Thanks to everyone for their feedback on our baseball preview. I’m sure Daniels and Hulse look forward to everyone telling them how wrong they were when October rolls around. I have their home numbers available upon request…
Aaron Cameron
AL East: New York Yankees
AL Central: Chicago White Sox
AL West: Oakland A’s
AL Wildcard: Los Angeles Angels of (insert tired geographical funny here)
NL East: Atlanta Braves
NL Central: St. Louis Cardinals
NL West: Los Angeles Dodgers
NL Wildcard: Milwaukee Brewers
World Series: Cardinals over White Sox
2006 Season: The lack of one true dominant team makes picking a World Series winner an essential crapshoot. In the National League, I like the respective division winners mostly in a “well, they’re slightly better than the second echelon teams behind them” sort of way. Still, look for the long-suffering Brewers to find a way to win the wildcard (outlasting the Phillies), in what will be the best story of the year. In the American League, I’d love the Red Sox in the East, if I thought their question marks could stay healthy. They won’t. The Indians and Twins didn’t do enough to catch the Sox in the Central, while my Oakland A’s bias dictates I predict 150 wins for my boys this year.
AL MVP: Alex Rodriguez, NYY
NL MVP: Albert Pujols, STL
AL Cy Young: King Felix Hernandez, SEA
NL Cy Young: Ben Sheets, MIL
AL Rookie of the Year: Kenji Jojima, SEA
NL Rookie of the Year: Prince Fielder, MIL
AL Manager of the Year: Joe Torre, NYY
NL Manager of the Year: Ned Yost, MIL
2006 Awards: As easy as he is to despise, A-Rod is not only the best player on the planet, but might be the most underappreciated great player in our lifetimes. Felix Hernandez and the Doc Gooden comparisons make sense, if only because the King has the raw stuff and will get 14-16 starts in the best pitchers’ park in the AL. Meanwhile, Ben Sheets will start the year on the DL, but a strong second half will win him the hardware. Japanese import, Kenji Jojima wins out in a weak AL ROY field, while Prince Fielder will take home the NL honors with one of those .235 40 HR 100 RBI lines. Rob Deer would be proud.
Daniels
AL East
The top: As my recurring theme went over the last two weeks, I think the Blue Jays take this division. The Yankees top two starters are collectively 90, there is no way Aaron Small is as good as he was last year, and Wang can’t do it all by himself. While the Yankees are always a threat to score 25 runs on a bad pitching night, a good pitcher (Burnett, Becket, possibly Schilling) shuts them down. The Red Sox are consistently giving their team away. There is nothing to stop the Jays from taking the AL East.
AL Central
The top: All due respect to the Indians, there is no reason the White Sox can’t win this division again this year. They’re another one of those really good teams that really didn’t lose all in the offseason. Seeing them at the top of the division again this year wouldn’t surprise me in the least.
AL West
The top: The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Another division winner that didn’t lose a whole lot in the offseason. There shouldn’t be anything stopping them from taking this division again, though it could be a tight race with Oakland.
NL East
The top: Until they lose it, you can’t bet against them. Bobby Cox just has a way of winning. They have the same core as they had last year. If you had to try and replace Rafael Furcal, you can’t do much better than Edgar Renteria. Their outfield is ridiculous at the plate and they have the Mets’ number. All that combines for the Atlanta Braves’ NL East division #15 and likely another first round exit from the playoffs.
NL Central
The top: The Cardinals. Easily. Again. They have the top hitter in the National League and basically the same pitching staff. You can make an argument that they’re getting older, but I don’t think it’s old enough to matter, especially in the weak NL Central.
NL West
The top: ah the division that had a team in the playoffs last year because one of them had to be. There is absolutely no reason the Dodgers shouldn’t take the West this year with the talent they’ve put together. However, their talent is easily injured. If the can get a decent number of games out of their lineup, they should take this division with about 85 wins.
NL Playoffs
NL East: Braves 2
NL West: Dodgers 3
NL Central: Cardinals 1
Wildcard: Mets 4
NLDS: Cardinals over the Mets in four. It pains me to make this prediction, but unless the Mets seriously upgrade their rotation, Glavine and Pedro aren’t making it through till October. Then they’re going to run into the Cardinals and chaos will ensue.
NLDS: Braves over the Dodgers in four. Presuming the Dodgers make it with a portion of their lineup intact, the Braves should be able to sweep the remnants. They will be saved from facing the Astros again because the Mets will probably end up as the wildcard this year.
NLCS: Braves over the Cardinals in seven. Yes, I know this conflicts with what I said in an earlier part, but I can’t help it. The Cardinals folded up in the playoffs worse than the Braves. I think John Smoltz and Chipper Jones are going to drag this team, kicking and screaming, to the World Series this year.
AL Playoffs
AL East: Blue Jays 3
AL Central: White Sox 1
AL West: Angels 2
AL Wildcard: A’s 4
ALDS: White Sox over the A’s in five. The starting rotation is just too much, if they make it to the post season, they should be able to blow by the wildcard. The A’s will put up a fight because that’s what they do, but in the end, it won’t be enough.
ALDS: Angels over the Blue Jays in three: Burnett starts Game 1 even though he’s got a nagging injury because he’s a gamer, but he’ll be burnt out. Dropping a game with their ace starter will demoralize the team and the Angels will coast through this series.
ALCS: Angels over the White Sox in seven. I don’t buy a miracle starting rotation two years in a row. All due respect to what Buehrle, Contreras, El Duque, et al pulled off last October, I don’t think they can do it two years in a row, though I think they’ll try really hard.
