We here at Big League Screw are proud to continue our pre-season baseball coverage with our breakdowns of each division in the MLB, along with all of our picks for the postseason. We will project the standings for each division and add our sage opinions on how they will likely play out.
Philadelphia Phillies: 2009 World Series Champions
AMERICAN LEAGUE
EAST:
The OCD Says:
1. New York Yankees
The Yankees will have a good chance to win every time they take the field this year. They bolstered their rotation with two legitimate aces (Sabathia, Burnett) while also adding prized slugger Mark Teixeira. There wasn’t much Brian Cashman could’ve done to make this team any better. Now they have to play the games. Luckily, the Yankees also have a lot of depth. I have a sneaking suspicion that C.C. or A.J. will go down at some point. It’s a good thing Phil Hughes is just a phone call away if one of the big guns gets hurt. The Yanks should cruise through the regular season while using it as a time to refine their squad.
2. Boston Red Sox
The Sox didn’t quite keep up with the Yankees in the offseason — but they kept a very good team in tact. The additions of Takashi Saito and John Smoltz have added substantial depth. If Smoltz can come back and perform at a high level, the Red Sox will have one of the best rotations in the league. He could also break down. Jon Lester should take the next step this year to becoming a legitimate number one which makes him a great number two (not always the best title). Also, David Ortiz is apparently in much better shape and ready to get back to work. However, I think that one of Ortiz, Lowell, or Drew will miss significant time. Pedroia and Youkilis will also be hard-pressed to match their 2008 production. In any case, the Sox and Yanks will separated by a razor thin margin — which comes as no surprise.
3. Tampa Bay Rays
How can you not like the Rays? Well, I hate their name, logo, colors… but I like the team. The Rays will continue to be an up-and-coming force in 2009. The Rays’ 1-2-3 trio of Crawford, Upton, and Longoria is absolute destruction. The problem is that there are two legitimate golden sombrero challengers (Pena, Burrell) slotted behind them. The Rays have a lot of upside, but this is not the miracle year. I have a feeling that they’ll fade again in September — but they probably won’t be 33 games over .500 this time around. Give the Rays some credit though. They’re definitely building a championship-caliber roster.
4. Baltimore Orioles
The O’s and Jays are both re-building. The Orioles are a lot closer to putting out a winning product, however. Adam Jones is a stud-in-the-making and Nick Markakis could be an all-star this year. Throw Matt Wieters into the mix, and you have a great young core. However, they’re probably still a year or two away from making an impact as a group. Melvin Mora and Aubrey Huff are solid veteran bats as well. The rotation and George Sherrill as closer (for now) leaves much to be desired. The O’s should have a slightly above average offense and could approach .500 if things go their way.
5. Toronto Blue Jays
The Blue Jays might not be re-building right now if their on-the-verge guys (Wells, Rios) could reach the next level. Combined, the two have averaged a mere 19 homers and 16 steals each the past two seasons. Adam Lind and Travis Snider are two young sluggers that could give Toronto a boost. But there isn’t much to like about Jays’ squad this year. Other than Halladay and Litsch, to some degree), the pitching staff is a nightmare. Paper bags with Blue Jays logos may be the fashion statement of the summer in Canada.
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CENTRAL:
1. Minnesota Twins
2. Cleveland Indians
3. Kansas City Royals
4. Chicago White Sox
5. Detroit Tigers
John Says: When I sat down to think about how this would play out, I really wanted to be the guy who picked the Royals to win the division. I simply couldn’t bring myself to do it. Even with the additions of Mike Jacobs and Coco Crisp, along the progression of Alex Gordon, Zack Greinke and Joakim “The Mexecutioner” Soria, I don’t think this team has enough firepower to take on Cleveland and Minnesota. The Twins are my pick here simply because they are one of the most consistent franchises in the AL and have perrenial MVP candidate Justin Morneau to count on. Their pitching staff with Liriano, Baker and Slowey is impressive when healthy, and they have the best closer in the division in Joe Nathan. Cleveland falls just short due to the loss of CC Sabathia, along with the probable return to earth of Cliff Lee. Grady Sizemore should be an MVP candidate again, and I believe Kerry Wood will succeed as the Tribes new closer. The race in this division will be close as always, but I’m picking Minnesota to take the division crown.
