Bold Predictions for the NL

Winner of the NL East

Washington Nationals: Do the Nationals repeat and win the division for a second year in a row? Yes. With a league leading 98 and 64 record, the Nationals looked impressive. There is reason to believe that this team will not only replicate last season, but also get better. The Nats have a young pitching staff that has shown improvements over the last couple years. Jordan Zimmermann has watched a drop in both his ERA and WHIP in the last two years. He has also seen an increase in strikeouts and innings logged. Gio Gonzalez had an MVP type season this year after being dealt from the A’s. He won over twenty games, struck out over 200 batters and held an ERA of under 3 and a WHIP under 1.2. Ross Detwiler did not pitch great last season, but has good stuff and will surely improve this upcoming season. Of course we cannot leave out the electric Stephen Strasburg. In his first full season after tommy john surgery in 2011, he boosted a 3.16 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 15 wins. It was recently released that Strasburg will not have an innings limit this season! Look for him to be better this season. Lets not forget about Washington’s offense, one that held the NL rookie of the year last season. Bryce Harper posted a .270 average with 22 home runs, 18 stolen bases and 98 runs scored in just 139 games. Look for him to improve throughout the season. Harper is surrounded by a plethora of power bats, including Ryan Zimmerman, Michael Morse, Jason Werth and Adam LaRoche (assuming he resigns with the Nats). With a group of talented youngsters in the rotation and a blossoming youngster surrounded by a group of slugging veterans, look for the Washington Nationals to recapture the NL East and make a stronger push in the playoffs this season.

Winner of the NL Central

Cincinnati Reds: The Reds will also repeat this season and similarly to the Nationals, holds a quality young starting rotation. Last season Cincinnati had two representatives in the NL Cy Young race. Johnny Cueto became the ace of the team and Aroldis Chapman became the team’s shutdown closer. Both will be part of the starting rotation this season. Along with a combination of Mat Latos, Homer Bailey, Mike Leake and Bronson Arroyo, the Reds will have a solid starting rotation. A lineup carrying sluggers Joey Votto and Jay Bruce, as well as Brandon Phillips and newly acquired Shin Shoo Choo will provide the necessary run support. And let’s not forget about Todd Frazier’s rookie year, hitting .273 and blasting 19 home runs. He will be a key contributor to the upcoming season. If the Reds can stay healthy, look for them to take the division. However, I am not certain they can be successful in the playoffs.

Winner of the NL West

San Francisco Giants: The San Francisco Giants also obtain a young quality starting rotation. Seeing a trend here? The World Series championship team has a starting rotation lead by former Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum. However, last season Timmy was terrible! He boasted a 10 and 15 record with a 5.18 ERA in the regular season. He did show promise in the playoffs pitching out of the bullpen, accumulating a 2.55 ERA and shutout the Detroit Tigers in the World Series. I think it is safe to assume that Timmy gets back to his old ways and leaps into the Cy Young conversation once again this season. Madison Bumgarner continues to show consistency with an ERA just above 3.00 and Matt Cain continues to get better. If Barry Zito and Ryan Vogelsong could show similar consistency then the Giants will be able to make another strong run at a title. A lineup filled with veterans and MVP candidate Buster Posey should be enough to make any team fear. I expect the Giants to take the division by storm and contend for another title.

Wild Card Berths

Pittsburgh Pirates: I know this may be a little bit of a stretch and all must go according to plan, but I think the Pirates have what it takes to sneak into the playoffs this upcoming season. If A.J. Burnett can perform equivalent or better than last season and James McDonald can be consistently good, the Pirates will have a strong front end of their rotation. Jeff Locke now has some experience in the big leagues as should show improvement. Wandy Rodriguez has the stuff to be a shutdown pitcher, but at least Pittsburgh should receive a pitcher that can eat up innings and hold an ERA around 4.00. I think the starting pitching will be good enough and their bullpen will be solid even without Joel Hanrahan. It will come down to run support. Andrew McCutchen can only score and drive in so many runs. A solid season from guys like Neil Walker, Garrett Jones, Pedro Alvarez, Jose Tabata, Travis Snider and Gaby Sanchez should be enough to provide adequate run support. Offseason acquisition Russel Martin will provide veteran leadership and some pop in the lineup. Young prospect Starling Marte now has big league experience and should improve. I am surely not going all in on this ball club, but they are moving in the right direction and have the pieces necessary to make the playoffs.

LA Dodgers: I would be silly to think that that Dodgers are not a playoff team, however I do not think buying a group of superstars and putting them on the same team always works. There is no doubt that the LA Dodgers arguably have the most talented team is baseball. With a pitching staff that includes Clayton Kershaw, Chad Billingsley, Zack Greinke, Josh Beckett and Ted Lilly and a lineup including Matt Kemp, Hanley Ramirez, Andre Ethier, Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez, one cannot argue about what this team looks like on paper. However, I think the team’s clubhouse may struggle in the beginning of the season and because of this, their record will suffer. I think this team makes it into the playoffs and will be a force, but the team is bound to go through some growing pains with all the egos clashing on the field and in the clubhouse.

