2012 MLB Predictions: Overrated Teams Guaranteed to Disappoint

Trying to figure out which teams will be contenders and pretenders before the season starts is a lesson in futility. Last year, everyone said that the Boston Red Sox were the best team in baseball before any games were played. 

That's the beauty of the game: No one knows what is going to happen until the teams step on the field. But that does not mean there aren't teams who are commanding too much attention already.

They could emerge as postseason threats, though we should see what they can do before we make such bold statements. 

As spring training begins around Major League Baseball, here are the teams getting too much love right now. 

Washington Nationals

Almost everyone is hot on the Nationals as a serious contender in the National League East after the offseason they had. Certainly, there is a lot to like about where this team is at, and where they are headed in the future. 

But right now, as we enter the 2012 season, the Nationals are still the third-best team in the division. The Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves are superior to them on paper. 

Their two biggest moves of the offseason—acquiring Gio Gonzalez from Oakland, signing Edwin Jackson—could blow up in their faces. Gonzalez led the American League in walks last year, and Jackson's performance has never matched his stuff.

In 2014, they will be the class of the division. Right now, they are a third-place team hovering around .500. 

Cincinnati Reds

It is tough to look at what the Reds are doing right now, and be infatuated with what they can be. But they are still behind the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Central. 

Putting Mat Latos at the front of that rotation is a great move, but it's everything that comes after him that makes you nervous. They also made the best deal of the offseason, signing Ryan Madson to a one-year contract. 

Is Johnny Cueto going to stay healthy for the whole season? What is Homer Bailey going to be? And, of course, how will Aroldis Chapman handle starting?

It doesn't help that Dusty "Pitcher Killer" Baker is managing this team. Offensively, they look great with Joey Votto and co. 

They could end up putting together a run like they did in 2010, but there are still plenty of questions that have to be answered before we crown them division champions. 

Boston Red Sox

Rest assured, we will not be talking about any chicken and beer. Instead, we are going to be focusing on where this team lacks a certain spark: Starting pitching. 

Everyone loves Jon Lester, how could you not? But Josh Beckett is still one pitch away from hurting his back or shoulder and missing a month. Clay Buchholz missed virtually all of the 2011 season with his own back problems, so how long will it take for him to look like his old self?

The bullpen got a makeover, but moving Daniel Bard out of the late-inning setup role is not going to end well for him. 

They are going to get talked about simply because they are the Red Sox, but they are obviously the third-best team in the American League East right now. 

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