MLB had started! Whether you know this or not (because you had been on a vacation in Alaska or went to another planet) it’s hard to keep that people are getting really excited on the season and many people are already doing MLB betting. The excitement are bursting as surprise hot starters came up in the field. But can they keep it up or maintain their performance? Usually, hate hot starters as they always goes down in the middle of the season (when you’re on top, there’s no way but to go down) but today, I’m giving my honest opinion on the hot starters in this year’s MLB season.
Read on:
5. Kyle Lohse, SP, St. Louis Cardinals - Prediction: Hot to Ok
It looked like a bad thing when the Cardinals were forced to use Kyle Lohse as their Opening Day starter, but he's been much, much better than advertised so far this season. Lohse finally lost a game on Friday against the Houston Astros, but his record stands strong at 4-1, and he has a 2.11 ERA and a 0.94 WHIP.
He's doing as well as he is mainly because he's faced some pretty weak lineups. He opened the season against an out-of-whack Miami Marlins team, logged consecutive starts against an out-of-whack Cincinnati Reds team, and then he faced the weak-hitting lineups of the Pittsburgh Pirates and Milwaukee Brewers.
Barry Zito, SP, San Francisco Giants – Prediction: Hot to Ok
You can't help but root for Barry Zito, as it's just no fun to watch him struggle knowing how much pressure there is on him to live up to his contract. Zito hasn't struggled this year. On the contrary, he's been very good. Even after losing in Los Angeles on Monday night, he has a 2.21 ERA and a somewhat respectable 1.25 WHIP.
This is not going to last. Zito is getting by with a 4.42 K/9 and a 4.17 BB/9, and there's simply no way he's going to maintain a .209 BAA with his stuff. Hitters are going to start teeing off on him eventually. Zito is the same pitcher now as he was back then, maybe even a little worse. It's just a matter of time before his numbers reflect that reality.
Ryan Sweeney, OF, Boston Red Sox - Prediction: Very Hot to Ok
Ryan Sweeney was viewed as a throw-in when the Boston Red Sox acquired Andrew Bailey from the Oakland Athletics. But entering play on Tuesday, Sweeney ranks fourth in the American League with a .368 batting average. Naturally, all these line drives have led to a a .457 BABIP, a figure that ranks second in the majors behind Bryan LaHair among qualified hitters. Sweeney has shown in the past that he can maintain a BABIP in the mid-.300s, but maintaining a BABIP near or over .400 is something that's extremely difficult to do.
Plus, you have to keep in mind that Boston's outfield is going to get crowded eventually, and that playing time will be hard to come by. Once Jacoby Ellsbury and Carl Crawford are back, Sweeney will be a platoon player. It will be hard for him to maintain a rhythm.
Josh Willingham, LF, Minnesota Twins – Prediction: Hot to Bad
I'm admittedly cheating a little bit with this one, as Josh Willingham is already slumping. Back on April 17th, Willingham was hitting .375/.457/.800 with five home runs, three of which had come in consecutive games at Target Field.
Nowadays, Willingham is hitting .291/.402/.570, and he's still stuck on five home runs. He hasn't homered since April 17th, and he has yet to record a hit in the month of May in 14 at-bats. Slowly but surely, Willingham is reverting back to being himself, which was bound to happen. Here's hoping you traded him off your fantasy team when you had the chance.
Carlos Zambrano, SP, Miami Marlins – Hot to Very Hot Temper Leads To Bad
Zambrano still looks fiery on the mound, but he's been a completely different pitcher this year. He's done a tremendous job of mixing up his different pitches, and he's gotten a ton of swings and misses. Then again, this is what happens when you face soft lineups consistently. Zambrano has logged starts against the Washington Nationals and San Francisco Giants, and the youngsters in Houston's lineup just haven't really known what to do against Zambrano in the two games they've had to face him.
The key danger is what will happen once Zambrano gets frustrated, which is another thing that's bound to happen. He's in a better place mentally this season, but he has a history of losing his temper at a moment's notice.
So there you go, my predictions on the Top 5 Hot starters of MLB this 2012 season. It’s up to you whether you are still going to put your MLB betting on them. But I really hope these guys can keep up on what they’ve started. They come a long way and would want to see them as baseball stars too.
This is your new blog post. Click here and start typing, or drag in elements from the top bar.
RSS Feed