My Midseason Report - NL Preseason Prediction Update

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Hey everyone, Drew back here. Today holds one of the more fun events of the baseball year: the Home Run Derby. Love it or hate it, the derby still manages to bring an extra element of fun to the game that kids love to watch. I had the pleasure of going with my friends and Dad when it took place at Citi Field in 2013, and it was a blast. Hopefully, this new bracket style competition featuring stars from Albert Pujols to Kris Bryant will live up to the hype!

Last Tuesday, I looked back on the predictions I made in March about the 2015 season in the American League. I was way off on many of my calls in the AL, but did manage to say a few things that have reflected three full months into the year. Today, I bring to you my thoughts on how National League baseball has played out.

If you wish to read my initial predictions and make fun of me, here they are:

NL East, NL Central, NL West, Award Predictions, Playoffs

NL East

My Preseason Prediction -
Washington Nationals, Miami Marlins, New York Mets, Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phillies

Predicted Division MVP - Giancarlo Stanton
Predicted Division Cy Young - Max Scherzer
Playoff Teams - Washington, Miami (Wild Card)

Current Standings (as of July 13th) -
Washington Nationals, New York Mets, Atlanta Braves, Miami Marlins, Philadelphia Phillies

Division MVP - Bryce Harper
Division Cy Young - Max Scherzer
Playoff Teams - Washington

The East has been the least competitive of the 3 National League Divisions this year, with only two teams over .500. The Nationals are in control and are one of the better teams in baseball despite playing through plenty of injuries, especially on the offensive side. The Mets have been impressive considering their lack of impact bats, and have provided some fun bringing up future stars Noah "Thor" Syndergaard and Steven Matz. Unfortunately, I made the mistake of picking the Marlins to win a Wild Card spot; which may take the cake as my worst prediction. Their front office has been laughable, as their GM is currently doubling as their manager (with no managerial experience, of course). Giancarlo Stanton can't catch a break, and even with Jose Fernandez back at full form, I can't fathom any way this team makes the postseason.

For Phillies fans sakes, I'll leave them out of this (but they really should trade Cole Hamels now rather than later).

NL Central

My Preseason Prediction -
Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, Milwaukee Brewers

Predicted Division MVP - Andrew McCutchen
Predicted Division Cy Young - Johnny Cueto
Playoff Teams - Pittsburgh, St. Louis (Wild Card)

Current Standings (as of July 13th) -
St. Louis Cardinals, Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, Milwaukee Brewers

Division MVP - Todd Frazier
Division Cy Young - Gerrit Cole
Playoff Teams - St. Louis, Pittsburgh (Wild Card), Chicago (Wild Card)

Perhaps the most fun division to keep track of in baseball features teams with different styles, from "The Cardinal Way" to Joe Maddon's unpredictable, young Cubs squad. I said in my predictions that I wouldn't be surprised if the Cubs were Wild Card contenders, but I liked the Marlins too much to let that happen (pretty embarrassing, I know). Chicago has plenty of flaws, but they do have a good chance of holding onto their spot as the second Wild Card team. If indeed the Pirates play the Cubs that day, I know for a fact that I'd be glued to the TV.

If I do say so myself, I did a nice job choosing the order of this division. I went with a personal favorite choice of Pittsburgh to win, but the Cardinals to make the playoffs as well. St. Louis got off to a hot start, but the Buccos are only within 2.5 games of first now. Otherwise, the rest of the division was predicted correctly, so for once I get to breathe a sigh of relief and survive another day.

NL West

My Preseason Prediction -
Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, San Diego Padres, Colorado Rockies, Arizona Diamondbacks

Predicted Division MVP - Troy Tulowitzki
Predicted Division Cy Young - Clayton Kershaw
Playoff Teams - Los Angeles

Current Standings (as of July 13th) -
Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, Arizona Diamondbacks, San Diego Padres, Colorado Rockies

Division MVP - Paul Goldschmidt
Division Cy Young - Zack Greinke
Playoff Teams - Los Angeles

One of my bolder calls early on was picking the defending World Series champion San Francisco Giants to miss the postseason. It is an odd numbered year, after all, so I thought it was somewhat justified. As of right now... I was right. I wouldn't be surprised to see them make a run, though, and they are my favorite NL team so I would love every bit of that. The Dodgers have been off to a fantastic start, even though their ace hasn't quite been ace-level all year. Zack Greinke has stepped up amid Kershaw's inconsistency, and even earned the starting gig for the All Star Game tomorrow night.

