MLB 2014

I  don’t know what to do with my traditional “bet” of a Planned Parenthood donation with Most Valuable Commenter Howard, since I no longer think highly of the Yankees. But I’m still happy to pledge a donation in Howard’s if the Yankees fail to make the postseason.  Let’s pick the divisions for fun, wild cards asterisked:

AL West: 1. Oakland 2. LAAofA 3. Seattle 4. Texas 5. Hou I think my only unconventional pick here is that I think the Rangers are in for a rough year.  The Darvish injury might not prove to be serious but they can’t afford to miss more than one or two starts from their ace given their thin rotation, their closer has thrown 27 umimpressive innings since 2011, and losing Profar for at least two months hurts.  The Mariners aren’t very good yet either but they might squeak past them.

AL Central: 1. Det 2. KC (*) Cle 4. Min 5. Chi It should be a very close race for second here, with the Tigers remaining the class of the division for at least one more year.  The White Sox look horrible.

Al East: 1. TB 2. Bos (*) 3. NYY 4. Tor 5. Bal Two very strong teams on top; for once, I’ll pick the younger Rays to win the division in the last year of Price.  The Yankees certainly could win 90 games, but given how hideous the infield looks (Teixeira is really not someone I’d like to gamble on, their ancient shortstop is as of now backed up by a guy who not only can’t hit but is probably worse than the 40-year-old Jeter defensively, and really, Brian Roberts?) I don’t think enough other things will do right in a tough division.

NL West 1. LA 2. SF (*) 3. SD 4. Col 5. Ari Despite the Kershaw injury I’ll go chalk here. The last three finishers are chosen pretty much at random.

NL Central 1. STL 2. Cin (*) 3. Pit 4. Mil 5. Chi An improving division. I see the Reds and Cards as closer than the projection systems seem too, but I can’t make a case for the former being better. The Pirates are a pretty good young team but I’ll put them behind the Reds based on the Plexiglass Principle.

NL East 1. Wash 2. Atl 3. NY 4. Phi 5. Mia A declining division. The Nats seem like the class of the division given the devastating injuries to Atlanta’s pitching staff. The Mets could have made things vaguely interesting if Harvey was healthy and they acquired a major league shortstop, but neither condition applies. Ruben Amaro, Jr. is already a bad general managing legend; the Phillies’ decline was inevitable but they didn’t have to get this bad this quickly.  (They have been an effective stimulus program for professional out-makers named “Young.”) A bad baseball team assembled by some of the worst people in sports will be witnessed by as many as hundreds of thousands of fans in south Florida, although there’s at least some young talent.