2009 MLB Predictions

[Chris M.]

With Opening Day just around the corner, I figured it'd be a good time to predict the division champs, WS champion, award winners, etc.

* indicates wildcard winner

AL East
1. New York Yankees
2. Boston Red Sox*
3. Tampa Bay Rays
4. Toronto Blue Jays
5. Baltimore Orioles

AL Central
1. Cleveland Indians
2. Chicago White Sox
3. Minnesota Twins
4. Detroit Tigers
5. Kansas City Royals

AL West
1. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
2. Oakland Athletics
3. Texas Rangers
4. Seattle Mariners

NL East
1. New York Mets
2. Philadelphia Phillies*
3. Florida Marlins
4. Atlanta Braves
5. Washington Nationals

NL Central
1. Chicago Cubs
2. St. Louis Cardinals
3. Houston Astros
4. Milwaukee Brewers
5. Cincinnati Reds
6. Pittsburgh Pirates

NL West
1. Los Angeles Dodgers
2. Arizona Diamondbacks
3. San Francisco Giants
4. Colorado Rockies
5. San Diego Padres

AL Playoffs
(4) Boston Red Sox over (2) Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
(1) New York Yankees over (3) Cleveland Indians

(4) Boston Red Sox over (1) New York Yankees

NL Playoffs
(3) Chicago Cubs over (1) New York Mets
(2) Los Angeles Dodgers over (4) Philadelphia Phillies

(2) Los Angeles Dodgers over (3) Chicago Cubs

World Series
(2) Los Angeles Dodgers over (4) Boston Red Sox in 7 games

AL MVP: Mark Teixeira, New York Yankees
NL MVP: David Wright, New York Mets
AL Cy Young: C.C. Sabathia, New York Yankees
NL Cy Young: Johan Santana, New York Mets
AL ROTY: Matt Wieters, Baltimore Orioles
NL ROTY: Cameron Maybin, Florida Marlins
World Series MVP: Chad Billingsley, Los Angeles Dodgers

[xbrokendownx]

AL EAST

Yankees
Red Sox (WC)
Rays
Orioles
Jays

AL CENTRAL

Indians
White Sox
Twins
Tigers
Royals

AL WEST

Angels
Athletics
Rangers
Mariners

NL EAST

Mets
Phillies
Marlins
Braves
Nationals

NL CENTRAL

Cubs
Cardinals (WC)
Brewers
Astros
Reds
Pirates

NL WEST

Dodgers
Diamondbacks
Giants
Rockies
Padres

WORLD SERIES

Cubs over Yankees

[Chris M.]

Floyd, our division rankings are all exactly the same except you have Baltimore ahead of Toronto in the East.

[TheOtherAndrew]

AL EAST

Red Sox
Yankees (WC)
Rays
Jays
Orioles

AL CENTRAL

Twins
Indians
White Sox
Tigers
Royals

AL WEST

Angels
Athletics
Rangers
Mariners

NL EAST

Mets
Phillies (WC)
Braves
Marlins
Nationals

NL CENTRAL

Cubs
Brewers
Cardinals
Reds
Astros
Pirates

NL WEST

Dodgers
Giants
Diamondbacks
Rockies
Padres


ALDS
Red Sox over Twins
Angels over Yankees

ALCS
Red Sox over Angels

NLDS
Mets over Dodgers
Cubs over Phillies

NLCS
Mets over Cubs



World Series
Red Sox over Mets



NL Cy Young: Johan Santana
AL Cy Young: Jon Lester

[xbrokendownx]

hahaha yea i just noticed that

[ForlrnPerplxity]

AL East
Red Sox
Yankees (WC)
Rays
Blue Jays
Orioles

AL Central
Indians
Twins
White Sox
Tigers
Royals

AL West
Angels
A's
Mariners
Rangers

NL East
Mets
Phillies (WC)
Braves
Marlins
Nationals

NL Central
Cubs
Cardinals
Reds
Brewers
Astros
Pirates

NL West
Dodgers
DBacks
Giants
Rockies
Padres

Red Sox over Angels
Yankees over Indians

Mets over Cubs
Dodgers over Phillies

Yankees over Red Sox
Dodgers over Mets

Yankees over Dodgers

[Kaleidoscope]

* indicates wildcard winner

AL East
1. New York Yankees
2. Tampa Bay Rays*
3. Boston Red Sox
4. Toronto Blue Jays
5. Baltimore Orioles

AL Central
1. Minnesota Twins
2. Cleveland Indians
3. Chicago White Sox
4. Kansas City Royals
5. Detroit Tigers

AL West
1. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
2. Oakland Athletics
3. Texas Rangers
4. Seattle Mariners

NL East
1. New York Mets
2. Philadelphia Phillies*
3. Florida Marlins
4. Atlanta Braves
5. Washington Nationals

NL Central
1. Chicago Cubs
2. St. Louis Cardinals
3. Houston Astros
4. Milwaukee Brewers
5. Cincinnati Reds
6. Pittsburgh Pirates

NL West
1. Los Angeles Dodgers
2. Arizona Diamondbacks
3. San Diego Padres
4. San Francisco Giants
5. Colorado Rockies

AL Playoffs
(4) Tampa Bay Rays over (2) Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
(1) New York Yankees over (3) Minnesota Twins

(1) New York Yankees over (4) Tampa Bay Rays

NL Playoffs
(1) New York Mets over (3) Chicago Cubs
(2) Los Angeles Dodgers over (4) Philadelphia Phillies

(2) Los Angeles Dodgers over (1) New York Mets

World Series
(1) New York Yankees over (2) Los Angeles Dodgers

AL MVP: Mark Teixeira
NL MVP: Albert Pujols
AL Cy Young: Joe Saunders
NL Cy Young: Johan Santana
AL ROTY: David Price
NL ROTY: Cameron Maybin
World Series MVP: Alex Rodriguez, lol.

[TheOtherAndrew]

* indicates wildcard winner

AL East
1. New York Yankees
2. Tampa Bay Rays*
3. Boston Red Sox
4. Toronto Blue Jays
5. Baltimore Orioles

AL Playoffs
(4) Boston Red Sox over (2) Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Interesting.

[ForlrnPerplxity]

haha, your playoff structure and mine are exactly the same.

[thesafeword]

AL East
Boston Red Sox
Tampa Bay Devil Rays
New York Yankees
Toronto Blue Jays
Baltimore Orioles

AL Central
Chicago White Sox
Cleveland Indians
Minnesota Twins
Detroit Tigers
Kansas City Royals

AL West
Los Angelas Angels of Anaheim
Oakland A's
Seattle Mariners
Texas Rangers

NL East
Philadelphia Phillies
Atlanta Braves
Washington Nationals
New York Mets
Florida Marlins

NL Central
St. Louis Cardinals
Chicago Cubs
Milwaulkee Brewers
Houston Astros
Cincinnati Reds
Pittsburgh Pirates

NL West
Los Angelas Dodgers
Arizona Diamondbacks
Colorado Rockies
San Diego Padres
San Francisco Giants

AL Playoffs
(1)Boston Red Sox over (3)Chicago White Sox
(2)Los Angelas Angels of Anaheim over (4)Tampa Bay Devil Rays

(1)Boston Red Sox over (2)Los Angelas Angels of Anaheim

NL Playoffs
(4)Atlanta Braves over (2)St. Louis Cardinals
(1)Philadelphia Phillies over (3)Los Angelas Dodgers

(1)Philadelphia Phillies over (4)Atlanta Braves

World Series
(1)Boston Red Sox over (1)Philadelphia Phillies

[thesafeword]

Interesting.
I can't wait to see how that goes down.

[DaveFeelsRight]

AL

East
Red Sox
Yankees(WC)
Rays
Jays
Orioles

Central
Indians
White Sox
Twins
Royals
Tigers

West
A's
Angels
Rangers
M's

NL

East
Phillies
Braves (WC)
Mets
Marlins
Nationals

Central
Cubs
Brewers
Cardinals
Astros
Reds
Pirates

West
Dodgers
Diamondbacks
Giants
Rockies
Padres

AL Playoffs

Red Sox over Indians
Yankees over A's

Red Sox over Yankees

NL Playoffs

Braves over Cubs
Phillies over Dodgers

Phillies over Braves

World Series

Red Sox over Phillies

no doubt i'll be proven wrong though

[acfrue]

AL East
Yankees
Red Sox (WC)
Rays
Blue Jays
Orioles

AL Central
White Sox
Indians
Twins
Tigers
Royals

AL West
Angels
A's
Mariners
Rangers

NL East
Phillies
Mets
Marlins
Nationals
Braves

NL Central
Cubs
Cardinals (WC)
Brewers
Reds
Astros
Pirates

NL West
Dodgers
Diamondbacks
Giants
Rockies
Padres

AL Playoffs
Yankees over White Sox
Angels over Red Sox

Angels over Yankees

NL Playoffs
Cubs over Phillies
Dodgers over Cardinals

Cubs over Dodgers

World Series
Cubs over Angels

:rolleyes: I probably jinxed it...

