Here in New England we really appreciate it when the spring season creeps up on us. To those of you on the west coast, or in places that have generally warm climate all year, it's probably hard to imagine how we get excited at the thought of 50 degree weather. To me this signals more than grass growing, flowers pushing through the previously frozen earth, and ice cream stands prepping for another busy season. To me it signals only one thing: opening day.
Don't get me wrong, I love the hotstove and trade rumors as much, if not more, than the average baseball fan. In fact, the promise that the next season is coming around the corner is probably what gets me through all the miserable weather. However, there's nothing that compares to watching real games and seeing the talent put to good use.
So now comes the time for my first MLB Perspectives predictions!
A.L. West- There has been a lot of movement in this division this offseason. Seattle has made an aggressive push to make their mark in a division largely owned by the Angels over the past 5 years. I am not a believer, however, and a lot of the projections out there give me reason to believe that Seattle will finish behind Anaheim again this year. If they get out to a slow start, look to see both Cliff Lee and Jose Lopez on the trading block.
A.L. Central- I will keep this one short and simple. The Chicago White Sox are the class of this division. With a full year of Jake Peavy and another year of experience for John Danks and Gavin Floyd, this team is in position to dominate their division all year long.
A.L. East- Yankees win! Theeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee Yankees.. Winnn! Get the point yet? With the addition of Javier Vazquez, the Bronx Bombers have gotten stronger even with the exit of Johnny Damon. One thing to watch for is the health of Derek Jeter. If he were to go down that would be the biggest loss for the team aside from A-Rod going down again. I don't think the Red Sox are going to put up close to the numbers needed to win in this division, even with their improved defense and pitching.
N.L. West- It breaks my heart to see what is going on in Dodger nation. The divorce of the McCourt's couldn't have come at a worse time. They have budding stars on the cheap, and these kind of windows with this kind of talent don't come around often.. just ask the Florida Marlins. The addition of Edwin Jackson, a return of a healthy Brandon Webb and a more mature Stephen Drew spells a division championship for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Oh yeah, don't forget about Dan Haren. His year in 2009 was amazing, posting a flat 1.00 WHIP. He doesn't get the hype since his move to Arizona, but he is one of the games best and has plenty of experience to build on coming from the amazing staff back with the Oakland A's.
N.L. East- The Mets will be a strong team with the return of a healthy Carlos Beltran, but I think the Florida Marlins will squeeze out a tight race here. Josh Johnson is an elite ace, and the team is becoming more well-rounded offensively. Leo Nunez is going to earn his money this year. He will most likely be put in a lot of high-pressure scenario's.
N.L. Central- Not much to say here.. The St. Louis Cardinals are head and shoulders above everyone else in this division. Everybody has short memory though, because it seems everyone has forgotten about the sketchy health past of Chris Carpenter. Without him, they will struggle. With him, they easily walk away with the division. Felipe Lopez adds a lot of depth, and Albert Pujols is the best hitter (in my opinion) of all-time.
I will do a season-ending checkup to see how I did.
Stay tuned for the next entry, where I will go over my fantasy draft in my keeper league, and touch upon some of my impressions of a few impressive rookies already making a name for themselves.
