Well here we go....
NL Central
1. Chicago Cubs - A solid rotation anchored by Carlos Zambrano complimented nicely by a bullpen full of hard throwing right handers. The lineup is a bit streaky but the addition of Fukudome coupled with Soto taking over the everyday catching responsibilities should help stabilize things. The Cubs are the class of the central and should win 90+ games. Those predicting a World Series trip for the Cubs may be right on this season if Rich Hill realizes his potential and Kerry Wood keeps pitching like he has in spring.
2. Milwaukee Brewers - A very young and solid lineup. Many of their starting pitchers are unproven and a bit green. The bullpen is pretty shaky. A nice team but they don't have enough to start with the Cubs. If they can make a move at the trade deadline they probably should as the window of opprotunity is already closing due to Cec's unhappiness with his compensation.
3. Cincinnati Reds - They seem to be up an up and coming team but that is nothing knew. A potent offense but a very questionable rotation. This team could actually contend if the cards feel right but we know that won't happen. How do we know? A certain toothpick chewing moron is managing them. That's how.
4. St. Louis Cardinals - Yeah, they are going to suck, and so will the entire bottom half of this division. The starting rotation is in shambles but they still have a decent lineup when Pujols is healthy. 75 wins would be a good season for these guys.
5. Houston Astros - Again, a decent offense with a terrible rotation and bullpen. Is anyone seeing a pattern? Tejada probably has a 30 homer season in him in that crackbox of a stadium and should provide a bit of protection for Carlos Lee. Oswalt (aka The Midget) has no compliment in the rotation. Does anyone even know who they have wondering around in their once dominant bullpen?
6. Pittsburgh Pirates - I am going to keep this short and sweet. They are going to suck. They will likely be a pain in the Cubs ass as they always are, but they will suck bad.
NL East
1. NY Mets - The only truly balanced team in this division. The addition of Johan Santana will end up pushing them over the top. Injuries to Martinez, El Duque, Delgado, and Alou are likely to factor in to whether the finish at the top.
2. Philadelphia Phillies (Wild Card) - One hell of an offense but besides Hamel, no one in the rotation scares anyone. I am not convinced Kendrick will 15 games like everyone seems to think he will.
3. Atlanta Braves - The rotation is already showing it's age. Unless Teixeira has an MVP season and Escobar has rookie of the year numbers I don't see the Braves keeping pace.
4. Washington Nationals - The new park will boost revenues and potentially allow them to expand their payroll but the benefits from that won't be seen for a couple of season.
5. Florida Marlins - The have a lot of young talent which they will likely continue to trade away. The Cabrera/Dontrelle trade will deflate the offense but open up a rotation spot for one of their many potential star pitchers. The key word their is potential.
NL West
1. Los Angeles Dodgers - It seems that Andre Ethier is going to steal some of Juan Pierre's playing time which will only help this anemic offense. If they get anything out of Jason Schmidt I don't see how they can't win this division. The chances of the D'backs winning the division despite barely having a positive run differential are low as the chances Nomar will stay healthy.
2. Colorado Rockies - Matt Holliday anchors a more than capable offense. The rotation is only a question mark due to Coors. They have some young guns that seem not to be intimidated by the challenge of pitching in Coors. They could easily slip by the Dodgers.
3. Arizona Diamondbacks - I hate to say it D'back fans but last season WAS a fluke. That young lineup does not have any patience and Byrnes is not likely to repeat last seasons career year. Anyone who thinks Randy Johnson won't break down is kidding themselves. They have 2 nice starters but lost their closer, and I'm sorry but Qualls isn't the answer. Could they end up winning this division? Sure, but they used all of their mulligans last season.
4. San Diego Padres - Just not enough offense. Couple that with the fact that they now employ Michael Barrett and Mark Prior and one wonders how their fans could expect to be anything but disappointed.
5. San Francisco Giants - They will now suffer from keeping Bonds around all those years. I hope it was worth it. They may be the worst team in the National League.
