2008 MLB Season

[sahyder1]

25 is still fairly young...so yeah, I would consider that a prospect, especially considering a lot don't get out of the minors until they're like 27-28.

If they're any good there is a 99% chance they'll be up long before then. I've seen him get bombed pitching for the Yankees enough times the past 2 years. He's a 4th starter at best.....and that is being generous. No way he's cracking the rotation for a contender.

Mets bullpen blows another one for Santana. The man should have 15 wins already.

Edited August 7, 2008 by sahyder1

[livid]

Well as bad the Mets bullpen seems to be, there's no way it touches the Cardinals' bullpen. The worst bullpen in the league and you don't go out and get anyone, anyone at all?

Just awful. I was pulling for them to keep in contention but after the new GM (I dunno his name so I'll just call him dumbass) didn't make one single move other than signing Felipe Lopez the other day. And while middle infielder is a need (I mean we have Cesar Izturis starting for god's sake), it isn't nearly as needed as a guy in the bullpen who doesn't pitch like he's in little league.

The Cardinals offense is fine. In fact, both Pujols and Ludwick have been outstanding the last month of the season and Ankiel and Glaus are always threats to hit a HR or two and drive in some runs, but every time they get a lead, it ends up being blown by some retard in the bullpen. I mean Dave Duncan is a genius pitching coach but he can only do so much and he's already done a miracle job with the rotation.

Oh and yeah, I wasn't necessarily saying that Karstens was going to be an ace, just that he's 25 and ya' know, sometimes it takes pitchers a little while.

[MalaCloudy Black]

Holy shit, the Rays are in first in their division?

[Guest Mr. Potato Head]

Rub it in, why don't you.

[MalaCloudy Black]

I never thought I would see a day where the RAYS are in first and the FUCKING YANKEES are back in third. Totally bizarre. The only way this season could get more bizarre is if my Cubbies don't blow it and manage to get to the playoffs.

[Lowerdeck]

The Rays have already set a team record for victories in a season.

Not like getting 70 wins in a season should be hard in the first place, but Tampa...

[Lowerdeck]

The Rangers scored 17 runs off the Red Sox, and still lost. Giving up four in the bottom of the 8th does not help.

Damn that was a crazy game.

[Guest Mr. Potato Head]

Let it be shown that the Jays are 1-0 when I see them as an away team, outscoring opponents 15-4

[Lowerdeck]

Let it be shown that the Jays are 1-0 when I see them as an away team, outscoring opponents 15-4

You was in Boston this weekend? Least you picked the right one to show up.

I was at a game last year vs. the Jays, the home team won 13-10 ... even after a Dice-K blowup in the 6th inning.

Apparently some statistical company ran a simulation with 10,000 possible results to the end of the season. The Angels have nearly 100 percent chance of making the playoffs, and the Jays have better odds than the Yankees (both being lower than 3.5 percent though.)

[gunnar hendershow]

Let it be shown that the Jays are 1-0 when I see them as an away team, outscoring opponents 15-4

You was in Boston this weekend? Least you picked the right one to show up.

I was at a game last year vs. the Jays, the home team won 13-10 ... even after a Dice-K blowup in the 6th inning.

Apparently some statistical company ran a simulation with 10,000 possible results to the end of the season. The Angels have nearly 100 percent chance of making the playoffs, and the Jays have better odds than the Yankees (both being lower than 3.5 percent though.)

ESPN.com has those odds listed with their standings.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/standings

[Lowerdeck]

I got it from http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=AidT...o&type=lgns

Interesting, different numbers. Still horrible for the Yanks and great for Yankee haters like myself.

[Toe]

Fucking AJ Burnett.

Just pitched another great game against the Yankees, is having a career year, and it feels so strange to think about how bad his contract looked last season. Now I am getting a wierd feeling that I want Burnett to return to the Jays if possible.

[Ananas]

I don't. He opts out, signs somewhere else for obscene money, we get two first round level prospects and whoever signs him ends up dramatically overpaying for a guy who just had the best season he'll ever have while we can handle the loss from a pitching standpoint and have the money to chase Man-Ram/some other big bopper DH.

[Toe]

So, is Adam Lind going to be the full time left fielder next year? He has arguably been the best bat in the line up since Cito was brought in the manage. Also, for next season is Inglett going to get a shot at short stop when Aaron Hill returns? I've missed seeing Hill in the line-up.

[Guest Mr. Potato Head]

DrunkJaysFans wants Matt Holliday to be acquired in a trade and Lind moved to DH. Beatnik wants the same thing, only with ManRam signed rather than Holliday.

Lind has pretty much forced his way into the starting nine, I think. Inglett's a little different - he'll probably be a super-utilityman type who makes about 100 starts despite never officially being one of the regulars.

[Ananas]

Well Ramirez or Lind to DH, either way. I think I'd be hesitant to move Lind there at such a young age considering he's fine in the field as it is, but at the same time Manny is temperamental and that's the price you sometimes pay for a big bopper.

