Who are your MLB picks?

[Davey Eckstein]

I know it's still just a little early, but who do you think's going places this year?

AL EAST:
1. Yankees.- A stronger postseason and a better overall team will let the Yanks win their (I think) 7th straight title. Not to mention Rey Sanchez!
2. Redsox.- Not looking like a repeat this year, but maybe in a few years when all the Yankee players die of old age.
3. (so sue me) D-Rays.- Yeah, I'll get criticized for this. But I'm really not sure how the lower three teams of the east will end up.
4. Jays.
5. Orioles.- They have Sosa. Whoopie. A declining OF. Not gonna save this squad.

AL CENTRAL:
1. Twins.- Chalk up another title for the Twins. Their infield is weak, but so is the rest of the Central.
2. Indians.- One more year, then the Twins will have a REAL run for their money.
3. Sox- Old and frail, not much else to say. Gload is the only thing that could save them, but he can't pitch everyday and bat nine times!
4. Tigers- With each season they're improving. Pretty soon they'll be ahead of the White Sox.
5. Royals.- No.

AL WEST:
1. Angels.- Not much to say. Best team in the west.
2. Rangers.- Their pitching isn't strong enough, once again.
3. A's.- A VERY quiet offeason isn't going to help the A's at all.
4. M's- Not much change. The record will show it.


NL EAST:
1. Braves.- 14th straight title. Enough said.
2. Marlins.- Close to the Braves, but not close enough. They'll be the wildcard though.
3. Phillies.- Will be in a close race for third with the lower teams.
4. Mets.- A few big name players won't plug all the holes.
5. Nationals.- Maybe won't finish last. The east will be very close.

NL CENTRAL:
1. Cards.
2. Astros.- A fairly quiet offseason and a healthy Andy Pettite will help the Astros have a very solid year.
3. Cubs.- Oh, poor Cubs. The curse will live on.
4. Reds.- I don't know why. I have a good feeling abouth the Reds this year. That said, they'll probably go 10-152.
5. Brewers.- They aren't strong, but they'll better than the Pirates.
6. Pirates.

NL WEST:
1. Padres.- Boy, will this get me in trouble. But with the Dodgers poor trade-deadline moves last year, and the Giants getting old and doing absolutely NOTHING in the offseason,the Pads are looking good.
2. Dodgers.
3. Gaints.- They'll finish close with the Dodgers. Only because of Mr. Cream 'n Clear, I mean, Bonds.
4. Diamondbacks.- Greatly improved. They certainly finish above the Rockies this year.
5. Rockies.

Those are just my quick picks. No real research done. Feel free to do your own and criticize my pants off.

[Long_Long_Name]

My picks:

NL EAST:
1. Atlanta
2. New York
3. Philadelphia
4. Florida
5. Washington

NL CENTRAL:
1. St. Louis
2. Chicago
3. Houston
4. Milwaukee
5. Cincinnati
6. Pittsburgh

NL WEST:
1. San Francisco
2. Los Angeles
3. San Diego
4. Colorado
5. Arizona




AL EAST:
1. Boston
2. New York
3. Baltimore
4. Toronto
5. Tampa Bay

AL CENTRAL:
1. Minnesota
2. Detroit
3. Chicago
4. Cleveland
5. Kansas City

AL WEST:
1. Oakland
2. Anaheim
3. Seattle
4. Texas

[I_Got_Wood_34]

AL East
1. Red Sox - OBA Machine, with stronger rotation. This team will only get better with time.
2. Yankees - AL Wildcard
3. Jays
4. Orioles
5. Devil Rays

AL Central
1. Twins - Healthier offense, with a young rotation a year more experienced
2. Detroit/Chicago/Cleveland - Any of these 3 teams can take 2nd place in the division. The Tigers are my cindarella team this year
5. Kansas City

AL West
1. Oakland/Anaheim (The departures of Mulder/Hudson were made up for in the much needed bullpen and offensive additions) Will come down to last week of september
3. Texas - Lineup is stacked but last years pitching was a complete abberation.
4. Seattle

NL East
1. Braves - I stopped guessing them anywhere but 1st 7 years ago and have been right 6 years straight because of it.
2. Florida - Young rotation a year more experienced and if remains healthy can be one of the best in the NL. I think people are underrating the addition of Delgado to an already potent lineup.
3. Phillies
4. Mets - Still to many holes even with all the overpaid superstars
5. Washington

NL Central
1. St Louis - Mulder finished sloppy last year some say it was fatigue, others say it was the hip, but i wont throw out 3 years of cy young caliber seasons for a 2nd half collapse. The offense remains intact (minus an overrated offensive contributor in Edgar) his glove will be missed, but if the team can stay as healthy as they did last season, 100+ wins should be in the bag.
2. Chicago - The new: "Big Three" Carlos, Mark, Kerry (nuff said)
3. Houston
4. Pittsburgh - Arthur Rodes and Redman are not the answer (Oliver Perez keeps this team above Brewers)
5. Milwaukee - A year away from truely competing

