Bold Predictions For All 30 Ball Clubs

At the beginning of the of the 2011 season, if you would have said that Curtis Granderson was going to hit 40+ home runs and Ian Kennedy would reach 20+ wins people would have called you crazy. But those uncanny things happen each year; those players finished with 41 home runs and 21 wins respectively.

This year is going to be a big year for the MLB, more teams are starting to assemble superstar squads while other teams are calling up prospects getting ready for the future.  There will be something that happens to each team that no one has thought of, these will be my bold predictions of the 2012 season.

AL West

Seattle Mariners– Ichiro clubs out a career-high 17 home runs. He has always had pop in his bat but never used it because he was a leadoff hitter. Now he is batting third and knocking some runs in. Also, Jesus Montero will start less than 20 games at the catcher position.

Los Angeles Angels– Mark Trumbo struggles to get implemented/ keep his spot in the lineup (1B, 3B, DH, OF). He won’t even hit 19 home runs and he won’t be able to keep his average above .240. On a positive note, Kendrys Morales will stay healthy for the most part and knock out 26 home runs while C.J. Wilson gets a team-high 24 wins.

Texas Rangers– Mike Napoli ends up getting moved, again, at the trade deadline. Neftali Feliz has an impressive 13-8 record as a starter. Joe Nathan gets hurt (not bold) and Alexei Ogando becomes the closer getting 33+ saves.

Oakland Athletics– Yoenis Cespedes scorches 37 doubles and leads the team with 22 home runs and 89 RBI. Pitcher, Brandon McCarthy, makes the All-Star team and finished the season with 14 wins and a 2.96 ERA with a sub-1 WHIP. Manny Ramirez also takes the DH spot from Jonny Gomes after serving his 50-game suspension and he hits 13 dingers.

AL Central

Detroit Tigers– Alex Avila struggles on offense while the rest of the Tigers do not. Austin Jackson finally proves that the Tigers made the right choice in trading Curtis Granderson for him and company. Jackson steals 34 bases and hits a career-high .294.

Cleveland Indians– Josh Tomlin leads this team in wins with only 12.  Travis Hafner and Grady Sizemore miss over a combined 210 games. Ubaldo Jimenez still can’t find his groove in Cleveland.

Minnesota Twins– Bottom-dwellers of the AL Central and the league for that matter, which ends up being the worst division in the MLB.  Mauer does play, and hits .318, but it doesn’t help the team. Ben Revere ends up taking Denard Span’s CF spot and steals 51 bases.

Kansas City Royals– Royals finish second in division with 88 wins. Eric Hosmer wins the AL MVP despite not making the playoffs. He bats: .330, 29 long-balls and 117 RBI. Mike Moustakas hits 26 home runs and Tim Collins makes the All-Star team as a setup man.

Chicago White Sox– Jake Peavy finally makes a comeback, dealing out a team-leading 14 wins. Matt Thornton finishes the season as the closer but not a good one and Konerko is the only player on the team to bat over .300.

AL East

Boston Red Sox (World Series Champs)– Mark Melancon was brought in to be a setup man but he ends up leading the club in saves (28).  Salty hits 23 home runs but Ryan Lavarnway will takeover as catcher by the end of July. Defensive prodigy Jose Iglesias gets called up and sent back down because he doesn’t know how to use a bad and Crawford is still irrelevant by the end of the season.

New York Yankees– Ivan Nova becomes the most consistent pitcher. Curtis “The Grandy Man” Granderson hits only 23 home runs while Jeter and A-rod combine for 26. Cano finishes third in MVP voting behind Hosmer and A. Gonzalez.

Toronto Blue Jays– Ricky Romero wins AL Cy Young Award, getting 227 K’s and 18 wins with 26 quality starts. Yunel Escobar hits .310 with 84 RBI and 22 steals. Kyle Drabek doesn’t make his way into the rotation either.

Tampa Bay Rays– Ben Zobrist hits 24 home runs while snatching 26 bases and he will start  games at 2B, 1B, LF, RF and DH. Desmond Jennings hits a shocking 26 HR and B.J. Upton gets traded to Houston.

Baltimore Orioles– Mark Reynolds moves to 1B, Brian Roberts comes back and Robert Andino plays most of the year at 3B. Jake Arietta wins only 9 games but has a 3.20 ERA. Adam Jones gets traded so Baltimore can stockpile on prospects… I don’t know why they want to though.

