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Fantasy Ranks. Team Previews. Projected Batting Orders. Interactive Menus. Standing Projections. Team Projections. Impact Players- Major League Baseball- MLB News and Updates WILL CHRIS DAVIS BECOME THE SUPERSTAR HE ONCE WAS? WILL BILLY HAMILTON LIGHT UP THE BASEPATHS? WILL GIANCARLO STANTON SLUMP WITH THE EXTENSION? WILL JOSH DONALDSON REMAIN AN ALL-STAR IN TORONTO?

Major League Baseball- MLB News and Updates First off, thanks. However you found us, thanks for taking our word into consideration. We really appreciate it. Our page has grown into a Facebook page staple, with 7, 500 plus likes at the time of this writing. I would personally like to thank all our admins, our contributors to the magazine, the main admin, Justin, and you. Seriously, I couldn’t ask for a better team to work with. Please enjoy. I feel we should note at this time we are not associated with or licensed by the MLB or the MLBPA. We are a volunteer run page group with an all organic following. We wish we could use images and Team Names, but unfortunately, due to copyright, we cannot. We worked hard on this, and we are hoping to make this our 1 st annual. There also examples of work from two of our sites here. Both have free options to provide great content. Thanks again for the consideration, and we hope you enjoy. This is Version 1. 3. Patrick Melbourne, Editor In Chief @patrbaseballfan STAFF AND CONTRIBUTORS Patrick Melbourne Editor In Chief, Preview Magazine George Grotheer Isaac Edwards Chad Robinson Devon Puchailo David Reed Joel Sosa Ricardo Caraballo Contributing Authors, Preview Magazine Patrick Melbourne George Grotheer Devon Puchailo Logo Design, Preview Magazine Justin R. Patrick M. Main Administrators of the Facebook Page Christopher C. Grant D. Isaac E. Grant D. George G. David R. Josh M. Vinh N. Abdullah N. CJ O. Devon P. Chad R. James R. J. Sosa Editors of the Facebook Page

Donaldson’s Journey Potential. Josh 2016 Free Agents and Where They are Going George. Edwards Grotheer By. Isaac Brian Mc. Cann: Behind the Plate By George Grotheer Not Overreacting to Yoan Moncada’s New Gig By Patrick Melbourne

Potential 2016 Free Agents and Where They are Going By George Grotheer DAVID PRICE, PITCHER Leaving Detroit may be an opportunity to go to a more pitcher friendly park, like San Diego’s PETCO. The money New York will give will be tempting as well. –Patrick Melbourne EDWIN ENCARNACION, DH If Toronto doesn’t win this season, EE may not want to stick around for the future. If they do, he is staying. –Patrick Melbourne YOENIS CESPEDES, OF He’s a spectacular talent, but there are rumblings of him being a clubhouse poison. Who knows where he could go? –Patrick Melbourne

