Whats up guys; I just put together my NL East positional rankings for the Examiner.com; wanted to see what you guys think. Where am I wrong; did I get any right?

 

Anyway, can't wait for the start of the season! I plan on staying active on the board and talking some NL East baseball, definately not trolling.

 

First Base

 

http://www.examiner.com/x-2496-Atlan...ngs-First-Base

 

Second Base

 

http://www.examiner.com/x-2496-Atlan...gs-Second-Base

 

Shortstop

 

http://www.examiner.com/x-2496-Atlan...ings-Shortstop

 

Third Base

 

http://www.examiner.com/x-2496-Atlan...kings-3rd-base

 

Catcher

 

http://www.examiner.com/x-2496-Atlan...nkings-Catcher

 

Outfielders

 

http://www.examiner.com/x-2496-Atlan...kings-Outfield

 

Starting Pitching

 

http://www.examiner.com/x-2496-Atlan...rting-Pitchers

 

Relievers

http://www.examiner.com/x-2496-Atlan...ings-Relievers

 

By the way, if any of you guys enjoy writing; you should check out the Examiner.com; it's a nice way to make a little money covering something that you enjoy.

 

Ryan

"Ross has serviceable power, but isn?t an impact player with the glove or the bat. "

 

Probably your biggest mistake.

"Ross has serviceable power, but isn't an impact player with the glove or the bat. "

 

Probably your biggest mistake.

 

 

Do explain; I can definately take my lumps if someone thinks I'm wrong; but tell me why you think that way.

 

I really wasn't trying to knock Ross; who I think is a fine player. He's good defensively and I like the versatility that he brings; it's nice to have player able to play anywhere in the outfield; but I still don't see him as a plus defender.

 

His bat is fine, good power; but until he can get his OBP up past the .315 mark he's not impact offensive player in my eyes.

All in all, not bad. Here are my critiques.

 

Starting pitching: I think you are short changing the Marlins (even thought I understand the concern with their youth and health), and really wrong about the Phils and Braves.

 

I think you are going a bit homerish on the Braves side, because they have just as many questions as the Marlins.

 

Jurrjens had a great first half but a very bad second half when batters started figuring him out, there are always questions with a Japanese import, Glavine might not even make it through the season, Vazquez has been average at best for the last 5 seasons, and Lowe is old but he'll probably be good this season. I just can't see the second, especially not in front of Hamels, Myers, Blanton, Moyer, and Kendrick/Eaton.

 

Lindstrom: Walks aren't a problem with Lindstrom. His career BB/9 is only 2.82. He did start off with control issues at the beginning of last season, but after being sent down in June to work on his slider, he came back with a 3 BB/9 in 36 games.

 

Cantu: Most of Cantu's problems in the past came from an injury and little playing time. He'll be fine this season and I think he should have been ranked third, infront of Feliz at 3B and/or 4th ahead of Kotchman.

 

Baker: There are still a lot of questions about this guy, to see if he can keep it up in the bigs. But with how bad the catchers in this division are, 2nd or 3rd isn't a bad ranking.

 

Maybin is ready. Most of his strikeouts in are attributed to him testing the strikezone, as that's what his coaches wanted him to do. His K numbers got better at the end and did end up with an OBP of .375, good for 23rd in the league.

 

Cody Ross His glove is pretty good, to the point that I would say he is an impact player with the glove, he just doesn't get much credit. Fielding Bible's +/- had him as the 4th best CF in all of baseball last year. He only made 1 error in 1064.2 innings last season and has a decent arm with great accuracy. He's not the fastest guy but takes great routes and has great technique out there. His lack of speed is going to be even less of an issue this year, with him moving from CF to RF and with Maybin covering CF.

All in all, not bad. Here are my critiques.

 

Starting pitching: I think you are short changing the Marlins (even thought I understand the concern with their youth and health), and really wrong about the Phils and Braves.

 

I think you are going a bit homerish on the Braves side, because they have just as many questions as the Marlins.

 

Jurrjens had a great first half but a very bad second half when batters started figuring him out, there are always questions with a Japanese import, Glavine might not even make it through the season, Vazquez has been average at best for the last 5 seasons, and Lowe is old but he'll probably be good this season. I just can't see the second, especially not in front of Hamels, Myers, Blanton, Moyer, and Kendrick/Eaton.

 

Lindstrom: Walks aren't a problem with Lindstrom. His career BB/9 is only 2.82. He did start off with control issues at the beginning of last season, but after being sent down in June to work on his slider, he came back with a 3 BB/9 in 36 games.

