WhiteSoxFan84
03-18-2005, 04:22 PM
I was looking at the MLB standings and started ranking the divisions in order and thought I'd post mine up and hope you guys do the same. Here's my list...
1) AL East
I don't think anyone can argue with this. You want to talk about a hitter's division? How about names like Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz, Sammy Sosa, Miguel Tejada, etc. You want to talk about pitching? How about names like Randy Johnson, Curt Schilling, David Wells, Mike Mussina, Roy Halladay, etc. Although the Yankees should easily win 95 games and the division, it is still loaded with talented teams. The Red Sox will also win 90 games and make the playoffs. The Baltimore Orioles more than likely will finish in the middle and should win around 82 games. The Blue Jays and Devil Rays are both fairly young and should still be entertaining. The D-Rays picked up quite a few older bats to go along with young stars like Rocco Baldeli, Aubrey Huff, Carl Crawford, Dewon Brazelton, and B.J. Upton. Toronto is probably the worst team in the division but they may have the 3rd (maybe even 2nd if Boston's gets plagued with injuries) best pitching staff in the division.
2) NL East
Who will win the NL East in 2005? You can name every team but the Nationals. The Braves are obviously going to be up there every year. Their staff this year is going to be amazing with Tim Judson, John Smoltz, Mike Hampton, John Thompson, and Horacio Ramirez. The Marlins are probably the best NL team on paper. They have the most complete lineup in the majors. A legit leadoff man in Juan Pierre. A solid # 2 hitter in Luis Castillio. And a heart of the order (Cabrera/Delgado/Lowell) that is just so consistent and intimidating. The Mets had the most expensive offseason in the majors. The additions of Pedro Martinez and Carlos Beltran will make immediate impact and make this team a solid contender in the division. The Phillies were the quietest team this offseason and even dealt Eric Milton to the Cincinnati Reds. They still have enough talent to compete for the division crown but have a long road to go down. The Nationals will be much improved from last year (should win around 10 more games than last year) but they still are one of the worse teams in the game.
3) NL West
Probably a little surprising that this division is 3rd but I think it deserves to be here. The Giants picked up a lot of proven, veteran players to help improve the team. The additions of Armando Benitez, Omar Vizquel, and Moises Alou make this team one of if not the favorite. The Dodgers are probably the co-favorites as they have an amazing starting rotation on paper. Although they have no real stand-out ace, any one of their 5 starters could be a # 2 on a lot of major teams. The San Diego Padres lost David Wells but replaced him with Woody Williams. They should have a solid season probably depending on whether Phil Nevin and Ryan Klesko want to stop crying about the ballpark being so hard to hit in. The Colorado Rockies should have a better lineup with a healthy Preston Wilson and a better closer in Chin-hui Tsao. However, the team is still the worst in the division as they have too many holes and are looking to rebuild.
4) AL Central
Shocked? Don't be. This is probably the toughest division to judge. Some may argue that is because there are "no good teams" in there. Others, like myself, like to point out that the reason the division is so hard to judge is because of the solid talent each team possesses. The White Sox, Twins, and Indians, if healthy, will all make this season a fun one for AL Central fans. The Twins lost Cristian Guzman and Corey Koskie who were both with the team the last 3 years in which they won the division. The Indians picked up Kevin Millwood, Arthur Rhodes, Jose Hernandez, Aaron Boone, and Juan Gonzalez. Gonzalez will probably not make the team because of his injuries and diminished skills. Boone's injury will linger him all year making him an unknown factor. Millwood and Cliff Lee can either make this team the team to beat in the division or a non-factor depending on how they pitch. The White Sox are a completely different team. If people don't look back at how powerful the team was last year and just look at the current team, they're probably the best team on paper in the division. Some may even label them the Marlins of the AL. The Detroit Tigers will be better than last year if they stay healthy. Their pitching is still bad and the loaded competition in the division will make them a 75-80 win team at best. The Kansas City Royals are still the worst team in the division but should still give the other 4 teams a tough time 19 times a year.
