From: cej0@ns1.cc.lehigh.edu (CHARLES EDWARD JAMES)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
Subject: Re: My picks, AL/NL East
Date: 19 Dec 92 18:26:56 GMT
Organization: Lehigh University

In article <1992Dec19.005931.22408@Princeton.EDU>, niepornt@phoenix.Princeton.ED
U (David Marc Nieporent) writes:
>In article <1992Dec18.211756.18866@ns1.cc.lehigh.edu> cej0@ns1.cc.lehigh.edu (C
HARLES EDWARD JAMES) writes:
>
>>I hate to dissapoint you, but there is no way that the Yankees will{ finish in
>>second place.  I can see that the Jays and O's will be up there, but I'm not
>>sure about who where, maybe the Jays can repeat? Who knows??  One thing {for
>>certain though.  The INDIANS will finish in at least 3rd this year.  They
>>haven't lost anyone and their team is just coming into their own.  The SS mess
>>will be cleared up.  Likely Fermin will platoon.  Baerga will once again have
>>a miraculous season showing the critics that last year wasn't just a career
>>year.  Belle is starting to learn how to control his temper more, thus he'll
>>be crushing more HR and have a better BA at the end of the year.  Lofton will
>>amaze all as he steals over 80 bases and makes his amazing plays in CF.
>>Alomar will be back in his ROY form again and hit about .310-.325 and be on
>>base for the top of the order to drive him in.
>
>I have to disagree.  I hate the Yankees as much as anyone, but I think
>what was lost in all the "look who the Yankees didn't get" disappointment
>was who they *did* get.
>
>Their pitching should actually be *good* now -- Key and Abbott should
>help a lot.  Actually, Key probably not that much, since they had several
>good prospects, but he's more likely to succeed *this* year than any one
>of them.
>
>Their offense isn't great; especially trading Kelly for O'Neill.  But
>they'll actually have a third baseman who can get on base now.  They've
>got so many middle infielders that *some* of them have to be good.
>They lost Mel Hall (big deal), but are going to use Bernie Williams in
>his spot anyway.  Plus, Maas, who's probably better than Hall, will get
>more PT.  Nokes and Mattingly aren't awful.  Tartabull is great.

Yes, Maas is better than Hall, but what maybe 10 points, 10 HR (15-20 tops
he'll get).   I do have to disagree that Nokes IS awful.  If the Yanks plan on
looking to him for some help on either offense or defense they might as well
forget it now.  He will bat(if he's lucky) .240 and throw out about 30% of the
runners on base.  Mattingly will not be around all season.  His back is going
to act up again and he'll be watching from the stands again (sort of like when
K. Hernandez was signed by the Indians for 2 years about $1.2 mill and played
about 30 games).  He should either retire or take a year or two off to
COMPLETELY rehab.  He came back too early last year.

>
>As for Cleveland, I don't see it.  I know they've got all these great
>prospects, but...  Alomar isn't anything special.  He wasn't in his
>Rookie of the Year year, and he isn't going to be either.  Lofton is
>okay, but not great, and I don't see him as improving on last year.
>They haven't figured out which of their outfielders can play (Mark
>Whiten) and which can't (Thomas Howard!, Glenallen Hill.)  I do like Belle
>a lot, but his BA isn't going to improve because his temper did.
>
>And they think Bob Ojeda is their #2 starter.  'Nuff said.

OK, Alomar (compared to Nokes) is something special.  There aren't too many
other catchers in the AL better than Alomar (judgement still out on Jays
catcher (forget name)).  Lofton is just starting to get into knowing the AL
pitchers.  Watch him on a break from first.  He has the quickest move to
second today.  He will steal about 80 (I will say at least 65 this year).
They have their outfield fairly set Belle in left (as long as he doesn't lag
on D, if so Hill will play LF), Lofton in CF, and either Howard or Hill in RF.
 Ojeda WON'T be the #2 starter.  At best the #3 or #4.  Nagy will be #1, Cook
 #2 and then maybe Mesa or Embree.  The Tribe will finish in the top 3, top 2
 if the pitching clicks.

>
>--
>David M. Nieporent   | Is it too early to start making predictions for 1993?
>niepornt@phoenix.    | Probably, but that never stopped me before.
>   princeton.edu     | ALE: Baltimore ALW: Chicago NLE: Montreal NLW: Atlanta
>Baltimore Orioles 93 | AL MVP: Cal Ripken  AL Cy Young: Mike Mussina
>
-- 
Charles James
Lehigh University
CEJ0@Lehigh.EDU
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What eeees it????  You fat bloated sack of protoplasm!!!!
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