The Sports Mac's 2010 MLB Predictions

          The first true sign of spring has arrived as the 2010 MLB season begins on Sunday night.  So, here now are The Sports Mac 2010 MLB predictions.  We’ll check back in October and see how they turn out.

    American League East

1.    New York Yankees – After what was an unusually quiet off-season, the Yankee ship is right on course for another AL pennant and has a chance at a 2nd straight World Series.

2.    Boston Red Sox – What really should be 1A, the Sox can be in the argument for the best starting rotation in baseball.  Can the lineup be solid enough to provide decent run support, though?

3.    Tampa Bay Rays – If this team was in any other division other than the NL East, it would be the runaway winner.  With a team that’s built to win right now, it’ll be a dogfight for these Rays to make the playoffs.

4.    Toronto Blue Jays – The post-Roy Halladay era begins and it doesn’t look to be pretty.  The Jays have taken a few steps back and it’s going to take time for them to be competitive again.

5.    Baltimore Orioles – Now that the Birds finally have a direction, there still a ways away from seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.  They do have a nice start with Adam Jones and Matt Wieters up with the big club already.

    American League Central

1.    Minnesota Twins – With the loss of Joe Nathan, this is division is a lot closer now.  The Twins traditional strong 2nd halves will carry them through again, barely.

2.    Chicago White Sox – The rotation will be great, especially with a full season of Jake Peavy.  But, Chicago might not have enough hitting to win the division.

3.    Detroit Tigers – The Tigers are just behind Minnesota and Chicago.  They just come up a little short in most areas and will have to have a special season to make the playoffs.

4.    Kansas City Royals – Last year’s “it” team falls back to a familiar spot.  The season highlights will be every 5 days when Zack Greinke starts.

5.    Cleveland Indians – How fast the Indians have fallen.  Hard to believe that just 2 seasons ago they C.C. Sabathia and Cliff Lee and they were division threats every year.


    American League West

1.    Los Angeles Angels – The Angels are the a lot like the Twins.  They are still the class of division even with losses of Figgins, Guerrero, and Lackey.  The bullpen will win some big games this year.

2.    Seattle Mariners - It wouldn’t surprise me in the least to see the Mariners on top of the West at the end of the year.  With Cliff Lee and Chone Figgins, this team may be on the verge of a playoff breakthrough.

3.    Texas Rangers – A team that was better last year didn’t really improve in the offseason and seems to be spinning its wheels right now looks to be stuck in 3rd again this year.

4.    Oakland Athletics – A classic small market problem: small payroll, mostly empty stadium, and a very young team means the A’s are bringing up the rear.

    National League East

1.    Philadelphia Phillies – The most complete team in the NL the last 2 years got that much better with the addition of Roy Halladay.  The offense got better with the addition of Placido Polanco as well.

2.    Atlanta Braves – The Braves resurgence continues with a very strong rotation and the debut of Jason Heyward will have Atlanta challenging for the Wild Card this year.

3.    Florida Marlins – Somehow, the Marlins continue to make small market baseball competitive.  They’ll ride Hanley Ramirez and Josh Johnson to another respectable finish.

4.    New York Mets – An organization that seems to have no direction are hoping to stay healthy and get some kind of hitting this year after last year’s horror show.

5.    Washington Nationals – Unlike the Mets, the Nationals are a team that is on the rise.  The most anticipated rookie shows up in June in Stephen Strasbourg.

    National League Central

1.    St. Louis Cardinals – The Cards still find a way to treat the best fans in baseball with a payroll that isn’t as big as you think.  Pujols and Carpenter lead the charge for a 2nd straight NL Central title.

2.    Chicago Cubs – The top choice of a mediocre bunch.  Unless all of the pieces come together, the streak will reach 102 years.

3.    Milwaukee Brewers – They’ve got the big bats in Fielder and Braun, but not much pitching behind Yovani Gallardo.

4.    Houston Astros – An aging team that seems to be wearing down.  There’s doesn’t seem to be a lot in the farm system on the way either.

5.    Cincinnati Reds – It’s a team that cannot seem to put it together for an entire season.  They have some pieces, but not enough to be close to the top of the division.

6.    Pittsburgh Pirates – The only question here is how many talented young players will they trade away this season.  Over/under on Pittsburgh’s next winning season: 2020.

    National League West

1.    San Francisco Giants – The best starting staff in baseball will be the main force and they’ll get just enough hitting to nip the Rockies at the end.

2.    Colorado Rockies – The defending division champs will be good, but the division around them has gotten better.  They’re still a heavy choice to make the playoffs, though.

3.    Los Angeles Dodgers – The team that won the most game in the National League last year was not able to do much in the off-season due to divorce proceedings with the owners.  That stagnation will cost LA this year.

4.    Arizona Diamondbacks – A young team that needs all of their parts to be a contender.  The uncertainty of Brandon Webb really hurts them at the start of this season.

5.    San Diego Padres – The Padres hope the end of last season carries over to this one.  Unfortunately, the talent level is just not enough to hang with the top teams.

Playoff Predictions

Division Series:        AL:    Yankees over Angels
                                         Red Sox over Twins

                                NL:    Phillies over Giants
                                        Cardinals over Rockies

Championship Series    AL:    Yankees over Red Sox
                                 NL:    Phillies over Cardinals

World Series                       Phillies over Yankees