#NerdsUnite: Play on playa! (Breaking down the world of sports so you don't have to!)
<editorsnote> Nerds, meet my buddy Derek - I met him when I was professor for a day at CSF. Really rad dude, and he wants to come on board to help explain to us nerdy folk the wild world of sports. Smart dude, and knows his shizzy shiznat. I only have one more thing left to say ... HIT IT DEREK!!! </editorsnote>
#TalkNerdyToMeLover's @DerekJ_AllDay
Hey everyone, welcome back to my weekly sports talk. Hopefully you all have been enjoying the Linsanity, and I know you are all counting the days until baseball season starts. This week pitchers and catchers are reporting to their team's respective spring training camps, and baseball fever is officially settling in.If you don't pay close attention to baseball then you may not know that spring training is essentially the warm-up period before the regular season begins. It is about 4-5 weeks long and it gives the players who are guaranteed to make the roster time to condition and prepare for the season. Those players who are not roster bound have an opportunity to change their fate in spring training by making the Major League roster or cementing a solid spot in a teams minor leagues.
After a particularly large amount of dramatic free agent moves occurred in the off-season baseball fans of all kinds are greatly anticipating this upcoming season. Because there are always so many off-season moves, I will just brief you guys on the major acquisitions that occurred via Free Agency and Trades. The biggest one of course, and I know I have spoken about this in the past, is Albert Pujols. In brief, up to this point in his 11 year career, Pujols has put up historic numbers that have made him the best player in baseball right now. 2011 was his last year in St. Louis, and he is ready to join an Angel's team that also added Texas' former ace (best starting pitcher), and best free agent pitcher available CJ Wilson to a rotation that is probably the best in baseball. Just to add to the drama the AL Champions and fellow AL West contenders the Texas Rangers added Asian superstar Yu Darvish. He has never pitched in MLB, but he has great stuff and is very young. He is a great addition to any rotation, and because the Rangers don't have many established starters he is probably going to take the spot at the top. The offense in Texas is straight up scary, although injury prone. The race in the AL West is going to be exciting this year and for years to come.
The second best free agent that was available this off-season was the vegetarian giant known as Prince Fielder. Son of superstar slugger Cecil Fielder, Prince has cemented himself as one of the best 1B in baseball. Little Fielder decided to follow in his father's footsteps and join his dad's old team the Detroit Tigers in the off-season. Although other names such as Pujols and Miguel Cabrera, who is also on the Tigers can be placed above him, Fielder is a major impact bat that can crush the ball and is a 50 home run threat in any park. He is joining a squad that already has the best pitcher in baseball (last year anyways) and AL CY Young and MVP winner, Justin Verlander. Fielder and Cabrera in the lineup makes Detroit a serious contender, but 3-5 in their rotation is spotty. It will be interesting to see how their season develops, but since they don't have much competition there is no doubt that they are AL Central favorites.
The Yankees remained silent for most of the off-season, but once again they didn't remain silent for long. They made a huge trade by sending their prized catching prospect Jesus Montero to Seattle for a young power pitcher named Michael Pineda. Both players are extremely talented yet raw players, but the Yankee Spankees needed good young pitching and that is what they got. Along with Pineda they signed veteran FA starting pitcher Hiroki Kuroda who has put up great numbers in his career, but has fallen victim to a lack of run support. He can get injured at times and age is always a factor, but if he stays in that rotation for 30 starts he could win 18 games. The competition in the AL East could not be any stronger. The Boston Red Sox, who had a disappointing 2011, are looking to come back with a vengeance and get back into the playoffs. They have a very strong and balance overall teams, and there is no doubt that they could finish atop the division. The team that could be the favorite to win the division is the Tampa Bay Rays. Their pitching staff is ridiculous, and with minor additions to an already productive offense they are going to be very exciting. Their manager Joe Maddon has to be the best in baseball right now, and he is once again looking to lead his team to victory with less financial resources than everyone else.
The National League has not had quite as much parody or excitement in this off-season. The NL Central lost Prince Fielder (Brewers) and Albert Pujols (Cardinal), and even though the Reds are a very strong team there is no clear favorite. The Cardinals are adding Wainwright, who is coming off of injury to their rotation. The Reds pulled off a big trade this off-season and added a top of the rotation starting pitcher named Mat Latos. He is young and unpredictable, but the potential is very high. They also added Ryan Madson, who was probably the best closer available this FA period. The Brewers look screwed, to be frank. The loss of Fielder hurts, but they also had a major slap in the face when their NL MVP left fielder Ryan Braun allegedly tested positive for steroids, and will probably receive a 50-game suspension. Look for a race between St. Louis and Cincinnati, with a possible surprise run from a very young and talented Kansas City Royals team.
The NL East has been absolutely owned by the Philadelphia Phillies. With a monster rotation and a strong offense they have been atop their division for 5 years straight now. They added a closer, Ryan Papelbon, after losing Ryan Madson to the Reds, but they basically stayed quiet. They are confident in their team and with good reason, but the up and coming Washinton Nationals are looking to make a move and take own the kings of the east. The Nats added Gio Gonzalez, a power lefty that goes behind young super star Strasburg in their rotation. The race between the Nats and Phils is going to be intense, just add this one to the list.
The NL West is probably the least exciting division in baseball, but there has to be one stinker right? The Arizona Diamondbacks look to repeat as division champs after a very impressive 2011 run. With the support of ace Ian Kennedy and young power hitting outfielder Justin Upton and Chris Young, they breezed through a weak west and took the crown. The Giants, and ex-Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum look to rebound this year, so do the Dodgers, but most fully expect a repeat from the snakes.
I hope all of these trades and signings have gotten you all excited for the upcoming baseball season, which begins in the first week of April. Any thoughts, questions or opinions about baseball? Tweet them to me @DerekJ_AllDay and I will be happy to respond to you. Fantasy Baseball is a specialty of mine also, so if you have any questions or need advice I will be happy to lead your team to a championship. Thanks for reading!