Archive for February, 2010
Brag Photo: Entomology Cards Arrive
Posted by: | CommentsInnovation is one of the key tenents that made Upper Deck the leader in the trading card industry. Upper Deck pressed the envelope like never before when 2009 Goodwin Champions Baseball was released. The original Goodwin Champions Baseball sets had some really unique elements to them so Upper Deck paid tribute to that with three cutting edge insert sets that collectors found in packs as exchange cards.
First came the “Thoroughbred Hair Cuts” cards featuring actual hair from the mane of championship horses Funny Cide, Smarty Jones and Afleet Alex. (http://upperdeckblog.com/2009/11/upper-deck%E2%80%99s-triple-crown-bid/)
The next cards to be produced and find their way to the market were the “Landmarks” set which included actual salt from the Dead Sea, sand from Omaha Beach, coal from the Titanic and cable from the Golden Gate Bridge.
The last insert set has been perhaps the most anticipated of them all, the Goodwin Champions “Entomology” cards. Many collectors have been calling these the “bug” cards, but most are actually a play of the vintage Goodwin Champions cards that featured butterflies and other subjects. We thought it would be awesome to be able to bring collectors a real butterfly encased in a trading card along with other strange and unique creatures from around the world.
The cards have taken a long time to produce because each card is basically assembled by hand. We had to work with a variety of partners on strategies to make these cards happen because quite frankly, nothing like this has been done before. We finally got in our samples of the cards recently and we were blown away by how great they look. Pictures do not really do them justice, but we’re excited to share them with you. Here is the first image we are sharing of the Great Walking Leaf.
Some are the traditional trading card size, while others (like this one) are oversized to fit the specimen encased in the card. Special holders were also created to get them to customers as well, which you can see the card placed in here.
On the back of the card is information about the specimen along with where they came from.
And more than anything, the cards are extremely thick, actually able to stand on their own.
We look forward to sharing more of these cards with collectors throughout the next couple weeks until they all are in house and ready to ship. Look for more images at Upper Deck’s Facebook page next week to see images of the Chinese Lantern Fly, the Cryptic Dead Leaf Mantid, the Spicebush Swallowtail, the Man Faced Beetle and more! (http://www.facebook.com/UpperDeck) If you were one of the lucky collectors to redeem one of these special cards be excited to own something truly unique, but understand this is a new era of trading cards, don’t think you can put these in the spokes of your bike…
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LT: Far from Done
Posted by: | CommentsLet’s take a look at the acronym “LT.” It could stand for “Low Threshold” or LaDainian Tomlinson. Possibly even “Limited Temper” or LaDainian Tomlinson. And perhaps, “Loving Teammate” or LaDainian Tomlinson. All of these descriptions help define the San Diego Chargers recently departed running back. After nine impressive seasons with the Bolts, LT was handed his unconditional release on Wednesday. Chargers Team President Dean Spanos delivered the somber, albeit expected announcement at a press conference with LT in tow. It was a less-than-glorious exit for a player many believed was the best in the franchise’s 50-year history.
In 2006, he was the best rusher in the NFL. He accumulated a league-leading 1,815 yards on the ground, scored 31 touchdowns and was justly named the league’s MVP. This month, less than four years later, he’s out of a job. At age 30, no less. It’s the exact same age that Jim Brown was when he walked away from the NFL in 1965. Brown went out at the top of his game and had one NFL championship (1964) under his belt. But he felt he had churned out all the rushing yards (12,312) and scored as many touchdowns (126) as he was supposed to as a member of the Cleveland Browns. And with a Hollywood movie career beckoning, he took his good looks and chiseled physique and tackled the 1967 war-action flick “The Dirty Dozen.” More recently, in 1999, he played – what else? – a football coach in the less-than-memorable Al Pacino/Jamie Foxx sports movie “Any Given Sunday.”