The (Second) Rise of Brian Mc. Cann By George Grotheer Position- Catcher Bats- Left Throws- Right Height- 6' 3", Weight- 230 lb. Brought in to fill the team’s void of big-league-ready catching talent, Brian Mc. Cann was New York’s first major splash of the 2013 -2014 offseason. Signed to a 5 -year, $85 million contract with a sixth year, $15 million club option, Mc. Cann struggled to produce in the first several months of his tenure behind the dish in the Bronx. After a down season which many believe to be a fluke based on history and acclimation to a new league and division, Mc. Cann should put up MVP-caliber numbers in his sophomore season in New York. A career. 277 hitter before he hit free agency in October of 2013, Mc. Cann’s offensive production fell off a cliff in New York, as he batted almost 50 points below his career batting average. With an increased workload and addition of new positional options (he played first base for the first time in his career for sixteen games and appeared at DH fourteen times), Mc. Cann appeared in 140 games, a total which he had not reached since his age-26 season in Atlanta in 2010. The increased amount of work may have added to his slumped season, but the offensive shift also hurt him mightily. Mc. Cann consistently hit into the shift throughout the season, which decimated his average. In 2015, we should see the resurgence of Brian Mc. Cann. He’s not too far past his prime at age 31, and while we might not see the. 301/. 373/. 523 line with 23 homers and 87 RBIs, Mc. Cann’s September surge in 2014 showed his potential, with 8 of his 23 dingers coming in the month. 8 Brian Mc. Cann facts and statistics _______________ 1 Seven-time All-Star 2 Five-time Silver Slugger 3 Has played for Atlanta and New York (AL) 4 Team USA in the 2009 World Baseball Classic 5 Born in Athens, Georgia 6 Got his first playing opportunity when C Johnny Estrada was traded 7 Has baseball clinics for kids aged 5 – 18 8 Career. 272 average, one HR shy of 200 If that showed a sign of things to come for Mc. Cann, the Bronx Bombers should be seeing a lot more of that talent in 2015. Expect Mc. Cann to hit between 18 and 25 home runs with 75 -90 RBIs and a. 270 batting average, at worst. We should foresee minimized time at first base with the additions of Garrett Jones and Alex Rodriguez, and a greater command of the game from behind the plate with a rotation of Masahiro Tanaka (age 26), CC Sabathia (34), Michael Pineda (26), Nathan Eovaldi (25), and Chris Capuano (36) (later Ivan Nova-age 28). Overall, Mc. Cann will be better offensively in 2015. Behind the dish, he should see a continuation of his 37% caught stealing rate in 2014. Without Derek Jeter in the clubhouse, Mc. Cann will likely become a greater force in the clubhouse as a team leader. In the words of manager Joe Girardi, the Bombers have “the next great Yankee (TM) catcher [with them]. ”

Not Overreacting to Yoan Moncada’s New Gig By Patrick Melbourne Position- Second Baseman Bats- Switch Throws- Right Height- 6' 2", Weight- 205 lb. Notable Big Leaguers from Cuba _______________ 1 Steve Bellán (First Ever) 2 José Abreu If a player from the United States or Canada came out at 19, everyone would immediately say “He isn’t ready” Yoan Moncada is a major gamble for any big league team. After Boston took that gamble, they had to look at this player and ask the question“What did we actually acquire? ” He is a 19 year old. He is an infielder. He did reasonably well in Cuba (. 277, 4 HR). Players from Cuba are greeted well by fans now, similar to how they reacted to Japanese players coming over, but everyone has to stop and look a little closer (Even if he is a great prospect). First, lets look at age. Jose Abreu is 28. Yasiel Puig is 24. These guys are both somewhat proven, each putting out good seasons so far in the “experiment. ” Moncada is 19. If a player from the United States or Canada came out at 19, everyone would immediately say “He isn’t ready. ” Instead, everyone is looking at Moncada the way they look at Los Angeles’ Puig, a star immediately, sign him now, play him now. It just has to wait. 3 Yonder Alonso 4 Erisbel Arruebarrena 5 Yuniesky Betancourt 6 Rusney Castillo 7 Yoenis Céspedes 8 Aroldis Chapman 9 José Contreras 10 José Fernández 11 Yasmani Grandal 12 Adeiny Hechavarria 13 José Iglesias Next, lets take a look at the mentality of the GM in the situation and why it is wrong. One currently looks at a Cuban player and compares to an Abreu or a Puig. You can’t do that. In the US, players are looked at differently and not immediately compared. They play first, and then are compared. Moncada is yet to play in the big leagues, so comparing him to Abreu or Puig is outlandish. 14 Kendrys Morales These assumptions are a little wild as of now, so let’s slow down and see what Yoan Moncada will actually turn out like. 17 Jorge Soler 15 Yasiel Puig 16 Alexei Ramírez 18 Dayán Viciedo

