Tuesday, April 28, 2009

AL North : New York Juicers

Its been a pretty quiet off season for that other new york franchise. Jason Baez was a big ordeal for them to re-sign and they did it for 2 yrs 7.5 mill for each year.This was a smart move for New York since Baez is their highest rated player but is aging, he will provide a solid closing option for them on the mound.Another high priority was to get their starting outfield back in tact from last year which meant having to sign switch hitting Doug Zoltan at a hefty 5.2 mill for 2 yrs.The Juicers are hoping that he gets back to his old offensive ways since slumping since his arrival at the big apple.Media has been a distraction he claims but vows to be worth the value of his contract the next two seasons.

Ralph Blake was brought up this year for setup help and is a already a major addition to the bullpen and he is just getting started.He was rushed up through the minor leagues and is ready to start making a major league career and name for himself after being a whatif compound hometown guy from Florence,Ky .He could be a special fav of developers but only time will tell. Also Alex Irabu was acquired and brought up to earn some ML at bats to prep him for his career, along with POWER hitting catcher Sammy Tarasco who may be a huge difference maker for this franchise in the long run if he can live up to his ratings.

New york Juicers have been a bad franchise since depleting their roster after division title in season 1. Owner atrain33 has been at the helm for 6 previous seasons and looks to finally have whipped them into shape after coaching them to their best season since season one, 1 game under .500,New York will have to wait and see if Tarasco's power can motor them past Iowa City to get out of the cellar this season.I doubt it can happen but the good news is next season their best prospect blossoms and will be ready to take on the blood sweat and tears of this franchise, Ismael Santiago , looks to be a great player at shortstop and will be a contributor one day. I feel they need another big bat beyond Hector Beltran ,besides the fact this guy is one of the best in the league i dont think he has enough help and will not be able to carry this franchise on his back this season. Theo Nicholson is their best returning pitcher and is a young gun in this league who looks to be a major weapon in the future!

My prediction : 4th in the AL north

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