In this post, I'm going to steer away from the Yankees a bit and talk about all of the MLB with my season predictions. They will include standings for each division, the wild card winners, award winners, and playoff and Series predictions. I hope everyone reading this won't take it personally if a fellow Yankee fan doesn't pick them to go all the way this year.---------------
AL East:
The American League's Best Division
1. New York Yankees- This may be me speaking from the heart more than the head here, but the questions people have about the Yankees this year are the same questions that have to be answered for the Red Sox. People seem to forget that only because they are the defending champs. Young pitching, can it be relied on? Is the bullpen going to hold up all year? Both questions need to be answered by BOTH teams, don't forget it.
2. Boston Red Sox- For them to go back-to-back, they need to make sure that Lester can do his thing for a full year, and if Buchholz can do the same, or was his 1 great game just a fluke? People seem to want to say Buchholz is the man already, but how many games did he pitch, off the top of my head I think he pitched 3, why people think he is exempt from that young pitching question, his no-hitter. He needs to prove it wasn't a fluke, big time. They don't have Timlin for a while this year, can their bullpen be relied on, who knows yet. Their starting pitching is subject, Lester and Buchholz aside, Dice-K never once impressed me, Wakefield is a crap shoot every game, Schilling won't pitch till at best July, and Josh Beckett's injury could be one that lingers all year. If the Sox' pitching crumbles on them, their offense has to be relied on. In a battle of offenses, I take the Yankees offense any day of the week.
3. Toronto Blue Jays- It's a shame for them that they have to be in this division. They have talent, but no where up to go. The only place I can see them going is down. And if injuries gets the best of them like they usually do, I think that will happen. Can they handle another Burnett or Halladay injury, what about a Rolen injury? Injuries are their achilles heel. If they under achieve again, which I do think is highly likely, John Gibbons is the first manager to go this year.
4. Tampa Bay Rays- They are on the upswing now. They could finish at 81-81, or even 82-80. They have some good, young players coming up. No bigger than Evan Longoria. He will start in AAA, but will come up mid-May and have a big impact on that team. They are my sleeper team to finish after the top 2 in this division. Joe Maddon will have a good time this year after he sees what his team can do. If he has the patience to stick around another 3 years, he could be dealing with a pennant contender.
5. Baltimore Orioles- No Bedard, no chance. They might trade Brian Roberts. They have no pitching, no offense. The one bright spot on this team to look out for is Adam Jones, I think he will be a good player in this league. These Orioles are my pick for the worst team in baseball, they have a realistic chance to lose 110 games, they're pitiful.
AL Central:
The AL's Powerhouse
1. Detroit Tigers- These Tigers were already dangerous. But with the additions of Dontrelle Willis, Miguel Cabrera, and Edgar Renteria, they are flat out scary. They have some of the best and underrated players in all of baseball. Three players they have that are tops at what they do are some of the most underrated players out there, Edgar Renteria, Placido Polanco, and Carlos Guillen. Their one question is the bullpen, will it be effective and can they get the ball to Todd Jones without blowing anything? That's their one and possibly only concern this year.
2. Cleveland Indians- With stronger competition this year, they are the odd men out of the AL Central. They have the AL's best one-two punch I think, with Cy Young Winner C.C. Sabathia and 19-game winner, Fausto Carmona. They're offense is very efficient, and they seem to be able to fire on all cylinders. Their bullpen is solid, and their bridge to Borowski (Perez and Bentancourt) cannot be questioned. Say what you want about Borowski and his enflamed ERA. but he can rack up those saves as well as anybody.
3. Kansas City Royals- Another young team on the upswing. They've got a future star in Alex Gordon and a future slugger in Billy Butler. They're going to play a lot of young, unproven players. And their pitching could be mix-and-match all year long, but they've got nothing to lose, and nowhere to go but up. I think they are 3-5 years away from being pennant contenders.
4. Chicago White Sox- This team isn't good, just simply put. They lost a key member to their rotation in Jon Garland. Ozzie Guillen is clearly not the manager for this club he once was. He seems to want to go one way, why the management wants to go another. He and GM Kenny Williams are not on the same page. That leads to his downfall. It's a race between Guillen and Gibbons for who is fired first in baseball this year.
5. Minnesota Twins- They can't win without Johan Santana and Torii Hunter. They clearly seem to be in a rebuilding stage for certain. Yes, their offense is good, but it's not nearly a good enough offense to carry them throughout the season without pitching. This Twins team has some work to do before they get back to their winning ways.
AL West:
Baseball's Worst Division
1. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim- The acquisition of Torii Hunter seems to solidify an already great offense. They're pitching is great, especially with the addition of Jon Garland. Although today we all found out Kelvim Escobar is out most likely for the whole year, and maybe forever. I still see them as too good of a team for a good Mariners team to pass. They have the guy who I consider to be the AL's best manager in Mike Scioscia, that and they're all around solid team, they look to be a good team for me this year.
