Major League Baseball Preview - 2008

The best day of the year. Ok, 3 games are already in the books. The Washington Nationals have the best record in the National League. That said, time to throw out the predictions, so come September, we can all look back at how grossly wrong I was.

American League East - Some folks are going to trot out the Toronto Blue Jays as the team to beat as they have the best rotation, a solid bullpen and several young hitters that could make this team a factor in September. And the fan in me wants to pick a team like the Blue Jays to sleigh the goliaths Red Sox and Yankees, both of which have enough flaws that make a team like the Blue Jays a possibility. Do the Yankees have enough starting pitching? They didn't trade for Johan Santana and instead will rely on youngsters Phil Hughes & Ian Kennedy and hope that veterans Mussina and Pettite hold-up behind staff ace Chien-Ming Wang. After a relatively healthy World Series campaign in 2007, the injury bug is already starting to take its toll on the Red Sox as the team has lost Curt Shilling for at least two months. Josh Beckett will start the season on the DL. JD Drew missed the two games in Japan. However, the Red Sox essentially return the same team that won the World Series last year, so they are pick to win the American League East.

American League Central - With all due respect to the White Sox, Twins and ever-rebuilding Royals, this is a two-team race. The Detroit Tigers have an incredible amount of offensive fire-power with the addition of Miguel Cabrera. With ace Justin Verlander, they employ one of the top 5 starters in the American League. Todd Jones has ably served as the team's closer for the last two years, saving 37 and 38 games respectively. The question mark lies in between Verlander and Jones where the pitching is mediocre. Expect a lot of high scoring games but in the end, the division title will go to the Indians. Are they as explosive offensively as the Tigers? No. They'll probably score at least 200 runs less than the Tigers. That said, from top to bottom, Cleveland's pitching will carry them to the Division title. Anchored by Sabathia and Carmona at the top of the rotation, with veteran Paul Byrd, the Indians really need just decent contributions from their 4/5 starters, Westbrook and Lee. With Betancourt and Perez in the bullpen, no team has a better 1-2 punch to get to the closer Borowski, who is the weak link as he had 8 blown saves in 2007.

American League West - The Angels are probably the most complete team in the Division; however, injuries are testing their starting pitching depth. With ace Lackey out until at least May and Kelvim Escobar potentially lost for the season, the pressure on Jerad Weaver, Jon Garland and Ervin Santana to produce in the early part of the season is going to be immense. With 6 outfielders capable of playing every day, manager Mike Scioscia is going to have to balance his line-up to make sure all the players stay sharp. I'm going with the Angels to win the Division. The Seattle Mariners added Erik Bedard to their rotation which gives them as strong a 1-2 starting pitcher tandem (with Felix Hernandez) as any team in baseball. Free agent signee Carlos Silva gives the team depth in its rotation - the question is can the team score any runs? After Ichiro, it's not an imposing line-up, but a productive one. While I'm not daring enough to pick them, if you're looking for a surprise AL Team - consider the Texas Rangers. Look, their starting pitching was terrible in 2007 and it's pretty much the same rotation. However, they should have a solid bullpen with the additions of Fukumori & Guardado. If their starters can keep them in games for 5 - 6 innings and then turn it over to the bullpen, this is a team that could score some runs. They have promising young offensive players in Ian Kinsler, Michael Young and Josh Hamilton. If Hank Blalock and Milton Bradley can stay healthy, this is a team that could surprise in one of the weaker divisions in baseball.

Wild Card - Detroit Tigers. With the strength of the AL East, it'll be tough for more than one team to win 92 games in that division. The Tigers should be able to win 94 games and grab that wild card.

National League East - The Phillies have the best infield in baseball. Cole Hamels and Brett Myers are both potential ace pitchers. Brad Lidge can be a lights out closer. Victorino can cause havoc on the basepaths and Burrell should provide another 30 homers. In any other division, they'd be run away favorites. In the East, however, they'll be playing second fiddle to the Mets. Call it the "Johan Effect" - and I think folks are underestimating the effect he's going to have. He stops losing streaks (wouldn't that have been nice for the Mets last September). He keeps your bullpen fresh by giving it days off. He's make your opponents ace the underdog. He makes the Mets the pick. For all the Braves fans out there saying, what about us - you had a 14 year run at the top of the division. You have some nice young hitters mixed with some solid veterans that should give you a potent offense. I just don't trust Hudson, Glavine, Hampton and Jurrjens to be effective for a full season.

National League Central - It's been exactly 100 years since the Cubs last won a World Series. There's a story that I'm sure won't be beaten to death every time the team is on National TV. The Cubs have a solid line-up of hitters. Probably the most starting pitching depth in the Division. They are the favorite as they should be. But I'm not picking them. Call it a gut feeling, but I think this team is going to disappoint. I'm not jumping on the Cincinnati Reds bandwagon either despite an abundance of young hitters and what is shaping up to be a strong pitching staff anchored by the underrated Aaron Harang. Nor am I going with the young Milwaukee Brewers who don't have the pitching to compete at the top of the Division. Instead, I'm saying the Houston Astros win the Central. For as much as I don't have a good reason not to pick the Cubs, I'm lacking in a good reason to pick the Astros. After Oswalt, the starting pitching is a mystery. Valverde the closer acquired from Arizona might be a one-year wonder. That said, the team looks like it can rake and while I tend to favor teams that can pitch, I'm thinking the Astros can overcome their lack of quality starting pitching.

National League West - All I know for sure is the Giants are terrible. With Tim Linecum & Matt Cain, the team will be hard-pressed to lose 100 games, but they might be bad enough to find a way to do it. Any of the other four teams could win the Division. The Diamondbacks are looking for a closer but with Haren and Webb, have two top of the line starters for their rotation. Ultimately, they'll need their young hitters to score more runs if they are to win the division. The Rockies will try and build momentum off their trip to the World Series, and they can certainly hit the ball. The question, as it is every year, is can the pitchers keep the ball in the park. I'm guessing last year's pitching success was a fluke and the Rockies will drop back down the Division ladder. The Padres have solid starting pitching led by Cy Young candidate Jake Peavy and emerging star Chris Young, but do they have enough hitters? Adrian Gonzalez and Khalil Greene are poised to become stars, but will it be enough? Finally, the pick to win the Division are the Los Angeles Dodgers, led by new skipper Joe Torre. While they lack the prototypical ace, they have a deep rotation and a strong bullpen led by closer Saito and a terrific set-up man Broxton. If Kent stays healthy, Andruw Jones hits .275 and youngsters Kemp & Loney can combine for 40 HR's of their own, they'll have the balanced offense to take the Division.

Wild Card - The Phillies. While they'll fall just short of the Mets in the race for the Division, look for them to take the Wild Card.

National League Champion - New York Mets

American League Champion - Boston Red Sox

World Series Champion - New York Mets