The blind squirrel finds a nut

Let’s face it, people. It’s going to be a long, loss-filled summer for the Houston Astros.

Out of respect for an organization that nobody has any reason to dislike, most commentators and analysts are trying to take the high road when talking about the Astros. You’ll hear things like ‘They have just committed to totally restructuring and starting from the beginning,’ or ‘Houston has some great young talent in their system, so the future will be brighter.’

I also have no reason to hate Houston, but I’m not going to sugar-coat things. The Astros might be historically bad. This squad would have a tough time competing in Triple-A.

Still, aside from the opening night fervor of Houston’s 1-0 start and the six-game losing streak that immediately followed it, I heard something that made me think that the Astros aren’t totally incompetent. While the major league club is going to be a 25-man piñata for the A.L. West in 2013, the farm system is going to be identifying the MLB players of the future by using a tactic that I have advocated for a few years now.

The meat of Houston’s minor league talent is pitching. The organization has stockpiled tons of young arms that have the potential to be contributors at the highest level of play. Many other organizations have tried to build through pitching, but the problem is that pitching is one of the toughest positions to keep healthy and to accurately project from season to season.

But where many other teams have crapped out by choosing just a few of their 18 and 19 year old low minors pitchers and focusing all efforts in developing them – only to see them flame out – the Astros are taking a novel new approach.

Both the Triple-A and Double-A affiliates for Houston started the season with three or four guys designated as bullpen guys and eight others who are going to start games. Those eight starters are going to form four two-man tandems, with each slated to go about four innings or twice through the order. The next time through the rotation, they’ll switch places.

At the minor league level, this strategy mainly serves to get as many possible looks at potential starting pitchers in an extended outing. Once the season is a few months old, the Astros will select those who they want to start on a regular basis and move others into bullpen roles. I think that this is a great way to more efficiently develop arms in the minor leagues.

But here’s the thing. I think there is a strong case to be made for using a version of this strategy in the major leagues.

Now don’t get me wrong. I’m not talking about teaming up ace pitchers with other guys and shortening their outings. Most major league clubs have at least three or four guys who are capable of giving you more than half a game’s worth of decent pitching. However, even the better teams in the league often have trouble finding a quality pitcher to be their No. 5 starter.

My solution is to use that tandem tactic for the final spot in the rotation. Most of the guys already in the No. 5 slot are little more than long relief guys pressed into the rotation or fading veterans who can’t dominate anymore. Instead of praying that your No. 5 guy gets through his start without leaving in the third inning, why not designate two of those guys who don’t have the makeup of a front-line starter or a lights-out reliever to share the burden?

Even those guys at the end of the rotation’s or bullpen’s depth chart are usually able to make it through the lineup once without a ton of trouble. After all, they have made it all the way to the majors. The problem with these guys usually stems from not being able to maintain their speed/location or the fact that they only have one or two quality pitches. By the second and third time through an opponent’s lineup, guys have seen everything the pitcher has to offer and start to tee off.

By assigning the first 3-4 innings to one of these middling arms and having another ready to do the same, you can cut out a lot of those issues. Instead of managers having to play a cat-and-mouse game with trying to get as much out of his fifth starter as possible without allowing a big inning to occur, he can go into that No. 5 slot pretty confident that the team will get to at least the fifth or sixth inning before the rest of the bullpen gets pressed into action.

In the best case scenario, both guys pitch pretty well and the team cruises into the late innings with a good chance to win the game. In the worst case scenario, you can still hang on to the starter a little longer than you would otherwise and have the second guy enter the game knowing that his main job is to eat innings.

Either way, the end result will be a fully rested bullpen as the rotation turns over and the team’s best pitchers get their turn. If the No. 5 slot turns out even 8-10 wins over 30 or so starts, that wouldn’t be anything worse than one would expect from an average fifth starter. Throw in the added benefit of not having to worry about depleting the bullpen to save the fifth starter and the plusses of creating a tandem with much more predictable and manageable outcomes than the normal No. 5 starter far outweighs the risks of carrying one less guy at the back of the bullpen.

Of course, the obvious place to break in this theory is the American League. With limited switching of position players and without the concern of hitting for a pitcher in the batting order, it is much easier to justify using two guys to make up what is effectively one roster spot. If pressed, AL teams could go as far as to carry as many as 14 pitchers, with one super-utility OF and IF, along with a backup catcher.

