MLB 2012 Preview

 

Back in the day, I used to be a huge baseball fan. Mainly so I could dominate fantasy baseball, but I also loved the sport. Anyways, for this week’s post, a set of predictions for the coming season.

AL MVP: Adrian Gonzalez 

Supposedly his shoulder was hurt last year and he wasn’t even swinging hard. He’s a lock to destroy the ball, and he’ll need to carry the Red Sox through the regular season. I’m assuming some combination of Beckett, Lester, Bucholtz will be hurt for the entire regular season, so he’ll need to. I could see a power eruption getting him back to his 40+ home run range. 

AL Cy Young: Justin Verlander 

Complete stud, any pitcher who wins MVP is huge. He racks up K’s like no one’s business so he won’t be affected that much by the defensive downgrade. And he’s a lock to win 20. He went longer than six innings in every single start last year, en route to a pitching triple crown. Basically a modern day Randy Johnson. 

NL MVP: Justin Upton 

The NL is a less clear picture than the AL, the AL is just so much more stacked. Pujols and Fielder leaving the league dilute it. Ryan Braun is great, but I don’t see the Brewers winning enough games with the loss of Fielder for Braun to win back-to-back MVP’s. Upton could make the leap into another level and have an Ellsbury like season. A 30-30 season would definitely put him on the radar. As a bold prediction I’ll go with Hanley Ramirez. 

 NL Cy Young: Roy Halladay 

Tons of studs here. Greinke, Lee, Kershaw. I’ll go with Halladay because he just finishes so many games. Greinke, might not have the impressive win total that Cy Young winners need, and Kershaw – the disarray of the Dodgers has to get to the players. Halladay is a lock for 20+ wins, though his stiffest competition might come from within his team. 

AL division winners: New York Yankees, Detroit Tigers, Texas Rangers 

Yankees and Tigers will respetively crush their divisions. Especially the Yankees – so deep this year. The Rangers – Angels will definitely be the most interesting pennent race. There’s so much more pressure to win the division this year with the dual wild card teams, and facing off against a tough AL East loser won’t be a cakewalk. I just think the Angels will struggle more than everyone thinks. They aren’t a lock. On the other hand, the Rangers are a back-to-back World Series team. 

AL wild card teams: Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Angels 

NL division winners: Atlanta Braves, St. Louis Cardinals, San Francisco Giants 

Chipper’s last season, and the Braves climb back into the power seat of the NL East. I’m convinced you need a solid lineup to win a ton of baseball games. Cards will get back there as nobody really stands out in that division, though it could be a dog fight if Cincinnati makes it interesting. 

NL wild card teams: Philadelphia Phillies, Arizona Diamondbacks 

AL Champion: Boston Red Sox 

NL Champion: Philadelphia Phillies 

WS champion: Boston Red Sox 

Pitching and defense wins in the playoffs. It’s an old saying, but supposedly it carries more statistical weight than anything else. Plus, lightning doesn’t strike twice. The Red Sox should have been in the bag for the playoffs last year. This year, their offense will carry them into the playoff, and the top three (Beckett, Lester, Bucholtz) will carry them to the title. Crawford will be the comeback player of the year, and October baseball will be rocking in Boston once again. 

Ah, the first week of a new season. Hope is in the air. 

See you on the other side, 

from ken 

Feel free to comment! I would love to hear your thoughts.