MLB 2006 Predictions

[robsmyth40]

Mets over Cards in 5 / Cubs over Giants in 4
Yankees over Angels in 3 / BoSox over ChiSox in 5

Cubs over Mets in 6 / Yankees over BoSox in 5

Cubs over Yankees in 7

[Guerrero Mad Man 2715]

AL West:
1. Angels
2. Rangers
3. Athletics
4. Mariners

AL Central:
1. Cleveland
2. White Sox (Wild Card)
3. Twins
4. Tigers
5. Royals

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

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

NL Central:
1. Cardinals
2. Astros (Wild Card)
3. Cubs
4. Brewers
5. Reds
6. Pirates

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

ALDS:
Angels over White Sox (3 - 2)
Red Sox over Indians (3 - 2)

NLDS:
Cards over Giants (3 - 0)
Mets over Astros (3 - 1)

ALCS:
Angels over Red Sox (4 - 2)

NLCS:
Cardinals over Mets (4 - 3)

World Series
Angels over Cards (4 - 2)

AL MVP: Travis Hafner
NL MVP: Barry Bonds

WS MVP: Vladimir Guerrero

AL Cy Young: Mark Buehrle
NL Cy Young: Mark Mulder

[robsmyth40]

you are overestimating the Angels a bit.........

[wilkerson_rulz-06]

and you are underestimating the Nationals A LOT!!:grouchy
The Phillies should be fourth.

[Guerrero Mad Man 2715]

bahhh, Angel haters...

[Astro]

See as how most teams dont even have their lineups set for 2006, I'll wait till around March to make my predictions, in the BF prediction thread

[steveox]

Nationals had a miracle season.I dont expect for them to win like that again.Remember they are still the montreal expos and the same group runs that front office with bad management.

[redlegsfan21]

Tim Wakefield(111) will break Cy Young's(112) record for most career losses as a Red Sox. That's my prediction

[Lprof]

Mets over Cards in 5 / Cubs over Giants in 4
Yankees over Angels in 3 / BoSox over ChiSox in 5

Cubs over Mets in 6 / Yankees over BoSox in 5

Cubs over Yankees in 7
As an openly biased White Sox fan, I am puzzled as to how you get the Cubs into these games without having to buy tickets. It is a spotty lineup with aging, unreliable or injury prone pitching ( and one counting heavily on two unproven rookies). Usually, that doesn't get a team too far. As for the war of the Sox, it is reasonable to think they will get that far, and then who knows?

[ElHalo]

This is a bit early, but what the hey:

AL East: Yankees
AL Central: White Sox
AL West: Angels
Wild Card: Blue Jays

NL East: Braves (I'm going to keep picking them until they lose, been burned before)
NL Central: Cardinals
NL West: Dodgers
NL Wild Card: Mets

ALCS: Yankees over Blue Jays
NLCS: Mets over Cardinals

WS: Yankees over Mets (this really isn't my NY bias showing; I just think these are the two best teams in baseball right now)

AL MVP: Vladimir Guerrero
NL MVP: Albert Pujols

AL Cy Young: Johan Santana
NL Cy Young: Pedro Martinez

AL Batting Champ: Guerrero, .339
NL Batting Champ: Pujols, .345

AL HR Champ: Alex Rodriguez, 46
NL HR Champ: Pujols, 44

AL RBI Champ: Rodriguez, 152
NL RBI Champ: Pujols, 138

AL OPS Champ: Travis Hafner, 1.070
NL OPS Champ: Pujols, 1.110

AL W Champ: Randy Johnson, 20
NL W Champ: Dontrelle Willis, 23

AL ERA Champ: Johan Santana, 2.57
NL ERA Champ: Pedro Martinez, 2.38

AL K Champ: Johan Santana, 251
NL K Champ: Pedro Martinez, 234

AL WHIP Champ: Johan Santana, 0.968
NL WHIP Champ: Pedro Martinez, 0.945

[Dravecky43]

NL MVP: Barry Bonds
Frankly, I hope you're right, but I don't think his season will be THAT good. I'm guessing something like .320-35-100 with 150 walks and Albert winning the MVP again.

[robsmyth40]

As an openly biased White Sox fan, I am puzzled as to how you get the Cubs into these games without having to buy tickets. It is a spotty lineup with aging, unreliable or injury prone pitching ( and one counting heavily on two unproven rookies). Usually, that doesn't get a team too far. As for the war of the Sox, it is reasonable to think they will get that far, and then who knows?

Like I said, I think the Cubs did well in the offseason (so far) and that they will be a better balanced team with plenty of depth and speed. If Kerry Wood and Mark Prior stay healthy and can contribute, and the bullpen does at least an ok job, watch out.

Who thought the White Sox would win the WS last season? Ditto the Red Sox in 2004, the Marlins in 2003, the Angels in 2002, and the Diamondbacks in 2001.

It seems to be a trend....

[UnderPressure]

You got the Marlins and Red Sox mixed up, dude. :)

[VTSoxFan]

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


I'd like to know where you got your optimism. The Sox have a front office that's about as organized as a bucket of live bait; at the point we have no CF, SS, leadoff hitter and a weird platoon at 1B. You know I'd love to see this prediction come true (except switch the Jays and Yanks :D), but right now I don't see it happening this way.

I also don't see the Jays falling off the map like this. Their owner is finally ponying up some $ for his team, and they should be better than last place.

[Yankeebiscuitfan]

You know I'd love to see this prediction come true (except switch the Jays and Yanks :D)

Gee Annie, I have never thought that you would be such a bad sport. ;)

[Big_Mac]

as of the moves right now...

al east
1. yankees
2. blue jays (wc)
3. red sox
4. devil rays
5. o's

al central
1. white sox
2. indians
3. twins
4. tigers
5. royals

al west
1. oakland (it's there year, got that feeling)
2. los angeles of whatever angels
3. seattle
4. texas

nl east
1. braves (like el halo, i've picked against the braves so many times. like USC in college football, no matter how you try to pick against them, they'll oull through. plus, i don't see anyone else in the divison to de-throne them. losing mazzone will hurt though.)
2. mets (wc)
3. nats
4. phillies
5. marlins

nl central
1. cards
2. astros
3. cubs
4. brewers
5. pirates
6. reds

nl west
1. giants
2. dodgers
3. padres
4. diamondbacks
5. rockies

[Blackout]

AL West:
1. Angels
2. Rangers
3. Athletics
4. Mariners

AL Central:
1. Cleveland
2. White Sox (Wild Card)
3. Twins
4. Tigers
5. Royals

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

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

NL Central:
1. Cardinals
2. Astros (Wild Card)
3. Cubs
4. Brewers
5. Reds
6. Pirates

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

ALDS:
Angels over White Sox (3 - 2)
Red Sox over Indians (3 - 2)

NLDS:
Cards over Giants (3 - 0)
Mets over Astros (3 - 1)

ALCS:
Angels over Red Sox (4 - 2)

NLCS:
Cardinals over Mets (4 - 3)

World Series
Angels over Cards (4 - 2)

AL MVP: Travis Hafner
NL MVP: Barry Bonds

WS MVP: Vladimir Guerrero

AL Cy Young: Mark Buehrle
NL Cy Young: Mark Mulder

:laugh :laugh hahahaha thanks, i needed a good laugh

[BillyF29]

Why not??

AL East
1. New York
2. Boston
3. Toronto
4. Tampa Bay
5. Baltimore

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

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

NL East
1. New York (although I know better, like Halo said)
2. Atlanta
3. Philadelphia
4. Washington
5. Florida

NL Central
1. St. Louis
2. Milwaukee (WC) Yep, I just went there!!!!
3. Houston
4. Chicago
5. Cincinnati
6. Pittsburgh

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

Playoffs
New York d. Minnesota (3-2)
Los Angeles d. Cleveland (3-1)
New York d. St. Louis (3-1)
San Francisco d. Milwaukee (3-2)

New York d. Los Angeles (4-2)
New York d. San Francisco (4-1)

New York d. New York (4-3) :D

[BillyF29]

I forgot to explain myself about Milwaukee, they will be playing in a super weak division this year, outiside of St. Louis. I think Houston will finally feel their age, and the rest just wont be that good. I don't feel Milwaukee is better than say Atlanta, Philly, San Diego, or even LA, but they will win more games next year, I think.

BTW:
AL MVP=Travis Hafner
NL MVP= Baroid

[digglahhh]

BTW:
AL MVP=Travis Hafner
NL MVP= Baroid

Hafner is going to be exclusively a DH this year, I believe.

If David Ortiz couldn't pull out the MVP last year with that season and all those late game heroics, I'm skeptical that Hafner can pull it out. That said I think he's a fantastic hitter.

[Dravecky43]

New York d. New York (4-3) :D
LOL. Good one.

[Dravecky43]

NL MVP= Baroid
Um, I don't recognize the name. Would someone fill me in?

[Clockwork]

NL East
Mets
Braves
Phillies
Nats
Marlins

NL Central
Cardinals
Cubs (WC)
Brewers
Astros
Pirates
Reds

NL West
Dodgers
Giants
Padres
Diamondbacks
Rockies

NL MVP: Albert Pujols
NL CYA: Pedro Martinez

NLDS:
Cubs/Mets: Cubs
Dodgers/Cardinals: Cardinals

NLCS:
Cubs/Cardinals: Cubs

Al East
Yankees
BLUE JAYS - this is more of a knock on the sox than anything.
Red Sox
Orioles
Devil Rays

AL Central
Indians
White Sox (WC)
Tigers
Twins
Royals

AL West
Angels
Rangers
A's
Mariners

AL MVP: Gary Sheffield
AL CYA: Mark Buerhle sounds good

ALDS:
White Sox/Yankees: White Sox
Indians/Angels: Angels

ALCS:
White Sox/Angels: Angels


World Series: Cubs vs Angels, Angels in 6

[BasEbaLlKnoItAll]

Way too early for this but Ill throw it out there.

AL East: Yankees
AL Central: Indians
AL West: Angels
AL Wild Card: Blue Jays
NL East: Mets
NL Central: Astros
NL West: Dodgers
NL Wild Card: Braves


...probably change it as the season approaches.

[KingJ]

Be prepared for the Nationals to take it all in my dreams! Totally unrealistic, but hey, this is for fun!

