Data Table Time!

"In my 21 years in the Major Leagues, I never saw so many teams go through so many streaks, good and bad, and we were the streakiest team of all" - Mariners manager John McLaren.

Everything is moving along nicely.

For the fourth straight year I have the enjoyable task of previewing the Milwaukee Brewers. Last year I did alright on the preview, as I predicted 85 wins and the Brewers reached 83 and I hit the mark on a couple of individual players, as well. I missed the win totals badly in my other two previews, predicted 75 and 85 wins in 2005 and 2006, while Milwaukee ended up with 81 and 75, respectively. Maybe I learned something in 2005 and 2006 or, more likely, I don’t know what I’m talking about and just got lucky in 2007. Regardless, grab a seat and let’s take a look at what 2008 holds for the Brewers. Seriously, make sure you're sitting down. This isn't going to be quick.

Robbie Alomar, if he goes to the HOF, wants it to be as a Jay after getting put on the Circle of Excellence opening day.

Also BJ Ryan has soreness in his elbow. Joba back to being a setup man.

Most serious baseball fans usually end up with a short list of players who are their "favorites" for one inexplicable reason or another. Maybe it's a Hall of Famer, maybe it's a cuppajoe guy who tossed you a ball at a minor league game.

My personal list includes one HOFer, some All-Stars, a couple of 20-win guys who were neither All-Stars nor HOFers, and a couple of guys many of you will never have heard of, I suspect. Glance over my list and provide your own ... and of course, feel free to tell us why, or if you prefer, leave a little mystery to the whole deal. Here we go ...

Last week, the Toronto Star ran a feature in which they solicited readers to submit their life story in six words.  As this is my first assignment for Batter’s Box - my Spring Training if you will - I figured I should start to stretch myself out and continue with The Star’s theme in breaking down the Minnesota Twins.

 Depressing offseason.  Johan gone.  76-86 inevitable.

2007 was a disappointing year for the Dodgers as they missed the playoffs after playing in October in two of three previous seasons. Already boasting one of the best collections of young talent in the Majors, the Dodgers went out and brought in Joe Torre to lead the charge, and signed proven veteran™ Andruw Jones to anchor the outfield. Will Jones rebound from a terrible 2007? Will the Dodgers stop playing proven veterans™ and let their youngsters take over? How does Juan Pierre hold the fate of the Dodgers in his hands? All this and more, on an all new episode of Battersbox!

I don't need to tell you what the Tigers have been up to this offseason. GM Dave Dombrowski made the biggest news of the winter not involving anyone named Barry, Roger or Johan by trading a bevy of prospects and Mike Rabelo for Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis. They promptly locked D-Train up through 2010 for $29mil. Cabrera remains unextended, but he isn't a free agent until after 2009, so there's still time.

The Jays claimed Bill Murphy from the Diamondbacks and added him to the 40 man roster.

Casey Janssen was moved to the 60 day DL to make room.

"There's a good possibility we may not be as bad as people think we're going to be."-- Cardinals manager Tony La Russa.

TEXAS RANGERS '08: FIGURING OUT WHO FITS IN 2009
One year ago yesterday, in the 2007 Texas Rangers preview (entitled Anything Can Happen), we presented an interview with "the Rangers fan," Jamey Newberg, who we called (and rightfully so) "the man who has probably written and published more words about that team than anyone else in the Internet age."

Okay, enough of the pleasant reminiscing. In that preview, Newberg laid out a prediction of 86 wins for those 2007 Rangers; they actually won just 75. (But don't worry, Jamey -- in the very next paragraph, I projected 92 wins and a Wild Card playoff berth.) When Newberg projected an "impact trade in July" last season, he probably wasn't anticipating Kenny Lofton to the Indians and Eric Gagne to the Red Sox, much less Mark Teixeira, the most productive hitter in the Ranger lineup, to Atlanta. (The Projected Ranger Win Total numbers from both of us are likely to be, erm, lower this year.)

But as Blue Jays fans Of a Certain Age can assure you, hope springs eternal every -- um, well, every spring for baseball fans of all teams, so let's check back in with our old pal Jamey (yes, he does have a member's account here at Batter's Box). So once again, this'll be like the Internet equivalent of talking baseball with a buddy over a beer or two – a Molson in the one hand and a Dos Equis in the other. Let's get to it ...

Every year in this space, I write a Cincinnati Reds preview that is wildly incorrect -- when I predict a World Seris appearance, the Red Legs tank; if I foresee gloom and doom, they at least hang around on the peripherals of a pennant race far longer than one might suppose.

So in this fourth annual edition of "The Hunt for a Reds October," let's dig back into the annals of Red Leg lore and "bottom line" it; by comparing the projected 2008 edition of the Reds with their most successful forebears -- the last Reds team to win a title (1990) and the greatest team in franchise history (1975) we can at least more accurately (one would surmise) project whether or not there is a glimmer of hope for the glint of a World Series trophy shining over the Queen City in 2008. Let's see ...

After 99 years of futility, the Cubs seem to be getting serious. They've returned the entire core of last year's division champ, and added a handful of fresh bats to improve upon a respectable offense. Their pitching staff, which finished second in the senior circuit in ERA, remains intact. And the NL Central is awful.

The stars have aligned.

Could this finally be the year?

As promised, the American League!

I must confess - most of the recent action on this front, with teams struggling to reach .500 all-time, has occurred in the National League (Astros, Diamondbacks, Braves in particular.) We reprint the original team write-ups and update the AL numbers for the sake of completeness.