Top 5 teams in the NL

[Allstarjim]

1. NY Mets - best record, best rotation, best bullpen, best bench, best team... period.

2. LA Dodgers -2nd best record in the NL, they are the only team I'm worried about in the playoffs. So much talent, and Brad Penny has been awesome and likely will be the NL pitcher of the month in May

3. Atlanta Braves - They may drop with the season ending surgery to Mike Gonzalez, and they better hope Smoltz is ok. Still, they have tremendous young hitters with McCann, Francouer, Kelly Johnson, Scott Thorman, and Matt Diaz. Wickman is still not that great of a closer. The Braves should be better in 2008.

4. Arizona - Big Unit is coming around and with Brandon Webb and Livan Hernandez, I think the D'backs have the 2nd best starting rotation in the NL next to the Mets. Watch out for former Met prospect Yusmeiro Petit who recently had his first start of the season with the D'backs (7 IP, 2 ER, 5K, 0 BB in a hard luck loss). The D'backs are doing it with pitching.

5. San Diego - With Peavy and Chris Young, the Pads have a dominant 1-2 tandem. Adrian Gonzalez is quietly becoming one of the best 1st basemen in the NL. Look out for Justin Germano.

 

So there it is, the top 5 teams in the NL. Honorable mention to the BREWERS! And to the Phils and Marlins, who I believe are better than their records indicate thus far. Special shout out to the Phils for sweeping the Braves last weekend, and that's the last time you will ever hear me praise a team from Philly (LOL).

[Herc]

lol honorable mention tot he padres? sportsline has us 5th in the MAJORS. we just SWEPT the brewers, how could you even consider putting them in front of the pads?

[Herc]

and the pads have a better starting rotation AND a better bullpen than the mets. go look up the numbers, they're the only team that comes within half a run of our major league leading team ERA

[Allstarjim]

lol honorable mention tot he padres? sportsline has us 5th in the MAJORS. we just SWEPT the brewers, how could you even consider putting them in front of the pads?

 

Yikes, my bad. I didn't know the Pads swept the Brewers, and shortly after I wrote that, I regretted not putting the Pads there. The Pads have better pitching if not better hitting, and I favor pitching more. Plus the Pads play in a much better division and have a better record than the Brewers. Forgive me, and I will change the ranking, thanks for the correction.

[Herc]

Yikes, my bad. I didn't know the Pads swept the Brewers, and shortly after I wrote that, I regretted not putting the Pads there. The Pads have better pitching if not better hitting, and I favor pitching more. Plus the Pads play in a much better division and have a better record than the Brewers. Forgive me, and I will change the ranking, thanks for the correction.

 

don't let it happen again

 

i'd go:

 

mets

padres

dodgers

braves

brewers

 

im not sold on arizona, i think their hitting is a year away. but the mets are by far the best team in the NL. but as a padres fan i can tell you the only team im not confident against in any series, home or away, is the mets

[Allstarjim]

and the pads have a better starting rotation AND a better bullpen than the mets. go look up the numbers, they're the only team that comes within half a run of our major league leading team ERA

 

This is where you are wrong. With Peavy and Young's ERA being so low, it is skewing the overall average. But 1-5, the Mets rotation is better. Peavy and Young are the better 1-2 punch, but Maddux, Wells, and I guess Hensley is out at this point, replaced with Germano (who has had tremendous command thus far), with those guys your back end of the rotation doesn't even come close to Perez, Maine, and Sosa. Germano has shown tremendous command of the strike zone and has a very low ERA, but he will need more than 4 starts to prove himself. One thing I notice about him is he doesn't strike out a lot of batters, only 3.24 K's/9, which tells me he's not blowing people away. Lets see how he responds when he gets rocked a little. I'd be very optimistic if I were you, but I'm not ready to give him a Cy Young award, either.

 

Your bullpen isn't as good, either. I was surprised to see Heath Bell doing so well, it looks like you guys stole him from us for Ben Johnson. Bell wasn't impressive when we brought him up. Also, you are discounting Mota's return to the Mets. Give it another month. We'll throw Mota, Feliciano, Heilman, and Joe Smith at you before we get to Wagner. You guys throw Linebrink, Bell, Meredith, and Brocail before Hoffman. And we still have a chance to get Duaner Sanchez back this season. I like our guys, but it's close, and we play a much tougher schedule, to boot. Mets will be the first team in history this year to play every team who won a division in both the AL and the NL from the year prior. And the Mets extra series they have to play out of the division? The Dodgers, currently in 1st place.

[Herc]

dude, peavy and young's eras are so low because they are ACES. they are better than any two of the mets starters and i'll take peavy over any pitcher in baseball not named santana (and MAYBE halladay and oswalt). hoffman > wagner and i'll take linebrink, meredith, brocail, and bell over mota (lets see how he pitches steroids free), feliciano, heilman and joe smith. there's a reason the padres have BY FAR the best era in baseball and it's cuz they have the best pitching in baseball 1-11. i said it before the season started and they're proving me right.