The Diamondbacks are out of the cellar for the time being, which is one of the better stories in the league. They field a young team with plenty of potential, and although I still can't see them contending for a playoff spot, I've been pleased to see them succeed.

Award Predictions

NL MVP - Giancarlo Stanton
NL Cy Young - Clayton Kershaw
NL Rookie of the Year - Kris Bryant
NL Manager of the Year - Clint Hurdle
NL Comeback Player of the Year - Matt Harvey

Once again, I made sure to keep my Award Predictions as safe as possible because I knew my other predictions would fall apart in some way or another. All five award picks I made are at least contenders for the awards, although it would take a huge second half to give Kershaw his 4th Cy Young Award. Stanton's injury may take him down a few pegs in the MVP race, and my Dark Horse pick, Bryce Harper, has been living up to the hype we all have been excited for since he was old enough to get his driver's license. Considering he's still younger than phenom rookie Kris Bryant, I think we still haven't seen Harper's best yet. He's the MVP, no question about it. Paul Goldschmidt is having a spectacular season as well, helping the D-Backs into the playoff hunt, but without Harper the Nationals offense would be mediocre. They are both enormous difference makers, and should continue to be just that into October (knock on wood).

Preseason Playoff Picks

Wild Card Game - Miami vs. St. Louis
My Pick - Miami

Division Series - Pittsburgh vs. Los Angeles
My Pick - Los Angeles in 4

Division Series - Miami vs. Washington
My Pick - Washington in 5

Championship Series - Los Angeles vs. Washington
My Pick - Washington in 7

Pennant Winner - Washington

Outside of my horrific Miami pick continuing to haunt me throughout this post, I still feel pretty good about most of these choices. I think we'll see something along these lines, just perhaps with Chicago or San Francisco in the Wild Card game rather than the Marlins. Washington will have a lot of pressure to succeed after their huge offseason, but the Dodgers will too. History has shown that both teams struggle under pressure, but one of them will have to overcome these struggles if they end up playing each other. The winner of this series (if it happens) will win the World Series.

What's great about baseball is that it gives fans the opportunity to explore all sorts of possibilities, and the debate never stops. I could be flat out wrong, as I have proven time and time again, but it's okay to be wrong here. I'll continue to stand by my picks, outside of Miami, and I'm pumped for another equally awesome second half of my favorite game in the world. But for now, I'm going to kick back, relax, and watch some of the best stars in the game go head to head. Home field advantage or not, it's not often that all this star power gathers in one place.

See Ya!

Cubs vs. Mets Game Recap!

Hey everyone, Drew back here! I can't believe it's already July; 2015 has been nothing short of a blur so far. As for my recent absence, I have been going through a decent amount personally of late, but things appear to be picking back up little by little. Last night, a couple of my friends and I visited Citi Field to see two of baseball's best young teams; the Cubs and Mets. We were able to figure out the subway system and made it to the ballpark with plenty of time to spare, and we were ready for a great game.

Unfortunately, despite strong pitching performances from Jon Niese and Kyle Hendricks, both teams generally weren't ready. There were a combined 7 hits in the game, Matt Szczur leading the way for the Cubs with two hits and the lone RBI. Daniel Murphy was impressive on both sides of the field in his return, making a sparkling diving grab to his left at third as well as crushing a double to the deepest area of Citi Field. The Cubs ultimately won the game, 1-0, snapping their 5 game losing streak but not necessarily in style.

The main draw for my friends and I was Kris Bryant, who we saw sign autographs prior to the game (starting to regret not sprinting down to the lower level to try and get one). Bryant singled and walked in a 1-3 effort, and also scored the lone run. It was cool to see considering he hopefully will go on to be at least a finalist for NL Rookie of the Year and a future star.

In other news, I took the advice of Parks and Recreation's Donna and Tom and treated myself to a beautiful 40 inch TV and a PS4 for my man cave! I have been saving up money for a while now, and now was a better time than ever to trade my Xbox 360 and 10 year old TV in for some new stuff.

I have quite a few things to show off including a few great care packages, a TTM, and some eBay pickups. Be sure to keep on the lookout!

See Ya!

Autograph Pickup of the BEST Current Cubbie!

