Baltimore Orioles- 2013 Preview

2012 Results: 93-69 (2nd in AL East, Won Wild Card Game, Lost NLDS to NYY 3-2)

You want to talk about a surprise team, how about Baltimore? Baltimore was not a very good team since Davey Johnson managed the team in the 90's. The Orioles came out of nowhere and became a force in the AL East. The crazy part? The Orioles manged to miss winning the AL East crown by 2 games! The Orioles ranked 20th in batting average (.247), 14th in ERA (3.90), and 18th in Fielding percentage (.983). The stats can be completely thrown out on the Orioles because of one simple fact. According to the stats, the Orioles shouldn't have won as many games. The Orioles gave up 705 runs and managed to only score 712, a run differential of +7. According to all the stats, the Orioles should have only won 82 games.

Just that one stat alone puts the Orioles in an odd group. The +7 run differential puts them WORSE than San Diego, New York Mets, and Toronto Blue Jays. Those teams managed records of 76-86 (SD), 74-88 (NYM), and 73-89 (TOR). It's a crazy stat but that's the honest look into the numbers. Yet Baltimore remained one of the most surprising stories of 2012. Another surprising thing about the Orioles? They managed to beat the Texas Rangers in the Wild Card Game and gave the New York Yankees a real fight in ALDS by pushing the series to 5 games.

How does 2013 look?

Offseason Moves: ARRIVALS

3B Danny Valencia - Trade (BOS)
IF Alexi Casilla - Waivers (MIN)
IF/OF Yamaico Navarro - Trade (PIT)
OF Trayvon Robinson - Trade (SEA)

DEPARTURES

1B Joe Mahoney - Waivers (MIA)
1B Mark Reynolds - Free Agent (CLE)
IF Robert Andino - Trade (SEA)
OF Endy Chavez - Minor League Free Agent (KC)
RHP Jhondaniel Medina - Trade (PIT)
LHP T.J. McFarland - Rule 5 (CLE)
DH Jim Thome - Free Agent
SP Joe Saunders - Free Agent (In Talks with BAL to return)

The Orioles haven't managed to improve the team this offseason but they haven't gotten worse either. The Orioles still need to get pitching help, mainly in the starting rotation. They also could use some help in the lineup, especially a DH. Considering the Orioles were a complete surprise team in 2012, I'm not sure the team's budget allows for too much spending. The Orioles and Joe Saunders, whom they picked up from Arizona during the 2012 season, are still talking about a deal for him to return to Baltimore.

2013 Prediction: 89-73 (3rd in AL East)
The Orioles will be a "threat" in 2013 but not to the extent they were in 2012. Tampa Bay, Toronto, and Boston have all improved in the AL East. The Orioles have not done any moves this offseason to combat what the other AL East teams have done. I think Baltimore will be a good team in 2013 but they are not going to repeat 2012. Unless they make a splash before the season starts, expect Baltimore to battle it out between 3rd and 4th place in the division. It's not because the Orioles aren't good but simply because the rest of the AL East teams have improved greatly.

The Orioles have alot of positive things happening on the team. They have good, young players on the roster that will help the team win games. Until the Orioles improve the starting rotation, they are going to find it difficult to compete against the remaining AL East teams. It's truly hard to tell though. No one thought the Orioles would be even a .500 team entering 2012 and they surprised everyone. The Orioles might be able to pull it off again but I wouldn't count on it

Atlanta Braves- 2013 Preview

2012 Results: 94-68 (2nd in NL East, Lost in Wild Card Game)

If anyone thought that the Braves would have a problem coming back from the epic 2011 collapse, the Braves proved otherwise. The Braves fell short of the NL East title, losing to the Nationals. In Chipper Jones last year, the Braves managed to make it to the playoffs as a Wild Card team. However the wild card had changed in 2012, meaning the Braves had to play in the Wild Card Game in order to advance to the NLDS. They lost to the Cardinals in the Wild Card Game and thus was the end of the Chipper Jones era. The Braves ranked 21st in batting average (.247), 5th in ERA (3.42) and 4th in Fielding percentage (.986).

The Braves managed to score 700 runs and only allow 600 runs in 2012. The Braves were a very good team but sadly the Nationals were a better team in the division. The 94 wins were an improvement over the 89 wins in 2011. The Braves had alot of positive things in 2012 that can carry over in 2013. Jason Heyward returned back to numbers more like his rookie campaign, Kris Medlen was amazing in the starting rotation, and Craig Kimbrel moved on from September 2011 troubles.

How does 2013 look?

