Well, its finally time to review my preseason MLB predictions for this season. Not so good in some parts, decent on some others.
First, some quick playoff thoughts. At this moment, Tampa is beating Chicago and will probably move on the ALCS. Baseball story of the decade so far, Red Sox included. If any of you obsessive loser Red Sox Nation losers want to battle me, bring it on.
In the NL, we have the Dodgers against Phillies. Decent match up, damn Cubs didn’t show up.
Let’s get to the picks.
Here were my choices before the season started for the National League:
NL East- Phillies (Unfortunately for me, the Mets fan, this one was correct)
NL Central- Milwaukee (Cubs ended up taking care of business in this division but not after a decent run by the Brewers)
NL West- Arizona (I called this division terrible throughout the entire season, yet its division champion just swept the best team in the league, so what can you do. You can try to not mention that team based in Phoenix.)
Wild Card- Colorado (Finished eight games out of wild card, which is not really good. Let’s keep it moving.)
NL Champions- Arizona (Not a good choice)
NL MVP- Prince Fielder/Ryan Howard (I can make an argument for Howard, but this one should go to Albert Pujols. That guy is a warrior.)
NL Cy Young- Johan Santana (I can make an argument for Johan. That bullpen screwed him out of some more wins. His performance against Florida in the next-to-last game of the season, the three-hitter shutout on a bum knee was inspiring. Give it to Tim Lincecum or CC Sabathia. )
NL Manager of the Year- Bob Melvin (I still think that Lou Pinella should get this one because it’s a regular season award.)
NL Surprise Team- Cincinnati (The Natti are progressing, but its gotta be the Cardinals or even Houston, who actually finished with a better record. )
NL Disappointment- Chicago and San Diego (This Cubs pick looked worse during the regular season but I guess they evened out in the postseason. The Padres stunk).
NL Worst Team- San Francisco (even worse than Pittsburgh) They weren’t the worst team in the league, that honor goes to the Nationals, but the Giants did have a better record than Atlanta, Pittsburgh and San Diego.
My standings predictions for each division and the current ones:
My NL East:
1) Philadelphia
2) New York
3) Atlanta
4) Washington
5) Florida
Final NL East:
1) Philadelphia
2) New York
3) Florida
4) Atlanta
5) Washington
Here’s what I wrote about this division in the beginning of the season:
NL East- 1) Philadelphia- I don't understand why people are lukewarm on this team. I think they have the best lineup in the division top to bottom and the pitching staff is solid. I would worry about Brad Lidge in the bullpen though and I know losing Rowland won't help the team. I still like them to at least win the division. 2) New York- Ah, my beloved Mets. I have such a love/hate relationship with them. Starting Pitching is ok. Santana speaks for himself and he will have a monster year. Pedro is hurt as usual and Maine and Perez are up and down. Fifth starter won't bring much to the table. Lineup is good but not as great as people make it out to be. There are some major holes in it, especially in the corner outfield positions and catcher. Bullpen is good. I think that they will not win the division in the end. 3) Atlanta- I really wanted to pick them ahead of New York, but I like the Mets rotation a little bit more. Besides that, Braves are going to be a good team this year. 4) Washington- Going to a new ballpark will give them a few extra wins and they are getting some young talent. Why the Mets traded Milledge, I don't know. 5) Florida: Ramirez is good, Uggla is solid and I like Andrew Miller. Everything else you can keep. We'll see these guys around in a few years and they will contend for a world series at that point.
I liked the Phillies, which was nice for me. The Mets did what they do. I was wise to be lukewarm on Atlanta. The Braves crappiness has been a personal highlight and joy for me. Washington doesn’t even exist to me and Florida surprised in a positive way.
My NL Central:
1) Milwaukee
2) Cincinnati
3) Chicago
4) St. Louis
5) Houston
6) Pittsburgh
Final NL Central:
1) Chicago
2) Milwaukee
3) Houston
4) St. Louis
5) Cincinnati
6) Pittsburgh
My thoughts earlier in the season:
NL Central- 1) Milwaukee- I love the experience that these young guys gained last season. These guys are ready to make the leap and take this surprisingly competitive division. 2) Cincinnati- I love to take chances in my predictions and this is a big one. I like their young arms and the lineup isn't bad at all. Dusty Baker brings them some credibility and I think they will finish second. 3) Chicago- Cubs fans don't want to see this. Honestly, I think the Cubs are better then Cincinnati and maybe even Milwaukee on paper, but I see them taking a major step back this season. 4) St. Louis- Pujols is a beast but doesn't have much support. Injuries and age have taken a toll on this team the last few years accept for the world championship in '06. 5) Houston- Oswalt, Berkman and El Cabayo (Carlos Lee) are solid, but not much else. Pence is good to and Tejada may be washed up. 6) Pittsburgh- I watched a Pirates/Marlins game on TV last night and only knew one or two Pirates. They're going to be bad.
The Cubs were a bad prediction for me. Also, the Natti let me down. Props to St. Louis and Houston for going above expectations. The Brewers made the playoffs which was big for that franchise. Pittsburgh, well, at least you have good food, the Penguins and Steelers.
