CFCL Bold Predictions: NL West

Today I take a look at the final division in my predictions for the United Cardinals Bloggers March project.  Previously I covered the American League, the NL East and the NL Central. 

Today its the NL West.  Here are my predicted standings:

1. San Francisco Giants
2. Los Angeles Dodgers (Wild Card - 2)
3. Arizona Diamondbacks
4. San Diego Padres
5. Colorado Rockies

The Giants won the West by 8 games last year and I see no reason for that to change this year.  The Giants have a rep as being a weak hitting team but they actually finished 6th in the NL in runs scored last year.  Last year's spark plug, Marco Scutaro was resigned to play second and NL MVP Buster Posey will split time at catcher and first to keep his bat in the lineup.  The pitching remains strong, also finishing 6th in least runs allowed.   Matt Cain will again anchor the staff and Madison Bumgarner is quickly becoming one of the best left handers in the league.  The key will be how Tim Lincecum bounces back from the worst year of his career.  If he can regain his pre-2012 form, the rotation goes from good to potentially great.  Predicted Record:  95-67

The Dodgers pitching staff finished with the 2nd best ERA in the NL and the 3rd fewest runs allowed in 2012.  Clayton Kershaw finished second in the Cy Young voting and the addition of Zach Greinke should make the staff even better in 2013.  The concern with the Dodgers is the offense, which finshed 13th in runs scored in 2012.  A return to healthy by Matt Kemp should help, as will last year's trade deadline additions of Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford and Hanley Ramirez (when healthy).  After throwing all their money around the last two years, the Dodgers' ownership should see the team close the gap between them and the Giants, but I do not think it will be enough to overtake them.  Predicted Record:  92-70

Arizona made some questionable moves this offseason, mainly trading away young star Justin Upton and the loss of his replacement, Adam Eaton, for 2 plus months due to injury won't help either.  There is still some talent on the team, as Paul Goldschmidt is a rising star and Aaron Hill posted some monster numbers for a second baseman.  Their pitching is solid, but unspectacular with no true ace.  Ian Kennedy pitched like an ace in 2011, with a 21-4 record and a 2.88 ERA, but he came back down to earth last year (15-12, 4.02 ERA).  Trevor Cahill pitched well in his first NL season and Wade Miley shined bright in his rookie year.  Top prospect Tyler Skaggs waits in the wings should any starter falter.  Predicted Record:  85-77

The Padres moved their fences in this year to help change Petco into less of a pitchers' park.  This would have third baseman Chase Headley grinning from ear-to-ear, if not for an injured thumb which will keep him out of action for at least a month.  After Headley, there's not much to speak of on the offensive side.  Carlos Quentin did hit 16 homers in 284 at bats, but it remains to be seen if he can stay healthy for an entire year.  On the pitching side, the prospects are not much brighter.  After finishing with the 6th worst runs allowed, despite pitching half their games in a pitchers' park, the Padres did little to improve things.  Predicted Record:  75-87

Colorado had the worst pitching staff in the majors last year, giving up 45 more runs than the next closest team (Cleveland) and nearly 100 more than the next closest NL team (the Astros).  Part of the problem stemmed from injuries, which eventually led the Rockies to use a 4 man rotation down the stretch.  The good news is that the Rockies can score runs, finishing 6th in runs scored in 2012.  The bad news is that they'll have to score a heck of a lot more runs to make up for their poor pitching.  Predicted Record:  67-95

That wraps it up for the division predictions.  Tomorrow I'll take a look at the playoffs and award winners.

CFCL Bold Predictions: NL Central

Continuing the United Cardinals Bloggers March project, today I'll take a look at the NL Central or the only division that matters.  All of my fellow Cardinals bloggers will be making their predictions as well and you can follow them at the UCB website.

