MLB:Top 5 players at Every Major Position

The offseason of Major League Baseball has been the main focus, but it's never too early to make predictions for the upcoming season. Here, I'll rank the top 5 players at every major position. Starting Pitcher 1.David Price Tampa Bay rays 2.Jered Weaver Los Angeles Angels 3.Justin Verlander Detroit Tigers 4.Clayon Kershaw Los Angeles Dodgers 5.R.A. Dickey Toronto Blue Jays Relief Pitcher 1.Jim Johnson Baltimore Orioles 2.Mariano Rivera New York Yankees 3.Rafael Soriano washington Nationals 4.Craig Kimbrel Atlanta Braves 5.Aroldis Chapman Cincinnati Reds 1st Base 1.Albert Pujols Los Angeles Angels 2.Prince Fielder Detroit Tigers 3.Joey Votto Cincinnati Reds 4.Mark Teixeira New york yankees 5.Adrian Gonzalez Los Angeles Dodgers 2nd Base 1.Robinson Cano New York Yankees 2.Dustin Pedroia Boston Red Sox 3.Brandon Phillips Cincinnati Reds 4.Aaron Hill Arizona Diamondbacks 5.Ian Kinsler Texas Rangers 3rd Base 1.Miguel Cabrera Detroit Tigers 2.David Wright New York Mets 3.Adrian Beltre Texas Rangers 4.Chase Headley San Diego Padres 5.Evan Longoria Tampa Bay Rays Shortstop 1.Jose Reyes Toronto Blue Jays 2.Troy Tulowitzki Colorado Rockies 3.Ian Desmond Washington Nationals 4.Derek Jeter New York Yankees 5.Starlin Castro Chicago Cubs Right Field 1.Giancarlo Stanton Miami Marlins 2.Justin Upton Atlanta Braves 3.Jose Bautista Toronto Blue Jays 4.Carlos Beltran St. Louis Cardinals 5.Jason Heyward Atlanta Braves Center Field 1.Mike Trout Los Angeles Angels 2.Andrew Mccutchen Pittsburgh Pirates 3.Matt Kemp Los Angeles Dodgers 4.Jacoby Ellsburry Boston Red Sox 5.Adam Jones Baltimore Orioles Left Field 1.Ryan Braun Milwaukee Brewers 2.Josh Hamilton Los Angeles Angels 3.Carlos Gonzalez Colorado Rockies 4.Matt Holliday St. Louis Cardinals 5.Alex Gordon Kansas City Royals Catcher 1.Buster Posey San Francisco Giants 2.Yadier Molina St. Louis Cardinals 3.Joe Mauer Minnesota Twins 4.Victor Martinez Detroit Tigers 5.Matt Weiters Baltimore Orioles There is my list of the top 5 players at every major position in the MLB. Hope you like it!