I live in San Diego. I’ve watched LT play since he entered the league in 2001 as a budding star out of TCU. He rejuvenated the Chargers organization like no one seemingly could. Remember, he arrived just three short seasons after San Diego drafted colossal NFL flop Ryan Leaf out of Washington State with the second overall pick in ‘98. Leaf couldn’t find the end zone, while LT couldn’t stay out of it. The latter scored 153 touchdowns during his career as a Charger, while Leaf died a well-publicized NFL death by his own devises. Tomlinson has already tallied 12,490 rushing yards during his San Diego tenure – that’s 178 more yards than that Brown fellow who The Sporting News named in 2002 as the greatest professional football player ever – and I don’t think he’s done yet. In fact, he’s far from it.
As an avid TV watcher in the San Diego market, I’ve also had the opportunity to see LT serve as company pitchman on occasion. He hawks “EasyTurf,” a synthetic grass/artificial turf for your landscaping needs. And while he has more rushing yards than Brown, he’s got nothing on Jim’s acting career. That’s for sure. That’s why I’m confident LT will bounce back on the gridiron, perhaps even with a team from his own division (can you say “C-H-I-E-F-S”?) very soon. Yes, he’s slower than he was at TCU and definitely a bit more banged up, but he’s determined to win a Super Bowl ring before he hangs up his cleats. And while the Chiefs might be a few years away from competing seriously for the Lombardi Trophy, there’s a certain coach in New England who’s always on the lookout for aging talent.
Thirty, after all, is the new 20. Isn’t that right?
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Looking Back at Some of the Best Hockey Designs from Upper Deck
Posted by: | CommentsWith the NHL on the Olympic break and a roster freeze in effect until March 1, I thought it would be a great time to take a look back at some of my favorite designs that Upper Deck has brought to the hockey market in the last twenty years. Feel free to comment at the end with some of your personal favorites.
10. 1990/91 Young Guns: Year one brought us a new company with great photography, glossy cards and foil packaging. Many collectors still get nostalgic when thinking about opening and collecting these cards early in the days of Upper Deck.
Looking back, I personally loved the design of the Young Guns. They were very simple, and not a lot different then the base set design at all. Factor in the chance of getting a Pavel Bure or the Sergei Fedorov Young Gun, and you had a winner.
Bonus points: Look at the rookie crop from this year: guys like Jagr, Modano, Nolan, Mogilny, Richter, Brind’Amour, Belfour, Larionov, Joseph, Graves, Recchi, Sundin, Nedved, Potvin, Neidermayer, Bondra . . . WOW! Can you imagine a rookie crop that deep? This group makes other deep years like 03/04 and 05/06 look weak by comparison.
9. 2004/05 Ultimate Collection Patches: Thanks to a limited in print run with a maximum of 35 copies of any one card, giant patches (and some simply stunning looking cards), all past and future patch cards are compared to this set. A simple and small head shot, lots of shiny silver and a great big patch; it seems like a simple recipe for success and it certainly was. The checklist for this set was amazing as well; coupling young stars with proven veterans meant high collectability. These cards still do very well on the secondary market on the rare occasions you see them become available.
I have personally never owned any of these cards, but I know people who have, and they are stunning. If you get a chance to own one of these at some point, make it happen.
8. 1996/97 Upper Deck Game Jersey: If memory serves me correctly, this was the first year that game used jerseys made their way into the hockey card market. The design is simple, yet appealing. Hitting them were long odds though, making them huge pulls of the day. A landmark set in terms of innovation, we owe a lot of our box break hits or pack hits to this concept and set.
Every time I see one of these cards show up on a message board’s show and tell section, it is highly responded to in a positive fashion. Again, I have never personally owned one of these cards, as they arrived in the time I took off of collecting to focus on my studies. But I was still close to the hobby, and remember thinking that player jerseys in trading cards were so cool. Since getting back into the hobby, I have been a game used junkie.
