American League
The teams to beat are the Red Sox and Yankees as usual, in addition to the Angels and White Sox. The central division is the hardest to pick as the Tigers and Twins will also push for the top. Toss up. The team to watch and may surprise is the A's. This team has young pitching in a division that is rather weak. The Mariners are probably the weakest team in the league which also helps the A's. It's hard not to take the Red Sox as the AL World Series participant.
National League
I think the senior circuit division races will be crazy this year. I think each division could have multiple challengers. My picks are the Phillies, Braves, Giants and Reds. Most "experts" are picking the Phillies but the Braves are every bit as good. In the central, the Brewers look the best on paper but with a new "first time" manager and new pitchers with heightened expectations...I have my doubts. I think the total disaster team this year won't be the Pirates, for a change. The Mets will be brutal!
Conclusion
Baseball has a lot of parody these days. Once the playoff teams are set, who knows? The season basically comes down to two factors, 1) pitching and 2) injuries. If you can increase #1 and minimize #2 then you got a shot. So, can the Reds repeat and make it to the Series? I don't know. Shrug.
Go Braves!
George [Steinbrenner] thinks that money makes everything right. But money is the root of all evil. It's harder to get a rich man into heaven than it is to get a camel through the eye of a needle, and I didn't make that up. --Reggie Jackson
No comments:
Post a Comment