This year has been a pretty crazy baseball season. The Pittsburgh Pirates were over .500 at the all-star break for the first time since 1992. Clint Hurdle has done an outstanding job in his first year as manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates, winning 47 games, which is only 10 less than they did all last season. The Cleveland Indians are tied for first in the American League Central, a team that went 69-93 last year. The Arizona Diamondbacks are 3.5 games back of the reigning 2010 champs in the National League West. The Diamondbacks have a new swagger about them, thanks to their manager Kirk Gibson. Arizona won 49 games in the first half of the season, which is only 16 less than they did all of last season. Also, thanks to resurgence of Jose Reyes (contract year of course) the New York Mets are one game above .500, which no one would have thought when the 2011 season got started. The Washington Nationals are 46-46, and even their former manager Jim Riggelman knew how surprising this was, so he asked for a contract extension. (We all know how that went, Mike Rizzo, the General Manager said no, so Riggleman said peace and bounced.) Also, we saw another manager act selfishly and quit on his team when Edwin Rodriguez resigned from the Florida Marlins. I'm glad they did though, because now baseball was able to get two former managers who have won the World Series as former managers. (Jack McCeon and Davey Johnson.) Baseball is so unique because you really never know how it is going to pan out. The Pirates, Indians, and Diamondbacks are all either in first place or within 3.5 games of first at the all-star break. All three of these teams were considered to be near the bottom of their divisions before the season started. That would be like the Los Angeles Clippers, New Jersey Nets, and Washington Wizards in first place at the all-star break. We all know how their 2010-11 season played out, NOT GOOD! Now lets have some fun and try and do the impossible and predict how the rest of the 2011 baseball season is going to play out. I know everyone is thinking the Phillies and Red Sox is an easy selection for the World Series this year, but so were the Phillies and Yankees last year. We saw how that played out. We'll go division by division and I will tell you why I have a pretty good feeling why these respected squads will be playing in the post-season.
AL EAST
The American League East is definitely one of the best divisions in baseball, if not the best. The top three teams in the AL East are three of the top teams in the American League. The Tampa Bay Rays are currently in third place in the AL East, yet their winning percentage is 4th best in the entire American League. Despite the Toronto Blue Jays having one of the best players in baseball in Jose Bautista, they will be lucky if they finished up the season in third place in the AL East. The Baltimore Orioles... Enough said. The Rays have had an outstanding season after losing their entire bullpen and Carl Crawford off of last years squad, when they won the AL East. The Rays have one of the best young pitching staffs in all of baseball and should hang around until September, then I expect the Yankees and Red Sox to have at least an eight game lead on the Rays. The Yankees have lucked out with the resurgence of Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia to help bolster their pitching staff. They have one of the best lineups in all of baseball, especially with Curtis Granderson finding his swing from 2009 when he was a member of the Detroit Tigers. CC Sabathia is one of the best pitchers in the game, and I would take him in a must win game over any pitcher in the game. Dude loves pitching in pressure situations. However, I think the Boston Red Sox have to deep of a team when it comes to pitching and hitting and I see them winning the AL East. They have one of the best lineups in the game, they were first in runs, batting average, slugging percentage, and on-base percentage during the first half of the season, and I expect that to continue this in the second half. Their lineup one through nine is the best in baseball. Their pitching hasn't been as good as it should in the first half, but I expect that to change in the second half. Even if it doesn't, I still see them winning the AL East because this team scores a lot of runs, but if they want to win a World Series there pitching needs to step it up a notch.
AL CENTRAL
The AL Central has been the most strange division in baseball. The Minnesota Twins started the season playing like the Bad News Bears, while on the other hand the Cleveland Indians started the season playing like they did back in the mid-to-late 1990's. The Kansas City Royals got off to a nice start, but then they finally remember they were the Kansas City Royals. The Royals will definitely finish in last place in the Central. The Chicago White Sox are still waiting for Adam Dunn to show up. He is batting below the Mendoza line, and if he doesn't step up the Sox are done. Their bullpen has been horrible this season. A lot of people think the Sox will get back into the mix, however I do not, and I think they are finishing in fourth place in the Central. The Minnesota Twins always seem to get hot in the second half every year, but I think their slow start put them in too big of a bind. This division will come down the the Indians and the Tigers. The Indians have had an outstanding season, due in large part to their young pitching staff and the amazing Asdrubal Cabrera, with his bat and his glove, and even his barehand. However, the Tigers have too much firepower to not win the Central. Justin Verlander has been the best pitcher in the American League this year, and Max Scherzer has been dynamic throwing the ball too. Miguel Cabrera is easily the best hitter in the division and they have a lot of other talented hitters to go with Cabrera. Also, Jose Valverde has been one of the best closers in the game. His 24 saves are tops in the American League.
