By Andrew Scharff
As March Madness comes to an end, the Major League Baseballseason will be starting up again. Here is how things will shape up this season as we start the countdown to Opening Night April 2.
NL West (Teams in order of projected fi nish) 1) Dodgers – The Dodgers spent this off-season fi xing their infi eld. If 1B Nomar Garciaparra and closer Eric Gagne can stay healthy, the Dodgers will be a tough team to beat.2) Padres – The Padres are gettingolder, which will be why they will not return to playoffs in 2006. 3) Giants- The story of this team is OF Barry Bonds. Engulfed in steroid allegations, Bonds is chasing Babe Ruth and Henry Aaron for the all-time home run record. Aside from Bonds’s bat, they are a mediocre team.4) Rockies – The Rockies, who will again be led by All-Star 1B Todd Helton, will be fun to watch, but they are not ready to win yet.5) Diamondbacks – Arizona lost leading hitter Troy Glaus to Toronto and are still in the middle of a rebuilding process.
NL Central 1) Cardinals – Every year the Cardinals make winning look easy. As they open a new ballpark, 1B Albert Pujols and SP Chris Carpenter will look to repeat last year’s dominance.2) Astros – It will be hard for them to return to the World Series without Roger Clemens, and without any major changes this off-season, the Astros will finish in second place again in a very weak division.3) Cubs – The Cubs improved on offense by acquiring OF’s Juan Pierre and Jacque Jones for the top of the lineup, but their season will again depend on the health of pitchers Kerry Wood and Mark Prior.4) Brewers – Youngsters Prince Fielder and Rickie Weeks will be the key to the Brewers success in 2006. With ace Ben Sheets anchoring a solid rotation, the Brewers could be on many sleeper lists in the NL.5) Reds – OF’s Ken Griffey Jr. and Adam Dunn will continue pounding home runs, but a lack of pitching will keep Cincy at the bottom of the division.6) Pirates – SP Zach Duke looks to show he is not a fl uke as he tries to mirror his 8-2, 1.81 ERA performance from last year.NL East1) Braves – With 14 straight division titles under their belts,you can’t pick against the Braves until they lose.2) Mets – The Mets shored up the bullpen and fi rst base this offseason, but starting pitching may keep them out of the playoffs.3) Phillies – SS Jimmy Rollins will start the season with a 36-game hitting streak, but Philly did not improve enough to stay with the Mets and Braves in September.4) Nationals – The question for the Nationals is where will Alfonso Soriano play this season? If he isn’t happy playing in the outfi eld, don’t look for him to put up the numbers he did with Texas.5) Marlins – After a major roster turnover, the young Marlins will rely on SP Dontrelle Willis and 3B Miguel Cabrera to win some games.AL West1) Angels – The Angels were able to keep the core of the team intact, and will continue to count on OF Vladimir Guerrero to get them through October.2) A’s – They will go as far as their pitching will let them, as Barry Zito, Rich Harden and Joe Blanton can match up with any staff in the AL.3) Rangers – The Rangers have great power at the corner infield positions; will be hampered by a young and inexperienced pitching staff, although the addition of Kevin Millwood helps. 4) Mariners – Felix Hernandez is the lone bright spot on a team that disappointed many people in Seattle.
AL Central1) White Sox – The acquisitions of SP Javier Vazquez and 1B Jim Thome only makes the world champions stronger. Lookfor a repeat. 2) Indians – They are heading in the right direction. With SS Jhonny Peralta and 1B Travis Hafner in the middle of lineup, the question is whether the Tribe’s rotation is strong enough to hang with Chicago’s staff.3) Twins- The Twins will rely on SP’s Johan Santana and FranciscoLiriano to help keep up with the Sox and Indians in the divisionalrace.4) Tigers – New manager Jim Leyland will rely on young SP’s Jeremy Bonderman, Nate Robertson and Justin Verlander to help return the Tigers to the winning ways.5) Royals – Mike Sweeney is the only standout on the Royals, who will try not to fi nish last overall for the second straight year.
AL East1) Yankees – One through nine, this is the toughest lineup to pitch against in baseball this season.2) Blue Jays- The Jays showed they want to contend for the ALEast title when they signed pitchers A.J. Burnett and B.J Ryan, and traded for infi elders Glaus and Lyle Overbay.3) Red Sox -Even though they got Coco Crisp to replace Johnny Damon, the biggest loss may be SS Edgar Renteria.4) Orioles – Can Leo Mazzone guide the young O’s pitching staff as he did in his Atlanta years?5) Devil Rays – This team is young, athletic and in the wrong division. Look for Jorge Cantu and Carl Crawford to lead them offensively, with ex-Met prospect Scott Kazmir being their ace Playoffs
NLDS – Dodgers over Braves, Cardinals over MetsALDS – Blue Jays over White Sox, Yankees over AngelsNLCS – Cardinals over DodgersALCS – Yankees over Blue JaysWorld Series – Cardinals defeat Yanks in seven.