MLB: A Full Preview of the 2011 Major League Baseball Season
Baseball season is almost upon us. March 31 is almost here.
You can smell it, Opening Day 2011 is just around the corner.
Last year, everyone had a 2009 World Series re-match picked between the Yankees and the Phillies.
But, the Texas Rangers shocked all of baseball by knocking off the defending champion Yankees in the American League Championship Series and the San Francisco Giants knocked off the heavily-favored Phillies in the National League Championship Series.
In the Fall Classic, it was all San Francisco and their pitching as the Giants defeated the Rangers to win the 2010 World Series four games to one.
Edgar Renteria won the 2010 World Series MVP for the Giants.
With the 2011 season almost a week away now, many wonder what to expect from this next season.
Can the Giants and Rangers get back to the Fall Classic, or will there be two more surprise teams who get their chance to win a championship?
Lets take a look at each team by division and see where their season may end up in 2011.
1. Boston Red Sox
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There is no other way to state it, Boston got a whole lot better this offseason.
They traded for first basemen Adrian Gonzalez from the Padres, which will move Kevin Youkilis to third base.
Then, after it seemed like a lock that he would be headed to Los Angeles, Carl Crawford signed a seven-year deal with the Red Sox.
After a season where they missed the playoffs and finished third, they look destined now to be the favorites to win the American League East.
The big question will be their starting pitching.
Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz are the two most consistent pitchers on the team.
After being acquired in free agency, John Lackey had a disappointing season. Will he rebound?
Josh Beckett has been often injured for Boston and when healthy, looks like a shell of his former self. Can he rebound from his injuries?
Daisuke Matsuzaka has been the most inconsistent pitcher who has also dealt with injuries. His name has also come up in trade talks. With Tim Wakefield still in the picture, will Dice-K be heading out?
2010: 89-73, 3rd place
2011 predicted finish: 96-66, first place
2. New York Yankees
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The Yankees off-season plan revolved around getting Cliff Lee.
They started out with a six year offer, then bumped it to a seven-year offer.
It looked as if they would be the favorites, then in came the Phillies, bringing him back to Philadelphia.
And then—a lot of scratching heads.
It got even worse when Andy Pettitte announced his retirement last month, leaving CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Phil Hughes as the only locks for the rotation.
They did add Rafael Soriano and Pedro Feliciano to create a lock down bullpen with Mariano Rivera.
As far as adding starting pitching, they did add Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia to compete, and so far, both have a chance to make the team.
Many people expect the Yankees to add an arm to the rotation before July 31. Right now they are good enough to make the playoffs.
However, right now Boston is just a little ahead of the Yankees. For now.
2010: 95-67, 2nd place
2011 predicted finish: 93-69, 2nd place
3. Tampa Bay Rays
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So, the Rays lost quite a few players this winter.
Carlos Pena went to the Cubs.
Jason Bartlett went to the Padres.
Carl Crawford went to the Red Sox.
Matt Garza also went to the Cubs.
Rafael Soriano, Dan Wheeler, Grant Balfour, Joaquin Benoit, Randy Choate and Chad Qualls, all went elsewhere. Their entire bullpen, which was a major reason why they won the division, went elsewhere.
They did add Johnny Damon to play left field and Manny Ramirez to be the DH,
This team just lost too much talent to compete with Boston and New York in 2011.
2010: 96-66, 1st place
2011 predicted finish: 85-77, 3rd place
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4. Toronto Blue Jays
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OK, so who had Jose Bautista on their fantasy team when the season started?
Most probably didn't, but after hitting 54 home runs and 124 RBI, I bet a lot of you will try to get him now.
Because of Bautista's emergence, it earned him a nice five-year extension and pay raise.
The only question is, with his power, will pitchers start to throw around him now? Most likely.
Despite trading away Roy Halladay, Toronto still won 85 games last season. They are in a very tough division, unfortunately and can find it tough to compete without the necessary firepower.
