I know the Athletics and Mariners already played in Japan,
but I don’t consider that Opening Day and neither one of them will play into my
predictions. Tonight will start the long journey of the 2012 baseball season, and
here is how I see things playing out.
American League
I’ll start with the easiest league to predict as there are
really only six teams involved fighting for five spots.
AL East:
1. New York Yankees 98-64
2. Tampa Bay Rays* 94-68
3. Boston Red Sox 88-74
4. Toronto Blue Jays 83-79
5. Baltimore Orioles 71-91
The Yankees lineup is just too dynamic. While I think the
Rays may actually be a better team, the Yankees just seem to find a way to beat
up on all the lower teams in the league and rack up high regular season win
totals. I would love to pick the Blue Jays to finish ahead of the Red Sox, but
I’m not confident yet in their rotation after Rickey Romero. The Red Sox need a
lot to go right in order to fight for the division.
AL Central:
1. Detroit Tigers 102-60
2. Kansas City Royals 85-77
3. Cleveland Indians 78-84
4. Minnesota Twins 72-90
5. Chicago White Sox 68-94
This might be the easiest prediction in baseball history. I
don’t think anyone is picking somebody to dethrone the Tigers, who have looked
amazing in spring. I like the Royals and Indians to both continue developing
and could make a push if things fall right for them.
AL West:
1. Anaheim Angels 96-66
2. Texas Rangers* 94-68
3. Seattle Mariners 73-89
4. Oakland Athletics 64-97
I think the Rangers have had too many chances and I feel
like this could be a down year for them. The Angels had a better offseason and
Mike Scioscia is a great coach that will do wonders with Albert Pujols in his
lineup. The Mariners and Athletics might as well get comfortable down there.
National League
This is where things get fun and interesting. This league is
wide open and 10 of the 16 teams have a chance of making the playoffs; however,
very few teams have a chance of taking down one of the AL powerhouses.
NL East:
1. Philadelphia Phillies 97-65
2. Atlanta Braves* 91-71
3. Washington Nationals 87-75
4. Miami Marlins 82-80
5. New York Mets 71-91
Probably shouldn’t predict this division as I’m biased to
the Braves, but I think the Phillies will hold strong and defend their crown.
This will be the most competitive division in baseball. The Mets won’t be as
bad as people think. I’m not as high on the Marlins as everyone else. Things
have to go absolutely perfect for them to even make the playoffs. I’ve loved
the Nationals for years and think they’ll see a huge improvement this year.
NL Central:
1. Milwaukee Brewers 92-70
2. Cincinnati Reds 87-75
3. St. Louis Cardinals 85-77
4. Chicago Cubs 74-88
5. Pittsburg Pirates -72-80
6. Houston Astros 54-108
I like the Brewers starting rotation and bullpen better than
the Reds and Cardinals and that’s the only reason I’m picking them. This
three-team race is going to be close and I believe they’ll have to win the
division to make the playoffs. Injuries and letdowns from losing Pujols and
LaRussa scare me with the Cardinals. The Reds pitching staff is weak to me, but
they do produce the best lineup. The Cubs will improve and the Pirates and
Astros will stand pat.
NL West:
1. San Francisco Giants 94-68
2. Los Angeles Dodgers* 89-73
3. Arizona Diamondbacks 83-79
4. Colorado Rockies 79-83
5. San Diego Padres 65-97
Another wild race in the National League, I think the Giants
come out on top because of their dominate top three starting pitchers. I liked the
Dodgers going into this year after the way they finished last season and I
think they’ll continue to get better with the added fan support. I liked the
Diamondbacks last year but I think that gravy train will come to an end. Too
many people out produced their normal numbers last year and I’m not confident
their starting pitching will hold up. The Rockies might have the best offense
in the league, but there are too many questions with the rotation. If Juan
Nicasio, Drew Pomeranz and Jhoulys Chacin step up they could surprise some people.
Playoff Predictions
Wild Card Round:
AL – Rays over the Rangers
NL – Dodgers over the Braves
ALDS:
Rays over the Tigers
Angels over the Yankees
NLDS:
Phillies over the Dodgers
Giants over the Brewers
ALCS:
Angels over the Rays
NLCS:
Phillies over the Giants
World Series:
Angels over the Phillies
I’ve always been a believer in the Angels coaching staff. I
think Pujols will help make that team much better like he did in St. Louis and
Scoscia is great at finding a way to produce runs, which will support the great
pitching staff with Jared Weaver, Dan Haren, C.J. Wilson and Ervin Santana.
Awards
AL Rookie of the Year: Matt Moore
NL Rookie of the Year: Bryce Harper
AL Cy Young award: Dan Haren
NL Cy Young award: Yovani Gallardo
AL MVP: Miguel Cabrera
NL MVP: Joey Votto
You can follow Jake on
Twitter at: @j8a1k0e or on his MLB Braves blog at: http://bravesandmore.mlblogs.com
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