AL Cy Young: C.C. Sabathia
NL Cy Young: Cole Hamels
AL MVP: Vladimir Guerrero
NL MVP: Manny Ramirez

[Kaleidoscope]

Interesting.

whoops fixed

[Shark90576]

AL East
1. Boston Red Sox
2. New York Yankees*
3. Tampa Bay Rays
4. Toronto Blue Jays
5. Baltimore Orioles

AL Central
1. Cleveland Indians
2. Chicago White Sox
3. Minnesota Twins
4. Kansas City Royals
5. Detroit Tigers

AL West
1. Anaheim Angels
2. Oakland Athletics
3. Seattle Mariners
4. Texas Rangers

NL East
1. Philadelphia Phillies
2. New York Mets*
3. Atlanta Braves
4. Florida Marlins
5. Washington Nationals

NL Central
1. Chicago Cubs
2. St. Louis Cardinals
3. Milwaukee Brewers
4. Houston Astros
5. Cincinnati Reds
6. Pittsburgh Pirates

NL West
1. Los Angeles Dodgers
2. Arizona Diamondbacks
3. San Francisco Giants
4. Colorado Rockies
5. San Diego Padres

AL Playoffs
(1) Boston Red Sox over (3) Cleveland Indians
(4) New York Yankees over (2) Anaheim Angels

(1) Boston Red Sox over (4) New York Yankees

NL Playoffs
(2) Chicago Cubs over (4) New York Mets
(3) Los Angeles Dodgers over (1) Philadelphia Phillies

(2) Chicago Cubs over (3) Los Angeles Dodgers

World Series
(1) Boston Red Sox over (2) Chicago Cubs in 6 games

AL MVP: Kevin Youkilis
NL MVP: Chase Utley
AL Cy Young: Felix Hernandez
NL Cy Young: Johan Santana

[bigmike]

AL East
1. New York Yankees
2. Boston Red Sox*
3. Tampa Bay Rays
4. Toronto Blue Jays
5. Baltimore Orioles

AL Central
1. Cleveland Indians
2. Detroit Tigers
3. Minnesota Twins
4. Kansas City Royals
5. Chicago White Sox

AL West
1. Oakland Athletics
2. LA Angels
3. Seattle Mariners
4. Texas Rangers

NL East
1. New York Mets
2. Atlanta Braves*
3. Philadelphia Phillies
4. Florida Marlins
5. Washington Nationals

NL Central
1. Chicago Cubs
2. Milwaukee Brewers
3. St. Louis Cardinals
4. Cincinnati Reds
5. Houston Astros
6. Pittsburgh Pirates

NL West
1. Los Angeles Dodgers
2. Colorado Rockies
3. Arizona D-Backs
4. SF Giants
5. San Diego Padres

[LastPlaceRocks]

whoops fixed
No you still have the Indians in place of the Twins.

[avengedtbs]

AL East
Boston Red Sox
Tampa Bay Devil Rays
New York Yankees
Toronto Blue Jays
Baltimore Orioles

AL Central
Chicago White Sox
Cleveland Indians
Minnesota Twins
Detroit Tigers
Kansas City Royals

AL West
Los Angelas Angels of Anaheim
Oakland A's
Seattle Mariners
Texas Rangers

NL East
Philadelphia Phillies
Atlanta Braves
Washington Nationals
New York Mets
Florida Marlins

NL Central
St. Louis Cardinals
Chicago Cubs
Milwaulkee Brewers
Houston Astros
Cincinnati Reds
Pittsburgh Pirates

NL West
Los Angelas Dodgers
Arizona Diamondbacks
Colorado Rockies
San Diego Padres
San Francisco Giants

AL Playoffs
(1)Boston Red Sox over (3)Chicago White Sox
(2)Los Angelas Angels of Anaheim over (4)Tampa Bay Devil Rays

(1)Boston Red Sox over (2)Los Angelas Angels of Anaheim

NL Playoffs
(4)Atlanta Braves over (2)St. Louis Cardinals
(1)Philadelphia Phillies over (3)Los Angelas Dodgers

(1)Philadelphia Phillies over (4)Atlanta Braves

World Series
(1)Boston Red Sox over (1)Philadelphia Phillies
The Nationals ahead of the Mets? Really?

[livethesounds]

* indicates wildcard winner

AL East
1. Boston Red Sox
2. Tampa Bay Rays*
3. New York Yankees
4. Baltimore Orioles
5. Toronto Blue Jays

AL Central
1. Cleveland Indians
2. Minnesota Twins
3. Chicago White Sox
4. Kansas City Royals
5. Detroit Tigers

AL West
1. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
2. Texas Rangers
3. Oakland Athletics
4. Seattle Mariners

NL East
1. Philadelphia Phillies
2. Atlanta Braves*
3. New York Mets
4. Florida Marlins
5. Washington Nationals

NL Central
1. Chicago Cubs
2. Houston Astros
3. Cincinnati Reds
4. Milwaukee Brewers
5. St. Louis Cardinals
6. Pittsburgh Pirates

NL West
1. Los Angeles Dodgers
2. Arizona Diamondbacks
3. Colorado Rockies
4. San Francisco Giants
5. San Diego Padres

AL Playoffs
(1) Anaheim Angels over (4) Tampa Bay Rays in 5
(2) Boston Red Sox over (3) Cleveland Indians in 4

(1) Anaheim Angels over (2) Boston Red Sox in 6

NL Playoffs
(1) Chicago Cubs over (4) Atlanta Braves in 4
(2) Philadelphia Phillies over (3) Los Angeles Dodgers in 5

(1) Chicago Cubs over (2) Philadelphia Phillies in 7

World Series
Chicago Cubs over Anaheim Angels in 6

AL MVP: Evan Longoria - Tampa Bay Rays
NL MVP: Alphonso Soriano - Chicago Cubs
AL Cy Young: Francisco Liriano, Minnesota Twins
NL Cy Young: Derrick Lowe - Atlanta Braves
AL ROTY: Matt Wieters - Baltimore Orioles
NL ROTY: Pablo Sandoval - San Francisco Giants
World Series MVP: Aramas Ramirez - Chicago Cubs

[Kaleidoscope]

No you still have the Indians in place of the Twins.

think i got it now. finally.
i was in a rush.

[Kaleidoscope]

World Series MVP: Aramas Ramirez - Chicago Cubs

Is it a contract year for him?

[J.C.]

NL East
Philadelphia Phillies
Atlanta Braves
Washington Nationals
New York Mets


:eyebrow:

[rcrook]

AL East
Red Sox
Yankees (WC)
Rays
Blue Jays
Orioles

AL Central
Indians
Twins
White Sox
Tigers
Royals

AL West
Angels
A's
Mariners
Tigers

NL East
Mets
Phillies (WC)
Braves
Marlins
Nationals

NL Central
Cubs
Cardinals
Reds
Brewers
Astros
Pirates

NL West
Dodgers
DBacks
Giants
Rockies
Padres

Red Sox over Angels
Yankees over Indians

Mets over Cubs
Dodgers over Phillies

Yankees over Red Sox
Dodgers over Mets

Yankees over Dodgers'


it's going to be real tough for the tigers to play in both the al central and al west

[rcrook]

AL East
Red Sox
Yankees (WC)
Rays
Blue Jays
Orioles

AL Central
Indians
Twins
Tigers
White Sox
Royals

AL West
Angels
A's
Mariners
Rangers

NL East
Mets
Phillies (WC)
Braves
Marlins
Nationals

NL Central
Cubs
Cardinals
Brewers
Reds
Astros
Pirates

NL West
Dodgers
DBacks
Rockies
Giants
Padres

Red Sox over Angels
Yankees over Indians

Mets over Cubs
Dodgers over Phillies

Red Sox over Yankees
Dodgers over Mets

Red Sox over Dodgers

[Drew Beringer]

NL MVP: Ryan Braun

my only prediction

[MyWorldEntire]

AL Central
Chicago White Sox
Cleveland Indians
Minnesota Twins
Kansas City Royals
Detroit Tigers

AL East
Boston Red Sox
New York Yankees*
Tampa Bay Rays
Toronto Blue Jays
Baltimore Orioles

AL West
Los Angeles Angels
Oakland A's
Texas Rangers
Seattle Mariners

NL Central
Chicago Cubs
St Louis Cardinals
Milwaukee Brewers
Cincinnati Reds
Houston Astros
Pittsburgh Pirates

NL East
New York Mes
Philadelphia Phillies*
Florida Marlins
Atlanta Braves
Washington Nationals

NL West
Los Angeles Dodgers
San Francisco Giants
Arizona Diamonbacks
Colorado Rockies
San Diego Padres

AL Playoffs
4) New York Yankees over 2) Los Angeles Angels
1) Boston Red Sox over 3) Chicago White Sox

1) Boston Red Sox over 4) New York Yankees

NL Playoffs
4) Philadelphia Phillies over 1) Chicago Cubs
2) New York Mets over 3) Los Angeles Dodgers

2) New York Mets over 4) Philadelphia Phillies

World Series
Red Sox over Mets in six

[MyWorldEntire]

NL MVP: Alphonso Soriano - Chicago Cubs


First of all, it's Alfonso

Second of all, LOL

[J.C.]