 

Cantu: Most of Cantu's problems in the past came from an injury and little playing time. He'll be fine this season and I think he should have been ranked third, infront of Feliz at 3B and/or 4th ahead of Kotchman.

 

Baker: There are still a lot of questions about this guy, to see if he can keep it up in the bigs. But with how bad the catchers in this division are, 2nd or 3rd isn't a bad ranking.

 

Maybin is ready. Most of his strikeouts in are attributed to him testing the strikezone, as that's what his coaches wanted him to do. His K numbers got better at the end and did end up with an OBP of .375, good for 23rd in the league.

 

Cody Ross His glove is pretty good, to the point that I would say he is an impact player with the glove, he just doesn't get much credit. Fielding Bible's +/- had him as the 4th best CF in all of baseball last year. He only made 1 error in 1064.2 innings last season and has a decent arm with great accuracy. He's not the fastest guy but takes great routes and has great technique out there. His lack of speed is going to be even less of an issue this year, with him moving from CF to RF and with Maybin covering CF.

 

Good post - I agree pretty much completely.

I think the outfield in the NL East are pretty weak overall, and the Marlins could easily be 3rd (the back 3 are mostly interchangeable). And I think the front two are clost to interchangeable, as well. Can't complain too much about your order, but it could just as easily be Mets, Phils, Marlins, Nats, Braves or something similar.

 

Nice job tho - good work and solid Marlins knowledge considering you seem not to be a Marlins-centric reporter!

All in all, not bad. Here are my critiques.

 

Starting pitching: I think you are short changing the Marlins (even thought I understand the concern with their youth and health), and really wrong about the Phils and Braves.

 

I think you are going a bit homerish on the Braves side, because they have just as many questions as the Marlins.

 

Jurrjens had a great first half but a very bad second half when batters started figuring him out, there are always questions with a Japanese import, Glavine might not even make it through the season, Vazquez has been average at best for the last 5 seasons, and Lowe is old but he'll probably be good this season. I just can't see the second, especially not in front of Hamels, Myers, Blanton, Moyer, and Kendrick/Eaton.

 

Lindstrom: Walks aren't a problem with Lindstrom. His career BB/9 is only 2.82. He did start off with control issues at the beginning of last season, but after being sent down in June to work on his slider, he came back with a 3 BB/9 in 36 games.

 

Cantu: Most of Cantu's problems in the past came from an injury and little playing time. He'll be fine this season and I think he should have been ranked third, infront of Feliz at 3B and/or 4th ahead of Kotchman.

 

Baker: There are still a lot of questions about this guy, to see if he can keep it up in the bigs. But with how bad the catchers in this division are, 2nd or 3rd isn't a bad ranking.

 

Maybin is ready. Most of his strikeouts in are attributed to him testing the strikezone, as that's what his coaches wanted him to do. His K numbers got better at the end and did end up with an OBP of .375, good for 23rd in the league.

 

Cody Ross His glove is pretty good, to the point that I would say he is an impact player with the glove, he just doesn't get much credit. Fielding Bible's +/- had him as the 4th best CF in all of baseball last year. He only made 1 error in 1064.2 innings last season and has a decent arm with great accuracy. He's not the fastest guy but takes great routes and has great technique out there. His lack of speed is going to be even less of an issue this year, with him moving from CF to RF and with Maybin covering CF.

 

I do understand why you think I might be looking at the Atlanta rotation with homerish glasses; but I assure I took them off when writing this article; at least I think I did!

 

Lowe consistently doesn't get the credit that he deserves; his numbers stack up very well with more well-known "aces". Some point to the fact that he played in a huge stadium for the Dodgers, but Lowe is an extreme groundball pitcher, that doesn't give up many homeruns anywhere. He's also thrown at least 180 innings in each of the last seven seasons.

 

I agree that Jurrjens did fade, but we're still talking about a 22 year-old kid that tossed 180 innings with an ERA under 4; he'll be fine.

 

Vazquez is another innings eater that has thrown 198 innings in each of the last eight year. I also he'll pitch much better coming over to the NL, to a more pitcher-friendly ballpark.

 

Kawakami is a wild-card; but that doesn't mean he should be dismissed; his numbers from Japan are quite good. Hiroki Kuroda was an unknown last year and had a tremendous impact with the Dodgers.

 

Glavine I'm not counting on anything with Glavine, we're in the same boat there. But it shouldn't be discounted that waiting in AAA is Tommy Hanson, count on him joining the staff this year.

