30 Teams in 30 Days: Atlanta Braves (Day 29)

After this post there is only one more post of 30 Teams in 30 Days and this post covers the Atlanta Braves. The Braves finished 2nd in the NL East and won the NL Wildcard, but then lost to San Francisco in the first round of the playoffs. Regardless of that, Atlanta got to that position by having the best home record in Major League Baseball with a record of 56-25. As a Phillies fan, this is hard to say, but what is stopping the Braves from winning the Wildcard or the NL East Division? Where the Braves lost players, they gained better ones. Dan Uggla is an immense upgrade at 2nd base, and with Uggla there, Martin Prado will be moving into the outfield. Also in the outfield is Jason Heyward who is looking to have a full season after last year's thumb injury. Nate McLouth hopes to become "Pittsburgh Nate," the nickname given to him to so he can regain what he once had with the Pirates. In the infield Freddi Freeman at first, Uggla at second, Alex Gonzalez still at shortstop, and Chipper Jones will return to third after tearing his ACL in the 2010 season. Catching as usual will be slugger, Brian McCann. With these fielders and pitchers like: Tim Hudson, Derek Lowe, Tommy Hanson, and unknown lefty Eric O'Flaherty (look him up), Atlanta will definitely be a contender. Another newcomer to the Braves is manager Freddi Gonzalez, who looks to take the Braves to another level. I wish the Braves luck in the 2011 season and hope for their organization to stay healthy.

30 Teams in 30 Days: Florida Marlins (Day 28)

30 Teams in 30 Days team for the day is the Florida Marlins. The Marlins finished 3rd in the NL East, one game above the Mets with 80 wins and 82 losses, one game under .500. But the question is, where will the Marlins finish in the NL East in their last season in Sun Life Stadium? And where will the Marlins finish as their last season as the "Florida Marlins"? That's right, if you have not heard, the Marlins will be called the Miami Marlins at the beginning of the 2012 season, which naturally comes with new uniforms and especially exciting, a new hat! With the new name, new stadium, new uniform, and same players, I'm sorry to say Marlins' fans, but the team can probably finish anywhere from 1st to 5th in the NL East. The notable players that Florida lost this off season were Dan Uggla and Cameron Maybin. They gained few in John Buck, Javier Vazquez, Omar Infante, and Randy Choate. They also signed Greg Dobbs to a minor league deal, and extended Ricky Nolasco to a 3-year, $26.5 million contract. The Marlins also have a new manager with Edwin Rodriguez leading the way. With returning Marlins like: Gabby Sanchez, Wes Helms, Chris Coghlan, Mike Stanton, and All-Star shortstop Hanley Ramirez, the Marlins have a bright outlook in 2011. And don't forget starting pitcher Josh Johnson leading the rotation, so the Marlins should have a win once every 5 days, pending their offense. I wish the Marlins luck in the 2011 season, and I am glad that they are getting a new stadium, because watching games at Sun Life looks empty and depressing.

30 Teams in 30 Days: New York Mets (Day 27)

30 Teams in 30 Days continues today after being halted, once again by faulty wifi in hotels. I hope you are not too upset, but today there will be two posts between today's blog and tomorrow's. But this blog features the New York Mets, who finished 4th in the National League East. The Mets won 79 games in the 2010 season, and are facing quite a predicament this season. If you are unaware, the Mets are facing a $1 billion lawsuit due to their involvement with Bernie Madoff, and with that, they were also loaned $25 million from Major League Baseball. I was talking to a Mets fan about the 2011 season and my thoughts on how they would play. They stated, "Before the lawsuit, they will be in first place, and afterwards.....it will not be good." My thoughts exactly, a lawsuit will be very distracting for the ball club, and if they lose, there is a chance that their payroll will be nonexistent. The Mets recently released Luis Castillo and Oliver Perez, Castillo went to the Phillies, and Perez to the Nationals. New York did not do much signing over the off season but still retain the players that got them to 79 wins like: Jason Bay, David Wright, Ike Davis, Carlos Beltran, Angel Pagan, K-Rod, and my favorite, Jose Reyes. Reyes will be a free agent at the end of the season and hopefully the Mets will trade him to another team so I can wear his t-shirt and not look like a Mets fan (Fingers crossed). And to go with my hats, I am purchasing shirts, (at a slower rate), to show my love for the sport, and my favorite player on each team. But I wish the Mets luck in 2011 and wish Jose Reyes luck wherever he goes.

