UConn vs Butler Reaction

NCAA Tournament Final Score: UConn 53 - Butler 41 (Lowest score for the winner of an NCAA tournament championship game since 1949 when Kentucky beat Oklahoma A&M 46 to 36)

• Butler had a horrible night shooting from the floor. They were 3 of 31 from inside the arc, which is six fewer buckets, not from three, than any other title game participant. Butler was 12 for 64 from the field, which is the least field goals in a championship game since Oklahoma St. only converted 12 in 1949 against Kentucky. Butler's 18.8 percent shooting from the field was the lowest ever in an NCAA championship game topping when Washington St. shot 21.5 percent in the 1941 championship game. It is the third lowest shooting percentage in NCAA tournament  history. Butler was also only 27.3 percent from behind the arc, making just 9 of 33 threes.
• Butler had extremely long stretches during the second half when they couldn't score and went on long droughts. They didn't score from the 12:32 mark until there were 6:13 remaining in the second half. With 12:32 remaining in the half, UConn was leading 33 to 28. With 6:13 left in the game, UConn had a 41 to 30 lead.
• Butler's leading scorers, Shelvin Mack and Matt Howard, both struggled from the floor. Mack finished the game 4 for 15 from the floor including only making 4 of 11 three-point attempts. He was the only Bulldog in double figures with 13 points. Howard was 1 of 13 from the floor including 1 of 6 from three. He only had 6 points and was frustrated by the size of Alex Oriakhi the entire night.
• Andrew Smith also struggled down in the past, only scoring 5 points on 2 of 9 shooting.
• UConn had 10 blocks including four from Roscoe Smith and four from Alex Oriakhi, tied for the most in a NCAA championship game.
• After sitting out much of the first half with 2 fouls, Jeremy Lamb scored all 12 of his points in the second half. Lamb scored five early second half points, including a three to give UConn a one point lead, which they never surrendered. His length on the defensive end frustrated Shelvin Mack in the second half, as he only scored six points.
• Alex Oriakhi may have had the best title game of anybody on the court. He had his first double-digit scoring game of the tournament with 11 points. He had his first double-double since the semifinals of the Big East tournament adding 11 rebounds to go along with his 5 of 6 shooting. His size on the interior forced Matt Howard and Andrew Smith to a combined 3 of 22 shooting. Oriakhi had 4 blocks, his most since February 5th as well.
• Although Kemba Walker struggled shooting from the floor, only making 5 of his 19 shots including going 0 for 4 from three, he added 9 rebounds and still scored 16 points to lead UConn to the victory. Kemba and the boys are now national champions.

UConn vs Butler First Half Reaction

NCAA Tournament Final Halftime Score: Butler 22 - UConn 19 (The lowest scoring first half in a championship game since 1946 between Oklahoma A&M and North Carolina)

• Both teams showed early game jitters in the first few minutes. Kemba Walker was 0 for 5 from the field for the first 7 minutes of the game and Shelvin Mack began the game 0 for 4. Butler began the game 0 of 6 on two point shots and was 2 of 16 from the field. Their third field goal came with 10:18 remaining in the half.
• Jeremy Lamb's length bothered Butler's star guard Shelvin Mack. He was 0 for 4 from the field including 0 of 2 from three through 16 minutes.
• Butler did a great job of hedging and double-teaming Kemba Walker off screens. Walker was 3 of 11 from the field and only scored 7 points. 
• UConn's freshman including Jeremy Lamb, Roscoe Smith, Tyler Olander, and Shabazz Napier had a total of 2 points in the first half.
• Matt Howard struggled with the size of the UConn frontline. He was 1 of 6 from the field and only had 5 points in the first half. He had more success when he stepped out on the perimeter and made the UConn big men guard him outside the paint.
• UConn had 26 rebounds including 10 on the offensive end. They had 9 field goals in the first half and 8 of them were in the paint. UConn outscored Butler 16 to 0 in points in the paint.
• UConn was hampered by foul trouble, as Butler was in the bonus with 9:02 remaining in the half. Jeremy Lamb, Alex Oriakhi, Kemba Walker, and Roscoe Smith all picked up two fouls. 
• Mack began to score in the second half when Lamb went to the bench. He hit two threes and finished the half with 7 points after Lamb left the game with two fouls.
• Both teams struggled to score on the offensive end of the court and went on long periods of droughts. Butler didn't have a field goal form the 4:17 mark until Shelvin Mack hit a three at the buzzer. Butler had 6 field goals the entire half and shot under 20 percent from the floor. They were 5 of 14 from three in the half. UConn didn't score from the 18:23 mark until 14:54 remaining in the first half. They also went from 12:34 to 7:51 without scoring.

