As April rolls around, our national pastime returns, despite hell freezing over last year when the Boston Red Sox finally won the World Series. Will they repeat? Will the Evil Empire New York Yankees return to prominence? Will the National League surprise people and break through? Here's a division-by-division look at this year's Major League Baseball season.
NL East
No longer referred to as the NL Least, the Atlanta Braves, Florida Marlins, Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets all have legitimate hopes of winning the division, while the Washington Nationals are poised to break out in a big way. The Fish snagged a bat in Carlos Delgado, the Mets an arm in Pedro Martinez and some speedy Carlos Beltran legs, but the most important acquisition in the division was the golden right arm of Tim Hudson the Braves secured in a December trade. Expect the streak to keep going as the Braves win number 14 in a row.
NL Central
The Chicago Cubbies and St. Louis Cardinals are the favorites, even though Chicago's offense will suffer with the loss of Sammy Sosa and Moises Alou. The Cubs will depend on their stellar rotation and the young bats of Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez to carry them. The Houston Astros will also rely on their workhorse pitching staff, led by Cy Young winner Roger Clemens. Surprise years from the Milwaukee Brewers and Cincinnati Reds will keep them in the race until August, but the veteran bats and addition of Mark Mulder will give the Cards the upper hand.
NL West
If Barry Bonds was healthy and not subjugated in this steroids controversy, the San Francisco Giants would be favored. If the Los Angeles Dodgers had held on to either Shawn Green or Adrian Beltre to go along with Derek Lowe, they'd be the team to beat. If the Arizona Diamondbacks had spent money on a pitcher not named Russ Ortiz, Arizona would be a shoo-in. But instead, the San Diego Padres, which made few additions to a young team that is led by superstar-in-the-making Khalil Greene and closer Trevor Hoffman, should be the favorites. If youngsters Adam Eaton and Jake Peavy pitch well, the Padres should win the division.
AL East
Man, the Baltimore Blue Rays would be quite the squad to challenge the Yankees and Red Sox. That's all that can be said about the three meaningless teams in the division. Both the Yankees and Red Sox spent big this offseason, with names like Johnson, Renteria, Wells and Martinez roaming the AL East grounds now. While everyone talks about Randy Johnson, the Red Sox' moves to add David Wells, Matt Clement, and Wade Miller to an already strong rotation make them the favorite going in. Instead of a collection of superstars, they are a team led by one bat (Manny Ramirez) and one arm (Curt Schilling). The Yanks will win the division, but the Sawx will even it up in the ALCS.
AL Central
Go, Indians!!!! Cleveland sports what may be the most likable squad this year, with young, exciting guns to go with veterans like Kevin Millwood and Bob Wickman. It's too bad the Indians will fall short of the Minnesota Twins, who bring back a solid staff including Johan Santana, Brak Radke and Kyle Lohse. The Chicago White Sox will be improved, as will the Detroit Tigers, as Troy Percival and Magglio Ordonez will both return to form after injury-riddled 2004s. Minnesota is clearly the best team in the division, though, and should withstand runs from Cleveland and Chicago, whose pitching is far too thin.
AL West
This division is always interesting. A's general manager Billy Beane did well in revamping the Oakland rotation, but he'll benefit next year. This year, the pitchers are too young. But the Big Three has become a Big Four with Barry Zito, Rich Harden, Dan Meyer and Dan Haren looking good for years to come. This season, the Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers will clobber the ball, but the balance of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim will be the difference. The slugging of Vlad Guerrero, the pitching of Bartolo Colon and upstarts like Casey Kotchman and Dallas MacPherson make Anaheim the team to beat.
The Playoffs
Expect the Braves to beat the Cubs in the first round and the Cards to dispose of the Padres. Hudson versus Mulder in games 1,4 and 7 will prove that the Braves are the best team in the NL. The Red Sox will beat the Twins, and the Yanks will take care of the Angels. And, in a repeat of last year's epic thriller, the Sox will beat the Yanks in seven and take care of the Braves easily in what will be somewhat of an afterthought to the ALCS.