NL West

Arizona Diamondbacks (Lose in World Series)– Trevor Cahill shows he misses pitching at the Coliseum and gets rocked. Ian Kennedy doesn not have the same type of season as last year. Tyler Skaggs gets promoted early and leads the team in strikeouts and ERA. Justin Upton hits 34 HR and steals 28 bases.

San Francisco Giants– Freddy Sanchez hits only .263, no one on the team hits over 23 home runs and Lincecum has a 3.49 ERA. Brian Wilson is lights out this year but he will have no save opportunities, only gets 31 saves.

Colorado Rockies– Dexter Fowler becomes a superstar. Jamie Moyer gets 13 wins, Tulowitzki wins NL MVP and Jordan Pacheco hits 24 home runs from the hot corner. Helton and Giambi both announce they will retire at end of season, freeing up first base for 3B prospect Nolan Arenado who will move to 1B.

San Diego Padres– Carlos Quentin hits only 16 home runs. Cameron Maybin leads the team with 26 bombs and 38 steals. Edinson Volquez and Corey Luebke both tie with 15 wins but the Padres still struggle.

Los Angeles Dodgers– Dee Gordon hits well over .300 but Andre Ethier becomes the team’s MVP. Ethier his .328 and knocks in 108 runs while Kemp struggles to hit 25 home runs and doesn’t even reach 100 RBI. Kershaw wins Cy Young by a landslide.

NL Central

Houston Astros– Jordan Lyles leads the team in wins with 13 and Jordan Schafer robs 23 bases. Unfortunately, a bunch of prospects get called up too early and end up having terrible numbers.

Chicago Cubs– Anthony Rizzo is a disappointment, hitting less than five home runs. Marmol gets traded along with Matt Garza (separate deals), leaving Jeff Samardzija to have the best season as a Cubs pitcher in 2012.

Cincinnati Reds– Aroldis Chapman eventually becomes the closer and strikes out over 100 as a reliever. Votto has a bad year after signing a monster contract, 20 HR and bats only .289. Chris Heisey leads the team as a platoon OF with 27 HR.

Milwaukee Brewers– Mat Gamel provides some pop with Prince Fielder gone. Braun has another 30/30 season, K-Rod gets traded and George Kottaras becomes everyday starting catcher.

Pittsburgh Pirates– McCutchen becomes elite, hitting 31 home runs and getting 34 steals, he earns the highest WAR (Wins Above Replacement). Erik Bedard doesn’t even start 21 games and James McDonald gets 197 K’s.

St. Louis Cardinals– Jon Jay has a breakout season and Wainwright gets 18 wins. David Freese loses his spot in the lineup and Matt Holliday only hits 18 homers. Jason Motte blows a bunch of saves and Fernando Salas takes over.

NL East

New York Mets– Jason Bay is back and hits 22 home runs.  David Wright knocks 19 out of the park before getting traded to the Chi-Sox in exchange for Gavin Floyd and Alexei Ramirez.

Atlanta Braves– Michael Bourn hits an abysmal .268 but still steals 59 bases and scores 99 runs. Jason Heyward stays healthy all season and knocks out 38 home runs and wins the Home Run Derby.

Miami Marlins– Hanley Ramirez is runner-up for the NL MVP Award, hitting 33 home runs and knocking in 114. Ricky Nolasco rings up 132 batters and gets 16 wins. Miami Marlins win the division. Oh yeah, Giancarlo (formerly Mike) Stanton leads the MLB with home runs, dropping 48.

Philadelphia Phillies– As Chase Utley comes back, Jimmy Rollins gets hurt, leaving Freddy Galvis in the lineup and moving him back to his natural shortstop position. Hunter Pence is the unsung hero and hits a quiet 30 home runs.

Washington Nationals– Bryce Harper is called up right after the All-Star break but is not successful in his first half-season. Ian Desmond gets traded and Strasburg gets shut down early for precautionary reasons. Washington finishes third in division.

Top 5 Fantasy Players at Each Position (Outfield & Pitching)

Outfield

Jose Bautista-Toronto Blue Jays
Analysis: Last season Joey Bats proved me wrong. I thought he would be a one-year wonder but then he went out and slugged 43 homeruns. His average draft position is 6, very good for average unlike many power hitters. Eligible at 3B and OF, he is going to hit 50 homeruns in the near future. Don’t pass on him.

Matt Kemp-Los Angeles Dodgers
Analysis: Kemp took the league by storm last year. Was only 13 batting average points away from winning the NL triple crown. This year he projected himself to have a 50/50 season (home runs/steals), now I don’t think that will happen but I do still think he is the best Centerfielder and a late first round fantasy pick.

