2009 Major League Baseball Ultimate Preview

Standings:

NL West

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


- The Dodgers have too much power in their lineup for anyone else in the division (on paper, anyway). The Giants have the best starting pitching, and if they were to stay above .500 at the trade deadline in July and acquire a bat, they have a shot at the division. Arizona also has a solid team this year and if they were to upset the Dodgers that wouldn't come as a shock to me. The Rockies and the Padres will be the bottom dwellers this year, but Colorado may have found their new closer in Huston Street, who was acquired from Oakland this winter in the Matt Holliday trade.



NL Central

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

- The Reds have a better team than a lot of people think. The Cubs should win the division, however, but unless they make it to the World Series the season will have been a bust. The Brewers are devoid of pitching, and St. Louis is always competitive. The Astros and Pirates are still works in progress.



NL East

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

- I see the Mets barely edging the Phillies for the division, but Philadelphia has a great shot at the wild card. The Braves and Marlins will be .500 teams, and the Nationals will earn the worst record in all of Major League Baseball.



Playoff teams:

Dodgers
Cubs
Mets
Phillies * (Wild Card)



AL West

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

- The Angels are everyone's favorites, but the A's upgraded their offense extensively this offseason, so if they win the AL West it shouldn't be a surprise. The key, however, is if Oakland's young and inexperienced pitching will hold up. The Rangers have a great offense, but their pitching is still suspect. As for Seattle, they'll compete in a couple years, but they should still win 75 games this season.



AL Central

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

- The Indians and Twins will duke it out for the division crown, but watch as the Cleveland is triumphant. The White Sox are mediocre, and if the Royals give them a run for their money for third place, don't be surprised. The Tigers have a nice offense, but their pitching is a total mess.



AL East

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

- Boston has proved time and time again that they have a winning organization. The only reason I'm giving the Yankees the wild card spot is because of their sheer amount of resources. They're still not a team, however, and until they win a World Series don't take them seriously. The Rays have the best chance at upsetting the Yankees because of their team effort, and Baltimore and Toronto will be weak this season



Playoff teams:

Angels
Indians
Red Sox
Yankees * (Wild Card)



Playoff matches:

National League

Division Series:

Cubs defeat Mets
Phillies defeat Dodgers

Championship Series:

Phillies defeat Cubs

American League

Division Series:

Indians defeat Yankees
Red Sox defeat Angels

Championship Series:

Indians defeat Red Sox

World Series:

Indians defeat Phillies

- That's right. I picked the Indians to win it all. They should have a great team this year, and teams like the Mets, Yankees, Dodgers, and Cubs will choke like they always do. When will they realize $100 million payrolls don't mean championships?