Second Half Predicatoins

Second Half Predications

            Well we’re half way done with the season and I felt that I wanted to take a look and give my predictions given what we’ve seen so far.

American League

East

1)   Baltimore Orioles

2)   Toronto Blue Jays

3)   New York Yankees

4)   Tampa Bay Rays

5)   Boston Red Sox

Baltimore isn’t the strongest team out there but they do have the best offense in the division, at least from a consistency point of view.  The pitching isn’t as strong especially with an injury to Ubaldo Jimenez.  The team does have a nice bunch of young arms coming up though and could very well help in the playoff hunt.  Toronto has so little starting pitching that the team just can’t really succeed long term.  They do have the best power offense in the division so they could still make a push for the playoffs but with so little pitching I can’t see it happening.  With the trade of David Price I just don’t see the Rays really being able to overcome their shortcomings this year.  New York and Boston has the same problem: old, hurt and ineffectiveness.  I don’t see how either make a push especially Boston who seems to have gone into sell mode.

Central:

1)   Detroit Tigers

2)   Kansas City Royals

3)   Cleveland Indians

4)   Chicago White Sox

5)   Minnesota Twins

            A weaker division that seems to be Detroit’s to lose and at least Detroit is trying to make that a hard thing to do.  Trading for Joakim Soria the team does address a major problem with the team in the bullpen.  Detroit still has issues staying consistent with the bats but any team that has Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez is in a good spot.  Kansas City could make a push but they suffer from the same issues as Detroit, inconsistency in both their pitching and hitting.  In fact Cleveland suffers from the same problem as well, they can’t seem to get the entire team to play well at the same time.  Chicago and Minnesota are not teams to watch this year but they have a bright future and these are going to be the teams to watch in 2-3 years.

West

1)   Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

2)   Oakland Athletics

3)   Seattle Mariners

4)   Houston Astros

5)   Texas Rangers

            A little of a bold prediction but the Angels really do seem like the better team.  A stronger offense than the A’s and the pitching isn’t anything to turn your nose at.  The team has really gotten a boost from players like Mike Trout, Erik Aybar, Cole Kalhoun and Albert Pujols.  Trades for pitchers Joe Thatcher and Houston Street really bolsters the bullpen, a major weakness of the team.  Oakland does however have the better pitching overall and the offense is not so far behind LA that they will steamroll over them.  Seattle, Houston and Texas are really non-factors in this division.

Wild Cards: Oakland A’s, Toronto Blue Jays

National League

East

1)   Washington Nationals

2)   Atlanta Braves

3)   New York Mets

4)   Miami Marlins

5)   Philadelphia Phillies

            This is really a two-team race between Washington and Atlanta and for the most part it’s going to be a duel.  I do see Atlanta giving the first signs of wearing down since the team was built on pitching and the pitching has lacked this year due to injuries and lack of production.  Washington hasn’t escaped the injuries either losing players like Jordan and Ryan Zimmerman.  In the end the offense of the National’s should come out on top.  New York I think has surprised many people this year and really shown that they’re a better team than we thought.  They may not be a contending team for a few years but they’re a lot closer than we gave credit.  Losing Jose Fernandez to Tommy John surgery really took all the wind out of Miami’s sails but the team is very similar to the Mets, we didn’t give them enough credit.  In the end though were all just waiting for the ownership to just trade them away.  The Phillies are just bad and that’s not changing soon.

Central

1)   Pittsburgh Pirates

2)   St. Louis Cardinals

3)   Milwaukee Brewers

4)   Cincinnati Reds

5)   Chicago Cubs

            While they failed to do anything significant during the trade deadline they still have a very strong team.  Well they have an above average team all around and I think they’re capitalizing at the weakness of their division.  St. Louis made all the major trades this deadline and could bounce back with youth and pitching leading the way.  If the offense can turn it up this is still the team to beat.  Milwaukee was a fun story but the truth is shinning through now: pitching issues, inconsistent hitting, and defense is suspect.  Milwaukee is showing that it can be a star team but maybe not this year.  Cinci has just had so many issues staying healthy and for a team well known for its power hitters they’ve had little to no run production from them.  Next year should be better when the team is healthy and as long as Cueto keeps this up the team can bounce back.  Chicago is the definition of a team with a bright future but this year it’s just another cloudy day.

West:

1)   Los Angeles Dodgers

2)   San Francisco Giants

3)   San Diego Padres

4)   Arizona Diamondbacks

5)   Colorado Rockies

            Besides the Dodgers and Giants the rest of this division is a non-factor so I’m not even going to bother.  The Dodgers are easily one of the most dangerous teams in baseball with a potentially explosive offense and a great starting rotation.  The problem is consistent hitting and a weak pen.  For a team with Kenly Jensen and Brain Wilson the pen can either be lights out or can give up the game in 2 pitches.  The Giants aren’t really any better off but they’re just as good as the Dodgers just not as hyped.  The Giants took a few hits this year in the starting rotation but they’ve managed to keep their heads above water and should be able to make a fight of their division.

Wild Cards: St Louis Cardinals and San Francisco Giants.