2013 MLB Season

[Serperiority]

I say it's a bit late to start this thread, but I'm gonna start it anyway. This is obviously about the 2013 MLB season that started on March 30th, 2013. You could post anything related to MLB here, from perfect games to postseason predictions.

Imma start with my postseason predictions. These are the teams who I predict are gonna win their divisions.

AL
West - Angels
Central - Tigers
East - Blue Jays
Wild Card - Rays, Athletics

The AL West is one tough division as always, but with the Angels buffed up and Texas having lost power, I think the Angels are gonna win their division, despite their current record of 3-8. I would also predict the A's to be an underdog and be close, but I think it goes to Anaheim. The AL Central isn't really a strong division, but I expect the 2012 AL Champion Tigers to win their division. Meanwhile, the AL East is another tough division. I wouldn't expect much from the injured, aging Yankees. The other teams would stick around, but I would expect the most action from Toronto. With some great pitching in R.A. Dickey and some great offense, I'm sure they'd win their division. And my guess is that the Rays & the A's make it as Wild Card.

NL
West - Giants
Central - Cardinals
East - Nationals
Wild Card - Braves, Reds

Ahh, the National League, my league. Let's start with my home division, the NL West. Being a Giants fan, I'd obviously want my Giants to win this division. Contrary to popular belief, I don't believe the Dodgers are gonna win it (not just 'cause I'm a Giants fan). I believe the "Yankees of the West" are gonna crumble after the All-Star game and won't even make it to the playoffs. The Dbacks and the Rockies are pretty good this year, so this is gonna be one interesting race... For the NL Central, I believe the Cardinals are gonna win their division. The Reds won't be far behind and hopefully the Cubs and Pirates have better success this year. And finally, the NL East. I think the biggest contenders here are the Braves and the Nationals, but at the end, I think the Nationals would win over the Braves and claim their division.

For the actual postseason, I strongly believe in my Angels/Nationals World Series. With the Angels offense (currently not active) and the whole Nationals team, this would be a great series to watch. Plus, it'd be nice to see an intensified Trout/Harper rivalry. I wouldn't let down my Giants by putting them in the NLCS against the Nats, while I would predict the ALCS to be Toronto/Anaheim.

So I hope y'all enjoy this post and feel free to comment on my predictions as well as add your own. I'd look forward to all the baseball posts between now and October!
~ Daryl

 

[Italy-kun]

My predictions:

AL:
West: Angels
Central: Tigers
East: ? (Between the Blue Jays and Rays)
Wild Card: Jays/Rays, depending on who wins the division, plus Orioles or A's.

With the Rangers having taken some pretty big losses in the offseason, they just won't be able to keep up with the offense of the Angels or even the A's. The Tigers are gonna be good again, and even though Kansas City, Cleveland and the White Sox are all on the warpath, they won't be contenders until next year at best. But dang is that division gonna be entertaining, once those teams get to where they're headed. Whoo, boy, the East is gonna be fun. The Yankees and Red Sox just don't look like the class of the division anymore, and though the Jays look better than the Rays, the Rays have had pretty serious "it factor" in recent years. I don't think the Orioles have it in them to put together a season that's quite as good as last year's. That said, the same goes for the A's, and so one of them looks like the one to snag the second wild card.

NL:
West: ? (Between the Giants and Dodgers)
Central: Reds
East: ? (Between the Braves and Nationals)
Wild Card: Second-place teams in West and East

Although the Rockies and DBacks have played well, I don't think they'll be able to keep up with the Giants and Dodgers once we get into the real meat of the season. The Dodgers are better on paper, but the Giants have serious it factor. None of the teams in the Central look great honestly, but the Reds seem like the team to beat. The Nationals look like a great team, even sans Mike Morse, but the Braves are red-hot. If they can keep up anything close to this tear they've been on, the East will be entertaining. If the East and West wind up as close as they seem like they will, I don't see anyone snagging a wild card from the Central.

 

[Serperiority]

With the All-Star break now here, we've officially finished the first half of the season!

Recently, two no-hitters have been thrown, just 11 days from each other. The first, on July 2, was Homer Bailey. The game was a 3-0 no-hit victory for Homer Bailey and his Reds against my San Francisco Giants. 11 days later on July 13, the Giants were involved in another no-hitter, this time with them on the winning end of it. Tim Lincecum pitched 148 pitches in a 9-0 win against the San Diego Padres.

Now let's see what the second half of the season brings and see what magic October brings this year!

 

[Goodbye Blue Monday]

Hello fellow baseball fans!

Here are my predictions from where it starts right now, but granted, I only really pay attention to the American League. I mean, in the NL right now: Reds look promising, and I always hope the Nationals will go somewhere since they've never been to a World Series, but that's about the extension of the attention I'm paying it right now.

