2009 MLB Preseason Lester Awards

With the baseball season just around the corner, here’s a look at my preseason predictions.

American League

AL East:  Boston - Hopefully they can avoid the injuries this year.
AL Central:  Minnesota Twins - Young pitching takes the next step.
AL West:  Anaheim Angels - Still the One out West.
AL Wildcard:  New York Yankees - Money Talks.

National League

NL East:  Philadelphia Phillies - Too much Offense.
NL Central:  Chicago Cubs - Is this the year?
NL West:  Arizona Diamondbacks - Webb and Haren lead the way.
NL Wildcard:   New York Mets - In Johan we trust.

Playoffs

Boston Red Sox over Minnesota Twins - Twins aren’t built for postseason.
New York Yankees over Los Angels of Anaheim - Money Talks
Boston Red Sox over New York Yankees - BoSox continue recent dominance.

Chicago Cubs over New York Mets - Cubs too balanced.
Philadelphia Phillies over Arizona Diamondbacks - Experience prevails.
Chicago Cubs over Philadelphia Phillies - Down with the goat.

World Series

Boston Red Sox over Chicago Cubs - Boston crushes Chicago’s dreams.

  AL MVP:  Mark Teixeira - Worth his weight in Gold.

  AL Cy Young:  Josh Beckett - Big bounceback for Beckett.

  AL Rookie of the Year:  Matt Weiters - Mauer with Power.

AL Manager of the Year:  Ron Gardenhire - Finally
AL Comeback Player of the Year:  Travis Hafner - I’m a Sucker for Pronk.
AL Batting Crown:  Ichiro Suzuki - Mauer doesn’t get enough ABs to qualify.
AL Home Run Title:  David Ortiz - I love it when they call me Big Papi.
AL RBI Title:  Mark Teixeira - Big Tex delivers.

  NL MVP:  Ryan Howard - Gets that average back up.

 NL Cy Young:  Johan Santana - Best in the Game.

  NL Rookie of the Year:  Cameron Maybin - Mr. Excitement

NL Manager of the Year:  Bob Melvin - Holds off Joe Torre’s Dodgers.
NL Comeback Player of the Year:  Chris Carpenter - Back to form. 
NL Batting Crown:  Albert Pujols - Best Hitter in baseball.
NL Home Run Title:  Ryan Howard - Beast.
NL RBI Title:  Ryan Howard - Beast

This article was originally published at LestersLegends.com.