My Picks

With pitchers and catchers scheduled to report to Spring Training at 2 o'clock eastern, I thought it was appropriate to make my picks for each of baseball's six divisions.  That said, here we go:

AL East
New York Yankees
Tampa Bay Rays (Wild Card)
Boston Red Sox
Baltimore Orioles
Tornoto Blue Jays

The Yankees are better than last year and aren't under the pressure of not having won a World Series in almost a decade.  Tampa's pitching, both at the front end and in the bullpen, should be more stable this year and their lineup is very strong top to bottom.  Boston's lineup isn't as scary as it's been in the past and there are lingering health questions surrounding many of their starters.  The O's are finally headed in the right direction and after losing Burnett and Halladay in consecutive offseasons,Toronto is definitely in rebuilding mode.

AL Central
Minnesota Twins
Detroit Tigers
Chicago White Sox
Kansas City Royals
Cleveland Indians

New ballpark, healthy hitters, a healthy starting rotation, and the same-ol' bullpen should land the Twins right back in the hunt this October.  Detroit's pitching is the best it's been in years but the lineup has some holes.  The White Sox are one of the toughest teams to forecast.  Jake Peavy, Carlos Quentin, Freddy Garcia, Alex Rois, Juan Pierre, Andruw Jones...if you know what kind of years these guys are going to turn in, you're smarter than I am.  That's why I put them third.  Kansas City has some pitching and its lineup isn't as anonymous or anemic as it once was.  And Cleveland is incredibly young and its pitching is below average at best.

AL West
Texas Rangers
Seattle Mariners
Oakland Athletics
LA Angels

This is the toughest division to forecast because I think each team will finish near, if not above .500.  Texas can hit and for the first time in a long time, I truly believe they're going to be able to pitch, too.  That makes them the most well-rounded club.  Seattle has the best 1-2 punch in baseball on the mound.  It's just a question of if they have enough offense.  Nobody realized how good Oakland's pitching staff was a year ago.  Now all those rookies are a little better and they've added two former All-Stars to the rotation.  If Sheets and Duchscherer can make 20-25 starts apiece, this team won't finish last.  And LA?  I'm just not a believer.  The last few years, they've lost a lot more than they've gained.  Since 2007, it's been bye-bye Teixeira, K-Rod, Vlad, Lackey, Figgins, Kelvim Escobar, Orlando Cabrera, and Garret Anderson among others.  Relative to the rest of the division, this pitching staff isn't that good.  Their lineup is old and has holes in it and even though I think Mike Scioscia is an excellent manager, I don't think this team gets back to the postseason.  That could mean they finish second, third, or fourth.

NL East
Philadelphia Phillies
Florida Marlins
Atlanta Braves
Washington Nationals
New York Mets

The Phillies are an easy pick.  This remains the most danegrous lineup in the league, and they've added Roy Halladay to the mix.  Their only potential downfall will be their closer.  Watch out for the Marlins this year.  The offense is going to be sneaky good with Han-Ram, Coghlan, Cantu and Uggla.  If Sanchez and Maybin are for real, look out and if Ricky Nolasco's demons are truly in the rearview mirror, they're going to be very strong on the mound as well.  Atlanta can pitch, but I don't see them scoring enough runs to be a 90-win team.  They should have gotten more than they did in the Vazquez trade.  Speaking of pitching, the Nats finally can!  I love the Wang signing, Jason Marquis is an innings-eater, Strasburg will be useful eventually and this year they actually have a closer.  Plus, they have a lineup that could really be a pain to face (Nyjer Morgan, Adam Kennedy, Zimmerman, Adam Dunn, Josh Willingham).  And then there's the poor Mets.  They did nothing to bolster their pitching, Carlos Beltran is already banged up, I envision Jason Bay being a huge flop, and I'd be surprised if Jose Reyes gets 500 plate appearances.

NL Central
St. Louis Cardinals
Milwaukee Brewers
Chicago Cubs
Cincinnati Reds
Houston Astros
Pittsburgh Pirates

By re-signing Matt Holliday, the Cards stay the team to beat especially with Wainwright and Carpenter anchoring the staff.  Milwaukee has a good mix of youth and experience, plus the best righty/lefty power bat combo since Manny and Papi.  The Cubs look like a weaker version of the team that didn't make the playoffs last year.  The Reds offense is very thin, although I think they'll be able to pitch a little bit.  Houston didn't really make any impact moves (Tejada left, Brett Myers joins the staff) but they did lose both of their closers (Valverde and Hawkins) and Pittsburgh has a lovely ballpark.  If you haven't been there, I highly recommend you check it out.

NL West
LA Dodgers
Arizona Diamondbacks (Wild Card)
Colorado Rockies
San Francisco Giants
San Diego Padres

With Manny for a full year, and Ethier and Kemp about to enter their most productive years, this team will have a dangerous offense.  Clayton Kershaw is the key.  If he becomes a true number one this year, the Dodgers could be the best team in the NL.  If Brandon Webb is truly 100%, Arizona will have the best starting pitching in the league (including Haren and Edwin Jackson).  With Justin Upton's continued development, the addition of Adam LaRoche and the return of Conor Jackson, I see them being a playoff team.  Colorado lost Marquis but gets Jeff Francis back from injury so that's a wash, if not a slight improvement.  With all their speed at the top and contact in the middle, they should score enough to be highly competitive.  The Giants sure can pitch but offense is often a trouble spot.  The additions of Huff and DeRosa should help.  And San Diego seems a lock to finish last and a lock to trade Adrian Gonzalez before the deadline.

So to the Yankees, Rays, Twins, Rangers, Phillies, Cards, Dodgers, and D'Backs...you're welcome for the massive jinx.