Hey guys, Drew back here! To go along with my recent eBay addition, a Paul Goldschmidt Five Star on card autograph, I decided to pick up an autograph of who I believe is the best current player on the Cubs roster. Kris Bryant has loads of talent, and I feel like we'll be spending the significant future admiring his play. But in this case, I wanted to show a little love for someone who is doing big things right now, Anthony Rizzo.

Out of 2013 Topps Tribute, I found a gorgeous on card autograph numbered 60 of 99 of the Cubs young slugger. Many people have turned their focus on Jorge Soler, Kris Bryant, and Addison Russell for good reason, but Rizzo is often the forgotten man on what is becoming one of the most exciting lineups to watch in all of baseball. Last year, Anthony clubbed a personal high 32 home runs while batting .286 and driving in 78 runs. He's off to a great start in 2015, and looks to be one of the better players for the foreseeable future in baseball. If you haven't heard his story, in which he overcame Hodgkins Lymphona several years ago, I highly recommend you check out this piece MLB Network ran about him over the offseason.

I bought this card for a little over $10 shipped on eBay in my recent attempt to catch up on adding some of the better autographs I've been missing. Rizzo doesn't have the best penmanship by any means, but his performance makes up for it. I also was able to add several others through Check Out My Collectibles, but there's one more card I'm saving up to buy with store credit once I sell a few more cheap cards (please feel free to help a friend out and check out my store, thanks)!

Who's your favorite player to watch on the Cubs? I wouldn't say they're off to the World Series this year, but I'm not ruling them out as a potential playoff team for years to come. Whatever the case may be, it will be fun to watch.

See Ya!

2015 National League Central Preview + Predictions!

Hey guys, Drew back here! Moving right along; here is our fifth division preview of the season. Since I started this series, I've had to make two changes thanks in part to pitcher injuries that were critical to the hopes of two teams. I first moved the Rangers from third to fourth in the AL West due to Yu Darvish's impending Tommy John Surgery. Texas will still have a solid team, but Darvish would've made them a contender, and it really sucks that he won't be around in 2015. Also, I just recently decided with the tragic torn ACL young Blue Jays righty Marcus Stroman suffered to lower the Blue Jays to second in the AL East. I had them winning the division due to a breakout year for Stroman, and since this is my blog and I get to do what I want, the Blue Jays will now be a Wild Card team while the Red Sox will now take the division in my opinion. Injuries have been brutal this spring already, and I know it's drastic to move an entire team based on one player, but that just goes to show how competitive baseball should be next year.

If you've missed the beginning of this series, check out my predictions for:

AL East                    AL Central                   AL West                      NL East

2015 NL Central Standings Prediction:

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1 - Pittsburgh Pirates

X-Factors: Gregory Polanco, Pedro Alvarez, Gerrit Cole, Jung-Ho Kang

The Cardinals have barely bested Pittsburgh two years in a row now, and I don't believe they can do it again. This year will be the first time since 1992 that the Jolly Roger will be raised at the top of the division, and the first time they ever win the Central (at that time they were in the NL East). Mike Trout may be younger and slightly more talented, but that is no reason to put down Andrew McCutchen. Cutch is in the thick of his prime, and should be primed to lead his time into the playoffs for the third straight year. Their young outfield of McCutchen, Starling Marte, and Gregory Polanco has tremendous potential, and should be explosive on offensive and defense. They were able to sign back A.J. Burnett, who clearly proved that PNC Park was a great fit during his first stint with the team. Francisco Liriano was re-signed, and young fireballer Gerrit Cole will continue to prove that he's their future ace. If this team can continue to play like they have in recent time, they will only get better. And to the rest of the division; that's awfully scary.

2 - St. Louis Cardinals

X-Factors: Michael Wacha, Kolten Wong, Jason Heyward

This has been one of the most consistent teams of recent time, always doing things the right way ("The Cardinal Way"). Led by catcher Yadier Molina, the Birds will be looking to build off their division win and Championship series loss to the reigning champion San Francisco Giants. What the Cardinals have that the Pirates don't have is age, which could be viewed in two different ways. It is great to have players that know how to win, but it's not great having a group of players deteriorating and more susceptible to injury. Molina's performance has declined, but his impact on the team is far beyond his bat, but he's not the only one. Matt Holliday's performance is gradually decreasing, and ace Adam Wainwright is going into a year already with injury concern. But this isn't to say this is a bad team, their potential on paper just doesn't quite seem to top Pittsburgh's at this point. Newly acquired Jason Heyward will be worth every bit of the trade they made involving Shelby Miller and prospects. Heyward may not have reached his offensive ceiling quite yet, but he's considered the best right fielder defensively in the game, and he's only 25 years old. The return of Michael Wacha should balance the pitching rotation while Wainwright battles through what may be a difficult season, as well. Mike Matheny is a fantastic manager, and he'll find a way to get this team to the playoffs; I just don't expect them to win the Central with their stars slowly fading away.   

