Mowing 'em down Opening Day style ...3 Red Sox to Keep an Eye on in the Opener
- Jacoby Ellsbury ... looking to prove that he's worth the hype. He needs to get on base at least 3 times, and with his speed he can obviously wreak havoc if he does. Hopefully he's come to the realization that he doesn't need to hit a double every time he gets to the plate. I think that a lot of Sox fans would be psyched with him walking to first, then sprinting to second.
- Jason Bay ... looking to establish himself as someone worth keeping around. By all accounts he seems happy to be out of baseball purgatory, and he certainly proved his value down the stretch last year. If he can get off to a hot start, I'm sure the front office will lock him up by the All Star break.
- Big Papi ... looking to prove that he can do it without Manny. Despite what he might say, David Ortiz wasn't "Big Papi" until he was partnered with Ramirez. Over the course of Spring Training he seemed to come to peace with the fact that Manny won't be walking back through the door. Now he needs to show us that he's still capable of hitting 35-40 HRs and 110+ RBIs.
3 Rays to Keep an Eye on in the Opener
- James Shields ... looking to establish himself as a 20-game winner. The Rays opening day pitcher is coming off a season that saw him go 14-8, with a 3.56 ERA. If he can get off to a solid start against the Sox (a team he went 0-2 against in the 2008 ALCS), it would take some weight off his shoulders, and give the Rays some added confidence against one of their AL East rivals.
- Carlos Pena ... looking to have another monster year. Last year saw his numbers "drop" to 31 HRs and 102 RBIs --- down from 46 HRs and 121 RBIs in '07. With his humble big league history (including a stint with the home town team), its hard not to like this guy --- but he'll make it a lot easier if he puts up big numbers against the Sox.
- Carl Crawford ... looking to be the man again. Up until last year, he was one of the sole bright spots on the Rays --- arguably the brightest. He battled some injuries last year, but I'm looking at him to bounce back this season. Now that he's playing for a team that is a legitimate contender, some of the pressure/expectations should be off him personally.
3 Other Games of Note
- Yankees at Orioles. Time to see if CC is worth the cash that they threw at him. Personally, I'm more interested in seeing how Tex does. I'm hoping he goes 0 for the day --- not that I'm bitter or anything.
- Dodgers at Padres. Technically the second game for the Dodgers, after their loss to the Giants today. I'm looking forward to seeing how the fans out there respond to the way that Manny acts when he's not playing for a contract.
- Nationals at Marlins. Aside from Hanley Ramirez, I know virtually nothing about either of these teams --- I just want to be the only blog on the planet (non-Florida based) to call this a game of note.
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Nats also have Adam Dunn, he of the awesome power. HR totals the last four seasons: 40, 40, 40, and 40. He's also one of the biggest three true outcomes player: he strikes out, walks, or hits a HR. In those last four seasons, his plate appearances have ended in one of those three outcomes 48, 50, 48, and 50% of the time. Sweet!
ReplyDeleteCC has also had some slow starts lately, so I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't light the world on fire in his first few starts for the Yankees.
Awesome numbers on Dunn, Ted --- thanks for posting. Regarding CC, when you combine the slow start with his playoff "expertise", I'm delighted that he's playing for the Yanks.
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