Predicting the LA Angels 2013 season

Last year's performance of the Angels was considered my many a disappointment, although they managed to go 89-73. However, that wasn't enough for the playoffs, which was the reason they underachieved. They were actually considered world series favorites before the season greatly because of the signing of the most prized free agent, Albert Pujols. Prior to 2012, Pujols had at least 30 home runs in each of his first 11 seasons and 6 seasons of 40 dingers or more, plus he hit over the .300 mark for batting average 10 out of 11 times. As you can probably see Pujols was and still is a future hall of famer. They also signed pitcher C.J. Wilson from their rival the Texas rangers who was an all star the year before to form a formidable starting rotation with ace and Cy Young award runner up in 2011 Jered Weaver and Dan Haren who won 16 games the previous year to go along with a sub 3.50 ERA, and not to mention Ervin Santana who was terrible in the first half of 2011 but caught on in the 2nd. The result of their pitching staff: Jered Weaver has another superb season with 20 wins and a 2.81 ERA, which is good enough for 3rd place in the Cy Young award. C.J. Wilson has a season worse than his 2010 and 2011 campaigns but he's still a steady presence in the rotation. Dan Haren is decent early on but then has back problems and he can never come back to full strength. Ervin Santana has a horrific season although he was slightly better in the final quarter of the season. Last but not least they trade 2 prospects for prized pitcher Zack Greinke. Greinke ended up with a very good season going 15-5 with a 3.48 ERA. As I said before that just was not enough. Going home disappointed, it wasn't getting much better in the offseason as key players were hitting free agency such as outfielder Torii Hunter,(my 2nd favorite player behind young phenom Mike trout) Greinke, and Dan Haren. General manager Jerry Dipoto and Arte Moreno wasted no time, by first trading Ervin Santana to the Royals for a couple pitching prospects, trading for Tommy Hanson of the Braves, who after a shocking rookie year, his ERA was increasing and he had some injury problems- 2 big red flags. for bullpen help they signed Ryan Madson, who was injured in 2012 with the Reds but was poised for a comeback season. They next left outfielder Torii Hunter go to the Detroit Tigers :(. They were in need of some pitching depth so they signed starting pitcher Joe Blanton who played with the Athletics, Phillies, and Dodgers. That same day, they picked up an underrated relief pitcher, Sean Burnett who was part of a very good Washington Nationals bullpen. They then let Dan Haren go to the Nationals and Zack Greinke sign with the Angels rival, LA Dodgers. It wasn't looking too good for Angels fans, until they signed, out of nowhere, the best free agent on the market like the year before....... JOSH HAMILTON. He was coming off a 43 home run year in 2012, and was an all star. He'll compliment Mike Trout in the outfield, and even though he's not even 22 I think Trout is the best player in all of baseball, oh and yes he hit .330 with 30 home runs and 40 stolen bases in his rookie year. Anyway, back to the main focus, the offseason Hamilton will form probably the best trio in all of baseball with him, Trout, and Pujols. Even though this still has not happened yet, I would like to make a trade prediction. The Angels would trade young outfielder Peter Bourjos and veteran outfielder Vernon Wells who is making tons of money to the Chicago Cubs who are in need of outfield depth for prospect outfielder Brett Jackson and starting pitcher Matt Garza. If Chicago doesn't accept the trade, the Angels could throw in starter/reliever Jerome Williams. Here are my individual stats for the Angels, prediction for their record, and the playoff prediction if I even pick them to make it. Also, I made a stats answer key for those who may not understand the abbreviation of the stat. BA=Batting average, HR=Home Runs, RBI=Runs Batted in, OBP=On Base Percentage, SLG=Slugging Percentage, SB=Stolen Bases, W=Wins, L=Losses, ERA=Earned Run Average, WHIP=Walks+Hits per Innings Pitched, SO=Strikeouts, IP=Innings pitched, SV=Saves, HLD=Holds, *=New Acquisition, and last but not least AS=All Star Individual offensively (includes batting order and positions) 1.Mike Trout CF BA .348, HR 33, RBI 91, SB 52, OBP .401, SLG .594 AS 2.Howie Kendrick 2B BA .289 HR 16, RBI 74, SB 21, OBP .341, SLG .437 3.Albert Pujols 1B BA .312, HR 40, RBI 116, SB 6, OBP .387, SLG .612 AS 4.Josh Hamilton LF BA .294, HR 47, RBI 102, SB 17, OBP .376, SLG .578 * AS 5.Mark Trumbo RF BA .267, HR 34, RBI 93, SB 8, OBP .321, SLG .516 6.Kendrys Morales DH BA .283, HR 24, RBI 81, SB 3 OBP .332, SLG .465 7.Erick Aybar SS BA .291 HR 11, RBI 60, SB 38, OBP .329, SLG .431 8.Alberto Callaspo 3B BA .271, HR 9, RBI 41, SB 17, OBP .316, SLG .392 9.Chris Ianetta C BA .238, HR 16, RBI 53, SB 5, OBP .301, SLG .418 Bench Brett Jackson CF BA .261, HR 9, RBI 42, SB 13, OBP .315, SLG .388* Starting Rotation 1.Jered Weaver W 21, L 6, ERA 2.52, WHIP 0.94, SO 207, IP 221 AS 2.C.J. Wilson W 17, L 9, ERA 3.36, WHIP 1.18, SO 213, IP 205.1 AS 3.Matt Garza W 15, L 12, ERA 3.61, WHIP 1.26, SO 178, IP 183* 4.Tommy Hanson W 14, L 9, ERA 3.92, WHIP 1.34, SO 151, IP 176* 5.Joe Blanton W 11, L 13, ERA 4.12, WHIP 1.39, SO 134, IP 164* Bullpen Closer Ernesto Frieri W 5, L 1, ERA 2.23, WHIP 1.27, SO 102, IP 84, SV 41 AS Setup Ryan Madson W 4, L 2, ERA 2.51, WHIP 1.18, SO 74, IP 78, HLD 27* Long Reliever Sean Burnett W 3, L 1, ERA 2.93, WHIP 1.12, SO 51, IP 63* Long Reliever Scott Downs W 4, L 0, ERA 2.15, WHIP 1.09, SO 53, IP 59 Projected Record: 96-76 (AL West Division

