Major League Baseball 2012

[CaptainCharisma]

Congratulations to the St.Louis Cardinals, the 2011 World Series Champions (11th title in franchise history)

what a series, its a pity the public aren't paying attention

winter is around the corner and its Hot Stove time again

will Albert Pujols stay or go?

the renamed "Miami" Marlins host the defending champs on opening day, April 4

All-Star Game will be in Kansas, teams should take this game seriously, seeing how vital homefield advantage is in the World Series

predictions?

[Drahow ein Ente]

GO CUBBIES!

[karlo_12]

Congratulations to the St.Louis Cardinals, the 2011 World Series Champions (11th title in franchise history)

what a series, its a pity the public aren't paying attention

winter is around the corner and its Hot Stove time again

will Albert Pujols stay or go?

the renamed "Miami" Marlins host the defending champs on opening day, April 4

All-Star Game will be in Kansas, teams should take this game seriously, seeing how vital homefield advantage is in the World Series

predictions?

yankees will be back with a vengeance next season.. the steinbrenners better open their deep wallets

[karlo_12]

Congratulations to the St.Louis Cardinals, the 2011 World Series Champions (11th title in franchise history)

what a series, its a pity the public aren't paying attention

winter is around the corner and its Hot Stove time again

will Albert Pujols stay or go?

the renamed "Miami" Marlins host the defending champs on opening day, April 4

All-Star Game will be in Kansas, teams should take this game seriously, seeing how vital homefield advantage is in the World Series

predictions?

the marlins will still suck

i think noong nananalo ang redbirds sa world series, mas lumiit yung chance na umalis si pujols, pero with emergence of david freese, jon jay and allen craig, baka hindi na kailangan si pujols at holliday, lalo na mas malaki na hihinging bayad nito, hopefully pujols will end up wearing pinstripes but who knows??

[Aquaman]

lets go Giants! Matt Cain will be a free agent after 2012. Then Lincecum the year after. I hope SF can keep them. If not the next year or two will be their best chance. After that who knows.

Prince Fielder & Pujols are free agents but they will be going to SF only if hell freezes over. SFGiants need help at offense. Maybe they can get Cuddyer.

[ceedee]

AL champion Texas Rangers will return with the same line-up for next season. Let see if they can bounce back from this debacle.

[rational]

GO CUBBIES!

bandwagoneer!!

[saboteur]

St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa calls it quits as he will announce his retirement today.

[CaptainCharisma]

^ nooooo, they're in good position to contend, but you can't top this one and its always nice to go out on top

[_Phoenix7_]

CC extends with the Yanks.

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_yl...nkees-sabathia

basically, it adds another year to his current contract, and then a team option for a 7th year (at 25 million) or a buy out (at 5 million), which could become guaranteed if CC stays healthy in 2016.

Great job on all sides. CC ain't much of a bad guy eh? Love the big dude. He could have gotten more guaranteed money and year/s even with the Yankees had he used the opt out.

[karlo_12]

cc loves being a yankee, the city of new york has been good to him and his career.. i hope retires as a yankee..

but i heard that burnett is on his way out, the yankee organization will use him as a trade bait, for who? another starting pitcher? a power bat?? or for young prospects?

[_Phoenix7_]

Saan mo narinig yun?

Who would take AJ? Kung ikaw ba yung ibang team, kukunin mo si AJ? Maybe yeah, if the Yanks take on a lot of his salary.

[karlo_12]

http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/news/...s_nyy&c_id=nyy

the article contemplated about trading aj, but they are looking for a team that will bite..

i think posada is not expected to be back next season, the core four, is not reduced to the terrific two i guess new era na talaga ng yankees to.. and i expect them to make the infield younger.. panira lang talaga yung mega contract ni a-rod..

in cashman we trust..

[_Phoenix7_]

As much as I am grateful for Posada and all his contributions, letting him go most likely is the correct move for the Yankees for them to continue being more and more competitive.

I think it is hard to make the infield anymore younger until the contracts end. Robbie Cano is probably the best 2nd baseman in baseball. Jeter, ARod, and Tex ain't moving. This would be our infield for the foreseeable future, save for injury.

Now, the catching scenario is interesting. We got Martin for at least one more year. Plus Jesus Montero. Make Jesus the BUC, letting him catch around more or less 40 games. In 2013, you reevaluate: is Jesus or any of the other catching prospects (Romine, Sanchez) ready for the catching job?

The outfield is even more intriguing. The Yanks current set up is excellent. Defense, speed, power, patience. Still, I am praying that Matt Kemp of the Dodges does not resign before this coming season, so that he would be a FA come next offseason. Then you sign him to play rightfield. He would still be 28 by that time. Then you have an even better outfield.