 

i've watched all of germano's starts and he hasn't been rocked yet because he's very good. 3 ER in 4 starts is extremely good and better than anything sosa or perez have done yet this season. im sorry, the mets are the better team because of their lineup and i'd favor them in a series over the pads but i have to disagree on the pitching.

[RandolphScott]

So when is Peavy going to take his monthly vacation? You know

he always does.

[Herc]

So when is EL DUQUE going to take his monthly vacation? You know

he always does.

 

fixed.

 

 

(i dont know how to do the slash thing)

 

besides, peavy pitched through shoulder tendinitis almost the entire year last year

[Allstarjim]

dude, peavy and young's eras are so low because they are ACES. they are better than any two of the mets starters and i'll take peavy over any pitcher in baseball not named santana (and MAYBE halladay and oswalt). hoffman > wagner and i'll take linebrink, meredith, brocail, and bell over mota (lets see how he pitches steroids free), feliciano, heilman and joe smith. there's a reason the padres have BY FAR the best era in baseball and it's cuz they have the best pitching in baseball 1-11. i said it before the season started and they're proving me right.

 

i've watched all of germano's starts and he hasn't been rocked yet because he's very good. 3 ER in 4 starts is extremely good and better than anything sosa or perez have done yet this season. im sorry, the mets are the better team because of their lineup and i'd favor them in a series over the pads but i have to disagree on the pitching.

 

 

I probably would take Peavy and Young over any two of the Mets starters (so far, but especially Peavy). But any 3 of the Mets 5 starters I would take over Germano, Maddux, and Wells. And we're not even talking about Pedro yet, who will be with the team sooner than August 1st, write it down, I wouldn't be surprised if he showed up immediately after the all-star break in early July. And Pedro says he hasn't felt this good since his Expos days. He thinks he will be back in the mid-90's again. And Perez has been awesome this year. He is an ACE as well. He's beaten Atlanta 3 times and they Yankees once in 4 starts while striking out 31 in 28 and 1/3 innings in those starts. He has a 2.69 ERA facing some of the toughest competition in baseball with a 1.02 WHIP. He's also had 9 starts, more than double Germano. My point is he hasn't had enough time yet. For that matter, El Duque has had ONE start where he has given up more than one run. He has TWO 2 hitters, a 3 hitter, and a 4 hitter out of 6 starts, with a 2.13 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP! It's closer than you think.

 

You also have to look at the level of competition. Germano has beaten a slumping Milwaukee team, the abysmal Mariners, and the almost equally bad Cardinals. I would like to see him be dominant against ONE GOOD lineup before you crown him better than Perez, or Sosa for that matter (who's beaten the Dbacks, Cubs, and Marlins, all better competition thus far than what Germano has faced). He's had 4 starts, and I give him more credit for his performance against the team he lost to (the Braves) than any of the teams he's beaten thus far. And I would not be surprised if Heath Bell begins to let you down. And if we get Duaner Sanchez back this year, who was the best set up man in baseball prior to his injury in early August last season, then this conversation would certainly be over.

[RandolphScott]

fixed.

(i dont know how to do the slash thing)

 

besides, peavy pitched through shoulder tendinitis almost the entire year last year

 

 

 

He already did.

[fringe]

The best starting 5 resides at the ballpark by the bay.

 

But, I agree that San Diego has a better bullpen than the Mets. And Jim, what do strikeouts have to do with good pitching? Germano has been very good so far.

[RandolphScott]

The best starting 5 resides at the ballpark by the bay.

 

But, I agree that San Diego has a better bullpen than the Mets. And Jim, what do strikeouts have to do with good pitching? Germano has been very good so far.

 

Next year the Giants will have a staff to be reckoned with, Linecum, Zito, Cain.

I'd hate to be the team who has to face them in a short series.

 

Atleast the Giants have a new face of the franchise.

[fringe]

Next year the Giants will have a staff to be reckoned with, Linecum, Zito, Cain.

I'd hate to be the team who has to face them in a short series.

 

Atleast the Giants have a new face of the franchise.

lowry has a better era than those 3. don't count him out.

i don't know what the new face is, the old face is still there.

[RandolphScott]

lowry has a better era than those 3. don't count him out.

i don't know what the new face is, the old face is still there.

 

 

The new face has to be the trio of young pitchers you

guys out on the left coast have. Linecum, Lowry, Cain.

I'd pay to see them pitch.

