MLB 2019

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cestuneblague
Edgy to the Choir



Location: MA/FL

  • #1
  • Posted: 03/31/2019 23:39
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It's Back! I know there are some baseball fans on here even though they may have forgotten about this... forum section, but really who are your picks? Boston again, or Baltimore for the most extreme contrarians?


AL West

Houston (Have the strongest all-around team but maybe not as good as the past couple of years, mainly got to hope they stay healthy and Verlander avoids the inevitable Father Time curse in his arm, but they're still the easy favorites in a division of question marks)
Oakland (I'm guessing a little regression this year after everything seemed to go right in 2018, but they're still good enough to compete for a wild card spot at the very least)
LA Angels (They have Trout and probably enough hitting and defense to at least be around .500, but when you're betting on a lot of ressurectin projects for your pitching that's not something at all reliable for consistient wins. I expect a streaky team that will be another wasted year for Trout (althoug hI guess he can just go home in october on his 430 million dollar bed)
Seattle (they're 4-1. What. the. fuck. I don't see the good times lasting for a team that didn't even seem like they were trying to win this year, as I expected them to clearence out most of their veteran talent. I still expect they'll see gravity sooner than later, and it's a neccessity to finally get younger and start building continious success even if it's... 14 years late.)
Texas (......)

AL Central

Cleveland (Not as good as 15-18 Indians, but they'll beat up on this sorry divsion enough to win 95 or so games. I don't know if I see another world series run, even with that pitching, but a pennant title will probalby be clinched by early august)
Minnesotta (and it's a drop down the canyon from here. If Buxton finally becomes a star, their pitching continues to improve and they can add during the season within their farm system maybe... they can swim around .500. There just isn't enough here, but they could finally be competitive again next year)
Detroit (They'll lose 94-96 games and still be in third place. They have enough everyday-worthy players to put a team together the whole season, but be trounced by the more trying-to-win squads.
Chicago WS (They'll be better this year, but still pretty terrible. I don't see most of these players as starters on competitive teams, obviously they are hoping for their many top (or former top) prospects to finally show major improvement in a lot of lopsided losing efforts)
Kansas City (It finally all starts over again, should be a race to the bottom but perhaps their hitting or pitching won't be as terrible as it looks right now)

AL East

Boston (Probably one last day at the rodeo, as they probably won't be able to keep their soon-to-be-expensive young players, but they're still the favorites in the east despite some troubling early outings from their pitching staff)
New York (Should be neck and neck with Boston. Their pitching improved, their lineup is as potent as ever but more vulnerable than it seems. They could win the division but I don't know how they'll fare against the best of the playoff rotations.)
Tampa Bay (Don't seem like it on paper but they're scrappy, competitive and surprisingly stacked. They're playing in a brutal division, but a second wild card spot is not out of the question by any means).
Toronto (Sort of rebuilding but sort of not, need to decide. Obviously Vlad Jr is their most exciting thing to watch this year, but their recent glory days are definitely over for now at least).
Baltimore (... Maybe avoid 110 losses? Expect more furious deadline selling, probablly nobody's safe these days)


AL West

LA Dodgers (Still a lot of power from top to bottom and pitching is still strong, though Kershaw's health is finally becoming concerning. Without him at 100 percent I don't see another deep playoff run (and more certainty and consistiency from the rest of their staff), but they're still the favorites for the pennant.)
Colorado (Shockingly you could say their pitching was better than their hitting last year. Or that their hitting feels a bit too one-note these days. But if the latter can improve at least incrementaly and their young pitchers can become more consistient (especially Jon Gray), they could legitimatelly usurp the Dodgers for the NL West. Should be a WC team regardless)
San Diego (They got Machado and a lot of young talent, but they're not ready to contend just yet. Will probably still sneak into third because this is a very top-heavy division this year)
Arizona (Between an expensive Rock and a hard place, as they're trying to rebuild their post-Goldschmidt roster with a lot of unmovable bloated contracts. They may have enough to at least be decent this year, or could blow-up hard. Either way they're not seeing the post-season anytime soon)
San Francisco (Move Buster to first base, rebuild already)

