The 2010 Major League Baseball season is right around the corner. The New York Yankees look to defend their World Series crown with essentially the same roster intact while the Seattle Mariners and Philadelphia Phillies made moves to try to keep up. We’re taking a look at each division to see whose moves will pay off in October.
AL East
New York Yankees
Boston Red Sox (Wild-Card)
Baltimore Orioles
Tampa Bay Rays
Toronto Blue Jays
The AL East has been shaken up by the recent success of the Tampa Bay Rays, the team that surprised everyone in 2008 by reaching the World Series. This year, that team looks to be the Baltimore Orioles, making the jump from perennial cellar dweller to third place team. The Orioles aren’t going to make the playoffs and will barely beat out Tampa Bay for the third spot in the division, but the team has enough young talent (Matt Wieters, Brian Matusz, Adam Jones) to make the jump.
AL Central
Minnesota Twins
Detroit Tigers
Kansas City Royals
Chicago White Sox
Cleveland Indians
Minnesota is moving into a new ballpark in 2010 and just re-signed their best player, catcher Joe Mauer, to a long-term contract.The team will defend its division title. The Detroit Tigers, following a disastrous end to the 2009 season, lost their best player in Curtis Granderson to the New York Yankees and did not make any other eye-opening moves. Kansas City is a young team similar to Baltimore that could make waves in their division, while Chicago and Cleveland are stuck in slumps that have no end in sight.
AL West
Seattle Mariners
Los Angeles Angels
Texas Rangers
Oakland Athletics
Seattle was a participant in what was arguably the biggest move of the offseason in acquiring Cliff Lee from the Philadelphia Phillies. The left-handed Lee and right-hander Felix Hernandez give the Mariners two aces at the top of the rotation. This move will help to silence the Los Angeles Angels’ big bats and push Seattle into the playoffs. The Rangers will follow the same trajectory as last year, starting fast then cooling off, while the Athletics are in another Billy Beane rebuilding phase.
NL East
Philadelphia Phillies
Atlanta Braves (Wild-Card)
Florida Marlins
New York Mets
Washington Nationals
Philadelphia has shown consistency as participants in the last two World Series, winning in 2008 against Tampa Bay and losing last year to the Yankees. This year, the Phillies will return to the promised land yet again behind the biggest offseason acquisition for the team in recent memory: Roy Halladay. The former Toronto Blue Jay joins Cole Hamels at the top of the rotation, giving the Phillies a tough lefty-righty 1-2 punch to match up with. This solidified pitching staff teams with one of the best lineups in all of baseball. The Braves sneak into the wild-card spot due to the maturation of their younger players and a more experienced pitching staff, while Florida’s youth leapfrogs the stagnant New York Mets. As for the Nationals, well, how soon does Stephen Strasburg arrive?
NL Central
St. Louis Cardinals
Chicago Cubs
Milwaukee Brewers
Cincinnati Reds
Pittsburgh Pirates
Houston Astros
When it comes to St. Louis, one thing is clear: Albert Pujols is the man. He’ll team with outfielder Matt Holliday to power the team to the division title along with pitchers Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright. Chicago and Milwaukee will challenge St. Louis. Cincinnati is a trendy pick to be this year’s 2008 Tampa Bay Rays, but in a 6-team division, it’s very easy to get lost in the shuffle. So expect the Reds to disappear around the All-Star break, while the Pirates and Astros will both embark on lost seasons yet again.
NL West
San Francisco Giants
Los Angeles Dodgers
Colorado Rockies
Arizona Diamondbacks
San Diego Padres
The NL West will prove to have one of the tightest races this season, as the pitching of San Francisco (Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain) competes with the bats of Los Angeles (Manny Ramirez, Russell Martin) for the crown. The Giants will finally make it over the hump and get the division crown as Pablo Sandoval develops into a dangerous hitter. The Dodgers front office is a mess and the team did not do much in the offseason to shore up its lineup. Colorado could surge and become a player, but that does not seem likely, and the same holds true for Arizona and San Diego.
Playoff Predictions
ALDS
Yankees over Twins, 3-1
Mariners over Red Sox, 3-2
NLDS
Phillies over Cardinals, 3-1
Giants over Braves, 3-2
ALCS
Yankees over Mariners, 4-1
NLCS
Phillies over Giants, 4-2
World Series
Phillies over Yankees, 4-2
Awards Predictions
AL MVP
Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins
NL MVP
Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals
AL Cy Young
Felix Hernandez, Seattle Mariners
NL Cy Young
Adam Wainwright, St. Louis Cardinals
AL Rookie of the Year
Austin Jackson, Detroit Tigers
NL Rookie of the Year
Jason Heyward, Atlanta Braves
Daniel Gallen can be reached for comment at [email protected].