Chisell, he's a nice player, Ben Rice is a nice player. Volpe's not even going to start the season, Cavaliero is going to play Ryan McMahon at third base. Who's never been a green hitter. So that's why, that's why I picked the Red Sox to do that because I, for whatever reason, believe more in the Red Sox lineup than you do. I have the Red Sox finishing fourth. You have them finish fourth. So I believe these guys are going to

I think they're gonna trade Yoshida at some point because there's just no place for him to play in that team They already have four outfielders. but okay, you're trading him for... Well, it doesn't matter. You're trading him just so you don't have to deal with what are you gonna do with this guy? right. The Red Sox pitching, very good. Bringing in Sonny Gray, I think is a great move. You know, you got Garrett Cochet at the top of the rotation. The Red Sox bullpen, okay, well now you've got a Rolls-Royce Chapman. It seems a lot to me not a Rolls-Royce Chapman to be the bullnarr. He had such an unbelievable...

with lost didn't it was good at beginning of the world baseball class again not so good at the beginning when they needed them to be good and then they've got other relievers who've had some success but not they're not household names let's put it that whole team is filled with a bunch of good players and garret krushak who's a great player yes yeah and i think that that might be enough i think the red sox are going to challenge for the division actually they will they will challenge the blue jays you don't think so

Neither one of us picked the Orioles for first or second, but everybody's thinking the Orioles are gonna have a better season this year. Right, the Orioles are a better team, but that might not result in them having a much better record. I feel the same way, yeah. They'll be noticeably... Now granted, they also had such a bad start last year that when you look at what their second half was, they're like, oh, okay, they actually played like a really good team in the second half. So there's a chance that we're both, really underrating them. And that second half team is who the Orioles were. And it was really just the first month and a half, two months of last season.

that were in Aberdeen.

then we could be looking at the team that's actually finishing in first place there. And I've been working on an article where I kind of said, you when you're a baseball fan, you go into the season, you you're thinking about, well, if everything goes right for my team, and we always talk about this, like all the hitters hit, all the pitchers pitch, the relievers are great and all this stuff, anything like the Orioles, it can all go really well for the Orioles. Like, Peter Lantzow could just be a dog out there and kill it. Tyler O'Neil can hit the heck out of the ball. Trevor Rogers and Kyle Bradish and Shane Bosley make up a great top three. All of a sudden, you've got, you know, you've

a really good team, it's probably not all going to work out. Obviously when you look at the across the league injuries could affect any team so when we talk about you know the worst outcome yeah obviously if Gunnar Henderson gets hurt that's not good for the Ori. You can say that anybody you know, Hattonni gets hurt. You look at certain teams they would be uniquely affected by injury if Aaron Judge goes down in that lineup for the Yankees their season is so. Yes yes. ⁓

team in that division. And it's as much mental going where's our rock? Right right the Blue Jays if Vlad goes down for an extended period of time he's such a rock to that lineup that I think it would be a huge loss to them. And I look at George Springer going is this the season that George Springer's injured again because he's he had an amazing season last year he's in his late 30s at this point you know he's never been a terribly healthy player. Right right you gotta get, you gotta be afraid. good year last year. Yeah. So I think that's something you can question as well. Let's let's let's move on so

You

have the Red Sox fourth, I have them second. You have the Orioles third. And we both have the Rays in last. So how about the American League Central? I think the American League Central is a lot easier of a division to kind of forecast out because everything sort of looks as expected. It really kind of depends on probably the teams that are going to have the most to say are going to be Cleveland fans and Kansas City fans. Because I don't think White Sox fans or twin fans are going to be saying, hey, we got a real shot to win the division this year.

I'll start by saying I'm gonna pick the twins to finish fifth and the White Sox to finish fourth. So there's a bit of a, I don't know if it's a hot take per se, only the same, but I think the twins are gonna sell off what players they may have by the summertime and so they may be okay for a while, but I think they're gonna fire sale the rest of the way this year. I tend to, I actually pick the same thing as you mostly because I feel like the White Sox are a young team that feels good about themselves and on the opposite. Hey, we don't look as lousy as usual. Right, we spent some money this off season, we brought a...

guys there's a better feeling there. Well I think the feeling over in Minnesota is God at all. That's a team that knows it's they're shaving money due to payroll. Dead men walking crap. Right right. The thing that all in the enough for to a Any player that's having a good season is thinking about where am I going to come like July. Yep yep. So okay so how about your your top three and you're right that those are the teams and probably I mean the team I have in three is probably the team that most cannot have an injury to one player and that's the Cleveland Gars.

