Wednesday, April 11, 2007
2007 Predictions
A week late, sure, but with Ronnie Belliard hitting .391 right now, I don't think the first week gave away too much.AL MVP: Grady Sizemore
He had a great year last year, hitting .290 with 22 homers, stealing 22 bases, and scoring 134 runs. He is only 24 though, and has potential to have a ridiculous 2007 season. He will get some good pitches with Travis Hafner and possibly Victor Martinez (depending on his leg injury) hitting close behind him, and besides that, no team would want to put him on base with the speed he has.
Other possibilities- Travis Hafner, Alex Rodriguez
AL Cy Young: Johan Santana
But that is always assumed, so anyways:
Other possibilities- Roy Halladay, Daisuke Matsuzaka
AL Rookie of the Year: Daisuke Matsuzaka
Even though he isn't really a rookie, he is considered one in the major leagues, so he can win the award. If he can pitch nearly as well as he did in Japan, there really should not be any competition. He is said to have at least half a dozen pitches (which may or may not include a gyroball), and supposedly can use all of them effectively.
Other possibilities- Alex Gordon, Delmon Young
NL MVP: Albert Pujols
Pujols hit 49 home runs last year, even though he missed half of June with a strained oblique. Besides that, he will be 27 years old this season, entering his power prime. Could he hit 60 home runs? Maybe. I'm sure Joe Morgan would happily agree.
Other possibilities- Ryan Howard, Jose Reyes
NL Cy Young: Jake Peavy
If Peavy can return to his pre-2006 pitching, he has a very good chance at taking the NL Cy Young. In 2004, he had a 2.27 ERA, and the next year, a 2.88 ERA, while striking out batters at a rate of more than one per inning in both years. Peavy is only 25 years old, is making about half his starts in pitcher-friendly Petco Park, and has Angels' former pitching coach Bud Black as his manager in San Diego now, so another big year is not out of reach.
Other possibilities- Brandon Webb, Carlos Zambrano
NL Rookie of the Year: Kevin Kouzmanoff
The 2007 National League rookie class is relatively weak compared to the American League, but there are still a few decent rookies to choose from. Kouzmanoff is one of them. He has already made history by hitting the first pitch he saw in the majors for a grand slam. Kouzmanoff ripped apart pitching in the minors last year, hitting .379 with 22 homers in 94 games, and he followed it up with a very good spring, hitting .339 with 2 home runs and 12 RBI in 59 at-bats. He will be hitting 6th or 7th in the lineup for now, but could move up to 5th if he hits as well as advertised.
Other possibilities- Chris B. Young, Homer Bailey
American League Standings-
East- Yankees, Blue Jays, Red Sox, Devil Rays, Orioles
Central- Tigers, Indians, Twins, White Sox, Royals
West- Angels, Athletics, Rangers, Mariners
Wild Card- Blue Jays
National League Standings-
East- Mets, Phillies, Marlins, Braves, Nationals
Central- Cubs, Brewers, Cardinals, Astros, Reds, Pirates
West- Padres, D-Backs, Dodgers, Rockies, Giants
Wild Card- Brewers
AL Division Series- Angels over Yankees, Tigers over Blue Jays
NL Division Series- Mets over Brewers, Padres over Cubs
ALCS- Tigers over Angels
NLCS- Mets over Padres
World Series- Tigers over Mets
Bobby Crosby's first DL appearance: May 16th
Number of closers the Devil Rays try: 4
Number the Giants try: 4
Number the Marlins try: 2
Number of saves for Gagne before he returns to the DL: 14
Jose Reyes or Carl Crawford with more steals: Reyes
Adam Dunn strikeouts: 168
Casey Fossum final ERA: 5.82
Reed Johnson hit by pitch: 17 times
Number of Red Sox vs. Yankees games on ESPN: 7
Read or Post a Comment
Great Predictions! But, why so low on Fossum's ERA? Did he develop a first pitch?