by Chris Asbrock

I know this is a little late, considering the season is at least 5 games deep for teams, but here are my predictions for the 2014 MLB season.

NL East:

1. Washington Nationals
2. Atlanta Braves
3. New York Mets
4. Philadelphia Phillies
5. Miami Marlins

The Skinny: This division is the Nationals to lose. Armed with one of the best pitching staffs in baseball, the Nationals are the favorite to win the East. Don’t sleep on the Braves though. Even without a true No. 1 starter, they are one of my picks to make the playoffs.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

NL Central:

1. St Louis Cardinals
2. Pittsburgh Pirates
3. Cincinnati Reds
4. Milwaukee Brewers
5. Chicago Cubs

The Skinny: No doubt the Cardinals are the class of the Central. The Cards were able to get better while lowering their payroll. The Cardinals are loaded with talent and will be there in the end. The Pirates and Reds will be contending for the No. 2 spot in the division. The Reds didn’t make any moves to get better, but the sacking of manager Dusty Baker could be good for approx. 5-6 more wins.

NL West:

1. Los Angeles Dodgers
2. San Francisco Giants
3. Colorado Rockies
4. San Diego Padres
5. Arizona Diamondbacks

The Skinny: The Los Angeles Dodgers are no doubt the best team in this division. They have the better players, bigger payroll, etc. The question will be, who finishes in 2nd behind LA.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

AL East:

1. Boston Red Sox
2. New York Yankees
3. Tampa Bay Rays
4. Baltimore Orioles
5. Toronto Blue Jays

The Skinny: The best division in baseball. The defending champion Red Sox are coming back loaded and ready to repeat. The Yankees have gone out this summer and dropped some serious $$ in hopes to get back to the top. This division can be won by any of the 5 teams. The Jays come off an awful 2013 but are still loaded with talent. The Orioles and Rays are stacked with talent and can easily step up and win it. As with previous years, these 5 teams will beat up on each other all season long.

AL Central:

1. Detroit Tigers
2. Kansas City Royals
3. Cleveland Indians
4. Minnesota Twins
5. Chicago White Sox

The Skinny: The Tigers are the class of this division, closely followed by the Royals. The Tigers look to make it back to the World Series as they will win this division. The Royals will be there in the end, building off of a solid 2013 season. As for the other 3 teams, it will be a rough season.

AL West:

1. Texas Rangers
2. Oakland Athletics
3. Seattle Mariners
4. Los Angeles Angels
5. Houston Astros

The Skinny: The AL West is another division that can be won by any team, except for the Astros. The Rangers and A’s will fight for the top spot all season long. The Mariners are a team that could sneak up on people and make the playoffs.

PLAYOFFS:

Wild Card:

AL: Royals over Yankees
NL: Braves over Pirates

Divisional:

AL: Rangers over Red Sox       Tigers over Royals
NL: Dodgers over Nationals     Cardinals over Braves

Championship Series:

AL: Rangers over Tigers
NL: Dodgers over Cardinals

World Series:

Dodgers over Rangers




Other predictions:

MVP:

AL: Mike Trout (Angels)
NL: Yasiel Puig (Dodgers)

Cy Young:

AL: Yu Darvish (Rangers)
NL: Clayton Kershaw (Dodgers)

Rookie of the Year:

AL: Xander Bogaerts (Red Sox)
NL: Billy Hamilton (Reds)

Manager of the Year:

AL: Ned Yost (Royals)
NL: Mike Matheny (Cardinals)