However, Toronto tends to be a thorn in the sides of the Yankees and Red Sox at times and can give any team a hard time.
2010: 85-77, 4th place
2011 predicted finish: 83-79, 4th place
5. Baltimore Orioles
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There is good news for the fans in Baltimore. There is some hope after all.
Former Yankees, Diamondbacks and Rangers skipper Buck Showalter took over the reins of the O's last summer and went 34-23, showing what he can do to help improve the team.
Now, they have some new players who can help immediately.
Vladimir Guerrero, Derrek Lee and Mark Reynolds instantly give this team some offensive fire power to go along with Brian Roberts, Matt Wieters, Nick Markakis and Adam Jones.
The trouble will be starting pitching. They added Justin Duchscherer, who has been injured for the last two years.
They have guys like Zach Britton, Jake Arrieta, Chris Tillman and Brian Matusz in the rotation, all pitchers who have shown they can be promising, but if they continue to take their knocks as youngsters, that will be where Baltimore continues to lack.
Baltimore eventually will be good, but they are still a work in progress,.
2010: 66-96, 5th place
2011 predicted finish: 74-88, 5th place
1. Minnesota Twins
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The Twins used to be known as a low-market team.
Then they opened up brand new Target Field, re-signed Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau to decent sized contracts and now it seems as if the Twins aren't so low-market anymore.
They've won the A.L. Central the past two seasons and are the favorites to win the division again.
Manager Ron Gardenhire always does a tremendous job with his team, teaching them fundamentals and playing the game the right way.
They are very good at developing their own talent, like Mauer and Morneau, plus sprinkle in the veterans like Jim Thome and Carl Pavano, and it makes for a solid team.
Their only problem; getting out of the first round of the playoffs and running into the Yankees.
2010: 94-68, 1st place
2011 predicted finish: 91-71, 1st place
2. Chicago White Sox
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The White Sox finished 2010 with a good season, but came up short because the Twins were just a little better.
So, to re-vamp the offense, the White Sox added Adam Dunn to play DH. The White Sox were able to keep Paul Konerko for another three years to play first, a position Dunn would have played if Konerko had left.
The White Sox rotation is very solid with Jake Peavy, Mark Buehrle, John Danks, Gavin Floyd and Edwin Jackson.
The key to the rotation is the ace, Peavy, who has had trouble staying healthy over the last two seasons, making only 33 starts in that time.
Bobby Jenks left as the closer and went to the Red Sox, and in the mean time, he and Ozzie Guillen have had their war of words in the media against each other.
2010: 88-74
2011 Predicted finish: 89-73
3. Detroit Tigers
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The Tigers made their free agent splash early in the winter by adding two key parts.
First, they added Joaquin Benoit to be the setup man for Jose Valverde in the bullpen.
They also got Victor Martinez to be their catcher, play first base and to be a DH.
Aside from losing Johnny Damon to the Tampa Bay Rays, the Tigers are bringing back virtually their entire roster with the addition of Martinez to the lineup.
Most of their rotation is fairly young with Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, Rick Porcello and Phil Coke as the main core plus adding Brad Penny in the winter.
The Tigers do have a main concern on their hands with Miguel Cabrera. He's been arrested a couple of times now, once for a DUI and once for a domestic dispute with his wife, which was also alcohol related.
If Cabrera can stay sober and on the field, he is an MVP candidate and a dangerous hitter.
2010: 81-81
2011 Predicted finish: 84-78
4. Cleveland Indians
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Four years ago, the Indans were one game away from reaching the World Series.
Four year later, a lot of things have changed, and not for the better. Grady Sizemore has been there to see the changes.
Mostly from the rehab table though lately, as he has been injured a lot over the past year.
When healthy, Sizemore is a fantastic player with a ton of talent. But when you spend most of the time on the DL, that talent doesn't matter.