AL East
1. Boston Red Sox
2. Tampa Bay Rays*
3. New York Yankees
4. Toronto Blue Jays
5. Baltimore Orioles

AL Central
1. Minnesota Twins
2. Cleveland Indians
3. Chicago White Sox
4. Detroit Tigers
5. Kansas City Royals

AL West
1. Los Angeles Angels
2. Oakland Athletics
3. Texas Rangers
4. Seattle Mariners

NL East
1. Philadelphia Phillies
2. New York Mets*
3. Atlanta Braves
4. Florida Marlins
5. Washington Nationals

NL Central
1. Chicago Cubs
2. St. Louis Cardinals
3. Cincinnati Reds
4. Milwaukee Brewers
5. Houston Astros
6. Pittsburgh Pirates

NL West
1. Los Angeles Dodgers
2. Arizona Diamondbacks
3. San Francisco Giants
4. Colorado Rockies
5. San Diego Padres

AL Playoffs
(1) Boston Red Sox over (3) Minnesota Twins
(4) Tampa Bay Rays over (2) Los Angeles Angels

(1) Boston Red Sox over (4) Tampa Bay Rays

NL Playoffs
(1) Chicago Cubs over (4) New York Mets
(2) Philadelphia Phillies over (3) Los Angeles Dodgers

(1) Chicago Cubs over (2) Philadelphia Phillies

World Series
(1) Boston Red Sox over (1) Chicago Cubs in 6

AL MVP: Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay Rays
NL MVP: Ryan Howard, Philadelphia Phillies
AL Cy Young: Roy Halladay, Toronto Blue Jays
NL Cy Young: Chad Billingsley, Los Angeles Dodgers
AL ROTY: David Price, Tampa Bay Rays
NL ROTY: Cameron Maybin, Florida Marlins
World Series MVP: Kevin Youkilis, Boston Red Sox

[Drew Beringer]

NO LOVE FOR THE BREWERS!!

haha

[kshtoinks12]

AL East
1. New York Yankees
2. Tampa Bay Rays*
3. Boston Red Sox
4. Toronto Blue Jays
5. Baltimore Orioles

AL Central
1. Cleveland Indians
2. Chicago White Sox
3. Minnesota Twins
4. Kansas City Royals
5. Detroit Tigers

AL West
1. Texas Rangers
2. Oakland Athletics
3. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
4. Seattle Mariners

NL East
1. Atlanta Braves
2. New York Mets*
3. Philadelphia Phillies
4. For Rida Marlins
5. Washington Nationals

NL Central
1. Chicago Cubs
2. Cincinnati Reds
3. St. Louis Cardinals
4. Milwaukee Brewers
5. Houston Astros
6. Pittsburgh Pirates

NL West
1. Los Angeles Dodgers
2. San Francisco Giants
3. Arizona Diamondbacks
4. Colorado Rockies
5. San Diego Padres

Cleveland over Tampa Bay
New York over Texas

New York over Chicago
Los Angeles over Atlanta

New York over Cleveland

Los Angeles over New York (in heartbreaking fashion)

World Series MVP = Manny Ramirez


Los Angeles over New York

[rcrook]

AL East
1. New York Yankees
2. Tampa Bay Rays*
3. Boston Red Sox
4. Toronto Blue Jays
5. Baltimore Orioles

AL Central
1. Cleveland Indians
2. Chicago White Sox
3. Minnesota Twins
4. Kansas City Royals
5. Detroit Tigers

AL West
1. Texas Rangers
2. Oakland Athletics
3. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
4. Seattle Mariners

NL East
1. Atlanta Braves
2. New York Mets*
3. Philadelphia Phillies
4. For Rida Marlins
5. Washington Nationals

NL Central
1. Chicago Cubs
2. Cincinnati Reds
3. St. Louis Cardinals
4. Milwaukee Brewers
5. Houston Astros
6. Pittsburgh Pirates

NL West
1. Los Angeles Dodgers
2. San Francisco Giants
3. Arizona Diamondbacks
4. Colorado Rockies
5. San Diego Padres

Cleveland over Tampa Bay
New York over Texas

New York over Chicago
Los Angeles over Atlanta

New York over Cleveland

Los Angeles over New York (in heartbreaking fashion)

World Series MVP = Manny Ramirez


Los Angeles over New York

you really think a starting rotation of kevin millwood, vicente padilla, matt harrison, brandon mccarthy and scott feldman will win the al west?

[DaveFeelsRight]

the white sox traded brandon maccarthy for john danks haha

[kshtoinks12]

Offense baby.

[rcrook]

Pitching baby. Most runs given up last year by 83 runs. No chance at winning the west I'm sorry. When Kevin Millwood is your number 1 starter, you've got issues.

[LastPlaceRocks]

NO LOVE FOR THE BREWERS!!

haha
Twins-Brewers World Series Drew - it'll kill baseball once and for all.

[Drew Beringer]

Twins-Brewers World Series Drew - it'll kill baseball once and for all.
that would rule haha

[DaveFeelsRight]

i think pirates-orioles would do that first

[LastPlaceRocks]

that would rule haha
I'd love to see it happen.

i think pirates-orioles would do that first
That's happened a couple times and baseball's still alive, although in fairness it may have started its decline.

[ForlrnPerplxity]

'


it's going to be real tough for the tigers to play in both the al central and al west
I figured MLB would give them a shot at 2 divisions, since they don't have a great one at winning the Central.

[bigmike]

Pitching baby. Most runs given up last year by 83 runs. No chance at winning the west I'm sorry. When Kevin Millwood is your number 1 starter, you've got issues.
You're underselling Kevin Millwood. He's not an ace, then again, there aren't a ton of Aces around the league. He's an above average pitcher that's a solid No. 2. That said, I think the Rangers are bad.

[holyballs]

jays will come in last. halladay will once again pitch the best season of anyone but not win cy young because of the awful run support. wells will have a terrible season but still pegged as the face of the franchise for some reason. snider will have a disappointing season, we'll dump him eventually and he'll have a breakout year for another team two years after we let him go. just like every other prospect we've had for the last little while.

[thesafeword]

The Nationals ahead of the Mets? Really?

:eyebrow:
Calling an upset.
'


it's going to be real tough for the tigers to play in both the al central and al west
Tigers and Rangers look a lot alike, it's an understandable mistake.

[soundofthebrown]

AL East
1. Boston Red Sox
2. New York Yankees (WC)
3. Tampa Bay Rays
4. Toronto Blue Jays
5. Baltimore Orioles

AL Central
1. Cleveland Indians
2. Detroit Tigers
3. Minnesota Twins
4. Chicago White Sox
5. Kansas City Royals

AL West
1. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
2. Oakland Athletics
3. Seattle Mariners
4. Texas Rangers

NL East
1. New York Mets
2. Philadelphia Phillies
3. Atlanta Braves
4. Florida Marlins
5. Washington Nationals

NL Central
1. Chicago Cubs
2. St. Louis Cardinals (WC)
3. Houston Astros
4. Milwaukee Brewers
5. Cincinnati Reds
6. Pittsburgh Pirates

NL West
1. Los Angeles Dodgers
2. Arizona Diamondbacks
3. Colorado Rockies
4. San Francisco Giants
5. San Diego Padres

World Series: Red Sox over Mets

[Smithers]

i predict that the Yankees bullpen as a whole will be abysmal this season. i really think that, save for Rivera (and Marte to some extent), there's no real reliability there. i guess you can say that about most bullpens but i look at NY's pen and all i can think is "that's it?"

[xbrokendownx]

we had like the 6th best bullpen ERA last year, and we now have Marte for a full year and Phil Coke

[aloneatlastnj]

i predict that the Yankees bullpen as a whole will be abysmal this season. i really think that, save for Rivera (and Marte to some extent), there's no real reliability there. i guess you can say that about most bullpens but i look at NY's pen and all i can think is "that's it?"

i can say the same thing about the red sox bullpen too. we shall see.

[aloneatlastnj]

we had like the 6th best bullpen ERA last year, and we now have Marte for a full year and Phil Coke

hopefully coke will be a BEAST and not turn into sean henn pt. II...

and the second one of those guys in the bullpen starts to go cold or puts together a string of bad appearances there are a TON of guys in the minors biting at their heels (robertson, texeira, kontos, claggett) . i'm particularly excited for the new york debut of mark melancon.

[J.C.]

i can say the same thing about the red sox bullpen too.

