J-Dog Dungan

After his outings so far, I can't entirely believe that DeVries is ranked too high. He hasn't allowed an earned run yet this Spring. I am pretty sure that the Twins, if they could, would CG Blackburn, too. Maybe it would improve him somehow.

It's good to see that Hendriks is working on making himself a better pitcher. He has the skills to be a #3-#4 type guy; he just needs to realize his full potential against MLB hitters like he has against AAA hitters.

Personally, I think Provus is better than Gordon ever was.

This link should bring you to the Twins' official website on the page that contains their spring training schedule. Here you go: Twins Schedule | twinsbaseball.com: Schedule

Only thing that I can't say I agree with this article is that Correia is overpaid. Now, for his services five years ago, oh, god yes he is overpaid. But in these free-spending-on-pitching times, he got about the minimum possible from the Twins. Just goes to show you how prices for FA's have ballooned recently.

I think Deduno's lack of consistency is one of the reasons why he is so deadly. I can't really say that anyone who is a lefty has a good chance to grab a starting position, so I have to say that your rotation looks pretty much what it might look like if nobody seizes a chance.

Whether or not he pitches I would imagine depends on how they want to use him. I would probably agree and say that getting him some live pitching wouldn't be a bad thing.

Not to be a downer, but if you are going to include "never" for the arrival date for some of these prospects, you might as well put it on all of them. Because it is never a guarantee that any of them will make the majors.

The Twins and Vikings. Both considered down and out for the considerable future after a 3-13 2011/2012 and a 99-loss season in 2011. Unfortunately for the Twins, the Vikings have come storming back after last season and now sit one win away from joining the playoffs. The Twins, on the other hand, again just avoided a 100-loss season. In several ways, this makes the Twins' life much more difficult in several ways. 1. Success of rookies and vets together. Something that the Vikings have going for them this year is that they have a solid group of rookies (several of whom are going to be very disappointed if they don't make the Pro Bowl) and vets who have combined for one of the greater turnarounds a team that doesn't have RG3 or Andrew Luck could have imagined. While the Twins may have a rookie or two (or more) on the 25-man roster this year, it takes them a while to get used to 162 games of Big-League pitching. This is a category the Twins desperately need to get together if they have any hope of competing this year. 2. Success of rookies. Rookies Harrison Smith, Blair Walsh, Matt Kalil, and Jarius Wright have all had hands in pushing the Vikings to this season right after just being in college. Their successful transition into the Vikings game plan has made their team by and large a team that can succeed in the playoffs. What doesn't go the Twins' way in this category is that players, even ones coming out of college as seniors have to start in the Minors, even if they are the best. They then have to stay there (sometimes for not very long) and things happen to them. They get hurt, they have bad years, and some fall to the wayside. 3. Success of the Draft. It is fairly easy to tell whether your players impact your team right away in the NFL. If they are on your 53-man roster and play regularly, they can have a huge impact on your team from the first game they play. While you do have to wait to judge the draft long-term for a while (no duh), the fact that they play right away gives their team an advantage, at least in the short run. The Twins and the rest of the MLB have to wait and watch their prospects climb the ladder, hoping that nothing happens to them on the way and that they are successful in helping their team out. It is impossible to judge the MLB draft short-term because no prospects are allowed to start in the Majors anymore, and that's why GM's like Billy Beane dub the draft a crap shoot. 4. Free-Agent attraction. The Twins, coming off of two 90+ loss seasons in a row, isn't a great place for FA's to go (unless they are trying to re-establish their value), especially with their well-earned reputation of not shelling out big bucks where FA's are concerned (Willingham is a wonderful exception to this rule.) The price of FA's in the MLB is also rapidly rising, making small-market teams like the Twins have to rely more and more on the draft and international signings to keep themselves going. The Vikings have been slightly better at attracting FA's, but with the promotion of Spielman to GM, will probably be relying more on the draft to supply them with fresh talent, and rightfully so. However, if they really wanted to make their team better in an instant with the right FA signing, with the spending cap that is imposed, they statistically have a much better chance of being able to get FA's because teams can't pay mega-bucks for them. FA's are also much more interested in going to a team if they have shown recent success. 90+ losses: not attractive in the slightest. Going from 3 wins to 9+ in one season and having the base players to repeat such success makes that team much more attractive to FA's. And now for my point. The Vikings, with their success in the draft showing on the field, and with their playoff (yes, playoff) hopes either being fulfilled or dashed next Sunday, have risen the bar for the Twins. Their turnaround from 3-13 and a Top 3 pick (until they traded it) to either 9-7 or 10-6 will make Twins fans, including myself, wishing for the kind of turnaround for the Twins that the Vikings have had this year, and unless nearly everyone on the roster has above-average years, I don't see it happening this year. Now before I go, I want to make my prediction for the rest of the football season. The Vikes win next week, 31-24, face the Packers again in the Division series, win there, beat the 49ers who are the 2 seed, then face Atlanta in the NFCCG, beat them there, avenging their loss all those years ago by having Walsh kick the game-winning field goal, then beat Denver in the Super Bowl with AP running in the winning touchdown to prove that he should be the MVP and Comeback Player of the Year. (I better not get nasty messages about this, this is completely guessing (and most likely my guessing incorrectly and quite deludedly)). SKOL VIKES!

