2013 MLB Predictions Thread

[Troy Loney]

NL East
Washington Nationals
Atlanta Braves – Wild Card
Philadelphia Phillies
New York Mets
Miami Marlins

NL Central
Cincinnati Reds
St Louis Cardinals
Pittsburgh Pirates
Chicago Cubs
Milwaukee Brewers

NL West
LA Dodgers
San Francisco Giants – Wild Card
Arizona Diamondbacks
San Diego Padres
Colorado Rockies


AL East
Tampa Bay Rays
New York Yankees – Wild Card
Toronto Blue Jays
Boston Red Sox
Baltimore Orioles

AL Central
Detroit Tigers
Chicago White Sox
Cleveland Indians
Minnesota Twins
Kansas City Royals

AL West
Anaheim Angels
Oakland A’s – Wild Card
Texas Ranger
Seattle Mariners
Houston Astros

Postseason:
Wild Card
Giants over Braves
Yankees over A’s

Division Series
Nationals over Giants
Reds over Dodgers
Tigers over Yankees
Angels over Rays

Championship Series
Reds over Nationals
Tigers over Angels

WS
Reds over Tigers

[Idoit40fans]

I could buy that. The Braves either win the division and have a chance or they lose the wild card game. They do not win the wildcard game though.

[Troy Loney]

AL Central is the toughest to predict, the Yankees are really depleted right now and I don't have any faith in the Blue Jays translating that offseason to the regular season.

[schreibdog]

NL East - Nationals, Braves, Phillies, Mets, Marlins
NL Central - Reds, Pirates (WC), Cardinals, Cubs, Brewers
NL West - Dodgers, Giants (WC), D-Backs, Padres, Rockies
AL East - Blue Jays, Red Sox, Yankees, Rays, Orioles
AL Central - Tigers, Indians (WC), White Sox, Royals, Twins
AL West - Rangers, Angels (WC), A's, Mariners, Astros

NLWC: Giants over Pirates (Boooooo)
NLDS: Dodgers over Giants, Reds over Nationals
NLCS: Dodgers over Reds
ALWC: Angels over Indians
ALDS: Tigers over Angels, Rangers over Blue Jays
ALCS: Tigers over Rangers
WS: Dodgers over Tigers

The Pirates realistically don't have the lineup or rotation that the Braves do, but dammit the Pirates are getting in the playoffs this year

[Idoit40fans]

Jerry Meals says its safe to pick the Pirates.

[schreibdog]

Jerry Meals says its safe to pick the Pirates.

In that case:
NLWC: Pirates over Giants
NLDS: Pirates over Dodgers, Reds over Nationals
NLCS: Pirates over Reds
WS: Pirates over Tigers

[Kovy27]

NL East: Washington, Atlanta, Philly, Mets, Marlins (They might win 35 games)
NL Central: Cincy, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Milwaukee, Chicago
NL West: LA, SF, Arizona, Colorado, SD
AL East: Toronto, Tampa, NY Spankees, Boston, Baltimore
AL Central: Detroit, Chicago WS, Cleveland, Kansas City, Minnesota
AL West: LA Angels, Texas, Oakland, Seattle, Houston

NL Wild Card: Braves beat the Pirates (I mean St. Louis, but I want to be homer)
AL Wild Card: Rays beat Texas
NLDS: Dodgers beat Braves, Nationals beat Reds
ALDS: Rays beat Angels, Jays beat Tigers
NLCS: Nationals beat Dodgers
ALCS: Jays beat Rays
WS: Jays beat Nationals
MVP: Bautista - Pirates fans weep.

[Idoit40fans]

I'm really hoping it works out that either the Braves or Pirates play the Nats.

[Troy Loney]

Are you guys being homers or do you really think the pirates could finish ahead of the cardinals? I really don't think much of the brewers, so I think 3rd place is definitely within reach, but that cardinals team is stacked (again).

[Kovy27]

Are you guys being homers or do you really think the pirates could finish ahead of the cardinals? I really don't think much of the brewers, so I think 3rd place is definitely within reach, but that cardinals team is stacked (again).

I said I was being a homer. LOL.

[Idoit40fans]

I expect the Pirates to be in 3rd, and maybe .500, but I'd be shock if they finished ahead of the Reds or Cards. And my homer pick, and I don't think its much of a stretch, would be the Braves winning the East.

[Kovy27]

I do think the Jays will win the WS though.

[KennyTheKangaroo]

Too many variables w the jays. Do not want.

[schreibdog]

Yeah, I'm being a homer, too. Realistically the Cards are better than the Buccos on paper.

I'm curious to see how the Cards rotation works out with Carpenter and potentially Lohse out. Garcia is good but was injured last year, Lance Lynn was good some months and bad others, Westbrook is 35, Shelby Miller is unproven. I don't know. Maybe I'm grasping at straws.

Meanwhile the Pirates outlook is no better: Burnett's 36, Wandy's is solid yet unimpressive, JMac has to get his head straight, Karstens and Liriano got hurt already, Morton's recovering, Cole's a half-season away, and McPherson and Locke have only shown glimpses. So....STL rotation > PIT rotation

STL hitting easily > PIT hitting
Molina, Freese, Beltran, Holliday, Craig > McCutchen, Walker, Jones, Alvarez, Marte

STL bullpen at least has depth. The Pirates pen has so many unknowns. Grilli as a closer could be great or could be awful. Hughes only has 1 full season in MLB, Watson will be decent, Melancon should be solid but after that it's a crapshoot.

But I'm keeping my homer stance and taking the Buccos

[tfrizz]

I do think the Jays will win the WS though.

I hope you're right. Rogers finally gave the green light to spend and Anthopolous ran with it.

[Troy Loney]

Yeah, I'm being a homer, too. Realistically the Cards are better than the Buccos on paper.