:-|

The quality(particularly with the depth) in Boston's pen is absurd.

[looksthatkillbn]

AL East
1. Boston Red Sox
2. Tampa Bay Rays (WC)
3. New York Yankees
4. Baltimore Orioles
5. Toronto Blue Jays

AL Central
1. Minnesota Twins
2. Cleveland Indians
3. Chicago White Sox
4. Kansas City Royals
5. Detroit Tigers

AL West
1. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
2. Oakland Athletics
3. Texas Rangers
4. Seattle Mariners

NL East
1. New York Mets
2. Philadelphia Phillies (WC)
3. Atlanta Braves
4. Florida Marlins
5. Washington Nationals

NL Central
1. Chicago Cubs
2. Cincinnati Reds
3. St. Louis Cardinals
4. Houston Astros
5. Milwaukee Brewers
6. Pittsburgh Pirates

NL West
1. Los Angeles Dodgers
2. Arizona Diamondbacks
3. Colorado Rockies
4. San Francisco Giants
5. San Diego Padres

Red Sox over Twins
Angels over Rays

Red Sox over Angels

Mets over Dodgers
Phillies over Cubs

Mets over Phillies

Mets over Red Sox in seven

NL MVP: Chase Utley
AL MVP: Justin Morneau
NL Cy Young: Johan Santana
AL Cy Young: Jon Lester
NL ROY: Cameron Maybin
AL ROY: Matt Wieters

[aloneatlastnj]

:-|

The quality(particularly with the depth) in Boston's pen is absurd.

except masterson's left/right splits are AWFUL (can't get lefties out to save his life), and the red sox bullpen didn't put up the 6th best ERA or the 4th best FIP. the yanks' pen also put up an 8.66 K/9.

i'd argue that the quality AND depth is there in new york, as well. they've got a good core of live young arms--brian bruney, phil coke, jon albaladejo--two seasoned veterans--mariano rivera and damaso marte--and the capable jose veras and edwar ramirez. not to mention the abundance of relief arms in the minors (brett tomko, dan giese, al aceves, mark melancon, david robertson, kanekoa texeira)

[J.C.]

except masterson's left/right splits are AWFUL (can't get lefties out to save his life), and the red sox bullpen didn't put up the 6th best ERA or the 4th best FIP. the yanks' pen also put up an 8.66 K/9.

1. Masterson could arguably be their 6th or 7th best option out of the pen this season.

2. We aren't talking about last year, we're talking about this year. The Sox have added Saito and Ramirez and Joba's no longer coming out of the pen.

i'd argue that the quality AND depth is there in new york, as well. they've got a good core of live young arms--brian bruney, phil coke, jon albaladejo--two seasoned veterans--mariano rivera and damaso marte--and the capable jose veras and edwar ramirez. not to mention the abundance of relief arms in the minors (brett tomko, dan giese, al aceves, mark melancon, david robertson, kanekoa texeira)

Papelbon/Saito/Okajima/Ramirez/Delcarmen/Masterson/Lopez/whoever > Rivera/Marte/Bruney/Coke/Veras/Albaladejo/whoever

I don't even see where it's an argument. If Joba's there, you can make a case, but otherwise I don't see it. Bullpens are unpredictable and can fluctuate from year to year, but Boston definitely has more trustworthy arms back there right now.

[bigmike]

i predict that the Yankees bullpen as a whole will be abysmal this season. i really think that, save for Rivera (and Marte to some extent), there's no real reliability there. i guess you can say that about most bullpens but i look at NY's pen and all i can think is "that's it?"
If Brian Cashman has done one thing well in his tenure, it's generally building cheap, effective bullpens in front of Mo Rivera.

[xbrokendownx]

and the Yankees now have Marte for a full year and have a good young rookie combination of Coke/Albaladejo

[Chris M.]

except masterson's left/right splits are AWFUL (can't get lefties out to save his life), and the red sox bullpen didn't put up the 6th best ERA or the 4th best FIP. the yanks' pen also put up an 8.66 K/9.

i'd argue that the quality AND depth is there in new york, as well. they've got a good core of live young arms--brian bruney, phil coke, jon albaladejo--two seasoned veterans--mariano rivera and damaso marte--and the capable jose veras and edwar ramirez. not to mention the abundance of relief arms in the minors (brett tomko, dan giese, al aceves, mark melancon, david robertson, kanekoa texeira)

Except Masterson is just one part of a monster bullpen. He won't even be counted on heavily to get lefties out, so I'm not sure why that's an issue.

[livethesounds]

First of all, it's Alfonso

Second of all, LOL

i did this at the spur of the moment last night and didn't have a lot of time. and what's so funny? he's been MVP before, besides injury what's really stopping him from putting up those types of numbers again?
and everybody's just filling in the same shit they see everybody else doing. what's the point in making predictions if you're not willing to go out on a limb a little bit?

NO LOVE FOR THE BREWERS!!

haha

I think it's really hard to predict the NL Central other than the Cubs on top and the Pirates on the bottom. It could really go either way. I don't think any NL Central team will get a wild card spot, but they'll be in contention.

[Drew Beringer]

I'll predict that the Brewers have the best offense out of all the Wild Card Contenders, they are just going to need the starting pitching to overachieve haha

[livethesounds]

i like houston's offense pretty well, healthy that is.

[Scott Weber]

i like houston's offense pretty well, healthy that is.
of course you do!

[Drew Beringer]

The Brewers 1-7 hitters all have 20+ HR potential, but they are poor contact hitters and strike out a ton. Hopefully that changes this year.

[Smithers]

i can say the same thing about the red sox bullpen too. we shall see.
seriously? the Sox worst reliever is either Delcarmen or Lopez. their depth is ridiculous. plus they have Dan Bard waiting in the minors should problems arise.

except masterson's left/right splits are AWFUL (can't get lefties out to save his life), and the red sox bullpen didn't put up the 6th best ERA or the 4th best FIP. the yanks' pen also put up an 8.66 K/9.
except those numbers are from last year, when the Sox were sending out Aardsma and 900 year old Timlin. this year they've replaced with Saito, who's career ERA is under 2 and Ramon Ramirez, who had a great year for the Royals and strikes out just under a guy an inning.



maybe i'm wrong about the Yankees pen, but they just have too many unknowns for me to have confidence in. their career IPs are: Edwar - 76, Coke - 15, Albaladejo - 28, Veras - 78. the only one on the Sox staff with under 100 is Masterson.

[MyWorldEntire]

i did this at the spur of the moment last night and didn't have a lot of time. and what's so funny? he's been MVP before, besides injury what's really stopping him from putting up those types of numbers again?
and everybody's just filling in the same shit they see everybody else doing. what's the point in making predictions if you're not willing to go out on a limb a little bit?

I commend you for going out on a limb, but the guy has never hit over .300 in his career, and he hasn't had a 100 RBI season since 2005.

[Scott Weber]

* indicates wildcard winner

AL East
1. Tampa Bay Rays
2. Boston Red Sox*
3. New York Yankees
4. Baltimore Orioles
5. Toronto Blue Jays

AL Central

1. Minnesota Twins
2. Chicago White Sox
3. Cleveland Indians
4. Kansas City Royals
5. Detroit Tigers


AL West
1. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
2. Oakland Athletics
3. Seattle Mariners
4. Texas Rangers

NL East
1. New York Mets
2. Philadelphia Phillies
3. Atlanta Braves
4. Florida Marlins
5. Washington Nationals

NL Central
1. Chicago Cubs
2. St. Louis Cardinals*
3. Milwaukee Brewers
4. Houston Astros
5. Cincinnati Reds
6. Pittsburgh Pirates

NL West
1. Los Angeles Dodgers
2. Arizona Diamondbacks
3. San Francisco Giants
4. Colorado Rockies
5. San Diego Padres

AL Playoffs
(4) Boston Red Sox over (2) Minnesota Twins
(1) Tampa Bay Rays over (3) LAA Angels

(4) Boston Red Sox over (1) Tampa Bay Rays

NL Playoffs
(3) LA Dodgers over (1) Chicago Cubs
(2) New York Mets over (4) St. Louis Cardinals

(2) New York Mets over (3) LA Dodgers

World Series
Red Sox over Mets in 5 games.

AL MVP: Mark Teixeira, New York Yankees
NL MVP: Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals
AL Cy Young: Roy Halladay, Toronto Blue Jays
NL Cy Young: Tim Lincecum, San Francisco Giants
AL ROTY: David Price, Tampa Bay Rays
NL ROTY: Cameron Maybin, Florida Marlins


Even though I think the Red Sox are going to struggle with injuries all year, preventing them from winning the division, that team is far too experienced and deep to not totally dominate in the playoffs.

[Chris M.]

i did this at the spur of the moment last night and didn't have a lot of time. and what's so funny? he's been MVP before, besides injury what's really stopping him from putting up those types of numbers again?
and everybody's just filling in the same shit they see everybody else doing. what's the point in making predictions if you're not willing to go out on a limb a little bit?

