Monday, March 31, 2014

MLB Season Predictions

AL East

Tampa Bay Rays
Boston Red Sox
New York Yankees
Baltimore Orioles
Toronto Blue Jays

AL Central

Detroit Tigers
Kansas City Royals
Cleveland Indians
Chicago White Sox
Minnesota Twins

AL West

Los Angeles Angels
Texas Rangers
Oakland Athletics
Seattle Mariners
Houston Astros

NL East

Washington Nationals
Atlanta Braves
Philadelphia Phillies
New York Mets
Miami Marlins

NL Central

St. Louis Cardinals
Cincinnati Reds
Pittsburgh Pirates
Milwaukee Brewers
Chicago Cubs

NL West

Los Angeles Dodgers
San Francisco Giants
Arizona Diamondbacks
San Diego Padres
Colorado Rockies

2014 Playoffs

AL Wildcard: Boston Red Sox over New York Yankees
NL Wildcard: San Francisco Giants over Cincinnati Reds
ALDS: Detroit Tigers over Boston Red Sox
ALDS: Tampa Bay Rays over Los Angeles Angels
NLDS: Los Angeles Dodgers over San Francisco Giants
NLDS: Washington Nationals over St. Louis Cardinals
ALCS: Detroit Tigers over Tampa Bay Rays
NLCS: Los Angeles Dodgers over Washington Nationals
World Series: Los Angeles Dodgers over Detroit Tigers

2014 Awards and League Leaders

AL MVP: Mike Trout
NL MVP: Paul Goldschmidt
AL CY Young: Justin Verlander
NL CY Young: Clayton Kershaw
AL ROY: Jose Abreu
NL ROY: Oscar Taveras
AL MOY: Brad Ausmus
NL MOY: Matt Williams
AL Comeback: Grady Sizemore
NL Comeback: Matt Kemp
AL HR King: Chris Davis
NL HR King: Giancarlo Stanton
AL Batting Champ: Miguel Cabrera
NL Batting Champ: Paul Goldschmidt
AL K’s Leader: Yu Darvish
NL K’s Leader: Stephen Strasburg

-Eric Tichelbaut


Follow me on Twitter @etichel07

Sunday, March 30, 2014

Chicago White Sox Season Preview

Spring training has ended and Opening Day is tomorrow afternoon! While I do not expect the Chicago White Sox to compete for a playoff spot, I do believe this team will take a big step forward in 2014. In 2013, the White Sox finished 63-99, but one could argue they played even worse than their record would indicate. Basic fundamentals like base running and routine fielding were as bad as I can remember, so improving on those areas alone should make for a better record. Also, with the new additions to the lineup, I expect the offense to be a lot better and the team should finish in the middle of the American League in runs scored. The starting rotation has some question marks behind Chris Sale and Jose Quintana, but the White Sox have usually been able to produce a competent pitching staff behind pitching coach Don Cooper’s guidance. Lastly, the closing situation has yet to be determined, but the bullpen is looking surprisingly better than I anticipated a few months ago with a good mix of veterans and young power arms.
With that being said, it is time to look at the Chicago White Sox roster and how the team will perform this season. I have included bold predictions for some of the players. Again, these are bold predictions and are meant to be fun.

Projected Opening Day Lineup

1. Adam Eaton, CF: Eaton finishes the season with an OBP over .400, 30 SBs, and 100 runs scored. Because of his style of play, Eaton becomes a fan favorite and secures the leadoff spot for years to come.

2. Marcus Semien, 2B: Semien is starting in-place of the injured Gordon Beckham, but he should get at-bats all year with his versatility to play all over the infield. Whether by trade or injuries, Semien reaches 400 at-bats and has double digits in homers and steals.

3. Jose Abreu, 1B: All reports indicate that Abreu will prove to be a good signing for the White Sox, and I think he has a big year. Abreu ends the year with 30-plus home runs and wins Rookie of the Year.

4. Adam Dunn, DH: Thankfully, Dunn is entering the final year of his contract and hopefully he plays well enough early to entice a team to trade for his services. However, if Dunn gets off to a terrible start, it will be another long year for him and he’ll likely lose at-bats to Paul Konerko. Either way, I don’t see Dunn reaching 400 at-bats in a White Sox uniform.

