Norm’s 2013 MLB Predictions

With the 2013 season upon us here’s my preview and predictions. With that said, I’m not an expert so take it easy on me if I’m wrong. Here we go. I will start close to home with the AL West.

AL WEST

The landscape of the Al West has changed a little. The Astros have moved from the NL Central to the AL West. What does that mean? Well, in a nutshell the Astros will finish last.

1. Angels

2. Mariners

3. Rangers

4. A’s

5. Astros

The Angels made a splash by signing Josh Hamilton over the Winter.  If the Mariners can hit the ball I believe they can challenge for a wildcard spot. They locked up King Felix for a long time. The Rangers lost Hamilton, Young and Napoli. That will hurt the Rangers. the A’s overachieved last season and it was a beautiful thing. They very well can end up in that number two spot in the division. Can they be doing the “Bernie” in September? I think they could. What can I say about the Astros? Not much, they aren’t very good. But hey the A’s won the AL West last season.

Prospects to watch 

Angels- Kaleb Cowart-3b and C.J. Cron-1b

Mariners- Mike Zunino-C and Brad Miller-SS

Rangers- Jurickson Profar-2b and Joey Gallo-3b

A’s- Addison Russell-SS and Grant Green-2b/of

Astros- Jonathan Singleton-1b and Delino DeShields Jr.-2b

AL EAST

The Red Sox will be better, the Yankees are old, and the Blue Jays will win the East.

1. Bluejays

2.Rays

3. Yankees

4. Orioles

5. Red Sox

This used to be the toughest if not one of the toughest division in baseball. The Jays had a major impact on baseball with their trade with the Marlins. The Yanks lost ARod for a long time and let’s face it, they are old. But, they are the Yankees and will be competitive. The Orioles were like the A’s and overachieved. They do have the best manager in baseball however. The Red Sox did get better. But, in this division they will finish last.

Prospects to watch

Jays- Aaron Sanchez-rhp and Marcus Stromen-rhp

Rays- Wil Myers-of and Blake Snell-lhp

Yankees- Slade Heatcott-of and Gary Sanchez-c

Orioles- L. J. Hoes-of and Dylan Bundy-rhp

Red Sox- Xander Bogaerts-ss and Henry Owens-lhp

AL Central

Can the Tigers repeat in the much improved Al Central? I think they can. But, they can’t afford to get out of the gate slow this season. The Royals are much better and could play into the Wildcard.

1. Tigers

2. Royals

3. Indians

4. White Sox

5. Twins

The Royals are much improved. They gave up Wil Myers to boost their pitching. They can hit and now they can pitch. The Tigers very well can win the World Series in 2013. They have the best hitter in the game in Cabrera and one of the best pitchers in Verlander. The Indians signed one of my faves in Mark Reynolds. Reynolds can hit the ball a long ways if he gets ahold of it. The White Sox and Twins are getting old.

Prospects to watch

Tigers- Bruce Rondon-rhp and Austin Schotts-cf

Royals- Bubba Starling-of and Christian Colon-2b/ss

Indians- Trevor Bauer-rhp and Francisco Lindor-ss

White Sox- Courtney Hawkins-of and Simon Castro-rhp

Twins- Miguel Sano-3b and Max Kepler-of

National League

The Washington Nationals were the darlings of Major League baseball last season. Can they win the NL East again? The Dodgers spent a ton of money to win the NL West. How does that translate in the clubhouse though. The Giants won another World Series based on strong pitching. But, where does Brian Wilson go? The DBacks are very young and that make the snakes dangerous. The Padres and Rockies will bring up the rear. The Braves pick up the Upton boys and that makes the Braves very good. But, can they catch the Nats?

NL East

The Nats limited Stephen Strasburg to an innings limit. This year there is no limit. The Braves get the Upton boys and with that have the best outfield in the Majors. Phillies didn’t do a lot and are getting older. They do still have one of the best pitching staffs in the bigs. The Mets and Marlins in this division can’t keep up.

1. Nationals

2. Braves

3. Phillies

4. Mets

5. Marlins

The Nationals are my pick to win the East. The Braves will contend for the Wild card.

Prospects to watch

Nats- Anthony Rendon-3b and Matt Skole-3b/1b

Braves- Julio Teheran-rhp and Zeke Sprull-rhp

Phillies- Tyler Cloyd-rhp and Roman Quinn-ss

Mets- Zack Wheeler-rhp and Noah Syndergaard- rhp

Marlins- Justin Nicolino-lhp and Rob Brantly-c

NL Central

The Central is tough once again. Can the Pirates hit .500 this season?

1. Reds

2. Cardinals

3. Pirates

4. Brewers

5. Cubs

What will the Reds do with Aroldis Chapman? Does it really matter? They guy can flat out throw. The Cards have a great bullpen who can bring the heat. The Pirates have one of the best players in the game in Andrew McCutchen. Will Ryan Braun’s PED scandal be a distraction? The Cubs are getting better but, have a long ways to go.

Prospect watch

Reds- Billy Hamilton-of/ss and Tony Cingrani-lhp

Cards- Oscar Taveres-of and Carson Kelly-3b

Pirates- Gerrit Cole-rhp and Josh Bell-of

Brewers- Hunter Morris-1b and Clint Coulter-C

Cubs- Albert Almoria-of and Brett Jackson-of

NL West

The Giants once again surprised the baseball world by winning the World Series. The Dodgers new look has had time to gel. The DBacks are very young. The Padres have Chase Headly and the Rockies have Cargo.

1. Giants

2. Dodgers

3. DBacks

4. Rockies

5. Padres

The Giants will win the West again. The Dodgers are right there though. They very easily could win the West. If they can gel and Carl Crawford can come back and have a great season the Giants will be in trouble. The NL West is a two team race. The NL West however has some of the best players in MLB. Posey in SF, Gonzalez, Kemp in LA, Cargo in Colo, and Headly in SD.

Prospects to watch

Giants- Kyle Crick-rhp and Joe Panik-ss

Dodgers- Zach Lee-rhp and Joc Pederson-of

DBacks- Tyler Skaggs-lhp and Stryker Trahan-c

Rockies- Nolan Arenado-3b and Will Swanner-c

Padres- Jedd Gyorko-2b/3b and Max Fried-lhp