In spring, hope is eternal for all 30 clubs. Who will be this year's Rays? Will the Cubs break the curse of whatever farm animal or dumb oaf they want to pin their century of futility on?
As I sit behind this keyboard on March 14, 2009, here are the predictions for the 2009 Major League Baseball season. I swear I will stand by each and every prediction until, at least, the All-Star Break.
AL East
1. Boston Red Sox
2. New York Yankees
3. Toronto Blue Jays
4. Tampa Bay Rays
5. Baltimore Orioles
Order will be restored in the American League East, but much to the chagrin of bandwagon riders and ESPN pundits alike, the Yankees will not win the division.
AL Central
1. Minnesota Twins
2. Detroit Tigers
3. Chicago White Sox
4. Cleveland Indians
5. Kansas City Royals
The Tigers will live up to their lofty 2008 expectations; however, Joe Mauer and the Twins will end taking AL Central crown.
AL West
1. Los Angeles Angels
2. Oakland A's
3. Texas Rangers
4. Seattle Mariners
The Angels look ready to repeat in the West. Do not count out the A's with their acquisition of outfielder Matt Holliday. The Rangers have some pitching talent and can generate some serious offensive production, but in the end, the Halos head off to the promised land in October.
As for the AL wild card, the Yankees do not completely disappoint and clinch a playoff berth.
NL East
1. Philadelphia Phillies
2. Atlanta Braves
3. New York Mets
4. Florida Marlins
5. Washington Nationals
Due to their potent lineup and solid pitching staff, the Phillies will still be the team to beat. The Braves will become resurgent in 2009, and the Mets will struggle in what will seem like a season-long September collapse. K-Rod will not be enough for the Mets to overcome their own shortcomings on the field and in the clubhouse.
NL Central
1. Chicago Cubs
2. Cincinnati Reds
3. Milwaukee Brewers
4. St. Louis Cardinals
5. Houston Astros
6. Pittsburgh Pirates
The Cubs will ignite talk of curses and other nonsense by taking the Central. The Reds will surprise baseball fans with their young pitching staff's sudden maturity. The Brewers will need another Sabathian performance down the stretch to have any hope of making the playoffs.
NL West
1. Los Angeles Mannys...I mean Dodgers
2. San Francisco Giants
3. Arizona Diamondbacks
4. Colorado Rockies
5. San Diego Padres
L.A. will survive a year-long Manny onslaught or self-destruct trying. The Giants will move up the standings on the strength of their pitching staff mixed with young (Tim Lincecum) and the very old (Randy Johnson) pitchers. The D-Backs will start out strong in April but flame out down the stretch as in 2008.
As for the NL wild card, Cincinnati will make it to October with the power of the new and improved Big Red Machine.
Divisional Playoffs
AL: Red Sox over Angels in 5, Twins over Yankees in 5
NL: Phillies over Reds in 4, Cubs over Dodgers in 5
League Championship
AL: Twins over Red Sox in 7
NL: Phillies over Cubs in 6
World Series
Twins over Phillies in 7
Now for the hardware:
NL MVP: Chase Utley
AL MVP: Joe Mauer
NL Cy Young: Cole Hamels
AL Cy Young: Josh Beckett
That's all. These are the predictions I will live by until each and every team is mathematically eliminated.
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