National League Predictions

Here is the follow up to the American League predictions. The staff found it very easy to predict the division winners but all had different answers on the Wildcard winners. Both Zach and Nick picked National League teams to take down the World Series title while Tyler went with an American League powerhouse.

Division Winners:

NL East:

Zachary: Washington Nationals

Tyler: Washington Nationals

Nick: Washington Nationals

“The Nats underperformed big time last year but finished with a good September just missing the playoffs. They added Fister in the offseason to make their rotation even better and they have this guy named Bryce Harper.” –Zach

“The Nationals should easily win this year, especially given the recent injuries suffered n the Atlanta rotation.” –Nick

NL Central:

Zachary: St. Louis Cardinals

Tyler: St. Louis Cardinals

Nick: St. Louis Cardinals

“Cards are still the class of the central division, probably the most well balanced team in the National League.” –Nick

“The Cards have one of the deepest lineups in all of baseball, combine that with their nasty young pitching and they are a lock in the NL Central.” –Tyler

NL West:

Zachary: Los Angeles Dodgers

Tyler: Los Angeles Dodgers

Nick: Los Angeles Dodgers

“The Dodgers are the most talented team in the NL, if not all of baseball. They should pick right up where they left off during the regular season last year.” –Nick

NL Wildcard:

Zachary: Atlanta Braves, Pittsburgh Pirates

Tyler: Cincinnati Reds, San Francisco Giants

Nick: Milwaukee Brewers, San Diego Padres

“This was probably the hardest thing for me to predict. There are a lot of teams I like in the NL and honestly I am not sold on either team I chose but they seem to have the most talent out of any of the remaining teams.” –Zach

“I am going out on a very long limb on this one, but I think the Padres will surprise a lot of people. They don’t have any superstars so they’ll be counting on breakout years from guys like Yonder Alonso and Jedd Gyorko.” –Nick

World Series:

Zachary: Washington Nationals over Texas Rangers 4-2

Tyler: Detroit Tigers over Washington Nationals 4-2

Nick: St. Louis Cardinals over Tampa Bay Rays 4-2

"Two words: Bryce Harper" -Zach

"With a strong pitching staff and Miguel Cabrera in the middle of the lineup the Tigers will be too much for anyone they play in the postseason." -Tyler

"As I said before the Cards are the most balanced team. They got a taste of the World Series last year losing to the Red Sox so they will want it even more this year." -Nick

MVP:

Zachary: Bryce Harper

Tyler: Paul Goldschmidt

Nick: Paul Goldschmidt

“Goldy put up big numbers last year and probably could have won the MVP if the D-Backs made the playoffs. He wont be flying under anyone’s radar this year which will give him a much better shot at the award.” –Tyler

“If people continue reading our articles they will eventually realize I am in love with Bryce Harper so it should come to no surprise I picked him to win the MVP this year or that I chose the Nats in the World Series.” –Zach

Cy Young:

Zachary: Clayton Kershaw

Tyler: Clayton Kershaw

Nick: Jose Fernandez

“Kershaw is just too good. He will put up dominate numbers again this season and easily take home the Cy Young award.” –Tyler

 “I love Jose Fernandez he is a great young pitcher but I think Nick is insane to pick against Clayton Kershaw.” –Zach

RoY

Zachary: Billy Hamilton

Tyler: Kolten Wong

Nick: Javier Baez

“Rookie of the Year is one of the harder awards to pick. If no one really seems like the are head and shoulders better than everyone else in the league I just try and pick someone who won a starting job out of spring training. I love Baez and he would be my pick if he was starting the year in the bigs but Hamilton will get more playing time so I am going with him.” –Zach

“Baez has massive power and can hit in the middle of the order right away.” –Nick

Comeback Player of the Year:

Zachary: Matt Kemp

Tyler: BJ Upton

Nick: Johnny Cueto

“There is no way he can be any worse than last year……Right?” –Tyler

American League Predictions

With the state side opening night upon us, the staff at Lets Talk Real Baseball decided it was a good time to make some predictions for the upcoming season. The staff was asked to predict the winners of each division, wild card, World Series, MVP, Cy Young, RoY, and the Comeback Player of the Year award. This will be posted as a two part column. First you will be given the predictions for the American League awards than the National League.