5) NL Central
Last year this was probably the best division in baseball. What a difference a year makes. The Cardinals picked up an ace in Mark Mulder and solid infielders in Mark Grudzielanek and David Eckstein but they also lost Edgar Renteria, Woody Williams, Steve Kline, Tony Womack, and Mike Matheny. They should still be the best team in the division as they still have a very, very dangerous line-up. The Cubs also unloaded a ton of key players including Sammy Sosa, Moises Alou, Matt Clement, and Mark Grudzielanek. The unknown health status's of Mark Prior and Kerry Wood may have the Cubs fighting for 2nd rather than 1st. The trend of losing key players continues in this division as the Houston Astros also lost a lot. Carlos Beltran, Jeff Kent, and Wade Miller have all left. The team still has a solid starting rotation in Cy Young award winner Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte, Roy Oswalt, and company. They probably have the 2nd best closer in the NL, only behind Eric Gagne, in Brad Lidge. The Cincinnati Reds are probably the most improved team in this division. The additions of Eric Milton, Ramon Ortiz, Ben Weber, Dave Weathers, and Joe Randa make the team a lot better. The Milwaukee Brewers may look better with the pick-up of Carlos Lee, but with the losses of Scott Podsednik, Luis Vizcaino, and Dan Kolb, they no longer have their lead-off man, main set-up man, and reliable closer. The Pirates are probably the same team as last year.
6) AL West
The LA Angels should easily run away with this division. The 2004 AL West Division Champions added on to their solid offense by acquiring Steve Finley and Orlando Cabrera. They may have lost a ton of power in Jose Guillen, but he was looked as an addition by subtraction because of his clubhouse behavior. The guy they got in return for Guillen, Juan Rivera, is a pretty solid player as well. The Oakland A's completely changed their rotation. They were a competitive team last year and should be this year if the new look rotation pans out. The Texas Rangers of Arlington (:D: ) still have the same look, young offense that had them in contention throughout the season last year. However, they still do not have good pitching and should struggle because of that. The Seattle Mariners picked up a ton of offense in Adrian Beltre and Richie Sexson but other than that, they are still the same team. They should easily be a better team than last year but will barely win over 80 wins if they do at all.
1) AL East
I don't think anyone can argue with this. You want to talk about a hitter's division? How about names like Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz, Sammy Sosa, Miguel Tejada, etc. You want to talk about pitching? How about names like Randy Johnson, Curt Schilling, David Wells, Mike Mussina, Roy Halladay, etc. Although the Yankees should easily win 95 games and the division, it is still loaded with talented teams. The Red Sox will also win 90 games and make the playoffs. The Baltimore Orioles more than likely will finish in the middle and should win around 82 games. The Blue Jays and Devil Rays are both fairly young and should still be entertaining. The D-Rays picked up quite a few older bats to go along with young stars like Rocco Baldeli, Aubrey Huff, Carl Crawford, Dewon Brazelton, and B.J. Upton. Toronto is probably the worst team in the division but they may have the 3rd (maybe even 2nd if Boston's gets plagued with injuries) best pitching staff in the division.
2) NL East
Who will win the NL East in 2005? You can name every team but the Nationals. The Braves are obviously going to be up there every year. Their staff this year is going to be amazing with Tim Judson, John Smoltz, Mike Hampton, John Thompson, and Horacio Ramirez. The Marlins are probably the best NL team on paper. They have the most complete lineup in the majors. A legit leadoff man in Juan Pierre. A solid # 2 hitter in Luis Castillio. And a heart of the order (Cabrera/Delgado/Lowell) that is just so consistent and intimidating. The Mets had the most expensive offseason in the majors. The additions of Pedro Martinez and Carlos Beltran will make immediate impact and make this team a solid contender in the division. The Phillies were the quietest team this offseason and even dealt Eric Milton to the Cincinnati Reds. They still have enough talent to compete for the division crown but have a long road to go down. The Nationals will be much improved from last year (should win around 10 more games than last year) but they still are one of the worse teams in the game.