Obviously, that’s a far-fetched scenario, but that doesn’t mean that better alternatives can’t be reached.

The only real argument to the tandem starter idea is that it would cost a team (especially in the position-switch-happy NL) either a pitcher or a bat off the bench. But it can easily be argued that more consistency in what can be expected out of the last spot in the rotation – even if that means using two guys – can make up for a shallower bullpen or bench.

With that in mind, even National League teams could probably afford to give this system a try if they aren’t totally sold on the lowest starting pitcher on their totem pole.

Throughout most of baseball’s history, the pitching aspect of assembling a roster has been incredibly easy. All that teams have ever had to do is find a few guys that are really good at getting batters out and then keep a few other arms in tow, just in case of a bad day.

Since players have only gotten stronger and more durable (and pitches have only gotten nastier) over time, the only viable reason that more pitchers appear on today’s rosters has to do with money. It will take a bold team to make a stand and say that it would rather construct a more efficient rotation, even if it comes at the expense of a big-money closer or setup man. Then again, all of the big innovations and paradigm shifts in sports stem from teams or coaches who are willing to make drastic changes before anyone else advocates them or realizes their potential effectiveness.

Sooner or later, some team is going to have a less-than-stellar rotation and decide to stop essentially punting every fifth game as a less-than-MLB-caliber pitcher takes the mound. If that team is ballsy enough to look at the numbers and realize that carrying two OK arms in the form of one starter is better than having one designated No. 5 starter and a cleanup guy at the back of the bullpen, then I would bet that they have some success and finally bring a new trend to baseball that doesn’t involve a record-breaking contract.

2013 MLB Preview: Senior Circuit Edition

Alright guys. That A.L. stuff from yesterday was fun but – unless I’m swinging and missing at guessing my target audience – I’m assuming the most of you are more concerned with the National League. Sorry to keep you waiting, but you know… cliffhangers and such.

Anyways, let’s get down to it.

The National League once again enters a season perceived as the inferior of the two. This has been the case for the last four years – never mind the fact that the N.L. has won the last three World Series.

I think that the perception has to do with all of the parity. The division races are a lot tougher to call over here in the N.L. The American League also gets a bump for having more recognizable superstars, but it takes all 25 guys to win a title.

Let’s see who will get it done from the National League this season.

N.L. East

1^st place – Washington Nationals

It’s tough not to call the Nationals the favorite in their division and in the entire league. Washington spent the better part of the last decade cleverly tooling around with such incredible incompetence that few people even realized how strong their farm system was getting with all of those top picks.

The entire world is now seeing the Nats’ endgame play out nicely as Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper are among the biggest stars in the game before either has turned 25.

The Nats seemed destined to take it all last year before MLB saw that the organization’s horrible attributes had shifted from the field to the front office. General Manager Mike Rizzo announced in the spring that a perfectly healthy Strasburg would be shut down after 160 innings, regardless of his or the team’s success. Strasburg proceeded to throw about 160 innings of Cy Young-caliber baseball, then played the role of perfectly healthy bystander as the Nats went down in flames in the NLDS.

This season, Strasburg has no limit and Harper will spend the entire season at the MLB level. Those factors would beg you to pencil them in for at least an N.L. championship, but keep in mind the never-before-seen great offense that Ian Desmond and Adam LaRouche contributed. If those were just flukes, it will still be a grind for Washington in a tough division.

2^nd place – Atlanta Braves

It’s hard to believe that the Braves have exactly one postseason win in the last seven seasons. That’s not a knock on Atlanta. Plenty of teams can’t even boast that much and a fall from the insane 1991-2005 run was bound to end sometime.

To their credit, the Braves don’t seem amused in the slightest over this recent dry spell and have responded by assembling a team that most will be wary of for 2013.

Whether you’re a fan of monstrous home runs or Herculean swings and misses, this year’s Braves are for you. Sure, a lineup filled with the likes of two Uptons, Brian McCann and Dan Uggla is going to make for some frustrating nights for Braves fans, but it will also turn quite a few games into home run derbies that Atlanta will be favored to win.

The Braves are going to score runs. They’re going to do so at a scary pace. And looking at a bullpen that includes Eric O’Flaherty, Jordan Walden and Craig Kimbrel, you can chalk up a win anytime the Braves make it to the 7^th inning with a lead.