NL West
1. LA Dodgers - Im in the minority when it comes to actually liking the moves the blue crew have made. Lineup is much better balanced from 1-9, pitching staff is loaded with depth in both major and minor leagues.
2. SF Giants - Barry Bonds
3. SD Padres
4. AZ Diamond Backs - Must be fun, losing one injury prone corner infielder for another.
5. Colorado

[mlyons]

AL East:
1. Boston
2. New York
3. Baltimore
4. Tampa Bay
5. Toronto

AL Central:
1. Minnesota
2. Detroit
3. Cleveland
4. Chicago
5. Kansas City

AL West:
1. Los Angeles of Anaheim
2. Oakland
3. Texas
4. Seattle

NL East:
1. Atlanta
2. Philadelphia
3. New York
4. Florida
5. Washington

NL Central:
1. Houston
2. St. Louis
3. Cincinnatti
4. Chicago
5. Pittsburgh
6. Milwaukee

NL West:
1. Los Angeles
2. San Diego
3. San Francisco
4. Arizona
5. Colorado

[Joe Morgan]

NL East
NL Central
NL West

AL East
AL Central
AL West

[andjbock]

NL EAST:
New York
Atlanta
Philadelphia
Florida
Washington

NL CENTRAL:
St. Louis
Chicago
Houston
Cincinnati
Milwaukee
Pittsburgh

NL WEST:
Los Angeles
San Francisco
Arizona
San Diego
Colorado





AL EAST:
1. Boston
2. New York
3. Baltimore
4. Toronto
5. Tampa Bay

AL CENTRAL:
Minnesota
Cleveland
Chicago
Detroit
Kansas City

AL WEST:
Anaheim
Seattle
Oakland
Texas

[Davey Eckstein]

Hm, a lotta people like the Redsox over the Yankees.

[mlyons]

Originally Posted by Davey Eckstein

Hm, a lotta people like the Redsox over the Yankees.

As much as it pains me to say this, I think the Yanks and the Red Sox are on opposite trajectories right now. The Yankees appear to be reverting to their '80's form, signing lots and lots of players whose best years are behind them while getting rid of all their prospects, while the Red Sox always seem to be making savvy moves. I think the Yankees are still going to make the wild card this season, but unless Steinbrenner has another personality change, they won't see the playoffs again after this season for at least five seasons.

[billycola]

My picks:

NL EAST:
1. Atlanta
2. Florida
3. Philadelphia
4. New York
5. Washington

NL CENTRAL:
1. St. Louis
2. Chicago
3. Milwaukee
4. Houston
5. Cincinnati
6. Pittsburgh

NL WEST:
1. Los Angeles
2. San Francisco
3. Arizona
4. San Diego
5. Colorado

AL EAST:
1. New York
2. Boston
3. Baltimore
4. Toronto
5. Tampa Bay

AL CENTRAL:
1. Cleveland
2. Chicago
3. Minnesota
4. Detroit
5. Kansas City

AL WEST:
1. Anaheim
2. Seattle
3. Oakland
4. Texas

[cknox0723]

I reckon I am the only one dangling out on a limb.

AL East
1. Yankees
2. Red Sox
3. Orioles
4. Blue Jays
5. D-Rays

AL Central
1. Tigers
2. White Sox
3. Indians
4. Twins
5. Royals

AL West
1. Oakland
2. L.A. o' Anaheim
3. Seattle
4. Texas

The Sox win the wild card, by the way -- the White Sox, Kenny Williams or no.

NL East
1. Atlanta
2. Marlins
3. Phillies
4. Mutts
5. Expos

NL Central
1. Saint Louis
2. Chicago
3. Milwaukee
4. Pittsburgh
5. Houston
6. Cincinnati

NL West
1. Los Angeles
2. San Francisco
3. San Diego
4. 'Zona
5. Colorado

Sure, I'll likely look like an idiot by the All-Star Break, but any foo' can pick every single favorite. It takes a certain kind of genius to...pick the Tigers to win the division.

[rudel.dietrich]

Am I the only person who thinks the Dodgers are going to battle Colorado for the bottom spot in the NL West?

[Karros270]

Originally Posted by Fallschirmjager

Am I the only person who thinks the Dodgers are going to battle Colorado for the bottom spot in the NL West?

Yes!!!!!!!!

[jeheinz72]

Originally Posted by Davey Eckstein

NL WEST:
1. [/b]Padres.- Boy, will this get me in trouble. But with the Dodgers poor trade-deadline moves last year, and the Giants getting old and doing absolutely NOTHING in the offseason,the Pads are looking good.
2. Dodgers.
3. Gaints.- They'll finish close with the Dodgers. Only because of Mr. Cream 'n Clear, I mean, Bonds.
4. Diamondbacks.- Greatly improved. They certainly finish above the Rockies this year.
5. Rockies.

