2008 World Series, ROY, other award predictions

[OnBaseMachine]

Now that Gonelong has broke out his Reds predictions thread, it's time to predict division winners, the World Series winner, and ROY/Cy Young/MVP award winners.

AL East

Boston Red Sox - WS caliber team but Tigers are too much to handle.

New York Yankees - Wang regresses a bit and young pitching is not enough to get 'em in the postseason.

Toronto Blue Jays - good season but finisn 3rd again

Tampa Bay Rays - franchise record 75 wins

Baltimore Orioles - rebuilding mode, Roberts is dealt in June.

AL Central

Detroit Tigers - best record in baseball with 104 wins

Cleveland Indians - wildcard winner with 96 wins

Chicago White Sox - Fields breaks out with 30 homers

Minnesota Twins - loss of Santana leaves ton of question marks in pen, though Liriano bounces back with big season.

Kansas City Royals - good looking you bats in Butler/Gordon but pitching is awful.

AL West

Los Angeles Angels - Jered Weaver finishes top 5 in Cy Young voting.

Seattle Mariners - Bedard/Hernandez form great 1-2 due but no enough to top Angels

Oakland A's - rebuilding continues as Blanton is traded in July

Texas Rangers - nice offense but pitching remains awful.

ALDS:

Detroit Tigers over LAA Angels
Boston Red Sox over Cleveland Indians

ALCS:

Detroit Tigers over Boston Red Sox

AL Cy Young - Justin Verlander
AL MVP - Miguel Cabrera
AL Rookie of the Year - Joba Chamberlain

NL East

New York Mets - addition of Johan makes the Mets team to beat in NL.

Philadelphia Phillies - not enough pitching behind Hamels and Myers to top Mets

Atlanta Braves - great offense but rotation is Smoltz and Hudson and three question marks.

Florida Marlins - good seasons from Maybin and Andrew Miller as Marlins build for the new stadium.

Washington Nationals - maybe the worst rotation in baseball

NL Central

Cincinnati Reds - yeah I'm an optimist but who isn't in March? Young guns struggle in first half but gel in second half leading Reds to 86 wins and a postseason trip for the first time since 1995.

Milwaukee Brewers - Fielder wins MVP but Brewers finish one game behind Reds.

Chicago Cubs - the curse reaches 100 years

St. Louis Cardinals - Pujols has an injured elbow, rotation is in shambles

Pittsburgh Pirates - like the new ownership, a couple good position prospects on the way up.

Houston Astros - awful rotation and the worst farm system.

NL West

Los Angeles Dodgers - strong pitching staff puts them in postseason under Torre

Arizona Diamondbacks - love the rotation but the loss of Valverde in the pen plus a struggling offense costs them a postseason position.

San Diego Padres - Peavy finishes second to Santana in Cy Young voting.

Colorado Rockies - winning record but fail to reach playoffs.

San Francisco Giants - nice 1/2 punch in Cain and Lincecum but offense is worst in baseball.

NLDS:

New York Mets over Cincinnati Reds
Los Angeles Dodgers over Philadelphia Phillies

NLCS:

New York Mets over Los Angeles Dodgers

NL Cy Young - Johan Santana
NL MVP - Prince Fielder
NL Rookie of the Year - Johnny Cueto

World Series

Detroit Tigers over New York Mets in Game 7

Let's see yours.

[WMR]

Did you mean Mets over Reds?

[OnBaseMachine]

Originally Posted by WilyMoROCKS

Did you mean Mets over Reds?

Yes. I'm an idiot. I originally had the the Reds winning the division and then switched to the Brewers and then back to the Reds and just forgot to change my playoff predictions.

[Jpup]

AL East

1. New York Yankees - The best offense in baseball and a decent rotation. The energy this spring under Joe Girardi is that of past champions. Can ARod hit 73+? Watch out for young Robbie Cano and Phillip Hughes & Ian Kennedy are looking like they are the real deal.

2. Boston Red Sox - The Sox have some pitching questions and some players that are getting older, but they will be right there at the end. They also have the best front office in the game and could pull a couple starters out of their hat.

3. Toronto Blue Jays - Some people would suggest the Jays have the best pitching staff in the east, but can Scott Rolen hold up everyday at 3rd?

