I
really enjoy the month of April for several reasons. It means that the
New England winter, which can seem like an eternity, is finally over
and that spring time is upon us. As a sports fan, there’s not many months that
rival the month of April. It marks the beginning of the playoffs for the NHL
and the NBA. The NCAA basketball tournament is usually winding down with the
Final Four and the National Championship game. The first major golf event of
the year, the Masters, is a special institution that is matched by no other
tournament.
Then
there’s the beginning of a new baseball season and opening day. For me it’s one
of the most anticipated sports days of the year, especially in Boston, where local
fans prepare for another season of Red Sox baseball. With the new expanded
playoff format introduced last year, there’s more incentive for teams to win
their division, but it also allows an additional wild-card team with a chance
to advance in the playoffs. It will hopefully lead to some exciting playoff and
division races as we enter the dog days of summer.
Of
course one of the most important components to winning for any team over the
course of the long season is staying healthy. That and pitching.
Pitching,
pitching and more pitching.
It
does also help if teams can manufacture runs, play some solid defense, and are
well managed. But in October, the main focus is on pitching matchups, and teams
want to have a formidable and healthy rotation heading into the playoffs. Now
that I sound like I have somewhat of a clue what I’m talking about, let’s see
if we can make some predictions on this new baseball season, where I’m picking
two of the top aces in the game to face off in the World Series.
American League
Division Winners: Tampa Bay Rays, Detroit
Tigers, Los Angeles Angels
Wild Card Winners: Toronto Blue Jays,
Texas Rangers
American League Champion: Detroit Tigers
A.L. MVP: Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay Rays
A.L. Cy Young: Justin Verlander, Detroit
Tigers
A.L. Rookie of the Year: Wil Myers,
Tampa Bay Rays
National League
Division Winners: Washington Nationals,
Cincinnati Reds, San Francisco Giants
Wild Card Winners: Atlanta Braves, Los
Angeles Dodgers
National League Champion: Washington
Nationals
N.L. MVP: Joey Votto, Cincinnati Reds
N.L. Cy Young: Stephen Strasburg,
Washington Nationals
N.L. Rookie of the Year: Oscar Taveras,
St. Louis Cardinals
World Series: Washington Nationals over
Detroit Tigers
A.L. East (Projected Finish)
1. Tampa Bay Rays
2. Toronto Blue Jays
3. Baltimore Orioles
4. New York Yankees
5. Boston Red Sox
The
division that’s been dominated by the New York Yankees is more wide open than
ever. The reigning division champs are plagued by injuries to offensive mainstays
Derek Jeter, Curtis Grandison, Mark Texiera and Alex Rodriguez. Their ace C.C.
Sabathia is a work horse, but his main concern will be how he recovers
 |
Jose Reyes
sports.yahoo.com |
from
off-season elbow surgery. It has all the makings of a slow start to the season.
The Red Sox are in a transition year, and have brought in some new character guys
to erase their dismal 2012 season. They also hired the manager they wanted in
John Farrell, but for them to compete they will need the top of their rotation
to pitch up to their potential and John Lackey to return to his pre fried
chicken and beer form. The Sox revamped bullpen looks to be one of the best in
baseball, so if they can put runs on the board early they should be able to hold
onto the lead. To everyone’s surprise last year, the Baltimore Orioles won 93
games and made the playoffs. Buck Showalter is going to need the same
consistency from his rotation to recreate the same magic this year. But this
division should come down to Tampa Bay and Toronto. With the talent the Blue
Jays acquired in the off season, they should be the favorites to win this
division. But every year the Blue Jays seem to disappoint. The addition of
catalyst Jose Reyes at the top of the lineup should increase their run
production. The question will be can R.A. Dickey and Josh Johnson can make the
transition to the American League in a hitter-friendly ballpark. I see Joe
Maddon continued success as the Rays manager and their young pitching core to
lead them to the top of the division. One wild-card team will come out of the
A.L. East, and with their talent I’m going with Toronto.
A.L. Central
1. Detroit Tigers
2. Chicago White Sox
3 Kansas City Royals
4. Cleveland Indians
5. Minnesota Twins
The
Chicago White Sox showed some success last year under new manager Robin
Ventura, making a
 |
Justin Verlander
mlb.si.com |
playoff run only to finish three games behind division winner
Detroit. If they have any chance at a post-season berth, they need Chris Sale
to become a dominant starter in his second full season and for veteran Jake
Peavy to stay healthy. Cleveland is hoping for the same type of success with new
manager Terry Francona and additions Michael Bourne, Nick Swisher and Drew
Stubbs. Unfortunately their starting rotation is lacking to make a push towards
the playoffs. Kansas City has made some solid additions to their rotation,
bringing in James Shields, Ervin Santana, and Wade Miller. They also have some
good young talent in their offensive lineup, and could be a surprise in the
American League if their new pitching acquisitions live up to their potential.
