Way Too Early MLB Predictions

Alas, spring is here.

Sunlight shines for one additional hour each afternoon.

Flowers are blooming.

The TPT sports editor is sneezing.

And America’s pastime is finally back.

Yes, it’s time for another MLB season, one that I’m very excited about. Do you guys remember April 14, 2010?

That’s the date last year that I predicted in Casey’s Corner that the Giants would win the National League.

What happened? They did – becoming the World Series champions.

I believe Mr. Charlie Sheen would call that “winning” for Mr. Gisclair.

Sure, in that same column, I said the Orioles would be a dangerous team in the American League and they ended up losing 96 games. But you can’t win them all, right? Even those of us with Tiger blood take a few steps back every once in a while.

But anyway, we’re back and ready to give our picks for the new season, which opens up tomorrow when my beloved Atlanta Braves tangle with the Washington Nationals at noon.

It will be a long and grueling 162 game grind. But here are 15 things to look out for in what figures to be an exciting 2011 season.

1. The Cubs will not win the World Series

I opened up my predictions last year with this same proclamation. It’s been 104 years since it last happened, so I’m hardly going out on a limb. It’s always good to start out with an easy win when making predictions. This is it for me.

2. Rays will lack sting in 2011

The Rays missed the playoffs even with Carl Crawford, Carl Pena and Matt Garza last year. Without them? Expect 80 wins at most for these guys.

3. Pujols ready for best season of career

Some guys buckle under the pressure of an expiring contract. Too bad Albert Pujols isn’t human on a baseball diamond and feels no pressure. This guy will hit about 45 homers, drive in about 135 runs and will earn himself a $300 million contract at season’s end.

4. The Giants won’t win 92 games this year

I was the Giants biggest champion last year, picking them to win the NL when no one else would. But they didn’t suffer a single pitching injury last year, something that just doesn’t happen two years in a row. They’ll win in the mid-to-upper 80s and will fight for a playoff spot.

5. The Phillies will be great, but not the best ever

The Phillies will be a force. Any team with Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels is destined to be. But they do have some blaring offensive deficiencies that won’t go away anytime soon. They’ll win 100 games, but nowhere close to the Mariners’ 116-46 mark in 2001.

6. The Royals will be bad, but will show signs of improvement

The Royals have missed the playoffs literally every single year of my life. And that streak will continue, without question. But the team has prospects coming out of its ears and will show signs of making a small-scale turnaround. By 2013, they will be the team to beat in the AL Central. Book it.

7. CC Sabathia will opt out of contract following the season

I have no doubt that Sabathia loves New York and I’m certain he’ll pitch there in 2012. But business is business and he’s the only steady starting pitcher the Yankees have. Why not opt out and get a new and improved reworked deal for more money? He deserves it and owes it to himself.

8. The Mets will be a mess

They are broke. They are in a tough division. And they field a roster comprised almost exclusively with overrated and overpaid players. Yes, the Mets will be flat awful again this year. Here’s a fun game to play. Which Mets player is the most overpaid? Would it be Carlos Beltran’s total lost knees and his $20 million deal? Or would it be Jose Reyes and his always-sore hamstrings and his $11 million deal? The answer is neither: Oliver Perez will be paid $12 million by the team this year and isn’t on the roster.

9. Baby Braves will shine

With Bobby Cox retired and Chipper Jones close to the end of the road, this is a new era for the Braves. With guys like Jason Heyward and Freddie Freeman slugging and Mike Minor and Craig Kimbrel toting the rubber, these Braves appear to be more than capable of making another playoff push.

10. Jose Bautista won’t sniff 50 home runs

Jose Bautista shocked the world last year and hit 54 home runs. That won’t happen again. Expect the Blue Jays new “star” to become what he was before last season, an average one-tool player with good power and little else.

11. White Sox will win AL Central

I admire what the Twins do more than anyone. But I think this will be the year they get dethroned. The White Sox have a really solid team, one that will be strengthened by Adam Dunn’s thump in the heart of their batting order. If they can get anything at all from Jake Peavy, then I see no reason why they can’t take home the Central.

12. There will be four no-hitters, no perfect games

I made this prediction last year and ultimately, it’s like playing the Powerball. But I’ll give it a shot again and go with Mariners’ pitcher Felix Hernandez, Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers, Ricky Nolasco of the Marlins and Justin Verlander of the Tigers to get no-no’s this year. I’ll be thrilled to get one of those four correct.

13. The Phillies will win the National League

These guys just have too much pitching. That combined with a small ballpark will allow them to muster enough runs to beat out the Cardinals, Rockies and Braves, who will all make the playoffs.

14. The Red Sox will win the American League

With Adrian Gonzales and Carl Crawford in the Sox lineup, these guys simply will score runs in bunches. With the Yankees lacking pitching and everyone else in the American League unable to match their offense, I like the Sox over the White Sox, Angels and Yankees, who I expect to join Boston in the postseason.

15. The Red Sox will win the World Series

It will be a matchup of hitting vs. pitching, but in this case, I give the slight edge to Boston, although it could go either way.