17 days until pitchers and catchers report.
Go Red Sox!
Even if the Padres' lineup ends up being just league average (for the NL), it would still mark a massive upgrade. Rotation has upside, but I wouldn't be shocked if it ends up falling apart. I feel like there's a lot of injury risk on that team (Cashner, Shields (he has a pretty hefty workload), Johnson (obvious reasons), and Ross (especially with his slider usage)) IMO.
I think the Indians could be pretty darn good. I really like their rotation, though their defense still looks pretty iffy. I think Salazar and Bauer break out this year, and Carrasco pitched very well down the stretch last year as a starter.
http://www.baseballamerica.com/2015-top-100-prospects/
Red Sox and Mets are tied for the most prospects with 7 each.
Let's talk fantasy, fellas.
Who are you guys targeting on draft day? Who are you avoiding (or at least drafting way later than their ADP), aside from obvious injury candidates like Tulo?
A couple people I'll be targeting:
Avoiding:
Holy fucking balls can we talk about this incredible overpay for Rick Porcello? Just... what. When I went to read the article titled "...4-year extension...", I was like 'this number shouldn't start with anything higher than a 5'....... and then it was $82 million. Starbucks, tell me you're not okay with this.
It's definitely an overpay, given Porcello has only one year since 2009 with an ERA+ north of 100 (and even then, he overachieved) and only one season with 200+ IP. But I do think it should be mentioned that Porcello's ERA+ could partially be explained by some terrible defense over the years in Detroit, and for several years, Porcello's FIP and xFIP were much lower than his ERA. And he's still pretty young (only 26).
This is the best time to be a Royals fan. After losing that world series I can tell everyone is fired up for every game. The A's series we cleared our benches every game, then last night's White Sox brawl was incredible. Ventura needs to settle his ass down, even though he was defending himself, but still. Being paid as much as he is, he should learn to control his temper.
Going to Royals/Tigers on April 30th, maybe gonna see another brawl
Hamilton back to the Rangers? Awkward... Also, great sweep for the Giants... much needed. Aoki has been a great pick up thus far and Duffy seems to be improving a lot on offense. Maybe this season won't be as bad as I thought.
I'm rooting for him to hit 50+ home runs with the Rangers. Fuck Arte Moreno and the Angels.
red sox blow
:(
Sox pitching has been brutal so far. Porcello's actually been OK, but his ERA's dragged down by one horrible start (8 ER in 5 IP). Buchholz has good peripherals as well and I expect his ERA to drop significantly, but his health is always a concern. Joe Kelly's got incredible stuff, but doesn't know how to use it. His command was awful today. Masterson should be in the bullpen at this point.
Hanley's shown some incredible power so far, but he's been leaving games early/getting hurt. His defense in left has looked pretty awful too. Red Sox were already forced into calling Swihart up after their two catchers (Ryan Hanigan and Christian Vazquez) suffered potential season-ending injuries (Hanigan could be back in the 2nd half).
Still a lot of season left though. I still think there aren't any stand out teams in the AL East, though I could see someone pulling 95+ wins out of their ass (kinda like the O's last year).
Heston...
Too bad he's probably going to blow dick next start, seems to be a theme. The movement he brings is crazy, hope he figures it out though. Never gets old seeing a great pitching performance. Bumgarner, step yo game up.
Heston's very intriguing. High ground ball pitcher with very solid K/BB numbers.
It's a very exciting time to be a baseball fan. The influx of young talent is crazy.