2012 MLB Season: 10 Bold Predictions to Look for

With baseball's regular season looming on the horizon, and thoughts of spring and summer in the air, I thought now was as good a time as any to unleash on the world my 10 boldest predictions for the upcoming Major League Baseball season.

Everyone can, and they will, predict that the Yankees and Phillies will face off in October, in a rematch of the 2009 World Series. 

To me, that's not much fun.  Sure, I predict that Albert Pujols will hit .320 with 35 home runs and 110 RBI. 

Yawn.

I'm going outside-the-box and will have everyone thinking either this guy is crazy or, come the end of the season, wow he knows what he was talking about. 

Either way, we're in for a fun ride over the course of the next seven-plus months and I hope that you enjoy it as much as I will. 

Let's take a look at 10 bold predicitions for the 2012 MLB season.

Justin Upton Wins the National League MVP Award

Coming off of his finest season as a baseball player, a season in which he finished fourth in the N.L. MVP race, Justin Upton is poised to really make a splash this season.

Despite last season's success, I'd venture to say most fans outside of the desert don't realize what kind of season Upton posted last year.

Allow me to refresh your memory.

Last season, Upton hit .289 with 31 homers and 88 RBI.  He also stole 21 bases. 

Simply put, he was the best player on his team, a team that coincidentally (or maybe not), won 94 games and the N.L. West Division crown. 

So when all the talk is about Ryan Braun and Matt Kemp engaging in another duel for the rights to the 2012 MVP, remember to keep an eye on what Justin Upton is doing. 

The Pittsburgh Pirates Will Finish .500 or Better

As late as August 2, 2011 the Pirates were playing .500 baseball.  They were exactly 54-54.  By the time game 162 had ended and the dust had settled, the Pirates were 72-90.

Nobody ever said that the 19th time was the charm. 

But someone did say that the 20th time is the charm.  And that person is me.

People were split on the Pirates last season, some thought that they'd continue to play well and could finally break their streak of consecutive losing seasons, while others were just waiting for the inevitable collapse. 

And collapse they did. However, this season will be different. 

Let's not forget that there are some talented players wearing the black and gold. 

If Andrew McCutchen played on just about any other team, he'd be well on his way to becoming a bona fide superstar. 

Pirates first baseman Garrett Jones possesses some serious power potential.

Complimenting Jones on the right side of the infield is Neil Walker, who has rather quietly installed himself as a very solid player. 

Walker hit .273 with 12 home runs and 83 RBI last season which followed up his 2010 season in which he played 110 games while batting .296 with 12 home runs. 

The back end of the Pirates bullpen, believe it or not, is pretty good.  Evan Meek, who was limited last year, is, when healthy, a very good setup man. 

Joel Hanrahan, the man being set up by Meek, is coming off his best season as a pro. 

Hanrahan posted a 1.83 ERA last season while making 70 appearances.  He also racked up 40 saves and was elected to his first All-Star team. 

If the starting pitching can step up this season, expect to see the Pirates finish above .500. 

Jon Lester Will Win the AL Cy Young Award

Justin who? 

Jered what?

Those will be just two of the questions that people will find themselves asking this season as Boston lefty Jon Lester emerges as exactly what he has been for the last four seasons—one of the league's premier left handed pitchers.  

Let's face it, last season was a nightmare for the Red Sox.

The departure of Manager Terry Francona and subsequent hiring of Bobby Valentine marked a significant change in the culture within the Boston clubhouse. I fully expect this team to rebound from their dreadful season with a renewed vigor. 

Boston will be hungry and Jon Lester is primed to feast. 

Lester, who did finish fourth in the AL Cy Young voting in 2010, will, as the famous line goes, announce his presence with authority. 

I suspect between his ability as well as the run production his offense is capable of producing, Lester might just win 25 games or more.

A number like that will be hard to ignore.

The Phillies Don't Make the Playoffs

Yes, you read the title of this slide correctly. 

