The upcoming baseball season starts this Wednesday with Oakland and Seattle playing each other in a 2 game series in Japan. Here is my take on the upcoming season in this all baseball blog post....
AL East
NY Yankees
Tampa Bay
Toronto
Boston
Baltimore
The Yankees have the best combination of offense, defense, and pitching. Say what you want about Michael Pineda and his lack of velocity this spring training, this team is good enough to overcome that. The lineup is deep, pitching is solid, and the bullpen is one of the best in the AL even without Joba. Tampa Bay will have the best rotation in the league which is what will keep them competitve and overcome the lack of scoring from their lineup. I'm big on Toronto this year. This team can score in bunches with Jose Bautista and the young Brett Lawrie leading the way. Ricky Romero is my breakout star pitcher this year. If this team can get consistent pitching from Brandon Morrow who is a strike out machine, this team can begin to scare many teams. I'm predicting Boston to have a fall from grace this year. Too many questions surround this team. Who is going to be the 4th and 5th starter? Who is going to be the shortstop? Can Carl Crawford have a comeback season? Can Jacoby Ellsbury repeat last season's performance? How will Bobby Valentine do in his first season in Boston? This is way too many questions. Not much can be said about Baltimore other than Matt Wieters turning into the top offensive catcher in the AL this year.
AL Central
Detroit
Cleveland
Kansas City
Minnesota
Chicago
Detroit has assembled a very impressive lineup. With Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder anchoring the 3 and 4 spots in the lineup, this team should be fun to watch. Having Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer and Doug Fister as your 1-3 in the starting rotation also helps. Cleveland is a tricky team to predict. I like their pitching with Ubaldo, Masterson, Tomlin, Lowe and Slowey, but it is their offense that I really like. I also expect a nice bounce back year this year from Shin-Soo Choo. Kansas City seems like they have the injury curse already. They have lost two key players already with catcher Salvador Perez missing the first 3 months of the season and all-star closer Joakim Soria done for the year with Tommy John. This offense can still put up big number though. Eric Hosmer might be an all star this year and Billy Butler is as consistent as they come. The pitching is what is going to hurt this team. Not much can be said about Minnesota and Chicago other than I hope Mauer and Morneau stay healthy all year and I hope Adam Dunn has a nice bounce back season.
AL West
Los Angeles
Texas
Seattle
Oakland
I absolutely love the Angels roster. Their rotation should challenge Tampa Bay's as the best in the league, Jordan Walden and Scott Downs anchor a solid bullpen, and the lineup is now led by a guy named Albert Pujols (he's pretty good). If Kendrys Morales stays healthy, this team will have the best record in the AL. The Rangers have put all their eggs in the Yu Darvish basket, and I don't think they are going to like what they paid for. Signing him cost the team $111 million ($51 million posting fee and $60 million salary). Only 4 other pitchers in baseball make more than $100 million. CC Sabathia, Cliff Lee, Johan Santana, and Barry Zito. I would say that teams are 2 for 4 when it comes to successfully paying that much for a starting pitcher (sorry Mets and Giants fans). After Darvish, Colby Lewis and Derek Holland are solid, but I don't know how Neftali Feliz will do in the rotation. He will be on an innings limit and may need to be shut down late in the season. Not much to say about both Seattle and Oakland other than the Yoenis Cespedes and Manny Ramirez show should be fun to watch in Oakland and every home run Jesus Montero hits will have Yankee fans cringing.
NL East
Philadelphia Phillies
Washington Nationals
Miami Marlins
Atlanta Braves
NY Mets
Toughest division in baseball by far. The top 4 in this division can go in any order. The Phillies have tons of pitching, but their offense is going to be their issue all year, even when Ryan Howard and Chase Utley come back. Hunter Pence is going to have a monster season. I love the Nationals pitching with Strasburg, Gio, Jordan Zimmerman, and Edwin Jackson. If Jayson Werth can have a bounce back season, and Ryan Zimmerman can stay healthy, this team has a legit shot at winning division. I can't wait to see Bryce Harper get the call up to the big leagues. No team made bigger headlines than the Marlins this off-season. A new stadium, a new manager in Ozzie Guillen, a revamped starting rotation with Mark Buehrle and Carlos Zambrano, a new closer in Heath Bell, and the addition of shortstop Jose Reyes has many people thinking playoffs. Despite all of this, no player means more to his team in all of baseball than returning ace pitcher Josh Johnson. Too bad he gets hurt often. If healthy all year, this team can also compete for division crown. The Braves are still relatively young, need another outfielder, need Jason Heyward to bounce back significantly, and need Jair Jurrjens and Tommy Hanson to stay healthy. Too many questions here. The only thing to say about the Mets is when will David Wright get traded and what can we reasonably expect from Johan Santana?