The big question marks are in the starting rotation. Hoping for a healthy Tim Hudson, the continued dominance of Kris Medlen and for Mike Minor and Julio Teheran to realize their full potential seems like a bit much. Turn off the offense’s power for a few series along the way and I think that Washington will be just a bit better.

3^rd place – Philadelphia Phillies

Speaking of having to hope for a lot to go right, Phillies fans are at that horrible crossroads of knowing that their team has the talent to be great, but being even more certain of the fact that injuries/age/competition are likely to leave them on the outside looking in come postseason time.

The Phillies stepped aside as five-time defending division champs last season with a disheartening 81-81 mark. The forward strides taken by Atlanta and Washington in the offseason would seem to put the writing on the wall for the Phillies, but there are still reasons to be optimistic.

Prolonged injuries to Ryan Howard and Chase Utley, plus consistently horrible middle relief, took Philly all but out of contention for the division title before the All-Star break in 2012. But Utley and Howard returned in the second half, and that bullpen was considerably less awful. The Phils were too far back to get into October, but notched a 44-31 record in the second half.

With Utley and Howard expected to play full seasons, the emergence of top prospect Dominic Brown, and the addition of Mike Adams to the back end of the bullpen, it will probably only take 2-3 beers to talk a Phillies fan into thinking that they can take back the crown this season.

4^th place – New York Mets

For Braves fans who didn’t like the fact that Tom Glavine left for more money at the end of his career, at least take solace in the fact that he helped to destroy a division rival.

Glavine took the mound for the Mets on September 30, 2007. Just one season before, the Mets were three innings away from the World Series before losing to St. Louis. Just 18 days prior, New York led the division by seven games. The Mets pissed it all away, then Glavine gave up eight runs in the first inning of the final game of the season to lose the division for the Amazins. Since that fateful day, New York is a cumulative 389-421.

Johan Santana – the Mets’ free agent steal in 2008 – has been a disaster. Citi Field has been a slightly more expensive disaster with a stupid animatronic apple that somehow made the cut to come over from Shea Stadium. Last year, R.A. Dickey provided a bright spot, riding a rags-to-riches fairy tale of a season to the Cy Young Award. Clearly in violation of the Mets’ “we aren’t aiming for success” protocol, Dickey was promptly traded away.

Santana – perhaps sensing this year’s dumpster fire of a team – has already managed to reinjure his pitching arm. The rest of the roster reads as one great player (David Wright), one potentially great player (Ike Davis), and a ton of guys who will make Wright and Davis think that the Mets have surrounded them with extras for some new reality show they’re filming.

5^th place - Miami Marlins

At least the Mets’ lack of success can be attributed to good, old-fashioned not being any good at building a team or evaluating talent. Where the Miami Marlins are concerned, all of the hard times that they will suffer this season can be blamed squarely on a front office that obviously doesn’t care about winning baseball games.

Last season, the Marlins basically bought the entire free agent class, opened up a shiny – if tacky – new stadium, then said ‘to hell with it’ when things didn’t immediately work out.

In the aftermath of the Marlins’ fire sale, Miami is left with a bunch of below average or way-past-prime talent, and a pair of good players (Giancarlo Stanton and Ricky Nolasco) who must have slept through the alarm and failed to get off the sinking ship.

As for that new stadium, it’s the biggest disaster since… well… the 2012 Marlins offseason antics. Half of this season’s attendance is probably going to come from drunken Dominican Republic fans who are just waking up from those WBC contests held in Miami.

With no fans and that huge stadium bill to pay, a cut-rate roster isn’t going to be enough to stay profitable. This is where the Marlins have accidentally stumbled into a goldmine. That weird neon green that covers the outfield walls is hideous, but it is also perfect to use as a green screen. They have millions in potential digitally rendered advertisements just sitting out there, unrealized. Might as well sell it. There sure won’t be any fans or good players to distract attention from the ads.

N.L. Central

1^st place – Cincinnati Reds

I’m an offensive guy. I like home runs. I like hit-and-runs. I like to swear a lot (my offensiveness is well-rounded). For all of these reasons, I am way up on the Reds.

Simply put, there are very few places for pitchers to hide when facing the Reds’ lineup. They have frightening guys like Joey Votto Jay Bruce and (sometimes) Ryan Ludwick. They have promising up-and-comers like Zack Cozart and Todd Frazier. They even have under-the-radar killers like Shin-Soo Choo.

Add to that lineup a pretty solid starting rotation and the possibility of Aroldis Chapman throwing 102-MPH hellfire out of the bullpen and the Reds are going to be tough to beat.

