Kuzul

Don’t you feel like the San Francisco Giants just won the world series just yesterday? Well, it was four months ago, but it felt like yesterday.

But as we prepare for the 2011 MLB season, everyone makes their season predictions starting in mid-February. That’s just what I am doing.

I will be making my official MLB predictions very soon. But I just couldn’t wait to make my world series predictions. So here it is.

Coming out of the NL no doubt will be the Philadelphia Phillies (even though I want the New York Mets in it, but that’s not happening). Just looking up and down the Phillies roster is full of talent.

Starting with the starting rotation: They have the 2010 NL Cy Young award winner in Roy Halladay as their ace. They added Cliff Lee in the offseason. All the talk was that the Texas Rangers or New York Yankees would acquire Lee. But the Phillies made a run on the last day and got rewarded.

Roy Oswalt is a potential ace, but his career is on the downfall with age. Cole Hamels could be a solid No. 2 starter on another team. The only problem with the rotation is the No. 5 spot, where Joe Blanton will start with it.

The infield is also filled with talent. First Baseman Ryan Howard had a disappointing season last year, but he is one of the best out there. Second baseman Chase Utley had an injury-plagued season last year, so he isn’t 100 percent. ShortStop Jimmy Rollins also had an injury season and third baseman Placido Polanco has a ton of potential.

The outfield, though, could be interesting. Raul Ibanez had a great season last year, along with Shane Victorino. But in right field, they are going with young Dominic Brown to try to replace Jayson Werth.

They will win the division, with the Atlanta Braves losing manager Bobby Cox, Troy Glaus, Derrick Lee, and Billy Wagner. The Florida Marlins are on the rise, but they are not there yet. And forget about the Mets and Washington Nationals.

And just looking at all the other good teams in the NL. The Phillies matchup against the St. Louis Cardinals, Los Angeles Dodgers, Giants, Cincinnati Reds, and Milwaukee Brewers.

The Phillies have the best team in the NL and will show that by making it to the world series.

The American League champion will also come out of the East. This time, it will be the Boston Red Sox. They also are full of talent.

Rotation is stocked as well. Jon Lester, Josh Beckett, Clay Buchholz, John Lackey and Daisuke Matsuzaka. The only problem, in my opinion, with the rotation is Beckett. He is coming off a dreadful season last year. He has to have a great year, with around 15 wins and around a 2.50 to a 3.00 ERA. If he can do that, the Sox will make the world series.

Other players that have to step up are David Ortiz, Dustin Pedroia and new additions Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford. In my opinion, these four guys are the most important players for the Red Sox this upcoming season.

The only position that I have an issue with is catcher. The Red Sox lost their star catcher Victor Martinez. So to fill in the spot, they brought in Jarrod Saltalamachia and have veteran catcher Jason Varitek in a back-up role.

The division, though, could cause some problems. The Yankees are obviously a threat. The Toronto Blue Jays and Baltimore Orioles are on the rise. And the Tamp Bay Rays could still cause some problems, even after losing Crawford, Rafael Soriano and Willy Aybar.

World Series Prediction: Red Sox win the series in seven games.

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Spring is almost here. Okay, not really. A good portion of the country is currently covered in snow. But it is just around the corner. And with spring comes the baseball fan’s favorite thing to hear after a long, cold, baseball-less winter: Pitchers and Catchers report.

The truck full of equipment pulled out of Boston on its way to Florida yesterday. It reads, “First Stop Fort Myers, Next Stop The Series.” With those expectations in mind, let’s look at the 2011 team’s chances of reaching that goal.

We’ll go by position numbers, which means we start with No. 1 at pitcher and add a “10” for the DH position.