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WEST:
1. Los Angeles Angels
2. Texas Rangers
3. Oakland Athletics
4. Seattle Mariners
Chris Says: I know this is how the division finished up last season, but it’s just how i see it in 2009 as well. I like the Rangers and think the gap is shrinking there. Those kids can straight up mash and if they can get themselves a starting pitcher or two, they might make some noise. The fact remains that the Angels, despite early season pitching injuries and the loss of Teixeira, are still the class of the division. They won’t win 100 games like last season but should take home another division title. The A’s have improved their lineup as well, adding Matt Holliday, Orlando Cabrera, Nomar, and bringing home Jason Giambi. Problem is, after dealing away Rich Harden and Danny Haren the past two seasons, no one’s left with a proven arm to front that rotation. So all that being said, I like the Angels by about 10 games this season instead of last year’ 21.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
EAST:
The OCD says:
1. New York Mets
The time is now for the Mets. I’m not saying that they’re built for this year alone. But if they can’t put it together this year, I don’t see how they can get much better without starting over. In the offseason, the team addressed immediate needs by adding top notch relievers Francisco Rodriguez and J.J. Putz. They like the progress of Daniel Murphy and Ryan Church and have tentatively given the corner outfield gigs. I think signing Gary Sheffield was huge too. They can afford to keep him fresh (while appeasing him with frequent starts) and he may give them a big boost later in the season. They have four quality starters and should have one of the better rotations in the NL. The Mets have all of the pieces to win — it’s just a matter of whether they do it or not.
2. Atlanta Braves
The Braves were horrible last year, but they are about to introduce a handful of talented youngsters. Jordan Schafer won the center field job and should provide immediate help on defense. Stud-in-the-making Tommy Hanson probably isn’t far from making it to the show and may get the call later in the season. Impressive young players Jason Heyward and Freddie Freeman are also in the pipeline. In addition to the young talent, the Braves added sinker-baller Derek Lowe, National League lover Javier Vazquez, and Japanese import Kenshin Kawakami to the dependable Jars Jurrjens and ancient Tom Glavine (or… Tommy Hanson?). Jeff Francoeur returns from a certified disaster season having lost weight and taken a new approach in the batter’s box. They added the solid Garrett Anderson and Casey Kotchman could also be a decent contributor. The Braves look like the prototypical National League team and could surprise people. I think the NL East will be closer than most people think with the Braves, Phillies, and Marlins finishing fairly close with two of those teams around 10 games over .500.
3. Philadelphia Phillies
The reigning world champions are, without a doubt, title contenders again. However, everything needs to fall into place for that to happen. Their rotation looks solid on paper, but I think it will have its share of problems. You have a semi-hurt Cole Hamels, incredibly old Jamie Moyer, solid-but-unspectacular Joe Blanton, volatile Brett Myers, and then either barely competent Chan Ho Park or the acceptable-as-a-5th-starter J.A. Happ. Keep in mind that Cole Hamels threw a whopping 262.1 innings last year (including the playoffs) after averaging only 157.1 IP each of the previous two seasons. At least one of the guys in that rotation will completely melt down and don’t be surprised if it happens to two of them. The Phillies are solid on offense, but not necessarily better than last year. I personally think that Raul Ibanez is one of the most overrated players in baseball. The Phillies have a team that will compete and win, but I don’t see them recapturing the magic from 2008.
4. Florida Marlins
There’s no denying that the Marlins have a lot of good parts. They have one of the more promising young rotations in the NL with Ricky Nolasco, Chris Volstadt, and Josh Johnson. However, I don’t think they’ll be much more than a spoiler this year. Their lineup is wrought with youth and will likely lack consistency. At the same time, the team lacks any veteran leadership. The Marlins should be above .500 at times during the season, but I’m not sure if they’ll finish above even. That will likely leave them behind New York, Philadelphia, and Atlanta.
5. Washington National
There aren’t many reasons for Nats fans to get excited. Spring was not kind to the Nationals and they’re still dealing with Jim Bowden’s departure. After thinking he had earned a position in the pen, Washington recently found out that Jesus Colome could not be added to their roster until mid-May since he was released by Bowden in the offseason. At least Dunn’s long balls and the potential emergence of Jordan Zimmermann could provide a minimal amount of excitement. Joel Hanrahan is also pretty good and Austin Kearns could prove he is actually a major league regular. But the Nats don’t have enough talent assembled to even begin to flirt with .500.
