Ask the Experts: Minnesota Twins

Our friends at RotoProfessor recently had the opportunity to ask a few questions of Phil Miller of St. Paul Pioneer Press regarding the upcoming season for the Minnesota Twins. The questions were asked awhile ago and the responses are relatively recent, but I think all of the answers are still relevant.

How Francisco Liriano will perform this season. What are your thoughts based on what you have seen during Spring Training?
Phil Miller: He’s still got good stuff, but the ungodly slider may be gone for good. I just think every time he throws it, he’s reminded of the pain, and he’s worried about tearing the sutures or the new ligament. So he’s probably a fairly conventional pitcher from now on, albeit an above-average one considering his velocity. If he learns to mix his pitches and use his changeup effectively, he’ll be one of the best left-handers in the game. Just not Superman.

Where do you see Delmon Young fitting into the batting order and how do you see him producing?
Phil Miller: Ron Gardenhire has obviously answered this already: Fifth, to serve as protection for Justin Morneau. He seems destined for third eventually, but it may take a year. The short answer on Young is: Wow. Seeing him up close, you become impressed very quickly with his bat speed, which absolutely stands out, even from Morneau. He’s going to be counted on to replace Torii Hunter’s production, and that’s a pretty good baseline for this season. Something like .275/25/100 is reasonable. He’s still learning pitch selection — but he IS learning it, and he should keep improving.

• Which pitcher do you see as the most likely to take the next step and emerge as a top of the rotation starter, Scott Baker or Boof Bonser? Do you see any other young starter stepping up and emerging?
  
• Phil Miller: Well, this is the central question about the Twins this season. I think of the two, Baker is a more likely candidate to step forward, because he’s able to shrug off problems more easily. I think Bonser is going to be a decent 3-4 guy. But I’d keep an eye on Nick Blackburn and Philip Humber, both of whom could easily surprise with a 15-win season. Like most of the Twins, they’re pitch-to-contact guys, but they have the potential to strike out a few more hitters than anyone else on the staff (other than Liriano), a trait that could move them up fairly quickly.
  

Which hitter do you see having the best season this Michael Cuddyer, Justin Morneau or Joe Mauer?
Phil Miller: Well, this question depends upon definitions, doesn’t it? I mean, who had the better season in ‘06, Mauer or Morneau? Cases could be made either way. To me, Mauer looks primed for a big year, because he appears so obviously recovered from last year’s injuries, and he’s got the most amazing swing of anyone in the game right now. Really, it’s effortless, and I could imagine him doing something like .330/15/110. Morneau, despite his 0-for-12 start to the season, is a decent bet for 35 home runs, but I suspect Mauer might be the team’s MVP. Unless it’s Gomez.

• Do you think Carlos Gomez is ready to produce at the major league level and if not, who do you think will be the centerfielder?
  
• Phil Miller: Again, the second part has been answered. But Gomez is definitely ready, if only because he has spectacular, world-class talent. Sure, in a perfect world, he’d probably spend this year in Double-A and next year in Triple-A (and win MVPs at both levels) because he’s got volumes to learn. But his speed and his hitting ability and his outfield range, they’re just a level above a typical major-leaguer already. Honestly, his presence is so electric, even though he’s not really suited to the leadoff spot, that it would not surprise me at all if he was the Twins’ MVP this year, even if Mauer and Morneau get most of the attention. Of course, I wouldn’t be entirely shocked if he was hitting about .150 in mid-May (pitchers can learn, too) and spent a couple of months at Rochester, either. But I just think his ability to turn bunts and grounders into hits will prevent that.
  

Ask the Experts: Texas Rangers

Our friends over at RotoProfessor recently had the opportunity to post five questions to Texas Rangers beat writer Evan Grant. Evan writes for the Dallas Morning News. There are a lot of questions concerning this ball club for the 2008 season, so lets see what he has to say.

• Josh Hamilton had a tremendous return to baseball last season (.292, 19 HR). Do you see his position in the batting order affecting the way he follows up on that performance?
  
• Evan Grant: I think he will start out in the No. 2 spot, but by the end of the year, he could be this team’s cleanup guy. I don’t think where he hits will have any impact on his batting average or power numbers, but obviously he may not have as many run-producing opps in the No. 2 spot. If he plays a full season, he’s going to hit about 30 homers and his batting average will probably sit right about where it was last year, maybe even a bit higher.
  

