Major League Madness
Swinging for the Fences
Matt Watson
Issue date: 3/25/09 Section: Sports
March Madness is overrated. Yeah, I said it. At least this year, when all the No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 seeds made it to the Sweet Sixteen. There's one double-digit seed left, Arizona, and the rest of the field still includes Duke, North Carolina, Connecticut, Syracuse, Kansas, of course Gonzaga, blah blah I've heard it before.
Cleveland State is long gone. There are no George Masons. All the Southeastern Conference teams are gone. I've moved on.
Baseball is new and fresh. Major League Baseball's Opening Day is fewer than a dozen days away, the perfect time for preseason predictions. So here we go.
American League East
1. *Boston Red Sox
2. **Tampa Bay Rays
3. New York Yankees
4. Toronto Blue Jays
5. Baltimore Orioles
The A.L. East boasts three of the best teams in baseball - but only two can make the playoffs. Despite its trillion-dollar budget, the Yankees could be the odd team out without a healthy Alex Rodriguez. Much of the New York lineup is either too young or too old, and I'm not sold on A.J. Burnett, who posted his worst ERA and WHIP last year since 2003.
The top of Tampa Bay's rotation rivals any in the league, and the heart of the Rays' order isn't soft either. A taste of success will give Tampa the added motivation to get back in the playoffs, and the Red Sox roster is balanced enough to take the title in one of baseball's toughest divisions.
After Roy Halladay, Toronto's pitching staff is well below average because of some injuries, and the Blue Jay lineup isn't scaring anyone. Baltimore is stuck cellar-dwelling with the worst rotation in the A.L.
A.L. Central
1. *Cleveland Indians
2. Detroit Tigers
3. Minnesota Twins
4. Kansas City Royals
5. Chicago White Sox
Cleveland returns Cy Young winner and Arkansas alum Cliff Lee to the top of an average pitching staff, and they have the bats to back it up. Centerfielder Grady Sizemore has emerged as one of the best players in the game with his bat and his glove. They will need more offensive production from a few guys who struggled last year, but the rest of the teams in the division have their shares of weaknesses, too.
Detroit was an early season World Series pick last year and ended up last in the Central, but better years from some of the Tigers' young pitchers will go a long way behind the team's potent offense. With a healthy Francisco Liriano and the progression of Scott Baker and Kevin Slowey, the Twins have a talented rotation to go with their always-strong bullpen. There are several weak spots in the Minnesota lineup, and a banged-up former batting champ in Joe Mauer isn't helping.
Kansas City has two talented pitchers leading the way, Gil Meche and Zach Greinke, and one of the league's best closers in Joakim Soria. But there is too little pop in the middle of the order and too many young bats in the back half to compete for a division title. The White Sox could easily end up ahead of the Twins and Royals at the end of the year, with all three teams boasting slightly below-average rotations and solid bullpens. Chicago will need its veterans to produce across six months to avoid last place.
A.L. West
1. *Los Angeles Angels
2. Texas Rangers
3. Oakland Athletics
4. Seattle Mariners
The Angels have been kings out west for a while, and that shouldn't change this year. They won't run away with it this year, as Vladimir Guerrero and Torii Hunter are another year older and new addition Bobby Abreu turned 35 this month. The Halos will need Ervin Santana to bounce back from injury to complement John Lackey and give the pitching staff stability.
Texas has a strong lineup with Ian Kinsler and Josh Hamilton coming off career years and some promising young bats down the order, not to mention a guy named Elvis at shortstop. But a rotation led by Kevin Millwood and Vicente Padilla is never a recipe success. It didn't work in Philadelphia in 2004, and it won't work now.
Oakland made some interesting moves in the offseason, contrary to traditional Billy Beane-ball, adding Matt Holliday, Orlando Cabrera and Jason Giambi to its lineup. But the Athletics' young pitching staff lacks a proven starter after Justin Duchscherer. Ken Griffey Jr.'s return to Seattle will probably be the highlight of the Mariners' season. Seattle has Felix Hernandez leading its pitching corps, which will need a strong season from Erik Bedard to be respectable. But the Mariners were the worst team in the A.L. last year and didn't make any significant moves to get better.
National League East
1. *Philadelphia Phillies
2. **New York Mets
3. Atlanta Braves
4. Florida Marlins
5. Washington Nationals
The Phillies are the defending World Series champions and didn't take any steps backward in the offseason. Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard make up the best hitting infield in the majors, and Cole Hamels is one of the best young pitchers in the N.L.
The Mets are hoping to reverse their recent string of disappointing finishes in the East. The Mets have two of the best hitters in baseball on the left side of their infield, David Wright and Jose Reyes, and one of the premier pitchers in the league in Johan Santana. There lineup and rotation just aren't as deep as the Phils'.
The Braves, Marlins and Nationals are all behind the times in the East, with all three teams facing serious weaknesses at the top and bottom of their lineups and in their starting and relieving rotations.