World Series: Here it is: Braves over the Angels in seven. The last gasp of John Smoltz before he goes into the Braves’ dugout. He’s an old guy, but he’s an old guy who didn’t fall apart in the playoffs last year. That being said, this year will finally end the Braves’ drought and break the playoff loss streak, and forcing Hulse into tears for the fifteenth year running.
Mike Hulse
NL East:
Sure I called them overrated, and yeah, I know the division is wide open, but in the end, I can’t pick against my boys. I’ll take the Mets. The additions of Delgado, Wagner, and Lo Duca will be enough topple the Braves in the division for the first time since the first Gulf War. And for the record, I’ve watched Chipper Jones whoop up on the Mets for about 11 years now, and suddenly, Jeff Francoeur is poised to make it another decade of misery. Needless to say, I hate his soul.
NL Central:
The Cardinals have been the NL juggernaut for a couple of years, and I see no reason for that to change. I’ll take them by 6 games or more.
NL West:
You show me a wide open division, I’ll take the best player in the division every day of the week, and twice on Sunday. Assuming Barry Bonds is healthy enough to clear 100 games this year, there is no way the Giants don’t walk to a huge win in a division where last years winner was 1 loss away from a .500 record.
NL Wild Card:
While the Braves, Phillies, Nationals, Astros, Brewers, Dodgers, Padres, and Cubs all have the on paper talent to win the wild card, I think winning something this wide open requires experience and that fabled bit of intestinal fortitude. With that, I’d take the moxie and second half magic that is the Astros to go ahead and win the wild card by maybe a game over San Diego.
AL East:
From 1998 to 2005 the Yankees have owned this division. With all their talent and money spent, it’s understandable. However, I think this season is the year that things finally break against the Bronx. I think Randy Johnson gets old, Carl Pavano stays
injured, and Jaret Wright keeps sucking. I think Jason Giambi stays off the juice and has a subpar season. I think Johnny Damon doesn’t do as well as he has the last couple years and gets booed, I think the middle relief is still awful, and I think that (gasp) Mo Rivera finally starts breaking down. All of that leads to a mediocre Yankee season and sees Boston win the division.
AL Central:
The White Sox won the whole thing and got better, acquiring Jim Thome and Javy Vasquez in the offseason. However, the only reason they won the division is because they cruised to a monster lead early and coasted from then on. This season, the division is better, with the Indians, Twins, and even Tigers looking sharp. I’ll take Cleveland this year, as their young team all grows together and improves.
AL West:
Another tough call between the Angels and A’s, and in a tough call I almost always go with pitching. That said, the A’s rotation is as good, if not better, than any starting rotation in baseball. Harden, Zito, Haren, and Loaiza is enough to win the division in a
close race.
AL Wild Card:
I did say the White Sox improved, and for that, I think they sneak into baseball’s back door to the playoffs. In the end, they got better on both sides of the ball, while most teams did not. The Blue Jays will make some noise, but I think the East is too tough for them. As I said earlier, the Yanks will get old this season and miss the playoffs for the first time since the MLB strike of 1994. Consequently, Mt. St. Steinbrenner will kill all in it’s path.
NL Playoffs:
NLDS; Cards vs. Giants:
Normally the best record in a league plays the wild card, however you can’t play an NLDS matchup against a team in your division, which leaves the #1 team in the NL (Cards) facing the division winner with the fewest wins (Giants). Normally you go with chalk, but I think the Giants have a lot more going for them than people realize, and in a 5 game series, I’ll take the team with Barry Bonds over whoever they play. Giants in 4.
NLDS; Mets vs. Astros.
In a battle that’s been waiting to happen again for 20 years, the Mets face Houston in what should be a 5 game war. That said, assuming both teams are healthy, I’d take the Mets, even with Roger Clemens playing for the Astros. While Houston has better pitching, their offense would be shut down by Pedro, Glavine, and Traschel. The Mets would scrape out some runs with their offense against the Houston big 3,and eek out a
win.
NLCS; Mets. Vs. Giants.
A rematch of the 2000 NLDS would again be a back and forth battle. Barry Bonds, alone, can carry a team to victory. However, by this point I’d guess he’s running on fumes and the rest of the team can’t pick that kind of slack up. Mets in 6.
AL Playoffs
ALDS; Red Sox vs. White Sox:
Boston is an offensive juggernaut, however Chicago is just as good with their pitching. Last season Boston got swept by the eventual champs, but this year they look better, as their pitching can match up with Chicago. If the staffs are about even, then it’s up
to the offense, and I’ll take the best 1-2 punch in the game in Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz. Sawks (Red) in 4.
ALDS; A’s vs. Indians:
Oakland has not won a playoff series in their recent run. The Moneyball theory does wonders over 162 games, but in a 5 game set, the law of averages (or in this case, OPS) goes out the window. I’d take Cleveland to keep shutting down the A’s for one more
year.
ALCS; Red Sox vs. Indians:
The Red Sox, on paper, should roll. They have as good an offense as Cleveland, while getting the nod on pitching. With that said, I think the team that plays more relaxed will win this series, and that team will undoubtedly be Cleveland. Boston has more question marks on their team than the Indians, and it will haunt them here. Cleveland at home wins in game 7.
World Series: Mets vs. Indians.
You didn’t think I’d get all this way to have my boys lose, did you? Mets, with Pedro, Glavine, Traschel, Wagner, and the rest will keep Cleveland’s offense in check as Beltran, Delgado, Wright, Reyes, and surprising World Series hero Lastings Milledge take the trophy back to Flushing.
Hey, a guy can dream, can’t he?