But this is Detroit’s division to lose. With the best pitcher in the game in
Justin Verlander and a packed lineup led by Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera,
the Tigers are the best team in the American League, and should take the
division and once again make a deep run in the playoffs.
A.L. West
1. Los Angeles Angels
2. Texas Rangers
3. Oakland Athletics
4. Seattle Mariners
5. Houston Astros
This
should be a fun division to watch. Oakland proved their starting rotation was
no joke last year by
 |
Josh Hamilton
mlb.si.com |
making a late season surge to win the division. The question
will be if they can repeat the task. The Mariners should be better this year,
but are still some pieces away from competing for a playoff spot. The addition
of Houston should allow the rest of the division to add to their win totals
from last year. The Rangers brought in Lance Berkman and A.J. Pierzynski,
hoping their production can fill the void of Josh Hamilton. It will be tough to
do, but Texas should still be able to put up runs like they have in the past.
Speaking of Hamilton, he becomes part of an already potent lineup in Los
Angeles, joining one of the most exciting young players in Mike Trout and the
always dangerous Albert Pujols. They should be one of the best offenses in
baseball, as long as Hamilton stays healthy. Their rotation lead by Jered
Weaver and C.J. Wilson should lead them to the top of the division, with Texas
coming out as the second wild card.
N.L. East
1. Washington Nationals
2. Atlanta Braves
3. Philadelphia Phillies
4. New York Mets
5. Miami Marlins
It
was a travesty what the Nationals organization did to its fans last year. I’m
referring to keeping an innings
 |
Stephen Strasburg
sports.yahoo.com |
count on ace Stephen Strasburg, leading to his
eventual shut down in early September. I understand he was coming off major
surgery, and the organization wanted to protect their young investment. But the
baseball season is a marathon, and one of the hardest tasks is making the
post-season. When you have a chance to win the whole thing, you go for it.
Without Strasburg, Washington were ousted in a heartbreaking Game 5 in the
Division Series last year. With Strasburg in for a full season in 2013, the
Nats boast one of the best all-around teams in baseball. With a full season of
young phenom Bryce Harper, Washington has the capabilities of winning 100 games
this season. Their only competition will come in the Atlanta Braves with their
revamped lineup featuring the Upton brothers and their young pitching staff.
The Phillies could compete, but they need healthy seasons from veterans Chase
Utley, Ryan Howard, Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee, all playing up to their full
potential. In the end the Nats take the division, with Atlanta filling out the
first wild card spot.
N.L. Central
1. Cincinnati Reds
2. St. Louis Cardinals
3. Pittsburgh Pirates
4. Milwaukee Brewers
5. Chicago Cubs
 |
Joey Votto
espn.go.com |
The
Pirates turned some heads last year, led by breakout star Andrew McCutchen.
Look for McCutchen to duplicate his 2012 numbers, but lack of pitching depth is
going to cause them to come up short again this season. Similar to Detroit and
the A.L. Central, I see this as Cincinnati’s division to lose. The Cardinals
could pose the only threat to the Reds, but the loss of Rafael Furcal and Chris
Carpenter to season ending injuries and Lance Berkman and Kyle Lohse to free
agency could take their toll. They will need their core of young talent,
beginning with pitchers Trevor Rosenthal and Shelby Miller, to contribute if
they want to make a similar late season run as they did last year. The Reds
have lost Scott Rolen, but brought in Shin-Soo Choo to an already volatile
lineup that includes Jay Bruce and MVP candidate Joey Votto. Their strength at
pitching should lead Cincinnati to another division title.
N.L. West
1. San Francisco Giants
2. Los Angeles Dodgers
3. Arizona Diamondbacks
4. San Diego Padres
5. Colorado Rockies
 |
Carl Crawford
latimes.com |
The Giants brought back a majority of the same
team that won the World Series last year including reigning MVP Buster Posey.
They will be challenged by the Dodgers, who have a stacked lineup and a
rotation featuring one of the best pitchers in the National League, Clayton Kershaw.
If Carl Crawford can stay healthy and find a comfort level that eluded him in
Boston, he could return to the player he was in Tampa and finally live up to
his contract. Matt Kemp will also need to play a full season for the Dodgers to
compete for the division. Arizona made some deals that brought in some quality
players, but they will miss Justin Upton’s bat. Ultimately San Fran’s pitching
has the most depth, which I think gives them the edge over the Dodgers. L.A. is
still a talented group, and they will make up the second wild card.
