Baseball is back
My MLB season predictions NL and AL East
By Caleb Odom
Today is the day when hope springs eternal for every team in Major League Baseball.
The cameras are flashing, the hot dogs are fresh, and seats are full for America's favorite pastime.
All the off season talk has led up to the moment when the first pitch is thrown and there is just silence as the ball smacks the glove.
The cameras are flashing, the hot dogs are fresh, and seats are full for America's favorite pastime.
All the off season talk has led up to the moment when the first pitch is thrown and there is just silence as the ball smacks the glove.
Then the talk begins again.
The big questions that fans dicuss is who do they think is going to win the divisions and the wildcard spots for October baseball when the games matter the most.
Below I will break down my picks for the 2013 season for the National League and American League East.
Below I will break down my picks for the 2013 season for the National League and American League East.
NL East
In 2012, the National League East was dominated by the Washington Nationals with its deep pitching led by Gio Gonzalez, who went 21-8 with a 2.89 ERA and 207 strikeouts, and its young star Bryce Harper, who won the NL Rookie of the Year last season with his 22 home runs and 59 RBIs, took the baseball world by storm.
The only other competitive team in the NL East was the Atlanta Braves who saw Chipper Jones' legendary final season come to a disapointing end at the hands of the St. Louis Cardinals in the NL one game playoff game.
The rest of the NL East is made up of the aging Philadelphia Phillies, the hopeless New York Mets, and the Miami Marlins who traded the entire team off to the Dodgers and Blue Jays.
The only other competitive team in the NL East was the Atlanta Braves who saw Chipper Jones' legendary final season come to a disapointing end at the hands of the St. Louis Cardinals in the NL one game playoff game.
The rest of the NL East is made up of the aging Philadelphia Phillies, the hopeless New York Mets, and the Miami Marlins who traded the entire team off to the Dodgers and Blue Jays.
My 2013 Picks for NL East
1. Atlanta Braves
2. Washington Nationals
3. Philadelphia Phillies
4. New York Mets
5. Miami Marlins
The Braves have added power to its lineup with the additions of the Upton brothers to help the young sluggers Jason Heyward and Freddie Freeman while Atlanta's pitching rivals Washington's in depth.
Look to see Atlanta grab the NL East in May and not look back.
The Nationals will be the only team to fight the Braves for first place but in the end they will have to settle for the number one wild card.
The Phillies will look like it did last season, a shell of the team from the late 2000's with former ace Roy Halladay pitching like a minor leaguer, last year his 4.49 ERA in the 4's for the first time since 2004.
The Mets just lost its best pitcher, Johan Santana for another full season when he re-injured his shoulder.
As for the Marlins who had all the expectations in the world in 2012 there are non for a team with brand new ballpark that it can't even fill up.
Look to see the Marlins sink lower than any team in baseball this year.
Look to see Atlanta grab the NL East in May and not look back.
The Nationals will be the only team to fight the Braves for first place but in the end they will have to settle for the number one wild card.
The Phillies will look like it did last season, a shell of the team from the late 2000's with former ace Roy Halladay pitching like a minor leaguer, last year his 4.49 ERA in the 4's for the first time since 2004.
The Mets just lost its best pitcher, Johan Santana for another full season when he re-injured his shoulder.
As for the Marlins who had all the expectations in the world in 2012 there are non for a team with brand new ballpark that it can't even fill up.
Look to see the Marlins sink lower than any team in baseball this year.
AL East
Last season, the American League East was full of drama from Bobby Valentine making waves in Boston to the Yankees looking unbeatable early on but in the end, New York fell apart, Baltimore fell short, and Boston fell out of love with Bobby Valentine.
Now the Toronto Blue Jays are loaded up with the Marlins old players, Tampa Bay has Evan Longoria healthy again and The Red Sox are starting from scratch while the Yankees are dropping like flies.
My 2013 Picks for AL East
1. Baltimore Orioles
2. Tampa Bay Rays
3. Toronto Blue Jays
4. New York Yankees
5. Boston Red Sox
Baltimore is the dark horse nobody saw coming last season until they hit you in the jaw so why will 2013 be any different for Buck Showalter's club?
Look to see Tampa play stronger with Evan Longoria playing a full season at third base for the Rays.
Toronto is the preseason favorite for the AL East with the additions of Jose Reyes, Melky Cabrera, R.A. Dickey, the list goes on and on but I'm not drinking the Kool-aid on the Blue Jays because after all, when most of these guys played in Miami they were bad so why will Canada make them play any better?
The Yankees, the question marks abound for an old hurt team like Derek Jeter's ankle and when will Alex Rodriguez come back.
Let's face it, last season the Red Sox were a mess.
Part of it was the head case manager Bobby Valentine who got fired but the other side of the coin is that Boston needed a change anyway.
This year unfortunately for the Red Sox will not be a good one in Boston unless the Bruins start playing better.
Baltimore is the dark horse nobody saw coming last season until they hit you in the jaw so why will 2013 be any different for Buck Showalter's club?
Look to see Tampa play stronger with Evan Longoria playing a full season at third base for the Rays.
Toronto is the preseason favorite for the AL East with the additions of Jose Reyes, Melky Cabrera, R.A. Dickey, the list goes on and on but I'm not drinking the Kool-aid on the Blue Jays because after all, when most of these guys played in Miami they were bad so why will Canada make them play any better?
The Yankees, the question marks abound for an old hurt team like Derek Jeter's ankle and when will Alex Rodriguez come back.
Let's face it, last season the Red Sox were a mess.
Part of it was the head case manager Bobby Valentine who got fired but the other side of the coin is that Boston needed a change anyway.
This year unfortunately for the Red Sox will not be a good one in Boston unless the Bruins start playing better.
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