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CENTRAL:
1. Chicago Cubs
2. St. Louis Cardinals
3. Milwaukee Brewers
4. Cincinnati Reds
5. Houston Astros
6. Pittsburgh Pirates
John Says: This division is as wide open as any in baseball. I actually believe any one of the top 4 teams I’ve listed here could end up winning the division. I’m sticking with the status quo here by going with the Cubs, but one look at their roster should show anyone why — they’re stacked. Their rotation with Zambrano, Harden, Dempster, Lilly and Sean Marshall is as strong as any team in the NL. Alfonso Soriano is a legitimate stud with the bat in his hands, and the supporting cast of Derrek Lee, Geovany Soto and Aramis Ramirez are proven run producers. The Cardinals should see a resurgence if Chris Carpenter is healthy for most of the year. The former Cy Young winner has been healthy and effective this spring, and could be what St. Louis and Albert Pujols need to return to October. The Brewers and the Reds are both young teams that could make some serious noise if things fall in to place for them. The Reds young pitching staff (Volquez, Cueto, and Homer Bailey who is in Triple-A) and the Brewers stable of blossoming hitters (Braun, Fielder, Hart) will be forces to be reckoned with in 2009 and beyond.
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WEST:
1. Arizona Diamondbacks
2. Los Angeles Dodgers
3. San Francisco Giants
4. San Diego Padres
5. Colorado Rockies
Chris Says: The Diamondbacks vs. Dodgers decision was one of the harder calls I’ve had to make in looking at the divisional races for 2009. Both of these teams have young, strong lineups. Manny leading the young guns of Kemp, Loney, Martin and Ethier in LA and Justin Upton, the Sherriff Mark Reynolds, CBYoung, Stephen Drew and Conor Jackson in the desert. Manny gives the Dodgers the edge offensively, because the D’Backs don’t have a bat that can match his dominance. BUT… I am a believer in the “pitching wins championships” mantra — and while Billingsley and Kershaw will be the cornerstones of the Dodgers rotation for the next decade, Webb and Haren could each win the Cy Young right now. (For the record, Webb already owns one and Haren is a pre-season Cy favorite). So I like the D’Backs in a close one and it upsets me that the two teams don’t meet after September 9. The rest of this division is a waste of my time to write about and you to read about, so that’s all I’ve got out west.
PLAYOFF PICKS
The OCD
AL East: New York Yankees
AL Central: Minnesota Twins
AL West: Oakland A’s
AL Wild Card: Boston Red Sox
I think the AL West will be very close but Oakland has too much offensive depth. The AL East will surely be a slugfest and I wouldn’t be surprised in the third ranked team finishes with as many wins as the AL West winner. The Twins don’t have a lot of firepower, but I love their National League style team.
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NL East – New York Mets
NL Central – Chicago Cubs
NL West – LA Dodgers
NL Wild Card – St. Louis Cardinals
I wanted to pick the Reds but they’re a boom or bust team. It’s much more likely that the Cubs and Cards make it to the post-season. As noted above, I think that the Phillies’ questionable rotation along with stiff NL East competition will keep them from playing extra baseball in October. The Dodgers don’t have much standing in their way in the NL West as long as their offense is as good as advertised.
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AL Champion: New York Yankees
NL Champion: New York Mets
World Series Champion: New York Yankees
Yeah, yeah… I know what you’re saying. But can you really tell me that I’m making bad picks here? At this point, both New York teams seem to be peaking with the luxury of depth. Even if they hit rough water along the way, they should be able to right the ship before October. You read it here first: after a slightly above average start to the season (3.50-3.75 ERA likely with a DL stint or two), Joba Chamberlain comes on in September and October and closes out the World Series with a win in Game 6. Still, I can’t be more wrong than picking Bobby Crosby to win AL MVP. (Sorry to beat a dead horse, Peter Gammons)
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John:
AL East: New York Yankees
AL Central: Minnesota Twins
AL West: Los Angeles Angels
AL Wildcard: Boston Red Sox
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NL East: Philadelphia Phillies
NL Central: Chicago Cubs
NL West: Los Angeles Dodgers
NL Wildcard: New York Mets
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AL Champion: New York Yankees
NL Champion: Los Angeles Dodgers
World Series Champion: New York Yankees
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Chris:
AL East: Tampa Bay Rays
AL Central: Cleveland Indians
AL West: Los Angeles Angels
AL Wildcard: New York Yankees
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NL East: New York Mets
NL Central: Chicago Cubs
NL West: Arizona Diamondbacks
NL Wildcard: Philadelphia Phillies
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AL Champion: Tampa Bay Rays
NL Champion: New York Mets
World Series Champion: New York Mets (are you really surprised?)
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