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Major League Baseball- MLB News and Updates
WILL CHRIS DAVIS BECOME THE SUPERSTAR HE ONCE
WAS?
WILL BILLY HAMILTON LIGHT UP THE BASEPATHS?
WILL GIANCARLO STANTON SLUMP WITH THE
EXTENSION?
WILL JOSH DONALDSON REMAIN AN ALL-STAR IN
TORONTO?
Major League Baseball- MLB News and Updates
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STAFF AND CONTRIBUTORS
Patrick Melbourne
Editor In Chief, Preview Magazine
George Grotheer
Isaac Edwards
Chad Robinson
Devon Puchailo
David Reed
Joel Sosa
Ricardo Caraballo
Contributing Authors, Preview Magazine
Patrick Melbourne
George Grotheer
Devon Puchailo
Logo Design, Preview Magazine
Justin R.
Patrick M.
Main Administrators of the Facebook Page
Christopher C.
Grant D.
Isaac E.
Grant D.
George G.
David R.
Josh M.
Vinh N.
Abdullah N.
CJ O.
Devon P.
Chad R.
James R.
J. Sosa
Editors of the Facebook Page
Donaldson’s
Journey
PotentialJosh
2016 Free
Agents and Where
They are Going
GeorgeEdwards
Grotheer
ByByIsaac
Brian McCann: Behind the Plate
By George Grotheer
Not Overreacting to Yoan Moncada’s New Gig
By Patrick Melbourne
Potential 2016 Free Agents and Where They are Going
By George Grotheer
David Price
Justin Upton
Jordan Zimmermann
Jose Bautista
Johnny Cueto
Matt Wieters
Edwin Encarnacion
David Ortiz
Yoenis Cespedes
Ian Desmond
Jeff Samardzija
Zack Greinke
Adrian Beltre
Ben Zobrist
Jason Heyward
RA Dickey
Jonathan Papelbon
Alexei Ramirez
Chase Utley
Denard Span
Mat Latos
Santiago Casilla
Justin Morneau
Aramis Ramirez
Alfredo Simon
Adam Lind
Alex Avila
Jeremy Affeldt
Dexter Fowler
Mike Napoli
Doug Fister
Bobby Parnell
Alcides Escobar
Joakim Soria
Yovani Gallardo
Nori Aoki
Fernando Rodney
Marlon Byrd
Asdrubal Cabrera
Clay Buchholz
Cody Ross
Tim Hudson
Juan Uribe
Shane Victorino
Casey McGehee
David Freese
Colby Rasmus
David Murphy
Jimmy Rollins
Joe Nathan
LHP
OF
RHP
OF
RHP
C
1B
DH
OF
SS
RHP
RHP
3B
2B
OF
RHP
RHP
SS
2B
OF
RHP
RHP
1B
3B
RHP
DH
C
LHP
OF
1B
RHP
RHP
SS
RHP
RHP
OF
RHP
OF
SS
RHP
OF
RHP
3B
OF
3B
3B
OF
OF
SS
RHP
New York (AL)
Anaheim
St. Louis
Toronto
Miami
Pittsburgh
Toronto
Boston
Chicago
New York
Chicago (AL)
Chicago (NL)
San Francisco
Tampa Bay
St. Louis
Oakland
Milwaukee
Washington
Los Angeles
Detroit
Cleveland
San Francisco
Oakland
Miami
Detroit
Toronto
Baltimore
San Francisco
Colorado
Boston
Houston
Detroit
Kansas City
Kansas City
Milwaukee
St. Louis
Texas
Tampa Bay
Cleveland
Boston
Arizona
Retirement
Los Angeles
San Diego
Japan
Milwaukee
Washington
Seattle
Philadelphia
Retirement
DAVID PRICE, PITCHER
Leaving Detroit may be an opportunity to go to a
more pitcher friendly park, like San Diego’s PETCO.
The money New York will give will be tempting as
well.
–Patrick Melbourne
EDWIN ENCARNACION, DH
If Toronto doesn’t win this season, EE may not want
to stick around for the future. If they do, he is
staying.
–Patrick Melbourne
YOENIS CESPEDES, OF
He’s a spectacular talent, but there are rumblings of
him being a clubhouse poison. Who knows where
he could go?