Now, without further ado, here are my projected standings for the NL Central:

1. St. Louis Cardinals
2. Cincinnati Reds
3. Pittsburgh Pirates
4. Milwaukee Brewers
5. Chicago Cubs

First off, I'm a Cardinals fan so I have to pick the Cards to finish first.  However, its not just my heart saying that, I think the talent is definitely there to claim the Central crown, they just need to stay healthy.  A full year from Allen Craig should help bolster the offense and with Adam Wainwright one more year removed from Tommy John surgery, he should be capable of resuming his role of staff ace.  Predicted Record:  95-67

The Reds will be the closest competition for the Cards.  They traded for Shin-Soo Choo in the offseason to give them a legitimate center fielder and Todd Frazier should be able to replace the retired (?) Scott Rolen.  However, the key to their offense will be keeping Joey Votto healthy.  Their pitching should be strong again, with Johnny Cueto and Mat Latos headlining the rotation and Aroldis Chapman throwing heat out of the pen.  Predicted Record:  93-69 (Wild Card)


Pittsburgh keeps tantalizing their fans with the hope of a .500 season and 2013 might finally be their year to get over the hump.  Starling Marte is a budding star and will join superstar Andrew McCutchen in the outfield.  Their current pitching staff is pretty pedestrian, but when you consider that veterans Francisco Liriano and Jeff Karstens are probably just vying their time until top prospects Gerrit Cole and Jameson Taillon are ready, the pitching staff could end up being their strength by the end of the year.  Predicted Record:  87-75

The Brewers traded away their best pitcher, Zach Greinke, last year and lost Shawn Marcum to free agency.  Recent signing Kyle Lohse should help lessen those losses and Yovanni Gallardo remains, but there are questions beyond that.  Marco Estrada and Michael Fiers caught the league by surprise last year and it remains to be seen if they can repeat  that performance now that the league has the "book" on them.  The offense will continue to be good, with Ryan Braun leading the way, but it may not be enough to overcome the lack of quality pitching.  Predicted Record:  85-77

The Cubs continue to rebuild.  They added some much needed arms to the pitching staff in Edwin Jackson, Scott Baker, Scott Feldman, Carlos Villanueva and Japanese import Kyuji Fujikawa, to go along with Matt Garza and budding ace Jeff Samardzija.  However, their anemic offense will hold them back.  They have some building blocks in Anthony Rizzo and Starlin Castro, but not much else.  Predicted Record: 67-95

Up next will be the NL West.

CFCL Bold Predictions: American League Standings

With about a week left until opening day, its time to break out the first annual Cardinals Fan in Cubs Land projected standings for the season.  As part of the United Cardinals Bloggers March project, several Cardinals bloggers are making their predictions for the upcoming year.

First off is the American League.  As I do not follow the AL much, these truly are "bold" projections.

AL East

1. Tampa Bay Rays
2. Toronto Blue Jays (Wild Card - 1)
3. New York Yankees
4. Boston Red Sox
5. Baltimore Orioles

This is truly the toughest division in baseball.  While the Yankees are perennial favorites, age and injuries catch up with them and make them into the 2012 Red Sox.  Tampa's pitching and timely hitting lead to another division title while Toronto's big offseason moves lead to their first playoff appearance since 1993.  The Orioles can't repeat last year's surprise run to the playoffs and Boston struggles to return to .500.

AL Central

1.  Detroit Tigers
2. Cleveland Indians
3. Kansas City Royals
4. Chicago White Sox
5. Minnesota Twins

 Detroit is clearly the class of the Central, as no team can match their talent.  After them, its a dogfight for second between Cleveland, KC and Chicago, I give the edge to Cleveland, but with KC close behind.  Chicago has a big drop off after last year's second place finish and Minnesota continues to bring up the rear.  Only Detroit makes the playoffs though.

AL West

1. Los Angeles Angels
2. Texas Rangers (Wild Card - 2)
3. Oakland A's
4. Seattle Mariners
5. Houston Astros

In a battle for first, the Angels edge out the Rangers thanks to a bounce-back MVP season from Albert Pujols.  The Rangers finish second but claim a Wild Card spot.  Oakland suffers a drop off after last season's division title.  The Mariners, while improved, still cannot finish above .500 and the Astros manage to claim the first pick in the 2014 draft.

So, there you have it, my bold predictions for the AL. Coming up, I'll take a look at the NL East on Tuesday, the NL Central on Wednesday and the West on Thursday, with playoff and awards predictions on Friday.  You can check out the other Cardinals bloggers predictions at the UCB.