Title) Projected Playoff Result: World Series Championship!!! Bottom Line: With the addition of Josh Hamilton, the Angels will be hitting the ball out of the park with ease, and with my prediction of them trading for Matt Garza to go with ace Jered Weaver and co-ace C.J. Wilson in the rotation, the Angels will have very little intangibles and should have a successful season in 2013.

Quick update

Hey guys! What's up? My HHHHHHEEEEEEEAAAAAAATTTT won the NBA Finals!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm so happy! Lebron finally got that ring. Also, you can follow me on Twitter: @samsports807

2012 Finals Preview

Hello everybody!This is Samsports blogging. My first post in a while and also one of my best so far in my blogging career. This post will be about the NBA Finals: The Miami Heat and The Oklahoma City Thunder. The Miami Heat Lebron James: Two Words: A machine. He is so strong and agile that he's virtually unstoppable. Averaging over 30 points a game this postseason, Lebron is having a terrific 2012 playoffs. Lebron is determined to win it all here in The Finals against OKC. Lebron's third finals appearance, he still hasn't scored over 25 points in a Finals game in 10 tries. if he wins, the criticism James has been receiving for a couple of years will disappear. Dwyane Wade: Not as good as James but still amazing. As well as Lebron, Wade has been having a solid postseason especially in the Eastern Conference Finals against Boston. One of Wade's few weaknesses in that series was that he horrific in the First Half for most of the games. He'll definitely have to improve that so his confidence can build and carry on to the second half. Chris Bosh: The third and final member of Miami's big 3, Chris Bosh is a versatile and all-around power forward, Chris Bosh will be a huge factor in this NBA Finals. Bosh is coming back from his injury where he tore his ACL Tendon and missed 9 straight games. In the 2 games he has been back, he did not start in any of those. He is likely to start today though. Mario Chalmers: A great perimeter shooter and solid defender, Chalmers is a good 4th scoring option and can hit some much needed shots at the point guard spot. Udonis Haslem: A solid big man and can rebound well. Offensively he is inconsistent and lacks some height as a power forward/center. However, on occasions he can get on fire and hit jumpers again and again. Shane Battier: A well experienced veteran, Battier is a specialist at taking charges and fighting for loose balls. Offensively he's a fantastic 3pt shooter. Joel Anthony: An undersized center, Joel Anthony still manages to lead his team in blocks in a limited amount of playing time. Anthony isn't any kind of offensive threat but is so hard working. Mike Miller: A very solid player to have coming off your bench although he is old and at the edge of his career. Miller is an amazing outside shooter and is a decent rebounder. Ronny Turiaf: Not a fierce shot blocker, but still a solid defender at the center position. Turiaf lacks a good shooter like Anthony but does pretty well in the post. Norris Cole: A rookie from Dayton, Cole has been getting some unexpected minutes here in the playoffs and has been reliable as the backup point guard. James Jones: An unbelievable 3 point shooter, Jones won't get much playing time , but if he does, expect him to hit some long jumpers. Coach-Erick Spoelstra: An underrated coach, developed into a smart and good coach. He might just lead the Heat to a championship. The Heat overall: Overall, the Heat are a well balanced and great team. FWI in an ESPN poll there was 49 U.S. states that wanted the Thunder to win. The one that wants the Heat: Florida. Also as a Heat fan I'll try to be unbiased as I'm blogging. The Oklahoma City Thunder Kevin Durant: This guy is almost as good as James. He has improved defensively,rebounding, and passing. But he has always been a legendary scorer. He is a good leader and could possibly carry this young Thunder squad. Russell Westbrook: A pure scoring point guard Westbrook can do so much. He just needs to cut down on the turnovers and stop settling for long jump shots. He is extremely athletic. James Harden: "Fear the Beard" Harden is a great all around shooting guard. The sixth man of the year has been phenomenal. Serge Ibaka: The league leader in blocked shots, Ibaka is a major defensive player.He can be solid sometimes. Kendrick Perkins: Like Ibaka a terrific defensive center, Perkins is very physical on the defensive end and his shooting has improved. Thabo Sefolosha: A defensive specialist Sefolosha can be a good offensive scoring option. Derek Fisher: D-Fish already has 5 rings and a 6th would expand his large collection. He can hits shots from almost everywhere at 37 years old. Daequan Cook: Another great outside shooter Cook, a former Miami Heat player is a decent defender. Eric Maynor: An undersized point guard, Maynor has not been used so much but is a solid passer. Nick Collison: Doesn't do much offensively but is a key contributor on defense. Coach-Scott Brooks: A very good coach capable of leading a team to the playoffs consecutively. The Thunder Overall: A great franchise but their bench needs to get deeper if they want to take home an NBA Title. My predictions I think the Heat will win this in 6 games because Lebron is just too good for the Thunder to handle. Also, with Wade, and Bosh the Heat have a slightly better team and will The NBA Finals. Who will win which games? Game 1 Chesapeake Arena Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Heat win Game 2 Chesapeake Arena Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Thunder win Game 3 American Airlines Arena Miami, Florida Heat win Game 4 American Airlines Arena Miami, Florida Heat win Game 5 Chesapeake Arena Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Thunder win Game 6 American Airlines Arena Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Heat win That is the end of my NBA Finals preview of 2012. I apologize because I posted this with only about half an hour before Game 1 started. Anyway, Bye :) :):P:o