Baseball Rule 5 Draft 2015 Results ROUND 1 1. Arizona : C Oscar Hernandez 2. Colorado: IF Mark Canha 3. Texas: OF Delino De. Shields Jr 4. Houston: RHP Jason Garcia 5. Minnesota: RHP J. R. Graham 6. Boston: RHP Jandel Gustave 7. Chicago: SS Taylor Featherston 8. Philadelphia : IF David Herrera 9. Miami : LHP Andrew Mc. Kirahan 10. New York: LHP Sean Gilmartin 11. Atlanta : RHP Daniel Winkler 12. Seattle : LHP David Rollins 13. Baltimore : RHP Logan Verrett ROUND 2 14. Philadelphia: LHP Andrew Oliver TRIPLE-A PHASE 1. Arizona : RHP Timothy Crabbe 2. Colorado : RHP Kyle Simon 3. Texas : 1 B Roderick Shoulders 4. Houston C Luis Flores 5. Minnesota : RHP Greg Peavey 6. Chicago (AL): RHP Peter Tago 7. Chicago (NL): OF Ariel Ovando 8. Cincinnati: C Camden Maron 9. Miami : LHP Matthew Tomshaw 10. San Diego: SS Juan Gamboa 11. Tampa Bay : RF Luis Urena 12. Atlanta : C Steven Rodriguez 13. Cleveland: RHP Delvy Francisco 14. San Francisco: RHP Ramon Del Orbe, 15. Detroit : RHP Jheyson Manzueta 16. St. Louis: RHP Tyler Waldron 17. Los Angeles: OF Peter Lavin 18. Baltimore : OF Sean Halton 19. Anaheim: IF Chris Curley 20. Texas : SS Hiram Martinez 21. Cincinnati : RHP Euclides Leyer 22. Miami : 1 B Harold Riggins 23. Tampa Bay: RHP Michael O'Brien 24. San Francisco: CF Brett Jackson 25. Los Angeles : RHP Alexander Santana 26. Anaheim: SS Pedro Ruiz 27. Miami : LHP Alexander Burgos 28. Los Angeles: RHP Randy Fontanez 29. Anaheim: RF Kentrail Davis 30. Los Angeles: SS Nathan Samson

Why The Alex Rios Signing Won’t Work By Patrick Melbourne It's now 2015, and teams are looking for ways to improve in the offseason. Sometimes this strategy works, sometimes not. On the ESPN Fantasy Focus Baseball Podcast, Eric Karabell and Tristan (Happy) Cockcroft talked about why Billy Beane wasn't being himself with these recent acquisitions of Brett Lawrie and Billy Butler. The two noted that they are both ground ball hitters. And why not obtain those hitters? Because O. Co. If it seems like this column is unfocused, it's not. I just want to highlight some of the offseason moves that will, in my opinion, fail. In other words, here are two busts. BUST ACQUISITIONS Brett Lawrie, 3 B, Oakland First up, Brett Lawrie was in a hitters ballpark and did almost nothing. You would think that in his slight defense, he was injured. Unfortunately, that only hurts his cause. (And yes Mr. Lawrie, blaming the turf is a terrible excuse. Stop it. ) Bob Elliott wrote an excellent Toronto article about Lawrie's injuries not being related to the artificial turf. Elliott highlighted the hand, back and rib cage injuries as evidence that the Turf was innocent. It is hard to argue with the reasoning, quite frankly. Lawrie, according to ESPN statistics, has hit for an average of. 265 in his career. He also has only hit 43 home runs with 9 coming in from his first year. That's extremely mediocre, coming from a player who was so highly touted as "the next big thing. " I don't think he can sustain in a middle of the road (not pitcher- friendly and not hitter- friendly) ballpark. Alex Rios, OF, Kansas City The second player I wanted to talk about is also an ex- Toronto player, funnily enough. And really, Kansas City? CBSSports. com first reported this offseason that Alex Rios was signing an 11 million dollar contract with KC. Rios has played for Toronto, Chicago (AL), Texas, and now KC. Rios had a pretty good career, going above a. 280 batting average quite often in his 10 year career. (04, 06, 07, 08, 10, 12, 13, and 14. ) The reason I'm slightly negative on this deal, like so many others, is the contract. Many columnists, including some at ESPN (Eric Karabell) note "There are no bad one year contracts. " Well, that's true. . . in theory. That assessment quickly breaks down when you look at the contract of Rios. One year for a player who hits above. 270 and can give you 10+ home runs (10 times in his career, courtesy ESPN for the stats) is not a bad deal. The 11 million dollar part hurts. Let's do a quick comparison with a similar player and his recent contract. Jed Lowrie. 3 yrs, 23 million with Houston. Divides to 7. 6 million a year for a very similar player. He's not bad defensively and owns both a. 261 average, and. 333 OBP, the latter stat only consisting of 7 points more than Rios (Stats courtesy again of ESPN). Advantage- Jed Lowrie. The Rios signing is a good deal, just overpriced. That is simply why he is a bust at the price. The players are dangerous adds to the teams. We just will have to wait and see the results.

