Your 2014 MLB Predictions

NL East: Nationals
AL East: Rays
AL West: Rangers
NL West: Giants
NL Central: Cardinals
AL Central: Tigers

NLWild Card: Braves
NL Wild Card: Reds

AL Wild Card: Red Sox
AL Wild Card: Angels

AL Champion: Rays
NL Champion: Cardinals

WS Winner: Rays

2013 MLB Division Previews Are Coming!

Pitchers and Catchers are reporting, so that means only one thing....

BASEBALL IS BACK!

I will be doing divisional previews of every division and every team. Who will win the World Series in 2014?

My 2010 MLB Preview

Opening Night is just one night away with Yankees-Red Sox on ESPN. Here are my division previews. Sorry, I ran out of time to do a division by division preview like I wanted.

Anyway, here are my picks division by division.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
AL East New York Yankees
AL Central Minnesota Twins
AL West Texas Rangers
AL Wild Card Boston Red Sox
NATIONAL LEAGUE
NL East Philladelphia Phillies
NL Central Chicago Cubs
NL West Los Angeles Dodgers
NL Wildcard Colorado Rockies

ALDS: Yankees Over Twins
ALDS: Red Sox Over Rangers
NLDS: Phillies Over Rockies
NLDS: Dodgers Over Cubs

ALCS: Yankees Over Red Sox
NLCS: Phillies over Dodgers

World Series: Yankees over Phillies.

AL MVP: Alex Rodriguez, Yankees
NL MVP: Albert Pujols, Cardinals
NL ROY: Colby Rasmus, Cardinals
AL ROY: Nefetali Feliz, Rangers
AL MANAGER OF THE YEAR: Ron Washington, Rangers
NL MANAGER OF THE YEAR: Tony La Russa, Cardinals
NL CY YOUNG AWARD WINNER Roy Halladay, Phillies
AL CY YOUNG AWARD WINNER CC Sabathia, Yankees

2010 MLB Preview: NL East

This is the first of the 2010 MLB Division Previews! We start with the NL East, which has been the home of the two time NL Champion Philladelphia Phillies. Will Jason Bay save the Mets? Find Out All This and more in the first MLB Preview!

PHILLADELPHIA PHILLIES
If the Phillies, who have appeared in the World Series the past two seasons, needed to get even better, they pulled off the blockbuster of the offseason by Trading away postseason hero Cliff Lee to Seattle for Prosepects, and then trading for Roy Halladay. Halladay, who has been the best pitcher North of the Border for a long while now, heads to a Phillies team that was this close to winning the World Series for the second straight season.
This club really hit the long ball well in 2009, and expect them to do that again this season. The club is led by Ryan Howard, who hit 45 homeruns and 141 RBI's last season. The Club made the right move in signing Raul Ibanez, and he didn't dissapoint, as he hit 34 homeruns and 93 RBIs. Chase Utley continued as the game's best Second Baseman with his 31 homeruns and 93 RBIs. The Club lost a big bat in Pedro Feliz, but brought back former Phillie Placido Polanco to play the hot corner. Polanco won't have the offense that Feliz had, but he's versatile and he can play any position in the infield. Let's not forget about Jimmy Rollins, the man who puts the Phillies in motion. His .250 average may convince some folks that he no longer belongs in the leadoff spot, but he does everything you want in a leadoff man. he works the count, gets on base, and can head from first to third in a heartbeat if the opposing pitcher doesn't check on him. What may be the most scary about Rollins is how scary accurate his predictions can be. He recently said that the 2010 Phillies may be even even better than they were last year, and that's bad news for the rest of the National League.
Rotationwise, this team is solid, starting with the Ace, Roy Halladay. Halladay won 17 games in 2009 in Baseball's Toughest Division. Expect him to get even better now that he has switched leagues. Cole Hamels had an off season in 2009, finishing 10-11 with a 4.32 ERA. Expect him to get more wins, less losses, and to bring that ERA down to around 3.00. J.A. Happ was the game's best Pitchig Prospect and may have been their best pitcher last season, as he was 12-4 with a 2.93 ERA. In The Bullpen, Brad Lidge was 48 for 48 in Save Chances in 2008, but led Baseball with 11 Blown Saves in 2009. Expect him to get Back On track. When he has that slider working, it's almost impossible to hit.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS
The Washington Nationals are a team on the rise. They've got a future Hall Of Famer catching for them in Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez, and they have a very underrated Pitcher in Jason Marquis who has become the Ace of the Staff. He can hurt you not just while pitching, but with the bat as well, as he is one of the National League's best Bunting Pitchers. Scott Olsen is a former Florida Marlin who is looking to get back on Track.
Their entire offense is Adam Dunn, a guy who hit 38 homeruns and 105 RBIs. Ryan Zimmerman is an underrated Third Baseman, and he hit 33 homeruns and 106 RBIs last season.
The Washington Nationals are obviously waiting in the wings for Stephen Strasburg, the best young pitcher in quite some time. Don't sleep on the Nationals.

FLORIDA MARLINS
The Marlins are led by Josh Johnson, who just flat out dominated, finishing 15-5 with a 3.23 ERA. Hanley Ramirez is the Best player on the Marlins, with a .342 average and a .410 OBP. Dan Uggla hit 31 homeruns and 91 RBIs. The Marlins will be looking to move up in the division this year.

ATLANTA BRAVES
This is Bobby Cox's final Season managing the Braves. The Braves rotation is led now by Tommy Hanson, finishing 11-4 with a 2.89 ERA. Jair Jurjens, Tim Hudson and Kenshi Kawakami finish out the rotation. They newest slugger and First Baseman is Troy Glaus. Expect him to have a great year now that he is in Atlanta. Right Fielder Jason Heyward could be one of the biggest breakout stars of 2010. The way the ball Jumps off his bat is Scary! Brian McCann is one of the best catchers in baseball. In the bullpen, Billy Wagner is looking to return to the form he had as a member of the Mets, Astros, and Philiies.

NEW YORK METS
Jason Bay may be the Biggest prize the Mets have reeled in since Johan Santana back in 2008. If there's one thing the Mets are wishing for, it is for their key players (Beltran, Santana, Jose Reyes) to be healthy. David Wright lost his swing in 2009, going from 33 homeruns in 2008 to just ten in 2009. He's gonna have to get back into the swing of things if these Mets are to be competetive in the NL East.
Beyond Johan Santana, the Mets are questionmarks in the rotation. Mike Pelfrey, John Maine are capable starters, but Oliver Perez, Jon Niese, and Fernando Nieve aren't going to light the world on Fire. Carlos Delgado is gone, but Daniel Murphy has a lot of potential at first base. Jeff Francoeur will be looking to get back on track.
Francisco Rodriguez is a great closer, and the bullpen is capable. Sean Green, Pedro Feliciano, Bobby Parnell, and Pat Misch are all capale. The Mets signed another Japanese Pitcher, Ryota Igrashi.

2010 Is a Make or Break Season for the Mets. If they don't make the Playoffs, expect Heads To Roll.

My Division Picks
1.PHILLIES
2.METS
3.BRAVES
4.MARLINS
5.NATIONALS

Your 2010 Baseball Previews Are Coming!

Pitchers and Catchers have reported and that means only one thing:

BASEBALL IS BACK!

As Spring training gets underway, the 2010 MLB Season is getting ready to start, and I will be doing Divisional Previews for 2010.

But, In Case You Forgot, Here's How Last Season Ended.

2009 MLB Preview: NL Central

In 2008, The NL Central saw the Chicago Cubs win the division for the second straight season. The remaining teams seemed to stockpile for players for the following season.

What is in store for 2009? Let's take a look.

Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs played well during the 2008 season. However,They ended up their worst baseball of the entire season in the playoffs against the Dodgers. So, what do the Cubs do? They realize that they have to become more left handed, so they end up trading Mark DeRosa to the Cleveland Indians, opening up a roster spot for the Left handed Mike Fontenot. To "replace" De Rosa, the Cubs signed Aaron Miles, a guy who has also played all over the field. The Cubs also signed Milton Bradley, a Switch Hitter who has run into trouble in the past but can really make a difference in a lineup.