How do you see Jarrod Saltalamacchia performing in his first full season in the major leagues?
Evan Gant: Not sure this will be his first full season in the big leagues. Rangers aren’t opposed to sending him to Oklahoma if he does not win starting catcher’s job. If club thinks he is better served by playing every day at Triple-A, they will start the year with Gerald Laird behind the plate and possibly take Adam Melhuse as backup. Hard to make a prediction on Salty given all the uncertainty. Last year, he was called up, changed positions regularly and then changed leagues. I think if he goes to OKC, works on defense a bit, and comes up around the trading deadline, he’ll be much more suited to being the long-term catcher.

• Who do you see opening the season as the team’s closer? Do you see Kazuo Fukumori eventually taking over the role?
  
• Evan Grant: CJ Wilson is the closer to start the year if he’s healthy. Currently he’s dealing with biceps tendinitis. If Wilson flops or is on the DL, I think Eddie Guardado would get first shot at the closer’s role. The Rangers want Fukumori to be one of their setup men. But he’s been pretty good so far in spring and he impressed the Rangers by working out of a jam the defense made for him last week. Guardado is no lock to be closer, either. You know, the club never thought Aki Otsuka would end up being their closer, but he was and he did a good job. Fukumori, like Otsuka, doesn’t really have closer stuff, but his lack of fear and willingness to throw strikes may make for the lack of raw stuff. 

Even with the questions surrounding Hank Blalock’s health, it would appear that the team should get solid offense from their infielders. Who do you see producing the best season of the four (Broussard, Kinlser, Young and Blalock)?
Evan Grant: Going to be hard to beat Michael Young since you can almost certainly put him down for a .300 season and 200 hits and last year was a DOWN year for him. But Kinsler is a rising star and I could see him going 30-30 this year with an average in the .280 range and a .350 OBP. I think this is the year he establishes himself as a star. Does it mean he has a bigger year than Young overall? Not sure. But he’s going to be productive.

• Is Milton Bradley expected to be ready for Opening Day and how do you see him producing this season?
  
• Evan Grant: Bradley expects to be able to DH by opening day, but I don’t think the Rangers will put him in the outfield until sometime into April. For me, the question about Bradley is not how he produces, but if he can stay on the field. Only one season with more than 101 games. Bradley has really nice numbers in the cleanup spot and with Kinsler, Hamilton and Young ahead of him, he should get plenty of run-producing chances. The year he played 140 games, he hit .267 with 19 homers and 67 RBIs. I’m comfortable saying that he’ll have closer to 25 homers and 100 RBIs if he plays 140 games for the Rangers this season.
  

Ask the Experts: Anaheim Angel

Our friends over at RotoProfessor recently had the opportunity to pose five questions to Bill Plunkett, a beat writer who follows the Los Angeles Angels for the Orange County Register. He provided us with some in depth answers about a team that I feel has a lot more question marks than most analysts care to admit.

• Do you think that Torii Hunter will provide the protection the Angel have been seeking for Vladimir Guerrero or do you think the team is still in need of another big hitter?
  
• Bill Plunkett: I don’t think Vlad needs protection. He does fine on his own. However, I still think there is a big gap between the offensive firepower they have in Detroit and Boston and New York and Cleveland, too, I guess. I don’t think Torii Hunter alone bridges that gap. Torii Hunter plus a healthy Garret Anderson (a highly unlikely pipe dream at this point in his career) plus a full season from Howie Kendrick plus continued development by Casey Kotchman? Maybe that gives the lineup enough depth to be a sufficient complement to elite-level pitching (if they get “elite-level” pitching). The Angels were in the top 5 in runs scored last season even with all their problems/deficiencies and I suspect they will be right there again during the 2008 season. It’s in the playoff where the Angels’ brand of offense hasn’t worked in the past few years and I don’t see those matchups working out any more in their favor now, Hunter or no Hunter.
  

