Pillaging Your Peers-NL Central

Continuing my little project, I will move westward and cover the NL Central.

Chicago Cubs- Yikes. I'm not stoked on any of their players for a short term investment. Alfonso Soriano is at least 56 years old, and rapidly declining. Aramis Ramirez can't stay healthy. Their starting pitchers are crazy (Carlos Zambrano), or mediocre (Ryan Dempster.) That leaves me with two viable options: Closer Carlos Marmol, or OF Tyler Colvin. I will take Colvin. He had a great rookie year, and still has room to improve.  My keeper is SS Starlin Castro. He can do a little bit of everything, and is only 20 years old. He entered last season as one of the top prospects in the game, and did fairly well at the Major League level, despite being so young.

Cincinnati Reds- Easiest team in the division. Joey Votto was the NL MVP this year. He's the real deal. Aroldis Chapman. AKA The Cuban Missile, is probably the top pitching prospect in the game. He did this...


So yeah. The only argument to be made is Devin Mesoraco, a power hitting catcher from Punxsutawney, PA. Chapman would probably be the top pick if there were a prospect draft, and I can't pass up 105.

Houston Astros-After trading Berkman and Oswalt this year, there aren't many players who jump out at you. Carlos Lee and Hunter Pence are unspectacular outfielders. Wandy Rodriguez is a high strikeout pitcher. I would take Pence, mainly due to Lee's past injury history and advanced age. Prospect wise it comes down to two players: 1B Brett Wallace and  C Jason Castro. I would lean toward Castro since he catches, but Wallace should be a good player.

Milwaukee Brewers- It starts and ends with Ryan Braun. The Hebrew Hammer is one of the best players in baseball, and with Prince Fielder's tough year, it's not really a contest. One other option is Yovani Gallardo, a young fireballer. I will take the hitter here, but after looking at Gallardo's stats, it was closer than I thought.  They just traded top prospect Brett Lawrie, so he's out. That leaves a bunch of prospects with question marks. I will go out on a limb and take Gallardo long term. He's stll only 24, and has proven MLB success. Their prospects after trading Lawrie just don't impress me much.

Pittsburgh Pirates-I will start with the keeper. Pedro Alvarez is their top prospect. He hit .239 with 10 homers on the ML level this year, but he should improve on that in the future. As for present help, I really like Andrew McCutchen. He has some pop, steals bases, and plays a great CF. Another easy team to pillage.


St. Louis Cardinals- Another easy one. Albert Pujols is a future Hall of Famer. He plays defense, and has stolen 30 bases the last two years combined. On a team with pitchers like Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter, it shows you how great a player Pujols is. Their farm system is decent, but Shelby Miller is a stud. Rated the #3 pitching prospect by project prospect (say that 3 times fast), he has a great fastball, along with plus pitches in his curve ball and change up.


Overall, an easy division to select from. There are some guys that I really like that didn't make the cut, like Mesoraco and Wallace, but that's how it goes in these types of things. As always, if I made any egregious oversights, call me on it.


Previous- NL East

Pillaging Your Peers-NL East

Imagine yourself as the GM of an expansion baseball franchise. Bud Selig has given you the power to select two players from an established MLB team. One player is for the short term, and you can only keep him for 3 years. The second player is yours as long as you want him. The only drawback is you have to submit your choices before you know how many or which teams you will receive players from. So you are choosing under the assumption that you may only get the players from one team. I normally do this around the trade deadline, thinking like the Tigers, so I figured I would put it in writing, and see how much my preferences have changed. I will start in the NL East, since my early research has shown it to be rather difficult.

Atlanta Braves- This was one of the more difficult decisions. The two players I would covet most are very young, and would be excellent choices as my long term preference. The two players are Jason Heyward and Julio Teheran. Jason Heyward just turned 21, and finished second in the NL Rookie of the Year race. Teheran is  19 and considered one of the top pitching prospects in all of baseball. So therein lies the problem. They both are destined for greatness, but which one do you want long term? Do you take a player like Brian McCann for three years, and take Heyward long term, since Teheran isn't too close to being Major League ready, and may not reach his potential? Do you take three years of Heyward and gamble on a potential ace in Teheran?  If I were in this position, I gamble on Teheran. I take Heyward short term, and Teheran long term. Pitching wins in most cases like this in my opinion.

Florida Marlins- Another difficult one, but easier than Atlanta. The long term option is Mike Stanton. Amazing power hittter. 22 homers in 100 major league games this year, and he's only 21. The short term players in contention are Hanley Ramirez and Josh Johnson. Hanley Ramirez is arguably the best all around SS in baseball, and Johnson is a dominating pitcher. They are only a year apart in age, so that doesn't help. I think I would actually go with HanRam. Josh Johnson had Tommy John Surgery in August of 07, and although he has been great since, I am using it as justification to take Ramirez. I can't go wrong with either, but Ramirez is one of my favorite players.

New York Mets- Before I actually looked at this, I thought it would be fairly easy. Then I realized how bare their Minor League system compared to the rest of their division. Most of their top prospects have huge question marks. For three years, there are 3 legit options: David Wright, Jose Reyes, and Johan Santana. Two years ago, they were three of the best players in baseball, but Wright had a horrible(by his standards) 2009, Reyes can't get/stay healthy, and Johan just isn't the same player he was in Minnesota. I would go Wright, who bounced back in 2010, and distanced himself from the other two. As far as prospects, I will trust  the experts and go with Wilmer Flores. John Sickels feels he's the Mets' top prospect, and he plays SS, so positional scarcity plays a factor as well. The future is bleak for the Mets.