because Jose Ramirez is the heart and soul of that team, especially offensively. Yes, yeah, I have the same thing there. The guardians and... I mean, it's worked out well. Steven Vohan has done a good job. I just think it's hard every year to go with the offense being so reliant on one guy to take you through. They've gotten more out of less than just about any team recently, but all I can think is eventually you're not going to get that much one year. Eventually the timely hitting and the clutchness in the...

pitching is just not all gonna be there one year. not all gonna come together at the same period of time like it did the last few seasons to buoy you when your offense is scoring like three runs a game the whole year. And for the same reasons, I think the Guardians essentially are running it back.

pretty much the same cast. They're trying to wait for their young prospects, they've a body. A lot of young prospects that are maybe like half a year away from coming up. they're probably... Yeah, Travis Vazana, I thought he would be... They need that kind of injection of energy. And don't know why he's not there, but that's another guy that you think should be with the big club when he's going to start the season in the minor league. So who do you have? Who's your division winner there? As much as... You have lot of friends in so... I have of It makes a very angry...

I have the Tigers finishing first in the division with the Royals finishing second. I you know, I do think the Royals are a team that could win the division this year. I don't think that that's an impossibility, especially because there's a universe where I think the problem I have for them is to me things have to go right for them and things kind of have to go wrong for the Tigers for me to give them the division crown, which is why I'm going to put the Tigers in first place right now. We see it the same way and I think

You know it may only it's only only one season right that you're have Scruble and and Franck Valdez at the top of your rotation The Tigers are good. They have a lot of good players on their team not just good hitters. They play good defense They've got a really good bullpen I think people are underrating the Tigers a little bit thinking that you know that because the division is Lousy that it's gonna be between Kansas City and Detroit and like you said can't see has a chance I just think the Tigers are

are more cleanly a cut above because for me to put to Kansas City in that cut above, guys have to take steps forward that I can't just say, yeah, obviously they're going to do that. Look, Bobby White Jr. is an MVP candidate. He might be my MVP when we go over. I Cal Garcia showed everybody in the world baseball class that he's an up and coming star, if not already a star. Right. They're rookie Jack Cagliari. Yeah. Is going to be a player. And I like Vinny Pask. Right. And look, you know, obviously

You know, he's not Terrence Hubel, but Cole Regans is a very good starter. is really, he would be a lot of teams number one guy. I think people don't realize how good a pitcher he is. I think the thing that gives me pause for the Royals is, man, you're relying a lot on mid 30's Seth Lugo and Michael Lockhart. I was going to say that too. I just, don't expect Seth Lugo to, I mean, he's had great years last year. Yeah. And you got him just number one in Regans, but you're really counting on having good years out of those guys.

Like Noah Cameron, he looks good too. they got guys that, like we said, if they're their best, if all their pitchers are at their best, they're gonna be tough. Right, that is a team that if all their pitchers are at their best, they could be the team out of the AL this year. Everything breaks right for them, but that's a year where everything breaks right for them. But that's a team that's on the up and up. And then lastly, as we move out west, again, I feel like this is a team that this division, more than any division in the AL, is a definitive number.

He candidates on the same team in Calralli and Rodriguez, Jay Ra. Right. So that's, you know, that's formidable. They've got a great closer in on Munoz. They field well, they pitch well. They're experienced now. They've been there. I've seen that. I think there are things you have to be concerned about. mean, Calralli is an amazing player, but statistically, it's not possible. doesn't have to. Right, right. But.

What if he doesn't? Where do you make that up throughout the rest of the team? Because he had such an unbelievable year last year and they still weren't a particularly great offensive team that if he's just merely the best hitting catcher in baseball instead of the best offensive season for a catcher ever What does that do to that lineup offensive? Well, and I'll tell you how and they picked up, you know, they traded obviously Polanco to the Mets. Right. And he was a good hitter for them last year.

I think they did better bringing in Brendan Donovan who I just adored and he's one of my favorite players. Really good putting him at the top of the lineup and that kind of know approach takes the pressure off of who would really like him Josh Naylor decided to settle in Seattle after he got traded over there and he seems about gonna be there for a long time. You just hope that he doesn't bring over his WVC for him. So you don't need Randy or Rosarina to be great just need him to be Randy or Rosarina. He just needs to be his normal self. Right. Dominic Canzone.