–Patrick Melbourne
The (Second) Rise of Brian McCann
By George Grotheer
Position- Catcher
Bats- Left
Throws- Right
Height- 6' 3", Weight- 230 lb.
Brought in to fill the team’s void of big-league-ready catching talent, Brian
McCann was New York’s first major splash of the 2013-2014 offseason. Signed
to a 5-year, $85 million contract with a sixth year, $15 million club option,
McCann struggled to produce in the first several months of his tenure behind
the dish in the Bronx. After a down season which many believe to be a fluke
based on his history and acclimation to a new league and division, McCann
should put up MVP-caliber numbers in his sophomore season in New York.
A career .277 hitter before he hit free agency in October of 2013, McCann’s
offensive production fell off a cliff in New York, as he batted almost 50 points
below his career batting average. With an increased workload and addition of
new positional options (he played first base for the first time in his career for
sixteen games and appeared at DH fourteen times), McCann appeared in 140
games, a total which he had not reached since his age-26 season in Atlanta in
2010. The increased amount of work may have added to his slumped season,
but the offensive shift also hurt him mightily. McCann consistently hit into the
shift throughout the season, which decimated his average.
In 2015, we should see the resurgence of Brian McCann.
He’s not too far past his prime at age 31, and while we
might not see the .301/.373/.523 line with 23 homers and
87 RBIs, McCann’s September surge in 2014 showed his
potential, with 8 of his 23 dingers coming in the month.
8 Brian McCann facts and statistics
_____________________________
1 Seven-time All-Star
2 Five-time Silver Slugger
3 Has played for Atlanta and New
York (AL)
4 Team USA in the 2009 World
Baseball Classic
5 Born in Athens, Georgia
6 Got his first playing opportunity
when C Johnny Estrada was traded
7 Has baseball clinics for kids aged
5–18
8 Career .272 average, one HR shy
of 200
If that showed a sign of things to come for McCann, the Bronx Bombers should be seeing a lot more of that talent in 2015.
Expect McCann to hit between 18 and 25 home runs with 75-90 RBIs and a .270 batting average, at worst. We should
foresee minimized time at first base with the additions of Garrett Jones and Alex Rodriguez, and a greater command of the
game from behind the plate with a rotation of Masahiro Tanaka (age 26), CC Sabathia (34), Michael Pineda (26), Nathan
Eovaldi (25), and Chris Capuano (36) (later Ivan Nova-age 28).
Overall, McCann will be better offensively in 2015. Behind the dish, he should see a continuation of his 37% caught
stealing rate in 2014. Without Derek Jeter in the clubhouse, McCann will likely become a greater force in the clubhouse as
a team leader. In the words of manager Joe Girardi, the Bombers have “the next great Yankee (TM) catcher [with them].”
Not Overreacting to Yoan Moncada’s New Gig
By Patrick Melbourne
Position- Second Baseman
Bats- Switch
Throws- Right
Height- 6' 2", Weight- 205 lb.
Notable Big Leaguers from Cuba
_____________________________
1 Steve Bellán (First Ever)
2 José Abreu
If a player from the
United States or
Canada came out at
19, everyone would
immediately say “He
isn’t ready”
Yoan Moncada is a major gamble for
any big league team. After Boston took
that gamble, they had to look at this player and ask the question“What did we actually acquire?” He is a 19 year old. He is an
infielder. He did reasonably well in Cuba (.277, 4 HR). Players from
Cuba are greeted well by fans now, similar to how they reacted to
Japanese players coming over, but everyone has to stop and look a
little closer (Even if he is a great prospect).
First, lets look at age. Jose Abreu is 28. Yasiel Puig is 24. These guys
are both somewhat proven, each putting out good seasons so far in
the “experiment.” Moncada is 19. If a player from the United States
or Canada came out at 19, everyone would immediately say “He isn’t
ready.” Instead, everyone is looking at Moncada the way they look at
Los Angeles’ Puig, a star immediately, sign him now, play him now. It
just has to wait.