NL Central
St Louis
Milwaukee
Cincinnati
Pittsburgh
Chicago
Houston
Even with the loss of Pujols and the injury to Chris Carpenter, I still think this team can win the division. This division is not that strong, so I wouldn't be surprised if a 89 or 90 win team wins this division. This lineup is still pretty deep, and the rotation is still solid with Adam Wainright and Jaime Garcia. Carlos Beltran should help soften the blow of losing Pujols. Milwaukee got lucky with Ryan Braun winning his appeal on the 50 game suspension, and the addition of Aramis Ramirez, like Beltran in St. Louis, should help soften the blow of losing Prince Fielder. I also really like their starting rotation with Gallardo, Greinke, Marcum, and Randy Wolf. The media circus around Braun will hurt this team though. The Reds have the best offensive player in the NL in Joey Votto, but it won't be enough to win the division. I'm not sold on Mat Latos and with Ryan Madson out for the season, the bullpen gets downgraded significantly. It's also not a good sign when your starting catcher and shortstop are rookies. Sounds like they may be a year away. Pittsburgh should continue to improve with their solid lineup, but the pitching is too weak and AJ Burnett is already out for the first two months of the season. The Cubs are in rebuilding mode and the Astros will be the worst team in all of baseball.
NL West
Arizona
Dodgers
Giants
Rockies
Padres
Many people think last year was a fluke for Arizona. I don't. This team can hit, and the pitching should be better with the addition of Trevor Cahill. Ian Kennedy and Daniel Hudson are also young studs that are going to be a scary 1-2 combination. The Dodgers had a good year last year very quietly, and I expect continued improvement. This team will soon have a new ownership group which I think will provide a boost for this organization. Clayton Kershaw is arguably the best pitcher in all of baseball and Matt Kemp should of won the MVP last year. That's a good starting point for this year for the Dodgers. We all know the Giants can pitch, but their offense still doesn't scare anyone. The Rockies don't have enough pitching, however I have heard good things about rookie Drew Pomeranz. The offense still relies on Carlos Gonzalez and Troy Tulowitzki too much though. The Padres continue to rebuild behind a young lineup and some young starting pitchers.
Playoff Predictions
AL Wildcard - Tampa Bay over Texas
ALDS - Angels over Tampa Bay
ALDS - NY over Detroit
ALCS - Angels over NY
NL Wildcard - Nationals over Marlins
NLDS - Philadelphia over St. Louis
NLDS - Arizona over Nationals
NLCS - Philadelphia over Arizona
World Series - Angels over Philadelphia
Awards
AL MVP - Miguel Cabrera, 3B Detroit
AL Cy Young - Jered Weaver, SP Angels
AL Rookie - Matt Moore, SP Tampa Bay
AL Comeback Player - Kendrys Morales, 1B/DH Angels
NL MVP - Justin Upton, OF Arizona
NL Cy Young - Clayton Kershaw, SP Los Angeles
NL Rookie - Dee Gordon, SS Los Angeles
NL Comeback Player - Adam Wainwright, SP St. Louis
5 Random Thoughts
- Ricky Romero will be a top 5 Cy Young candidate this year in the AL.
- Dee Gordon will have 75 stolen bases this year for the Dodgers.
- Coco Crisp being traded to the Atlanta Braves will be the first significant trade made this season.
- Roy Oswalt will sign with the St. Louis Cardinals in May.
- Ryan Zimmerman will be a top 5 MVP candidate this year in the NL.