Rookie of the Year - Geovany Soto
1. Chicago Cubs - A solid rotation anchored by Carlos Zambrano complimented nicely by a bullpen full of hard throwing right handers. The lineup is a bit streaky but the addition of Fukudome coupled with Soto taking over the everyday catching responsibilities should help stabilize things. The Cubs are the class of the central and should win 90+ games. Those predicting a World Series trip for the Cubs may be right on this season if Rich Hill realizes his potential and Kerry Wood keeps pitching like he has in spring.
2. Milwaukee Brewers - A very young and solid lineup. Many of their starting pitchers are unproven and a bit green. The bullpen is pretty shaky. A nice team but they don't have enough to start with the Cubs. If they can make a move at the trade deadline they probably should as the window of opprotunity is already closing due to Cec's unhappiness with his compensation.
3. Cincinnati Reds - They seem to be up an up and coming team but that is nothing knew. A potent offense but a very questionable rotation. This team could actually contend if the cards feel right but we know that won't happen. How do we know? A certain toothpick chewing moron is managing them. That's how.
4. St. Louis Cardinals - Yeah, they are going to suck, and so will the entire bottom half of this division. The starting rotation is in shambles but they still have a decent lineup when Pujols is healthy. 75 wins would be a good season for these guys.
5. Houston Astros - Again, a decent offense with a terrible rotation and bullpen. Is anyone seeing a pattern? Tejada probably has a 30 homer season in him in that crackbox of a stadium and should provide a bit of protection for Carlos Lee. Oswalt (aka The Midget) has no compliment in the rotation. Does anyone even know who they have wondering around in their once dominant bullpen?
6. Pittsburgh Pirates - I am going to keep this short and sweet. They are going to suck. They will likely be a pain in the Cubs ass as they always are, but they will suck bad.
NL East
1. NY Mets - The only truly balanced team in this division. The addition of Johan Santana will end up pushing them over the top. Injuries to Martinez, El Duque, Delgado, and Alou are likely to factor in to whether the finish at the top.
2. Philadelphia Phillies (Wild Card) - One hell of an offense but besides Hamel, no one in the rotation scares anyone. I am not convinced Kendrick will 15 games like everyone seems to think he will.
3. Atlanta Braves - The rotation is already showing it's age. Unless Teixeira has an MVP season and Escobar has rookie of the year numbers I don't see the Braves keeping pace.
4. Washington Nationals - The new park will boost revenues and potentially allow them to expand their payroll but the benefits from that won't be seen for a couple of season.
5. Florida Marlins - The have a lot of young talent which they will likely continue to trade away. The Cabrera/Dontrelle trade will deflate the offense but open up a rotation spot for one of their many potential star pitchers. The key word their is potential.
NL West
1. Los Angeles Dodgers - It seems that Andre Ethier is going to steal some of Juan Pierre's playing time which will only help this anemic offense. If they get anything out of Jason Schmidt I don't see how they can't win this division. The chances of the D'backs winning the division despite barely having a positive run differential are low as the chances Nomar will stay healthy.
2. Colorado Rockies - Matt Holliday anchors a more than capable offense. The rotation is only a question mark due to Coors. They have some young guns that seem not to be intimidated by the challenge of pitching in Coors. They could easily slip by the Dodgers.
3. Arizona Diamondbacks - I hate to say it D'back fans but last season WAS a fluke. That young lineup does not have any patience and Byrnes is not likely to repeat last seasons career year. Anyone who thinks Randy Johnson won't break down is kidding themselves. They have 2 nice starters but lost their closer, and I'm sorry but Qualls isn't the answer. Could they end up winning this division? Sure, but they used all of their mulligans last season.
4. San Diego Padres - Just not enough offense. Couple that with the fact that they now employ Michael Barrett and Mark Prior and one wonders how their fans could expect to be anything but disappointed.
5. San Francisco Giants - They will now suffer from keeping Bonds around all those years. I hope it was worth it. They may be the worst team in the National League.
