2009 Season Projections

[Oklahawg]

Its time one of us started thinking about a projections thread.

Usually, someone (or me) does this by division. Running out of time, let's put it in a giant (cumbersome) thread and we can discuss our thoughts on the coming season.

Is it me, or does the WBC really help set the mood for the season?

Anyway, here we go.

AL East
How about my Rays? They arrived a year early but did not disappoint in the process. I suspect they have a correction year but will still be good. They will not repeat the collapse of the Rockies from last year. They face a much better Baltimore franchise who is quietly putting together a studly minor league system. Watch out for the O's about 2011.

The Blue Jays are caught halfway in-between a good franchise and one that should rebuild. Solid players needed the ownership to hang onto AJ Burnett and go get another meaningful arm. Maybe two, given that Dustin McGowan is hurt again. The bellwethers of the division, the BoSox and Yankmes, are still a presence. I suspect that Boston has a better organizational model than do the Yankmes right now and it shows. The Yanks have aging stars, an injured and tarnished franchise player, and an incomplete minor league system, largely because its been dished out in deals over the years.

Prediction:
Red Sox 94-68
Rays 91-71
Yanks 87-75
Blue Jays 78-84
Orioles 75-87

Al Central
The AL Central seems to perpetually have an exciting young team or two. Its been a while since they had the juggernaut I feared playing. There is no Red Sox (feared for aura) or Rays (feared for raw talent).

There are good clubs everywhere, though, and each has its own issue to address:
* do the Indians have the elements in place, or are they still tinkering?
* do the Tigers have enough healthy pitching to go with an aging core?
* do the Royals have enough contributors who shave (my, they have some youthful players)?
* do the Twins have enough the right clubhouse mix?
* do the ChiSox have a rotation that can make the playoffs?

All have 2-3 young pups to watch and say you tracked them and declared them stars in the making before your friends saw them coming. It means there won't be a runaway winner and any could be in the thick of it in mid-July. I think three stick it out to mid-September.

Prediction:
Twins 87-75
Indians 86-76
White Sox 82-80
Royals 77-85
Tigers 70-92

AL West
Sometimes, you just gotta take your lumps. There is some warm/fuzzy org-speak about being willing to "get worse before you get better." It applies up and down this division. All four teams have reason to believe. All four teams have reason to fear being done by the all-star break.

I doubt the Angels pitching is as good as they hope. Not nearly as deep, either. The Rangers won't have every young pup perform, yet they need that to win. The A's need one more year before those uber-arms in the minors hit Oakland. The Mariners need a healthy rotation and for the offense to realize you don't win if you don't score. This is the 2010 division to watch, though. Man, these teams are building things the right way.

Prediction:
Angels 87-75
Rangers 81-81
Mariners 75-87
A's 72-90

NL East
The senior circuit has more glitzy stars but may lack depth in above-average players. The all-star game win streak should soon shift back to the senior circuit. Maybe I'm hoping, not predicting.

I've never, ever, been able to look at the Phillies and see what makes their good teams succeed. So, I suppose its time to name them my favorite. Hmm, maybe 3 perennial all-stars in the infield and a top 5 starter and closer helps that out. They are matched in star-power by the Mets. I think a certain SS for the Mets hasn't grown up yet, and once he does the NY clubhouse improves. Look out.

The Braves have quietly gone about retooling for a playoff run but I think they needed to take a bigger step back before coming forward. They appear stuck halfway between contending and rebuilding. That rotation is not what I'd want as a fan. The Nationals will surprise a lot of folks this year. I think the pitching will be good, maybe better than good. There is no bona fide star, unless Adam Dunn qualifies, and that might be the ticket to a run deep into the regular season. The Marlins are a team I love because they get crapped on by ownership, the folks who decide if they get a stadium, a lukewarm fanbase...and they still show up and win.

