Signor Baseball's "This May Be the Last" Belated MLB Preview

I fell in love with baseball when I was a little boy.

Knew the names of all of the players on all of the teams. 

Went to Spring training games every year.

My Mom used to drive me out Phoenix Muni to watch the AAA Giants play.

Never missed watching an All Star Game. 

Still remember Reggie Jackson hitting that home run off the light stanchion in Detroit. Damn, he hit the hell out of that one! And the AL finally won a game after years of losing.

Things have changed. Didn't watch an inning of this year's All Star Game or the Home Run Derby. 

I still love the "idea" of the game. The sounds of bat on ball, the slap of the ball against the leather of a glove, the smell of the hot dogs and the crunch of peanut shells under your feet.

But everything else that goes with it these days has put me off. 

Launch angles and the like. Everybody swinging for the fences on every pitch. The "highlight shows", which generally consist of .235 hitters hitting home runs. If you attend a game in person, the never ending, maximum volume, overwhelming "noise" at the ballpark.

And the ridiculous amounts of money. (Which to be fair plagues all our major sports.)

I suppose if I were a Dodgers' fan I'd have no problem with them buying up every available player.

But I'm not a Dodgers' fan. I am, or at least was, a baseball fan.

I guess I'm just getting old. 

Anyway,

NL East. 

The amazing thing about this division is how much money the Mets have spent to still be this bad. Awe inspiring, really. Atlanta, Philadelphia, and the Marlins (!!!) should battle it out until the last week or so--barring any major injuries, of course. Don't see too much difference between them. Maybe a Wild Card lurking in the bunch.Washington has some exciting young players, but not enough to close the gap between them and the aforementioned teams. And, if the past is predicative, they'll all be traded when their contracts come due. And for New York, well, its nice to be very rich. It's even nicer to be very rich and smart. They should work on that.

NL Central

Milwaukee is the class of this division. Cubs a few games behind. And St. Louis hanging around .500. Again, barring injury, etc etc. Would be nice if the Pirates can finally stay competitive after several years in the wilderness. Win more than you lose and you have a shot at a Wild Card. That applies to every division in the MLB these days. Cincinnati looked like they were ready to compete after last year, but they've fallen off despite some exciting young talent. Not enough pitching--like a lot of teams.

NL West

Los Angeles has spent a ton of money, and they've spent it well. They essentially have two complete sets of starting pitchers. Most teams don't have one. If they don't roll over everyone on their way to the World Series there ought to be a Congressional investigation. If the Congress still does that sort of thing. End of story. Arizona and San Diego will fight to be a distant second to the Dodgers and at least one of them will get a Wild card. I have no idea what they're trying to do in San Francisco--but it's not working. Colorado remains a last place team, Lord love them.

AL East

The injury bug has bitten the Yankees hard this year. Judge is out, Stanton is spending his usual half season on the IL, Cole isn't the same pitcher he was before his surgery. Frankly I'm surprise they're just 3 games out of first. If they can get everyone healthy in time, they can catch Tampa Bay. If not, they're a pretty sure bet for a Wild Card. Boston, Baltimore and Toronto are all bunched together behind the Yankees and Rays. And they all would take great pleasure in beating them down the stretch. And they are all capable of winning series against them. So, August and September could be very interesting. 

AL Central 

The Tigers, who ran away with this division last year, are mired 8 games under .500. That'll happen when your best pitcher is not at his best. They're not dead yet, but they are on life support. Chicago and Cleveland will probably go down to the last weekend, with the runner up grabbing a Wild Card. The Twins look like the textbook definition of a middle of the pack team. Not too bad, not too good. And the Royals are making noise about wanting a new ball park. Quelle surprise! Which will give the good folks of Kansas City at least something to talk about this season.

AL West 

Remember that guy with the big butt who hit all of those home runs for the Mariners last year? He's hitting .169 with 9 homers this year. Stuff happens, huh? Still, Seattle is only a game and a half out of first. They and the Rangers and the Astros are all hovering around .500. So, the division is wide open. Well, not for the A's, who are counting the days, months, years(?), until they can get out of Sacramento and into a shiny new stadium in, (checks notes), Las Vegas. Will this move make their half wit owner spend a little more on quality players? uh....sure. Maybe. And in beautiful Anaheim, home of Disneyland and the (checks notes), Angels, Mike Trout is wasting another year of what remains of his prime. Most players of that caliber would've demanded a trade years ago. But apparently Mike is a loyal company man.

 

 

Signor Baseball's This Is Getting Ridiculous, The Season Is More Than Half Over 2025 MLB Predictions

Signor Baseball has been dealing with a series of annoying health issues that are not your concern.

But boy do they concern him.

Anyway...

AL East

Once again, the Yankees' pitching is a mess. Their ace is out for the whole year. The closer they brought in has been hit and miss so far, as has the rest of their bullpen. Max Fried has been their only consistent starter. The rest alternate good games with bad games. Oh, and Giancarlo Stanton started the season hurt. Again. Still, Cody Bellinger has started to give them a solid left handed bat in addition to Aaron Judge and a rejuvenated Paul Goldschmidt, and their offense is pretty impressive. They can, for the most part, score more than they give up. So, first place in the division. Who knows, if the pitching ever comes around, another trip to the Series. And if the pitching never comes around, they'll be scrambling for a Wild Card. Second will come down to Boston, Toronto, and maybe Tampa Bay. The Red Sox added three very good pieces in Garrett Crochet, Walker Buehler and Alex Bregman and should have a slight edge over the Blue Jays who have a Murderer's Row in the middle of their lineup and a somewhat lesser pitching staff. Whichever team's pitching holds up best will have a shot at a Wild Card or two, or the division if the Yankees flounder. In the "not a good sign" category, Baltimore has already fired their manager. Who lost his best starter and top power hitter to free agency. So, after looking really good for a couple of years, but getting absolutely nowhere in the playoffs, the Orioles are at a crossroads. And as Yogi once said, "when you come to a fork in the road, take it." Finally, Tampa Bay is playing their home games this season--and possibly next--in the Yankees' minor league park. Which sounds about right.                 

