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2012 MLB Power Rankings: Preseason

Posted by on 4 April 2012, 1:51 am

The 2012 MLB Season has technically already started but since today is the official Opening Day in the states, I deemed it still proper to post my preseason power rankings.

Lady Loves Pinstripes Weekly Power Rankings will be up every Friday, all season long and please note that giving your opinion in a comment is encouraged.

Please note that just because the power rankings are posted weekly does not necessarily mean the rankings are based on that week’s results. For example, if the Astros sweep the Phillies that does not mean the Astros move up to the top 10 teams; nor does it mean the Phillies be moved to the bottom. UNLESS the series is part of a pattern, like if the Astros have swept multiple series in a row, or if the Phillies have lost multiple series in a row.  Catch my drift…I am looking at the bigger picture, and teams will be ranked accordingly.

2012 MLB Power Rankings: Preseason

Continue reading ‘2012 MLB Power Rankings: Preseason’ »

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2012 MLB Team Preview: St. Louis Cardinals

Posted by on 4 March 2012, 10:35 pm
St. Louis Cardinals

St. Louis Cardinals

To keep with tradition, I will start my 2012 MLB team by team previews with the defending 2011 World Series Champions, the St. Louis Cardinals.

The 2012 Cardinals will look a lot different from last year’s team, as the two biggest faces of the franchise are no longer there.

POSITIVES:

The Cardinals won the World Series without ace Adam Wainwright who got hurt last Spring Training and was out for the season after needing Tommy John surgery.

Getting a pitcher back, who in 2010 posted a 20-11 record, with a 2.42 ERA, striking out 213, with five complete games and two shutouts in just over 230 innings pitched is surely a HUGE boost.

Wainwright is one of the best pitchers in baseball, and at 30 years old is just entering what is considered to be his prime years.

Wainwright and Chris Carpenter were one of the best one-two pitching combos in all of baseball before the injury and I expect them to be that again.

NEGATIVES:

It seriously still boggles my mind that the Cardinals let baseball’s best player, Albert Pujols, walk after winning the World Series.

Pujols was the face of the Cardinals, a leader and wanted to finish his career in St. Louis but the Cardinals didn’t want to pay the market price for a player of Pujols caliber.

I have spoken to some Cardinal fans and the sheer disappointment in losing Pujols. One even when as far as to say: “I would give back the 2011 WS to have Pujols for life.”

That seems a tad extreme, but Pujols was that kind of player.

So, does losing Pujols cripple the Cardinals heading in to 2012?

Well, the Cards will certainly look different, as Pujols’s star power is irreparable and so is his bat.

Luckily for St. Louis fans, the NL Central has lost a lot of its competitive edge across the board but is that enough to make up for losing Albert’s bat?

The Cardinals did sign Carlos Beltran but don’t hold your breath that he will ever be what he was back in 2004 or 2006, blame the Mets for overpaying him for his real worth. Beltran has been going downhill for a few too many seasons to expect a resurge at age 35.

Also, the Cardinals are without the other most familiar face skipper Tony LaRussa who retired after last season.

LaRussa was a mastermind in the postseason by mixing up of a so-so bullpen into a championship caliber group.

Hopefully the players can adjust without the man who has led them the last 16-seasons, but also remember that pitching coach Dave Duncan is taking a leave of absence for 2012 season to be with his ailing wife so that is another familiar face that will not be around.

PLAYER(s)/GAME-CHANGERS TO WATCH: Continue reading ‘2012 MLB Team Preview: St. Louis Cardinals’ »

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MLB Batter Vs. Batter: Which Superstar Would You Choose

Posted by on 2 November 2011, 12:52 am

Pretend it is the middle of MLB’s off-season, and you are hard at work as most General Managers are at this time of year.

Significant decisions are looming and need to be made sooner than later, as your team’s forthcoming success depends on it.

Now, below are the stats of two currently active MLB hitting superstars, but the hitch is you can only sign one. The players and stats are real, but the each player’s name, respective team and year are all crossed out in order for you to make an unbiased decision.

You won’t be discouraged, that much I can promise you.

Once you are finished, please leave your decision, via a comment and hopefully an explanation at the end of this post. Presumably, each pick will be your opinion of who is the better player as you are trying to put the best team together possible to win.

Before disclosing any true identities, let me give you the three reasons why I would sign PLAYER 1 over PLAYER 2.

  1. PLAYER 1 is just as lethal once on base as clear from his stolen base numbers. PLAYER 1 also has 57 more RBIs.
  2. PLAYER 2 doesn’t strikeout much, but my guess is that he gets intentionally walked a bit when looking at his base-on-balls numbers.
  3. PLAYER 1′s most recent numbers season shows improvement, while almost all PLAYER 2’s stats declined in his last season. This does not mean that PLAYER 2 can’t be productive again, as he could have had an off-year but PLAYER 1 hasn’t shown that kind of drop off. This leads me to believe that PLAYER 1  is the safer bet.

PLEASE WAIT once you click… ‘Continue Reading ‘MLB Batter Vs. Batter: Which Superstar Would You Choose’…. the two real owners of these stats shale be revealed.

*It is recommended that you make your choice prior to knowing each player’s true identity. As a team’s GM, intentionally hindering a decision instead of doing what is best for the team is selfish, so try to decide before you peak. You have been warned.* Continue reading ‘MLB Batter Vs. Batter: Which Superstar Would You Choose’ »

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Congratulations To The St. Louis Cardinals

Posted by on 29 October 2011, 2:56 pm

St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina celebrates after Game 7 of baseball's World Series against the Texas Rangers Friday, Oct. 28, 2011, in St. Louis. The Cardinals won 6-2 to win the series. - YAHOO SPORTS

Congratulations to the St. Louis Cardinals for winning the 2011 World Series.

