Posted by Adam Gonsiewski
The second of a five-day series of predictions from Philliedelphia's contributors.
American League predictions
AL East division winner – Red Sox
AL Central division winner – Tigers
AL West division winner – Athletics
AL Wild Card team – Yankees
AL MVP – Miguel Cabrera, Tigers
AL Cy Young – Jon Lester, Red Sox
AL Rookie of the Year – Mike Moustakas, Royals
AL Manager of the year – Bob Geren, Athletics
AL Playoff prediction
Divisional Round – Red Sox over Athletics, Yankees over Tigers
Championship round – Red Sox over Yankees
National League predictions
NL East division winner – Phillies
NL Central division winner – Reds
NL West division winner – Giants
NL Wild Card team – Braves
NL MVP – Ryan Braun, Brewers
NL Cy Young – Roy Halladay, Phillies
NL Rookie of the Year – Freddie Freeman, Braves
NL Manager of the year – Fredi Gonzalez, Braves
NL Playoff prediction
Divisional Round – Phillies over Giants, Reds over Braves
Championship round – Phillies over Reds
World Series Prediction
Phillies over Red Sox in 6 games.
Comments:
In the National League: The Reds remind me of the 2007-2008 Phillies. While they have question marks in their starting rotation, they boast a potentially dominant lineup. The Reds are a better team than the one the Phillies dominated in 2010 in the postseason, and shouldn't be overlooked again this upcoming year. In the NL West, the Giants' pitching staff will again guide them to the postseason, but the Rockies will contend. The Phillies will win the NL East because they have the best starting pitching staff in the majors, but the Braves are sure to keep it close and come out on top in the Wild Card race.
In the American League: On paper, the Red Sox have the best team in the AL (and possibly the majors). Despite missing the playoffs last season, I believe that the road to the Series in the AL goes through Fenway. The Yankees will win the Wild Card, but don't discount the Rays as a sleeper playoff team. In the AL Central, the Twins, White Sox, and Tigers will race down to the wire. This time, I believe the Tigers come out on top. I think the uncertainties surrounding Joe Mauer's offseason surgery and Justin Morneau's concussion symptoms will end up haunting the Twins throughout the season. In the AL West, the Rangers are the favorite to win the division. However, I picked the Athletics as my surprise playoff team because of their starting pitching staff. The loss of Cliff Lee will definitely hurt the offensive-minded Rangers.