AL East:
1. Yankees 97-65
2. Blue Jays 93-69 (WC...it could be boston...it could be Cleveland)
3. Red Sox 91-71
4. Orioles 73-89
5. Devil Rays 69-93 (why are so many people ranking them so high? they haven't done squat)

AL Central:
1. White Sox 109-53
2. Cleveland 92-70
3. Twins 70-92
4. Royals 66-96
5. Tigers 65-97

AL West:
1. Athletics 96-66
2. Angels 92-70
3. Rangers 91-71
4. Mariners 39-123

NL East:
1. Nationals 98-64
2. Mets 94-68 (WC)
3. Phillies 85-77
4. Braves 68-94
5. Marlins 59-103

NL Central:
1. Cubs 100-62
2. Astros 88-74
3. Brewers 83-79
4. Cardinals 76-86
5. Pirates 72-90
6. Reds 68-94

NL West:
1. Dodgers 92-70
2. Diamondbacks 84-78
3. Giants 81-81
4. Padres 67-95
5. Rockies 47-115

ALDS:
White Sox over Blue Jays 3-1
A's over Yankees 3-2

NLDS:
Cubs over Mets 3-0
Nationals over Dodgers 3-2

ALCS:
White Sox over A's 4-0

NLCS:
Nationals over Cubs 4-3 (Curse lives on thanks to an unbelievebale Top 9th, 2 out, 0-2 count grand slam while down 3 by Cristian Guzman in Game 7 :eek: )

World Series
White Sox over Nationals 4-0

AL MVP: Troy Glaus
NL MVP: Ryan Church

WS MVP: Jim Thome

AL Cy Young: Cliff Lee
NL Cy Young: John Patterson

[KingJ]

NLCS:
Nationals over Cubs 4-3 (Curse lives on thanks to an unbelievebale Top 9th, 2 out, 0-2 count grand slam while down 3 by Cristian Guzman in Game 7 :eek: )


BTW, that would be the greatest scene ever. People would literally die right there on the spot.

[Dravecky43]

Totally unrealistic, but hey, this is for fun!
1. Dodgers 92-70
I was gonna say something else, but then I saw this first line. Yeah, I'd agree that the record you gave that team is totally unrealistic.:D

[Cubsfan97]

AL East: Yankees (Gimme)
Al; Central: Sox
AL West: Angels
AL WC: Sox

NL East: Braves (another gimme)
NL Central: Cubs
NL West: Dodgers
NL WC: Cardinals

To explain my NL Central pick the Cardinals have been really wounded by the FA market. And I believe the Astros wont be able to recover from last years Sweep. And you guys have to admit they did improve this offseason. I think a Cubs-Sox WS is very probable. The Sox have great additions with Thome, Vazquez and Mackowiak. Nort to mention last year and resigning Konerko and Garland has to give them a boost. Im not making any playoff predictions because anything can happen to alter that.

[robsmyth40]

anyone else want to try?

[Guerrero Mad Man 2715]

AL MVP: Gary Sheffield

Even though you said the Angels going all the way, this was your flaw. It could be possible if Shef's friend "Barroid" gives him some of his "ointment" that Sheffield "didn't know" was "not" ointment.

[Go Bravos!!!#1]

NL East
1 Braves
2 Mets
3 Nats
4 Phillies
5 Marlins

NL Central
1 Cards
2 Cubs (wc)
3 Brewers
4 Astros
5 Pirates
6 Reds

NL West
1 Giants
2 Padres
3 Dodgers
4 D'Backs
5 Rockies

AL East
1 Blue Jays
2 Yankees
3 Red Sox
4 Orioles
5 D'Rays

AL Central
1 White Sox
2 Indians
3 Twins
4 Tigers
5 Royals

AL West
1 A's
2 Angels (wc)
3 Mariners
4 Rangers

Divison Series
NL
Braves over Cubs 3-1
Cards over Giants 3-2
AL
Blue Jays over Angels 3-0
White Sox over A's 3-0

LCS
NL
Braves over Cards 4-2
AL
White Sox over Blue Jays 4-3

WS.
Braves over White Sox 4-3

[Dravecky43]

NL East
1 Braves
2 Mets (WC)
3 Phillies
4 Nationals
and in 10th place out of the 5 teams: Marlins

NL Central
1 Brewers (going way out on a limb here)
2 Cardinals
3 Astros
4 Pirates
5 Cubs
6 Reds

NL West
1 Giants
2 Padres
3 Dodgers
4 D'Backs
5 Rockies

AL East
1 Yankees
2 Blue Jays (WC)
3 Red Sox
4 Orioles
5 D'Rays

AL Central
1 Indians
2 White Sox
3 Twins
4 Tigers
5 Royals

AL West
1 A's
2 Angels
3 Mariners
4 Rangers

Divison Series
NL
Brewers over Braves 3-2 (Braves lose it at home...)
Giants over Mets 3-1
AL
Indians over Blue Jays 3-0
Yankees over A's 3-2 (...and so do the A's. Again)

LCS
NL
Giants over Brewers 4-2 (THE GIANTS WIN THE PENNANT!!!)
AL
Indians over Yankees 4-1 (NY just can't win when it really matters)

WS
Giants over Indians 4-0, just like the last time Da Jints took it all!

[ndistops]

AL East:

1. Boston
2. NY Yankees
3. Toronto
4. Baltimore
5. Tampa Bay

AL Central:

1. Chicago
2. Cleveland (wildcard)
3. Minnesota
4. Detroit
5. Kansas City

AL West:

1. Anaheim
2. Texas
3. Oakland
4. Seattle

NL East:

1. Atlanta
2. NY Mets (wildcard)
3. Philadelphia
4. Washington
5. Florida

NL Central:

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

NL West:

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

ALDS:
Cleveland over Anaheim
Chicago over Boston

NLDS:

NY Mets over St. Louis
San Diego over Atlanta

ALCS:

Cleveland over Chicago

NLCS:

NY Mets over San Diego

World Series:

NY Mets over Cleveland

[Yankee Legend]

AL East:
NY Yankees
Toronto
Boston
Baltimore
Tampa Bay

AL Central:
Chi Whit Sox
Cleveland (Wildcard)
Detroit
Minnesota
Kansas City

AL West:
LA Angels
Oakland
Texas
Seattle

NL East:
NY Mets
Atlanta (Wildcard)
Philadelphia
Washington
Florida

NL Central:
St. Louis
Chi Cubs
Houston
Milwaukee
Pittsburgh
Cincinnati

NL West:
LA Dodgers
Arizona
San Francisco
San Diego
Colorado

ALDS:
Indians over Angels in 5
Yankees over White Sox in 5

NLDS:
Cardinals over Braves in 4
Mets over Dodgers in 5

ALCS:
Yankees over Indians in 6

NLCS:
Mets over Cardinals in 7

World Series: Subway Series 2006!!!!
Yankees over Mets in 7

[holyroman]

[QUOTE=Cubsfan97]

And I believe the Astros wont be able to recover from last years Sweep. QUOTE]

What the heck does that mean? Are they gonna have a hangover still or what. Are they just totally emotionally distraught? Come on you have to come up with something better than that. At this point and I think he will be back, they have to replace the rocket's 13 wins. At least have an arguement. The cubs pitching is still a joke. but i think their offense will improve.

[ndistops]

The cubs pitching is still a joke. but i think their offense will improve.
Not only is the statement "The Cubs' pitching is a joke" spectacularly wrong, but their offense is not going to be the strong point of the team. The season will hinge on Wood, Prior, Zambrano, and Dempster - none of which qualify as "a joke".

[Dasperp]

The season will hinge on Wood, Prior, Zambrano, and Dempster - none of which qualify as "a joke".

I'm sure there's a joke about Dusty Baker overusing pitchers in there.

[holyroman]

Not only is the statement "The Cubs' pitching is a joke" spectacularly wrong, but their offense is not going to be the strong point of the team. The season will hinge on Wood, Prior, Zambrano, and Dempster - none of which qualify as "a joke".

OK maybe joke was a little harsh. I like Zambrano thats your ace there. prior and wood's arms will fall off half way through the season though. and i wasn't thinking of the bullpen but if you can get it to dempster he's pretty good. I won't talk about the rest of the rotation cause the astros have there own problem's at the moment.

What I said was I think the cub's offense will improve. they should be better at getting on base and have more speed. thats what i was thinking.

I think the central will be a good battle between houston st.louis and the cubs this year. I don't see the cards are winning 100 games again this year with what they have lost. May the best win, It should be fun, I can't wait for the games

[Jake83]

AL East
NY Yankees
Toronto
Tampa Bay
Boston
Baltimore

AL Central
Cleveland
Chicago WS ( Another WS Champion who fails to make the playoffs the year after)
Detriot
Minnesota
Kansas City

AL West
Angels
Oakland (WC)
Texas
Seattle


NL East
Atlanta
NY Mets (WC)
Washington
Philly
Flordia


NL Central
St. Louis
Milwaukee
Houston
Chicago Cubs
Cincinatti
Pittsburgh

NL West
Dodgers
Giants
Padres
Arizona
Colorado


Dodgers over Atlanta 4
NY Mets over St. Louis 5

NY Yankees over Oakland 4
LA Angels over Cleveland 4

A Dream FOX LCS matchups
Dodgers over NY Mets 6
Yankees over ANgels 6

Dodgers Yankees Take your pick

[Lindseynelson]

Mets in the East with the Braves in second( I'd love to see the NATS get 2nd and a WC but not yet I fear)-REDS in the Central, they finished 46-46 under the radar last year because of the mid season fall. They have a really good lineup with Dunn, Kearns , Jr and now a full time Wily Mo and Encarnacion. Milton has a NL year under his belt but the problem will be if the pen can make a turnaround. Stro's are old, no Clemens until realistically June,Petite is always iffy healthwise.Cubs who knows?Cards lost some players who were key and some are getting up there.-West, Pods look like a good choice, Giants will live or die with Bonds and at this point who knows what you're getting...........AL BlueJays over Yankees----Angels in the West-CHISOX in the Central with Tribe falling short ...Mets vs Pods with Willie Randolph getting it done. Chi SOX over BlueJays with CHISOX repeating in 6 over the Mets. One sure thing.Kerry Wood will once again have a series of "stiffness, soreness, and assorted maladies" which will limit him to another 10-8 season or thereabouts and someone will finally remove the POTENTIAL tag from him.

[trosmok]

I'd like to know where you got your optimism. The Sox have a front office that's about as organized as a bucket of live bait; at the point we have no CF, SS, leadoff hitter and a weird platoon at 1B.



Bucket of live bait?!:laugh That's the most appropriate description I've heard all year. I even have a visual burned in about now.

Theo has returned after his lengthy absence, you have a top flight SS in Alex Gonzalez, a peculiarly named but speedy CF/leadoff guy Coco Crisp, a strong, smart arm in Josh Beckett, and it looks like Kevin Youkilis will finally get to become an everyday player. I can't see maintaining the platoon at first, and I've followed KY's rise since he came up to Pawtucket AAA. I think the Blue Jays and Devil Rays are vastly improved, but not contenders just yet, the Yankees are due for a melt down, the Orioles are a huge puzzle, leaving the AL East the Red Sox for the taking.

