Post by Deleted on Jan 7, 2011 1:14:26 GMT -5
Welcome to the first 'Fact or Fiction!'
Participating in this debate are the Red Sox, Padres, and Mets. Please, if you will, read each question and the following responses and at the end, formulate an opinion on who had the best debate!
Without further adieu...
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1) Fact or Fiction, Carlos Gonzalez will win NL MVP.
Red Sox: Fact. The fact that Gonzalez is only 26 years old with great ratings, plays on a team that is surrounded by talent and could represent the NL in the World Series and it plays 81 games in the comfortable Coors Field, its hard to believe he will not put up MVP type numbers.Projecting him to hit .330-30-110 with 30 stolen bases is not unrealistic and the fact that he could contend for the triple crown or join the 40/40 club is also a possibility. The one thing that should not be forgotten is he is also a Gold Glove caliber defensive player at all three outfield positions.
I will go a step further and say its a fact that he could push aside Albert Pujols as the player who you could give this award too year after year without much of a debate.
Padres: Fact. There’s a lot of hype surrounding this kid, and when all’s said and done, he’s one hell of a ball player. The four-year extension he signed is a steal for the Rockies, and they should be very happy to keep him and Tulo around for the next 3 years (at least). CarGo is just beginning to show the PBL what he’s capable of, and with a start as hot as he’s had, even if he regresses to his 2011 level, he’ll still be well above his career numbers. His smarts on the basepaths, and the power he’s displayed thus far, and he’s a real 30/30 threat this year, and well into the future. Add his glove to the equation, and you have one rare athlete, indeed.
Don’t expect his number to remain so Ted Williams-esque at the end of September, but expect a true MVP campaign out of the PBL’s purest five-tool player. Don’t be surprised if CarGo walks away with the Triple Crown, a real possibility if the Rockies return him to the middle of the lineup when Dexter Fowler returns.
Mets: Fact. CarGo's start to the 2012 season has been absolutely phenominal. CarGo leads the league in average, OBP, slugging pct., VORP, hits, runs, and TB, is 2nd in RBIs, and 4th in HRs, this guy does it all. On top of that he is a great defender playing in 31 games with nary an error in the outfield. On pace to break the single season RBI record of 165 RBI set in 1999, CarGo could end the season with 189! The only thing that might slow him down: his recent move to batting first in a potent Rockies lineup.
(Psst, watch out single season run record of 143, CarGo's looking to score 162 this season...)
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2) Fact or Fiction, the Texas Rangers will finish this season the best team in the AL.
Red Sox: Fiction. I think Texas is going to compete and be one of the better teams in PBL this season but I think Seattle could give them a run for their money for the AL West division title once all their newcomers start to gel.
I think the team to beat in the American League will be the Tampa Bay Rays. This seems to be the year they have everything going for them and could be on a collision course with Colorado for the World Series.
The fact that Tampa is strong enough to shop players like Longoria, Cabrera and Haren speaks volumes for their talent level. The scary part is how much talent they could get in return for any one of these players.[/color]
Padres: Fact. I’ve been on the Rangers bandwagon since I joined the league, and think that they are truly on the verge of becoming the class of baseball. The only hole in the Texas lineup is in right field, and Bryce Brentz will only get better as the season goes on. You won’t find a lineup with more speed in it, with Elvis Andrus, Carl Crawford, Julio Borbon and Ian Kinsler all threats to run anytime they get on.As the PBL heads into September, and Texas starts to dig into their pitching-laden farm, they’ll finally have the pitching to match their offense. When this happens, and it will, Texas will be the team to beat in October, regardless of who has the best record in the AL.
Mets: Fact. In the midle of May the Texas Rangers are tops in the AL in major offensive and pitching categories. As long as they stay healthy this is a hard team to pitch too and hit against. Some say pitching win championshipss, some say offense or defense wins them. Can't hurt to have all 3!
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3) Fact or Fiction, Mauro "The Blade" Villarreal was a solid pick at #1 overall for the Blue Jays.
Red Sox: Fact. The biggest concern for me about 'The Blade' is his potential for injury. On the flip side, if he has trouble staying healthy behind the plate, he does possess the ability to move to 1st base.
Defensively, Mauro is very solid behind the plate with a strong arm. He is also has the potential to hit .300 with 25-30 homers.
He also played in very tough competition in College and put up great numbers (.324-14-58 in 47 games) so he has proven he can handle a challenge. Finally, the fact that he is close to the Majors is a huge plus. He looks like he will be able to start his pro career in Double-A and could reach the majors within two seasons.
Padres: Fact. I begrudgingly admit that there was no better player available at No.1 for the Jays. Victimized by the weak draft class in general, the Jays did the smart thing in taking the consensus best player in the draft. Villarreal is incredibly raw for a 21 year old, and will require a good deal of development to reach the PBL in a timely fashion, but the upside is there to translate to stardom.
The only concern here is that the Jays have an excellent catcher prospect in Travis D’Arnaud, but drafting the best player available is almost always a sound strategy.
Mets: Fiction. Mauro is definately the best hitting prospect in the draft, especially at a position that rarely sees offensive ratings as his, but from a draft pool that only includes 6 worthy SP prospects, the Toronto Blue Jays failed to add one of the most coveted positions in the draft.