The Cubs roatation is still the best in the NL Central. Carlos Zambrano threw a no hitter last year, but despite that, he was a real "tale of two Zambranos" as there were moments when he was lights out, and other times when he couldn't get anybody out.

Ted Lilly won 17 games last season, but the key to how well the Cubs will do in 2009 depends on whethr or not Ryan Dempster can replicate his career season from last season.


Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are getting up there in age. Taht's putting it nicely. Lance Berkman and Miguel Tejada will be tested this season. Carlos Lee swung a hot bat last season. He will have to it again for Houston to hang around. Mike Hampton returns to the Astros, I don't see that working out to good. Everyone in the rotation outside of Roy Oswalt has questionmarks.


St Louis Cardinals
The St Louis Cardinals have a good ammount of young players, but their season will hinge on ALbert Pujols and Chris Carpenter. If Carpenter returns to the Carpenter of old, Yhe Cardinals could battle with the Cubs for the division title.

Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers still have J.J. Hardy, Prince Fielder, and Ryan Braun, but the Brewers do not have Ben Sheets and CC Sabathia in their rotation. Expect Milwaukee to take a step back this season.

CINCINNATTI REDS
The Reds could be Baseball's biggest surprise in 2009. Joey Votto, Jay Bruce, Edinson Volquez, and Johnny Cueto make for an interesting season in 2009.

PIITSBURGH PIRATES
Not this year. Again.
My Division Projections:
1. CHICAGO CUBS
Expect Milton Bradley to help this Cubs lineup return to the playoffs. Their rotation will be key to how well they fare in the division.
2. CINCINATTI REDS
The Reds young talent could hang around.
3. ST. LOUIS CARDINALS
The Cardinals still have baseball's best hitter, but their young players will have to step up for St. Louis to be cometitive.
4. MILWAUKEE BREWERS
It's more about the loss of Sheets and Sabathia that will do in this team.
5. Houston Astros
They had better be thankful for the Pirates.
6. Pittsburgh Pirates
They are not going to compete again this season.

2009 MLB Preview: AL West

The 2008 AL West was simply: The Los Angeles versus everyone else. The Halos blew the rest of the AL West away, as nobody else even finished above .500.

What's in store for 2009? Let's take a look.

LOS ANGELES ANGELS
The Los Angels Angels blew out the rest of the AL West in 2008, thanks to star players like Mark Teixiera, and Francisco Rodriguez, who ended up shattering the record for saves in a single season. Both players are now in New York. However, like every good team must do, the Angels have "replaced" those players. Offensively, the Angels signed Bobby Abreu to a one year contract, and Brian Fuentes is the Angels new closer, coming over from the Colorado Rockies.


TEXAS RANGERS
There is optimism for the Rangers this season.They snared pitching coach Mike Maddux from the Milwaukee Brewers. In the offseason, The Rangers asked Michael Young to move from Shortstop to Third base so the Rangers could bring Phenom shortstop Elvis Andrus to the Rangers. He obliged. The Rangers have Ian Kinsler at Second Base. Can he stay healthy for a full season? Chris Davis will play first base rhis season. Rangers fans are excited to see what he can do for a full season. Josh Hamilton will continue to Crush the ball this season. Perhaps the biggest surprise to come out of Rangers Camp was the news that Texas had released Frank Catallanatto, replacing him with Andruw Jones.

Perhaps this Rangers club is getting ready for 2010, as players like Derek Holland and Nefetali Feliz continue to impress scouts with their Radar gun readings, and Justin Smoak could really crush the ball. Expect him to come up Mid-season, depending on how the Rangers are faring in the division.


OAKLAND ATHLETICS
For the other AL West teams, Old is new again. Jason Giambi returnd to the Bay Area after a few years in The Bronx. Matt Holliday joins the Atletics after coming over from Colorado. Don't expect his numbers to increase now that he has left Coors Field. The brightest spot in the Athletics rotation is Sean Gallagher.

SEATTLE MARINERS
More proof that old is new again in Seattle. Ken Griffey Jr is back with the Mariners after spending time with the Reds and White Sox. The Mariners rotation is Aced by "King Felix" Felix Hernandez. Erik Bedard will look to bounce back after a mediocre last season.

My Division Projections
1. LOS ANGELES ANGELS
The Angels may have lost Texiera and K-Rod, but Abreu and Fuentes make the Angels this division's best team again.
2. Texas Rangers
Elvis Andrus will shine in his debut season. Kevin Millwood and Vicente Padilla will have to pitch well for Texas to hang around this season.
3.Oakland Athletics
Jason Giambi is back, but the Athletics still have too many questionmarks to be competitive.
4.Seattle Mariners
They are just hoping that Ken Griffey Jr will cause them to sell extra tickets.

In our next MLB Preview, we will look at the NL Central. Will Milton Bradley help the Cubs? Can St. Louis depend on someone other than Alber Pujols? Are the Astros too old to be competitve? Find out in the next MLB Preview.

2009 MLB Preview: AL Central

The Cleveland Indians have some new faces. Will that help them win the AL Central?

The AL Central in 2008 was home to one of the greatest divisional races in recent memory. The White Sox and Twins ended up playing 163 regular season games to decide who would win the AL Central, which the White Sox won 1-0 on a Jim Thome monster homerun.

What is in store for 2009? Let's have a look.

Cleveland Indians

The Cleveland Indians have Baseball's best Centerfielder, Grady Sizemore, and Travis Hafner can still hit the ball a mile. The Indians acquired two great players via a trade and I think these two will make a huge difference right away. The first huge addition: Kerry Wood. He comes over from the Chicago Cubs, and I think he instantly upgrades Cleveland's bullpen. He will come in and get saves right away for this team. The second player is Mark DeRosa. He also comes over from the Cubs. When he was in Chicago, he played all over the field. In Cleveland, it looks like he will be set to play third base. The Indians rotation is anchored by last season's AL Cy Young award winner, Cliff Lee. Everyone that follows him in the rotation is a questionmark, however. If the 2 thru 5 guys can pitch like they're capable of, the Indians rotation will be a pleasant surprise this season.

Chicago White Sox

The Chicago White Sox are the defending division champions. The White Sox rotation is anchored by Mark Buehrle, who is still one of the American league's best pitchers. John Danks and Gavin Floyd are capable, young starters. Jose Contreras will work to beat a lineup the slowest way possible, and Bartolo Colon begins this season with a bit of a chip on his shoulder after getting released from the Angels.

Offensively, the White Sox should not strugle in that department. The White Sox will finally get to see a whole full season of Josh Fields, after they released Joe Crede, Alexi Ramirez will continue to impress, as his stroke is almost exactly like Alfonso Soriano's. Chris Getz will be the new second baseman, and Dewayne Wise will play Center Field. Carlos Quentin should be back in full swing this season, and let's not forget about Jermaine Dye in right field. Paul Konerko will play First base, and Jim Thome will launch some homeruns from the Designated Hitter spot.
Detroit Tigers

Times are tough for all things Detroit right now, and that includes the Tigers. The Tigers suprisingly released Gary Sheffield after he wasn't cutting it, and if they fall out of contention early, more may be next. The Tigers are still waiting for Joel Zumaya to get healthy, and for Dontrelle Willis to get back to The D-Train of old.

The Bright spots for Detroit: Curtis Granderson is still one of baseball's best leadoff men. Major League scouts are raving over pitcher Rick Porcello, and Miguel Cabrera is forecasted to have a big season this year.

Expect The Tigers to fight to make it above .500 this season, which sounds a whole lot like what they did last season.

Minnesota Twins


This is the final season that the Minnesota Twins will play inside the Metrodome. The Twins move into the outdoors when they play in Target Field. Francisco Liriano appears to have his good stuff this Spring. He'll be the ace. Kevin Slowey and Glen Perkins are capable, and Nick Blackburn could really pitch fantasticly this season. Who will be Minnesota's Fifth Starter?

Offensively, the Twins will get a lot of offense from Justin Morneau. Joe Crede willplay Third base, as he comes over from the Chicago White Sox. Denard Span could have a breakout season this year.