Detroit Tigers Season Preview

Coming off a year hitting 38 home runs, driving in 126 runs, batting .328, and having arguably the best year of his career, things were only looking up for Tigers slugging first baseman Miguel Cabrera. However, in February, Cabrera was arrested for suspicion for drunk driving and resisting arrest. Miguel, who has had drinking and legal problems in the past, left all of his teammates stunned. Tigers catcher Alex Avila said, "It was obviously a shock to everybody... Millions of people have problems with alcohol throughout the entire world. It's not something that can't be overcome. It's something that can be overcome, but you need a lot of help.... You think about Miguel personally, and what he's going through." The off the field issues surrounding Cabrera will not be resolved quickly and he is currently on an MLB regulated program for his drinking problems. Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski, who appointed former major league outfielder Raul Gonzalaez to help Cabrera, said, "He's focused on the field, and he's dealing with the issues he needs to deal with. He'll do what's necessary to get back on track." Everything that is coming out from Tigers camp though is that his off the field transgression will not affect his on the field performance. Veteran manager Jim Leyland said abut Cabrera, "He's fine. There's absolutely no problem, whatsoever. He's playing baseball. He's playing every day. He's stronger than he's ever been and quicker than he's ever been. I think Miguel Cabrera is probably going to have the biggest year of his life." Cabrera will have some protection behind him with the acquisition of catcher Victor Martinez from the Red Sox. Although Martinez has never been known for his defense behind the plate, he is a great hitter and has always hit for power, while keeping his average above .300. Dombrowski said about the new signing, “We expect Victor to be in our lineup on a daily basis, serving primarily as our club’s designated hitter and catching two to three times a week. He also has the ability to fill in at first base, and his versatility allows us to keep a premier bat in our lineup every day. We’ve discussed this role with Victor, and both sides are very pleased with what he brings to the Tigers organization.” The Tigers also hope that injuries will not catch up to their veteran outfielder Magglio Ordonez, who only played 84 games last season. He fractured his ankle sliding into home in a game against the Toronto Blue Jays on July 24th and he didn't play a game for the rest of the year. The numbers are there for Ordonez when he is on the field, as he has hit over .300 every year since 2007 and over .290 every year since 1999.

Projected starting lineup:

1. Austin Jackson, CF

2. Will Rhymes, 2B

3. Magglio Ordonez, RF

4. Miguel Cabrera, 1B

5. Victor Martinez, DH

6. Brennan Boesch, LF

7. Jhonny Peralta, SS

8. Alex Avila, C

9. Brandon Inge, 3B

Many Tiger fans hope that pitching will not derail their chances of winning the AL Central and making the playoffs. They ranked 25th in the major leagues last season in ERA at 4.30. After having a great rookie season in 2009, Porcello hit a sophomore slump last year. Porcello began the season 4-7 and was sent down to the minor leagues for a stint. Although Porcello finished the year 10-12 and posted an ERA just under 5, he finished the season very strong going 5-1 in his last seven starts. Jim Leyland admitted, "I think Porcello's a big key for our ballclub next year, to be honest with you. "He can get his breaking ball much more consistent, and if he does, he can be pretty good." Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski is confident in Porcello though as he said, "[Porcello] is one of our best starting pitchers... He has quality stuff and throws strikes. Rick is confident and mature beyond his years. And he has a very, very nasty sinker that gets him out of trouble." Last season, Justin Verlander became the first pitcher since Dwight Gooden to have 17 wins in four and of his first five years in the big leagues. He had a career low in ERA at 3.37 and a career low in WHIP at 1.16. Verlander was also 4th in the AL in wins at 18, 3rd in the AL with 224.1 innings pitched, and 4th in the AL in strikeouts with 225. Verlander has been the stud of the Tigers rotation since 2006 but the bigger surprise last season for the Tigers was former 1st round pick Max Scherzer. Coming off two extremely disappointing season with the Diamondbacks, Scherzer proved that he can be affective in the big leagues. He has very good stuff that includes a high 90's fastball with a good changeup and slider. The 26 year old starter will be huge for the Tigers, as they need a pitcher to step up and be a strong number 2 behind Verlander. Scherzer has shown some very good signs but has been inconsistent at time including an extremely poor spring traning this year, where he was 1-3 with a 10.38 ERA (yes 10.38 ERA). Tigers pitching coach Rick Knapp said about Scherzer's poor start to this season, “We figured out the issue. His arm gets a little too long and it doesn't take a direct route. That gets everything going in the direction. It's important to be in line, and get less torque in the delivery. What most people don't realize is how slight a difference there is in the position of the wrist at release point between an inside and outside pitch.” Scherzer had to get this issue corrected when he was in the minor leagues last season. After he returned to the Tigers from the minors, Scherzer was 3-1 with a 1.25 ERA in seven starts. Scherzer said, “It's a matter of establishing your fastball and off-speed stuff and making them [batters] uncomfortable.”

Projected starting rotation:
1. Justin Verlander
2. Max Scherzer
3. Rick Porcello
4. Brad Penny
5. Phil Coke
Projected closer:
Jose Valverde

Chicago White Sox Season Preview

After Adam Dunn agreed to a four-year contract with the White Sox worth 56 million dollars and Paul Konerko re-signed with the team, the middle of the White Sox lineup looked very powerful. Dunn has hit over 32 home runs in every season of his career since 2004 including last year when he hit 38 and drove in 103 runs. Konerko said with the signing of Dunn, the White Sox's have a "middle of the lineup one guy deeper than a lot of teams." The knock on Dunn has been his average, which was .260 last season. The 35 year old Konerko turned back the clock last season when he hit 39 home runs and had 111 RBI's. His average was also over .300 at .312, the second best of his career. Konerko seems very impressed with the Sox's lineup, as he said. "Whoever is going to hit sixth for us would probably hit fifth for a lot of teams." However, the five and six spots will be the key to the White Sox offense. Alex Rios had a very impressive season last year when he hit the second most home runs of his career at 21, while having the most RBI's of his career at 88. Although Carlos Quentin had 87 RBI's last season, he only batted .243. Quentin has struggled to return to his 2008 season form when he hit 36 home runs and had 100 RBI's. Quentin suffered a power outage last season after the All-Star break when he hit a total of seven home runs. Quentin is also looking to stay injury-free this season. Paul Konerko is confident that Quentin will have a great season. He said, "Just because you're in the big leagues and have one great year doesn't mean you're a finished product. He's a dangerous man with a bat in his hands. That's never been his problem, which is good. For him, like for a lot of guys, you have to learn to clean up how you navigate your way through the season. With Carlos, the numbers he puts up when he's not clicking on all cylinders is what attracts everybody to him. He does so much damage you know there's more potential in there. Everybody here believes in him." Rios and Quentin will have a lot of opportunities to drive runners in with Konerko and Dunn batting before them.

Projected Starting Lineup:

1. Juan Pierre, LF

2. Gordon Beckham, 2B

3. Paul Konerko, 1B

4. Adam Dunn, DH

5. Alex Rios, CF

6. Carlos Quentin, RF

7. A.J. Pierzynski, C

8. Alexei Ramirez, SS

9. Brent Morel, 3B

The White Sox pitching staff looks very good this season and is hoping to improve on their success last season. They had 94 quality starts (where a pitcher throws at least six innings and lets up no more than 3 runs) last season, which ranked 6th in the MLB. White Sox fans are energized about their young pitcher John Danks. The fifth year starter had his best season last year with career highs in nearly every category including wins at 15 and strikeouts at 162. The former number 9 overall pick looks like he will improve his numbers from 2010, as he has improved his command and added a nasty changeup to compliment his great cutter and fastball. Danks also proved that he can be the work horse for the Sox's, as he pitched 213 innings last year, which ranked in the top 10 out of all AL pitchers. Ozzie Guillen said about Danks, "Well, you know, obviously I think he should be cautious and try to find the plate around. But I mean assume is as soon as the ball come out of his hand I feel good about it. Because you could see his stuff was there. This kid's been battling... Another game for him the way he battled... The kid's got a chance to be a hell of a pitcher." Danks will have to step up because Buehrle looks like he is coming to the end of his career, as he was five hundred last season with only 13 wins and had his highest ERA at 4.28 since 2006. The X-factor for the White Sox will be former NL Cy Young award winner Jake Peavy. He has been hampered by injuries since 2009. After struggling with a 2-5 record and a 6.05 ERA, Peavy finally looked very good winning five straight starts last season. However, he only pitched in 17 games, as he injured his right arm pitching against the Angeles on July 6th. Peavy tried to rebuild his arm strengthen during the off-season and spring training. He looked impressive until he began to have rotator cuff tendinitis this spring, which has caused him to start the season on the 15 day DL (a place he has become used to). After a rehab outing Peavy said, "Here we go again, trying to build it back up. It felt good. I felt OK. Obviously, there is fatigue there. But that's part of building your arm up and getting it strong. But like I said, here we go again. We tried it before and hopefully we can sustain it this time. When I can do that [throw 100 pitches] and bounce back and do it again in five days later, I'm going to say I'm ready to pitch in the big leagues and give it all I can to get back to Chicago. When I get to Chicago, I want to stay there."

Projected starting rotation:

1. Mark Buehrle

2. Edwin Jackson

3. John Denks

4. Gavin Floyd

5. Phil Humber

* Jake Peavy will take his place back in the rotation when he returns from a shoulder injury.

Projected closer:

Matt Thornton

Minnesota Twins Season Preview

Last year on April 7th, Justin Morneau was accidentally kneed in the head, as he was trying to break up a double play against the Toronto Blue Jays. Minnesota Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said about Morneau after the game, "He was a little dizzy out there. We got him out of the ball game. He said he had to come out. We'll see how he is tomorrow." The Twins were very concerned with their former AL MVP Morneau said, "If you get a second concussion before the first one has healed, then it can get even worse.'' Morneau didn't return to the field in 2010 and missed the Twins last 78 games with a concussion. Justin's first regular season game back since the horrible injury will ironical be at the same field where he suffered the concussion when the Twins play the Blue Jays on opening day. Morneau said about his return, "It's not like it's my first game of the year. I'm usually more nervous about the first game of spring training than opening day. But it's exciting to play on Opening Day, with the butterflies and all that comes with it." His return to the Twins in their first game is so surprising because Morneau had an abbreviated spring training, as he didn't play in the first half of the Twins games. When Justin was playing, he struggled only batting .192 with just 1 RBI. With the uncertainty of Morneau returning to his huge numbers with his health, there will be a lot of added pressure on Delmon Young. Young had the best season of his career last year when he nearly batted .300, hit 21 home runs, and added 112 RBI's. Young will have the opportunity to drive a lot of guys in again this season when he is batting fifth behind the M&M boys.

Projected starting lineup:

1. Denard Span, CF

2. Tsuyoshi Nishioka, 2B

3. Joe Mauer, C

4. Justin Morneau, 1B

5. Delmon Young, LF

6. Joe Thome, DH

7. Michael Cuddyer, RF

8. Danny Velencia, 3B

9. Alexi Casilla, SS

The top of the rotation will be the key for the Twins. Francisco Liriano, who went 12-3 with a 2.16 ERA in 2006, missed the 2007 season after he received Tommy John Surgery during the off-season. Although Liriano struggled in 2008 and 2009, he looked much better last season posting a 3.62 ERA and having a record of 14-10. Gardenhire said, "He's one of the best starting pitchers. He's one of those top-of-the-line guys that has some pitches that blow people away. That's always valuable. That's why we signed him... He's getting better and better. Now it's just about keeping him healthy." There is no doubt that Liriano has a fastball in the mid 90's and a slider that has a hard bite, but the question will be if Liriano can stay off the DL, as he has already missed time during spring training due to a sore shoulder. Carl Pavano, at the age of 35, will also be relied on heavily to perform well. Yankee fans remember this name well, as he only pitched 9 games with the Bronx Bombers in his last two seasons in New York. However, Pavano had a spectacular season last year when he won his most games since 2004 at 17 and had his best ERA since 2004 at 3.75. 

Projected starting rotation:

1. Carl Pavano

2. Francisco Liriano

3. Nick Blackburn

4. Scott Baker

5. Brian Duensing

Projected closer:

Joe Nathan

Baltimore Orioles Season Preview

The Orioles president of baseball operations said about his new manager Buck Showalter, "I've never seen a guy walk in a room and have so much change so soon with nothing else happening other than a different guy walking through the room." When Buck Showalter took over the Baltimore Orioles on August 3rd, he was inheriting a team in last place of the AL East with a 32-73 record. Showalter led the Orioles to a 34-23 record after he was hired, the best among the teams in the AL East during that stretch. The Orioles catcher Matt Wieters said about Showalter, “It definitely was a different attitude, which I think Buck brought. He brought the attitude of we're not going to shy away from anybody.” Oriole fans that hope that their teams late season success will continue through the 2011 season. 

They scored the fourth fewest runs in the league last seasons. Buck Showalter said about his team’s offense, "It was a challenge for us last year. Where we are, we had to improve offensively." The Orioles tried to improve their lineup in the off-season by adding Derrick Lee at first base, Mark Reynolds at third base, J.J. Hardy at shortstop, and Vladimir Guerrero, who will be their designated hitter. Oriole fans hope that Lee and Reynolds will have bounce back seasons. Lee failed to hit 20 home runs last season for only the second time in his last 11 seasons and Mark Reynolds also struggled hitting a career worst .198 from the plate and had over 200 strikeouts. Showalter said about Reynolds high strikeout numbers, “He brings some things we don't have. You can find negatives on any player. We certainly like his contact-to-damage ratio. We’re going to dwell on all the positive things he does.” 

Projected starting lineup:

1. Brian Roberts, 2B

2. Nick Markakis, RF

3. Derrick Lee, 1B

4. Vladimir Guerrero, DH

5. Adam Jones, CF

6. Luke Scott, LF

7. Mark Reynolds, 3B

8. Matt Wieters, C

9. J.J. Hardy

The Orioles also let up the 5th most runs in the major leagues last season. However, their young pitching staff definitely has a lot of promise. Brian Matusz, who is only 24 years old, showed how good his stuff can be, as he was 7-3 with a 3.63 ERA in 14 starts after the All-Star break last season. "I think we have great young pitching, guys that showed a lot of progress at the end of last year. We've got to hope we can continue that growth and that progression," said Jeremy Guthrie, who went 11-14 and posted a 3.83 ERA in 2010. Guthrie added, "[I will] try to go out there and work hard and prepare for each start... be aggressive with the hitters, and hopefully that will rub off on the others and we will pitch well, the way we did the last two months of the season." Mark Connor, the Orioles, pitching coach said about his team's rotation, “What I see on film excites me. Starting with Guthrie, he is still a young guy, even though he is the veteran on this club. He is still a young man. When I was in the other dugout watching him pitch, I always wished that I had him. And then I look at Matusz, Arrieta, Tillman, Bergesen, there is some talent here. It is just a question of being consistent with it, and staying healthy. I think the sky is the limit. Matusz’s whole approach on the mound, if you watch his mound presence and the way he went about things, for a young kid it was impressive... The ball jumps out of Tillman’s hand, from what I saw on film... Arrieta has great stuff. I was talking to him a little bit about trusting it and not trying to make it more than it is or needs to be.”  Arrieta, Tillman, and Bergesen are all very talented pitchers and have great stuff, but they are unproven in the big leagues. The three of them struggled last season with a combine 16-23 record and a 5.17 ERA. 

