A.L. East (by far the best division in baseball. There is not one team that will be a push over; yes, even Baltimore has gotten better.

1. Boston Red Sox 100-62: I think the 2 players that will determine if the Sox are merely a very good team or a historically great team this year is Jonathon Papelbon and Josh Beckett.   Papelbon had his worst year as a Red Sox last year. Beckett between injuries and lack of effectiveness also did not contribute much. I foresee Papelbon who literally has tens of millions of dollars riding on this season coming back to form. Beckett also has a history of bouncing back to form after bad years so I expect him to have a much better year. On most teams, Beckett would be an ace, but we just need him to a good number 3 because Lester and Buchholz are both hitting their primes and are legit Cy Young candidates. The Sox bullpen is also deep with guys like Bard and Jenks as power arms in case Papelbon continues to have issues. Wheeler provides more depth and Wakefield will mostly be used as a long man/ Sixth starter in his last year. I have not even mentioned the 2 huge offensive additions of Crawford and Gonzalez who along with hopefully healthy seasons from guys like Youk, Ellsbury, and Pedroia will be part of a potent line up. The only slight concern with the lineup is all of the lefties. I would not be surprised if we have a platoon of Drew/McDonald in right or Kalish/McDonald once Drew has his eventually injury. The other guy to keep an eye on is Jed Lowrie. He seems to be healthy again and is hitting his prime. I think he will eventually take the starting short stop job from Scutoro. The position with the biggest question mark is catcher with the aging Tek backing up the unproven Saltalamacchia (who from here on will be known as Salty so I don’t have to write his entire last name.) Salty was an A list prospect a few years back, thus there is still potential there since usually catchers are late bloomers; furthermore, we don’t need too much from him. If he can bat .250 that will be fine because I think his sheer size will get him around 15-20HR this year especially playing so half his games at Fenway.  

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2 Tampa Bay Rays 90-72 (Wild Card) : This team lost a lot of talent in the offseason, but they have a lot of talent left; in addition, they have highly regarding young talent coming up like starting pitchers Jeremy Hellickson, Chris Archer and reliever Jake McGee to fill in for guys like Garza and Soriano who left the team. David Price will again be a Cy Young contender at the top of the rotation and guys like Wade Davis and Jeff Neimann might not have the fastball one would expect from guys that big, but they both give quality starts the vast majority of the time. Their biggest worry will be on offense. Longoria will still anchor the line up, but Upton finally has to reach his talent potential. That being said, I really think Manny and Damon will add a lot in limited roles. If, they were in the other 2 A.L. divisions, I would consider picking them to win.

3. New York Yankees 88-74

Even with an aging line up they are going to score a lot of runs. Cano probably is their best overall hitter right now and while guys like Rodriguez and Teixeira might not hit for the same average as the past, they will still hit between 30-40 Home Runs. However, their starting pitching after Sabathia has huge question marks. Hughes and Burnett can look great for stretches, but can be just as terrible for other stretches of time. They currently are seriously considering having Freddy Garcia and Bartolo Colon in the rotation. Let me repeat that, they are seriously looking at having Colon or Garcia in the rotation. They are also considering young Ivan Nova who has shined in spring training, but spring training is still just spring training and is no real indicator if he will be a good big league pitcher. Their big offseason signing Soriano will strengthen the bull pen, but the 8th and 9th innings will not matter if Burnett, Hughes, Garcia, Colin or Nova are not going too much by 5. In the end they are still the Yankees so they will win a decent number of games and most likely pick up some players during the year; but they have major holes to fill and there are no Cliff Lee/Roy Holladay like game changers who will be traded this year.