5. Avisail Garcia, RF: The potential for a 20/20 season is there, but I don’t think he quite gets there this season (15/15 is more likely). However, Garcia will lock up right field for the future with a nice season offensively and defensively.

6. Alejandro De Aza, LF: De Aza will likely get the call with a righty on the mound, but he is in a platoon with Dayan Viciedo. I expect either De Aza or Viciedo to be traded at some point this season, and I’d personally rather trade De Aza. Although De Aza offers some nice speed and left-handed pop, his defense and base running was atrocious last season. I don’t see him as a fit going forward.

7. Alexei Ramirez, SS: Ramirez is signed through 2015 with a team option in 2016, but the White Sox will likely try to move him at some point. The White Sox have depth at the middle infield positions in the organization, so trading Ramirez makes sense. Alexei had a down year defensively and in the power department, but I expect some improvement in both areas making him an interesting trade chip. My gut feeling says Alexei is gone before the trade deadline.

8. Conor Gillaspie, 3B: Gillaspie had a good year in 2013 and impressed this spring to win the third baseman job for the time being. With Matt Davidson pegged as the future third baseman, Gillaspie is just keeping the spot warm. Davidson will likely be up by July, but Gillaspie will be a valuable player this season with his versatility and left-handed bat.

9. Tyler Flowers, C: Flowers had a miserable season in 2013, but he wasn’t healthy either. Flowers claims that he is at full strength and won the catching job due to his defense and game-calling ability, but there wasn’t a lot of competition. Flowers should hit 15-plus homers, but his average will likely hover around .200.

Starting Rotation

1. Chris Sale, LHP: The White Sox ace will lead the team in every major pitching category, giving him another All-star selection. With a little luck, Sale could win the Cy Young Award if he gets enough wins.

2. Felipe Paulino, RHP: Paulino is slotted between Sale and Quintana because the White Sox are unsure about how many innings he can handle while attempting to pitch his first full season after Tommy John surgery. Provided he stays healthy, Paulino will finish with the second most strikeouts on the staff behind Sale.

3. Jose Quintana, LHP: Quintana had a tremendous season in 2013, and he was probably the White Sox most consistent starter last year. Due to a lack of run support, Quintana only won nine games last season, but he probably deserved about 15 wins. As long as Quintana performs like he did last season, he’ll reach that win total this year.

4. Erik Johnson, RHP: The White Sox best pitching prospect will get a chance to show what he has for a full season. There will be some ups and downs for Johnson in 2014 so his ERA will likely be around 4.50, but I say he makes 30-plus starts and secures a rotation spot going forward.

5. John Danks, LHP: Danks has had a long road to recovery since undergoing shoulder surgery in August of 2012, but he says he is fully healthy. Experts say that it usually takes 18 months to fully recover from the procedure, so Danks should be ready to go in 2014. If that is true, Danks will eclipse 180 innings pitched and finish with an ERA around 4.00.

Bullpen

Nate Jones, RHP: We don’t know who the closer is yet, but Jones is the most likely choice. As I have mentioned, Jones has the stuff to handle the role, but I’m concerned about his control at times. While I’m not 100% convinced Jones is the answer going forward, I do think he will lead the team in saves in 2014.

Daniel Webb, RHP: The White Sox are high on Daniel Webb’s future, and I’m right with them. After struggling as a starter in the minors, the White Sox converted Webb to a reliever and he took off in 2013. In 2013, Webb had a 1.87 ERA while striking out 78 batters in 62.2 innings at two minor league levels. I can’t see the White Sox going with Webb as the closer out of the gate, but he is certainly in the discussion. Given that, he could be the closer by the end of the year.

Matt Lindstrom, RHP: Lindstrom is the veteran option to close and he does have some closing experience (45 career saves), but I’d be surprised if he started the year as closer. If he does, either Jones or Webb would eventually take over during the year.

