Jump to content

MLB 2009 Season


Shortline Bus

Recommended Posts


  • Replies 437
  • Created
  • Last Reply
  • 2 weeks later...

Shifting gears. Pitcher Curt Schilling most recently with the Red Sox today 3/23/09 announced his retirement. Schlling who has '3' World Series rings in leading both Arizona and the Red Sox to 3 championships is a great post season Pitcher. However injuries has hampered his chances of an automatic lock to Cooperstown. So question does he belong in the MLB Hall of Fame? Here are his lifetime stats in the regular season and playoffs.

 

Career statistics 1988-2007 (Orioles, Astros, Phillies, Diamondbacks, Red Sox)

Regular Season Win-Loss 216-146

Earned run average 3.46

Strikeouts 3,116

 

Best season: In 1993. went 16–7 with a 4.02 ERA and 186 strikeouts. Schilling led the Phillies to an upset against the two-time defending National League champion Atlanta Braves in the National League Championship Series. Although he received no decisions during his two appearances in the six game series, Schilling's 1.69 ERA and 19 strikeouts (including the first 5 Brave hitters of Game 1, an NLCS record) were enough to earn him the 1993 NLCS Most Valuable Player Award.

 

 

Major achievements and awards

Career highlights and awards

6x All-Star selection (1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2004)

3x World Series champion (2001, 2004, 2007)

NLCS MVP (1993 vs. Braves) 0-0 (no decisions- 2 starts) 1.69 ERA and 19 strikeouts

World Series MVP (2001)

Led AL in wins in 2004

Led NL in wins in 2001

Led NL in innings pitched in 1998 and 2001

Led NL in strikeouts in 1997 and 1998

Co-winner (along with Teammate Randy Johnson)as 2001 Sports Illustarted's "Sportsmmen of the Year.'

 

Is Schilling a Hall of Famer guys?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Shifting gears. Pitcher Curt Schilling most recently with the Red Sox today 3/23/09 announced his retirement. Schlling who has '3' World Series rings in leading both Arizona and the Red Sox to 3 championships is a great post season Pitcher. However injuries has hampered his chances of an automatic lock to Cooperstown. So question does he belong in the MLB Hall of Fame? Here are his lifetime stats in the regular season and playoffs.

 

Career statistics 1988-2007 (Orioles, Astros, Phillies, Diamondbacks, Red Sox)

Regular Season Win-Loss 216-146

Earned run average 3.46

Strikeouts 3,116

 

Best season: In 1993. went 16–7 with a 4.02 ERA and 186 strikeouts. Schilling led the Phillies to an upset against the two-time defending National League champion Atlanta Braves in the National League Championship Series. Although he received no decisions during his two appearances in the six game series, Schilling's 1.69 ERA and 19 strikeouts (including the first 5 Brave hitters of Game 1, an NLCS record) were enough to earn him the 1993 NLCS Most Valuable Player Award.

 

 

Major achievements and awards

Career highlights and awards

6x All-Star selection (1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2004)

3x World Series champion (2001, 2004, 2007)

NLCS MVP (1993 vs. Braves) 0-0 (no decisions- 2 starts) 1.69 ERA and 19 strikeouts

World Series MVP (2001)

Led AL in wins in 2004

Led NL in wins in 2001

Led NL in innings pitched in 1998 and 2001

Led NL in strikeouts in 1997 and 1998

Co-winner (along with Teammate Randy Johnson)as 2001 Sports Illustarted's "Sportsmmen of the Year.'

 

Is Schilling a Hall of Famer guys?

 

 

IMO guys Schilling is a HOF. If i was a HOF voter a great "Post Season Carrer' should put in guys like schilling and Kirby Putcwkett who would otherwide had good carrers but probably dont make the HOF. If Don Mattingly had won a 'WS ring' he might have been in Cooperstown right now. Any reactions?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Shifting gears. With the MLB season opening in few days i will now make my picks for 2009.

