AMERICAN LEAGUE
AL EAST
New York Yankees.... 94-68
Tampa Bay Rays ....90-72*
Boston Red Sox .... 88-74
Toronto Blue Jays ...83-79
Baltimore Orioles ...71-92
Yankees always seem to win and with their offense and added starting pitching of Pineda and Kuroda I like them to take this divison. The Rays and Red Sox will battle for a wild card spot with the Sox falling just a few games shy of making it due to below average starting pitching. Blue Jays continue to get better but the competition in this division proves too much for a serious run...this year.
AL CENTRAL
Detroit Tigers .... 97-65
Chicago White Sox.... 81-81
Kansas City Royals.... 77-85
Cleveland Indians... 71-91
Minnesota Twins.... 66-96
The Tigers easily win the central because the division is weak overall and they have added Prince Fielder and get a full season out of Doug Fister. They could be the only team to finish over .500. The White Sox will be a decent team. Indians take a step back from the season they had last season and the Royals make some strides but still have too many young players to make it over .500. Twins could be the worst team in baseball but Mauer will have a good year (if healthy).
AL West
Anaheim Angels....98-64
Texas Rangers ....91-71*
Oakland Athletics....72-90
Seattle Mariners ....62-100
I think the Angels will take the west with somewhat ease. They added the best player in baseball (on offense) and a solid starter to what was already an impressive starting 5 in C.J. Wilson (who also knows the West already). The Rangers are still easily in the playoff hunt and I have them going to the wild card game. A's and Mariners will pile up a lot of losses against the far superior Angels and Rangers. At least Manny Ramirez will give the A's fans a quick thrill but will be cut before the season ends.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
NL EAST
Philadelphia Phillies....94-68
Miami Marlins .....87-75*
Atlanta Braves.....83-79
Washington Nationals....79-83
New York Mets....73-91
The Phillies are still a strong team and should be one of the best in baseball. They have somewhat shifted from a strong hitting team to a strong pitching team. They have the best starting 3 in the bigs and a new closer in Johnathan Papelbon. Marlins will have a new stadium, players (Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle, Heath Bell), and atmosphere. They will actually have crowds at their games and I believe the changes are enough for a surprise wild card spot for them.
AL CENTRAL
Cincinnati Reds ....89-73
Milwaukee Brewers....85-77
St Louis Cardinals....85-77
Chicago Cubs ....76-86
Pittsburgh Pirates....74-88
Houston Astros....63-99
With no more Pujols and Fielder the central is up for grabs but still very competitive. I picked the Reds because Votto is now the big man in the central and their pitching added a few nice pieces (Latos and new closer Ryan Madson). Brewers still have good hitting but lost a lot with Fielder departing but they have a nice rotation. Cardinals have a new manager and no more Pujols but they have a nice rotation as well. It will be a fun season in the central and no doubt a very close race between the Reds, Brewers, and Cardinals. Astros eagerly await a switch the AL.
NL WEST
San Francisco Giants ....92-70
Arizona Diamondbacks....90-72*
Los Angeles Dodgers....82-80
Colorado Rockies....70-92
San Diego Padres....66-96
Giants continue to have the pitching (starting and in relief) that helps them squeak by the D-backs this year. Giants also added a few bats (Pagan and Melky Carbera) that make the team better, younger, faster, and better on defense. It will be a close race with the D-back and even Dodgers contending. I foresee a bad season for Rockies and Padres due to bad pitching.
*-denotes wild card
PLAYOFFS
Wild Card Games:
Arizona defeats Miami
Tampa Bay defeats Texas
ALDS:
Detroit defeats Tampa Bay (3-2)
Anaheim defeats New York (3-2)
NLDS:
Philadelphia defeats Arizona (3-1)
San Francisco defeats Cincinnati (3-1)
ALCS:
Anaheim defeats Detroit (4-2)
NLCS:
Philadelphia defeats San Francisco (4-3)
World Series:
Philadelphia defeats Anaheim (4-3)