The Cardinals gave baseball fans a truly thrilling ride because of how they believed in themselves.

From Carpenter to Motte; from Pujols to the MVP Freese; from Molina to manager Tony LaRussa… this was not one player or two, it was a complete team effort; and that is what defines a true champion.

The Cardinals were inspiring to watch and they reminded me why I love the game of baseball all over again.

So, thank you, and again… Congratulations to 2011 World Series Champions St. Louis Cardinals!

 

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WS Game 6 Was A Baseball Masterpiece

Posted by on 28 October 2011, 3:01 am
David Freese

Image via Wikipedia

The 2011 World Series had been a snooze, until last nights Game 6.

The game was far from perfect, way too much sloppy defense and both the Rangers and Cardinals reliable bullpens finally looked worn.

The imperfect, textbook mistakes aren’t what made this game so good; the attitudes and fight of the Cardinals and the Rangers did.

Anytime the underdog team fights to the last strike, with the World Series on the line and a hometown guy like David Freese hits a walk-off homerun it strikes up an uncontrolled emotion in anyone who calls themselves a fan of baseball.

This was an 11-inning, baseball masterpiece, and one of the best postseason games in history. All the imperfections in this 10-9 Cardinal win was what made the game so perfect.

All I can say is that I could not be happier for the baseball itself because fans fell in love all over again.

Game 7 is sure to be another fight to end and to repeat the words of FOX SPORTS and MLB Network Intentional Talk host Chris Rose:

“If you are not watching this thing tomorrow night you are not a sports fan.”

I will repeat my sentiments from my WS preview of the St. Louis Cardinals, there is something special going on in St. Louis.

 

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The 2011 New York Yankees Team Was Built To Win This WS

Posted by on 25 October 2011, 9:00 am

With each fleeting game, my attempts not to notice the absence of the 2011 New York Yankees in the World Series is wearing thin.

The more I watch the Texas Rangers and the St. Louis Cardinals play, the more I realize that the 2011 Bombers were truly molded to win this postseason.

With only five games down and at most two left to play, the Rangers are looking to close this WS out after taking a 3-2 lead over the Cardinals. The Rangers won this unexciting Game 5 by a score of 4-2.

When this revelation really dawned on me was after viewing the Rangers and Cardinals make a slugfest dull in Game 3, that the Yankees could have beaten both these teams. I mean the Bombers beat the Rangers 7-2 in regular season games, and even if the Rangers win the whole shebang, I am still not buying it.

I recognize how totally outlandish this theory is based on the Yankees early exit from the ALDS, as they lost a heart wrenching Game 5 to the Tigers but that was the Bombers at their worst.

The Yankees bats were all out of sorts because when a team has one or two opportunities to tie a game and fail that is getting outplayed. It is different when a team strands a total of 12 men on base, as that my friend is choking.

By no means am I taking away from the Tigers performance, as Detroit was playing at the top of their game. Still, that doesn’t change the fact that the Yankees were not.

So, how can I say that an eliminated team is built to win the World Series?

Well, anyone with a brain would realize that the Rangers and Cardinals are not winning off dominant starting pitching; instead they are disarming opponents with their powerful bats and shutdown bullpens.

And what were the Yankees biggest strengths all season long, hitting and relief pitching. Continue reading ‘The 2011 New York Yankees Team Was Built To Win This WS’ »

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2011 WS Rangers vs. Cardinals: Impartial Prediction

Posted by on 19 October 2011, 2:35 am

The battle for the title of 2011 World Series Champion starts tonight, as the St. Louis Cardinals will duke it out with the Texas Rangers in a match-up that you won’t want to miss.

The only sure thing is the one team will be crowned the champs, while the other will join the long list of World Series meltdowns.

Before getting to my prediction, read my posts about the good, the bad and the ugly about both the RANGERS and the CARDINALS. (Click on team name to read previews.) Click HERE for TV schedule for all World Series games.

So, who do think has the upper hand in this battle royal?

MY 2011 WORLD SERIES PREDICTION:

On paper the Rangers have a slight edge over the Cardinals, but neither team has an overwhelming advantage over the other.

Both teams have gotten sub-par performances in the postseason thus far from their starting pitchers, so look for the team whose rotation steps it up to play a big part of the series.

Looking at the regular season numbers, the Rangers have better starting rotation, but not as much vs. the Cardinals. See, the strength of the Cardinals hitters is the long-ball and the Rangers starters have given up 16 of the team’s 20 home-runs this postseason, with six off Rangers ace CJ Wilson. Wilson only gave up 16 homers in the regular season, so they need a big start from him in Game 1.

The Cardinals fate hangs on the Game 1 performance of ace Chris Carpenter, who is now suffering from elbow soreness but says he is good to go, but what else is he going to say.

Since Game 1 is in St. Louis, it gives the Cardinals home field advantage to start this World Series. The Cardinals are slightly better defensively than Texas, and have a better bench.

While the Rangers have the edge in their starting rotation, as they feature three lefties, which could make it tougher for the Cardinals righty dominate bats to get going. This is pending on at least two of the three lefties kicking it up a notch. Continue reading ‘2011 WS Rangers vs. Cardinals: Impartial Prediction’ »

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