Prediction:
Phillies 96-66
Mets 88-74 (*win playoff with Zona for the wildcard)
Nationals 81-81
Braves 80-82
Marlins 78-84

NL Central
The odd duckling in baseball and in most cases its a management issue:
* why did the Cards (and their new revenue-generating ballpark) not enter the FA market last year to address a need?
* why do the Astros get older with each deal?
* why do the Pirates look like a team with a pimply-faced teenager running the organization, more intent on enjoying bodily functions and video games than winning?
* why do the Cubs actually think they will win?
* why do the Brewers not do a better job of locking up all the young players coming through their system?
* why do the Reds seem to be an assemblage of spare parts and white elephants, despite some really salty young players?

This is the painful prediction, as I wonder if anyone gets above .500. I'll say it happens, just to be fair.

Prediction:
Brewers 84-78
Cubs 81-81
Cards 77-85
Reds 75-87
Astros 71-91
Pirates 68-94

NL West
These guys have to look at the central and whimper. The organizational structures seem to be universally better out west. The Dodgers have gotten their pups to the bigs and now must let them gel. Here's hoping a certain obvious someone is not the locker room blight the Red Sox think. The Giants stunned me by not being epically horrible last year. That's impressive. The rotation is good and will get better in a year or two. Look out in the Bay Area.

The Padres look like the team (along with the Astros) most hurting from the economy. They are desperate to shed payroll and have little wiggle room if they ditch big salaries for prospects. If they make no payroll deals they have the pitching to compete, but will never have a beer-league softball team named after them, as they can't hit worth beans.

The DBacks appear on paper to lack the formidable leader in the clubhouse who forces the young pups to play well. Maybe I'm not seeing that name right now. If that player materializes they will be impressive. I think its a matter of growing up in the desert. The Rockies lost their guy and that makes me wonder if they aren't in the Astros/Padres camp economically. They aren't to be confused with the aging vets in Houston or New York (AL) but the 1B seems bent on one more good year. He'll need help, and he doesn't pitch, so it could be a tough year in the mountains.

Prediction:
Dodgers 93-69
DBacks 88-74
Giants 81-81
Rockies 75-87
Padres 68-94

Playoffs
AL:
Red Sox over Twins in 3
Rays over Angels in 4
Red Sox over Rays in 7

NL:
Phillies over Dodgers in 4
Mets over Brewers in 5
Phillies over Mets in 6

WS: Red Sox over Phillies in 6

AL MVP: BJ Upton, Rays
AL Cy Young: Josh Beckett, Red Sox
AL Rookie: Matt Wieters, Baltimore

NL MVP: Ryan Braun, Brewers
NL Cy Young: K-Rod, Mets
NL Rookie: Jason Motte, Cardinals

Biggest story line: one MLB club has to borrow from the league to make payroll during the year. They may even need the league to take over day-to-day operations.

PEDs sidebet: pitching will rule the first 60 days of the season before offense (mysteriously?) begins surging, turning the summer months into a frenzy of big producing stars. Look for 3-4 players to push 50 HR while 3-4 pitcher push below 3.00 with ERAs courtesy of filthy stuff and a brazen attitude towards the hitters.

[Oklahawg]

NL wins the all-star game. Finally.

[LVW]

Oklahawg- you have the Dodgers winning the west and the Mets beating the d backs in a wild card playoff game but you have the d backs losing in the playoffs and the Dodgers not playing anyone.

[neahogfan]

Good predictions, but I don't see the Nationals being a .500 ball club.  I'm not sold on their pitching, especially with Scott Olsen and Daniel Cabrera being their # 2 and 3 starters.

Bold prediction on AL MVP with Upton coming off shoulder surgery. 

[LVW]

Good predictions, but I don't see the Nationals being a .500 ball club.  I'm not sold on their pitching, especially with Scott Olsen and Daniel Cabrera being their # 2 and 3 starters.

I wouldn't be sold on anyone's pitching that had Cabrera as their #3 starter even if they had Gibby and Seaver in their primes as their 1 and 2 starters.

[Hogz87]

I'll give this a stab.  I do something similar to this on another board.

btw, Oklahawg, very good job.