The Twins and Vikings. Both considered down and out for the considerable future after a 3-13 2011/2012 and a 99-loss season in 2011. Unfortunately for the Twins, the Vikings have come storming back after last season and now sit one win away from joining the playoffs. The Twins, on the other hand, again just avoided a 100-loss season. In several ways, this makes the Twins' life much more difficult in several ways. 1. Success of rookies and vets together. Something that the Vikings have going for them this year is that they have a solid group of rookies (several of whom are going to be very disappointed if they don't make the Pro Bowl) and vets who have combined for one of the greater turnarounds a team that doesn't have RG3 or Andrew Luck could have imagined. While the Twins may have a rookie or two (or more) on the 25-man roster this year, it takes them a while to get used to 162 games of Big-League pitching. This is a category the Twins desperately need to get together if they have any hope of competing this year. 2. Success of rookies. Rookies Harrison Smith, Blair Walsh, Matt Kalil, and Jarius Wright have all had hands in pushing the Vikings to this season right after just being in college. Their successful transition into the Vikings game plan has made their team by and large a team that can succeed in the playoffs. What doesn't go the Twins' way in this category is that players, even ones coming out of college as seniors have to start in the Minors, even if they are the best. They then have to stay there (sometimes for not very long) and things happen to them. They get hurt, they have bad years, and some fall to the wayside. 3. Success of the Draft. It is fairly easy to tell whether your players impact your team right away in the NFL. If they are on your 53-man roster and play regularly, they can have a huge impact on your team from the first game they play. While you do have to wait to judge the draft long-term for a while (no duh), the fact that they play right away gives their team an advantage, at least in the short run. The Twins and the rest of the MLB have to wait and watch their prospects climb the ladder, hoping that nothing happens to them on the way and that they are successful in helping their team out. It is impossible to judge the MLB draft short-term because no prospects are allowed to start in the Majors anymore, and that's why GM's like Billy Beane dub the draft a crap shoot. 4. Free-Agent attraction. The Twins, coming off of two 90+ loss seasons in a row, isn't a great place for FA's to go (unless they are trying to re-establish their value), especially with their well-earned reputation of not shelling out big bucks where FA's are concerned (Willingham is a wonderful exception to this rule.) The price of FA's in the MLB is also rapidly rising, making small-market teams like the Twins have to rely more and more on the draft and international signings to keep themselves going. The Vikings have been slightly better at attracting FA's, but with the promotion of Spielman to GM, will probably be relying more on the draft to supply them with fresh talent, and rightfully so. However, if they really wanted to make their team better in an instant with the right FA signing, with the spending cap that is imposed, they statistically have a much better chance of being able to get FA's because teams can't pay mega-bucks for them. FA's are also much more interested in going to a team if they have shown recent success. 90+ losses: not attractive in the slightest. Going from 3 wins to 9+ in one season and having the base players to repeat such success makes that team much more attractive to FA's. And now for my point. The Vikings, with their success in the draft showing on the field, and with their playoff (yes, playoff) hopes either being fulfilled or dashed next Sunday, have risen the bar for the Twins. Their turnaround from 3-13 and a Top 3 pick (until they traded it) to either 9-7 or 10-6 will make Twins fans, including myself, wishing for the kind of turnaround for the Twins that the Vikings have had this year, and unless nearly everyone on the roster has above-average years, I don't see it happening this year. Now before I go, I want to make my prediction for the rest of the football season. The Vikes win next week, 31-24, face the Packers again in the Division series, win there, beat the 49ers who are the 2 seed, then face Atlanta in the NFCCG, beat them there, avenging their loss all those years ago by having Walsh kick the game-winning field goal, then beat Denver in the Super Bowl with AP running in the winning touchdown to prove that he should be the MVP and Comeback Player of the Year. (I better not get nasty messages about this, this is completely guessing (and most likely my guessing incorrectly and quite deludedly)). SKOL VIKES!

