AL EAST: Predicting these top three is a tossup. It wouldn't surprise me to see any of the three get to the World Series, with two of them facing off in the ALCS to do so. ... AL WEST: Yeah, I'm drinking the Kool-Aid on the Mariners. I can't say I'm too confident in that choice, especially with Cliff Lee off to an inauspicious start in Seattle. I just don't know if the Angels still have the pitching. I do think the Rangers are set to make some more strides this year, but the A's just don't have the offense ... NL EAST: I'm just not sure -- again, like Olbermann -- that Philly will be as fortunate with the injuries. I mean really, did the Mets take their share, plus the Yankees' plus the Phillies' last year? ... My choice of 84 wins for the Mets is down from what I thought at the start of Spring Training, when I was saying about 88 in discussions with friends and colleagues. But after seeing how the Maine-Perez-Pelfrey trio performed in Florida, losing Daniel Murphy (and not taking that opportunity to give Ike Davis a shot) and hearing that Alex Cora and Gary Matthews Jr. will get the Opening Day starts over Ruben Tejada and Angel Pagan, my faith is again shaken. And 84 is still a hopeful pick -- as in hoping the Mets can have one of those inspired spurts after changing managers. ... Florida definitely has some great stars, but who's after Josh Johnson and Ricky Nolasco? Who's in the bullpen? And it's a bit of a top-heavy lineup. ... Washington will score runs and Stephen Strasburg will draw the fans and live up to the hype, but the back half of the rotation, the bullpen and the defense aren't enough to get them to 75 or 80 wins this year. ... NL CENTRAL: Chicago might be too high, unless Alfonso Soriano and Aramis Ramirez improve over last year to make up for the inevitable regression by Derrek Lee. Love the guy, but not sure he can repeat last year. ... Milwaukee brought in Doug Davis for the rotation and last year's Opening Day starter, Jeff Suppan, had a horrible spring and was placed on the DL in favor of ... Manny Parra. ... I can't buy into the Reds because Aaron Harang and Bronson Arroyo haven't been pitching like front-of-the-rotation pitchers for a couple of years. ... NL WEST: Big fan of the Rockies. I love Troy Tulowitzki and think their pitching is solid and they've got a great collection of young stars to offset Todd Helton's golden years. ... The Giants' big three in the rotation is great, but Jonathan Sanchez needs to put it together and they need to score more runs to win the division. ... As great as Joe Torre is -- and he's probably the perfect manager to guide the team with the off-the-field drama of the McCourts' divorce -- I don't know that he can manage around Manny Ramirez's fade or a depleted pitching staff. This is a team that was one step away from the World Series the past two years, but has only subtracted (at least from 2009 to 2010) and not added the pieces it would need to get past the Phillies. ...Does Adrian Gonzalez finish the season in San Diego, or in October? That is the question.
PREDICTIONS | REALITY | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
AL East | W | L | AL East | W | L | |
Boston | 95 | 67 | Tampa Bay | 96 | 66 | |
New York | 93 | 69 | New York | 95 | 67 | |
Tampa Bay | 91 | 71 | Boston | 89 | 73 | |
Baltimore | 70 | 92 | Toronto | 85 | 77 | |
Toronto | 65 | 97 | Baltimore | 66 | 96 | |
AL Central | AL Central | |||||
Chicago | 85 | 77 | Minnesota | 94 | 68 | |
Detroit | 83 | 79 | Chicago | 88 | 74 | |
Minnesota | 83 | 79 | Detroit | 81 | 81 | |
Kansas City | 70 | 92 | Cleveland | 69 | 93 | |
Cleveland | 69 | 93 | Kansas City | 67 | 95 | |
AL West | AL West | |||||
Seattle | 86 | 76 | Texas | 90 | 72 | |
Texas | 83 | 79 | Oakland | 81 | 81 | |
Anaheim | 81 | 81 | Anaheim | 80 | 82 | |
Oakland | 80 | 82 | Seattle | 61 | 101 | |
NL East | W | L | NL East | W | L | |
Atlanta | 90 | 72 | Philadelphia | 97 | 65 | |
Philadelphia | 88 | 74 | Atlanta | 91 | 71 | |
New York | 84 | 78 | Florida | 80 | 82 | |
Florida | 83 | 79 | New York | 79 | 83 | |
Washington | 67 | 95 | Washington | 69 | 93 | |
NL Central | NL Central | |||||
St. Louis | 88 | 74 | Cincinnati | 91 | 71 | |
Chicago | 84 | 78 | St. Louis | 86 | 76 | |
Milwaukee | 84 | 78 | Milwaukee | 77 | 85 | |
Cincinnati | 80 | 82 | Houston | 76 | 86 | |
Pittsburgh | 74 | 88 | Chicago | 75 | 87 | |
Houston | 65 | 97 | Pittsburgh | 57 | 105 | |
NL West | NL West | |||||
Colorado | 87 | 75 | San Francisco | 92 | 70 | |
San Francisco | 84 | 78 | San Diego | 90 | 72 | |
Los Angeles | 83 | 79 | Colorado | 83 | 79 | |
Arizona | 78 | 84 | Los Angeles | 80 | 82 | |
San Diego | 77 | 85 | Arizona | 65 | 97 |
Labels: end of the season, predictions