AL East | W | L | PCT |
NYY | 94 | 68 | 0.580 |
TB | 92 | 70 | 0.568 |
BOS | 88 | 74 | 0.543 |
TOR | 88 | 74 | 0.543 |
BAL | 60 | 102 | 0.370 |
About the Red Sox -- I really see this team as having a depth problem, particularly on the pitching staff. We are already seeing this with the Andrew Bailey injury, but even before that it was going to be an issue. Clay Buchholz had a bad back injury last year, and we can't know if he'll make it through a full season healthy. And that's not counting the untested Daniel Bard and Felix Doubront starting. I wasn't in the minority in leaving them out of the playoffs -- 12 of the 20 FG people left them out.
AL Cent | W | L | PCT |
DET | 91 | 71 | 0.562 |
CLE | 83 | 79 | 0.512 |
KC | 78 | 84 | 0.481 |
MIN | 70 | 92 | 0.432 |
CHW | 65 | 97 | 0.401 |
This division leaves a lot to be desired. If Kansas City can land the right pitcher for the front of their rotation, next year could be the year they take over the division for a long time. But this season, it will still be Detroit atop the division. But even with Fielder, they will be a bad champion, with a horrible defensive infield.
AL West | W | L | PCT |
TEX | 96 | 66 | 0.593 |
LAA | 92 | 70 | 0.568 |
SEA | 75 | 87 | 0.463 |
OAK | 68 | 94 | 0.420 |
I think this will finally be Texas' year, although I may have said the same thing last year. Anaheim claims one of the two Wild Cards along with Tampa.
Tampa will win the play-in game, and then fall to the Yankees in the Division Series. In the other Division Series, Texas will beat Detroit. That will set up a Texas-Yankees ALCS for the second time in three seasons, with the same result. I was one of six FG folks to put them in the World Series.
NL East | W | L | PCT |
WAS | 90 | 72 | 0.556 |
ATL | 87 | 75 | 0.537 |
MIA | 86 | 76 | 0.531 |
PHI | 85 | 77 | 0.525 |
NYM | 68 | 94 | 0.420 |
Here is my sleeper. I like the Nats a great deal this season. They have an improved rotation, a deep bullpen, and while Mike Morse should regress some, Jayson Werth and Ryan Zimmerman should bounce back nicely. This division is chock full of talent though, so it won't be easy, and really any team from one-through-four could come out on top. But I think this is the year that the Phillies fall apart. And while Miami should be better, I think Atlanta has enough starting pitching depth to put them over the top and into one of the Wild Card spots. I was one of just two FG people (Zach Sanders being the other) to pick Washington for the division, and one of just eight to pick Atlanta to reach the postseason at all.
NL Cent | W | L | PCT |
STL | 89 | 73 | 0.549 |
CIN | 87 | 75 | 0.537 |
MIL | 83 | 79 | 0.512 |
CHC | 75 | 89 | 0.451 |
PIT | 71 | 91 | 0.438 |
HOU | 56 | 106 | 0.346 |
As we saw tonight, the Cardinals are still going to be a formidable team. I detailed it on Monday in my first ESPN Insider piece (check back for one every Monday), but they are very deep in all three phases -- lineup, rotation and bullpen. I would love to pick the Reds to win the division, but I just don't trust Dusty Baker. I don't see why Bronson Arroyo is still on that squad. I could see the Cubs at better than 75 wins, but at this time, I don't see where their extra wins would come from, so I'll stand on 75. I was one of just six FG people to take St. Louis to win the Central, and one of five to slot Cincy for a Wild Card berth.
NL West | W | L | PCT |
ARI | 93 | 69 | 0.574 |
LAD | 85 | 77 | 0.525 |
SF | 83 | 79 | 0.512 |
COL | 78 | 84 | 0.481 |
SD | 74 | 88 | 0.457 |
Arizona has a wealth of pitching, and could be even better this year. What's more, they're a fun team to watch, which is a plus. As for the Giants, I just don't believe in their offense, at all. The Dodgers' offense won't be much better, but I expect the Kemp-Ethier duo to be better than Sandoval-Posey. And I also think the Dodgers will play better defense.
Atlanta takes the Wild Card play-in, loses to Arizona in the DS, and St. Louis takes down Washington in the other DS. In the LCS, Arizona bests St. Louis, setting up an incredibly entertaining D-backs-Rangers World Series.
I think that my favorite part of doing these picks was realizing that there really is no obvious favorite, and that was borne out in the FanGraphs' picks.
Happy Opening Day everyone. It's going to be a great year.