2012 MLB Predictions: Early Playoff Picks from Spring Training

The 2012 MLB season is young, but that doesn't mean it's too early to make some playoff predictions.

Spring training is well underway, meaning that every team has hopes of exceeding expectations and reaching the postseason.

It will be a bit easier in 2012, now that Major League Baseball has decided to add a second wild-card team in each league. The final postseason spot will be up for grabs in a one-game series between the fourth and fifth seeds in the league.

Here we'll predict which teams will be playing in October and what will happen once they get there.

AL East

New York Yankees (96-66): The Yankees made some good moves this offseason, acquiring a young fire-baller in Michael Pineda and getting rid of some extra baggage in A.J. Burnett. They also signed veteran starter Hiroki Kuroda. You know the Yankees are going to hit this season like always, and the pitching is better now than it was last year, giving them a huge advantage over the rest of their division.

AL Central

Detroit Tigers (94-68): They made some noise in the offseason by bringing in Prince Fielder with a monster deal, but also made a great, unnoticed signing in Octavio Dotel. Dotel will be a quality setup man for Detroit as they hope he can bridge the gap to Jose Valverde. Fielder's going to rake, Jhonny Peralta and Alex Avila should step up, and Justin Verlander won the MVP last season. If all goes well, the Tigers should win the division easily.

AL West

Los Angeles Angels (99-63): A rotation consisting of Dan Haren, C.J. Wilson, Jered Weaver and Ervin Santana gives the Angels a slight edge over the Texas Rangers in the West. Add Albert Pujols to a team that won't be giving up a lot of runs, and you have the pieces to win the division.

AL Wild Card

Texas Rangers (91-71) over Tampa Bay Rays (90-71): In this one-game playoff, the Rangers will be able to beat the Rays and move on to play the Yankees in the first round of the playoffs.  

NL East

Philadelphia Phillies (101-61): The Phillies had a relatively quiet offseason, only adding Jonathan Papelbon as the closer. Ryan Howard might be out until May, but this team is just too good for one injured player to bring them down. The rotation is absolute murder with Halladay, Lee and Hamels at the front. They'll win the division by at least 10 games.

NL Central

Cincinnati Reds (90-72): The Reds will win the division not because they got better, but because the other teams got worse. This team is young and they can hit as well as anyone when the lineup is healthy. Joey Votto, Jay Bruce, Brandon Philips and Drew Stubbs will all be huge for the team this season. 

NL West

Arizona Diamondbacks (93-69): The D'Backs will capture their second straight division title after they signed Trevor Cahill, Jason Kubel and Takashi Saito in the offseason. Steven Drew will play a full season after injuring his ankle in July and Justin Upton will pick up right where he left off in 2011.

NL Wild Card

Miami Marlins (90-72) over St. Louis Cardinals (89-73): The Marlins will return to the postseason under Ozzie Guillen for the first time since 2003. They'll win the one-game playoff over the Cards when they send Josh Johnson to the mound to seal the deal. 

ALDS 

New York Yankees over Texas Rangers (3-2): The Yankees win a high-scoring series as the Rangers’ pitching falls victim to the Yankees’ modern day Murderer’s Row.

Detroit Tigers over Los Angeles Angels (3-2): The Tigers win a nail biter as Justin Verlander wins two games in the series and Fielder and Avila step up.

ALCS

Detroit Tigers over New York Yankees (4-3): The Tigers take it to the Yankees for the second year in a row, this time one round later. Verlander wins two more games in this series en route to winning the ALCS MVP. Sabathia tires out on short rest in the deciding game as the Yankees fail to reach the World Series again.

NLDS

Philadelphia Phillies over Cincinnati Reds (3-1): The Phillies get out of the first round after failing to do so last season. Halladay and Lee win the first two, Hamels gets the loss in Game 3, then Halladay returns on short rest to shut the door.

Arizona Diamondbacks over Miami Marlins (3-2): The D’Backs eek this one out, riding Justin Upton’s monster series. The young Marlins team folds under the pressure of trying to reach the Fall Classic.

NLCS

Philadelphia Phillies over Arizona Diamondbacks (4-1): The Phillies win the first three games of the series as Halladay, Lee and Hamels baffle the D’Backs' young hitters. Philly reaches the World Series for the first time since 2009.

World Series

Detroit Tigers over Philadelphia Phillies (4-2): The Tigers win their first championship since 1984 as they keep Lee and Hamels from starting twice in the series. They jump on Halladay in the opening game, starting off on the right foot. Verlander once again shuts down a potent lineup as he wins the World Series MVP and later on the Cy Young.