The mighty Phillies, winners of five consecutive NL East division titles, will not make the playoffs this season. 

The much-hyped Phils have been playing with an ever-diminishing window of time and it has finally slammed shut. 

In fact, I'm convinced you could hear the echo of that window shutting as Ryan Howard landed on the ground after rupturing his Achilles tendon to close out the Phillies 2011 season with a Game 5 loss to the eventual World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals. 

I expect the Phillies will live up to their moniker and won't go quietly into the night.

However, their rapidly aging lineup will not be able to score enough runs.

Regardless of their outstanding pitching staff lead by Roy Halladay, there just aren't going to be enough runs to go around.

Ryan Howard is sidelined indefinintely and, to make matters matters, reports of an infection complicating his recovery from surgery to repair his torn Achilles have surfaced.

Philles second baseman Chase Utley is a shell of his former self. 

The years of abuse that Utley dumped on his body with his all-or-nothing playing style appears to be catching up to him. 

In fact, the Phillies everyday lineup will include just two players under the age of 30—right fielder Hunter Pence and left fielder John Mayberry Jr. 

Additionally, Roy Halladay, who will turn 35 in May, and Cliff Lee, 34 in August, aren't exactly spring chickens anymore.  Especially hen you take into account the massive amount of innings both pitchers have been piling up the last several seasons. 

Vance Worley and Joe Blanton, who round out the rotation behind Halladay, Lee, and Cole Hamels, don't exactly inspire much confidence.

All in all, for the Phillies, look for their biggest letdown yet.

Carlos Zambrano Will Make It Through an Entire Season Without a Meltdown

This could very easily be construed as the most unlikely prediction of the whole lot.  Particularly if you're speaking to Michael Barrett or Derek Lee. 

If you'll recall, Zambrano had it out famously with both of those players during his time with the Chicago Cubs. 

Yes, it is safe to say that Big Z has a fuse shorter than Michael Jordan's hair.

The sweltering Florida heat will not crack Zambrano, though.

I fully believe that playing for manager Ozzie Guillen, along with talent brought in by Marlins' management, will help Zambrano realize that this could very likely be his last opportunity at big league glory.

This is the season that Zambrano gets his big boy act together and behaves like an adult. 

A hard throwing, strike zone pounding adult. 

St. Louis Cardinals Repeat as World Series Champions

No Albert Pujols!  No Tony LaRussa!  No Dave Duncan!

No problem!

The St. Louis Cardinals weren't even supposed to make the playoffs last season, let alone win the World Series, when they were floundering and showing no signs of fight over the summer.

Nevertheless, the Cardinals went on an epic run and clinched a playoff berth on the last day of the regular season. 

The Cards fought their way through the NL playoffs and eventually beat the Texas Rangers in a legendary World Series. 

Not long after the World Series though, the magic was gone.  

At least the magic that is Albert Pujols, Tony LaRussa, and Dave Duncan. 

However, he rest of the Cardinals team has pretty much remained intact  The core is there and they will have the services of Adam Wainwright, the perennial Cy Young contender, who missed all of last season after undergoing Tommy John Surgery. 

Obviously, there isn't a man on the planet that can replace Albert Pujols, but with Lance Berkman moving to first and Carlos Beltran sliding into right field to replace Berkman, it will help fill the void of Pujols' production

When push comes to shove, the Cardinals are going to be shoving...and hard! 

The Seattle Mariners Will Lose 110 Games

Plain and simple, it is going to be a long season for the Seattle Mariners. 

They will lose 110 games this season—unless of course Felix Hernandez can pitch every other day. 

Or perhaps we've all been dreaming and the Mariner's didn't really deal Michael Pineda to the New York Yankees this winter.

Batting Ichiro third? I'm pretty sure that's not the answer. 

Look, I get the Mariner's have some terrific young talent. Mike Carp is going to be a heck of a baseball player one day.  The same goes for Justin Smoak. Dustin Ackley seems to have the foundation to become a solid player as well.