Expect the White Sox and Twins to slug it out for the AL Central title.
Kansas City Royals

This is The Kansas City Royals 40th anniversary. Their rotation is anchored by Gil Meche, followed by Zach Greinke, Kyle Davies was a surprise this season. Was Sidney Ponson just a World Baseball Classic Wonder? The Royals will find that out as he made a slot in the rotation. Horacio Ramirez rounds out the rotation.

The Royals are hoping that Alex Gordon has a much better season this year. Mike Jacobs becomes Kansas City's new first baseman, Mike Avilles will play short, and Alberto Callaspo will play second base.

Don't expect a surpise team out of Kansas City this season.

My Division Prjections:
1. CHICAGO WHITE SOX
They have the pitching, offense, and defense to repeat as division champions.
2. Minnesota Twins
Justin Morneau will be good, as usual, and their pitching looks good this season.
3.Cleveland Indians
Their offense will be there, but their pitching (outside of Cliff Lee) has questionmarks.
4. Detroit Tigers
Miguel Cabrera will have a good season, but the rest of the team will struggle.
5. Kansas City Royals.
They won't compete this year.

In our next MLB Preview. We will look at the AL West. Will Los Angeles repeat as Division Champions? Will Texas Surpise? Will Seattle be competitive? Find out in the next MLB Preview.

MLB Preview: AL East

The 2008 season saw the rise of the Tampa Bay Rays, saw the Red Sox make the playoffs, and saw the Yankees say goodbye to "The House That Ruth Built" as well as miss the playoffs. The Yankees went on a Spending Spree in the offseason, luring CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, and Mark Teixiera to the Bronx.

What is in store for 2009? Let's have a look.
NEW YORK YANKEES

the 2009 New York Yankees will open their new ballpark with CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, and Mark Texiera, but they will open the season without Alex Rodriguez. A-Rod had surgery and will miss perhaps a month. When he does return, it will be interesting to see how fans will react now that he has revealed that he took steroids when he was with the Texas Rangers.

This Yankees ballclub will score runs in bunches. A-Rod, Teixiera, Posada, and Brett Gardner will be expected to produce.

Yankees Manager Joe Girardi has decided to flip-flop his batting order, batting Derek Jeter leadoff and Johnny Damon second. This is to avoid Jeter from hitting into double plays, and it answers the Trivia question, "Who was the first Yankee to bat in the New Yankee Stadium?"

This Yankees ballclub looks great on paper. Nothing short of a World Series victory will satisfy these fans.
BALTIMORE ORIOLES

The baltimore Orioles have Nick Markakis, and many other questionmarks. How will Koji Uegara fare in Major League Baseball? For many years he was Japan's second best pitcher, behind Daisuke Mastuzaka. Will Adam Eaton and Rich Hill fare in their new teams? Will Felix Pie finally become consistent?
Expect the Orioles to fight with Toronto for the cellar.
TAMPA BAY RAYS

The Tampa Bay Rays were the Cinderella Story of the 2008 season. They went from Cellar Dweller to American League Champions in just one season. Stars like Evan Longoria and Scott Kazmir shined this past season. David Price starts the Rays season in the bullpen. Expect him to head back to Tampa in May. What will the Rays do for an encore? Looking back on the history of the teams who have lost the World Series, the 2006 Tigers,and the 2007 Rockies have regressed. I am also expecting the Rays to endure a "World Series Hangover." I am not expecting them to finish better than third place this season.

TORONTO BLUE JAYS

The Toronto Blue Jays will be stuck in another mediocre season. They will not have much behind Roy Hallday. Vernon Wells and Scott Rolen will be most of the ble Jays offense in 2009.

BOSTON RED SOX

Dustin Pedroia was the smallest man in the Red Sox clubhouse, and he ended up taking home American League MVP Honors. The Red Sox and their rotation are stacked. Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, Daisuke Mastuzaka,and Tim Wakefield. Let's not forget about the former Dodger Brad Penny and the longtime Atlanta Brave John Smoltz who is expected to head to Boston in July.

Offensively, Dustin Pedoria and David Ortiz will crush the ball. It will be interesting to see how Jason Bay will do in his first full season in Boston.

My Division Projections
1. NEW YORK YANKEES
With the money spent on this team, they will be expected to win the division. It will be a huge dissapointment if they don't.
2. Boston Red Sox
Their rotation is Scary Good.
3. Tampa Bay Rays
Last Season's AL Champs will encounter a World Series hangover.
4. Toronto Blue Jays
Roy Halladay is the team's best player, but he needs a lot of help.
5. Baltimore Orioles
They are still two years away from competing in the AL East.

In our next MLB Preview, we will preview the AL Central. Will The White Sox repeat as division Champions? What will the Twins do in their final season in the Metrodome? How will Kerry Wood and Maek DeRosa help the Indians? Find out in the next MLB Preview.

2009 MLB Preview: NL West

In 2008, The NL West looked like a one team race. At the All Star Break, Arizona was leading, although it was simply by half a game.Then the Los Angeles Dodgers acquired Manny Ramirez from the Red Sox. That trade made all the difference, as Manny Ramirez single handily gave the Dodgers the division title.

How will these teams do in 2009? Let's have a look.
ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS


The Diamondbacks have Ace Brandon Webb on the mound for them followed by Dan Haren, Doug Davis, Jon Garland, and Max Scherzer. That is quite a formidable rotation. The Diamondbacks offense has a lot of question marks. Will Mark Reynolds find his Power Stroke? Will Phenom shortstop Stephen Drew take the next step? Will Justin Upton continue to get better?
If Arizona can answer these question marks, they will be on top of the NL West.
COLORADO ROCKIES

The Colorado Rockies have a Make or break season this year. The Rockies traded Matt Holliday to the Athletics, but soon found a left fielder when Matt Murton was traded to Colorado. The Rockies also have a new starting pitcher, Jason Marquis. The key for Colorado will be their offense. Todd Helton can still hit for average and Power, and let's not forget about Shortstop Troy Tulowitski.
2009 may be Clint Hurdle's last season as Rockies Manager, so expect Colorado to compete in this weak division.


LOS ANGELES DODGERS
What a difference a year makes. At this time last year,the biggest news the Dodgers had made was when they signed Andruw Jones to a two year contract. Jones had an awful 2008 season, as he produced a.158 batting average, three home runs, and 14 RBI. The Dodgers were right in the division race at the All Star Break, and then they traded for Manny Ramirez. Manny went on a tear after that, helping the Dodgers win the NL West and advance to the NLCS.

The 2009 season will be the first full season for curve ball specialist Clayton Kershaw. The Dodgers pitching staff can easily go head to head against the Giants rotation.

Manny Ramirez is they key to the Dodgers and how they will perform in 2009.

SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS
The San Francisco Giants have a potential Super-rotation in the making, starting off with the Ace Tim Lincecum. Randy Johnson, who needs five wins to become the newest 300 game winner, is also in the rotation. Let's not forget about Matt Cain, Johnathan Sanchez, and Noah Lowry. The only Wild card in the rotation is Barry Zito.

The Giants only question is, will their offense be as good? Young players like Fred Lewis and Eugenio Velez will have to produce is their offense is to keep up with the Dodgers.

One name to look out for this season: catcher Buster Posey. He could make Bengie Molina expendable this off season.
SAN DIEGO PADRES

The San Diego Padres are almost in a complete rebuilding mode. The only thing that would make it a complete rebuilding mode would be if Jake Peavy got traded. Expect that to happen in July if San Diego is out of the race. Heath Bell is expected to replace Trevor Hoffman as closer. Adran Gonzalez will continue to hit for power, that won't change.
Don't expect much from the Padres this season.

My Division Projections:
1. LOS ANGELES DODGERS
What will Manny Ramirez do for an encore this season? It's scary to think about it.
2. Arizona Diamondbacks
Great pitching, but their offense needs to get going.
3. San Francisco Giants
Great Pitching, the only question is will their offense produce?
4. Colorado Rockies
Troy Tulowiski will be one of the few bright spots for the Rockies.
5. San Diego Padres
Don't expect them to win more than 60 games this season.

In our next MLB Preview, we will preview the AL East. Will the New York Yankees return to the postseason? Will the Tampa Bay Rays again compete for the AL East? Find out in the next MLB Preview.

Just a reminder, if you want to see the NL East preview, type NL East inside the searchbar on my blog.