I am a big Colabello fan. When the Twins picked him up from the Independent League, I was intrigued. His IL numbers were very, very solid. When he came to the Twins organization, he did really, really well against competition that in my personal opinion is much tougher than in the IL. And in nearly 40 more games that he was used to playing, he drove in nearly 100 runs with 19 HR's. His BA and OBP were the lowest of his career this year, making me think that he will improve in them next year. He is also raking down in the Mexican Winter League. Now, for the real reason I am writing this blog. I believe that if the Twins trade Justin Morneau mid-season, they should give serious consideration to bring Mr. Colabello up from whatever level he is at this year. I say this partly because as he is a righty, his power numbers are likely to go up in a field that is friendly to righties more than lefties like J-Mo. I also believe that he could adjust to the Majors and be a good 1B player. This would add a fairly powerful righty bat to the lineup while keeping Parmelee's bat in the lineup as well, albeit in RF and detracting from our defense. In a lineup that is lacking power from the right side aside from Willingham (and Plouffe when he is on his game), a guy who can drive in runs and hit HR's like Colabello can could be a real asset to the Twins.

I am a big Colabello fan. When the Twins picked him up from the Independent League, I was intrigued. His IL numbers were very, very solid. When he came to the Twins organization, he did really, really well against competition that in my personal opinion is much tougher than in the IL. And in nearly 40 more games that he was used to playing, he drove in nearly 100 runs with 19 HR's. His BA and OBP were the lowest of his career this year, making me think that he will improve in them next year. He is also raking down in the Mexican Winter League. Now, for the real reason I am writing this blog. I believe that if the Twins trade Justin Morneau mid-season, they should give serious consideration to bring Mr. Colabello up from whatever level he is at this year. I say this partly because as he is a righty, his power numbers are likely to go up in a field that is friendly to righties more than lefties like J-Mo. I also believe that he could adjust to the Majors and be a good 1B player. This would add a fairly powerful righty bat to the lineup while keeping Parmelee's bat in the lineup as well, albeit in RF and detracting from our defense. In a lineup that is lacking power from the right side aside from Willingham (and Plouffe when he is on his game), a guy who can drive in runs and hit HR's like Colabello can could be a real asset to the Twins.

Yeah, of the position players the Angels want to move, an infielder isn't one of them. They have a serious outfield surplus with the addition of OF Josh Hamilton, and I can see them trading at least one or two players.

Who would the Twins trade him for? Derek Holland? Not exactly the star starter they are looking for, but I guess better than Correia.

I don't see the Twins getting rid of another outfielder unless they have a backup plan ready to go and believe in it. I also believe that the Twins will stick to their in-house-middle-infield policy for now, because there really aren't many options out there this year for the middle infield. Not that the Twins have much in the way of SS options, but they do have Rosario at 2B climbing up the ladder. Not that their Minor League SS aren't good, but they seem to be even farther behind our 2B prospects in ML readiness. I also don't think that the Rangers would exchange Profar for a should-be declining LF with very limited defensive skills.

I was expecting the Twins to trade one of their CF's, but not both. Who does this leave in CF? Mastro? Do we think that any of our outfield prospects are ready to go? Will it be decided in ST?

Since when did Oakland ever have as high-profile players as Josh Johnson, Mark Buehrle, and Jose Reyes?

I don't see the Twins putting Parmelee in RF. It decreases their defense even more when Willingham is in left, and he didn't play a single game in RF down in AAA this year. I also see the Twins trading Morneau if they can get a good deal for him, especially with how weak the FA 1B market is this offseason.

Yeah, I forgot about the Astros coming to the AL West. Still, I think the West is becoming a division to be reckoned with.