[karlo_12]

As much as I am grateful for Posada and all his contributions, letting him go most likely is the correct move for the Yankees for them to continue being more and more competitive.

I think it is hard to make the infield anymore younger until the contracts end. Robbie Cano is probably the best 2nd baseman in baseball. Jeter, ARod, and Tex ain't moving. This would be our infield for the foreseeable future, save for injury.

Now, the catching scenario is interesting. We got Martin for at least one more year. Plus Jesus Montero. Make Jesus the BUC, letting him catch around more or less 40 games. In 2013, you reevaluate: is Jesus or any of the other catching prospects (Romine, Sanchez) ready for the catching job?

The outfield is even more intriguing. The Yanks current set up is excellent. Defense, speed, power, patience. Still, I am praying that Matt Kemp of the Dodges does not resign before this coming season, so that he would be a FA come next offseason. Then you sign him to play rightfield. He would still be 28 by that time. Then you have an even better outfield.

i wanna see posade retire as a yankee, i hope he will accept a much lesser role.. but if the yankees will let him go then its up to them, i still remember the organization letting matsui go even after winning the finals mvp

as for the infield, the defensive skills of jeter and arod are diminishing, i think in the future they will see time as a dh, good thing ramiro pena, brandon laird and eduardo nunez are there to supply the defense as bench players..

as for the outfield, i wish we still have melky but im happy enough with swish, gardner and grandy..

i just wish we will just stick with a 5 man rotation, the 6 man rotation ruined cc sabathia's rhythm, i hope they let go of freddy garcia and bartolo colon

Sabathia
Burnett
Wilson/Oswalt/Darvish
Hughes
Nova

[CaptainCharisma]

^ I dig that rotation, I think we have no problems with the line-up for the regular season, its delivering in the postseason where it really matters

[_Phoenix7_]

i wanna see posade retire as a yankee, i hope he will accept a much lesser role.. but if the yankees will let him go then its up to them, i still remember the organization letting matsui go even after winning the finals mvp

as for the infield, the defensive skills of jeter and arod are diminishing, i think in the future they will see time as a dh, good thing ramiro pena, brandon laird and eduardo nunez are there to supply the defense as bench players..

as for the outfield, i wish we still have melky but im happy enough with swish, gardner and grandy..

i just wish we will just stick with a 5 man rotation, the 6 man rotation ruined cc sabathia's rhythm, i hope they let go of freddy garcia and bartolo colon

Sabathia
Burnett
Wilson/Oswalt/Darvish
Hughes
Nova

Ehh..such is life. Matsui didn't and wouldn't have much of a role after the 09 season after all. As much as their is a proud tradition in the Yankees, it is still a business and a sport where winning is the top priority. It was the right move to let Matsui go then, and it would be the right move to let Posada go now.

Po can still retire as a Yankee, by you know, retiring now.

ARod's D was actually good late in the season. It is his health that I am worried about. If ARod stays healthy, he is still a lethal bat and a damn good glove out their at third.

I would much rather have Gardner than Melky.

We would definitely have a 5 man rotation. We only went 6 late last season in hopes of finding those 2 other guys (aside from CC and Nova) that would pitch effectively in the postseason. They tried to limit Colon and Garcia's innings, they gave Hughes a chance.

Right now, we have under contract for our rotation:

CC
Nova
Hughes
Burnett

I would sign Garcia for depth. I mean, we've seen this year what depth could provide. Besides, we could stash him in the bullpen if we sign someone bigger.

Then I'll go for Darvish first before Wilson. Younger, cheaper in the big picture, and though he is a higher risk, he also provides a potential higher reward.

Hopefully Nova doesn't go all Hughes on us this season. And hopefully Hughes becomes Hughes.

Ideally, we trade Burnett (hey, Derek Lowe got traded! Why not AJ?), sign Darvish OR Wilson, and then sign Garcia for a year on the 5th spot (or, if Oswalt would agree on a one year deal, go for him).

For 2012 then, we would have:

CC
Nova
Hughes
Darvish/Wilson
Garcia/Oswalt/Whoever on a 1 year deal.

I'd love that 5th spot to be flexible and on a short term contract, so that if everything goes as plan (Nove stay as Nova, Hughes returns as Hughes2010, Darvish/Wilson do not flop) we would have one free spot in the rotation come 2013.

In 2013, we have a lot of choices for pitchers! Cole Hamels and Matt Cain lead the pack, and while a lot might be extended by their current teams, I think one or two good pitchers hit the market.

Then their are also our prospects in Banuelos and Betances who could realistically compete for a spot in 2013.

[Aquaman]

MLB All-Stars are playing Taipei. Game is on MLB Network.

