Preseason Predictions

With the 2011 season less than a week away, here are our preseason predictions on the season.

AL East: Boston Red Sox

The Red Sox improved the most of any team in baseball and should be the favorites in the division.

AL Central: Detroit Tigers

The additions of Victor Martinez and Phil Coke will help, and if Rick Porcello and Max Scherzer continue to mature they should be able to take out the Twins.

AL West: Oakland Athletics

I might get blasted for this but Oakland has one of the best young rotations in the game, and improved their bullpen greatly this offseason.  The additions of David Dejesus, Hideki Matsui, and Josh Willingham will also help.

AL Wild Card: New York Yankees

Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter are getting older and their rotation is a mess, but they will be right there like always.

NL East: Atlanta Braves

Everyone thinks the Phillies are a slam dunk to win the NL East after signing Cliff Lee, but I think injuries will affect them this season.  The Braves added Dan Uggla to the mix this year which will really help.  Look for them to surprise some people.

NL Central: Milwaukee Brewers

As good as the Reds were last year, the Brewers are my pick in the Central.  Although Zack Greinke and Shaun Marcum have struggled with injuries this spring training they will be dominant when they come back.

NL West: Los Angeles Dodgers

The Dodgers are my surprise pick of the West.  They now have a very solid rotation with a full season of Ted Lilly and Jon Garland as the fifth starter.  I feel like they were a little embarrassed by their performance last year and will look to rebound this year.  Look for Clayton Kershaw and Matt Kemp to have monster years.

NL Wild Card: Philadelphia Phillies

We aren't even out of spring training and Chase Utley and Brad Lidge are already injured.  They will have a dominant rotation but their lineup isn't what it used to be.  I look at the Phillies as a better playoff team than a regular season team.

World Series:  Red Sox over Phillies

I'm going with the two teams that made the biggest offseason splashes. I expect the Red Sox to meet up with the Phillies and Philadelphia's offense letting them down again.

AL MVP- Robinson Cano

If the Yankees are going to compete with the Red Sox Cano will need to have an MVP type season.  Personally, I would have given him the award last year.

NL MVP- Ryan Braun

Braun and the Brewers haven't lived up to expectations in the past few seasons.  Look for it to change this year in most likely Prince Fielder's last season in Milwaukee.

AL Cy Young- Jon Lester

Last year Lester came in 4th place in the Cy Young, and this year he has a much improved offense and defense.  Look for a monster year.

NL Cy Young- Clayton Kershaw

Kershaw is a long shot in the NL, but it is worth a shot.  Last year as a 22 year old he had a 2.91 ERA and 212 strikeouts.  I believe the Dodgers will be better this year and Kershaw will improve on his numbers across the board.

AL Rookie of the Year- Jeremy Hellickson

Hellickson really impressed last year in his 36 innings for the Rays.  He will be limited in innings especially if the Ray's are out of the race in September, but still should have Rookie of the Year type numbers.

NL Rookie of the Year- Brandon Belt

I think Belt will be a June call up and like Buster Posey put up big numbers.  The rookie of the year should again be a battle between the Braves and Giants with Freddie Freeman starting from the get go.