The Way To Early 2009 Season Productions

[Marino]

Its time to get your predictions in for the 2009 season since opening day is in less than 2 weeks.

Division Champions
American League
East-Yankees
Central-Indians
West-Angels
Wild Card-Red Sox

National League
East-Phillies
Central-Cubs
West-Dodgers
Wild Card-Astros


Bold Predictions For 2009:
The Giants will finish 2nd in the West and give the Dodgers a run for their money.
The Royals begin to improve, and will not finish last in the AL Central.
The Rays will not be able to repeat the performance of last year.
The Mets bullpen will fall apart again in September.
Matt Kemp and James Loney will have breakout years.

WS Prediction:
Dodgers vs. Red Sox

Winner: Probably Boston.

[Sandman42]

Re: The Way To Early 2009 Season Productions

What kind of productions? Movies? Plays?

[SPTO]

Re: The Way To Early 2009 Season Productions

My Bold Prediction

The Yanks crash and burn or maybe that's just me hating on them.

Seriously for the first time in a long time the AL East is truly up for grabs. I think that Boston will win out but I can see the Rays making a lot of noise but then fading out. Most teams that jump up and surprise the world have a setback season the next year.

The Cubs will be the Cubs. They'll have a great regular season but choke in the playoffs.

The Mets will win the NL East almost by default as the Phils will have some injury problems and guys who will have decent but not spectacular years.

CC Sabathia and AJ Burnett will have long stints on the DL.


I'll come up with more later.

[Ewing]

Re: The Way To Early 2009 Season Productions

AMERICAN LEAGUE

East: Tampa Bay Rays
Central: Minnesota Twins
West: Oakland Athletics
Wild Card: New York Yankees

NATIONAL LEAGUE

East: Philadelphia Phillies
Central: Chicago Cubs
West: Los Angeles Dodgers
Wild Card: New York Mets

DIVISION SERIES

Tampa Bay Rays over Oakland Athletics in three games
New York Yankees over Minnesota Twins in four games

Philadelphia Phillies over Los Angeles Dodgers in four games
New York Mets over Chicago Cubs in four games

CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

Tampa Bay Rays over New York Yankees in seven games
New York Mets over Philadelphia Phillies in seven games

WORLD SERIES

Tampa Bay Rays over New York Mets in six games

I'll post my bold predictions later.

[Sandman42]

Re: The Way To Early 2009 Season Productions

AL East
Yankees
Red Sox - Wild Card
Rays
Orioles
Blue Jays

AL Central
Indians
Twins
Tigers
White Sox
Royals

AL West
A's
Angels
Mariners
Rangers

NL East
Mets
Phillies - Wild Card
Braves
Marlins
Nationals

NL Central
Cubs
Cardinals
Reds
Brewers
Astros
Pirates

NL West
Dodgers
Diamondbacks
Giants
Rockies
Padres

Division Series
Yankees over A's
Red Sox over Indians
Mets over Dodgers
Cubs over Phillies

Championship Series
Yankees over Red Sox
Cubs over Mets

World Series
Yankees over Cubs

AL MVP: Grady Sizemore
AL Cy Young: Roy Halladay
AL ROY: Matt Wieters

NL MVP: Albert Pujols
NL Cy Young: Johan Santana
NL ROY: Colby Rasmus

[Marino]

Re: The Way To Early 2009 Season Productions

What kind of productions? Movies? Plays?

[OSUFan_88]

Re: The Way To Early 2009 Season Productions

Bold Prediction

Kansas City will finish 4th.

Detroit implodes and rebuilds.

Rays have the best record in baseball.

A's finish in last in the AL West.

The Marlins-Braves-Mets and Phillies all fight for the top two *division and WC* with Phillies and Marlins making the postseason.

The Pirates win 40 games.

The Reds finish second in the NL Central.

The Dodgers win the NL.

AL East:
Tampa Bay
Boston
New York
Toronto
Baltimore

AL Central
Cleveland
Minnesota
Chicago
Kansas City
Detroit

AL West:
LA of A
Texas
Seattle
Oakland

NL East:
Philadelphia
Florida
New York
Atlanta
Washington DC

NL Central
Chicago
Cincinnati
St. Louis
Milwaukee
Houston
Columbus
Pittsburgh

NL West

LA
Arizona
Colorado
SF
San Diego

WS: Rays over Dodgers.

[Yanks22]

Re: The Way To Early 2009 Season Productions

i am surprised that so many see the rays making it to the playoffs again. i think they'll make some noise this season but i see them and the blue jays in more of a battle for 3rd in the AL east i can see the rays this year being a team thats a couple of games over .500 i really don't see them repeating like last year. Not just saying this as a yankee fan or anything i was very impressed with them last year and they deserved it but i just don't see it happening again so soon

[OSUFan_88]

Re: The Way To Early 2009 Season Productions

i am surprised that so many see the rays making it to the playoffs again. i think they'll make some noise this season but i see them and the blue jays in more of a battle for 3rd in the AL east i can see the rays this year being a team thats a couple of games over .500 i really don't see them repeating like last year. Not just saying this as a yankee fan or anything i was very impressed with them last year and they deserved it but i just don't see it happening again so soon

Why not?

Their pitching staff is insane, especially with adding Price. Evan Longoria might have a downturn, but they added Pat Rhymes with Pearl Burrell, and they still have Upton, Crawford, and others.

I cannot foresee a big drop off, if there is any at all.

