Baseball Todd's 2003 Predictions
Phillies And Athletics To Meet In
The 2003 World Series? We'll See!
The first thing to remember when making predictions is that
they often can be trashed by the end of the first month of the
season. With that being said, don't go to the bank based on what
I am predicting for the 2003 baseball season. I'm not smart
enough to handicap the pennant race - but at least I try.
My crystal ball for the AMERICAN LEAGUE EAST says the New
York Yankees should win their division. The Yankees have pitching
- perhaps too much of it if you can have such a thing. Roger
Clemens (13-6) is just seven wins shy of 300 victories for his
career and a ticket to Cooperstown. They also have Mike Mussina
(18-10), Andy Pettitte (13-5), and David Wells (19-7). All are
proven veterans, but they could break down due to age as the
season goes along.
The Bronx Bombers also feature a potent lineup with first
baseman Jason Giambi (.314, 41 HR, 122 RBI), shortstop Derek
Jeter (.297), second baseman Alfonso Soriano (.300, 39 HR, 102
RBI), and center fielder Bernie Williams (.333, 19 HR, 102 RBI.)
Japanese import Hideki Matsui (.334, 50 HR, 107 RBI for Yomiuri)
will be important in left field as his left-handed swing could be
tailor-made for the right field porch in Yankee Stadium.
The Boston Red Sox might make the playoffs as the Junior
Circuit's wild card entry. The Bosox should make the postseason
considering they have shortstop Nomar Garciaparra (.310, 24 HR,
120 RBI), left fielder and 2002 batting champ Manny Ramirez
(.349, 33 HR, 107 RBI), and center fielder/leadoff man Johnny
Damon (.286, 31 SB, 118 R). Pedro Martinez (20-4, 2.26 ERA)
anchors a staff that also has 2002 All-Star starter Derek Lowe
(21-8) and knuckleballer Tim Wakefield (11-5.)
The Toronto Blue Jays could make some noise but I don't
think they are there yet. Carlos Delgado (.277, 33 HR, 108 RBI)
needs to pick it up a bit at first base and get back to his old
self. Roy Halladay (19-7) was a star last year on the mound and
needs to repeat his performance in 2003 to give the Jays a
chance.
The Baltimore Orioles and Tampa Bay Devil Rays will be
battling to stay out of the cellar. The O's have third baseman
Tony Batista (31 HR, 87 RBI) and not much else. The Rays really
have no bright spots in my opinion - other than the ability to
drive new manager Lou Piniella nuts this year at Tropicana Field.
The AMERICAN LEAGUE CENTRAL should belong to the Minnesota
Twins in 2003. They made a fine showing in the playoffs last year
and return a nucleus of young talent that was hell-bent on
showing Bud Selig he was an idiot for wanting to ax them last
year.
The Twins have pitching depth and if starters Joe Mays (4-8)
and Brad Radke (9-5) can return to form after injury-plagued 2002
seasons, Minnesota has a ticket to the playoffs. Gold Glove
center fielder Torii Hunter (.289, 29 HR, 94 RBI) leads the
offense and first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz (.261) anchors the
infield. Assuming everybody stays healthy, the Twins are the
class of their division.
The Chicago White Sox can't be overlooked, though. Veteran
Frank Thomas (.252, 28 HR, 92 RBI) needs to find his potent
Triple Crown form at the plate once again as the DH. First
baseman Paul Konerko (.304, 27 HR, 104 RBI) and right fielder
Magglio Ordonez (.320, 38 HR, 135 RBI) are stout. Mark Buehrle
(19-12) and Bartolo Colon (20-8 with the Expos and Indians) give
the Chisox a nice 1-2 punch on the mound. Billy Koch (11-4, 44
saves with the A's) becomes the closer.
The Cleveland Indians are in transition. They no longer have
Jim Thome at first base, who signed as a free agent with Philly.
They are still stronger than the Kansas City Royals and the
Detroit Tigers, though. The Royals have Mike Sweeney (.340) at
first base and Carlos Beltran (29 HR, 105 RBI) and Raul Ibanez
(24 HR, 103 RBI) in the outfield. KC, though, has no pitching.
The Tigers have nothing, save for former star shortstop Alan
Trammell in the dugout as the team's new manager.
The Oakland A's should win the AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST division
again with the best starting trio in the majors - Mark Mulder
(19-7), Tim Hudson (15-9), and Cy Young Award winner Barry Zito
(23-5). They also have reigning MVP Miguel Tejada (.308, 34 HR,
131 RBI) at shortstop and Eric Chavez (34 HR, 109 RBI) at third.
This gives the A's a solid nucleus, but it will be interesting to
see how they respond to a new manager - now that Art Howe is with
the Mets.
