So I was asked to predict what will happen in baseball this year and when I started doing it, I realized how obvious my predictions were. So these predictions are sure to fail because every year, a lot of unexpected teams either have a really good season or they have a very disappointing season. I only have 2 new division winners this year.
I'm going to post my American League predictions today and I will post my National League and World Series predictions either later today or tomorrow. Just so this post doesn't get even more long and boring.
AL East
1. Red Sox
2. Yankees (Wild Card)
3. Rays
4. Blue Jays
5. Orioles
In year's past, it was a toss-up who would finish 1st and 2nd in this division but this year I think it will be set in stone. The Red Sox are much improved this season with the acquisitions of Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford. Not only that but the Red Sox get a healthy Dustin Pedoria back who missed most of last year with a broken foot.
The Yankees are still a very good team but with the recent retiring of Andy Pettite, their starting rotation has a ton of question marks after CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, and Phil Hughes. Yahoo list their last 2 starters as Ivan Nova and Andrew Brackman. Sounds like the Yankees are going to be a prime candidate for a big mid-season trade for a pitcher. They can take Jeff Samardzija if they want. I hear he was a good wide reciever at Notre Dame so this will make him a great starting pitcher.
The Tampa Rays are pretty much fucked. They still have David Price and Evan Longoria but they lost so many key pieces this offseason that I can't even name them all. I wouldn't be surprised at all if the Blue Jays actually finished 3rd this season.
AL Central:
1. White Sox
2. Twins
3. Tigers
4. Royals
5. Indians
The White Sox are one of my two different division winners this year. I really like what the White Sox put together this offseason. They are bringing back pretty much everyone except for Bobby Jenks that was on the team last season and they signed a big bat in Adam Dunn who is going to have an absolute field day at hitter-friendly US Cellular Field. Another reason why I really like the White Sox this year is they are going to get a full season out of Chris Sale this year who I think is bound to be a great pitcher in this league. In limited time last season, Sale compiled a 1.93 ERA in 23.1 innings pitched. The only flaw I see out of this White Sox team this year is probably the bullpen. I'm a big Matt Thornton fan but other than him (and Sale if he stays in the bullpen), I don't see too many weapons in this bullpen. Maybe Jesse Crain will step up who they signed from Minnesota this offseason. Sergio Santos did an excellent job last season in his first season ever as a pitcher. The White Sox have such a sick rotation. Mark Buehrle, Jake Peavy, John Danks, and Gavin Floyd. Even Edwin Jackson was good in the time he spent with the White Sox after the trade deadline. I think this is by far the best starting 5 in baseball.
The Twins still have Joe Mauer and hopefully a full season out of Justin Morneau who missed the majority of last season with a concussion but they have question marks in their bullpen as well as their starting rotation. Carl Pavano was a pleasant surprise for the Twins last season but I can't really see him repeating last year's performance this year. The Twins are getting one of the best closers in baseball in Joe Nathan back but who knows if he'll ever be the same coming off arm surgery. The Detroit Tigers could be a surprise team this year because they are littered with solid young prospects like Austin Jackson who they got from the Yankees in the Curtis Granderson deal.
The Tigers have a pretty solid bullpen with a nasty threesome in Benoit, Zumaya, and Valverde and they also have Phil Coke who did pretty well for them last year. One question with Joel Zumaya is if his arm will be able to to hold up this season. The Tigers also have a pretty good rotation with Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, and Rick Porcello.
The Indians and Royals aren't even worth talking about. Luckily for the Royals, they have one of the best farm systems in baseball so there's some hope for their fans. The Indians are probably going to be the worst team in baseball this upcoming season. Other than Fausto Carmona, their rotation is filled with no-names and their bullpen is filled with inexperienced arms. I'm kind of excited to see if this is the year that Matt LaPorta finally breaks out. There's not going to be any pressure on him being on a terrible team. LaPorta was a very hyped-up prospect when he was on the Brewers and was involved in the CC Sabathia trade in 2008.
AL West
1. Rangers
2. Angels
3. Athletics
4. Mariners
Despite the loss of Cliff Lee to the Philadelphia Phillies this offseason, I still think the Rangers have enough offense to make it to the playoffs again but I would not be surprised if the Angels win the AL West. There's no true ace on this Rangers starting rotation now that Lee is gone but they have three solid, young pitchers to anchor their staff in C.J. Wilson, Tommy Hunter, and Colby Lewis. This might be the year that Eric Hurley finds his way into the rotation as well. Hurley has been a highly regarded prospect in the Rangers farm system but had right shoulder surgery last year. The Rangers also signed Brandon Webb who hasn't pitched since 1999 or at least it's felt like that. The former NL Cy Young winner with the Arizona Diamondbacks hasn't pitched since 2009 where he threw 4 innings and scouts say he's lost pretty much all of his speed on his fastball. The Rangers boast a great offense. They really aren't weak at any position. They have Adrian Beltre starting at 3rd base this year and Mike Napoli behind the plate. Both hit for a ton of power last season and it should continue into this season at hitter-friendly Ballpark at Arlington. Oh and the Rangers have the former AL MVP in Josh Hamilton still. He's sort of good. They also have the defending AL Rookie of the Year in Feliz coming back. He could easily be one of the most dominant closers in baseball this season.
The Los Angeles Angels' starting rotation is filled with guys who at one point were very good. Jered Weaver, Dan Haren, Ervin Santana, Scott Kazmir, and Joel Pineiro. It's hard to believe but at one point, Kazmir was a yearly candidate for AL Cy Young with the Tampa Bay Rays. Now he's an absolute bum. In his first full season with the Angels last year, Kazmir put up an ERA of 5.50. This offseason, the Angels made the biggest WTF move of the offseason trading for Vernon Wells and his bloated contract. Wells wasn't really all that bad last year but his past says that this was most likely a fluke and he'll return to his worthless self again this year. I'm just not a fan of this Angels lineup. There are way too many question marks to pick them to win this division over the Rangers like Alberto Callaspo starting at third base although it'll probably be Brandon Wood by the end of Spring Training if he ever gets his head out of his ass and starts hitting like people raved he would when he was a prospect. Who the hell is Peter Bourjos? Yahoo says he was born in Park Ridge, Illinois. That's awesome but who is he? Yahoo has him starting in Center for the Angels on their depth chart. Jeff Mathis looks like he's going to be their opening day starting catcher. Why did they trade away Mike Napoli again? Seriously, what happened to the Angels? This at one point was one of the best organizations in sports and it looks like this team was constructed by Jim Hendry. I guess you can never count out a Mike Scioscia team though.
And I think I've bored you enough. Not even going to bother getting into Seattle and Oakland. Check back tomorrow for my National League preview.
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