The NFL for lack of a better term
is sexy. Now that it’s back with the start of preseason games MLB, despite its
myriad of tight pennant races, takes a bit of a backseat.
To put it another way if the TV
show Modern Family were a metaphor
for sports MLB is Julie Bowen in something revealing and Sofia Vergara (NFL)
just entered the scene. I guess this makes College Football the oldest
daughter, but we can work out the logistics on that deal later…
Right now we want to trot out our
thin and dirty (just how I like my women) version of the rest of the baseball
season thru the World Series so we can kick off our indepth NFL/Fantasy
coverage next week…So here’s what we got:
We’ll do this in a Power Rankings
order then make our Playoff picks below…
NATIONAL LEAGUE
1. LA DODGERS- Solid rotation at
the top in Kershaw/Greinke/Ryu, but after that it’s shaky even if Josh Beckett
comes back. The offense is the same way with Puig playing a less dominant
Kershaw. Their best shot is to shake San Fran so as to set up Kershaw for the
most possible usage, but with Ramirez and Beckett on the DL and Puig resting
his back it could be dicey. They still win the West.
2. WASHINGTON NATIONALS- Same
boat as the Dodgers. Nobody has an OPS over .837, but the Big 3 of J. Zimmerman/Strasburg/Fister
is tough. Gio Gonzalez though has turned into a train wreck and Asdrubal
Cabrera is no replacement for the bat of Ryan Zimmerman. Fortunately Atlanta
has tanked at just the right time for these guys and ESPN now has them as
having the best odds to make the playoffs in the NL.
3. MILWAUKEE BREWERS- Everything
about this team screams solid, not spectacular. In the NL that’s good enough. I
already picked them to win the Central and I’ll stick by it. There’s no Kershaw
or Puig, but Jonathan Lucroy is the best guy a lot of folks never heard of at
the toughest to fill position on the diamond. Scooter Gennett and Khris Davis
have earned their Big League stripes and the staff does enough to get by. If
K-Rod and the pen holds out nothing says we won’t see a replay of Harvey’s
Wallbangers sans the Gorman Thomas moustache in October!
4. ATLANTA BRAVES- This is not
your father’s Braves…in fact it’s fast becoming the Bizarro Braves where the
back of the rotation is carrying a feeble offense with the help of a strong
bullpen. It wasn’t supposed to be that way. The offense led by J. Upton/Freeman/Heyward/Gattis
should better than 3rd worst in the NL in Runs Scored. Bonifacio
over B.J. Upton is kinda addition by subtraction, but doesn’t solve the problem
of Chris Johnson and Andrelton Simmons dragging down the back end. If Teheran
and Santana don’t wilt, 23 YO Alex Wood and Aaron Harang keep over-achieving
and Bonifacio and the return of Gattis spark the lineup they could runoff a win
streak to match the losing one they just came out of. A dangerous team, but we’ll
stick with the more consistent Nats to win the East.
5. ST. LOUIS CARDINALS- Love the
John Lackey move. Justin Masterson…uh…not so much. I always thought Masterson
was a 2-pitch reliever type and now with less control than Courtney Love at an
Open Bar he offers little, but it’s worth a shot for a team that’s had
reclamation success before. Lackey shut down Milwaukee in his first start then
got bombed by the Orioles. I think he’ll be good vs. the unfamiliar NL teams
and if Michael Wacha and/or Yadier Molina can return the Red Birds could make a
big final push.
6. PITTSBURGH PIRATES- This
squadron could easily be as high as 4 or 5, but I just can’t believe in Vance
Worley, Edison Volquez, Jeff Locke and Charlie Morton throwing meaningful October
innings. Gerrit Cole is tearing up rehab and how he comes back will be critical.
Oh yeah the Kirk Gibson drive by on Andrew McCutchen is troubling…especially
when it forces Ike Davis into the cleanup spot…egads! Would’ve been nice to see
Clint Hurdle and his staff get some help from management, but we all know how
that goes on the banks of the Monongahela.
7-SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS- There’s Bumgarner/Hudson…Pence,
Posey and Panda…otherwise everything else is falling apart by the Bay. But if
Angel Pagan returns to form, if Ryan Vogelsong continues his 37 YO (who knew?)
magic, if Brandon Belt gets healthy, if Adam “Lonesome Dove” Duvall provides a
spark…well, if the Queen had balls she’d be King…but they are gritting it out
and that’s something.
8. CINCINNATI REDS- Hey at least
the Sabermetricians can’t blame Dusty Baker anymore. And maybe they were right
since Bryan Price has done a marvelous job of keeping this club only 2.5 GB in
the WC despite no Votto/Phillips and a middle relief crew shakier than a Yugo
at 90 MPH. The key is a staff that is from top to bottom rock solid. That’s what
has them with the best run differential in the NL after the Division leaders,
but will it (plus Aroldis Chapman) be enough? Votto’s ESPN page is like
Michelle Shocked’s new album…silent (http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/michelle-shocked-releases-silent-album-names-songs-after-music-execs-20140729)
on a timetable for his return, Phillips is still 7-10 days away, Alfredo Simon
has pitched in 5 straight losing efforts and they just lost a game to Brad
Penny, looking like a poor man’s Rick Rueschel, in Miami. None of this bodes,
as they say, well.
9. MIAMI MARLINS- As we said
before just having Giancarlo Stanton and Jose Fernandez alone makes one a WC
contender in the forgiving NL. When Fernandez returns next year and how they
flesh out the back of the staff, the pen and the infield will be telling.
Suffice it to say Jordany Valdespin is not the answer, but the NL East could be
fun in 2015 because…
10. NY METS- Yes Virginia the
Mets can contend. Even with their young ace out all year and the bullpen a
guessing game they’ve managed to play to a zero run differential. Matt Harvey’s
return (farther along than Fernandez) and help at SS, closer and an OF corner
could make them very viable for not just a WC, but 1st in the East
next year…well, you know, barring something Mets-ian happening in the interim.
11. SD PADRES- San Diego is only
7 GB in the WC. San Diego signed and is liberally using Jeff Francouer in the
middle of their lineup. As the lady used to say one-eighth of a second after we
finished drunkenly ordering at the all-night White Castle, “Next Please!”
So we’re gonna go Wainwright over
Teheran in the Play-in Game. Then Dodgers over Cardinals, Nats over Brewers,
Nats over Dodgers, Nats to the World Series, but hey, I’m not married to it…AL
next then Football!
