Warning Track Power
It's time once again. No longer do we have to get excited about pitchers and catchers. No longer do we have to listen to the drudgery of spring training. The baseball season is finally upon us!
And to lead the way, here are the Bobbo Approved Official Pre-Season Picks
AL East
1 - Tampa Bay Rays
2 - New York Yankees
3 - Boston Red Sox
4 - Toronto Blue Jays
5 - Baltimore Orioles
All that firepower spent by the Sox and Yanks, and yet I still think the youth of the Rays will win out. I give the Sox third based on their back end of the rotation. Why is every Boston fan excited about old and injury prone pitchers a la Brad Penny and John Smoltz. You'll be lucky to get 20 starts out of them combined. The fact of the matter is, injuries are a part of the game. And in that aspect, the youth pays dividends for Tampa. These aren't your grandfather's basement dwelling Rays!
AL Central
1 - Cleveland Indians
2 - Chicago White Sox
3 - Minnesota Twins
4 - Detroit Tigers
5 - Kansas City Royals
This division is always a clusterfuck. No one seems to show up until the last second. After last year's second half resurgance, I think this will be the team that we expected to see last year. As for the Tigers, they have woes up the yinyang. How's that Miguel Cabrera/Dontrelle Willis trade workin' out for ya?
AL West
1 - Anaheim Angels
2 - Oakland A's
3 - Seattle Mariners
4 - Texas Rangers
It's the Angels' division to lose. Not this year, even with the Holliday A's. Will he even make the entire season on the team? Survey says... maybe. And I can see the M's being slightly better this year. And it has little to do with Griffey.
Wild Card: Chicago White Sox
Surprise Team: Seattle Mariners
Disappointment: Boston Red Sox
MVP: Justin Morneau - Minnesota
Cy Young: Gavin Floyd - Chicago
Coach of the Year: Eric Wedge - Cleveland
You heard it here first: a postseason without the Red Sox or Yankees. How will the MLB survive?! The fact of the matter is they all will beat heavily on each other, bruising each other's records, and I predict both Boston and New York are the most liable to be injury prone. It's written all over their players. So Chicago comes in and snipes the Wild Card with a week left in the season.
Morneau has been nothing but sensational since he came to the league. That one MVP seemed like a fluke at the time, but he's certainly making himself known
And proving once again that preseason picks are bullshit, and the fact I refuse to pick back-to-back winners or the en vogue pitcher that the media drools over. Here are the facts. Floyd is in prime position to get a barrelful of wins. Pitching in the number 2 or 3 spot behind Buerhle, another year of experience. He's ready to wow.
And Eric Wedge may simply be the most underrated coach in the league. Simple as that. He works well with what's given to him year in and year out. Doesn't always translate to playoffs, but he still grinds it out.
NL East
1 - Atlanta Braves
2 - Philadelphia Phillies
3 - New York Mets
4 - Florida Marlins
5 - Washington Nationals
Quaaaa?! Yep, you see it here. I predict the Braves to take the NL East this year. What do I have to prove such a statement? Nothing. Just a hunch. But sometimes that's all you need. If history is any indication, expect the Mets to have first place all year EXCEPT with 10 days left in the season.
NL Central
1 - Chicago Cubs
2 - St. Louis Cardinals
3 - Houston Astros
4 - Milwaukee Brewers
5 - Pittsburgh Pirates
6 - Cincinnati Reds
Cubs still have all the tools to chase another playoff tank-out. But the Cards are right there and will make it a fight. The rest of the division will be out of it by August. I see the Astros as an improved team, and the Brewers as a team that might finally fall back to earth a bit. And what's this? Pirates out of the cellar? ... And so it seems, only in dreams...
NL West
1 - Los Angeles Dodgers
2 - San Francisco Giants
3 - Arizona Diamondbacks
4 - San Diego Padres
5 - Colorado Rockies
Even a bigger crap shoot than the AL Central. But I give to LA, as they look like they have the most direction. Manny definitely adds dimension to the lineup. The Dodgers' biggest problem was their transparent offense until Manny came around. If their pitching staff can stay up to speed, they'll take it. But taking a look at second, I do think the Giants will be a much improved team. They're hanging around with a lot of chemistry to grow. And baby face Tim Lincecum is the next dominant ace of the league.
Wild Card: Philadelphia Phillies
Surprise Team: Atlanta Braves
Disappointment: New York Mets
MVP: Geovany Soto - Chicago
Cy Young: Cole Hamels - Philadlephia
Coach of the Year: Bruce Bochy - San Francisco
Phils will still get a crack at defending their title as the Wild Card.
Geovany Soto showed so much poise as a rookie last year, running away with the RotY award. This year, I see getting even better. Now, he won't have the gaudy numbers of your typical MVP. In fact, I see at least 2 more guys having better overall numbers than him. But, when you take into account defense and that leadership intangible, I think Soto takes it.
Hamels is the next big thing in the National League. If he can stay healthy, he's got a 20 win season in the bag.
And Bruce Bochy does a lot with a little. That lineup won't scare anyone, but the right coach can squeeze every last drop out of a lineup. And a pitching staff like the Giants have is undoubtedly going to keep them close in games. They'll lead the league in one run games. And Bochy will make sure that they're on the winning end of that statistic.
