MLB Predictions

NL East

Braves
Mets (WC)
Marlins
Phillies
Expos
As much as I want the Mets to win the division, I still cannot pick them over the Braves. Had Sheffield not come to the Braves for Brian Jordan, I may have been able to do it, but Sheffield is the nail in the coffin for the Mets' division hopes. Mo Vaughn will begin a renaissance in Flushing, D'Amico will stay healthy and have his first of many great seasons, and Alfonzo will be the Comeback Player of the Year. The Phillies will play well but be plagued by Dallas Green's incompetence, the Marlins will be good but not good enough, and the Expos will say farewell to Canada with a 65-win season.

NL Central

Cardinals
Astros
Cubs
Reds
Pirates
Brewers
Another thrilling finish to the NL Central race as the Cardinals edge the Astros on the final weekend of the season. The difference maker here is the decline of the Killer Bs. Dan Baylor is a moron, and will cause the Cubs to be effectively out of the race by the first week of August. The Reds, Pirates and Brewers will fight for the worst record in the NL, and the Dancing Seligs will come out on top (bottom?).

NL West

Giants
Padres
Rockies
Diamondbacks
Dodgers
The Giants have a few years before they need to tear down and start again, and this is their time. The D'Backs will vacate the top spot as they get another year older (I believe the average age on their team is 77; where is Jesse Orosco?), and the Dodgers are the only thing keeping them out of last place. The Padres are still a year away, regardless of what the bandwagon jumpers say.

AL East

Yankees
Blue Jays
Red Sox
Orioles
Devil Rays
I give the Yankees one more year before the J.P. Riccardi-led Blue Jays start really challenging for AL East dominance. The Red Sox are in disarray, and won't make any noise once Pedro inevitably goes down for the season. Like in the NL Central, the Orioles and Devil Rays will battle for the worst record in the league, with the Devil Rays successfully defending their title.

AL Central

White Sox
Indians
Twins
Tigers
Royals
The White Sox will live up to last year's expectations and ascend to their rightful place atop the AL Central. The Indians, despite this winter's firesale, will outperform expectations and fend off the Twins. Detroit's on the right track with their new GM, but are still years away from contention.

AL West

Seattle
Oakland (WC)
Texas
Anaheim
Looks fairly similar to last year's results, but it's a different story in this year's AL West. Seattle will not be nearly as dominant (duh), but will still edge out Oakland for the top spot. Texas will improve on last year's record, but not enough.

Playoffs

NY Mets def. SF Giants
St. Louis def. Atlanta
Oakland def. NY Yankees
Seattle def. ChiSox

St. Louis def. NY Mets
Seattle def. Oakland

Seattle def. St. Louis

April 01, 2002 - 10:15 AM

| Baseball