That's all I have for the season preview. I hope you enjoyed. Until next time...
AL East
NY Yankees
Tampa Bay
Toronto
Boston
Baltimore
The Yankees have the best combination of offense, defense, and pitching. Say what you want about Michael Pineda and his lack of velocity this spring training, this team is good enough to overcome that. The lineup is deep, pitching is solid, and the bullpen is one of the best in the AL even without Joba. Tampa Bay will have the best rotation in the league which is what will keep them competitve and overcome the lack of scoring from their lineup. I'm big on Toronto this year. This team can score in bunches with Jose Bautista and the young Brett Lawrie leading the way. Ricky Romero is my breakout star pitcher this year. If this team can get consistent pitching from Brandon Morrow who is a strike out machine, this team can begin to scare many teams. I'm predicting Boston to have a fall from grace this year. Too many questions surround this team. Who is going to be the 4th and 5th starter? Who is going to be the shortstop? Can Carl Crawford have a comeback season? Can Jacoby Ellsbury repeat last season's performance? How will Bobby Valentine do in his first season in Boston? This is way too many questions. Not much can be said about Baltimore other than Matt Wieters turning into the top offensive catcher in the AL this year.
AL Central
Detroit
Cleveland
Kansas City
Minnesota
Chicago
Detroit has assembled a very impressive lineup. With Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder anchoring the 3 and 4 spots in the lineup, this team should be fun to watch. Having Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer and Doug Fister as your 1-3 in the starting rotation also helps. Cleveland is a tricky team to predict. I like their pitching with Ubaldo, Masterson, Tomlin, Lowe and Slowey, but it is their offense that I really like. I also expect a nice bounce back year this year from Shin-Soo Choo. Kansas City seems like they have the injury curse already. They have lost two key players already with catcher Salvador Perez missing the first 3 months of the season and all-star closer Joakim Soria done for the year with Tommy John. This offense can still put up big number though. Eric Hosmer might be an all star this year and Billy Butler is as consistent as they come. The pitching is what is going to hurt this team. Not much can be said about Minnesota and Chicago other than I hope Mauer and Morneau stay healthy all year and I hope Adam Dunn has a nice bounce back season.
AL West
Los Angeles
Texas
Seattle
Oakland
I absolutely love the Angels roster. Their rotation should challenge Tampa Bay's as the best in the league, Jordan Walden and Scott Downs anchor a solid bullpen, and the lineup is now led by a guy named Albert Pujols (he's pretty good). If Kendrys Morales stays healthy, this team will have the best record in the AL. The Rangers have put all their eggs in the Yu Darvish basket, and I don't think they are going to like what they paid for. Signing him cost the team $111 million ($51 million posting fee and $60 million salary). Only 4 other pitchers in baseball make more than $100 million. CC Sabathia, Cliff Lee, Johan Santana, and Barry Zito. I would say that teams are 2 for 4 when it comes to successfully paying that much for a starting pitcher (sorry Mets and Giants fans). After Darvish, Colby Lewis and Derek Holland are solid, but I don't know how Neftali Feliz will do in the rotation. He will be on an innings limit and may need to be shut down late in the season. Not much to say about both Seattle and Oakland other than the Yoenis Cespedes and Manny Ramirez show should be fun to watch in Oakland and every home run Jesus Montero hits will have Yankee fans cringing.
NL East
Philadelphia Phillies
Washington Nationals
Miami Marlins
Atlanta Braves
NY Mets
Toughest division in baseball by far. The top 4 in this division can go in any order. The Phillies have tons of pitching, but their offense is going to be their issue all year, even when Ryan Howard and Chase Utley come back. Hunter Pence is going to have a monster season. I love the Nationals pitching with Strasburg, Gio, Jordan Zimmerman, and Edwin Jackson. If Jayson Werth can have a bounce back season, and Ryan Zimmerman can stay healthy, this team has a legit shot at winning division. I can't wait to see Bryce Harper get the call up to the big leagues. No team made bigger headlines than the Marlins this off-season. A new stadium, a new manager in Ozzie Guillen, a revamped starting rotation with Mark Buehrle and Carlos Zambrano, a new closer in Heath Bell, and the addition of shortstop Jose Reyes has many people thinking playoffs. Despite all of this, no player means more to his team in all of baseball than returning ace pitcher Josh Johnson. Too bad he gets hurt often. If healthy all year, this team can also compete for division crown. The Braves are still relatively young, need another outfielder, need Jason Heyward to bounce back significantly, and need Jair Jurrjens and Tommy Hanson to stay healthy. Too many questions here. The only thing to say about the Mets is when will David Wright get traded and what can we reasonably expect from Johan Santana?