NBA playoffs

The NBA playoffs are now underway, and the first batch of games have been interesting in good and bad ways. On Saturday, the 28th the Heat crushed the New York Knicks in a stellar performance by The King (Lebron James)in which he had 32 points despite a limited amount of playing time since he missed most of the 4th quarter because Miami had the game in their hands with a 20+ point lead. Lebron also had 4 steals on the defensive end. Dwyane Wade contributed well scoring 19 on 8 of 13 shooting. Mario Chalmers pitched in with 11 points of his own, also with 9 assists and 3 steals. Chris Bosh was decent, grabbing 6 rebounds but only scored 9 points, a low total for Bosh. Although, D-Wade and Bosh combined for just 27 points, the Heat were able to get it done on their home floor. The Bulls and the 76ers game wasn't a good day for Chicago Bulls fans even though they won. You would probably think that that's nearly impossible right? Well, actually no. Derrick Rose who missed multiple games in the regular season due to injury, was back into his normal form yesterday. He nearly had a triple-double, scoring 23 points and had 9 assists and rebounds had his ACL get torn from driving to the hoop with less than 4 minutes left in the game. He did a hopstep and there his leg buckled as he firmly planted his foot. The Bulls picked up the win, but having their best player and reigning MVP out for the remainder of the year really was painful for the Bulls. The Magic played the Pacers, and it was a tight game for most of the time except early in the game. The Magic scored 11 unanswered points to finish the game as they won without their big man by the name of Dwight Howard. Glen "Big Baby" Davis had 16 points and 13 boards (rebounds). Jameer Nelson scored 17 and had 9 assists. Roy Hibbert for the Pacers blocked 9 shots. It was a thriller in OKC as Kevin Durant hit a game winning jumper after getting a lucky bounce for the Thunder as they won the first game of the series. Durant scored 25 and had a poor shooting night. Serge Ibaka had 5 blocks and had 22 points. Russel Westbrook had a big night with 28 points of his own. For the Dallas Mavericks, Jason "The Jet" Terry was solid with 20 points. Dirk Nowitzki tallied up 25 points on the board. Today, the NBA is not as big as it was yesterday. The Spurs and Jazz faced off but it was the Spurs taking home the victory as Tony Parker was completely stellar with 28 points. The Lakers beat the Nuggets in front of their home court with a stron performance from Kobe Bryant who had 31 points. The Hawks competed against the Celtics who they beat by the score of 83-74. Josh Smith was great by scoring 20 and grabbing a total of 18 rebounds. And right now, the Clippers are losing to the Grizzlies 84-58. Michael Conley, Marc Gasol, and Rudy Gay have contributed very well scoring 16, 14, 13. Scores: Heat:100 Knicks:67 Bulls:103 76ers:91 Magic:81 Pacers:77 Thunder:99 Mavericks:98 Spurs:106 Jazz:91 Lakers:103 Nuggets:88 Hawks:83 Celtics Grizzlies:84 Clippers:58

