Its that time of year again, as March turns into April, and the dreams of 32 teams reignite to last through October and into the Fall Classic. In this preview, I'll predict the records of each team, followed by a summary of the division. I'll also include MVP/Cy Young top 3 predictions, along with post-season predictions. So with that, lets begin.
Tampa Bay Rays: 92-70
Toronto Blue Jays: 89-73
Boston Red Sox: 86-76
Baltimore Orioles: 81-81
New York Yankees: 76-86
Despite the James Shields trade, I think the Rays will come out on top, in part because this division is so wide open. I have 4 of the 5 teams at or above .500. The Blue Jays went all in this offseason, but it'll be hard to make up the ground for last year's 73 win season. The Red Sox are coming off one of their worst seasons in recent memory, and realized that in the offseason, bringing in a lot of complementary pieces like Napoli, Dempster and D. Ross. If they're still in it by the trade deadline, with an acquisition they could be right in the picture to take it all. Meanwhile, the Orioles luck might run out, with the amount of 1-run and extra inning games they won last year. And lastly, the Yankees. This could be their '12 Red Sox-like season, with the amount of injuries and turmoil they're facing already.
Detroit Tigers: 96-66
Kansas City Royals: 87-75
Cleveland Indians: 84-78
Chicago White Sox: 80-82
Minnesota Twins: 71-91
The Tigers enter this season with peace of mind knowing Verlander is now locked up long-term. While the Tigers may have question marks in the back of their bullpen, their lineup is still top notch, with the return of Victor Martinez who missed all of 2012. The youngsters from the Royals may finally emerge, and their rotation got a boost with James Shields at the cost of top prospect Will Myers. The Indians built a solid foundation for the future, but their rotation still looks shaky. The White Sox were fairly quiet this offseason, not really sure what to expect from them. As for the Twins, well, thanks to the Astros they won't be the worst team in the AL…
Texas Rangers: 93-69
Los Angeles Angels: 91-71
Oakland Athletics: 85-77
Seattle Mariners: 79-83
Houston Astros: 58-104
Yes, the Rangers lost a lot of talent, but I still think they're good enough to take the division. Yu Darvish will be stepping into his sophomore year in the MLB, and he could reach ace status this year. Colby Lewis and Martin Perez will bolster the rotation, coming back later in the season. The Angels should be right in it, adding Josh Hamilton to an already vaunted offense. They have some questions in the back of their rotation though. Can the Athletics repeat last year? We'll see, but they have some question marks up the middle of their infield. The Mariners offense should be improved with the additions of Morse and Morales, but still not good enough. And the Astros? Maybe 58 wins is even generous.
WildCards:
AL MVP:
1) Miguel Cabrera
2) Mike Trout
3) Yu Darvish
He may not repeat his triple-crown performance, but he'll lead a vaunted Tigers offense this season, and I think can take back-to-back MVP awards. It would be truly impressive if Trout repeats his rookie performance, but I just don't see that happening.
AL Cy Young:
1) Yu Darvish
2) Justin Verlander
3) James Shields
Darvish was solid in his rookie season, and I think he'll build upon it. Of course you can never count out Verlander, and I also think Shields could have a break-out year with the Royals.
AL Wild Card: Toronto Blue Jays Vs Los Angeles Angels
For this game, I would imagine it would be R.A Dickey vs. Jered Weaver. I would give the edge to the Angels to advance to the ALDS
ALDS: Los Angeles Angels vs. Detroit Tigers
Two vaunted offenses, but I think the Tigers pitching gets them past the Angels. Tigers in 4
ALDS: Tampa Bay Rays vs. Texas Rangers
Seems this is a common post-season match-up recently. With the Rangers BP, I give them an edge in a series that could go the distance. Rangers in 5
ALCS: Texas Rangers vs. Detroit Tigers
This would be an interesting match-up, but I think the Tigers would just be too much for the Rangers. Tigers in 6
Washington Nationals: 99-63
Atlanta Braves: 92-70
Philadelphia Phillies: 84-78
New York Mets: 79-83
Miami Marlins: 63-99
I am going to buy into the Nationals hype, they're just a complete team who improved even further during the offseason adding Soriano and Haren. The Braves could also hang around and get a wildcard bid, with their addition of the Upton brothers. For the Phillies, it all depends on the likes of Roy Halladay and other veterans such as Utley and Howard. The Mets are looking towards the future with their young players. As for the Marlins? Welp.
Cincinnati Reds: 94-68
St. Louis Cardinals: 91-71
Milwaukee Brewers: 86-76
Pittsburgh Pirates: 82-80
Chicago Cubs: 77-85
I think the Reds are just too much of a complete team not to take the division. The Cardinals will be with them, but with a hole at SS and youth at the back of their rotation could hold them just behind the Reds. The Brewers addition of Lohse should help their shaky rotation, but their offense should keep them above .500. The time is coming for the Pirates, as I see them with a winning season. With the debut of Cole and others coming soon, their time is quickly approaching to contend. The same goes for the Cubs, but not this year further down the line.
San Francisco Giants: 93-69
Arizona Diamondbacks: 89-73
Los Angels Dodgers: 84-78
Colorado Rockies: 75-87
San Diego Padres: 74-88
The Giants pitching staff is really solid, along with a strong lineup. The Diamondbacks additions should help keep them in contention. Will the Dodgers be able to coalesce? We'll see. The Rockies have some major holes in their pitching rotation that could bring them down. As for the Padres? They'll be without their star 3B Chase Headley to start the season, so it could be a rough beginning.
Wildcards:
NL MVP:
1) Andrew McCutchen
2) Joey Votto
3) Buster Posey
McCutchen will be the reason the Pirates finally get a winning season. Look for Votto and '12 MVP Posey to also be in the mix.
NL Cy Young:
1) Stephen Strasburg
2) Matt Cain
3) Clayton Kershaw
This could be Strasburg's first full season, after being shut down towards the stretch last season. The ace of the Giants, Cain could also be in the mix, along with the Dodgers Kershaw.
NL Wildcard: St Louis Cardinals vs. Atlanta Braves
Anything could happen in this match-up, but with the Braves additions, I like them to advance.
NLDS: Atlanta Braves vs. Washington Nationals
I think the Nationals would just be too much for the Braves. Nationals in 3
NLDS: San Francisco Giants vs. Cincinnati Reds
I think the Giants pitching would be able to settle the touted Reds lineup. Giants in 4
NLCS: San Francisco Giants vs. Washington Nationals
This could be a classic match-up. Two very solid teams, caliber rotations. I think the Nationals offense puts them forward. Nationals in 7
World Series: Detroit Tigers vs. Washington Nationals
This could be one of the better world series match-ups we've seen in recent memory. I think this series has the potential to go the distance. In the end, I think the duo of Strasburg and Gonzalez would put the Nats over the edge. Nationals in 7
No comments:
Post a Comment