The biggest threat to Cincinnati is the weight of expectations. The good news is that they have a scary team in 2013. The bad news is that they’ve had a pretty intimidating squad for the last 3-4 seasons. Cincy has some great pieces, but those pieces don’t stay great forever. The window is still open for a great run, but the task only gets tougher when teams focus on their own ticking clock.

2^nd place – St. Louis Cardinals

The Cardinals aren’t always great, but they’re the best in the league at not being terrible. It’s been 23 years since a St. Louis team has finished in last place. Heck, the Cards have only done worse than third place once since the turn of the millennium.

The 2013 Cardinals might not be world beaters, but they aren’t an easy out either. Getting word that Chris Carpenter’s career is likely over was a huge blow to absorb in spring training, but is says a lot about this team that the postseason is still a viable goal.

With Matt Holliday, Allen Craig, Carlos Beltran and a bunch of other hitters who just REEK of scrappiness and clutch, the offense should be just fine. But the Cardinals’ arms might be a season-long struggle. Adam Wainwright might be a Cy Young contender, but there is little other than some raw talent and potential filling out the rotation.

Jason Motte is also on the shelf with an ‘elbow strain’. Even if that is as benign as it sounds, it’s still something that you never want to hear mentioned in the same sentence as someone who throws 98-MPH gas.

3^rd place – Pittsburgh Pirates

It’s hard not to feel for the Pirates after the last two seasons. Already the owners of the longest stretch of consecutive losing seasons in professional sports, Pittsburgh flirted with above-averageness in each of the last two seasons, only to see their dreams come crashing down.

I’m not predicting that this will be the year that the 20-year streak of losing records ends, but I’m not sure that it will take more than an 80-82 record to notch third place in this division.

But enough with that pesky streak. Let’s look at all of Pittsburgh’s positives.

The Pirates have a breakout star in Andrew McCutchen and may have a future star on their hands if Starling Marte continues to progress in his first full year at the top level. The rest of the lineup has enough talent and experience to put up some runs throughout the season.

The biggest plus for the Pirates is the pitching. The Bucs finally have a rotation that should give them more quality starts than not and Jason Grilli could be the next big thing among the recent rash of young closers.

4^th place – Milwaukee Brewers

After committing to all of my standings predictions, the Brewers are my biggest surprise.

With former MVP Ryan Braun and household names like Aramis Ramirez, Rickie Weeks and Yovanni Gallardo on the roster, Milwaukee could very well have the talent to continue the upward climb that it was on from 2008-2011.

But something just doesn’t feel right. Even the addition of Kyle Lohse still doesn’t guarantee a good rotation and plenty of question marks like Jonathan Lucroy and Alex Gonzalez will be depended on in everyday roles.

Then there’s the elephant that refuses to leave the room. The suspension-turned-acquittal of Braun’s failed drug test before last season left plenty of people unsure of Braun’s honesty or true talent. A great 2012 season seamed to silence critics, but more links to PEDs have made Braun one of the most reviled players in baseball among his peers. He’ll probably still mash, but having that kind of stink follow you around can cause harm to the entire team.

5^th place – Chicago Cubs

Can we please do another comedy movie that features the Cubs? They really, really need it.

Think about it. The Indians got a new stadium and a pair of American League championships in the decade following the first Major League movie. We were entertained by Billy Heywood in Little Big League, which immediately preceded the Moneyball-esque success of the Twinkies that was covered in the A.L. preview. It took about a decade, but even L.A. got a World Series title after Angels in the Outfield.

In my opinion, Rookie of the Year is the second best of all those flicks, yet the Cubs never got their due. In the 20 years (God, I’m getting old) since that movie was released, the Cubbies have finished in fourth place or worse 12 times.

This season doesn’t appear to be a sign of better things to come as only three players on the roster are All-Star caliber. Anthony Rizzo and Starlin Castro are the only two that are really good at playing baseball, but I include Alfonso Soriano since he still collects huge checks at an All-Star level.

Personally, I think that the greatness of ‘Rookie of the Year’ earned the Cubs the 2003 world championship until Bartman messed with the order of the universe.

N.L. West

1^st place – Los Angeles Dodgers

Just as I was leery of picking the Red Sox to finish last, I have some reservations about picking the team that relieved Boston of its vital parts to finish in front of the defending world champions.