AL Central

This looked like a very interesting division. When the season started, Cleveland, Kansas City, Detroit and Minnesota all seemed to have  a legitimate shot at winning it. Then Detroit somehow morphed into a powerhouse overnight, and the rest of them are eating the Tiger's dust. Detroit has some good young bats and the best pitching, and if they can all stay healthy the Tigers will win the Central fairly easily, and could have a good shot at the AL pennant. As far as a Wild card team from this division, I don't think so. The Royals, Twins, and Guardians all seem to be 80-85 win teams tops. And that's probably not going to be enough. And in sweet home Chicago, all true White Sox fans are pulling for the Rockies to break the record for futility that the Sox set just last year. We all need goals in life. By the way, I don't consider Chicago style pizza to be real pizza. It's more like a casserole.

AL West

The big surprise here is that the West Sacramento A's aren't the worst team in the AL. Oh sure, they have one of the worst owners--but a lot of teams can say that. A's players look sad about their home surroundings. Better get used to it, because it will take years to build a ballpark in Vegas--if that ever happens. Elsewhere, Houston has reloaded after losing some good players through free agency, and look like the pick of the division. Seattle has a good shot at a Wild Card. And barring that, it will be fun to see if Cal Raleigh, who I must admit I had never heard of before this season, can stay ahead of Aaron Judge for the home run title. Texas is a long shot for a Wild Card, but its a long, long season and stranger things have happened. And out in Anaheim the Angels will essentially waste another year of Mike Trout. Well, at least he got paid. And Disneyland is close by, so...fun for the whole family?

NL East

The Braves dug themselves a deep hole early. So, even though they've played better recently, I don't see them catching up with the Mets or Phillies. A couple of years ago New York spent a fortune and got absolutely nothing in return. This past off season they spent less, but more wisely. So I guess this is a cautionary tale. Philadelphia is just solid. Power throughout the lineup, decent fielding, pretty good starters, above average bullpen. Miami is perpetually stuck in the middle of the pack. The Marlins are sometimes a little better, sometimes a little worse, but almost always mediocre. What good young players they develop seem to leave just as soon as they can. Washington is just bad. Not historically bad. But bad. The Nationals won a pennant not that long ago, too. So I guess this is another cautionary tale. If you're going to blow up a good team, for whatever reason, you better have a plan and some talent in the pipeline 

NL Central

The Cubs? Really? OK. Did not see that coming. At least the Second City has one good team. Should Chicago falter, and teams you did not expect to be good often falter as the season drags on, Milwaukee  will be right there. Depending on what happens in the West, might score one Wild Card here. In old St. Loo, the Cardinals are struggling to keep up. With Sonny Gray (!) as their ace, the struggle may be too much. Cincinnati is a year or two away from being a serious contender, but at least they're trending in the right direction. Whereas in Pittsburgh, just getting close to .500 would be a massive accomplishment.  Paul Skenes is the Steve Carlton of his generation. Carlton somehow won 20+ games in a similar situation 50 years ago in Philadelphia. Skenes is not so lucky.  Great pitcher on a crap team that either can't get him a lead or can't hold onto a lead after he's pulled. Once he reaches free agency, every contender in both leagues will open up the old checkbook for him. This happens to the Pirates on a regular basis because of their owner. Too bad. Beautiful ballpark, great fans. Crap owner.

NL West 

Having spent a billion dollars on pitching, the Dodgers looked like the surest lock in all of baseball. Then a whole bunch of guys started to have arm "issues". So, even when you have seemingly ALL of the pitching, you never have enough pitching. Despite a score of injuries, L.A. is still the bet in the West. San Diego or San Francisco will have a shot at a Wild Card. Both are pretty good--just not good enough. Arizona should petition to swap divisions. I don't think they'll ever be able to consistently compete with the Cali teams. Oh well, at least they managed to extort a minimum of $600 million from our brain dead state legislature for stadium maintenance/improvements. Could start by making their ballpark look less like an abandoned Costco. And, in Colorado, they wait patiently for the football, basketball, and hockey seasons to start. The Rockies are playing a little better than they were, which is, well, somethin'. So that "worst record in baseball history" quest may not happen. They're still awful--but perhaps not the most awful ever. We shall see.

Signor Baseball's My God What Took You So Long, The Season Is More Than A Third Over 2024 MLB Preview

Well, it is easier this way. All those early season improbabilities--hot streaks and cold streaks--have played out. Things have settled down a bit and we can get down to the nutcracking.

AL East

Do the Yankees finally have enough pitching? Beats me. So far they do, but like every other team, they're a couple of strained tendons away from disaster. They certainly have enough bats. Boy, do they. Judge, Soto and Stanton are a modern Murderers Row. And they seem to be in a race to see who can hit the ball the hardest and the longest.

