This the second year for the online Hardball Times Forecasts. This package includes multi-year projections, updated each week throughout the season, for all MLB and most relevant minor league players (~9,000 players altogether). For MLB and top minor league players, there are also player comments written by team bloggers from each team. This year I contributed comments on 47 Reds (plus others for players no longer with the team: OCab, Edmonds, etc). Here's what I wrote about Joey Votto:
The MVP led the league in OBP, SLG, OPS, OPS+, wOBA, and wRC+. He hits the ball hard, to all fields, and as a result has a career .353 BABIP in 1870 PAs. It's not a fluke. He has excellent power and a great batting eye. He does strike out, and will chase breaking balls down and away with two strikes if you pitch him perfectly. But if you miss, he will kill it. And he's a solid fielder, a bit above-average at his position. On top of it all, Votto has a compelling and inspirational personal narrative; though he seems well in control now, he continues to recover from issues of depression and anxiety.
Also, here are the NL Central projected standings based on the Oliver projections for hitting, fielding, and pitching for each team:
| Team | Wins |
| Reds | 92 |
| Cardinals | 92 |
| Brewers* | 84 |
| Cubs | 80 |
| Astros | 68 |
| Pirates | 65 |
* This is before the Greinke trade changes to MIL's roster. How many wins do they stand to gain from the deal? 5? You have to include the losses of Escobar and Cain as well as the addition of Greinke.
The projected standings will be updated weekly. It's shaping up to be a dogfight.
The package costs $15 for the season. It's a great resource for fantasy players (I used it constantly last season), and makes for a great alternative to ZiPS projections now that we've lost CHONE for at least this season. I always prefer to use multiple systems, and this one is quality.