3 - Chicago Cubs

X-Factors: Jorge Soler, Javier Baez, Kris Bryant

Who in their right mind would bet for this team to win the World Series? Considering it's been over a hundred years since they last won, the odds are clearly not in their favor. And while yes, they did improve significantly this offseason adding Jon Lester, Dexter Fowler, Miguel Montero, and manager Joe Maddon; it's not their time yet. People aren't even sure if Kris Bryant is going to make the Opening Day roster due to money reasons, so that alone could set the team back. This core of young talent is unmatched on any other team in the game, and I do agree that they can become at least a Wild Card contender as early as this year. However, I think most of their success is still a few years away. It has to be tough on developing outfielder Jorge Soler, third baseman Bryant, and second baseman Javier Baez hearing all of these World Series talks. Vegas may think it's their time, but the average baseball fan should be able to see that there are far too many already established teams that will be more prepared this year. I'm as excited as the next guy to see these young stars make names for themselves in the big leagues, don't get me wrong. But I don't see them making the playoffs this year.

4 - Cincinnati Reds

X-Factors: Health

Choosing between the Reds and Brewers for this spot was more difficult than just about anything else I've attempted to predict this year. But, given that this Reds team is currently healthy, I can't help but put them ahead for now. If this team could stay relatively healthy this year, I can see them even making a playoff run. Even though they lost Mat Latos, they still have a lot to offer. Jay Bruce and Joey Votto were absent in the lineup for most of last season, and they should provide a spark guys like Todd Frazier, Devin Mesoraco, and Billy Hamilton needed. Johnny Cueto will most likely be pitching his final season for the Reds, and will be performing for a big contract. He will once again make a case for the Cy Young Award, and now healthy Homer Bailey and Tony Cingrani should contribute too. This team's devastating 2014 paralleled the Rangers in the American League, and like I said for them (before they lost Darvish of course)... how much worse could it get? 

5 - Milwaukee Brewers

X-Factors: Ryan Braun, Jean Segura, Adam Lind

The Brewers won 82 games in 2014, and I just ranked them in last for this upcoming season. And I do not feel comfortable with this decision at all, because this does not feel like a last place team. I just don't know how else to go about this, and thus here we are now. Ryan Braun has been going through Tiger Woods Syndrome ever since his PED scandal, and we may never see the old Braun again. This will be their third baseman and model of consistency Aramis Ramirez's final season, and he can't man the hot corner all that well anymore. Carlos Gomez and Jonathan Lucroy will provide the major spark of the lineup; both being potential MVP candidates, but it still isn't enough for me. Why is that, you ask? It all comes down to pitching, and they simply do not have what any of the other teams in the division have. They traded Yovani Gallardo to the Rangers this past winter, and it's going to hurt them not having a dependable ace in the staff. The offense can be as good as it was last year, but the other four teams here have all improved. If anything, the Brew Crew took a step back.

Division MVP: Andrew McCutchen

Division Cy Young: Johnny Cueto

Playoff Teams: Pittsburgh, St. Louis

I ended up choosing the Marlins and Cardinals as my two Wild Card choices for the National League, which means that the defending champion Giants, or the always popular choice, the Dodgers, will NOT make the playoffs at all. Stay tuned to see what I have to say about the West, and shortly after that I'll have my playoff and award predictions! 

Do you agree, disagree? Feel free to start up some baseball chatter in the comments below, I've enjoyed hearing your feedback so far and I'm glad this new series has been appealing to some people so far! I can't wait for the season to begin!

See Ya!

Rest in Peace, Mr. Cub

Hey guys, Drew back here. I ended my Friday night with some pretty difficult news to swallow. Mr. Cub, Ernie Banks, passed away at the age of 83 in Chicago.

