AL East
1-Toronto Blue Jays-No team did more to improve over the past couple months than Toronto. In large part thanks to the Miami Marlins. This team will add table setters Jose Reyes and Emilio Bonifacio to already potent line up which includes Jose Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion, and Brett Lawrie. Colby Rasmus still has potential in center field and catcher J.P. Arencibia is on the rise. The strongest part of this team could be their pitching staff which includes last years NL Cy Young award winner R.A. Dickey to go along with Josh Johnson, Mark Buehrle, Brandon Morrow and Ricky Romero. That starting 5 is one of the tops in the league. The weak point of this ball club may fall in the bullpen where they lack depth and star power. Either way the starting rotation and top of the line up are nothing short of stellar.
Jose Reyes
2-New York Yankees-I still will pick the Yankees to finish second this year although I do believe this is one of their least talented teams in years. They added Kevin Youkilis to take over for Alex Rodriguez and signed started Huroki Kuroda. Ichiro, Jeter, Cano and Granderson will produce a top the line up but I believe the x factor on this team will be Mark Teixeira who like many of the players this team makes long term deals with has been a disappointment. They still have perennial ace C.C. Sabathia a top the rotation but they could get a huge boost if Phillip Hughes can finally tap in to this potential. The bullpen lost Rafael Soriano but still has plenty of firepower including the return of the greatest closer of all time Mariano Rivera.
Robinson Cano
3-Tampa Bay Rays-This team seems to reload with youth every year. They have done a great job as an orginazation of developing their players and they are reaping the benefits again. They lose B.J. Upton and James Shields but are still not short on talent. They obviously need all star 3rd basemen Evan Longoria to bounce back from injury but they return super utility man Ben Zobrist to go along with Upton's 30-30 candidate replacement in Desmond Jennings. Will Myers, the player they got for James Shields may be ready this year. The pitching staff includes AL Cy Young award winner David Price as well as young studs Matt Moore and Jeremy Hellickson. The Rays struck gold last year with Fernando Rodney who was one of the top closers in the league last year.
David Price
4-Boston Red Sox- The Red Sox are in a bit of a rebuild mode after trading away Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford and Josh Beckett to the Dodgers. Future hall of famer David Ortiz is aging and speedy center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury cant seem to stay healthy. They did sign Mike Napoli, Shane Victorino and Stephen Drew this off season. I really like the Drew signing to go along with Dustin Pedroia and young 3rd basemen Middlebrooks. The pitching is down this year as well and they really need Jon Lester to step up after an abysmal previous season. John Lackey is aging and Clay Bucholz has been an average. The strong spot of this team is probably the bullpen as they traded for new closer Joel Hanrahan and they also have Andrew Bailey, Uehara, Bard and Aceves.
Dustin Pedroia
5-Baltimore Orioles-In my opinion the O's played over their heads last year. A testament to coach Buck Showalter. Center fielder Adam Jones is one of the most underrated players in the league. JJ Hardy had a solid season last year and Nick Markakis will always give solid production. Matt Wieters have turned into one of the top catchers in the game. Mega prospect Manny Machado will look to build on his solid rookie campaign. This team lacks starting pitching depth which will hurt them in this stacked division. Matt Hammell and Wei-Yin Chen will need to carry the rotation while all star closer Jim Johnson will look to carry on his solid play from last year.
Adam Jones
AL Central
1-Detroit Tigers-Any time your teams 3-4 hitters are named Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder you are going to have a chance at a division title. The team also signed veteran Torii Hunter to shore up the outfield. Austin Jackson is a great top of the order man who will score plenty of runs hitting in front of Miggy and Prince. Jhonny Peralta had a solid season last year and the team should see a boost with former all star Victor Martinez returning from injury. Ace Justin Verlander should have won his second Cy Young last year and Doug Fister, Anibal Sanchez and Max Scherzer are very good 2-4 starters. The team let closer Valverde walk and will rely on young Venezuelan flame thrower Bruce Rondon to close out games. If he falters dont be surprised to see Benoit or Albaquerque in that role.