Rookie of the Year - Geovany Soto
Cy Young - Johan Santana
MVP - Russell Martin
AL Central
1. Detroit Tigers - Tons on offense. I still love to talk shit to my Tiger fan friends about Jock but if him batting 9th for them is the biggest problem they have then they are likely going to have a nice season. Injuries to the starting rotation will make or break this team. They better hope Zumaya gets healthy because they need all the help they can get in the pen.
2. Cleveland Indians - Another solid lineup in the Central. C.C. will probably get the Cy Young in his walk year. This is another team that better get it done because the window of opprotunity is closing. They also need some help in the pen. Who doesn't though?....besides the Cubs (LAUGH).
3. Chicago White Sox - This was a toss up between the Sox and Twins. I am going to give the Sox the nod based on what I saw in Spring Training. This new Cuban player looks pretty solid. Thome is sure to fall apart and Konerko is likely to have another below average campaign. That 2005 season feels like a long time ago doesn't it Sox fans?
4. Minnesota Twins - The loss of Santana slides them to fourth in the division. Trading him was the right decision since they won't have knocked off the Tigers of Indians. They picked up some nice players but they are a lot like the Marlins and A's. They get some nice talents and dumps them after a couple of playoff seasons. Hell, I wish the Cubs had those problems.
5. Kansas City Royals - They have some nice young position players. Butler can fucking rake. If Greinke pans out as a starter they might slide up a notch in the division. Overall, they just are not that good.
AL East
1. NY Yankees - Sorry Red Sox fans, I thought the Yanks were better last season and I think they are again this season. It will boil down to injuries in this race. They really need Matsui to stay healthy. Joba will probably move to the rotation before the season is out. The Red Sox better sneak one more division title in there this year because C.C. is headed to NY next season.
2. Boston Red Sox (Wild Card) - Manny, Varitek, and Ortiz are all 1 year older. They could end up winning the division if Lester and Buchholz give them some good starts. I guess I don't know what to think about the top of this division. All I know is that if you take out the past few years the Yanks have always bettered the Sox.
3. Toronto Blue Jays - They have enough hitting and pitching to hold off Tampa but they just aren't in the same league (ok smartass....I guess they are) as the Yanks and the Red Sox. Halladay might have enough in his tank to compete for another Cy Young now that Johan is gone but even that is a stretch.
4. Tampa Bay
5. Baltimore Orioles - JUST FUCKING GIVE US ROBERTS ALREADY ASSHOLES!
AL West
1. Los Angeles Angels - Tons of Angels in the outfield. Man what a terrible movie. Anyway, Weaver looked sharp in his Spring Training outting against the Cubs. If they get Lackey back healthy by mid-May they should be fine. The offense is improved and Garland provides them an established 3 starter. All that and I am just not buying Seattle.
2. Seattle Mariners - They have enough to finish in 2nd in the West, I just don't think they can sneak by the Angels. They are fairly close to the Angels on paper, especially if they get ANYTHING from Sexson but I have to give the edge to the Angels on coaching. If Felix has a breakout year they could prove me wrong.
3. Texas Rangers - Josh Hamilton may have been the best hitter in Arizona this spring. What does that mean? Not much. They still don't have any pitching. Eventually their management will figure that out.....maybe.
4. Oakland A's - They are reloading. No sarcasm there. They have pulled off some nice trades and have stockpiled some nice talent in the field and on the bump. I expect to see Gio Gonzalez in the majors sooner than later. Billy Beane really fucked Kenny Williams on that trade. Swisher is a nice hitter but Gonzalez may turn out to be an ace.
Rookie of the Year - Daric Barton
Cy Young - C.C. Sabathia
MVP - Alex Rodriguez
Playoffs
NL - Cubs over Phillies, Mets over Dodgers, Cubs over Mets
AL - Tigers over Red Sox, Yankees over Angels, Tigers over Red Sox
World Series
Why not, I probably fucked the rest of this up......Cubs over Tigers.
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1 comments:
After today I think K-Fuk might give Soto a running for his money on the Rookie of the Year.
Cubs vs. Boston in the series...at least that what Vegas says.
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