You know look really good still has a lot to prove right a lot of fruit and I think a Rosarina in a lot of ways the biggest thing for them is he's that he's Their emotional center it seems like he seems to be their fiery guy And I think he provides a lot of that for them which for a team that's always felt kind of You did yeah, yeah, no, they're not he's the end man. He's right. You did that for sure So okay if they're the number one if there was any team that was going to have a chance to catch them and pass them and be the division champ who would it be?

This is a tough division because I feel like whoever you're talking about for number two I'm already starting what I'm saying that their number two team I'm talking about the things going well for them that year because I really I change my pick like two or three times right who is the best team between the Rangers the Astros and the A's is a Really? Who do you think is going to show up this year kind of question and more so than a lot of other teams and can the Astros who are also kind of running it back You know is this this one last goal?

around

for this crew. Altube is not the player he was, Jordan Alvarez, if he could play 140 games, who knows what the guy could do. He doesn't do that enough, when he plays he's one Father time has to eventually catch up to Altube. Right, exactly. They've got a lot of hitters that I think they can do damage, but I don't know that it's going to be enough to overcome. You've got Correa, and you've got...

And you've got a DS in Korea is not Korea of five years last year a cam Smith This is the year right where he's talking about a guy a young play who's got talent and whatnot that and an Isaac Paredes a third base Yeah, they have enough professionals through their lineup can that support Hunter Brown is your number one I watched Mike Burroughs pitch yesterday in Spain training against the Mets for them He looked good, but Mike Burroughs is your number two Christian Javier Tatsuya Amai the rookie

Japan. was good. Comes in having good stats. Hans McCullers Jr. Well, how long will that last is one thing to say. And Spencer Araghetti, who was going to start the season, I think in AAA. So I think there's enough there in my mind that I picked them second ahead of the Rangers and I so wanted to pick the Rangers. You did. I did. I picked the Rangers. This is the year they're going to hit like you think they can hit. Right. Right. Right. Eventually I'm going to have to get it right on them one of these years. And I think I picked the Rangers because the pitch

is there and I believe more the Rangers pitching coming together and being a solid unit for them more than I believe in the Astros lineup holding it up for them throughout the entire course of the year because to me that Astros lineup is a serious Jordan injury away for being pretty anemic I mean Jeremy Payne is a good hitter. He's maybe going to start the season. Right. And so but the Rangers again it's like you're gonna be like now you got Brandon Nemo and know Corey Seager with the games that he plays he's the best

Yeah, yeah, and know why I do believe he's ready to have that breakout season that people Josh young Evan Carter another guy who had a great start to his career who has a lot to show young guys that could They flashed greatness, but they did not display it last year And it almost makes me kind of feel bad that we're picking them over the young guys that did show greatness last year over

in Sacramento, the athletics, because you've got Nick Curtin, you've got Jacob Wilson, you've got Tyler Sodastrom, you've got Miguel Andal, you've got a lot of good young players, and so you're kind of sitting here, well, why aren't we picking them? Because the pitching won't hold up long enough to do the end, because it's a lot to expect all the guys that had really good years to not know when to have a sophomore stop this year, number one. just, it's a lot, they're a young team, they should be better this year than they were last year, but I don't think they're quite ready to take that next

What's going to happen is teams have now watched an entire year of footage on Nick Kurtz and you know, yeah, he's a great hitter But now you're gonna have every single team in the major leagues is accurately attacking your weaknesses Every single at bat and now you have to learn to make the adjustment We've seen lots of guys they start off strong and then when they they make that first thing I have that first adjustment made against them. They never recover So did you pick them ahead of the Rangers or did you pick them? The A's ahead of the Rangers or the Rangers are ahead of the A's? I picked the Rangers

in second and the in second. And this is where I really struggle because I don't know what I want to do. I kind of want to put the Astros in fourth, but I just can't do that. I think they're to the veteran aspect of that team. I feel like they were a year last year where the eighties pitchers actually kind of held up. Okay. And God forbid they have a year they don't because they have to pitch 81 games in Sacramento. Right. And the Rangers, you mentioned them, you know, pitching wise, they go Jacob to ground, Nathan, you've

I, you know, we don't talk much about the Angels. Obviously, we both have them in last place. Do you have anything that you can say that's positive about the Angels? they more? finally seem to be kind of taking a direction here. actually seem to be trying to tank for once and rebuild properly rather than build, you know, bringing in guys to free agency. They're finally getting off of these awful contracts they've been under for years. mostly- job's gotta be good one of these years, right? The problem that's gonna really happen for them is by the time-

is to happen for them is by the time they're good, Trout isn't going to be. No, that's true. And I guess I wanted to finish his career as an angel, although that seems mean. It seems mean. Right. I'd rather finish his career with a good team and have a chance at the championship. So I like Zach Neto on their team. Obviously, I like Joe Idel, who had a great year last year. ⁓ Josh Lowe comes over there. And Logan O'Hop was pretty good at catcher. But then you've got Soler is the DH head. mean, Jorge Soler. Isn't he like 40? Adam Frazier.