The Seattle Mariners are not the same team they once were.
Save for Ichiro Suzuki (.321) in right field, the Mariners are
void of stars like they once had in Ken Griffey, Jr., Randy
Johnson, and Alex Rodriguez. But, they still have the goods to
make a run. Brett Boone (.278, 24 HR, 107 RBI) and John Olerud
(.300, 22 HR, 102 RBI) are no slouches in the infield. Freddy
Garcia (16-10) is the staff's ace.
I just don't see the Anaheim Angels in the running again.
But, I was wrong last year about them. After picking them to
finish in the basement, they went on to win the World Series.
Troy Glaus (30 HR, 111 RBI) is a valuable presence at third base.
David Eckstein (.293) at shortstop is a scrappy guy. Garrett
Anderson (.306, 29 HR, 123 RBI) is great in left field. Jarrod
Washburn (18-6) is the staff ace for Anaheim.
If the Texas Rangers ever figure out how to get some
pitching, they could be good. But, until they do, they won't be a
threat. Future Hall of Famers Alex Rodriguez (.300, 57 HR, 142
RBI) and Rafael Palmeiro (43 HR, 105 RBI) anchor the lineup.
Other than that, I see Texas occupying the basement again.
Shifting leagues now, I have to go with the Atlanta Braves
again to win the NATIONAL LEAGUE EAST division. They lost Tom
Glavine to the Mets and Kevin Millwood to the Phillies. But, they
also picked up Russ Ortis (14-10 with the Giants) and Paul Byrd
(17-11 with the Royals.) Plus, they still have Greg Maddux (16-6)
and John Smoltz (55 saves.)
Chipper Jones (.327, 26 HR, 100 RBI) in left, Andruw Jones
(35 HR, 94 RBI) in center, and Gary Sheffield (.307, 25 HR, 84
RBI) in right give the Braves arguably the best outfield in the
majors. Robert Fick (.270) at first base was a former All-Star
with Detroit and could breath new life into an offense that was
stale many times last year.
This gives Philly potential to make it over the hump. They
already had Pat Burrell (.282, 37 HR, 116 RBI) in left and Bobby
Abreu (.308, 20 HR, 85 RBI) in right. Millwood (18-8 with the
Braves) becomes the staff ace while Vicente Padilla (14-11) will
also make the rotation stout.
The New York Mets got future Hall of Famer Glavine (18-11)
when the Braves decided they no longer could afford his services.
Unfortunately, I think the Mets are still in need of a few more
pieces to complete the puzzle. Catcher Mike Piazza (33 HR, 98
RBI) was one of the few regulars who didn't have a drastic
dropoff at the plate - and even he had an off year last season by
his standards.
The Florida Marlins and the Montreal Expos can play the part
of spoiler this year. Florida boasts some nice young arms in A.J.
Burnett (12-9) and Brad Penny (8-7), plus they have All-Star
second baseman Luis Castillo (.305, 48 SB) who had a 35-game
hitting streak a year ago. The Fish also have 10-time Gold Glove
winner Pudge Rodriguez (1999 AL MVP with Texas) behind the plate.
Montreal has Vladimir Guerrero (.336, 39 HR, 111 RBI) in right
field and he is one of the game's most exciting and unsung stars.
I don't think Florida or Montreal are nearly as bad as people
make them out to be. But, don't get me wrong; they're still not
contenders, only pretenders.
In the NATIONAL LEAGUE CENTRAL, I feel like the St. Louis
Cardinals should win the division again. Last year was a sad one
for St. Louis after the deaths of announcer Jack Buck, former
World Series MVP Darrell Porter, and starting pitcher Darryl
Kile. But, they still made the playoffs under the toughest of
circumstances and such resilience a year ago will prove to be
valuable this season in my opinion. Matt Morris (17-9) is the
Cards' top starter while third baseman Scott Rolen (31 HR, 110
RBI for Phils and Cards), center fielder Jim Edmonds (.311, 28
HR, 83 RBI), and left fielder Albert Pujols (.314, 34 HR, 127
RBI) are the big bats.
The Chicago Cubs have a new manager in Dusty Baker, who led
the Giants to the World Series last year. They also have one of
the all-time greats in Sammy Sosa (.288, 49 HR, 108 RBI). Moises
Alou (.275, 15 HR, 61 RBI) needs to bounce back after a dismal
injury-plagued showing his first year with the Cubs after coming
over from Houston. Pitchers Kerry Wood (12-11, 217 K) and Matt
Clement (12-11) can get the job done on the hill for Chicago.
