Prediction: MLB 2011 Division Standings

I'm running out of time rather quickly. Instead of going through each division individually, as I did with the AL Central, this is a list of how I predict every division to stack up by the end of 2011.

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

I don't see the difference between the NYY and BoSox being as far apart as most others seem to think. The battle for first should go down to the final days with the second place NYY once again claiming the wild card spot for the AL. I'm half tempted to put the Jay Birds over the Rays, but I've learned never to sell the Stinger's short.

AL West:
1. Texas Rangers
2. Oakland Athletics
3. LA Angels of wherever they are now
4. Seattle Mariners

Same as last year with even more drama.

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

The depth of the Braves organization takes them to the top of the AL East yet again where they will stay for a long time. I don't trust the Phillies offense as it proved so last season, but they will claim the NL Wild Card spot just barely ahead of Colorado.

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

Pitching depth and defense. The Reds have so much of it that they take the division easily. The Brew Crew is improved and a sexy pick, but fall short this year.

NL West:
1. SF Giants
2. Colorado Rockies
3. LA Dodgers
4. San Diego Padres
5. Arizona Diamondbacks

The Giants could very well repeat as World Series Champs in 2011 (that hurt to type) but they have a solid rotation and bullpen with heavy anchors. That Belt kid is going to tag team with Posey to take this offense to the next level. Rockies and Dodgers will be better in 2011. I'd love to see the Rox get the WC, but its just not going to happen.

2011 Predictions: American League Central

Following up my predictions for American and National League Most Valuable Players for 2011, I am finally getting around to predicting the final placing for each division, as well as the wild card winner for each league. Once I establish who my playoff teams will be, I will make my predictions for each playoff series and ultimately crown my prediction for 2011 World (er U.S. and Canada) Series Champion.

American League Central: Talk about a tight division. In 2008, the Twins and ChiSox fought in a tie-breaker followed by another tie-breaker in 2009 between the Twins and Tigers. It’s really going to be a battle between those three teams for the division crown in 2011 with the Royals and Indians bringing up the rear.

1^st: Chicago White Sox: The White Sox should be excited going in to 2011. They brought in home run juggernaut Adam Dunn to DH for them. They thus created a fearsome group in the middle of the order with keeping Pauly and AJ. Look for Alexi and Beckham to start breaking out this season, and don’t discount that they’ve been hanging out with Omar Vizquel for the last two years. Chris Sale is a borderline man crush for me and getting Jake Peavey back at some point during the season may set this team off in nothing but to the top of the AL.

2^nd: Detroit Tigers: The Tigers had a hell of an offseason. They kept Magglio around, which I think means a lot for the team to keep his presence in the clubhouse and on the field. They brought in Victor Martinez to beef up the lineup; he can catch, play first, but it slated to be the primary DH. They solidified the back end of their bullpen by signing 2010 WonderBoy Joaquin Benoit. Verlander, Scherzer, and Porcello make for a solid 3 at the top of the rotation. They were in contention right up to the end in 2010 and have only gotten better.

3^rd: Minnesota Twins: I know, the Twins are defending champs and will run a very similar team out there in 2011 and I drop them to third in the division (maybe I’m just sick of seeing them roll over to the Yanks in the playoffs). I really just hate this teams’ pitching. I think they’re rotation is among the worst in the AL and the club itself doesn’t seem to have any faith in Liriano either. They lost a lot in the bullpen and who knows what they will get from Nathan, Morneau, or Nishioka. They won’t be a bad team and could easily prove my prediction wrong, but I don’t see the Twins being a legitimate playoff threat.

4^th: Cleveland Indians: I really really really hope that Carlos Santana gets plenty of time at 1^st base. I think the team will be a lot better with Marson at catcher, Santana at 1^st, LaPorta at DH, and Travis Hafner in another uniform. If you don’t watch the Indians, you should. Choo is the most underrated player in the game. I’m anxious to see what 2011 holds for Sizemore and Masterson. The Indians, however, won’t be a .500 team.

5^th: Kansas City Royals: Quick, name 6 players on the 2011 Royals team…. Yeah. Ask me about this team in 2013. In the mean time someone come up with a new nickname for Soria.

MLB Dream Job Submission

I was told that I should apply for the current "MLB Dream Job opening". I hesitated since I'm not too great at selling myself and trying to convince someone that I'm more deserving of something over someone else. It's a hard concept for me to accept, and who am I to say such a thing anyways?
The submission required a video as well, which the application didn't initially state. Even if the deadline wasn't today, I don't exactly have the internet connection to upload video (downside to living in the country).
The application asked me to explain in 500 words who I am and why I love baseball. It also asked for my 2011 MVP predictions in 500 words. It was hard to do so in such a small space but I did. I thought I'd go ahead and share.

