Well it's finally baseball season again. We all know how last season ended. Even better, we all remember how 2008 ended.
Yeah.
Anyway.
We also remember how 2007 ended.
So how will 2010 end? Here is the early read on how I see it going down.
NL EAST
1. Phillies - The 3-time division champs added one of the best pitchers in baseball in the offseason as well as an offensive upgrade at 3rd base. Ultimately, it will come down to how well Cole Hamels and Brad Lidge respond to their down years' last year. I think Cole is going to have a great year and Lidge will settle somewhere between his '08 and '09 forms. Of course that's the biggest gap in Philadelphia ever. Even Michael Vick could probably throw a ball in that whole.
2. Braves - They added names like Glaus and Cabrera, and brought up phenom Jason Heyward to bolster their lineup, which was clearly their weak point the past two years. Their rotation is sick, and just beats out the Marlins' for best in the division. However, they got rid of both closers they had last year and brought in Billy Wagner, which I guess is because they needed to fill the douchebag quota.
3. Mets - Jason Bay brings some power back to the lineup. But having the Mets here I realize is a gamble, because on paper they have a better team than the Marlins (maybe even the Braves) but you can almost bank on the fact that something's going to go wrong for them. Whether it's injuries, bad management, or um, failing to realize September is still part of baseball season, something will most likely go wrong.
4. Marlins - Their rotation is deep, lead by Josh Johnson and Ricky Nolasco. Hanley Ramirez won the batting title last year and is always a threat to win it this year as well. The Marlins will probably overachieve for most of the year, and don't be surprised if they are in first mid-July. However, inevitably by then their fanbase will multiply tenfold and the team will likely not know how to play in front of hundreds of people.
5. Nationals - Stephen Strasburg is good.
NL Central
1. Cardinals — After being unceremoniously bounced from the playoffs last season by the Dodgers, the Cardinals come in to 2010 with the best player in the game (Albert Pujols) and two of the best pitchers in baseball heading the rotation (Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright.) Look for them to challenge the Phillies for the best record in the league and home field advantage throughout the playoffs.
2. Cubs - The Cubs have a solid rotation with Zambrano/Lilly/Dempster/Wells. Assuming injuries don't ravage the team once again, the Cubs will have all the motivation in the world to at least go down fighting in the NL Central race this season. With just a few years left of Ramirez and Lee at their peaks, Chicago needs to hurry if they want to take advantage of the two outstanding players. And if things go poorly, just wait for Sweet Lou to make things interesting in the media.
3. Reds - The Reds have a nice core of talent in Jay Bruce, Joey Votto, and Brandon Phillips. Harang/Arroyo/Cueto are nothing to get too excited about, and their a lot of their pitching depends on how Edinson Volquez performs coming back from surgery. If he can return to '08 form, don't be surprised to see them contend for the wild card. Aroldis Chapman can't hurt either, right?
4. Brewers - Braun/Fielder are probably the best 3/4 in the NL, but after that the lineup is not good. They had trouble scoring runs last year, and now are without Mike Cameron and JJ Hardy. That means their relying on Corey Hary and Carlos Gomez for timely hitting, which usually isn't a good thing. Also, their rotation after Gallardo is a mess. But at least there's Little Mac and King Hippo to delight fans, so that's nice.
5. Astros - irrelevant.
6. Pirates - even more irrelevant.
NL West
1. Rockies - The Rockies caught fire when Jim Tracy took over and snuck into the playoffs by winning the NL Wild Card. This season, they will have an offense led by proven veterans and talented youngsters looking to prove that last season was no accident. They need their ace, Ubaldo Jimenez, to continue making strides, especially with a bullpen full of questions.
2. Dodgers - If the Dodgers are going to find success in 2010, they will need to rely upon their two up and coming outfielders, Matt Kemp and Andre Either. If these two can continue to put up a combined 50 plus home runs and 200 RBI’s, they will ease the pressure on Manny Ramirez, James Loney and others. Apparently Vincente Padilla is their opening day starter, so it's good to see this club has a good judge of talent.
3. Giants - It's a very competitive division and I think the Giants will be the team on the outside looking out again this year. Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain should each have great years, and Brian Wilson is a reliable closer. While it it's cool to watch Kung Fu Panda swing the bat, he would see better production if the Giants had someone else besides Aubrey Huff and Mark DeRosa batting behind him.
4. D-backs - Dan Haren's good.
5. Padres - Adrian Gonzalez is good.
AL East
1. Yankees - They added Curtis Granderson and Javier Vasquez in the offseason (both solid moves). They have the best lineup in baseball (Jeter, Teixeira, A-Rod, etc), despite what Buster Olney thinks. CC is a workhorse and the rotation of him AJ Burnett, Andy Pettite, and Vasquez is as good as any in the AL. The bullpen may have small issues, but Mariano Rivera is as consistent as the nightly news. Honestly, there's no reason to think this team isn't better than it was last year.