N.L. Central
1. *Chicago Cubs
2. St. Louis Cardinals
3. Milwaukee Brewers
4. Cincinnati Reds
5. Houston Astros
6. Pittsburgh Pirates
The Cubs haven't had a problem playing well in the regular season over the last few years. It's October that has derailed the loveable losers. The Cardinals could make a run for the division crown with a healthy Chris Carpenter in their rotation, but they have questions at two infield positions and need a rebound season at shortstop from Khalil Greene.
Milwaukee will suffer without CC Sabathia, but the rotation is stable with the up-and-coming Yovani Gallardo heading the rotation. The Brewers have some serious pop in the middle of their lineup, but they will also rely on some unproven bats and arms, too. Cincinnati should show marked improvement this season, with some exciting young players finally developing on the big league stage, but they're still a little light on hitting and need some bullpen help.
Houston lacks a solid leadoff option, and the signing of Ivan Rodriguez doesn't do much for their offense. The rotation is iffy after Roy Oswalt, but Lance Berkman and Carlos Lee in the middle of the lineup will make the team respectable. Pittsburgh could be the worst team in the NL this season. The LaRoche brothers aren't exactly the bash brothers, and the Pirates lack a real No. 1, or No. 2 or maybe even No. 3 pitcher.
N.L. West
1. *Los Angeles Dodgers
2. Arizona Diamondbacks
3. San Francisco Giants
4. Colorado Rockies
5. San Diego Padres
The Dodgers might have been the best team in the West without Manny Ramirez, but the return of the slugger gives L.A. a great heart of the order with Rafael Furcal, Russell Martin and Matt Kemp. The Dodgers have an underrated pitching staff, too. Arizona boasts the best pitching staff in the division, with Brandon Webb and Dan Haren, but the young Diamondback lineup still has to prove itself to get the team to the playoffs.
San Francisco has a good rotation after a few rough years out west, including N.L. Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum. But the Giants' lineup is scary bad. Bengine Molina should never be a team's top offensive threat.
Colorado's lineup will greatly miss Holliday's bat. The Rockies have some interesting hitters in their lineup, but overall don't have the pitching staff or offense to compete this season. San Diego didn't make any moves to climb out of the N.L. West basement, with Jake Peavy on the mound and not much else.
There are 2,430 games each season, so we've got a while before the regular season standings are finalized, but that should give you a pretty good idea of how the year plays out.
The Phillies and Braves open the season in Philadelphia on Sunday Night Baseball 7 p.m. on April 5. Let the games begin.
Matt Watson is the assistant sports editor of The Arkansas Traveler. His column appears on Mondays.
Cleveland State is long gone. There are no George Masons. All the Southeastern Conference teams are gone. I've moved on.
Baseball is new and fresh. Major League Baseball's Opening Day is fewer than a dozen days away, the perfect time for preseason predictions. So here we go.
American League East
1. *Boston Red Sox
2. **Tampa Bay Rays
3. New York Yankees
4. Toronto Blue Jays
5. Baltimore Orioles
The A.L. East boasts three of the best teams in baseball - but only two can make the playoffs. Despite its trillion-dollar budget, the Yankees could be the odd team out without a healthy Alex Rodriguez. Much of the New York lineup is either too young or too old, and I'm not sold on A.J. Burnett, who posted his worst ERA and WHIP last year since 2003.
The top of Tampa Bay's rotation rivals any in the league, and the heart of the Rays' order isn't soft either. A taste of success will give Tampa the added motivation to get back in the playoffs, and the Red Sox roster is balanced enough to take the title in one of baseball's toughest divisions.
After Roy Halladay, Toronto's pitching staff is well below average because of some injuries, and the Blue Jay lineup isn't scaring anyone. Baltimore is stuck cellar-dwelling with the worst rotation in the A.L.
A.L. Central
1. *Cleveland Indians
2. Detroit Tigers
3. Minnesota Twins
4. Kansas City Royals
5. Chicago White Sox
Cleveland returns Cy Young winner and Arkansas alum Cliff Lee to the top of an average pitching staff, and they have the bats to back it up. Centerfielder Grady Sizemore has emerged as one of the best players in the game with his bat and his glove. They will need more offensive production from a few guys who struggled last year, but the rest of the teams in the division have their shares of weaknesses, too.
Detroit was an early season World Series pick last year and ended up last in the Central, but better years from some of the Tigers' young pitchers will go a long way behind the team's potent offense. With a healthy Francisco Liriano and the progression of Scott Baker and Kevin Slowey, the Twins have a talented rotation to go with their always-strong bullpen. There are several weak spots in the Minnesota lineup, and a banged-up former batting champ in Joe Mauer isn't helping.