1. Pitcher
   • Here’s how the rotation should look like come Opening Day:
     1. Jon Lester (19-9, 3.25 ERA, 225 Ks)
        • By far the Red Sox most consistent starter, he pitched 208 innings in 32 games in 2010, and was a legitimate candidate for the Cy Young. Barring injury, this success should continue and he is the absolute ace of this staff.
        • 2011 prediction: 23-6, 2.75 ERA, 250 Ks and the AL Cy Young 

        

     2. Clay Buchholz (17-7, 2.33 ERA, 120 Ks)
        • Last season he continued the pattern of improvement he’s shown since he started getting serious playing time in the majors, look for that trend to continue in 2011.
        • 2011 prediction: 19-7, 2.33 ERA, 220 Ks
     3. Josh Beckett (6-6, 5.78 ERA, 116 Ks)
        • Beckett had a terrible year last year. He spent a good period of time on the DL and had an ERA over five for the second time in his career. Good news for Red Sox fans, the first time was in 2006 and Beckett turned in a 2007 that was arguably his best season ever.
        • 2011 Prediction: 19-8, 3.50 ERA, 215 Ks
     4. John Lackey (14-11, 4.40 ERA, 156 Ks)
        • I’m going to chalk last season’s performance up to being in a hyper-competitive division for the first time in his career. He’s always hovered around 14 wins but the last time he lost 11 games, he went 19-9 with a 3.01 ERA the next season. If he manages another 14 wins next season and cuts the losses down a little, he’ll be the perfect fourth starter for the Red Sox.  
        • 2011 prediction: 16-7, 3.45 ERA, 240 Ks
     5. Daisuke Matsuzaka (9-6, 4.69 ERA, 133 Ks)
        • Dice-K really hasn’t had a good season since 2008 when he went 18-3 with a 2.90 ERA. Every other year he’s been over four with his ERA. Good news is he’s the fifth starter, so the team isn’t leaning on him to win 15+ games this season. He has won an average of 44 percent of his games since joining the Red Sox, and if he can preform just above average and win half his games, no one would complain.
        • 2011 Prediction: 11-11, 4.40 ERA, 145 Ks
     6. Bullpen:
     •  
       • Last season the bullpen was terrible. They finished the season with a 4.24 ERA, and a record of 19-23. Papelbon had an okay year, but not his normal dominance, and the core of relievers was disappointing in general. Look for veterans like Okajima, Ramon Ramirez to bounce back from dismal seasons, Felix Doubront and Daniel Bard to continue to grow, and the additions of Bobby Jenks and Dan Wheeler will help the ‘pen rebound.
       • 2011 Prediction: Papelbon returns to his more dominant form (though his 2010 season wasn’t as dismal as some of the other relievers) and the ‘pen will once again be serviceable (AKA, above .500)
2. Catcher
   • This year should be Jarrod Saltalamacchia’s year to shine. If he can stay healthy and get his bat going, he’ll be an excellent offensive catcher and under the tutelage of Jason Varitek, should be a whiz at handling the pitching staff. And if he doesn’t, Jason Varitek is more than just your average back-up catcher. I think Salty will really start to come into his own and his batting average will go above the Mendoza line.
   • Jason Varitek will start the season as the back-up catcher, but still the Captain. Don’t discount how important this is especially since there’s a new pitching coach this year. He may only bat .230 and he may not be able to throw anyone out at second, but he’s still important. Since Terry Francona took over the team in 2004, they have only missed the playoffs twice: 2006 and 2010. Both years Varitek spent time on the DL. And he’s caught a league record 4 no-hitters. Dice-K’s almost no-hitter last year against the Phillies? Victor Martinez played first base and Jason Varitek was behind the plate. That is not a coincidence.
3. First
   • Adrian Gonzalez is the prize the Red Sox have been trying to get for years. They had to give up a few prospects to get him, but the farm is deep, and the Red Sox are hoping their initial investment will pay off huge. And it should. Adrian Gonzales has been a fantastic hitter, averaging 32 homers and 100 RBIs since joining the Padres in 2006. Imagine what this guy could do in Fenway park, which has ranked 7th since 2006 in runs per game as opposed to Petco Park, which ranked 29th in the same period.
   • And if Adrian gets a day off, it’s not a big deal to shift Kevin Youkilis back over to first and stick Jed Lowrie at third.
   • 2011 Prediction: Adrian will be Going-Going-Gonzo! Look for an increase in home runs and RBIs around May/June. It will take him a few weeks to really get adjusted to playing in the AL East. Projected stats: 40 HR, 135 RBI, .348 batting average.