3 Yonder Alonso
4 Erisbel Arruebarrena
5 Yuniesky Betancourt
6 Rusney Castillo
7 Yoenis Céspedes
8 Aroldis Chapman
9 José Contreras
10 José Fernández
11 Yasmani Grandal
12 Adeiny Hechavarria
13 José Iglesias
Next, lets take a look at the mentality of the GM in the situation and
why it is wrong. One currently looks at a Cuban player and compares
to an Abreu or a Puig. You can’t do that. In the US, players are looked
at differently and not immediately compared. They play first, and
then are compared. Moncada is yet to play in the big leagues, so
comparing him to Abreu or Puig is outlandish.
14 Kendrys Morales
These assumptions are a little wild as of now, so let’s slow down and
see what Yoan Moncada will actually turn out like.
17 Jorge Soler
15 Yasiel Puig
16 Alexei Ramírez
18 Dayán Viciedo
Baseball Rule 5 Draft 2015 Results
ROUND 1
1. Arizona : C Oscar Hernandez
2. Colorado: IF Mark Canha
3. Texas: OF Delino DeShields Jr
4. Houston: RHP Jason Garcia
5. Minnesota: RHP J.R. Graham
6. Boston: RHP Jandel Gustave
7. Chicago: SS Taylor Featherston
8. Philadelphia : IF David Herrera
9. Miami : LHP Andrew McKirahan
10. New York: LHP Sean Gilmartin
11. Atlanta : RHP Daniel Winkler
12. Seattle : LHP David Rollins
13. Baltimore : RHP Logan Verrett
ROUND 2
14. Philadelphia: LHP Andrew Oliver
TRIPLE-A PHASE
1. Arizona : RHP Timothy Crabbe
2. Colorado : RHP Kyle Simon
3. Texas : 1B Roderick Shoulders
4. Houston C Luis Flores
5. Minnesota : RHP Greg Peavey
6. Chicago (AL): RHP Peter Tago
7. Chicago (NL): OF Ariel Ovando
8. Cincinnati: C Camden Maron
9. Miami : LHP Matthew Tomshaw
10. San Diego: SS Juan Gamboa
11. Tampa Bay : RF Luis Urena
12. Atlanta : C Steven Rodriguez
13. Cleveland: RHP Delvy Francisco
14. San Francisco: RHP Ramon Del Orbe,
15. Detroit : RHP Jheyson Manzueta
16. St. Louis: RHP Tyler Waldron
17. Los Angeles: OF Peter Lavin
18. Baltimore : OF Sean Halton
19. Anaheim: IF Chris Curley
20. Texas : SS Hiram Martinez
21. Cincinnati : RHP Euclides Leyer
22. Miami : 1B Harold Riggins
23. Tampa Bay: RHP Michael O'Brien
24. San Francisco: CF Brett Jackson
25. Los Angeles : RHP Alexander Santana
26. Anaheim: SS Pedro Ruiz
27. Miami : LHP Alexander Burgos
28. Los Angeles: RHP Randy Fontanez
29. Anaheim: RF Kentrail Davis
30. Los Angeles: SS Nathan Samson
Why The Alex Rios Signing Won’t Work
By Patrick Melbourne
It's now 2015, and teams are looking for ways to improve in the offseason. Sometimes this strategy works, sometimes
not. On the ESPN Fantasy Focus Baseball Podcast, Eric Karabell and Tristan (Happy) Cockcroft talked about why Billy
Beane wasn't being himself with these recent acquisitions of Brett Lawrie and Billy Butler. The two noted that they are
both ground ball hitters. And why not obtain those hitters? Because O.Co.
If it seems like this column is unfocused, it's not. I just want to highlight some of the offseason moves that will, in my
opinion, fail. In other words, here are two busts.
BUST ACQUISITIONS
Brett Lawrie, 3B, Oakland
First up, Brett Lawrie. Lawrie was in a hitters ballpark and did almost nothing. You would think that in his slight defense,
he was injured. Unfortunately, that only hurts his cause. (And yes Mr. Lawrie, blaming the turf is a terrible excuse. Stop
it.)
Bob Elliott wrote an excellent Toronto article about Lawrie's injuries not being related to the artificial turf. Elliott
highlighted the hand, back and rib cage injuries as evidence that the Turf was innocent. It is hard to argue with the
reasoning, quite frankly.
Lawrie, according to ESPN statistics, has hit for an average of .265 in his career. He also has only hit 43 home runs with
9 coming in from his first year. That's extremely mediocre, coming from a player who was so highly touted as "the next
big thing." I don't think he can sustain in a middle of the road (not pitcher- friendly and not hitter- friendly) ballpark.