Philadelphia Phillies- Roy Halladay. Nuff said. As far as prospects go, there isn't much left. The Halladay and Oswalt trades have helped empty the cupboard, as they say, and they are left with Domonic Brown, and a few marginal pitchers, so Brown it is. Big, fast, outfielder who Athlon compares to Darryl Strawberry (in ability, not recreational activities, I assume.) The easiest by far in the NL East, and probably top five easiest in MLB.

Washington Nationals- Another Braves situation, with the added headache of having a very good player at the Major League level. Stephen Strasburg is the most hyped pitching prospect probably ever. Bryce Harper graduated from high school a year early to go to community college so he could get drafted earlier. He is also...well see for yourself...

Both were selected number one overall. Both are among the top 3 prospects in baseball. Then you have Ryan Zimmerman. A young All-Star 3B who isn't close to being selected. In this context, I would have to take Strasburg for three years, and Harper for keeps since Harper isn't close to reaching the majors. I am this close to going Zimmerman for 3 and Strasburg forever. Flip a coin on this one. This will be the one to watch from this division.

This was tougher than I expected. When I looked at this from Detroit's perspective, it was fairly easy. With Cabrera at first that position is blocked, so a slightly less player at a position of need was always selected. Same with outfielders, With Austin Jackson in center and leading off, I looked at power over speed in outfielders. All in all this was fun. I look forward to doing the other divisions, and I will see if I could cover every position without trying. Feel free to leave any comments if you feel I overlooked someone.

Michigan to The Gator Bowl???

According to The Florida Times-Union, Michigan will meet Mississippi State in the Gator Bowl. It isn't official yet, but these things normally end up being credible. So it goes to show again that I know nothing. I do know that they take their footbaw serious down there, and their promotions team is top notch...

I am obviously surprised with a Jan 1st Bowl, and like the recruiting exposure in Florida. I also like the matchup, as Mississippi State ranked 91st in passing offense. More on this as it becomes official.

Lions-Bears Knee Jerk Reaction

It wasn't as bad as I expected, but sucks just the same. Bad penalties, bad play calling, bad pass defense. Stanton wasn't that bad, but you can't allow your two safeties to be the leading tacklers, and expect to win many ball games. Stanton taught us how NOT to Dougie.

But there were some positives. The Calvin TD.

Cliff Avril jail-sexxed the Bears' offensive line. Suh(minus the penalty) was his normal beastly self. No turnovers. 5.0 yards per carry. Nobody spontaneously combusted, which is a plus.

The song remains the same. Close, but couldn't close. We're used to it. We haven't beaten Chicago, Green Bay, or Minnesota since the George W. Bush administration. In October 2007, we were all Crankin Dat Soulja Boy, and watching Dirty Sexy Money.

I don't know what to say anymore. I don't get upset anymore. I don't yell. I don't curse at referees. I just watch. It's like watching television in a doctor's office. You can't pay attention, because there's that creepy guy two aisles over that refuses to cover his mouth when he coughs, and keeps trying to strike up conversations with people. You are aware what's on, but you can't get too invested. I....shit. Now I can't get the creepy guy image out of my mind. Better quit while I'm ahead.

This Week in Great College Basketball Names

Drake U'u

Drake U'u is a red shirt sophomore guard for the Cal Poly Mustangs. He started his college career at Hartford, averaging 2.9 points, and 1.7 rebounds in 18 games (5 starts) as a true freshman. He had to sit out last year due to NCAA transfer rules. This remarkably consistent player is averaging 2.9 ppg, and 1.4 rebounds through 7 games this season. 

I'm not sure I've seen a name containing two vowels and an apostrophe before. Short and sweet like Seth Green.

Lions-Bears Quickie Preview

The surprisingly good Bears are in Detroit to play the Lions today. The first game was close, ending with the Calvin Johnson Controversy.  A refresher...



That Lions team had Matt Stafford. Jahvid Best had 10 good toes. Detroit had yet to lose to the Bills. Hell, that team still had Shaun Hill. That team had Jason Hanson.

This team has Drew Stanton. This team has a gimpy Jahvid Best. This team lost to the Bills. Did I mention that this team has Drew Stanton? They also have Zac Robinson. Who? A 7th round rookie out of Oklahoma State. This team has Dave Rayner. Awesome.

Three keys to success:

1. Beer.
2. Calvin Johnson proving that he is the best WR in the NFL, by making Drew Stanton look like an NFL QB.
3. Did I mention beer?

Prediction:

45-14, Chicago. It won't be pretty. Jay Cutler may be the first QB in history to have 5 TDs and 5 INTs in one game. Maybe this will make you feel better...

In other words, if the Lions win I will eat my hat. But to be fair, I am wearing a nacho hat

The Curse is Real

A month ago today, I crowned Jason Hanson as The best Lions draft pick since Barry Sanders. Well, today the Lions placed him on IR, ending his 2010 season, and keeping former Spartan Dave Rayner employed for the rest of the year.

The only bright side to this injury is it will not allow him to add to his already NFL record of being on the losing team 190 times. No word yet on his status for next season, but I would venture to guess he will be back.  To fill his spot on the roster, the Lions signed former 1st round draft pick, CB Tye Hill.

This proves again, that the SEMS curse is real. I spotlight Jonas Jerebko, and BOOM!!!!1! In other site news, I am now planning posts on the following:

1. Terrelle Pryor
2. Sidney Crosby
3. The Miami Heat
4. Phil Mickelson (that smug, left-handed bastard)

Here's to feeling better, Jason.

Good Night, Sweet Prince!