I think the biggest surprise of '06 is going to be the Pirates in the NL Central, the best division in MLB. The Cards and Astros should be just about done, my Cubs have too many question marks right now, the Brewers leapfrogging last year was likely a fluke, the Reds will likely start fast and then fizzle, making the long overdue Pittsburgh club primed, and ready to make a run at the big dogs. I've been following this young club's talent from Altoona through Indy, and now to the show. Unless I miss my guess, many folks will learn what can result from patient planning through the farm system, instead of free agent busts and one sided trades.

[holyroman]

You people keep looking through your beer goggles, I guess. No respect for the Astros, same old story. Hello national division champs.
just discount that that's fine. But "just about done", "Stro's are old", "And I believe the Astros wont be able to recover from last years Sweep" : is that wishful thinking or what. Is there an intelligent argument to be made for this?

[trosmok]

You people keep looking through your beer goggles....just about done.... is that wishful thinking or what. Is there an intelligent argument to be made for this?

As long as it isn't Lonestar, my beer goggles work fine.:D Yes it is wishful thinking to believe the Astro-naughts are ready for the big apiary in the great beyond. It is likewise fun to try to predict the upcoming season, and logic dictates most accurate predictions come from past records, and anticipated trends; "the sun came up this morning, therefore it is likely.." The NL Central is a tough one to call, top to bottom I'm convinced it is easily the best division in MLB for '06.

The defending NL Champions have a tough row to hoe, and their no-show in the WS was indicative of their problems. Only Berkman and Tavares did anything at the plate, and the team hit what, .203?:eek: They aren't getting any younger, and if you look at their pattern of reaching the post season without a series win in '80, '81, '86, '97, '98, 99, '01, and Wahoo! post season series victories in '04 followed by a loss, '05 post season series win, followed by a crushing WS sweep. Yeah, I see a pattern that might have the Astros scuffling around .500 for a couple of years, at least.

[holyroman]

and I conversly see a positive success pattern developing in the playoffs.
in 04 they beat the braves finally and took the cardinals to seven games. Then in 05 they beat the braves again with less trouble then took care of the cardinals.

sounds like improvement to me. yes they lost in the world series but was anyone saying the cardinals were finished after they got swept in 04.
No they were the odds on favorite to win the division.

now I see the cards getting weaker and the Astros get no respect in these predictions. Where's the logic in that

[ndistops]

and I conversly see a positive success pattern developing in the playoffs.
in 04 they beat the braves finally and took the cardinals to seven games. Then in 05 they beat the braves again with less trouble then took care of the cardinals.

sounds like improvement to me. yes they lost in the world series but was anyone saying the cardinals were finished after they got swept in 04.
No they were the odds on favorite to win the division.

now I see the cards getting weaker and the Astros get no respect in these predictions. Where's the logic in that
The logic in that is that St. Louis wasn't losing their best pitcher after the 2004 season, with no discernible offense to pick up the slack.

[holyroman]

UH, St louis had better pitching in 05 than in 04. And besides we are just going to get Clemens back a little late which means he wont flame out like he did last year. Even if we don't he only won 13 games last year despite his great era.

[Lindseynelson]

Clemens by Memorial Day means that much more pressure on Petite and Oswalt. Those April and May games count too. Bagwell is a distraction and the Cards lose some very key players from a team that was brilliant but long in the tooth last year. I see no other love for the REDS andthat is understandable but I really think they will surprise everyone this year God willing and Jr stays healthy. Dunn,Kearns,Pena are a formidable trio and Dunn and Pena knowing they are at one position everyday can only help. New organization which seems intent on organizing and bringing a winner to Cincy. Milton can not be as bad as last year

[holyroman]

how does a lack of Clemens translate to pressure on Oswalt and Pettite? It's not like they are in the bullpen which will probably be taxed more with somebody else pitching in that spot. Those two are professionals what the do on their starting day has nothing to do with what happened the day before or the day after.
Bagwell is not a distraction again we are talking about professionals, he's a hall of famer who wants a shot at proving he can still play. (he did fine in 03& 04 with the same injury) It's more about getting the team younger and better by moving berkman to first(his knee) and pushing out someone who can contribute but not like he used too.

[DownUnderDodger]

I have absolutely no idea at this early stage - we haven't even had the WBC yet :crazy But what the heck, I will have an uneducated stab in the dark. Then you can ask me agin sometime around September :laugh :laugh

AL East
1. New York
2. Boston
3. Toronto
4. Baltimore
5. Tampa Bay

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

AL West
1. Los Angeles Angels
2. Oakland
3. Texas
4. Seattle

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

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

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

Playoffs
New York d. Cleveland (3-1)
Los Angeles d. Chicago (3-2)
Atlanta d. St. Louis (3-2)
Los Angeles d. Chicago (3-2)

New York d. Los Angeles (4-2)
Atlanta d Los Angeles (4-3)

New York d. Atlanta (4-2)

Yep, I am selecting the Yankees to win the WS. May I look back at this post and laugh haughtily at myself in October!! :laugh

[Lindseynelson]

how does a lack of Clemens translate to pressure on Oswalt and Pettite? It's not like they are in the bullpen which will probably be taxed more with somebody else pitching in that spot. Those two are professionals what the do on their starting day has nothing to do with what happened the day before or the day after.
Bagwell is not a distraction again we are talking about professionals, he's a hall of famer who wants a shot at proving he can still play. (he did fine in 03& 04 with the same injury) It's more about getting the team younger and better by moving berkman to first(his knee) and pushing out someone who can contribute but not like he used too.Clemens by Memorial day makes every start by Petite and Oswalt that much more important. Do the Stro's go out and try to replace the NL era champ or do they bridge the gap with a retread or youngster until Clemens makes up his mind? The two remaining guns may be trying to stop losing streaks early on because of the 2 month vacuum that Roger the mercenary leaves...Bagwell wants the 17 million dollars more than anything else. He is praised as a team leader and so on but he is determined to show up to spring training causing a rhubarb." Who's a Bagwell guy and who isn't?"

[holyroman]

i still think petite and oswalt pitch the same on their starts regardless of the fact Clemens pitches the next day. hopefully they have backe pitch like he has in the playoffs, and the young guys step up. I don't think they will commit any more salary to pitching, even more so if they are anticipating another big salary to sign Clemens.

Bagwell is getting payed either way, the astros signed him to a contract. Do you expect him to retire and leave money on the table. (I think McGuire did something like this) well I think he would if he starts and realizes he can't do it. however he has spent a year recouping and working back from surgery so he can try to play again. He doesn't want to be forced out without that chance. Not with the career he has had.
To those who think he should do what is best for the teams chances at winning. Well, the Astros have played their hand they want to call him unfit to play prematurely. All in the spirit of moving Berkman to first and adding an offensive power hitting outfielder, two things they have sorely needed the last couple of years.
Why would Bagwell after knowing their intentions step up and say thanks guys for giving me, the face of the organization, a chance to come back from surgery I had after shutting myself down(for the good of the team)... never mind I quit, stop paying me, I hope you guys are better without me.

I am torn as a fan between what will be a better team without him and seeing a role model and team leader go down without a shot. Maybe I should see baseball more as the business that it is. but the kid with the rainbow bagwell jersey(with the mustard stain from my dome dog on it)and former Astrosbuddy member wants Bagwell to be given a shot at going out a little better than this.

[robsmyth40]

AL East
1. Boston
2. New York (wc)
3. Toronto
4. Baltimore
5. Tampa Bay

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

AL West
1. Angels
2. Oakland
3. Texas
4. Seattle

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

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

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

Playoffs
Boston d. White Sox (3-1)
Yankees d. Angels (3-1)
Cubs d. San Francisco (3-2)
St. Louis d. Atlanta (3-2)

Yankees d. Boston (4-2)
Cubs d St. Louis (4-3)

Cubs d. Yankees (4-3)

[Lindseynelson]

You are right about Bagwell getting paid any way but , and it's a very big but, if he retired as requested ,the Stros would get 15 million of the 17 million back in insurance. The Stros could do an awful lot with that 15 million towards beefing up the team. As it stands now Bagwell gets paid but the insurance does not .That's why I labeled him a distraction, his teammates will be aware of the missing 15 mil when the team needs to plug a hole and can't afford it.

[Twisted Wicker]

AL West
1. Oakland Athletics
2. Anaheim Angels
3. Texas Rangers
4. Seattle Marliners

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

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

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

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

NL East
1. Atlanta Braves (by default)
2. New York Mets
3. Philadelphia Phillies
4. Washington Nationals
5. Florida Marlins

[zaxxon]

NL East:
1. Mets
2. Braves (wc)
3. Phillies
4. Gnats
5. Marlins

NL Central:
1. Cardinals
2. Astros
3. Cubs
4. Pirates
5. Brewers
6. Reds

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

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

AL Central:
1. Cleveland
2. White Sox (wc)
3. Twins
4. Royals
5. Tigers

AL West:
1. Angels
2. Athletics
3. Rangers
4. Mariners

ALDS:
White Sox over Angels (3 - 1)
Red Sox over Indians (3 - 2)

NLDS:
Cards over Braves (3 - 2)
Mets over Padres (3 - 1)

ALCS:
Red Sox over White Sox (4 - 3)

NLCS:
Mets over Cards (4 - 1)

World Series
Mets over Red Sox (4 - 3) (happy 20th anniversary!)
MVP: Cliff Floyd

[laxplayer81217]

AL East
1. Boston
2. New York
3. Toronto
4. Baltimore
5. Tampa Bay

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

AL West
1. Anaheim
2. Oakland (Wild Card)
3. Seattle
4. Texas

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

NL Central
1. St. Louis
2. Chicago (Wild Card)
3. Milwaukee
4. Houston
5. Pittsburgh
6. Cincinatti

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


WS
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim def New York Mets(4-2)

[Chisox73]

AL Central:
1. White Sox 109-53
2. Cleveland 92-70
3. Twins 70-92
4. Royals 66-96
5. Tigers 65-97

World Series
White Sox over Nationals 4-0

WS MVP: Jim Thome


I like that.:D I'll have mine in mid-March.

[BrewKeggr]

:dance Most predictions on playoff teams are based on past happenings. My prediction is totally based on futures. I believe that The Milwaukee Brewers will shock the baseball world and Become the N.L. Champion for 2006. I see the World Series being a I-94 series versus the ChiSox. The Brewers will lose in six to the Sox. Laugh if you must but this is a young, talented team(Brewers),that is on the rise.

[runningshoes]

What, no Royals fans here claiming they're gonna win it all? :rolleyes:

[Chisox73]

:dance Most predictions on playoff teams are based on past happenings. My prediction is totally based on futures. I believe that The Milwaukee Brewers will shock the baseball world and Become the N.L. Champion for 2006. I see the World Series being a I-94 series versus the ChiSox. The Brewers will lose in six to the Sox. Laugh if you must but this is a young, talented team(Brewers),that is on the rise.
I'm not laughing about the Brewers.That's a good team that's just going to get better.If they get a monster year out of Ben Sheets,look out.