4. Tampa Bay Rays - The Rays should have their best season yet, but the AL East is too much for the young Rays.

5. Baltimore Orioles - Maybe the worst team in baseball.

AL Central

1. Detroit Tigers - Verlander, Willis, Ordonez, Sheffield, Cabrera, Guillen, Renteria, Granderson, Polanco. If they are healthy, they may be the best team in baseball.

2. Cleveland Indians - The Indians were one game from the World Series in '07, but I believe the rotation needs some help.

3. Minnesota Twins- Johan has moved east and the return was less than stellar. Matt Garza was sent to Tampa. Joe and Justin can't do it alone on offense in the Central this year. Liriano is back and, if healthy, could contend for a Cy Young.

4. Chicago White Sox - I like some of their pieces, but they don't have enough to complete the puzzle. Kenny Williams may be in trouble after '08.

5. Kansas City Royals - They are on the way up, but much like the White Sox, don't have enough players.

AL West

1. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim - The class of the AL West again and the addition of Torii Hunter will only help.

2. Seattle Mariners - A very good 1,2,3 punch in the rotation, but the Mariners are considering hitting Vidro 3rd. Needless to say, they have some questions to answer. Can Richie Sexson regain form or is he done?

3. Texas Rangers - A very good offense with Kinsler at the top, Young in the 2 hole, Josh Hamilton hitting 3rd, and Milton Bradley hitting 4th. If Bradley can stay healthy the lineup should be very good. Kevin Millwood is on his last legs, Vincente Padilla just isn't that good, especially in that park, and they pray for rain after that. Young Eric Hurley needs, at least, 1/2 a season in AAA then he will help.

4. Oakland A's - GM Billy Beane gave away Dan Haren, Joe Blanton is on the way out if Beane can find a taker, & Rich Harden hasn't been healthy for an entire season in a while. Huston Street anchors the pen. The offense is likely to be awful especially playing 81 games in the Coliseum. Chris Denorfia is not your savior.

NL Later....

[jmcclain19]

Here's my go at it

AL East
Red Sox - The New Yankees
Blue Jays - Pitching galore with just enough hitting
Yankees - Old old old team. Did I mention they are old?
Rays - Could topple the Yankees if their pitching holds up.
Orioles - Man this team has fallen a long way

AL Central
Indians - Stacked team from top to bottom
White Sox - Smart Rebuilding that will be complete when Crede goes away
Tigers - Not even close to as good as people think they are. 1000 runs? Riiiight
Royals - Young guns take another step forward
Twins - Santana was fun to watch, wasn't he?

AL West
Angels - Should cruise easily to win the West
Mariners - Two aces...and a team filled with crappy hitters. Only reason they are 2nd is by default.
As - Will catch lightning in a bottle in the 2nd half. Future is quite bright
Rangers - Will be nice in a few years but this team is a house of cards right now

NL East
Braves - Thought about this one the longest. Big Teix puts them over the edge.
Phillies - Pitching unease will do them in again. Lose to Colorado in 1 game playoff for the Wild Card slot
Mets - Johan is just one guy. Did everyone forget how god awful they were in Sept last year.
Nationals - Better than expected. Decent year in the new park with a promising future ahead.
Marlins - Post Girardi arm troubles continue. Not having Miggy will cripple the offense.

NL Central
Brewers - Potential for 2 aces and half a dozen impact bats. Will probably run away and hide in the central.
Cubs - Excellent pitching but just not enough of everything else.
Reds - Only 3rd because the rest of the division sucks something awful
Pirates - Young pitchers push this team higher than it's been in years
Astros - Will score tons of runs and not stop anyone else from scoring any. Wonder if the all time Fielding Percentage low might be broken by their IF defense?
Cardinals - Pujols mails it in after Memorial Day and gets his surgery, and this team becomes an expansion level offense. And their pitching...well...you can't shine up a turd.

NL West
Diamondbacks - Best Record in the NL and they got better without giving up any major league talent. Could be scary good
Rockies - Won't match 2007 but good enough for the WC
Padres - So close but just not enough juice to pass AZ or CO
Dodgers - Colletti trades away Kemp & Ethier for vets at the deadline to make one last push, then gets fired after the last day.
Giants - I have no earthly idea how this team will score runs. Worst team in baseball and it is not going to be close.

AL MVP
Vladdy Daddy - Best player on a team that cruises thru the season with 100+ wins
AL ROY
Evan Longoria - Pulls a Ryan Braun and goes nuts after being called up June 1.
AL Cy Young
AJ Burnett - Puts all the talent & potential together just in time to push the Jays to the Wild Card, and exercise that option in his contract
AL Comeback Player
Brian Anderson - He was left for dead two years ago after an awful rookie year. This year he becomes the Real deal giving the White Sox one of the youngest & best OFs in baseball.

