Award Tour

With the division breakdowns done, let's finish up by predicting who will be handed some hardware this season(Gabe's picks will be coming later today.)

DIVISION WINNERS(Incase you're too lazy to scroll down to each preview)

Dave: AL-New York, Chicago, Seattle. NL- Philadelphia, St. Louis, Los Angeles


WILD CARD:

Dave: NL - Atlanta: I like their young pitching and motivation to make a run for Bobby Cox a bit more than I like Milwaukee's big bats. Plus, I'm a Braves fan, so I'm probably overrating the talent on the roster a bit.

AL: Boston - The Beckett-Lester-Lackey trio is intriguing and becomes much more interesting if Dice-K returns to form. Plus, while some might not be too worried over the Twins losing closer Joe Nathan potentially for the season, it's the little things that cost you in a close race. Same thing goes for the Angels and their lack of depth in the rotation. I like this one to come down to the final week, with Boston eeking it out.


MVP

Dave: NL - Chase Utley, 2B, Philadelphia - As always, it's Pujols' award to lose and, while I'm not scared off by his bad back(especially since we've seen what he did with a bum elbow), I think it will slow him enough to where Utley's numbers combined with the Phillies' success gives Utley the nod.


AL: Mark Teixiera, 1B, New York Yankees - He probably should have won it last year. He's the best pure hitter in the league's best lineup and he'll, theoretically, have a full season of A-Rod protecting him. Plus, the Yankees will probably finish with the league's best record, barring some catastrophic collapse.

CY YOUNG

Dave: AL - Felix Hernandez, SP, Seattle: With Halladay gone and Sabathia eventually going to feel the effects of his big time workloads the past few seasons, King Felix is the best pitcher in the AL on a Mariners team that finally looks like a playoff team.

NL - Chris Carpenter, SP, St. Louis - Halladay's the obvious favorite, given the fact he plays on the best team in the NL and he's won it before in a harder league. However, I want to see how he performs in Citizens Bank before I anoint him the winner. As for Carpenter, health will obviously be his biggest hurdle. Other than that, the Cards are going to win alot. He'll be pitching in much more meaningful games down the stretch than Doc and he's done it before. If there's a couple of dark horses though, I like Josh Johnson if the Marlins are competitive in the end and Cole Hamels to play the Adam Wainwright to Halladay's Carpenter from last season.



ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

Dave: AL - Scott Sizemore, 2B, Detroit - This award's always a toss-up. Last year, everyone had David Price winning this one going away and it ended up going to a reliever nobody had even heard of coming out of spring training(Andrew Bailey from the A's). If I had to pick a name, I'd go Sizemore because he's in a lineup that's going to produce on a team that may still be in it in September.

NL - Jason Heyward, RF, Atlanta - Obviously, Steve Strausberg is the favorite and if he gets called up early, he's probably taking this award, but I say the Nats get cautious and Heyward rakes. Why? Because I'm a homer, that's why!


Manager of the Year

Dave - AL: Joe Girardi - Like you care enough about this award for me to give an explanation.

NL: Tony LaRussa: See above.


ALCS

Dave: Yankees over Red Sox in 6 - If we get Seattle-Boston in Round 1, that will be a series to watch because we'll have some great pitching matchups(King Felix-Beckett, Lee-Lester, Bedard-Lackey), but I think the Sox get the best of that matchup but once again fall short to a far superior Yankees team.

NLCS

Dave: Cardinals over Phillies in 7 - It's hard to give a logical explanation for not having Philadelphia, who looks like a downright juggernaut, making yet another trip to the World Series. They are built like the mid-90's Braves dynasty. Solid pitching, balanced lineup led by a formidable slugging middle-of-the-order, somewhat reliable pitching, veteran management. My problem with taking Philly to make it back for a third time is it seems too obvious. Granted, so does taking the Yankees in the AL but you can make a legitimate case that nobody comes within a country mile of the Yankees in terms of talent and experience. In the NL? It's not as cut and dry. Like the Phillies, the Cardinals are heavy at the top in the rotation. Like the Phillies, the have a powerful lineup, especially in the middle of the order. Like the Phils, the Cards have a bend but don't break bullpen. To me, these two teams are mirror images of each other.



So why am I riding with Nellyville? Well, for one, home games for the Phillies in this series will essentially represent a home run derby given the propensity for Citizens Bank to be a launching pad for instant offense. That has been Philadelphia's calling card. Outslug the other team and try to hold them with solid pitching. The Cardinals can match that AND have the advantage of not having to worry about getting into slugfests at home. Another underlying issue, the heart of Cole Hamels. Remember this is the same guy who "couldn't wait for the season to end" because he found it "mentally draining" and wanted a "fresh start". Those quotes got him called a quitter by then-teammate Brett Myers. The Phils need a bounce back season from Hamels and if it looks like Hamels is showing weakness early, Philadelphia isn't the kind of city that will be patient while Hamels grows a pair. As for St. Louis, I don't think Carpenter makes the full season but I think he'll be right by playoff time. If I had to make a bet on either Hamels' heart or Carpenter's body, I'll take Carpenter any day of the week and twice on Sunday.....or in this case, three times in a 7-game series over the Phils.



WORLD SERIES:

Dave: Yankees over Cardinals in 6 - Truth be told, I'd love for this to be Dodgers-Yankees(Torre vs old team, East vs West, former kings of Brooklyn vs new kings of the Bronx) instead of Yankees-Cards or Yanks-Phils II, but I just can't see that happening. Taking the Yankees here goes against my prognostication rule # 1 of not going with obvious pick. The obvious pick always burns you because the matchup looks so one-sided that you fail to see any glaring holes that might turn the tables. It's why I always get my ass-kicked on March Madness brackets(or, more recently, NFL picks against Gabe). Still, the Yankees look like they have every base covered. The rotation looks better than last year's. They upgraded defensively with Granderson over Damon. Joba in the bullpen was a smart move and also covers them if someone(probably Phil Hughes) goes down in the rotation. A-Rod is more relaxed now that the 500-pound monkey is off his back after winning his first ring. The team looks near-perfect(although, granted, it's March). The Cardinals, much like Philadelphia last year, are no slouches either. They can match New York with pitching at the top of the rotation. They have a manager who doesn't make postseason brain farts, unlike Joe Girardi for the Yanks. I just don't trust the Cards to be able to hold back the Yanks' offense on games that Carpenter or Wainwright aren't pitching and, if Carpenter has to start three in the NLCS, I don't think physically he can handle doing the same in the World Series if the Cards can somehow push it to 7.

The Yankees could very well be a dynasty again. Last season proved that they aren't just a team with a high payroll that looks great on paper. They proved they can get it done in October, especially A-Rod, which was an issue that haunted A-Rod and the Yankees for quite some time. It's amazing how making the right signings can change your outlook on a team.