Alex Rios, OF, Kansas City
The second player I wanted to talk about is also an ex- Toronto player, funnily enough. And really, Kansas City?
CBSSports.com first reported this offseason that Alex Rios was signing an 11 million dollar contract with KC. Rios has
played for Toronto, Chicago (AL), Texas, and now KC. Rios has had a pretty good career, going above a .280 batting
average quite often in his 10 year career. (04, 06, 07, 08, 10, 12,13, and 14.)
The reason I'm slightly negative on this deal, like so many others, is the contract. Many columnists, including some at
ESPN (Eric Karabell) note "There are no bad one year contracts." Well, that's true... in theory. That assessment quickly
breaks down when you look at the contract of Rios. One year for a player who hits above .270 and can give you 10+
home runs (10 times in his career, courtesy ESPN for the stats) is not a bad deal. The 11 million dollar part hurts. Let's
do a quick comparison with a similar player and his recent contract.
Jed Lowrie. 3 yrs, 23 million with Houston. Divides to 7.6 million a year for a very similar player. He's not bad
defensively and owns both a .261 average, and .333 OBP, the latter stat only consisting of 7 points more than Rios
(Stats courtesy again of ESPN). Advantage- Jed Lowrie.
The Rios signing is a good deal, just overpriced. That is simply why he is a bust at the price.
The players are dangerous adds to the teams. We just will have to wait and see the results.
Burning Questions
By Patrick Melbourne
WILL CHRIS DAVIS BECOME
THE SUPERSTAR HE ONCE
WAS?
I think so. After last year’s suspension, he should be pumped
to get going. He needs to learn to stop swinging at everything
though.
WILL BILLY HAMILTON LIGHT
UP THE BASEPATHS?
Yep. He will. He will steal more than any other in the big leagues.
Enough said.
WILL GIANCARLO STANTON
SLUMP WITH THE
EXTENSION?
No, he won’t, because he is a fighter. He is the number two
ranked player in fantasy. He needs to stay healthy.
WILL JOSH DONALDSON
REMAIN AN ALL-STAR IN
TORONTO?
He is moving into a hitters ballpark, and he is coming off
his second straight MVP top 10. This is a serious problem for
the rest of the AL East.
http://asportschannel.weebly.com/
WS Predictions
By Patrick Melbourne
I love what they are doing,
And the recent signing of Shields
cements it. I’ll jump on here… San
Diego for the win this year!
WS Predictions from our team editorsPatrick- SD over Baltimore
Devon- Oakland vs Los Angeles (NL)
George- New York (AL) vs Washington
Vinh- Washington wins
Riley- New York (AL) wins
Justin- Boston vs Chicago (NL)
Joel- Boston vs Chicago (NL)
CJ- Boston vs Washington
Please click the black box, Not the text.
David Reed’s Projected Playoff Bracket
Power Rankings
By Patrick Melbourne
1 San Diego
2 Baltimore
3 Washington
4 Oakland
5 Kansas City
6 St. Louis
7 Toronto
8 LA
9 Anaheim
10 Boston
11 Pittsburgh
12 Atlanta
13 Detroit
14 Cincinnati
15 Seattle
16 NY (AL)
17 SF
18 New York (NL)
19 Texas
20 Colorado
21 Miami
22 Chicago
23 Cleveland
24 Arizona
25 Milwaukee
26 Chicago (AL)
27 Houston
28 Philadelphia
29 Tampa Bay
30 Minnesota
Award Projections
By Patrick Melbourne
Mike Trout, Anaheim
Corey Kluber, Cleveland
Sure, it seems like a very, very
safe choice. But when you look
at Trout’s last few seasons with
LA, how can you not predict it
again?
Kluber came out of nowhere to dominate the entire
big leagues last year. The last player to do that was a
first baseman nicknamed EE on Toronto. Is this a
fluke? Maybe. But we don’t think so.
Projected StatlineW/L- 18- 6
ERA- 3.34
K- 249
BB- 38
Projected StatlineAVG- .305
HR- 27
SB- 19
RBI- 135
Fantasy Advice (Preseason)
Snake- 1st Round
Auction- 62$
Fantasy Advice (Preseason)
Snake- 3rd Round
Auction- 30$
Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles (NL)
Projected StatlineW/L- 23-5
ERA- 1.98
K- 301
BB- 26
#1 Pitcher on the planet.
