2009 MLB Preview

It has been such a long winter that the memory of David Price wiping out the Red Sox in the ninth inning of the ALCS had already faded into the back of my memory bank. Before I give my traditional baseball predictions, here is my annotated Red Sox ramblings, a little less than 24 hours from a washed out Opening Day (make sure to spend the rainy day in the basement of the Baseball Tavern!). Red Sox Ramblings: A World Series in 2009 would make the Sox the "Team of the Decade" ... at a time when most teams are hoping for the best with their top two starters, the Sox have the deepest rotation (Beckett, Lester, Matsuzaka, Wakefield, Penny) and bullpen (Papelbon, Okajima, Saito, Masterson, Delcarmen, Ramirez, Lopez) in the game ... John Farrell also has a stocked reserve of arms (Smoltz, Buchholz, Tazawa, Bard, Bowden) just waiting to get their chance ... Tito is by far the best manager in the game, the perfect combination of old-time baseball guru, new-age statistic machine, and psychologist ... the lineup (or the city) will never be the same without #24 but me thinks that if Ellsbury gets on base, Papi, Drew, and Lowell stay healthy, Youk and Pedroia keep on proving people wrong, and Bay carries the bottom of the order, that 850+ runs is going to be a reality ... still waiting on Saltalamacchia ... I hope the guys over at Barstool Sports get those "Team of the Decade" shirts printed by Halloween to steal the market ... AL EAST 1. Red Sox 2. Yankees 3. Rays 4. Blue Jays 5. Orioles The best division in baseball will be taken by a team that -- if all goes right -- will be the best team in baseball history. The Red Sox have the makings of becoming the 1998 Yankees. They have the most talented and deepest pitching staff in the game, a deep lineup that won't overwhelm anyone with star power but will wear down opposing pitchers all summer, a manager who is the best in his profession, and a general manager/ownership team who have the resources to fix any holes that open up over the next seven months. The Yankees are good but Jeter, Posada, and Rivera are getting close to the end, A-Rod is hurt (and confused), and they can't expect the Millionaires Club of Teixeira, Sabathia, and Burnett to carry them in their first year in the Bronx. The Rays aren't going to completely disappear but their bullpen has too many holes. The Blue Jays would be a great pick to win the AL West but the East is just too good. The Orioles have Matt Weiters, Nick Markakis, Adam Jones, and Rich Hill to get them through another long summer. AL CENTRAL 1. Tigers 2. White Sox 3. Twins 4. Royals 5. Indians I have no rhyme or reason for the Central. The Tigers supposedly looked horrible in the spring but who knows what that means. I like Miguel Cabrera to have a monster year, they have decent pitching, and Leyland is a good manager. If Joe Mauer's back were 100%, I'd give the nod to the Twins. The ChiSox always seem to be in the mix. Everyone loves the Royals but after watching Coco Crisp for three years, I know he can't hit well enough to help KC. The Indians have a great bullpen and will be a popular team come the trade deadline (let's hope Mark Shapiro keeps Kerry Wood out of the Bronx). AL WEST 1. Angels 2. Rangers 3. A's 4. Mariners This division is like Conference USA in college hoops. There is a mix of mediocre teams that allows the one quality team (Angels/Memphis) to have a better season than their talent dictates they should but those weaknesses eventually get exposed come playoff time. With Vlad Guerrero loking like Red Fox, Teixeira crushing dingers in the Bronx, and Francisco Rodriguez closing games in Queens, the Angels are showing signs of breaking down. Still, John Lackey will win 18 games and Mike Scioscia will squeeze out 94 wins before the Red Sox execute another October sweep of the Halos. The Rangers have three top young catching prospects to dangle in their quest to find young pitching. The A's will sell Matt Holliday come July. Junior Griffey's return to Seattle at this age is kind of depressing. Should we even call him Junior at this point? NL EAST 1. Mets 2. Phillies 3. Marlins 4. Braves 5. Nationals The Mets are still a starting pitcher or three away from being a real threat to bring the World Series back to tradition filled Citi Field but I love thier new and improved bullpen and between Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado, and Garry Sheffield there is 65-75 homeruns and 250-300 RBI's, enough production to protect David Wright and Jose Reyes. The Phillies are still very good but I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop on Brad Lidge. I'm looking forward to seeing the Phils in person in June. The Marlins would make all my dreams come true by sending Hanley Ramirez to Boston for Michael Bowden, Lars Anderson, Jed Lowrie, and Manny Delcarmen. I would even substitute Papelbon for Delcarmen if, and only if, Daniel Bard is the real deal. Does it make me old if I say that I remember when the Braves were great? The Nationals suck but keep a close eye on Elijah Dukes. NL CENTRAL 1. Cubs 2. Cardinals 3. Reds 4. Astros 5. Brewers 6. Pirates I'm looking forward to the first Lou Piniella-Milton Bradley clash. The Cards are in the envious position of signing Albert Pujols' checks every month. The Reds are everyone's darlings this spring but if I were a resident of the Queen City, I'd keep a close eye on the pitch counts of Johnny Queto and Edinson Volquez qith Dusty Baker in charge. Lance Berkman is a great player. I feel for the fans of Milwaukee, hopefully they will enjoy watching Sabathia balloon to 400 pounds with the Yankees as much as I will. Did the Pirates really sign two kids from India? At least they are trying. NL WEST 1. Dodgers 2. Diamondbacks 3. Rockies 4. Giants 5. Padres I still love Manny, he's a baseball player not the President of the United States. Stephen Drew and Justin Upton continue to upset older brothers all over the country. Ian Stewart was my "steal" in the late rounds of my fantasy baseball draft. I took Garrett Atkins just in case though. To this day I swear I bought a Tim Lincecum J-Shirt on my trip to San Fran but when I got home, I had a Dave Roberts one in its place. Karma? No, too many 12oz. curls. It must suck to be Jake Peavy, to keep himself interested this summer he should switch teams with Roy Oswalt and see if anyone notices. BASELESS BASEBALL PREDICTIONS AL PLAYOFFS ALDS: Red Sox over Angels (3); Yankees over Tigers (4) ALCS: Red Sox over Yankees (6) NL PLAYOFFS NLDS: Mets over Dodgers (4); Phillies over Cubs (5) NLCS: Mets over Phillies World Series Red Sox over Mets (4) (Barry and Elliot just shit their pants.) Individual Awards AL MVP: Miguel Cabrera, Tigers NL MVP: Albert Pujols, Cardinals AL CY YOUNG: John Lackey, Angels NL CY YOUNG: Tim Lincecum, Giants AL MANAGER: Terry Francona, Red Sox NL MANAGER: Tony La Russa, Cardinals AL ROOKIE: David Price, Rays NL ROOKIE: Ian Stewart, Rockies (Yes, I did make this same prediction in 2007.) Special Awards AL HOMERUN CHAMP: Mark Teixeira, Yankees NL HOMERUN CHAMP: Albert Pujols, Cardinals FIRST AL MANAGER FIRED: Eric Wedge, Indians FIRST NL MANAGER FIRED: Manny Acta, Nationals AL BIG NAME TRADED BY JULY 31: Matt Holliday, A's (to Dodgers) NL BIG NAME TRADED BY JULY 31: Jake Peavy, Padres (to Cubs) AL INJURY THAT IMPACTS THE PLAYOFFS: Lulio Lugo, Red Sox (A-Rod, Mauer, and BJ Upton made this impossible. If Lugo gets hurt again, the Sox will either play Lowrie or make my dream trade for Hanley Ramirez, making this a win-win for Boston.) NL INJURY THAT IMPACTS THE PLAYOFFS: Brandon Webb, Diamondbacks