AL East: New York Yankees
New pitching coach Leo Mazzone is going to turn the Baltimore Orioles into a surprisingly good ball club and the much-improved Toronto Blue Jays have a legitimate shot at the Wild Card, but as has been the case for nearly a decade, the road to the post-season passes through the Big Apple. The addition of centerfielder Johnny Damon might not seem like a huge one, but he gives the Bronx Bombers the deepest lineup they’ve had since Murderers’ Row. Have the Yankees spent close to, if not more than, a billion dollars since their last World Series win? Yeah. Is it going to stop them from being the team to beat in the American League this year? Absolutely not.

AL Central: Cleveland Indians
The Chicago White Sox are a scary team. Their pitching is deep and battle-tested, their offense is improved with the addition of DH/1B Jim Thome from Philadelphia, and their confidence is at an all-time high following a flawless post-season. That being said, the Cleveland Indians are even scarier. Looking up and down their lineup, it is easy to foresee dominance in the AL Central for 10 years to come. The Central is surprisingly deep – while the Royals are a walkover, the rest of the teams should beat up on each other enough to prevent the Central from receiving the Wild Card, so expect a tight, hard-fought battle for first between the ChiSox and the Indians.

AL West: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Oakland Athletics (Wildcard)
Pitching is the name of the game in the AL West. If Bartolo Colon and John Lackey can hold up the Anaheim rotation and pass off the ball to the best bullpen in baseball, there is no team in the West that can catch them. The Oakland Athletics, with another year under their belt, are a hungry, well-constructed team, but their offense is a little anemic and their General Manager is a little annoying. Has anyone noticed that Barry Zito is the most overrated pitcher in baseball? He might be the worst pitcher in this rotation, which is actually more of a testament to the depth of the rotation than it is a knock on Zito. Still, this team will only go as far as starting pitchers Harden, Haren, and Blanton will take them.

NL East: Atlanta Braves, New York Mets (Wildcard)
I am going to say this until I am proven wrong – I do not care how improved any team is in the NL East. I don’t care if the Mets acquire Johan Santana and Albert Pujols. I don’t even care if Bobby Cox decides to go Ricky Williams on us all and take a year off for self-reflection and intense fast-food eating – the Atlanta Braves are my choice to win the NL East. Their pitching has gone from being legendary to being above average, their offense has gone from being old and grizzled to being young and unproven, and their bullpen has more electrical tape surrounding it than my broken futon, but none of it matters because, somehow, they still win the league every single year.
The Mets are possibly the most exciting team in baseball to watch this year. Their new acquisitions, their budding superstars, and their rock-solid rotation make them the trendy pick to overtake the Braves, but the Mets are a franchise of constant under-performance and while they will still ride David Wright and Pedro Martinez all the way into October, they won’t overtake the Braves in the divisional race.

NL Central: St. Louis Cardinals
Albert Pujols is a machine. We can sit here all day and talk about Scott Rolen’s return, Jim Edmonds acrobatic displays in centerfield, and the vertical challenges David Eckstein faces, but Albert Pujols is the key. The man is five years older than I am and he’s already the best player this side of Barry Bonds. While the Cubs could make a push and the Brewers look poised to be a 90-win team some time in the not-too-distant future, this season belongs to the Red Birds. Expect the new Busch Stadium to be hosting some hotly contested October games.

NL West: San Fransisco Giants
I am so tired of hearing about Barry Bonds, but I do have one thing that I want to state: Barry Bonds is, without question, the greatest baseball player I have ever seen. Steroids or not, the things he has been able to accomplish in his career are awe-inspiring and we should all covet the opportunity to watch this legend-in-the-making play baseball. His return, coupled with the re-emergence of Jason Schmidt, and the emergence of Matt Cain and Noah Lowry in their pitching rotation should lead the Giants into the playoffs with a 90-win season in an otherwise forgotten division.

AL Playoffs:
Yankees over Oakland
Cleveland over Anaheim
Yankees over Cleveland

NL Playoffs:
Mets over Cardinals
Giants over Braves
Mets over Giants

World Series Champion: New York Yankees
The first subway series since 2000 will end much the same way as the 2000 edition. The one-two combination of Randy Johnson and whomever else the Yankees throw out there is devastating, and their offense is too beautiful for words. The Mets have a similar setup, with a revamped bullpen and great starting pitching, and their lineup isn’t a Sunday walk-in-the-park either. The Cardinals are beginning to show their age, the Braves are as sure a pick to lose in the playoffs as a Democrat is in the ’08 election. Ultimately, the Yankees will prove to be too much to handle for their cross-town rivals.

AL MVP: Victor Martinez
AL Cy Young: Rich Harden
NL MVP: Albert Pujols
NL Cy Young: Pedro Martinez

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