NL Division Winners - Mets, Cubs, Diamondbacks.
NL Wild Card Candidates - Brewers, Phillies, Braves, Rockies, Padres, Dodgers.
Also-Rans - Reds, Astros, Nationals, Cardinals, Marlins, Pirates, Giants
Nine of the sixteen teams have more than reasonable expectations of making the playoffs. The rest are clearly also-rans. Giants and Pirates contend for the Number One pick in the draft. Reds will be better, Astros, Nats, Cards and Marlins will not. Phillies and Braves benefit from their divisions have/have-not dispersion. Rocks, Pads and Dodgers almost have to finish first in the West due to their divisions balance. I like the Brewers to break through this year as the wild card.
Mets vs. Brewers and Cubs vs. Diamondbacks in the Divisional Round.
Mets vs. Cubs in the League Championship Series.
Cubs avenge 1969 to advance to the World Series and Chicago is never the same again.
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AL Division Winners - Red Sox, Tigers, Angels
AL Wild Card Candidates - Indians, Yankees, Mariners
Also-Rans - Rays, Blue Jays, White Sox, A's, Twins, Rangers, Orioles, Royals
A little more top-heavy than the National League. The Indians edge the Yankees for the wild-card sending Hank Steinbrenner into his administrations first tizzy and making the universe somehow feel less than right. The Mariners could beat out the Angels if their lineup had a little more juice (hint, hint). Collusion is a real bitch. The Rays will make some nose and bloody the Yankees and Sox noses periodically and then fall off. The pitching help they need is coming though. The Blue Jays show that money can't always buy love or wins, figuring out the exchange rate must tie up franchise resources just enough to keep them from competing, that and the stupid metric system. The rest have to rebuild or reload.
Red Sox vs. Indians and Tigers vs. Angels in the Divisional Round
Red Sox vs Tigers in the League Championship Series
Tigers advance to the World Series
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Cubs vs. Tigers World Series
With the impetus from nearly a century of pent-up fan frustration to fuel them, the Cubs maul the Tigers in six games to win the World Series and avert the 100 years of futility.
CUBS WIN, CUBS WIN!!!!!
It will then be left to either the Giants (53 years of futility) or the Tampa Rays (10 years) to take the baton and become the first team to go 0 for a century without winning a World Series.
First time to your site and i had to laugh at your 2008 playoff review. I think you live just too far north in illinois and the cold weather must have affected your thinking a predictions. I live for baseball myself and train up and coming pitchers. I make no predictions unitl the All Star Break and i have not pick the Cubs ever. Maybe one day but they have to make major changes in thier front office to start to become contenders in any up coming years.
ReplyDeleteRussell Warren
Yeah, that one went down in flames, as so many of my other projections do.
ReplyDeleteI went more with my heart than my head, which always gets me in trouble in other areas as well.
You have to admit the Cubs certainly are (over)due for a Cinderella season but it seems like as long as the turnstiles are humming and the fans don't revolt against management, they really have no incentive to put up anything except an effort to win.
P.S. - you have to make your projections b4 the season starts.
Waiting 'til the All-Star break is too easy :)