However, the Orioles, despite flaming out in the Playoffs last year, are still for real. So it looks like the race in the East will be neck and neck til October, with the runner up a lock for one of the Wild Card slots.

For the rest of the division, Toronto, Tampa, and Boston, mired around .500 as I write this, there is a chance to pick up one of the other Wild Cards, if only because they're all capable of winning more than they lose the rest of the way, and that puts them ahead of most of the rest of the AL. Also, they're all still good enough to screw up New York and/or Baltimore's season. 

AL Central

The White Sox are loathsome. Perhaps even historically bad. But besides the stench coming out of Chicago, this is a very competitive division--at least for now. Cleveland should win, but Kansas City and Minnesota are right there, and even Detroit could cause some problems.  Right around .500 might conceivably get a Wild Card slot. And we saw what can happen last year, if you can sneak into the playoffs. So, hope springs eternal for a bunch of fundamentally mediocre teams. Get hot at the right time and anything is possible.

AL West

The Athletics and Angels are bad teams--not White Sox bad--but plain ol' bad. This is what happens when you have garbage ownership (in both cases) and you lose your two best players to free agency and seemingly perpetual injury (in the Angels' case). It's hard for me to trust Seattle, based on them trading their closer last year while they were still in a pennant race. That's just odd. The Rangers don't look like defending champions--but there is a lot of time left for them to figure it out. And it's beginning to look like Houston's window has closed, at least for the time being. Again, it's possible for any team around .500 to have a shot at a Wild Card, which will make August and September very interesting.

NL East 

Right now, the Phillies have no apparent weaknesses. Injuries--and there are almost always injuries--could change that in a hurry. However, barring something truly catastrophic, they should win the East, with Atlanta right behind them and in line for a Wild Card. Washington and Miami are simply not good enough at this point. It's hard to believe that the Nationals were champions not that long ago. It's also hard to remember a championship team that was dismantled so rapidly. And the Marlins are, well, the Marlins...The Mets are a punchline. All that hedge fund money for this?! Might be time to sell off a few "assets" for prospects and magic beans.

NL Central

One kinda good team (Milwaukee) and four teams hovering around .500. Again, if one or more of the Cards, Cubs, Reds, and even the Pirates, gets hot at the right time...they could grab a Wild Card. I'm not sure what's happened to St. Louis--they used to be the class of this division year in and year out--but I bet it has something to do with Yadier Molina retiring. Chicago has some interesting pieces and Craig Counsell has won with much less. And both Cincy and Pittsburgh have exciting young players and two very nice ballparks. The ball parks will be around for many years, but the exciting young players will probably leave when their rookie deals are up. For now, enjoy! So, if the Brewers hit a rough spot, we could have a five team race right down to the finish line. Five fairly mediocre teams, but still it would be a lot of fun for their fans.

NL West

If the Dodgers don't win this division there ought to be a Congressional investigation. They are loaded. Every Ohtani at bat is a must see event. So it's strange that they aren't running away from three essentially average teams (and, of course, the Rockies who are a perennial punching bag). It's better to be 6 games ahead than 6 games behind, but with all that talent you would expect L.A. to have a double digit lead by now. The Padres, Giants, and Diamondbacks are in the same boat as every other .500 team--and boy, are there a lot of them. Get hot at the right time, sneak into the playoffs and hope that you can stay hot. Hey, it worked for the D-Backs last year...

Signor Baseball's 2021 NL Preview

Normally, I'd base this year's previews at least in part on last year's performance.

But last year was so weird, so very, very weird, that it shouldn't be used for that purpose. 

So, blindly, stumblingly, (which may not even be a word), we venture forth into the 2021 National League season without too many clues.

In that way, it will be much like the last 4 years of cocksure Trumpian incompetence.

Except 500,000 people won't die if I don't get it right.

East: it sure looks like the Braves are the class of this division again. Atlanta's pitching isn't quite as strong as the Mets and possibly the Nationals, but it isn't far off, either. And their everyday lineup, with Acuna, Ozuna, Freeman and Swanson, is much better than either. So...everybody else is playing for second--barring injuries. The Mets still have those stud starters and adding Francisco Lindor will upgrade the offense, but probably not enough to catch up with Atlanta. Philadelphia, Washington and Miami are in the same boat. Fairly solid teams that have at least one glaring hole. This is maybe the most competitive division in the NL, so, if the Braves falter, any of the other clubs could move ahead of them. Second place should have a good shot at a Wild Card slot.

Central: the one certainty in this division is that the Pirates will finish last. For a few years they were very competitive, but that window has slammed shut. Sad for the Pittsburgh faithful, but life isn't fair. As far as the other 4 teams go, St. Louis looks the strongest, but not that much stronger than Milwaukee. Both teams have question marks. Milwaukee still has a lights out bullpen, but needs a big comeback from Yelich, who was not himself in the CoVid season. In the City of the Big Shoulders, the Cubs have a bunch of front line players looking at free agency after this year. It may be the last dance for Chicago's core. And, perhaps, another 108 year World Series drought. As always seems to happen, it will come down to pitching. Here again, there isn't much to separate these teams. The Brewers have that strong bull pen and weak starters, the Cubs lost their ace, and St. Louis's top pitchers have a few miles on them. So, your guess is as good as mine. Finally, Cincinnati is just not as good as the other three. Their offense consists of Joey Votto and 7 guys you've never heard of and their best starter is injured--but they're still better than Pittsburgh. So they've got that going for them. Maybe a Wild Card slot for the runner up. Maybe not.