AL WEST
This division was the toughest to call because both the Angels and Rangers are finally playing up to their potential and I could really see this one going either way. Everyone had high hopes for the Oakland A's, including myself. However, the injury bug and no bats in their lineup came back to bite them. The only thing going for the A's is their General Manager, Billy Beane, gets to have a movie made about him, that's the most exciting, and only exciting thing going on for the A's. The Seattle Mariners have been a surprise this year flirting with .500 for most of the season even with their horrible lineup. Their pitching has been stellar this year, we all knew how good the reigning AL Cy Young award winning Felix Hernandez was, but rookie Michael Pineda has been just as good. Also, closer Brandon League has been excellent this year, he's second in the American League with his 23 saves. However, the Mariners are going to be battling with the A's for the third spot in the AL West, while the Rangers and Angels battle it out for the AL West. The Rangers have one of the top lineups in all of baseball, and the Angels have one of the best pitching staffs in all of baseball. Oh man, this is a tough decision, but I have to go with the pitching. I think this race is going to go down all the way until the end of the season. Both these teams play each other 13 more times, including a three-game series to end the season. Whoever wins this last series will win the AL West, and I think when the Angels throw Jared Weaver, Dan Haren, and either Ervin Santana or Joel Piniero at the Rangers, they will be able to find away to pitch their way into the post-season and knock off the reigning AL Champs.
AL WILD CARD
The American League wild card spot is really going to come down to two teams: Yankees and Rangers. Of course, if the Indians can keep their stellar season they will be a long shot, but hey it is baseball anything can happen. However, I think the Yankees and Rangers will be neck and neck once we get to mid-September. The Yankees have the better team, but the Rangers play in a weaker division and will have an easier schedule. The Yankees will have to play the Red Sox nine more times this year (a team they can't beat this year), the Rays and a Blue Jays team that is capable to win anytime with their lineup. The Yankees are 15-14 this year against the AL East and are 38-22 against the rest of baseball. On the other hand, the Rangers will get a ton of games against the Mariner's and A's down the stretch. Despite, the Rangers having the easier schedule I am going with the Yankees because I think there pitching is a little better than the Rangers. This is going to be a close race but I think the Yankees will find a way to get themselves back to the post-season and try and win their 28th championship.
AL EAST CHAMPS: BOSTON RED SOX
AL CENTRAL CHAMPS: DETROIT TIGERS
AL WEST CHAMPS: LOS ANGELES ANGELS OF ANAHEIM
AL WILD CARD WINNER: NEW YORK YANKEES
NL EAST
The National League East has two of the best teams in all of baseball. The Philadelphia Phillies have the best record in baseball, and the Atlanta Braves have the second best record in the National League, and the fourth best record in all of baseball. Also, the Mets and Nationals have been playing decent ball this year. Jose Reyes has been the best player in baseball this year, and has led the way for the Mets. In my eyes he is the leading candidate for NL MVP. The Nationals are one or two years away from contending in the NL East, especially when Stephen Strasburg's arm heals up and when Bryce Harper is actually old enough to drink. The kid is only 19, but once he gets a little more maturity he has a chance to be one of the best hitters in the game. All potential right now though. The Florida Marlins season seemed to get cursed once Scott Cousins took out Buster Posey at home plate. They are 15-29 since Posey got injured, including a 1-20 record from June 1st until June 21st. At the end of the day, the NL East will come down to the Braves and Phillies. Both of these two teams are very similar, both have stellar pitching staffs and both teams are still waiting for their bats to come alive. The Phillie's pitching staff is first in ERA, quality starts, WHIP, and fifth in opposing teams batting average. The Brave's pitching staff is second in ERA, fifth in quality starts, third in WHIP, and second in opposing teams batting average. The Phillies have all the recognizable pitchers like Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels, and Roy Oswalt. The Braves have all the guys who are pitching just as well, but do not have the same popularity as the Phillies staff. Jair Jurrjens, Tommy Hansen, Tim Hudson, and Derek Lowe have been one of the best pitching staffs in the game, but yet these names rarely get mentioned among the best in the game. Their bullpen is better than the Phillies with Jonny Venters and closer Craig Kimbrel. Kimbrel leads the majors with his 28 saves. Call me crazy, but I think the Braves bats will pick up, their pitching staff will continue to pitch outstanding, and they will find a way to win the NL East. Whoever does not win this division will still get into the playoffs as the wild card winner.
