MY 2014 NFL MOCK DRAFT

Here it is, my second annual mock draft, I was pretty far off on my picks last year but what can you do? My picks, unbiasedly of course, are the correct ones that teams should make or the ones that everyone knows that they really need to make.

1. Houston Texans- DE Jadaveon Clowney, South Carolina. This team is in desperate need of a quarterback, but this guy's too good to pass up, especially with the lack of first round talent at the quarterback position.

2. St Louis Rams (From Washington)- OT Greg Robinson, Auburn, even though they desperately need wide receivers and a real quarterback, they will go with Robinson

3. Jacksonville Jaguars- OLB/DE Khalil Mack, Buffalo. Three top teams that desperately need quarterbacks, but will not take them, Mack is too good of a fit in Bradley's system that he wants to run

4. Cleveland Browns- QB Johnny Manziel, Texas A & M. more of a marriage of need then skill, he doesn't have the size or the skill

5. Oakland Raiders- Sammy Watkins, WR, Clemson. One of the Raiders favorite type of players, big strong and fast. Could see Mack here if Jacksonville takes Watkins, who's going to throw him the ball in either place is a mystery to me.

6. Atlanta Falcons- Jake Matthews, Texas A & M, OT.

7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- WR Mike Evans, Texas A & M

8. Minnesota Vikings- QB Blake Bortles, Central Florida- hope they're ready for another quarterback bust after 2 years of Ponder

9. Buffalo Bills- OT Taylor Lewan Michigan, this is a pick that I really wasn't sure about with where to go, so I went to the mock drafts and took the most often selected player.

10. Detroit Lions- TE Eric Ebron North Carolina, with Calvin Johnson on the outside they can use a reliable tight end, other places I could see them going is either corner or safety

11. Tennessee Titans- CB Justin Gilbert Oklahoma State, a good cover corner after the loss of Alterraun Verner

12. New York Giants- DT Aaron Donald Pittsburgh, would've loved to see him in a Bears uniform but I highly doubt he'll be there at 14.

13. St Louis Rams- WR Odell Beckham Jr LSU, not a fan of him, especially compared to the rest of their receivers, who are all small receivers instead of big receivers but he's serviceable

14. Chicago Bears- S Calvin Pryor, Louisville. The Bears need help at corner, safety, and defensive tackle, based on who's gone already I have to go with Pryor over the injury prone HaHa Clinton Dix

15. Pittsburgh Steelers- CB Kyle Fuller, Virginia Tech, another pick where I'm not sure where they might go, but makes sense based on available players

16. Dallas Cowboys- OT Zach Martin, Notre Dame, solid starter who can make plays on the line

17. Baltimore Ravens- I really haven't got a clue where they may go here, possibly WR or a prime contender to trade down

18. New York Jets- WR Brandon Cooks Oregon State, they need to put receivers out there for Geno Smith/Mike Vick

19. Miami Dolphins- ILB CJ Moseley Alabama

20. Arizona Cardinals- QB Derek Carr, Fresno State, its a good pick for a team with a 35 year old quarterback where he can learn behind him for a year, but I'm not sold on him overall

21. Green Bay Packers- OLB Ryan Shazier Ohio State, fits into their scheme

22. Philadelphia Eagles- Kelvin Benjamin Florida State, solid receiver to replace DeSean Jackson

23. Kansas City Chiefs- WR Marqise Lee USC

24. Cincinnati Bengals- CB Darqueze Denard Michigan State, if he drops this far, barring someone trading up this will be the quickest pick of the first round

25. San Diego Chargers- OLB Anthony Barr UCLA

26. Cleveland Browns- This pick I have no clue on, they could go a lot of ways, it all depends on what they do with #4 and the rest of the draft

Past these I have no clue but here are some guys who could go:

Ra'shede Hageman- DT from Minnesota
Teddy Bridgewater- QB from Louisville, could be this year's Geno Smith, drops out of first round but early 2nd
HaHa Clinton Dix- S from Alabama, I have major injury concerns over him