West: the Dodgers remain the team to beat, but the Padres are closing fast. Los Angeles will defend its World Series' crown with extremely strong pitching and a bunch of proven bats. What more do you need? Luck. San Diego has thrown a lot of money around, and their everyday line-up is about as solid as L.A.'s. Machado and Tatis will put up big numbers, but their starting pitching isn't nearly as good, so...The Giants just don't have the talent to keep pace. But on the bright side, San Francisco is a great city to hang out in and a lot of big contracts come off the books next off season, so hope springs eternal. Arizona has a little more talent, but they need a huge comeback year from Madison Bumgarner to truly compete and that doesn't seem likely at this point. And Colorado traded their best all around player for a pocketful of dreams. The Rockies look like a good solid last place team. That legal weed will really come in handy for their fans. Indeed, for all the fans of the also rans in this division. It does ease the pain. Dodgers first, but not in a runaway this time. Padres second and a Wild Card berth. Everybody else is playing for the 3-5 slots.

Signor Baseball's Midseason Update

Repeat after me, "the balls are not juiced, the balls are not juiced, the balls are not juiced."

Feel better?

Apparently the powers that be have decided that what the fans really want is a season long episode of Home Run Derby.

So, anyway, as we race past the halfway mark of the MLB season, let us pause to ask the eternal questions: where the hell are we and what the hell is going on?

In the AL, several surprises surprise us. Minnesota is much better than anyone expected, and if the Indians don't get their asses in gear, their reign in the Central will be over. The Yankees are also out performing expectations, especially considering that they've been without their best starter and their two top power hitters practically all year. I still expect Boston to make a race out of it, but like  Cleveland, they better do it soon. Tampa is also a surprise, and has a good shot at a Wild Card berth.

In the West, Seattle has been the biggest disappointment and Texas the biggest surprise. But Houston is still the class of this division, and the best the Rangers and maybe the A's can hope for is one of the Wild Cards. The Angels have the best player in baseball in Mike Trout, a future Hall-of-Famer in Albert Pujols, and that Japanese cat, Ohtani, who is very, very good. This makes them wonderfully entertaining for a dozen or so at bats every game, but isn't quite enough to make them contenders.

Over in the National League East, the Phillies aren't nearly as good as expected, but the Braves don't look strong enough to run away from them, so expect that race to go down to the last week of the season. The Nationals starting pitching is still very strong, but they seem stuck right around .500, which won't win them anything.

In the Central, the Cubs haven't been able to separate themselves from Milwaukee. In fact the entire division is bunched together, as they all take turns beating each other. This should give some measure of hope to fans of the Reds and Pirates and especially the Cardinals, who've spent the first half of the season muddling along. On paper, Chicago is still the class of this division, but until they start playing like it...

Out West it's all Dodgers. Colorado, San Diego and, quelle surprise, Arizona, have taken turns being second. But it is a very distant second...I guess the question to ask is whether L.A. is that good, or is everybody else that mediocre? I'm leaning toward the latter.

By the way, while I was writing this 10 guys you've never heard of hit 450 foot homers.

Signor Baseball's 2019 NL Preview

 I think it was Jesus who first said "Good pitching beats good hitting. Except when it doesn't."

Or maybe it was Casey Stengel, who was a much more interesting conversationalist.

Anyway, as some people try to pretend, at least for a little while, that Trump is "innocent" and also a "man", let's take a look at what the National League has to offer for 2019.

In the East, we see a jumble. The Mets still have superior starting pitching--when healthy. But they can't seem to stay healthy. And they also don't seem capable of scoring enough runs to win those games when their superior starting pitching gives up more than 1-2 runs. So, sadly, let's forget about the Mets. Philadelphia added Bryce Harper's big bat, and perhaps more importantly, J. T. Realmuto, one of the best catchers in baseball, and maybe that will be enough to push them past Atlanta. Washington added another good arm; but good arms tend to get hurt in National's land. If they don't, look for a three team race, with the runner up having a good shot at a Wild Card. It could be a four team race, if the Mets bats could ever keep up with their arms. And the arms stay healthy, of course. Nah. New York will be somewhere around .500 and that leaves the Marlins in last, still occasionally developing good players, and then having to get rid of them when they ask for more money. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

In the Central, the Cubs, Brewers, and Cardinals should be neck and neck all season long. Chicago still puts the best lineup on the field--but where did that get them last year? Milwaukee is solid everywhere--but starting pitching, And the St. Louis, thanks to Arizona's penury, now has Paul Goldschmidt to anchor their batting order. 30 homers, 100 rbi's, and a .300 average looks pretty good in any team's lineup. Injuries and whichever team's starters come through will decide the Central. Probably a Wild Card, maybe two, from here as well. Elsewhere, the Pirates are talented, but very young, and probably a year or two away from seriously competing. And it looks like Cincinnati will have to rely on the madcap comedic stylings of Yasiel Puig to make this year entertaining. He may not be the second coming of Willie Mays, but he is endlessly amusing.