 

 

American League

 

East

Rays

Yanks

Red Sox

Orioles

Blue Jays

 

Central

Twins

White Sox

Tigers

Indians

Royals

 

West

Angels

Rangers

Mariners

A's

 

 

National League

 

East

Mets

Phillies

Braves

Marlins

Nationals

 

CentralReds

Brewers

Cubs

Cards

Pirates

Astros

 

West

Dodgers

D' Backs

Padres

Rockies

Giants

 

Wild Cards

AL. Yanks

NL.(very tough to predict)I say D' Backs.

 

MY MLB regular season takes. While the Champion Phillies will battle the Mets all season, they have a hard time to repeat imo. Closr lidge will be 'back to human' and be difference if Philly returns to playoffs or not.

In best divison in MLB right now, the Yanks, Rays and Sox will 'kill off each other.' Even my last place AL East pick Toronto may have a better record than the 3rd place club from either the AL West or AL Central. Yanks will beat the Sox for wild card due to better starters now than Boston. IMO by end of season, Joba might be back in pen especially if Mariano goes down with long term injury which is possible. Rivera has been healthy for almost his brilliant future HOF carrer.

 

 

Most disappoining team this season will be the Brewers who will really 'fall' due to loss of CC. Also a team that will be 'disappointing' will be the Cubs. I could be wrong but that my picks.

 

Sleeper or surprise team.

AL. rangers

NL; REDS

 

I wait till late Septemeber for my post season picks.:)

Guys feel free to make your picks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

AL

East

Yankees

Red Sox

Rays

Orioles

Blue Jays

Central

White Sox

Tigers

Indians

Kansas City

Twins

West

Angles

Athletics or Mariners

Rangers

 

NL

East

Mets

Marlins

Phillies

Braves

Nationals

Central

Cardinals

Cubs

Brewers

Reds

Astros

Pirates

West

Dodger

Giants

Diamondbacks

Rockies

Padres

 

Wild Card

AL-Red Sox, Rays, or Atletics

NL-Cardinals, Phillies, or Giants

 

You might think I'm crazy picking Giants or Ahtletic, but now Giants know that Tim is gonna be great, they have Big-Unit, and Edgar. Athletics have added a still-productive Jason Giambi, and a great outfielder, Matt Holiday. But a risk for Athletics is that they've lost Houston Street.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

AL

East

Yankees

Red Sox

Rays

Orioles

Blue Jays

Central

White Sox

Tigers

Indians

Kansas City

Twins

West

Angles

Athletics or Mariners

Rangers

 

NL

East

Mets

Marlins

Phillies

Braves

Nationals

Central

Cardinals

Cubs

Brewers

Reds

Astros

Pirates

West

Dodger

Giants

Diamondbacks

Rockies

Padres

 

Wild Card

AL-Red Sox, Rays, or Atletics

NL-Cardinals, Phillies, or Giants

 

You might think I'm crazy picking Giants or Ahtletic, but now Giants know that Tim is gonna be great, they have Big-Unit, and Edgar. Athletics have added a still-productive Jason Giambi, and a great outfielder, Matt Holiday. But a risk for Athletics is that they've lost Houston Street.

 

My friend those are your picks and that fine. Here i explain why i am picking Texas as this year's "Rays' aka 2009 surprise team.

1)Ranked the best minor league system in AL for 2008 by Baseball America.

2)Great pitching propsects who if they healthy will be excellent pitchers. Remember these '2' young guys from Texas. Neftali Feliz and Derek Holland.

3))The most explosive offense in MLB right now led by Josh Hamilton

Also Michael Main, Blake Beavan and Wilfredo Boscan were also ranked by both ESPN and Baseball America among the top 25 pitching prospects in the minors now. So I expect the Rangers if their young guns develop to at least be in the wild card race.

 

Texas is the only team this season that can replace the Angels as AL West winners.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well for me the suprise team, might be Marlins, they have a killer roatation, but their offense is mediocre, but if there pitching can be effective, the Marlins can be a suprsie, especially with Hanley Ramirez, and there is one to watch Cameron Maybin.

