Kuzul

With Game 1 of the 2011 ALCS starting tonight in Arlington, Texas, the Rangers will begin their quest for a second straight AL Pennant. The Rangers have a clear edge in the series against the Detroit Tigers, and they will show that tonight.The Tigers did not pitch ace Justin Verlander in the deciding Game 5 of the ALDS against the New York Yankees, so he is ready to go tonight against the Rangers' ace C.J. Wilson. This pitching match is slightly in Verlander's favor, but the Yankees proved to us that a good, deep lineup like that of the Rangers can do enough damage to get some runs off Verlander. If Verlander doesn't go eight innings tonight (long enough to get to closer Jose Valverde), then the Tigers will be forced to rely upon less-than-stellar relievers like Phil Coke and Daniel Schlereth. The Rangers just need to get to the Tigers' ...

Pitching can dominate MLB, and it is arguably the most important aspect of the game. This list will predict how each pitching staff will look one decade from now.The way to figure out how a pitching staff will look in 10 years requires a few steps.First, we must look at the young pitchers on the staff now. Knowing that starters will stop pitching well enough to be on the staff around age 35, we should only include pitchers who are 25 or younger.Second, we must look at the farm systems. Young, talented pitching prospects will come up to the Majors over time, and they must be evaluated based on potential.Third, we need to evaluate GMs. Certain GMs are known for making blockbuster trades, and those trades will bolster the pitching staffs of these teams.So, bearing these factors in mind, we ...

If you’ve ever tried working out on a regular basis, you know that if you stop for over five months, you don’t start the same way you finished. This is exactly like baseball.  If you haven’t seen a pitcher’s best slider or 12-6 curve in over five months, you won’t adjust to it very quickly. Sure, spring training is supposed to help out both the pitchers and hitters, but the pitchers usually save their best stuff for simulated games and the regular season. A combination of this and the fact that the weather can be cold and make it very hard for fly balls to become home runs leads to some hitters having very bad starts to the season. Likewise with pitchers, if you haven’t been pitching your breaking balls and getting command of your fastballs down for a long time, you are not in peak performance. Many exercise science ...

The MLB season is less than a week away, and at this point we are all making our preseason predictions. Some of the most popular predictions are the major awards, MVP, Cy Young, Rookie of the Year, etc. There are favorites, hometown heroes and dark horses in every race. The question facing the players is: “who’s taking home the hardware?” Will it be a player in a contract year who is trying to make the most money possible in free agency?  Will it be a manager fighting for his job?  Will it be a player with a new team who makes a good adjustment? While it is next to impossible to pick these guys right before the season starts, these are my predictions.Begin Slideshow

This is the final installment if a seven-part series predicting the records of each team, and now the playoffs.  The teams that make the postseason in this installment are based off of previous ones. Now that the 2011 season is closer than ever, and Opening Day is only eight days away, we writers are giving our preseason predictions, and these are mine.  Through careful analysis of records, schedules, transactions, and more I have compiled my postseason picks. Now, it’s time to break them down. Matchups in the postseason are incredible, and they always provide fireworks.  The ability to play five or seven games against your opponent is what makes baseball great.  The best teams usually come out on top, but sometimes we have surprises, like the 2008 Phillies or 2010 Giants. These next slides are my predictions of each postseason series, and breakdowns of each series.  Sure, the postseason is over seven months away, ...

The American League West is the only division in baseball with four teams. In baseball, size of your division is no matter, and the AL Champion Texas Rangers proved that in 2010. Even though they are small, the AL West provides no fewer dramatics than other divisions, and they provide more than most. Three of the four teams in the AL West came within 10 games of each other for the division crown. The AL West belonged to the Texas Rangers in 2010, but did the offseason shift the balance of power? This is part six of a seven-part series predicting the records of every team by division, and then predicting the postseason matchups and results (links to the other divisions and date of the postseason can be found on the last slide). So, with no further ado, let’s break down the tight race for the playoffs in the AL West.Begin Slideshow

The American League Central came down to six games at the end of the season, with the Minnesota Twins beating out the Chicago White Sox.  This was the Twins’ second straight title in a division that can really go to any of the teams (except maybe Kansas City) on any given year. Having been beat out and not tasting the postseason for several years, the rest of the division went out and did some shopping on the Hot Stove to try to secure a playoff spot for 2011.  This has led to three teams emerging as the best and brightest of the division. The division is a tough call this year, with some more star power coming to help the teams that were close to the playoffs. This division is so close that it could just come down to who stays healthy this season.Begin Slideshow

Formerly known as the Wild Wild West, the National League West came down to the very last day last season, when the San Francisco Giants topped the San Diego Padres to clinch the division.  This is part three of a seven-part series predicting the records of the teams in the MLB by division and then the postseason. The West created fireworks again in the postseason, when the Giants surprised everyone by beating the wild-card Atlanta Braves to win the NLDS, the three-ace Phillies for the NL pennant and the Texas Rangers for the World Series title.  San Fran was partying hard last year, but can the Giants do it again? The NL West may not have acquired any big stars during the offseason, but the moves that were made were big all the same.  Even if they didn’t acquire them, there were still big names floating around the NL West, ...

Spring Training is in full force now, and we now have some insight into the teams of the MLB. This piece is second in a series of seven, each predicting the records of teams in each division and then predicting the entire postseason (the schedule for which can be found on the last slide). During the offseason, the Brew Crew did come winter cleaning of their roster, the Cards lost their two aces, and all four other teams in the Central made some interesting moves.  Now that the chips have fallen from the offseason, it is time to start predicting how the teams will do in 2011. So, with no further ado, let’s get this started.Begin Slideshow

The Philadelphia Phillies' prospect Domonic Brown recorded his first hit of spring training today against the Pittsburgh Pirates.  The at-bat was bittersweet, however, because Brown fractured his wrist, an injury that will most likely require surgery. Brown saw some action up in the Majors in the second half of the 2010 season, batting .210 and recording three doubles and two home runs in only 62 at-bats.  Brown was in a fight for the right field spot in the Phillies' outfield this season, and it looked as though Brown would platoon with Ben Francisco, but with the injury Francisco should win the position outright. With this recent injury, the Phillies and their fans are all disappointed, since Brown is the No. 4 prospect in the MLB according to ESPN. Although many people believe it a tragedy, Brown’s injury is actually a good thing for the Phillies. Brown is an underdeveloped player at this point, and ...