NL EAST:
PHILLIES--Roy Halladay is going to make the NL look silly and Placido Polanco, a huge offensive upgrade over Pedro Feliz and his .308 OBP, makes a loaded lineup even better.
BRAVES--They have a chance to be really good, but they're going to miss Javier Vazquez and Derek Lowe isn't the same pitcher that he once was. Plus, they're relying heavily on aging Chipper Jones and Troy Glaus.
MARLINS--Josh Johnson is the most underrated pitcher in the NL, but the Marlins don't have enough to match the Phils or the Braves.
METS--They're aging, injury-prone, and they hate their new ballpark.
NATIONALS--There's a lot of nice talent such as Stephen Strasburg, Ryan Zimmerman, and Nyjer Morgan, but they need a couple of years to put it all together.
NL CENTRAL:
CARDINALS: Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright form one of the best 1-2 punches in the game and the lineup is loaded with Matt Holliday, Colby Rasmus, and oh that other guy, Albert Pujols.
CUBS: They're talented, but Derek Lee, Aramis Ramirez, and the rest of the cast aren't getting any younger.
REDS: They're loaded with young talent: Aroldis Chapman, Edinson Volquez, and Jonny Cueto in the pitching rotation and Gold-Glove 2B Brandon Phillips and 1B Joey Votto, who's blossoming into a superstar. But they're not ready to make the big push quite yet.
BREWERS: Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun are the best 3/4 combination in the league, but after Yovani Gallardo and Randy Wolf, the pitching is a mess.
PIRATES: The fans in Pittsburgh deserve so much better. At least they get to watch Andrew McCutchen develop into a star.
ASTROS: They're old and constantly hurt, and their farm system is completely barren.
NL WEST:
ROCKIES: They're the most complete team in the division. Their lineup has no holes, they play great defense, and they have a scary pitching rotation with Ubaldo Jimenez and Jorge De La Rosa.
GIANTS (Wild-Card): The offense is marginally improved, but that should be enough to supplement this fantastic pitching staff.
DODGERS: Andre Eithier, James Loney, and Matt Kemp are great, but Manny in the twilight of his career. Also, it's not a good thing if Vicente Padilla is your opening day starter.
DBACKS: Brandon Webb is hurt again, and Dan Haren and Justin Upton can't handle the load by themselves.
PADRES: The Adrian Gonzalez trade watch continues.
AL EAST:
YANKEES: They're even better than they were last year, adding Javier Vazquez to the rotation and Curtis Granderson in CF.
RED SOX (Wild-Card): They have the best rotation in baseball with a three-headed monster of Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, and John Lackey. Plus, with the likes of Adrian Beltre, Kevin Youkilis, and Mike Cameron, they'll play excellent defense.
RAYS: It's too bad they're in the AL East because they'd win any other division. They have a great team, but JP Howell is injured and they're relying heavily on a couple of young guys in David Price and Wade Davis to solidify the rotation.
ORIOLES: Brian Matusz, Adam Jones, Nick Markakis, and Matt Wieters are the future of this team, but they're not ready to challenge the top 3 teams.
BLUE JAYS: They couldn't win with Roy Halladay and now they're totally rebuilding again.
AL CENTRAL:
TWINS: Losing Joe Nathan hurts, but they have the league's best player in Joe Mauer, a loaded lineup, and great defense.
WHITE SOX: They might be very good, especially in the pitching rotation with Mark Buehrle and Jake Peavy, but they're really counting on Alex Rios to get it together and Carlos Quentin to bounce back from injury.
TIGERS: Miguel Cabrera and Justin Verlander are great, but they're going to be inconsistent with the amount of youth that they have.
INDIANS: They're back in rebuild mode, but they have some nice pieces in Grady Sizemore and Shin-Soo Choo.
ROYALS: They'll win more games than they did last year, but still, they're the Royals.
AL WEST:
ANGELS: Yes the Mariners are the trendy pick, but I never bet against the Angels. Sure they lost many key players, but Kendry Morales arrived last year, and they expect Brandon Wood and Howie Kendrick to finally fulfill their potential.
MARINERS: Felix Hernandez and Cliff Lee will be a scary 1-2 punch, but the rest of the rotation and bullpen is weak, and they're relying on Milton Bradley for a full season as their #4 hitter. Good luck.
RANGERS: They have enough talent to win the division, but Josh Hamilton and Rich Harden can never stay healthy.
ATHLETICS: If Ben Sheets can stay healthy and pitch like he did in Milwaukee, and that's a HUGE if, then they'll pitch well. But the offense won't cut it.
WORLD SERIES: PHILLIES over RED SOX
The Phillies made it to the Fall Classic last year with monumental issues with their bullpen. There's no way it can be as bad in 2010. Roy Halladay put up dominant numbers facing the Yankees and Red Sox all the time. How good will his numbers be when he gets to face the Mets and Nationals?! Cole Hamels had a fantastic spring and looks ready to bounce back from a disappointing 2009. Also, if you didn't notice, they're lineup is ridiculously potent.
The Red Sox will win the AL based on their stellar pitching and defense. But the Phillies' offense will carry them to their 2nd championship in 3 years.
AL MVP: Evan Longoria, Rays
NL MVP: Albert Pujols, Cardinals
AL CY YOUNG: Felix Hernandez, Mariners
NL CY YOUNG: Roy Halladay, Phillies
AL ROY: Brian Matusz, Orioles
NL ROY: Jason Heyward, Braves
i love this.
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