The Dodgers took a lot of flack for absorbing the massive contracts held by underperforming stars Carl Crawford, Adrian Gonzalez and Josh Beckett. This could all turn out to be a huge train wreck, but I see a method in the madness.

Those guys were all stars in markets where baseball came second. Once they had to endure the Boston media, their entire approach to the game was hindered. Say what you will about their mental toughness, but the usual optimism of Dodger fans – along with the much more relaxed atmosphere – puts all of these guys right back in their wheelhouse.

Throw in Zack Greinke (if these spring elbow issues die down) and the return of Hanley Ramirez in May and the Dodgers could start looking like a franchise that is worth the $2 billion that  they sold for last year.

2^nd place – San Francisco Giants

When you play in a stadium where you might be murdered by seagulls (watch some of the WBC highlights) even a pair of World Series titles in three seasons can’t keep you from having some sideways glances thrown your way.

The Giants have an insane group of arms in their rotation and bullpen. Beyond insane, really. Tim Lincecum and Barry Zito both have Cy Young’s to their name, and they are, by far, the two guys in this year’s rotation with the least impressive stuff. Things only get worse for opposing hitters as Santiago Casilla, Jeremy Affeldt and Sergio Romo lie in wait in the bullpen to close games out.

San Francisco found a way to win it all in 2012 without a very explosive offense, but past success can’t be recalled to dictate future results. The Giants are still a team that rates as average – maybe – in most offensive categories.

Buster Posey is a stud in the middle of the order, but the modest power of Hunter Pence and Pablo Sandoval is mitigated by one of the most pitcher-friendly parks in all of baseball. After those three, it’s down to a bunch of punch hitters that will do well to get a few clutch hits all year.

The Giants might well win it all again this year, but if they do, it will be on the back of another dominant run of pitching and not because they’re more talented than some of the other teams in the league.

3^rd place – San Diego Padres

There isn’t much expected of the Padres this year, but I think that just creates a better environment for a lot of young talent to flourish.

Most baseball fans are well aware of 2012 N.L. RBI champ Chase Headley, but there hasn’t been much reason of late to get familiar with any other players in the organization. I’m not going to project greatness for this year’s Padres, but if any team come out of absolutely nowhere a la the 2012 Orioles, this could be the squad.

If that underdog story does play out, stadium renovations could prove to be one of the best organizational moves that the Padres have made in a long time. Carlos Quentin and Yonder Alonso both possess plenty of power, but it’s power that would have been negated while playing in cavernous Petco Park’s previous dimensions. This season, the fences have been moved in.

The Padres’ offense should get the obvious boost in production as former fly balls turn into doubles and home runs. This change is accentuated by the fact that a pitching staff featuring Edinson Volquez, Clayton Richard, Luke Gregorson and Huston Street can keep opposing bats quiet no matter the field dimensions.

Of the 10 available playoffs spots, there are probably only 13-14 teams that most analysts would agree are in the race for October. The Padres are not one of those teams, but if everything plays out right, they could be this year’s Cinderella.

4^th place – Arizona Diamondbacks

While the Padres seem to be full of unrealized potential, the 2013 Diamondbacks look like they might be riding the coattails of the one-time greatness displayed by several of their players.

Right off the bat, the D’backs seem like they could be offensively challenged. Cody Ross, Aaron Hill and Martin Prado have doubles power that can include home runs, but there is no true cleanup hitter. Stout pitching rotations within the division, combined with plenty of pitcher’s parks (including their own) housing most of their games could make the Diamondbacks a low-scoring bunch.

If pitcher’s duels become the norm, Arizona probably isn’t in great shape. Ace starter Ian Kennedy is a solid pitcher, but his 21-win performance in 2010 is way more than anyone should expect from him for the rest of his career. Brandon McCarthy could turn out to be a great signing, but he only has one good year in the bigs and ended last season with a line drive off the head, followed by brain surgery.

If all of the pieces of this hodge-podge of a team work well together, they’ll be just fine. In the much more likely scenario that injuries occur or that a few guys don’t live up to their past numbers, the D’backs could be in for a long season.

5^th place – Colorado Rockies

The Rockies are full of guys who have had some spectacular years in the big leagues. The problem is that – with the exception of that miracle run to the World Series six years ago – none of those players have had those big years at the some time.