Speaking of often injured, the Indians signed Nick Johnson to a minor league deal. Smart choice giving him a non-guaranteed contract, unlike the Yankees last year.
Anyone want to take bets on how many games it takes for Nick Johnson to get hurt again? 10? 12?
On a more serious level, I wonder how long it will take for the Indians to start taking inquiries on Fausto Carmona?
2010: 69-93
2011 Predicted finish: 71-91
5. Kansas City Royals
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Zack Greinke was traded to the Brewers. David DeJesus was traded to the A's.
Somehow, Joakim Soria wasn't traded. At least, not yet.
They did give Jeff Francis a chance to give his career another chance after being out with multiple injuries to his arm.
They also brought in former Yankees outfielder Melky Cabrera and former Mets outfielder Jeff Francoeur. Both guys have been seen as fourth outfielders in the past, but in Kansas City, will have a chance to start.
One of the few bright spots of this team will be Lorenzo Cain, the player who was the main piece of the Greinke deal. He will look to compete for the center field job, most likely will be won by Cabrera early.
But if Cain lives up to his potential, he could take over and be a star.
2010: 67-95
2011 Predicted Finish: 64-98
1. Texas Rangers
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The Rangers really made a name for themselves in 2010.
They won the American League West rather easily.
After beating the Rays in the ALDS, they shocked the world by knocking off the defending champion Yankees in the ALCS before being defeated in the World Series by the Giants.
A lot of it was attributed to the great play by American League MVP Josh Hamilton, who just continues to blossom in Arlington.
One of the biggest losses for the Rangers was the departure of Cliff Lee, who came over in July in a trade, then left to return to the Phillies.
Many felt without Lee, the Rangers don't get as far as they did in the postseason, so it will be interesting to see how the Rangers pitching staff handles not having him there.
They will hope Brandon Webb can be a suitable replacement as he hopes to find his form from his Arizona days.
They did add Adrian Beltre to the offense, while they continue to shop around Michael Young.
2010: 90-72
2011 Predicted finish: 90-72
2. Oakland A's
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Billy Beane was certainly active this offseason.
He brought in Hideki Matsui, David DeJesus and Josh Willingham to the offense.
He brought in Brian Fuentes, Grant Balfour and brought back Rich Harden to the pitching staff.
Oakland's strength will be their starting pitching, as most of it is home grown and has the potential to be very good.
Dallas Braden already made a name for himself by throwing a perfect game last season.
Brett Anderson, Trevor Cahill and Gio Gonzalez are all very good and young arms who will continue to get better.
Oakland is on the rise again with talent all over on this team.
It will only be a matter of time before they become a playoff team again.
2010: 81-81
2011 Predicted finish: 84-78
3. Los Angeles Angels
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Everyone had the Angels getting Carl Crawford this winter. It seemed like it was a guarantee.
Then, the Red Sox swooped in and landed him in a massive seven-year deal.
It kind of left Angels fans baffled and angered.
They did eventually make a move, trading catcher Mike Napoli and outfielder Juan Rivera to Toronto for Vernon Wells.
The same Vernon Wells who had one of the worst contracts in baseball? Yup, the one and same.
Wells did play a lot better in 2010, hitting 31 home runs, so maybe he'll regain some of his past form.
Manager Mike Scioscia has his work cut out for him again this year, as this team may not be a contender again, despite making a deal for Dan Haren last summer.
2010: 80-82
2011 Predicted Finish: 83-79
4. Seattle Mariners
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The Mariners were a bad team in 2010. Just awful.
But they did have one bright spot. Felix Hernanez.
Even though he finished 13-12, he had a 2.27 ERA, pitched 249.2 innings, recorded 232 strikeouts and pitched six complete games en route to the American League Cy Young Award.
On a lousy team, Hernandez definitely showed why he is called "King Felix."
Now if Seattle can only put a decent team around him.
