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What’s a season preview without predictions? An incomplete one, that’s what.

To go along with our 2010 MLB Season Preview, below are predictions for the upcoming baseball season. Not only did we pick division, league and championship winners, but we also made predictions for some of the top player awards as well.

As always, feel free to bash our predictions but the rule is that if you’re going to criticize our picks, you have to make some of your own. Don’t be the guy that comes back a year later to chirp about how wrong we were. Nobody likes that guy. If you’re that guy, then let it be known that nobody likes you.

Enjoy!

AL East: Yankees.
The Red Sox have the best pitching in the division and despite popular belief, they have more than enough offense to unseat the Yankees too. But they also have too many question marks: Can John Lackey stay healthy? Will David Ortiz resemble the second half or first half player from 2009? Will Adrian Beltre rebound? The Yankees have fewer questions to be answered and a more complete roster from top to bottom. The Rays could easily jump back into the postseason mix this season, but B.J. Upton is the key. If he can rebound, then Tampa will give New York and Boston all they can handle. If he doesn’t, then the Rays will likely fall to the middle of the pack in the AL. The Orioles are a team on the rise, but their pitching will probably hold them back and the Jays will crumble without Roy Halladay.

AL Central: White Sox.
Twins and Tiger fans have reason to argue this pick but the bottom line is that this division is a crapshoot every year. The White Sox have plenty of question marks, but if Jake Peavy stays healthy then they have the best pitching in the division and while their offense is a serious concern, I’m banking on veterans Carlos Quentin and Alex Rios bouncing back and for youngsters like Gordon Beckham to make a major contribution. The Twins will no doubt be in contention throughout the year with their two MVPs Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau, but their starting pitching is still a question mark and can Jon Rauch (or whomever) replace Joe Nathan? The Tigers have enough talent to be dangerous, but is the front office committed to winning? After trading Curtis Granderson in the offseason in an obvious cost-cutting move, that’s debatable. As for the Royals and Indians, well let’s just say this is a three-team race and neither club was invited to the party. Although Zack Greinke is reason enough to go to Kauffman Stadium every fifth day.

AL West: Angels.
The Mariners and Rangers should scare the Angels, who lost their leadoff hitter (Chone Figgins), their main power source (Vlad Guerrero) and their ace (John Lackey) all in one offseason. But the Halos retool as well as any team in the league and they still have the best overall talent in the division. Of course, they’ll need Scott Kazmir to pitch a full season and for free agent pickup Hideki Matsui to supply power in the middle of the lineup, but the Angels should once again wear the AL West crown at the end of the season. The Mariners have the best pitching in the division after acquiring Cliff Lee, but their lineup lacks major punch. The Rangers have the opposite problem, as their offense should score plenty of runs but their pitching is once again a question mark (although youngster Neftali Feliz is my pick to win the AL Rookie of the Year award). The A’s have a couple of young pieces, but they’ll have a tough time competing this season with a lineup that is headlined by Coco Crisp and Jack Cust.

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In order to help get you ready for the MLB season, we’re doing division-by-division rankings with quick overviews on how each club could fair in 2010. Next to each team, you’ll also find a corresponding number written in parenthesis, which indicates where we believe that club falls in a league-wide power ranking. Be sure to check back throughout the next two weeks leading up to the season, as we will be updating our content daily. Enjoy.

All 2010 MLB Preview Content | AL East Preview | AL Central Preview | AL West Preview | NL East | NL Central | NL West

Last up is the NL West.

1. Colorado Rockies (7)
Before I wax poetically about the youthful Rockies, I have an axe to grind about the television broadcasting crew of Drew Goodman, Jeff Huson and George Frazier. Those three form one of the most biased, nonobjective broadcasting teams in baseball history. I’m not kidding. The Rockies never get the same calls as their opponents do. The Rockies never get the national recognition like everyone else does. The Rockies are the greatest team to ever walk the planet and if they played a roster compiled of Jesus, Moses, God and the 12 apostles, Colorado should win 5-4 in extras nine times out of 10. If not, the Rockies beat themselves, because there’s no way Jesus and the gang were better. Don’t believe me? Just ask Goodman, Huson and Frazier. All right, now that that’s out of the way – the Rockies are a damn fine club and should leapfrog the Dodgers in the division this year. Their core – Troy Tulowitzki, Ian Stewart, Chris Iannetta, Dexter Fowler and Carlos Gonzalez – are all 27 years old or younger and that doesn’t include 26-year-old stud Ubaldo Jimenez, who is absolutely filthy when he’s on. Throw in key veterans like Todd Helton (a perennial .300 hitter) and Jeff Francis (who could win 15-plus games filling in for the departed Jason Marquis), and Colorado has the tools to make a deep run. The question is whether or not starters Francis and Jorge De La Rosa will keep their ERAs below 5.00 and the young offensive players can move forward in their development and not backwards. But outside of the ultra-annoying broadcast team, I love the Rockies from top to bottom this year and believe they can do some damage in 2010.

Read the rest of this entry »

In order to help get you ready for the MLB season, we’re doing division-by-division rankings with quick overviews on how each club could fair in 2010. Next to each team, you’ll also find a corresponding number written in parenthesis, which indicates where we believe that club falls in a league-wide power ranking. Be sure to check back throughout the next two weeks leading up to the season, as we will be updating our content daily. Enjoy.

All 2010 MLB Preview Content | AL East Preview | AL Central Preview | AL West Preview | NL East | NL Central | NL West

Next up is the NL Central.

1. St. Louis Cardinals (4)
Albert Pujols, Chris Carpenter, Adam Wainwright and Matt Holliday could help the Cardinals win this division sauced out of their minds on a nightly basis. That said, would anyone really be surprised if Carpenter’s arm falls off and the starting pitching (which is among the best in the league) suffers? It’s happened before, so if you answered “yes” to the proposed question then you sir or madam, have not been paying attention. Still, the addition of Brad Penny (who pitched well in the second half last year) will strengthen the club’s starting pitching and Kyle Lohse is a fine middle of the rotation guy. Pujols and Holliday will ignite the offense again, although Colby Rasmus might be the key to whether or not this team makes a serious World Series run. Skip Schumaker is a solid table setter, but how Rasmus fairs hitting in front of Pujols and Holliday could be the difference between the Cards winning the NL Central again and playing for a championship. David Freese better produce too or else the club will regret not acquiring a veteran third baseman in the offseason. All in all, the Cardinals are the best the NL Central has to offer and should make another postseason appearance this season. But how far they go beyond that depends on whether or not Carpenter and Wainwright can continue their magic and if Pujols and Holliday receive help from the rest of the lineup.

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