Carlos Gonzalez can be a 30/30 guy, or he can sputter without protection. Troy Tulowitzki can be the best shortstop in the game, or he can get dinged up and never make it back to 100 percent health. The closest thing to consistency on this team is Todd Helton. He’s a Hall of Famer in my book, but his best years are far behind him and he can’t be counted on to make the Rockies’ offense imposing.

When it comes to the pitching, Colorado has apparently elected to punt. The Rockies suffered a lot of injuries to their top five starters – all of whom are healthy for this season – but those guys were pretty much awful even before they got hurt. Combined with the pitcher’s nightmare that is Coors Field, the all-alliteration quintet of Jorge (De La Rosa), Jhoulys (Chacin), Juan (Nicasio), Jeff (Francis) and John (Garland) might have their confidence shattered before May gets here.

POSTSEASON

Crap. I thought that I was in the home stretch. With 10 teams in the postseason, there’s still another few miles to go in this marathon. Give me a cup of Gatorade and I’ll try not to poop myself while running down how October is going to play out.

Wild Card Games

Toronto over Oakland

The Blue Jays aren’t the superpower that some people think, but lackluster years from the Yankees, Orioles and Red Sox allow them to rack up wins and claim the top wild card spot. In a one-off game against the A’s, Toronto’s powerful lineup smacks a few home runs to stay alive.

Atlanta over St. Louis

In a revenge game from last season, the Braves once again host a one-game playoff against the Cardinals. This time around, Medlen pitches a little bit better, Atlanta’s defense plays a lot better, and Justin Upton seals the win with a 450-foot infield fly into the left field seats.

Division Series

L.A. Angels over Toronto (3-1)

All of those big bats in the Toronto lineup will be silenced by the Angels’ solid starting pitching and the cool October air. The Blue Jays have a few glorified slow pitch softball guys who can hit it 500 feet, but the Angels have athletes who can hit home runs AND leg out doubles and triples when their shots don’t clear the fence.

Detroit over Tampa Bay (3-2)

In the most entertaining division series, the home team wins all five games with late runs in pitcher’s duels. Detroit just barely gets through after being afforded the opportunity to rest regular starters and set up its rotation perfectly after clinching the Central in mid-September.

Atlanta over Washington (3-1)

The Braves hit a cold streak early in the year and fall a handful of games behind the Nationals. Atlanta will regain its form and catch fire, but won’t quite catch up in the regular season, leading to a playoff showdown. After hearing all season that the Nationals are just better, the Braves’ starting pitchers step it up a notch. Atlanta’s big bats connect for a few clutch hits off of Washington’s starters and Atlanta pulls the upset.

Cincinnati over L.A. Dodgers (3-0)

The Reds prove traditionalist wrong as their good hitting defeats the Dodgers’ good pitching. Los Angeles’ rotation can be overpowering, but the Reds’ best hitters have the ability to dial it down at the plate and just find a way to get on base and start a rally. In the other dugout, the middle of the Dodgers’ order is too hit-or-miss. Cincinnati’s starting pitching isn’t elite, but it will take care of a Dodgers team that is pressing too hard to live up to expectations.

League Championship Series

L.A. Angels over Detroit (4-2)

Justin Verlander shuts down the Angels in both of his starts, but the Tigers can’t find anyone else who can navigate the Angels’ deadly batting order. The Angels – having already outlasted their cross-town rivals – come into the series playing loose and silence all of the critics who blasted them for coming up short in 2012.

Cincinnati over Atlanta (4-2)

The Braves have the making of a team that can win a World Series or two, but they have one more year of growing pains ahead of them. After a decade and a half of riding strong starting pitching deep into October, that facet of the game turns on the Braves in the NLCS. Paul Maholm won’t pitch well enough to make the postseason rotation and the combination of Bruce and Votto feast on the right-handed Atlanta starters. The Braves’ offense will get its shots in, but Aroldis Chapman will blow away hitters in notching three saves in the series.

World Series

L.A. Angels over Cincinnati (4-1)

Remember how I talked about the National League exceeding expectations over the last few years? Yeah, well there’s a reason that everyone keeps saying that the American League is better. The Angels could have been a title contender last year, but took too long to heat up. Los Angeles got even stronger over the offseason and will certainly be more focused as the 2013 season begins. The Angels will win their division by a comfortable margin and outlast the other 2-3 possible title contenders in the league to make it to the Fall Classic. Once there, the Angels’ bats continue to mash and the Reds can’t keep up. Mark it down now – The Los Angeles Angels are your 2013 champs.