OK, so there is Ichiro Suzuki, who at age 37, continues to rack up 200-hit seasons every year he's been in baseball since 2001.
Not only does he get 200-hits every year, he's also hit .300 every season and has won 10 straight American League Gold Gloves. Plus, he's been named to 10 straight All Star Games.
You have to wonder if he continues to stay healthy, if Ichiro can reach 3,000 hits. Currently, he's at 2,244 hits. So the way he is going, he would have to play four more seasons with 200 hits in each of them.
The way he's going, he'll get it.
2010: 61-101
2011 Predicted Finish: 68-94
1. Philadelphia Phillies
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Everyone thought Cliff Lee was either going back to the Rangers or to the Yankees.
Lee showed the entire world money doesn't mean everything after leaving two guaranteed years and over 40 million guaranteed on the table from the Yankees and returned to the Phillies for a five-year deal.
Lee will join a rotation with Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt, Cole Hamels and Joe Blanton to form one of the best rotations ever assembled in baseball.
Speaking of Halladay, he had three major accomplishments in 2010.
He threw a perfect game against the Marlins. In his first ever playoff game, he threw a no-hitter in Game 1 of the NLCS against the Reds. He also won the 2010 National League Cy Young, winning the award in both leagues.
The offense is very good too, but they have a major concern with Chase Utley, whose knee is not looking too good these days.
Luis Castillo was signed just in case Utley misses any major time due to injury, and especially if Utley requires surgery.
The offense still has enough to win with Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino.
They lost Jayson Werth to free agency, and with Utley's injury plus the early injury to Domonic Brown, Werth's bat sure does look like it could be missed.
2010: 97-65
2011 Predicted Finish: 96-66
2. Atlanta Braves
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This will be the first year in the post-Bobby Cox reign for the Braves.
Atlanta was able to get to the playoffs one last time with Cox as the manager, but were eliminated in the first round by the Giants.
Cox was with the Braves from 1990 all the way until last year. He won the National League East every year from 1991 until 2005, won five National League Championships and the 1995 World Series.
Now, it will be Freddi Gonzalez's turn to run the Braves.
The Braves are on the right path though, especially with phenom Jason Heyward, who hit 18 home runs and drove in 72 RBI in his rookie season. Heyward will only get better.
Pitching will be the Braves strength with Tommy Hanson, Derek Lowe and Tim Hudson at the front of the rotation.
Altanta will have to figure out who will be their next closer after Billy Wagner decided to retire and end his career. Craig Kimbrel seems like he could be the man for the job.
2010: 91-71
2011 Predicted finish: 90-72
3. Florida Marlins
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The Marlins continue to develop their own talent and get better each year.
They have one of the best young shortstops in the game with Hanley Ramirez. They have him under control, as long as they can afford to pay him.
Their pitching starts with Josh Johnson. He's become one of the best young pitchers in the game and he falls in the same boat as Ramirez. If Florida can hold onto him and pay him, he will stay in Miami.
To go along with Johnson, Florida has Ricky Nolasco and Chris Volstad, two other young pitchers on the rise.
Florida also added former Yankees cast-off Javier Vazquez, who struggled tremendously in the American League due to lack of velocity and consistency.
Vazquez is more suited for the National League and probably will be more successful moving back.
2010: 80-82
2011 Predicted finish: 83-79
4. New York Mets
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Omar Minaya FINALLY got fired, and so did Jerry Manuel.
Sandy Alderson and Terry Collins were brought in to replace them. It's a start.
Then, it finally happened.
BOTH Luis Castillo and Oliver Perez and their undeserved contracts got released, giving Mets fans all over reason that there is some hope.
The Mets have two key players—both in contract years—and many wonder if they will be back after this year.
Carlos Beltran is coming off major knee surgery and is looking to fully recover. He will also be moving to right field, putting Angel Pagan in center.
If Beltran plays well, will Alderson try to trade him for something?
