Running MLB Thread 2007 #1

Well they got the hitting, but they do not have any pitching. Outside of Kazmir, who else can pitch. It was a matter of time till the Yankees were going to come back and win this game today.

 

James Shields. Pay attention rube.

 

Is anybody else surprised and impressed by (with) Aaron Harang?

 

Harang has looked good the two or three times I've seen him pitch. So I'm impressed, but not surprised.

Did anyone notice that the Mariners sent Jeremy Reed down to triple A and have now picked up Jason Ellison as their fourth outfielder? Is this kid expected to hit at some point? Reed was the proverbial sure thing when he left the White Sox.

And, the M's dropped Rey Ordonez from the 40-man roster in order to pick up Ellison. Laugh if you will, but I saw Ordonez and Betancourt take a special fielding session in Phoenix, and Ordonez was doing much better than holding his own. He looked ready to go. I wouldn't be surprised to see one of the NL Central teams pick him up, although I'm unfamiliar with their rosters. Except for the Cards, and they won't be going for Rey Rey.

 

The Cubs had him once. He sucked at Neifi-like levels.

 

I don't understand why anybody would be surprised at this point. Harang led the National League in strikeouts and won 16 games with an ERA under four last year, his second consecutive season with a solid ERA. He is still a better pitcher on the road, but that's life in the Great American Bandbox. I think that is part of why he has snuck up on people, because the home ballpark has hurt his numbers just enough to keep him from getting his due.

 

Agreed except for two points. With the addition of Carlos Lee and the likelyhood that Mark Loretta will take a lot of at-bats from Biggio as the season wears on, Houston might have a better offense than it did the last two years.

And the Pirates don't have nearly the young talent the Brewers do.

 

Yeah, people love to bash the NL Central. Of course, the league champion has come from that division three years running and the defending WS champ is there.

The NL West, meanwhile, hasn't produced a 90-win team since 2004 and hasn't won a playoff series since 2002.

 

Jason Marquis.

Of course, he had the drunk-driving genius leaving him out there to take some brutal beatings last year.

 

I think one of the things that kept Harang from getting his due was the breakout year by Bronson Arroyo last year.

Arroyo was the story last year even though Harang was the better pitcher over the course of a full season. Also keep in mind that even though he had a very good 2005 - he still had a losing record at 11-13. It is easy to understand why the pitcher that led the league in both wins and strikeouts last season still goes under the radar to a large degree.

 

Good points. I wonder how much of the attention on Arroyo came because he was making the Red Sox look bad. Giving up Arroyo and Hanley Ramirez turned out to be disastrous last season.

 

I am slightly annoyed by baseball players who wear ridiculous numbers like Zito's 75.