Tags

, , , , , , ,

Bryce Harper goes nuts. — Harper’s age-19 season was arguably the best ever for a player of his age. It wasn’t just his physical tools, but his approach at the plate, with a good walk rate and acceptable strikeout-to-walk ratio, the way he worked to improve in the outfield, and his unmatched aggression on the bases. Mike Trout set the bar high for 20-year-olds last year; look for Harper to clear it and set a new standard for baseball playing by a guy who can’t legally buy a drink. He will challenge for the NL MVP for a Nationals team that might be the best in the game.

 –  Joe Sheenan, Sports Illustrated – My Baseball Predictions for 2013. Posted: Thu December 27, 2012 11:29AM; Updated: Thu January 3, 2013 3:39PM. (Ed. note: Harper is currently hitting .278 {last year he hit .270} with 19 HRs and an OBP/SLG/OPS of .381/.541/.895 {last year – .340/.477/817} and has missed more than a month because he continues to run into outfield walls. Harper is hardly equal or above Trout’s last year’s BA of .326, 30 HRs, and OBP/SLG/OPS of .399/.564/.963. Also, the Nats are barely above .500 and likely won’t make the playoffs. Clearly not “the best in game.”)

*                         *                          *                          *
I’ve gone through the 2013 MillersTime Baseball Contests looking to see which of you will turn out to be the wise (lucky) ones. In the process, I noticed there were a number of predictions that are a bit wide of the mark, so to speak.

 

So, while we await the outcome of the September games, I thought I’d ask all of you to vote for which of the following you judge to be The Worst Prediction for 2013:

 

  • 1. Teddy will win at least 26 races; Taft will not win any races. (Ed. note: You probably need to be a Nats’ Homer to understand this one. Anyway, Teddy has only won 8 times and Taft has already won 9 times.)
  • 2.  Nats win 103 games and the WS – multiple ‘fans’ mistakenly predicted a Nats’ WS win. (Ed’s note: Nats’ record currently at 69-68. Even were they to win all of their remaining games, their record would only be 94-68. If they continue at their current .504 rate, they will end up 82-82.)
  • 3. Blue Jays win AL East. (Ed.’s note: Blue Jays currently at 63-75, 18.5 games behind in the AL East.)
  • 4. Yankees win 95 games and “have little trouble in dispatching with the flotsam of Boston & Baltimore.” (Ed.’s note: Yunkees currently at 73-64 and would need to win 22 of their remaining 25 games to win 95.)
  • 5. Cole Hamels wins 24 games and leads the resurgent…Phillies to the NE East title. (Ed.’s note: Hamels is currently 6-13.)
  • 6. Stephen Strasburg wins 30 games. (Ed.’s note: Strasburg is currently 6-9.)
  • 7. The New York Yankees will finish 90-72, make playoffs, lose in the ALCS. (Ed.’s note: See # 4 above, plus the Yunkees are currently 8 games out of first, behind the Sox, Rays, & Os, and behind the As, Rangers, Rays, and Os for one of the two wild card spots.)
  • 8. The dreaded Yankees will win the WS. Jeter or Rivera will win MVP honors. (Ed.’s note: See above # 4, 7.)
  • 9.  Farrell will quickly realize the Sox need more depth in their rotation and will call his buddy Tito in Cleveland and put together a deal to get Dice-K back in Boston. (Ed’s note: Sox pitchers are currently first in the AL East with an ERA of 3.76 and fourth in the AL. Who is Dice-K ? That guy now pitching for the Mets who is 0-3?)
  • 10.  Baltimore will play Washington in the World Series. (Ed.’s note: See #2, etc.)
  • 11.  Jeter PEDs. (Ed.’s note: If he is, he isn’t getting any benefit as he’s currently hitting .196.)
  • 12.  Harper will hit well over .300 and hit at least 40 home runs. (Ed.’s note: See above,: re Joe Sheenan’s prediction, etc.)
  • 13.  Dodgers finish third with 80-85 wins. Ed.’s note: Dem Bums in first place by 12.5 games and in line to win about 97 games at their current rate of .599.)
  • 14.  Papi with 15 quick HRs. career ending injury. (Ed.’s note: Otiz currently has 24 HRs and a BA of .312. No sign as of this writing of a career ending injury.)
  • 15.  Derek Jeter revives his bat and gets at least 250 hits and bats over .300 for the season. (Ed.’s note: See #11. And he currently has nine {9} hits.)

You can vote once, you can get friends to vote, you can vote for your own predictions, and you need to get your votes in by September 30 (tho I’d prefer you do it sooner). You can put your vote in the Comment section on this post or send it to me by email (Samesty84@gmail.com)

Whoever’s the winner (i.e., the author of”The Worst Prediction for 2013) will have the ‘honor’/’dishonor’ of attending a Nats’ game with me next season.

Share