2014 MLB Postseason & Awards Predictions

The full glory that is Opening Day is here again, and with such beginnings, an expectation towards the end is already in play. Over the past two weeks, I have produced division-by-division previews from the ceiling to the floor of each team and how I feel about their chances for this summer. All manners of things can happen in-between now and the 161 games that follow from today onwards, from injury to simply over-achievement made good on (see the reigning World Series champs), and getting a grasp on exact where it all will play out is more often than not an exercise in calculated futility.

However, it’s the fun type of futility that everybody is invested in this time of the year, because for the most part, hopes spring rightfully eternal as the season opens up. With advent of the extra Wild Card spot and play-in game, more teams than ever have finished in range of the postseason—and not at the expense of quality of competition. The average win total of the two teams that have emerged from the Wild Card game in its first two years of existence as been 91 wins; a clear indicator of worth level of championship level competition. And while one as yet to reach the World Series, that day is coming—and it could be nigh.

Here is my best take on how the MLB season to come could play out, including a few bonus Award favorites in each league as well—and a few other random tidbits to come.

 

The Postseason

NL Wild Card Game—Pittsburgh Pirates vs. San Francisco Giants

Landing a Wild Card spot will tough in the NL this year, but I like what the Giants have done to address their lineup deficiencies and their starting staff is deep and experienced as well. The Pirates on the other hand could have the type of the team that puts up a win total that could win some divisions, but falls short within their own. Winner: Pirates

AL Wild Card Game—Tampa Bay Rays vs. Kansas City Royals

In what could be an intriguing matchup of two teams playing at the peak of their competitive window, both clubs are poised to take the long way to capitalizing on it. The Rays should reach their second straight Wild Card contest, while the Royals are within a stones toss of their first postseason in nearly 30 years. Winner: Rays

 

Division Series

St. Louis Cardinals vs. Pittsburgh Pirates

A rematch of what is sure to be a year-long power struggle, as well as a repeat of the best divisional series match up of a year ago, the Caridinals will face another tight challenge to start the postseason. In the end, the Cardinals growing experience with their young arms (as well as an active Shelby Miller this time around) pulls them ahead again in the matchup. Winner: Cardinals

Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Washington Nationals

This is a tight showcase of two teams that are fairly evenly matched. Both have great staffs and lineups that are as stacked as NL 8-man order can be. But the presence of Kershaw twice in a series is tough to bet against, I won’t today either. Winner: Dodgers

Boston Red Sox vs. Tampa Bay Rays

Look familiar? This dance was had last fall when the Rays headed to Boston as the freshly rewarded Wild Card winners. They stand to be an improved club this year with more experience for their young staff. The Sox have the experience, but I see the edge for the Rays this time around. Winner: Rays

Detroit Tigers vs. Oakland A’s

Can the third time be the charm for Oakland? Each of their previous two seasons have ended at the hands of the Tigers, and more specifically, at the hands of fantastic efforts from Justin Verlander. The third time does not seem to be much more of a charm either, and the Tigers are in line to reach a third consecutive ALCS. Winner: Tigers

 

League Championship Series

Los Angeles Dodgers vs. St. Louis Cardinals

A repeat in the NLCS is ahead of us, only this time the home field advantage swings to the Dodgers way. The Cardinals have made a routine of making it to this point, while the Dodgers are beginning to hit their peak. If they are both at full strength, this could have the intensity of a World Series contest, but in the end, the Cardinals seem to have an edge in the pitching depth department that can swing in their favor. Winner: Cardinals

Detroit Tigers vs. Tampa Bay Rays

A couple of Verlander/Price matchups in the ALCS could be worth the price of admission, but it’s the depth of a rotation that can tell the story here. The Rays are the better team in regards to lineup depth and impact, but the Tigers front end pitching is more impressive. In a series that will be defined by depth and bullpen potency, the Rays make the leap over the Tigers and reach their second World Series in franchise history. Winner: Rays

 

WORLD SERIES

St. Louis Cardinals vs. Tampa Bay Rays

Two very similar teams would face off here: balanced lineups that deploy a variety of approaches and a complete pitching staff, headlined by one of the game’s best pitchers. Matchups of this type usually come down to the moment and experience in it making the difference, and in that department, the Cardinals are unmatched in recent years and it will be the deciding factor in 12^th World Series title. Winner: Cardinals

 

As a capper to this preview exercise, a few award picks as well:

NL Most Valuable Player

1. Freddie Freeman—Braves

2. Yadier Molina—Cardinals

3. Ryan Braun—Brewers

4. Andrew McCutchen—Pirates

5. Paul Goldschmidt—Diamondbacks

AL Most Valuable Player

1. Mike Trout—Angels

2. Miguel Cabrera—Tigers

3. Evan Longoria—Rays

4. Adrian Beltre—Rangers

5. Robinson Cano—Mariners

NL Cy Young Award

1. Clayton Kershaw—Dodgers

2. Stephen Strasburg—Nationals

3. Adam Wainwright—Cardinals

4. Madison Bumgarner—Giants

5. Cliff Lee—Phillies

AL Cy Young Award

1. Justin Verlander—Tigers

2. David Price—Rays

3. Felix Hernandez—Mariners

4. Jered Weaver—Angels

5. Chris Sale—White Sox

NL Rookie of the Year

1. Billy Hamilton—Reds

2. Chris Owings—Diamondbacks

3. Gregory Polanco—Pirates

AL Rookie of the Year

1. Xander Bogearts—Red Sox

2. Nick Castellanos—Tigers

3. Taijuan Walker—Mariners

NL Comeback Player of the Year

1. Starlin Castro—Cubs

2. Johnny Cuerto—Reds

3. Matt Kemp—Dodgers

AL Comeback Player of the Year

1. Albert Pujols—Angels

2. Grady Sizemore—Red Sox

3. Michael Pineda—Yankees

 

Well, that’s about it and that’s about as much ground as I can ground as I can fly without my crystal ball. For the on the run Opening Day info, follow me on Twitter at @CheapSeatFan.