My NL West:
1) Arizona
2) Colorado
3) Los Angeles
4) San Diego
5) San Francisco
Current NL West:
1) Los Angeles
2) Arizona
3) Colorado
4) San Francisco
5) San Diego
Thoughts at the beginning of the season:
NL West- 1) Arizona- The Diamondbacks win the most competitive division in baseball. The pitching is outstanding and the lineup will improve because everyone is a year older. They win a lot of close games and that wins divisions. 2) Colorado- I love the lineup and they have the experience. I still just don't trust the pitching long-term. Good enough to win the wildcard but not good enough to repeat a pennent. 3) Los Angeles-Torre, play the young guys and you may sneak into a wild-card spot. 4) San Diego- Money Pitching + Cheap Hitting = No success and an angry Jake Peavy 5) San Francisco- No Bonds + Old as Dirt Lineup + Young Pitchers still learning + Crappy Barry Zito = Last place in division and possibly worst record in league and baseball.
The Dogdes rode Manny Ramirez to a division title, good times for them. Furthermore, props to Joe Torre as well. Even though I grew up despising the Yankees during their glory days, the only three guys I never had beefs with were Torre, Derek Jeter and David Wells. I had times where I disliked Paul O’Neill, Mariano Rivera, Bernie Williams and many of the other guys. So congrats to Torre.
Arizona disappointed me, Colorado even more but I shouldn’t have been so quick to give them a playoff spot after doing something last season that won’t be done again for another generation. The Giants are going to have tough times for a few more years and San Diego is probably the same.
On to the American League:
AL East- Boston (Tampa won it but Boston held their own)
AL Central- Cleveland (not a good pick)
AL West- Seattle (terrible, terrible, terrible, terrible, and one more time, terrible pick)
Wild Card- Toronto (Another 85+ win season, another missed playoff spot)
AL Champs- Cleveland (let’s just move on)
AL MVP- Manny Ramirez (This can still happen right?)
AL Cy Young- Roy Halladay (Roy should still get some consideration but Cliff Lee gets this award.)
AL Manager of the Year- Terry Francona (this is Joe Maddon’s award, manager of Tampa Bay. Terry has done a good job and you have to consider that loser manager of Anaheim, the manager of the Twins and Ozzie.)
AL Surprise Team- Kansas City (Not the best choice but not as bad as Seattle. I wonder who this award should go to…)
AL Disappointment Team- Yankees and Anaheim (Yankees, yes…Anaheim did well.)
AL Worst Team- Baltimore (I was worried about this pick, but the Orioles failed enough to have the second-worst record behind…frickin Seattle!)
My AL East:
1) Boston
2) Toronto
3) New York
4) Tampa Bay
5) Baltimore
Final AL East:
1) Tampa Bay
2) Boston
3) New York
4) Toronto
5) Baltimore
Thoughts in May:
Here's how the AL East breaks down: 1) Boston- They are the most complete team in the division. 2) Toronto- They have the tools to overtake New York, they just have to stay healthy. 3) New York- They will still win around 85 games, but their pitching staff is too young and too old at the same time, which is hard to do. 4) Tampa Bay- The Rays are going to not finish in the cellar, congrats. They have some young talent. 5) Baltimore- Its going to be a long year at Charm City.
I was on point with the Yankees. No one had Tampa doing what they did.
My AL Central:
1) Cleveland
2) Detroit
3) Kansas City
4) Chicago
5) Minnesota
Current AL Central:
1) Chicago
2) Minnesota
3) Cleveland
4) Kansas City
5) Detroit
May Thouhgts:
AL Central- 1) Cleveland- Most complete team in the division. I'm banking on Pronk finding his stroke again and C.C not eating himself out of a big contract. 2) Detroit- World Championship lineup, Pennent starting pitching, .500 Bullpen. This won't be Detroit's year. 3) Kansas City- I think these guys can surprise some people this season. I've seen their first few games and like what I've seen from them. 4) Chicago- I just have a bad vibe about this team and their overall chances. 5) Minnesota- They still have Mauer and Morneau, but they lost too much this off-season. As a general baseball fan, I hope Liriano comes back healthy, because he's a joy to watch.
Completely off with these predictions. Cleveland has been documented well enough, but what the heck happened in Detroit? First the Tigers, the Lions are actually worse than the Raiders this year and the Pistons are not even going to make the Eastern Conference Finals this year, you heard it here first.
Once again, my apologies to the fine people of Minnesota for saying that your team would be terrible. My bad.
My AL West:
1) Seattle
2) Anaheim
3) Oakland
4) Texas
Current AL West:
1) Anaheim
2) Texas
3) Oakland
4) Seattle
My May Thoughts:
AL West- 1) Seattle- Bedard will be the difference maker in this division. The lineup is solid, but not great. King Felix is a special pitcher if he stays healthy and I'm banking on a decent season from him health-wise. He stays healthy the whole season and he's winning the Cy Young award, its that simple. 2) Anaheim- I know they are the Los Angeles Angels of whatever. Anyway, their starting rotation is banged up, which I don't like at all. They will score some runs, but in the long run, they won't make the postseason. 3) Oakland- They blown up their team once again and are going with the youngsters. I trust Billy Beane's knowledge, but its going to be a rough year for them. 4) Texas- I like nothing about this team accept Josh Hamilton. The pitching is awful. Nothing else to say here.
Well, Seattle is terrible. I talked bad about the sports scene in Detroit, but what about Seattle? Seahawks stink, Mariners were awful and now in one of the worst sports moves I’ve ever seen, the Sonics are out of town. Hold on Seattle. The Grizzlies are going to move to Seattle in a few years, the Mariners have to get better one day and the Seahawks, well, at least you have good coffee.
Those are my predictions. Mock me completely about them, I welcome it. Until then, stay up and you will never stay down.
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