 

Another suprise team might be Athletics or Mariners. Athletics have Giambi and Haliday, and Seattle has a few power hitters, and Griffey can bring the leadership back to their clubhouse. I'm choosing Mariners over Athletics, but with Ichrio eldering, maybe there is a hole.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

He wins the job!!!

TAMPA, Fla. -- The Yankees have officially announced that Brett Gardner has won a starting job to open the 2009 season, likely making him the first player to patrol center field at the new Yankee Stadium.

 

 

Gardner, a 25-year-old rookie, beat out Melky Cabrera in a Spring Training competition, which manager Joe Girardi had declared to be relatively even leading into the final week of camp. Girardi informed both players of his decision early on Sunday.

 

"Both of them played great," Girardi said. "Melky had a tough year last year, but he came into camp and was ready to go and played very well. Gardy finished up strong and had a great camp. We're just going to go with Gardy."

 

Gardner hit .385 (20-for-52) with three home runs, six RBIs and five stolen bases in 22 spring games for the Yankees, impressing the coaching staff by continuing to showcase plus speed in the outfield and on the bases.

 

The 24-year-old Cabrera skipped an opportunity to play in the World Baseball Classic in hopes of securing a job, putting up a good fight. Through 21 spring games, Cabrera batted .340 (18-for-53) with one home run, nine RBIs and two stolen bases.

 

Speaking highly of what Gardner had done to win the job, Girardi also repeatedly complimented Cabrera's work.

 

"The thing about Melky is, Melky is still a young player," Girardi said. "He's only 24 years old. If he continues on what he did this spring and the work that he put in, Melky can be a force, too."

 

Girardi said that the Yankees plan to carry Cabrera as a reserve outfielder to open the regular season, playing all three positions in backing up Johnny Damon, Gardner and Xavier Nady. Cabrera is out of options, so he would need to be exposed to waivers in order to be sent to the Minor Leagues.

 

"Melky is going to have a lot of important things for us," Girardi said. "There's a lot of things Melky can do. He's a switch-hitter, we can put him anywhere in the outfield and he can run. What happens April 6 doesn't necessarily mean that's what's going to happen June 1st."

 

Gardner made a positive impression with the Yankees in his second stint last season, promoted from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre when the slumping Cabrera was optioned to the Minor Leagues. Gardner hit .294 (20-for-68) after being promoted for the second time, including four doubles, two triples and eight steals.

 

"He continued what he did the last three weeks, where he was patient and saw a lot of pitches," Girardi said. "He hit a lot of hard line drives and was productive for us the last three weeks of the season. He just carried it over."

 

Gardner left George M. Steinbrenner Field before the Yankees' 9-8 victory over the Pirates was complete on Sunday. But he addressed his spring in a group interview with reporters on Friday, saying that he had shown enough to prove he could play every day in the Major Leagues.

 

"I feel like I can," Gardner said. "Obviously, a lot of people don't take Spring Training too seriously because a lot of times you're not facing top guys every day. I think it's a time for everybody to get ready and show they're ready for the season to start."

 

As strong as his spring was, Gardner said that it could have been even better.

 

"I think there's things that I could have done and probably should have done, some at-bats that I gave away," Gardner said. "For the most part, it's gone well and it's been a good learning experience for me, and I've continued to make strides at the plate."

 

According to Girardi, Gardner did not show much emotion when informed that he would begin the season as the Yankees' center fielder. Of Cabrera's reaction, Girardi said: "Any player is going to be upset with that decision."

 

Speaking through an interpreter, Cabrera said he would be ready for defensive duty or pinch-running assignments when needed.

 

"That's the manager's decision," Cabrera said. "I'm going to be ready for whatever they need me for. I'm just going to be part of this team."

 

The Yankees will likely use Gardner as the No. 9 hitter in their order on April 6 at Baltimore, which would allow them to use Derek Jeter to break up the lefty combination of Gardner and Damon to counteract late-inning bullpen moves.

 

Girardi said that there would not be any additional demands on Gardner with the high-profile assignment.