West: I don't pay as much attention to this division, but the A's and Angels are looking good lately?
Central: Tigers. At least, it better be.
East: Red Sox, though I think the O's and the Rays also have good chances. But can we talk about how FOR ONCE, IT LOOKS LIKE THE YANKEES MIGHT NOT MAKE THE PLAYOFFS? :-D As a life-long Yankee hater - even before I moved to Boston - I AM HAPPY ABOUT THIS.
Wild Card: I'm guessing it's going to be between the second-place finishers in the East and the West.

As a Tigers and Orioles fan (in that order), I was obviously happy about how the All-Star Game turned out, with my two favorite teams dominating the AL squad! And I'm glad that Miguel Cabrera is still dominating the hitting world, doing even better before the All-Star Break than he was last year! What do you think are the odds he could make Triple Crown again? (I haven't been paying as much attention to the specific stats.) Or at least AL MVP again?

The real bummer is just that I don't watch as much baseball these days, since I live in Boston so I don't get to see my two favorite teams on TV much. Not that I dislike the Red Sox but, well, it's hard to be a fan of two teams in the same division. When they do poorly, it's usually to the Orioles' benefit, and vice versa.

(By the way, what did you guys think of the whole Cabrera vs. Trout argument about AL MVP last year? I think it's obvious where I stand on this, but I'm interested in hearing your thoughts.)

 

[Silverwynde]

So why did the Brewers trade K-Rod? Everyone pretty much sees this season as over. If it hasn't been injuries, it's been other things and things are not looking good for the Crew at all.

As for the Ryan Braun situation...

Braun has a long road ahead of him. A lot of us in the Brew Crew nation are seriously pissed at him and we feel massively betrayed. There are those here who want to see him traded--that won't be possible as he's under contract with the Brewers until 2020. Some have taken a "it is what it is" stance and they're letting it go. Me personally, I'm willing to give him a second chance...but chances three through infinity ain't happening. And that second chance has one major string attached: he has to tell the truth. Man up and be honest, Ryan. Only then I can let it go and move on.

 

[ImBlue]

So why did the Brewers trade K-Rod? Everyone pretty much sees this season as over. If it hasn't been injuries, it's been other things and things are not looking good for the Crew at all.

As for the Ryan Braun situation...

Braun has a long road ahead of him. A lot of us in the Brew Crew nation are seriously pissed at him and we feel massively betrayed. There are those here who want to see him traded--that won't be possible as he's under contract with the Brewers until 2020. Some have taken a "it is what it is" stance and they're letting it go. Me personally, I'm willing to give him a second chance...but chances three through infinity ain't happening. And that second chance has one major string attached: he has to tell the truth. Man up and be honest, Ryan. Only then I can let it go and move on.

Don't worry, you're not alone. I'm a Brewer fan too, and I can't wait for this season to be over. The Brewers have disappointed in every respect this season (minus Segura and Gomez), and it's not looking too much better for next year. I was frustrated that Gallardo destroyed any potential trade value he had in the couple terrible starts he had before the deadline, and I'm worried we won't get anything for him this offseason.

I miss Jack Zduriencik. He knew how to draft prospects.

 

[Silverwynde]

Aoki's been great--I want him back next year--and Segura's a blasted gem. Gomez has been amazing; yes, he's had a hitting slump but dear heavens! His offense is absolutely incredible. But our bullpen has been awful. John Axford can get it together but Michael Gonzales outright scares me. I was in Miller Park in April and saw Gonzales pitch for the first time, acting as though Lucroy's catcher's mitt was located near his ear. Juan Francisco has potential as a hitter but he really needs polish at first base. With Gallardo's injury, I'm unsure we could get much for him or if we'd want to hold on to him.

I worry about the Braun situation, though. This is really going to put a blemish on the club, especially due to the fact that he was so insistent of his innocence. I know we're going to be keeping him, but I can't help thinking we should take the salary that won't be paid to Braun and throw it into the coffers in order to keep players like Aoki around. We have some potentially great players, like Scooter Gennett, so that helps the sitch.

The main problem will be holding on to them. Small market club and all that. But hey, next year might be better. Don't think it could get much worse than this season.

 

[ImBlue]

I don't know if I would call Scooter Gennett 'potentially great', but he's already proved tons of doubters wrong and I would love to be included there. Rickie Weeks needs to be replaced asap.

The Brewers already gave the 3 million Braun lost back to the fans in free drink and food vouchers, but yeah Aoki should be included in our 'core' players in my opinion (which I think I read included Lucroy, Segura, Gomez, and Peralta at the moment). He's one of the most underrated outfielders in the league.

I was pleasantly surprised about the way Axford continued his year after that horrible start, I even picked him up on my fantasy team. Pitching is still atrocious however, and it doesn't help that Jungman, Thornburg and the rest might not be quite ready for full time starter roles yet. I fear we have an entire farm system of Mark Rodgers's lol