Ronald Belisario, RHP

Maikel Cleto, RHP

Scott Downs, LHP

Donnie Veal, LHP

Bench

Paul Konerko, 1B/DH: This will be Konerko’s final season and he is expected to play a part-time role. However, I think Paulie will see more at-bats than anticipated. Given that I don’t think Dunn will reach 400 at-bats in a White Sox uniform, Konerko will get at least 300 at-bats and crank out 15-plus homers during his farewell tour.

Dayan Viciedo, OF: As mentioned above, Viciedo is on the other side of the platoon with De Aza. I think Viciedo has more potential than De Aza, so I’d like to see him get a chance to play every day. The power is there, and the White Sox will have an opening at DH next season to get his glove off the field.

Adrian Nieto, C: Nieto was a Rule 5 draft pick from the Washington Nationals and will be the back-up catcher. Nieto hasn’t played above high-A ball as of yet, so I don’t know what to expect from him this season. I don’t believe Nieto will get enough at-bats this season to determine if he is a long-term answer, but he is a player worth considering moving forward.

Leury Garcia, INF

DL Players

Gordon Beckham, 2B: This is a big year for Beckham, but unfortunately it will begin with him on the disabled list with an oblique strain. He should be back by mid-April, but Beckham will have to perform offensively if he wants to be the second baseman moving forward. I’d love to see Beckham turn it around, but even if he does, he will probably get dealt by the trade deadline.

Jeff Keppinger, INF

After all of that, I firmly believe the White Sox are on the right track heading into the future. They should be drastically better in 2014 than they were in 2013, but it won’t be nearly enough to make a playoff push. I have the White Sox going 78-84 this season, which would be a 15-win improvement. If that happens, then the White Sox should be in a position to contend for a division title starting in 2015.

-Eric Tichelbaut


Twitter: @etichel07

Friday, March 14, 2014

Spring Training Update: 3/14

Following today’s 2-2 tie with the Cleveland Indians, the Chicago White Sox are now 5-7 with three ties after 15 spring training games. With Opening Day just over two weeks away, here’s what has caught my attention so far this spring.

Left field Platoon: For now, Dayan Viciedo and Alejandro De Aza are expected to share duties in left field. Apparently the competition is working thus far as both hitters are excelling this spring with batting averages well over .300. When the White Sox acquired Adam Eaton, I expected them to trade either Viciedo or De Aza and it appears that may still happen. The Seattle Mariners reportedly have inquired about Viciedo, whereas the Minnesota Twins have been linked to having interest in De Aza. I would be a little surprised if the Sox traded De Aza to the Twins, but I still expect a trade in the coming months.

Starting Rotation: The five-man rotation is just about set in stone, and the most impressive hurlers have been John Danks and Erik Johnson. Danks has yet to allow a run in eight innings of work, while Johnson owns a 2.57 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and seven strikeouts in seven innings. Jose Quintana left his second start after getting hit by a line drive in the shin, but he made his next start after suffering only a bruise. Quintana hasn’t been sharp this spring (16.50 ERA), but I wouldn’t worry about him right now. Opening Day starter Chris Sale bounced back after a rough second start with a solid outing on Monday where the lefty pitched 4.1 innings of scoreless ball. Leading 5th starter candidate Felipe Paulino hasn’t had good results this spring (9.72 ERA and 17 hits allowed in 8.1 innings), but he has flashed potential with 11 strikeouts to only two walks. Paulino, who underwent Tommy John in 2012, says that he feels great and it appears that the righty is getting more comfortable on the mound with every start. After surrendering four earned runs in his first start, Paulino has lowered that total by a run in two consecutive starts.

Position Battles: The two biggest position battles seem to be getting closer to being settled as Opening Day approaches. Word is that third baseman Conor Gillaspie (.269 avg, 2 HRs, 4 RBI) and catcher Tyler Flowers (.273 avg, 1 HR, 3 RBI) are leading their respective battles. Gillaspie’s experience, improved defense, and left-handed bat have given him the edge over Jeff Keppinger and Matt Davidson. Davidson will likely begin the season in Triple-A to get settled into the organization after joining the club via the Addison Reed trade. As long as Davidson stays healthy, I’d expect him to be starting at the hot corner before July. Due to his defense and game-calling skills, Tyler Flowers currently has a slight edge over Josh Phegley as the primary catcher, but both players will likely get equal time behind the dish.