Also, Jose Reyes is a free agent after 2011. Like Beltran, Reyes has had his share of injuries.
Again like Beltran, if Reyes plays well, will the Mets look to get something for him?
2010: 79-83
2011 Predicted Finish: 72-90
5. Washington Nationals
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When the winter started, right away, everyone knew the Nationals were in it to spend some money and make a splash.
They were in on the Cliff Lee sweepstakes, but eventually fell out.
They did, however, land Jayson Werth with a huge seven year deal that stunned everyone in baseball. The contract had a lot of people wondering if Werth was even worth that money.
Last year, the Nationals brought up their top draft pick in Stephen Strasburg, who just dazzled everyone in his debut against the Pirates and showed how dominant he can be against major league talent.
Unfortunately, Strasburg had to undergo Tommy John Surgery and may not make it back until at least this September. Nationals fans can only hope he fully recovers so he will come back to be a dominating ace.
Strasburg isn't the only young player Washington fans will have to wait on. Bryce Harper was drafted last year and is seen as another superstar in the making.
This isn't the same Nationals team that is destined to stay in last place. They will eventually be on the rise.
2010: 69-93
2011 Projected Finish: 70-92
1. Cincinnati Reds
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Where did the Reds come from last year?
They won 91 games, the National League Central and made the playoffs for the first time since their one game playoff against the Mets in 1999.
Oh, and not to mention, Joey Votto won the National League MVP and came close to winning the Triple Crown Award.
The Reds pitching of Bronson Arroyo, Mike Leake, Edinson Volquez, Johnny Cueto and Homer Bailey will look to continue the success Cincinnati had from 2010.
One weapon the Reds have in their bullpen is left-hander Aroldis Chapman, who came onto the scene in 2010 and topped the radar guns at 101 miles per hour last year.
Dusty Baker will continue to bring Chapman out of the bullpen, especially to dominate against lefties, although Chapman is seen long-term as a starter.
One interesting move they made was bringing in Edgar Renteria, who was the World Series MVP with the Giants last year.
2010: 91-71
2011 Predicted Finish: 93-69
2. Milwaukee Brewers
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The Brewers made a shocker during the winter.
They were the ones that pried Zack Greinke away from Kansas City in a huge trade.
They also added Shaun Marcum from Toronto to go with Randy Wolf, Manna Parra and Yovani Gallardo to form a pretty solid pitching staff.
By adding the likes of Greinke, it changes a lot in Milwaukee. It shows that they are looking to win now.
Offensively, Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun are a solid 1-2 punch in the middle of the Brewers lineup.
Fielder is a free agent after the season, so look for Milwaukee to try and lock him up long-term. On the open market, Fielder could easily make $100 million-plus from a big market team.
The key to the Brewers offense is getting the same production out of Rickie Weeks, Corey Hart and Casey McGehee.
Not too many people might know about McGehee. He hit 23 home runs and 104 RBI playing third base last year. If he continues to play well, you might see him in an all-star game soon.
2010: 77-85
2011 Predicted Finish: 88-74
3. Chicago Cubs
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The Cubs made some changes to their team after a really disappointing 2010.
Lou Piniella retired from baseball, and Mike Quade will be the new manager.
Carlos Pena signed as a free agent and Matt Garza came in a trade from Tampa Bay, giving the lineup and rotation a boost.
Garza will join a rotation with Carlos Zambrano, Ryan Dempster and Randy Wells. Carlos Silva is in the rotation too, but he seems to find himself on the trading block.
When mentally stable, Zambrano can dominate a game. But when he melts down, he is his own worst enemy. For the Cubs sake, he needs to keep his composure.
Can Aramis Ramirez and Alfonso Soriano have rebound seasons?
They both need to, especially since Ramirez hit just .241 and Soriano hit just .258.
Chicago did go 24-13 under Quade last year. Maybe the fresh start for the roster is just what they need.