Offseason Moves: ARRIVALS
C Gerald Laird - Free Agent (DET)
IF Ramiro Peña - Free Agent (NYY)
OF Jordan Schafer - Waivers (HOU)
OF B.J. Upton - Free Agent (TB)
RHP David Carpenter - Waivers (BOS)
RHP Jordan Walden - Trade (LAA)

DEPARTURES

C David Ross - Free Agent (BOS)
1B/OF Eric Hinske - Free Agent (ARI)
RHP Tommy Hanson - Trade (LAA)
OF Michael Bourn- Free Agent

So far, the Braves have not improved or gotten worse. The offseason moves so far have equaled each other out. Losing Michael Bourn takes away a good lead off hitter and a good center fielder and replaces him with B.J. Upton. Upton is a good replacement for Bourn, he brings power, speed and a good defender in center field. How will he do in outdoor Atlanta instead of indoor Tropicana Field? We will soon find out. It's hard to look at the Braves and see an improvement BUT most of the Braves are returning in 2013.

2013 Predictions: 93-69 (2nd in NL East)
The Braves are going to continue to be a threat in the NL East. 2012 showed a very strong Braves lineup, not to mention good pitching. I think the Braves will compete with the Nationals for the division title but I think the Nationals pitching rotation will pull them ahead for NL East title. Considering the Braves offseason moves, I expect them to be in the same position as they were in 2012. The Braves will play in the Wild Card Game. Don't think that the Braves won't win NL East, it's very possible they will battle it out for NL East title until the last day of the season.

I don't think there are many moves left for the Braves to do to complete their roster. Maybe going after another starting pitcher could help complete a solid rotation but it's not totally needed. If B.J. Upton can put up similar numbers as he did with Tampa Bay, Kris Medlen continue his pitching dominance, and Jason Heyward put up similar numbers, expect the Braves to be a force in the National League.

Arizona Diamondbacks- 2013 Preview

2012 Results: 81-81 (3rd in NL West)

To be totally honest, 2012 was VERY disappointing for Arizona fans. After a very successful 2011 season, 2012 was meant to be the continuation. Instead the D'backs fell to a .500 record and were completely irreverent from postseason talk. Where was the problem? The D'backs were 13th in baseball in batting average (.259), 15th in ERA (3.93), and 6th in Fielding percentage (.985). So does this explain the poor performance of the team during the year? A little bit.

I looked more into the stats and found that Arizona wasn't a bad team from a stats point of view. The team gave up a total of 688 runs and managed to score 734, a run differential of +46. The fault mainly lies within the pitching staff. In 2011 Arizona's staff had a 3.80 ERA and managed only to give up a total of 662 run while scoring 731, a run differential of +69. The fact that Arizona gave up more runs in 2012 while scoring the same amount shows why they performed the way they did. The offense just wasn't there and the pitching staff didn't do as well.

How does 2013 look?

Offseason Moves:  ARRIVALS

1B/OF Lars Anderson - Trade (CLE)
1B/OF Eric Hinske - Free Agent (ATL)
3B/1B Eric Chavez (NYY)
SS Didi Gregorius - Trade (CLE)
IF Gustavo Nuñez - Waivers (PIT)
IF Cliff Pennington - Trade (OAK)
OF Cody Ross - Free Agent (BOS)
RHP Heath Bell - Trade (MIA)
RHP Brandon McCarthy - Free Agent (OAK)
RHP Starling Peralta - Rule 5 (CHC)
LHP Matt Reynolds - Trade (COL)
LHP Tony Sipp - Trade (CLE)

DEPARTURES

C Konrad Schmidt - Waivers (TEX)
1B/3B Ryan Wheeler - Trade (COL)
IF Yordy Cabrera - Trade (MIA)
IF Jake Elmore - Waivers (HOU)
IF Gustavo Nuñez - Rule 5 return (DET)
OF Ender Inciarte - Rule 5 (PHI)
OF Chris Young - Trade (OAK)
RHP Matt Albers - Trade (CLE)
RHP Trevor Bauer - Trade (CLE)
RHP Brad Bergesen - Free Agent (Japan)
RHP Sam Demel - Waivers (HOU)
RHP Takashi Saito - Free Agent (Japan)
RHP Bryan Shaw - Trade (CLE)

Overall the Diamondbacks have IMPROVED this offseason, however it may depend on the Justin Upton situation. If rumors are to be believed then he will be traded before the season starts. However it seems hard to believe that Arizona would trade him considering his upside unless they were to get a great package in return.

2013 Prediction: 88-74 (3rd in NL West)
While I think the D'backs will be improved in 2013, it's hard to think the moves they've made so far will be enough to compete with the Dodgers or Giants. The second wild card will be a focus on the D'backs but it's hard to say they will be able to get it. Arizona still needs some pitching help and until they get that, 88 wins seems like a safe guess for them. While the offense has been improved, the D'backs need to find a good starter still. Shawn Marcum, Joe Saunders, and Kyle Loshe are all still available and should be a reasonably cheap option for any team, Arizona included, to sign.

