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To read the first part of the Roundtable look right below this post. In this post we pick our surprises and dissapointments around baseball and talk a little college hoops. The great Texas Rangers debate might be on next week you will see why in the answers below.
4. What surprise team do you see this season?
Greg Mitchell (Cubs)- I think the Oakland A's will surprise many this season. The AL West has become much more competitive since the season ending as the M's, Rangers and A's have added while it appears the Angels have come down. The M's and Rangers seemingly have had better offseasons, but if the A's catch a couple breaks they could be right there. If one of Ben Sheets or Justin Duchscherer can be healthy (or maybe go a half season each) their pitching staff will be among the best in baseball. Their bullpen is very solid with Andrew Bailey and Brad Ziegler. The offense does leave something to be desired, but the M's and Angels don't stand out there either and the Rangers (even after adding Harden and Chris Ray) have a lot of questions with their pitching.
Ryan Huber (Cardinals)- My surprise team isn't much of a surprise team, but I think this year is their year. I also am biased since I covered the team last season. The Rangers are ready to make their bid for the World Series. From solid starting pitching to a power lineup to a halfway decent bullpen, this team has all the chemistry to make some noise come September.
Craig Thomas (Reds)- I'll say the Texas Rangers. I'm taking a chance because I know less about the AL West than probably any other division, but offense should come easily for them. They have a nice core (Josh Hamilton, Michael Young, former Mizzou Tiger Ian Kinsler, etc.) and also added pitcher Rich Harden and DH Vlad Guerrero.
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Ken Boehlke (White Sox)- The Mariners will be the surprise team of 2010. The addition of Cliff Lee coupled with Felix Hernandez will make the Mariners incredibly tough to beat in a series. Add in Chone Figgins, Milton Bradley, and Ryan Garko and the Mariners have a speedy yet well rounded offense. The Angels are not quite as dominant as they have been in the past, and I still don't see the Rangers or A's competing heavily in that race.
Dan Grote (Cardinals)- I honestly have no idea. Last year I think I picked the Braves, and that kind of turned out alright. 10 games over .500, I think. I'll go with the easy choice and say the Reds. The young pitching staff has another year under their belt, and will hopefully ignore Dusty to stay healthy. I think Orlando Cabrera will be a huge addition to their lineup, and the God-like Aaron Miles will solidify the bench. I am a huge Scott Rolen fan, and I think he still has something left in the tank.
Justin Bridgman (Cubs)- I'm tempted to pick one of the three AL West teams out of a hat and go with them, I also can't stop thinking about my recent Carlos Beltran discovery. I'll take the Nationals though just to be that guy. They have some interesting pieces and if Stephen Strasburg can come up and be good I could see them winning 80 games. At the same time my picking them almost secures their doom. Scratch that, I've changed my mind to the Giants. Lincecum and Cain are really good and I don't see the NL West as being too strong. That's my pick and I'm sticking to it.
Garry Frank (Royals)- Surprise team in baseball- Cincinnati Reds. Scott Carroll will be called up and probably dominate.
5. How about a bad surprise team?
Greg- Staying with a West Coast theme, I think the Dodgers might struggle more than people think. Their offense still looks loaded and their bullpen has a lot of great pitchers in it. They lack starting pitching depth after having lost Randy Wolf. Chad Billingsley struggled last year and there is no guarantee Vicente Padilla won't regress to what he was in Texas.
Ryan- The Reds. One reason: Dusty Baker.
Craig- I think the Los Angeles Dodgers will take a step back. Everyone knows the Angels lost a lot, but I'll bet a lot of people (just like PECOTA) automatically expect the Dodgers to win the West again. The back end of their rotation doesn't seem that great, though I'm probably nitpicking. Their lineup is still also pretty good but they play in arguably the toughest division in the NL, meaning they might play more tough games than the Phillies or Cardinals will.
Ken- The Texas Rangers are my disappointment team. The PECOTA Standings have Texas as the AL West champs and winning 87 games in 2010. The additions of Vladamir Guerrero and Rich Harden are both risky. Vlad is on the decline, and Harden has struggled to reach 150 innings since leaving Oakland. If Harden can stay healthy they can be a nice team, but if not, the pitching will let them down as it has in the past.
Dan- Last year I think I picked the Phillies, so I shouldn't be allowed to pick a surprise bad team. Maybe I picked the Red Sox, either way they both made the playoffs. So I have no idea.
Justin- The Red Sox are really going to put this "amazing at defense is better than hitting" thing to the test. The problem is their pitching is too deep for them to be terrible, so I'm going to pick the Angels. Perhaps it isn't the strongest pick since they had a tough offseason, but whatever. They lost their leadoff man and their ace. Matsui is a corpse at this point and Abreu is due to suck soon enough.
Garry- I think the Angels will be bad as they shipped away their workhorse to Boston and this will undo their success.
6. College Basketball: Kentucky, kU, Cuse, and Villanova or the field to win it all?
Greg- I'd take the field. I'd probably take it even without the two Big East schools.
Ryan- Winner: Kentucky: Wall, Bledsoe, fast height. Losers because: 'Cuse - zone defense, Nova - not enough defense, Kansas - obvious
Field - Denis Clemente is mowing the field right now. But seriously, no one can compete will UK.
Craig- Hmm tough call. I'll take the four you mentioned. But if I have to watch Kansas or Kentucky win the championship again, I think I'm owed a "Best Case Scenario" season for the Reds.
Ken- I'd have to take the Big 4. Though I don't like Kentucky's chances based on the youth, and kU is just the worst, you give me those two AND 'Cuse and Nova and it's hard to pick against those 4. I wanted to go homer here and say I'll take the field cause Mizzou is going to win it all, but I wanted to try and keep at least an ounce of credibility here.
Dan- I choose the field. I have little doubt that Kentucky, Syracuse, Villanova and kU are the best teams in the land right now, but so much can change in the next two months. For example, I hope Sharron Collins gets injured (not career threatening, just the rest of the season) and Cole "big hoosier" Aldrich gets kicked off the team. It's just so hard to pick against the other 61 teams in the field. I might be on crack, but wasn't last year the first time all 4 No.1 seeds all made the Final Four? March Madness is made for upsets, so it is hard picking the favorites EVERY game. Damn, I still can't believe Mizzou was 8 minutes away from Detroit last year. Damn. Damn. Damn.
Justin- I die a little inside each time I watch kansas play. I haven't seen much of Nova, but I have seen plenty of Syracuse and Kentucky. I'm taking those four and running. Who can knock them off? Maybe Texas if they figure it out, maybe Georgetown can sucker people into their game. Duke and K-State are both done after the Sweet 16. I don't know that this will be the Final Four, but I'm almost positive one of these four wins it all.
Garry- Any team that beats Kansas is my friend
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