Hopefully for the sake of the fans and the organization, the Mariners will continue to cultivate this young talent instead of dumping them like water from a sinking boat. 

I think that Felix Hernandez posesan interesting question for the Mariners. 

At just 25, he's young enough to still be in his prime years if and when the turnaround comes within the next few seasons. 

At the same time though, he will almost surely be the biggest name available at the trade deadline and could be quite valuable in obtaining the prospects that can put the Mariners back on track. 

This will be a lost season for Seattle. Their fate, moving forward, lies in the hands of the front office. 

In 2003 the Detroit Tigers lost 119 games.  It was one of the worst seasons in the history of baseball. 

In 2006 the Detroit Tigers played in the World Series. 

Their front office had a plan. They took control of their team and reversed their fortunes. 

The Mariners can do the same!

Matt Kemp and Jacoby Ellsbury Both Join the 40-40 Club

The 40-40 club is arguably the most exclusive club in baseball.

Currently, there are only four members.  Or just two more than the average number of party crashers at a State Dinner hosted by the United States. 

The four men in this club are Jose Canseco, Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez and Alfonso Soriano. 

When the 2012 season is over, that number will increase by 50 percent. Not one but two men will join the ranks. 

Matt Kemp, the dynamic Dodger center field just missed getting his hand stamped last season after a monster year in which he smashed 39 home runs and 40 stolen bases. 

Ouch that was close. 

Kemp, with his rare combination of power and speed will achieve this feat this season. 

In fact, not to put too much pressure on him, but I wouldn't exclude the thought that Kemp could go somewhere no man has ever been.  Not even Neil Armstrong himself, and that place is the 50-50 club. 

While Kemp is doing his thing in the National League, Jacoby Ellsbury is going to be in the American League doing his,.

That's right, I believe that Ellsbury possesses the very tools required to gain admittance to the 40-40 club. 

Ellsbury has stolen 70 bases in a season before. 

Stealing 40 should be a piece of cake. 

Ellsbury, with three full seasons under his belt really found his power stroke last season when he hit 32 home runs. 

To me, the 32 homers was no fluke. 

After watching a full season of Ellsbury and viewing repitition after repitition of that sweet stroke, I have no doubts that even bigger power numbers are in his future.

Joey Votto Will Win the Triple Crown

In 1967, Carl Yastrzemski won the American League triple crown.  That was the last time any major league player led his league in batting average, home runs and RBI. 

In 1937, Joe Medwick led the NL in all three categories.  He was the last NL player to hit for the triple crown. 

To snap a streak that has been going strong for 45 years will require a special season from an equally special player. 

I believe that this seasoncould be that season and that Joey Votto is that player. 

The man can flat out hit the baseball. 

He hits for power and he hits for average. 

Two seasons ago he hit .324 with 37 home runs with 113 RBI. 

If Votto can get in a groove like he was in 2010 than it isn't a stretch to expect that he could put up triple crown caliber numbers. 

Stephen Strasburg Will Win the National League Cy Young Award

Stephen Strasbug is the National League's best pitcher. 

The Nationals Ace is, in a word, filthy.

He throws hard and he throws all of his pitches for strikes. 

To put this into perspective, take note of Strasburgs eye popping 116 strikeouts in just 92 innings pitched. 

To further put this fact into perspective, you'll see in those 92 innings, Strasburg walked a paltry 19 batters. 

Considering Strasburg pitched in only five games last season after recovering from Tommy John surgery, durability will obviously play a factor in his overall success.

It's entirely possible that Strasburg finds himself pitching with a season long pitch count. 

As a key cog in the resurgence of the Nationals, and yes they will be competing for a World Series title within three years, Strasburg's overall health is paramount to any individual accomplishment. 

With all things considered though, I can absolutely foresee Strasburg putting up numbers in 27 or 28 starts that equate to a Cy Young Award.