The start of a pair of blogs over the question of DH vs no DH

Hello Again,

So I know, I haven't been blogging in quite a while, I've been busy with personal and medical issues, but now its time to restart my blog. For the longest time, I have been a bigger fan of the American League, and their logical use of the Designated Hitter instead of the unnecessary use of pitchers as batters. My reasoning behind this is simple, too many pitchers when they go up to bat don't even take the bat off of their shoulders, so they're automatic outs, why keep this up? Even the ones that hit don't really go all out to try to get on base, see Jason Hammel of the Chicago Cubs earlier this season in a game that I was in attendance for against the Pittsburgh Pirates. It was early in the game, I can't remember which inning, but it was quite early, he hits a weak grounder back to the pitcher and didn't even bother to leave the batters box. Yes I know, the ground-ball to the pitcher is a routine out, but with all of the bad defensive play across the board you can at least start down the baseline to put some pressure on the pitcher to make a good throw. This is just plain laziness, too lazy to even walk out of the batters box, I get it his job is to pitch not to hit and run, but that explains why pitchers shouldn't be batting. The average Designated Hitter in the American League is an older player, who is on his last legs, can't really play defense but can still make valuable contributions with his bat. Prime examples of this are David Ortiz and Adam Dunn, guys who are defensive liabilities to say the least, but can still contribute by driving in runs. With how powerful the MLBPA is and how much sense this would make, I wonder why they haven't attempted to force the National League to drop the pitchers batting rule and adopt the Designated Hitter. Many players' careers would be extended by having more teams able to use a designated hitter, and teams' younger players could be called up and play earlier in their places in the field. This makes too much sense for the MLBPA to not force the NL to adopt the DH, they want players to have longer careers, and they have the influence in order to make this happen, even through collective bargaining. At the very least the American League should not have to have pitchers bat who don't at any other time during the year other then during interleague games, just so they can risk injury doing things they're not used to doing.

My NFL Mock Draft

Here it is, the NFL draft, one of the milestones in the offseason that never ends for the NFL. The night where guys wearing $2,000 suits put on $30 hats for the cameras. I'm a fan of the draft, and how the NLF has handled the marketing of it. Comparing the NFL draft to the rest of the leagues draft days, the closest is the NBA, but it doesn't have the same feeling as the NFL draft. Anyways, here is my mock draft sure to go wrong, I will not take into account the possibility of trades, instead who teams should take at the spots if they stay where they are.

1. Kansas City Chiefs: T Eric Fisher Central Michigan University
2. Jacksonville Jaguars: DE Dion Jordan University of Oregon
3. Oakland Raiders: DT Shariff Floyd, University of Florida
4. Philadelphia Eagles: DT Star Lotulelei University of Utah
5. Detroit Lions: OT Luke Joeckel Texas A & M University
6. Cleveland Browns: CB Dee Miliner University of Alabama
7. Arizona Cardinals: OT Lane Johnson University of Oklahoma
8. Buffalo Bills: G Chance Warmack University of Alabama
9. New York Jets: OLB Barkevious Mingo Louisiana State University
10. Tennessee Titans: G Jonathan Cooper University of North Carolina
11. San Diego Chargers: DE Ezekiel Ansah Brigham Young University 
12. Miami Dolphins: CB Xavier Rhodes Florida State University
13. New York Jets: WR Tavon Austin West Virginia University
14. Carolina Panthers: DT Sheldon Richardson University of Missouri
15. New Orleans Saints: OLB Jarvis Jones University of Georgia
16. St Louis Rams: S Kenny Vaccaro University of Texas
17. Pittsburgh Steelers: WR Cordarelle Patterson University of Tennessee
18. Dallas Cowboys: DT Sylvester Williams University of North Carolina
19. New York Giants: DE Bjoern Warner Florida State University
20. Chicago Bears: OT DJ Fluker University of Alabama
21. Cincinnati Bengals: ILB Alec Ogletree University of Georgia
22. St Louis Rams: RB Eddie Lacy University of Alabama
23. Minnesota Vikings: WR Robert Woods University of Southern California
24. Indianapolis Colts: CB DJ Hayen University of Houston
25. Minnesota Vikings: ILB Manti Te'o University of Notre Dame
26. Green Bay Packers: T/G Jonathan Pugh Syracuse University
27. Houston Texans: WR DeAndre Hopkins Clemson University
28. Denver Broncos: DE Datone Jones University of California Los Angeles
29. New England Patriots: CB Desmond Trufant University of Washington
30. Atlanta Falcons: CB Robert Alford South East Louisiana
31. San Francisco 49ers: TE Zach Ertz Stanford University
32. Baltimore Ravens: ILB Kevin Minter Louisiana State University