[RobertHConner]

I'll put one up now for fun, but I reserve to revise it when rosters clear up a bit. Red means losing record. Blue means lock

NL East
1) Mets
2) Braves
3) Phillies
4) Nationals
5) Girardi's hairless wonders

NL Central (most difficult-the top got worse & the bottom feeders improved-except for the Reds)
1) Cardinals ?
2) Brewers ?
3) Cubs ?
4) Pirates ?
5) Astros
6) Reds

NL West
1) Giants
2) Dodgers (check out Furcal's road splits!)
3) Padres
4) Rockies
5) D'backs

AL EAST
1) Red Sox
2) Yankees (starting pitching is silly looking at best)
3) Blue Jays
4) Orioles (could finish last)
5) Devil Rays (Kazmir can't pitch 5 in a row, Jackson must blossom)

AL Central
1) Indians
2) White Sox (Thome won't stay healthy/Vazquez doesn't win)
Twins...these three
Royals...teams are
Tigers...interchangeable

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

Giants over Braves in NLDS
Mets over Cardinals in NLDS
Angels over White Sox or Yankees over Angels in ALDS
Red Sox over Indians in ALDS

Giants over Mets in NLCS
Red Sox over Angels/Yankees in ALCS

World Series preview Boston v. Giants
Schmidt v. Bos. roster-161 AB/4 HR/38 K/8 BB/.224 BA/.259 OBP/.335 SLG
Morris v. Boston-119 AB/1 HR/24 K/5 BB/.244 BA/.280 OBP/.336 SLG
Lowery v. Sox-40 AB/0 HR/9 K/5 BB/.150 BA/.244 OBP/.175 SLG
Cain v. Sox-only faced M. Loretta (0-3/0 K/0 BB)
Benitez v. Sox-74 AB/1 HR/20 K/8 BB/.230 BA/.310 OBP/.284 SLG
Kline/Worrell/Munter/Taschner/Walker-115 AB/3 HR/21 K/20 BB/.200 BA/.319 OBP/.339 SLG
Beckett v. SF-76 AB/6 HR/20 K/6 BB/.316 AVG/.366 OBP/.612 SLG
Schilling v. SF-298 AB/14 HR/67 K/34 BB/.262 BA/.337 OBP/.480 SLG
Wakefield v.SF-174 AB/2 HR/37 K/22 BB/.253 BA/.342 OBP/.345 SLG
Wells v SF-230 AB/7 HR/31 K/8 BB/.261 BA/.283 OBP/.413 SLG
Arroyo v. SF-38 AB/1 HR/5 K/4 BB/.105 BA/.209 OBP/.211 SLG
Foulke v SF-48 AB/2 HR/11 K/4 BB/.125 BA/.208 OBP/.250 SLG
advantage: SF
w/o taking more space, I'd give head-to-head offensive edge to Boston, ever so slightly
Giants win in 6 or 7 games

[Tram2Lou]

AL East
1. New York Yankees
2. Boston Red Sox (WC)
3. Toronto Blue Jays
4. Tampa Bay Devil Rays
5. Baltimore Orioles

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

AL West
1. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
2. Texas Rangers
3. Oakland Athletics
4. Seattle Mariners

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

NL Central
1. St. Louis Cardinals
2. Houston Astros (WC)
3. Milwaukee Brewers
4. Pittsburgh Pirates
5. Chicago Cubs
6. Cincinatti Reds

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

Playoffs
LA Angels defeat NY Yankees
Boston Red Sox defeat Chicago White Sox

New York Mets defeat St. Luis Cardinals
Houston Astros defeat LA Dodgers

Boston Red Sox defeat LA Angels
NY Mets defeat Houston Astros

Boston Red Sox defeat NY Mets

Other Predictions:
Detroit and Milwaukee will finish above .500
Nobody will hit 50 HRs
MVP Pujols and Guerrero
Cy Young Willis and Bonderman
I know my playoffs sound like the 86 playoffs, but this time the Sox will win, and Roger Clemens will pitch the deciding game 6

[det87thsquad]

NL EAST
1. Atlanta Braves:gt
2. New York Mets (WC)
3. Philadelphia Phillies
4. Washington Nationals
5. Florida Marlins


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


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


AL East
1. New York Yankees
2. Toronto Blue Jays
3. Boston Red sox
4. Baltimore Orioles
5. Tampa Bay Devilrays

AL Central
1. Chicago White Sox
2. Cleveland Indians (WC)
3. Minnesota Twins
4. Detroit Tigers
5. Kansas City Royals

AL WEST
1.Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
2.Oakland Athletics
3.Texas Rangers
4.Seattle Mariners

Yes The Braves will win there 15th consecutive divison title.
Playoffs
Braves in 5 Over Dodgers
Mets in 5 Over St. Louis

Yankees in 4 over Indians
White Sox in 5 Over Angels

Braves in 6 Over Mets

White Sox in 7 Over Yankees

Braves in 6 Over White Sox

15th Conconsecutive divison title and 2 world Series:clapping

[Dravecky43]

Does anyone notice that practically everyone taking The Hated dodgers to win the NL West resides EAST of the Rockies? Either that, or they are dodgers fans already. So does the midwest/east US habitually root for the dodgers over the other NL West teams? (Besides a certain RHC in Georgia, of course)

Kudos to those of you correctly picking the Giants to win the West. You are true baseball fans. :D

[ndistops]

Does anyone notice that practically everyone taking The Hated dodgers to win the NL West resides EAST of the Rockies?
Along the same vein, it seems like practically everyone taking the Brewers (or anyone else other than STL) to finish ahead of the Cubs are fans of either those teams they are picking or non-NL Central teams. ;)

[holyroman]

[QUOTE=RobertHConner]I'll put one up now for fun, but I reserve to revise it when rosters clear up a bit. Red means losing record. Blue means lock

NL East
1) Mets
2) Braves
3) Phillies
4) Nationals
5) Girardi's hairless wonders

NL Central (most difficult-the top got worse & the bottom feeders improved-except for the Reds)
1) Cardinals ?
2) Brewers ?
3) Cubs ?
4) Pirates ?
5) Astros
6) Reds


as an astros fan i'm trying to see where some of you people are coming from, but wake the hell up. from the world series to fith in the nl central with a losing record. I can't believe some of you people are that ignorant as to what the astros have built.

[holyroman]

You are right about Bagwell getting paid any way but , and it's a very big but, if he retired as requested ,the Stros would get 15 million of the 17 million back in insurance. The Stros could do an awful lot with that 15 million towards beefing up the team. As it stands now Bagwell gets paid but the insurance does not .That's why I labeled him a distraction, his teammates will be aware of the missing 15 mil when the team needs to plug a hole and can't afford it.

actually if he retires he takes home the money the astros owe him per THE CONTRACT THEY SIGNED!! unless he decides to leave some of it for the good of the team and out of a feeling of not earning it.

why the hell would he do that after the team has basically opened the door of retirement for him and started shoving from behind. it's all mute as i said months ago he will be playing and doing what he has dome for the last 3 or 4 years since he has had the injury. i'm guessing he still has in him 280, 85 rbi's, 90 walks, 25 hr's. and i think they would take that

[Tigerfan1974]

Mets over Cards in 5 / Cubs over Giants in 4
Yankees over Angels in 3 / BoSox over ChiSox in 5

Cubs over Mets in 6 / Yankees over BoSox in 5

Cubs over Yankees in 7

The Cubs IN the WS?? The Cubs WIN the WS??? :confused:
Did Hell freeze over and nobody tell me?? ;)

[ndistops]

as an astros fan i'm trying to see where some of you people are coming from, but wake the hell up. from the world series to fith in the nl central with a losing record. I can't believe some of you people are that ignorant as to what the astros have built.
I don't have the Astros fifth, but you have to wonder what a team that was built around pitching can do with everyone on the offense a year older, Pettitte a year older, Clemens probably not there, and Brad Lidge possibly carrying the weight of an awful postseason.

[Erik Bedard]

here goes my pre-WBC guess (not a prediction, a guess):

AL EAST:

Toronto
Boston
Baltimore (they were close last year... they'll get closer this year)
New York :p
Tampa Bay

AL CENTRAL:

Cleveland
Chicago (wc)
Minnesota
Detroit
Kansas City

AL WEST:

Angels of whatever
Oakland
Texas
Seattle

AL MVP: Vladimir Guerrero
AL Cy Young: Mark Buerhle seems to be the consensus
AL ROY: Is Chris Ray eligible? If not, Francisco Liriano.

NL EAST:

Atlanta (closer, but I'm still going with them)
New York (wc)
Philadelphia
Washington
Florida

NL CENTRAL:

St. Louis
Chicago
Milwaukee
Houston
Pittsburgh
Cincinnati

NL WEST:

San Diego
San Francisco
Arizona
Los Angeles
Colorado

NL MVP: Albert Pujols
NL Cy Young: Jake Peavy
NL ROY: Ryan Zimmerman

PLAYOFFS:

Blue Jays over White Sox in 5
Indians over Angels in 4
Padres over Braves in 5
Cardinals over Mets in 3

Blue Jays over Indians in 6
Cardinals over Padres in 4

Blue Jays over Cardinals in 7

The Sox will narrowly miss the postseason by losing on the final day, allowing the White Sox to sneak in.

[Coal Cracker]

AL East:
1. New York
2. Boston
3. Toronto
4. Baltimore
5. Tampa Bay

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

AL West:
1. Los Angeles
2. Oakland (WC)
3. Seattle
4. Texas

New York over Oakland in 4
Chicago over Los Angeles in 4

New York over Chicago in 7

NL East:
1. Atlanta
2. New York (WC)
3. Philadelphia
4. Washington
5. Florida

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

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

St. Louis over New York in 4
Atlanta over San Francisco in 4

St. Louis over Atlanta in 6

World Series:
New York over St. Louis in 6

[holyroman]

I don't have the Astros fifth, but you have to wonder what a team that was built around pitching can do with everyone on the offense a year older, Pettitte a year older, Clemens probably not there, and Brad Lidge possibly carrying the weight of an awful postseason.

i'm pretty sure every team in the majors is a year older, haha

i would not agree that the astros are built around pitching, i mean that is a strong point but they should be well balanced with the likes of berkman,ensberg,lane,biggio,wilson, bagwell. definately they under acheived last year offensively. but lets not forget they got to the world series only one other team can say that!!!

you could make a case that a year under a lot of these players belts is a positive not a negative so age is not a factor for this team. If you consider this team is a perfect fit for clemens coming back late. he will maybe fresher at the end of the year.

so heres to an older team im all for that

[trosmok]

i'm pretty sure every team in the majors is a year older....... but lets not forget they got to the world series only one other team can say that!!!