NL Central

St Louis (They're the favorites again, adding Goldschmidt to an already pretty loaded lineup will make them a nightmare for opposing pitching staffs. Their pitching isn't as strong, but should be more than good enough to keep them in games. It's a stacked division but they have the best roster and should beat the competition easily)
Milwaulkee (Yelich is the real deal, he's protected by a great lineup and their pitching is servicable. Likely WC contenders but gonna take a lot of career years to win the pennant again).
CHicago (As good as they'll either be, but I thinked they already peaked. Still have most of their young players under good contracts so they'll be competitve for a few more years, but I don't see another World Series ring anytime soon (but probably before 2124).
Pittsburgh (No longer have a once-pereniall MVP talent like McCutchen anymore, but they've been savvy and have nice depth throughout their roster. Don't see them leapfrogging the Cardinals or Cubs but could linger in the postseasion race until september, but making it there is still a long shot).
Cincinatti (They have more talent this time around and will be more competitive, but nowhere near enough to compete in a brutal division. Unfortunate they have to waste the last remaining prime years of Votto like this, but they got a strong farm system and should be a winning squad again sooner than later).

NL East

Atlanta (Injuries have dampened their sure-fire WS campaign, but they're still young and fearsome all-around)
Philedalphia (I really have no idea who else is going to be competitve in this division, so I'll go with them because I like their spunk. Harper is going to greatly underperform relative to that massive contract, but he'll still be streaky-good at times and at least keep pitchers honest, and Nola is a bona-fide ace. I see an up-down year, but that's the case with all these division teams)
NY Mets (They traded for Diaz and Cano, so it seems like they truly think they have a window of contention again, but that's reliant on all their big arms staying healthy and Cespedes returning to full health after missing most of '17 and '18. Don't count on it. Have a chance in this enigma of a division, but this is not their year and they gave up a lot of prime talent for a likely .500 or so season)
Washington (I don't think losing Bryce is going to be that big of a deal, but they're still a big hot mess. Could see dual MVP and Cy Young campaigns on a losing squad)
Miami (Don't know what they're doing, but it ain't looking for a winner)



WS prediction? St Louis over Houston, or something like that
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CA Dreamin



Gender: Male
Location: LA
United States

  • #2
  • Posted: 04/01/2019 04:14
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Hey CGD, I didn't forget. After hosting last year's MLB 2018 thread and few users posting on it, I thought there wasn't enough interest for a 2019 thread. But I love baseball and can talk about it any time.

So here's what I'm thinking:

AL EAST

It'll be neck and neck between New York and Boston, although the Rays could be a dark horse. It's hard to expect another 108-win season from Boston when all their players were on fire. Plus Kimbrel is leaving soon, isn't he? Nevertheless, the Sox are loaded and should make the playoffs. New York will struggle in April while their only great pitcher recovers from injury. But once Severino is back, they should be fine. 95-100 wins for each of them. The Rays quietly won 90 games last year and now have Charlie Morton. If last year was no fluke, the Rays could be a playoff team and may even take second in the East if New York or Boston falter.

AL CENTRAL

Still a weak division in which Cleveland is the only good team. The Twins added some players and they should improve, but I don't see them overtaking the Tribe. The other bottom feeders of the Central could finish in any order.

AL WEST

Although Houston lost Morton, they still have one the best rotations in MLB, and their young core of talented hitters all in or near their prime. They should take the West again with 95-100 wins. The Athletics will not repeat last year's success, due to Manaea's injury. Some people are talking about the Angels. They signed Trout for 12 more years but what else did they do?

NL EAST

First off, let's get this out of the way...Miami will be awful. I don't understand why they exist as a franchise. Not only will they be in last place, but by at least 15 games worse than 4th place. New York tried to add desperately needed offense this offseason by getting Jed Lowrie and Robinson Cano, who are a combined 70 years old. Yeah, good luck with that. Atlanta was good enough to take advantage of a weak last year, but Washington should rebound and the Phillies should improve. The East will come down to the Nats and the Phils. The Phils have the superior offense now with a revamped lineup, but lack starting pitching depth behind Aaron Nola. Whereas the Nats have three good starters but could struggle to score runs consistently with Harper gone. It'll be interesting. Go Phils!

NL CENTRAL

This should be an exciting division race between the Cubs, Cards, and Brew Crew. What if they all tied with 93 wins?

NL WEST

Dodgers should win the West. Depth has been the key to their reign over this division for years. Sooner or later, it'll run out. But doesn't look like it's gonna happen this year. They're hitting homers like crazy right now, and averaging over 10 runs a game so far this year. It hardly seems to matter that Kershaw is injured, and Alex Wood was traded to the Reds. The Rockies should take second. Great hitting as usual, but lacking starting pitching depth besides Freeland, as usual. LA should win around 95, Colorado around 90. Then a significant dropoff. Machado should help the Padres improve, but they're years away from contending.
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baystateoftheart
Neil Young as a butternut squash



Age: 29
Location: Massachusetts
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  • #3
  • Posted: 04/01/2019 04:16
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StreetSpirit wrote:
Plus Kimbrel is leaving soon, isn't he?


