Olney, that is, not Posey.
I'm of the mind that Buster Olney's ESPN offerings tend to be a mixed bag...he's a good writer, no doubt, but as far as his opinions and such, I find myself often in disagreement.
Now, though, he's picked the Giants to repeat as World Series champs.
This, of course, means I'm in complete agreeme...wait a minute. Hm, actually, I'm not. I tend to think that with a healthy Chase Utley and any kind of significant bounce-back season from Jimmy Rollins, the Phillies will again win the NL East, and from there...
Who are we kidding? The playoffs in MLB are a crapshoot. Once in, anything can happen in a 7-game series. However, provided those things happen and they get there (I just don't see the Braves catching up quite yet), then I think the Phillies will be the best team in the NL, if only just by a little bit.
But hey, I can't help but like Mr. Olney a skoche more for picking the Giants, and it isn't as if picking the Giants doesn't make sense -- they look pretty good, and of course, they just did it last year.
Then he makes questionable predictions like:
Cy Youngs: Felix Hernandez and Cole Hamels (who will have a good chunk of the season matching up against No. 4 and No. 5 starters)
Okay, so, I understand saying that Cole Hamels being matched up against other teams' #4 and #5 starters could help the Phillies win (although as someone astutely pointed out, this wouldn't hold true the entire season), and thus could mean more wins for Hamels.
But...what in the name of Snuffleupagus does the opposing teams' pitcher have to do with Cole Hamels' performance? Last I checked, the hitters of the opposing team will still be trying to score runs on Hamels, not the opposing teams' pitcher. Sure, wins for pitchers are important, but the Cy Young trophies on Felix Hernandez's and Zack Greinke's mantles show that less emphasis is being places on wins, and more on statistical performance.
I would think that having three (3) better pitchers on the same team as Hamels might steer Olney away from such a choice -- I mean, why do you think he's the #4 starter on that team in the first place?
One step forward(ish), two steps back, Olney. Geez.
... and another ESPN writer predicted that Cliff Lee and Roy Halladay would split the Phillies' Cy Young votes, and somebody else will win the Cy Young.
ReplyDeleteRegardless, I'm a little worried about the Phillies. Utley looks questionable moving forward, and even if he plays, he could be hindered. Mysterious tendonitis (and tendonitis requires rest, not 162 games of wear and tear) is not a good thing. And with Lidge out to start ....
I'm not ruling 'em out, but it's an ominous start.
I agree completely, but I think Cliff Lee gives back the wins that they lose with Utley being out. I can't imagine not having Lidge will cost them more than 1-2 games.
ReplyDeleteBut mostly, I just can't see the Braves being a .600 team at this point, which is when I would start to think the Phillies might have trouble overcoming the injury woes.