Over the past year or so, I've used all of the great experiences I've gotten from fans, stadiums, and players to become a more well rounded baseball fan. I can say today that I am a fan of baseball as a whole even more than I am a Yankee fan, which doesn't mean anything against my Yankees but gives respect to all of the other legends who have came and went in this great game. One of the trailblazers for my newfound love for my favorite game was Mr. Banks, whose personality stood larger than life and made his actual baseball career an afterthought. It takes a pretty special man for their heart and passion to surpass his credentials; which include 14 All Star selections, 2 NL MVP's, a retired number at Wrigley Field and a plaque in the Hall of Fame.

I've been meeting current and former players at sports card/autograph shows for over 5 years now with my Dad. We've seen the good, the bad, and the ugly when it comes to players' attitudes while signing for the fans. We've seen players openly tell their fans they have to leave to catch a flight, and players spend entire experiences with fans while talking on their cell phones. For every great experience we've had has come about 3 average ones and 1 below average one. But nobody I've met has ever been as down to Earth and lovable as Ernie Banks was to my Dad, my best friend Mike, and I on August 20th, 2011. And I'm truly convinced that nobody I've met ever will carry themselves quite like the Cubs hero. He made a steeply priced autograph ticket worth every penny to the three of us, and provided entertainment to everyone in the building, even staying well past his scheduled signing time to accommodate to each and every person in line (Click here to read about my time with Mr. Banks that day).

Some people got to spend a great amount of time with Ernie throughout his life. I only got a few hours, but those few hours were filled with memories I'll never forget as long as I live.

Let's Play Two. Rest in Peace.

Thoughts on the MLB Offseason Thus Far

Hey guys, Drew back here. Usually I use my blog to reflect on my sports card collection but I thought I'd try something new because I haven't had a whole lot to post about lately. So, I figured I'd offer up some of my thoughts and suggestions for this offseason so far. I'm no professional, and I don't know all the answers, but I'm just as passionate for the MLB Offseason as I am for the regular season.

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On Jon Lester: Early this morning (put an emphasis to the early) the Cubs became the winners of the Jon Lester sweepstakes, rewarding his previous performance with a 6 year, $155 million dollar contract. He will make an average of about $25.8 million per year over the span of the contract, and at the age of 31; he is heading towards the end of his prime. Many will argue that he is just on the outside of the elite core of pitchers in baseball, but does tend to have an increased value given his past postseason performance (despite giving up a lead in the Wild Card game this past year to a hungry Royals team). 

I see this move as a statement by the Cubs that they won't be allowing other teams to take advantage of them for much longer. However, Lester will be heading into his mid-30's by the time their mega prospects Kris Bryant, Javier Baez, and Addison Russell reach their prime. By that time, Lester will have to make adjustments as he ages, and while I personally can see him being capable of this, it is still left to be proven. Obviously there is a past connection between Cubs GM Theo Epstein and Lester, as Epstein was once the Red Sox GM prior to taking over Chicago's front office. 

Lester should bring a lot of intangibles to this Cubs team, and as their younger playoffs develop, he will be an unquestioned leader of the pitching staff, even if he isn't necessarily the best in their arsenal at that point. I don't see the Cubs suddenly becoming contenders with this move, but they are on the right path. They also traded for Diamondbacks catcher Miguel Montero, who will provide a great presence in the clubhouse and will be able to manage a core of young pitchers as he's done very well over the past 9 years in Arizona. To win now, the Cubs need more than this, but I think they should prepare to make a serious run 2 or 3 years from now (I suggest trading Starlin Castro by next year to make the team more well rounded prior to making that extra playoff push). So while almost $26 million is in my opinion a bit much for how he profiles to perform up until his age 37 season, the Cubs used Lester to show that they aren't messing around, and I like that. 

Note: I give a lot of respect and props to Lester for taking this challenge with a young, unproven Cubs team. If he can help them back to a World Series, he will be part of baseball lore forever, if his past postseason performances haven't done that already. Sure, I could never pass up $26 million per year, but it does sound like he had a higher offer from a Giants team that has won 3 of the past 5 World Series. Best of luck in Chicago, Jon.

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On the Yankees 3 Team Deal for Didi Gregorius: This move was made almost a week ago now and I'm still torn on it. I have been on the bandwagon of Yankee fans who have wanted them to become a younger team for years now, and this would certainly fulfill such a concept. What we don't forget is that a majority of Yankees fans are not very sympathetic, and that many will jump to criticize this move (especially if Shane Greene maintains his 2014 performance in Detroit). Gregorius is unproven to me despite two full seasons in the big leagues, but he is regarded as a good defender that can't hit left handed pitching all that well. Some have recently said he doesn't have the mentality to play in New York, and given the task of replacing Jeter, he could choke even further.