The Cheat Sheet: NFL Picks, Lines, Upsets – Week 8

NFL Week 8 takes to the field tonight in Tampa, and the Cheat Sheet resumes after a third straight week of reaching double-digit wins. And has the eighth time around the 2013 NFL takes shape, this may be the most straight-forward week of the season thus far on the picks sheet.

There is big time landslide potential in the London Jaguars/49ers matchup, as there is plenty of space between the Seahawks/Rams, Chiefs/Browns, Saints/Bills and Broncos/Redskins. A few clubs that had underwhelming starts see them come back to life in recent weeks, such as the Steelers, Panthers and Falcons have a chance to continue their resurrection as well. Yet the week also holds some neck-to-neck faceoffs in Detroit and Cincinnati, as well as a few chances for the favorite to fall as well.

Time to get into it again shortly, and to see if the season remains charitable to the Cheat Sheet as well.

FREE MONEY PICKS: 0-3

Upset of the Week: 1-1

SEASON RECAP: Week 7: 11-4, Season: 62-29

Thursday

Carolina Panthers (3-3) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-6) [CAR -6.0, Over/Under: 40]

Sunday

San Francisco 49ers (5-2) at Jacksonville Jaguars (0-6) in London [SF -16.5, Over/Under: 40.5]

Dallas Cowboys (4-3) at Detroit Lions (4-3) [DET -3.0, Over/Under: 51]

Cleveland Browns (3-4) at Kansas City Chiefs (7-0) [KC -7.5, Over/Under: 39.5]

Miami Dolphins (3-3) at New England Patriots (5-2) [NE -7.0, Over/Under: 45]

Buffalo Bills (3-4) at New Orleans Saints (5-1) [NO -12.0, Over/Under: 49]

New York Giants (1-6) at Philadelphia Eagles (3-4) [PHI -6.0, Over/Under: 52.5] **$$ Free Money Pick #1 $$**

New York Jets (4-3) at Cincinnati Bengals (5-2) [CIN -6.5, Over/Under: 41]

Pittsburgh Steelers (2-4) at Oakland Raiders (2-4) [PIT -1.5, Over/Under: 40.5]

Washington Redskins (2-4) at Denver Broncos (6-1) [DEN -13.0, Over/Under: 58.0]

Atlanta Falcons (2-4) at Arizona Cardinals (3-4) [ARI -2.5, Over/Under: 44.0] **Upset of the week**

Green Bay Packers (4-2) at Minnesota Vikings (1-5) [GB -10.0, Over/Under: 46.5]

Monday

Seattle Seahawks (6-1) at St. Louis Rams (3-4) [SEA -11.0, Over/Under 42.0] **$$ Free Money Pick #2 $$**

NFL FEARLESS PREDICTIONS – Week 4

It got real in the NFL last week. After a few weeks of the action sticking to the script, and a few surprising clubs managing to stay undefeated mixed in, some loud statements got made by clubs that many folks didn’t think were making real noise. The best part of it all is that many of the biggest shockers came from division matchups, meaning that there’s more drama to come later on and some even worse blood to be shed the second time around.

These division battles jumped all across the schedule and did not go unnoticed in the Fearless Predictions department. The rash of upsets around the league lead to nearly as many losses in week three as in weeks one and two combined. Good news first: it wasn’t a losing week. The Saints, 49ers, Titans, Lions, Panthers (in a ugly fashion), Ravens (in a brutal style), Chargers, Steelers and Cowboys all pulled out wins as predicted, making for nine wins. However, the L’s came early and often in the spotlight games of the week.

Two of the three “Game of the Week” selections ended up going against the script set here, and both were grind out NFC Division matchups that settled their winners in first place in the North and South, respectively. The Packers went into Chicago and behind three Aaron Rodgers/JerMichael Finley connections on pay dirt, pulled out the tough rivalry win. In Tampa, the Buccaneers made the Falcons look lost more often than not, and continued to prove their coming of age may have arrived already. However, these matchups were just the beginning of a few jaw dropping moments around last Sunday.

Ryan Fitzpatrick will look to keep the Bills surprising undefeated run to start the year going.

The Buffalo Bills set the league on fire when they forced Tom Brady to throw as many interceptions in four quarters as he did the whole of last year, and then held the Patriots off and beat them to remain undefeated. The New York Giants became the second team in two weeks to knock Michael Vick out the game, and became the second to beat the Philadelphia Eagles in as much time as well; dropping the much hyped club into the bottom of the East standings. Darren McFadden ran over the New York Jets and led the Raiders to a surprising win over the AFC East powerhouse. Also the Seahawks and Browns won gritty home games as well.

Overall, last week’s forecasts ended up with a 9-7 mark and the season tally on Fearless Predictions is 33-15. Week 3 correct picks were decided by 62 points, while the losses had a 43 point separation.

Game of the Week #1 – Detroit Lions (3-0) at Dallas Cowboys (2-1): The Lions have jumped out the gate with an offense that has finally been able to stay healthy enough to get on the field together, and an aggressive defensive line that pressures non-stop. Dallas, on the other hand, has been banged up all year and for the second week will be missing its number one receiver in Miles Austin….

Read more at Suite101: NFL Week 4 Fearless Predictions | Suite101.com http://matt-whitener.suite101.com/nfl-week-4-fearless-predictions-a391275#ixzz1Zd0SkQ14

Follow me on Twitter for game-by-game analysis, discussion and hyjinx at @CheapSeatFan.