Division winners:

AL East:

Zachary: Tampa Bay Rays

Tyler: Tampa Bay Rays

Nick: Tampa Bay Rays

“This won’t happen if the Rays trade David Price, but they have a fantastic rotation with him. They have a lot of young arms who should all be good. They will also have Wil Myers for a full season in the lineup.” –Nick

“The Rays always have a good young team. I like them a lot over the defending World Series champs.” –Tyler

AL Central:

Zachary: Detroit Tigers

Tyler: Detroit Tigers

Nick: Detroit Tigers

“The Tigers have one of the best players on the planet and one of the best pitching staffs in all of Major League Baseball. They lost some depth when they traded Doug Fister and Jose Iglesias went down with an injury but they should still be fine.’ -Zach

“The easiest division winner to choose in my opinion, the Tigers should run away with this one by at least 7-8 games.” –Nick

AL West:

Zachary: Texas Rangers

Tyler: Texas Rangers

Nick: Oakland Athletics

“The Rangers have a lot of talent in their lineup and should be able to hold out until they get healthy.” –Zach

“The A’s aren’t the most talented team in the West, but they play the best as a team.” –Nick

AL Wildcard:

Zachary: Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

Tyler: Boston Red Sox, Kansas City Royals

Nick: Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

“I think the Angels will finally put it all together this year and actually have a shot at the division title with all the injuries out West. I didn’t think Boston was good enough to win the World Series last year and they proved me wrong so they may very well prove me wrong again but I am saying they will miss out on the second wildcard spot to the Royals.” –Zach

“The Royals have always had talent but could never put it together. Last year they showed that they can be a contender almost making the playoffs. This year they will finally win a wildcard spot and make it in.” –Tyler

MVP:

Zachary: Mike Trout

Tyler: Mike Trout

Nick: Mike Trout

“I really don’t want to root for Trout because as everyone probably knows I am on team Harper but I think this is the year he finally wins the MVP. It shouldn’t shock anyone though if Miggy decides to put up Triple Crown numbers still and wins for a third year in a row.” –Zach

“Trout will finally have number that are much better than Miggy that they wont be able to give the award to anyone else. It will also help that the Angels will be a much improved team this year.” –Tyler

Cy Young:

Zachary: Yu Darvish

Tyler: Felix Hernandez

Nick: Chris Sale

“With the M’s spending some money in the offseason they finally are starting to put together a real team. They have a long way to go but with more run support Felix could win 20 games and easily win the Cy Young.” –Tyler

Rookie of the Year:

Zachary: Jose Abreu

Tyler: Yordano Ventura

Nick: Yordano Ventura

“It looks like Ventura has won the Royals 5^th starter job out of spring training. The right hander has an electric fastball that easily will hit triple digits.” –Nick

“It may be unfair to think of Abreu as a rookie but technically he is according to MLB. Guy has the power to put up some huge numbers.” –Zach

Comeback Player of the Year:

Zachary: Grady Sizemore

Tyler: Josh Hamilton

Nick: Derek Jeter

“I think the smart pick here is Jeter because if he plays even 100 plus games he’s a lock for it in his final season but I think Sizemore will have a better year and is a much better story.” –Zach

“He deserves a much more prestigious award than this in what will be his final season (MVP?), but he should easily win this one as long as he can stay healthy.” –Nick

Team Preview: Tampa Bay Rays

Key offseason additions- Heath Bell, Ryan Hanigan

Key offseason losses- Ryan Roberts, Kelly Johnson, Jose Lobaton, Fernando Rodney, Roberto Hernandez

Things were quiet in Tampa Bay this offseason, this biggest change coming at the back end of the bullpen with the departure of Fernando Rodney and the return of former Ray Grant Balfour. There was a lot of offseason chatter about potentially trading David Price, but nothing came of those talks. How the Rays begin the season could hold the key to everything.  If they struggle out of the gate, the Rays could look to deal Price mid-season.  If they are in the playoff hunt, its hard to picture them doing so.