7. 1999/00 & 2003/04 Upper Deck 500 Goal Club: Easily some of the nicest cards ever produced, and the kicker? These were inserted into random products. Some of them also have very rare autographed versions as well. These cards do very well on the secondary market a decade after the original release. This is something I feel could be updated again soon, as there are a few guys who have hit the 500 goal mark recently that could be included. Among the names that could be included in this “update” set would be: Pierre Turgeon, Mats Sundin, Peter Bondra, Teemu Selanne, Mark Recchi, Jeremy Roenick, Mike Modano and Keith Tkachuk. The design is fantastic, and the overall eye appeal of the card is still without question. The significance of reaching 500 goals should also not be understated, one of the true measuring sticks for a potential Hall of Fame career.
6. 1996/97 Black Diamond: Overall a very esthetically pleasing set. Black Diamond cards typically do not scan well to show off their true look, but when you have one in hand, you are able to get a better feel for them. A couple of key rookies in this set are the driving force behind it, such as Patrick Marleau and Joe Thronton. Much like today’s Black Diamond, the set was broken into tiers. At this point, there was only single diamond, double diamond and triple diamond (unlike today’s version that has quad diamond as well). Black Diamond Gold was the parallel version, with the triple diamond gold cards running with only 50 copies of each.
96/97 Black Diamond also gave us the Run for the Cup insert set. These were limited to 100 copies, which was a very limited print run at that time. Some of the big names included in this set were Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Patrick Roy, Steve Yzerman, Joe Sakic and Mark Messier. Not a bad start to a checklist.
5. 2006/07 Sweet Shot Ice Signings: This autographed set from the first release of Sweet Shot Hockey was a winner. The Ice Signings feature an autographed piece of acetate that looks like a hockey rink. Looking down on the surface allows you to see the blue line, center ice, as well as the goal areas and all the faceoff dots. Serial numbered to 100 makes it an excellent, but not out of the question set to chase. With a strong checklist for the year of release, you knew you wouldn’t be disappointed if you landed one of them in your pack break. The Ice Signings found their way back into the 07/08 release and once again did very well. I chose to put the inaugural release on this list.
4. 2005/06 SPx Flashback Fabrics: These cards are actually part of the regular set in SPx, making up one of the most difficult subsets to obtain in recent memory. Some very short printed cards are in this, making a “Master Set” all but a pipe dream for those looking to do so. A few cards have print runs of ten or under, and another few are limited to just 25 copies, making for a fun, and very challenging set to collect. The most unique aspect of these cards, however, is the design. It features a decent size jersey piece (in later years they would use patches as a parallel), and an autograph; but the kicker for me is the quick reference on the front of the card that it was flashing back to. It gave an actual date or event of significance for the player pictured on the card. For the most part, these were significant events in the history of the game and things that today’s collector probably wouldn’t remember, so it served as a bit of a history lesson as well. Some of the cards in this set will still command $1,000 or more on the secondary market, proving that it is still a collection that many still appreciate years later.
3. 2005/06 SP Game Used Auto Draft: Here’s another autograph set I’m putting in here because of the concept. Each pictured player has an autograph serial numbered to the position that he was drafted in. Some of the notables in the set are former first overall picks Joe Thronton, Mike Modano and Vincent Lecavalier. The great thing about this is you can once again get a bit of a history lesson: it is not always first round picks that turn out to be stars in the NHL. Look at players such as Luc Robitallie (/171) and Patrick Roy (/51) among them. A very fun set to collect, but clearly very difficult. Also a great item if your favorite player happens to be in the set.
2. 1999/00 UD Retro INKredible: There are two levels in this product, with level two limited to just 25 copies. Both have matching checklists, and the level one cards are a thing of beauty. Coming out of 1999/00 Upper Deck Retro, the design on these cards is just that: if the hockey market back in the day featured player signatures on cards, this is what they’d probably look like.
