Division Winners
AL EAST: Baltimore
The Orioles won 96 games last year despite not having arguably the best catcher in the game Matt Wieters for most of the year and big bat first-baseman Chris Davis having an awful year before being suspended. Wieters should be back in late spring and Davis is having a decent spring and will be available immediately. The lineup has plenty of deep ball pop and the starting rotation in a lunch pail bunch that always seems to find a way to win. Showalter is the perfect fit here.
AL CENTRAL: Cleveland
The Indians were a couple of injuries (Nick Swisher for one) away from making the post-season last year. Brandon Moss has been added to an already stacked outfield. The infield is young but good. Last year’s Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber is the real deal and closer Cody Allen is emerging as one of the best in the league. The Tribe has everything it needs to pass Detroit, Kansas City and the much improved WSox to win the Central.
AL WEST: Seattle
The Mariners knocked on the door for a while last year, this year they kick it down. Seattle’s group of kids, Logan Morrison, Kyle Seager and catcher Mike Zunino all figure to equal surpass last year’s numbers.If Zunino continues to hit for average like he has in the spring, the Mariners will have legitimate protection for Robinson Cano. Pitching is not a problem for the Mariners, scoring runs was. That has been addressed and the M’s will be tough to beat as division winners in the West.
NL EAST: Washington Nationals
The Nats are just loaded top to bottom. They have so many quality starters that there was talk of experimenting with a six man rotation. The releif pitching is solid and the lineup is better than average and won’t need to score that many runs with their pitching. This is a team that will face little to no opposition in it’s own division and would be able to withstand several key injuries and still pencil itself in for the playoffs. Our pick to win it all.
NL CENTRAL: Pittsburgh
The Pirates took a gut shot when they lost catcher Russell Martin to the Jays but other than that, this is arguably the most complete team in the National League other than the Nats. The lineup will score a lot runs and will only bet better if former MVP Andrew McCutcheon can stay healthy the entire year. The Bucs have no aces but five No.2-3 guys that have killer Mark Melancon for lights out in the ninth. With Cincinnati and St Louis taking steps back, the Pirates rate the nod as best in the Central.
NL WEST: L.A. Dodgers
The Dodgers should walk through the West and then it will be a question if all their big salaried players including ace Clayton Kershaw can finally put up in October when it matters. The biggest changes made in the off season were adding double play combo Jimmy Rollins and Howie Kendrick up the middle. Brandon McCarthy was a nice addition as the fourth starter and if performs as well as he did down the stretch for the Bronx Bombers, the Dodgers have no excuse to not win this division by double-digit games.
AL WILDCARDS (2 Teams):
L.A. Angels –
The Angels will battle it out with Seattle for the two playoff spots that figure to come out of the West. Mike Trout is the best player in baseball and Albert Pujols is reportedly as healthy and in as good a shape as he’s been in five years. The Josh Hamilton situation is up in the air but not a pressing issue. The top four starters from last year are back and they’ll have the benefit of a legitimate closer (Houston Street) available from Day One.
Chicago WSox –
The Pale Hose have an underrated lineup that is going to score a lot of runs. A lot of runs! They’ve added pichers Jeff Samardzija and closer David Robertson. With Chris Sale, Samardzija in a contract year, and Jose Quintana throwing darts at the Cell, the WSox could be the surprise team in the junior circuit.
NL WILDCARDS (2 Teams):
Chicago Cubs –
The Cubs are the sexy pick to make some noise in the National League this year and after years of futility and making the most of their prime draft picks, this might be the years. The Blue Bear kids have had a couple of years under fire and are ready to produce. Power hitting 3B phenom (Las Vegas native) Kris Bryant is waiting in the wings and will be available full time in mid-May. A solid five man rotation that includes the most coveted free agent signing of the winter in Jon Lester, puts the Blue Bears in the hunt.
Miami –
The Marlins have second place in the East all to themselves and only need enough wins to qualify for a wildcard. With a solid starting lineup, pitching that includes an elite bullpen and almost 35 wins almost assured in divisional meetings with the Braves, Phils and Mets, Miami figures in a big way. Giancarlo Stanton appears to be 100% recovered from the pitch he took in the face in August that ended his season with 37 bombs. If a sketchy bunch of starters that have produced at times during their careers, the Marlins could be very good.
WORLD SERIES PREDICTIONS – Washington over Seattle