Hey, look! It's Enrico Pallazzo!

[penfield]

"When the number of factors coming into play in a phenomenological complex is too large scientific method in most cases fails. One need only think of the weather, in which case the prediction even for a few days ahead is impossible."
- Albert Einstein (Physicist and Madcap Genius)

And now, it's time for my annual Major League Baseball Predictions and Predilections for the upcoming season:

Prediction/
Key Question

AL EAST
Boston Red Sox
Will rising stars compensate for inevitable decline of Ramirez, Varitek, Lowell et al.?

New York Yankees
Will they be willing to trade prospects to shore up the rotation mid-season?

Tampa Bay Rays
Who will step up at the back of the rotation and in the bullpen?

Toronto Blue Jays
Is pitching and defense enough to get to the playoffs, or do you need offense, too?

Baltimore Orioles
Will Angelos let them lose 100 games even if it's probably best for the franchise?

AL CENTRAL
Cleveland Indians
What kind of performance will they get in Sizemore's leap year and Sabathia's walk year?

Detroit Tigers
Will they have enough depth to make up for inevitable declines and injuries?

Kansas City Royals
Will a sudden improvement in '08 make them impatient for contention in '10?

Chicago White Sox
Can a mediocre pitching staff survive with such a crappy defense?

Minnesota Twins
Will Liriano's arm, Mauer's knees and Young's attitude all hold up?

AL WEST
Los Angeles Angels
Can Lackey and Escobar combine for at least 40 starts?

Seattle Mariners
Where's the offense coming from?

Oakland Athletics
Who will be the first person traded to New York?

Texas Rangers
What's worse: no personality or no pitching?

NL EAST
New York Mets
Can Maine and Martinez combine for 300 innings?

Philadelphia Phillies
Who will Hamels and Myers give the ball to when they come out of games?

Atlanta Braves
Do Smoltz and Glavine have anything left in the tank?

Washington Nationals
How many different starting pitchers will they use this year?

Florida Marlins
Can Willingham and Hermida make up for the loss of Miguel Cabrera?

NL CENTRAL
Chicago Cubs
Will they be jinxed by high expectations, or just the usual stuff?

Milwaukee Brewers
Can Sheets consistently start games and can Gagne consistently save them?

Pittsburgh Pirates
Will their defense be good enough to support the up-and-coming starters?

Cincinnati Reds
Will Dusty Baker completely torpedo this talented team with his old-school style?

Houston Astros
Will Tejada contribute anything to this team besides errors?

St. Louis Cardinals
Pujols.

NL WEST
Los Angeles Dodgers
Will Torre have the courage to play Kemp every day?

Arizona Diamondbacks
Can Brandon Lyon make it through a whole year closing games?

San Diego Padres
Can this team win on the road, or are they just built for PetCo Park?

Colorado Rockies
Can Francis duplicate his 2007 -- and show the rest of the staff how to do it?

San Francisco Giants
Who will they take with the first pick of the 2009 draft?

WORLD SERIES PREDICTION:
Detroit over Arizona in 5 games.


Predilections
From most-favorite to least-favorite

Oakland Athletics
Detroit Tigers
Philadelphia Phillies
Pittsburgh Pirates
Kansas City Royals
Milwaukee Brewers
Cleveland Indians
Washington Nationals
Chicago Cubs
San Diego Padres
Arizona Diamondbacks
Tampa Bay Rays
Minnesota Twins
Atlanta Braves
Los Angeles Dodgers
St. Louis Cardinals
Toronto Blue Jays
Florida Marlins
Colorado Rockies
Houston Astros
Cincinnati Reds
Baltimore Orioles
Seattle Mariners
Texas Rangers
New York Mets
San Francisco Giants
New York Yankees
Los Angeles Angels
Boston Red Sox
Chicago White Sox

Comments

I hope you're right, but you won't be.

[(Anonymous)]

Am I to assume that you're predicting the Pirates will finish third in their division? That's not happening. They went 68-94 last year, and this offseason, they made the following changes:
- Hired a bean counter from MLB headquarters as the team president
- Hired a guy who just got demoted at his previous job as general manager
- Hired the guy who led the worst team in AAA last year as manager
- Traded their most effective relief pitcher to a division rival for a couple of minor leaguers
- Signed a couple of 35-year old free agents that probably won't even make the team

Not only are the Pirates going to finish last (again), but they're a pretty good bet to lose 100 games.
-GDM

Re: I hope you're right, but you won't be.

[enchanted-pants.livejournal.com]

Okay, third place might be a stretch. But I'm really only predicting that they'll win 78-80 games. Actually, I think they have a lot of things in their favor:
- Their young outfielders, Pearce and McCutcheon, are going to be good, and could make contributions to the team this year.
- Snell and Gorzelanny are only going to get better.
- Their best reliever (Matt Capps) is going to be the best closer in the division.
- Anybody other than the old management team is an improvement.