National League
East
1. Philadelphia Phillies
2. Atlanta Braves
3. Florida Marlins
4. Washington Nationals
5. New York Mets
Skinny: The Phillies look too tough. The Braves are re-tooled and look out for Jason Heyward, my new favorite player. The Mets have the worst team in the division. It was easy picking them last behind the Nats.
Central
1. St. Louis Cardinals
2. Cincinnati Reds
3. Chicago Cubs
4. Houston Astros
5. Milwaukee Brewers
6. Pittsburgh Pirates
Skinny: This is the Cards' division to win or lose, and they'll win it again. I like the talent on the Reds. If it comes together, they should make it to second place, edging the Cubs. The Astros and Brewers seem close, but I'll give the Astros the edge. The Pirates ... well, they're the Pirates.
West
1. Los Angeles Dodgers
2. Colorado Rockies
3. Arizona Diamondbacks
4. San Francisco Giants
5. San Diego Padres
Skinny: The Dodgers are the best in the division and are an easy choice, let the rest of the NL divisions. The Rockies played over their heads last year, but should be able to duplicate their second-place finish. The rest of the division could fall any way, but I prefer the upside of the D-backs. The Giants have the pitching but not the hitting. If something happens to Tim Lincecum, the bottom could fall out.
American League
East
1. Boston Red Sox
2. Tampa Bay Rays
3. New York Yankees
4. Baltimore Orioles
5. Toronto Blue Jays
Skinny: The Yankees should win the division again, but I can't bring myself to pick them, or even give them the wild card. The top three (Yankees, Red Sox, Rays) should be very competitive. The Red Sox improved their defense in the offseason and should be able to hang with the Yanks.
Central
1. Minnesota Twins
2. Chicago White Sox
3. Cleveland Indians
4. Detroit Tigers
5. Kansas City Royals
Skinny: This is a tough division to call. I could see any team but the Royals winning the division. The Twins should win, but without closer Joe Nathan, things could unravel. If it unravels enough, the White Sox should sneak in. My surprise team is the Indians. Not many people are expecting much from them, but they should give people a pleasant surprise.
West
1. Texas Rangers
2. Los Angeles Angels
3. Seattle Mariners
4. Oakland Athletics
Skinny: The Angels always seem to win the division. That would be the safer pick. Instead, I'll go with the Rangers. Team president Nolan Ryan expects a title and why should I argue with him? The Mariners upgraded their pitching like last year, but like last year it won't work out for them.
The playoffs
In the NL, the Phillies beat the Cards in the first round while the Braves beat the Dodgers. The Phillies return to the World Series, beating the Braves in six games in the NLCS.
In the AL, the Red Sox sweep the Rangers and the Twins edge the Rays. Boston rolls into the World Series beating the Twins in the ALCS.
In the Series, the Phillies beat the Sox in six games.
East
1. Philadelphia Phillies
2. Atlanta Braves
3. Florida Marlins
4. Washington Nationals
5. New York Mets
Skinny: The Phillies look too tough. The Braves are re-tooled and look out for Jason Heyward, my new favorite player. The Mets have the worst team in the division. It was easy picking them last behind the Nats.
Central
1. St. Louis Cardinals
2. Cincinnati Reds
3. Chicago Cubs
4. Houston Astros
5. Milwaukee Brewers
6. Pittsburgh Pirates
Skinny: This is the Cards' division to win or lose, and they'll win it again. I like the talent on the Reds. If it comes together, they should make it to second place, edging the Cubs. The Astros and Brewers seem close, but I'll give the Astros the edge. The Pirates ... well, they're the Pirates.
West
1. Los Angeles Dodgers
2. Colorado Rockies
3. Arizona Diamondbacks
4. San Francisco Giants
5. San Diego Padres
Skinny: The Dodgers are the best in the division and are an easy choice, let the rest of the NL divisions. The Rockies played over their heads last year, but should be able to duplicate their second-place finish. The rest of the division could fall any way, but I prefer the upside of the D-backs. The Giants have the pitching but not the hitting. If something happens to Tim Lincecum, the bottom could fall out.
American League
East
1. Boston Red Sox
2. Tampa Bay Rays
3. New York Yankees
4. Baltimore Orioles
5. Toronto Blue Jays
Skinny: The Yankees should win the division again, but I can't bring myself to pick them, or even give them the wild card. The top three (Yankees, Red Sox, Rays) should be very competitive. The Red Sox improved their defense in the offseason and should be able to hang with the Yanks.
Central
1. Minnesota Twins
2. Chicago White Sox
3. Cleveland Indians
4. Detroit Tigers
5. Kansas City Royals
Skinny: This is a tough division to call. I could see any team but the Royals winning the division. The Twins should win, but without closer Joe Nathan, things could unravel. If it unravels enough, the White Sox should sneak in. My surprise team is the Indians. Not many people are expecting much from them, but they should give people a pleasant surprise.
West
1. Texas Rangers
2. Los Angeles Angels
3. Seattle Mariners
4. Oakland Athletics
Skinny: The Angels always seem to win the division. That would be the safer pick. Instead, I'll go with the Rangers. Team president Nolan Ryan expects a title and why should I argue with him? The Mariners upgraded their pitching like last year, but like last year it won't work out for them.
The playoffs
In the NL, the Phillies beat the Cards in the first round while the Braves beat the Dodgers. The Phillies return to the World Series, beating the Braves in six games in the NLCS.
In the AL, the Red Sox sweep the Rangers and the Twins edge the Rays. Boston rolls into the World Series beating the Twins in the ALCS.
In the Series, the Phillies beat the Sox in six games.
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