I'm curious to see how the Cards rotation works out with Carpenter and potentially Lohse out. Garcia is good but was injured last year, Lance Lynn was good some months and bad others, Westbrook is 35, Shelby Miller is unproven. I don't know. Maybe I'm grasping at straws.

Meanwhile the Pirates outlook is no better: Burnett's 36, Wandy's is solid yet unimpressive, JMac has to get his head straight, Karstens and Liriano got hurt already, Morton's recovering, Cole's a half-season away, and McPherson and Locke have only shown glimpses. So....STL rotation > PIT rotation

STL hitting easily > PIT hitting
Molina, Freese, Beltran, Holliday, Craig > McCutchen, Walker, Jones, Alvarez, Marte

STL bullpen at least has depth. The Pirates pen has so many unknowns. Grilli as a closer could be great or could be awful. Hughes only has 1 full season in MLB, Watson will be decent, Melancon should be solid but after that it's a crapshoot.

But I'm keeping my homer stance and taking the Buccos

Yeah, that's what I was thinking, obviously St Louis has some issues in the rotation with Carpenter being done. That's why I have them missing out on the wild card, but the Pirates have the same issues with the rotation. I'm not a fan of this Liriano pickup. It's terrible to have a guy loading the basepaths with walks every game. Hopefully Martin helps alleviate the stealing free for all that took place last year, but that can't all have been on Barajas last year right? I can really see the bottom 3 in this rotation taxing the hell out of the bulpen again in the first half and setting the team up another poorous second half.

[Troy Loney]

I do think the Jays will win the WS though.

I hope you're right. Rogers finally gave the green light to spend and Anthopolous ran with it.

I'm definitely pulling for the Blue Jays to win that division. But with that team, I see a lot of solo home runs and strike outs in the lineup. The bullpen doesn't look very good, and there are some guys in the rotation with some control problems.

[tfrizz]

I do think the Jays will win the WS though.

I hope you're right. Rogers finally gave the green light to spend and Anthopolous ran with it.

I'm definitely pulling for the Blue Jays to win that division. But with that team, I see a lot of solo home runs and strike outs in the lineup. The bullpen doesn't look very good, and there are some guys in the rotation with some control problems.

I get what you mean about the lineup. There's a lot of power in there, but they also bring a lot of strikeouts.

The bullpen is what frightens me most. The only starter I worried about was Romero, who looks like he'll be #5 in the rotation, but I don't know that the bullpen has improved at all.

[Troy Loney]

Morrow seems to have consistency issues, I don't think Buerhle and Dickey take well to moving to the AL east, and Josh Johnson is a bit of a variable as well. There could be a ton of upside in the Johnson/Dickey top of the rotation, but I just don't see them as sure things.

[MWB]

Too many variables w the jays. Do not want.

Yeah, I'm thinking the same thing. A ton of strikeouts, as TL said, and also quite a few guys who haven't proven themselves to be consistently good. Also some health question marks. If Dickey, Morrow, and Cabrera can approach last year's success, and Johnson, Morrow, and Reyes can stay healthy, and Lawrie can continue to progress, they could be very good. That's a lot of very big "ifs" though.

[tfrizz]

Morrow seems to have consistency issues, I don't think Buerhle and Dickey take well to moving to the AL east, and Josh Johnson is a bit of a variable as well. There could be a ton of upside in the Johnson/Dickey top of the rotation, but I just don't see them as sure things.

Morrow is very solid as long as he stays healthy. He was by far the Jays' best pitcher last year.

[Kovy27]

I do think the Jays will win the WS though.

I hope you're right. Rogers finally gave the green light to spend and Anthopolous ran with it.

I'm definitely pulling for the Blue Jays to win that division. But with that team, I see a lot of solo home runs and strike outs in the lineup. The bullpen doesn't look very good, and there are some guys in the rotation with some control problems.

It sucks, I bought a Jays hat last year because that is my favorite logo (with Cincy a close 2nd) in baseball. Of course, they get good now and it looks like I jumped on the wagon.

[tfrizz]

Too many variables w the jays. Do not want.

Yeah, I'm thinking the same thing. A ton of strikeouts, as TL said, and also quite a few guys who haven't proven themselves to be consistently good. Also some health question marks. If Dickey, Morrow, and Cabrera can approach last year's success, and Johnson, Morrow, and Reyes can stay healthy, and Lawrie can continue to progress, they could be very good. That's a lot of very big "ifs" though.

They looked like a wildcard contender last year until Morrow, Bautista, and Lawrie got hurt. I can't see them not making playoffs with these changes, but it's a whole different beast beyond that.

[schreibdog]

I'm not a fan of this Liriano pickup. It's terrible to have a guy loading the basepaths with walks every game. Hopefully Martin helps alleviate the stealing free for all that took place last year, but that can't all have been on Barajas last year right? I can really see the bottom 3 in this rotation taxing the hell out of the bulpen again in the first half and setting the team up another poorous second half.

This probably belongs in the Pirates thread, but that's a good point on the bottom of the rotation killing the bullpen. Starting pitching needs to have control and be efficient and it's tough to see that happening with JMac and Liriano. Karstens can give you 6-7 IP/start but his health is a concern.

I'm really curious to see who's in the rotation come April 1st. This first month or so is going to be huge as they have no easy series in April outside of the Cubs.

[Idoit40fans]

Morrow seems to have consistency issues, I don't think Buerhle and Dickey take well to moving to the AL east, and Josh Johnson is a bit of a variable as well. There could be a ton of upside in the Johnson/Dickey top of the rotation, but I just don't see them as sure things.

Morrow was putting a good season together last year and got hurt. If he's healthy, I think he's gonna be real good for them. I'm counting on it actually and added him to my fantasy team.