Team Aspirations

Sheffy has written a nice piece on what he percieves each team's realistic aspirations to be for this season. See where your team stands and whether you agree. We hope to get more articles out soon.

The Serious Contenders

New York Yankees- The club looks stronger than the one that grabbed a wild card spot last season. Francisco Barrios is proving that last season was no fluke.

Minnesota Twins- How do you drastically improve a team that’s won its division 3 straight seasons? Simple, add an ace (Charlie Hough) and a cleanup hitter (Luke Easter) to the mix.

Texas Rangers- Finally getting Jake Peavy back from an elbow injury that’s kept him out for over a year could be the key to ending the Rangers 4 year championship drought. It also doesn’t hurt to add Harmon Killabrew’s 700 homers to an already lethal lineup.

Florida Marlins- Team is hungry after last season’s incredible run was cut short in part to Babe Ruth’s ill-timed injury. The additions of Will Judy Johnson and Jeremy Affeldt may make up for the loss of Whitey Ford.

St. Louis Cardinals- Turkey Stearnes could be on verge of his first MVP season. The team has amassed enough talent to not only go to the post-season, but do some damage when they get there.

Pittsburgh Pirates- They may have the best pitching staff in the league. However, an underachieving lineup will need to start producing at some point for this club to have a strong chance of repeating.

Los Angeles Dodgers- Dave Parker and Roy Hobbs wouldn’t have bothered coming back if they didn’t feel this team had what it takes. Can they get it done, though, with what appears to be less talent than some of their recent teams?

A Move or Two Away

Chicago White Sox- Off to a strong start, but does anyone in this lineup or rotation strike fear in the opposition?

Cleveland Indians- This club probably needs to decide soon whether to rebuild or continue to go for it now.

Seattle Mariners- Their sluggish start has many fans questioning the trading of stars Hank Blalock and Will Clark.

Philadelphia Phillies- The team is largely the same, minus Mel Ott, as the one that won the title 2 years ago.

Montreal Expos- The club may need to add another big bat to feel good about their chances.

Chicago Cubs- They need several players to start producing to be better than a .500 team.

Cincinnati Reds- If they manage to make the postseason, Jim Perry and Oliver Perez could make things very difficult on the opposition in a 5 game series.

San Diego Padres- As good a 1-5 in the lineup as you’ll find, but must find some consistency in the rotation behind Tony Livingston.

Improving, but Not Going Anywhere Yet

Toronto Blue Jays- A decent mix of youngsters and vets is beginning to form, but this team is likely a year or two away.

Anaheim Angels- They are the biggest surprise of the season, thus far, and may have the young talent to seriously challenge the Rangers for division supremacy in a season or 2.

San Francisco Giants- This club’s progress may be hinged on the development of Chien-Ming Wang.

They Stink, but Hey Their Young

Baltimore Orioles- Clue Haywood, Chuck Klein, David Wells and Kevin Ritz give this team some nice pieces to build around.

Kansas City Royals- There’s work to be done with the lineup, but a lot of talent is being developed on that young pitching staff.

Atlanta Braves- These guys are stockpiling draft picks and have some tremendous pitching talent in LOW.

New York Mets- Still a lot of time, with a lot of pitching talent in their mid-20s.

If They Aren’t Rebuilding Yet, They’ll Probably Start Soon

Boston Red Sox- Made it to the Series last season, but the loss of Luke Easter is showing how weak this offense has become.

Detroit Tigers- Average age for the starting lineup is 33.5, while their best young pitcher, Grant Balfour, had a 6.48 ERA last season.

Milwaukee Brewers- 38 year old Rafael Furcal will likely ask to be traded to a contender and the club will need to decide what to do with several good players in their early 30s.

Oakland Athletics- Charlie Konikowski is the only holdover from a once powerful lineup.

Houston Astros- The trading of Harmon Killabrew is probably the first of several moves to come.

Colorado Rockies- Gil Hodges, Nolan Ryan, Sid Fernandez and Kelvim Escobar were all brought in, but this is not the result the club anticipated.