My Season Predictions (Cards and MLB)

Monday is the day.  Yes, baseball season is only a weekend away from starting.  It's crazy, but I'm ready for it.  I think it's going to be a heck of a baseball season this year all-around.  I noticed on Yahoo! Sports that there were season predictions up, and one particular article caught my eye: player awards and individual leader predictions. 

After reading these, I decided to do my own.

So, here goes:

AL MVP: Alex Rodriguez.  Another monster year and a big one for the Yankees could easily give him the award again.  Look for Miguel Cabrera to come in second place with the Tigers, who will be the best team in baseball this year despite a weak bullpen.

NL MVP: Albert Pujols.  Guys, here's an interesting point that came to my mind while reading that Yahoo! Sports article.  Not one writer picked Pujols as the winner or as a dark horse.  Is it possible at all that after a "down" year last year that Phat Albert is being overlooked?  I think so.  And in all honesty, I really and truly believe that 2008 is going to be Albert Pujols' best campaign yet.  I think he'll put up the best numbers of his career and take the MVP.  I also believe that Matt Holliday of the Colorado Rockies has a great shot to win it.  That team is going to be just as good this year, and he's a great player.

AL Cy Young: Justin Verlander. I think this guy has everything in takes in his third season to be a star.  He was a great rookie in 2006, had a little slump last year, and is going to come back on fire with a great surrounding cast in 2008.  The Tigers are loaded, and Verlander is leading in my opinion one of the best rotations in baseball (not to mention a great defense behind him).  My dark horse candidate is Josh Beckett. He was great last year, and we all know what Boston is capable of as a team.  Can he stay healthy?  Who knows...but if he does, watch out for Beckett.

AL Rookie of the Year: Evan Longoria.  Longoria is going to be a BEAST for the Devil Rays, and he'll put great numbers his frosh year as a pro.  If he doesn't win the ROY award though, it will be Jacoby Ellsbury of the BoSox who brings home the hardware.  Both kids are going to be stars, it just depends on who rises to the top the fastest. 

NL Rookie of the Year: Kosuke Fukudome.  The Cubs got a great player in Fukudome, and he's going to really help that team reach the next level.  (It pains me to say that, but it's the truth.)  If he can produce consistently, his impact on the team itself and getting the Cubbies over the hump will give him this award. Johnny Cueto, starting pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds, will also make a lot of noise.  Don't be surprised if he wins the award.  I've heard some great things about him coming out of camp...

AL Home Run Leader: Alex Rodriguez.  This was an easy pick, and the same pick as all of the Yahoo! Sports writers.  If A-Rod doesn't lead the American League in home runs, I'll eat my shoe (barring Rodriguez getting hurt).  David Ortiz could pull it off though, but Big Papi had a somewhat down year in 2007.

NL Home Run Leader: Albert Pujols.  I'm telling you, this isn't even my Cardinals bias setting in, this is what I really believe.  He's going to put up sick numbers this year, possibly 45-50 home runs with Glaus batting behind him and Rick Ankiel in the lineup.  (Also worth noting is that Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports said Ankiel was his dark horse candidate for this category...) Ryan Howard is who I think could take the award from Pujols.  Injury can always change everything though, but if Albert stays healthy, look out in Big Mac Land.

Well, there are my individual predictions.

I want to talk about the Cardinals right now though.

A lot of people have been saying the Cards aren't going to be any good this year.  Sports Illustrated's most recent issue has the Cards finishing second to last in the division, above only the Pirates, and 18 games back of the Cubs.  I do agree, the division is the Cubs' to lose.  But here's why the St. Louis Cardinals are going to be right in the thick of things come September.

10 Reasons Why the Cards Can Win the Division:

1. It's the Cubs.  They choke, what more can you expect out of them?  100 years and counting :P

2. The Astros have no chance of being a contender this year.  They have more of an aging team than the Cardinals have had recently.

3. The Brewers are going to struggle because Ryan Braun, Rickie Weeks, and Prince Fielder are going to go into slumps this year.  Braun has to stay healthy, Weeks is not the star he was supposed to be, and Fielder has gone on a vegetarian diet and isn't approaching things the way he used to on the field.

4. The MV3 is back...well, sort of.  The St. Louis Cardinals had Albert Pujols at first, Jim Edmonds in CF, and Scott Rolen at third base to make up the MV3 in the past.  All three put up MVP like numbers but recently faded into the distance.  Rolen and Edmonds were inconsistent and injury prone.  Now, the Cardinals have Pujols at first, Rick Ankiel in center, and Troy Glaus at the other corner spot.  Pujols and Glaus are used to putting up MVP like numbers and Glaus is primed for a major comeback.  Ankiel is going to stun the baseball world, as well.  The MV3 makes for a dangerous lineup...

5. The Cardinals starting rotation is going to surprise people.  Many see that as the biggest team weakness, but believe it or not, Kyle Lohse is going to win some games.  Adam Wainwright is going to lock down that number one role.  When Matt Clement gets back, he's going to be a reliable number three guy.  Todd Wellemeyer is going to be inconsistent, but he's going to pitch well when he's got his head on straight.  Braden Looper needs to work on his day game performances (correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't he struggle in day games last season) and he will be the best number three or four starter in baseball.  Brad Thompson is going to struggle at times but when he is doing well, he's going to win games.  He used to have a problem with giving up the long ball (strangely enough for a pitcher with a great sinker) but I think he's fixed that problem now.  Oh, and guys, this isn't the rotation.  Remember that.  If this group of pitchers can keep the Cards at LEAST around .500 by the All-Star Break, the Cards can have a rotation of Chris Carpenter, Wainwright, Lohse, Mulder, and Looper/Piniero.  That's a darn good rotation that can help this team win the division.

6. Skip Schumaker and Brian Barton.  There's something about these guys.  Chris Duncan has struggled mightily in ST, but these two kids keep producing.  And I think they'll be great corner outfielders for the Cardinals and will hit anywhere from .285 to .310 (both of them) this season.  It's optimism, but I really am impressed from what I've seen so far.  Great bat speed for both.

7. Rick Ankiel.  He's going to hit a lot of home runs and hit for average this year.  He'll be as feared in this lineup as Pujols and Glaus.  And my friends, that's saying something. 

8. The Reds are not going to be any good.  If they are, I'll eat crow, but the way things look, Adam Dunn isn't going to do much but strike out and their pitching staff is very, very young.

9. Tony La Russa.  He's the winningest CURRENT manager in baseball.  Like him or not, he's doing something right.

10. The bullpen.  Jason Isringhausen will be back to his normal game as closer this year, and that's a huge boost to the bullpen.  I'm not sure Anthony Reyes is suited for long reliever, but either he or Kelvin Jiminez will be able to provide bullpen support.  Ryan Franklin is a great reliever as evinced by 2006 and 2007, and Russ Springer is the most underrated guy on the team.  He's going to pitch consistently well yet again.

Do you feel better about the Cardinals?  I know I do.  I now say we finish second in the division, but our odds of winning it keep rising in my opinion.  It's going to be an exciting season, and the possibility of disappointment is always there.  But I truly believe the Cards are going to compete.  That's what they do.  They play a hard nine.  That's all you can ask for.

-Brady

BTW, check back soon for Civil Rights Game coverage.  I'll be there tomorrow afternoon!