Burning Questions By Patrick Melbourne WILL CHRIS DAVIS BECOME THE SUPERSTAR HE ONCE WAS? I think so. After last year’s suspension, he should be pumped to get going. He needs to learn to stop swinging at everything though. WILL BILLY HAMILTON LIGHT UP THE BASEPATHS? Yep. He will steal more than any other in the big leagues. Enough said. WILL GIANCARLO STANTON SLUMP WITH THE EXTENSION? No, he won’t, because he is a fighter. He is the number two ranked player in fantasy. He needs to stay healthy. WILL JOSH DONALDSON REMAIN AN ALL-STAR IN TORONTO? He is moving into a hitters ballpark, and he is coming off his second straight MVP top 10. This is a serious problem for the rest of the AL East.

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WS Predictions By Patrick Melbourne I love what they are doing, And the recent signing of Shields cements it. I’ll jump on here… San Diego for the win this year! WS Predictions from our team editors. Patrick- SD over Baltimore Devon- Oakland vs Los Angeles (NL) George- New York (AL) vs Washington Vinh- Washington wins Riley- New York (AL) wins Justin- Boston vs Chicago (NL) Joel- Boston vs Chicago (NL) CJ- Boston vs Washington Please click the black box, Not the text. David Reed’s Projected Playoff Bracket

Power Rankings By Patrick Melbourne 1 San Diego 2 Baltimore 3 Washington 4 Oakland 5 Kansas City 6 St. Louis 7 Toronto 8 LA 9 Anaheim 10 Boston 11 Pittsburgh 12 Atlanta 13 Detroit 14 Cincinnati 15 Seattle 16 NY (AL) 17 SF 18 New York (NL) 19 Texas 20 Colorado 21 Miami 22 Chicago 23 Cleveland 24 Arizona 25 Milwaukee 26 Chicago (AL) 27 Houston 28 Philadelphia 29 Tampa Bay 30 Minnesota

Award Projections By Patrick Melbourne Cy Young MVP Mike Trout, Anaheim Corey Kluber, Cleveland Sure, it seems like a very, very safe choice. But when you look at Trout’s last few seasons with LA, how can you not predict it again? Kluber came out of nowhere to dominate the entire big leagues last year. The last player to do that was a first baseman nicknamed EE on Toronto. Is this a fluke? Maybe. But we don’t think so. Projected Statline. AVG-. 305 HR- 27 SB- 19 RBI- 135 Fantasy Advice (Preseason) Snake- 1 st Round Auction- 62$ Projected Statline. W/L- 18 - 6 ERA- 3. 34 K- 249 BB- 38 Fantasy Advice (Preseason) Snake- 3 rd Round Auction- 30$ Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles (NL) Projected Statline. W/L- 23 -5 ERA- 1. 98 K- 301 BB- 26 Fantasy Advice (Preseason) Snake- 1 st Round Auction- 62$ #1 Pitcher on the planet. He should take home Cy Young easily. This should be his prime year at 27. MVP? We think he will. David Reed’s Award Projections

2014 Admins Fantasy Draft Teams 1 -2

2014 Admins Fantasy Draft Teams 3 -4

2014 Admins Fantasy Draft Teams 5 -6

2014 Admins Fantasy Draft Teams 7 -8

Fantasy Notes By Patrick Melbourne Injury Risk Sleeper Giancarlo Stanton (Miami) Yan Gomes (Cleveland) Played two seasons under 150 games. 2 out of 5 is a little too many injury shortened seasons to be comfortable. Fantasy Advice (Preseason) Snake- 4 th Overall, 1 st Round Auction- 55$ Gomes has been undervalued by many rankers. I like him as my number 3 catcher. Fantasy Advice (Preseason) Snake- 5 th Round, 3 rd Overall Catcher Auction- 29$