MLB Standings and stats through three weeks

So, I've been working on a databasing project for class, and I had to do a set of stats that compiles, being a huge baseball fan, I chose baseball stats, to go with my predictions. So I've compiled the stats and run the numbers so far this year, and have come up with some conclusions from these stats. These stats will be put in standings order with BA/OBP/SLG/OPS stats, and maybe a word or two about my observations.

AL EAST:

BOSTON RED SOX:

12-6; Team ERA: 2.83 Team BA/OBP/SLG/OPS: .255/.333/.402/.735

NEW YORK YANKEES:

10-7; Team ERA: 4.01; Team BA/OBP/SLG/OPS: .273/.339/.467/.806

BALTIMORE ORIOLES:

10-8; Team ERA: 4.13; Team BA/OBP/SLG/OPS: .265/.328/.445/.773

TAMPA BAY RAYS:

8-10; Team ERA: 4.00; Team BA/OBP/SLG/OPS: .222/.296/.351/.647

TORONTO BLUE JAYS:

8-11; Team ERA: 4.65; Team BA/OBP/SLG/OPS: .229/.293/.392/.685

AL CENTRAL

KANSAS CITY ROYALS:

10-7; Team ERA: 3.31; Team BA/OBP/SLG/OPS: .264/.314/.388/.702

MINNESOTA TWINS:

8-7; Team ERA: 3.95; Team BA/OBP/SLG/OPS: .240/.333/.354/.687

DETROIT TIGERS:

9-9; Team ERA: 3.81; Team BA/OBP/SLG/OPS: .272/.336/.377/.714

CLEVELAND INDIANS:

7-10; Team ERA: 4.65; Team BA/OBP/SLG/OPS: .252/.329/.452/.781

CHICAGO WHITE SOX:

7-11; Team ERA: 3.40; Team BA/OBP/SLG/OPS: .232/.271/.385/.656

AL WEST:

TEXAS RANGERS:

12-6; Team ERA: 2.68; Team BA/OBP/SLG/OPS: .249/.318/.424/.743

OAKLAND ATHLETICS:

12-7; Team ERA: 3.84; Team BA/OBP/SLG/OPS: .256/.341/.430/.771

LOS ANGELES ANGELS:

7-10; Team ERA: 4.58; Team BA/OBP/SLG/OPS: .280/.336/.428/.764

SEATTLE MARINERS:

7-13; Team ERA: 4.59; Team BA/OBP/SLG/OPS: .218/.285/.346/.631

HOUSTON ASTROS:

5-13; Team ERA: 5.40; Team BA/OBP/SLG/OPS: .250/.305/.407/.711

NATIONAL LEAGUE

NL EAST:

ATLANTA BRAVES:

13-5; Team ERA: 2.36; Team BA/OBP/SLG/OPS: .242/.321/.429/.750

WASHINGTON NATIONALS:

10-8; Team ERA: 4.16; Team BA/OBP/SLG/OPS: .244/.311/.427/.738

NEW YORK METS:

9-8; Team ERA: 4.44; Team BA/OBP/SLG/OPS: .268/.341/.459/.800

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES:

8-11; Team ERA: 4.75; Team BA/OBP/SLG/OPS: .244/.291/.373/.664

MIAMI MARLINS:

4-15; Team ERA: 4.37; Team BA/OBP/SLG/OPS: .208/.269/.279/.548

NL CENTRAL:

CINCINNATI REDS:

11-8; Team ERA: 3.62; Team BA/OBP/SLG/OPS: .262/.346/.418/.765

PITTSBURGH PIRATES:

10-8(Magic Number for .500 71); Team ERA: 3.60; Team BA/OBP/SLG/OPS: .226/.299/.352/.650

ST LOUIS CARDINALS:

10-8; Team ERA: 3.47; Team BA/OBP/SLG/OPS: .240/.296/.382/.677

MILWAUKEE BREWERS:

9-8; Team ERA: 4.70; Team BA/OBP/SLG/OPS: .260/.316/.417/.732

CHICAGO CUBS:

5-12; Team ERA: 3.97; Team BA/OBP/SLG/OPS: .237/.289/.416/.705

NL WEST:

COLORADO ROCKIES:

13-5; Team ERA: 3.85; Team BA/OBP/SLG/OPS: .289/.358/.492/.850

SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS:

12-7; Team ERA: 4.32; Team BA/OBP/SLG/OPS: .270/.332/.370/.702

ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS:

10-8; Team ERA 3.41; Team BA/OBP/SLG/OPS: .257/.317/.408/.725

LOS ANGELES DODGERS:

8-10; Team ERA: 3.26; Team BA/OBP/SLG/OPS: .261/.339/.367/.706

SAN DIEGO PADRES:

5-13; Team ERA: 4.55; Team BA/OBP/SLG/OPS: .251/.319/.381/.700

So, what does this all mean? Honestly, I'm not sure, but we'll see how things end up, here's the top and bottom 5 in multiple categories with their place in their division standings in parentheses:

Team ERA Top 5:

1. Atlanta Braves: 2.36(1st in NL East)
2. Texas Rangers: 2.68(1st in AL West)
3. Boston Red Sox: 2.83(1st in AL East)
4. Los Angeles Dodgers: 3.26(4th in NL West)
5. Kansas City Royals: 3.31(1st in AL Central)

Team ERA Bottom 5:

1. Houston Astros: 5.40(5th in AL West)
2. Philadelphia Pillies: 4.75(4th in NL East)
3. Milwaukee Brewers: 4.70(4th in NL Central)
4. Cleveland Indians: 4.65(4th in AL Central)
5. Toronto Blue Jays: 4.65(5th in AL East)

Team BA Top 5:

1. Colorado Rockies: .289(1st in NL West)
2. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim: .280(3rd in AL West)
3. New York Yankees: .273(2nd AL East)
4. Detroit Tigers: .272(3rd AL Central)
5. San Francisco Giants(2nd NL Central)

Team BA Bottom 5:

1. Miami Marlins: .208(5th NL East)
2. Seattle Mariners: .218(4th AL West)
3. Tampa Bay Rays: .222(4th AL East)
4. Pittsburgh Pirates: .226(2nd NL Central)
5. Toronto Blue Jays: .229(5th AL East)

Team OBP Top 5:

1. Colorado Rockies: .358(1st NL West)
2. Cincinnati Reds: .346(1st NL Central)
3. New York Mets: .341(3rd NL East)
4. Oakland Athletics: .341(2nd AL West)
5. Los Angeles Dodgers: .339(4th NL West)

Team OBP Bottom 5:

1. Miami Marlins: .269(5th NL East)
2. Chicago White Sox: .271(5th AL Central)
3. Seattle Mariners: .285(4th AL West)
4. Chicago Cubs: .289(5th NL Central)
5. Philadelphia Phillies: .291(4th NL East)

Team Slugging % Top 5:

1. Colorado Rockies: .492(1st NL West)
2. New York Yankees: .467(2nd AL East)
3. New York Mets: .459(3rd NL East)
4. Cleveland Indians: .452(4th AL Central)
5. Baltimore Orioles: .445(3rd AL East)

Team Slugging % Bottom 5:

