MLB's 5 Dream World Series Matchups

This baseball season has been an interesting one and not a whole lot has gone according to the plan of the baseball "experts". Technically I was not much better myself with my picks. However, I think we can all agree that MLB has some dreamy World Series matchups still available and they are mostly between a few teams. For this season, their top 5 matchups are still available. I will break down each one and state why it is the dream matchup for the league.

5. Los Angeles Dodgers v. New York Yankees
This matchup engages both coasts. It pits the team that everybody loves to hate against the team with the pitcher that everybody loves. This is the game of the two franchises that typically spend the most money. The teams that are supposed to be there that never end up there at the same time. When you put Kershaw against ARod, a lot of people will want to tune in.

4. Chicago Cubs v. New York Yankees
The lovable osers against the evil empire. The cursed team against the team that curses opponents. The team that has won more than 20 championships against the team that never wins. These are two of MLB's top franchises and the story-lines write themselves.

3. Washington Nationals v. Los Angeles Angeles of Anaheim
Trout v. Harper. Enough said.

2. Los Angeles Dodgers v. Toronto Blue Jays
Two of the games best pitchers against the games best lineup. A matchup between two countries. A true World Series. A team ending the longest playoff drought in American sports heading to the World Series to take on baseball's highest payroll. Price v. Kershaw. Tulowitski in the World Series. There is just so much potential here.

1. Chicago Cubs v. Toronto Blue Jays
Same as the previous matchup except add the Cubs cursed history to it. This matchup would have eyeballs galore. People want to see the Cubs and Blue Jays square off in the World Series. This World Series would be mega $$$$ for MLB.

Now, all of these would be $$$$ for MLB, but that last one (last two actually) would be on a different level IMO.

-Noland

College and MLB Baseball Season Preview

Because of the countdown on likable athletes I was doing I was a little late on my college baseball preview. Late is better than never though and it will be included in this post along with the MLB season preview. Since, the college baseball season is underway, it will include some information from the first month of the season.

College Baseball

We will start with the Seminoles since they are the main focus of this blog. FSU has had a decent start to the season and is ranked by every major year. This is predicted to be a down year by FSU standards with most rankings having FSU around 20. That prediction means FSU will likely have a 2 seed heading into regional play. I would say that prediction is likely accurate based on what I have seen so far. The Noles have lost a lot of talent and it doesn't appear likely they will deliver that elusive title for #11. An early season loss to Jacksonville does not convince me otherwise. The losses to Georgia don't make me feel any better. However, they did win one game 24-1 against USF so there is some hope. FSU losses by the Super Regionals this year though I am afraid.

Since I do not like to pick repeat winners, I will not be picking Vanderbilt to win in college. Instead, I will be picking the LSU Tigers (who look like the best team anyway). These guys will be the most complete team and likely will get the job done. Expect Virginia and Vanderbilt to be among the top teams in Omaha with them. It kills me that the Gators and Canes will likely have better teams than the Noles this year, but at least neither should win their conference. Virginia should win the ACC and either Vanderbilt or LSU should win the SEC. It should be a heck of a college baseball season.

MLB Predictions

Now, on to the professional circuit. These predictions will be a little more in depth. I will pick all the playoff teams and the overall winner.

AL East Champ: Baltimore Orioles
AL Central Champ: Kansas City Royals
AL West Champ: Seattle Mariners
Wild Card 1: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Wild Card 2: Boston Red Sox

The most exciting race by far should be the AL West because there are three teams that are absolutely loaded. However, I believe that the small additions to their lineup put Seattle over the top. Seattle is a team that just missed last year and they have a top 2 as good as anyone in the rotation. Nobody questions the pitching that Seattle has and the lineup is coming around. Those guys can't do any better at loading up this lineup. The addition of Nelson Cruz along with that pitching makes this team a serious postseason threat. For some reason, Nelson Cruz is lights out in the playoffs. That guy will deliver some serious goods for the Mariners in the playoffs. They will win the American League period with him complementing Robinson Cano and that brilliant rotation.
The Angels just miss the AL West and capture the Wild Card advancing to the division and perhaps even the championship series. Oakland will not be a player in these playoffs in my opinion. They don't have the talent, but you have heard that about them before.
Another exciting race will be the American League East which comes down to three teams IMO. Those teams will be Baltimore, Boston, and Toronto. Each is a legit threat to the WS crown and not just the AL East Crown. Baltimore is the surest thing because we now how that team operates and Buck gets the job done. I would obviously love to see Baltimore take home the hardware. However, Boston and Toronto each made brilliant offseason moves and cannot be taken lightly. The Rays went full tank mode this offseason though so they will be murdered in this brilliant AL East. A lot of Baltimore's hopes lie in the health of their superstars Matt Wieters and Manny Machado. If 100% healthy, Baltimore will look to do some serious damage in Major League Baseball this season.
Boston upgraded their offense a tremendous amount and also added Rick Porcello so it is hard to see them with another last place finish. They should be right there with Baltimore and Toronto. The Blue Jays should finally make a push, especially after adding a top 30 player in Josh Donaldson. This should be a very fun race.
I predict that the Tigers will start to fall off after losing two top tier starters and the Royals will fill that void in the Central with all of their young talent.