Kimbrel is an unsigned free agent. Will post my thoughts later.
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Tha1ChiefRocka
Yeah, well hey, I'm really sorry.



Location: Kansas
United States

  • #4
  • Posted: 04/02/2019 06:28
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Kansas City (It finally all starts over again, should be a race to the bottom but perhaps their hitting or pitching won't be as terrible as it looks right now)


16 runs in the first 3 games isn't too shabby. Starting pitching looks OK with the young Keller and Junis at 1 and 2. Hopefully all of the action they will see this year will only make them better.

Bullpen is an absolute disaster, which is tragic considering the 2014 and 15 teams started the bullpen craze.

The lineup has the potential to score a lot of runs, as long as the ball is put into play, due to team speed. Merrifield, Mondesi, and Hamilton each have the ability to have 50 plus steal seasons, and extend hits better than most players in the league. (Hamilton just has to learn how to slap like Ichiro like he did in game 2 of our first series).

Jorge Soler and Ryan O'Hearn could be reliable sources of power is one can stay healthy and the other could produce half of what he was on pace for in limited time last season. (O'Hearn hit 12 homers in 44 games last season).

My prediction is a 70 to 75 win season; I think we will finish 3rd in front of the White Sox and the hapless Tigers.

Cleveland and Minnesota have a close race this season, but Cleveland seals it late.

As for the rest of the league...

AL West

The Angels continue wasting the best offensive player (Trout) and the best defensive player (Andrelton Simmons) by having a lackluster pitching staff and an aged Pujols taking up payroll and AB's.

I think that this has got to be Billy Beane's final chance to win a World Series (or at least get to one). A's could benefit from a 1 year Keuchel signing if that is within their payroll. Matt Chapman has a Top 5 MVP finish.

The Astros are a really good baseball team.

The Mariners are a good baseball team, but with the Angels and Astros in their division, it will be hard to keep up for an entire season. Kikuchi is the new Ichiro.

Oh shit, the Rangers are still a team. Sorry about 2011.

AL EAST

The Blue Jays muster a mediocre season, but they have a lot to look forward to with the emergence of a young core of possible all stars and one superstar. Vlad Jr. wins ROTY.

The Orioles cling on to the fact that you can get delicious fresh crab at the beautiful ballpark that is Camden Yards. Chris Davis' hits in the negative for the first time in Major League history.

Oh, the poor Rays. The participation trophy winners behind two powerhouse franchises. And they have the worst stadium in baseball. They could win 90 games again this season and still be in third place.

It's the Yankees turn, as much as I hate to admit it. They take tops in the East this year with Boston close behind. They hit a thousand home runs in the ballpark that was made for them to hit homeruns in.

Boston's pitching drags down their considerable lineup, and they lose to the Yankees in the playoffs. Rafael Devers has a monster season.

NL CENTRAL

The Brewers take it. I'll always root for another small-market Midwestern team, and they have Moustakas and Cain. And really great beer. Christian Yelich hits 157 homeruns.

The rest of the NL Central fights it out much more evenly than some people may be expecting the Reds and the Pirates are probably still at the bottom, but with weak pitching staffs, I can't see the Cardinals or the Cubs doing that well this season. Pirates are a dark horse wildcard team.

NL WEST

The Giants have a major hangover after somehow winning 3 Series in 5 seasons.

The Colorado Rockies are quietly making a decent squad with some good starting pitching, and their typical power hitting lineup. Probably won't make it very far if they make the playoffs or the wildcard.

The Dodgers will probably end up near the top again, but their time to win it all has definitely run out.

The Padres have a chance to surprise everybody and be a playoff contender for the first time in God knows when.
Tatis Jr. wins ROTY.

NL EAST

The young Braves continue to get better, but they need another year to completely mesh as a squad and get another solid pitcher or two to be real contenders.

The Marlins have destroyed themselves once again and will probably get a high draft pick. Marlins Park will have a record attendance year of 13 people.

The Nationals (the Angels of the NL) will waste the talents of any great players they have until they decide to move on to a bigger market. Max Scherzer continues to dominate.

