Or something.
So, I'm going to provide somewhat of a "wish list" here, with some of those projections in mind.
World Series
The World Series that I hope for every single year is simply this--Cleveland Indians vs Cincinnati Reds, Indians win in seven.
Yes, I totally realize that this is fantasy. But, heck, this is my baseball blog, right?
I'd even be good with the Indians being down 3-0 after three games--as long as they don't break my heart again like they did in 1997! (Jose Mesa is NOT available now, right?)
World Series II
Okay, since my fantasy World Series is less than likely (Tiger Woods has a better chance of winning another dozen tournaments, in fact), here's what I will hope for this year's World Series:
Texas Rangers vs Whoever, Rangers win it in 5. Or 4. Maybe 6. Just not 7, I don't think those fans deserve that kind of torture again.
And, with the Rangers in mind, let's get on with the projections!
Josh Hamilton
Current Projections: 103 Rs, 178 hits, 30 2B, 2 3B, 51 HR, 148 RBI, 63 BB, 150 SO, .314 Avg, .381 OBP.
I like Josh Hamilton. A lot. I hope that he wins another MVP award this year. In fact, I seriously hope that he out does all of these projections. Let him get 200 hits, bat at least .330, hit at least 50 HRs, maybe top 148 RBIs, walk more, strikeout less. But, the projections are the projections. If he has a couple hot streaks like he had earlier this year, it'd be good. Chances are he'll get out of this slow period for another time or two.
Joey Votto
After my Indians fandom, I am a fan of the Cincinnati Reds. I love how strong Votto has come out of the gate. His current projections are:
104 Rs, 193 Hits, 69 2Bs, 29 HRs, 98 RBIs, 125 BBs, 127 SOs, Avg .350(!!), OBP .471 (Also !!!).
If it weren't for the ridiculous incompetence of Dusty Baker, Votto would have a projection of 150 RBIs by this time. But, no, Baker puts two pathetic OBP folks in front of Votto more often than not. You'd think he was the manager of Ichiro at some point, and believed that hitting 200 singles in a season was as good as having an OBP above .350.
Anyway, Votto needs to pick up the pace just enough to get 200 hits. I read somewhere that there were only two players in history who had 200+ hits and 120+ BBs--Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. Now that is some fascinating company.
Adam Dunn
It was painful to watch his numbers last season, but very few people actually seemed to think he was Dunn (see what I did there?). Thus far, he has proven his fans to be correct. He's batting a pathetic .210, but his OBP of .359 is good enough for 43rd place as of today (and far superior to the "HOF" Ichiro's .297, but not quite as strong as Ichiro's lifetime .367 (which, by the way, is better than the folks Dusty has playing in front of Votto)).
Current projections: 90 Rs, 119 Hits (what?), 21 2Bs, 49 HRs (which would be a career high), 119 RBIs (obviously in a better managed lineup than Votto), 131 BBs (crazy), 258 SOs (probably a record), and then the numbers presented earlier.
Some pretty ugly stuff, but some nice stuff, too. I hope he pulls the average up, the OBP, and keeps on pace with the HRs. That'd be great.
Cliff Lee
Um... projected to win Zero games. Never mind.
Albert
Most folks I hear anticipate that he will beat out the current projections. Most believe he will bat .300+, hit 30+ HRs, and have 100+ RBIs. He's a bit on the hot side right now, but we shall see.
Current projections: 627 ABs, 84 Rs, 170 Hits, 43 2Bs, 25 HRs, 98 RBIs, 57 BBs (if he stays hot, that will change rather dramatically), 78 SOs, currently a .271 avg and 331 obp. Those numbers will change.
Or... maybe they won't. I think he's showing wear. Last year didn't look like Albert, and I didn't think he deserved the #1 pre-season ranking that ESPN analysts gave him. I have no idea how they thought that.
CC Sabathia
Unfortunately, as a former Indians fan who follows this heavyweight, CC is currently on the DL. That'll slow his pace towards another 20 W season. Yes, I know the Keith Laws and such of the universe think that W's are meaningless. I don't. There's more to this game than the numbers--there is the human factor that contributes to such things. I would never have voted for a Cy Young for a 12 game winner (or was it 13?). I don't care how fancy your numbers are--you didn't pull a Steve Carlton and win half your team's games. Lame.
Anyway, CC's current projections are: 222 IP, 60 BBs, 218 K's, 19 W's, 6 L's.
Works for me. Go CC. And, fail Yankees.
Matt Kemp
How do you do projections on a guy when the projections currently suggest he will play only 73 games? Never mind.
Yu Darvish
Certainly an interesting figure. I was hearing folks projecting him as the Cy Young before he threw his first major league pitch. Thus far, he hasn't totally damaged their reputations.
Current projections: 207.2 IP, 18 HRs, 107 BB's, 237 K's, 20 W's, 10 L's.
I'd like to see more consistent dominance, because he's pitching for my hopeful World Series winner.
A few others
There are a few other players who intrigue me--some because of the teams they play for, others because they are novelties, or they are having rather significant years. A few other projections:
Adrian Beltre is having a good year--which he needs to do in order to rightly support my Nolan Ryan team. Projected to hit 36 2Bs, 28 HRs, get 105 RBIs, and is batting .323.
Stephen Strasburg, whose innings limits are talked about constantly, particularly because the Nats are actual contenders this year, is on pace for 19 W's, 6 L's, 196 IP's (which, apparently, he will not reach), 257 K's, 57 BB's, and WHIP of 1.08.
R. A. Dickey, the now famed knuckleballer, is on pace to win 24 (!!), only lose 2 (!!!), 229 IP's, 235 K's, a stifling 0.88 WHIP and .190 opponents batting average.
GO R. A. I am totally not a Mets fan, but this story is too good not to cheer for.
So...
I guess time will tell whose excellence continues, who floats to the top, and whether or not my Cleveland Indians become a dominant force in baseball.
[Sigh]... never mind.
No comments:
Post a Comment