10 things to count on in the 2013 MLB season

Sunday night was one of my favorite nights of the year – the start of the MLB season.

It’s the time of the year where every fan base is tied in the standings.

Big market teams, small market teams – it doesn’t matter.

Everyone, everywhere believes that their team has a chance to win the pennant.

Except maybe Astros fans – I don’t know how they can feasibly expect to win anything more than a losing contest.

No one in their right mind can look at that roster and expect anything more than 60 wins.

It’s just not happening, folks.

But for anyone who is a loyal reader of our publication, you should know that I love to make predictions.

Despite my knack for botching picks in other sports, baseball has treated me quite nicely.

Last year, I accurately predicted the Cubs wouldn’t make the World Series (an easy one), that the Astros would be historically bad (a layup) and that the Red Sox would have trouble recording outs with their pitching staff (my most impressive pick).

For any history buffs out there, let’s not mention that I picked the Angels to win the World Series a year ago.

Let’s also please leave out the fact that I said that they would be opposed by the Phillies.

No one needs to know about that.

The Casey’s Corner Locks for the 2013 MLB season

1.The Cubs will not win the World Series – This is my fourth-straight year doing this column. It’s now the fourth-straight year that I forecast the Cubs’ demise. I will admit that the team has a lot of young pieces that show promise – the future could be bright. But the Cubs are still several years away from being a threat. The curse will stay safe for at least another 12 months.

2. The Blue Jays won’t live up to the hype – The Toronto Blue Jays made the biggest splashes of this offseason getting R.A. Dickey, Melky Cabrera and the entire Miami Marlins’ roster – a coup that landed Mark Buehrle, Josh Johnson and Jose Reyes. But I still don’t see the Blue Jays as a legitimate threat in the American League. Their pitching is still too lean, and their hitters are due to take a step back now that the team has a bulls-eye firmly placed onto its back.

3. Don’t count out Oakland just yet – Every national media analyst wants to talk about the Texas Rangers and the Los Angeles Angels. But no one seems to remember that the Oakland A’s are the defending champions in that division. Oakland’s roster isn’t sexy, but they have a wealth of pitching to last the duration of a 162 game slate.

4. Expect both thunderstorms and droughts from Atlanta – It’s time to discuss my beloved Braves. Atlanta’s additions of Justin and B.J. Upton will make them the most exciting team to watch in baseball east of Anaheim. But the Braves have a collection of high power, low contact hitters. It seems like they will be capable of scoring 10 runs in a lot of games, while also being shut out in a lot of games. We’ll see which medium prevails.

5. Look out for the Indians – Mark Cleveland down as my sleeper team to make a push in the American League. The Tribe has Terry Francona in the dugout for his first season – he is one of the best in all of baseball. Cleveland also quietly made solid moves in the offseason, picking up Nick Swisher, Michael Bourn and Mark Reynolds.

6. Mike Trout will be an absolute terror – Mike Trout hit .326 with 30 home runs, 27 doubles, eight triples and 49 stolen bases – all while missing the entire first month of the 2012 season while paying his dues in the minor leagues. With 20-25 pounds of muscle added to his frame and Josh Hamilton and Albert Pujols hitting behind him, there’s no reason to expect anything besides dominance for Trout. With health, a 40 dinger, 40 stolen base season should be expected.

7. Evil empire is torn to pieces – The Yankees are a mess. Their best players are all hurt (Jeter, Rodriguez, Granderson and Teixeira). Their lineup is so depleted that they recently thought that trading for Vernon Wells was a good idea. That guy hasn’t been relevant in a half-decade. But the mighty have fallen in the American League’s food chain and I don’t expect the Yankees to figure heavily into this year’s pennant race.

8. The Dodgers will win the NL – I always am the last person to buy into the hype – especially in baseball. But the Dodgers have too much talent to not be a force in the National League. They have a plethora of pitching. They have power and speed. And they should get a shot in the arm around midseason when phenom prospect Yasiel Puig joins the big league club. Puig is built like an army tank and hit .520 in the spring. This year’s Mike Trout? Maybe. I’m a believer. I’ve already stashed him onto the bench of my fantasy baseball team.

9. The Angels will win the AL – Like the Dodgers, the Angels have too much talent to fall flat again in 2012. They got hot late last season, but didn’t make enough of a surge to reach the playoffs. But with Josh Hamilton in the lineup and Albert Pujols raking so far in spring training, I think the Angels are the safest bet to win an American League that is currently seeing a shift in power with Boston and the Yanks struggling.

10. The Dodgers will win the World Series – I think Carl Crawford will have a rebound year – he’s too talented to be past his prime. And when the postseason rolls around, Kershaw, Greinke, Beckett and Harang are just too strong. Give me the Dodgers in six games in the All-LA World Series.