For too long, the East has been known as the power division in the AL. Everyone knows that the Central is a "weak" division, and has really had a hard time in the playoffs. There were usually two playoff teams to come out of the divison (for the last decade, the Yanks and Sox), and they had a good time of it. Going back to 2000, the AL has won the World Series six times. Of those six times, four of them came from the AL East, and they were the Yanks (twice) and the Sox (twice). This string of success is now being challenged by a newly powerful AL Division, the West. I say this because there were two teams that were expected to (and by expected to I mean somehow play the World Series against each other) make the playoffs from this division, and only one of the two that was expected to made it in. The Angels, with offseason acquisitions in Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson, were suddenly considered World Series candidates after their acquisition of those two. They "disappointingly" won "only" 89 games (still more than the Central Divison Champs Tigers), and missed the playoffs. The Mariners, not really ever considered for the playoff picture, dealt the face of their franchise, Ichiro, to the Yankees, which has worked out better for the Yankees than the last trade these two teams made (see Michael Pineda), and they won 75 games, more than the Royals, Twins, and Cleveland. The Rangers, who also became even bigger (if it is even possible) candidates to go to the World Series for the third straight year after they signed Yu Darvish out of Japan. After a season filled with injuries to key players (especially in their pitching staff) and the impending free agency of Josh Hamilton, the Rangers collapsed down the stretch, winning just 3 of their last 10 games. They fell to the Wild Card and were eliminated by the scrappy-as-hell Baltimore Orioles. The Oakland A's were never expected to contend in this division. Picked to finish 3rd or 4th by nearly everybody, they had one of their Moneyball-esqe second halfs (with the best record since June 30, I believe, but don't quote me on that) and defeated the Rangers in the race for the AL West Division crown. They did this despite having suspensions and injuries to key pitchers, one of the worst batting averages in the game, and ending the year with an all-rookie pitching staff. They are currently down 2-0 in the ALDS to the Tigers, but never count the A's out. They have been coming back from worse all season long. While the Yankees may have the best record in the AL, the fact that every team in the West won 75+ games is just astounding. Move over AL East, here comes the West.

For too long, the East has been known as the power division in the AL. Everyone knows that the Central is a "weak" division, and has really had a hard time in the playoffs. There were usually two playoff teams to come out of the divison (for the last decade, the Yanks and Sox), and they had a good time of it. Going back to 2000, the AL has won the World Series six times. Of those six times, four of them came from the AL East, and they were the Yanks (twice) and the Sox (twice). This string of success is now being challenged by a newly powerful AL Division, the West. I say this because there were two teams that were expected to (and by expected to I mean somehow play the World Series against each other) make the playoffs from this division, and only one of the two that was expected to made it in. The Angels, with offseason acquisitions in Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson, were suddenly considered World Series candidates after their acquisition of those two. They "disappointingly" won "only" 89 games (still more than the Central Divison Champs Tigers), and missed the playoffs. The Mariners, not really ever considered for the playoff picture, dealt the face of their franchise, Ichiro, to the Yankees, which has worked out better for the Yankees than the last trade these two teams made (see Michael Pineda), and they won 75 games, more than the Royals, Twins, and Cleveland. The Rangers, who also became even bigger (if it is even possible) candidates to go to the World Series for the third straight year after they signed Yu Darvish out of Japan. After a season filled with injuries to key players (especially in their pitching staff) and the impending free agency of Josh Hamilton, the Rangers collapsed down the stretch, winning just 3 of their last 10 games. They fell to the Wild Card and were eliminated by the scrappy-as-hell Baltimore Orioles. The Oakland A's were never expected to contend in this division. Picked to finish 3rd or 4th by nearly everybody, they had one of their Moneyball-esqe second halfs (with the best record since June 30, I believe, but don't quote me on that) and defeated the Rangers in the race for the AL West Division crown. They did this despite having suspensions and injuries to key pitchers, one of the worst batting averages in the game, and ending the year with an all-rookie pitching staff. They are currently down 2-0 in the ALDS to the Tigers, but never count the A's out. They have been coming back from worse all season long. While the Yankees may have the best record in the AL, the fact that every team in the West won 75+ games is just astounding. Move over AL East, here comes the West.