AL East
On paper, this division may have the three best teams in baseball.  The Yankees decided to try and go even further than normal in FA spending and landed three players that should be huge factors.  Losing A-Rod for at least a month really hurts the depth in their lineup.  Damon and Jeter are aging and I think both are past being good offensive proucers at their respective positions.  I thought Cano would bust onto the scen last year as one of the better young players in the game, and he promptly went out and laid an egg the first half of the season.  There is still a ton of questions in the Yankees bullpen and it will be interesting to see what they do with Chamberlain.  No A-Rod, and losing Giambi, doesn't give Teixiera much protection the lineup.  Matsui can't stay healthy, it's yet to be seen what Nady can do in an entire season in Yankee uniform, and who is going to hold down the center field question?  There are still a ton of questions out there about a team that is expecting nothing short of a World Series in 2009.

Ahh, the Red Sox.  A good mix of young and veteran players, and what appears to be a very deep pitching staff with the addition of Smoltz.  What are they going to get from Ortiz though?  Are his best days behind him?  Can he still prove 30 homers and 120 RBI?  Is Dice-K's control issues going to come back to bite him this year after after getting by with a nice ERA despite walking so many batters?  Can Beckett stay healthy?  Again, like every other MLB team, there are a lot of questions surrounding this team.  Lowrie needs to develop into a formidable bat in the lineup and show the ability to get on base at a high clip. 

The Rays seem to be poised for another playoff push.  I'm anxious to see if 2008 was just an aberrition or if they're here to stay.  Crawford still hasn't had that breakout home run season.  Upton is already having some injury issues with his hand, but if he's healthy and hits home runs remotely close to the same rate he didn in the world series, then he is a legit 30/30 guys.  Burrell adds a very nice bat to the middle of the lineup.  I don't expect them to be able to get by with the same starting rotation the entire season.  Is David Price going to be in their AAA system long, or will he be in the back end of the Rays rotation before July?

Red Sox  98-64
Rays  95-67
Yankees 91-71
Blue Jays  79-83
Orioles  71-91



AL Central
A very intriguing division.  The Tigers and Indians went into 2008 as big favorites to win the division and be World Series caliber teams.  Can Galarraga prove to be a forimdalbe number two option behind Verlander?  The Tigers still have a ton of questions in their pitching rotation.

I don't expect Cliff Lee to put up numbers anywhere as good as he did last year and the Indians need Carmona to bounce back to give them another lively arm in that rotation.  Did Hafner just fall off the face of the earth?  They do have an MVP caliber player in Sizemore and I have a feeling Choo is going to be a stud.

The Twins are always in the hunt and if Mauer can not let his injury become a nagging one, then they should be in the playoff hunt once again.  Liriano is somewhat of a question mark, but if he pitches up to his standards, then the Twins have a legit Cy Youg candidate anchoring their rotation.

The Royals have some very promising young talent but are still no where close to being a playoff team.

Twins  88-74
Indians  86-76
Tigers  83-79
White Sox  78-84
Royals  70-92



AL West
I have a feeling the Angels are going to run away with the division once again this year.  Oakland did make a lot of great offseason pickups and having Holliday in the middle of the lineup is a huge added bonus.  What's their pitching going to be like though?

The Rangers had the number one offense in baseball last year but a terrible ptitching staff.  The latter didn isn't saying much.  Chris Davis could be a 40 home run player, and Nelso Cruz should drive in plenty of runs hitting clean-up

Angels  94-68
A's  82-80
Rangers  79-83
Mariners  68-94



NL East
I'm a huge Braves fan and really hope picking up Lowe and Vasquez will pay dividens.  But there is still a ton of question marks.  Tommy Hanson is going to be a stud pitcher but how long will he spend in the minors?  Atlanta also has some youg outfielding prospects.

The Phillies, of course, are the reigning national champs.  Their lineup  combo of Howard, Utley, Rollins, is scary good.  But what about their pitching?  Hamels has already shown signs arm problems.  Does old man Moyer have enough left in the tank?

Mets  97-65
Phillies 95-67
Marlins  82-80
Braves  77-85
Nationsl  71-91



NL Central
This is a very tough division to predict.  The Cubs should win it and are he best look team on paper.  They just need Soriano to stay healthy and get a Cy Young like season from Zambrano.  The rest will probably fall into place.

