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| 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. |
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.
AL Central
1. Detroit Tigers
2. Kansas City Royals (Wild Card)
3. Cleveland Indians
4. Chicago White Sox
5. Minnesota Twins
There may be no division in baseball where the gap between the first place team and second place team is greater. The Tigers will in this thing in a landslide. Led by Triple Crown MVP Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder on offense and Justin Verlander on the mound, the additions of veteran Torii Hunter and return of Victor Martinez from injury will only help. The next team in line is less clear. The Indians and White Sox boast strong offensive weapons, but will their pitching hold up? My sleeper pick in the American League is the Royals. It's time for the boatload of young talent to break out, led by Eric Hosmer at first base. Adding James Shields to the rotation will be huge for a team that has lacked a true ace since Zack Greinke left.
AL West
1. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
2. Texas Rangers
3. Oakland Athletics
4. Seattle Mariners
5. Houston Astros
I picked the Angels to win the World Series last year after adding Albert Pujols and CJ Wilson. They underperformed and were at home in October as the surprising Athletics surpassed them. Now having added the Rangers best hitter in Josh Hamilton via free agency, they are the de facto team to beat in the West. The health of the pitching will be key to their overall success, however. The Rangers are still probably an 85 win team, but may not have quite enough to make it back to October. The Mariners and Athletics have the ability to break out and could be sleeper picks. The Astros, new to the American League, aren't worth more than one sentence; they will be historically bad.
AL Awards Finalists
MVP: Mike Trout (Winner), Miguel Cabrera, Jose Bautista, Albert Pujols
Cy Young: Chris Sale (Winner), Felix Hernandez, Justin Verlander, David Price
Rookie of the Year: Wil Myers (Winner), Bruce Rondon, Trevor Bauer
Playoffs
Wild Card: Orioles over Royals
ALDS: Tigers over Orioles
ALDS: Angels over Blue Jays
ALCS: Angels over Tigers
NL East
1. Washington Nationals
2. Atlanta Braves (Wild Card)
3. Philadelphia Phillies
4. New York Mets
5. Miami Marlins
This is a great division. The Nationals will look to repeat as division champs, something they appear favored to do. A full season of phenoms Bryce Harper and Stephen Strasburg will be fun to watch in DC. The Braves may be the 2nd best team in the NL after adding the Upton brothers to their vaunted lineup. The Phillies are getting older and may be seeing their window for success closing. They still have the talent to get to October, but they will soon need to start looking to the future. The Mets will be the Mets and the University of Miami may have a better team than the Miami Marlins.
NL Central
1. Cincinnati Reds
2. St. Louis Cardinals
3. Pittsburgh Pirates
4. Milwaukee Brewers
5. Chicago Cubs
I love this Reds team. Joey Votto is a stud and perennial MVP candidate at first base and the rotation has a good set of young arms. If Aroldis Chapman ever moves to the rotation, look out. The Cardinals will be there, as they are every year. Look out for top prospects pitcher Shelby Miller and outfielder Oscar Taveras to make a splash with the Cards. The Pirates may finally have the talent to have a .500 season. The Brewers are a mystery, I don't really know what to expect from them. And the Cubs will try their hardest to be better than the Astros.
NL West
1. Los Angeles Dodgers
2. San Francisco Giants (Wild Card)
3. Arizona Diamondbacks
4. San Diego Padres
5. Colorado Rockies
The new-look Dodgers should be a force. The rotation is as good as any and there are some powerful bats headlined by superstar Matt Kemp. They should be the favorite over the Giants, who have won two World Series in the past three years. It will be a great race to watch out west all season long. The Diamondbacks are reloading after trading away Justin Upton and promising starter Trevor Bauer, but they could surprise some people. The Padres and Rockies just don't have the firepower to really contend with the top three in the division.
NL Awards Finalists
MVP: Matt Kemp (Winner), Andrew McCutchen, Justin Upton, Joey Votto
Cy Young: Stephen Strasburg (Winner), Clayton Kershaw, Cole Hamels
Rookie of the Year: Julio Teheran (Winner), Oscar Taveras, Shelby Miller, Adam Eaton
Playoffs
Wild Card: Braves over Giants
NLDS: Braves over Reds
NLDS: Nationals over Dodgers
NLCS: Nationals over Braves
WORLD SERIES: Nationals over Angels in six games.
In the end, the Nationals have the perfect combination. An experienced and supremely talented rotation and a bevy of young bats in the middle of the lineup. They will also play great defense. A Nats-Angels Fall Classic would be a treat for all baseball fans.
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