All hard signed with a nice big spot for the player autograph, these cards deliver the goods. It’s still one of the all time great autograph sets, and heavily collected. Some of the bigger names in this set fetch big money when they become available. One of the last releases features hard signed cards from former Montreal Canadiens great Maurice Richard; with other greats such as Bobby Orr, Mario Lemieux and Wayne Gretzky on the checklist of only 29 players, it makes for a fantastic group of players (and a quite the accomplishment for those who have finished it).
1. The Cup “Property of”: Simply put, these cards are fantastic. They are released in Upper Deck’s highest of high-end releases “The Cup”, and are always 1/1’s. They feature the nameplate of the pictured player’s game used stick, and if your favorite player happens to be in the set, it becomes a chase for the centerpiece of your collection. Over the years (starting with 05/06) they have had some of the all-time greats featured in the set including Bobby Orr, Mark Messier, Gordie Howe, Bobby Hull and Tony Esposito to simply name a few. Year in and year out, these cards are very well designed and come with a tremendous amount of eye appeal. If you are one of the lucky few to own one, chances are good that it is a centerpiece of your collection.
Don’t forget to register your 2009-2010 NHL Rookie cards. Click here to register them at Upper Deck’s Rookie Card tracker. By registering your codes from the back of your rookie cards, you will have a chance to win a box of cards from Upper Deck!
We are interested in hearing about your all-time favorite Upper Deck cards over the years, and what makes them your favorites. Maybe it is the look of the cards, or maybe it is the player checklist; whatever it is, we want to hear about it. I wanted to thank some of the great members at www.hobbyinsider.net for helping me out with a refresher on some of the nicest cards that have been released, as well as some pictures to go along with the write ups.
Christopher Carmichael has been hockey fan of over 20 years. He has been an active member on various hobby related sites, most notably www.hobbyinsider.net, and www.cloutsnchara.com. Christopher is also a long time collector, with a focus on a few select player collections, and the occasional set projects.
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2010 NFL Draft Preview: Ndamukong Suh
Posted by: | CommentsPlayer: Ndamukong Suh
Position: Defensive Line
College: Nebraska
Projected Draft Position: Top 3
It’s rare that a force as great as Ndamukong Suh arises in a college setting, even more so in the way he did. During his time at Nebraska, he solidified himself as one of the greatest defensive line prospects ever, and that has translated into some huge buzz for the upcoming NFL combine and draft. As of recent mock drafts, Suh is slated to go either to the Rams at number one, or to the Lions at number two, meaning that he will be terrorizing players from his first day in the league. Both teams are in desperate need of some defensive help, and Suh will be a great player to fill that hole.
After the 2009 NCAA season, Suh took many of the major awards, including the 2009 AP Player of the Year. Although he was a finalist for the Heisman, it’s generally understood that defensive players rarely have a shot at winning. He was also a first team All-American selection, and dominated the Big 12 all year with stellar play. Teams coming to Lincoln almost always had to adjust their game plan to account for Suh, as leaving him alone would almost guarantee a terrible game for the offense. He became known for his speed and strength in getting to the quarterback and ball carrier, even though the Cornhuskers did not have a season to match his accolades.
He is widely regarded as one of the best all around players in the draft, which stems mostly from his size and NFL caliber ability. I think the most impressive thing at this point is that he is known for his elite run stopping power, but racked up 12 sacks in a tough conference despite his dominance in other aspects of play. Mel Kiper Jr, draft guru extraordinaire for ESPN has hailed Suh as one of the best he has ever seen, while others are going even further and saying Suh may be one of the best modern era draft prospects. From what I have seen, I agree: the guy makes me scared for people who play against him.
Upper Deck will be making Suh a focus of upcoming products, along with many of the other elite prospects for upcoming releases. 2010 Sweet Spot Football will be back with a new style and a new face, but will still feature aspects that collectors have loved for years. It will feature players like Suh, Tim Tebow, Colt McCoy and others, on hard signed custom helmet cards. Sweet Spot will also debut players like Super Bowl MVP Drew Brees in his Purdue garb, and Hall of Famer Dan Marino in his Pittsburgh uniform for all the collectors out there who follow their favorite schools.
