Baseball Week#12: 2009 In Review Part 1-The Teams

After a week full of death-celebrities and the DC Metro tragedy-I thought I would take a different perspective and reflect on the baseball season so far. Over the next two postings-leading into the halfway point-I will look back at 2009 so far. This week's post will look at the teams and into my crystal ball to see what's in store.

It's been a very interesting 2009 to say the least. Maybe I would say that each year, but this year in a lot of ways has been very unique. Most of us are going through a very tough economy-a state of affairs most of us have never seen in our lifetimes. Sure, we've experienced recessions and slow times, but nothing like we've seen this year. For baseball, the proof is in the seats as attendance is down this year. While a lot of teams are either reigning in their spending or creatively marketing their teams, the usual suspects still continue to spend (and you know who you are!!)

What's made this period of time as interesting, especially as we head toward the trading deadline, are the number of teams still fighting for playoff spots. Teams like Atlanta are six games below .500, but only five games out of first place. A last place team like Pittsburgh is also only five games out of first place. Buyers or sellers?? Sure the economy will factor in, especially with low budget, but competitive teams trying to determine what is better-the added expense of a player to help for the stretch run...or trying to make a profit. Interesting decisions...

What's interesting about baseball teams this season is that there is not one single dominating and flawless team out there. I think we could see a playoff free for all this summer as no less than 22 teams are in some sort of playoff fight. If one team looks safe so far, it's probably the LA Dodgers. Even without Manny, the Dodgers stayed steady, as strong pitching as helped them throughout. They're still young, but I would think they should still be the favorite to get to the World Series as I predicted. The only other team in baseball I would think is safe is Boston. The Red Sox have thrived despite Big Papi having a turrible start. But pitching has been Boston's strength and I'm starting to think a Boston-LA Series might be more realistic.

So, as we approach the halfway point, here are my team awards so far:

Best Teams: LA Dodgers and Boston. Both expected playoff runs and both have played the best in their respective leagues so far. Philadelphia and Detroit are not far behind, but flawed enough to be a step or two behind.

Biggest Surprises (Good): St. Louis and Texas. The mainstream media would like you to think that St. Louis is a big surprise. Just remember, in April I predicted this would happen. As far as Texas, they are fading now, but if they get some pitching, they could hang with an injury riddled SoCal Angels. Milwaukee, Detroit and Colorado all are contenders for this category as each team was not given a chance to succeed this year.

Teams That Lurk: This category, like a post I did earlier this month, includes teams that did not start well, but still are close to making waves. Look out for the NY teams (although the Mets may never get there with all of their issues), Minnesota, Tampa, and the Cubs.

Worst Teams: Washington and Cleveland. What's sad in DC, is that fans have been waiting and waiting for the Lerner's plan to bear fruit. How long should they wait? Cleveland's first sign of the white flag is trading Mark DeRosa to the Cardinals. Ughhhh!

Biggest Surprises (Bad): Chicago Cubs, Cleveland , Arizona and Oakland. Excepting Arizona, the other teams were either expected to be at the top, or at least in playoff contention. Okay, of this group, only the Cubs are in playoff contention. And only the Cubs have a chance (maybe they've been toying with us). But these teams have been flops and shame on each of you for wasting your fans' time and money.

Revised Predictions???

I think as I see things now, there isn't much I would revise. But here's what I think we'll see in the second half:

American League

Original predicted playoff teams: Boston, Cleveland, Angels, NY Yankees (wild card).


-Count on Boston in the playoffs. I would say Detroit, given the state of the AL Central, to hang on. Minnesota will scare them, but doesn't have enough to overcome the Tigers. The Angels should be healthier and better down the stretch, so I keep them in. As far as the wild card, I still believe in the Yankees and I wouldn't be surprised if they get into first place at some point. But Boston will overcome them in the end. I did predict the Yanks to win the Series this year; but my revised prediction for the AL pennant will be Boston. I just think the Red Sox have more to offer than anyone else.

National League

Original predicted playoff teams: NY Mets, St.Louis, Los Angeles and San Francisco (wild card).

-The Phillies have surprised and confounded me this year. They have big issues, but compared to the Mets...oh my!! My revised prediction would be to take the Phillies for the NL East. Now the Central proves very interesting as each team is in the playoff hunt. I still think the Cardinals win in the end. I will also stick with the predictions I made for the West. I still believe the Giants will hang in there, but Colorado and Milwaukee will be hot on their trail. I wouldn't be surprised if a team gets 85-87 wins to take the wildcard. I still stand by the Dodgers to win the NL pennant.

The Dodgers and the Red Sox in the end will make a great World Series. I don't believe they have ever met and that makes it a bonus. To me, they are clearly the best right now. My revised prediction would be the Dodgers to take the world championship. Dodger fans, you better hope I didn't jinx you.

Next week: the Players.

JP