Preview/Prediction

The first two times that I wrote this piece it was predicting what the Texas Rangers organization was going to do in regards to the 25-man roster.

Well now with the season only a couple days away, the roster has been set, and the team is ready for the 2009 season.

Along with the players are the positions that they will be fulfilling and their projected stats (according to CBS Sports Fantasy Baseball).

STARTING ROTATION

Kevin Millwood - 12-11, 4.50 ERA, 129 K, 49 BB

Vicente Padilla -12-10, 4.32 ERA, 134 K, 60 BB

In part two of this article, we'll take a look at Arizona's lineup.  While it does lack the offensive firepower of both the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Colorado Rockies, it features a slew of talented young players just waiting to break out.

We have finally arrived on the eve of Opening Day after a grueling and seemingly never-ending offseason, punctuated by our resident superstar's departure to the Bay Area.

With Matt Holliday now wearing Athletic green, the Rockies are projected by the national media to struggle in replacing the power Holliday produced on a daily basis in the purple pinstripes.

Consider the Braves lineup that was posted for tonight's opening night game:

1. 2B Kelly Johnson
2. SS Yunel Escobar
3. 3B Chipper Jones
4. C  Brian McCann
5. LF Garret Anderson
6. RF Jeff Francoeur
7. 1B Casey Kotchman
8. CF Jordan Schafer
9. SP Derek Lowe

Note: All team projections were found using the FEINs projections. An explanation behind projected wins, losses, and other stats can be found here.

1. Arizona Diamondbacks

Never in the 126-year history of the Giants have fans endured five straight losing seasons.  But patrons passing through Willie Mays Plaza on their way to the bayside ballpark are faced with that formidable fact in 2009.

Usually, standing at the precipice of history suggests greatness is at hand. But for the Giants—with 2004 the last time a season ended in positive territory—it’s more like an abyss.

Yes, opening day is once again upon us, which means another group of 25 men have been assembled from the various nooks and crannies of our country. 

These men grew up places like California, St. Louis, Hawaii, and Florida.  All of them away from the passion, and love of a place like Philadelphia.

Some spent the year here last year, bringing a starving city a world championship.  Some have been added to increase the club’s chances of winning another. 

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A fearless forecast? There’s no such thing; everyone fears injuries.

This forecast is based on teams' abilities to play old school baseball, which should be  new school baseball in these post-steroid days.

Judging from the content of blogs covering the team, the fans of the Washington Nationals are grumpy. That is easy to understand when considered in the context of last year's 102-loss season. However, since the grumpiness is evident even during discussions of obvious improvements to the team, one might accuse us of holding a grudge.