Poll Update: The Diamondbacks win NL West

The Votes are In!

Diamondbacks: 6
Rockies: 3
Padres: 1
Giants: 0
Dodgers: 0

So at the conclusion of the NL Polls, you voted for the Nationals to win the NL East, the Cubs to win the NL Central, and the Diamondbacks to win the NL West.

Thanks for voting.

The Sixth Sense

Diamondbacks Team Update - Lack of hitting

I would like to start by looking back on last year and how the Arizona Diamondbacks did in their run to the playoffs. They were pitching lights out. Brandon Webb was amazing (three consecutive shutouts) and in my opinion should have won the Cy Young, but I don't believe the Diamondbacks had enough hitting, and nothing has been done about that. They have added Dan Haren -- a great pick up and a great pitcher who has made the Diamondbacks have the best 1-2 punch with Webb first, but where is the hitting? This off season they have done nothing to improve their .235 hitting. That is why we struggled in the playoffs and that is why we will continue to struggle until we get a big bat into our lineup. The front office needs to get it together in order to find some better hitting for the Diamondbacks. Pitching may help, but on its own, it can never win a game (just ask Harvey Haddix) and thus we can't expect to get to another world series. They need more than just Orlando Hudson.

Reds continue search for third man on the roster

The off-season is over. And yet the Cincinnati Reds are still trying to fill that roster spot for the third starting pitcher. Matt Belisle, Homer Bailey, Edinson Volquez, Jeremy Affeldt, and Johnny Cueto are all potentials for that postition. Manager Dusty Baker still didn't know if anyone would be added to the full forty man roster.

Spring Training is upon us, but Aaron Harang and Bronson Arroyo are the only two pitchers who are known to be starters. With so many options, it might take awhile.

Many of the Reds' senior officials were at the bullpen a few days ago, watching the hurlers hurl.

Of course, the team needs to decide soon as to who is going to take that position. But they have some time. Spring games won't open for awhile (though you can get tickets.)

Its time for the Reds to make their decision now. Who do you think should take the third starting job: Belisle, Bailey, Volquez, Affeldt, or Cueto?

-Bobby Smith

Poll Update...Cubs win NL Central

The second poll just finished and the results are in.
The Chicago Cubs were voted to win the NL Central, with the Reds a close second.

-The Sixth Sense

Player Review---Josh Beckett

Today I am going to look at Josh Beckett. Although he did have an amazing record last year I don't think that his streak will continue.


Don't think that I'm saying he's a lousy pitcher, I just look at the hitting the nights he pitched and it was incredible. He probably will be a threat, but he is not the main reason that he has won his games.

The Red Sox as always have amazing pitchers, and Beckett is definitely good. However, his potential is not as big as a large number of fans make it out. I think that the focus put on pitchers, like Becket, is wrong and that the goal in the Red Sox house is batting.

Josh Beckett will have a fear factor around him but yet he will not be, if numbers make sense, a big impact.

-James

Tampa Bay Rays Team Update 1.2. -- Cliff Floyd

We hear the derogatory term used for many older sports players. William Shatner dedicated a song about it himself. Yes, the has-been. The Rays have taken a "has-been" in hope of him surprising the entire AL East. After all, you can never count anyone out in the sport of baseball...Want proof?
Satchell Paige's playing career went for 45 years..
Don Sutton, with gray hair, still won 15 games a year with an E.R.A. only around 3.75...
The same went for Phil Niekro.
But, the thing about this "has-been", is that he's not even that old.
Nope, Cliff Floyd is just 35 years old. Why the branding you ask?

My answer: It's not fair. The only thing that people complain about was his last two years. In the past two years Floyd hit just 20 homers, and 89 RBIS -- not enough for 3 million a year--everyone complains. But guess what, he only received 614 at bats in those two years- how much a normal good starter would receive. So if you think about it--thats really not that bad. For 6 million dollars, he hit 20 Homers and 89 RBIs, with an AVG of .261. That's really not that bad! Lets compare him with Bobby Abreu. He got paid around 16 million dollars this season-hit just 16 Homers, 101 RBIS, and hit only .283. He stats should practically double Floyd's and yet...he came up short. And in 2005, where Floyd got his full AB's (550) he nailed 35 homers and 98 RBIs. The point is, when you give him a chance (injuries don't help either), he does well.

And now, at spring training, he's healthy and ready to go.

He also has his head down and ready to go. He says that he knows his "limitations" and that he won't try to be "superman" on the team. He says that's Carl Crawford's job...