The rotation appears to be very deep, but injuries already seem like they could be a problem. Do you have any update on the condition of Kelvim Escobar and how do you see the Angels filling out the back-end of its rotation in the interim?
Bill Plunkett: Escobar has been the invisible man this spring. Almost all of the rehab and physical therapy he is doing for the sore shoulder is done off site, away from Tempe Diablo Stadium. We’ve only seen him in the clubhouse a couple times all spring. That means the only updates we get are through Angels manager Mike Scioscia — and those second-hand interpretations of how Escobar is doing are not terribly informative. Scioscia originally told us Escobar would start a throwing program in the “second or third week of March.” Well, here we are — and still no sign of Escobar. By my math, it would take a minimum of six weeks to go from the start of a throwing program to rejoining the Angels’ rotation — four weeks to go from flat ground throwing to long toss to throwing off a mound to throwing to hitters, then another two weeks to make a minimum of three rehab game appearances. That’s an optimistic estimate which, as of today, puts Escobar’s return somewhere in early to mid-May. And I would have my concerns about a recurrence of this problem at some point later in the season. Remember — he had this problem last September and it persisted through the winter. That means the rotation for at least the first month of the season will be Lackey, Garland, Weaver, Santana, Saunders. I think Lackey’s spring elbow problem will be forgotten quickly. Garland will be a solid No. 2 and Weaver could be the linchpin — how he does could push the Angels in one direction or the other. He has looked terrific so far this spring. Can’t say the same for Santana.

• Who do you ultimately see filling the shortstop role, Erick Aybar, Maicer Izturis or Brandon Wood?
  
• Bill Plunkett: Aybar. And Izturis. Then Aybar again and Izturis some more. I don’t see either player emerging as the every-day guy. I think it will be a time-share arrangement much like the Mathis-Napoli combo at catcher. Whether it’s Aybar or Izturis from day-to-day will depend on how each is going and what the team’s needs (defensively and offensively) are on a given day against a given opponent. As for Wood, his time is coming — but it’s not here yet. He still needs a lot of work on pitch recognition — like so many young power hitters, he chases way too many breaking pitches out of the strike zone.
  

How do you see the Angels rotating Garret Anderson, Gary Matthews Jr., Reggie Willits and Juan Rivera between the left field and designated hitter spots?
Bill Plunkett: I think that will take care of itself for much of the season based on which players are healthy. I don’t see much playing time for Willits other than as a late-inning defensive replacement on the corners. But I do see Rivera forcing his way into a bigger role, much as he did in 2006. If I had to put numbers to it at this point in the spring I would guess the DH starts would break down this way — 60-65 for Anderson, 40-45 for Guerrero, 10-15 for Matthews, 30-40 for Rivera, a handful for Hunter. But I could see Rivera’s share going up.

• The Angels have some young players filling some key line-up spots in Casey Kotchman, Howie Kendrick and Mike Napoli. Who do you see having the better offensive season in ‘08?
  
• Bill Plunkett: I think Kendrick is going to have a breakout season. People forget he has already hit .306 in his first 160 big-league games including .322 with a .450 slugging percentage between the two hand injuries last season. Those were just fluke injuries and not something you can look at as a sign of future trouble. This guy is a hitter and I could see him developing into an All-Star in a couple seasons. He and Kotchman hold the key to the Angels’ offense this season – if they continue to develop into the kind of hitters the Angels think they can be, that lineup suddenly becomes seven deep. I don’t think the Angels are going to get much in the way of offense from either catcher. But Scioscia doesn’t ask for that from his catchers.
  

Ask the Experts: New York Yankees

Our friends over at RotoProfessor recently had the opportunity to post five questions to Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News. I figured with the offenses that the Yankees and Mets are looking to "commit" this year, these constitute good reads.

• What role do you see Joba Chamberlain filling coming out of Spring Training? Do you see any innings limit being put on him?
  
• Mark Feinsand: Brian Cashman won’t say what it is, but the innings limit on Joba will probably be around 140 or so. I think he’s going to start the year in the bullpen, and if they decide/need/want to move him into the rotation a month or two into the season, they’ll send him to the minors to stretch him out. Personally, I think he is best fit to be the setup guy this year, throwing about 120-130 innings out of the pen. If they use him like they used Mariano Rivera in 1996, they would have a tremendous bullpen. 

What are the chances that Ian Kennedy is able to win a rotation spot out of Spring Training? If he doesn’t, do you see him making an impact this season?
Mark Feinsand: I think Kennedy will win a spot in the rotation unless he completely falls apart. His inning limit will be approximately 190-195 from what I can figure, which isn’t really much of a limit at all. Remember, Kennedy was a polished college pitcher, so even though he was drafted less than two years ago, he’s experienced to some degree.

• How do you see the Yankees handling the 1B situation? If it’s not Jason Giambi full-time, what role do you see him playing on this team in ‘08?
  
• Mark Feinsand: Joe Girardi has made several comments that indicate he would like to see Giambi play first base on a regular basis, so he’ll be given that opportunity. Of course, that’s assuming Giambi can stay healthy enough to do so. Shelley Duncan will see some time at first, and I look at Morgan Ensberg as a darkhorse to win the job this spring. I could easily see Ensberg making this team. 
  