MLB Team Previews Are Coming!

Spring Training is upon us, and Major League Baseball season is almost here. I will be giving a preview of every division and every team in that division.

MLB Team Previews Are Coming Soon!

MLB Preview: Postseason (Revised)

Here Is My Revised MLB PostSeason Preview. Check out my reveved Postseason Bracket!
These are my revised picks for the 2008 MLB Season.
THIS SEASON
DIVISON WINNERS
NL EAST: NEW YORK METS
NL WEST: SAN DIEGO PADRES
NL CENTRAL: CHICAGO CUBS
AL EAST: BOSTON RED SOX
AL WEST: LOS ANGELES ANGELS OF ANAHEIM
AL CENTRAL: DETROIT TIGERS
AL WILDCARD: NEW YORK YANKEES
NL WILDCARD: COLORADO ROCKIES

NL DIVISION SERIES
SAN DIEGO PADRES OVER COLORADO ROCKIES
NEW YORK METS OVER CHICAGO CUBS

AL DIVISION SERIES
DETROIT TIGERS OVER NEW YORK YANKEES
BOSTON RED SOX OVER LOS ANGELES ANGELS OF ANAHEIM

NATIONAL LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
NEW YORK METS OVER SAN DIEGO PADRES

AMERICAN LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
DETROIT TIGERS OVER BOSTON RED SOX

2008 WORLD SERIES
DETROIT TIGERS OVER NEW YORK METS

MLB AWARDS
AL CY YOUNG: JOSH BECKETT
NL CY YOUNG: JOHAN SANTANA
NL MVP: CARLOS BELTRAN
AL MVP: MIGUEL CABRERA
NL ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: GEOVANNY SOTO
AL ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: CLAY BUCHOLZ
NL GOLD GLOVE: JOSE REYES
NL GOLD GLOVE: GREG MADDUX
NL GOLD GLOVE: ARAMIS RAMIREZ
AL GOLD GLOVE: DEREK JETER
AL GOLD GLOVE: CURTIS GRANDERSON
AL GOLD GLOVE: TORII HUNTER
AL ROLAIDS RELIEF MAN: JOHNATHAN PAPELBON
NL ROLAIDS RELIEF MAN: CARLOS MARMOL
AL MANAGER OF THE YEAR: JIM LEYLAND
NL MANAGER OF THE YEAR: LOU PINIELLA
AL COMEBACK MANAGER OF YEAR: RON WASHINGTON
NL COMEBACK MANAGER OF YEAR: BUD BLACK
AL COMEBACK PLAYER OF YEAR: FRANCISCO LIRIANO
NL COMEBACK PLAYER OF YEAR: KERRY WOOD

MLB Preview: NL Central

The Cubs hope that Kosuke Fukudome lives up to his Japanese Billing.

The National League Central was up in the air for almost the whole season. The Cubs ended up winning the division, but did squat in the playoffs, getting swept by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NLDS. The Cubs will have a tough road if they want to repeat. The Race for the NL Central will be even tougher for the Cubs than Last Season. They start the season and end the season against Milwaukee. That final weekend of the regular season may be when we find out who will win the NL Central.

CHICAGO CUBS
The Cubs went on a $300 Million Shopping Spree in 2007 to improve what was the worst team in Major League Baseball Last Season. The team signed Alfonso Soriano to the richest contract in Cubs history, and he produced by hitting 33 homeruns, without hitting a single homerun in April. Expect Soriano to not get the "Big Contract Jitters" he may have had his first month.

Lou Piniella got to know his players in 2007, and once he knew what he had, he made changes. Out was Catcher Michael Barrett and Shortstop Caesar Izturis. In was Geovanny Soto and Ryan Theriot. The Cubs turned it on that final month, before becoming Ice Cold in the playoffs.

Expect Lou Piniella to figure out this team again. Ryan Dempster is competing with Jon Lieber (the Last Cubs Pitcher to win 20 games, Sean Marshall (Rumored to be heading to Baltimore, those rumors were later false) and Jason Marquis (The tale of Two Jasons. Good First Half. Bad Second Half.) If Marquis doesn't win the final rotation spot, he will get his wish to go elsewhere.

There is another battle for Ryan Dempster's old Job as Closer. Competing for the closers job is Bob Howry (he was the closer when Ryan Dempster was injured last season), Kerry Wood (He Struck out 20 Batters on April 12, 1998, holding the Astros to one hit) and Carlos Marmol (the best pure stuff in baseball, a Shut down reliever).

There is another battle for Center Field as Felix Pie is competing with Sam Fuld for that job. Cubs Hitting Coach Gerald Perry has spent time with Pie to try and make sure he isn't "Corey Patterson Version 2.0."

Alfonso Soriano is comfortable in Left Field and the Center Field Battle will work itself out, but out in Right Field is the Japanese Outfielder Kosuke Fukudome. Fukudome is a blend of the two most famous Japanese Outfielders, Ichiro Suzuki and Hideki Matsui. How will adjust to the Bleacher Bums out in Right Field mangling his last name for drunken humor effect? He will just ignore it.

Fukudome will get an instant chance to make an impact this season, as he will bat third in the lineup, moving Derrek Lee to the cleanup spot and Aramis Ramirez in the five spot.

Starting Wise, Carlos Zambrano, Ted Lilly and Rich Hill are set at 1,2, and 3. The Final Two Spots will be won in the spring. Zambrano can be on his A-Game, but when he isn't you know from the get-go. Expect him to work on being more consistent this season.

Ted Lilly won 15 games for the Cubs in 2008, losing only eight. Lilly has great stuff. He has a nice Slider and an even better breaking ball.

Rich Hill is a solid number three. If he learns to mix more pitches in with his curveball, Watch out.

Who will win the final two spots? How will Felix Pie and Kosuke Fukudome do in the outfield? Will the new closer be able to keep the lead? Can Carlos Zambrano learn how to control his emotions on the mound? If so, expect these Cubs to do something not done since 1908, return to the postseason for two straight seasons.

MILWAUKEE BREWERS
The Milwaukee Brewers had a 8.5 Game lead by midseason before they let Chicago come roaring back to win the National Leagie Central. Prince Fielder joined Alex Rodriguez as the only players to hit 50+ homeruns in 2007. I don't think he'll hit as many homeruns, but he will still be a major force at the plate. Ryan Braun was a Callup in May and the "Hebrew Hammer" Hammered 34 homeruns in 2007, winning the National League Rookie Of the Year Award. Ryan Braun manned Third Base in 2007 before all of a sudden being switched to play Left Field. Bill Hall will play Third Base this season. Mike Cameron takes over in Center Field, but will serve a 25 game suspensions for Performance Enhnacing Drugs.

Ben Sheets was 12-5 in 2007 with a 3.82 ERA. If he didn't go down with an injury late in the season, Milwaukee may have won the NL Central and made their first Playoff Appearance since 1982, when they were in the American League.

Jeff Suppan proved his wasn't worth his big time contract, as he was 12-12 with a 4.62 ERA.

The Biggest loss to the Brewers Staff will be the loss of Francisco Cordero. Cordero went to division rival Cincinnatti.

Milwaukee and Chicago will battle for the NL Central Crown.

ST LOUIS CARDINALS
The Cardinals had much of the 2007 season without their workhorses of Mark Mulder and Chris Carpenter, and this will be the same for the early part of the 2007 season.

Albert Pujols hit 32 homeruns in 2007. Expect him to hit more homeruns this season.

The Cardinals traded a Third Baseman for a Third Baseman, as Troy Glaus was traded to the Cardinals for Scott Rolen. La Russa and Rolen were never BFF in St Louis, so Rolen is on the way out. Rolen gets to reunite with David Eckstein North Of The Border.

The Cardinals released another Third Baseman, as Scott Spiezio was released after recieving a warrant for his arrest. Hopefully he gets to work his life out.

Caesar Isturis will replace David Eckstein at Shortstop.

Colby Rasmus is aiming to replace Jim Edmonds in Center Field, and will get every opprutunity to win the job in camp.

St. Louis won't compete for the central this season, but there's hope for the future with this bunch.