second base gonna come over there Nolan Shannuel you know had a couple of you know good weeks last year but couldn't sustain it so that's why I just and then you get to the pitching. Yeah that's the big issue. Besides Kikuchi and Jose Suriano had a much better year than people know last year starting pitcher for them. Reid Detmers, Grayson Rodriguez, he's looking to turn it around coming over for the Orioles again and Ryan Johnson who I barely know. I didn't care for his films. They're gonna get hanged.

I think as a staff so that's why we have the angels last all right We're over in the National League. Do we want to start with the Easter? Do we want to do you want to finish with we'll finish with the agency? I'm wearing my Benny I'm a Yanni Hawaiian shirt today that I got at the Mets Fan Fest this past so let's start Let's start in the central in the central okay, all right ⁓ In the central what what you might find not surprising is that I'm gonna pick the Cubs I think most people are gonna pick the Cubs there

team that we all want to say will challenge for the National League crowd to be in their Yeah, I think that they're like a National League Championship Series worthy team. know, do you? Yeah, yeah, I do. I think I think they have enough enough hitting to support what is, you know, really good pitching, starting pitching. I mean, Jameson Tyrone is your fifth starter. That's probably the one you're a little nervous about there. But but you better talk to really like about your fifth star. Right. So in the Naga, Edward Cabrera.

comes over from the Marlins. Cade Horton who they have very very big plans for this year and having a great season. Matthew Boyd is the number one. That makes me scratch my head because I guess he's been around so long that somehow he's ended up being Jamie Moyer late in his career where you know this guy's actually one of the better pitchers. eventually you should get steel back. And you should get Justin Steele back. you know that to add to Michael Bush and Nico Hoerner and Ian Happers.

That is more about its lineup than its starting pitching because the starting pitching to me is enough to get them there. That's why I picked them. Right, right. And I think for me the big thing in that division is because I have the Brewers finishing second in that division with the Cubs is the Brewers just sort of feel like especially the trade of Freddie Peralta really changed how I looked at them because that team was such a... When you look at that line up you're like, man, I like Jackson Cheerio. I don't love a lot else about that line.

Right

and they didn't do much hitting last year and we saw how they went down in the playoffs to the Dodgers when they basically completely forgot how to hit given the Dodgers you know did pitch quite well to do that. Mizarowski as their number one he's legit but he needs to have that season where he shows he's the number one. He needs to be a signed young kid today. Yes, yes in order for them to compete. I have them third actually and that's only out of respect because there's a narrative I can create where the Brewers it all comes apart.

Exactly, so I have to see that happen for them. I didn't do it that way and I picked the Pirates for second. That's kind of my reach they're big. Yeah, yeah. And that's mainly because I think the other teams might not be able to get out of their own way. Well, including the Right, the Reds having Hunter Green start the year on IL is a huge loss for them. Yeah, and the Pirate pitching, obviously I mentioned Bubba Chandler earlier. You you've got Skeens and obviously Jared Jones and Mitch Keller. They did...

They actually went out and got some some guys to help and Brandon Lau, you know, but you need to hit you need a monster season at allow you need O'Neill Cruz to finally realize on his talent and become a Really good baseball player like a good baseball player because he's not even really been that ⁓ Yeah, I agree with that. He needs to you know, have them talk about his batting average instead of his exit velocity More than a bunch of measurable, right?

Right, you know exit velocity and sprint speed and throwing these big amazing out there, but he's not actually been a great baseball player. And so that's why it's tough for me to think of totally finished second. That's totally something I and I think that would have to have like Connor Griffin would have to be brought up and inject into that line of what you're looking for. Right, right as they are. We start out the season. That's a team that I see most benefiting from midseason call-ups and making a trade halfway through the year to bring somebody in. But as they're composed right now that line of

Yeah, this is Pete Paul Skeens folks, right? So just like Scoobble is gonna, the Tigers are all in this year, right, to try to do it because they're not, doesn't know whether they're gonna sign Scoobble and I think Skeens, who knows how long he's gonna last in Pittsburgh, but chances of them signing him to the contract it'll take to keep him there for a long time. Not great. So this is the time for them to say, okay, maybe not gonna obviously challenge for the World Series, maybe not even for a playoff spot this year, but next year they should. They should be in position to do that and I'm taking...

the Reds to take it I picked them last year to make the playoffs and they barely made it. backed in with some help. ⁓ I think this is the year where maybe it doesn't all go right for them and from the standpoint of Terry, Frank, Conan it doesn't have the magic. It felt like it all kind of worked out for them last year and they still just barely made it and they're required a collapse of you know the Mets and other teams to kind of get them there and they didn't really do a ton to change that. I like Nick Ladoa the pitcher. like Andrew Abbott.

