Playoffs and Awards Predictions

PLAYOFFS PREDICTIONS:

National League:
LA Dodgers over Chicago Cubs (in 4)
Furcal's return combined with the Cubs' constant postseason choking makes this upset very plausible.

Philadelphia Phillies over Milwaukee Brewers (in 3)
Phillies owned the Brewers recently and the Brewers pitchers are sketchy.

LA Dodgers overs Philadelphia Phillies (in 6)
Manny, Martin, and Furcal will overwhelm Howard, Utley, and Rollins.

American League:
LA Angels over Boston Red Sox (in 4)
The Angels have OWNED the Red Sox this season with an 8-1 record.

Tampa Bay Rays over Chicago White Sox (in 5)
This will make me sad, but the Rays' pitching is too dominant.

LA Angels over Tampa Bay Rays (in 6)
Regardless of what analysts say, the Angels have truly been the best team in baseball the entire season, not the Rays.

WORLD SERIES:
LA Angels over LA Dodgers (in 4)
It's no Cross-town Classic, but the Freeway Series will do. The Angels will rock the Dodgers.

AWARDS:

AL Cy Young:
Who Will Win: Cliff Lee [no-brainer]
Who Should Win:Cliff Lee. No other American League pitcher has been dominant as the AL Comeback Player of the Year. 22 wins 3 losses and 2.54 ERA leads the AL. He was second in the AL in WHIP (1.11), complete games (4), and IP (223.1).
Honorable Mentions:Roy Halladay, Mike Mussina, Daisuke Matzusaka, Francisco Rodriguez

NL Cy Young:
Who Will Win: Brad Lidge [ESPN and SI analysts have been going crazy on this]
Who Should Win:Tim Lincecum. The freak lead the NL in strikeouts (265). He was second in wins (265) and ERA (2.62). He was third in IP (227) and had few walks (84) and small WHIP (1.17)
Honorable Mentions: Johan Santana, Brandon Webb, CC Sabathia, Ryan Dempster

AL MVP:
Who Will Win: Dustin Pedroia [Boston-loving media will cause this]
Who Should Win:Justin Morneau.  Morneau carried the twins to 163 games and a potential playoff spot. The Red Sox could survive without Pedroia, but the Twins could not survive without Morneau. Morneau had better stats than Pedroia (Pedroia has .326 avg/17 HR/83 RBI... Morneau has .300 avg/23 HR/129 RBI). Morneau was much more valuable to his team than Pedroia was.
Honorable Mentions: Kevin Youkilis, Josh Hamilton, Miguel Cabrera, Carlos Quentin*, Ian Kinsler*

NL MVP:
Who Will Win: Albert Pujols [and maybe deservedly so]
Who Should Win:Ryan Howard. With Chuttles and Rollins slumping, Howard stepped up big and accelerate the Mets' second collapse. Howard had 48 HR and 146 RBI, albeit a terrible .251 avg. Pujols would be my pick to click if his team didn't finish in fourth place.
Honorable Mentions: Lance Berkman, Carlos Delgado, Chase Utley, Manny Ramirez*, CC Sabathia*

AL Rookie Of the Year:
Who Will Win: Evan Longoria [no-brainer]
Who Should Win:Evan Longoria. He was the Rays' offense and an excellent defensive third basemen. Monster rookies stats include .272 avg, 27 HR, 85 RBI, and .531 slugging.
Honorable Mentions: Alexei Ramirez, Mike Aviles, Jacoby Ellsbury, Armando Galarraga

NL Rookie of the Year:
Who Will Win:Geovanny Soto [no-brainer]
Who Should Win: Geovanny Soto. The Cubs' rookie catcher was phenomenal (which is very hard for a White Sox fan to say). He has a .285 avg, 23 HR, and 86 RBI and his defense wasn't to shabby, either.
Honorable Mentions: Jair Jurrjens, Joey Votto, Blake DeWitt, Edgar Gonzalez

AL Manager of the Year:
Who Will Win: Joe Maddon [no-brainer]
Who Should Win: Joe Maddon. Obviously. He took a terrible team combined with managerial genius and young talent to knock off the dominance of the Yankees and Red Sox in the AL East. He proved that the Rays were no fluke. What a turn around.
Honorable Mentions: Ron Gardenhire, Mike Scioscia

NL Manager of the Year:
Who Will Win: Lou Piniella [the Cubs-loving media, of course]
Who Should Win: Fredi Gonzalez. He took a terrible team with only two stars in the NL East race until the end. Lou Piniella is like Terry Francona - an overrated manager with a talented team.
Honorable Mentions: Charlie Manuel, Ned Yost*, Joe Torre