NL Central
St Louis
Milwaukee
Cincinnati
Pittsburgh
Chicago
Houston
Even with the loss of Pujols and the injury to Chris Carpenter, I still think this team can win the division. This division is not that strong, so I wouldn't be surprised if a 89 or 90 win team wins this division. This lineup is still pretty deep, and the rotation is still solid with Adam Wainright and Jaime Garcia. Carlos Beltran should help soften the blow of losing Pujols. Milwaukee got lucky with Ryan Braun winning his appeal on the 50 game suspension, and the addition of Aramis Ramirez, like Beltran in St. Louis, should help soften the blow of losing Prince Fielder. I also really like their starting rotation with Gallardo, Greinke, Marcum, and Randy Wolf. The media circus around Braun will hurt this team though. The Reds have the best offensive player in the NL in Joey Votto, but it won't be enough to win the division. I'm not sold on Mat Latos and with Ryan Madson out for the season, the bullpen gets downgraded significantly. It's also not a good sign when your starting catcher and shortstop are rookies. Sounds like they may be a year away. Pittsburgh should continue to improve with their solid lineup, but the pitching is too weak and AJ Burnett is already out for the first two months of the season. The Cubs are in rebuilding mode and the Astros will be the worst team in all of baseball.
NL West
Arizona
Dodgers
Giants
Rockies
Padres
Many people think last year was a fluke for Arizona. I don't. This team can hit, and the pitching should be better with the addition of Trevor Cahill. Ian Kennedy and Daniel Hudson are also young studs that are going to be a scary 1-2 combination. The Dodgers had a good year last year very quietly, and I expect continued improvement. This team will soon have a new ownership group which I think will provide a boost for this organization. Clayton Kershaw is arguably the best pitcher in all of baseball and Matt Kemp should of won the MVP last year. That's a good starting point for this year for the Dodgers. We all know the Giants can pitch, but their offense still doesn't scare anyone. The Rockies don't have enough pitching, however I have heard good things about rookie Drew Pomeranz. The offense still relies on Carlos Gonzalez and Troy Tulowitzki too much though. The Padres continue to rebuild behind a young lineup and some young starting pitchers.
Playoff Predictions
AL Wildcard - Tampa Bay over Texas
ALDS - Angels over Tampa Bay
ALDS - NY over Detroit
ALCS - Angels over NY
NL Wildcard - Nationals over Marlins
NLDS - Philadelphia over St. Louis
NLDS - Arizona over Nationals
NLCS - Philadelphia over Arizona
World Series - Angels over Philadelphia
Awards
AL MVP - Miguel Cabrera, 3B Detroit
AL Cy Young - Jered Weaver, SP Angels
AL Rookie - Matt Moore, SP Tampa Bay
AL Comeback Player - Kendrys Morales, 1B/DH Angels
NL MVP - Justin Upton, OF Arizona
NL Cy Young - Clayton Kershaw, SP Los Angeles
NL Rookie - Dee Gordon, SS Los Angeles
NL Comeback Player - Adam Wainwright, SP St. Louis
5 Random Thoughts
- Ricky Romero will be a top 5 Cy Young candidate this year in the AL.
- Dee Gordon will have 75 stolen bases this year for the Dodgers.
- Coco Crisp being traded to the Atlanta Braves will be the first significant trade made this season.
- Roy Oswalt will sign with the St. Louis Cardinals in May.
- Ryan Zimmerman will be a top 5 MVP candidate this year in the NL.
That's all I have for the season preview. I hope you enjoyed. Until next time...
My alarm is set for 6:00am...go A's.
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