Prince Fielder
2-Chicago White Sox- The White Sox did little to improve this off season so will need another big season from slugger Paul Konerko to stay in contention. Alex Rios is a 5 tool player and Dayan Viciedo is a slugger that is on the rise. The team signed Jeff Keppinger to fill in for the loss of Youkilis. Former first round pick Gordon Beckham needs to have a good season after a disappointment last year. The team has a solid rotation consisting of all star Chris Sale with Peavy, Danks and Floyd. Closer Addison Reed and set up Matt Thornton are strong in the bullpen.
Alex Rios
3-Kansas City Royals- All those years of Kansas City's futility are finally starting to blossom for the Royals. The young guys are getting older and gaining valuable experience. Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, Alex Gordon and Billy Butler are all former first round picks that give the Royals a solid core to build on. Alcides Escobar and Lorenzo Cain were once top prospects in the Brewers organization and came to Kansas City in the Zach Greinke trade a few years ago. The Royals made a splash by trading top prospect Wil Myers to get ace James Shields. Shields is super durable and should be able to stabilize this young rotation with Jeremy Guthrie and Ervin Santana. Aaron Crow was an all star out of the bullpen last year and Greg Holland is back from injury.
James Shields
4-Cleveland Indians- The Indians biggest off season move was signing well respected manager Terry Francona. Although the recent signing off Michael Bourn was a big move that gives them a very speedy outfield with Michael Brantley, Drew Stubbs and Bourn. They can now move newly acquired Nick Swisher to dh. Asdrubal Cabrera and catcher Carlos Santana are all star caliber players and speedy 2nd basemen Jason Kipnis had a great debut last year. Their pitching staff is a little weak with Justin Masterson and Ubaldo Jiminez at the top. Chris Perez is a fantastic closer. Vinny Pestano and Joe Smith are solid set up men.
Asdrubal Cabrera
Josh Willingham
1-Los Angeles Angels- The Angels made another bold move this year signing Josh Hamilton away from divison rival Texas. This lineup has no shortage of star power. Rookie and mvp candidate Mike Trout is a star in the making and the middle of the line up has some serious pop with Albert Pujols, Hamilton, Howie Kendrick and Mark Trumbo. Erick Aybar and Alberto Collaspo are solid infield players. Jered Weaver is the ace of this rotation and of the best pitchers in the american league. C.J. Wilson, Jason Vargas and Tommy Hanson round out a solid rotation. The bullpen was weakened when trading Jordan Walden to Atlanta but took a chance on the rebuilt elbow of Ryan Madsen. Ernesto Freiri was unhitable last year and Scott Downs in very talented as well.
Mike Trout
2-Texas Rangers- The Rangers lost all star Josh Hamilton but will gain super rookie Mike Olt in the line up this year. Adrian Beltre, Ian Kinsler and Elvis Andrus are all star players and Nelson Cruz will look to improve off a lack luster season. The team signed Lance Berkman and A.J. Pierzynski but also lost Mike Napoli. Jurickson Profar is one of the top rated prospects in baseball and is ready to play this year. The rotation starts with Matt Harrison and Japanese all star Yu Darvish. Derek Holland and Alexi Ogando round out the rotation. The bullpen is very solid with Joe Nathan, Neftali Feliz and the signing of Joakim Soria who is coming off tommy john surgery.
Elvis Andrus
3-Oakland A's- This is a team that overachieved last year but is still solid as a unit with no major stars. Cuban Yeonis Cespedes could break out this year and become that star. A true 5 tool outfielder. Coco Crisp and Josh Reddick round out a solid outfield. They made an under the radar trade in acquiring infield Jed Lowrie from the Astros and Jemile Weeks is a solid second basemen. The rotation is led by youngsters Brett Anderson and Jarrod Parker. In the bullpen Ryan Cook played at an all star level in his rookie season and closer Grant Balfour was very reliable. A Team that made the playoffs last year but I wouldnt count on it again.
