Feel free to keep track and see who does the best. Here are our preseason selections. Yes, Brandon Heikoop went out on a limb with virtually every pick!

Patrick DiCaprio
AL East-Yankees. I had picked the Red Sox in a prior exercise on another website, but then saw the preseason PECOTA standings which had the Yankees winning easily.

AL Central-Indians. The Tigers’ pen is just too weak.

AL West-Angels The division is weak and Saunders and Santana step it up.

NL East-Mets Yes that hurts.

NL Central-Brewers This division is WIDE open as all of the teams have big flaws. The only team with no chance is the Cards.

NL West I am going to go with the Rockies, vacillating again from prior picks.

Wild cards: Tampa Bay Rays, Arizona Diamondbacks. I thought I was going out on a limb here until I saw Brandon’s predictions.

WS: Mets over Indians.

AL MVP: Miguel Cabrera
NL MVP: David Wright
AL Cy Young: Justin Verlander
NY Cy Young: Brandon Webb
AL ROY: Alexei Ramirez
NL ROY: Manny Parra

Mike Podhorzer
AL
East- Red Sox- The Yankees dynasty is over…muhahahaha…their pitching just isn’t good enough, even though I do like Hughes a lot.

Central- Indians- I think their pitching is better than the Tigers, and Detroit has way too many old and injury risk players to put up the astronomical run totals many are predicting. Oh yeah, the bullpen kinda sucks too.

West- Angels- Wow, what a terrible division. With all the Angels’ pitching injuries, it certainly gives the Mariners a chance, but their bullpen is worse and offense much worse, and I think the Angels could get around league-average production from their pitching replacements.

WC- Yankees- Ok, so maybe their dynasty isn’t over just yet. They will likely duke it out with the loser of the Indians/Tigers battle.

ROY- Jacoby Ellsbury-If he hits, he should get his 500 ABs, as the Sox will have to trade Crisp.

Cy Young- Erik Bedard- Would have won it last year if he hadn’t missed the last month (assuming he pitched at the same level). Has amazing peripherals and moves to a better pitcher’s park in an easier division. Had an xERA of 2.81 last year, so might have even more ERA upside? That’s a scary thought.

MVP- Alex Rodriguez- No reason to go bold on these picks, I’m simply choosing the most likely candidate, and choosing arguably the best player in the game makes sense! Without looking at the other picks, I bet Miggy Cabrera is a trendy choice. A-Rod is still better, and plays much better D, so I will not be going with Miguel.

NL
East- Mets- With the addition of Johan, it’s hard not to pick the Mets, although injuries on the offensive side could take its toll.

Central- Brewers- I like the rotation better than the Cubs’ and both offenses should be pretty good. Bullpen could be a problem for the Brewers. This race could be very close.

West- Padres- Pretty good starting pitching, excellent bullpen, and decent offense. Torre is going to screw up the Dodgers, the Rockies’ pitching sucks, and the D-Backs bullpen could be awful, along with a poor back end of the rotation. Tough choice here as no team really stands out.

WC- Braves- As a Braves fan, hopefully this isn’t wishful thinking. They have a very, very good offense that doesn’t seem to be getting as talked about as the Phillies, and their pitching is always pretty good.

ROY- Kosuke Fukudome-Fukodome should be solid, posting a good OBP at the very least. He should be in a good lineup spot to accumulate pretty good RBI and Run numbers and hit 10-15 HRs with some steals. He’s an easy favorite right now.

Cy Young- Johan Santana- The best pitcher in baseball moves to an easier pitching league and a better ballpark. Peavy and Webb pose decent threats, but Peavy’s xERA last year was 3/4th a run higher than his actual and Webb doesn’t K as many batters, so absent of good/bad luck or injury, it’s Johan’s to lose.

MVP- David Wright- I think he should have won it last year, so if the Mets win the division as many predict, he should win it this year. Does everything on offense and plays good D as well, he’ll be an annual MVP candidate.

