2010 MLB Predictions

This is going to be a shortened version of my MLB predictions, hope you enjoy.

NL East:
1. Philadelphia Phillies - Last year's World Series runner ups only got better in the offseason. They traded away Cliff Lee but they gained Roy Halladay and Placido Polanco. The back end of their rotation worries me but their offense will make up for it.

2. Atlanta Braves - They traded away Javier Vazquez in the offseason but the Braves are talented and young. Rookie phenom Jason Heyward made the team and look for big things out of the 20-year old who stands 6'5" and 245 lbs.

3. New York Mets - The New York Mets are a mess. David Wright and newly acquired Jason Bay should have big years but that's it. Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran are starting the season on the DL. I'm not sold on starters 2-5 either.

4. Florida Marlins - The Marlins are an interesting team. They have young talent (Cameron Maybin, Gaby Sanchez and Chris Coghlan) to go with Hanley Ramirez and Dan Uggla. Pitching is their weakness though, outside of Cy Young contender Josh Johnson their starters are injury prone or unproven.

5. Washington Nationals - They're moving in the right direction but the Nats are still a mess. A few years away from contention. Steven Strasburg should be up in May or June.

NL Central:
1. St. Louis Cardinals - It's hard to pick against Albert Pujols, he's a beast. And it looks like he finally has some help in Matt Holliday. Yadier Molina and Brendan Ryan should come into a groove offensively. Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright are one of the best 1-2 duos in the game.

2. Milwaukee Brewers - I love the Brewers but Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun can't carry this team into the playoffs. Rickie Weeks needs to stay healthy to help give the Brew Crew a chance, but their starting rotation isn't strong enough to compete for first.

3. Chicago Cubs - Let's be real, the Cubs haven't won in over 100 years and that streak is going to continue to grow. The Cubs have too many overpaid players leaving guys like Derrek Lee and Geo Soto to fend for themselves. Big Z is done.

4. Cincinnati Reds - The Reds have great talent in Brandon Phillips, Joey Votto, Chris Dickerson and Jay Bruce. But those four guys can't carry these guys to where they need to be. Aroldis Chapman, the Cuban defector will start in Triple-A but he'll be in the show soon.

5. Pittsburgh Pirates - The Pirates won't finish over .500 for the 18th year in a row but they will come close I feel. They have tons of young talent in Ryan Doumit, Garrett Jones, Andrew McCutchen, Lastings Milledge and Jeff Clement. Their rotation needs help but Paul Maholm and Zach Duke are solid pitchers.

6. Houston Astros - The Astros are a mess. Carlos Lee is their best player while Hunter Pence shows promise. But this team is going to struggle all year, especially with Roy Oswalt on the decline.

NL West:
1. Colorado Rockies - The Rockies are by far the best team in the West. Troy Tulowitzki will make a run for MVP this year with Carlos Gonzalez, Dexter Fowler and Todd Helton hitting in front of him. Their rotation is good and will get better once Jeff Francis gets healthy.

2. San Francisco Giants - The Giants will push the Rockies but they won't have the offense to compete. Their pitching is going to keep them in the race but Pablo Sandoval can't carry this team on his own for 162 games.

3. Los Angeles Dodgers - The Dodgers have talent but I just don't see it being enough for second, they'll finish a game or two behind the Giants. Kemp, Ethier and Loney won't be enough. And the Dodgers are counting on Chad Billingsley and Clayton Kershaw to anchor their rotation with nothing else to show.

4. Arizona Diamondbacks - Dan Haren could win a Cy Young if he gets offensive support. The D'backs have talent in Justin Upton, Stephen Drew, Mark Reynolds and Miguel Montero. But outside of Haren and Jackson their pitching is bleak.

5. San Diego Padres - The only question here is will the Padres trade Adrian Gonzalez at the deadline or keep him and get nothing in return when he leaves after the season?

AL East:
1. Tampa Bay Rays - The Rays are in a win now mode with Carl Crawford and Carlos Pena gone at the season's end. Guys like Evan Longoria, Ben Zobrist and B.J. Upton will help keep this team atop the East. The back end of the rotation is unproven but talented.

2. Boston Red Sox - The Sox brought in Adrian Beltre, Marco Scutaro and Mike Cameron to shore up their defense. Then they went out and got John Lackey to join their rotation. This team is too talented but will it play well together?

3. New York Yankees - A payroll over $200 million and they still finish third? You best believe it. Yeah they have Big Tex, ARod and Jeter but don't buy into the hype. Vazquez was a bust his first time here, things won't change.

4. Baltimore Orioles - I love where this team is headed if they keep their young talent. Guys like Matt Wieters, Adam Jones, Nolan Reimold and Nick Markakis are gonna be good. They have a good, young rotation too in Jeremy Guthrie, Brian Matusz and Brad Bergesen. They compete outside of the division but the top 3 will still beat up on them.

5. Toronto Blue Jays - The Jays are a mess. They have talent in Aaron Hill, Adam Lind, Vernon Wells and Travis Snider but not enough. Starting pitching will be their Achilles all year.

AL Central:
1. Chicago White Sox - It pains me to put them here but the White Sox have possibly one of the best 5 man rotations in the game. Their offense won't be great but pitching is going to win their games for them. Gordon Beckham is a stud and will be for years to come.

2. Detroit Tigers - Too many question marks on this team. How will rookies Austin Jackson and Scott Sizemore handle starting? How will Willis and Bonderman bounce back? Can Laird and Everett hit over .220? Will Damon and Ordonez hold up? If yes or well is the answer to most of these question the Tigers could sneak out the AL Central crown but it won't be easy.

3. Minnesota Twins - Leaving the Metrodome will hurt the Twins and their slap-n-boogie hitters (Span, Hudson, Punto) and even Mauer who relied on that turf for grounders getting through fast or high choppers hanging in the air. I'm gonna dub it, the Curse of the Metrodome or the Curse of Target Field.

4. Kansas City Royals - Zack Grienke won the Cy Young and could repeat if guys like Billy Butler and Rick Ankiel step up. If not Zack will be on his own again.

5. Cleveland Indians - The Indians have some talent (Sizemore, Cabrera and LaPorta) but not enough. This roster is bad.

AL West:
1. Seattle Mariners - Imagine having to face Felix Hernandez and then Cliff Lee the next night, that's scary. Well the Mariners made us imagine no more. Assuming the back end of the rotation holds up the Mariners run away with this thing. Ichiro, Figgins, Gutierrez will lead the way.

2. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim - This team is good but has pitching problems. Can Jared Weaver be an ace? Kendry Morales and Bobby Abreu can't carry this team to a division title this year.

3. Texas Rangers - They're good just not good enough. Young, Hamilton and Cruz won't have the talent around them to support them. While Feldman and Harden will be bright spots in the rotation.

4. Oakland A's - This team might hit the least home runs and have the worst slugging percentage in all of baseball. Kurt Suzuki and Brett Anderson are stars on a bad team.

Playoffs:
NL - Phillies, Cardinals, Rockies and Braves(wild card). Rockies over Phillies

AL - Rays, White Sox, Mariners and Red Sox(wild card). Rays over Mariners

World Series - Rockies over Rays in 6.

Awards:
NL MVP - Albert Pujols edges out Troy Tulowitzki
AL MVP- Evan Longoria

NL Cy Young - Roy Halladay
AL Cy Young - Felix Hernandez

NL Rookie of the Year - Jason Heyward
AL Rookie of the Year - Brian Matusz