"In terms of health, in terms of my feet, in terms of my knees -- everything -- I feel great," Floyd says. "One thing you learn about your body, sometimes too much is too much. I understand everybody has their own regimen in the offseason. You work out and do what you have to do. You find out what your body needs, whether it needs stretching, or I need this. And that's what you find out more and more as you keep going. And this year I was really focused on stretching -- focused on doing things that my body needs to do."

What do we see here. Floyd has learned from the past and is ready for the future.
Oh, and he's only getting 2.75 million this year. What a grab...

My line:

.270 BA, 65 Runs, 120 Hits, 24 doubles, 23 home runs, 76 RBIs....not bad for 2.75, eh? And the Rays certainly could use him.


-Felix

End of 1st Poll, Start of 2nd Poll

Just an update.
After 12 or 13 votes, the results of the first poll, "Who will win the National League East?" the results were:
1. Nationals
2. Mets
3. Phillies
4. Braves
5. Marlins

Let's see if you were right...in nine months...

Note that the new pole is up, "Who will win the National League East?"

Roger stop lying

Hello everyone. My name is Robert and first let me start by saying the New York Giants Won - for which I am grateful - but now, back to baseball. Today I'm talking about Roger Clemens and looking at the facts. Roger was a good pitcher with the Boston Red Sox from 1984- 92, a good 8 year career. His performance started to go down in 1993 when we won only 11 games and only 9 in 1994. Then the media came in, wondering if he had broken down, until I argue, he met Jose Canseco who came to the Red Sox in 1994. Then, when Clemens went to Toronto, he was again able to be a twenty game winner with an E.R.A. around an amazing 2.00. Something seems suspicious. There is a unique comparison with Barry Bonds in this circumstance, when Bonds went from hitting 20 home runs in his early career to 72 later. I'm not saying Roger is definitely guilty because we don't really know, but the #'s are awfully suspicious.

	SEASON		TEAM		W		L		ERA		G		GS		CG		SHO		SV		SVO		IP		H		R		ER		HR		HBP		BB		SO
	1984		Boston Red Sox		9		4		4.32		21		20		5		1		0		---		133.1		146		67		64		13		2		29		126
	1985		Boston Red Sox		7		5		3.29		15		15		3		1		0		---		98.1		83		38		36		5		3		37		74
	1986		Boston Red Sox		24		4		2.48		33		33		10		1		0		---		254.0		179		77		70		21		4		67		238
	1987		Boston Red Sox		20		9		2.97		36		36		18		7		0		---		281.2		248		100		93		19		9		83		256
	1988		Boston Red Sox		18		12		2.93		35		35		14		8		0		---		264.0		217		93		86		17		6		62		291
	1989		Boston Red Sox		17		11		3.13		35		35		8		3		0		---		253.1		215		101		88		20		8		93		230
	1990		Boston Red Sox		21		6		1.93		31		31		7		4		0		---		228.1		193		59		49		7		7		54		209
	1991		Boston Red Sox		18		10		2.62		35		35		13		4		0		---		271.1		219		93		79		15		5		65		241
	1992		Boston Red Sox		18		11		2.41		32		32		11		5		0		---		246.2		203		80		66		11		9		62		208
	1993		Boston Red Sox		11		14		4.46		29		29		2		1		0		---		191.2		175		99		95		17		11		67		160
	1994		Boston Red Sox		9		7		2.85		24		24		3		1		0		---		170.2		124		62		54		15		4		71		168
	1995		Boston Red Sox		10		5		4.18		23		23		0		0		0		---		140.0		141		70		65		15		14		60		132
	1996		Boston Red Sox		10		13		3.63		34		34		6		2		0		---		242.2		216		106		98		19		4		106		257
	1997		Toronto Blue Jays		21		7		2.05		34		34		9		3		0		---		264.0		204		65		60		9		12		68		292
	1998		Toronto Blue Jays		20		6		2.65		33		33		5		3		0		---		234.2		169		78		69		11		7		88		271
	1999		New York Yankees		14		10		4.60		30		30		1		1		0		0		187.2		185		101		96		20		9		90		163
	2000		New York Yankees		13		8		3.70		32		32		1		0		0		0		204.1		184		96		84		26		10		84		188
	2001		New York Yankees		20		3		3.51		33		33		0		0		0		0		220.1		205		94		86		19		5		72		213
	2002		New York Yankees		13		6		4.35		29		29		0		0		0		0		180.0		172		94		87		18		7		63		192
	2003		New York Yankees		17		9		3.91		33		33		1		1		0		0		211.2		199		99		92		24		5		58		190
	2004		Houston Astros		18		4		2.98		33		33		0		0		0		0		214.1		169		76		71		15		6		79		218
	2005		Houston Astros		13		8		1.87		32		32		1		0		0		0		211.1		151		51		44		11		3		62		185
	2006		Houston Astros		7		6		2.30		19		19		0		0		0		0		113.1		89		34		29		7		4		29		102
	2007		New York Yankees		6		6		4.18		18		17		0		0		0		0		99.0		99		52		46		9		5		31		68
	Career Totals				354	184	3.12	709	707	118	46	0	---	4916.2	4185	1885	1707	363	159	1580	4672

