Randy's Predictions for 2008
by Randy Booth on Mar 29, 2008 7:55 PM EDT
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I'm not going to have any fancy pictures like Allen for my predictions. I'm just a straight shooter, ya' know? (C'mon. Cleveland from Family Guy for the Indians? Pfft!). I figure I'd add my predictions to the the pot. Tell me I'm crazy -- that'd be fun.
AL East
- Boston Red Sox
- New York Yankees
- Toronto Blue Jays
- Tampa Bay Rays
- Baltimore Orioles
You knew the list was going to look like this ... or did you? Yup, Red Sox and Yankees on top followed by the other teams. I haven't seen many other predictions regarding the A.L. East except Allen's, so I'm not sure where people are slotting the Rays. I think they could be good enough to finish 4th. I would say they could finish 3rd, but the Jays stacked up too much in the off-season. I like the Jays adding Scott Rolen and David Eckstein to their lineup. However, pitching is still a concern. The O's ... well, they're the O's. They lost the one thing they had going for them (Erik Bedard). I like the talent they picked up in return, but I don't see them competing this year.
AL Central
- Cleveland Indians
- Detroit Tigers
- Minnesota Twins
- Chicago White Sox
- Kansas City Royals
This is a harder group judge. While I don't think the Tigers are going to win the division, I really don't think the Indians are going to be as good as they were last season. Their pitching is great, but I just don't think the staff will replicate last season. The Tigers loaded up in the off-season but I don't think they're going to light the world on fire like everyone thinks they will. And Dontrelle Willis? Really? He's going to struggle in the A.L. If he can't do it in Florida, how's he going to do it in Detroit? People think he can bounce back, but I don't. The bottom three are almost interchangable. I'll put the Twins above the White Sox despite losing their key to glory, Johan Santana. The Royals are bad. Very bad.
AL West
- Seattle Mariners
- Anaheim Angels
- Oakland A's
- Texas Rangers
The Mariners are going to win the division this year because of two reasons: Bedard and Felix Hernandex. I think this will be King Felix's breakout season. And as long as Bedard pitches even close to last season, this pitching staff will rock. Add JJ Putz to close games and they're pretty solid. I don't really see the Angels doing any better or worse this season. They've got good young players to get them through, but they also have old players that could really slow them down. The one interesting thing to watch about the Rangers is how Josh Hamilton plays. I'm just curious to see if he can live up to last year's hype.
NL East
- New York Mets
- Philadelphia Phillies
- Atlanta Braves
- Washington Nationals
- Florida Marlins
Here's an interesting division. The Mets look to be a clear favorite after grabbing Santana in the off-season, but I'm not sure if they're the total package. We'll have to watch for injuries. The Phillies are always going to be good as long as they have that lineup. Their pitching is the question, but Cole Hamels is going to be a stud.
NL Central
- Houston Astros
- Chicago Cubs
- Milwaukee Brewers
- St. Louis Cardinals
- Cincinnati Reds
- Pittsburgh Pirates
I don't really have much to say about this division. Reach your hand in the pot and pull out a winner. It's the biggest crapshoot in major league baseball. However, I do like the Astros. Their lineup could absolutely smash the ball this season.
NL West
- Arizona Diamondbacks
- San Diego Padres
- Colorado Rockies
- Los Angeles Dodgers
- San Francisco Giants
This is going to be an exciting division to watch this year. There's a lot of talent from the top to bottom, but I think the Diamondbacks are going to be great this season. Their pitching staff and their youth are going to propel them far into the National League playoffs. It was hard choosing between the Padres or the Rockies, but I just don't think the Rockies are going to be as good as last season. Any team with Jake Peavy, though, has a shot. The Dodgers and the Giants round out the bottom. Will the Dodgers ever play to potential? Maybe, but not this season.
Oh, and I lied about the fancy pictures thing:
Look out next week for my predictions for individual awards. I'll give you a hint: the A.L. MVP this year will NOT be Alex Rodriguez.
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My NL picks:
I was too lazy forgot to make my NL picks the other day.
NL East: Mets, Braves, Phillies, Marlins, Nationals
Mets, for all the reasons everyone else has already told you. The Braves have depth in the rotation and the bullpen, and Teixeira, McCann, Chipper, Francoeur and Kelly Johnson will make sure the team scores runs, even if Yunel Escobar isn't as good as last season and Kotsay "hits" as expected. Phillies look very weak beyond Hamels and Myers, and the pen is suspect at best on the whole. Marlins > Nationals because the Marlins actually have some ML-quality starting pitchers.
NL Worst: Cubs, Brewers, Reds, Astros, Pirates, Cardinals
Cubs look like the powerhouse in the division, especially with the injury questions surrounding the Brewers' rotation. The Brewers could have a much improved defense next season with the addition of Cameron and the accompanying shifts. Their pitching could make this a real race if Ben Sheets and Yovani Gallardo can combine for 55 starts. Reds feel like they'll be right around the top two, while the Stros offense makes them an easier pick for fourth than the last two. I'm hoping the Cardinals fall to the bottom, because it's a proud franchise with a lot of great history and currently, seemingly, no rudder. Finishing in third or fourth will only serve to keep these ridiculous wheels in the same motion.
NL West: D'Backs, Dodgers, Rockies, Padres, Tacoma Rainiers, Nashville Sounds, Toronto Maple Leaves Leafs, Los Angeles Galaxy, San Francisco Giants
Everyone is going to be involved in this race, other than the Giants. I won't bore you (much) with analysis that is out there already, but they're going to score a ridiculously low amount of runs. D'Backs and Dodgers have the best overall talent level, in my opinion, with the Rockies having more pitching questions despite equivalent lineups (or better, in the case of the D'Backs). Padres could be very close, but I don't think they'll score as many runs as others. Kind of silly, given that the Padres scored more than the D'Backs last season. I dunno. I'm crazy like that.
"Are you a real doctor, or a doctor like Julius Erving is a doctor?"
by Allen Chace on Mar 30, 2008 2:50 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Saving money on mental health care
As I did last year, I intend on using this site in lieu of psychological counseling as the Red Sox no doubt will totally try my patience again. Yesterday I signed up for the MLB "sports on demand" package so I can see most of the Sox games in my current adopted home area of PA. Ready to go, captain!
by NG on Mar 30, 2008 11:32 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
RE:
Glad to hear it. We'll be here for you all season long.
by Randy Booth on Mar 30, 2008 12:29 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Fresno Grizzlies
Allen -- They only team you left out of your NL West standings was the Fresno Grizzlies (the SFG AAA team). They should finish well ahead of the Giants, as their recent games suggested, won by the AAA team 4-3.
Ouch. I think ZITO was pitching ( lol )
Saying that it will be a long year for SFG would be the understatement of the year.
KFC
"It's not like the end of the world or something. Why should we panic?"
-- Manny being Manny
by KFC on Mar 30, 2008 12:28 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
RE:
Poor Barry Zito. Has there ever been a pitcher that is more hype than Zito?
by Randy Booth on Mar 30, 2008 12:30 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Zito is great!
I was stuck with him in thanks to autodraft drafted him specifically in our OTM fantasy league. Who wants to trade for him?
"You know you're having a bad day when the fifth inning rolls around and they drag the warning track." - Mike Flanagan, Baltimore Orioles pitcher, 1992.
by SoxDevil on Mar 31, 2008 12:54 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
The Giants
You'd think that with the Giants as desperate for offense as they are we could put together a package to nab Cain or Lincecum. Like Lowrie, Moss and Kalish for Cain. What's the point of having a pitcher with a 3-something ERA if you're never going to score more than two runs.
Manny ain't the only bad man.
by tommy.otm on Mar 30, 2008 12:42 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I'd do that in a heartbeat
SF probably won't, though. Cain is 23-years old and cheap. The Giants will probably hold onto him for a while, not matter how much they suck.
I gotta go 'cause I'm probably definitely gonna nod out again.
by Drugs Delaney on Mar 30, 2008 2:41 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I know it's a pipe dream
But the Giants are in really bad shape, and their farm is bereft of any talent. If I were them, I'd flip Cain and Lincecum for 6-8 potentially solid major leaguers - which is about 4-6 more solid major leaguers than they have now.
Manny ain't the only bad man.
by tommy.otm on Mar 30, 2008 4:20 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
AL East
As a diehard O's fans, I can assuredly tell you not only will the O's finish 5th, they won't be within 7 games of the Rays for 4th. And we're OK with that - for THIS year.
"Do we get some sort of prize?"
by duck on Mar 30, 2008 1:25 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Individual Awards
Personally I'm going with:
AL MVP: Miguel Cabrera
AL Cy Young: Erik Bedard
AL ROY: Evan Longoria (would like to say Ellsbury but he may split some time, and Buchholz has had a terrible spring. Plus Longoria can really mash)
NL MVP: Matt Holliday
NL Cy Young: Johan Santana
NL ROY: Geovany Soto (Since Bruce and Rasmus are starting in AAA)
by Gnick on Mar 30, 2008 10:14 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Ooooo.
Fun.
AL MVP: Manny.
AL Cy Young: Felix Hernandez.
AL ROY: Adam Jones? Is he a rookie? If not, Longoria.
NL MVP: Mark Teixeira
NL Cy Young: Johan
NL ROY: Chase Headley
Manny ain't the only bad man.
by tommy.otm on Mar 30, 2008 10:39 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I'm right!
AL MVP: A-Rod (again, :sigh:)
AL Cy Young: Erik Bedard in a total crapshoot. He moved from the AL East to the AL West.
AL ROY: Here's a darkhorse: Daric Barton.
NL MVP: Johan Santana
NL Cy Young: Johan Santana
NL ROY: Hunter Pence
"You know you're having a bad day when the fifth inning rolls around and they drag the warning track." - Mike Flanagan, Baltimore Orioles pitcher, 1992.
by SoxDevil on Mar 31, 2008 12:57 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
AL
There will be some great races in the AL in sept. and oct. this year. Six teams will contend for 4 playoff spots: RED SOX, Yankees, Tigers, Indians, Mariners, Angels.
If I had to pick, I'd say the Sox will make the playoffs and the Angels won't, but I could see any of the four other teams filling in the three remaining spots.
As for the awards...
MVP: (my pick) Manny Ramirez. He's going to mash this year. (safe bet) Miggy-Cab.
Cy: (my pick) Felix Hernandez. God I'd love to have him on our team. (safe bet) Josh Beckett, the boss of the AL.
ROY: (my pick) Jacoby Ellsbury. Bats .325, 40 SB. (safe bet) Evan Longoria, this guy is good.
by Schulz on Mar 31, 2008 6:53 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
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