Josh Reddick
4-Seattle Mariners- The Mariners big move was locking down perennial Cy Young candidate Felix Hernandez with a contract extension. The Mariners have a solid young infield with former first rounders Justin Smoak, Dustin Ackley and Kyle Seager. They traded for slugger Michael Morse from the Nationals and Jesus Montero, the former top prospect of the Yankees acquired for Michael Pineda should improve this season. Hernandez leads the staff follewed by veteran Joe Saunders and second year Japanese pitcher Hishashi Iwakuma. The bullpen lacks depth but is led by closer Tom Wilhemsen and Charlie Furbush.
Dustin Ackley
5-Houston Astros- This is the first year for Houston in the AL much to the dismay of former NL Central opponents who got to beat up on the Astros the past few years. This team will be good but not for about 3 more seasons. They have young talent like outfielders Fernando and J.D. Martinez. Brett Wallace and Matt Dominguez are former first rounders and lone all star last year Jose Altuve is small in stature but can really hit. The team also signed Carlos Pena to dh this year. The rotation is young but possess some quality arms in Lucas Harrell, Bud Norris and Jordan Lyles. Jose Veras will close and Wesley Wright is a solid left handed specialist in the pen.
Jose Altuve
1-Washington Nationals- The Nationals were able to imrpove on a roster that is already talented enough to win the nation league pennant. They signed closer Rafael Soriano from the Yankees and traded for lead off man Denard Span. This team has no glaring weaknesses. Bryce Harper is a phenom and Ryan Zimmerman can rake with the best of them when healthy. Throw in Ian Desmond, resurgent Adam LaRoche and Jayson Werth and this is a team that can really hit. The strong suit of the team is probably their starting rotation. It starts with future Cy Young winner Stephen Strasburg who being another season further from tommy john will probably lead the league in strikeouts. The rest of rotation real has no slouches. Gio Gonzalez, Jordan Zimmerman and newly acquired Dan Haren are all solid pitchers. The bullpen will be anchored by Soriano with Drew Storen and Tyler Clippard.
Stephen Strasburg
2-Atlanta Braves- The Braves made not one but two bold moves this offseason for a pair of brothers B.J. and Justin Upton. This is quite possibly the most potent line up in the major league this year. They have speed and power. The Uptons especially Justin are 5 tool players. Joined in the outfield by Jason Heyward who is primed for a monster year. Freddie Freeman is growing into a fine 1st basemen and Dan Uggla will always hit for power just dont expect him to hit over .250. SS Martin Prado was traded to Arizona in the deal for Upton which means top prospect Andrelton Simmons will start at SS. Simmons was born in Curacao like former Braves great Andruw Jones. Brian McCann needs to stay healthy to handle the pitching staff. The rotation has youngsters Kris Medlen and Mike Minor to pair with Paul Maholm and Tim Hudson. Medlen was unhittable the second half of last year. The bullpen also has 3 flame throwers in closer Craig Kimbrel, Johnny Venters and Jordan Walden.
Jason Heyward
3-Philadelphia Phillies- The run of great Philly teams may becoming to an end. The core of Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins and Roy Halladay are still there but getting older and fragile. The team needs youngsters Dominic Brown and John Mayberry Jr to help the offense this year. The Phillies made to moves to acquire speedy center fielder Ben Revere and brought in Michael Young and Delmon Young. The rotation is still very good with Halladay joined by all stars Cole Hamels and Cliff Lee. Closer Jonathan Papelbon will close games again with help from set up man Antonio Bastardo.
Cole Hamels
4-New York Mets- The Mets are in rebuild mode right now. They lack the offense and pitching to contend in the tough nl east. Cornerstone 3rd basemen David Wright will be there but wont have much help behind him. Ike Davis and Ruben Tejada were both solid last year and could really take a step forward this year in helping this team turn it around. The staff is led by former multi Cy Young winner Johan Santana and newly acquired Shaun Marcum. Matt Harvey and Zach Wheeler are fantastic young arms who can help this year. The bullpen has no depth as closer Frank Francisco is coming off surgery so hard throwing Bobby Parnell could see some save chances.
