Comments on: American League West Preview

By: RotoScoop

RotoScoop — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 17:40:24 +0000

Ya I agree, Oakland’s infield defense is definitely the best in the league. Ellis is essentially a SS playing 2B. Crosby has really good range too. Obviously Chavy. They are only one more loss away from matching that total against the Mariners from all of last season!

By: Keith

Keith — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 17:20:01 +0000

Welcome back to the Bay. I would be thrilled to see a matchup of King Richard vs King Felix, as that would be worth plenty more than the price of admission. I’m pretty much going to pretend that yesterday’s game didn’t happen; Kendall struck out 3x vs Felix, including once with a runner on 3rd and 1 out, and he’s one of the toughest guys in the AL to strike out (though no Polanco), and I just don’t think the A’s were going to beat Felix the way he was going. It would have been interesting going into the 9th as a 0-0 game though. I’ll forgive Crosby for his sloppiness, but man, that was a perfect through from Haren, and that’s the kind of play where pitchers throw the ball into Center Field half the time. You could pretty much call Sexon’s HR afterwards. Crosby is definitely above-average defensively, and now that Swish should be playing 1B most of the time, with Ellis and Chavez, it should be about as good a defensive infield as there is in baseball. Now, if Felix could just teach the A’s staff how to induce so many ground balls, that would be a start.

By: RotoScoop

RotoScoop — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 15:54:06 +0000

Ya a bunch of aces had poor first starts – the guys you mentioned and also Webb, Contreras, J. Patterson, etc….Peavy, Sheets, Harden and Hamels is a pretty dominant top-4.

I moved recently and am back closer to the Bay Area, so I’m hoping to catch as many Giants/A’s games as possible this year. A Harden/Felix matchup would work.

Isn’t Bobby Crosby supposed to win a Gold Glove one of these years? (Also, an MVP for that matter).

By: Keith

Keith — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 15:29:20 +0000

In my money league (14 teams) I got Peavey and Sheets, and felt pretty pumped, but was really hoping for Felix too…he went in the 5th before Sheets. I got Harden in the 9th, which I thought was crazy for a 14 team league after the spring he had. I’ve got Hamels and Rich Hill too, so if they can stay healthy (odds obviously against all of them doing so), I’d say my staff has the potential to dominate. I do have Felix in my keeper league, so I definitely enjoyed his performance after watching Bonderman and Kazmir put up stinkers (though Carpenter, Bedard and a few other quality SP’s did too). I just hope I get to watch Felix in person at an A’s game this year; the guy is still just 20 years old!!

By: RotoScoop

RotoScoop — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 06:34:26 +0000

Ya, I’m pretty pumped that I got him in every league I’m in….I did not realize that he got all ground outs other than the Ks, wow. It literally could end up being the most dominant performance all year. (Plus my boy Sheets too!).

By: Keith

Keith — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 03:51:34 +0000

King Felix is a freaking animal…if the box score I saw was right, it was all ground balls and strike outs (12!) for him in 8 IP…that’s insane!

By: RotoScoop

RotoScoop — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 15:19:37 +0000

Def. an ominous start. Hopefully they are getting all the injuries out of the way early.

By: Keith

Keith — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 03:42:46 +0000

No Durazo and T.Buck making the team…crazy. I hope Buck goes all Ethier on the league this season, and I guess Walker makes a decent backup, but man, what an ominous start. If Loaiza could stay healthy, he’d actually be a decent starter. Gaudin should be decent for a start or two, but if it’s more than that, I’m going to be worried. Hey, it’s opening day, I should be celebrating. Stay healthy Harden!

By: RotoScoop

RotoScoop — Fri, 30 Mar 2007 21:19:18 +0000

Right, not only would Durazo be poor defensively, he’d also probably hurt himself being in the field. I agree tho, Swisher will see a lot of time there, and a trade is a real possibility as well. Loaiza is very worrisome, and he was better than I expected last year.

By: Keith

Keith — Fri, 30 Mar 2007 19:27:29 +0000

Durazo is definitely sub-par at 1B…I even think he hurt himself one year when he was getting ready for Interleague play. I still like him offensively, and he would probably hold his own. I wouldn’t be shocked to see Swish play a lot at 1B though, with more playing time going to Kielty in the OF, or the A’s grabbing someone off waivers or a low-level trade. I would think they’re more worried about Loaiza, since he hasn’t been 100% for a single appearance so far…that’s not a good sign at all.

By: RotoScoop

RotoScoop — Fri, 30 Mar 2007 19:13:24 +0000

Good points Keith – health could easily be the deciding factor even more so than usual when it comes to the Angels and A’s this year. What are your thoughts about Durazo manning first base? I always thought he was underrated, but he clearly plays better in a DH role.

By: Keith

Keith — Fri, 30 Mar 2007 16:30:20 +0000

Finally, the real league! It is difficult to bet against the Angels in this case, because of their clear dominance and depth in pitching, top-to-bottom. The Angels and A’s seasons are going to be very dependent on health, as they both have some very high-upside arms (Escobar is no Harden, but could someday be one of the AL’s better starters if he throws 200 innings), and the Halo’s outfield is getting old. Personally, I’m guessing Vlad and G.Anderson both spend some time on the DL this year. If the A’s get healthy seasons from Chavez, Crosby, Bradley, and Harden, I think they win the division…but clearly the odds are against that; I’ll be happy if 2 of them make it through unscathed. I think Blanton and Loaiza are keys for the A’s, as they’ve both been tremendously inconsistent, but have the upside of #2 starters (which Joe Kennedy does not…he just needs to be league-average). I think 87-89 wins is realistic, with health giving the ability to finish 10+ games above or below that.

Of course Dan Johnson and Loaiza are already hurt or hurting, so who knows. Fortunately the M’s management is completely inept, but I do worry that the Rangers will do some damage one of these years.