CINCINNATTI REDS
The Reds in 2008 have new management, as Dusty Baker is out of the "Baseball Tonight" Studios and managing again. Reds fans are hoping he doesen't ruin young prosepect Homer Bailey, as many Cubs fans have blamed him for ruining the promising careers of both Mark Prior and Kerry Wood.

This may be the final season for both Adam Dunn and Ken Griffey Jr with the Reds.

We may finally get to see how good Joey Votto and Jay Bruce are.

Dusty Baker mismanagement has cost The Giants and Cubs a chance at a World Series. Expect the same from Cincinnatti, if they are ever able to compete in the Central.

HOUSTON ASTROS
The Houston Astros don't have Craig Biggio, the longtime face of their franchise anymore. The Astros signed Kazuo Matsui away from Colorado to take over second base.

The Astros traded away Brad Lidge to the Philladelphia, and the Phillies were daft enough to trade away Michael Bourn to get him.

The Astros also acquired Miguel Tejada, but he may face the same punishment as Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens for using performance enhancing deuga and then lying about it.

Pitching wise, This team will be looking to fill the rotation as Jason Jennings and Matt Albers are no longer with the team.

Watch out for Hunter Pence this season. He was lucky enough to be learning from Craig Biggio and he may be in the outfield this season.

Houston won't win the division this season, but Cecil Cooper has the tools to build a winning Astros team in the future.

PITTSBURGH PIRATES
The Pirates team of the future is built around Jason Bay and Zach Duke. Ronny Paulino will get better behind the plate, and Xavier Nady will continue to play well in right field.

John Russell will find out the best thing about the Pirates is the ballpark they play in.

That concludes this year's MLB Team Previews. In the final MLB Preview, we will do our best to determine who the Paper World Series Champions of 2008 will be. Will Detroit live up to their high expectations? Who will be Their League's MVP? Find out all this and more in the next MLB Preview.

MLB Preview: AL Central

Can Acquisitions Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis help Detroit clinch their first World Series Title since 1984?

Detroit Tigers fans still can't believe their incredibly good luck. Minnesota Twins fans can't believe how far they're team has fallen off the map with the loss of Johan Santana. White Sox fans hope the improved bullpen can help them win more games, and Royals fans are hoping Alex Gordon and Gil Meche can help lead Kansas City out of the cellar.

And then there's Cleveland, the winner of the AL Central last season. All forgotten. Indians fans like it this way. They hope this quiet team can surprise again.

DETROIT TIGERS
The Tigers in 2007 hoped to repeat their success from 2006 when they marched to the World Series. They may have failed to do that, but this team still made history last season. Comerica Park was abuzz on June 12th as Justin Verlander threw a no-hitter against the Milwaukee Brewers, winning the game 4-0. This was the first no-hitter by a Tiger since Jack Morris did it in 1984 and the first ever thrown at Comerica Park.
Curtis Granderson became only the second player in franchise history to have at least 30 doubles, 15 triples, 15 home runs, and 10 stolen bases in a single season. The other Tiger to accomplish this feat was Charlie Gehringer in 1930. Magglio Ordonez .363 batting average was the highest in Major League Baseball. He finished the season as the AL batting champion, and is the first Tiger player to accomplish the feat since Norm Cash in 1961.This Tigers team will get much better in 2008, primarily due to the addition of the final two members of the 2003 Florida Marlins that were with the team last season.

Pitching Wise, Justin Verlander is the ace of the rotation, but filling in at the number two spot will be former Marlins Ace Dontrelle Willis. Nate Robertson and Kenny Rogers will follow him, leaving the final spot to be won in Spring Training. This team has been improved tremenendously in all areas with Miguel Cabrera. The Tigers would be smart to sign both Cabrera and Willis long term. Curtis Granderson will continue to score runs from the lead off spot in any way imaginable. There will be a lot of homeruns for this team. On Paper, they're the World Series Champions right now. But we all know that games aren't won on paper. They're won on the field.

The expectations for Detroit are high. Let's see if they can be met.



CLEVELAND INDIANS
The most important thing for the Indians' future is to re-sign C.C. Sabathia. He collected his 1000th career strikeout on May 21st, on Ichiro Suzuki of the Seattle Mariners. He was also named to the American League All-Star team for the third time. On September 28, he became the youngest pitcher to record 100 career wins since Greg Maddux in 1993. On October 23, Sabathia won the Players Choice Award for Outstanding AL Pitcher.[2] His pitching performance led the Cleveland Indians to their first American League Central Division Championship since 2001, his rookie season. For his performance, he was awarded the 2007 American League Cy Young Award joining Gaylord Perry as the only two Cleveland Indians pitchers to ever win the award.

If Sabathia can't be resigned this season, expect both the Yankees and the Mets to lure big money to try to lure him to their side of New York.

Grady Sizemore and Travis Hafner will continue to slug balls out of Jacobs Field.

Fausto Carmona and Joe Borowski headlined a magnificent Indians bullpen in 2007, and the bullpen has added former Japanese Closer Masahide Kobayashi to the bullpen.

Cleveland will fight for the Wild Card Spot in 2008.

CHICAGO WHITE SOX
The 2007 White Sox started off the year in unbeleievable fashion, as Mark Buehrle threw a no-hitter against the Texas Rangers on April 18th. The Sox got a bad case of the injury bug down the stretch, but during that time, we got to see how well Chicago develops it's talent. Josh Fields played so well playing for the injured Joe Crede that the Sox are considering trading Crede. Mark Sweeney played well in the outfield and will be replaced with Nick Swisher, who would have gone to the North Side of Chicago if the Cubs weren't able to lure Kosuke Fukudome away from Japan. The White Sox made moves to improve their bullpen, which was not very good last season. Scott Linebrink and Octavio Dotel have been signed to help hold down the fort for Bobby Jenks in the ninth. Jenks was dynamite in 2007, retiring 41 straight batters in 2007.

The Sox have also improved in the infield. Danny Richar leads at the battle to man second base and the Sox acquired Gold Glove winner Orlando Cabrera by trading away Jon Garland. Let's not forget about Powerful Paul Konerko at First Base and Jim Thome at Designated Hitter.

Can Chicago contend in a crowded AL Central? The key will be their bullpen and defense keeping leads the starting pitching pitching and offense gives them.

KANSAS CITY ROYALS
The Royals are hoping to surprise in 2008. They lured Trey Hillman away from Japan to try and get this ballclub back on the right foot. They signed outfielder Jose Guillen to a three year contract, despite the fact that he will serve a 15 game suspension for perfromance-enhancing drugs.

Alex Gordon will only get better at third base, as will Ryan Shealy. Gold Glove Winner Mark Grudzielanek will be in betweeen both, manning second base. Gil Meche is the Royals Ace, and had a suprisingly good first season. Will be able to repeat it? I don't think so, simply because of how good the whole AL Central is.

In The Bullpen, watch out for Yasuhiko Yabuta.

MINNESOTA TWINS
The Twins had an unfair Free Agency Period. First, they lost Torii Hunter to Free Agency, then they lost Johan Santana in a trade. To "replace" Hunter, the Twins traded Matt Garza away for Delmon Young. To "replace" Santana, the Twins signed former Diamondback Orlando Hernandez. The Twins are also hoping Francisco Liriano can be healthy all season and catch that "lightning in a bottle" of a season in 2006 after missing the 2007 Season to recover from Tommy John Surgery.

MY PROJECTED ORDER:
DETROIT
CLEVELAND
CHICAGO
KANSAS CITY
MINNESOTA

That Concludes this MLB Preview. In our Final MLB Preview, we will take a look at the National League Central. Can Chicago Repeat as Division Champs? Will Milwaukee Step Up and contend again? Can St. Louis make noise? Can Miguel Tejada avoid the talk of the Mitchell Report? Can Pittsburgh avoid last place? Find out all this and more in our next and final MLB Preview.

MLB Preview: NL West

Can Matt Holliday and Troy Tulwitski lead Colorado to the NL West Pennant?

The National League West was home to team and individual records last season. The Colorado Rockies went on a tear, going undefeated for almost the entire final month of the season, enabling them to beat their NL West rival San Diego Padres in Game 163, The Tiebreaker Game. The San Francisco Giants watched one Barry (Zito) fail to live up to his then record contract, while another Barry (Bonds) on a night in August, broke Hank Aaron's then Major League Record of 755 homeruns.