Jacoby Ellsbury-Boston Red Sox
Analysis: Last season he provided the Bo-Sox with some pop. He cranked out 32 home runs, a .321 average and 39 steals. If the Red Sox would have made the playoffs he would have won the MVP award easily. I don’t think he will mimic these power numbers, but still expect .300+ average and 35+ steals.

Ryan Braun-Milwaukee Brewers
Analysis: I feel that Prince Fielder’s departure could have a slight affect on the Hebrew Hammer; he is still going to get his though. This is a guy that can get you 30 HR and 30 steals every season for the next 5 years. Also hits for average, one of the few five-tool players left in the MLB.

Andrew McCutchen-Pittsburgh Pirates/Justin Upton-Arizona Diamondbacks
Analysis: These guys are both very similar, like Ryan Braun they are both 5-category players (Home runs, Batting Average, Fielding, % Steals and RBI). Upton is younger than McCutchen and provides more pop but if you are in a strikeout league (negative batter-stat) than McCutchen is a better selection. McCutchen will score a lot of runs and now he is starting to get into his “power prime” (26 years old). McCutchen could potentially have a 30/30 season whereas Upton may hit 34 dingers and have 100+ RBI. Both are fantastic picks, especially in keeper leagues. Both can also be selected in the third round of most 12-team fantasy leagues.

Starting Pitchers

Clayton Kershaw-Los Angeles Dodgers
Analysis: Kershaw has always been a personal favorite of mine. He lead the league in ERA last season (2.28), dealt 5 complete games- 2 shutouts, had 21 wins and a sub-1 whip. That is Cy Young worthy if you ask me. Kershaw will keep getting better, look for his strikeout count to raise from (248) to possibly 260 this season.

Justin Verlander-Detroit Tigers
Analysis: It is tough to put the reigning Cy Young/ AL MVP winner second, but I don’t see how he can improve his numbers. The thing that ”scares” me is that Verlander is a power-pitcher. Meaning he will always go back to his fastball when he is in trouble. Don’t overanalyze my use of the word “scared,” he is still a first round pick, he will still get 220+ strikeouts, and with that lethal Tigers offense mixed with a horrendous AL Central he could post 25 wins.

Roy Halladay-Philadelphia Phillies
Analysis: Still hasn’t had a bad season that I can remember. Last year he had a 2.35 ERA, 19 wins, 220 strikeouts and 8 complete games. Halladay will never let you down and always comes up in the clutch. We all remember the historic no-hitter he threw in his postseason debut. Oh yeah, he also threw a perfect game in the regular season. No risk with taking him at any draft pick number.

Cliff Lee-Philadelphia Phillies
Analysis: Another guy that will get you a ton of innings while keeping his ERA and WHIP down. If you are in a dynasty league that might affect Cliff Lee’s draft stock because he is 33, but, he has a variety of pitches he can use to get batters out. He may be the smartest pitcher in the game and he should have yet another season with an ERA under 2.5 and K-9 around 8.5.

Jered Weaver-Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Analysis: Last year he started 33 games and still managed a 2.41 ERA and a 1.01 WHIP. Also, he had an incredible streak of innings without allowing an earned run. Weaver has great mechanics, look for him to reach the 20-win mark and get over 200 strikeouts.

Closers
Craig Kimbrel-Atlanta Braves
Analysis: The Braves have been a good team for a long time. Kimbrel solidifies the back end of a really good bullpen. His K/9 is nearly 15 and he should get you over 40 saves.

Jonathan Papelbon-Philadelphia Phillies
Analysis: Maybe he just needed a change of scenery. I expect him to reach his full potential in Philly. Will get you a ton of strikeouts as well as saves.

Mariano Rivera-New York Yankees
Analysis: Yes he is up there an age, but he is the game’s most efficient closer. He still has a mean cutter and he sits the best hitters down repeatedly. Won’t blow more than 4 saves, can’t go wrong with him.

Heath Bell-Miami Marlins
Analysis: Yes, everyone is hopping on the Marlins’ bandwagon but he has tallied up the most saved in the last 3 seasons combined. Tough division but once the Marlins have a lead going into the ninth, chalk it up as a win.

Jose Valverde-Detroit Tigers
Analysis: A lot of fantasy leagues (ESPN, CBS, Yahoo!) have him ranked low and I cannot see the answer as to why. Last season, Valverde did not blow a save until the later part of the second half. Detroit is going to be a powerhouse, Valverde has no one jeopardizing his closer role, expect him to get 45+ saves.