I grew up an Army brat, and constantly looked for ways to get my dad’s attention and time: trying to match his hourly wage, joining boy scouts, and baseball. Fortunately for me we got all our moving out of the way by the time I was 6 years old. I grew up in southwestern Oklahoma just hours from the Dallas-Ft Worth area. My dad was a Rangers fan and would watch the games occasionally, but his passion for it definitely grew as it did with that of me and my brother. I remember going to a few games at the Ballpark in Arlington as a kid and seeing the field for the first time. It’s still as magical every time I walk through those gates. I remember picking #7 in little league and wanting to play catcher like my favorite player, Pudge. I remember Cal Ripken Jr. picking up my little sister out of the stands because people were crushing her to get his autograph, and she had no idea who happened to be holding her. I remember pulling my first game used baseball card from a random pack that my dad happened to just pick up for me one day. It was a Pudge bat. Of all the baseball cards we have bought over the years, neither me nor my dad have pulled another game used Pudge card since that day. I remember having a ball get away from my dad as we were playing catch and giving me a black eye; it was just like the Sandlot. I remember the first fly ball I ever caught in a little league game. I was so excited that I forgot to throw the ball back to the infield right away. I love baseball. I love baseball because it never lets us forget. Baseball is forever redeeming. It gives me memories of such great detail that may have nothing to do with the box score. Baseball isn’t bias. Baseball isn’t bound to a demographic. It brings every group, every class, and every personality to one temple and dissolves every difference. For twenty-seven outs we are all baseball fans with an emotional attachment to our team that is comparable to our own families. It’s a bond that creates the highest emotional moments and the lowest gut punching moments not only in a 162 game span but in a mere few innings. Baseball can be broken down into any microscopic detail that they smartest mathematician can fathom, but still every projection, every prediction, every power ranking become null as soon as the season starts. Baseball is a family. It brings those already bound closer together and it brings those who would have never otherwise been in the same company together to share in heartbreak, arguments, high fives, spilt beers, tears, exhaustion, fear, hope, and happiness. It’s a simple game that exhausts limits and anchors bonds.

Josh Hamilton proved that any prediction is taken with a grain of salt, and that anything can happen. His humbling 2009 season became a concern associated with his past. Then he became the 2010 AL MVP. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t fun to do! So here we go, my predictions for your 2011 AL and NL MVPs.

National League: There is certainly plenty of talent to pick from: defending MVP Joey Votto, perennial MVP in Albert Pujols, the nasty boys flying high in Colorado in Tulo and CarGo, and that’s just on the offensive side. The safe bet is Pujols, but with the injuries to the starting staff and the questionable defense, I don’t see the Cardinals contending in a tight NL central division. It’s proven difficult for an MVP come from a non-contender. I’m going with Colorado short stop, Troy Tulowitzki. Tulo finished in the top-5 MVP voting the past two years. He just turned 26 last October, so he’s knocking at the age of hitting the offensive prime of an MLB star. He was hit in the wrist in June of last year and came off the disabled list with a vengeance. He hit 14 homeruns in a two week span in September! A homerun every day!! Barring another freak injury Tulo will play 81 games in the hitters Coors Field. His defense will still be at the top of the National League at a very weak offensive position. There is no reason for him to be a silver slugger, gold glover, and essential piece to a contending team. That’s an MVP.

American League: I don’t see the American League showing the promise and debate that the NL holds. I don’t trust Josh Hamilton to repeat. Miguel Cabrera is back on the wagon. Jose Bautista could be nothing more than a flash in the pan and will be on a team that traded away its opening day starter and franchise player this offseason. Robby Cano may not get the lineup spot he deserves in an aging and overshadowing Yankees lineup that could keep him from maximizing position. But regardless of my distaste for the letter on his hat, Robby C gets my pick for AL MVP. I would much rather see him hitting 3^rd in that Yankees lineup but the prestige of ARod and Tex will probably keep him in the 5^th spot. Even still, he has played ~160 games the past 4 seasons and going into the magic year of age 28 has no reason to not match that in 2011. He benefits from a solid BAbip which has stayed relatively consistent over his career. He lacks the speed of a prototypical 2^nd baseman but he hits for high average and 25+ HR power. He will score over 100 runs in that lineup and drive in just as many. He’s a spark in an aging NYY lineup that will have a lot of redemption to prove in 2011. Robby C isn’t in the shadows anymore. His consistency through his career, exposure, dependency, and the lack of solid competition, makes Robinson Cano my 2011 AL MVP.