4. Second
   • Second base was an issue in 2010 because Dustin Pedroia was hurt. He’s the little spark plug of the Red Sox, the angry, hyper-competitive, boastful little team leader. He gives 100 percent every game, no matter what. And as long as he can bounce back from foot surgery in 2011, there’s no reason to think he’ll be anything other than the person he was before a bizarre foul ball broke his foot. He’s going to do anything he can to help his team win. Remember last year, him taking grounders on his knees? I think Pedroia is in for a great season. And if he starts off slow, Jed Lowrie can always back him up.
   • 2011 Prediction: another All-Star season, starting off slow but finishing with .320 batting average, 20 HR, 65 RBIs and plenty of runs scored.
5. Third
   • Kevin Youkilis left the Red Sox in August with a bizarre hand injury. He was healed by October, but the Sox were done by then, so I don’t think his injury is going to play a big part in 2011. I think we are really going to see Youkilis’ power come out in 2011. And we already know he’s fantastic at third, and if he needs a day off, Jed Lowrie can step in (do we see a running theme here? Lowrie is going to be busy even if he’s not starting).
   • 2011 Prediction: 30 HR, .308 batting average, and 95 RBI.
6. Short
   • Shortstop is the only position this season where there’s really any controversy. Marco Scutaro is coming into camp as the Red Sox shortstop and barring injuries or a truly dismal Spring Training, he should remain there. But he’s got Jed Lowrie riding his tail, because if he can’t do it, Jed can, and then Scutaro will be the back-up for when any of the rest of the infield needs a day off. Not a bad problem to have, really.
   • 2011 Prediction: Marco Scutaro, recovered from the nagging injuries of 2010, will hit .285 with 15 homers and 60 RBIs.
7. Left
   • 2011 starts with another new face in left field, and it’s a much safer place now that Adrian Beltre isn’t at third to break any more left fielder’s ribs. Carl Crawford is certainly an upgrade from the Hermida-Nava-Reddick-whoever-is-healthy 2010 version of left field. Between him in left and Jacoby Ellsbury in center, the Red Sox might get to 100 stolen bases in 2011, isn’t that a wild idea? Plus we don’t have to worry about trying to pick him off, a huge relief for the catchers. Crawford will also enjoy being supported by the Fenway Faithful instead of booed, and join the legendary ranks of Red Sox left fielders. It’s not everyday you get to stand in the same spot as Ted Williams, Carl Yastrzemski, and Jim Rice, and play their same position.
   • 2011 Prediction: 15 HR, 90 RBI, 55 stolen bases, and hits .302.
8. Center
   • Jacoby Ellsbury returns to the field after a very disappointing 2010 season where he played only 18 games. His backup was also hurt and played in only 48 games. Hopefully both Jacoby Ellsbury and backup outfielder Mike Cameron will be back 100 percent in 2011. If they are, Ellsbury should continue to develop as a hitter, maybe even hit for power, and Cameron will continue to be the steady, quality backup the Red Sox need for the long season. Ellsbury is young so rebounding from his rib injury shouldn’t be a problem, and he should be back to stealing bases in April.
   • 2011 Prediction: hits .307 with 15 HR and 50 RBI with 75 stolen bases
9. Right
   • Old Faithful J.D. Drew maintains his spot in right field. J.D. is always good for a few bouts of vertigo, a hammy, and a back injury during the season but he is also one of the best right fielders fielding percentage wise in the league and when he gets hot his bat is a beast. This might also be his last season, and I think Drew is one of those guys who will want to go out with a ring and a bang. And there’s a slew of minor league guys and Mike Cameron to take care of the times Drew is hurt or needs rest.
   • 2011 prediction: .250-.285 (depending on how many hot streaks he has and how long they last), 27 HR, 65 RBI. Nice, solid season.
10. DH
    • When the Red Sox signed Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford, Big Papi was celebrating. For the last two years the offense has been on his shoulders, and when he struggled in April it was all anyone seemed to talk about. Now the talk will be on the new players, especially since Papi will likely be batting 5th or 6th, all the pressure will be off. I love Papi and I think he has another two or three decent years left in him and without the pressure his bat should be fierce.
    • 2011 Prediction: Papi will hit .289 with 35 HR and 116 RBI.