Not exactly. In fact, the Orioles became decidedly younger by jettisoning Raffy and Sammy, didn't they? Age or experience is not a determining factor in the success of a team sport like baseball, where some valuable players are half the age of others, while some are twice as old as their teammates.

No one will remember for very long who the White Sox crushed for their first World Series Championship in our lifetime. Don't believe me? Okay, who did Baltimore beat in '83 or Detroit destroy in '84? Could you honestly answer correctly without looking it up? I couldn't.:atthepc

[holyroman]

You're right the world may not remember who the white sox crushed(close games though) in 2005 but as an Astros fan of 20 years i will remember the run we had knocking off the postseason rival braves for the second time in a row and then knocking of the mighty Cards after just missing last year!!

You have to admit every team if you add up all the players is getting older every year it's just nature!!! it was mostly a toungue in cheek comment back to the people saying the Astros have gotten so much older I believe thats a good thing with thier current mix!

[Myankee4life]

AL EAST- Yankees (100-62)
AL CENTRAL- Whites Sox (102-60)
AL WEST- Angels (95-67)
AL WILDCARD- Indians (97-65)

AL MVP- Alex Rodriguez
HR CHAMP- Alex Rodriguez (44)
RBI CHAMP- Manny Ramirez (133)
BT CHAMP- Ichiro (.342)
AL CY YOUNG- Roy Halladay (22-6 2.29)

NL EAST- Mets (95-67)
NL CENTRAL- Cardinals (102-60)
NL WEST- Dodgers (93-69)
NL WILDCARD- Braves (94-68)

ALDS- Yankees 3 Indians 1
ALDS- White Sox 3 Angels 0
NLDS- Mets 3 Dodgers 2
NLDS- Cardinals 3 Braves 0

ALCS- Yankees 3 White Sox 4 :(
NLCS- Mets 0 Cardinals 4

WS- White Sox 4 Cardinals 2

No biased shown here as I dont think the Yankees have enough.

[nikit1111]

AL:
East: Toronto
Central: Chicago
West:Oakland
WC: New York

NL:
East: Atlanta (edge out Philly and NY by no more than 5 games)
Central: Houston
West: San Diego
WC: St. Louis

ALDS
Toronto 3 Oakland 2
Chicago 3 New York 1

NLDS
Houston 3 Atlanta 1
St. Louis 3 San Diego 0

ALCS
Toronto 4 Chicago 3

NLCS
Houston 4 St. Louis 2

World Series
Houston 4 Toronto 2

I know I'm placing high hopes on my Blue Jays this year. So I'm going to come out and say it before someone else does. These picks are biased and somewhat skewed. They are certainly not out of the realm of possibility though for two reasons: 1. Blue Jays made the best off-season moves out of any ML team and with new players comes new chemistry 2. Eric Hinske no longer has the four spot (and for that matter barely has a spot at all). All and all just wanna see the best Jays team since '93 play as well as they possibly can.

PS. Chicago will beat Toronto in the ALCS with 95% certainty.
PPS. Toronto should pay out Hinske's contract and make him the highest paid grounds keeper in Major League history in 2006. Nothing would please me more than to see him raking the batter's box before the ALDS.:laugh

[brewski]

NL EAST
1.Atlanta
2.New York
3.Philadelphia
4.Washington
5.Florida
NL CENTRAL
1.St.Louis
2.Milwaukee(wc):gt
3.Houston
4.Pittsburgh
5.Chicago
6.Cinncinnati
NL WEST
1.SF
2.LA
3.SD
4.COL

AL EAST
1.New York
2.Boston(wc)
3.Toronto
4.Baltimore
5.Tampa Bay
AL CENTRAL
1.Cleveland
2.Chicago
3.Detroit
4.Minnesota
5.KC
AL WEST
1.LA
2.Texas
3.Seattle
4.Oakland

NL Playoffs
Atlanta over Milwaukee (next year Brew Crew):waving
San Fran over St.Louis
Atlanta over San Fran

AL Playoffs
LA over New York
Cleveland over Boston
Cleveland over LA

World Series
In a 1995 repeat:
Atlanta over Cleveland

[robsmyth40]

anyone else have predictions? it looks like Barry Bonds' thoughts are on steroids right now.........

http://www.bongonews.com/StoryImages/barry_bonds_2004-12-15.jpg

[robsmyth40]

I disagree with your assumptions Brewski! Mlwaukee is getting better, but not better than the Cards, Cubs, and Astros. Atlanta and San Fran in the NL Central??????????? Nope - I doubt either team will make it to the playoffs this year. Cleveland isn't that good either. They might win the AL Central, but that is as far as they will go.

[brewski]

LMAO@ Bonds...yeah...hes never used roids:crazy
I didnt say brewers will be better than cards ( I have cards winning central). But they have a good chance to be better than cubs and astros.milwaukee is a young,talented and very hungry team and people are starting to take notice. :clapping

[foxxx]

AL West
1. A's- Pitching got better, so did hitting, this is barring an injury to Crosby
2. Angels- Same team as last year pretty much
3. Rangers- Eaton and Millwood is a good top of rotation, even if stadium sucks
4. Seattle- Just not enough talent

AL Central
1. White Sox- Cant pick against a WS champ that got even better
2. Indians(WC)- They will be better than last year, but so will the Sox
3. Twins- Torii Hunter is traded before the season is over
4. Tigers- Will be over .500 at least
5. Royals- Improved but still so bad

AL East
1. Yankees- Their lineup is comparable to the Dominican Republic's
2. Blue Jays- I've got faith, they had great pick ups
3. Red Sox- This division will be very close so 3rd place is decieving
4. Orioles- Leo will help the staff a lot, but they are a few key guys away from contention

ALDS
White Sox def. Yankees in 4
A's def. Indians in 3

ALCS
White Sox def. A's in 6, Frank Thomas is pissed

NL West
1. Giants- Barry is Barry, and Morris is good and Schmidt is healthy (hopefully)
2. Dodgers- They improved a lot, Izturis is traded before season is over
3. Padres- Peavy is good, Giles is good, but that's it really
4. Diamondbacks- Estrada will prove to be a bad move
5. Rockies- They will be better than last year, and on their way up

NL Central
1. Cardinals- They are still way better than everyone else in the division
2. Cubs- I'm going to lie to myself and assume Pryor and Wood stay healthy
3. Astros- They dont have an offense
4. Brewers- They will be over .500 and 2,3, and 4 will be only 7 games apart
5. Pirates- Young pitching will begin to blossom, wait two or three more years
6. Reds- That ballpark hurts them so much

NL East
1. Braves- Good 1-2 rotation punch, 1-4 hitters will be very good
2. Mets(WC)- This team is stacked, they lose the division by maybe 4 games
3. Phillies- Howard will hit 40 homeruns at least, but Mets and Braves too good
4. Nats- No repeat of last year
5. Marlins- Just wait for that 2009 WS title

NLDS
Braves def. Cardinals in 5
Mets def. Giants in 4

NLCS
Braves def. Mets in 7

World Series
White Sox def. Braves in 6

I cant pick MVPs because I'll end up picking a Jone's boy and everyone will just look at me as biased, BUT, given how good the Mets are, Andruw or Chipper may just carry that team to the division and keep the streak alive, so its nowhere near out of the question

[ichiro262]

wow...i'm guessing you're not a mariners fan. i mean, i am, and i naturally am biased and disillusioned about their chances this year, but 123 losses? that's a little extreme. realistically, i would say they will fall somewhere around .500 with a retooled rotation, good play from the favorite to win ROY at catcher (johjima, of course), and an up-to-par year from beltre (who today smashed two homers and drove in 5 against carlos zambrano and jorge julio...hardly talentless pitchers). and another thing. let it be known that i completely HATE the braves -- but it's fairly likely that they will not finish below .500 in the next 10 years.

P.S. the copy thing didn't work -- it was meant for KingJ at the bottom of page 1

[KingJ]

P.S. the copy thing didn't work -- it was meant for KingJ at the bottom of page 1

I actually really like the Mariners. I was just giving so many teams so many good records, I had to dump those losses somewhere. ;)

A 39-123 record would actually be a good thing for the M's. It would wake up the ownership to get new management and rebuild the team.

[brewcrew82]

No one will remember for very long who the White Sox crushed for their first World Series Championship in our lifetime. Don't believe me? Okay, who did Baltimore beat in '83 or Detroit destroy in '84? Could you honestly answer correctly without looking it up? I couldn't.:atthepc

You're kidding right Tro? I could always remember the WS matchups due to the fact that I took winning your league as actually being important, not so much now with the abomination they call interleague play...by the way it was Philly in '83 and the fathers in '84. ;)

[trosmok]

NL WEST
1.SF
2.LA
3.SD
4.COL


Ouch! Most people think Arizona won't contend for the NL West, but your list puts them finishing the season in the Pacific Coast League.:eek: I know, simply an oversight, but it made me chuckle. Cleveland surprised a lot of people with their phenomenal second half surge in '05; I'll be following them a little more closely in '06.

Yes, brewcrew82 I was not all the way serious, but I tend to forget which year a team won their league but lost the WS. The example I used was because I have difficulty remembering if it was the Padres in '84 that eliminated my Cubs, or the '83 Phillies, or both.;)

[Senior skittles]

I think that the newyork mets are being WAY overestimated..... They may be better but that pitching staff dosent look that great... sure pedro and wagner are great but....pedro pitches every 5 days and wagner can only get a save if their winning ( what if their pen cant hold the lead??) Beltrans 04 was a fluke.....he will revert to .280 avg 20 hr 80-100 rbis witch is not bad but not worth 17 million!!! delgado will help but otherwise this team is not going to a WS next year. I will say that the mets braves and phils will be in a tight race for the east though.

it will be
Nl
LA
STL
PHIL
NY

STL OVER NY
PHIL OVER LA

STL OVER PHIL

AL
NY
CHI
LA
ill give wc to the OAK

NY OVER OAK
CHI OVER LA

NY OVER CHI

WS
sadly........NY OVER STL

[Rounding Home]

NL East
1. Braves
2. Mets
3. Phillies
4. Washington
5. Florida

NL Central
1. Cardinals
2. Astros (WC)
3. Cubs
4. Brewers
5. Reds
6. Pirates

NL West
1. Dodgers
2. Padres
3. Giants
4. D-Backs
5. Rockies

AL East
1. Yankees
2. Red Sox
3. Blue Jays
4. Orioles
5. Devil Rays

AL Central
1. White Sox
2. Indians (WC)
3. Twins
4. Tigers
5. Royals

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

NLDS
Cards over Dodgers
Braves over Astros

NLCS
Cards over Braves

ALDS
White Sox over A's
Indians over Yankees

ALCS
White Sox over Indians

World Series
White Sox repeat over Cardinals

[armando416]