With Robinson Cano quickly becoming one of the top young hitters in the game, where in the order do you see him batting this season? Is there any chance they ultimately move him to the #2 or 3 spot by season’s end?
Mark Feinsand: I see Cano batting seventh or eighth this year, since there are still too many veterans ahead of him. Damon, Jeter, Abreu, ARod, Posada, Matsui, Giambi, Cano, Cabrera. That seems about right to me. As good as Cano is, it’s not like hitting seventh or eighth in this lineup is a problem, since guys will still be on base ahead of him. Now, in 2009, with Giambi and Abreu likely gone, I could see Cano sliding up to the #3 spot that season.

Ask the Experts: New York Mets

Our friends over at RotoProfessor recently had the opportunity to pose five questions to the New York Daily News’ Adam Rubin. The following interview is from their blog, and I'd encourage you to check it out for individual threads about each of the day's events.

• After struggling down the stretch last season, how do you see Jose Reyes bouncing back?
  
• Adam Rubin: I don’t believe there will be any carryover from Reyes’ miserable September to 2008. If you believe the Mets’ assertion, it was simply an ill-timed slump. In case he ran out of gas, the Mets will try to give Reyes a few extra days off this season. And if there was any fraying of the relationship between Willie Randolph and Reyes after he was pulled in Houston before the All-Star break, I’m sure a winter apart and Randolph’s visit to Reyes’ parents’ home in the Dominican Republic a couple of weeks before spring training have smoothed over everything. 
  

The top of the Mets rotation appears to be able to stack up with anyone in baseball. How do you see the combination of Johan Santana and Pedro Martinez performing?
Adam Rubin: Any mild downturn Santana experienced in late ‘07 should be more than offset by moving to the National League. The key with Pedro, of course, is health, but he claims to feel as good as at any time since 1998 when he was in the midst of winning Cy Youngs. If John Maine and Oliver Perez can just duplicate their ‘07 seasons, it’s hard to imagine the Mets not in the postseason.

• How do you see Carlos Delgado rebounding from what was arguably his worst season as an every day player?
  

• Adam Rubin: Delgado is a big question mark. It’s very possible his years on artificial turf in Toronto, coupled with catching in the minors, are catching up to him. He says the broken hand is fine, and that he started swinging a bat in early January. Delgado steadfastly maintains he hasn’t lost any bat speed. Willie Randolph hasn’t sounded quite as sure, and has suggested Delgado was stubborn swinging at up-and-in pitches he can no longer turn on that he should be taking for balls. Randolph also wants to see Delgado use left field more.

What expectations do you have for the back-end of the Mets rotation, most notably Oliver Perez and John Maine?
Adam Rubin: Scott Boras compared Perez to Erik Bedard in the arbitration hearing. We’ll see if that turns out to be a valid comparison in Perez’s walk year. Perez obviously has been inconsistent, so we’ll find out if he’s turned a corner. So many things went well early for Maine last year. It’s entirely conceivable he ends up in the low teens in wins this season.

• After having a solid season last year, including 59 extra base hits, how do you see Ryan Church fairing as he Mets everyday right fielder?
  
• Adam Rubin: Church will hit no higher than seventh, so his performance is not make-or-break for the Mets. He’s adamant a lot of the doubles he hit at RFK will be home runs at Shea. He’s also adamant he can hit lefty pitching. The jury is still out. If he can’t, Damion Easley and Endy Chavez should pick up at-bats in right field.
  

Ask the Experts: Oakland Athletics

Our friends over at RotoProfessor interviewed Athletics beat writer Joe Stiglich. He really gave some great, in depth answers, so let’s get right back to business and see what he had to say.

• Question 1: How do you see the A’s setting up the first five spots in their batting order?
  
• Joe Stiglich: Well, the order for Thursday’s exhibition opener provided a glimpse into manager Bob Geren’s thinking, though he cautioned not to read too much into things this early. If I had to predict now, I would say 1. Travis Buck, 2. Mark Ellis, 3. Daric Barton, 4. Jack Cust, 5. Eric Chavez … The A’s are big on the potential of Buck and Barton, which is why I think they’ll occupy two of the most important spots in the order. Buck is a smart hitter and has pretty decent speed on the bases. Geren is putting a lot of stock into Barton’s September performance, and Barton batted third in the exhibition opener. If Chavez is healthy to start the season, he could fit in at No. 3 also. Ellis has bounced all over the order in recent seasons, but I think he fits into the second spot to break up the glut of lefties. 
  

