Annually I have my “day of reckoning” for my Major League Baseball predictions. Today is that day! Back in March I made my predictions. Let’s see how I did…
Well, for the National League division winners, I picked wisely and well. I went 3 for 3! The American League was a different story: 0 for 3. Overall I maintained the same pace as last year: 3 for 6.
American League
East: Tampa Bay Rays
My pick: New York Yankees
At 97-65, the Tampa Bay Rays exceed all expectations. It was their first winning season ever. With a model of home-grown talent like the Colorado Rockies, other teams like the Pittsburgh Pirates seem ready to adopt this model —rather than a “money ball” model — for small market franchises. The New York Yankees struggled with timely hitting all year long. A record of 89-73 will never be adequate for the current AL East division. I’m happy to see that Mike Mussina (20-9, 3.37 ERA) finally got a 20 win season after seven 17 plus win seasons.
The Boston Red Sox with 95 wins made the AL Wild Card. The highlights of the BoSox’s season included Jon Lester’s no-hitter on May 19th, Manny Ramirez’s trade to Los Angeles Dodges two-thirds through the season, and Jason Varitek’s disappointing performance with the bat (.220 13 43). Overall this year’s Red Sox team certainly underachieved. They could have easily have had over 100 wins. Nevertheless, the pitching staff came through quite well with Daisuke Matsuzaka (18-3 .290) and Jon Lester (16-6 .321) as aces. Unfortunately Josh Beckett (12-10 4.03) has a tough season with injuries. Without a bat like Manny’s I’m not too confident that they will get too deep into the post season.
Central: Chicago White Sox
My pick: Detroit Tigers
It took the ChiSox 163 games to take the division by beating the perennial contender Minnesota Twins 1-0. Perhaps only second to the Tampa Bay Rays they are the surprise team this year.
West: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
My pick: Seattle Mariners
National League
East: Philadelphia Phillies
My pick: Philadelphia Phillies
For the second consecutive year this division was not so much about the Phillies (92-70) as it was about the New York Mets (89-73). For the second consecutive year the New York Mets slid at the end. The Mets had many chances to win about 5-6 games near the end of this season and failed dramatically. On a personal note, I was happy to have made my first trip to Shea Stadium in Queens this summer.
The Phillies, under manager Charlie Manuel, once again had a solid team. Their key was a great pitching staff with workhorses Cole Hamels (14-10 3.09), Jamie Moyer (16-7 3.71) and Brett Myers (10-13 4.55) — each posting 190 innings pitched— and a solid bullpen led by Brad Lidge (41 saves and no blown saves). Unfortunately Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino missed significant playing time. Jayson Werth stepped up with a hot July and August. Others like Chase Utley (.292 33 104) and Ryan Howard (.251 48 146) delivered in expectations. The Phillies remain a refreshing and interesting team — like their ’93 ancestors — and should do well in the playoffs.
Central: Chicago Cubs
My pick: Chicago Cubs
At 97-64 it was hard to find a weakness in this year’s Cubs. Manager Lou Pinella showed his baseball worth. They had a great pitching staff with Carlos Zambrano (14-6, 3.91 and a no-hitter), Ted Lilly (17-9, 4.09) and Ryan Dempster (17-6, 2.96). On offense they led the National League in runs (855) and in other categories as well. A great year overall for the Cubs.
West: Los Angeles Dodgers
My pick: Los Angeles Dodgers
Once again the NL West was the weakest of the MLB divisions. The Dodgers took the crown at 84-78. The Colorado Rockies returned to old form after a surprise 2007. The Arizona Diamondbacks started strong but lost steam quickly with a pitching staff that could not hold up.
Now for the batting and pitching Triple Crown categories...
AL
Batting: Joe Mauer, Minnesota (.328)
Home Runs: Miguel Cabrera, Detroit (37)
RBI: Josh Hamilton, Texas (130)
Wins: Cliff Lee, Cleveland (22)
Strikeouts: A.J. Burnett, Toronto (231)
ERA: Cliff Lee, Cleveland (2.54)
NL
Batting: Chipper Jones, Atlanta (.364)
Home Runs: Ryan Howard, Philadelphia (48)
RBI: Ryan Howard, Philadelphia (146)
Wins: Brandon Webb, Arizona (22)
Strikeouts: Tim, Lincecum San Francisco (265)
ERA: Johan Santana, New York (2.53)
Hits are not a Triple Crown number. However, the “magical number” for hits is 200. So let’s see who joined the club this year…
Dustin Pedroia, Boston (213)
Ichiro Suzuki, Seattle (213)
Jose Reyes, New York Mets (204)
Now for my World Series prediction ...
Boston Red Sox vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
Photo: Clay Buchholz, photo by Mark Sobba (Seattle Mariners vs. Boston Red Sox, July 23, 2008)
