Vegas
Vote Long for President
Registered: Feb 2001
Location: Boston
Posts: 6561 |
 2003 Major League Baseball season
Who would've thought the 2002 season up? The Angels and Twins rising to power in the AL; Barry Bonds six outs away from a World Series ring only to watch it all fall apart; Randy and Curt failing to win a single playoff game; the A's winning 103 games after losing Giambi; the Red Sox not winning it all!
Okay, maybe that last one is quite feasible....
Entering the 2003 season, there are a whole slew of question marks, and very few teams are clear cut favorites to make the playoffs this year.
In the AL East you have the same two teams contending this season, Boston and New York. Both will score a lot of runs and might be the two biggest run-producing teams in baseball. However, both have pitching concerns. Boston is wondering how well Lowe and Wakefield will do after finishing #2 and #4 in ERA, respectively. Neither Burkett or Fossum were overly impressive in Spring Training. And the bullpen-by-committee concept is wonderful on paper, but how long will it be before roles are defined, or will the players become frustrated first? New York walks into the season with seven starters, which looks great on paper. However, Weaver struggled upon arriving in NY, Mussina was unimpressive last season and won 18 thanks to run support, Contreras is unproven, and the other four are all likely candidates for at least one stint on the DL. The bullpen has been completely revamped and Rivera is not as strong as before. It's the Yankees, though, and they will always be a threat.
The AL Central is also a two team division. Theoretically speaking, the White Sox and Twins should have been much closer in the standings last season. The Twins will gladly welcome both Radke and Mays back healthy and should they stay off the DL the team could be even tougher to score against. Santana was successful as both a starter and reliever and could work out in either role, as needed. Their youth movement has a lot of upside as well, though Guzman needs to draw more walks if he's to be the leadoff hitter. The White Sox have a season that hinges on three players, more or less. Frank Thomas needs to return to form, Bartolo Colon needs to prove last season wasn't a fluke, and Mark Buehrle needs his arm not to fall off.
Then there's the chaos of the AL West. Anaheim barely changed their team, which is good if they can all keep up what happened last year. Washburn and Glaus are already injured this year, though. And how much was magic? Oakland will contend once again with three of the best pitchers and a strong lineup. Seattle may or may not do well, it depends on how old the team plays. They are not a young team. And though Texas will probably not contend, they can certainly crimp your style.
The NL East is another mess. After winning the division eleven consecutive seasons, the Braves entire this year with a fairly revamped rotation including two men on the DL already. They will contend, but this year there are no guarantees. The Mets look good on paper once again, but that did not convert to a winning season last year. Glavine is old, Mo hasn't produced nearly as well since leaving Fenway, Edgardo is gone, and Alomar wants a contract. Oh yeah, Piazza is pissed and is the worst fielding catcher in baseball. The Phillies are very much improved, but can that bring them to the playoffs? Thome is a huge boost, Millwood could really pan out, but no Rolen and questionable rotation may not lean in their favor. And do not count out Florida or Montreal from suddenly making a run for it.
In the NL Central we have the Cardinals, who somehow win a lot of games. Their lineup is quite potent, but their pitching remains suspect as Matt Morris was their only quality starter all season. Rolen adds even more punch to that lineup. Houston is aging, but the addition of Kent will boost a lagging offense while a healthy Wade will give them one of the best 1-2 starters in all of baseball. There's no way you can count them out. Cincinnati is coming off a year with many injuries in their lineup and weak pitching, but there is always the chance their offense will send them into contention and possibly the playoffs. Junior Griffey is determined, as well.
The NL West features some of the best talent in all of baseball, and probably the most "ifs" of all. Not Bonds, of course. San Francisco has a quicker lineup and Bonds still, along with five quality starters entering this season. However, it was extremely tight last year with them, Arizona, and LA. You can't count out Arizona, but Curt Schilling has never been this healthy in his career and LuGone could turn back into the previous version of himself at any time. The Dodgers are depending on Brown and Dreifort both being healthy and effective. IF all this happens, expect the wild card to come out of this division unless they all kill each other too much.
__________________
"You see, wire telegraph is a kind of a very, very long cat. You pull his tail in New York and his head is meowing in Los Angeles. Do you understand this? And radio operates exactly the same way: you send signals here, they receive them there. The only difference is that there is no cat." - Albert Einstein
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03-30-2003 05:53 AM
