predictions.
2004 mlb predictions, by callie :)
national league
nl east: the braves. sorry, i've gotta stick with my team! i realize that they lost a lot of offense in the offseason, but if j.d. drew can stay healthy, he can put up sheffield-like numbers. the braves have a lot of guys who can get on base and are good hitters, and that's important because base-runners lead to runs scored. i think the braves' rotation of ortiz, hampton, and ramirez is a good one, and once leo mazzone gets through to john thomson [as he does with every new pitcher], he'll be solid, too. yeah braves!
nl central: the astros. this is going to be a tough race, but i think houston did a better job in the offseason. they solidified their rotation with the additions of pettitte and clemens [who'da thought it?!], and their offense is rarely questionable. they've got bagwell, biggio, berkman, and jeff kent, and each of those guys is capable of hitting 30+ home runs and knocking in 90+ runs, if they stay healthy.
nl west: the diamondbacks. no clear-cut winner here, but if randy johnson has a season like he did from 1998-2002 [as opposed to last year], they should be the team to beat. randy choate and shane reynolds are strong pitchers, as well. i like that they added richie sexson--he'll give them a consistent first baseman and run production. robbie alomar is great at second base and is a good slap hitter. he'll get on base for the power guys. luis gonzalez needs to stay healthy. i just don't think the giants have the offense or pitching to win the division.
wild card: the cubs. it'll be a battle between the cubs and 'stros in the central division, but i don't think the cubbie offense will be enough to back up those power pitchers to win the whole division. they play a ton of games against teams in their own divison, and the cardinals and astros always beat up on them. the cubs also think they got some great deal in greg maddux, but he's an aging pitcher who's lost a lot of his velocity. he's not nearly as dominant as he was four years ago, and the cubs are going to miss prior at the beginning of the season. but i think they will pick it up after prior gets back, and will then be able to win the wild card.
american league
al east: the red sox. another hard-fought division, and honestly, i just don't want to say that the yankees will win. the red sox had the best off-season in baseball, adding curt schilling and keith foulke to an already talented pitching staff. they didn't need help on offense--they scored more runs than any other team in baseball [aside from the braves] last year. once they get nomar garciaparra healthy and off the disabled list, their offense will pick right back up and they'll be fighting the yankees all the way until the end of september. wishful thinking allows me to pick the bosox to win the division.
al central: the twins. this is really a toss-up. in most divisons there are a few teams that have the potential to dominate, but there is no dominant team in the central. i'm going with the twins because i have always liked torii hunter. brad radke and carlos silva are relative unknowns, but are each talented pitchers. cristian guzman and corey koskie are solid defensive infielders, but this team's problem will be scoring runs. but they'll play the majority of their games against teams like cleveland, kansas city, and detroit, so they should be okay.
al west: the angels. with the additions of bartolo colon and vladimir guerrero, they should be a strong team this year. they've always had the offense, with great players like garret anderson, troy glaus and tim salmon. eckstein and erstad have always provided the little hits that lead to big runs. aaron sele and brendon donnolly will provide good backup to colon on the pitching staff. and to be honest, the a's didn't do anything to make up for losing miguel tejada, and that will hurt them.
wild card: the yankees. like i said, i'm optimistic that the red sox could win the east division, so the yankees will be the wild card. if the yanks win the division, the bosox will win the wild card. either way, both teams will definitely be in the playoffs, and i favor the red sox rotation in any head-to-head postseason series. i think the yankees will lose the division, because they don't have a left-handed starter or anyone to anchor the rotation. mike mussina is getting old, kevin brown hasn't played a completely healthy season in forever, and jose contreras is just not that good. yes, they can produce a high amount of offense, but i think there will be definite personality conflicts on this team. kevin brown and gary sheffield are both high-maintenence players, and sheff doesn't play well under pressure. it will be interesting to see what happens here. i'd like to see the yankees implode in on themselves. :)
it should be a good season. :)