Wednesday, February 13, 2013

A Few Thoughts On the upcoming 2013 MLB Season

A Few Thoughts On is a new series that I will be starting which will be shorter blog posts than my usual fare. The name is borrowed from Robert A. Harris who posts an excellent column in the Blu-Ray section of the Home Theater Forum called "A Few Words About." I hope to make this at least a bi-weekly segment on the blog. Our first topic deals with the upcoming 2013 baseball season.

I just saw the early World Series predictions and I have to ask why everyone seems to think Toronto is a lock for the AL Pennant. Granted they're likely to win the AL East because it will be filled with a lot of relative mediocrity this year but honestly, I see the Yankees, Baltimore and Tampa Bay as being  capable of winning that division. Let's not forget other teams outside the AL East like Detroit and Anaheim. You can also bet there will be a surprise team from the AL as there usually is such as Oakland and Baltimore were last year. I believe Detroit and Anaheim(sorry, I feel stupid calling them the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim) are far more likely to get to the World Series than Toronto is this year. Detroit in particular because they will be playing with a sense of revenge on their minds after their embarrassing effort in the 2012 World Series.

I'm not saying Toronto won't make the World Series but I am saying there have been many "super-teams" in the past who have fallen flat on their faces. My honest prediction for Toronto is that they will win between 89 and 95 games this year and will at least make the playoffs as a Wild Card team. Of course this doesn't take into account the possible powerhouse NL teams that they could meet in the World Series such as Washington, Cincinnati, St. Louis, Los Angeles, San Francisco and if all comes together, I'll even throw Atlanta into that group as well. Other than Atlanta, all of whom I think are superior to Toronto and as I said, Atlanta may be added to that list later.

I will release my full MLB predictions for 2013 as we get closer to the season. Probably towards the end of March.