 

I'm not as high on the Phillies staff as you are; although I certainly love Cole Hamels. Look at Moyer's last few years, he won't pitch as well as he did last year, Myers is wildly inconsistent, Blanton is a decent arm but not much more. I think the Braves have more depth than they do, especially with Hanson waiting at AAA.

 

Cantu I agree that I could see him in front of Kotchman/Feliz; some of these positions are very close calls. I did give some more love to Kotchman and Feliz as both are very good defensive players.

Good post - I agree pretty much completely.

I think the outfield in the NL East are pretty weak overall, and the Marlins could easily be 3rd (the back 3 are mostly interchangeable). And I think the front two are clost to interchangeable, as well. Can't complain too much about your order, but it could just as easily be Mets, Phils, Marlins, Nats, Braves or something similar.

 

Nice job tho - good work and solid Marlins knowledge considering you seem not to be a Marlins-centric reporter!

 

Thanks, and I agree completely with the outfields. I think the front two are really close and the back two are really close with the Nationals somewhere in the middle.

I do understand why you think I might be looking at the Atlanta rotation with homerish glasses; but I assure I took them off when writing this article; at least I think I did!

 

Lowe consistently doesn't get the credit that he deserves; his numbers stack up very well with more well-known "aces". Some point to the fact that he played in a huge stadium for the Dodgers, but Lowe is an extreme groundball pitcher, that doesn't give up many homeruns anywhere. He's also thrown at least 180 innings in each of the last seven seasons.

 

I agree that Jurrjens did fade, but we're still talking about a 22 year-old kid that tossed 180 innings with an ERA under 4; he'll be fine.

 

Vazquez is another innings eater that has thrown 198 innings in each of the last eight year. I also he'll pitch much better coming over to the NL, to a more pitcher-friendly ballpark.

 

Kawakami is a wild-card; but that doesn't mean he should be dismissed; his numbers from Japan are quite good. Hiroki Kuroda was an unknown last year and had a tremendous impact with the Dodgers.

 

Glavine I'm not counting on anything with Glavine, we're in the same boat there. But it shouldn't be discounted that waiting in AAA is Tommy Hanson, count on him joining the staff this year.

 

I'm not as high on the Phillies staff as you are; although I certainly love Cole Hamels. Look at Moyer's last few years, he won't pitch as well as he did last year, Myers is wildly inconsistent, Blanton is a decent arm but not much more. I think the Braves have more depth than they do, especially with Hanson waiting at AAA.

 

Cantu I agree that I could see him in front of Kotchman/Feliz; some of these positions are very close calls. I did give some more love to Kotchman and Feliz as both are very good defensive players.

Trust me, I know about Lowe if you look this thread you'll see that I thought he was a great signing and really didn't want it to happen. With Jurrjens, his age and those IP is another reason to worry. As a Marlin fan, I know this very well. As far as Kawakami, I'm not dismissing him, I'm just saying that he's a question mark. Vazquez is a decent inning eater, but nothing more in my opinion. And we agree on Glavine. Besides Lowe being good and Vazquez being decent, I don't know what to expect out of anyone else on that rotation.

 

I think the Phillies pitchers will be better than average again this year, but the Marlins and Braves both have the ability to be better than them but many question marks.

Good post - I agree pretty much completely.

I think the outfield in the NL East are pretty weak overall, and the Marlins could easily be 3rd (the back 3 are mostly interchangeable). And I think the front two are clost to interchangeable, as well. Can't complain too much about your order, but it could just as easily be Mets, Phils, Marlins, Nats, Braves or something similar.

 

Nice job tho - good work and solid Marlins knowledge considering you seem not to be a Marlins-centric reporter!

 

Thanks, and I agree completely with the outfields. I think the front two are really close and the back two are really close with the Nationals somewhere in the middle.

 

Just to be totally clear, I was saying good post and that I agree to Rabb; however, I liked yours, as well. I just don't know enough about the non-Marlins to agree/disagree so wholeheartedly-ish (with the entire article).

All in all, not bad. Here are my critiques.

 

Starting pitching: I think you are short changing the Marlins (even thought I understand the concern with their youth and health), and really wrong about the Phils and Braves.

 

I think you are going a bit homerish on the Braves side, because they have just as many questions as the Marlins.

 

Jurrjens had a great first half but a very bad second half when batters started figuring him out, there are always questions with a Japanese import, Glavine might not even make it through the season, Vazquez has been average at best for the last 5 seasons, and Lowe is old but he'll probably be good this season. I just can't see the second, especially not in front of Hamels, Myers, Blanton, Moyer, and Kendrick/Eaton.