Uhhh ... when?

[acfrue]

Uhhh ... when?

haha, '04 All Star Game maybe...?

[MyWorldEntire]

haha, '04 All Star Game maybe...?

hahahahahahahaha

[pand75]

AL East
1. New York Yankees
2. Boston Red Sox*
3. Tampa Bay Rays
4. Toronto Blue Jays
5. Baltimore Orioles

AL Central
1.Minnesota Twins
2.Cleveland Indians
3. Chicago White Sox
4. Detroit Tigers
5. Kansas City Royals

AL West
1. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
2. Texas Rangers
3. Oakland Athletics
4. Seattle Mariners

NL East
1. New York Mets
2. Philadelphia Phillies*
3. Atlanta Braves
4. Florida Marlins
5. Washington Nationals

NL Central
1. Chicago Cubs
2. St. Louis Cardinals
3. Milwaukee Brewers
4. Cincinnati Reds
5. Houston Astros
6. Pittsburgh Pirates

NL West
1. Los Angeles Dodgers
2. San Francisco Giants
3. Arizona Diamondbacks
4. Colorado Rockies
5. San Diego Padres

AL Playoffs
(4) Boston Red Sox over (2) Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
(1) New York Yankees over (3) Cleveland Indians

(4) Boston Red Sox over (1) New York Yankees

NL Playoffs
(1) New York Mets over (3) Los Angeles Dodgers
(2) Chicago Cubs over (4) Philadelphia Phillies

(1) New York Mets over (2) Chicago Cubs

World Series
(2) New York Mets over (4) Boston Red Sox in 7 games

AL MVP: Mark Teixeira, New York Yankees
NL MVP: David Wright, New York Mets
AL Cy Young: C.C. Sabathia, New York Yankees
NL Cy Young: Cole Hamels, Philadelphia Phillies
AL ROTY: David Price, Tampa Bay Rays
NL ROTY: Dexter Fowler, Colorado Rockies
World Series MVP: Carlos Beltran, New York Mets

[livethesounds]

of course you do!

haha

Uhhh ... when?

for some reason i thought Soriano won an MVP during his Nats days. i'm obviously way off. But i still think he's capable of having that type of a season.

[CubbyNick42]

I commend you for going out on a limb, but the guy has never hit over .300 in his career, and he hasn't had a 100 RBI season since 2005.
He hasn't driven in 100 because he's batted leadoff. His OPS+ has been above his career average in each of his two seasons with the Cubs. That's not to say he won't regress in the near future, but he hasn't started to decline yet.

[NoseOverTail]

AL East
1. Boston Red Sox
2. New York Yankees*
3. Tampa Bay Rays
4. Baltimore Orioles
5. Toronto Blue Jays

AL Central
1.Minnesota Twins
2.Cleveland Indians
3. Kansas City Royals
4. Detroit Tigers
5. Chicago White Sox

AL West
1. Los Angeles Angels
2. Texas Rangers
3. Oakland Athletics
4. Seattle Mariners

NL East
1. Philadelphia Phillies
2. New York Mets*
3. Atlanta Braves
4. Florida Marlins
5. Washington Nationals

NL Central
1. Chicago Cubs
2. St. Louis Cardinals
3. Cincinatti Reds
4. Houston Astros
5. Milwaukee Brewers
6. Pittsburgh Pirates

NL West
1. Arizona Diamondbacks
2. Los Angeles Dodgers
3. San Francisco Giants
4. Colorado Rockies
5. San Diego Padres

AL Playoffs
(1) Boston Red Sox over (3) Los Angeles Angels
(4) Minnesota Twins over (2) New York Yankees

(1) Boston Red Sox over (4) Minnesota Twins

NL Playoffs
(1) Chicago Cubs over (3) New York Mets
(2) Philadelphia Phillies over (4) Arizona Diamondbacks

(2) Philadelphia Phillies over (1) Chicago Cubs

World Series
(2) Philadelphia Phillies over (1) Boston Red Sox in 6

AL MVP: Justin Morneau, Minnesota Twins
NL MVP: Chase Utley, Philadelphia Phillies
AL Cy Young: Roy Halladay, Toronto Blue Jays
NL Cy Young: Edinson Volquez, Cincinatti Reds
AL ROTY: Matt Wieters, Baltimore Orioles
NL ROTY: Cameron Maybin, Florida Marlins
World Series MVP: Ryan Howard, Philadelphia Phillies

[MyWorldEntire]

AL Central
1.Minnesota Twins
2.Cleveland Indians
3. Kansas City Royals
4. Detroit Tigers
5. Chicago White Sox



Ouch

[LastPlaceRocks]

AL Central
1.Minnesota Twins
2.Cleveland Indians
3. Chicago White Sox
4. Detroit Tigers
5. Kansas City Royals


AL Playoffs
(4) Boston Red Sox over (2) Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
(1) New York Yankees over (3) Cleveland Indians

(4) Boston Red Sox over (1) New York Yankees

You pulled off the "Twins win the Central, Indians reach the playoffs" scenario as well.

[MyWorldEntire]

You pulled off the "Twins win the Central, Indians reach the playoffs" scenario as well.

Who wants to see the Twins in the playoffs anyway?:-)

[LastPlaceRocks]

This guy. But if they don't make it, that's okay too - just means the end of indoor baseball comes that much sooner.

[DaveFeelsRight]

This guy. But if they don't make it, that's okay too - just means the end of indoor baseball comes that much sooner.thank the lord

[startBBtoday]

AL East
1. Boston Red Sox
2. New York Yankees*
3. Tampa Bay Rays
4. Baltimore Orioles
5. Toronto Blue Jays

AL Central
1. Cleveland Indians
2. Kansas City Royals
3. Minnesota Twins
4. Chicago White Sox
5. Detroit Tigers

AL West
1. Los Angeles Angels
2. Texas Rangers
3. Seattle Mariners
4. Oakland Athletics

NL East
1. Philadelphia Phillies
2. New York Mets
3. Atlanta Braves
4. Florida Marlins
5. Washington Nationals

NL Central
1. Chicago Cubs
2. St. Louis Cardinals
3. Houston Astros
4. Milwaukee Brewers
5. Cincinnati Reds
6. Pittsburgh Pirates

NL West
1. Los Angeles Dodgers
2. Arizona Diamondbacks*
3. San Francisco Giants
4. Colorado Rockies
5. San Diego Padres

AL Playoffs
(1) Boston Red Sox over (4) Cleveland Indians
(2) New York Yankees over (3) Los Angeles Angels

(1) Boston Red Sox over (2) New York Yankees

NL Playoffs
(1) Los Angeles Dodgers (3) Chicago Cubs
(2) Philadelphia Phillies over (4) Arizona Diamondbacks

(2) Los Angeles Dodgers over (1) Philadelphia Phillies

World Series
(2) Boston Red Sox over (1) Los Angeles Dodgers in 7

AL MVP: Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers
NL MVP: Manny Ramirez, Los Angeles Dodgers
AL Cy Young: Daisuke Matsuzaka, Boston Red Sox
NL Cy Young: Dan Haren, Arizona Diamondbacks
AL ROTY: Travis Snider, Toronto Blue Jays
NL ROTY: Jordan Zimmermann, Washington Nationals
World Series MVP: Kevin Youkilis, Boston Red Sox

[Scott Weber]

You really think Miggy is going to win MVP on a dead last team?

[rcrook]

Wouldn't Boston play Cleveland in the ALDS?

[startBBtoday]

You really think Miggy is going to win MVP on a dead last team?

i think miggy will most likely get traded, team should be ?????

[startBBtoday]

Wouldn't Boston play Cleveland in the ALDS?

true

[ForlrnPerplxity]

I hope you're kidding about Cabrera being traded.

But my prediction will be that the trade deadline this year will be insane.

[LastPlaceRocks]

thank the lord
After watching all the stuff on Citi Field and New Yankee Stadium this week, Opening Day 2010 cannot come soon enough.

[startBBtoday]

I hope you're kidding about Cabrera being traded.

But my prediction will be that the trade deadline this year will be insane.

i really do think he will be. detroit's gonna be in trouble this year financially and performance wise.

[MyWorldEntire]

thank the lord

Agreed 100 percent, but it's going to be pretty brutal to play games there in April.

[LastPlaceRocks]

Not really, it's the same weather that you get at Comiskey.

[MyWorldEntire]

Not really, it's the same weather that you get at Comiskey.

Well it's not exactly a picnic for us either, I'll see that firsthand next Saturday (Against the Twins interestingly enough)

[ForlrnPerplxity]

i really do think he will be. detroit's gonna be in trouble this year financially and performance wise.
Well, there will be crazy things happening because of this economy and the decreased attendance for some teams, especially a team like Detroit where the attendance will be lowered, especially if they don't win. You could be right about Cabrera, because they do have some terrible loaded contracts, but I just have a hard time thinking they'll trade him at this point.