Upper Deck Draft will also be back for its third year, with hard signed cards of all the top prospects and veteran stars. These cards have become immensely popular due to being some of the first cards and autographs of the 2010 season, and you can bet Ndamukong Suh will be one of the top valued cards in the set.
Check back on the Upper Deck Blog for more draft profiles leading up to the NFL combine on 2/27/2010 and the NFL Draft on 4/22/2010!
Adam Gellman runs the collecting blog Sports Cards Uncensored, and has been a collector of all things sports for over 15 years. To see more of his work, visit www.sportscardsuncensored.com (warning: strong language!)
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Pitchers and Catchers Report: National League
Posted by: | CommentsIf you missed last week’s American League preview, click here to catch up.
Ever since the Yankees and Red Sox engaged in an arms race of epic proportions to dominate their league, the National League has received a bit less love and mainstream attention. But unlike its counterpart, the National League has fostered a bit more parity over the years, and features far more teams with a chance to contend. This is not to say that the league doesn’t have some serious big market teams, with the Mets, Cubs and Phillies sporting payrolls near the $140 million mark lately. But when you look at the first two on that list, it’s clear that the investment doesn’t necessarily result in a trip to the playoffs.
Because this division has a lot more contenders and possibilities, we’ll go by division.
National League West
This is not the National League West you used to look down on. It seems like only yesterday when our local San Diego Padres made the playoffs with a mere 82-80 record in 2005, but those days are long gone. In 2010, this will be the most competitive division in the league, bar none. To be more specific, the Padres are the only team that doesn’t have a realistic shot at winning it (and they’re at least rebuilding properly).
The Dodgers haven’t added much over the winter thanks to the financial issues caused by the ownership couple getting divorced. However, they still have one of the best young cores in the game featuring Kemp, Ethier, Broxton, Billingsley and Kershaw. They’re down Randy Wolf and would probably like a bit more help in the rotation; they still have a solid chance to win the division again, but it won’t be as easy as 2009.
If I had to name a favorite at this moment to win the division, it would have to be the Rockies. We saw the run they went on last year, reminiscent of their legendary late season tear en route to the 2007 World Series. I have to say, even without Matt Holliday, this 2010 Rockies team is better than three years ago. In fact, it was Holliday who netted the Rockies Huston Street and Carlos Gonzales in a trade, setting them up with a reliable closer and a very talented young outfielder for years to come (at age 23, he already started to live up to his prospect hype). The rest of the diamond is filled with some of the top young talent in the game: Dexter Fowler gives the team a legit speedster, Ian Stewart is another player who looks to finally be living up to his potential, Seth Smith has great OBP and power, while veterans Hawpe and Helton round it out. And of course, the Rockies have the immensely talented Troy Tulowitzki, who may be the most underrated player in the game today.
Unlike past Rockies teams that were all bats and no arms, this incarnation has a formidable rotation. Ubaldo Jimenez has emerged as an ace who produces serious strikeouts, and #2 starter Jorge de la Rosa does the same. Jason Hammel provided solid innings you’d want to see from a #3 style starter, while Aaron Cook also provides steady innings to go along with his experience. Jeff Francis had been the ace of this team in their 2007 World Series run, and is coming back from injury. The minor league roster is stocked with arms too, featuring Greg Smith, who was the third player to come over from Oakland in the Holliday trade.
Where pitching is concerned, it’s of course hard to beat the Giants and their 1-2 combination of Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain. Jonathan Sanchez harnessed a bit more control in 2009 to go along with his strikeout talent, and it’ll be interesting to see if he can build on last season’s accomplishments (highlighted by a no-hitter). If Giants fans have been spoiled by their nucleus of talented young pitching, things are about to get even more ridiculous once top prospect Madison Bumgarner joins the mix. If Bumgarner lives up to the hype, Lincecum and Cain continue to put up great seasons and Sanchez can put it all together, we may be looking at one of the best top-to-bottom rotations in recent memory (one where veteran Barry Zito is a #4-5 starter).