Tony LaRussa continues to get what little he can from his players and it works.  Was Ludwick just a one year wonder?  Will Carpenter return back close to his Cy Young seas?

I think the Reds could be a big time sleeper this year and hang around for awhile and fall off at the ned.

NL Central
Cubs  96-66
Cardinals 87-75
Astros  82-80
Brewers  76-86
Reds  75-67
Pirates 68-74


NL West
Dodgers  92-70
D-Backs  84-78
Giants  74-88
Rockies  73-89
Padres  64-98.

[hogblade]

AL East

1. Boston Red Sox- They seem to be deep enough in roster and if things fall apart then wallet to make it work this year again. Their rotation runs 7 deep, the bullpen is the best its been in years, and the lineup seems to be the weakest,but I think has enough.

2. Tampa Bay Rays- They still have the components of last year's run, but I'm expecting a come down year somewhat. No one will be caught off guard by them this year, but still the bullpen is very good, the rotation contains 4 solid starters, and the lineup proved it could produce some runs last year.

3. New York Yankees- Injuries, lineup holes, off the field distractions and a shaky bullpen bring the Yankees down into the 2 spot. To start the season, there is only one legit All-star in the lineup. The rest is filled with aging veterans. The starters seem solid on paper, but contain very little depth outside of last year's rookie failures, Hughes and Kennedy.

4. Baltimore Orioles- solid, good lineup, a couple pitchers in the bullpen, but only one proven starter and one promising starter is not enough to contend.

5. Toronto Blue Jays- The lineup has some promise and some proven contributors, but outside of Halladay, the whole pitching squad including BJ Ryan seems to be in trouble. Scott Downs will have to carry the entire bullpen unless BJ can bounce back.

[Hogz87]

I'll give this a stab.



1.  Boston Red Sox - If Ortiz can stay healthy, and bounce back from a down year last year in which he still hit 23 homers, then the Red Sox will be a force once again.  Bay isn't Manny but he is still an all-star caliber OF with 30 home run power.  Their rotation depth is sick.  Dice-K, Lester, Beckett, Penny, Wakefield, Bucholz, and Bard and they still have Papelbon as their stopper.  Varitek's bat poses about as much of a threat these days as Tom Glavine's.  There's a chance he hits under .200 with a full season's worth of at bats.  Yes, that is a little stretched, but the only reason he is on the team is for pitching staff management.  It'd help if they had a catcher that could catch Wake.

2.  Rays - They didn't lose anyone in the offseason and added a big bat to the middle of their lineup in Burrell.  Pat the Bat finally had the breakout season many had been waiting on for so long from the former #1 overall pick.  That lineup has some serious deth...Crawford, Upton, Longoria, Pena, and Burrell.  I'll be interested in seeing if Upton can produce the home run numbers that he is capable.  If so then the Rays have a 30/30 guy anchoring the lineup.  The odds of them getting to use the same 5 starters all year long again this year, are slim to none, but I do expect  better numbers from Shields, Garza, Kazmir, and Sonnastine.  The pieces are in place.  Now it's time to see if last year as just a one year thing or if the Rays are going to stick around for a while.

3.  Yankees - Their signings of Sabathia, Tex, and Burnett, stole the headlines in the offseason.  But when you step back and look at the product as a whole, you can find many flaws.  No A-Rod in the lineup gives them only one real threat in Teixiera, and we still don't know how well A-Rod will perform when he returns.  Damon, Matsui, Jeter, and Posada are all past their offensive primes.  Who's going to play CF?  There are still a ton of bullpen questions.  Is this going to be the year Joba makes the jump into a legitimite starter with stuff comparable to many other staff 1s and 2s?  But man, if he does, they have a scary 1-5 rotation; Sabathia, Wang, Burnett, Pettite, and Chamberlain.  This team just has too many questions for me to like them as the preseason favorite to win the division.  Then again, 100+ wins from this team won't surprise me either.

4.  Blue Jays - This is a scary pick to put them fourth but it doesn't really matter after the top three.  Them losing Burnett basically gives them one reliable starter.  Fortunately for them that starter has been as consistently great as anyone the last 5 years.  The lineup does have the talent to produce runs but they had a hard time doing that last year when Halladay toed the rubber.