Out West, the Diamondbacks traded their best everyday player, lost their second best everyday player and number 2 starter to free agency, and replaced the grass on their field with artificial turf. What they really need to replace is their managing general partner, Ken Kendrick, who is an imbecile. Tough for any team to overcome an imbecile owner, so...unless their pitching is a lot better than it looks, last place seems like a likely outcome for Arizona. Probably lowest attendance in the division, too. Suck on that, ownership. For the rest of the division, the Dodgers still are the team to beat, with Colorado a not so close second. L.A. is just loaded; they should be with that payroll. If they don't run away with the West, somebody ought to lose their job. I don't see a Wild Card team coming from this division. All indications are that San Francisco's window of opportunity has closed for the time being, though they'll still be favored almost every time Bumgarner takes the mound. Too bad he can't pitch every day, huh? The Giants still have one of the best ballparks in the majors and that ain't nothing. If there's a possible surprise team in the West it's San Diego. Without the various pressures of playing in L.A., Manny Machado should regain his All-Star form. And Fernando Tatis Jr. looks like the real deal. Now, if they can just find some reliable arms...

Signor Baseball's 2018 NL Preview

Let's take a break from watching the latest porn star revelations about that pig in the White House and think about something more pleasant.

NL East: Washington has the best team--but the Nationals have been the best team for a few years now, and have next to nothing to show for it. Bryce Harper will hit many home runs and Max Scherzer will strike out many batters, but somehow they always find a way to fail in the playoffs. And that gets old, after awhile. So, let's go with the Mets, who have superior pitching (if they can stay healthy) and an interesting collection of proven (read "old") players, and some castoffs trying to prove their former teams wrong. Whichever team finishes second should have a good shot at a Wild Card. Philadelphia and Atlanta are both works in progress, with loads of young talent, but still a couple of years away.  Miami is a complete dumpster fire. Derek Jeter was a sure fire Hall of Fame player, but as an executive, right now he's in the Rookie League.

In the Central it should be the Cubs, and rather easily, too. I don't think they're going to miss Jake Arrieta too much, but if they do, that might just open the door enough for another team to sneak in. The Cardinals are always competitive--they just don't have the same level of talent as Chicago.  Their best hope is a Wild Card slot. The Brewers and perhaps the Pirates could also be in the Wild Card race, with a few breaks. Milwaukee is the more likely of the two. They added two very good outfielders to an already competitive team. Pittsburgh can put a pretty strong starting 8 on the field every day, but they have to hope that a mostly untested pitching staff is ready for the big leagues. The Reds have Joey Votto and, uh, well...Cincinnati will try not to lose 120 games. We all need goals in life.

And finally, the West will be wild. The only team that definitely won't be in the chase are the Padres, and apparently they have a loaded minor league system, so, as they say, wait until next year, San Diego. In the meantime, enjoy some fresh seafood and a walk on the beach. The Dodgers could possibly repeat, but they've already had one key injury, and beyond Clayton Kershaw, L.A.'s starting pitching isn't particularly reliable. San Francisco fell apart last year, after Madison Bumgarner's injury. So they went out and got a couple of reliable, if older, bats...and Bumgarner gets hurt again. Who knows what will happen until he gets back? If the Giants haven't dug themselves a deep hole--like last year--they may be a long shot for a Wild Card. Colorado was a Wild Card last year, and could conceivably be one again. Strange things have been known to happen in that thin Denver air. I can't believe I'm saying this, but the Diamondbacks look like the team to beat. Arizona puts a solid team on the field every day and if their pitching holds and they can get through the year without any major injuries, they should be the class of the West.

Signor Baseball's "What The Hell Is Going On Here?" Sort Of Midseason MLB Update

Lots of crazy stuff going on here.

A couple of teams having great years. A handful of teams having awful years, including a perennial contender. Some good teams, and a whole lot of mediocre teams.

In the NL West, the Diamondbacks are much better than I thought they'd be and the Giants are simply bad. The former will still fade--I think. That pitching staff just isn't very deep. And the Dodgers are simply better than they are. But, with so many teams having indifferent years in the NL, Arizona may have a chance at a Wild Card slot. For San Francisco, losing their best pitcher to a stupid accident hurt them badly, but not "20 games out of first place" badly. Too many other players are having off years, and all at the same time. Which happens sometimes. The Rockies are also playing well above projections, but their fade will be more precipitous than the D-Backs.

In the Central, Chicago has been struggling all year, but they still have the best team and should come out on top. St. Louis is the only team with a realistic chance to keep pace with them. Milwaukee has been in first practically the whole season, but the Brewers just don't look like a legitimate contender to me and the Pirates, though they put a very solid lineup on the field, continue to have undependable pitching.

And in the NL East, injuries have doomed the Mets, and the Braves and Marlins just aren't good enough, so it looks like smooth sailing for the Nationals...until the playoffs, when I anticipate another melt down. However, if Scherzer and Strasburg get hot at the same time they could carry the team to the Series, just as Johnson and Schilling did for the Diamondbacks way back when.

In the AL East, the Yankees have a lot of good young bats, but are still sporting a less than stellar, prone to injury, pitching staff. Unless they can come up with some dependable arms via trade, I don't see them catching Boston, though they may have enough to grab a Wild Card berth. The same thing applies to the rest of the division, though Toronto has been a huge disappointment so far.

In the Central, Cleveland should hold on to first, barring any major injuries. Kansas City and Minnesota have an outside chance at a Wild Card, though both are currently mired close to .500. The Royals are the more likely of the two to rise from there.

Houston has run away from the rest of the West. At this point the Astros are the best team in the AL by far, and it would take a catastrophic collapse for anybody to catch them. With so much of the league languishing in mediocrity, Los Angeles, Seattle and Texas all have a shot at one of the Wild Card slots.