1. Miami Marlins: .279(5th NL East)
2. Seattle Mariners: .346(4th AL West)
3. Tampa Bay Rays: .351(4th AL East)
4. Pittsburgh Pirates: .352(2nd NL Central)
5. Lost Angeles Dodgers: .367(4th NL West)

Team OPS Top 5:

1. Colorado Rockies: .850(1st NL West)
2. New York Yankees: .806(2nd AL East)
3. New York Mets: .800(3rd NL East)
4. Cleveland Indians: .781(4th AL Central)
5. Baltimore Orioles: .773(3rd AL East)

Team OPS Bottom 5:

1. Miami Marlins: .548(5th NL East)
2. Seattle Mariners: .631(4th AL West)
3. Tampa Bay Rays: .647(4th AL East)
4. Pittsburgh Pirates: .650(2nd NL Central)
5. Chicago White Sox: .656(5th AL Central)

Division Winners and awards

Hello again, so I didn't get a chance to post this over the weekend but I'm not cheating and waiting for opening day to make my picks, these were made a while ago.

National League Awards and Division Winners:

NL East: Washington Nationals, they're gonna win 100 games this year.

NL Central: Cincinnati Reds in a close race that will go down to the wire.

NL West: Los Angeles Dodgers, its going to be close between them and the Giants, but I'm taking the Dodgers in this one.

NL Wildcard teams: Giants and Pirates

NL Cy Young: Johnny Cueto, I have a feeling that Strasburg and Gonzalez are going to cancel each other out, split the votes for Cy Young.

NL MVP: Bryce Harper, this pick was made before he hit 2 homers in his first 2 at bats today, he's going to be one hell of a player.

NL Manager of the Year: Davey Johnson, this team wins 100 there's not even going to be a race.

NL Rookie of the Year: I honestly don't know, I'm going to do another one near the all star break and I'll have a pick then.

NL Pennant: Washington Nationals

American League Awards and Division Winners:

AL East: Toronto Blue Jays, going out on a limb and calling them the winners.

AL Central: Detroit Tigers, as much as it hurts me to predict this, I've gotta go with my brain, not my heart.

AL West: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, by a slim margin over the Athletics

AL Wildcard teams: Baltimore Orioles and Kansas City Royals

AL Cy Young: Not as clear cut as some would think, I'm going out on a limb and taking Jake Peavy.

AL MVP: Mike Trout, he's got a ton of protection in that lineup.

AL Manager of the Year: John Gibbons

AL Rookie of the Year: As with NL, I have no idea, have to see at the all star break

AL Pennant: Angels

World Series Champion:Washington Nationals

Top managers on the hottest seats in each division:

1. Terry Collins-New York Mets; this one is more based on lack of options, Charlie Manuel is going first in this division, but probably by retirement at the end of the year.
2. Bud Black-San Diego Padres; he has had too many years of losing, even though it isn't his fault with mismanagement.
3. Ron Gardenhire-Minnesota Twins; He had quite a few years of success, but they haven't really competed in the last 5 years, I can't see them keeping him much longer if they're at the bottom of the division again.
4. Ron Roenicke-Milwaukee Brewers; more a case of lack of options
5. I don't have a possibility for the AL East, they're all set with their managers.
6. Eric Wedge-Seattle Mariners; Wedge has had a few years, and none of them have been successful

NL West

So here we go, the last of my division blogs, the NL West, the team that has provided the WS Champs 2 of the last 3 years, and is getting better. This division is led by the Giants, but up and comers the Dodgers, Diamondbacks, Rockies and Padres, it'll be interesting to see how this division ends up. So here we go, the last predictions for a division, and then I'll make some awards predictions in another blog.