The Phillies players, young and old, pull together a 90 plus win season, but it's ugly. Injuries, slumps, agitation, boos, and Bryce Harper. I think they have a chance to win it all.

The Mets may come out of nowhere and put together a decent season with young talent and the dominant pitching of Jacob Degrom and Noah Syndergaard.


EDIT: I completely forgot about the Arizona Diamondbacks. Nuff said.
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cestuneblague
Edgy to the Choir



Location: MA/FL

  • #5
  • Posted: 04/07/2019 14:54
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Jezeus Krist the Red Sox are a dumpster fire rn, I mean they lost to the friggin Diamondback s.

Have to say am pleasently surprised by the Mariners and Mets showing so far, but I expect the laws of gravity to convict soon
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CA Dreamin



Gender: Male
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  • #6
  • Posted: 04/08/2019 15:21
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^^ The Cubs too. Them and the Red Sox are sucking so far. Maybe it's just early.
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meccalecca
Voice of Reason


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Location: The Land of Enchantment
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  • #7
  • Posted: 04/09/2019 11:44
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StreetSpirit wrote:
New York tried to add desperately needed offense this offseason by getting Jed Lowrie and Robinson Cano, who are a combined 70 years old. Yeah, good luck with that.


Wow. People being pretty hard on my Mets. I think the Phillies are the best team in the NL East. That lineup is just stacked, but I'm not convinced that the Nats or Braves are better. Cano's bat should age well. We'll see about Lowrie. They also added Ramos, who's one of the best all around catchers in baseball. And now Pete Alonso looks like a beast. Injuries worry me, but the Mets will hit and DeGrom's the best pitcher in baseball.
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CA Dreamin



Gender: Male
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  • #8
  • Posted: 07/08/2019 15:50
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All-Star Break

Surprises so far -

AL EAST

No surprises here, except how well the Yankees are doing despite missing a few key players. The Sox got off to a slow start, but they've rebounded and are in the playoff picture.

AL CENTRAL

The Twins are playing much better than most people thought. Berrios and Odorizzi are pitching much better than they did last year. And how about Cleveland? 12 games over .500 despite not having Kluber. Goes to show how good they can be if Kluber didn't take a line drive off his arm. Tough luck. However, if he can return this year and pitch like he has for the past five years, a late-season push is certainly possible.

AL WEST

Oakland and Texas are playing surprisingly well. I thought Oakland would regress while Manaea recovered, but they're hanging in there. And Manaea might actually play this year after all. Texas lacks pitching and I don't think they're gonna keep this up.

NL EAST

I thought Atlanta over-performed last year, and I was wrong about that. They are the best team in the East, and I doubt anybody's gonna catch them. My Phillies had a lot of promise coming into 2019 but have had awful luck with injuries while Harper and Nola haven't performed as they were expected. I still think Philly is a decent team with wild card hopes because the Central is a trainwreck, more on that in a sec. I guess the only other surprise in this division is that Miami doesn't have a worse record.

NL CENTRAL

This whole division is a head-scratcher. Like how are the Pirates this close to .500? And how are the Cards and Cubs so close to .500? St. Louis simply isn't playing as well as expected. And the Cubs have the team stats suggesting much better than their record. I think somebody will separate themselves from the pack, but at this point, it's anyone's game.

NL WEST

I thought Colorado would be better. That's about it.
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meccalecca
Voice of Reason


Gender: Male
Location: The Land of Enchantment
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  • #9
  • Posted: 07/09/2019 11:22
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meccalecca wrote:
Wow. People being pretty hard on my Mets. I think the Phillies are the best team in the NL East. That lineup is just stacked, but I'm not convinced that the Nats or Braves are better. Cano's bat should age well. We'll see about Lowrie. They also added Ramos, who's one of the best all around catchers in baseball. And now Pete Alonso looks like a beast. Injuries worry me, but the Mets will hit and DeGrom's the best pitcher in baseball.


Currently eating my words. My Mets are a total disappointment. Cano has been terrible. Diaz has fallen off the rails. Lowrie is MIA. The shocking thing is that the Mets rotation has been healthy, and other than Nimmo and Lowrie, the team as a whole has avoided the IL way more than in the past. At least I was right Alonso, and McNeil is awesome.
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RockyRaccoon
Is it solipsistic in here or is it just me?


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  • #10
  • Posted: 07/09/2019 13:23
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meccalecca wrote:
DeGrom's the best pitcher in baseball.

I love Jacob DeGrom and all, but ain't no way he beats out Max Scherzer for best pitcher in baseball
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