David Wright
5-Miami Marlins- This team was unexpectedly torn apart with the mass trade to Toronto. The only all star player left on the roster is hard hitting Giancarlo Stanton. Stanton could easily lead the national league in homers this year but will he even see enough pitches to do so? Logan Morrison and Justin Ruggiano are on the rise but the rest of the line up is made up of young triple a caliber players. Ricky Nolasco has been a reliable starter and Steve Cishek did a nice job closing last year after the implosion of Heath Bell.
Giancarlo Stanton
NL Central
1-Cincinnati Reds- The Reds made one big move this off season in trading for multi talented Shin Soo-Choo.
Former national league MVP Joey Votto should be healthy and RF Jay Bruce could be good for 40 home runs this year. Ryan Ludwick was retained to play LF. Brandon Phillips is the best defensive second basemen in the league and pairs well with sure handed short stop Zach Cozart. Todd Frazier will start at 3rd with Scott Rolen gone. Ryan Hanigan will be catching the talented starting rotation. Next year get ready to see top prospect Billy Hamilton in CF. The rotation is led by dual aces Johnny Cueto and Mat Latos. Homer Bailey is on the brink of stardom as well. Bronson Arroyo is always good for 30 starts. The wildcard for the Reds is moving the best arm in the game Aroldis Chapman into the rotation. Jonathan Broxton was resigned to close with help from the likes of Sean Marshall, Logan Ondrusek, and J.J. Hoover.
Mat Latos
2-St Louis Cardinals- The Cardinals are always competitive. This year will be no different. Led by an outfield of Matt Holliday, Jon Jay, and Carlos Beltran. Can Beltran play a full slate of games again this year? 1st basemen Allen Craig is primed for a monster year in the middle of the line up. Yadier Molina is the best defensive catcher in baseball and former world series MVP David Freese was resigned. The rotation will lose Cardinal great Chris Carpenter but still has Adam Wainwright, Jaime Garcia, Jake Westbrook and Lance Lynn. They will also see the arrival of top pitching prospect Shelby Miller. Closer Jason Motte can blow people away and they also have strong arms in Mitchell Boggs and young breakout star Trevor Rosenthal.
Allen Craig
3-Milwaukee Brewers- Steroid talk or not, Ryan Braun is hands down one of the best players in baseball. Braun is joined in the outfield by speedy Carlos Gomez and solid 2nd year player Nakuri Aoki. Aramis Ramirez is one the most underapreciated players of our era. Streaky Rickie Weeks is at 2nd base. Corey Hart and underrated catcher Jonathan Lucroy round out the line up. The rotation is led by Yovanni Gallardo and got great production from young arms Marco Estrada and Mike Fiers last year. John Axford is the closer with an otherwise underwhelming bullpen.
Ryan Braun
Andrew McCutchen
5-Chicago Cubs- The Cubs are down right now and they made no moves to get better this offseason. They have pieces like Starlin Castro, Anthony Rizzo and Darwin Barney but are still years away from contention. Alfonso Soriano is in left field with undervalued David DeJesus in center. Jeff Samardzija is a very good pitcher that could break out this year. Matt Garza is also a nice arm if he can stay healthy. The Cubs signed Edwin Jackson to help their rotation. Closer Carlos Marmol can be up and down and is joined in the pen by rookie Japanese pitcher Kyui Fujikawa.
Starlin Castro
NL West
1-Los Angeles Dodgers- The Dodgers spent a lot of money this off season and have big names all over the field. The outfield is loaded with Matt Kemp, Carl Crawford, and Andre Either. The durability of all 3 has plagued them in the past although they are all greatly talented. Adrian Gonzalez is an all star slugger at 1st base as well as Hanley Ramirez back at his natural position of short stop. The Dodgers have a great rotation. The 1-2 punch of Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke is tremendous. The team is also expecting a lot from Korean rookie Hyun-Jin Ryu who they spent a high price on. The rotation has great depth with other names that include Chad Billingsley, Ted Lilly, Josh Beckett and Chris Capuano. The bullpen is solid with Brandon League and Curacao born Kenley Jansen.