4. Toronto 83-79

I am not going to say that Toronto gave PEDs to their hitters last year, but they were putting up some PED eraesque power numbers. They had 7 guys hit more than 20 HRs last year with Bautista leading the way with 54! (Hell Alex Gonzalez the defense specialist had 17 HR with them and he only played 2/3rd of the year with the Jays.)    I am not sure they can put up power numbers like that as a team again, unless the PED shipments keep coming. (kidding) They got some good young pitching like Ricky Romero, Brett Cicil, Brandon Morrow, and Rookie of The Year contender Kyle Drabek (yes, Doug’s son) coming up. But that many young pitchers on a staff are bound to lead to inconsistency so I see a lot of guys with records like 12-10 on this staff.

5. Baltimore 75-87

Baltimore is a team on the rise. They have a lot of quality young arms( Zach Britton 23, Chris Tillman, 25, Brian Matusz, 24, Brad Bergesen, 25, and Jake Arrieta, 25) Not all those guys will live up to potential but a few of them should. If veteran signings Derek Lee and Vladimir Guerrero stay healthy they will add some pop to a lineup that features quality guys like Markakis, and Roberts. The key for their offense will be if their young catcher Matt Wieters can live up to his hype.

 A.L. Central The Twins, White Sox, and Tigers will battle it out all year in this division. The Royals and Indians will continue to suck.

1. Minnesota Twins 90-72

If Morneau can return to form after missing half the season with a bad concussion last year their line should be able to produce a lot of runs with the always dependable Mauer and Delmon Young finally hitting his stride. I don’t think their rotation is strong enough to be a true World Series contender though; Aside from Liriano their staff consists of average guys like Pavano, Baker, Slowey, and Blackburn who can get you double digit wins in the regular season, but are not post-season caliber guys.  

2. Chicago White Sox 85-77

This team’s lineup is chalk full of power; Carlos Quinten, Adam Dunn, and Paul Konerko all could very easily hit 35HR or more. Guys like Alexie Ramirez and Alex Rios are also coming into their own and should put up good numbers again. They have a lot of slightly above average veteran pitchers like Floyd, Danks, and Buehrle; however their success this season depends greatly on Jake Peavy returning back from injuries to his former self which I don’t think is very likely considering how often he has been hurt and transitioning from the soft hitting N.L. West to the A.L. so I don’t think they have enough pitching to win the division.

3. Tigers 83-81

Assuming he can stay away from the Liquor bottle, Cabrera is still the best overall hitter in the American League. Victor should also add punch to their lineup, but I don’t see too many threats in the lineup aside from those 2. Verlander had a very good year last year, but they don’t have enough depth in the rotation to be a true contender in the long run.

4. K.C. Royals 72-90

This team allegedly has the most talented system in the minor leagues led by power hitting corner infielders like fellow Greek Michael Moustakas at 3rd and Eric Hosmer at first base. That being said, they still don’t have a lot of major league ready players and thus their record will reflect that.

5. Cleveland Indians 68-94

Well, at least they still have the Cavaliers to watch…

A.L West

1. Texan Rangers 91-71

Their line-up is the only one in the League that can match the Sox and Yankees. Hamilton is a force, Beltre will replace Vladimir’s production, Kinsler is one of the better hitting second baseman, Murpyh/Young are solid, and guys like Andrus and Cruz will get on base and steal . Their pitching with the loss of Lee still has question marks. Wilson and Lewis seem to be legit, but the rest of their staff is iffy. They are taking a gamble because it looks like Feliz is being moved from the closer role which he was great at last year to being a starter. He has the stuff to do it but it is a hard transition to make. Whether or not Webb can still throw his sinker without getting injured will be a major factor.

2. Oakland Athletics 85-77

Trevor Cahill is a legit CY Young contender and Gio Gonzalez pitched very well last year; Furthermore, Dallas Braden and Brett Anderson are up and coming young pitchers who I think will have good years. On the other hand, this team can’t hit for shit. Expect a lot of 3-2 and 201 wins, but also enough 3-2 and 2-1 loses that keep them from catching the Rangers

3. Anaheim Angels 81-71

Haren, Santana and Weaver assuming the first 2 stay healthy are solid, but Kazmir looks horrific in the Spring and was not much better than that last year. They have an above average offense and will contend, but overall they seem just slightly not good enough.