Kansas City has two talented pitchers leading the way, Gil Meche and Zach Greinke, and one of the league's best closers in Joakim Soria. But there is too little pop in the middle of the order and too many young bats in the back half to compete for a division title. The White Sox could easily end up ahead of the Twins and Royals at the end of the year, with all three teams boasting slightly below-average rotations and solid bullpens. Chicago will need its veterans to produce across six months to avoid last place.
A.L. West
1. *Los Angeles Angels
2. Texas Rangers
3. Oakland Athletics
4. Seattle Mariners
The Angels have been kings out west for a while, and that shouldn't change this year. They won't run away with it this year, as Vladimir Guerrero and Torii Hunter are another year older and new addition Bobby Abreu turned 35 this month. The Halos will need Ervin Santana to bounce back from injury to complement John Lackey and give the pitching staff stability.
Texas has a strong lineup with Ian Kinsler and Josh Hamilton coming off career years and some promising young bats down the order, not to mention a guy named Elvis at shortstop. But a rotation led by Kevin Millwood and Vicente Padilla is never a recipe success. It didn't work in Philadelphia in 2004, and it won't work now.
Oakland made some interesting moves in the offseason, contrary to traditional Billy Beane-ball, adding Matt Holliday, Orlando Cabrera and Jason Giambi to its lineup. But the Athletics' young pitching staff lacks a proven starter after Justin Duchscherer. Ken Griffey Jr.'s return to Seattle will probably be the highlight of the Mariners' season. Seattle has Felix Hernandez leading its pitching corps, which will need a strong season from Erik Bedard to be respectable. But the Mariners were the worst team in the A.L. last year and didn't make any significant moves to get better.
National League East
1. *Philadelphia Phillies
2. **New York Mets
3. Atlanta Braves
4. Florida Marlins
5. Washington Nationals
The Phillies are the defending World Series champions and didn't take any steps backward in the offseason. Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard make up the best hitting infield in the majors, and Cole Hamels is one of the best young pitchers in the N.L.
The Mets are hoping to reverse their recent string of disappointing finishes in the East. The Mets have two of the best hitters in baseball on the left side of their infield, David Wright and Jose Reyes, and one of the premier pitchers in the league in Johan Santana. There lineup and rotation just aren't as deep as the Phils'.
The Braves, Marlins and Nationals are all behind the times in the East, with all three teams facing serious weaknesses at the top and bottom of their lineups and in their starting and relieving rotations.
N.L. Central
1. *Chicago Cubs
2. St. Louis Cardinals
3. Milwaukee Brewers
4. Cincinnati Reds
5. Houston Astros
6. Pittsburgh Pirates
The Cubs haven't had a problem playing well in the regular season over the last few years. It's October that has derailed the loveable losers. The Cardinals could make a run for the division crown with a healthy Chris Carpenter in their rotation, but they have questions at two infield positions and need a rebound season at shortstop from Khalil Greene.
Milwaukee will suffer without CC Sabathia, but the rotation is stable with the up-and-coming Yovani Gallardo heading the rotation. The Brewers have some serious pop in the middle of their lineup, but they will also rely on some unproven bats and arms, too. Cincinnati should show marked improvement this season, with some exciting young players finally developing on the big league stage, but they're still a little light on hitting and need some bullpen help.
Houston lacks a solid leadoff option, and the signing of Ivan Rodriguez doesn't do much for their offense. The rotation is iffy after Roy Oswalt, but Lance Berkman and Carlos Lee in the middle of the lineup will make the team respectable. Pittsburgh could be the worst team in the NL this season. The LaRoche brothers aren't exactly the bash brothers, and the Pirates lack a real No. 1, or No. 2 or maybe even No. 3 pitcher.
N.L. West
1. *Los Angeles Dodgers
2. Arizona Diamondbacks
3. San Francisco Giants
4. Colorado Rockies
5. San Diego Padres
The Dodgers might have been the best team in the West without Manny Ramirez, but the return of the slugger gives L.A. a great heart of the order with Rafael Furcal, Russell Martin and Matt Kemp. The Dodgers have an underrated pitching staff, too. Arizona boasts the best pitching staff in the division, with Brandon Webb and Dan Haren, but the young Diamondback lineup still has to prove itself to get the team to the playoffs.
San Francisco has a good rotation after a few rough years out west, including N.L. Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum. But the Giants' lineup is scary bad. Bengine Molina should never be a team's top offensive threat.
Colorado's lineup will greatly miss Holliday's bat. The Rockies have some interesting hitters in their lineup, but overall don't have the pitching staff or offense to compete this season. San Diego didn't make any moves to climb out of the N.L. West basement, with Jake Peavy on the mound and not much else.
There are 2,430 games each season, so we've got a while before the regular season standings are finalized, but that should give you a pretty good idea of how the year plays out.
The Phillies and Braves open the season in Philadelphia on Sunday Night Baseball 7 p.m. on April 5. Let the games begin.
Matt Watson is the assistant sports editor of The Arkansas Traveler. His column appears on Mondays.
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