Question 2: How do you see Rich Harden performing this season if he can stay healthy? Do you see Joe Blanton or Harden being the ace of the staff?
Joe Stiglich: Pondering Harden’s health is always so dicey because of his injury history. Based on how good he’s looked when healthy, I’d say he’d put up really impressive numbers. With his stuff, he’d surely rack up a lot of strikeouts. Can he be a 200-inning guy? It’s just really tough to imagine because of his history. You have to consider Joe Blanton the ace. He’s remained healthy and become such a workhorse for them, and he’s getting the ball in the opener against Boston in Japan. He was a solid No. 2 guy before Haren was traded.

• Question 3: How do you think Daric Barton & Kurt Suzuki will adjust to a full season at the major league level? Are there any other young players you see contributing in ‘08?
  
• Joe Stiglich: It will be interesting to see how these two progress over the full season. From watching the early stages of camp, I can tell you Suzuki already seems more vocal and take-charge with the pitching staff. It seems natural his handling of the pitchers and his pitch-calling would improve simply because he’s so much more familiar with the staff now. His ability to call the game, block pitches and control the opponents’ running game will be much more important than the offense he contributes, but he showed some decent hitting ability last season. As I said above, the A’s are putting a lot of stock in Barton’s abbreviated performance last year. And he was very impressive. But that’s such a small sample size to go off of, there’s still some mystery to him right now. How will he handle his first prolonged slump? How will he adjust when pitchers get familar with him? I’ll say this: The kid flat-out looks like a confident hitter when he digs in at the plate, if that counts for anything. As for other youngsters? We’ll see a lot of them, because the A’s make no secret they’re playing for the future. Either Ryan Sweeney or Carlos Gonzalez figures to grab an outfield spot coming out of the spring. Gonzalez has looked terrific at the plate early on. Gio Gonzalez, a left-handed starter, figures to begin at Triple-A but it wouldn’t be a surprise if he’s called up this season. Joey Devine, a reliever obtained from Atlanta in the Mark Kotsay trade, has a strong chance to land in the bullpen. 
  

Question 4: Both Bobby Crosby and Eric Chavez have struggled with injuries in recent seasons. How do you see them performing this year?
Joe Stiglich: As with Harden, it’s so tough making predictions with these guys. Getting 18-20 homers from Crosby and 25-30 from Chavez would do wonders for this offense, which struggled for much of last season. Crosby is fully recovered from a broken hand that ended his ‘07 season in mid-July. Up until that injury, he had struggled both offensively and defensively. But he didn’t get a full spring training in last season because of a previous back injury, and that affected him as the regular season unfolded. He worked all offseason with some adjustments to his swing, so if he’s hit on something there, I could see him approaching that 18-20 homer total. Chavez, because of his three surgeries over the winter, is still a big question mark. He has yet to play in any exhibition games, and he may not be ready to start the regular season. Who knows? Like I said, 25-30 homers is needed for this offense, but that might be a reach.

• Question 5: If Huston Street is traded, who do you think will replace him as closer?
  
• Joe Stiglich: The smart money says lefty Alan Embree, because he did a pretty decent job as a short-term closer when Street and Justin Duchscherer were both hurt last season. Embree is the team’s oldest player, but he can still bring his fastball in the 93-95 mph range and he’s pretty crafty. Joey Devine is a wild card here, because the scouting reports say he has closer-type stuff. It’s just not a given that he’d be ready to assume that role this year. His walk totals are very high in the short time he’s served in the majors.
  

Ask the Experts: Seattle Mariners

Our friends over at RotoProfessor had the opportunity to grill John Hickey, the Mariners beat writer for the Seattle Post Intelligence (see his coverage by clicking here). He gives an interesting look into the upcoming season, so let’s get down to what he had to say.

Question 1: How do you see Erik Bedard performing in his first year in Seattle?
John Hickey: He’s already had good success in the American League, and it should be more of the same. The Mariners have half of a great infield defense (the left half) and a decent offense, both of which should help make him a winner.

• Question 2: Which player do you see having the better offensive season, Raul Ibanez, Adrian Beltre or Richie Sexson and why?
  
• John Hickey: I’m looking for Ibanez to have the best offensive season of the three because he’s left-handed in a left-handed hitter’s park and because he’s in the last year of his contract. That being said, much more has to be forthcoming from Sexson after the worst year of his career.