Newcomers: Leadoff man Adam Eaton and first baseman Jose Abreu have been the most impressive of the offseason additions. Eaton continues to swing a hot bat with a .391 average and two stolen bases, while Abreu is hitting .286 with one home run and a team-leading six RBI. Both players look to be determined to prove their doubters wrong.

New Closer: Reliever Nate Jones is off to a great start with five strikeouts and one walk in four scoreless innings. Jones is the leading candidate to open the season as the closer, and he certainly has the stuff to get the job done. Jones increased his strikeout rate from 8.2 K/9 in 2012 to 10.3 K/9 in 2013 and lowered his walk rate from 4.0 BB/9 to 3.0 BB /9. If Jones can improve upon those numbers again in 2014, then he should hold the job. At this point, I am a little more optimistic in Jones as the closer than I was to start the spring, but I’m still not sure that his career 1.30 WHIP is “closer” material.

Top Prospects: Second baseman prospects Micah Johnson and Carlos Sanchez have both enjoyed outstanding springs, combining for 14 hits and 4 stolen bases in 27 at-bats. Neither player will break camp with the team (Sanchez was optioned to Triple-A today), but both are in the long-term plans for the organization. In other words, Gordon Beckham better have a career-year if he wants to remain on this team going forward.

-Eric Tichelbaut


Twitter: @etichel07

Friday, March 7, 2014

White Sox: Spring Training Gets Underway

The Chicago White Sox began spring training action last Saturday with a 5-0 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers, and they are now 3-4 with one tie after 8 games. During spring training, I always like to look at how young players, newcomers, and players returning from injuries are performing. For instance, I am not particularly concerned how players like Alexei Ramirez and Chris Sale are doing. With veterans like that, it is pretty apparent as to what type of production to expect from them going forward. With that being said, here is a look at some of the notable performers during the first week of games.

Standout Performances

Adam Eaton – The White Sox new leadoff hitter is off to a hot start batting .600 (6-10) with two stolen bases. Eaton has also drawn a pair of walks to raise his on-base percentage to .714 in five games. It is severely early, but I have a feeling Eaton will solidify the leadoff spot for years to come.

Jose Abreu – The former Cuban superstar cranked out his first home run in American professional baseball on Thursday, but only has one other hit in his first 10 at-bats. Despite the two hits, Abreu has driven in four runs to date. Abreu will likely need time to adjust to facing new pitchers, but the power is real.

Micah Johnson and Carlos Sanchez – The second baseman prospects have nearly identical stats through their first five games. Both players have four hits in eight at-bats and have combined for three stolen bases and four runs scored. Another year of solid seasons in the minors from Johnson and Sanchez will give the White Sox something to think about regarding Gordon Beckham’s future.

John Danks – The left-hander’s first start of the spring was very encouraging as he pitched three innings while giving up just one hit, two walks, and striking out two batters. Danks reportedly topped out at 91 mph and had great command of his cutter. Now 18 months removed from shoulder surgery, the old Johnny Danks could be in for a bounce-back year.

Erik Johnson – The first spring outing for the White Sox best pitching prospect was a successful one as the righty hurled three innings of one-run ball. Johnson surrender three hits and one walk, while fanning two batters. Johnson will likely have his ups and downs as any rookie starting pitcher would, but I am really interested to watch him pitch this season. From what I have seen, I think he will develop into a legit number three starter.

Felipe Paulino – Paulino bounced-back from a rough first start by pitching better this afternoon. The right-hander, who is still working his way back to the majors from Tommy John surgery, struck out five batters in three innings against the Cincinnati Reds. Paulino’s big mistake was a two-run homer to Jay Bruce, but the key for him is staying healthy and building up his arm strength. The White Sox are in a low-risk/high-reward situation with Paulino’s contract, so anything that he can do to help well be a positive.

-Eric Tichelbaut


Follow me on Twitter @etichel07