Projected starting pitching staff:

1. Jeremy Guthrie

2. Brian Matusz

3. Chris Tillman

4. Jake Arrieta

5. Brad Bergesen

Projected closer:

Kevin Gregg

Toronto Blue Jays Season Preview

From 2006 to 2009, Jose Bautista had a total of 74 home runs. Last season, Jose Bautista led the league in home runs at 54 and was third in the league with 124 RBI's. Jose agreed to a 5-year deal worth 64 million dollars following the season, but many people wonder if Bautista is only a one year wonder. Bautista began to start his swing earlier last season, which allowed for his hands to get behind the ball. He also contributed his success to playing every day, which he will definitely be doing this season but at right field and not third base like last season. Bautista will need to get some help from Adam Lind and Aaron Hill, who both had very poor seasons last year. Lind only had 72 RBI's in the middle of the Jays lineup last season, while having career lows in batting average at .237, on base percentage, and slugging percentage. Hill had a batting average of .205 last season and only had 68 RBI's.

Projected starting lineup:

1. Rajai Davis, CF

2. Yunel Escobar, SS

3. Jose Bautista, RF

4. Adam Lind, 1B

5. Aaron Hill, 2B

6. Travis Snider, LF

7. Juan Rivera, DH

8. Edwin Encarnacion, 3B

9. J.P. Arencibia, C

The pitching staff is also a big question for the Jays especially since Shawn Marcum was traded to the Brewers and Brandon Morrow is out with a right forearm injury. Coming off a 14-9 record with a 3.73 ERA, Ricky Romero had a 7.91 ERA during spring training but will be the Jays opening day starter. Brett Cecil had a great second season last year with a record of 15-7 and a 4.22 ERA. He also finished tied for 12th in the AL with only 54 walks, as he has great command of his pitches. Blue Jays pitching coach Bruce Wilson said, “I think he’s doing it right now... I think you see good command and good control of his game. That’s the next step for Cecil, controlling the game, kind of like a Pettitte, how he controlled that whole gamut and I think you see Cecil doing it already in spring training.” Blue Jay fans are very excited about top prospect Kyle Drabek earning a starting role in the rotation, as he had a fantastic spring training. Drabek was the key to the Roy Halladay trade last season but went winless last season in three starts. He has a lot of promise and showed it in the minor leagues last season, where he had an ERA under 3. The young pitching doesn't spot there though. Jo-Jo Reyes, Jesse Litsch, and Mark Rzepczynski all will have great chances to prove that they will succeed in he majors. Blue Jays manager John Farrell said, "This is a very good blend of youth and talent in rotation and good combination of veteran, proven relievers, that can provide some protection to that young core of starters. I think the year that Brett Cecil had in kind of a break out year last year for him, the continued consistent performance by Ricky and really what we've seen from Morrow making a very successful transition from a bullpen arm, this is an extremely talented group. The key for us is going to be who fills out the fourth and fifth spots. How consistent they can be? I think if we can gain some consistency from those young pitchers in contention for those spots, whether it is Jessie Litsch, Kyle Drabek, or Marc Rzepczynski. If you look at the talent we can stack up against anybody in this division. But the key is the experience and being established in a very tough tough division."

Projected starting rotation:

1. Ricky Romero

2. Brett Cecil

3. Kyle Drabek

4/5. Jo-Jo Reyes, Jessie Litsch, and Mark Rzepczynski

*When Brandon Morrow returns from his right forearm injury, he will return to the starting rotation.