The A.L. East: A Puncher's Chance

     James Brown's dance moves. Your throat when talking to the prettiest girl in school. The 2013 AL East. What do they all have in common? They're tight bro...real tight. Top to bottom, this might be the closest division race in the show. They all have a shot. The Red Sox have reloaded, the Yankees are always in the chase, the Rays pulled off a mega-prospect trade, the Jays have made a lot of underrated moves, and the O's were a playoff team last year even missing Markakis for a large chunk of the season.
     The Sox and Yanks have ended up in strikingly similar positions. They each have their superstars (Cano, Pedroia, Tex, Ellsbury, CC, Lester...), but they've filled out their rosters this offseason with veterans. And not those "its feels like he's been in the show forever but he's still only 28" veterans. No. We're talking about the ever dangerous "35 isn't THAT old for a ball player" type of vets. Only time will tell what each team will get from the likes of Youkilis, Victorino, Dempster, Pettitte, Ross, and Kuroda. It will be a HUGE boost to their respective teams if any of those guys can find the fountain of youth this year.
     And is it just me, or does it seem like the Rays never want to bank too much on one season? Just when it feels like they're one or two good pieces away from being the absolute division favorites, they trade Shields and Davis away for some prospects. Now, all reports are that these are are two TOP prospects, but still, lets not kid ourselves. Shields and Davis have proven they can compete on the biggest stage. All that being said...I still like the trade haha! It feels like the Rays just try to stay competitive every year until that moment arrives when they can capture lightning in a bottle and make a push for that Ship, and this might be as open a year as any.
     The O's have a young stable of pitchers and a young core that now knows what it feels like and what it takes to play a full season and play in October. Buck Showalter is a fantastic manager that has as good a feel for the pulse of his team as any manager in the Bigs. The addition of Nate McLouth should add depth and perhaps even put that Outfield among the best in the Majors. I got nothin' but love for these birds. This was a playoff team a year ago and I fully expect them to be legitimate contenders again this year.
     The Blue Jays are gonna be the "Wild Card" team in the division. They have the talent and potential to win 100, but it wouldn't totally surprise me if they lost 100. Lets just pencil Bautista in for another 40 round trips this year, but aside from that they have a lot of questions. Was Dickey a flash in the pan or can he keep it up at 38? Can Josh Johnson return to Ace form? Can Encarnacion get anywhere close to last year's career highs? Can Melky produce at an All-Star level without any asterisk juice? The answers to those questions will define the Jays' season. If they are positive results, watch out. But if things start falling apart, it could get ugly.

2013 AL East Prediction: This race is gonna be tight and its gonna be tight all year. That means these guys are gonna feel the heat and tempers are gonna flare. There's gonna be some Super Smash Bros. Brawl goin down. Im putting the under/over for really good, bench clearing, suspension inducing, brawls involving AL East teams at 6 for the year...and i'm taking the over!

Are the Red Sox Overhauling their Roster?

Jacoby Ellsbury after separating his shoulder in the home opener against the Tampa Bay Rays. Image retrieved from bleacher report.com.

            The Red Sox finished last year with an embarrassing 69-93 record, 26 games back of the Yankees in the AL East and a clubhouse that lacked the sort of chemistry that was prominent in 2004. Because of the mega-trade that went down this past Spring, the Red Sox had a chance to remodel. This Off-season has been busy for the Sox, resigning David Ortiz (2-yrs, $26 million), signing back-up catcher David Ross (2-yrs, $6.2 million), utility outfielder Jonny Gomes (2-yrs, $10 million), gold glover Shane Victorino (3-yrs, $39 million), Catcher/1^st Baseman Mike Napoli (3-yrs, $39 million), Reliever Koji Uehara (1-yr, $4.25 million), Starting Pitcher Ryan Dempster (2-yrs, $26.5 million), and shortstop Stephen Drew (1-yr, $9.5 million). Many are skeptical of the moves made in Boston this off-season and some argue that the team is spending too much money on older veterans that may split time with one another. One of the most prominent examples is the fact that the Red Sox now have four quality catchers under their roster, assuming the deal gets finalized with Mike Napoli. However, I believe that there is a method to this overhauling madness!

            It is safe to say that this past season is one that all Sox fans would love to forget. Although most fans would love to place all the blame on EX-manager Bobby Valentine, it is apparent that the poor season was due to a number of issues. One of the largest issues was injury. Injuries appeared to crop up like the flu last season in the Red Sox clubhouse. The Red Sox opened the season without John Lackey (Tommy John surgery), their closer Andrew Bailey (thumb issues), and “star” left-fielder Carl Crawford (wrist and elbow). This set the tone for the rest of the season and no line-up at any point in the season included Jacoby Ellsbury, Dustin Pedroia, David Ortiz, Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford all at once. Ellsbury missed three months after separating his shoulder in the home opener, Pedroia hit the DL in July with a torn muscle in his thumb, and David Ortiz missed a lot of time after injuring his achilles. It was the most any team has used the disabled list in one season. So how do you prepare for such a thing? DEPTH. That is the method behind the Red Sox’ madness this off-season!!!

The Red Sox had no depth last year, making them look like the Houston Astros of last year or the Florida Marlins of this year (Haha), when their line-up became riddled with injuries. Yes, it is ridiculous to have four quality catchers still. However, we know that Napoli will spend most of his time at first base and Jarrod Saltalamacchia is looking to be moved. And the Red Sox have not just added quality veterans, but mentors for the younger developing guys in the clubhouse. LaVarnway, who saw the most big-league time in his career last season, can learn from Ross and Napoli. This gives those younger guys time to learn and develop over the next couple years without the team having to give up contention in the AL East.

Depth is so important on any sports team and that was apparent last year for the Boston Red Sox. I am glad to see they have learned from it and I am looking forward to observing how it works out this upcoming season!