American League
AL East
1. New York
2. Boston (Wild Card)
3. Tampa Bay
4. Baltimore
5. Toronto
~New York and Boston are interchangable. I like Tampa Bay, and I think they'd be first in any other division in the AL. I just don't think they have enough starting pitching or as strong of a bullpen as the Yanks or Sox. And this is the year Baltimore overtakes Toronto for fourth!
AL Central
1. Chicago
2. Minnesota
3. Detroit
4. Kansas City
5. Cleveland
~I want to be wrong on this. If the Tiger's starters can keep us in games as they have thus far, we've got a chance. But our offense isn't going to win games 11-10 because we don't have the firepower. If Jackson and Sizemore can give us more than expected it would be a tremendous boost. And the same with Guillen...he's not a typical #5 hitter, but he's got to act like it this year. Bonderman and Willis have to also be strong at the back-end of the rotation. See all these things that have to go right for us??? Tough. I like Chicago if they can stay healthy. I think they're the most complete team in the division. But you know Minnesota will be there in the end.
AL West
1. Seattle
2. Oakland
3. Los Angeles
4. Texas
~I have no clue here. Any of these four teams could win it. Your guess is as good as mine.
National League
NL East
1. Philadelphia
2. Atlanta
3. Florida
4. New York
5. Washington
~A Phillies-Braves dogfight. I don't like either bullpen all that much, and even with Halladay I think the rotations are about even. But I've seen the Phillies a few times already this year, and that line-up is ridiculous. Polanco was the perfect pickup, as he has been a table setter thus far for all the big bats. In last night's game they forced the Houston starter out of the game in the 3rd inning...and he only gave up three runs. Why take him out? He had thrown over 80 pitches. The Phillies just know how to play the game and play it well. Complete professionals, and I'm taking them.
NL Central
1. St. Louis
2. Milwaukee
3. Chicago
4. Cincinnati
5. Pittsburgh
6. Houston
~It's a 162 game season and I don't think anybody in this division has the horses to keep up with the Cardinals. The Cards have already started beating down the Reds and Brewers, and the Cubs and Astros are off to slow starts. Could be another easy division title for the Redbirds.
NL West
1. Colorado
2. San Francisco (Wild Card)
3. Los Angeles
4. Arizona
~Again, any team in this division could win it. Wild, wild west. I think the Rockies' pitching match the Giants' staff, but it's the Rockies' lineup that puts them over the top. Throw in an established closer like Street, and the Rockies have the pieces. I think the Dodgers take a step back this year, and I think Arizona just has too many question marks and health concerns.
Playoff Predictions
American League:
New York Yankees over Seattle Mariners
Boston Red Sox over Chicago White Sox
Boston Red Sox over New York Yankees
National League:
Philadelphia Phillies over San Francisco Giants
Colorado Rockies over St. Louis Cardinals
Philadelphia Phillies over Colorado Rockies
World Series:
Philadelphia Phillies over Boston Red Sox
World Champions: Philadelphia Phillies
Take it to the bank. I've been wrong every year!
~Mikey D
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4 comments:
Woah - the DBacks are stacked in pitching. I am by no means saying they win the division, but I think they'll finish a lot better than 4th.
Don't you think it's time for realignment???
Can it all stay healthy? Webb is coming off injury, don't forget. Hey, if they can, they'll be a contender. Both the AL and NL West are wide open. Any team that wins will not be a surprise to me.
I am all for realignment! It has to be done right, which I think will be tough to convince people. But when you play an unbalanced schedule, it's so unfair for the Rays, Jays, and O's to have to play 36 games against the Yankees and Red Sox. That's just rough (The Tigers, conversly, play both teams a total of 14 times).
You know what I would be even more in favor of? A salary cap. I know it is more unrealistic than realignment, but it's so ridiculous how much the Yankees' payroll is than, say, the Marlins.
I disagree - I think they have a good thing going with revenue sharing as long as the lower teams are forced to spend that money on their farm system or their roster. The Yankees overspent everyone else for years and didn't win championships, and conversly the Marlins have won several.
If they keep that system, however, the Yankees and Sox should not be in the same league. Also, they need to get the Rangers out of the AL West because it doesn't make sense geographically.
But the tax does not prevent the Yankees from spending ridiculous amounts of money. Yes, it's helping the Florida Marlins and Kansas City Royals...but how much? Mark Texiera is a great example. The Nationals pushed really hard to get him (pretty much a hometown kid), and when they put out their offer, Texiera just took it to the Yankees who topped it off with a few more million. And I just think it's going to continue to be like that for years to come under this current system.
Interesting...separating the Yankees and Sox. And who would you put out West if the Rangers leave? There are only four teams in the division as it is.
I suppose you're thinking about radical realignment, with the possibility of multiple NL and AL teams swapping leagues?
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