Projected closer:

Jon Rauch

Tampa Bay Rays Season Preview

The Tampa Bay Rays have a new look after winning the American League East last season. Since 2002 Carl Crawford has been a star in the outfield for the Rays. He is the Rays' all-time leader in runs scored, hits, and RBI's. Now, Crawford will be in a Red Sox uniform playing against the Rays. The Rays also lost their first basemen Carlos Pena, who lead the team in homers at 28 last season, their shortstop Jason Bartlett, ace Matt Garza, and closer Rafael Soriano, who led the AL in saves at 45. The Rays added former Red Sox players Manny Ramirez and Johnny Damon to salvage the off-season. Although many people are counting the Rays out of repeating as division champions, Rays manager Joe Maddon said, "We're not going out there right now to just fill out a 162-game schedule. Our goal is to repeat as division winners this year and then moving on from there. These two guys definitely make us more solvent. There's no question." Johnny Damon is also confident in his new teams ability to repeat. He said, "Absolutely this team can win the American League East... What I really like about this team is you have two guys that you'd really like to build any franchise around. This team is bred to win right now." The Rays offense, which scored the third most runs last season in the league, will rely heavily on third baseman Evan Longoria to have another season like last year when he had 22 home runs and 104 RBI's. The X- factor for the Rays will be BJ Upton, who had his worst season last year since 2006 when he only hit .237 but you can always expect Upton to steal about 40 bases with his blazing speed.

Projected starting lineup:

1. Ben Zobrist, 2B

2. Johnny Damon, LF

3. Evan Longoria, 3B

4. Manny Ramirez, DH

5. Dan Johnson, 1B

6. B.J. Upton, CF

7. Matt Joyce, RF

8. Reid Brignac, SS

9. John Jaso, C

The question for the Rays rotation will be how the rookie Jeremy Hellickson will pitch in the fifth spot after he looked very impressive in his four spots last season. He was able to baffle the Red Sox last season using his fastball changeup, curveball, and cutter. Joe Maddon said, "I think he's kind of spoiled the fan base into thinking that he's pretty much infallible. So just understand that he's young, he's going to make some mistakes, he's going to have some rough nights. But by the end of the season, we're going to see a guy that's definitely capable of 10-plus wins with some really good numbers attached to them. That's always been what he's done in the past, and I don't think there's any reason to think that's going to change a lot." Rays pitching coach Jim Hickey said, "I expect him to be really, really good. I'm pretty certain he could not necessarily replicate all the numbers, but he could fill in the production we lost via Garza, the 200 innings and the 15 wins." There will be a lot of pressure on the young star to pitch well for the Rays at the back end of the rotation.

Projected starting rotation:

1. David Price

2. James Shields

3. Wade Davis

4. Jeff Niemann

5. Jeremy Hellickson

Projected closer:

Kyle Farnsworth

New York Yankees Season Preview

The Yankees off-season was mainly dominated by the contract negotiations between Derek Jeter and the ball club and Brain Cashman saying he was against the deal to sign former Rays closer Rafael Soriano. The negotiations between Jeter and the Yankees became public and turned ugly with the team telling Jeter to "drink some reality potion" in regard to how much money he would get on the open market. Jeter finally signed a three-year deal worth 51 million dollars with the Yankees. Many question marks that Yankee fans have surround Jeter, as last year he only batted .270, his worst batting average since 1995 when he was a rookie.

Projected starting lineup:

1. Brett Gardner, LF

2. Derek Jeter, SS

3. Mark Teixeira, 1B

4. Alex Rodriguez, 3B

5. Robinson Cano, 2B

6. Nick Swisher, RF

7. Jorge Posada, DH

8. Curtis Granderson, CF

9. Russell Martin, C

However, Yankee fans should be much more concerned about their pitching staff. After losing out on trying to lure Cliff Lee to New York, the Yankees were stuck with a very shaky rotation behind C.C. Sabathia. Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com said about the Yankees unpredictable but talented pitcher Phil Hughes, "Scouts following Yankees have been stunned by Phil Hughes’ lack of velocity this spring 87-89 mph, with more 87s than 89s." A.J. Burnett had a horrible season last year, as he was 5 games under five hundred at 10-15 and had a 5.26 ERA, the highest of his career. Burnett is finally looking forward to putting last season behind him. He said, “I put a lot of things behind me [in spring training] and I’m looking forward to a new start... So it begins on Saturday... Consistency this season is the most important thing. I came out to a pretty good start last year and became inconsistent pretty quick. I want to start off on a pretty good foot but consistency is the main thing.” Although Ivan Nova pitched extremely well this spring and earned the Yankees fourth pitching spot, he is unproven and a lot of pressure will be on him to pitch well and pitch well right away. Although Freddy Garcia struggled during spring training posting a 5.93 ERA, he got the Yankees fifth starting role over Bartolo Colon. In his last 4 seasons, Garcia only has 17 wins and his best ERA in those seasons was at 4.20. Yankees manager Joe Girardi said, "We actually felt that he [Freddy Garcia] had a chance to get better because he was another offseason removed from his arm issues that he had. But you still want to see it in spring training. For his standards, he had a great spring."