Clippers dominate

Blake Griffin and CP3 (Chris Paul) team up for the first time while beating the Lakers by 19


Derek Fisher missed practice and didn't play for the Lakers and Chris Paul scored 17 points while dishing out 9 assists and grabbing 7 rebounds. Chauncey Billups scored 23 points for the Clips.

THANK YOU

Thanks SDJ for the TERRIBLE TOWEL (what Steeler fans wave at the game). I am holding it right now and use it all the time!
THANK YOU SO MUCH!
From,
Sam

Predictions for Kobe Bryant in 2012 NBA season

Here are some predictions for the "aging" Kobe Bryant in 2012.

24 points per game
3 assists per game
3 rebounds per game
.467 FG%
.338 3P%
0.5 blocks per game
1 steal per game

All-Star appearance
Lakers MVP

Those are predictions for "The Black Mumba" in 2012. :) ;) ;0 :0 ;( :(

Could Chris Paul head to the Clippers?

The Clippers have reportedly acquired all-star point guard Chris Paul and 2 second round draft picks from the Hornets. The Hornets would get Eric Gordon, Chris Kaman, Al-Faruqu Aminu, and a first round draft pick. Paul and Blake Griffin would make a GREAT combo. For the Hornets they would have another dependable center in Chris Kaman to go with Emeka Okafor. They would also get an all star caliber guard from Eric Gordon and a solid young forward in Al-Faruqu Aminu. This trade should go through and boost both teams rosters.

What to expect from the Anaheim Angels in 2012

The LA Angels have recently signed Albert Pujols for 10 years and over 250 mil. dollars! They also signed lefty C.J. Wilson for 5 years and 77 mil. dollars and reliever LaTroy Hawkins for 1 year. In addition, they traded starting pitcher Tyler Chatwood for Rockies catcher Chris Iannetta and dealt catcher Jeff Mathis (.174 BA in 2011) for Blue Jays lefty Brad Mills.

WHO ELSE SHOULD THE LA ANGELS GO AFTER?
After spending tons of money will the Angels try to make another splash in free agency or who should they target in a trade?
1.Aramis Ramirez 3B Chicago Cubs
Ramirez has been playing for a while now so he may not be as good as he was in 2005 or 2006 but he still has some power left over (26 home runs in 2011).
odds to sign with the Angels: 45-1

Closing thoughts: If the Angels purchase Ramirez they would'nt have much left over. I don't see them acquiring Aramis. Just too much money.

WHAT DECISIONS SHOULD THE ANGELS MAKE?
To start off I want to talk about the first baseman situation for the Angels. They have 3 who all have lots of power (including future Hall of Famer Albert Pujols). Mark Trumbo is coming off a 29 home run effort-good enough for 2nd place in the AL rookie of the year voting behind Rays pitcher Jeremy Hellickson who won 13 games to go with an impressive 2.94 ERA. Kendrys
Morales missed most of 2010 and all of 2011 due to an injury from jumping on to home plate after a walk-off Grand Slam to beat the Seattle Mariners 5-1. Morales exploded in 2009 hitting 34 homers. He should do similar to that in 2012. Anyway, I think that Trumbo should be at third base, pujols stays at first, and Morales will be moved to DH. But probably the hardest decision is who should take over the number 5 spot in the starting rotation. They have Jerome Williams who performed good at the end of last season for one option. They also have Trevor Reckling who has yet to make his Major League debut but is a young pitcher with high potential. Their last option is Garret Richards who is young with high potential like Reckling but has made his debut in the Majors last season.
odds for Williams to make the starting rotation: 12-1
odds for Richards to make the starting rotation: 10-1
odds for Reckling to make the starting rotation: 13-1

closing thoughts: Richards should make the rotation.