Things have changed, and yet things are so much the same.

For Barry Bonds, the least of his problems rigt now is not playing baseball. Joe Torre left his Yankee Pinstripes to bleed Dodger Blue. Arizona and Colorado, two suprise teams from the West, will be expected to replicate their success. Mark Prior, the former Chicago Cubs Ace who's career was wrecked by injuries, is now in the ultimate Pitcher's Park, Petco Park in San Diego.

ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS
The Diamondbacks, if it wasn't for the Colorado Rockies, would have been the biggest underdog story in Baseball last season. This "No-Name Offense" led by Chris Young, Connor Jackson, Justin Upton, and Mark Reynolds, helped lead Arizona to 90 wins. The team had great pitching. Brandon Webb, the 2006 National League Winner, had opponents scoreless for 42 1/3 scoreless innings including three straight complete game shutouts. The team had Randy Johnson for a while, but when his back gave out on him, Arizona turned to Micah Owings, who hit two home runs in his first Major League Start! Juan Cruz and Doug Davis did a solid job in the bullpen.

Arizona's Rotation was bolstered this season with the trade for Dan Haren from Oakland.

Arizona's Offense has been improved by veteran Trot Nixon, who was on the Red Sox in 2004 and was with Cleveland last season.


COLORADO ROCKIES
The Greatest Underdog Story this season, the Colorado Rockies suprised everyone by going to the World Series by sweeping Philladelphia in the NLDS and Sweeping Arizona in the NLCS, before getting swept in the World Series by the best team in Baseball all season, the Boston Red Sox.

The Rockies were led on offense by National League MVP Runner Up Matt Holliday, and were led defensively by Rookie of The Year Troy Tulowitski.

Pitching Wise, Jeff Francis developed into an ace before our very eyes, and the whole rotation, even when they gave up a run, they were confident their offense, led by Holliday, would give them that run back.

Offensively, If Willy Taveras is injured for an extended period of time, expect Scott Podsednik, the catalyst of the 2005 World Series Champion Chicago White Sox, to take over at leadoff and in center field. The Rockies will once again be driven by "The H factor" Todd Helton and Matt Holliday. These two will once again knock a bunch of homeruns at Coors Field, and that will enable Colorado to battle for the NL West Crown.

LOS ANGELES DODGERS
Joe Torre grew up a Brooklyn Dodgers Fan, managed the New York Yankees to four World Series Titles, before taking over in Chavez Ravine. Once Again, Joe Torre cost Grady Little his job. The first time was in 2003, when Aaron Boone hit the game winning homerun in Game Seven of the 2003 ALCS to send New York to their first World Series since 2001. Grady Little was fired by The Red Sox for his apparent Mismanagement of that game. Torre got Little fired again, this time because Torre just turned down an incentive-laced one year contract offer from the Yankees to take a three year deal to manage the Los Angeles Dodgers.

What did the Dodgers do after the luring of Torre to LA? They Signed Japanese Pitcher Hiroki Kuroda to a three year contact. Kuroda will compete with the rehabbing former San Francisco Giants Ace Jason Schmidt for the final rotation spot. Offensively they went out and signed Andruw Jones to replace Juan Pierre in Center. Andy LaRoche will compete with Nomar Garciaparra for the starting Third Baseman's job. Russell Marting will continue to mature behind the plate. This may be Jeff Kent's final Season, as he may retire at the end of this season. He holds the record for most homeruns by a second baseman, passing Hall Of Famer Ryne Sandberg.

SAN DIEGO PADRES
The Padres were one half inning away last season from killing Colorado's Dreams of a postseason appearance. They had an 8-6 run lead entering the bottom of the 13th inning, and they had Trevor Hoffman, the only closer in history with 500 saves, on the mound.

Rockies Fans know what happened next.

Hoffman gave up extra-base hits to the first three batters. Colorado second baseman Kazuo Matsui began the inning with a double. Shortstop Troy Tulowitzki followed with a double of his own, scoring Matsui. Holliday then hit a triple, scoring Tulowitzki. The score was now tied 8-8 with no outs. The Padres then intentionally walked the next batter, first baseman Todd Helton. Jamey Carroll came up to bat, having replaced 3rd Baseman Garrett Atkins earlier in the game. His sacrifice fly to shallow right field allowed Holliday to break from third. Holliday slid into home head-first and to the outside of Padres' backup catcher Michael Barrett, whose left leg extended across the plate. Barrett could not hold on to the throw from right fielder Brian Giles, and the ball dribbled toward the backstop. During the slide, Holliday's right hand wedged under Barrett’s foot, his face hit the dirt hard, and he lay stunned on the ground.

It is that point in the play where some viewers questioned whether Holliday actually touched home plate. If he had not, then arguably Barrett could have retrieved the ball and tagged him out. The Rockies would then have had two outs with Helton still safe on base, and right fielder Brad Hawpe coming to bat.

As Barrett tried to gain control of the ball, home plate umpire Tim McClelland called Holliday safe. That call officially ended the game, and the final score was Rockies 9, Padres 8. Hoffman was credited with his 5th loss of the season.

The Padres will come back focused and ready to play in 2008. The 2008 Padres have an incredibly deep rotation, starting with Jake Peavy. Peavy won the pitching Triple Crown in 2007, leading the National League with 19 wins, 240 strikeouts, and a 2.54 ERA. On October 23, Peavy won the Players Choice Award for Outstanding NL Pitcher. He added the NL Cy Young -- a unanimous choice -- on November 15, becoming just the 10th National League player in history to win the Cy Young Award in a unanimous vote.


Let's Not forget about Greg Maddux. "Mad Dog" who has both 3,000 strikeouts and 300 wins. Maddux has an incredibly deep repetoire of pitches, making it a nightmare to be an opposing hitter. I remember when he was with The Cubs. watching Maddux get his 3,000th strikeout against Omar Vizquel of the San Francisco Giants. Maddux may join his brother Mike and be a Major League Pitching Coach after he retires.

Chris Young is another great pitcher. Young ended the 2007 season as the Major League leader in opponent batting average, and hits per nine innings. Young battled injuries late in the season and surrendered the ERA leadership to Jake Peavy in his August 30 start.

Randy Wolf will be in number four hole, and expect the number five spot in the rotation to go to Mark Prior. Prior, who was on the mound when Chicago self destructed during Game Six of the 2003 NLCS, appears to be on the fast track to recovery. Prior will no longer have to deal with that bandbox of a ballpark in Wrigley Field, and will get to regroup with former Cubs Greg Maddux, Michael Barrett, and Todd Walker.

Offensively, expect a lot of small ball from San Diego. There won't be a whole lot of Fence Swinging, as Petco Park is the closest thing to a Pitcher's Paradise in Baseball. Expect the defense of San Diego to improve, as Jim Edmonds will play Center Field for perhaps the final time this season.

SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS
These are Tough Times now for McCovey Cove Baseball Fans. Barry Bonds, the guy that helped put people inside both Candlestick and AT&T Park, is not with the team and is battling the government on perjury charges. The Giants tried to Barry in Left Field by signing Aaron Rowand to a five year, $60 Million Contract. Rowand, who was another member of the 2005 White Sox, will have pressure on him to help San Francisco be competetive without Barry Bonds. Good Luck. Barry Zito Lost 13 Games in The National League After Coming Over From The American League! It can't get any worse than that for a pitcher like him. Expect him to do somewhat better this time around.

San Francisco won't lose 100 games, but they're too old to be competetive. They should be for high draft picks to replace this aging team.
MY PROJECTED ORDER:
COLORADO
SAN DIEGO
ARIZONA
LOS ANGELES
SAN FRANCISCO

That Concludes this MLB Preview. In Our Next MLB Preview, We Will Preview The American League Central. Will Detroit recover from their underacheiving season last year? Can Cleveland suprise Once Again? Will Chicago's improved bullpen help win more games? Can Kansas City stay out of last place? Find Out All This and more in our next MLB Preview.

MLB Preview: AL West

Can Jarrod Saltalamacchia help Texas win the AL West?