Being a life-long Indians fan, I love to see that quite a few people are predicting the Indians to win the AL central. But in addition to being a Tribe fan, I am also a stubborn realist. Wouldn’t most everyone agree that the world champion White Sox have managed to get even better in '06? Their rotation is incredible and I have a hard time imagining the Indians being able to top that (I would say the Indians talent level has remained roughly the same as in '05…whatever was lost since '05 from the bullpen will, hopefully, be made up for with an extra year of experience for the youngsters). That being said, I'm sure they'll give the White Sox a run for their money and be in the race until at least the last 2 weeks of the season (and have a great shot at the WC)

So everyone who said the tribe in '06, what were your reasons for that? Anyways, I know these are just pre-season predictions but I was just curious. Besides, it's always fun to look back on these in October. For the heck of it, here are mine:

AL East –
Boston
New York (Possible WC…I think RJ is gonna suck big time this year, though, and ruin their chances at the division crown)
Toronto
Tampa Bay
Baltimore

AL Central –
White Sox
Cleveland (Possible WC)
Minnesota
Detroit
KC

AL West –
LA
Oakland (long shot WC)
Texas
Seattle


NL East –
NY (this year will finally be the year they win the division…I can finally agree with my Mets fan buddy from NY who's been saying that the past 5-6 years;-)
Atlanta
Philadelphia
Washington (sorry guys these are still the Montreal Expos to me in the end…they faded fast last season)
Florida (my God can it get any worse for these fans?...win the World Series twice in the span of a few years and then watch as their team gets hacked apart in a single off-season? The owners need to be shot they're a disgrace to baseball)

NL Cental –
St Louis (can't forget the Pujols factor)
Houston
Milwaukee
Chicago (I don't see why people rate them so high all the time)
Pittsburgh
Cincinnati
(this division is by far the hardest to predict and probably the one that will prove the most people wrong in the end…myself likely included)

NL West –
Uh I'm not gonna even bother with this one. Will Bonds be healthy? Will LA underachieve as usual? Will the Padres rise above the mediocrity which somehow managed to win the division last year? About the only sure things in this division are that the D'Backs and Rockies will be bad.

The big jokes of baseball in '06:
-The Orioles
-KC
-Marlins
-Oh yeah and the Barry Bonds reality show, can't forget that ;-) Is he gonna demonstrate how to find a vein in any of his episodes? No offense to any Giants fans out there…I will be rooting for him to get injured again next year…not for anything against the Giants but mostly cause I would really hate to see him approach or break the all-time home run record. I'd rather his hopes get crushed this year so he doesn’t think about coming back for another year. I would hate to see that sort of record get tainted by him breaking it. It was sad enough to see him hit 73 home runs in a season.


Spoiler teams playoff contenders will least like to face in the final 2 months:

-Tampa Bay
-Milwaukee
-Toronto


Wishful thinking WS winner: The Indians

My most likely candidates for World Champs: repeat for the White Sox

(that being said it is hard to pick the playoffs in October let along March…picking division winners takes a lot more skill and a lot less conjecture ;-) Anyone who picks the World Series winner in March, it was just by 99.9% pure luck. I mean hey, when you take out the obvious non-contenders before the season starts, you got about a one-in-fifteen chance of guessing, right?

[Dasperp]

I think the White Sox probably have more talent than last year, but I still think they won't win as many games for numerous reasons.

1. Most AL teams have improved
2. The Sox were lcuky last year. They won more games than they were predicted to given their runs scored and allowed.
3. I'm expecting major regression from their pitching staff. They had about 8 guys with career years last year, and i'd expect most of them to at least be a little worse this year. I expect some significant regression from the bullpen trio of Cotts, Politte, and Hermanson, and most of the starting staff won't perform as well as last year.

[Dasperp]

AL East
New York
Boston
Toronto
Baltimore
Tampa Bay

Central
Cleveland
Chicago
Minnesota
Detroit
KC

West
Oakland (best team in majors)
LAA (WC)
Texas
Seattle


NL East
New York
Atlanta (WC)
Philadelphia
Washington
Florida

Central
St. Louis
Milwaukee
Houston
Chicago
Pittsburgh
Cincinnati

West
LA
Arizona
San Francisco
San Diego
Colorado

[lautrec]

AL West:
1. Athletics
2. Rangers
3. Angels
4. Mariners

AL Central:
1. Cleveland
2. White Sox
3. Royals
4. Twins
5. Tigers

AL East:
1. Red Sox
2. Blue Jays (Wild Card)
3. Devil Rays
4. Yankees
5. Orioles

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

NL Central:
1. Cardinals
2. Brewers
3. Cubs
4. Astros
5. Pirates
6. Reds

NL East:
1. Braves
2. Phillies (Wild Card)
3. Mets
4. Nationals
5. Marlins

[AznInvasion]

AL West:
1. Angels
2. Athletics
3. Rangers
4. Mariners

AL Central:
1. White Sox
2. Indians (Wild Card)
3. Tigers
4. Twins
5. Royals

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

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

NL Central:
1. Cardinals
2. Astros
3. Brewers
4. Cubs
5. Reds
6. Pirates

NL East:
1. Mets (Streak ends sadly for my braves)
2. Braves (WC)
3. Phillies
4. Nationals
5. Marlins

[Blackout]

1. Red Sox
2. Blue Jays (Wild Card)
3. Devil Rays
4. Yankees
5. Orioles



sorry but this deserves a good :laugh :laugh :laugh

[EvanAparra]

Some of these predictions are rediculous....like the Brewers making the W.S. and the Cubs winning it all....get over your home town pride people....haha and im going to wait for the tigers to finish higher than the twins next year....anyway...heres mine...

AL East

Boston
New York (wc)
Toronto
Tampa Bay
Baltimore

AL Central

Chicago
Cleveland
Minnesota
Detroit
Kansas City

AL West

Oakland
Texas ...... very iffy
Anaheim
Seattle

NL East

New York
Atlanta (WC)
Philadelphia
Washington
Florida

NL Central

St. Louis
Milwaukee
Houston
Cincinnati
Pittsburg

NL West

L.A.
San Francisco
San Diego
Arizona
Colorado

Playoffs

Chicago def. New York 3-1
Boston def. Oakland 3-1

St. Louis def. Atlanta 3-2
New York def. L.A. 3-2

Boston def Chicago 4-0
New York def. St. Louis 4-1

New York def. Boston 4-2 :(

Mets win....wait wtf am i saying.....

[holyroman]

about as ridiculous as having the brewers over the defending NL champ astros! you dont even show the cubs in that division.

[EvanAparra]

the astros showed how big of a fluke they were by getting swept in the world series...and their offense still sucks...and they lost clemens...so yeah, have fun in 3rd place....and i got the cubs 5th, my bad....although they might not deserve mention if their pitching isnt healthy.

[holyroman]

you don't beat the cardinals in a seven game series if you are a fluke, assclown. besides most don't consider the cards a fluke after they got swept in the series. they haven't lost clemens for sure, and there offense should be improved. they added wilson and were without bagwell last year, so a peice was missing

[EvanAparra]

you beat them in 6 you moron. and no the cards got swept because they were overmatched in every facet of the game...so OK, you all were nothing compared to the Sox, hows that?? one world series APPEARANCE and every astros fans think that the stros are a lock for it again... gimme a break...go get shut out 16 times again.

[holyroman]

ok, you made me chuckle. i said it was a 7 game series not that we took seven to beat them, but thanks. i never said the stros will repeat they will have a battle for the wildcard or the division i'm sure but i wouldn't put the brewers above them. thats like saying the mets will be ahead of the braves to me, but this is all my opinion so didn't mean to step on your toes. i agreed with the opening of your first post about the brewers and the cubs then you went and put the brewers above the stros that's my only bone of contention, for what it's worth

[holyroman]

I'll put one up now for fun, but I reserve to revise it when rosters clear up a bit. Red means losing record. Blue means lock

NL East
1) Mets
2) Braves
3) Phillies
4) Nationals
5) Girardi's hairless wonders

NL Central (most difficult-the top got worse & the bottom feeders improved-except for the Reds)
1) Cardinals ?
2) Brewers ?
3) Cubs ?
4) Pirates ?
5) Astros
6) Reds

NL West
1) Giants
2) Dodgers (check out Furcal's road splits!)
3) Padres
4) Rockies
5) D'backs

AL EAST
1) Red Sox
2) Yankees (starting pitching is silly looking at best)
3) Blue Jays
4) Orioles (could finish last)
5) Devil Rays (Kazmir can't pitch 5 in a row, Jackson must blossom)

AL Central
1) Indians
2) White Sox (Thome won't stay healthy/Vazquez doesn't win)
Twins...these three
Royals...teams are
Tigers...interchangeable

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

Giants over Braves in NLDS
Mets over Cardinals in NLDS
Angels over White Sox or Yankees over Angels in ALDS
Red Sox over Indians in ALDS

Giants over Mets in NLCS
Red Sox over Angels/Yankees in ALCS

World Series preview Boston v. Giants
Schmidt v. Bos. roster-161 AB/4 HR/38 K/8 BB/.224 BA/.259 OBP/.335 SLG
Morris v. Boston-119 AB/1 HR/24 K/5 BB/.244 BA/.280 OBP/.336 SLG
Lowery v. Sox-40 AB/0 HR/9 K/5 BB/.150 BA/.244 OBP/.175 SLG
Cain v. Sox-only faced M. Loretta (0-3/0 K/0 BB)
Benitez v. Sox-74 AB/1 HR/20 K/8 BB/.230 BA/.310 OBP/.284 SLG
Kline/Worrell/Munter/Taschner/Walker-115 AB/3 HR/21 K/20 BB/.200 BA/.319 OBP/.339 SLG
Beckett v. SF-76 AB/6 HR/20 K/6 BB/.316 AVG/.366 OBP/.612 SLG
Schilling v. SF-298 AB/14 HR/67 K/34 BB/.262 BA/.337 OBP/.480 SLG
Wakefield v.SF-174 AB/2 HR/37 K/22 BB/.253 BA/.342 OBP/.345 SLG
Wells v SF-230 AB/7 HR/31 K/8 BB/.261 BA/.283 OBP/.413 SLG
Arroyo v. SF-38 AB/1 HR/5 K/4 BB/.105 BA/.209 OBP/.211 SLG
Foulke v SF-48 AB/2 HR/11 K/4 BB/.125 BA/.208 OBP/.250 SLG
advantage: SF
w/o taking more space, I'd give head-to-head offensive edge to Boston, ever so slightly
Giants win in 6 or 7 games

? = this means you're clueless right

[robsmyth40]

I still think it will be the Cubs year.....

