AL MVP- Mark Teixeira (NYY). With a healthy Alex Rodriguez in the lineup, you can expect him to have a career year. He probably should have won it last year.
NL MVP- Albert Pujols (StL)… Enough said. Ryan Braun will challenge him though.
AL Cy Young- Felix Hernandez (SEA). 20+ wins should be a cinch for King Felix with the retooled Mariners lineup.
NL Cy Young- Roy Halladay (PHI). Tim Lincecum’s reign is over. Halladay moves to a better team that will compete deep into the season. Lincecum’s numbers might be slightly better this year but Halladay will probably have 20+ Wins to go with the rest of his stellar numbers. Lincecum might have 15-16 Wins and will also have Matt Cain taking away some of the attention.
AL Rookie of the Year- Neftali Feliz (TEX). Showed great stuff in a short call up and Texas is on the rise in the AL West. Now that we know he will be pitching in relief, let’s just see how long it takes for him to become the closer.
NL Rookie of the Year- Stephen Strasburg (WAS). I don’t care if he isn’t called up until after Memorial Day. He will win the NL ROY award.
Position Player Most Likely to Surprise Everyone- Carlos Gonzalez (COL). He plays in a hitter friendly park and should see regular playing time. Expect a BA around .280-.290 with 25+ HR potential and 25+ SB potential.
Position Player Most Likely to Disappoint Everyone- Aaron Hill (TOR). He had a great season last year blasting 36 HR and driving in over 100 RBI. Don’t expect that to happen again with the lineup surrounding him this year. He will still be a solid fantasy second baseman but think more along the lines of 22-25 HR.
Pitcher Most Likely to Surprise Everyone- Brett Anderson (OAK). He has the makeup of a future Ace and he should be able to add on to his stats from last year.. Now, if he could only get some run support!!!
Pitcher Most Likely to Disappoint Everyone- Edwin Jackson (ARI). He went from Detroit to Arizona. Pitcher’s park to a hitter’s park. He hasn’t been throwing all too well in spring either. He looked like a future ace last year but something urged the Tigers to let him go.
Breakout Candidates/Keeper League Targets- Jason Heyward (ATL), Kyle Blanks (SD), Pedro Alvarez (PIT), Michael Taylor (OAK), Chris Carter (OAK), Justin Smoak (TEX), Madison Bumgarner (SF), Mike Stanton (FLA), Buster Posey (SF), Carlos Santana (CLE) and Drew Stubbs (CIN)
AL BA Leader- Ichiro Suzuki (SEA) .349
NL BA Leader- Hanley Ramirez (FLA) .344
AL HR Leader- Alex Rodriguez 42
NL HR Leader- Albert Pujols (MIL) 41
AL SB Leader- Jacoby Ellsbury (BOS) 64
NL SB Leader- Michael Bourn (HOU) 61
AL Wins Leader- Felix Hernandez 20
NL Wins Leader- Roy Halladay 21
AL SV Leader- Jonathan Papelbon (BOS) 43
NL SV Leader- Francisco Cordero (CIN) 42
AL West Champs- Los Angeles Angels
AL Central Champs- Minnesota Twins
AL East Champs- New York Yankees
NL West Champs- Los Angeles Dodgers
NL Central Champs- St. Louis Cardinals
NL East Champs- Philadelphia Phillies
AL Wild Card- Boston Red Sox
NL Wild Card- San Francisco Giants
AL Champs- New York Yankees
NL Champs- Philadelphia Phillies
World Series Champs- New York Yankees