Predictions and Midseason Awards

Well, everyone, today is the All Star Game: the unnofficial halfway marker of the baseball season. So I thought it would be a good idea to look back at my preseason predictions and see how accurate I've been so far.

AL East winner: My preseason pick-Yankees Leader-Red Sox
Though, in my opinion, the Yankees made some questionable offseason moves, I don't think many people predicted this much of a dropoff. At this point, the Yankees don't have many offensive problems, but the pitching has been atrocious. They decided to trade for old star in Randy Johnson, who they are now paying a lot of money to only to see him be mediocre at best. Before the season, I though that Mussina and Pavano would be good, Johnson and Jaret Wright would be decent, and then they'd have the miserable Kevin Brown at the back end of the rotation. While that wouldn't be a great rotation, I thought that the Yankee offense would bail them out of some bad performances. However, the staff has been much worse than I predicted, and the Yankees will continue to be inconsistant for the rest of the year.
Winner of the AL East: Red Sox

AL Central winner: My preseason pick-Twins Leader-White Sox
Before the season, I wasn't very excited about the White Sox. It didn't seem like they made any significant changes to make themselves better than they have been the last few years. However, with Scott Podsednik leading their new smallball style along with fantastic pitching from Buehrle and Garland, the Sox have been the most successful team this year. I think the Twins will still make it to the playoffs as the wild card, but, even if Chicago doesn't play as well as they have so far, it would still be tough for them to lose their current lead.
Winner of the AL Central: White Sox
*Twins win the wild card

AL West winnner: My preseason pick-Angels Leader-Angels
Both at the beginning of the season and now, the Angels arethe clear cut favorite in this division. They have an offense well balanced with speed and power and, though the rotation isn't that great, they're one of the few teams in baseball with a very solid bullpen. We all know that the Rangers have fantastic offensive ability and, this year, they are showing improvement in the pitching staff, but they still are not at the point where they can beat out the Angels in the divisional race. The Angels continue to be the best team in the division.
Winner of the AL West: Angels

NL East winner: My preseason pick-Marlins Leader-Nationals
Nobody in the right mind could've predicted that the Nationals would be leading this division at the All Star Break. However, even with a mediocre offense, they've managed to climb to the top of the most competitive division in baseball. I can't say that I think the Nationals are a fluke, but I just can't imagine them continuing be this successful in the second half. Even if they continue to be as successful as they are now, I've always thought this year that the Marlins were the best team in the east, and I trust them to come out on top (as long as their pitching stays healthy).
Winner of the NL East: Marlins

NL Central winner: My preseason pick-Cardinals Leader-Cardinals
I never doubted that the Cardinals were one of the best teams in baseball. However, I thought that the Cubs would make things much more interesting during the regular season and that they'd make the playoffs as the wild card. However, once again riddled with injuries, they haven't shown yet that they can be a playoff team. The Cards have built up a substantial lead and will not lose it down the stretch. However, if, by some miracle, the Cubs can stay healthy for the rest of the year, look out.
Winner of the NL Central: Cardinals
*Cubs win the wild card (I'll go out on a limb here)

NL West winner: My preseason pick-Padres Leader-Padres
This hasn't exactly panned out to be the most exciting of divisions. San Diego is the only team with a record above .500 while the rest of the teams in the division have been dissapointing. The Dodgers have tapered off immensely after their early season hot streak, while the Giants, who many predicted to win the west, have 50 losses. The Padres have had their problems, but in such a bad division, I don't think they have much to worry about.
Winner of the NL West: Padres

World Seires: Preseason pick-Yankees over Cubs Now-Cardinals over Red Sox

Midseason Awards
AL MVP: Miguel Tejada
NL MVP: Derek Lee (but he won't win the Triple Crown)
AL Cy Young: Roy Halladay
NL Cy Young: Dontrelle Willis
AL Manager of the Year: Ozzie Guillen
NL Manager of the Year: Frank Robinson
-Adam

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