I made predictions going into the 2012 MLB season. A lot of those were wrong. Here, I try to right my wrongs. It's MLB mid-season prediction revision time.
AL East
1. New York Yankees
2. Tampa Bay Rays
3. Boston Red Sox
4. Baltimore Orioles
5. Toronto Blue Jays
The Yankees' offense is good as usual and their pitching has been surprising. Probably not enough to get into the World Series though. Tampa Bay's got problems that I think they will work through, as do the Red Sox, and they get Carl Crawford back. Baltimore has been a pleasant surprise in every way, and Toronto is at about where everyone figured they would be. It's relatively probable that every team in the AL East will have a winning record.
AL Central
1. Detroit Tigers
2. Chicago White Sox
3. Cleveland Indians
4. Kansas City Royals
5. Minnesota Twins
Everyone in Detroit freaked out about the Detroit Tigers. They are 44-42. At this point last year, they were 45-41 and Cleveland had first place. It's not that different this year, and they will win this division, probably handedly. DO NOT WORRY. In fact, the Tigers can even be considered as dangerous if Quentin Berry is for real, Andy Dirks comes back, Doug Fister gets his magic touch back and Max Scherzer maintains some consistency if not continues to completely dominate. The White Sox are really fun now, though, post-Guillen. Chris Sale has been EXCITING. Cleveland is over-performing, and really, they're not much better than Kansas City or Minnesota.
AL West
1. Texas Rangers
2. Los Angeles Angels
3. Oakland Athletics
4. Seattle Mariners
The Texas Rangers are the best team in baseball without question. Their pitching rotation is not the strongest, but it's decent, and their ridiculous offense more than makes up for it. The Angels are getting scary thanks to 20 year-old rookie Mike Trout saving them single handedly. Jered Weaver ain't so bad, either. Oakland's young and talented pitching staff has somehow made them relevant again. Seattle is just sad. Poor King Felix. Get outta there, fella!
NL East
1. Washington Nationals
2. New York Mets
3. Atlanta Braves
4. Miami Marlins
5. Philadelphia Phillies
Cliff Lee has only won one game due to poor offense and Roy Halladay has been injured. It has not been the Phillies' year. It seems that Halladay will not get his World Series ring with Philly. That Cole Hamels is potentially getting traded is shocking to me, too. All of this to say that, the Washington Nationals really are the team to beat in the NL East and maybe even the entire NL. I knew they were going to be ridiculous before too long, but I did not see it happening so quickly. This Strasburg/Gonzalez pairing is a dream come true. The Mets and Braves will be in a tight race all year. I don't see how R.A. Dickey's luck will last all year, but David Wright is also having an MVP caliber year, and the Braves are having a rough time thanks to injuries. The Miami Marlins are hilarious.
NL Central
1. St. Louis Cardinals
2. Cincinnati Reds
3. Pittsburgh Pirates
4. Milwaukee Brewers
5. Chicago Cubs
6. Houston Astros
The St. Louis Cardinals are really good, they're just losing an insane amount of 1-run games. I don't see that lasting. I'd rather them suck or at least not win the division, but they probably are the best team in the central. I'm rooting hard for the Reds and potential MVP Joey Votto, though. The Brewers, who are pretty much my favorite team in the NL, are sad this season, and I have no idea why. I mean, they don't have Prince Fielder, yes, but with Ryan Braun and that starting rotation and supposedly fantastic bullpen, I don't understand how you're 40-45 at the All-Star break. I cannot believe in the Pittsburgh Pirates as the real deal this year, but Andrew McCutchen and their pitching all around have been incredibly special. The Cubs and Astros are TERRIBLE. Someone trade for Matt Garza and Ryan Dempster already. AHEM Detroit.
NL West
1. San Francisco Giants
2. Los Angeles Dodgers
3. Arizona Diamondbacks
4. Colorado Rockies
5. San Diego Padres
This Giants starting rotation is SICK, despite Tim Lincecum's completely blowing it. Their bullpen is still awesome without Brian Wilson too, and they're actually hitting the ball a bit. If Lincecum can figure out some way to get around how majestically he is sucking, the Giants could go to the World Series. The Dodgers were a nice story for the first part of the year, and with how well they've been pitching and getting Matt Kemp back, they could be playoff bound. The Diamondbacks are back to their usual suck every-other-year, rule every-other-year tricks, and Justin Upton's outright bombing has been pretty funny. The Rockies will edge out the Padres only because they have Carlos Gonzalez and are getting Troy Tulowitzki back.
AL Wild Card Game
Los Angeles Angels over Tampa Bay Rays
NL Wild Card Game
Cincinnati Reds over Los Angeles Dodgers
ALDS
Texas Rangers over Los Angeles Angels, 3-2
New York Yankees over Detroit Tigers, 3-2
NLDS
Washington Nationals over Cincinnati Reds, 3-1
San Francisco Giants over St. Louis Cardinals, 3-2
ALCS
Texas Rangers over New York Yankees, 4-2
NLCS
San Francisco Giants over Washington Nationals, 4-1
World Series
Texas Rangers over San Francisco Giants, 4-1
AL Rookie of the Year - Mike Trout, Los Angeles
AL Comeback Player of the Year - Adam Dunn, Chicago
AL Cy Young - Justin Verlander, Detroit
AL MVP - Josh Hamilton, Texas
NL Rookie of the Year - Bryce Harper, Washington
NL Comeback Player of the Year - Johan Santana, New York
NL Cy Young - Matt Cain, San Francisco
NL MVP - Joey Votto, Cincinnati
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