MLB 2008 Season Preview

Tuesday needs to get here! Opening Night!

This year’s top story lines:

The AL isn’t even fair: And that’s an understatement. Every team outside of Kansas City and Texas (yes… I honestly think the Rays could win 80 games) have a shot at getting into the playoffs. Teams like Detroit, Chicago Seattle and Los Angeles all went out into the offseason shooting to improve. If you walked up to me and said that an 85-win team from the AL West doesn’t get into the playoffs, I would agree 100 percent. Hopefully with the huge drop-off in New York, they Yankoffs will finally miss the post season. Here’s to hoping. I’d love to see Seattle battle Boston’s pitching in October.

Johan Santana’s first tour in the NL: One of the three best pitchers in baseball going to a league that never sees him toss. Lock him up for a Triple Crown and the Cy Young, right? Not so fast… While I do believe Johan is going to impress the collective brass, it doesn’t come without warning. First off, the Mets offense isn’t as great as everyone thinks it is. You can pretty much pencil in Alou, Beltran and Delgado to all get hurt for a decent amount of time sometime during the season. Second, the NL has some potent offensive forces. Chicago, Colorado and Arizona should all score. Maybe pencil the Dodgers in there, too. Another interesting stat to note is that Santana’s pitched at least 219 innings in each of the last four years, and he’s never been hurt during his career. Maybe he’s due for some arm troubles. We don’t know. Still, I have to believe that he’s a lock to hover around 20 wins and 250 strikeouts, barring an injury. He’s just that good.

Are Barry and Roger done for good?: I don’t think I’m in the minority when I say, “Please God… Please.” Hopefully baseball officials have identified that the quicker they move on from the Mitchell report, and the embarrassment these two legends have caused the game, the quicker we can move on to restoring some dignity. Anyone who thinks that baseball hasn’t returned right back to where we were in the mid 90s needs to have their head examined. We’re in the toilet right now folks. We need a great year of baseball… and maybe a World Series that goes more than four games. I’m just so tired of hearing about steroids, the players are tired of talking about steroids, and management is tired of trying to reexamine steroids. We just need to move on. The only problem is… Barry can still swing a bat, and if teams could look beyond having a criminal on their team, he could be a valuable asset coming off the bench or DHing every few days.

Anyone for seconds?: Teams looking to fill some holes in their lineups still have a decent crop of unsigned players to sift through. Freddy Garcia, Corey Koskie, Ryan Klesko, Reggie Sanders, Russ Ortiz, Aaron Sele, Sammy Sosa, Jeff Weaver, Bob Wickman and Preston Wilson all remain unsigned. I’d wager that none of these folks are going to turn into All-Stars, but they could all definitely fill in as role players and spot-starters for the right team.

Who’ll be this year’s surprise team?: Raise your hand if you thought Colorado was going to win the NL last year? Shut up, liar. Sure, it makes a lot of sense right now. Look at their roster. Loads of young talent all over the field. Leadership from Clint Hurdle and veteran Todd Helton, and best of all, they got to play with a “nothing to lose” mentality. They won’t have that luxury this year. Now I’m not saying that either of these teams is a lock… but if Toronto’s pitching stays healthy, and all of the Mariner’s new pieces congeal: watch out. Halliday and Burnett should both win 15 games if they pitch in 30 games, and the Mariners have one of the most well-rounded offenses in baseball. Ichiro can swipe bags and hit .330, not to mention his Spiderman skills in centerfield. Beltre, Sexton and Guillen provide pop. Both should make the AL Wild Card very interesting.

Most Valuable Players
National League: Matt Holliday, COL. .329, 34 HR, 128 RBI, 113 R, 219 H, 13 SB
American League: Vladamir Guerrero LAA. .330 35 HR, 125 RBI, 96 R, 200 H, 5 SB

Cy Young Award
National League: Johan Santana NYM. 20-5 2.98 ERA 259 K, 1.04 WHIP
American League: John Lackey LAA. 18-6 3.05 ERA 219 K, 1.18 WHIP

Rookie of the Year
National League: Chase Headley SD. .278 14HR 68 RBIs
American League: Evan Longoria, TB. .282 21 HR, 88 RBIs


Playoff Picture

National League
NL East: New York Mets (92)
NL Central: Chicago Cubs (90)
NL West: San Diego Padres (86)
Wild Card: Colorado Rockies (84)

American League
AL East: Boston Red Sox (95)
AL Central: Detroit Tigers (91)
AL West: Los Angeles Angels (89)
Wild Card: Seattle Mariners (88)

NL Winner: San Diego Padres
AL Winner: Boston Red Sox

World Series Champion: San Diego Padres in six games


Remember, this is my Cubs' 100 year anniversary of their futility. Here's to hoping it ends.