Post from: Knuckle Curve

At THT, I’ve gone with the popular pick except for AL West (I chose Mariners over Angels), AL Wild Card (Indians over Yankees), and NL Cy Young (Jake Peavy over Johan Santana — there’s my Padres bias kicking in because, hey, someone’s got to have a Padres bias).

I also have the Diamondbacks beating the Tigers in the World Series. We’ll see what happens…

How about you? Any predictions you’d care to share?

Post from: Knuckle Curve

But we’re not here to talk about me. We’re looking today at players who are injury risks in 2008. And when I say “we,” I actually mean Chris Neault, who has a detailed rundown up at Hardball Times. Here’s his take on Angels right-hander John Lackey:

Inner elbow pain is not something that you want to have. Lackey logged over 3500 pitches last season, and over 200 innings in four of his six major league seasons. He also has started 32-33 games in each of the past five seasons. With these stats, and his complaints of elbow pain, there is no question that father time is catching up with his elbow. He is bound for the DL to start the season, and if he does not bounce back in the next month, you can be certain that an extended stay on the shelf will be next. Let’s hope for his sake that he does not require Tommy John surgery.

Interesting and potentially very useful stuff. Chris, who is a licensed physical therapist, also has his own blog, The Disabled List Informer. I’ve added it to the blogroll (despite his love of the Red Sox); be sure to pay him a visit.

Post from: Knuckle Curve

Last year the Padres brought in Greg Maddux and David Wells. One of those worked out real well, the other not so much. This year it’s Randy Wolf and Mark Prior. The situation is a little different, though, because Maddux basically never misses a start, while Wolf hasn’t made as many as 20 since 2004. As for Prior, my advice is not to think about him at all and hope for a pleasant surprise later in the season. Realistically we’re looking at guys like Shawn Estes, Justin Germano, and Glendon Rusch for that fifth spot. The fact that these aren’t exciting options wouldn’t be a problem except that the rest of the rotation isn’t as good as some people seem to think it is.

Head on over to Hardball Times to read the rest…

Post from: Knuckle Curve

Post from: Knuckle Curve

I’m curious to see how well Fukudome’s game translates to the North American version. On the Matsui scale, will his transition land closer to the Hideki end or to the Kazuo end? And if the latter, how long will it take for Cubs fans to turn on him and start intentionally mispronouncing his name?

Check out the whole shebang at Hardball Times if you’re so inclined…

Post from: Knuckle Curve

Anyway, thanks to our crack staff, we should be good to go, which means… more stuff!

Okay, that was lame. It’s Friday and I’m on my first cup coffee. So, what’s going on? Glad you asked:

• In case you missed it, I’ve kicked off a look back at the top prospects of 1998; the first installment covers #91-100 (and yes, Eric, that teaser at the end is a nod to Mr. Ortiz). These will be running every Thursday for the next — eh, you do the math.
• My latest article at Baseball Digest Daily examines “baseball family trees.” It’s sort of an attempt to connect players from different eras. For example, we can look at Sean Casey and see that he was kind of like Hal Morris, who was kind of like Chris Chambliss, who was kind of like Wes Parker, and so on back to Fred Merkle. The method is a bit crude (hey, I’ve been called worse!), but I think it’s fun.
• Finally, I’m pleased to announce that the Hardball Times Season Preview 2008 is almost upon us. I contributed the chapter on the San Diego Padres, so there may be some bias here, but I think we’ve got a pretty rockin’ book this year. If you don’t believe me (then why are you reading my stuff, but that’s a different story), here’s my esteemed colleague David Gassko to tell you more:
  • It’s the Hardball Times Season Preview 2008!
  • The Hardball Times Season Preview 2008: A sample chapter (Red Sox content warning)
  • Ten things I learned from The Hardball Times Season Preview 2008
  You can buy the book at all the usual outlets, but if you order directly from the publisher, THT gets a higher cut. More money, of course, means more books. Not that I’m telling you what to do or anything, but… oh wait, yes I am.

This was a weird post. What’s in my coffee, anyway?

Post from: Knuckle Curve

Post from: Knuckle Curve