Holliday looks to lead his Rockies in another close division race. (MelvinSchlubman/flickr)
With the 2008 season opener upon us I figured it would be as good a time as ever to give my exciting 2008 division, playoff and award winner picks! Today marks the final division that we have to cover (see below to view one of the other divisions) so tomorrow we move on to the playoff and World Series picks and award winners on Saturday. As always, let me know your opinion on each one!
1.) Los Angeles Dodgers: The addition of Joe Torre will make all the difference in the world as he brings harmony to the locker room between the new blood and the old blood. Penny will lead a solid rotation while Billingsley dazzles. Loney and LaRoche (when he returns) will lead the youth movement from the corner infield spots. Martin will further solidify himself as this club's leader both on and off the field. They will need to score more runs than last year to win.
2.) Colorado Rockies: Will come back down to earth a little but will still be a force in the NL. Tulowitzki will continue to be this club's leader and will not only win a gold glove but will have some MVP mentions too. Holiday too will be near the top in MVP voting for a second straight season but will come up a little short once again. Watch for Morales to be the gem of this rotation in his first full MLB season. This race will come down to final week of the season with the Dodgers barely edging out the Rockies for the division.
3.) Arizona Diamondbacks: The Webb/Haren combo at the top of the rotation will be one of the best in baseball this season. Plus Johnson will be able to push his injured back to squeak out 6 wins (ten shy of 300) to help. Lineup just won't have enough firepower to overtake both the Dodgers and Rockies. Drew and Young will both continue to develop into fantastic players. Will realize they need one more big bat in the middle to compete and will pursue this next winter.
4.) San Diego Padres: Thankfully for the Padres they have good pitching on their staff and the Giants in their division. The Padres have very little offense to help them in their lineup which won't help that solid rotation out at all. Peavy will have yet another brilliant season but with less wins due to no run support. Prior will emerge in his new surroundings and show he still has the talent. But again, no run support for him either. You will see the continued improvement of their third baseman Kouzmanoff.
5.) San Francisco Giants: There are only two good things to say about the Giants - Cain and Lincecum. That's it. You think the Padres are going to have trouble scoring runs? Ick.2008 NL West Standout Predictions
Star Bat: Matt Holliday
Star Arm: Dan Haren
Biggest Flop: Barry Zito (again)
Starburst: James Loney
Best Rookie: Andy LaRoche
Check out the AL East, AL Central, AL West, NL East and NL Central predictions and check out the post season picks tomorrow!
1.) Los Angeles Dodgers: The addition of Joe Torre will make all the difference in the world as he brings harmony to the locker room between the new blood and the old blood. Penny will lead a solid rotation while Billingsley dazzles. Loney and LaRoche (when he returns) will lead the youth movement from the corner infield spots. Martin will further solidify himself as this club's leader both on and off the field. They will need to score more runs than last year to win.
2.) Colorado Rockies: Will come back down to earth a little but will still be a force in the NL. Tulowitzki will continue to be this club's leader and will not only win a gold glove but will have some MVP mentions too. Holiday too will be near the top in MVP voting for a second straight season but will come up a little short once again. Watch for Morales to be the gem of this rotation in his first full MLB season. This race will come down to final week of the season with the Dodgers barely edging out the Rockies for the division.
3.) Arizona Diamondbacks: The Webb/Haren combo at the top of the rotation will be one of the best in baseball this season. Plus Johnson will be able to push his injured back to squeak out 6 wins (ten shy of 300) to help. Lineup just won't have enough firepower to overtake both the Dodgers and Rockies. Drew and Young will both continue to develop into fantastic players. Will realize they need one more big bat in the middle to compete and will pursue this next winter.
4.) San Diego Padres: Thankfully for the Padres they have good pitching on their staff and the Giants in their division. The Padres have very little offense to help them in their lineup which won't help that solid rotation out at all. Peavy will have yet another brilliant season but with less wins due to no run support. Prior will emerge in his new surroundings and show he still has the talent. But again, no run support for him either. You will see the continued improvement of their third baseman Kouzmanoff.
5.) San Francisco Giants: There are only two good things to say about the Giants - Cain and Lincecum. That's it. You think the Padres are going to have trouble scoring runs? Ick.2008 NL West Standout Predictions
Star Bat: Matt Holliday
Star Arm: Dan Haren
Biggest Flop: Barry Zito (again)
Starburst: James Loney
Best Rookie: Andy LaRoche
Check out the AL East, AL Central, AL West, NL East and NL Central predictions and check out the post season picks tomorrow!