Projected starting rotation:

1. C.C. Sabathia

2. Phil Hughes

3. A.J. Burnett

4. Ivan Nova

5. Freddy Garcia

Projected closer:

Mariano Rivera

Although the Yankees rotation has a lot of question marks, with Cano, Teixeira, and A-Rod in the middle of the Yankee's lineup, they will definitely score a lot of runs like they did last season when they led the league in runs scored.

Boston Red Sox Season Preview

With injuries to Kevin Youkilis, Dustin Pedroia, Victor Martinez, and Jacboy Ellisbury the Red Sox missed out on the playoffs last season for the first time since 2006. Although the Sox lost catcher Victor Martinez and third baseman Adrian Beltre to free agency, they acquired slugger Adrian Gonzalez from the Padres and signed Carl Crawford to a 7-year deal worth 142 million dollars. Gonzalez, who batted nearly .300, hit 31 home runs, and had over 100 RBI's last season will greatly help the middle of the Sox's lineup. Gonzalez said, "I'll be in there every day, no matter what. It's going to take a lot to get me out of the game." The ability of Crawford to always get on base and cause havoc on the base paths will definitely help a Sox's lineup who already scored the second most runs in baseball last season. Rocco Baldelli, who was a former teammate of Crawford said, "There's nobody out there that's going to give himself a better chance to succeed than Carl is... They're going to get one of the best defensive left fielders that I've ever seen in baseball.  They're going to get a guy who is an exciting player, probably as exciting a player as there is. He's going to be active and he's going to make things exciting. People are going to appreciate everything he does." 

Projected starting lineup:

1. Jacoby Ellisbury, CF

2. Dustin Pedroia, 2B

3. Carl Crawford, LF

4. Kevin Youkilis, 3B

5. Adrian Gonzalez, 1B

6. David Ortiz, DH

7. J.D. Drew, RF

8. Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C

9. Marco Scutaro, SS

They key for the Red Sox will be the pitching of Josh Beckett, John Lackey, and Daisuke Matsuzaka. Last off-season the Sox signed Lackey to a five-year deal worth 82.5 million dollars but Lackey had a very disappointing season. He only won 14 games and had his highest ERA at 4.40 since 2004. Lackey said, "There's a lot of room for improvement." Red Sox manger Terry Francona is confident that Lackey will return to his top form. "He's going to give you the 200 innings, and every time he pitches you're going to have a chance to win, regardless of who he matches up against. He's worked hard to get in real good shape, and I think it's going to show. I think across the board his numbers will be a little bit (better) this year." Last season Josh Beckett only pitched 21 games due to a lower back strain. He only won 6 games and had a 5.78 ERA, the highest of his career. Beckett is confident coming into this season though. He said, “I feel like the mechanical adjustments I made have really gone a long way.’’ Lastly, Daisuke Matsuzaka struggled mightily last season with a series of injuries including a stiff lower back and a shoulder problem. Matsuzaka is hoping he will have another season like 2008 when he went 18-3 and finished in the top 4 of the American League Cy Young. Terry Francona isn't concerned by Matsuzaka's disappointing pitching performance last season, as he said, "I think he's in great shape. I think his shoulder's strong. The ball's coming out [strong]."If Lackey, Beckett, and Matsuzaka don't all have repeat performances of last season, the Sox look like the team to beat in the American League.

Projected starting rotation:

1. Jon Lester

2. John Lackey

3. Clay Buchholz

4. Josh Beckett

5. Daisuke Matsuzaka

Projected closer:

Jonathan Papelbon