The Los Angeles Angels Of Anaheim have the longest team name in The History Of Baseball. Jarrod Saltalamacchia has the longest player name in The History Of Baseball. The Mariners have a Young Ace in Felix Hernandez, and Oakland, in a rebuilding state, has lots of Young Players.

LOS ANGELES ANGELS OF ANAHEIM
The Angels have a Track Record of Success. They won The 2002 World Series against Dusty Baker's San Francisco Giants from the NL West. These Angels had Troy Glaus (2002 World Series MVP Now With The St. Louis Cardinals) and David Eckstein (2006 World Series MVP with The Cardinals, Now With The Toronto Blue Jays) and won the World Series. The 2008 Angels have Garret Anderson, Vladamir Guererro, who will torch the NL West. Add to that the newest Angel In The Outfield,Torii Hunter. The Angels Rotation is also set. They May Not Have Bartolo Colon anymore, but they do have John Lackey, Jared Weaver, and Jon Garland. Garland,acquired from the White Sox for Shortstop Orlando Cabrera, should have more wins and a lower ERA, considering he is no longer in the competitive AL Central.

SEATTLE MARINERS
The Seattle Mariners have a great one, two punch in the rotation in "King Felix" Felix Hernandez and Erik Bedard. Bedard, acquired from the Baltimore Orioles for Outfielder Adam Jones. Offensively, Ichiro Suzuki will carry Seattle from the Lead Off Spot. Richie Sexon, if healthy, will hit a lot of homeruns and provide stability at First Base. If Sexon isn't healthy, expect Brad Wilkerson, Former Expo and Ranger, to see time at First Base. The Loss of Jose Vidro and Adam Jones leaves a hole in the outfield that may be replaced by Wilkerson.

TEXAS RANGERS
You've Heard of a Quarterback Controversy, but have you ever heard of a Catcher Controversy? Both Gerald Laird and Jarrod Saltalamacchia are vying for the starting Catcher position. Texas has never had a catcher like Jarrod Saltalamacchia. Jarrod is a Switch Hitting Catcher Who's Capable Of Hitting 25-30 Homeruns, which is unheard of for a catcher! If The Season Started Today, Jarrod would win the starting job, meaning Gerald Laird would have to play another position (Like First Base, where the Rangers have little depth), he would be traded.

Pitching Wise, Kevin Milwood and Vicente Padilla form an adequate 1-2 punch in the rotation. Brandon McCarthy, the former White Sox Ace of the Future, forms a solid number three. Kason Gabbard, acquired from Boston for Eric Gagne, forms a good number four in his first full season in the rotation. Kameron Loe will vie for the final rotation spot.

Offensively, Texas is hoping Josh Hamilton keeps up with the sucess he had in Cincinatti. Texas was hoping for more offense in Right Field, which is why Sammy Sosa was not re-signed. Hamilton could reach the thirty homer plateau this season.

OAKLAND ATHLETICS
The Athletics are young, trading away Ace Dan Haren to the Diamondbacks in the hope that Rich Harden can be an Ace. Rob Bowen will mature behind the plate, and Ryan Sweeney will play hard out in right field.

Oakland will through growing pains, but General Manager Billy Beane is getting ready for the future.

MY PROJECTED ORDER:
LOS ANGELES
SEATTLE
TEXAS
OAKLAND

That Concludes this MLB Preview. In Our Next MLB Preview, we will head back to the National League, analyzing the National League West. Can Joe Torre bring Chavez Ravine the Same Sucess he had in The Bronx? Can Matt Holliday and Troy Tulowitski carry Colorado to the NL Pennant Again? Will San Francisco Lose 100 Games without Barry Bonds? Find Out in the next MLB Preview.

MLB Preview: AL East

Can The Red Sox Fountain Of Youth help them make another AL East Run?

The American League east is the best and most competetive division in Baseball. The AL East is also home to, by far, the best rivalry in Baseball,-Red Sox-Yankees. The rich history, starting back to when Harry Frazee sold Babe Ruth to the Yankees in 1919, has had many grat players for both teams. On The Yankee side: Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Reggie Jackson, Bucky Dent, Don Mattingly, Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, and in the future, Phillip Hughes, Jose Tabata and Joba Chamberlain.


The Red Sox have also had some great players on their side: Ted Williams, Carl Yastrzemski, Wade Boggs, Bill Buckner, Johnny Damon, David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez, and Curt Schilling, and in the future, Clay Buchholz and Jacoby Ellsbury.


In This MLB Preview, we will preview the AL East and see if Tampa Bay, Baltimore, or Toronto have a shot to leapfrog Boston or New York for first or second in the division?


BOSTON RED SOX
Boston won the division away from New York for the first time in Fourteen seasons. The Red Sox rolled through the postseason. They swept the Angels in the ALDS, went through turbulence but survived in Cleveland in the ALCS, and swept away the hottest team in Baseball, the Colorado Rockies in the World Series.

Pithing Wise, Boston is set for 2008, even without Curt Schilling. Schilling will be replaced by Clay Buchholz.Buchholz, in his second Major League Start, threw a no hitter against their division rival Baltimore Orioles. One Season has passed, and we now know that Daisuke Mastuzaka is not lights out. But we know that Hideki Okajima is. Okajima should be in the running for the 2008 Relief Man Award. Josh Beckett was lights out in the 2007 Postseason and should have won the 2007 American League Cy Young Award. Expect him to be back with a vengenance in 2008.

Offensively, Thunder & Lightning will return to the Red Sox in 2008. David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez will hit a lot of homeruns at Fenway Park.

Boston also has a "Fountain Of Youth" on offense as well. Jacoby Ellsbury and Dustin Pedoria helped propel the veterans to the World Series Pennant. Ellsbury will take over in Center Field, forcing the Red Sox to trade Coco Crisp.

NEW YORK YANKEES
2008 is the Final Season Baseball will be played at "The House That Ruth Built." The Yankees will be moving into New Yankee Stadium, "The House That Jeter Bulit" Next Season.

Joe Girardi goes from Broadcasting the Yankees to Managing The Yankees. Girardi replaces four time World Series Winning Manager Joe Torre, who is now managing down in Chavez Ravine. Alex Rodriguez and Mariano Rivera are back with the team, and both will be wearing Pinstripes in the New Yankee Stadium. This past season was the first time in twelve seasons New York did not win the division.

The Yankees have their own Fountain Of Youth. Joba Chamberlain and Phillip Hughes will both be Starters for the Yankees this season. Expect to see Jose Tabata, The Yankees Future Great Outfielder, get his Golden Ticket to The Show This Season. Melky Cabrera will play Center Field, moving Johnny Damon to Designated Hitter.

The Yankees were in the running for Johan Santana. They didn't get him. Their Crosstown Rivals, The Mets, did get Santana, and as a Result, The Mets are getting picked to the World Series, and not The Yankees.

TORONTO BLUE JAYS
Many People Are Picking Toronto To Be A Sleeper Team this season. They signed 2006 World Series MVP David Eckstein and traded Third Baseman Troy Glaus to the St Louis Cardinals for Scott Rolen. Frank Thomas, if he has a big season, can Pass Harmon Killebrew on the all time Homerun list this season. Pitching wise, A.J. Burnett will have to stay healthy.

Toronto could be a sleeper, but I don't think they have enough to overtake New York or Boston.

BALTIMORE ORIOLES
The Orioles are getting ready to get competitive in the future. Adam Jones will join Nick Markakis in the outfield. The Trade for Eric Bedard was a trade that had to be made, as Bedard was going to become a Free Agent Anyway. The Orioles will bring back their version of "Old faithful" Steve Trachsel.

TAMPA BAY RAYS
Tampa Took The Devil Out Of Their Name. Literally. This team made more news for the change of their name and the trading away of players than who they signed. Tampa Bay Traded Away Outfielder Delmon Young, but got Shortshop Brendan Harris and Pitcher Matt Garza.

Tampa signed Cliff Floyd and Pitcher Troy Percival, but they key to the Devil Rays will be how fast will Evan Longoria (no relation to Eva Longoria) and David Price (First Pick in the 2007 MLB Draft) come up and play well.

Tampa Bay will build a winning team around their new Stadium, Evan Longoria and David Price.