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Note - The format will likely be easier to look at next time...had problems with the server so I lost a lot of what I had done with it.
Participating in this debate are the Red Sox, Padres, and Mets. Please, if you will, read each question and the following responses and at the end, formulate an opinion on who had the best debate!
Without further adieu...
--
1) Fact or Fiction, Carlos Gonzalez will win NL MVP.
Red Sox: Fact. The fact that Gonzalez is only 26 years old with great ratings, plays on a team that is surrounded by talent and could represent the NL in the World Series and it plays 81 games in the comfortable Coors Field, its hard to believe he will not put up MVP type numbers.Projecting him to hit .330-30-110 with 30 stolen bases is not unrealistic and the fact that he could contend for the triple crown or join the 40/40 club is also a possibility. The one thing that should not be forgotten is he is also a Gold Glove caliber defensive player at all three outfield positions.
I will go a step further and say its a fact that he could push aside Albert Pujols as the player who you could give this award too year after year without much of a debate.
Padres: Fact. There’s a lot of hype surrounding this kid, and when all’s said and done, he’s one hell of a ball player. The four-year extension he signed is a steal for the Rockies, and they should be very happy to keep him and Tulo around for the next 3 years (at least). CarGo is just beginning to show the PBL what he’s capable of, and with a start as hot as he’s had, even if he regresses to his 2011 level, he’ll still be well above his career numbers. His smarts on the basepaths, and the power he’s displayed thus far, and he’s a real 30/30 threat this year, and well into the future. Add his glove to the equation, and you have one rare athlete, indeed.
Don’t expect his number to remain so Ted Williams-esque at the end of September, but expect a true MVP campaign out of the PBL’s purest five-tool player. Don’t be surprised if CarGo walks away with the Triple Crown, a real possibility if the Rockies return him to the middle of the lineup when Dexter Fowler returns.
Mets: Fact. CarGo's start to the 2012 season has been absolutely phenominal. CarGo leads the league in average, OBP, slugging pct., VORP, hits, runs, and TB, is 2nd in RBIs, and 4th in HRs, this guy does it all. On top of that he is a great defender playing in 31 games with nary an error in the outfield. On pace to break the single season RBI record of 165 RBI set in 1999, CarGo could end the season with 189! The only thing that might slow him down: his recent move to batting first in a potent Rockies lineup.
(Psst, watch out single season run record of 143, CarGo's looking to score 162 this season...)
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2) Fact or Fiction, the Texas Rangers will finish this season the best team in the AL.
Red Sox: Fiction. I think Texas is going to compete and be one of the better teams in PBL this season but I think Seattle could give them a run for their money for the AL West division title once all their newcomers start to gel.
I think the team to beat in the American League will be the Tampa Bay Rays. This seems to be the year they have everything going for them and could be on a collision course with Colorado for the World Series.
The fact that Tampa is strong enough to shop players like Longoria, Cabrera and Haren speaks volumes for their talent level. The scary part is how much talent they could get in return for any one of these players.[/color]
Padres: Fact. I’ve been on the Rangers bandwagon since I joined the league, and think that they are truly on the verge of becoming the class of baseball. The only hole in the Texas lineup is in right field, and Bryce Brentz will only get better as the season goes on. You won’t find a lineup with more speed in it, with Elvis Andrus, Carl Crawford, Julio Borbon and Ian Kinsler all threats to run anytime they get on.As the PBL heads into September, and Texas starts to dig into their pitching-laden farm, they’ll finally have the pitching to match their offense. When this happens, and it will, Texas will be the team to beat in October, regardless of who has the best record in the AL.
Mets: Fact. In the midle of May the Texas Rangers are tops in the AL in major offensive and pitching categories. As long as they stay healthy this is a hard team to pitch too and hit against. Some say pitching win championshipss, some say offense or defense wins them. Can't hurt to have all 3!
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3) Fact or Fiction, Mauro "The Blade" Villarreal was a solid pick at #1 overall for the Blue Jays.
Red Sox: Fact. The biggest concern for me about 'The Blade' is his potential for injury. On the flip side, if he has trouble staying healthy behind the plate, he does possess the ability to move to 1st base.
Defensively, Mauro is very solid behind the plate with a strong arm. He is also has the potential to hit .300 with 25-30 homers.
He also played in very tough competition in College and put up great numbers (.324-14-58 in 47 games) so he has proven he can handle a challenge. Finally, the fact that he is close to the Majors is a huge plus. He looks like he will be able to start his pro career in Double-A and could reach the majors within two seasons.
Padres: Fact. I begrudgingly admit that there was no better player available at No.1 for the Jays. Victimized by the weak draft class in general, the Jays did the smart thing in taking the consensus best player in the draft. Villarreal is incredibly raw for a 21 year old, and will require a good deal of development to reach the PBL in a timely fashion, but the upside is there to translate to stardom.
The only concern here is that the Jays have an excellent catcher prospect in Travis D’Arnaud, but drafting the best player available is almost always a sound strategy.
Mets: Fiction. Mauro is definately the best hitting prospect in the draft, especially at a position that rarely sees offensive ratings as his, but from a draft pool that only includes 6 worthy SP prospects, the Toronto Blue Jays failed to add one of the most coveted positions in the draft.
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Note - The format will likely be easier to look at next time...had problems with the server so I lost a lot of what I had done with it.