Fantasy Top 50 By Patrick Melbourne Mike Trout Giancarlo Stanton Andrew Mc. Cutcheon Paul Goldschmidt Clayton Kershaw Edwin Encarnacion Jose Abreu Anthony Rizzo Michael Brantley Jose Altuve Jose Bautista Robinson Cano Felix Hernandez Yasiel Puig Troy Tulowitski Madison Bumgarner Miguel Cabrera Jacoby Ellsbury Max Scherzer Carlos Gomez Adam Jones Adrian Beltre Freddie Freeman Chris Sale Anthony Rendon Josh Donaldson David Price Corey Kluber Hanley Ramirez Evan Longoria Buster Posey Ian Desmond Stephen Strasburg Adam Wainwright Bryce Harper Ryan Braun Yu Darvish Jose Reyes Corey Dickerson Justin Upton Jon Lester Yoenis Cespedes Carlos Gonzalez Kole Calhoun Matt Kemp David Ortiz Victor Martinez Craig Kimbrel Nelson Cruz Sonny Gray ANAHEIM MIAMI PITTSBURGH ARIZONA LOS ANGELES TORONTO CHICAGO (al) CHICAGO (nl) CLEVELAND HOUSTON TORONTO SEATTLE LOS ANGELES COLORADO SAN FRANCISCO DETROIT NEW YORK (al) WASHINGTON MILWAUKEE BALTIMORE TEXAS ATLANTA CHICAGO (al) WASHINGTON TORONTO DETROIT CLEVELAND BOSTON TAMPA BAY SAN FRANCISCO WASHINGTON ST LOUIS WASHINGTON MILWAUKEE TEXAS TORONTO COLORADO ATLANTA BOSTON DETROIT COLORADO ANAHEIM SAN DIEGO BOSTON DETROIT ATLANTA SEATTLE OAKLAND

American League Projections George Grotheer’s Projections AL EAST NY Boston Toronto Tampa Bay Baltimore 92 -70 90 -72 87 -75 81 -81 76 -86 AL CENTRAL Chicago Detroit Kansas City Cleveland Minnesota 94 -68 88 -74 85 -77 80 -82 69 -93 AL WEST Anaheim Seattle Oakland Houston Texas 98 -64 91 -71 83 -79 74 -88 70 -92 Please click the black box, Not the text. Patrick Melbourne’s AL Projections Isaac Edwards’ AL East Summary and Projections Devon Puchailo’s AL East Summary and Projections Patrick Melbourne’s AL Central Summary and Projections Patrick Melbourne’s AL West Summary and Projections Ricardo Caraballo’s New York (AL) Preview Devon Puchailo’s Tampa Bay Preview George Grotheer’s AL East Summary and Projections George Grotheer’s AL Central Summary and Projections George Grotheer’s AL West Summary and Projections Patrick Melbourne’s Toronto Preview PROJECTED BATTING ORDERS George Grotheer’s New York (AL) Preview David Reed’s Standings Projections

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National League Projections George Grotheer’s Projections NL EAST Washington 99 -63 Miami 86 -76 NY (NL) 79 -83 Atlanta 74 -88 Philadelphia 65 -97 NL CENTRAL St. Louis 94 -68 Chicago 85 -77 Pittsburgh 81 -81 Milwaukee 78 -84 Cincinnati 76 -86 NL WEST SF 88 -74 LA 84 -78 San Diego 84 -78 Colorado 79 -83 Arizona 66 -98 Please click the black box, Not the text. George Grotheer’s NL East Summary and Projections Devon Puchailo’s NL East Summary and Projections George Grotheer’s NL Central Summary and Projections George Grotheer’s NL West Summary and Projections Ricardo Caraballo’s Miami Preview Isaac Edwards’ Arizona Preview Ricardo Caraballo’s San Diego Preview PROJECTED BATTING ORDERS David Reed’s Standings Projections

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