By my count there are 9 teams in both leagues that still are contenders for the Wild Cards. Which should make for a very interesting August and September...

Signor Baseball's 2017 NL Preview

So, the Chicago Cubs are World Champions and Donald J. Trump befouls the White House. 2016 was a year of extremely unlikely events.

Of course, the Cubs did it without the help of Vladimir Putin, the FBI, and millions of really stupid people.

But enough of this talk of treason, on to more important matters. In the NL East, Washington is once again the team to beat. Their everyday lineup is second only to the Cubs in the NL and they have, when everybody is healthy--I'm looking at you Stephen Strasburg--very good pitching. Keep this in  mind, though: if there is any way for the Nationals to blow it, they will. The Mets have even better pitching, and the bats to score some runs. However, nearly every one of their starters has had injury issues in the past. And like they say, past is prologue. However, barring multiple injuries to their staff, New York should still be in the running for a Wild Card. Atlanta is in the middle of a major rebuild and Miami is in the middle of being sold. Jeffrey Loria will now have to look for something else he can screw up. Hey, maybe there's a place for him in the Trump administration! The Braves have some good young hitters and can beat anyone when their ace is on the mound. Unfortunately that's only every fifth game. The rest of the time....? The Marlins will hype every single one of Giancarlo Stanton's massive home runs. Can you blame them? I mean, what else do they have to cheer about, other than Loria leaving? Try to name one Phillie. Go on. I dare you. Another long, miserable summer in Philadelphia.

In the Central, Pittsburgh's window of opportunity has just about closed. Having no dependable starting pitching will do that to a team. Oh, they'll score runs, but so will every team they play. The really interesting question for the Pirates is whether or not Andrew McCutcheon will bounce back from an off year, or has begun the inevitable descent to nothingness...The Cubs, on the other hand, are loaded from top to bottom and probably the only thing that can stop them is the pressure of being expected to defend their championship. On the banks of the mighty Mississippi, the Cardinals are always competitive, but on paper at least they just don't match up with the Cubs. Look for Chicago to walk away with this one and St. Louis to be chasing the Mets and the Giants for a Wild Card. The Brewers and Reds just aren't very good. Both are rebuilding. Both have one superstar surrounded by young players who may or may not pan out eventually. Both have pitching staffs patched together with retreads, busts, other teams' back of the rotation guys, and unproven kids. Good luck with that.

Out West, the Diamondbacks should be better, but still not good enough to compete with the Dodgers and the Giants.  Arizona's starting pitching still looks shake-y and their closer is well past whatever prime he had. But they will score a lot of runs and, who knows, maybe some of their perennial young pitching prospects will actually start to pan out. Los Angeles has spent mucho dinero putting together a team that just cannot get to the World Series. They should win the division again, but until Clayton Kershaw starts pitching like, well, Clayton Kershaw, in the playoffs, they still will come up short, Series wise. The Giants have solid pitching, but when you look at their everyday lineup you wonder how they'll score runs. However, they don't beat themselves very often, they have one of the best managers in the majors, and a Wild Card berth is almost a given. Colorado and San Diego will, once again, pull up the rear. Wait until next year, you Padre and Rockies fans. Or the year after that, or the year after that, or...ya know, why don't you just pick another team to root for? Save yourselves a lot of heartache.

Signor Baseball's 2016 NL Preview

Time to temporarily put away childish things...like Trump and Cruz and super delegates and all those millionaires and billionaires cheating on their taxes, and think for a moment about something important.

NL East: It has perhaps occurred to some of us that Bryce Harper is not as good as Bryce Harper thinks Bryce Harper is...or is that simply a clown conjecture? Anyway, what are we, Bryce Harper included, without our aspirations? The Nationals aspire to not be such a huge letdown, yet again. Matt Williams was not particularly good at his job, so now it's Dusty Baker's turn to be disappointed by all that talent. The Mets retain superior pitching and a couple of bats, and if they can stop shooting themselves in the foot, as they did throughout the World Series, and nobody's arm falls off, always a big "if", they should be the class of this division. Down Miami way, repeat after me "worst owner in baseball, worst owner in baseball". We will see if Don Mattingly can manage a team with a payroll under 200 mil. But who knows, they have a knack for turning up young talent, Giancarlo Stanton is beast if healthy, and maybe Barry Bonds will spread some pharmaceutical magic and the Marlins will ride his pixie dust into contention. The Braves, as always, are solid, but not nearly good enough to win this division. The Phillies are in complete tear it down and start over mode. Which is fine, because booing is a Philadelphia sports fan's automatic default mode anyway.

The NL Central presents the unsettling proposition that the Cubs are now the team to beat. Can this be?  Yes, Virginia, it can. And it would be great if they could finally win the pennant and the Series and we could finally stop hearing about the curse of the billy goat, and all the other miseries that have befallen Chicago since 1908. I don't think that's going to happen this year, but they should win the Central at least. Unless, of course, the pressure of being the presumptive favorite is too much for them. The Cardinals and Pirates will be right behind them should they falter. St. Louis, ho hum, is again very, very good. Year in and year out, not unlike the San Antonio Spurs. Although lately they seem to be snake bitten injury wise. And, at best, the poor Pirates look destined to play another one game Wild Card playoff. Maybe they can win one...some day. The Brewers and Reds bring up the rear. I'd look for fire sales from both of them come mid Summer. Frankly, states that elect the likes of Scott Walker and John Kasich really deserve no more.