4. Seattle Mariners  70-92

Felix Hernandez deservingly won the Cy Young with only 13 wins and he may only get to 13 wins again because this is another team that can’t hit for shit. Russell Branyon led the team with 15 HR last year. Toronto had 8 guys hit more than 15 HR last year.

N.L. East

1. Atlanta Braves 94-68

Everyone is going to pick the Phillies to win this division, but the Braves are a deeper team. The ceiling of this team depends a lot of if their young potential stars Heyward, Freeman, and Minor reach their potential… and I believe they will. Injuries hampered Heyward’s star turn last year, but they were more random injuries as opposed to stuff you would be worried about recurring. Freeman is a hyped rookie and Heyward’s good friend. He will start at first base and people say he is already a mature hitter. They made a very quite but big offensive addition last year by getting Uggla who will provide them with more power and move hit machine Prado into left field. With McCann they are one of the few teams that can boast a power hitting catcher. Minor is a young lefty pitcher who I think is ready to make the leap into a solid starter. Their pitching staff is anchored by solid veterans Hudson and Lowe along with Hanson who emerged last year with a very good year.

2. Philadelphia Phillies  91-71 (Wild Card)

It is true that the Phillies staff with Halladay, Lee, Hamels, and Oswalt is scary as hell, but they have major issues on offense. Jason Werth is not worth the insane contract he got from the Nationals, but his loss will hurt Philly especially because his rookie replacement the multitalented Dominic Brown already suffered a bad injury and will be out a few months. Chase Utley is also a very important member of their offense and he has really bad knees right now and may miss a lot of time this season. Throw in the fact that Jimmy Rollins appears to be in a steep decline and you have an offense that is going to struggle to score. In addition, while Halladay, Lee, and Oswalt are all amazing pitchers, they are starting to get up there in age and they may not be as dominant as we think they will be.

3. Florida Marlins 82-80

The Marlins have holes, but some of the most talented players in baseball. All eyes should be on Mike Stanton (full name Giancarlo Cruz-Michael Stanton) who I think will be the break out star in baseball this year. He might not hit for a high average, but I am going out on a limb and say young Irish/African American/Puerto Rican slugger leads the league in Home Runs with 50. He hit 22 in only 3/5 of a season last year and his prestigious nature of his home runs are already legendary. Add in uber talented young veterans Hanley Ramirez and Josh Johnson and you will have an entertaining team, but their pitching staff is not deep enough to be a real contender. 

4. New York Mets 77-85

This team has a lot of money invested in guys who are either injury prone or past their prime.

5. Washington Nationals 68-94

They gave Jason Werth way too much money and in general will suck this year. They just got to hope that Strasburg recovers to what he showed last year and that Bryce Harper lives up the hype.

N.L. Central

1. Cincinnati Reds 90-72

The Reds have a lot of young power in this line up. Votto leads the way as the reigning N.L. MVP but guys like Drew Stubbs and Jay Bruce have a lot of potential to be hit over 30 HR as well. I like their pitching of Cueto, Volquez, and Arroyo. The guy who has to step up is Homer Bailey. It will be interesting to see how epic fireballer Aroldis Chapman season plays out. Right now it looks like it will be as a set up man, but is that a waste of an amazing arm; or the set up role may be the best one to limit his innings to not blow up his arm.

2. Milwaukee Brewers 83-79

I considered picking them to win the division until he Greinke stupidly broke his rib playing pickup basketball which is ominous sign for his entire season. If he can’t get healthy they won’t have enough help behind Gallardo in the rotation. Their offense is pretty stacked though with Fielder, Braun, Hart, and even Weeks each proving power.

3. St. Louis Cardinals 79-83

The injury to Wainwright absolutes kills this team and their chance to win the division. If Jaime Garcia can get even better in order to back up Chris Carpenter then they still have a shot to do some damage especially with Pujols still anchoring the lineup.