2. Seattle Mariners- The addition of Erik Bedard solidifies their pitching staff, with Bedard and King Felix as the one-two punch. We know what we're going to get from all the offensive players on that squad, but I don't think it's enough. I like this team a lot, and I think they're a playoff and division winning sleeper this year. If they can lock down one or two good offensive acquisitions, they will a team to be reckoned with again. Not this year though.
3. Oakland Athletics- This team is in what seems to be a rebuilding stage, but it's not easy to see exactly what direction they are in. They don't have a good offense, and with the loss of Dan Haren, they're pitching is weak. Third place in this case looks better than it actually is only because it's a 4-team division. They have some young players who are going to be good in 3-5 years, which is when I can see them being a top team again. Daric Barton and Jack Cust are going to be a dangerous 3-4 combo in the middle of that lineup in a couple of years, that's when this A's club has got a legit shot, not this year.
4. Texas Rangers- To keep it simple... They're just bad. No pitching + no offense= no winning. The clock of success for Hank Blalock is ticking for me, and it's almost out of battery. That same situation is on the way for Michael Young this year.
NL East:
The Division for NL Supremacy
1. New York Mets- The acquisition of Johan Santana gets them an extra, say, 5-6 wins, which is enough for them to eek out the division win by a margin of around 3 games over the Phillies. If the Mets win the division this year, it's solely because of the Santana addition. If he wasn't on this team, they would finish in 2nd, maybe even 3rd in this division. Wright will have another good year. But Jose Reyes is going to have a better year, to show everyone that last year's horrific slump where he seemed to not be trying was just a hunch. He's going to have a monster year. I am not a believer in the school of thought that says, "The trade for Johan gets the Mets over the top and will win them the whole damn thing." Nah uh, it can't happen, a guy who plays only once a week or so cannot be the reason they win the whole thing. And don't give me the "he lifts the morale in the clubhouse" crap, because there is no such thing as moral victories. Ok, rant over.
2. Philadelphia Phillies- No doubt about it, the Phillies have a great offense. One of the game's best (that bandbox of a park helps). But simply put, they don't have the pitching to keep them atop the division and stay a game or a half behind the Mets all year long. That's the big issue, that will be the reason they can't win the division. If they had some better pitching, they'd win the division because their offense is better than the Mets', and the Mets won't stay healthy either. To capitalize on that, they would need the pitching. Pitching, pitching, pitching...
3. Atlanta Braves- This is my sleeper of all sleeper teams this year. They could win the division and blow both the Phillies and the Mets out of the water. The pitching needs some work, and Hampton must stay healthy. But their middle of the order can compete with the best of them. It includes Francoeur, C. Jones, McCann, and Teixeria. If their pitching overachieves, they will win this division. That's not a guarantee, because I can't say their pitching will do so. But if I were to know for a fact that it could and would, I would guarantee it.
4. Washington Nationals- They're young, so that can be a valid excuse of why they're so bad. They have ZERO pitching, and their offense is no good, but I question why Dmitri Young is sitting on the bench. He's their best offensive player. Hmmm, I know a team that might like a good, power hitting first baseman, I'm thinking of a team that plays in New York and wears an NY on their chest, hmmm, I wonder. They're going nowhere.
5. Florida Marlins- As good as Hanley Ramirez is, he's not good enough to make this team good. There's no offense outside of him after the lose of Miggy. And their pitching is pitiful. They have something to look forward to in the future though in Cameron Maybin and Andrew Miller.
NL Central:
Two Good Teams, Four Teams... Not So Much
1. Chicago Cubs- They're a very complete team. They have speed, power, scoring, good hitting, and good pitching. They might even get Brian Roberts by the end of this month which would add even more speed and more hitting to their already good lineup. I like their pitching a lot and Zambrano for me is a sleeper to do better than Johan in NY. I have a lot of issues with Japanese players coming over, because usually it doesn't work out. I think Fukudome will be solid, .280, 13, 50. They're good and they're poised to do some damage this season.
2. Milwaukee Brewers- This team has offensive firepower and have some very underrated players in Corey Hart, and Bill Hall. They have essentially the same team except for a downgrade in closer from CoCo Cordero to Eric Gagne. They finished in second last year also. With that being said, if you have the same team pretty much, they won't improve. More of the same for Milwaukee this year, but with a good pitching pickup, this team can make some noise.
3. Houston Astros- This team is similar to that of last year's, but in a weaker division, I can see them moving up a bit. They've got some hot young players in Hunter Pence and J.R. Towles. They have some always solid veterans like Carlos Lee, Ty Wigginton, and Lance Berkman. Their SP is suspect though, which is why they won't go any higher than 3. I think they're bullpen will be much improved this year with the addition of Jose 'Papa Grande' Valverde.
4. Cincinnati Reds- This team has some good players, but some question marks. I think their pitching is a tad weak, and I don't trust a majority of their hitters. I really like the CoCo Cordero signing and the hire of manager Dusty Baker, I've always liked him as a manager every place he's been. They don't have enough trustworthy hitters and SP's.
