2013 MLB Predictions

Is there a chance the Orioles could be celebrating at the expense of the Nationals this October? A Beltway World Series is not as far fetched as it once seemed.

Tyler's Predictions

AL East
1. Toronto Blue Jays
2. Baltimore Orioles (Wild Card)
3. Tampa Bay Rays
4. Boston Red Sox
5. New York Yankees

The AL East is about to be turned upside down this season. The Yankees and Red Sox in the cellar? It could happen. Age and injuries have depleted the usual powerhouses. The Blue Jays brought in an all-star cast of pitchers and top of the lineup studs in Jose Reyes and Melky Cabrera. On paper, Toronto should be the best team in the division, but we all know that how things look on paper does not translate to on the field success. The second spot could be up for grabs between the 2012 surprise Orioles and the strong-pitching Rays. I see the Orioles returning the playoffs, assuming the starting pitching depth proves to be an asset.

2013 AL East Predictions

American League East

Expect Jose Reyes to be scoring very often batting at the top of the revamped Blue Jays  lineup

1. Toronto Blue Jays

Key Acquisitions:
SS Jose Reyes, OF Melky Cabrera, IF Emilio Bonifacio, SP Mark Buehrle, SP Josh Johnson, SP R.A. Dickey

Key Losses:

No team will put out such a drastically different opening day lineup than the Blue Jays. The blockbuster trade with the Marlins in which they acquired Jose Reyes, Emilio Bonifacio, Mark Buehrle and Josh Johnson, as well as trading for 2012 NL Cy Young winner R.A. Dickey and signing Melky Cabrera have made the Blue Jays the trendy pick to leap the standings in the East and capture their first division title since 1993. 

Why they will win the East: The new three headed monster of Dickey, Buehrle and Johnson will form a top of the rotation that will reek of the Phillies, circa 2011. Also, Melky Cabrera's bounce back from steroid suspension and the growth of Brett Lawrie will be important for the offense. 

Why they will flop: Dickey struggles in transitioning to the American League, Mark Buehrle shows he can't get people out with an 84 MPH fastball, Melky Cabrera returns to his pre-PED days and Edwin Encarnacion proves his breakout 2012 was a statistical outlier. 

Projected Lineup:

SS Jose Reyes

LF Melky Cabrera

RF Jose Bautista

1B Edwin Encarnacion

DH Adam Lind

3B Brett Lawrie

CF Colby Rasmus

C JP Arencibia

2B Maicer Izturis/Emilio Bonifacio

Projected Rotation:

RA Dickey

Mark Buehrle

Josh Johnson

Brandon Morrow

Ricky Romero

My Top Ten Maryland Sports Moments as an Undergrad

Maryland students rush the court after beating No. 2 Duke on February 16, 2013

With Maryland falling to North Carolina on Senior Night at Comcast, nearly every major athletic event I will attend as an undergrad at this great university is over (with the exception of maybe a lacrosse game or two). So as my career here comes to an end, I wanted to put together a list of the top ten games I attended during my four years. Without further ado, here they are starting from the bottom: