What can we expect in 2011

Looking forward to 2011, just what can we expect to see that’s going to improve the team? From a position player starting roster, we will probably see only a change at 1B. Is there any likely replacement for Lee that will make this team competitive? The rotation will also change little. Dempster,  Gorzelanny, Wells, Silva and Zambrano seem to be the core that will return. If we sign Lilly in the offseason, we’re back to square one. If not Lilly, will it be Diamond or another pitcher from our minors? Either way, does anyone expect our rotation to duplicate the number of quality starts they’ve completed in 2011? Probably not.  Marmol will close with Marshall the setup guy and Cashner in the 7th if he isn’t turned to starting.

Let’s say Ricketts allows Hendry to dump salary. Silva and Zambrano are the only logical impact players likely to be dumped. The rest, Fukudome, Nady, Baker, Fontenot and Hill, are already insignificant to the failure that plagues this team.

So honestly, next year’s team appears to be essentially the team that we’re watching struggle to win games. Hendry can tweak the middle of the bullpen and add a few bench guys but what we see now is what I expect us to see next year. Can Hendry really make 3 or 4 solid moves that can make this group a contender in 2011? Please enlighten me because we’re not even close to being competitive. 

How bad are we? The numbers tell us all we need to know. Here are some of the key statistics that limit this team. We’re 4-16 in the opening game of the last 20 series we’ve played. When we’ve played the easiest in the majors thus far, that’s a terrible number. And it starts with the leadoff hitter in the opening inning. Our guys have a collective OBP of .218 from that spot including only 4 walks and no SB. As a result we’re 2nd worst in runs scored and 4th worst in allowing runs in the opening inning.

When we are in a close game and get into the 7th, we’re the worst team in both leagues in allowing runs in the 7th inning. That usually leads to the fact that we’re a major league worst in close games winning only 36%. The best team, the Phils are at 61%. We're 2nd worst in SB and 8th worst in allowing SB. Finally, we have a team WHIP of 1.41 while our offense produces only 1.31. When you add the worst defensive team and the league worst OBP with RISP to the equation, that spells terrible.

Mr. Hendry, please explain what 3-4 tweaks that can possibly make a difference. This is a team that is horribly flawed, it’s not a young team on the ascent. Our key players like Ramirez, Soriano, Lee are on the downside of their career. If you can put anything close to a contending team on the field next year without adding a hugh payroll bump, I’ll vote a lifetime contract for you. You broke it but it’s a shame you won’t be able to fix it.