MLB predictions

It's that time of the year. Thursday is Opening Day for Major League Baseball, one of the best days of the entire year if you ask me. There's something about baseball that just makes it seem like it's going to be a good summer. Check out ESPN for three games tomorrow and of course MLB Extra Innings and mlb.tv all season long. The World Champion San Francisco Giants open up at the hated Los Angeles Dodgers at 6 p.m. MT on ESPN, should be exciting. Okay, so now it's time to give you my picks for the upcoming season, starting with the American League:

AL East:
1. Boston Red Sox
2. New York Yankees
3. Tampa Bay Rays
4. Toronto Blue Jays
5. Baltimore Orioles

AL Central:
1. Minnesota Twins
2. Chicago White Sox
3. Detroit Tigers
4. Kansas City Royals
5. Cleveland Indians

AL West:
1. Oakland Athletics
2. Texas Rangers
3. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
4. Seattle Mariners

AL Wild Card:
1. New York Yankees
2. Texas Rangers
3. Tampa Bay Rays
4. Chicago White Sox
5. Detroit Tigers

And now for the National League:

NL East:
1. Philadelphia Phillies
2. Atlanta Braves
3. Florida Marlins
4. New York Mets
5. Washington Nationals

NL Central:
1. Milwaukee Brewers
2. Cincinnati Reds
3. St. Louis Cardinals
4. Chicago Cubs
5. Houston Astros
6. Pittsburgh Pirates

NL West:
1. San Francisco Giants
2. Colorado Rockies
3. San Diego Padres
4. Los Angeles Dodgers
5. Arizona Diamondbacks

NL Wild Card:
1. Colorado Rockies
2. Cincinnati Reds
3. Atlanta Braves
4. St. Louis Cardinals
5. Florida Marlins

In the AL seeding, I predict 1. Red Sox 2. Twins 3. Athletics 4. Yankees and in the NL 1. Phillies 2. Giants 3. Brewers 4. Rockies

And now for the round-by-round playoff predictions (NL winning the All-Star Game to give them home field advantage for World Series):

Division Series:
Red Sox over Athletics
Yankees over Twins
Philies over Rockies
Giants over Brewers

League Championship Series:
Red Sox over Yankees
Giants over Phillies

World Series:
Giants over Red Sox

There you have it, I'm picking my World Champion San Francisco Giants to repeat. How could I not? They do have pretty much the whole team back and the chemistry with this group is unlike just about anything I've ever seen in professional baseball, and there is something to be said about that.

The Phillies are going to miss Chase Utley I think, but they do have that pitching staff. But the Giants have the pitching, too, plus they have all the intangibles. The Red Sox I think are the team to beat in the American League. Carl Crawford is a big addition for them. I think the Athletics are going to make a run in the West this year with their young, talented pitching staff. In another pick that might surprise, I've picked the Brewers to win the NL Central. They've acquired some pitching to go along with that offense, notably Zack Greinke from the Kansas City Royals. Alright, that's all for now. It's time for baseball. All hail the World Champion San Francisco Giants!