San Francisco Giants

2012 Record: 94-68, Won world series

Manager: Bruce Bochy

Projected Starting Pitchers: Matt Cain, Madison Bumgarner, Tim Lincecum, Ryan Vogelsong, Barry Zito

Projected Starting Fielders: C Buster Posey, 1B Brandon Belt, 2B Marco Scutaro, SS Brandon Crawford, 3B Pablo Sandoval, LF Gregor Blanco, CF Angel Pagan, RF Hunter Pence

2012 Recap: Well, what can I say, they came back and won their second world series title in the last three years, and did it in convincing fashion. They had a lot of ups and downs at times, but remained in control of this division practically the entire season, but that is to be expected with this team. Matt Cain threw a perfect game, but other pitchers like Tim Lincecum struggled, even being removed from the rotation for the playoffs. Of course you can't help but mention Buster Posey's return from a gruesome injury in 2011 to return to his old form, and the downside of Melky Cabrera's 50 game suspension for PEDs.

2013 Outlook: Well, this is complicated, because for the most part they stayed put with their talent, didn't make many moves, and the Dodgers made strides to get better. I'm not saying that they'll completely drop out of first and not compete for the division, but I don't believe that they'll win it by 8 games the way they did last year. From what I can see, if everything goes well, they top 90 wins, but it will be a dogfight throughout the year for the division with the Dodgers.

2013 Projected Wins: 90

I guess he's trying to channel Greg Maddux by stealing his haircut?

Los Angeles Dodgers

2012 Record: 86-76

Manager: Don Mattingly

Projected Starting Pitchers: Clayton Kershaw, Hyun-Jin Ryu, Josh Beckett, Zach Greinke, Chad Billingsley

Projected Starting Fielders: C AJ Ellis, 1B Adrian Gonzalez, 2B Mark Ellis, SS Luis Cruz, 3B Jerry Hairston, LF Carl Crawford, CF Matt Kemp, RF Andre Ethier

2012 Recap: Well this year started off with a bang, and a welcome one; an ownership group that includes Ervin Magic Johnson bought the team, ending the drama of the McCourts. To me, this team had an extra bounce in their step as soon as that was announced, and it ended up paying off on the field later in the year. They made a huge trade with the Boston Red Sox acquiring Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford and Josh Beckett, to bolster a good team. This team ended up being too far behind in the end to win the division, but laid the foundation for success in the future, and should see the results soon.

2013 Outlook: This team made moves to get better since the new ownership group took control, and now they'll be able to see it on the field, not just on paper. I like the trade for Beckett Gonzalez and Crawford better now that they're starting the year with the team, and healthy more then I did when it was first made. I still don't know about the Greinke trade however, he has been inconsistent from year to year, and I don't think he was worth the money that they gave him.

Projected 2013 Wins: 90

Arizona Diamondbacks

2012 Record: 81-81

Manager: Kirk Gibson

Projected Starting Pitchers: Ian Kennedy, Brandon McCarthy, Trevor Cahill, Wade Miley, Patrick Corbin

Projected Starting Fielders: C Miguel Montero, 1B Paul Goldschmidt, 2B Aaron Hill, SS Cliff Pennington, 3B Martin Prado, LF Jason Kubel, CF Gerardo Parra, RF Cody Ross

So, I don't know a ton about this team, so these will be short, they didn't make the playoffs and they struggled to make it to .500. The team is young but has a mixed bag of talent, both in the pitching staff and the fielders. Kirk Gibson isn't that bad of a manager from what I've seen, and the Diamondbacks have had a lot of patience with managers in the past, and I don't see him looking over his shoulder for at least one more year.

Projected 2013 Wins: 82

San Diego Padres

2012 Record: 76-86

Manager: Bud Black

Projected Starting Pitchers: Edison Volquez, Clayton Richard, Eric Stults, Jason Marquis, Tyson Ross

Projected Starting Fielders: C Nate Hundley, 1B Yonder Alonso, 2B Jed Gyorko, SS Evreth Cabrera, 3B Cody Ransom, LF Carlos Quentin, CF Cameron Maybin, RF Chris Denorfia

This is a team I know almost nothing about, except what I've seen in the past from these players. Last year, they did almost nothing, and everyone expected them to do nothing. Honestly, I don't know if they'll make it to 76 wins this year, and Bud Black should be looking over his shoulder in my opinion. I would put him on my shortlist of managers likely to lose their jobs this year if they don't compete.