The Rays return largely the same lineup they had last season, with some minor changes.  Wil Myers will get his first full season in the big leagues after being called up in June. Joe Maddon is reportedly floating the idea of hitting Myers in the leadoff spot, but if he decides against that then Myers should slot in the middle of the lineup somewhere near Evan Longoria.

Pitching is the heart and soul of this team once again, and yet again they have one of the best rotations in the American League.  Chris Archer was sensational last year, especially down the stretch and the Rays will benefit from having him for a full season. Jeremy Hellickson, who had an awful 2013 season with a 5.17 ERA, is the key to this rotation.  If he can return to his 2011-2012 form where his ERA was 3.07 during that two year span then this rotation has a chance to be the best in baseball.

I see big things for the Rays in 2014.  They have the deepest rotation in the American League, and a deep bullpen to go along with it.  The offense isn't flashy, but they don't have to be because of the starting pitching the Rays are going to throw out every night.  This team is the class of the AL in my opinion, and I have them making it all the way to the World Series.

Predicted finish: 1st in AL East, lose in World Series

Will Stephen Drew Ever Sign?

Stephen Drew came into the offseason as one of the top shortstops on the market. Everyone thought he would find a home somewhere. Now it is March 27th and Stephen Drew is still sitting at home waiting for the right opportunity.


Drew has been linked to a handful of teams who are in need for a middle infielder. He has been linked to the Red Sox and a possible reunion with them. They chose to stick with the rookie Xander Bogaerts and Will Middlebrooks at third. Then we have the New York Mets who currently have Ruben Tejada as their starting shortstop. Tejada is coming off a miserable season where he slashed .202/.259/.260. The Mets would be a perfect fit for Drew but it looks like the demands might be too high for the Mets.

Another emerging team as of late due to injury is the Detroit Tigers. They lost their starting shortstop Jose Iglesias to an injury that will most likely keep it him out for the rest of the year. With the Tigers being a team who can contend, Stephen Drew looked like a lock to sign with them. Well it hasn't happened. The Tigers will try to patch up the position with the guys they have in-house. They also traded for veteran Shortstop Alex Gonzalez. Gonzalez looked like his career was about over last year after slashing .177/.203/.230. We don't even know if he can actually play shortstop still now being 37 years old.

There are two reasons in my opinion why Drew hasn't signed yet. The first is his asking price from his agent Scott Boras. Boras is known for trying to rip off teams for as much money as possible. Drew reportedly has an asking price around $15 million per year in a multi year deal. If any team gave him that kind of money they would be crazy because he is nowhere near worth that much. The second reason is if a team were to sign him they would have to forfeit their first round pick in the draft. Teams are just not willing to give up a draft pick to sign Drew.

Drew is a good shortstop and will eventually be picked up by a team. The real question is, who is going to sign him? I think the shipped has sailed on the Mets,and they are going to stick with Tejada. If they look to upgrade the position it will be via trade. Still keep a lookout for the Tigers because the players they have right now do not look like good solutions to solve their problem. If that position struggles early on, Drew will be receiving calls from Detroit. Another team to keep an eye on if Drew remains unsigned midseason is the Yankees. Yankees recently said they were tapped out on money to spend. I don't think anyone is actually buying that. The Yanks have question marks everywhere in their infield. I could easily see Brian Roberts getting hurt once again or even Jeter getting injuried. With the lack of depth they have at that position Stephen Drew would be a perfect for the Yankees.