Question 3: How do you think the presence of Erik Bedard will affect the performance of Felix Hernandez?
John Hickey: I don’t know that it will have a huge impact, because he’s already a pretty good pitcher. What it will do is give the Mariners a chance to dominate a series when both are scheduled to go against the same opponent.

• Question 4: What are the chances Wladimir Balentien breaks camp with the Mariners? Do you think he could make an impact before season’s end?
  
• John Hickey: I would be surprised if he broke camp with the Mariners, although not shocked. With Mike Morse, who is out of options, on the roster and having already hit fairly well in limited opportunities, he’d get the first shot. But I would expect that Balentien would be among the first callups.
  

Question 5: What role do you see Brandon Morrow filling this season? Do you see him ever getting a chance to start, as was rumored earlier this off-season?
John Hickey: Morrow starts the season as the eighth-inning right-handed reliever, setting up J.J. Putz. That assumes that all the starting pitchers remain healthy. If not, Morrow would be given the chance to start.

Ask the Experts: Milwaukee Brewers

Here is another interview from our friends over at RotoProfessor. Hopefully you've had the opportunity to post over at his site, and if not its definitely worth checking out. He recently had the opportunity to pose five questions to Vic Feuerherd, a beat writer for the Wisconsin State Journal.

• Question 1: How will the position changes affect the production of Ryan Braun and Bill Hall?
  
• Vic Feuerherd: The goal is to improve the overall defense, which, in turn, the Brewers hope will help a starting pitching staff that struggled with, among other things, getting deep into games last season, especially in that July and August stretch when the Brewers lost their lead to the Chicago cubs in the Central Division. I expect that Braun will be oblivious to the change when he’s at bat. That’s just the kind of hitter he is. His poor fielding at third last season never hurt him at the plate. I suspect Hall will see some rejuvenation in his numbers now that he is back on some more familiar ground in the infield.
  

Question 2: How does Gallardo’s injury affect the rotation plans heading into 2008?

Vic Feuerherd: The current read is that Gallardo could be back from arthroscopic knee surgery sometime in April. He may have to miss three or so scheduled starts. But right now, GM Doug Melvin looks like a genius for not trading away any of his eight potential starters. My read is that this opens the door for the return of Chris Capuano to the rotation, at least for the early start of the season. My guess is that Dave Bush and Carlos Villanueva are slated for the final two spots in the five-man rotation behind Gallardo, Ben Sheets and Jeff Suppan. Claudio Vargas and rookie left-hander Manny Parra are also looking for the opportunity. Parra will be waiting in the wings at Nashville if a Gallardo-like injury should occur to someone in the regular season. Guess this goes to prove the old adage that you can never have enough pitching.

• Question 3: How do you see Eric Gagne rebounding from his late season stint in Boston and the steroid accusations surrounding him?
  
• Vic Feuerherd: The Gagne accusations revolve around human growth hormone that he is alleged to have used in 2004, which if you look at his record, was the start of his physical breakdown after three great seasons as the Dodgers closer. If Gagne shows no signs of problems with the elbow and back problems that have plagued him the past few season, the Brewers believe that he will rebound to Gagne-like form as their designated closer. They believe that knowing his specific role as closer will help him, unlike in Boston late last season when he had to make the change to a set-up man. But it should be interesting to hear some of the comments directed at him by fans as he warms up in the Wrigley Field bullpen down the right-field line.
  

Question 4: Relatively speaking, who do you see having a better follow-up season, Prince Fielder (NL home run leader) or Cory Hart (24 HR/23 SB)?
Vic Feuerherd: If Prince Fielder has a “better” season than last year — a MVP like year if not for the Brewers late-season fall — then start preparing his plaque for Cooperstown. In fact, his numbers could be down compared to last season and he could still be as effective. Which brings us to Hart, who, for those who watched him every day last season, saw the maturation of an impact player. I’m not saying he is a future hall of famer, but his style of play reminds me a lot of Robin Yount, the two-time MVP and Brewers hall of famer. Like Yount, he is unassuming and just takes the field and plays the game. As good as Hart was offensively last year, and he proved he can hit at the top, middle or bottom of the lineup and still be as effective, he made even greaters strides on defense, showing that he can handle both right and center. I believe has the biggest upside — to use a cliche — of any regular position player.

• Question 5: Do you see Rickie Weeks finally breaking out like he showed possible after the All Star Break (11 HR and 16 SB)? Why or why not?
  