PLAYOFFS
Chi Sox defeat Anaheim
Tampa defeats Cleveland
Philly defeats Chi Cubs
LA Dodgers defeat Atlanta
Tampa defeats Chi Sox
LA Dodgers defeat Philly
LSC MVPs
Evan Longoria - Tampa
Russell Martin - LA
Tampa defeats Los Angeles
World Series MVP
B J Upton
And to lead the way, here are the Bobbo Approved Official Pre-Season Picks
AL East
1 - Tampa Bay Rays
2 - New York Yankees
3 - Boston Red Sox
4 - Toronto Blue Jays
5 - Baltimore Orioles
All that firepower spent by the Sox and Yanks, and yet I still think the youth of the Rays will win out. I give the Sox third based on their back end of the rotation. Why is every Boston fan excited about old and injury prone pitchers a la Brad Penny and John Smoltz. You'll be lucky to get 20 starts out of them combined. The fact of the matter is, injuries are a part of the game. And in that aspect, the youth pays dividends for Tampa. These aren't your grandfather's basement dwelling Rays!
AL Central
1 - Cleveland Indians
2 - Chicago White Sox
3 - Minnesota Twins
4 - Detroit Tigers
5 - Kansas City Royals
This division is always a clusterfuck. No one seems to show up until the last second. After last year's second half resurgance, I think this will be the team that we expected to see last year. As for the Tigers, they have woes up the yinyang. How's that Miguel Cabrera/Dontrelle Willis trade workin' out for ya?
AL West
1 - Anaheim Angels
2 - Oakland A's
3 - Seattle Mariners
4 - Texas Rangers
It's the Angels' division to lose. Not this year, even with the Holliday A's. Will he even make the entire season on the team? Survey says... maybe. And I can see the M's being slightly better this year. And it has little to do with Griffey.
Wild Card: Chicago White Sox
Surprise Team: Seattle Mariners
Disappointment: Boston Red Sox
MVP: Justin Morneau - Minnesota
Cy Young: Gavin Floyd - Chicago
Coach of the Year: Eric Wedge - Cleveland
You heard it here first: a postseason without the Red Sox or Yankees. How will the MLB survive?! The fact of the matter is they all will beat heavily on each other, bruising each other's records, and I predict both Boston and New York are the most liable to be injury prone. It's written all over their players. So Chicago comes in and snipes the Wild Card with a week left in the season.
Morneau has been nothing but sensational since he came to the league. That one MVP seemed like a fluke at the time, but he's certainly making himself known
And proving once again that preseason picks are bullshit, and the fact I refuse to pick back-to-back winners or the en vogue pitcher that the media drools over. Here are the facts. Floyd is in prime position to get a barrelful of wins. Pitching in the number 2 or 3 spot behind Buerhle, another year of experience. He's ready to wow.
And Eric Wedge may simply be the most underrated coach in the league. Simple as that. He works well with what's given to him year in and year out. Doesn't always translate to playoffs, but he still grinds it out.
NL East
1 - Atlanta Braves
2 - Philadelphia Phillies
3 - New York Mets
4 - Florida Marlins
5 - Washington Nationals
Quaaaa?! Yep, you see it here. I predict the Braves to take the NL East this year. What do I have to prove such a statement? Nothing. Just a hunch. But sometimes that's all you need. If history is any indication, expect the Mets to have first place all year EXCEPT with 10 days left in the season.
NL Central
1 - Chicago Cubs
2 - St. Louis Cardinals
3 - Houston Astros
4 - Milwaukee Brewers
5 - Pittsburgh Pirates
6 - Cincinnati Reds
Cubs still have all the tools to chase another playoff tank-out. But the Cards are right there and will make it a fight. The rest of the division will be out of it by August. I see the Astros as an improved team, and the Brewers as a team that might finally fall back to earth a bit. And what's this? Pirates out of the cellar? ... And so it seems, only in dreams...
NL West
1 - Los Angeles Dodgers
2 - San Francisco Giants
3 - Arizona Diamondbacks
4 - San Diego Padres
5 - Colorado Rockies
Even a bigger crap shoot than the AL Central. But I give to LA, as they look like they have the most direction. Manny definitely adds dimension to the lineup. The Dodgers' biggest problem was their transparent offense until Manny came around. If their pitching staff can stay up to speed, they'll take it. But taking a look at second, I do think the Giants will be a much improved team. They're hanging around with a lot of chemistry to grow. And baby face Tim Lincecum is the next dominant ace of the league.
Wild Card: Philadelphia Phillies
Surprise Team: Atlanta Braves
Disappointment: New York Mets
MVP: Geovany Soto - Chicago
Cy Young: Cole Hamels - Philadlephia
Coach of the Year: Bruce Bochy - San Francisco
Phils will still get a crack at defending their title as the Wild Card.
Geovany Soto showed so much poise as a rookie last year, running away with the RotY award. This year, I see getting even better. Now, he won't have the gaudy numbers of your typical MVP. In fact, I see at least 2 more guys having better overall numbers than him. But, when you take into account defense and that leadership intangible, I think Soto takes it.
Hamels is the next big thing in the National League. If he can stay healthy, he's got a 20 win season in the bag.
And Bruce Bochy does a lot with a little. That lineup won't scare anyone, but the right coach can squeeze every last drop out of a lineup. And a pitching staff like the Giants have is undoubtedly going to keep them close in games. They'll lead the league in one run games. And Bochy will make sure that they're on the winning end of that statistic.
PLAYOFFS
Chi Sox defeat Anaheim
Tampa defeats Cleveland
Philly defeats Chi Cubs
LA Dodgers defeat Atlanta
Tampa defeats Chi Sox
LA Dodgers defeat Philly
LSC MVPs
Evan Longoria - Tampa
Russell Martin - LA
Tampa defeats Los Angeles
World Series MVP
B J Upton