4. Cubs 76-86: People always want to talk about payrolls and baseball, but the Cubs along with the Mets are consistently big spenders (about 140 million this season) and they consistently have little to show for it. I don’t see this year being any different as there are many holes on this team. They still are counting too much on the volatile and overrated Carlos Zambrano. Matt Garza could be one of those pitchers that benefits from a move to the N.L, he also just seems inconsistent and kind of volatile to me. I would not be surprised if this club house erupts a few times this year. There other big offseason addition was Northeastern Alum Carlos Pena who has power and defense, but has a hard time hitting above the Mendoza Line.

5. Houston Astros 70-92

This team is in completely rebuilding mode.

6. Pittsburg Pirates 66-96

Andrew McCutchen is a pretty good young prospect, but overall this team still sucks ass.

N.L. West

1. Giants 91-71

The pitching staff led by Lincecum and Cain is as solid as anyone else especially with guys like Burngarner ready to take the next step and be a very good starter. However, I think the big story will be a monster year from Sandoval who lost 45 pounds this off-season and will put up ironically put up huge offensive numbers since he will not be as huge.

2. Rockies 86-76

They have guys who will put up big numbers like Tulowitzky and Gonzalez, but after the great Ulbaldo, their pitching staff is not good enough to keep up with the Giants

3. L.A. Dodgers 81-81

Since he is no longer partying it up with Rihanna, Kemp will have a better year. But looking at this teams overall roster, they just seem uber average.

4. Padres 76-86

Their pitching staff is still pretty good, but how will the score any runs?

5. Diamondbacks 70-92

This is an anti moneyball team. Too low team OBP along with mediocre pitching staff equals a bad season.

A.L.C.S. Red Sox over Rangers (The Rangers line up scares me, but the Sox pitching is deeper)

N.L.C.S.  Braves over Phillies (Philly has the fearsome 4 in the rotation, but their line up is just not good enough)

World Series Red Sox over Braves (I have a small fear of Derek Lowe coming back and pitching a great game 7 at Fenway while hung over after attending a party of Simmons College freshman, but we are the best team in baseball this year, and we should fucking win it all)

A.L. Rookie of The Year: Jeremy Hellickson, Tampa Bay. This guy went 46-16 in the minor leagues and was 4-0 in a brief stint in the big leagues last year. I remember him having good command of a lot of pitches. With Garza gone, he will get a lot of starts for Tampa which is still a good team so I would not be surprised if he wins 15 games. 

N.L. Rookie of The Year: Freddie Freeman: Unlike most rookies who have to fight for playing time, Atlanta seems like they are going to go with first baseman from day one as their starter. He put up big numbers in the minors and is best friends with the Braves other potential young star Jason Heyward. I see him putting up solid but not great numbers like  .280with 15HR. 70 RBI If that happens, he will get the R.O.Y.  

A.L. MVP Adrian Gonzalez

Assuming his shoulder is ok and he stays healthy, I think he is going to pepper doubles off the Green Monster and Home Runs over it. Add in the fact that he will have guys like Crawford and Ellsbury creating havoc on the basepaths in front of him, I think he has gigantic RBI numbers like 130.

N.L. MVP Jason Heyward

I know this prediction might be too soon, but I am bullish on Atlanta this year and I think Heyward puts it all together with a great second year.

A.L. Cy Young Jon Lester

He is the unquestioned Ace of the Sox staff. With our great offense behind him, I see him getting over 20 wins with a sub 3 era which should get his a Cy.

A.L. Manager of The Year Bob Geren Oakland A’s

This award is usually give to the manager of a team that shows the most improvement from the previous year.

N.L. Manager of The Year: Fredi Gonzalez

If the Braves fill my prediction beating out formidable Philly, they will give manager of the year to the first timer Gonzalez.