Brewed For Thought: Life

Starting pitching in modern baseball can be confusing. With millions of dollars invested in players, teams are wary of overusing a pitcher and ruining an arm that could generate millions in tickets, memorabilia and TV ratings. As a result of this care for a pitcher’s health, pitch counts and inning limits have become more popular while the 5-man rotation is now a standard. But is this the right way to go?  Continue reading →

Well, the season is here. Starting tonight, the 2012 Major League season kicks off in North America. While the A’s and Mariners have a leg up on the competition for the Cy Young, MVP, and Rookie of the Year races, I think it’s still safe to make the rest of the predictions that I left out with my division previews. So here’s my best guess at all the major awards and even a prediction for the World Series.

AL MVP: I’m going with the best player on the best team. With a new slugger protecting him and a chance to prove himself defensively, Miguel Cabrera is poised for a monster season. I see no reason why he won’t run away with this award in a league that’s struggled to identify true MVP candidates in the recent past.

NL MVP: The National League is a league of stars. Each team seems to have their shining star to build around. With that success, comes the glory. Last year Ryan Braun rode the Brewer’s success to his first MVP. 2012 may have a similar story but with more emphasis on Braun now that Prince is gone. That said, I think it will be another NL Central slugger carrying his team to victory that will get more attention, Joey Votto. With what some might consider a weaker supporting cast, Votto will fit the mold of the All-Star putting his team on his back.

AL Cy Young: As with the MVP, the Cy Young gets a boost if you’re on a winning team. Justin Verlander seems the obvious choice, but can he repeat last year’s dominance? I think we’ll see another pitcher have a career year and sneak in to beat Verlander. I like Jared Weaver in Anaheim because he has the stuff and he broke into elite territory last season. With a big contract in his pocket, the pressure is off and the offense is going to make it even easier. A gaudy win total won’t hurt either.

NL Cy Young: The National League has a lot of aces. Kershaw, Lincecum, and Halladay immediately come to mind. But the Cy Young is an odd award. In addition to the stats, you have to have some flair. While those established aces will no doubt continue to dominate, I see a youngster emerging as the top pitcher in the National League in 2012: Madison Bumgarner. This may seem like a homer pick coming from a Giants fan, but after the All-Star Break, Bumgarner went 9-4 with a 2.52 ERA and struck out a batter an inning. The training wheels are off of this 22 year-old lefty who has no-hit stuff and is poised to step out of the shadow of his two fire-balling teammates.

AL Rookie of the Year: Speaking of fireballing lefties, the Rays have another pitching phenom looking to make his name in 2012. Matt Moore was a strikeout machine in 2011, striking out 225 batters across AA, AA and the majors, all in less than 170 innings. With a spot in the Rays rotation, Moore looks to continue throwing mid to high 90′s heat by batters and should be a standout in 2012.

NL Rookie of the Year: There’s this rookie from Cuba that’s going to be making a name for himself in 2012. He signed a contract after defecting that had multiple teams vying for his services. This guy can really hit. No, I’m not talking about Yoenis Cespedes, I’m talking about Yonder Alonso. Traded to San Diego this off-season, Alonso is no longer blocked by MVP candidate Joey Votto and has a chance to become the keystone of the Padres lineup. While the spacious Petco Park may keep his power numbers down, Alonso is an incredible hitter and will be a bright spot the San Diego squad.

AL Manager of the Year: This award always amuses me. Win when not expected, and the award is yours. Run away with an expected tight race, and again, the award can be yours. It’s the latter reason why I think Mike Scioscia will win. The talk of the off-season has been the Angels big additions of Pujols and Wilson while the Rangers have added Yu Darvish and moved dominant closer Neftali Feliz to the rotation. I can see this one getting away from the Rangers by September. With a runaway division title over an improved World Series contender, Scioscia will get the credit of guiding one of the most talented teams in the league to victory.

NL Manager of the Year: Will the Pirates surprise us and win 82 games, earning Clint Hurdle the Manager of the Year? No. While I don’t think the Reds will have enough to catch the Brewers, I think Dusty Baker will be praised for piecing together a bullpen that’s already begun to fall apart before the season has started. An exciting race down the stretch will earn this skipper his first Manger of the Year award since 2000 and his fourth total.

Post-season predictions:
AL East: Yankees
AL Central: Detroit
AL West: Angels
Wild Card: Rays, Rangers

ALCS: Rays (over Yankees) vs Angels (over Tigers)

NL East: Phillies
NL Central: Brewers
NL West: Giants
Wild Card: Diamonbacks, Reds

NLCS: Giants (over Phillies) vs Brewers (over Reds)

World Series: Giants over Rays

I realize this may seem like another homer pick, but with the front end of the rotation the Giants have, I don’t see them getting beat in the playoffs. To get to the playoffs their offense will have to be markedly improved over 2011, and if that’s the case, the combination of rotation and shutdown bullpen will be tough for other teams to handle, just like it was in 2010.

There are my predictions. Please, let me know what your predictions are as well.

The time has come to wrap up my baseball predictions for 2012. The last division to get a recap is the one dearest to my heart: the National League West. The competition is fierce in the West, with four different division winners in the past 6 seasons and the only team to not win the division in that span, the Colorado Rockies, has taken home two Wild Cards and made it to the World Series. So what can we expect in 2012? If history is any indicator, we can expect the unexpected. Continue reading →

I had been alternating between the American and National League for each division preview, but I want to save the National League West for the last, so it’s the American League’s turn right now.  Continue reading →

My preseason preview of the Major League divisions continues with the AL Central. Dominated by the Detroit Tigers during the season and through the off-season, there doesn’t seem to be much change on the horizon in these fly-over states. Continue reading →

Who’s on first? This classic baseball comedy bit may make you chuckle, but in the NL Central, it’s making a lot of fans cringe.  With two of the biggest sluggers in baseball finding new homes, it’s hard to find a team in the Central who isn’t searching for an identity. So what can we expect from baseball’s most populous division?  Continue reading →

The American League East is considered by many to be the power division in baseball. With big spenders in the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox and masters of the small budget, Tampa Bay Rays, this is the most contested race in all of baseball and many feel the new 5 team playoff format, tailored to ensure both the big market teams make the post season. Will the power remain where it lies or will the birds of the division have anything to say about it? Continue reading →