2012 Predictions: Part Two

Mc
AL/NL MVP: Miguel Cabrera / Jose Reyes
AL/NL CY: Jered Weaver / Josh Johnson
AL/NL MOY: Mike Scioscia / Ozzie Guillen
AL/NL Comeback: Adam Dunn / Buster Posey
AL/NL ROY: Jesus Montero / Bryce Harper
AL Most Excited to Watch: Prince Fielder switching leagues/teams
NL Most Excited to Watch: Johan Santana all but forgotten, can he pull it together?

Hersh

AL/NL MVP: Robinson Cano / Brian McCann
AL/NL CY: Jered Weaver / Cole Hamels
AL/NL MOY: Ron Washington / Dusty Baker
AL/NL Comeback: Joe Mauer / Buster Posey
AL/NL ROY: Jesus Montero / Bryce Harper
AL Most Excited to Watch: Adam Dunn
NL Most Excited to Watch: Steven Strasburg

OCP

AL/NL MVP: Adrian Gonzalez / Joey Votto
AL/NL CY: CC Sabathia / Roy Halladay
AL/NL MOY: Mike Scioscia / Kirk Gibson
AL/NL Comeback: Kendrys Morales / Buster Posey
AL/NL ROY: Matt Moore / Yonder Alonso
AL Most Excited to Watch: Detroit Tigers- Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder hitting back to back.
NL Most Excited to Watch: Bryce Harper- although I don't think he'll get enough at bats to warrant ROY consideration, I think it will be exciting to see him make his MLB debut at some point in 2012.

2011 NLDS Predictions

Phillies vs. Cardinals

OCP Prediction: Phillies in 4

Why the Phillies will win:

The Phillies have a rotation built to win.  It's hard to imagine any team in the National League beating any two of Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee or Cole Hamels, which is what will have to happen.  The scary part is that Roy Oswalt looked really good in his final outing, meaning they could have four of the best starters in the postseason on one staff.  Their bullpen has struggled a little bit down the stretch and the offense has been on and off but this team has been here and they know how to win.

Reasons the Cardinals could win:

The Cardinals have the best player on the planet, in Albert Pujols and Tony La Russa has done the best job of his career pulling out the Wild Card despite being down 8.5 games in September.  That moral victory gives the Cardinals some momentum.  If they can avoid feeling content with getting in, they could hang in there.  Plus, they actually beat the Phillies in the season series.  Lance Berkman is a player to watch in this series; he will have to give them a spark.

Mc Prediction: Phils in 4

Phillies Notes:

The Bats need to come alive.  I don't think anyone is worried about pitching.  Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins have to show that postseason clutch they've shown in the past.  If they can give Roy, Cliff, Cole and Roy (and/or Vance Worley) a lead, the game is probably over.  The bullpen has to shake off the rust from September and show why they held so many leads for the four aces throughout this season.

Cardinals Notes:

They have to believe that their bats can come alive against the aces.  Carpenter is going to go on three days rest, something he's never done before.  It's a risky proposition but they don't have much of a choice without Adam Wainwright.  If they're going to beat the Phils, it has to be with their bats.

Brewers vs. Diamondbacks

OCP Prediction: Brewers in 5

Why the Brewers will win:

The Brewers have a tremendous lineup and solid depth in their rotation.  While their rotation has proven to be a little bit inconsistent, you have to think that they have an advantage with Shaun Marcum and Zack Greinke pitching games two and three.  The Diamondbacks will throw Ian Kennedy out there twice which means they'll have the best pitcher in the series going twice but Yovani Gallardo is no slouch.  In the end, I think that the Brewers have a little extra motivation with Prince Fielder playing for a mega contract and Ryan Braun playing for MVP votes.

Reasons the Diamondbacks could win:

Ian Kennedy and Daniel Hudson are two electric young pitchers.  The Diamondbacks have been sneaky good this year, pulling away from the Giants down the stretch and beating them in a couple of very critical series'.  Justin Upton is capable of putting up monster numbers and there is a lot of energy on their side.

Mc Prediction: Brewers in 3

Brewers Notes:

Have to act like they've been there before (looking at you Nyjer Morgan - no antics).  Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder will step up, no doubt.  Greinke and Gallardo haven't gotten the respect they deserve and Marcum can turn it on at points, too.

Diamondbacks Notes:

Everyone still kind of thinks they're a fluke in my opinion. Last to first and maybe it's dumb luck. Gibby has to rally the troops and remind them how they got here- can't be satisfied with getting there.  They're capable of getting timely hits and good pitching. Upton has to come into the limelight here for them to have a chance.

Hersh Predictions:

Phils over the Cards
Brewers over the D-backs

2011 ALDS Predictions

The MLB postseason kicks off tonight and we're giving you our predictions because we love to make ourselves look bad.  Enjoy!



Yankees vs. Tigers

OCP Prediction - Tigers in 5

Why the Tigers will win:

Since the addition of Doug Fister, the Tigers rotation has been awesome; among the strongest rotations in all of baseball.  Justin Verlander will negate the advantage that the Yankees have over most teams (his name is CC Sabathia) and Max Scherzer and Doug Fister are better than anything the Yankees will throw out there.  They also have the one player on either team with the greatest potential to carry a team - Miguel Cabrera.  They also have a really good closer in Jose Valverde.