[Scott Weber]

He's the last guy they'd dump I think. He's the franchise, the cornerstone. They'll free up other space before him I think.

[MyWorldEntire]

Well, there will be crazy things happening because of this economy and the decreased attendance for some teams, especially a team like Detroit where the attendance will be lowered, especially if they don't win. You could be right about Cabrera, because they do have some terrible loaded contracts, but I just have a hard time thinking they'll trade him at this point.

I heard somewhere that Detroit's season ticket sales have been cut in half this year.

[bigmike]

Miguel Cabrera is the last of the contracts to go. We'll trade Carlos Guillen, Magglio Ordonez, Brandon Inge and Jeremy Bonderman, before Miggy and we'll cut Dontrelle Willis, Nate Robertson and others before trading Miggy, as well.

[caitlinlee]

If the Dodgers win the whole thing I'll lose it.

[bulls2213]

I personally can't wait till all the "experts" over at ESPN pretend like they predicted the White Sox to still be in first come June-July. That team gets dogged every year, I love it!

It doesn't make a heck of a lot of sense to me either. They're just coming off a division title, and only improved the team in the offseason. Yet, many predict them to finish 4th or lower? It's almost laughable. Below the ROYALS, for God sakes. It's amazing how one Cinderella team (Rays) can fuck with people's minds.

[DaveFeelsRight]

I personally can't wait till all the "experts" over at ESPN pretend like they predicted the White Sox to still be in first come June-July. That team gets dogged every year, I love it!

It doesn't make a heck of a lot of sense to me either. They're just coming off a division title, and only improved the team in the offseason. Yet, many predict them to finish 4th or lower? It's almost laughable. Below the ROYALS, for God sakes. It's amazing how one Cinderella team (Rays) can fuck with people's minds.um no

[poppunknerd182]

I personally can't wait till all the "experts" over at ESPN pretend like they predicted the White Sox to still be in first come June-July. That team gets dogged every year, I love it!

It doesn't make a heck of a lot of sense to me either. They're just coming off a division title, and only improved the team in the offseason. Yet, many predict them to finish 4th or lower? It's almost laughable. Below the ROYALS, for God sakes. It's amazing how one Cinderella team (Rays) can fuck with people's minds.
1. They barely won the division, you are acting like they walked away with it in August
2. They hardly did anything to improve the team, you got rid of Crede and now you are relying on young players without much experience and veterans who are years past their prime.
3. The Royals did MUCH more in the offseason to improve their team than the Sox did, I wouldn't be suprised if the Royals have one of the best turnarounds in baseball, I'm not going to say they will finish with more wins then the White Sox, but if they do....I wouldn't be shocked.

my two cents

[poppunknerd182]

I'll predict that the Brewers have the best offense out of all the Wild Card Contenders, they are just going to need the starting pitching to overachieve haha
If they can stay healthy, I can see them winning the Wild Card again

[poppunknerd182]

haha



for some reason i thought Soriano won an MVP during his Nats days. i'm obviously way off. But i still think he's capable of having that type of a season.
I wouldn't say way off, he came in 3rd in 02 with the Yankees

No one on the Nats will ever win an MVP, unless Adam Dunn hits 80 HR and has 170 RBI

[pand75]

Kyle Farnsworth has been a great addition so far.

[poppunknerd182]

Kyle Farnsworth has been a great addition so far.
hahahaha

27.00 ERA isn't THAT bad :-d

[bulls2213]

1. They barely won the division, you are acting like they walked away with it in August
2. They hardly did anything to improve the team, you got rid of Crede and now you are relying on young players without much experience and veterans who are years past their prime.
3. The Royals did MUCH more in the offseason to improve their team than the Sox did, I wouldn't be suprised if the Royals have one of the best turnarounds in baseball, I'm not going to say they will finish with more wins then the White Sox, but if they do....I wouldn't be shocked.

my two cents

1. Regardless... still 89 wins and 2008 AL Central Champs, any way you want to spin it.
2. The loss of Crede does nothing to hurt this team. Believe me, I was as big of a Crede fan as the next guy & I sincerely do not believe they win a World Series without him. But his good years are behind him... the guy's back is going to give out any day now-- and I really think Josh Fields is going to surprise some people this year. The 23 homers he hit in '07 (in limited duty, mind you) were no fluke.

Chris Getz is the real deal. He reminds me of the prototypical Twin. The guy's a grinder, gets on base, and plays solid defense. Basically everything Cabrera was last year and more (& without the attitude).

The only weakness in their lineup right now is center field. Wise will not be leading off for long, I'll tell you that much. Anderson has proved that he can hit, but not consistently enough to warrant full time duty. I hope Kenny Williams addresses that situation by the break. and true, some players are past their prime but they can all still hit. Anyone see Thome's bomb yesterday?
3. They're still the Royals. I'm not saying they're not improved because they obviously are, but they are by NO means this year's Rays quite yet. If they're in contention come July, talk to me then.

I love debating with Cub fans...

[CubbyNick42]

2. The loss of Crede does nothing to hurt this team. Believe me, I was as big of a Crede fan as the next guy & I sincerely do not believe they win a World Series without him. But his good years are behind him... the guy's back is going to give out any day now-- and I really think Josh Fields is going to surprise some people this year. The 23 homers he hit in '07 (in limited duty, mind you) were no fluke.
Really? He hit 10 last year. Total. All in the minors.

[bulls2213]

Really? He hit 10 last year. Total. All in the minors.

He was playing through injuries all year.

[xbrokendownx]

who said the Royals are this year's Rays?

[Scott Weber]

fields has limited power. he's not going to hit 23 again, but he could probably hit 17 over a full year.

[bulls2213]

Whether he does or not, the Sox don't need him to hit 30 homers. That's what their 3-6 hitters are for. He has more versatility offensively than Crede had; plus he has above average speed.

[CubbyNick42]

What does offensive versatility mean? It's not like he's drawing a ton of walks.

[poppunknerd182]

1. Regardless... still 89 wins and 2008 AL Central Champs, any way you want to spin it.
2. The loss of Crede does nothing to hurt this team. Believe me, I was as big of a Crede fan as the next guy & I sincerely do not believe they win a World Series without him. But his good years are behind him... the guy's back is going to give out any day now-- and I really think Josh Fields is going to surprise some people this year. The 23 homers he hit in '07 (in limited duty, mind you) were no fluke.

Chris Getz is the real deal. He reminds me of the prototypical Twin. The guy's a grinder, gets on base, and plays solid defense. Basically everything Cabrera was last year and more (& without the attitude).

The only weakness in their lineup right now is center field. Wise will not be leading off for long, I'll tell you that much. Anderson has proved that he can hit, but not consistently enough to warrant full time duty. I hope Kenny Williams addresses that situation by the break. and true, some players are past their prime but they can all still hit. Anyone see Thome's bomb yesterday?
3. They're still the Royals. I'm not saying they're not improved because they obviously are, but they are by NO means this year's Rays quite yet. If they're in contention come July, talk to me then.

I love debating with Cub fans...
1. It's sad 89 wins will get you the Central division, you guys are very lucky Mauer got hurt, that alone gave you guys a shot.
2. I think it does, you might not lose an offensive powerhouse, but his defense is still above average, plus he was a good leader in the clubhouse, and he was well liked with the fans. I'm not saying that alone will screw you guys over, but I don't think it's going to be a super positive thing.

3. You guys are pretty hyped over Chris Getz, someone who has had 7 major league AB and only hit .302 last year in AAA. I wouldn't really call that outstanding, but as the Cubs know (Felix Pie) not all people who do well in AAA do well in the majors. As for Brian Anderson, I'm not sure what you mean by has proven he can hit...his only close to full season he hit .225 with 8 HR and right now is a career .221 hitter, if that's what you guys consider starting material, maybe rethink that?

Thome hit a HR, I'm sure he will still hit 30 of them while hitting .230, along with Konerko. 30+ HR are important, but you have hardly any player who have a good chance to hit over .300.

Yes, they are still the Royals, I'm not saying they will win the division this year, but last year people said the same about the Rays. "Oh, don't worry about them, it's just Tampa Bay". I'm just saying with baseball, anything can happen. The AL Central is easily the weakest division in baseball, and as far as I'm concerned, it's going to be a free for all.

[CubbyNick42]

What do people see in the Royals? Will someone tell me? I don't get it at all.

[poppunknerd182]

What do people see in the Royals? Will someone tell me? I don't get it at all.
They have fairly decent younger players, I still don't understand how Greinke isn't outstanding yet, Brian Bannister will be decent this year, and quite good next year. Gil Meche, although not ace material, is a slightly above average pitcher. They have one of the best relievers/closers in the game in Soria. They added Jacobs, who can give them a 30-40 HR boost. Guillen had a fantastic year last year, they added speed with Crisp.

