MLB Preview: East

Baseball preview week kicks off today with our AL and NL east predictions. We're running through our prediction for how the standings will shake out, with teams making the playoffs in bold.

To recap the weekly schedule looks like this:

Monday: AL and NL East
Tuesday: AL and NL Central
Wednesday: AL and NL West
Thursday: Playoffs and Awards

So let's go ahead and get this party started.

Juice's Picks

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

Every fiber of my being wants to claim the Rays were a one year wonder. I mean they are the artists formerly known as the Devil Rays, after all. Problem is the Rays are actually good. Now with that said, they are going to slip slightly, because their rotation is a little worrisome. However they will still grab a wild card.

As you can see I have the Red Sox winning the division. Why? Brad Penny is their fifth starter. Brad Penny at his best is an ace. Now, I'm not saying Penny will be at his best, he is coming of an injury after all. Having him as your fifth starter, though, is pretty damn good.

I wanted to put the Yankees in fourth because, well, they just aren't a quality team. They are old, untalented, and morbidly obese. (Ok so only C.C. Sabathia is a big fat fatty. But he is so overweight that it makes the entire team seem fat. There has to be some sort of transitive property of obesity right?) With that said the Blue Jays have almost no pitc - no, you know what? Screw it. Yankees in fourth. Blue Jays in third. Done and done.

I'd say something about the Orioles, but why?

NL East:
1. Philadelphia Phillies
2. New York Mets
3. Atlanta Braves
4. Florida Marlins
5. Washington Nationals

This is one of those divisions where you could make a case for at least three teams, arguably four, to win the division. Basically everyone but the Nationals. Maybe they'll have a chance once they get this guy.

I have a beef with the Mets. They are chokeasaurus rexes. Yes, they have shored up their bullpen, but there are only three players on the team I trust: David Wright, Johan Santana, and Fernando Tatis (he hit two grand slams in one inning once, after all). Seriously though other than Santana, Wright, and Carlos Beltran, who on that team do you legitimately trust? Jose Reyes seems shady, and Carlos Delgado is like 900 years old. And other than Santana there isn't a single pitcher in that rotation I would be 100% confident sending to the mound.

As for the Phillies, they are basically returning their World Series Champion roster from last season. As long as Cole Hamels stays healthy, which is a pretty big if, they should be able to repeat as division champions. Plus, check out Cole Hamels’s wife. That has to count for something right?

The Marlins are my dark horse in the division, if a lot of things fall into place they could be very good. There are just too many ifs, however. I could very well see them jumping ahead of the Braves, but with Atlanta's solid pitching staff and veteran players (Chipper Jones, Brian McCann, Garrett Anderson) I don't see the Braves falling below third. I also don't see them climbing above third. Ah, the joys of mediocrity. Dare to dream, that's what I always say.

The Kicker's Picks

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

I will be honest, I like Nick Markakis a lot. As Juice mentioned the Blue Jays have no pitching so I put them last, Orioles have Markakis and a cool stadium, plus I will probably be attending a game there this summer so that moves them to fourth (not to mention they aren't based in Canada). The Yankees just don't have a big enough payroll, expensive enough pitching, enough controversy, an old enough lineup or a first basemen with enough X's in there name to compete. I do like the Rays but they won't win the division because Boston is a better team and the "magic is gone". However, the default wild card pick is always the AL East runner up so they get and the Red Sox are loaded in their rotation, have a great closer and of course have some solid bats. They win the division AND have the best record in the American League.

NL East:
1. New York Mets
2. Philadelphia Phillies
3. Florida Marlins
4. Atlanta Braves
8. Washington Nationals

I like to start from the bottom up (thats what she said) so I will talk about the Nationals. Unless President Obama passes a law saying they have to make the playoffs, they wont. I put them in 8th place because I have confidence that at least 3 of the 4 AAA affiliates of the Mets, Phillies, Braves and Marlins are better than them.

I put the Mets ahead of the Phillies because I know it will irritate Juice (Juice interjection: This is completely false. I actually was going to put them in first but their starting rotation worries me. And now back to The Kicker.) and I think they are VERY due to not choke on a cock (a chicken, not an actual cock, sicko). I do like the Mets for some reason, and I think they are due to win, but the Phillies make the playoffs as a wild card and are very likely going to get further than the Mets. The Phillies return pretty much everything from the year before, besides the "magic" so they won't win it all, but they are really good.

The Braves will be fine but are nothing spectacular and I don't care enough to talk about them.

However, my sleeper pick is my Marlins. I really think their new stadium being passed will help them (even though everyone says that it's stupid they got a stadium with this economy) because I think having fans will be a big reason for the team to try hard and I would hook up with Hanley Ramirez. Obviously the stadium wont matter a lot now but I think over time it will be big for them to have a new field...that is until they are contracted before it even opens.


Coming Tomorrow: NL and AL Central picks.