MY PROJECTED ORDER:
BOSTON
NEW YORK
TORONTO
BALTIMORE
TAMPA BAY


In Our Next MLB Preview, we will look at the American League West. Can Seattle Win The Division? Will Torri Hunter help the Angels? Is There a Catcher Controversy In Texas? Can Oakland compete after the dumping of their high priced talent? Find Out In The Next MLB Preview.

MLB Preview:NL East

Can Johan Santana help Mets Fans forget the pain of Last Season?

The Trading For Johan Santana (and the subsequent bank-breaking extension) sent shockwaves throughout the baseball world. The two epicenters of this deal was both Minnesota and New York.

In This MLB Preview, we will look at how the signing changes the landscape of the NL East Picture.


PHILLADELPHIA PHILLIES
The Phillies in April looked flat. Their team was in Last Place, and their angry manager (Charlie Manuel) was talking to reporters, wanting to fight them. The Phillies picked it up the rest of the way. propelled by National League MVP Jimmy Rollins (who talked the talk and walked the walk) to the 2006 National League Rookie Of the Year Ryan Howard (who walked the walk and produced big in the clutch).

Pitching Wise, Cole Hamels, Jon Lieber (now an injury risk for the Chicago Cubs), Brett Myers (the first guy In a while to start and close in the same season), Jamie Moyer, and Rookie Kyle Kendrick formed the best rotation in the National League East Last Season. Could they be the best rotation in the NL East again? Abselotely. Especially after Johan Santana, the Mets have nothing but questionmarks in their rotation.

Kyle Kendrick will replace Jon Lieber in the rotation. Kendrick shined at Double A, was called up to The Show, and shined there as well.

Defensively, the Phillies lost Aaron Rowand (who may replace #25 in Left Field for the San Francisco Giants) and Tadahito Iguchi, a mid season addition last season, to Free Agency.

NEW YORK METS
Heartbreak and dissapointment came to Mets fans last season, The Mets still had a seven game lead in September, with 17 games to go. The Mets, however, would lose 11 of their next 16, allowing the Philadelphia Phillies to tie them with three games left. The Mets lost to the Marlins 8-1 in the final game of the season, while the Phillies went on to win their final game 6-1 against the Nationals and clinch the NL East by one game. The Mets became first team in MLB history to blow a lead of seven or more games with only 17 games to play, and, by one analysis, it was the 2nd worst collapse overall in MLB regular season history. Despite the season ending debacle, Minaya announced that Randolph would remain as manager for the 2008 season.

The Mets has to make changes this offseason and they did. They made the biggest trade of the offseason, as The Mets agreed to trade four minor league prospects, including outfielder Carlos Gomez and pitcher Philip Humber to the Minnesota Twins in exchange for two-time Cy Young Award-winning pitcher Johan Santana, who agreed on a six-year contract extension on February 1 worth $150.75 million, the highest amount ever for a pitcher on a long-term contract. The trade was finalized on February 2nd when Santana passed his physical.

Santana is already the favorite to win the National League Cy Young Award, and he improves their rotation. But what about the rest of their rotation? John Maine and Pedro Martinez fill out the rest of the rotation as of today. Tom Glavine, who helped the Braves win the 1995 World Series, is coming back to the Atlanta Braves for the 2008 Season.

Offensively, The Mets will be back, but they are old. Moises Alou and Carlos Delgado are aging, but the two best young players on this team, David Wright and Carlos Beltran, should carry this team. Ryan Church replaces Shawn Green in Right Field, and Brian Schneider, one of the best defensive catchers in Baseball, replaces Paul Lo Duca behind the plate.

ATLANTA BRAVES
After the Braves won fourteen consecutive division titles, the Braves have had a pair of third place finishes. The Braves are still trying to win. The "Old Men" rotation of John Smoltz, Tim Hudson, and Tom Glavine will have the usual hope of staying healthy all season. On the offensive side, the Braves would be smart to resign First Baseman Mark Texiera to an extension. Omar Infante and Yuniel Escobar will be the table-setters for Texiera and Chipper Jones. Andruw Jones had horrible power number last season, and they will only get worse playing in Chavez Ravine. Mark Kotsay, the former Oakland Athletics Outfielder, will compete for Andruw Jones's old spot in Center Field.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS
The Washington Nationals are on the way up offendively. They have a Future All Star and Gold Glover in Ryan Zimmerman, and Elijah Dukes could be a major sleeper if he cleans up his act. The Nationals will need to improve their rotation if they want to be competitive.

The Future is now for the Nationals. They have the newest ballpark in Baseball and hope to put together a team to compete with the Mets and Phillies.

FLORIDA MARLINS
The Florida Marlins won the World Series in 1997. They then purged their roster of high priced talent. The Marlins again won the World Series in 2003, they purged their roster in 2006, and in 2008, finished purging their roster as they traded away the two cornerstones from their 2003 World Series Run, Third Baseman Miguel Cabrera and Pitcher Dontrelle Willis.

The Marlins will be hoping their pieces from the trade (Mike Rabelo, Andrew Miller) will be enough to build confidence for the youngsters.

The Marlins and Devil Rays will compete to be the worst Florida Team in Baseball.


My Projected Finish:
NEW YORK METS
PHILLADELPHIA PHILLIES
ATLANTA BRAVES
WASHINGTON NATIONALS
FLORIDA MARLINS


In the next MLB Preview, we will preview the American League East. Will The Red Sox be able to repeat? Will Joe Girardi find success in New York? Can The Blue Jays Be A Sleeper this season? Can Tampa Bay Be Competitive This Season? Find out in the next MLB Preview.

MLB Team Previews Are Coming!

Will Johan Santana be enough to help the Mets?

Major League Baseball Season is About to be in Full Swing, and that means you want to know the chance your favorite team has to win the 2008 World Series. Well, MLB Team Previews are coming. I will preview each division and every team in that division.

Stay Tuned! The Road to the World Series is about to Start, and so are the MLB Team Previews, right here on The Power Zone!

(MLB) AL East Preview: Land of the Rising Sun to help the AL East?

The teams in the American League East have looked for help to win from the talented Japanese players to win the division, as the Boston Red Sox signed Daisuke Mastuzaka to a $104 Million deal, in the hope that this will bring the Red Sox their second World Series Championship since 1918. The New York Yankees signed the next best pitcher available, as they signed lefty Kei Igawa to a deal. The Devil Rays acquired the versatile Okinori Iwamura.

If Daisuke Mastuzaka is even half as good as the hype, The Boston Red Sox appear to have found a very good and durable starter for the future. The Red Sox have replaced Trot Nixon with J.D. Drew, and Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz are sure to slam a lot of homeruns out of Fenway Park. Can the Red Sox finally pass the "Evil Empire" for the first time in ten years? They ceratinly could do that this year.

The New York Yankees are getting older, but they are trying to get younger. The trade of Gary Sheffield and Randy Johnson for Minor League pitchers is a sign that the Yankees are trying to get younger. The Yankees also have a future starter in the twenty year old phenom Phillip Hughes. A-Rod is probably going to hit 40+ homeruns, as will Jason Giambi, even though he is headed to full time Designated Hitter duties. The Yankees also signed the second best Japanese pitcher, left hander Kei Igawa, to try and fill the void left by Randy Johnson. Will Andy Pettite remember that he is no longer in the American League? Will Roger Clemens come back? Will A-Rod show up in the postseason? As you can see, there are more questions than answers in the Bronx. If they can answer all of these questions, they should be able to hold off the Red Sox and win the division again?

Baltimore will not be a factor this year. Steve Traschel is not going to be the same as Kris Benson. Daniel Cabrera could become the next great Oriole pitcher. Nick Markakis could become a better outfielder than Jay Payton or Aubrey Huff. Huff appears to be headed for DH duties.

Toronto will try to build the team around Vernon Wells. Tomo Ohka is a slightly worse version of Ted Lilly. Frank Cottalanato is now in Arlington. The Blue Jays now have a powerful dessignated hitter in Frank Thomas.

Tampa Bay will finish in the cellar again, although Delmon Young could make Devil Ray fans forget all about Aubrey Huff. These D-Rays are still going to depend on their young pitchers, particularly Scott Kazmir and ephus-throwing Casey Fossum. The D-Rays have the potential to not lose 100 games this season.