But here's the thing: He's 24 years old. Rarely in New York do we get to see a position player receive opportunities at this young of an age, and it's honestly refreshing that they didn't chase after Jed Lowrie, Stephen Drew, or Asdrubal Cabrera and decided to instead take a shot in the dark. Brian Cashman has been interested in Gregorius on and off over the past year, and initially talks last year would have cost the Yankees Brett Gardner. Instead, they only surrendered Shane Greene in the move, who did have an impressive second half last year, but given his pre 2014 status as a relatively unknown prospect, he could be a fluke. That said, pitchers do make adjustments, and he could wind up becoming a consistent performer in a very good Tigers rotation next year. Nonetheless, I'd make this trade and take this chance 10 times out of 10 if I were Cashman, and I'm glad he went against his usual strategy to bring a low cost, high potential player into the mix.

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On the Yankees passing up on David Robertson for Andrew Miller: Most Yankees fans were really hard pressed to see Robertson leave the fold for the White Sox this offseason. I am not one of those particular fans. Hold on though, before I get criticized: I do realize how well of a job he did filling Mariano Rivera's shoes last season and I do love seeing players stay on board with their homegrown organizations. I've even met David a few years ago at a local card show, and he instantly made me a fan of his. I have numerous pieces of his in my collection, and also have gotten an autograph back from him TTM. He's a great person, great teammate as far as we've heard, and he knows how to pitch the late innings better than most people in baseball. But as soon as he asked for Jonathan Papelbon money this offseason, I had a strange feeling that the Yankees would still pass up on him. 

Advanced pitching statistics have noticed a decline in recent seasons, and even I could see him regressing with my own eyes. After all, I was at a game last season that Robertson blew in the 9th after throwing a meatball to the Astros' Chris Carter. He's still only 29 years old, but more often than not, closers don't seem to repeat success well into their 30's (with several exceptions, Rivera of course). The main reason I didn't necessarily mind losing Robby this offseason was because of Dellin Betances' electric performance last season in the Yankee bullpen. I would absolutely love to see him takes the reins as the new closer for the Bronx Bombers in 2015. And even with the signing of Andrew Miller, I still believe he will end up earning that role next season, with Miller occasionally receiving save opportunities but mostly setting up.

That brings me to my next point: Andrew Miller. Miller is the same age as Robertson, and far less consistent, but had a dominant 2014 split between the Red Sox and Orioles. He pitched tremendously out of the bullpen for Baltimore in the playoffs, and has a lot of experience pitching in the AL East. He came at a "discount" compared to Robertson, although the catch is that he doesn't have any closing experience. But WHO CARES? Next season, instead of being tied down to Robertson's role in the 9th, Girardi could mix and match the 9th inning depending on the batters. He does prefer to set roles to pitchers though, and I think I'd take Miller-Betances over Betances-Robertson. The move isn't an upgrade, but the Yankees gain a first round pick in the draft because Miller was traded in the middle of this past season from Boston to Baltimore and Robertson was given a qualifying offer by the team attached to a draft pick.

David Robertson is by no means a bad pitcher, and I wish him all the best in Chicago. The White Sox have made several big moves this offseason now, and I wouldn't be surprised if they contended next season with Jeff Samardzija and Chris Sale at the top of their rotation. I think he'll thrive in that environment, even with his statistical decline. The Yankees were of course capable of adding both pitchers to their bullpen, but I'd rather they use the money elsewhere because I don't see the bullpen as a weakness of theirs compared to other positions (second base, third base, fourth outfielder, and especially the starting rotation). They saved $10 million which they could use towards holding onto Chase Headley or possibly if they choose to make a run for Max Scherzer (which sounds more unlikely by the day, but I can dream, right?).

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Whew, well that was a lot of fun. Let me know what you all think about the topics I've discussed, and please feel free to offer input on what I could do better. If you guys aren't interested in this being a part of the blog, let me know as well, I know there are plenty of sources out there that may be more reliable but I like to chime in once in a while and provide my take on the state of my favorite game in the world.

In other news, tomorrow will be my last full day here at my college before I come home for winter break, and eventually transfer next semester! I hope to be on here more regularly over the next month, but certainly no promises as always. Take care guys, and for all of you in the northeast, be safe on the roads!

See Ya!