[W.HI.P]

mlb

american league

east

here we have a division with 3 of the absolute greatest teams in baseball, and two of the absolute worst ones.

tampa bay has not only caught up to the yankees and bosox, but it seems like they have surpassed them.
these young players will only get better each year that passes.
the rays set the perfect example of a great team, finishing in last place in order to get even better the next year.
we can now look at the bottom of the table and distinguish the difference between a team finishing in last place cause they suck, and a team finishing in last place because they're elite, and want to get even better.

the yankees have responded to that reality by upgrading their pitching staff so that it is now elite.
their bats are top of the line.
the only weak link in the yankees appear to be their bullpen.

now matter how much i'd like to bash the red-sox, i can't really do that as they are not too far behind these two giants.
boston pitching staff is not bad all the way through.
their bullpen is very impressive.
its their line-up that places them behind these other two great teams, and 3rd place in the division seems unavoidable.

the orioles and blue jays are in a whole different category.
what can they do really but rebuild and hope that they can compete sometime in the next decade.

central

this division has gotten weaker.
i bet you, if you take last years standings and turn it upside down, you'll pretty much have the final standings of this season.

wtf are they doing in chicago?
who will be their number 4 and 5 pitchers?
their line-up is as weak as its been for a long time.
the only thing improved here is their bullpen.
the white sox are not going anywhere this year.

i can respect the twins in some of their most recent choices.
they know how to run a pitching staff.. its not that bad.
their amazing in recent years bullpen has fallen apart.
their line-up, despite having a few absolute elite players, is under par.
this division is weak, so i won't be suprised if any team takes it.
its just that the twins seem to be a 500 team.

the indians can be com-petitive this year.
their pitching staff is clearly the elite in this division.
their bullpen remains as questionable as it always has been.
the line-up is full of questions and does have some holes in it, so i can't put my faith in this team as of now.

the royals are finally a competitive team.
due to the rest of the teams in this division generally looking weaker, the royals actually have a shot at winning this division.

the detroit tigers despite finishing in last place last season should be considered the favorites here.
line-up, pitching staff and bullpen, overall are superior to the rest of the teams here.

west

the gap between the angels and the rest of the teams in this division has closed a little bit.
seattle's amazing pitching staff can almost compare to the angels.
oaklands line-up has improved considerably since last season.
texas still has some holes to fill, and even if they fill them up, their pitching staff is very weak.
overall, its the angels division to lose.

national league

east

we can fight about this all you want, but the fact is, the mets are the best team here.
thier pitching staff and bullpen are in a standard of their own, while their line-up cannot be matched.
the phillies, despite having the greatest infield in baseball, have a weak bullpen.
florida remains a pretty good team with an above average bullpen.
the line-up does not impress leaving the marlins behind the two greater teams in this division.

this is a bounce back year for atlanta.
i like their pitching staff, and they've got the 8th and 9th inning pretty much covered.
its their line-up that is impressing me, they've made some key moves, they will score this year.

washington isn't all that bad, they've improved, and i believbe they'll cause a few upsets this year.

central

this division is going to be the main attraction this season as there are a few teams that have improved dramatically.

the chicago cubs appear to be world series bound as their team is too good.
the pitching staff could not be better than it is.
their bullpen is missing nothing, and their bats include soto, lee, soriano and ramirez.

the milwakee brewers are seriously on the downfall as they have become weaker, where the teams below them have surpassed them.
don't be betting on this team.

i like houston, i don't know when they'll be competitive again, it does not look good again this year.

chris carpenter is back to an overall mediocre cardinals team, who may just manage to compete a bit here.

the cincinatti reds are probably gonna be the most improved team in baseball.
volquez is of the absolute elite pitchers in the game.
arroyo and harang can both win.
cueto and bailey are up and coming.
they hold one of the absolute elite closers in the game f.cordero.
their bullpen can certainly pick them up with weathers picking up the 8th inning.
some would say that their bats aren't that good, but i can argue that by comparing it to the rest of teams in this division [minus the cubs]

there's nothing i can say about the pirates that can alter the opinion already bombarded by the media.
they're not that far off.

west

you can fight with me about this all you want, but the dodgers are gonna win this division.
arizona's line-up is not good enough.
those of you who will argue about the giants are crazy.
lincecum is great, but there's not much else there.
the padres amazing bullpen is not all that amazing anymore.