Team Preview: Cleveland Indians

Key offseason additions- David Murphy, John Axford,

Key offseason losses- Ubaldo Jimenez, Drew Stubbs, Chris Perez

Cleveland is coming off a season in which they took the American League by storm, and surprisingly secured a wild card berth, only to be eliminated by the Rays in the wild card game. Apparently the Indians were content to go with primarily the same team in 2014 as they put on the field in 2013, with only a couple minor offseason moves.

The departure of Ubaldo Jimenez, and the absence of anyone to replace him, will leave a big hole at the top of this rotation in 2014.  Justin Masterson is going to have to repeat his 2013 season, and will likely need to post bigger numbers in order to compensate for the loss of Jimenez.  But behind Masterson, there really isn't a lot to brag about in Cleveland.  Guys like Zach McAllister and Corey Kluber are average number 3 and 4 starters.  Trevor Bauer is a huge X factor in this rotation along with Danny Salazar.  Cleveland will be relying on both of them to step up in 2014.

Carlos Santana is moving to third base this season to make room for Yan Gomes behind the plate, who burst onto the scene in 2013.  Other than that the only change to the everyday lineup will be the presence of David Murphy who comes over from Texas.  There is a good balance to Cleveland's lineup in terms of speed, power, and average, and they should be one of the more productive offenses in the American League in 2014.

The Indians aren't great at a lot of things, but they do enough things well to get by in this division.  I see them fighting it out with Kansas City and Chicago for second place behind the Tigers in 2013.  Overall though I don't think they have enough high end starting pitching to reach the playoffs for a second consecutive year.

Projected finish: 2nd, AL Central

Team Preview: Chicago Cubs

Key Additions: James McDonald, Jason Hammel, Emilio Bonifacio, Justin Ruggiano

Key Subtractions: Brian Bogusevic, Mat Gamel, Daniel Bard

The Cubs haven’t won a World Series since 1908 and this season won end that streak. Its been tough to be a Cubs fan especially the last few years as they have had some very bad seasons but they are in a rebuilding phase and are almost ready to bring their first wave of top prospects to the majors.

Javier Baez was kept in major league camp when his fellow top prospects were sent down. He will most likely start the year in the minors but this means the Cubs are almost ready to put him in their everyday lineup. Baez is a special talent with big power at the shortstop position which he showed by hitting 37 bombs in the minors last season. A position change is likely to come soon especially with Castro at SS in the bigs but no matter where he plays he will hit.

To go along with Baez the Cubs also have Kris Bryant, Albert Almora, Jorge Solar, and Arismendy Alcantara. Bryant will contend for the minors homerun title in his first full season of professional baseball. Almora is still just 19 years old and hit .329 in the minors last season. Solar and Alcantara were both signed as young international player and will look to build on solid years last season.

The Cubs are just a few years away but they have great position players almost ready in the minors and they have the best front office in Major League Baseball. The Cubs will struggle again this season but their fans shouldn’t lose hope the curse of the ‘billy goat” will end within the next 5 years.

Predicted Finish: 5^th NL Central

Team Preview: Washington Nationals

Key additions: SP Doug Fister, Nate Mclouth

Key subtractions: SP Dan Haren, INF Steve Lombardozzi, C Kurt Suzuki

After a disappointing 2013, the young upstart Nationals will look to take the NL East crown back from the Atlanta Braves. Rookie manager Matt Williams takes over for Davey Johnson this year.The offseason for the Nationals was relatively quiet for the most part. They did make one splash by trading for Doug Fister from the Detroit Tigers. Fister will slide perfectly into that already loaded pitching staff in Washington. His numbers should also see an increase now pitching in the National League after coming over from the American League.

The lineup for the Nationals is deep from top to bottom. In my opinion I do not see any holes in their lineup if they can stay healthy. Especially with 21 year old Bryce Harper who is ready to breakout. Harper has been touted as one of the future stars in this league and so far it looks like he has the skills needed. They also picked up Nate Mclouth who can hit leadoff and provide some speed at the top of the order.