Here is my last blog about the playoffs series', at least until the 1-game wild cards are done tomorrow. The Rangers, who looked like the strongest team in the West (and probably in the AL) for most of the season, got a rude awakening when the Oakland A's slipped by them to claim the AL West Championship, which leaves them to deal with the Orioles, who are a Cinderella team in their own right. Playing in one of the stronger divisions in the AL, and one of the strongest in the Majors, the Orioles really hung with the Yanks through the whole season, only losing the chance to possibly claim the division title on the second-to-last day of the season. vs. Offense: Everyone knows about the Rangers offense. Hamilton was challenging Miggy for the HR title with three to play, Beltre was solid for most of the season, and everybody was contributing. In 7 games between the two clubs, the Orioles went 2-5 and was outscored 56-24. Yeah, so it was either the hitting cranking on the pitching, or...I don't even know. So, just because of that, the Rangers are (in my book anyway) kinda expected to jump all over the Orioles, especially with the Rangers looking to avenge the last two years' depressing endings. In the stat department, the Rangers this year have Beltre, Hamilton, Cruz, and Napoli, all of whom have hit over 20 HR, with Beltre hitting 30+ and Hamilton 40+. While that is impressive, the Orioles also have big boppers, as they had five players this year get over 20 HR: Chris Davis, Adam Jones, Mark Reynolds, Matt Weiters, and J.J. Hardy, with Davis and Jones both hitting 30+. The Rangers have absolutely abused Orioles pitching this year, and I don't see this as not continuing tomorrow, as the Rangers cling to their hopes of reaching their third straight World Series Advantage: Rangers Defense: Despite the recent, and somewhat inexplicable, play of Josh Hamilton in center field (contract pressure getting to him?), the Rangers have a really good fielding team (why wouldn't they, with Wash as their head coach.) They are in the top 5 in fielding percentage, have committed the 4th fewest errors in all baseball (85), are fairly middle of the pack in SB allowed, are near the bottom in catching runners stealing, are 5th highest in SB%, and are middle of the pack again in passed balls and wild pitches. The Orioles, never really known as a defense-first team, are in the bottom third in fielding percentage, are in the top 1/2 in errors, are 3rd to last in SB allowed and stolen base % (mostly because of Weiters behind the plate) but somehow are in the bottom half in caught stealings. The Orioles don't have people steal on them much, but when they do, they are really good at cutting them down as they have one of the better catchers in the AL on their team. The Rangers have a much better fielding team overall (Beltre, Hamilton, and even Cruz are perennial contenders for gold gloves) and have Ron Washington, a former infielder in the Bigs, as their manager. Advantage: Rangers Pitching: This has been a bit of a shaky spot for Wash's crew this year. Their Japanese import, Darvish, has been shaky all year, but has come on late. Colby Lewis and Neftali Feliz both have had Tommy John and are out for all of this year and probably part, if not all, of next year. Still, they have gotten good pitching from other sources. Their trade for Ryan Dempster, while initially seemed shaky, has turned into a good one. Matt Harrison, Darvish, and Holland lead the team in starts and wins, so they have survived with a moderately good bullpen. The Orioles, on the other hand, have what is probably the shakiest rotation in the postseason, even shakier than the A's almost-all rookie rotation. They have exactly one pitcher who has more than 10 wins (Wei-Yin Chen, at 12). They have three starters who have started more than 10 games with an ERA under 4. Their bullpen is their saving grace. They have very few pitchers in there who have an ERA over 3.50, and their relief staff has accounted for over 30 wins. Both teams have had their troubles with their starting staff, but the Rangers have just had better years from more pitchers Advantage: Rangers Overall: The Rangers are really the clear bet to take in this game, but don't count out the Orioles. Despite playing in a very tough division, they found a way to win enough games just to get here. Prediction: Rangers win an unexpected pitchers duel and move on to face the Yanks in Arlington. Here are the posts to my previous predictions of the set matchups in this year's playoffs: Braves vs. Cards: http://twinsdaily.com/entry.php?1987-Playoffs-pt-2 Giants vs. Reds: http://twinsdaily.com/entry.php?1975-Playoffs-pt-1 Tigers vs. A's: http://twinsdaily.com/entry.php?1989-Playoffs-pt-3 P.S. Don't take these predictions as what is going to happen. This is just what I, a baseball fan at heart, believe what will happen. Any money you may bet and lose as a result of these posts is your own fault. If you want an expert's opinion on what they opine is going to happen, hop over to ESPN.com with an Insider's pass to read to your heart's content.