5.  Orioles - The bats are there, and their stud pitching prospects are still at least a year away.  Thus, pitching will still be what holds this team back.  Markakis and Huff give the Orioles a pretty strong 3/4.  Adam Jones is a future 25/25 guys, or even 30/30, but that is still a few years away as well.  I think Orioles management is finally starting to take some steps in the right direction in showing improvement, it just won't be improvement until we see 2 or 3 years down the road.

It is arguable that this division has 3 of the best 5 teams in baseball.  And you can also argue that the Rays, Red Sox, and Yankees, have the top 3 pitching staffs in baseball.  It should be the most intriguing divisional race of the season.

[LVW]

American League:

East: Red Sox
Central: Indians
West: Angels
WC: Rays
Sleeper: Royals
Div Series: Red Sox over Angels(................AGAIN!)
               Rays over Indians
LCS: Red Sox over Rays

MVP: Grady Sizemore
CY Young: Roy Halladay
Rookie: Matt LaPorta
Comeback Player: Victor Martinez
Breakout Player: Billy Butler
Cy Young Sleeper:  Zack Greinke
2008 Screams Fluke: Joe Saunders 3.41 ERA; Dice-K 18-3 2.90 ERA
He can't be as bad as in 2008: Fausto Carmona 5.44 ERA and more walks than Ks
Player most likely to end up in the top 10 MVP on a team with a sub .500 record: Ian Kinsler
1st manager fired: Dave Trembley

National League:

East: Phils
Central: Cubs(by at least 10 games)
West: Dodgers
WC: Marlins
Sleeper: Marlins
Div Series: Marlins over Cubs(this time without Bartman's help)
               Dodgers over Phils
LCS: Dodgers over Marlins

MVP: Hanley Ramirez
CY Young: Dan Haren
Rookie: Cameron Maybin
Comeback Player: Chris Carpenter
Breakout Player: Elijah Dukes
Cy Young Sleeper: Brett Myers
2008 Screams Fluke: Matt Holliday 28 SBs 2 CS
He can't be as bad as in 2008: Aaron Harang 6-17 4.89 ERA
2008 is finally the year that: NL gets homefield in the WS by winning the AS game
Player most likely to end up in the top 10 MVP on a team with a sub .500 record: Adrian Gonzalez
1st manager fired: Cecil Cooper
Wild and crazy prediction:  Dan Haren becomes the 1st NL pitcher to win 25 games since 1972

The 2009 version of the 2008 Fernando Tatis and 2007 Josh Hamilton: Mark Prior

WS: Red Sox over Dodgers in 5

[Hogz87]

Joe Saunders may not even get much of a chance to repeat last year's numbers, and if he does he may be doing so hampered.  He's starting the season on the DL.

Harang f'in killed my fantasy team last year.  Six whole wins, not great production for my #2 pitcher.

I don't expect Matt Holliday to put up the same steal numbers in Oakland, mainly because if you've read Moneyball you know that Billy Beane and management doesn't like running all that much.

I like your breakout players though.  I was doing this the other night at 4 in the morning and started to doze off in front of my lap-top, that's why I have no breakdown for the last couple of divisons and I wanted to project my MVP and Cy Young winners.  I would love to see Haren win it because he is on my fantasy baseball team this year.  So what if it is a little bias.    I can see Dukes having a breakout year, but I can also see Milledge breaking out, and going for 25/25 or even 30/30 if he gets the ABs.

[Oklahawg]

Oklahawg- you have the Dodgers winning the west and the Mets beating the d backs in a wild card playoff game but you have the d backs losing in the playoffs and the Dodgers not playing anyone.

Yup, shore did. Fixed that for ya!

[Oklahawg]

Where is Mark Prior these days?

[Oklahawg]

I don't see a return to 1967, the top BA being Yaz's .301 and Bob Gibson looking like Zeus on the hill, but I think we'll see pitching take command of the game. Speed will be more of a factor as a result.  More 3-2 and 2-1, less 14-10 and 9-4 games.