Projected 2013 Wins: 72

Colorado Rockies

2012 Record: 64-98

Manager: Walt Weiss

Projected Starting Pitchers: Jhoulys Chacin, Jorge De La Rosa, Jeff Francis, Juan Nicasio, Jon Garland

Projected Starting Fielders: C Wilin Rosario, 1B Todd Helton, 2B Josh Rutledge, SS Troy Tulowitzki, 3B Chris Nelson, LF Carlos Gonzalez, CF Dexter Fowler, RF Michael Cuddyer

Here we go, the last team, and quite possibly one of the three worst teams in the league. The Rockies have been bad since they lost the world series in 2007 to the Red Sox, and don't appear to be getting better in my opinion. Their manager search in the offseason was interesting, it even included Jason Giambi interviewing, and saying that he would retire in order to manage. The manager job went to Walt Weiss a former player who was an extremely smart shortstop, so it will be interesting to see what happens this year.

NL Central Predictions

Hello again, we're now just 6 days from one of my favorite days of the year, Opening Day, and its almost time to finish these last couple predictions. In the next few days, I am going to do the NL West, and then a blog with final standings predictions and awards, even maybe top hot seat managers list. So I have to admit, I know more about this division in the NL then the other two, but what can I say, I live in Chicago, where the Cubs play, but we don't acknowledge their existence. But, putting those things aside, I will do my best as always to give a little information about these teams in this division, even if I don't know much about them.

Cincinnati Reds

2012 Record: 97-65

Manager: Dusty Baker(I know they all wear the team's uniform, but he really enjoys it)

Projected Starting Pitchers: Johnny Cueto, Bronson Arroyo(Didn't realize he was still in baseball), Matt Latos, Homer Bailey, Mike Leake

Projected Starting Fielders: C Ryan Hanigan, 1B Joey Votto, 2B Brandon Phillips, SS Zach Cozart, 3B Todd Frazier, LF Ryan Ludwick, CF Shin-Soo Choo, RF Jay Bruce

2012 Recap: Well, its hard to say anything but they did what they were expected to, and were one of the few teams that did so, they made the playoffs. They stayed on top of the division pretty much the whole year, and then unfortunately didn't make it out of the first round, but they lost to the world series champs. The good news for them is that they're young, but have been together for awhile, so they are able to handle the long playoff race, especially with an experienced manager like Dusty Baker at the helm.

2013 Outlook: Looking at the team, and the rest of the division, I can see them winning the division once again, the division is up and coming, but they aren't there yet. One thing that intrigues me with this team is Dusty Baker, all these years they've competed, but they haven't made the NLCS, let alone world series. How much longer will the organization let this keep going before looking into replacing him? They toyed with the idea of converting closer Aroldis Chapman into a closer, but for now it appears those plans have been shelved.

Projected 2013 Wins: 95

St Louis Cardinals

2012 Record: 88-74

Manager: Mike Matheny

Projected Starting Pitchers: Adam Wainwright, Jake Westbrook, Lance Lynn, Jaime Garcia, Shelby Miller

Projected Starting Fielders: C Yadier Molina, 1B Allen Craig, 2B Daniel Descalso, SS Pete Kozma(Got a cousin with the same last name), 3B Matt Carpenter, LF Matt Holliday, CF John Jay, RF Carlos Beltran

2012 Recap: The Cardinals were coming off of a world series title and an offseason where they lost their manager to retirement, and their 1B to free agency, and still did well. They battled for the division most of the year, but dealt with injuries all year that crippled their chances for the division title. This team won the wildcard playoff game on a questionable call, but a win is a win, and they beat the Nationals then fell to the Giants.

2013 Outlook: I have hope for this team to compete, but I don't know about winning the division, it depends on quite a few factors, as with any other team. Having been to Busch Stadium its a great atmosphere, and I think that it will give them a distinct home field advantage as well. One thing to watch for is the return of David Freese, and the still question mark return of Chris Carpenter, both players that can have a great impact on their success this year.