Obviously they need green to come back right right not having green there to start the year just I mean and they play in a tough ballpark where unless those pictures are great You're gonna give a pit so but you've got TJ Friedle Matt McClain Ellie Dilla Cruz Sal Stewart's gonna you know He's a guy they're hoping for business Suarez comes in as the DH Spencer Steer left field. That's a good top six. Yeah Yeah, it's a their team that again they remind me in some ways of the Red Sox and maybe that's why I dislike both teams for similar reasons that I look at their lineup in there

bunch of good hitters and maybe maybe South Stewart will be the great hitter that they need but when I look at all the teams that I look at as World Series teams what do they all have in the middle of their line?

Elite talent. Elite top end. You can't pick one guy in the reds that's that elite talent. Right. That's a fair thing He's got to emerge. He's got to emerge. Suarez hit 49 almost. Does that make him elite talent? No. doesn't do anything else. only hits the home run. We're talking Soto level talent. We're talking Calralli. We're talking Judd. We're talking Otani. We're talking that type of hitter. When you look at all of those teams across, all the teams that we're picking for, when you're picking World Series possible blitters,

They all have that kind of guy. That's why you give the team like the Braves respect because they have a guy like the Coonie Jr. Right, right. And you got to have that guy that you can put in your lineup. know, that you can And that's why you have a team like the Cardinals who don't have anybody like that. And that's why we're picking them to finish fifth. Yeah, I don't really have too much to say about the Cardinals. I don't to talk I think I said it last week going the Cardinals did out of a perhos of solid by not having managed this group of players. Right, right. This looks like, you know, the Cardinal fans are going to be watching their first true rebuild in a long time.

curious how the best fans in baseball handle this. I think they're happy though the team is finally committing because that's been a team that's been sort of trapped in purgatory now for a little bit and so finally being like okay we actually have to fix this is probably a good thing for them. Now the Dodgers fresh off and then we go to the NLS. Fresh off two World Series in a row trying for a third. Hasn't happened in a long time. ⁓ Think it might. ⁓ Yeah you know most teams do they do. Why don't they just run it back? Not the Dodgers. The Dodgers are like no we're gonna go sign guys. We're gonna bring in Kyle Tucker.

We're gonna bring in Edmund Diaz. I always forget that. like Kyle Tucker, like I said a few podcasts ago, he's just another guy on the Dodgers. obviously, if you're really that worried, because you look at that lineup and it goes Rookie Betts, it goes Kyle Tucker, it goes Shohei Otani, goes Freddie Freeman, it goes Will Smith, Teasker Hernandez. They trotted that lineup out. Every one of their starters against the Padres minor league squad in

And what do you think the final score of that game was? They got smoked. 12-3. Dodgers lost. And the Dodgers in the World Series were out hit by Toronto I think like 53 to 42. They were out scored by Toronto. But man that team is resourceful. They know how to win and I think that counts that is a team that they're being predicted to win 100 games. I think they don't really care that much. No, no because it'll become about resting guys at the end of the season.

They look at it like they for that even their worst case scenario still has them as a playoff team It's just that there's enough injuries to enough guys that okay They might not be like because it was like okay if two of Otani Tucker Freeman and Betts go down for an extended period of time Now maybe the right because there were periods of time last year where that lineup wasn't hitting even with as good as everybody is in it I don't think that's gonna happen this year, but that's the only way something happens the other factor I think is

I don't think any of the other teams in that division are all that great because who do you have second because it's not an easy thing to pick second place. god I hate this stuff. I don't like any of these teams. That's what I'm saying. So I went out and picked the Giants and Tony Vitello and I gotta be out of my mind. I feel like you are. I picked him to finish fourth just because I don't believe in any of the things that they're doing. But I feel like this is going back to my don't run it back and change it up. The Mets did that.