 

Lindstrom: Walks aren't a problem with Lindstrom. His career BB/9 is only 2.82. He did start off with control issues at the beginning of last season, but after being sent down in June to work on his slider, he came back with a 3 BB/9 in 36 games.

 

Cantu: Most of Cantu's problems in the past came from an injury and little playing time. He'll be fine this season and I think he should have been ranked third, infront of Feliz at 3B and/or 4th ahead of Kotchman.

 

Baker: There are still a lot of questions about this guy, to see if he can keep it up in the bigs. But with how bad the catchers in this division are, 2nd or 3rd isn't a bad ranking.

 

Maybin is ready. Most of his strikeouts in are attributed to him testing the strikezone, as that's what his coaches wanted him to do. His K numbers got better at the end and did end up with an OBP of .375, good for 23rd in the league.

 

Cody Ross His glove is pretty good, to the point that I would say he is an impact player with the glove, he just doesn't get much credit. Fielding Bible's +/- had him as the 4th best CF in all of baseball last year. He only made 1 error in 1064.2 innings last season and has a decent arm with great accuracy. He's not the fastest guy but takes great routes and has great technique out there. His lack of speed is going to be even less of an issue this year, with him moving from CF to RF and with Maybin hovering in CF.

 

 

:whistle

Just to be totally clear, I was saying good post and that I agree to Rabb; however, I liked yours, as well. I just don't know enough about the non-Marlins to agree/disagree so wholeheartedly-ish (with the entire article).

 

 

Oh, it's all good; I grab any compliment I can get; even if it's not mine!

In my opinion, you had some interesting facts. I just have come to realize the lack of catching ability in the division, and don't feel as bad as I did about the situation. I think a few of them could have gone either way, but others are spot on. I do think the Marlins rotation is a lot better than you have ranked, although if one pitcher goes down, I don't see any back up. But on pure talent, I think the Marlins rotation should be ranked either 1 or 2.

In my opinion, you had some interesting facts. I just have come to realize the lack of catching ability in the division, and don't feel as bad as I did about the situation. I think a few of them could have gone either way, but others are spot on. I do think the Marlins rotation is a lot better than you have ranked, although if one pitcher goes down, I don't see any back up. But on pure talent, I think the Marlins rotation should be ranked either 1 or 2.

 

 

You're spot on with the assessment; many of the positions were very close; and now that I've talked to several people and thought about it some more; I feel like I should've gone with the Marlins ahead of the Braves in the outfield.

 

As far as pitching; there isn't a staff in the division that has the type of long-term potential and upside that you guys have; it's just of matter of if you'll realize or not.

"Ross has serviceable power, but isn't an impact player with the glove or the bat. "

 

Probably your biggest mistake.

 

 

Do explain; I can definately take my lumps if someone thinks I'm wrong; but tell me why you think that way.

 

I really wasn't trying to knock Ross; who I think is a fine player. He's good defensively and I like the versatility that he brings; it's nice to have player able to play anywhere in the outfield; but I still don't see him as a plus defender.

 

His bat is fine, good power; but until he can get his OBP up past the .315 mark he's not impact offensive player in my eyes.

 

Cody Ross isn't the flashiest with the glove but thats why defense can sometimes be deceiving. Those who don't watch enough games live would think Amezaga is the better CFer because he makes highlight reel catches, but Cody's instincts in the OF are absolutely tremendous. He gets to balls that other fielders would need to dive for and seems to have an innate sense for where a ball is going to bounce off a wall.

 

You're right that he isn't an impact offensive player, although he will have enough hot streaks to make himself useful and his potential is actually very high. I don't fully believe that it will happen, but he could be a dark horse to have a true breakout year in his first season as a real starter.

 

Your rankings are generally well though out, although I'm really noticing that in this division in general there is a tremendous amount of unpredictability and it really makes any comparison difficult. I think that Cantu was much better than a lot of the other corner infielders, yet some of the others have potential to do better while Cantu is more likely to regress slightly.

"Ross has serviceable power, but isn't an impact player with the glove or the bat. "

 

Probably your biggest mistake.

 

 

Do explain; I can definately take my lumps if someone thinks I'm wrong; but tell me why you think that way.

 

I really wasn't trying to knock Ross; who I think is a fine player. He's good defensively and I like the versatility that he brings; it's nice to have player able to play anywhere in the outfield; but I still don't see him as a plus defender.

 

His bat is fine, good power; but until he can get his OBP up past the .315 mark he's not impact offensive player in my eyes.