Out in the NL West, the Diamondbacks look like a real baseball team for the first time in awhile, and many much wiser folks than I have predicted big things from them this year. Unfortunately, their skeevy owners have decided to extort the locals into turning over the public trough--or else! Just another Give Us More--Or We Will Leave punk move by a group of very wealthy white men. Sound familiar? So, I wish ruin upon them and pick, ho hum, LA or SF to win the division. Even without Greinke, the Dodgers are still loaded and it's an even year, which recently has meant 'the Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant!' Down San Diego way, there's a Nobu real close to Padres' Petco Field. So they've got that going for them...And up in Colorado, the Rockies can have all the legal Mary Jane they can get their hands on...win or mostly lose, it's all good, bro!

PS if you had Jordan Spieth in the Quadruple Bogey pool, you're a winner!

Signor Baseball's 2015 NL Preview

Hey Man! Forget about wealth inequality and climate change and ISIS/ISIL and racism and sexism and all the other isms we seem doomed to wallow in. It's baseball season! Spring for the MLB package, get the big Costco bag of chips, load up the Frigidaire with cheap beer and relax....Bread and circuses baby!

The National League East should be all Washington. They've added Max Scherzer to an already strong pitching staff and have more than enough hitting to get by. So get ready for the Nationals to more or less run away with it...And then get ready for Matt Williams to screw up the bullpen in the playoffs and the watch the Nationals crash and burn. Again.  Miami, even with their farm system churning out a seemingly endless supply of good young players, doesn't look strong enough to contend for the whole season, and Atlanta has lost too many big bats and arms to be feared, though the Braves always seem to come up with new talent from somewhere. Both teams should keep pace with Washington for awhile, but eventually drift back, with little or no chance at a wild card. The Mets will be better--perhaps even the best team in New York--for whatever that is worth these days. Unless Matt Harvey blows out his arm again. At that point their season will be reduced to guessing what Bartolo Colon weighs. The Philadelphia Phillies have, right before our eyes, gone from being the strength of the division to being a train wreck. By mid season, Cole Hamels, who deserves better, will sue for lack of support and demand to be traded anywhere.

In the Central, if you believe the hype, the Chicago Cubs are legitimate contenders. New manager, new ace, best farm system in the majors. On the other hand, they've sent a player who sounds like the second coming of Mike Schmidt down to the minors for a few weeks to save some money. Don't you just love it when billionaires pinch pennies?  Oh, and they screwed up rebuilding the bleachers so badly that Wrigley Field will now look like a construction site for the first two months of the season. Sounds like the same old Cubs to me. The Cardinals are still the team to beat, just like last year, and the year before that, and the year before that, and... St. Louis will be closely followed by the Pirates, with their all-star outfield, the Brewers, who gacked up a big lead last year in fairly impressive fashion, and the Cincinnati Reds, who always look better on paper than they really are. However, if the Cubs are as advertised, this might be a 5 team race to the very end, with a wild card probably coming from this division as well.

Out West, even with all the line-up changes, San Francisco and Los Angeles are still at the top of the heap.The Dodgers have the highest payroll in MLB, and that ought to count for something--shouldn't it? I mean, look at the Yankees...The Giants, on the other hand, just win World Series on a regular basis with strong pitching, Buster Posey, and any seven other guys they can find. Somebody in "The City" must know what they're doing. San Diego got themselves a whole new outfield, a #1 starter, an elite closer and should compete. They look impressive on paper, but the Padres' Petco Field seems to be a place where power hitters go to die. So Meyers, Kemp, and the "good" Upton may just end up with a lot of long outs. Arizona has a new manager, no everyday big league catcher, a starting staff you've never heard of, and the look of a non-contender. They spent a lot of money on a Cuban kid who apparently can't field very well, wherever they put him. Maybe someday the Diamondbacks will start an everyday lineup with real major leaguers at every position. To quote Principal Skinner, "Prove me wrong kids, prove me wrong." They will be lucky to stay a little ahead of Colorado, which is still a lovely place to spend the summer. And that legal weed should help people cope with yet another mediocre Rockies team. You have to wonder at what point Tulowitzki says "get me out of here!"

But hey, it's a long, long season and anything is possible, so "play ball!"

Signor Baseball's 2014 NL Preview

Well, it's that time of year again. Mr. Franklin tears himself away from wondering what happened to that airliner (has anybody checked gate 69 at Newark International?), and temporarily crawls out of the ice bath in which he braces himself for another delightful Phoenix Summer. The Crimea Crisis gets shoved to the back burner, all political shenanigans are swept aside for the moment, and he turns his attention to what truly matters: Signor Baseball's 2014 National League preview...

In the East, last year was supposed to be Washington's year. Didn't happen. Atlanta ran away from them. This year, three quarters of the Braves rotation imploded the first week of Spring training. So, hey, better late than never, let's go Nationals! Let's see if Matt Williams is a better manager than he was a third base coach. The Braves have plenty of bats, but their pitching is suddenly a hospital ward. The Phillies are just old, old, old. And some of them are getting grouchy, too. Some old guys are like that. The Mets are still not very good. Money can buy you everything but happiness--and a good team. With the Yankees in a weakened condition this may be a depressing season all around for New Yorkers. And 90 miles north of Cuba, the Marlins are...what exactly? They come up with a bunch of young talent year after year, have won as many World Series as the Yankees in the last eleven seasons, and still nobody comes to see them play. Plus their owner is a complete jerk. Hey, maybe that has something to do with it! Still, they have some bats and a little pitching (at least until their young players are eligible for free agency), so who knows? Washington hasn't won anything yet, the Braves and Phillies do have a couple of arms and a couple of bats, and this may be a year where almost every team in the East plays right around .500 and whoever gets hot in September wins the division.

