Happy Opening Day everybody!! With the season kicking off tonight with the World Champion St. Louis Cardinals playing the revamped Miami Marlins, it’s time to start the blogging year with my predictions for the division and wild card winners. Let’s jump right in with the beasts of the East…
American League East-New York Yankees
This division is LOADED this year. From Boston’s bats, to Toronto and Tampa Bay’s pitching, to the Yankees’…well, they’re the Yankees. The poor Orioles don’t stand a chance. I’m taking the Yankees to pull it off this year, but it won’t come easy. They seem to have the best, well-rounded team. If Boston’s pitching is solid look for them to make a run. The Jays and Rays will be great soon, but the Bronx Bombers are built to win right now.
American League Central-Detroit Tigers
Can anybody dethrone the team with a great pitching staff and great lineup that also happened to land one of the better hitters in baseball? I think not. Look for Detroit to run away with this one.
American League West-Los Angeles Angels
The noisiest division during the offseason is going to be exciting to watch. The Angels added the best hitter and best pitcher on the free agent market (Pujols and Wilson), and the Rangers and A’s signed hyped foreign prospects (Darvish and Cespedes respectively). The Rangers have had a lock on this division the last couple years, making it to the Series both years, but this looks to be the Angels time to shine. With arguably the best pitching staff in baseball, and an all of a sudden scary hitting lineup, Arte Moreno’s beefed up payroll is my favorite to go all the way this year.
American League Wild Cards-Texas Rangers and Boston Red Sox
Texas has made the World Series the last two years and it’s not a fluke. Just because they will lose the division to the rival Angels this go round, doesn’t mean they won’t be a great playoff team. The circus that is Boston will benefit from the extra Wild Card slot created this year. They have a suspect pitching staff, new manager, and have already had their share of controversy this off season, but you can’t overlook that lineup. They will barely beat out a young Tampa Bay team.
National League East-Philadelphia Phillies
This will be a fun division to watch because of so many unknowns. How are the new-look Marlins going to play? Can a young Nationals team finally start to pull themselves out of the basement of the division? Can Atlanta’s young and talented pitching staff compete with the veteran studs of Philly? Doesn’t New York have two baseball teams? (Sorry Mets fans, but they won’t hardly compete this year) I’m taking the Phillies this year purely on their pitching. The window is closing fast on them with their injury-prone stars (I’m looking at you Rollins, Utley, and Howard) but the Braves and Nationals are probably one more year away and I rarely believe in a team with as much change as the Marlins faced this year.
National League Central-Milwaukee Brewers
This division lost its two biggest stars, yet it’s still one of the most intriguing. It looks to be a 3 horse race between the Brewers, Cards, and Reds. I’m taking the better pitching staff. All three have great offensive weapons, but in a pitching-heavy league, Milwaukee gets the edge.
National League West-San Francisco Giants
Just call it the Black and Blue Division. The teams in this division seem to beat up on each other every year to the point where the untrained eye thinks it’s one of mediocrity. However, don’t sleep on whoever limps into the playoffs from the West (see 2010 Giants). The 2011 division winning Diamondbacks decided to mostly stand pat, while Colorado and San Fran added some under the radar pieces. The Dodgers are a year away from competing again, so look for a tight 3 team struggle that may cost the second place team a wild card slot. I’m taking San Francisco to squeak by Arizona in the last week of the season, again going with the best overall pitching staff.
National League Wild Cards-St. Louis Cardinals and Atlanta Braves
The World Champs may not win their division, but that didn’t seem to stop them last year. Even without Pujols, they field a tough lineup and deep pitching which will carry them into the playoffs once again. With a year now under their belt, look for the Braves young pitching staff to carry them into the extra Wild Card spot, barely edging out the Reds and Diamondbacks.
Let the debating begin as we sit back and enjoy the show…
