Co-Editor’s Picks…2014 Season

Oct 18, 2013; St. Louis, MO, USA; Members of the St. Louis Cardinals including Michael Wacha (52) celebrate on the field after game six of the National League Championship Series baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Rovak-USA TODAY Sports

Well, the time has come to put my money where my mouth is as the 2014 season got underway Sunday night, and games continued today. No, I’m not a Yankees’ homer. I don’t drink the pinstriped Kool-Aid just because it has the interlocking “NY” or because Brian Cashman says it’s so. To be perfectly honest, I think the Steinbrenner brothers and Brian Cashman are complete bozos, and have ZERO business running a big league franchise. I’ll get back to the Yankees in a bit. Right now though, I’m going to give my overall picks for divisional races, wild cards, and award winners in each league for the 2014 Major League Baseball season.

AL East:

1. Tampa Bay Rays

2. Boston Red Sox

3. New York Yankees

4. Baltimore Orioles

5. Toronto Blue Jays

AL Central:

1. Detroit Tigers

2. Kansas City Royals

3. Cleveland Indians

4. Minnesota Twins

5. Chicago White Sox

AL West:

1. Anaheim Angels

2. Oakland A’s

3. Texas Rangers

4. Seattle Mariners

5. Houston Astros

AL Wild Cards: Boston, New York; AL Champion: Detroit

NL East:

1. Washington Nationals

2. Atlanta Braves

3. Miami Marlins

4. New York Mets

5. Philadelphia Phillies

NL Central:

1. St. Louis Cardinals

2. Pittsburgh Pirates

3. Cincinnati Reds

4. Chicago Cubs

5. Milwaukee Brewers

NL West:

1. Los Angeles Dodgers

2. San Francisco Giants

3. Arizona Diamondbacks

4. San Diego Padres

5. Colorado Rockies

NL Wild Cards: Pittsburgh, Cincinnati; NL Champion: St. Louis Cardinals

World Series Champion: Cardinals over Tigers in 6 games.

AL MVP: Mike Trout, NL MVP: Joey Votto; AL Cy Young: James Shields, NL Cy Young: Jose Fernandez; AL ROY: Masahiro Tanaka, NL ROY: Billy Hamilton; AL Comeback POY: Derek Jeter, NL Comeback POY: Tim Lincecum; AL Manager of the Year: Ned Yost, NL Manager of the Year: Clint Hurdle.

Now, back to the Yankees. While I liked several of the moves they made (McCann, Beltran, and Tanaka), I wasn’t a big fan of others (Johnson and Ellsbury). I was glad to see the best player win out when it came to the final roster spot in Yangervis Solarte. Cashman would’ve been better off inviting Ryan to camp on a minor league deal, and when he got hurt, simply cut him loose. I’m also glad to see Michael Pineda at least pitching well enough to be the fifth starter. I still believe when the season ends, he’ll be at least the team’s #3 starter.

I also believe the Yankees made a serious mistake bypassing Grant Balfour on a 2-year deal and keeping David Robertson in the setup role. Having D-Rob and Betances as a 1-2 punch, man that would’ve been sweet to see. I don’t buy into Shawn Kelley. Sorry, he just gives up too many home runs for my liking. And why would you keep a lefty who throws 95 mph in the minors (Fred Lewis) and keep someone who is a starter by trade (Vidal Nuno) on the big league roster. This bullpen and infield defense will be the Achilles heel of this team in 2014. In an ideal world, the Steinbrenners would sell out to someone who cares about winning, much like “The Boss” did when he was alive. Someone line Mark Cuban. And once he bought the team, he would clean house, starting with Brian Cashman. I can dream can’t I? Enjoy your 2014 baseball season!