WHERE WILL THEY RANK IN THE POWER RANKINGS?
Predictions for power rankings
1.Phillies
2.Angels
3.Red Sox
4.Rays
5.Cardinals
6.D-Backs
7.Braves
8.Yankees
9.Rangers
10.Royals
11.Tigers
12.Giants
13.Reds
14.Brewers
15.Marlins
16.Indians
17.Blue Jays
18.Twins
19.Mets
20.White Sox
21.Pirates
22.Dodgers
23.Mariners
24.Rockies
25.Astros
26.Athletics
27.Orioles
28.Padres
29.Nationals
30.Cubs

Thank You

Angels sign Pujols and Wilson

The Anaheim Angels have reportedly signed first baseman Albert Pujols and starting pitcher C.J. Wilson. Pujols was signed for 10 years (254 million) and Wilson was acquired for 5 years (77 million).

Angels make 2 trades

On November 30, the Anaheim Angels traded sophomore starting pitcher Tyler Chatwood for Rockies catcher Chris Iannetta. Chatwood was 6-11 with a 4.55 ERA. Iannetta played in 112 games, hit 14 home runs, and drove in 55 runs. Iannetta filled a big need for the Angels. A couple days later, Anaheim got rid of catcher Jeff Mathis who hit a dreadful .174 average for lefthander Brad Mills of the Toronto Blue Jays. Thanks for reading!

NBA Trade Rumors:Paul, Howard to L.A. ?

With the lockout affecting the NBA season, teams like the Lakers will be interested in big money players like Dwight Howard and Chris Paul. Howard expectedly grabbed 14 rebounds a game (2nd in NBA) and averaged almost 23 points a game last season. Paul on the other hand averaged 15 points per game and dished out 9.8 assists. Bynum should be traded for one of them. Pau Gasol also got a small amount of interest. In order for this trade to go through, the Lakers will probably have to send one of their role players( Matt Barnes/Steve Blake) to one of the teams because Bynum isn't durable and inconsistent which does'nt give him a near edge for any of these players. With a role player though, the trade should be complete and logical.
Shout out to my fans and the readers of Samsports especially my number 1 fans Jeni and Asher! :)

Top 10 NBA Players going into 2012 season

1.LeBron James Heat
2.Dwyane Wade Heat
3.Kevin Durant Thunder
4.Derrick Rose Bulls
5.Chris Paul Hornets
6.Kobe Bryant Lakers
7.Dwight Howard Magic
8.Rajon Rondo Celtics
9.Kevin Love Timberwolves
10.Deron williams Nets

LeBron can do anything in basketball. Is that enough for you? I am a Heat fan!
Wade, LeBron's teammate is almost as good as James, but needs to work a little more on his outside shooting.
Durant is THE best shooter in the NBA but does not pass nearly enough and needs to work on his D if he wants to get any higher.
Rose had no part to win the MVP last season but still great. He can score, pass, and rebound which makes him a triple-double threat.
Paul is a good shooter, a great passer, and a really good defender. That makes him probably the best point guard in the West conference.
Kobe has been fading and fading for the past couple of seasons so this is probably his last year on the top 10 but he is a first-ballot hall of fame shooting guard.
Howard is a great rebounder and a great shot blocker but a terrible shooter. He is the best center though.
Rondo is a great, all around basketball player, and a good athlete. He is also the reason Boston even made the playoffs last season.
Kevin Love is the only Power Forward on this list and is by far the best. His rebounding skills are terrific, he is a good defender and a dynamic scorer.
D-Will was on fire after being dealt to New Jersey last season but he still did'nt have a season I expected from him. He should be able to break out this season.

Thank You!

