|
|
|
I don't know about you, but I can't wait to see Gary Sheffield in a Tigers uniform, or Daisuke Matsuzaka, or Barry Zito in the uniform Carl Hubbell once wore, or Greg Maddux, period. I can't wait to see Jon Lester take PFP, Eric Gagne pitch and Aaron Rowand on the field.
I can't wait to see Arizona's Chris Young and Stephen Drew, and how much Delmon Young and Matt Kemp have grown up. I can't wait to see Tim Lincecum, Homer Bailey, Andrew Miller, Philip Hughes, Clay Buchholz, Adam Miller and Justin Upton, not to mention Ron Washington, Bud Black and Manny Acta running their own spring trainings. We all know that every season is a life unto itself. Go back and take projected wins -- use Hardball Times, or almost any statistical site -- and using run differential and other means it can be determined that the five best teams of the regular season were the Tigers, Yankees, Twins, Mets and Indians, in that order; we know where that took us in October, and where it will take us this October.
Here is a starting list of what I look forward to seeing in the next month.
PLAYERS IN NEW UNIFORMS • Gary Sheffield, OF, Detroit. As long as his hand and wrist are healthy, the Tigers have put one of the fiercest bats in the business in their lineup. Sheff is a foxhole guy. • Alfonso Soriano, OF, Chicago Cubs. So, if Felix Pie is ready, he plays somewhere other than center. We now have two great crosstown rivalries. • Barry Zito, LHP, San Francisco. Barry is always a joy, but with some extra spending cash across The Bay, the storyline is better. That starting staff can be a whole lot of fun. • Jason Schmidt, RHP, LA Dodgers. With Derek Lowe and Brad Penny, the Dodgers have reliability in their rotation that they haven't had for years. • Andy Pettitte, LHP, NY Yankees. The hometown experience was great, but he looks right in this uniform. Next, the Roger Clemens questions. • Frank Thomas, DH, Toronto. The Jays DHs combined for 16 homers and an .811 OPS, far from the 39/.928 numbers posted by the sometime Hall of Famer in Oakland last year. He just makes Vernon Wells that much better, and he's one player who can't be that much better. • J.D. Drew, OF, Boston. No free agent walks a finer line than Drew. If he can ignore the obsessive negativity in Boston, stay healthy and play the league's most difficult defensive position as he is able to do, The Wall -- and two guys named David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez -- will give him a chance at the best year of his career. For his sake, it is important that he come to Boston as complement to, not a replacement for, Manny. • Greg Maddux, RHP, San Diego. Great park for him. Very good rotation. Great student in Jake Peavy; hey, Jake, check Lowe's numbers after Maddux arrived in LA last season (8-1, 2.40). One of the most fascinating characters of any generation. • Freddy Garcia, RHP, Philadelphia. The NL East promises to be a tremendous race with the Braves, Mets and Phillies, and acquiring a horse to step in front of Brett Myers, Cole Hamels, et al was a major coup. There are many more, like Moises Alou in a Mets uniform, Rafael Soriano and Mike Gonzalez with the Braves, Jason Jennings with the Astros, Julio Lugo with the Red Sox, Darin Erstad with the White Sox, Kei Igawa with the Yankees ... Written by Peter Gammons |
MLB Players in New Uniforms for 2007
