American League
East
1. Tampa Bay Rays*
2. New York Yankees-#
3. Baltimore Orioles
4. Boston Red Sox
5. Toronto Blue Jays
Bold prediction: The loss of Jacoby Ellsbury hurts Boston more than expected, Big Papi shows his age, the pitching staff regresses and Koji Uehara doesn’t repeat his 2013 performance. It’s a down year for the Red Sox, who bounce back nicely in 2015 with another impressive free-agent class.
Breakout superstar: Wil Myers, OF Tampa Bay Rays
Fantasy bonus: Closer breakdown for every MLB team
Want alternative views? Check out predictions by SWN’s Raimundo Ortiz: AL | NL
Central
1. Detroit Tigers*
2. Kansas City Royals
3. Cleveland Indians
4. Chicago White Sox
5. Minnesota Twins
Bold prediction: Although Wil Myers will be a household name by September; the Royals get the most out of James Shields in his contract year and don’t regret the trade as much as they probably should. The Royals stay in the race until the season’s final week, but barely miss out on a playoff berth. Shields will then go to the Mets in the offseason for a huge payday and disappoint in 2015 while pitching in Flushing.
Breakout superstar: Jose Abreu, 1B, White Sox
Bonus: Miguel Cabrera contract extension a mistake
West
1. Los Angeles Angels*
2. Texas Rangers-#
3. Oakland Athletics
4. Seattle Mariners
5. Houston Astros
Bold prediction: Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton finally have respectable seasons in Anaheim and lead the Angels to the postseason. Oh, Mike Trout being the best player in the world is a big reason why the Angels win the division. It’s not all Pujols and Hamilton. If they need it, the free-spending Angels will add a top-notch starting pitcher or reliever before the trade deadline.
Breakout superstar: Sonny Gray, SP, Oakland Athletics
*Division winner
#wild card winner
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MVP: Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels or Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers ... obviously.
Flood note: It’s too easy to pick Trout or Cabrera, so I am not including them as my “runner-up."
MVP runner-up: Adam Jones, Baltimore Orioles
MVP sleeper: Wil Myers, Tampa Bay Rays
Rookie of the Year: Jose Abreu, Chicago White Sox
ROY runner-up: Xander Bogaerts, Boston Red Sox
Cy Young Award: Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers
Cy young runner-up: Felix Hernandez, Seattle Mariners
Flood note: Yu Darvish was my runner-up before the neck injury.
Cy Young sleeper: Sonny Gray, Oakland A's
Manager of the Year: Joe Maddon, Tampa Bay Rays
Comeback Player: Michael Pineda, New York Yankees
ALCS: Tigers defeat Yankees in five games
World Series: Tigers defeat Nationals in seven games
MVP: Justin Verlander
Disagree with my picks? Questions? Hit me up on Twitter @briansflood
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