Some thoughts for April 2009

By request!

Random Thoughts & Musings on April

*Zack Greinke looks good. Real good. But you knew that. Will he win 25 games with a sub-1 ERA? I doubt it, but seeing as how he's already won 6, I think 20 is actually very attainable even if he were to pitch with a 3.50 ERA from here on out.

*The Angels have been ravaged by injuries (and untimely death) but are still hanging in there, just barely. John Lackey will be back soon, as should Kelvim Escobar and Vlad Guerrerro. Don't sleep on the Angels, their 'pen is bound to bounce back and in the mediocre AL West the division winner may not even crack 90 wins this year.

*Is David Ortiz this bad? I don't buy that he's missing Manny, since he still hit pretty well last year after Ramirez was traded. But you can tell by watching him he's lost a little bat speed. Unless he's playing the Yankees, I'm not scared of him anymore. But hey, the guy's almost 34, so it was bound to happen sooner or later.

*I know the Yankees have played the first month without A-Rod, their bullpen is decimated, and they got nothing from Chien-Ming Wang. All that's fine and good, but if CC Sabathia doesn't give them a chance to win in every start it won't matter. You pay a guy $161M because he's an ace and you have confidence that every time he takes the mound, he's going 7 innings and keeping you in the ballgame. By and large, he hasn't done that. Andy Pettitte has been good, Joba Chamberlain decent, and AJ Burnett up and down - but Sabathia is the guy that needs to get it going. He had a slow start last year too, but the Yankees really thought they were getting the guy who pitched on 3 days' rest for weeks down the stretch with Milwaukee last year. He hasn't shown up.

*As I said in my Predictions post before the season, the Mets' big trouble was going to be in the rotation. And it's true. Outside of Johan Santana, they haven't been good. $36 million man Oliver Perez is slated for mop-up duty, John Maine and Mike Pelfrey have been inconsistent at best, and Livan Hernandez is what he is. But alas - help is on the way in the form of Tim Redding!

*I truly wonder if some GM is going to get desperate and throw $5M (or at least a pro-rated $5M) at Pedro Martinez anytime soon. Problem is, I don't think he's going to be very successful unless he's pitching in a weak division and a big ballpark. And San Diego isn't exactly going to be a buyer this year. So, good luck, Petey.

*I have to admit to being surprised by a few things. I didn't think Justin Verlander would turn it around like he seems to have, and consequently the Tigers have looked pretty good despite getting nothing from Magglio Ordonez and Carlos Guillen. I'm also shocked at the Blue Jays' start - Aaron Hill and Adam Lind have been playing out of their minds, but the lack of pitching will eventually catch up to them. They're the Orioles of a few years ago. Too much talent in Boston, Tampa, and New York to let Toronto sit in the division lead for much longer.

*Rough year for closers, eh? I admit, I thought Brian Fuentes would be doing a better job for LA, but that whole bullpen is a mess right now. The Nationals have 3 saves all year, the Rockies have changed closers on a weekly basis, and Kevin Gregg is somehow holding a job in Chicago. Papelbon, Rivera, and Soria are still pretty good, though.

*The Yankees' new ballpark is a joke. I've watched a fair share of games, and it's been a disgrace to see games against the Red Sox where there are clumps of empty seats behind home plate. If Boston can continue to renovate and play in Fenway Park, and Wrigley Field still looks beautiful, the Yankees could have spent a fraction of that $1.5B on cleaning up Yankee Stadium. I am making a trip up to the area this summer, and refuse to spend my money there. I'll instead be taking in a game at Citi Field (which promises to be better than the dump the Mets used to play in). I also plan to see games at Fenway Park and Tropicana Field this year. The Yankees can continue to cater to the rich, I'll watch the games on TV. What a joke.