• Vic Feuerherd: Ask me in July. This is such a tough one because the Brewers want you to believe that the August-September Weeks is the player they drafted in the first round. They hold that it takes a year to recover from the wrist surgery Weeks underwent during the 2006 season, and his late season play came almost to the year after that surgery. Let’s put it this way. Of all the young core players on the Brewers, the largest heap of expectations has been place upon Weeks. That heap is still there. If he begins to approach those expectations, the Brewers are much more dangerous club.
  

Ask the Experts: Cincinnati Reds

Our friends over at RotoProfessor recent had the opportunity to conduct a small interview of John Fay, who provides coverage of the Cincinnati Reds in the Cincinnati Enquirer. Check out the interview.

Question1: What are the chances that Jay Bruce wins the CF job out of Spring Training? What type of impact do you anticipate him making in 2008?
John Fay: I think the chances are very good. But that’s just me talking. The reason I think so is Bruce went from Single-A to Triple-A last year and his stats never dropped off. He was in camp early. He looks good. And he realizes he needs a good, maybe great, spring to make the team.

• Question 2: Who do you think will win the 1B job out of Spring Training, Joey Votto or Scott Hatteberg? How successful do you see the winner being?
  
• John Fay: I’d make Votto the favorite at this point. He had a very good September –. 321, 4 homers, 17 RBI in 24 games. I think he gives the Reds more at this point. But Hatteberg is a good back-up plan. 
  

Question 3: How do you see Edwin Encarnacion following up on a solid 2007 season?
John Fay: I think this could be a breakout year. He’s improved his defense. His bat was good after a slow start last year. He has a knack for driving in runs. He hit .360 with runners in scoring position last year. If he struggles, the Reds are in trouble because they need right-handed bat, in addition to Brandon Phillips, to balance the lineup.

• Question 4: Do you see Francisco Cordero living up to the huge contract he signed? Why or why not? 
  
• John Fay: I don’t know. He’s going to have to very good to do that. I think the key to bullpen in general is how the set-up guys do in getting the ball to Cordero. 
  

Question 5: How do you see the starting rotation being comprised in 2008? Which young pitcher do you see making the biggest impact?
John Fay: Aaron Harang, Bronson Arroyo and Matt Belisle will be in. One of the good things from the Reds’ standpoint is they have a lot of young guys in the mix for the other two spots. My guess at this point is Jeremy Affeldt and Homer Bailey win them. But Edinson Volquez and Johnny Cueto could pitch their way into the mix. Bailey was very good the second time around last year. He still has the high upside. If I had to pick one guy to have the biggest impact, it would be him.

Ask the Experts: Pittsburgh Pirates

Our friends over at RotoProfessor recently had the opportunity to conduct a small interview of Danny Knobler, who provides excellent coverage of the Detroit Tigers for mlive.com (to view his coverage, click here). The following material is from the blog www.rotoprofessor.com, which puts up daily material and is definitely worth reading...

In the second installment of our “Ask the Expert” series, I had the chance to submit five questions to Rob Biertempfel, the Pirates beat writer for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. You can view his coverage of the team by clicking here. He gave a great insight into many of the questions people want to know about the Pirates entering into the 2008 season, so without further adieu, here’s what he had to say:

• Question 1: The team in general struggled offensively, with Adam Laroche and Jason Bay leading the way. Who do you think has the best chance to have a rebound season and why? 
  
• Rob Biertempfel: Some of Jason Bay’s problems last year were due to overuse — remember, it was news when he got a day off early in the season — and achy knees. Jason has told me his knees feel good to go, although he won’t be running all-out from the start of spring training. That’s a red flag. Knee problems never really go away; you can only manage the problem as best you can. Bay has plenty of incentives to upgrade his stats: personal and professional pride and the chance to bolster his trade value. LaRoche always has been a slow starter, but his output the first six to eight weeks of last season was awful. He altered his offseason routine a little (but still saving plenty of time for hunting on his ranch in Kansas) to hopefully jump-start the 2008 season. He’ll never put up Adam Dunn or David Ortiz numbers, but he still can be very productive in the Pirates’ lineup. 

Question 2: It appears that the Pirates CF options are wide open, with guys like Nate McLouth, Chris Duffy and Nyjer Morgan all having a realistic chance of winning the job. I’ve even heard talk of Andrew McCutchen as a possibility. Who do you see winning the job out of Spring Training? Who do you see filling the role by the end of the season?
Rob Biertempfel: Unless something bizarre happens, forget about seeing Andrew McCutchen in Pittsburgh until at least September. Chris Duffy also is bound for the minors in April; he’s got a lot to prove — mental and physical — to the new administration. I think Nate McLouth will emerge from spring training as the starter, because he has a nice mix of speed and power. Morgan will get plenty of playing time, though — perhaps something just short of a platoon. Who will be there in August? That’s a tough call, if the team ends up being as active at the trade deadline as I think it will be.