I remain a PED skeptic in baseball. I believe its biggest asset isn't improving production but in getting players back on the field more quickly following "tweak and groan" injuries. However, I think players who see a sudden drop-off in production will carry a stigma regarding PEDs and quickly disappear from the game.

It may shift the entire strategy of player development, ultimately. Players who progress a level a year, making it to the bigs by 26 are assumed to have a 10-12 career, if they become a regular. But, the image may suggest that players fade more quickly and to get that 10-12 years the players must be hustled to the bigs by 23-4.

My speculation might be total whooey. No one really knows, of course. That's what's tough - I'd like for someone to definitely be able to answer the PED issue in baseball. Its a much different influence than in football.

[bao187]

al

Yankees
Indians
angels
wc-d. rays

Nl

Marlins
Cubs
Giants
wc-Cardinals

WS-Indians finally get revenge on the Marlins after 12 years

[Hogz87]

I don't see a return to 1967, the top BA being Yaz's .301 and Bob Gibson looking like Zeus on the hill, but I think we'll see pitching take command of the game. Speed will be more of a factor as a result.  More 3-2 and 2-1, less 14-10 and 9-4 games.

I remain a PED skeptic in baseball. I believe its biggest asset isn't improving production but in getting players back on the field more quickly following "tweak and groan" injuries. However, I think players who see a sudden drop-off in production will carry a stigma regarding PEDs and quickly disappear from the game.

It may shift the entire strategy of player development, ultimately. Players who progress a level a year, making it to the bigs by 26 are assumed to have a 10-12 career, if they become a regular. But, the image may suggest that players fade more quickly and to get that 10-12 years the players must be hustled to the bigs by 23-4.

My speculation might be total whooey. No one really knows, of course. That's what's tough - I'd like for someone to definitely be able to answer the PED issue in baseball. Its a much different influence than in football.

I agree.  We are closely inching towards the AL batting champ hitting in the .310-.315 range, maybe worse.  Speed is definitely where the game is headed and I know some teams are ahead of the curve in that thinking.  The Angels had the best record in the AL last year, and coincidentally were the best team in the baseball at going from 1st to 3rd on base hits?  Hmmm...I think not.  Getting the extra base is so critical in today's game and getting as much speed on the basepath is big.  Look at the Twins lineup.  They have gone the "two lead-off hitters" route with Span hitting 1st and Gomez 9th. 

[LVW]

I don't expect Matt Holliday to put up the same steal numbers in Oakland, mainly because if you've read Moneyball you know that Billy Beane and management doesn't like running all that much.

I like your breakout players though.  I was doing this the other night at 4 in the morning and started to doze off in front of my lap-top, that's why I have no breakdown for the last couple of divisons and I wanted to project my MVP and Cy Young winners.  I would love to see Haren win it because he is on my fantasy baseball team this year.  So what if it is a little bias.    I can see Dukes having a breakout year, but I can also see Milledge breaking out, and going for 25/25 or even 30/30 if he gets the ABs.

I had Milledge as my breakout player for last year.  The one thing that gets me about Holliday is all the "experts" and magazines and stuff compare his home/road splits for his entire career at Colorado but if they would at it more closely they would see his improvement in road games over his career.  Here are his road stats year by year:

2004: .240/.287/.367
2005: .256/.313/.416
2006: .280/.333/.485
2007: .301/.374/.485
2008: .308/.405/.486

as you can see it's gotten better every year and the 1st 2 years drag his career road stats down.

[LVW]

I agree.  We are closely inching towards the AL batting champ hitting in the .310-.315 range, maybe worse.  Speed is definitely where the game is headed and I know some teams are ahead of the curve in that thinking.  The Angels had the best record in the AL last year, and coincidentally were the best team in the baseball at going from 1st to 3rd on base hits?  Hmmm...I think not.  Getting the extra base is so critical in today's game and getting as much speed on the basepath is big.  Look at the Twins lineup.  They have gone the "two lead-off hitters" route with Span hitting 1st and Gomez 9th. 