Top 5 current managers in the MLB

1.Mike Scoisca
2.Joe Maddon
3.Kirk Gibson
4.Charlie Manuel
5.Joe Girardi

Predicting MLB standings in 2012

AL West

1.Angels 97-65
2.Rangers 90-72
3.Mariners 79-83
4.Athletics 59-103

AL Central
1.Royals 86-76
2.Twins 84-78
3.Tigers 83-79
4.White Sox 78-84
5.Indians 76-86

AL East
1. Red Sox 99-63
2. Rays 94-68
3.Yankees 89-73
4.Blue Jays 70-92
5.Orioles 69-93



NL West

1.D-Backs 90-72
2.Giants 87-75
3.Padres 80-82
4.Rockies 78-84
5.Dodgers 70-92

NL Central

Cardinals 97-65
Brewers 96-66
Reds 91-71
Pirates 82-80
Astros 78-84
Cubs 68-94

NL East

1.Phillies 108-54
2.Braves 97-65
3.Mets 80-82
4.Marlins 78-84
5.Nationals 56-106

Why Ike Taylor is the most underrated player in the NFL

While the Steelers secondary has been productive, Ike Taylor is the star this season, even more than Troy Polamalu. Taylor has no interceptions this season which makes sense because they do not have even 10 takeaways this season. However, Taylor has been great on coverage in the backfield and making key tackles. Taylor has been very quiet even though he is having an all-pro season as the cornerback. Without Ike Taylor, Pittsburgh would be nowhere near where they are now. I am not sure if Taylor will make 1 pro bowl in his career, but I will always remember him for his effort in the backfield.

Fred Jackson out vs. Jets on Sunday possibly the rest of the season

Buffalo Bills star running back Fred Jackson is reportedly out vs. the New York Jets on Sunday due to a broken bone in his lower right leg. Jackson might miss the rest of the season to this injury. His backup C.J. Spiller will likely take over.

Predicting Anaheim Angels offseason trades/free agent signings and the starting lineup of 2012

With David Wright and C.J. Wilson getting closer to the Angels organization, they should sign Wilson before anyone else does. If they want to have the best starting pitching in baseball next season, they would have to sign another ace like C.J. Wilson and if they want to have a powerful offense they would have to trade for third baseman David Wright of the New York Mets. Here are my predictions for the LA Angels offseason and their 2012 starting lineup.

1. FA signings from best to worst

1.C.J. Wilson
Wilson is coming off a 16 win season with the Rangers and had a 2.94 ERA and struck out 206 batters: all career highs. Wilson made the All star team in 2011 and finished 6th in the AL Cy Young award balloting. Wilson also had a nice season in 2010 when he won 15 games and lost 8 to go with a 3.35 ERA. Wilson has a career taking him up and down,until he made himself one of the best pitcher in all of Major League baseball. Up until 2010, Wilson was a solid reliever for the Rangers from 2005-2009. I expect Wilson to be signed for 84.2 Mil. If a team like the Phillies or the Giants signs him, they would have the best pitching staff in the Majors because they already have one of the best. If Anaheim signs him, they would have 4 aces and a young pitcher with high potential all in their pitching staff. Wilson will win 19 games, post an ERA of 2.48, strike out 239 batters, and make the all star team with any team. With C.C. Sabathia re-signed early by the Yankees, Wilson is probably the best Free agent pitcher in the majors.

2.Ramon Hernandez
With the worst catcher in the major leagues(Jeff Mathis) the Angels are in need of a reliable catcher like Cincinnatti's Ramon Hernandez. However, Hernandez is 36 and has not averaged much more than 100 games in the past couple of seasons. He is a free agent and could likely go to the Angels IF a team like the Mariners don't re-sign him.
That IF is very scary for teams like the Angels who have made bad free agent signings and trades in the past. Seattle also needs a catcher because current catcher Miguel Olivo is not durable, lacks defense behind the plate, cannot hit for average, and is very inconsistent. Although, Seattle may not worry about their catching depth which will open the door for Hernandez and the Angels. Hernandez is coming off a season in which he batted .282 and hit 12 4-baggers and drove in just 36 runs. His .341 OBP however, will draw attention to other organizations. Hernandez has a .266 career batting average, with 161 homers and 723 RBI. 2 years and $56 mil. sounds like a good deal. The teams with probably the most interest are the Angels, Mariners, Rockies, and Pirates. Hernandez should finish with a .287 average with 22 homers and 87 RBI.