NL MVP
Prince Fielder - Probably will hit 50 bombs again with Braun pairing up with him
NL ROY
Kosuke Fukodome - Because the Writers are idiots and haven't figured out that 10 year professionals coming over from Japan aren't "rookies" in any sense of the word.
NL Cy Young
Danny Haren - Webb comes close again but Haren pitching a good chunk of his starts in Dodger Stadium, PacBell, Coors & Petco will do wonders for his wins & ERA.
NL Comeback Player of the Year
Mike Hampton - Did anyone see him pitching today? Holy cow he's looking good and healthy


ALDS
Red Sox over Indians in 5 - Indians still can't get that Boston monkey off their back.
Blue Jays over Angels in 5 - Oops - Someone forget to tell the Angels that the season didn't end in July
ALCS
Red Sox over Blue Jays in 6 - I hate the Red Sox

NLDS
Dbacks over Braves in 4 - Glavine & Smoltz end their careers with a loss
Brewers over the Rockies in 5 - Probably the most entertaining match-up
NLCS
Dbacks over Brewers in 6 - Haren/Webb v Sheets/Gallardo? Sign me up

World Series
Dbacks over Red Sox in 7 - With a Eric Byrnes flare hit over 2B off Papelbon in the 9th. We'll call it "The last night of the Red Sox Dynasty"

[mth123]

My Shot:

AL East

Boston - Not as dominant. Wins 95 Games
Toronto - Pitching Depth helps. 86 Wins
New York - Hughes succeeds, Kennedy is pedestrian and Joba disappoints showing why building innings to handle a full season is important for a young kid. 84 Wins
Tampa Bay - Plays above .500 82 Wins
Baltimore - Worst Team in Baseball. 61 Wins.

AL Central

Cleveland - Pitching steps up, Grady Sizemore moves up a level. 96 Wins
Detroit - Bullpen woes blow too many games, 92 Wins
Minnesota - Young pitching depth comes through, offense struggles - 80 Wins
Chicago White Sox - Regret trading Jon Garland as rotation woes kill the team. 77 Wins
Kansas City - Greinke shines. Too many holes. 73 Wins

AL West

LA Angels - Not as strong but still win 85.
Seattle - 83 Wins. Meh.
Oakland - 74 Wins
Texas - Below average in all areas. 66 Wins.

Cleveland over LA Angels
Boston over Detroit
Cleveland over Boston

AL MVP - Grady Sizemore
AL Cy Young - Roy Halladay
AL ROY - Evan Longoria

NL East

NY Mets - Pedro doesn’t hold up, but Johan puts on a show. 93 Wins.
Atlanta - Francoeur steps up, pitching better than expected. 89 Wins
Philadelphia - Rotation shows its weakness, Lidge tanks. Offense isn’t enough. - 84 Wins
Washington - Awful pitching. 68 Wins.
Florida - Hanley wants out, pitching injuries mount. 61 Wins.

NL Central

Chicago Cubs - Best pitching depth in NL prevails. 91 Wins.
Cincinnati Reds - Volquez steps up, bullpen falters. 84 Wins
Milwaukee Brewers - Pitching struggles with injury. 81 Wins
Pittsburgh - Mediocrity prevails. 77 Wins
Houston Astros - Pitching woes. 75 Wins
St. Louis Cardinals - Pujols has surgery in May. The rest of the team is awful. 66 Wins.

NL West
Arizona Diamondbacks - Upton steps up. Pitching is awesome. 97 Wins
LA Dodgers - Kemp is fantastic. 93 Wins
Colorado Rockies - Solid all around. Tough division. 88 Wins
San Diego Padres - Simply awful offense. Edmonds and Giles look done. 75 Wins
San Francisco Giants - Pitching prevents 90 losses. 74 Wins.

Diamondbacks over Cubs
Mets over Dodgers
Diamondbacks over Mets
Diamondbacks over Cleveland in WS.