[karlo_12]

Ehh..such is life. Matsui didn't and wouldn't have much of a role after the 09 season after all. As much as their is a proud tradition in the Yankees, it is still a business and a sport where winning is the top priority. It was the right move to let Matsui go then, and it would be the right move to let Posada go now.

Po can still retire as a Yankee, by you know, retiring now.

ARod's D was actually good late in the season. It is his health that I am worried about. If ARod stays healthy, he is still a lethal bat and a damn good glove out their at third.

I would much rather have Gardner than Melky.

We would definitely have a 5 man rotation. We only went 6 late last season in hopes of finding those 2 other guys (aside from CC and Nova) that would pitch effectively in the postseason. They tried to limit Colon and Garcia's innings, they gave Hughes a chance.

Right now, we have under contract for our rotation:

CC
Nova
Hughes
Burnett

I would sign Garcia for depth. I mean, we've seen this year what depth could provide. Besides, we could stash him in the bullpen if we sign someone bigger.

Then I'll go for Darvish first before Wilson. Younger, cheaper in the big picture, and though he is a higher risk, he also provides a potential higher reward.

Hopefully Nova doesn't go all Hughes on us this season. And hopefully Hughes becomes Hughes.

Ideally, we trade Burnett (hey, Derek Lowe got traded! Why not AJ?), sign Darvish OR Wilson, and then sign Garcia for a year on the 5th spot (or, if Oswalt would agree on a one year deal, go for him).

For 2012 then, we would have:

CC
Nova
Hughes
Darvish/Wilson
Garcia/Oswalt/Whoever on a 1 year deal.

I'd love that 5th spot to be flexible and on a short term contract, so that if everything goes as plan (Nove stay as Nova, Hughes returns as Hughes2010, Darvish/Wilson do not flop) we would have one free spot in the rotation come 2013.

In 2013, we have a lot of choices for pitchers! Cole Hamels and Matt Cain lead the pack, and while a lot might be extended by their current teams, I think one or two good pitchers hit the market.

Then their are also our prospects in Banuelos and Betances who could realistically compete for a spot in 2013.

nova and hughes will be huge for us, consistency is what i want from these two.. arm fatigue lang naman talaga kaya bumaba yung velocity ni phil eh, he is one of my favorite yankees as of the moment, next to tex

as for wilson/darvish, i hope darvish will not end up the same as kei igawa, and i hope wilson doenst end up as carl pavano, you know after being a great pitcher in florida marlins he ended up as a bust pick up for the yankees.. its up to cashman on how he will solidify our pitching staff.


in your opinion, sino mas gusto mo? hamels or cain?? sino ba mas magaling?? ang problema ko lang kay hamels yung attitude nya...

[_Phoenix7_]

Darvish won't be Kei Igawa, at least that I can guarantee. Still, not saying that he would be a successful major league player. He is still young though (24 if I'm not mistaken), so a lot of time to get adjusted to the MLB style of play.

Phil is my favorite yankee, so I really really hope he bounces back big time next season.

Cain vs Hamels. Let's see:

Cain would be 28 years old next year, Hamels 29.
Cain is a righty, Hamels is a lefty.

They are also both durable, Cain averaging 220IP, Hamels 219IP

Cain has better H/9 and HR/9 (7.5 to 8.0, and 0.7 to 1.1 respectively), but Hamels has the better BB/9 and K/9 (2.3 to 3.2 and 8.5 to 7.4 respectively).

Pretty much even at this point, so let's look into the stats deeper.

Hamels pitches just the same against righties or lefties (triple slash of .237/.285/.392 by righties, and .237/.298/.406 by lefties).

Cain pitches likewise (.228/.295/.365 to .227/.301/.359).

Both pitchers also pitcher well home or away, so they are not products of their home ballparks.

Against AL opponents (both in 19 games):

Cain has the superior WHIP (.990 to 1.275) and ERA (2.62 to 4.21), as well as innings pitched (137.1 to 117.2) and complete games (4 to 0). He also has the better batting average against and ops against (.196 to .271, and .569 to .786 respectively).

Hamels has the better SO/B Ratio (4.08 to 2.20)

In other words, in those 19 games against the AL, Cain was the far superior pitcher.

All in all, Cain allows less hits and extra base hits, Hamels walks less and strikes out more. Cain in more or less 2/3 of a season, has pitched better against the AL. Hamels is a lefty, and lefties benefit from the dimensions of the Yankee Stadium.

I'll say go with Cain. A year younger, and is less of a 'big' name than Hamels, which might help in the contract negotiations.

Couldn't go wrong with either one though, and honestly, I think there is a better chance of Hamels hitting the FA market.