Winks' MLB Predictions

I'd be amiss if as a blog writer I did't give my predictions on the upcoming MLB season. I'm probably going to be a bit of a homer with where I rank the Brewers, but that's part of the fun.

AL East

1. Boston Red Sox
2. New York Yankees
3. Toronto Blue Jays
4. Tampa Bay Devil Rays
5. Baltimore Orioles

I'm going with the World Series champs to win the division, even though many people like them as the Wild Card this year. Only one team is coming out of this division, which is a shame because even though I hate the Red Sox, its good to have them and the Yanks in the playoffs (at least for FOX). And I don't see the Yanks getting in, even though they won't miss a step with new manager Joe Giradi. The Blue Jays need to wait about ten more years for the Red Sox / Yankees dominance to blow over before they can get a chance. The Devil Rays could put up 80 wins, they have a good sqaud and are turning things around. Expect them to compete for the wild card in 2009. The Orioles are just kind of floating by.

AL Central

1. Detroit Tigers
2. Cleveland Indians
3. Chicago White Sox
4. Kansas City Royals
5. Minnesota Twins

The Tigers, with one of the toughest lineups in baseball, are going to come out of the always tough AL Central. I like their lineup, I like their staff, therefore I like their chances. The Indians are going to build off their success from last year and make a return trip to the playoffs as the Wild Card. The White Sox, now a few years removed from their World Series victory, aren't what they used to be but still have enough piecies to contend through August. I like how the Royals have been rebuilding, and led by Alex Gordon I expect decent things for them this year. They could possibly take third in the division. The Twins, after losing Hunter and Santana, still have enough in place to make them competitive, but I think it's going to be a very down year for Minnesota. I bet a friend that they don't finish over .500, I can't believe I actually got someone to make that bet. Maybe I'm putting too much on them losing Santana, but besides that I don't think Liriano is fully ready, and their outfield concerns me. Couple years away.

AL West

1. Seattle Mariners
2. Los Angeles Angels
3. Oakland Athletics
4. Texas Rangers

A lot of people are taking the Angels to win the West, so I'm going to shake it up a bit and throw Seattle in their. The Mariners think they can compete position by position with LA, and I don't see why they can't. I see a big surprise year out of Richie Sexson, who will lead them to a divison title. Los Angeles will miss out on the Wild Card in the season's final weekend. The A's are still rebuilding, but should compete for a while, Texas will start to see some payoff from last year's Teixera trade, and are building a good foundation for the future.

NL EAST

1. New York Mets
2. Atlanta Braves
3. Philadelphia Philles
4. Washington Nationals
5. Florida Marlins

The Mets free willing will pay off for them this year, unlike last year when they suffered a late season collapse. I'm going to go with the Braves to win the Wild Card, I like what they did at the end of last season and think they're a solid team. The Phillies deserve to be better than a third place team, but they're in a tough division. That's not counting the Nationals and Marlins however. The Marlins are one of the weirdest teams in pro sports, in terms of history. They've been around about 15 years, won two World Series six years apart, but were lousy the other thirteen years. Florida needs to show signs off rebuilding, otherwise the future of baseball in Miami could be in jeopardy (If I'm not mistaken, I think they are going to officially change their name to the Miami Marlins next year).

NL Central

1. Milwaukee Brewers
2. Chicago Cubs
3. Cincinnati Reds
4. Houston Astros
5. Pittsburgh Pirates
6. St. Louis Cardinals

Call me a homer, but I think the Brewers have finally assembled a team that can get them to the playoffs for the first time in my entire lifetime. They have the lineup, an improved defense, and a bullpen I can believe in. Side note about the Brewers. In one of my fantasy leagues, which is full of Brewers fans, Sheets and Bush were drafted. Parra and Villanueva were just picked up off waivers. Yet the Brewers number two pitcher, Jeff Suppan, isn't on a single roster. How can that be? Maybe I'll take a flier on him after I'm done with this. Anyways, I think the Brewers are going to reach the NLCS, and then make a run at the World Series next season. Next up the Cubs, who have a scary team, but will have one bad month that eventually dooms their season. I think the Brewers win the division by 5-10 games, but the Cubs are going to miss out on the Wild Card thanks to that last series of the year against Milwaukee. The Reds will be Brewer Killers again, and take the 3rd spot. The Astros aren't very good, but they're not that bad either. I like what the Pirates are doing and for some reason I'm really down on St. Louis.

NL West

1. Colorado Rockies
2. Arizona Diamondbacks
3. Los Angeles Dodgers
4. San Diego Padres
5. San Francisco Giants

The Rockies, fresh off a World Series appearance, will make a return trip to the postseason. They are almost like the Brewers, except with playoff experience. The Diamondbacks are solid too, I wouldn't be surprised if they won the division at all. The Dodgers and Padres will be right in the mix, but the Giants are probably the worst team in baseball.

AL Playoffs

Tigers over Mariners
Indians over Red Sox

Tigers over Red Sox

NL Playoffs

Brewers over Braves
Mets over Rockies

Mets over Brewers

2008 World Series

Tigers over Mets

What do you guys think?