The fact that today’s the end of the world got me thinking about Nostradamus and predictions and I’ve decided to make a few predictions about the rest of the Major League season. Yes, I see the contradiction in that last sentence, no, I don’t care. Without further ado…
- Matt Kemp will hit 30 HRs, steal 30 bases, and bat .300. Thus far he has a .324 AVG, 10HRs, and 12 SBs. He’s a 5 tool player for the Dodgers and is a true talent in the league right now. Kemp may be in the MVP discussion by September and if the Dodgers are in the playoff hunt at the end of the year, it’ll be in large part because of him.
- The Indians will miss the playoffs. I understand that they have the best record in the league, I understand that they’re doing it without Grady Sizemore, and I understand that they have a six game lead in the division but I don’t buy it. They’re hitting .265 as a team but have a .302 BABIP which I’m not sure is sustainable. They play their next 16 games against teams with winning records so we’ll find out a lot about them soon. Travis Hafner is out 3 to 4 weeks so I don’t have a ton of confidence. The Tigers, White Sox, Royals, and even Twins are too good to let Cleveland coast to the title so they’ll have to earn it and I don’t think they can.
- The Cardinals will win the NL Central. They’ve gotten only 1 win from former Cy Young award winner Chris Carpenter and obviously none from ace Adam Wainwright, who is out for the year after a spring training injury. Kyle McClellan has filled in very well, winning 6 games and Jaime Garcia has followed up his stellar rookie campaign with a 1.64 ERA. Lance Berkman has been unbelievable this year hitting .349 with a league leading 35 RBI. The Cards are 1st in batting average and OBP and second in slugging and runs scored. Just imagine what will happen when Albert Pujols starts hitting.
- Jose Bautista will win the AL MVP. Bautista hit 2 homers today bringing his total to 18 on the season. He leads the Blue Jays in homers, average, RBIs,walks, runs, and OPS. He’s hitting .364 right now and is one of the most feared hitters in the pros. The Blue Jays are 23-22 and Bautista has a WAR of 3.9. So, by the numbers, he’s the only reason the Jays are above .500.
- The Mets will finish over .500. Wait, no they won’t, nevermind. Soon enough they’ll remember they’re terrible.
- Wandy Rodriguez will end the year a Yankee. The Astros are 16-30, the worst record in the Majors, and are in the midst of an ownership change. The Yankees are in third place looking up at the suddenly red hot Red Sox and surprisingly consistent Rays. They’re not playing well of late and need to make a move. Wandy should start looking for an apartment in Manhattan.
That’s all for now, there’s only 41 minutes until the rapture so I’ve got to get ready (Wait, that’s stupid, no I don’t).
-Max Frankel