NL CENTRAL
If Adam Wainwright did not need to get Tommy John surgery before opening day the Cardinals would have been an easy pick for the NL Central. One streak that will continue is the Cubs will keep their World Series drought for another year, man that must suck to be a Cubs fan. They haven't won since 1908, and yet Cub fans try and blame it on a dork named Steve Bartman and a goat. The Pittsburgh Pirates have been the story of the first half so far, and it is a long shot for them to contend for the Central title, but I am hoping they find a way to finish the season above .500. They haven't done that since the Barry Bonds days in Pittsburgh. The Cincinnati Reds just seem like they can not get it together because their pitching staff is too inconsistent. They have one of the better young lineups in baseball, but if their pitching continues to struggle it does not matter how good their lineup is. This division is going to come down to the Milwaukee Brewers and the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals are sure glad they signed Lance Berkman because a lot of teams thought he was done, but he is having an MVP type of season. He leads the National League in home runs with 24. They are hoping Albert Pujols can stay healthy during the second half and get back to his old dominant ways. However, I think the Milwaukee Brewers will win the Central, not because of their power happy lineup, but because of their underrated pitching staff. Zack Grienke, Yovani Gallardo, and Shawn Marcum are three of the better young pitchers in the game and they have a savvy veteran in Randy Wolf. Also, with the addition of Francisco Rodriguez to bolster their bullpen, which was clearly their main weakness only makes them better. Whether, they go with Rodriguez or with current closer John Axford, they will have a capable closer. They have one of the better lineups in the National League. Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder are both having MVP caliber seasons. Rickie Weeks, Corey Hart, and Casey McGhee are also very capable hitters and this team knows how to hit the long ball. If they can figure out their road woes this team will run away with the NL Central and have a chance to contend for a World Series title.
NL WEST
The San Francisco Giants finally got that (rally) monkey off of their back and won their first championship since moving from New York. The reigning champs have shown tremendous resiliency this year and have shown how important team chemistry is. Buster Posey and Freddy Sanchez are both on the shelf for the rest of the year, their two best hitters, and yet still are one of the top teams in all of baseball. Due in large part to their amazing pitching staff. The Padres knew they were not going to contend this year once they traded Adrian Gonzalez. The Dodgers are just struggling to find a way to make payroll, and come on Dodgers pay the best broadcaster baseball has ever seen, Vin Scully. Matt Kemp and Clayton Kershaw are both two of the best players in baseball, but they are still one of the worst teams in the National League. The Colorado Rockies are still waiting for Carlos Gonzalez to get back to his 2010 form, and when Jorge De La Rosa went of the shelf for the year, their pitching staff has suffered tremendously. They still have a chance to contend for the West but they better get going soon. This is the Giants division to lose, and the Arizona Diamondbacks are going to be their toughest test. Arizona has one of the better young players in all of baseball in Justin Upton. Kirk Gibson has done an outstanding job this year as the skipper of the Diamondbacks. Their bullpen is one of the NL's best this year after having one of the worst statistical bullpen seasons last year in the history of baseball. However, I still think the Diamondbacks are too young to find a way to win the NL West. The San Francisco Giants have some of the best pitchers in the game. They have arguably the best closer in the game, and who knows what is walking around in that guys beard! Ryan Vogelsong has been one of the best stories in the game this year and has pitched just as well as Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain this year. The San Francisco Giants pitching staff is too good to lose to NL West, and if their arms stay healthy they will run away with the division. And the Kung Fu Panda is raking and is back to his 2009 form, due in large part because he is passing on the Big Mac's and actually on a strict diet.
NL WILD CARD
Do I even need to explain, I have the Braves winning the NL East so the Philadelphia Phillies will take the wild card. Whoever is in second place in the NL East will win the wild card in a land slide. I'll even go as far to say that the NL East will come out with the two top records in the National League.
NL EAST CHAMPS: ATLANTA BRAVES
NL CENTRAL CHAMPS: MILWAUKEE BREWERS
NL WEST CHAMPS: SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS
NL WILD CARD WINNER: PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES
Now that I have all my playoff teams in the mix there is only one more thing to do: World Series prediction. The sexy pick of course is the Philadelphia Phillies vs the Boston Red Sox, but I am not going with that. It usually seems like the favorites usually end up never playing in the Fall classic. Pitching is always the main factor when it comes to winning in October and November. Alright so here we go, DRUM ROLL PLEASE...
WORLD SERIES PREDICTION
ANAHEIM ANGELS VS ATLANTA BRAVES
2011 CHAMPIONS: ATLANTA BRAVES
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