How did the Giants do nothing? Let's see they were weak at SS, Closer, catcher and outfield, so they picked up Armando Benitez (40+ saves, sub 2 ERA), Omar Vizquel (old, but an improvement nonetheless), Mike Matheny (3-time gold glove winner), and Moises Alou (should still hit 25+ HR and drive in 100 runs).

And all we lost was AJ Pierzynski. On top of that Williams is one year older and developed and we get Jesse Foppert back from a season of injury. Yeah, sounds like a lot of nothing.

That's like 5 times what the Padres did.

[jeheinz72]

Originally Posted by Fallschirmjager

Am I the only person who thinks the Dodgers are going to battle Colorado for the bottom spot in the NL West?

Not at all! The Dodgers just aren't going to have it this season. Yeah, I am a Giants fan, but I can admit it when the Dodgers are good and we're in for a fight. I don't see it this season.

[rudel.dietrich]

Originally Posted by Karros270

Yes!!!!!!!!

I very well could be wrong.
But it seems to me the Dodgers front office sat down and went through a stat sheet and everyone who was productive was let go on FA or traded.

[SanDiegoPadres19]

Originally Posted by jeheinz72

How did the Giants do nothing? Let's see they were weak at SS, Closer, catcher and outfield, so they picked up Armando Benitez (40+ saves, sub 2 ERA), Omar Vizquel (old, but an improvement nonetheless), Mike Matheny (3-time gold glove winner), and Moises Alou (should still hit 25+ HR and drive in 100 runs).

And all we lost was AJ Pierzynski. On top of that Williams is one year older and developed and we get Jesse Foppert back from a season of injury. Yeah, sounds like a lot of nothing.

That's like 5 times what the Padres did.

Thats because the Padres didn't need to overpay for a bunch of old farts. [our old farts were already signed to long-term deals]

Out foundation is set, and we only needed a few more pieces [ie Dave Roberts and our bench] to fill a void.

Just because a team didn't make a splash in the offseason market doesn't make them a loser. A lot of people are forgetting that this is a 87 win team from last year where their 1-9 is almost identical.

[And1pg2]

1. Yankees
2. Redsox
3. Orioles
4. Devil Rays
5. Bluejays

1. Twins
2. Indians
3. Detroit
4. Whitesox
5. Royals

1. Mariners
2. Angels
3. Rangers
4. A's

1. Braves
2. Mets
3. Phillies
4. Nationals
5. Expos

1. Cardinals
2. Cubs
3. Pirates
4. Reds
5. Astros
6. Brewers

1. Dodgers
2. Giants
3. Padres
4. Zona
5. Rockies

[DiMaggio5CF]

AL East
1. New York Yankees
2. Boston Red Sox *
3. Baltimore Orioles
4. Tampa Bay Devil Rays
5. Toronto Blue Jays

AL Central
1. Minnesota Twins
2. Cleveland Indians
3. Chicago White Sox
4. Kansas City Royals
5. Detroit Tigers

AL West
1. Anaheim Angels (I refuse to call them by that stupid name)
2. Texas Rangers
3. Oakland Athletics
4. Seattle Mariners

* Denotes Wild Card Winner

NL East
1. Atlanta Braves
2. Florida Marlins
3. New York Mets
4. Philadelphia Phillies
5. Washington Nationals

NL Central
1. St. Louis Cardinals
2. Chicago Cubs
3. Houston Astros
4. Cincinnati Reds
5. Pittsburgh Pirates
6. Milwaukee Brewers

NL West
1. San Francisco Giants
2. Los Angeles Dodgers *
3. San Diego Padres
4. Arizona Diamondbacks
5. Colorado Rockies

* Denotes Wild Card Winner

ALDS: Yankees over Twins, Red Sox over Angels
NLDS: Braves over Dodgers, Cardinals over Giants

ALCS: Yankees over Red Sox
NLCS: Cardinals over Braves

World Series: Yankees over Cardinals in 7 Games

AL MVP: Vladimir Guerrero, ANA
AL Cy Young: Randy Johnson, NY
AL ROY: Justin Morneau, MIN

NL MVP: Barry Bonds, SF
NL Cy Young: Mark Prior, CHI
NY ROY: David Wright, NY

[attackemu]

AL EAST
1. Yankees
2. Red Sox
3. Orioles
4. Devil Rays
5. Blue Jays

AL CENTRAL
1. Twins
2. Indians
3. Tigers
4. White Sox
5. Royals

AL WEST
1. Athletics
2. Angels
3. Mariners
4. Rangers

NL EAST
1. Braves
2. Marlins
3. Mets
4. Phllies
5. Nationals


NL CENTRAL
1. Cardinals
2. Cubs
3. Astros
4. Reds
5. Brewers
6. Pirates

NL WEST
1. Dodgers
2. Padres
3. Giants
4. Rockies
5. Diamondbacks


AL MVP: V. Guerrero, ANA
AL Cy Young: R. Johnson, NYY
NL MVP: B. Bonds, SF(though I want to pick Adam Dunn.)
NL Cy Young: P. Martinez, NYM

[TonyJ]

Oakland will win the west. That's all I'll predict.