After a busy off-season that saw steroid investigations, international imports, players coming out of retirement, and many players getting sent off to new teams, we are finally ready for the beginning of a new baseball season. And while Opening Day isn’t until April 5th, here are my predictions for the upcoming season, division by division:
As for the American League East, I expect the New York Yankees to repeat as champions in that division. They have one of the most stable starting rotations in all of baseball, behind CC Sabathia, Phil Hughes, Michael Pineda, and hopefully, Joba Chamberlain; not to mention that the Yankees have one of the greatest closers of all time in Mariano Rivera. Andy Pettitte, who retired following the end of the 2010 season, recently signed a minor league contract to return to the Yankees. In addition to their pitching, the Yankees also have one of the most consistent line-ups in the MLB, with players such as Derek Jeter, Robinson Cano, Curtis Granderson, Alex Rodriguez, and Mark Teixeira. The Boston Red Sox, who brought in a new manager in Bobby Valentine have a good line-up as well and should have a good season, but they just don’t have a stable enough rotation to compete with the Yankees.
I believe the Detroit Tigers are the runaway favorite in the American League Central. With the addition of Prince Fielder along with returning stars Miguel Cabrera, Brandon Inge, Jhonny Peralta, and Alex Avila, the Tigers have the absolute best line-up in all of baseball, in my opinion. Not only that, but that also have arguably the best pitching staff behind Justin Verlander, Rick Porcello, Max Scherzer, and Jose Valverde. There is no other team in that division that will be able to hold their own against Jim Leyland’s squad at Comerica Park. The Kansas City Royals have arguably the best farm system in all of baseball and should be a team to look out for in years to come, but I believe that 2012 will belong to Detroit.
The American League West will feature a very intriguing race between the Texas Rangers and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The Rangers, who won the division last year, signed Japanese pitching sensation Yu Darvish over the off-season, although they lost star closer C.J. Wilson. The Rangers will certainly have another great offensive year behind Josh Hamilton, Adrian Beltre, and Michael Young; the main question facing that team, however, is how well their pitching will perform. The Angels, who not only received C.J. Wilson from the Rangers but also first basemen Albert Pujols from the Cardinals, are the team to beat in the AL West in my eyes. With hurlers Dan Haren, Jered Weaver, and Ervin Santana, the Angels have a much more reliable rotation than the Rangers, and that is going to be the difference for Los Angeles come September.
Although both the Atlanta Braves and the Miami Marlins will have better teams this year, I still don’t think either of them can compete with the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League East. Even though the Phillies have a “declining” infield with Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, and an injured Ryan Howard, they will still perform this season, and will do so at a high level. Not to mention Philadelphia has one of the most elite pitching staffs in the league, consisting of Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels, and closer Jonathan Papelbon who was brought in from Boston over the off-season. No disrespect to the other teams in the division (except the Mets), but they just won’t be able to catch up to the Phillies this year. The Marlins, who brought in Jose Reyes to add to a line-up already consisting of Hanley Ramirez, Emilio Bonifacio, and Giancarlo Stanton certainly have the ability to fight for second place and possibly a Wild Card spot, but they just don’t have the talent to win the division crown (at least not this year). The Washington Nationals, who have two of the most promising young players in the MLB in Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper, certainly will be a force to be reckoned with in years to come, but until then, the AL East still belongs to the Philadelphia Phillies.
I expect the National League Central to be a three-team race between the Milwaukee Brewers, the Cincinnati Reds, and the Chicago Cubs. In the end, the Brewers, behind Yovani Gallardo, Zack Greinke, and reigning-MVP Ryan Braun, will come out as champions in the NL Central. Don’t expect the Reds and the Cubs to be far behind, though. The Reds have an impressive pitching staff led by Bronson Arroyo, Mat Latos, and young fire-baller Aroldis Chapman. The Cubs also have possibly the number one young prospect in all of baseball in Starlin Castro. Expect the Cubs to beat the team to beat in a couple of years. Until then, however, the Brewers are top-dog in the NL Central.
The National League West will feature a very interesting battle between the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Arizona Diamondbacks, and the San Francisco Giants, but I believe that the Dodgers will come out as division champs. Behind Clayton Kershaw, Chad Billingsley, Ted Lilly, and Aaron Harang, the Dodgers have the best starting rotation in the NL West, and outfielder Matt Kemp – who batted .324 with 39 home runs last year – is expected to have another great season at the plate. The Diamondbacks, who have a pretty good line-up in Justin Upton, Stephen Drew, Chris Young, and Lyle Overbay, will be a good team this year, but not quite good enough to defeat the Dodgers.
As for the four Wild Card teams, I expect the Boston Red Sox and the Texas Rangers from the American League, and the two National League Wild Card teams will be the Atlanta Braves and the Arizona Diamondbacks. I then think that the Rangers and the Braves will advance to the playoffs.
In the playoffs, the Detroit Tigers will defeat the Texas Rangers in the first AL Wild Card round match-up, with the Yankees moving past the Angels in the other. On the National League side, the Phillies will beat the Braves and the Dodgers will advance over the Brewers. In the American League Championship Series, the Tigers’ pitching will overcome that of the Yankees in what will sure to be an epic-pitching duel for the duration of the entire series. On the other side, the Dodgers will not have enough offensive talent to overcome the extreme pitching of the Phillies, and the latter team will advance to the World Series. In the World Series, I expect the Detroit Tigers to defeat the Philadelphia Phillies in six games. I believe that the Tigers’ line-up is much more superior to that of the Phillies, and even the great pitching of the Phillies will not be able to contain the Detroit bats for that long.
The 2012 MLB season will begin on March 28th in Japan in a match-up between the Athletics and the Mariners. Opening Day will be on Wednesday, April 4th at 7 p.m between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Miami Marlins.