I look for the 2011 batting order to shape out like this:

Ellsbury, Pedroia, Crawford, Gonzalez, Youkilis, Ortiz, Drew, Saltalamacchia, Scutaro.

As for the Red Sox lofty World Series goals? They are extremely viable. Two of the scarier pitchers in baseball, Cliff Lee and Doc Halladay, are with the Phillies in the National League.

Yankees ace C.C. Sabathia is recovering from knee surgery and lost 30 pounds over the offseason, that will certainly help his knees but changing your body that much is going to affect your pitching. Pettitte retired, and their rotation after Sabathia isn’t exactly frightening. Plus, the Yankees are getting a little older.

They are still a good lineup but age will eventually start to catch up with them. New York will definitely be competition, but if the Boston lineup holds up and the pitching staff rebounds a little, the Red Sox can take them.

The Rays are another matter. They are reloading this year, dumping most of their expensive players in trades or with free-agency, but it would be foolish to overlook them. Joe Madden has a talent for getting quite a bit out of young, inexperienced players. I look for the Rays, Jays and Orioles to put up more of a fight this year than most people think.

I am superstitious and don’t like to make predictions of the World Series in February, so I’m just going to end by saying the Red Sox have a good chance of getting there and winning. They have the talent, the rotation, and Epstein has plugged some of the holes in the bullpen to keep them from losing games late. It’s certainly not a pipe dream, and with a little bit of luck, it could be a reality.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Like most people, as soon as the season ended, I made my free agent predictions for the top free agents from Cliff Lee, to Aubrey Huff.

My predictions are not wild, or bold, but were based on which teams needed key players, and which teams would retain some of these players.

Throughout the 2011 Off Season, we’ve seen big free agent acquisitions from teams we would never guess would be in the running, and some teams who seemed to have been hibernating through the Winter Meetings, and beyond that.

The season hasn’t started, but the main part of free agency is pretty much over, so I decided I’d look back at my Free Agent Predictions, my justifications, and what actually happened.

Also, as a bonus, I’ll give my projection for that player, along with a grade for the acquisition.

Some top free agents are not on this list, as I couldn’t make predictions for everyone at the time.

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Ever wonder how you could spend close to a quarter billion dollars on a baseball team (assuming of course that you are not the New York Yankees)?

Try filling your roster with these players and you would have an excellent start.

Here’s a quick run down of the highest paid player at each position entering the 2011 season.

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This article will rank the teams based on how much speed each team possesses beginning with the slowest team.  I will take a look at last years overall team ranking in terms of the stolen base and compare it to how I believe they will rank this year.  I will also take a look at who lead the team last year in stolen bases and look at the other base stealers on the team as well.  

Then, I will predict who will lead their respective teams in stolen bases and will also identify the other players who can potentially contribute in terms of speed, in 2011.

So, without further ado, let us start!

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When talking about hyped up outfielders this offseason, Carl Crawford and Carlos Gonzalez come to mind.

It’s hard for an eight-year veteran like Crawford to be hyped up, but his move to the loaded Boston Red Sox lineup did just that.

As for Gonzalez, an encore to his monster 2010 season is in order, but will he come out and perform a 25-minute version of “Free Bird” or will he get a bottle thrown at his head a la Axl Rose?

In our 2011 fantasy baseball rankings, we have them both in the top-three among outfielders, so clearly they are both top options.

But who should you draft?

Each player is assigned a grade for each of the five standard offensive categories, plus a few extra I felt were important to factor.

Grades are based on my expectations for the season and take into account both the player’s expected performance relative to the entire player pool and relative to the position he plays at.

Grades were averaged using the standard 4.0 GPA scale to provide a cumulative “Professor’s Grade.”

The Case for Crawford

Crawford is the model of consistency.

He steals 40+ bases every season and is a threat to steal 50, his power is constantly in the double-digits and his batting average hovers around .300. Add in the fact that he will probably bat third for the Boston Red Sox and it’s hard not to think 100+ runs and 90-100 RBI aren’t in his future for 2011.

He should be able to keep his home runs up in the high teens now that he is in Boston and he screams top-five potential. He’s going into his ninth full season, so none of this should be a surprise, which is a big reason why he scored an “A-” in the pick security category.

There’s no real injury history to speak of, so feel free to pick him at no risk of being disappointed.

The Case for Gonzalez

No one was better than Gonzalez in 2010. That’s a fact, not an opinion.

The big question here is whether or not he can repeat that performance and Bryan Curley does a great job with that topic in his fantasy projection of CarGo.

He’s a legitimate 30/30 threat, especially playing half of his games at Coors Field, so even if he can’t repeat his .336 batting average, he will provide plenty of value in the counting categories.