NL East Champ: Washington Nationals
NL Central Champ: Pittsburgh Pirates
NL West Champ: Los Angeles Dodgers
NL Wild Card 1: Chicago Cubs
NL Wild Card 2: San Diego Padres

Just like the American League, the most exciting National League race will be out West. Even the Diamondbacks are improved and there are four really solid teams out West. The Diamondbacks however are a step behind 3 other clubs in the division. Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Francisco should all be better than Arizona. At least 2 of those 3 will make the playoffs and I wouldn't be surprised if all three did. The Giants are the defending champs and have a ton of talent, but a lot of hope rises on two players. With Panda leaving that puts even more burden on Bumgarner and Posey. As good as that duo is, I have them just out of the playoffs in a loaded NL West. The trades San Diego has made along with the signing of James Shields makes them a legitimate threat. It looks great on paper, but will it work out? That is the million dollar question. There is no doubt though that if healthy and 100% that is the best outfield in baseball. Justin Upton and Matt Kemp together and with Myers, are you kidding me?
The team that traded Matt Kemp will still be the class of the West though. The Dodgers have the best pitcher in the game and the most talent overall. They upgraded a few spots as they added Kendrick and Jimmy Rollins along with some other pieces. The defense that Los Angeles puts on the field should be vastly improved over last year. Pitching and defense is quite important in this game, so that is a good sign. They should be right around where they were.
The NL East should be a cakewalk for the Nationals as they will be the favorites to run through the entire NL. That rotation is the best on paper since the 90s Braves. If a team does compete in the East it will be Miami. All the others are looking at the middle of a rebuild while the Marlins are a team on the rise and Washington is built to win now.
The NL Central is incredibly weak and that lends opportunity to a few teams. Cincinnati will be down and Milwaukee should be as well. St. Louis could easily also be trending down which should make Pittsburgh the favorite. Even though Pittsburgh is the favorite though, look out because he comes Joe Maddon and those Chicago Cubs. Chicago will be much improved and I believe will get a wild card spot.

MLB Playoffs
ALDS: Mariners over Angels
ALDS: Orioles over Royals
ALCS: Mariners over Orioles
NLDS: Dodgers over Padres
NLDS; Nationals over Pirates
NLCS: Dodgers over Nationals

Once the playoffs come around, things should get interesting. Over in the American League I think the pitching of the Seattle Mariners proves to be too much. With King Felix and Iwakuma pitching and that revamped lineup, it will be difficult to beat the Mariners. Don't forget that this team barely missed the playoffs last year and could have easily taken down the Royals and made that run themselves. Add Nelson Cruz to that lineup and a full season of Austin Jackson and this team is the favorites to me. The Orioles and Angels each provide good chances of preventing that from happening as each has an explosive lineup. Baltimore also has really good pitching as well, but it remains to be seen if Wieters and/or Machado can stay healthy throughout the year.
The National League has more contenders for the World Series title than the American League this year I believe. If you look at the NL West, there are 3 strong contenders right there. The Nationals are a threat as are the Marlins and Pirates. Don't be shocked if Chicago gets in the mix too. With that being said, the Dodgers and Nationals should prove to be the class of the National League all year long. These teams have the most talent and are both built to win now. It is time to put up or shut up for these two franchises and I believe that they are headed for a collision course in the NLCS. That NLCS is where I think the Dodgers separate themselves though. LA has the far superior lineup and they have the best pitcher in baseball. Kershaw has a postseason this year like MadBum had last year and proves to be the best there is in the game of baseball. You lose two games to Kershaw and those bats will win two more. Ya the Nationals have the best rotation, but their team can't score against LA's rotation and especially will struggle with Kershaw on the bump. This will set up the dream World Series.

World Series
Mariners over Dodgers

This is the dream World Series matchup for any baseball fan whether they acknowledge it or not. Kershaw vs. King Felix on the biggest stage of them all. The two best pitchers in the game going head to head. I not only would love to see it, I think we will get to see this incredible matchup. In the end, I think Seattle wins this dream matchup because I think Iwakuma will outduel the Dodgers #2 guy. Kershaw will have to beat Felix at least twice to prevent Seattle from being the World Series Champs.

It should be a fun baseball season though.
Go O's and Go Noles!