Lets not forget about the bullpen they have. They have arguably the best bullpen in the league led by closer Rafael Soriano. They also have top tier setup men in Tyler Clippard, and Drew Storen. This is a bullpen who is almost automatic with a lead late in the game.

The Nationals have one of the most complete teams in the entire league. This is a team that not only has the potential to make the playoffs, but to make a deep run into late October.

Prediction: 94-68 National League Champs

Team Preview: Chicago White Sox

Key additions- Adam Eaton, Jose Abreu, Matt Davidson

Key losses- Addison Reed, Gavin Floyd, Hector Santiago

The White Sox began the rebuilding process in 2013 with the trades of Jake Peavy, Matt Thorton, Jesse Crain, and Alex Rios. Manager Robin Ventura enters his second year as skipper, and the team has a number of interesting pieces in place that could make the White Sox interesting to watch in 2014.

Everyone will be watching new first baseman Jose Abreu to see how he adjusts to the majors after defecting from Cuba this offseason.  The White Sox will be counting on him to anchor the middle of the lineup along withs veteran Paul Konerko and Adam Dunn.  Adam Eaton, who was acquired from Arizona in the offseason, and Avisail Garcia, acquired from Detroit last year, will infuse this lineup with young talent.  Matt Davidson (ranked the 80th overall prospect by MLB.com) will compete for the starting 3rd baseman job and could provide added depth in the lineup.  Overall, I think this lineup has a chance to surprise some people and be a top 5 offense in the American League.

Chris Sale is now the undisputed ace in Chicago, and should compete for the American League Cy Young award again.  Behind him the rotation is much less certain.  John Danks is coming off of consecutive seasons in which he has struggled.  Erik Johnson is someone to watch coming out of the spring, he posted a 1.96 ERA in the minor leagues last season.

I'm a lot higher on the White Sox than most people this year.  I see them competing with Kansas City and Cleveland for second place in the American League central, and possibly even a wild card berth as well.  Because of the lack of depth in the rotation though I have them finishing third, but wouldn't be shocked if they surprised some people and climbed higher than that in 2014.

Predicted Finish: 3rd, AL Central

Team Preview: Seattle Mariners

Key offseason additions- Robinson Cano, Fernando Rodney, Logan Morrison, Corey Hart

Key offseason departures- Kendrys Morales, Raul Ibanez, Aaron Harang, Joe Saunders


The Mariners finally added the piece that they have been missing the past couple of seasons, a middle of the order power bat with the signing of Robinson Cano.  The question is, will Cano be enough? The former Yankee slugger recently came out and said he needs more offensive help in the lineup.  Seattle is loaded with young offensive talent like Mike Zunino, Jesus Montero, Brad Miller, Nick Franklin, and Kyle Seager. The system seems to have an issue developing offensive talent, but if these players can all build upon their experience in the majors last year, the offense should take a big step forward.

I think Seattle has the most underrated pitching staff in baseball.  Everyone knows what Felix Hernandez brings to table, but Hisashi Iwakuma came out of nowhere last year to finish 7th in MLB in ERA.  Behind these two are three young, highly touted prospects in Taijuan Walker, James Paxton, and Danny Hultzen (who will miss 2014 with injury). This group promises a bright future for starting pitching in Seattle.

The Mariners are loaded with young talent.  The problem with their youngsters is that many of them will be getting their first full big league season in 2014, and I don't know if their ready to be competitive yet.  They will certainly be improved over last season, and this team is poised to make deep playoff runs in the coming years, but 2014 isn't the season for that.

