Comments on: 2008 MLB Preview: Top of the NL East

By: Matt

Matt — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 01:17:46 +0000

Very biased opinions. Especially at pitching though, Cole Hammels is the Phillies number one starter over Brett Myers any day of the week. I can see that you didn’t want to lose points for your Fightin (and losing) Phils’ put come on make it a little less obvious. Other than that good job.

By: Josh

Josh — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 01:17:11 +0000

I was a bit disappointed in how you underrated Victorino, this will be a breakout year for him.

By: Pete

Pete — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 21:43:41 +0000

Another Sam-

Thank you for bringing some sanity back to braves contingent.

points are well taken. If one of those young pitchers you mentioned can come up and have the same impact as Ubaldo Jimenez had for the Rockies last year they can certainly win the division because I think they have a top-5 offense.

By: GARGS

GARGS — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 21:31:47 +0000

Sam Howe,

You’re right about everything.

Diaz will get 200 hits. I’d be surprised if he didn’t win the MVP. It will go nice with Mike Hampton’s Cy Young. And one World Series over the last 50 years is absolutely tremendous. I know it’s less titles than proud mega-market teams like the Marlins, Blue Jays, Twins, Pirates, Reds, Orioles, A’s, and Tigers, but the Braves “earned more oppurtunities” to at least play hard and try to win and get juice boxes when they lose. Also, Jayson Stark’s prediction will undoubtedly come true even though he has never been right on one of those predictions. Every year he wrote such a prediction, he was just having an “off year.” But now that he is as old as Smoltz as Glavine, he’s ready for his prime. So again, I couldn’t agree more with you Sam.

By: John

John — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 21:29:08 +0000

“God, it’s hilarious to listen to people try to find a way to badmouth the Braves’ unprecedented success over those 14 seasons.

We were in the playoffs while your team was at home for FOURTEEN seasons. You think of it as ‘missing’ our opportunity, we think of it as ‘earning’ an opportunity. Losers sit back and try to badmouth winners to make themselves feel better. Winners are too busy playing in October to listen.”

actually we were not at home for 14 seasons, we were at home for 13. and by your definition of winners and losers, we currently are the only winners in the division.

lighten up loser!

By: Another Sam

Another Sam — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 21:19:39 +0000

My biggest argument with this analysis is in how you determined who were the best hitters on every team, especially the Braves because that is the team I follow the most. I ( and I dont think I am alone in this)fully expect Tex to have a better offensive year than Chipper. He is younger, generally healthier and also is in a Boras contract year (although that didnt work out so well for Andruw).
Also if Escobar has the seventh best offensive year on the team then the Braves should break some records. He is a young player, but he is a very complete hitter (i believe hitting over .400 in the Spring). He can be a little wild in the field, but he is going to hit .320 and more have double than Marcus Giles when he was roiding. He could easily have a better offensive year than McCann.
Diaz is a much better hitter than Church, but so are Victorino and Alou with Victorino being the best fielder of the group by a large margin.
I disagree with a few things in your pitching ranking like the Myers over Smoltz (Smoltzie may get hurt but you never know when Myers may decide to slap his wife around and get suspended for a few weeks) and Hamels over Hudson (Hudson has a more established track record and less injury risk). I think you didnt really take depth fully into account. As Stark pointed out in his article, the Braves have tremendous depth in their starting pitching. Meaning that while Smoltz and certainly Mike “Dont Swing too Hard” Hampton may be hurt and miss a start or ten there are several guys that could fill in for a while like a Jeff Bennett, JoJo Reyes or Chuck James. I dont see the same type of players filling in for the Mets or Phillies during the inevitable Pedro and old man Moyer breakdowns. I can see why you say that the top five starting pitchers for the Mets and Phillies are stronger than the Braves, but I think 1-8 in starting pitchers for the Braves are definitely stronger and I think in such a long season that could be especially important. Also that depth gives them valuable trade pieces at the end of July.
On another note are the Mets bottom four really going to be Church-Alou-Castillo-Schneider? How could this be half of a pennant winning lineup? The Marlins might get more production from the bottom of their lineup.
Overall good analysis but I think both of us are a little bias. Should be a great race to the finish. May take 95 wins to take home the division crown.

By: Pete

Pete — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 20:53:16 +0000

goodbye Samuel, we hardly knew ye’.

by the way, in all your ramblings, the only thing you said that was originally researched and not just telling me I am wrong without anything to back yourself up was that Matt Diaz was 3rd behind Ichiro and Jeter – and it was wrong. Excellent debate work.

By: Pete

Pete — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 20:50:20 +0000

admit that I am partial to a team? Did you see the header for this blog? do you understand that it is a Philly blog and is not hiding behind anything? Did you notice I worked for the Phillies? you really did some crack research to figure that out. did you also notice that I picked the METS, the team I hate most in the world, to win the divison? and that I pointed out that much of the Phillies rotation SUCKS and that I think Jimmy Rollins will have a down year?

Matt Diaz had 803 plate appearances in the last 3 seasons (ichiro had 2,227 and Jeter had 2,181) – and he has not qualified for the batting title in any of the three. Also, Samuel the research expert, he actually has a better average than Jeter and Ichiro in that span, and is 3rd behind Pujols and Miguel Cabrera. If your prediction is that Matt Diaz is as good as Derek Jeter, Ichiro Suzuki, Albert Pujols and Miguel Cabrera, I’m not sure what to tell you.

By: Samuel Howe

Samuel Howe — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 20:44:55 +0000

i’m done with you.

your blog sucks, by the way.

By: Samuel Howe

Samuel Howe — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 20:43:17 +0000

God, it’s hilarious to listen to people try to find a way to badmouth the Braves’ unprecedented success over those 14 seasons.