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.