He should take home Cy Young
easily. This should be his
prime year at 27.
MVP? We think he will.
Fantasy Advice (Preseason)
Snake- 1st Round
Auction- 62$
David Reed’s Award Projections
2014 Admins Fantasy Draft
Teams 1-2
2014 Admins Fantasy Draft
Teams 3-4
2014 Admins Fantasy Draft
Teams 5-6
2014 Admins Fantasy Draft
Teams 7-8
Fantasy Notes
By Patrick Melbourne
Giancarlo Stanton (Miami)
Played two seasons under
150 games. 2 out of 5 is a little
too many injury shortened
seasons to be comfortable.
Fantasy Advice (Preseason)
Snake- 4th Overall, 1st Round
Auction- 55$
Yan Gomes (Cleveland)
Gomes has been undervalued by
many rankers. I like him as my
number 3 catcher.
Fantasy Advice (Preseason)
Snake- 5th Round, 3rd Overall
Catcher
Auction- 29$
Fantasy Top 50
By Patrick Melbourne
Mike Trout
Giancarlo Stanton
Andrew McCutcheon
Paul Goldschmidt
Clayton Kershaw
Edwin Encarnacion
Jose Abreu
Anthony Rizzo
Michael Brantley
Jose Altuve
Jose Bautista
Robinson Cano
Felix Hernandez
Yasiel Puig
Troy Tulowitski
Madison Bumgarner
Miguel Cabrera
Jacoby Ellsbury
Max Scherzer
Carlos Gomez
Adam Jones
Adrian Beltre
Freddie Freeman
Chris Sale
Anthony Rendon
Josh Donaldson
David Price
Corey Kluber
Hanley Ramirez
Evan Longoria
Buster Posey
Ian Desmond
Stephen Strasburg
Adam Wainwright
Bryce Harper
Ryan Braun
Yu Darvish
Jose Reyes
Corey Dickerson
Justin Upton
Jon Lester
Yoenis Cespedes
Carlos Gonzalez
Kole Calhoun
Matt Kemp
David Ortiz
Victor Martinez
Craig Kimbrel
Nelson Cruz
Sonny Gray
ANAHEIM
MIAMI
PITTSBURGH
ARIZONA
LOS ANGELES
TORONTO
CHICAGO (al)
CHICAGO (nl)
CLEVELAND
HOUSTON
TORONTO
SEATTLE
SEATTLE
LOS ANGELES
COLORADO
SAN FRANCISCO
DETROIT
NEW YORK (al)
WASHINGTON
MILWAUKEE
BALTIMORE
TEXAS
ATLANTA
CHICAGO (al)
WASHINGTON
TORONTO
DETROIT
CLEVELAND
BOSTON
TAMPA BAY
SAN FRANCISCO
WASHINGTON
WASHINGTON
ST LOUIS
WASHINGTON
MILWAUKEE
TEXAS
TORONTO
COLORADO
ATLANTA
BOSTON
DETROIT
COLORADO
ANAHEIM
SAN DIEGO
BOSTON
DETROIT
ATLANTA
SEATTLE
OAKLAND
American League Projections
AL EAST
NY
Boston
Toronto
Tampa Bay
Baltimore
92-70
90-72
87-75
81-81
76-86
AL CENTRAL
Chicago
Detroit
Kansas City
Cleveland
Minnesota
94-68
88-74
85-77
80-82
69-93
AL WEST
Anaheim
Seattle
Oakland
Houston
Texas
Please click the black box, Not the text.
98-64
91-71
83-79
74-88
70-92
Not affiliated with NASCAR
National League Projections
George Grotheer’s Projections
NL EAST
Washington 99-63
Miami
86-76
NY (NL)
79-83
Atlanta
74-88
Philadelphia 65-97
NL CENTRAL
St. Louis
94-68
Chicago
85-77
Pittsburgh
81-81
Milwaukee
78-84
Cincinnati
76-86
NL WEST
SF
88-74
LA
84-78
San Diego
84-78
Colorado
79-83
Arizona
66-98
Please click the black box, Not the text.
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2015