But, they are still the Royals hahaha

[CubbyNick42]

Gordon could break out, but Jacobs and Guillen are terrible. Meche and Greinke are solid but there's not much else in the rotation. It just doesn't make sense.

[poppunknerd182]

Gordon could break out, but Jacobs and Guillen are terrible. Meche and Greinke are solid but there's not much else in the rotation. It just doesn't make sense.
Gordon is due for a good year, Teahen could be above average soon as well. Kyle Davies may be a bright spot in the back of the rotation. Jacobs and Guillen don't have the average, but did hit 57 HR last year between them, and the Royals need SOME kind of production like that. I don't know, I'm not saying they will win the division, they won't. I just don't see them being quite the laughing stock as they have been past 10 years.

[Scott Weber]

The Royals have a bad rotation, a thin bullpen, and an impatient lineup. They're not good. They're not the next Rays. If anyone is the next Rays, it's the Reds.

[poppunknerd182]

I agree with the Reds statement, if Cueto can have a good year, I can see them being in contention for the wild card.

Won't win the division though

[poppunknerd182]

The Royals have a bad rotation, a thin bullpen, and an impatient lineup. They're not good. They're not the next Rays. If anyone is the next Rays, it's the Reds.
I'm just saying I wouldn't be suprised if they finished this year at or near .500

[Scott Weber]

I'm just saying I wouldn't be suprised if they finished this year at or near .500
I would. I think 75 games is their ceiling, and only because they play in a mediocre division.

[poppunknerd182]

I would. I think 75 games is their ceiling, and only because they play in a mediocre division.
mediocre? I think you are giving that division too much credit :-p

I think the 2009 AL Central will be the 2005 NL West

[CubbyNick42]

"Everything to do with the Sox is BAD! GO CUBBIES! THIS IS OUR YEAR!"

Ugh. Go away.

[DaveFeelsRight]

my head is going to explode from reading this thread

[MKEcasey]

that would rule haha
That would be awesome! Sadly it won't happen.

[bulls2213]

What does offensive versatility mean? It's not like he's drawing a ton of walks.

Maybe not, but he still takes more than Crede. Fields can lay down a bunt and steal a base, two things I have never seen Joe Crede do.

[bulls2213]

1. It's sad 89 wins will get you the Central division, you guys are very lucky Mauer got hurt, that alone gave you guys a shot.
2. I think it does, you might not lose an offensive powerhouse, but his defense is still above average, plus he was a good leader in the clubhouse, and he was well liked with the fans. I'm not saying that alone will screw you guys over, but I don't think it's going to be a super positive thing.

3. You guys are pretty hyped over Chris Getz, someone who has had 7 major league AB and only hit .302 last year in AAA. I wouldn't really call that outstanding, but as the Cubs know (Felix Pie) not all people who do well in AAA do well in the majors. As for Brian Anderson, I'm not sure what you mean by has proven he can hit...his only close to full season he hit .225 with 8 HR and right now is a career .221 hitter, if that's what you guys consider starting material, maybe rethink that?

Thome hit a HR, I'm sure he will still hit 30 of them while hitting .230, along with Konerko. 30+ HR are important, but you have hardly any player who have a good chance to hit over .300.

Yes, they are still the Royals, I'm not saying they will win the division this year, but last year people said the same about the Rays. "Oh, don't worry about them, it's just Tampa Bay". I'm just saying with baseball, anything can happen. The AL Central is easily the weakest division in baseball, and as far as I'm concerned, it's going to be a free for all.

If anything, a division with an 89-game winner proves that it ISN'T a pushover because everyone beats up on each other. Sort of like the NFC North. The division is by no means as bad as you make it sound, especially now that your Royals are serious "contenders" all of a sudden.

.302/.366 is something to frown about? Really? And did you really just compare Chris Getz to Felix Pie? You really are a Cub fan, ha.

By saying that Brian Anderson can hit-- I was just stating that he's a very streaky hitter, and if you look at his spring training stats the past couple years there is no argument that he can when given an opportunity to get settled in. He just hasn't gotten the at-bats needed to get comfortable in the big leagues, and I'm hoping that this year he does because they could REALLY use his glove out in center. Whether you disagree with me or not, which you probably do, you'd have a very hard time convincing me that he's much worse than DeWayne Wise.

[poppunknerd182]

"Everything to do with the Sox is BAD! GO CUBBIES! THIS IS OUR YEAR!"

Ugh. Go away.
Of course the Sox have bright spots, just because I didn't point them out doesn't mean shit. Danks, Jenks, Floyd are all outstanding players, and they still have a number of players who can hit 30+ HR.

I never said jackshit about the Cubs. The Cubs have problems like everyone else, Cotts is going to lose a lot of games for us, I'm still not positive about Marshall being a starter for the whole year, we still have Fukudome, who I don't see coming around like the first half of last year, Bradley is injury prone, and will probably spend some time on the DL.

asshole

[poppunknerd182]

If anything, a division with an 89-game winner proves that it ISN'T a pushover because everyone beats up on each other. Sort of like the NFC North. The division is by no means as bad as you make it sound, especially now that your Royals are serious "contenders" all of a sudden.

.302/.366 is something to frown about? Really? And did you really just compare Chris Getz to Felix Pie? You really are a Cub fan, ha.

By saying that Brian Anderson can hit-- I was just stating that he's a very streaky hitter, and if you look at his spring training stats the past couple years there is no argument that he can when given an opportunity to get settled in. He just hasn't gotten the at-bats needed to get comfortable in the big leagues, and I'm hoping that this year he does because they could REALLY use his glove out in center. Whether you disagree with me or not, which you probably do, you'd have a very hard time convincing me that he's much worse than DeWayne Wise.
I never once said the Royals were serious "contenders". I just said they'd be incredibly improved. I can see them getting 10 more wins this year than last, that's all I said.

Felix Pie was our best prospect. in 2007 he hit .362/.410 in AAA and .290/.341 in his time in the minors last year, what makes that an unfair comparison?

I just don't think Anderson will get quite as good as you guys think he will, sure, he could become a decet player. I'm not saying he'll hit in the low .200's his entire career, I could just see you guys trading for a fairly big name CF come the deadline, because neither Wise nor Anderson will cut it.

[acfrue]

What do people see in the Royals? Will someone tell me? I don't get it at all.

Same here, all I see is Gordon but other than that.....

[Chris M.]

They have fairly decent younger players, I still don't understand how Greinke isn't outstanding yet, Brian Bannister will be decent this year, and quite good next year. Gil Meche, although not ace material, is a slightly above average pitcher. They have one of the best relievers/closers in the game in Soria. They added Jacobs, who can give them a 30-40 HR boost. Guillen had a fantastic year last year, they added speed with Crisp.

But, they are still the Royals hahaha

Brian Bannister is not very good. I don't know why some people think he'll be great - he puts way too many guys on base and does not strikeout enough hitters to ever be more than a back end of the rotation guy.

The Royals have a bad rotation, a thin bullpen, and an impatient lineup. They're not good. They're not the next Rays. If anyone is the next Rays, it's the Reds.

They'll have to get rid of Dusty first, haha

If anything, a division with an 89-game winner proves that it ISN'T a pushover because everyone beats up on each other. Sort of like the NFC North. The division is by no means as bad as you make it sound, especially now that your Royals are serious "contenders" all of a sudden.

.302/.366 is something to frown about? Really? And did you really just compare Chris Getz to Felix Pie? You really are a Cub fan, ha.

By saying that Brian Anderson can hit-- I was just stating that he's a very streaky hitter, and if you look at his spring training stats the past couple years there is no argument that he can when given an opportunity to get settled in. He just hasn't gotten the at-bats needed to get comfortable in the big leagues, and I'm hoping that this year he does because they could REALLY use his glove out in center. Whether you disagree with me or not, which you probably do, you'd have a very hard time convincing me that he's much worse than DeWayne Wise.

You're really going to make an argument for someone using Spring Training stats? Wow.

[bulls2213]

You're really going to make an argument for someone using Spring Training stats? Wow.

Considering I was using that to support my argument that if he simply got enough swings he is capable of getting the job done, at least adequately... yes.

[DaveFeelsRight]

when it comes down to fields, theres no dount in my mind that he'll hit .259-.269 with 15-20 home runs and about 59-69 rbis. what im worried about is his fielding. he made one really nice play yesterday and went for a ball too early on a ground ball and missed it. other than that, he went from 1st to 3rd on a chris getz single, layed down a nice bunt and had the sox lone rbi before thome hit the home run.

i was impressed with him yesterday.

[bulls2213]

I never once said the Royals were serious "contenders". I just said they'd be incredibly improved. I can see them getting 10 more wins this year than last, that's all I said.

Felix Pie was our best prospect. in 2007 he hit .362/.410 in AAA and .290/.341 in his time in the minors last year, what makes that an unfair comparison?