Playoffs
ALDS- Red Sox over Angels, Indians over Yankees
ALCS- Red Sox over Indians

NLDS- Mets over Padres, Braves over Brewers
NLCS- Mets over Braves

WS- Mets over Red Sox

Jeremy Tomasulo
AL Rookie - Ian Kennedy - opportunity is there, and ROY is often not the best long term prospect - heck, Jerome Walton won ROY.

NL Rookie - Hiroki Kuroda - wide open field in the NL - I’ll go with the import.

AL Cy Young - Roy Halladay - No one ever mentions him as one of the best in the game, but I will.

NL Cy Young - Jeff Francis - A deep cut. A Rockie wins Cy Young? Impossible! I thought we needed someone other than Santana or Peavy thrown out there.

AL MVP - Miguel Cabrera - great lineup for him, A-Rod will be back in 2009.

NL MVP - David Wright - he will win one someday, might as well be now.

AL East - Yanks
AL Central - Tigers. Tigers and Indians make the playoffs. Royals improve, Sox stay the same, Twins can’t hit.
AL West - Mariners- Seattle puts it all together and feasts on lower tier. Angels stay strong all year.
NL East - Braves- Top 3 beat each other up, but Braves come out on top. Mets’ depth and health a concern. Nats improve.
NL Central - Cubs/Brewers- Tie atop division. Reds and Bucs better than expected.
NL West - Padres- Pads and LA are real strong, Rocks and Backs take a step back, Giants are god awful.

Playoffs - Mariners over Indians in 5, Yankees over Tigers in 4 - Mariners over Yankees in 6
Playoffs - Cubs over Brewers in one game playoff. Cubs over Padres in 4. Dodgers over Braves in 5. Cubs over Dodgers in 7.

WS - Cubs over Mariners in 6 - 100 years to break the Curse of the Billy Goat! Bill Murray and the other Cub fans can go to their graves in peace now.

Andrew Cleary
Rookie of the Year
AL - Evan Longoria, Rays
NL - Joey Votto, Reds
MVP
AL - Miguel Cabrera
NL - Prince Fielder
Not to spoil my playoff picks, but I think these two are going to get big boosts in the voting from the perceived notion that they carry their teams into the postseason.
Cy Young
AL - Javier Vazquez, White Sox
NL - Johan Santana, Mets
Division Winners
AL West - A’s (Athletics, that is)
AL Central - Tigers
AL East - Red Sox
Wildcard - Yankees

NL West - Diamondbacks
NL Central - Brewers
NL East - Mets
Wildcard - Cubs

I had to throw something worth risking a gamble on, so I went with the A’s to upset the Angels in the West–I don’t think they’re as weak as all the off-season shuffles might make them seem. Also, I’m banking on another late-season race in the NL Central between the Brewers and the Cubs, this time with Milwaukee getting the edge.

In the playoffs:
ALDS - Tigers beat the Yankees, Red Sox beat the A’s
NLDS - Mets beat the Cubs, Brewers beat the Diamondbacks

ALCS - Tigers over the Red Sox
NLCS - Mets over the Brewe
rs

World Series - Mets win

Rob McQuown
First, the important league…
NL Picks -
CY: Johan Santana - I’m going to be boring with this pick, because I like being right.
ROY: Kosuke Fukudome - it’s a thin field with Bruce and Rasmus both being marked “return to sender” this spring. Fukudome’s a polished player, and should be a contender in any season.
MVP: Johan Santana - yes, I know it’s not trendy to pick a pitcher here, but maybe voters will get over that silly preconception this year.

Divisions: Dodgers/Cubs/Mets, Braves as Wild Card. The Mets mash unit has too much elite talent to be denied, though I suspect they won’t hit their stride until July. The Brewers were the favorite in October, but their awful offseason and the SP injury worries make them 2nd again in 2008.

NLDS: Mets beat Dodgers, Cubs beat Braves
NLCS: Mets beat Cubs

Now, for the Junior Circuit:

CY: Felix Hernandez - has been top-2 in xFIP for 2 straight seasons. With someone to challenge him in Bedard, I see his pride pushing him to be much better.
ROY: Clay Buchholz - I think Joba’s more “ready”, but his time in setup will hurt him in the voting.
MVP: Alex Rodriguez - see Johan commentary.