Here is my last blog about the playoffs series', at least until the 1-game wild cards are done tomorrow. The Rangers, who looked like the strongest team in the West (and probably in the AL) for most of the season, got a rude awakening when the Oakland A's slipped by them to claim the AL West Championship, which leaves them to deal with the Orioles, who are a Cinderella team in their own right. Playing in one of the stronger divisions in the AL, and one of the strongest in the Majors, the Orioles really hung with the Yanks through the whole season, only losing the chance to possibly claim the division title on the second-to-last day of the season. vs. Offense: Everyone knows about the Rangers offense. Hamilton was challenging Miggy for the HR title with three to play, Beltre was solid for most of the season, and everybody was contributing. In 7 games between the two clubs, the Orioles went 2-5 and was outscored 56-24. Yeah, so it was either the hitting cranking on the pitching, or...I don't even know. So, just because of that, the Rangers are (in my book anyway) kinda expected to jump all over the Orioles, especially with the Rangers looking to avenge the last two years' depressing endings. In the stat department, the Rangers this year have Beltre, Hamilton, Cruz, and Napoli, all of whom have hit over 20 HR, with Beltre hitting 30+ and Hamilton 40+. While that is impressive, the Orioles also have big boppers, as they had five players this year get over 20 HR: Chris Davis, Adam Jones, Mark Reynolds, Matt Weiters, and J.J. Hardy, with Davis and Jones both hitting 30+. The Rangers have absolutely abused Orioles pitching this year, and I don't see this as not continuing tomorrow, as the Rangers cling to their hopes of reaching their third straight World Series Advantage: Rangers Defense: Despite the recent, and somewhat inexplicable, play of Josh Hamilton in center field (contract pressure getting to him?), the Rangers have a really good fielding team (why wouldn't they, with Wash as their head coach.) They are in the top 5 in fielding percentage, have committed the 4th fewest errors in all baseball (85), are fairly middle of the pack in SB allowed, are near the bottom in catching runners stealing, are 5th highest in SB%, and are middle of the pack again in passed balls and wild pitches. The Orioles, never really known as a defense-first team, are in the bottom third in fielding percentage, are in the top 1/2 in errors, are 3rd to last in SB allowed and stolen base % (mostly because of Weiters behind the plate) but somehow are in the bottom half in caught stealings. The Orioles don't have people steal on them much, but when they do, they are really good at cutting them down as they have one of the better catchers in the AL on their team. The Rangers have a much better fielding team overall (Beltre, Hamilton, and even Cruz are perennial contenders for gold gloves) and have Ron Washington, a former infielder in the Bigs, as their manager. Advantage: Rangers Pitching: This has been a bit of a shaky spot for Wash's crew this year. Their Japanese import, Darvish, has been shaky all year, but has come on late. Colby Lewis and Neftali Feliz both have had Tommy John and are out for all of this year and probably part, if not all, of next year. Still, they have gotten good pitching from other sources. Their trade for Ryan Dempster, while initially seemed shaky, has turned into a good one. Matt Harrison, Darvish, and Holland lead the team in starts and wins, so they have survived with a moderately good bullpen. The Orioles, on the other hand, have what is probably the shakiest rotation in the postseason, even shakier than the A's almost-all rookie rotation. They have exactly one pitcher who has more than 10 wins (Wei-Yin Chen, at 12). They have three starters who have started more than 10 games with an ERA under 4. Their bullpen is their saving grace. They have very few pitchers in there who have an ERA over 3.50, and their relief staff has accounted for over 30 wins. Both teams have had their troubles with their starting staff, but the Rangers have just had better years from more pitchers Advantage: Rangers Overall: The Rangers are really the clear bet to take in this game, but don't count out the Orioles. Despite playing in a very tough division, they found a way to win enough games just to get here. Prediction: Rangers win an unexpected pitchers duel and move on to face the Yanks in Arlington. Here are the posts to my previous predictions of the set matchups in this year's playoffs: Braves vs. Cards: http://twinsdaily.com/entry.php?1987-Playoffs-pt-2 Giants vs. Reds: http://twinsdaily.com/entry.php?1975-Playoffs-pt-1 Tigers vs. A's: http://twinsdaily.com/entry.php?1989-Playoffs-pt-3 P.S. Don't take these predictions as what is going to happen. This is just what I, a baseball fan at heart, believe what will happen. Any money you may bet and lose as a result of these posts is your own fault. If you want an expert's opinion on what they opine is going to happen, hop over to ESPN.com with an Insider's pass to read to your heart's content.

