Thoughts about Thoughts....

So what's going on?

What's going on with the Red Sox? What's going on with Prince Fielder? What's going on with Albert Pujols? What's going on with the Pirates? Rangers? Reds? Alfonso Soriano?

There's certainly been some shockers so far. But I caution everybody that it's such a long season. So many people want to emphasize bad starts and good starts as if they're going to be trends throughout the whole season, but let's be realistic.

Red Sox
The Red Sox are not going to be a losing ball club. They haven't gotten a quality start from a pitcher yet this season, and things just haven't gone their way. I don't know if there's just a crazy amount of pressure on Crawford, or this team just needs more time to click. Their pitching has certainly been a huge disappointment, but am confident they will be fine and run away with the AL East. They HAVE to win today. There's no such thing as a must-win before May 1, but Lester against the Indians is pretty big.

Fielder and Pujols

They're going to get it together. Baseball is clearly a game of streaks, and some teams just have losing streaks at the beginning of the season. Some players just get off to slow starts. Pujols and Fielder are two of the best hitters in baseball, and that will come to fruition throughout this season. I'm not worried about these two, just as I'm not worried about the Brewers as a whole. Their bullpen hasn't done what they've needed to do, but this offense has been very good. Once Greinke gets back and Marcum hits stride, they'll be fine.

Pirates, Rangers, Reds

Trivia: Which of these teams is perennially bad?

The correct answer is the Pirates.

My good friend and big Bucs fan Harry Barron texted me today saying that 12 more victories on the Road by the Pirates would eclipse their season total for road wins last year (Yes, the Pirates went 17-64 on the road last year). I did pick the Pirates to finish last this season, and I'll say they still do. But I'm keeping an eye on these guys. I said in that preview to watch out for their 1-4, and even though Alvarez has been hitting 5th, you still know what I meant. Neil Walker has come out hot, Tabata is filthy, McCutchen hasn't even been healthy and he's still a stud, and Alvarez has been solid. I said this team wouldn't lose 100, but I can see them getting that elusive .500 season, and I'm pulling for them.

The Rangers and Reds look like the real deal. I'm interested to see how Volquez pitches today since he didn't look great against the Brew Crew, but this offense has been fantastic. The Rangers are looking like they could field a AAA pitching roster and they'd still win their division since this offense is so good. They beat Felix today, they beat Lester on opening day, they're just filthy. This offense, led by everybody, has it all, and I hope they can stay healthy to show off their talent. We all know what happens with Kinsler, Cruz, and Hamilton each year, so let's keep a cautious eye out for them. I think Ron Washington will be very cautious with these guys as the season wears on.

Soriano

Why do I bring up Soriano? Because he was the very last player taken in my main fantasy baseball league. I want to emphasize how terrible he is on defense, and how he won't come close to stealing 30, but he's so much fun to watch. His swing is just a huge coil waiting to unleash. The Cubs have the rotation and the bullpen to be marginally successful in the league. If Soriano continues to play well, with Castro, Soto, Colvin, Aramis and Pena who all have solid bats then this may be a team to look out for. Watch out for these Cubbies.

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