[Herc]

I probably would take Peavy and Young over any two of the Mets starters (so far, but especially Peavy). But any 3 of the Mets 5 starters I would take over Germano, Maddux, and Wells. And we're not even talking about Pedro yet, who will be with the team sooner than August 1st, write it down, I wouldn't be surprised if he showed up immediately after the all-star break in early July. And Pedro says he hasn't felt this good since his Expos days. He thinks he will be back in the mid-90's again. And Perez has been awesome this year. He is an ACE as well. He's beaten Atlanta 3 times and they Yankees once in 4 starts while striking out 31 in 28 and 1/3 innings in those starts. He has a 2.69 ERA facing some of the toughest competition in baseball with a 1.02 WHIP. He's also had 9 starts, more than double Germano. My point is he hasn't had enough time yet. For that matter, El Duque has had ONE start where he has given up more than one run. He has TWO 2 hitters, a 3 hitter, and a 4 hitter out of 6 starts, with a 2.13 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP! It's closer than you think.

 

You also have to look at the level of competition. Germano has beaten a slumping Milwaukee team, the abysmal Mariners, and the almost equally bad Cardinals. I would like to see him be dominant against ONE GOOD lineup before you crown him better than Perez, or Sosa for that matter (who's beaten the Dbacks, Cubs, and Marlins, all better competition thus far than what Germano has faced). He's had 4 starts, and I give him more credit for his performance against the team he lost to (the Braves) than any of the teams he's beaten thus far. And I would not be surprised if Heath Bell begins to let you down. And if we get Duaner Sanchez back this year, who was the best set up man in baseball prior to his injury in early August last season, then this conversation would certainly be over.

 

none of us know what we're getting with pedro when he comes back. he could pitch like an ace, he could pitch like a solid 2 or he could be a bomb. i wouldn't call perez an ace this season, he's come on strong lately but hye was very up and down at the beginning of the year. i dont doubt el duque's talent at all but he never gives you a full season of starts and can get hurt at any time like he did last year. and while it's true i'd take maine and perez over wells and maddux i would still take germano over sosa. sosa's last good season was 2005 which more or less puts him in the 'small sample' argument that you've put germano in. germano also didn't lose to the braves (he's 3-0), he gave up 3 hits and 1 run in six innings and got a no-decision--on the road to a team that you classified as some of the toughest competition in baseball. and while four starts isn't a lot, 3 ER and 20 baserunners in 25 innigns is still an impressive stretch for any pitcher in the majors.

 

and yeah sanchez was nice last year but meredith was nicer. even with meredith's bad (by his standards) month of may i'd take him over a guy coming off an injury that by the time he comes back will have put him on the shelf for at least a year. as for bell, before i got extra innings i would watch a ton of yankees and mets games and i was RAVING about bell--you can ask money--from the time he got called up. i always liked him and loved that trade when it was made even though i didn't want to lose ben johnson.

 

anyway, it's a good argument because these are clearly the two best staffs in baseball so far this season and the mets back end has been a nice surprise. we probably both have our biases in this argument and will have to agree to disagree

[feefifoefum]

and the pads have a better starting rotation AND a better bullpen than the mets. go look up the numbers, they're the only team that comes within half a run of our major league leading team ERA

 

Bullpens are debatable, but the Pads have a better rotation.

[feefifoefum]

dude, peavy and young's eras are so low because they are ACES. they are better than any two of the mets starters and i'll take peavy over any pitcher in baseball not named santana (and MAYBE halladay and oswalt). hoffman > wagner and i'll take linebrink, meredith, brocail, and bell over mota (lets see how he pitches steroids free), feliciano, heilman and joe smith. there's a reason the padres have BY FAR the best era in baseball and it's cuz they have the best pitching in baseball 1-11. i said it before the season started and they're proving me right.

 

i've watched all of germano's starts and he hasn't been rocked yet because he's very good. 3 ER in 4 starts is extremely good and better than anything sosa or perez have done yet this season. im sorry, the mets are the better team because of their lineup and i'd favor them in a series over the pads but i have to disagree on the pitching.

 

Perez has had one bad start all season. He's been the closest thing the Mets have to an ace, and I think he's only going to get better with more confidence.

 

Peavy is just disgusting though. I love that guy.

[feefifoefum]

fixed.

(i dont know how to do the slash thing)

 

besides, peavy pitched through shoulder tendinitis almost the entire year last year

 

El Duque has already taken one of his 3 vacations this year.

[feefifoefum]

The best starting 5 resides at the ballpark by the bay.

 

But, I agree that San Diego has a better bullpen than the Mets. And Jim, what do strikeouts have to do with good pitching? Germano has been very good so far.

 

I was very impressed with Lincecum the other night, and I can't stand Zito right now.

 

 

Something told me not to start Matt Cain on my fantasy team tonight. I had a feeling the Mets were going to score a lot early after being shutout yesterday.