http://images.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/_photos/2003-10-02-cubs-fans-cover.jpg

AL West:
1. Angels
2. Athletics
3. Rangers
4. Mariners

AL Central:
1. White Sox
2. Cleveland
3. Twins
4. Tigers
5. Royals

AL East:
1. Yankees
2. Red Sox (Wild Card)
3. Blue Jays
4. Orioles
5. Devil Rays

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

NL Central:
1. Cardinals
2. Cubs (Wild Card)
3. Astros
4. Brewers
5. Reds
6. Pirates

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

ALDS:
Yankees over White Sox (3 - 1)
Angels over Red Sox (3 - 2)

NLDS:
Cards over Giants (3 - 1)
Cubs over Mets (3 - 2)

ALCS:
Yankees over Angels (4 - 1)

NLCS:
Cubs over Cards (4 - 3)

World Series
Cubs over Yankees (4 - 3)
http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/history/2005/images/ws_trophy.jpg

[Chisox73]

Here are my long awaited 2006 MLB predictions.These are my picks,and I'm sticking with them.:) Feel free to pick these apart.:cool:

AMERICAN LEAGUE EAST
New York Yankees- How far they go depends on pitching
Toronto Blue Jays- It's no longer a 2-team division
Boston Red Sox- Too many obstacles to overcome
Tampa Bay Devil Rays- Team on the rise
Baltimore Orioles- The O's fans deserve better

AMERICAN LEAGUE CENTRAL
Chicago White Sox- They have the horses to do it again
Cleveland Indians- This is a fun team to watch
Minnesota Twins- Still have one of the best pitching staffs in baseball
Detroit Tigers- Another transition year
Kansas City Royals- On the road to mediocrity

AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST
Oakland A's- Welcome back to October
x-Los Angeles Angels- Still very dangerous
Texas Rangers- If they only had halfway decent pitching
Seattle Mariners- Someone has to finish last here

NATIONAL LEAGUE CENTRAL
St.Louis Cardianls- Still the class of thier division
Milwaukee Brewers- Don't laugh
Houston Astros- No late season surge this year
Chicago Cubs- not counting on oft-injured Wood and Prior again
Pittsburgh Pirates- There's some promise there somewhere
Cincinnati Reds- Will battle Florida for worst record

NATIONAL LEAGUE EAST
Atlanta Braves- I'll keep picking them until they finally lose out
x-Philadelphia Phillies- Could sneak in through the back door
New York Mets- See above
Washington Nationals- .500 will be a huge accomplishment
Florda Marlins- Is it time to move yet?

NATIONAL LEAGUE WEST
San Diego Padres- 87 wins should be enough to win a tight 3 team race
Los Angeles Dodgers- Division crown or bust
San Francisco Giants- Too many distractions here
Arizona Diamondbacks- Welcome to mediocrity
Colrado Rockies- Wouldn't you love to have Todd Helton on your team?

x- Wild Card winner

AL DIVISION SERIES
Chicago over LA Angels 3-1
Oakland over NY Yankees 3-1

AL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
Chicago over Oakland 4-2

NL DIVISION SERIES
St.Louis over Philadelphia 3-1
Atlanta over San Diego 3-0

NL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
St.Louis over Atlanta 4-1

2006 WORLD SERIES
Chicago over St.Louis 4-2

[robsmyth40]

hmmmmm.....I will take the Cards over the ChiSox in your scenario.

[UnderPressure]

AL East - Boston
AL Central - Cleveland
AL West - Arcadia
AL Wildcard - Oakland

NL East - New York
NL Central - St. Louis
NL West - Los Angeles
NL Wildcard - Philadelphia

ALDS -
LAAoA over BOS
OAK over CLE

NLDS -
NYM over LA
STL over PHI

ALCS - OAK over LAAoA

NLCS - NYM over STL

WS - OAK over NYM

[robsmyth40]

I don't get it.....

1885-1957 New York Giants
1958-1975 San Francisco Giants
1976-1991 Toronto Giants
1992-??? Tampa Bay Giants

[ZR56664]

Call me crazy but I think the Cubs are gonna be a hell of a lot better than you people think they will be simply because they finally have a leadoff man in Juan Pierre. Corey Patterson didn't do anything for them last year. In order to give Derrek Lee some extra rbis there has to be someone on base and corey couldnt do that. If Derrek Lee has a year at all close to last year I think we will see the cubbies going far into the playoffs. Juan Pierre has to get on base though. The bullpen cant be blowing games by walking in the winning run every other game like last year. God that was so frusterating. Just get the damn ball over the plate. They either hit it or they don't.

So these are my 2006 MLB Predictions


NL East - Atlanta
NL Central - STL Cards
NL West - LA Dodgers
NL Wild Card - Cubbies

AL East - NY Yankees
AL Central - Chicago
AL West - Angels
AL Wild Card - Minnesota

2006 MLB Playoffs

NLDS:
Cubs over Cards 3-2
Atlanta over LA 3-1

ALDS:
NY Yankees over Minnesota
Angels over Chicago

NLCS:
Cubs over Atlanta 4-3

ALCS:
NY Yankees over Angels 4-2

2006 WORLD SERIES
CUBBIES OVER YANKEES 4-3

[MetsFan11368]

OK, I'll give it a shot even though a lot could happen between now and midseason. Anyway,


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

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

AL West
1. Los Angeles Angels
2. Oakland (WC)
3. Texas
4. Seattle

NL East
1. Atlanta
2. Mets (WC)
3. Washington
4. Philadelphia
5. Florida

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

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

Playoffs
Yankees over Oakland
Chicago over LA
Atlanta over LA
St Louis over Mets

Yankees over Chicago
St.Louis over Atlanta

Yankees over St. Louis

[scott1965]

Here goes...

NL East

Braves (the Mets have gotta prove they can beat the Braves)
Mets (wildcard)
Phillies
Nats
Marlins

NL Central (no big changes here)

Cards
Astros
Brewers
Cubs
Reds
Pirates

NL West (weak, weak division)

Dodgers
Padres
Giants
D Backs
Rockies

AL East

Yanks
Blue Jays
Red Sox
D Rays
Orioles

AL Central

White Sox
Indians (wildcard)
Tigers
Twins
Royals

AL West

Angels
A's
Rangers
Mariners

AL Champs
White Sox

NL Champs (tough one---the NL is weaker than the AL)
Cardinals

World Series Champs:
Cardinals

I think LaRussa is finally going to get over the hump this year.

[scott1965]

Here are my long awaited 2006 MLB predictions.These are my picks,and I'm sticking with them.:) Feel free to pick these apart.:cool:

AMERICAN LEAGUE EAST
New York Yankees- How far they go depends on pitching
Toronto Blue Jays- It's no longer a 2-team division
Boston Red Sox- Too many obstacles to overcome
Tampa Bay Devil Rays- Team on the rise
Baltimore Orioles- The O's fans deserve better

AMERICAN LEAGUE CENTRAL
Chicago White Sox- They have the horses to do it again
Cleveland Indians- This is a fun team to watch
Minnesota Twins- Still have one of the best pitching staffs in baseball
Detroit Tigers- Another transition year
Kansas City Royals- On the road to mediocrity

AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST
Oakland A's- Welcome back to October
x-Los Angeles Angels- Still very dangerous
Texas Rangers- If they only had halfway decent pitching
Seattle Mariners- Someone has to finish last here

NATIONAL LEAGUE CENTRAL
St.Louis Cardianls- Still the class of thier division
Milwaukee Brewers- Don't laugh
Houston Astros- No late season surge this year
Chicago Cubs- not counting on oft-injured Wood and Prior again
Pittsburgh Pirates- There's some promise there somewhere
Cincinnati Reds- Will battle Florida for worst record

NATIONAL LEAGUE EAST
Atlanta Braves- I'll keep picking them until they finally lose out
x-Philadelphia Phillies- Could sneak in through the back door
New York Mets- See above
Washington Nationals- .500 will be a huge accomplishment
Florda Marlins- Is it time to move yet?

NATIONAL LEAGUE WEST
San Diego Padres- 87 wins should be enough to win a tight 3 team race
Los Angeles Dodgers- Division crown or bust
San Francisco Giants- Too many distractions here
Arizona Diamondbacks- Welcome to mediocrity
Colrado Rockies- Wouldn't you love to have Todd Helton on your team?

x- Wild Card winner

AL DIVISION SERIES
Chicago over LA Angels 3-1
Oakland over NY Yankees 3-1

AL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
Chicago over Oakland 4-2

NL DIVISION SERIES
St.Louis over Philadelphia 3-1
Atlanta over San Diego 3-0

NL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
St.Louis over Atlanta 4-1

2006 WORLD SERIES
Chicago over St.Louis 4-2


I like your picks....good ones!

[Astros4Life]

AL EAST
1. New York
2. Boston
3. Toronto
4. Baltimore
5. Tampa Bay

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

AL WEST
1. LAA Angels
2. Texas
3. Oakland
4. Seattle

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

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

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

AL DIV
Chicago 3 NY 2
LAA 3 CLE 1

NL DIV
STL 3 LA 1
HOU 3 ATL 1

ALCS
LAA 4 Chi 2

NLCS
HOU 4 STL 1

WS
HOU 4 LAA 3

[robsmyth40]

Hey - if anyone is interested in playing free fantasy baseball, I created an open league on Yahoo:

Smokers and Tokers(ID# 290157) (http://baseball.fantasysports.yahoo.com/b1/290157;_ylt=AiL1DZJd_IZc3CNl7JsCGU.Nm8AF)

http://extremecatholic.blogspot.com/images/baseball-fight.jpg

[Zito75]

AL East: Yankees
AL Central: White Sox
AL West: A's
AL Wild Card: Red Sox

NL East: Braves
NL Central: Cardinals
NL West: Padres
NL Wild Card: Mets

ALCS A's
NLCS Cardinals

World Series Winner: A's

AL CY Johan Santana
NL CY Jake Peavy

AL Rookie Ian Kinsler
NL Rookie Ryan Zimmerman

AL MVP A-Rod
NL MVP Albert Pujols

[ndistops]

Ok, revising:

AL East: Yankees
AL Central: White Sox
AL West: A's
AL Wildcard: Angels

NL East: Braves
NL Central: Cardinals
NL West: Dodgers
NL Wildcard: Mets

Mets over A's in World Series

MVPs: AL - Guerrero, NL - Pujols
Cy Youngs: AL - Santana, NL - C. Zambrano
ROYs: AL - Delmon Young, NL - Jeremy Hermida
MOYs: AL - Ken Macha, NL - Grady Little

[Mariano_Rivera]

AL East-Yankees-Record breaking offense,improved bullpen, healthy SP (hopefully) whats not to like
AL Central-White Sox -Still riding the horses all the way home
AL West-Athletics- A young team great pitching hey looks like in a few years they`ll be just like the White Sox
AL Wild Card-Indians- Young team offense second only to Yankees and decent SP and Bullpen

NL East-Phillies-The sleeper team fantastic offense (can you say Jimmy Rollins) decent Bullpen if Flash is good only thing standing in the way of a ring is the SP
NL Central-Astros- Better offense then the Cardinals if you look deep, Great front of the Rotation and decent Bullpen
NL West-Dodgers-By default but a great manager (okay so one penant costing mistake) and okay offense, SP and Bullpen
Wild Card-Mets-Young team on the rise now if only Pedro was healthy...


