The Other Predictions Post
AL East
New York Yankees: 94-68
Breakout Player: Ian Kennedy should have a long, productive career as a mid-rotation starter.
Boston Red Sox: 93-69
Breakout Player: Clay Buchholz will make Red Sox fans forget about Curt Schilling, fast.
Tampa Bay Rays: 85-77
Breakout Player: All of the above? Akinori Iwamura should develop into a solid OBP presence at the top of a potent line-up.
Toronto Blue Jays: 80-82
Breakout Player: AJ Burnett may be a 9-year veteran, but has not established himself as a consistent producer; I think he’ll be the best starter on the team.
Baltimore Orioles: 64-98
Breakout Player: Nick Markakis will take the final step between being a good player and a full-fledged perennial all-star.
AL Central
Cleveland Indians: 94-68
Breakout Player: If he builds on last year, Ryan Garko could turn into the best 1B in the American League.
Detroit Tigers: 87-75
Breakout Player: The Tigers will be content without a breakout if they can avoid too many breakdowns; a very old team could mean trouble near September.
Kansas City Royals: 76-86
Breakout Player: Turning 22 on April 18, Billy Butler is an offensive monster and will eventually be one of the best hitters in the majors, period. This year he can just be content with being the best hitter on his team.
Chicago White Sox: 74-88
Breakout Player: Alexei Ramirez might have some disaster spots in the field, but his bat should be able to carry him to a solid rookie season.
Minnesota Twins: 72-90
Breakout Player: Jason Kubel went from being one of the better offensive prospects in the game to a virtual unknown. Expect him to live up to the former more than the latter.
AL West
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim: 87-75
Breakout Player: The moment Brian Roberts gets traded, Howie Kendrick becomes one of the top three 2B in the American League, along with Robinson Cano and Ian Kinsler.
Seattle Mariners: 79-83
Breakout Player: Cha Seung Baek is the third best starter the Mariners have, the only question is whether he’ll have an opportunity to prove that in the bullpen.
Oakland Athletics: 76-86
Breakout Player: Daric Barton could be ready to put up a .400 OBP right now.
Texas Rangers: 73-89
Breakout Player: If healthy, Josh Hamilton is an MVP-caliber player.
NL East
Atlanta Braves: 93-69
Breakout Player: Not much to choose from, but Yunel Escobar is a valuable commodity at shortstop.
New York Mets: 91-71
Breakout Player: Everybody is either broken out, broken down, or will never break out.
Philadelphia Phillies: 87-75
Breakout Player: Kyle Kendrick will provide some stability in the rotation that the Phillies have lacked for years.
Washington Nationals: 72-90
Breakout Player: Lastings Milledge, obviously. Austin Kearns would be a good choice too.
Florida Marlins: 70-92
Breakout Player: Andrew Miller is the best pitcher on this team, although that’s not saying much.
NL Central
Milwaukee Brewers: 91-71
Breakout Player: Rickie Weeks has a combination of power, patience and speed that makes him the obvious choice.
Chicago Cubs: 88-74
Breakout Player: Free Felix Pie! He doesn’t have the most refined plate approach, but fantastic defense, power and the ability to make contact should have made the Cubs’ CF decision a lot easier than they made it look.
Cincinnati Reds: 83-79
Breakout Player: Joey Votto is a gold-glove caliber 1B (although he likely won’t win one as long as he’s in the same league as Albert Pujols and Derrek Lee) who also has a lot of solid offensive skills.
Houston Astros: 75-87
Breakout Player: JR Towles will be one shining spot in the doom and gloom of the Astros in 2008 and beyond.
Pittsburgh Pirates: 73-89
Breakout Player: Nate McLouth is a very refined offensive player, and unlike the Astros, this team may have a lot to look forward to.
St. Louis Cardinals: 71-91
Breakout Player: As long as he stays healthy and his brain doesn’t explode every time he steps in against a left-hander, Chris Duncan will be the center of every RHP’s nightmare.
NL West
Arizona Diamondbacks: 90-72
Breakout Player: Several to choose from, but this year Stephen Drew will live up to the expectations of last year.
Colorado Rockies: 88-74
Breakout Player: If Ubaldo Jimenez fails to harness his fantastic stuff, he’ll still be a decent pitcher. If his control improves, he’ll be among the best.
Los Angeles Dodgers: 85-77
Breakout Player: When he gets healthy, and if he isn’t held hostage by Colletti, Andy LaRoche will be one of the best young hitters in the game.
San Diego Padres: 81-81
Breakout Player: Kevin Kouzmanoff’s excellent second half (.317/.366/.524) hints towards his massive potential.
San Francisco Giants: 58-104
Breakout Player: Tim Lincecum. Good luck finding a second choice… *shudder*
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You know, I JUST don’t see Tampa Bay doing that well… They’ve got a lot of upside, but I just don’t see them reaching their potential even if the only reason is that they’ve always had that upside and never lived up to their potential before… I have them 4th in the division.
New York
Toronto
Boston
Tampa
Baltimore
There’s my feelings, I just don’t think Boston has enough rotation depth to come close to repeating, and Buchholz is not looking good so far this spring.
Same.. I think New York will win the division, and Tampa and Baltimore will occupy #4 and #5. Boston is the favourite to be second, but i think it will be close between them and Toronto