-Noland

Hammel Delivers, Chen Not Quite

Recently the Orioles have had two starting pitchers that have done well. Those pitchers are Jason Hammel and Wei Yin Chen. Fans of the team feel comfortable with those two on the hill and not so much when other pitchers are there. So with the Beltway Series here, it was good for the Orioles that those pitchers led off the series. Unfortunately, Chen got beat tonight, but Hammel had a different result last night. Even in the loss, Chen was impressive, but not as good as Hammel.

I was just going to skip the post on last night's game, but the performance was too spectacular. Jason Hammel improved to 8-2 behind an amazing performance last night. He did not give up a single earned run in his eight innings pitched. Absolutely amazing from the starter. There was a run scored by the Nationals off him, but was unearned. The run was unearned because of a Mark Reynolds error. Reynolds had 2 on the night. It didn't end there for Hammel who had 10 strikeouts and lowered his ERA to 2.61. Awesome job by Hammel. I see an all-star appearance in his future.

-Noland

Seminoles Drafted So Far

Yesterday, I posted about FSU OF James Ramsey being drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals, today several more players were picked for the greatest university around.

This included my cousin's Washington Nationals selecting FSU closer Robert Benincasa. This is an awesome pick for the Nasty Nats who desperately need a closer. Benincasa should quickly rise through the system and help the Nats in the near future.

The New York Mets selected FSU 1B Jayce Boyd. I selfishly want Boyd to return next year and be a difficult sign for the Mets. However, I am very happy for Jayce and his selection and wish him well with the Mets if that is what he chooses.

The Los Angeles Angels selected 3B Sherman Johnson. Johnson is my favorite Seminole, but he has no more eligibility left. He should be an easy sign for the Angels and hopefully will contribute a great deal. He was drafted as a 2B for the Angels, which is where he started originally. I think Johnson will exceed his pick and end up with the big team one day.

The Detroit Tigers selected 2B Devon Travis. Travis is my wife's favorite Nole and really brings it every time out. He can come back and may likely come back, but will do well in their organization should he go to Detroit.

-Noland

Orioles Beat Nats, Take Series

The Orioles have again defeated the Nats in interleague play. The worst they can do now is take 2 out of 3. This effort was led again by the Oriole outfield. Especially, Adam Jones. Jones hit an AdamBomb in the victory. Jones now has 14 homers on the year. He went 3 for 4 in the game with a run scored and 2 RBIs. Forget all star, this guy is in the thick of the MVP race. Jones is looking at some major $$$$ when the extension rolls around. Did I say this guy has been mashing?

Jones was not the only guy mashing as Nick Markakis hit his 8th homer of the season. Nicky is on pace for 30+ which is a huge increase over last year. The O's right fielder scored twice and drove in two. I take this kind of production any day. Another Oriole that was great is the great Andino. He went 2 for 5 with a run scored and 2 RBI. Andino has been hurt by Reimold being out as he has had to move up in the lineup most nights, but he has been really good still. Xavier Avery was 1 for 3 with a run scored. JJ Hardy was 2 for 4 in the 6-5 victory.

As with most close victories, the pitching is critical. Jason Hammel was good enough to pick up his 5th win today, but it wasn't pretty. Hammel gave up 4 runs over 5 1/3 to preserve the victory. He did record 5 strikeouts though and get the win. The guy just hasn't been as effective since the injury though. Hopefully, he gets back to the dominant stuff pre injury.

Ayala, Patton, and Strop all got holds. They continue to pitch well out of the pen. Then of course, Jim Johnson came in for the save. Johnson now has 15 saves on the season. He is on pace for 50+. The save record belongs to Randy Myers. Myers had 45 in 1997, the last year the Orioles made the playoffs. Crazy stuff. Can Johnson get anywhere close to that mark?

-Noland

Orioles Beat Nationals

The Baltimore Orioles defeated the Washington Nationals last night in game one of the beltway series. The Orioles were lead by a tremendous pitching effort as they gave up only one run in 11 innings. Jake Arrieta had his best start in a while as he only gave up 1 run over 7. Arrieta keeps the quality start streak going for the O's. If they can have quality starts every game, they will win the overwhelming majority of them.

The bullpen was absolutely flawless. Darren O'Day went 1 1/3 innings and was perfect as he didn't allow a baserunner. O'Day now has an ERA of 1.37. Troy Patton finished an inning going 2/3 of an inning and was also perfect. Then came Kevin Gregg...Gregg pitched a perfect inning as well. He lowered his ERA to 3.46 and has been perfect for several outings in a row now. What happened here? Kevin Gregg also won the game and now has 2 victories on the year. You know what they say, "every game there's a different star that's the magic of Orioles baseball." Finally, Pedro Strop came in for the final inning and picked up his 3rd save of the season. Strop did give up a hit, but it didn't matter as he preserved the 2-1 victory.