The other teams in their division are all running it back. That's the team that's trying something different. The Padres are, and that's why I have the Padres finishing second. Because you think it's going to work to run it They have a lot of talent. They have good players. They have lot of talent. have lot of talent. I'm a little worried about the pitching because it's like, okay, eventually you Darvish is going to just like not be good at I don't think he's even going to, is he even starting the season with them? I don't think he is. And Joe Musgrove, I think is at the head of that rotation. And there's another guy who could be pitched like a whole season, please. Right, right. But I look at the lineup.

It should be enough because I look at the other teams like that team at the D backs I want to believe it but I'm even more I'm starting to be leaving more out on than the Giants Yeah, I look at the D backs going I look at that line thing. They should be really good They've got they got to tell Marta you might be one of the most underrated players of all the baseball They've got Corbin Carroll who's gonna coming off the hand-made surgery and all that so he's good They've got for domo terrific player, you know, so they've got a lot of guys in their lineup that you you look at it they even have the things

that the Reds don't have is they have elite talent. have Carol and Marta. They have the type of guys you need to... and that's why they made a World Series within the last five. And they bring in Aronado. I don't know what they can expect from him. But then you get deeper in the lineup and you've got Carlos Santana, the ageless Carlos Santana. Not the public. What is Gabby Moreno?

Yeah, he's a guy who should be an All-Star catcher this year if he's going to be the guy we Right, right. For them to be a playoff team, Gabby Moreno needs to be an All-Star. But here's where I have a problem when it comes to the Diamondbacks, okay? Is it their tradition? The number one is Zach Galley, again. Okay, the number two is Ryan Nelson, Brandon Fatt, Eduardo Rodriguez, who looked fantastic in the... Oh man, he could bounce back for that. If that guy shows up, you and then Michael Soroka is the number five. That Jordan Montgomery fan is nice.

So that's why I don't have I'm not high on the diamondbacks and why I think the Giants have a chance to finish it ahead of both them and the Padres I just have trouble picking a team that Wilmer Flores played a significant portion in that's fair the fact that he was a key player for them last year just feels wrong I don't think he's gonna be a key player for the initiative because I'm the team right so that's the same thing now he's gone and it's good they bring it to replace Wilmer Flores so they bring in Larissa Reyes

second base and somehow I'm less disturbed with him being in my second base. He's infinitely more tolerable. I think he's actually more natural middle. think he played second. Yes. Yes. So then you got got Devers, you got Willie Adamus, you got Matt Chapman, got Jungkook Lee, you got Harrison Bayer comes over to play center field. So that's a placeholder. You got Patrick Bailey, might be one of the best defensive catchers. He better lick.

in the national league. So that's why I put them together along with their starting pitcher with Logan Webb, Robbie Ray, Tyler Molley, Landon Roop and Adrian Hauser. He was that guy when he pitched for the Mets. I'm on him for being that. So I just think they have enough to basically outlast the other teams who are all flawed enough not to do it. I'm just saying. Devers was too much for who will likely be Hall of Fame manager Alex Cora to handle. Now you're going to bring in

rookie head coach fresh to the major leagues from college, Tori Vitello, to handle one of the most mercurial players in the major leagues. I will go with the clean slate theory. Manager has a clean slate. He doesn't have any preconceived notions about the player. The player doesn't have any for the manager. Let's go play. And because he's got a defined role, obviously he's going to play first base on the team. He agreed now, I'll play first base, know, which something it wouldn't do with Boston. You know, I think it has a chance to go well, we'll see.

I don't like banking on a rookie manager to but but got look at Pat Murphy and look at Stephen Vought They won back-to-back manager of the year awards being rookie managers. So Well as we move over to the NLEs we looked at a rookie we had a rookie manager level not a second-year manager coming off a great rookie campaign in Carlos Mendoza and It did not go great for him in here to let's just say no and then you know, obviously, know the pitching health of the Mets last year You know, you want to lay some of that in Carlos

Mendoza's lap for reaching for the stars too early and crushing his bullpen by the time they rolled around only if you watch the Mets play it wasn't like he was taking guys out who were pitching well. were games where he did though there were games early in the season where he was overprotective where we're because I remember us sitting there being like okay I guess he's done like in like the fifth inning and we were kind of always confused but we're like okay it's working out he would bring in some random guy we had never heard of from the bullpen he would throw it.