[Sandman42]

Re: The Way To Early 2009 Season Productions

i am surprised that so many see the rays making it to the playoffs again. i think they'll make some noise this season but i see them and the blue jays in more of a battle for 3rd in the AL east i can see the rays this year being a team thats a couple of games over .500 i really don't see them repeating like last year. Not just saying this as a yankee fan or anything i was very impressed with them last year and they deserved it but i just don't see it happening again so soon

They return pretty much everyone that was on the team last season and they improved at DH by adding Pat Burrell. If the Rays were in any other division in baseball I would pick them to finish 1st.

The AL East is just brutal. You have 3 of the top teams in all of baseball, then the Orioles who have a great minor league system and could be a contender in a few years, and then when fully healthy the Blue Jays have one of the best rotations in baseball.

[OSUFan_88]

Re: The Way To Early 2009 Season Productions

They return pretty much everyone that was on the team last season and they improved at DH by adding Pat Burrell. If the Rays were in any other division in baseball I would pick them to finish 1st.

The AL East is just brutal. You have 3 of the top teams in all of baseball, then the Orioles who have a great minor league system and could be a contender in a few years, and then when fully healthy the Blue Jays have one of the best rotations in baseball.

Both NL and AL East are brutal. In fact, right now I'd put the NL East above the AL East, because of their depth.

Once Washington drafts Strausburg (SP?) it'll be only a matter of time before they are good as well.

[Ewing]

Re: The Way To Early 2009 Season Productions

i am surprised that so many see the rays making it to the playoffs again. i think they'll make some noise this season but i see them and the blue jays in more of a battle for 3rd in the AL east i can see the rays this year being a team thats a couple of games over .500 i really don't see them repeating like last year. Not just saying this as a yankee fan or anything i was very impressed with them last year and they deserved it but i just don't see it happening again so soon

Everyone who actually follows baseball, as in not ESPN analysts, saw the Rays break out coming. It wasn't supposed to happen however until 2009 or 2010. They're ahead of schedule. Let's take a look at their rotation:

Scott Kazmir, 25
James Shields, 27
Matt Garza, 25
Andy Sonnanstine, 26
David Price, 23

There's talk that the rotation is so loaded and so young that they're going to have Price, the top pitching prospect and probably the best prospect period in baseball, start in Triple A this year so they can take a look at Jeff Niemman, 26 at the major league level. To quote Jayson Stark: "If that isn't a sign that the Rays obviously have way too much talent and way too much pitching, I don't know what is."

They've got Evan Longoria, 22 and BJ Upton, 23 who flat out dominated the Red Sox in the ALCS last year and they're only getting better. Speaking of the Red Sox domination, the Rays lead the division from July 18th to the end of the season. Anytime the Red Sox came close to taking the crown, the Rays would pull away. This is not a team that won a weak division like the AL West, they won the toughest division in the sport. It's not a fluke in the least.

It's one thing to say they're going to miss the playoffs because the AL East has three powerhouse teams. I get that and it's completely reasonable logic. But for you to say they're only going to be a couple games over .500 and competing with the Blue Jays for third place is pure Yankee fan denial over competition for the division crown.

[Yanks22]

Re: The Way To Early 2009 Season Productions

Everyone who actually follows baseball, as in not ESPN analysts, saw the Rays break out coming. It wasn't supposed to happen however until 2009 or 2010. They're ahead of schedule. Let's take a look at their rotation:

Scott Kazmir, 25
James Shields, 27
Matt Garza, 25
Andy Sonnanstine, 26
David Price, 23

There's talk that the rotation is so loaded and so young that they're going to have Price, the top pitching prospect and probably the best prospect period in baseball, start in Triple A this year so they can take a look at Jeff Niemman, 26 at the major league level. To quote Jayson Stark: "If that isn't a sign that the Rays obviously have way too much talent and way too much pitching, I don't know what is."

They've got Evan Longoria, 22 and BJ Upton, 23 who flat out dominated the Red Sox in the ALCS last year and they're only getting better. Speaking of the Red Sox domination, the Rays lead the division from July 18th to the end of the season. Anytime the Red Sox came close to taking the crown, the Rays would pull away. This is not a team that won a weak division like the AL West, they won the toughest division in the sport. It's not a fluke in the least.

It's one thing to say they're going to miss the playoffs because the AL East has three powerhouse teams. I get that and it's completely reasonable logic. But for you to say they're only going to be a couple games over .500 and competing with the Blue Jays for third place is pure Yankee fan denial over competition for the division crown.

say what you want but it is not yankee fan denial. because i can admit that last year my team did not play up to par. i'm not gonna sit and make excuses for them they just were plagued by injuries and couldn't do anything against the other teams that played better then they did fair and square. this thread was for preditions and opinions. and i really just feel that after an awesome season like that last year that they will not be up to par this year. maybe not a couple of games over .500 but def think they'll prob be a 3rd place/4th place team thats just my opinion

[OSUFan_88]

Re: The Way To Early 2009 Season Productions

say what you want but it is not yankee fan denial. because i can admit that last year my team did not play up to par. i'm not gonna sit and make excuses for them they just were plagued by injuries and couldn't do anything against the other teams that played better then they did fair and square. this thread was for preditions and opinions. and i really just feel that after an awesome season like that last year that they will not be up to par this year. maybe not a couple of games over .500 but def think they'll prob be a 3rd place/4th place team thats just my opinion

Is there any particular reason you feel this way?

[Chip Douglass]

Re: The Way To Early 2009 Season Productions

NL West:

Dodgers
D-Backs
Giants
Rockies
Padres

NL Central:

Cubs
Cardinals
Reds
Brewers
Astros
Pirates

NL East:

Mets
Phillies (Wild Card)
Braves
Marlins
Nationals

AL West:

Angels
A's
Rangers
Mariners

AL Central:

Tigers
Indians (Wild Card)
Twins
White Sox
Royals

AL East:

Yankees
Rays
Red Sox
Blue Jays
Orioles