Arizona has proved one thing before, never underestimate them. In 2011, no one thought Arizona would be a player for the NL West or any playoff spot.They manged to get 94 wins and the NL West crown, so it's possible for Arizona to do that again.

Our Offseason Plans

The new year is upon us and we are only (roughly) 45 days away from the reporting date of pitchers and catchers to Spring Training. So what does that mean between now and then?

We have you covered.

Over the next 30 days we will be covering ALL 30 MLB teams and digging through all the stats of the 2012 season. We will tell you  the off season moves they've made so far and tell you our preidctions on the 2013 season based off that. Each day we will do a different team until all 30 are covered, then we will give you our postseason picks. Don't think that just because we're a Nationals Baseball blog that we are automatically going to put them as the best of the best. Our plans are very simple, we will do a complete in depth look into each team and give an honest view of them.

It's going to be a fun off season. We are getting closer and closer to the start of baseball and what better way to do this than to look at all the teams. Thanks for viewing us last year and we hope for a much more complete coverage of the 2013 season!

Nats Take Series Away from Braves!

When the Washington Nationals entered their series against the Braves, they were entering the biggest game ever played for the Nationals Franchise. No Nationals team has ever been where these Nats are, leading the NL East by 5 games and having a record 29 games above .500. Not even the 2005 Nationals got to that, yet here we are.

The series was pretty much a even match all around. Jordan Zimmerman faces Tim Hudson. Stephen Strasburg faces Paul Malholm and Ross Detwiler faces Kris Meldon. Would the Nats be able to continue there amazing success or would the Braves climb back into things?

Simply put, the Nats are amazing! Winning Game 1 was completely crazy. The game went into the 13th inning and the only reason the Nats won was because Dan Uggla's brain exploded and he couldn't decide where to throw the baseball (last I heard, as of this posting, Dan Uggla was close to making a decision on where to throw the ball) Credit has to go to Danny Espinosa for some good baserunning and to Kurt Suzuki, although if you watched the game he didn't even move an inch when everyone else was running on what would be ruled an infield single by Chad Tracy.

For Game 2, Stephen Strasburg does what he does best, pitch good ballgames. He went 6 strong innings, giving up only 1 run on 4 hits and striking out 10. He's officially the National League leader in strikeouts, moving ahead of the Mets R.A. Dickey. The Nats offense was lead by a solo home run by Ian Desmond (his 2nd in 2 nights) and Jesus Flores 3 run home run.

What's amazing is the attendance at Nats Park during these 2 games. Game 1 had an attendance at 32,000 and Game 2 had an attendance of 34,000. It's nice to see people fill this ballpark. In all fairness, the NAts haven't been good before. After taking the first two games of this series, the Nats are 77-46 with a 7 game lead over the Braves. They have a 20 game lead over the 3rd place Mets and Phillies and a 21 game lead over the Marlins. Remember how people at the begining of the year were convinced the Nats would be around 3rd or 4th place this year? Remember when they said the Phillies, Marlins and Braves were the only real contenders in the division? I love when they are proven SO wrong, especially when it comes to the Nats

Best Team in NL- How Washington is Blowing Everyone Away

The Nats are doing what no one ever expected them to do, wins a ton of games. Even with the lost last night to the Brewers (a 6-0 decision) the Nats are 59-40, 19 games above .500 and leading the NL East by 4 games.

With a win today, the Nats are setting a franchise record. The fastest the Nats ever got 60 wins was way back in 2005, when they beat Colorado on Aug. 12 on Game 117 on the season. The Nats were 60-55 at that time but this year is different. The Nats could get 60 wins on Game 100 (tonight's game) putting them 17 games ahead of the 05 Nats. This years Nats are something different all together.

A win today would put the Nats in a awesome position in July, becoming the only NL team to have 60 wins and being only the 2nd team in MLB to get to that mark (New York Yankees have 60 wins) The Nats aren't just good, they are amazing!! They have a better record than the Texas Rangers, defending AL Champions, St. Louis Cardinals, who were the World Series winners, the LA Angels, who spent a ton in the offseason to win, and plenty more teams. The point being made: the Nats aren't just good, they are doing what no other Nationals team has ever done. They have become a force in the NL, a team you have to fear playing. With Jason Werth and Chad Tracy coming back in a week, the Nats aren't about to fall anytime soon.

Delay in Updating Blog

I send my apologizes for not updating the blog very often. Between work and other things, I haven't been able to write on this blog. But that's about to change again. Thanks so much for your patience and DC Nats Blog is back!!