well

and everything was going great until it did. So I think he's acknowledged that he's going to do a few things differently this year than he did last year which is good because the Mets fell apart and never were heard from again basically once they went into the tank. We'll save the Mets for the end because we can talk about them the most but looking at the other teams of the division starting down at the bottom here. That's an easy one. This is an easy one and I'm a mad at it so. Me too we feel the same way about that because there was a time last year I thought the Nationals were coming off. Right we both had the Nationals the team that was

up and up at the team that they could have been a dark horse playoff team last year instead of they just pretty much immediately went in the tank and sucked whole year. and you know they trade their best pitcher in Mackenzie Gore and they don't really get you know guys to come back into the rotation I have been you know sort of Jake Irvin fan but you look at the guy's statistic going why Mark why are you a Jake Irvin fan? threw two against the Mets and now you're convinced he's a stud. 100 % right about that and so other than

that the pitching is rough. And you look at what they've gotten for all of those trades that they made, not a lot.

No, once I really materialized out of training Juan Soto and try Turner, I think for them to run out, Kate Gavales are number one. You know, we're put it on the top of the rotation. They have Foster Griffin. You know that picture? Zach Mcdowell. Is he the Los Ramos guy's son? No. Miles Nicholas comes older from the carnival. So I think the pitching is going to be. Right. Dylan Cruz. James, what is it doing?

Right James would good player good player not yet a great player not yet a great player. He strikes out at least right so CJ Abrams, you know

Where's the sky like he shows lots of talent? But once you're be the leader the team needs him to be know, that's shortstop at the top of When's he gonna be their Bobby way? Right, know, right. Daylon Lyle and Wright Field look good last year, but it really should be Dylan Cruz out there. He's in the minor leagues. So I think that the Nationals are gonna be bursting people. Kevin Ruiz, just, no. How many years have they tried? Right, right. That's part of the problem is that they traded for all of these guys. They traded away their best players. You got these young guys and none of

Not one of them has become a superstar even Mackenzie for who they traded who was good was only a good wood wood is the closest they've had but He is still that you wouldn't describe him as a great player yet Jacob Young I like his defense in center field the guys can go pick it, but he can't hit it That's the clear fifth place team that doesn't mean that the fourth place team couldn't end up in fifth place in the Miami Marlins because you know They've got a pretty good young lineup. They've got a lot of guys Kyle Stout

might be the best player that a lot of people have not heard of. Yep, that's a good call. The manager's dynamic. He struggled to start the year, but he kind of seemed to turn it around. they've got the guys at the top of the rotation. If they're healthy, they should be electric. They could also go the way if it didn't go well, and fire sale everything at the break and finish worse than the Indian Nationals. They have a plucky lineup, but does it actually

hold up and sustain does like we saw some out of Sandy Allen Contra and ⁓ who's the other? Uri Perez. We saw them last year they looked pretty good down the stretch but both of them are injury prone and God forbid they get hurt or just not what they need. And once you get down in their rotation you know Chris Paddock is the number four, ⁓ Jason Junk that's great. Grant Jansen Junk is the number five right now. Great name for a pitcher I hope he's an off-speed pitcher actually so yeah.

I think that's clear. So now you've got the three teams that obviously we did. know what? I will say this, but things can go right for the Marlins this year. Perez and Alacantara can be the guys that they can be, and that lineup could hit. There's a universe where, you know what? My third place team could finish fourth. That's the Atlanta Braves. They could be bad. There's a universe where they're bad again. I hate, and as a Metfan, you know, just can't, the Braves are like Voldemort. You can't even say, because they just always find a way to win.

the Mets. The Mets could be this team too. Yeah, think it's last year. That's why I don't think it's going to happen two years in a That's mostly why I'm not thinking that's going to happen last year is because the Mets did this terrible everything went wrong where the Braves kind of had that last year but that was more off of injury than just like not things not going well. The Mets didn't play good. I really can't blame last year too much on injury for the Mets. So and I could make the same there and we're talking about the Braves going okay if everything went right if Austin Raleigh came back if Spencer Strider

gained his form, it doesn't necessarily look like. Schwellenbeck is on the IL. If he comes back and there's a lot of Chris Sale, okay, he looks good right now, but talk to me in August. You Kenny, Kenny. You've gotten years out of Chris Sale nobody would have expected to get at this point. So there's part of you that's always saying, when's that injury going? Because for him, it seemed like it was always coming beforehand. But the problem I have with the Braves are there's too many guys that I'm looking at saying, well, if he returns to form this year like he should,

