(watch this kid this year)
Here's my prediction for the impending baseball season...
...Division winners and playoffs scenarios.
N.L .East
Braves – Now bare with me here…We have an offense that will be and already has been plenty potent enough to compete (people forget we only finished 5 games back last year). The difference this year will be our starting pitching. Whereas we went 2 deep in our rotation last year, we’ve got 3 guys (Glavine, Smoltz, and Hudson) that have been durable, steady, “give them the runs and they’ll win” starters (except for Glavine’s every fourth start rule). Leaving Jair Jurrjens whose looked good so far and, of course, Mike Hampton. Not saying I expect it to happen, but IF Hampton can make just 20 starts this year, we’ve got 4-5 deep solid, not spectacular, rotation which neither the Phillies nor Mets can say…So what about the Phillies and Mets?...No pitching. Everyone forgets that they both fell apart last year only Philly fell apart less than N.Y…All I’m saying is they better not sleep on my Braves cause I think we’ve got at least 2 more division round losses in us.
N.L. Central
Cubs – Yeah, big shock…I know money doesn’t buy rings, but dear God!...If they can’t win with this team, they really are cursed.
Do see the Reds contending right in there with Brewers
N.L. West
D-Backs – I love this team. Young, scrappy with solid pitching that got just close enough to get a taste but not close enough to satiate the hunger…O.k. enough of the feely stuff…If we learned anything from the Beckett-Willis Marlins Championship it’s that young teams with solid pitching that also excel at moving on the bags and producing scoring opportunities always play well down the stretch which is exactly when the inevitable blood bath that is the N.L. west will be decided.
N.L. Wildcard
Dodgers – Conventional wisdom says don’t count the Padres out of the playoff race cause they always find a way in, but I think the Dodgers pitching carries them to the stretch which is precisely where the youngsters and Andruw Jones go to sleep relegating them to the Wild Card as the D-backs small ball themselves into the division crown.
And, no, I'm still not convinced that the Rockies are that good.
A.L. East
Red Sox – Everything in me says the Yanks blow up after the break and take the division, but I’m looking at this lineup and just don’t see too many holes while the Yanks have one glaring deficiency...their pitching, and just like a good front seven in football, pitching wins Championships.
A.L. Central
Tigers – Do I even need to write anything here?...
A.L. West
Mariners – I think adding Bedard will be huge in what I see is the weakest division in baseball. I also think King Felix ascends the throne this year. They’ve got a decent lineup capable of producing runs…I think this division will ultimately be decided by who is less injured and the Angels are just too old not to expect Vlad or somebody very important to go down in mid-summer.
A.L. Wildcard
Indians – Not much to say here, I think they’d take the division if not for the Tigers.
Playoffs
N.L.
Cubs def. Dodgers in 5
D-backs def. Braves in 4
D-backs def. Cubs in an epic 7 games.
A.L.
Indians def. Red Sox in 5
Tigers sweep Mariners
Tigers def. Indians in 6
D-backs def. Braves in 4
D-backs def. Cubs in an epic 7 games.
A.L.
Indians def. Red Sox in 5
Tigers sweep Mariners
Tigers def. Indians in 6
World Series
Tigers def. D-backs in 6.
Zeius
4 comments:
I might as well use this venue to b!tch about TBS...nobody cares about your four-hour-block of Sex and the City reruns...but they can't carry more than 11 Braves games this summer?! RIDICULOUS. I've watched the Braves since 1981 on TBS...now I have to pay for MLB.TV every month to see the games online.
dr. z- response and rejoinder:
1.n.l. east- this is tough. of course...i think the braves can do it...not just as a fan, but also objectively. really though...for me, it comes down to this: injuries. our rotation remembers when welcome back kotter debuted, and could cripple at any moment...this includes 120 games/year chipper. the mets...have to get better with santana...but are also injury prone. the phillies just suck....
2. n.l. central- ditto.
3. n.l. west- again, ditto. i think pitching gets them there...plus what a good infield.
4. WC- no way dude...remember aj can't get it done when it counts...nor can furcal. mets/braves loser.
5. a.l. east- yanks are good...but the sox are almost perfect as a team...pitching, defense, bats...
6. a.l. central- this is where you are way off. detroit, while doing their best n.y. imitation(buying an all-star team), still no pitching. kenny rogers..he's berenger in major league...but his last-best season was last year, granderson...hurt, willis...maybe. which leads me to...cleveland. see red sox comments...(sorry testudineous).
7. a.l. west- probably mariners...but only because the angels and everyone else fell off...
*** and, yes...i can't wait for 4/5.
No need to be sorry this year. (Apologies would have been necessary 2002-06..."Those days are over.") I concur with your opinions on the AL Central, though I expect (and fear) the Indians willl beat out the Tigers. I would prefer Detroit. Detroit/Yankees for WC.
H - On tigers/indians...I don't see the discrepancy in pitching as that great...I just Verlander and Rogers are good enough (i think a lot of verlander) carry the rotation which would require rogers stay healthy which is more or less the same as Cleveland's situation...Sabathia is overweight and worked like a horse last year (won the cy young on innings pitched...not sure of the statistic but I would bet the likelihood of injury/laziness for overweight pitcher following a career year is probably pretty high...leaving fausto carmona who I think will only get better...
As for the A.L. perhaps my lack of explanation implied that i think the tigers win in a walk...no, i'll be a race, but as I see it, cleveland only has a slight edge in the rotation comparison while detroit has absolutely not one hole in their lineup...the indians are good, but I'll take Jim Leyland and a lineup you can't pitch to.
T - I feel for you. To lose a pitcher the calibre of Santana and not even be able to blame him for leaving...just hurts...I also heard they're wanting to shop Nathan around the break.
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