Hanley Ramirez
2- San Francisco Giants- The world series champs will have to play very well to overtake the Dodgers this year. The team is the same as last years trophy winners. World Series MVP Pablo Sandoval is always battling weight issues and rumors are he is already in hot water with the organization over his weight currently. Hunter Pence is in RF and Angel Pagan was resigned to start in center after a strong post season. NL MVP Buster Posey is as pure of a hitter as their is in the game. The rotation is the strong suit of this team with Matt Cain, Madison Bumgarner, Ryan Volgeslong, Barry Zito and it looks like Tim Lincecum is back to his old self as well. The closer by committee bullpen of Sergio Romo, Javier Lopez and Santiago Casilla is a formidable trio.
Buster Posey
3-Arizona Diamondbacks- The Diamondbacks traded away all star outfielder Justin Upton but got a nice package in return including underrated 3rd basemen Martin Prado. The team also made another move by signing outfielder Cody Ross. Young rookie prospect Adam Eaton will take over in center while Jason Kubel has a chance to really break out this year following a strong season is 2012. Paul Goldschmidt is the teams 1st basemen and he impressed last year and will look to build on that. Aaron Hill also had a strong season batting in the middle of the line up. Miguel Montero is one of the better offensive catchers in baseball. Ian Kennedy is once agiain atop the rotation with Trevor Cahill and Brandon McCarthy. Wade Miley had a fantastic rookie season. The bullpen has some nice arms with closer J.J. Putz, David Hernandez and Heath Bell who will be looking to regain his form after a troublesome year with Miami.
Jason Kubel
4-Colorado Rockies- The Rockies rely heavily on the health of all stars Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez. When healthy these two are quite the tandem at the 3-4 spot in this line up but have had trouble staying healthy in their careers. Dexter Fowler will try to put it all together this year in center fielder while Michael Cuddyer can also hit especially in the confines of Coors Field. Rookie catcher Wilin Rosario was fantastic last year. Todd Helton is aging but can still do a good bit of hitting. The team also high hopes for 2nd baseman Josh Rutledge. The problem of this team lies in their pitching staff. Jhoulys Chacin, Jorge De La Rosa and Juan Nicasio are all nice arms in the rotation but havent all been able to come together to pitch well at the same time. Rafael Betancourt has been a reliable closer and set up man Adam Ottavino is solid.
Carlos Gonzalez
5-San Diego Padres- The Padres have a bit of talent with center fielder Cameron Maybin and left fielder Carlos Quentin. 1st basemen Yonder Alonso had a nice year last year. The best player on the team is 3rd basemen Chase Headley who is a free agent after the year and will be playing for big money. Along with Alonso, fellow Cuban Yasmani Grandal also acquired for Mat Latos was set to be the starting catcher after a strong rookie campaign but was suspended the first 50 games for a positive steroid test. Everth Cabrera and Will Venable are both nice base stealing options. The rotation is weak with Clayton Richard and streaky Edinson Volquez with out much depth. The bullpen on the other hand is strong led by closer Huston Street with Luke Gregerson, Dale Thayer and Brad Boxberger.
Chase Headley
AL East-Toronto Blue Jays
AL Central-Detroit Tigers
AL West-Los Angeles Angels
Wild Cards-New York Yankees, Texas Rangers
AL Pennant-Los Angeles Angels over Toronto Blue Jays
NL East-Washington Nationals
NL Central-Cincinnati Reds
NL West-Los Angeles Dodgers
Wild Cards-Atlanta Braves and San Francisco Giants
NL Pennant-Washington Nationals over Cincinnati Reds
World Series-Washington Nationals over Los Angeles Angels
Awards
AL MVP- Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers
AL Cy Young- Felix Hernandez, Seattle Mariners
NL MVP- Joey Votto, Cincinnati Reds
NL Cy Young- Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers
These are my views of how the season will turn out. Now lets get yours! Feel free to comment.
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