• Question 3: What role do you see Ryan Doumit filling for the team this season? 
  
• Rob Biertempfel: I think he’ll be the starting right fielder after Xavier Nady is traded. Backup catcher in an extreme emergency. Doumit showed a pretty good arm in right field last year and has decent pop. The Red Sox sniffed around about him in the offseason, but the Pirates’ demands were too high. 
  

Question 4: Which of the Pirates starting pitchers do you think will be the ace of the staff in ‘08, Ian Snell or Tom Gorzellany and why?
Rob Biertempfel: Gorzelanny has the best long-term prospects as an ace. But I’m hoping manager John Russell/pitching coach Jeff Andrews are more mindful of Gorzo’s health than was Jim Tracy/Jim Colborn. Snell showed at times last year that he is a more mature pitcher (except for that stuff about wanting to head-hunt the Rockies); he still has room for improvement in that area.

• Question 5: After his impressive major league debut in 2005, Zach Duke has struggled, including missing time in the 2nd half of ‘07 due to elbow troubles. Do you think he’s going to be healthy this season and how well do you think he’ll perform? 
  
• Rob Biertempfel: I think Duke is healthy again, both physically and in terms of his confidence. I’m expecting a seven- or eight-win season and an ERA around 4.30 out of him. Baby steps, but important ones.
  

Ask the Experts: Detroit Tigers

Our friends over at RotoProfessor recently had the opportunity to conduct a small interview of Danny Knobler, who provides excellent coverage of the Detroit Tigers for mlive.com (to view his coverage, click here). The following material is from the blog www.rotoprofessor.com, which puts up daily material and is definitely worth reading...

The Tigers have one of the most dominant line-ups in baseball, and a pitching staff to back it up. With the acquisitions of Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis, they instantly vaulted themselves into title contention. That’s not to say that there aren’t questions entering the season. So, without further adieu, here is what he had to say about the 2008 Tigers season.

• Question 1: Gary Sheffield underwent surgery on his shoulder in the off-season. What is his status for the start of the season and can we expect him to see any time in the outfield this season? 
• Danny Knobler: The Tigers say Sheffield should make a full recovery by Opening Day. How much he plays in the outfield will be up to Jim Leyland. My guess is he won’t end up playing out there often. Magglio Ordonez much prefers to play right field rather than DH. Also, DHing could give Sheffield a better chance of staying healthy.

Question 2: The Tigers have an extremely deep batting order, but it seems that they have two great options for the #2 slot, Edgar Renteria and Placido Polanco. Which one is expected to hit second and where is the other expected to bat?
Danny Knobler: Polanco will start off in the #2 spot. That’s not to say it couldn’t change at some point, but there’s no reason to move Polanco out of a spot he fits so well in. Also, Leyland likes Renteria’s ability to hit in the clutch, and would like him in a spot where he could get more RBI chances (not that Polanco is a bad clutch hitter himself).

• Question 3: After being shut down in September, what is the status of Jeremy Bonderman’s elbow and is he expected to be healthy this season without having undergone surgery?
  
• Danny Knobler: Bonderman said in January that the elbow was fine, and also that he had adjusted his exercises and conditioning with the idea of keeping it healthy through the season.

Question 4: How do you think Dontrelle Willis will react to pitching in the AL after struggling last season with the Florida Marlins?
Danny Knobler: The AL is tougher, but pitching for the Tigers should help Willis. The Tigers are obviously counting on him to bounce back.

• Question 5: With last year’s primary injury fill-ins traded or non-tendered in the off-season (Jair Jurrjens, Andrew Miller, Chad Durbin), who is expected to be the first pitcher called upon to make a start if needed and what can you tell us about him? Any chance that last year’s first round pick, Rick Porcello, gets a look?
  
• Danny Knobler: Jim Leyland prefers not to take spot starters out of his bullpen, so he’ll likely look to pitchers such as Yorman Bazardo, Jordan Tata and Virgil Vasquez as fill-ins if needed. If it’s a longer-term issue, maybe you’d see Zach Miner starting again. It’s too early to think about Porcello in the big leagues, but the Tigers are anxious to get a look at him this spring.