Hey everyone, well here is the first topic of discussion the MLB 2013 season preview. I know it is very late getting this out there but hey we are a couple days in no big deal. Hope you enjoy as I break down the different divisions doing my best to keep it short and sweet. AL first NL to follow shortly after.
AL East
- Toronto Blue Jays
- Tampa Bay Rays
- Baltimore Oriels
- New York Yankees
- Boston Red Sox
I feel as though I like the Rays better than the Blue Jays come playoff time. During the 162 game reg season though I foresee as everyone else does that the Rays will have trouble scoring runs for most of the year. The Jays on the other hand will get some good starts and some bad ones but should hold form all year with the bats. That is the reason I have Toronto being able to take the div. crown and not the Rays. Now the biggest surprise from this division last year had to be Baltimore (or the Red Sox awful collapse, Thx Bobby!). I like that they have turned this franchise around but lack of front line starters will keep them at bay behind the front runners. The Yanks have just been killed with injuries in the off season to their already ageing roster. I don't see how they are going to get healthy in time to be able to make a push this year. They are the Yanks and it will be weird without them but this is the year they don't get in. The Sox need Lester to find it again and they need all the young bats to grow up quick behind Laser Show and Ellsbury. I like Joel in the back end a lot its just getting to the 9th with a lead will be tricky. Well really getting out of the basement this year will be tricky.
AL Central
- Detroit Tigers
- Chicago White Sox
- KC Royals
- Cleveland Indians
- Minnesota Twins
This div. begins and ends with the Tigers. Much to my displeasure because I'm not a tiger fan in the least bit. With Verlander running the show on the bump they will be tough again come playoff time. The Angels my have a case but if you ask me not a better 3-4 in baseball then Cabrera and Feilder. Vic comes back as well so look out central. The White Sox are the weird team in the bunch. The least sexy out of the top 4 in this div. but outside of the Tigers maybe the most complete. Rios came back alive Paul K at 1st will be a hitter till he retires apparently and the staff is the 2nd best in the division by a long shot. The Royals, now there is a sexy pick if I have ever seen one. Problem is you can't get to the playoffs without at least slightly above average pitching and I mean at the very least. Shields is solid no doubt but after him it isn't pretty. Perez, Moustakes, Butler and Gordan are a fantastic core witch is why I say 3rd place probably 79-82 wins. The Tribe, I like a lot of their talent in the field very simular to the Royals. They just don't have the pitching and I like the Royals a little bit better. You could make a case to have them finish 3rd but I think that is all the upside here. The Twins, well not a whole lot to see here. Joe's hair isn't going to put wins up on the board. Joe is still the man but the rest of the team is either declining or to young and the Twins will be one of the worst in baseball.
AL West
- LA Angels
- Texas Rangers
- Oakland Athletics
- Seattle Mariners
- Houston Astros
This in my opinion is the best division in baseball. Although the bottom team in it is undoubtly the worst team in the league. The Angels, they can still pitch pretty well but the reason I think they are not a shoe in to win is lack of depth in the rotation. Weaver is a solid proven ace, Cj is ok and can be very nasty at times but struggles consistency. The rest are average to above average. This team will probably score the most runs in baseball and I'm pretty firm on that. Trout, Fat Albert and Josh will be rough on everybody they face and if you get the best out of all three at the same time dear lord the runs. The Rangers, It hurt to lose Hamilton to the rival Angels but this team is very deep in capable bats. It might not look as pretty as it has in the past but manufacturing runs will not be a problem in the long run for this club. Yu is my early pick to win the AL Cy Young and Harry will be solid again as there number two. Will Holland and Ogando hold up? Who knows if they do this team is good enough to challenge and beat out the Halos for the division. The A's, tons of young arms like Parker and Anderson make this rotation sneaky good. It helps to play in that ballpark for 82 games as well. The lineup caught fire at the right time last year just don't see them putting it together for 162 to compete with the Rangers and Halos again. The Mariners are what they are in a since. I commend them for going out and trying to add some pop in the off season. Morse is a nice piece, Felix is still King Felix but all in all i just cant see them overtaking the A's. On the bright side they are much much better than the Astros but isnt everybody? The Stros, well they are just bad. Sorry that's really all that needs to be said.
Wild card teams: Rangers, Rays
Cy Young Winner: Yu Darvish
MVP: Mike Trout
No comments:
Post a Comment