Of course, the issue for the Giants remains offense. They did add Aubrey Huff and Mark DeRosa this winter, but are still lacking some serious bats to build up what has been an anemic offense at best. Top prospect Buster Posey is waiting in the wings, but I have a feeling Giants fans will look at the line scores and lament missing out on free agents like Holliday and Bay by the time the summer rolls around.
Rounding out the division is another team with serious frontline pitching talent in the Arizona Diamondbacks. If Brandon Webb can come back from last year’s injury and regain some of his Cy Young form, he’ll combine with Dan Haren to give the team the 1-2 punch it envisioned when it traded for the latter a few seasons ago. Edwin Jackson comes over from Detroit (at the expense of the departed Max Scherzer) to give the team a legit #3. Offense has also been an issue for the Diamondbacks in recent years, but things are looking up for 2010: Justin Upton and Mark Reynolds have emerged as premium talent, while additions in Adam LaRoche and Kelly Johnson should provide the team with more ways to get runs on the board.
While Reynolds and Upton have come into their own as major league players, the jury is still out on Stephen Drew and Chris Young. The former has at least shown the ability to hit and field well at times, but Young provides negative value in the field, and has yet to learn how to take a walk at the plate. For this team to really take a step forward and provide offense to supplement the rotation, these two guys are going to need to put it all together. Based on past performance, I think Drew will get there, but I’m not convinced at all by Young. He’s clearly a great athlete, but I’m not sure he’s a great baseball player.
National League Central
As has been the case for the last few years, this division will be all about the Cardinals, Cubs and Brewers. After locking up Holliday, and knowing Chris Carpenter is back and healthy to form a strong tandem with Wainwright, St. Louis is looking strong. Top prospect Colby Rasmus showed some value with his glove immediately, and scouts expect his bat will follow. The main issue with the Cardinals though is the same one that hurt them down the stretch, and made their playoff run short lived: a lack of depth on offense beyond their superstars. Pujols and Holliday are always intimidating, but the supporting cast doesn’t have a ton of depth. The question for 2010 then, is whether or not the likes of Ludwick, Schumaker and Lugo can provide adequate support to get the job done again.
The core for the Cubs is getting older, and time is running out on this team before the veterans start to age and under-perform while being overpaid. Specifically, Soriano is locked up through 2014, Zmbarano through 2012, and Aramis Ramirez is on the team for another two seasons. These are all players who can still contribute, but one has to wonder how much longer they can do so at a high level; the team is also stuck with Carlos Silva for the next two years, the price that was paid to get the unpopular Milton Bradley out of town.
Their only major moves this winter involved upgrading the outfield with the likes of Marlon Byrd and Xavier Nady; not exactly marquee names, but solid players who you can more or less count on (assuming Nady returns to form following last year’s injury). The rotation has veteran depth, but also features players who have had their share of injuries, and ups and downs. If Lilly can come back from injuries and Dempster can put together another reliable 200 IP season while Zambrano, Soriano and Ramirez stay on the field, the Cubs will take the division back and make one more run at that World Series championship Chicago so desperately wants.
The third contender in this division is the Brewers. Unlike past seasons where the offense wasn’t a question, but defense and pitching were, this is the most well-rounded Milwaukee team we’ve seen in a while. Taking advantage of a slower free agent market than in years past, the Brewers brought Doug Davis back to Milwaukee, while signing the underrated Randy Wolf to round out the rotation. Last year’s rotation was more or less “Gallardo + a bunch of guys putting up 5.00-6.00 ERAs”. It was pretty ugly, and while I don’t expect Wolf and Davis to be All-Stars, they’ll give the Brewers quality innings and a chance to win when they take the ball.