5. St. Louis Cardinals- This team has an absent ace. Their pitching is pretty much, well, terrible. Their offense is not good either. There's only one guy in that lineup that is going to give consistency in his numbers, and that is Pujols. But he has a bad elbow, and that could effect him greatly. If he gets hurt who do they turn to for offense, unproven offensive player Rick Ankiel, injury prone Troy Glaus, or Chris Duncan who is in this league for his power? That's why they can't succeed, their entire offensive production is a one man show, and that show could get canceled this year.
6. Pittsburgh Pirates- Their ace won 9 games and lost 12 lasy year. They have awful pitching, atop the league's worst. The same can be said for their offense. The guy they rely on mostly for their offense is Jason Bay, the guy I frequently call the most overrated player in the game. He has a low AVG, strikes out a ton, doesn't drive in enough runs, and his power numbers are declining always. This lineup cannot be trusted. They are awful, my vote for NL's worst record. They may lose 110 games too.
NL West:
The National League's Best Division
1. Arizona Diamondbacks- The ML's best one-two punch in Brandon Webb and Dan Haren. I loved the offense last year and it was good enough to get them the division last year. With no changes, I still love it. The pitching is improved tremendously. Now, I know Randy Johnson is not what he once was, but he's their 5th starter! And speaking of him, I do think he will stay healthy this year and have a big, unexpected year. I can see a 15-9, 3.80-4.00 season for him, but I cannot guarantee. I really, really love this club.
2. Colorado Rockies- They were the surprise team of the year last season. I love their hitting. Matt Holliday should have won the MVP last year for the NL. I really like Todd Helton, Garrett Atkins, Troy Tulowitzki, and Brad Hawpe. Their O is awesome to say the least. But I really question their pitching, I don't like Jeff Francis as the ace of the staff and they have no one I like outside of him really, although Ubaldo Jimenez caught my eye last year. And speaking from experience, Luis Vizcaino is not to be relied on. Their offense is good, but their pitching is not good enough for them to surpass a superior Diamondback team.
3. Los Angeles Dodgers- This team has young raw talent all around. Pitching, hitting, everywhere. They also have a good mix of veterans like newest Dodger Andruw Jones, Jeff Kent, and Nomar Garciaparra. I really like their staring pitching, mainly Brad Penny, total animal out there. Derek Lowe is good for 12-15 wins, and I'm really excited to see what new Japanese export, Hiroki Kuroda can do in the majors, I think he'll do pretty well. You also can forget the addition of our manager Joe Torre, I hope he has a good time out there in LA and realizes that baseball can be fun again. Although their pitching is good, I just don't think they have enough experience to get it done this year. But guys like Loney, Martin, and Kemp are going to spearhead this club into the playoffs and beyond in a few years.
4. San Diego Padres- This team has great pitching in Peavy, Young, and Maddux but they don't have enough offense. They don't have a player who batted over .285 last year, there's just not enough production up and down that lineup to keep them in contention for that long. The division is better now, and they're going to be able to skate by like they used to when the division wasn't good.
5. San Francisco Giants- Post-Bonds Era begins. It will begin the same way it ended, bad, awful, any of those kinds of words will suit fine. Their pitching stinks, their bullpen stinks, and their offense stinks. All around they're a pretty terrible team. I'm trying to think if they'll get 70 wins this year, I'm leaning towards no. Aaron Rowand isn't going to be the player he was with Philly last year, he played in a bandbox, which largely contributed to his great numbers. Now he will be playing a big park with a lot of room, won't bode well for him this year. They're going to need to do some big rebuilding to get them back to 2002 form.
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Playoff Predictions:
(* indicates WC winner)
AL:
ALDS: LA Angels vs. NY Yankees- Yankees in 5
Boston Red Sox* vs. Detroit Tigers- Tigers in 5
ALCS: NY Yankees vs. Detroit Tigers- Tigers in 7
NL:
NLDS: Chicago Cubs vs. NY Mets- Mets in 5
Arizona D-Backs vs. Philadelphia Phillies*- D-Backs in 4
NLCS: NY Mets vs. Arizona D-Backs- D-Backs in 7
World Series:
Detroit Tigers vs. Arizona Diamondbacks
WINNER: Diamondbacks in 6, They're pitching is too good to beat late in the season and the offense does it's part consistently like usual. They're not the best team in the big leagues, but pitching, which they do have the best of, wins championships. In a short series, Webb-Haren is scary, and in a long series, seeing one or both of them twice is even worse. They have the advantage. It will be their 2nd World Championship in 7 years.
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Awards:
MVP:
AL- Alex Rodriguez, New York Yankees
NL- Jose Reyes, New York Mets
Cy Young:
AL- Erik Bedard, Seattle Mariners
NL- Jake Peavy, San Diego Padres
Rookie of the Year:
AL- Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay Rays
NL- Geovany Soto, Chicago Cubs
Manager of the Year:
AL- Joe Maddon, Tampa Bay Rays
NL- Lou Piniella, Chicago Cubs
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