 

Cody Ross isn't the flashiest with the glove but thats why defense can sometimes be deceiving. Those who don't watch enough games live would think Amezaga is the better CFer because he makes highlight reel catches, but Cody's instincts in the OF are absolutely tremendous. He gets to balls that other fielders would need to dive for and seems to have an innate sense for where a ball is going to bounce off a wall.

 

You're right that he isn't an impact offensive player, although he will have enough hot streaks to make himself useful and his potential is actually very high. I don't fully believe that it will happen, but he could be a dark horse to have a true breakout year in his first season as a real starter.

 

Your rankings are generally well though out, although I'm really noticing that in this division in general there is a tremendous amount of unpredictability and it really makes any comparison difficult. I think that Cantu was much better than a lot of the other corner infielders, yet some of the others have potential to do better while Cantu is more likely to regress slightly.

I have to agree here. Until I read this, I didn't realize how many question marks there are on the teams in this division, especially with starting pitching.

I pretty much have the same concerns everyone else does with this eval. Ross is a VERY good defensive player. Cantu deserves a lot more credit than he's getting.

 

And forget the division, the Marlins may just have the fourth best rotation in baseball.

 

One thing I also think is lost in this is that nobody is counting on Hermida bouncing back to '07 form. If he does that, the Marlins lineup is going to be outstanding.

And forget the division, the Marlins may just have the fourth best rotation in baseball.

We might end up with a terrible one as well, depending on how they pan out.

Do you honestly believe it ranks 4th in the division?

It wouldn't be surprising if they were first in the division or fourth

It wouldn't be surprising if they were first in the division or fourth

 

Well, I think the whole point of pre-season rankings is assuming that the rotations each team has stays healthy. I think you also have to base it off of how each rotation is expected to perform.

 

I'd have to think that right now, the Marlins are expected to be 1-2 in the division. The only way they should be 4th is if everything is expected to go wrong

 

I also think that's the only way you can rank Jorge Cantu behind Casey Kotchman at first base (if Cantu were to play there). Same goes for our bullpen and our outfield.

 

These rankings are based on some pretty low expectations from this years squad if you ask me.

I'd have to think that right now, the Marlins are expected to be 1-2 in the division. The only way they should be 4th is if everything is expected to go wrong

 

So the only chance the Marlins could possibly be fourth in the division in rotation is if everything goes wrong. Everything.

 

Sounds homerific.

 

I mean Andrew Miller needs to remember/learn how to pitch. Anibal Sanchez as well. Marlins have to be extremely careful with Nolasco, Johnson and Volstad with innings

 

Right now, not many believe the Marlins can finish above fourth (talking about final record now) and while that doesn't mean the majority are going to be right, it does say something. I mean Baseball Prospectus has the Marlins finishing fifth. FIFTH!

It wouldn't be surprising if they were first in the division or fourth

 

Well, I think the whole point of pre-season rankings is assuming that the rotations each team has stays healthy. I think you also have to base it off of how each rotation is expected to perform.

 

I'd have to think that right now, the Marlins are expected to be 1-2 in the division. The only way they should be 4th is if everything is expected to go wrong

 

I also think that's the only way you can rank Jorge Cantu behind Casey Kotchman at first base (if Cantu were to play there). Same goes for our bullpen and our outfield.

 

These rankings are based on some pretty low expectations from this years squad if you ask me.

 

I don't agree. You have to consider the likelihood of injury, as well as the depth at the position in case such an injury should happen. The Red Sox definitely deserve a bump in preseason rankings because they are 6, 7, even 8 deep at the SP with either quality veterans or talented kids. Sure, a few of those guys have significant injury histories, but they have tremendous depth.

And, simply put, the Marlins don't. So you have to drop them a bit just based on that; however, I wouldn't quite put us 4th - 2nd or 3rd seems more appropriate because we do have tremendous talent.

The Marlins rotation could be best or worst. The talent is there to be the best, but it may not turn out that way

Remember in 2007 when we were going to have the best staff in the NL?

I'd have to think that right now, the Marlins are expected to be 1-2 in the division. The only way they should be 4th is if everything is expected to go wrong

 

So the only chance the Marlins could possibly be fourth in the division in rotation is if everything goes wrong. Everything.

 

Sounds homerific.

 

I mean Andrew Miller needs to remember/learn how to pitch. Anibal Sanchez as well. Marlins have to be extremely careful with Nolasco, Johnson and Volstad with innings

 

Right now, not many believe the Marlins can finish above fourth (talking about final record now) and while that doesn't mean the majority are going to be right, it does say something. I mean Baseball Prospectus has the Marlins finishing fifth. FIFTH!

That's because they actually do expect everything to go wrong. Everything.