30 Teams in 30 Days: Washington Nationals (Day 26)

30 Teams in 30 Days continues by starting coverage of the National League East. It feels so good for me to be back "home" within my own favorite division. At the bottom of the NL East in the 2010 season was the Washington Nationals, who won 69 games. That may not be impressive for some, but they won 59 in both the 2008 and 2009 seasons. I know that at Opening Day 2010 in Washington, they handed out pamphlets which described how the Nationals wanted to finish at or above .500, meaning they need to win 81 games. They fell short of this goal, but after this off season, combined with wins from last season, they might have a chance. People everywhere know that Jayson "Teen Wolf" Werth signed with the Nationals for a 7-year, $126 million contract. And there is a blog about Werth if you did not already read it. Other Nationals' pickups were Rick Ankiel, and personsal favorite: Adam LaRoche. The two veterans will add to the young club in D.C. Former Phillie Matt Stairs is also trying out for the team, and his Spring Training performances may get him on the roster as bench player. Most importantly, Bryce Harper has been practicing with the team. The "Lebron James" of baseball has been adapting to and learning the outfield position, but still manages to talk to "Pudge" Rodriguez about catching. The Nationals will be missing Stephen Strasburg for part of the season, depending on recovery from his Tommy John surgery. With players such as Ryan Zimmerman, Pudge, Jordan Zimmermann, John Lannan, Tyler Clippard, and Ian Desmond returning with the team, the Nationals should have a better chance at 81 games. I wish the Nationals luck in the 2011 season, and hope that they finish 4th in the NL East. And on a side note, Nationals Park is a very nice stadium where you can attend a game for only $5, so if you would like to go down for a day, I recommend it.

30 Teams in 30 Days: Cincinnati Reds (Day 25)

30 Teams in 30 Days is still going on! But we are winding down on day 25 with the Cincinnati Reds, who were atop the National League Central for the first time since 1995, when the NL Central only had 5 teams. Regardless of that fact, the Reds proved themselves by winning 91 games in the regular season, but were swept by the Phillies. Maybe it was because the Reds were rusty in the post season, or the large amounts of errors they committed. The Reds seemed like nothing could stop them, with NL MVP Joey Votto leading the team, hard throwing Aroldis Chapman, and the rest of the Reds' lineup behind them, I don't see why the Reds didn't do better. The Reds resigned several of their players to extensions that are both long and short, they include: Joey Votto, Johnny Cueto, Jay Bruce, and Bronson Arroyo. Aroldis Chapman was signed in January of the 2010 season and left behind his entire family to come play for the Reds. MLB did an interview with him today, and he stated that he is more confident than ever. If a guy that can throw consistently over 100-mph is confident, I would not want to be the batter. In other news, the Reds have returning faces that did not play often in the 2010 season, such as: Drew Stubbs, Scott Rolen, Jay Bruce, Ramon Hernandez, Brandon Phillips, and Joey Votto. I am currently following Brandon Phillips on Twitter and he has some interesting stuff to say. Check it out. Once again, I love the steamboat at the Great American Ballpark, and I wish the Reds luck in 2011.

30 Teams in 30 Days: St. Louis Cardinals (Day 24)

30 Teams in 30 Days is still going with the St. Louis Cardinals, here on day 24. The Cardinals finished second in the National League Central. St. Louis finished with 86 wins and 76 losses which is over .500, which is more than 4 out of the 6 teams in the NL Central can say. The 2010 season with the Cardinals reflected the playing of Albert Pujols. Pujols ONLY posted a .312 batting average with 42 homeruns and 118 RBIs. But compared to other seasons, this was a "slumping" year for the 3-time NL MVP. Another Cardinals/Pujols related story was that the Cardinals and Pujols did not sign a contract extension before Spring Training started. Pujols did not want to be a distraction throughout the season and stated that all contract negotiations will be dealt with at the end of the season when he hits free agency. Other bad news for the Cardinals in 2011 is that they will not have pitcher Adam Wainwright due to Tommy John surgery. More news in St. Louis' off season was that they acquired Lance "Big Puma" Berkman with a one-year, $8 million contract. Berkman will play in right field, and is playing outfield fulltime for the first time since 2004. Ryan Theriot also joins the Cardinals in the 2011 season; Theriot was acquired from the Cubs. But with Chris Carpenter, Colby Rasmus, Matt Holliday, Yadier Molina, and Albert Pujols still on the team, the Cardinals are going to try and knock of the Reds from the top of the NL Central. I wish the St. Louis luck in the 2011 season and if Tony La Russa still bats the pitcher 8th, the Cardinals should be fine.

30 Teams in 30 Days: Milwaukee Brewers (Day 23)

30 Teams in 30 Days continues with a personal favorite, the Milwaukee Brewers. If I did not like the Phillies, the Brewers would be my next team. Ryan Braun is my favorite player in Major League Baseball ever since he was Rookie of the Year in 2007. But back to the team, the finished 3rd in the NL Central but were only one game ahead of the Astros, and two games ahead of the Cubs. And if you've been reading the past few days, that means that they only won 77 games and lost 85. The Brewers really stepped up their game this off season by resigning Corey Hart, Yovani Gallardo, and Rickie Weeks. They also were able to acquire: Zack Greinke, Shawn Marcum, Yuniesky Betancourt, and as of today, Brett Carroll. Unfortunately for Brewers fans, Greinke cracked a rib playing basketball and will not be starting until mid-April. With that, the Brewers will have a 4 man rotation starting off the year. The Brew Crew really would like to get to the playoffs in 2011, especially with their highly upgraded pitching staff and stacked offense. Prince Fielder, their powerful first baseman, will be playing for a new contract this year, because he will be a free agent at the end of the 2011 season. Depending on the Brewers situation mid-season, they could opt to trade him. And depending on how well Fielder plays this season, he may have a "Ryan Howard-like" contract, or even a contract similar to Miguel Cabrera's. The Brewers should have no problem keeping their 3rd place position in the 2011 season, but beating Cincinnati and St. Louis could be difficult. I wish the Brewers good luck in the 2011 season and especially wish Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder good luck.