The Houston Astros should also be in contention in the NL
Central. The Astros have young Roy Oswalt (19-9) as their ace
while first baseman Jeff Bagwell (.291, 31 HR, 98 RBI) and center
fielder Lance Berkman (.292, 42 HR, 128 RBI) are ready again to
bash the horsehide. Second baseman Jeff Kent (.313, 37 HR, 108
RBI with San Francisco) is ready to prove his worth with his new
club and may make the Astros dangerous for anybody to contend
with.
The Pittsburgh Pirates and the Cincinnati Reds just have too
many questions at this time to be seriously considered threats to
make the postseason. I like the Bucs direction but they're too
young at this time as left fielder Brian Giles (.298, 38 HR, 103
RBI) tries to keep pace with the game's biggest sluggers. The
Reds move into their new digs this year at Great American Ball
Park, but Ken Griffey, Jr., has got to get back to his former
superstar self before Cincy can make a serious bid.
As for baseball commissioner Bud Selig's beloved Milwaukee
Brewers, well, they're just plain pitiful. Last year, they lost a
club-record 106 games. They've made no real commitment over the
off-season to change their ways. Big first baseman Richie Sexson
(29 HR, 102) is the club's lone bright spot.
To finish up, let's take a look at the NATIONAL LEAGUE WEST
where the Arizona Diamondbacks look to succeed once again. Randy
Johnson (24-5, 2.32 ERA, 334 K) and Curt Schilling (23-7, 3.23
ERA, 316 K) give the D-Backs the majors' most intimidating 1-2
punch on the mound. Luis Gonzalez (.288, 28 HR, 103 RBI) is the
team's best hitter and Arizona is fairly solid in most areas. I
give them the edge.
The San Francisco Giants made the World Series a year ago,
but I think they'll be hard pressed to do it again. They have one
of the all-time greats in the moody Barry Bonds (.370, 46 HR, 110
RBI) but they lost Jeff Kent to the Astros and manager Dusty
Baker to the Cubs. Plus, they lost pitcher Russ Ortiz to the
Braves. They still got something in the tank, but it won't be
enough to topple Arizona.
The Colorado Rockies will always have a difficult time
making the postseason simply because pitchers do not thrive at
high altitude in Denver. They have the offense, though. Right
fielder Larry Walker (.338, 26 HR, 104 RBI) and first baseman
Todd Helton (.329, 30 HR, 109 RBI) have two of the prettiest
swings in baseball.
The Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres are not
horrible in the least. But, I don't think they have what it takes
to make a run to the postseason. LA features slugger Shawn Green
(.285, 42 HR, 114 RBI) in the outfield while the Padres have
first baseman Ryan Klesko (.300, 29 HR, 95 RBI). Those two give
Southern California baseball fans some reason to cheer.
In the postseason, I see the wild card Phillies facing the
AL champion A's in the World Series, with Oakland taking it. I
think that would be interesting, seeing as how the A's used to be
the American League's representive in Philadelphia during the
days of Connie Mack, Mickey Cochrane, and Jimmy Foxx. I'm all for
nostalgia. Hey, it could happen!
Click here to see where some current players rank on the all-time charts!
For your enjoyment, I have also included below the pre-season picks of Baseball Digest, The Sporting News, and Street and Smith's. Tell me what you think about my picks by signing my guestbook. Or, send me an e-mail (click on the @ below) and tell me if you think I'm off my rocker. Good luck to your team in 2003!
Last year, I predicted the St. Louis Cardinals would beat
the New York Yankees in the World Series. Well, we all know how
that went, don't we? A pair of wild card teams eventually made it
to the World Series in 2002 as the Anaheim Angels (a team I
picked to finish dead last in their division) beat the San
Francisco Giants in a thriller. 
First baseman Jason Giambi will try to help bring the Yankees back into the postseason in 2003, according to Baseball Todd. (Photo by Walter Smith)But, Atlanta will have a hard time keeping the Philadelphia
Phillies quiet. The Phils reeled in first baseman Jim Thome
(.304, 52 HR, 118 RBI with the Indians) out the free agent pool.
They also got third baseman David Bell (20 HR, 73 RBI for the
Giants) on the free agent market. 
Randy Johnson is an awesome presence on the mound for the Diamondbacks, who should win their division in 2003, according to Baseball Todd's crystal ball.
DIGEST |
AND SMITH'S |
NEWS |
|
To look at the 2002 predictions CLICK HERE
CLICK NOW TO GO BACK TO BASEBALL TODD'S DUGOUT MAIN PAGE!
