Opening Day!

Predictions:

AL Division Winners and Wild Card

AL East
Boston - 97-65

AL Central
Detroit - 100-62

AL West
California - 91-71

AL Wildcard
Cleveland - 95-67

NL Division Winners and Wild Card

NL East
New York - 94-68

NL Central
Chicago - 96-66

NL West
Arizona - 91-71

NL Wildcard
Milwaukee - 92-70

AL Playoffs

Boston over Cleveland
Detroit over California

Detroit over Boston

NL Playoffs
Brewers over New York
Chicago over Arizona

Chicago over Milwaukee

World Series

Chicago Cubs: World Champs 2008

PLAYERS

AL MVP - Miguel Cabrera
NL MVP - Derrick Lee

AL CY Young - Justin Verlander
NL Cy Young - Cole Hamels

AL ROY - Evan Longoria
NL ROY - Joey Votto

AL Manager of the Year - Eric Wedge
NL Manger of the Year - Dusty Baker

Biggest Surprises
Rich Harden, healthy, has one of the best seasons on a bad team ever. But his bad team/great pitching is shadowed by the as good pitching of Cain and Lincecum who have a combined 21-27 record with a 3.45 e.r.a. and 345 innings pitched//360 k's. In the year of bad team//good pitcher, Zach Greinke, Ian Snell and Shawn Hill will also put up great periphials. As a unit, all these pitchers will go something like 62-80 with a 3.70 e.r.a. and 1030 innings pitched//980 strikeouts.

The Tampa Bay (Devil) Rays will compete for a playoff spot into mid-August if Kazmir is healthy relatively soon.

Daric Barton will break out hard-core.

Biggest Questions
To what extent will Felix Pie develop this year?

How healthy is John Lackey? If he's worse than they're saying, Seattle will be right there.

Where will Barry end up (if anywhere)?

Will the Twins get smart about Joe Mauer and at least have him play a Victor Martinez kind of role - dh'ing, maybe playing a little 3B and catching 4 games a week?

To what extent will Joba and Hughes be allowed to develop into front-line starters this year? Will Ian Kennedy kill the Joba-star? Is this allowable?

Will Alex Gordon become a beast?

What will the Mets rotation look like in mid-August? If there's some injuries, Atlanta and Philadelphia get back in the middle of things real quick.

Minor League Break-outs:
Tim Alderson - SF Giants Starting Pitcher
Joe Savery - Phi Phillies - Starting Pitcher
Josh Vitters - Chicago Cubs - 3B
Jeremy Jeffress - Milwaukee - Starting Pitcher
Bill Rowell - Baltimore - 3B
Neftali Feliz - Texas - SP
Mike McCardell - Minnesota - SP

I write this as if it were in stone.