2010: 75-87
2011 Predicted Finish: 84-78
4. St. Louis Cardinals
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St. Louis has got some issues going into 2011.
First, they lost Adam Wainwright for the season to Tommy John surgery, which is a huge blow to their rotation.
Then, they have to figure out if they want to keep Chris Carpenter, who is a free-agent to be and possibly a trading chip in the summer.
But the big one is Albert Pujols.
Pujols is also a free-agent to be who wanted to work out a contract extension before Spring Training and it never got worked out. So when the season ends, it looks like the best player in the game will be hitting the open market.
Will St. Louis pony up the money? Does Pujols even want to stay in St. Louis?
The lingering news of Pujols may cause a major distraction in St. Louis this season. One that might be too hard to overcome, especially with Cincinnati and the possible rise of Milwaukee in the division.
2010: 86-76
2011 Predicted Finish: 78-84
5. Houston Astros
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Houston decided to make some changes last summer.
They traded away Lance Berkman to the Yankees, who is now on the Cardinals.
They also traded away Roy Oswalt to the Phillies. They were two of two of the longest running members of the team who were also a part of the 2005 squad that reached the World Series.
Under second year manager Brad Mills, the Astros will look to continue to develop their young talent like Hunter Pence in the lineup and Wandy Rodriguez and Bud Norris in the rotation.
Surprisingly, Brett Myers had a stellar year for the Astros and turned out to be their ace in 2010.
Although he is locked up by Houston and they aren't looking to trade away his contract, teams looking for pitching will probably be calling Houston asking about the availability of Myers.
If Houston is out of it by June, they might be smart to deal Myers for prospects.
If they were even smarter, they would try to find a taker for Carlos Lee and his bad contract.
2010: 76-86
2011 Projected Finish: 74-88
6. Pittsburgh Pirates
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We have come to officially the worst baseball team in the sport.
And really, we have come to maybe the worst run franchise in all of sports, maybe even worse than the NBA's Los Angeles Clippers.
Since 1992, the Pirates have had 18-straight losing seasons, and number 19 will probably happen again in 2011.
The Pirates do have some young talent on the team like Andrew McCutchen and Garrett Jones.
Jones has established himself as a solid player in Pittsburgh, hitting 21 home runs last season.
McCutchen entered his second season in 2010 and played fairly well and continues to get better.
There's only one problem though for the Pirates.
When a player gets really good in Pittsburgh, they eventually get traded, because Pirates ownership doesn't want, or can't afford, to pay them.
If I were a Pirates fan, I'd either be focused on the Penguin's playoff run or already counting down the days until Steelers season starts.
2010: 57-105
2011 Predicted Finish: 55-107
1. San Francisco Giants
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For the last couple of years, the Giants had fantastic pitching. All they needed was a little offense.
Add in Aubrey Huff, Cody Ross, Freddy Sanchez and Pat Burrell to go along with Pablo Sandoval and not only did this team win games, but for the first time in 54 years, the Giants won the World Series.
It was nice to see Bruce Bochy finally win his first championship as a manager. He got close in 1998 with the Padres, but the 125-win Yankees took care of that World Series.
Most of the baseball world already knew about Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain being dominant. But now with Jonathan Sanchez and Madison Bumgarner, the Giants have a rotation set up to dominate for years.
Brian Wilson became an instant superstar during the playoffs and a fan favorite, especially with people coming to games with Wilson's "beard" on their faces.
Wilson might look like a punker rock star, but oh man, can he pitch!
Giants fans still wonder if they can unload their worst contract in Barry Zito. They don't need him anymore in the rotation.
Not only are the Giants set up to win this year, they are set up to win for a long time. Kudos to GM Brian Sabean for putting together this team.
2010: 92-70
2011 Predicted Finish: 94-68
2. Colorado Rockies
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Over the last couple of years, the Rockies have been up and down.
In 2007, they won the National League Championship and reached their first World Series.
They missed the playoffs in 2008.