Predicted finish- 3rd AL West

Team Preview: Atlanta Braves

Key additions: Ryan Doumit, Gavin Floyd

Key Losses: Brian McCann, Tim Hudson, Elliot Johnson

 

There were a lot of upset Braves fans during the first part of the offseason. Their biggest acquisition was the signing of Gavin Floyd who will be coming off Tommy John surgery and won’t be ready for the start of the season. The mood all changed when the Braves opened up their checkbook and extended many of their key young players. Freddie Freeman, Julio Teheran, Andrelton Simmons, and Craig Kimbrel were all signed to deals of 4 years or longer. These signing will give the Braves a chance to win for years to come and allow them to build off of a great regular season last year.

The Braves finished in first place in the NL East last season. You would think that this year will be even better because there is no way BJ Upton and Dan Uggla can be any worse than they were last year. The Braves did lose a big part of their offense in Brain McCann and a mentor to all young pitchers in Tim Hudson. These losses shouldn’t hurt them too bad as they still have a very good young team.

Evan Gattis will get the first crack at taking over as catcher for Brian McCann but if prospect Christian Bethancourt can show he can hit than his plus-plus defense will allow him to take over the starting job half way through the season. This will actually be good for the Braves because it will give them power off the bench and a very good backup catcher/outfielder.

The Braves should have about the same record as last year and should make the playoffs but I think this year it will be as a Wildcard team.

 

Predicted Finish: 2^nd NL East, Loss in NLDS vs Dodgers

Team Preview: Philadelphia Phillies

Key additions: A.J. Burnett, Bobby Abreu, Marlon Byrd

Key Losses: Erik Kratz, Tyler Cloyd

The Phillies had a nice run for a while winning a World Series in 2008 and winning over 100 games in 2011 but the last two seasons have been terrible for them. They have had to deal with numerous injuries to key players and regression from their aging veterans. The Phillies key signing this offseason has actually made their team older. This will be their last shot at winning before they have to rebuild.

The Phillies have a solid team if they can keep everyone on the field. Chase Utley showed last season that he can still be very productive and if Ryan Howard can do the same this year than they have a shot at sneaking into the playoffs but I really don’t see that happening. The Phillies are going to play close to .500 baseball and probably unload near the trade deadline.

They have some great trade chips. I am sure a contender would give up a solid mid-level prospect for an old Jimmy Rollins or a prospect closer to the top of their list for Chase Utley. The Phillies could also get a great return if they decide to trade Cliff Lee.

I think closest race the Phillies will have is with the Mets for third place.

 

Predicted Finish: 3^rd place NL East

Team Preview: Baltimore Orioles

Key additions- Nelson Cruz, Jemile Weeks, Ubaldo Jimenez, Johan Santana, Delmon Young, David Lough
Key losses- Jim Johnson, Brian Roberts, Danny Valencia, Nate McClouth

I had serious reservations about Baltimore repeating last year with the same success they had in 2012, but in the end they exceeded my expectations.  Although they finished in 4th place in the division and missed out on the playoffs, they ended up with a respectable record despite playing in one of baseball's best divisions.  Baltimore has made a few splash signings in recent weeks, picking up Ubaldo Jimenez and Nelson Cruz, as well as Johan Santana.  Will this be enough to put them over the top in what should be another competitive season in the AL East?

My doubts in recent years with Baltimore has been the starting rotation.  Not because of the lack of depth, but because they lack a true ace.  Despite what he used to be, Ubaldo Jimenez is no longer a number one starter.  Bud Norris was a number one in Houston, but that isn't saying much. The one man with the opportunity to step up as the number one starter on this team is Kevin Gausman who has unbelievable ability.  But I still think he is a year or two away from taking that leap to the top of the rotation.

Coming off of his PED suspension Nelson Cruz is a question mark for Baltimore.  If he can be the 30 home run, 90 RBI producer in the middle that we are used to from him then this lineup significantly improves.  There are still questions about the leadoff spot in the lineup as well.

Plenty of depth in the rotation, but not enough quality top end guys will leave Baltimore in the middle of the pack in their division.

Predicted Finish- 4th place AL East