Just thought I'd throw out my prospective plays since I'm done with my preliminary evaluation of the NL talent. Still need to ponder and research a bit more and narrow them down. Feel free to contribute your thoughts......
Cubs +201 to win NL central
Phillies over 83.5 wins
Mets under 85 wins
Astros under 83.5 wins
Pirates over 73 wins
Reds under 77.5 wins
Marlins over 86.5 wins
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To remove first post, remove entire topic.
Just thought I'd throw out my prospective plays since I'm done with my preliminary evaluation of the NL talent. Still need to ponder and research a bit more and narrow them down. Feel free to contribute your thoughts......
Cubs +201 to win NL central
Phillies over 83.5 wins
Mets under 85 wins
Astros under 83.5 wins
Pirates over 73 wins
Reds under 77.5 wins
Marlins over 86.5 wins
OK, I went ahead and put in the Houston under. I've got them pegged for a losing season. I just don't see where the offense is going to come from. Berkman's out for the first month of the season at least, so you're out Beltran, Kent, and Berkman right off the top. Bagwell and Biggio just keep getting older. Everett played over his head for a while last year, but really isn't much of a hitter. Ausmus, forget about it. Lamb can hit but its not clear where he'll play.
After the big three, there is no starting pitching. I'm not buying in to Brandon Backe over the course of a whole season. After that its Redding/Duckworth/Munro again. We've seen how that plays out. Any one of the big 3 gets hurt (which is likely) and you're starting a marginal pitcher in the majority of your games. Not good when your bullpen is so sketchy after Lidge.
Clemens, Oswalt, Pettitte, Lidge, Berkman, Bagwell sounds good, but it takes 25 to make a team. There is very little talent in the bottom half of the roster.....
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OK, I went ahead and put in the Houston under. I've got them pegged for a losing season. I just don't see where the offense is going to come from. Berkman's out for the first month of the season at least, so you're out Beltran, Kent, and Berkman right off the top. Bagwell and Biggio just keep getting older. Everett played over his head for a while last year, but really isn't much of a hitter. Ausmus, forget about it. Lamb can hit but its not clear where he'll play.
After the big three, there is no starting pitching. I'm not buying in to Brandon Backe over the course of a whole season. After that its Redding/Duckworth/Munro again. We've seen how that plays out. Any one of the big 3 gets hurt (which is likely) and you're starting a marginal pitcher in the majority of your games. Not good when your bullpen is so sketchy after Lidge.
Clemens, Oswalt, Pettitte, Lidge, Berkman, Bagwell sounds good, but it takes 25 to make a team. There is very little talent in the bottom half of the roster.....
Man, it's dark in here. What's that I here, crickets?
I'm in here all alone to update for no logical purpose. I just like writing to myself I guess....
I took the Mets under 85 wins -101. I've been kind of slow about getting up to speed on the American league but I'm inclined to agree with the riddla about the Mariners. At something like 7 to 1, that might be worth a shot. More on that later, maybe.
Anyway, I feel pretty good about fading the Mets. They have a good starting rotation on paper, but not the kind of pitchers that will go deep into the game. The no-name bullpen could turn out to be a disaster and blow a ton of games.
Offensively, they look well below average to me, in spite of Carlos Beltran. No one else in the lineup is a dependable hitter, including Piazza and Floyd, who are injury prone, inconsistent, and I suspect well past their prime. They have to prove themselves all over again. The lineup will also include weak-hitting Jose Reyes and Kaz Matsui, neither of which have lived up to their billing, as well as the human air conditioner, Mike Cameron.
The defense promises to be even worse, with erratic 2nd year man David Wright playing 3rd base full time along side Reyes and Matsui, who are almost as bad. Floyd in left field is also a liability, but the most glaring weakness has to be at catcher. They seem serious about letting Piazza play there full time again. They let Vance Wilson, aka the only guy on the team last year who even had a clue about how to catch in the major leagues, go to Detroit. Jason Phillips is not any more a catcher than Piazza is.