Now, to the AL. The final day of the AL was quite a wild one, with all the scenarios that could have played out, but it never really turned into an epic turn-everything-on-its head Day 162 as last year. The day left the A's (what the heck?) on top of the AL West, the Rangers falling to the one-game playoff between the Wild Cards, the Yankees obliterating the Red Sox in Bobby V's last game there to clinch the East, and the Orioles going VERY quietly against the Rays to claim the second wild-card spot. I will start with the upcoming divisional series match-up between the A's and Tigers. During the regular season, the Tigers won the season series between the two, 4-3, but the A's have home-field advantage because they won 6 more games than the Tigers. vs. Offense: Again, there is a player (this time on the Tigers) that makes me want to give this category right to that team (that player being Miggy). Just saying, if you earn the Triple Crown, you are getting some respect out of this Twins fan (for the first and only time ever). And again, that would be ignoring the statistical side of things. As I just mentioned, the Tigers have one of the best players in the Majors on their team, and his name is Miggy (I just refuse to call him by his real name for no reason apparent to me.) Now, since the All-Star Break, the Tigers are hitting .267 with 81 HR, 330 RBI's, over 500 K's, 263 BB's, and an OPS of .763. The Athletics, however have hit a mere .252, but with 112 HR (which leads the Majors), 374 RBI's, 704 K's, 255 BB's, and an OPS of .765. The Oakland A's lead the Majors in two very distinct categories since the Break, one good (leaders in HR hit) and one not so good (704 K's, as part of a season where they broke the record for K's in a season by one team, if I am not mistaken). Miggy is leading the charge for the Tigers, and with Fielder at his side, those two have the firepower to take over the series. The A's, though, have gotten key support from unlikely sources all season, and they will look for the same unknowns to keep their offensive attack going. Advantage: Leaning Tigers (ducks) Defensive: Here is where I knew the Tigers would have trouble with having Fielder and Cabrera in the same infield (unfortunately, not enough to keep them out of the playoffs), and I was right (mostly). Somehow, the Twins actually have a higher fielding percentage than the A's, and the same fielding percentage as the Tigers, which is not a good sign if you're a playoff team and there are teams who are losing 90+ games who are fielding as well as or better than you are. The Tigers could have a problem against the A's, as their catchers are giving up a steal percentage just south of .750 (A's are around .690), and the A's, when they have been given the green light, they get the stolen base nearly 80% of the time. Yikes! The A's have also given up fewer passed balls and wild pitches than the Tigers, and those two can be killer in the postseason where every base counts I am looking at this to be the time where the Tiger's fielding deficiencies finally catch up to their abilities on offense. Advantage: A's, most certainly. Pitching: Ah, pitching, the Achilles heel of so many teams. The A's have had even more turnover in their pitching staff than the Twins had this year, but it doesn't seem to have slowed them down a bit. If nothing has changed since a few days ago, I believe that the A's will be the first team ever to go into the playoffs with an all-rookie pitching staff. Quite the first season, eh? The Tigers, on the other hand, have had somewhat more success, mostly because of two pitchers, the AL K leader for most of the season, and Justin Verlander (didn't see that one coming? Neither did I.) The Tigers have been blessed with the top 2 pitchers in K's this year, Verlander and Max Scherzer, who for IP/K ratio kicks Verlander's butt up and down Motor City (Scherzer has thrown over 50 innings less than Verlander and has only 8 fewer K's). This 1-2 combo in K's leads the Tigers starters to an ERA advantage over the A's by about .04 points. Statistically, the Tigers starters have a 63-51 record with a 3.76 ERA in just under 1000 innings, have given up 99 HR, have K'd exactly 900, walked just 263, have a BAA of .260, and a WHIP of 1.28. Their relievers are just about the same. They have a 25-23 record, with an ERA of 3.79 with just under 460 IP, have given up 47 HR (yikes!), have K'd 433, have a BAA of .249, and a WHIP of 1.31. The A's have been just as good, if not even better. Their starters come into the postseason with a record of 64-54, with an ERA of exactly 3.80 in 958 innings, have given up 102 HR, have K'd 667, walked only 253 (league leaders), have a BAA of .264, and a WHIP of 1.28. Their relievers have been among the best in the game, considering. They have a record of 30-14, a miniscule 2.94 ERA (second behind the Rays, who else?), have thrown 512 innings, have given up 45 HR's, have K'd 469, walked 209, have a BAA of .209 (second behind the Rays again), and have a WHIP of 1.17 (second, again to the Rays.) The Tigers have the "name" advantage in that they have Verlander and other "established" veterans on their squad, where the A's are relying on rookies and veterans who have been playing out of their minds, especially in the bullpen. Advantage: A's Overall: The Tigers have a slight, but definite advantage in the hitting department, and their strikeout pitchers should have a field day with the A's' strikeout-prone lineup, but the A's pitching staff is playing like established vets all, and the fact that they don't have to deal with Miggy and Fielder in the corners is a definate plus in the defense game Prediction: A's in 5. Long and hard, this series will last all five games, but the A's 'pen will outlast the Tigers and give the A's a series victory. Here are the links to my first two playoff predictions, with another one on the way, with the rest to follow as each series concludes: Braves vs. Cardinals: http://twinsdaily.com/entry.php?1987-Playoffs-pt-2 Reds vs. Giants: http://twinsdaily.com/entry.php?1975-Playoffs-pt-1