Seatle Mariners Team Resume - 1.1.

Hi, It's Felix again--I'm covering for Peter this week.

The Mariners have done excellently in acquiring two major good players.

1. Erik Bedard


Erik Bedard excelled with the O's last year, posting 13 wins, over 200 strike outs and a ridiculously low 3.16 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP. The Mariners have not confirmed this trade, but it appears that it will happen and the players that Seattle are giving up are not very good. For more, check out this.

2. Brad Wilkerson



Brad Wilkerson made history with the Nationals in 2005, becoming the first and only player from them to hit the cycle. He has done well although not exceptionally well for the Rangers (35 Home Runs in 685 At Bats) and has played good hard defense. He will be welcomed in Seattle to get more playing time however, next to Raul Ibanez and Ichiro Suzuki. For more, here.

Mariners Depth Chart Here

-Felix

Hello everyone. I am Micheal Smith and i am covering the Chicago Cubs. The poor Cubs have not won a World Series since the 1908 season. If the Cubs do not win the World Series this year then they will have not won in for 100 YEARS! Even the KC Royals don't have a drought that long.

Things are actually starting to look up for the Cubs. With last season's acquisition of Alfonso Soriano they obtained a lead off hitter who can go the distance with every at bat. Further assisting on the offensive side of the ball are Aramis Ramirez and Derek Lee who both hit over .300 last season. Offensively the Cubs should have few problems. Unless of course one of these three players get hurt in the season.

The Cubs biggest fear should be their pitching! Though the Cubs had four pitchers post double digit wins, Ted Lilly's 15, Rich Hill's 11, Carlos Zambrano's 18 and Jason Marquis's 12, their ERA was terrible. Their respective ERA's where 3.83, 3.92, 3.95, and 4.60! For teams to win the World Series they need good pitching. The Cubs do not possess any dominate pitchers who only lose when the other team gets lucky.

For you curious Cub fans here is the Cubs starting lineup for 2008.

My prediction is that the Cubs will win a tight battle for the NL Central over the Milwaukee Brewers, and then lose in the first round of the playoffs continuing their World Series drought.

Michael Smith

Player Report. 1.1 --- Bill Bray / Billy Bray

I am honored to present you the very first player report on the Sixth Sense.

But I am even more honored to say that Bill Bray was my brother's work out partner at William and Mary! In fact, I chose my number, 45 last year, (see it here), to honor and follow Bill Bray's path--hopefully to the Major Leagues.



But enough of that and now onto Bill Bray. Originally signed by the Expos, Bill Bray came into baseball in 2006 after playing a little in the Minors. Bill was then traded, along with fellow William and Mary-ian Brendan Harris, who is now with the Twins, to the Cincinnati Reds.

The 24 year-old southpaw, although last year went 3-3 with a 6.28 ERA, has shown many signs of improvement and maturity and by looking at his past we can see that he had the potential to be the Reds primary setup man. If we look at his stats earlier, he was much more efficient and his career E.R.A is a low 4.57. Considering he gets paid practically the minimum salary, Bray is a huge steal. Why? He's a southpaw and he just doesn't walk people. That means less possible runs due to effective pitching. Last year he walked only around one player every three innings. If the Reds get some decent starters to help him out he will be incredibly effective. Plus, Cincinnati is definitely not a pitcher's park so he has to deal with the troubles of the long ball as well.

Now, the question remains, do I pick him? Considering he's only 24 and the fact that most leagues only include 24 players on each team, I say no-sign him as a free agent. He's coming off an injury from last year and he's going to need to get some good rest and preparation for 2008. Now, if the Reds acquire another good starter, I say make him a sleeper but until then wait a little.

