Wild Proclamations
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Looking at the way the offseason is shaping up, I am ready to make a few Wild Proclamations for the 2007 season. They may be a little out there, but I like to try to base them in reality somewhat.
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Tampa Bay will finish ahead of Baltimore
As long as Kazmir can stay healthy, that is. I just don’t see the Orioles doing much this year, they don’t play as a team and there is friction in the clubhouse as evidenced by Melvin Mora’s rant. The addition of Jaret Wright means nothing, and the rest of their rotation sucks uness Loewen can get healthy and show some control. This is baseball — if you don’t have pitching, you don’t have anything.
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AJ Burnett will start 28 games or more
AJ is painted with the injury prone brush. I don’t buy into it. 2007 will be his coming out party, for real.
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Pujols will win the NL Triple Crown
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He was obviously fired up about not winning the MVP, and I definitely wouldn’t want to be pitching to an angry Pujols. This guy is the best hitter of my lifetime and if anyone can do it, he can.
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Dustin McGowan Wins 10
With JP’s failure to land a free agent pitcher thus far, I feel McGowan is a lock for the 5th spot in the rotation over Josh Towers. Although he had a rough start in the AFL this year, he tinkered with his repertoire and was lights out at the end. As the sage Gregg Zaun once said, McGowan has similar stuff to Curt Schilling when he’s on. (which isn’t often unfortunately). He’ll put it all together this year, trust.
Randy Johnson will pitch less than 80IP
He is going to pitch a slider and his arm will shatter into 100 pieces. Gregg Zaun will also deposit that slider 12 rows deep.
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Nice WP’s. Some are out there, some are safe.
Can’t see the Rays ahead of Baltimore, but McGowan with 10 may happen (may not either) due soley to him having to be a number four and starting 30 games.
Can’t see Burnett starting 28 games. Probably 25. The thing that irked me last season was Gibbons still giving AJ 100+ pitch outings when the Jays had no chance at the playoffs. AJ can be effective, but I think that he should almost be babied (even a word?).
I wonder if the Yank’s will convert Randy to a bullpen position with all of their SP? He’d probably be more effective in a Scott Proctor type roll than as a 5.00+ era starter.
They aren’t that wild. With AJ starting 28 games that mean he is still going to be hurt at least once. McGowan can win 10 games, he will probably lose more than 10 but I can live with that. If anyone can with a triple crown it is Pujols. If I were a Yank I would get fired up over a Big Unit in the pen, that is a great idea.
Early, Kman & Callum have throw out numerical WP’s, let’s see a couple Early WP’s for the upcoming season!
I like articles like this, and like the McGowan projection. One quick question regarding the statement “unless Loewen can get healthy”… I didn’t know he was hurt, do you know what’s wrong with him?
“…the rest of their rotation sucks uness Loewen can get healthy and show some control.”
umm…so you think Erik Bedard sucks?
I would love to see the D-Rays finish ahead of the Orioles. That would be quite the sight.
I agree, I think Pujols will be a man on a mission next year after all that happened this year.
Loewen had a slight tear in his left labrum that was diagnosed at the end of the season.
Sorry Orioles Superfan #1, I left out Erik Bedard, he doesn’t suck. I was thinking along the lines of Rodrigo Lopez, Cabrera, Chen, Russ Ortiz and Kris Benson.
Pujols should shut up and polish his World Series ring he got on a team with 82 wins.