I can give you 3 good reasons why the Angels had the best record in the AL last year:
1. Oakland 75-86
2. Texas 79-83
3. Seattle 61-101

over a third of their games and 36% of their wins were against the teams in their division- the worst division in the AL by far.

[Hogz87]

That too, just think if they switched places with the Cubs in the NL Central.  Then again the NL Central has 3 somewhat legit teams outside of the Cubbies in the Cards, Stros, and the Brewers. (Even though all three may be a stretch this year.)  That's also the reason the Dodgers may win 95 games.  They have a pretty good team, but I can think of 3 NL teams that are better, and the only one that I can say with confidence that will win more games than the Dodgers is the Cubs.  The other two, the Mets and Phillies, have to slug it out 18 times against each other, and 18 times against the Marlins and Braves.  Not really fair in the grand scheme of things when home field comes into affect for the playoffs, but that's just how the talent and recent success has turned recently. 

I think Holliday will be fine.  His home run numbers might be down a little but I think his other numbers will be fine.  I don't know what kind of protection he's going to get out of that lineup though.  Is Giambi done?  Cust is hit or miss.  He might lead the league in K's and BB's. 

[Oliver]

American League:

East: Red Sox
Central: Indians
West: Angels
WC: Rays
Sleeper: Royals
Div Series: Red Sox over Angels(................AGAIN!)
               Rays over Indians
LCS: Red Sox over Rays

MVP: Grady Sizemore
CY Young: Roy Halladay
Rookie: Matt LaPorta
Comeback Player: Victor Martinez
Breakout Player: Billy Butler
Cy Young Sleeper:  Zack Greinke
2008 Screams Fluke: Joe Saunders 3.41 ERA; Dice-K 18-3 2.90 ERA
He can't be as bad as in 2008: Fausto Carmona 5.44 ERA and more walks than Ks
Player most likely to end up in the top 10 MVP on a team with a sub .500 record: Ian Kinsler
1st manager fired: Dave Trembley

National League:

East: Phils
Central: Cubs(by at least 10 games)
West: Dodgers
WC: Marlins
Sleeper: Marlins
Div Series: Marlins over Cubs(this time without Bartman's help)
               Dodgers over Phils
LCS: Dodgers over Marlins

MVP: Hanley Ramirez
CY Young: Dan Haren
Rookie: Cameron Maybin
Comeback Player: Chris Carpenter
Breakout Player: Elijah Dukes
Cy Young Sleeper: Brett Myers
2008 Screams Fluke: Matt Holliday 28 SBs 2 CS
He can't be as bad as in 2008: Aaron Harang 6-17 4.89 ERA
2008 is finally the year that: NL gets homefield in the WS by winning the AS game
Player most likely to end up in the top 10 MVP on a team with a sub .500 record: Adrian Gonzalez
1st manager fired: Cecil Cooper
Wild and crazy prediction:  Dan Haren becomes the 1st NL pitcher to win 25 games since 1972

The 2009 version of the 2008 Fernando Tatis and 2007 Josh Hamilton: Mark Prior

WS: Red Sox over Dodgers in 5

Dan Haren wins the Cy Young?  Does the Cy Young now consider what you could have done through the whole season if you weren't on the DL so much?

[Oklahawg]

Oliver, maybe the Cy Young should be for Oliver Perez' every third start, when he throws a gem for the ages. (The next two starts look like slow-pitch softball stats, of course.)

[Hogz87]

Oliver, that doesn't even make sense.  The last four seasons Haren has made, 33, 34, 34, and 34 starts respectively.  He isn't even an injury risk.

Maybe you're thinking of Rich Harden?

[Oliver]

Oliver, that doesn't even make sense.  The last four seasons Haren has made, 33, 34, 34, and 34 starts respectively.  He isn't even an injury risk.

Maybe you're thinking of Rich Harden?

Damnit.  I do that all the time.  There's one letter difference in their last name and they both were A's at some point in their career.

[Oliver]

Oliver, maybe the Cy Young should be for Oliver Perez' every third start, when he throws a gem for the ages. (The next two starts look like slow-pitch softball stats, of course.)