The Central division, as usual, should be a dog fight until the end.  Reds, Cards, Pirates. Take your pick. At least one of the Wild Cards will come from the runners up. The Reds looked like they had a slight edge before their 100 mph closer took one in the eye a couple of days ago. Ouch. And the Pirates probably won't repeat last year's success. Their pitching just isn't that good. I get tired of picking St. Louis every year, but they put a good solid team on the field every year, and that's all that it takes in this division. So far, in the Windy City, City of the Big Shoulders, Hog Butcher to the World, Blahblahblah, Theo Epstein hasn't been able to work any wonders with the Cubs. They'll battle it out with Milwaukee for last place. Again. The good folks of Chicago certainly deserve better, but as Clint Eastwood once said, "deserves got nothing to do with it." I guess some curses are harder to break than others. And regarding the Brewers, well, any state that elects Scott Walker gets a truly sucky team. That's just Karma, I think.

And finally, out West, apparently Arizona has become a place that good young arms come to die. And with them, the Diamondbacks' hopes of catching the Dodgers. Now, repeat after me, "you can never have enough pitching."  Unfortunately, in an attempt to fill some other holes, the team traded a whole bunch of pitching that would sure come in handy about now. On offense, this Trumbo guy that Arizona brought in to protect Goldschmidt will hit 35-40 homers and strike out a lot. Mark Reynolds comes to mind.The rest of the lineup will scrape away trying to find enough runs to compete. All for naught, because the Dodgers are plain loaded from top to bottom. Case in point: their #5 starter was the D-Backs #1 a couple of years ago. The Giants, though they don't have many bats besides Posey's, should be better than last year--at least good enough to compete for a Wild Card slot. Indeed, San Francisco has won a couple of World Series with essentially the same level of talent. The D-Backs will have to hope that some sort of rotator cuff plague hits LA and San Francisco if they want to have a chance at winning this division. Do not fret, Rockies' and Padres' fans. Colorado and San Diego are still very nice places to spend the summer. And you can get legal weed in Denver! So they got that going for them.

So, light 'em up, and play ball!

Signor Baseball's 2013 NL Preview

The Winter has flown by, erratic weather and all, Spring is in the air, and to top it off, they tell me Christ has risen. So get ready to re-tear that rotator cuff, re-pull that groin, and renew your faith in our National Pastime! Yes, moms and dads, boys and girls, and children of all ages, it's time for Signor Baseball's 2013 National League preview:

In the East, Atlanta and Washington have the edge over the aging Phillies. One should win the division and the other should be a lock for a wild card. Personally, I hope Justin Upton hits 40 homers and wins the MVP award. And I don't even like the Braves. In DC, that Harper kid and Strasburg Unchained will be fun to watch. Of course, Philadelphia does still have a lot of talent, so if everybody stays healthy--which is highly unlikely--and the Nationals or Braves falter even a little, the Phils could squeeze past them. If not, maybe the Yanks can buy Cole Hamels and Ryan Howard at the trading deadline. The Mets don't have much (healthy) pitching and very little offense, so it will be neck and neck with them and the fire sale Marlins as to which team finishes last. At least one half of the population of New York City will be miserable all Summer long, but based on the attendance figures for Florida, hardly anyone down there will notice or care. So maybe, if things loosen up in a few years, the Marlins can move to Havana, where people really do love baseball.

In the Central, it looks like another year where being a couple of games over .500 will keep you in the race until the bitter end. The Cards and Reds should trade off first place throughout the Summer, with the Pirates and Brewers just a little behind them. For what it's worth, Cincinnati always seems to find a way to falter in the clutch and St. Louis doesn't.  In long suffering Chicago...well...Cubs' fans will continue to suffer. In a just world this wouldn't happen to such fine folks. But, as John F. Kennedy was heard to say, "life isn't fair." I still expect Theo Epstein to build a winner in "the city of broad shoulders". Though maybe not in my lifetime. One thing is for certain: Houston will not finish last in the NL Central this year. Because the Astros are moving to the AL West, taking their patented brand of AAA baseball to the Junior Circuit. Where they will finish last.

And in the West, the Giants are defending World Champions again, the Dodgers spent a billion dollars, and the Diamondbacks traded their best all around player. Oh, and for some, possibly gritty, reason, Arizona likes to keep their best outfielder in reserve--just in case. Like Donald Sutherland's "Oddball" character in Kelley's Heroes. After an off season purge, my home team is loaded top to bottom with "character" guys and "grinders".  Now, if only they could play baseball a little better...The Giants don't have as much offense as the Dodgers, at least on paper. I also like LA's pitching a little more than San Francisco's, so take the Dodgers first, the Giants hot on their tails, the D-Backs, with their questionable starting rotation and line-up du jour, a furlong back, and the Rockies and Padres fighting it out for last. Sure, "the last shall be first", but not in this world. On the other hand, Denver and San Diego are beautiful places to spend the Summer, so it's not all bad for their fans.