Major League Baseball Season Preview

For a while now, I've been working on a season preview for each of baseball's 30 teams. Since this has left Illogical Compulsion in an update-less spiral, I've decided to post portions of this preview each day so that my legions of fans will have something to read. (My eyes are shifting back and forth as if to signify that I've said something preposterous.) Plus, this way I can circumvent unnecessary rumors that I've abandoned this forum as I have others in the past. Abandon I shall not! Today I'll share my preseason predictions. I intended to also add my first team preview, but blogspot won't let me copy and paste my Word document on here. Tips, anyone? Anyway, now you'll have something to hold me to if I ever start bullshitting in September about how I totally knew the Orioles were going to win 97 games. Here are my projected standings based on my unquestionable wisdom. Go ahead, try to question it. It won't answer. I've taken the liberty of italicizing the wild card winners for you. I know that's how you like it.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

AL EAST
1. New York Yankees
2. Boston Red Sox
3. Tampa Bay Rays
4. Toronto Blue Jays
5. Baltimore Orioles

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

AL WEST:
1. Oakland Athletics
2. Los Angeles Angels
3. Texas Rangers
4. Seattle Mariners

NATIONAL LEAGUE

NL EAST:
1. New York Mets
2. Philadelphia Phillies
3. Atlanta Braves
4. Florida Marlins
5. Washington Terrible

NL CENTRAL:
1. Chicago Cubs
2. St. Louis Cardinals
3. Milwaukee Brewers
4. Cincinnati Reds
5. Houston Astros
6. Pittsburgh Pirates

NL WEST:
1. Los Angeles Dodgers
2. Arizona Diamondbacks
3. San Francisco Giants
4. Colorado Rockies
5. San Diego Padres

Go ahead, readers! Comment away! I would very much enjoy to hear what others think. It's very possible someone might think I have a Missouri bias, but I have my reasons which I'll get into in each team's individual preview. Oh, and the Angels were the most fake 100 win team ever last year, and that was with a couple of months of Mark Teixeira. So the A's taking over shouldn't really surprise anyone. Who wants to see predicted individual award winners? I do! I do!

AMERICAN LEAGUE

MVP: Mark Teixeira
He's long been a very good player, and this is the year he gets recognition for being something more, even if maybe he isn't. Teixeira will hit like he always does, and he'll play very good defense at first base. The difference is that he'll be playing in New York for what I think will be a playoff team, and he'll probably drive in more runs with Alex Rodriguez in front of him (well, here in several weeks). Hell, if he'd been an Angel for all of last year, MVP voters would've had a much tougher time casting their ballots in the name of lil' Dustin Pedroia (who did have a fantastic season).

Cy Young: Francisco Liriano
Fuck it. I took the longest making this pick, and I decided to go completely rogue and pick Liriano, who very well could flame out with more health problems before he gets a chance to be the dominant force he started to be two seasons back. I'm going to put my eggs in his basket (not a euphemism) and say he stays healthy, wins 18 games or so, and strikes out the earth. I very nearly took the easy way out and selected C.C. Sabathia. I also almost took Zack Greinke. Only time will tell whether this decision will be a good one.

Rookie of the Year: Matt Wieters
This may have been the easiest pick of the lot. Wieters is almost senselessly talented and advanced for his age. He has power, patience, and a great glove at baseball's most difficult position (catcher). Assuming Wieters is given a chance, he'll prove himself a star very quickly. And if I'm wrong? Hey, you couldn't really blame me in believing in a guy who hit .365/.460/.625 in Double A during his first year as a pro.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

MVP: Albert Pujols
I mean, really, who did you think I was going to pick? Pujols is a perennial candidate, and he's the best hitter in the game without much room for dispute. He's also an outstanding defender at first, 29 years old, and apparently healthy. Albert could take home the award every season and no one could reasonably complain. Expect another season right in line with his stellar career rates from the best hitter of this era. If the Cardinals get a little better, that will only help his cause. And if Pujols gets any better, then God help the National League.

NL Cy Young: Rich Harden
Look at that disgusting strikeout rate from a year ago! Look at the disgusting numbers that have been the story of Harden's career! Well, they would be the story, but Harden gets hurt all the time. I'm going to gamble and say he stays intact for 2009, and that he'll fend off fine efforts from the usual suspects (Johan Santana, Tim Lincecum, Zach Duke) to take home the hardware.

NL Rookie of the Year: Cameron Maybin
This one is tough. Unlike the American League version of this award, there is certainly no go-to guy. I selected Maybin because, well, he projects to be very good one day. I don't see him having an earth shattering year in 2009, but there's no reason he can't go 15-15 and win an award for it as a result of besting the competition.

As for the managers of the year, who really gives a shit? I sure don't. Later, kids.