Seriously, unless the starting pitching can carry them all year, it's hard for me to see how this is even a .500 team. Sure, there is a scenario with the Mets, like every other team, where you can imagine the pieces falling into place and having a successful season, but that seems unlikely. Injury, age, or inconsistency could render the pitching staff ineffective, and this team could really go down the tubes. A 90+ loss season and a distant last place finish well behind even the Nationals is a good possibility.
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Man, it's dark in here. What's that I here, crickets?
I'm in here all alone to update for no logical purpose. I just like writing to myself I guess....
I took the Mets under 85 wins -101. I've been kind of slow about getting up to speed on the American league but I'm inclined to agree with the riddla about the Mariners. At something like 7 to 1, that might be worth a shot. More on that later, maybe.
Anyway, I feel pretty good about fading the Mets. They have a good starting rotation on paper, but not the kind of pitchers that will go deep into the game. The no-name bullpen could turn out to be a disaster and blow a ton of games.
Offensively, they look well below average to me, in spite of Carlos Beltran. No one else in the lineup is a dependable hitter, including Piazza and Floyd, who are injury prone, inconsistent, and I suspect well past their prime. They have to prove themselves all over again. The lineup will also include weak-hitting Jose Reyes and Kaz Matsui, neither of which have lived up to their billing, as well as the human air conditioner, Mike Cameron.
The defense promises to be even worse, with erratic 2nd year man David Wright playing 3rd base full time along side Reyes and Matsui, who are almost as bad. Floyd in left field is also a liability, but the most glaring weakness has to be at catcher. They seem serious about letting Piazza play there full time again. They let Vance Wilson, aka the only guy on the team last year who even had a clue about how to catch in the major leagues, go to Detroit. Jason Phillips is not any more a catcher than Piazza is.
Seriously, unless the starting pitching can carry them all year, it's hard for me to see how this is even a .500 team. Sure, there is a scenario with the Mets, like every other team, where you can imagine the pieces falling into place and having a successful season, but that seems unlikely. Injury, age, or inconsistency could render the pitching staff ineffective, and this team could really go down the tubes. A 90+ loss season and a distant last place finish well behind even the Nationals is a good possibility.
Good Luck Matador, i'm going the other way on the Marlins (UNDER 87 here)
My favorite win totals for the season are Indians OVER 83.5 and Red Sox UNDER 95.5.
||thebaseball.gif' border=0>||clover.gif' border=0>||thebaseball.gif' border=0>
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Good Luck Matador, i'm going the other way on the Marlins (UNDER 87 here)
My favorite win totals for the season are Indians OVER 83.5 and Red Sox UNDER 95.5.
||thebaseball.gif' border=0>||clover.gif' border=0>||thebaseball.gif' border=0>
Toronto over 70.5
They are a much better team than 70 wins...especially with a healthy Roy Halladay. They will have a tought time, in the east, competing with the Yanks and Sox but I see them around the 80 win mark...maybe a bit higher.
Losing Delgado does not hurt them as much as the media is making everyone think. ||an_light.gif' border=0>
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Toronto over 70.5
They are a much better team than 70 wins...especially with a healthy Roy Halladay. They will have a tought time, in the east, competing with the Yanks and Sox but I see them around the 80 win mark...maybe a bit higher.
Losing Delgado does not hurt them as much as the media is making everyone think. ||an_light.gif' border=0>
matador, take a look at the padres to win the west. it's pretty much a 3 horse race with sf and la. bonds being out even if it's for half the season, hurts the giants' chances. i know they picked up alou, but i'll take the head start with bonds out. i'm just not impressed at all by the dodgers. padres are fielding a very strong team and in this mediocre division, at +180 i've already put some down and will most likely pound it some more.
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matador, take a look at the padres to win the west. it's pretty much a 3 horse race with sf and la. bonds being out even if it's for half the season, hurts the giants' chances. i know they picked up alou, but i'll take the head start with bonds out. i'm just not impressed at all by the dodgers. padres are fielding a very strong team and in this mediocre division, at +180 i've already put some down and will most likely pound it some more.
don't know about the cubs to win the division. losing sosa (even tho he sucked ass last year), alou and clement will hurt...cardinals look unstoppable.
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don't know about the cubs to win the division. losing sosa (even tho he sucked ass last year), alou and clement will hurt...cardinals look unstoppable.
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