They won the wild card in 2009 and missed out on the playoffs in 2010, but still finished above .500 in a very tough N.L. West.
This team is full of emerging stars.
Ubaldo Jimenez won 19 games, started for the National League in the All Star Game and tossed a no-hitter.
At 27, Jimenez is just peaking and will only get better.
The Rockies also locked up two of their superstars long term this winter.
Shortstop Troy Tulowitski and outfielder Carlos Gonzalez are both young players hitting their peak for the Rockies and as long as they stay healthy, could help Colorado become a playoff team again.
2010: 83-79
2011 Predicted Finish: 90-72
3. San Diego Padres
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Who would have ever thought the Padres would have won 90 games in 2010? Definitely not me.
The Padres did trade away first basemen Adrian Gonzalez to the Red Sox, but did land top pitching prospect Casey Kelly in the deal.
Losing Gonzalez though might set the Padres offense back some.
They did bring in Orlando Hudson and Jason Bartlett to the offense.
Pitching is the key for the Padres, especially their bullpen.
Heath Bell has always been a good closer, but he got some major help in 2010 with the combination of Mike Adams, Luke Gregerson and Joe Thatcher.
Gregerson (3.22), Adams (1.76) and Thatcher (1.29) all had fantastic years in San Diego building the bridge to Bell (1.93).
If the bullpen can repeat what it did in 2010, the Padres will still contend in the West.
2010: 90-72
2011 Predicted Finish: 87-75
4. Los Angeles Dodgers
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After Joe Torre retired as a manager from baseball, Don Mattingly will finally get his chance to manage in the big leagues.
The long-time Yankee great cut his teeth under Torre first with the Yankees and then the Dodgers and now will get to run things in Los Angeles.
He's got some good, young players to work with. Clayton Kershaw and Chad Billingsley are two good, young arms in the Dodgers rotation.
James Loney, Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp are all players on the rise for Los Angeles, especially Kemp, who is seen as a great talent.
Kemps' average did drop to .249 and his RBI totals went down to 89 and he struck out 170 times last season, but he gets a chance for rebound season in Dodger Blue.
Mattingly has his work cut out for him in 2011. It'll be interesting to see a full season now for the Dodgers without Manny Ramirez in the lineup anymore.
2010: 80-82
2011 Predicted Finish: 76-86
5. Arizona Diamondbacks
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Another former baseball legend (at least in Los Angeles, he definitely is) has finally gotten his chance to be a manager in Arizona.
He was a bench coach in Detroit and then in Arizona, and then once A.J. Hinch got fired, Kirk Gibson finally got his chance to be a manager.
2011 will be his first full season, and he too has a lot of work cut out for him.
His pitching staff has some young talent on it with Daniel Hudson, Zach Duke, Ian Kennedy, Joe Saunders and Armando Galarraga.
Many people remember Galarraga for his near-perfect game for the Tigers that was taken away by a bad call by umpire Jim Joyce. Galarraga did handle the situation perfectly as did Joyce.
Since Detroit's rotation was full, Galarraga was traded to Arizona, where he will have a chance to start and do well in the National League.
Although fans might find it hard to come to the games where Arizona might find themselves in last place again, Arizona's Chase Field will play host to the 2011 All Star Game.
So for at least a few days, fans will come to the ballpark.
2010: 65-97
2011 Predicted Finish: 67-95
Playoff Predictions
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In the American League:
The Boston Red Sox win the American League East.
The Minnesota Twins win the American League Central.
The Texas Rangers win the American League West.
The New York Yankees win the American League Wild Card,
In the National League:
The Philadelphia Phillies win the National League East.
The Cincinnati Reds win the National League Central.
The San Francisco Giants win the National League West.
The Colorado Rockies win the National League Wild Card.
With a week to go, hope you are all as excited for baseball season as I am to begin. Good luck to all of your teams in 2011 and lets play ball!
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