Because like that's like a good portion of the Albies and Austin Riley right and but you know Strider And you start looking at Matt Olson Matt Olson needs to bounce back is he didn't have a great year Michael Harris has to play great the whole year right? I'm happy to see that this happens because he was because he was a good player for half a season and he was the worst player in baseball for the other half of that and unfortunately Those two combined is still kind of a bad baseball player. So the you know, but you go round of Cunha Drake

bald winter ice is poised for a good season this could be the all-star catcher in the national right they were a team that is maybe one of the hardest ones to forecast because their their upside is really high and their implosion is really low and so now we get to what is my number one team in the NL East which is Philadelphia Phillies. I picked the Phillies they're running it back kind of a trend you can see I'm preferring the team yeah and I'm not I'm going the other way I like the teams that are

I think the best right they have the Christopher Sanchez they have where's major swars? he's in Boston. ⁓ yeah He's gonna start the season now in the rotation, but you back in No luck won't back Yeah, no, I it looks more like Nola at least in the baseball classic that lineup is still really good now You have the question some things

Harrison Bader actually played in a rather surprisingly large role for that team last year. He's not there anymore. But they still got Schwerber. And Harper. Harper. Yeah. And they still got Turner. No. Yeah. That's a good... Well, it's Riamuto. Riamuto's had a couple down years now. And that's why it could be... They brought him... The guy they brought him was Adolas Garcia. And ⁓ I guess I hope he's the player that... once was in Texas, but it's been a few years since he's

in that player. Sure, but he'll be infinitely more likeable in right field than Castellanos. Wow, that's a addition by subtraction as we like to say. So, Brandon Marsh, Alec Bohm, running it back, Bryson Stopp.

No, I didn't pick them. I picked them to get ahead of the Braves, but I didn't pick them to catch So that means you have the New York Mets in first place. I do. So spin me this how everything's going right for the Mets and they end up in first place. Spin me this yarn. Cody Senga pitches 140 innings. Both real good and his great training. far so good. Nolan McClain is the real deal. Freddie Peralta is what you expected him to be at the number one. So you start with those three guys. So he looks good solid top.

Klay

Holmes is in able number four and then between Sean and I who isn't even going to start the season in the rotation, he's going to work out the bullpen. You've got a lot of guys at lower levels that can help. David Peterson obviously not a lower level. You know he looks pretty good. You've got Christian Scott who they've been high end for years is finally coming back. They've got a lot of guys that are in the lower level. you're going to need them because last year they started pitching a foul apart due to injury. And so bullpen wise they've got the best

bullpen top the bottom they've had despite the loss of Edwin Diaz because you can't tell me that trading Edwin Diaz for Devin Williams is a positive. No, but if you're to have an Edwin Diaz replacement Williams is about as good as you're going to get because even though Yankee fans would swear he was terrible for them last year his advanced stats were actually pretty good for them. were. were. So look, you got Lindor. I expect Lindor to be Lindor. You've got the guy that I'm going to preview. I might pick as the National League MVP this year.

and maybe even more than Lindor, Soto will be Soto. I think so too. Beau Bichette who's looked great, think, and we know the guy can hit. Can he play third base every day? That we don't know, you know, at this point. We know Simeon can field at second. How much is he going to hit? He hit the whole season. Again, the same thing with a 35 year old guy. Looks good early in the season. Can he sustain it with the wear and tear? ⁓ I love, you know, Brett Beatty staying on the team and being a multi-position player because I think his bat is for real.

the rookie Carson Benj and I think the key to the season might be Francisco Alvarez having something close to an All-Star season behind the and at the bat. And what do you get out of Luis Obear in center field because I think he gets kind of lost in the shuffle of the signings and he was a really electric player for the White Sox and who knows how much being on that kind of defunct team for the last couple years affected him as a player. If he bounces back to what we saw from him a few years ago that could be a crazy signing for the Bats.

David Stern said came out after the season last year and boldly said we needed to work on run prevention which is core for our defense sucked and it did so they went out and made a change despite the fact that Bovesh in the third base doesn't seem like you're turning it over to you know have a great defensive team yeah well you're gonna have a committee at first base playing all the playing over there and no one's been able to sort of you know stick stick out so I don't even know who's gonna be getting most

the rest of first base between Beatty and Falaco or whoever else but yeah I think this is the year where it doesn't all go wrong for the Mets and so that gets them a division title obviously once you get past you know this and you get into the playoffs and all that stuff anything can happen and often does so yeah so those are our picks we're gonna come back next week and we're gonna do the award winners our predictions we'll talk about the start of the season award winners so Wednesday night it starts and I can't wait

for baseball because it's March but it still feels like baseball season because we saw the WBC. And now it's opening day.