ALDS NLDS
Yankees over Indians Phillies over Dodgers
Athletics over White Sox Astros over Mets

ALCS NLCS
Yankees over Athletics Astros over Phillies

World Series
Yankees over Astros

[Centreville82]

AL:
East: Yankees
Central: Cleveland
West: Oakland

Wild Card: Red Sox

NL:
East: Braves
Central: Cardinals
West: Dodgers

Wild Card: Mets

I'm not predicting the playoffs.

[Astro]

AL
East: Blue Jays
Central: White Sox
West: Los Angeles Angels
Wildcard: Yankees

NL
East: Mets
Central: Cardinals
West: Padres
Wildcard: Astros

Playoffs (Division Series)
AL
White Sox over Yankees
Blue Jays over Angels
NL
Cardinals over Padres
Astros over Mets

(Conference Series)
AL
White Sox over Blue Jays
NL
Astros over Cardinals

(World Series)
Astros over White Sox

[robsmyth40]

Blue Jays? They look good, but not that good.

[WhiteSoxSteve]

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

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

AL East
1. Blue Jays
2. Yankees-*
3. Red Sox
4. Orioles
5. Devil Rays

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

NL Central
1. Cardinals
2. Astros
3. Brewers
4. Cubs
5. Pirates
6. Reds

NL East
1. Braves
2. Mets-*
3. Phillies
4. Nationals
5. Marlins

*-Wild Card

AL MVP-Vlad Guerrero
NL MVP-Pujols
AL Cy Young-Buehrle
NL Cy Young-Mark Mulder
AL Roy-Brian Anderson
NL Roy-Joey Devine
AL Comeback Player of the Year-Jim Thome
NL Comeback Player of the Year-Nomar Garciaparra
AL Manager of the Year-John Gibbons
NL Manager of the Year-Grady Little

ALDS
White Sox over Yankees
A's over Blue Jays
NLDS
Cardinals over Mets
Dodgers over Braves
ALCS
White Sox over A's
NLCS
Cards over Dodgers
WORLD SERIES
White Sox over Cardinals

[Baseball Guru]

AL East:
Yankees
Red Sox
Blue Jays
Orioles
Rays

AL Central:
White Sox
Indians
Twins
Tigers
Royals

AL West:
A's
Angels
Rangers
Mariners

NL East:
Braves
Mets
Phillies
Nationals
Marlins

NL Central:
Cards
Cubs
Astros
Brewers
Reds
Pirates

NL West:
Dodgers
Giants
Padres
D-Backs
Rockies

Wild Card Winners:
NL: Mets
AL: Angels

World Series:
Cards vs White Sox

World Series Winner:
White Sox

MVP's:
NL: Pujols
AL: A. Rodriguez

Cy Young's:
NL: Oswalt
AL: Halladay

[rockin500]

yes, stranger things have happened. but i have faith. :)

AL East:
Yankees
Blue Jays
Red Sox
Orioles
Rays

AL Central:
Indians
White Sox
Twins
Tigers
Royals

AL West:
A's
Angels
Rangers
Mariners

NL East:
Braves
Mets
Phillies
Nationals
Marlins

NL Central:
Cubs
Cards
Astros
Brewers
Pirates
Reds

NL West:
Dodgers
Padres
Giants
D-Backs
Rockies

Wild Card Winners:
NL: Cards
AL: Blue Jays

World Series:
Cubs vs Yankees

World Series Winner:
Cubs

MVP's:
NL: Aramis Ramirez
AL: A. Rodriguez

Cy Young's:
NL: Carlos Zambrano
AL: Halladay

[DodgerBlue81]

I still think it will be the Cubs year.....

LOL, what's with all these Cubs World Champions predictions?

I can't see the Cardinals not winning the NL.

AL is far better and will have the World Series winner, which unfortunately, I think it will be the Yankees.

[Mariano_Rivera]

LOL, what's with all these Cubs World Champions predictions?

I can't see the Cardinals not winning the NL.

AL is far better and will have the World Series winner, which unfortunately, I think it will be the Yankees.

The cardinals time is done the Astros have a better offense, Better front of the rotation but worse back end of it and a far stronger bullpen do the math then come back to me.

[holyroman]

LOL, what's with all these Cubs World Champions predictions?

I can't see the Cardinals not winning the NL.

AL is far better and will have the World Series winner, which unfortunately, I think it will be the Yankees.

did you watch last year?, they are weaker this year!

[ESPNFan]

AL East
1. Red Sox
2. Yankees
3. Blue Jays
4. Devil Rays
5. Orioles
AL Central
1. White Sox
2. Twins*
3. Indians
4. Tigers
5. Royals
AL West
1. A's
2. Angels
3. Mariners
4. Rangers

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

NL Central
1. Cardinals
2. Astros
3. Brewers
4. Cubs
5. Pirates
6. Reds

NL West
1. Dodgers
2. Padres*
3. Giants
4. Diamondbacks
5. Rockies



*-Wild Card

AL MVP- Manny Ramierz
NL MVP- Albert Pujols
AL Cy Young- Rich Harden
NL Cy Young- Pedro Martinez
AL Roy- Jonathan Papelbon
NL Roy- Josh Barfield
AL Comeback Player of the Year- Jim Thome
NL Comeback Player of the Year- J.D. Drew
AL Manager of the Year- Terry Francona
NL Manager of the Year- Willie Randolph

ALDS
Red Sox over White Sox
A's over Twins
NLDS
Cardinals over Dodgers
Mets over Padres
ALCS
Red Sox over A's
NLCS
Mets over Cardinals
WORLD SERIES
Red Sox over Mets

[ndistops]

LOL, what's with all these Cubs World Champions predictions?
We Cubs fans always pick our team no matter how stupid it may seem. :D

[DodgerBlue81]

did you watch last year?, they are weaker this year!

They won't be much weaker, and the Astros are weaker too.

[robsmyth40]

any thoughts after the first two weeks?

[holyroman]

The astros will be and are better. all you people seem to ignore the fact that they won the NL last year beating two good teams. ther offense will be much improved this year. sure the starting rotation is a question but it was last year too. All i'm saying is that if you payed any attention to the astros success over the last ten years you would know they are a winning franchise only behind the yankees and braves in consistency.

[trosmok]

The Braves "should we worry?" thread got me thinking about this old thread; as we enter the good hot days of summer I thought we might dredge this up for some fun. Seems few if any of us thought Detroit would finish higher than fourth, which barring an implosion of great magnitude isn't likely to happen. My predictions are looking horribly bad, as usual, but I did accurately fortell that the addition of the cereal lead-off man, as well as making Youkilis an everyday player would improve the Red Sox dramatically.:clapping The thread took some turns toward Astros bashing, part of which I'm to blame, but Houston will need to play better than .500 ball to make the post-season. Not many others thought the Reds would be playing so well, either, bt they have been known to contend until August, and then stink worse than the Ohio River on a hot day the rest of the way.

[Jays4life]

Blue Jays? They look good, but not that good.
They are not that good. They are even better!

[trosmok]

Here goes..........

NL Champs (tough one---the NL is weaker than the AL)
Cardinals

World Series Champs:
Cardinals

I think LaRussa is finally going to get over the hump this year.

Well done, scott 1965!:clapping Not many picked the Cards to be WS Champs. Many folks predicted the Chicago White Sox would repeat, which has become the most difficult thing to do in sports today, at least this century. Who would have honestly thought the Tigers would be AL Champs? Even the Detroit faithful had realistic hopes for their team. My poor Cubbies stunk like lower Wacker Dr. on an August evening during alewives season, but the brainwashed die-hards thought '06 would finally be their year. How well did you do with your predictions? I batted .125; a lousy 1 for 8.

[scott1965]

Thanks! I just had a hunch that the Cards would do it this year, although I started to doubt them towards the end of the season.

After the Mets were eliminated in the NLCS, I started to root for the Tigers. NO one thought they would do what they did this year. I knew that Leyland would be a great fit there, but didn't figure that he'd get them to the WS in his first year.

Now I'm depressed---no baseball until February again.

[IAmSmarterThanYou]

Here's my predictions from April 1, I just found them.

Team W L Pct. GB
AL East
Yankees 97 65.599 -
Blue Jays 87 75 .537 10
Red Sox 86 76 .531 11
Orioles 70 92 .432 27
Devil Rays 61 101 .377 36

AL Central
Twins 96 66 .593 -
Tigers 95 67 .586 1
White Sox 90 72 .556 6
Indians 78 84 .481 18
Royals 62 100 .383 34

AL West
Athletics 93 69 .574 -
Angels 89 73 .549 4
Rangers 80 82 .494 13
Mariners 78 84 .481 15

NL East
Mets 97 65 .599 1
Phillies 85 77 .525 12
Braves 79 83 .488 18
Marlins 78 84 .481 19
Nationals 71 91 .438 26

NL Central
Cardinals 83 78 .516 -
Astros 82 80 .506 1.5
Reds 80 82 .494 3.5
Brewers 75 87 .463 8.5
Pirates 67 95 .414 16.5
Cubs 66 96 .407 17.5

NL West
Padres 88 74 .543 -
Dodgers 88 74 .543 -
Giants 76 85 .472 11.5
Dimondbacks 76 86 .469 12
Rockies 76 86 .469 12

ALDS: Tigers 3, Yankees 1.
ALDS: Athletics 3, Twins 0.
NLDS: Mets 3, Dodgers 0.
NLDS: Cardinals 3, Padres 1.
ALCS: Tigers 4, Athletics 0.
NLCS: Cardinals 4, Mets 3.
WS: Cardinals 4, Tigers 1.

Remember, I made these April 1st! I got everything right! Wow!

[Evangelion]

I doubt you made those predictions.

You predicted the Giants and Cardinals would miss a game? Lol, sure!

[IAmSmarterThanYou]

Yes, I really did!

[wu-tang clan]

[QUOTE=Evangelion]I doubt you made those predictions.

You predicted the Giants and Cardinals would miss a game? Lol, sure![/QU

nah, i dont think hes lying

[GiantsFever07]

Come On U seriously Think the Cubs Can Beat the Giants u kill me it will come down to the NLCS Giants-Cubs and the Giants will win in 4 then Take on the Athletics in The World Series