2. Red Sox - Their rotation is stacked with Lester, Beckett and newcomer John Lackey. I really like the moves they made offensively in the offseason for Beltre and Scutaro. Youkilis and Victor Martinez will provide the pop while Pedroia and Ellsbury will continue to set the table nicely. Their bullpen, as per usual, is top notch.
3. Rays - I think they are the third best team in the AL, but that doesn't mean anything. However, if something goes awry for one of the above, don't think for a second the Rays won't take advantage of it and surpass them. Their young stars Longoria, Zobrist, Garza, and Shields will each have solid years, while Crawford and Pena will be extra motivated to win now in their contract years.
4. Blue Jays - They lost one of the game's best pitchers (Roy Halladay), still don't have a closer, and play in the game's toughest division. The lineup is filled with young talent, namely Adam Lind, Aaron Hill, and Travis Snider - all of which have the ability to hit 25-30 home runs. Shaun Marcum is coming off surgery and Ricky Romero is the only certainty in a depleted rotation.
5. Orioles - Kevin Millwood is their opening day starter. The lineup is filled with young stars (Reimold, Weiters) but they are all one year away from making any impact. Thus, look for no impact to be made. Markakis, Roberts, and Jones are solid, but that doesn't really matter since they basically need to score 10 runs a game with their rotation, coupled with the power of other teams in their division.
AL Central
1. White Sox - It was a deep pitching staff that helped the Chicago White Sox capture a World Series title in 2005, and the club is hoping that the addition of ace Jake Peavy will give them the depth to do it again. The 2007 N.L. Cy Young Award winner joins Mark Buehrle to make up one of the best one-two punches in baseball at the top of the rotation, along with Danks and Floyd. If Carlos Quentin and Alex Rios can find their swings, the White Sox could certainly win their second division title in the last three years.
2. Twins - Minnesota doesn’t have the star power in its starting rotation that the White Sox and the Tigers have, but it proved last season that it didn’t need a top flight pitcher to win the division. Minnesota’s lineup is one of the best in the league with Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau leading the way as perennial MVP candidates. If their pitching sucks and they need someone to throw, look for Brett Favre to not have his mind made up by August. However he'll likely throw an interception in the playoffs somehow, just like old times.
3. Tigers - Detroit let an opportunity to win the A.L. Central slip away last season when it blew a three-game lead with four games to play. Now the Tigers will have to try to win a division crown without Curtis Granderson, Edwin Jackson and Placido Polanco, which will be no easy task. Still, a division title is not out of the question if ace Justin Verlander is even nearly as good as he was last season and if Rick Porcello and Max Scherzer build on solid campaigns.
4. Royals - Zack Grienke is good.
5. Indians - Um, LeBron James is still in Cleveland as of today.
AL West
1. Mariners - In what should be the most interesting division race this year, I think the Mariners finally broke through. In acquiring P Cliff Lee from Philadelphia to join Felix Hernandez, the Mariners should have one of the better rotations in the AL. They have a solid bull pen and a proven closer in David Aardsma. Defensively they are solid from top to bottom and the addition of Figgins from the Angels to go along with Ichiro Suzuki, this should help to improve their ability to score runs.
2. Rangers - This is of course banking that new additio Vlad, Josh Hamilton, Michael Young and Ian Kinsler stay healthy. They did add P Rich Harden to go along with Scott Feldman in the starting rotation, but question marks in their bull pen have yet to be answered. Offensively they should be fine, as Kinsler and Young should set the table well for Vlad, Hamiton, Chris Davis and the still somehow underrated Nelson Cruz.
3. Angles - The Angels may have taken a step or two backwards since last year with the loss of P John Lackey and 3B Chone Figgens. They still have a very strong starting rotation led by Jered Weaver and Joe Saunders and have a solid closer in Brain Fuentes. To add some power to the lineup they brought in Hideki Matsui to go along with Bobby Abreu and Kendry Morales. They still have enough talent to win the West, but with the other teams closing the gap it will not be nearly as easy.
4. Athletics - Check out Michael Taylor, former Phillies prospect. He's good.
Very early playoff predictions:
NL
East - Phillies
Cent - Cardinals
West - Rockies
Wild Card - Dodgers
NL Champs - Phillies
AL
East - Yankees
Cent - White Sox
West - Mariners
Wild Card - Red Sox
AL Champs - Yankees
World Series Champs
yeah... too early.
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