As for Inglett, I like the suggestion of Hill back to short and Inglett to second. Hill has ridiculous range and would be just fine at SS, Inglett is ridiculously clutch and you love a guy like that in the lineup (think: a poor man's Pedroia with less upside but still fun to watch). You solve the middle infield issue cheaply like that and gives you more money to bring back Barajas/sign a DH/bring in a 5th starter to replace Burnett. Of course this is all contingent on Aaron Hill recovering. Oh, how I hate David Eckstein.

On another note, how bonerific was last night? 14-3 in front of 37,000 rowdy (seriously, rowdy. In Toronto, no less!) Jays fans chanting "Yankees suck!" And Scutaro with a 4-6 night including a "Fuck Jose Bautista" 3 run jack in the 5th! Hopefully Bautista only ends up as a DH option considering how Matt Stairs has finally gotten old over the past 2 months and how incredibly sad it is that David Eckstein is our other DH.

[gunnar hendershow]

It's always nice when the Yankees get blown out on the road. The game's almost always a sellout, and the Yankee fans are everywhere regardless of the city. So much fun to see the home team fans, however few they are, celebrate and mock New York fans.

[Toe]

I'm already in the mindset of looking towards next year with the Jays. Is third base Scott Rolen's to lose? He has been good defensively but it looks like he has lost his touch at the plate. I don't know anything about this Bautista guy, but Scutaro has been okay as a replacement and has been a great utility guy for this team.

Also, does anyone else see the need to find a new first baseman? Lyle Overbay is patient at the plate, but ever since he hurt his wrist (I think it was his wrist), he hasn't been able to really find his swing. He isn't hitting the doubles the way he used to. Is there anyone the Jays could target in the off season that would give them more offence from first base?

As for the DH spot, I am with you guys. Matt Stairs was good last season and has been okay this year, but he is showing his age. Being last in the league in home runs, Toronto needs to add someone who can just flat out smash baseballs.

Casey Jansen. Will he be the 5th starter next year? I am comfortable with seeing the rotation looking like Halladay, McGowan and Marcum, but I am still not sold on Litsch.

[Ananas]

It's always nice when the Yankees get blown out on the road. The game's almost always a sellout, and the Yankee fans are everywhere regardless of the city. So much fun to see the home team fans, however few they are, celebrate and mock New York fans.

Actually the thing that struck me about this series over the past three games has been the overwhelming amount of Jays fans to turn out. The Yanks do bring their numbers, but for a mid-week series it was definitely overwhelmingly pro-Jays. I'm interested to see if this trend continues on the weekend with the Red Sox, as they usually outnumber Jays fans at the Rogers Centre.

I'm already in the mindset of looking towards next year with the Jays. Is third base Scott Rolen's to lose? He has been good defensively but it looks like he has lost his touch at the plate. I don't know anything about this Bautista guy, but Scutaro has been okay as a replacement and has been a great utility guy for this team.

I think Scott Rolen is far too expensive to ride the bench, so Cito or whoever coaches next year will definitely give him plenty of chances to keep his job. He's got a bum shoulder right now, so I suppose we can hope that he'll get some of that pop back in his bat next year. I mean, he's had injury problems in the past, but they haven't usually hindered his power to this degree.

Also, does anyone else see the need to find a new first baseman? Lyle Overbay is patient at the plate, but ever since he hurt his wrist (I think it was his wrist), he hasn't been able to really find his swing. He isn't hitting the doubles the way he used to. Is there anyone the Jays could target in the off season that would give them more offence from first base?

If Alex Rios, Vernon Wells, Matt Stairs or Scott Rolen are hitting for power, nobody's even talking about replacing Overbay. He's solid in the field and is leading the team in On Base Percentage. The problem is that yes, everything else is down. I think the plan with Overbay is that when Snyder's ready to go, either he or Lind moves to first and Overbay's contract will expire after next year. I don't see them panicking and making a move to replace him in the offseason, although I'm sure if there's a decent offer in on him (prospects plus getting the 7 million he's going to make next year off the books) they'll consider it.

Casey Jansen. Will he be the 5th starter next year? I am comfortable with seeing the rotation looking like Halladay, McGowan and Marcum, but I am still not sold on Litsch.

Jesse Litsch has better stuff than Casey Janssen. Better control, better movement, more endurance. Litsch also has a massive pitch repertoire and recently added a Four-Seamer which he threw to great effect in his 7 innings of shutout, 4 hit ball against the Tigers last Thursday. Right now your 2008 rotation looks like this: Halladay, Marcum, McGowan (who will probably miss the first month of the year), Litsch and then a big TBD. David Purcey is an option, although at this point he'd have to improve just to be a consistent #5. Casey Janssen is an option, although he had a good deal more success coming out of the bullpen and coming off a missed season is still a big if. My guess is that they drop 2-3 mil on a #5 starter and give Janssen an opportunity to win the pre-McGowan #5 slot from Purcey in spring training.

[Toe]

That makes sense. I didn't see Litsch throw against the Tigers, but have seen him on some of his good days and bad days.