3) NL West
Probably a little surprising that this division is 3rd but I think it deserves to be here. The Giants picked up a lot of proven, veteran players to help improve the team. The additions of Armando Benitez, Omar Vizquel, and Moises Alou make this team one of if not the favorite. The Dodgers are probably the co-favorites as they have an amazing starting rotation on paper. Although they have no real stand-out ace, any one of their 5 starters could be a # 2 on a lot of major teams. The San Diego Padres lost David Wells but replaced him with Woody Williams. They should have a solid season probably depending on whether Phil Nevin and Ryan Klesko want to stop crying about the ballpark being so hard to hit in. The Colorado Rockies should have a better lineup with a healthy Preston Wilson and a better closer in Chin-hui Tsao. However, the team is still the worst in the division as they have too many holes and are looking to rebuild.
4) AL Central
Shocked? Don't be. This is probably the toughest division to judge. Some may argue that is because there are "no good teams" in there. Others, like myself, like to point out that the reason the division is so hard to judge is because of the solid talent each team possesses. The White Sox, Twins, and Indians, if healthy, will all make this season a fun one for AL Central fans. The Twins lost Cristian Guzman and Corey Koskie who were both with the team the last 3 years in which they won the division. The Indians picked up Kevin Millwood, Arthur Rhodes, Jose Hernandez, Aaron Boone, and Juan Gonzalez. Gonzalez will probably not make the team because of his injuries and diminished skills. Boone's injury will linger him all year making him an unknown factor. Millwood and Cliff Lee can either make this team the team to beat in the division or a non-factor depending on how they pitch. The White Sox are a completely different team. If people don't look back at how powerful the team was last year and just look at the current team, they're probably the best team on paper in the division. Some may even label them the Marlins of the AL. The Detroit Tigers will be better than last year if they stay healthy. Their pitching is still bad and the loaded competition in the division will make them a 75-80 win team at best. The Kansas City Royals are still the worst team in the division but should still give the other 4 teams a tough time 19 times a year.
5) NL Central
Last year this was probably the best division in baseball. What a difference a year makes. The Cardinals picked up an ace in Mark Mulder and solid infielders in Mark Grudzielanek and David Eckstein but they also lost Edgar Renteria, Woody Williams, Steve Kline, Tony Womack, and Mike Matheny. They should still be the best team in the division as they still have a very, very dangerous line-up. The Cubs also unloaded a ton of key players including Sammy Sosa, Moises Alou, Matt Clement, and Mark Grudzielanek. The unknown health status's of Mark Prior and Kerry Wood may have the Cubs fighting for 2nd rather than 1st. The trend of losing key players continues in this division as the Houston Astros also lost a lot. Carlos Beltran, Jeff Kent, and Wade Miller have all left. The team still has a solid starting rotation in Cy Young award winner Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte, Roy Oswalt, and company. They probably have the 2nd best closer in the NL, only behind Eric Gagne, in Brad Lidge. The Cincinnati Reds are probably the most improved team in this division. The additions of Eric Milton, Ramon Ortiz, Ben Weber, Dave Weathers, and Joe Randa make the team a lot better. The Milwaukee Brewers may look better with the pick-up of Carlos Lee, but with the losses of Scott Podsednik, Luis Vizcaino, and Dan Kolb, they no longer have their lead-off man, main set-up man, and reliable closer. The Pirates are probably the same team as last year.
6) AL West
The LA Angels should easily run away with this division. The 2004 AL West Division Champions added on to their solid offense by acquiring Steve Finley and Orlando Cabrera. They may have lost a ton of power in Jose Guillen, but he was looked as an addition by subtraction because of his clubhouse behavior. The guy they got in return for Guillen, Juan Rivera, is a pretty solid player as well. The Oakland A's completely changed their rotation. They were a competitive team last year and should be this year if the new look rotation pans out. The Texas Rangers of Arlington (:D: ) still have the same look, young offense that had them in contention throughout the season last year. However, they still do not have good pitching and should struggle because of that. The Seattle Mariners picked up a ton of offense in Adrian Beltre and Richie Sexson but other than that, they are still the same team. They should easily be a better team than last year but will barely win over 80 wins if they do at all.