I still wouldn't give it to him because he never pitches a complete game (he has about 4 his entire career) and it usually takes him 175 pitches to pitch those 7 inning gems.

[UhOhioHog]

NL
East   Mets
Cent   Cubs
West  Dodgers
WC     Phillies

AL
East   Yankees
Cent   Indians
West  Angels
WC     Red Sox

[Hogtropolis™]

Where is Mark Prior these days?

As far as what organization he is with, I am pretty sure he is in the San Diego system somewhere.

If you're actually wanting to contact him, I'd check hospital lists.  I'd be willing to bet that he has had surgery on his arm recently.

[CORZRBACKFAN]

National League Predictions

NL Central

Cubs 94-68
Cardinals 84-78
Brewers 82-80
Reds 77-85
Astros 74-88
Pirates 68-94

NL West

Dodgers 88-74
Snakes  85-77
Rockies  83-79
Giants  76-86
Padres 61-101

NL East

Mets 93-69
Phillies 88-74
Braves 86-76
Marlins 79-83
Nationals  64-98

Wild Card: Philadelphia

NLDS: Cubs 3 Phillies 1 and Dodgers 3 Mets 2
NLCS: Cubs 4 Dodgers 2 (REVENGE!)

American League baseball is irrelevant to me, so I pick division winners and the wild-card only:

AL East: Boston Red Sox
AL Central: Minnesota Twins
AL West: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

Wild Card: Oakland Athletics

ALDS: Boston 3 Oakland 2, Los Angeles 3 Minnesota 1
ALCS: Boston 4 Los Angeles 3

WORLD SERIES:

Chicago Cubs 4
Boston Red Sox 2

Fire away at will, Cardinal fans!

[Hogtropolis™]

Here's my best guess for the season.

AL East

Yanks 103-59
Tampa Bay 93-69
Boston 89-73
Toronto 71-91
Baltimore 69-93

AL Central

Detroit 85-77
Cleveland 79-83
Minnesota 78-84
White Sox 76-86
Kansas City 73-89

AL West

Angles 88-74
Seattle 81-81
Oakland 80-82
Texas 75-87

NL East

Philadelphia 96-66
Mets 90-72
Atlanta 82-80
Florida 74-88
Washington 62-100

NL Central

Cubs 95-67
St. Louis 89-73
Milwaukee 79-83
Houston 76-86
Cincinnati 75-87
Pittsburgh 59-103

NL West

Arizona 92-70
Dodgers 89-73
San Diego 78-84
San Francisco 77-85
Colorado 70-92

AL Playoffs:

Yanks over Detroit in 3
Tampa Bay over Angles in 5

Yanks over Tampa Bay in 6

NL Playoffs

Arizona over Philadelphia in 4
Mets over Cubs in 3

Arizona over Mets in 7

World Series

Yanks over Arizona in 6

AL MVP: Alex Rodriguez
AL Cy Young: CC Sabathia
AL Manager of the Year: Joe Girardi

NL MVP: Ryan Howard
NL Cy Young: Brandon Webb
NL Manager of the Year: Bob Melvin


I feel like I might have been a little biased against the Cardinals, because I really feel like they have a legit chance at the Wild Card, if not the division though as much as it pains me to admit it, the Cubs rotation is going to be tough to beat.

I also hated putting the Yanks winning the World Series, and I would love to see them miss the playoffs entirely, but I think it is clear to see that they are the team to beat this year.

I always enjoy coming back and looking at these at the end of the year to see how completely off base I was.

[LVW]

bump

[Oliver]

bump

Well we can pi ss and moan all we want about who gets the worst run support...Santana or Haren...but I'll tell you this much, you nailed the Haren winning the Cy Young prediction.

All these Mets winning the East predictions are hilarious.  Good times.

[LVW]

Well we can pi ss and moan all we want about who gets the worst run support...Santana or Haren...but I'll tell you this much, you nailed the Haren winning the Cy Young prediction.

Lincecum is getting all the pub though Haren had to suddenly step into the role of ace starter with Webb going down and that's probably the toughest thing for a projected #2 starter to do- suddenly take on the role of ace.