Reasons the Yankees could win:

They're the Yankees so they are battle tested in the postseason.  They have home field advantage and if the game gets to the 9th inning, they've got the most dominant pitcher in the history of postseason baseball.

MC Prediction: Yankees in 5

Yankee Notes:

The Yankees will have to get decent starts out of someone not named Sabathia.  Whether Nova continues to pitch well, or if someone like Freddy Garcia steps up.  You never know which AJ Burnett you're going to get, but at this point, you can't count on consistency there.  Moving Robinson Cano into the three hole looks like a good move- it puts their best hitter in the three hole and allows them to protect Alex Rodriguez with Mark Teixeira.  They won't have problems scoring runs.

Tigers Notes:

Not quite sold on the Tigers pitching staff.  They need more than Justin Verlander.  The offense should rally behind Victor Martinez and Miguel Cabrera but I think that it's an uphill battle against the Yankees.

Rangers vs. Rays

OCP Prediction - Rays in 5

Why the Rays will win:

Although the Rangers are clearly better on paper, this one could be a classic as I think that the Rays are riding a wave of momentum that is going to be tough to stop.  The Rangers strength is the depth of their staff and their tremendous offensive assault but the Rays have better top of the rotation stuff in Big Game James Shields and David Price and if Matt Moore can somehow pull off a game one upset, it sets up the Rays very well.

Why the Rangers could win:

Their offense is tremendous and they know what it takes to win because they were here last year.  They have very underrated starting pitching and a solid bullpen that was bolstered by the addition of Mike Adams.  If Nelson Cruz and Adrian Beltre are truly healthy, they should have no problem scoring runs.

 Mc Prediction: Rays in 5

Rangers notes:

Their lineup should do its job and score runs.  Beltre and Michael Young are super hot right now and Hamilton is doing his thing.  They've all been there now, so the glitz and glamor of the big stage should be a little more dim than last year.  Their pitching has been consistent all year.  No let downs from the starters.  Hopefully, they prove why they went out and got Koji Uehara and Aadams - setting up Neftali Feliz.

Rays notes:

They have to continue to ride the momentum.  They have a chip on their shoulders based on what they just accomplished and the odds they overcame.  They should continue to ride Evan Longoria and BJ Upton, two guys that are as hot as anyone right now.  Big Game James needs to have a big postseason.  Price has to shake off a rough end of the season (his last start was one of his worst starts of the season) and they need steadiness from everyone else.

Hersh Predictions:

Yanks over the Tigers and Rays over the Rangers.

First Half MLB Awards

One half of the season is in the books and I think that it's safe to say that this season has been a good one.

Here's a recap of where things stand at the midway point:

After limping out of the gates, the Red Sox have battled back to within a game and a half of the Yankees.  The Indians got off to an unbelievable start but have since settled back into second place behind the Tigers who appear to be the team to beat in the AL Central.  The Rangers and Angels maintain the top two spots in the AL West with slumping Seattle in third.

2011 Predictions (Part 2)

MC

AL/NL MVP: Adrian Gonzalez/Albert Pujols

AL/NL CY: Justin Verlander/Roy Halladay

AL/NL ROY: Tsuyoshi Nishioka/Freddie Freeman      

AL/NL MOY: Ron Washington/Fredi Gonzalez

AL/NL Comeback: Joe Nathan/Jose Reyes     

AL Most Excited: Derek Jeter (3000 hits coming soon)

NL Most Excited: Carlos Gonzalez (let down or keep going 1000 mph?)

Hersh

AL/NL MVP: Adrian Gonzalez/Buster Posey

AL/NL CY: Justin Verlander/Cole Hamels

AL/NL ROY: Ivan Nova/Freddie Freeman      

AL/NL MOY: Ron Gardenhire/Dusty Baker

AL/NL Comeback: Grady Sizemore/Jimmy Rollins     

AL Most Excited: Matt Wieters (is this the year?)

NL Most Excited: Prince Fielder (contract year, competitive ballclub...)

The OCP

AL/NL MVP: Miguel Cabrera/Troy Tulowitzki

AL/NL CY: Felix Hernandez/Roy Halladay

AL/NL ROY: Michael Pineda/Craig Kimbrel

AL/NL MOY: Ron Gardenhire/Charlie Manuel

AL/NL Comeback: Grady Sizemore/Chris Young     

AL Most Excited: Adrian Gonzalez (with protection...)

NL Most Excited: Albert Pujols (contract year...)

2011 Predictions (Part One)

The beauty of Opening Day is that, for now, everyone is in first place... which means that we have the opportunity to make ourselves look completely foolish by predicting what's going to happen over the course of this upcoming 162 game marathon (and then we'll look back and laugh at how stupid we were).   No bubble bursting; there's nothing wrong with being a homer here.  Take a look at our expert picks and tell us what you think.