NL MVP - Matt Kemp
NL Cy Young - Johan Santana
NL ROY - Joey Votto

[reds44]

AL

East:
Boston
New York
Tampa Bay
Toronto
Baltimore

Central:
Detroit
Cleveland
Chicago
Minnesota
Kansas City

West:
1. Los Angeles
2. Seattle
3. Oakland
4. Texas

ALDS: Cleveland over Boston, Detroit over Los Angeles
ALCS: Detroit over Cleveland


MVP: Miguel Cabrera, Detroit
Cy Young: C.C. Sabathia, Cleveland
Rookie of the Year: Jacoby Ellsbury, Boston
Manager of the Year: Jim Leyland, Detroit

NL

East:
New York
Philadelphia
Atlanta
Florida
Washington

Central:
Chicago
Cincinnati
Milwaukee
St. Louis
Houston
Pittsburgh

West:
Arizona
Colorado
Los Angeles
San Diego
San Francisco

MVP: Aramis Ramirez, Chicago
Cy Young: Brandon Webb, Arizona
Rookie of the Year: Johnny Cueto, Cincinnati
Manager of the Year: Willie Randolph, New York

NLDS: Arizona over New York, Philadelphia over Chicago
NLCS: Arizona over Philadelphia

WS: Detroit over Arizona in 6

[dougdirt]

AL East

Boston Red Sox

New York Yankees

Tampa Bay Rays

Toronto Blue Jays

Baltimore Orioles

AL Central

Detroit Tigers

Cleveland Indians

Kansas City Royals

Chicago White Sox

Minnesota Twins



AL West

Los Angeles Angels

Seattle Mariners

Texas Rangers

Oakland A's


ALDS:

Detroit Tigers over LAA Angels
Boston Red Sox over Cleveland Indians

ALCS:

Red Sox over Tigers

AL Cy Young - Erik Bedard
AL MVP - Miguel Cabrera
AL Rookie of the Year - Evan Longoria

NL East

New York Mets

Philadelphia Phillies

Atlanta Braves

Florida Marlins

Washington Nationals

NL Central


Chicago Cubs

Cincinnati Reds

Milwaukee Brewers

St. Louis Cardinals

Houston Astros

Pittsburgh Pirates

NL West

Arizona Diamondbacks

Los Angeles Dodgers

Colorado Rockies

San Diego Padres

San Francisco Giants

NLDS:

New York Mets over LA Dodgers
Arizona Diamondbacks over Chicago Cubs

NLCS:

New York Mets over Arizona Diamondbacks

NL Cy Young - Johan Santana
NL MVP - Chase Utley
NL Rookie of the Year - I really want to pick a Red, but I don't like giving the award to pitchers and the idea of Joey Votto not getting a lot of at bats hurts that one. Johnny Cueto over Geovany Soto of the Cubs.

World Series
Red Sox over New York Mets in Game 6

[*BaseClogger*]

AL East

Boston Red Sox

New York Yankees

Toronto Blue Jays (great pitching)

Tampa Bay Rays

Baltimore Orioles

AL Central

Detroit Tigers

Cleveland Indians

Kansas City Royals

Chicago White Sox (only because Kenny finally gets to his senses and firesales)

Minnesota Twins (Liriano ain't what he used to be)


AL West

Los Angeles Angels

Seattle Mariners (very overrated)

Oakland A's (only reason M's pass them is Beane continues the yard sale)

Texas Rangers


ALDS:

LAA Angels over Detroit Tigers
Cleveland Indians over Boston Red Sox

ALCS:

LAA Angels over Indians

AL Cy Young - Felix Hernandez
AL MVP - David Ortiz
AL Rookie of the Year - Evan Longoria


NL East

New York Mets

Atlanta Braves

Philadelphia Phillies

Florida Marlins

Washington Nationals


NL Central

Chicago Cubs

Milwuakee Brewers

Cincinnati Reds

Houston Astros

St. Louis Cardinals

Pittsburgh Pirates

NL West

Arizona Diamondbacks

San Diego Padres

Los Angeles Dodgers

Colorado Rockies

San Francisco Giants

NLDS:

New York Mets over Atlanta Braves
Arizona Diamondbacks over Chicago Cubs

NLCS:

Arizona Diamondbacks over Arizona Diamondbacks

NL Cy Young - Johan Santana
NL MVP - David Wright
NL Rookie of the Year - Colby Rasmus


World Series
Arinzona Diamondbacks over LAA Angels in Game 7

[redsrule2500]

I'll just do the standings...