2013 Projected wins: 92

Milwaukee Brewers

2012 Record: 83-79

Manager: Ron Roenicke

Projected Starting Pitchers: Yovani Gallardo, Kyle Lohse, Marco Estrada, Wily Peralta, Chris Narveson

Projected Starting Fielders: C Jonathan Lucroy, 1B Alex Gonzalez, 2B Rickie Weeks, SS Jean Segura, 3B Aramis Ramirez, LF Ryan Braun, CF Carlos Gomez, RF Norichika Aoki

2012 Recap: This team was a mixed bag really, big expectations, with big distractions, adding up to them missing the playoffs last year. There was no shortage of distractions before the year started with the Ryan Braun fiasco, and it seemed to carryover into the season. All in all, they didn't have a horrible season, they competed for the division and wildcard, but came up short, it'll be interesting to see this year.

2013 Outlook: Well, this team will definitely have an easier time without the distractions from the Braun steroids fiasco going into the year, but I don't know if that will be enough. The fact is that the Cardinals and Reds are still on top of the division, and the Pirates are up and coming, so it will not be an easy division to compete in. That being said, I can see them being above .500 for the year, and giving the wildcard a run, but I don't see them winning the division this year.

2013 Projected Wins: 85

I know, I didn't mention him, but he's still one of the best

Pittsburgh Pirates

2012 Record: 79-83

Manager: Clint Hurdle

Projected Starting Pitchers: AJ Burnett, Wandy Rodriguez, James McDonald, Jonathan Sanchez, Jeff Locke

Projected Starting Fielders: C Russell Martin, 1B Garrett Jones, 2B Neil Walker, SS Clint Barmes, 3B Pedro Alvarez, LF Starling Marte, CF Andrew McCutchen, RF Travis Snider

2012 Recap: Its been 20+ years since they've been .500 and they're almost there finally. Really what more do you want me to say about them? No seriously, they almost made it this year, and were in the division race for the first half of the season, which is more then most would expect them to be at. The fact that they collapsed at the end should not be held against them, and it actually bodes well for them that they have been getting better the last few years.

2013 Outlook: As I said, they're close, and I believe that this is the year that they finally get over the hump, and finish above .500. They're a solid young team, with experience, which to me bodes well for them, they won't have the deer in the headlights look, but won't be dealing with old age like other teams. As I said with the Brewers, this division's solid so its going to be tough to make the playoffs, but competing and finishing above .500 should be their immediate goals.

Projected 2013 Wins: 85

I know, I didn't mention Roberto Clemente in here, but he's one of the great players of all time on and off the field.

Chicago Cubs

2012 Record: 61-101

Manager: Dale Sveum

Projected Starting Pitchers: Jeff Samardzija, Edwin Jackson, Travis Wood, Scott Feldman, Carlos Villanueva, Matt Garza(On DL, no word yet on exact return)

Projected Starting Fielders: C Wendy Castillo/Dioner Navarro(either one will play), 1B Anthony Rizzo, 2B Darwin Barney, SS Starlin Castro, 3B Luis Valbuena, LF Alfonso Soriano, CF David DeJesus, RF Nate Schierholtz

2012 Recap: This team finally made a major change in the front office, that many here in Chicago would argue that they sorely needed to make years ago, they fired GM Jim Hendry. Theo Epstein came in with his guys and have made moves to move payroll and get more young talent, which is great, but doesn't lend itself to winning. The results on the field spoke for themselves in the form of 101 losses, but as the saying goes, "wait til next year" as always with Cubs fans. There were some bright spots however, in the form of Anthony Rizzo and Starlin Castro, both quality young players, with major league experience.

2013 Outlook: Well, for some Cubs fans, next year is here, but I don't see them winning this year, or maybe for a couple more years, they're just not good enough yet. They're still trying to trade Alfonso Soriano, and have been for years, the problem being that most teams don't want to eat his salary, but who can blame them. Compounding the problem for the Cubs is the fact that the Astros are no longer in their division, so they can no longer count on a few extra wins over the worst team in baseball.

Projected 2013 Wins: 55