Helping matters will be Alcides Escobar at shortstop, and Carlos Gomez in center (who was obtained for J.J. Hardy to make room for the former). These two players don’t hit much, but bring some great defensive skills to the field in the two positions you want them most. Whereas Brewer teams a few years ago had some serious issues defensively, this year’s incarnation is taking a step in the right direction, while still getting power contributions from Braun and Fielder.
National League East
As a Mets fan I hate to say it, but the Phillies are clearly the top team in the NL. This time around, they’ll have a true ace in Roy Halladay for the entire season, and I expect Cole Hamels to bounce back to what we saw from him in 2008 (he threw a ton of innings that year for a guy his age, and was due for some regression in 2009 as a result). The only major change to the lineup is Placido Polanco returning to Philly to man third base, giving the team a good contact hitter to supplement an offense that gets on base and hits for lots of power, but is prone to strikeouts. Aside from catcher, this team has a premium offensive player at each position; to give you an idea, Chase Utley is the best of them all, and should contend for his first MVP title this season. Teammates Howard and Rollins already have their own from past years.
Philly’s only weakness is their bullpen, and the closer situation. Brad Lidge was remarkably perfect in 2008, but followed that with a horrible 2009 campaign. The team is hoping he can bounce back, but the rest of the bullpen isn’t looking terribly strong either. It remains to be seen if the Phils will be able to consistently win close games.
The Braves have rebuilt with pitching strong #1-5, and have young ace Tommy Hanson front and center. The 22 year old posted a 2.89 ERA last season, and there’s plenty of reasons to think he’ll be a dominant starter for years to come. Follow that with Hudson, Lowe, Kawakami, and you’ve got guys who will take the ball and give you a chance to win each day (and often enough, will put the team on their shoulders). Jair Jurrjens is the key at the moment; he’s fighting through some injury issues, but outlook is positive.
As has been standard for the Braves since Teixeira left, the lineup is where the weakness lies. There isn’t much to be intimidated by when it comes to their bats, making phenom prospect Jason Heyward’s transition to the majors even more critical.
Unlike the past few years when the Mets entered the spring considered favorites (Sports Illustrated famously picked them to win the World Series this time last year), the 2009 disaster has brought down expectations considerably. The team did sign Jason Bay to add a power bat, but they failed to sign a reliable starter to back up Johan Santana. The result is that Maine, Perez and Pelfrey will need to all perform up to career bests for the Mets to contend. Of course, last year’s injured squadron of position players like Beltran and Reyes will need to bounce back to form as well.
Don’t count out the Marlins either. The low payroll wonder-franchise is set to contend again, featuring the game’s best young player in Hanley Ramirez. The rotation, bullpen and lineup are stacked with young, hungry players who have grown up in the big leagues together, and this time around it looks like the top talent will stay in Florida: Ramirez and staff ace Josh Johnson have multi-year extensions in hand.
Finally, I expect the Nationals to surprise a lot of fans this year. While I don’t have any expectations that they’ll be contenders, they’re much improved from past incarnations, and have a plan in place. They have a solid core lineup, and their pitching is vastly improved. They’ve also taken some low risk chances on guys like Chien-Ming Wang, Matt Capps and Brian Bruney, who could be significant arms for the team. I don’t think this is quite their year (that’ll happen once Strasburg and Storen are big league ready), but 2010 is when they finally take a strong step forward.
It’s going to be another great season, and I can’t wait for Opening Day. On a side note, I think it’s about time they just make it a national holiday. Most years it’s on a weekday anyway, and every stadium is still sold out. That tells me enough people are skipping out on work that we might as well add it to the national calendar; I know I’ve taken a vacation day to fully celebrate and enjoy past Opening Days, and plan to do the same this year too.
Here’s to the spring, and the promise and optimism it brings to every baseball fan.
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