He is going ahead of Crawford in some drafts, so you are going to have to pay a pretty penny to get him on your team, but he could be worth it if he can bring the value he did last year.

Who Should You Draft?

As you can tell, these two are very close in value.

Crawford edged out CarGo going 3-2-3 in the eight categories and his final grade (3.50) was a hair better than Gonzalez’s 3.46 mark.

What Crawford lacks in power, he makes up for with the security that you are getting what you pay for. If you want a guy who will definitely hit .300, be among the league leaders in steals while not hurting any of your power stats, Crawford is your guy.

Gonzalez brings the power and speed, while not killing (and possible helping) your batting average.

If I weren’t more risk averse, I would probably take Gonzalez with the hopes that he repeats his 2010 season, but when picking in the first or early-second round, it’s better to take the sure thing.

And that sure thing here is Crawford.

Make Baseball Professor, the most personable fantasy baseball outlet on the web, part of your daily fantasy baseball routine for updated fantasy news and analysis. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to stay updated throughout the season.

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Check out our other Who Should You Draft matchups:

• Ryan Zimmerman or Alex Rodriguez
• Ubaldo Jimenez or Clayton Kershaw
• Miguel Cabrera or Joey Votto
• Hanley Ramirez or Troy Tulowitzki

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

If there’s one time of the sports year that everyone watches like a hawk, it’s MLB free agency.  From November until late January (sometimes longer), fans lose sleep over which teams top free agent players will sign with.

Some of these decisions pay great dividends, like C.C. Sabathia when he signed with the New York Yankees.  Other times, players regret locking themselves into long-term deals, like when Adrian Beltre signed with the Mariners.

Thus, let’s take a look at this past season’s free agency class.  Specifically, the players that picked the wrong teams.

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As Spring Training nears closer, baseball fever is beginning to run rampant. With only one week left in the NFL season, it’s only a matter of time before people start looking south to Florida for hints at what’s to come in the new season.

Over the next couple of months, I’ll be breaking down a division each week before making my final predictions for how the season is going to turn out.

First up, the loaded AL East.

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The 2011 Boston Red Sox are begging for us to examine who will be the better offseason addition—Carl Crawford or Adrian Gonzalez? Which player will have a bigger impact in the Fens?

With the acquisitions of Gonzalez and Crawford the Boston Red Sox added quite a bit of talent to their starting squad.

Adrian Beltre and Mike Cameron will no longer be starting and instead are replaced by Kevin Youkilis and Jacoby Ellsbury. Oddly enough both Youk and Ells will be moving back to the positions where they originally started, third base and center field respectively.

Youkilis and Ellsbury are an upgrade over Beltre and Cameron, two guys who were brought in as short-term fillers and while Cameron is no longer starting it is good to have him as added depth in an outfield that is certainly not immune to injury.

The shift in positions leaves first base and left field to be patrolled by Gonzalez and Crawford.

I guess what I am trying to say is that the Red Sox are now fielding the starters that were meant to be starting. One exception to this statement would be Marco Scutaro, however Jed Lowrie might very well take over starting duties at shortstop and if so the Fenway faithful will field nine with no temporary replacement plug-ins.

While both acquisitions are huge for Boston, Adrian Gonzalez was the bigger move and here are a few reasons why.

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The 2010 season for the Boston Red Sox was riddled with injuries and inconsistency. The club struggled to an 89-73 record and a third place finish in the competitive American League East. 

The Sox front office looked to revamp their rosters, and create a buzz around Boston, with an offseason spending spree. With the additions of Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford the Red Sox will enter 2011 with the highest payroll in all of Major League Baseball.

It is only natural that a payroll of that magnitude comes with serious expectations. By many peoples count the Sox are the pre-season favorite to with the American League pennant. But pennants aren’t won on paper and they certainly arent won in the off-season.

If the Red Sox expect to make a run at a World Series in 2011 then they will need a lot of production and even more luck. However, if they are able to mesh everything together then they could stand to be the most dangerous team in the entire league.

This list is not to say these players are the best players on the Red Sox. Rather it is a realization that if the Sox are to win the World Series then these players are going to have to play a prominent role.

Without further delay here are the ten most important Boston Red Sox for the 2011 World Championship run.

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