Divisions: Angels/Indians/Red Sox, with Yankees edging the Kittens and Sailors for the wild card. Rebound seasons from Lugo and Drew (and Manny!?) will compensate for the natural decline of the Red Sox.

ALDS: Indians beat Yankees, Red Sox beat Angels
ALCS: Indians beat Red Sox

World Series: Mets beat Indians.

Brandon Heikoop
I am traditionally terrible at doing long term picks for things like this, but here goes…

American League
Rookie of the Year - Philip Humber - I see this years crew of Rookie eligible players to be quite weak in the American League.

Most Valuable Player - Grady Sizemore - I think this is the year he goes for 40 home runs and the Indians give him a long look at the cleanup slot.

Cy Young - Felix Hernandez - I think this is the year the kid breaks outs and finally learns how to pitch. The Mariners should win a lot of games.

National League
Rookie of the Year - Jay Bruce - It’s only a matter of time before he is given the full time job in Cincinnati.

Most Valuable Player - Albert Pujols - The elbow issue is more media then reality. Having Glaus behind him will be incredible.

Cy Young - Johan Santana - Sometimes things are just obvious.

Division Winners:
American League East - Tampa Bay Rays - They have a team of breakout candidates, a deep rotation and a deep bullpen. Not to mention loads of trade options.

Central - Cleveland Indians - Division got tougher, but the Indians had a lot of poor luck.

West - Seattle Mariners - The Angels are beat up and the rest of the division stinks.

Wild Card - Toronto Blue Jays - This is dependent on an unhealthy team getting healthy.

National League
East - Philadelphia Phillies - Offensively, it’s tough to match what they’ve got.

Central - St. Louis Cardinals - I like their pitching depth and feel as though they will be greatly underrated offensively. Watch for the breakout candidates.

West - Arizona Diamondbacks - I think Haren and a healthy RJ has them coasting. If the kids improve they will be unstoppable.

Wild Card - Los Angeles Dodgers - A solid rotation with a deep lineup featuring a good amount of youth. I really just want to see Kershaw pitch.

William Johnson
AL ROY - Evan Longoria. Even if he starts the season in Durham, he’s this year’s Ryan Braun.

AL CY Young - Justin Verlander - With that offense, he will do a ‘Ron Guidry’ on the AL.

AL MVP - Alex Rodriguez - Until proven otherwise, he’s the best player on the planet. Period.

NL ROY - Joey Votto - Cincinnati’s surge will put him in the discussion. His power potential will do the rest.

NL Cy Young - Johan Santana - Memo to Hank Steinbrenner: he is really that good.

NL MVP - Chase Utley - Surrounded by a stellar cast, he will be the Phillies’ third consecutive MVP.

NL East - Atlanta. Under the radar, Bobby Cox will find a way to sneak in on the last day of the season.

NL Central - Chicago. This is the toughest division to predict, as Milwaukee and Cincinnati will both compete. Even with a bullpen-by-committee, though, the Cubs have a lineup of complementary players and a few legitimate stars. Pinella can spend his time riding the Big Z’s emotional rollercoaster.

NL West - San Diego. Arizona’s division title last year defied the laws of physics, and Padre pitching is better than everyone else’s.

NL wildcard - Philadelphia. Howard. Rollins. Utley. My wife could pitch for this team and win fifteen.

AL East - Boston. Too much, too often. The Yankees will pay for not offering more for Santana.

AL Central - Cleveland. A nail-biter, but the Tribe has the experience, and Grady Sizemore will do whatever is needed to win. Sabathia will pitch like a man playing to win the lottery.

AL West - Los Angeles. No Lackey? No Escobar? No problem. The Mariners will stay close through mid-September, but the Angels will win again in the weakest division in baseball. AL Wildcard - Detroit. Back end of the bullpen will cost them the division, but the offense and Justin Verlander will punch their post-season ticket.

NLCS - San Diego will out pitch the Phillies in a seven-game classic ALCS - Cleveland and Boston in a rematch, but this time the Indians win in six.

W.S. - San Diego’s pitching will be great, but Cleveland’s experience and depth will bring the first World Series to the Forest City since 1948.