-Felix

Hey! This is James and I'm going to be covering the World Champion Red Sox. I have been a fan since 2003 so I'm not just one of those fair weather fans. Additionally, both my parents are from New England so I do have some reasons for what I do.

This year the Red Sox have been able to hold on to their crucial players and have a pretty solid bullpen. I have to ask the question though, is the bullpen good enough?

In past years the Sox could hit anything but they lost because so could the other team. This year I would like to see new faces and new styles in the Sox. This is why they have lost in the past. It's what's keeping me praying for them at night.

Here's the Red Sox Depth Chart.

Death to the evil empire! (NY Yankees)



-James

Reds gain deeper Depth Chart, sign Belisle, Sauerbeck, and Bako

The Cincinatti Reds have added to their depth chart by signing Scott Sauerbeck, Paul Bako, and Matt Belisle. Sauerbeck is a veteran pitcher, but Belisle isn't. Paul Bako is a veteran catcher with ten years behind the plate.

Scott Sauerbeck, although he signed a Minor League contract, has been offered a chance to come to Spring Training. Sauerbeck was drafted by the Mets, but ended up playing for the Pittsburgh Pirates for 4 1/2 seasons. Now, after jumping around several ball clubs, he is coming home to Cincinatti, his birthplace. The veteran could add some experience to a rotation that relies on Aaron Harang and Bronson Arroyo, neither of whom were extremely superb last year.

Paul Bako, a ten year veteran, is a seriously needed addition behind the plate. His experience, spanning four ball-clubs, will be essential to the Reds. Like Sauerbeck, he signed a Minor League contract, but has been offered a chance at Spring Training.

Matt Belisle has agreed to sign a $1.25 million dollar contract to the Reds, locking a younger pitcher into place. Belisle pitched a career high 177 innings last season, even though mostly playing as a reliever. By locking Belisle in place, the Reds can now look towards getting Brandon Philips into their roster.

To see the full Reds depth chart, go here

-Bobby

The Tampa Bay Rays - Installment 1--2/1/08 (James Shields Move)

Howdy. It's Felix again and I'm giving you the weekly update of the Tampa Bay Rays.

The Rays have done as basically as good of a job as their salary outcome allows them in the off season and are looking hopefully this year to end ahead of Baltimore-who has gotten worse.

Here's what we've managed recently.

The number one impact move: Signing James Shields

James Shields, 26 years old, is a fantastic player with a lot of potential who has recently put his potential energy into kinetic energy. He went 12-8 with a 3.85 ERA in 2007 and luckily for the rays "James Shields is going to be with the Rays for a long time." How much was this deal for and how long? Possibly up to seven years with a total of possibly 44 Million Dollars with incentives. Now, if James Shields does become the next Fergie Jenkins, this deal will be remembered as one of the luckiest breaks the Rays ever got. But if this turns out into a James Baldwin deal (who, you ask?) -- one of the most promising failures in baseballs pitching history--then it will simply be a waste of money. And in fact--in the past, long term deals tend to go for the worse. Barry Zito was signed to a record deal for a pitcher last year --around 18 million a year-- while he played a typical 4 million dollar year - 11-14, 4.53 ERA. Mike Hampton brought the same effects with his terrible pitching after a giant 8 year, 121 million dollar deal. What happened? After he got signed, he compiled a 53-48 record with a 4.80 ERA for just 5 more seasons. I'm definitely not saying this is going to happen to Shields, but I think the Rays need to let him prove himself a little more before signing him. For more on Shields, read this.

The number two impact move:
Resigning Scott Kazmir. BEST MOVE out there. Why? Well, Scott Kazmir is one of the only players to defy Billy Beane's rule of not picking high school pitchers by having an amazing E.R.A. on, yes, even I have to admit it, the worst team in the AL east (in the past). 34-29, 3.64....I pity the poor man as Mr. T would say. And we got him for ONLY 3.7 million for one year...Makes you wonder why we signed Shields to such a bigger contract, eh?

The number three impact move:
Resigning Carlos Pena-Untold hero finished third in MLB in Home Runs (46) and 4th in the AL for RBI (103). We nabbed him for just 6 million dollars this year, but will eventually pay him 24 in the next 3.

The number four impact move:
Well, I'm not a huge fan - although I like Josh Paul, the Rays signed three players to Minor League deals: pitchers Brian Anderson and Scott Munter and catcher Josh Paul. For more, check this out.

Here's the depth chart of the Rays for 2008.


-Felix