 

"Just do your part -- that's all we're asking guys to do," Girardi said. "Play good defense, be smart on defense, have tough at-bats. [it's] no more than we're asking any other guy."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My picks:

 

AL East

Yankees

Rays (wild card)

Red Sox

Blue Jays

Orioles

 

AL Central

Royals

Indians

Twins

White Sox

Tigers

 

AL West

Rangers

Angels

Athletics

Mariners

 

NL East

Mets

Phillies

Marlins

Braves

Nationals

 

NL Central

Cubs

Brewers

Astros

Reds

Cardinals

Pirates

 

NL West

Dodgers

Giants (wild card)

Diamondbacks

Rockies

Padres

 

Wild cards: I'd say the Rays get the AL Wild Card. They are a much stronger team now, and they'll look to prove that last year was no fluke. The Giants for the NL Wild Card. They say "it's our turn", and a relatively decent pitching staff (likely headed by Lincecum) and some offense (especially if Renteria can play like Renteria) can help them get back into the postseason.

 

Surprise picks: Yes, I'm actually picking the Royals. Surprised, anyone? Many say they could be the Rays of '09 (as in, Cinderella story). And besides that, they've made some of the biggest offseason moves, picking up Crisp, Farnsworth, Juan Cruz, and others. I think they look more determined now than they have been in a long time. If heaven FORBID my Yankees don't make the World Series again this year, I'm thinking that the Royals will make it that far. I'm that high on them. I'm also picking the Rangers to take the AL West. They've got the offensive power and they finished 2nd in their division last year (albeit a very slow second to the Angels). Their pitching looks like it'll be up to par this year, and if Ben Sheets gets healthy, the Rangers ought to pick him up from the Brewers. I like these two teams' chances a lot better this year.

 

(And getting personal for a second, let's go Yankees!!)

 

Those are my picks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Right now IMO they don't seem as strong as they were in '06 when they won it all. And they finished 4th in their division last year, way low by their standards. Other than a few players (like Pujols, Lohse, etc.) I think it'll be a tough road for them this year. But that's me - perhaps they'll prove me wrong again.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If anything, the Royals seem to look the most motivated, and perhaps the healthiest. The Indians might be their biggest threat in my opinion (especially since they got some of their pitching back). I don't look for the White Sox to be any stronger than last year, nor the Tigers. And the Twins are without some of their stars, so it'll be tougher for them.

 

So if anyone can knock off the Royals, it's the Indians.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yankees win 7-4. Cano gets the first homer in the new stadium.

 

Damn, Mariano, watching YES, and he changed the bullpen side, I just bought Bleacher tickets right over left-field bullpen, and Mariano wanted it on the other side.

 

I was watching as well... from what I understand, they were always going to be on the right field side. Mariano simply changed the side of the pen he was throwing from, not switching pens. He also got his door into Monument Park.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yankees win 7-4. Cano gets the first homer in the new stadium.

 

 

 

I was watching as well... from what I understand, they were always going to be on the right field side. Mariano simply changed the side of the pen he was throwing from, not switching pens. He also got his door into Monument Park.

 

Ohhhhhhh, but many newspapers, including yankees.com said that their bullpen was gonna be on the left side, must be a misprint, I am pissed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A crushing 10-1 win for the Yanks, with homers by Jeter, Teixiera [2], and Duncan. The new Yankee Stadium is a hitter's ballpark for the home team so far. CitiField is not a hitter's park, and the outfield wall looks really ugly, so I rather have old Shea, renovated, than torn.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The new Yankee Stadium is a hitter's ballpark for the home team so far. CitiField is not a hitter's park, and the outfield wall looks really ugly, so I rather have old Shea, renovated, than torn.

 

Just wondering, what do you think of the manual scoreboards in the wall at the Stadium?

 

And the field dimensions at the new Stadium are exactly the same as at the old one, so I don't see a difference when it comes to hitter's vs pitcher's park, except maybe the sports bar/batters' eye rather than The Black.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.