AL EAST:
1. Yankees
2. Red Sox
3. Orioles :O
4. Blue Jays
5. Rays

AL CENTRAL:
1. Tigers
2. Twins
3. Indians
4. White Sox
5. Royals

AL WEST:
1. Angels
2. A's
3. Rangers
4. Mariners

NL EAST:
1. Braves
2. Mets
3. Phillies
4. Marlins
5. Nationals

NL CENTRAL:
1. Cubs
2. Brewers
3. Reds
4. Cards
5. Astros
6. Pirates

NL WEST:
1. Padres
2. Rockies
3. Diamondbacks
4. Dodgers
5. Giants

ROY: Cueto 14-8, 3.41 ERA

World Series: Padres take it in 6 against the Tigers

[Red in Chicago]

AL EAST:
1. Yankees
2. Red Sox
3. Blue Jays
4. Rays
5. Orioles

AL CENTRAL:
1. Tigers
2. Indians
3. White Sox
4. Twins
5. Royals

AL WEST:
1. Angels
2. A's
3. Mariners
4. Rangers

NL EAST:
1. Mets
2. Phillies
3. Braves
4. Marlins
5. Nationals

NL CENTRAL:
1. Cubs
2. Brewers
3. Reds
4. Cards
5. Astros
6. Pirates

NL WEST:
1. Diamondbacks
2. Rockies
3. Dodgers
4. Padres
5. Giants

Tigers vs Mets with Tigers winning it all.

[SunDeck]

It's march- Reds go wire to wire, sweep the division, LCS and WS. Johnny Cueto wins the Cy Young, Jay Bruce wins ROY.

Who cares what happens in the other leagues?

Seriously- I don't pay enough attention to other divisions to know, but I can certainly see the Reds contending this year if the promise of the Dominican Dandies and Cordero amounts to the hype. Unfortunately for Jay Bruce, I think he's going to have trouble getting up the the show this year unless Jr. snaps a hammy again. But pencil him in at RF next year.

So my prediction for the Central is: Brewers, Reds, Cubs, Cards, Stros.

[Strikes Out Looking]

AL East
1. Red Sox
2. Toronto
3. Yankees
4. Tampa Bay
5. Baltimore

AL Central
1. Detroit
2. Cleveland
3. Minnesota
4. Kansas City
5. Chicago

AL West
1. LA Angles of Anaheim
2. Seattle
3. Oakland
4. Texas

By the way, how unfair is it that the NL Central has six teams and the AL West has four?

AL MVP: Miguel Cabrera
AL Cy Young: Josh Beckett
AL ROY: Evan Longoria

AL Playoffs: Boston v. LA, Boston wins
Detroit v. Toronto, Detroit Wins
AL Champs: Detroit

NL East
1. Philadelphia
2. New York
3. Atlanta
4. Florida
5. Washington

NL Central
1. Cincinnati
2. Chicago
3. Milwaukee
4. Pittsburgh
5. St. Louis
6. Houston

NL West
1. Arizona
2. Los Angeles
3. Colorado
4. San Diego
5. San Francisco

Co-NL MVPs: Brandon Phillips and Chase Utley (a theme)
NL Cy Young: Aaron Harang
NL ROY: Joey Votto

NL Playoffs: Reds v. LA Dodgers (WC); Reds win
Phillies v. Arizona --Phillies win
NL Champions: Reds

WS: Reds in 7 over Detroit. Here's how it happens: In the bottom of the 9th of game 7, with Todd Jones on the mound, and the Reds down by one, Jones walks Scott Hatteberg. This brings up Ken Griffey Jr. (who has announced his retirement prior to the series). Jr. lines the first pitch in the the right field seats for a Reds world series victory.
I can dare to dream, can't I.

[*BaseClogger*]

Originally Posted by Strikes Out Looking

WS: Reds in 7 over Detroit. Here's how it happens: In the bottom of the 9th of game 7, with Todd Jones on the mound, and the Reds down by one, Jones walks Scott Hatteberg. This brings up Ken Griffey Jr. (who has announced his retirement prior to the series). Jr. lines the first pitch in the the right field seats for a Reds world series victory.
I can dare to dream, can't I.

Dusty would have to bat Scott Hatteberg #2 for that to happen... Unless he is pinch-hitting for Juan Castro

[Strikes Out Looking]

Originally Posted by *BaseClogger*

Dusty would have to bat Scott Hatteberg #2 for that to happen... Unless he is pinch-hitting for Juan Castro

In my dream, Castro stays in Sarasota to be a roving minor league IF instructor.