2013 MLB Season Preview

AMERICAN LEAGUE

AL East

1. Yankees

2. Orioles (Wild Card)

3. Rays

4. Blue Jays

5. Red Sox

Acquiring a few injury-prone stars and a No. 4-caliber starter from a last place team (Reyes, Johnson, Bonifacio, & Buerhle) does not a champion make. The Yankees will tread water and hang in contention until they get healthy in June/July and finish the season strongly. Baltimore follows with another strong year. The Rays are still a tough out while undergoing a mini-rebuilding (or re-tooling). Boston will be eagerly hoping for one of their starters to pitch to a sub-4.00 ERA, but it may not happen.
 

I actually feel bad for the vibrant Reyes, who thought he was escaping mediocrity with the Mets and embracing "party time" by signing in Miami. He was shipped to Canada this offseason, where they don't allow dancing or smiling. It is sure to be a long year for Jose. (Montreal Gazette, 2013) 

AL Central

1. Tigers

2. Royals

3. White Sox

4. Indians

5. Twins

Detroit looks like the team to beat in the entire AL. A solid rotation coupled with the best 3-4 power combo in baseball (Cabrera & Fielder) will help alleviate some of their bullpen concerns. The surprise here is Kansas City, who has assembled a revamped rotation and mixed that with a finally blossoming core (Hosmer, Moustakas, Butler, Gordon). Expect them to make a run at finishing above .500. Despite their best efforts in retooling the lineup, the Indians will not improve due to their abysmal pitching. Minnesota and Chicago have simply not done enough to improve.

 

Young Royals Moustakas and Hosmer will be able to look forward to a solid (yet unspectacular) rotation this year with Shields, Santana, Guthrie, and Wade Davis. KC will finish north of 81 wins for only the 2nd time in the last 20 years. (The Associated Press, 2012). 

AL West

1. Angels

2. A’s (Wild Card)

3. Rangers

4. Mariners

5. Astros

One of the toughest divisions in baseball to pick... On paper, it looks like the Angels and Rangers will compete. The A’s, however, are always tough and showed with last year’s miracle run to the AL West title that they are a force to be reckoned with. I’d also expect the Mariners to be improved. As for the Astros, well….

 

They won't win many games at all, but if nothing else the Astros have done their part for MLB this year by reverting back to one of the greatest sports logos of all time. It would only get sweeter if they brought back the "Starburst" jersey as an alternate. (CSN Houston, 2013)

NATIONAL LEAGUE

 

NL East

1. Braves

2. Nationals (Wild Card)

3. Phillies

4. Mets

5. Marlins

The Braves and Nationals should pull away here, with the Phillies keeping moderate pace and finishing over .500 themselves. With some question marks in the infield, the Braves boast one of the best outfields in baseball. Washington, meanwhile, has the best starting rotation in baseball (Strasburg, Gonzalez, Zimmerman, Detwiler, Haren). I just see them having a tougher time this year. As for the bottom of the heap, there likely won’t be a less-attended sporting event than a mid-summer Mets-Marlins matchup in South Florida.

 

A stud his first 2 years in Philly, Halladay's health could be the dominating factor as to whether the Phillies can make a return to prominence this year. Their Howard/Utley window of opportunity is closing quickly. (Courier Post, 2013). 

NL Central

1. Reds

2. Cardinals

3. Brewers

4. Pirates

5. Cubs

I find myself again wondering, “What will the Cardinals pull out of their bag of tricks this year?” Every time it looks like they are down, they pull together a solid season. They will do the same this year, but it won’t be enough (again) to overtake the Reds, who are vastly better on paper. This division on the whole will be down this year.

 

The Reds and Cards have been duking it out for a few years now, with the Cards finishing 2nd to Cincinnati in 2 of the last 3 years. St. Louis has been able to realize more postseason success than the Reds, though, with a NLCS appearance and a WS title the last two years. (ReviewsSTL.com., 2011)

NL West

1. Giants

2. Diamondbacks (Wild Card)

3. Dodgers

4. Padres

5. Rockies

Defending world champion San Francisco has the core of its team returning this year. A bounce-back year from Tim Lincecum would give them a chance to make a run at another title. Arizona was a feisty team last year and showed improvement. Despite losing Justin Upton, the D-Backs will benefit from a sneaky-good rotation and a solid bullpen. They will be the NL’s surprise team. I put the Dodgers into the same category as the Blue Jays, assembling a collection of high-priced stars on the decline does not a contender make.

 

Acquiring someone else's headache will not usually translate into wins. Expect the Dodgers to hover around .500 when all is said and done this year. (CBS Sports, 2012).

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PLAYOFFS

NLCS: Giants over Nationals
ALCS: Tigers over Yankees

World Series: Tigers over Giants

*In a rematch of last year, Detroit avenges its loss by waking its bats up this year.