Now, to the AL. The final day of the AL was quite a wild one, with all the scenarios that could have played out, but it never really turned into an epic turn-everything-on-its head Day 162 as last year. The day left the A's (what the heck?) on top of the AL West, the Rangers falling to the one-game playoff between the Wild Cards, the Yankees obliterating the Red Sox in Bobby V's last game there to clinch the East, and the Orioles going VERY quietly against the Rays to claim the second wild-card spot. I will start with the upcoming divisional series match-up between the A's and Tigers. During the regular season, the Tigers won the season series between the two, 4-3, but the A's have home-field advantage because they won 6 more games than the Tigers. vs. Offense: Again, there is a player (this time on the Tigers) that makes me want to give this category right to that team (that player being Miggy). Just saying, if you earn the Triple Crown, you are getting some respect out of this Twins fan (for the first and only time ever). And again, that would be ignoring the statistical side of things. As I just mentioned, the Tigers have one of the best players in the Majors on their team, and his name is Miggy (I just refuse to call him by his real name for no reason apparent to me.) Now, since the All-Star Break, the Tigers are hitting .267 with 81 HR, 330 RBI's, over 500 K's, 263 BB's, and an OPS of .763. The Athletics, however have hit a mere .252, but with 112 HR (which leads the Majors), 374 RBI's, 704 K's, 255 BB's, and an OPS of .765. The Oakland A's lead the Majors in two very distinct categories since the Break, one good (leaders in HR hit) and one not so good (704 K's, as part of a season where they broke the record for K's in a season by one team, if I am not mistaken). Miggy is leading the charge for the Tigers, and with Fielder at his side, those two have the firepower to take over the series. The A's, though, have gotten key support from unlikely sources all season, and they will look for the same unknowns to keep their offensive attack going. Advantage: Leaning Tigers (ducks) Defensive: Here is where I knew the Tigers would have trouble with having Fielder and Cabrera in the same infield (unfortunately, not enough to keep them out of the playoffs), and I was right (mostly). Somehow, the Twins actually have a higher fielding percentage than the A's, and the same fielding percentage as the Tigers, which is not a good sign if you're a playoff team and there are teams who are losing 90+ games who are fielding as well as or better than you are. The Tigers could have a problem against the A's, as their catchers are giving up a steal percentage just south of .750 (A's are around .690), and the A's, when they have been given the green light, they get the stolen base nearly 80% of the time. Yikes! The A's have also given up fewer passed balls and wild pitches than the Tigers, and those two can be killer in the postseason where every base counts I am looking at this to be the time where the Tiger's fielding deficiencies finally catch up to their abilities on offense. Advantage: A's, most certainly. Pitching: Ah, pitching, the Achilles heel of so many teams. The A's have had even more turnover in their pitching staff than the Twins had this year, but it doesn't seem to have slowed them down a bit. If nothing has changed since a few days ago, I believe that the A's will be the first team ever to go into the playoffs with an all-rookie pitching staff. Quite the first season, eh? The Tigers, on the other hand, have had somewhat more success, mostly because of two pitchers, the AL K leader for most of the season, and Justin Verlander (didn't see that one coming? Neither did I.) The Tigers have been blessed with the top 2 pitchers in K's this year, Verlander and Max Scherzer, who for IP/K ratio kicks Verlander's butt up and down Motor City (Scherzer has thrown over 50 innings less than Verlander and has only 8 fewer K's). This 1-2 combo in K's leads the Tigers starters to an ERA advantage over the A's by about .04 points. Statistically, the Tigers starters have a 63-51 record with a 3.76 ERA in just under 1000 innings, have given up 99 HR, have K'd exactly 900, walked just 263, have a BAA of .260, and a WHIP of 1.28. Their relievers are just about the same. They have a 25-23 record, with an ERA of 3.79 with just under 460 IP, have given up 47 HR (yikes!), have K'd 433, have a BAA of .249, and a WHIP of 1.31. The A's have been just as good, if not even better. Their starters come into the postseason with a record of 64-54, with an ERA of exactly 3.80 in 958 innings, have given up 102 HR, have K'd 667, walked only 253 (league leaders), have a BAA of .264, and a WHIP of 1.28. Their relievers have been among the best in the game, considering. They have a record of 30-14, a miniscule 2.94 ERA (second behind the Rays, who else?), have thrown 512 innings, have given up 45 HR's, have K'd 469, walked 209, have a BAA of .209 (second behind the Rays again), and have a WHIP of 1.17 (second, again to the Rays.) The Tigers have the "name" advantage in that they have Verlander and other "established" veterans on their squad, where the A's are relying on rookies and veterans who have been playing out of their minds, especially in the bullpen. Advantage: A's Overall: The Tigers have a slight, but definite advantage in the hitting department, and their strikeout pitchers should have a field day with the A's' strikeout-prone lineup, but the A's pitching staff is playing like established vets all, and the fact that they don't have to deal with Miggy and Fielder in the corners is a definate plus in the defense game Prediction: A's in 5. Long and hard, this series will last all five games, but the A's 'pen will outlast the Tigers and give the A's a series victory. Here are the links to my first two playoff predictions, with another one on the way, with the rest to follow as each series concludes: Braves vs. Cardinals: http://twinsdaily.com/entry.php?1987-Playoffs-pt-2 Reds vs. Giants: http://twinsdaily.com/entry.php?1975-Playoffs-pt-1