The offense came through for the birds also. Nick Markakis had one of his best games of the year as he had two extra base hits. Markakis had his 9th double of the season and his 7th home run. His power numbers have definitely come up, although his average has dipped. He now is hitting .258 for the season when he is usually around .300. This guy still has plenty of time to bring it up though. The other Oriole outfielders both had 2 hits. Xavier Avery went 2 for 4 with a double, a walk, and a run scored. This guy continues to impress. Avery is now hitting .280. Adam Jones went 2 for 5 with an RBI. Game 2 will feature

-Noland

Nats Sign Mike Gonzalez

The Washington Nationals have signed my least favorite Oriole of all time (other than Kevin Gregg). Mike Gonzalez is the king of the blown save. The guy blew three straight saves in his first three appearances against the Rays after signing a $6 million a year contract. Man, I dislike this guy. At least he did get the birds Pedro Strop though. One smart thing the Nationals did was offer him a minor league contract, but I wouldn't touch this guy with a ten foot pole. I want him nowhere near the Baltimore organization again. This guy did not live up to his contract with the Orioles. It will be interesting to see if the Nationals bring him up.

-Noland

Pudge to Retire

When I was just getting into baseball, I had three favorite non Oriole baseball players. Those players were Ken Griffey Jr., Kirby Puckett, and Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez. I just loved the way that those three guys played. They gave such great effort and they were so good. I would dream that one day they would come to the Orioles. We actually had a deal in place to bring Pudge to Baltimore, but Captain Angelos didn't want to give up Jeffrey Hammonds. What can you do though? Unfortunately, Mr. Puckett is no longer with us, having passed away in 2006. Mr. Griffey I have talked about several times before and he recently retired and then there was Pudge.

Rodriguez has now spent 21 seasons in the bigs. Most of his pro seasons were with the Texas Rangers and he will retire as a Ranger Monday, but he also spent time with the Florida Marlins, Detroit Tigers, New York Yankees, Houston Astros, and Washington Nationals. Rodriguez won the World Series in 2003 in his only season with the Marlins and also played in the World Series in 2006 with Detroit.

Pudge also has several records and accolades. He holds the records for most games caught. Rodriguez has 13 gold gloves and 14 all star games to his credit. He was the 1999 American League MVP and the 2003 NLCS MVP. Though he is best known for his defense, Pudge also has 7 silver sluggers. He is a surefire Hall of Famer.

In addition to all of his awards, are all of the impressive stats. Rodriguez was highest amoung active players in career caught stealing percentage and is even higher than my boy Matt Wieters there. He has 2,844 hits and while that is short of the magical 3,000 it isn't short by much and it is good for 44th best all time. In his long career the man has hit 311 home runs and 572 doubles (21st). Pudge has 1332 RBI, and 4,451 total bases, while also having 934 extra base hits.

This man is a living legend and we all got to see him play for a long time.

-Noland

Davey Johnson Says Nationals Infield The Best

According to MASN's Dan Kolko, Davey Johnson has said that the Nationals infield is the best he has been around. In this post the former Orioles manager and player says that Laroche, Espinosa, Desmond, and Zimmerman were better than Powell, Robinson, Belanger, and himself. Keep in mind Davey Johnson was a heck of a baseball player when he played. Also keep in mind that while managing the Orioles, Johnson managed some stud defenders as well. He managed Roberto Alomar while he was with the O's. You find me a better defensive second baseman than Roberto Alomar when he played and I will find you a liar.

So, why did Johnson say this? Is it just a motivating technique to get his guys to believe in himself. Does he just not want to make it seem like he wasn't that great. From everything I've heard that Orioles infield was the best. Given it was before my time, but the games I've seen show that there wasn't really anyone better than Brooks. My dad always said that there wasn't anyone better than Boog either. Brooks Robinson won 16 gold gloves back when gold gloves meant something. The SS switched for the Orioles in Johnson's time but, Luis Aparacio won 9 gold gloves and Mark Belanger won 8. Heck, Johnson himself had 3 gold gloves. So I would think he is exaggerating a bit, but it is high praise.

"I've been around a lot of good infields, but (there's) no question in my mind," Johnson said

That is absolutely crazy to me. However, when you look at it, the Nationals are filthy defensively. Is there a better defensive 1B than Adam Laroche? There sure are not many. What about Ian Desmond? Desmond is absolutely amazing at SS. He is definitely top 5 defensively. Danny Espinosa I will admit to not seeing much of, but I hear good reports. Than there is Ryan Zimmerman. I will admit to being a Zimmerman fan, I think he is one of the most underrated players in the game all around. He is a terrific athlete. I can actually see a little bit of what Johnson was saying.

-Noland