2. Trades from best to worst

1.David Wright:

The Angels will spend most of their offseason looking for the missing link in their lineup. David Wright fits that spot perfectly. But it will be almost a miracle if the Mets trade Wright to the Angels or any team because he is a good player and a very likable person on and off the field which you don't see often. Wright is coming off possibly his worst season in his 8 year tenure with the New York Mets when he hit just .254 and hit 14 home runs and out up only 61 RBI. Wright has not hit over the .300 mark since 2009 and has gotten closest to the milestone with a solid .283 average en route to his 5th and 5th straight all star appearance. Wright is expected to improve and has a bit of a high contract on a team that is rebuilding by trading big money players for young prospects. If the trade goes through, the Angels will likely trade one of their utility infielders such as Maicer Izturis or Alberto Callaspo and slugging prospect Randal Grichuk. Wright has a career batting average of .300 and 183 home runs with 725 RBI.Wright also has 2 gold gloves and silver sluggers both at third base. David Wright should still be all star caliber and still has enough left in the tank to blast 25 homers.

2.Huston Street

The Angels had one of baseballs worst bullpens last season and will be looking to change that by trading for Colorado Rockies closer Huston Street who won rookie of the year honors in 2005 by winning 5 games and posting a microscopic 1.72 ERA with 23 saves and 73 strikeouts in 78 innings pitched. Though in 2006, after saving a career high 37 games in 2006 Street went up against Detroit outfielder Magglio Ordonez in the ALCS where Ordonez hit a home run which would end the Athletics postseason but eventually the Tigers lost in the Fall Classic to St. Louis. Then in 2009, Street saved 34 out of 36 games in his first season with the Rockies. The problem is is that Colorado will probably want to keep their solid closer. Street will fill in in the Angels closer role very well who would take Jordan Walden's place in the bullpen. Street is a top 10 closer and durable. However, Huston Street is not consistent and will have to reduce his blown save total. I see Huston getting traded for prospects Orangel Arenas and Cam Bedosrian with relievers Kevin Jepsen and Anthony Ortega. Huston Street should save at least 35 games.



Predicted lineup

1.Peter Bourjos CF
2.Howie Kendrick 2B
3.Kendry Morales DH
4.Mark Trumbo 1B
5.David Wright 3B
6.Torii Hunter RF
7.Erick Aybar SS
8.Mike Trout LF
9.Ramon Hernandez

Predicted Starting Rotation

1.Jered Weaver
2.C.J. Wilson
3.Dan Haren
4.Ervin Santana
5.Tyler Chatwood

Predicted Bullpen

Closer:Huston Street
Right handed setup:Jordan Walden
Left handed setup:Scott Downs
long reliever: Rich Thompson
long reliever: Bobby Cassevah
middle reliever: Jerome Williams
middle reliever: John Hellweg


This is probably my best post yet. Oh, and by the way, I am 9 years old and the son of Francesca Lia Block.

THX for reading!

Top 10 players at QB, RB, WR, and TE's in the NFL

1.Aaron Rodgers
2.Drew Brees
3.Tom Brady
4.Ben Roethlisberger
5.Cam Newton
6.Eli Manning
7. Matt Schaub
8. Ryan Fitzpatrick
9.Matthew Stafford
10.Andy Dalton are the top 10 Quarterbacks.

Running Backs
1. Adrian Peterson
2.Lesean McCoy
3.Fred Jackson
4.Frank Gore
5.Matt Forte
6.Ray Rice
7.Michael Turner
8.Darren McFadden
9.Maurice Jones-Drew
10.Rashard Mendenhall

Wide Receivers
1.Wes Welker
2.Mike Wallace
3.Steve Smith
4.Calvin Johnson
5.Larry Fitzgerald
6.Greg Jennings
7.Brandon Marshall
8.Stevie Johnson
9.Roddy White
10.Dez Bryant

Tight Ends
1.Jimmy Graham
2.Rob Gronkowski
3.Vernon Davis
4.Tony Gonzalez
5.Jason Witten
6.Heath Miller
7.Antonio Gates
8.Owen Daniels
9.Jermichael Finley
10.Fred Davis

Thanks for Reading!