I just don't think Anderson will get quite as good as you guys think he will, sure, he could become a decet player. I'm not saying he'll hit in the low .200's his entire career, I could just see you guys trading for a fairly big name CF come the deadline, because neither Wise nor Anderson will cut it.

It's an unfair comparison because they just aren't the same player, haha. You can't say that Getz will tank just because Pie did. Plus, it's only been one game and Getz already looked pretty darn good yesterday.

Don't get me wrong man, I'm not saying BA would be an all-star by any means. I just think he needs to get some consistent at-bats before people can call him a bust. If he could hit .250-.260 I would be more than satisfied, because he is among the best OF in the game defensively and the Sox could really use him out there.

[poppunknerd182]

It's an unfair comparison because they just aren't the same player, haha. You can't say that Getz will tank just because Pie did. Plus, it's only been one game and Getz already looked pretty darn good yesterday.

Don't get me wrong man, I'm not saying BA would be an all-star by any means. I just think he needs to get some consistent at-bats before people can call him a bust. If he could hit .250-.260 I would be more than satisfied, because he is among the best OF in the game defensively and the Sox could really use him out there.
Alright, I guess we are more on the same page now haha

I didn't mean to compare them head-to-head, just reminding you that highly talked about prospects won't always be gold.

Do they plan to do a Wise/BA platoon in CF? Or are they going with one more than the other? I didn't keep up with the Sox all that much this year. But I agree, him playing 3/4 of a year every other year isn't a great way to judge him.

[DaveFeelsRight]

Alright, I guess we are more on the same page now haha

I didn't mean to compare them head-to-head, just reminding you that highly talked about prospects won't always be gold.

Do they plan to do a Wise/BA platoon in CF? Or are they going with one more than the other? I didn't keep up with the Sox all that much this year. But I agree, him playing 3/4 of a year every other year isn't a great way to judge him.yeah its a platoon

[bigmike]

What an abysmal discussion. Josh Fields can only dream to be as effective as Joe Crede's been in the past. Crede was an average overall ball player last year in just 97 games. He's a beast defensively that far outweighs any offensive shortcomings, where as Josh Fields defense cannot. In fact, I would rather have Joe Crede RIGHT NOW than Josh Fields at 3rd base.

[rcrook]

Bumping this. How do everybody's predictions stack up currently? Mine weren't that bad except for picking the Indians and Mets to win their divisions. Also, put the Rangers in last.

[bigmike]

AL East
1. New York Yankees
2. Boston Red Sox*
3. Tampa Bay Rays
4. Toronto Blue Jays
5. Baltimore Orioles

AL Central
1. Cleveland Indians
2. Detroit Tigers
3. Minnesota Twins
4. Kansas City Royals
5. Chicago White Sox

AL West
1. Oakland Athletics
2. LA Angels
3. Seattle Mariners
4. Texas Rangers

NL East
1. New York Mets
2. Atlanta Braves*
3. Philadelphia Phillies
4. Florida Marlins
5. Washington Nationals

NL Central
1. Chicago Cubs
2. Milwaukee Brewers
3. St. Louis Cardinals
4. Cincinnati Reds
5. Houston Astros
6. Pittsburgh Pirates

NL West
1. Los Angeles Dodgers
2. Colorado Rockies
3. Arizona D-Backs
4. SF Giants
5. San Diego Padres

I've got the AL East perfect

Indians are fucking me over and the White Sox defy conventional wisdom again this year.

Oakland killed me.

Mets injuries have fucked that prediction.

Brewers having guys like JJ Hardy under perform have fucked the NL central for me.

West is just how I thought it'd be save for the Giants-Dbacks being swapped.

Overall, solid.

[xbrokendownx]

AL EAST

Yankees
Red Sox (WC)
Rays
Orioles
Jays

AL CENTRAL

Indians
White Sox
Twins
Tigers
Royals

AL WEST

Angels
Athletics
Rangers
Mariners

NL EAST

Mets
Phillies
Marlins
Braves
Nationals

NL CENTRAL

Cubs
Cardinals (WC)
Brewers
Astros
Reds
Pirates

NL WEST

Dodgers
Diamondbacks
Giants
Rockies
Padres

WORLD SERIES

Cubs over Yankees





not bad overall. mine are very similar to Mike's

[Scott Weber]

Seems like almost all of us were wrong on Seattle/Texas/Cleveland.

[pand75]

AL East
1. New York Yankees
2. Boston Red Sox*
3. Tampa Bay Rays
4. Toronto Blue Jays
5. Baltimore Orioles

AL Central
1.Minnesota Twins
2.Cleveland Indians
3. Chicago White Sox
4. Detroit Tigers
5. Kansas City Royals

AL West
1. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
2. Texas Rangers
3. Oakland Athletics
4. Seattle Mariners

NL East
1. New York Mets
2. Philadelphia Phillies*
3. Atlanta Braves
4. Florida Marlins
5. Washington Nationals

NL Central
1. Chicago Cubs
2. St. Louis Cardinals
3. Milwaukee Brewers
4. Cincinnati Reds
5. Houston Astros
6. Pittsburgh Pirates

NL West
1. Los Angeles Dodgers
2. San Francisco Giants
3. Arizona Diamondbacks
4. Colorado Rockies
5. San Diego Padres

AL Playoffs
(4) Boston Red Sox over (2) Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
(1) New York Yankees over (3) Cleveland Indians

(4) Boston Red Sox over (1) New York Yankees

NL Playoffs
(1) New York Mets over (3) Los Angeles Dodgers
(2) Chicago Cubs over (4) Philadelphia Phillies

(1) New York Mets over (2) Chicago Cubs

World Series
(2) New York Mets over (4) Boston Red Sox in 7 games

AL MVP: Mark Teixeira, New York Yankees
NL MVP: David Wright, New York Mets
AL Cy Young: C.C. Sabathia, New York Yankees
NL Cy Young: Cole Hamels, Philadelphia Phillies
AL ROTY: David Price, Tampa Bay Rays
NL ROTY: Dexter Fowler, Colorado Rockies
World Series MVP: Carlos Beltran, New York Mets
Mine is pretty good , except for the Mets winning it all haha

[Chris M.]

With Opening Day just around the corner, I figured it'd be a good time to predict the division champs, WS champion, award winners, etc.

* indicates wildcard winner

AL East
1. New York Yankees
2. Boston Red Sox*
3. Tampa Bay Rays
4. Toronto Blue Jays
5. Baltimore Orioles

AL Central
1. Cleveland Indians
2. Chicago White Sox
3. Minnesota Twins
4. Detroit Tigers
5. Kansas City Royals

AL West
1. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
2. Oakland Athletics
3. Texas Rangers
4. Seattle Mariners

NL East
1. New York Mets
2. Philadelphia Phillies*
3. Florida Marlins
4. Atlanta Braves
5. Washington Nationals

NL Central
1. Chicago Cubs
2. St. Louis Cardinals
3. Houston Astros
4. Milwaukee Brewers
5. Cincinnati Reds
6. Pittsburgh Pirates

NL West
1. Los Angeles Dodgers
2. Arizona Diamondbacks
3. San Francisco Giants
4. Colorado Rockies
5. San Diego Padres

AL Playoffs
(4) Boston Red Sox over (2) Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
(1) New York Yankees over (3) Cleveland Indians

(4) Boston Red Sox over (1) New York Yankees

NL Playoffs
(3) Chicago Cubs over (1) New York Mets
(2) Los Angeles Dodgers over (4) Philadelphia Phillies

(2) Los Angeles Dodgers over (3) Chicago Cubs

World Series
(2) Los Angeles Dodgers over (4) Boston Red Sox in 7 games

AL MVP: Mark Teixeira, New York Yankees
NL MVP: David Wright, New York Mets
AL Cy Young: C.C. Sabathia, New York Yankees
NL Cy Young: Johan Santana, New York Mets
AL ROTY: Matt Wieters, Baltimore Orioles
NL ROTY: Cameron Maybin, Florida Marlins
World Series MVP: Chad Billingsley, Los Angeles Dodgers

Got the AL East perfect.

Swap Cleveland and Detroit and I did well in the Central.

Oakland out of place in the West but I've still got LA in first.

NL East isn't too bad aside from the Mets winning it. Then again, I pick them like every year.

Central isn't too bad. Chicago has underperformed but Milwaukee has regressed like I thought they would.

West is pretty bad. Webb and Jackson sucking/getting injured for Arizona killed me.

All in all I didn't fare too bad. Cleveland is the worst mistake and the Mets pick is pretty bad too, but with all the injuries they've had I'll accept it -- although I've said in the past that I don't think they'd make the playoffs even if everyone was healthy. Guess I changed my mind over the course of the season.

[Chris M.]

Hmmm...guess this wasn't the thread where I argued that Mark DeRosa would not be missed in Chicago at all because of Mike Fontenot. Guess there's still next year...